ABC/Randy HolmesMetallica frontman James Hetfield helped spread some holiday cheer to the fire and police departments in his hometown of Vail, Colorado recently through the band's All Within My Hands charity foundation. Hetfield gifted them with gift cards for Starbucks, which teamed up with All Within My Hands as a part of their "Give Good" campaign.

Launched earlier this year, the All Within My Hands Foundation supports "workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services."

Metallica is off for the rest of the year, and they'll resume their European tour in support of their new album Hardwired...to Self-Destruct in February.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Like any true fanatic, I have a penchant for lists. And even more than the act of listmaking, I have a certain predilection for proclaiming my favorites.

Ive been known to say, Thats one of the top five albums ever recorded or Thats easily my favorite documentary. But its usually not that simple, right?

Its usually something like my favorite American documentary, or my favorite Lou Reed solo album ... the Best Eastern-European Animation ... Best scene in a 1940s deco nightclub ... the funniest Coen Brothers Character ... the best dance number in a horror/comedy/jungle adventure.

I dont know why I feel the need to exclaim my affections, or why I need to narrow them down to the point that I do. I do know that the way I feel for the things that I love, is a feeling that goes deep enough that the act of claiming, listing, qualifying, places them in the realm of ownership. Therefore, I possess them.

Collecting  surprise, I am a collector of many things  solidifies that relationship. The next step in this progression of fanaticism/obsession/need-to-own, according to Salvador Dali, would be to eat the objects. I havent gone that far. Yet.

So, here, in that spirit, and in no particular order are my favorite films from 2017, the ones I own now in my weird heart and mind, my new family members, my endorsements or, if you prefer, my cinematic menu. Bon appetit.

(One qualifier: This list only consists of films that I have seen in 2017. There are a handful of eagerly anticipated releases that have not played in Missoula, that would likely make their way onto this list, i.e., Paul Thomas Anderson's "Phantom Thread," Guillermo del Toros "The Shape Of Water," Luca Guadagninos "Call Me By Your Name," etc. Ironically, the five favorites I chose were all unexpectedly wonderful, five films I had an interest in seeing, but never expected to enjoy as much as I did. Maybe I shouldnt hold my breath for the upcoming crop?)

Get Out

Without a doubt, my favorite movie from 2017, Jordan Peeles strange, menacing and razor-sharp race/class satire is the most acerbic horror flick to come around in this or any year. Brimming with a kind of palpable discomfort that literally puts you on the edge of your seat waiting for the shocking inevitable, Peeles film transcends the pitfalls of horror, avoiding the obvious psycho/slasher tropes that you might expect from a low budget genre pic. Moreover, its a great and important film about race and class in America; the true atrocity of racism is veiled beneath the supernatural cinematic terror of "Get Out."

Lady Bird

The sweetest surprise from the end of the year, Greta Gerwigs largely autobiographical coming-of-age story is warm and emotional and extremely funny. With great performances by Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, the film appeals to a larger cross-section than youd think. Gerwigs directorial debut is a mature, poignant and decidedly feminine perspective on growing up. I dont know what I expected, exactly, but I was delighted and moved by Gerwigs simple and economical film. I never thought I could be nostalgic for 2002, but as Guy Lodge noted in his review for The Guardian, "Lady Bird" is a film about how bad things were before we knew how bad they were going to get.

The Square

In an early scene in Swedish director Ruben Ostlunds dark satire of high art and European culture, the protagonist tells a reporter that, essentially, the mere act of placing an object in a gallery makes it art. Its a conviction that he seems to barely understand himself, as if voicing the idea has made even him struggle to comprehend the logic of the rules of his own world. This contradiction, and the sentiment of an unstable and an ungovernable culture is at the heart of Ostlunds Palme d'Or winner. Ostensibly an allegory for the decline of imperialist ruling-class Europe, "The Square" jabs and prods at the expanding distance between the edges of society, and the futility of our institutions, especially those of high culture, to resolve the riff. But more than the heady depth of the film, "The Square" satisfies for its downright weirdness and deadpan absurdity.

The Florida Project

The latest film from maverick indy director Sean Baker (the filmmaker whose previous unconventional offering "Tangerine," was the first feature shot entirely with iPhones) is a heartbreaking film set in a sad and beautiful transient hotel in Orlando, Florida, in the failing outskirts of the Magic Kingdom. With an exquisite eye for decaying Americana, and a concern for fringe characters, Bakers film shines a light of humanity on the falling-down corners of the American Dream. Working almost exclusively with non-professional actors  the one exception in this case being a deeply felt performance by Willem Dafoe  Baker defies the traps of poverty porn, with his humanist portals of prostitutes, addicts and idlers and their restless kids, creating community and family in the mess of life.

Jane

Built from recently unearthed film footage tucked away in the National Geographic archives for over 50 years, Brett Morgens absorbing documentary is a captivating portrait of legendary primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist and UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall. The film centers on Dame Goodalls seminal work with chimpanzees in Tanzanias Gombe Stream National Park, where as a young woman in the field, she brazenly defied a male-dominated discipline. The newly discovered footage (more than 100 hours!) tells the visual story of her pioneering work and her awakening as a scientist. As we watch her professional evolution and her relationship with her subjects advance (paralleled here by her personal relationships: as a mother to her young child and as a wife to filmmaker Hugo van Lawick) the degree of Goodalls brilliance begins to take hold. Further captivating is Goodalls deeply spiritual worldview, a perspective that equates our role on the planet as stewards to a higher calling: a spiritual evolution. Together with Philip Glass mesmerizing score and some extraordinary wildlife photography, Morgen documents one of the most important figures in conservation, bringing us in direct contact with the greatness of humanity.
San Francisco Police Officer Anna Cuthbertson hadn't considered organ donation until she listened to a podcast about a woman who had done it. After some research, she determined she would donate one of her kidneys to help a stranger live.

In February, curiosity drove her to matchingdonors.com, a website that works to connect organ donors with those in need of a transplant. "It looks like personal ads," Cuthbertson said. "People that need different body parts, kidneys being the primary request, and everybody puts up a page. They tell you about themselves, how they ended up in a position where they need an organ."

Cuthbertson was struck by how many people had pages on the site.

"There were so many people that just needed somebody to step forward so they can live," she said, emotion catching in her throat. Even when she narrowed the need down to just her native San Francisco, the need was overwhelming.

'It's not as big of a deal as people think it is'

"If you're healthy, it's not as big of a deal as people think it is," Cuthbertson said. "I started doing research about the risk, long-term health risk, how much time it takes. And the more I looked into it, the more I realized that there wasn't a reason not to."

Instead, Cuthbertson found a very compelling reason to donate her kidney: Joan.

Sixty-five-year-old Joan Grealis has kidney disease. When she got sick five years ago, doctors discovered that she had hyperoxaluria, or oxalate crystals in both her kidneys -- the result of a biochemical reaction that occurred when she had surgery in her 20s.

Grealis and her husband, Gary, have been together since they were teenagers. But neither Gary nor their two adult children was able to donate to Joan. "They were all tested, and for various medical reasons, they couldn't donate," Grealis said.

But without getting a new kidney, her prognosis wasn't good. "Eventually, I would die," she said. "I would go on dialysis first, and dialysis is usually a couple of years."

Practically minded, Grealis even made cremation plans. "I don't know if I would have done that normally at my age, but it just seemed like I should do this," she recalled.

Wait-listed for a new kidney

For five years, she was on a wait list for a new kidney. She was told it could take eight years or more to get a new organ through the deceased donors list.

"Somebody in my kidney support group had heard of Matching Donors, so I found it online, and I enrolled myself there," Grealis said. "I was concerned because I'm older and it's like, 'Who's going to want to help me?' And to my amazement, within an hour, Anna called me."

That first call was in February, and the two women were on the phone for at least a half an hour. Even though Grealis was a complete stranger, her story resonated with 36-year-old Cuthbertson.

"Joan is about the age that my mother would have been if she was alive," Cuthbertson said with tears welling in her eyes. "Joan's got kids that are about my age, and I just imagined if I had my mom back."

The conversation came easy for Cuthbertson. "It felt natural. t felt comfortable talking to her. I felt like I knew her," she said.

Making a difference

A San Francisco police officer for 10 years, Cuthbertson is also a US Army veteran, having served for 13 years with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. She sees a correlation between this act of kindness and her careers in uniform.

"I think that my time in law enforcement, my time in the military, I spent trying to make a difference to somebody," Cuthbertson reflected. "You spend a lot of days and a lot of weeks and a lot of months feeling like you're not doing that, like you're not making things better for people, and that's frustrating, and this was a way for me to know that at least I made an impact somewhere."

During the months of testing that followed, the women forged a bond. By the end of September, Cuthbertson had completed all the testing. Unfortunately, the two were not a match for kidney donation. But Cuthbertson saw that she could still help Grealis by entering a kidney exchange program via the National Kidney Registry.

"You bring a good kidney to the table, and suddenly a whole list of people are able to get a donation," Cuthbertson said. "It was exciting knowing that Joan was bringing my good kidney to the table, and who knew how many people were going to get a kidney as a result of that?"

Through the program, other pairs of donors and recipients who were not compatible were found so that matches could be made among them. That took just two weeks, and ultimately nine people received kidney transplants thanks to Cuthbertson's willingness to enter the program to help Grealis.

Linked for life

The kidney Grealis received the week of November 16 came from an anonymous man in Southern California, but she considers Cuthbertson her donor.

"I feel like we are linked for life," Grealis said. "I may not have gotten her kidney, but without her doing what she did, I wouldn't have gotten a kidney, either."

Cuthbertson and Grealis underwent surgery at about the same time at the University of California, San Francisco.

"I got done first, and I remember sitting up in my bed like every time the elevator doors opened," Cuthbertson recalled with a laugh. "I was waiting to see when Joan would show up on the floor. But her surgery got done pretty late, so I saw Gary and her kids first, so it was exciting -- like we've all been through something exciting together."

'I have everything I need'

As for the person who ended up with Cuthbertson's kidney, she's OK if she never finds out who he or she is.

"I don't want the person who ended up with it to feel obligated to me in any way. I don't want them to feel like I'm watching how they are living their life," she reflected. "I hope they're doing well. I hope that it's successful, and I hope they can do what they want. I have everything I need."

Cuthbertson's focus is on the woman she considers the recipient of her kidney.

"I'm excited to see it firsthand and to be able to tell people about it and advocate for it," Cuthbertson beamed. "I'm so happy for Joan and Gary. They've been together for so long, and a bad kidney should not have ended that. So it's exciting!"

And Grealis is already feeling stronger. The pain in her legs is gone, she can get through the day without napping, and she has more energy.

"I'm looking forward to all of 2018, actually," Grealis said. "I have a lot I want to do."
Drivers were urged to use extreme caution and only venture out on roads near Missoula if absolutely necessary on Friday as an Arctic cold front bore down on western Montana.

Midafternoon Friday, Missoula County issued a MEANS Alert for Interstate 90 for emergency travel only from Bonner east to Granite County. According to the Missoula County Sheriff's Office Facebook page on Friday afternoon, the warning was due to slick roads and blowing snow creating poor visibility and hazardous driving conditions.

The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office issued a warning of its own later in the day, saying road conditions were deteriorating quickly, with black ice and slush making for hazardous driving.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol's incident report page, there were two crashes on I-90 on Friday, both at mile marker 95, which is near the Wye.

Leeann Allegretto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula, said the Missoula County Sheriff's Department told her a combination of snow and ice on the road, combined with a high volume of wrecks, caused them to get in touch with her office.

"Right now, winds are a factor," she said Friday afternoon. "Visibility isn't too much of a factor according to the Montana Department of Transportation when we spoke to them. But winds will increase tonight and so will snow drifts."

Although the snow was supposed to stop Friday night, the Weather Service said it would be followed by winds of up to 20 or 25 mph with gusts of up to 35 mph through Hellgate Canyon and on I-90 east of Missoula.

"Once we get rid of the snow, winds will increase tonight and so will snow drifts," Allegretto said. "So once we get rid of one problem we pick up a new one."

Winds were expected to be strongest around 8 or 9 p.m. Friday, when an Arctic cold front was to drop down over Missoula. The winds were expected to taper off Saturday.

"With the winds, we are expecting a wind chill of close to zero degrees overnight," Allegretto said. "That will be another issue once we get rid of the snow. The wind chill for Butte and the Philipsburg area could well be into the negatives on Sunday."

The temperatures in Missoula will be in the teens for the high on Saturday, then drop down to a high of 10 on Sunday before warming back up again to the 20s on Monday, Christmas Day. The lows will be anywhere from 5 above to 10 degrees below zero during that time.

The West Central Montana Avalanche Center put out a considerable danger warning on Thursday, and will update that advisory on Saturday. In between, a new policy requires the center to post No Danger Rating messages on its website. Center analyst Tim LaRoche said that doesnt mean its not dangerous, however.

With the amount of snow thats coming down, the avalanche danger could remain high, LaRoche said Friday. Theres a significant weak layer out there with lots of new snow on it.

The center updates its posts every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. In between, it adds reports of conditions around the Missoula area, and adjusts its trend gauges accordingly.

LaRoche said anyone getting new backcountry ski or snowshoe gear would be well-served to get familiar with the centers reports and even take an avalanche safety course.

Right now, be conservative in your decision-making and go to places where youre not exposed to avalanche danger, LaRoche said. Its not uncommon to issue high-danger warnings this time of year and going forward.

The latest information from the West Central Montana Avalanche Center can be found at missoulaavalanche.org/.
As the rest of the crowd began to drift off into the darkness, Trevor Van Vliet made his way to the front and knelt in front of 13 pairs of shoes, grabbing a photo that had been propped against one of the boots.

The picture showed four men sitting against a wall in downtown Missoula. One of them was Tim Lloyd, who died of hypothermia at the base of the Northside footbridge in early November. Seated next to Lloyd in the picture was his friend Lionell Samuel, who died in the hospital the day after him.

These two guys didnt just die, they were systematically killed, said Van Vliet, who had known Lloyd and his place in the homeless population of Missoula.

At the start of the longest night of the year on Thursday, around 60 Missoulians gathered at Caras Park for a memorial for Lloyd, Samuel, and 11 other homeless people who died this year. This is the second year Missoula has joined other communities across the country in recognizing National Homeless Persons Memorial Day.

Theresa Williams, the head of Reaching Home, Missoulas 10-year plan to end homelessness, said when she took over the position just over a year ago, she wasnt sure the goal was possible.

I just knew that something had to change. Both the human and financial costs are far too high, she said.

This summer, the various local organizations that work with homeless people launched a new system called coordinated entry, which targets resources to those with the highest need, or as Williams puts it more bluntly, those most likely to die on the street.

We recognized the system was difficult to navigate, it wasnt low barrier, and it was based on luck, she said. The short term solution is helping people survive. The long term solution is housing.

Mayor John Engen said particularly on nights like Thursday, when he will go home to a comfortable house, the homeless of Missoula are on his mind.

I think of what its like not to have a place thats warm. Not knowing night after night, where home is or if it even exists, he said. In Missoula, Montana, we will not rest until you know where that home is.

Thursdays memorial event came the same week that the Missoula City Council toughened laws regarding sleeping in vehicles on the streets, making it easier to crack down on the most egregious cases of people who live in RVs and cause disturbances or safety hazards in Missoula neighborhoods.

County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said it was past time that everyone spend more time thinking of what they can do to end lives cut short by cold, circumstance and indifference.

He compared the need for action to end homeless deaths to the Vision Zero project of the states Department of Transportation, which has the ultimate goal of eliminating fatalities on Montanas roadways.

Do the bootstraps that people say homeless should pull themselves up by keep getting longer and longer? he asked the crowd.

Representatives from the Poverello Center read out the names of the 13 homeless people who were being remembered this year, and United Church of Christ Rev. Laura Folkweins breath turned to fog in the air as she delivered a prayer.

We recognize that in many ways we have failed the names we just read.

When the speeches were over, after the names were read and the candles passed out to the audience were extinguished, Van Vliet returned the photo of Lloyd and Samuel to the memorial, tucking it in between the flowers that had been placed alongside 13 pairs of boots.

Lloyd had always been nice, he said.

He shouldnt have gone like this, Van Vliet said, adding he was heading up into the hills where he would be spending the years longest night.
During this time of year, we talk of peace on earth and goodwill towards our neighbors. I wish those beliefs applied universally. Instead, there are groups waging campaigns of intimidation and fear against certain community members. Frequent targets include Muslims and refugees, and there is an entire movement behind the attacks.

We recently released "ACTing for Islamophobia," a report examining Montanas anti-Muslim movement. Even though our state has a small immigrant/Muslim population, it hasnt bypassed the national trend of increased hostility towards Muslims.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that anti-Muslim groups have increased by almost 200 percent since 2015. Not coincidentally, Pew Research notes that crimes against Muslim people hit an all-time high in 2016. We also live in a time when the current president frequently uses anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Our report illustrates how the central driving force of Montanas anti-Muslim movement is Flathead ACT, which is a county-level chapter of the national organization ACT for America. Civil rights organizations frequently call ACT for America the leading anti-Muslim hate group in the country. ACT promotes a false narrative about a diverse religious group by claiming all Muslims are extremists and Islam is trying to destroy Western (a code word for white) civilization.

Think for a minute about ACTs discriminatory message that all Muslims are extremists. Lets apply it to a different religion. Does that mean that the Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Nations represent all Christians? After all, they call themselves Christian and carry out their terror campaigns in the name of God. The answer is an emphatic no! This example rings hollow for most Christians, just like ACTs message does for the majority of Islams 1.8 billion followers.

Its important to understand that these anti-Muslim groups arent interested in having legitimate policy discussions about national security, how people become radicalized and join violent extremist groups, etc. Instead, their only purpose is peddling conspiracy theories steeped in fear and trying to get people to believe that jihadists lurk around every corner. Flathead ACT leads this misinformation campaign in Montana.

Our report examines the leadership of Flathead ACT and the speakers it has sponsored in Montana. Lets be clear that the speakers havent been religious scholars or academics relaying fact-based information. Instead, Flathead ACT has sponsored a slate of propagandists representing anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and white supremacist groups.

One characteristic all the speakers share is reinforcing the false jihadist around every corner message. Government studies show that, if anyone is around every corner, its far-right extremists, as theyve perpetrated 74 percent of the attacks in the U.S. by violent extremists between 2001-2016. Instead of adding knowledge to the community, Flathead ACT and its allies contribute anti-Muslim vitriol and misinformation.

Despite this, Flathead ACT and its allies have migrated from the political fringe to the mainstream. The county-level ACT chapters in Montana share leadership with entities within the state GOP. They used this influence to get the Republican majority during the 2017 legislative session to pass a bill banning Sharia law which had questionable constitutional footing. During its legislative journey, the bills supporters spewed derogatory testimony that dehumanized and targeted Muslims and refugees. Gov. Steve Bullock thankfully vetoed the measure, recognizing it could be seen as an endorsement for anti-Muslim sentiment and activity.

We encourage you to read our report, which can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/ACTingforIslamophobia. We think youll find yourself rejecting ACTs fear-based bigotry and agreeing with the majority of Montanans and Governor Bullock, who wrote in his veto note for the Sharia law ban that Montanans should recommit ourselves to protecting the religious and cultural diversity that makes our state and nation strong.
Merry huckleberries to all those who help make the darkest days of winter a little brighter for our neighbors in western Montana. The outpouring of generosity in response to the Missoulians We Care for the Holidays feature, published each holiday season, never fails to amaze  from the simple requests made by local nonprofits on behalf of individuals and families in need, to the giving spirit demonstrated by readers who take the extra time and make the extra effort to meet those needs. Thanks to their kindness and compassion, families of homeless students living in their cars have gas cards this winter, adults with mental illness living in group homes have warm pajamas, and parents escaping abusive relationships have stacks of books to read to their children. Merry Christmas to all.

A wall of chokecherries to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke for his offices as-yet unexplained block on grizzly bear recovery work in the North Cascades Ecosystem. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, which met in Missoula this month, learned that Zinkes office had asked the North Cascades National Park to stop working on its environmental impact statement even as park staff were in the process of evaluating tens of thousands of public comments. At the very least, Zinkes office owes an immediate public explanation for putting the brakes on grizzly recovery efforts.

Matching huckleberries to U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte for introducing federal legislation this week to protect the Paradise Valley and a critical portion of East Rosebud Creek, and to U.S. Sen. Jon Tester for being the first member of Montanas congressional delegation to introduce similar legislation several months ago. Montanans who live and work in the area known as the gateway to Yellowstone National Park have been united in calling for a permanent ban on mining exploration in the 30,000 acres of land covered by the congressional legislation. The East Rosebud has received similar united recognition of the urgent need to protect it from possible development.

Smoldering chokecherries to the fire that destroyed a beloved community restaurant in the Nine Mile last Sunday night. The historic building has been a de facto community center since it was first erected in the 1940s, and had undergone a number of remodels over the ensuing decades. The age of the popular Nine Mile Steak House, its remote location and other factors made for a challenge for the more than 30 firefighters, 15 engines and five water tenders that fought the fire. The good news is that nobody was harmed; the bad news is that the restaurant was a complete loss.

Bonus huckleberries to American Airlines for adding daily direct flights between Missoula and Dallas, and seasonal direct daily flights to Chicago as well. The new flights will be available starting in June, and the Chicago flight will be offered through Aug. 20. The announcement, made by the Missoula International Airport last week, was made possible through revenue guarantees provided to the airline by local individuals and groups who recognize the economic value of strengthening connections between Missoula and major transportation hubs.
Jeff Tschida (letter, Dec. 17), I am ashamed of your critical letter chastising we minions at the protest last week, because your wealth seems to be the measurement of character and success of Montana citizens who feel we should not accept a tax bill that harms our state.

You know who we were at that protest, right? The teachers providing supplies to their classrooms because the district cannot, the public servants retired from a lifetime of helping those less fortunate, the caretakers of the elderly. The elderly who are being purged when Medicare is slashed by $27 billion and they can no longer afford their treatments. Also, the students paying outrageous tuition, not able to deduct the high interest on their loans and the ranchers who see the inequity of the horror of this ill-thought-out tax cut bill.

Jeff Tschida, that rancher would be me. And I will continue to protest the war on the middle and lower class, who evidently are not worth fighting for because we can only help the few, not the many, like you.

Kickbacks to wealthy real estate investors, Lear jet expenses, no tax on estates, $1.4 trillion added to the debt? Is this justice, Jeff Tschida?

Cheryl Sage,

Florence
Dear University of Montana President Sheila Stearns:

After watching the news unfold during your tenure as UM president, I needed to add my voice to the students, professors, administrators and citizens of Missoula and Montana in thanking you for a colossal job well done.

We are grateful for your steady hand on the rudder as the university faced choppy waters. It was reassuring to know that your calm and rational voice was leading critical discussions.

Your patience, energy and intelligence are matched only by your wit, kindness and charm.

You never refuse someone who needs help, stops you on campus or downtown with a request, or shirk the seemingly endless meetings and reports that crowd your schedule.

Best wishes for a peaceful Christmas, a joyous New Year and a pleasurable renewed retirement.

Rae Olsen,

Missoula
A new film by two presenters from the Covellite International Film Festival is already underway in the Mining City.

The movie is called "Brown," and festival co-organizer Don Andrews says it's a story steeped in noir mystique that makes the most of Butte's history as a melting pot of immigrants.

The film tells the story of an illegal immigrant named Aryan who travels to a small town from an unknown location and tries to make a new life for himself.

"Despite his efforts to land a legitimate job, he falls in with the wrong crowd," a synopsis reads. "Along the way, he's befriended by a street-wise orphan girl who gives him a new perspective."

"Brown" is brought to you by Covellite International Film Festival presenters Raj Amit Kumar and Damon J. Taylor of Dark Frames Films  the same co-writing duo who in June said they wanted to shoot scenes for their planned film "Shopping Mall" in Butte.

Andrews said Tuesday that the feature-length "Shopping Mall" is shaping out to be a film with an estimated budget of $500,000  a project that proved too ambitious to launch before Kumar, the director of both films, is due back in his home country of India.

Nonetheless, Taylor and Kumar had their hearts set on filming something in Butte, so they co-wrote "Brown," which they describe as a "micro-budget" film.

"In less than two months we wrote it and put it all together," Taylor said.

Volunteers converge

Filming on "Brown" has been underway since November, and more than 18 cast and crew members have traveled from around the country to volunteer for the film, some of whom, if they stay long enough, just might become certifiable Mining City residents.

Ainsley Patterson is the film's production coordinator.

She says she doesn't have a home base and travels around the country working on different projects. Her last project, Patterson said, was in Georgia, where she collaborated with one of the state's film communities.

"I drove here with everything in my car," said Patterson.

Amelia Adams, production assistant, also traveled to Butte from Georgia.

Adams said she and Patterson came to Butte in July and heard about the project through Taylor.

"I'm originally from Georgia, and then I came to Butte," said Adams.

But it's not just out-of-staters working on the set of "Brown."

A handful of Montana residents are also helping on the film  like Sheridan native Andrew Rossiter, a Montana Tech student who splits his time between pursuing an acting career and studying to become an electrical engineer. Rossiter is acting in the film and also helping with the production.

"(Acting is) fun. It's engaging and you get to work collaboratively with many people," said Rossiter. "That's one thing I've always liked about plays and movies, the fact that everybody in there is an artist of a different kind."

Andrews says the film's noir aesthetic is fitting for a story that has Butte as its backdrop.

Merriam-Webster describes noir as "a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music."

Andrews described Butte as the "home of noir" noting that an early practitioner of the genre, Dashiell Hammett, a screenwriter and author who produced a majority of his work in the 1920s and 1930s, had worked in Butte as a Pinkerton detective.

Hammett's novel "Red Harvest" is believed to be inspired by the Mining City.

"I don't think he really ever would have developed that style if it wasn't for Butte," said Andrews, adding that some people believe Hammett was hired to kill Frank Little, though that speculation has been brought into doubt by historians. Little, a labor leader, was lynched in Butte in 1917 for his union and anti-war activities.

Insiders, outsiders

Kumar, who is co-writer, director, and also the film's lead actor, says "Brown" is a story about insiders and outsiders.

"It's a story of abandonment and a question of trusting an outsider," said Kumar of the friendship that grows between the film's two main characters, Aryan and the orphan girl. "I think it's a very, very contemporary issue that we're dealing with today in terms of illegal immigration and creating wars and creating boundaries and keeping outsiders out."

For the filmmakers of "Brown," the project is more than just a movie.

The crew said they want to see the film community in Montana flourish and hope one day to contribute to the state's economy in a big way. Andrews says he owes it to Butte, which he said has been supportive of his vision by opening its homes to filmmakers, serving them meals, and volunteering its time.

"We definitely would not be able to make movies without the help of the community," said Andrews, who said a new style of making films is growing in Montana  what he likes to call "cowboy cinema," a model based on bartering and in-kind contributions rather than traditional revenue streams.

Incentives needed

But establishing a film industry in Montana can't happen, Andrews said, without film incentives.

In a recent article on "Yellowstone," a cable television series starring Kevin Costner, the Missoulian reports that Montana's tax incentives expired in 2015 and an effort to revive them in the 2017 Legislature failed. Much of the series has been shot in Utah, the article states, "which has aggressive perks for movies and TV."

"It's become slightly harder for artists to keep doing what they've been trying to do," said Patterson. "So if we can participate in creating quality artwork out of Montana, then maybe we can change that trend (of vanishing film incentives)."

"Brown" wraps up filming in January. The filmmakers have a goal of releasing the film in time for the Covellite festival in September.
Montana Tech alumnus Jeff Stibbard and his wife Brenda have donated $100,000 to name a study room in the school's Student Success and Living and Learning Center after the late Tom Finch, who was a longtime faculty member and department head in the Mining Engineering Department.

The room will be known as the Dr. Tom Finch Group Study Room.

The 25,000-square-foot facility, when finished in 2019, is expected to complete the student life experience on campus, providing an inspiring environment for students to live, dine, socialize, cultivate valuable leadership skills, and forge lifelong friendships, according to a news release.

The center will assist Tech in recruiting, retaining, educating, and graduating more problem-solvers, innovators, healers, trailblazers, and leaders.

"Our irreplaceable Tom always focused on the success of the students by encouraging each of them to not only complete their education but to find a fitting career after graduation," according to a statement from the Finch family. "He valued hard work more than perfect grades, and this room in his name is an appropriate legacy to his focus on student success. He would have modestly deflected the recognition and truly appreciated that the honor was bestowed from a student. His concern and affection for his students was understated and sincere. Tom's family thanks Jeff and Brenda for their most generous gift in Tom's name and memory."

Stibbard, a 1987 mining engineering grad, and wife Brenda are great supporters and advocates for Tech, the release said.

Stibbard is the founder and chief executive officer of JDS Energy & Mining Inc., a mid-tier mine evaluation, design, construction, and operating company with several related surrogates, employing in excess of 150 professionals. Brenda works in community development for JDS, which is headquartered out of Vancouver, British Columbia.

"On behalf of the many Montana Tech alumni who form a large part of our JDS Energy & Mining Inc. Team, we are proud to be a sponsor of the Dr. Tom Finch Group Study Room at Montana Tech," said Jeff.

"Tom was a transformative force, leader, and inspiration in my life and career in the mining business. In addition to being a great mining instructor with relevant practical knowledge of mining, Tom treated our Canadian contingent with good humored impudence and irreverence that went a long way in preparing us for the competitive international mining industry," Jeff Stibbard said.

Finch began his long career as an educator when he took a position as assistant professor of mining engineering at the Montana School of Mines in 1966. Finch left Tech for a few years but returned due to his love of the West. He was promoted to associate professor in 1976 and full professorship in 1983. Finch was named the Ingersoll Rand, Utah Professor in 1983 and in 1996 was named the Newmont Mining Professor. He served as department head of the Mining Department from 1981 to 1988. He died on March 17, 2013.

Stibbard added, "There is no doubt, if there was no Tom Finch in my life at the time, I would not have pushed through my time at Montana Tech. Like many of my colleagues here, we all continue to benefit from our early Finch-Butte experience, and we look forward to working with many more Montana Tech mining grads in the future. Although they will not have the direct experience we had, hopefully in a small way they and their faculty members will have the chance to learn of the character of the man and as a result help to keep the program real and moving forward. My wife Brenda and I, our sons, and company are grateful and honored to be a part of this ongoing legacy facility. Thank you for allowing us to participate."

Joe McClafferty, president of the Tech foundation, said the Stibbards "are true Orediggers."

"They understand the importance of honoring those who make an impact on their lives. In this case, they are honoring a great man and educator, Dr. Tom Finch. Montana Tech was built on the outstanding work of faculty who become life mentors, difference-makers, and inspire our students to lead extraordinary lives. Dr. Finch was that exact faculty member. We are thrilled his legacy will forever be displayed in the SSC."

For more information about the SSC, visit foundation.mtech.edu/ssc or contact the Montana Tech Foundation at 406-496-4276.
Thomas Edward Finch, 72, passed away suddenly on March 17, 2013.

Tom was born March 30, 1940, the only child of Francis David and Hazel Beulah (Ahrens) Finch, in Sterling, Ill. He grew up in Dixon, attended local schools and graduated from Dixon High School in 1958. While playing in the clarinet section in the high school band, he met Kathleen Eleanor Currens. After dating for several years, Tom and Kathleen were married on June 17, 1962, in Nachusa, Ill., with Kathys uncle, Wilbur Currens officiating.

Tom graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mining engineering from the University of Illinois in 1963. While Kathy began her teaching career, he continued his education, completing his masters of science in mining engineering, also from the University of Illinois in 1964. The couple moved to Minneapolis where Tom worked for the Federal Bureau of Mines. In 1965, they welcomed their first child, Ann Elizabeth. In 1966, he began his long career as an educator, taking the position, sight unseen, of assistant professor of mining engineering at the Montana School of Mines in Butte. Son Andrew Thomas joined the family in 1967.

In 1969, the Finches left Butte for two years, returning to the Midwest where Tom taught mining engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. However, his love for the West helped return them to Butte where Tom resumed teaching at Montana Tech. The family was finally perfect when son Daniel Francis was born on a snowy October day in 1972, in Butte. Tom continued his education throughout this time, completing his Ph.D. in mining engineering from the University of Idaho in 1978.

Promotion to associate professor was achieved in 1976, and full professorship in 1983. Tom was named the Ingersoll-Rand, Utah International Professor in 1983, and in 1996, was named the Newmont Mining Professor. He served as department head of the Mining Department from 1981 to 1988.

Professor Finch was an outstanding teacher who took great interest and pride in his students, often having them join family Thanksgiving dinners or use his garage to repair cars. In 1975, he received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award and in 1978, received the Amoco Outstanding Teacher Award. In 1995, the Old Timers Club, a national organization of coal mining executives, awarded Tom the Old Timers Faculty Award for being the most outstanding mining professor in the nation. This joined his Old Timers award for Top Mining Senior in 1963 at the U of Ill.

He received professional engineer certification in 1979, and served on the Professional Certification Committee for SME. He has served as head of all the education committees of SME and was an accreditation visitor for ABET for many years. Professor Finch was a member of the Montana Coal Board from 1990 to 1997. He was the advisory engineer when ARCO closed Butte operations and advised on projects in South Africa and West Iryan Jaya, Indonesia. In 2009, he was awarded the Ben F. Dickerson III, which recognized professionalism and contributions to the mining industry. Despite all these awards, Toms true calling was teaching and mentoring his students. He always said, for good or for bad, he influenced over 700 graduates, many of whom kept in contact throughout the years.

His personal interests can all be classified as tinkering. Whether it was buying old Army Jeeps, collecting/buying/ selling British military items, rebuilding cabins on his 20-acre mining claim, or mowing the knapweed and feeding the birds at the Relyea outside of Phosphate, Tom could never be accused of having nothing to do. His interest in military collectibles took him to hundreds of gun shows and kept him busy researching the history of his purchases  never failing to share what he learned with his friends, children and grandchildren. He was happiest outdoors, and took every opportunity to go play in the woods.

He loved teaching, but always said he chose that career so he could have his summers free to spend with his family. Weekends, while his children were small, were always spent exploring the woods, interspersed with day trips to ghost towns and gun shows. After his retirement, he was always found helping Kathy at their bookstore, Second Edition Books, where many former students and colleagues would stop by to visit. Words cannot truly express how many lives he touched and positively influenced, complete with his wit and sarcasm. He could not fully pull off his tough exterior, for those who knew Tom always were aware of his deep concern and love for his friends, family, and students.

Tom is survived by his wife of 50 years, Kathleen, and three children  Ann Finch-Johnston and Todd Johnston of Butte, Andrew and Colleen (OLeary) Finch of Great Falls, and Daniel and Leslie (Gardner) Finch of Missoula. Tom was blessed with seven favorite grandchildren, including Thomas, Noah and Samantha Johnston, Alex and Hailey Finch, and Ian and Jacob Finch. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, March 22, at Wayrynen-Richards Funeral Home, followed by funeral services at 2 p.m. at Mountain View Methodist Church in Butte. After interment, a reception celebrating Toms life will be held at Aldersgate Methodist Church, 1621 Thornton Ave.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Mountain View Methodist Church, 203 W. Quartz, or the Montana Tech Mining Department in Toms name, where a scholarship fund is established.
MUSCATINE  Seniors at Louisa-Muscatine High School have been asked to think about what their first year out of high school will look like this week. While the conversation in many classrooms revolves around buzzwords such as career-readiness or future-proof jobs, these students are being asked to sit down and map it out.

"It's just a way to get them thinking about what they will be facing outside of high school," said Theresa Putnam Genz, who oversees the readiness course.

Of course there are the questions one would expect: What course work will you take at the community college?

But some are unexpected: It looks like you will be taking classes full time. How will you make money for rent? Is there a meal plan? Can you afford it? Yes, of course, you will look for scholarship money. But which ones will you apply to? Can you name them? When are those deadlines?

Of course not every student could offer up their 5-year-plan, but some could.

Brand Burmeister is the vice president of Louisa-Muscatine's Future Farmers of America.

"I've kind of had an (agriculture) background since I was a little kid," Burmeister said. "I've showed cattle for four years now. My dad owns a business in Columbus Junction which involves tractors and things like that. And of course, agriculture is kind of a big deal through (Future Farmers of America)."

Next year, Burmeister said he is planning to attend Muscatine Community College where he will study agricultural business management. He's already landed four internships scheduled through MCC with Crop Production Services, a field maintenance business.

"I feel like college is going to be a different step than high school," Burmeister said. "Time management is probably going to be the biggest thing. Being able to plan ahead and get things done without someone telling you to get them done."

Like many of his peers, Burmeister is worried that procrastination and meeting new people will become his biggest problems.

"Keeping focused in class every single day and going to a school that you have to pay for," Brumeister said, "that's a big change. That's why I am attending a community college."

He said the lower cost made community college his choice for agricultural business training.

"College is something you have to be well-prepared for," Brumeister said. "It's not like high school where you just show up, do your things and get out. It's something that you are actually paying to get your career on the right track."

Dawson Munday has everything about his first year planned out. The normal things like where he's going and studying (Iowa State and computer engineering) are planned out, but also who his roommate will be, what his dorm room will look like and what clubs he wants to join.

"I feel like it is good to plan ahead. That way you don't have to scramble last minute," Munday said. "It's easier to be successful if you plan it out earlier. That way you know your plan later on for what to do."

While in college, Munday said he is going to have to develop some study skills.

"I personally don't know how to study very well because I never really had to study for my classes," Munday said. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I've never had to study. I'll probably have to set the time aside to do that in the future."

Alexis Watson is another student that presented for the class. She wants to study criminal justice at Kirkwood Community College.

"I think I want to be a cop in Texas," Watson said. "Because Texas is pretty warm, pretty nice."

Though she said she doesn't know much about the day-to-day of a cop. She's excited to learn. The class has made her excited about he idea of a career in her future.

"It really helped me learn how to get started and made me more passionate about what I wanted to do," Watson said.

She expressed that she felt people outside her peer group don't understand how much they spend thinking about their future.

"I feel like people don't think that we know what we are doing," Watson said. "But we are really focused on our future and what we want to be as people."
"This is a time of year where kids are really antsy," said Marsha McGill, a teacher at Madison. "This helps us get them listening and learning before we say goodbye for the holidays."
MUSCATINE  A video game-style math competition put Mulberry Elementary fifth graders up against students from across the country, with the children finishing among the top 20 percent of participating students during the first week of December.

The license for the Sumdog Math Competition online program was purchased in September by the Parent Teacher Organization. Laura McDonald, fifth grade math and science teacher at Mulberry, said her students reacted positively to the video game-like interface. In November, she decided she was going to get students to compete in the Iowa Sumdog competition.

"I challenged both of my fifth grade math classes that if they could get in the top ten in the State of Iowa that they would have a movie and popcorn party," McDonald said. "They each had 1,000 questions to answer."

There were 72,280 students who participated in the competition nationwide; 17 students placed in the top 5 percent and five students placed in the top 1 percent of the country.

When the results came back revealing that her fifth graders had done so well on the national level, she was overjoyed.

"I mean I was excited about the results in the Iowa competition, both classes came in the top 10," McDonald said. "But I was so super stoked about the national results."

This was what Mulberry's Principal Mary Beilke hoped to see.

"It's not just some willy nilly idea someone threw together in a wood shop behind the house," Beilke said. "This is research-based. As a district in literacy and in math, we have to have research based curriculum and programs.

"We seeing students excelling because we are giving these students the opportunities to practice these skills. When they get that space, they excel."

McDonald said the students are not done yet. In early February, they are competing in a Mississippi Bend math competition through Sumdog.

"There is no reason they can't win," McDonald said.
MUSCATINE  Santa Claus made an unexpected  and, to many, unwelcome  visit to the Muscatine City Council meeting Thursday evening.

During the time for citizens to address the council with concerns, Santa, aka Muscatine resident Max Kauffman, entered the Council Chambers, with a red bag of presents in hand. After convincing an audience member to act as his elf, Santa pulled out the first present.

Kauffman handed Mayor Diana Broderson a bag of candy, saying she deserved it for everything she has been through the past year, alluding to the fact she was voted out of office by her fellow city councilmen in May.

"Candy kisses, for all the grief and aggravation you've had to do this year," Kauffman said as he handed over the gift to the mayor. "For the way you've handled everything ... the way you've done it with grace and beauty."

The tension in the room was palpable as Kauffman once again reached inside his bag, saying he had presents for the council members.

"A lump of coal," he said, exclaiming, as he placed a block in front of Councilman Allen Harvey.

By the time he was pulling out a brick-sized piece of coal for City Administrator Gregg Mandsager, saying he deserved it for "suing the city," councilmen and city staff were calling for Santa to be removed.

Mandsager signaled for Police Chief Brett Talkington, who escorted Santa out of the room. Mandsager then directed Talkington to keep Kauffman out of the Council Chambers for six months.

The Santa suit protest was the latest in a series of citizen complaints, petitions and actions to show frustration over the Muscatine City Council's attempts to oust the mayor.

Broderson was reinstated by a judge following her removal, and, in October, a district court judge vacated the council's removal vote. Moments before the protest, Broderson was sworn in for the start of her second term, as she won re-election on Nov. 7.

Kauffman has regularly voiced his opinions regarding the mayor's removal over Broderson's first term. Most recently, he approached councilmen saying they should consider putting Mandsager on leave for suing Broderson for defamation, as well as including the city of Muscatine in the lawsuit.

On the last city council meeting of the year, and the last meeting for three outgoing council members, Santa's rebellious act gave a final nod to Muscatine residents angry over a controversial use of taxpayer dollars.

And, while several residents told this newspaper the Santa Claus protest was in poor taste, the visit from Saint Nick was a theatrical end to a year filled with tense public meetings, citizen demonstrations and residents saying their voices aren't being heard by council.
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19332017

George Robert Kernohan, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully in his home on December 13, 2017, attended by members of his family. He was 84.

George was the third of seven children, born on February 19, 1933 to Oscar and Margaret (Ogburn) Kernohan in Scotia, California. After high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served in the Korean War. He also served in Germany, Treasure Island San Francisco and France. While stationed as a guard at the American Embassy in Paris, he met his wife, Jeanette (Kissling), then a clerical worker in the United States Foreign Service.

George and Jan returned to the United States, married, and settled in St. Louis, her hometown, in 1961. They had three children. He began a 30-year career with Anheuser Busch, and in 1976 was transferred to Fairfield. The family settled in Napa.

George lived a life of service and was a constant mentor and example to others. He spent 20 years with the Boy Scouts as a Committee Member and Scoutmaster. After his retirement, he was the Commissary Officer on the Napa Sea Scout Ship Chaser for nearly 20 years. He was a very active member of the Kiwanis Club and a tireless volunteer at St. Johns Lutheran Church and School. An accomplished cook, he could prepare meals for 5 people or 500!

George loved being with young people. His home was a gathering place for his children and grandchildren and their friends. Over the years, he hosted a number of exchange students from Colombia, Germany, and Slovakia. He remained in touch with them and befriended their families, which led to many visits back and forth, thus forming a network of friendship extending around the world.

He is survived by his brother Jim, his children, David (Otilia) Kernohan, Jennifer (John) Andrew, and Linda (Brian) Kernohan McMichael, his grandchildren Anthony, Brianna, Joshua, Ariana, Abel, Isabel, Kathryn, and Daniel, and his great-grandson Elijah. He is preceded in death by his wife, Jan, his parents, four brothers and a sister.

A memorial service will be held at St. Johns Lutheran Church, 3521 Linda Vista Ave. in Napa on Saturday, December 30 at 11:00 am, with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. Private committal will be in Tulocay Cemeterys Memorial Columbarium. Memorial donations may be made to the Comfort Dog Ministry at St. Johns Lutheran, or to the Napa Sea Scouts, P.O. Box 802, Napa CA 94559.

Treadway & Wigger Funeral Chapel is serving the family of Mr. Kernohan.
AMERICAN CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH:

Worship at 10 a.m. Programs for children and youth during worship service. 2 Andrew Road, American Canyon.

ARBOR ALLIANCE:

Join us Sundays at 5 p.m. Why 5 p.m. worship? It is a good time for busy people and young families. Kids church and nursery available. 721 Trancas St., Napa. thearborchurch.org; 530-304-4704.

BEIT ABBA:

Messianic Jewish ministry of The Fathers House is held the first and third Friday of each month at 7 p.m. Child care provided for ages infant to 7 years old. 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org/beitabba.

CARMELITE MONASTERY:

Mass times: Sunday, 9 a.m.; Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. (except for the first Saturday of the month, Mass will be at 11 a.m.). Morning of recollection every first Saturday of the month: Spiritual Talk, 9-10 a.m.; Confessions, 10-11 a.m.; Mass, 11 a.m. Bible study, on Tuesdays with Father Michael Buckley: Tuesdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. following the 8 a.m. Mass (contact the office to confirm time and day at 944-2454, ext. 103). Confessions-English: Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 10 a.m.-noon, 3-5 p.m., 8-9 p.m. Confessions-Spanish: Wednesday, 10 a.m.-noon, 3-5 p.m., 8-9 p.m. 944-2454; oakvillecarmelites.org.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING:

One Christmas Service will be at 10:30 a.m. (no Youth/Teen programs ) Rev. Jays topic is Walking a Path of Love. Dec. 22, Candlelight Service 9 p.m. (childcare provided for 3 years and older) Dec. 31, World Peace Meditation 4 a.m. One 10:30 service only on Dec 31. Jan. 5, Diego Garcia Concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 6, Rev. Julies Visioning for the New Year Workshop, 10 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. 1249 Coombs, 252-4847.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH:

Sunday service and Sunday school for youths up to age 20 at 10 a.m. The Wednesday evening service is at 7:30. Child care provided at all services. New hours for the Reading Room, located in our church building, open to the public weekdays except Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. All current Christian Science literature, including the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the renowned Christian Science Monitor, are available to all to read or purchase; 2210 Second St., Napa; 255-5255; christiansciencenapa.com.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, NAPA  SECOND WARD:

Sacrament meeting is each Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 11:15 and Priesthood and Relief Society at 12:10 p.m. Young mens and young womens programs are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Corner of Trower Avenue and Dry Creek Road, Napa. 224-6496.

COMMUNITY CHURCH OF LAKE BERRYESSA:

This Sunday we will enjoy a Christmas Eve Candlelight service at 6 p.m. There will be no 10 a.m. regular service. Join us for a Christmas message and carols. We are a non-denominational Christian church welcoming all to enjoy the eternal life changing power of Jesus Christ. A weekly food distribution and AA group is available. 6008 Steele Canyon Road at Moskowite Corners. 252-4488.

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM:

Shabbat Worship Services on Friday, Dec. 22, with Pre-Oneg glass of wine and noshes at 5:45 p.m. Services from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. 1455 Elm Street, Napa. 253-1109, cbsnapa.org.

CORNERSTONE MINISTRIES:

Sunday service is at 10:15 a.m. Spanish Church begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday school and childcare are available at both services. Our midweek service is at 6:30 on Wednesday nights. There is childcare and childrens activities at this service. Middle school and high school study meets on Wednesday nights, as well, at 6:30 in the Youth Room. On Thursdays at 6:30, Freedom From Bondage meets in our Youth Room. 3305 Linda Vista Ave., Napa; 252-2909. cmnv.org.

COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH:

The Rev. Lynda Hyland Burris will lead morning service at 10:30 a.m. on this fourth Sunday of Advent. Rev. Burriss sermon this week is entitled Revealed. Our Sunday school kids will stay in church to enjoy a Christmas story during Childrens time, and the Covenant Choir, led by Director Mark Teeters, will present selections from Antonio Vivaldis Gloria. Christmas Eve candlelight service at 7 p.m. Bill and Robin Lockhart will light The Christ Candle and the talented Lassagne family will present special music. 1226 Salvador Ave., Napa, cpcnapa.org, facebook.com/cpnapa.

CREEKSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH:

Weekly worship service is Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Services and attire are casual with a blend of fellowship, music and teaching. Child care and childrens church offered during service. 1050 Hagen Road, Napa. CreeksideChurchNapa.org; 255-7266.

CROSSWALK COMMUNITY CHURCH:

Please join us for Sunday services at 9 a.m. (no music) or at 10, special musical guest: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be at 6 p.m. Childrens programs are available each Sunday during the 10 service. WeeCare, Kids Crossing K-2, Kids Crossing 3-5 and Middle School. 2590 First Street, 226-1812.

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH:

Celebrate the Christmas season each Sunday in December. This Sunday learn more about the Christmas story. Sunday services are at 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. 2659 First Street, Napa. fccnapa.org.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH:

Join us this fourth Sunday of Advent at 10 a.m. for a single Sunday worship time; and for a joyous Candlelight Christmas Eve service at 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. Pastor Davids sermon will be How It All Began at 10 a.m. and his sermon will be Im Dreaming of a Right Christmas at 5 and 7 p.m. During the 10 a.m. service, we will sing Christmas hymns and hear Christmas music with treats and coffee after worship. For Christmas Eve, we have two beautiful candlelight services with Christmas Carols and all of the many candles in the church lit. There will be a brief childrens message at the 5 p.m. service. Childcare for newborn to age 5 is available at each service. Sunday School meets on Sunday at 10 a.m. 1333 Third St., 224-8693, fpcnapa.org.

GRACE CHURCH OF NAPA VALLEY:

Sunday services: Worship service at 9 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Adult Sunday school classes at 9 a.m. Childrens service at 9 and 10:40 a.m. Nursery and preschool care available. Junior high ministry meets Tuesday, 7 p.m.; high school meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. at 3765 Solano Ave., Napa. 255-4033, GraceNapa.org.

HIGHLANDS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP:

If youre a regular church attendee, never been or maybe its just been awhile, we invite you to come join us this Sunday and start the adventure with us at 10:30 a.m. Spanish speaking service on Sunday evenings at 6:30 and an Alcoholics Anonymous group that meets weekly on Monday and Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. 970 Petrified Forest Road, Calistoga.

HILLSIDE CHRISTIAN CHURCH:

We meet at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 100 Anderson Road, Napa. 255-3036; hccnapa.com.

HOLY FAMILY PARISH:

Holy Mass is celebrated at 9 a.m. on Sundays and in the traditional Tridentine Latin (Extraordinary) form of the Roman Rite, according to the 1962 Missal, at noon. Before Low Masses, there is a recitation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 11:30 a.m. Confession is available after every Low Mass. Holy Family Parish is a Catholic mission-parish of St. Joan of Arc in Yountville. 1241 Niebaum Lane, Rutherford. 944-2461.

HOLY GROUND CHRISTIAN CENTER:

Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m., and Bible study is Wednesday at 7 p.m. 3860 Broadway, Suite 111, American Canyon. 373-2015.

LIVING VINE CHURCH:

We meet every Sunday morning at 10. 3305 Linda Vista Avenue, Napa. 226-5551.

MEMORIAL CHAPEL AT VETERANS HOME OF CALIFORNIA, YOUNTVILLE:

Sunday worship service, 10:15 a.m. Coffee fellowship one hour before service. Bible study on Wednesday at 1 p.m., Fellowship Room, with refreshments served; prayer meetings Thursday at 1 p.m. The memorial chapel is on the Veterans Home at Yountville campus on California Drive, across from the administration building. 944-4840.

MONT LA SALLE CHAPEL:

Roman Catholic liturgical services are open to all in this chapel of the De La Salle Christian Brothers at 4401 Redwood Road, Napa. Christmas Mass during the Night will be celebrated at 9 p.m. Christmas Eve. Beginning at 8:30 p.m., carols sung by choir and congregation will precede the Mass. There will be no Mass in the chapel on Christmas Day, but there will be a Mass on New Years Day at 11 a.m. Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 11 a.m.

NAPA COMMUNITY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH:

The Christmas story found in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke has been embedded within society and tradition that the story is at risk of becoming ordinary. But this is not an ordinary story. Lead Pastor Nate Furness will be the speaker with No Room this Sabbath, Dec. 23 at 11:15 a.m. All are welcome to come and attend the worship service. napacomm.com, 1105 G Street, 252-2444.

NAPA METHODIST CHURCH:

We are a progressive and reconciling church, where everyone is welcome. Experience Christmas with Napa Methodist. Morning Christmas Eve Services: 9:30 a.m. Sanctuary service with Gods House Band and 11 a.m. modern-style Fusion Worship Candlelight Christmas Eve service held in the Asbury Room. Childrens Worship and Nursery are available during morning services. Evening Christmas Eve Services: 5:30 p.m. Family Christmas Eve Service and 9 p.m. Candlelight Christmas Service with Cathedral Choir. 253-1411, napamethodist.org.

NAPA-SONOMA FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKERS):

Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Silent meeting in the custom of Friends. Meet at the VOICES Youth Center, 780 Lincoln Ave., Napa. Enter at parking lot on left side of building, using door at end of wheelchair ramp. Quaker signs will be posted on Sunday mornings. We welcome visiting friends or those who are new to Quaker practice. nvquaker@gmail.com; 253-1505.

NAPA VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH:

Join us Sundays at 9:30 a.m. for Bible Study for all ages, 10:30 a.m. for worship service and a fun, interactive and energetic childrens program for preschool through fifth grade. Nursery provided for all Sunday services. 2303 Trower Ave., Napa. napavalleybaptist.org; 252-2100.

NAPA VALLEY BIBLE CHAPEL:

We start Sunday services by remembering the Lords death, burial and resurrection during a time of worship and thanksgiving at 9:30 a.m., followed by a fellowship and coffee time starting at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., we enjoy a time of Bible teaching. On Wednesdays at 6 p.m., we meet for a brief Bible study and a time of prayer. A movie night/home Bible study is held in downtown Napa at 6 p.m. on Fridays. 1559 Second St., Napa. napavalleybiblechapel.com.

NAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH:

Join us this Sunday at 10 a.m. for our Christmas Eve service (there will be no night service). We will look at the angel Gabriels visit to Mary as found in Luke 1, and the theme: Preparing for Gods Gift. Sunday school and child care provided. 4149 Linda Vista Ave, Napa. napavalleychurch.org. NVCC is a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church.

NAPA VALLEY LUTHERAN:

Fourth Sunday in Advent worship at 10 a.m. Christmas Eve services at 5 and 8 p.m. All are welcome because all belong to God. The church is located at the corner of Jefferson and Elm, Napa. 226-8166, napavalleylutheran.org.

NAPA VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS:

Dec. 24, 9:30 a.m.: Leader: Iris Craig. Evensong Gathering Two: Scripture and Story: You are invited to think about what story (myth, legend, movie, play, fairy tale, Bible story, or scripture from world religions) has really stayed with you. You can write it down or draw it if you prefer. What draws you to or away from the story? 11 a.m. Traditional Service with Rev. Christian Schmidt and Sunday Service Assistant Cindy Guentert-Baldo. Christmas Eve service, led by Rev. Schmidt, will take place at the regular Sunday Service time at 11 a.m. Infant care, child care, and religious education provided. 1625 Salvador Ave., Napa; nvuu.org; 226-9220.

NEW LIFE TABERNACLE:

Sunday school at 10 a.m., followed by worship service at 11 a.m. Sunday evening service the first Sunday of every month. Bible study on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. 2625 First St., Napa. 255-1062; NewLifeNapa.com.

ST. APOLLINARIS CATHOLIC CHURCH:

Join us each third Saturday at the crossroads of faith and culture. St. Apollinaris Catholic Church, 3700 Lassen St. Napa. 257-2555.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST:

St. John the Baptist Church holds daily masses in English at 7:30 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Weekend masses are Saturday at 5 p.m. (English) and 7 p.m. (Spanish) and Sunday 8 a.m. (Spanish), 10 a.m. (English), noon (Spanish), and 5 p.m. (English). Wednesday evening mass at 7 (Spanish). Corner of Caymus and Yajome streets in downtown Napa.

ST. JOHNS LUTHERAN CHURCH:

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him! Come join us for worship this Christmas. Sunday morning at 9:30 (Advent 4). Christmas Eve Family Service at 4 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Christmas Eve Worship in the Sanctuary at 7 and 9 p.m. Christmas Morning at 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary. 3521 Linda Vista Ave., Napa. 255-0119; StJohnsLutheran.net.

ST. MARYS EPISCOPAL CHURCH:

Worship on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. or Sundays at 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. (organ and choir). Childrens Chapel (Sunday school) is at 9:50 a.m. Sunday. Nursery care is provided during the 10 a.m. service. Coffee hour follows the worship services on Sunday. 1917 Third St., Napa. 255-0991; StMarysNapa.org.

ST. STEPHENS ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH:

Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., sing using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Refreshments and social time after the 10:30 service. Evensong and Bible Study Wednesdays at 6 p.m. 1250 Oakville Grade, Oakville. 944-8915; ststephensoakville.org.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH:

Mass times are Saturday at 4 p.m. (English), Sunday at 8 a.m. (English), 11 a.m. (English) and 1:30 p.m. (Spanish). Daily mass is at 9 a.m., except on the first Friday, which is at noon and in English. 2725 Elm St., Napa. 255-2949; stthomasaquinasnapa.com.

SALVATION ARMY:

Join us for services Sundays at 10 a.m. 590 Franklin St., Napa. napasalarmy.org.

THE FATHERS HOUSE:

Service times are Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. Child care and Kids Church are available (ages infant through sixth grade). Youth ministry Encounter meets every Wednesday night at 7. Celebrate Recovery meets on Monday nights at 6:30. 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org.

UNITY SPIRITUAL CENTER IN NAPA VALLEY:

Sunday, Dec. 24, at 10 a.m. We welcome Rev.Sonya Milton. The title of her message is Choosing Joy! Our final Advent Sunday service music, is performed by our guest musician, Richard Yamate-Morgan. No 11:40 a.m. Sunday Forum this week because of busy holiday schedule. Service held at the historic Grange Hall, 3275 Hagen Road (1/2 mile east of the Silverado Trail), Napa. Parking adjacent to the building. UnityinNapaValley.org, 255-6881.

YOUNTVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH:

Sunday, Dec. 24 at 10 a.m. we will celebrate Christmas Eve and have guest speaker Joel Richards. This Sunday also marks the fourth Sunday of the Advent season. The main church building is under repairs and we are meeting at 1920 Finnell Road in Yountville while we are under construction. We will continue to have all of our Sunday school classes, services, and bible studies. Sunday School is at 9 a.m. for all ages. We have an Adult Bible class, Youth Group (fiftheight grades and high school students),and Childrens classes Jesus and Me, (Birth-Kindergarten) and first through fifth grades are offered. 944-2179.
A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of robbery after stealing alcohol and other merchandise from Safeway on American Canyon Road on Wednesday night, according to American Canyon Police.

During the alleged theft, store employees attempted to grab the shopping cart full of merchandise from the woman who then assaulted them, police said. The woman, identified as Bernice Davis, 47, of Vallejo, then grabbed one employees cellphone and threw it down, damaging it, to stop them from calling police, police said.

Davis stole $881.54 worth of merchandise, police said, mostly consisting of alcohol.

Davis was contacted by police while stashing bottles of Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey in nearby bushes, police said. She was arrested and booked at the Napa County jail on suspicion of felony robbery and misdemeanor damaging or destroying a wireless communication device. Bail was set at $100,000.
Facing the loss of her house and everything she owned, Nancy Christiansen evacuated her Silverado area home on the first night of the October wildfires.

But instead of going to a hotel or a friends home, this Napa woman headed straight to a place that is especially important to her: The Salvation Army.

The first thing I did was call the major, or local manager of the Salvation Army, she said.

She wanted to find out if the emergency disaster team she belongs to had been activated, said Christiansen, 78.

Next she headed to the shelter at Crosswalk Church and started serving food for those who had been evacuated. Meanwhile, her house was being destroyed by the Atlas Fire.

I thought, there are going to be a lot of people that need a meal, she said. Thats how I spent my first night away from home.

Christiansen, a Realtor with Pacific Union International in Napa, has been a volunteer with the Salvation Army for more than 20 years.

Besides the emergency disaster team, one of her signature projects has been the groups holiday assistance program, which provides gifts for needy families and children in the area.

There are families in our community who cant afford to give anything to their children at Christmas or face hardship, she said. And I can help.

Help she certainly does.

Throughout the whole year, Christiansen buys multiples of clothing, toys, bikes and other future holiday gifts for the Salvation Army program. She stores them in her basement.

I buy things as I see them on sale year-round, she said. For example, I had 57 backpacks, 42 art kits, 10 20 bikes, 15 Kindle Fires, 22 jackets and about 20 fingernail polish kits.

Unfortunately, the fires not only destroyed her house, the flames also wiped out her entire supply of donations earmarked for the Salvation Army holiday assistance program.

I had all that in my basement and its all gone. It makes me cry every time I think of it.

But that hasnt stopped her. Christiansen said she started shopping again to try and replace at least some of what was lost. For example, she bought 40 sweatshirts at the GAP the other day, she said.

Shed love to replenish all of the supplies that were burned, but it was hard to find good deals and repurchase everything on such short notice.

Christiansen said she likes to help the Salvation Army because the organization helps people in need, especially in Napa itself.

I like the feeling of knowing our community is being servedfrom those that are down and out or just need a little bit of extra help. And its given freely.

I just like knowing that children are having a Christmas, she said. The community pulls together to provide the toys and it does my heart good to know the program is there for these children.

The fire recovery and insurance process for her own home has taken up a fair share of her extra time, said Christiansen, but she never thought of not helping the Salvation Army.

I want to help, she said. Ill continue doing it as long as I can.
ST. HELENA  Even as St. Helena service clubs struggle to attract young members, one fraternal organization has seen its membership surge with 20- and 30-somethings eager to serve the community while having fun  odd indeed.

Since 2007, Odd Fellow membership has jumped from 6 to 100. Some of the new members are from families that have lived in the valley for a long time, and others have recently moved here to start a family, said Jason Kelperis.

A lot of these guys are at a point where their wives need them to get out of the house, he said with a laugh. And they want to get out of a house with a purpose.

The increase in membership, especially in the last five years, has allowed the club to split into committees and organize public events like a pancake breakfast earlier in December raising money for Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School students to visit Washington, D.C., an inaugural OddToberfest, and its biggest moneymaker, a booth at the Harvest Festival.

The goal is to get out in the community and raise money for scholarships or for nonprofits like Rianda House, the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Helena and Calistoga, school parent-teacher groups, or Scouts.

This is a place to enjoy yourself, but also do good at the same time, said Tony Albright, Noble Grand of the Odd Fellows Lodge #167. To give back and have fun, not necessarily in that order.

The Odd Fellows booth at the Harvest Festival offered what Albright called an inclusive street fair wine auction featuring a large number of affordable wines. We wanted everyone to win something, he said.

This year the event raised $10,000, which is big money by Harvest Festival standards and double what it raised five years ago. The club matches the amount raised and donates it to charity. This year, $3,000 of it is going to the family of Sam Smiley, a St. Helena teen whos recovering from degenerative bone cancer.

Other events are less about fundraising and more about community. OddToberfest was a community party in the parking lot behind the hall, with food and live music.

We probably broke a little bit better than even, but we dont necessarily do everything to raise money, Kelperis said.

The pancake breakfast (with special guest Santa Claus) wasnt a big money-maker either, but the lodge donated to the Robert Louis Stevenson trip anyway.

Calistoga no longer has an Odd Fellows lodge, so some of Lodge #167s members, including Albright, live in Calistoga. They try to give back to the Calistoga community as well, offering scholarships to graduating seniors in both cities and donating toward both Boys & Girls Club facilities.

The lodge has also emphasized Upvalley community service, teaming up with the Boy Scouts to adopt Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, and specifically the Bale Grist Mill, where Odd Fellows and Scouts work together on improvements and celebrate with a year-end barbecue.

Meanwhile, a softball team sponsored by the Odd Fellows turned out to be the worst in their league, but still had enough spirit to help contribute to improvements at Carpy Field, which had problems with its playing field.

The clubs biggest project over the last two decades has been the renovation of the Odd Fellows Hall. There have been a few stages of repairs: an earthquake retrofit to reinforce the stone building, the construction of a new roof, and this years repairs to the front of the building.

The brick facade had been so leaky that rainwater was penetrating the wall and being released into the building. The 2014 Napa earthquake had also taken its toll, jostling loose bricks that were on the verge of falling onto the sidewalk. Kelperis said Bruce Tucker Construction was an invaluable asset throughout the process.

To Albright and Kelperis, preserving the lodge is another way of serving the community. And, as with the pancake breakfast and OddToberfest, money is beside the point.

If weve done something good for the community and the budget is a total loss, were actually OK with that, Kelperis said. Financial gain isnt the only way of measuring profit.
If theres one thing members of Congress are elected to do, its to look after the best interests of their own constituents and other people living in their state.

If theres one thing most of the 14 Republicans among Californias 53 members of the House of Representatives have not been doing much lately, its representing the best interests of many of their constituents.

So its no wonder at least half those California Republicans are considered very vulnerable as mid-term elections grow closer.

To see that almost all these GOP congressfolks are not doing what they can to further the interests of Californians, examine the list of those who signed a November letter in which Gov. Jerry Brown requested $7.4 billion in federal fire relief funds for the wine country and other areas devastated by Octobers huge wildfires. No request has yet been filed for the vast December blazes in Southern California because damage estimates are far from complete.

All 39 House Democrats from California signed. But only one Republican  Ed Royce of Fullerton, whose district includes some of the Anaheim Hills area where the Canyon Fire 2 caused evacuation of more than 1,000 homes. One non-signer was Steve Knight, whose own 25th District was hit less than a month later by a highly damaging wildfire.

Lack of support from California Republicans was probably one reason the state will get just $4.4 million in relief for the October fires. The entire California delegation signed a separate, later request for that lesser amount. In short, Knight and his cohorts didnt exactly look out for the interests of fellow Californians whose homes and possessions turned to ash.

Then there was the odd admission of San Diego County Rep. Duncan Hunter, who voted along with most other California Republicans to bring the House GOPs tax bill to a vote, even though it sought to deprive millions of Californians of tax deductions for state and local income and property taxes. On the final House vote, three California Republicans voted no, but only after it was clear the bill would pass. Most vocal was the embattled Darrell Issa of north San Diego County, who said I didnt come to Washington to raise taxes on my constituents.

Hunter said he voted for the plan because its good for most states. But he conceded that California, New York and other states that have horrible governments, yes, its not as good for those states. So Hunter admits he voted for a tax bill harmful to his own state and his constituents.

Hunter was already in some trouble in his district over an FBI investigation of alleged misuse of campaign funds supposedly spent for personal expenses.

All 14 California Republicans also voted earlier this year to repeal the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. In California, that measure is administered by the Covered California organization through which many thousands of constituents of the Republicans in Congress now get coverage.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), for whom he is a target, claims fully 50 percent of residents in the Hanford-centered district of David Valadao are insured via Obamacare.

We think Latinos will turn out in higher numbers than ever in that district because of the health care votes, said Andrew Godinich, the DCCCs regional press secretary. And we think the Republican vote there will be depressed because of the big enthusiasm gap between the parties.

Meanwhile, no Republicans were talking about why they refused to sign the Brown fire recovery letter, circulated to them all. Some likely thought the money requested could be used for things like desalination plants or that there would be a requirement for union labor on projects it funded.

But the letter specified the money would go to housing reconstruction, hazardous waste removal and help for growers with devastated vineyards and farms.

So far, then, no Republican has given a solid reason for refusing to sign that letter and there has been little justification offered for voting to enable a tax bill that stands to harm Californians more than anyone else.

So if any  or all  of the targeted Republicans should lose their seats next fall, they need only look at their own records for an explanation.
The Donald Trump administration's new National Security Strategy has made waves for its unexpected emphasis on alliances, tough talk on trade, and focus on homeland protection. But few have noticed, buried on page 49, a paragraph that marks a sea change in decades of American strategic thinking about the Middle East:

"For generations the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been understood as the prime irritant preventing peace and prosperity in the region. Today, the threats from radical jihadist terrorist organizations and the threat from Iran are creating the realization that Israel is not the cause of the region's problems."

Along with last week's declaration that Jerusalem is Israel's capital, Trump has stuck a blow for realism in the sometimes upside-down world of U.S. foreign-policy thinking. He's also taken a swipe at two of his predecessors: Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

Neither of those former presidents actually came out and said that Israel was the cause of all the Middle East's problems. But both based their regional diplomacy on the assumption.

In 2006, while promoting a book that likened Israel's treatment of the Palestinians with South African apartheid, Carter opened a window on his real thoughts. "The heart and mind of every Muslim is affected by whether or not the Israel-Palestine issue is dealt with fairly," he told an interviewer. He added that the U.S. is hated by "former close friends" such as Egypt and Jordan, "because we won't do anything about the Palestinian plight."

This is what the American-Israeli scholar Martin Kramer calls "linkage" -- the myopic tendency to see Israel as a wrench in the wheel of America's Arab policy. In that interview, Carter even called it the "linkage fact." But, to be fair, the concept didn't originate with him.

It goes back at least to the end of World War II. In 1945, the State Department sent newly inaugurated President Harry Truman a memo warning of "continual tenseness in the situation in the Near East largely as a result of the Palestine question." State's recommendation was to avoid Zionist activists and think about America's long-term interests.

Truman (like Trump) had a low opinion of expert advice. In 1947, he ordered a reluctant U.S. ambassador vote "yes" in the United Nations General Assembly on the creation of the Jewish state. The contrary assessment among the diplomats Truman derided as the "striped pants boys" was, I think it is fair to say, misguided.

And Jimmy Carter wasn't a better prophet. Even though there is no Palestinian state, the U.S. is not hated by Jordan and Egypt; on the contrary, it is allied with their governments -- and Israel -- in the fight against Iran.

Carter also overestimated the Muslim commitment to Palestine. When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey called an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic States to protest Trump's Jerusalem decision, more than half of the invited heads of state and prime ministers didn't bother to show up.

While Carter's successors tended to have a more nuanced view of the region, Obama was a true Carterite. In 2008, in the midst of his first presidential campaign, he traveled to the Middle East and met with Jordan's King Abdullah. "If we can solve the Israeli-Palestinian process, then that will make it easier for Arab states and Gulf States to support us when it comes to issues like Iraq and Afghanistan," he said upon returning. "We've got to have an overarching strategy recognizing that all these issues are connected."

King Abdullah had a vested interest in saying such things -- more than half his citizens are themselves Palestinians, and he wouldn't mind if many of them returned to the other side of the Jordan River. Obama was not necessarily naive. The king told him what he wanted to hear, and he left the region as he arrived, a believer that peace and war in the Middle East form a matrix whose epicenter is the holy land.

After taking office, Obama took linkage to a whole new level. In an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he was asked if reining in Iran's nuclear ambitions was a necessary precursor to reviving the peace process. "If there is a linkage between Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, I personally believe it actually runs the other way," he replied. "To the extent that we can make peace with the Palestinians -- between the Palestinians and the Israelis -- then I actually think it strengthens our hand in the international community in dealing with a potential Iranian threat."

There is no point in dwelling on Obama's Middle Eastern missteps. But even after turning Iraq over to the tender mercies of the Islamic State, embracing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, poisoning relations with Saudi Arabia, and stepping back from his Red Line to watch Syria disintegrate, he continued to imply that only Netanyahu's stubbornness foiled his "overarching strategy."

I doubt anyone would say that Trump is smarter than Carter or Obama. But he is far more realistic than either. He understands that there is no "Arab World" pining for justice, just a region of sovereign nations pursuing what they regard as their self-interest. As the new strategy says, the Arab states "have increasingly found common interests with Israel in confronting common threats."

This assessment is followed by a plan of action: countering (unspecified) violent ideologies, buoying up the Gulf states, strengthening the U.S. strategic partnership with Iraq, seeking a settlement of the Syrian civil war that sets the conditions for refugees to return, neutralizing Iranian aggression, and, last on the list, "helping to facilitate a comprehensive peace agreement that is acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians."

Trump's actual plan for what he calls "the ultimate deal" in the Holy Land is still a secret. But it is not likely that be any more generous to the Palestinians than what they have rejected in the past. As far as America is concerned, we in the Middle East are living in a new, unlinked generation.
Remember when President Donald Trump was going to exploit the vulnerability of Democratic senators from red states and entice them to vote for his agenda? On Wednesday, the Senate passed the Republican tax-cut plan without a single Democratic aye. It wasn't an anomaly; party-line votes are a mainstay of the Trump era.

Ten Democratic senators are up for reelection in 2018 in states won by Trump. These are the Democrats who were poised to work with Trump not just on an imagined infrastructure bill but on taxes and opioids, deregulation and energy. A handful of Democrats represent carbon-energy-producing states: How hard could it be to get their votes?

"I was an easy pickup. Very easy pickup," Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a state that Trump won by 42 points, told Politico. "And a couple, two, three other Democrats would have been easy pickups, if they had just made an effort."

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri represents a state that's only been getting tougher for Democrats. Back in January, she seemed to be signaling her readiness to work with Trump. "Our country does its best work in the center," McCaskill told a town hall last summer.

Why Trump wasted the opportunity to enlist McCaskill and the others is an important question. Trump had powerful reasons to court Democrats. A plurality president who had lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes, he was historically unpopular in the country and despised by the guardians of democratic norms and government ethics in Washington.

His frequent appeals to racial resentment may have powered his 2016 campaign, but they put him on the downside of electoral demographics: He will face a browner electorate in 2020 than he did in 2016. A couple of Democratic supporters could have provided a little extra cover for his sins and stumbles.

Yet instead of working to become less polarizing, Trump has become more so. The stunning victory of Democrat Doug Jones in the special Senate election in Alabama was largely due to a spectacularly bad opponent. But it also underscored how uncompelling Trump's agenda is even in a die-hard conservative state.

Paul Maslin, Jones's pollster, said the campaign was mostly able to sidestep Trump altogether. "I don't think it ever occurred to [Jones] or us to consider being more supportive of Trump," Maslin emailed. "We were simply never going to engage Trump on any terms - supportive or not."

While government-by-mood-swing may explain much of Trump's style, it doesn't explain his consistent partisanship. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made no effort with Democrats either, which suggests that the cause is not incompetence.

Middle-class tax cuts, infrastructure spending and other Trump campaign promises could have lured susceptible Democrats, at least occasionally, into a GOP-led majority. Instead, Republicans focused on rewarding GOP donors, undoing whatever Barack Obama had done and appealing to the party's resentful base - all while sanctioning Trump's personal money grubbing. There was nothing in that mix for any Democrat.

"The drive to please the party base has been in place - certainly among the Republicans - for some time," said George Washington University congressional scholar Sarah Binder in an email. Binder points to President George W. Bush celebrating his narrow victory in 2004 by launching an unpopular partisan effort to privatize Social Security. "Why move to the center - or why accommodate the other party's interests - if the rewards at the ballot box are delivered by turning out the base?"

For Obama and Democrats, mostly party-line votes on a post-financial-crisis economic stimulus plan, Dodd-Frank bank regulations, an auto-industry rescue and the Affordable Care Act were worth the political pain. It seems that Trump and his party have reached a similar conclusion about their transfer of wealth from tomorrow's taxpayers to today's plutocrats.

It's hard to view Trump's failure to co-opt Democrats as anything but intentional. He had the opportunity to split Democrats - moderates working with Trump would've driven the left insane - and protect himself, by advancing popular legislation. Trump is frequently out of his depth, but he knew what he was doing here. There was no point in recruiting Democrats to a presidency they were sure to gag on.
Since it ignited, the Thomas fire has burned more than 250,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and become the third-largest fire on record in California. Last week, it killed a firefighter. But as frightening as this beast of a blaze really is, the overall trends look even worse.

Prior to 1995, the United States averaged one megafire a year, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which gives that title to blazes that burn more than 100,000 acres. During the last decade, California has met that old average all by itself, while the United States as a whole is now experiencing nearly 10 such fires annually. Researchers predict that by the middle of this century, twice the amount of U.S. land will burn in bad fire years than does today.

Of course, its not just land that burns. Developments are springing up in ever more fire-prone forests, canyons and mountains. One in three U.S. homes  some 44 million residences  are in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI, where they abut fire-prone forests and open space. California, along with Florida and Texas, has the highest concentration of homes in the WUI. And with rents skyrocketing in cities, developers are pushing into some of Southern Californias most flammable rural areas at an ever-increasing rate.

The Thomas fire has raged past the winter solstice, marking yet another troubling trend. To date, the warming and drying climate has expanded the nations fire season by some 78 days overall. Firefighters in California already talk about their year-round fire season.

Not only are the conditions ripe for the Thomas fire to continue its devastation, but theres a real possibility of more large fires breaking out in the coming months.

Southern California was parched, with Los Angeles recording just 4 percent of its historic average of rainfall since Oct. 1, even before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned last week that a strengthening La Nina weather pattern would likely lead to an unusually warm and dry winter in the region. A persistent high-pressure ridge in the Pacific has held back precipitation and cooler temperatures, leading some climatologists to worry that the state is about to fall back into a deep drought. Californias snowpack is at 34 percent of normal for this time of year.

Although the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has abundant resources to deal with normal wildfires in any month of the year, megafires that burn outside the historical fire season prove challenging for both the state and the nation. In the past, many wildland firefighters were college students earning money for tuition. During the winter, theyre in school, and the federal equipment needed to help battle fires may be offline, stored in warehouses.

At this point, its indisputable that more winter megafires are coming. Yet many of the stakeholders affected by wildfires of increasing size and frequency cant look away from their narrow self-interests to focus on the crisis at hand.

Every bad fire season brings calls from the timber industry to increase logging in forests, overgrown after a century in which the United States snuffed every wildfire. Its true that some of our forests have 10, 20 or even 40 times more trees than they had prior to the nations zero-tolerance policy toward wildfires, and that well-managed timber harvests can reduce the fire risk in some woodlands.

But those who present such harvests as a win-win of business profits and a reduced chance of fire often neglect to acknowledge an obvious truth: Most of the vegetation increasing the risk is brush, deadfall and small trees that have little economic value, while the big, thick trees that hold the financial payoff can resist and survive most flames. Timber operations that harvest the big trees but leave the small ones may actually fuel big blazes, not mitigate them.

Like the timber industrys supposed win-win solutions, some ranchers push managers of public lands to allow more cattle to munch down heavy loads of flammable grass to reduce the chance of fire. Here again, theres an obvious logical flaw: Overgrazing in many parts of the Southwest has allowed dense stands of trees to encroach on grasslands, in some cases leading to more severe wildfires rather than fewer.

Even thoughtful attempts to make communities more resilient to wildfires have spotty records. Certainly its smart to build homes with defensible space around the structure, use fire-resistant building materials such as metal roofs and keep flammable materials such as propane tanks and woodpiles away from the house. But those efforts are for naught if residents dont diligently rake up needles and leaves, clean out their gutters and mow the grass, or if developers use their fire-wise construction to justify pushing homes into ever more combustible landscapes.

Meanwhile, as the wildfire problem worsens, Californias commitment to preparation is rather fitful. The state levies fines of up to $500 for homeowners who fail to clear dangerously fire-prone vegetation, and Cal Fire can seek restitution in the courts from people who negligently start wildfires. Last July, however, in a deal to extend the states cap-and-trade program, state legislators suspended a $150 fire-prevention fee that was charged to some 800,000 California residents who live in rural areas. (The Republican lawmakers who reviled that fee ought to take a look at the latest firefighting invoice.)

To deal with the trend toward larger, more frequent, year-round megafires, California will need to take a longer view. It will have to stand up to industries whose claims arent supported by science, to developers and planners who promote building into fire-prone landscapes, and to citizens who dont want to foot the bill for living in a state filled with forests and fire.
Story Highlights Gallup interviewed thousands of B2B customers in 2017

Their feedback revealed five common mistakes B2B companies make

Hear our best advice of the year for B2B leaders

Gallup conducted thousands of B2B customer interviews in 2017.

We bring you our greatest insights from candid customer feedback, including the top five challenges B2B companies face and advice on overcoming them.

Challenge No. 1: Poor Understanding of Matrixed Decision-Making Processes

Problem:

The buyers, influencers, decision-makers and end-users who comprise the buying process are likely to have varying opinions of your relationship with them.

Teams often prioritize the perspectives of people in procurement, which tend to be less strategic and more defensive than the perspectives of decision-makers.

Many B2B companies miss out on revenue opportunities as a result.

Advice:

Interview customers using qualitative and quantitative techniques beyond Voice of the Customer surveys, using an objective third party.

Assess the full customer buying center, capturing the political, cultural and decision-making nuances.

Gather intelligence about your customers as part of a forward-looking strategy to future-proof the relationship.

Action:

Download our free report, Guide to Customer Centricity: Analytics and Advice for B2B Leaders, to better understand your customers' decision-making matrix.

Challenge No. 2: Skewed Judgment as a Result of Focusing on a Single Metric

Problem:

Many people at your customer company influence buying, and a single metric doesn't represent the whole picture.

B2B relationships are nuanced and the Net Promoter Score (NPS) only asks about your customer's likelihood to recommend you. It doesn't explain why the customer feels that way or what you can do to improve.

A single metric doesn't give you action-oriented insights, which allow you to grow customer loyalty.

NPS treats all customers the same when some customers are more important than others. It also can't formulate account-specific strategies and does not collect qualitative data.

Advice:

Evolve from traditional data collection, which is descriptive, to advanced analytics, which predicts important business outcomes.

Combine multiple sources of information including internal operational data, third-party data, web and social media data, labor data, and global economic data to understand your full customer relationship.

Action:

Learn more about how we can give you a forward-looking view on your business through Advanced Analytics -- machine learning in combination with human analysis.

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Challenge No. 3: Lots of Data, Little Insight

Problem:

Companies are pouring resources into creating dashboards, scorecards and reports based on feedback from a single group at the customer company, when you need to look at feedback from a cross-section of individuals in different roles.

Leaders have a huge amount of data but lack the tools to best use the data. As a result, they struggle to connect the dots between data sets and making better-informed decisions.

Advice:

Appreciate that different types of data and insights are meant for different audiences: leadership and account teams each need data about separate problems. Companies need to streamline and organize customer feedback so each group receives what's relevant to them, and no more.

Thoughtfully map data into structures and frameworks to make messy data clear.

Action:

Read our article, For B2B Companies, Customer Surveys Aren't Enough, to learn how to segment and qualitatively evaluate your customers.

Challenge No. 4: Differentiating Yourself With Proactive Innovation

Problem:

Innovation is essential to your prospects as a source of differentiation in otherwise commoditized industries.

While companies expect their vendors to be innovative, they can't always articulate exactly what "being innovative" means to them, creating a disconnect between suppliers and customers.

You'll get far more points from your customers if you bring new ideas to them without being asked, than if you save innovation for when there's a problem.

Advice:

Bring innovation to the forefront by proactively approaching business leaders with well thought out, strategic pitches.

Engage in meaningful dialogue with leaders. Knowledge, comprehension of the industry and perspectives are becoming more important in the age of big data, and they can be as valuable as tangible innovation.

Align innovations with customer needs, tailoring solutions to relevant challenges and opportunities.

Action:

Read our article, Biggest Driver of B2B Success: Meaningful Customer Impact, to learn how to become the customer's trusted adviser.

Challenge No. 5: Understanding the True Cost to Service, Maintain and Grow Large Accounts

Problem:

Companies devote lots of resources to big-dollar accounts, which are often more challenging to service than their smaller-revenue counterparts -- and they have greater bargaining power.

As a result, the cost to service, maintain and grow big accounts, often makes these less profitable than smaller-revenue accounts.

Advice:

Evaluate resource allocation and account management strategies.

Determine if middle-tier accounts are more profitable.

Rely on better analytics to evaluate customers to promote product diversification plans and long-term growth.

Diversify the metrics that you use to manage enterprise-level strategies; think about the cost of acquisition and customer profitability, as well as size and growth.

Discover the ways you could be capturing more value from large accounts, possibly creating a model offering different service levels based on different parameters.

Action:

Read our article, Why B2B Leaders Should Rethink the True Cost of Large Accounts, to learn the biggest indicator of future account health and how to maximize big-dollar accounts.

Watch our Best of 2017 webinar to get even more expert insights that can help you grow your business organically. Register now.

Jane Smith contributed to the writing of this article.
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Nokia this week announced it has signed multi-year patent license agreement with Huawei (News - Alert). In doing so, Nokia noted Huawei is among the worlds leading smartphone manufacturers.





Details of license agreement are confidential. But one estimate puts its value for Huawei at $118 million. Nokia (News - Alert) says its revenue based on the new agreement with Huawei will yield results starting this quarter.

The deal turns these fierce competitors into frenemies. And it marks Nokias latest effort to diversify its offerings at a time in which the industrys network equipment sales have slumped.

More than 90 percent of Nokias revenue comes from telecoms network equipment, but the licensing payments are highly profitable which is especially welcome as the network business is suffering an industry-wide slump, reports Reuters.

An April BloombergMarket report notes that Nokias Technologies unit sales expanded 25 percent in the first quarter. Thats the unit in charge of the companys patents.

The division collects revenue for its trove of intellectual property related to mobile phones, a business Nokia used to dominate but exited a few years ago, BloombergMarket explained.

But lately Nokia has been easing its way back in. In addition to its new deal with Huawei, the worlds third largest smartphone vendor by value, Nokia recently struck licensing deals with handset makers Apple (News - Alert), LG, Samsung Electronics, and Xiaomi. Speaking of Xiaomi, media reports note that Huawei and Xiaomi have been in talks about providing their smartphones to AT&T (News - Alert) and Verizon in the U.S.

Its possible that Huawei is entering into this licensing agreement to protect itself from potential litigation as it improves its distribution footprint, Forbes reports. Nokias deep portfolio of essential patents relating to GSM, 3G radio and 4G LTE (News - Alert) technologies  many of which were developed back when the company dominated the mobile handset business  could be valuable to Huawei. Besides this, Nokias other noteworthy patents relate to Wi-Fi and video standards as well as technologies that reduce the need for hardware components in a phone, improve radio reception and enhance battery life.

Edited by Maurice Nagle
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director Dr. Maikanti Baru says the corporation has doubled the daily supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, from 700 trucks (about 27 million  30 million) litres per day supply to 80 million litres per day since the scarcity in the supply chain was noticed.

Despite the intervention, scarcity of petrol continued in several cities across the nation yesterday, with travelling motorists having recourse to buy from black marketers, who sold the products in jerry cans.

Baru spoke before the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the corporation and Benue State on the Agasha-Guma Bio-fuels Projects in Abuja.

The corporation, in a statement, said the NNPC GMD attributed the hiccups in the supply of PMS to rumours about purported planned increase in the price of petrol.

He stated that some marketers, in their quest to cash in on the situation, suddenly started hoarding products.

But we swiftly swung into action by doubling our supply nationwide. At the time the rumour started, we had about 30-day sufficiency, he said.

He added that the NNPC has enough products sufficiency that will last up to 30 days.

Baru said at least a billion litre petrol laden-cargoes were heading to Nigeria shores at the end of this month, which, he noted, will return the country to a 30-day-plus sufficiency.

The NNPC boss, who expressed joy at PENGASSANs call-off of its planned strike, called on motorists not to engage in panic buying as the corporation has more than enough products for domestic consumption.

Baru, who assured that the fuel situation would soon fizzle out this week, warned marketers against hoarding.

He hailed NNPCs sister agencies, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), for their support in helping NNPC tackle the menace of hoarding by filling stations.

Signing the MoU on the Bio-fuels Project with the state government, Baru said the project would provide employment for youths in the state.

Benue State Deputy Governor Benson Abounu said the state was happy with the signing of the MoU, which, he said, was a watershed in the nations quest to find alternative sources of energy.

He pledged the support of the Benue citizens to the project, adding that various host communities would give their 100 per cent support for its success.

The Agasha-Guma bio-fuels project aims at developing Integrated Sugarcane Plantation and Fuel-Ethanol/Sugar/Power Plant Complex in Benue State through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

Expected to create one million direct and indirect jobs on completion, the project will also produce about 84 million litres of fuel ethanol annually.

The statement added the NNPC plans to mobilise to site by First Quarter of 2018.
Former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, yesterday felicitated with President Muhammadu Buhari on his birthday.

Nwuche in a statement in Abuja commended President Buhari on his exemplary leaders and dogged commitment to the enthronement of the change mantra with the noble goal of re-positioning Nigeria onto the path of true greatness and prosperity.

He said, Your Excellency, I write to heartily felicitate with you on your birthday anniversary, and also commend you for your exemplary leadership and dogged commitment to the enthronement of the change mantra with the noble goal of re-positioning our dear country onto the path of true greatness and prosperity.

Also worthy of commendation is your genuine and time-tested commitment to rectitude, transparency and morality which sadly, had been paid scant attention in the past, under less sensitive administrations.

I further salute you for your genuine commitment towards uplifting the entire nation and more particularly, revamping the ravaged economy of the country and the citizenry, even as I join millions of your teeming loyalists and admirers in celebrating with you on this auspicious day and wishing you many more fruitful years ahead.

Please accept my very fond wishes for Gods continued guidance, sound health, wisdom and prosperity as you continue to commit yourself to the service of our fatherland. Also accept the renewed assurances of my very high esteem sir.
Fine china and silverware at each place setting may not be a common occurrence at the family dinner table on any given evening, but recognizing how and when to use those special utensils as well as knowing which glass of water belongs to those around the table during a formal occasion could 
Click the photo to write a caption and have a chance to win a free subscription to the Norfolk Daily News.


The World Bank and Morocco signed a loan agreement worth $200 million in support of the second pillar of the Green Morocco Plan, particularly in the areas of promoting citrus and olive oil industries.

The loan, signed by the World Bank and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, targets small and medium sized producers of citrus and olive oil in the country through promoting the value added of their processed product.

It also aims at helping small farmers market their products locally and internationally through ensuring compatibility with quality norms in addition to offering assistance in the fields of production, storing and market access.

Under this loan, two innovation centers will be created to boost agri-food industries in the country and offer advice and consultancy to farmers.
Arab countries are facing common development challenges relating notably to rapid demographic growth, increasing demand on housing and pressure on services that require developing integrated public policies conducive to social cohesion, said King Mohammed VI.

In a message to the participants in the second Ministerial Forum on Housing and Urban Development, hosted in Rabat, the King mentioned a range of challenges facing the development of cities in the region. These include urban sprawl, which compounds transportation problems, increases infrastructure costs, implies encroachment on rural areas, intensifies the pressure on public services, depletes natural resources and leads to environmental degradation.

The King went on to say that one of the most salient features of urban sprawl is population growth which, in turn, leads to ever growing urban areas because of the horizontal and vertical development that is required to meet the basic needs of inhabitants in terms of housing, roads and various other services.

Such challenges have been faced by Morocco with the launch in 2004 of a national program dubbed cities without slums, recalled the Monarch. This program aimed at the eradication of all sorts of sub-standard housing in 85 cities and towns.

This ambitious national program is based on making housing the gateway to social cohesion and to economic dynamism. So far, thanks to this program, 58 cities and towns have been declared slum-free, noted the Sovereign.

The right to housing is stipulated in the 2011 Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco, together with the right to water, a healthy environment, healthcare and social security, said King Mohammed VI.

In this respect, he called on Arab housing and urban development ministers to develop, in a spirit of solidarity and exchange, a common vision for a full-fledged urban development system.

Such a system should help make the urban network balanced again, increase its ability to adapt to different economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes and reduce the gap between urban areas, marginalized neighborhoods and rural areas, said the King.

The Sovereign also insisted in his message on the necessity to tailor urban development plans to the needs of citizens and to set up innovative approaches to create coherent spaces in addition to the necessity to tackle the consequences of climate change.

We cannot develop our cities without attaching special importance to their inhabitants and without making sure those cities are conducive to integration and citizens participation. We also look forward to seeing green cities  cities that foster a spirit of creativity, civilized conduct, tolerance and cooperation, King Mohammed VI said.
A decisive vote in the UN General Assembly has further isolated the US in the international community. The vote of 128 against nine, with 35 abstentions and 21 countries not voting, has been received in Washington as a stinging rebuke for Trump and a rejection of his unilateral declaration of Jerusalem as a capital of Israel.

The landslide vote in support of international law and the peace process was a sign of defiance of US arrogance, especially after its representative in the UN Security Council Nikki Haley, upon orders from President Trump, threatened that Washington would remember which countries disrespected America by voting against it.

The US said that it will take the vote personally. President Trump said that the votes of states would be remembered, warning to slash aid for countries that voted against the US Jerusalem decision.

Trumps threats did not intimidate the 128 majority, which voted against his decision, including major recipients of US aid such as Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Only nine states voted against the resolution: the United States, Israel, Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Marshall Islands, Guatemala and Honduras.

Germany, which by the past has abstained on voting on measures relating to Israel, has joined its voice to 22 of the 28 member states of the EU in condemning Trumps move.

Thirty-five countries abstained, including five EU states, and other US allies including Australia, Canada, Colombia and Mexico.

Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised to reject the results of the vote, calling the UN a house of lies.

Afterwards he said in a statement: Israel thanks President Trump for his unequivocal position in favor of Jerusalem and thanks those countries that voted alongside Israel, alongside the truth.

The Palestinians, on the other hand, applauded the vote results as a victory for Palestine.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who was in Paris this Friday (Dec.22) for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, said the US has disqualified itself from the Middle East peace process when it recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Abbas said at a joint news conference with Macron that the US was no longer an honest mediator. The Palestinian government will not accept any plan put forward by Washington, because of its bias and violation of the international law, he said, urging Europe to play a more influential role instead.

He also condemned Donald Trumps threat to cut off financial aid to countries that criticized his administration.

Washingtons decision sparked global condemnation and protests in the Middle East, as well as fears it would kill off the peace process.
The Arab world group at the United Nations praised, during the emergency special session of the UN general assembly on Jerusalem held Thursday, the role of the Al-Quds Committee, under the chairmanship of King Mohammed VI, in the preservation of the Arab identity, character and demographic composition of the holy city.

The emergency special meeting of the general assembly on Jerusalem was held after the Security Council failed last Monday to adopt a resolution rejecting the US President Trumps recent decisions regarding the status of Jerusalem, as it was vetoed by the United States.

Speaking on behalf of the Arab group during the emergency special meeting, Yemens permanent representative to the UN, Khaled Hussein Mohamed Alyemany, in his quality as chairman of the Arab group, denounced the Israeli maneuvers and plans to lay hands on the Holy city and to distort its Arab identity and demographic composition.

The Yemeni diplomat also condemned the attempts of the Is-raeli occupation authorities to modify the historical and legal status of Muslim and Christian holy places.

In this regard, we would like to praise the role played by the Al-Quds Committee, under the chairmanship of the Kingdom of Morocco, said Alyemany.

The Al-Quds Committee, an offshoot of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, was set up in 1975. Chaired originally by Moroccos late monarch, Hassan II, the Committee is now led by King Mohammed VI.

In his capacity as chairman of this Committee, King Moham-med VI steps in to defend the holy city whenever Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque are threatened by provocative practices, by Israel or by its allies, seeking to alter its character, status or demographic composition.

The Committee, through Beit mal Al Quds Agency, also strives to preserve the Islamic and Arab rights in the city of Al Quds and to help its people remain steadfast on their lands. The Agency implements a number of programs and projects, mainly in the sectors of health and education, in addition to the safeguard of the religious and civilizational heritage of the holy city.

The emergency special session of the UN general assembly on Jerusalem adopted with an overwhelming majority a resolu-tion, stressing that Holy City is a final status issue to be re-solved through negotiations in line with relevant UN resolu-tions.

The resolution demanded that all States comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and not recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.

The General Assembly further affirmed that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.

In that regard, the Assembly also called upon all States to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem, pursuant to Security Council resolution 478 adopted in 1980.

Reiterating its call for the reversal of the negative trends that endanger the two-State solution, the Assembly urged greater international and regional efforts and support aimed at achieving, without delay, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
David Yancey and Shelly Simonds. Photo: David Yancey for Delegate; Shelly Simonds for Delegate

Elections for nearly all of the 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates were decided on November 7, when Democrats won sweeping victories across the state, electing a record number of women and the states first Latina and transgender delegates. But the last one of those races wont be decided until next Wednesday, when election officials conduct a random drawing to see who wins the now-tied race to represent the 94th District.

The drawing will be dramatic for more than the obvious reasons. The winner, be it Republican delegate David Yancey or his Democratic challenger Shelly Simonds, will determine who controls the levers of power in Richmond. If Yancey wins, the GOP will lock up a 51-49 majority. If its Simonds, the parties will share power with 50 delegates apiece.

That wouldnt be an abstract victory. A 50-50 split in the legislature could bring the Medicaid expansion to Virginia, providing an additional 400,000 people in the state with health-care coverage.

As we await the random drawing next week, lets look back at how we got here.

August 8: Shelly Simonds wins a firehouse primary to become the Democratic challenger to Yancey, but she was almost not a part of the race. Zack Wittkamp won the Democratic primary in June after running unopposed, but dropped out in July. Simonds, a member of Newport News School Board, was a natural replacement. She challenged Yancey in 2015 and lost by 2,100 votes in a district that leans blue.

Congratulations @shelly_simonds on winning the caucus to be the new D nominee for HD94 #whysheruns #emergealumnae pic.twitter.com/VQ4guEtsxm  Emerge Virginia (@EmergeVirginia) August 9, 2017

September 22: The Daily Press notes that Simonds is way behind Yanceys fundraising pace, with the most recent campaign filings showing her with $42,957 in her campaign bank account. Yancey has $218,748.

November 1: With Election Day just days away, Simonds puts her first ad on TV, hitting Yancey for his vote against expanding Medicaid in Virginia.

November 8: With Democrats winning huge victories across the state, Simonds appears to fall 12 votes short in district 94. She immediately demands a recount.

Virginia #HD94: GOP incumbent David Yancey up 12 votes on Democratic candidate Shelly Simonds with 100% reporting. https://t.co/0wHqg6rEif  Matt Ortega (@MattOrtega) November 8, 2017

December 19: Six weeks after the election, the recount is complete and the news is good for Simonds. After picking up 11 votes, Simonds has 11,608 votes and Yancey 11,607. All across the nation, headlines blare that every vote counts and Simonds makes the media rounds.

December 20: Its true, every vote does count, even those that arent clearly marked. And Yanceys campaign found one ambiguously marked ballot that went uncounted and challenged it in court. A three-judge panel sided with Yancey and said that the ballot should be counted for him. And like that, the election was tied at 11,608 votes each.

BREAKING: We obtained the actual ballot submitted to the court.

Dissect away.https://t.co/cQneTM0tUk pic.twitter.com/Eeq4mEOtd9  Jordan Pascale (@JWPascale) December 20, 2017

December 27: Two days after Christmas and nearly two months after the election, a winner in district 94 will finally be declared. The process is crude: Both candidates names will be printed out and cut into identically sized pieces of paper. The paper will be stuffed into old film canisters, shaken up in a bowl and then one will be drawn by a member of the board of elections. And then there will be a winner  at least until the next legal challenge.
Merry Christmas? Photo: Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images

As poll after poll shows that Republican face an increasingly forbidding electoral environment heading into 2018, President Trumps advisers are doing what they can to warn their boss  whose historic unpopularity is driving the Democratic momentum.

Several reports published Thursday evening paint a picture of a Trump administration scrambling to prepare for what may be a year of Republican carnage.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has warned that more GOP lawmakers will retire instead of facing tough challenges next year. And Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has said privately that, despite what once seemed to be a favorable map for Republicans, the GOP is in danger of losing the upper chamber in a wave election.

Politico, the New York Times, and the Washington Post all reported on a tense White House meeting on Wednesday, just hours after Congress passed its momentous tax bill. Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski got into a heated exchange with top Trump advisers including Hope Hicks and Kellyanne Conway, accusing the Republican National Committee of serving Trumps interests poorly and taking particular aim at political director Bill Stepien. The Times reported that the president seemed receptive to the argument.

According to Politico, Trump is being kept abreast of the latest grim trend lines:

During political briefing sessions, top aides highlight positive developments  but also more concerning ones, such as his declining numbers among well-educated voters and higher earners. He has peppered advisers with questions about his approval ratings, and about whether he is getting enough credit for his accomplishments.

But another anecdote from the piece offers a revealing glance at how Trumps political instincts may end up hurting his partys chances of avoiding a brutal 2018.

Weeks before the Alabama special Senate election, RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel warned Trumps Chief of Staff John Kelly in a memo about Republicans already-tattered reputation with women, worrying that a presidential endorsement of alleged sexual predator Roy Moore would only exacerbate the problem. But Trump disregarded those warnings, giving Moore his full-throated endorsement. Democrat Doug Jones defeated him in a major embarrassment for Republicans.

Trump, of course, is not known for heeding the advice of political professionals. He followed his unorthodox instincts all the way to the presidency last year, and its unlikely that, even if his unpopularity is dragging down his party, hell step aside and let prominent down-ballot races play out quietly. This need for the spotlight is one of Democrats great advantages heading into 2018. Between his unstoppable egoism and his consistent unpopularity, Trump may end up costing his party control of Congress.
No puppet? Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

What are we to make of Vladimir Putins first year in the White House? How has he done?

Im only slightly kidding. Or rather Im just channeling a CNN interview earlier this week with James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence. Heres what Clapper said: I think this past weekend is illustrative of what a great case officer Vladimir Putin is. He knows how to handle an asset, and thats what hes doing with the president [] You have to remember Putins background. Hes a KGB officer. Thats what they do. They recruit assets. And I think some of that experience and instincts of Putin has come into play here in his managing of a pretty important account for him, if I could use that term, with our president.

Clapper clarified his statement by saying he was being figurative, rather than literal. So lets just ask a figurative question, shall we? How successful has the Kremlins figurative investment been this past year? Pretty damn impressive.

Look first at Putins domestic goals. His core concern, as with any despot, is the legitimacy of his pseudo-democratic autocracy - which means, in turn, discrediting the very different features of the liberal democracies of the West. And in this, he must be scarcely able to believe his luck. After decades of the Wests championing of liberal democracy, the American president has spent his first year attacking it. Trump has exhibited contempt for a free press, describing the bulk of Western journalism as fake news, words that have gladdened the hearts of dictators across the planet. He has minimized Putins assassination of critical journalists, saying that America has no moral standing to criticize. He has treated the judiciary either as instruments of loyalty  hence his packing of the federal bench  or as pests to be slandered or dismissed. He prefers total loyalty from law-enforcement officials to the actual rule of law. For good measure, Trump has legitimized Putins core model of governance  that of a benevolent cult hero of the nation, shored up by religious reactionaries  by plagiarizing it. As for the other critical aspect of Putinism  the looting of the treasury by oligarchs  I give you the latest tax bill. It even carves out special goodies for real-estate investors.

Three Ways Trumps Tax Code Benefits Him And His Family

Then there is Russias permanent interest in deepening the racial and partisan divides in America  the better to force the United States to be more concerned with internal strife than with foreign affairs. On this, Putins success is even more impressive. What better propaganda could the Kremlin get than the Charlottesville horrors, the racial divide crippling the NFL, or the candidacy of Roy Moore? In the Cold War, the Kremlin constantly cited Americas racial strife as proof that, whatever its democratic pretensions, the country was still a bastion of white supremacy. Now, much of American academia and an entire rising generation agree with what the Soviets long argued. As for the stability and legitimacy of liberal capitalism, Putin could scarcely do better than the GOP tax proposal. When economic inequality is at record highs, undermining the social compact that undergirds capitalism, the GOP is making things far worse. It would also add well over a trillion dollars to the U.S. debt. Trump is not just looting the Treasury for himself and his buddies, he is looting the younger generation as well.

Internationally, Putin has had an even bigger year. One of his central goals  the disintegration of the European Union and the entire concept of the West  has been advanced by Washington in ways never seen before. Trump backed Brexit, breaking the U.K. away from its European partners; he supported Marine Le Pen in France for the same reason; and he has routinely lambasted Merkel, whose power is now hanging by a thread. He chose Poland, where an authoritarian party is busy dismantling judicial independence, as the site for his major foreign-policy address. He has permanently undermined the core Article 5 commitment that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all of them, by being the first U.S. president to equivocate on it. America has also broken with its European allies by withdrawing from the Paris Accords on climate, threatening the Iran nuclear deal, and backing the ethno-nationalist extremists who now run Israel on the status of Jerusalem. Last week, the U.S. found itself utterly isolated at the U.N. on the question, and openly threatening all its allies with payback. In the Middle East, Russia has never been stronger  it is now the key player in the future of Syria, while Putins naked annexation of Crimea and sections of eastern Ukraine remains in place, unmentioned by the White House.

What more could Putin ask for? Well, he could hope that his grotesque attack on the last U.S. election would lead to no serious effort to prevent it happening again. And lo, an American president has emphatically refused to lift a finger to defend the Constitution he is duty bound to protect. Theres been no attempt by the White House to protect the integrity of our elections  just a constant disdain for those who worry about them, and a general, somewhat egregious, complacency.

No American president in history has ever given Russia so much in so short a time. Congrats, Vladimir. Youve achieved what no Soviet dictator ever managed to. Your asset in the White House, figurative or not, has given more than all the British and American traitors in the history of the Cold War.

Speaking While Male

Im sorry, but I fail to see why anything in this quote from Matt Damon is offensive: I think were in this watershed moment. I think its great. I think its wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories, and its totally necessary [] I do believe that theres a spectrum of behavior, right? And were going to have to figure  you know, theres a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldnt be conflated, right?

Well, of course, right?

Damons ex-girlfriend Minnie Driver went ballistic on Twitter: God God, seriously? Gosh its so interesting (profoundly unsurprising) how men with all these opinions about womens differentiation between sexual misconduct, assault and rape reveal themselves to be utterly tone deaf and as a result, systemically part of the problem. She later elaborated for The Guardian: I honestly think that until we get on the same page, you cant tell a woman about their abuse. A man cannot do that. No one can. It is so individual and so personal, its galling when a powerful man steps up and starts dictating the terms, whether he intends it or not.

I fail to see how Damon is dictating the terms to anyone in particular. Hes making obvious distinctions between different levels of abuse, while saying he wants to eradicate all of them. What on earth has he done or said that is wrong? His offense, it appears, is talking while male. And that, on the question of sexual harassment, is simply not permitted. The movie critic Mimi Kramer, in another blast of contempt, instructed the comrade on the correct formula: What you want to be saying is, This is complicated, but I think were discovering that theres more here than meets the eye, and that this has been true for a very long time. Heres the more nuanced Hannah Jane Parkinson in The Guardian: I do think certain people should recognize when their voice carries less authority, should know when to shut up, and realize that their voice is not needed, wanted, or helpful at a particular time. In other words, repeat the current orthodoxy or shut the fuck up already. And if Damon had followed orders and refused to answer any questions about the current moment? Well, hed be systematically part of the problem then, as well, wouldnt he?

The logic behind all of this is deeply illiberal. On various subjects, it seems, only a certain segment of allegedly victimized citizens are allowed to voice opinions and be heard. Others must be silent. Only women can legitimately speak about sexual harassment; only African-Americans can have an opinion on white supremacy; only gays can talk about their wedding cakes and be taken seriously. Slate had a headline on the gay-cake case last week: How Clueless Straight White Guys Excuse Religious Homophobia. Can you imagine this happening in reverse? Would there ever be a headline in Slate that said: How Clueless Gay Latina Women Excuse Illegal Immigration? Well, maybe in Breitbart, I guess. Which is precisely my point.

Yes, an opinion can be judged on its context, on the experience and viewpoint of the speaker, but it is ultimately valid only if it is reasonable, cogent, and persuasive regardless of anyones actual identity. (In fact, of course, sometimes being very close to an issue can render ones opinion more vulnerable to bias and epistemic closure than someone at a further distance.) Sure, reason can be complemented by an awareness of identity but never substituted for it. If identity really is all, then no white person can ever have an opinion on race, no man can have an opinion on feminism, no Gentile can have a position on Israel, no straight person can have an opinion about gays, and so on. Or, if they do, theyre simply displaying white supremacy, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and homophobia, which renders those opinions void before they have even been expressed. How much easier this is than refuting actual arguments, or judging an individual on the cogency of her arguments rather than the color of her skin, biological sex, or sexual orientation. How much simpler to deploy the words mansplaining or whitesplaining as an alternative to the somewhat harder task of refuting. But among many elite liberals today, identity has come to eclipse reason and even aspire to be reason itself.

This is why, at the end of 2017, I feel close to despair about the liberal-democratic project in the West. When it isnt being assaulted by the identitarian thugs of the hard right, it is being corroded by the identitarian puritans of the social justice left. This is how liberal democracies die  or rather how they reveal that they are already, under the surface, dead.

On Thomas Aquinas and Blogging

What would happen to you if you wrote 4,000 words a day for years and years? Not so long ago, something like this question came up for me in my crazed years of blogging. Its also surely relevant to the journalists who now have to produce daily, hourly copy, then also tweet and Instagram and go on TV and on and on  until they, well what, exactly? The correct answer is: Drop dead.

Which is what, some believe, happened to Thomas Aquinas, the medieval theologian who tried (and largely succeeded) to fit the entire world into a synthesis of Christian revelation and Aristotelian teleology. This was not only staggering as an intellectual achievement, but as a physical one. It took decades of unremitting concentration and focus. And youd imagine that this holy workaholic would be writing until he expired (just as Hitch  peace be upon him  was still working on a review as he prepared to croak). But he didnt. Nearing the end of his magnum opus, The Summa Theologica, Thomas suddenly stopped. He wrote not another word. He left it all unfinished. A few months later, he died at the age of 50.

Theres a wonderful review essay in Commonweal meditating on this mystery. Jonathan Malesic compares Aquinass work compulsion with the contemporary cult of productivity. Aquinas is, he argues, the patron saint of burnout. And journalists, of course, are not the only people in our time who are subject to this kind of pressure every waking day of their lives. Frazzled doctors in hospitals, harried academics, bleary-eyed tech coders, single moms working round the clock, lawyers, cops, service members, and on and on. The web ensures that there is no work-life separation, and the constant demand for higher and higher productivity gets to you. It drains us, wears us out, ages us  and we dont even have the consolation that we are leaving behind a body of work that scholars will still be poring over more than a millennium later!

Malesic proposes burnout as the answer to the Aquinas conundrum, in contrast to the traditional view that Thomas had a vision and suddenly realized the pointlessness of it all. But I dont see the two theories as mutually exclusive, and perhaps thats because Ive always loved the original explanation. We know the following: That on December 6, 1273, Aquinas hit a wall. He wrote not a word afterward. When asked what had happened, he responded: I can do no more; such things have been revealed to me that all that I have written seems to me as so much straw.

What I draw from that is the same I draw from Pascals inability to complete his own comprehensive defense of Christianity (he left behind fragments that are now known to us as The Pensees). It is definitionally impossible to understand what cannot of its very nature be understood. If God is God, then God is beyond our understanding, beyond ideas, beyond words themselves. It is a categorical error to attempt to summarize all of godness, as it were, with precision or confidence. There are only hints and guesses, as Eliot put it. Much of what has gone wrong with religion, in my view, is the attempt to nail it down, to turn the scriptures, for example, into literal truth (an insane exercise) or to construct an infallible Magisterium of the Truth, with a capital T. In the end, this is absurd. Religion is simply a way of life, lived under the influence of some kind of revelation; a practice, not a doctrine. Orthodoxy is to religion what ideology is to politics  a necessary reflection, perhaps, but an abstraction nonetheless. It is only when we leave ideology and orthodoxy behind that politics and faith can begin. The rest, as someone once said, is silence.

See you in the new year.
Stick a fork in it? Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency youve Googled a few times but still dont quite understand, is having an awful day on the heels of a dazzling week.

After hitting a record valuation of $19,857 per coin, the currency has dropped in valuation by more than 30 percent, which is actually up from the 44 percent it had plunged below its peak value on Friday morning. Other cryptocurrencies are foundering, too.

The crash has been so drastic that Coinbase, one of the leading Bitcoin marketplaces, halted buying and selling of the currency on Friday morning.

Those who caught the Bitcoin wave early  as in, a few years ago  are doing just fine amid the chaos, and the currency is still up 1300 percent in value this year. Its the latecomers to the craze who are suffering, and loudly.

If only theyd listened to  everyone.

Economists have been warning to anyone who would listen that Bitcoin is, to put it bluntly, a fad.

The soaring price of bitcoin is likely the result of an unsustainable speculative bubble, according to the vast majority of private-sector economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal, the paper reported earlier this month, in one of many such evaluations over the last few months.

Bitcoin is nothing more than crypto-tulip bulbs, Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Floridas Institute for Economic Competitiveness, told the Journal.

But has humanity listened? Nope. Instead, Bitcoin has gone fully mainstream, penetrating some unlikely corners of the moneyed universe:

I've been in three NFL locker rooms in the last three weeks and the hottest topic, by a wide margin, is which players invested in Bitcoin.  Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 21, 2017

The lesson here, as always: Forget the naysayers. Buy, buy, buy!
Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A liberal group, representing economic competitors to the Trump hotels, sued the president for violating the Constitutions Emoluments Clause. Yesterday, a federal judge dismissed their suit on the grounds that hotels that lost business because of Trumps office lacked the standing to enforce the Constitution. The ruling does not deny that Trump is using his office for personal enrichment. What it reveals is that Congress is letting him get away with it.

One of the many ways Trump has broken from all historic precedent is that hes continued to operate his sprawling business even while holding office. This creates wide opportunities for bribes and influence. Since Trump knows who is paying him what  and the public does not  foreign governments have the chance to win his favor by making favorable deals with him. The vast majority of such deals would be happening in secret, but elements of it have taken place in broad daylight, like diplomats taking care to stay in Trumps hotel when they visit Washington. Why wouldnt I stay at his hotel blocks from the White House, so I can tell the new president, I love your new hotel! Isnt it rude to come to his city and say, I am staying at your competitor? one Asian diplomat told the Washington Post.

This isnt merely gross. It also violates the Constitution  specifically, the Emoluments Clause, a provision forbidding the president from accepting rewards from foreign countries. There is also a domestic Emoluments Clause, intended to keep the president from being bribed.

The lawsuit was brought by representatives of competing hotels, who claim they have lost business to the president because his hotel can offer the side benefit of favorable treatment by the United States government, and theirs cant. The ruling, by Judge George Daniels, dismissed their legal standing to bring this case. It does not, however, dismiss the Emoluments Clause as a legal question. It leaves the clear impression Trump is in plain violation of it.

There can be no doubt that the intended purpose of the Foreign Emoluments Clause was to prevent official corruption and foreign influence, writes Daniels, while the Domestic Emoluments Clause was meant to ensure presidential independence.

Alas, the competing hoteliers cant enforce it. Only Congress can. Congress is the appropriate body to determine whether, and to what extent, Defendants conduct unlawfully infringes on that power.

That may be a fair reading of the Constitution. It is not, however, a plausible description of the federal government as it stands today. Which is a problem.

The Constitution may have imagined that Congress would operate as a competing body with the executive branch. But the founders did not imagine how the party system would develop. In reality, Congress and the presidency are both closely allied arms of the Republican Party. Congress has ignored Trumps open violations of the Emoluments Clause. It has even repeatedly blocked the cursory step of requiring disclosure of his tax returns so the public can merely know who might be bribing the president.

This dynamic is most clearly displayed in Robert Muellers investigation into Russias electoral interference, the more high-profile case of presidential corruption. Republican senators initially showed some desire to protect the probe, and members of both parties supported bills to ensure Trump could not easily fire Mueller. But those efforts have ground to a halt. Were still having the discussion, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), the co-author of one of the bills, said, Its not driven by any current events. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), another co-author of one of the bills, said, I dont really know. Republicans appear to be running out the clock on efforts to backstop Mueller, even as the White Houses campaign to discredit him accelerates.

Meanwhile, the House is running a counter-investigation on Trumps behalf. House Republicans have been gathering secretly to plot their defense of the administration, and have largely turned their committees over to the task of generating grist to charge the FBI with liberal bias. Some of them have admitted being in touch with the White House.

This is all perfectly natural behavior. The fate of Republicans in Congress is tied invariably to the fate of the Republican in the White House. If his corruption is uncovered, they will suffer for it; so they have every incentive not to allow the corruption to be uncovered at all.

Danielss emoluments ruling notes, Congress is not a potted plant. It is a co-equal branch of the federal government with the power to act as a body in response to Defendants alleged Foreign Emoluments Clause violations, if it chooses to do so. What he is telling us is that many parts of the Constitution will be meaningless unless Democrats win control of Congress.
Veteran Sen. Diane Feinstein could soon face a tough challenge from billionaire progressive activist Tom Steyer. Photo: Getty Images

The nations largest state is expected to have a very packed midterm election next year, with Jerry Brown finally vacating the governorship after his second eight-year stint; a batch of competitive U.S. House races that could help Democrats regain control of the chamber; and 84-year-old Diane Feinstein running for a fifth full Senate term, despite some concerns that shes extending her remarkable political career too long.

Complicating everything in California politics is the states Top Two Primary system, in which all candidates for office appear on the same June primary ballot, with the top two  regardless of party or the percentage won in the first round  competing in the November general election. Enacted by a 2010 ballot initiative after a campaign that stressed the systems incentives for moderate candidates who can appeal to voters across party lines, Top Two has actually had the effect in some contests of excluding the minority party from general elections. That happened last year in a U.S. Senate race to choose a successor for veteran Democratic senator Barbara Boxer, as Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez were the top two (Harris, generally considered the less moderate of the two, won pretty easily in November), with many Republican voters just abstaining.

As the midterm elections take shape, all-Democratic general elections for both the U.S. Senate and the governorship appear entirely possible once again, according to a new poll from the University of California, Berkeleys Institute for Governmental Studies.

But the big news from this poll was that Feinstein may be more vulnerable than previously thought, as Roll Call reports:

Six months before the 2018 primary, just 41 percent of likely voters in California  a plurality  back the 84-year-old Feinstein, a new poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found.

Twenty-seven percent of those polled back Feinsteins closest challenger so far, Los Angeles-based state senator Kevin de Leon. A considerable 32 percent said they were undecided, which some experts said could open the door to an insurgent campaign from a political outsider.

The political outsider that could be a potential challenger to Feinstein is billionaire activist Tom Steyer, whose campaign to encourage impeachment of President Trump has kept him in the public eye in California and elsewhere. The $20 million Steyer has spent on this effort so far is sofa-cushion money for him; if he leaps into the Senate races (as he nearly did in 2016) with his wealth, name ID, and progressive street cred, Feinstein could be in real trouble (though Steyer might also split the anti-Feinstein lefty vote with DeLeon, best known as the primary sponsor of single-payer health-care legislation that hes already pushed through the state Senate).

Other polls have shown Feinstein as being in a stronger position, so it is far too early to begin predicting her political demise. If Steyer gets in, though, all bets are off.

Whatever her problems, though, Feinstein is in better political condition than California Republicans. At this point, no serious GOP candidate has announced for the Senate race (and remember, the first round that could eliminate any Republican will occur just over six months from now), and Republican voters may again be forced to decide whether to abstain from voting for a Senate candidate in November or backing the Democrat they consider least liberal (in this case, probably Feinstein, though the ideological crossover vote that was the center of Loretta Sanchezs 2016 strategy didnt show up in sufficient numbers).

There are Republicans running for governor  two of them, as a matter of fact. But Assemblyman Travis Allen and businessman John Cox are poor substitutes for the more viable candidates who gave this race a pass, notably San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and former Fresno mayor Ashley Swearengin. According to the IGS poll, Allen and Cox are running a distant third and fourth behind Democratic lieutenant governor (and former San Francisco mayor) Gavin Newsom with 26 percent of the vote and former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with 17 percent. In theory, they could flip a coin and combine forces, but they arent exactly on the same page: Cox is campaigning as a pragmatic, reform-oriented moderate, while Allen is positioning himself as the Donald Trump candidate.

All in all, Feinstein, for all her age issues and her alleged softness toward Trump, is in better shape to win another term than is any California Republican to make it to November to face her or Gavin Newsom. Someday the elephant may again walk tall in Golden State politics. But for the moment, Republicans are likely to focus on saving as many of their House incumbents as possible.
Workers clean oil from the rocks and beach at Refugio State Beach in Goleta, California, May 22, 2015. Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the Environmental Protection Agency over the years. Two decades ago, in his book The Art of the Comeback, he mounted a furious defense of asbestos, and in the first year of his presidency, Trump has appointed a handful of zealots to lead the agency. Most notable among them is Scott Pruitt, the former attorney general of Oklahoma who repeatedly sued the EPA in his old job and now likes to cozy up with the industry executives hes supposed to be regulating.

It turns out that Trump is not just damaging the EPA by appointing people hell-bent on its destruction. Hes also driving away people who want the agency to succeed. All told, more than 700 people have left the agency since Trump took office and most of them arent being replaced, according to the Times. At the start of December, the agency had 14,188 full-time employees, nearly 3,000 fewer than it had at the end of President Obamas first year in office.

Among those departing the agency are lawyers, program managers, and environmental-protection specialists, along with 200 scientists.

More than 27 percent of those who left this year were scientists, including 34 biologists and microbiologists; 19 chemists; 81 environmental engineers and environmental scientists; and more than a dozen toxicologists, life scientists and geologists. Employees say the exodus has left the agency depleted of decades of knowledge about protecting the nations air and water.

The Times spoke to two former, and one current, EPA employees who have all seen a lack of morale at the agency as its ranks are depleted. This is exactly what they wanted, which is my biggest misgiving about leaving, Ronnie B. Levin, a 37-year EPA vet who worked on lead-exposure issues, told the paper. They want the people there to be more docile and nervous and less invested in the agency.

And they want the depletion to continue. The administrations goal is to cut 3,200 positions from the agency and they have a plan for making that happen, by tying the hands of enforcement officers, silencing scientists, and probing the emails of dissenting employees, all while Pruitt spends lavishly on himself.
Throughout 2017, as social-media-addled minds chased one shiny news object after another, one story was constant and inescapable: Russia.

But what Russia meant, exactly, depended a lot on where you got your news. The Russia story that developed throughout the year was likely very different from the Russia story as it was understood by your friends, relatives, or co-workers, not just because your politics might be different than theirs but because you might have been encountering different news entirely. To some Democrats, the Russia Story was that Donald Trump was a wholesale asset of the Russian government. To others, the Russia Story was the F.B.I.s methodical investigation. And to many Republicans, the Russia story was actually a story about the Democrats collusion with Russia, not the Trump campaigns.

We wanted to see how those competing narratives were shaped, week by week, story by story, through 2017  examining not just broad liberal and conservative bubbles, but also the different ways highly partisan readers and their less-partisan neighbors might have encountered the story. Would outlets directed toward zealously partisan Democrats frame the story differently than those with readers more evenly distributed along the political spectrum? What about on the other side of the fence?

To re-create approximate social-media bubbles, we used partisanship scores, developed by Harvards Berkman Klein Center. Rather than attempt to arbitrarily measure the slant of a given publications editorial line, these scores gauge the partisanship of its audience, by measuring how frequently its stories were shared by Clinton or Trump supporters during the 2016 election. For our purposes, outlets shared vastly more often by Clinton supporters than Trump supporters are categorized as Highly Democratic; outlets where the ratio was closer but still weighted toward Clinton were labeled Mostly Democratic; and so on. These reconstructed bubbles arent a perfect representation of how people encountered their news, but the partisanship scores allow us to focus on publications actual audience  the real citizens of the bubble  rather than our perceptions of their politics.

Its not as simple as the liberal story and the conservative story, either: Across social media, multiple competing narratives emerged, even within broad political coalitions. The people obsessively following Louise Mensch would have a different story from those following the New York Times, or, for that matter, Glenn Greenwald  even if all three of those groups voted for Hillary Clinton last year.

Highly Democratic Audience These are publications that were shared almost exclusively by Clinton supporters during last years election. Includes: Occupy Democrats

The Palmer Report

Addicting Info MOSTLY Democratic Audience These are publications that were shared mostly by Clinton supporters, but sometimes also by Trump supporters, during last years election. Includes: New York Times

Washington Post

CNN Mostly Republican Audience These are publications that were shared mostly by Trump supporters, but sometimes also by Clinton supporters, during last years election. Includes: The Hill

Wall Street Journal

MarketWatch Highly Republican Audience These are publications that were shared almost exclusively by Trump supporters during last years election. Includes: Breitbart

The Federalist

LyingCrookedHillary.com

Having constructed our bubbles, we selected some of the biggest Russia stories of the year  based on the total volume written  and pulled the most-shared Facebook posts and most-shared articles across social media for the weeks those stories broke.

When you look through the year story by story, filtered by audience partisanship, narratives and strategies begin to come into focus. Most obvious is the difference between the highly Republican bubble and the others: Week after week, the most-shared and read stories werent about Donald Trump, but about Democrats, and their relationships to Russia. In fact, it was hard to find a positive defense of the Trump campaigns actions even among the presidents most fervently loyal outlets; the narrative that developed through the year was not one of an innocent Trump but of guilty  and hypocritical  Democrats, many of whom had, like Trump or his aides, met with the Russian ambassador or been invested in Russian businesses.

On the Democratic side of the partisanship spectrum, other patterns emerged. Highly Democratic audiences preferred dramatic packaging and stirring appeals to the more cautious, news-focused stories that dominated the Mostly Democratic bubble. A reader of heavily partisan sites like Occupy Democrats or the Palmer Report lived through a year of near weekly crisis, in which a new development was always going to crack the case wide open, or the president was always on the precipice of impeachment. A reader that tended toward publications with more bipartisan audiences didnt have, exactly, a relaxed year  but it was certainly less sensational.

And what about the Mostly Republican audiences? As the Berkman Klein study that first used these partisanship scores puts it, the center-right is the least populated and least influential portion of the media spectrum; very few outlets  and even fewer popular ones  can be categorized as even moderately center-right. Of the publications that can be counted as having Slightly Republican audiences, only the Hill drew enough shares to crack the top stories every week, and it was hard to identify a consistent narrative at all.

Below, for each big Russia-related story of the year  from Buzzfeed publishing the Steele dossier to the news that Michael Flynn had pled guilty  were showing a top Facebook post and providing a list of widely shared stories, as well as our summary of what each bubble was talking about  and what someone stuck inside that bubble might take away from that coverage.

The Biggest Moments in the Russia Story This Year What developments in the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign's relationship the Russian government earned the most media coverage this year? The chart below shows, week by week, the number of sentences in stories across approximately 1,500 media sources that include the search terms "Russia" and "Flynn" / "Trump" / "Manafort" / "Mueller" / "Comey" / "Clinton" / "Kushner". Jan. 10 BuzzFeed publishes the Steele dossier (100,832 sentences written) Feb. 14 Michael Flynn resigns (132,575 sentences written) May 9 Trump fires James Comey (136,624 sentences written) May 17 Robert Mueller is named special prosecutor (153,023 sentences written) Jun. 8 Comey and Jeff Sessions testify to Congress (108,235 sentences written) Jul. 9 Donald Trump Jr.: "I love it." (121,811 sentences written) Oct. 30 Paul Manafort is indicted (78,136 sentences written) Dec. 1 Flynn pleads guilty to lying to F.B.I. (39,949 sentences written) Source: MediaCloud (Dec. 19, 2017) NEW YORK MAGAZINE The Biggest Moments in the Russia Story This Year What developments in the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaigns relationship the Russian government earned the most media coverage this year? The chart below shows, week by week, the number of sentences in stories across approximately 1,500 media sources that include the search terms "Russia" and "Flynn" / "Trump" / "Manafort" / "Mueller" / "Comey" / "Clinton" / "Kushner". Jan. 10 BuzzFeed publishes the Steele dossier (100,832 sentences written) Feb. 14 Michael Flynn resigns (132,575 sentences written) May 9 Trump fires James Comey (136,624 sentences written) May 17 Robert Mueller is named special prosecutor (153,023 sentences written) Jun. 8 Comey and Jeff Sessions testify to Congress (108,235 sentences written) Jul. 9 Donald Trump Jr.: "I love it." (121,811 sentences written) Oct. 30 Paul Manafort is indicted (78,136 sentences written) Dec. 1 Flynn pleads guilty to lying to F.B.I. (39,949 sentences written) Source: MediaCloud (Dec. 19, 2017) NEW YORK MAGAZINE The Biggest Moments in the Russia Story This Year What developments in the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaigns relationship the Russian government earned the most media coverage this year? The chart below shows, week by week, the number of sentences in stories across approximately 1,500 media sources that include the search terms "Russia" and "Flynn" / "Trump" / "Manafort" / "Mueller" / "Comey" / "Clinton" / "Kushner". Jan. 10 BuzzFeed publishes the Steele dossier (100,832 sentences written) Feb. 14 Michael Flynn resigns (132,575 sentences written) May 9 Trump fires James Comey (136,624 sentences written) May 17 Robert Mueller is named special prosecutor (153,023 sentences written) Jun. 8 Comey and Jeff Sessions testify to Congress (108,235 sentences written) Jul. 9 Donald Trump Jr.: "I love it." (121,811 sentences written) Oct. 30 Paul Manafort is indicted (78,136 sentences written) Dec. 1 Flynn pleads guilty to lying to F.B.I. (39,949 sentences written) Source: MediaCloud (Dec. 19, 2017) NEW YORK MAGAZINE The Biggest Moments in the Russia Story This Year What developments in the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaigns relationship the Russian government earned the most media coverage this year? The chart below shows, week by week, the number of sentences in stories across approximately 1,500 media sources that include the search terms "Russia" and "Flynn" / "Trump" / "Manafort" / "Mueller" / "Comey" / "Clinton" / "Kushner". Jan. 10 BuzzFeed publishes the Steele dossier (100,832 sentences written) Feb. 14 Flynn resigns (132,575 sentences written) May 9 Trump fires Comey (136,624 sentences written) May 17 Mueller named special prosecutor (153,023 sentences written) Jul. 9 Trump Jr.: "I love it." (121,811 sentences written) Oct. 30 Manafort indicted (78,136 sentences written) Dec. 1 Flynn pleads guilty to lying to F.B.I. (39,949 sentences written) Source: MediaCloud (Dec. 19, 2017) NEW YORK MAGAZINE

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January 10

BuzzFeed Publishes the Steele Dossier

On January 10, BuzzFeed published the Steele Dossier, an independently commissioned intelligence report on President Trumps past relationship with Russia. Among the allegations: that Russian intelligence had a video of the president enticing sex workers to pee on a hotel bed.

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January 18

Reporters Reveal FBI Investigating Trump Campaign  But Cleared Michael Flynn

In successive reports, McClatchy and the New York Times report that a multiagency working group has been investigating links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, focusing on intercepted communication between Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Roger Stone, and Russian operatives. A few days later, the Washington Post reported that the FBI had examined Michael Flynns calls with the Russian ambassador and found no evidence of wrongdoing.

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February 14

Michael Flynn Resigns

A day after the Washington Post reports that Michael Flynn, Trumps national security adviser, had lied to Vice-President Pence about discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, Flynn resigns. That same day  unbeknownst to most of us  Trump calls FBI Director James Comey into the Oval Office and suggests letting this thing go because Flynn is a good guy.

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March 1

Sessions Met With Kislyak

The Washington Post reports that the Attorney General met with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, twice during the campaign  despite the fact that hed told senators during his confirmation hearing that he did not have communications with the Russians.

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March 4

Trump Claims Obama Wiretapped His Phones

In a series of early Saturday-morning tweets, Trump accuses Obama of wiretapping his phone just before the election and calls him a bad (or sick) guy. James Comey then asks the Justice Department to publicly refute Trumps claim, setting the stage for their impending battle. On Sunday, Trump follows up with another tweet demanding Congress to investigate his claims.

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March 20

James Comey Testifies to Congress. Sally Yates Does Not.

On March 20, James Comey  still the director of the FBI  testifies to Congress about his agencys investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election. A few days later, Trump asks the director of National Intelligence and the head of the NSA to deny evidence that his campaign colluded with Russia; both men decline and later testify about the request. Representative Devin Nunes, who has been making a fool of himself all week, cancels testimony from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates.

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March 30

Michael Flynn Offers to Testify in Exchange for Immunity

A few days after the Times reports on an undisclosed meeting between Jared Kushner and a Russian banker, the Journal writes that Michael Flynn is willing to testify before congressional intelligence committees in exchange for immunity. That same day, Trump calls James Comey and asks him to lift the cloud of the Russia investigation, later tweeting that its a witch hunt.

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May 9

Trump Fires Comey

Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein drafts a letter giving Trump a pretext to fire the FBI director, which the president promptly does  though a few days later, its reported that Trump, not Rosenstein, was the real cause of the dismissal. Also, at some point in this week, Sean Spicer gives an interview from some bushes, and Trump reveals classified information to the Russian ambassador in a meeting in which the president also calls Comey a nut job.

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May 17

Mueller Named Special Counsel

Rod Rosenstein names former FBI director Robert Mueller special counsel in the FBIs investigation. Trump complains: With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed! The Post reports that the investigation has identified Jared Kushner as a person of interest, and that Kushner had request a secret back channel with Ambassador Kislyak.

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June 8

Comey and Sessions Testify to Congress

Comey, no longer director of the FBI, testifies in front of Congress about meetings in which Trump asked him to let Flynn go. Trump, in quick succession, claims to have been vindicated, accuses Comey of lying, and returns to his forte: complaining that Hillary Clinton has not been adequately investigated. On June 13, Jeff Sessions testifies to the Senate Intelligence Committee about his previously undisclosed meeting with Ambassador Kislyak, which he says he doesnt remember.

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July 9

Donald Trump Jr.s Russia Meeting Comes Out

The Times reports that during the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump Jr. was sent an email  from an English music publicist, naturally  offering documents and information that would incriminate Hillary as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump. Don Juniors immediately iconic response: If its what you say I love it.

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July 19

Trump Attacks Jeff Sessions Over Recusal

In an overall bad week for Jeff Sessions, President Trump tells the New York Times that he would not have picked Sessions if hed known the Attorney General would recuse himself from the Russia investigation, and the Post then reports that Sessions  despite his claims to the contrary  had discussed campaign matters with Ambassador Kislyak. Meanwhile, Muellers investigation wore on, turning to Trump businesses as the president attempted to block him.

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August 3

Mueller Impanels Grand Jury

The Wall Street Journal reports that Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in the Russia investigation as other details of the probe are revealed  among them that Mueller is looking closely at Michael Flynns ties to Turkey and at Trumps own businesses. The Post later reports that Paul Manaforts home had been raided by the FBI in July.

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October 30

Manafort and Gates Indicted

Robert Mueller announces charges against three of Trumps former campaign aides. Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates were indicted on 12 charges, including conspiracy against the United States; and foreign-policy adviser George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russian intermediaries proffering dirt on Hillary Clinton.

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November 13

Don Jr.WikiLeaks Correspondence Revealed

Julia Ioffe of The Atlantic reported that WikiLeaks had been in contact with Don Jr., mostly through Twitter DMs, as late as July 2017. Of particular importance was that WikiLeaks offered its help, in turn asking Don Jr. to contest the election results if Trump lost, and to arrange for Julian Assange to become Australias ambassador to the U.S.

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December 1

Flynn Pleads Guilty

As the New York Times reported, Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and became the first senior White House official to cut a deal with Muellers investigation into election interference. Of particular interest were reports that a very senior member of the transition team directed Flynn to initiate at least one of those conversations.

Graphics, design and development by Ashley Wu, Terri Neal and Skye Fradd
National Resistance Movement (NRM) legislators who voted against the age limit bill, say they have no regrets for going against their party position. At least 22 of the 92 legislators who voted against the amendment belong to the ruling NRM party.

They include among others Hellen Kahunde, Connie Nakayenze Galiwango, Norah Bigirwa, Anthony Ssemuli, Suzan Amero, Loy Katali, Monica Amoding, Sylvia Rwabogo and Henry Maurice Kibalya.



Shortly after the parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday, government chief whip, Ruth Nankabirwa, said she was disappointed that the legislators had gone against the party position. She explained that the members have failed to understand how the multi-party dispensation works and are working against the party.

Some of the NRM MPs who publicly opposed the age limit bill

If youre not towing the party line, then you remain lost. Well be sitting down with them and sensitise them, counsel them so that they can appreciate that were in a multi-party political dispensation. If your party has taken a decision, you have to toe that line but people here behave as if they came as independent members. For independent members, theyre free to vote they way they want", Nankabirwa said.



However, some of the affected legislators interviewed by URN, say they don't regret their decision. Norah Bigirwa Nyendwoha (Bulisa Woman) says she doesn't regret voting against the bill. According to Nyendwoha, her voters opposed the bill when she went to consult them.



"One reason that made me contest, was because the component of true representation in parliament was lacking, I left very important things. I don't see any harm in telling the truth, they asked as to go and consult, and what i disseminated was the result I got, we should not say [the] contrary," Bigirwa said



Suzan Amero (Amuria Woman), says if the chief whip thinks the party position was important, they shouldn't have sent them to consult their voters. She says the chief whips assertion that they were not sensitized and therefore need counselling is wrong.



"She is totally wrong, there are things you can support, and there are things you cannot support. Like the age limit thing, it's a sensitive matter of national importance, and what your people say matters a lot," Amero said.



John Baptist Nambetsye (Manjia County) who also voted against to the bill, says he acted basing on the voices of his electorate. He says it is unfortunate that the rules of procedure were breached.



"If they summon us, I will ask them, why they don't start with the speaker who steered the House to pass the amendment illegally. Look at the way the Ugandans opposed to the lifting were shut down, and how the speaker bowed to pressure," he said.



Barnabas Tinkasimire, the Buyaga West MP, says Nankabirwa is gravely mistaken, saying they will not allow her to bully them. According to Tinkasimire, it is the chief whip who needs sensitization since she didn't ensure that members report what they got on the ground.

"She is the one misleading; she's even being deceived by some members on the results of the consultations. Although they are happy about the seven years extended tenure for MPs, that will also get over and they will have to face their voters" he said.



On Wednesday this week, parliament approved the removal of the 75 year-upper age limit for the president and reduced the lower cap to 18 years.

This has eliminated the last hurdle for President Yoweri Museveni to extend his stay in power once he clocks the 75 years age limit that was provided for in the Constitution.
Even before President Museveni assents to the controversial age limit law passed by Parliament on Wednesday, a private citizen has today petitioned the Constitutional court challenging everything therein. The attorney general is the respondent.

In the new law, among other things, parliament voted to lift presidential age limits, reinstate and entrench term limits and extend the term of Members of Parliament and local council leaders from five to seven years effective immediately.

But Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka, a lawyer, challenges the actions of parliaments Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee which smuggled into the Constitution Amendment (No2) Bill 2017 items concerning the extension of the term of parliament from five to seven years and restoration of presidential term limits.

He contends that none of these items were in the original bill as presented and sent to the committee, neither were they presented before it in form of any memoranda by the people interviewed.

Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana speaking in parliament.

Mabirizi says the committees actions were inconsistent with and in contravention of Articles 1, 8A, 44(c), 79, 90 and 94 of the constitution which require parliament to only act in the name of the people, in conformity with the constitution, laws and the rules of parliament before enacting any law.

Mabirizi also challenges Wednesdays decision by parliament to extend its own term for two more years, arguing that it is inconsistent with and in contravention of articles 1, 2, 77(3) and 77 (4) of the constitution which provide that the current parliament was elected for five years and its term can only be extended by only six months at a time and only when there is a state of war or any emergency.

Also in challenge is the decision by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to waive the rule requiring a minimum of three days from the tabling of a committee report on a bill before the report could be debated by parliament.

He also says the speaker should have given every MP a chance to debate the bill. Only 124 of the 451 legislators debated the bill.

The action of the speaker of parliament [Kadaga] to close the debate on the Constitutional Amendment (NO 2) Bill before each and every member of parliament could debate and present the views of their constituents was inconsistent with and in contravention of Articles 1, 2, 8A, 44 (c), 79 and 94 of the constitution which require parliament to only act in the name of the people, in conformity with the constitution, laws and the rules of parliament before enacting any law, Mabirizi says.

He adds that if President Museveni assents to this bill, it will be inconsistent with and in contravention of articles 1, 2, 8A, 44(c), 79, 91, 94 and 263(2)(a) of the constitution which require parliament and the president to only act in the name of the people, in conformity with the constitution.

He further says the action of parliament to claim that the term of office of the current president expires in 2021 is inconsistent with and in contravention of articles 102(b) and 102(c) of the constitution.

According to Mabirizi, the aforementioned articles provide that a person is only qualified to be president when he/she is not above 75 years.

Museveni turns 75 in 2020 and, accprding to Mabirizi, that is when he should step down and fresh elections be held. But article 102 (b) that Mabirizi is referring to only prohibits a person above 75 years from standing for president.

That to the best of my knowledge, a president can only remain a president as long as he has the qualifications of being in that office as prescribed by the constitution and once they cease, he/she cases to be so, Mabirizi says in his affidavit in support of the petition.

He argues that since the new age limit law gives Museveni a chance to rule beyond 2020, he will easily assent to it.

dkiyonga@observer.ug
After getting a step in at Wassenaar Arrangement, India is all set to seek membership of Australia Group as well. Officials monitoring the situation confirmed that India will move ahead on this. This is an informal group of countries, which work for harmonization of export controls to ensure that the export of critical chemicals don't lead to development of chemical or biological weapons. If India applies, the candidature will be discussed at the next plenary in Paris from June 4-8, 2018. India in last six months got into critical strategic multilaterals such as Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR and recently in Wassenaar Arrangement.

The memberships in these influential strategic affairs' groups, put India in unique position to bargain the entry into Nuclear Suppliers' Group, or NSG. In June this year, China blocked the NSG entry citing that India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT. This was despite, the US along with 34 other members vouched India's credentials as a responsible nuclear empowered country. China is pushing that if non-NPT signatory country, like India's petition is to be considered, so should be of Pakistan. But most of the other NSG participants are not so confident of the track record of the Pakistan. The western countries, especially the US, accused Pakistan of supplying crucial technologies to North Korea and Iran.

India got membership of both MTCR and Wassenaar Arrangement, without signing the NPT. Along with this, in July 2017, India signed bilateral with Japan on nuclear civil co-operation. These enhance India's non-proliferation credentials, along with giving access to acquire some critical technologies. Along with this, Wassenaar Arrangement would also give India an opportunity to take leadership role in preventing these technologies going in hands of terrorists.

These developments make India's case much stronger in the next plenary session of NSG in June 2018. China may continue to block this, but now India has a lever to use these memberships as a bargaining chip. Although, Indian's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj made it clear that India will not do it, but those involved in tier-2 or tier 1.5 level deliberations say, China is very keen to be part of these exporters group. If nuclear energy is critical for restricting India's energy basket, and fulfilling the ambitious Intending National Determined Contributions committed at U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, Conference of the Parties, or COP21 in Paris to cut carbon emissions, then missile technologies are critical for Chinese exports and defence programmes. Chinese petition for MTCR entry is pending since 2004. With India's admission into MTCR, in last six months, India closed the deal of sale of BrahMos to countries like Vietnam.

Indian approach towards these multilaterals changed post 2008 signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal. Over the years, India continued to perceive many of these regimes as discriminatory. India started pushing for getting into these groups since then, but in last two years the push got accelerated, since suppliers of many high-end duel-use technologies are members of these groups.

China, because of its global plans, stonewalled NSG. Each of these multilateral require consensus. If China continues to use their veto power, India too is in level playing field. Since beginning of MTCR or Wassenaar Arrangement or evolution of Australia Group, the western world-which controls three multilaterals except NSG- remained suspicious of the communist block, especially (erstwhile) Soviet Union and China. Post collapse of Soviet Union, Russia joined these multilaterals, but suspicion on China continued. These western countries see China as a threat and as one of the "target" countries with which the MTCR members should strictly control their missile exports. India can help China in bridging this trust deficit, which will be a bargaining chip.

Obviously, getting China on same page is not easy, but India must accelerate diplomatic efforts to make China rethink its obstructionist approach.
Pakistan is responsible nuclear state: NCA

ISLAMABAD: The National Command Authority (NCA) on Thursday emphasised that Pakistan was a responsible nuclear state and would continue with its policy of Full Spectrum Deterrence (FSD) to meet growing challenges to its security and for maintaining strategic stability in the region.



NCA reiterated Pakistans policy of developing and maintaining Full Spectrum Deterrence, in line with the policy of Credible Minimum Deterrence and avoidance of arms race, the Inter-Services Public Relations said after a meeting of the apex decision-making body of the countrys nuclear programme.



The NCA meeting, which was its 23rd session, took place after a break of nearly two years. The forum had last met in February 2016. Therefore, the forum met with its new civilian and military principals. It was the first meeting for Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who chairs the body, Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa, Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Abbasi, Special Planning Division Director General Lt Gen Sarfraz Sattar and ISI chief Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar.



The meeting took place against the backdrop of evolving strategic environment that is to a great extent being influenced by the growing India-US strategic partnership. Therefore, much of the discussion focused on the threats to stability and the responses. The NCA identified three major threats  the growing conventional asymmetry with India because of its arms buildup, nuclearisation of Indian Ocean Region and Indian plans for development of Ballistic Missile Shield (BMD).



Pakistans response outlined in a press statement on the meeting is centered on the doctrine of FSD, which essentially means possessing a complete range of weapons with enough yield in all three categories  strategic, operational and tactical  and to have all Indian targets  whether counter-value, counter-force or battlefield located on mainland or outlying territories  within the striking range.



The statement also contained the assertion that FSD would be pursued within the limits of the overarching policy of Credible Minimum Deterrence, which implies that Pakistan would continue to seek deterrence, but in a cost-effective manner. However, its obvious that growing disparity in the realm of conventional weapons is increasing Pakistans reliance on nuclear weapons.



The NCA pointed towards the development of Sub-Marine Launched Cruise Missile BaburIII, which provides credible second strike capability, and Ababeel Missile System that is equipped with Mirv capability to defeat BMD, describing them as technological sophistication of Pakistans strategic capabilities.



The other important element of the statement was apparently a response to the US National Security Strategy unveiled last week that called upon Pakistan to demonstrate that its a responsible stewardship of its nuclear assets. This was not the first time that the Trump administration had tried to turn the spotlight on security of Pakistans nuclear programme. Earlier, President Trump had in his speech on the policy of South Asia and Afghanistan in August also talked of preventing nuclear weapons and materials from falling into the hands of terrorists as a major US policy goal.



Therefore, the NCA statement crucially had a lengthy paragraph on nuclear safety and security measures, particularly the command and control arrangements.



The NCA expressed full confidence in command and control systems and security measures in place to ensure comprehensive stewardship and security of strategic assets and materials. It reaffirmed that, as a responsible nuclear state, Pakistan would continue to contribute meaningfully towards the global efforts to improve nuclear security and nuclear non-proliferation measures.



It further reiterated Pakistans credentials for admission into export control regimes, particularly the Nuclear Suppliers Group, by noting the implementation of national comprehensive export control measures, which are in accordance with the international export control regimes.



An emphasis on civilian nuclear cooperation in the fields of energy, medicine and agriculture was another important feature of the NCA statement. The role of nuclear applications in the fields of health, agriculture, medicine and industry was deeply appreciated. The NCA reiterated Pakistans interest in expanding international cooperation in these areas and play a positive role towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as a provider of expertise and services in peaceful nuclear application, it said.



Pakistan is not only seeking support from other countries in peaceful application of nuclear technology, but also wants to extend help to others in this field due to advance capabilities that it has achieved.



The NCA statement showed renewed focus on space programme, although it is said to be of civilian nature. The space programme was initiated long time back, but has not made much progress. It is now expected that the National Space Programme-2047 would get greater attention and developments in this field are expected in coming years.
UN General Assembly declared Trump declaration as null and void

UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Thursday declared US President Donald Trumps declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital null and void.



The motion was adopted by a decisive vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions, whereas 21 countries were absent. Thursdays vote, while a victory for the Palestinians, was significantly lower than its supporters had hoped for, with many forecasting at least 150 yes votes.



Seven countries  Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the Marshall Islands  joined Israel and the United States in opposing the measure.



Among the 35 countries that abstained were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Romania and Rwanda.



Ukraine, which supported the draft resolution at the Security Council, was among 21 countries that did not turn up for the vote.



The measure was sent to the General Assembly after it was vetoed by the US at the Security Council on Monday, although all other 14 council members voted in favour.



The United States will remember this day, US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the assembly.



America will put our embassy in Jerusalem, Haley said. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that, she added.



But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN, she said.



When we make generous contributions to the UN we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognised and respected, she added.



While resolutions by the General Assembly are non-binding, a strong vote in support carries political weight.



US President Donald Trump had warned ahead of the vote in the 193-nation assembly that we are watching and threatened reprisals against countries that back the measure.



The threat had raised the stakes in the vote and sparked criticism at Trumps tactics, which one Muslim group called bullying or blackmail.



Trump had gone a step further than US Ambassador Haley who hinted in a tweet and a letter to most of the 193 UN member states on Tuesday that the US would retaliate against countries that vote in favour of the resolution calling on the president to rescind his decision.



Meanwhile, Israel rejected the UN vote that called on the United States to withdraw its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Israel rejects the UN decision and at the same time is satisfied with the high number of countries that did not vote in its favour, said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office.



Israel thanks (US) President Trump for his unequivocal position in favour of Jerusalem and thanks the countries that voted together with Israel, together with the truth, it said.



on the other hand, Turkeys foreign minister said the UN members had shown that dignity and sovereignty are not for sale by voting in favour of a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.



In comments made on Twitter, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also said that Turkey, Palestine and other co-sponsors thanked every country that supported the resolution in the United Nations General Assembly.



The vote was called at the request of Arab and Muslim countries. The status of Jerusalem, which holds Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites, is one of the thorniest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who were furious over Trumps move. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the full city.
US Vice President paid surprised to Afghanistan

United States Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit during which he met with Afghan leaders in Kabul and addressed US troops at the Bagram airfield, becoming the most senior Trump administration official to visit the men and women fighting America's longest-ever war.



Addressing 15,000 US personnel at Bagram Airfield, Pence warned Pakistan against offering safe havens to terrorists.



He reiterated word for word President Donald Trump's warning that Pakistan must stop offering cross-border safe havens to Taliban factions and armed militant groups fighting US troops and their Afghan allies.



Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists," Penec said.



President Trump has put Pakistan on notice, Pence added.



As he thanked the US troops for their service, the vice president told them that they have put the Taliban on the run.



The American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan, Pence told the troops.



We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive, he said, also pointing at efforts to target the drug trafficking networks that help fund the Taliban.



All across this country we've won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide.



Pence's visit comes four months after Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan, which he told the troops was already bearing fruit.



We've been on a long road together he said. We've both sacrificed much. But, he added: We are here to see this through.



And never doubt that your mission  your mission here in Afghanistan  is vital to the safety and security of the American people, Pence said.



The superpower's vexed campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban  born from the rubble of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, receives ever-less public attention in the United States these days.



With typical certitude, the 45th commander-in-chief promised a nation weary of war without victory a more ruthless campaign, and one without Obama-era exit deadlines or niceties.



Pence's visit was designed to shift the spotlight back on personnel and their mission, however briefly, before Americans turn their focus to turkey lunches, festive cheer and contentious domestic politics.



But the trip comes as Afghan security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014 and maintains control over swathes of the country.



And the fact that Pence's visit took place in secrecy and under cover of winter darkness is a stark reminder of the difficult security situation even around Kabul and even after a war effort worth more than half a trillion dollars.



Later asked by reporters whether the US would consider raising its military presence in the country, Pence demurred.



That will be a decision for the commander in chief in the days ahead, but again this is... not just personnel, he said.



You know, I said today that bureaucrats don't win wars, soldiers do. And one of the things that you have seen in President Trump, as commander in chief, is he has empowered our battlefield commanders to make real-time decisions, he continued, citing successes against the militant Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.



His visit from Bagram to central Kabul, where he met President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah  both of whom the United States is counting on to help rebuild this war-shattered country  was in doubt until the last moment, when a White House official said he countermanded a decision that the weather was not clear enough to travel.



Even then, Pence's helicopter flight took place in near total darkness, moving low and fast and with a heavy phalanx of secret service and special forces.



The White House official said the decision was made out of respect. To meet with Ghani and Abdullah. The Trump administration, like Barack Obama's before, has put enormous hope in Ghani, who is seen by the White House as more competent and less corrupt than his predecessor Hamid Karzai.



But his three-year-old national unity government appears to be faltering and parliamentary elections have been repeatedly postponed.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...












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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!


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Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier

"When you shake a veteran's hand today, look them in the eye and give them a heartfelt thank you," said USAF Ret. Col. Jen Fullmer, parade grand marshal, who spoke at the event.
GLENS FALLS  A Glens Falls man who was arrested three times in five days last month has added another arrest to his rap sheet, police records show.

Timothy J. Harvey, 32, was charged with grand larceny, a felony, and misdemeanor criminal trespass and noncriminal harassment for a Nov. 18 theft of a tablet computer and cell phone from a Glens Falls home and a scuffle with a person in the home, police said.

Harvey was jailed in late November on a slew of charges related to three incidents in which he allegedly assaulted a woman, possessed drugs and threatened a church official at a Glens Falls church where he was seeking assistance.

Glens Falls Police Detective Lt. Peter Casertino said the theft complaint was under investigation at the point he was jailed last month, and the additional charges were filed this week. The stolen items have not been recovered.

Harvey, who is a registered sex offender, was arraigned on the new charges and returned to Warren County Jail.

Glens Falls Police officers Patrick Coyne, Andrew Mija and Frank Schaffer handled the case.
BOLTON  The man was struggling in open water of icy Edgecomb Pond, yelling that he didnt think he could do it anymore as he tried to make it to a nearby ice shelf to be rescued.

Bolton Police Officer Russ Lail was the first to the pond Saturday afternoon, responding to a 911 call about two ice fishermen through the ice and in the water. He grabbed a life preserver with a rope attached to it from the trunk of the patrol car, and headed out to the frozen surface to try to rescue them, despite the thin, early season ice.

Only one man, Michael Rozell, was visible at that point, too far from the edge of the ice to be helped by an officer with no special gear.

He was in the middle of the water, and the rope couldnt reach him, Lail recalled. He said he was done; he didnt think he could do it anymore.

Lail was able to convince him to try to get closer, and after a few more tries, a throw of the preserver made it to him.

At the officers urging, Rozell was able to wrap the rope around his arms, and Lail pulled him to the ice and held on, talking to him through the process. They were able to keep Rozell above the surface until Bolton firefighters with dry suits and special equipment, assisted by state Forest Ranger Evan Donegan, could arrive and safely get to the man, and try to find his friend, 26-year-old Jeffrey Selleck of Queensbury.

It was estimated Rozell was in the water for at least 20 minutes. As rescuers worked, they could hear the thin ice struggling to support their weight.

The ice was mushy, and kind of popping, Lail said.

Lails actions allowed firefighters to pull ice fisherman Rozell out of the water alive. Unfortunately, Selleck could not be found for 90 minutes, and after divers removed him from 12 feet of water, he was pronounced dead.

Rozell, 26, of Lake George, was hospitalized for possible hypothermia and frostbite, and his family said he hasnt been up to talking about what happened.

Lail said Rozell told responders that he held on to his struggling friend and tried to get him to the ice for as long as he could, but could barely keep himself afloat as he quickly tired in the frigid water.

Lail praised the actions of Bolton volunteer firefighters who were able to get Rozell out of the water.

Those guys werent getting paid. They just left their homes and went out onto the ice, he said.

Rozells father, John Rozell, said the actions of Lail and the firefighters clearly saved his sons life.

I would really like to make sure these guys get the credit they deserve, an emotional John Rozell said.

He said his son is having a hard time with what happened, having done all he could to try to save his friend.

Lail works part-time for the Bolton Police Department, and his full-time job is as a Warren County sheriffs investigator.

Sheriff Bud York said he was not surprised at Lails selfless actions, and that the department plans to honor him.

He was a real hero, York said. He risked his life, and were proud of him.

The firefighters have not been identified, but Bolton Fire Chief Jeremy Coon said the departments members acted quickly and swiftly per their training.

Our agency trains on ice rescue weekly from December to March due to the potential incidents we may face with the large volume of water we protect, he said.

The tragedy serves as a reminder that no ice is safe ice, and that many unseen factors and conditions can weaken ice.

Selleck was an avid fisherman. An online fundraiser has been set up for his family, to help with funeral costs. It can be found at www.gofundme.com/4vmxxdk.
GLENS FALLS  This year, The Hyde Collection began seriously expanding the collecting parameters of the museum with the opening in June of the Feibes & Schmitt Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.

And now, as the museum wraps up a landmark year, the 2018 exhibition schedule, announced on Thursday, again ventures beyond The Hydes more traditional holdings, with a focus on women, womens freedoms and the art of women.

The Hyde now has a noteworthy collection of artists beyond the traditional collection of Mrs. Hyde, and we want to continue to broaden our collection and broaden our audience  We are hoping this proves to be a popular collection of exhibitions, said curator Jonathan Canning.

Since museum exhibition planning often begins two or three years ahead of schedule, discussions about The Hydes 2018 exhibition calendar began in 2016, as Canning and former director Erin Coe began putting together the framework. Once they had an outline, they brought it to the museums exhibition committee  made up of art historians, board members, an artist and local professors  for approval.

The schedule was built around the core exhibition, Jane Peterson: At Home and Abroad, which will open in the Wood Gallery on Aug. 5, 2018.

The exhibition is organized by the Mattatuck (Museum) in Waterbury, Connecticut, Canning said. Erin told the organizers we would definitely take it. And it is the anchor for the year. Now, it will be falling in this period when we are celebrating womens suffrage.

When Canning and Coe were planning for 2018, they had no way of knowing about recent upheavals, as women step forward to condemn abuse and sexual harassment.

This is a great social and cultural moment, and for this (the exhibition), it is going to be very relevant year, Canning said.

The year starts with the work of Alphonse Mucha in January, in the Wood and Whitney galleries, examining the pivotal role of the Czech artist in shaping the aesthetics of French Art Nouveau at the turn of the twentieth century. The artists posters and graphic style, often featuring women, popularized this international movement.

Mucha claimed fate catapulted him to fame when, in 1894 and still a young commercial artist, he was in a print shop when French actress Sarah Bernhardt called, needing a poster for one of her shows.

According to Canning, Bernhardt was so delighted by Muchas work she signed him on for a six-year contract. His advertisements captivated art lovers, who searched them out, removed them and brought them home to hang on their parlor walls.

He has a lot of female imagery celebrating the greater freedoms of women, Canning said.

An illustration of a female cyclist, for example, shows the freedoms women could have with a bicycle.

In the Peterson exhibit, the career of American female impressionist Jane Peterson (18761965) is examined. Using swaths of color, Peterson created depths of light and movement in works that depicted her travels to places like Turkey and Paris.

In April, the complementary exhibitions, The Prints of Rockwell Kent: Selections from the Ralf C. Nemec Collection and A Life and Art of His Own: The Paintings of Rockwell Kent from North Country Collections, feature the works of Kent, who lived in the Adirondacks.

In 1926, he bought a farm and settled there, said Canning, referring to Kents home in Au Sable Forks.

Of note, the last exhibition of the year, Nuremberg and Augsburg Chronicles, opening in November in the Hoopes Gallery, showcases two treasures from The Hydes collection.

The Nuremberg Chronicle was the first major printed and illustrated work in Europe, telling the history of the world based upon the Bible, and augmented with more recent histories from medieval sources.

Illustrated with hand-painted woodcut illustrations, the book launched an informational and technological revolution that overturned the medieval world.

The Augsburg Chronicle is perhaps the first example of copyright infringement in print. Published in a neighboring and competing German city, it was a smaller and cheaper knock-off of the Nuremberg Chronicle.

I think Mr. Hyde, before his death, acquired them in 1934, Canning said. It is a medieval history of the world.

According to Canning, the two books will be displayed and there will be reproductions of the pages on the walls.

We are hoping to have a way of being able to access all the pages, he said, referring to the possibility of some sort of online capability so people can flip through the pages. This is my goal, I hope to use tablets in some way.

I have been told that The Hydes copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle is recognized as one of the finest in the country, he said.
QUEENSBURY  The constant in-and-out traffic at Cumberland Farms convenience stores could stand in the way of the company earning approval from the town Planning Board to locate at a busy intersection.

Cumberland Farms wants to put a 5,275-square-foot convenience store and gas station at the intersection of Route 9 and Route 149. It would replace the popular burger and ice cream spot called The Loft.

The Planning Board on Thursday spent an hour explaining to the applicants that traffic is already very busy at that corner.

Cars are often backed up along the entire Million Dollar Half Mile of outlet stores. At the intersection with Route 149, cars have backed up more than a mile as drivers wait to get onto Route 9.

The traffic engineer for Cumberland Farms offered a very different view, saying that cars only back up a short distance on each road and clear with each cycle of the light.

Board members reacted with disbelief, describing the many times they had seen cars backed up for long distances on Route 149.

The traffic engineer had studied the corner as if it were a commuter route, counting cars from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Board members said she should have analyzed the intersection at other times, to take into account vacationers and outlet shoppers. Commuters avoid the area because of backups.

Who would commute? said board Chairman Stephen Traver.

Board member John Shafer, who was a traffic engineer himself, criticized the analysis as being incomplete and wrongly relying on formulas derived from ordinary traffic.

I think you need to do a very different traffic study, he said. I dont know how the board could possibly approve something with this traffic study.

Board members said they wanted The Lofts replacement to improve the traffic situation, at least slightly. But Cumberland Farms could make it much worse, they said.

The store could create a bottleneck from people coming in and out all the time, board member William Magowen said.

Traver added that some drivers will try to nose in from Cumberland Farms to turn left onto Route 9, amid heavy traffic in both directions.

Magowen agreed.

People are going to try to push it and, bingo, were going to have an accident, and that is not a good situation, he said.

At first, the engineer and a lawyer hired by Cumberland Farms tried to defend the plan. Traffic engineer Alanna Moran said the store would draw only about 200 more cars during peak commuter hours than use the intersection now. The rest of the customers at those times would be people who are already driving by.

Its not going to change the nature of whats there already, Moran said. Yes, you are going to add more traffic, but its not significant.

Board member Thomas Ford answered, Thats like beauty. Its in the eye of the beholder, or the person sitting at the wheel.

Lawyer Stefanie Pitter also tried to persuade the board to support her clients plan.

How is this business contributing any different than any of those businesses? she asked, citing outlet stores. Were not creating the problem. Were just trying to become a participant in the community.

But she and Moran agreed to study the traffic further and come up with a plan that would mitigate the Cumberland Farms impact.

I think youve given us some homework, Pitter said. We knew this wasnt an easy site. Were familiar with challenges.

The Lofts owners have been marketing their land for years and want to sell. But even they said they werent sure if a Cumberland Farms would be approved there. They said they will market it to others if the Cumberland Farms project is rejected.
FORT EDWARD  The case of the former nursing home employee accused of sexually abusing a resident of the home where he worked appears headed to trial.

Richard Gonzalez-Medina, 25, of Schenectady, was in Washington County Court on Thursday as lawyers in the case discussed a possible resolution to the three-count indictment against him.

No agreement was reached, and Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan set a schedule for pretrial motions to be completed next month and directed the defendant return to court on Feb. 1.

He has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges  one count of criminal sexual act and two counts of endangering the welfare of an elderly or incompetent person  in connection with his alleged assault of an elderly male resident of Washington Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Argyle. He worked as a certified nursing assistant.

Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan said after the court appearance there had been discussions of a plea agreement, but he would not disclose what sentence would be recommended by his office.

It appears its headed to trial, Jordan said.

Gonzalez-Medinas lawyer, Cheryl Coleman, said afterward it was too soon to say whether her client would take the case to trial.

There are a lot of legal issues we have to address first, she said.

She did not elaborate.

Gonzalez-Medina was arrested in June, after a resident of the home who police said was in his mid-70s told administrators Gonzalez-Medina had unwanted sexual contact with him while helping him bathe.

Court records show Gonzalez-Medina made admissions to State Police investigators, then asked for a lawyer, when questioned in the hours after the resident notified nursing home staff.

In a statement to State Police, the victim was quoted as saying he had questions about Gonzalez-Medinas actions while bathing him for several days before the incident. He said he believed Gonzalez-Medina spent more time than I felt was necessary cleaning his genital area.

Gonzalez-Medina was a state-licensed certified nursing assistant who had worked at the home for about nine months. He had gotten his state license shortly before he was hired by Washington Center and was fired after the State Police investigation.

The state stripped him of his license in August, finding that he was guilty of resident abuse, according to the state Nurse Aide Registry.

Gonzalez-Medina is free, pending further court action. He faces up to 4 years in state prison on the charges.
Words are power. Whether used to twist or reveal, language matters, especially that used by the people who govern a nation devoted to free speech. This is why it was such a shock to hear the Department of Health and Human Services instruct some of its divisions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to avoid using certain words or phrases in official documents being drafted for next years budget. It sounds like thought police at work.

If that judgment seems harsh, consider what happens in China, where thought police really exist. China routinely censors articles containing politically sensitive words such as Taiwan, Tibet and cultural revolution from publications because it does not want its people to think about them. Writing about democracy could lead to trouble in Belarus, Cuba or Vietnam, too. In Russia, words that refer to gays positively can trigger a penalty. In Saudi Arabia, a blogger, Raif Badawi, sits in jail for his online appeal for a more liberal and secular society.

It is not a far stretch from these examples of misguided censorship abroad to the actions of the HHS language militia. According to Washington Post reporters Lena H. Sun and Juliet Eilperin, policy types at the CDC in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden terms at a meeting Dec. 14 during a 90-minute briefing to discuss the upcoming budget request. The terms prohibited to use are: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based and science-based. They also reported that in some cases, the policy folks were given alternatives; instead of science-based or evidence-based, the suggested phrase is CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes. But in other cases, no replacement words were immediately offered.

The CDCs new director, Brenda Fitzgerald, replied that there are no banned words at CDC. Thats a relief, given the agencys mission, which includes acting as sentinel for public health, warning of threats and responding rapidly to meet them. But Ms. Fitzgeralds assurance does not ease concerns that higher-ups at HHS are insisting on banned words to enforce a political and ideological agenda. Why would they eliminate vulnerable, entitlement, diversity and transgender in a budget document other than to airbrush the ideas out of the underlying policy?

Just as distressing is the attempt to limit the use of evidence-based and science-based. Unfettered scientific research is vital for maintaining public health, even when the results are unpopular with some communities and points of view. Being able to talk about science is absolutely critical in, say, understanding the value of childhood vaccination in preventing the spread of measles. Fetus is a scientific word essential to exploring the impact of the Zika virus on the health of infants and pregnant women. And can there be an honest discussion of the health effects of climate change without science and evidence? Does anyone gain by hiding the truth these words express? No. Someone should tell the foolish thought police at HHS to stand down.
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Residents displaced by Wednesday's fire at the Timber Ridge Apartments in Moline still were unable to return Thursday, as repairs continued.

The Moline Fire Department was called at 5:17 p.m. Wednesday for a fire in Apartment 103 of the building at 2104 18th Ave., according to a fire department news release.

About 70 people were forced from their apartments by the fire, and one suffered a minor injury that did not require hospitalization. Damage to the building and its contents was estimated at $150,000.

There was fire damage in the apartment where the fire is believed to have started and smoke and water damage that affected 35 other units, interim fire chief Jeff Snyder said Thursday.

"It's going to take some time to get all that smoke damage cleaned up," Chief Snyder said.

He did not have a timeline for when residents might be able to return, and said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Red Cross was assisting the people left homeless, and eight people stayed in a Red Cross shelter overnight, Trish Burnett, regional communications director for the American Red Cross Central and Southern Illinois Region, said Thursday.

Others were expected Thursday night, but she could not say how many. The Red Cross was providing food for those using the shelter.

"Shelter populations tend to fluctuate as people make other arrangements or are able to return to their homes," Ms. Burnett said. "The shelter will remain open until everyone has a place to stay.

"We anticipate that it will remain open through at least tomorrow, but could extend into the weekend, depending on the need."
The view from the sixth floor of what will become a nine-story Hyatt hotel brings all the Quad-Cities into sight up and down the river.

And it also brings East Moline's future into focus.

The co-branded Hyatt House and Hyatt Place, now under construction, will anchor The Bend on the Mighty Mississippi mixed-use development.

The $40 million, 233-room hotel will include the 134-room Hyatt Place and an 99-room extended-stay Hyatt House. It's Hyatt's first co-branded hotel. But as it rises out of the ashes of the former Case IH (CNH) plant, other projects there now are headed to the starting line.

Site work has begun on a 88-unit apartment complex, which will be the first of three apartment buildings. Plans are finalized for a reception hall to host 600 guests and border a 3.1-acre park. In addition, developers are waiting to close on an agreement for a convenience store to be built along the 12th Avenue frontage.

"It's going to be its own town," said Mike VanDeHeede, managing partner of Great River Property Development, The Bend's developer. "Right now, we are the largest ground-up development project west of Chicago in Illinois."

He said it also is the largest piece of flood-controlled land along the Mississippi River with 143 acres protected behind a floodwall.

Also advancing are plans for two retail centers that will flank the entrance off 12th Avenue, which becomes River Drive in neighboring Moline. VanDeHeede would not identify tenants but said it will include two restaurants.

The convenience store, which he said is a local company, marks a milestone in that it is the first project to be developed by someone outside of the ownership group.

Great River is led by president and CEO Dan Murphy, a Silvis native and former owner of Precision Pipeline. The three apartments buildings, which are another piece of The Bend project, are being developed by the owner of East Moline Glass, who also is spearheading the retail centers and reception hall.

"Once the hotel started going up, people started getting excited," VanDeHeede said during a tour of the site last week. "They're starting to believe now. We've done everything we promised to do."

The Hyatt was designed by Legat Architects, with an office in Moline, and is being built by Davenport-based Russell. The apartments, reception hall and retail centers are being designed by Architect Andrew Dasso of [design] [build] in Davenport, and will be built by Build-to-Suit, Bettendorf.

The hotel already has five events booked for the fall, VanDeHeede said. "Two of them have reserved the whole hotel for a whole week."

He said Olympia Hotel Management is managing both the hotel and reception hall. "They're already on the scene marketing the hotel to the usual suspects, John Deere, Kone, the Rock Island Arsenal," he said.

The hotel is expected to open in late summer of 2018 along with the reception hall. The apartment building is expected to open in June.

VanDeHeede said so far the hotel construction is on time and on budget. He added that all the workers on the hotel are union labor and local subcontractors.

"This is a very important project," said Matt Gliniecki, field manager for general contractor Russell. "This is the first time Hyatt has put those two brands together in the same building."

Between Russell's crew and the subcontractors, he said there can be as many as 100 construction workers on site. "When we top out  once it's all enclosed  there will be 200 a day here."

Gliniecki said the seventh floor deck will be poured later this week with two more floors to go after that. The ninth floor will house a glass-enclosed skybar/restaurant with seating for 100. Besides its unique river view, it will be prime viewing for the new Interstate 74 bridge, he said.

On the floors below, workers now are busy roughing in the walls as well as the plumbing, electrical and HVAC. Windows should arrive in about two weeks. The roof is expected to be poured in early March.

"We've been very very fortunate weather-wise," he said of the unseasonably warm weather.

But the winds have not been as pleasant as crews tangle with the gusts from working up so high as well as alongside the river. "So much hinges on us being able to swing material on a crane," Gliniecki said, adding that high gusts recently shut down production for three days.

While orchestrating all the different trades can have its challenges, Gliniecki said "There are times we're running into each other but most of us have experience working with one another on other jobs."

"Everybody is interested in what's best for the project not just what best for them," he added.

For the city of East Moline, the Bend represents a new start for the sprawling property that once employed generations of manufacturing workers, who built "Big Red" combines for Case IH, later CNH. The plant closed in 2004.

"First and foremost, it gives us our first hotel," said East Moline Mayor Reggie Freeman. "Silvis has one ... We have nay."

That means addition revenues from hotel/motel tax receipts, increased tax value and more visitors to the city.

"With the apartments going in, we'll be increasing our population again," the first-term mayor said. Freeman also is confident that transforming the once barren industrial site will draw other developers to The Bend and East Moline.

He also hopes The Bend will spur new life in the downtown area. "We're trying to spruce it up and being some energy back to East Moline."

The city has committed $10.25 million in tax increment financing, or TIF, monies to reimburse the developer for the costs of the roads and other infrastructure. It will receive $6.2 million for the first phase.

VanDeHeede credited the cooperation of the city staff, city council and Freeman. "Reggie (Freeman) is very aggressive. He knows exactly what it's going to take to bring people back to East Moline," he added.

"In attempting to bring future development in East Moline, they (the city) have been way more aggressive than they've ever been. So now we can compete with Moline and Bettendorf in bringing in development."

Next spring, Great River will begin presenting the city with designs for the second phase of the project, he added. "It's three times the acreage so it will take even longer to fill in."

But plans already call for a high-end condominium complex and a senior living complex, which will begin construction after the hotel opens.

For Gliniecki, who joined Russell two years ago, the Hyatt project draws on his 20 years of hotel building experience. This is his first Hyatt to build.

"What's exciting is being on the front end of this development," he said. "It's an incredible piece of property. I hope it is the stimulus to jumpstart the economy."

He never loses sight that the same ground once employed thousands of workers. "East Moline doesn't have it anymore. We're bringing the community something that is going to pay taxes, employ people and help everybody."

"We're re-energizing it into something viable in today's economy,'' Gliniecki said. "You had a dead space sitting here doing nothing for anyone. It's going to pump a little life back into East Moline."
BROOKLYN, Iowa  Craig Lang, an Iowa County dairy farmer and former Iowa Farm Bureau president, has launched his campaign for Iowa secretary of agriculture.

Lang said he would bring together Iowans to improve the states soil health, water quality and rural economy  issues that are most important to the future not only of rural Iowa, but our entire state.

How the state addresses those issues will determine whether our soil washes away or regenerates, our water becomes dirtier or cleaner and our rural communities struggle or once again become the vibrant economic engines we know they can be, Lang said at a campaign kickoff event Thursday at the Brooklyn area dairy and beef farm he operates with his father, sons and a brother.

Lang, 66, a former president of the Iowa Board of Regents, will seek the Republican nomination for the post held by Bill Northey since January 2007. Northey is awaiting Senate confirmation as USDA undersecretary of farm production and conservation.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to appoint an interim secretary to serve out Northeys term. Much of the speculation focuses on her appointing Deputy Secretary Mike Naig.

Lang said soil loss on Iowas 29 million acres of farmland can be reversed and soil health improved by bringing back the cattle industry, diversifying crop rotations and adding more cover crops.

Its been proven that cover crops can reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff by 30 percent, he said. Iowa farmers seed an estimated 1 million acres of winter cover crops. His goal would be to see that grow to 5 million acres in five years and continue to increase.

Lang, who served as president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation from 2001 to 2011, wants to expand efforts to promote trade, especially to China, which has reopened its markets to U.S. beef, as well as India and other Asian countries.

He has some experience in that area. While working with the Ministry of Agriculture on agriculture biotechnology in China, Lang signed the first non-governmental organization memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology on behalf of the Iowa Farm Bureau.

He wants to create more ownership in the local manufacturing of the products raised in Iowa, as well as encourage more high-speed internet connectivity, seek more support for young farmers and rural entrepreneur networks and lead the discussion about the importance of rural investment capital and strategic rural ventures.

For Iowa to be successful, Lang said he wants to bring together diverse groups to bolster Iowas agriculture sector.

Were all in this together as Iowans, Lang said. We face great challenges, and we have tremendous opportunities. We will either succeed together or fail together. Im an optimist and a realist, and I know we will succeed if we chart the right course and work together to achieve a common goal.

Lang served as chairman of the board of the FBL Financial Group while president of the Farm Bureau. Gov. Tom Vilsack appointed him chairman of the Grow Iowa Values Fund and vice chair of the Iowa Economic Development Board.

Lang is president of The Prairie Strategy Group, consulting on food production, policy and logistics. He also consults on rural economic development issues and consensus- and opportunity-building.

Lang and his wife, Mary, have four adult children.
The family of Agnes McFedries Kennedy holds out hope someone with information about her homicide will come forward, even after 10 years.

Meanwhile, the Davenport detective who has worked the case from the beginning wants to take another look at the evidence before he retires in two years.

I would like nothing more before I leave here than to present a charge against someone and get a conviction for Agnes, said Detective Bill Thomas.

The detective thinks with advances in DNA technology it's worth a shot to retest the clothes Kennedy wore at the time the 51-year-old was strangled and left for dead in an icy downtown alley the night of Dec. 22, 2007.

Agnes has never been forgotten, her mother, Jean McFedries, said.

She thinks about Agnes constantly.

Comes up, you know, at least every day or every other day, McFedries said. You process it as it's life. You can't go back. You can't change it. So get yourself out of bed and get on with it. What else are you going to do?

McFedries thinks of Kennedy's four children, Desiree McFedries, has had the worst time coping with her mother's death.

Desiree, 35, remembers burying her mother on her 26th birthday.

So this time of year it kind of sucks, she said, but thank God I've got my son. He's a blessing.

She couldn't bear putting up a Christmas tree for several years, until a friend told her to think about her son, Camarion, now 11.

My friend is like, you got a kid, you can't do this to him, she said.

Kennedy's generosity and abounding sense of humor are what Desiree most remembers about her mother, be it volunteering at Cafe on Vine and mingling with the homeless customers there or the time she brought trinkets to help decorate Desiree's first-ever home.

She had the biggest heart, Desiree said. For someone to do that to her, it never seems real. I wake up and think it's a dream and she's going to walk through the door. It's hard to talk about sometimes, you know. I think the worst part is knowing there's somebody still out there.

Looking for Agnes

Jean McFedries' last interaction with Kennedy didn't go well, because she refused to allow her daughter to bring William Morgan, a boyfriend, to a dinner hosted by one of her other daughters, Kate Heuer.

I said dammit, Jean, why did you do that?" McFedries said. "What the hell would it have been had she brought him or not?

Kennedy lived a lifestyle, fueled by addiction to crack cocaine, in which she would disappear into the streets for hours and days at a time. Aware of this, her sisters would sometimes go out looking for her, and if they found her they would try to encourage her to seek help or bring her home with them. McFedries had her committed to rehab programs multiple times with no success.

After the phone call about dinner, Kate Heuer went looking for her older sister but couldn't find her.

Then, at around 8:30 p.m., police received a 911 call about a woman's body found face down in the 1800 block of West 7th Street, Davenport. Thomas said she was wearing a red and white top, tan pants and black socks, but her shoes, coat and purse were missing.

Still warm to the touch, the body was taken to the hospital, but medics couldn't revive her. Police determined the body was that of Agnes Kennedy; she had been strangled.

There were injuries indicating she tried to get away.

I think Agnes fought her attacker pretty well, Detective Thomas said.

Thomas also believes the crime was interrupted by another person. The attacker, he said, felt someone saw something or someone did actually see him, and he felt he had to stop right there, get her body out of his car and leave immediately.

The snow and sleet on the ground made it hard for investigators to collect evidence. Thomas tried everything he could think of.

I served more search warrants on this case than any other case I worked, he said.

Police sent more than 400 items of evidence to the state crime lab trying to find someone else's DNA, Thomas said. Whenever a vehicle was considered, he had the whole passenger front seat belt housing unit removed, took out the belts and sent every one of them to the lab searching for Kennedy's DNA.

Still no suspect

Hundreds of reports, statements and photographs on the Kennedy case fill binders at the police department.

You never really close a homicide case, Thomas said.

The hardest part of investigating the case for him has been the lack of cooperation from countless people police brought in for questioning, some who claimed to be Kennedy's friends.

We dealt with so many street people, Thomas said. I tell you what, they were friends of hers, and we had to drag them down here and they still didn't want to talk to us.

William Morgan, in prison on unrelated crimes, has not been identified as a suspect in Kennedy's homicide, but remains one of several persons of interest. He and Kennedy lived together at 801 W. 15th St., Davenport.

The searches included an alleged crack house a block away from where McFedries Kennedy was found. The house, at 1831 W. 6th St., was being purchased on contract by Jesse James Stewart Jr., then-57.

According to news reports from the time, Stewart was arrested after a search warrant was served at the home a week after McFedries Kennedys death. The subsequent search revealed 78 grams of crack cocaine there.

Stewart is serving a life sentence for drug charges. He has been questioned in the Kennedy case.

You wouldn't believe the amount of people on this case who were persons of interest that while we were investigating this we uncovered something else and the person got convicted, Thomas said, adding that it's possible Kennedy's killer is already locked up.

In 2011, Scott County authorities charged Chad Welsh with first-degree murder in the death of Angela Marie Hennes after linking DNA found at the crime scene with his DNA on file from an earlier, unrelated federal child pornography charge. A jury found him guilty a year later after he admitted to picking Hennes up in Davenport and choking her during a sexual encounter but not with the intent to kill her. He's serving life in prison.

Because the Hennes case resembled Kennedy's, Thomas questioned Welsh in prison about Kennedy. Asked how the conversations went, the detective said, Short.

Welsh also remains a person of interest in Kennedy's death.

We have not had a prostitute murdered in the city of Davenport since the arrest and conviction of Chad Welsh, Thomas said.

In her own words

Kennedy was in a drug rehabilitation program when Hennes was killed in January 2007.

In a series of Kennedy's hand-written journals that Jean McFedries recently shared with the Quad-City Times, Kennedy wrote about Hennes several times.

Nobody should die at the hands of a freak! Kennedy wrote. I don't want to die like that! Angela ... it could have been me.

She wrote extensively about her addiction, about failing as a mother and about life on the streets. She described herself as an overgrown juvenile delinquent who took her nine months of drug rehab to take a fearless moral inventory of her life.

In one passage she contemplated death, even telling her family where she wanted her funeral. When her daughter, Athena, discovered the journals in her apartment days after her mother's death, the family changed the arrangements to match what Kennedy wanted.

McFedries is disturbed that her daughter would write about dying.

But she lived on the street, and she did know a lot about the street life, her mother said. She did know more than she should have.

The oldest of Jean and Scotty McFedries' four children, Agnes was born Sept. 28, 1956, just a few weeks after the family came to the United States from Scotland.

She graduated from Davenport Central High School and Iowa State University, Ames, with a teaching degree. She taught for a while at Williams Intermediate School, Davenport.

McFedries could not pinpoint one particular reason or event that sent her daughter spiraling downward. While she put some blame on family stress, she said it was mainly the addiction to drugs and the people with whom Kennedy chose to associate.

I can speculate all I like, but she chose whatever she did, McFedries said. I got in there. I tried to make it stop. I tried everything. Her sisters Jennifer and Kate would follow her downtown and try to get her to come back.

Kennedy was adept at using makeup to hide injuries, her mother said.

You'd never have known all this was happening underneath, McFedries said. She could come here well-dressed, well-behaved, talk up a storm, and the next thing she's in jail.

Despite her associations, Kennedy never stopped caring for others. McFedries said, every winter, her daughter bought mittens from a local woman and handed them out to children in need.

Desiree McFedries said she was a teenager when she realized the lifestyle her mother had chosen. There were days her mother would be gone for hours, but not before leaving groceries on the front steps and a note saying she'd be back when she could. When she didn't come home, Desiree or her sister would make dinner for their younger brother, Keenan.

We had to grow up early, she said.

But she doesn't want her mother to be remembered as a criminal.

She did have an addiction, a lifestyle, Desiree said. But she was human. She deserves justice. If you knew her, you knew she had the biggest heart ever.

Kennedy wrote about how she wanted to be remembered:

When the lights go out on this worldly life, I want it to be said that I had a full life. That I did good things for others and that I would be missed.
One of two Indiana men charged with robbing a Davenport Walgreens store Dec. 16 in an attempt to get prescription drugs has been tied to an earlier pharmacy robbery, according to police.

Rontel Najae Mial, 18, of Indianapolis, faces one count of first-degree robbery for the Nov. 1 robbery at Walgreens, 1525 E. Kimberly Road.

According to an arrest affidavit filed by Davenport police in support of the criminal complaint, Mial used a handgun to threaten an employee and stole prescription medication.

He also faces charges of first-degree robbery, trafficking in stolen weapons, interference with official acts while possessing a firearm, and going armed with intent in connection with the Dec. 16 robbery at Walgreens at 1660 W. Locust St.

According to the arrest affidavits, officers were sent to the store at 3:42 a.m. responding to an armed robbery.

Mial, armed with a handgun, ordered prescription pills from the clerk and then told the employees to get down on the ground and cover your eyes, according to the affidavits.

Officers found the vehicle, a blue 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, in which Mial and co-defendant David Andrew Madden, 20, fled in the 500 block of East 59th Street, according to the affidavits.

Madden drove the vehicle through a yard trying to escape after officers blocked his vehicle with their squad cars, according to the affidavits.

Officers used their squad cars to disable the fleeing vehicle in the 1000 block of East 59th Street, according to the affidavits.

Mial ran from the vehicle on foot but officers were able to catch him. Mial had dropped his handgun as he ran. It was recovered by officers, according to the affidavits.

Under the drivers seat of the vehicle, officers found and seized a BB gun, according to the affidavits.

Mial remained in the Scott County Jail Friday on a $65,000 cash-only bond. He has a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

Madden also faces charges of first-degree robbery, going armed with intent, interference with official acts while possessing a firearm, and eluding in connection with the Dec. 16 robbery.

He remained in the Scott County Jail Friday on a $36,000 cash-only bond. He also has a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
After a year of turmoil, enrollment in Iowa's Affordable Care Act marketplace exceeded last year's amount, according to the federal government.

The Trump administration reported that 53,548 people were enrolled in the state through midnight eastern time Dec. 15. The figure surpassed the 51,573 that were enrolled the year before.

Nationwide, enrollment came close to equaling what it was last year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that 8.8 million Americans were enrolled across the country, 96 percent of the 9.2 million last year.

In Illinois, 339,740 were enrolled. That was just short of the 356,403 reported last year.

Backers of the ACA, also known as Obamacare, heralded the result, saying that it proved the marketplaces are not collapsing, as President Trump has claimed. They said enrollment numbers were strong even after Republicans in Congress tried to kill the law, the administration cut funding for enrollment assistance and shortened the enrollment period.

People had six weeks to sign up for coverage this year. Last year, it was three months.

"This Open Enrollment period proves, once again, that people want and need the health and financial security that comes with health coverage through the ACA marketplaces," Lori Lodes, co-founder of the group Get America Covered, said in a Medium post.

Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, who voted for the ACA, said Friday that he is "pleased that Iowans, in even greater numbers than last year, took the time to sign up through the ACA to receive their healthcare coverage." He added he would continue to "work with anyone in good faith to lower costs and improve our healthcare system.

Doug Ommen, Iowa's insurance commissioner, said Friday the new figures are not unexpected. He said he still anticipates 18,000 to 22,000 Iowans will lose coverage as a result of significant premium increases in the state.

Those are the people who had previously purchased coverage outside the marketplace or didn't qualify for premium subsidies, which shelter those who do qualify from the price spikes.

"It appears to have been tracking what we anticipated," Ommen said Friday.

A spokesman for Medica, the only insurer in the marketplace, said Friday the enrollment figures met its expectations.

Linaka Kain, who oversees regional enrollment for UnityPoint Health, said the last week of enrollment was busy, and that people from Iowa were even willing to travel to the Illinois side of the river to sign up with counselors set up there.

"That typically doesn't happen," she said.

The latest figures count the people who signed up for new plans, actively re-enrolled or who were automatically enrolled. It does not report the number of people who have paid premiums.

Ommen said that he is interested in seeing how many follow through with making payments in January. He also said he didn't believe the shortened enrollment period had that much impact on enrollment figures because there's widespread awareness of the deadline.

"People here have been fairly well informed," he said.
A summer arts program for high school and college students will benefit from the sale of sketches left behind by a Davenport artist who died in January.

A check for $1,500 was presented Wednesday to Quad-City Arts' Metro Youth Apprenticeship Program by friends of artist Dean Timmermann. The friends organized a sale of his works this past summer.

The Metro Youth program, which began in 2000, employs high school and college students in paid arts apprenticeships for five weeks. Apprentices are selected through an application/interview process and work on group projects under the supervision of a professional artist, Margo Day, of Quad-City Arts, a Rock Island-based nonprofit, said.

This past summer, the program employed 37 apprentices working on four community arts projects, including an 85-foot mural in Davenport's Fejervary Park, Day said. Other projects included work in graphic design, improvisational comedy and public sculptures.

In many cases, the program gives the apprentices the professional push they need to move forward in pursuing a career, teaching them how to respond to client needs as well as to be on time and finish a project, Tyson Danner, community arts director for Quad-City Arts, said.

The $1,500 donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Quad-City Arts, thereby paying for the apprenticeship of six students, as they get $500 each, Carmen Darland, director of Quad-City Arts, said.

Timmermann died at age 61 of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD.

Among his possessions were literally hundreds of charcoal sketches of the naked female form, known as life drawings. His friends put them on display in a suite of the Bucktown Center for the Arts, with a suggested donation of $20 or more.

The reason for the sale was two-fold, fellow artist and friend Paul Lange said. First, the group of friends wanted people to have Timmermann's art because that is his legacy. And second, they wanted to raise money to encourage young artists because that is something Timmermann would have loved, Lange said.

Timmermann earned his living by painting decorative finishes and murals for businesses and wealthy homeowners in the Chicago area. He used spray paint for years without wearing a mask, and that is how his friends and family believe he developed COPD, a term used to describe progressive lung diseases.

In addition to Lange, other friends presenting the donation at Quad-City Arts' Rock Island Gallery were Kristen Quinn and Jason Franks. They all sketched with Timmermann and all are involved in education, which made the Metro Arts program a natural.

Another $200 raised in the art sale will be given to Bucktown for free use of the sale space.
EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION ONLINE 1 P.M. FRIDAY, PRINT SUNDAY

By Erin Murphy

Lee Des Moines Bureau

Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump this past week earned their biggest legislative victory since sweeping into complete lawmaking power: a significant overhaul of the nations tax laws, including tax cuts for most in the middle class and sweeping cuts for wealthy individuals and businesses.

Looking forward, the GOP-authored tax cuts are a mortal lock to be a top issue of debate on the campaign trail next year.

Both sides believe it can be a winning issue for them.

Republicans are confident a voter with a lighter tax bill will be a happier voter.

Letting people keep more of the money they earned is good economic policy, said U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, a Republican representing eastern Iowas always competitive 1st Congressional District.

Democrats are confident voters will be upset with Republicans for passing tax cuts that provide a larger break, percentage-wise, to wealthier individuals and businesses, and are projected to add billions of dollars to the federal deficit.

(Republicans) have all put a partisan victory for Donald Trump and the Republican Partys special interest backers ahead of Iowa families with this tax bill. They should be ashamed of themselves, said Troy Price, chairman of Iowa Democratic Party.

Early public opinion is with the Democrats. Fewer than 1 in 4 Americans said the Republican tax plan was a good idea, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published this past week. And by a 63 percent to 7 percent margin, Americans said the tax plan was designed to help corporations and the wealthiest individuals rather than the middle class, according to the poll.

Multiple polls found more Americans think the tax plan will hurt them more than it will help them.

That likely is coming from the multiple analyses that some low-income and middle-class wage earners will actually see a small increase in their tax bill as a result of the Republican plan, a projection to which Democrats have been calling attention.

But it is a small percentage of the population: just 1.2 percent and 4.6 percent in the two lowest-income brackets and 7.3 percent of middle class wage earners will see a tax hike under the plan in 2018, according to analysis from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

More than 90 percent of middle-class wage earners will get a tax break, the Tax Policy Center projects.

Democrats point to that same analysis and projections that in 2027, after some of the tax plans provisions end, a majority of middle-class workers then would see a tax increase while the wealthiest 1 percent would continue to receive tax breaks.

But Republicans say future sessions of Congress will have the opportunity to extend the tax cut provisions that, as written, are scheduled to end after 10 years.

So public opinion could swing back to Republicans once people start to see a lighter tax bill.

But Republicans also risk damaging any good will from their tax cuts if they opt to reduce spending on popular social programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Were going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said recently on Ross Kaminskys talk radio show. Frankly, its the health care entitlements that are the biggest drivers of our debt. ... Thats really where the problem lives, fiscally speaking.

If Republicans manage to win the messaging war over their tax cuts, would they then forfeit that ground if they cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid? Expect that to be litigated on the 2018 campaign trail.

NYC's mayor comes to Iowa

Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, spoke this past week at a progressive advocacy groups annual fundraiser in Des Moines.

And no, de Blasio insisted, despite being an out-of-state politician giving a political address in Iowa, he is not planning to run for president in 2020.

Ive said it 400 times, Im not one of those candidates, de Blasio told the New York Times.

This political reporter, however, feels compelled to note de Blasio did during his address make one of those red-flag, Hes running type of comments we often hear from presidential hopefuls here: He noted a familial connection to Iowa. (He said his grandmother was born in Iowa in 1888.)

De Blasio gave the keynote address at the annual fundraiser for Progress Iowa.

Erin Murphy covers Iowa politics and government for Lee Enterprises. His email address is erin.murphy@lee.net.
Guns above children. It's the Iowa way.

Gov. Kim Reynolds' administration this month killed off a set milquetoast proposed regulations drafted by state Department of Human Services that would have finally imposed basic requirements for firearm storage at childcare centers, reported the Des Moines Register.

The rules were pretty straight forward: Firearms must be unloaded and locked up, ammunition should be kept separately and parents should be notified if a childcare center keeps a weapon on the premises.

Clearly, DHS staffers considered this slate of proposed rules a watered-down compromise to what should be in place. They basically said as much in the documents attached to the rule, that went out of the way to note that it strongly discourages firearms in childcare facilities.

But even DHS' incredibly self-aware fig leaf to Iowa's gun lobby wasn't good enough. Suddenly, and without warning, the proposed rules -- designed to keep guns out of the hands of young children -- disappeared from the Dec. 13 agenda of Iowa Council on Human Services, which must OK regulations before they take effect. Mark Anderson, chairman of Iowa Council on Human Services, said he had never seen an item just evaporate from the agenda like it did here.

It took just one call to Reynolds' office from Iowa Firearms Coalition's lobbyist to stop the common-sense process in its tracks.

There should be no question about who holds power over the Reynolds administration.

This week, Reynolds defended her decision to scuttle rules that can only be described as minimally invasive. The Legislature should hash it out, Reynolds said. There needs to be more discussion, she insisted.

In essence, Reynolds handed the issue to the GOP-run Legislature, which would rather see guns in courtrooms and bars than impose any type of limitation.

Reynolds punted, kicking the issue to the Legislature lest she be blamed for imposing even the most minor limits on gun owners. So much for strong leadership from the Governor's Office, especially when heading into an election year.

Iowa's in the minority regarding its lack of any regulation over guns in childcare centers. In 2013, a survey conducted by Early Learning Policy Group found that just 12 states don't regulate guns in childcare centers. State-level regulations range from all-out bans to those similar to what DHS proposed.

And no one is arguing that the proposed rules were outside the authority of the Reynolds' administration. Instead, the rush to quash the rules were all about politics.

They're politics so toxic that even the rights of parents are superseded by bizarre hypothetical fever dreams where a gun owner might be inconvenienced. They're politics so paranoid that even the most justified oversight of gun ownership is considered an attack on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They're politics that have rendered the likes of Reynolds unwilling to face honestly legitimate questions about public safety, even that of children.

DHS officials were correct: Guns have no place in a childcare facility. But the agency's proposed requirements for gun safes, ammunition storage and parental notification were a legitimate attempt to navigate politics that have paralyzed any and all honest discussion about guns in America.

Even that attempt didn't cut it for an administration so cowardly that Iowa's gun lobby unilaterally dictates policy.
As a physician, I am responding to Barb Ickes recent column on physician assisted suicide.

Physician assisted suicide is dangerous to individuals, to families, and to society at large. While tragic, individuals have always been able to end their own lives without the aid of a physician. This debate is not about individuals ending their own lives, but about giving physicians the power to kill.

Until recently, no one in our society had the legal authority to kill without repercussion. Legalizing physician assisted suicide would give this power to more 209,000 primary care physicians without recourse.

Physician assisted suicide is dangerous to families. In Oregon, the terminally ill do not need to tell family members about obtaining medication from their physician to help them die. A loved one may suddenly be gone without family having had opportunity to intervene or even say goodbye. Exhausted family members and tired physicians may pressure patients to die to alleviate their own burden of a challenging situation.

In the Netherlands, compassionate assisted suicide has led down the slippery slope to euthanasia of not only frail elderly, but of parents choosing to euthanize their children born with birth defects or other disabilities. Not one disability organization in the U.S. is in favor of assisted suicide legislation.

We have excellent hospice and palliative care in the United States. End-of-life trials can be extremely difficult, but curing them with physician-assisted suicide is unnecessary and ultimately dangerous to all of us.

Dr. Kristin Whitaker

Wausau, Wisconsin
My observations and sightings in nature.
Happy Holidays everyone! This week From the Archives returns from a little holiday break to bring you news from the front page of The Chadron Record December 22nd, 1955!

Doc McDowell Day Is Set For Jan. 7th

Saturday, January 7, has been set by the Chadron Rotary Club as the date for the annual Doc McDowell Day appeals for the March of Dimes.

In the event of bad weather, the next three Saturdays in January will be alternative dates. The Rotarians will as in other years, set up bell stations on Main street to be manned by Rotarians throughout the day soliciting contributions to the March of Dimes. Bob Baumann is chairman of the clubs Doc McDowell Day committee.

The Rotarians originated the idea in 1950 in memory of Dr. M. B. McDowell, who until his death in 1949, headed the Dawes County Chapter of the Infantile Paralysis Foundation. Contributions in some years have run to $500 and $600 for the day.

The minimum need for the 1956 March of Dimes has been set as $47,600,000 nationally. The Foundation points out in the appeal this year that millions of dollars are still needed for the thousands and thousands of polio patients for whom the Salk vaccine came too late.

Funds are also needed to continue National Foundations work in scientific research. That program has already produced the Salk vaccine, which is 60-90 percent effective against the three types of virus known to cause polio. Additional research is going toward finding still better medical weapons, new methods of care and treatment, and providing training for doctors, nurses and other specialist in rehabilitation.

Aenone Poston Dies Suddenly

Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at the Erlewine Funeral Home for Miss Aenone Poston who passed away suddenly last Friday.

Miss Poston suffered an attack while on her way home from shopping and visiting the Post Office where she had mailed her Christmas greetings. She collapse and died almost instantly.

She was the daughter of William D. and Mary E. Thomas Poston and was born in Natawaka, Kans. She received her education in the public schools in Kansas and was graduated from the Baker University at Baldwin, Kans. She moved to Lincoln, Neb., in 1897 and was graduated from the Lincoln Conservatory of Music and later from the University of Nebraska School of Music. While a resident of Lincoln she conducted a private studio of music which was later affiliated with the Universitys school of music. She also had a radio program and was organist for several Lincoln churches and was often called for concerts in several states.

In 1940 she came to Chadron and made her home with her sister, Mrs. Loie Skiles. Locally she has probably been best known for her artistic ability in making likenesses of historical characters thus creating a museum of interesting doll-like figures which have been widely exhibited. The collection is unique and shows the important Indians, scouts and pioneers of the Northwest.

Miss Postons family consisted of a brother, Earl. C. Poston, now deceased, and two sisters who survive, Mrs. Skiles of Chadron and Mrs. Lydia P. Hanna of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.

The Rev. Eddy C. Newland conducted the services and burial was in Greenwood Cemetery.

Weather Break Helps Shoppers

A break in the weather has helped late Christmas shopping, most stores in Chadron were reporting this week.

Despite a late buying surge, the total volume of Christmas buying locally does not indicate it will set any records and in the overall picture appears slightly down from other years.

One store, nearly sold out of Christmas merchandise, said this week that early November promotion ha proved highly successful, with November sales of Christmas merchandise nearly three times that of the same period the year before. The manager stated December volume was below last year.

Chadron stores will be open until 9:00p.m. on Saturday, Christmas Eve.
A Rapid City psychologist who was the sole defense witness in a Montana first-degree murder trial had been indicted on drug charges days before she testified, prompting the defendant's attorneys to consider asking for a new trial.

Federal defenders representing 20-year-old defendant Dimarzio Swade Sanchez said they were unaware of the indictment. They said their client could have been acquitted or convicted of a lesser charge if another expert had testified.

Sanchez has until January 5 to ask for a new trial under a Wednesday order from U.S. District Judge Susan Watters.

He was convicted of strangling 28-year-old Roylynn Rides Horse, pouring gasoline on her and setting her on fire on the Crow Indian Reservation in June 2016.

Rides Horse survived the attack and was found 14 hours later by a passerby, but died of her injuries more than two months later.

Psychologist Teresa Hastings of Rapid City testified Dec. 6 at Sanchez's trial about his mental ability to form the intent to kill Rides Horse  a key factor in determining his guilt.

She had been indicted Nov. 29 on four felony counts of illegally obtaining the sedative zolpidem, which is prescribed as a sleep aid to treat insomnia and marketed under the brand name Ambien. Hastings did not return telephone messages left with her office over the past several days seeking comment and is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Dec. 28.

Sanchez's defense team said it became aware of the indictment a day after the trial ended from a counselor who knows Hastings. Sanchez' lawyers told a judge they wanted to review Hastings' examinations of Sanchez to determine if there were problems with her work.

"While Dr. Hastings enjoys the presumption of innocence, the fact that she faces four drug charges at least raises the question whether Dr. Hastings was under the influence when she examined Mr. Sanchez and/or when she testified at his trial," Assistant Federal Defender Gillian Gosch wrote in a Dec. 19 court filing.

Sanchez faces mandatory life in prison at his sentencing scheduled for March 29.

His brother, Frank, has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, and a third defendant, Angelica Jo Whiteman, has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree murder.
Picking 40 buckets worth of rocks out of a 2-foot-square, 16-foot-deep, snake-infested concrete shaft was not Paul Bosworths idea of a good time.

It was one of the hardest days Ive ever had to work, he said.

But he likes the result, which is the restoration of a scenic Black Hills pond that was reduced to a stream running through a dry basin.

The 7-acre pond, with a maximum depth of perhaps 10 feet when full, was created in 1936 when the Civilian Conservation Corps built the Slate Creek Dam about 10 miles north of Hill City. Two streams  Slate Creek and a smaller drainage channel running out of Skull Draw  converge there in the Black Hills National Forest at the base of a high and massive slate formation.

In the decades since, the pond has provided water for cattle that are periodically permitted to graze in the area and has also served as a fishing hole. The state Department of Game, Fish & Parks routinely stocked the pond with trout.

But the stocking ended after 2000, which may have coincided with the deterioration of wood boards in the dams outlet works. The boards were supposed to regulate the amount of water in the pond, but after years of rot, water began running through the outlet works with little to stop it. The pond still filled during periods of high inflows, but the water eventually drained out and the pond was sometimes dry.

Users of the dying pond apparently made futile attempts to save it by tossing rocks and other debris down the shaft of the outlet works and into the attached culvert, in the vain hope of creating a plug to hold back the water. By the time a crew of U.S. Forest Service workers came to fix the outlet works over several days beginning in October, they found not only the rocks  enough to fill a 5-gallon bucket 40 times  but also bottles, cans, sticks and snakes.

Bosworth, a civil engineer for the Forest Service, and Corbin Herman, a civil engineering technician, each spent time working in the cramped shaft. When a bucket was filled with rocks and other debris, workers above the shaft pulled it up by rope.

Meanwhile, a Forest Service fire crew kept the outlet works dry by using pumps and hoses to divert water that flowed in from the two streams.

Inside the outlet works, grooves run down opposite sides of the shaft to accommodate the vertical insertion of 2-by-12-inch wood boards, one atop the other. After cleaning out the shaft, workers inserted 12 new boards to replace the old rotted boards.

As water runs into the outlet works, it flows up against the wall of boards, and water is retained in the pond. Boards can be added or removed to regulate the water depth, and when the water gets too high, it spills over the top board and flows out a culvert on the other side of the dam. Excess water can also flow over a nearby spillway.

Wednesday, the pond was mostly iced over and snow-covered. The spring thaw could bring a visit from GF&P to evaluate the ponds fish-stocking potential, said Jake Davis, the departments area fisheries supervisor in Rapid City.

Davis said the department visited the pond in 2010 and found some naturally occurring brook trout and brown trout, but when the department last visited the pond in 2016, it was essentially dewatered.

Fishing is one of several recreational opportunities in and around the Slate Creek Dam. Motorized trails in the area are popular with ATVers, and there is a hiking trail below the dam alongside Slate Creek. To the north a few miles is the site of a former cabin that once belonged to a Nebraska governor, Samuel McKelvie, who hosted a visit to the cabin in 1927 by President Calvin Coolidge and first lady Grace Coolidge.

Rapid City residents can find the dam by driving to Hill City and then taking Deerfield Road to Mystic Road and turning onto Horse Creek Road, aka Forest Service Road 530, for the final 3 miles to the dam. A seasonal closure is annually imposed on Forest Service Road 530 from Dec. 15 to May 15, but the dam remains open to nonmotorized users during the road closure.

Mark Vedder, range program manager and Mystic District staff officer for the Black Hills National Forest, worked on the restoration of the dam. He said the pond probably still needs dredging in the future to restore some capacity lost to silt, but in the meantime it is gratifying to see a Civilian Conservation Corps project receive much-needed repairs.

The federal CCC program was begun during the 1930s to provide jobs for young men during the Great Depression, and CCC workers built many dams, cabins, bridges and other projects that still stand in the Black Hills National Forest and elsewhere.

Now that the dam and pond are in better condition, Vedder anticipates more use of the relatively forgotten Black Hills gem.

A lot of people dont really realize they have this here, he said.
PIERRE | South Dakota Transportation Commission members got an early peek Thursday at proposals for two rest areas along Interstate 29.

The state Department of Transportation plans to expand Wilmot up north and rebuild Homestead down south. The Wilmot rest area is in Roberts County, at the junction where S.D. Highway 15 goes east to Wilmot and into Minnesota.

The Homestead rest area is at the junction where State Highway 50 heads west to Vermillion and Yankton.

In both cases, the department is working with the Office of State Engineer and using guaranteed maximum prices for the first time, according to Jason Humphrey, construction maintenance engineer for the department.

At Wilmot, building a new left side with 3,200 square feet would cost $3.1 million. It will be basically an L-shaped facility when it is constructed, he told commissioners.

Homestead will be new throughout, and the 5,000 square feet would cost $4.5 million. We chose a facility that mimics a barn, Humphrey said.

The middle space will be a center for the state Department of Tourism to welcome visitors. The wing on the left features restrooms, while the wing to the right will be office and equipment space.

Humphrey said the timetable calls for finishing preliminary plans in January, getting federal clearance and going for bids in mid-February.

Construction would start next summer, and the two areas would open to the public in spring 2019, he said. There is a large need for this still in South Dakota. Theyre just at a point where they need to be revitalized.

The two projects came from a study state officials started in 2013 analyzing rest stops along I-29 and I-90.

Among the results were closures at Tilford and Hidewood. Those rest areas shut in November 2016. This year crews demolished the buildings.

Commissoner Don Roby of Watertown asked about public reaction.

We did hear some comments after the closures went into place, Humphrey said. Since then, the comments have been pretty much diminished, at this point in time.

The White Lake and Ward rest areas went through improvements this year and Wasta rest areas are receiving renovations, including installation of Americans with Disabilities Act compliant restrooms and removing information centers, he said.

Another project is putting new security cameras at all rest areas, with links to the South Dakota Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies. Humphrey described the cameras as a nice upgrade.
A man accused of trying to kill a state trooper following a traffic stop was convicted Thursday on all his charges, a few hours after his travel companions were sentenced to prison.

A Pennington County jury found 35-year-old Donald Willingham guilty of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, as well as commission of a felony with a firearm.

The verdict came about five hours after the jury was handed the case just before noon Thursday  and two years after Trooper Zachary Bader stopped a Chevrolet Suburban along Interstate 90 near Box Elder. The SUV, carrying Willingham and three others from Seattle, was pulled over for speeding and was searched after Bader smelled marijuana inside.

Bader found marijuana in the vehicles back cargo area and was about to handcuff Willingham when Willingham punched him to the ground and continued swinging, jurors were told in the course of the four-day trial.

If you want him down, he is down. If you want to get away, you can get away. It is only if you want him to die that you need to continue the beating at this point, county states attorney Mark Vargo said in his closing argument Thursday morning.

Willingham, in a recorded police interview played for the jury, admitted assaulting Bader. The Renton, Wash., man said he didnt intend to hurt the trooper but was afraid of going to jail for transporting 40 pounds of marijuana and of Bader confiscating his $30,000 in cash.

Nothing was premeditated, lead defense attorney Dennis Doherty said in his closing argument, referring to Willinghams attempted murder charge. This was a spontaneous act of fury, a lack of impulse control.

Doherty said his client gave a false confession, taking all the blame because he wanted to protect his girlfriend, who was present, and the child she was carrying.

A woman who witnessed the attack, and the first person to call 911, testified Thursday she saw two men kicking the trooper after he was knocked down to the ground by a different man. Doherty said this showed Willinghams two male companions were as culpable in the trooper assault; Vargo said the witness statement was inaccurate.

Doherty denied also that Willingham was guilty of the firearm charge, saying the handgun that police found with the drugs belonged to one of his male travel companions.

That man, 24-year-old Jonathan Melendez, was sentenced Thursday afternoon to 1-1/2 years in prison for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and being an accessory to a crime.

He and Willinghams then-girlfriend, Desiree Sukert, as well as her brother, Chase Sukert, pleaded guilty last year to the same two charges. Melendez received the most lenient punishment after authorities found him to have been the most honest and cooperative, and law-abiding since he was released on bond.

On Tuesday, Melendez testified against Willingham in accordance with his plea deal with prosecutors.

The Sukert siblings, meanwhile, were not called to testify despite their plea agreements. Vargo told the judge that Desiree Sukert, 28, maintained contact with Willingham up to just days ago, leaving the prosecution doubtful she was truly on their side and understood the gravity of her offenses.

She was sentenced to five years in prison.

Chase Sukert, 25, was given 11 years. The court was told he has a pending charge in Washington state after being involved in a car chase with police last year. He apparently crashed and would have been killed if he hadn't been rescued by a state trooper.

Retired 7th Circuit Judge Wally Eklund, who continued to preside over the case, reprimanded the three defendants for not coming to Baders aid and for driving away with Willingham. All four were arrested in Wall, about an hour after they left Bader bleeding badly beside the interstate.

Melendez and the Sukerts, all Washington state residents, individually apologized to Bader, who attended the sentencing hearings and the verdict announcement.

Bader sat beside his wife in the first row of the gallery as the judge read Willinghams five guilty verdicts.
Amid a bitter national debate over federal monuments, three Montana groups have banded together to focus attention on problems closer to home: loss of access to places like the Crazy Mountains and Upper Missouri River Breaks.

Losing Ground, Montanas Endangered Access Report lists the top five, most-high-profile places in the state where public access either has been lost or is threatened due to conflicts over historic rights of way, the groups wrote in a statement. The Crazy Mountains were ranked No. 1.

Thats the one thats pretty scary, said Kathy Hadley, of Artemis Sportswomen. Thats a huge landscape of federal lands thats pretty inaccessible.

Artemis, a regional women-only hunting and fishing organization, added its voice to the report released Thursday along with Montana Mountain Mamas, a Bozeman-based group, and the Montana Wildlife Federation. The other highlighted areas in the state included the Flint Creek Mountains north of Anaconda, the Bears Paw Mountains south of Havre and McGregor Lake near Kalispell. A website provides more information on the areas and a television ad highlights the issue.

These are places that have been clearly contested, said Nick Gevock, conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation. Im sure there are more out there.

Contested

Public access to public lands has become an increasingly divisive issue in the past 20 years, often a result of native ranchers selling out to newcomers who close off what have long been publicly used routes. The road and trail closures require the public to sue to have the gates and signs removed.

Sometimes a federal, state or county agency or official will step in to add weight to the publics access claim, but those cases seem to be the exception. In Montana, the small but dedicated Public Land/Water Access Association has long been the group carrying the banner for keeping public land easements open. Even then it can take years and thousands of dollars in attorney fees to litigate a case. In the meantime, access routes often remain closed to the public.

Theres so much of it going on that its hard to keep track of it all, said Randy Newberg, host of the television hunting show Fresh Tracks and a public land access advocate who lives in Bozeman. The future of hunting, fishing and shooting is dependent on access.

Bozeman resident Becky Edwards, of the Mountain Mamas, said public access is also important to Montana women and their families and is a quality of life issue.

Blocked public access is just one more barrier to getting our kids outdoors and unplugged from electronics, she said in a statement.

Crazy access

The Crazy Mountains access issue has generated a lot of public interest over the past two years after a trespassing citation was issued to a hunter for using what he believed to be an historic forest trail. After the Bozeman hunter, Rob Gregoire, settled the case, the Livingston-based Forest Service supervisor, Alex Sienkiewicz, was temporarily removed from his post for an internal investigation.

Documents revealed landowners in the Crazy Mountains had complained to local and federal officials about Sienkiewiczs behavior. He was eventually reinstated, but the agencys tactics have had a chilling effect on an employee who had been a strong public land access advocate.

Some worry that whats happening there may harbinger whats to come on public land across the nation, wrote Christopher Solomon about the Crazy Mountains in a recent story for Outside magazine.

Newberg said the problem is partly rooted in the value attached to large landscapes and the wildlife that inhabit them. Once those features become valuable, people figure out how to make it their own, he said.

I get to travel the West, and this same dynamic applies for every state I go to, Newberg said. Its a uniquely American problem.

National fuss

Actions by Montanas homegrown Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, have helped fuel statements like the one made by Solomon. Although touting Teddy Roosevelt as his conservation hero, Zinke has stoked concerns that such statements are only camouflage after he advocated for shrinking four national monuments and changing management at six others.

The announcement comes in the wake of several western states and some Montana legislators advocating that federal lands be returned to the states because they would be better managers. Many hunting and conservation groups have called those proposals a land grab that would result in the sale of federal lands to private individuals.

Because of such cues at the national level, the Losing Ground authors are calling on Montanans to lobby the Trump administration and their representatives to fully fund the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, who administer large chunks of public land. They also are calling for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which helps states like Montana purchase lands for public use.

New ways

As those programs and agencies have been repeatedly chopped, Newberg sees hope via other avenues.

Some of the big lands initiatives, the money for those is less and less, he said. That means were going to have to raise more money from the nonprofit and private sector.

To that end, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock earlier this week announced the privately funded Montana Public Land Access Network, or MT-PLAN. The network creates a mechanism for the state to take donations for creating or improving public land access via private easements and funding other projects to facilitate access, according to Tom Kuglins Helena Independent Record story.

I thought that was a pretty great step, Hadley said.

Livingston resident Erica Lighthiser, of Mountain Mamas, said there has been so much focus on public lands in the news lately that maybe theres a chance to encourage public advocacy for homegrown solutions.

The diversity of people who care about public lands in Montana is pretty significant, she said. I feel like theres a sense of hope in terms of whats happening in this state.

Dialogue

Lighthiser sits on a group with the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers Association; the Forest Service; Fish, Wildlife and Parks; the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to discuss access problems in the Crazy Mountains. Although the group has been meeting since April, no concrete proposals have been proposed. Until an easement or right of way is agreed upon, the meetings have benefited the parties simply by increasing dialogue.

Access starts at the local level, Hadley said. Its a hard problem, and its getting harder.

Newberg agreed, saying he has no answers but he remains hopeful.

Conservation and access is never easy, he said. Its never convenient, and its never comfortable. No matter the position we advocate, somebody isnt going to like it.
First-grade students from Washington Primary School RACKed the Hamilton community on Wednesday.

The students, bundled against the frigid air, distributed candy canes with added pompom noses, pipe cleaner antlers and google eyes. The attached message said: Youve been RACKed by a Random Act of Classroom Kindness as the students count down the days until Christmas break.

Claire Seifert, in Brittany Hayes' class, handed a candy cane to letter carrier Mike Leishman. The students were a bit awed by the man who delivers letters to Santa.

Scarlett Feutier  who wasnt sure of the spelling of her last name  said the goal is to hand out candy canes to people we dont know.

Tucker Hogan added, We are spreading holiday cheer.

Each month first-grade students at Washington Primary study a new character trait through songs, videos, art projects and field trips.

November's trait was gratitude and Decembers trait was empathy.

The students, taught by Heather Montes and Brittany Hayes, have read to residents at Sapphire Assisted Living, donated almost 400 pounds of food to Haven House, and given candy canes with Kylee Blome's class to random business and community members.

People along Main Street said they were thrilled by the random acts.

Hamilton pedestrian Mark Robinson said he was impressed by the classroom kindness.

Ive never been RACKed before and it is one of the sweetest things I can imagine happening during the holidays, Robinson said.
Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

Year in Review: The most popular Houses of the Week in 2017

By Johnathan Croyle | jcroyle@syracuse.com

The weekly House of the Week profiles are one of the most popular features on syracuse.com. Each week, a unique and beautiful home for sale from all around Central New York is showcased.

These were the most popular houses of the week in 2017, based on reader interest.

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Photo by Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

15. 'Unique' Manlius home blends function with style

Kathy Ruggeri described her custom-built Manlius as truly unique that would be impossible to reproduce today for the price. Designed by the Paul Ruggeri Company, the home features elaborate cherry woodwork throughout, from the dining room to the specially-designed curvy staircase, a feature Ruggeri wanted imported from her previous home. Ruggeri also raved about the finished basement, saying it feels like another part of the house, rather than just the basement.

Update: The home is still for sale, for $554,294

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

14. Family has called DeWitt Colonial home for generations

When talking about their DeWitt home, both Lori Sanborn and her father-in-law, Jack, have feelings of nostalgia and emotion. Jack, who designed the home in 1969, asked that his son and growing family move in, ensuring that three generations of the family have lived there. The house has so much family love and experience in it, he said, the he hates the idea of having to sell it. A heated salt water swimming pool and pool house is a main attraction.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

13. Otisco Lake home is built for all seasons

Skip and Bonnie Adams see the beauty of their home near Otisco Lake all four seasons of the year. They watch foxes, turkeys, deer and other wildlife year-round from their patios. And in the summer and fall pick apples, pears, grapes and raspberries from the trees and bushes behind their house. The homes European flair caught their eye and they bought it immediately. It wasnt a cookie-cutter house, Bonnie said.

Update: Home sold for $276,000 in September.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

12. Former Skaneateles Village Hall now a pair of luxury condos

What was once Skaneateles Village Hall is now one of the most luxurious condominiums in the entire village. Fingerlakes Luxury Homes purchased the property at 46 East Genesee Street, then tore down nearly the entire building before rebuilding. The front facade and party walls were kept as were many of the traditional finishes as a way to preserve the buildings historical charm. Rick Moscarito, owner of Fingerlakes Luxury Homes, said, Our goal was to create a space that is very unique in downtown Skaneateles.

Update: The 3,600-square-foot condo sold for $2.1 million in June; an 1,111-square-foot condo sold for $795,000.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

11. Colonial makes for stress-free living on Cazenovia Lake

When Theresa Slater and her husband drive out to their second home, she believes she can feel the pressures of modern-life slip away. Driving out there, you can feel your stress levels drop, she says of charming Colonial on Cazenovia Lake. Its like taking a Valium. Views of the lake are possible from either the tiered deck of from the homes 26 lake-facing windows. The couple spent $45,000 to dredge a lake area for kayaking and swimming.

Update: Home sold for $415,000 in June.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalcok@syracuse.com

10. West Monroe chalet-style is self-sustainable

Mike Wood advertised his custom-built West Monroe chalet as outdoor or indoor enthusiasts paradise, perfect for ranchers, hunters or anyone who like privacy. Wood has been building homes for 40 years and says this is the best. When told his home is a true original, he responds, You got that right, buddy. The house is largely self-sustainable. The living rooms fireplace, as well as access to plenty of timber, keep heating prices low.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

9. Baldwinsville home offers views of Seneca River

The owners of this Baldwinsville home purchased the lot first. The lot is one-and-a-half acres, plenty of room for the kids baseball and football games. They loved the views of the Seneca River in their backyard, especially from the three-tiered deck. State-owned land across the river guarantees beautiful views, especially in the winter. The house was modified to suit their tastes and for their growing family.

Update: The home is still on the market. Its price has changed to $699,400.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

8. Strathmore bungalow blends traditional with modern

Garth Coviello was smitten with the Strathmore section of Syracuse. The house he purchased on Stolp Avenue had been a rental since 1996 and was in rough shape. But he knew the 1910 home had character, so he and his wife began a nine-year renovation project that would win them a Tender Loving Care Award from the Preservation Association of Central New York. The result was a blending of the traditional and the modern, a unique style among Strathmores numerous colonial homes.

Update: Home sold for $175,000 in July.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

7. Owner designed Baldwinsville with family in mind

When Syracuse attorney Steven Williams drew up plans for his dream house his family came first. The lower level was for made for his parents and the large family room and in-ground pool with cabana were for entertaining everyone. Weve had so much fun in this house, Williams said. The very spacious family room is Williams favorite. Its so large it can hold three large couches, enough seating for everyone during parties and holidays.

Update: The home is still on the market, its price has changed to $549,000.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

6. Former Herald-Journal building remade into luxury apartments

At first Chris Hornstein and his father, Tom, thought they should keep the former Herald-Journal building completely commercial, but soon thought it better to join the downtown Syracuse residential craze. The centrally-located Herald Commons offers 27 luxury apartments with exposed brick and modernized floor-to-ceiling windows from the buildings past. Modern flourishes include waterfall showers and modern kitchen appliances.

Update: Apartments are available, with rents ranging from $1,500 to $2,400.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

5. Entertaining home in DeWitt with exceptional views

For Alan Moon, there is no beating the view from his big, comfortable living room chair, where on a clear day he can see Onondaga Lake and the city of Syracuse. He was sold on the home after taking one step into the front foyer and seeing the panoramic views the home offers. It was just great, he said. The grounds have been extensively updated and landscaped, including intricate stonework and a round fountain in the courtyard in front of the house.

Update: Home sold for $541,000 in June.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

4. 'One of a kind' Manlius home features indoor swimming pool

There is not a single room I dont enjoy sitting in, says Janice Geddes about her Manlius Paul Fowler home. She wanted a place for her large extended family could all gather in place, but at the same time not ostentatious. Its a house meant for a family, she said. Its most prominent feature is the indoor swimming pool, which has a low-chlorine system.

Update: The home is still for sale for $609,000

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

3. Newhouse professor calls living in Tudor home "a privilege"

Gregory Heisler and his wife, Jennifer Masters, loved the Tudor-style home in Syracuse so much they bought it before he signed his contract to work at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. The slate-floored tavern room is outfitted with a full wet bar with three beer taps. Heisler craved the authenticity and attention to detail evident throughout the house. This is the real deal, he said. To live in this house is a privilege.

Update: Home sold for $342,000.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

2. Renovated Skaneateles building has lake views

When Dr. Robert Klitz moved to Central New York 25 years ago from Los Angeles he fell in love with the village of Skaneateles and, especially, the 100-year-old, five-story brownstone in the center of town. After an extensive renovation, he created a soothing environment with exposed wood, brick and metal. It sits on twenty feet of Skaneateles shoreline. The fourth-floor patio deck with fire pit is Klitzs favorite and enjoys waking up everyday to the pristine energy of the lake.

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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Photo by Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com

1. Former Syracuse football coach Scott Shafer's Fayetteville home

The thing Missy Shafer will miss most about her Fayetteville home isnt even the home itself. Its the backyard. She called it a private oasis, with its giant salt water pool, custom-made pergola cut from a hemlock tree and outdoor stone kitchen. Inside, Shafer calls the 500-square-foot master suite the piece de resistance, and the luxurious steam shower, with multiple shower heads, allowed her husband, former Syracuse football coach, Scott Shafer, a place to unwind.

Update: The home sold in April for $585,000

Photo gallery, full article, more details

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More on Central New York real estate

Photos: Oak Knitting Mill building restored into apartments

100 more apartments planned for Chimes Building

Photos: Armory Square's Tallman Block

Zombie Syracuse homes to be replaced by affordable apartments
Guwahati: Calling on the employees to extend full cooperation to the government in fulfilling the objectives of making Assam best in all aspects, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday urged the state government employees to consider staring working hours in government offices from 9.30 a.m in view of early sun rise in these parts of the country.

Laid foundation stone of Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishads headquarter Karmachari Bhawan at Panjabari in Guwahati, the Assam CM said that, if Assam is to become one of the top states in the country and develop its socio-economic condition, then the government employees must set an example of work culture which would inspire the young generation to participate in the nation building process through hardwork and dedication.

Calling on the employees to help the government in rooting out corruption from the system, the Assam CM acknowledged the support of the employees in the campaign against corrupt practices undertaken by the state government.

Only with the help of its employees the state government can achieve the goals of a pollution free, corruption free, illegal immigrants free and terrorism free Assam, Sonowal said.

The Assam CM urged the state government employees to set an example of efficient work culture before the young generation of the state and contribute towards the resurgence of the states economy.

Hoping that the Karmachari Bhawan would provide a platform to the state government employees to hold meetings, congregations etc and to carry out Parishads official works from a permanent address, Sonowal said that the

Bhawan would be symbol of the employees prestige and it would be one of the landmarks of the city.

Informing about the Global Investors Summit to be held in the state in February, the Assam CM said that the state government has been organising roadshows in different parts of the country and the world for bringing big ticket investments to the state and the government has left no stone unturned to give a good impression of the state as an investment destination to the visiting delegates to the Summit.

President of Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishad Basab Kalita thanked the state government for felicitating the construction of the Karmachari Bhawan building and hoped that PWD would maintain best standards in the construction work of the building.

He also thanked DONER for approving an amount of Rs 8.85 lakh for the construction of the Bhawan and said that it would fulfil a long felt of need of the government employees of the state.

CEM of Rabha Hasong Autonomus Council Tankeswar Rabha, Housefed Charirman Ranjit Dass, MLAs Ronuj Pegu, Bimal Bora, Commissioner and Secretary of PWD JA Ahmed were also present on the occasion among others.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Five major political partiesa leaders attend a meeting called by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at his official residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, on Friday, December 22, 2017. Photo: RSS

Kathmandu, Nepal: A meeting held on Friday among the five major political parties ended inconclusively, thanks to the rigid stands of the parties, particularly the major three- ruling head Nepali Congress, CPN UML and the Maoist Center.

The meeting called by Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba at his official residence, Baluwatar, continued about two hours concentrating on the discussion of resolving the current impasse emerged over forming a national assembly.

As the ordinance forwarded by the government is jammed at the office of the President since two months, serious legal as well as constitutional questions have emerged over the issue of forming the national assembly.

Political parties have also divided over the issues triggering another form of political impasse in the country.

Going contradicting to the ordinance that has provisioned single transferable voting system, the leftist alliance has demanded multiple transferable voting systems with intent to reach in a bay to the Nepali Congress.

The existing constitutional provision neither allows returning back the ordinance to the cabinet nor to stick any ordinance for a long time, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has did so due to the pressure from the leftist alliance.

As president has urged the parties to seek solutions through the consultations, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had summoned the senior leaders of the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Center), Rastriya Janata Party and Federal Socialist Forum Nepal to hold discussions with intent to reach on a consensus on the National Assembly election Ordinance.

According to a source close to the meeting, UML Chair KP Oli and Nepali Congress senior leader Ramchandra Poudel indulged on heated debate after former claimed that the ordinance was unconstitutional and intended to prolong the tenure of the government.

As Oli demanded to call back the ordinance to incorporate the provision of multiple transferable voting systems, Congress leader Poudel said terming the remarks of Oli as inappropriate.

The ordinance is constitutional and follows the international norms and practice, Poudel said adding that the government would not call back the ordinance in the pressure of the leftist alliance.

The CPN Maoist Center, the integral part of the leftist alliance, has stood in the middle of the two parties insisting for solutions through consultations.

During the meeting, Nepali Congress president and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, CN UML chair KP Sharma Oli, CPN Maoist Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, RJPN coordinator Mahanta Thakur and Federal Socialist Forum chair Upendra Yadav were present.
Kathmandu, Nepal: President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has summoned the leaders of the Nepali Congress (NC) to hold discussion on the ordinance that stuck at the office of the president over the issue of forming of the National Assembly (NA).

The president summoned the meeting with NC leaders shortly after a meeting between major five political parties held at the official residence of the Prime Minister ended inconclusively.
The US National Security Strategy: Implications for the Indo-Pacific

1. China and Russia competitors to challenge US power, influence & interests

2. Indo Pacific the most strategically important region

3. Space & cyber important

I quote from article:

This NSS is noteworthy in several ways.

1. CHINA AND RUSSIA AS COMPETITORS: "First, it explicitly singles out China and Russia as competitors that have emerged to challenge American power, influence, and interests.

2. SPACE AND CYBER: "It also recognizes the strategic significance of space and cyber as new domains, and discuss efforts by adversaries to lower confidence in democratic institutions.

3. GRAY ZONE STRATEGY OF CHINA: "Moreover, it spells out that U.S. adversaries and competitors often resort to gray zone activities that are coercive yet do not meet the threshold of military action or unlawful behavior."

4. CONSIDERS THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION THE MOST STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHICAL AREA BY REFERRING TO THE REGION AT THE TOP OF THE SECTION DEVOTED TO DISCUSSING THE REGIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF ITS AMERICA FIRST NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY. "FOR U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, the NSS suggests the strategic importance this region has for the United States. For instance, the NSS signals that this administration considers the Indo-Pacific region the most strategically important geographical area by referring to the region at the top of the section devoted to discussing the regional implications of its America First National Security Strategy.

"The Indo-Pacific appears ahead of the Middle East, which has dominated past U.S. administrations strategic attention."

"The affirmation of the U.S.leadership role in the Quad group of the United States, Australia, Japan, and India (while expecting Japan and India to take greater initiatives in the region) is also a stark contrast to the reference to Europe."

5. CHINA: "What is even more significant is the portrayal of China throughout the NSS. China has not only been referred to as a U.S. competitor that challenges Americas leadership in the world and the international order, but it also has been singled out for its aggressive investment and other economic activities in the areas outside the Indo-Pacific region, including Latin America and Africa. Moreover, the NSS talks extensively about how China has been successful in leveraging the most advanced technologies (which the NSS points out have often been acquired through cyber and other economic theft) not only to strengthen its military capabilities, but also to tighten restrictions against its people. Furthermore, the document discusses Chinas relationship with Taiwan, which has been scarcely mentioned in the past National Security Strategies. The NSS has clearly set the tone for the administrations approach vis-a-vis China  it will not shy away from being tough on a wide range of issues, including North Korea, maritime disputes in the region, and bilateral trade."

Of course, there are some questions remaining regarding how the principles that were set out will be translated into specific policies and initiatives. For example, although the NSS discusses boosting defense spending, whether the kind of robust increase that the administration hopes for can be achieved remains highly uncertain. Furthermore, although the NSS emphasizes energizing alliances and partnership around the world, whether such an approach to security issues on one hand while pursuing an America First trade policy primarily based on a bilateral approach on the other can achieve the effect that the administration hopes for is also uncertain.

5. FOR THE COUNTRIES IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION, WHICH HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO RESPOND TO INCREASING PRESSURE FROM CHINA BOTH ON SECURITY AND ECONOMIC ISSUES, THIS IS DEFINITELY A POSITIVE STEP FOR REAFFIRMING U.S. COMMITMENT TO PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE REGION. "OVERALL, however, the America First National Security Strategy laid out in the NSS is a welcome articulation of this administrations commitment to ensure that the United States can still play a leading role on the international stage, even though some of the approaches it takes may be unconventional. For the countries in the Indo-Pacific region, which have been struggling to respond to increasing pressure from China both on security and economic issues, this is definitely a positive step for reaffirming U.S. commitment to peace and security in the region."

@Diplomat_APAC




State mining entity, the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) will spearhead the establishment of a multi-million dollar diamond centre as efforts to accrue maximum benefits from diamonds value chain gather pace, reports The Herald.

The Mutare City Council has availed 55 hectares of land in Fern Hill for construction of the centre. The diamond miner will be partnered by other stakeholders including the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in the project, The School of Mines, Diamond Beneficiating Association of Zimbabwe (DBAZ), Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and Kenako Diamond Processing Company.

ZCDC's CEO Dr Moris Mpofu said the Centre will help Zimbabwe spread its wings from the extractive sector to the downstream sector that constitute a larger chuck of the worlds $252 bn global diamond industry.

Dr Mpofu added, The 2018 diamond value addition and beneficiation cluster targets set in Governments Zim-Asset blueprint are to have at least 1,2 mn carats of polished gem diamonds produced, 1000 jobs created in downstream businesses and establishment of value addition industries in industrial diamond products.

The Diamond Centre, modelled along the same lines with the School of Mines in Bulawayo, will be constructed in two phases with $18 mn having been set aside for the first phase planned to kick-start early next year.




The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth Rs 58 crore of a Mumbai- based diamond firm in connection with a money-laundering probe launched after demonetisation of high-value currency in Nov. last year, as per a TOI report.

The ED has issued a provisional order, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), attaching 10 immovable properties, gold jewellery and diamonds worth Rs 58.16 crore in the case against Ms. Rajeshwar Exports. The case involves Rs 1,478 crore funds and more than 500 alleged shell company accounts. The properties belong to Ritesh Jain and Amritlal Jain.

According to the ED, various accounts were used for effecting illegal transactions of huge amounts of money which were credited from more than 100 accounts of different shell companies, sourced from more than Rs 92 crore in demonetised currency deposited in the account post the notes ban. The layering of these funds has been done through more than 500 accounts.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




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Donna Polizzi is a regional travel expert and founder of Keys2TheCoast.com. Keys 2 The Coast is a travel resource for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties, offering recommendations on local choices for the best places to wine, dine and explore. Visit keys2thecoast.com or Keys2TheCoast on Facebook.
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 "President Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom Rubashkin"!?!?! | Main | Noting executions uncompleted in 2017 

The title of this post is the headline of this recent New York Times commentary authored by Sam Corbett-Davies, Sharad Goel and Sandra Gonzalez-Bailon. Here are excerpts:

In courtrooms across the country, judges turn to computer algorithms when deciding whether defendants awaiting trial must pay bail or can be released without payment. The increasing use of such algorithms has prompted warnings about the dangers of artificial intelligence. But research shows that algorithms are powerful tools for combating the capricious and biased nature of human decisions.

Bail decisions have traditionally been made by judges relying on intuition and personal preference, in a hasty process that often lasts just a few minutes. In New York City, the strictest judges are more than twice as likely to demand bail as the most lenient ones.

To combat such arbitrariness, judges in some cities now receive algorithmically generated scores that rate a defendants risk of skipping trial or committing a violent crime if released. Judges are free to exercise discretion, but algorithms bring a measure of consistency and evenhandedness to the process.

The use of these algorithms often yields immediate and tangible benefits: Jail populations, for example, can decline without adversely affecting public safety. In one recent experiment, agencies in Virginia were randomly selected to use an algorithm that rated both defendants likelihood of skipping trial and their likelihood of being arrested if released. Nearly twice as many defendants were released, and there was no increase in pretrial crime. New Jersey similarly reformed its bail system this year, adopting algorithmic tools that contributed to a 16 percent drop in its pretrial jail population, again with no increase in crime.

Algorithms have also proved useful in informing sentencing decisions. In an experiment in Philadelphia in 2008, an algorithm was used to identify probationers and parolees at low risk of future violence. The study found that officers could decrease their supervision of these low-risk individuals  and reduce the burdens imposed on them  without increasing rates of re-offense.

Studies like these illustrate how data and statistics can help overcome the limits of intuitive human judgments, which can suffer from inconsistency, implicit bias and even outright prejudice.

Algorithms, of course, are designed by humans, and some people fear that algorithms simply amplify the biases of those who develop them and the biases buried deep in the data on which they are built. The reality is more complicated. Poorly designed algorithms can indeed exacerbate historical inequalities, but well-designed algorithms can mitigate pernicious problems with unaided human decisions. Often the worries about algorithms are unfounded...

Still, like humans, algorithms can be imperfect arbiters of risk, and policymakers should be aware of two important ways in which biased data can corrupt statistical judgments. First, measurement matters. Being arrested for an offense is not the same as committing that offense. Black Americans are much more likely than whites to be arrested on marijuana possession charges despite using the drug at similar rates. As a result, any algorithm designed to estimate risk of drug arrest (rather than drug use) would yield biased assessments. Recognizing this problem, many jurisdictions  though not all  have decided to focus on a defendants likelihood of being arrested in connection with a violent crime, in part because arrests for violence appear less likely to suffer from racial bias....

The second way in which bias can enter the data is through risk factors that are not equally predictive across groups. For example, relative to men with similar criminal histories, women are significantly less likely to commit future violent acts. Consequently, algorithms that inappropriately combine data for all defendants overstate the recidivism risk for women, which can lead to unjustly harsh detention decisions. Experts have developed gender-specific risk models in response, though not all jurisdictions use them. That choice to ignore best statistical practices creates a fairness problem, but one rooted in poor policy rather than the use of algorithms more generally.

Despite these challenges, research shows that algorithms are important tools for reforming our criminal justice system. Yes, algorithms must be carefully applied and regularly tested to confirm that they perform as intended. Some popular algorithms are proprietary and opaque, stymieing independent evaluation and sowing mistrust. Likewise, not all algorithms are equally well constructed, leaving plenty of room for improvement. Algorithms are not a panacea for past and present discrimination. Nor are they a substitute for sound policy, which demands inherently human, not algorithmic, choices. But well-designed algorithms can counter the biases and inconsistencies of unaided human judgments and help ensure equitable outcomes for all.
If youre scrambling to get a last-minute gift, take a look at The Art of Coco, another of those books that chronicle the evolution of an animated film.

In this volume, the films directors provide a brief overview of what they did, then cede the ground to sketches, photographs and quick-hit explanations from a variety of people.

The book (which isnt credited to any author) is less detailed than others, but it has plenty of visuals to admire.

Early on, Zaruhi Galstyan offers a digital picture of Miguels family. It looks like a Mary Blair painting but no one makes the connection. Similarly, there are views of Mama Coco that resemble several characters in Pocahontas, but theres not the hat tip there, either.

Because Disney and Pixar are big on authenticity, Coco involved a number of Mexican-American artists who made sure clothes, customs and landmarks were correct.

Details of the Rivera family shoe shop are fairly intense. You can see exactly where each piece of the shoe-making process emerges. The Land of the Dead (where Miguel goes to find his idol) bubbles with specifics, too. Icons reflect the colors and art you might find in Mexico; animals look very similar to ones carved in wood and sold on the streets. Pepita, for example, has markings that are immediately recognizable. The los alebrijes boast bright colors and appear to answer questions tourists have been asking for years.

When Miguel goes undercover in the Land of the Dead, character art director Daniel Arriaga took photos of a boy (presumably his son) in Jack Skellington-like makeup. Its easy to see him in Miguel and how the simple guise works. Miguel, in fact, is one of the most believable kid characters in a Disney film, thanks largely to the great voice work by Anthony Gonzalez. He doesnt get credit in the book but hes an important part of the films success. You could say his contribution is art, too.

Fans of the movie could be inspired to use the artists preliminary sketches as a jumping off point for their own artistic endeavors. One look at the Dead Riveras and you feel like you have to grab a pencil and start creating your own skeletal family tree.

Because these books are such an important part of preserving a films artistic sensibility, it would be great if they all had more text, detailing more of the process. The sketches, paintings and photographs are incredible.

But sometimes they make you want to continue the journey and discover more about the people who made them come together.

The Art of Coco is published by Chronicle Books.
HOLLYWOOD -- Former Sioux Cityan Ron Clements and his fellow Disney director John Musker will receive the William Cameron Menzies Award from the Art Directors Guild for their work on numerous animated films.

The prize  designed to recognize pioneers in the film industry  will be presented Jan. 27 at the 22nd Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in Hollywood.

Both Clements and Musker's love of animation have brought us legendary worlds of imagination," said ADG President Nelson Coates. "The ADG is thrilled to honor their efforts, talents and achievements as they continue to blaze creative trails in animation and to be leaders in Disney's artistic evolution over the decades. They are masters of their craft and part of the technical innovations in the art form."

The ADG's spotlight of the duo's animation achievements is particularly significant this year. The guild will debut its new award category "Excellence in Production Design for an Animated Feature Film" in recognition of the growing importance of animated features.

Clements and Musker have worked together as directors on a number of Walt Disney Animation Studios features and were nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film for Moana (2017) and The Princess and the Frog (2010). They have received numerous awards and nominations from other organizations for these and their additional celebrated classics including Hercules (1997), Aladdin (1992), The Little Mermaid (1989) and The Great Mouse Detective (1986). Both men began their Disney careers in the 1970s as assistant animators on shorts  Clements with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) and Musker with The Small One (1978).

Clements, a graduate of Bishop Heelan Catholic High School, made his first film  an animated short called Basil of Baker Street  while an employee at KCAU. That film later became the basis for The Great Mouse Detective.

The William Cameron Menzies Award is named after the first art director to be named production designer on a film. He won the first Oscar for art direction (for The Dove) and the first Oscar for production design (for Gone With the Wind). The award was first given in 2015.
Theres a reason you got a lot of 2017 movies with a distinct point of view. Hollywood loves to comment on world affairs.

Producers and directors did it during World War II. Theyre weighing in now on everything from bullying to the Trump administration. Last years Oscar win for Moonlight bolstered other, similar films. La La Land had to crack a door for the The Greatest Showman.

And now? We're seeing plenty of relationship dramas and social commentaries. The Force was back, too. But what was best in 2017?

Here's our list, in order of preference:

1. The Post

2. Dunkirk

3. Call Me By Your Name

4. Get Out

5. The Shape of Water

6. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

7. Lady Bird

8. The Florida Project

9. Wind River

10. Baby Driver

1. THE POST  Steven Spielberg gave us the prequel to All the Presidents Men, showing the Washington Post when it wasnt the Watergate powerhouse. Meryl Streep, as the papers publisher Katharine Graham, revealed how the first female in the job walked the tightrope between figurehead and powerhouse. Tom Hanks complemented her nicely as Ben Bradlee, the rough-and-tumble editor who took every minute of his job seriously. The result: A compelling thriller that nicely explains why newspapers are essential  now, more than ever. Don't miss it when it opens.

2. DUNKIRK  Christopher Nolan didnt tell one story about the Battle of Dunkirk. He told many and emerged with a view of war from the inside. As soldiers huddled to stay alive, we felt the fear, sensed the urgency and understood the price they were paying. Mark Rylance showed just how important civilians were to the effort. And Tom Hardy took us in the air and let us sense the loneliness that may have been an important part of the journey. Dunkirk didnt boast a traditional script. It had snapshots that formed a greater picture.

3. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME  Director Luca Guadagnino wasn't afraid to address challenging relationships in this look at a 17-year-old (the remarkable Timothee Chalamet) and his tutor (Armie Hammer). Michael Stuhlbarg got a great role, too, as the dad trying to help his son understand what, indeed, was unfolding. Shot in Italy, "Call Me By Your Name" looked like something from the 1950s, but crackled with issues debated today.

4. GET OUT  Jordan Peele stepped out from his Key & Peele comedic persona to create a horror film that looked  at first blush  like typical summer fare. Instead, it was a sharp commentary on racism in America and the emotions those who arent among the one percent often feel. A smart cast (including Bradley Whitford, who has several films among the years best) helped Peele deliver those a-ha moments along with the laughs, the tears and the tart message. As much as we love his comedy, its great to see his dramatic streak.

5. THE SHAPE OF WATER  Guillermo del Toro has always been a master of fantasy. With The Shape of Water, he was able to combine that skill with a troubling story about dealing with those who are different. Although star Sally Hawkins didnt utter words, she had plenty to say as a custodian who falls for an alien being held in a secret facility. With Doug Jones (as the amphibian), she created moments that made us care  and wonder where this was headed. Shape of Water went there, all right, giving del Toro his most accessible film to date.

6. LADY BIRD  Greta Gerwig, like Jordan Peele, was first known for her performance skills. Now, shes a writer/director of the highest order thanks to this look at a teenage girl just trying to fit in. Saoirse Ronan (as the title character) was the perfect choice to bring the quirky story to understandable life. She showed how difficult it was to be an individual in a world of conformists. Even better? Laurie Metcalf as her mother, the one person who believed individuality could be a downfall.

7. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI  If you havent seen writer Martin McDonaghs work before this, you got a crash course in the outrageous lengths he goes to for a reaction. Focusing on a mother (Frances McDormand) determined to find her daughters killer, he used the simple act of erecting billboards to serve as a catalyst. Like Get Out, the film thumped racism  and sexism  giving Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson great supporting performances in the process. McDormand, too, reaffirmed her persona as one of the toughest women on screen. Like Streep, Ronan and Hawkins, she got to prove there are plenty of female roles that are waiting to be mined.

8. THE FLORIDA PROJECT  Everything isnt pastels and parades in Orlando. Theres a seamy underbelly that came to light in this, a gritty look at those living day-to-day existences outside Disney World. Focusing on a 6-year-old named Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), director Sean Baker showed how bleak the world could be. Like Moonlight, it celebrated the human spirit, giving goodness a chance to shine through whenever possible. Willem Dafoe got the best role of his career as the man charged with maintaining the facade of a crumbling community.

9. WIND RIVER  Taylor Sheridan used a murder investigation on a reservation as the fulcrum for his truth-telling. In Wind River, he followed Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen as they talked with people who may have had clues to the womans death. Like Get Out, Wind River pointed to a greater enemy  one that most didnt even want to consider. The cold landscape added to the films feel and urgency.

10. BABY DRIVER  The editing on this was impeccable. And, no, director Edgar Wright didnt eliminate Kevin Spacey from his picture. Instead, he put viewers behind the wheel of a getaway car while a young driver (Ansel Elgort) learned big lessons about the perils of power. The film had a great score, too, and a sense of purpose that couldnt be ignored. Listen to the music and youll feel like youre behind the wheel of something this special.

ALSO WORTH NOTING: "The Big Sick," Coco, Mollys Game, Darkest Hour, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Mudbound.
SIOUX CITY | CrossPointe Church will host a "Night to Shine" event for people with special needs on Feb. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The event, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is a prom night-experience for those 14 and older, complete with red carpet, a friendly crowd and "paparazzi." Participants get the "royal treatment" with hair and makeup stations, shoe shining areas, limousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres, a catered dinner, karaoke, prom favors for each honored guest, a Respite Room for parents and caretakers and a dance floor.
Singing the Story

Whitfield United Methodist Church, 1319 W. Fifth St., will hold its candlelight service at 9 p.m. Sunday. The theme is Singing the Story. You will hear Scripture, sing familiar carols, and partake in a sung Holy Communion offered by Rev. Liz Tucker. Special music by Kris Meiske.

Christmas Pageant

Resurrection Lutheran Church, 1013 River Drive in North Sioux City, will present a Christmas Pageant at 6 p.m. Friday. Learn more about the wonderful gift of the birth of Jesus as told by the children of the church. For more information call 712-252-8290.

Christmas Mass schedules for Catholics

Siouxland Catholic parishes will celebrate Christmas with Masses at different times from their regular schedules.

Christmas  for Catholics  is a holy day of obligation and Catholics are obligated to attend either a vigil or Christmas Day Mass. However, only attending Mass on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day will not fulfill both the holy day obligation and the Sunday obligation of Dec. 24, according to Father Brad Pelzel, vicar general of the Diocese of Sioux City.

They are two separate days of precept, and to properly honor our Lord, we must attend separate, proper Masses for the separate days, he said. What that means is that we need to attend a Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning to fulfill our Sunday obligation and then Sunday evening or Monday morning for our Christmas obligation. One Mass cannot fulfill both obligations.

Here are the Mass times for Siouxland Catholic churches and institutions for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Cathedral of the Epiphany Parish, 1000 Douglas St.: Christmas Eve at 4 p.m. (celebrated by Bishop Walker Nickless) and 6 p.m. (Spanish) and Christmas Day at 8:30 a.m. (Latin), 10 a.m. and noon (Spanish).

Cathedral Parish, St. Boniface, 703 W. Fifth St.: Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. and Christmas Day at 10:30 a.m. (Spanish).

Cathedral Parish, St. Joseph, 1112 Eighth St.: Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. and Christmas Day at 12:30 p.m. (Vietnamese).

Holy Cross Parish, Blessed Sacrament, 3012 Jackson St.: Christmas Eve at 4:30 and 9 p.m. and Christmas Day at 10 a.m.

Holy Cross Parish, St. Michael, 2223 Indian Hills Drive: Christmas Eve at 4:30 and 10 p.m. and Christmas Day at 9 a.m.

Mater Dei, Immaculate Conception, 1212 Morningside Ave.: Christmas Eve at 5 and 9 p.m. and Christmas Day at 8 and 10 a.m.

Mater Dei, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 4242 Natalia Way: Christmas Eve at 5 and 8 p.m. and Christmas Day at 9 and 11 a.m.

Sacred Heart, 5000 Military Road: Christmas Eve at 5 and 9 p.m. and Christmas Day at 9 a.m.

Briar Cliff University, 3303 Rebecca St., will be closed for the holiday break.

Carmelite Monastery, 2901 S. Cecelia St.: Christmas Eve at 8:30 p.m. and Christmas Day at 8:30 a.m. (celebrated by Bishop Nickless).

Holy Spirit Retirement Home, 1701 W. 25th St., Christmas Day at 10:30 a.m.

Mercy Medical Center, 801 Fifth St., Christmas Day at noon.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, 995 N. Sioux Point Road, North Sioux City: Christmas Eve at 4 p.m. and Christmas Day at 9 a.m.

St. Michael, 1405 First Ave., South Sioux City: Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. (English), and midnight (bilingual) and Christmas Day at 9 (English) and 10:30 a.m. (Spanish).

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services

Christmas Eve services at Grace United Methodist Church, 1735 Morningside Ave., will begin with a 3 p.m. Las Posadas worship around the tables in Fellowship Hall. Families with younger children will take a trip around the world as the Holy Family seeks shelter. At 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. traditional candlelight services will be held featuring Scriptures, a message by Rev. Jim Shirbroun, carols, and special music by Shannon Salyards Burton and the Chancel Choir.

St. Mark Lutheran Church ELCA, 5200 Glenn Avenue, welcomes all to Christmas Eve worship. Worship times are 9:30 a.m., 5 p.m. Family Christmas, and 10 p.m. Candlelight Christmas service.

Peace Reformed Church, 4100 Outer Drive North, choir will be presenting the musical, "Season of Rejoicing!" at the 9:30 a.m. service Sunday. This musical features singing, narrators, and actors with several familiar carols. A candlelight Christmas Eve service, "Christmas Carols, Readings, and Stories" will be held at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend. For additional information, please call the church office at 712-258-0486.

Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport, invites the public to Christmas Eve morning services, 8:30 and 11 a.m. Contemporary Christmas Eve Candlelight service is at 5 p.m.; traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight services are at 7 and 11 p.m. Traditional Christmas Day Service with Holy Communion at 9 a.m.

Bethany Lutheran Church, 1201 Dubuque Street in Sioux City, will be having a single special Holy Communion Christmas Eve service Sunday at 10 a.m. The Bethany Choir will be presenting six anthems and there will again be bags of salted-in-the-shell peanuts, candy bars and fruit for worshipers.

Service times for First Lutheran Church, 3939 Cheyenne Blvd., in Sioux City, will be Christmas Eve morning worship at 10 a.m., Christmas Eve evening worship at 7 p.m., and Christmas Day morning worship at 10 a.m. All are welcome. If you have questions please contact the church at 712-239-3942.
Turkey might be the first food that comes to mind when you think about Thanksgiving, but plant-based diets are more popular than ever.
ATLANTA -- An observational study by researchers at Mayo Clinic has found that increasing physical activity not only decreased the risk of death from all causes but also decreased the risk of death specifically from lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, the part of the body's germ-fighting network which includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect those areas as well as other organs throughout the body. Study results were presented recently at the 59th American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta by Priyanka Pophali, M.B.B.S., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic.

"As physicians, we recommend physical activity for all cancer survivors to improve overall quality of life," says Dr. Pophali. "But we did not know if physical activity would have an impact on survival in lymphoma patients."

Dr. Pophali and her colleagues wanted to assess how physical activity affected survival in all subtypes of lymphoma patients both before and after diagnosis. Specifically, they wanted to know if changing the level of a lymphoma patient's physical activity after diagnosis could affect survival."

In order to answer these questions, researchers studied a cohort of 4087 lymphoma patients enrolled prospectively (within 9 months of diagnosis) at Mayo Clinic between 2002 and 2012. At enrollment, participants completed questionnaires that asked about their usual physical activity before their lymphoma diagnosis. Researchers regularly contacted patients to collect information on exposures and outcomes and contacted them for a three-year follow-up. Researchers used this information to calculate a Godin Leisure Score Index, a physical activity score which is a validated tool for measuring physical activity in oncology patients. Patients were also asked about their perception of any change in their level of physical activity (increase, decrease or no change) at three years after their diagnosis compared to baseline. Researchers then evaluated the association of physical activity with overall and lymphoma-specific survival.

Researchers found that patients who had a higher level of usual adult physical activity prior to a lymphoma diagnosis had significantly better overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who were less physically active. They also found that patients who increased their level of physical activity after their lymphoma diagnosis (at three-year follow-up) had significantly better overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who were less physically active.

Researchers found that patients who perceived that their level of physical activity had decreased at three years after a lymphoma diagnosis had worse overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who did not report a change.

"Our findings show that physical activity can have a positive impact on survival in lymphoma patients," says Dr. Pophali. "Importantly, our study shows a survival benefit in patients who increase their level of physical activity. Therefore, since physical activity behaviors can be modified, physicians should counsel patients and survivors on the importance of physical activity and encourage them to maintain and, if possible, increase their level of physical activity."
SIOUX CITY | Ellen Kennedy was living and working in Washington, D.C., when she decided to make a radical career change.

Kennedy already had a political science degree and worked for Sen. Tim Johnson and the Democratic Party in South Dakota, but she returned to the University of South Dakota to pursue a nursing degree with the goal of becoming a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE). The shortage of nurses trained to conduct forensic medical examinations is an ongoing, nationwide problem.

"I would research about how South Dakota only had three SANE-certified nurses, and they were all mainly located on the east side of the state. I thought I could keep researching this or I could go back to school," recalled Kennedy, who learned during her research that victims of sexual assault residing in Rapid City could opt to be examined by a local health care professional with no forensic training and risk the possibility of improper evidence collection, or drive six hours across the state of South Dakota and be examined by a SANE, thereby delaying evidence collection and their care.

Although the Violence Against Women Act requires that victims of sexual assault have access to a medical forensic exam free of charge, the law doesn't require that those exams be conducted by a SANE or provide funding to help registered nurses become SANE-certified.

Many small, rural hospitals don't have the financial means to cover the cost of training, leaving physicians and nurses who have no experience collecting forensic evidence or working with victims of sexual assault to try to fill the void.

According to Jenny Putz, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault rural sexual assault response team coordinator, 157 nurses have received SANE training in the state, but she said nearly 50 of them are concentrated in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

"There are lots of hospitals that have no SANE nurses. And there are counties that have no SANE nurses," she said. "Small hospitals don't have the capacity to send someone away for a week-long training."

Kennedy now coordinates UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's SANE program, which provides services to victims of sexual assault over age 13, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In the coming months, St. Luke's plans to offer SANE training on site in the Frances Kline Safe Room, a secure, private room in the hospital's emergency department specifically designed for forensic medical exams, thanks to a $7,700 donation from the Siouxland Chapter of 100+ Men Who Care. The training will be open to nurses from around the area, including those working in critical access hospitals.

"The reason that the donation is so wonderful is that it actually gives us an opportunity to bring the trainer here. We're able to give specific training to these nurses using our equipment and our room," said Kennedy, who traveled to Iowa City to receive SANE training at the University of Iowa. "We have the money to train nurses, but other critical access hospitals don't."

Painstaking process

Tammi Matt once spent eight hours trying to coax a victim, who was curled up in a ball and crying, out of the corner of the Frances Kline Safe Room.

Other times, Matt, a SANE and registered nurse care coordinator at St. Luke's, had just minutes to collect evidence while a victim with severe injuries was being wheeled off to surgery.

St. Luke's currently employs three active SANE-certified nurses, two of which work full time. They will soon be joined by two more registered nurses who are going through SANE training.

Due to the delicate and sensitive nature of the work, Kennedy said registered nurses have to have the desire to become SANE-certified. The 40-hour training costs around $1,000 per nurse.

"What the victim is going through is trauma and it's devastating. Sadly, that often transfers over to the nurses as well. A lot of our nurses just don't feel like they're the best fit for that," Kennedy said. "I had a trainee who observed 15 minutes of an exam and she had to leave because she just could not take it."

When a victim arrives at the hospital, one of the first things a SANE does is explains the steps of the exam to the victim, who may be accompanied and supported by an advocate. As of November, Kennedy said 32 exams have been conducted at St. Luke's this year.

Matt advises victims to come to the emergency department as soon as possible. She said they should wearing the clothing they were wearing during the assault, if they can. The clothing will be collected and sent to the Iowa state crime lab for testing.

After interviewing the victim about the assault, with the victim's permission, the SANE conducts a physical exam, which includes a pelvic exam for women. The SANE describes and measures bruises, cuts and lacerations in painstaking detail.

"We can do as much of the exam as they'd like to or we can do as little as they'd like to. We can just get their story, or we can physically collect evidence as well. It's up to them," Kennedy said. "Really what this exam is about is giving them control back. "

A sexual assault evidence collection kit, which is packaged in a cardboard box, is provided free of charge by the Iowa Department of Justice Crime Victim Assistance Program. The box contains instructions that guide the SANE through the exam, swabs to collect DNA from the victim's body and packets to place the evidence in once it's collected.

Kennedy said she has worn bags of evidence on her body while responding to an emergency code.

"We literally never turn our backs on our evidence," she said.

Each sexual assault evidence collection kit sent to the state crime lab remains on file for 10 years. Even after the statute of limitations runs out on a case, Matt said the evidence could prove invaluable if the perpetrator committed a series of attacks. DNA evidence from a particular kit may be used to try to connect the case to other cases in hopes of identifying a perpetrator.

"Unfortunately over 80 percent of the cases go unreported, so there are a lot of victims out there who are not aware of our program. We'd like to see those victims come forward so we can stop this kind of thing from happening," Matt said.
INWOOD, Iowa | A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on a felony sexual abuse charge after authorities said he had sex with a 13-year-old girl in Lyon County.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office arrested Joseph James Haack, 17, of Inwood, Iowa, on Thursday. A sheriff's office release said Haack was cited for one count of third-degree sexual abuse. He was initially held in the Lyon County Jail.

The sheriff's office said the charge was filed after an investigation determined Haack had sex with the 13-year-old on Oct. 27.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City woman has pleaded not guilty to 41 charges related to the theft of more than $36,000 from more than a dozen disabled adults for whom she was a care provider.

Lisa Sembach-Preston, 48, entered her written plea Thursday in Woodbury County District Court to 20 counts of dependent adult abuse, 15 counts of second-degree theft, two counts of third-degree theft, three counts of fourth-degree theft and one count of commission of a specified unlawful activity.

According to court documents, Sembach-Preston, a former worker at Crossroads of Western Iowa, a Council Bluffs-based nonprofit that provides services to adults with disabilities and mental illnesses, was responsible for each victim's bank accounts and financial matters when she took the money. She transferred money between the clients' bank accounts in order to keep them from being overdrawn, court documents said.

The thefts took place from February 2015 through April 2017 and include at least 16 victims with a total of approximately $36,791 taken. Sembach-Preston used the money to buy furniture, clothing, meals at restaurants, a trip to Las Vegas and pay her rent, court documents said.

Crossroads officials have said the company has hired an accounting firm to help reimburse the victims.
SIOUX CITY | The Storm Lake Police Department on Friday announced the felony arrest of 10 people, as part of a yearlong investigation named Operation Winter Blues.

A police department release said the arrests were made in recent weeks in the endeavor to find illegal and prescription drug sales in Storm Lake.

The arrests came after many hours of surveillance and seizures of drugs. The police department was aided in some of the arrests by the Buena Vista and Cherokee county sheriff departments.

Police said those arrested and the felony charges since Nov. 28 included:

-- Yuna Nyama, 20, of Storm Lake, Gathering Where Methamphetamine Is Used.

-- Fernando Veliz, 41, of Storm Lake, Delivery of a Controlled Substance- Methamphetamine.

-- Jesus Diaz, 20, of Storm Lake, Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Deliver.

-- Kang Char, 24, of Alta, Delivery of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana.

-- Nyadil Deng, 21, of Alta, Delivery of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana.

-- Zachary Kraft, 24, of Storm Lake, Delivery of a Controlled Substance- Methamphetamine.

-- Jonaz Maldonado, 20, of Alta, Delivery of a Controlled Substance- Methamphetamine.

-- Lisa Snedeker, 33, of Storm Lake, Delivery of a Class II Controlled Substance (prescription drugs).

-- Judy Snedeker, 57, of Storm Lake, Conspiracy to Deliver Class II Controlled Substances.

-- Chan Khaoorn, 34, of Storm Lake, Delivery of a Controlled Substance- Methamphetamine.
On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast which re-creates the conversations that happen when Iowa's political reporters get together after deadlines have been met. This week's show features Erin Murphy, Ed Tibbetts, James Q. Lynch and Todd Dorman.

This week's show was produced by Max Freund and the music heard in the podcast is courtesy of Cody Hicks Band. Chat with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @OnIowaPolitics, and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. Know an Iowa musician who should be on our show? Send their band sound files to oniowapolitics@gmail.com.
SIOUX CITY | Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King said Friday he had a productive personal talk with President Donald Trump about the need to block a program that gives undocumented workers who entered the U.S. illegally as children the chance to apply for citizenship.

The Kiron Republican said he and Trump spoke Thursday about DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which King called an "unconstitutional" program set up by former President Barack Obama "for illegal aliens that undermines the rule of law in America."

Starting in 2012, an estimated 1.2 million undocumented young adults were allowed to live and work in the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was barred from deporting those covered to their home countries.

Trump rescinded the program in September and gave the GOP-controlled Congress until March 5 to agree on legislation that would offer similar protections to those covered by DACA.

Minority Democrats were denied a vote earlier this week to take up the program. Republican leaders said they expect compromise legislation to emerge early next year. Trump and Republicans are pushing for additional security at the Mexican border and other immigration steps in exchange for keeping DACA.

"The vast majority of Republicans want to see a DACA solution. They just want to see a DACA solution that's balanced," House Speaker Paul Ryan said.

King, who has long been a hardliner on immigration, said he "encouraged the president to keep the promise, first articulated by candidate Donald Trump on June 16, 2015, to end DACA."

In a news release and accompanying video, King shared policy proposals he would like Trump to address in DACA negotiations in 2018. Those included "making English the official language of the United States; ensuring illegal aliens are not counted by the census for purposes of Congressional apportionment; ending tax deductions taken by employers of illegal aliens; and ending the current practice of granting automatic US citizenship upon birth to the children of illegal aliens."

Back in September, King used his Twitter account to write that Trump would blow up his base of conservative support and have no credibility, if the president takes what King considers a soft stance on immigration.

King retweeted a Tweet linking to an Associated Press story that cited Democratic leaders and read, "BREAKING: Schumer, Pelosi announce deal with Trump to protect young immigrants; will include border security, but no wall."

King then topped that tweet with his own take, writing, "@RealDonaldTrump If AP is correct, Trump base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair. No promise is credible."
CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa | Christmas vacation started a day earlier than scheduled for students in the River Valley school district.

It didn't happen for a festive reason, though.

Illnesses such as Influenza A and strep throat kept dozens of students home from school in the past several days, prompting administrators to start the holiday break a bit earlier by canceling classes on Friday in the district covering the Northwest Iowa towns of Correctionville, Cushing, Quimby and Washta.

"We've had sicknesses at River Valley every day recently, but it probably hit its peak on Wednesday when the elementary school had 45 kids gone, predominantly children with Influenza A and some cases of strep," said Ken Slater, superintendent of schools.

River Valley High School had 50 students absent one day this week, 40 of them gone due to illness, a group that constituted one-fourth of the student body.

Friday was supposed to be a day of celebration in the classroom, as River Valley Elementary School students were to watch a movie in Sioux City.

"One of the recommendations by the Iowa Department of Health is to not have large assemblies in times like this so as to prevent the spread of illness," Slater said. "Having us fill two theaters in Sioux City on Friday wouldn't be good for our kids, and wouldn't be good in that we potentially could be exposing others."

So, Slater and his administrative team scuttled school for the day and asked teachers to report for an in-service work day instead.

When Slater made the call late Thursday afternoon, some wondered if school was cancelled due to a possible mix of snow and ice late Thursday night. That wasn't the case.

"People thought at first it was the weather," he said. "I sent an additional explanation to all of our parents."

No School tomorrow Friday, December 22 at River Valley Schools due to a large number of absences due to... https://t.co/pqM788JyOo  River Valley CSD (@RVWolverines) December 21, 2017

And while a few parents were inconvenienced because of the decision, nearly everyone understood that district leaders were looking out for the health of children and families in the district.

On top of that, Slater said, the faculty enjoyed a productive work day, wrapping up a number of issues while planning curriculum matters to help greet students upon their return to school on Jan. 3.
SIOUX CITY | The Salvation Army of Siouxland spread holiday cheer to hundreds of area families Thursday.

The nonprofit distributed Christmas toys and food baskets to 500 families with approximately 800 children and provided Christmas food baskets to about 150 elderly and disabled Siouxland residents, according to the organization.

The food baskets contained either a ham or turkey, along with all the accompaniments to provide for a family meal on Christmas Day.

Parents selected toys for their children from a giant toy shop that was created for this one-day event at The Salvation Army building, 1415 Villa Ave.

Because of the great support from so many people in Siouxland we are once again able to make Christmas a joyful time for hundreds of Siouxland families, Major Von R. Vandiver of the Siouxland Salvation Army said in a release.  Every family will receive all they need to make a lovely Christmas dinner and every child will have special gifts chosen just for them by their parents. We are very grateful to the thousands of folks all over Siouxland who have contributed and volunteered so that no one in Siouxland is forgotten this Christmas.

The generosity of Siouxlanders has helped the organization nearly meet its entire Red Kettle Campaign goal of $218,000.

As of Thursday, $213,786 had been raised. The campaign will continue until mid-January; however, Saturday is the last day Bell Ringers will maintain a presence at 18 locations in the area a list that includes Fareway, HyVee and Walmart stores.

This was just a wonderful year for our Red Kettle Campaign. The weather cooperated  this is the first year in many years that we did not lose any days at the kettles due to snow or below zero temperatures, Vandiver said. We had so many great workers this year  both our paid staff and hundreds of volunteers. And the generous people of Siouxland did not forget those in need as they made preparations to celebrate Christmas and the holidays.
WASHINGTON -- President Trump has the best words -- and only the best. If there is a word he does not like, or a phrase or proper noun that is not performing up to his expectations, he calls that word into his office and he tells that word, in no uncertain terms, "You're fired."

Earlier this month, we learned that Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel dropped "Romney" from her official communications -- at the request of Trump, who did not like McDaniel using the name "Romney," even though that is her name, because it is also the name of her uncle Mitt, who Trump regards as a "loser."

Word dismissed. Problem solved.

Now The Washington Post's Lena Sun and Juliet Eilperin report that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention barred the use in budget documents of terms Trump officials find objectionable: "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based."

The CDC disavowed the word ban after a brutal couple of days in which the response proved, to a science-based* certainty, that the Trump administration had made itself vulnerable* to a great diversity* of mockery. The prevailing view: What the fetus* is going on?

(*=Forbidden words used without permission.)

My own analysis, made in consideration with my personal wishes, finds that the administration should not give up on its word ban. In fact, a more extensive word ban -- an all-out vocabulary blockade, enforced by an armada of language police -- could be Trump's ticket to survival.

Trump could benefit enormously from restricting the use of the many words, names and phrases that threaten him: Robert Mueller. Good taste. Facts. Spelling. The Geneva Conventions. Suit-jacket buttons. The Constitution. Exercise. International trade. Democrats. Intelligence briefings. Intelligence.

It would be even more effective if the administration replaced problematic words with favorable ones. The tax bill in Congress is deeply unpopular because it's a giveaway to the rich and it keeps loopholes, such as the tax bonanza for hedge-fund billionaires, that Trump promised to abolish. But if the administration simply bans the word "rich" in favor of "deserving" and replaces "loopholes" with "incentives," the tax bill is instantly jam-packed with incentives for the deserving.

The tax bill could become even more unpopular when people discover it's likely that 13 million fewer Americans will have health insurance, and as a result more will get sick and die. But the situation sounds much better if the word "uninsured" is banned in favor of "treatment-unencumbered," "sick" is replaced with "in transition" and "dead" is replaced by "inactive."

Trump might also need to restrict use of the words "kickback" and "self-dealing" after Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., reversed himself and announced his support for the bill, just as it emerged that a provision had been added providing a bonanza to real estate investors such as ... Bob Corker.

Using the word ban to thwart the Russia probe is more problematic -- but doable. "Collusion" would need to be replaced by a more benign word, such as "cooperation." The name "Russia" could be jettisoned in favor of the friendlier-sounding "Canada" and the problematic phrase "obstruction of justice" replaced by the inoffensive phrase "presidential discretion." To be safe, Trump should ban "impeachment" in favor of "commendation." The worst-case headline for Trump becomes: "President Trump commended for using presidential discretion over cooperation with Canada."

Trump should probably ban the word "irony" after his attorneys argued that the ".gov" emails from his transition team are "private" property and not "official" -- even though Trump's defenders argued the opposite when defending Michael Flynn's Russia contacts during the transition as "official" and not "private."

There is no Trump problem a word ban wouldn't fix. Forbidding the phrases "rules of evidence" and "civil procedure" would prevent meddlesome senators from exposing Trump judicial nominees' lack of familiarity with what the elites call "law." Banning the word "credibility" could boost the reputation of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who proclaimed the "defeat of ISIS" on Sunday -- just after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said "don't believe" such claims.

And then there's poor Rex Tillerson, waiting quietly to be fired as secretary of state. He will need to have words such as "humiliation" and "defenestration" barred to protect his dignity.

Or maybe Trump will inform the secretary of his dismissal simply by announcing he has banned two more words: "Rex Tillerson."
Many of us get the monthly local school calendar of events/activities. Have you noticed the December calendar renamed the break for Christmas, calling it "winter break." Really? Our schools are allowing a break for winter? I'm not sure that is really being honest.

I was told by a school administrator they can't use the word "Christmas" or the school would be sued by an anti-religion group. It sounds like someone is getting bullied.

There are a number of legal firms who will represent schools for free on cases like this. A resolution for the new year could be to work on being more honest and to fight against being bullied. - Roger L. Wilson, Moville, Iowa
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.
GREENBELT, Md. (December 21, 2017)United States District Judge Paul W. Grimm has sentenced former Charles County Sheriff's Deputy Alexander C. Sullivan, age 38, of King George, Virginia, to 2 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.



The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Sheriff Troy D. Berry of the Charles County Sheriff's Office; and Sheriff Steve F. Dempsey of the King George County Sheriff's Office.



According to the plea agreement, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received four tips from a company that provides cloud security concerning suspected child pornography being uploaded to a specific telephone number in October and November 2016. An officer from the Charles County Sheriff's Department conducted a search on the telephone number and determined that it belonged to Alexander Sullivan of Indian Head, Maryland. A state search warrant for Sullivan and his telephone was executed in Charles County on November 17, 2016. A preview of the materials on the phone allegedly revealed more than 100 images and at least seven videos containing child pornography.



This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.



Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended HSI Baltimore, the Charles County Sheriff's Office and the King George County Sheriff's Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Kristi N. O'Malley, who are prosecuting the federal case.
WASHINGTON

(December 21, 2017)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., is being awarded amodification to previously issued firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee task order 0054, placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-11-G-0003. This modification provides for acquisition logistics support for the H-1Upgrades program. Services to be provided include logistics management, technical material for maintenance planning, design interface, supply/material support, support of support equipment/technical data, distribution and inventory management/packaging, storage and transportation, supportability analysis and technical manual updates in support of the H-1 upgrade effort. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in March 2019. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2018 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,925,053 will be obligated at the time of award, $2,141,224 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded aindefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) operational maintenance and engineering training services to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. Services to be provided include technical, engineering, and training support related to in-service product design and development; standards based operations and maintenance data archives; safety improvement tools; analysis of data processes; policy implementation; standards compliance; performance aids and product tools; and project estimating and scheduling. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (80 percent); and St. Inigoes, Maryland (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offeror was received. Theis the contracting activity (N00421-18-D-0010)., is being awardedfor modification P00032 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-13-C-0132). This modification provides for programmatic and logistical support to develop damage limits and tolerances of engine components as well as the completion of maintenance task analysis and maintenance planning to establish organic depot level repair for the T408-GE-400 engine installed on the CH-53K helicopter. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,342,618 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 amodification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-14-C-0067) for the manufacture and delivery of 10 Lot 9 full-rate production P-8A aircraft, seven for the Navy and three for the government of the United Kingdom. In addition, this modification also provides for Lot 9 segregable efforts consisting of unknown obsolescence, class I change assessments, and obsolescence monitoring. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington (82.6 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (2.6 percent); Greenlawn, New York (2.4 percent); Cambridge, United Kingdom (1.6 percent); North Amityville, New York (0.9 percent); Rockford, Illinois (0.7 percent); Rancho Santa Margarita, California (0.6 percent); Dickinson, North Dakota (0.6 percent); and various locations in the U.S. (8 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy); and foreign military sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $1,232,654,575 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchase for the Navy ($858,242,867; 69.7 percent); and FMS partners ($374,411,708; 30.3 percent). The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00001 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-18-C-0004) to procure 370 G3 generator converter units (GCU) to modify the G3 GCU to the G4 variant and 37 G4 GCUs in support of the Navy F/A-18 aircraft platform. Work will be performed in Vandalia, Ohio, and is expected to be completed in November 2019. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $53,791,289 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 acost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the development and delivery of software based test and evaluation tools to emulate the functions of the Electronic Warfare Test Station laboratory equipment for the Block 3F Digital Channelized Receiver/Technique Generator and Tuner Insertion Program configuration in support of all F-35 partners and foreign military sales customers' operational aircraft. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (80 percent); and Pt. Mugu, California (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $5,309,451 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The, is the contracting activity (N00019-18-C-1003)., is being awardedfor modification P00005 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm target contract (N00019-16-C-0055) for the Increment V production and delivery of three Fire Scout MQ-8C unmanned air systems. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (33 percent); Ozark, Alabama (27 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (18 percent); Moss Point, Mississippi (16 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $33,479,478 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, is being awardedfor modification P00003 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0029) for the Lot 5 full-rate production and delivery of 207 BRU-55A/A aircraft bomb ejector racks in support of the Precision Strike Weapons Program Office. Work will be performed in North Amityville, New York (52 percent); Johnstown, Pennsylvania (22 percent); Franklin, Pennsylvania (10 percent); Newbury Park, California (9 percent); and Riverside, California (7 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $20,250,603 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 awardedfor modification P00012 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-17-C-0033) for the procurement of systems software and engineering services in support of the MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned air system. This modification also provides for software design and systems integration, qualification testing and cyber security activities. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,090,748 are being obligated at time of award; $12,890,852 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity.
NEW YORK (December 21, 2017)"It was all sealed like a bottle of lotion."



The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer explained that he had just cut open a package apparently shipped from Hong Kong. Inside was what looked like a glass bottle of lotion, but it was stuffed with vials of steroids.



Customs officers, backed by sophisticated scanning machines and highly trained dogs with a nose for narcotics, work 24 hours a day at the United States Postal Service facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. They are the nation's first line of defense against fentanyl and other dangerous drugs getting onto American streets.



Exploitation of the international mails is a lesser known side of the U.S. opioid crisis, but government officials say it is a key front in the battle to combat illegal drugs.



"The opioid crisis is the deadliest drug epidemic in American history and it only continues to worsen," Rep. Jody Hice, R-Georgia, said during a September hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's government operations subcommittee, which examined the international shipment of fentanyl. "With any drug epidemic, supply reduction is an essential element to drug control."



Supply reduction is what the mail inspections in New York are all about.



Each day, about a million international packages come through the New York postal facility, where they are screened by customs officers for illicit items. JFK receives 60 percent of the international mail, while the rest is divided among seven other facilities.



"We are permanently stationed at the points of entry," Frank Russo, New York port director with Customs and Border Protection, told Capital News Service. "That's our responsibility. We are enforcing on behalf of 40 other federal agencies with over 400 laws. They rely on us to make those seizures, to detain stuff, and when we contact them, we turn it over to them because it's really under their purview."



Last year, 275 million parcels of mail were handled by the customs agency, which also screened an additional 98 million parcels from private express couriers like FedEx and UPS.



As of Aug. 27, customs inspectors had seized approximately 82 pounds of fentanyl from incoming international shipments.



Packages are put through an x-ray scan and suspicious packages are placed to the side and opened. If any powders are found, officers are able to use a spectroscopy device called the Gemini, which shines a laser beam through substances to identify the chemicals. The Gemini prevents officers from having to come in direct contact with potentially dangerous substances.



All of the fentanyl seized by customs has come from China. Packages from that nation and other flagged countries are sorted separately and presented to dogs trained to detect narcotics.



"They are a tremendous asset for all of us," Tyrone Kirkland, a customs enforcement officer, said as his Czech Shepherd, Urbi, trotted back and forth on a conveyor belt, sampling the scents of each package.



The K9s can do the work of 10 to 20 officers in about half the time, he said.



Targeting packages before officers handle them can also save a tremendous amount of time.



"If we can target it and we have that advanced information before it even enters the system, then we can stop it," customs agency spokesman Anthony Bucci said.



The challenge is enormous. Under international treaties, the U.S. Postal Service handles mail from 191 overseas mail agencies. Only a handful so far are using advanced data to help track suspicious shippers.



"We've got pilots where we receive advanced data from 18 countries, so we are moving in that direction," said Todd Owen, executive assistant commissioner in the office of field operations at customs.



"Analyzing advanced electronic data in combination with other postal databases could shine a spotlight on international drug trafficking through the mail," Postal Service Acting Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb told the House panel in September.



Data and good detective work pays off.



For example, customs officers earlier this year seized a package containing fentanyl that was bound for a domestic address, mailed with an international return address.



With the help of the Postal Service, investigators linked the package and its sender to 450 additional parcels mailed during a five-month span to addresses across the country.



Analysis of additional data revealed that a second international shipper had mailed more than 2,400 parcels between February and June.



"Using data analytics, we were able to turn shipping data from one fentanyl parcel into information about two suspect shippers and more than 2,800 suspicious parcels," Whitcomb told lawmakers.



Officials say the fentanyl that is being produced in labs in China and ending up in the hands of Americans is very potent: purity levels can be upwards of 90 percent. By contrast, fentanyl seized at land border crossings averages about 7 percent pure.



Fentanyl-related deaths in the United States are at an all-time high and continue to rapidly increase. In Maryland alone, the number of deaths from fentanyl increased by more than 200 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to annual overdose death reports by Maryland Vital Statistics Administration.



Drug traffickers are creative, the New York customs officers said. There isn't a thing drugs haven't been hidden in, from kids' toys to the wheels of a suitcase. It doesn't take long for officers to spot packages containing potentially illegal substances.



Makers of illegal drugs slightly alter the chemical makeup of fentanyl from time to time, hoping the changed compound will evade detection. Bucci said it can be challenging when a new substance doesn't match the agency's catalogue of drugs that the Gemini previously has detected.



"We know it's something (like) fentanyl but it's not matching up." Bucci said. "So we'll have to send it off to a lab. Our lab will make the determination and then we add that information. The next time that it comes through on our hand-held laser, it'll come up without delay."



Speed is essential in lab tests on new drug compoundsany delay can tip off a shipper and ruin an investigation, Russo said.



Bucci said the inspectors want to help take down entire drug operations, not just go after those getting the drug shipments.
The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) approved ten projects through the new Agricultural Mini-Grant program for a total investment of $19,600 in the first round funding.SMADC received applications from farmers in four of the five Southern Maryland counties. Awards were made to: 804 Cattle Company ($2,000)In matching funds to purchase cattle corrals in Prince George's County. Bowling Farm ($2,000)In matching funds to purchase livestock fencing in Charles County. Heart Barn Farms ($2,000)In matching funds to purchase perimeter fence in Anne Arundel County. Holiday Memories Farm, LLC ($2,000)In matching funds to add a pick-your-own blueberry operation to an existing Christmas Tree Farm in Anne Arundel County. Indian Summers Farm ($2,000)In matching funds to purchase perimeter fence in Charles County. March Meadows ($2,000)In matching funds to purchase goat fencing in St. Mary's County. Owls Nest Farm ($1,600)In matching funds to purchase a rainwater catchment system for winter high tunnel production in Prince George's County. Terra Alta Farms ($2,000)To establish cattle herd in St. Mary's County. Trossbach Produce ($2,000)To purchase high tunnel greenhouse for vegetable production in St. Mary's County. Wyoming Farm ($2,000)In matching funds to expand orchard in Prince George's County."We're excited to see the diversity of projects that were submitted from all across the Southern Maryland region, and look forward to following their progress throughout the year," said Shelby Watson-Hampton, Director of SMADC, which is a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland."During the review process, we received some important feedback from our grant review committee and so we've made a few changes to the program that will improve the mini-grants moving forward," Watson-Hampton said.The SMADC Agricultural Mini-Grant program was originally intended to be a quarterly grant. Watson-Hampton said that due to the high number of applications that were received in the first round and the limited amount of funds, the SMADC Board of Directors and SMADC Grants Review Committee recommended that the program change to a semi-annual grant. Watson-Hampton pointed out this will allow farmers more time to plan and prepare their applications for submission.The next cycle of the SMADC Agricultural Mini-Grant program opens on October 1, 2017 and ends on January 1, 2018. Funds will be disbursed to applicants who are awarded grants by the end of February, 2018.SMADC's Agricultural Mini-Grant is open to applicants age 16 and older, residing and farming in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's or St. Mary's counties.SMADC will award up to $2,000 per applicant for qualified projects, with a one-to-one match by the farmer. "SMADC's mission is to support farms, farmers and the future of agriculture. I look at these projects we approved and I am excited about the future. We are helping farms diversify and expand their operations," Watson-Hampton said.Grant funds can be used for a variety of projects. Examples include the purchase of foundation livestock, purchase of plant stock, marketing and promotion activities, fencing, hoop house, and on-farm upgrades to enhance food safety. Administrative expenses and events are not eligible for program funding.In addition to the Mini-Grant, SMADC is also offering two programs in partnership with the Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO).The Southern Maryland Agricultural Equity Incentive Matching Fund was established to incentivize loan requests from Southern Maryland and to help farmers meet certain down-payment (equity) requirements. And the Southern Maryland Revolving Loan Fund assists Southern Maryland farmers with smaller agricultural projects that may not typically be financed by a commercial lender.Applications for the Mini-Grant Program open on October 1, 2017 through January 1, 2018 and must be submitted online at the SMADC website. For more information and to access the Mini-Grant application form, visit the 'Farm Grants' page (under Farmer Resources) at www.SMADC.com View the Farm Grants page: smadc.com/farmRESOR/grants.html The Steering Committee of Southern Maryland Meats (SMM), a program of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), announced the 2017 SMM Junior Members. The SMM Junior Program, launched this past January, was developed to engage young people in raising livestock for quality meat production and to raise awareness for the Southern Maryland Meats program and SMM producer farms.Fifteen youth representing Anne Arundel, Calvert, and St. Mary's counties are participating in the Junior Membership program. Participants include Savannah Bell-Bussler, Jacob Bowen, Katie Burroughs, Kaitlyn Cosgrove, Alex Droneberger, Tyler Droneberger, Colby Ireland, 'TJ' Ireland, Becky Jones, Carrie Jones, Cody Tice, Justin Tice, Josiah Tice, Hannah Wathen, and Anaka Wright.The SMM Junior Membership Program is designed to give youth a marketing and educational perspective for raising livestock in line with growing consumer demand for locally produced meat products. Junior Members pledge to adhere to SMM raising and quality standards for feed and humane care and have an important role as ambassadors for the SMM program, helping to educate the public on the wholesomeness of their meat products. A completion award ($100 per participant) will be presented to each participant who successfully completes the SMM Junior Program requirements and final essay component.Throughout September, many SMM Junior Members exhibited their livestock at the Southern Maryland county fairs and sold their animals at 4-H livestock auctions and other venues. SMM Junior Members can be identified by SMM promotional materials and banners which they are encouraged to display at their animal stalls at fairs, livestock shows and at their farms.The Southern Maryland Meats marketing program was developed to promote, market and support the region's livestock producers. An eleven-member Steering Committee of representatives from the five Southern Maryland counties advises the program. For questions about the SMM Junior Membership Program, contact SMADC at: info@smadc.com. For more information about Southern Maryland Meats visit www.southernmarylandmeats.com A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), a division, of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland (TCCSMD), to select an entity to develop, manage and operate a meat processing facility to service the Southern Maryland region farming community.The facility will be located located within the five counties of Southern Maryland, an area that includes Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's and St. Mary's Counties. The facility may have portions of the process taking place in more than one location/facility. Innovative solutions are encouraged to apply for consideration.The facility is planned to be a public-private partnership with minimum processing capabilities of 500 bovines and 2000 sheep/goat/hog units, with an optional ability to process additional livestock species including poultry. The ideal capacity for this facility is 3000 animal units per year. The Tri-County Council plans to make a single award to an entity which can provide all of the services requested through sub-contractors and a lease or purchase of property. The contract to be awarded will be for a term of up to 9 years.The funding for this project is from capital funds awarded in the FY'15 budget. The total maximum amount available is $1.5 million, of which $500,000 is available as a loan which can be converted to a grant and the remaining $1,000,000 is available as a low interest loan only. Additionally, Senate Bill 909 was approved in 2015, regarding the project. The Council is required to follow State Procurement Law in preparing and issuing an RFP, evaluating responses and selecting an entity for the project.Bidders who are interested in submitting a bid must register online at the Maryland Department of General Services eMaryland Marketplace website at emaryland.buyspeed.com and search for bid number: MDTCSM31035090 Meat Slaughter RFP. The closing deadline for proposals is date February 8, 2018 by 4:00 pm.The full Request for Proposals, including important information, dates and deadlines can be viewed on the SMADC website home page www.SMADC.com under SMADC Programs "Meat Processing Facility."TO VIEW THE RFP:Access the eMaryland Marketplace Registration Portal at this link:eMaryland Marketplace User Links:Farmers in Southern Maryland are now eligible to participate in a food donation tax credit pilot program following today's approval of emergency regulations by the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review (AELR) Committee."This innovative program encourages farmers to donate fresh produce and more to non-profit organizations that support those in need," said Governor Larry Hogan. "This is a way for Maryland farmers to further help their communities and ensure their harvest does not go to waste."Governor Larry Hogan signed into law the Farm Food Donation Pilot Program (SB 416) authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Comptroller, to issue a State tax credit of up to $5,000 per calendar year to qualified farmers or farm businesses that make eligible food donations and certified organic produce donations to charitable organizations. The program is limited to Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and St. Mary's counties and only for tax years 2017, 2018 and 2019. The cumulative value of the donations shall not exceed $250,000 per fiscal year."Marylanders have a proud tradition of helping one another during tough times," said Comptroller Peter Franchot. "This program will help encourage even more giving and I am confident it will be very successful and eventually expand statewide."Eligible food donations are eligible for a tax credit of up to 50 percent of the value of the donation, not to exceed $5,000 per calendar year. Certified produce donations are eligible for a tax credit of up to a value of 75 percent. The Secretary of Agriculture shall publish the values of the food donations and the certified organic produce weekly.Farmers must submit a food donation form to a participating Tax Credit Administrator for the Maryland Food Donation Pilot Program.Farmers and non-profit organizations interested in participating should contact the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Karen Kirksey at 410-841-5862 or karen.kirksey1@maryland.gov for more information.View the origional MDA press release: news.maryland.gov/mda/press-release/2017/09/11/food-donation-tax-credit-pilot-program-now-in-effect-southern-maryland-farmers-eligible-for-up-to-5000-state-tax-credit/ This past June the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) announced the opening of a new grant program called the Regional Agricultural Project (RAP). The intended purpose of the project was to create economic viability for farmers and to foster region-wide collaboration in order to enhance and sustain Southern Maryland's agricultural economy. Bids were open to all five counties of Southern Maryland: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's and St. Mary's. SMADC is pleased to announce that the county bids have been received, reviewed, and awarded as follows:Anne Arundel County SubmissionThe Rockhold Creek Farm 4H Program/Barn Restoration Project. Return the historic dairy barn into a working agriculture building, which would then be used to create/expand the county 4H program as the primary use. The space will be available for regional events and educational opportunities. $25,000 in funding was awarded.Calvert County SubmissionCalvert County Agriculture Digital Infrastructure Project. To create the digital infrastructure and foundation necessary to ensure a long-term online presence for Calvert County agriculture. The proposed infrastructure and content management system will provide an opportunity for all producers to have a presence on the internet. $25,000 in funding was awarded.Prince George's County SubmissionPrince George's County Soil Health Demonstration Farm Project. In order to help educate the farming community on farming Best Management Practices (BMP) that improve soil health, they propose establishing a research and demonstration farm using a variety of BMPs. A historic tobacco barn will be used as an on-site laboratory for soils, plant and other related work. $25,000 in funding was awarded.St. Mary's County SubmissionNorth St. Mary's County Farmers Market Relocation. Funds would be used to assist in the acquisition of property and the necessary road and site improvements necessary. The market will include an enclosed building with utility service that will allow the sale of value-added products that are currently unavailable at the market. The market currently includes vendors from both St. Mary's and Charles counties. $50,000 in funding was awarded. Charles County is collaborating with the St. Mary's County agriculture entities on their North St. Mary's County Farmers Market Relocation project and provided letters of support to pool their county funding. Charles County did not submit their own project as they support their share of funds to be used for the regional enterprise.Total funding awarded for all county projects is $125,000. Project funds are intended to benefit the existing agriculture community and create seed money for agriculture-related projects needed in the five counties. The county Farm Bureau, Soil Conservation District, Economic Development/county government and University of Maryland Extension, were eligible to apply as the managing grant entity for their county. All were instructed to speak to their agricultural community, farmers, and agribusiness to ascertain what projects were most needed in the industry before submitting their county bid. Additionally, SMADC encouraged everyone to work together on their grant bids, so that together the regional projects could be used to strengthen cross county relationships and to bolster the entire farming community.Each county could request between $20,000 to $25,000 for a specific project (only one application per county), with one of the following entities taking the lead: a county Farm Bureau, Soil Conservation District, Economic Development or county government office, or University of Maryland Extension. Applications required letters of support from other county organizations and agencies as evidence of consensus and collaboration. Counties also had the option to combine their applications and funding requests for a collaborative project.
GREENBELT, Md. (December 22, 2017)On December 19, United States District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Aaron Lee Smiley, age 57, of Mechanicsville, to 25 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor for the Purpose of Producing Child Pornography. Judge Titus also ordered forfeiture of Smiley's interest in his house because he used the computer in his home office to sexually exploit minors for the purpose of producing child pornography.



The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron of St. Mary's County Sheriff's office.



According to his plea agreement, between 2014 and 2016, Smiley had three victims ages 12 through 16 and one victim under the age of twelve. Smiley exchanged pictures, text messages, internet chats and videos with minors using a variety of programs, including Skype, ooVoo, and KIK. Smiley was entrusted with the custody, care, or supervisory control of the victim under twelve when he took pictures of the child.



During a raid of his home, Department of Homeland Security agents recovered over 100 online video recordings of chats between Smiley and one of the victims in which he entices the underage victim to engage in sexual explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions.



Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised the FBI, HSI, MSP, St. Mary's County Sherriff and the Queensland Police Service in Brisbane, Australia for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Finocchiaro, who prosecuted the case.
According to a 2012 Census report, 56.7 million Americans have a disability. This figure translates to roughly 19 percent of the population -- making people with disabilities the largest minority group in the country.

But despite the size of this demographic, people with disabilities have the lowest numbers of educational attainment and work participation -- facts that queer and deaf artist Bex knows all too well, and believes heavily impacts artists with disabilities.

Having the time and the space to create art is a luxury, she said. Disabled people are twice as likely to be poor compared to able-bodied people, and far more likely to be unemployed.

The 28-year-old San Francisco Bay Area resident believes people with disabilities face discrimination and lack of access -- despite the existence of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) -- and that people with disabilities incur additional costs that create barriers to art training.

The cost of living for disabled people is higher than average due to medical care and adjustment costs, she said. And thats all before you even get to the art world side itself.

Bex was born and raised in Los Angeles, and is the only deaf person in her family.

She shared, When I was finally diagnosed, I was about 1.5 years old. It took a while to get the diagnosis, because my mother unfortunately had to deal with a succession of extremely dismissive doctors, one of whom even suggested that it was all in her head.

Initially, Bex continued, My parents were pretty upset and sad about the fact of my deafness. Theres a story about my mom despairingly talking about it on the phone with my grandmother, and Grandma just goes, So what? Just teach her sign language.

Bexs journey into the arts began as a small child, and her earliest drawings were in pen.

According to my parents, I didnt care that I couldnt erase, so pencils, colored pencils, and crayons came much later, she said.

She moved on to oil painting by the age of 7 and at 18, moved to Northern California to study at the California College of the Arts (CCA), where she completed her undergraduate degree and an MFA in Comics.

But while Bex was able to pursue an art education, she points out most people with disabilities are not able to attain training due to cost.

The most expensive colleges in the country are art schools, not Ivy League schools. Ivy League schools, being rich, distribute a lot of financial aid to their students -- so if you make a list of the 10 most expensive four-year, private, nonprofit colleges and subtract the average amount of grant/scholarship aid at each institution, a majority of the list would consist of art schools and conservatories, she said.

The artist also shares that navigating the art world is tougher for people with disabilities -- especially for those without art contacts.

Breaking into the art world demands copious amounts of networking, and a lot of that begins in art school, she said. Unless youre awarded a full scholarship, the playing field is usually not level, and I think its why so many disabled artists work ends up being categorized as outsider art.

Bexs brush strokes have been described, by the arts and design magazine Eclectix, as a mixture of surrealism, science fiction scenarios and a female under the influence of German Expressionism, and she states her disability, queerness, and Jewish faith have all had some impact on her work.

There is a very strong sense of abjection in my work. I believe it rises not just from being queer, but also from being disabled, as well as Jewish -- the implicit knowledge that just by having the audacity to merely exist, you are loathed, she said.

The painter mentioned her art is not about deafness, but admits she does share some similar themes as other deaf artists.

There are sometimes themes such as isolation that do have a history of being in other deaf artists' work as well, she shared. It's a specific kind of isolation -- not the universal, generic sort, but one that stems from a baked-in language barrier and lack of comprehension on hearing people's parts. They might distantly relate, but have never personally experienced it.

Bex interned with the Emmy-winning show Robot Chicken, and is now working on a graphic novel. You can follow her on Twitter @radiant_spores or visit her website at www.bexfreund.com.

Belo Cipriani is a disability advocate, a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams, and the spokesperson for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Learn more at www.belocipriani.com.
I always wonder what and who is behind the food I enjoy on my first visit to a new restaurant. I did not have to wait long for the answers on my first visit to Sea & Olive, a recent addition to the fine dining options on the Drive in Wilton Manors.

The attentive owner Ahmet Demir came to our table to make sure we were satisfied, graciously answering all my questions.

Starting, growing and selling restaurants is what Demir does best. It is also what he enjoys doing more than anything else. He got into the business as a high school student washing dishes in a restaurant in his native Turkey. He took to the business instinctually and during his university years  he studied languages  he acquired expertise in the world of restaurants and hotels.

In 2006, he fell in love with Cape Town, South Africa while on vacation there. That is where he moved, getting a job at a popular tourist restaurant. Within a year, he had become the managing partner of that restaurant, learning not only the production side of food service, but also the business elements involving partnerships and financial management. He must have been a quick study. Sea & Olive, 2390 Wilton Drive, is Demirs eighth restaurant!

In 2009, he moved to the U.S. (His wife is a New Yorker.) where he opened his own Mediterranean-style restaurant on Tompkins Square Park in Manhattans Alphabet City neighborhood. It was successful, but the cold winter weather drove them to Miami for a vacation. As often happens, it wasnt long before he sold his venture in NYC and moved to Miami.

He scouted locations for his next restaurant, finding the vacant space he was looking for near the gay club Twist at 11th Street and Washington Avenue in Miami Beach. He renovated from the ground up. (In addition to orchestrating the delivery of fine food, Demir takes great pleasure in personally designing his restaurants. He selects the furnishings, lighting and colors that make his space inviting and comfortable.) Because of its location near Twist and Score, Demirs restaurants developed a strong gay clientele. His understanding of the gay market made his eventual move to Wilton Manors very easy.

He sold that Miami Beach restaurant, called Romelia (the ancient name for Istanbul) and opened a Greek tapas restaurant, Meze Aegean Bistro, also in Miami Beach. He and a business partner wanted a much larger space, acquiring another Washington Avenue location where they opened Babylon Turkish Cuisine with 300 seats and a gorgeous courtyard.

He sold his share of that restaurant to open a bar called Groovys on Lincoln Road. Despite its ongoing success, he could not shed his love for the restaurant business. When a real estate agent told him about a wonderful space with a gracious outdoor patio, he was intrigued.

I told the agent Yes, show me. And thats when he said, Its in Fort Lauderdale. As soon as I saw the place, I said, Know what? This is going to work perfectly for a Mediterranean restaurant, Demir said.

When I asked Demir why a visitor to Wilton Manors seeking Mediterranean fare should choose Sea & Olive over other options, he said, We make everything from scratch and we have two chefs from Turkey who have excellent reputations and experience at some of the most famous restaurants in Turkey, including the Four Seasons. We dont cut corners and our food is authentic. I come from a Turkish farming family. Turkish country style cooking is what I know. 

I tested out Demirs claim of authenticity at a subsequent visit accompanied by a man who had been stationed in Turkey during his years of military service. He pronounced their signature dish, the lamb shank, excellent and he was full of praise for the Turkish tea served to us after dinner, saying it was exactly as he remembered it. I will add to that my praise for the soft and savory grilled octopus. There is also dorado and bronzino served on a bed of arugula.

Having happily relocated his young family to Wilton Manors, Demir describes doing business here as unpredictable in that Sea & Olive can be both extremely busy or quiet, often without explanation. Even though Sea & Olive is only six months old, Demir is already in the process of starting an additional restaurant on the Drive. Construction and permitting are in gear for what will be a gourmet burger and beer place on Wilton Drive near NE 20th Street.

Ahmet Demir said that he has learned that the restaurant business is only for those who love it. It is not a business for those who want to get rich. He has put down some roots here, and intends to stick around, bringing a wealth of experience and skill to the tables he sets. Check out his menu and visit Sea & Olive soon.

SeaAndOlive.com/menu.html


In celebration of its thirtieth anniversary, the classic gay romance "Maurice" comes to DVD/Blu-Ray in a new deluxe, two-disc special edition.

It's difficult, when viewing "Maurice" today, to realize how groundbreaking--even shocking--the film was in 1987. A tale of gay love lost and found in Edwardian England, the film was made ten years before Ellen DeGeneres' historic coming out. "Maurice" is based on the same-named novel written by E.M. Forster around 1913, the era in which the story is set. Forster would not allow the book to be published during his lifetime, and so it was not published until 1971, the year after he died at age 91.

James Wilby stars as the titular character. While attending Cambridge University in 1909, he enters into a romantic, albeit platonic relationship with classmate Clive (Hugh Grant). Maurice wants their relationship to be sexual, but Clive refuses. A few years later, when one of their classmates is sentenced to six months in prison for trying to pick up a man in a bar, a terrified Clive ends their relationship.

The two men don't speak for a year--until Maurice is invited to be an usher at Clive's wedding to a woman. Against his better judgement Maurice accepts.

Maurice finds himself battling his gay urges while at Clive's palatial country home. One day he notices that Scudder, a young gamekeeper (Rupert Graves) is paying a great deal of attention to him. At first Maurice treats this servant with contempt, but late one night, Scudder brazenly climbs into Maurice's window.

"I know sir," Scudder whispers. "I know." The two men proceed to make love--it's an unforgettable sequence.

Maurice was directed by James Ivory, who received his greatest fame with a trio of big screen Forster adaptations. "A Room With A View" (1985) and "Howard's End" (1993) were highly successful films, nominated for eight and nine Academy Awards respectively. "Maurice" could be considered Ivory's coming out film--his producing partner, Ismail Merchant, was also his life partner for 44 years. Throughout their career the men worked with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvalathey were a trio which the Guinness Book of World Records cited as the longest partnership in independent film history, according to Wikipedia.

As with Ivory's other Forster films, "Maurice" was lushly shot on location in England. The film's elegant settings, period costumes and the stage trained cast effectively capture the England of a century ago.

But most importantly "Maurice" captures the beauty of gay love. Maurice and Scudder might not seem like a well-matched couple: Scudder is a foul-mouthed servant, while Maurice is a "gentleman." Their attraction to each other transcends class. They're soulmates, unable to resist their deep need to be with each other, unable to do anything other than make personal sacrifices so they can be together.

"Maurice" also reminds us that it wasn't always as easy to be gay as it is in today's world. In Maurice's world being gay is a crime punishable by jail time. The portions of the film that deal with these issues are a sobering reminder of the horrible things currently being done to gay men in places like Chechnya, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Is "Maurice" one of the greatest gay films ever made? That would be up to each viewer to decide--"great" is a subjective term. The film certainly is one of the best in the annals of Queer cinema.

In addition to a newly restored, pristine print of the film, "Maurice" includes interviews with auteur James Ivory and stars James Wilby (Maurice) and Rupert Graves (Scudder). Background information on the film's story is also included.

"Maurice" is now available.
This report discusses the monthly meeting of the South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN). SFAN is the advisory for the RWC program of the Florida Department of Health in Broward (FL-DOH RWC). Broward has one other HIV planning body that meets monthly, the HIV Planning Council (HIVPC). The HIVPC is the planning body for the Ryan White Care (RWC) Program of Broward County (Broward-RWC).

This SFAN meeting occurred on World AIDS Day. In honor of World AIDS Day, Joey Wynn, SFAN Chair, presented recognition awards for service to the HIV communities. Lisa Agate, Evelyn Morales, and Shirley Scott received these awards for their years of service.

Serena Cook, FL-DOH RWC, reported on changes to Broward Addiction Recovery Center (BARC)'s residential substance abuse treatment program. Current evidence indicates that a 60-day treatment program produces better outcomes than a 30-day program does. Currently BARC has a 30-day program. At present funding levels, switching to a 60-day treatment program would require that the number of potential clients be cut in half. In order to serve the same number of clients, $30,000 would have to be moved from an underutilized program to this program.

Kim Saiswick, state chair of the Florida HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Planning Network (FCPN), discussed its November meeting. Saiswick reported on what people presented at that meeting. Lorene Maddox said that about 15 percent of people living with HIV in Florida were unaware of their HIV infection.

At the FCPN meeting, Dr. Jeffrey Beale discussed Florida's Test and Treat Program. According to Dr. Beale, 915 people had enrolled in that program. In Broward County, 382 people had enrolled in its Test and Treat program. About 42 percent of all people in Florida in the Treat and Treat program had enrolled in Broward. Saiswick attributed this high rate to Broward's twelve locations. In contrast, Miami-Dade has only one Test and Treat location.

Samantha Sam, ViiV Healthcare, reported on changing ways to maintain HIV viral suppression over a lifetime of HIV infection. About 55 percent of new infections occur among those under 35 years of age. Because of advances in HIV treatment, people infected today may be taking antiretrovirals for 40 years or more. New research indicates that people with stable, suppressed HIV viral loads could benefit from changing their antiretroviral regimen.

Changing drug regimens can lessen chances of developing drug resistant strains of HIV. People can find the side effects of antiretrovirals to be intolerable or dangerous. Some antiretrovirals have dangerous interactions with drug treatments for other conditions. Simplifying a drug regimen can improve adherence.

ViiV and Janssen Pharmaceuticals have developed a two-drug antiretroviral regimen, Juluca. It contains dolutegravir, an integrase inhibitor, and rilpivirine, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. The FDA approved Juluca in November of 2017, its first approval of a two-drug antiretroviral regimen. People take Juluca only once per day with a meal. Its most common side effects are diarrhea and headache.

Insurers may not yet cover Juluca, given its recent approval. ViiV may provide bridge financing until insurers begin to cover this drug.

In January, both SFAN and the HIVPC will elect new officers. No one has yet agreed to run for SFAN offices. Requel Lopes has agreed to run for HIVPC chair. Carla Taylor-Bennett, David Shamer, and H.B. Katz have agreed to run for HIVPC vice chair.

Next SFAN Meeting: Friday, January 5, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., at the Holy Cross Healthplex, 1000 NE 56th Street, Ft. Lauderdale. SFAN welcomes newcomers.

The next HIVPC meeting will occur on January 25 at 9:30 a.m. at 115 S. Andrews Ave. For exact room location, call 954-561-9681 ext. 1343, or visit http://www.brhpc.org/programs/hiv-planning-council/.

Follow Sean McShee on Twitter @SeanMcShee
Yesterday, Dec. 20, Arianna Lint, transgender activist and founder of TransLatina Coalition, was attacked in her Fort Lauderdale home by an unknown assailant.

She suffered a broken arm as well as cuts and bruising. SFGN spoke to her shortly before she was scheduled to undergo surgery for her arm. Lint said the man who attacked her was there to install a television on her wall. He attacked her while she was distracted. She said police are investigating the crime but shes not sure if it was motivated by hate or some other reason.

I have a lot of people who arent happy with the services I provide to the transgender community, said Lint.

She also said shes very grateful for the outpouring of support shes received from the LGBT community. Im feeling very blessed from the support Ive received from the community and other agencies. They bring me lunch, talk to me on Facebook, and comfort me.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 2017 was a particularly violent year for transgender individuals  28 were fatally shot or killed by other violent means. As HRC continues to work toward justice and equality for transgender people, we mourn those we have lost, wrote HRC in the statement announcing the deaths.
NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 20 December 2017. NASA

Today  Zebrafish Muscle 2: Following the fixation and stowing of experiment units (EUs) from Group A earlier this week, today the crew performed fixation on the EUs from Groups B and C and then stowed them in the refrigerator of the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI).

The results from Zebrafish Muscle 2 operations will help to determine whether atrophy of muscles under microgravity also occurs in zebrafish, and why that muscle atrophy occurs in microgravity. Physical exercise and control of posture are important for maintaining muscle mass and strength. In microgravity conditions, the postural, known as anti-gravity muscles, undergo atrophy because of prominent decrease in their gravity-dependent activity.

APEX-05 Operations: APEX-05 petri plates were installed into the VEGGIE facility to begin the growth process of the plants. When plants are grown in the confines of the International Space Station (ISS), they do not seem to get enough air and as a result, exhibit a stress response in their genes and proteins. The Spaceflight-induced Hypoxic/ROS Signaling (APEX-05) experiment grows different wild and mutant varieties of Arabidopsis thaliana, in order to understand how their genetic and molecular stress response systems work in space. The plants grow from seeds in the Veggie plant growth facility aboard the ISS, are frozen, and returned to Earth for detailed laboratory analysis.

Synthetic Bone BioCell Operations: During todays scheduled microscope operations for BioCell Habitats A and B, microscope issues inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) prevented ground teams from viewing video footage of the growing bone cells from the BioCells. With the deferment of todays fixation of BioCell Habitat A, the crew was able to accelerate one of tomorrows media exchanges to today. Ground teams will continue to resolve the issue with the microscopy video downlink and are rescheduling tomorrows activities. Synthetic Bone uses BioCell habitats A, B, and C. The BioCell habitats will be used to test the functionality and effectiveness of new material that can assist in recovery from bone injuries or dental work during long-term space travel. Determining how well Tetranite integrates with bone cell cultures can also inform general strategies for addressing bone loss in space. Synthetic Bone examines the cellular response to a new type of bone adhesive in the microgravity environment of space. This experiment uses facilities aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to grow bone cells in the presence of a commercially available bone adhesive, and a new product called Tetranite. Sets of bone cell cultures grow with the different adhesives for 20 days and are then fixed, frozen, and returned to Earth for detailed analysis in a fully equipped biological laboratory.

Arthrospira-B (Batch Culture) Assembly: Four Arthrospira experiment containers were retrieved from a Glacier and transferred to the Columbus module where they were assembled and installed into the Biolab Incubator. The Arthrospira B experiment is an important step in making improvements in the area of closed regenerative life support systems in space which will help in making future human exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit become a reality. The cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. strain PCC8005 is a candidate for use in spacecraft biological life support systems, for CO2 and nitrate removal, and oxygen and biomass production. However, to ensure the reliability of such a biological life support system it is necessary to characterize the response of Arthrospira sp. PCC8005 to in situ spaceflight conditions.

JAXA Low Temperature (LT) Protein Crystal Growth (PCG): PCG samples were retrieved from the Freezer-Refrigerator Of STirling cycle (FROST) and then the crew initiated the crystallization of the samples before inserting them back into the FROST where crystallization is continuing at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The samples will remain in the FROST until they are returned on SpX-13 for evaluation by ground teams. The goal of the JAXA LT PCG experiment is to make high quality protein crystals in a microgravity environment at a low temperature.

Dose Distribution Inside the ISS  3D (DOSIS 3D): Passive radiation detectors were installed in the Columbus module in support of European Space Agencys (ESAs) DOSIS 3D investigation. This experiment uses several active and passive detectors to determine the radiation doses inside the ISS and provides documentation of the actual nature and distribution of the radiation fields. A concise three dimensional (3D) dose distribution map of all the segments of the ISS will be developed based on this data and data from JAXA and NASA monitoring devices.

Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEM A/L) Depress: The crew depressurized the JEM A/L and vented the remaining air in preparation for upcoming NanoRacks External Platform (NREP) activities.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Arthrospira-B On Board Training

ISS Crew Adaptation

JEM Airlock Depressurization

SABLE 2 CO2 Meter Setup

On MCC GO Regeneration of ??? ?2 Micropurification Cartridge (start)

ISS CREW/SSIPC CONFERENCE

Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron or ???-??

Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron or ???-??- handover

MSG Glove Setup

Dragon Locker Removal

Rodent Research Locker Preperation

ARED Handover Video Review

ARED Crew Handover

??? maintenance

Rodent Research Transporter Stow

Charging of SM-AGAT-U55 external batteries (2) in Soyuz 737 (start)

Verification of ??-1 Flow Sensor Position

Arthrospira EC Glacier Removal

Arthrospira EC Assembly

Replacement of ??-2 Treadmill belt (Procedure and R/g review, equipment gathering).

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check

Preventive maintenance of MRM1 ??? Hatch Sealing Mechanism and Soyuz 737 hatch

Bringing ODF up to date using Soyuz 737 delivered files

Synthetic Bone BioCell Habitat Tape Removal

Environmental Health System (EHS)  Radiation Area Monitors (RAM) Deployment

Synthetic Bone Microscope Operations  Augmented

Photo of a trace left by the Active Docking Mechanism probe on the MRM1 Passive Mechanism Receiving Cone

Download docking cone internal surface photos to OCA

JEM Airlock Vent

ISS Crew Orientation

JEM Airlock Vent Confirmation

APEX-05 On-Board Training

On MCC GO ISS O2 Repress from Progress 436 [AO] ???? Section 1, start

APEX-05 Procedure Review #1

On MCC GO ISS O2 Repress from Progress 436 [AO] ???? Section 1, terminate

JAXA LT PCG Sample Preparation

Synthetic Bone Biocells Fixation

Test activation of Vozdukh Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves

Soyuz 737 Transfers and IMS Ops

Treadmill 2 (T2) Handover Video Review

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain

UDOD. Experiment Ops with DYKNANIYE-1 and SPRUT-2 Sets. Tagup with specialists

APEX-05 Hardware Gather #1

Fixation Preparation of Zebrafish Muscle2 samples

APEX-05 MELFI Sample Removal #1

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain Part 2

APEX-05 Science Insertion

Fixation of Zebrafish Muscle 2 1G samples in Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF).

MELFI Sample Return Bag Insertion

MELFI BioCell Habitat Insertion

MELFI Fixative Return Bag Insertion

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check Data Record

Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config LAB Setup

PAO Preparation

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD)  Lab

Zebrafish Muscle2 MELFI Insertion

Charging of SM-AGAT-U55 external batteries (2) in Soyuz 737 (end)

Fixation of Zebrafish Muscle 2 Micro-G samples in Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF).

T2 Crew Handover

DOSIS 3D Passive Detector Pouch handover after upload of dosimeters with Soyuz.

Transfer and Handover of DOSIS 3D Passive Detector Pouch from Soyuz 737 to USOS

Installation of the DOSIS 3D passive detector packs in Columbus and photodocumentation.

Marrow Breath And Ambient Air Sample Setup  Subject

CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection Setup

Fixation Closeout of Zebrafish Muscle2 samples

Space Headaches  Daily Questionnaire

Regeneration Micropurification Unit (???) ?2 Absorption Cartridge (end)

Completed Task List Activities

None

Ground Activities

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

SSRMS maneuver to cupola viewing position

JEMRMS: NREP unstow (overnight)

Standard commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Thursday, 12/21: Marrow-2, EMER Role & Resp Review, Zebra, Synthetic Bone, STP-H5, Dragon Emer OBT, APEX-5, JAXA Area Dosimeter Install

Friday, 12/22: IMV Flow Measurement, FIR maintenance, Emer H/W OBT, CBM N2N Bolt Inspect, Cell Science Validation, JPM gas trap reconfig, JAXA Camera Robot, Blood Collection, APEX-5, STP-H5 ICE Photos, Space Headaches

Saturday, 12/23: Off duty

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)  Off

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Full Up
Knights of Columbus Donates Nearly $1 Million for Christmas Food for Iraqi Christians

Some will celebrate Christmas in hometown for first time since ISIS invasion



Contact: Joseph Cullen, 203-800-4923, joseph.cullen@kofc.org; Andrew Walther, 203-824-5412, andrew.walther@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus



NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 22, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus is giving a 30-day supply of food to 12,000 displaced or formerly displaced Christian families in northern Iraq to coincide with Christmas.



"The Knights of Columbus is pleased to help bring a Merry Christmas to those displaced by ISIS or now returning home to recently liberated areas," said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. "These Christians have lost everything for their faith, and we want them to know that they are not forgotten and that their sacrifices inspire us in our own faith."



Valued at $840,000, the Christmas baskets contain food staples such as wheat, rice, beans and meat, along with cleaning supplies. With the assistance of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, the Knights' gift is being distributed to Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic families, as well as Yazidis.



"Even though we are still in a time of great uncertainty, the knowledge that our brothers in the Knights of Columbus are in solidarity with us, especially at this time of year, brings great comfort," said Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil. "God bless them all."



The K of C has committed more than $17 million in aid to Christians and other religious minorities in the region since 2014.



"We will be able to celebrate a true Christmas in our ancient Christian town of Karamles for the first time in years," said Father Thabet Habib, parish priest of the town, which is located on the Nineveh Plain.



Karamles was a predominantly Christian town before ISIS overran it, driving out inhabitants, damaging or destroying homes, and desecrating churches. The inhabitants have been able to return in recent months, thanks to the defeat of ISIS and a commitment of $2 million by the Knights of Columbus to help restore much of the town's infrastructure.



"We will be giving thanks this year for the wonderful Christmas gift we have received  the return of our town," said Father Thabet.



In addition to advocating on the behalf of persecuted religious minorities in Iraq, Syria and the surrounding region, the Knights also assisted Christian refugee programs in Lebanon and Jordan and provided aid to those targeted by ISIS in Egypt.



The Knights led a major campaign urging Congress and the State Department to declare ISIS' terrorism an act of genocide in 2016. To support the cause, it produced a nearly 300-page report on ISIS' atrocities against Christians and gathered 140,000 signatures for a petition calling for a declaration of genocide.



In addition, the K of C has urged the U.S. government to ensure that communities targeted for genocide not be overlooked. The Knights applauded Vice President Mike Pence's recent announcement that the Trump administration will begin providing aid directly to religious minorities impacted by ISIS' genocide.



More information on the Knights' efforts is available at www.ChristiansAtRisk.org.


SARASOTA, Fla., Dec. 22, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- After Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter , Sarasota Military Academy (SMA), a public charter school, responded with assurances that it will require teachers to respect the First Amendment right of pro-life citizens to speak on public sidewalks on behalf of abstinence and the rights of the unborn. However, a follow-up letter was necessary to again correct the record of false allegations by SMA staff about Liberty Counsel's clients.Liberty Counsel represents Bill Calvin and others with the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform in Sarasota who engage members of the public, including high school students, on public sidewalks within Sarasota's legal "public forum," as is their right, regarding the Christian faith, abstinence, and the humanity of pre-born children. They do so via outreach efforts, including personal conversations, literature distribution, and the display of signs on public sidewalks as part of the Center's Abortion Awareness Project. Liberty Counsel's clients' goal is to display the humanity of preborn children, and reach current and future voters as they believe that preborn children should receive the full protection of the law, because they are human beings made in the image of God.Since school resumed in August, there have been at least three instances of SMA employees violating Liberty Counsel's clients' protected speech rights. Sarasota Military Academy staff, in uniform, have been confiscating literature from students, and instructing them not to talk to Mr. Calvin and the others, all while SMA staff are on school time and acting in their official capacity.Contrary to the false claims of SMA staff, Calvin and others do not "yell" at or "harass" students. Rather, they engage in personal dialogue and the free exchange of ideas, and conduct themselves appropriately. A key reason they are trying to reach high school students with the truth about abortion and abstinence is that two-thirds of such students report they are not currently sexually active, as defined by the CDC's 2015 National Youth Health Risk Behavior Survey . Each interaction by our clients with willing passersby begins with an offer of literature accompanied by a phrase like "Can I give you this?" or "Would you like this?" Our clients stand still on the sidewalk, and offer literature and a chance to talk. They do not pursue or force interaction with a person who declines the offer. Staff and students at other Sarasota schools have approached our clients and quietly thanked them for being there."Employees of public schools, including public charter schools like this military academy, are obligated to perform their official duties on school property, and not interfere with the First Amendment rights of others," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "The actions of Sarasota Military Academy employees here have violated not only our client's First Amendment rights, but also the rights of public school students. Students have the right to hear and receive information, without having literature confiscated by the government. Teachers have free speech rights while they are not working, but when they are, they may not attempt to shut down the speech of others with whom they personally disagree. We are pleased SMA has chosen the wiser course of action in confirming it will respect First Amendment rights," said Staver.
New information showing how much overseas tourists are spending in the Bay of Plenty underlines the need for a new welcoming gateway and tourism hub, says Tourism BOP CEO Kristin Dunne.

New data is showing cruise ship passengers and crew spending in the Bay of Plenty is the second highest in the country, second only to Auckland.

Cruise visitors contributed $59 million to the local economy, based on credit card spending by cruise visitors to New Zealand in the 2016/17 season.

Its the first time MBIE has officially measured cruise ship visitors credit card spending and officially recorded it.

The $59m spent by cruise passengers in the Bay of Plenty represents 20 per cent of the total national $306,464,000 cruise passenger expenditure.

Lyttleton, Wellington and other cruise destinations have recognised the countrys fastest growing tourism market and are heavily investing. The Bay of Plentys proposed $5m facility is urgently needed, says Kristin.

We are determined to deliver on the industrys need and the communitys wish to build a Hub fit to welcome our visitors. Tourism in the Bay of Plenty needs careful management to ensure it provides what is best for both visitors and the community, and this cannot be achieved without providing appropriate infrastructure.

Tourism Bay of Plenty and Tauranga City Council continue to seek the additional $1m of funding required for the new Regional Cruise Gateway and Welcome Hub. The $1m required will enable the proposed iconic facility to be built.

The largest passenger ship to call at New Zealand the Ovation of the Seas is in Port today is bringing 4180 passengers, measures 348 metres and weighs 168,666 tonnes.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and Statistics New Zealand Tourism Satellite shows the Bay of Plentys cruise passenger economy is ahead of all other New Zealand port destinations by at least $31m.

Dunedin received $28m in cruise expenditure, Canterbury received $26m and Wellington received $25m. The cruise expenditure accounts for shipping agents, providoring (ship supplies), bunkering (fuel), shore excursions, and ground spend.

The retrospective cruise expenditure reported by the Tourism Satellite Account also shows significant growth rates year on year.

The Bay of Plenty cruise passenger expenditure has grown 15 per cent and 20 per cent year on year for the last two years.

The region is set to welcome 113 cruise ships in the next season which is 39 per cent more than the 83 ships expected this season.

The 113 ships visiting the Bay of Plenty next season are set to bring 235,500 passengers and 102,100 crew.

This growth represents a significant economic opportunity for the community to maximise; however, the logistical issues that come with it need to be managed.
Knights of Columbus Donates Nearly $1 Million for Christmas Food for Iraq's Assyrians

Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus is giving a 30-day supply of food to 12,000 displaced or formerly displaced Christian families in northern Iraq to coincide with Christmas. "The Knights of Columbus is pleased to help bring a Merry Christmas to those displaced by ISIS or now returning home to recently liberated areas," said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. "These Christians have lost everything for their faith, and we want them to know that they are not forgotten and that their sacrifices inspire us in our own faith."

Valued at $840,000, the Christmas baskets contain food staples such as wheat, rice, beans and meat, along with cleaning supplies. With the assistance of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, the Knights' gift is being distributed to Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic families, as well as Yazidis. "Even though we are still in a time of great uncertainty, the knowledge that our brothers in the Knights of Columbus are in solidarity with us, especially at this time of year, brings great comfort," said Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil. "God bless them all." The K of C has committed more than $17 million in aid to Christians and other religious minorities in the region since 2014. "We will be able to celebrate a true Christmas in our ancient Christian town of Karamles for the first time in years," said Father Thabet Habib, parish priest of the town, which is located on the Nineveh Plain. Karamles was a predominantly Christian town before ISIS overran it, driving out inhabitants, damaging or destroying homes, and desecrating churches. The inhabitants have been able to return in recent months, thanks to the defeat of ISIS and a commitment of $2 million by the Knights of Columbus to help restore much of the town's infrastructure. "We will be giving thanks this year for the wonderful Christmas gift we have received -- the return of our town," said Father Thabet. In addition to advocating on the behalf of persecuted religious minorities in Iraq, Syria and the surrounding region, the Knights also assisted Christian refugee programs in Lebanon and Jordan and provided aid to those targeted by ISIS in Egypt. The Knights led a major campaign urging Congress and the State Department to declare ISIS' terrorism an act of genocide in 2016. To support the cause, it produced a nearly 300-page report on ISIS' atrocities against Christians and gathered 140,000 signatures for a petition calling for a declaration of genocide. In addition, the K of C has urged the U.S. government to ensure that communities targeted for genocide not be overlooked. The Knights applauded Vice President Mike Pence's recent announcement that the Trump administration will begin providing aid directly to religious minorities impacted by ISIS' genocide. More information on the Knights' efforts is available at www.ChristiansAtRisk.org
Sixty metres of the 1.5 metre-wide polyester matting, which works well on soft sand and undulating surfaces, has just been rolled out at Mount Maunganui ready for summer.

Halberg Trust Disability Sport adviser Cherryl Thompson confirmed it is the first beach access mat in New Zealand. She has been inundated with letters of support since the mat was trialled at the Mount last summer.

Tauranga tetraplegic Amanda Lowry is one of the many thrilled to have the opportunity to again experience the joy of the beach from close quarters.

Amanda, who is parent to two young daughters, was at the mat trial last summer. She says using the mat to get down on the sand to play with her children is just amazing.

I want the opportunity to get some sand in my togs and lie there next to my kids. Its not just about disabilities, its about everyone. Its about living a full life with no restrictions  no barriers. Its about being on the beach and celebrating what it is to be a Kiwi.

Tauranga City Council community development advisor Dani Jurgeleit says the access mats Australian distributor left the model behind after the trial to give the council the opportunity to seek funding.

It was an opportunity immediately embraced by Metro Marketing managing director Michelle Whitmore, who started the ball rolling with a $2000 gift toward the mat, which cost about $15,000. Various organisations, including Harbour City Lions and an anonymous donor, met her challenge to help make the mat dream a Tauranga reality.

Michelle says she realised her $2000 could make a world of difference if it provided the catalyst for good action. Various people doing a little bit could collectively change the world for those needing support to enjoy the beach, she says.

We are globally recognised as having one of the worlds best beaches. The fact it has been inaccessible to so many is just wrong, she says.

Tauranga City Council confirms the mat will be in place every day, weather permitting, over summer from December 15 through until mid-February, next to Mount Maunganuis cenotaph.

From later this year, a flag will be in place on the boardwalk alongside the cenotaph whenever the mat is out. It is expected to be used not only by people in wheelchairs, but for anyone with mobility challenges.

Dani says there is the possibility more matting could be purchased. Extra metres will enable a greater turn-around and congregation area on the water front, for example. There were also the options of multiple mats at different beach localities, more branches off the main mat, and the possibility of purchasing floating wheelchairs, each valued at $4000.

Those keen to get behind the project are encouraged to contact Tauranga City Council Project Tauranga manager Michael Vujnovich at michael.vujnovich@tauranga.govt.nz

Amanda broke her neck in a surfing accident on Mt Maunganui beach in 2013, which left her wheelchair-bound. She is also an ambassador for the Bayfair Festival of Disabled Sport  a national event that will be held in Tauranga on March 24-25.
A long-awaited study of the public health impacts of the proposed Longview coal terminal found that diesel smoke from coal trains would increase cancer risks 3 percent to 10 percent in neighborhoods along the railroad tracks  or about one additional cancer over the span of a lifetime in Cowlitz County.

The findings of the study, released in draft form Thursday, affirm state and county assessments of the risks posed by locomotive exhaust from the eight daily round-trip train trips needed to serve the Millennium Bulk Terminals project.

The study seeks to answer 15 questions posed by a steering committee, which is comprised of people who support and oppose the project. The non-binding, voluntary study is not tied to the permitting process. The study agreed with an earlier state analysis that found an increased risk of cancer in surrounding neighborhoods due to exposure to diesel exhaust. However, the increased cancer risk would vary depending on where people live.

At the highest level of exposure, the risk would increase by 50 cancer cases per million, a section written by the state Department of Health found, but few people would be exposed to such a level, according to the report.

The draft study found a people living within a 2-mile corridor around the tracks would face an increased cancer risk between 10 and 30 cases per million. Thats a 3 percent to 10 percent increase over background levels, according to the report.

Cowlitz County already has a cancer risk of 300 cancers per million stemming from diesel particulate matter. With a population of roughly 100,000 people, that would translate to an increase of about one extra case over 70 years, according to the studys findings.

Longview doctor Stephen Chandler, a vocal critic of the product, said the project would also cause a rise in heart and pulmonary problems.

Though the increase is not going to be like a tidal wave, its going to nevertheless be a quiet increase that will take place, he told The Daily News.

It takes an average of about 15 years of exposure to high levels of diesel smoke to develop lung cancer, the study says.

The state Department of Health worked together with the countys Building and Planning Office and Department of Health and Human Services to produce the 62-page document, which draws on data from an earlier 4,000-page environmental impact statement.

That earlier study, co-authored by the state Department of Ecology and Cowlitz County, estimated that trains carrying coal to Millennium could increase the risk of cancer by 10 percent for people living in Longviews Highlands neighborhood, which is along the path to the proposed terminal. The risk could jump to 16 percent for those closest to the tracks and dips to 3 percent for most of Kelso and Longview.

The study reaffirms many of the serious adverse public health impacts of the project, the Sierra Club said in a press release.

In addition to the elevated cancer risk, the group highlighted a finding that the project would increase noise exposure in low-income communities, potentially leading to higher rates of high blood pressure, heart attack and heart disease.

The study also attempts to answer questions about the effect of economic growth and prosperity on health, noting an estimate by Millennium that the project would lead to $70 million in construction wages, $65 million in indirect wages and 135 new permanent jobs.

In a prepared statement, Millennium President Bill Chapman said Thursday that the company had not yet reviewed reviewed the report.

Millennium has carefully designed our terminal to protect air and water quality and fisheries, and that these results were confirmed by prior agency reviews. The Final EIS prepared by the State and the County found that the project meets all environmental standards. ... Millennium is committed to building our bulk export terminal the right way, he said.

The lengthy study will eventually be condensed into an even shorter, much easier-to-understand document. For example, one section on air quality contains the following sentence: Breathing air pollution is not good for anyone, even healthy people.

Members of the public and the steering committee will have three weeks to review the study.

Public comments can be submitted via email or in written form to Nick Fazio, an assistant long-range planner with Cowlitz County, at fazion@co.cowlitz.wa.us or 204 Fourth Ave. North, Kelso, WA 98626. Comments are due by Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. The steering committee will consider all comments submitted by the deadline, Fazio said.

The steering committee will then meet for two workshops on Jan. 12 and Jan. 20., when its also likely the public will get an opportunity to comment, Fazio said.

The coal terminal has been one of the most hotly-debated projects on the Columbia River since Millennium first applied for permits five years ago. It would create more than 1,000 construction jobs, 130 permanent jobs and $5.4 million in annual state and local taxes.

The state Department of Ecology dealt a potentially fatal blow to the project in September when it denied Millennium a key water quality permit. Millennium is still trying to get an aquatic lands sublease for the project from the state Department of Natural Resources.

The project would fill 24 acres of wetlands, require 41.5 acres of dredging of the Columbia River bottom and drive 537 pilings into the river for a new trestle and docks, according to a state environmental impact statement. The terminal would add nearly 1,700 vessel transits to the Columbia River, a quarter of all freight traffic on the waterway.
The standoff between two groups that each wanted to bring a mental health hospital to Thurston County has been settled after Providence St. Peter Hospital, the state Department of Health and US HealthVest announced a new agreement late Thursday.

The agreement paves the way for US HealthVest and Providence St. Peter Hospital to pursue their respective plans for mental health hospitals in Lacey.

For US HealthVest, they will begin work on South Sound Behavioral Hospital, which is now a 108-bed facility that will occupy an existing office building in Laceys Woodland District at 605 Woodland Square Loop SE.

For Providence and its partner, Fairfax Behavioral Health, they plan to bring an 85-bed hospital to Lacey, northeast of the city, called Olympia Behavioral Health. The Providence and Fairfax project, which still needs conditional use permit approval from the city of Lacey, is set to open mid-2019 at 7434 Betti Lane NE.

This settlement agreement represents a pivotal milestone, reaching consensus about how best to address the unmet needs of patients and families in our community who need mental health care, said Medrice Coluccio, chief executive for Providence in Southwest Washington, in a statement.

Key to Thursdays announcement is that Providence will no longer appeal the states decision to award a certificate of need  something that is required when a new hospital is proposed  to US HealthVest for its hospital. Providence and its partner had exhausted the states administrative appeals process. The next step would have been to appeal the decision to Thurston County Superior Court.

US HealthVest already has been approved for a conditional use permit in Lacey.

We are ready to begin work on the building, almost immediately, said US HealthVest President and Chief Executive Richard Kresch on Thursday. South Sound Behavioral Hospital could open as early as next spring.

We are eager to do what we would have liked to have done a year ago or so, he said.

Kresch credited Gov. Jay Inslee, who he said was a keynote speaker at a ribbon cutting for HealthVests Smokey Point facility, in helping bring the parties together.

Kresch said the governor was aware of the standoff in Lacey, and was eager to facilitate, recognizing the state was in need of more mental health services. Kresch also said the Attorney Generals Office helped.

Providence spokesman Chris Thomas acknowledged that a representative from the AGs office was involved in the process, and that the Governors office was supportive of addressing mental health needs. The state Department of Health could not be reached Thursday.

Providence and its partner, and US HealthVest, also have agreed to terms regarding patients needing involuntary treatment.

Thomas said both agreed that at least 20 percent of inpatient admission will be involuntary patients.
Please elaborate on inception and growth of Rubique over the period.

The current marketplace for financial products in India is still highly inefficient, time-consuming & uncertain for customers as well as banks. When a customer requires a loan he can either approach a bank directly which proves to be time-consuming or he can visit loan aggregator websites which bombard him with calls adding to his confusion. If he takes help of DSAs then they only do a Move application job. In a nutshell, the entire journey is challenging in terms of time & information. Also due to varied risk appetites of financial institutions (FI), there is no certainty in the process. Today even FIs face a huge challenge of finding the right fit of consumer profile & managing turnaround time. Hence the rejection rates are pretty high in the loan ecosystem. This is the biggest inefficiency of the market. We know that for every borrower, there is a lender willing to lend. However, the customer today has no sure shot way of finding that bank. And this is precisely what we wanted to work on when we thought of the idea for Rubique.

Ever since we have come into action, we have already disbursed a total credit worth INR 2000 crore through our presence across 27 cities in India. The company is constantly working towards eliminating the struggles faced by SMEs and individuals and is assessing need-based capital requirements through its robust technology platform, thereby guiding them with the correct fit of financial institutions.

How is Rubique utilizing technology to enhance digital lending?

Rubique has been the first-ever portal to provide an online platform for one of Indias most crucial &fastest growing segments of SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises). We have been disrupting the traditional lending process by digitizing the financial sector in diverse ways. The advanced technologies used on the platform analyze hundreds of data points to assess the creditworthiness of customers and provide them the offers they are eligible for. The companys unique Online PLUS model comes with paperless-focused features that transform the loan approval and processing  through e-KYC, ranking analysis, and real-time status tracking  into an optimized and efficient system taking up minimal time and greatly increasing accuracy. Rubique also deploys Rubot, an AI decision engine powered bot that eases the transaction experience by using customer data to match the customers financial requirements with the products hosted on the platform. SPOT, an internal data platform run by Rubique covers the entire consumer journey from lead generation to disbursement for all types of loans and credit cards. Through the deployment of these tech-driven solutions and the access to the products hosted on the platform, Rubique offers a wide range of loan products and end-to-end loan fulfilment to individuals and SMEs.

How has technology fueled the entire digital lending industry? How is it helping to take on the traditional banking system in the country?

By inculcating technology, digital lending firms are streamlining the lending process, lowering the cost of booking loans and increasing transparency &most important of all, reducing the rejection rates. It is bringing about a transformation in the traditional loan processing practices by simplifying the entire business financing process and bridging the gap between customers & financial institutions.They are able to offer a perfect match as per product & capital requirement fit. This enables to reduce time significantly in the initial search process & brings in more predictability for the customer. Technology allows fintech companies to look beyond a persons credit scores depending on the nature of the loan and monitoring the borrowers social media profiles, business pages, and cash flows to decide upon the creditworthiness with accuracy. The countrys traditional way of banking and loan disbursements is definitely taking a backseat in this scenario.

What are your unique financial products and services?

Rubique opens up a brilliant one-stop advantage of making informed decisions, increasing the predictability in terms of credit approval, ensuring hassle-free support without any ambiguity, and rolling out an elaborate list of financial products for consumers and SMEs. It enables users to access loan products expeditiously through tools such as e-KYC and expedites the process of in-principle approval of credit card applications. The platform further ensures a hassle-free and seamless lending process, thanks to its massive integration with lending systems of multiple financial institutions.

On the other hand, the new approach guides financial institutions towards qualified leads, ensures faster turnaround time with better conversion rates, promises low cost of acquisition, and allows them to provide financial access to customers who are new to banking and credit.



Where is all Rubique present pan India?

We are constantly striving to become the largest online marketplace for loans in the near future. Currently, we are present in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Bangalore & Hyderabad. Bangalore is our technology hub, whereas we are now entering Vizag to be a part of Indias upcoming fintech valley in Andhra Pradesh. By next year, we will expand our operations into more cities across the country.

Highlight your accomplishment



Amid all the fintech firms operating in the country today, Rubique stands out as one of the few success stories driving Indias rapidly-growing digital financial services sector. Recently, the company was selected by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to be a part of the first batch of its FinTech Regulatory Laboratory (RegLab) program. The company will now develop and test its fintech innovations further as part of the program. In the Paris Fintech Forum 2017, Rubique was among 130+ fintech participants shortlisted across 25+ countries. At the prestigious Benzinga Global Fintech Awards 2017-New York, Rubique was the finalist in the category of Best Lending Platform Tool, competing with globally renowned fintech players. Recently, Rubique has also been featured in IDCs FinTech 101 list for Asia/Pacific and mentioned as one of the 10 fast-growing fintechs in India.

Meanwhile, we have recently partnered with the Andhra Pradesh state government to be a part of its Fintech Valley Initiative. We are foraying into the geography with Rubiques first branch in the city of Vizag. As part of the alliance, Rubique will not only collaborate with the nationalized banks, but will also focus on making an adequate and skilled talent base available for deployment in the sector by tying up with institutions to bring in academic courses related to fintech and blockchain.

What are your plans for next fiscal and growth this year until now

The aim to bridge the lending gap. Not only we focus on creating advanced technology solution but we also work with ecosystem partners for effective distribution so it reaches to customers & they can benefit out of it. The plan is to expand and reach to 100 cities more to address the credit problem of various customer segments.

Any specific plans for technology advancements

Data is an oil. And we will strive to become the data rich organization. Despite initiate hurdles, our influencer network of Business Associates have started adopting to technology platform (SPOT & App) and helping us with more data capture at sourcing. This is just a small win for us but a big validation of adoption. To enrich the existing platform further, we are implementing various other features for data enrichment like deep integration with CIBIL, credit scoring based on alternative data sources. We are also working on AI/ML technologies to make customer journey more intuitive, seamless as well as generate business insights. Now that we already have 1,00,000 customer database with us, we will be hiring data scientist who would start mine the data for further proactive built upon the same.

Anything else you would want to share

Fintech is at an interesting juncture overall. With the favorable market scenario of banks openness towards fintechs, government support etc, we will soon be witnessing paradigm shift in traditional industry practices. With growing aspiring population, there will be further force for market leaders to look for change to fulfill new age customers need to take instant & informed decision. This is just a start, we have exciting phase ahead.

Technuter.com News Service
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Support for terror outfits must be forced fo stop: India

Terrorist groups have gained territory, India said at the UN.

PTI, United Nations :

Supporters of terror organisations like Taliban, Haqqani network and Lashkar-eTaiba must be forced to stop and all safe havens must end, India has told the UN Security Council, expressing concern over the collapse of security situation in Afghanistan.

Terrorists continue to attack the most vulnerable, including the sick in hospitals, children in schools, devotees in mosques and even mourners at funerals. Terrorist groups have gained territory, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN, Tanmaya Lal said during an open debate of the Security Council on Afghanistan.

"The support for terrorist organisations like the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed from outside Afghanistan, must be forced to stop," Mr Lal said. "All safe havens and sanctuaries available to such groups outside Afghan borders must end. Security Council has an important responsibility in this regard in our collective interest," Mr Lal said.

"The continued resilience shown by the Afghan people and security personnel has been exemplary but hopes of a better future still appear distant. Our regular consultations and the work done by the Council have not been enough to more effectively reverse the situation on the ground," he added.

Mr Lal said it has been painfully clear since long that the security situation in Afghanistan has implications not only for the region but the entire world. "While new threats emerge from the Daesh, the Security Council cannot even decide whether to designate the new leaders of Taliban or to freeze the assets of the slain leader of the group more than a year after the issue was brought to its attention," Mr Lal said.

In his address to the Security Council Afghan Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud Saikal said Afghanistan's patience on indiscriminate shelling from across the border by Pakistan should not be tested.

"Under the pretext of receiving fire from our side, Pakistan's violations across the Durand Line, including indiscriminate artillery shelling, has continued unabated throughout 2017, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and destruction of villages," he said.

The proposal of Afghanistan for engagement and operational coordination towards addressing these concerns has not seen any response, he told the UN Security Council.

"At the same time, Afghanistan has the will and the capacity to defend its territory and our patience should not be tested," Mr Saikal said.

Afghanistan believes that confidence building measures can only be successful when violations of this nature come to a complete halt, he said.

"In a similar vein, we are also in communication on the imperative of addressing terrorists' regional safe havens and hope to see positive developments on this front soon," he said, adding that Afghanistan looks forward to the upcoming trilateral meeting in Beijing next week between the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.

Washington: US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terror organisations in its soil, Vice President Mike Pence has said during his unannounced visit to Afghanistan.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over," Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.




Army supports peace talks with India: Pak Gen

PTI, Islamabad :

The Pakistani military is willing to support the government if there's any chance of peace talks happening with India, the country's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said in a rare briefing to the senate or the upper house of parliament on Tuesday. For the first time in six years, Pakistan's military heads came to parliament-a civilian institution-to brief lawmakers on the country's security situation.

The last time the Pakistani military leadership briefed a joint session of parliament was in May 2011 when former army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and former intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha came to speak on the killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces in Abbottabad, a cantonment city 110 kilometres north of capital Islamabad.

On Tuesday's briefing, General Bajwa said the Pakistani military wants good ties with all neighbours, including India and Afghanistan, the BBC Urdu reported. "We can resolve issues with India through talks instead of war.

In this situation if the government decides to hold talks with India, then the army would back the government," he said.

The military heads met with the civilian leaders for four hours, according to local media. However, senate chairman Raza Rabbani criticised lawmakers for allegedly leaking details of the in-camera briefing by the army chief, saying they violated the sanctity of the upper house, news agency PTI reported.

"If we keep up with the same attitude, no one will be able to take the House into confidence," he said, adding senators should know that in-camera sessions should not be made public.

Gen. Bajwa was accompanied by Director General of Military Operations Maj. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI Naveed Mukhtar and Director of ISI Public Relations Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor.

Pakistan's army wields considerable influence over policy decisions in the country. The US has accused the Pakistani military of not being sincere in the fight against terrorism, as on the one hand the Pakistani military is considered an ally of the US in battling the Taliban and the ISIS, but on the other hand the military has been accused of sheltering terrorists who are fighting Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir.




Anger with China drives Uighurs to Syrian war

Uighurs living in Turkey and Turkish supporters, chant slogans as they hold a Chinese flag before burning it during a protest near China\'s consulate in Istanbul

AP, Istanbul :

The Chinese interrogators held burning cigarettes to Ali's face, tied him against a tree and beat him as they tried to get the Uighur farmer to say he took part in an ethnic riot that killed dozens in western China.

That winter night in the Chinese city of Kashgar in 2009 set Ali on a path that ended in northern Syria where he picked up a Kalashnikov rifle under the black flag of jihad and dreamed of launching attacks against the Chinese rulers of his homeland.

Since 2013, thousands of Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority from western China, have traveled to Syria to train with the Uighur militant group Turkistan Islamic Party and fight alongside al-Qaida, playing key roles in several battles. Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops are now clashing with Uighur fighters as the six-year conflict nears its endgame. But the end of Syria's war may be the beginning of China's worst fears.

"We didn't care how the fighting went or who Assad was," said Ali, who would only give his first name out of a fear of reprisals against his family back home. "We just wanted to learn how to use the weapons and then go back to China."

Uighur militants have killed hundreds in attacks inside China in a decades-long insurgency that targeted symbols of Chinese authority and, in recent years, civilians.

China is also a victim of terror, its officials say, and Uighur men are influenced by global jihadi ideology. Muslims in the Uighur homeland of Xinjiang, as one Chinese official declared in August, "are the happiest in the world."

But rare and extensive Associated Press interviews with nine Uighurs who had left China to train and fight in Syria showed that Uighurs don't neatly fit the profile of fighters answering the call of jihad.

There was a police trainer who journeyed thousands of miles with his wife and children to Syria, a war zone. A farmer who balked at fundamentalist Islam even though he charged into battle alongside al-Qaida. A shopkeeper who prayed five times a day and then at night huddled with others in a ruined Syrian neighborhood to study Zionist history.

And there was Ali, a short, soft-spoken 30-year-old with a primary school education who knew little of the world beyond his 35-acre farm when he left China.

For Uighurs like Ali, China had become unlivable since the government launched an expansive security crackdown in Xinjiang after the 2009 ethnic riots in Urumqi, the regional capital, that killed nearly 200 people.




Global shares mixed in subdued pre-holiday trading

UNB, Tokyo :

Shares are mixed, with benchmarks slipping in Europe after a day of gains in most Asian markets. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index added 0.2 percent to 22,893.06 following Cabinet approval of a budget plan that includes record defense outlays and an extra 2.9 trillion yen ($25.6 billion) in stimulus spending.

KEEPING SCORE: Germany's DAX slipped less than 0.1 percent to 13,107.59 while the CAC 40 in France fell 0.1 percent to 5,382.36. The FTSE 100 in Britain gained 0.1 percent to 7,608.42. The Dow future contract gained 0.1 percent and S&P 500 futures also were up 0.1 percent, auguring gains on Wall Street.

THE DAY IN ASIA: Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 0.7 percent to 29,578.01 and the Kospi in South Korea climbed 0.4 percent to 2,440.54. The Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.1 percent to 3,297.06 and the S&P ASX 200 in Australia gained 0.2 percent to 6,069.70. India's Sensex climbed 0.5 percent to 33,907.43. Shares in Southeast Asia were mixed.

ANALYST'S PERSPECTIVE: With markets closed for Christmas at the outset, "A week that contains little from the Western world may find seasonal factors taking the rein, particularly the likelihood of profit-taking as the quarter and the year come to an end," Jingyi Pan of IG said in a commentary.

JAPAN DEFENSE SPENDING: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet on Friday approved a 5.2 trillion yen ($46 billion) defense budget to bolster ballistic missile defense capability amid escalating threats from North Korea. The proposed spending would be the sixth annual increase under Abe, who ended a decade of military budget cuts after taking office in 2012. It is part of a 97.7 trillion ($860 billion) national budget for 2018, also the biggest ever.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude gave up 24 cents to $58.12 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added 27 cents to settle at $58.36 a barrel on Thursday. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, lost 17 cents to $64.25 per barrel. It gained 34 cents to close at $64.90 a barrel in London.
Virat and Anushka had a gala time at their wedding reception

Virat and Anushka had a lavish reception in Delhi last night, which was attended many bigwigs and close family members and friends.

The couple wore ace designer Sabyasachis designer creations. Anushka was looking fabulous in Sabyasachis Benarsi Saree and Virat was complimenting her bride in a very subtle and elegant manner. He wore a black textured silk signature Bandgala with hand woven Churidar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also came to wish the newlywed couple. PM Modi spent a few minutes with the couple and wished them for their happy married life. A day before the reception Virat and Anushka personally met the Honourable PM and invited him to the reception.

The couple who tied the nuptial knot on 11th December in Italy returned to India a few days before the reception. The power couple is giving us all major couple goals.


NEF distributes stipend to 10 JU students

City Desk :

Nagao, Natural Environmental Foundation (NEF), a non-governmental organisation of Japan, on Thursday distributed stipend money among 10 Jahangirnagar University (JU) students.

JU Dean of Biological Science Faculty Professor Abdul Jabbar Haolader handed over the stipend money among the students at the counseling room of the university.

Professor of Environmental Science Department Dr Khabir Uddin and Acting Comptroller Mohsinul Kabir were present there among others.

NEF promote the natural conservation in the developing countries and they select 10 students for the scholarship at this university through a three member committee led by Professor Dr Khabir Uddin.




Dispose child abuse cases on priority basis: Minister

City Desk :

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said child abuse related ceases would be disposed of on a priority basis through fast track system.

"Child abduction, missing, killing and violence against them are tied with a same string. So, the exemplary punishment will be taken against those who are involved in such kind of crimes to avert the recurrence of the crimes," the minister said this on the twenty first instant while replying to a question at the Child Parliament Session in the city.

The 15th Child Parliament Session titled 'Stop Violence against Child' was held at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) Auditorium in the city's Agargaon area, said a press release.

Like previous years, the session was held with the assistance of Save the Children Bangladesh, Plan International Bangladesh and Bangladesh Shishu Academy where more than 150 children representatives from 64 districts and 16 special regions of the country joined the event.

The children through posing different questions to the minister pleaded for increasing budget allocation, technical assistance and manpower for effective implementation of the Child Act -2013.

Replying to their (children) questions, the law minister said he will request the finance minister for increasing budget allocation in this regard.

The roles of parents and teachers cast great impact in stopping violence against the children, the minister said urging the parents to become more aware in this regard.

"We will do everything what would require to implement the child related laws and ensure rights of the children. None would be spared by torturing the child," he said.

"They (children) will hold the leading positions of the country in future. It's our responsibility to groom up them as worthy citizens for the developed state," the minister added.

Save the Children Child Rights Governance Division Head Laila Khandaker, Plan International Bangladesh Country Director Orla Murphy and Child Rights and Protection Division Head Tania Nusrat Zaman were present in the session, among others.


8 killed in road crashes

A goods-laden truck skidded off into a road-side ditch in Godagari area of Rajshahi killing a people on Friday.

Staff Reporter :

At least eight motorcyclists were reportedly killed in separate road acciudents in Rajshahi, Madaripur and Gazipur districts in last 12 hours since early Friday.

The bodies were sent to hospital morgues for autopsies, Police said.

In Rajshahi, four persons died in three separate road accidents in Puthia, Godagari and Charghat upazilas.

Two of the deceased were identified as Nazrul Islam, 50, son of one Yunus Ali resident of Chauddapai area of Rajshahi city; Jewel Rana, 27, son of one Azam Ali from Faridpur village of Godagari upazila.

Rajshahi Puthia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sayedur Rahman Bhuiyan said that deceased Nazrul was an employee of Rajshahi University. The accident took place on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway as a truck hit the motorcycle which he and his friend were traveling towards Rajshahi. Nazrul died on the spot and his injured companion were taken to hospital.

On the other hand, Godagari Police Station OC Hipzur Alam Munshi said poultry trader Jewel died when a truck hit his motorbike while he was returning home after offering prayer in a local mosque.

Rajshahi Charghat Police Station OC Nibaran Chandra Barmon said that two motorcyclists were killed as a sandladen truck rammed their motorbike in Baneswar area. They identities could not be known yet; however, hailing from Natore's Kanaikhali area. The deceased were identified as Jesmin, 40, and Saba Moni, 12.

In Gazipur, two motorcyclists were killed while a leguna thrashed them on Modhumoti Road in Tongi area, leaving them dead on the spot at around 5:00pm, said Turag Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Mahmudul Hasan.

The deceased could not be identified immediately, the police official said.

In Madaripur, two motorcyclists died when a Barisal bound passenger bus struck them from behind on the Dhaka Khulna Highway at Panchchar of Shibchar around 5:00pm, said Zakir Hossain, OC of the Shibchar police.

The deceased were not identified immediately, the OC said.
Palestinian killed in anti-US protests

Israeli security personnel clash with a Palestinian protester during a demonstration in Jerusalem\'s old city, as Palestinians call for a \"Day of Rage\" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump\'s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel\'s capital on Friday

Reuters, Gaza :

Palestinians launched more anti-U.S. protests on Friday, and at least one demonstrator was killed in the Gaza Strip, a health official said, after the U.N. General Assembly rejected Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Smoke billowed from burning tires at a demonstration in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, two days before Christmas celebrations in the biblical town. Israeli gunfire killed a 24-year-old Palestinian and wounded 10 other protesters during a stone-throwing demonstration in the southern Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry there said. The Israeli military said it was checking the report.

One of the wounded, part of a crowd that approached the border fence chanting that U.S. President Donald Trump was a "fool" and a "coward", was dressed as Santa Claus, witnesses said. Protests erupted in all of the West Bank's seven cities and in East Jerusalem. Health officials said at least five

Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets fired by Israeli security forces, who also used tear gas. Defying the United States on Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution calling for the United States to drop its Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem, a city revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians, as Israel's capital. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a Christmas message, condemned Trump's reversal of a decades-old U.S. policy on Jerusalem "an insult to millions of people worldwide, and also to the city of Bethlehem". Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in a move never recognized internationally. Most countries regard the status of Jerusalem as a matter to be settled in an eventual Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, although that process is now stalled.

Nine countries voted against the U.N. resolution and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Gaza's dominant Hamas Islamists, called the U.N. vote a defeat for Trump, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected it as "preposterous" and branded the U.N. a "house of lies". But Michael Oren, Israel's deputy minister for diplomacy, seemed to play down the support for the resolution shown by many countries Israel considers friends. "We have an interest in tightening our bilateral relations with a long list of countries in the world, and expect and hope that one day, they will vote with us, or for us in the United Nations," Oren said on Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM. "But I am not prepared to suspend all cooperation with important countries, such as India," he said. Netanyahu, who hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, is due to visit New Delhi next month. Palestinians have protested daily since Trump's Jerusalem announcement, throwing stones at Israeli security forces. Gaza militants have also launched sporadic rocket fire. Friday's death in Gaza raised to nine the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire during the demonstrations, Palestinian health officials said, and dozens have been wounded. Two militants were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza after a rocket attack. There have been no Israeli fatalities or significant injuries.

Amnesty International on Friday called on Israeli authorities to stop using "excessive force".

"The fact that live ammunition has been used during protests in Gaza and the West Bank is particularly shocking," it said. In the run-up to the U.N. vote, Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that supported the resolution. His warning appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the document than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.

But most of the European Union, Israel's biggest trading partner, and countries such as Greece, Cyprus and India, with which Netanyahu has pursued closer relations and economic ties, backed the resolution.
Yazidi sisters reunited after 3 years in IS captivity

Yazidi girls Suhayla, 7, and Rosa, 14, who were reunited with their family after being enslaved by Islamic State militants, w alk at Sharya Camp in Duhuk, of Iraq.

Reuters, Sharya, Iraq :

When Rosa, now 14, asked her Islamic State captors about her younger sisters Bushra, 12, and Suhayla, seven, she was told they had been killed for misbehaving.

"At that point, I didn't care about anything anymore. Even if I died," she said. "I never thought I'd see them again." The sisters were finally reunited on Sunday, more than three years after being

taken by the militants in an assault on Sinjar, the Yazidi heartland on August 3, 2014. Just last week, Iraq declared "final victory" over Islamic State, with parades through the streets of Baghdad in celebration after three years of bloody war.

But the damage done by the militants is not easily remedied: they brutalized Iraqis, exposing fault lines in the country's already fragile social fabric and ripping families apart. For Rosa and her family, though overjoyed at reuniting, the last three years will not be easily erased. The militants shot, beheaded, burned alive or kidnapped more than 9,000 members of the minority religion, in what the United Nations has called a genocidal campaign against them. According to community leaders, more than 3,000 Yazidis remain unaccounted for.

Among them, are Rosa's parents, thought murdered by the militants who rolled their victims into mass graves scattered across the sides of Sinjar mountain, where thousands of Yazidis still live in tents.

The girls' nine-year-old brother, Zinal, is also still missing. Captured and held with them in the nearby city of Tal Afar, he was later driven away to Mosul in a car full of young Yazidi boys. They haven't heard from him since. Reuters could not verify all of the details given by Rosa, Bushra and some of the five older brothers they now live with in a group of tents in the tiny village of Sharya in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

But Amin Khalat, spokesperson for Kurdish government office which helps return missing Yazidis, said Rosa and Suhayla had been taken to Syria and Turkey respectively after being held in Tal Afar and that his office had helped reunite them with their family. He said Rosa was returned from Syria by fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Suhayla by the Iraqi government which was alerted to her existence by Turkish officials who found her at a refugee camp in Turkey. Her family then recognized her photograph.

Rosa said she and her younger siblings were sold, by the Islamic State militants who attacked Sinjar, to a fighter and his family in Tal Afar, a city of predominantly ethnic Turkmen which produced some of the group's most senior commanders. She said she did all the household chores and cared for her siblings and other young Yazidi captives, who lived together in a tiny room. After a year together, Zinal was taken to Mosul, while Suhayla and Bushra were sold off to separate Islamic State families, close to one another, but not allowed to meet. After Bushra's captors took her to Rosa's house for a visit, she said she memorized the route so she could return.

"I would wait till everyone fell asleep in the afternoon, I'd pretend to fall asleep and then sneak out to see Rosa," said Bushra. "They once caught me and threatened to sell me off if I didn't stop seeing my sister but I didn't care." Bushra said she was eventually sold again, but about a year ago, she and six older Yazidi girls ran away and reached Sinjar, where Kurdish fighters helped them find their families.

Rosa was taken to Deir Ezzor, Syria and sold twice more. She said she was originally bought for $4 in Tal Afar and last sold in Syria for $60. "Those dogs made quite a good profit out of me," she said with a wry smile. PKK fighters came across her in Idlib and brought her back to Iraq and her family, she said.
Abducted NSU teacher returns

Captors kept me in a dark room: Mubashar

Staff Reporter :

North South University (NSU) teacher Mubashar Hasan, who was abducted by some unidentified abductors, was kept in a dark room for around one and a half months.

Mubashar returned in his city's Banasree residence in the small hours of Friday after remaining 'missing' since November 7.

"There was only one window in the room, which was always kept shut," Mubashar said breaking down in tears early Friday.

"The kidnappers had blindfolded me before forcing me to board a vehicle. Then they dropped me somewhere on the Airport Road saying, "Go straight. If you look back we shall kill you. I called a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and returned home," said Mubashar, while narrating his return.

While talking to reporters in front of his Banasree residence, the NSU teacher said, "The captors used to argue with each other whether they would kill me or not."

Coming out of his residence with his father, uncle and sister in the morning, he exclaimed, "Such a bright day after so long!"

"There was a dirty mattress in the room where they locked me. I slept on that," said Mubashar, an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the NSU.



"There was another room. I could overhear them talking. They used to serve me food brought from cheap hotels."

Mubashar said he heard the kidnappers talking about money often. They also snatched Tk 27,000 he had with him.

"It seemed to me that one of the kidnappers had gone missing. They used to ask me whether any big gun is my friend," the NSU teacher added.

Responding to queries about what had happened on the day of his abduction, he said, "I called a UBER car to return home after attending a meeting at the UNDP building in Agargaon area of Dhaka. I was working on my mobile phone after getting into the car. Soon, several men intercepted the car and said 'this is a stolen car, you have to get down."

"I got down and was about to look for another vehicle. Then someone rubbed ointment on my eyes from behind and I was thrust into a microbus. They gagged something on my mouth and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in a dark room."

Mubashar thanked the media for their role during the time he was 'missing'.

"It seems that we have got a new life. We are very happy," said Mubashar's father Motahar Hossain.

Replying to a query about the reason behind his abduction, the NSU teacher said: "They might have thought that I am a rich person."

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Media) Masudur Rahman said that police were investigating the incident.


Entry level edn at risk!

Teachers' crisis at 8,500 pry schools

M M Jasim :

Bowltali Primary Government School in Kolapara upazila of Patuakhali district has just one teacher for at least 100 students. He does everything from taking classes to managing official activities of the schools.

A total of 70 students are studying at Jolahar Government Primary School in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila. Their classes are not held regularly as they too have only one teacher in the institution.

Anas Soren, the teacher of Jolahar Government Primary School, said, he cannot perform his academic activities properly. "It is very difficult to take all the classes every day. Sometimes, I have to attend meeting. Some students also have stopped to come to the school. I have nothing to do," Soren said.

These are not separated cases, but few among many. There are at least 71 such government primary schools across the country, the Primary and Mass Education Ministry sources said.

Not only that, there are as many as 721 government primary schools all over the country where two teachers work in each school. At total of 7,764 schools are also suffering from teachers' crisis.

As a result, the academic activities of these schools are hampered tremendously and the rate of drop out of the students is increasing.

According to the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (UNESCO) at least one teacher is a must for 46 students

at entry level education. The government fulfilled the condition of the UNESCO at 61.8 percent schools all over the country. The rest of the 38 percent schools are suffering from acute teachers' crisis hampering the academic activities.

Director General of Directorate of Education Dr Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal said, the Primary and Mass Education Ministry has already taken many initiatives to reduce the teachers' crisis. "Most of the schools have adequate teachers. But we are trying to ensure it at cent per cent schools." he said.

Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Chowdhury told The New Nation that the students are increasing every year at the entry level. But unfortunately the government's response is not satisfactory as there are teachers' crisis at many government and non-government primary schools.

"The Ministry should minimise the vacant posts appointing skilled teachers. It will be good for the education sector," he said.

He also suggested the government to take proper step to ensure quality education at the entry level.


Dhaka Cantt makes entry pass mandatory from Jan 1

bdnews24.com :

No-one will be allowed to enter the Dhaka Cantonment without pass from Jan 1, according to the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate or ISPR.

The decision is meant to ensure security inside the cantonment, said ISPR Director Lt Col Mohammad Rashidul Hasan. A notice board with seven rules was set outside the Jahangir Gate on Thursday.

It says cantonment residents (Matikata-Zia Colony-MP Checkpost and Rajanigandha Super Market-Sainik Club MP Checkpost) must collect passes from the Dhaka Cantonment Board by Dec 31.

The rules, however, are not applicable to those who travel through the cantonment by bus.

People who work in houses located inside the cantonment (caretaker, guard, driver and domestic worker) and relatives of cantonment residents have to apply for temporary resident passes.

Homeowners will be accountable for any absconding or convicted criminal found in any house inside the area. The area cannot be used for holding any political activity, according to the notice.

Similar notice boards have been placed at other entry points, one army official told bdnews24.com

"Anyone willing to walk through the zone has to collect a pass while entering and hand it over to officers on duty at the other gate while getting out," he said.

The notice does not specify what penalty may follow for any breach of the rules.

"This is nothing new, rather a renewal of the old rules set for civilians. People already owning passes must apply for validity extension and others must apply for new passes," Rashidul told bdnews24.com.
Defying Trump threat, UN rejects US decision on Jerusalem

AFP :

Defying President Donald Trump's threat to cut off funding, the United Nations overwhelmingly approved on Thursday a motion rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The 193-member General Assembly adopted the motion by 128 to nine with 35 abstentions, in what Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour called a "massive setback" for the United States. Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo joined the United States in opposing the measure.

Among the countries that abstained were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Romania and Rwanda. Speaking ahead of the emergency session, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the General Assembly that the United States "will remember this day."

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem," Haley said in defense of the US move, which broke with international consensus and unleashed protests across the Muslim world. "No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that," Haley said. "But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN." "When we make generous contributions

to the UN we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected," she said.

The resolution reaffirms that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations, and that any decision reached outside of that framework must be rescinded. Without explicitly referencing the US move, it "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council." While resolutions by the General Assembly are non-binding, a strong vote in support carries political weight. Ahead of the vote, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the UN as a "house of lies," saying Israel "rejects outright this vote, even before it passes." "No General Assembly resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem," vowed Danny Danon, Israel's envoy to the United Nations. Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki called the vote an "unprecedented test" for the UN, and referenced the US warning that it was "taking names." "History records names, it remembers names-the names of those who stand by what is right and the names of those who speak falsehood," al-Malki said. "Today we are seekers of rights and peace." The status of the Holy City is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides claiming it as their capital. Trump warned that Washington would closely watch how nations voted, suggesting, like Haley, there could be financial reprisals for those that back the motion put forward by Yemen and Turkey on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries. "They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us," Trump said at the White House.

"Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care." The resolution mirrored the text that was vetoed at the Security Council on Monday, and although it does not mention Trump's decision, it expresses "deep regret at recent decisions" concerning the city's status. No country has veto powers in the General Assembly, unlike in the 15-member Security Council where the United States, along with Britain, China, France and Russia, can block any resolution. Among the 14 countries voting in favor on Monday were Britain, France, Italy and Japan and they did so again on Thursday. Ukraine, which supported the draft resolution in the Security Council, was among 21 countries that did not turn up for Thursday's vote. 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 the capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.

Several UN resolutions call on Israel to withdraw from territory seized in 1967 and the draft resolution contains the same language as past motions adopted by the assembly.
Trump abandoned at the UN again

Editorial Desk :

The UN General Assembly in a rare event this time on Thursday voted US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as capital of Israel null and void and having no effect in the eyes of international law. It took place in a highly tense situation of threat of many consequences including aid cut to countries receiving such aid by Donald Trump only after two days of US veto on a similar draft resolution in the Security Council (SC) calling for rescinding the US declaration on Jerusalem. But it failed to make any big difference.

The UN General Assembly said Trump can't alter the status of Jerusalem; which will be decided as part of final negotiation of peace process under two states solution between Israel and Palestine. His decision is in contravention to UN conventions and earlier SC resolutions on the status of Jerusalem. It is dangerous to destabilize the Middle East and the observations made by world leaders are right as uprising is spreading in occupied Palestine with the number

of death rising every day from fire by Israeli military.

The overwhelming vote of 128 supporting the resolution as against 9 against it shows how isolated the USA is now in global politics only due to irresponsible and hectic policies of the ultra-right US President. Those who voted for the USA are mainly Caribbean and Pacific islands not having visibility at global level. It appears the USA is suffering from arrogance of power under a highly deranged President without much bothered to what is good for the US interest and what will degrade the US image to the international community.

The Turkish Foreign Minister has rightly reminded the full house of the General Assembly that threats and bulling will not work over vast majority of nations with least respect to their national interest. But the US representative Nikki Haley said no matter what it comes, the UN decision would make no difference to US policy on Jerusalem. It will however surely make difference in the US policies and attitude towards the world body to suggest the USA will retaliate.

In her words, member countries have shown disrespect to the USA and it will not forget the humiliation. Nikki Haley is not recognising the oppression and insult meted out by Israel on a regular basis to the Muslims of Palestine. In fact, Israel has been armed by America to be a nuclear country only to punish the Muslims of the Middle East. She also have failed to take into consideration how helpful the Muslim countries have been to America.

She made the renewed threat after her earlier threat that the USA will take names of those countries, which will vote for the resolution failed to stop the bulk of the members to vote for the resolution. Her threat also presumably includes cutting financial contributions to UN budget. Trump has already withdrawn from UNESCO cutting the annual contributions and more such steps may now follow. By all indications the USA is folding back from its role as world leader under President Trump and only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is one praising him saying the UN is a 'House of Lies' and he is a hero.

Isreal is being used against Muslim countries, but Israel is not helpful to America's greatness. Netanyahu is condemned by world for committing genocide against the Muslims.

We are happy that the Muslim countries and the world at large have been able to take a position against President Trump's anti-Muslim policy towards Palestine.




BNP searching new strategy for inclusive polls

Central leaders of 77 committee busy in districts to revive grassroots

Reza Mahmud :

Bangladesh Nationalist Party is drafting a new strategy in order to compel the government to form an election time neutral government.

"The ruling Awami League has snatched the people's franchise right. They are not ready to give AL any more chance to hold the one-sided national polls again. What strategy we will follow will be clear in due time," said Ameer Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a Standing Committee Member of the BNP to The New Nation on Friday.

He added if the government think that they will be able to hold another one- sided national polls as they did on January 5, 2014, it will be fatal one.

Sources said, the senior leaders of the party are designing new strategy to meet the demand. In the same time they are also drafting plans to lead the party from the front if the party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is convicted in cases filed against her.

Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, the government wants to keep our party chief away from next election. But the people will remain with us. The party leaders also said that the middle and grassroots level leaders of the BNP favour the party's participation in the next election.

"The grassroots level leaders and activists want fresh programme and preparations for taking part in the election, free and fair. They do not want to remain in the dark. They have by this time suffered lots and as such they dislike hesitation," one of the Central Organising Secretaries of the party told The New Nation preferring anonymity.

He said the party high command has formed 77 committees with central leaders to conduct organising tour in every district to revive morale of root level leaders and activists.

One of the senior leaders said, the next Parliament election is not far. It is high time to regain all out morale of our leaders and activists across the country.

The party leaders and activists have to appear in courts often as cases after cases have been filed against them without valid reasons. Thus they have to spend lots of time. Still they are morally strong and want to take part in the national election. The Rangpur City Corporation election result did not weaken them, as the zone is under the grip of the Jatiya party.

When contacted, BNP Joint-Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal told The New Nation,"The central leaders of 77 committee's are now trying to solve all problems facing the activists. But we think the major issue is to compel the government to form a election time neutral government."

Alal said, "It is not only our party men, but the whole nation is deprived of voting right. The people are now waiting for a direction from Begum Khaleda Zia. Our Chairperson must give the direction in time."
Multimillionaires accounts on rise

Economists warn of growing income inequality

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

The number of multimillionaire depositors in Bangladesh has increased by 10 per cent in the last one year from June 2016 to June 2017, reflecting rising personal fortunes but income inequality in the society.

Economists said the rise of multimillionaires is the evidence that a particular class of society become rich as a result of significant rise in their disposable income when income inequality and poverty remain a major challenge for the national economy.

The number of bank accounts holding from Tk 1 crore to above Tk 50 crore stood at 68,891 in June 2017 while the number was 62,418 in June 2016, according to the latest Bangladesh Bank (BB) report.

"The number of high-value accounts has witnessed a steady growth over the past decade as a result of rising personal income by a group of people in the society. Their income rise is linked by the recent expansion of businesses and formal and informal economy.

"But the dark side of the development is the rising inequality in the society as a smaller number of people reap the benefit of the thriving economy," Dr Zahid Hussain, World Bank's lead

economist in Dhaka, told The New Nation yesterday. Bangladesh now has several hundred of millionaires while the total number of millionaires was only five in 1972. It was just 47 in 1975. The total number of multimillionaires stood at 46,136 in 2014.

"Bangladesh has made great success in expanding economy, extending life expectancy and reducing extreme poverty and illiteracy, but income disparity remains a key problem," said Dr Zahid Hussain.

He warned, "It requires urgent attention. The growing inequality could threaten Bangladesh's gains."

The BB figure show, a total of 853 people had accumulated more than Tk 50 crore in deposits while 54,317 had accumulated over Tk 1 crore in deposits at the end of June this year.

At the end of June 2016, 49,463 people had accumulated above Tk 1 crore in deposits in their bank accounts.

At the end of June 2017, a total of 387 people mobilized more than Tk 40 crore deposits, 177 people deposited more than Tk 35 crore, over Tk 30 crore by 259 people, Tk 25 crore by 455 and Tk 20 crore by 742 people. The number of people holding deposits of more than 15 crore is 1,707. The number of people who have deposited more than 10 crore is 2,698 and 7,733 have deposited more than Tk 5 crore.

"The increase in the numbers of multimillionaire account holders highlight the widening gap between rich and poor and how a tiny minority is getting rich to richer," Binayak Sen, a leading economist told The New Nation.

He said the growing inequality is the biggest barrier to social and overall economic development in the country. "We must address the issue urgently if we want to be a viable nation with social justice," he added.

"Bangladesh has made significant inroads in its fight against poverty. But the growing inequality could overshadow the spectacular success that the country has achieved in various sectors," said economist Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman.

He said the rising number of multimillionaire indicates that a tiny section of people are getting richer while the majority is facing formidable challenge to cope with their constant income. We must look forward to do a lot for the struggling masses to sustain economic growth and social welfare.
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I've had trouble writing this postI'm not primarily a critic but rather a teacher at heartso I guess I'm going to square up to it and say what I want to right up front: I think this book is Judy Dater's masterpiece, and I also think it solidifies her position among the major American photographers of the second half of the 20th century.

That's not entirely why I love it. It moves me. It moves me in many ways: at the basic level, I get a thrill from the wonderful black-and-white reproductions. I love the fact that it's about humans without being about humanity: it shows individuals, even when it's just a back or a pair of hands, never descending to the generic or the symbolic...and especially not to the objectified. The pictures are as gorgeous as fashion photography but they are the opposite of fashion photography; Dater is a respecter of souls. I love it that almost every photograph is individual, too...how does she do that? Every picture is fresh, as if newly seen, unlike all the others (mostly; there are a few classic portrait-style portraits, but that comes off as artistically purposeful in context). I love it that there's modulation to the arrangement of pictures on the pages, sometimes one to a spread, sometimes two, some large, some small, no rules. Even one (just one) that spans the gutter, a common no-no, but in context it's like Judy's saying I'll do that too, it'll be all right. I like the book's design.

You can't get this book from Amazon (yet, anyway, although I don't know if you'll ever be able to). And it's a little awkward that it's dated 2018...does that mean I should have waited till next Christmas to pick it? But it's available now and it's not 2018 yet. The only way you can get it is to go to the de Young Museum website and buy a signed copy from them. It costs $49.95. [See Update below also.] You can take my word for it that this is a good thing to do with fifty dollars.

Every band that's been around a while gets used to audiences calling out the name of their biggest hit at concerts. Legend has it that Ludwig von Beethoven got tired of the eternal popularity of the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata. I don't know Judy, but we've corresponded, and when this book was gestating she mentioned to me that she was considering not including "Imogen and Twinka, Yosemite, 1974," which is her Free Bird, her You're So Vain. I argued that she should include it, because people who aren't going to bother to grasp the whole project still need the handle to hold on to her with, some familiar handhold to get themselves oriented. Judy solved the problem perfectly neatly: the famous picture is there, page size, but it's included not in the plates, but in the elegantly written front matter by Marilyn Symmes. So if you will have only one Dater title in your library, it will have her most famous picture in it, peeking in from past the door frame.

A brief description of the book: it consists of 100 portraits and nudes, arranged not chronologically or thematically but "according to the artists psychological and artistic perspective over time" as the press release says. The pictures are of people of many races, young and old, male and female, famous and not (the famous ones include some photographers and curators, which is a bonus for us). It does contain genitalia, just so you knowmaybe not the thing for the coffee table in all homes. But none of the nudes are of the lascivious sort.

But you want to know what moves me the most about this book? In concert with the photographs, of course. Because of my, and (most of) our, particular identity as people who love photography but don't get to be artists primarily. It's in the luminous, beautiful little artist's statement at the beginning of the book. Judy describes herself at age 23, living alone in an apartment on Haight Street in San Francisco, contemplating a group of photographs she had made for a photography class she was taking. One by one, all the pictures fell away for her but oneone which, for her, had the magic. In a brief sentence, Judy writes, "At that moment, my path in photography became clear to me."

It's called "Anna" and here it is:

It opens the portfolio section of the book. It's as good as any other picture in the book...as lovely as any portrait by anyone, honestly. By a 23-year-old taking a photo class.

It's the picture that told Judy Dater what to do with her life. The clarity, intention, self awareness, and purposefulness of that moment she describes just takes my breath away. Isn't that what we all wanted, my friends? Isn't that the best that could have happened to us? To be so clear about our artistic intention and promise from the very outset, and to continue along the chosen path of bravery and beauty for fifty-two years?

That's just plain wonderful, if you ask me. It's nothing less than artistic freedom the way I look at it. I will always cherish this book for the view it illuminates of that voyage.

In short, then, a must for the library of any one of us who does portraits and nudes; warmly recommended with heart and feeling for everyone else. A lovely book. One to enjoy in many ways. Our Book of the Year, in this season of one year ending and another beginning.

Mike

(Thanks to Judy)

UPDATE Friday a.m.: I've just learned that book can be ordered directly from the publisher, for a reasonable shipping cost at least to U.S. (I wasn't able to determine the rates for international shipping.) I assume Judy will get the most benefit this way, too. So my recommendation if you want a copy is to try this method first.

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

B&H Photo  Amazon US  Amazon UK

Amazon Germany  Amazon Canada  Adorama

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Del Bomberger: "Love Judy Dater, have for a very long time. Rushed to the website to order at what I consider a fair price only to be thwarted by the shipping cost. I'm just not going to pay 1/3 of the price of about anything significant for delivery in this day and age. Museum bookstores it seems to me need quit trying to squeeze every last cent from sale. On the other hand, I will certainly work the exhibition into my travels from where I am and will be able to get it there. I really have little interest in signed copies also. It remains the work that has the value to me. Bah, Humbug!"

Tom: "$67 to ship to the UK. Crikey."

Mike replies: Just posted an update about that. I'm afraid this one is going to be very hard for most people to get, and there's little that can be done about that. I'll keep on top of it and if a better way to get it opens up, I'll let people know.

To Del, it's not that the Museum bookstores are "trying to squeeze every last cent from a sale." It's just that they're not set up for mail order sales in any volume. Their main charter is to sell merchandise to in-person Museum-goers, and they only do mail order occasionally as a courtesy.
UPDATE to the Update: I just learned that you can buy the book directly from the publisher, with reasonable shipping costs. I don't know what the shipping costs might be to other countries, but when I went through the checkout procedure they were going to charge me $8.50 to Upstate New York. So try this method first. More news as I get it. Mike the Ed.

-

This one's going to be hard to get, I'm afraid. The publisher is small and Only Human is its first and only photography book.

Hennessey + Ingalls Art and Architecture Bookstore in L.A. have gotten hold of a few copies (Judy did a signing there) and have posted it on Amazon. Only a few, though. [Note: gone as of 1 p.m. Friday. Ed.] They might be able to get more.

There are only 1,000 copies total in the press run, and most of those will be reserved to sell at the de Young Museum during the exhibition the book is based on. In fact the publisher wasn't even going to release it until then. It's the exhibition catalog.

I got a very nice note from Judy after she read the review. She seemed genuinely touched by what I wrote. If you read the post before the review, you know I had some reservations about my ability to convey the emotional nature of my response to the book and to the work. I think I did okay, though. Judy was a photographer I admired when I was in art school in the '80s, and it's been a rich and relevant experience for me to come full circle with her life's work.

I'm sorry the book is not more readily available, but then, some books are, some books aren'tphotography books are inherently difficult to produce and distribute, and there's little consonance between what's good and what's easy to get. Some dreadful books are all over the place and some great ones are difficult to obtain...as any longtime book buyer or collector knows all too well. I didn't know much about the book's distribution before I wrote about it. If you're balking at the shipping costs from the Museum store, I don't blame you at all (and Judy says she'll do what she can to look into that), but it's worth mentioning that after the book is out of print, which is likely to happen fairly soon, the price plus the shipping might well seem like a bargain. Consider our Book of the Year from last year, Multitude, Solitude: The Photographs of Dave Heathit's out of print now and the prices of used copies on Amazon as I write this run from $130 (double the price when it was new) to $296.

The "Only Human" show is at the de Young Museum in San Francisco from April 7th to September 16th, 2018. When it begins I'll try to remind you.

Mike

(Thanks to Greg Edwards and several other readers)

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

B&H Photo  Amazon US  Amazon UK

Amazon Germany  Amazon Canada  Adorama

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Winwalloe: "It's interesting that Jorg Colberg's book Understanding Photobooks that you wrote about a few days ago specifically discusses shipping costs as an important part of a publishing project."

Dave Kerr: "Judy Dater was one of my instructors at the San Francisco Art Institute in the spring '74 semester, around the time she made the photo of Imogen and Twinka. As a long time admirer of Ms. Dater's work, I look forward to adding her new book, Only Human, to my library."

Joe: "It's a Christmas miracle! I ordered the book from the de Young as soon as you described it here, and it arrived this morning! Just in time to be wrapped and slipped under the tree for my wife (a portrait photographer)."
SPRINGFIELD  Sometime in 2018, the Illinois Labor Relations Board is expected to hear the unfair labor practice charge filed this summer by the Laborers International Union of North America Local 773 after federal housing officials moved to end the collective bargaining agreement between the Alexander County Housing Authority and the union representing employees.

HUD Secretary Carson ends contract between ACHA and Local 773, citing financial concerns CAIRO  Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, in a memo dated Tuesday, moved to end the collective bargaining agreement between 

According to records The Southern obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, ILRB Executive Director Kimberly Stevens moved to have the complaint heard at a hearing, which means that after an investigation, she determined that the state panel has jurisdiction over the matter, and that there are issues of law and fact to be determined.

In the Complaint for Hearing document she filed on Sept. 13, Stevens did not state an opinion on the matter, as the outcome will be determined during the hearing process in Springfield. A date has not been set yet for hearings to begin in Springfield, though Stevens said recently the process would likely begin next year.

The unfair labor practice charge filed by the Local 773 claims that the Alexander County Housing Authority failed and refused to bargain in good faith.

The charge was filed shortly after Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, on June 27, issued a determination directing the immediate abrogation of the collective bargaining agreement between the ACHA, which federal officials are operating under administrative receivership, and the Local 773, which up until that point had been representing all full-time employees of the local housing authority, as it had for years.

Employees at the time were working under the terms of a five-year contract agreed to in October 2010. Though the contract had expired, it included language the labor union interprets as continuing to cover employees until which time a new agreement is reached, which is common language in employer-labor contracts. The charge states that on June 26, the parties met for mediation but did not reach an agreement.

The memo from HUD came the following day, and it took union leaders by surprise. At the time, the then-general manager of the Local 773, Kevin Starr, told The Southern he thought progress had been made that day, and noted that mediation often takes multiple sessions to reach a deal.

But according to the unions charge, on June 28  on the heels of Carson issuing the memo  Towanda Macon, a member of HUDs ACHA recovery team, informed employees their employment with the housing authority would end in 30 days, and that the contract no longer covered the terms of their employment. The Local 773's charge states that these decisions came following an agreement in May to proceed to mediation to assist efforts to reach a new agreement.

At the time, HUD spokesman Jereon Brown said that the decision was necessitated by the fact that the ACHAs finances were seriously troubled, and that the agency could not afford to pay the salaries and benefits agreed to in the 7-year-old contract. In a letter around that time sent to the school district, Carson described the ACHA as nearly bankrupt. The memo Carson signed off on directing the ACHA to end the Local 773's collective bargaining agreement stated that it contained extremely favorable terms for the employees and "no protection or flexibility for the ACHA.

Starr, who is no longer with the Local 773, called the contract sloppy in an interview in the fall of 2015. This summer, in response to HUDs decision, Starr said that some of the benefits contained in the contract were excessive, but he said that some of those above-and-beyond the norm benefits, such as two retirement accounts for employees, were included at the request of James Wilson, the former executive director, not the Local 773.

Starr said, at the time, that he thought that there had been movement toward reaching an agreement fair to the ACHA and employees.

In the ACHAs official response filed with the ILRB, the local agency denies that the Local 773 represented employees at the time the contract was abrogated, which is at the heart of the legal matter. The reason it gives is that the contract had expired on Sept. 30, 2015. The contract in question states that it takes effect on Oct. 1, 2010, and "shall automatically continue year to year thereafter." It further states that either party wanting to change or modify the agreement was to give 120 days notice prior to the Sept. 30, 2015 expiration of the contract. HUD took over the ACHA on Feb. 22, 2016.

At the time the decision was announced in June, Brown, of HUD, said ACHA employees were told that they would have the option of reapplying for a new set of positions that HUD created and deemed essential to carry out the duties of the housing authority within its financial constraints.

The agency estimated that eliminating the positions of 19 full- and part-workers and then rehiring to fill specific needs would save the housing authority about $339,886 annually of the $705,550 it was paying in salary and benefits, according to a financial document that was provided to The Southern when the decision was announced.

The workers were informed that all but one of the new positions would be part time, up to 32 hours, and that employees will no longer receive any benefits beyond pay, such as health insurance, annual bonuses or employer pension contributions, and no longer be covered by a collective bargaining agreement, Brown said in June.

This is completely illegal in our view and every resource we have we will use to make sure they follow the law, Starr, of the Local 773, said at the time, in response. In September, the Local 773 removed Starr from his position as general manager as the union was placed under "emergency trusteeship" by the international.

Local 773 placed under 'emergency trusteeship' as general manager is ousted over allegations of firearm intimidation MARION  The Laborers International Union of North America Local 773, which has been the subject of scrutiny for its alleged involvement in e

In doing so, LIUNAs Washington, D.C.-based president, Terry OSullivan, stated in a letter obtained by The Southern that the general manager was removed from the post related to multiple reports he was carrying firearms and ammunition in a threatening matter at the local union hall and while on official union business, causing others to also carry firearms while attending union meetings. Starr has declined to comment on the allegations to The Southern.

The Southern previously reported that Wilson, the former longtime director of the ACHA, and the Local 773, seemed to enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship, based on a review of numerous public records. As well, in 2013, HUD officials informed the ACHA it was a conflict of interest for John Price, the union negotiator, to also sit on the ACHA board. Records indicate that Price voted on contracts as a board member that he negotiated as the union representative for ACHA employees covered by the collective bargaining agreement.

Earlier this year, HUD successfully imposed a three-year debarment against Price for what the federal agency claimed was a conflict of interest. That means he is not allowed to participate in the administration of federally funded programs until the sanction expires.

HUD takes administrative action against 3 former ACHA directors and plans to seek civil penalties CAIRO  Housing and Urban Development has proposed an indefinite ban for two former ACHA executives and a three-year ban for a board member fr

If the ILRB hearing process comes out in the Local 773s favor, the ACHA could be required to pay back wages and benefits, or other remedies. Brown, of HUD, said the ACHA, which remains in a financially precarious situation, has not set aside any funds to cover costs in the event the ruling is not in their favor.
A 23-year-old Marion man has been sentenced to serve five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on a Class 2 felony charge of dealing meth.

According to a news release from Williamson County state's attorney Brandon Zanotti, James Avant pleaded guilty to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance (meth). He was sentenced on Wednesday to the five-year prison term.

The release states Avant was arrested July 18 and has been in the Williamson County Jail since then. It also states Avant had previously been sentenced to prison on a burglary conviction.

 The Southern
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has granted 10 petitions for clemency and denied 78 other requests.

The Republican's office announced the clemencies Friday.

The petitions granted were for crimes including retail theft, burglary and drug possession. Some of the cases are decades old, and none of the people were sentenced to prison for their crimes. In most cases they were sentenced to probation.

People whose clemency petitions are granted may go to court to try to have their criminal record expunged. All have undergone a recent criminal background check through an Illinois law enforcement data system.

Rauner announced last year that he'd eliminated a backlog of thousands of clemency requests he inherited from previous governors.

 Associated Press
A federal judge has ordered the city of Springfield to pay more than $330,000 to civil rights attorneys who represented two panhandlers in the legal fight over anti-panhandling laws in the city.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports the order came after the 2007 panhandling ban in downtown Springfield was found to have violated the panhandlers' First Amendment rights.

City attorney Jim Zerkle says Springfield will look to see whether it can extend the payments to the Chicago attorneys over 10 years. The city has already paid the panhandlers, Karen Otterson and Don Norton, $2,500 each under an agreement to dismiss the case.

A federal appeals court struck down part of the 2007 ordinance prohibiting a verbal request for a monetary donation, saying it infringed on the First Amendment.

 Associated Press
Editors note: The weekly Illinois Bicentennial series is brought to you by the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors and Illinois Press Association. More than 20 newspapers are creating stories about the states history, places and key moments in advance of the Bicentennial on Dec. 3, 2018. Stories published up to this date can be found at 200illinois.com.

On July 4, 1778, the bell rang and the battered people of Kaskaskia gathered. They found themselves under new rule. George Rogers Clark explained that the revolutionary government was not interested in changing their faith, but wanted to give them liberty.

The once British-occupied territory had been liberated by Clark, who was fighting for the Continental Army. About four decades later, this small settlement flanked by the Mississippi River would be the home to Illinois first capital.

There is a lot to Kaskaskias story  a lot that wouldnt be gleaned by a visit to the sparse island on what would seem to be the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. Emily Lyons, curator for the Randolph County Archives and Museum, said she has spent the last 20 years working to preserve the countys history in an official capacity, but has spent her life immersed in it.

Lyons said her family can be traced in a direct line back to settlers who came to what was then the Kaskaskia peninsula in the 1700s  Lyons explained that the peninsula became an island after years of deforestation along the banks of the Mississippi, as well as soil erosion, created a perfect storm in April 1818 when an ice pack at a bend in the river finally caused what was left of the remaining ties to the mainland to gave way.

Lyons explained that Kaskaskia began as one building  in 1703, the Jesuits built a chapel. Not long after, a small population of native peoples and 12 French settlers called the place home. By 1718, and several church buildings later, the chapel became a parish, the Immaculate Conception Church.

Lyons said the population grew, and, in 1725, Kaskaskia was incorporated by the French. She said Kaskaskias location on the Mississippi River made it ideal for shipping the agricultural goods being produced in the region, but most valuable perhaps were the furs being trapped and sent to the garment trade in Europe. She said over the course of its history, the once-bustling community garnered the moniker of the Versailles of the West. In fact, the Liberty Bell of the West was gifted to Kaskaskias Immaculate Conception in 1741 in recognition of its importance. The bell still sits among the scattered historic buildings left on the island.

Lyons said before being incorporated, the king of France had sent a military detachment to build what would be Fort de Chartres. This proved to be a valuable asset in the years and conflicts to come.

After the French and Indian War ended, in 1765, Britain took the fort. Lyons said because of poor conditions there, the British moved to Kaskaskia, which is where Clark found them during the Revolutionary War. Lyons said while Clark and his men, who took Kaskaskia without a drop of blood being shed, announced they were happy to let the residents live their lives as they chose, they would need to be supplied. She said the following winter was a hard one as many larders had been raided to help with the war effort.

Lyons said after the war ended, Kaskaskia was part of several different territories. First it was part of the Virginia Commonwealth after the Treaty of 1783. Then it was in the Northwest Territory until it was part of the Indiana Territory in 1800. Finally, in 1809, Kaskaskia was part of the Illinois Territory.

When President James Monroe signed off on Illinois being admitted as the 21st state in the union in 1818, Kaskaskia was chosen as its first capital. But it didnt last long. Within a few months of acquiring statehood, Vandalia, which was not even populated at the time, was chosen as the states new capital as many favored its more central location within the original 16 southern counties. The first meeting of the second General Assembly was held at a newly constructed statehouse in 1820.

Though at one time home to a vibrant population, Kaskaskia Island now is home to an almost startling quiet. Fewer than 100 people call the island home, with miles (in some cases) between houses. The Liberty Bell of the West sits encased in a brick shrine and the Immaculate Conception Church, its final brick building, just a few yards away. Yawning trees dot the grounds.

Lyons said while Kaskaskia is not the tourism hub of, say, Abraham Lincolns estate in the current state capital of Springfield, she is happy with things the way they are. She said many who still live on the island do so for a reason  its quiet. She said her biggest struggle as curator is getting people to see the value in history, as well as seeing the value in keeping historic buildings standing when possible.

Sometimes the impression is new is better, she said, noting the irony that many buildings that replace historic structures are often estimated to last only a few decades while those that come down have lasted centuries.

She said she always tries to explain the value in these historic places. And when she loses, she is not happy.

Its not a good feeling, Lyons said of seeing pieces of her countys history meet the wrecking ball.

Lyons said she wants to preserve her homes history and wants to ensure the buildings and museums can be maintained. This has been no easy task, as budgets in Illinois have shrunk in recent decades. However, she said she has to strike a balance when it comes to Kaskaskia: The grounds and buildings need to be kept up and the history should be celebrated, but not at the expense of those who still call Illinois first capital their home.

The rich and famous go off and buy islands so they can have a secluded place to live, and we dont have to do that, Lyons said. We have a secluded place.
A senior U.N. envoy who visited Pyongyang this month carrying a pressing appeal for diplomacy was told by his North Korean hosts that it was "too early" for steps that might ease the confrontation over their nuclear program.

"There was no sense of urgency" among North Korean officials, said one source familiar with the Dec. 5-9 journey by Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. undersecretary for political affairs and a former senior U.S. diplomat. His trip, which has received relatively little attention, was the first to Pyongyang by a high-level U.N. official in six years.

The North Korean reluctance to enter talks now puts it on a potential collision course with the United States. President Trump warned this week: "America and its allies will take all necessary steps to achieve a denuclearization and ensure that this regime cannot threaten the world; ... It will be taken care of."

The exit ramps from this crisis appear to be narrowing in both Washington and Pyongyang, creating new worry, frustration and resolve. North Korea's seeming disinterest in any early negotiations was "convincing diplomatic theater, if it was theater," said one analyst.

Feltman made three requests of the North Koreans during his 15 1/2 hours of talks, sources said. He proposed that they reopen military-to-military channels that were cut in 2009, so that the risk of accidental war might be reduced; he urged them to signal that they were ready to engage the U.S. in talks, following their Nov. 29 proclamation that North Korea had completed its "state nuclear force"; and he asked them to implement Security Council resolutions condemning their weapons programs.

To dramatize his message about the risk of unintended conflict, Feltman gave North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho a copy of historian Christopher Clark's study, "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914." Ri was the most senior North Korean official Feltman met.

Feltman was carrying a letter from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, arguing that Pyongyang's attempt to gain nuclear deterrence could produce the very conflict that it seeks to avoid. Feltman's message was reviewed before the trip by the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Russia, the nations that joined in the "Six-Party Talks" with North Korea in 2003-2009 that sought unsuccessfully to halt its nuclear program.

Analysts interpreted the North Korean response as an indication that Pyongyang plans more missile and nuclear tests to convincingly demonstrate its ability to strike the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-tipped missile. "They don't feel they are quite there yet," said one source. Such additional North Korean weapons tests might trigger a U.S. response.

The North Koreans engaged in spirited exchanges with Feltman, posing many questions about U.S. decision-making, the sources said. But they were elusive when asked to explain how they wanted the U.S. to change its "hostile" policy toward the regime, and what they meant in the Nov. 29 announcement that North Korea had completed its state nuclear force.

The North Koreans evidently want to bargain, but from a position of maximum strength. They agreed, for example, that a restoration of military-to-military contacts would at some point be necessary, but not yet. They also agreed that denuclearization is the ultimate long-term goal for Korea, but not yet. And they expressed interest in a follow-up meeting, though nothing specific is planned.

One perversely encouraging sign is that after Feltman urged the North Koreans to engage the Security Council more closely, U.N. ambassador Ja Song Nam attended a Council discussion Friday with Guterres and senior diplomats focusing on the danger of accidental war on the Korean peninsula.

In the 10 days since Feltman's mission, concern about the danger of conflict has increased in Washington. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reiterated last week that he wants talks with Pyongyang: "We're ready to have the first meeting without precondition; ... we can talk about the weather if you want." But the White House was displeased, and Tillerson backtracked, saying that Pyongyang would have to "earn its way" to the table, presumably by halting weapons tests. Tillerson's aides say he just wanted "talks," not negotiations.

A chilling warning came last week from National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who said that U.N. sanctions against North Korea "might be our last, best chance to avoid military conflict." Asked Tuesday by CBS-TV about the North Korean nuclear threat, McMaster said: "I don't think we can tolerate that risk."

The sleepwalkers of 2017 should consider: On the brink of conflict, you never know just where the edge of the cliff may be.
We see him every Christmas. Hes in malls, yards, books, movies  Santa Claus is everywhere.

You would think everyone would know at least something about him. But how much do we really know about Saint Nick? That hes an over stuffed little elf-guy in an oversized red-and-white coat and nightcap?

Actually, theres a lot more to the story.

The pudgy fellow who has elves bringing him hot cocoa and lists of names to check is not the real Santa  hes not even close. In reality Saint Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra, a place in modern-day Turkey, in A.D. 325, not an old man at the North Pole.

He was wealthy and known for his (sometimes secret) benevolence, his compassion on the poor, and his giving of gifts to children. But he also became famous for another, more violent act.

There was another bishop named Arius who was spreading false doctrine in the churches, saying Jesus Christ was not fully God. Nicholas was called to the Council of Nicea with more than 200 other bishops to refute Arius beliefs, and while rebuking the blasphemer, Nicholas also chastised him, slapping him on the cheek.

Arius lies were found out and his writings were burned, but the council was also angry at Nicholas for his somewhat irate behavior while defending the truth. They took away his title of bishop, but because the people loved him so much, they reinstated him and later even sainted him  thus, Saint Nicholas.

People began making him a legend, and as with most legends, the truth was looked over as the tales grew taller and people adopted their own versions of them. Over time, the German and Dutch names for Saint Nick, Saint Nikklass and Sinterklass blended to form Santa Claus, and the different stories and traditions about Nicholas became the one that we see all over the world today.

Santa Claus wasnt the chunky, crimson-clad chap everyone supposes he is  he was a generous and gallant pastor who stood for truth (albeit a bit harshly). He was firm in his belief in the Scriptures and the Deity of Jesus Christ, and would not back down because of an emperor or a blasphemer.

This began as an explanation of the real man behind the legend of Santa Claus, but there is another Man who needs to be unveiled, a Man who has been misrepresented for so long that His real nature and character has been almost totally forgotten by the majority of humanity.

But the difference in the two hidden identities is the amount of importance they carry. If we dont know who Saint Nicholas really was in contrast to the chunky crimson-clad chap, the worst repercussion would be lack of knowledge of a historical figure. If we remain ignorant of the true identity of Jesus Christ, much more detrimental consequences are in store.

Jesus Christ is God, the Creator of the world. When He created men, He knew that we would transgress and go against His perfect Law, but that was why He made us in the first place. In Himself (the Trinity) God cannot display some of His attributes, such as His graciousness and mercifulness. So He created humankind, people who would sin but also people He would save.

When we sin by lying (even a "white lie"), looking with lust, stealing (from a hundred dollars to a paperclip) and blaspheming Gods name (saying Oh my G-o-d), we are storing up punishment for ourselves in the form of hell, where Gods benevolence is absent and His wrath is poured out on those who break His Law, the Ten Commandments.

When a law is violated, the violator must pay the penalty. But Jesus Christ came to us, God manifest in human form, to live the perfect life that no one could and die the death that we could not, taking all the wrath of God upon Himself to satisfy the demands of the Law.

Though He was perfect and sinless, He took our place as the sinner, and paid the infinite amount of debt that we owed in full. Because of that and His giving us His righteousness, we are able to be seen by God as justified and righteous if we repent and turn from our sins and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

As you go about your business this Christmas season, dont forget that Jesus is not just the baby in the manger  remember that He is the Lord Almighty who will return to judge the entire world. And as you think about that, think about whether youre ready.

Merry CHRISTmas!
By Trend





Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation of Islamic religious figures of the North Caucasian republics of the Russian Federation.

President Ilham Aliyev, touching upon the 2017- Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue international conference held in Baku, said the event contributes to further rapprochement of various religions and peoples, strengthening of international cooperation.

The Azerbaijani president expressed satisfaction with the participation of Islamic religious figures of the North Caucasian republics of the Russian Federation in the conference. He stressed that such meetings held on a regular basis serve to further strengthening of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, including the North Caucasian republics.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that despite completion of the year 2017, announced the Year of Islamic Solidarity, Azerbaijan will continue contributing to the solidarity of the world Muslims, cooperation among Muslim countries, and from this point of view, an upcoming coordination council will create good possibility for future joint activities.

Speaking on behalf of the guests, Ismail Berdiyev, a senior Muslim cleric of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic of the Russian Federation, said that as always, they are greatly satisfied with meeting President Ilham Aliyev.

He expressed deep gratitude to the president of Azerbaijan for the support given to the organization of the international conference titled 2017- Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue at a high level and noted with satisfaction the contribution of this event to the strengthening of friendship among the peoples.

Commemorating the great leader Heydar Aliyev with deep respect, Ismail Berdiyev said the policy pursued by Heydar Aliyev for the well-being of the Azerbaijani people is successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. Berdiyev noted that the development processes seen by members of the delegation during their current visit to Azerbaijan, as always, made a great impression on them.

Expressing gratitude for the warm words, the Azerbaijani president stressed that stability, peaceful coexistence of representatives of different religions and peoples play an important role in improving the welfare of the people and in ensuring the rapid economic development of Azerbaijan achieved in recent years.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that Muslim countries experience problems that cause concern. Strengthening of solidarity among Muslim countries is of great importance for the elimination of these problems, he said, stressing that Azerbaijan will continue to make its contribution to this.
















Eleven agreements and memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed at the 2017 iktva SMEs Forum and Exhibition, organised by Saudi Aramco, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.



The event was inaugurated by Prince Saud Bin Nayef Al Saud, Governor of the Eastern Province and he witnessed the signing of the agreements.



The forum aims to implement the five-year iktva Program which emphasises compliance with its standards to enhance the in-kingdom total added value of local content, said a statement.



The inauguration was attended by Prince Ahmed bin Fahad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of the Eastern Province; Khalid Al Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and chairman of Saudi Aramco; and Amin H Nasser, Saudi Aramco president and CEO; and several executives from major international companies, investors, and business leaders.



The MoUs were signed with Taqa, Tecnicas Reunidas, SNC Lavalin, Zamil Offshore, Schlumberger (two contracts), Advanced Electronics Company, Saudi Oilfield Processing Company, Baker Hughes, JESCO and the Eastern Province Young Businessmen Council, it added.



Prince Saud then awarded excellence awards to several manufacturers and energy service providers for their efforts and commitment to apply iktva principles.



The iktva Excellence Awards went to Schlumberger for Best Overall iktva Performance, Al Zamil Contracting Company for Most Improved iktva Performance, Arabian Drilling Company for Best in Training & Development, Halliburton for Best in SME Development, and winners of the Best SMEs award were Global Company for Downstream Industries (GDI), Innosoft, and AZR Technologies.



The forum highlighted the central and vital role of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) Sector within iktva program, which aims to establish a supply system that relies on local resources in line with international standards to maximise local content to reach 70 per cent by 2021, it added. - TradeArabia News Service
The tumult over sage grouse management in recent months appears to have calmed, but in a recent letter Sen. John Barrasso reminded the feds once again to avoid controversial strategies for managing the imperiled bird, like setting population targets.

Sage grouse management is in flux this year, after the Interior Department opened up more than 90 management plans concerning the bird for review and potential revision. The two-year-old plans were the result of years of collaboration, particularly in Wyoming, on best practices for keeping the bird from being listed as an Endangered Species.

Managing the bird by population, as is done with some species but scientists dont recommend for grouse, does not compliment Wyomings way of doing things, the senator implied in his letter.

The senators words of caution echo similar sentiments from the environmental community and Gov. Matt Mead, and they are in response to both the favorable attitude towards population targets from Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke and an Interior review of the sage grouse plans published in August.

The senator does not take any other clear positions in the letter, listing instead the various and sometimes competing approaches to handling the birds decline. He advocates for the need for consistency across the birds 11-state range, but flexibility for the diversity of interests in each state. He also asks Interior to respect the established reasons for the birds declines, while exploring innovative strategies.

Barrasso notes Wyomings decision to allow a captive breeding program as an example of a creative approach, echoing the Interior secretarys interest in farming sage grouse. Wyomings governor and most wildlife biologists discourage breeding the bird in captivity as a solution to its decline.

The senators comments arrive just weeks after sage grouse leaders said the feds were coming around to Wyomings point of view and taking a more measured approach to changing federal management plans than was originally thought.

The deadline for public comment on changes to the Forest Services rendition of the federal plans is Jan. 5. Changes have also been proposed to controversial rules in U.S. Fish and Wildlife policies and most of all, in the Bureau of Land Management plans.
CODY  When the 750-pound charging grizzly ran over Tammy Copson, the impact hurled her into the air.

It felt like a bus hit me, she said. I bounced when I hit the ground.

And then things got worse. The monstrous bear loomed over her, opened its jaws and chomped down on the side of her head.

I could feel the pressure of it biting me, Copson said.

Her mind raced. Oh, no, oh God, please dont kill me, she thought.

She was terrified this far-fetched scenario could end her life.

Copson, 52, of Acworth, Georgia, came to Wyoming in late October for an all-womens elk hunt with Boulder Basin Outfitters. It was a horseback trip in the rocky terrain above Wapiti on the outskirts of Cody.

The bear also severely injured guide Jon Sheets, 46, who was blindsided while he was field dressing the elk that Copson had shot.

Copson until now has remained silent about what happened that evening.

Sheets, of Powell, was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Billings, Montana, for treatment of multiple wounds. Copson was ferried by a different helicopter to a hospital in Idaho Falls, bleeding from the head and left leg.

They were two of five people injured by bears in Wyoming this year.

Both spent days in hospitals. Both were sent home for recuperation. Both have returned to the hospital for additional surgery and have more scheduled.

They shared one of the most frightening experiences humans can have in the wild, but they had not yet shared notes of what went through their minds and how they have coped since.

Survival is the first goal in such a dangerous situation, and the aftermath means processing what you have been dealt by such a powerful creature.

As the bear dragged her a few dozen feet from Sheets, Copson thought, Please Lord, dont let me die.

Copson lives about 30 miles from Atlanta, and she and her fiance, Keith Whatley, hunt whitetail deer and turkeys.

He got her started in hunting a couple of years ago. A friend signed up for the all-womens elk hunt, and Copson joined her.

This was a chance of a lifetime, Copson said.

There had been shopping and admiring the scenery before the hunt began on her first visit to Wyoming.

It was beautiful country, and I loved it, she said.

The hunt began Oct. 25. On the fateful day, the group of five hunters, plus guides, scouted for elk in the high ground. None of the elk seen were close enough for a shot.

As darkness closed in, the decision was made to return to camp. Copson and Sheets were together on horseback when they spied 10 or 15 elk in a ravine, as Copson remembers.

After dismounting, she aimed her .308 and fired from 280 to 300 yards. The first shot missed the target completely, yet the elk did not flee.

It actually didnt move, Copson said.

The second shot was true, and the elk fell. The remaining elk just moseyed off, she said.

Copson and Sheets descended, and she took a few photographs. Wow, she had an elk. She was thrilled. Sheets radioed camp to report the kill and declined an offer to help dress it.

As the sun hid behind the hills, they put headlamps on. Sheets was on his knees, wielding a seven-inch knife on the elk. Copson assisted, pulling the legs apart.

They were in bear country at a time of year when bears are trying to stockpile calories for winter hibernation, so there was always the threat a bear might intrude.

Sheets told Copson to say, Go away bear as loud as she could.

However, the next thing she uttered was, Bear! in a yell.

There was no time for evasive action. The grizzly storming out of the dusk was so fast Copson was caught flat-footed.

The bear steamrolled her, then grabbed her by the left thigh and tried to turn her over. She fought to remain on her belly. The bear dragged her away from Sheets over a dip in the terrain so he and the elk were out of sight. In the struggle, her headlamp came off leaving her in the dark with the bear.

I thought, Please dont let this be real, Copson said. I dont want to die like this.

The bear gnashed at her leg with claws or teeth or both, creating a river of blood.

I didnt go into a full panic, Copson said. I told myself to stay tucked as tight as I could.

Then the bear abandoned her.

Copson, who could not stand, began crawling uphill and when she crested the top, she saw Sheets silhouetted by his own headlamp, wrestling with the bear.

I could see him being tossed around, Copson said.

She did not realize Sheets was stabbing the bear with the field knife.

The sharp blade made little more impact on the thick-coated, huge animal than a spoon would have. The bear dropped Sheets, smashed his left arm and jumped up and down on his back.

Then the grizzly grabbed the elk carcass and dragged it off, right over Sheets back. It got what it came for.

Both bloodied and hurting, guide and hunter sought to regroup.

I thought it was coming back after me, said Copson, who did not see the bear steal the elk.

Sheets broke the quiet by saying, Tammy, are you OK?

She said, No, I thought it was tearing my head off.

Sheets said Copson was worried about going blind, perhaps because of the blood from her head and another cut on her face, but she has no memory of saying that. He said she dropped the radio, but she doesnt remember ever having it.

A handgun Sheets set aside while processing the elk was never within reach during the tussle. Scared the bear would return, Copson demanded to hold it for protection.

Thank goodness that bear didnt come back, she said.

Between the stress and danger during the bear assault, Sheets said he did not remember everything clearly during the bear assault.

Once the duo rode into camp, with some aid from guides ascending to meet them, medical help was summoned.

I was in horrible pain, Copson said. I could not walk. My head hurt, but my leg hurt the most. I was screaming that it was torn to pieces.

Copson has a four-inch scar where she received stitches in her head. She has a two-inch scar above her right eye and took so many stitches in her leg the medical people told her they didnt count.

Despite the injuries, Copson knows she is fortunate.

Oh, gosh, it could have been worse, Copson said. It could have killed me or torn my face off.

Copson uses a walker to get around. She said no date has been set for her wedding with Whatley and she absolutely will walk down the aisle under her own power.

Sheets is anxious to hunt again. Copson is not so sure she will.

Probably, she said, thinking of whitetail deer and turkey near home. When next year comes around Ill see how I feel about it. I will not go where there are grizzlies.
Caspers new police chief was waiting for a helicopter in the Colorado wilderness when an idea blossomed that would take him across the country and the world.

Keith McPheeters was a Farmington, New Mexico, SWAT team sergeant at the time, and was part of a group that was searching for a suspected cop killer. While waiting for the helicopter, he and his fellow officers decided to honor the killers victim. They later climbed Denali  the highest point in the United States  in memory of Cortez, Colorado police officer Dale Claxton.

Since then, hes summited peaks in every state except for Hawaii.

Now, McPheeters is looking forward to climbing Cloud Peak when the weather warms up. He was named Caspers chief of police in early December.

Just like a mountaineering expedition, he faces some challenges. McPheeters, who rose to deputy chief in Farmington, takes over a department that experienced a tumultuous year. Morale issues became public in April and the previous chief was dismissed a month later. Since then, the department oversaw a huge influx of visitors during the eclipse and then launched an ambitious community outreach effort this fall.

The police department has been in a period of angst, McPheeters said. Not knowing who the new leader was and what direction he or she would take the department.

McPheeters doesnt plan on determining that direction alone. He is meeting one-on-one with sworn officers and employees to help define goals for the department.

I think that every man and woman of the department ought to have some say in it, he said.

Teamwork on Denali

Leading teams into the mountains has taught McPheeters about teamwork, the chief said.

The groups first attempt at Denali came up short. He said he was responsible for that failed attempt at the summit by relying too heavily on his own efforts. The experience made McPheeters take an introspective look at his leadership style and move to a more team-focused approach.

The teams second attempt at the summit, in 2001, was a textbook success, he said.

Since 1998, McPheeters has summited the highest peak in every continental state, as well as on four continents. All of those summits have been completed in honor of police officers that died in the line of duty.

Hes completed those summits as a member of Cops on Top, a nonprofit he founded that sends climbers to mountain peaks across the world in memory of fallen officers.

Stu Frink, a retired Washington State Patrol officer and seasoned mountaineer, contacted McPheeters in 1999 after reading about the organization in a periodical for family members of slain officers. Frinks brother was killed while working for the patrol in 1993. The two men joined two other officers to summit Grand Teton in September of that year.

The two men have pretty much done something every single year since, Frink said.

McPheeters mountaineering experience overlaps well with police work, according to Frink. Whether commanding police officers or holding a rope tethering a climber to the mountain, teamwork, trust and a goal-oriented attitude are essential.

Guys like Keith, Frink said, I definitely trust them with the end of the rope.

The cost of crime

On Tuesday, the chief spoke more extensively on the subject of teamwork, saying he plans to work with local organizations to achieve two goals for Casper: improve citizens quality of life and reduce their cost of living.

The police department can help on both fronts, McPheeters said.

Casper is already exceptionally safe, according to the chief. However, the police department will work to further drop the crime rate and make Casper a safer town.

McPheeters said he is still identifying areas for improvement, but the department will begin by targeting low hanging fruit such as auto burglaries. Those burglaries would be drastically reduced if citizens locked their cars more regularly, he said. The police department will aim to educate the public on the issue to change public habits.

As crime drops, insurers will spend less repairing and replacing crime-related damage. That will lower the cost of car, life and homeowners insurance as well as prices at local stores, McPheeters said.

McPheeters said Wednesday that he would be happy to meet with anyone that has hopes or concerns for the department. Hell be starting with school officials and social service providers.

The department will also be rolling out recommendations related to an outside review of the police department that was completed this fall, he said. The departments command staff met this week and went through the recommendations, prioritizing them.

McPheeters declined to say what recommendations were at the top of the departments list, but pointed out that some of them had already been implemented.

Two officers were recently promoted to sergeant, and a sergeant to lieutenant, filling gaps in the command structure as recommended by the review team.

Meanwhile, a police initiative called Our Community that focuses on connecting officers with citizens was rolled out earlier this fall. That initiative also includes recommendations spelled out in the independent review, like making a complaint form available on the departments website.

McPheeters plans to continue the community-oriented approach, he said. He called for citizens to actively engage the police department.

Regional and family ties

The chief grew up in Rexburg, Idaho  an hour and a half west of the Wyoming border  and has never lived outside of the Mountain West.

Tonya, the chiefs wife of 31 years, came to Casper for the announcement of her husband as chief. She is back in New Mexico now, working as a human resources director, while their son finishes his final year of high school.

The couples three daughters live in Texas and Utah.

McPheeterss family will join him in Casper after the summer, he said. He hopes to draw a hunting tag that would allow him to hunt bighorn sheep in the fall.

Until then, Cloud Peak is waiting.
A Bar Nunn man pleaded not guilty in Natrona County District Court on Thursday to five felony counts alleging he was involved in a summer 2015 home invasion robbery in which three people were tied up in a Casper mobile home.

A conviction on all five counts  which include aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and conspiracy  would mean Gabriel K. Ingles could serve an effective life sentence.

Ingles spoke only to enter his pleas and answer procedural questions from the judge.

Ingles and three alleged co-conspirators made off with cell phones, sneakers, a Playstation 4 and marijuana pipes, according to court documents. The documents indicate that the men planned the burglary because they thought the occupants of the home sold marijuana.

The alleged victim told police that he and his two friends had been sleeping when two men burst into his bedroom wielding guns and a hatchet. The mans friends, both under 18 and thus unidentified in the court documents, were sleeping in the living room at the time, according to the documents. The man told police that intruders had threatened to kill him and his family if he went to police.

Although the robbery is alleged to have occurred in July 2015, police were not alerted until January 2016, when an informant told police a group had robbed another man at gunpoint, according to court documents.

One of the alleged victims told police he also did not report the burglary because one intruder told him he would kill the victims family if police were contacted, according to the documents.

Ingles told a Casper police detective that he had driven three other men carrying duffel bags and a sawed-off shotgun away from the trailer home in question one night, according to court documents.

On Thursday, Judge Thomas Sullins took issue with how the District Attorneys office filed some of the charges. The judge cited a recent Wyoming Supreme Court decision in questioning whether the prosecutions decision to file two charges in a single count against Ingles would stand up in court. One of the counts against Ingles includes both aggravated robbery and accessory to aggravated robbery before the fact. Another one is similar, except the underlying allegation relates to aggravated burglary.

Both of those counts may contain duplicitous charges, Sullins said, though he did not take any further action on the issue.

Ingles remained free Thursday on a $2,000 surety bond. Sullins also questioned the bond amount, citing a concern about community safety.

After a two-and-a-half minute bench conference in which attorneys and the judge spoke outside earshot of the audience, Sullins said he would reluctantly allow the bond to remain the same.

Ingles is expected to go to trial in March.

Konnor Rollison, of Mills, and Tanner K. Davis, of Cheyenne, pleaded not guilty to related charges earlier this year.
Casper police arrested a local man on Thursday night on suspicion of assaulting another man with a knife and battering a woman.

Police have recommended that prosecutors charge Robert J. Veal with aggravated assault and misdemeanor domestic battery. He was expected to appear in court Friday afternoon.

Veal told an arresting police officer that he was acting in self defense, according to court documents.

Both alleged victims said that Veal was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

The alleged battery victim texted a male friend around 8:30 p.m. and told him Veal had assaulted her, according to the documents. The woman later told police Veal had thrown her to the ground and sat on her chest before smashing her personal belongings and calling her by a racial slur.

When the male friend arrived, he parked in Veals driveway, according to court documents. When the woman left the house, Veal began shouting at her and the male friend got out of his vehicle to make sure she was OK, according to police.

Veal approached the man with a sharp object, which the man said he thought was a knife. The two men slipped on the ice and began wrestling before the man realized he was bleeding from his face. The man punched Veal in the face a couple times, he told police.

Veals father, who arrived as Veal was allegedly assaulting the man, pulled the two men apart, he told police. He then gave the alleged victim a towel to stem the bleeding and told him to drive to the hospital, according to the documents.

Veals father told police he may have inadvertently washed a knife used in the alleged assault. He told police he did not know a knife was used in the incident and invited them in to the house to search for the knife.

Both alleged victims were hospitalized the same night. A police officer wrote that the man had a rather large slash mark under (his) eye and above his right eye on his eye lid, according to the documents.

Police arrested Veal at the Seventh Street house the same night. He said he was acting in self defense before requesting a lawyer and declining to answer further questions.
Enrollment fell in many school districts across Wyoming this year, with particularly low elementary numbers in Natrona County.

Statewide enrollment stands at 92,976 students  a drop of 285 compared to last falls 93,261. Natrona County  the second largest district in the state  lost 35 students over the past academic year. District officials have said for months that elementary enrollment had taken a hit, which they speculated was caused by the recent energy downturn. The numbers bear out that drop: Second and third grade were among the lowest for enrollment in the district.

This school year is the second in a row to experience an enrollment decline, after a decade of growth. The one-year drop amounts to about 0.3 percent of the K-12 student population.

Kari Eakins, spokeswoman for the education department, and Megan Degenfelder, the chief policy officer, said that its difficult for them to pin down the cause of the decreases. But Rick Skatula of the Natrona County School District attributed it to the energy downturn.

None of them said the decreases in enrollment were a surprise.

Thats very consistent with what weve been seeing and reporting it out, Skatula said. ...We have folks here who are forward thinking, this is something we anticipated and have for a while.

Natrona County dipped below 13,000 students for the first time since the 2013-14 academic year. Its enrollment this year was 12,975.

That 35-student drop can be slightly misleading. District officials have said that Natrona Countys elementary enrollment was steadily climbing before the downturn in 2015, and that bump is making its way through the higher grades. But in the lower levels, 131 students have left compared to last year, according to the state Department of Education.

Low elementary enrollment  five of seven grades saw a drop compared to last year  was a driving factor in the districts decision to close four schools. The district had nearly 1,000 empty seats for younger students because of the drop in enrollment and new elementary buildings, which had been approved years ago.

Meanwhile, sixth through 12th grade saw a boost for all but two grade levels. That can be attributed to strong pre-bust enrollment in the elementary grades. Those students are working their way through the schools, bumping up higher grade-level enrollment.

The loss of students doesnt just mean empty seats. The districts funding is tied to attendance. A drop means a loss of funding, in a time when education is already losing money because of the states heavy reliance on the energy economy.

Educators call it the double whammy: Students leave and essentially take funding with them, and available state funding dries up.

Indeed, some energy-reliant districts have been hit even harder than Natrona County. Campbell County School District saw an increase in just five grades, and two of them by one student.

Compared to 2015-16 enrollment, 11 of 13 grades dropped in 2017-18 in Campbell County. That represents millions of dollars in funding.

Of the states 48 districts, 25 experienced a decline. Two were tied with their numbers from last year.

Eakins said Sweetwater County School District No. 1 lost the most students at 148, and Sweetwater No. 2 lost 88. Converse No. 2 lost more than more than 7 percent of its students. That district is indicative of the heavy toll small districts pay when students leave. Forty-five kids left Converse 2. The highest percentage loss was Washakie No. 2, at 8.9 percent or 10 students, Eakins said.
A Montana judge has temporarily restricted wolf hunting and trapping near Yellowstone and Glacier national parks and imposed tighter statewide limits on killing the predators. Wildlife advocates sued last month claiming that looser hunting rules adopted in the Republican-controlled state could harm wolf populations. State District Court Judge Christopher Abbott on Tuesday ordered officials to reimpose rules from 2020 that allow the killing of only five wolves per person, instead of 20, and forbid the use of snares for trapping. Abbott also limited hunting and trapping near the national parks. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte criticized the ruling, saying he thinks the judge overstepped his bounds. But state wildlife officials have pledged to comply with the order.
Arizonas construction industry may finally be showing some real signs of life.

New figures Thursday from the Office of Economic Opportunity show total construction employment hit 142,200 last month. Thats 6.2 percent higher than the same time a year ago  the biggest year-over-year jump of any sector of the state economy.

In fact, construction employers added another 1,000 workers just last month.

What makes that significant is that November is typically a slower time for construction. Since the end of the recession, the average month-over-month loss this time of year is about 1,100 jobs.

And there are signs that the situation will continue to improve.

Doug Walls, the agencys research administrator, pointed to an increase in permits for new single-family construction. He also cited higher selling prices, an indicator of increasing demand.

Still, the industry has a long way to go to get back to pre-recession levels. It remains at just 58 percent of the peak it hit in June 2006 when construction employment reached 244,300.

Overall, Arizona added 28,100 private sector jobs last month. That was enough to drop the states seasonally adjusted jobless rate for November two-tenths of a point from October, to 4.3 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent.

Other than construction, the strongest sector of the economy remains in eating and drinking places, with 12,100 more people working at bars and restaurants now than a year ago. That translates to a 5.3 percent annual growth rate.

At the opposite extreme, employment in the states information sector declined by 5.6 percent in the past year. Walls said the loss appears to be among companies who do data processing and data housing.

Not surprisingly, retailers added 13,000 jobs between October and November as they ramp up for the holiday season. But even here, employment levels remain below where they were a year ago, likely because of competition from online retailers.

Aside from the 0.2-point decline in the overall employment rate, Walls said there are other signs of an improving economy.

The rate of discouraged workers declined from 5.4 percent in the second quarter of the year to 5.0 percent in the third quarter. These are people who had previously been employed but have stopped looking because they cannot find jobs.

At its 2010 peak, discouraged workers amounted to more than 11 percent of the labor force.

Theres a similar decline in the number of people who are looking for full-time employment but say they can only find part-time work. That figure went from 10.5 percent in the second quarter to 9.9 percent in the most recent quarter.

That figure peaked in Arizona in 2010 at 18.7 percent.

Every area of the state is doing better now than a year ago with the significant exception of Pima County. The latest figures show there are 2,500 fewer private sector employees now than a year ago, with declines in virtually all areas with the exception of bars and restaurants.

But George Hammond, economist at the University of Arizona, said theres reason to believe those figures are inaccurate.

The numbers come from a survey of approximately one out of every three employers, a list of companies that can change from month to month. By contrast, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does a quarterly survey of all businesses.

Hammond said the differences can be stark. More to the point, he expects that when the state revises its figures early next year, using the data from whats called the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, the number of jobs in Pima County is likely to be higher than the state figures show.

He specifically questioned the state data showing a loss of 2,000 jobs in professional and business services over a one-year period, which is weird, because thats a sector that normally grows.

Hammond said if those numbers were accurate, it would be big news.

Normally if something of that magnitude happens in Tucson, we hear about it, he said. Its in the papers. People are talking about it.

Walls agreed that theres reason to question the Pima County numbers from his agencys latest report.

The methodology used by the his Office of Economic Opportunity shows zero growth in Pima County between the second quarter of 2016 and the same time this year. But the figure is 1.5 percent using QCEW data.

The why behind that great disparity  which seems to be limited to Pima County  is less clear.

Its something in the way theyre working with the sample, Hammond said of the state figures. And Walls had nothing concrete to explain it.
I have two questions that I find myself repeating every day during snack time at Martha Cooper Library: Whats the magic word? and Did you wash your hands with soap and water?

These days, before I can even ask, my regular kids will come up to me with with still-wet hands and say Yeees Ms. Becca, I washed my hands! May I please have a snack? They also know the other magic words, Thank you! Even if a child is nonverbal or too shy to say those magic words out loud, Im happy to teach them how to say please and thank you in sign language.

Technically Im only required to make sure they wash their hands, but I and other staff members at the Martha Cooper Library like to encourage kids to use their best manners.

According to the hunger relief organization Feeding America (feedingamerica.org), 24.8 percent of children in Pima County suffer from food insecurity, or the inability to reliably access or afford healthy food. Not having enough nutritious food is linked to a range of physical and developmental delays and can negatively impact school performance.

Through a partnership with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Pima County Public Library implemented the afterschool snack program. Snack Time provides youth ages 0-18 with a reliable source of healthy food to fill the gap between school lunch and dinnertime. It started small in 2013 at Santa Rosa Library, but has since expanded and is now offered at several library locations across Pima County.

Since its introduction at Martha Cooper Library in early 2016, we have had over 650 children sign up at our library alone. Many of our young patrons hang out at the library for hours after school with plenty of homework, but nothing to eat. As word of the snack program spread and it began to gain traction, we started to notice some tangible results: more kids were attending our Homework Help and ReadStrong programs and there was a considerable decrease in behavioral issues at the library. Children get hangry too, but with a snack to hold them over they are more likely to be respectful, focused, and productive.

With Snack Time in place our young customers are able to get along, play games, teach, and learn from one another whether they are attending Game Lounge, Instant Recess, or any of our other after school programming.

Occasionally, kids volunteer to help me pass out the snacks. Some are good at filling out paperwork to track attendance and others, like 4-year old Elijah, excel at customer service. You-wash-hands-soap-water? hell chatter while offering a bag of Chex Mix and an apple to the next person in line. Yes, Elijah needs redirection sometimes, he is the youngest volunteer the librarys ever had after all, but when he helps me serve snacks its both a reminder of how much hes grown up in the two years Ive known him and a demonstration of the positive impact the program has had on our community.

In the same room where we offer Snack Time we host Game Lounge, which provides a low-pressure environment where kids and teens ages 8-18 can relax and socialize after school. This has been a great opportunity to recruit teen volunteers. In fact, a couple of our regular attendees now help us facilitate Game Lounge while snack is being passed out, all while building relationships with each other and with the younger kids that come to hang out, too.

After school we have many hungry kids at the library, but over the summer our numbers are even higher. In our midtown neighborhood, 89% of families qualify for free and reduced lunch. Summer poses additional challenges as these families cant rely on school lunches to help make ends meet.

So this summer when the Food Bank approached us about hosting a Summer Breakfast program, we jumped at the opportunity. In addition to receiving afternoon snacks three days per week, kids were invited to stop by weekday mornings to pick up things like breakfast bars, trail mix, and fruit. Every Friday they would get to take home a bag of food for the weekend, which included a couple items such as a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter, or a package of tortillas and a can of beans.

Both Snack Time and Summer Breakfast have had an impact that goes well beyond the library. Its been amazing to promote these hunger relief efforts and witness the effects! With our help, food is finding its way into homes and bellies in our community.

Ive worked for Pima County Public Library for 11 years, the last three at Martha Cooper Library. My passion for my job didnt start with Snack Time, but with Childrens Services including Storytime, crafts, and promoting the librarys literacy efforts. In addition to that, supporting the Snack Time program has truly become a labor of loveone that I value greatly.

Im proud to be a part of the transforming role of libraries. They are no longer the shushed vaults of the past, but vibrant community learning centersliving, breathing, thriving organisms. Folks of all ages use the library to access technology that they do not have at home, to learn new skills, to have a venue for their creativity, and to be builders of community. Feeding hungry kids is a natural extension of these services, of our mission, and our values and it demonstrates the Librarys commitment to nurturing and empowering everyone we serve.

Do you know a child who lacks reliable access to nutritious food? Visit the Librarys website for a full list of upcoming Snack Time offerings  www.library.pima.gov

Interested in learning more about food insecurity in our community? Visit Feeding Americas website to get the facts about hunger in Arizona  www.feedingamerica.org
Frederic Balazs sits for hours a day in an armchair next to his small desk, reading poetry anthologies, philosophical writings and thick biographies of world figures from Benjamin Franklin to Mark Twain.

When his eyes and body grow tired of reading, and the single bed on the other side of his small Sierra del Sol room beckons, he sets the books down next to an old Royal typewriter that has been collecting dust since he arrived at the care facility last summer.

Three fat manila folders, heavy from the weight of nearly 500 typewritten pages, lean against the machine, the bulk of the memoirs that Balazs has been pecking out on that typewriter since late 2013.

He got to thinking back then, not long after turning 94, that he had a lot to say. And the clock was ticking; there would come a day when he could no longer tap into those memories of growing up in Budapest, conducting the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, composing dozens of symphony and chamber works, meeting some of the most important musical figures of his day and raising his family of six in the Tucson desert.

Every once in a while, Balazs will look at those files and consider, for a moment, putting a piece of paper in the typewriter and picking up where he left off. But it has been months, maybe even a year, since he last worked on his memoirs. The memories are still sharp  when he tells stories, he weaves in such vivid details you feel like you are reliving the moments with him  but his fingers cant keep up with his thoughts.

My whole body aches, he said recently, his native Hungarian accent still thick after more than 70 years in the United States. I dont remember a time when I wasnt in pain.

Balazs got sick earlier this year. His runny eyes, long an irritant, started failing him. His hearing deteriorated to the point that simple conversations became frustrating. Then he started losing his balance; he fell a couple of times. One medical mishap after another landed him in the hospital late last spring, then in a temporary care facility before he moved into Sierra del Sol Memory Care last summer.

It took Balazs a couple months to make friends, and even then he only told them bits and pieces of his story.

Here, among the retired veterans, teachers, business executives and artists, Balazs is anonymous.

A milestone day

It was several minutes before he heard the knocks that Tuesday morning.

It was his neighbors Louise and Tom.

Happy birthday! they yelled when he answered the door in his bare feet, his thin grey hair mussed as if he had just awakened.

Balazs looked befuddled.

The pair broke out in a chorus of Happy Birthday and Balazs, leaning on his walker, smiled, nearly blushing at the attention.

Ninety-eight, exclaimed Louise, as Tom stuffed a $1 bill in Balazs hand. He looked down at the bill and shoved it into his pocket.

Louise had recently moved in across the hall; she was in her mid-80s and said she wasnt sure she could imagine herself reaching 98. Tom said he was in his early 70s and didnt really have any thoughts about age on that morning; he was wearing a bike helmet and said he was going on a ride, maybe hit two, three miles before he was finished.

A nurses aide followed Balazs into his room as Louise and Tom went on their way.

Its your birthday? Happy birthday, she told him as she portioned out his daily regiment of pills and eye drops.

Balazs sat gingerly on the seat of his walker and with trembling hands took each pill individually.

A visitor in the room asked the woman if she knew Balazs story: No, she answered.

For the longest time after he arrived at Sierra del Sol, no one knew Frederic Balazs accomplishments  that as the TSO gets ready to celebrate its 90th anniversary in the 2018-19 season, Balazs had been the person largely responsible for laying the groundwork for the artistic excellence in todays orchestra.

In fact, few people outside his small and shrinking circle of friends and family know. The last time the spotlight shined on Balazs Tucson history was in 2009, on the eve of his 90th birthday. The symphony performed premieres of two of his compositions in his honor.

Hes forgotten. His generation has passed, said Stephen Balazs, the oldest of Balazs six children. There are very few of the old network of friends left.

Balazs in recent months has started to share some of his stories about conducting at the TSO and around the world, name-dropping to his new friends some of the music celebrities  among them big band leader Benny Goodman, contralto Marian Anderson, conductor Leopold Stokowski, and composers Aaron Copland, Ferde Grofe and Tucson-born Ulysses Kay  whom he hosted in his 15 seasons with the TSO, from 1952 to 1966.

Those stories fill the pages of his memoirs.

But very few people have read them.

The bells tolled

It was twelve oclock on the twelfth of December in the year of nineteen-nineteen when all the church bells began to toll, boom, clang, boing and kept on toiling, clanging and boinging in an overlapping drone over our great beautiful city of Budapest, not only in Budapest but the world over (a tradition that continues to this day) in celebration of my arrival into this new world of mine. It is a coincidence that it was also a signal of thanksgiving celebrating the end of World War I, the last of all war.

It was the beginning of Balazs story and just one of many scenes of his life that he wrote about, moments he didnt want to get lost in the labyrinth of age.

He recounts memories of his childhood in his native Budapest with his father, a portrait photographer, who got him his first violin and insisted he play Papas favorite, Hubays Hejre Kati (Get Hep Katy or something like that), that is a piece of Hungarian tunes in a virtuoso version which I disliked with a passion, he wrote. Each time he played it, Papa raised his right hand smiling and delighted, his index finger pointing skyward, dangling it along with the rhythm, his eyes shining in pride of me. I was cursed playing that wretched piece for the rest of my musical life.

He recalls studying at the Royal Academy of Music under Hungarian composers Bela Bartok, Ernst von Dohnanyi and Eugen Huber. When he was 17, he landed the concertmaster position with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, one of the youngest players to serve in that position with one of Europes finest orchestras of the day.

It was his violin prowess that allowed him to escape Hungary in 1939 as the country was being squeezed by the communists from Russia and the Nazis from Germany. Balazs had won a prestigious violin competition and was granted a visa to go to the United States to represent the cultural achievements of the Hungarian nation, he said. His brother and sister-in-law were already in the U.S.

For a man who was ambitious and artistic, that was no place to be for sure, Balazs said back in May, sitting at the table in his foothills condo, weeks before his health took its bad turn.

Although his recent health issues have left him weak of body, his mind is still sharp, and when you get him to talking he will tell you detailed stories going back 50, 60 years. He recounts the boat trip from France to New York City in choppy waters that sometimes jerked and rattled the boat. When he landed in New York, he jumped into a musical life of performing, conducting and composing before joining the Army just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served four years before moving to Texas to become music director of the Wichita Falls Symphony, a couple hours drive from his sister, who was living among fellow Hungarians that included her childhood friend Zsa Zsa Gabor. Along the way, he brushed up against greatness, performing under legendary conductors including Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini and Wilhelm Furtwangler.

He is such a good storyteller. He has a great sense of humor, said Ann Iveson, who was the principal cellist in Balazs TSO. She played in the orchestra from 1959 through the mid-1990s.

Glimpses of his life in Tucson course throughout his memoirs, stories of raising his six kids with his wife, Ann, an accomplished pianist from Texas. The couple met during his Wichita Falls days, and although she gave up her career to support his, they performed as a duet in recitals for several years, he recalled. She also was a guest pianist with the TSO.

I remember as a kid, with the chaos of dogs and kids, he would get in the middle of it and compose, recalled Stephen Balazs. Then every now and then he would get up and play a few chords on the piano and then go back to writing. To me that was always amazing.

I never really realized how unnormal my childhood was, he added. I thought it was pretty normal to come home covered in desert dirt and see these tremendous people in our living room. It didnt make an impression on me at all. In fact, I thought it was pretty boring.

He took us to a lot of his rehearsals and that exposed us to the instruments and the music and the people, recalled daughter Cheryl Balazs Chester, who studied cello as a child and played in her fathers summer orchestra in Madison, Wisconsin. We are all pretty talented and gifted musically.

House guests included the whos who of Tucson musicians when his parents hosted artist receptions, including a big party for Benny Goodman. Chester, who was 5 or 6 at the time, said she remembers sitting on Goodmans lap.

We just treated them like just another guy in the house, lets go play ball, she recalled.

When Marian Anderson came to the house, it was the first time Chester had seen an African-American woman up close. And there was the day when a soft-spoken Texan with a carrot-top head came to see their mother. The two old friends sat at the piano and toyed around with a melody.

He would say, Ann, how does that sound to you? And she would say, Van, try it this way, recalled Stephen, a retired California teacher who splits his time between Tucson and Montana. I didnt realize it was Van Cliburn.

In one of his Tucson visits, Cliburn, namesake of the prestigious international piano competition in Texas, performed with Balazs TSO.

Transforming an orchestra

The Tucson Symphony Orchestra had 75 applicants for the full-time conductors job in 1952. Frederic Balazs stood out largely because of what he had accomplished in Wichita Falls. In four years, he had grown the Texas orchestra from a small community ensemble to 85 members that needed a 3,000-seat auditorium to accommodate its growing popularity. Season ticketholders numbered 2,500 and Balazs had launched community outreach and youth programs. A prolific composer, he also had a growing reputation for programming works by American and new composers.

These were the skills that the TSO believed could transform the orchestra, founded in 1928, into a regional voice.

Without a conductor of his vision, we would not be where we are today, said TSO principal harpist Patricia Harris, whom Balazs hired in 1964 when she was an 18-year-old University of Arizona freshman.

When he first arrived, many of the TSO players were not professional musicians. They were college students or public school music teachers. They were paid little if anything for their services and the orchestra performed only a few concerts a season.

He was doing the best he could with the players he had, a lot of volunteers and people who could play very well, and he made an orchestra from it, recalled Iveson, who said that Balazs never treated the musicians as less than professional.

I think he was always proud of what his players did. He felt that he made them grow to their best potential. He made music more than they knew they could produce, she said.

Iveson said Balazs formed a TSO string quartet  he was one of the violinists  and they would perform around the region.

Hed play a whole Bach violin suite. And he was not pretentious, Iveson said. He liked to mix with the common man. He knew that was something true.

Harris played with Balazs just two years before he left for a job in Cincinnati. She remembers that he was fair and did some great music. His biggest contribution to the TSO was encouraging longevity and setting us up for success.

I think he was instrumental and absolutely supportive of building musicians to the best they could be, she said.

Coming home

Balazs left Tucson in 1966 for a job in Cincinnati. He went on to conduct in Hawaii and for years in San Luis Obispo, California, where he founded a young musicians program that was featured in an NBC Evening News segment. He guest-conducted all over the world, making lasting friendships along the way, and continued composing.

When dad visited Montana he would come with his grocery bag of tax receipts and his manuscripts, Stephen recalled. He would spread these manuscripts out on the table and start composing music.

After 40 years, Balazs returned home to Tucson about a decade ago. Iveson and her husband, William, had kept in touch with him over the years, visiting him several times in California and once in Vermont, where he was teaching a summer program. But on one of their last visits she noticed that Balazs was starting to slow down. His eyesight was deteriorating and he didnt seem as energetic as she had known him to be. She convinced him he should come home, be closer to family. She could even hook him up with a fine doctor, her daughter. Dr. Kathleen Iveson.

For several years after returning to Tucson, Balazs seem to regain some of the skip in the step. He lived by himself, drove his own car, swam 10 to 12 laps a day in his condo community pool and regularly went out to lunch with friends. He also organized a few community concerts with musicians from the Faro Islands whom he had become close with.

But age has a way of robbing us of the simple things we take for granted. Eyesight fails and you can no longer drive. You get sick and suddenly your body starts rebelling in ways you hadnt imagined.

I love living alone, Balazs said last May, sitting at the table and thumbing through a worn copy of the History Channels This Day In History. You find yourself. You begin to discover reality. You find the reality right here.

His reality at that point included relying on a walker donated by Iveson. He dubbed it Winthrop the Walker.

Not long after that conversation in May, Balazs got sick and his life changed dramatically.

They determined it would be best if he had a level of care that he couldnt get on his own, his daughter said. But hes still going strong.

I cannot go to the Olympics yet, but Im walking, Balazs said in August, sitting on an armchair in his Sierra del Sol room, propped up by several pillows. I feel good here. But sometimes I lose two or three days. I dont sleep. I go to the bathroom 12 times. Im not shaking my fist to the heavens like Beethoven. Its the life youve got and Im not mad.

I had an incredibly rich life, he said. Im very fortunate.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Dec. 22 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
THEFT SUSPECT ARRESTED HERE

Woman's Remark Said to Have Resulted in Police Trap

A woman's remark last night trapped a man who police accused of the bold theft responsible for robbing the Daniel's Jewelry store of nearly $800 in watches and gems five days ago.

The man said he was Bill Chamberlain, 29. Officers declared he gave them a full confession.

After Chamberlain hurled a paper-wrapped brick through the store window early Sunday morning and scooped up nine watches and several rings, he fled down Stone avenue and made his way to the Heidel hotel, where he was registered under another name, police said he told them.

A squad car called to the scene came within a block of him before he reached safety, Chamberlain was quoted. The man was seen by only one person, Manuel Soto, Arizona Daily Star newsboy of 226 East Sixteenth street.

Two days after the robbery, police said, a woman-friend of Chamberlain let slip a remark that was overheard, and officers were notified.

They watched Chamberlain two days, finally arresting him last night. The man confessed after 20 minutes of questioning, the police declared.

He led them to his loot, which was hidden in his room inside a camera. Chamberlain, the officer said, told them he had served three prison terms in Alabama, one for manslaughter and two for robbing safes. He came to Tucson from that state two weeks ago.

Chamberlain was booked on a charge of night-time burglary.
Two state lawmakers hope to do what has proven politically impossible for decades: persuade colleagues to consider sentencing reform.

Reps. David Stringer, R-Prescott, and Kirsten Engel, D-Tucson, are heading a group to look at why Arizona locks up a higher proportion of people than all but four other states.

You have to go to the Deep South to find higher rates, Stringer told Capitol Media Services. And Stringer, a former criminal defense attorney, questions whether having more than 42,000 people in state prisons is justified.

People in Arizona are not that bad, he said.

Part of the issue, Stringer said, is strictly financial: The budget this year for the state Department of Corrections alone tops $1 billion, more than 10 percent of total spending.

But Stringer said his experience makes him question whether many of the longer sentences imposed, particularly for nonviolent crimes, do more harm than good.

If history is any indication, Stringer and Engel will get a fight from prosecutors.

Bill Konopnicki, a Safford Republican who was a state representative, worked for sentencing reform more than a decade ago, saying the state could not afford the burgeoning costs of its prison system. His efforts included reclassifying some crimes now considered felonies to be misdemeanors.

That incurred the wrath of fellow Republicans, to the point where then-Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, used his position as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee to ensure that any such measures did not even get a hearing.

Former Rep. Cecil Ash, R-Mesa, had no better luck in 2010 with his own special legislative committee, which also looked at sentencing reform. Prosecutors successfully blocked those from becoming law.

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, from Stringers home county, said she is willing to listen.

I am always interested in ideas on how to best protect the public from criminal offenders, ensuring safe and crime-free communities, she said.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said the position he will take depends on whether this is a data driven effort without faulty assumption or another preconceived, rhetoric driven effort.

It could be a chance to highlight what Arizona has been doing right and where we can and need to do better, he said. Montgomery said he wants to focus on reducing recidivism, calling it the most promising approach to evaluating options without jeopardizing public safety.

But dont look for Montgomery to support changes in sentencing.

Those currently incarcerated are those who should be there, he said. Theres no objective data that establishes otherwise.

Stringer said it may be true that people who commit certain crimes should go to prison.

But almost all of them come home, he said. So when do they stop needing to be behind bars?

He said lawmakers need to look at the sentences that judges are required to impose.

Very young people are getting just horrendous sentences, 10-year sentences for fairly minor drug stuff, not heavy dealing, he said.

Anything more than two or three years in jail and you come out a changed man, Stringer continued. And it is completely self-defeating because we end up with a very high recidivism rate.

So what are the options?

I happen to be a big proponent of things like work release, Stringer said.

I dont think people who break the law should get off scot-free, he said. I think they ought to make it up in some way to the community.

More specifically, he wants to ensure the focus is on rehabilitation.

We are shooting ourselves in the foot if we are just locking people up, Stringer said.

He said theres no question that crime is a social harm.

But vengeance also carries a cost, Stringer said, tying up resources that should be going to other worthy causes.

Engel has her own perspective on what she sees as the negative consequences of the states high incarceration rate for nonviolent offenders.

Incarceration makes it harder to get and hold a job, impoverishes families and hurts the economic prospects of entire communities, she said. We can do better.

The Sentencing Project lists Arizonas incarceration rate at 596 people for every 100,000 residents. That compares with a nationwide figure of 458.

It lists only Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi with higher rates.

Stringer is careful to say that the focus of the committee will be on nonviolent offenders. And at least part of the reason for that is political: He believes its less likely to provoke a knee-jerk reaction against any proposals.

Thats always how they crush reform, Stringer said. They say, What are you going to do, put criminals on the street, murderers and rapists on the street? he continued. No, were making it very, very clear that were only looking at nonviolent offenders.

He said it might just be that the only thing the panel can agree on is expansion for treatment of drug offenders.

Gov. Doug Ducey has avoided the potentially hot-button issue of sentencing reform.

But the governor has proven a stronger proponent of providing second chances to those who have done their time as a method of preventing recidivism.

Last year the governor expanded the concept of community corrections, adding a new facility in Maricopa County to deal with those who have been let out of prison but commit a minor breach of their release conditions. These facilities provide an alternative to being sent back to prison and even allow those offenders to keep their jobs.

More recently the governor enacted a ban the box policy for employment at state jobs, eliminating any questions on initial job applications about whether a person has a criminal record. The governor said that will help ensure that people are not eliminated from even being considered.

And he made a deal with Uber, a ride-hailing company, to help former inmates get to their jobs if public transit is not available. The company and the state each are putting up $5,000.
A Douglas man who used to work as a police officer in Mexico was arrested after customs officers found parts of an ammunition belt used by a .50-caliber machine gun in his pickup truck.

Uriel Gonzalez Perez, a 33-year-old Mexican citizen and legal permanent resident of the United States, was arrested Dec. 8 at the Douglas port of entry as he tried to drive a pickup truck into Mexico, according to a Dec. 11 criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson.

Inside Gonzalezs truck, customs officers found 500 links used to connect rounds to form an ammunition belt that can be fed into the large-caliber machine gun, allowing it to fire up to 600 rounds per minute, a Homeland Security Investigations agent wrote in a search warrant affidavit.

The Browning M2 machine gun is often mounted on a vehicle and used by the military in ground and air defense, the agent wrote. The weapon is so large, the U.S. military assigns three people to carry it when it is deployed. The machine guns armor-piercing rounds cost about $3.70 each.

The links cannot be exported legally without permission from the federal government, according to the criminal complaint.

Gonzalez also bought 400 rounds of ammunition for a M60 machine gun in July. The next month, he bought ammunition links for a M60, according to invoices from an online gun store cited in the affidavit.

A pistol and rifle found at crime scenes in Mexico in 2011 were traced back to Gonzalez, according to the search warrant affidavit.

HSI agents in Arizona first learned of the M2 machine gun links Nov. 29, when agents in Cleveland noticed a suspicious package sent from an online ammunition store to Gonzalezs address in Douglas.

Hours before Gonzalez tried to cross the border into Mexico, agents with HSI and Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives watched Gonzalez take the box of links from a delivery truck driver, according to the affidavit.

He then took five black bags out of the box, put them into his truck, and drove to a car wash in a secluded area of Douglas. Agents watched him store the bags in the rear bed of the truck.

Gonzalez then drove to the southbound lanes of the port of entry, where customs officers found four black bags containing machine gun links under the bed liner of the truck and the fifth bag in the main cab.

In an unrelated case from March 2016, customs officers in Nogales found a dismantled tripod mount for a .50-caliber machine gun in the backseat of a Ford Explorer bound for Mexico, federal court records show. The two people convicted in that case, which also included firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, were sentenced to 46 months and 30 months in prison.
The explosion of a World View Enterprises balloon Tuesday is unlikely to blow up Pima Countys economic development deal with the near-space company.

But it could deflate the companys image for a time, and it certainly makes me and my colleagues want to ask a few questions.

World View, as you may recall, is involved in a legal dispute over the deal Pima County struck with the company in 2016, a dispute that is destined for the Arizona Supreme Court. Pima County argues the deal was done according to law, and the appeals court agreed with the county last week.

The Goldwater Institute, which brought the lawsuit against the county, is planning to appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court, where it will undoubtedly be using footage of the explosion to prove its point. Actually, thats not true. Goldwater attorney Jim Manley told me the explosion is unlikely to have any effect on the legal case.

However, my colleague David Wichner and I had a few questions about the incident, which we asked World View officials independently. Here are some of them:

Q: Why did you use hydrogen for inflating the balloon Tuesday rather than helium, which is not flammable?

A: We are not addressing any specifics of the incident, out of deference to the investigation team, which is now being formed. However, both have been used in high-altitude ballooning for decades. Hydrogen is used globally for human and unmanned balloon flight. We have used hydrogen in ground testing, but only helium in flight operations at Space Port Tucson. The fact is that helium is in short supply and not available globally for applications like defense, so its use is a long-term consideration. However, to date our use of hydrogen has been limited to ground testing when required by customers or test objectives. As of now, we do not have any requirements or future plans for using hydrogen in ground testing or flight at the Space Port.

Q: What steps is the company taking to make sure this doesnt happen again?

A: We are initiating an in-depth formal investigation of the incident to determine the specific failure mechanism and root cause so that we can make necessary adjustments to procedures, standards and oversight to ensure that this cannot happen again on our site. We expect to have final results, recommendations and corrective actions, if necessary, in about 45 days.

Q: Will this incident set back the companys development timetable? Will it affect how the company approaches future ground tests or flights?

A: We do not expect this event to affect our development timeline and operational plans for the future, or our ability to address the extensive commercial and government interest being shown in our platform. Even so, we are working to make sure we fully understand the cause, learn everything we can from this experience, and ensure that it wont happen again

Q: What are you doing about damage to nearby buildings?

A: Were fielding the few calls that have come in as expeditiously as possible, and we encourage others to contact us at community@worldview.space to report any issues.

Ducey slams suitors

Gov. Doug Ducey laid down the law this week for those jockeying for Sen. John McCains political position.

Speaking to KTAR radio in Phoenix, Ducey lamented that pundits have been talking about McCain as if hes not around anymore, and that politicians have been mounting stealth campaigns to win an appointment to replace him.

McCain, of course, is suffering from a form of brain cancer that is normally fatal. But Ducey pointed out McCain is recovering from setbacks and should return to the Senate in the new year.

He went on to deliver a sharper rebuke: To the politicians out there that have been openly lobbying for this position theyve basically disqualified themselves by showing their true character.

Who might that be? Ducey didnt specify. The obvious answer is Kelli Ward, who turned off some people in July by seeming to call for McCain to step down and for herself to be appointed in his place.

The less obvious answer, which Ive learned from poking around Phoenix: John Shadegg and Matt Salmon, both of whom are former members of the U.S. House from Arizona. Apparently, cases have quietly been made for them as potential appointees, and the governor didnt like it.

I contacted both of them by email Thursday, and both denied strongly that either had made cases to be appointed to replace McCain, or that they had others lobby on their behalf.

Miller vs. Christy

Back in October, I noted there seemed to be a growing split between Republican county Supervisors Ally Miller and Steve Christy. Now the divisions seems to have grown from a ditch to a gulch to a wash to an arroyo to ... well, maybe not a canyon yet, but its getting deep.

On Tuesday, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to accept recommendations made by Christys appointees to the Transportation Advisory Committee for which roads in his district should be repaired. They did not consider Millers roads.

Miller said she knew this was coming when speaking on the Wake Up Tucson radio show Dec. 15.

Hes advocating punishing me and all the taxpayers of District 1, she told host Chris DeSimone.

On Tuesday, she said at the meeting: I feel terrible that Supervisor Christy chooses to make a motion today that leaves out District 1. I made the motion last week. I included District 4. This is sad.

Of course, one could argue, as yours truly did Sunday, that Christys appointees proposed justifiable modifications to the countys recommendations, while Millers appointees did not. In any case the inevitable split has occurred over the inescapable problem of road repairs.

May they all get together to find a long-term solution.

Harris splits

Conservative talk-radio host James T. Harris has left the air in Tucson.

He announced his departure from 104.1 KQTH on Facebook but did not give details of where hes headed.

I thought the guy was funny, to be honest, but usually ill-informed about local issues. That was demonstrated not just when he asked, sincerely, who elected Chuck Huckelberry to office, but when emails obtained via a public-records request revealed his interviews with Miller were scripted by a Miller staffer.

I was also disturbed when he set an online mob against Tucsonan Zaira Livier after the recent Cup It Up fiasco, in which the restaurants owners committed social-media suicide with in-your-face politics.

But some people around here like him. You know where to find him online, and he said hell be appearing in a new, bigger market soon.
PHOENIX  A Scottsdale Republican lawmaker wants to force city council and mayoral candidates to run with party labels, saying he believes it will help prevent liberals from sneaking into office.

I want people to say, Heres who I am and heres what I believe, said state Rep. Jay Lawrence. And he said making people declare if theyre a Republican, Democrat or something else goes a long way to providing local voters with that information.

There are certain things that a Republican believes, Lawrence said.

Lawrence contends the lack of a label allows some people to get elected who he believes do not represent the people who put them in office. He said having to declare party affiliation keeps candidates from meandering from side to side and kind of being conservative, but never saying, But Im a Democrat.

His legislation, HB 2032, comes nearly a decade after the Legislature moved precisely in the opposite direction.

Jonathan Paton, who in 2009 was a Republican state senator from Tucson, got his colleagues to forbid local candidates from running with party labels. Paton said at the time the issues important to local voters, like fixing potholes and picking up trash, are not partisan.

But there also was a partisan reason behind the measure: Paton conceded he believed that more Republicans would get elected in Tucson, a city with a Democratic majority, if they didnt have to run with the party label.

As it turned out, the Arizona Supreme Court voided the law, declaring the Legislature has no right to tell charter cities like Tucson how to conduct their elections.

That precedent makes it questionable whether the measure would be enforceable in any of the states 19 charter cities, assuming Lawrence could get it enacted. But that ruling does not apply to the other more than 70 communities without charters, leaving the door open for the Legislature to force them to move to partisan elections.

The bottom line, Lawrence said, is the labels would help voters identify the true conservatives.

I think Scottsdale is a great example, he said.

There, he said, conservatives oppose the Desert Discovery Center in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a more than 47,000-square-foot facility to educate visitors about desert living. The $61-million facility would cover about five acres near a trailhead.

Its already been scaled back from its original plans due to protests.

But theres a very liberal cadre that wants it built, Lawrence said, suggesting that a council elected on a partisan basis would never approve such a plan.

Lawrence also believes that, if nothing else, having candidates run with party affiliations will bring out more Republicans voters. He said its part of the whole Trump effect.

Whether you like Trump or not, I believe there is a strength in the president that will taste itself to many who might not otherwise go to the polls, Lawrence said. I think there is an angry electorate at the way Trumps being treated by the media.

What that means, he said, is a Republican might stand a better chance than just a nonpartisan, where you wind up with a Democrat or a friend.

And what of Patons argument that most city issues are not partisan?

Potholes are nonpartisan, Lawrence agreed. But he said party affiliation  and even support for Trump  even can be a factor here.

If you declare your loyalty, for example, to President Trump, I believe that, in and of itself, is an issue that says, Dont worry, Ill take care of the potholes. The other people may not.
Editor

Curt has been with the Star since 2015. He covered the border, immigration and federal courts. He now is the Opinion editor at the Star. He previously worked at the Nogales International.
Thank you for the column about Wendell Harkleroad and his crew rescuing people during the 1967 flood. It's nice to know that there are people who are not just "doing their job" but are willing to put their own lives in danger to help people in need. This helps balance all the negative things we read about.
To my Republican and Democrat friends, please realize that the individual tax rate cuts in the new tax bill for individuals will expire in 2025 and the business cuts do not expire. And that 82 percent of the total windfall financial benefits will go to the Top 1 percent, to our most wealthiest citizens. A presidential "gift" to the working class. I think not.

The 1986 GOP Reagan tax plan had bipartisan support, while this GOP plan barely made 50 percent, all on a party split. Why the rush? Why no conversation? Why the secrecy? Please call your House and Senate representation and ask for an explanation. Unless you are in that 1 percent. If so, congratulations, and I look forward to that trickle down, that new job, that pay raise. Did I also mention that it will raise the deficit $1.5 trillion?
As we reach the holiday season, I have not only overstuffed myself with my Nana's tamales, I've also learned to give back and love. I can only wish that our state elected officials in the majority can do the same. Public education in this state has been undermined and demeaned from the get-go of the Ducey administration.

As a high-school student, I have seen and heard many young people throughout Arizona who go through our public schools but don't get the education they deserve due to the lack of funding the state provides. This Christmas, on the top of my list, I'm asking the many Republican Santa Clauses in our state Legislature to give back to our public schools by establishing a modernized education funding mechanism that can give our schools the money they deserve.
Help India!

By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net

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The family of Tamil poet Inquilab, born as Shahul Hameed, has rejected the Sahitya Akademi award awarded to him just yesterday by the Sahitya Akademi.

Inquilabs family has written a letter to the secretary of Sahitya Akademi and stated that Inquilab was a peoples poet and did not write expecting awards and felicitations. instead I foresee oppositions, condemnations, and repulsion, read the letter written on behalf of Tamil Poet.

Interrogations on and off are the gifts. This government has given me, thats only a start. Beyond that When my pen presses I am sure I will be gifted with Something no writer has ever been given on this Indian soil, read his letter.

My father was not running behind any award. He wrote expecting action by authorities against him and not expecting any award. He had told us that he will decline the Sahitya Akademi award if he was given one, his son S. Inquilab informed the media on Thursday.

Inquilabs poem had become a sort of anthem for Dalit forum meetings, especially Manushangada Naanga Manushangada (we are humans). Inquilabs writing, which condemned torching of 44 alive agricultural labourers in 1968 in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu, continues to be regarded as a celebrated piece of literature in the state.

The letter from the Inquilabs son further added that Inquilab had faced a lot of such interrogations during his lifetime. That did not stop even after his death.

Today, there is a major spurt of violence, classism, communalism and oppression, read the letter to the literary body. The persons who criticize and question the powers-that-be are executed in broad daylight, It will be a betrayal to Inquilabs writings and the life lead by him, to accept this award.

Inquilabs family has said that the face of the government may change but the mask they wear doesnt.

Inquilab  who was guided by the Marxist Leninist thoughts  passed away last year in December at the age of 72. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. Inquilab was born as Shahul Hameed in Keezhakarai in Ramanathapuram district. He was reportedly associated with the Vaanampadi poetry movement and strongly expressed his views over caste discrimination in the Indian society.

This is not the first time when Sahitya Akademi award landed in the controversy. Several writers and scholars returned their Sahitya Akademi awards in 2015 accusing the central government of keeping silence on growing intolerance in the country.

Inquilabs son told IANS that the late poet had returned the Kalaimamani Award given by the Tamil Nadu government to protest against the state governments alleged failure to protect Sri Lankan Tamils.

(With inputs from IANS)
Help India!

Over the past three and a half years, India has witnessed an increase in attacks on marginalised communities in the name of cow-protection (Gau Raksha). From Jammu and Kashmir to Karnataka and West Bengal to Maharashtra, it would be fair to say that the series of attacks have left few states untouched. The impact of these attacks has been especially felt in the state of Jharkhand, which has been witness to some of the worst attacks by right-wing goons in the name of protecting cows. From the brutal murder in Latehar, including that of a minor, to the mob attacks in various parts of the state, the state has seen some of the worst attacks in the country. TCNs Afroz Alam Sahil travelled across Jharkhand to understand and narrate how the terror spread by right-wing fundamentalists under the garb of protecting the cow has left a trail of blood in its path. In the first of the eight-part series, Afroz looks at how the violence around cow protection often with the collusion of the local administration and police has left Adivasis reeling in their own state.

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Across India, it has now become common to see Muslims tortured, murdered and humiliated in the name of cow protection. In other cases, like in Una, Gujarat, Dalits have been at the receiving end of this terror. However, in Jharkhand, the violence has deeply impacted the lives of Adivasis, and these incidents are taking place merely 40 km from the capital, Ranchi.

The story of Alma Khalko, an Adivasi woman from the village of Naro, is one of the many such stories. Khalko was beaten up by the goons affiliated with Bajrang Dal for allegedly trading/selling? beef, even though Khalko, a labourer by profession, is actually a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist).

In a conversation with TwoCircles.net, Khalko says that the attacks on her followed a long period of threats from the fundamentalists of the region. I have been working with the labourers and making them aware of their rightsthis did not go down well with some of the locals. On August 24, my house was surrounded by goons of Bajrang Dal. They beat up my husband and accused me of selling beef. They also threatened to kill me. When I approached the Police to file a complaint, they instead rebuked me and failed to take any action against the attackers, she said.

On December 8, Khalko was attacked again, but the police refused to take action against the culprits.

It is important to mention here that while the attacks are conducted to show that these are related with cow protection, the truth lies somewhere else, in an issue that is only too familiar to Jharkhand: land grabbing by non-Adivasis. Khalko says, Bajrang Dal goons attack Adivasis because that might lead to us (Adivasis) leaving the villages and thereby making space for land to be occupied.

Khalkos story is unfortunately not the only one from Jharkhand. In August this year, more than a dozen Adivasis were attacked by mobs in the village of Barkol of Garhwa district. The attacks led to the death of Rakesh Minj, a 40-year-old local. The case has been registered in the Bhandaria police station.

Sunil Minj, who works with the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), has been following cases of attacks on Adivasis in Jharkhand in the name of cow protection. In a conversation with TwoCircles.net, he says, A person from the village (Barkol) sold an old bull to a Christian Adivasi for Rs 1,000. The seller was well aware of what use the bull will be but did not object then. However, when the bull was killed, then the local villagers attacked six Adivasi homes in that village. Even children and women were not sparedthe attackers took Ramesh as a captive and beat him mercilesslyhis fault was that he was taking some meat back to his village.

The goons did not stop therethey also picked the Adivasi men and took them to the local police picket. The police, instead of taking these men to the hospital, posed for pics with the tail of the cow insteadthese men were rendered incapable of even walking. It was police negligence that led to the death of Rakesh Minj, he says.

His neck, legs were broken government promises were a lie

Anita Minj, the wife of Rakesh Minj, is yet to recover from the shock of her husbands death. In a conversation with TwoCircles.net, she says that a day before the incident, Minj had visited Chhattisgarh. On the day of the incident, he had gone to buy fertilisers. When we returned from the forest, we found out that he had not returned home. We thought he had stayed back in his ancestral village. The next day, we were informed that he had been beaten up by the villagers for carrying prohibited meat. We rushed to the police stationwe tried to feed him but he could barely eat. He was bleeding all overhis fingers, neck, legs were broken. The Police took him to Garhwa, where he was admitted. On August 22, we were asked by the police to come see my husband in Garhwa. When we reached, we were told that he was dead.

After the incident, the police filed an FIR based on Anitas complaint, and the local administration gave Anita a cheque of Rs 35,000, Rs 5,000 in cash and 35 kg ration. However, the local police, Anita alleges, continues to shield the perpetrators. Anita was also promised widows pension. But Anita told TwoCircles.net, The promises made by the local administration was nothing but hogwash to protect the accusedthe police have arrested 9 people but the ones who committed the crime continue to roam scot-free. And we know the reasonthey are associated with the ruling party.

After Rakeshs death, Anita has been left with four children aged between 16 and 3 with no breadwinner to support them. Anita breaks down during the conversation, and says, I do not know how I will feed my familymy husbands mobile was recovered, but the police wont tell us about the whereabouts of the SIM card and the memory card. The government and the police couldnt care less about the issues of the poor.

        :
Help India!

TCN News

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Kolkata: In the age of click-bait journalism, where even mainstream media rely on the maximum number of hits for revenue, sensational news writing  even if that is fake news  is a phenomenon that will thrive for long, believes Alt News Co-founder Pratik Sinha.

It is not just social media which is involved, but even mainstream media is contributing to this issue of fake news, simply because of sensationalism. They want the eyeballs, Sinha said, adding, Increase in (internet penetration) in this digital age has not just increased rumors on social media, but it has also affected our mainstream media companies where their inherent business model is in conflict with the art of fact-checking.

Sinha, who is in the city to participate in several programmes was speaking on the topic Understanding the Epidemic of Fake News and how to Counter it at Aliah University. The Special lecture was jointly organized by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Aliah University and Association SNAP.

Sinha cited several examples to illustrate how fake news is being used to not just score political brownie points, but also incite communal, regional and ethnic tension, so much that it has resulted in lynching and murder of people in extreme cases. The amount of Hindu-Muslim videos which are out there, the amount of cow slaughter videos which are out there which are from other countries, all these are leading to extreme polarisationand law and order issue.

Without taking names, he said that one party might have started it earlier, but now every party is doing the same thing. Sinha noted that in the age of online media several fake news websites started by young entrepreneurs have come up which thrive on click bait sensational stuff to generate revenue. He gave examples of repeated offenders whose photos are seen with senior BJP leaders to stress that at this point of time they adhere to one ideology, but added, I believe that if tomorrow the political wills were to change these young people are so hooked on to those quick bucks that they will sell whatever is saleable. If there is another ideology which is saleable they will sell that because there is so much of easy money in a country that is struggling with jobs.

Over 120 people in the audience sat in rapt attention as Sinha explained how one can fact-check in simple steps before sharing unverified news on social media. Besides, students and teachers, a large number of the general public also gathered, including some eminent civil society activists and senior journalists. Among others, NDTVs Monideepa Banerjee, The Hindus Suvojit Bagchi, ENews Shabina Akhtar attended the program and shared their experiences as well.
Help India!

Lucknow, (IANS): Several political leaders, including senior Bahujan Samaj Party leader and former Minister R.K. Chowdhary, Swami Omvesh, former MPs Kamal Prasad Rawat and Ram Shankar Bhargava joined the SP along with their supporters here on Friday.

Welcoming them, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said his party will oppose tooth and nail the Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act (UPCOCA), a bill on which was passed by the assembly on Wednesday.

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The former Chief Minister claimed that contrary to the Yogi Adityanath governments claim that the new law was aimed at controlling organised crime in the state, UPCOCA would in fact be used to intimidate political opponents and harass innocent people.

The Vidhan Sabha passed the bill after a brief debate on Wednesday, and it will now go to the Vidhan Parishad for approval. Once passed by the upper house, it would be sent to Governor Ram Naik for his signature, after which it will become a law.

Law and order will never improve under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath since Bharatiya Janata Party workers are running amok and running police stations in the state, the former Chief Minister said.

He also took a dig at the state governments announcement to withdraw 20,000 political cases and pointed out that Adityanath himself was facing serious charges in many cases.

Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the BJP for its narrow and divisive politics through which, he said, the state and the country will reach nowhere.

In 2019 too, the way to Delhi (power at the Centre) will go through Uttar Pradesh and the BJP will be taught a lesson by the people, the SP chief said.
A rags-to-riches fairy tale story suddenly came true in France as Christmas is looming. In a Parisian suburb of Roissy in Val-d'Oise a homeless man suddenly received a present he could hardly ever dream of. Just over a week ago on late Friday a local clochard used an odd chance to nick two bags with a total of over 300,000 thousand euros from the premises of the Loomis CIT, a French security company operating at the Terminal 2F at the Roissy airport.

The Leparisien reported he was described as a local homeless man in his fifties, the perpetrator benefited from a unique combination of circumstances to afford himself a generous Christmas present.

Blurred CCTV footage later gave an idea of what exactly happened that night.

Theft by chance encounter with open door

At around 17:20 a man of European appearance, looking about fifty years old, was going around the dustbins. He leaned on the door of the security company and was visibly surprised when it suddenly opened. He then put his suitcase on the floor and entered the premises.

A few minutes later, he emerged carrying two large bags filled with banknotes. Leaving his suitcase behind at the scene, the middle-aged man then swiftly accelerated his pace and headed towards a road devoid of surveillance cameras. Meanwhile, at the company's delivery docks at Terminal 2 F, the alarm was triggered by the intrusion and the on-site manager together with FAP (French Border Police) officers promptly arrived on the scene.

They instantly noticed that the door was open.

Opportunistic thief used only chance but no weapons, break-in tools or violence

Border police investigators supported by colleagues from the Seine-Saint-Denis judicial police department who are in charge of the investigation have subsequently found a number of traces and clues at the scene of the robbery.

Roissy Loomis not only collects money from numerous shops in the area and supplies ATMs with cash but also carries out logistics missions in the airport to ensure the safety of goods shipped by air. It remains unclear how a door to its premises, which is supposed to be securely locked when unattended, could be left apparently open to enable such a seemingly easy intrusion.

The company was unable to comment on the issue when contacted by journalists a few days later. The investigation continues to find the perpetrator, who still remains on the large. His suitcase seen left on the scene in CCTV footage was later found and thoroughly examined.

But the luggage did not produce any significant clues as it was empty when recovered by the police. The only track the investigators could exploit is the identity of the opportunist thief. The man is said to be known to have hung around the area in the preceding weeks. There are between fifty and a hundred homeless people just like him living in and around the airport, and who make their living by searching the dustbins.

As the suspect has not been spotted since one of his fellow clochards was quoted by Le Parisien as saying "I am not sure that these days he would ever resort to going through the garbage anymore"
The award-winning director and Turner Prize winner Steve Mcqueen has announced plans this week to make a film tribute in what he hopes will form a lasting Memorial to the victims of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire. The inspiration behind the hugely emotional Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave sees his new film eventually going on display in a museum to ensure that it remains in the public eye.

The new artwork is intended to represent a straight recording of the tower as it is now, with the aim being to capture the charred building before scaffolding is erected to obscure and cover it up.

Intention to display the artwork in a museum

It is believed that once the film has been completed it will ultimately find its own place of rest at a museum but initial indications this week are that it could be at least two years before that ambition is made into a reality.

Heart-wrenching tragedy

As tragedies go, the Grenfell Tower fire represents one of the worst and most heart-wrenching events in recent memory. The Kensington fire in west London on 14th June claimed 71 lives and resulted in hundreds more homeless in its aftermath. Their lives and those of the surrounding community will be forever touched by the events on that tragic day.

Website to share news on the project

Seeking to mark the memory of those victims needlessly lost in the horrific blaze, a website on the planned memorial has been set up to provide the latest news on the project.

A poignant statement on the website described the artwork as a record of this moment in the communitys history. It added that the intention is to avoid upsetting those touched by the disaster, and with that firmly in mind that it would be done with respect to those who lost their lives and the wider community.

The project is expected to be self-funded and will not be aired on television.

Filming will be completed by compiling the material using aerial shots using helicopters.

Dedication to his art

The 48-year-old McQueens dedication to his work and ground-breaking artistic vision is well-renowned and when 12 Years a Slave took the top award at the Oscars in 2014, he became the first black filmmaker to claim the Best Picture prize.

His artwork is similarly outstanding, with the London-born celebrity having been honoured with the Turner Prize back in 1999 for a video based on a Buster Keaton film. That was the same year that Tracey Emin exhibit My Bed caused a stir in the media, as many questioned if it was really art.
US President Donald Trump has exercised his Presidential ability to reduce someones prison sentence for the first time today, letting off a wealthy millionaire businessman who was found guilty of fraud and money laundering. Theres a quote in Peep Show when Jez is gearing up to own his own pub and tells Mark, I have the power to bar, and I wont necessarily be using it wisely or compassionately. Well, thats sort of Trumps attitude towards his power to commute jail sentences.

The man who Trump has freed from prison, Sholom Rubashkin, had been sentenced to 27 years after it was discovered by law enforcement that he had been laundering money through his Iowan kosher meat-packing plant.

He was also found to have been employing illegal, undocumented immigrants at the plant, because theyre cheaper. In fact, Rubashkin is believed to be one of the biggest employers of illegal immigrants, since a government raid of his plant in 2008 found that almost 400 undocumented migrants  some of them children  were working there.

The immigrant hiring charges were dropped after bank fraud conviction

Rubashkins business is his family business, and its the largest processing company of kosher meat in the United States  although thats become less impressive since it turned out that all of their profits came from money laundering and fraud. The charges of hiring undocumented migrants for cheap labour were dropped by the courts system after he was found guilty of bank fraud, and thats where the 27-year jail sentence came from (a sentence that has now been cut short by President Trump).

This is the first time in Trumps Presidency that he has exercised his clemency power (read: the power to forgive convicted criminals). He did it because some members of Congress and a few law enforcement officials were calling for Rubashkins sentence to be commuted, since the way they saw it, 27 years was too much for a first-time offender whose crime was completely non-violent.

In a statement released by White House officials, they said that the Presidents freeing of the kosher meat-processing tycoon from behind bars was encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across the political spectrum.

Rubashkin, a 57-year-old father of ten children, has already served more than eight years of his 27-year sentence, but there were still 19 years left.

Its not a Presidential pardon, mind you. The White House was very adamant that you know that Trump was not granting Rubashkin a Presidential pardon. Instead, its a simple Presidential clemency. Hell still have to pay restitution (which shouldnt be too much of a problem for the kosher king of America, since hes a millionaire) and finish up a term of supervised release.

Trump has only used his power of Presidential pardoning once

Rubashkin is not getting a Presidential pardon from Trump  the White House was very clear on that. In fact, the President has only used his power of Presidential pardoning just once before, to drop the charges against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose methods of border patrol to keep Mexican immigrants out could be compared to Dirty Harry or The Equalizer. Of course, that sort of behaviour is in line with Trumps attitudes towards Mexicans.

Rubashkins 2009 conviction found that he had been sending in falsified invoices to the bank so that theyd think his company was doing better than it actually was and he would therefore be able to borrow more money from them. But of course, thats not on. Youre not allowed to do that. Well, actually, you are, as long as Donald Trump is the President of the United States, because hell let you off.
April the giraffe fans are all excited about Jungle Bells, a Christmas initiative by Animal Adventure Park. The event will begin on December 2, and preparations are in full swing to make the program memorable.

Meanwhile, Jordan Patch, the owner of Animal Adventure Park, has asked the community to stay vigilant as swindlers on social media are trying to take advantage of innocent animal lovers by masquerading as April the giraffe fans.

What happened?

Animal Adventure Park has millions of fans around the world, who often connect with likeminded giraffe lovers on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

It is customary for any Facebook user who has visited the park to share their personal experience with their giraffe-loving friends. These AAP lovers usually share photos of their visit to the zoo, hoping that others in the group, who havent had the opportunity, could enjoy the lovely moments captured.

It has come to light that scammers have infiltrated Facebook groups using fake Facebook accounts to steal photos and videos. The stolen visuals are used in a website called USPOTUS.COM."

The website, which is being updated everyday, sees active participation from supporters of Animal Adventure Park, who have no knowledge that they are being duped. This website uses copyrighted images of animals from various zoos on their T-shirts and other merchandise.

Besides photographs and videos, the website has also stolen drawings and painting from animal artists.

For Patch, it is personal

In an interview with Blasting News, Jordan Patch opened up about the issue.

My disgust with this website and its operator(s) goes well past the business world and the theft of our images and content, it is personal, he said.

Animal Adventure Park became aware of this site and its operator well before the birth of Tajiri. This has been an ongoing game of cat and mouse. Facebook and Youtube have been very helpful, then and now, with removing the pages and channels on their respective platforms. We have identified the site owner, his Asian country of origin, and most recently the company hosting his page.

Our legal teams are working on the matter, he said.

Personal images were misused

In October, the USPOTUS website used Jordan Patchs daughters images on their merchandise. Ava was undergoing a surgery at the time.

We have been absolutely appalled and disgusted with their use of images of my daughter in the hospital in the attempt to generate site traffic. They went as far as to offer merchandise for sale with her and/or her name on it. The operator(s) of this page have dug deep into my online "personal life, stealing photos and family memories for their gross misuse. As a business owner, of course, we are mad that our supporters are duped into believing the content is from us. As a parent, my heart is broken that these images are now out and accessible by the world.

It isn't right. Exploitation of a child is an all time low, he said.

Now scammers, in an attempt to dupe more giraffe lovers, have set up another website duplicating Animal Adventure Park. This website has .ORG domain extension, whereas the genuine Animal Adventure Park website has a .COM domain.

Admins on Facebook groups have issued an alert, warning their members to stay safe.

Was this news article helpful? Follow the author on Facebook for more giraffe news.
The Russian investigation took another turn on Tuesday night when the news broke that Jared Kushner was now being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller. As reports of turmoil continue in the White House, critics of the administration rejoiced on social media.

Mueller on Kushner

For nearly two and a half years, Donald Trump has been dealing with the nagging issue of being accused of collusion with Russia. From the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign, questions were raised as to what, if any, relationship the former host of "The Apprentice" had with the Kremlin.

From praising Russian President Vladimir Putin to refusing to release his tax returns, speculation grew all the way up to Election Day where Trump was able to pull off the historic upset over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. However, in the year since his victory, several well-respected news outlets and government reports have found that not only did Russia hack the Democratic National Committee, but that they did so with the ultimate goal of helping to elect Trump. Since then, several former and current campaign members and associates of the president have been outed for their own ties to Russia, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort. According to a new report by the Wall Street Journal, on November 21, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is coming under fire.

Breaking: Mueller's investigators are asking questions about Kushner's interactions with foreign leaders during the transition https://t.co/kq4iYOkHeh  The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 21, 2017

Reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday night, special counsel to the Russian investigation, Robert Mueller, is investigating Jared Kushner over his contact with foreign leaders.

The paper notes that Mueller and his team are looking into Kushner over his potential involvement with the controversial result of a United Nations resolution that was passed back in December 2016 which condemned Israeli settlement construction. At the time, Donald Trump was still weeks away from being sworn into office, but spoke out against the resolution, saying it was "extremely unfair" to the people of Israel.

The Wall Street Journal reports that officials in Israel reached out to members of the Trump transition team in how to move forward, which included alleged communication with Jared Kushner. In addition, Mueller is also reportedly investigating potential communication between Kushner and other leaders around the world.

Trump fed up

A follow-up report in Vanity Fair cited several White House officials who claim that Donald Trump is getting tired of Jared Kushner and his advice, and has been pushing for his son-in-law and Ivanka Trump to move back to New York City.

Also, the report notes that Kushner is worried that Robert Mueller's findings will "get" the president in a way that won't work out well for the administration. With the pressure mounting, only time will tell how the White House moves forward.

Report: Trump, frustrated with Jared Kushner and his advice, wants him to go back to New York: https://t.co/nzdG7e3daK pic.twitter.com/zFnMaD3e9b  SpeedReads (@SpeedReads) November 22, 2017

Twitter responds

Following the news that Robert Mueller was looking into Jared Kushner, those who have opposed Donald Trump decided to lash out on social media. "It's all coming to a head Trump next," one tweet added.

When it comes to getting close to President Trump, this news from the @WSJ suggests the Mueller investigation isn't just knocking on the door, it may already be in the room. https://t.co/o9KJS07frS  Dan Rather (@DanRather) November 21, 2017

Its almost like when you run for president you should hire people who know what they are doing. Not criminals who have never had consequences.  JEM (@haguediva) November 22, 2017

"When it comes to getting close to President Trump, this news from the @WSJ suggests the Mueller investigation isn't just knocking on the door, it may already be in the room," veteran journalist Dan Rather tweeted out.

"One, two, Mueller's coming for you.. three, four, better lock the door..." another tweet stated.

one, two, Mueller's coming for you.. three, four, better lock the door...  Country Simple (@CountrySympl) November 22, 2017

It's all coming to a head Trump next .  John Ballance (@Jbxpress) November 22, 2017

Jared? The know-it-all who actually knows little, whose criminal daddy bought his ticket to Harvard? The plutocrat who played slumlord for fun while in college? The one who was going to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict using his amazing real estate skills? That guy?  FactsExist (@facts_exist) November 22, 2017

"Its almost like when you run for president you should hire people who know what they are doing. Not criminals who have never had consequences," a follow-up tweet stated. The backlash continued as the investigation into Russia heats up.
In the modern-day struggle for expanded civil rights and better minority representation, the traditional race, class, and gender narratives have evolved into something different. As modern inequalities persist despite past progress, and as social taboos create obstacles for certain identities and lifestyles to be accepted, the campaign for anti-discrimination laws, political correctness, and acceptance of differences has become more progressive in its thought. From shifting focus from equality to equity, to advocating for reformations in voting policies, the American left has based its platform on convincing voters that they are the ones who will bring about necessary change.

A difficult fight ahead

This agenda has found limited success, however, when it comes to promoting acceptance of transgender individuals. Even though people who identify as transgender are more likely to be victims of violent crime, suicide, and mental illness, the political environment has not favored more recognition, let alone action to deal with these struggles. The American left has fought hard, but it seems this is a losing issue for them. Oddly enough, however, it does not have to be.

The focus on forcing acceptance of the transgender narrative and the associated position of there being more than two genders have dominated the discussion and defined the movement. This has made it difficult to convince those who dont agree with the lifestyle to support certain liberties and exercises thereof.

To make true progress on the transgender issue, society requires a liberal agenda that is able to understand and respond to conservative concerns. In other words, the justification for expanded Transgender Rights and protections cannot be found in identity politics, but rather, in the 1st amendment.

Logical and philosophical concerns with the transgender narrative

Before going further, it is important to nail down what exactly this transgender narrative is. While people are bound to have their own ideas about such a broad and subjectively defined topic, for the purposes of this article it will refer to the idea that gender is (or at least can be under some circumstances), different from sex.

It covers the notions that a person can change genders, that there can be more genders than there are sexes, and that sex and gender can be different. This definition may or may not fit everyones perception about what transgender is, but it gives a rough and objective idea of what we are talking about and how it is different from the norm.

The left has relied on the idea that a transgender identity, or identities fitting genders other than male and female, are themselves identities in much the same way that sexual orientation, race, color, ethnicity, or other things may be. Hence LGBTQIA+. Discussions over People Of Color are often linked with those over transgender rights. Indeed, transgender people of color are in fact the most at risk of hate crimes and other injustices than transgender whites.

But an important distinction needs to be made between transgender identities, and the things they are often compared to. That is, that they are much more poorly defined. Even the most die-hard advocate for these beliefs should acknowledge that there are counterarguments to, and logical problems with, the perceptions of transgender identities that do not exist for other identities.

Things like race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation have long been concrete and easily observable measures of identity. Though there is a strong case to be made that race is a social construct, the fact of the matter is we still look different. Those differences are clearly linked to our genetic makeup.

The same goes for sexual orientation.

A gay man is attracted to men, a straight man is attracted to women, and these things depend on internal genetic factors over which a person has no control. People are born gay, straight, or bisexual, just like they are born black or white, brown or blue eyes, blonde or dark hair. Obviously, these are all different things, but they share the common characteristic of being determined by genetics. Genetic factors create unalterable changes to the human person that plays a part in constructing their identity.

With transgender identities, however, this isnt the case. While many believe it is and there are arguments backing up that perspective, it isnt quite as undisputed when breaking down the logic used to form those conclusions.

There are still valid philosophical questions over whether transgender identity really is more than a personality characteristic, popular trend, or even a mental disorder as was once suggested.

Contradictions and negative externalities, debating the logic of transgender

For one, the acceptance of transgender identity depends heavily on gender stereotypes to justify its existence. While the left often despises gender stereotypes, this is not the case when it comes to talking about transgender identity. If a man dresses up as and acts like a woman, but nonetheless is obviously male, then the only logical basis upon which the female identity could be constructed for him is that a man cannot have certain characteristics, and that people must conform to certain social norms and stereotypes to be male or female.

This is further complicated by the fact that different cultures and subcultures may have different perceptions about what male or female characteristics really are, let alone the definition of things like two spirit, bigender, MTF, Neutrois, and other positions on the gender spectrum

Transgender advocates will counter criticisms by reminding us that there is a distinction between gender and sex. But this presents its own problems. Mainly that there is not a compelling definition of gender that is distinct from personality type and sex simultaneously. If gender is a matter of how one feels, what one likes, how one talks, dresses, and behaves, then it becomes indistinguishable from things normally accepted as personality characteristics such as liking chocolate cake, thinking red cars look cool, or enjoying bowling.

If, on the other hand, gender is distinct from those and itself an identity, then the fact that it is determined based on roles of biological sexes makes it inseparable from them.

In laymans terms, one of the logical problems facing the idea of transgender as an identity is, where does one draw the line between identifying as something and being something?

Thomas Nagel once presented an analogy in his paper What it is Like to Be a Bat, that even if a person imagined what it would be like to be a bat, that a person would still not have the subjective experience of a bat. This is because a bats perspective and consciousness are different than that of a human due to its biology. Similarly, when applying such an analogy to this circumstance, one may dress up as a bat and identify as a bat, and even find a way to use echolocation, but nonetheless be a person in a bat costume.

Batman is not a movie about a bat, he is a superhero dressed as one. This is arguably the case with a man dressing up as a woman or vice versa because they identify as one.

Of course, as technology changes, we may reach the point where a sex change becomes indistinguishable from being born that way. If that is the case, then one could change identities. But such a threshold would suggest sex and gender as being intertwined.

The other problem is that LGBTQIA+ being linked together is a sort of contradiction because gay and lesbian identity is based on opposing logical premises to transgender. Both are supported by medical evidence suggesting the brain can be of a different gender than the body due to hormone surges, but the former is based on the perception that identity is concrete and dependent on birth, while the other is based on the opposing premise that identity is fluid, easily changed, and not dependent of physiological or cultural characteristics.

Overall, the transgender issue is one that has caused a lot of people to become alienated. Some feel that the narrative is forced upon them and that a new arguably made up phenomena is being given equivalency with things like race, groups who faced struggles that make being transgender in America today seem trivial (i.e. slavery)

Transgender advocates might be on shaky philosophical ground, but this is not so politically

Given, there are two sides to every story. Transgender is a controversial issue for a reason, and this isnt to say that we should never listen to pro-transgender ideas. Rather, it means that the idea is not defined to a sufficient extent as to create a universal understanding of fact.

But this is not unheard of, in fact, we deal with it all of the time in politics, particularly with theories of international relations, religion, and spirituality, as well as systems of government. In these areas, there may not be an objective and universal understanding of fact vs falsehood due to the ambiguity surrounding such issues and associated concepts as well as limitations of current human knowledge. Nonetheless, we are able to protect people in these areas from discrimination.

Transgender people might not have an identity that all consider valid, but they do have the same rights as the rest of is in the sense there is a right to be safe, treated equally by the law, not be denied certain rights like freedom of religion, speech, voting etc.

Essentially, it is freedom of expression, when another person chooses the identity as transgender. They live a lifestyle based on held beliefs about truth and identity and convey those ideas through how they live their life and what they consider themselves. We have to accept the free exercise of this liberty

The hard part will be adopting this mindset

The challenge that the left must overcome to strike this balance, however, is one of understanding. Developing narratives and policies that are effective in advancing goals associated with the transgender debate require an ability to accept distinctions between the philosophical and the political. It must be understood that the philosophical ambiguity is what makes the need for freedom and tolerance so urgent.

But this wont be easy because it runs against prevailing assumptions, particularly common on the far left, notably the notion that transgender status as an identity is infallible and that a right to censor or stigmatize those who criticize it is granted. It is an idea, plain and simple, and protections on ideas work both ways. Similar to how a Christian may not believe in the teachings of Islam, but nonetheless cannot physically attack a Muslim for their beliefs, a person may criticize the idea of transgender or accuse transgender people of being delusional but would be committing an act of hate if they caused tangible harm through their actions.

The main challenge of which this is a significant part, is the ability to tolerate all forms of Diversity, including diversity of opinion. Ultimately, this may result in allowing some politically inconvenient policies, like sex-specific dress codes or a less strict interpretation of what discrimination against transgender people means. For transgender people to have the full right to dissent, they must accept that for other members of society that dont share their views.

Transgender rights need to be protected, but the basis for such protections is found in the 1st amendment, not in their own narratives. Unless/until the philosophical aspect of this debate is settled in their favor, its inclusion as part of identity politics is only one side of the story. You may strongly agree with it, but progress is going to require arguments that are able to convince the other side.
After nearly a year of working out the details, Republicans were able to find enough party support in the Senate and the House of Representatives to pass the controversial Tax Bill that had been pushed by Donald Trump. In response, comedian Bill Maher didn't hold back.

Maher on tax bill

It's routine for Republican politicians to promise tax cuts as it's been their number one economic talking point for multiple generations. During the 2016 election, Donald Trump vowed to bring the American people their biggest tax break since the days of Ronald Reagan.

With a Republican-controlled majority in Congress, it was viewed as only a matter of time before that promise became a reality. Despite the numbers advantage, the former host of "The Apprentice" struggled to get on the same page with many in his own party, with the tax bill facing various roadblocks. However, the president and congressional Republicans came to an agreement, and without any Democratic support, passed the tax bill to his desk. The response from the majority of the American people was negative, as the polls leading up to the vote showed that well over 50 percent of the country was opposed to the bill. One outspoken critics has been host of "Real Time" on HBO, Bill Maher, who used his Twitter feed to give his thoughts.

Well, they did it. Finally, someone had the courage to stand up for America's forgotten corporations. Jk - Fuck you, assholes, hope you choke on it.  Bill Maher (@billmaher) December 20, 2017

With his show "Real Time with Bill Maher" off for the holiday season, Bill Maher decided to chime in on the current news of the day on his social media account.

Following the Republican tax bill passing in Congress, Maher mocked the GOP before hitting them with his explicit thoughts.

Congressional Republicans have pushed their tax bill across the finish line. Here's a recap of what it does. https://t.co/K8cD6xEqvv  PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) December 21, 2017

"Well, they did it," Bill Maher wrote.

"Finally, someone had the courage to stand up for America's forgotten corporations," Maher added with clear sarcasm. "Jk - Fu*k you, a**holes," Maher emphatically tweeted, while concluding, "hope you choke on it." Maher's hard-line opposition has been in line with his personal politics for sometime, which is expected to continue when the next season of "Real Time" returns to HBO on January 19.

NEW POLL: Two-thirds of voters oppose GOP tax bill https://t.co/aJdE6XcsWh pic.twitter.com/U8rl5yMFgV  The Hill (@thehill) December 13, 2017

Tax opposition

Bill Maher's strong words in opposition to Donald Trump's tax bill mirrors the thoughts of many other Americans. Non-partisan studies show that despite cutting taxes for most Americans on a short-term basis, rates with increase over time, while the bill is expected to add as much as $1.7 trillion to the national debt by 2027. With the backlash to the Republican Party only increasing, Democrats are expected to perform well during the 2018 midterm elections.
Sean Hannity of Fox News has been one of the loudest voices in the conservative media and he's only increased his partisan views since the election of Donald Trump. In an attempt to smear the alleged "fake news" of rival NBC News over the conspiracy surrounding Uranium One, Hannity appeared to jump the gun.

Hannity on NBC News

During the first year that Donald Trump has been in office, his presidency has been marred by a constant stream of controversy. From in-fighting with his own administration and Republican Party, to the ongoing investigation into Russian election interference, the former host of "The Apprentice" has done everything in his power to deflect from the negativity coming his way.

Helping the president out in this effort has been many in the conservative media, most notably Fox News host Sean Hannity. One issue that Hannity has focused on has been the so-called "scandal" of Uranium One, which details the Obama administrations deal that led to the sale of nuclear materials to Russia, with critics claiming then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was leading the charge. The details surrounding the conspiracy have been sketchy at best, but that hasn't stopped the likes of Hannity from promoting it as fact. On Thursday morning, NBC News broke the story that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered a review of the scandal in question. Hannity attempted to smear the "fake news" at NBC for not reporting on the story during a Twitter rant on December 21, despite the network being the one who broke the news in the first place.

Taking to Twitter on Thursday morning, Sean Hannity lashed out at CNN and NBC News over the Uranium One investigation. "Hey fake news @CNN and conspiracy tv @NBCNews read and learn," Hannity tweeted out, despite attaching a link to the NBC News story.

"So @seanhannity correct AGAIN and @CNN and @NBCNews wrong again," he added in a follow up tweet.

Twitter reacts

After Sean Hannity sent out his tweet, mockery and trolling quickly followed.

"You are... literally... tweeting an @NBCNews story," MSNBC host Hallie Jackson wrote.

Hey @seanhannity, you keep claiming @NBCNews is wrong while simultaneously citing them as your source. I think you should lay off the painkillers. Maybe sit this play out.  Damon Marx (@DashMarx) December 21, 2017

"Sean. NBC broke this story!" Politico's Jake Sherman tweeted. "Sean Hannity calls out NBC News for not covering... an NBC News report. Great," MSNBC producer Kyle Giffin added.

No self-own quite like tweeting an NBC story in a ham-fisted attempt to shame NBC into covering something. https://t.co/YUqJD3z3ii  Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) December 21, 2017

Sean  NBC broke this story! https://t.co/F5oFgdyW0W  Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 21, 2017

change the record Hannity, let Joy Reid ( real journalist) educate you about Uranium One.#moron  Sir Tufton Bufton (@SirTuftonBufton) December 21, 2017

"No self-own quite like tweeting an NBC story in a ham-fisted attempt to shame NBC into covering something," MSNBC correspondent Garrett Haake added.

Hey @seanhannity, you keep claiming NBC News is wrong while simultaneously citing them as your source. I think you should lay off the painkillers. Maybe sit this play out," another Twitter user added.
Cuban leader Raul Castro announced yesterday in his address to Cuba's parliament that he will definitively step down from his position on April 19, 2018, when his successor will be named by the Politburo. This will be the first time since February 16, 1959, when brother Fidel Castro was sworn in as Cuban prime minister almost six decades ago, that the country's leader will not be named Castro. A report by CNN provided most of the facts presented in this piece.

End of Castro's two terms

Raul Castro has held power since 2006 when Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother in a temporary capacity due to medical problems.

Raul Castro officially took office in 2008, and the April 19 resignation date will mark the end of his second of two five-year terms. Initially, Castro had announced intentions to resign by February 24, but the National Assembly of Cuba elected to extend his office until April 19, reportedly due to delays in legislative elections caused by damages inflicted by Hurricane Irma.

Going forward

First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel is viewed as a possible successor, although Raul Castro will remain First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party until 2021, and is likely to still play a major role in Cuban politics. In a leaked closed-door government meeting, Diaz-Canel is quoted by CNN to have said "It was the government of the US that invaded Cuba, that put the blockade...They have to resolve these things to have normalized relations.

We don't have to give anything in exchange." Given his strongly Marxist/Leninist background, substantial Cuban political reform under Diaz-Canal seems unlikely, although in an interview for CBS Miami, University of Miami Professor Jaime Suchlicki expressed hope that some reforms brought about during Raul Castro's power, such as increased communication and improved ease of travel, will remain and continue to grow.

Diaz-Canel will celebrate his 58th birthday on April 20, just one day after the Politburo announces Castro's successor, and, if elected, will be much younger than either of Cuba's previous two leaders.

According to CNN, Cuban officials report that, at the end of his term, Raul Castro will enjoy quasi-retirement while still retaining his role as First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party.

It is reported that he plans to live in Santiago de Cuba, where his brother Fidel Castro was buried. Former Cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray said in an interview with CNN that "I think he will exercise some control in the background...But he will basically tell Diaz-Canel 'This is your ballgame. You decide.'"
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HA NOI  The National Payment Corporation of Viet Nam (NAPAS) and Discover Financial Services Inc (DFS), an American financial services company, signed an agreement on a card switching system on Wednesday in Ha Noi.

The two parties agreed to link the processing of card transactions between DFS and the Vietnamese market through NAPASs electronic system.

This will allow DFSs cardholders to trade and pay for goods and services through a network of more than 17,000 ATMs and over 270,000 Point of Sale (POS) machines in Viet Nam.

Established in 1986, DFS is the worlds third-largest payment network in the world.

DFSs acceptance network is available in 185 countries and territories worldwide with over 41 million card accepting units. In addition, DFS has more than 71 million cardholders globally.

Joe Hurley, a representative of DFS, said working with NAPAS is an important step to ultilise all advantages available to the two sides to boost the growth of transactions and DFS cards in Viet Nam.

Through this collaboration, DFS hopes to support the global development of national switching systems like NAPAS, he added.

Le Quoc Hung, a NAPAS representative, said they appreciate DFSs approach and product development strategies using switching systems with domestic card organisations and national payment organisations.

This type of co-operation not only helps the parties optimise costs and resources to provide products and services to banks and cardholders, but also ensures compliance with regulations and policies on market development of the central bank in the countries they serve, he added.

NAPAS currently manages an inter-bank connection system with more than 17,000 ATMs, 270,000 POS and more than 100 million cardholders of 46 domestic and international commercial banks operating in Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  Investors of bitcoin in particular and cryptocurrencies in general should be aware of the possible risks involved in addition to rapidly increasing profits, experts have warned.

Speaking at the bitcoin and blockchain wave talk show held in Ha Noi on Wednesday, experts agreed that State management agencies should not restrain the market but cannot ignore this activity. The Government should quickly complete a legal corridor to deal with its negative impacts on the economy.

Nguyen Duy Hung, chairman of Sai Gon Securities Inc (SSI), said bitcoin has been mentioned everywhere, not only in Viet Nam or the US. Statistics from brokerage firms show that the number of people opening bitcoin accounts has increased sharply alongside the four-fold increase in prices in just three months.

Surging profits from investing in bitcoin has attracted speculators, but creates possible risks, Hung said, adding that the number of people wanting to invest in bitcoin is increasing continuously.

Blockchain is a disruptive technology that will fundamentally change banking as well as many other industries. Bitcoin is an electronic currency that uses blockchain to transfer funds from one party to another.

Dominik Weil from Bitcoin.vn said the Bitcoin Viet Nam Company was established four years ago and purchases bitcoin in the domestic market.

In terms of investment, bitcoin is similar to other investment tools as a form of new asset  investors buy low and sell high.

Most people have rushed to the market due to its high profitability or generally for speculation. They only want to buy and later sell it for higher prices, he said.

Truong Thanh uc, chairman of BASICO Law Firm, said in theory, bitcoin could collapse overnight as it has no foundation to rely on.

Lawyer uc said bitcoin is not money. There are no specific laws regulating bitcoin. It is not a payment tool, document or legal asset for payment.

Talking about the bitcoin trend in the future, Nguyen Viet Bach from bitcoin.vn said prices would continue upwards over the next one or two years to reach even US$50,000-100,000 each.

However, it could not continue to rise for the long term as there could be other cryptocurrencies attracting attention. Bitcoin itself could also be divided into different cryptocurrencies, he said.

A legal framework

Tran Huu uc, a member of Fintech Vietnam Clubs management board, said it was hard to predict the market as it has been manipulated. Currently, there are many financial institutions joining the market, thus making its unpredictable. Bitcoins prices totally depend on the market.

Lawyer Truong Thanh uc said speculation into bitcoin has encouraged development of blockchain technologies which have enormous potential.

uc did not support the application of criminal law onto such speculation.

People should be aware that investing into bitcoin is extremely adventurous. The Vietnamese laws do not officially allow bitcoin transaction floors at brokerage firms and financial institutions. Bitcoin is prohibited in payment activities, he said.

Hung from SSI agreed, saying that bitcoin has not been considered as money as it must be recognised by countries and have an exchange rate. Most people consider it a speculation product.

The Government should have solutions to differentiate genuine investors from people taking advantage of the system to turn bitcoin into a multi-level marketing scheme or anonymous money transfer, he said.

He also suggested having State management on activities to prevent possible risks, because if the bitcoin bubble bursts, it could adversely affect the economy.

This is also a financial trading activity which requires conditions. When foreseeing risks, the State should enhance its management. If the Government does not have a legal framework, it may not be able to protect people from possible fraud, he added.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies have been a hot topic among investors this year. The trend has sparked a fever worldwide, attracting thousands of new traders every day and pushing the market scale into hundreds of billions of US dollars.

Viet Nam is considered one of the most crowded bitcoin markets in the world.  VNS
Delegates attend an investment promotion workshop in Cairo on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Truong

CAIRO, Egypt  Viet Nam always creates favourable conditions for foreign investors, including those from Egypt, in their investment activities in the nation, Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt o Hoang Long has said.

Long made this statement at an investment promotion workshop in Cairo on Wednesday.

During the event, Long highlighted the potential for stronger co-operation in economy as well as trade between Viet Nam and Egypt, saying that the recent State-level visit to Viet Nam by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, has started a new stage in the bilateral relation.

He also briefed participants on Viet Nams economic development, business environment, investment attraction policies and key exports.

The ambassador suggested measures to promote economic and trade ties, calling on the two countries businesses to participate in trade fairs, exhibitions and investment workshops, thus seeking more business opportunities.

The Vietnamese Embassy is always willing to help Egyptian firms to connect with partners in Viet Nam, he affirmed.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Egyptian Business Association Mohamed Yousef said leaders of the two nations have agreed to enhance bilateral economic relations, which is bringing great benefits to enterprises from both nations.

Promoting trade co-operation will enhance two-way trade between the two countries, thus strengthening bilateral ties, he added.

Yousef also used the occasion to introduce Egypts investment environment and policies.

According to Vietnamese commercial counsellor in Egypt, Pham The Cuong, Viet Nam has exported a number of goods to Egypt including seafood, coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, wooden products, textiles and mobile phones. Two-way trade reached US$311.8 million in the first 11 months of this year.  VNS
HA NOI  During the 10-year period (2007-2016), Viet Nam has consistently been the largest shrimp supplier for Switzerland, accounting for over 50 per cent of total Swiss shrimp imports.

This was stated by the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Switzerland accounts for 0.5 per cent of total shrimp import value in the world, mainly importing shrimp for domestic consumption. Each year, this country imports some 8,500 tonnes of shrimp.

Shrimp import in Switzerland was not stable during the 10 years (2007-2016), with the lowest import value in 2007 at US$81.4 million and the highest in 2014 at $144.6 million. In 2014, the value of shrimp imports in this country reached the highest level because the price of shrimp worldwide increased significantly. From 2014 to 2016, the value of shrimp imports into the country showed a tendency to decline.

In the Swiss market, Viet Nam has to compete with Ecuador and other Asian suppliers such as Bangladesh, Thailand and India, although Vietnamese shrimp is more affordable than European suppliers such as Germany, Denmark and France.

Frozen shrimp and sealed bags with processed shrimp are the two main products imported into Switzerland, of which Viet Nam is the largest supplier of these two products.

VASEP said Switzerland offers free import duty on frozen shrimp for all five major sources -- Viet Nam, Germany, Denmark, Ecuador and Bangladesh.

In the first three quarters of this year, shrimp imports to Switzerland totaled $87.6 million, a year-on-year increase of 17 per cent. Viet Nam remains the largest supplier, accounting for 59 per cent of total Swiss shrimp imports, followed by Germany, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.

Switzerland ranks 10th among Viet Nams main shrimp import markets, accounting for 1.03 per cent of the Southeast Asian countrys total shrimp exports to all the markets.

As of November 15, 2017, Viet Nams shrimp exports to Switzerland reached $34.3 million, up 17.3 per cent over the same period last year.

VASEP suggested that in light of the current situation, Viet Nam should take advantage of being the largest supplier of shrimp and the zero per cent tariff on exporting shrimp to Switzerland to maintain and promote exports to this market.  VNS
HA NOI  PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power) will put more than 468.3 million shares of its charter capital for sale in its initial public offering (IPO) on January 31, 2018.

The shares will be listed on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX), the northern market regulator said in its Wednesday announcement.

The initial auction price for PV Powers 20 per cent ownership is set at VN14,400 (64 US cents) per share. PV Power expects to receive at least VN6.74 trillion from the IPO, according to HNX.

The market capitalisation of PV Power at the share price of VN14,400 is estimated at US$1.48 billion while its charter capital is projected at VN23.4 trillion ($1.04 billion) after the equitisation process is completed.

According to HCM City Securities Corp (HSC), the IPO price is not cheap as the price-to-earnings per share (P/E) of PV Power for 2017 is estimated at 21 compared to the regions average price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 15.46.

The HCM City-based brokerage firm said that despite the concern, the upcoming PV Power IPO would still be attractive due to the firms growth prospects and its leading role in Viet Nams electricity market, which is forecast to be the fastest-growing in the Southeast Asia region with annual power usage growth rate of 7.1 per cent in the period 2016-20.

PV Power will also sell 676 million shares or 29 per cent of its charter capital to strategic investors, which have not yet been addressed. The strategic investors are required to make profits in the last two years, have no accumulated loss, and hold on to PV Power shares for at least five years.

The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam or PVN) will hold 51 per cent of PV Powers capital on behalf of the Government after the power generator becomes a joint-stock company.

The State ownership in PV Power may lessen in 2019 onwards depending on how the company is able to restructure its loans and complete negotiations with debt holders.

PV Power was established in 2007 and it was fully-owned by PVN. The company operates one coal-based thermal power plant, three gas-used thermal power plants, and three hydropower plants. The annual production is more than 4,208 megawatts  equal to 10 per cent of the countrys total power output.

PV Power is forecast to record VN31.5 trillion in net revenue for 2017, a yearly increase of 12 per cent, according to HSC. The companys post-tax profit is projected to increase 25 per cent year on year to VN1.9 trillion.

In the first nine months, HSC estimates PV Power posted VN23.1 trillion and VN1.66 trillion in net revenue and pre-tax profit.

Earlier IPOs for PV Oil

PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil), another member of PVN, has announced its IPO will take place in the HCM Stock Exchange on January 25, 2018.

The company will offer nearly 207 million shares or a fifth of its charter capital for sale at a starting price of VN13,400 per share.

At that price level, the companys market capitalisation is VN13.86 trillion while its post-equitisation charter capital is set at VN10.34 trillion.

The company will trade its shares on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) under the Ha Noi Stock Exchange within 90 days from the IPO.

PV Oil will also sell more than 462 million shares (44.72 per cent stake) to strategic investors. PVN will hold a 35.1 per cent ownership in the petrol dealer after the equitisation is completed.

It will organise two roadshows in HCM City and Ha Noi on January 11-12 to introduce its portfolio to potential investors.

PV Oil is seen as the second-largest petrol dealer in Viet Nam after Petrolimex with a 22 per cent market share. In 2016, the company posted VN34 trillion in revenue and VN530 billion in pre-tax profit.

In 2017, its revenue is estimated at VN55.5 trillion and pre-tax profit is forecast at VN520 billion, outstripping the full-year forecast by 63 per cent and 36 per cent in revenue and profit, respectively.  VNS
HCM CITY  A beautifully coloured frog found in the limestone mountains of Viet Nam, two mole species found by a team of Vietnamese and Russian scientists, and the Vietnamese crocodile lizard are among 115 new species discovered by scientists in the Greater Mekong region in 2016, according to a new report released on December 21 by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The report, Stranger Species, documents the work of hundreds of scientists from universities, conservation organisations and research institutes around the world who discovered 11 amphibians, two fishes, 11 reptiles, 88 plants and three mammals in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.

It brought the number of new species of plants and animals discovered in the region between 1997 and 2016 to 2,524.

More than two new species a week and 2,500 in the past 20 years speak to how incredibly important the Greater Mekong is to global bio-diversity, Stuart Chapman, WWF-Greater Mekong regional representative, said.

While the threats to the region are many, these discoveries give us hope that species from the tiger to the turtle will survive.

The Vietnamese crocodile lizard, Shinisaurus crocodilurus vietnamensis, is a medium-sized lizard that lives in remote freshwater and evergreen forest habitats of southern China and northern Viet Nam.

It is so severely threatened by habitat destruction, coal mining and collection for the pet trade that as few as 200 individuals could remain in the country.

The lizard, discovered by a research team headed by Prof Dr Thomas Ziegler, has been immortalised in a comic strip featuring Shini, who helps explain to school children the importance of protecting lizards.

The two moles, Euroscaptor orlovi and Euroscaptor kuznetsovi, which were discovered in streams and rivers in Viet Nams north have given insights into the history and formation of Indo-Chinese mammals.

One of the discoverers, Dr Alexei Abramov, said one of the ways moles managed to maintain stable populations and escape poachers is because they live underground.

A vibrantly coloured frog, Odorrana Mutschmanni, is one of five new species discovered in the same karst forest in northern Viet Nam by a research team led by Dr Nguyen Truong.

These species are threatened by quarrying for cement and road construction and their karst forest home desperately needs new protection.

The new discoveries come at a critical time: The Greater Mekong region is under intense development pressure from mines to roads to dams, threatening the survival of the natural landscapes that make it so unique.

Poaching for meat or the multi-billion dollar illegal wildlife trade puts additional pressure on the regions wildlife, meaning many species could be lost before they are even discovered by science.

The illegal wildlife trade is decimating wildlife populations across the Greater Mekong, especially in the Golden Triangle where Laos, Thailand and Myanmar meet.

WWF has launched an ambitious project to disrupt the trade by closing down the biggest markets in the Greater Mekong region, Chapman added.

Working with partners and across borders, WWF attempts to combat illegal trade in key threatened species such as elephants, tigers and rhinos by promoting species protection legislation and effective trans-boundary co-operation, and improving law enforcement effectiveness at key border crossings.  VNS
MEKONG DELTA  Travellers to the Mekong Delta should visit Tra Su cajuput forest in An Giang Province to enjoy its beautiful landscapes and serenity.

Locals say the good period to visit is from July to December when water covers the entire cajuput forest in Van Giao Commune, Tinh Bien District, enabling boat rides around it.

But many choose to visit in December-January because there is little or no rain, the weather is cool and the national reserve turns peaceful and scenic with cajuput leaves swaying in the wind and falling.

A journey to Tra Su starts aboard a motorboat which leaves a pier in the forest and moves along the cajuput forest for visitors to admire the vast greenery and lotuses and water lilies before they are transferred to a small wooden rowboat, which makes its way through green duckweed deep into the forest in less than 30 minutes.

From their boat, they can see birds and storks perched on the cajuput trees and hovering in the special forest of nearly 1,500 hectares.

Tra Su is home to 140 species of plants and more than 120 species of water birds, bats, reptiles, animals and fish, many of them rare and endangered with some listed in the Red Book.  VNS
Fifty-seven-year-old Thang, a former Politburo member and former chairman of the PVNs Members Council, was accused of deliberate breaches in economic management causing serious consequences. Photo soha.vn

HA NOI  Police have completed their investigation of fallen political figure, inh La Thang, recommending that he be prosecuted for alleged breaches under his leadership at the PetroVietnam (PVN), which led to VN800 billion (US$35.5 million) in losses to the State.

The Cong an Nhan dan (Peoples Police) newspaper on Thursday reported that the Police Investigation Department Deputy Chief, Major Colonel Nguyen Duy Ngoc, on Tuesday had signed the final investigation report against Thang and other six leaders of State-owned PVN, also known as the Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group.

Fifty-seven-year-old Thang, a former Politburo member and former chairman of the PVNs Members Council, was accused of deliberate breaches in economic management causing serious consequences. The same charge was lodged against Nguyen Xuan Thang, Nguyen Thanh Liem and Vu Khanh Truong, all former members of the Members Council, and an incumbent member Phan inh uc.

The police also recommended prosecuting PVN General Director Ninh Van Quynh under two charges: deliberate economic breaches and abuse of power.

The probe also involved Nguyen Xuan Son, former general director of Oceanbank, who was accused of deliberate violations in economic management.

According to the police, the Government in 2006 allowed PVN to set up a joint stock bank, of which PVN would hold more than 50 per cent of the charter capital.

After two years of preparation with all the procedures completed, PVN reversed its decision and instead contributed capital to Oceanbank in exchange for equity.

Despite being briefed on the poor performance of Oceanbank, inh La Thang who held his position at PVN from 2008 to 2011, refused to request a thorough review of the bank and the capital contribution plan.

Thang unilaterally signed an agreement with Chairman of the Oceanbanks Board of Directors, Ha Van Tham, and failed to report the contribution to the Government, said the police.

He also refused to adjust the VN800 billion contribution or order a divestment from the bank upon receiving warnings of possible wrongdoings in the financial decision from the Members Council.

While investigating Thangs responsibilities for wrongdoings at PVN, police also looked into his role in several breaches at a PVN subsidiary  the PetroVietnam Construction Joint Stock Corporation, involving the Thai Binh II thermal power plant.  VNS
WASHINGTON  The United Nations (UN) should build a long-term and comprehensive strategy to prevent conflicts and maintain global peace, said Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, head of Viet Nams Permanent Mission to the UN.

At the UN Security Councils open debate themed Addressing Complex Contemporary Challenges to International Peace and Security held on December 20, Ambassador Nga laid stress on the role of the UN Security Council in ensuring international security and peace.

She affirmed support for the councils reform towards greater representation, democracy, transparency and responsibility to ensure that the council can effectively carry out its mission.

Regarding Asia-Pacific issue, Nga reiterated Viet Nams stance of supporting the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula via peaceful solutions and called on related parties to restrain and fully respect relevant resolutions issued by the UN Security Council.

She asserted Viet Nams commitments in maintaining regional peace and stability and called on relevant sides to address East Sea disputes through peaceful measures which are in accordance with international regulations, including the US Convention on the Law of the Sea, while giving full respect for diplomatic and legal process, and observing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

The diplomat said with the adoption of the framework of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), all parties need to push forward with negotiations to make the COC effective and legally binding.

The open debate was proposed by the Japanese mission to the UN, which is holding the presidency of the UN Security Council in December.

At the event, UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres underlined existing challenges, including nuclear weapons, climate change, abuse of scientific and technological advances, ethnic and religious conflicts, terrorism and extremist violence, human trafficking and immigration crisis.

He said the UN should uphold the central role of preventive diplomacy in companion with sustainable development and respect for human rights in addressing the challenges.

Many countries expressed the opinion that the UN should adjust its approach to suit the rapid changes in the world, and welcomed the UN General Secretarys initiatives on reforming the UN across the three pillars of peace-security, development and management work.  VNS
General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith meets with military officials and soldiers of the 4th Military Region in Vinh City, central province of Nghe An yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Doan Tan

NGHE AN  In a rapidly-changing, complex and unpredictable world, Viet Nam and Laos need to maintain and further develop their long-standing and loyal relations more than ever, said General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith on December 21.

He made the remarks at a meeting with military officials and soldiers of the 4th Military Region in Vinh City, central province of Nghe An, on the last leg of his three-day official visit to Viet Nam.

He expressed his sincere thanks to the Party, State, armed forces and people of Viet Nam for their support and sacrifice towards the Lao struggle for independence in the past and the national building and protection today.

Many Vietnamese soldiers from the 4th Military Region sacrificed their youth and lives to bravely stand alongside the people and army of Laos in the revolutionary war while many others were sent to help Laos in its socio-economic development cause and key infrastructure projects after the war, he noted.

The general secretary urged the two nations to continue maintaining and developing bilateral relations so younger generations and military officials and soldiers from both sides will have a proper understanding of the Viet Nam-Laos special partnership and together nurture ties towards sustainability.

Cooperation between the two countries armed forces should focus on quality and effectiveness, he said, suggesting that they need to work together to find more practical forms of cooperation that bring benefits to both sides and do not let any act of sabotage get in the way.

Commander of the 4th Military Region Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, for his part, said the military region and its units have closely coordinated with Lao authorities and localities to educate people of the two sides on policies of the two Parties and States, strengthen the grass-roots political systems and promptly prevent acts of sabotage to ensure security along the shared border.

Cuong gave the Lao leader an overview of the two sides cooperation activities in training, healthcare and the search for Vietnamese martyrs in Laos. He also expected to receive more support from Laos to repatriate the remains of fallen Vietnamese soldiers and experts.  VNS
THANH HOA  National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan spoke highly of the active role and contributions of the Catholic community to the national building and development cause while visiting the Thanh Hoa diocese on the occasion of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Ngan informed Catholic dignitaries and followers in the central province of the countrys socio-economic achievements, notably the success of the APEC Economic Leaders Week held in a Nang City early Novermber.

These achievements were the result of joint efforts by ministries and sectors as well as the contributions of all people, including the Catholic community, she stressed.

Quoting the Holy Fathers saying To be a good Christian is to be a good citizen, the top legislator expressed her hope that Thanh Hoas Catholic dignitaries and followers will continue promoting the patriotic tradition and contribute more to the construction and development of the nation in general and the locality in particular.

Nguyen Chi Linh, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Viet Nam and Archbishop of the Thanh Hoa Diocese, emphasised that over past years, the State and National Assembly have exerted great efforts to improve the countrys policies to better meet religions aspirations.

On this occasion, NA Chairwoman Ngan extended her Christmas and New Year greetings to Catholic dignitaries and followers.

She also visited and presented gifts to several outstanding Catholic families in Thanh Hoa City.  VNS
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) meets with Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea in Seoul on December 21.  VNA/VNS Photo Vu Toan



SEOUL  Viet Nam treasures its strategic co-operative partnership with the Republic of Korea and wishes to strengthen it further, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said in Seoul on December 21.

Meeting with Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea (RoK), during his three-day visit to the country, Minh thanked the RoK President for attending and contributing actively to the success of the APEC Economic Leaders Week in a Nang last month.

He said stronger relations with the RoK would promote development of both countries and contribute to peace and co-operation in the region and the world.

Moon welcomed Minhs visit, noting that it takes place at a time when Viet Nam and the RoK are celebrating the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, thus deepening bilateral ties.

He congratulated Viet Nam on successfully hosting the APEC Year 2017 and affirmed that the RoK is always willing to support, co-operate and share experiences with Viet Nam.

During a meeting with RoK Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon the same day, the two officials discussed major orientations to enhance political trust as well as practical measures to boost co-operation in investment, trade and technology transfer.

Minh asked Lee and the RoK government to find effective ways to balance two-way trade and lift it to US$100 billion by 2020, while encouraging RoK businesses to increase investments and take part in infrastructure development, equitisation of State-owned enterprises and restructuring of commercial banks in Viet Nam.

He also expressed his wish that the RoK government supports overseas Vietnamese who are working, living and studying in the RoK.

Lee pledged to direct RoK agencies to increase co-operation with Vietnamese partners to expand co-operation areas in the future.

Also on December 21, Minh held talks with RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, during which they discussed specific measures to take their strategic co-operative partnership to new heights.

They agreed to effectively deploy existing co-operation mechanisms and organise soon a strategic dialogue on diplomacy, security and defence at the deputy foreign minister level.

The two officials also agreed on measures to develop bilateral trade in a stable and balanced manner, while working closely to implement the framework agreement on a $1.5 billion credit package from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) signed in November 2017 and a $12 billion credit programme under financial co-operation. They pledged to continue bolstering co-operation in culture, education, health and people-to-people exchanges.

Minh applauded RoK investors for investing in hi-tech, smart agriculture and infrastructure in Viet Nam. He requested the RoK government to continue providing Viet Nam with non-refundable aid, technical assistance and preferential ODA to develop infrastructure projects.

He also asked for the RoKs help with bomb and mine clearance, and increased acceptance of Vietnamese workers.

Kang applauded Minhs proposals and hoped that the Government of Viet Nam will create optimal conditions for RoK firms to participate in large projects like the Long Thanh International Airport, the metro project in HCM City, and the North-South Expressway.

He promised that the Foreign Ministry and other agencies of the RoK will continue co-ordinating closely with their Vietnamese counterparts in taking practical measures to enhance the strategic co-operative partnership between the two countries.

The two ministers also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern. Minh reiterated Viet Nams consistent policy of supporting peace, stability and denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula.

Following the talks, the ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on co-operation between the two ministries of foreign affairs.

On the same day, Minh held a dialogue with leaders of 20 leading groups in the RoK including Samsung, Hyundai, Lotte, Kumho, Hanwha, Hyosung, LG and Korea Eximbank.

The business leaders inquired about Viet Nams policies and institutions in investment, trade, tax and banking, and suggested that the country continue creating favourable conditions for RoK investors to expand production and business operations in Viet Nam.

Minh highlighted the countrys investment and business potential for RoK firms and spoke about Viet Nams policies and regulations in various fields.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will continue offering optimal conditions for RoK investors to do business effectively in the country.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 21 called on the nations Air Force to modernise its weapons, equipment and personnel.

Speaking at a ceremony held in Ha Noi on December 21 to mark the 73th founding anniversary of the Viet Nam Peoples Army, 28 years of the All People Defence Festival and the 45th anniversary of the Ha Noi-ien Bien Phu in the Air victory, he said personnel was a decisive factor in ensuring national defence, while political reinforcement was the key to enhancing the general quality and combat strength.

He asked the Air Defence-Air Force to firmly maintain the absolute and comprehensive leadership of the Party in all circumstances. The force should complete its air defence plans, while thoroughly studying plots and tricks of the enemy, thus seeking timely response and taking the initiative in all circumstances, he said.

The PM also stressed the need for the Air Force to continue drawing lessons from resistance wars fought by Viet Nam and the world, developing military science and technology with the focus on coping with hi-tech air attacks, and applying achievements of the Fourth Industry Revolution to the building itself.

He also requested the Air Defence-Air Force to ensure aviation safety and prevent accidents. The force needs to foster international integration and enhance the effectiveness of defence diplomacy in line with the Partys foreign policy, he added.

The Government leader expressed his belief that with the efforts of all officers and soldiers, the force will overcome all difficulties and challenges, thus fulfilling all assigned tasks in national construction and defence.

At the ceremony, the PM recalled the feats of arms of the Air Defence-Air Force over the past years, in particular during the 12-day-and-night ien Bien Phu in the Air campaign against the American imperialists in Ha Noi, Hai Phong and some other northern localities from December 18-29, 1972.

Acting together with the army and residents of Ha Noi, the Air Force led the counter attack resistance against the bombing campaign, shooting down 4,181 airplanes, including 34 expensive B52s.

The victory against the largest air attack of the American imperialists in history greatly contributed to creating a new position of strength for the liberation of the south and reunification of the country, he said.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Education and Training has published a new draft circular on secondary and high school recruitment. One significant change is to allow secondary schools with applications exceeding enrolment quotas to either review them and add an entrance exam. The draft will be open for discussion until February 18.

The current circular, which took effect in 2014, bans secondary schools from holding entrance exams.

According to the circular, schools which have applications exceeding enrolment quotas must submit a recruitment plan to authorised agencies seeking approval.

The regulation puts top schools in a difficult situation because registration numbers always far exceed enrolment quotas.

Ha Noi-Amsterdam secondary school received more than 2,000 applications for school year 2017-18, while the enrolment quota was only 200.

Luong The Vinh secondary school in Ha Noi received more than 4,000 applications while the enrolment quota was only 600. Cau Giay secondary school recruited only 280 students, but applications reached about 600.

Criteria for recruitment are scores in the academic record, certificates and awards for contests organised by local departments of education and training. However, the ministry also ordered a reduction in competitions to limit numbers.

The proposed draft circular has been welcomed by parents and teachers.

Le Kim Anh, principal of Cau Giay secondary school, is totally in favour of the change.

She said the current circular had showed the weaknesses of the present systerm. Under the new regulation, schools will assess student capacity through a combined test of math, Vietnamese, IT, history, science and geography.

She said that if the proposal was approved, top schools would have a larger number of applications. In previous years, the sub-criteria were certificates and awards so only qualified students applied. This year, many more students want to take the test if entrance exams are held.

Pham Trung Dung, principal of Luong The Vinh secondary and high school in Ha Noi, said that interviews, written or multiple-choice tests would be held by the school to test students knowledge.

He said he hoped that the new regulation would create conditions for schools to select qualified students in an accurate and equal manner.

However, a principal at a secondary school in District 11 in HCM City told Giao Duc Viet Nam (Vietnamese Education) online newspaper that the proposal was not feasible and should be applied only at schools for gifted students.  VNS
Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am speaks at a meeting reviewing five years of implementation of Party Resolution 15-NQ/TW, which focuses on social welfare and other similar policies between 2012 and 2020 on December 21.  Photo tuoitrethudo.com.vn

HA NOI  Implementing social welfare needs the involvement of the community and businesses so as to contribute to social stability, socio-economic development and national security, Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am said on December 21.

He made the statement at a meeting reviewing five years of implementation of Party Resolution 15-NQ/TW, which focuses on social welfare and other similar policies between 2012 and 2020.

The meeting, chaired by the deputy prime minister who is head of the Steering Committee on Resolution Implementation, also discussed tasks for next year.

A report was presented showing that after five years of implementation, preferential policies for people who have made outstanding contributions to the countrys liberation and social welfare policies had been put in place.

Ministries, sectors and localities have co-operated to complete legal documents and realise policies encouraging social consensus and equality.

For the last five years, the Government has carried out several measures to reduce hunger and poverty. The number of poor households has dramatically decreased and peoples material and spiritual lives have improved.

The number of people signing up for social insurance reached 13.8 million this year, accounting for 25.76 per cent of the work force. Meanwhile, the percentage of people receiving medical insurance increased to 85.59 per cent in 2017, from 59.1 per cent in 2012. The percentage exceeded the resolutions target.

The percentage of rural people with access to clean water met the requirement set out in the resolution.

By the end this year, 2.78 million people, accounting for 3 per cent of the population, will have been offered monthly financial assistance in cash.

Notably, the assistance was adjusted to match the speed of socio-economic development, the report said.

Thousands of households benefited from the housing support programme.

In terms of schooling, universal education from kindergarten to secondary level was fulfilled ahead of schedule, while the system of vocational training was improved in order to meet the real demands of the labour market and international integration.

The report also said that despite those achievements, the implementation still has shortcomings, including unpractical policies, slow progress of empowerment to localities, shortages of human resources and capital, lax and insufficient supervision and inspection, and light sanctions on violations.

Speaking at the meeting, deputy PM am acknowledged the achievements gained over the last year.

Ministries, sectors and localities have implemented the gratitude activities to families of revolutionary contributors as well as relief for people in natural disaster-prone areas nationwide, am said.

These were outstanding achievements. Social welfare-related activities in the coming years need the involvement of the community and businesses to contribute to social stability and consensus for socio-economic development and national security, he told the meeting.

The deputy PM said that ministries, sectors and local authorities need to focus on economic development through increasing labour productivity, setting up more enterprises, and creating more jobs.

Additionally, policies on poverty reduction and social subsidies should be reviewed and simplified, he said.

Relating to the improvement of healthcare services, am asked the Ministry of Health and relevant offices to continuously implement the Partys resolution on improving peoples healthcare services, especially for the disadvantaged and elderly, as well as expanding clinics.

Education and training are needed to mobilise all sectors resources and focus on supporting primary education in ethnic minority and poor regions.

In terms of vocational training work, next year, localities must review the systems, take measures to develop training for rural workers as well as build schools and houses in industrial zones, he said.

The deputy PM also asked the ministries of Science and Technology; Labour, War Invalid and Social Affairs; and Information and Communications to develop a payable social card which can replace the current ID cards.

This would be a key information technology product which must be designed and owned by Vietnamese businesses, he said.  VNS
HCM CITY  Several enterprises in the south, mostly in HCM City and the provinces of ong Nai and Binh Duong, are accelerating worker recruitment, preparing to up production after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday that falls in mid-February 2018.

They are announcing their hirings in many ways, posting recruitment information on banners and social networks, the Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper reports.

The Lien Phuong Textile Company in District 9, HCM City, is offering jobs with salaries of VN5.5-12 million (US$242  528) a month, welfare policies and healthcare insurance.

At the Linh Trung Export Processing Zone and Tan Binh Industrial Zone in HCM City, a lot of companies are calling for people to apply for different jobs.

Bui Thanh Ngoc, deputy director of Job and Employment Services Centre under HCM City Export Processing Zones Authority, said that the centre is currently looking to hire 1,000 women for electronics assembling, 700 workers in mechanical components manufacturing and 1,500 garment workers.

Difficult task

Pousung Vina Company in Bau Xeo Industrial Zone, Trang Bom District, ong Nai Province is among the companies keenly looking to get new employees at the end of the year.

Le Nhat Truong, head of the companys labour union, said that it was seeking 1,000 workers to complete orders and prepare for new assembly lines.

We are offering thousands of jobs, but are only able to hire four to five workers each day. In February or March, we could select a hundred a day, he said.

Enterprises in Binh Duong Province are also struggling to find workers.

At the provincial Employment Service Centre, more than 600 companies have advertised nearly 16,000 vacancies, but just 300 candidates have registered for interviews.

According to Foster VN Electronics Ltd Company in VSIP 2 in Thu Dau Mot City, despite offering attractive welfare packages, it has not been able to get the 3,000 workers it is looking for in the year-end recruitment campaign.

Vu Van Vuong, head of the companys human resource department, said that this year, they have only been able to recruit some 30 workers a day, compared to around 100 in previous years.

Labour demand in the Mekong Delta provinces and a Nang City has also risen sharply.

A report by Long An Provinces Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (DoLISA) says local enterprises are facing hurdles in finding workes. They needed more than 75,000 workers in 2017, but only 30,000 have been hired so far.

Huynh Viet Tu, director of the Employment Service Centre under the a Nang Export Processing Zone Authority, said that the city was dealing with a serious labour shortage, mostly in textile and mechanical sectors.

According to Binh Duong Provinces labour department, the problem is caused by migrant workers leaving because they prefer to work at emerging industrial zones in the Mekong Delta and the central region.

Huynh Ngoc Long, director of the ong Nai Province Employment Service Centre, said high labour turnover, bankruptcies and early retirement policies might have exacerbated the problem.

Better packages

Ngoc said enterprises were paying more attention to improve welfare policies for workers.

Besides the salary and working environment, welfare is a a primary concern for employees. By adopting favourable policies, companies are strengthening their employee retention, he said.

Ha Thi ao, human resource manager of a company in the Linh Trung Export Processing Zone, said that labour turnover in textile, leather or footwear industries was high because of wide salary ranges.

Enterprises who receive a lot of orders can offer higher salaries. But workers may have unstable income. At the end of the year or after the Tet holiday is the time workers seek for better jobs, she said.

To address the problem, the Binh Duong labour department has recommended that companies offer better remuneration to all employees.  VNS
The Peoples Court of southern An Giang Province on Thursday sent five local people to jail for conducting anti-State propaganda under Article 88 of the Penal Code. VNA/VNS Photo Cong Mao

AN GIANG  The Peoples Court of southern An Giang Province on Thursday sent five local people to jail for conducting anti-State propaganda under Article 88 of the Penal Code.

Nguyen Tan An, born in 1992, will serve five years in prison, while four-year terms were given to Huynh Thi Kim Quyen, 38, and Nguyen Ngoc Quy, 25, and three-year jail terms to Pham Van Trong and Nguyen Thanh Binh, both 23.

All will be put under house arrest for two years after they finish their terms.

According to the verdict, police in Chau oc City detected the yellow flags with three horizontal red stripes of the old US-backed Sai Gon regime flying in several places around the city on April 25.

Nguyen Tan An was arrested on April 30 in the possession of many objects related to the production of the flag of the old Sai Gon regime.

That arrest led investigators to the four others, who admitted that they established secret groups on social networks to make and distribute the flag around Chau oc City.

At the trial, the defendants admitted that they were affected by distorted and biased information posted on the Internet that led them to commit these violations.

Acknowledging their sincere declarations, the provincial Peoples Court sentenced the defendants to the lowest penalty for the charge for conducting anti-State propaganda.

The sentence was a deterrent and showed the clemency of the States law.  VNS
Defying President Donald Trumps threat to cut off funding, the United Nations approved by a resounding vote on Thursday a motion rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by 128 to nine with 35 abstentions, in what Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour called a "massive setback" for the United States.

An additional 21 countries did not turn up for the vote including Ukraine, which had supported the same resolution in the Security Council, indicating the US threats did have a chilling effect on some governments.

Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo joined the United States in opposing the measure.

Among the countries that abstained were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Romania and Rwanda.

Speaking at the emergency session, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the United States "will remember this day."

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem," Haley said in defense of the US move, which broke with international consensus and unleashed protests across the Muslim world.

"No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that," Haley said. "But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN."

"When we make generous contributions to the UN we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected," she said.

The resolution reaffirms that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations, and that any decision reached outside of that framework must be rescinded.

Without explicitly referencing the US move, it "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the vote showed the "illegality" of Trumps decision, urging the United States to withdraw it.

Unprecedented test

The motion was sent to the General Assembly after it was vetoed by the United States at the Security Council on Monday, although all other 14 council members voted in favor.

While resolutions by the General Assembly are non-binding, a strong vote in support carries political weight.

Ahead of the vote, Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the UN as a "house of lies," saying Israel "rejects outright this vote, even before it passes."

"No General Assembly resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem," vowed Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon.

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki called the vote an "unprecedented test" for the UN, and referenced the US warning that it was "taking names."

"History records names, it remembers names -- the names of those who stand by what is right and the names of those who speak falsehood," al-Malki said.

Trumps decision on December 6 to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital prompted a flurry of appeals to the United Nations.

The status of the Holy City is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump warned that Washington would closely watch how nations voted, suggesting there could be reprisals for those that back the motion put forward by Yemen and Turkey on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries.

"They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us," Trump said.

"Well, were watching those votes. Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care."

House of lies

The resolution mirrored the text that was vetoed at the Security Council on Monday, and although it does not mention Trumps decision, it expresses "deep regret at recent decisions" concerning the citys status.

No country has veto powers in the General Assembly, unlike in the 15-member Security Council where the United States, along with Britain, China, France and Russia, can block any resolution.

UN diplomats privately said the United States had succeeded in making some countries think twice.

Haley tweeted that 65 countries had "refused to condemn the United States" over its decision on Jerusalem - a tally of "no" votes, abstentions and no-shows.

"While the resolution passed, the vote breakdown tells a different story," said a spokesperson for the US mission.

"Its clear that many countries prioritized their relationship with the United States over an unproductive attempt to isolate us for a decision that was our sovereign right to make."

The Palestinian ambassador insisted the vote was more about Trumps foreign policy approach than the status of Jerusalem.

"They made it about them," said Mansour. "They did not make it about Jerusalem, so when you make it about them and to only be able to get nine votes to say no to it, I think it was a complete failure for their campaign."

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 the capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.-AFP
ew carburetors, adjustments to the engines and fuel system, repairing the exhaust manifolds, servicing the hydraulic system, inspecting the wing and particularly the wing mating angle extrusions, repairing the fabric control surfaces, servicing the magnetos and of course replacing all 72 spark plugs on the R-1830 engines. Since the engines had not operated in several years, the restoration team first performed a Green Run before firing them up. This involved turning over the engines with the starter motor, with spark plugs removed from the lower pistons to prevent the potential for hydraulic lock from all the engine oil which naturally settles there after such lengthy lack of activity. This precaution helped make sure the engines didnt incur damage during startup.

While this first flight went perfectly, it was basically a positioning hop to get the aircraft from her previous home with the Wings of Dreams Museum to her new owners base in Tampa. Five months of intense effort was involved in getting the long-dormant WWII-troop transport-turned-bug-sprayer airworthy again. In an e-mail conversation, Ed Franco, told WarbirdsNews that this maintenance included, amongst many other details, fitting n

The aircraft belongs to the Turin Aviation Group , a multi-tier aeronautical consulting company with commercial and military expertise in a variety of different fields. The firms principal, Ed Franco, has a deep passion for vintage military aircraft, and is determined to get the C-47 back into stock military condition in time to take part in the 75th D-Day celebrations in France during June, 2019. The company also owns a number of other warbirds, including a pair of former Royal Air Force Percival Jet Provost Mk.5As (XW354 and XW435), Beech C-45H Expeditor 51-11602 and North American T-28A 49-1703.

In early December, a historic Douglas C-47 took to the skies again for the first time in many years, flying from Keystone Heights Airport in Starke to Tampa Executive Airport in Tampa, Florida. C-47B 43-48950 served with the famous IX Troop Carrier Command, 52nd Troop Carrier Wing, 315th Troop Carrier Group, 34th Troop Carrier Squadron during WWII and participated in several combat actions, including Operation Varsity, the largest ever airborne assault to take place on the same day and location. Thousands of aircraft and over 16,000 paratroopers took part in the March 25th, 1945 Allied push across the northern Rhine River into the heart of Nazi Germany.

Now that the C-47 is safely at her new home in Tampa, a lot more work needs to take place to get the aircraft fully certified for flight, and then returned to her former WWII configuration. Some of the maintenance required will involve fully re-covering the control surfaces, replacing hoses where necessary, as well as pulling the wings and propellers to ensure compliance with the latest Airworthiness Directives. Once she regains her airworthiness certificate, Turin Aviation will begin refurbishing the interior, which will include rebuilding the cockpit, navigator and radio operator stations, and installing paratrooper seats, litter stations, the celestial dome, and flooring. They will repaint the fuselage interior, while preserving as many of the original WWII-era decals as possible.

They will repaint the aircraft exterior back to how she would have looked in 1944. As mentioned earlier, Ed Franco plans to fly the C-47 to Europe in late spring, 2019 to take part in the D-Day celebrations that year at Daks Over Normandy. It should be a major event, with at least twenty five C-47s expected to participate! In the meantime, members of the restoration team have also been researching the names of aircrew who flew 43-48950 during her service life. Among these men are Maj. James S. Smith (pilot), Long S. (co-pilot), Davis (Navigator), Vandernaalt (Radio Operator), and Peluso (Crew Chief). Presently, they are unsure if any of these men are still alive, but the team is just as keen to locate their family members as well, and hopefully to reunite them with the aircraft! We wish them much success in this noble endeavor.

It should be noted that in addition to their own personnel, Turin Aviation had countless hours of support in getting the Skytrain flying again from Porters Radials and the Wings of Dreams Museum.
OELWEIN  The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the attempted murder conviction of a Maynard man who was accused of driving at officers who were trying to detain him in a drug investigation.

One of the officers had shot Abel Quijas Jr., causing minor injuries. The incident came in 2014 when Quijas had arrived at his fathers Oelwein home to pick up a FedEx shipment of crystal meth from California, authorities said.

Quijas, 36, was convicted of attempted murder following a 2016 trail and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

On appeal, he argued that prosecutors at trial shouldnt have been allowed to ask his father about prior packages that had been sent to the fathers home that Quijas had picked up.

The Iowa Court of Appeals disagreed in a ruling issued Wednesday that affirmed the conviction.
CHARLES CITY  A Rockford mans domestic violence, impaired driving and drug charges will be moved back to the court docket because a judge didnt notify him of all the surcharges he faced when he pleaded guilty in 2016.

Jason Gene Weitzel had pleaded to the charges as part of an agreement that dismissed an intimidation charge, but he later appealed because the sentencing judge neglected to tell him of the statutory 35 percent surcharge placed on fines.

The appeal went to the Iowa Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments during a special session at Cedar Falls High School in November. The high court issued its 24-page decision on Friday, finding that because Weitzel wasnt informed of the surcharge on one of the fines, he didnt fully understand the consequences of his plea, so his plea was invalid.

The opinion allows Weitzel to withdraw his pleas and sends the case back to Floyd County District Court for trial and reinstates the dismissed charge.

Surcharges are a form of punishment. We have stated fines themselves are a form of punishment that the district court must disclose before accepting a guilty plea, said the opinion, which was written by Justice David Wiggins.

Justice Edward Mansfield wrote a dissenting option that was joined by Justice Thomas Waterman.

Weitzel was sentenced to nine years in prison and received a combined fine and surcharge that was less than a tenth of the maximum he was told he could receive, Mansfield wrote.

During the appeal, prosecutors had argued the sentencing judge had substantially complied with rules surrounding the plea because he informed Weitzel of the maximum jail sentences and maximum fines that applied to the charges.
Tenth in a series of stories on this years 20 Under 40 winners.

WATERLOO  Dema Kazkaz is a woman of firsts.

She was the first female vice president of Masjid Al-Noor Islamic Center. Last year, the group elected Kazkaz president  a first for the Cedar Valley and a rarity on the national scale.

There are 3,000 mosques in the United States, and 1 percent have female leadership, she explained.

Big accomplishments are born from Kazkazs desire to undertake small initiatives, she said. Her parents taught her to speak up and help where she could.

I am motivated out of my Muslim beliefs, said Kazkaz. I see myself as a seed-spreader  the seeds of love, understanding, tolerance and peace.

She learned from a variety of people, whose guidance helped her embrace unfamiliar surroundings when she emigrated from Syria 20 years ago.

I would not be here without the massive support of the Muslim community here  and mentors from the Cedar Valley Interfaith Council, she said.

Another major influence is Kazkazs husband, Dr. Muhammed Masri, an oncologist at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. While still engaged, he encouraged her to volunteer at the Islamic Center.

Masri continues to support her efforts.

My husband said to me, You have to finish your education, recalled Kazkaz.

She started at Hawkeye Community College and eventually earned a bachelors degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Kazkaz then earned a masters degree from Hartford (Conn.,) Seminary, where she met another mentor, Ingrid Mattson.

Mattsons article, Heavens Gate: How Muslim Women Open or Close Doors for their Sisters, had a big impact on Kazkaz.

She talks about how to be a gate-opener  a helper, a mentor, not a stone in the face of those who might criticize, said Kazkaz. She talks about how, in seeking peace, its especially important for women to be on board, such as in this quote, In our efforts to make change, we can open doors for others, or we can, often unwittingly, lock them out.

Mohammed Fahmy, a previous leader at the Islamic Center and former UNI professor, also had a strong influence on Kazkaz.

He was always  reaching out, building bridges, she said. In some ways, I took the torch from him.

To live the tenets of her faith, Kazkaz strives to act as peacemaker and gate-opener.

One way she does this is by speaking out against inaccurate portrayals of Muslims and their beliefs. This came to a head most recently with the Trump Administrations Muslim travel ban.

Once you know someone from another faith, that idea of the other begins to break down, she said. You realize you have a lot in common. We both raise kids. We have similar challenges and hopes. It is no longer about the other; we are human beings.

Kazkaz organized a No Ban Rally in Cedar Falls. Her aim was to portray Muslims fairly while advancing interfaith initiatives.

There are so many stereotypes of Muslim Americans, she explained. We have to think outside our own bubble; come and see me, talk to me, know me.

This attitude helped add another first to her list: an unprecedented close partnership with the local Jewish community.

The very fact that a Jew is nominating a Muslim for (Couriers 20 Under 40) serves as a living testament to (Demas) most fundamental work, said Erin Maidan Paige, lay leader at Sons of Jacob Synagogue.

She and Kazkaz are partners in blessings, explained Paige. She lauds Kazkazs passion for interfaith ministry and tireless activism.

The peace effort isnt sensational, and good deeds receive far less press time than the crazy actions of the fundamental few, said Paige. Dema is a warrior for peace the world over and an inspiration to women everywhere, especially me.  And no matter what, Dema will keep fighting the good fight regardless of accolades or recognition.

It was Dema who started the first interfaith gathering of Christian and Muslim women, who meet regularly to learn about a shared topic of religious interest, said Paige, a 2015 20 Under 40 recipient.

While campaigning for Hillary Clinton in October 2016, Madeleine Albright made an unscheduled visit to the Islamic Center. She had heard it had been vandalized and took part in a 40-minute town hall meeting on the matter.

(Albright) told Dema personally that our interfaith work here was at the forefront of the nation, said Paige.

But it was the response from the Cedar Valley that touched Kazkazs heart.

Less than 48 hours after the news of the vandalism broke, anonymous messages of support for the Islamic Center began pouring in, she recalled.

By Sunday, I had to just sit and cry, she said. I was overwhelmed by how much love there is in this community.
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At the UN were always asked to do more & give more. So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we dont expect those weve helped to target us. On Thurs therell be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names. pic.twitter.com/ZsusB8Hqt4  Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 19, 2017

Hmm

Trump then said Donald J. Trump has threatened to withhold billions of dollars of US aid from countries which vote in favor of a United Nations resolution rejecting the US presidents recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel The Associated Press said Mr Haley had written to most of the 193 UN members states warning of possible retaliation. She said the President was taking the matter personally. Speaking to members of his cabinet on Wednesday, Mr Trump said he liked what Ms Haley had spelled out. For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us, Mr Trump said.

So foreign aid (and or otherwise known as bribery) on the part of the American people to countries around the world, is really just a giant slush fund to be used by the president and or government of the US, to bribe sovereign nations into doing what the Empire desires and demands. That is about as ugly as an Ugly America can get?

Can you buy friends and love?

What if you must threaten to get your way?

How did the threatening and use of fear tactics against the world go for the USA this time? Did it work? Was it necessary America? Do you feel better America? Take another shot of whiskey, for isolated you become, more and more everyday. As you roll around in your own waste.even Mexico and Canada abstained

The General Assembly voted 128 for and 9 against, with 35 abstentions in favor of the non-binding resolution.

Not well at allstarting to get interesting

https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/sc13125.doc.htm

WtR
It is official: We Americans live under a repressive government

Green Party nominee attended a dinner with Putin and opposed Hillary Clintons Russia policy. Is that sinister?

Source: Senate probes Jill Steins Russia connections

If you travel to Russia? If you do business in Russia? If you live in Russia? If you write about Russia? If you like Russia? If and if and if

You are a witch and they are hunting for you

WtR
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WILMINGTON, NC, December 22, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Holidays are the time of year when we collectively attempt to be a bit more forgiving and little less judgmental perhaps. However the Holiday season is not the only time of year for kind words and good deeds. Judging from the headlines we see day after day, it might be important for all of us to stop and reflect on the importance of kindness, not only during the Holidays but all year long. While some might believe kindness is a weakness, it is instead a sign of real courage, demonstrating that we respect and honor each other, regardless of station in life or status. Virginia Sollars, author of 'And Some Will Triumph', issued a statement that is both timeless in content and urgent in regards to its core message.



"A little bit of kindness goes a long way - it can make someone's day," Sollars stated. "A smile, or a friendly hello might bring a smile to someone's face and make them feel as if the world is not a lonely place. Helping an elder across the street, or complimenting them on how well they look might make their day. Remember, it may be difficult for them to do things we take for granted. Do you have a neighbor that can use a hand? It may just take fifteen minutes of your time to find out, and the feeling of helping someone can increase your own feelings of self worth. It can make you feel powerful. I always feel better when I've helped someone. It gets me out of my own head and problems for a while. I use to work with a friend who would take all her old blankets and search for the homeless. Imagine their surprise when she handed them something to keep them warm, how her kindness helped them."



The full statement is available at her website at http://www.virginiasollars.net.



Sollars' book, 'And Some Will Triumph', relates the journey of Elizabeth, a compassionate nurse who comes to California from New York with her teenage daughter to work at the fictional Raine Correctional Facility. Elizabeth finds herself interacting with some of society's most troubled and challenging inmates and shows how she must at times fight the system to give the best care to her patients. Elizabeth tells the stories of both the psychiatric inmates as well as the nurses who have problems in their lives as well. Since the book is based on my professional experience, it is an insider's look into the minds of psychiatric inmates revealing their secrets, regrets, frustrations and hopes and how they cope with their life in jail. But my book is more than just the story. It explains the many mental health disorders in such a way that people without a medical background can understand, points out the broken mental health system and describes the reasons why the mentally ill are incarcerated."



"I believe my book has great potential for a television series or a movie," Sollars said, "My book is very informative, it is written in such a way that everyone will finally understand what is means to be burdened with a psychiatric disorder, how the thought process is so different from ours and how it sometimes leads to involvement with law enforcement. My book is so different from any undertaking that has been taken before, its potential is great and I think that people will be amazed at what I have to say. I just need the right people to believe in me to get the word out. I know my book can make a difference. "



Sollars' book has received rave reviews from readers. Kirkus Reviews said the book is ...." a remarkable timeline of the treatment of mental illness in the past 40 years, and it's a triumphant account of her boldness as a mother, nurse, and woman. At a time when mental health is in the forefront of conversations about our health care system, her story is one of hope."



One reader stated, "Absolutely the best book I've read in years, uncensored look into correctional mental health, patients, inmates and the professionals who deal with some of society's most troubled criminals, their day to day struggles all interwoven within a gripping story of murder and suspense. A must read!" Another said, "Awesome story! While the story keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next, the real plight of the mental health patients in a correctional setting is heartbreaking."



Virginia Sollars is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at [email protected]. 'And Some Will Triumph' is available at online retailers. More information is available at her website at http://www.virginiasollars.net.



Virginia Frusteri Sollars was raised in Brooklyn, New York, and became a registered nurse in 1980, working as a psychiatric nurse for most of her career. She worked in the jail system for twenty-six years, caring for and treating the mentally ill. She continues to advocate for the mentally ill though her presentations and radio shows advising people of the plight of the mentally ill.



# # #
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, December 22, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Following a five-day trial in Aberdeen, South Dakota, a six-person jury returned a $1.2 million dollar verdict in favor of former South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation agent, Laura Zylstra-Kaiser. The jury found that Kaiser suffered retaliation and gender discrimination after she complained of sexual harassment by one of her colleagues in October 2011. Kaiser was represented by James Kaster, Matt Morgan and Lucas Kaster of Nichols Kaster, PLLP in Minneapolis.



Kaiser was hired by DCI in 2003, and worked for eight years as a special agent on the Drug Task Force, a collaborative team consisting of officers from DCI, the Brown County Sherriff's Office and the Aberdeen Police Department. Kaiser received positive reviews throughout her career. In August 2011, Kaiser was ranked as meets or exceeds in every job category.



In the summer of 2011, Ross Erickson from the Brown County Sherriff's office joined the Drug Task Force and began making sexually harassing comments to Kaiser. Erickson told Kaiser to get keys out of his pocket, described sex with his wife to Kaiser, and asked Kaiser if she was horny when she was pregnant, among others. Kaiser told Erickson to stop, but his comments persisted.



In October 2011, Kaiser confided in fellow DCI agent, Mark Black, about how to respond to Erickson's harassment. Kaiser asked Black not to tell anyone about what she was relaying. Kaiser then confronted Erickson one-on-one and asked him to stop the harassment. Erickson said, "That's just the way I am," but Kaiser said that was not acceptable. Erickson later apologized, admitted the conduct, and said it would stop.



Black, however, told other members of DCI and the Brown County Sherriff's Office about Erickson's harassment. Black then met with Erickson, DCI agent Dave Lunzman and Brown County Sherriff's Deputy Damien Bahr at a local park. The four men decided that Kaiser fabricated the sexual harassment allegations as test for Black and decided that they could no longer trust her and refused to work with her. Black complained to DCI supervisors that Kaiser created a hostile work environment.



DCI then conducted an investigation focused on Kaiser, accusing her of fabricating allegations as a "trust test" and placed her on a Work Improvement Plan just a few days later. Kaiser successfully completed eight of the nine objectives of the plan, one of which required her to undergo a psychological evaluation. The only objective Kaiser did not complete according to DCI was rebuilding the trust with the men in the office who had shunned her.



In December 2011, following the work improvement plan, DCI informed Kaiser that effective January 3, 2012, she would be demoted from Special Agent III to Special Agent II and transferred to the Medicare Fraud unit in Pierre, South Dakota, away from her husband, Dan, an Aberdeen police officer, and fourteen month old child. Kaiser appealed the discipline to DCI and eventually to South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, but each of her appeals was denied. None of the men, including Ross Erickson, were disciplined by DCI or the Brown County Sherriff's Office.



In March 2012, Kaiser received her worst review of her eight-year career. Her DCI supervisors accused her of failing at numerous job categories which just months earlier were graded as meets or exceeds expectations. Then in April 2012, DCI removed Kaiser's state vehicle, told her she could no longer travel from Aberdeen to Pierre on state time, removed her daily stipend, and told her that she could no longer sleep at the police academy barracks in Pierre, where she slept during the week because her family could not afford a second home. With no other option, Kaiser resigned from DCI on May 8, 2012.



At the conclusion of trial, the jury found in favor of Kaiser on both her retaliation and gender discrimination claims. The jury awarded Kaiser $311,812.00 in lost wages, $498,929.00 in lost retirement benefits, and $400,000.00 in emotional distress damages. The Court must still decide front pay, which is wage loss post-trial, and attorneys' fees.



Following trial, Kaiser commented: "I would like to thank the jury for their time and for giving me justice. I hope my experience can give strength to other victims of sexual harassment. You do not have to be silent and you should not be in fear of speaking up. We will not be silenced."



Lucas Kaster, one of Kaiser's attorneys, stated: "We are very happy for Laura. She lost her dream job and her career because she stood up for what is right. Hopefully Laura's story, and the jury's verdict, will play a small part in continuing the message that sexual harassment and retaliation cannot be condoned or allowed."



The case is titled, Laura Zyltra Kaiser v. Bryan Gortmaker, in his Official Capacity as South Dakota Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation, 15-CV-1030.



The firm is led by its partners, who are regularly selected by their peers as Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers, and are leaders in numerous professional organizations, such as the National Employment Lawyers Association, the ABA Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee, the Practising Law Institute, Minnesota National Employment Lawyers Association, Public Justice, and the Council for the Minnesota State Bar Association's Consumer Litigation Section.



# # #
Dec 22, 2017 | By Tess

This Christmas is sure to be a happy one for nine-year-olds Josh Daly and Olly Mancini who have both received customized 3D printed prosthetic hands this year.

Though they live an ocean apart and have never met, Josh Daly and Olly Mancini have a couple of things in common: they were both born without a left hand, and they now both have personalized 3D printed prosthetic hands with which they can play more easily.

Josh Daly, a nine-year-old from Bristol, England, was recently fitted with a 3D printed hand, which was his number one request for Christmas this year. The young boy became interested in having his own 3D printed prosthetic after learning about them online. When he asked his parents if we could try one, they were fully supportive.

It was much cooler for him to have one of the printed hands than one of the traditional prosthetic arms, said Joshs mother Kelly, who explained that he had never used or needed a prosthetic hand before.

In making the prosthetic hand, Joshs parents reached out to FabLab Essex, a manufacturing studio that specializes in 3D printed limbs, which was quick to get on board with the project. Now, after having taken Joshs measurements last April, the young boy has finally received his customized 3D printed hand, which he will use to pull crackers and open gifts this Christmas.

It really is the best present that Josh could ever have wished for, said his mother. He was thrilled when he tried on his new hand for the first time, and could pick things up properly. It has given him so much more independence and confidence.

He has always managed really well, but now he can feel more like the other children now that hes got his new hand, she added. It was wonderful to see him being able to pull Christmas crackers for the first time this year with his sister. Its something that I never thought Id be able to see.

Across the pond, in Scituate, Rhode Island, nine-year-old Olly Mancini has also been gifted with his very first 3D printed prosthetic hand and he is over the moon about it.

(Image: The Providence Journal)

The 3D printed prosthetic, notable for its green and purple color scheme, was created by a team of students from Scituate High School, who were commissioned for the project by Ollys adoptive mother, Nicole.

Nicole, a middle school math teacher, was inspired to give her son a 3D printed prosthetic hand after reading about Enabling the Future, a network of volunteers who 3D print prosthetics for children in need. She reached out to students from the high schools career and technical program to help bring the project to life.

(Image: The Providence Journal)

The students developed the hand for Olly based on a model built by the Rochester Institute of Technology, which uses wires and toggles to activate the fingers. They also learnt how to customize the size of the 3D hand model to fit Ollys arm using software.

And though the students encountered a few technical difficulties during the manufacturing process (a jammed printer, for one), once the pieces were printed it only took about a week for the students to assemble the hand and present it to a very excited Olly.

The young boy was given his new hand this week in front of the students and teachers who created and facilitated the project. I love it! he exclaimed once it had been strapped to his arm and he successfully tested out his new 3D printed prosthetic.

(Image: The Providence Journal)

What was witnessed this morning by everyone was the power of authentic learning by our students in Scituate doing something amazing for a very special young boy, commented Scituate Supt. Larry Filippelli. I believe everyones lives were touched in a positive way by this project led by our fantastic teachers and administrative staff.

The high school students have also committed to updating the 3D printed prosthetic as Olly uses it and grows out of it.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Dec 22, 2017 | By Benedict

A physician from the Netherlands is attempting to drive to Sierra Leone in order to set up a program for 3D printing hand prostheses. Dutch 3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker is supplying an FDM 3D printer for the project.

(Image: ETZ Fotografie & Film / Maria van der Heyden)

Whats the longest journey youll make in a car this week? Two hours? Three? For 29-year-old Dutch physician Lars Brouwers, things are a little more extreme: his next ride is going to take three whole weeks.

As part of an ambitious project for charity, Brouwers is attempting to drive from his home in Den Bosch, Netherlands, all the way to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone in Africa. But this isnt some kind of endurance race: the medical expert is bringing an Ultimaker 3D printer with him, and intends to 3D print hand prostheses for locals there.

Staying with a friend who works as a doctor in Freetown, Brouwers will attempt to link up with the multi-city Innovate Salone entrepreneurial project, using an Ultimaker 3 3D printer (provided free of charge by Ultimaker) to fabricate hand prostheses with movable fingers. Each prosthesis can be 3D printed in just one day, while hinges and indestructible fishing wire provide a solid gripping function.

Many children have only a wrist or forearm due to an abnormality from before or during birth, or they have lost a hand by war violence, Brouwers says. The printer makes a complete hand prosthesis in one day with fingers that can move.

(Image: Lars Brouwers)

Fortunately, this isnt a case of Brouwers dropping in with a nice idea but no technical skill. The physician is able to operate the 3D printer himself, and also has access to a number of spare parts for maintenance purposes. He can even call colleagues at a hospital in Nijmegen for advanced technical assistance.

More importantly, however, Brouwers will attempt to pass on his 3D printing expertise to locals in Freetown, showing them how to design and 3D print hand prostheses themselves. This, he hopes, will make a small difference in terms of bridging the gap between healthcare in the West and in poorer countries.

In January, Brouwers will start his training as a surgeon back in Nijmegen, but will continue working with 3D printing as part of his doctoral research, adding to the two years he has already dedicated to the cause. Earlier this year, the physician was recognized with the Technical Innovation Award at his practicing hospital, ETZ Elisabeth in Tilburg.

I want to show that 3D printing works cost-effectively compared to normal care, says Brouwers, who has a particular focus on hip surgeries, for which he has 3D printed anatomical models of bones and joints for surgical preparation. The use of 3D printing and VR is still in its infancy, but will be of great added value for medical specialists in the future.

The Ultimaker 3D printer will remain in Sierra Leone, where others can continue to utilize the machine for medical use.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Laura Kipnis at Bookforum:

Id long had it in the back of my mind to write something about Clancy Sigal, which according to my notes Id provisionally titled The Man Who Fascinated Women (Writers). Whatever it is in me thats drawn to wounded menand Clancy was a great one of the speciesI suspect the fact that Doris Lessing got to this one first, branding him as her property, was no small part of the allure. Clancy and I spoke once on the phone, mostly about his thing with Lessing, but I never followed through. I guess he gave up waiting, since he went ahead and died in July, at age ninety. I dont think hed mind some irreverence about his departure.

Our acquaintance, such as it was, started in a peculiar way. A decade or so ago I was asked to participate in the test-drive of a software platform, funded by a big foundation, designed to revolutionize the concept of the book group. A bunch of other women writers and I were supposed to read Lessings The Golden Notebook, which had been scanned into this software, and type our comments in the margins of the book; then the reading public would join in, blogging about our comments, all of which would effectively transform TGN into an exciting interactive text. I think the master plan was that virtual book-reading collectives would soon erupt worldwide and literacy would flourish, though for reasons I never learned, none of this got past the beta stage.

more here.
Brian B. Dille at the Los Angeles Review of Books:

Getting clean through AA marks the dividing line in Deniss life. In his 2000 Paris Review essay Hippies, he describes his youth as a criminal hedonist followed by growth into a citizen of life with a belief in eternity. AA meetings provide ritual, prayer, and fellowship that includes the sharing of struggles, confession, and accountability. Denis, who regularly attended meetings as long as I knew him, told me that he hated small talk and that AA meetings spoiled him in this regard  people there only talked about real, personal issues.

He also read Alcoholics Anonymous, the programs so-called Big Book, throughout his sober life. In it, alcoholics working the steps are encouraged to use whichever religious tradition, if any, works for them  We think it no concern of ours what religious bodies our members identify themselves with as individuals  while the foreword to the Second Edition (1955) claims that AA includes Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, and a sprinkling of Muslims and Buddhists.

I believe this perspective colored Deniss thinking on religion. The last time I visited him, in 2015, something I said reminded him of an Emo Philips comedy bit that illustrates the absurdity of denominational hair-splitting, and he pulled it up on YouTube to share it with me.

more here.
A few chewy headlines you may have missed this week.

[instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc-Ee5cBLnh/?hl=en&taken-by;=souvlasf expand=1]

Michelle Obama Got Souvla for Her Flight From SF to DC, FYI, SF Eater

Never mind that she wrote "I" where she should have used "me"Michelle Obama sent the folks at Souvla a thank-you note for the delicious grub supplied for their flight from SFO to Washington. Read more.





What Eats What: A Landlubber's Guide to Deep Sea Dining, New York Times

For nearly 30, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has been capturing the deep-sea goings-on off the coast of central California by deploying cameras attached to robots, monk seals and sea turtles. While the mesmerizing footage looks more like surreal art than scientific findings, the study revealed 242 unique feeding relationships among 84 different underwater predators and 82 different prey. Read more.





Rare photos show San Francisco days before 1906 earthquake, SF Curbed

Ever yearn for SF's good old days? Take a trip to the old-old days through a collection of some 3,000 images, newly uploaded to the the state of California's online database, by photographers Grave and William M McCarthy, who captured scenes from 20th century life in NorCal. Read more.





Tartine, Kin Khao, Cala Will Land at SFO in 2018, SF Eater

Milking our title as a food capital of the world, SFO is planning the upcoming addition of a shiny new food hall in the international terminal. Long gone are the days of crappy airport food: Some of the city's most prominent chefs are preparing for flight. Read more.





Castro's 'Beck's Motor Lodge' Secures Legacy Business Status, Hoodline

The charming Beck's Motor Lodge, built in 1958 on Market Street, was just added to the Legacy Business Registry; recognized for playing an integral role in the community as a go-to spot for visitors attending Pride, Folsom Street Fair and other LGBT events. Reminiscent of a retro dwelling in Palm Springs, the inn has received a makeover in recent yearsit even has beehives on the roof. Read more.
Wedding Inspiration: A Campy-Glam Affair, From a Carnival to the Redwoods


MCL and AEB Join to Develop Cannabis Veterinary Medications

Sydney, Dec 22, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Boards of Queensland Bauxite Limited ( ASX:QBL ) and Algae.Tec Ltd ( ASX:AEB ) are delighted to announce a significant Australian ground breaking agreement whereby AEB will exclusively license Medical Cannabis Limited's Low THC Delta 9 Cannabis cultivars from the unique Australian Cannabis seed bank owned by Medical Cannabis Limited. MCL's License to AEB is in order to establish a breeding program to identify cultivars for use in cannabinoid product development to research and develop stock and veterinary medications, supplements and sophisticated animal therapeutics.



MCL will provide AEB with additional assistance and expertise required to cultivate the Cannabis plants, while MCL retains the exclusive rights to develop these cultivars for human medical research and development.



This agreement sets AEB up amongst the very few Australian medical cannabis companies with an Australian lawful source of cannabinoid producing plants, starting material, genetics and hands on experience to put it at the forefront of the new age in Australian medical Cannabis law reforms. It also enables MCL to significantly benefit from the groundwork, research and product development that will be performed by AEB.



Being able to capitalise on this early mover opportunity, AEB intend to call on its in house expertise and research and development collaborations to develop these medications and therapeutics for the animal and livestock industry.



Malcolm James, Executive Chairman and Managing Director of AEB said. "We knew the securing of a certified starting material would be a key component to our future endeavours, this agreement far exceeds this and will build on our available expertise in the field and consolidate to a far greater degree the groundwork we have already done in a relatively short time."



The agreement seeks to combine resources, experience and technical knowledge to enhance and fast track research in several fields of animal treatment, care and health which have been identified as feasible and untouched entry points.



The international market for veterinary supplies is a multi-billion dollar industry. Though product development in the veterinary field isn't as expensive as human drug development, many human medications are routinely discovered or adapted from animal trials and research.



It is the goal of AEB to be actively developing medical cannabis products for animal use in 2018 and to be the leaders and at the forefront in supplying the huge local and global animal industry with these unique products. There is a massive demand in the animal industry for suitable and safe drugs for the transport and general treatment of animals whether for anxiety or pain related problems, and appropriate cannabis products is believed to be the perfect solution, which AEB intends to introduce to and provide this huge industry and its demand.



Malcolm James (AEB) added, "There's no doubt we have secured one of the most coveted assets in the medical Cannabis industry, being our own exclusive lawful and licensed Cannabis seed bank for our further business development. We are most appreciative to MCL for this contribution. We are adamant that 2018 will essentially be an extremely busy and fruitful year with many plans being put into action while both our companies take advantage of new and innovative opportunities this agreement now opens for us.



"MCL can ensure a seed base will be granted to begin breeding and multiplication programs that will produce a suitable and consistent bulk supply of cannabinoids for research through to full production of developed products.



"AEB will be the exclusive world-wide distributor of all products developed by AEB, and we are pleased to have been entrusted with this valuable asset by the team at MCL."



MCL's Technical Director Andrew Kavasilas has a long history of growing and breeding Cannabis cultivars under various permits in Australia since 1999. Growing under permit in NSW, Mr Kavasilas recently grew specially selected cultivars to determine cannabinoid variations, cannabinoids of interest, as well as terpine and volatile determinations.



Cannabinoids including THC (Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (Cannabidiol), CBG (Cannabigerol), CBN (Cannabinol), and other important acid forms were measured, whilst many other unidentified cannabinoids remain present.



Terpines and volatiles are another group of complex compounds produced by the cannabis plant. These compounds make up the aromas associated with the Cannabis plant and are thought to exert their own medical beneficial properties while modulating and moderating the effects of cannabinoids.



Mr Kavasilas said. "We're all well aware that all genuine drug development involves animal testing, and there definitely is no better place to start the journey than to look at large stock, other farmed livestock and companion animal drug development which will produce an immense amount of data to feed into subsequent human applications".



By initiating such an agreement, AEB and MCL believe that other Australian companies will seek to join forces to help shape the future landscape being tentatively developed in Australia since changes by the Federal Government in relation to medical cannabis law reforms opened the door to legitimate cannabis investments.



Mr Kavasilas added. "This agreement gives AEB a uniquely rare and tangible direct entry point to the under-researched pavilion of veterinary cannabinotherapy production where very few companies in the world have been able to enter within Federal government laws.



"The nature and spirit of this agreement indicates the high level of cooperation needed to be demonstrated by intelligent companies to achieve meaningful outcomes in the shortest possible time lines".



Under the Licensing agreement, it is intended that MCL be issued with AEB shares in order for MCL to become a 19.99% shareholder of AEB. The material steps of the license agreement are:



(a) AEB paying a deposit to MCL of 50 million AEB shares on execution of this Agreement;



(b) upon Shareholder Approval, a further issue of AEB fully paid ordinary shares to MCL to bring MCL to be a 15% shareholder of the then issued capital of AEB with 1 nontransferable option for every 5 shares issued (including for.the.deposit 50 million shares) with a strike price of $0.075 and maturing on 31 December 2020 ("Options");



(c) paying a further equivalent of 4.9% of the issued capital in AEB, to bring MCL to be a 19.9% shareholder of AEB at that time, together with attaching options as per 3(b) above, on the date that AEB extracts oil from MCL cultivars;



(d) 5% net royalty payable to MCL on any human applications coming from AEB's development of animal products; and



(e) All shares issued in accordance with the agreement shall be subject to a 12 months voluntary escrow period from the date of issue; and



(f) MCL will be entitled to appoint a representative on the board of AEB to be approved by the board of AEB, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld.



The board of QBL is extremely pleased with this latest development of yet another strategic alliance, and looks forward to seeing a successful mutually beneficial relationship develop with AEB in 2018.





About Queensland Bauxite Ltd





Queensland Bauxite Limited (ASX:QBL) is an Australian listed company focused on the exploration and development of its bauxite tenements in Queensland and New South Wales. The Company's lead project is the South Johnstone Bauxite Deposit in northern Queensland which has rail running through the project area and is approximately 15-24 kilometres from the nearest deep water port. The Company intends to become a bauxite producer with a focus on commencing production at South Johnstone as early as possible. The Company also pursues additional investment opportunities, and has agreed to acquire a 100% shareholding in Medical Cannabis Limited, an Australian leader in the hemp and Cannabis industries, and a 100% shareholding in Medcan Australia Pty Ltd, a company with an ODC cultivation and production License and a DA approved Cannabis production and manufacturing facility.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) rescued over 40 girls along with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the Delhi Police from Rohinis Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya.

The step was taken after the Delhi High Court formed a panel consisting of lawyers and the DCW chief, to inspect the premises of the so-called institute, owned by the Baba Virender Dikshit where girls and women were allegedly kept in illegal confinement.

A 13-year-old victim said that she was raped by the Baba. It is high time to take action against such Babas. We were also held hostage when we went there to rescue the victims. Somehow we managed to rescue the girls, DCW chief Swati Maliwal told the media.

We also came across lots of medicines stocked up which we are sure were being given to these girls as they seemed to be in a trance when we rescued them, she added.

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the CBI to trace the founder of the north Delhi-based ashram where girls were allegedly kept under illegal confinement.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar has asked Virender Dev Dixit, the founder of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in North Delhis Rohini to be present before it on January 4.

The rescued girls, who were sent to the shelter homes, will now be counselled.

The residents of the area alleged that these minors had been trapped inside the ashram and were trained to work as sex workers.

This place has been given the name of a University. Girls from this place were taken to some place in buses and there were trained as a sex labour. This place was a complete fraud and the girls who used to come here were not even allowed to meet their parents, one of the residents told ANI.
After the 2G scam verdict, BJP has suffered yet another massive jolt as the Bombay High Court has dismissed Governor Ch Vidyasagar Raos sanction granted to the CBI in 2016 to prosecute senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Housing scam case. Thus, Congress claimed a moral victory over BJP which has always levelled corruption allegations against the former. Questions are being raised against BJP which has often claimed to be a party which has adopted zero tolerance policy against corruption. Is the outfit only raising the corruption issue against opposition to gain an upper hand over them? Often BJP has made allegations against Congress without providing evidence against them. This verdict will definitely boost the morale of the Congress which had lost its foothold in the state after BJPs victory in Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

Chavan launched a scathing attack against the BJP and said that it had used the Adarsh scam issue to malign the image of Congress. He added that BJP has no moral authority to talk about Congress. Chavan hailed the courts verdict and said that he has full faith in the judiciary. The former Maharashtra CM has been accused of criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct for granting additional floor space index (FSI) to Adarsh housing society in lieu of flats for relatives. In April 2016, the then Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao gave his nod to prosecute Chavan for cheating and criminal conspiracy in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case.
Since its inception, Aam Aadmi Party, Maharashtra has been at the forefront of the anti corruption crusade in Maharashtra. In the past few months, the partys organisation in the state has grown by leaps and bounds with Observers being appointed in 240 assemblies in the state. On September 10, AAP held a massive convention of farmers in Amravati which was followed by a number of events and protests across the state raising issues ranging from unfair toll charges to the rights of Bachat Gats. AAP stood shoulder to shoulder with former Minister Yashwant Sinha for the demands of the farmers in Akola.

AAP National Executive Member Preeti Sharma Menon expressed, The birth mother of Swaraj, Rajmata Jijabai remains the most towering beacon of women empowerment in the world even 420 years after she was born. She established the foundation of the Maratha Empire in Pune and gave us Shivaji Maharaj, a leader whose bravery and justice are unmatched in annals of history.

Chief Minister of Delhi and the National Convenor of AAP, Arvind Kejriwal will be visiting Rajmata Jijabais birthplace at Sindkhed Raja in Buldhana on January 12 next year to commemorate her birth anniversary. He will be joined by Maharashtra Prabhari and AAP National Secretary Pankaj Gupta and all the leaders and volunteers of AAP Maharashtra.

After paying our respects to Jijamata and invoking her blessing, AAP will hold a rally at Sindkhed wherein Delhi CM Kejriwal will make some important announcements, Menon further stated.
This is the second verdict that goes in favour of Congress exposing PMs false claims about Congresss corruption. In a week of acquittals for the Congress party, the Bombay High Court rejected the Maharashtra Governors sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan, the former Congress chief minister of Maharashtra, in the Adarsh scam case. Going by the recent verdicts, the so-called corrupt Congress party will become the most Honest party in the world. The anti-corruption move of the present government has shaken them, including investigators, judiciary, etc. there is nothing to prove much about the corruption that made headlines and gave good fortune to BJP.

Moreover, Manmohan Singh was not an autocrat like Narendra Modi. He did not have absolute power like the way Modi does. Indias former Prime Minister did not have industrialist friends like Adani, Ambani to siphon money. Singh did not hire social media companies to chant his name. He did hard work to develop India while Modi did the ribbon cutting and photo-shoot. Manmohan Singh represented the common men in India while Modi calls himself a chaiwala living most lavish life at the cost of peoples hard earned taxes.

Adarsh scam and 2G scam were politically used around 2014 by BJP to malign the Congress party. BJP has no moral authority to talk about Congress. The truth has ultimately prevailed. In April 2016, the then Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao gave his okay, or sanction, to prosecute Chavan for cheating and criminal conspiracy in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case. An earlier governor, K Sankarnarayanan, had in 2013, declined sanction to prosecute Chavan. This could well lead to an acquittal for Chavan, who had to step down on account of his alleged involvement in the scam. This gives a major boost to the Congress in graft-related allegations. Just on Thursday, those accused in the 2G spectrum case were acquitted by CBI court. And the week in general, began well for the Congress, with its better-than-expected showing in the Gujarat Assembly polls. No doubt that Congress is regaining its sheen back.

A 31-storey apartment complex, called the Adarsh Housing Society, was built in Colaba in South Mumbai for 1999 Kargil war heroes and war widows. In 2010, it was revealed that politicians, the bureaucracy and military officials colluded to violate rules concerning land ownership and other norms to get flats allotted to themselves and their relatives. In the building, which was originally meant to be a six-storey, several apartments, estimated to cost anywhere up to Rs 8 crore in 2010, were allegedly bought at a tenth of the price by defence personnel and relatives of bureaucrats and politicians  but mostly registered in the names of proxy owners.

Names of Congress Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak, collectors, the principal secretary of Urban Development Department, a plum portfolio held by the CM himself, cropped up then. The supposed scam has been probed by multiple agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a team set up by the Maharashtra government and the Army. The CBI took over the investigation in the same year, and registered an FIR in 2011. There were 14 people charged, including the then Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, for criminal conspiracy under IPC Section 120 (b) and various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Congress, which was in power in the state, made Chavan resign from office in 2010 after the corruption charges came out in public domain. In 2011, the Maharashtra government set up a two-member judicial team to probe the allegations. Justice J A Patil headed it. In 2013, the team revealed 25 illegal allotments in its findings, including 22 purchases made by proxy.

On July 4, 2012, the central agency filed its first chargesheet in the case before a special CBI court. During the course of investigation, it came to light that the society did not have environmental clearance. The Bombay High Court had ordered demolition of the apartments and sought initiation of criminal proceedings against politicians and bureaucrats for alleged misuse of powers, holding that the tower was illegally constructed. It had asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest to carry out the demolition at the expense of Adarsh Society.

Chavans prosecution in the case has been a point of contention in the case. In December 2013, Maharashtra Governor at the time, K Sankaranarayanan, refused to grant permission to prosecute Chavan. However, a sessions court later refused to omit his name as an accused in the case. The Bombay HC backed the courts order in 2015. In 2016, Maharashtra Governor and BJP leader Vidyasagar Rao granted the CBI permission to prosecute Chavan. Chavan, however, moved the Bombay HC challenging this order.

Yesterday, Bombay HC ruled against Chavan being prosecuted in the case, overturning the Governors decision. While it dismissed the Governors order, a bench comprising Justice Ranjit More and Justice Sadhana Jadhav held that it was permissible for Governor Rao to review or reconsider his predecessors order.

The CBI has accused Chavan of approving additional floor space index (FSI) for the Adarsh society, and accepting two flats for his relatives in return when he was CM. He is also accused of illegally approving, as revenue minister earlier, allotment of 40 per cent of flats to civilians. But as usual, CBI failed to prove the accusations and gave Congress a chance to prove themselves non corrupt.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
A Birmingham man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday after being convicted on multiple gun charges, including a 2016 incident where he barricaded himself and three other people inside a house to avoid arrest.

Willie Lee Cooks, 46, was convicted in federal court of possession of a firearm on April 4, 2016 and multiple firearms on Aug. 30, 2016, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

On Aug. 30, 2016, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency task force approached Cooks' Birmingham residence to arrest him on a warrant. Cooks barricaded himself and others in the house, according to his plea agreement. A Birmingham Police SWAT team was called to the scene and tear gas was deployed to get the occupants out of the house after negotiations for Cooks' surrender failed, according to the plea agreement.

The standoff lasted three hours.

Police subsequently found the 31 firearms hidden in a crawl space under the house.

"Cooks was a threat to the community, to his victims, and to law enforcement," U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town said. "Violent felons who possess firearms will not get diversion. They will not get probation. They will get a cell in the Bureau of Prisons."

Birmingham Police stopped Cooks on April 4, 2016, for driving a vehicle without a license plate and arrested him on an outstanding felony warrant after seeing a Glock 9mm pistol on the floorboard, according to Cook's plea agreement. The pistol was loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. Cooks had several prior felony convictions at that time, according to his plea agreement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney L. James Weil Jr. prosecuted.
Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials Company will have to divest all of Aggregates USA, LLC's active aggregate quarries, plants, and yards in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Tri-Cities, Tennessee, and Abingdon, Virginia areas in order for it to proceed with a proposed $900 million acquisition of Aggregates USA, under a settlement announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The DOJ's Antitrust Division and Tennessee's Attorney General previously filed a federal civil antitrust lawsuit to block the proposed sale. At the same time, the department filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the department's competitive concerns.

"Without relying on a regulatory behavioral decree, these divestitures will ensure that customers, and ultimately taxpayers, in Tennessee and Virginia continue to benefit from robust competition and competitive prices," said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Antitrust Division. "The acquisition, as originally proposed, would have eliminated one of the two suppliers of coarse aggregate in parts of east Tennessee and southwest Virginia."

Vulcan Materials issued a statement Friday.

"We appreciate the Department of Justice's thorough review and approval, and are pleased with this outcome," said Vulcan's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Hill. "We look forward to closing our acquisition of Aggregates USA, LLC, which will give Vulcan access to high quality, strategic assets in key southeastern U.S. markets."

A DOJ statement on Friday stated that according to the department's complaint, Vulcan and Aggregates USA produce and sell coarse aggregate, a type of crushed stone, to customers such as the Tennessee and Virginia Departments of Transportation, highway construction contractors, and suppliers of asphalt concrete and ready mix concrete. Coarse aggregate, an essential input in asphalt concrete and ready mix concrete, is used to build, pave, and repair roads and highways, and is used widely in other types of construction. The complaint alleges that Vulcan and Aggregates USA are the only two producers of coarse aggregate in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Tri-Cities, Tennessee, and Abingdon, Virginia areas.

The complaint also states that the loss of competition between Vulcan and Aggregates USA would likely result in higher prices and poorer customer service for aggregate customers in those areas.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, Vulcan must divest Aggregates USA's 13 active quarries and yards, and four inactive quarries, in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Tri-Cities, Tennessee, and Abingdon, Virginia areas to Blue Water Industries, or an alternate acquirer approved by the United States. The department said that the divestitures will remedy the acquisition's anticompetitive effects by providing the acquirer with the quarries, including substantial reserves, and other assets necessary to compete in these local markets.

Vulcan, a New Jersey corporation headquartered in Birmingham, is one of the largest producers of coarse aggregate and construction materials in the United States, with facilities in 20 states and the District of Columbia. In 2016, Vulcan's revenues were approximately $3.5 billion, according to the DOJ statement.

SPO Partners, a Delaware limited partnership headquartered in Mill Valley, California, invests in a wide range of industries, including industrial materials, media, telecommunications, energy, power, and real estate. SPO has more than $7 billion in assets under management. SPO acquired Aggregates USA in 2010, according to the DOJ statement.

Aggregates USA, a limited liability company also headquartered in Birmingham, produces and sells aggregate in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. In 2016, Aggregates USA's revenues were approximately $124 million, according to the DOJ statement.

As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed consent decree, along with the department's competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement within 60 days of its publication to Maribeth Petrizzi, Chief, Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 8700, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the court may enter the final judgment upon a finding that it serves the public interest.

Vulan Final Judgement by KentFaulk on Scribd
A Madison counselor was arrested on child pornography charges after federal and local authorities searched his home and office.

Wayde Zane Slocumb (Madison County Jail photo)

Wayde Zane Slocumb, a counselor at Alabama Psychological Services Center, was released from Madison County Jail on $60,000 bail, records show.

Slocumb, 58, was charged after Madison County sheriff's investigators and the Department of Homeland Security searched his home on Mahan Drive and his office at 100 Essex Court, Lt. Donny Shaw said. The searches happened this past week, and Slocumb was arrested on warrants Thursday, according to Shaw, a Madison County lieutenant.

All of Slocumb's electronic media devices were seized and searched, Shaw said. Slocumb was arrested after authorities said they found child pornography that Slocumb has been circulating.

Alabama Psychological Services leadership said in a statement they are cooperating with law enforcement.

"We at Alabama Psychological Services center are shocked to learn of the charges against Wayde Zane Slocumb," said Director of Operations Bill Pope in a statement to AL.com. "APSC has provided practice management services to Mr. Slocumb for many years without incident or complaint. While we are saddened by these circumstances, providing top quality patient care is our #1 priority at Alabama Psychological Services Center."

Slocumb's information appeared to have been removed from the Center's website. The Center has two locations -- one in Madison and another in Huntsville. The Center employs psychologists, counselors and social workers who specialize in short-term treatment, according to the website.

Anyone who may have been a victim of Slocumb is asked to call Investigator Cathy Davis at 256-533-8831 or email her at cwdavis@madisoncountyal.gov.
A 78-year-old Alabama pilot was found dead in airplane wreckage southeast of Tallahassee, Florida this morning.

William Greenhaw

William "Bill" Greenhaw's body was found by an Airforce search and rescue crew two days after he flew out of the Guntersville Municipal Airport, an official said.

Airport Manager Bob Martin said Greenhaw was bound for Orlando Melbourne International Airport in Florida. Greenhaw was going to spend Christmas with his son in Melbourne.

"It's a tremendous loss for all of us at Guntersville airport," Martin told AL.com. "He's going to be sorely missed. He was more than just a friend to most of us."

Greenhaw worked for years as the airport's aircraft and power plant mechanic, Martin said. Greenhaw handled annual inspections and other maintenance. Martin said the man was in "great health" and stayed active.

Greenhaw was flying a Beechcraft BE-35 when he left Guntersville on Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) to alert airports, public safety agencies and search and rescue crews to begin looking for the small airplane.

"A concerned family member reported that the (plane) did not arrive," FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in an emailed statement to AL.com. "The pilot was the only person on board. The pilot did not file a flight plan, so air traffic control did not provide service for the flight."

Martin said authorities got a ping off of Greenhaw's emergency landing transmitters late Thursday. Because of bad weather, drones weren't sent out to look for the plane until Friday morning, he said.

Once the search crew spotted the plane just north of Cross City, Florida, they went in to recover Greenhaw's body, Martin said.

Updated at 2:49 p.m. with new information throughout.
Doug Jones

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., right, speaks in support of Democratic senatorial candidate Doug Jones, left, along side Rep. Terri Sewell, center, during a campaign rally Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

(Brynn Anderson)

Jason Wallace

By William Jason Wallace, Ph.D., Stockham Chair of Western Intellectual History, Samford University

Democracies are notoriously fragile. Athenians who lived some two generations after fending off Persian invaders in 480 BC would affirm as much. After a meteoric rise to superpower status in the fifth century BC, the golden age of Athenian democracy crumbled under stress of civil war with Sparta and unscrupulous politicians seeking personal advantages through public office. Socrates balked, and paid with his life. His protege Plato, and in turn Plato's protege Aristotle never forgot the lesson. They spent extraordinary energy trying to convince Greek youth to think carefully about the ugliness of misdirected populism fueled by unrestrained political ambition.

Rome fared better than Athens, taking lessons from the Greeks and allowing legislation to move through a bicameral process that offered a measure of checks and balances between the Comitia of the people and the aristocratic Senate. Here too, however, a lethal muddle of banal populism and elitist corruption reoriented the Republic. By the middle of the first century BC, despite warnings from a nervous Cicero and a melodramatic Cato, people demanded security more than freedom. They received their wish first in the form of a dictatorship and later an emperor. Venerated Roman political rights evaporated, and supreme power became coextensive with birth and calculation.

Americans are by and large the political heirs of Democratic Athens and Republican Rome. As such there is much benefit from studying our Western roots. This legacy informs our politics in general but also Alabama's recent senate election in particular. History matters in Alabama, even ancient history. Three points are worth considering as we reflect on the election:

First, ancients were cautious about appealing to "higher law" to support a political cause. Fate, will of the gods, and destiny, yes; but higher law was more perilous. With Plato in the early fourth century BC we first encounter politics as the pursuit of ideal human activity. But his was an intellectual program for the few, not an activity for the many. Plato's teaching did not give politicians freedom to claim higher law for their actions. Rather, it allowed that some were simply more intellectually and morally fit to govern than others. Higher law arguments were different in that they always risked the vice of pride. Some fifty years before Plato founded his academy the playwright Sophocles' warned in the play Antigone that appeals to higher law, or rules of conduct that supersede human law, though sometimes legitimate were nevertheless treacherous and potentially fatal. While human law could be tyrannical, unjust, and uncompromising, higher law arguments are often impetuous, arrogant, and indiscreet. The lesson is a hard one. Americans on the left and right want a higher standard supporting their political cause. Sophocles, however, urged that nobody wins when wisdom is sacrificed to pride. Alabama, it appears, agrees.

A second lesson from antiquity is that tyranny almost always emerges from lapsed ideals that foment into instability and confusion. Athens discovered this truism after losing the twenty-seven-year long Peloponnesian War. For Rome, republicanism waned dramatically when wealthy first-century politicians began to circumvent political procedure and time-honored rules of engagement to court popular loyalty. The coalition of Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus just before the civil war was possible only because enough people believed the "great men" could evade the law to promote popular interests. This is in fact what the great men did. Despite the warnings of the conservative Cicero, Rome lurched into factionalism that could not be contained by rational appeals to due process and deliberation. Hence, promises of safety and shared-values made for easy political advantage. As with higher law, this type of populism has virulent manifestations in American history, and it often obscures the potential for abuse of office behind the rhetoric of certitude. Alabama, for the moment, sided with caution.

A final lesson from antiquity is that Christianity is not very helpful for negotiating political differences. In AD 410, when the Rome fell to Alaric and the Goths, traditional Romans believed instinctively Christians were responsible for weakening the empire and causing the calamity of decline and invasion. Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, determined to respond to this claim in his enormous work The City of God. After a careful deconstruction of Rome's history and beliefs, Augustine turned his attention to theology and the meaning of history in light of Christianity. His stunning conclusion is that although Christians and pagans share separate eternal destinies, and understand human purpose and ends differently, they nevertheless desire the same peace and justice that good politics provides. Christians, he argues, can pursue the common good with non-Christians while rejecting the notion that politics is the highest human pursuit. Liberals and conservatives, especially in Alabama, are guilty of claiming ownership of the Christian message. Augustine implores that while the aims of Christianity and the aims of politics are infrequently congruous, they both should be respected. Alabama, in this election, was with the ancient bishop.

Democracies and republics are rare success stories in history. At their best, they are worthy of imitation. For a moment, Alabama and the wisdom of the ancients overlapped in this last election. The lessons of Greece and Rome prove valuable. The lesson of Alabama may yet as well.
Thousands from Christian Chin ethnic group fear they will be forced out of India where they reside with few rights.

New Delhi, India  We would be next, but we fear retaliations if we return, says 44-year-old Sang Par, voicing the plea of several hundred members of the Chin community from Myanmar crammed into one-bedroom apartments in Chanakya Place, one of New Delhis most densely populated neighbourhoods.

As the Supreme Court of India deliberates the governments plan to deport thousands of Rohingya refugees scattered across the country, other stateless Burmese ethnic groups fear a similar fate.

Last week, Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding, which would pave the way to repatriate 650,000 Rohingya refugees who fled atrocities in Myanmar.





A decade ago, Sang Pars family also fled their hometown in Than Hang, in Myanmars northwestern Chin state.

The army used to whip us with belts until we lost consciousness. They also killed the cattle so that villagers starve, recalls Pars husband, 44-year-old Mang Hmung, bedridden because of a chronic stomach disease.

Their five children receive free schooling at Don Bosco, an organisation with which the UNHCR has partnered, but several delays in rent payments have created tension with their landlord, who has threatened them with eviction.

Since the attempt to make Buddhism the state religion that preceded the 1962 coup in Burma, minorities have faced state violence, including the indigenous inhabitants of the largely mountainous Chin state.

They barely number half a million people, only one percent of the countrys population  90 percent of whom are Christian.

Increasing militarisation and Burmanization after the 1988 declaration of martial law led to decades of arbitrary arrests and repression throughout Myanmar.

A fact-finding report [PDF] published by Physicians for Human Rights in 2011 stated that more than 90 percent of the surveyed households in the Chin state suffered forced labour while 15 percent reported torture by government soldiers, who are also accused of rape.

Further famine in their homeland, forced the Chin community into exile. Some fled to Malaysia. But up to 100,000 reportedly [PDF] sought to cross into the neighbouring northeastern Indian state of Mizoram; where they suffered discrimination, detentions and massive deportations detailed by Human Rights Watch.

Although India hosts one of the largest refugees populations in South Asia, its government is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol. Nor does it have any national legislation relating to refugees, choosing instead to class them, asylum seekers, and other non-citizens all under the umbrella term foreigner.

Threatened in Myanmar and unprotected in India

The current number of Chin refugees in India is contested. According to the UNHCR office in New Delhi, there are 21,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar but only about 3,300 of them belong to the Chin community.

However, the Delhi-based Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO) counts 20,000 living in Indian soil, of whom 4,500 are settled in the capital.

Although India allows the presence of the UNHCR in its soil, their agreement is not guaranteed by law so the protection of refugees is often subject to foreign policy objectives and domestic public opinion.

Due to recent government changes, refugees face challenges in accessing public services and bank accounts.

While new documentation processes are being developed, we advocate that long-term visas and UNHCR documents are recognised by authorities to facilitate their continued access to basic services and opportunities explains Elsa Sherin Mathews, a spokesperson for the UNHCR in India.

The UNHCR issues refugee cards with which beneficiaries are eligible to apply for long-term visas, but very few successfully overcome the hurdles of Indias bureaucratic system.

We cannot even open bank accounts with it, and our children can't go to school without the required Indian ID. by Manu Long Kan, Chin mother-of-three

Local institutions dont accept the refugee card, says the 37-year-old mother of three, Manu Long Kan.

We cannot even open bank accounts with it, and our children cant go to school without the required Indian ID.

A survey [PDF] conducted by the Jesuits Refugee Service (JRS) shows the rate of illiteracy among Chin children in New Delhi is higher than that of their parents.

Lacking official recognition, the Chin are exploited in the informal sector while risking constant evictions.

We dont have any rights. Employers fire us if we fall sick and cant work, says Kans 39-year-old husband, Salai Hnai Thang, referring to his wifes health.

Absent from work for few days because of problems in her uterus, Manu Long Kan was never readmitted in her factory.

In the absence of UNHCR economic assistance for her medical treatment, Thangs monthly salary of 5,000Rs ($77) in a book factory barely covers his wifes medicines and the needs of their three children.

Chin refugees protest in front of UNHCR [office] every year, seeking legal protection and asking for appropriate assistance but the system remains the same. Overall, they are not happy with the UNCHR and its partners says Salai Cung Dawt, director at the CHRO brunch in New Delhi.

The UNHCR in India does not adequately protect refugees within its jurisdiction as it is overly sensitive to the unwritten restrictions placed by the government by Ravi Nair, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre

With its headquarters in Rangoon and funds from NGOs including, the Open Society Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, and Canadian InterPares, the CHRO reports human rights violations of the Chin community and has provided them with legal assistance in India since 1995.

Through partner organisations, the UNHCR offers livelihood opportunities and subsistence allowances to refugees, the latter of which is provided on an exceptional basis to vulnerable refugees.

However, the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC) has claimed that these jobs pay below the minimum wage, and has also denounced UNHCRs sexually discriminatory policies since the supporting stipend is only given to husbands, making women financially dependent.

The UNHCR in India does not adequately protect refugees within its jurisdiction as it is overly sensitive to the unwritten restrictions placed by the government, explains Ravi Nair, executive director at the SAHRDC.

It has also failed to promote realistic durable solutions.

These failings are compounded by the manner in which the UNHCR office and its employees have treated the refugee community.

Responding to these allegations, UNHCRs Elsa Sherin Mathews says: UNHCR and partners support the Government of India in protecting refugees and asylum-seekers as much as possible. [] Wherever possible, UNHCR tries to find long-term solutions for refugees by facilitating their voluntary return, local integration or resettlement for a few vulnerable refugees with serious protection needs.

Given the situation in many countries of origin, long-term solutions are not easily available for many refugees at present.

Racism and sexual violence

Both the Chin refugees and supporting organisations have reported racist attacks and sexual violence at the hands of locals. The JRS survey accounts that more than 92 percent of Chin households in New Delhi felt unsafe in their neighbourhoods while 80 percent of them experienced evictions and physical assaults.

My husband cant work since he was badly beaten by locals. Two of my daughters have also been attacked, 49-year-old Ngun Sui Men complains.

Although they have reported racist attacks to UNHCRs social unit, no legal action was taken because as they never filed a police report.

People may think that Myanmar has changed but it's still controlled by the army and it's not safe to live there. So better die here than going back. by Ngun Sui Men

We didnt report to the authorities because were afraid of retaliations from locals, she explains.

In order to meet the cost of their rent, Ngun Sui Mens family used to earn an extra 7,000 Rupees ($109) by shipping traditional Chin dry fish to members of their community living abroad.

Earlier this year, though, her family was threatened with eviction by neighbours because of the stench.

Ngun Sui Men once hoped to return home after the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy.

People may think that Myanmar has changed but its still controlled by the army and its not safe to live there, she explains.

So better die here than going back.
The challenge of assessing the outcome of yesterdays regional elections in Catalonia is that several actors in this crisis can claim different forms of victory  and are doing so  from different frames (majority in terms of seats neglecting share of votes, etc.). This, uncertainty and a strong component of post-truth politics in the secessionist camp, have been the defining features of a full-fledged crisis that has seen competing narratives about democracy, rule of law and basic constitutional covenants, first and foremost among the clashing camps in Catalonia. Such diametrically opposed framing and narrative building have also shaped the political framing elsewhere in Spain and at the international level.

Given the complexity of the results, their myriad implications and the renewed uncertainty about what comes next, it is important to perhaps distinguish between big read takeaways and deeper changes in the political and social landscape in Catalonia, which are sure to condition the region and Spain as a whole.

Big read takeaways

1. The secessionist parties retained their wafer-thin parliamentary majority. This was slightly down from the 72 seats out of 135 they obtained in the September 2015 parliamentary elections, to 70. They claimed that as a victory, especially as their narrative largely hinges on conflating the whole of Catalonia and the Catalan people with their specific preference, and the latter with a majority in the Catalan Parliament (vs a Spanish unionist minority, as often claimed by former premier Carles Puigdemont and other leaders). This is key to their discourse.

The narrative of victimhood, with Puigdemont in exile in Brussels, some former government counsellors in prison and temporary direct rule from Madrid under article 155 of the Spanish Constitution (enacted in late October at the peak of the crisis), kept mobilised an already mobilised secessionist electorate, in spite of the political instability, division and economic damage wrought by the secessionist process. Expectations among non-secessionists and in the rest of Spain that that damage would see secessionists losing their majority, even by a few seats, have been dashed.

2. The secessionists are still short of a majority of votes in Catalonia. The parties opposed to secession  though in different forms  have more than 50 percent of the votes, even if they fail to enjoy an equivalent number of seats, partly due to the electoral system. But that fact can be relatively overlooked by the current secessionist leaders, especially the more hardliners among them, who base their strategy on a parliamentary majority that allows them to retain control of almost all institutional and power levers in Catalonia.

3. This was a landslide win, in votes (over 1.1 million and 25.3 percent) and seats (37), for pro-Spain Ciudadanos (liberals). This is no doubt a historic win for many reasons. It is the first time since 1980 that a non-nationalist party clearly wins elections in Catalonia.

Ciudadanos was born in 2006 as a small anti-nationalist party in Catalonia, before going national in 2015, becoming the fourth Spanish party (some 15 percent of the vote). It has won in the most populated urban areas (including most districts of Barcelona), sneaking votes away from the Catalan Socialists (PSC), even in the latters traditional, lower working class strongholds. And it has won in spite of a political language, including elements of hate speech, commonly used by many secessionists, that aimed at tarnishing Ciudadanos legitimacy by labelling them as Spanish, born outside Catalonia or even fascists.

Led by the young Ines Arrimadas, the party ran a clear anti-secessionist campaign and endorsed the Mariano Rajoy governments application of temporary direct rule. So, while the secessionists claim that the Catalan Republic defeated the tripartite of article 155 (Ciudadanos, PSC and Rajoys Popular Party), the biggest advocate together with the Popular Party(PP), of article 155 (even of harsher forms of federal coercion than the one finally agreed to), actually won elections in Catalonia, somewhat denting the secessionists narrative. A pyrrhic victory nevertheless, as Arrimadas will be unable to get enough votes in Parliament to be elected the next Catalan premier.

4. This was a severe blow to Prime Minister Rajoys PP and the government. The PP has gone from 19 seats in the Catalan Parliament just five years ago to 11 seats in 2015, to a meagre 3 seats this year, and will have to humiliatingly join their foes from the anti-establishment, secessionist CUP (the other loser last night, from 10 seats to just 4) in the parliaments Mixed Group.

There is a widespread perception in Spain that Prime Minister Rajoys bet on early elections (against the preference of some in his party who wanted a longer period of direct rule with elections later in 2018) has not delivered the political benefits he sought  mainly, defeating the secessionist process towards independence from Spain in polls. The loss of the secessionist majority that Rajoy expected has ultimately failed to materialise.

The other core objectives of reasserting the States authority and restoring political and institutional normalcy in Catalonia  especially after the worrying scenarios of civil strife in October  through last nights well-attended, peaceful, elections, sadly, are of secondary relevance now, especially as the crisis and deadlock might deepen. Ironically, in a way, Ciudadanos, PPs growing political competitor, are the other key beneficiaries of the application of article 155 by Rajoys party: They can claim victory on their own, even if remaining as opposition leaders in Catalonia.

In these circumstances, especially if the next Catalan Government goes on with unilateralism and ignores the other half of Catalonia, political instability and social tensions will go on, together with tensions with Madrid. by

5. This was a severe blow to the leftist Podemos (Podem). Podemos is a Pablo Iglesias-led coalition of leftist parties in Catalonia, based on a rejection of independence (especially the unilateral independence pursued by Puigdemonts bloc) and rejection of Rajoys policies too. It has also failed in these elections, further weakening Podemos in Spain as a whole.

That delicate balancing, perceived as slightly skewed against Rajoy and mute criticisms of the secessionists abridging of the constitutional framework in Catalonia and its social peace, has not worked. Podem has gone down from 11 seats and nearly 9 percent of votes in 2015 to 8 seats and around 7 percent. They can condition the next government in Catalonia and at times operate as a bridge builder, but will not be the indispensable kingmaker most analysts and polls had predicted.

Iglesias had portrayed the 2015 elections in Catalonia as a potential leap forward to winning in Spain and failed on both counts. This time around, the outcome has been even worse. Increasingly contested within Podemos  and after a lower profile campaign  the question is whether these elections in Catalonia could confirm Podemos (and Iglesias) definite decline in Spain  and their falling behind Ciudadanos, the other contender for Spains so-called new politics (opposed to PP and PSOEs hegemony in the states party landscape), which is now clearly reinforced at the national level.

Outlook

The elections last night confirmed that Catalonia remains a pluralistic society, not the nationalistic pretence of a sol poble (one people  aka, the nationalists). Alas, sadly, the vote  the closest thing to a real referendum on independence Catalonia has had in recent years, with over 80 percent of turnout  has also confirmed a deeply fractured polity, almost neatly divided into two main blocs  for and against independence  with similar percentages each. As I see it, in Catalonia, these blocs move mostly in their echo chambers and stick to competing narratives, though, to be plain spoken, only one  the current secessionist hardliners  seems to deny any social and political legitimacy to the other side.

Catalonias politics will thus remain polarised, especially as the parties most seeking to build bridges (PSC, Podem) have not been reinforced. The national question will remain predominant, dwarfing other pressing social and economic questions. Deadlock will probably continue, even if the secessionists manage to overcome their differences and form a government (some do not rule out repeat elections in the spring).

In these circumstances, especially if the next Catalan government goes on with unilateralism and ignores the other half of Catalonia, political instability and social tensions will continue, as will tensions with Madrid. And so will the damage to Catalonia, as more companies will continue to take flight and establish their HQs in other parts of Spain (over 3000 since October 1).

There is a sore need of a serious concerted effort, first and foremost in Catalonia, to build bridges, offer mutual concessions and revamp political consensus. This should be followed by constitutional reform in Spain, including progress towards a real federalism based on power-sharing, more devolution but also rule of law, equal rights and institutional and federal loyalty among the different parts of the commonwealth too  principles that Puigdemont and his followers have been so prone to recklessly undermine. Bar this hopeful scenario, I unfortunately see but the further impoverishment of Catalonia, ruled by self-absorbed, provincial and clientelist elites: a shadow of hitherto cosmopolitan, modernising Catalonia that was so crucial in Spains own modernisation.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Christmas has always been a very special and meaningful holiday season for Palestinian Christians. In fact, it is almost like a national holiday in which many Muslims partake, especially in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nazareth, where most of the Christians and church schools are located.

Those schools serve both communities, so it is not surprising that many of the students and their families are aware of the festivities of the Christmas holidays. Many children join in decorating Christmas trees, singing carols and exchanging gifts.

While Bethlehem is where Jesus Christ was born, it is Jerusalem that is at the heart of Christianity. I remember my late father used to always dream of Jerusalem being the spiritual capital of the world since it is physically almost in the centre of the world, and because of its significance to all three faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And most probably that was the reason that the UN partition scheme of Palestine left Jerusalem as a separate entity at that time, to be governed by a special international regime.

Even as a young girl when I was still in boarding school in Birzeit, spending the day in Jerusalem was always a special experience. There was no West or East Jerusalem back then. And there were no residence and travel restrictions, so Palestinian Christians from all over flocked to Jerusalem and Bethlehem for Christmas, along with foreign pilgrims.

This artificial division between East and West emerged only after 1948. That year started with the bombing of the Semiramis Hotel in the western part of the city by the Haganah, the Jewish militia that eventually founded the Israeli military. The bombing killed more than 20 people, including members of the Christian family who owned the hotel. This act of terror darkened Orthodox Christmas, celebrated on January 7.

In April that year, two Jewish militias entered the Palestinian village of Deir Yaseen, near the western part of Jerusalem, and massacred hundreds, including women and children. In the aftermath of the massacre, Jewish forces went from house to house in western Jerusalem, which was mostly inhabited by Palestinians and which was where we were living at that time, ordering people to leave, lest they face the same fate as the residents of Deir Yaseen.

In the following months, the Palestinian population was either evicted at gunpoint or left out of fear. In December 1948, we celebrated our last Christmas with our extended family in western Jerusalem, before we, too, had to leave. The western part of the city became an entity of its own  the ethnically cleansed West Jerusalem.

The eastern part of the city was what remained for us Palestinians. I was married in 1960 there and lived in a small flat where both our children were born and celebrated their first Christmases. In 1964 we moved to a new house which my late husband built on top of a mountain in Beit Hanina, a suburb north of Jerusalem. Christmas was always a special occasion for the family, and after we moved to our new home, it became a tradition to have the extended family over for the holidays.

The year 1967 brought another tragedy for us. Eastern Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, fell under Israeli occupation. And in no time the Israelis annexed East Jerusalem to join it with West Jerusalem and claimed it to be the united eternal capital of the Jewish state of Israel, in defiance of all UN resolutions.

That December 25, I remember being naively hopeful. The UN had just unanimously adopted Resolution 242 a month earlier, stipulating that Israeli forces have to withdraw from the territories they occupied during the war.

I always thought of that period as the honeymoon period of the occupation which soon came to an end. And it did. Full-blown Israeli occupation became a reality in all of Jerusalem  a reality in which my children had to grow up.

The occupation became gradually unbearable. In December 1987 the first Intifada broke out, and our youth took to the streets. The following year, my son was arrested for recording Intifada music. He spent six months in detention and was released just days before Christmas. I was incredibly happy but not completely relieved. There was barely a family, Christian or Muslim, that was not affected by what was going on.

By then we had realised that Israel could get away with all its violations of UN resolutions and international law because it had the full support of the US to shield it against international condemnation.

This year, as we were getting ready for Christmas and looking forward to the older grandchildren coming home for the occasion, while the younger ones take their exams, we were blessed by a unique Christmas gift from Mr Donald Trump.

If Trump's statement on Jerusalem is the overture for that peace plan, may God help us all as we face much worse days to come. by

Defying the UN resolution deeming the annexation of Jerusalem illegal, which the US itself has never recognised, Mr Trump saw it fit to stand in front of his Christmas tree at the White House and declare Jerusalem the capital of the State of Israel.

He claimed that he was simply delivering what he had promised during his campaign. For us, this was yet another disaster.

The first thing that came to my mind was, What an idiot! Does he realise what the reaction to this would be? But then I thought of the Arabic saying: When one fool drops a key in a well, it takes a hundred wise men to figure out how to take it out.

Of course, my immediate concern was the youth because I was so sure they would react by protesting on the streets. I wished only that the Israeli army would leave them in peace for it is their legal right to protest such an injustice.

In the end, Trumps announcement is more of the same for us. It comes after Israels decades-long efforts to ethnically cleanse Jerusalem of Palestinians and claim it as its capital. Through racist residency laws, demolitions, evictions and violence, the Israeli government has aimed to overhaul the demography of the once Palestinian-majority city. The Israeli authorities now aim to limit the number of Palestinians to 12 percent of the population.

So here we are. The lights of Bethlehems Christmas tree, which were lit just a few days before Mr Trumps announcement, had to be turned off. The festive mood has been extinguished, and the whole region has been set on fire.

But in defiance we stand together, Christians and Muslims, to defend our rights in our city. We want very much to celebrate Christmas, and we do not want Mr Trump to spoil it for us.

But we cannot but mourn with all the families whose children have been shot or taken to jail during the protests against this grave injustice. We have been hearing about the ultimate deal Mr Trump and his team are working on. If Trumps statement on Jerusalem is the overture for that peace plan, may God help us all as we face much worse days to come.

Most of the younger generation in the West Bank have never had the privilege of visiting Jerusalem and praying in its churches or its mosques, yet they feel an affinity to their Holy City. They are still holding on to hope that justice and peace will eventually prevail and Jerusalem will be a city free of occupation one day.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Three iconic images that emerged following the latest wave of protests have been hailed as reminders of the resistance.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki has hailed three recent images as iconic reminders of resistance in the Palestinian-Israeli struggle.

In his remarks at the United Nations General Assembly emergency meeting addressing the US decision on Jerusalem on Thursday, al-Malki said: The steadfastness of our people on their land is legendary. Their aspiration for freedom and integrity is legitimate. Their hope for security and a better life for their children is renewed daily, but the Israeli assault robs their dreams and future.

He referenced images of three Palestinians taken during the latest wave of protests in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip against US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital. The images highlighted instances of Israeli forces besieging an unarmed child by a battalion of soldiers, sniping at a disabled man in Gaza and kidnapping a courageous young woman from her home.

The latest wave of protests in response to the US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has resulted in the deaths of 10 Palestinians and the detention of more than 500 people.

Other iconic images have emerged in the past to shed light on the Palestinian peoples plight under Israeli occupation.

First and second Intifadas

In the first Palestinian Intifada  or mass uprising  the most powerful image was transmitted by an American television network whose cameraman, using a long lens, was able to capture Israeli soldiers breaking the bones of a nameless Palestinian stone-thrower.

Israeli cameraman Moshe Alpert, who worked for the American channel CBS News, in 1988 captured four Israeli soldiers following the directives of Defence Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who implemented a policy of breaking bones to prevent Palestinians from protesting.

During the second Intifada, the victim in the viral photo had a name: Mohammad al-Durrah, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, died instantly in Gaza after being shot by Israeli gunfire while his father attempted to shield him from live ammunition. The footage was captured by a cameraman with the French TF2 station, Talal Abu Rahmeh.

Abu Rahmeh told the Al-Monitor news website that his French employer had posted on YouTube the entire raw video to put an end to attempts to discredit him through claims that the footage was staged.

The footage of al-Durrah was popular because it captured human emotion, he said: It moved the world and whoever saw it because it reflected a real human emotion of a father unable to protect his young son.

New iconic images

In the three short weeks since Trump declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, three new iconic images have emerged from Hebron, Gaza and the village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah. Two of the subjects are now in Israeli jail, and one was killed, shot in the head by an Israeli sniper.

The first image that appeared shortly after protests broke out was from Hebron, showing a 16-year-old boy surrounded by at least 20 Israeli soldiers. The boy appeared to be handcuffed and blindfolded.

Fawzi al-Junaidi, who is now facing charges of throwing rocks, was arrested a few days after protests broke out.

Within days, another image began to circulate online.

Ibrahim Abu Thurayyah, a 30-year old Palestinian from Gaza who lost both his legs in the 2008 Israeli assault on Gaza, was shot in the head on December 15  this time, by live ammunition, as he was protesting against the US decision.

The image of him protesting in a wheelchair while waving a Palestinian flag quickly took over social media pages. Cartoonists were quick to turn the story into illustrations depicting Israeli brutality and showing Abu Thurayyah as having wings and flying into the heavens.

Carlos Lattuf, a Brazilian cartoonist, asked his 71,000 followers on social media to pass on to the family of the slain Palestinian double amputee the depiction he had produced of this new Palestinian icon.

Shortly after, a third image began making the rounds.

A 16-year-old Palestinian girl who stood up to Israeli soldiers after her house was ransacked and her cousin shot in the head by an Israeli rubber bullet, was filmed taunting Israeli soldiers and shouting at them to leave.

The soldiers did not react, and the image of their non-reaction was considered humiliating by Israelis as the story made headlines in major media outlets.

The Israeli military responded quickly, ordering the arrest and detention of Ahed Tamimi, who was taken from her home in the early hours of December 19.

When her mother attempted to check on her in detention, she was also arrested.

Tamimi was quickly depicted as a hero. Again, her image was turned into cartoons and short videos in both English and Arabic.

Jordans Prince Ali bin Hussein even praised the Palestinian teenager on his Twitter account.
Security Council adopts new measures, including ban on nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum exports to North Korea.

The UN Security Council has unanimously voted to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyangs latest missile test.

The sanctions, passed on Friday, include a ban on nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum exports to North Korea.

The restrictions, proposed by the US, are designed to prevent Pyongyang from furthering its nuclear programme.

Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN, said the move was a significant ramping up of sanctions against North Korea.

The idea is to squeeze North Korea as tightly as possible to reduce its income, reduce its revenues, and in that way hopefully drive it to the negotiating table and also for it to stop its missile development process, he said.

The resolution also orders North Koreans who work abroad to return to the country within 24 months.

Arrogance and hostility

Speaking at the UN, Nikki Haley, US ambassador, said North Koreas arrogance and hostility had been a stumbling block to achieving peace.

Today, for the 10th time, this council stands united against a North Korean regime that rejects the pursuit of peace, she said.

The Kim regime continues to defy the resolutions of this council, the norms of civilised behaviour and the patience of the international community.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns government has conducted several missile tests this year, which have drawn condemnation from the international community.

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North Korea said on November 29 that it had successfully conducted a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland.

North Korean state television KCNA said that the missile is the most powerful ICBM yet to be tested by the country.

It was the third test of an ICBM by North Korea this year.

Both Russia and China supported the new sanctions, despite previously raising concerns that not enough was being done to promote diplomatic resolutions to tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

There had been debate and argument in the past about these two countries preferring to focus on a diplomatic track and not wanting to introduce more sanctions until ones in place were fully implemented, said Al Jazeeras Hanna.





However, the US has said no diplomatic talks can take place without a full cessation of North Koreas nuclear programme.

The US also refuses to stop joint training exercises with South Korea, which North Korea has called a rehearsal for invasion.

Fridays resolution contains a commitment to the resumption of six-party talks, leaving the door open for possible diplomatic negotiations.

The six-party talks are a diplomatic effort, which aim to find a peaceful solution to security concerns in the Korean Peninsula.

They involve North Korea, South Korea and the US, along with regional powers China, Japan and Russia.

The last six-party talks were held in 2009.
Working group to discuss exchange and release of prisoners held by pro-government forces and rebel groups.

The Iranian, Turkish and Russian governments have reportedly agreed on a working group for the release of detainees during talks on ending the Syrian conflict in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Steffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, announced the working group on Friday from Moscow after meeting Sergey Lavrov, Russias foreign minister.

Iran and Russia support the Syrian government, while Turkey has largely supported rebels fighting against the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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The news comes on the one-year anniversary of the end of fighting in Aleppo, where rebels backed by Turkey and several Arab countries fought pro-government forces for years.

The battle of Aleppo began in 2012 and ended in 2016 when pro-government forces took control of the entire city, pushing out the rebels.

Rebel-held eastern Aleppo was under a months-long siege and a final offensive forced the opposition to agree to a surrender and a withdrawal.

We always thought Aleppo was ours. But they took it, Mousa al-Sharif, a displaced resident of Aleppo, told Al Jazeera.

We were forced to leave. Now were living a difficult life and no one is helping us.

It was a strategic gain for the Syrian government, but they have not shown a willingness to compromise with their enemies, Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut in neighbouring Lebanon, said.

The next talks on Syrias peace process will take place in the Russian resort city of Sochi from January 29 to 30.
Day after UN vote, troops open fire on Palestinians protesting against US move to declare Jerusalem as Israels capital.

At least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed by Israeli forces during protests over US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ministry said in a statement on Friday that two Palestinians were killed and more than 70 others injured during clashes with Israeli forces in northern Gaza near the border with Israel.

According to local news media, 24-year-old Zakariya al-Kafarneh was killed by live ammunition while taking part in the protests.

The name of the second Palestinian killed was unknown.

Maan News agency said Israeli troops used live bullets, tear gas and stun grenades against Palestinian protesters, who had gathered for the third Friday of Rage demonstration since Trump announced his decision in early December.

At least 103 Palestinians have been taken to hospitals across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip on Friday for treatment for injuries from protests, the health ministry said in a statement.

Last week, the Israeli army killed Palestinian double amputee Ibrahim Abu Thurayyah while he was protesting in the besieged territory.

At least eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during protests over Trumps Jerusalem decision began.

At least four have also been killed by Israeli air raids in Gaza since early December.

UN vote

Fridays protests come a day after the UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution describing the decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital null and void.

The resolution was approved with 128 votes in favour and nine against, while 35 countries abstained.

The vote passed despite intimidation by Trump, who had threatened on Wednesday to eliminate financial aid to member states who voted against his decision, while Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, had warned that she would be taking names of those countries.

The motion was co-authored by Turkey, which has taken a key role in the Muslim response to the move, and was supported by key US allies including, the UK and other Western states.

Mevult Cavusoglu, foreign minister of Turkey, said on Twitter that the vote showed that dignity and sovereignty are not for sale.

Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator, said the Palestinians appreciate very much that the majority of the international community decided, in spite of the threats and intimidation of the US, to stand tall with wisdom, far-sightedness, international law and the rule of law  and not the rule of the jungle.
Libyas rival parliaments are at loggerheads again, this time over who should be in charge of the countrys central bank.

Libyas rival parliaments are at loggerheads again, this time over who should be in charge of the countrys central bank.

The House of Representatives in Tobruk elected a new governor for the bank, but the High State Council of the internationally-backed government in Tripoli has rejected the replacement.

According to the Skhairat agreement, the two governments in Libya are to agree on all major decisions, including the naming of the head of the central bank.

Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdelwahed reports from Tripoli.
Day after UN vote, Palestinian President Abbas says he has trust in French leader Macrons efforts to advance peace.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the European Union to take the initiative in the Israel-Palestine peace process.

Abbas also says he will no longer accept any peace plan put forward by the US following President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6.

The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process, Abbas said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday.

Tensions between the US and the world community came to a head at the UN General Assembly on Thursday evening.

A nonbinding draft resolution to declare Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital null and void was approved by the General Assembly, with 128 states voting in favour and nine against, with 35 abstentions.

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The Trump administration appeared to threaten states who voted for the resolution with a cut in US aid to the UN and to member states.

Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, said that as the largest donor to the international body, the US had a legitimate expectation that its goodwill would be recognised and respected.

The threat was met with condemnation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Trump cannot buy Turkeys democratic will.

Abbas echoed Erdogans sentiment, saying he hoped the US will learn the lesson and understand that you cannot impose solutions by using money and trying to buy off countries.

The Palestinian Authority hopes the European Union will take a leading role in peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis, Abbas continued.

We have trust in you. We respect the efforts made by you and we count heavily on your efforts, Abbas told French President Macron.

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Macron reaffirmed the French position that the two-state solution is the answer to ending the 70-year Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Macron went on to criticise Trumps move: The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing  I do not approve of Trumps decision regarding Jerusalem.

Although he took a critical tone, Macron, 40, has previously said he will not immediately seek a French peace initiative.

Instead, he will wait for the outcome of the US efforts following Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Macron has increasingly been holding meetings with Middle East leaders in recent weeks.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, was in Paris for talks less than two weeks ago.

I have committed myself very clearly to doing everything to further peace, Macron said.
Church leaders warn of chilling similarities between current conflict and whats been called the 1997 Acetal massacre.

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico  Maria* said the bullets fell like rain onto the tin roof of her house when the masked gunmen arrived in her village in southern Mexico on the night of November 9.

In tears and speaking through an interpreter in her indigenous Tzotzil language, she recounted the events that pushed her and thousands of others to flee their homes in Chalchihuitan, Chiapas in late October and early November.

She told Fray Bartolome de las Casas, or FRAYBA, a human rights centre based in San Cristobal, that her family fled 100 metres from the house and hid in a ditch.

She added that her children wanted to return home, but they couldnt go back for fear armed men would shoot at them if they got too close.

The gunmen are part of a paramilitary force from the neighbouring municipality of Chenalho, about an hour drive north of San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Their efforts to drive out their neighbours in Chalchihuitan are part of a territorial dispute that has pitted the two Tzotzil communities against each other for decades.

The initial attacks on October 18 resulted in the shooting death of one man. Since then more than 5,000 people from Chalchihuitan have fled their homes into the surrounding mountains.

Most of the displaced are women, elderly, children and infants who are struggling to survive as temperatures drop to near freezing every night.

At least 10 people have died from exposure to the cold temperatures and lack of medical care, including two babies, two toddlers and five elderly people.

Last weekend, one young man died by suicide after expressing fear and hopelessness in the face of his and his familys displacement, local media reported.

It is absolutely unacceptable that today in Mexico, children are dying of hunger and cold, Mexicos UNICEF representative Christian Skoog said in a statement after the deaths were reported.

Acteal massacre

The violence is unfolding at a symbolic time.

Friday marks the 20th anniversary of what has been called the Acteal massacre. In 1997, 45 unarmed Tzotzil indigenous community members were shot by masked men during a prayer meeting at a church just up the road from Chalchihuitan and Chenalho.

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The victims were peaceful sympathisers of the Zapatistas, a left-leaning indigenous group that openly rebelled against the government in 1994 in response to the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The paramilitaries that carried out the attack were affiliated with the then-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which is also the party of current Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Then-President Ernesto Zedillo called for an official investigation of the Acteal incident in 1998. It revealed that local corrupt police and politicians stood by and allowed the killing to be carried out by the paramilitary forces. Yet survivors believed the investigation did not go high enough.

Father Marcelo Perez Perez, a Tzotzil Catholic priest from a parish a few hours north of Chalchihuitan, said that there are chilling similarities between Acteal and the current crisis.

Seeing that theyve burned houses, they killed on October 18, and there are more than 5,000 displaced people, that is already a clear sign that something worse than Acteal is approaching, Perez told Al Jazeera.

During the weeks leading up to Acteal, paramilitaries were behaving in a similar way to the gunmen from Chenalho: driving people out of their villages, burning houses, shooting and stealing livestock and firing their weapons at random, according to rights groups.

But Perez fears an imminent massacre worse than the killings that happened on December 22, 1997, because today, 20 years later in Chalchihuitan, the number of displaced people is far higher.

Decades of conflict

The beginning of the current conflict took root long before Acteal.

As part of an agrarian reform package in 1973, the Mexican government decided to delineate an official boundary between Chenalho and Chalchihuitan.

For generations, the two communities had simply used the river as a natural border between their lands, but the new reform created confusion that planted the seeds of future hostility.

Everything was fine before, Perez said.

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But then the reform came, they changed the boundaries, and stopped respecting the natural ones from before.

Today residents of Chenalho say that people from Chalchihuitan are in their territory, raising livestock and growing coffee and other crops on their land.

Leaders from Chalchihuitan deny this, claiming that a 1975 resolution declared the contested portion of land theirs and that theyve been paying taxes on it ever since.

Chalchihuitan resident Domingo Diaz Perez spoke at a press conference in San Cristobal de las Casas last week to reassert the claims of his community and express his fear about what is happening at home.

The current situation, in truth, is serious, he told reporters. It is extremely worrying because the paramilitary groups from Chenalho are very well armed  with high calibre weapons.

The intermittent violence keeps them scattered in the mountains, sleeping under black tarps. They dont want to be together in large groups because they are afraid of an attack, a massacre by the paramilitaries, said Diaz Perez.

On Thursday, Father Marcelo Perez Perez told Al Jazeera that he had a series of meetings in San Cristobal with representatives of the state and local government. He said they pledged humanitarian aid, agrarian process and security.

But residents say that the sound of automatic gunfire almost every night prevents them from returning to their houses.

FRAYBA has collected bullet casings from AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles during its observation visits to the region.

The organisations director, Pedro Faro, points out that such weapons are exclusively for military use.

Local human rights defenders have criticised the government response to the crisis and failure to disarm the gunmen.

During a December 13 press conference hosted by FRAYBA, Pablo Ramirez Obando accused the state and federal governments of allowing Chenalhos paramilitaries to act with impunity, saying that their activities have been permitted by the authorities in Chiapas and by the federal government.

In addition to attacking villages and pushing people to flee their homes, FRAYBA, along with other local organisations, reported that the paramilitaries had blocked the only highway into Chalchihuitan.

The destruction of this highway was carried out with heavy machinery by armed men from Chenalho, as a way to cut off and control the population of Chalchihuitan, Obando said.

The blockade transformed the usual 90-minute drive from San Cristobal to Chalchihuitan into a seven-hour odyssey across often flooded dirt roads, preventing food and supplies from entering the municipality.

To complicate matters further, a local agrarian court handed down a ruling on December 13, declaring that the territory in question needed to be reassessed and remeasured, but declining to favour one municipality over the other. Shortly after, the Chiapas state government announced in conjunction with the municipal government of Chenalho an interpretation of the ruling alluding the territory belonged to Chenalho.

Father Perez said that a favouring of either municipality over the other would exacerbate the situation. It doesnt bring peace, he said. Because both sides want to be benefitted by the decision.

Faro did see a silver lining in Chenalhos interpretation of the tribunal ruling.

The fact that they declared themselves the winner did have some so-called positive effects because they reopened the highway route to Chalchihuitan, Faro said.

That has enabled basic goods to begin entering the municipality again.

Nevertheless, the crisis persists as people still fear returning to their homes amidst continued gunfire.

Perez maintains that the only way to restore lasting peace is to urge both sides to enter into a dialogue moderated by FRAYBA or other members of civil society.

Although the government says its done a lot, in reality, there is so much corruption, and they havent resolved the problem of extreme poverty that exists here, said Perez.

They just make the indigenous communities fight among themselves, and thats a big problem and immense sorrow for us.

State officials in Chiapas did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Even if the violence does not escalate to repeat the history of Acteal, the current conflict will likely have long-standing consequences.

Many of the displaced have given testimony to local and international human rights observers.

There are numerous accounts of livestock being killed or stolen during the attacks and reports that coffee and other crops are rotting on the vine since people are too afraid to return home for the harvest.

Speaking to FRAYBA, Marta*, another displaced woman lamented her situation: This year we will be more hungry.

*Names have been changed to protect the individuals identity and privacy.
State Department official says Houthis will be invited to political settlement if they stop attacking Saudi Arabia.

The US has said that there is no military solution to end the war in Yemen and believes that the best way to end the crisis is through aggressive diplomacy.

In a briefing on Thursday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tim Lenderking also said that US President Donald Trumps administration believes that there is room for the Houthis in a political settlement if the rebel group stops attacking Saudi Arabia, a US ally.

We believe that there is room for the Houthis in a political settlement. We welcome that, but not when the Houthis continue to rocket and  rocket our  a key ally like Saudi Arabia on a regular basis, and also not  not when the Houthis are menacing the border of Saudi Arabia, which is something that goes on very consistently, Lenderking said.

Were pushing everybody to move into a political process as quickly as we can, he added.

A coalition supported by the United States and led by Saudi Arabia went to war with Houthi rebels  widely believed to be backed by the Kingdoms regional rival, Iran  on March 21, 2015.

The Houthis have recently fired several ballistic missiles towards Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and the coalition has retaliated with more air raids in Yemen.

Events took a dramatic turn on the ground earlier in December, when the Houthis announced that they had killed Yemens overthrown leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had recently publicly broken ties with the rebels.

The Houthis claim to have retaken most of the capital, Sanaa, from Salehs forces.

Weve called on the Houthis to cease carrying out reprisals against members of Salehs party, against his family, said Lenderking.

Were looking to push everybody to the extent we can  and I realise that theres own rhythm inside Yemen for these things. Its not necessarily something for outsiders to dictate. Theres a rhythm here for Yemeni parties to come together, and this is  this is the time to do it.

Currently, the US provides midair refuelling for Saudi and UAE warplanes that are conducting air attacks in Yemen, as well as assistance with bomb targeting, according to US officials.

Humanitarian disaster

Since the start of the war, more than 10,000 people have been killed and more than three million have lost their homes. More than 80 percent of Yemenis lack access to food, fuel, clean water and healthcare.

Millions face the threat of famine.

The Kingdom, in response to a missile fired towards Riyadh by the Houthis in November said it imposed a blockade as a necessary precaution aimed at preventing weapons being smuggled into Yemen by Iran.

Saudi said it eased the blockade weeks later, but it has refused to allow commercial imports through the port city in Yemen situated on the Red Sea, at the demand of dozens of aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam and UN agencies.

In a White House statement earlier on Thursday, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the US welcomes news Saudi Arabia will open the port.

She blamed missile attacks towards Riyadh on Iran.

We urge the United Nations Security Council to hold Iran responsible for its repeated and blatant violations of Security Council resolutions, she said.

In a similar vein to Lenderking, she also called for a non-military solution to the war.

We call on all parties to support a political solution to the war in Yemen, which is the only way to advance long-term stability in Yemen and end the suffering of the Yemeni people, she said.
Policy aims to maintain nuclear weapons systems and warheads on the tactical, operational and strategic levels.

Islamabad, Pakistan  Pakistans military and civilian leadership has reaffirmed the countrys commitment to maintaining full spectrum nuclear deterrence and reiterated the robustness of its nuclear safeguards.

Pakistans National Command Authority (NCA), which oversees the countrys nuclear weapons programme, met for the first time in almost two years in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

While expressing full confidence in Pakistans capability to address any form of aggression, the NCA reiterated Pakistans policy of developing and maintaining Full Spectrum Deterrence, in line with the policy of Credible Minimum Deterrence and avoidance of arms race, said a joint statement from the countrys military and the prime ministers office.

The meeting was the first held since Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi took over in August this year. Also in attendance were Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Zubair Hayat and other members of the countrys top security leadership.

Full spectrum deterrence refers to a Pakistani nuclear policy where the country maintains nuclear weapons systems and warheads on the tactical, operational and strategic levels.

The policy was developed in response to a shift by regional rival India towards a more proactive conventional military stance, often dubbed Cold Start. Pakistan, in turn, developed tactical nuclear weapons, which are smaller warheads that can be deployed at short range.

The doctrine envisages the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Pakistan as a deterrent against any possible conventional incursion into Pakistani territory by Indian forces.

The Pakistani leadership noted with concern a conventional arms build-up by India, its deployment of nuclear weapons capable systems to the Indian Ocean and its development of a Ballistic Missile Shield system.

The NCA also noted Pakistans development of the Babur-III cruise missile and Ababeel ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads.

Response to US allegations

The statement on Thursday also made apparent reference to US President Donald Trumps recently announced security strategy, where he called on Pakistan to continue demonstrating that it is a responsible steward of its nuclear assets.

The NCA took a detailed review of the Nuclear Security Regime and expressed full confidence in command and control systems and security measures in-place to ensure comprehensive stewardship and security of strategic assets and materials, said the Pakistani statement.

It re-affirmed that, as a responsible nuclear State, Pakistan would continue to contribute meaningfully towards the global efforts to improve nuclear security and nuclear non-proliferation measures.

Pakistans relations with the United States remain fraught, after Trump singled the country out for criticism during his announcement of a new South Asia strategy in August, accusing it of harbouring armed groups fighting US forces in Afghanistan.

A series of high-level visits by US officials have done little to dispel the tension.

On Thursday, Pakistans Foreign Office once again rejected the US unfounded accusations against Pakistans commitment to fighting armed groups.

Pakistan has long been at the forefront in the fight against regional and global terrorism, said FO spokesperson Mohammad Faisal at a regular press briefing. It is because of Pakistans cooperation with the international community, acknowledged and appreciated by the US leadership, that the al-Qaeda core was decimated from the region.

Follow Asad Hashim on Twitter: @AsadHashim
Trump and Brexit seized on in January and Austria becoming only country to bring in far right celebrated at end of 2017.

The rise of the far right was a defining feature of European politics in 2017.

In December, the trend peaked with Austria becoming the only European country to bring the far right into government.

Several parties have exploited discussions about immigration, Islam and the role of the European Union, considering them a threat to security, to win support, from France to Poland.

We have a new government and #Austria's police as well as its army will be under the control of Austria's far right party FPO. Including all secret services. And on top the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.  Am not sure if the rest of the world has already noticed this.  Petra Ramsauer (@petraramsauer) December 15, 2017

The far right didnt put immigration on the agenda, the refugee crisis did that, said Cas Mudde, an expert on far-right politics at the University of Georgia. If we didnt have a far right we would have been talking about immigration and Islam, but they have had a very important [role] on how we talk about those things.

Far-right movements, he said, are defined by nativism, authoritarianism, and populism.

Brexit and Trump set up 2017 as the year of populism and the radical right, he told Al Jazeera. Theres still this broad understanding that radical rights are flash parties  they come out of nowhere, get big success, shake up the system and then disappear  that is empirically just not true for a lot of them.

Europe has to reform ... I hope 2018 is the time when this will start. by Pietro De Matteis, Stand up for Europe vice president

This year, the far right heavily influenced mainstream parties, which feel threatened by the growth of populist parties.

When mainstream parties take over the agenda of the radical right, even if they dont implement the policies, they are saying the concerns are legitimate, said Mudde.

As the far right celebrated gains, tens of thousands protested as xenophobic politicians and their supporters gathered in conference halls, campaigned at rallies and marched through cities. And with much hate speech spread online, in December, Twitter deleted accounts belonging to far right movements.

But are these efforts satisfactory to remove this dangerous strain?

With elections to continue in Europe in 2018, change is needed, said Pietro De Matteis, vice president of the pan-European citizens movement, Stand up for Europe.

Europe has to reform, and reform around and with the citizens. I hope 2018 is the time when this will start, he told Al Jazeera.

Below, we review the year.

January: Far-right leaders meet in Germany, thousands protest

Leaders of Europes far right, including Marine Le Pen of Frances National Front and Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), convened in Germanys Koblenz on January 21 under the auspices of Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF)  the smallest political group in the European Parliament.

At least 3,000 protested against xenophobia as the meeting took place.

Speakers hailed the election of US President Donald Trump and Britains Brexit vote as victories for their cause.

In his campaign, Trump repeatedly railed against immigration and Muslims, while Britains vote to quit the EU was seen by far-right supporters as a step towards stricter border control.

Le Pen told attendees: In 2016, the Anglo-Saxon world woke up  In 2017, I am sure that it will be the year of the Continental peoples rising up, she said.

March: Far right boosts in Hungary, the Netherlands

In Hungary, Janos Ader was re-elected as president on March 13.

He is a member of the ruling conservative Fidesz party, which has shifted further right, in part due to a campaign against billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros, whose Open Society Foundations (OSF) charity advocates for greater acceptance of refugees and migrants.

In the Netherlands, the March 15 general election saw Geert Wilders PVV party win the second-largest share of votes with more than 13 percent overall and a five-seat gain on the 2012 election. Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, held on to his role.

Some people read the result as a defeat for the populists, but it was the opposite, Daniele Albertazzi, a lecturer in European politics at the University of Birmingham. The key is to what extent they have influenced other parties, which in the Netherlands they have.

Mudde agreed. The success of the radical right is in agenda setting  Who then implements that agenda is less relevant, just the fact that its done, he said.

May: Le Pen eyes the French presidency

Frances National Front leader Marine Le Pen made it to the second and final round of the French general election on May 7.

The party took more than 10 million votes  a record performance  but Emmanuel Macron won with 66 percent.

He won without giving in to the far right, said Mudde. In a certain way Rutte won in the Netherlands  by adopting the policies, and even the discourse of the radical right.

September: Alternative for Germany surges in federal election

Germanys Alternative for Germany (AfD), which promised to ban all mosques and criminalise wearing the veil, emerged as the countrys third biggest political force, winning 12.6 percent of the popular vote on September 24.

Angela Merkels centre-right Christian Democratic Union party secured 33 percent, down almost nine percent from the 2013 ballot.

Had Merkel scored 3 or 4 percent more we would all be talking about the end of populism and the new energy of liberal democracy, Mudde told Al Jazeera.

Angela Merkel is still trying to form a coalition government.

October: Austrians support far right, pave way for coalition

Austrias Freedom Party (FPO), led by Heinz-Christian Strache, won 26 percent of the vote, becoming the third largest party, in the countrys October 15 election.

It entered government in December, forming a coalition with 31-year-old Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his Austrian Peoples Party.

Both parties campaigned for tougher immigration rules and the deportation of asylum seekers.

There is nothing new in the success of these parties, said the University of Birminghams Albertazzi. But there are opportunities for them now that have been generated by the impacts of globalisation, the refugee crisis and many terrorist attacks in Europe.

Those [developments] have accelerated a process that was taking place anyway.

October: Czech far right pushes ahead

In the Czech Republic, the anti-Islam Freedom and Direct Democracy party won 538,574 votes, or nearly 11 percent, and became a new parliamentary party.

Chaired by Tomio Okamura, a Czech-Japanese politician, the party has links with Le Pens National Front.

In December, the party hosted Europes far right in Prague, where leaders called for a Europe without the EU.

November: Fascists join march of 60,000 people in Poland

Some 60,000 people, including nationalists and fascists, took part in Warsaws Independence March on November 11.

The demonstration carried a clear anti-Islam and anti-EU message.

We have had two world wars in the last century; we don't want conflict again ...Together we need to draft a new vision for the future of Europe, batting the problems people see as only being addressed by the populists by Pietro De Matteis, Stand up for Europe

We know that politics led by extremists is a recipe for disaster, said Matteis of Stand up for Europe.

We have had two world wars in the last century; we dont want conflict again Together we need to draft a new vision for the future of Europe, batting the problems people see as only being addressed by the populists.
Turkey and Bangladesh, once at odds, are cooperating to bring aid to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees.

Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh  To most Rohingya taking shelter in makeshift refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, the sight of a white crescent and star on a red background  the Turkish flag  symbolises one thing: a hot meal.

Turkeys state-run aid agency, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), has been distributing meals  often rice, lentils, chicken curry and potatoes  to Rohingya refugees here since mid-September.

Every day, 2.5 tonnes of ingredients are used to feed about 25,000 Rohingya, an ethnic minority group, hundreds of thousands of whom were forced to flee Myanmar earlier this year amid a deadly crackdown at the hands of the countrys military.

TIKA has also distributed 10,000 blankets, provided medical care and built the only playground for Rohingya children in the camps.

The governments of Turkey and Bangladesh did not always enjoy such a close relationship. But the Rohingya crisis has changed that.

There were times when we were sitting on  rice and lentils for days as there was no firewood to cook, said Innasur Alam, a refugee in Kutupalong camp.

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Pointing to a TIKA-run food distribution point, Alam said: They started giving us cooked meals then.

Earlier this week, Binali Yildirim, Turkeys prime minister, described the killing of Rohingya by the Myanmar military a genocide.

Yildirim, who made the comments on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, helped hand out some of TIKAs meals himself, while also inaugurating a medical facility at Balukhali refugee camp in Coxs Bazar.

Turkey also donated two ambulances to the local district administration.

TIKA was the first foreign organisation to deliver foodstuffs and medicine  an initial shipment of 1,000 tonnes  to the conflict zone of Rakhine state in Myanmar on September 2.

After the violence erupted there in late August, the Myanmar government blocked all UN aid to the area.

Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and Turkeys Religious Affairs Directorate are also providing aid and medical care in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.

High-profile visits

Yildirim is one of several Turkish policymakers and senior figures who have made high-profile visits to Bangladesh since the Rohingya crisis broke out in August.

Emine Erdogan, spouse of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkeys president, visited the camps in September, alongside Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkeys foreign minister, and Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, the Turkish family and social policy minister.

Erdogan himself was the first world leader to condemn the Myanmar army for applying a disproportionate use of force to remove the Rohingya from Myanmar, calling it a textbook case of ethnic cleansing.

As the incumbent chief of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Erdogan gathered Muslim leaders across the world in applying pressure on Myanmar to stop its attacks on Muslim-majority Rohingya.

He also raised the Rohingya issue at the UN.

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Turkey has played an initial key role to draw international attention to the plight of the Rohingya, explained Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University.

Ahmed said this is part of the Turkish governments wider push to defend Sunni Muslims against oppression around the world.

Turkeys overwhelming support on Rohingya issue is part Erdogans effort to become the leader of the Muslim world, Ahmed told Al Jazeera.

[Turkeys] stance on the Rohingya issue definitely gives them an edge.

Ties between Turkey and Bangladesh became particularly strained over a war-crimes trial in which top leaders of Bangladeshs largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, were hanged.

Erdogan condemned the execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami, the 73-year-old head of the party, who was hanged in Dhaka on May 11, 2016, and accused European leaders of ignoring the case because Nizami was a Muslim.

Turkey also reportedly recalled its ambassador to Bangladesh, Devrim Ozturk, at the time. Three months later, however, Ozturk came back to Dhaka.

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Last year, Ozturk thanked the government of Bangladesh for expressing its support to Erdogans government after the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.

Officials at Bangladeshs ministry of foreign affairs and the Turkish embassy in Dhaka declined to comment on whether the Rohingya issue had healed the rift between the two countries.

But a high-ranking official in the ministry, who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, said Bangladesh and Turkey want to forget what happened around the war-crimes trial.

The countries plan to focus on strengthening their bilateral relationship, the official said.

With the most prominent war-crimes trials now over, Turkey is not concerned or bothered about it any more, said Munshi Fayez Ahmed, chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).

Ahmed told Al Jazeera he believed Turkeys strong support for Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue has definitely helped the two countries to improve what was perceived to be a frayed relationship.
Lawyer says sisters, aged 28 and 30, were subjected to torture and abuse by family members before they fled to Istanbul.

Two sisters from Saudi Arabia, who are currently in Turkey, are desperately trying to avoid being returned to the kingdom, where they could be imprisoned, their lawyer has told Al Jazeera.

Serdarhan Topo said that his clients, 30-year-old Ashwaq Hamoud and 28-year-old Areej Hamoud, also fear violence from family members if they are forced to go back home.

The sisters, who are Saudi nationals, say they were subjected to torture and abuse at the hands of relatives.

They tried to flee to New Zealand on February 8 from Hong Kong, where they had arrived from Saudi Arabia via undocumented methods.

However, they were not allowed to board on the plane during a Hong Kong transit on the suspicion that they might seek asylum in their final destination, Topo said.

In Saudi Arabia, where men are legal guardians of the family, women fleeing home is considered a crime.

The sisters face possible criminal charges in Saudi Arabia, which could lead to them being returned to their allegedly abusive guardians or being jailed for filial disobedience or harming the reputation of their country, because of their appeal for help outside the kingdom.

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Disappointed following their attempt to go to New Zealand, the siblings travelled from Hong Kong to Istanbul.

Saudi nationals can enter Turkey by purchasing visas on arrival.

After staying and working in Istanbul, they applied for a residence permit in Turkey, which unexpectedly led to their detention in May.

The father of the family, who is apparently an influential man, demanded his daughters return in a complaint through Saudi authorities, claiming that his daughters intended to go to Syria to join terrorist groups there, said Topo.

Shortly after their detention, the authorities decided to deport the sisters despite the fact that there was no evidence backing these claims.

We were shocked to hear [about] this decision as these people [face possible] death, not to mention violence, if they are returned to their country.

However, the Turkish Constitutional Court has ruled that any deportation process would not take place until the judicial process was completed.

A local court in Istanbul is reviewing the case.

Social media videos

After they were detained, several videos of the women  apparently filmed by themselves  were shared on social media.

The sisters speak of their fears; in one clip they claim that if they return to Saudi Arabia, they will be killed by their family or put into prison forever.

Social media users have shown their solidarity with the women with a hashtag, #SaveAshwaqAndAreej.

Topo says the accusation that the two sisters will join armed groups in Syria has influenced the case in a negative manner.

Turkish laws are currently highly sensitive to terror issues due to the countrys ongoing state of emergency.

However, there is no arrest warrant for [the sisters] or case against them over this particular claim, which means that Turkish authorities are well aware that these are unfounded, he said.

Ashwaq & Areej Alharbi apply for asylum in Turkey (video) They ask for your support to prevent their extradition from Turkey to Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/fO4jQ7wOWN  Taleb Al Abdulmohsen (@DrTalebJawad) May 16, 2017

A state of emergency has been in effect in Turkey since a July 2016 failed military coup. The government has been implementing tough measures in cases they believe are related to terrorism since.

According to Turkish law, foreigners should not be returned to a place where he or she may be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment.

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The two sisters are safe and in good health, Topo said, adding that their location is being kept secret due to security concerns.

Earlier in December, Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said: Saudi women fleeing their family or the country can face so-called honour violence or other serious harm if returned against their will.

If Turkey returns these women, the consequences could be dire.

The case of the Hamoud sisters is the latest example of Saudi women trying to flee their country.

Many before them have attempted to remain in countries where they travelled for tourism and education.

In April, 24-year-old Dina Ali Lasloom was sent back to Saudi Arabia against her will while in transit in the Philippines.

Lasloom, whose whereabouts in Saudi Arabia currently are unclear, was reportedly trying to fly to Australia to claim asylum there.

Al Jazeera has contacted Saudi Arabias embassy in Ankara for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Follow Umut Uras on Twitter: @Um_Uras
Today Google celebrates the solstice, which marks the start of summer in the south, and winter in the north.

Today Google celebrates the solstice, which marks the end of spring and the start of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It also marks the first day of winter on the astronomical calendar in the Northern Hemisphere.

Thursday was the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and the longest day of the year for those south the Equator.

Sunlight hours ranged from as little as zero in some northern parts of Alaska to over 14 hours in parts of Australia and South Africa.

Below we explain both phenomena.

The shortest and longest day of the year

Shortest day . Officially the first day of winter in the astronomical calendar, the winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year.

The Northern Hemisphere is pointed at its furthest distance from the sun, bringing less light and colder temperatures.

Thursday 21, 16:28 GMT . Winter and summer solstice happens at the same time for everyone, and this year it took place on Thursday, December 21, at 16:28 GMT.

The winter solstice is significant in the Northern Hemisphere because days will get progressively longer and lighter as we approach the longest day of the year on June 21.

North America saw nine hours and 32 minutes of daylight, and 14 hours and 28 minutes of night.

The longest day of the year. However below the Equator, countries got to experience the summer solstice as the seasons flipped.

During the summer solstice, the sun travelled its longest path across the sky, giving people who live in the southern hemisphere more than 12 hours of daylight.

In Sydney, the day lasted 14.24 hours, and in Cape Town 14.25 hours.

This makes December, January and February the peak of summer in countries such as Australia and South Africa.

How is it celebrated:

Ancient rituals. Ancient cultures and rituals around the world mark the summer and winter solstice. For many, this is the beginning of the return of the sun, darkness turning into light, birth and rebirth.
Did Donald Trumps threat to cut US funding to countries over their UN Jerusalem resolution vote have an effect?

Despite exerting unparalleled pressure on UN member states, the US could not stave off a General Assembly vote on Thursday, condemning Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The UNGA passed the draft resolution  which declared the Jerusalem decision to be null and void  by an overwhelming margin, with 128 states voting in favour and nine against, with 35 abstentions.

The results came after days of threats from the US delegation to the United Nations and from Trump himself, who said earlier in the week that he would consider cutting funding to any country that voted against the US.

They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, were watching those votes, Trump told reporters on Wednesday.

Speaking before the General Assembly vote, Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, said that as the largest donor to the international body, the US had a legitimate expectation that its goodwill would be recognised and respected.

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When a nation is singled out for attack in this organisation, that nation is disrespected. Whats more, that nation is asked to pay for the privilege of being disrespected. In the case of the US, we are asked to pay more than anyone else for that dubious privilege, Haley said.

If our investment fails, we have an obligation to spend our resources in more productive ways.

Aid for influence

Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna, reporting from UN headquarters in New York after the vote, said while the results were a very strong response to the Trump administrations threats, the high number of abstentions came as a surprise.

Thirty-five countries abstained from the vote, including Canada, Mexico, Rwanda and Uganda.

Meanwhile, Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo voted against the resolution, alongside the US and Israel.

The campaign waged by the United States in preceding days  may well have produced this increase in the number of abstentions, and certainly led to at least one or two of those votes against the draft resolution, Hanna said.

But Juan Cole, history professor at the University of Michigan, has questioned whether Trumps threat would truly have an effect on the results.

The US doesnt give out much aid, and therefore cant hold it over the heads of many other countries. The aid it does give out is for establishing US influence, Cole wrote on his blog, Informed Comment, ahead of Thursdays vote.

Cole said punishing countries like Egypt, which voted in favour of the General Assembly draft resolution and sponsored an earlier motion at the UN Security Council to condemn the US Jerusalem decision, would likely simply diminish US standing at the UN and with the countries it woos by charity.

It would also harm US companies since a large amount of US aid comes in the forms of American-made military equipment, Cole wrote.

The Egyptian government has more military helicopters than it knows what to do with, and theyre just stacked in warehouses. So the money actually went to US arms manufacturers, and Egypt gets a fairly useless shiny military toy. Trump would be hurting US corporations more than Egypt if he cut it off.

Without US influence in the form of foreign aid, countries like China and Russia might step in, he added.

I very much doubt anyone will pay attention to Trumps threats.

George Ingram, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, told Al Jazeera the US threat to cut funding can be tied to two main factors.

It would appear to be a combination of the president and some of his advisers being totally clueless that we provide aid to countries because it is in our interest to do so and a faulty thinking that this will play well in domestic US politics, Ingram said in a brief email.

Types of US aid

In 2015, broadly defined US foreign assistance totalled approximately $58.6bn and amounted to 1.3 percent of the total federal budget, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

Nearly half of that years aid (43 percent) went to bilateral economic development programmes, 35 percent went to military aid and other security assistance, 16 percent was earmarked for humanitarian programmes and six percent went to support multilateral institutions, the report found.

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But since taking office last January, the Trump administration has made a concerted effort to slash US foreign aid spending.

In March, in line with the presidents America First mantra, the administration announced plans to slash foreign aid by 28 percent for 2018, according to a White House budget document.

The US said it intended to give the Department of State and USAID, the main agency that administers US assistance funding, $25.6bn to distribute for the year, the document states.

The presidents proposed cuts incited pushback from US lawmakers and other officials, however.

More than 120 retired US generals and admirals penned an open letter last February, urging Washington not to cut funds for diplomacy and foreign aid. In April, more than three dozen US Senators, including a few Republicans, said any cuts to foreign assistance were counterproductive.

Ultimately, the US has budgeted to spend $25.8bn on foreign aid next year, according to a federal government website that tracks US spending, FederalAssistance.gov.





Washington plans to give Israel $3.1bn for 2018, making it the largest recipient of US aid, followed by Egypt ($1.38bn) and Jordan ($1bn).

But a large portion of US aid comes in the form of what is called Foreign Military Financing (FMF), or the ability to purchase US-made weapons, military services or defence training. FMF may be administered as a loan or a grant.

All $3.1bn the US intends to give Israel next year will be in the form of FMF, for example.

By contrast, the amount of US aid requested for 2018 for the West Bank and Gaza Strip totals $251m, according to another report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

Lebanon ($104m), Yemen ($35m), Iraq ($348m), Syria ($191m), Tunisia ($55m), Morocco ($16m), Libya ($31m), Oman ($3.5m), Algeria ($1.8m) and Bahrain ($800,000) are all set to receive considerably smaller amounts.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration also proposed a 12 percent cut of overall bilateral aid to the Middle East and North Africa, largely by ending FMF grants to Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman and Tunisia, the CRS report stated.

Self-mutilation

According to Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, the Trump administration has, over the last few weeks, ushered in the end of 50 years of American dominance of the so-called peace process.

Its a self-mutilation of a much-abused American role as mediator, Khalidi told Al Jazeera just before the General Assembly vote.

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Trump announced he would recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital on December 6 and that he planned to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the city, as well.

The decision prompted widespread and ongoing protests around the world and condemnation from world leaders, including several traditional US allies.

The US has brilliantly isolated itself, even more than was the case before, with Trumps action, Khalidi said.

Raed Jarrar, advocacy and government relations director for the Middle East at Amnesty International USA, echoed Khalidi.

The Trump administrations bullying tactics will only serve to further isolate the United States on the global stage, Jarrar said in a statement.

Rather than threatening those who depend on US aid, the Trump administration should abide by its legal obligations not to recognise an illegal situation and reverse its course on Jerusalem.
Zimbabwes new leader is appealing to millions of nationals who fled economic and political problems under Robert Mugabe to return home and help rebuild the nation.

Zimbabwes new leader is appealing to millions of nationals who fled economic and political problems under Robert Mugabe to return home and help rebuild the nation.

Emmerson Mnangagwa made the comments during a trip to neighbouring South Africa where he pushed his message of economic reform and sought new business opportunities.

Al Jazeeras Tania Page reports from Pretoria.
In recent decades, select groups of scientists and politicians have blamed carbon dioxide (CO2) -- a greenhouse gas -- for increasing global temperatures to dangerous levels.

Is CO2 really destroying our planet?

CO2 is an odorless, invisible, trace gas in the atmosphere that acts as an important source of life for everything that lives on earth. In fact, plant and animal life on earth would be impossible without CO2.

CO2 is an integral part of the photosynthesis process. Plants synthesize CO2 and water to produce chemical energy that sustains the plant. Together with water and sunlight, CO2 acts as the elixir of life for the plant and animal kingdom.

Historical data suggest that increased CO2 concentrations have helped plant growth globally, enabling civilizations to increase their agricultural output drastically. Record food crop outputs in recent decades are due in significant part to increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Production of major crops like wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans increases with increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

After modern instrumental temperature records began, the past three decades were the warmest. Yet those were the same decades where plants registered their highest growth. Large-scale deforestation and occasional extreme weather events did not impede this record growth.

Zhu et al. captured relative change of leaf area index from 1982 to 2009 due to CO2 fertilization and found that most parts of the world recorded an increase in plant canopy by as much as 14 percent, primarily due to increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration.

Li et al. found that net primary production -- the productivity of individual or groups of plants, increased by 21 percent globally between 1962 and 2010. The increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations was found to be the dominant factor for this extraordinary increase in plant growth.

How did CO2 -- the elixir of life -- turn out to be the evil gas of 21st century?

The special interest in CO2 began when a handful of scientists, backed by political elements, proposed their hypothesis -- one which suggested that CO2 emission from anthropogenic sources, such as coal-fired plants, is the primary reason for what they allege is a dangerous increase in earths temperature.

Despite the lack of observational evidence, political institutions popularized this hypothesis through state-sponsored research programs.

In order to sustain their claims, these climate alarmists designed climate computer models to manufacture friendly results that supported their hypothesis. Through these computer models, the alarmists suggested that the earth was at a point of no return.

They insisted that unless the current CO2 emission rates are reduced, global temperature levels will rise drastically, causing a collapse of major life-sustaining systems.

To further consolidate their results, alarmists engaged in a deliberate manipulation of global climate datasets -- a scientific scandal that was popularly known as Climategate.

In 2009 and 2011, leaked emails from the servers of leading climate research universities exposed how top climate scientists altered global temperature datasets to project a significant warming rate, in order to sustain their alarmist claims.

Other climate scientists challenged the alarmists, but their agenda only gained momentum.

The alarmist claims eventually found global acceptance by political lobbyists and were formally institutionalized through a global agreement to reduce CO2 emissions -- the Paris Agreement.

However, soon after the formal initiation of the Paris Agreement, a series of new research findings proved the alarmist hypothesis wrong. The findings exposed how the computer climate models exaggerated the warming, by overemphasizing the role of CO2 in increasing the temperature levels.

The scientists within the alarmist camp had no option but to acknowledge the grand failure of climate models -- a flaw that was pointed out by other climate scientists for nearly a decade.

There has been a 40 percent increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. This has resulted in greening of the earth, with plants recording high growth rates due to the CO2 levels.

World food production must increase by more than 70 percent from todays levels, to meet global food demand in the year 2050. Without the benefits of CO2, world food supply will fall short unless huge new tracts of land are converted from wilderness habit to farmland.

The world has seen record crop outputs in the past two decades. If anything, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has helped life on earth.

It is time for the global mainstream media to stop calling CO2 a curse and start calling it a blessing. It is time to acknowledge the immense benefits that humans have enjoyed due to CO2.

The pseudo-scientific climate scare propaganda must be stopped from causing more damage to the future of billions who live in poverty.

Vijay Jayaraj (M.Sc., Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, England), Research Associate for Developing Countries for the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, lives in New Delhi, India.
Trump's base in 2016 was defined not by race or class, but by belief in God. Evangelical Christians and Catholics came together and pushed Trump to the win, in defiance of the media, academia, Hollywood, the professional class, elite Republicans, the Democrat masses, libertarians, and self-professed moralists.

Both the pope and many prominent Protestant leaders expressed antagonism toward Trump, so this mass of religious voters defied their church elders as well.

This was nothing less than stunning. It was perhaps one of the great revolutions in America's religious history. Rather than a serious study of this event, we have had a spasmic flood of pedantry from the very people whose authority these Christian voters rejected in the first place.

I count myself among evangelical Trump voters. As I am sure this issue is for almost everyone in America, the historical questions feel very personal.

I resent being mocked and reviled by secular liberals who I know hate all religion.

My patience has worn thin with people claiming to embrace a new liberal Christianity that I recognize as a warmed over version of the liberation theology my radical leftist family held in the 1970s and 1980s.

Conservative Christians who position themselves as valiant defenders of the Bible and Trump opponents have been exposed in brutal ways as the "Evangelical Deep State."

Many so-called conservative Christians pulled a fast one on Alabama by handing a Senate seat to Doug Jones to banish Roy Moore for sins he probably never committed. But my prediction is that in upcoming months, Doug Jones's radical sexual agenda will terrify many Christians in Alabama. Black Christians will realize the Democrats will do nothing for them, while the national anti-Moore Christian voices will be remembered as detestable traitors.

After 2016, the left went slumming, scrambling to become experts in religion overnight and sending out an army of infiltrators to flip our churches to their politics. Unfortunately, the left is still so beholden to the LGBT lobby that it must do this while still making no compromises on the question of homosexuality. Stars like Rachel Held Evans and James Martin talk themselves in circles with the impossible goal of getting the faithful to accept sodomy with no complaints or resistance.

To cash in on the newly discovered power of the Christian vote, some on the left decided to pitch a not so novel alliance of feminists and Christian conservatives against the trans movement. This strategy shined through at the Values Voter Summit in October 2017. The panelists told a crowded room of faith-based voters that they had three rules to resist trans ideology: (1) cite no religious arguments, (2) include but do not attack gays, and (3) do not express any resistance to homosexuality.

The esprit of "common ground" reprised the 1980s, when Ed Meese allied with Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon against pornography, because Christians objected to depravity and feminists objected to exploitation of women. Pornography continued to proliferate, feminists grew ever more anti-Christian, and Christians never found their renaissance of chastity.

History repeats itself in 2017. The fruit of this hopeful alliance of lesbian feminist Julie Bindel and Catholic activists pushing for female safety in restrooms was no headway against the trans agenda at all; a feminist-emboldened #MeToo movement that Christians got roped into; and a new war on men, patriarchy, and heterosexuality. It was, in other words, a flaming Hindenburg.

Meanwhile, carefully scripted religious "leaders," meant to win over Christian conservatives, play both sides, stressing the importance of upholding the Bible's sexual mores while camouflaging their concessions to the LGBT lobby.

This "have your cake and eat it too" game has led to preposterous and downright dangerous positions. We have key leaders in the Catholic Church refusing to change doctrine on homosexuality but also refusing to discipline or banish rogue parishes that teach children that God made them gay.

In the Southern Baptist convention, some leaders say homosexual orientation is innate (and by implication God-given, though they will not say this directly) and condemn efforts to change sexual orientation. Yet they proclaim that homosexuality is a sin. For someone who has been sexually abused or otherwise prompted to feel unwanted sexual attraction, this incoherent position means that it would be a sin for him to say he wants to stop being gay and a sin to do anything gay.

The backdrop for our current moment is a massive, systematic failure of religious leaders to provide for the spiritual needs of the Christians they lead. The endlessly repetitive articles promising to diagnose a nonexistent spiritual crisis among evangelicals all serve to mask the true problem. Evangelicalism is doing what it has always done. Evangelicalism, Inc., has imploded.

While many Christian leaders condemn Trump voters for bringing politics into their faith, that charge is best leveled at the Christian leadership. They gave the faithful no hope that anyone but Trump could hear them and help them live their faithful lives without being constantly oppressed by ungodly forces like the LGBT lobby.

For all the reasons above, Timothy Keller's recent piece in the New Yorker, sporting the utterly hackneyed title "Can Evangelicalism Survive Donald Trump and Roy Moore?," was not bad, but offensive. The opening paragraphs belabor the etymology of terms, perhaps to intimidate the reader into thinking Keller's insights are beyond criticism. Catty swipes about people who support conservative politics appear intermingled with self-important reminiscences of his life planting a church in Manhattan.

We get it. Tim Keller is a famous author. He is well connected, and liberals like him. But he speaks for a cadre with fading relevance. Evangelicalism will survive. His class and vision will not. That's sad in some ways. In other ways, it is biblical. Isaiah 5:8: "Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field until there is no more room and you alone are left in the land."
On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal another Obama legacy: the Orwellian-named Open Internet Order FCC-15-24, or Obamanet. Prepared by far-left groups and Eric Schmidt, the chairman of Google and a member of Obamas Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, it was adopted by Obamas FCC in February 2015. The repeal goes in effect in sixty days after official publication unless it's held up in courts. Howls from the left sound as if a horde of demons is being doused with holy water while the broad public, including many conservatives, is confused. Most people mistakenly believe that Obamanet protected some net neutrality (in quotes because the term appeared only in 2003 and the meaning has been changing). On the contrary, Obamanet canceled net neutrality. Conservatives think that the order was redistributing wealth from those who created the internet infrastructure to Obama and Al Gores cronies in Silicon Valley. This is correct, but just scratching the surface.

Obamanet has probably been the worst violation of freedom of speech and religion that this country has ever known. The confusion is excusable. The Obamanet order was rewritten secretly after a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking presented an entirely different proposal. Like ObamaCare, Obamanet was extremely lengthy and sprawled on 300+ pages (the original 2005 FCC policy statement, establishing net neutrality as FCC policy, was only three pages long). And there was a repetition of the We [need] to pass the bill in order to find out what [is] in it (Nancy Pelosi about ObamaCare) moment. But unlike ObamaCare, Obamanet was presented as a small regulation that was intended to preserve what already existed. Furthermore, Obamanet exploited the technical nature of the subject not understood by commentators, most of the public, and even legal experts. And it received wall-to-wall support from the tech monopolies in Silicon Valley that benefited from it.

Obamanet banned freedoms in the name of protections. Its language is directed at ISPs, but the target is all citizens, especially children. One of the banned things is family-friendly internet access.

A person engaged in the provision of broadband Internet access service, insofar as such person is so engaged, shall not block lawful content, applications, services, or nonharmful devices, subject to reasonable network management. (Obamanet, para 112)

Parental control software (like Net Nanny, CyberSitter, Cyber Alert, etc.) that users install on their computers at home has very limited effectiveness today. Children can bypass these controls by bringing outside tablets in (a new tablet can be purchased for $40, a used one might be free) and connecting to their home wi-fi. Frequently, children also have better computer skills than their parents and can disable filtering at home. The only reliable option is network side filtering, which Obamas FCC has banned (possibly even before 2015). Thus, Obamanet has exposed children to pornography, child predators, and drug dealers. Not surprisingly, PornHub, Netflix, Google, YouPorn, and the new Democratic Party became excited and came forward in force to protect Obamanet. This is a partial list of the most aggressive Obamanet defenders.

I could not find a family-friendly broadband ISP in the US. For comparison, large U.K. internet providers provide family-friendly access as a default option, and most families keep it. (The U.K. ISPs do that on demand from the government. I don't suggest implementing that in the U.S. Also, different families have different filtering needs in accordance with their religious views. But the government has absolutely no authority to forbid it).

Obamanet has also dispensed with the freedom of speech, and turned Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and few other Obama/Al Gore cronies into internet gatekeepers. Our internet usage is comparable to visiting a physical bookstore or library. If we look at booksellers prior to the rise of Amazon, we'd notice many kinds of stores carrying different books that cater to their target audience. For example, a bookstore in Berkeley has a different selection from a bookstore in a pious Tennessee town. Big chains carry a broad selection of books to cater to broader clientele. There are also religious bookstores, and, conversely, there are adult bookstores. These are expressions of the freedom of speech. An equivalent of the Obamanet in the physical world would be a rule that regulates any business that moves books as common carriers. The Obamanet order says:

any person engaged in the provision of broadband Internet access service (para 21), or in the provision of any service that the Commission finds to be providing a functional equivalent of [broadband Internet access] or that is used to evade the protections set forth in this Part (para 25).

Bookstores fall under similar definition of the common carrier. Under Obamanet equivalent, every bookstore must carry all books equally (within their physical capacity). Church bookstores must carry porn and books of all other religions, and must display them equally without discrimination. Old ladies in Tennessee must browse through bookcases of Marxist writings and porn. If they bring to the bookstore their grandchildren, their only way to protect them from pornography is to cover their eyes. It is hard to imagine such rules in the real world, even with Bill Ayers friend as president. But similar internet regulations glided in easily, partly because of the technical nature of the subject.

Notice the asymmetry: an adult store can function even if its ordered to carry religious literature, but a religious store cannot carry porn, and will likely close. A large chain can continue operating with porn and commie/nazi filth alongside normal books, but it would lose most of its conservative, intellectual, and freedom-loving customers. It would have to adapt to what clientele is left. The management might even mistake the tastes of the remaining customers for the choice of the public, and act accordingly. This is what happened to the internet (and not only the internet) when Obamanet took it over. But I dont intend to blame Obamanet for everything that has been done to this country since February 2015 or even November 2008. It's just one factor among many.

Contrary and opposite to the media's claims, the Obamanet order explicitly canceled net neutrality, which had been an FCC regulatory policy since 2005. Obamanet allowed cable companies to set a usage cap and not to count its own content toward this cap. Internet usage grows very fast, and a usage cap which seems reasonable today would become low tomorrow, all but totally restricting the subscriber to the providers own or affiliated content. The Obamas FCC intended to consider such plans, "based on the facts of each individual case," which meant to be based on relations between the cable company and the Obama administration. From the Obamanet order:

Sponsored data plans (sometimes called zero-rating) enable broadband providers to exclude edge provider content from end users usage allowances allowing service providers to pick and choose among content and application providers to feature on different service plans we will look at and assess such practices under the no-unreasonable interference/disadvantage standard, based on the facts of each individual case, and take action as necessary. (para 151-152)

The posturing of the Obamanet supporters as defenders of a little guy against big and bad cable companies is completely fake. Obamanet does not harm them. Even paid prioritization of internet traffic (as described in the fast lane/slow lane commercials) is banned only conditionally. The order contains a promise to waive the ban on a whim:

The Commission may waive the ban on paid prioritization only if the petitioner demonstrates that the practice would provide some significant public interest benefit and would not harm the open nature of the Internet. (para 130)

Although the Obamanet order came suddenly, it was just a last step in the series of Obamas regulations intended to silence opposition on the Internet.

Leo Goldstein has 20+ years of experience in positions ranging from software engineer to chief technology officer in internet technology companies. He used to devote most attention to opposing climate alarmism, until discovering that similarly irrational agendas and their agents have spread all around us and are connected to former bastions of rationality -- Silicon Valley and prestigious academic institutions.
Few Americans are aware of Americas largest terrorist prosecution in U.S. federal court, U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation, et al. During the trial, in November of 2008, the government presented evidence that the Holy Land Foundation and five defendants provided approximately $12.4 million in support to Hamas and its goal of creating an Islamic Palestinian state by eliminating the State of Israel through violent jihad:

In August of 2004, an alert Maryland Transportation Authority Police officer observed a woman wearing traditional Islamic garb videotaping the support structures of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was Ismail Elbarasse and detained on an outstanding material witness warrant issued in Chicago in connection with fundraising for Hamas. The FBIs Washington Field Office subsequently executed a search warrant on Elbarasses residence in Annandale, Virginia. In the basement of his home, a hidden sub-basement was found; it revealed over 80 banker boxes of the archives of the Muslim Brotherhood in North America. One of the most important of these documents made public to date was entered into evidence during the Holy Land Foundation trial. It amounted to the Muslim Brotherhoods Strategic Plan in America and was entitled, An Explanatory Memorandum: On the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America.

From the archives of the Muslim Brotherhood in America, the innocuous-sounding "Explanatory Memorandum" explained how the Muslim Brotherhood sought to extend sharia into the United States and Canada. Another document referenced from the U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation trial was an undated paper titled Phases of the World Underground Movement Plan. It specified the five phases of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in North America.

Phase One: Phase of discreet and secret establishment of leadership.

Phase Two: Phase of gradual appearance on the public scene and exercising and utilizing various public activities. Establishing a shadow government (secret) within the Government.

On October 30, 2008, candidate Barack Obama famously exclaimed, We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America. Candidate Obama gave specific guidance for staffing his administration, captured in an email from September 2008, advisers would choose Arab Muslims over Arab Christians for the top jobs.

While the Obama transition team aimed to hire Muslims for the top jobs, President Obama directed his cabinet and political appointees to develop and implement Muslim Outreach programs. He told NASA administrator Charles Bolden that his highest priority should be to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science... and math and engineering. President Obama announced plans for the first ever federally funded Muslim outreach program. The program would be available nationwide for all elementary school students grade K-12. The program was designed to educate children about the fundamentals of the Muslim religion and Islamic belief. When CIA Director John Panetta visited Dearborn, Michigan he too was complying with the directives of President Obama. Panetta articulated he wanted to boost CIA recruitment efforts in Arab and Muslim communities.

With the election of President Obama in November 2008 and his Muslim Outreach initiative, exemplified by his Cairo A New Beginnings Speech at al Azhar University, the Obama administration officially extended a welcome to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Investors Business Daily provided a chronology of events, "How the CIA Helped the Muslim Brotherhood Infiltrate the West." The Muslim Brotherhoods star was rising and became a partner in the Obama White House. The crown jewel of Muslim Brotherhood influence was the fall of the Mubarak regime in Egypt during the Arab Spring of 2011. The White House fully supported the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamad Morsi, for president.

Another cabinet member, Secretary Hillary Clinton, stressed her belief that we must increase outreach not simply to American Muslims, but to Muslims around the world. Secretary Clintons right-hand aide, Huma Abedin, may have been the go-to person for the State Departments Muslim outreach programs. It is noteworthy that Huma Abedin and her family have strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and promoted a hardline Islamic ideology. For 12 years, Huma Abedin, edited a radical Muslim publication that blamed the U.S. for September 11, 2001. Syed Abedin, Humas father, outlined his Muslim Brotherhood view of sharia law and how the Western world has turned Muslims hostile.

During her tenure as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and her minions found ways to remove sensitive and highly classified information from State Department offices. The public became aware that Secretary Clinton eschewed the State Departments classified and unclassified email systems for a private homebrew and off-site email server. When Mrs. Clinton stepped down from her post, she was likely under investigation by the FBI for her role in the Clinton Foundation, along with espionage, and the destruction of her official records and emails.

FBI Director Comey held a press conference on July 5, 2016. We did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.

There were a substantial number of members of Congress and the intelligence community that Hillary Clinton should have been charged for violating the Espionage Act of 1917. During the third presidential debate nominee Trump announced the Clinton Foundation was a criminal enterprise and She shouldn't be allowed to run. Its -- she's guilty of a very, very serious crime.

Whether there is intent to harm the United States or not, the essence of espionage is to remove classified documents out of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, a SCIF, and put them into the hands of someone not authorized to receive them. While there were over a thousand secret or higher classified documents on her private server, Mrs. Clinton disclosed that her aides had deleted more than 33,000 emails that she deemed personal. When Mrs. Clinton stepped down from her position, Huma Abedin was allowed to take five boxes of physical files out of the State Department that include records described as Muslim Engagement Documents.

The history of the Obama administration is one rife with connections to or with the Muslim Brotherhood and the preferential hiring of Muslims for the top job. Some WikiLeaks emails describe that sensitive and top-level government positions were to be filled by Muslims. Would they have questionable loyalties to the United States? After the disgraced David Petraeus was removed from his position as CIA Director, one of the FBIs former top experts on Islam announced that President Obamas pick to head the Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, had converted to Islam years ago. Apparently, everyone in Washington knew it but it was never reported. John Brennan was full of surprises after becoming CIA Director. During an interview, John Brennan clearly stated that he voted for the Communist Party candidate, Gus Hall, for President of the United States.

What was in Hillary Clintons 33,000 emails? Correspondence with Barack Obama under an alias? Correspondence with Clinton Foundation members and donors? Correspondence with Vladimir Putin or other Russian politicians? My money is on correspondence with the Muslim Brotherhood. The assured election of Hillary Clinton was to be the third term of Barack Obama, as Barack Obama and his minions worked tirelessly to fulfill the dictates of the Muslim Brotherhoods strategic plan to infiltrate the American government. What is more fundamentally transforming for the United States than an open-door policy for the immigration of Muslims, or the infiltration of Muslims in the government? Also remember, Barack Obama also reversed President Bushs policy and removed the FBI from conducting surveillance on mosques.

Once Donald Trump was elected, was it reasonable to expect that all of Obamas strategic work to transform the United States of America through Muslim outreach or Muslim engagement programs as well as to facilitate the Muslim Brotherhoods strategy of phased infiltration of Muslims into government would be systematically undone through a complete rejection and reversal of President Obamas policies?

Isnt that what we are seeing today?
Conservatives tend to regard the growing trend of single-parent families as an issue of personal responsibility, but what if the liberals who blame society are partly right? What if they can point their finger to a bill sponsored by two Republicans and signed into law by a Republican president?

Prior to the 1930s, the labor force participation rate for black Americans was roughly equal to that of whites. Following passage of the first federal minimum wage in 1931, these rates started to diverge, and from the 1950s to the present, national black unemployment has remained at double the rate for whites. This is not surprising: Minimum wage restrictions discourage businesses from hiring workers who are regarded as less marketable due to either their lack of experience or societal prejudice.

The impact of minimum wage on worker participation depends on how much it exceeds market-based wages. This in turn varies from state to state. Since information on the size of this gap is not easily available, the state regulatory environment as determined by Forbes magazine can serve a more comprehensive means for estimating of overall administrative barriers to job growth (including minimum wage).

To detect the effect of the regulatory environment on black Americans I limited the data to states with significant black populations because these states are more likely to provide a representative sample for this group. Based on this sub-sample the line representing blacks is noticeably steeper than the line representing whites (Fig. 1). This means that the employment gap between blacks and whites widens as state regulations become less conducive to business.

Fig. 1: Based on data from Forbes (2016), the U.S. Census Bureau (2015), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) as cited by Thomas C. Frohlich in 24/7 Wall Street. 24/7 Wall Street.

Federal expenditures to states obscure the effect of overregulation because federal jobs and grants can make up for the lack of private investment. For example, despite having one of the worst regulatory environments in the U.S. (ranks 48 out of 50), the state of Hawaii has one of the lowest unemployment rates. Does this mean that federal investments are a good strategy for narrowing the employment gap? Not really: Large federal expenditures are justified in regions with an extensive military infrastructure (like Hawaii or Guam), but spending for the sole purpose of economic stimulus is a zero-sum game that worsens the national debt while adding nothing to the national economy. Hence, to more accurately detect the effect of regulatory environment on states, it is necessary to limit the sample to states with less federal land because these states rely less on federal employment and control more of their own resources.

When the sample is limited to states with minimal federal land, the line representing black unemployment becomes much steeper (Fig. 2). On the right side of the graph the average employment gap between blacks and whites is 8 points. On the left side the gap is only 3.5 percentage points (Fig. 3). For the state of Indiana, the gap is a mere 2.5 points. During this time the governor of Indiana was Mike Pence.

Fig. 2: Based on data from Forbes (2016), from U.S. Congressional Research Service, the U.S. Census Bureau (2015), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) as cited by Thomas C. Frohlich in 24/7 Wall Street.

Fig. 3: Based on data from Forbes (2016), from U.S. Congressional Research Service, the U.S. Census Bureau (2015), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) as cited by Thomas C. Frohlich in 24/7 Wall Street.

If equality is so important to progressives, why is the right side of the graph dominated by states that have voted Democratic since 1992?

Rep. John Lewis recently cancelled his scheduled appearance at the opening of a civil rights museum upon learning that Donald Trump would be attending. On his own website, the 1960s civil rights veteran denounced Trumps policies as hurtful and an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum. Since Trump has neglected to burn incense on the altar of diversity, how have black Americans faired under the Trump administration?

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, black unemployment in September reached its lowest point in 17 years. It may get even better given the unprecedented rate at which this president is undoing the burdensome regulations of the Obama administration. If you are among those who condemn the congressional Republicans who did not let Obama raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour, then you should do your homework on Davis-Bacon.

The Davis-Bacon Act was co-sponsored by Sen. James J. Davis (R-PA) and Rep. Robert L. Bacon (R-NY) and signed into law by president Herbert Hoover in 1931. According to the Foundation for Economic Education this law was originally designed to protect white workers from competition, presumably from the minorities who worked for lower wages. You may dispute the laws intent, but you cannot wish away data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A chart from Heritage Foundation shows how the percent of black children born out of wedlock started rising steadily after 1940, when it was originally 15%. Today it is over 70%. If this is a legacy of slavery why were there less single mothers during the era of Jim Crow? If this was precipitated by a brain drain of black professionals during desegregation, why did this trend begin thirteen years prior to Martin Luther Kings march on Washington? Could it be the drug trafficking, or might this be a just symptom of the chronic unemployment in these communities?

The steady trend towards single-parent households started within the decade that followed the Davis-Bacon Act. I doubt this is a coincidence, because few things are more damaging to a mans self-respect than undermining his means to make an honest living.

But what about those generous social benefits in New England? Is being chronically unemployed in Rhode Island preferable to being stuck in a low-wage job in Nebraska? Which option is more hurtful and insulting? Which is a greater barrier to success and personal fulfillment?

If my children ever regard the first option as remotely preferable I will have failed in my role as a father.

Antonio Chaves teaches biology at a local community college. His interest in economic and social issues stems from his experience teaching environmental science.
A Federal Court of Appeals has ordered the armed forces to begin recruiting so-called "Transgendered" individuals starting January 1.

The ruling was another legal blow for the president, who surprised military leaders when he announced in July in a series of tweets that the U.S. government "will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military." His order reversed an Obama-era policy allowing transgender people to serve openly and receive funding for sex-reassignment surgery. That order was promptly challenged in federal court by active-duty transgender service members who say it violates their Fifth Amendment rights to equal protection.

At this point you may be asking, what is the Fifth Amendment? Did the Founding Fathers create the Fifth Amendment to protect the right of mentally ill people to join the military and get free surgery to pretend to change their sex? Not surprisingly, that wasn't foremost on their minds. Here is the actual text:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The Fifth Amendment basically talks about giving people due process when they are charged with a crime and protection against taking of private property. What does that have to do with mentally ill people joining the military?

The answer: absolutely nothing.

But the judiciary is so riddled with hardcore leftists that they are creating imaginary rights as easily as they ignore actual ones they don't like, like the ones protected by the Second Amendment.

Here are some interesting facts.

1) During most of the Obama administration, it wasn't legal for transvestites to join the military. Right before President Obama stepped out the door, he issued an executive order saying the military should permit transvestites but should start admitting them only after he had left office. Perhaps Obama was rightly worried about the disruption that would be caused by a whole platoon of Mary Poppinses or Corporal Klingers and didn't want to take the heat when his efforts at social engineering in the military went bad.

2) Before Obama issued this executive order, transvestites didn't have the right to join the military. And yet until that time, not a single court found the "right" for cross-dressers to join the military. This "right" was discovered only after Obama legalized it, and his ability to legalize it, without an act of Congress, was questionable at best.

3) This "right" is a lot more than just allowing cross-dressers to join the military. It is a way for them to get free surgery and hormones so they can "Dr. Frankenstein" themselves at taxpayer expense.

Our country has laws against racial discrimination. Our country also has laws against gender discrimination. But we have no federal laws against discrimination involving people with red hair, people who wear bandanas, people who ride skateboards, people who eat vanilla ice cream...or men who dress up as women. These are not what the law calls "protected classes," as with race or religion. There is no prohibition on discriminating based on these characteristics. In fact, from a public policy standpoint, one would hope the government discriminates against the "transgendered" because they are severely mentally ill. Liberals don't want the mentally ill to have guns, but they are full-throated in their demands for the "transgendered" to be given "military-style" assault weapons. This can end only in tragedy.

The Trump administration must now plead with the Supreme Court if it wants to fight this further. But if the president were gutsy, he would announce that he is going to disregard this appeals court decision because it is so blatantly unconstitutional on the face of it.

I think when the executive branch kowtows to every unreasonable decision a court makes, it only encourages courts to do more of the same. Courts are given so much deference that they effectively have unlimited power. It would be refreshing if the president stood up to them, in a case that most people would immediately recognize as ridiculous.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.
The U.N. vote condemning the U.S. for relocating its embassy to Israel really shook out the friends from the phonies. There actually were some surprises.

Among the small circle of countries that supported the U.S. in the United Nations Thursday, where a vote was taken to condemn the U.S. for moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem, a few stick out as fairly unexpected  most of all from the Americas. Here is the list:

Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Togo.

Honduras? Guatemala? Those countries actually voted "no" on condemning the U.S. They didn't try to weasel out of it by abstaining; they really voted "no." They actually sided with the U.S.'s sovereign prerogative to make its own decisions on where to site the U.S. embassy in Israel in an affirmative way. Compare and contrast with our longtime allies such as the United Kingdom, which couldn't even be bothered to abstain.

Now, before commenting further, note that much was made of the U.S. threat to cut off aid to any nation that fails to mind its own beeswax, as U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley (who, by the way, is proving herself the greatest U.S. envoy to the U.N. since Jeanne Kirkpatrick) warned in this statement, reported in the Washington Examiner:

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem," she said. "That is what the American people want us to do and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN, and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN, and this vote will be remembered."

So did the nations that unexpectedly voted for us want something that badly? Maybe, but they probably didn't need a U.S. warning, given what is at stake for them. All this vote did was highlight how important it was to them, and that is useful information to the U.S.

Two nations in this category stick out: Guatemala and Honduras.

Both nations, which have seen steep surges of emigration to the U.S., are desperate for an immigration accord with the U.S. Guatemala's president, Jimmy Morales, who was elected a few years ago as the Guatemalan Trump on an anti-corruption platform, likely has real sympathies with the U.S. leadership. It's also obvious that he has some needs, too. Last September, he laid this out at the U.N., according to U.N. News:

Institutional and international action on migration was an important issue for Guatemala, President Morales continued, including partnership with Mexico, Honduras and the United States. Guatemala was counting on the efforts of Member States to negotiate an agreement on safe, regular and orderly migration. Turning to the situation of the so-called "dreamers" in the United States, he said Guatemala hoped that the American people's sense of humanity would lead to the US Senate adopting legislation that would allow "dreamers" to enjoy legal status in that country.

Should these countries be rewarded with amnesty for their illegal emigrants over this vote? Maybe not a full amnesty, but it wouldn't hurt for us to help them out, given that it took a lot of courage to give those "no" votes. Perhaps extended temporary protected status for Honduran and Guatemalan nationals would be workable, which Honduras got as a six-month extension few weeks ago and seemed grateful for. Extending it also would send a message to the others (such as El Salvador, a gigantic exporter of illegal aliens, which is seeking an extension for its own 195,000 nationals here illegally in the states in January) that good things come to nations that vote to respect U.S. sovereignty at the U.N.

The net effect of this "no" vote assures us that this really matters to these countries and that they are going to meet us halfway in obtaining their goals. Call it the art of the deal.

Meanwhile, the outer circle of U.S. support, the countries that either abstained or else just didn't show up for the vote at all, is an interesting list, too:

Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Haiti, Hungary, Jamaica, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, and Vanuatu.

Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Canada, and Mexico stand out, because they are all in this hemisphere, too. There also was significant representation from the Caribbean, including its major states: Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, as well as tiny Antigua-Barbuda. The U.S. gives a relatively small amount of aid to Latin America  only $2.2 billion  so aid cannot have been the entire story.

What, really, does Argentina want from us? Or Paraguay?

Argentina and probably most of the other Western Hemisphere states that voted or abstained for us were likely at least partially motivated by a common historic theme in the Americas: that nations are sovereign, and the U.N. (or the U.S.) has no right to tell them what to do. Nationalism is a running theme in the Americas. The biggest flag-waving nations in the world tend to be on this side of the globe.

Argentina recently called on the U.S. Navy to assist it with a crippled submarine lost at sea, and its navy needs substantial upgrades, so it could be that. But as in the case of Guatemala, it's worth looking at who the leadership of the country is: Mauricio Macri, another leader, who, like Morales, came to office as an outsider from the private sector and, like Trump, has a substantial background as a successful businessman (in automobiles). Personalities are likely at work here.

Colombia is a historically big U.S. aid recipient, but that aid has significantly diminished in the last two years as Colombia has chased out its narco-terrorists and made a peace treaty (however questionable) with most of them. It's doubtful that a U.S. threat to cut off aid was the main factor in this decision to abstain from condemning the U.S. Sovereignty is a big deal to Colombia, and the more likely reason is that the country is our longtime ally.

Mexico and Canada are even more interesting. Both nations have a stake in preserving the North America Free Trade Agreement, and this vote seems to be motivated by that. Neither nation historically has had any trouble with voting against the U.S. in the U.N. in the past, so this stands out. In addition, Mexico would probably like some sort of immigration accord with the U.S. to ensure that its emigrants aren't deported back to the home country in vast numbers all at once. And it probably wants it bad  2018 is an election year, and a rabid leftist from a far-left opposition party is leading in the polls. It probably made a lot of sense for the Mexicans not to vote against the U.S. this time around.

Paraguay? Honestly, I can't find anything on Paraguay other than that it has a neighbor to its north called Bolivia, whose disgusting Marxist government sarcastically begged to be placed on the U.S. blacklist first. One wonders if Paraguay cast the abstention or was absent just to teach Bolivia a lesson. Paraguay can do what it wants, but its abstention or absence was welcome.

The last country worth noting, as a coda, is another Hispanic country but not in the Americas: the Philippines. This is a country that has a long history of taking U.S. aid and then voting against us in the U.N. This time, it didn't. Could the upcoming U.S. plan to build a base in Palawan, to deter Chinese aggression, have something to do with this? Could President Trump's good relations with the Philippines? Could President Rodrigo Duterte's extreme outsider status and utter loathing for the U.N.? Hard to think not. But with that calculus, one wonders why it wasn't a full-blown "no." That said, an abstention was good enough.

That draws an interesting picture of who is willing to support us and who isn't. Funny how these things shake out. Now we know who is serious; before this, we didn't. It goes to show that ultimately, President Trump's art of the deal pretty well worked to the U.S.'s advantage.

UPDATE:

Ethel Fenig has some interesting additional thoughts:

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley warned that "the U.S. will be taking names" of those who support or oppose or merely abstain from a U.N. nonbinding resolution criticizing the U.S.'s decision to recognize the reality of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and its plans to move the U.S. embassy there, just as U.S. embassies the world over are located in each nation's capital.

On Thursday, they voted. These are the names:

Yeah, France, Italy and Germany  and you, too, Japan and Nepal and Brazil and Chile  indeed, all 128 who opposed the U.S.  take heed of Haley's words. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the @UN, and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. Those who supported the U.S. in Thursday's vote, or merely abstained, were immediately invited to a thank-you reception scheduled for less than two weeks from the vote.

There will be more than tea and cookies served! And more than happy, self-congratulatory talk.

MAGA! (Making America Great Again!) And doesn't that feel good?
Would it surprise you to learn that another country built a 1,700-mile wall to keep illegal aliens out? Would you be surprised to learn that we are not talking about the Great Wall of China, but something built recently, in the 1980s, by a small, impoverished country with only a fraction of the resources of the United States?

If you know the country I'm talking about, give yourself a gold star.

The country I'm talking about is Morocco! In the 1980s, Morocco made a land grab in the sparsely populated territory to the south called the Western Sahara. It has a problem with illegals infiltrating, and so Morocco built a 1,700-mile wall to keep them out. And it took only five or six years to build!

The fortifications lie in uninhabited or very sparsely inhabited territory. They consist of sand and stone walls or berms about 3 m (10 ft) in height, with bunkers, fences and landmines throughout. The barrier minebelt that runs along the structure is thought to be the longest continuous minefield in the world.[5]

Morocco built the wall because it was fighting a war with rebels called the Polisario Front. It was also confronted with the problem of illegal immigration.

In the summer of 2005, the Moroccan Army accelerated the expulsion (started in late 2004) of illegal immigrants detained in northern Morocco to the eastern side of the wall, into the Free Zone.

Liberals insist that America doesn't have the resources to build a border wall. But here we see that a tiny, poor country built an enormous border wall in a short space of time.

When it comes to border security, can't we do at least as well as Morocco?

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.
The United Nations has rebuked President Trump. That was the media's general theme in reporting the U.N. General Assembly resolution that expressed "with deep regret ... recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem." The resolution, approved by a vote of 128 in favor, 9 opposed, and 35 abstentions, also, among other things, declared "null and void" actions changing the status of Jerusalem, declaring that such actions "must be rescinded."

While the resolution did not name any state, much less a political leader, the media rushed to consider it a stinging slap at President Trump. Britain was among those voting for the resolution. Previously, the British ambassador had commented that plans to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem are "unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region."

The General Assembly action was obviously arranged as an end-run around the veto that prevented the Security Council from opposing President Trump's announcement that the U.S. embassy in Israel would be moved to Jerusalem.

In her forceful statement before the vote, Ambassador Nikki Haley asserted that President Trump's decision "does nothing to hard peace efforts." Rather, "the president's decision reflects the will of the American people and our right as a nation to choose the location of our embassy. There is no need to describe it further."

She did not stop at that point, but offered this rebuke:

Instead there is a larger point to make. The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. We will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to used our influence for their benefit. America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want is to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the IN and this vote will be remembered.

Next, Ambassador Haley issued a clear warning that Washington might reduce its financial support for the UN:

When we make generous contributions to the UN, we also have a legitimate expectation that our good will is recognized and respected. When a nation is singled out for attack in this organization, that nation is disrespected. What's more, that nation is asked to pay for the 'privilege' of being disrespected. In the case of the United States we are asked to pay more than anyone else for that dubious privilege. Unlike in some UN member countries, the United States government is answerable to its people. As such we have an obligation to acknowledge when our political and financial capital is being poorly spent.

The Haley statements should crystallize the importance of the 2016 election. The U.S. has a president unafraid to place U.S. policy on the firm shoulder of national sovereignty, rather than on the unsteady soil of appeasement of hostile forces. Had the American people elected a different person president, there would never have been a General Assembly resolution on Jerusalem disrespecting the sovereignty of the United States, because we would have elected an administration not particularly proud of being American.
The Democrats are hysterical about the Trump tax reform. You'd probably be hysterical, too if someone was about to blow up your little kingdom.

For years, high-tax states benefited by passing the cost to the rest of the country, or allowing their residents to write off their state taxes on their IRS return.

In other words, the real losers of Trump tax reform are the state legislatures in California and Illinois, as we see in this article by James Piereson:

The new tax legislation approved this week by Congress and to be signed by President Trump includes a provision that will cap the deduction for state and local taxes (SALT) at $10,000 per household. (Businesses will still be allowed to deduct those taxes as business expenses.) The other provisions of the tax bill  especially the corporate tax rate cut  should encourage investment in the United States and spur faster economic growth. But the cap on state and local deductions may be the most significant in terms of its potential political consequences.

Correct! The "blue model" will now require its citizens to pay the real cost of government. My guess is that you will see an exodus of taxpayers and businesses  unless they change their approach to governing.

And you will see a taxpayer rebellion that we have not seen since the Boston Tea Party that sparked the colonies' rebellion.

This is why they are in such panic!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
The World Assembly of Anti-Semites, better known as the U.N. General Assembly, voted Thursday, December 21 against Trump's decision to accept Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This vote means that the United Nations no longer recognizes the U.S. as a sovereign country. One hundred twenty-eight U.N. members voted for this decision, nine countries supported America, 35 countries abstained, and 21 countries did not vote at all.

On the eve of the vote, Trump threatened to cut American financial assistance to those countries that risk depriving the U.S. of the sovereign right to place its embassies where it pleases. According to preliminary estimates, those states that voted against the U.S. receive from 10 to 12 billion dollars a year from American taxpayers. There were calls to use the money saved to erect a wall on the border with Mexico, or to withdraw from the U.N., or to force those NATO members who voted against America to maintain their defense without American subsidies.

The list of proposed punishments to be brought down to 128 countries is growing. But something tells me that Trump will go the other way. Instead of "punishing" those who dared to go against him, he will use this shameful vote in the U.N. to solve more important political problems than simply saving 10 billion dollars a year (by comparison, the U.S. federal government spends just over 10 billion dollars a day).

The fact is that the status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is supported by the overwhelming number of Americans. Ordinary members of the Democratic and Republican Parties rarely find common ground in recent times, but on the issue of Jerusalem, their positions converge. Only the communists and socialists categorically oppose the relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The demarche of the U.N., although it has no legal consequences for the U.S., is pretty humiliating for most Americans. Whatever their individual political preferences, Americans are united in their patriotism (although they are hotly debating what "true patriotism" is). Most likely, Trump will take advantage of the opportunity given to him by U.N. weasels and approach the 2018 elections, and then the presidential elections of 2020 as the "father of the nation."

The unwise foreign policy initiative of the Palestinian Arabs will play a unifying role in U.S. domestic policy. The Arabs did not understand that the vote in the U.N. is no longer about the problem of Jerusalem (although the scandal began precisely with it), but about respecting the sovereignty of the world's only remaining superpower. As a result, the fictitious country of Palestine, invented by the Soviet KGB in the 1960s to oppose the United States (along with the fictitious people of Palestine), will have to play a constructive role in domestic American politics. The irony is that with every anti-Israeli or anti-American vote in the U.N., fictitious country Palestine is rapidly moving to where it came from  into oblivion, and it pulls the entire U.N. with it.

Trump's usage of the scandal of violating the sovereignty of America will be extended, persistent, and tough.

The ammunition that the U.N. unintentionally supplied Trump is enough to attract a good percentage of those doubting and hesitating Americans who did not show up to vote in the election of 2016.

Trump will hang the sword of Damocles over each of the 128 states that voted against the sovereignty of America.

Trump will twist their hands for a rather long time, but he will stop financial assistance to these countries not now and not in a month, but only when the American domestic political situation will favor this. Also, Trump will certainly remind all doubting Americans of the event precisely a year ago when the Obama administration did not veto the blatant anti-Israel U.N. Security Council resolution 2334 on December 23, 2016, which legitimized the myth that Jerusalem is the historically Arab city of Al-Quds.

Only when the political potential of today's disgraceful U.N. vote is entirely utilized by Trump can the U.N. project be closed. The U.S. withdrawal from the U.N. means the automatic dissolution of the U.N., because the U.S. contribution is more than 20% of the U.N. budget. Together with the U.N. itself, all its resolutions and all fictitious countries will go into oblivion.

No one doubts that the United Nations needs America more than America needs the United Nations.

Gary Gindler is a conservative Russian-American blogger at Gary Gindler Chronicles.
An image recently published by one of my favorite blogs, Astronomy Picture of the Day, made me realize that our planet earth posses perhaps one of the dullest looking poles of the solar system. Just a white, irregular and featureless patch of snow and ice. In comparison, this is what the north pole of Mars looks like.

The latte-like spirals around the pole are frozen carbon dioxide that precipitates out of the thin Martian atmosphere every winter and is deposited over the frozen pole cap made up of water-ice. The carbon dioxide layer is about a meter thick. The spiral troughs in the layer are formed by strong katabatic winds that swirl around the pole due to the planets rotation. This image is a mosaic generated earlier this year from numerous images taken by the ESAs and NASAs missions, and covers an area of around a million square kilometers.

This image is from NASAs Mars Global Surveyor.

A mosaic of the north pole of Mars captured by the Viking spacecraft.

Other planets of the solar system too have interesting looking poles. In late May of this year, NASA released a spectacular picture of Jupiters south pole taken by the the Juno spacecraft that arrived at the gas giant last summer. The image (shown below) shows multiple storms the size of earth swirling around the pole, densely clustered and rubbing together. The image was taken from an altitude of 52,000 kilometers. Each cyclone is about a 1,000 kilometers in diameter.

We're puzzled as to how they could be formed, how stable the configuration is, and why Jupiters north pole doesn't look like the south pole, said Diane Brown, Juno program executive. We're questioning whether this is a dynamic system, and are we seeing just one stage, and over the next year, we're going to watch it disappear, or is this a stable configuration and these storms are circulating around one another?

Saturn is another remarkable planet. The poles of this ringed planet are nothing like anything seen on any other planets of the solar system. Around the north pole of Saturn there is a persistent hexagonal cloud pattern with sides longer than the diameter of Earth. The cloud is also rotating with a period of roughly ten and half hours. Within the hexagonal pattern a variety of cloud structures can be seen. At the center of the hexagon is a massive hurricane with an eye about fifty times larger than the average hurricane eye on earth. Swirling around the central hurricane are several smaller hurricane and vortices. The biggest of these vortices spans about 3,500 kilometers.

The hexagon is seen only on Saturns north pole.

Saturns hexagon captured by the Cassini spacecraft.

Saturns hexagon captured by the Cassini spacecraft.

A true color image of Saturns hexagon.

In this animated image, different wavelengths of light from ultraviolet to visible to infrared have been assigned colors, show a distinct contrast between the types of atmospheric particles inside and outside the hexagon.

In recent years, the hexagon was also observed to change color from blue to golden. Astronomers are not sure why the color had changed, but they feel it has something to do with the way sunlight strikes the planet and the presence of smog particles.

Our final stop today will be Neptune. While a photograph of the planet in the visible spectrum doesnt reveal anything out of ordinary, when astronomers switched to infrared, they noticed a curious oddity. The planets south pole is warmer than the rest of the planet, as much as by 10 degrees centigrade. The average temperature on Neptune is about minus 200 degrees Celsius, so the south pole is still frigid but warm enough for methane gas to escape from the poles and into the planets atmosphere. It is this abundance of methane in the atmosphere that gives the planet its characteristic blue color.

On the left is the thermal image of Neptune. The bright spot at the bottom is the warmest region. On the right is the true color image of Neptune.

Neptune has a tilted axis (about 28 compared to earths 23), so it experiences seasons just like earth as the poles take turn being in the sunlight and in the shadow. However, Neptune takes roughly 165 years to orbit the Sun once, which means that each season on Neptune lasts more than 40 earth years. It has been summer on Neptunes southern hemisphere for the last few decades. The south pole is the only place on the planet that has been receiving sunlight continuously all throughout the summer, and so it is the warmest place on the planet. The rest of the planet doesnt get enough time to warm as it goes in and out of sunlight every 8 hours (Neptunes day lasts 16 hours).
TUNIS - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has granted Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (Sncft) a 160 million euro loan to boost capacity on the railway network to address overcrowding on trains and improve service reliability and quality.

This financing will contribute to the upgrade and realignment of the existing Tunis-Kasserine railway line with added energy saving benefits. In addition, the Suburban Southern coastal (Sahel) rail line between the towns of Moknine and Mahdia will be doubled and electrified and six modern electric trains purchased, with consequent energy savings and reduction of carbon emissions by 14,000 tonnes each year. The improvements aim to relieve pressure on Tunisia's motorway network by 10 million vehicles per kilometre per year by 2021.

"We are delighted to support this important railway project demonstrating the EBRD's firm commitment to the country's development plan 2016-20, which places the modernisation of transport infrastructure, in particular railways, as a key driver of economic development and regional inclusion," Sue Barrett, EBRD Director for Transport, said.

"This project forms an integral part of the overall development strategy for the railway sector, particularly in the region of Kasserine, and is fully aligned with the country's strategic orientation towards the development of infrastructure in inland regions. This will help achieve regional integration, strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for the inhabitants of these regions," Ziad Laadhari, Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, added.
MOSCOW - The provisional list of participants in the future Syrian National Dialogue Congress to be held in Sochi includes "a large number" of Kurds, but not members of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Russian President's Special Envoy on Syria Aleksandr Lavrentiev told Interfax.

"We have tried to ensure the broadest possible presence of Kurds without incurring rejection by our Turkish colleagues," Lavrentiev said. The eighth session of Astana talks on Syria is underway in the capital of Kazakhstan.
ROME - Conflicts and the protracted crises in some countries in the Middle East and North Africa are blocking efforts to eradicate hunger in the region by 2030, according to a new report published on Friday by FAO. The 2017 edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa (Nena) stressed in particular how intensifying violence is paving the way for a ''hunger gap'' between war-torn countries and nations that are not at war. In Nena countries directly affected by conflict, in the 2014-2016 period, 27.2% of the population was chronically hungry or malnourished. This data was six times higher than the percentage of the malnourished population in countries not affected by conflicts - 4.6% on average. At the same time, ''grave food insecurity'' - another parameter used by FAO to measure hunger - in war-torn countries was twice as much compared to countries that are not at war. These trends question the ability of the Nena region to reach the sustainable development goal of zero hunger by 2030, warned the report. In a region mostly composed of middle-income developing countries - in which chronic hunger generally affects less than 5% of the population - in conflict area, due to the violence, the proportion of people who are chronically hungry has reached levels that can be compared to the poorest countries in world and this is exercising a strong negative effect on the reduction of hunger in the entire Nena area. The report warned that this situation will make it difficult to make progress towards the eradication of hunger in the region through traditional political tools unless key steps are made towards peace and stability.



The report stressed that different Nena countries are particularly affected by conflicts, with deep consequences for the income and food security of people. In Syria, violence has caused a reduction by 67% of the country's GDP and gravely undermined food security- from 70 to 80% of Syrians now need humanitarian assistance while 50% require food assistance.



In Iraq, where violence has led to a 58% drop in the GDP, 30% of the population needs humanitarian assistance while 9% requires food assistance.



Yemen is also torn by a war that has led to a situation in which 70-80% of the population needs humanitarian assistance and 50% needs food assistance. Libya is another hotspot for conflicts undermining food security: according to the report, 6% of the population needs food assistance. Nena countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Jerusalem: two Palestinians killed in Gaza clashes Israeli army, instigators shot. Marches in the West Bank

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 22 - Two demonstrators were killed in clashes with the Israeli army near the demarcation barrier between Israel and Gaza, a health ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by local sources who said more than 40 were injured in the violence.



The first demonstrator who died, a 24-year-old, was killed by a ''gunshot to the chest''.



Clashes started at the end of Muslim Friday prayers after demonstrators went to the demarcation barrier with Israel.



According to the Israeli army, some 1,700 Palestinian demonstrators gathered in various points of the West Bank and 2,000 others in Gaza along the demarcation line with the state of Israel. In both cases - the army said - demonstrators threw ''firebombs and stones'' while soldiers responded with ''means of dispersion''.



In Gaza, the source added, ''the army during violent clashes fired live ammunition selectively against the main instigators''. (ANSAmed).




Catalonia: Rajoy, yes to dialogue,no meeting with Puigdemont After separatist leader suggests meeting out of Spain

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, DECEMBER 22 - Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy said he is ready to start a ''new chapter'' of ''dialogue'' with the government to be formed in Catalonia after elections held yesterday, always ''in the respect of the law''.



The elections ''require a new beginning'', said Rajoy. ''A window of opportunity has opened, I am confident. The Spanish government will provide its willingness for a constructive dialogue that is open, realistic, always within the framework of the law, and will offer a hand to the Catalan government to solve problems, improve wellbeing and the prosperity of Catalans'', he said.



However Rajoy did not accept Carles Puigdemont's proposal to meet out of Spain in a European country. ''I should meet Ines Arrimadas'', the leading candidate of Ciudadanos ''who won the election'', he told reporters. Ciudadanos came in first in the election but separatist parties have the absolute majority in the regional Parliament.



Catalonia was taken under the control of the central government with the activation of article 155 of the Constitution. It will be revoked when the new Catalan government will be formed, said Rajoy, as expected, he added, in the decision voted by the Senate at the end of October. (ANSAmed)
Kurds to take part in Syrian Dialogue, not PYD 8th session of Astana underway in Kazakhstan

(ANSAmed) - MOSCOW, DECEMBER 22 - The provisional list of participants in the future Syrian National Dialogue Congress to be held in Sochi includes "a large number" of Kurds, but not members of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Russian President's Special Envoy on Syria Aleksandr Lavrentiev told Interfax.



"We have tried to ensure the broadest possible presence of Kurds without incurring rejection by our Turkish colleagues," Lavrentiev said. The eighth session of Astana talks on Syria is underway in the capital of Kazakhstan. (ANSAmed).




Separatists win absolute majority in Catalonia regional poll Unionist Ciudadanos biggest party. Puigdemont, result clear

(ANSAmed) - BARCELONA, DECEMBER 22 - Less than two months after proclamation of the Catalan 'Republic' and the immediate dismissal by Spain of the autonomous region's institutions the Catalan people have once again voted in favour of independence, delivering a hard slap in the face to Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy.



The three lists representing the republican front - ERC led by former vice president Oriol Junqueras in prison in Madrid, JxCat of the former president Carles Puigdemont in exile in Brussels, and the radical CUP - have together taken the absolute majority with 70 seats out of 135 in Barcelona's new parliament, on the basis of over 96% of the votes counted. The other major political fact is the success of Ciudadanos, the most staunchly unionist party led by Ines Arrimada, which is now the biggest single party in Catalonia with 36 seats. Puigdemont's JxCat is second with 34 seats, followed by ERC with 32.



CUP has taken 4 seats.



The unionist socialist party led by Miquel Iceta took 17 seats, while Rajoy's Popular Party saw its support slump from 11 seats to 4, with 4% of the vote. This represents a crushing defeat for Xavier Albiol, Rajoy's candidate in Catalonia, who had promised to demolish the separatists. Overall the separatists took 48% of the vote compared to 43.5% for the unionists. Turnout was 82%. Puigdemont hailed the "historic record participation with a result that no-one can call into question".



"The Catalan republic has won over the monarchy on article 155," he added. "Rajoy has been defeated" and now "democracy needs to be restored", Puigdemont concluded. (ANSAmed).




Israel,20% more Christian pilgrims expected for Christmas Minister, 2017 ends with record arrivals - 3.5 million

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 22 - Despite strong tensions in the area and the political-diplomatic dispute over the status of Jerusalem, pilgrims are continuing to travel to the Holy Land, according to the latest data released by the Israeli tourism ministry, which has forecast a 20% hike in the number of Christian pilgrims during the Christmas period.



''This year we have exceeded all previous records regarding the arrival of tourists and we are ready to end 2017 with a record 3.5 million tourists, half a million more than the previous year'', said Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.



''Israel urges pilgrims of all religions to pray, adore and visit all of Israel's holy sites in freedom and security''.



The tourism minister, he said, is working to welcome tens of thousands of tourists who booked to visit Israel during the Christmas festivities. Starting at 3 pm on December 24 until 3 am on Christmas Day the tourism ministry will offer a free shuttle service to pilgrims who will travel from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and back.



According to the latest data released by the Israeli ministry, over half of all tourists who visited Israel in 2016 - 2.9 million - were Christian. In the month of December 2016 alone, 120,000 Christian pilgrims were registered.



In particular, out of the almost 2.9 million tourists 53% were Christians, 38% were Catholics, 28% were Protestants, 28% were Orthodox. Jerusalem was the most popular destination while only some 40% of Christian pilgrims visited Tel Aviv-Jaffa.



The most visited Christian sites were the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Jewish district, the Western Wall, the Via Dolorosa, the Mount of Olives, Cafarnao, the Church of the Annunciation and the City of David. (ANSAmed)
When it comes to press coverage about Gulf aviation, Air Arabia, the 14-year-old flag-carrier of Sharjah and the regions only true low-cost carrier (LCC), flies well under the radar most of the time.

Winning the attention of media outlets is not easy when you operate in the backyard of the big three super-connectors  Dubais Emirates Airline, Abu Dhabis Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways  goliaths that have transformed the airline industry with their insatiable appetite for double-digit traffic growth and on-board luxury.

Air Arabias slow steady expansion and frugal no-frills product, by contrast, seems mundane to observers.

Yet, as Sharjah hosts the 50th annual meeting of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) in November, media and industry professionals would do well to draw lessons from the LCCs strategy. At a time when Emirates is deferring aircraft orders, Etihad is selling foreign investments, and Qatar Airways is battling a regional blockade, Air Arabia continues to reap profits from a low-cost business model that many had dismissed as too lowbrow for the Gulf.

The market has really changed. LCC used to be a bad word, smiled Adel Ali, Air Arabia group chief executive.

Today, in Europe, the biggest chunk of people fly on LCCs. I think its something that will inevitably come to this part of the world too. In terms of ease to arrange, ease to travel, the speed of doing things, LCCs are helping people to do what they really want. The millennials of this world dont want complicated things; they want to just manage their own lives. LCCs offer them that freedom.

Looking at overall market share, the Middle East still lags behind other parts of the world for low-cost penetration.

Ali estimates that LCCs provide about 17% of capacity in the region today  less than half the penetration rate in Europe. Whats more, the Middle Eastern contingent includes hybrid carriers like Kuwaits Jazeera Airways and Flydubai  companies which use the low-cost label to project affordability, but which, in truth, offer full-service perks like free checked luggage. Those airlines barely qualify as LCCs under the European definition, whereby all non-essential services attract a surcharge.

This more gradual ascent of LCC operators in the Gulf can be attributed to a number of causes, ranging from lengthier flight sectors to more restrictive bilateral agreements to lingering  and wholly unfounded  concerns about safety.

Far from being a weakness, however, Air Arabias conservative growth trajectory and disciplined cost management is ideally suited to prevailing market conditions. When industry yields plummeted last year amid a volley of economic, security and competitive headwinds, the Sharjah-based carrier still delivered a net profit of 509 million UAE dirhams ($139 million). It then stayed comfortably in the black for the first half of 2017.

That contrasts with waning fortunes among the full-service Gulf carriers, which have scrambled to freeze traffic growth and renegotiate ambitious aircraft orders.

We have been consistent in managing our costs year after year, whether the year is good or bad. As a result, it helps in the difficult times, Ali said, referring to last years perfect storm of currency instability, low oil revenues and global terror attacks.

I think, as we move on, economic conditions are going to bring more pressure on the industry in the region, and that probably will make some operators reconsider some of the overcapacity that exists. We are different because our DNA [entails always] having a low-cost mind-set. So we end up having to do less restructuring and less cleaning when markets get difficult.

Air Arabia currently deploys 35 Airbus A320s from its hub at Sharjah International Airport, configuring the planes in an all-economy layout with 162 seats.

Its route network stretches out in all directions to 69 markets within range of the narrow-body fleet. Alongside a deep footprint in the Middle East and the Caucasus, the airline serves seven countries in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), four in Europe (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine), and four in Africa (Egypt, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan). The Indian subcontinent accounts for more than 50% of its available seat kilometres (ASK) capacity, while Saudi Arabia is the largest regional market with more than 100 flights a week.

Since 2014, Air Arabia has also based two A320s in the neighbouring emirate of Ras Al Khaimah to fill the void left by defunct home carrier RAK Airways.

However, flights from the UAE are only part of the puzzle.

Like Ryanair in Europe, Air Arabias long-term goal is to offer point-to-point connectivity between all major cities in its home region. Its major handicap is that, unlike in Europe, there is no single aviation market spanning the Arab world. Basing aircraft outside of the UAE, therefore, necessitates joint ventures with local partners  a franchise model that brings with it heightened complexity and the ever-present threat of protectionism.

Its not difficult for us to establish [foreign bases] from the logistics point of view, Ali said of the strategy. But this is not the EU. This is not a single air operators certificate (AOC). A lot of countries have national carriers that are owned by governments and you could be going in competing with governments. So we always need to make sure that the opportunity is right.

His cautious approach has so far seen three affiliates established in Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.

Air Arabia Maroc is by far the largest operation, with eight A320s flying from six domestic bases to 29 points in western Europe plus Istanbul. Two aircraft are also based in the Jordanian capital Amman, offering connections to Egypt (Sharm El Sheikh), Georgia (Tbilisi), Iraq (Erbil) and Saudi Arabia (Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh). In the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, one more A320 flies to the same three Saudi points plus Amman and Kuwait.

The multi-hub strategy gives Air Arabia broad exposure to markets in the Middle East and North Africa. But, in its current form, it falls short of a pan-Arab offering. Algeria and Tunisia are entirely absent from the network, for example, while no outbound services are operated from key Arab markets like Cairo and Jeddah.

While he recognises these limitations, Ali is in no rush to establish more franchises. We are by nature conservative about protecting the investors money, so Im not prepared to just to sign up joint ventures [for the sake of it], he said. You can burn too much money in this business.

Growing the existing hubs is considered a higher priority  albeit a challenging one in a region where protectionism seems to lurk around every corner.

In Amman, Ali admitted that operations have not grown as fast as we would have liked due to high airport taxes and difficulty securing traffic rights. Despite signing an open-skies treaty with Europe, the Jordanian authorities have stonewalled plans for connecting flights between Sharjah and the continent. Requests to serve Beirut and Istanbul have also gone unanswered. Theres a long list of places that we would like to go from Jordan, Ali shrugged. Its been with the authorities in the Civil Aviation Authority for more than a year, but its just not been coming through.

Protectionism in Egypt also keeps Cairo off the table, though Ali believes the country is turning a corner after a difficult few years. He expects to base a second A320 in Alexandria this year, and will consider further growth following the 2018 presidential elections.

Morocco, meanwhile, is the star performer in the group thanks to the governments comprehensive  and faithfully enforced  open-skies deal with Europe. Even here, though, traffic rights can be a bugbear: Royal Air Maroc, the flag-carrier, still enjoys a monopoly in the all-important West African market.

Im sure it will come one day, Ali said of his stalled request to enter the sub-region. The challenge is to say when.

With just three units outstanding from the groups original Airbus order  two destined for Sharjah and one for Cairo  Air Arabia is also now turning its attention to fleet renewal.

Management will sign commitments for around 100 aircraft in either the latter part of this year or early next year, laying down a roadmap for gradual expansion and renewal of the fleet. Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier products are all being considered, with Ali insisting he would be daft not to look at everything.

Indeed, while Boeing and Airbus are the only contenders in the 150-seat-plus market, Ali heaped praise on Bombardiers 110-130 seat CSeries. There are very positive vibes coming out, he said, referring to glowing reviews from launch customer Swiss International Air Lines. CSeries could be a good size for some of our thin routes, some of our development routes domestic flights in Morocco, some of the Egyptian routes. They could do quite a lot of routes in the region.

His only concern is that the aircraft has not yet proven itself reliable in the Middle Easts harsh weather climate.

Another new aircraft type, the A321neo, a stretched re-engined version of the A320, will, meanwhile, join the fleet thanks to an agreement with Air Lease Corporation. Six of the aircraft will arrive in 2019, kick-starting Air Arabias finance diversification programme as it moves away from a fully owned fleet.

Confirming his preference for the long-range variant, Ali said the A321neoLR would open up new markets in China, Russia, the Far East and Africa from Sharjah. Air Arabia Maroc could also use the type to extend its reach into eastern Europe, as well as into West Africa when traffic rights are eventually secured.

With about 40 more seats than the A320, the stretched aircraft will further enable up-gauging on dense routes to the Indian subcontinent and Moscow.

Despite its suitability for mid-haul flying, however, Ali is in no rush to add western European points like London and Paris. Citing overcapacity and yield pressure in these markets, the chief executive said he wanted to stand back and see how his struggling rivals adapted their premium products. Some have already vowed to completely stop service at the back end of the aeroplane, he noted, meaning there could soon be very little difference between legacy and low-cost models.

The only difference is, Who is the true low-cost carrier that manages costs, and who isnt, Ali asked, hiding his confidence behind a smile. To survive in the industry from now onwards, youve got to manage your costs. Its nothing to do with your revenue.

And we are the only pure LCC in the region.


"There is no guarantee a transaction will result from these discussions. Boeing and Embraer do not intend to make any additional comments regarding these discussions," said a joint statement. Any potential deal will be subject to the approval of the Brazilian government, regulators, both companies' boards and Embraer's shareholders.

According to Flightglobal, any partnership between Embraer and Boeing will allow them to combine forces against the CSeries, which has become the centre of separate trade disputes between Canada and the USA and Brazil respectively. The maker of the CSeries, Canadas Bombardier had handed over a majority stake in the programme to European manufacturer Airbus.
People will adopt EVs more quickly if Centre incentivises it further.

New Delhi: With so much noise about electric vehicles, country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki said that the biggest challenge will be how to make an affordable small electric car for it to succeed in a market like India.

Unless the car is affordable, it will not sell, said Maruti Suzuki India chairman R.C. Bhargava.

He pointed out that 75 per cent cars sold in India are small cars. How to make small cars electrified and affordable, I think it is one of the challenges we will have to face. Because making affordable e-small cars is different from making a large affordable e-car. A car may become affordable in Europe and US but same car cant be affordable in India for the masses, he said.

Maruti, which plans to launch its first EV in India by 2020 will conduct a study in next few weeks to find out what the people want and will prepare a strategy accordingly for the success of electric vehicles in India.

It will gauge what average consumer thinks about EVs. This survey is going to provide us the first reliable data from the ground. We will start it within two to three weeks and by about end of February we would have some authentic basis to answer queries on EVs, Mr Bhargava said.

The government has set eyes on 100 per cent EVs for public mobility and 40 per cent electric for personal mobility by 2030. In a white paper submitted to the government, auto industry body SIAM had proposed 40 per cent of all new vehicles sold in the country to be electric by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2047.

When asked about Marutis EV launch plans, Mr Bhargava said the first one will hit the market by 2020 and the company will also set up charging stations.

On the future of conventional internal combustion (IC) engine vehicles, he said it will continue to grow. The company has done an assessment, assuming an annual growth rate of 8 per cent between now and 2030, that 71 million cars will be sold, of which 14.4 million will be electric and 56.6 million will be IC vehicles, he said.

So, conventional cars will continue to be four times that of electric, he added.
Mitra optimistic about the overall growth of exports from West Bengal.

Kolkata: The hurried launch of GST without proper infrastructure in place has made the indirect tax system more "primitive" than the VAT regime, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said.

The Centre, he said, is using ledger for manual record of refunds due to lack of interface between the GST network and customs electronic date interchange (EDI) as well as the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

This was one reason why he had asked the Centre to push back the date of GST launch, the minister said.

Even in the VAT system, there was no manual intervention in the entire process of filing of returns, Mitra said while addressing an award ceremony organised by Federation of Indian Export Organisation here last evening.

Citing a parliamentary committee report, the minister said owing to the GST system, exporters were unable to get refunds and at least 10-15 per cent of their working capital was locked.

The committee noted that a sharp liquidity crunch has gripped majority of exporters due to blocking of funds, Mitra said.

"The delay in disbursing refunds means your capital is blocked. The committee s report said the (quantum of) blocked capital (stuck up with the government for refunds) could be between 15-20 per cent of the working capital. Declining of the working capital would lead to losing of jobs by the workers," Mitra pointed.

"There are job losses due to less business in gems and jewellery sector, I am also deeply concerned about SME and unorganised sectors which are cash-based," Mitra said.

Despite GST-related hurdles, Mitra was optimistic about the overall growth of exports from West Bengal.

In 2016-17, export from the state was worth Rs 53,649 crore and it is expected to touch Rs 75,000-80,000 crore in 2019-20, Mitra said.

Some 10 items account for almost two-thirds of the total exports from the state with jewellery, fishery and leather among the majors.
Bachchan said he was grateful for being invited for the teaser launch of a biopic on the late Shiv Sena founder.

Mumbai: Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui said on Thursday that he is grateful for getting the opportunity to play the role of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray in a biopic.

Starring Nawazuddin in the titular role, the biopic penned by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, will be directed by Abhijit Panse.

Speaking at the launch of a teaser of the film on Thackeray, Nawazuddin said, "It's an important day for me today as the teaser of the film is launched. I have got the opportunity to play the role of great personality like him, I think any actor would have agreed to play his role."

The teaser was launched here by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

"I am thankful and grateful to Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray, Abhijit for the film and Bachchan sir for launching the teaser. I am sure Abhijit and we would take this biopic upto the mark," Nawazuddin, who is shooting in Mauritius, said via video conference.

"Everyone would be thinking, how can I speak Marathi, let me tell you, Bal Thackeray sahab would be giving me inspiration and would be showering his blessings (on me) to play the part," he said, in Marathi.

Bachchan said he was grateful for being invited for the teaser launch. He said a three-hour film will be too short to bring Thackeray's illustrious life on screen.

"I don't think Balasaheb's life can be shown in three hours. I wish there is a series made on him of three-four hours, for his personality, work, life is much beyond a film. I feel it should be shown in a web series of many episodes. I congratulate and wish Sanjay Raut the best for this film.

"If I am required for the film, I would love to be part of it in any capacity. I will always be ready to contribute to this film, in every way possible," Bachchan said.

Bachchan said he looked at Thackeray as a father figure.

"We were very close to each other, we were more like family. I respect him a lot," he said.

The 'Pink' star recalled that when he got married, Thackeray had called him saying he wants to meet his newly wedded wife Jaya Bachchan.

Bachchan said Thackeray stood by him in his tough times.

"I was hurt during the shoot of my film 'Coolie', and was hospitalised in a critical state in Bengaluru and when I was being brought to Mumbai, days weren't good due to monsoon. I did not get an ambulance at that time, due to rain, but Balasaheb's Shiv Sena ambulance was available. If this did not happen, I could have been more in danger," he said.

"There were instances in my life when there were some allegations on me, Balasaheb used to often call me and ask if it is true or not, he used to call me home, saying I want to talk to you.

"One such incident happened when there were allegations on me and my family and Balasaheb called me at his home and asked what is the truth, I told him I am talking truth, he told me don't be afraid, I am with you. No one stood by me as much as he did," the veteran actor recalled.

The 'Piku' actor said he was saddened to see Thackeray on deathbed and was praying some miracle happens so that he could be saved.

"I got an opportunity to meet him. I was there with Uddhav, Aditya (Thackeray) and another person. We were only praying for him because we wanted him to live long with us. I never wanted to see him in this state, it was a tough time to see him like that.

"I was surprised to see my picture in his room, next to his head. I was stunned and that moment has been captured for life," Bachchan said.

The biopic will release on January 23, 2019.
The actor had an interesting reaction to the wedding of the year, when asked by fans during a Twitter chat.

Mumbai: Till their official confirmation on Twitter, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma had successfully managed to keep their wedding under wraps.

Just days after Anushkas Jab Tak Hai Jaan and recent Shah Rukh Khan film co-star Katrina Kaif had revealed that she was clueless about the wedding plans, another of her co-actors has said he was unaware of the plans.

We are talking about Ranbir Kapoor, who has worked with Anushka in Bombay Velvet, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and the Sanjay Dutt biopic.

Ranbir, who is not on any social media, came on a live chat with fans on his Twitter fan club, on Thursday.

And considering his association with Anushka, questions about the wedding of the year, were inevitable.

With Anushka being all decked up at her real wedding like she is in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, a fan told Ranbir that their wedding was incomplete without him crooning to the film's song Channa Mereya.

The actor said he was sad as he was clueless about the wedding, but also happy as he had never seen her so happy and beautiful.

I felt sad because I had no idea about it but I felt happy because Ive never seen her so happy and beautiful https://t.co/WxVXilNBlJ  RanbirKapoor.Net (@RanbirKapoorFC) December 21, 2017

When another fan asked about Virushka wedding, he joked that he was waiting to attend with Mehendi on his hands, just like he has in the song, but that he was not invited.

I was waiting to attend with Mehendi on my hands but they didn't call me :(  RanbirKapoor.Net (@RanbirKapoorFC) December 21, 2017

Incidentally, a meme featuring Ranbir from Channa Mereya song in between Virat and Anushka in their wedding picture had also gone viral.
The movie, Thackeray, has been penned by Sanjay Raut, and the teaser was released by Amitabh Bachchan, who paid rich tribute to the late politician.

January will see the release of an interesting movie, based on the life and times of former Shiv Sena honcho Bal Thackeray. Known for his fiery speeches and forthright manner of speaking, Thackerays life will be brought to life on screen by Nawazuddin Sidddiqui.

The movie, Thackeray, has been penned by Sanjay Raut, and the teaser was released by Amitabh Bachchan, who paid rich tribute to the late politician.

Im honoured and thankful for being invited to the launch. I remember I would always attend programmes I was invited to, when Balasaheb was alive. I shared a very special and emotional bond with him, he said.

Reminiscing some of his earliest contacts with Thackeray, Amitabh said. I remember when I got married, Balasaheb called up to congratulate Jaya (Bachchan) and me. We were invited to his house and Tai (Mina Thackeray) gave Jaya a lovely reception. It was then that I realised that Balasaheb not only had deep love for me, but also thought of me as family. When I was injured on the sets of Coolie in 1982, I was brought to Mumbai from Bengaluru. As soon as my flight landed in Mumbai, Balasaheb sent a Shiv Sena ambulance to take me to the hospital.

Talking about the time he met Thackeray one last time, Amitabh, in his trademark baritone sighed, Uddhavji (Thackeray) had allowed me to enter Balasahebs bedroom, where he was taking his last breaths. But we were still praying and hoping things would change. I noted he had a picture of mine on the side of his bed. I could never imagine, till the day, that he had enormous love for me.
Court says facts were artfully arranged to create a scam when there was none; acquits Raja, Kanimozhi.

New Delhi: In a big embarrassment for the CAG, the CBI and the ED, a special court here on Thursday acquitted former telecom minister A. Raja and DMKs Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi and 18 others in three cases linked to the alleged multi-crore 2G telecom scam, saying there was no scam as the prosecution had failed miserably in proving charges made in its well choreographed chargesheet containing incorrect facts.

The case had virtually brought down the UPA government when former CAG Vinod Rai alleged wrongdoing in allocation of 2G spectrum and said that the allocation of licences caused a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the government.

Exposing the probe agencies inefficiency, CBI special judge O.P. Saini said that some people had artfully arranged few selected facts and created a scam when there was none. The judge also junked the EDs money laundering case against Mr Raja and Kanimozhi, citing absence of proceeds of crime as there was no scam. Stung by the courts criticism, both the CBI and ED said that they will challenge the verdict in the high court.

The politically sensitive CBI case, which also led to the Supreme Court cancelling 122 licences of eight telecom companies in 2012, fell flat as Judge Saini, in his 1,552  page verdict, delivered at Patiala House district courts, said, I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any of the accused, made in its well choreographed chargesheet.

While the CBI named 20 accused, including three companies, in its corruption, criminal conspiracy and forgery cases, the ED had chargesheeted 19 accused, including 10 persons and nine companies, in the money laundering case.

Giving a clean chit to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the court said, On account of the various actions and inactions of the officials, nobody believed the version of department of telecommunications and a huge scam was seen by everyone where there was none. It is clear that complete facts were not placed before the then Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) by his own office for which A. Raja cannot be faulted.

There is no material on record to show that Raja was mother lode of conspiracy in the instant case. There is also no evidence of his noholdsbarred immersion in any wrongdoing, conspiracy or corruption, the court said.

I may add that many facts recorded in the charge sheet are factually incorrect, like finance secretary strongly recommending revision of entry fee, deletion of a clause of draft LOI by A. Raja, recommendations of TRAI for revision of entry fee etc, the court said.

The acquittal drew curtains on a six-year-long trial, which cast a shadow on politicians, bureaucrats and top India Inc. officials, that saw Mr Raja, among other accused, languish in jail, before stepping out on bail.

Pulling up the prosecution for presenting a weak case, Judge Saini said, The witnesses from DoT were either highly guarded, hesitant in their deposition and also went against official record rendering themselves unreliable and added that witnesses from the companies of the accused also did not support the prosecutions version.

Exposing the prosecution, the judge said that special public prosecutor was not ready to sign the written submissions filed by him.

In the beginning, the prosecution started with the case with great enthusiasm and ardour. However, as the case progressed, it became highly cautious and guarded in its attitude making it difficult to find out as to what the prosecution wanted to prove, he said.

However, by the end, the quality of prosecution totally deteriorated and it became directionless and diffident.

The verdict hinted at an alleged conspiracy to weaken the case against the accused.  For the last about seven years, on all working days, summer vacation included, I religiously sat in the open court from 10 AM to 5 PM, awaiting for someone with some legally admissible evidence in his possession, but all in vain. Not a single soul turned up. This indicates that everybody was going by public perception created by rumour, gossip and speculation. However, public perception has no place in judicial proceedings, said the judge.

In the EDs case alleging money laundering of `200 crore, the court acquitted 10 persons and nine companies and directed that property worth `223.55 crore of Dynamix Balwa (DB) group of companies and its associates, attached earlier by the ED during the probe,be released to the persons from whom the same were attached, after the time for filing of appeal is over.

In view of acquittal of accused in the case relating to scheduled offence (2G), there are no proceeds of crime. Proceeds of crime is the foundational fact for the offence of money laundering. Since there are no proceeds of crime, there can be no offence of money laundering, as nothing remains to be laundered. Thus, the very base of the instant case is gone and the alleged offence stands wiped out, the judge said.

Besides Mr Raja, Ms Kanimozhi, DMK chief M. Karunanidhis wife Dayalu Ammal, those acquitted include directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd (Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal), Kalaignar TV (KTV) directors Sharad Kumar and P. Amirtham, Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka and Bollywood producer Karim Morani.

The CBI had alleged in its chargesheet, filed in 2011, that there was a loss of `30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of licences for 2G spectrum, which were later scrapped by the Supreme Court on February 2, 2012.

After the acquittal, the CBI said, It appears that the evidence adduced to substantiate the charges by the prosecution has not been appreciated in its proper perspective by the trial court In due course the CBI will be filing an appeal in the Delhi high court. The Enforcement Directorate also said that it would file an appeal challenging the verdict.

The judge said the CBI could not prove that Mr. Raja, along with officials from companies that got the 2G spectrum licenses for telecom services, had conspired to receive kickbacks from the sale of phone permits, causing a notional loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the government.

The 2G Scam had rocked the UPA government over alleged irregularities in the allocation of second generation (2G) spectrum in 2008, when Unified Access Services (UAS) licences were issued on a first come, first served basis at a price that was decided in 2001.

Absolving the accused of all charges, Judge Saini said, No evidence on the record was produced before the court indicating any criminality in the acts allegedly committed by the accused persons relating to the fixation of cut-off date, manipulation of first come first served policy.

The court said, Non-understanding of issues led to a suspicion of grave wrongdoing where there was none. DoT could neither effectively communicate the issues to others nor others could understand the same. Issues got snowballed when media reports started appearing. The lack of clarity in the policies as well as guidelines added to the confusion. The guidelines have been framed in such a technical language that the meaning of many terms are not clear even to DoT officers.

The verdict by Judge Saini also raises questions about the Supreme Courts verdict delivered in February 2012, when it cancelled 122 2G licences granted by the UPA. The apex court had held that licences for 2G spectrum were granted in arbitrary and unconstitutional manner, resulting in loss of revenue.
DMK insiders expect that the BJP will now activate its channels to court their party for an alliance.

Chennai: The 2G verdict absolving its leaders A. Raja and Kanimozhi comes not just as a shot in the arm for the DMK, which is frantically hoping for an early poll in Tamil Nadu, but also increases its bargaining power among the national players besides allowing the BJP to court the Dravidian major ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Political observers said it was the right time for the BJP to look for other avenues in Tamil Nadu since its outing with the AIADMK led by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam has so far been disastrous and brought only embarrassments rather than any political mileage.

With DMK placed at a politically advantageous position in a post-Jayalalithaa scenario, it is only obvious that the Congress will try hard to consolidate its existing alliance with the Tamil party while the BJP is likely to open up negotiations for the crucial 2019 elections that could be wide and open after the Congress posed a tough challenge in the recent Gujarat elections.

The DMK, which carried the 2G stigma that massively contributed to its worst-ever defeat in 2011 assembly elections and the 2014 general elections in which the party drew a blank, has now been exonerated of all corruption charges and has emerged as a Christmas cake overnight, from which everyone wants a slice. The party will once again hope to play a major role in national politics.

DMK insiders expect that the BJP will now activate its channels to court their party for an alliance. They also point out to the warm meeting that PM Narendra Modi had with ailing DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, when he dropped in at his Gopalapuram house in an unscheduled halt in Chennai on November 6, ostensibly to wish him a speedy recovery.

The DMK leaders, however, admit that the saffron BJP is an ideological opponent of the DMK, but little do these things matter in politics. The DMK was part of the AB Vajpayee government from 1998 to 2003 and moved into the Congress camp subsequently. Should the DMK win the next state poll, Stalin would not mind doing business with the BJP regime at the Centre  assuming that Modi will win the next Lok Sabha election in 2019  just to ensure he has a smooth ride and be able to carry through his development projects.
After a special CBI court acquitted all accused in the 2G spectrum scam, Rahul said 2G was vindication of Cong's stand.

Rahul asked why the PM was 'silent' on Rafale deal and financial irregularities of a firm linked to BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jay. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi: A day after a special CBI court acquitted all accused in the 2G spectrum scam, one of the biggest corruption scandals under the Manmohan Singh led UPA government, the newly elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying BJP's whole architecture and foundation were based on "lies".

"You all know the truth now about 2G, the truth is in front of you," Rahul told media after chairing his maiden Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet after becoming the party president.

"I think 2G has been vindication (of Congress' stand)," Rahul added.

On Thursday, a special CBI court said investigators had failed to prove allegations that 2G or second generation spectrum was allocated out-of-turn at cheaper rates in exchange for bribes when Congress was in power and DMK's A Raja was the telecom minister.

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)s charge that there was a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer in the allocation of the 2G spectrum during the erstwhile UPA regime was rubbished by the court, which commented that "a huge scam was seen by everyone where there was none".

Intensifying his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul said: "If you see the Modi model in Gujarat, it was a lie, clearly. People of Gujarat told us there is no model. What is going on is the stealing of resources that belong to the people of Gujarat and that's their design...whether it is 15 lakh rupees in every account, whether it is 2G, whether it is the Modi model...One by one the lies are coming out."

The Congress president also asked why the Prime Minister was "silent" on the allegations made by the Opposition over Rafale deal and financial irregularities of a firm linked to BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jay.

The former president of Congress and Rahuls mother Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh were seated next to Rahul who addressed his debut meeting of the Congress decision making body as the party chief.

With inputs from PTI.
The agreement was signed by CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra and Swiss Ambassador to India Andreas Baum at the North Block in Delhi.

CBDT Chairman Sushil Chandra and Ambassador of Switzerland to India Dr Andreas Baum signs the mutual agreement at North Block, New Delhi, on Thursday. (Photo: Twitter/Income Tax India)

New Delhi: In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India signed an agreement with Switzerland Thursday that would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from January 1 next year, the CBDT said.

"With the completion of the parliamentary procedure in Switzerland and signing of mutual agreement, India and Switzerland are set for automatic exchange of information for the period beginning from January 1, 2018," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said.

The policy-making body for the Income Tax Department said the agreement was signed by CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra and Swiss Ambassador to India Andreas Baum at the North Block in Delhi.

A joint declaration for the implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) was signed last month between the two sides here and it provided that both countries would start collecting data in accordance with the global standards in 2018 and exchange it from 2019 onwards.

While Switzerland has conformed to the global standards on automatic exchange of information with the signing of the declaration, India, on its part, has promised to safeguard the confidentiality of the data.

"It will now be possible for India to receive from September, 2019 onwards, the financial information of accounts held by Indian residents in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years, on an automatic basis," the government earlier said.

Switzerland, which has always been at the centre of the debate on black money allegedly stashed by Indians abroad, used to be known for very strong secrecy walls till a few years ago around its banking practices.

A huge global pressure has resulted in Switzerland relenting on the tough secrecy clauses its local laws gave to the banks.

Official sources said that several information requests on details about Indians, who had accounts in Swiss banks, were still pending.

The AEOI conforms to a norm set by global economic body he Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for tax transparency.
Sources claim that over 100 workers were on duty when the boiler exploded.

Patna: A massive explosion ripped a boiler at the sugar mill in Gopalganj district of Bihar on Wednesday night, killing at least five people and leaving several others critically injured.

A large number of injured were rushed to Gopalganj district hospital while others were referred to Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) and neighboring Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh for treatment. Sources claim that over 100 workers were on duty when the boiler exploded.

The explosion triggered panic among workers who later went on a massive rampage and burnt vehicles parked inside the mill premises. The mill owner ignored the maintenance of boiler which exploded due to overheating, a relative of one of the victim told this newspaper. The police after an initial probe arrested sugar mill owner Mohammad Ali along with his two sons. Government insiders said that that CM has ordered a high-level probe. Mr. Kumar had earlier announced a compensation of `4 Lakh each for the family members of those who died in the boiler explosion.

RJD Chief Lalu Yadav expressed deep shock and grief over the tragedy. He also appealed to the people to maintain peace and cooperate with the authorities in their probe.

Former deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, however, blamed the state government for the incident and said, Timely monitoring was not done which led to the killing of so many innocent workers. Only state government officials are to be blamed for the incident.
Jaitley told reporters that the Congress should not treat the 2G verdict as a 'badge of honour'.

A special court on Thursday acquitted all those accused in the 2G scam case which had rocked the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government. (Photo: PTI | File)

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday cited a Supreme Court verdict on 2G spectrum to assert corruption in the case and claimed that a trial court order acquitting the accused was no "clean chit" to the opposition party.

While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley cited the details of the UPA government's policy and the apex court's subsequent order in 2012 quashing all allocations to say that the facts proved corruption in the case, his colleague Prakash Javadekar claimed it was the Congress which had "choreographed" the chargesheet in the criminal matter.

The trial court in its verdict on Thursday had described the chargesheet as "choreographed".

Javadekar told reporters that the CBI had filed it in 2011 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"The Congress choreographed it," he said, citing a case in which then law minister Ashwani Kumar had to resign after he was accused of interfering with a CBI report into a probe in coal block allocations.

Javadekar likened the case to a murder probe, saying that if somebody was killed, the guilty had to be exposed.

Similarly, he said, corruption had taken place and the guilty had to be found.

Jaitley told reporters that the Congress should not treat the 2G verdict as a "badge of honour".

Citing the Supreme Court verdict in 2012 quashing all allocations, he said the fact that the UPA's policy was dishonest and intended to promote corruption had been upheld by the apex court.

Each allocation was quashed as arbitrary and unfair, he said, adding that the criminal case was launched on the Supreme Court's order.

"Its (Congress's) history is of corruption. Facts have proven it. Congress leaders are treating the judgement like a badge of honour and certification that the 2G spectrum allocation policy was an honest policy," Jaitley said.

He also rejected former telecom minister Kapil Sibal's "zero loss" claim in the allocation, saying it was disproved by the subsequent allocation by the BJP-led NDA government, fetching Rs 1.10 lakh crore in 2015 and Rs 66,000 crore in 2016. Sibal fired a fresh salvo at the BJP following the trial court order on Thursday.

The UPA government had fixed a price of Rs 1,734 crore per licensee, the finance minister said.

Attacking the Manmohan Singh government, Jaitley said it had given licences in 2007-08 on the basis of a price linked to 2001 and there was a "huge element of arbitrariness" in the implementation of the policy.

Cut-off dates were advanced and the first come first served policy was intended to serve a select few, he said, adding that it was later changed to "first come first pay" and a select few were informed in advance.

It was proved by the fact that they had got bank drafts prepared on back dates, he said.

Javadekar referred to the money received by the NDA government for the allocation of 2G spectrum and said it was almost equal to Rs 1.76 lakh crore, which former CAG Vinod Rai had said was the loss to the exchequer caused by the UPA policy.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the party was so desperate that it was seeing a win in its loss in Assembly polls and now finding vindication in the 2G case verdict.

"It is no clean chit to the Congress," he said.

The Congress was silent on coal block allocation cases in which many accused had been convicted, he said.

Had the UPA policy been clean and involved no corruption, then the court would have revived the cancelled licences, he said.

A special court on Thursday acquitted all those accused in the 2G scam case which had rocked the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government, holding that the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove any of the corruption and money laundering charges.
The BJP, while in Opposition, had used the controversy to paint the then Congress-led UPA government as thoroughly corrupt.

Former communications minister A. Raja's supporters dance as they celebrate his acquittal by a special court in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The acquittal of all the accused in the 2G scam by a special court on Thursday triggered a major political slugfest between the BJP and the Opposition with the Congress saying truth had finally prevailed and the ruling party asking it not to treat the verdict as a badge of honour.

The courts order is a big relief to the Congress and a huge boost to the DMK. The BJP, while in Opposition, had used the controversy to paint the then Congress-led UPA government as thoroughly corrupt.

The Congress, which lost power in 2014 in a haze of corruption allegations, including the spectrum scandal, went into celebration mode with one leader after another, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, hailing the verdict and demanding an apology from the BJP.

Dr Singh, whose government was battered by the BJP with what was widely considered to be the biggest scam independent India had ever seen, said the acquittal proves that there was a propaganda of lies.

I do not want to boast about anything. The courts judgment has to be respected. I am glad that the court has pronounced unambiguously that the massive propaganda which was being done against the UPA was without any foundation. The judgment speaks for itself, the former Prime Minister said.

At a media interaction in January 2014, the fag end of his term in office, Dr Singh was asked, How do you see your legacy in view of the fact that you failed to act?

Defending himself and the Congressrecord, Dr Singh had said, prophetically, I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media, or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.

The 2G scam first came to light in 2010 when the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, then headed by Vinod Rai, released a report claiming that the licences awarded by the telecom department were given away at throwaway prices, resulting in a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.

The UPA government was in power then, and the DMKs A. Raja was the telecom minister. On Thursday, while the Congress asked the BJP to apologise to the nation for spreading lies, finance minister Arun Jaitley stood his ground and said: The Congress Party is treating the judgment as some kind of badge of honour and certification that it was an honest policy.

Mr Jaitley and Kapil Sibal, Congress leader and senior lawyer, also locked horns over the zero loss theory (propounded by the Congress).

Our zero loss theory on 2G spectrum allocation has been vindicated There was no corruption, no loss. If theres a scam, its a scam of lies. A scam of (former CAG) Vinod Rai and the Oppositions lies. Vinod Rai should apologise to the nation, Mr Sibal said in response to Mr Jaitleys statement.

The Congress leader maintained that the telecom sector was in dire straits today.

Charged with the Gujarat poll verdict, the Congress will now go ahead full steam to project itself as the victim of political propaganda. At this juncture, the verdict will severely affect the BJPs moral high ground which it had taken since 2014.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said the party would raise the issue in Parliament. Incidentally, both the Houses, particularly the Rajya Sabha, are being stalled every day with the Congress demanding a clarification and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing Dr Singh of conspiring with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in the Gujarat polls.

Despite the 2G case ruling and the Congress claiming vindication, saffron leaders remained somewhat unrelenting with an Union minister saying the judgment will be definitely challenged by the relevant authorities in a higher court.

The BJP also held a meeting of its spokespersons and television panellists to counter the Congress. They were asked to highlight the fact that it was the Supreme Court which had quashed the licences, given on a first come-first served basis, and ordered that licences should be auctioned.

BJP spokespersons were also asked to point out how Dr Singh had tried to put the blame of 2G scam on the compulsions of coalition politics, indirectly blaming the Congress ally, DMK.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who was instrumental in getting the CBI to probe the spectrum allocation after he became a petitioner in a PIL filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) in 2012, while claiming it was not a setback, took a subtle dig at some law officers and hoped that the PM takes a lesson from this.

Dr Swamy told PTI: This is not a setback at all, it is an aberration as the law officers were not serious on fighting against corruption. So I hope the PM takes a lesson from this. We must now fight corruption on a war footing.

The judgment is also expected to provide a major boost to the DMK, which is under attack from the AIADMK and other political adversaries in Tamil Nadu for the alleged involvement of Kanimozhi, daughter of party chief M. Karunanidhi, and A. Raja, the partys dalit face.

Mr Raja and Ms Kanimozhi, who were in court during the verdict, claimed that justice has been done. Speaking to the media, Ms Kanimozhi said: We are very happy that justice has prevailed. It is a big day for the DMK family. It is an answer to all the blame and the problems that we faced.
Govt of Goa is willing to consider the request to work out an amicable settlement strictly restricted to drinking water supply.

Bengaluru: The BJPs success in persuading Goa chief minister, Manohar Parrikar to release Mahadayi river water to Karnataka has left the states ruling Congress jittery as every brownie point earned by either party now counts with just a few months to go for the Assembly poll.

Following his talks in Delhi with BJP leaders in the presence of their national party president, Amit Shah, Mr. Parrikar has in a letter to state BJP chief, B.S. Yeddyurappa agreed to share Mahadayi water with North Karnataka to quench its peoples thirst in the drought-prone areas.

The letter says, You are aware of the matter pending before Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal. Although the issue of is pending before the tribunal, in principle the state of Goa will not oppose a reasonable and justified quantum of water meant to be utilised for drinking water. However the same needs to be discussed bilaterally as suggested by the tribunal. Goa government understands that access to drinking water is a basic human need...

Hence this is to confirm to you that on humanitarian grounds, the government of Goa is willing to consider the request to work out an amicable settlement strictly restricted to drinking water supply to the drought prone areas. It is needless to mention that the discussion shall be without prejudice to our rights and contentions before the tribunal, none of which are even touched by this letter. I appreciate your concern and will extend the best possible co-operation in the matter.
The CM said that the sun being the biggest and healthier source of energy, its energy should be tapped in a major way.

An agreement to supply 24 per cent of the green energy to Delhi Metro trains for its operations had been earlier inked. (Photo: File)

Rewa (MP): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday laid the foundation stone for the "world's largest" ultra mega solar power plant at Gurh tehsil in the district.

The green energy generated at this station will be provided to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to run its trains in the national capital.

"It is a matter of happiness that the foundation stone for the world's largest solar plant is laid at Gurh. It will generate maximum green power without any pollution. Earlier, electricity was generated using thermal and hydro sources and it (thermal) causes lot of damage to the environment," Chouhan said while addressing a function on the occasion.

According to an official, the solar plant will generate 750 MW electricity and is being established with at an investment of Rs 4,500 crore. It will spread in an area of nearly 1,600 hectares land.

"The green energy to be produced at this plant will be supplied to Delhi Metro trains for its operations. An agreement was already inked to supply 24 per cent energy to the public transport in the national capital for the purpose. Rest of it will be supplied to the state," the official added.

During his address, Chouhan also said, "Sun is the biggest source of energy. Therefore, this should be tapped in a major way instead of going for coal and hydro. People will get cheaper power through it and it will not even affect the health of the masses."

He said his government is committed to provide food, clothes, houses and medicine to poor people as that is their only wish.

"We have made schemes to ensure that poor get these facilities, and framed laws to provide land lease to the people, so that they get permanent houses," he said.

Chouhan said that in the past, electricity was generated in Vindhya region using coal and water, but now it will be produced through solar energy and waste material.

According to an official, under the plant, three units of 250 MW each will be established.

The cost of per unit of power will be less than Rs three.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN) have joined hands and are facilitating the work of setting up the plant with the help of private players.

On the occasion, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh, also inaugurated 'Soubhagya Yojna' aimed at providing electricity to all the households in the country.
The Opposition continued to oppose the bill and later staged a walk-out after which the bill was passed by a voice vote.

Lucknow: UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday, assured the Opposition that the proposed UP Control of Organised Crime Act (UPCOCA) has stated that there would not be a misuse of the provisions of the bill and neither would it be used to target political rivals.

The Opposition continued to oppose the bill and later staged a walk-out after which the bill was passed by a voice vote.

Initiating the debate on the bill in the state assembly on Thursday, the chief minister said that the new legislation aimed at instilling a sense of security in the people and creating an atmosphere that was free form fear.

He said that the poor law and order situation had prevented investors from coming to UP and this retarded development to a large extent.

He said that the deteriorating law and order situation in the state had been a cause for concern and UPCOCA would play a key role in checking organized crime that also fuelled corruption.

The CM cited the steps taken to improve the law and order situation and said that agencies like ATS, STF, SIT and Women Powerline had been energized to show a better performance.

The leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary, however, termed the proposed UPCOCA as a black law and an undeclared emergency and said that its provision would be invoked against journalists too.
Olis triumph is widely seen as a victory for the pro-Chinese elements in Nepal.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held telephonic talks with top Nepalese leaders, including K.P. Sharma Oli, who is set to become the premier of the Himalayan nation.

The ministry of external affairs stated on Thursday that the conversations were the first highest-level contact between the leaderships of the two countries after the Communist alliance of Oli and Prachanda swept the elections in Nepal a few days ago.

I have just been informed that PM had a telephone conversation with K.P. Sharma Oli, Chairman Communist Party of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda chairman CPN and Sher Bahadur Deuba, the present Prime Minister, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Since this conversation took place just now, I do not have the details of it. What transpired in the meeing. At some stage if there is something to share, we will do that, the MEA spokesperson said.

In the recent polls, Nepals Left alliance won 27 while the ruling Nepali Congress bagged five parliamentary seats in the countrys historic polls that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation. Mr Olis triumph is widely seen as a victory for the pro-Chinese elements in Nepal.
AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the Congress Working Committee meeting will commence at 10.30am.

Gandhi was elected unopposed as Congress chief on December 11 and assumed the reins on December 16. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi will chair a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Friday, his first as Congress president.

The CWC will accord a warm welcome to the new president and likely discuss the current political situation, including the ramifications of the Congresss strong performance in the Gujarat assembly election for the party in future.

Party sources said the 2G spectrum case judgment acquitting all the accused is also likely to be discussed. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used the alleged scam to the hilt while mounting a fierce campaign against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Alleged corruption under UPA II was widely believed to have led to the defeat of the Manmohan Singh government.

The Congress, sources said, wants to take the 2G issue to the people for which it is likely to formalise a plan soon. The CWC, the partys highest decision-making body, is also likely to adopt a resolution to this effect.

AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the CWC meeting will commence at 10.30am.

The agenda for the meeting was, however, not officially disclosed.

Though Rahul Gandhi has chaired CWC meetings in the past in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi, it will be for the first time that he will preside over it as Congress president.

Gandhi was elected unopposed as Congress chief on December 11 and assumed the reins on December 16.
It now plans to formulate a strategy to dispel the corruption bogey that surrounded the UPA government during its tenure.

New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the apex decision-making body of the party, will meet on Friday. This would be the first meeting of the CWC to be chaired by newly-elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The apex body of the party is expected to discuss the verdict in the 2G case. The acquittal of the accused in the 2G case has come as a big boost to the party. It now plans to formulate a strategy to dispel the corruption bogey that surrounded the UPA government during its tenure.

On Thursday after the judgment, senior leaders and former ministers said that their stand has been vindicated. The CWC will study all the aspects to remove the taint of the 2G corruption allegation. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the allegation of 2G corruption had dented the performance of the party.

The A.K. Antony Committee report to look into the reasons of the dismal performance of the Congress had also mentioned corruption allegations as one of the reasons for the dismal performance of the Congress.

Apart from this, the party will also be looking at its performance in the recently-concluded Gujarat elections. However, the Gujarat state unit is also introspecting on the reasons of its loss. Insiders claim that strategy will also be formulated for the upcoming elections to the state Assembly of Karnataka. The party feels that since it is in power in Karnataka, one of the four states left where it is in power, emphasis should be given to retain the state.

The CWC has not been reconstituted after the election of the new president. However in the days to come, there may be additions to the apex decision-making body of the party. Apart from the old guard, young leaders of the party are expected to find a place in the CWC.
The reaction came in the wake of derogatory language used against the Valmiki community by Salman and Shilpa Shetty during the promotion.

Several morning shows were cancelled as protesters burnt effigies of Salman and the films banners and posters were pulled down. (Photo: ANI)

Jaipur: Even before dust could settle over Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati, Salman Khans film Tiger Zinda Hai met with heavy protests on its opening day in Rajasthan.

Members of Valmiki community vandalised cinema halls across the state in reaction to derogatory language for the community used by Salman and Shilpa Shetty during films promotion in reality show Big Boss.

Several morning shows have been cancelled as protesters in Jodhpur, Kota , Udaipur, Ajmer, Behrore, Dausa, Nagaur and Nasirabad burnt effigies of Salman and films banners and posters were pulled down.

At Jaipur they protested outside the famous Rajmandir cinema hall and shouted slogans against Salman Khan. Police has been deployed at several cinema halls.

A First Information Report (FIR) under relevant sections of the IPC and SC/ST Act was also registered against film actors Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty in Churu. A Deputy SP has been appointed the investigating officer in the case.

The protesters in Udaipur also gave a memorandum to the police and demanded that a case be registered against Salman under the SC ST atrocities Act. The police ensured that the protests did not turn violent and remanded several people in custody.

Vikram Valmiki, state president, Valmiki Sena said, We will continue with our protest until Salman Khan apologises. We have no issues with the film. There will be a meeting of the representatives of the community at Jaipur today to chalk out plan for future action.
He submitted his resignation letter to Ms Mufti who in turn has forwarded it to governor.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmirs minister of state for Haj and Auquaf, Syed Farooq Andrabi, on Thursday resigned from the council of ministers headed by his niece chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, citing personal reasons.

He submitted his resignation letter to Ms Mufti who in turn has forwarded it to governor, N.N. Vohra, reportedly with a recommendation that it may be accepted. Mr Andrabi is an uncle of the CM and represents Dooru constituency in southern Anantnag in the state Assembly.

His quitting comes in the backdrop of reports that the CMs brother Tassaduq Hussain Mufti is likely to be made a minister after he becomes a member of the J&K legislative council.

The PDP-BJP government had on Friday recommended Mr Muftis name for being nominated as a member of the council to the governor after the state cabinet, by way of circulation, gave its nod to the same.

However, the governor is reported to have sought answers to certain questions from the government before accepting the recommendation including whether the outcome of a writ petition filed in the high court challenging the such nominations made in 2015 would have any implication on the nomination of Mr Mufti.

46-year-old Mr Mufti, a former Bollywood cinematographer of Omkara fame, had on Thursday resigned from the post of Co-ordinator J&K CMs Grievance Cell in the run up to his probable induction into the council of minister led by his sister Mehbooba Mufti. He joined the PDP on January 7 this year to bring peace and prosperity and ensure common people and VIPs walk together.

He said, I am joining PDP not because being the son of late Mufti Sahib but only after Im convinced and inspired by the amount of work the PDP has done for Jammu and Kashmir and its people.
Experts say the ugly face of present day communal violence is different from the past as it is vicious, venomous and one-sided.

Afrazul, a labourer from West Bengal, was murdered and burnt alive by a dalit man, Shambhu Lal Regar, who accused Afrazul of Love Jihad in Rajsamand.

Jaipur: Mob lynchings and love jihad violence are the latest in series of hate crimes and reactionary and religious intolerance, multiplied by irresponsible social media, that are tarnishing Rajasthans image as a communally violent state. It now figures in the rogue list of eight states which account for 85% of communal incidents in the country.

Social scientists also accuse those in the state government machinery of tacitly supporting the aggressors, who in most cases happen to be Hindus.

Rajasthan, where not a single major incident of communal violence took place at the time of partition, has transitioned over the decades from a quiet and peaceful state to the one having several flashpoints of communal polarisation that began in the late 80s with Ram Temple movement that left behind a trail of hatred, distrust and fear and setting off a chain of communal incidents in last three decades.

Experts say the ugly face of present day communal violence is different from the past as it is vicious, venomous and one-sided.

Earlier, the other side was also at fault sometimes but now there is only one aggressor and the other one is a victim, said Kavita Shrivastava, state president of PUCL who has done several case studies of communal incidents in Rajasthan while referring to killing of dairy farmers Pehlu Khan and Ummar Khan allegedly by cow vigilantes in Alwar and most recently migrant labourer Afrazul Sheikhs killing in a suspected case of love Jihad by Shambhulal Regar in Rajsamand district.

Social scientist and former professor in Rajasthan University, Dr. Rajiv Gupta said the trend of increasing violence against Muslims reflects decay of progressive intellectualism.

We are becoming reactionary and religious intolerant. The social divide is widening. The sustained campaign of polarising on communal lines is paying off for the present dispensation, he said.

A senior police officer who has served in sensitive areas at the time of communal frenzy in the 90s agreed. Usually, two sides are involved in what we call communal clashes but what is being seen now is that attacks are happening only by one side on flimsy ground, he said.

According to him, during Ram temple movement and post Babri mosque demolition people got influenced events at national events but now they are giving into false propaganda of love jihad while there is data to support this trend.

Dalit social activist Bhanwar Meghwanshi who was at one point of time active member of RSS warns about ignoring murder of Pehlu Khan and Afrazul as mere hate crimes. It is planned terrorism by the majority community. It is part of a much larger conspiracy to instill fear among the minorities to make them submissive and nonchalant, he explained.

He said what is worry is that unlike in the past when at least those in the government would condemn such incident, they now openly support the perpetrators of crime. He pointed to statements by state home minister Gulab Chand Kataria. When Pehlu Khan was killed, Mr Kataria said that both sides were at fault. In case of Afrazuls brutal murder, he remarked that it showed the anguish and anger of the killer..

The home minister along with his cabinet colleague Kiran Maheshwari and Rajsamand MP Hariom Singh Rathore was member of a Whatsapp group that hailed the murder of Afrazul.

The Whatsapp group was created by Prem Mali who claims to be a Rajasthan BJP worker.

Targeting minorities
14 journalists were arrested between Jan 2017 and Nov 29, 2017 and cases have been registered against journalists before the arrests.

Vinod Verma (51), accused of involvement in the circulation of a 'sex CD' allegedly featuring a state minister, is among the arrested journalists. (Photo: File | Twitter/@patrakarvinod)

Raipur: Fourteen journalists were arrested in Chhattisgarh in the last 11 months, the state government informed the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

It includes freelance journalist Vinod Verma, arrested in connection with an alleged sex CD scandal.

In a written reply to a question by Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo (Congress), Home Minister Ramsewak Paikra said, "Fourteen journalists were arrested between January 2017 and November 29, 2017 in the state.

"Cases had been registered against these journalists before the arrests," the reply added.

Vinod Verma (51), accused of involvement in the circulation of a 'sex CD' allegedly featuring a state minister, is among the arrested journalists, the reply said Vinod Verma was apprehended by the state police from Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on October 27 this year. He was arrested following a complaint lodged by Prakash Bajaj with Pandri police in Raipur under section 384 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, the reply added.

Overall, three journalists were arrested in Kondagaon district, two each in Durg and Raipur districts and one each in Surajpur, Koriya, Sukma, Mungeli, Gariaband, Bilaspur and Kanker.
EC announced that polls to fill up five Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on January 16.

The notification to hold elections to fill up the five seats will be issued on December 29. The voting and counting will be held on January 16. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Polls to fill up five Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on January 16, the Election Commission on Friday announced. Three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi will be retiring next month, while a seat from Uttar Pradesh was vacated by Manohar Parrikar after he assumed charge as the Goa chief minister in 2017.

The EC said that the by-poll to fill up the Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh vacated by will also be held on the same date. Parrikar's term in the upper house was to end on November 25, 2020. Rajya Sabha member from Sikkim Hishey Lachungpa (Sikim Democratic Front) is retiring on February 23, 2018. The poll to fill up his seat will also be held on January 16.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi was allocated three seats in the Rajya Sabha and these are currently being held by members of the Congress party, Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi and Parvez Hashmi. Their term is ending on January 27.

The EC said the three Delhi seats would be filled by holding three separate elections as each of these vacancies fell under three different cycles which were determined at the time of the initial constitution of the Rajya Sabha in 1952.

It said that the Delhi High Court in 1994 dismissed a petition filed against holding separate elections for the three seats. It said the Delhi seats will be filled "by holding three separate biennial elections to fill one seat each".

The notification to hold elections to fill up the five seats will be issued on December 29. The voting and counting will be held on January 16, it said.
Announcement was made by Union minister Arun Jaitley after his meeting with the legislatures in Gujarat.

Vijay Rupani to be CM of Gujarat, Nitin Bhai Patel will be his deputy. (Photo: ANI/ Twitter)

Ahmedabad: Vijay Rupani will continue as the chief minister of Gujarat and Nitin Patel as his deputy. The announcement was made on Friday evening after a meeting of the BJP's newly-elected legislators, which was supervised by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

Addressing the media after the party's legislatures meet at Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Friday, Arun Jaitley said: "Vijay Rupani chosen as Legislature party leader unanimously, Nitin Bhai Patel as the deputy Legislature party leader in a meeting today. Will inform you all about the swearing in, soon."

Arun Jaitley said that Bhupendra Singh proposed the two names for the leader and deputy leader which was supported by five other MLAs who came to the dais and supported them.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah had earlier this year indicated that Vijay Rupani and deputy chief minister Nitin Patel would continue in their positions if the party is voted to power.

The BJP has won for the sixth consecutive time in the recently concluded Assembly elections in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat.

Soon after the BJP swept the Gujarat elections, the party's decision making body decided had sent Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and partys general secretary to Gandhinagar as BJPs observers for the selection of the chief minister in Gujarat.

Chances of Rupani holding the chief ministerial position of Gujarat were diminishing after the BJP won 99 seats, only seven more than it needed for a majority to form government and 16 less than it had won last time.

The party now has achieved the 100 seat mark in the Gujarat Assembly after an independent MLA Ratansinh Rathod from Lunawada offered his support to the BJP.

The Congress improved its position bagging 77 seats in the 182-seat Assembly.

After the muted result the BJP took time to come to a decision amid speculation over other probable candidates for the top post, like union ministers Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya, both prominent Patel or Patidar leaders from Saurashtra, the region where the BJP lost most heavily.
63-year-old accidentally discovered that stimulating his prostate helped him orgasm.

The man found that his heady sexual heights helped experts prove that massaging the "male G-spot" really does provide men with more powerful orgasms as it actually rewires the brain. (Photo: Pixabay)

In a bizarre accident, a man who was uanble to stop his orgasm has uncovered the secret to the best male climax.

The 63-year-old accidentally discovered that stimulating his prostate helped him orgasm.

The man found that his heady sexual heights helped experts prove that massaging the "male G-spot" really does provide men with more powerful orgasms as it actually rewires the brain.

The unnamed man began using a sex toy to alleviate the symptoms of an inflamed prostate and soon found that he could climax, hands free, simply by lying on his back.

However, while others might think that he is having the best time of his life, experts disagree.

Experts, describing the man's tale in the medical journal Clinical Anatomysaid, This subject found that while the orgasms were extremely enjoyable at the time, he could easily spend too much time experiencing them. Further, he had an old neck injury which flared up in association with some neck spasm at orgasm while lying flat.

They further added that the man found it difficult to stop experiencing these orgasms and 'unwire' himself back to normal."

The prostate gland is exclusive to men and is part of the male reproductive system and is the shape and size of a walnut, and rests below the bladder and in front of the rectum (the lower part of your bowels).

The gland helps make some of the fluid in semen, which carries sperm from a man's balls - hence why it plays a key role in reproduction.

Study author Dr Roy Levin, from University of Sheffield said he hopes the man's case will encourage more research on the subject.

He said, The scientific study of orgasm has always been challenging. Those induced by prostate stimulation have been ignored. We have just started the journey on its discovery road.
The woman has alleged that they threatened her with dire consequences and held her hostage for around five hours.

All of the accused in the alleged rape case have been identified and have been taken into custody. (Representational image)

New Delhi: A 22-year-old woman has alleged that she was raped by five people, including four juveniles, in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri area, police said on Friday.

The woman, a resident of Jahangirpuri, had recently become friends with a juvenile staying nearby. She claimed that she was invited by him for a party on Thursday at his home, they said.

The juvenile's four friends also joined them, they said.

The woman, who is working at a private firm, alleged that they forcefully made her consume liquor, the police said.

She has alleged that they threatened her with dire consequences and kept her captive for around five hours, they said.

The woman claimed that they asked her not to inform anyone about the incident, the police said.

She approached the police and a case was registered against the five accused, they said.

All of them have been identified, the police said, adding that one of the accused has been arrested while the four juveniles have been apprehended.
Nashiks grapes are in demand in the United Kingdom and European countries.

Nashik: The export of early harvest table grapes has begun from Nashik, the largest producer in India. By Thursday, about 106 containers (approximately 1600mt) have been exported to Russia, Dubai, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Exports to European markets will begin in January and will continue till April 10, according to Jagannath Khapare, president of Grape Exporters Association of India (GEAI).

Nashiks grapes are in demand in the United Kingdom and European countries due their perfect blend of medium brix (sugar) content, berry size and colour. In European markets, the round berry with medium sweetness is preferred while in South East Asian countries including India, the elongated sweet berry is a delicacy. Maharashtra Drakshya Bagiatdar Sangh (MDBS) Nashik division president Manikrao Patil said that the grape position was very positive and exports would be good. When asked about the gradual chill spreading in Nashik, Mr Patil said that the cold was not much and would not affect the grape berry. Now growers from Satana tehsil have begun exporting and Chandwad tehsil are following. The major tehsils of Niphad and Dindori would begin exporting from January 15, he stated.
The opposition leader raised questions over the women and child welfare departments distribution of tenders for sanitary napkins.

Nagpur: Opposition leader Dhananjay Munde during his speech in the state council on Thursday levelled serious allegations of corruption against state information and technology which is under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis charge. The Innowave Company, which failed completely in the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for students, has been given the work of the loan waiver scheme. This is a scam unfolding under CM Fadnavis very nose when it is his duty to investigate the matter, Mr Munde alleged.

In his speech, Mr Munde also levelled allegations against the state women and child welfare department over tenders for sanitary napkins. The company which got tenders in the chilli scam has been given work worth Rs 1,044 crore for sanitary napkins. This is a mega scam. The tenders process was fudged and changed thrice to enable this scam, he claimed.

Mr Mundes chief target was the Innowave Company, which has stirred heated political debate over the mess in the loan waiver scheme. Work which was given to the Innowave Company in the DBT student scholarship scheme is the best example of how tenders can be fudged for specific companies. Many times, rules of the tender process were changed for this Innowave Company. But at the end, the government fell flat in the DBT scheme, alleged Mr Munde.

He questioned how the state government had allotted another tender to a company which had failed in its earlier assignment. In his reply, Mr Fadnavis must answer this question. Innowave has created a mess in the loan waiver scheme. Farmers are facing problems. Still, if this government wants to protect this company, people will start questioning the CM himself. Therefore, this issue must be investigated," Mr Munde demanded.

The opposition leader raised questions over the women and child welfare departments distribution of tenders for sanitary napkins. On November 14, I have written specifically to the CM, alerting him about a possible scam. The company which had received work in the chikki scam is the same company which has been given the sanitary napkins contract. Rs 29 crore for one month is not a small amount. This tender is for three years, which means that the amount goes up to Rs 1044 crore. This is a scam and it must be investigated thoroughly, demanded Mr Munde. The CM will respond to this on Friday.
The adult accused has been arrested and sent to police custody till December 28.

Police sub inspector S.P. Gore of Kondhwa police station said that the victims 51-year-old grandmother had lodged an FIR against the accused.

Pune: An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by six neighbourhood boys since August in Punes Kondhwa area. The accused include five minors and one 19-year-old. After the FIR was lodged by the girls family, the police arrested the teenager and took the other minors in custody. The victims parents are daily-wage labourers.

Police sub inspector S.P. Gore of Kondhwa police station said that the victims 51-year-old grandmother had lodged an FIR against the accused.

Mustafa Abdul Rajaq Mujawar (19) and five other minor boys had been sexually abusing her granddaughter. As per the complaint, the five accused minor boys are aged between six and 12 years, Mr Gore said. He added that a neighbour had informed the victims grandmother about the boys harassing the victim but she had initially ignored it. The issue came to light when the girl developed rashes on her private parts and fell sick repeatedly. The doctor expressed his concern to the grandmother that the girl is possibly being sexually assaulted, he said.

When the old lady asked her grandchild about the sexual abuse, the girl initially refused to say anything.

But when she was assured that nobody would scold her, she revealed her ordeal. The accused boys would take her to terrace or somebodys home and rape her. This has been happening since August. They would offer her chocolate or threaten her. When the complainant told the incident to his son who is a construction labour, he confronted the accused. The accused accepted the charge. Later, the family lodged an FIR, Mr Gore said. The police has booked all six accused under the Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The adult accused has been arrested and sent to police custody till December 28.

The Pune sessions court has sent the five minor boys to an observation home.
Shiv Sena MLA and group leader in the legislative council, Anil Parab too opposed a few provisions of the bill.

Mumbai: The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) chief can sanction a slum redevelopment project on any encroached land without it being declared a slum by the collector, as per the amendments proposed for the SRA Act. Earlier, a plot had to be declared a slum by the collector before the SRA chief could sanction a slum redevelopment project there. The bill was passed by the Council on Thursday amid criticism from some that it is allegedly pro-builder. There is currently a Bombay high court ban on new constructions.

The BJP government led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has initiated some important amendments in the SRA Act. As per earlier provisions, the SRA chief could sanction a redevelopment project on an encroached land, and one, which has been declared a slum by the collector, after following procedure. This included steps like census among others. But this process would take many years and has many hurdles, according to sources from the housing

department.

Now these changes may well prove to be a blessing for buil-ders, who are facing hurdles following the high court ban on new constructions due to the garbage disposal issue. The HC has allowed only redevelopments projects. Due to the amendments, SRA redevelopment projects on encroached land can be sanctioned without hurdles due to the enhanced power that the SRA chief enjoys.

According to sources, this is being alleged to be a pro-builder move by the government with an eye on the 2019 elections. Now builders stand the chance of getting sanctions for redevelopment projects faster.

Congress spokes-person Sachin Saw-ant criticised provisions of the bill saying, It will benefit builders. The previous SRA chief, Vishwas Patil had cleared many projects illegally but still the government decided to give more powers to SRA chief.

Shiv Sena MLA and group leader in the legislative council, Anil Parab too opposed a few provisions of the bill. The government should first prepare a plan for redevelopment and study its impact on the city purely from the infrastructure angle.

However, BJP Mumbai chief, Ashish Shelar welcomed the bill and refuted all these allegations.

At present, 1,513 SRA schemes are going on in the city and 4.41 lakh new homes will be constructed which will give lakhs of people their dream home, he said.
The move came after FSSAI received several complaints about fake organic products in the markets.

Mumbai: More than 100 complaints were registered against fake organic products in the past three months with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), leading it to recently introduce a logo, known as Jaivik Bharat, which will help customers identify authentic organic food items. According to a senior

FSSAI official, the logo has been specifically designed to set the standards of organic farming and no dealer can sell an organic product without the logo.

The move came after FSSAI received several complaints about fake organic products in the markets. To fight this, a portal has been designed, which will carry details about the state-wise break up of organic products, its buyers and suppliers. The portal has been jointly developed by the FSSAI in collaboration with the

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Deputy Director, FSSAI, Mr V.K Panchal said, An unified logo is an identity mark to distinguish between original organic products and non-organic ones, supported with the tag line Jaivik Bharat at the bottom. It makes for an easy identification of Organic Food from India. The logo is green in colour and has a circle with a leaf and a tick mark on it.

Mr Panchal said that fraud and mis-labelling occurs when a food business operator marks a product as organic even though it contains non-organic ingredients or where the organic production standards are not adhered to in the production process. Therefore, it becomes important to check if the food labelled as organic is genuinely organic.

Standards to maintain
Those affected include 13 minors and eight women, police said, adding that around eight people have been discharged so far.

A couple from Pimpri-Chinchwad distributed sweets to the residents of a hamlet after performing a puja at the Mahadev Temple at Sangam River nearby. (Representational Image)

Thane: In a suspected case of food poisoning, around 34 people fell ill after consuming pedhas (sweets) distributed at Katkaripada hamlet in Murbad tehsil in the district, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday evening and the affected villagers were rushed to the Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar, the rural police said.

Those affected include 13 minors and eight women, police said adding that around eight people have been discharged so far.

"A couple from Pimpri Chinchwad had visited Mahadev temple at Sangam river in the taluka yesterday. After performing a puja, they distributed pedhas to the residents of Katkaripada hamlet located nearby," PI Ajay Wasave of Murbad police station said.

Soon after consuming the sweets, the villagers complained of giddiness, nausea and started vomiting.

They were rushed to the hospital by local residents, he said.

"Out of the 34 affected villagers, eight persons were discharged this noon. The rest are still being treated and kept under observation at the hospital," Wasave added.

Police said that they are on the lookout for the couple, who distributed the sweets.

Samples of the sweets have been collected and sent for analysis, police said.
HMD Globals QWERTY phone is expected to use Nokias Series 30+ feature OS.

The world remembers Nokia as the manufacturer of the iconic brick 3310 feature phone. While Nokia led the feature phone market with other similar feature phones, the Finnish mobile giant of yesteryear was also known for giving the world some of the whackiest forms of mobile phones as well as extremely civilised E-series phones. After HMD Global, brought back the brand from the grave last year, the company is expected to revive some of the other iconic phones from the past. Presently, the QWERTY feature phone is expected to make a return under the new Nokia.

FCC has recently certified two phones by the name of TA-1047 and TA-1060, classifying them as feature phones instead of using a smarter version of Android OS. The document also leaks the fact that they will be depending on a QWERTY keyboard for input. The phone will also support 4G connectivity and will have dimensions of 133 x 68mm. Nothing else can be derived from the report as of now.

If the phone comes into existence, which it might, considering the certification by FCC, then Nokia might place this model as a premium alternative to the Nokia 3310. We expect Nokia to follow a design language similar to the Nokia Asha 210 or other similar handsets, which had colourful and funky attires. However, what will matter most is whether Nokia provides support for WhatsApp on this baby as the 3310 suffered from the lack of it.

(source)
Police Supdt. Johnson criticized Facebook, saying the company did not cooperate, making the investigation process longer.

Police seized 18 guns, USD 46,000 worth of drugs and secured arrest warrants for 18 more following a nearly yearlong investigation. (Photo: File)

Chicago: Chicago police say dozens of people have been arrested after officers infiltrated an invitation-only Facebook group where they bought guns and drugs.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson said on Thursday that police seized 18 guns and USD 46,000 worth of drugs, arrested 50 people and secured arrest warrants for 18 more following a nearly yearlong investigation.

Police say the investigation started when an informant told the department's narcotics division about the Facebook group that couldn't be found through the search function.

Johnson criticized Facebook, saying it took investigators months to infiltrate the group because of the company's unwillingness to cooperate.

A Facebook spokesperson said the company is investigating the matter.

A police spokesman said later on Thursday that Facebook has since reached out to the department, and the company and police will be meeting to discuss problems detectives encountered.
Terrorist groups have gained territory, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN said.

Terrorists continue to attack the most vulnerable, including the sick in hospitals, children in schools, devotees in mosques and even mourners at funerals. (Photo: File/Representational)

United Nations: Supporters of terror organisations like Taliban, Haqqani network and Lashkar-eTaiba must be forced to stop and all safe havens must end, India has told the UN Security Council, expressing concern over the collapse of security situation in Afghanistan.

Terrorists continue to attack the most vulnerable, including the sick in hospitals, children in schools, devotees in mosques and even mourners at funerals. Terrorist groups have gained territory, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN, Tanmaya Lal said during an open debate of the Security Council on Afghanistan.

"The support for terrorist organisations like the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed from outside Afghanistan, must be forced to stop," Mr Lal said.

"All safe havens and sanctuaries available to such groups outside Afghan borders must end. Security Council has an important responsibility in this regard in our collective interest," Mr Lal said.

"The continued resilience shown by the Afghan people and security personnel has been exemplary but hopes of a better future still appear distant. Our regular consultations and the work done by the Council have not been enough to more effectively reverse the situation on the ground," he added.

Mr Lal said it has been painfully clear since long that the security situation in Afghanistan has implications not only for the region but the entire world.

"While new threats emerge from the Daesh, the Security Council cannot even decide whether to designate the new leaders of Taliban or to freeze the assets of the slain leader of the group more than a year after the issue was brought to its attention," Mr Lal said.

In his address to the Security Council Afghan Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud Saikal said Afghanistan's patience on indiscriminate shelling from across the border by Pakistan should not be tested.

"Under the pretext of receiving fire from our side, Pakistan's violations across the Durand Line, including indiscriminate artillery shelling, has continued unabated throughout 2017, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and destruction of villages," he said.

The proposal of Afghanistan for engagement and operational coordination towards addressing these concerns has not seen any response, he told the UN Security Council.

"At the same time, Afghanistan has the will and the capacity to defend its territory and our patience should not be tested," Mr Saikal said.

Afghanistan believes that confidence building measures can only be successful when violations of this nature come to a complete halt, he said.

"In a similar vein, we are also in communication on the imperative of addressing terrorists' regional safe havens and hope to see positive developments on this front soon," he said, adding that Afghanistan looks forward to the upcoming trilateral meeting in Beijing next week between the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.
Speaking at the emergency session, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the United States will remember this day.

They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us, Trump said. (Photo: File)

Washington: Defying President Donald Trump's threat to cut off funding, the United Nations approved by a resounding vote on Thursday a motion rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by 128 to nine with 35 abstentions, in what Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour called a "massive setback" for the United States.

An additional 21 countries did not turn up for the vote including Ukraine, which had supported the same resolution in the Security Council, indicating the US threats did have a chilling effect on some governments.

Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo joined the United States in opposing the measure.

Among the countries that abstained were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Romania and Rwanda.

Speaking at the emergency session, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the United States "will remember this day."

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem," Haley said in defense of the US move, which broke with international consensus and unleashed protests across the Muslim world.

"No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that," Haley said. "But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN."

"When we make generous contributions to the UN we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected," she said.

The resolution reaffirms that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations, and that any decision reached outside of that framework must be rescinded.

Read: US threats fall on deaf ears: UN votes denouncing Trumps Jerusalem move

Without explicitly referencing the US move, it "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the vote showed the "illegality" of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it.

The motion was sent to the General Assembly after it was vetoed by the United States at the Security Council on Monday, although all other 14 council members voted in favour.

While resolutions by the General Assembly are non-binding, a strong vote in support carries political weight.

Ahead of the vote, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the UN as a "house of lies," saying Israel "rejects outright this vote, even before it passes."

"No General Assembly resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem," vowed Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon.

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki called the vote an "unprecedented test" for the UN, and referenced the US warning that it was "taking names."

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki called the vote an "unprecedented test" for the UN, and referenced the US warning that it was "taking names."

"History records names, it remembers names -- the names of those who stand by what is right and the names of those who speak falsehood," al-Malki said.

Trump's decision on December 6 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital prompted a flurry of appeals to the United Nations.

The status of the Holy City is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump warned that Washington would closely watch how nations voted, suggesting there could be reprisals for those that back the motion put forward by Yemen and Turkey on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries.

"They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us," Trump said.

"Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care."

The resolution mirrored the text that was vetoed at the Security Council on Monday, and although it does not mention Trump's decision, it expresses "deep regret at recent decisions" concerning the city's status.

No country has veto powers in the General Assembly, unlike in the 15-member Security Council where the United States, along with Britain, China, France and Russia, can block any resolution.

UN diplomats privately said the United States had succeeded in making some countries think twice.

Haley tweeted that 65 countries had "refused to condemn the United States" over its decision on Jerusalem - a tally of "no" votes, abstentions and no-shows.

"While the resolution passed, the vote breakdown tells a different story," said a spokesperson for the US mission.

"It's clear that many countries prioritized their relationship with the United States over an unproductive attempt to isolate us for a decision that was our sovereign right to make."

The Palestinian ambassador insisted the vote was more about Trump's foreign policy approach than the status of Jerusalem.

"They made it about them," said Mansour. "They did not make it about Jerusalem, so when you make it about them and to only be able to get nine votes to say 'no' to it, I think it was a complete failure for their campaign."

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 the capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.
Nawaz Sharif chooses younger brother relieved by court in graft case.

Islamabad: Ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief Nawaz Sharif on Thursday nominated Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif  Mr Sharifs younger brother  as partys candidate for the Prime Minister in the 2018 elections.

The decision was taken in a party meeting at the ousted Prime Ministers Jati Umra residence near Lahore.

Shehbaz Sharifs nomination came days after the Supreme Court rejected the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) plea to reopen the Hudaibiya Papers Mills case.

Nawaz Sharif praised the chief minister for his hard-working nature and devotion to public service. Shehbaz Sharif has never opposed my opinion. He has vast administrative experience, Mr Sharif said.

Mr Nawaz added, as quoted by the Dawn, that at times he accepted Mr Shehbaz's suggestions as well. "I had to take Pervez Musharraf's call condoling our father's death upon Shehbaz's insistence," he said.

Sources told the Dawn that Nawaz also said that when favouritism affects the parameters of justice, society loses its stability. "Despite there being so much (in the case) against Imran Khan, he was left scot-free while I was sent home on just an iqama (work permit)," he was reported as saying.

"We will not stay quiet. I will inform the nation of the inconsistencies between the two decisions," he said, referring to Supreme Court's decision disqualifying him and the one in the Imran Khan disqualification case.

Shedding light on his planned movement for justice, he said that the party's campaign for the 2018 General Election and the movement would go hand in hand.

"Someone will have to stand up to correct the ills of 70 years," he said, adding that he was standing upright in the battle.

PML-N members appreciated the decision taken by the party chief on Thursday.

"It would be wrong to say that a single vote in the party is against Shahbaz Sharif," MNA Rana Afzal said regarding the development.

Minister of state for power Abid Sher Ali said that the party would accept the decision taken by Nawaz, adding that Mr Shahbaz is a very capable individual that the country needs right now.

Although MNA Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh praised the decision, he added that the process of consultation within the party needs to be broadened.

On July 28, the top court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif for failing to declare an unclaimed salary from a Dubai-based company of his son, as an asset when filing his nomination papers in 2013.

Following the ouster, Shehbaz Sharif was to succeed Nawaz Sharif. However, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was later nominated to be the Prime Minister.

Last month, a party meeting in London also decided to put Shahbaz forward as a prime ministerial candidate after the 2018 election if party president Nawaz Sharif remained ineligible to run for office, said a Dawn report.
While resolutions by the General Assembly are non-binding, a strong vote in support carries political weight.

The Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound is seen in Jerusalem's Old City. (Photo: AP)

Washington: India on Thursday joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Nine countries voted against the resolution, while as many as 35 countries abstained. India's decision to vote against American recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital comes a day after Trump warned countries against opposing the US position.

India did not speak on the floor of the Assembly in New York, but after Trump recognised the holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it had said that its Palestine's position was independent and consistent.

In her intervention at the NAM ministerial meeting on Palestine on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the path to Israel-Jerusalem peace clearly lay in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements.

The UN General Assembly resolution moved by Turkey and Yemen stressed that Jerusalem was a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations.

It demanded that all States comply with Security Council resolutions regarding Jerusalem, and not recognise any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.

In his address to the UN general Assembly, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Trumps decision was an outrageous assault to all universal values.

"The Palestinians have the right to their own state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," he said.

"This is the main parameter and only hope for a just and lasting peace in the region. However, the recent decision of a UN member state to recognise Jerusalem, or Al-Quds, as the capital of Israel, violates international law, including all relevant UN resolutions," Cavusoglu said.

The eight countries that joined the US in voting against the Turkish resolution were Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Togo.

Among the major countries who abstained the voting were Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Columbia, Hungry, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Poland and Uganda.

Strongly supporting Trumps decision US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that the US may strip funding of those countries that voted against its Jerusalem move.

"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly. We will remember it when we are called upon to, once again, make the worlds largest contribution to the United Nations," Haley told the General Assembly.

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference in how Americans view the UN," the top American diplomat said.

Trump had warned against cutting funds yesterday. "Let them vote against us, well save a lot. We don't care. This isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they're doing," Trump told reporters at White House.

Early this week, the US had vetoed a similar resolution in the Security Council. The resolution passed by the General Assembly has no legal implications on the UN member countries.

Trump praised Haley for taking a tough position on Jerusalem at the world body yesterday and warned the countries who voted against the US that America will not be "taken advantage" of anymore.

"All these nations take our money and then vote against us at the Security Council," Trump told his Cabinet members at a meeting at the White House.

He was referring to the isolation of the US in the UN Security Council when all 14 members of the apex body joined hands against Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.
The decision follows the Islamic State jihadist group losing its two main hubs -- Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria.

ISIS is now only clinging to the dregs of a 'caliphate' that spanned territory the size of Britain three years ago, with Iraq declaring victory in the war in December. (Photo: AP)

Sydney: Australian warplanes will cease their air strike campaign in Iraq and Syria; it was announced on Friday, with the country's six hornet jets heading home after a three-year mission.

The decision follows the Islamic State jihadist group losing its two main hubs, Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria.

It is now only clinging to the dregs of a "caliphate" that spanned territory the size of Britain three years ago, with Iraq declaring victory in the war in December.

Defence Minister Marise Payne said Canberra had decided to scale back its mission after consultations with coalition allies following more than 2,700 sorties.

"The battlefield success against Daesh means our own Operation OKRA has now reached a natural transition point and our strike aircraft will begin returning home early in the New Year," she said, referring to ISIS by its Arabic acronym.

"Since October 2014, our Hornet pilots and support personnel have made a significant contribution in support of the Iraqi Security Forces and I commend all the personnel who have contributed over this period for their dedication, skill and professionalism," she added.

Based in the Middle East, Australia's Air Task Group consists of six F/A-18 Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker and Transport plane.

While the hornets are returning, the Wedgetail and the refuelling plane will continue to support coalition operations and around 380 personnel will stay to train Iraqi forces.

The United States first sent warplanes in August 2014 to carry out strikes against IS when it was massacring members of the Yazidi minority in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq.

A coalition was formed soon after with the support of around 60 nations, although only a handful such as Australia, Britain and France has played a significant military role.
Saeed and the JuD were already banned by the UN while US has put USD 10 million bounty on the arrest of Hafiz Saeed.

Saeed reacted strongly to US President Donald Trump's announcement to shift the American Embassy to Jerusalem, terming the decision pro-Zionist and anti-Muslim. He made these statements in both Lahore and Karachi. (Photo: File)

Lahore: Days after his release from house arrest, Hafiz Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist, has been issuing political comments and statements against the United States and Israel on the issues of Jerusalem and the future of the Palestine State.

The co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the chief of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah recently reacted strongly to US President Donald Trump's announcement to shift the American Embassy to Jerusalem, terming the decision pro-Zionist and anti-Muslim. He made these statements in both Lahore and Karachi.

He warned President Trump that his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would evoke a strong reaction from the Muslim world and could possibly lead to a declaration of war across the Middle East.

Saeed, who was released from house arrest on November 23, has led anti-US demonstrations at the Markaz al Qadsiya in Lahore and attended a Friday sermon at the Markaz Aqsa in Gujranwala.

On December 12, in Karachi, he stated that member countries of the International Human Rights bodies were active in trampling human rights and also condemned the silence of these institutions to the "oppression" of Muslims in Palestine and other parts of the world.

He further added that Israel in Palestine are "committing atrocities" and urged the Government of Pakistan not to become the victim of external forces and stand with Palestinians in their "freedom struggle".

Saeed and the JuD were already banned by the UN while US has put USD 10 million bounty on the arrest of Hafiz Saeed.

During interactions with delegates at Jama Masjid Al-Qadsiya in Lahore, Saeed termed Israel as a cancer which had afflicted unarmed Muslims in Palestine for more than half-a-century.

He claimed that President Donald Trump's announcement regarding recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel had sabotaged peace all over the world. He alleged that Israel in Palestine was "using chemical weapons" against "unarmed Muslims" but the world institutions were ignoring it.

Saeed also reportedly addressed a training session for JuD cadres at Jamia Masjid Al Quds in Rawalpindi.

Despite spreading religious hatred during open gatherings in major cities across Pakistan, the government fails to act against perpetrators of terror like Hafiz Saeed.
Out of 15.8 million poor, 13.8 million live in rural areas. Since 2004, poverty has decreased from 48.2 per cent to 32.1 per cent in 2015. Although growing, Myanmar's economy has stalled. GDP forecasts are lowered: from + 7 per cent to + 6.7 per cent. Myanmar wants Chinas diplomatic and economic support whilst expanding cooperation with other countries.

Naypyidaw (AsiaNews/Agencies) - About 32 per cent of Myanmars 50 million population, or 15.8 million people, are living in poverty, this according to a report on poverty and living conditions in the country, compiled jointly by the Ministry of Planning and Finance and the World Bank.

Out of 15.8 million people living below the poverty line, 13.8 million are in rural areas.

Poverty has declined significantly since 2004, falling from an estimated 48.2 per cent to 32.1 per cent in 2015. However, beyond the 32 per cent living below the poverty line, a further 14 per cent are near-poor.

Poor households tend to have fewer working age adults, more dependents and fewer resources that can generate income, such as land or farming tools.

The extreme poor are disproportionately in the agriculture sector as casual laborers or smallholder farmers and have few alternatives for income.

Malnutrition, high infant mortality and poor-quality education limit the physical and cognitive development of children from poorer households.

Only a third of households have access to electricity from the public grid and nearly 3 in 10 people lack access to clean drinking water throughout the year.

Despite its growth, Myanmar's economy has recently suffered a setback.

Planning and Finance Minister U Kyaw Win admitted last week that Myanmars economy did not improve as well as expected, six months after he compared the countrys economy to a jet plane about to take off.

The International Monetary Fund has lowered its forecast for the growth of Myanmars gross domestic product this year from 7 to 6.7 per cent.

Faced with political pressure and the threat of sanctions over its handling of the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State, Myanmar has sought Chinas diplomatic and economic support.

The countrys civilian government and its powerful military view mainland China as an important strategic partner, but they do not want to be over reliant on it.

The government is thus expanding economic cooperation with other countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, India and Japan.

Singapore remains the top investor, having invested more than US billion this fiscal year, followed by Vietnam with US.3 billion.
A chapel of rest with his body will remain open all of today in Via Mose Bianchi 94, Milan. Condolences are coming in from all over the world. Many priests are grateful to him for his work in support of the mission and vocations.

Milan (AsiaNews)  The chapel of rest with the body Fr Piero Gheddo, the missionary journalist who died two days ago, opened today in the Chapel of martyrs at the headquarters of the Pontifical Mission for Foreign Missions (PIME) on Via Mose Bianchi 94, Milan (Italy).

The casket is surrounded by photos of the 19 martyrs of PIME. The Institutes regional superior Fr Carlo Tinello said that people can pay tribute to Fr Gheddo all of today.

The funeral will be celebrated tomorrow, 23 December, at 10 am in the S. Anna Parish Church, in via Albani 56, Milan.

It was announced that Fr Gheddo donated his corneas. The operation was carried out at San Carlo Hospital, where the priest had been hospitalised due to bronchial pneumonia.

The PIME centre, Fr Gheddos secretary Sister Franca Nava and AsiaNews continue to receive hundreds of messages of condolences and affection from all over the world  Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.

Everyone praises Fr Gheddos contribution to the world mission in his writings. Many priests express gratitude for the support they received in their vocation through his books and lectures.
2226 people have already died since last April. The epidemic is favored by the deterioration of sanitary conditions and the blockade imposed by the Saudis. MSF: highly resistant bacteria. Fears for a peak in the cases with the beginning of the rainy season in March. Over 80% of the population needs food, fuel, water and medicines.

Sana'a (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The number of (suspected) cases of cholera in Yemen, where there has been a very serious epidemic defined by experts the worst in the world, has reached one million.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) denounces as many as 2226 people have died since last April.

In a message on twitter, the ICRC reports that the cholera epidemic, favoured by the deterioration of sanitary conditions, is "amplifying the suffering of a nation already trapped in a brutal war". In November the World Health Organization (WHO) announced over 2200 deaths.

In Yemen more than 80% of the population lack food, fuel, clean water and access to basic health services. The situation has been aggravated by the Saudi blockade that began in early November, which intensified the emergency.

The epidemic reached its peak at the end of June, with over 50 thousand suspected cases registered in just one week in 22 of the 23 provinces that make up the country. Since then, the number has suffered a slow but progressive decline while still remaining on alert levels. Last week, experts registered 7622 new suspected cases and a confirmed death from cholera.

However, in the face of a decline in the number of cases, the WHO experts warn of a possible new wave of cases at the beginning of the rainy season, in March. For this reason they ask Riyadh, once again, to ease restrictions on the country and guarantee the entry of aid, food and medicine.

"Vibrion - says Marc Poncin, coordinator of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) - is a highly resistant bacterium, which can survive in the water for a very long period of time". And it can spread very quickly "as soon as the situation becomes favourable".

Since January 2015, Yemen has been the scene of a bloody civil war opposing the countrys Sunni elites led by former President Hadi, backed by Riyadh, and Shia Houthi rebels, who are close to Iran. In March of the same year, a Saudi-led Arab coalition began attacking the rebels, sparking criticism from the United Nations over heavy casualties, including many children.

UN sources speak of almost 9 thousand deaths, of which about 60% are civilians, and 45 thousand injured. Out of a total of 28 million inhabitants, the conflict has also left up to 20 million people (out of a total of 27) in need of assistance and humanitarian aid in order to survive. Recently, even the apostolic vicar confirmed to AsiaNews the gravity of the "disaster" that is taking place.
The Federal Interior Minister calls chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The militants of Hindu Jagrant Manch threatened Catholic schools. "To ensure that the freedom to practice one's religion is protected at all costs".

Agra (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a crackdown on the radical Hindu group that had threatened to ruin the Christmas celebrations in Catholic schools. The Agra district administration has asked Hindu Jagrant Manch (Hindu vigilante group) to sign a surety of one million rupees and make a statement assuring that its activists will not be guilty of any acts of disturbance or damage of the schools.

The stance comes in the aftermath of a phone call between Rajnath Singh, Federal Minister of the Interior, and Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of the state in question. The conversation took place in the presence of a Catholic delegation led by Card. Baselios Cleemis, president of the Indian Bishops' Conference, who two days ago complained to the minister about the worrying discrimination that Indian Christians are undergoing during this Christmas period.

The incident that caused the most concern was the arrest and detention of 30 seminarians and two Catholic priests in Satna, in Madhya Pradesh, for holding Christmas carols services in villages. In the specific case of Uttar Pradesh, this week the Hindu Jagrant Manch, a far-right youth faction linked to Adityanath, issued a warning to the Catholic schools of Aligarh: do not celebrate Christmas because it "leads" to the conversion of children. In retaliation, if any institution dared to break the ban, fundamentalists threatened protest sit-ins.

Anand Kumar, deputy director general, told the Times of India: "We have ordered all the district police chiefs of the state to ensure that the freedom to practice their religion, as enshrined in the Constitution, is protected at all costs and appropriate actions are taken in case someone tries to violate it ".
The two men had voluntarily come home from Egypt at the beginning of the year but were jailed upon arrival. The policeman brother of one of the two was fired because he had started asking questions. The repression against the mostly Muslim ethnic group continues.

Beijing (AsiaNews/RFA)  Two Uyghur students die in custody following their voluntary return to Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang from Egypt. Chinese authorities had issued an order for mostly Muslim Uyghurs living abroad to return home.

A resident of Xinjiang, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Radio Free Asias Uyghur Service that Abdusalam Mamat and Yasinjan (pictured) had been studying at Al-Azhar Islamic University in Cairo since 2015 and 2016, respectively.

After Xinjiangs government issued an order earlier this year for Uyghurs living abroad to come home to register with authorities, Mamat voluntarily returned to his home town of Korla in January and Yasinjan three months later, the source said.

The two young men were immediately imprisoned upon arrival and later died in police custody under suspicious circumstances, despite having no prior health issues.

Mamat was the son of the imam of Juma Mosque, the citys grand mosque. Yasinjan was the sibling of an officer from Korlas Charbagh township police station who had worked for seven to eight years at the townships prison.

The Communist Party secretary of Korlas Aq-Eriq village told RFA that 23 people are currently detained in his village. He confirmed that Mamat and Yasinjan had died in prison.

Yasinjans brother was dismissed from his police work prior to Yasinjans death, he said. He was dismissed because he began to inquire about Yasinjans imprisonment.

For several months, some 20 Uyghur students in Cairo have been unaccounted for.

More than 200 Uyghurs, many of them religious students at Al-Azhar University, have been detained since 4 July, rounded up in restaurants or at their homes, with others seized at airports as they tried to flee to safer countries.

Back in September, 29 Uyghurs were arrested in Malaysia and deported back to China.

In the name of the fight against terrorism, Beijing has cracked down on the Uyghur population for decades, imposing tight control over their religious activities.

Case in point: Uyghur Muslims are not allowed to fast during the month of Ramadan and are required to install an application on their mobile phone that allows the authorities to monitor their phone conversations.
About 70 million Americans live in a community with an HOA. Yet many HOAs do not allow overnight parking of commercial vehicles in the common areas of their communities. Photo: Canva

Can a branded vocational vehicle be ticketed for being parked in an employee drivers home driveway? Or, can it be subject to a fine if legally parked overnight on the side of a street? Before you say no, think again. These discriminatory practices occur regularly when vocational vehicles are parked in residential areas governed by a homeowner association (HOA). In fact, the type of restrictions that can be implemented against vocational or branded vehicles can run the gamut and are at the whim of the HOA.

If you think this doesnt affect many employees, think again. An estimated 70 million Americans live in HOA-governed communities. Approximately 6,000-8,000 new community associations are formed every year, including condominiums, cooperatives, and planned communities.

When a company decides to brand its fleet vehicles with either corporate logos or full-vehicle advertising wraps, it may inadvertently create a situation that puts its employees in conflict with HOA restrictions on the parking of commercial vehicles in common areas. Most HOAs allow commercial vehicles as long as they are garaged with the garage door down, but not all commercial fleet vehicles can fit in a garage due to vehicle height or length. In addition, there is no national uniformity to HOA parking restrictions; they run the gamut, with each local entity having the right to determine its own restrictions governing commercial vehicles.

Restrictions on Commercial Fleet Vehicles

HOAs are formal legal entities created to maintain common areas and have the authority to enforce deed restrictions. Most condominiums, townhouse developments, and many newer single-family subdivisions are governed by HOAs, usually created when the development is built.

Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&R) are the governing documents that dictate how an HOA operates and what rules owners must obey. These documents and rules are legally enforceable by the HOA, unless a specific provision conflicts with federal, state, or local laws. When you purchase a home, you enter into a contractual agreement with the HOA to abide by its covenants, which include bylaws that empower the board to adopt and enforce rules they believe are necessary for everyones good.

It is fairly common and permissible among HOAs to restrict or, in more extreme cases, prohibit the parking of commercial vehicles. Restrictions governing commercial vehicles are typically found in the CC&Rs governing parking privileges. The parking policy explains the parking rules and specifies procedures for enforcing them; not only is the board allowed to develop the policy, its legally obligated to do so.

Often, parking in an HOA is tight. Typically, developers want to build the most homes possible to make the most money, so they often allot the minimum parking spaces required by law. Unfortunately, that leaves the association to deal with the shortage. An associations roads are subject to local regulations that specify the space needed for access by emergency vehicles. When cars are parked on the street, sometimes there isnt enough clearance for fire trucks to maneuver, which can result in street parking restrictions.

Many HOAs do not allow overnight parking of commercial vehicles in the common areas of their communities. Branded vehicles of local vendors or tradesmen, such as plumbers, electricians, HVAC, etc., are allowed to temporarily park within an HOA-administered community as long as they do not park overnight.

Many HOAs have rules about parking in driveways, but the rules are mostly to prohibit residents from parking their commercial vehicles out in the open, such as a contractors truck, which may have logos and equipment stored on it. Often, the definition of what differentiates a commercial vehicle and a private vehicle isnt clear. Restrictions on commercial vehicles, like many other typical provisions in community associations governing documents, are well intentioned and meant to preserve the residential character of the community.

However, these provisions can give rise to difficult questions regarding what types of vehicles fall within the definition of a commercial vehicle, as many governing documents do not define the term. For instance, an HOA may prohibit a tow truck from being parked in a driveway while at the same time allow a police officer to park an assigned patrol car in a neighboring driveway. While a government vehicle or police vehicle are used for work, they are often not considered commercial.

Typically, the definition of a commercial vehicle is one involved in commerce, such as the buying and selling of goods and services. Some HOA board members argue that all trucks are commercial in nature, so they should not be allowed in driveways. While it is up to the HOAs discretion to prohibit commercial vehicles, they cant prohibit every vehicle. Most courts will agree that a passenger truck without any business logos or equipment is a private, passenger vehicle. But, HOAs have been known to ticket passenger vehicles parked overnight or in a driveway if they have decals on the rear windows advertising a part-time business, such as pet grooming, cosmetic sales, or a web service.

Legally, HOAs have the authority to control the type of vehicles allowed to park within the communities they administer. However, restricting certain kinds of commercial vehicles becomes problematic, especially if the vehicle is a resident's primary transportation. The common retort is that the individual should have read the CC&R before buying a home in an HOA-administered community.

But, what if a company decides to brand its vehicles after an individual becomes a property owner in an HOA? Sometimes, company drivers have a legal recourse in these situations. Most CC&Rs allow their provisions to be amended if a certain percentage of the property owners agree to the change, but this is usually difficult and often very time-consuming.

Let me know what you think at [email protected].
Full-time employees of Emkay, Inc. will receive a $1,000 bonus in response to the tax reform signed by President Donald Trump, the Itasca, Ill.-based fleet management company has announced.

Emkay took the action to pass the benefits of this reform on to their team, according to a release. Greg DePace, Emkay's president, announced the move to employees on Dec. 22.

"With a brighter future for Emkay and more profitable growth, naturally we are hopeful that these tax changes will become permanent," DePace said. "And then, if so, we will be able to share even more of the tax cut benefits with you  our employees and most valuable asset."
Joseph Luiz can be reached at 395-7368 or by email at jluiz@bakersfield.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @JLuiz_TBC.
Noor Salman, the wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, appeared in Orlando federal court Thursday as her lawyers try to get statements she made to law enforcement thrown out of her upcoming trial.

Her attorneys say the statements made to FBI agents and other law enforcement officials in the hours after the 2016 mass shooting should be tossed because at the time, she wasnt under arrest.

The crucial hearing will determine what can be used at her trial over charges that she aided and abetted Mateen, who perpetrated the Pulse nightclub massacre that killed 49 people.



In court, several FBI agents and law enforcement officers from Mateen's hometown of Fort Pierce took the stand to talk about Salman and her demeanor following the attack.

FBI agent Christopher Mayo testified that in the early morning hours of June 11  before officers told her what happened  Salman was offering information about her husband, saying he wouldn't hurt anyone.

Salman said after the shooting that Mateen "liked everybody, even homosexuals," Mayo testified.

When she voluntarily went with the FBI to their headquarters in Fort Pierce for further questioning, agents said Salman said, "God rest his soul," and then paused and said, "God bless his soul."

Those statements raised suspicion with authorities that Salman may have known more about her husband's plans than she was letting on.

But her attorneys disagreed. They claim that Salman, surprised to be approached by police in the early morning hours, was shocked when she was told her husband was a killer and was himself dead.

In court, Salman appeared to be emotional as she listened to voice recordings of Mateen. They are the last recordings of Mateen's thoughts and state of mind before he was killed by law enforcement. In them, he can be heard pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and asking the U.S. to stop airstrikes on Syria and Iraq.

Salman frequently moved around in her seat as law enforcement body-camera footage showed the chaos in the club that night. She looked away from a screen as photos were shown of the body of her dead husband  wearing a plaid shirt and khakis  being examined by a bomb-detecting robot.

The U.S. Attorney's Office say those images were crucial to explaining why they held Salman for questioning without arresting her. At the time, prosecutors say, first responders thought Mateen had bombs and weren't sure who, if anyone, he was working with.

FBI polygraph expert Ricardo Enriquez testified that Salman's statements were inconsistent. He said she admitted to knowing more about Mateen's plans to attack the club. She also signed a statement saying, Im sorry I lied to the FBI... these are my words, Enriquez said.

Some of the audio recordings that were heard featured Mateen pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, asking Brennan to stop U.S. airstrikes on Syria and Iraq.

Salman faces charges of aiding and abetting her husband in his attempt to provide material support to the Islamic State terrorist organization and of obstruction of justice.

Second day of hearing testimony begins at 9 a.m. Friday.
Whale Watching Week Features over 20,000 Whales Just Off Oregon Coast

Published 12/22/2017 at 4:45 AM PDT - Updated 12/22/2017 at 4:55 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oregon Coast)  All of the Oregon coast (and one point in both Washington and northern California) will be a part of the Whale Watching Week, starting December 27 and going until December 31. The entire coastline will be checking out some 20,000 gray whales that meander past as they head south from Alaska to birthing waters off the coast of Baja, Mexico. (Photo above courtesy OPRD).

This splendid cetacean display features volunteers from the Whale Watching Spoken Here program, stationed at 24 sites along the Oregon coast (and just north and south of it), helping you to spot the whales. They'll be there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, offering tips of spotting whales and facts about the gargantuan beasts.

Whale guides will point out special behaviors such as spy hopping, breaching, and spouting, as well as discuss whale feeding, courtship, and migration patterns. But most of all they assist you in spotting the giant cetaceans as they pass by here.

Some areas can see as much as 30 a day in that three-hour stretch that includes the whale guides. 2015 saw 1,600 whales total across those 24 sites on that week.

You may also see Orcas and Humpback whales as they journey past the Oregon coast.

Luke Parsons, an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) ranger with the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, says one of the goals of the event is to create awareness and compassion for whales and other marine life.

"Whales are a special part of the Oregon coast," said Parsons. "Nearly 20,000 people visit our whale watch sites each winter and are educated by our excellent volunteers. I hope visitors walk away feeling a little more connected to these animals, along with a greater appreciation of our oceans."

It happens every year from December through the middle of January: gray whales swim about 6,000 miles to calving lagoons near the Baja peninsula. The fun does not stop at the end of Whale Watching Week: they're here in fairly large numbers through the middle of January, but some still trickle through for another week or so after that.

By February they're gone, until they start to pop up in early March as they head north again, this time with their babies in tow.

The Whale Watch Week sites begin with one on the Washington coast at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Ilwaco, Washington.

See Best of Oregon Coast Lodging for Whale Watching, Whale Watch Week

Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach has one, and the next is 15 miles south at the Neahkahnie Mountain Historic Marker Turnout on Highway 101, just above Manzanita.

On the Three Capes Tour there is Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, Cape Lookout State Park (that one requires a 2.5-mile hike to the site at the tip of the Cape), and then several miles south at the top of Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City.

In Lincoln County, you'll find the most sites: Inn at Spanish Head Lobby on 10th floor (Lincoln City), Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint (near Depoe Bay), The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint (just south of Depoe Bay), Cape Foulweather and the Devil's Punchbowl State Natural Area (both between Newport and Depoe Bay), Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, and Don Davis City Park, also in Newport.

The next one is about a 30-minute drive south, past Yachats, at the Cape Perpetua Interpretive Center and the Cook's Chasm Turnout (directly on the Lincoln County/Lane County line).

About 15 miles south of there is the Sea Lion Caves Turnout  the large Highway 101 turnout south of tunnel, and a bit north of Florence.

On the southern Oregon coast, the Whale Watch sites are Umpqua Lighthouse, near Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, Shore Acres State Park, Face Rock Wayside State Scenic Viewpoint, Battle Rock Wayfinding Point in Port Orford, Cape Ferrelo, Harris Beach State Park, Brookings, Oregon, and the 9th Street Beach, Crescent City, California. More at whalespoken.org - Also see Oregon Coast Whales - Guide to Whale Watching; Whale News













Photos below courtesy Seaside Aquarium







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A Jefferson County judge lowered bond for the 70-year-old accused of killing her boyfriend in October, though she remains in jail Friday afternoon.

Elizabeth Taylor faces a first degree felony charge of murder for allegedly killing Larry Atwood, 58 on Oct. 11 in the 3900 block of Eastex Freeway, near Home Depot.

Bond was initially set at $300,000, but Judge John Stevens lowered that to $75,000 this week, according to court filings.

Attorney Dustin Galmor wrote in an application for a writ of habeas corpus that the $300,000 bond was "excessive, oppressive and beyond (Taylor's) financial means," which he said was in violation of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.

He asked the court to reduce her bond to $30,000, arguing that she has lived in Lumberton for her entire life, has no criminal history, and will appear at all future court dates.

Stevens reduced the amount, and stipulated that if she posts bond and is released, she must stay in Hardin County and Jefferson County.

As of Friday afternoon, she was still in custody at the Jefferson County Corrections Facility.

According to a probable cause affidavit from Taylor's arrest, Atwood gave a statement recorded on a cell phone video before he died on after 5 p.m. on Oct. 11.

He told witnesses that his girlfriend, Taylor, shot him with a .38 Special, and that she was driving a blue Chevrolet pickup truck.

Atwood was shot in the upper right side of his chest. He was taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Taylor was located later that night in Hardin County, along with the suspected weapon and truck.

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/LizTeitz
The year 2017 saw a devolving security landscape in Southeast Asia. Long-simmering crises erupted into major conflicts in the Philippines and Myanmar, while an insurgency in southern Thailand festered.



The Islamic States loss of key population centers in Syria curtailed its ubiquitous propaganda, but it also led to fears of returning foreign fighters replenishing local insurgencies, as well as the prospect of more lone-wolf attacks.



While some governments have worked to improve security, others have exacerbated the conflicts, conflating regime survival with national security.



The Rohingya



The biggest news story out of the region was the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims by the Myanmar security forces, which led to the largest refugee crisis in years: since late August more than 650,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh, where some 400,000 refugees from Rakhine state were already sheltering from earlier cycles of violence.



In what the U.N. described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, security forces killed at least 6,700 civilians, according to surveys of refugees by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). That figure is almost certainly an underestimation.



Over 250 Rohingya villages were razed. The sheer number of Rohingya refugees who were victims of sexual violence suggests a coordinated policy of using rape as a weapon of war. While the Myanmar government denies that the security forces targeted civilians, hundreds were treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries. Many had been tortured. Other were killed or wounded by landmines.



The pogroms were prompted by small-scale attacks on police and border patrol outposts by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The poorly armed and resourced ARSA militants began operations in late 2016, and launched coordinated attacks on some 30 outposts in August.



In many ways it was a cynical ploy. ARSA, a fringe extremist group, had little support from the Rohingya community, which was already living precariously without citizenship or other legal protections. ARSA was clearly expecting a heavy-handed government response that would help the insurgents gain more adherents; but it was not expecting the overwhelming crackdown by Myanmars security forces, or the political and diplomatic cover that the government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi would actively give it.



While al-Qaeda quickly issued a statement calling on Muslims to come to the defense of the Rohingya, there is no hard evidence that there has been an influx of foreign fighters from Southeast or South Asia to join the Rohingya cause. ARSA, for its part, states that it has no ties to any foreign terrorist or militant organizations. Indeed its stated goal is citizenship for the Rohingya, not separatism, let alone transnational jihadis.



But the plight of the Rohingya is certainly a motivating factor for militants. Indeed, the Bangladeshi man, who is accused of a failed suicide bombing in New York City on Dec. 11 in the name of Islamic State (IS), had recently returned from the Kutupalong refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh, where he briefly served as an aid worker.



Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar line up to receive aid at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh, Nov. 15, 2017. AP





Southern Thailand



In some ways the Malay separatist insurgency in the Thai Deep South, now in its 14th year, is the good news story in the lot. Violence was at its lowest level in over a decade. The number killed and wounded was at a historical low; as were the number of violent incidents.



And yet, the violence festered on, flaring at certain times to remind the government that the insurgency was far from over.



The decline in violence is in part attributed to a major leadership transition within the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) rebel group in early 2017, after two of its founders died in the previous 16 months. In part, it was just due to the intense network of checkpoints throughout the south, which have made attacks harder. It was also partly due to a change in tactics.



Violence is down because the insurgents see no need for it. They have driven Buddhists out of large swaths of the south. The insurgents now rarely intentionally target civilians, certainly within the urban areas. Almost every IED was placed on a rural road to target security forces. And security forces are the primary target: insurgents killed over 40 and wounded at least 130 in 2017.



But while the downtick in violence is positive, it does have a downside: the military government in Bangkok has little incentive or pressure to make meaningful concessions at peace talks. As such, the dialogue with the umbrella grouping MARA-Patani is largely for show; and indeed, the BRN has remained largely aloof from the process, convinced of the governments insincerity.



Abu Sayyaf



In the Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) began 2017 in the way they had operated in 2016, with a focus on maritime kidnappings.



Japanese crewmen thwarted a ship-jacking in early January  one of the largest vessels the ASG had ever tried to board. Later that month, they kidnapped three Indonesian fishermen. In February, ASG gunmen kidnapped six Vietnamese sailors, including the captain of a bulk cargo vessel and killed one crewmember. The ASG released the Korean captain of a vessel and his crew when a ransom was paid, and then beheaded a German hostage when he failed to pay a ransom. Another Philippine captain was beheaded in April when a ransom was not paid; that July, they beheaded 2 Vietnamese captives.



Joint maritime patrols between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia began in mid-2017, and had an immediate impact. The ASGs maritime operations dropped sharply in the second half of the year, as militants returned to the less lucrative kidnapping of local Filipinos. In October, the three countries began coordinated aerial patrols, while Singapore and China both sought to participate in maritime patrols. Both the United States and Australia conducted maritime operations in the Sulu Sea in support.



In an alarming development, in April, a group of ASG gunmen took a small craft to the resort island of Bohol in the Visayas near Cebu, and clashed with security forces, killing three soldiers and a policeman. Although six militants were killed, and the others retreated, it was the groups first foray outside of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, to what had been considered a safe region.



The Philippine military conducted operations against the ASG throughout the year, losing many men in pitched battles, but killing dozens of militants and arresting several important figures. Malaysia, for its part, arrested over a dozen ASG suspects or militants that were supporting them. And yet, the ASG's operations remained robust by years end.



Marawi

Assaults on the ASG forced Isnilon Hapilon and his men to mainland Mindanao, where they joined forces with another IS-pledged group, led by the charismatic Maute brothers. In May, the militants seized the city of Marawi, which they held for some five months before being dislodged in a battle with government forces. President Duterte declared martial law for Mindanao.



The siege of Marawi highlighted brutal shortcomings in the capabilities of the Philippine military, which struggled to retake the southern city. While new to urban warfare, the ability of the militants to stockpile over 1,000 men, and enough arms and ammunition for a five-month siege was an appalling intelligence failure.



The militants were bolstered by several hundred fighters from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and as far as Yemen and Chechnya. The siege was also the subject of a slick video produced by a central IS media organ.



Marawi was left in rubble. And the population is seething at the slow and, what they deem, inadequate government response. As of December, fewer than half of the citys displaced population of 200,000 had returned.



While government forces killed the Maute brothers and Isnilon Hapilon, and hundreds of their fighters, and about 200 escaped and are regrouping. They have largely been protected by hardline elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), whose peace process with the government has been stalled since early 2015, and able to recruit from amongst citizens who are turning on the government.



And there remain a number of other pro-Islamic State groups that have continued to fight the government. Ansarul Khilafa Philippines suffered a setback in early 2017 when Philippine forces killed their leader Mohammad Jaafar Maguid (alias Tokboy), but the group remains largely intact. Militants under a former MILF commander, Abu Turaipe, stepped up their attacks, as did fighters from another group that broke away from the MILF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.



The siege of Marawi caused enormous concern across the region, which once again saw Mindanao as an ungoverned space, and thus a regional security concern.



Countries were quick to offer support: Malaysian and Indonesia stepped up maritime patrols, and policing in their respective portions of Borneo. Australia and Singapore dispatched manned planes and unmanned aerial surveillance craft. The United States gave the Philippines two small surveillance aircraft, while both the U.S. and China provided small arms. Australia and Singapore have since provided training in urban warfare.



Other Islamic State-related terrorism



Throughout the rest of Southeast Asia, there were relatively few terrorist attacks, though arrests of terror suspects occurred in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.



In February, members of the pro-Islamic State JAD set off a pressure-cooker bomb in West Bandung, Indonesia. In May, on the eve of Ramadan, two suicide bombers attacked a bus terminal in East Jakarta, killing themselves, and three policeman, and wounding five police and five civilians. The Islamic States media organ, Amaq, took credit for the attack.



There were a number of thwarted attacks. In February, Malaysian authorities arrested seven people  a Malaysian, Indonesian, four Yemenis and a Uyghur  on suspicion of plotting to detonate a car bomb. The Indonesian suspect was an IS-trained militant who had recently returned from Syria. In November, Malaysian police arrested a 19-year-old for possession of IEDs, which he intended to use at a beer festival. Malaysian authorities also claimed to have broken up a cell that was smuggling weapons from southern Thailand.



In Indonesia, officials arrested three members of JAD for plotting to attack a police station in East Java in April. In a follow up operation to the May suicide bombings, police recovered weapons and pressure-cooker IEDs in June. In all, 41 people were arrested in connection with the May attack. In July, police arrested four men in Bandung after their IED exploded prematurely. And in November, police shot dead two suspects after an arson attack at a police station in western Sumatra.



Several top IS leaders from Southeast Asia were killed in Iraq and Syria in 2017, including Muhammad Fudhail Omar and Mohd Nizam Ariffin. Bahrun Naim - one of the most prolific recruiters for IS in Southeast Asia - has either been killed or gone underground.



A member of the police bomb squad inspects the site of an explosion in East Jakarta, May 24, 2017. AP





CT legislation and policy



Meanwhile, the governments of the region took some steps to address policy shortfalls in dealing with militancy. Indonesia was able to compel Telegram to block some 55 channels that were used by regional militants. The Philippines tried to force Facebook to shut down pages that were linked to the Marawi militants. But social media remains an important tool for militants to use for fundraising, recruitment, and indoctrination.



Indonesia took a more extreme step with the banning of Hizbut Tahrir for violating the official ideology of Pancasila. And yet, the number of anti-vice organizations that are able to operate and attack or intimidate religious minorities proliferated. The jailing of the Chinese-Christian governor of Jakarta, who had just lost a bitterly fought campaign, has led to a surge in religious intolerance and identity politics.



Indonesia continued to push through its controversial Counterterrorism Bill through parliament. There are three aspects to the bill that have most alarmed critics; first it would enshrine a counter-terror role for the military; it would criminalize joining militant groups overseas; and it would give the government the right to strip people of citizenship.



Towards 2018



At the end of 2017, the situation across Southeast Asia was eerily calm. And to be fair, the devolving situation led to new levels of inter-state cooperation. But prospects to improved security in 2018 are grim.



More than a million Rohingya refugees live in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh, now amongst the worlds largest. Despite an agreement for repatriating Rohingya, the Myanmar government will likely make proof of residency hard. And with ongoing attacks, including the burning of some 40 more villages in November and December alone, the Rohingya have every reason to mistrust the governments assurances for their security.



While ARSA has not staged a single attack since the August 2017 raids, it is poised to take advantage of the hopelessness, frustration of the refugee population. The insecurity of life in the refugee camps gives an added incentive to join a militant group. The Bangladesh governments only real source of leverage over the Myanmar government to fulfill its commitment to return the refugees is allowing ARSA to recruit, organize, train, and stage attacks from Bangladeshi soil.



The security situation in Mindanao will likely continue to devolve. Already President Duterte has shifted the focus of the military to the communist New Peoples Army, despite evidence that the survivors of Marawi are regrouping, while other pro-IS groups continue to stage attacks.



Duterte is already trying to lower the MILFs expectations about passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the implementing legislation for the 2014 peace agreement. He recently questioned the BBLs constitutionality, which will only empower legislators who are against the autonomy agreement. As such, the MILF will only continue to splinter.



While the governments of Malaysian, Indonesia, and Singapore keep taking the threat of IS seriously, the ungoverned space in the southern Philippines will continue to create space for militants to train, regroup, and execute attacks. On top of that, there is the resurgence of al-Qaeda, which is poised to take advantage of the Islamic States setbacks.



The BRN insurgents in southern Thailand have demonstrated that they are able to turn on the violence at will. With the flooding caused by an intense rainy season over in early 2018, violence is expected to spike.



The year turned out to be far more violent and destabilizing in Southeast Asia than anyone could have imagined. Sadly, 2018 is poised to start out that way.



Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington and the author of Forging Peace in Southeast Asia: Insurgencies, Peace Processes, and Reconciliation. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, the National War College or BenarNews.
Malaysian police carry a coffin containing the body of a Rohingya found in a human-smuggling camp, during a mass burial ceremony in Kedah, June 22, 2015.

Malaysia will investigate allegations of a police cover-up in the 2015 discovery of mass graves that held corpses of scores of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants at human-trafficking camps in the jungle, a senior government official said Thursday.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamad spoke to BenarNews after a local newspaper, the New Straits Times (NST), published an expose alleging that Malaysian authorities had known about the graves and camps close to Wang Kelian, a town near the Thai border in the northern state of Perlis, months before police publicly revealed the grim discovery.

The case on Wang Kelian has never been closed, Nur Jazlan told Benar. It is still ongoing. And what has been reported by New Straits Times will definitely be taken into account.

When NST broke the story a day earlier, its reporters questioned his boss, Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, about the explosive allegations.

Definitely, investigations into this must be carried out. I want the authorities to get to the bottom of this, Zahid told NST. There will be no closing of the Wang Kelian file.

In late May 2015, Malaysian police disclosed they had unearthed 106 corpses from 139 graves at abandoned human-smuggling camps near Wang Kelian. Earlier that month, officials in Thailand announced that similar graves of smuggled Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis were found at an abandoned camp in the jungle on the Thai side of the border.

Covered up

In its report, NST claimed it found a massive, coordinated cover-up by Malaysian law enforcement authorities near the border, saying a team of investigative journalists had pored over scores of official documents, checked reams of reports and sought out witnesses during the past two years.

One shocking discovery was that the authorities, particularly the Perlis police, knew the existence of these jungle camps in Wang Kelian in early January 2015, but had allegedly chosen not to do anything about them until half a year later, the report said.

According to the newspaper, about 150 bodies were found at the jungle camps. The victims were mostly Rohingya Muslims from Myanmars Rakhine state, it said.

The discovery of the graves and camps on both sides of the frontier led to a humanitarian crisis in Southeast Asia in May 2015, after Thailand launched a crackdown on human-smuggling syndicates and prevented boatloads of illegal migrants from landing on its southwestern shores.

As a result, about 3,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals, who were abandoned by their handlers, suddenly came ashore in neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia.

In July this year, a Thai court convicted and sentenced a former three-star general and 61 other defendants in Thailands largest human-trafficking case, which stemmed from the discovery of the graves near the Malaysian border two years ago.

The NST report claimed that Malaysian law-enforcement personnel, other than knowing about the camps existence, had also cleaned up the crime scene and were working together with the smuggling syndicates.

The newspaper questioned why Malaysian police had sent hundreds of men, including commandos, up the hill on May 11 when their own men had already taken photographic evidence and filed reports on Jan. 19 and March 13, 2015, about the existence of the camps.

A commando team that raided camps in January 2015 saw six cages, where scores of men and women were packed inside under the watchful eyes of foreign men armed with M-16 rifles, the report said.

On June 12, 2015, then-Perlis Police Chief Shafie Ismail told journalists that there were no elements of foul play and said the victims had died from hunger after post-mortems had been done on the remains. The cases were classified as sudden deaths.

The NST opened its expose by alleging that mass killings had taken place at the death camps in the jungles of Wang Kelian, but the report but did not delve into how people who were kept prisoner there were killed.

Foreigners charged

To date, Malaysia has only prosecuted four suspects in connection with the Wang Kelian case.

In March 2017, Zahid, the deputy prime minister, told parliament that four foreigners had been charged in connection with the mass graves. He said 12 police officers were arrested, but eventually released for lack of evidence.

On Thursday, attempts by BenarNews to reach the Perlis police chief and the Wang Kelian Special Investigation Team for reactions were unsuccessful.

Im on leave now. If it is about Wang Kelian, please refer to Bukit Aman as the special investigating team was from there, Azisman Alias, the chief of Perlis police, told BenarNews.

Calls to Malaysian Police Chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun and his deputy went unanswered.

For its report, however, NST managed to reach Khalid Abu Bakar, Malaysias former police chief, who was in charge when the graves at Wang Kelian were found.

The paper tracked the retired chief to a local bowling alley, where reporters confronted him with questions. Khalid spoke on condition that the conversation not be recorded, NST said.

The ex-chief appeared visibly apprehensive and when he finally spoke, his voice betrayed the enormity of what he was about to tell us, the paper said, adding it was bound by journalistic ethics not to publish what he had told us.

Without fear or favor

Meanwhile, the chairman of Malaysias Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) said he had faced difficulty obtaining information from law-enforcement agencies, particularly the police, when his panel began investigating the tragedy at Wang Kelian.

SUHAKAM has also requested information on the criminal investigation from the Ministry of Home Affairs to which no reply was received. No information on any progress made in the investigation thus far was supplied to SUHAKAM, Razali Ismail said in a statement Thursday.

Elsewhere, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), a human rights and law-reform group, called on the Malaysian government to set-up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to to seriously investigate these killing fields at our very own backyard.

In order to do so, the government must demonstrate political will to act and hold accountable all those involved, regardless of rank, status or connection, Eric Paulsen, the groups executive director, said in a statement.

Civil society has long believed that such extensive and brazen human trafficking operations for so many years under the noses of the Malaysian authorities would not have been possible without the direct or indirect cooperation and assistance of local authorities, he added.

Tenaganita, another local rights group, expressed shock over what it called the blatant complicity of the authorities in the alleged cover-up as reported by NST.

Human trafficking by criminals is a common phenomenon all over the world, but it is extremely agonizing when law enforcement agencies are found to be entrenched in the criminal activities, Tenaganita Executive Director Glorene A. Das said.

The reported cover-up of the activities of the human trafficking syndicates and the destruction of vital evidence need to be explained; those involved in it should be brought to book, without fear or favor, she said.
The cousin of Isnilon Hapilon, the late emir of Islamic States Southeast Asian branch, and a leader of Indonesian terror group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) were among 20 suspected militants arrested in raids across Malaysia this month, authorities said Friday.

One of the suspects was a 50-year-old Filipino who was picked up in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 6, Police Inspector-General Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement.

I can confirm the Filipino suspect arrested is the cousin of Isnilon, a source with Malaysian intelligence told BenarNews on condition of anonymity.

Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militant leader who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, helped lead an IS-backed siege of the southern Philippine city of Marawi. He was killed in October during the final days of a battle there with Filipino government forces that lasted five months, the Philippine military said.

The suspect was recruiting his fellow countrymen in the Kepong area to join the Abu Sayyaf Group in the southern Philippines, Fuzi said of the 50-year-old Filipino in custody.

In announcing the arrests, Fuzi did not name the suspects but identified them as seven Malaysians, seven Filipinos, five Indonesians, and a North African. He said they were arrested in the states of Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Johor and Selangor between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15.

The police chief identified the suspected JAD leader as a 24-year-old mastermind of a July plot to attack a cafe popular with tourists and locals in Bandung, Indonesia, but which failed when a homemade bomb blew up prematurely. The suspect was arrested in the southern Malaysian state of Johor on Nov. 30, according to Fuzi.

The suspect was involved in the bombing incident in Bandung in July before sneaking into Malaysia to avoid being arrested by Indonesian authorities, Fuzi said, adding that the man in custody had been collecting funds while planning to travel to Syria to join Islamic State (IS).

JAD is the militant group that carried out a terrorist attack in central Jakarta in January 2016, in which eight people, including four perpetrators, were killed, Indonesian police said. The attack was the first successful one claimed in Southeast Asia by IS.

Former teacher arrested

Four other Indonesians between the ages of 31 and 38 were picked up in the coastal town of Sandakan, Sabah, on Dec. 4, according to police.

The four entered Malaysia illegally from Tarakan and Nunukan, Indonesia, and were planning to sneak into the southern Philippines to join terror groups there, Fuzi said.

Among the other suspects swept up in the raids, police identified one of the Malaysians as a 46-year-old former teacher in Kuching, Sarawak, who was arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Dec. 1.

The suspect is part of the Whatsapp group The Rise of Jundullah, which was involved in the planning for an attack on the 2017 Better Beer Festival. Three of the terror cell members were arrested earlier in October in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, Fuzi said adding the suspect was planning to head to the southern Philippines to join a terror cell.

The festival was canceled after authorities denied the organizer a permit for it. Police said the festival was banned over concerns of a possible militant attack.

On Dec. 10, six Malaysians and five Filipinos between the ages of 16 and 47 were arrested in Sandakan.

All of the suspects were planning to join terror groups in the southern Philippines, Fuzi said.

On the same day, another Filipino was arrested in Johor for alleged involvement in terror activities. The suspect is blacklisted by Philippines authorities, Fuzi said.

Later, a 31-year-old North African linked to IS was arrested at KLIA on Dec. 15, after he snuck into Malaysia from an unnamed neighboring country earlier in the month. Police did not specify his nationality.

The suspect had been arrested by Turkish authorities in September 2016 for his involvement with IS in Iraq and Syria, Fuzi said, citing intelligence shared by international agencies.

Hundreds arrested

Over the last four years, Malaysian authorities have arrested about 370 people suspected of having links to terror groups including IS. Sixty-six of those suspects have been freed, according to government figures compiled by BenarNews.

In addition, 34 Malaysian have been reported killed while fighting for IS in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile 24 men, 12 women and 17 children are believed to be in Syria, but may have fled from cities where battles took place. Officials had said the Malaysians might have sought refuge in camps on the borders with Jordan and Turkey.

Malaysia, whose population is about 32 million, including 19.5 million Muslims, has foiled nine IS-related bomb plots since 2013, security officials said. One IS-linked attack at a nightclub near Kuala Lumpur injured eight people in June 2016.
Members of the New Peoples Army, the Philippine communist guerrilla force, march through a camp on the southern island of Mindanao, November 2015.

Philippine communists on Friday matched a unilateral truce declared by President Rodrigo Duterte by ordering their guerrilla units to halt operations against government forces temporarily.

Jorge Madlos (also known as Ka Oris) the spokesman for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), announced the ceasefire for its armed wing, the New Peoples Army (NPA), after Duterte earlier this month blacklisted both groups as terrorist organizations and shut the door on peace talks aimed at ending Asias longest-running insurgency.

This unilateral declaration of ceasefire shall be in effect from 6 p.m. Dec. 23 to 6 p.m. Dec. 26; and 6 p.m. Dec 30 to 6 p.m. Jan. 2, 2018, Madlos said.

Madlos said the ceasefire was in observance of the Filipino peoples traditional holidays and the Communist Partys 49th anniversary on Dec. 26.

All units and peoples militias shall cease and desist from carrying out offensive military campaigns and operations, he said.

However, rebel fighters in the field would remain on active defensive mode, meaning they could shoot back if attacked.

Rebel fighters were instructed to be on a heightened state of alert, Madlos said.

He noted that during a ceasefire announced by the rebels last year, military forces occupied and moved troops to some 500 villages nationwide.

Despite the [governments] own unilateral ceasefire declaration, the CPP and NPA is only too aware of the AFPs treachery, attacks and deception, Madlos said, referring to the Philippine military.

As such, all leading organs and branches of the CPP, commands and units of the NPA and peoples militias and revolutionary mass organizations shall closely monitor any hostile actions, provocations and movements being carried out by the enemy armed forces, he said.

On Wednesday, the government declared a unilateral ceasefire with the NPA during the holidays and called on the rebel leadership to do the same.

In November, Duterte canceled all negotiations aimed at ending the CPPs Maoist rebellion, which began in 1969. The president did this after CPP rebels staged a series of attacks, including one that killed an infant girl.

Military estimates placed the NPA strength at more than 5,000 scattered in more than 60 guerrilla fronts nationwide.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte had chosen to suspend the offensives so the predominantly Catholic Philippines could feel safer during the holidays.

However, he said, troops would be authorized to apprehend NPA gunmen should the guerrillas mount attacks while the truce was in effect.

Yet Duterte was hopeful that the NPA would respect the ceasefire, Roque said Thursday.

If not, then it would prove what he has been saying all along that the NPA are treacherous, Roque said.

So the ball is in the court of the NPA.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato City contributed to this report.
For Immediate Release, December 22, 2017 Contact: Kimiko Martinez, Natural Resources Defense Council, (310) 434-2344, kmartinez@nrdc.org

Ryan Shannon, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 283-5474 x 407, rshannon@biologicaldiversity.org Legal Action Aims to Protect Imperiled Coastal California Gnatcatcher WASHINGTON Conservation groups took to the courts again today to protect the threatened coastal California gnatcatcher  a tiny, gray bird that lives in the rapidly declining sage brush habitat in Southern California. The Natural Resources Defense Council, National Audubon Society, Center for Biological Diversity, Endangered Habitats League and Laguna Greenbelt intervened to defend the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services August 2016 determination that the coastal California gnatcatcher warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act. Industry groups have challenged that determination in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The gnatcatcher is a frequent target of property rights groups like the Pacific Legal Foundation and the National Association for Homebuilders, which have been trying to discredit the scientific classification of the bird since NRDC and other groups petitioned to have it protected under the Endangered Species Act more than 20 years ago. The science is clear: the coastal California gnatcatcher is a distinct subspecies that deserves Endangered Species Act protections, said Sylvia Fallon, director of NRDCs Wildlife Conservation Project. This tiny bird occupies the last of the remaining coastal sage scrub habitat which is home not just to the gnatcatcher, but to many different species. Its essential that we protect this rare ecosystem. The governments review process worked perfectly in the case of the gnatcatcher, revealing the litigants deeply flawed, self-serving study for what it is, said Michael Lynes, public policy director for Audubon California. If these developers are successful in undermining the governments scientific review process, then they will have successfully undermined the Endangered Species Act itself. The Pacific Legal Foundations bogus claims about the coastal California gnatcatcher have been repeatedly rejected by experts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said Ryan Shannon, endangered species staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. The Foundation is again trying to use junk science to fuel its extreme anti-wildlife agenda. But this little bird is clearly unique and desperately needs continued protection. The gnatcatcher listing has been fully vetted by two scientific panels and remains a cornerstone for conservation programs in Southern California, said Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League. Our preserve systems already balance the environment with development, and the building industry should be working to make these a success instead of tearing them down through litigation. The coastal California gnatcatcher is an indicator species for the hundred-plus other species that constitute and depend on the coastal scrub ecosystem. The attack on the gnatcatcher listing is a thinly veiled attack on the value of the entire ecosystem and the habitat reserves that were created as mitigation for the widespread replacement of scrub communities with urban sprawl development, said Elisabeth Brown, president of Laguna Greenbelt.
For Immediate Release, December 22, 2017 Contact: Tanya Sanerib, (206) 379-7363, tsanerib@biologicaldiversity.org Court Affirms That Sport Killing Won't Help Zimbabwe's Elephants Sends Agency Ban Back for Process Failures WASHINGTON The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today rejected most of the challenges brought by the Safari Club International and National Rifle Association seeking to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services 2014 and 2015 bans on ivory from Zimbabwe. Importantly, the court affirmed the Fish and Wildlife Services finding that trophy hunting does not enhance populations of African elephants when the conservation status of elephants continues to deteriorate due to poaching and corruption, as is the case in Zimbabwe. The court determined that in this larger context, it was reasonable for the Fish and Wildlife Service to conclude that trophy hunting imports can be banned in Zimbabwe or elsewhere if the facts on the ground warrant it. This ruling is an important victory for elephants and rejects the backward notion that killing imperiled species for sport somehow helps save them, said Tanya Sanerib, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. In November 2017 the Trump administration lifted the Zimbabwe ivory import ban. In doing so it made the same procedural errors the D.C. Circuit found were made when the agency implemented the ban in 2014 and 2015. Both the Obama administrations ban and the Trump administrations lifting of the ban suffer from the same procedural deficiencies.



On Nov. 20 the Center and NRDC challenged the November 2017 decision lifting the Zimbabwe ivory ban and a similar decision for Zimbabwean lions. While President Trump called trophy hunting a horror show, the administration has yet to announce any changes to its 2017 Zimbabwean elephant or lion findings. Hopefully this court ruling will spur the Trump administration to finally revisit its decisions sanctioning the deaths of imperiled elephants and lions, said Sanerib. If these species are going to survive, the first step is to stop killing them.
For Immediate Release, December 22, 2017 Contact: Stephanie Feldstein, (734) 395-0770, sfeldstein@biologicaldiversity.org Rapid Population Growth in West, South Comes at High Cost to Wildlife Census Estimates U.S. Population Nearly 326 Million at Year's End WASHINGTON According to population estimates for 2017 released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week, there are nearly 326 million people living in the United States. This is an increase of 2.3 million people from the previous year. Much of the growth is concentrated in western and southern states, where communities and wildlife have felt increasing pressure from drought, severe weather events and unsustainable development. Utah, which has the highest birth rate in the country, is the third-fastest growing state, behind Idaho and Nevada. The news comes in the midst of the Trump administrations move to slash federally protected lands in the state, including Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah, intensifying threats to biodiversity and habitats created by rapid growth and development. Utahs wildlife and wild places are feeling the pressure of a rapidly growing population at the same time that politicians and corporations are gunning to open the states public lands to toxic mining, drilling and fracking, said Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Runaway growth and development will cost Utah its irreplaceable natural and cultural treasures and incredible biodiversity. Utah and other states can address population-related problems through improving access to family planning, contraception and reproductive healthcare and integrating comprehensive sex education into schools, in addition to enhancing smart growth policies that protect habitats, save room for species to move, and embrace renewable energy and energy efficiency. Although Utahs HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative is a strong program to prevent unintended pregnancy, state law requires abstinence-based sex education and Utahs senators, Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, have consistently voted for federal bills that would make it harder for women across the country to access contraception and reproductive health care. Weve seen so many attacks on family planning this year, while nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, said Feldstein. Combined with reckless overconsumption and development, Americas population is crowding out wildlife in our few remaining wild places. For the sake of people, wildlife and the planet, we need to start talking about our growing population and how reproductive freedom and sex education are critical to protecting our future. The Center's Population and Sustainability program advocates for rights-based, common-sense solutions, including universal access to contraception, reproductive healthcare and family planning services, education and equality for women and girls, and reducing our environmental footprint.
Mistrial and Protest at the Bundy Trial in Vegas

A Center contingent was in Las Vegas this week to protest and voice support for public lands on the streets outside the courtroom trial of Cliven Bundy, his two sons and another defendant. They were on trial for conspiracy and assault charges at the 2014 Bunkerville standoff in Nevada.



On Wednesday a judge declared a mistrial in the case, citing the government's failure to turn over documents to the defendants. The case could be revived in early 2018.



"The government's missteps in this case do nothing to change the fact that the Bundy clan has carried out a campaign of terror against our public lands," said the Center's Kieran Suckling. "This is a movement deeply rooted in white supremacy and violence. We've seen it with their guns, threats and the armed takeover of a wildlife refuge in Oregon. No matter what happens in the courts, Americans will rise up against this dangerous movement. There's too much at stake for anyone who loves public lands or wildlife or has any sense of justice."



Read more in The Oregonian.
LAGOS, Nigeria: A joint development project between Facebook, MainOne and Tizeti, will assist in improving the accessibility and infrastructure for expanding the internet services in one of Africa's most significant cities on the continent.

 Chornii Yevhenii via 123RF

MainOne and Tizeti completed the joint development project with Facebook to enable the expansion of internet services in Lagos. This partnership will leverage MainOnes fibre connectivity, Tizetis 20 brand-new solar-powered towers, and Facebooks Express Wi-Fi.

Ibrahima Ba, Facebook Connectivity Programmes, said, "We are committed to working with partners across Africa and elsewhere to support connectivity initiatives and develop better internet infrastructure in communities that lack reliable and affordable access."

As a result of this project, internet services will be more accessible across Lagos Mainland including Ajao Estate, Surulere, Ikeja, Omole, Magodo, Gbagada, Oworonshoki, Bariga, Anthony Village, Ogudu, Ojota, Ketu and Alapere.

Commenting on the partnership, chief executive officer, Tizeti, Kendall Ananyi, said, Access to fast and reliable unlimited Wi-Fi connectivity has been a problem for most Nigerian residential customers and small businesses for too long. This partnership aims to demonstrate a sustainable and cost-effective solution to the under-served areas of Lagos State through our solar-powered, always-on Wi-Fi towers, and robust internet bandwidth from MainOne.

Tizeti has built and will operate the solar-powered Wi-Fi Towers across Lagos, while MainOne will provide multiple Gbps internet bandwidth to the outdoor towers via a mix of fibre-optic and microwave backhaul connections. This internet service will be delivered to end users via Wi-Fi, including via Express Wi-Fi hotspots deployed by Tizeti in Lagos.

This partnership supports the three partners shared goal of connecting more people to high-quality internet services in the most cost-effective way.

MainOnes chief executive officer, Funke Opeke, lauded Tizeti and Facebooks commitment to improving the quality and lowering costs of internet services in Lagos. She added: This project leverages our internet capacity, investment in terrestrial fibre-optic infrastructure and points of presence for service delivery across Lagos State. Were committed to improving the quality of access and accelerating the digital transformation of small businesses.
The Labour Court has upheld a ruling that a father was correct in firing his son from his medical facility in Johannesburg...

The son, Daniel Shevel, was found to have tried to crush his father's business, The Headache Clinic, where he worked as an administrator.

"Things started falling apart around 2014. A family feud ensued between Daniel, on the one hand, and his father, his mother, his brother Michael (also employed by Dr Elliot Shevel) and his sisters on the other hand," court papers read.

"A number of incidents led to Daniel being suspended on October 27 2015.

"He says they arose because he was concerned about possible malpractice and about the safety of patients; Dr Shevel disputes the motivation.

"Be that as it may, on November 19 2015 he was called to a disciplinary hearing to face 'allegations of misconduct'."

The charges included gross insubordination after he threatened his father, tried to take over the business in a hostile manner and prevented his father from attending to patients. He had also tried to persuade some of the clinic staff to go on strike.

He further removed some of the clinic property without permission and hacked into staff e-mails.

His disciplinary hearing was chaired by an independent party, an advocate of the Johannesburg Bar.

The disciplinary chairman proceeded from the uncontroversial premise that an employee owes a duty of good faith to an employer.

"He accepted that, despite Daniel's protestations about his role as CEO, full control of The Headache Clinic could not be wrested away from Dr Elliot Shevel as sole director and shareholder.

"Dr Shevel is personally liability for the actions of the company, being a personal liability company," the court papers read.

Daniel, however, argued that he had acted in the best interests of the patients and the business. He claimed that he was entitled to take control of the company as he accused his father of medical malpractice, despite the fact that he is not a medical professional.

He further admitted to removing certain backup computer discs from the company server but defended himself by saying he had intended to give these to the Health Professions Council of SA, where he was to report his father.

Following the hearing, the disgruntled son was fired and tried to challenge his dismissal at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) but conciliation failed.

He referred the dispute to arbitration, where it was found that the dismissal was substantively and procedurally fair.

Daniel Shevel approached the Labour Court to have the CCMA award reviewed and set aside, but failed.

"The relationship between them has completely broken down. I see no reason to differ [from the CCMA ruling], " the judge found.
In 2017, the horrifying extent of State Capture finally became clearer to the South African public. And we would still be languishing in the dark were it not for the whistle-blowers: the handful of courageous South African men and women who did not remain silent in the face of wrongdoing, but stood up and spoke out.

From the anonymous figures who risked everything to expose the #GuptaLeaks emails, to the workers who blew the whistle on misdeeds in big corporates and State-owned Enterprises: South Africa owes you a great debt.

Mosilo Mothepu: "They messed with the wrong black woman."

South Africans may not know the name Mosilo Mothepu, but they should. Her revelations in the State Capture scandal triggered a wave of courage that saw many others step up over the past year. 5

For just over a year she was a faceless and nameless former Trillian executive, commonly referred to as the Nenegate whistle-blower. In October 2016 a written statement she had handed to former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela surfaced in the media when the Sunday Times published details of her revelations about the Gupta-linked Trillian Capital Partners under the headline The Dark Heart of State Capture.

Today she can stand tall, having finally presented her testimony at an official parliamentary hearing.

But for her, country duty has come at a heavy price. Mothepu has been unemployed for 18 months. By taking on the Gupta company, she soon found herself with mounting legal bills as Trillian responded with a financially crippling legal onslaught. As soon as she headed to the CCMA to sue for constructive dismissal, Trillian hit back demanding she repay a R500,000 sign-on bonus.

Trillian has vindictively pursued criminal charges against me. I am deemed a political risk by corporate SA and am unable to find a job, she told Daily Maverick.

She has an additional sword of 10 criminal cases hanging over her head. The company has threatened her with jail, having opened a case against her for a range of charges including cybercrimes and theft of intellectual property. Neither the NPA nor the Hawks have been able to provide clarity on the status of these cases.

Why then did she do it?

I was in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. I had gone to see Mount Zion. In that moment, spirituality took over and she was reminded of a news headline from back home. Pravin Gordhan was quoted as saying:

Im prepared to die to save South Africa from the thieves.

She cut short her trip and booked a flight back to Johannesburg because, she says: I couldnt let him stand alone.

The 12-page statement Mothepu drafted for the Public Protector now reads like a blueprint for the series of exposes that have since come to unravel the Gupta empire, exposed the rot at Eskom, and with that, dented the reputation of McKinsey.

Asked if it was worth it, Mothepu doesnt hesitate.

Integrity isnt about the right thing if it costs nothing. My decision to go public has cost me financially, emotionally. But its a small price, for as of now, South Africans know about Trillians involvement in State Capture, she says.

My loyalty is to South Africa and they messed with the wrong black woman.

"Its a lonely thing, being a whistle-blower"

Mothepus experience since blowing the whistle on Trillian is not isolated. The Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC) has been fighting a lengthy battle for greater legal protection for whistle-blowers.

Most often its not a happy ending, says Lorraine Martin, Whistle-blowing Programme Manager at ODAC. The road is very long sometimes, and often just due to fatigue, whistle-blowers cant continue. Its very expensive to fight, and its very hard to force employers to investigate wrongdoing. One of the biggest reasons why people dont blow the whistle is because they fear nothing will be done.

ODAC maintains a confidential helpline which South African whistle-blowers can use to ask for help. Martin says they receive around 180 such requests per year. They are mostly from employees who have already blown the whistle to no evident effect, or who are now facing some kind of occupational harassment as a result.

The legal framework protecting the rights of whistle-blowers is the Protected Disclosures Act. Trillian has argued in the case of Mosilo Mothepu that because she had left the company before she spilled the beans, she was not entitled to the protection of this legislation.

The act was amended in 2017:

There have been legislative developments this year which are supposed to offer better protections, but not many people know about the changes, ODACs Alison Tilley explains. Among the new provisions: independent contractors can blow the whistle as well as permanent employees; the litigation settlement cap has been increased; the identity of a whistle-blower has to be kept secret, and all companies larger than 50 workers have to have a whistle-blowing policy.

But despite this hypothetical armour, prospective whistle-blowers remain justifiably scared. Tilley believes that the ODAC helpline is used mostly by people who have nobody else to talk to.

Its a lonely thing, being a whistle-blower, Tilley says.

Bianca Goodson: Reclaiming power after a journey of self-inflicted paranoia

Bianca Goodson.

With every headline about State Capture, Bianca Goodson slipped deeper into a state of confusion and self-doubt. There she was, privy to much of Trillians dirty little secrets, yet utterly petrified to breathe a word.

For months the young techno economist and former Trillian Management Consulting chief executive officer simply watched the scandal play out. Having initially confided in her pastors at church, those closest to her had further encouraged her to keep quiet.

But the fear-induced silence was eating away at her.

I felt that I was being spineless not to speak up, she told Daily Maverick. I decided one day that I was allowing my experience to bully me.

In September 2016, several months after resigning from her job, she finally made a formal disclosure about her time at Trillian to the Public Protector.

That came with its own trauma as Goodson went virtually off-grid, limiting contact with others amid a hunt for information that could validate her claims that her former employer was deeply intertwined with the State Capture scandal.

I was hiding because I feared the potential consequences: aware of what Trillian was doing to Mosilo, I feared the same could happen to me.

She had worked alongside the Nenegate whistle-blower, Mosilo Mothepu, in the Trillian stable of companies.

I always knew that the information I had would corroborate suspicions about Trillians dealings with State-owned Enterprises.

But Goodson worried about legal consequences and a potential defamation suit, things she feared would have greatly impacted on her ability to support her young daughter.

The fear and self-inflicted paranoia intensified. Being an unemployed mother and becoming a whistle-blower in the State Capture saga is not something many people can relate to.

Its lonely and scary. There is no one you can speak to that completely understands the risks that you must try to mitigate.

But since her disclosures, Goodson says she has never had any threats and nor has she been given reason to believe she was at risk.

And, save for a few twists and turns, her life is back on track.

She landed a job at accounting software firm Sage, albeit for just a few months. Her time there coincided with the release of her detailed statement released via the Platform for the Protection of Whistle-blowers in Africa, PPLAAF.

Sage took much heat after accepting her offer to resign  she had merely indicated she would do so if they perceived her disclosures to pose a reputational risk to the company.

Recently, as she walked into Parliament to testify at the Eskom hearing, Goodson seemed a picture of confidence, emboldened that those in high office wanted to hear from whistle-blowers like her.

The most significant consequence of my disclosure is very personal. Significant relationships in my life have been destroyed and harmed through this process. I got divorced in April 2017 and my relationship with my family also took significant strain. The 18 months-plus of stress was too much, I guess.

But while its been rough, she finally has a job. There are no regrets today. If anything, Goodson says, she wishes she had opened up sooner.

Goodson counts among her blessings the experience she had with PPLAAF: Had it not been for PPLAAF I probably would not have disclosed my information and (am) not sure where I would find myself today.

Her advice to others contemplating the whistle-blowing journey is to overcome the fear, however paralysing it can seem.

Doing the right thing is never, ever easy. If you find yourself in a situation such as mine, its probably because you have the strength to deal with it.

South African whistle-blowers outside State Capture cases have it harder

Launched in March 2017, PPLAAF allows African whistle-blowers to make anonymous submissions, receive legal protection, and publish what they want to make public. It is a particularly vital service on a continent where only seven countries have laws protecting whistle-blowers  which are often inadequate in practice.

In South Africa we have a very strong culture of whistle-blowing right now, due to the State Capture case, says PPLAAF director Khadija Sharife.

But we also have whistle-blowers who are not involved in [cases relating to] State Capture who are having a hard time. The State Capture whistle-blowers are getting a certain amount of protection, but this is not extending more widely.

For whistle-blowers to receive the necessary protection, Sharife says they need an independent Public Protector, capable government investigative arms, and the ability to engage with other pieces of legislation to do with labour law and witness protection.

All these related laws need to be strong, too, Sharife says. Its a real litmus test of our democracy in South Africa: are we who we say we are?

When PPLAAF receives whistle-blowing information, it turns it over to its forensic research staff for a thorough vetting before deciding how best to channel the information. Potential options are to share it with Parliament, with civil society, or with media. For Sharife, the latter option is often the best.

Journalists serve as the historians of our time, says Sharife. They are the most effective way of covering a subject in context.

The Editors' experience: Protect whistle-blowers at all costs

When a group like PPLAAF or an individual whistle-blower approaches a media outlet with damning information, a weighty responsibility falls upon an editors head.

This was the situation faced by Daily Maverick editor Branko Brkic when dealing with the persons in possession of what we now know as the #GuptaLeaks emails  who can still not be named for their own protection.

Once they do the whistle-blowing, their life is in danger  whereas your life as a journalist will be relatively okay, Brkic says. You have to put yourself in their shoes and realise how much they risk, particularly when they are motivated only by a desire to right the wrongs.

Brkic says that protecting the identity of the #GuptaLeaks whistle-blowers was his first priority. The journalists on the award-winning team which worked on the email trove still do not know their provenance.

You have to limit your communication [with the whistle-blowers]. You have to make sure you are using a secure communication channel. And most important, you have to make sure that they are physically safe, Brkic says.

Suzanne Daniels: Not your average whistle-blower

Suzanne Daniels.

Suzanne Daniels has that dont mess with me kind of thing about her. So says a member of the public after watching her on TV giving evidence in the parliamentary hearing into Eskom.

Those who have met Daniels would probably agree. Beneath that pleasant demeanour there is a steely resolve: a sense of knowing whats at play and whats at stake. The now-suspended Eskom company secretary is a lawyer with years of experience, and she has fight-back written all over her.

Attempted burglary, tick. Smash-and-grab incident, tick. Suspicious cars following her, tick. These are only some of the bizarre incidents Daniels endured shortly before she headed to Parliament to testify. And while she has no proof that these are linked to her decision to reveal what she knows, she has her suspicions.

It took Daniels longer to speak up because, she admits, it had taken her longer to connect the dots. And the safety of her daughter  who was the victim of the smash-and-grab incident  was paramount for her.

Before she fell out of favour, Daniels had a front-row seat in the Eskom boardroom. While on the inside, she did what needed to be done, believing she was acting in the interests of the parastatal.

Some of her disgraced executive colleagues must rue the day she flipped  for she would come to deliver some devastating blows, revealing the Gupta hand in Eskom matters including staff suspensions and the management of former CEO Brian Molefes pension debacle.

Daniels admits that initially she was unconvinced that a few individuals could wield such power.

Then there was one particular meeting I attended at Eskom in late 2016, which I have identified as the trigger to my shift in the manner in which I viewed things, Daniels says.

My sense then was that there was an alternate force at play and that what I had witnessed was a well orchestrated pantomime to lend legitimacy to the ultimate course.

She says that while the firing of former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene initially sparked questions for her, what catalysed her concerns was the release of the State of Capture report by former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.

The observations were too many to just write off as speculation, Daniels says, with those implicated not providing plausible explanations.

And  says the woman who told Parliament about the strange tea party at a Melrose Arch apartment where Ajay Gupta, Duduzane Zuma, and deputy minister Ben Martins allegedly sat waiting for her one day  she never meant to mess with the Gupta empire.

My sole aim was to ensure that my self-respect as a proud South African is restored, and that one way of restoring that was to ensure that the people responsible for large-scale thievery and exploitation are held to account.
Undeniably, digital transformation continues to dramatically change the way we live and do business - almost daily it seems. Globally, the retail industry is one of the top industries in which we are seeing massive strides and changes when it comes to the adoption of technology, the evolving customer journey, and innovation in terms of products and services.

Elnur Amikishiyev via 123RF

Africas retail landscape is no exception. On the face of it, markets in Africa are outperforming some first world countries in their pace of transformation to meet the needs of the rising digitally-savvy customer population  a consumer base which is now generally better informed, and demanding a more personalised, convenient, on-demand service.

The retail journey is no longer about merely walking into a store and grabbing something off the shelf; the consumer now embarks on a journey together with a retailer or supplier that has several equally-important touch points that include building awareness and interest, then engagement, and a decision to purchase.

CX at the heart

The customer experience is at the heart of success when it comes to digital transformation in the retail sector. Modern consumers now have the opportunity to interact with brands and companies directly via social media; they can send messages via Facebook, participate in online contests and share their interests and reviews of products online, and customers take full advantage of this.

The business model of the retailer has changed and adapted to these trends. According to the PWCs (2017) Total Retail Survey, about 39% of retailers said that social networks provide their customers with the inspiration towards their ultimate decision to purchases.

Innovative retailers have a fantastic opportunity to engage with in-store customers, providing them with memorable digital experiences that will see them spread the word and return with friends and family.

In South Africa, for example, TFG stores are looking to add touchscreen technology and interactive kiosks to enable customers to check the status of their accounts or browse the latest clothing ranges. These will serve as virtual interactive sales associates or as self-service account information kiosks, forming part of the groups decision to use technology to grow turnover and increase customer satisfaction. This is an example of immersive in-store digital experiences, designed to tell a brands story, boost sales and retain customer loyalty.

E-commerce opportunity

Apart from evolving consumer needs, Africas retail landscape is witnessing a significant growth in the number of e-commerce sales being made, which have the potential to outplace total retail sales in the forthcoming years. PayPal and Ipsos third annual cross-border commerce report, released in February 2017, found that 58% of adult internet users in South Africa shopped online over the past 12 months, amounting to an estimated total spend of R37.1bn.

The increase in online spending is also forecast to continue, with over half of online adults interviewed (53%) saying they will increase their online spending in the next 12 months, citing convenience of shopping online (cited by 84% of those predicting an increase), planning to save more money (38%) and change in disposable income (36%) as reasons for the expected increase.

According to PayPal (2016), following South Africa, three other markets in Africa are also seeing significant e-commerce adoption, namely Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya.

It is no secret that more and more shoppers around the world are choosing their mobile device over their PCs or tablets, when making online purchases. African companies are thus looking to implement mobile-first strategies.

According to Mastercards Online Shopping Behaviour Study, the mobile shopping trend is quickly gaining traction in Africa, with 56% of respondents in Kenya and Nigeria having shopped or intended to shop online via their mobile phones, followed by 55% of Egyptian consumers and 25% of Moroccans. The study found that travel, clothing, accessories and electronics are the products most often purchased by customers online.

Smart stores

It seems obvious that if the physical store is going to remain relevant to consumers in the future, it must be more than just a place where people go to buy goods. The digital-age customer expects more from stores than boxes on shelves, no matter how nicely they are displayed. The physical store needs to be an extension of the complete brand experience and allow the customer to interact with products in a real-life context.

For example, Orange has opened up its Smart Stores in prime locations such as Paris and Cameroon, which are designed to look like houses, not shops, and bring the products to life. Here, customers can test out home automation and IoT devices, such as the Orange Home TV, in the lounge area; or test some communication technology in the home office.

Africa is poised to become the next big e-commerce marketplace and the significant profitability potential of the continents emerging consumers is undeniable. In order to take advantage of this, enterprises will need to be constantly expanding their product and service offering, and developing strategies that meet the demands of the digital customer.
Martell Cognac has launched a new blend in South Africa, the Martell Cognac VS Single Distillery, which is the first VS cognac distilled from a single source to be produced by the House of Martell.

According to the company, the new expression "reflects the unique distillation style that is the brands hallmark, with a richer and more intense expression". It marries eaux-de-vie from a single distillery, which results in a smooth blend with elegant, fruity aromas, highlighting notes of the plum, apricot and candied lemon.

House of Martell remains one of the few cognac houses to distil exclusively clear wines - a method that gives the final cognac its distinctive style. It has developed its own method of distillation using traditional Charentais copper stills. Supervised by cellar master Christophe Valtaud, the distillation team uses techniques and expertise that have been passed down from the time of Jean Martell, who founded The House of Martell in 1715 as a 21-year-old French merchant.

Martell Cognac VS Single Distillery was launched in the US last month and South Africa is the second market in the world to receive it.

We are very excited to be launching Martell VS Single Distillery into the South African market as we feel it will be a game changer in the consumption and appreciation of cognac in this country, says Sibusiso Shangase, head of prestige brands at Pernod Ricard. Not many cognacs can look to fuse a celebration of historic French luxury cues in a contemporary African setting, and we believe this product will shape the future of how cognacs are appreciated in a rapidly developing African landscape.

Martell Cognac VS Single Distillery will be available from leading retailers countrywide.
The government has repeatedly failed to engage the private sector in alleviating rising poverty and the declining economy, despite the protestations of policy-makers and bureaucrats. This is very much the case when it comes to electricity generation and distribution. Currently, electricity is monopolised by the state-owned enterprise Eskom, which came under fire for the series of major blackouts in 2008 and since revealed mismanagement.

Eskom is an excellent case study of why the public sector is not an ideal supplier, having failed to produce an adequate amount of electricity to fuel the economy and satisfy consumer demand.

In 1998, South Africa had the opportunity to avoid the contemporary mess by privatising the electricity industry. But it did not.

Just expected to keep the lights on

Originally founded to regulate power companies into providing cheap power to mines, what was then called Escom evolved into a state company with the exclusive right to provide electricity for the entire country. As this new entity, it was forbidden from generating a profit. Without any incentive provided by private competition and the chance of personal enrichment to do well. Instead, it was expected to just keep the lights on at the cheapest possible price.

The problem, of course, was that with market signals disrupted, Eskom could not know what an appropriate price should be. This became so ludicrous that from the 1980s into the 1990s, its effort to keep electricity prices low led to it charging less than its production costs.

Freed from its government-imposed price controls in the 1980s, Eskom continued to lower prices, and, to compensate for the lack of revenue, sold off assets and generating capacity, and laid off staff.

Pricing

Understanding Eskoms prices is crucial to understanding why it failed and why privatisation of the industry failed. By pricing its product far below the natural cost, Eskom was over-stimulating demand which it eventually could not fulfil.

In 1998, in line with a brief foray into pro-market policies, a White Paper on Energy Policy was produced, which, among other things, called for increased competition in the energy market, increased transparency and the removal of market distortions so to allow for realistic pricing.

These policies could have saved the industry. But they were not implemented effectively.

In anticipation of possible privatisation and an end to the electricity monopoly, the government forbade Eskom from constructing new power stations. But it was already involved in expanding electrification across South Africa, raising demand higher and higher. Construction was eventually renewed in 2004 when it was much too late.

Why, then, did the private sector not enter the market to provide the extra generating capacity?

Government advertised for private competitors to enter the market, but none were forthcoming. This was not because of the failure of the market, but because Eskoms unnaturally low prices prevented any rational, profit-seeking enterprise from trying to compete with it. The government tried to find good alternatives without removing the cheater in its midst.

State companies can easily undercut private companies. They have increased access to capital through taxation and have skewed incentives. Private enterprises need to deliver a high-quality product or service to be sustainable and to profit and keep profiting. The public sector has no such framework to define its behaviour.

Cheap prices are not necessarily a characteristic of a free market. Realistic prices are. Markets do not have the distortions of free money and odd agendas to skew their behaviour. While Eskom may have been cheap, it did not, and could not, last. Bad pricing led to a failure to move to a more sustainable model of electricity production with privatisation, and has resulted in a situation where, if our economy starts growing again, we will have insufficient power generation.

Pro-market economic policies came under fire from trade unions and socialist politicians in the late 1990s. These policies were not implemented, or were implemented so half-heartedly as to ensure their failure. Eventually, pro-market measures like the 1998 White Paper were replaced by contemporary notions of state-led development, giving us less than one percent of economic growth.

The private sector is often the whipping boy of many South African policy-makers and public intellectuals. It is true that the economy has been underperforming, but what is also clear is that this is not the private sectors fault. The government is no friend of business or economic prosperity.

South Africa had the chance to move toward a private sector-led and sustainable electricity sector. Due to ideological restraints, undercutting and bad implementation, it failed. Now, we are living with the consequences.
Funded by the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) has been shortlisted as a finalist for The Circulars , a global circular economy award initiative held by the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders.

The awards are open to individuals and organisations from commerce and civil society in seven categories and are designed to recognise and celebrate all facets of the circular economy movement. WISP has been selected as a 2018 finalist in the Public Sector category.

WISP is a free service that connects companies so that the underutilised or discarded resources of one company can be used by another. To date, WISP has diverted 27,200 tonnes of waste from landfill, generated R41.6m in economic benefits for its members and created 140 jobs in the local economy.

Now in its fourth year, The Circulars event will be held at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on 22 January. WISP was selected as a finalist alongside top multinational organisations including H&M, HP Inc., IKEA, Enel, Google and Apple.

WISP is delivered by GreenCape, a not-for-profit development agency working to grow the green economy in South Africa.
Advocate Xolisile Khanyile is the new director of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), and is replacing Murray Michell, who headed the organisation since its establishment more than 12 years ago.

The FIC is vital in combating money-laundering and financing terrorism. It assumed prominence when its work cast a spotlight on financial transactions conducted by the Gupta family. A record of suspicious transactions reported to the FIC are believed to have prompted the closure of bank accounts belonging to the Gupta company, Oakbay, by the country's four major banks.

Khanyile will assume office on 1 January 2018, according to Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who announced the appointment on Thursday.

Previous positions held by Khanyile include director of public prosecutions in the Free State; acting director of public prosecutions in Gauteng; senior deputy director of public prosecutions in the national prosecutions service; and deputy director of public prosecutions in the asset forfeiture unit.

She holds a B Juris Degree from the University of Zululand, an LLB from the University of Zululand, and has completed a management development programme at the University of the Free State Business School.

"The FIC plays a key role in ensuring the financial system has integrity. We also believe that Advocate Khanyile will work with other industry stakeholders to ensure transparency is improved in SA's financial system to support higher economic growth. We wish her well in her new role," Gigaba said.

The FIC collects information and analyses suspicious transactions reported by financial or non-financial institutions, such as gambling bodies, estate agents and lawyers. It works with other regulators and provides information to law enforcers to combat money-laundering and terrorist-financing.

Source: BDpro
A Cape Town action group has slammed the City of Cape Town's proposed water tariff.

"Cape Town residents are standing together to oppose the drought charge the City of Cape Town is planning to impose from 1 February 2018," said STOP COCT Action Group in a statement.

The drought charge is based on the value of residents' properties and moves away from a consumption-based charge for water.

"In 2017 the City of Cape Town already approved a similar daily surcharge on electricity which will add around R250 to an electricity bill before a light was switched on. The city is generally moving away from a consumption-based tariff system for both electricity and water," the organisation said.

"The additional water/electricity charges will add a whopping R500 to a property owner's municipal account in the form of a tax."

The City of Cape Town's decision to hold the public participation process over the festive season when people are away deprives residents the opportunity to comment on it, STOP COCT said.

"The public participation process runs from 5 December 2017 to 12 January 2018. We at STOP COCT are of the opinion that it is underhanded tactics on behalf of the city and we encourage all residents to get involved now before the closing date of 12 January 2018."

The new charge will be aimed at residents whose houses are valued at more than R400,000. Businesses with properties valued at more than R50,000 will also have to pay the levy. Homeowners whose houses are valued at R600,000 will pay R35 a month.

Source: The Times
FRANKFURT - German carrier Lufthansa hopes to win EU approval to snap up a slice of bankrupt Air Berlin's operations, after competition concerns forced it to scale back its bid for the homegrown rival.

Lufthansa chief, Carsten Spohr. Photo: Aero International

Responding to signals that the European Commission was likely to veto its ambitious plans, the German behemoth last week ditched its bid to buy Air Berlin's Austrian unit Niki, focusing instead on the acquisition of the failed airline's smaller LGW subsidiary.

The more modest offer now on the table would see Lufthansa acquire the operations of LGW, a regional carrier employing some 500 people.

That includes taking over the roughly 30 planes flown by LGW but leased from other companies, a source familiar with the bid has told AFP.

Lufthansa already holds some of LGW's coveted landing and takeoff slots and has agreed to give up others in order to secure the go-ahead from competition regulators.

"There's a very strong, more than ninety percent chance that the Commission will give its green light on December 21," a source close to the matter in Brussels told AFP.

The European Commission declined to comment, but earlier this month it already approved the purchase of Air Berlin's operations at the German capital's Tegel Airport by British low-cost carrier easyJet.

Under the deal, easyJet will spend some 40 million euros ($47 million) to enter into leases for up to 25 aircraft and take over slots in Berlin.

Turbulence

The latest bout of turbulence in Europe's skies began in August when Air Berlin suddenly lost a cash lifeline from main shareholder Etihad Airways after years of losses, triggering bankruptcy proceedings.

But in the ensuing jostle to carve up Germany's second-biggest airline, it was Lufthansa's attempt to gobble up the lion's share of the assets that most worried competition authorities.

Lufthansa -- which already owns low-cost Eurowings as well as Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines -- initially set its sights on scooping up 81 aircraft from Air Berlin's 140-strong fleet, including all of Niki's planes plus its valuable slots.

But fearful of the dominant position that could give Lufthansa on some routes, the Commission said it had "deep competition concerns" about the Frankfurt-based carrier's plans and the effect on ticket prices.

Lufthansa then announced that it was dropping its plan to buy Niki.

The shock move meant Niki lost the bridge financing that had kept it flying in anticipation of the Lufthansa acquisition, forcing it to file for insolvency.

Flights were grounded the next day, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

The European Commission said Lufthansa's move was "regrettable", but that its takeover bid posed "clear risks to Austrian, German and Swiss consumers and to effective competition".

The Austrian carrier, whose roughly 20 planes serve resorts in southern Europe and north Africa, has since been scrambling to find a new investor.

Niki's founder Niki Lauda, the Austrian former Formula One champion, has expressed interest, as have British travel firm Thomas Cook and Swiss company Privatair.

Scrapping Niki from the deal means Lufthansa will now spend far less than the 210 million euros it had originally earmarked -- cash Air Berlin had been counting on to help pay back a 150-million-euro bridging loan from the German government that kept its planes flying until October.

Germany's flagship carrier meanwhile looks set to easily shrug off the Niki setback as it remains focussed on expanding budget carrier Eurowings even without incorporating the Austrian airline.

As it steps up the battle against low-cost rivals Ryanair and easyJet, an expected hiring spree could see several thousand of Air Berlin's 8,000 employees land jobs at Eurowings, although probably on less attractive terms.

And if no buyer is found for Niki, Lufthansa will be back in the running for its airport slots.

With its pockets bulging, Lufthansa is also eyeing a chunk of struggling Alitalia's fleet, in the latest sign of consolidation in the industry.

The German group's strategy of offering both low prices and high-end services has impressed investors, sending its share price past the 30-euro mark, more than double the level at the start of the year.

Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr was this month named "strategist of the year" by financial daily Handelsblatt, which described him as "tough but fair".
It's hard to imagine the world today with no internet - without it, internet service providers (ISPs) would certainly not exist. Yet, there are still many who don't really understand how it works. Or, more importantly, what the internet really is.

So, what is the internet? If youre thinking world wide web, think again. The great WWW is only a subnet - albeit enormous - of the internet. However, lets not get ahead of ourselves, well come back to that later.

The internet is known as the worlds largest network of networks, but, its more than that. The internet is both tangible and intangible. It exists because of working protocol, called TCP/IP enables every electronic device on the planet which is connected to a network to speak and exchange any form of data, in milliseconds. It is named the

internet because it is a system of interconnected networks. Inter, meaning between, and net, from network, make up the word internet.

Thats the simple answer, but lets take a closer look.

The internet is a design philosophy

Humanity continuously strives to improve communication. From smoke signals to Morse code, from telegrams to the telephone, through to the existence of the internet today. The world is now more connected than ever before. That is really the crux of it, the utility of the internet is that it facilitates an unprecedented method of communication.

The concept of the internet is much like the traditional telephone system, where you simply punch in a number and speak to a person anywhere in the world. Only, instead of being limited to communicating with voice, you can send or receive any data to and from any device provided that it is connected to the internet.

The architecture of the internet is such that every independent network in the world is connected and data can travel through these networks without congestion or reliance on a single route for transmission.

Although many technological advances throughout history contributed to and culminated in the nets development, the protocols which enable its capabilities are cited as the invention of the internet.

What is the internet made of?

At grassroots, the internet is made up of  and hinges on  two things: hardware and protocols.

Hardware refers to computers, routers and cables, wires, and radios, among other things. In fact, any physical component in a communications network. Our next post explores hardware and the infrastructure that makes up the internet in more detail. Protocols are the rules computers use to break down and route data from one computer to another.

Like the telephone system, you dont have cables running from your phone to every other phone in the world but, instead, you have a single connection to an operator who then connects to the next operator who connects you to the final destination.

In the case of internet connectivity, your operator is your ISP. Your ISP provides your physical connection to their network (known as the last mile connection) and access to the internet. It is also the ISPs job to manage internet traffic  ensuring an enjoyable internet experience.

An overview of how the internet works

In short, cables, wires and microwave ethernet criss-cross the globe and connect all the of worlds networks transmitting data using sophisticated protocols that allow every device to know how to route and process the information.

That might sound wildly technical, but dont be alarmed. Well take you through what each component of the internet is and how they work together. By the end of this series, were confident that you will understand  and marvel at  the wonder that is the worlds leading communication medium.

This article forms part of a series on how the internet works, touching on infrastructure; protocols; access to cloud and much more.
Cooper Tire 4x4 ambassador, Xavi Foj, who was honoured with Dakar legend status earlier this year, is preparing to enter his 28th consecutive Dakar Rally.

Xavi Foj

The Spaniard became one of only six competitors ever to be awarded the title and joined Nani Roma, Stephane Peterhansel, Cyril Despres, Franco Picco and Yoshimasa Sugawara in receiving Dakar legend distinction.

During his Dakar career, Foj has secured two class victories, nine podium finishes and has an impressive run of 13 consecutive finishes to his name. Completing all of the special stages on a single Dakar event is an accomplishment many drivers and riders aspire to.

The Dakar is famously known as the toughest endurance event in global motorsport. In its 40th anniversary year, the 10th edition of the Dakar to be held in South America will start in Peru, crossing through Bolivia and finishing in Argentina after 14 stages and a total of over 8,000km.

The 2018 edition of the Dakar will be the 10th in which Foj has competed on Cooper tyres. His Toyota Land Cruiser 150 will be shod with the all-new Cooper Discoverer S/TMAXX POR  a tyre Foj assisted in developing for extreme off-road adventures.

He revels in the challenge of the Dakar, and especially in the T2 category, which is a cross-country class for production vehicles.

Details of the 2018 Dakar Rally can be found on the website.
CNN Africa Voices recently met, Asnath Mahapa, the first African woman to become a pilot in South Africa.

Asnath Mahapa

Mahapa explains how her love for aeroplanes began at a young age: At the age of 13 years, I just became fascinated by the idea of flying. It dawned on me that those big things that we see in the skies, someone is actually in charge of them. I thought, if someone can fly those things, that means I can too.

However, her father wasnt as enthusiastic about the idea of her becoming a pilot. She followed her fathers wishes and enrolled at the University of Cape Town to study electrical engineering, only to drop out a year later to begin flight school. Mahapa was met with more challenges when she started her training: I was the only woman in my class the whole time. So I had to work very hard. I had to probably work ten times harder than the men that I was with in the classroom.

Taking to the skies

In 1998 she took to the skies for her first flight, not realising the significance of her achievements: I didnt know I was the first black woman [to be a pilot in South Africa] until 2003. I was still the only one then and I did not know. Before I knew it, I was on TV, the front page of newspapers, and that came as a shock because I was 22 at the time, I was still very young.

Mahapa is determined to use the media attention responsibly and drive change: For me, its about trying to help women who aspire to become pilots. I still see a lot of black women going through the same things that I went through at that time. They still struggle to get jobs after they qualify. Most struggle with finances because its a very expensive industry.

African College of Aviation

It was this commitment to helping young girls pursue their dreams, that led Mahapa to open the African College of Aviation in 2012. She explains how she hopes the college will benefit future generations: At the end of the day, I want them to be pilots with confidence and knowing right from wrong  because being a professional pilot means being disciplined.

Mahapa told Africa Voices what motivates her to run the college: I dont think there will ever be enough women in the industry. But if I could change the world, I would tell the boys that they must accept that girls can become anything they want and girls must believe in themselves that they can become anything they want... If, one day, I can say, I have actually touched so many lives and made a difference, I think thats when Ill have peace of mind.
This year has been a whirlwind of racist scandal after sexist scandal after "How have they been running a business? Holy sh!t" scandal.

So if you think you made poor choices in 2017, grab yourself a bottle of red, slap on a face mask, and lets indulge in the unhealthiest form of self care there is: relishing in the relief of not having made that mistake.

This is Memeburns list of the perpetrators of the dumbest public mistakes of 2017. This is part three, involving heinous individuals who intentionally physically hurt other human beings  and this year finally received their reckoning.

#ICYMI: See parts 1 and 2 below...

DaddyofFive

YouTube channel DaddyOFive, headed by dad Mike Martin, consisted of videos in which the parents pranked their five children  often pushing them to the point of mental breakdown. The account accrued 765,800 subscribers.

The pranking family had long been called out as abusive, but things came to a head in April when YouTuber Philip DeFranco made a video presenting evidence of the alleged abuse.

Such evidence included a video in which Martin and his wife spilled invisible ink on the floor and screamed at their son for doing it. The son freaks out, crying until hes red in the face  and only once hes calmed down do they tell him its fake. Another video showed Martin encouraging one of his sons to slap his daughter.

The channels videos were quickly deleted.

In May, the parents lost custody of two children to their biological mother. Mike Martin now runs a YouTube channel called FamilyOFive, where they focus on gaming rather than pranks. He has 108,000 subscribers.

The Mugabes

The Mugabes have had a year.

Well start with Grace: the then-Zimbabwean first lady was accused of assault earlier this year when she was down in SA for a medical trip. Young model Gabriella Engels told News24 she was with Mugabes two sons Robert and Chatunga in a hotel room when a bodyguard asked her to step into a separate room. Engels says Mugabe then beat her with an extension cord.

Grace was due to appear in court in August, but failed to pitch. She was subsequently granted diplomatic immunity.

Her moment of reprieve didnt last long, though, because in November, the military began what is still debated as perhaps a coup detat, perhaps not. They took control of the national broadcaster and placed then-president Robert Mugabe under house arrest until he finally resigned a week later. Hed been in power for 37 years.

The lesson? If you wanted a dignified exit that doesnt involve being forced from your post at 93, maybe try not gripping to power for decades at the detriment of your people?

Harvey Weinstein and his fellow predators

 David Shankbone via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Harvey Weinstein has been messing up since the day he was born it seems, but 2017 was the year that his disgusting behaviour finally caught up with him.

On 5 October, The New York Times broke the story of the powerful Hollywood producers decades-long cover-up of sexual assault and harassment. The piece opened the floodgates, the likes of which Hollywood hasnt seen in quite some time (if ever).

Woman after woman came forward to speak about their own experiences, either through op-eds or the #MeToo hashtag.

Powerful men lost their jobs, vulnerable women (and men) gained the courage to speak up. Optimism grew as women allowed themselves the hope that maybe this time things will get easier.

And all it took was one predators downfall.

Kevin Spacey

Image  Paul Hudson via Flickr (CC BY 2.0, edited)

Kevin Spacey is among the many men revealed to be a sexual predator this year  but his response is what places him squarely on this list.

When Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused the Oscar-winning actor of coming on to him when he was just 14 (and Spacey 26), Spacey denied memory of the event. But instead of simply apologising  the bare minimum he could do  Spacey came out as gay in a PR spin so gross it made Dr Pimple Popper look like rainbows and sunshine.

Did Spacey think everyone would forget the pedophilia if we got confirmation hes gay? Not likely.

Spacey has since been fired from House of Cards, recast in All the Money in the World, and has been laying low as more and more assault allegations are thrown his way.

Notable f-ups

I couldnt list everyone who had messed up, so here are a few (dis)honourable mentions:

View parts 1 and 2 below:
Questions are being asked about how the confidentiality provisions of the Tax Administration Act are aligned with legislation providing for whistle-blowers and freedom of expression.

Photo: The Book List

The questions arise in relation to the legal action launched by South African Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Tom Moyane against author Jacques Pauw on the grounds that he unlawfully divulged information about the tax affairs of individuals including President Jacob Zuma.

A tax law academic - who did not want to be named - was emphatic that the act not only prohibited the disclosure of information about taxpayers by the tax authority, but also prohibited individuals from doing so when they came into possession of information about the tax affairs of others.

The secrecy provisions of the act were stringent and applied to Sars officials and all other individuals, he said.

If Sars wanted to report a crime to another authority, it would have to go through prescribed processes.

However, what makes the current situation tricky is that the whistle has been blown about lack of action by Sars over the tax obligations of the president.

Cannot answer questions

It might be that this information would have to be channelled through the tax ombud.

However, the office of the ombud says it cannot answer questions on the matter as it is before the court.

South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the law should not be used to hide a crime. If Pauw had contravened a clause of the act by revealing that crimes had been committed, then, said Vavi, the act must be urgently amended to bring it in line with the Constitution, which provided for freedom of expression.

"We are sure that this legal action is not just an attack on Pauw, but an attempt to intimidate the media and whistleblowers and is an assault on the constitutional right to freedom of speech," he said.

Clear and compelling public interest

"This action is a clear attempt to punish Pauw for publishing damning evidence including that president Zuma was paid a R1m a month salary by one of his cronies for at least four months after he became president in 2009," he said.

By bringing the legal action, Moyane had conceded that what Pauw had written in his book The President's Keeper was true, Vavi said. This meant that Zuma had broken the law.

Saftu agreed with the author's publishers that there was clear and compelling public interest in his book that revealed that Zuma had perverted SA's law enforcement agencies to hide the fact that he was not tax compliant and that he had received a salary from a business of his backer Roy Moodley while in office, Vavi said.

DA deputy finance spokesman Alf Lees said that in taking court action against Pauw, Moyane was trying to execute the messenger, instead of dealing with the substance of the disclosures in Pauw's book.

Intended to intimidate

"The Sars court application, under the hand of Tom Moyane, is clearly intended to intimidate any other South Africans from exposing matters of public interest," Lees said.

"There is nothing confidential about the massive R145.2m estimate of taxable fringe benefit that accrued to President Zuma when the state rebuilt his Nkandla residence," he said.

"Unless SARS deals with this revelation as well as the many other revelations publicly and transparently, the reputation of senior Sars executives and consequently SARS itself will not be restored.

"This reputational damage will continue to have a negative impact on taxpayer morality and the consequent resistance of taxpayers to pay taxes due," Lees said.

Business Day
Entrepreneurs across Africa are rolling out apps catering to every aspect of life, and no self-respecting tech startup doesn't have a responsive website - right? Well, according to new research by the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator, Africa's entrepreneurs are vastly limiting their reach by failing to focus on basic technologies such as USSD.

CC image courtesy of Erik Hersman via flickr

In this Q&A, Maxime Bayen, senior insights manager at the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator, takes us through the findings of the new research.

To what extent should entrepreneurs currently ideating new solutions focus on USSD?

According to GSMA Intelligence, smartphone adoption  that is, smartphone connections expressed as a percentage share of total SIM connections, not population  in Africa is at 35%. In some of Africas most populated countries like Ethiopia or DRC, this figure is actually still below the 25% mark.

This ratio is expressed as a percentage of connections, meaning that those figures expressed as percentage of total adult population would be even lower. What this means for tech entrepreneurs in Africa today is that if they develop, for instance, a B2C service only running online through a native mobile app (Android and iOS) or a mobile responsive website, their maximum addressable market will be below 30% of the total population. In addition, this number still assumes that everyone with a smartphone also has a data bundle, which is not the case at all.

As a consequence, startups should definitely be looking at other platforms to reach their audience, more universal platforms like SMS, voice and of course USSD. In this context, the advantage of USSD compared to the other two is that it gives startups more flexibility in terms of usage, as in nature it is similar to an extremely light version of a website, with menus, navigation etc. A good example of this would be Biscate from Mozambique, one of our Innovation Fund portfolio startups. Biscate is a platform that connects skilled workers from the informal sector with customers. On the workers side, the service runs entirely on USSD and is synchronised in real-time with the web-based platform.

Is USSD not outdated? How can such an old technology be at the forefront of innovation?

Technically, the USSD technology itself is clearly not at the forefront of innovation. What brings it back to the innovation stage these days is that tech entrepreneurs increasingly realise that USSD  despite being basic  is one of the few really inclusive mobile technologies out there in most emerging markets. In a recent IPSOS survey on The perils of perception, one analysis looked at smartphone penetration.

When asked about their estimation of smartphone penetration in their respective countries, respondents  who answered online, hence most likely smartphone owners themselves  from emerging markets (Indonesia, Philippines, India, South Africa, among others) all believed the figure was around 80% on average, while the actual figure for these countries is closer to the 30% mark as mentioned previously. Due to this incorrect perception, tech entrepreneurs in emerging markets could be tempted to simply launch their services online and miss out a significant part of their target market.

The good news is that startups are starting to understand this issue. Based on data gathered from more than 550 startups that applied in July of 2017 to the second round of our GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund, one in five startups across Africa and Asia-Pacific are leveraging USSD technology to meet their customers needs.

Should startups be focusing specifically on USSD as a channel, or should they rather opt for a multi-channel model?

As highlighted in our report, the answer is clearly to opt for a multi-channel model. To come back to the example of Biscate in Mozambique, they understood that necessity very early on and launched a mobile-responsive website, a native mobile app (both on Android and iOS) and a USSD service, ensuring by this multi-channel approach that they would reach the widest target population.

The question for African tech startups today  especially those operating a B2C model  is not whether to launch through a mobile responsive website or through a native mobile app, but how to best reach all potential users: the ones equipped with smartphones and the ones who are using feature phones. If they need to have a strategy to reach both types of customers, this could be USSD + mobile app but it could also be mobile responsive website + SMS depending on your service.

What are the benefits for mobile operators in startups making use of USSD?

There is indeed an opportunity for both startups and mobile operators to collaborate on this point. Across Asia and Africa, several mobile operators have been opening their USSD APIs to allow local startups to leverage on this channel. In our report (but also in a previous one: APIs: A bridge between mobile operators and start-ups in emerging markets) we highlighted, among others, the interesting work done by Orange in Africa and Dialog Axiata in Sri Lanka. We are constantly calling for mobile operators to pursue their efforts in this area and at a programme level, we are looking forward to seeing more mobile operators across emerging markets opening their USSD APIs as part of their open API portfolios.

Looking to the future, in what areas could USSD unlock hitherto untapped value?

In the report, we feature a number of startups across Asia and Africa that are using USSD technology to run their services. A good illustration of the diversity of these services is the number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) they actually tackle: no less than 10. This ranges from agri-tech to startups in utilities, and from health-tech to transport tech. Basically, any startup that targets the mass market, should be looking at the USSD technology to power their service. We, therefore, encourage emerging markets startups developing mobile services for the mass market to look carefully at the opportunities offered by USSD technology and engage with local mobile operators to unlock them.

This article was originally published on www.disrupt-africa.com.
WASHINGTON - US regulators on Thursday announced a record $13.3m fine against a major television company for airing promotional content without telling viewers it had been paid to air it.

Wavebreak Media Ltd  123RF.com

The fine against conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting Group would be the largest ever for a violation of federal laws that require broadcasters to reveal when sponsors pay for content that appears like normal programming, according the Federal Communications Commission.

Sinclair, the largest US broadcast television group, operates nearly 200 local television stations across the country and is currently attempting to buy stations in dozens more markets from Tribune Media Co. -- a deal that requires FCC approval.

Democratic lawmakers have accused the FCC of bias in favour of Sinclair and The Washington Post last year said the broadcaster favoured President Donald Trump's election campaign.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Sinclair deny those allegations.

Looked like local news coverage

According to the FCC, Sinclair aired and supplied other broadcasters with ads that looked like local news coverage about the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The content was dressed up to look independently produced but actually was paid for by the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

The programming aired more than 1,700 times, and the payment was not disclosed, according to the FCC.

"The FCC's sponsorship identification rules help ensure that consumers know who is trying to persuade them through paid programming," the FCC said in a statement.

The Huntsman Cancer Institute is a cancer research facility in Utah founded by the industrial chemicals magnate Jon Huntsman Sr., whose son Jon Huntsman Jr. is a Republican former diplomat and governor.

The foundation, which raises funds for the institute, said it ended its contract with Sinclair after learning its ads were not properly labeled, according to Bloomberg.

Sinclair has 30 days to contest the fine or pay it.

Last year, Sinclair paid a $9.5 million fine to the FCC over unrelated violations.

Source: AFP
LUANDA - Angola's state oil company has announced an investigation into "possible misappropriation" of funds by Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of the former president, during her time as the company's chief executive.

Isabel dos Santos

In recent weeks, several Angolan media outfits have accused dos Santos of ordering suspect transfers and payments worth tens of millions of dollars.

Appointed head of Sonangol by her father Jose Eduardo dos Santos in 2016, dos Santos was replaced last month by Angola's new president Joao Lourenco.

Isabel has flatly denied any misconduct.

"We have established an internal commission of inquiry to investigate the information published," Sonangol spokesman Mateus Benza said.

"We are verifying possible misappropriation, but I can't yet confirm anything."

According to the Novo Jornal and the Jornal Economico, the new leadership at Sonangol had identified a suspect transfer of 57 million euros ($67 million) to Dubai.

Investigators are also probing a monthly payment that began when Isabel became the head of the state oil giant of 10 million euros to a Portuguese company in which she was the principal investor.

It was reported that the new head of Sonangol has written to his predecessor to demand explanations as well as alerting law enforcement agencies.

Prosecutors in the capital Luanda told AFP that they had not received a formal complaint.

Dos Santos has hit back alleging a "campaign of defamation".

"This fake news... doesn't deserve any credibility since their only goal is to cast doubt on the integrity of Isabel dos Santos," she said in a tweet.

Dos Santos is reported by Forbes to be the richest woman in Africa and became a symbol of nepotism under the protection of her father.

Jose Eduardo dos Santos stepped down as president following elections in August after 38 years in power defined by the transfer of wealth to those close to the regime.

His successor has promised to fight against corruption and recently dismissed several leaders of state-run companies who were seen as close to the former president.
Ethiopia has the largest area of bamboo in Africa. However, this green gold is poorly managed and exploited, say expert investors.

 Irene Lopez Almagro via www.123RF.com

Bamboo Senior Expert and Technologist, Mulatu Teshale agrees with the aforesaid statement. He says bamboo in Ethiopia is not well utilised beyond the construction of a houses, boats, fencing, house furniture and equipment. Thus, its huge economic contribution is underestimated and unable to play its stake in generating foreign currency accordingly.

Bamboo cultivation potential in Africa

Ethiopia, which has 67% of bamboo cultivation potential in Africa, could have been generating 60 million Birr per annum from its bamboo forests. So far, raw bamboo has been exporting to the Middle East and in other African countries like Sudan, Teshale remarks.

According to him, in the highland and lowland parts of the country, over 15 types of bamboo plants are available. Though there is a huge bamboo potential in western parts, the resource has not been widely exploited.

Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institutes Wood Technology Research Centre Senior Researcher, Seyoum Kelemwork, states that the different bamboo species, that are found in Ethiopia are proved to be stronger and more suitable for different types of purposes than foreign species. Ethiopia's bamboo species are more suitable for the production of textiles, paper and pulp production, apparel, among others.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry Senior Expert, Bamboo Focal Person, Ashebir Wondimu opines that a decade ago, bamboo was growing highly in Beneshangul State and it was exported. Since then, there are no satisfactory improvements in exporting bamboo to the foreign market.

Conversely, the nation has now started exporting bamboo products. Indeed, there are some manufacturers who are producing various equipment for export purposes.

Adal Industries PLC is a company engaged in bamboo production for the past 31 years. Though much of its products are for local consumption, it has also been exporting toothpicks to the international market, Adane Berehe, the company's general manager states.

"The big challenge is finding an export market for our products made out of bamboo." For this, he stated that the company is conducting research on the type of bamboo products which are highly demanded by the international market.

As to Teshale, currently, three companies are engaged in the development of products made out of bamboo - Bamboo Star Agro-forestry, ADAL Industry and African Bamboo. Though these manufacturers have crucial roles in promoting the products, it is unthinkable to gain the desired foreign currency from the plant.

Vital to develop and manage bamboo forests properly

Kelemwork says, due to the gap in supply, most business persons in Ethiopia are dependent on Chinese bamboo species for their products. As a result, Ethiopia has become a marketplace for foreign bamboo products instead of utilising its large bamboo forests. To end this and tap its resource, it is vital to develop and manage bamboo forests properly, he stresses.

If the country develops its bamboo resource, it can substitute imported wooden products and become a major exporter, Wondimu reflects his idea.

"If we can produce bamboo products with the desired standard and quantified levels to the international market, there is an encouraging situation in Ethiopia to export multifaceted products," Berehe says.

Presently, the company is striving to enhance the quality of its bamboo products and export them to the international market at competitive price.

Currently, the company is exporting bamboo sticks to Indian incense stick producing companies and factories in Egypt and Sudan will be its next market destination.

Strengthening and enhancing the sector through applying various bamboo technologies is a task that is left to investors engaged in the sector. "If this is possible, we (investors) could generate foreign currency that is used to import raw materials," Adane says.

According to Berehe, he had travelled to China to purchase modern manufacturing equipment. This has helped him to expand his product items from toothpicks to flooring and curtains.

As a solution, practical policies should be put in place at the local, national and regional level to fully realize bamboo potential," he suggests adding that "like other countries, devising curriculum in bamboo productions is decisive to promote the sector."

Ten-year bamboo strategy

Ashebir capitalises that the Ministry is also planning to open a bamboo training centre to fill manufacturers' knowledge gap. According to him, the ten-year bamboo strategy which is going to be ratified shortly would give direction on how the nation gets benefit out of the sector. It also addresses hindrances on the value chain process among producers and cultivators.

The strategy will enable the country to properly develop, manage and utilize bamboo forests. Equally, it enables it to develop the four million hectares of land, including the recently identified three million hectares. Moreover, it is considered to attract more companies to the area, he adds.

Six of the regional states in Ethiopia - Amhara, Benishangul-Gumaz, Gambella, Oromiya, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples', and Tigray - have huge potential for bamboo cultivation.
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JAIPUR (PTI): Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday witnessed the 'Hamesha Vijayee' military exercise in Thar desert close to the India-Pakistan border where the Army and Air Force in integration executed manoeuvres to evaluate the capabilities to strike deep into the enemy territory.



The exercise conducted by the Southern Command was aimed at streamlining operational procedures, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said.



Rawat witnessed the Army executing its manoeuvres in a network-enabled environment by employing diverse elements of combat and combat support arms fully integrated with air assets to achieve decisive results.



Having closely witnessed the exercise, the Army Chief commended the forces on their battle preparedness and synergised orchestration of complex operational manoeuvres, Ojha said.



Rawat also complimented the troops on achieving a high standard of training during the exercise and termed it as "highly successful".



The Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General D R Soni, stated that a number of vital concepts were validated during the exercise and a number of important lessons were drawn which will enable the Army to further streamline its operational plans and procedures.



With an emphasis on surveillance, a multitude of aerial and land based surveillance devices were fielded to gain information and present a comprehensive picture to the commanders, he said.



Various electronic warfare equipment and other new age force multipliers were also used to amalgamate technology and further refine real time information of adversary's activities which was shared with various command and control centres for planning and execution of coordinated operations, Ojha said.



Thereafter, a host of medium and long range weapons as well as airborne and heliborne forces and the entire spectrum of aerial platforms were utilised to ensure non-linear application of combat potential.



With a large array of tanks and other types of armoured vehicles duly supported by extensive firepower assets and robust logistics, the Army showcased its operational readiness.




Indian Air Force LCA Tejas

NEW DELHI (PTI): Faced with depleting strength of its fighter squadron, the Indian Air Force has issued the request for proposal (RFP) to state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the procurement of 83 Tejas light combat aircraft at a cost of over Rs 50,000 crore.



The IAF had earlier placed an order with the HAL for 40 Tejas aircraft.



The RFP for 83 Tejas light combat aircraft has been issued on Wednesday, setting the ball rolling for finalising the contract for the mega deal, official sources said.



The Defence Acquisition Council, the defence ministry's highest decision making body on procurement, had in November last year approved purchase of 83 Tejas Mark 1 A by IAF at a cost of Rs 50,025 crore.



The sources said the final deal for the procurement is likely to be inked within the next five months.



They said out of the 83 LCA, 10 will be used for training purposes.



According to official figures, 14 squadrons of the MiG 21, MiG 27 and MiG 29 are due for retirement in the next 10 years which will bring down the fighter squadron strength to 19 by 2027 from the current 33.



The strength may be further reduced to 16 by 2032.



In an interview to PTI, HAL Chairman and Managing Director T Suvarna Raju had said most of the 42 modifications in Tejas sought by the IAF, including weaponisation of the aircraft, had been carried out.



"Tejas is a four-and-half generation world class fighter jet. There is no doubt about it. We can improve its various parameters. We are proud of Tejas. Every Indian will be proud of it. We will ensure enhancement in its quality and performance," Raju had said.



There have been views in the IAF that the Tejas aircraft was not enough to maintain its combat readiness and it needed to quickly procure a fleet of foreign single engine fighters to deal with any possible security challenges faced by the country in the backdrop of the dwindling size of its fighter fleet.



The IAF believes that it has to have a wide mix of aircraft to maintain an operational edge over its adversaries.



The HAL CMD had said that the four-and-half generation Tejas would be able to deliver what is expected of it.



The lifespan of the jet would be a minimum of 30 years just like any other frontline combat aircraft, he had said.



The combat jets are classified under various generations depending on their avionics, capability and weapons systems.



The current fleet of fighter jets with the IAF range from three-and-half generation to the fourth generation.






NEW DELHI (PTI): The Defence Ministry announced that it has allowed private sector to manufacture eight selected ammunition for the Indian Army in a major reform initiative.



The Ministry on Wednesday said the aim of the decision is to facilitate development of indigenous capacity, reduce import dependence and develop a robust supply of ammunition within the country.



"With the long-term objective of building capacity within the industry as a robust alternative source of ammunition, the Government has approved manufacturing of eight selected ammunition for Indian Army by Indian Industry," the Defence Ministry said.



The Army has been reeling under severe shortage of ammunition and it has been pressing the Government to address the issue in view of the security challenges the country is facing.



At present, various ordnance factories supply ammunition to the armed forces.



The move comes around six months after the Government unveiled the ambitious Strategic Partnership model under which Indian private sector companies will be allowed to form joint ventures with foreign defence majors to build fighter aircraft, helicopters, submarines and main battle tanks in India.



The prospective manufacturers will be free to select their technology partners, negotiate and obtain transfer of technology (ToT). The technology partners could be indigenous or foreign manufacturers.



The Defence Ministry said the indigenous manufacturer will be required to set up a new establishment to produce the ammunition.



It said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved a long term contract of 10 years with the selected ammunition manufacturer, to facilitate a viable commercial model.



"The selection of manufacturer will be through an Open Tender Enquiry under two bid system. Companies are allowed to bid for any number of ammunition types. However, a company will be awarded not more than three contracts," the ministry said.



It said Individual Indian companies, as per Indian Companies Act 2013, with foreign equity not exceeding 49 per cent, owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens, and consortium consisting of only Indian companies and wholly owned subsidiary company, were eligible to participate.


The economy's continued improvement has highlighted as many infrastructural challenges as opportunities for Cork. Padraig Hoare talks through the issues with business leaders in the region.

AT long last, the Cork to Limerick motorway is firmly on the agenda; a significant development for the local economy but a long way from the panacea that many think it will be.

After years of campaigning from local business and political figures, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made the announcement on his first official visit to Cork that the M20 motorway between the country's second and third cities was back on the agenda.

The 800m road has long been seen as vital to enhance economic interests in the south of the country but will bring its own challenges unless complementary infrastructure is earmarked for development also.

Deputy chief executive and director of economic development at Cork City Council Pat Ledwidge warned earlier this year that without the northern ring road to service the northside of the city, traffic coming into the city from a newly-constructed motorway would be "a horror story".

As it stands, traffic comes from Limerick around Blackpool while Dublin traffic comes through the Dunkettle interchange near Glanmire.

"What the northside of Cork city lacks is the northern ring road  when you look at it, thats a no-brainer. As far as the city council is concerned, if the M20 between Cork and Limerick is a priority, then the northern ring road is just as important," said Mr Ledwidge.

Co-founder of Coakley-O'Neill Town Planning, Aiden ONeill was in agreement when he spoke in July.

"I totally agree Cork to Limerick is a priority but in my own view, Cork has to get its ducks in a row first.

"I wouldnt want a situation where the M20 is delivered before the other key infrastructure because that makes Limerick and Shannon more attractive. There has to be an order of priority. We have to see the Dunkettle interchange, Northern Ring Road and M22 Macroom-Ballyvourney bypass prioritised alongside the motorway.

The view that Tivoli - which sits overlooking the River Lee on the citys northside - is key to helping alleviate Corks housing needs is a common view from both private and public sector figures.

According to Mr Ledwidge: "Tivoli is important because if you looked in the 1970s, you have the railway station and little else.

"Tivoli opens up that side of the city. Its on the railway line, its south-facing, it looks across at the marina and Blackrock. Youve hills behind, which means you are sheltered from winds. You have Dunkettle right beside. The access to the Dublin and Waterford road is good.

"It will be more dense and more planned and slightly more mixed than other centres that have built up. Our target is 3,000 units and that can get up to 5,000. Thats a mix of houses and apartments and commercial to service that."

Pat Ledwidge

Mr ONeill concurred with that view, but only if done first, ahead of the development of Cork citys Docklands, which is the focus of major private development of office space worth hundreds of millions of euro at present. Residential development alongside office space could be very costly, Mr ONeill said.

"Tivoli should realistically happen first. Its mainly in single ownership, it is probably the best area in Cork for a new urban development, primarily residential. Thousands of people could be housed there. Theyve identified it already but the Docklands has taken the focus.

"There is a flooding issue in the Docklands, especially in the south. I worry it is undeliverable. I feel the focus has to change. Tivoli is the primary residential focus, in my view, because the costs in the Docklands are just too high.

Air travel from Cork had one of its most important developments in July with the first ever transatlantic flights to Providence, Rhode Island on the US East Coast.

The Norwegian Air route has been greeted with universal enthusiasm from business and political leaders in Munster, with the opening of a direct route to the markets of New England seen as a potential boon to Cork and beyond.

Seamus Heaney of business tourism body Cork Convention Bureau said: "I was a sceptic when first told about Providence but the more I looked at it, the more excited I became. It doesnt just open up Providence and nearby Boston, but the whole of New England - Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, even Maine.

The market is huge. Many Americans and Canadians dont want to come to Ireland from OHare in Chicago or JFK in New York if they can do it from smaller easier airports. Weve got to get business people from New England into Cork and keep them here."

However Brexit has thrown a potential spanner in the works when it comes to air travel in the EU. Uncertainty remains as to how airlines will be able to operate in and out of the UK.

As the first phase of talks between the EU and the UK were coming to a conclusion, Cork Airport managing director Niall MacCarthy said: "Airlines and airports need certainty and we are moving into planning Winter 2018 now which stretches from October 2018 through April 2019.

Clarity on the key questions of borders and markets, including Open Skies, which hopefully will be forthcoming early in the new year, will greatly facilitate that planning.
Newly elected ICMSA president, Pat McCormack, will begin 2018 focused on seeking Irish and EU measures to support farm incomes.

The dairy farmer group will urge the EU to ensure the reformed CAP favours productive farmers, to retain the voluntary supply reduction programme, and to boost the saleability of milk powder intervention stocks.

The last CAP reforms saw the bigger payments going from intensive farming into less intensive areas, said Pat McCormack. Convergence caused this situation where a full-time farmer working intensively on a small holding was coming out with far less income than some guy with three times as much land but with a far lower herd intensity. We will work to ensure our members are protected in the new CAP. We want to see that the productive farmers interests are taken into account in the full payments envelope.

Mr McCormack, a 40-year-old Tipperary dairy farmer and Tipperary Co-op supplier, said ICMSA will also push the EU to retain its voluntary supply reduction programme, which has proven very successful in 2017.

And while the EU is facing some date-stamping issues with SMP already in stock, the new ICMSA leaders says powder intervention will have a key role to play in safeguarding the incomes of European dairy farmers in the next few years.

Pat McCormack paid tribute to John Comer, the outgoing ICMSA president, vowing to continue his work to support the milk price paid to the ICMSAs family dairy farm membership.

ICMSA refuses to accept that the farmers who produce the milk on which a whole multi-billion euro dairy sector is built can be considered as some kind of afterthought at the mercy of either the processors or the retailers, he said.

Mr McCormack was elected unopposed as ICMSA president. He has served as deputy president for the last six years and was a previous chair of the dairy committee. He is replaced as deputy president by Cavans Lorcan McCabe, who was also elected unopposed.

Mr McCabe had previously chaired the farm business committee. Shane OLoughlin of Wicklow was elected to that vacancy. Des Morrison of Sligo was elected to chair the livestock committee, while Kilkennys Denis Drennan was elected to chair the ICMSAs farm and rural affairs committee.
Enterprise Ireland's funding net is widening to include deep-tech firms, writes Trish Dromey

In its bid to encourage more entrepreneurs to take the plunge in 2017, Enterprise Ireland offered funding of 5.75m to early stage companies, and for the first time ever put out a call to senior business professionals with more than 25 years experience.

Assistance, in the form of 50,000 in competitive start funding (CSF), in return for a 10% stake in the company, was made available to 115 entrepreneurs across a wide range of sectors.

The last of eight calls to be issued during the year went out in October to senior business executives with 25 years experience. The aim, according to High Performance Start-Up (HPSU) divisional manager Joe Healy was to give extra encouragement to executives who have been thinking or talking about setting up their own companies.

"There is a wealth of experience ready to be tapped. There are senior business executives with energy, experience, skills as well as good business ideas and the capital to back them up."

He said that by putting out this specifically targeted funding offer, Enterprise Ireland hopes to persuade these business executives "that now is the right time to become an entrepreneur".

Mr Healy said specifically targeting certain areas is a tactic that has worked well for Enterprise Ireland, which this year offered a 500,000 CSF funding round to international entrepreneurs and another to recent graduates. Enterprise Ireland has been offering specific funding for female entrepreneurs since 2011 and had its best success to date last year.

In 2016, 44 of 128 CSF approved start-ups were female-led while the figure for High Potential Start-Ups, companies at a more advanced stage, was 19 out of 101. Enterprise Ireland announced in March this year that the 5.5m it had provided in start-up funding to female-led entrepreneurs during 2016 was at its highest level ever and was set to be even higher this year.

Mr Healy said that while general calls for technology start-ups attract mainly males, female only calls have been very successful in attracting applications from across a range of sectors including technology.

"They bring in female founders into the start-up ecosystem who might not have chosen to take the risk of starting up."

Although the figures for the CSF allocations for this year are not yet available Mr Healy said that some of the trends are similar to last year. Typically 50% of the participating companies locate in Dublin and approximately 70% of companies were in the software/technology space.

Mr Healy said that 5.75 million was available in CSF funding this year, which is 650,000 less than the 6.4 million allocated during 2016.

During 2016 three calls were offered to female entrepreneurs, including one of which ran over to this year. "The funding made available in 2017 was 1.5m over two calls to keep a focus on female entrepreneurship, and in recognition of the large interest in terms of applications," said Mr Healy He said that Enterprise Ireland is now on track to achieve its target of providing High Potential Start-Up funding to 90 companies.

"This was to focus more on the quality of the start-up companies with the potential to create ten jobs and generate 1m in sales within three or four years of starting," he said.

Plans for 2018 include putting out a call to early stage companies in all sectors, with a specific emphasis on ICT at the end of January.

During the year CSF funding will be offered to graduates, female entrepreneurs, and international entrepreneurs and again to experienced business professionals.

For the first time next year, Enterprise Ireland will include a specific call to Deep Tech companies.

"We are looking to encourage deep-tech projects which would include block chain, virtual reality and augmented reality," said Mr Healy.

He added that there will also be a focus on encouraging UK entrepreneurs in the Fintech sector to consider Ireland as a location because of Brexit.
An Taisce is calling on the Minister for Heritage to investigate Trump International Doonbeg to ensure it is in compliance with conservation conditions attached to its planning permission.

It follows yesterday's decision by Clare County Council allowing the resort to go ahead with controversial coastal protection works.
The British government has confirmed in writing that "uninhibited movement" will continue on the Irish border after Brexit.

According to newly-published documents from the UK Foreign Office, the rights of Irish and British citizens under the Common Travel Area will be protected after the UK leaves the EU.
Gardai at Kilmainham in Dublin are appealing for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 38-year-old Shane Travers who has been missing since Monday, December 18.

Shane was last seen at St. James Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 at 2pm on Monday.
Gardai in Lucan, Co Dublin are seeking the publics assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 16-year-old Jason Collins who has been missing since December 16.

Jason was last seen in Blanchardstown Retail Park last Saturday, December 16 at approximately 1.45pm.
A national database detailing how much car insurers are paying out in claims has moved a step closer.

The government has approved the drafting of a bill which would empower the Central Bank to collect data on payouts.
The Government would expect to have "real and meaningful involvement" in Northern Ireland if efforts to restore Stormont powersharing fail, the Taoiseach has said.

Leo Varadkar said he would not support a return to straight direct rule from Westminster if time is called on negotiations to re-establish a devolved executive in Belfast.

Mr Varadkar said he would make a fresh bid to help forge a deal in January, but insisted the only two options if talks fail would be to call another Assembly election or convene the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference (BIIGC).

The Fine Gael leader said he would seek the latter, suggesting little would be gained from another snap election.

The bilateral body, a construct of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, brings together UK and Irish ministers to encourage co-operation on matters of mutual interest in Northern Ireland. It last met in 2007.

The prospect of it being reconvened has whipped up a political row over the extent of influence Ireland might exert.

Unionists have been angered by the suggestion the BIIGC could hand the Irish Government a substantive role in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland.

They insist the UK Government would be in sole charge of the region in the absence of a devolved executive and the conference would only offer a consultative role for the Irish Republic.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has dismissed the BIIGC as a "talking shop".

Mr Varadkar said he would not characterise the Republic's potential role as a form of "joint rule", acknowledging legislative authority rested with Westminster, but he said his government should have significant involvement.

"Essentially the Good Friday Agreement provides for matters that are not devolved to be dealt with by the British-Irish governmental conference and that's what we will seek," he said.

"We won't be supporting direct rule. We didn't support direct rule.

"So the alternative to the Assembly and the Executive being up and running is either a) an election or b) convening the British-Irish governmental conference, and that's what we'll seek, and I should point out that is what the Good Friday Agreement says.

"So all we'd be seeking is the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement which, as you know, is an international agreement between two governments endorsed by referendum in both parts of the island."

Asked if he envisaged a form of joint rule, the Taoiseach said: "I wouldn't use the term joint rule, because that's not the term used in the Good Friday Agreement.

"The Good Friday Agreement speaks of a British-Irish governmental conference which is not joint rule because obviously the legislative powers remain at Westminster, but it does involve real and meaningful involvement of the Irish government."

Mr Varadkar said he and his deputy Simon Coveney hope to meet Stormont's political leaders next month as part of efforts to resolve the powersharing crisis that has left Northern Ireland without a properly functioning administration for almost a year.

PA
Irish dad says his miracle triplets show other parents of premature babies there is hope as they prepare to celebrate festive fifth birthday on Christmas Day, writes Lynne Kelleher.

The miracle Irish siblings are in Guinness Book of Records as the worlds earliest surviving triplets.

Little Lucy, Ethan and Matt ORourke all weighed just over one pound when they arrived at Cork University Maternity Hospital at 6pm on December 25th in 2012.

The little ORourkes, from Clashmore in Waterford, have been officially written into the record books as the tiniest triplets in the world after arriving an incredible 113 days early.

Their dad, Pa ORourke, still looks back in wonder at the size of his two sons and daughter when they came into the world at 23 weeks and six days weighing less than half a bag of sugar.

He said: I remember my hand could cover Ethan. There is a picture where my whole palm covers him. You could just see his head  thats how small he was.

When I see the pictures of their little blankets in the incubator, which I think were teddy bear blankets, you think of it straight away.

Their hands were so tiny they could fit through their Dads wedding ring.

He said he has returned with the triplets to the neo-natal unit in Cork where medics nursed the siblings back to full health against all the odds.

It shows there is hope. I come across people on chatrooms on Facebook who ask questions about what happens when they get home.

I was chatting to a lady over in America and she had 23-week triplets. They are all in playschool now and will be going to school in September."

And now they are preparing to celebrate on the double on Christmas Day with Santas presents in the morning and their birthday party in the evening.

They will be five this year. Theyre cute," he said laughing.

They know Santy is coming and they know its their birthday too.

We have Christmas in the morning and their birthday in the evening.

They made their traumatic arrival into the world on Christmas Day five years ago when their mother Pamela was just 23 weeks and six days pregnant - all just weighing over one pound.

The three babies all battled through chronic lung disease and were resuscitated on a number of occasions by the neo-natal staff at Cork University Hospital.

Ethan and Matt were born naturally while Lucy was delivered by emergency caesarean section before they were whisked straight into intensive care, where they underwent 18 blood transfusions between them.

After months in the neo-natal ward the triplets have amazed medics by showing little long-term effects of their premature entry into the world.

The triplets in the festive spirit earlier this month

Its amazing what they can do up there," said their dad, Pa.

They were 23 weeks and six days. It was all hands-on deck 24/7. That day was crazy.

The two boys were there for seven months.

He said the triplets are now aware of their premature arrival into the world from looking at pictures on his phone.

They see the pictures and say Aw we were tiny.

We have the three (certificates) from the Guinness Book of Records.

Last year, Matt had a minor heart operation and his brother Ethan is getting an operation on his head next year as his plates fused early but their Dad says that should be the end of their medical treatment.

And the Waterford dad said he and his wife Pamela will have another new addition to the family next year.

He said the doctor carrying out the eight-week scan on his pregnant wife in recent weeks knew all about the arrival of the triplets into the world nearly five years ago.

When I told him we had triplets Christmas Day, he said oh youre the triplets. He knew about us.

He said ye messed up a lot of Christmas dinners that day, he said laughing.
By David Raleigh

A special candlelit prayer ceremony is expected to take place tomorrow night in Thomondgate near the home of murdered pensioner Rose Hanrahan.

Rose's removal took place this evening ahead of the funeral at St Munchin's Church tomorrow morning.

Among family and friends in attendance were Fianna Fail TD and friend of Rose, Willie O'Dea as well as Superintendent Derek Smart, lead investigating office and Detective Inspector Dermot O'Connor, both of Henry Street Garda Station.

Roses body was found in her home by family members last Friday, December 15.

The special tribute is being organised by neighbours as they try to process her sudden and brutal end.

Officials have appealed for calm within the community following the tragic incident.

Roses next door neighbours Patricia and Paddy Hayes were numb with grief when they spoke ahead of her funeral tomorrow.

Patricia, visibly distraught, says: I didnt hear anything from (next door). I was sick all the week. Maybe she did roar out, but I didnt hear, because I spent most of my time asleep."

It wont be the same going out my front door. Im going to miss her terrible.

"Its not going to be the same, because I know Rose will never be there again," she says wiping away tears.

Rose Hanrahan

Paddy and Patricia described how over the past five years since Roses husband Michael passed away from a long term illness, Rose had left flowers at his grave every Saturday, just as Michael had brought her flowers every Wednesday, when he was alive.

Paddy says: Every week she used to go up to her husbands grave in Meelick. Every Saturday she was up there with flowers for him.

He used to bring her flowers every Wednesday morning, and she repaid him with flowers every Saturday at his grave.

Like the rest of the close-knit community, Patricia and Paddy are shell-shocked at Roses murder.

Patricia, pausing to look at the growing floral tributes left by neighbours and friends outside Roses red front door, says: She was always happy, she always had a smile on her face. We wont see that anymore.

Meanwhile, the man leading the hunt for Roses killer has warned against vigilante groups forming to exact their own personal revenge for Roses brutal killing.

Superintendent Derek Smart advised those considering it to step back, and let gardai proceed with a "lawful investigation".

"Dont take the law into your own hands. Doing so is not going to assist us in any way," Smart said.

"People should come to us if they have information. We are following up every lead or snippet. If we are to bring those responsible to justice it has to happen within the law," he added.

Gardai have not commented on reports she was tied up, beaten, and strangled, during a break-in at her home.

Fr Donal McNamara, PP, St Munchins, who will officiate at Roses funeral tomorrow, had also appealed for calm in the seething community.

I have never met people so angry. Whats getting to them is no one has been (arrested) yet, he said.

Fr McNamara said he has personally advised people not to go down that road of vigilantism.

There is a lot of ill feeling, and fear. The sooner someone is caught for this, the better; for Roses family, for her neighbours, and for the community, he added.

There is an awful lot of anger about the place," Fr McNamara said.

I knew Rose well. This is awful, just desperate.

Fr McNamara said Roses family were distraught.

"Theyre trying to keep it together," he said.

A note left by a neighbour

Supt Smart and Limericks detective force are well versed in hunting down serious criminals.

Under the watch of Chief Supt David Sheahan, gardai have kept a lid on gun crime, as well securing scores of convictions in serious gangland cases.

Every available garda in the division is involved in the Hanrahan murder probe.

All day today, gardai maintained a check point outside Rose Hanrahans home, where they recorded vehicle licence plates, and sought out dash cam footage from motorists who may have traveled through along New Road, Thomondagte, between Thursday and Friday of last week.

Smart said officers were trawling through hundreds of hours" of CCTV footage from around the area.

Ms Hanrahans remains are reposing at Griffins undertakers, Pennywell, today, before her removal to St Munchins Church for 11.30am funeral mass tomorrow.

Anyone with information about the murder is asked to contact 061-212400 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.
A lucky Tipperary family syndicate made a last minute dash to National Lottery offices in Dublin today to collect a 500,000 Lotto Plus 1 top prize just in time for Christmas.

What a way to celebrate Christmas, said the syndicate leader as the family celebrated in the winners' room.

Although the family group promised to have a Christmas to remember there are no plans to splash the cash on exorbitant gifts for other family members/

We already have our Christmas presents under the tree so well have to make do with our original gifts, the syndicate leader said.

The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at McKevitts Costcutters Store on Friars Street in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

The win came completely out of the blue. I collect their syndicate payments every six months and I think most of them even forgot they were involved in it!

"Its an amazing surprise just before Christmas and were going to enjoy the next couple of days before we decide on what to do with the money, they said.

Earlier in November, another Tipperary syndicate from Thurles claimed a Lotto jackpot worth over 7.5m.

Meanwhile the National Lottery again appealed to players in Co Meath to check their tickets to see if they are the winners of another EuroMillions Plus prize of 500,000 from the draw on Tuesday September 26.

The winning ticket was sold at Kilmoon Service Station in Ashbourne.

Players have 90 days to claim a prize but because of the Christmas holidays, players have until close of business on December 28 to make their claim on this ticket.

The National Lottery also said Christmas Millionaire raffles are proving popular this year with more than 55% more prizes and better odds of winning than ever before.

The draw, which takes place on New Years Eve, is limited to 500,000 tickets which cost 25 each and carries a guaranteed top prize of a cool 1m.

In addition, there is one prize of 250,000, four prizes of 100,000, 10 prizes of 10,000, 25 prizes of 5,000, 115 prizes of 1,000 and 4,900 prizes of 500.

Digital Desk
In the UK, an army bomb disposal squad has carried out a controlled explosion after a detailed search of an address in Chesterfield following recent terror raids where four men were arrested.

UK police said a single controlled explosion took place this afternoon at a nearby safe location to "safely dispose of material found at the property".

None of the surrounding premises were evacuated as a result, the force said in a statement.

Counter-terrorism officers had been searching the address following raids on December 19 to foil a suspected Christmas terror plot.

Chip shop owner Andy Sami Star, 31, as well as three other men, aged 22, 36 and 41, were arrested in the raids.

Officers have been granted until Christmas Day to decide whether to charge the four men and they are being held in custody.

Superintendent Michelle Shooter said: "I would like to thank the local residents and businesses for their continued patience and understanding whilst the detailed search of the premises continues.

"Public safety is our priority and we understand events like this can be concerning. Our message remains for local people to remain alert but not alarmed."

An area of the town was sealed off for much of Tuesday as the bomb disposal team worked with large numbers of police behind a cordon.

Residents said they were woken by police blowing open the door of a run-down terraced house as their street was swamped by heavily armed officers in protective gear.

A few miles further north, a mosque and community centre was sealed off, with local people telling similar stories of being woken at 6am by a series of loud bangs and camouflaged officers with guns.

Two other raids are understood to have happened at a flat a short distance from the centre.

The operation was mounted as UK police and MI5 tackle a terror threat seen as unprecedented.

In addition to five attacks in London and Manchester, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd revealed earlier this month that security agencies have foiled nine plots since the Westminster atrocity in March.

UK 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 of previous probes.

PA
A white Zimbabwean farmer evicted under the government of Robert Mugabe has returned to a hero's welcome as the first to get his land back under new President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Robert Smart's return to his farm, with military support, is a sign that the new leader is reforming an issue that had hastened the country's international isolation.

Hundreds of farmers were evicted, often violently, under a programme Mr Mugabe called a righting of colonial wrongs.

Now Zimbabwean officials are reaching out to other white farmers who lost their land, including those who have moved to neighbouring countries.

Mr Mnangagwa (pictured in centre below) is desperate to revive the once-prosperous southern African nation's economy after years of international sanctions.

He has months to win public support before elections scheduled for August at the latest.

Mr Smart made his way into Lesbury farm, about 120 miles east of the capital, Harare, to cheers and songs from dozens of workers and community members.

Such scenes were once unthinkable in a country where land ownership is an emotional issue with political and racial overtones.

"We have come to reclaim our farm," sang black women and men, rushing into the compound.

Two decades ago, their arrival would have meant that Mr Smart and his family would have to leave.

Ruling ZANU-PF party supporters, led by veterans of the 1970s war against white minority rule, evicted many of Zimbabwe's white farmers under an often violent land reform programme led by Mr Mugabe.

Whites make up less than 1% of the southern African country's population, but they owned huge tracts of land while blacks remained in largely unproductive areas.

The evictions were meant to address colonial land ownership imbalances skewed against blacks, Mr Mugabe said. Some in the international community responded with outrage and sanctions.

Of the roughly 4,500 white farmers before the land reforms began in 2000, only a few hundred are left.

But Mr Mugabe is gone, having resigned last month after the military and ruling party turned against him amid fears that his wife was positioning herself to take power. New president Emmerson Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe ally but stung by his firing as vice president, has promised to undo some land reforms as he seeks to revive the once-prosperous economy.

On Thursday, some war veterans and local traditional leaders joined farm workers and villagers in song to welcome Mr Smart's family home.

His return to the farm, facilitated by Mr Mnangagwa's government, could mark a new turn in the politics of land ownership.

During his inauguration last month, Mr Mnangagwa described the land reform as "inevitable", calling land ownership and management key to economic recovery.

Months before an election scheduled for August 2018 at the latest, the new president is desperate to bring back foreign investors and resolve a severe currency shortage, mass unemployment and dramatic price increases for food and household items.

Zimbabwe is mainly agricultural, with 80% of the population depending on it for their livelihoods, according to government figures.

Earlier this month, deputy finance minister Terrence Mukupe travelled to neighbouring Zambia to engage former white Zimbabwean farmers who have settled there.

The Commercial Farmers Union, which represents mainly white farmers, said it plans to meet ministers later.
One of two Wisconsin girls who tried to kill a classmate to win favour with a fictional horror character named Slender Man has been detained for 25 years in a mental hospital.

Anissa Weier, 16, pleaded guilty in August to being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide, but she claimed she was not responsible for her actions because she was mentally ill. In September, a jury agreed.

Waukesha County Circuit judge Michael Bohren sentenced Weier to 25 years in a psychiatric institution, retroactive to the date of the crime. That means she will be institutionalised until she is 37. This is the maximum punishment possible.

Weier and Morgan Geyser lured Payton Leutner into a wooded park in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb, in 2014.

Geyser stabbed Ms Leutner 19 times while Weier urged her on, according to investigators. Leutner survived after she crawled out of the woods to a path where a passing cyclist found her.

Both Weier and Geyser told detectives they felt they had to kill Ms Leutner to become Slender Man's "proxies", or servants, and protect their families from him. All three girls were 12 years old at the time.

Weier apologised in brief comments before her sentencing.

She told the judge: "I do hold myself accountable for this and that I will do whatever I have to do to make sure I don't get any sort of delusion or whatever again.

"I want everybody involved to know I deeply regret everything that happened that day. I know that nothing I say is going to make this right and nothing I say is going to fix what I broke."

Leutner family spokesman Steve Lyons said they were pleased with the sentence.

He said: "They believe that justice was served. The sentence today allows for some additional closure for Payton and her family and it also keeps both Payton, her family and the community safe."

Ms Leutner's mother, Stacie Leutner, sent the judge a letter this week in which she wrote that the trauma of the attack "has defined our lives" and that her daughter still fears for her life.

For months, Payton slept with scissors under her pillow for protection, and she still keeps her bedroom windows closed and locked.

"She will struggle with the events of that day and physical and emotional scars it left for the rest of her life," her mother wrote.

In her letter, Ms Leutner did not ask the judge to sentence Weier to a specific length of time in the mental hospital, but she said her daughter would not feel safe if either of her attackers is released back into the community unsupervised.

"Payton has a lifetime of healing ahead of her and she deserves to be allowed to heal in an environment where she feels safe," her mother wrote.

No-one from the victim's family addressed the court during the sentencing hearing, deferring instead to the letter from her mother.

Prosecutor Kevin Osborne argued for the maximum 25-year confinement, which the judge granted citing ongoing concerns about Weier's mental stability.

Mr Osborne said: "Considering the nature and gravity of this offence, being supervised until the age of 37 is not all that long ... in terms of the fact that Payton is looking at a lifetime of scars, physical scars and psychological scarring."

Weier's attorney, Maura McMahon, argued that she should not be kept in hospital beyond her 25th birthday. She played a video in court with Weier's father, sister and grandparents speaking on her behalf.

"She's grown mentally and physically," her father, William Weier, said. "She knows what she did was wrong."

He asked for forgiveness from the Leutner family.

In a deal with prosecutors, Geyser, who carried out the stabbing, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide with the agreement that she is not criminally responsible and should not go to prison.

She will be sentenced in February, and prosecutors have asked that she be given at least 40 years in a mental hospital.

The "Slender Man" phenomenon started with an online post in 2009, depicting a mysterious spectre whose image people edit into everyday scenes of children at play.

He typically appears as a spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face. He was regarded by his devotees as either a sinister force or an avenging angel.
Boris Johnson has clashed publicly with his Russian counterpart over Crimea and Moscows alleged cyber attacks on the West, as the two men met in Moscow.

Sergey Lavrov denied claims the Kremlin had interfered in democratic elections online and accused Mr Johnson of being a "hostage" of untrue Western narratives on the issue.

But in a series of extraordinarily frank exchanges, Mr Johnson insisted there was "abundant evidence" of Russian interference in polls in the US, Germany, Denmark and France.

When the Russian foreign minister told a press conference in Moscow that Mr Johnson himself had confirmed Russia had not interfered in the UKs election and Brexit referendum, the Foreign Secretary interrupted to add: "Not successfully."

The clash came after Mr Johnson issued a warning to the Kremlin that Britain was "prepared and able" to respond in kind to cyber attacks.

Speaking after more than an hour of talks on the first visit to Russia by a British foreign secretary for five years, both men acknowledged that relations between the two countries were at their worst for many years.

Nevertheless they accepted their countries had a duty to work together as fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council on issues affecting global security like Syria, Iran and North Korea.

The two men insisted they had established a level of personal trust, with Mr Johnson joking that he had even handed his coat with "everything in my pockets, secret or otherwise" to Mr Lavrov when he arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.

Mr Lavrov joked back: "I can say that there was nothing in the pockets of Boriss coat," to which Mr Johnson responded in surprise: "So you have searched it already?"

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stands in front of St Basil's Cathedral during a visit to Red Square in Moscow.

However, when Mr Johnson rejected Mr Lavrovs denial that Russia had attempted to interfere in British polls, the Russian foreign minister retorted: "He is afraid if he doesnt contradict me his reputation is going to be ruined."

Mr Johnson said Russian attempts to interfere in Britains referendums and elections "whatever they might be" had not been successful, adding that if they had, "that would have been an entirely different matter".

Mr Lavrov said the evidence produced so far of Russian attempts at interference amounted to no more than the spending of "a few kopecks" on social media adverts.

"I think you have made all this up in your Western community and unfortunately right now you are hostage to this subject, it is very difficult for you to climb down from the fence you have climbed."

He criticised Britain for cutting off ties with the FSB security agency over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London, complaining that UK authorities had refused to hand over information in the case.

He said the takeover of Crimea had been approved by a referendum of its citizens unlike the break-up of the former Yugoslavia

And he said that UK Government criticism of politicians who speak to Russian media outlets like the RT TV channel did not reflect well on the UK.

"We are concerned that the cradle of democracy, the United Kingdom, sees the vilifying of people for speaking to Russian media," he said. "It doesnt add to the good reputation of the Government, unfortunately."

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson holds up a publication featuring the emblem of Russia's FSB security agency during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow.

Earlier Mr Johnson was rebuked by his host for speaking in public about their differences. On the eve of the talks, Mr Johnson sent a blunt message to the Kremlin to stop its use of cyberspace to disrupt Western countries.

He told reporters: "The UK is certainly prepared and able to respond, should we so desire."

Facing Mr Johnson across a conference table at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guest House in Moscow, Mr Lavrov said: "It is no secret that right now our relations are at a low point.

"You prefer to talk about these reasons publicly, whereas we would prefer to talk about our mutual concerns not before a mike and at a tribune, but directly."

In a move likely to further aggravate his Russian hosts, Mr Johnson later laid a bunch of red roses at the spot on Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge where opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was assassinated in 2015.

Mr Nemtsov was deputy prime minister of Russia under Boris Yeltsin and a declared admirer of Margaret Thatcher who tried to institute reforms to push Russia towards democracy and free markets.

Mr Johnson added his flowers to a pile of tributes from Nemtsov supporters, which are left on the bridge on a daily basis, but cleared away every night.

Earlier, the Foreign Secretary laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin and made a tour of Red Square.

Mr Johnson later met Mr Nemtsovs lawyer Vadim Prokhorov, who urged him to keep pressure on President Vladimir Putin to allow investigators to pursue evidence which might uncover the sponsors of the assassination.

"Some people have been arrested, but they are low-level perpetrators, not the organisers," Mr Prokhorov told the Press Association.

"There are no real steps being taken by the investigators because they are being blocked by Vladimir Putin.

"We ask Mr Johnson and all leaders of Western countries to always ask Putin and his inner circle Where are the organisers? The Kremlin has no answer to these questions."

Supporters of Mr Nemtsov suspect people linked to the Putin-backing Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov of involvement in the crime, he said.

Mr Johnson also met representatives of Russian human rights and civil society organisations at the residence of the UK ambassador.

Tania Lokshina, of Human Rights Watch, said that the authorities were prosecuting critics of the Putin regimes activities in Syria and Ukraine and shutting down websites which acted as independent voices.

"This is the worst human rights crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union," Ms Lokshina told PA. "The worst that we have seen in Russias contemporary history."

Mr Lavrov presented Mr Johnson with an album of photos of Churchill and Stalin at the 1943 Tehran conference between leaders of the Second World War allies.

The Foreign Secretary presented his host with the book of a London exhibition marking the centenary of the 1917 Russian revolution.
Church of the Brethren Newsline

December 21, 2017

Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele and Office of Public Witness director Nathan Hosler have given endorsement to a Christmas letter to Vice President Mike Pence to protect the humanitarian, diplomatic, and peacebuilding budget in the FY19 budget of the federal government.

The letter was organized by Search for Common Ground ( www.sfcg.org ) and was hand-delivered to the Vice Presidents office on Wednesday, Dec. 20. It was copied by e-mail to other government officials at the White House, USAID, the State Department, and Congress as key decision makers in the budget development process.

Many other religious, ecumenical and humanitarian leaders have given endorsement to the letter, including leaders of major ecumenical groups such as the National Council of Churches, Church World Service, and the National Association of Evangelicals; peace church representatives from the Mennonite Central Committee US and the Friends Committee on National Legislation, among others; and leaders of humanitarian and education nonprofits including Bread for the World, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

The full text of the letter follows:

Dear Mr. Vice President: We write to you during this holy season as we celebrate the birth of Christ and remember the hope, joy, and peace that this birth brings to our broken world. We also write as leaders of Christian organizations that are striving to respond to Christs call to serve the neediest especially those who are facing war, hunger, and oppression. We believe that robust U.S. assistance to these communities is a critical part of responding to the calling of our faith. As the Office of Management and the Budget prepares the international affairs budget for fiscal year 2019, we urge you to fully fund diplomatic, humanitarian, and peacebuilding assistance to the most vulnerable.

As 2017 comes to a close, the world remains in crisis. Violence is uprooting families and forcing displacement on a global scale. New violence has erupted in fragile countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Mali, Afghanistan and the Central African Republic. Gang violence threatens lives throughout Central America. Despite military gains over terrorist groups such as the Islamic State, humanitarian crises in Iraq and Syria threaten to linger for years to come.

Armed conflicts in Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Northeast Nigeria have fueled famines on a scale not seen in years. More families will spend this Christmas in refugee camps and informal settlements than at any time in recent history. From Bangui to Baghdad, hundreds of thousands will greet the New Year grieving the loss of their loved ones and fearing the future.

We are grateful to President Trumps remarks at this years UN General Assembly when he stated that the United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen. We agree with the President that the U.S. is a global leader in providing assistance to the most needy and we stand ready to support the Trump Administrations efforts to continue Americas global leadership role.

The American people are generous, and they are problem-solvers. Even as we aid the millions who are suffering we need our governments help to address the root causes of violence. We need American diplomacy to work with allies and regional partners to help end crises in places like the Central African Republic, Burundi, and Burma.

We also need American development assistance to support local religious, womens and civil society groups working on-the-ground to end war and oppression. Without adequate resources to manage and mitigate conflict, support human rights and democracy, and respond rapidly to complex crises, the number of those exposed to death, hunger and fear will continue to grow, exacerbating human suffering and leaving a vacuum for extremists to fill, making America less secure.

Americas greatness lies in our faith, hope and support of the most downtrodden of our brothers and sisters. Every year, we raise millions of dollars to help the neediest around the world and our Churches inspire tens of thousands of Americans to serve in non-profit humanitarian, peacebuilding, and poverty alleviation organizations. But we also need our governments continued moral, political, and financial support to complement our efforts.

As you ensure the judicious and responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources, we ask that you not forget the neediest this Christmas, and ensure that the American government has the resources and commitment to end the violence that drives the suffering of so many of our brothers and sisters around the globe and help them rebuild their lives. We urge you to fully fund without further cutting the international affairs budget for fiscal year 2019.

Together we stand ready to work with you, President Trump, and the rest of the Administration to foster peace on Earth this Christmas and beyond.

Go to www.brethren.org/Newsline to subscribe to the Church of the Brethren Newsline free e-mail news service and receive church news every week.
A 24-year-old man is facing a slew of felony charges for illegal straw purchase of 21 guns at gun stores, almost exclusively in Bucks County. Leonard Truesdale was arraigned on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, on 21 counts each of making false statements on firearm purchase forms, criminal conspiracy to make false statements on firearm purchase forms and selling or transferring...
Deepak Singh grew up in Lucknow where he did an MBA and ultimately found a job with the BBCs radio service in the city. In the early 2000s, he met Holly, an American anthropology student spending a year in Lucknow, and love quickly blossomed between the couple. After they married in 2003, Singh shifted to the US with his wife.
ArcelorMittal has reached a preliminary agreement to sell its steel mill in Piombino, Italy to Italian steelmaker Arvedi to help get clearance from EU authorities for its purchase of Ilva, Europe's largest steel plant.

ArcelorMittal, the world's top steelmaker, reached a 1.8-billion-euro ($2.1 billion) deal to buy Ilva, in southern Italy, in June but the purchase has since stalled thanks to legal challenges and an EU anti-trust investigation.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the deal was struck this week, and that ArcelorMittal was moved to dispose of Piombino due to EU concerns over market concentration in the galvanised steel sector.

The sources did not provide any other details. ArcelorMittal and Arvedi declined to comment.

Galvanised steel is used in the autos, white goods and construction sectors. The Piombino mills make 800,000 tonnes per year of the product.

EU antitrust authorities in November upgraded their investigation into ArcelorMittal's proposed takeover of Ilva, fearing it will lead to steel price hikes. European steel prices are up some 85 percent since Jan. 1 2016.

A few weeks after the anti-trust filing, the Puglia and Taranto regions of Italy filed an appeal against the Italian government's approval of ArcelorMittal's environmental plan for Ilva.

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni wrote to the governor of Puglia and mayor of Taranto on Friday, urging them to drop a lawsuit that could scupper the deal and sink the planned clean-up operation for Ilva.

"I ask you to withdraw your suit from the regional courts and not imperil the environmental clean-up," Gentiloni said. The Puglia governor, Michele Emiliano, said he would be happy to meet the prime minister but declined to drop the lawsuit.

ArcelorMittal's proposed takeover of Ilva comes as steel majors Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp are looking to combine their European assets, meaning anti-trust authorities are on high alert.

To allay their concerns, Italy's state holding company CDP and Intesa Sanpaolo have signed a non-binding agreement to join ArcelorMittal's bid for Ilva, replacing former bid partner Marcegaglia, an Italian steel processing firm.

The Ilva plant has been dogged by charges of corruption and environmental crime for years. In 2012, Italian authorities ruled emissions from the plant had caused deaths, tumours and respiratory diseases. About half the plant's annual 11 million tonne capacity was eventually mothballed.
The first round of bidding under the central government's for providing coal to private power units would see revival of 10,000 Mw of generation capacity, it is estimated.
Alphabet, the parent company of US tech giant Google, has announced that Eric Schmidt is stepping down as executive chairman of the board of directors in January 2018.

It said in a statement on Thursday that Schmidt will become a technical adviser to the company while continuing to serve on its board.

"After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I can't wait to dive into the latest in science, technology and philanthropy," Schmidt said in a tweet.

"I look forward to working with (Google founders) Larry (Page) and Sergey (Brin) on our future here at Alphabet," he tweeted.

"Larry, Sergey, (CEO Google Inc) Sundar (Pichai) and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet's evolution for this transition.

"The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving," Schmidt said in the statement.

Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet, praised Schmidt for his long-standing efforts since he joined Google in 2001 for providing the company "with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology".

Alphabet said that its board will appoint a new, non-executive chairman at its next meeting in January.

Google, the world's top search giant, was founded by Page and Sergey Brin in September 1998.

In October 2015, Alphabet became the parent holding company of Google, which has more than 70,000 employees worldwide.
Reliance Industries on Friday partnered with fashion ecommerce player Myntra to co-brand its exclusive denim collection Mast & Harbour with the flagship product from the former, RElan FeelFresh.

"RElan FeelFresh is one of our flagship products. The association with Myntra, being one of the fastest growing fashion brands in the country, provides us a great platform to launch apparels made out of our innovative technologies. We hope to partner with them on our other performance products as well," Gunjan Sharma, CMO, polyester business at RIL said in a statement.

This collection of Mast & Harbour is made from fabric using RElan FeelFresh technology that offers anti-microbial and anti-odour properties, a joint statement said.

Recently, RIL entered into a partnership with VF Corporation of the US, which owns the world's largest denim player Wrangler, to co-brand the Inficool denim range and to market in China, India, Japan and Thailand.

As per the partnership deal, RElan will get visibility in the form of hangtags on garments and other publicity tools at points of sale.

RIL has identified Westerns states in the country as one of the key focus areas for RElan. Bhiwandi, Tarapur, Ichalkaranj, Malegaon, Navapur in Maharashtra and Surat, Ahmedabad, Vapi and Umbergaon in Gujarat are some of the important centres for this brand.

RIL is targeting 50-60 mills which have the innovation inclination and manufacturing excellence to be its hub excellence partners. These mills will form the supply chain to feed brand and fabrics demand from retail side.

Currently, RIL is in the process of meeting 180-200 top brands/garment makers and exporters to showcase RElan product range, it said.

The co-branding will give RIL a foothold in the estimated Rs 2.5-trillion domestic apparel market comprising almost a 50-50 share of menswear and womenswear.
A Seoul court on Friday found Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin guilty of breach of trust and sentenced him to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, leaving him free to try and revive the conglomerate after steep losses in China.

The Seoul Central District Court cleared the executive of some counts of breach of trust and also of embezzlement.

"I apologise to the public," Shin said as he left court, without commenting further.

The ruling will come as a relief to the retail-to-chemicals group at the end of a difficult year during which it became the highest-profile corporate victim of a Beijing-Seoul spat over South Korea's installation of a U.S. missile defence system.

South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate said, "We respect the court's decision. Group executives and employees will further unite to contribute to economic progress and do our best to meet our social responsibility."

The prosecution did not have an immediate comment. Legal experts said the prosecution was likely to appeal.

Shin is the subject of another ongoing trial related to a bribery scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye. Prosecutors are seeking a four-year jail term and a fine of 7 billion won ($6.49 million).

In the meantime, Friday's ruling means Lotte, with 110.8 trillion won worth of assets, avoids a leadership vacuum for the time being as it navigates mounting China losses and an uncertain recovery.

Shunned in China, its key market, after it was pressed by Seoul to provide land for the THAAD missile defence system, Lotte's third-quarter China hypermarket sales were nearly wiped out to about $278,000 from around $264 million a year earlier.

Nearly all Mart stores in China have been shut for much of the year with local authorities citing fire safety issues, and the group has now put the business up for sale.

But the sale is likely to be delayed past the end-2017 deadline Lotte had sought, Lotte Corp official Choi Min-ho said, without giving a reason.

BATTENING DOWN THE HATCHES

Lotte's businesses in South Korea, including its major duty-free operations, that had counted on big-spending Chinese tourists, remain under pressure amid curbs on Chinese tour groups travelling to the country.

South Korea's credit rating agencies have downgraded or cut their outlook for corporate bonds of the group's flagship retailer Lotte Shopping and Hotel Lotte, citing hurdles in improving their financial stability.

Lotte, which shelved plans for an estimated $4.5 billion IPO of Hotel Lotte amid the investigation, is now battening down the hatches as a difficult year draws to an end.

Lotte Shopping has frozen wages for its department store business this year for the first time since 2009, three Lotte officials said this week, declining to be identified as the matter was sensitive.

While Lotte confirmed wages had been frozen, the retail-to-chemical conglomerate declined further comment.

However, one of the officials from the department store business said: "Wages have been frozen due to various factors, but the THAAD issue was one of them."
on Friday said it has won a mining license in Far East Russia and it aims to deploy the coal mined for its Mundra, Trombay power plants in India. In the release, the company added, it will also look to export to Far East Asian markets.
India's leading IT exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has bagged a USD 2.25-billion outsourcing contract from Nielsen, a television rating measurement firm.

The partnership, signed in October this year, is a renewal of TCS' existing collaboration with Nielsen. The two had struck a 10-year deal in 2008 for USD 1.2 billion, which was expanded to USD 2.5 billion in 2013.

Under the new deal, the terms of the agreement have been extended for an additional five years so as to expire on December 31, 2025, with three one-year renewal options granted to Nielsen, the TV rating company said in a regulatory filing to the US SEC.

"Nielsen has committed to purchase services from TCS from the Effective Date through the remaining term of the Agreement (the 'Minimum Commitment') in the amount of USD 2.25 billion, including a commitment to purchase at least USD 320 million in services per year from 2017 through 2020, USD 186 million in services per year from 2021 through 2024, and USD 139.5 million in services in 2025," it added.

The filing stated that the Mumbai-based firm will globally provide Nielsen with professional services relating to IT -- including application development and maintenance -- BPO, client service knowledge process outsourcing, management sciences, analytics, and financial planning.

(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.)
Supporters of terror organisations like Taliban, Haqqani network and Lashkar-e- Taiba must be forced to stop and all safe havens must end, India has told the UN Security Council, expressing concern over the collapse of the security situation in Afghanistan.

Terrorists continue to attack the most vulnerable, including the sick in hospitals, children in schools, devotees in mosques and even mourners at funerals. Terrorist groups have gained territory, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN, Tanmaya Lal said during an open debate of the Security Council on Afghanistan.

"The support for terrorist organisations like the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Mohammed from outside Afghanistan, must be forced to stop," Lal said.

"All safe havens and sanctuaries available to such groups outside Afghan borders must end. Security Council has an important responsibility in this regard in our collective interest," Lal said.

"The continued resilience shown by the Afghan people and security personnel have been exemplary but hopes of a better future still appear distant. Our regular consultations and the work done by the Council have not been enough to more effectively reverse the situation on the ground," he added.

Lal said it has been painfully clear since long that the security situation in Afghanistan has implications not only for the region but the entire world.

"While new threats emerge from the Daesh, the Security Council cannot even decide whether to designate the new leaders of Taliban or to freeze the assets of the slain leader of the group more than a year after the issue was brought to its attention," Lal said.

In his address to the Security Council, Afghan Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud Saikal said Afghanistan's patience on indiscriminate shelling from across the border by Pakistan should not be tested.

"Under the pretext of receiving fire from our side, Pakistan's violations across the Durand Line, including indiscriminate artillery shelling, has continued unabated throughout 2017, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and destruction of villages," he said.

The proposal of Afghanistan for engagement and operational coordination towards addressing these concerns has not seen any response, he told the UN Security Council.

"At the same time, Afghanistan has the will and the capacity to defend its territory and our patience should not be tested," Saikal said.

Afghanistan believes that confidence-building measures can only be successful when violations of this nature come to a complete halt, he said.

"In a similar vein, we are also in communication on the imperative of addressing terrorists' regional safe havens and hope to see positive developments on this front soon," he said adding that Afghanistan looks forward to the upcoming trilateral meeting in Beijing next week between the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.
Film: 'Boss: Dead/Alive' (available on AltBalaji); Director: Pulkit; Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Naveen Kasturia, Edward Sonnenblick, Anna Ador; Rating: ***

If one had to single out one actor this year for the most outstanding work in Indian cinema, it would have to be Rajkummar Rao who flitted from the flirtatious in "Bareilly Ki Barfi" to the portentous in "Newton".

At the end of the year we saw Rao playing the much-misunderstood Subhas Chandra Bose in a series produced by Ekta Kapoor available on Kapoor's streaming service AltBalaji.

The saga, directed by a young Bihari named Pulkit with an abundance of inputs from the series' creative director Hansal Mehta, is spread over 9 episodes of 20 minutes each. I advise you to watch the entire series in one go to fully comprehend the resonant reach of the research that envelopes the gripping tale of a freedom fighter who defied Gandhian norms of anti-Colonialism to forge his own language of protest and to eventually form his own army.

So was Bose killed or not killed in plane crash?

The entire series is designed as cat-and-mouse game between various representative of the British Raj and Bose, Rajkummar Rao taking us through the various stages of transition in the enigmatic leader's life with a sure handed cockiness that never suggests a shred of smugness. Yup, Rao is at the peak of his excellence and enjoying every bit of it without growing complacent.

Bose's early scenes of youthful rebellion in Kolkata are shot with a spry mischievousness. In one sequence he beats a Gora teaher with his chappal for insulting the Hindu religion and walks away from the mayhem with not an iota of fear or remorse, as the background score erupts with a "Bose Bose!" chant that Salman Khan would have wanted in his next "Dabangg" film.

Patralekha (seen with Rao in the moving film "Citylights") has a cute cameo in the first episode as a prospective bride for Bose who shares a stolen smoke with him on the rooftop. The cigarette smoking habit is clumsily incorporated. Rao doesn't seem comfortable with the cancer stick.And that's fine by us.

The writing borrows trivial vignettes from Bose's life turning the bio-pic into a celebration of rebellious splendor unfettered by the rules of governance. I enjoyed the personal moments between Bose and his German wife Emilie(Anna Ador) and his insurgent allies more than the pointedly political run-ins with Gandhiji(played with reasonable credibility by Surendra Rajan) and Nehruji(actor Sanjay Gurbaxani strips the charismatic man of all charm and warmth).

The more 'epic' moments in the saga suffer from monetary constraints. Let's not forget, this series is meant to be watched on mobile phones and computers. Not the best way to get to know a leader who has for generations been much misunderstood and hugely maligned. However the key performers and some outstanding writing(Eklavya Bhattacharya, Jyoti Kapoor Das,Anuj Dhar, Reshu Nath) ensure our interest-level in the subtle often sharply executed flag-waving doesn't flag.

Locations standing in for Manchuria, Vienna and other places that Bose resorted as Colonial fugitive have been chosen well and serve the series' purpose effectively.

However, the Britishers are portrayed as quasi-caricatures. Edward Sonenblick(seen giving company to Kapil Sharma in the recent film Firangi) struggles to imbue dignity in a role that's purely a colonial cartoon. Besides Rajkummar Rao, it is Naveen Kasturia playing the conflicted havaldar Darbari Lal who brings an endearing world weariness to the role of a British stooge who would rather not finger a fireball called Subhas Chandra Bose.The bantering between Bose and Darbari Lal contoured by the shifting loyalties is a highpoint in every episode.

This series dares. And for its audacity alone, it deserves our attention.
Did Vinod Rai as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) get it wrong in the 2G spectrum allocation case? Just after CBI trial court judge O P Saini read out his judgment in the case on Thursday morning, this was the question the packed courtroom and just about everyone outside wanted to know.
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Union government, the GST Council and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) over the issue of on imported goods sold from one Customs-bonded warehouse to another.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized consignments of smuggled 50-kg gold at the Mumbai International Airport on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the DRI officials and Mumbai Customs successfully made the seizure from a DHL courier packet which arrived from Gulf region.

As per sources, the consignees of this courier at both Gulf and Mumbai have used bogus details to hide the identity of the real beneficiary.

"The investigation is in progress. Our team is getting into the roots of this consignment," the source said.

In another case, on Wednesday night, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) retrieved 4.7 kg of gold from an Air India aircraft parked in the hangar of the Mumbai Airport.

"The gold includes 26 bars worth Rs 1.25 crore was hidden in a cotton cloth bag tied with a black nylon rope to the panel of aircraft. After much difficulty, the bag was retrieved. On opening the bag, two large packets were found which were wound with black and green cellphone tape," informed a custom official.

The first packet had two gold bars of one kg each and four bars of 116 grams each, while the second packet had 20 gold bars of 116 grams each.

The official said, "It is extremely difficult to hide smuggled gold under the carpet of aircraft by a common air passenger. Hence, we suspect someone from the engineering section may be involved in the smuggling racket. The investigation is on."

In yet another case the same night, one Sudanese woman passenger was arrested for bringing in five pieces of melted gold weighing 410-gram worth Rs 10 lakh.

In a fourth case, one Khalifa Hassan holding Sudanese passport was arrested for smuggling in his undergarment 20 gold bangles worth Rs 35 lakh and weighing 1393 grams.
Vishal Bharadwajs incomparable adaptation of Shakespeares Macbeth (2006) begins on a typically rainy night in Mumbai when one gang, led by Jahangir Khan alias Abbaji, is wiping out a rival one. But before the shootout and the gang wars, we find the two police officer-witches (Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri) drawing up a horoscope of Mumbai on the fogged up window of their van. When Shah shoots an informer in their custody, the horoscope is besmeared with blood. A little later Inspector Pandit and Inspector Purohit tell the new ACP, investigating the gang wars, Shakti ka santulanzaroori hai sansar mei. Aag keliyepani ka daarbaneyrehenachahiye. (The balance of power is essential in the world. Fire must always fear water.)



Macbeth and its innumerable adaptations over the years have always been stringent critiques of the pursuit of power. As the Gujarat election results came out earlier this week, I could not help but return to Bharadwajs film, set in the Mumbai underworld. Shakespeares play, arguably his shortest, has been made into cinema innumerable times over the years, in different languages, by Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Roman Polanski and others. A 2006 adaptation by Geoffrey Wright even sets it in the Melbourne underworld. But the visceral power of rain-soaked, blood-drenched Maqbool is perhaps more appropriate for our times.
On Friday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army initiated the purchase of 15 indigenously designed and built Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The IAF will take ten helicopters, and the army five.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has been selected as the top ranked engineering institution in the country for the second consecutive year as per Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), MHRD, Government of India. It has also emerged as the second-best institute in the country, under the 'Overall Category' introduced this year, in the NIRF Rankings.



The institute has marked its achievements in R&D, academic activities, innovations, and startups during the year. In 2017, three famous alumni of - Sparta Group Chairman Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, treasurer Jaishree Deshpande and Infosys co-founder S Kris Gopalakrishnan - jointly launched an entrepreneurship centre at similar to the Deshpande Centres at MIT and elsewhere. It will get a funding of $500,000 per year over the next 5 years to support its activities.



The institute also signed an MoU with Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI) to set up the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC-DSAI) to work on Data Science (DS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). During the year, the World's largest Combustion Research Centre was inaugurated at to focus on Automotive, Thermal Power, and Aerospace Propulsion, besides fire research and microgravity combustion as well.



Bhaskar Ramamurthi, the director, IIT Madras, said, "It has been another satisfying year for IIT Madras, where we have done well in achieving or exceeding our Strategic Plan objectives in all areas of activity ranging from academics to incubation. Various awards won by our faculty and students, as well as the excellent placements, give us the encouragement needed to do even better next year".



In academics, it has introduced an upgrade path to M Tech degree for undergraduates in interdisciplinary areas of Data Sciences, Materials and Nanotechnology, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Engineering and Energy Systems. The online M Tech programmes in Automotive Technology, Communications Systems Engineering, tailor-made programs for the automotive, telecom and electronics industries, were also launched in 2017. Four more such programs for the aerospace, materials engineering and IT industries are approved for launch. It has also launched a two-year Executive MBA (EMBA) Degree Program for working professionals.



The Phase I of placements has seen more than 750 offers made with around 660 students getting placed, apart from a 114 pre-placement offers (PPOs), with 93 students accepting them. This brought the total number of students placed in current batch to more than 750. Phase II is likely to begin mid-January 2018.



The construction of the second and final phase of the IIT Madras Research Park, with 0.8 million square feet of built-up area has been completed. Students of IIT Madras have set the Asia and India records for operating the "Largest Number of Robots Cleaning an Area", with as many as 270 students from the Center For Innovation (CFI) fabricating a total of 45 Robots and cleaned an area of 750 sq ft.



The Institute was also recognised for the development of Solar DC Microgrid Technology by Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala and his team. It has been deployed in over 25000 off-grid homes in Rajasthan and Assam besides villages in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, bringing electricity to some of the remotest parts of the country.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said the state has considerably become investor-friendly from the time they came into power.

Talking at the Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit 2018 in Mumbai, Adityanath also called on the investors to take part in the investor summit being organised in the state in the month of February.

"A favourable environment for business is being witnessed in the Uttar Pradesh and we want to take advantage of it. When we look back at the condition of the state, the situation a-year back was not good. We were concern what will happen and a change was necessary for that. When we came to power in the state the first thing was to change the situation in terms of doing business. We started working with a team spirit and were able to witness a major change within a short span of time", Adityanath said.

Adityanath said that with the growing interest of the world and the nation to invest in the state would provide ample amount of employment opportunity to youths.

Further stressing on the issue, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said there were two major concern of the state before 2017- lawlessness and too much of Red Tapism. He added they are trying to tackle with both to provide an amicable environment to investors.
India joined the UN majority in voting for a General Assembly resolution criticising US President Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move Washington's embassy there.

The resolution that was passed by a two-thirds majority on Thursday demanded Washington comply with Security Council decisions against changing the status of Jerusalem and declared US and Israeli action on the city "null and void".

It, however, only expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem", stopping short of naming the US or condemning it outright.

Defying Trump's threats to cut off aid to countries that voted for the resolution, 128 countries voted for the resolution, while nine countries joined the US and Israel in voting against it.

An unusually large number -- 35 countries -- abstained, and 21 others were absent, showing that Trump's threats had some effect.

US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley repeated Trump's warning on aid before the vote describing support for it an "insult" to her country.

"We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the UN," she said. "And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit."

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said that by voting for the resolution nations would be rejecting attempts at blackmail and intimidation.

He warned that Washington's action could lead to a religious war that "has no boundaries" and only served the interests of extremists.

The Assembly resolution followed the US veto on Monday of a similar resolution in the Security Council introduced by Egypt. All the other 14 Council members voted for it, isolating the US.

The Assembly resolution was sponsored by Yemen on behalf of the Arab Group in the UN, and by Turkey on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Representing the OIC, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Jerusalem was the holy city of three monotheistic religions and its historic status had to be preserved.

Referring to the US' threats to withhold aid, he said such "bullying" was unethical and votes were not for sale.

While the Assembly resolutions do not have the legal clout of the Council resolutions, they carry political clout, especially when endorsed by a two-thirds majority.

Previous Council resolutions have said that the status of Jerusalem and territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war should not be altered unilaterally.

While close US allies like Britain, France and Japan, which had voted for the resolution in Council, again broke ranks with it in the Assembly, there were some surprises. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claims to follow a progressive foreign policy, Canada abstained.

Five of the countries that voted with the US and Israel were tiny Pacific island nations like Micronesia, and two were from Latin America. No country of any significance politically or in size voted for the resolution, even if some of them abstained or absented themselves.
The trial court verdict in the telecom scam, acquitting everyone indicted, had said then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not properly briefed by T K A Nair, and Pulok Chatterjee, two top officials in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO).
Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when it stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Given its actions, it doesn't appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the Army chief added.

He was in the western sector, close to the India-Pakistan border, to witness the Hamesha Vijayee exercise conducted by the Southern Command in Thar desert.

Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists.

Only then can we say that peace talks should take place, he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.

"We also want relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesn't appear that they really want peace, Rawat said.

The Army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir police have been taking actions against militants in Jammu and Kashmir successfully and the action will continue, he added.

Rawat's comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

"It is important for Pakistan to understand our core concern, which is terrorism. We have time and again asked them to take action against terrorists who are operating from their soil. This is something they (Pakistan) will have to handle if they are serious in cultivating this friendship," Kumar said.

The assertions follow Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties.

According to media reports, Bajwa has said he will support any initiative of the civilian government to resolve issues with India through talks.

In a rare move, the Pakistan Army chief briefed the Senate - the upper house of the parliament - on security situation and regional issues on Tuesday.
A member of the Indian parliament wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urging him to cap the prices of 20 medical devices to bring down hospitalisation costs and make healthcare more affordable.
The number of grievances lodged by the public has increased sevenfold in three years, from about two lakh in 2014 to 14 lakh in 2017, the personnel ministry said on Friday.

This is due to the prompt response of the department of administrative reforms and (DARPG), it said.

"Now about 99 per cent grievances are being disposed by the DARPG. The average response time to the grievances has been reduced, e.g. in department of revenue, it has reduced from 108 days in 2014 to 25 days this year and similarly in department of telecom, it has reduced from 19 days in 2014 to 12 days this year," the ministry said in a press release, highlighting its major activities during 2017.

The DARPG is also writing letters to state chief secretaries to link their grievance cells to CPGRAMS (Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System) portal, meant for registering of grievances, it said.

This will bring uniformity and ease of disposal besides providing a comprehensive view of the grievances, the release said.

"The number of grievances lodged by the people has increased sevenfold since 2014, from about two lakh grievances to about 14 lakh this year," it said.

The ministry said service rules have been amended to provide specific timelines at different stages of the enquiry, with a view to completing disciplinary proceedings against the members of all India services in a time-bound manner.

Giving details of the RTI website, it said 2,149 public authorities have aligned with the portal.

"The government is persuading the states to implement the RTI online portal. The RTI online portal will also curb delays in responding to the RTIs," it said.

In a major relief for government employees, the department of pensions and pensioners' welfare, under the personnel ministry, in March 2017 announced several relaxations in General Provident Fund rules, with liberalisation and simplification, particularly relating to advances and withdrawals by the subscriber/employee.

According to the liberalised rules, limits for withdrawals have been raised and procedures simplified, especially for activities of house building and education of children, where costs have gone up manifold over the last two decades, the ministry said.

"In furtherance of the government's commitment towards self-certification, subscribers will be allowed to withdraw funds based on a simple declaration. No further documentary evidence will be required," it said.

Referring to 'Jeevan Pramaan', launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2014, the ministry said more than 11 lakh pensioners availed the Aadhaar-based scheme for online submission of digital life certificates through banks during November 2017.

The scheme benefits pensioners, particularly the old and the infirm who can submit life certificates from the comfort of their homes anywhere in the country or abroad, it said.

Till date, about 93 per cent of pension bank accounts of central government pensioners drawing pension through banks have been seeded with Aadhaar numbers, the ministry said.
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the CBI to trace the founder of the north Delhi-based ashram where girls were allegedly kept under illegal confinement.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar has asked Virender Dev Dixit, the founder of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in North Delhi's Rohini to be present before it on January 4.

The high court had yesterday raised doubts over the ashram's claims that women inmates there were not illegally confined, saying that if they were free, why were they being kept behind locked doors.

The bench had also sought to know why the ashram's founder was not making an appearance if he was genuine and honest.

The high court had also enquired into the financial details of the ashram and sought to know from where they were getting funds to run the institution.

Earlier, the high court had directed the CBI to probe the alleged illegal confinement of girls and women in the ashram where it was claimed, they were kept in "animal-like" conditions behind metal doors in a "fortress" surrounded by barbed wire.

Taking note of the "seriousness and the sensitivity of the matter", the bench had asked the CBI director to forthwith constitute a special investigation team (SIT) which will take charge of all records and documents pertaining to the case.

The court has passed the order on the PIL filed by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which informed the court that several minors and women were allegedly being illegally confined at the "spiritual university" here and were not allowed to meet their parents.

Taking note, the high court immediately set up a committee, comprising lawyers and Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, to inspect the premises of the institute.

The committee, comprising lawyers Ajay Verma and Nandita Rao, gave a report detailing the "horrible" living conditions of the over 100 girls and women who were housed in "animal-like conditions with no privacy even for bathing".

The panel, which had again inspected the ashram and its adjoining building, submitted today that over 30 mobile phones were seized and they want the court to order sealing of a room where they found trunks and other documents containing "serious evidence".

The bench said since the CBI is now seized of the issue, they should investigate it.

During the hearing, the bench was informed by the ashram that there were over 168 women living on the premises.

It was informed by Delhi police's standing counsel Rahul Mehra that the Delhi government's health department has set up a medical board, which will soon visit both the premises in question to medically examine all inmates to ensure their well-being.
Armed forces across the globe have employed animals through the ages  a practice as old as warfare itself. Though modernisation has noticeably reduced the armys requirement of animals and todays mounted troops ride in armoured vehicles rather than on horseback, these advancements have not made animals obsolete in modern warfare. In times of trouble, like soldiers, animals too have put their best foot, paw, fin, flipper or wing forward to answer the call of duty.





Mules in the Indian army
A special CBI court on Thursday acquitted all the accused  including former telecom minister A Raja, Essar promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia and former bureaucrats  in the 2G telecom spectrum allocation case, saying the special public prosecutor miserably failed to prove any charges against the accused. Business Standard takes a look at a few high-profile cases in which question marks were raised by various courts over the CBIs probe:
The government has listed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill, 2017, also known as the Triple Talaq Bill, for introduction in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will introduce the Bill that seeks to protect the rights of married Muslim women and prohibit divorce by pronouncing talaq by their husbands. The Bill is being opposed by civil society groups for its contentious punitive clauses.
Its a sign from the heavens  a bright, sunny day after two days of rain. Jets manned by the Swiss air force thunder overhead, swooping over the serrated mountains and plunging deep between valleys. As we rush to occupy our seats to watch the final parade, a farmer and his family in traditional garb walk with their prized possessions  stocky cows with humungous bells around their necks, as well as goats and sheep. A small boy leads a frisky Appenzell goat with long white hair and no horns. Men in breeches hold cow bells and jangle them in orchestra. Farming groups sit on carts loaded with bales of hay and wheat brandish pitchforks, followed by a procession of monks in brown habits and cheese-makers with cheese-making contraptions.





An athelete during a stone throwing competition. Photo: Heiwa Sunder/ Unspunnen Festival
has overtaken as the most valuable celebrity in the country, according to the latest Duff and Phelps brands report.
The lama demonstrates traditional Tibetan healing practices in the forest, his arms outstretched like the branches of the trees around him. Ahead, a white muslin cloth envelops the Jain monk like a cloud, and beyond, the frame is lit up by the beatific expression of a Buddhist teacher blessing an acolyte. As one walks through Briana Blaskos ongoing photo exhibition, Within Without: The Path of the Yogi, at Delhis Vadehra Art Gallery, images like these paint a sensitive portrait of the everyday lives of gurus and seekers of different spiritual pursuits.
Seven foreign steel and Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL) have bid for a Rs 2,000-crore contract from the ministry of railways, for an expanded track renewal plan. This is the first time in three decades that rail procurement has been opened for the private sector.
The new restrictions on US work visas for IT employees will further deepen the difficulties faced by the Indian firms, according to National Association for Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).
The tussle between auto fuel dealers and the government over for over one million petrol pump staff has intensified with the dealers getting stay orders from Ernakulam and Jammu high courts among others.
The government expects Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill to be cleared in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing session of Parliament, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

"We are expecting in this Parliament session it will be cleared in Rajya Sabha," Gadkari said when asked about the bill on the sidelines of EV (electric vehicle) Expo here.

The Lok Sabha had cleared the bill in April.

It seeks to bring a slew of radical reforms in the transport sector by ensuring 100 per cent e-governance, checking bogus driving licences and vehicle thefts, slapping a heavy penalty on traffic violators and protecting the good Samaritan, among other things.

While inaugurating the expo, the road transport and highways minister asked the EV industry to focus on quality products.

"You are progressing well and if you continue to bring in quality products it is not far that products from the country would be exported across the globe," he said.

The government will extend every kind of support to the industry, he added.

"Just remember one thing do -- quality work. It will help you in the future," Gadkari said.

The Expo also saw the unveiling of various products including two new electric vehicles by Lohia Auto.
The Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMS) park will save Rs 2,086 crore for Madhya Pradesh government's power utilities and Rs 1,220 crore for Delhi Metro over 25 years. The marque project of the state government in February 2017 threw up record low tariff of Rs 2.97 a unit (kilowatt/hour) during bidding.
In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the Basel-III accord introduced a new instrument, the Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bond, to protect depositors of a bank on a going concern basis. The essential element of this instrument is the imposition of losses on its holders without the bank being liquidated, if the Common Equity Tier-1 (CET 1) ratio falls below a threshold level. The bonds are also known as perpetuals as they do not have a redemption date, and carry the following features:



* Callable at the initiative of the issuer only after a minimum period of five years, with prior supervisory approval



* The bank must have full discretion to cancel payments of coupon/dividends



* Coupon/dividends must be paid out of distributable items



* Principal loss absorption at a pre-specified trigger point through

 Conversion to common shares or

 A write-down mechanism.
State-owned (BoB) on Friday said its board has approved proposal to raise up to Rs 4,000 crore from bonds to fund business expansion.

The board of the bank in its meeting held today "approved raising of Basel III compliant Additional Tier I (AT-1) capital up to Rs 4,000 crore subject to applicable regulatory approval", BoB said in a regulatory filing on stock exchanges.

The fundraising would be by way of a perpetual debt instrument from domestic of overseas markets in Indian rupees or foreign currency to Indian or foreign investors in one or more tranches depending upon the market conditions, it said.

Under the Basel-III norms, AT-1 bonds come with loss absorbency features, meaning that in case of stress, can write off such investments or convert them into common equity if approved by the RBI.

AT-1 bonds, which qualify as core or equity capital, are one of the means of raising capital by public sector to meet the global norms on capital adequacy (Basel III).

This will be over and above Rs 3,000 crore already approved by board at its meeting held on May 27, 2017, it said.
Gold demand across major centres in Asia were subdued ahead of the holiday weekend as a modest rebound in prices weighed on investor appetite.

Spot rebounded to the highest in two weeks at $1,268.91 on Thursday after sinking to a five-month low last week.

In top consumer China, premiums quoted this week were about $10 an ounce to the global benchmark, little changed from last week's $9-$10 range.

"There hasn't been much activity because we've already seen lower levels," said Ronald Leung, chief dealer at Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong.

There was also little demand due to a stronger yuan this week, Leung said.

Hong Kong premiums were unchanged from the previous week between 70 cents and $1.40.

In Tokyo, gold was sold at par to a 25-cent premium to spot this week, largely unchanged due to a quiet market ahead of the year-end holidays, a Tokyo-based trader said.

Gold demand in India also remained muted due to sluggish retail purchases.

"Retail consumers are in holiday mood," said Ketan Shroff, managing director of Mumbai-based bullion dealer Penta Gold, with traffic having fallen in jewellery showrooms.

"Jewellers are also taking a break. They will become active only in the first week of January," Shroff said.

Dealers in India were offering a discount of up to $2 an ounce this week over official domestic prices, unchanged from the previous week. The domestic price includes a 10 percent import tax.

In some pockets of southern India, retail demand is likely to improve during Christmas, but that would not offset declines elsewhere in the country, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a private bank.

"In the last few days, have recovered, but buyers are not sure about the upside. They think prices could fall again," the dealer said.

Local have risen 1.6 percent since falling to 28,055 rupees per 10 grams last week, the lowest level since July 17.

India's gold imports in November nearly halved from a year ago, industry officials and analysts said.

(Reporting by Apeksha Nair in BENGALURU and Rajendra Jadhav in MUMBAI; Editing by Tom Hogue)
The logo of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is pictured on the premises of its headquarters in Mumbai (Photo: Reuters)
The first round of the Afghanistan-China-Pakistan trilateral foreign ministers' talks will be held in Beijing on Tuesday (December 26).

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif will attend the meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said.

"As a common neighbour and friend of Afghanistan and Pakistan, China always supports Afghanistan and Pakistan to live in friendship and achieve common development," Tolo News quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, as saying.

She said that during the Chinese foreign minister's visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan in June, the three countries agreed to establish the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' trilateral dialogue mechanism, which will serve as a platform to enhance talks and cooperation among the three states.

Hua said the three countries will have in-depth discussions on three topics: mutual political trust and reconciliation, development cooperation and connectivity, and security cooperation and counter-terrorism.

She said they hope the talks would build consensus, enhance mutual trust, promote improvement of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday called the No Confidence Motion passed by the Congress in the state Assembly against the government as "disappointing and weak".

Addressing the media, Singh said that he hasn't seen such an unprepared proposal in the last 15 years.

"I haven't seen such an unprepared proposal in the last 15 years. This shows Congress' disappointment and frustration. They are raising such issues which have already been rejected by the court. I don't think they have put forth their issues after proper introspection. We will still give a fitting reply to them. Their confidence motion is very disappointing and weak so was it presentation," he added.

On Wednesday, the Congress moved a no confidence motion in the Chhattisgarh assembly against the Singh's government.

On the second day of the four-day winter session, speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal read out the opposition notice for the motion that expressed no confidence in the council of ministers.

In the motion, the Congress has listed 200 points to target the BJP government mainly on the issues of farmers' suicide, alleged PDS scam, bonus to farmers, arrests of journalist and law and order.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday approached Delhi High Court against meat exporter Moin Qureshi's bail in a money laundering case.

The matter is likely to be heard on reopening of courts after winter vacation.

Moin Qureshi, who was arrested on August 25 after a case was filed against him last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the charges of illegal forex dealings and tax evasion, was granted bail by a Delhi Court on December 12.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court dismissed Qureshi's bail plea and said that there was no illegality in Qureshi's arrest.

While opposing Qureshi's plea, the ED and the Centre contested that "questioning of his arrest was an 'abuse' of the legal process" and told the court that there were serious charges of hawala transactions against him.

Qureshi is accused of hawala transactions through Delhi-based hawala operators Parvez Ali of Turkman Gate and M/s South Delhi Money Changer (DAMINI) in Greater Kailash-1.

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Four terrorists were gunned down by security forces in separate search operations conducted in the Sibbi and Turbat areas of Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

According to the ISPR, the Frontier Constabulary of Balochistan conducted a search operation in the northern mountainous areas of Sibbi on suspicion of the presence of terrorists after reports were received of threatening calls being made to locals.

In an exchange of fire that followed, two terrorists were killed, reports Geo TV.

In another operation in a remote area of Turbat, the security forces gunned down two terrorists who were hiding in a secret location, the ISPR statement added.

Weapons and explosives were recovered from the site.

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It's time for all travel bloggers to pack their bags and get set to go on a journey that is as spectacular as the destination.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in association with the tourism departments of the States of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corpn. Ltd. is organizing 'The Great Indian Blog Train' that will allow travel bloggers from across the world experience a train journey befitting the royal past of a land varied, rich and expansive in its grandeur, India.

So, if you got the zing to write and love to travel, you can get yourself registered starting now till 5 January, 2018 and the selection list will be published on 7 January, 2018.

The journey will have four luxury trains - Palace On Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Golden Chariot and Maharaja's Express, that will take 60 bloggers on a 7N/8D journey across India's finest historical destinations spread across Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The most sought-after destinations have been picked and an itinerary has been created to give you the best memories to take back home.

Be it Rajasthan's royal forts and palaces, Hampi's mesmerizing ruins or the statuesque Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, dynamic history and heritage await you in every corner of India.

This is where the past and the present co-exist and nurture the country's heritage.The finest luxury trains have been selected to take you on a voyage that you'd want to treasure forever.

The unforgettable journey will begin on 7th, 10th and 19th February filled with lots of amusement and magnificence. All you need to do is register yourself on the Great Indian Blog Train website and tell us why you want to visit the country.

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State-sponsored terrorism emanating from Pakistan can effectively be countered with India, Russia and China jointly demonstrating a real scope for cooperation to address this challenge as trilateral commitment, says an expert

In a blog, Bharath Gopalaswamy, director of the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, however, believes that this trilateral commitment to an "anti-terror formulation" remains little more than symbolic. But, he adds that there is real scope for cooperation between three of the world's most influential emerging economies on this issue.

Gopalswamy further opines that Pakistan's security establishment views home-grown terrorist groups as a way to create strategic depth in its neighbourhood-particularly in India and Afghanistan.

"As a result, a broad spectrum of terrorist groups has found sanctuary in Pakistan. Among them, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was perhaps the most famous Pakistani resident. He was killed by US Special Forces in his mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011," he adds.

The first step toward addressing the terrorist threat emanating from Pakistan is for all relevant regional parties to acknowledge the core issues.

He says that from Washington's perspective, continuing with the status quo where terrorist organisations are allowed to find safe haven inside of Pakistan, is simply unacceptable.

From India's perspective, the fate of Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai that killed 166 people, including six US citizens, is of paramount importance.

Gopalaswamy says U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was right when he recently told an audience at the Atlantic Council that Pakistan's leadership must eliminate terrorist safe havens, warning that a failure to do so could cause them to "lose control of their own country."

Tillerson, he says, is on record as mentioning that Washington is engaged with Islamabad to ensure that its expectations and concerns are addressed by the latter.

The release from house arrest of Hafiz Saeed, the chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the co-founder of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, Gopalaswamy says is also a cause for concern.

"The gradual implementation of Saeed's creed into Pakistan's political fabric demonstrates the Pakistani political and military elite's intention to legitimise extremism within the country's institutional framework," he suggests.

He concludes by saying that the recently held Russia-India-China (RIC) summit in New Delhi could usher in a new era in regional counter-terrorism strategy.

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Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death probe commission on Friday summoned All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary V.K. Sasikala and Apollo Hospitals Founder-Chairman Pratap Reddy.

A 20-second video clipping, which was released on December 20 by disqualified MLA P. Vetrivel, a loyalist of ousted AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran, has resulted in a political storm.

The ruling party is questioning the timing, as it was released a day ahead of assembly by-poll of RK Nagar seat, for which Dhinakaran is contesting as an Independent candidate.

In the video, a frail Jayalalithaa can be seen on a bed. She has an I-V drip attached to her right hand.

However, Reddy had reiterated that his doctors did their best while treating the late chief minister.

Jayalalithaa, popularly known as 'Amma', was taken to Chennai's Apollo hospital on September 22 last year and treated in the hospital for 75 days before she breathed her last on December 5.

Following her death, allegations of foul play began to do the rounds and state forest minister Dindigul Sreenivasan even claimed that all cabinet ministers had lied to the people about hospitalisation and death of the former AIADMK general secretary.

Subsequently, a one-man commission was constituted and a probe under a retired Madras High Court judge, Justice Arumugasamy, was initiated on October 30.

The commission, whose constitution was challenged in the Supreme Court through a plea, which the apex court later rejected, will submit its findings early next year.

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A special court of the Investigating Agency (NIA) on Friday extended the judicial custody of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's son Syed Shahid Yousuf till December 22 in connection with a terror-funding case.

The court had last month extended Yousuf's judicial custody till December 22.

Yosuf was arrested by the NIA in October after he was found receiving and collecting funds through international wire money transfer from Saudi Arabia-based Hizbul Mujahideen member Aijaz Ahmed Bhat.

He was also suspended by the Jammu and Kashmir Government from his agriculture department job in the state.

The NIA has already filed two charge sheets against six other accused in this case in 2011.

Out of these accused, two are in custody and others, including Salahuddin, are absconding and residing in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

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After a string of sexual misconduct allegations against actor Kevin Spacey, director Ridley Scott reshot his newest movie 'All the money in the World' with Christopher Plummer, replacing Spacey in the lead role of the movie.

But now, the film's actress Michelle Williams has revealed that she and other actors re-filmed their scenes in the movie for free, according to Contactmusic.com.

In a recent interview, Williams said, "I just thought that this experience that we had all treasured was going to be essentially flushed down the toilet."

While speaking of director Ridley Scott, the actress noted that she was really thrilled to know about the change of plans for the flick.

"I hated that this man's time and expertise and gentlemanly-ness was going to be kind of for naught, so when I got the phone call about the change of plans I was thrilled. They could have my salary, they could have my holiday, whatever they wanted. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort," explained Williams.

Michelle plays devoted mother Gail whose 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped.

She must begin a desperate attempt to convince his billionaire grandfather (Plummer) to pay the ransom.

The movie is slated to release on December 25 in the US.

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The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has arrested 28 Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing illegally in the country's territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

Geo News quoted a PMSA spokesperson as saying that the PMSA carried out an operation in the open sea during which 28 Indian fishermen were arrested and five of their vessels were seized on charges of illegal fishing.

The spokesperson added that the fishermen were handed over to the Docks Police for further legal action.

Earlier this month, 43 Indian fishermen were arrested for entering Pakistan's territorial waters.

Pakistan on Thursday decided to release 291 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds in two phases starting from next week, Radio Pakistan reported.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal in Islamabad said the fishermen will be released in the first phase on 29th of this month and on the 8th of next month.

The Indian and Pakistani forces often detain each other's fishermen for trespassing territorial waters.

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Patna has been decked up for 'Shukrana Samaroh', the concluding ceremony of Guru Gobind Singh's 350th birthday.

The 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh which is also known as 'Prakash Parv' had begun on December 2016 and will conclude on December 25, 2017.

Guru Gobind Singh was born in Bihar's Patna on December 22, 1666 and his birth place has been converted into Takht Sri Patna Sahib Gurdwara.

At least three lakh devotees are expected to attend the main functions from December 23 to December 25 in Patna, Bihar.

Bihar government has declared it as an official function. Since the main Gurudwara is quite narrow, the government has made arrangements of the event to take place in different areas where tent cities have been erected.

Arrangements have been made to accommodate fifty thousand people in tent cities. So far, ten thousand devotees have come from different countries and abroad.

Meanwhile, all kinds of caution have been taken up for the safety and security of the devotees. Several teams of NDRF have been set up to fight any disaster during the 'Shukrana Samaroh'.

The main programme is scheduled to be held on December 25 in the Diwan Hall of Patna Sahib gurdwara.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi, who is here to hold 20th round of annual boundary negotiations with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

The Chinese envoy met the prime minister at his official residence here.

Earlier today, Doval and his Chinese counterpart held talks over boundary issues.

The meeting was held almost four months after the 73-day-long military stand-off between the troops of the two nations ended at the Doklam plateau.

Last Doval and Jiechi met during the BRICS summit in Xiamen in September.

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Rahul Gandhi is likely to chair the first Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting as the party president on Friday.

The CWC will discuss the current political situation, including the consequences of the Congress's strong performance in the Gujarat Assembly elections for the party in future.

The 2G spectrum allocation case verdict delivered yesterday by a Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, acquitting all the accused, will also be discussed.

Rahul succeeded his mother Sonia Gandhi and took over as the Congress president, on December 16. He was officially declared the party president in a ceremony held at the party's 24 Akbar Road headquarters here.
The Delhi High Court on Friday will continue to hear the case of alleged sexual assault of women and minor girls in the residential facility of an ashram cum meditation centre in Rohini area of Delhi.

Yesterday the High Court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the case.

The high court transferred the case to probe agency in view of its serious nature.

A court-appointed committee informed the court that they recovered around 40 mobile phones, 12 memory cards and a few letters, all of which have been sealed now.

The court was hearing a plea filed by an NGO, Foundation of Social Empowerment, alleging that the girls living in the premises of the educational institution were not allowed to leave the area or meet their respective families.

Taking note of this, the High Court had asked the police, Delhi government and Delhi Commission for Women, to visit the place and assess the situation.

Family of one of the victims had alleged that they have not been allowed to meet her since 2015.

An alleged victim had stated in the court that the people in the ashram tried to brainwash the resident girls and women, and sexually assaulted them under the pretext of religion.

She further alleged that the victims were brainwashed into believing that no wrong was committed and the aggressors were manifestations of God.

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After over 40 girls were rescued from Rohini's Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya on Thursday, Ashram's neighbours have shared some detailed memory of the so called 'Spiritual University'.

One of the Ashram's neighbours on Friday said during the last two decades, numerous complainants had been made to the police but no action was taken in the matter.

"I was also threatened for raising my voice in the media, but I was not afraid. I wanted to save innocent girls.I never went there. There are almost seven to eight gates, which used to remain locked," the woman, who did not want to be named, said.

Recounting another incident, she said, "One of my friend's daughter was raped around two and a half months ago. And each time we approached the police, they asked us to give us proof. The victim said, in the ashram, there were groups of girls based on their ages."

Echoing similar sentiments, another neighbor said she has many at times saw girls going inside the ashram and never returning.

A former routine visitor of the ashram said, "I came here in 1999. The Baba (Virendra Dev Dixit) used to manipulate us so much that you would start calling your wife your sister. I left going there after realizing that it is not working for my family."

Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court indicated that warrant would be issued against the controversial godman Virendra Dev Dikshit, the head of the university, who is under scanner after several cases of sexual assault and forced confinement of minor girls were filed against him by two female devotees.

The high court also sought details regarding all eight ashrams linked to the godman.

Yesterday, a raid was conducted by the high court-appointed team of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) along with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the Delhi Police.

The rescued girls, who were sent to the shelter homes, will now be counselled.

Meanwhile, the police were further probing the matter.

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Outlining United States President Donald Trump's strategy in Afghanistan, Vice President Mike Pence has said that Pakistan has been providing a safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations for too long but now those days are over as President Trump has put Islamabad on notice.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organizations, but those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence told the U.S. troops during his surprise trip to Bagram Air Base on Thursday.

" As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," he added.

The trip, planned in secret for safety reasons, comes four months after Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan and is also Pence's first visit to the region since taking office as the U.S. Vice President.

He said that America is making "real progress" in Afghanistan and have prevented the Taliban from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years.

"President Trump and I are proud to see that this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan. And the American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan," Pence said.

"We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive. We've prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. We've targeted the Taliban's funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks," he further said.

Pence told the U.S. soldiers that they have been given new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide.

He said the Trump administration has lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of American armed forces so that they can fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy.

Pence also met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to discuss President Trump's Asia strategy.

He reaffirmed America's commitment to stand with the Afghan people.

"Important meeting w/ Afghanistan's Pres. @ashrafghani & @afgexecutive to discuss @POTUS' S. Asia strategy & to reaffirm our commitment to stand w/ the Afghan people, to stand up to terrorists that have found a safe haven here & to make it clear that the resolve of the U.S is firm," Pence tweeted.

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, during his inaugural trip to Pakistan, reiterated U.S. President Donald Trump's message that Islamabad must increase its efforts to eradicate the militants and terrorists operating within the country.

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At least three militants, belonging to the Taliban insurgent group, were killed in airstrikes carried out by the United States forces in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The Khaama Press quoted the provincial government as saying on Friday that the airstrikes were carried out in the vicinity of Ghani Khel district.

In the airstrikes, several weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also destroyed, the statement added.

Taliban has not commented on the airstrikes so far.

Last Friday, a senior leader of the Taliban group was arrested and four Taliban insurgents were killed during a night raid conducted by the Afghan Special Forces in eastern Nangarhar province.

The operation was conducted in the vicinity of the restive Khogyani district, reported Khaama Press, citing the provincial government media office as saying in a statement.

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A federal appeals court in Virginia has ruled against the Trump administration's efforts to delay accepting transgender recruits into the military.

The order is just the latest in several legal battles against Trump's ban on trans troops.

In a two-paragraph order, the three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that it is denying the administration's request to delay the Jan. 1 deadline, without further explanation, reported the Hill.

The United States Defense Department has allowed the military to begin accepting transgender recruits starting January 1 next year, following a federal court ruling in the matter.

Trump made an announcement about the ban on Twitter in July and followed through with a memo in August.

Four lawsuits were filed against the ban, and so far, judges in three of them have said the ban cannot take effect while the cases work their way through the courts. The judge in the fourth has not yet ruled, the report said.

Outlining how the military will process transgender recruits, the Pentagon issued a memo on December 8, specifying what documents will be accepted to prove gender identity and which underwear they will be required to wear.

There are an estimated 250 transgender troops currently serving the United States Armed Forces, according to the media reports.

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Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has urged the United States to treat both Islamabad and New Delhi on an equal footing.

Addressing the Senate's Standing Committee on External Affairs on Friday, Janjua expressed deep concern over U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's comments about Pakistan during his unannounced visit to Afghanistan and said his remarks were worrisome.

The United States should take into consideration Pakistan's concerns, and treat both Pakistan and India equally, Geo News quoted Janjua as saying.

She reiterated that Pakistan wants to resolve all issues through negotiations with India.

Outlining United States President Donald Trump's strategy in Afghanistan, Pence had said that Pakistan has been providing a safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations for too long but now those days are over as President Trump has put Islamabad on notice.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organizations, but those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence told the U.S. troops during his surprise trip to Bagram Air Base on Thursday.

"As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," he added.

The trip, planned in secret for safety reasons, comes four months after Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan and is also Pence's first visit to the region since taking office as the U.S. Vice President.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Vice President Mike Pence has made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan to meet with Afghan leaders and visit US troops ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Pence, who landed at Bagram Airfield under heavy security, told the troops that the United States is "making real progress" and they have "put the Taliban on the offensive."

"I believe victory is closer than ever before. I believe with all my heart that Afghanistan will be free," Fox News reported, citing Pence, as saying.

Pence also met Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Dr. Adbullah Abdullah.

His surprise visit comes four months after Trump outlined a new strategy to break the stalemate in America's longest war.

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Vijay Rupani on Friday has been announced as the chief minister of Gujarat.

Nitin Patel will also continue as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

Meanwhile, Rupani supporters are celebrating outside the BJP office in Gujarat's Gandhinagar.

Rupani, Patel and other ministers had on Thursday submitted their resignation to Governor O.P. Kohlidays after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a victory in the Gujarat assembly elections.

The BJP won the election for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly on Monday, claiming a clear majority of 99 seats.

The Congress Party trailed in second with 77 seats, followed by the Bharatiya Tribal Party (two) and NCP (one), while independent candidates won three seats.

Rupani secured a comfortable win from Rajkot West seat by 1,31,586 votes, which is the largest constituency in the Saurashtra region.

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Canara Bank rose 2.16% to Rs 376.30 at 11:05 IST on BSE after the company said it plans to pare stake in Can Fin Homes.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 December 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 188.11 points, or 0.56% to 33,944.39.

On the BSE, 77,000 shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 1.22 lakh shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 377.25 and a low of Rs 370 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 463.40 on 26 October 2017. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 250.26 on 2 January 2017 .

Canara Bank said it proposes to offload 4% stake in Canfin Homes (CFHL) through empanelled merchant bankers/ investment bankers. The post deal stake holding by Canara Bank in CFHL will be 26%.

Canara Bank's net profit fell 27.1% to Rs 260.18 crore on 1.58% decline in total income to Rs 11994.64 crore in Q2 September 2017 over Q2 September 2016.

The Government of India held 66.29% stake in Canara Bank as per the shareholding pattern as on 30 September 2017.

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HDFC announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to transfer its entire shareholding in HDFC Realty, a real estate brokerage platform; and, HDFC Developers (which runs the HDFC RED platform) to Quikr, India's market leader in digital classified business. HDFC has also acquired an equity stake in Quikr India. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 December 2017.

HDFC Realty is HDFC's offline brokerage business with a presence across residential and commercial properties as well as consulting and valuation services. RED is an online real estate classifieds platform with 7,000 project listings on its platform. It generates traffic of over 80,000 unique visitors per month.

With 30 million monthly users, Quikr is India's largest classifieds platform that runs multiple vertical businesses across real estate, automobiles, jobs, services and goods. Its real estate vertical 'Quikr Homes' generates 3.5 million monthly unique visitors. The company has rapidly established itself as a leader in digital real estate.

Post integration of HDFC Realty and RED, Quikr will become India's leading online-to-offline real estate platform, and offer consumers end-to-end home buying services.

Canara Bank said it proposes to offload 4% stake in Canfin Homes (CFHL) through empanelled merchant bankers/ investment bankers. The post deal stake holding by Canara Bank in CFHL will be 26%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 December 2017.

Navin Fluorine International said that its board approved a capital expenditure of Rs 115 crore towards creating additional current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) capacity and associated infrastructure at its Dewas facilities in Madhya Pradesh. The expanded capacity will be utilized for the company's expanding contract manufacturing activity for the value added complex chemicals and fluoro intermediates manufactured for innovator pharma companies across the globe. The investment in expansion of the capacity is based on customer enquiries and discussions and in anticipation of future research pipeline of innovators. The new capacity addition will be similar to the company's existing multi product plant configuration with multistage batch and products processing capabilities. The new capacity is expected to come on stream by June 2019. The capital investment of Rs 115 crore will be funded through a combination of internal accruals and debt. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 December 2017.

Dalmia Bharat said creditors approved its resolution plan for Murli Industries. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 December 2017.

Dalmia Bharat announced that the Committee of Creditors (CoC) of Murli Industries (MIL), constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 on 20 December 2017 approved the proposed Resolution Plan (RP) submitted by subsidiary, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) (DCBL), for recommendation to National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai for its approval in relation to revival of MIL. Following receipt of requisite approvals, the RP provides for a payment of Rs 402 crore which is 1.7 times higher than the determined liquidation value.

MIL has an integrated cement manufacturing plant with an installed capacity of 3 million tonne (MnT) in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra along with a captive thermal power plant of 50 MW. In addition MIL also has paper and solvent extraction units in Maharashtra. MIL was referred to the corporate insolvency resolution process by its lenders in April 2017 under the provisions of the Code.

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Two Palestinians were killed on Friday in clashes with the Israeli army in Gaza amid another round of protests against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Zakaria al-Kafarneh, 24, and Mohammed Nabil Muhaisen, 29, were fatally shot and more than 70 other people wounded as protesters tried to get through a fence to throw stones across the border into Israel, Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman for Gaza's Health Ministry, said, Efe reported.

Yehia Sinwar, a senior Hamas official, issued a call on Thursday for more protests across the Palestinian territories against Trump's move on Jerusalem.

Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron set fire to tires and American flags.

In Bethlehem, clashes erupted between rock-throwing protesters and Israeli forces, who responded with tear gas in scenes captured by epa photographers.

On Thursday a majority of member-states voted in the UN General Assembly to condemn Trump's decision on Jerusalem.

--IANS

ahm/

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Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Friday stressed on accelerating the pace of police reforms to face new challenges in future.

He also asked the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) to focus on setting up of national level police technology development and information centre in Delhi and Bengaluru.

At the inaugural session of the "Visionary Summit" under the Dr Anandswarup Gupta Memorial Lecture Series) organised by BPR&D, Rijiju called for the institutionalisation of an independent and effective police complaints authority.

The Minister said that BPR&D should set up National Police University National Police Technology Development Centre at IIT Delhi and the National Police Information Technology Centre in Bengaluru, underlining training as an integral part of police modernisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also called for reorientation of the police forces to face the new challenges, he said.

The Minister also called for tangible results ahead of the All-India Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police to be held at the Border Security Force training academy at Tekanpur near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh soon.

Pointing out that there is no room for complacency, Rijiju said some sections have voiced concern over the erratic funding under the modernisation of police force programme since its devolution to the states.

In his address, Director General, BPR&D, A.P. Maheshwari said there is a need for social audit of how the police responds to different situations. "The BPR&D feels the police should be more 'people oriented'," he said.

--IANS

rak/him/vd

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Five-time Congress legislator in Tripura, Ratan Lal Nath, accompanied by a large number of party leaders and workers on Friday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reducing the Congress' strength in the assembly from the original 10 to only 2.

After months of hobnobbing, Nath, former Opposition Leader of Tripura assembly, joined the BJP in the presence of the party's General Secretary Ram Madhav, Assam Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Parimal Sukla Baidya, Tripura BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb and a host of party leaders.

On August 7, six axed Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs, led by Sudip Roy Barman joined the BJP. The six legislators quit the Congress and joined the TMC in June last year, protesting against the party's alliance with the Left parties before the West Bengal assembly polls.

The six MLAs were recognised as BJP party legislators in the Tripura assembly by Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath on December 8.

Another Congress MLA Jitendra Sarkar, after resigning from the assembly, joined the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) earlier this year. Sarkar also recently joined the BJP.

Addressing the gathering, Ram Madhav said the BJP would oust the ruling CPI-M led Left Front in February's assembly elections.

"After the joining of a large number of leaders and workers from Congress, CPI-M and other parties in the last one year, the BJP for the first time in the history of Tripura raised a 'Battle Cry' to turn Tripura as the 20th BJP and alliance party ruled state in India," Ram Madhav said.

"Tripura's future would be bright if the BJP comes to power in the state. BJP is the future of India. BJP and its allies are now ruling 19 states in India where country's 80 per cent people live," he added.

Besides the 71-year-old Congress MLA, several party leaders including Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) councillor Himani Debbarma and two CPI-M local leaders -- Lal Mohan Sarkar and Shantanu Singha -- on Friday also joined the BJP, as claimed by the party.

After the recognition of the six legislators as BJP members, the Tripura Assembly got its first BJP members since the northeastern state got a legislative body -- a 32-member Territorial Council 60 years ago in 1957.

The CPI-M-led Left Front has 51 members and the Congress now only two members in the 60-member house.

Ratan Lal Nath along with six MLAs voted for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's nominee Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential election on July 17.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress in a letter to the assembly speaker requested him to "cancel the membership of Ratan Lal Nath" at once.

Tripura Pradesh Congress Vice President Pijush Kanti Biwas told the media that Nath and Himani Debbarma have no morality in their and they should resign from the state assembly and AMC before joining the BJP.

--IANS

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Scheduled commercial banks including "select financial institutions" lost Rs 16,789 crore due to frauds in 2016-17, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla told the Lok Sabha, in a written reply, that the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) "Fraud Monitoring Reports" showed that an "amount lost on account of frauds during 2016-17 was Rs 16,789 crore".

On the question about the impact of cyber crimes on the banking system and the ways to combat it, he said: "An inter-disciplinary Standing Committee on Cyber Security has been constituted by RBI, comprising, inter alia, of academia, information security audit or forensic or cybersecurity experts."

"The committee reviews, inter alia, threats inherent in the existing or emerging technology, and suggests appropriate policy interventions to strengthen cybersecurity and resilience framework in the banking system."

--IANS

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West Bengal expects its exports to touch Rs 75,000 crore to Rs 80,000 crore by 2019-20, a Minister said on Friday.

According to State Finance and Commerce Minister, Amit Mitra, Bengal's export turnover grew to Rs 53,649 crore in 2016-17 against Rs 47,857 crore in 2015-16.

"The growth has been over 10.49 per cent. At a compounded annual rate of growth over the three years, I am hoping by 2019-20, the exports turnover to be over Rs 75,000 crore," Mitra said at an exports excellence awards ceremony organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations Eastern Region here on Thursday evening.

Mitra said micro, small and medium enterprises relating to exports of textiles, gems and jewellery, leather and foundry provided as many as 17.70 lakh employments in the state during the last fiscal.

He pointed out that gems and jewellery, leather, iron and steel and many others sectors, including 10 exports items were contributing over 63 per cent share in state's exports.

The state provides exports opportunities, not only in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, but also strategic markets in Asean countries, he said.

--IANS

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which fell one short of a ton in the Gujarat Assembly elections, on Friday managed to reach the three figure mark with the support of an independent, who was actually from the Congress.

Ratansinh Rathore, the newly-elected independent legislator from Lunawada constituency, has sent a letter to the Governor of Gujarat, O.P. Kohli, declaring his intent of lending support to the BJP government.

Rathore was a Congressman for over two decades, but was denied a ticket to contest from Lunawada constituency by the grand old party. The Congress instead fielded Paranjayadityasinhji Parmar for the seat. Rathore therefore decided to contest independently. Rathore was later expelled from the Congress as he had refused to withdraw his nomination from the election.

Rathore won the election, beating the nearest BJP rival Manojkumar Patel by a margin of 3,200 votes, fetching 55,098 votes. Paranjayadityasinhji Parmar came third with 47,093 votes.

There were also whispers that another independent Bhupendrasinh Khant, winner of the Morva Hadaf constituency seat, would be lending support to the BJP. Khant, however, later denied having taken any such decision.

Other than the ruling BJP party with 99 seats and the opposition Congress with 77, only three candidates have won the state assembly elections as independents. Two seats were won by the newly-formed Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) led by tribal strongman Chhotubhai Vasava.

The third independent candidate is Dalit agitation leader Jignesh Mevani, who won from Vadgam with support from Congress. He has already made his intent clear of not joining any political party and instead remain the lone 'activist' voice in the Assembly.

--IANS

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A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Karachi to Gwadar on Friday was delayed after a pilot informed the control tower about "possible danger" - which turned out to be a cat in the cockpit, airport officials said.

On the pilot's "tip-off", officials from Airport Security Force, Civil Aviation Authority and firefighters rushed to the plane, Xinhua reported.

The rescue and security teams started a search operation inside the cockpit, while others stood alert outside the plane to control any untoward situation.

However, it was only a cat, hiding inside the cockpit, and once it was driven away, the plane was allowed to take off.

Airlines spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said that investigations are on as to how the animal sneaked into the plane.

--IANS

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Catalonia's ousted leader Carles Puigdemont on Friday called for new talks with Spain after separatist parties won a slim majority in a regional election.

He said he wanted the negotiations in Brussels, where he is living in self-imposed exile, or in another EU country. However, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy later appeared to reject the idea, the BBC reported.

Rajoy said he would hold talks with the head of the new Catalan government but that leader would have to take up their post in Catalonia itself.

Millions headed to the polls in Thursday's crucial vote on the regional parliament, which was called by Madrid after it declared October's Catalan independence referendum illegal. The turnout was more than 80 per cent, a record for a Catalan regional election.

Rajoy deposed Catalonia's regional government after it made an illegal declaration of independence following the referendum in October.

The Prime Minister avoided naming Puigdemont, adding that the winner of Thursday's election was Ines Arrimadas, the leader of the Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain.

The anti-independence Citizens party is now the region's biggest party although pro-independence parties are best placed to form a government. It secured 25.3 per cent of the vote, winning 37 seats in the 135-seat chamber.

"Catalonia wants to be an independent state," said Puigdemont, speaking in Belgium on Friday. "This is the wish of the Catalan people. I think the plan of (Spanish Prime Minister) Mariano Rajoy is not working, so we have to find new ways to tackle this crisis."

Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) recorded its worst ever result in Thursday's vote. He had hoped that the poll would restore stability and said the Spanish government was "willing to talk in a realistic way and inside the law" with a future Catalan government.

"I offer Catalonia this because we care about the people" he said.

With nearly all the votes counted, the pro-independence parties Together for Catalonia (JxCat), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Popular Unity (CUP) were on course to win a total of 70 seats, giving them a majority in the new parliament.

Citizens party leader Arrimadas told the BBC that her party had been "victorious". She said forming a coalition would be "difficult -- but we will try".

Agusti Alcoberro, vice president of the Catalan National Assembly, said: "We can say that pro-independence forces have won the elections."

The European Commission said that its stance towards Catalonia remained the same, despite the election result. The executive arm of the EU previously stated that events in Catalonia were an internal issue of Spain.

--IANS

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Hundreds of Congress workers in Delhi staged a demonstration against the BJP outside Parliament on Friday, demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "spreading lies" against the previous UPA government.

The protest comes a day after the acquittal of all the accused in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

"Yesterday (Thursday) the court verdict on 2G scam case has proved that the way in which the BJP and others accused the UPA government... (it) has exposed all," Delhi Congress President Ajay Maken told reporters.

He said the court in its verdict said that the "entire case was based on gossips and rumours".

"The CAG claimed that the scam was worth Rs 1.76 lakh crore, while the CBI in court said that the scam was worth Rs 30,000 crore, and then another official said that the scam was worth Rs 3,000 crore," he said.

The former Union Minister also said that it was a Supreme Court-monitored probe, and a detailed report on the status of the case was sent on timely basis.

"Even the public prosecutor was appointed by the Supreme Court.

"Today we want to say that Modi, BJP and Kejriwal should apologise to the nation," Maken said, adding the party will keep on agitating till the time they don't apologise.

On Thursday, a Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court acquitted all the accused, including former Telecom Minister A. Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi, in the alleged multi-crore 2G spectrum case.

Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, Maken said: "The first-come first-serve policy was brought by the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and 22 licenses were allotted then.

"If someone spoke against the first-come first-serve policy, it was (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh, who had suggested that this policy should go and the auction system should start.

"But the idea of auctioning was opposed by Nripendra Mishra, who was then TRAI Chairman. He is the Principal Secretary to Modi today," he said.

Maken also slammed social activist Anna Hazare and others for protesting against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government that time.

"They all protested against the UPA government, and now seeing their protest one can only say that 'chor machaye shor' (the real wrongdoers created a furore)," Maken added.

--IANS

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Cuban President Raul Castro on Thursday affirmed that he will leave office in April 2018, when the country's new national legislature convenes to elect a leader for the next five years.

"When the National Assembly convenes, I will conclude my second and last mandate as leader of the state and government, and Cuba will have a new president," Xinhua quoted Castro as saying.

The Cuban parliament approved on Thursday a decision to extend Castro's mandate for two more months until April, 2018, citing the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Irma to the country in September.

Raul Castro, who took over power from his brother Fidel Castro in 2008 and was re-elected to a second term in 2013, has overseen the modernization of Cuba's socialist system and spearheaded a series of reforms.

--IANS

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Automobile major Maruti Suzuki has said that electric vehicles (EV) are a necessity for India as it would reduce the country's dependence on crude oil imports.

Maruti Suzuki's Chairman R.C. Bhargava told BTVI in an interview that going forward the increase in the number of cars using fossil fuels will lead to an enormous rise in crude oil imports and dependence.

However, a shift towards EVs can reduce the crude oil dependence, as fossil fuels will be replaced with electricity that can be generated via solar or coal-fired power plants, Bhargava told BTVI on Thursday.

According to Bhargava, the company will conduct a survey to find out the requirements of potential EV customers.

The findings of the study will also give insights into the kind of government incentives that might be required to bring the cost of EVs down, he said.

The automobile major plans to launch its first EV by 2020.

The central government envisions 100 per cent EVs for public mobility and 40 per cent for personal mobility by 2030.

--IANS

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State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Friday said it has received a Request for Proposal (RFP) for supply of 15 Light Combat Helicopters from the Indian Air Force and Indian Army.

"We have received a RFP for 15 limited series of LCH from the IAF and Indian Army today (Friday)," said the city-based HAL in a statement here.

The Defence Acquisition Council had in 2016 cleared 10 LCH for the air force and 5 for the army.

Designed and developed by HAL, the 5.5-tonne class chopper is powered by two Shakti aero engines and has many features of the indigenous Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) 'Dhruv'.

"The LCH has a sleek and narrow fuselage, tri-cycle crashworthy landing gear, self-sealing fuel tanks, armour protection and low visibility that makes it lethal, agile and survivable," said the statement.

The company has till date built four technology demonstrators of the LCH for flight testing. One of them also landed in forward bases at Siachen, located 5,400 metres above sea level.

"The LCH also participated in the IAF's 'Iron Fist' exercise in March 2016 and displayed its rocket firing capabilities in weaponized configuration," it said.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was then holding additional charge of Defence, launched the LCH production here on August 26.

The helicopter also has day/night targeting systems for the crew, including the helmet pointed sight and electro-optical pod.

"The LCH is fitted with self-protection suite, comprising radar, laser missile warning systems and counter-measures dispensing system," said HAL, adding it can conduct operational roles even under adverse weather conditions at different altitudes from sea level, hot weather desert and cold weather.

As a derivative of the ALH platform, the LCH was certified by defence regulator Cemilac on October 16, 2015 after extensive performance trials in all-weather conditions.

Known for its agility, the tandem twin-seat chopper is equipped for day-and-night combat operations, with digital camouflage system for stealth actions.

--IANS

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The Nationalist Congress Party on Friday asked the Election Commission to delete name of service voters from other Indian states and Nepal serving in various defence establishments who have become voters in Meghalaya.

"These service people have already enrolled as voters in their respective states and they should be the service voters of their state only. How can service people from other states and Nepal become voters of Meghalaya just because they are posted here," NCP General Secretary S.P. Thapa told journalists after interacting with top Election Commission officials

"Most of the people recruited in various defence establishments located in Meghalaya were from other states and even from Nepal," Thapa said, adding people from Nepal are being recruited in the Gorkha Training Centre here.

A full bench of the Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti arrived here on a two-day visit to review preparations for the upcoming assembly polls.

Election Commission officials had met leaders of various political parties to understand their mind on the conduct the 10th Assembly elections as the five-year term of the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly will expire on March 6.

Various parties demanded tallying of the votes polled (from the EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips in all the 3,082 polling stations during counting for the upcoming assembly elections considering Meghalaya is a small state with only 60 constituencies.

Joti and his team also reviewed the poll preparedness with Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police besides officials of the central armed police forces.

Last week, a five-member team of the Election Commission headed by Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar took stock of the state preparedness for the assembly elections.

--IANS

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India on Friday repatriated four Pakistani prisoners, who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed by Pakistan authorities, via the Attari-Wagah border.

"India attaches high priority to addressing all humanitarian issues, including early release and repatriation of Indian fishermen and prisoners in Pakistan's custody," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

It also stated that India has secured the release of 370 Indian prisoners, including 363 fishermen, in 2017.

The release of the Pakistani prisoners comes ahead of the visit of the mother and wife of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Indian national sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on alleged charges of espionage, to Pakistan.

Pakistan has issued visas to Jadhav's mother and wife to meet him in a Pakistani prison on December 25.

--IANS

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India has criticised the Security Council's impotency in confronting the threat in Afghanistan, which poses dangers beyond its borders.

"While new threats emerge from the IS/Daesh (Islamic State), the Security Council cannot even decide whether to designate the new leaders of Taliban(as global terrorists) or to freeze the assets of the slain leader of the group more than a year after the issue was brought to its attention," India's Deputy Permanent Representative Tanmaya Lal said during a Council debate on the situation in Afghanistan on Thursday.

Afghanistan has asked the UN to add the new Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada to the sanctions list.

He succeeded Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2016. However, the Council has not taken action against Akhundzada or frozen the assets of Mansour.

"The support for terrorist organisations like the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed from outside Afghanistan must be forced to stop," he said.

"All safe havens and sanctuaries available to such groups outside Afghan borders must end. Security Council has an important responsibility in this regard in our collective interest," Lal said.

He drew attention to the exploitation of opium by terrorist organisations in Afghanistan to raise funds "for perpetuating the cycle of terrorism".

"The international networks that control this illegal trade have to be identified and tackled," he said.

He suggested using the UN sanctions to stop the terrorist organisations from using the funds.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

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RSS leader Indresh Kumar on Friday attributed the occurrence of "love jihad" related incidents due to "religious appeasement" by the Congress and other parties.

"Which states have not reported incidences of 'love jihad'? Tolerance is the basic need. Is it not happening in Kerala, is it not happening in Bengal, is it not happening in Odisha? Everywhere it is happening," he said here in response to a media query on prime accused Shambhulal Raigar in the Rajasthan 'love jihad' case warning "those indulging in 'love jihad' will meet the same fate".

Afrajul, a labourer from West Bengal's Malda district, was seen being brutally hacked to death and set on fire in Rajasamand district of Rajasthan, for allegedly committing "love jihad".

"Basically, the fundamentalist approach to caste and religion is the problem. When everybody respects caste and religion, then the problem of conversions and 'love jihad' can be solved. Every state should take care of that... that there shouldn't be any violence and untoward incidences," said Indresh Kumar.

He claimed the reason for 'love jihad' was appeasement of religions for political gains.

"Everywhere it is happening because of the appeasement of religions by Congress and other partner parties for political reasons.

"Whenever there is conversion automatically hatred is generated which gives birth to violence. Every religion should condemn conversion. There is no need for conversion," he said.

Asked on the need for laws to stop conversion, the RSS leader said: "When there will be no conversion, there will be no hatred, anger and violence. If the need of a law is there (to stop conversion), such a law should be there. It should be the responsibility of all political and religious leaders. Only laws cannot stop it."

--IANS

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Motilal Nehru College (Morning) stayed its decision to sack three faculty members, including two who have been with the college for seven years, following a day-long demonstration by the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA).

Two teachers from Hindi and one from Computer Science department were terminated on Tuesday evening by the Delhi University college on the basis of UGC-mandated workload calculation allocated to each faculty member.

However, in a letter issued late on Thursday, the college authorities cancelled that decision and deferred it till the calculation is redone by the staff and approved by the governing body.

"This is for the information of all concerned that because of representation of staff association it has been decided to keep the termination of two ad hoc teachers in Hindi department and one in Computer Science department in abeyance."

"The final decision on this matter would be subjected to recalculation of the workload by all the departments and its due acceptance and forwarding by the staff council and final approval by the governing body," read the letter issued by Principal Subhasish Haldar.

The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) had picketed the college for most part of Thursday against the terminations, which it called "arbitrary" and a violation of "Delhi University Act, its Statute, and ordinances".

"The instances of removal of ad hoc teachers have increased lately. Few have been terminated in IP College and Gargi College as well. We just appeal to the university to not play with the careers of long-employed teachers," DUTA Vice President Sudhanshu Kumar told IANS.

He added that two of the teachers who were terminated are associated with Motilal College for more than seven years.

--IANS

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The issue price of the next offering of the Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) scheme opening on Tuesday has been revised slightly upwards to Rs 2,881 per gram, from Rs 2,866 in the previous week, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

For the SBG subscription during December 26-27, the issue price has been fixed at Rs 2,881 per gram, with settlement on the New Year, January 1, 2018, a RBI release said on Friday.

"The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to allow discount of Rs 50 per gram from the issue price to those investors who apply online and the payment is made through digital mode," it said.

The subscription period is from Monday to Wednesday every week, while the bonds will be issued on the succeeding Monday after each subscription period, it added.

The SGB 2017-18 - Series-III is open for public subscription from October 9 to December 27, 2017. Bonds under the scheme earn an interest of 2.50 per cent per annum, payable every six months on initial investment.

The bonds with a tenure of eight years and an exit option from the fifth year are sold through banks, post offices, Stock Holding Corporation of India and recognised stock exchanges -- National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

SGBs are denominated in multiples of gram of gold with a minimum unit of one gram and can also be held in demat form for ease of trading.

The scheme was launched in November 2015 as an alternative to purchasing physical gold and mobilise the idle gold held by households and institutions into productive use in the long run.

--IANS

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The Union government on Friday refused to declare, as a "national calamity", Cyclone Ockhi in which 74 people lost their lives and as many as 214 went missing when it struck Tamil Nadu and Kerala last month.

However, it acknowledged the cyclone as "rare and extraordinary" which turned into lethal cyclonic storm from deep depression within six hours.

"We can't declare it as national calamity as rules don't allow and the government has its own compulsions. However, the government has recognised it as a disaster of severe nature," said Home Minister Rajnath Singh said while responding to a debate in Lok Sabha over recent natural calamities across the country in view of the cyclone.

He also ruled out any enquiry into the alleged delay in issuing alerts, saying all the standard protocols were followed while issuing alerts.

"The Met Dept had issued a warning on November 29 itself and bulletins were issued after every three hours. It was a rare storm which developed from deep depression to lethal cyclonic storm in only six hours," Rajnath Singh said.

He added that alerts were issued and fishermen were warned 24 hours before.

Rajnath Singh said that a cyclonic storm which has a peculiar behavior cannot be predicted earlier.

"Whatever alert was available, the state was informed," he said assuring the house that there was no delay in bringing about rescue efforts.

Rajnath Singh also refuted the opposition's allegations that the government discriminated against Kerala and Tamil Nadu by deploying more National Disaster Relief Force teams in Gujarat.

"No need of any enquiry. This government can't be so inhuman. Teams were deployed as per the demand of state governments," he said.

Earlier, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of deploying seven teams of NDRF in Gujarat while deploying four in Kerala and three each in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Demanding an enquiry into the matter, Kharge also pulled up party leader Shashi Tharoor for praising central government's efforts as "extremely helpful".

Most of the members who spoke over the issue sought from the government to announce the cyclone as national disaster and demanded more compensation.

"Adequate compensation should be provided and government should take some structural steps so that money sent to state is used properly," Tharoor said.

He also sought an enquiry over the alleged delay in issuing the alerts.

Not satisfied with the answer of the Minister, members of Congress, the Left parties, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal staged a walkout.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar hit out at Congress for staging walkout and accused the opposition of politicising the issue.

"It's unfortunate. They are doing on natural calamities. The government did everything what needed to be done," he said.

He also alleged that there was no delay on part of the Central government in issuing alerts and the fault was at end of state governments.

--IANS

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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday dismissed Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout over his casteist remarks.

"I strongly disapprove of anyone who makes derogatory remarks against any caste, creed or religion. I have dismissed Damodar Rout from the council of ministers. A letter has been sent this evening to the Governor to accept this dismissal," said Patnaik.

Rout drew severe criticism in last few days over his "beggar" remarks on tje Brahmin community.

Attending a function in Malkangiri on December 18, Rout had said tribals never beg even in any adverse situation while Brahmins beg for alms, if the situation arises.

The statement had triggered resentment among the Brahmin communities. They had also staged protests in Puri.

--IANS

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The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the intelligence agencies to look for missing activist Raza Mehmood Khan and present him in court as soon as possible after the police stated that they were unable to find the activist.

Justice Qazi Amin Ahmed conducted the third hearing in the case of Khan, who had gone missing from Lahore on December 2 prompting fears for his safety, Dawn online reported.

Khan, in his late 30s, reportedly formed a group called Aaghaz-i-Dosti, a platform to further the cause of peace between India and Pakistan.

He is also known for posting messages on social media critical of the Army and its alleged links with extremist groups. Khan was also active with a group working for environmental protection.

Activists belonging to various rights groups, along with friends and family, have been agitating for his release. They claimed he has been unlawfully detained by the security agencies as he has been critical of them.

A social media campaign with hashtag #FindRaza was launched earlier this month demanding the safe return of the activist. Fellow activists have been holding peaceful gatherings pushing for Khan's recovery. An appeal was also made to President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

During the last hearing on December 18, Justice Amin had ordered the Station House Officer of Naseerabad police station to present Raza on the next (Friday's) hearing.

Advocate Asma Jahangir told the court that Raza's family had received phone calls from unidentified numbers and they told them that he'd soon be with his family.

The court ordered police and the intelligence agencies to expedite their efforts for locating the activist. It also asked the police to provide details of all missing persons cases.

Amnesty International strongly criticized Khan's disappearance.

Khan is said to be the seventh civil society activist to go missing this year. In January, six bloggers and civil rights activists were picked up in Islamabad and in the cities of Punjab, according to reports.

Apart from one, who remains missing, they returned to their homes within two months after protests and pressure from the international community.

Since their return, the activists publicly spoke about torture at the hands of government agencies while in detention.

Their interviews allege how military institutions held them hostage along with hundreds of other men and subjected them to constant abuse and sleep deprivation, along with other forms of physical, sexual and psychological torture.

There are 1,498 cases of enforced disappearances pending, with an investigative commission set up by the government to address the situation, according to a report submitted to Pakistan's Supreme Court.

There was also widespread speculation that they were abducted on account of committing blasphemy.

However, there was no proof of these claims and no one took responsibility for the activists disappearances, which brought hundreds of people onto the streets demanding their safe return.

--IANS

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Mahmoud Abbas on Friday said that Palestinians would not accept any peace plans offered by the US after Washington recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

His comments came after a UN General Assembly vote effectively repudiated Washington's controversial declaration. A majority of countries backed a non-binding resolution affirming Jerusalem's status quo on Thursday, the BBC reported.

In a Christmas message, Abbas said that the US has chosen to be biased and pick Israel's side, ignoring law and UN resolutions.

"It is because of this US decision to support illegality and the blatant violations of our rights that we will not accept the US as the mediator in the peace process nor are we going to accept any plan from the US side," Abbas said in the message.

He also rebuffed a new US framework for peace being developed by President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, before it has been launched.

He stated that Trump's decision was "an insult to millions of people" and has also been rejected by local Christian churches.

"This time every year, the souls of billions of people turn to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the messenger of love, peace and justice," Abbas said.

"Bethlehem, the birthplace of hope, continues to be affected by the Israeli plans to create 'Greater Jerusalem' on the suffering of Palestinians," he added.

As protests continued, a 24-year-old Palestinian in northern Gaza was killed in clashes with Israeli troops, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israel said it was looking into the report.

There were also violent confrontations between demonstrators and troops across the occupied West Bank for the third straight Friday, including in Bethlehem.
Special Representatives of India and China on Friday held "positive and focused" talks here on the long-drawn boundary question and agreed on the need to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas --nearly four months after the Doklam stand-off was resolved.

Special Representatives -- National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Yang Jiechi, State Councillor and a Communist Party Politburo member, also exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures at the 20th round of talks, held annually.

Both sides also agreed to seek "mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations".

"The Special Representatives undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks and agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement following the talks on the border question.

Stating that the talks were "positive and focused", the statement said that the Special Representatives "reemphasised their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date".

"The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas," it stated. "In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures."

This was the first such meeting after Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day face-off earlier this year in Doklam region near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction and comes amid reports of heightened Chinese military presence near that area.

Earlier this month, the Doklam issue came up for discussion during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here.

According to the External Affairs Ministry statement, both sides also reviewed the development of India-China bilateral relations, agreed to maintain regular contact and to advance the development of bilateral relations in all areas.

"They underlined the need for the two countries to build on their convergences, while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations," it stated.

"They acknowledged that as two large developing countries engaged in their national modernisation, relations between India and China transcend their bilateral dimensions and have significance for peace, stability and development of Asia and the world. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest."

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, when asked about the meeting , said both countries have made "tireless efforts" to solve the decades-old boundary dispute.

"State Councillor (Jiechi) is in India to exchange his views on the border affairs with his Indian counterpart (Doval). So these mechanisms are operating very well," she said.

"We hope the Indian side will work with China to make the most of the current mechanism to uphold security and peace as well as tranquility in the border area so that we can create enabling conditions for the bilateral relations."

Hua cited the breakthrough meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS meeting in Xiamen and said Doval and Jiechi would work on the lines of consensus reached between the two leaders.

Doklam is the new addition to a host of issues between India and China who fought a brief but bloody war in 1962 over their undemarcated border.

India and China share a 3,448-kilometre long boundary which is divided into west, middle and east sections.

In the east, China claims India's Arunachal Pradesh as its own while New Delhi lays claims to Aksai Chin occupied by Beijing in the west.

Following Friday's meeting, the Chinese Special Representative also called on Prime Minister Modi.

--IANS

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Rahul Gandhi on Friday chaired a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, his first after taking over as party president, and launched a scathing attack on the BJP terming the ruling party's entire structure as "based on lies".

With the Congress' spirits greatly buoyed by the party's good showing in the Gujarat polls and the 2G case verdict, an aggressive Gandhi said the people are questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his remarks against Manmohan Singh, and noted that there was a "positive sentiment" towards the party in the country.

He also hit out at Prime Minister Modi for his silence on the sudden spurt in the business turnover of BJP President Amit Shah's son Jay Shah.

"The entire foundation of the BJP is based on lies. The whole architecture of the BJP is about lies," Gandhi told reporters after the meeting.

He targeted the BJP over various issues, including an alleged scam in the Rafale deal, GST, demonetisation and "lying about the so-called Gujarat development model".

"It is stealing of resources of people of Gujarat. Whether it is depositing Rs 15 lakh in each bank account, whether it is 2G, whether it is giving farmers proper remuneration, whether it is Gujarat model one by one the lies are coming out," the Congress leader said.

"There are two other lies, very big ones."

He questioned how the turnover of Jay Shah's company jumped from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore "in three months" after the BJP-led NDA came to power in 2014.

"That is the truth. Our Prime Minister has nothing to say about it," he said.

Referring to the 2G spectrum case, Gandhi said the court verdict saying there was no scam was a "vindication" of the Congress' stand.

"Everyone knows about 2G, the truth has come out in front of you."

Earlier, in his opening remarks in the meeting, Gandhi said the 2G case was "possibly the biggest instrument used against our government" which ultimately turned out to be "fake".

"So the idea, their model, is to come up with a lie, spread that lie, and just keep repeating that lie until people believe the lie. And the good news that I can see is that people are now beginning to question it. Across the country, they are questioning Modi on the economy, they're questioning Modi when he insults our ex-Prime Minister.

"So that feeling is coming up and there is a positive sentiment towards the Congress. So I think there is a lot of opportunity for us that we need to step into and take advantage of."

He said the Congress had successfully dismantled the "Modi model of development" in Gujarat where campaigning for elections "was a real eye-opener" for him.

"I got to see first-hand the way the BJP designs campaigns and how they use hatred and untruth to fight elections. I don't call it the 'Gujarat model' because it is not the 'Gujarat model', it is actually the 'Modi model'. I was surprised to see that it is universally understood by the people of Gujarat that this is a flawed, fake model."

The 47-year-old Gandhi scion said he found that Modi has handed over Gujarat to a "few vested interests and he has taken tremendous benefits from Gujarat but Gujarat hasn't received anything in return".

He said the Prime Minister in a "desperation" launched an attack against his predecessor Manmohan Singh based on "complete(ly) blatant falsehood and a lie".

"(Modi) has had nothing to say about that since then."

--IANS

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who will be in Gujarat on Saturday to attend a review meeting to analyse the party's showing in the assembly elections, will start by visiting the Somnath Temple.

During his three-day visit to the state, Gandhi will hold meetings with all the newly-elected MLAs and leaders and party workers all across the state to review the election results.

Congress along with its alies won 80 seats and restricted BJP to less 100 in a state it considers its fortress.

There will be a party workers meet at Gujarat University Convention Hall at GNBC ground in Ahmedabad.

The Congress will analyse in detail why it failed to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has ruled Gujarat for 22 long years, and the road ahead.

Gandhi became the party President on December 16, two days after the Gujarat elections got over.

--IANS

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday emphasised the need for according priority to the security component in the construction of Smart Cities and said the process should be started at the conceptual stage.

"Security component should be an integral part of Smart Cities at the conceptualisation stage," Rajnath Singh said at the 30th Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture here.

The Minister's remarks came at a time when the central government is focusing to expedite Smart City projects. Since 2015, 90 cities were selected in three rounds of national smart cities' challenge.

After the selection of the Smart Cities, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of the central government released grants of Rs 9,863.20 crore for 60 cities. Of this, the respective states have so far utilised only Rs 644.77 crore, official data said.

It said that 75 cities have established the SPV to support implementation of the mission while 59 of the 90 cities have already hired project management consultants.

Rajnath Singh also stressed on an 'intelligent traffic management system' in the Smart Cities, considering the fact that the maximum deaths occurred due to road accidents.

The Minister also advocated a focus on making 'SMART' police by 2022 when India will complete 75 years of independence and cautioned the force not to lose patience and wisdom while facing challenges.

"Police modernisation is very important to achieve the desired results and meet the challenges of cybercrime, urbanisation and radicalisation. There is a need for technology-driven policing. Infrastructure and expertise needs to be developed to meet these challenges," he said, adding the Ministry has set up two separate Counterterrorism and Counter-Radicalization divisions.

The Minister said the police needed to be cautious while using force against people, specially youths, and police personnel should use due wisdom and patience in dealing with such situations.

He said that police needs to be strengthened in villages since 70 per cent of the Indian population lived in villages and asked for the revival and strengthening of the old 'chaukidari' system.

The Minister praised the IB for its important role in successful police operations through supply of concrete information. "The IB is making a major contribution in curbing the menace of terrorism and Naxalism."

--IANS

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The impasse in the Rajya Sabha continued on Friday with talks between the government and the Congress party failing to find a way out and the Congress forcing an adjournment in less than half an hour after the house met.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, having failed to persuade the opposition to relent, adjourned the upper house till Wednesday.

As soon as the papers, reports of various committees and statements were tabled in the house, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded that the house be adjourned.

"You had formed a committee to end this logjam. One meeting has taken place (between the government and Congress MPs) but no solution has been reached. But talks are on," Azad told the Chair.

"Since this is the last day of the working week and there is not much business, my request to you is to adjourn the house till this impasse ends. If a solution is found by the evening, well and good. Even we want that the house should run. We don't want to stall it by coming into the well," he added.

The Congress has been demanding an apology or clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his allegations against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

Modi, during campaigning in the Gujarat Assembly polls, had claimed that during a dinner at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's house, the guests, including Manmohan Singh, discussed the state polls with Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Sohail Mehmood and former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel urged the opposition members to allow the house to run.

"Talks are going on to end the impasse. Hope it will be fruitful. Let the house function. This is not such an issue which cannot be resolved. I request you to allow the house to function," Goel said.

But Congress member Anand Sharma urged the Chairman to adjourn the House till a solution was reached.

Reacting to Sharma's demand, Naidu said: "If you do not want the house to function and want me to adjourn it, better that I adjourn it for the day." Naidu then adjourned the house.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Election Commission on Friday announced that elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi besides one seat each from Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh would be held on January 16.

The notification for the polls will be issued on December 29 and the last date of making nominations is January 5, 2018. The nominations would be scrutinised the next day and the candidates can withdraw their names by January 8.

The polling will be held on January 16 between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m, and the counting of votes will be done the same day, the EC said.

The Sikkim seat would fall vacant as Hishey Lachungpa is due to retire on February 23 next year, while a seat from Uttar Pradesh fell vacant after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar resigned from the Narendra Modi government and the Upper House in September on returning to Goa as Chief Minister.

The term of the three members from Delhi -- Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi and Parvez Hashmi -- are due to end on January 27, 2018.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), having a majority in the Delhi assembly, holds sway over the three seats. However, the party has not decided its candidates.

Although there are a few leaders within the party who can lay claim to a Rajya Sabha berth, with Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Kumar Vishwas being the frontrunners, but friction with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made things difficult for the third.

A party source said that AAP is looking outside its fold for candidates and is keen to project eminent persons from fields such as law, social work and economics as its candidates.

The party had reportedly also approached former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan but he declined the offer.

The party will have to zero in on the candidates by the end of its month.

--IANS

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Catalan separatist parties are on track to win most seats in the new regional parliament, setting the stage for more confrontation with Spain's government.

The Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain, is the biggest party, therefore, it is unclear who will be given the right to form a government, BBC reported.

The Madrid government stripped Catalonia of its autonomy and called the election after declaring an October independence referendum illegal.

With nearly all votes counted, the pro-independence parties Together for Catalonia (JxCat), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Popular Unity (CUP) were on course to win a total of 70 seats, giving them a majority.

Within the separatist party block, ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont's JxCat was slightly ahead of the ERC, led by his former deputy, Oriol Junqueras.

Speaking in Brussels, where he is in self-imposed exile, Puigdemont said the "Catalan republic" had won and "the Spanish state has been defeated".

The situation called for "rectification, reparation and restitution," he was quoted as saying.

He is accused by Spanish prosecutors of rebellion and sedition. Junqueras faces the same charges and is currently in prison.

--IANs

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Axle and gear supplier to e-rickshaws in India, Sona BLW Precision Forgings will showcase its latest development, an e-axle for auto- rickshaws, at the 5th EV Expo in New Delhi from December 22-24.

The manufacturer of precision forged gears for automotive and other applications will start production of the new product from next month, with an annual capacity target of 12,000 axles, a company statement said here on Friday.

"Axle is the spine of an automobile," said Sunjay Kapur, Managing Director of Sona BLW Precision Forgings, adding that: "And the e-axle for auto rickshaws is a shot in the arm for the electric vehicle revolution and conserving the environment."

The company's e-axle is designed to allow retro fitment in existing fossil-fuel powered auto-rickshaws plying in the market, and offers modularity to adapt to different motors from various manufacturers.

Sona BLW will also be looking to cater e-axles up to the 3-tonne vehicle segment.

The company is in talks with major Original Equipment Manufacturers to cater to different target vehicles, said Kapur.

Sona BLW Forgings will be displaying products including the e-Axle for e-Rickshaw application and E-Baja Vehicle (Off-Road ATV made for the E-Baja Event 2017), at the EV Expo.

The expo was inaugurated by Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

--IANS

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Film: "Tiger Zinda Hai"; Director: Ali Abbas Zafar; Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sajjad Delfrooz, Sudeep Zahir, Angad Bedi, Kumud Mishra, Girish Karnad, Paresh Rawal; Rating: **1/2

"Tiger Zinda Hai" is the sequel to the 2012 released, Kabir Khan directed, "Ek Tha Tiger". Designed purely for Salman Khan fans, "Tiger Zinda Hai" is elegantly and stylishly made by writer director Ali Abbas Zafar. It is nothing short of an effervescent cocktail of spy thrillers, except that the fizz is mild and evaporating.The tale takes off eight years from where it left in the last edition, sometime in 1993 just after the Gulf War.

RAW agent Tiger is now married to his Pakistani girlfriend Zoya who is an ISI agent. He has a 7 year old son, whom he fondly calls Junior. He lives a domesticated life in the wilderness of the snowclad mountains of the Austrian Alps, where he literally fights wolves who try to prey on him and his son.

In faraway Ikrit a small town in Iraq close to the Turkish border, the Islamic fundamentalists have taken over the place. They behead a journalist and are holding a few Americans as hostages. Amidst this chaos, the lives of twenty five Indian and fifteen Pakistani nurses working in a hospital there, are in peril.

The Americans are ready to bombard Ikrit, but the Indian government intervenes in order to protect the nurses who are stranded there. The Americans grant the Indian Government seven days to evacuate the nurses and on the eighth day they would attack the town.

Under such strained conditions, Shenoy, the head of RAW, can think of only one person who could rescue the nurses. He is Tiger. Shenoy and his assistant Karan track Tiger and cajole him to serve the country with, "Desh ki izzat ki baat hai, baaki, you know better"

It goes without saying, Tiger puts up a team and with patriotic fervour he lands up in Ikrit where he does the needful. We understood what Salman did and why he did it, but the rescue drama definitely seems contrived, to befit his star status. Needless to say, Zoya along with her ISI team, joins him in this mission too.

While the hostages are in a desperate condition, their rescuers and those holding them are too busy with sermonising about India-Pakistan brotherhood and the need to fight and by the end, the film loses its credibility.

The phrase, "Abhi Tiger zinda hai," is oft repeated to give the audience an assurance that more impactful action is in store for them. And lo and behold, the blasts, gunshots and chase scenes truly hold your attention.

On the performance front, Salman Khan tries his best to be charismatic and succeeds momentarily. His action scenes seem laboured. On the other hand Katrina Kaif seems to have been resurrected. While her onscreen chemistry with Salman is passable, she excels in her action sequences. In fact she holds your attention with her quick moves and agility, especially when she is fencing.

It is Sajjad Delfrooz as the fundamentalist Abu Usman who is arresting and intriguing, but this being a star-focussed film, he is short-changed.

Accompanying Tiger are Angad Bedi as Namit Khanna the bomb defusing expert, Paresh Pahuja as the sniper Azam and Kumud Mishra as the tech expert Rakesh. They are impressive and have their moments of onscreen glory.

Paresh Rawal as Theuban who is also known as Firdaus is his usual self. As the slimy Indian labour agent in Ikrit, he is expressive but does not make an impact.

Visually the film is exorbitant. The frames are extravagant and aesthetically well-mounted. The final song with the lyrics "Swag se karenge sabka swagat" is frolicsome, but it dissipates the seriousness of the tale, making the entire film seem just like another frivolous masala film.

(Troy Ribeiro can be reached at troyribeiro@yahoo.com)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Trump administrations less-than-subtle threat to stop aid to countries that voted against the United States for recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital is manifestly untenable. For one, the list of 128 countries includes those at the very heart of Washingtons deep strategic and national security engagement.

Stung by the overwhelming support for a United Nations resolution in favour of maintaining the status of Jerusalem in compliance with Security Council resolutions, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Washington would be "taking names" of those who went against it. Before the vote Haley had said: "The President will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those who voted against us."

President Donald Trump went a step further, clearly suggesting that aid to those who did not support his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem would end. "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot," he said. The only problem with this rather extraordinary warning is that among the countries that supported the UN resolution against America are those with a direct bearing on both this country's strategic and national security interests.

Take, for instance, just four countries that voted against America -- Afghanistan ($4.2 billion), Iraq ($4.2 billion), Jordan ($1.2 billion) and Egypt ($1.2 billion). They are at the core of America's geostrategic engagement and between them accounted for over $10 billion in annual US aid out of a total obligation of $49 billion and actual disbursement of $45 billion worldwide for 2016. There is next to no prospect of even reducing, let alone ending, the aid to these four. Add to the list another equally crucial player, Pakistan, which received over $987 million in 2016 and which voted against the US.

Digging deeper into the complexities of US aid and its direct relationship with its various global interests, it becomes even clearer why President Trump's warning is ill-conceived on the face of it. His just-released National Security Strategy document lays special emphasis on the enhanced role India ought to play both within South Asia and in the broader Indian Ocean region. It also expects India to increase its economic assistance to Afghanistan. India, in a somewhat spunky decision, voted against the US over the Jerusalem resolution.

It is hard to see how Washington might be able to balance punishing India for that vote even while expecting it to share a considerable amount of its foreign policy burden in Asia. India received a relatively modest sum in US aid in 2016 -- $123 million -- and it is unlikely to be moved by the prospect of losing it. More importantly, it would be rather impractical, not to mention downright awkward, for Washington's interlocutors to both threaten and cajole New Delhi simultaneously.

The situation becomes even trickier for Washington when it comes to Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which voted against the US and both of which embody the very definition of its strategic and national security interests. How does America reduce or even cut off aid to these two countries abruptly now or in the foreseeable future? It might be useful to remember that only in August Trump signalled an open-ended involvement, without an identifiable end-game, in Afghanistan. Such an endeavour can hardly be expected to come without economic aid attached to it.

The pronouncement by Trump is an example of his characteristic bombast in so much as it concerns such key strategic allies and interests. When it comes to the actual decision-making, it is more than likely that Washington would have to forget the grand threat and fall back to its more conventional diplomatic route.

Notwithstanding all this, there is no realistic expectation within the international community that the Trump administration would give up the plan to move its embassy to Jerusalem merely because a vast majority of the world -- 128 countries -- oppose it. As Haley said before the vote: "The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy."

In vetoing the UN Security Council resolution on December 18, she had tweeted: "What we witnessed here today in the Security Council is an insult. It won't be forgotten. It's one more example of the UN doing more harm than good in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

For now, the contrast between a majority of the world and the US-Israel combine could not be sharper.

(Mayank Chhaya can be contacted at mayank.c@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.)
The Security Council tightened the economic chokehold on North Korea by unanimously voting on Friday to impose the strictest sanctions on North Korea aiming to cut off most fuel supplies and ban major exports and imports following its intercontinental missile test last month.

The resolution introduced by the United States after intense lobbying won the support of China, which has had a special relationship with North Korea, and has in the past opposed stringent sanctions.

The newly voted round of restrictions further tighten the sanctions imposed last month, which were softened to gain the support of Moscow and Beijing.

Beijing's vote for the tougher sanctions indicate that its direct influence with Pyongyang is waning and that it is recognising the global dangers from North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenals.

The resolution would reduce North Korea's refined petroleum imports by 90 percent from the 2017 mid-year level to 500,000 barrels per year, and authorises the Council to further reduce petroleum imports if it carried out any missile or nuclear tests.

All North Korean exports and most imports in addition to oil are also banned under the resolution. It also requires the expulsion by the end of 2019 of all North Korean expatriate workers who are estimated to earn the government $500 million each year.

The resolution also requires all nations to seize ships smuggling goods to North Korea.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@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.)
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday chided Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel for indulging in an argument with the Opposition members.

As Goel read out the government's listed business for the rest of the session, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal stood up and said that the government was trying to cram too many bills in a short time.

"Sir, this is 22 hours of business but Parliament is not going to work for that long (in this session). The number of bills should be realistic. They are doing it just for publicity that government wants to pass so many bills," Agarwal said.

To this, Goel, looking straight at Agarwal, shot back: "The government is serious about all these bills, they concern public interests. They were all there in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC). These can be introduced only if you let the House function."

However, Chairman Naidu, apparently not impressed with Goel's aggression cut him short.

"Mr. Vijay Goel, minister, don't argue with other members. Any member having anything should address the Chair. No cross questioning is allowed in this House either by members or ministers or by anybody," Naidu said.

"There is House, there is Chairman and there are rules and regulations. Don't worry, everything will be taken care of," he added.

A few minutes later, however, Goel again repeated his act, indulging in an argument with Congress leader Anand Sharma who had been asking for an adjournment. Sharma complained to the Chair of Goel's interruptions.

"Sir, the Minister is again interrupting directly. You had just told him not to," Sharma said.

To this, Naidu again told Goel, albeit this time gently, to not directly address the members. Goel then sat down and Naidu adjourned the House till Wednesday.

It is not usual for the Chair to scold ministers but there have been a few instances.

In the last Winter Session, the House had witnessed a similar scene when Deputy Chairman P J Kurien chided then Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

"I will take action against you. I don't mind if you are a Minister," an agitated Kurien had told Naqvi when the latter asked him under what rule he had allowed a point of order by Congress member Anand Sharma, who was speaking at that time.

"What? You cannot do my job. What are you doing? Sit down. Who are you to ask under what rule? Sit down," Kurien had said loudly.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday returned AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal's compliment for India voting in the UN General Assembly against the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying "vote for us".

"Thank you Ajmal Sahib. Now you vote for us," Sushma Swaraj tweeted late on Tuesday evening in response to Ajmal's tweet.

"Thanks Government of India for voting in the UN against US decision of Jerusalem as Israel's capital," said Ajmal, chief of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Lok Sabha member from Assam's Dhubri constituency.

India on Thursday joined the UN majority in voting for a General Assembly resolution criticising US President Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move Washington's embassy there.

The resolution that was passed by a two-thirds majority on Thursday demanded Washington comply with Security Council decisions against changing the status of Jerusalem and declared US and Israeli action on the city "null and void".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Used my wife's lemon-herb-mint shampoo, and now my head smells like a slow-roasted leg of lamb and everyone in the office is complaining that they feel hungry.

So I turn to mail from readers and find several have forwarded me a story in which a bus traveller was arrested after passengers complained about his smelly feet.

At last! As a frequent traveller, this columnist has long been baffled as to why Being Stinky In Public is not seen as a medium-to-high grade criminal offence, somewhere between Manslaughter and Listening to Justin Bieber in Public.

I once shared a taxi with a driver so smelly that I had to lean my head out of the window for breathable fresh air -- and that was in Beijing, where the air is brown and chewy.

But further research revealed the sad truth that stinkiness has not been formally criminalised in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where the smelly-feet-on-a-bus incident took place recently. The man was arrested for "causing public nuisance" by arguing with the other passengers.

People don't like being told their feet smell. "There was a case last year in Omaha where a man thrown out of a car because of his foot odour picked up a pipe and smashed the back windscreen," said one of the US-watchers among my colleagues. A Europe correspondent said that in Berlin last year, two men were arrested for fighting in a train after one of them complained about the other's smelly feet.

I called a lawyer to ask if smelling bad was illegal anywhere in the world. "Not really, except for token efforts," he said. "A US town made it illegal to have body odour in parks and libraries, but people realised it was really just an attempt to get rid of homeless people. In Italy earlier this year, a court in Rome ruled that cooking smelly food was a criminal offence if it annoyed your neighbour."

But having smelly feet while travelling is not a crime -- which is bad news for travellers with delicate noses.

Now this is where the Japanese come to our rescue. They just announced the invention of a robot dog called Hana-chan who sniffs your feet and faints if they smell bad. Hana-chan should be placed at aircraft gates. If the dog faints, you don't get on the plane. Simple.

But a colleague spotted a flaw in this plan. What if you nip into a duty free shop at the airport for a free burst of perfume? Your smell-level will go up and Hana-chan will faint.

The only people whom the dog will allow to fly will be Canadians. In that country, many organisations have no-perfume policies, and even wearing nice-smelling hair gel can get you sent home if you work in a school or a hospital. The policy was introduced to help people who feel "assaulted" by perfumes.

Dear Canadians, if you want to feel assaulted by a smell, come to Asia. I have the business card of a Beijing taxi driver who will make you want to swim in a lake of Chanel No. 5.

Oops. I just scratched my head and now I feel hungry.

(Nury Vittachi is an Asia-based frequent traveller. Send ideas and suggestions via his Facebook page)

--IANS

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Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said India and Pakistan can talk about establishing peace only if Pakistan stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an exercise of Indian Army in the Barmer area of Rajasthan close to the India-Pakistan border, the Army Chief said India wanted peace as well, but Pakistan's actions did not suggest they want peace.

"We want the (bilateral) relations to be better, but the kind of action that is happening from their side, when you look at the way terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, from that it does not appear they want peace and tranquility," he said.

General Rawat said if Pakistan takes the right step against terrorists, India can think of going ahead with peace talks.

General Rawat also said the Indian Army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir police, all have been taking action against militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the action will continue.

These comments comes after the Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa reportedly said the military was ready to back the political leadership's initiative for normalisation of relations with India.

It also comes a day after the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

The Army Chief was here to witness the 'Hamesha Vijayee' military exercise in Thar desert close to the India-Pakistan border where the army and air force in integration executed manoeuvres to evaluate the capabilities to strike deep into enemy territory.

The exercise was concluded on Friday.

The army executed its manoeuvres in a network enabled environment by employing diverse elements of combat and combat support arms fully integrated with air assets to achieve decisive results. The exercise is aimed at streamlining operational procedures, an official statement said.

With emphasis on surveillance and network centricity, a multitude of aerial and land based surveillance devices were fielded to gain information and present a comprehensive picture to the commanders.

Additionally, various electronic warfare equipment and other new age force multipliers were used to amalgamate technology and further refine real time information of adversary's activities which was shared with various command and control centres for planning and execution of coordinated operations.

A host of medium and long range weapons as well as airborne forces and aerial platforms were utilised, with a large array of tanks and other types of armoured vehicles duly supported by extensive firepower assets and logistics, as the army showcased its operational readiness.

The Army Chief commended the forces on their battle preparedness and synergised orchestration of complex operational manoeuvres. He also complimented the troops on achieving a very high standard of training during the exercise and termed it as highly successful.

--IANS

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The acquittal of DMK leaders Kanimozhi, daughter of party President M. Karunanidhi, and former Union Telecom Minister A. Raja, and others by a court in the 2G spectrum case has come as a big boost for the party and could lead to a political realignment in Tamil Nadu, especially with the ruling AIADMK a divided house, political observers and party leaders say.

"There will be realignment in the political scenario in Tamil Nadu following the verdict. Political parties may now gravitate towards the DMK without any hesitation as the shadow of 2G case is no more there on the party," Professor of Political Science at the University of Madras Ramu Manivannan told IANS.

"It is ironical that DMK lost elections due to the alleged scam in 2G spectrum allocation. Now DMK will claim moral and political victory," Manivannan added.

There is also a view that DMK will be wooed by the BJP with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. There could be a race between the Congress and BJP to align with DMK.

"The relationship between Congress and DMK is strong. There will not be any change in that," S. Thirunavukkarasar, Tamil Nadu Congress chief, told IANS.

"Other like-minded parties wanting to join us are welcome," Thirunavukkarasar added.

Asked whether the two Communist parties would come forward and join the Congress-DMK alliance with the shadow of 2G scandal now gone, he said it could happen as there should be a united secular front to oppose the BJP.

Currently the DMK has Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as allies.

The two communist parties supported the DMK candidate in the Radhakrishnan Nagar by-election on Thursday. Even the MDMK party led by Vaiko, VCK, supported the DMK candidate in the by-poll.

"We have to read the full judgement first and then comment," G. Ramakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Secretary of Communist Party of India-Marxist told IANS when asked about the political realignment in the wake of the 2G case verdict.

Thirunavukkarasar did not agree that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre can put pressure on DMK by going on appeal against the Delhi Special CBI Court verdict.

"The acquittal verdict has come on the merits of the case. Even the appeal has to be made on the same count," Thirunavukkarasar said.

He said "there is not much possibility" of the BJP threatening DMK.

According to Thirunavukkarasar, the ruling AIADMK party in Tamil Nadu is a divided house. It has to be seen whether BJP would like to go with the AIADMK.

"There is nothing to stop DMK from getting back on the political saddle in Tamil Nadu. The two communist parties and others may not have any reservation in aligning with DMK," Manivannan said.

"For BJP to set its foot firmly in South, it has to break the alliance between Congress and DMK in Tamil Nadu as the ruling AIADMK is riven by factions," John Arokiasamy, political analyst, told IANS.

According to him, BJP has to start from Tamil Nadu for a stronger southern foray, which it could do by going on appeal in the 2G case.

"The acquittal of Kanimozhi may also create an internal power struggle within DMK as there may be demands for her to be given higher party responsibility," Arokiasamy added.

According to him, the BJP may want to align with DMK as AIADMK is not strong now and whether DMK would succumb to that pressure has to be seen.

"For BJP the 2019 general election is more crucial than the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu," Arokiasamy added.

"There is nothing to stop DMK from aiming for power in Tamil Nadu. DMK may not want to align with BJP," Manivannan said.

On the PMK's position, former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told IANS: "We continue to hold on to our stand. We will not align with DMK or AIADMK."

Ramadoss said if there was no corruption in 2G spectrum allocation then why had the Supreme Court cancelled 122 spectrum licences and why did the central government opt for auction route later.

--IANS

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Numbers exert a strong gravitational pull on superstition, as everyone knows. Some buildings skip a 13th floor. The Chinese dont like the number 4 because it sounds too much like their word for death. They also consider the number 250 to be an insult, because in Mandarin its pronounced the same as imbecile. Christians dont care for 666, which John the Apostle said was the number of the beast, aka the Antichrist. In Afghanistan, the number 39 means dead cow, but also pimphey, dont look at me, look at Afghanistan. If you walk 10,000 steps a day you will live a hundred years and have skin like a babys bottom, or at least the company that sold you your pedometer will.
With Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Jagran Manch activists on the rampage, its all the more necessary this Christmas Eve not to allow fanaticism to disrupt a festival that Indians celebrate with gusto. The answer lies in enforcing the law of the land even if the culprits reflect what K M Munshi, a Congressman who became one of the Bharatiya Janata Partys spiritual ancestors, called Indias Collective Subconscious. Jawaharlal Nehru deplored it as Hindu revivalism.
As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) readies to assume office in Gujarat, Vijay Rupani is set to take charge as the state's chief minister for the second time. Nitin Patel will also continue in his role as the state's deputy chief minister.
Rahul Gandhi will chair a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Friday, his first as Congress president.

The CWC will accord a warm welcome to the new president and likely discuss the current political situation, including the ramifications of the Congress's strong performance in the Gujarat Assembly polls for the party in future.

Party sources said the 2G spectrum case judgement acquitting all the accused is also likely to be discussed. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used the alleged scam to the hilt while mounting a fierce campaign against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Alleged corruption under UPA II was widely believed to have led to the defeat of the Manmohan Singh government.

The Congress, sources said, wants to take the 2G issue to the people for which it is likely to formalise a plan soon. The CWC, the party's highest decision-making body, is also likely to adopt a resolution to this effect.

AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the CWC meeting will commence at 10:30 a.m.

The agenda for the meeting was, however, not officially disclosed.

Though Rahul Gandhi has chaired CWC meetings in the past in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi, it will be for the first time that he will preside over it as Congress president.

Gandhi was elected unopposed as Congress chief on December 11 and assumed the party's reins on December 16.
His unwavering loyalty to the RSS and proximity to BJP chief Amit Shah apparently helped low- profile clinch Gujarat's chief ministership for the second time running despite the party's narrow victory in the Assembly polls.

Born in Rangoon (now Yangon, Myanmar) Rupani, 61, joined an RSS shakha as a schoolboy, before graduating to the BJP via the Sangh's students wing--the ABVP.

Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the BJP's face in the high-octane election campaign, Rupani, belonging to the relatively small Jain community, steered the party machinery in the state, neutralising the incumbency factor against his government and surviving a violent quota stir by the Patidar community, the bedrock of the party's support base.

That he also successfully contained disenchantment with the government over farm distress in some parts of the state, and economic slowdown due to demonetisation and GST rollout, also stood him in good stead.

Though the BJP's tally fell below 100 in a long time, his selection also suggested that the top party leadership wanted continuity before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Though only a second-time MLA, Rupani made a mark as an able administrator.

Rupani, who worked mostly in the party organisation in Gujarat, fought his first Assembly election in 2014, winning a by-election from Rajkot West. This time he won from the same seat with an impressive margin of over 53,000 votes.

A bachelor of law, Rupani was a Rajya Sabha member between 2006 and 2012.

It was under him as chairman of the Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation in 2006 that the hugely successful advertisement campaign 'Khushboo Gujarat Ki' featuring megastar Amitabh Bachchan was launched to promote the state as a tourism hotspot.

He was the chairman of the Gujarat Municipal Finance Board in 2013.

When the Rajkot West seat fell vacant in October 2014 after Speaker of the Assembly Vajubhai Vala was appointed the Karnataka Governor, Rupani won the by-poll.

On February 19, 2016 he was appointed the chief of Gujarat BJP. It was seen as a victory for the Amit Shah camp in the state unit.

When the state's first and only woman chief minister Anandiben Patel resigned in August 2016 following allegations of inept handling of the Patidar and Dalit agations, Rupani was catapulted to the hot seat.

Rupani honed his political skills in the crucible of the Gujarat Navnirman agitation, a socio-political movement in 1974 by students and the middle-class against economic crisis and corruption in public life.

It soon spread elsewhere, particularly in Bihar, where socialist legend Jayaprakash Narayan gave a call for 'Total Revolution'. The movement finally led to the fall of Indira Gandhi government and installation of the first non-Congress dispensation at the centre under Morarji Desai.

Rupani, who was then with the ABVP, was jailed for nearly a year during Emergency.

As the Mayor of Rajkot in 1996-97, he endeared himself to people of the city with his initiatives for improvement of civic infrastructure.

Rupani's mettle as a politician will be tested again in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll when Modi bids for a second shot at power. Delivering Gujarat to the BJP is the least he would expect from Amit Shah's man in Gandhinagar.
is set to take charge as Gujarats chief minister for a second time. Nitin Patel will continue in his role as deputy chief minister.
As the logjam in Parliament continued with Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu making efforts to resolve the impasse, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday upped the ante against the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the 2G spectrum allocation case verdict.
The city police today nabbed a 15-member gang of burglars including three women and recovered 1.66 kg of gold and 6 kg of silver jewellery from them.

With these arrests, police claimed to have solved over 51 cases of burglary or theft -- 48 cases registered in the city limits and three in East Godavari district.

Leader of the gang was identified as Chukka Sreenu (43).

Sreenu, a resident of Malkapuram area in Vizag city, was involved in over 160 cases, police said.

He was released from prison in 2012 but resumed his criminal carrer, said DCP (Crimes) Shemushi Bajpayee.

Other accused were identified as K Vasu (26), R Nagaraju (40), L Rajasekhar (46), D Suresh (37), M Sudheer Kumar (21), KLV Prasad (24), K Padma (45), K Appalaraju (53), M Lakshmi (40), M Narayanamma (41), D Govind (24), M Santosh Kumar (28), D Venkat (26) and D Siva Kumar (35), all residents of Vizag city.

The gang targeted locked houses and broke in at night time, the DCP said. Further probe is on.

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The police has arrested two absconders in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district, a police official said today.

During twin raids, the police succeeded in arresting the absconders, identified as Balbir Singh and Vinod Kumar, in the district yesterday, he said.

They were wanted in criminal cases registered against them in 2013 and 2014, respectively, the official said.

He said that the criminals were absconding since long and were evading arrest.

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A bomb exploded inside a government office in southern Nepal today, injuring three people.

The remote-controlled bomb was placed inside a sofa in the lobby of the land revenue office in Siraha district, police said.

A government officer and two visitors were injured in the blast, Superintendent of Police Sekhar Koirala said.

The injured are undergoing treatment at Siraha District Hospital.

The explosion damaged doors and windows of the building. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the blast.

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A cross border terror attack on an under-construction security post in Pakistan's restive northwestern region bordering Afghanistan today killed three security personnel and left five terrorist dead.

The attack on the security post took place in Mohmand Agency on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The attack was carried out from Afghanistan and forces responded to it, killing at least three security personnel and five terrorists, it said.

Many terrorists were also injured in the firing, it added.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have border tensions between them.The two countries often accuse each other of sheltering terrorists who launch deadly cross-border attacks on each other's soils. Both the countries deny the accusations.

Peshawar, close to the Afghanistan border, has seen some of the worst violence in recent years.

In 2014 Taliban militants attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, killing nearly 150 people, mostly students, in one of the worst assaults in the country's recent history.

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Three smugglers have been arrested with 20 firearms by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police in Chittorgarh district, police said today.

Following a tip off, a team arrested Irfan Khan, Saddam Hussain and Firoz Khan in Nimbahera and seized 19 pistols and one revolver from their possession yesterday, Additional Director General Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) and SOG Umesh Mishra said.

During preliminary interrogation, they revealed that the arms were purchased from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh each for Rs 27,000 and were to be smuggled in Rajasthan each for Rs 55,000, they said.

They are being interrogated to ascertain further details, the officials said.

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Four Pakistani prisoners, who had completed their sentence and whose nationality was confirmed by Islamabad, were repatriated via the Attari-Wagah Border today, the External Affairs Ministry said.

There was no detail about the identity or the cases the prisoners were convicted in.

The MEA, however, said in a statement that India attaches priority to addressing humanitarian issues, including early release and repatriation of Indian fishermen and prisoners in Pakistan's custody.

India has so far secured the release of 370 Indian prisoners, including 363 fishermen, this year.

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As many as 51 commercial units in the posh Defence Colony Market in south Delhi were sealed today for "not depositing" conversion charges as per provisions in the city's Master Plan 2021, the SDMC today said.

In a statement, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation said, members of a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee, Bhure Lal and K J Rao, were present during the sealing action.

"Both the members today reached the Defence Colony at 11 AM and instructed for sealing the first floor and above situated commercial units in buildings, from 1 to 51, as none of them had deposited conversion charges," the SDMC said in the statement.

The action was taken pertaining to all floors except the ground-storey.

"It may be recalled that the Defence Colony area was earlier known as shopping-cum-residential complex wherein ground floor was meant for commercial activities and first floor for residential purposes.

"After coming into force of the Master Plan 2021, the market was termed as local shopping centre; (owners) of the first and second floors were allowed to open commercial units on one-time payment of conversion charges at the rate of Rs 89,000 per sqm.

"It is understood that commercial units are being run in the South Extension, Green Park, Hauz Khas and Greater Kailash Markets," the civic body said.

Most of the commercial units at first and second floor had not deposited conversion charges though the civic body was pressing hard to do so, it alleged.

"A few units deposited just token conversion charges. The members of the (monitoring) committee today visited the Defence Colony market and called the Deputy Commissioner (Central Zone). The Committee instructed the Deputy Commissioner to immediately get the 51 units sealed," it added.

"The department faced resistance from the commercial units. The Committee requisitioned the police force and the action which was held up for two hours was completed with sealing of the 51 units," it added.

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Union Minister Anant Geete escaped unhurt after his car today met with an accident in which his personal security officer (PSO) sustained injuries in Maharashtra's Raigad district, the police said.

According to an official, the incident occurred at 12.30 pm near Pali village when the Union minister for heavy industries and public sector enterprises was travelling from Khopoli to Pali.

A speeding motorcycle came in front of the minister's convoy and the pilot vehicle applied brakes. Geete's car which was just behind the pilot vehicle hit it. Another car hit the minister's vehicle from behind, SP of Raigad Anil Paraskar told PTI.

The minister's PSO, who was accompanying the minister, sustained injuries and has been admitted to a private hospital, he said, adding, after the incident, the Union minister halted at a nearby state guest house and later departed for his scheduled events.

Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur has taken cognisance of the incident and ordered a thorough inquiry into it, an official from the DGP's office said.

Geete is a senior Shiv Sena leader and the only Sena minister in the Narendra Mod-led government at the Centre.

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Assam Chief Secretary Vinod Kumar Pipersenia today said there should be freedom for vertical interaction in the bureaucratic system.

This will promote innovation and create a congenial atmosphere for progressive administration, he said here after inaugurating a two-day regional conference on Good Governance and Replication of Best Practises.

"We have to demolish feudal thinking in our present system of functioning," Pipersenia said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Government of India's Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) K V Eapen said, "The aim of organising this regional conference is to expose administrative reforms department to some best practises."



"The issue of good governance is a priority," he said.

The issue is simplification of procedures, process and public grievance redressal, he said, adding, digital India has now begun to transform every nook and cranny of the country.

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Paksitan Army chief Gen Qamar Jawed Bajwa's visit to the Senate has cleared the air about the future of the political set up in the country and his resolve for democracy has stamped the parliament's supremacy, lawmakers of the ruling PML-N said today.

In a rare move, Gen Bajwa had on Tuesday briefed the Senate -- the upper house of the parliament -- on security situation and regional issues including Pakistan's participation in the Saudi-led Islamic coalition.

"The Army chief's visit (to the Senate) was a 'value added' to this parliament as compare to the previous ones. He was the first army chief who replied to the questions of parliamentarians which never happened before.

"In fact his visit has given a good message in and outside the country," Senator Pervaiz Rashid, a close aide to ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, told PTIwhen asked for his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party's reaction to the development.

When told that former Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had also been to a joint sitting of parliament in 2011 after the US operation in Abbotabad to hunt Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Rashid said: "The Army chief had then come to explain its (Army's) position on those tough questions being asked in the wake of the US violation of Pakistan sovereignty and the parliament in fact had given it (Army) an honourable exit."



"Gen Bajwa's coming to the upper house, accepting the supremacy of the parliament which is often remains in question and replying the questions of Senators in detail is unprecedented," said Rashid, who has also served as former federal information in this PML-N tenure.

Asked if the "fears" of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq -- that the assemblies might not complete their tenure -- were addressed after Gen Bajwa's strong commitment for democracy, the Senator said: "The Army chief has clarified on those misgivings being linked to the Army on a platform like the parliament which is very much significant."



Federal Climate Change Minister and PML-N Information Secretary, Senator Mushahidullah Khan said the detailed briefing by Gen Bajwa in the Senate made a "big difference".

"It has positive aspects as the Army chief's resolve for democracy has stamped the supremacy of the parliament. His briefing and replies to a number of questions have also evaporated the clouds of uncertainty hovering over the political landscape," Mushahidullah told PTI.

Gen Bajwa, during an 'in-camera session' of the Senate Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, had pledged his commitment to democracy and the rule of law and categorically denied the military's role in "destabilising the civilian government".

He had even asked the parliament to take the lead in framing foreign and security policies and vowed to implement them.

There was another main aspect of the Army chief's visit to the Senate, Mushahidullah said, adding "such a visit brings two institutions closer and help remove misunderstanding between them".

This dialogue between the Army top brass and parliamentarians should continue, he said and suggested after six or eight months such an interaction should be arranged.

Another ruling party Senator, who requested anonymity, said "as a whole" they were happy to listen to the views and clarifications of the Army chief on some controversial matters.

"Now as the delimitation bill is passed and the Army chief has put his weight behind the democratic set up in the country, we think not only the general election will now be held on time but also the threat to the Senate election this March is no more," the Senator said.

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Days after the UNESCO declared the Kumbh a world heritage, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly today passed a bill to set up Prayagraj Mela Authority for the Kumbh Mela scheduled to be held in Allahabad in January 2019.

The UP Prayagraj Mela Authority, Allahabad, Bill 2017, was passed amid a walkout by the members of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress party.

Pressing for the bill, for setting up an authority headed by Allahabad commissioner for organising the Kumbh Mela, be sent to the select committee for scrutiny, Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary said people's representatives and members of the Akhara Parishads have not been given any representation in the proposed authority.

Chaudhary charged that the bill was against the established tenets of sanatan dharma and Hindu dharma as it had many provisions which were in contravention to them.

"We, who are sitting on this side (Opposition), are the real Hindus," Chaudhary remarked.

Opposing the bill, the leader of the BSP in the House, Lalji Verma, questioned the renaming of "ardh kumbha" and Kumbha respectively as Kumbha and Maha Kumbha and stressed that it was not the duty of the government to do so and it should be left to the 'dharmacharyas' to take a decision in this matter.

As Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna rose to stress that there was an attempt to change established tradition related to Kumbha and neither the beliefs nor the process of taking the holy dip will be changed, Samajwadi Party and Congress members raised slogans "dharam virodhi sarkar nahi chalegi" and "Hindu virodhi sarkar nahi chalegi" and barged into the Well of the House and later staged a walkout.

The Chair then adjounred the House sine die.

The UNESCO recently recognised the Kumbh Mela as an "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" and held it as the world's largest peaceful gathering of pilgrims.

The Kumbh Mela is believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth and is held every 12 years on the banks of the 'Sangam' - the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati - in Allahabad.

The Mela alternates between Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar every three years. The one celebrated at the Sangam is the largest and holiest of them.

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BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje was today booked for alleged 'inflammatory' tweets on the rape and murder of a minor Dalit girl in Vijayapura, an incident which led to tension in some areas there for the past three days.

Police said an FIR was registered against Karandlaje on charges of provoking people to cause riots, disturbing communal harmony and spreading rumours.

Karandlaje had tweeted about the recent rape and murder of the 15-year-old girl and accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of inaction to catch the 'Jehadis' behind the incident.

"CM @siddaramaiah's appeasement politics has turned Karnataka into a safe haven for Jihadi Goons. He is shamelessly pursuing his agenda of appeasement & dividing the society," tweeted Karandlaje.

In a tweet about another incident she said "Jihadis tried to rape and murder a girl studying in 9th std near honnavar. Why is the govt silent about this incident? Arrest those who molested and injured this girl. Where are you CM @siddaramaiah?"



Police said the MP's tweets and video messages through social media platforms further added to tension in the regions of coastal Karnataka, which was on the boil since December 6 when 19-year-old Paresh Mesta was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

Karandlaje meanwhile shared copies of the FIR on Twitter, saying "Govt which has failed in providing safety to women in Karnataka now tries to stifle my voice through aFIR. @siddaramaiah Govt protecting Jihadis."



She vowed to continue her fight against 'Jihadielements' without succumbing to the pressure of the Chief Minister.

Protesting against the girl's murder, right wingoutfits called a bandh in Talikote, Vijayapura andChikkamagaluru today.

Security was beefed up in these areas, police said.

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Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary has termed the BJP as "a party of capitalists" and alleged that it was ignoring farmers' concerns.

The Gujarat election results have made it clear the BJP's indifference towards the rural voters, Chaudhary said.

"Unlike the BJP, which is a party of capitalists, RLD is a party of farmers," Chaudhary said.

The BJP lost 14 rural seats in the recently held assembly election in Gujarat. In 2012, the BJP had won 77 seats in the rural areas. Its tally was reduced to 63 this time.

"The development of this country depends upon the well- being of the agriculture sector. The exorbitant rise of power tariff for rural areas stands testimony to the fact that the UP government is overlooking farmers' interest," Chaudhary said here while addressing a workers meet yesterday.

The RLD leader said his party needed to enroll more youths.

Chaudhary later unveiled a statue of his grand-father and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh in Nagla Maura village.

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Escalating his attack on the BJP, newly-elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi today alleged that the entire architecture, structure and foundation of the ruling party was based on "lies" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Gujarat model' was "flawed and fake".

He was speaking after chairing the first meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, as the Congress chief, with his mother Sonia Gandhi seated next to him, alongwith former prime minister Manmohan Singh and other senior members.

Sources said the issue of indiscipline in the party, with leaders giving out-of-turn statements that hurt the party's prospects in the recent assembly elections, were also raised at the meeting, besides the need to strengthen the organisational structure.

Rahul Gandhi, who had launched a relentless onslaught against Modi during the Gujarat polls, continued in the same vein as he termed the 'Gujarat model' a "lie".

He alleged that people of the state say it is a "flawed and fake" model where there is "stealing" of resources which are handed over to a "few vested interests".

"The whole architecture of the BJP is about lies, their whole structure is about lies...BJP's entire foundation is based on lies.

"If you see the Modi model in Gujarat, it was a lie, clearly. When we went to Gujarat and we spoke to the people of Gujarat, they said there is no model. What is going on is the stealing of resources of the people of Gujarat and that's their design," he told reporters after the meeting.

Gandhi alleged that whether it was putting Rs 15 lakh in every bank accounts, the 2G spectrum allocation issue, or the Modi model, "one by one the lies are coming out".

In his inaugural speech, he said he was surprised to see that it is universally understood by people of Gujarat that "this a flawed, fake model".

"The main expression was that he (Modi) has handed over Gujarat to a few vested interests and he has taken tremendous benefits from Gujarat but Gujarat hasnt received anything in return," he said.

On the 2G verdict, he said, "I think 2G has been a vindication (of our party's stand)...Everyone knows about 2G and the truth has come before all of you."



Addressing the CWC, he said the BJP used the 2G issue as the biggest instrument against the UPA government which has "turned out to be fake".

"So the idea, their model, is to come up with a lie, spread that lie, and just keep repeating that lie until people believe the lie. And the good that I can see is that people are now beginning to question it.

"Across the country, they are questioning Mr Modi on the economy, theyre questioning Mr Modi when he insults our ex- prime minister. So that feeling is coming up and there is a positive sentiment towards the Congress party," he told the CWC



Gandhi said there is a lot of opportunity for the Congress "that we need to step into and take advantage of".

He also questioned the "silence" of the prime minister on the changes made in the Rafale deal to allegedly help a businessman and the charges of financial irregularities of a firm linked to BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jay.

"It was disappointing that we lost but it was pleasing to see the Congress party fight hatred and anger with respect, love and courage. I send my good wishes to people of both states," he said.

He termed the Gujarat campaign as "unique" and "a real eye-opener" for him, where he got to know how the BJP designs campaigns and "uses hatred and untruth" to fight elections.

"One of the successes that the Congress party can take credit for in Gujarat is the dismantling of the Modi model of development. I was surprised when I went to Gujarat," he said.

Towards the end of the campaign, Gandhi alleged that the BJP attempted to polarise the election.

"At every step, they were trying to polarise. Our party played a very positive role in keeping everybody together. And then we also saw how in their desperation, the Prime Minister himself accused Dr Manmohan Singh of complete blatant falsehood and a lie. And he has had nothing to say about that since then," he said.

Later addressing the media, Congress communications incharge Randeep Surjewala said the CWC also discussed the current political situation and how the BJP "concocted the conspiracy" against the Congress in the 2G issue.

"How prime minister Modi, Arun Jaitley and the BJP stands exposed today with the 2G verdict by special CBI Court.

"The BJP maligned the country and the Congress party for years together making false allegations of corruption as their principal strategy to gain power.

"The BJP, particularly Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley and their stooge, Vinod Rai created a 'fallacious web of allegations of corruption'. The truth is, however, out in the open that the BJP made a profession out of its conspiracy of lies and falsehoods to gain power at any cost.

"Narendra Modi, Shri Arun Jaitley and the BJP leadership should come forward to own up their sinister maligning machinations and apologise to the nation," he said.

The CWC meeting was attended by top party leaders like Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Kamal Nath, BK Hari Prasad, CP Joshi, Motilal Vora, Mohsina Kidwai, Mallikarjun Kharge and others, besides state incharges.

The CWC also passed a resolution lauding the contribution of Sonia Gandhi in leading and guiding the party to great heights during her 19 years of presidentship.

Without naming anyone, some leaders raised the issue of enforcing discipline in the party and action against errant leaders, to which Rahul Gandhi agreed, the sources said.

"I agree. We will ensure discipline is enforced and the party is strengthened," Gandhi reportedly told the meeting.

Former prime minister Singh raised the issue of the challenges ahead for the party.

"The Working Committee was unanimous in saying that the momentum gained from the current set of elections would only be enhanced so that in the next set of elections Congress emerges victorious," Surjewala said.

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British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson today sought to open up communication channels with Russia after years of hostility on the first official visit by a minister from London in five years.

Britain's outspoken foreign minister arrived in Russia after cancelling in April a planned trip at the last minute over Russia's support for the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Johnson told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Russia and Britain should cooperate for the sake of global security and that the countries' similarities were more important than disagreements.

"Things are difficult but we want to work together with you on some issues, Sergei, and we want to work to achieve a better future," he told Lavrov at the start of the talks.

"We have a duty to work together for peace and security," he added.

"Where we can I think we can find positive cooperation on issues we have substantial interests in common," he said, referring to Iran, North Korea and Syria.

His Russian host said Moscow wanted Friday's talks to lead to "concrete steps" that would help revive ties.

"Our ties -- there is no secret here -- are at a very low point," Lavrov said.

The Foreign Office said ahead of the talks that Johnson would stress that the two countries' similarities "far outweigh our current political disagreements."



"The Kremlin has positioned Russia in direct opposition to the West, but it doesn't have to be that way," Johnson will tell Lavrov, the Foreign Office said.

While the Moscow visit could signal an improvement in relations, Johnson himself said he holds out little hope that ties with Moscow could undergo a full-blown transformation.

In an interview with Polish agency PAP ahead of his Russia visit, Johnson said he was "no cold warrior", but he did "not believe for a second that relations with Russia can be reset."



Johnson arrived in Russia from Poland where he accompanied British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday.

The Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the diplomatic chiefs planned to "look for ways to normalise and activate the bilateral relationship."



"Unfortunately, cutting short bilateral dialogue with Russia was London's choice," Zakharova said, calling the visit "long-awaited."



Relations between London and Moscow soured after Britain sought to prosecute suspects in the killing of Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko, murdered by radiation poisoning in London in 2006.

Britain has also been a fervent supporter of Western sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict and annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The relationship suffered further blows after Russia's intervention in the Syria conflict on the side of the Damascus regime in September 2015.

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The CBI has registered two FIRs into alleged corruption in the transfer of prime land in Thane that was originally mortgaged in 1925, a case with modern-day echoes of graft and roots in the days of rajas and princely states.

The FIRs in the case, dealing with the transfer of land to builders by officials of a PSU and the finance department of the Madhya Pradesh government, were filed yesterday, officials said.

Though the deed of indenture of mortgage is dated September 3, 1925, 92 years ago, the cheating in the transfer of 314 acres of land allegedly took place in 1968.

The land was once held by the princely state of Gwalior and then by the union government (post-independence) as mortgage. The graft took place in 1968 and afterwards in connivance with the officials of Provident Investment Company Limited (PIC), a PSU, the finance department of the Madhya Pradesh government and the Thane municipal corporation, the FIR alleged.

Over the years, the land was given to private builders by officials without the knowledge of the state and the central government.

The agency has registered a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption against the unidentified officials of all the three bodies and unidentified builders.

It begins with the Hindu undivided family of Mathuradas Gokuldas mortgaging some plots in Yeoor and Majiwada revenue villages of Thane district to secure consolidated debt and interest against a loan taken from the erstwhile state of Gwalior Darbar.

The deed of indenture of mortgage, dated September 3, 1925, was done through its agent Framroz Edulji Dinshaw and registered at the office of sub-registrar of Assurances at Bombay.

The loan was given to Mathuradas Gokuldas from the funds of Gwalior State Railways, which merged with Indian Railways after Independence. All the properties in question were transferred to the Central government under Federal Financial Integration, the FIR stated.

PIC became a public sector undertaking of the government of Madhya Pradesh after independence and was assigned the management of mortgaged properties in Bombay, Thane and Pune on behalf of Union of India, it said.

The 314 acres mortgaged by the Gokuldas family was part of this.

According to the FIR, the 314 acres in the villages of Thane were unauthorisedly given on long lease and sold to various promoters and builders by unknown PIC officials "without obtaining consent of government of India".

The CBI claimed the no-objection certificate for development of the land was also given by unknown officials of the Madhya Pradesh government's finance department without informing the state or union government.

"In furtherance to the conspiracy the unknown officials of Thane Municipal Corporation connived with PIC in usurping these lands by giving development permission to promoters and builders," it alleged.

It said the officials entered into a criminal conspiracy during the period of 1968 and thereafter with unknown builders with the objective to cheat the union government and usurping the land belonging to it in Majiwada and Yeoor.

Wrongful loss was caused to union government and corresponding gain to promoters and builders by allegedly alienating the said land, the FIR alleged.

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Children should promote Indian values of tolerance towards social diversity, former President Pranab Mukherjee said today.

Being a better human being is more important than excelling academically, he said, speaking at the 'Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam IGNITE award' function.

"Academic excellence is important, but even more important is to help children become a better human being. They should promote Indian tolerance of social diversity and try to ensure no one feels left behind," said Mukherjee, who demited office in July.

"They should try to develop solutions which lead to better environment, reduce or eliminate waste and make India a clean, creative and collaborative society," he said.

Fifty six students from 16 states wereawarded for their 29 ideas and innovations at the event, organised by the National Innovation Foundation-India at the NIF campus in Amrapur village on the outskirts of Gandhinagar.

Mukherjee said he was impressed with several ideas of school children on display at the exhibition.

"I appeal to all designers, fabricators, private companies and engineers from leading institutions of our country like IITs, NITs, NIDs, IISERs to come forward to take the ideas of creative children to market through commercial or social diffusion," he said.

Mukherjee said he was "very encouraged by the current thrust of the Government of India to promote entrepreneurship at all levels in society through a very vigorous start-up movement in India".

Children must be encouraged to think originally about inclusive development of the country, he said.

Referring to various ideas and innovations on display at the exhibition, Mukherjee said he was "happy that the government has stopped the old practice when school children often presented the idea of their teachers, parents or even outside designers as their own in science exhibitions".

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An armed squad of 80 CISF commandos has taken over full security of the all-important and sensitive UIDAI data centre in Bengaluru, the repository of the Aadhaar data, to protect it against any possible terror strike or threat.

The CISF has been guarding the facility since December 2014 as part of a temporary duty and the government has now regularised its deployment and granted it the status of a full unit under protection.

The squad took over the task of guarding the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) facility, located in the Kodigehalli area of the Karnataka capital, very recently and as a regular unit, CISF spokesperson Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Hemendra Singh said.

"Security of this data centre is of utmost importance as the establishment is very sensitive and confidential biometric and personal information of the residents of India are stored and maintained at this centre," he said.

The Home Ministry had sometime back cleared the proposal to have a regular force deployment here and had sanctioned a squad of total 162 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to guard the centre.

While the task has now been taken over by a 80-member team led by a Deputy Commandant (DC) rank officer, the rest of the strength will join the workforce soon, he said.

The CISF will provide a round-the-clock armed security cover to the facility and special vehicle-borne quick reaction teams of commandos will be stationed at vantage points here to charge in case of an attack or sabotage like activity.

The force will oversee the overall entry and exit at the facility, a job that will be done by other security staff hired by the UIDAI.

Bengaluru is the hub of major electronic and Information Technology (IT) companies of the country and is always under constant threat from anti-national elements, Singh said.

The December 2005 terror attack on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru was an example of these kinds of serious security threats to various establishments in the region, he said.

Singh said the paramilitary force will soon take over the security of the UIDAI centre in Manesar in Gurgaon near Delhi on a similar pattern.

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Danish police today said they had arrested a Syrian asylum seeker from Sweden for "attempting to commit a terrorist act" in Copenhagen.

The Copenhagen police said they arrested the 30-year-old man jointly with the Danish Security and Intelligence Service on Thursday over a failed attack which he plotted with another 21-year-old man in November 2016.

"The man is charged with attempted terrorism for having, together with another man convicted in Germany, planned to randomly kill or hurt several people in an unknown location in Copenhagen," the police said in a statement.

The police added the two men "wanted to attack people with knives and thereafter detonate one or several explosives, which failed when the accomplice was denied entry into Denmark and arrested by the German police".

A German court in July convicted the 21-year-old, described as a Syrian refugee by the German media, for attempting an attack. He was reportedly carrying 17,000 matches, two kitchen knives and six walkie-talkies when the German police arrested him.

Earlier this year a would-be female jihadist was sentenced to eight years in jail for a planning to bomb two Danish schools. The Islamic State sympathiser, a Muslim convert, was just 15 years-old when she was arrested in 2016.

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Delhi BJP workers, including members of the party's Purvanchal Morcha and youth wing, today protested near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence over the increase in school fees and the issue of Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh wrongly declaring a baby dead.

The protesters began their march from Chandgi Ram Akhara, raising slogans against Kejriwal, but were stopped near the chief minister's residence by the police.

The Delhi unit president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Sunil Yadav, alleged that the Kejriwal government had signed a "secret pact" with the hospital to let it function despite the grave mistake committed by the private facility.

The hospital's licence was cancelled by the Delhi government following an uproar by the family members. But it resumed operations on Wednesday after it got relief from an appellate authority, which stayed the government's order.

"Kejriwal government under a secret pact with the Max Hospital administration issued a very weak and frivolous ban order which could not stand scrutiny for a single hearing before a quasi-judicial authority," Yadav alleged.

The Delhi government has allowed private schools to hike their fees. The move has hit the poor and the middle-class, especially those from the Purvanchal region settled in Delhi, said Manish Singh, the chief of Delhi BJP's Purvanchal Morcha.

The government claims it would not allow any hike in the fees but its education department on October 17 issued a circular allowing the schools to raise their fees, Singh said.

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China's special representative on the boundary question Yang Jiechi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here today.

Doval and Yang Jiechi, who is also the State Councillor in China, held talks on the boundary issue earlier in the day.

They briefed Modi on the 20th round of talks between the special representatives of China and India on the boundary question.

"The prime minister fondly recalled his visit to Xiamen for the 9th BRICS Summit in September, and his meeting with President Xi Jinping there. The prime minister said that a strong India-China relationship is important not only for the mutual benefit of the people of India and China, but also for the region and the world," a PMO statement said.

Yang Jiechi also conveyed the greetings of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to the prime minister.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today asked the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue medical visa to a Pakistani national suffering from cancer.

The patient, Maqbool Ahmad Qureshi, is suffering from fourth stage cancer and an appeal was made to Swaraj through Twitter.

"I have asked the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue medical visa to Maqbool Ahmad Qureshi -- a Pakistani national for his treatment in India. @IndiainPakistan," Swaraj tweeted.

In a separate tweet, a woman appealed to the External Affairs Minister to issue visa to her husband who is in Islamabad.

"I have told the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue Visa to the groom, his brothers/sisters and the parents (sic)," Swaraj tweeted.

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The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi government and other authorities concerned to ensure that no blood is allowed to flow directly into river Yamuna due to slaughtering of animals.

A bench headed by Acting NGT Chairperson Justice U D Salvi said it is undisputed that animal blood going into the river is an act of violation of the provisions of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and it must be stopped.

"We, therefore, direct the interim order dated September 24, 2015 as absolute. All the respondents shall ensure that no blood of slaughtered animals shall be allowed to flow directly into the Yamuna," the bench said.

The directions came during the hearing a plea of the religious grouping, Ojasvi party, which had approached the green panel against the pollution caused in the Yamuna due to slaughtering of the cattle.

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Actor Eva Longoria says she would love it if "Desperate Housewives" was to return to TV screens with her reprising the role of Gabrielle Solis.

The 42-year-old actor, who portrayed Wisteria Lane vixen Gabrielle Solis for eight years from 2004 to 2012, said it could be the right time for the show to make a comeback to screens, reported Contactmusic.

"I wish! I love that show. I miss it every single day. I miss being Gaby. I miss being on that set. I miss everything about it," Longoria said.

The actor, however, said it is close to impossible for the show to get a revival as the creator of the series, Marc Cherry, has previously stated that he does not want to revisit the characters.

"Our creator has said many times he wouldn't bring it back," she said.

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Every citizen has the right to celebrate festivals in a peaceful manner, the Allahabad High Court today observed after a group of Christian villagers alleged that they were not being allowed to celebrate Christmas by authorities on pretext of prohibitory orders.

"We hope that unless there are some law and order issues involved, authorities concerned will not decline permission to celebrate festival in the village," a bench comprising Chief Justice DB Bhosale and Justice MK Gupta said while allowing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Sanjay Singh and 34 others of Christian community from village Birner in Kaushambi.

The court directed the authorities to consider the pending application of petitioners, seeking permission to celebrate Christmas, on or before Monday in accordance with law.

According to the petitioners, they used to celebrate Christmas every year in their village. However, during urban local body election conducted recently, the administration prohibited assembly of people in the village by imposing Section 144 Cr PC.

The petitioners alleged that they were now not being allowed to celebrate Christmas "in the garb" of the prohibitory orders imposed by the local administration.

During the hearing, the counsel for petitioners pleaded that today is the last working day before Christmas and the high court will be closed till January 1,2018.

Since, the petitioners application dated December 16 seeking permission to celebrate Christmas between December 24 and December 31 is pending before district administration, the court may direct the administration to decide the same.

The court directed the authorities to consider the application filed by petitioners on or before Monday, in accordance with law.

It observed that every citizen has right to celebrate festivals in a peaceful manner and authorities should not show reluctance while granting permission for it, if permitted by law.

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A farmer was shot dead by unidentified persons at Shankarpur village in Bihar's Samastipur district today, police said.

Rosra Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ajit Kumar said that the deceased has been identified as Hare Ram Yadav (50), a resident of Shankarpur village under Hasanpur police station of the district.

The deceased was a social worker and was earlier associated with Rashtriya Janata Dal, Yadav said.

Hare Ram Yadav was killed by some unidentified miscreants at Pukar chowk around half a km away from his house when he had gone for a morning stroll, the SDPO said adding that the killers fled from the scene taking the advantage of the fog.

Hasanpur police station Station House Officer (SHO) Braj Kishore and other police personnel from neighbouring police stations have been sent to the spot, he said.

The local villagers blocked the Hasanpur-Bithan road with the body in protest against the incident, the SDPO said.

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An American woman with decades of experience working on development and humanitarian issues has been appointed to head the UN children's agency UNICEF, the UN announced today.

Henrietta Fore, 69, will replace Anthony Lake who has served as executive director of the UN Children's Fund since 2010.

In announcing the appointment by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a UN spokesman said Fore had worked in US public service, the private sector and for non-profit organisations over the past four decades.

She was the first woman to head the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and served as director for foreign assistance in the US State Department.

Fore currently chairs the board and is CEO of Holsman International, a manufacturing and investment company.

Guterres has pledged to appoint more women to senior positions at the United Nations. Only about a quarter of the UN's senior leadership posts are held by women.

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Two Palestinians were killed as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border today in a new protest against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said.

The third Friday since US President Donald Trump's controversial announcement on Jerusalem was again billed by Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas as a "day of rage".

It came a day after the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn Trump's December 6 announcement that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Both Israel and the United States vowed to ignore that vote.

In Gaza today, hundreds of Palestinian protesters at various points along the border threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with smoke grenades and live and rubber bullets, AFP correspondents said.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Zakaria al- Kafarneh, 24, died after being shot in the chest in clashes near Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

Thousands attended his funeral later Friday, AFP photographers said.

A second man, 29-year-old Mohammed Mohaisen, died later in clashes east of Gaza City, it said.

Another 94 other people were injured in Gaza, including three in serious condition, the ministry said.

One man dressed as Santa Claus holding a Palestinian flag was shot in the leg east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, eyewitnesses said.

In the occupied West Bank, clashes broke out in Ramallah, Hebron and other major cities, with smaller protests across the territory, including near the Jewish settlement of Beit El.

Osama Najar, spokesman for the health ministry in the West Bank, said they had seen protests in more locations than on previous Fridays.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had dealt with dozens of injuries during the West Bank clashes, including at least seven hit by live ammunition.

The clashes broke out after the weekly Muslim prayers, with minor scuffles in Jerusalem.

The army said in a statement that around 1,700 "rioters are hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tyres... In order to disperse the riot, troops are responding with riot dispersal means".

In Gaza, around 2,000 Palestinians took part in protests, the army said, with soldiers firing "live rounds selectively towards main instigators".

By the evening, the demonstrations and clashes had abated, a military spokeswoman said.

There have been near daily protests across the Palestinian territories since Trump's announcement.

Ten Palestinians have died, eight in clashes and two in an Israeli air strike on Gaza.

Fridays, traditionally a day of protest for Palestinians, have seen the most violence.

Yesterday, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution reaffirming that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations, and that any decision reached outside that framework must be rescinded, without explicitly mentioning Trump's announcement.

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Achim Fabig, the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chennai, called on Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit here today.

The meeting was a courtesy call and during the brief interaction, the Consul General presented a book to the Governor, a Raj Bhavan release said.

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Germany today called for "dialogue and de-escalation" among "all Spanish actors" after snap elections in Catalonia saw separatists win a slim majority in parliament.

"We hope that it will be possible to overcome the present division in Catalan society and to shape a common future with all political powers in Spain," said government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer.

"The federal government trusts that all actors in Spain will pursue this goal and will use all means of dialogue and de-escalation," she said, adding that whatever Catalan government is formed, it will need to work "within the framework of the country's legal and constitutional order."



Demmer also stressed that Germany sees the case as an "inner-Spanish matter".

Catalan separatists won a crucial snap poll yesterday, plunging their region into further uncertainty after a failed independence bid shook Europe and triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

With turnout at a record high of 82 per cent, yesterday's election handed a mandate back to the region's ousted separatist leaders after they campaigned from exile and behind bars.

Madrid called yesterday's vote after secessionists declared independence on October 27, a hugely divisive issue for the wealthy northern region, that has rattled a Europe already shaken by Brexit.

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Passengers travelling with Ryanair in Germany today saw little disruption from a four-hour strike called by a pilots' union, with most flights leaving as scheduled, and only some delays.

Germany's powerful Cockpit union had asked Ryanair pilots to walk off the job from 5-9am (0400-0800 GMT) in a battle for recognition from the Irish no-frills carrier whose workers have been calling for better pay and conditions across Europe.

But the first-ever strike action by Ryanair pilots in the company's 32-year history appeared to have made little impact, with no cancellations reported.

At Germany's busiest travel hub, Frankfurt airport, all six scheduled Ryanair flights left as planned, according to DPA agency.

Flights left mostly as planned at Berlin-Schoenefeld airport as well, where seven departures were on the board. The 6:40 am flight to Italy's Bergamo however was delayed by five hours.

At the Cologne/Bonn airport in western Germany, at least one Ryanair flight to Copenhagen suffered from the strike action with passengers being told to expect a 10-hour delay.

The Cockpit union said it was pleased with the response to its strike call, which had forced Ryanair to scramble to bring in pilots from abroad.

"The strike participation has been absolutely satisfactory," union spokesman Markus Wahl told DPA.

The Irish carrier itself has urged passengers to head to airports despite the strike call, pledging to do its "upmost to minimise any disruptions".

Cockpit had on Thursday called for a "warning strike" after a first round of talks with Ryanair broke down this week.

The union said the discussions were cancelled after the carrier objected to two of the five union members present.

Cockpit accused Ryanair of playing for time to avoid travel chaos during the busy Christmas period.

But the airline hit back, saying it would not negotiate with non-Ryanair pilots.

Ryanair last week took the unprecedented step of offering to finally recognise unions after crew in Germany, Ireland, Britain, Italy, Spain and Portugal threatened walkouts in long-running rows over pay and conditions.

The move eased tensions but unions warned that strikes remained an option if the Dublin-based carrier was not serious about the discussions.

Ryanair was able to stave off year-end travel chaos on home soil after clinching a deal with Ireland's Impact union yesterday.

The union there said the danger of industrial action had "receded for the present" after Ryanair agreed to formally recognise Impact as the representative for the airline's pilots.

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The Goa government today announced that they will start charging nominal fee for the patients who are non-residence of the state at the government hospitals from January 1, while locals will continue getting free of cost treatment.

State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane told reporters that the state-run facilities including Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) will charge nominal fee for the patients who are from outside Goa from January 1, 2018.

He said the patients from outside Goa would be charged twenty percent of the fee as prescribed in the state's 'Deen Dayal Swastha Seva Yojana (DDSSY)' charged by 'C' category hospitals, which comes to a nominal amount.

Rane said the step was taken to ensure that the locals are given priority in these hospitals as the state government is spending crores of rupees to maintain and upkeep these facilities.

"Nearly 30-40 per cent of the patients on these hospitals arrive from outside the state, specially from Maharashtra and Karnataka. We need to provide treatment on priority to the locals," he said.

Rane said the emergency cases would be given priority in these hospitals, even if the patient arrives from outside the state.

Also, he said, those patients who are "poor" will not be charged though they are not locals.

"The Dean of GMC and Medical Superintendents of the district hospitals have powers to exempt the poor patients from being charged in the hospital even if they are not from Goa," he maintained.

In yet another announcement, Goa government has also made it mandatory for the local patients to provide DDSSY cards for the locals while availing free treatment facility at state run hospitals.

Rane said the state government is spending more than Rs 80 crore annually to pay the premium to the insurance company under DDSSY but the number of patients taking benefit of the scheme is less.

"When the state is paying so much for the insurance firm, the patients should start using the DDSSY cards," he said adding the health department has already put up camps in various panchayats to enrol all the citizens of the state under this scheme.

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Congress members today staged a walk-out from the Lok Sabha alleging discrimination in providing central assistance to states hit by cyclone Ockhi, as the government refuted the charges asserting that all possible help has been extended to the affected people.

Responding to a short duration discussion on Ockhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard were continuing efforts to trace missing fishermen and the government was providing financial and other assistance to the affected states.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge asked why only four teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were sent to Kerala and three teams to Tamil Nadu, while seven teams of the force were deployed in Gujarat which was not affected.

He accused the government of discrimination in providing help to states hit by Ockhi and said though the impact of the cyclone was severe in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the central assistance to these two states was inadequate.

"Seven teams of NDRF were deployed in Gujarat when the impact of Ockhi in the state was not that severe. There should not be any discrimination in assistance. There must be an inquiry into it," said Kharge.

The Home Minister rejected the demand for an inquiry into the deployment of the NDRF teams and rejected the charges of bias, saying deployment of NDRF teams depended on requisition made by the state governments.

"There was no discrimination at all in extending assistance to any states. We are providing all possible help to all the cyclone-hit states," Singh said.

Not satisfied with response of Singh, the Congress staged a walk-out from the House.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar accused the Congress of indulging in politics on a serious issue like natural disaster and said the government helped every affected person.

In his intervention, Singh said cyclone Ockhi had caused large scale devastation in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep and Maharastra but added that government could not declare it as a national calamity due to the laid-down protocol. He said government is treating it as a disaster of severe nature.

Singh said 18 people were killed in Tamil Nadu and 74 in Kerala in the cyclone which he said is a "rare" one to hit the coastal states in the last 125 years.

The Home Minister said rescue operations by the Navy and Coast Guard were on to trace 275 missing fishermen in Tamil Nadu and 215 in Kerala.

He also rejected the criticism that the meteorological department could not issue a warning on time.

Singh said a total of 2,000 people lost their lives in natural calamities in the country in the current year.

The Home Minister said Tamil Nadu was given a central assistance of Rs 280 crore and Kerala was allocated Rs 76 crore, adding that further allocation will be made after central teams visit the two states.

Singh said a total of 18 ships of Navy and Coast Guard are currently searching for missing fishermen.

His response came after members, cutting across party lines, sought stronger coordination between various agencies to deal with cyclones and other natural disasters, with some of them alleging that the advance warning for cyclone Ockhi was given to Kerala very late.

Congress and Left members, especially from Kerala which bore the brunt, sought a probe into the alleged mismanagement, lack of coordination and other aspects of the disaster while also narrating the ordeal of death and destruction they had witnessed when the cyclone had hit the state.

They also demanded that the devastation caused by Ockhi should be declared a national calamity.

While Congress leader K C Venugopal sought a timely and comprehensive relief package for Kerala, with P Karunakaran (CPI-M) saying a package of Rs 7348 crore should be given. His demand for declaring cyclone Ockhi a national calamity was supported by several members like N K Premchandran (RSP), Jose K Mani (KCP) and P R Sundaram (AIADMK).

B Mahtab (BJD) said natural calamities have been hitting Odisha frequently and asked the Centre to step up its assistance to the state, while Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) said the government should focus on preventive measures.

Shashi Tharoor (Cong), who represents Thiruvananthapuram constituency which was the most affected by the cyclone, said there was no early warning signal available to the state government, even when the radars to provide advance warnings were located in Kerala (Thumba) itself. He demanded immediate investigation into the lapses and gaps leading to loss of lives and properties due to the "horrendous human tragedy".

Saugata Roy (TMC) sought immediate decision on compensation and asked the government to provide data on the fishermen killed and missing in the calamity. Several other members participated in the debate that went on for over two hours.

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The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime would get stabilised in the next 18 months, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Friday.

"Give us time and you will see that in the next 18 months, will get stabilised, and this is where I think your (CAs) role is critical," he said while addressing the Southern Regional Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India here.

"Unfortunately, some of you are trying to scare investors away from rather than helping them. I think it is rather unfair," he added.

Kumar said if CAs do not extend cooperation, India will not be able to erase dualism in terms of organised and unorganised sectors, which is not good for the economy.

"Formalisation of the economy will give a fillip to tax compliance. At present, tax compliance is between 40 to 43 per cent. It must increase to 90 per cent. The role of CAs becomes that much important," he said.

Kumar said tax rates under will rationalise into three slabs, from five at present.

"In times to come, tax rates under Goods and Services Tax will converge into three slabs -- 0, 12 and 28 per cent," he said.

Kumar said to expect one tax rate under GST was impractical, given the size of the country which is equal to all European nations from Moscow to London put together.

"Also, there are varied cultures and business ethics followed by different states, and hence it is not feasible to have one tax rate under GST. Hence, it was necessary to have those multiple rates," he said.

Kumar said it will be a huge step forward if petroleum products are brought under GST, about which Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had recently spoken in the Rajya Sabha.

On demonetisation, he said the government may not have been able to convert all black money into white, but it has converted black money into grey.

"Believe me, Rs 4.5 lakh crore that has returned to banks by way of demonetisation will be acted upon," he added.
The Calcutta High Court today directed Kolkata Police to file a progress report on January 16 on its investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl student on the campus of a leading school.

Hearing a petition by the child's parents seeking a CBI investigation, Justice Debangshu Basak said the direction, however, would not prevent the city police from carrying out its probe into the case.

The court would hear the matter again on January 16, when the progress report would have to be filed.

Two physical teachers of G D Birla Centre for at Tollygunge in the southern part of the city were arrested following a complaint by the parents alleging that their child had been sexually assaulted on November 30.

The alleged incident led to an agitation by the parents of students of the school demanding action, following which the institute was closed by authorities till December 7.

Alleging inaction and overaction by the investigating agency, petitioner's counsel Priyanka Tibrewal submitted before the court that it has not filed any FIR against the principal of the school, claiming that her letter following the alleged incident that had not been corroborated.

Tibrewal claimed the police had asked her to record her statement before a magistrate, despite her being the counsel for the alleged victim's parents.

Submitting for the city police, Additional Advocate General Abhratosh Majumdar stated that an FIR has been filed against the principal of the school and the police was investigating all aspects of the case.

He told the court that Tibrewal had stated that she was a relative of the child during the agitation at the school after the alleged incident, and as such the police had asked her to record her statement.

Had the police been informed about her status as the lawyer for the petitioners earlier, it would have refrained from asking her to record her statement, Majumdar submitted.

He also told the court that a portion of the school reportedly did not have necessary sanction and that this aspect was also being looked into.

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The Madras High Court today issued a notice to J Jayalalithaa's niece and nephew on a petition by a woman claiming to be the biological daughter of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister and seeking a DNA test to establish her parentage.

Justice S Vaidyanathan, who issued notice to Jayalalithaa's niece J Deepa and nephew J Deepak, said the court cannot order a DNA test as the petition's maintainability was yet to be argued.

If the petitioner's plea was accepted, "it will result in opening of a Pandoras box, which will only lead to more deterioration of the privacy" of Jayalalithaa, he said.

The woman had last month moved the Supreme Court with the same prayer but it had refused to entertain the plea. She had claimed that she was given in adoption to Jayalalithaa's sister and her husband.

The apex court had, however, said she was at liberty to approach the high court.

Jayalalithaa died on December 5 last year after prolonged hospitalisation and her body was buried off the famous Marina Beach here.

Referring to the petitioner's claim that late actor Shobhan Babu was her father, the judge asked why she had not sought a DNA test to prove it.

Replying to this, senior counsel V Prakash, who appeared for the petitioner, said she only wanted to establish her relationship with Jayalalithaa.

The matter was posted to January 5 for further hearing.

During the hearing yesterday, the judge, while noting that several persons were claiming that they were the legal hire of Jayalalithaa, had orally observed that a DNA test may be ordered to put the quietus on the issue.

Alleging that the petitioner was a 'fortune hunter' or 'publicity seeker', Advocate General Vijay Narayan had yesterday said that even for a DNA test, the court has to arrive at a prima facie case.

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The Delhi High Court today sought the response of the Centre and the AAP government on a PIL seeking framing of guidelines to regulate the functioning of personnel in police stations and ensure the safety of the complainants and the accused.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Delhi government and the police seeking their stand on the plea by April 19, the next date of hearing.

The petition has alleged that the number of complaints of crime and corruption lodged against personnel posted in police stations was higher as compared to those in other departments of the police.

Petitioner Ajay Gautam has sought directions to the MHA and the Delhi government to lay down the duties and functions that must be performed by a personnel posted in a police station to ensure safety of the complainant and the accused in instances where no FIR was registered.

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The Governor's office has been saved from setting a "new precedent", Congress leader Ashok Chavan said today after the Bombay High Court quashed the sanction to prosecute him granted by the Maharashtra governor in the Adarsh housing society scam.

Maintaining that the allegations against him were baseless and without any proof, the former chief minister said the court order reaffirms his faith in the judiciary.

The high court today quashed and set aside Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao's sanction granted to the CBI in 2016 to prosecute the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president in the Adarsh Housing scam.

"The HC order reaffirms my faith in the judiciary. I am satisfied. The state governor had given the sanction to prosecute me overruling the decision of his predecessor. With today's court decision, the governor's office has been saved from setting a new precedent," Chavan told reporters.

He said he had always maintained that the case against him was "politically motivated."



Chavan said the court order came because the allegations against him were "baseless and without any proof".

"I suffered personal damage in the last seven years because of the charges against me. I had to quit as the chief minister. But, I am involved in my party work. I am thankful to the people in my constituency for standing by me," Chavan said.

He also said the BJP should not indulge in the of vendetta at a personal level.

To a question on whether he would be the chief ministerial face of the Congress in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Chavan said any decision in this regard would be taken by the party.

Meanwhile, NCP leader Jayant Patil said the high court's order in the Adarsh case had exposed the BJP's "false propaganda" during elections.

"Like the 2G (scam case) verdict, people are realising that the BJP was involved in a campaign to malign the Congress-led governments at the centre and in the state," he alleged.

In February 2016, Governor Rao had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Chavan.

Later, Chavan moved the high court challenging the governor's sanction.

In December 2013, Rao's predecessor K Sankaranarayanan had refused sanction to the CBI to prosecute the Congress leader.

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The Madras High Court today stayed all further proceedings against online homestay aggregator Stayzilla for allegedly failing to make payments due to an advertisement company and defrauding it of Rs 1.69 crore.

Judge M S Ramesh granted Stayzilla interim relief till January 22, on a plea by its founders Yogendra Vasupal and Sachit Singhi, who had urged the judge to quash the case pending in a special court of central crime branch (CCB) here.

The criminal proceedings were initiated against them on a complaint from C S Aditya of Jigsaw Advertising and Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Aditya alleged that Stayzilla failed to make payments for services rendered since February 2016 and defrauded him of Rs 1.69 crore.

A case was registered by CCB against the founders for criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation.

When the plea came up for hearing, the judge said since the dispute was civil in nature, laying of chargesheet may not be proper. This aspect requires further deliberations, he added.

On April 27, the high court had granted conditional anticipatory bail to Singhi.

Vasupal was arrested on March 14 while Singhi, stated to be absconding, had moved the court for anticipatory bail.

The high court had later granted bail to Vasupal on the condition that he furnish a personal bond of Rs 40 lakh.

Earlier, Principal Sessions Judge Nazeema Banu had on April 20 denied anticipatory bail to Singhi.

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The Delhi High Court today stayed a trial court order imposing a fine of Rs 50 lakh on a Kolkata-based iron and steel company in connection with a coal scam case.

Justice Anu Malhotra put on the hold till January 22, the next date of hearing, the special CBI court's order to deposit the fine.

The high court's interim order came on the appeal of the company, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd's (VISUL), which has sought waiver of the costs.

The high court also sought response of the CBI on the company's plea seeking setting aside of the trial court's December 16 order convicting it in the coal scam case.

"The trial court order is stayed on parity with the other convict's appeal," the court said.

The company, in its plea, has said that the special court had wrongly found them guilty of the alleged scam.

The high court on December 20 had sought response of the CBI on an appeal by former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda's close aide Vijay Joshi against the trial court's order awarding him three years jail term in the case.

While admitting his appeal against conviction and jail term, the court had suspended the sentence of Joshi till the pendency of his appeal and had granted him bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount.

Koda, ex-coal secretary H C Gupta, A K Basu, former Jharkhand chief secretary, and Joshi were awarded jail terms of three years for indulging in corrupt practices and hatching a criminal conspiracy in the allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to the Kolkata-based company.

While confirming his bail, the high court had directed Joshi not to leave the country during the entire pendency of his appeal.

It had also stayed till January 22, the next date of hearing, the payment of the Rs 25 lakh fine imposed on Joshi by the special court.

The trial court had directed the convict to deposit by January 3 the fine amount and had suspended his sentence till February 18 to enable him to appeal before the superior court.

Advocate Tarannum Cheema, appearing for the CBI, gave a list of orders in the coal cases where the convicts were directed to deposit the fine and said the time to deposit the money was not extended.

While sentencing the convicts, the special court had said "white collar crimes" were more "dangerous" to the society than ordinary crimes.

It had imposed fines of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 25 lakh and Rs 1 lakh on VISUL, Koda and Gupta respectively in the UPA-era coal scam. Rs one lakh fine was also imposed on Basu.

The convicts were granted statutory bail for a period of two months to enable them to file appeals in the Delhi High Court.

So far, four out of 30 coal block allocation scam cases have been decided by the special court, including this order, and 12 people and four companies have been held guilty.

The convicts were tried for offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

While the offence of cheating carries a maximum punishment of seven years jail term, criminal breach of trust by public servants entails a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

The CBI had said that the firm had applied for allocation of Rajhara North coal block on January 8, 2007.

It had said that although the Jharkhand government and the steel ministry did not recommend VISUL's case for coal block allocation, the 36th Screening Committee recommended the block to the accused firm.

The CBI had said that Gupta, who was chairman of the screening committee, had concealed facts from then prime minister Manmohan Singh, who at that time headed the coal ministry too, that Jharkhand had not recommended VISUL for allocation of a coal block.

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Following are the top stories from the Western Region at 1630 hrs.

LGB 5 MH-HC-ADARSH-LD CHAVAN



Mumbai: In a relief for former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, the Bombay High Court quashes and sets aside Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao's sanction granted to the CBI in 2016 to prosecute the senior Congress leader in the Adarsh Housing scam.

BOM 6 MH-ADARSH-NIRUPAM



Mumbai: Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam claims that like 2G, Adarsh was never a scam and alleges that it was a ploy of the BJP to malign his party.

BOM 7 MH-MINISTER-ACCIDENT



Mumbai: Union Minister Anant Geete escapes unhurt after his car meets with an accident in which his personal security officer (PSO) sustained injuries in Maharashtra's Raigad district, the police said.

BES 2 MH-ASSEMBLY-FADNAVIS



Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis says the government was considering giving the status of 'freedom fighter' to those who were jailed during the Emergency, imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975.

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Bengali film "Rong Beronger Kori" has drawn the ire of a Hindu outfit as two of its characters are named after deities Ram and Sita.

Director Ranjan Ghosh, however, has refused to make any changes, calling the protests an attempt to curb his creative freedom.

The activists of the fringe group, Hindu Jagran Manch, held demonstrations outside the local office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) today and submitted a deputation seeking changes in the names of the characters.

The spokesperson for the West Bengal unit of Hindu Jagran Manch, Vivek Singh, has also written a letter to the Union Information and Broadcasting minister, Smriti Irani, stating that naming the film's characters after Ram and Sita will hurt the sentiments of Hindus.

Singh told reporters yesterday that he will not give up the fight and may even explore legal options if the Censor Board clears the film without considering the group's demand.

Ghosh said the film has four separate stories about relationships and there is no mythological connection. In one of the four stories, two characters have been named Ram and Sita.

"Don't we see people having names like Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Kartik, Saraswati in our everyday life? Do they now want to change those names as well!" he wondered.

"It is a question of artistic freedom, a director's prerogative of creating a work of art. We will protest and object to any bid to curb our freedom," he asserted.

The BJP's West Bengal unit President Dilip Ghosh said the trend of naming film characters after Hindu Gods or revered mythological characters might harm the sentiments of people of the community.

The film has Chiranjit Chakraborty, Rituparna Sengupta, Ritwik Chakraborty and Arunima Ghosh in lead roles.

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Honduras appeared to have pulled back from the brink of crisis today, after the opposition candidate admitted defeat in a disputed presidential poll and the United States recognised the incumbent as the victor.

Leftist flag-bearer Salvador Nasralla conceded shortly after Honduras' key ally Washington endorsed President Juan Orlando Hernandez's re-election, following a month of sometimes deadly street clashes.

"With the decision by Washington, I am no longer in the running," Nasralla told the HCH television station. As he spoke, police were dismantling the latest barricade erected around the capital by his supporters to protest the vote.

Washington is Honduras' main aid donor and largest trading partner and US diplomats have been following events in the impoverished Central American republic nervously since the November 26 election.

Vote counting took more than a week, with mysterious breaks in the process, and the leftist opposition alliance has alleged that Hernandez only won through fraud.

But today the US State Department congratulated the 49- year-old on his re-election, with the proviso that all "irregularities" in the vote be fully investigated.

"A significant long-term effort to heal the political divide in the country and enact much-needed electoral reforms should be undertaken," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

"We urge Honduran citizens or political parties challenging the result to use the avenues provided by Honduran law."



Nauert noted that vote monitors from both the Organization of American States and the European Union had noted shortcomings in the way the election had been conducted.

And she insisted that the Honduran Supreme Election Tribunal should investigate "and fully review any challenges filed by political parties."



Washington urged all Hondurans to refrain from violence and warned that government security forces who fail to respect the rights of peaceful protesters must be held to account.

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Actor Carey Mulligan says she has experienced sexism in Hollywood and felt "belittled" for being a woman in the film industry.

The 32-year-old actor says she often has to fight to make her voice heard when discussing scripts with film executives, reported Vogue Australia.

"I have felt belittled and ... kind of lesser-than. I've definitely experienced sexism in terms of how I've been treated. When I've tried to assert my opinion on scripts, for example, I feel I've had to fight a bit harder to get my voice heard," Mulligan says.

The actor, who has two-year-old daughter Evelyn and a three-month-old baby whose name and gender have not been revealed with her husband Marcus Mumford, also praised writer Dave Hare for not to altering her character in crime-thriller "Collateral" after learning she was pregnant.

"I loved that he didn't rewrite my character, that he just didn't make a fuss about it. It felt more real to life, because when you're pregnant you do just go about your life," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and China agreed today that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, and exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures (CBMs) in this regard as the two sides tried to put behind them the Doklam episode.

After a meeting between the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China on the Boundary Question - Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India and Yang Jiechi, State Councillor -- the external affairs ministry said the talks were "positive".

During today's border talks, first since the 73-day-long military standoff in Doklam, the two sides underlined the need to build on their convergences while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each others concerns, sensitivities and aspirations.

While the MEA statement did not say whether the Doklam issue was discussed, in Beijing, a spokesperson in Chinese foreign ministry skirted a question on whether it figured during the talks and instead said, "This mechanism is not only a high-level channel for dialogue on border issues between the two sides but also important platform for strategic communication between China and India."



The Doklam standoff began on June 16 after the Indian troops intervened and stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the area claimed by Bhutan as it posed a security risk to Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its north-eastern states. The two armies "disengaged" on August 28.

"The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures," the MEA said in a statement.

It further said, "The talks were positive and focused on bringing out the full potential of the Closer Developmental Partnership between the two countries."



The SRs undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks and agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries.

They re-emphasised their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date.

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The Islamic State terror group has been "crushed" in Iraq and Syria with the efforts of Britain's armed forces, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said today during a surprise Christmas visit to troops in Cyprus.

May praised the Royal Air Force (RAF) men and women at Britain's Akrotiri base in the country for their key role on Operation Shader, the codename for the fight against Islamic State (ISIS), and diminishing the hold of terrorists in the Middle East.

"Just three years ago, Daesh [ISIS] declared a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, a safe haven in which to carry out the most barbaric acts and in which to plot murder on our streets at home," she said.

"But today, thanks in very large part to your efforts, the so-called caliphate has been crushed and no longer holds significant territory in Iraq and Syria. You should be incredibly proud of that achievement," May said.

The RAF base in Cyprus is at the heart of the UK's operations in Iraq and Syria.

It is home to 2,000 military personnel and has been the launch point for more than 1,300 sorties to Iraq and more than 250 to Syria since the US-led action against ISIS began.

"It's from here that you have conducted more than 1,600 air strikes against Daesh targets and supported more than 1,450 personnel working with our allies and partners in Jordan and Iraq to fight Daesh and prevent its re-emergence," she said.

Standing in front of a Typhoon fighter jet to speak to 100 servicemen and women at RAF Akrotiri, May said that British military intervention was still needed in the region to ensure the terror group did not regroup or give way to a splinter force.

Her Voyager plane landed at Akrotiri last night after she flew in from Warsaw following talks with her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.

In her six-minute speech at the windswept Mediterranean airbase, May hailed the RAF on the eve of its centenary, which is celebrated in 2018.

"I hope that as a nation in this special year ahead we can collectively raise the national consciousness of the work you do and the sacrifices that you make in the service of others.

As Prime Minister, I will do everything I can to lead the nation in this endeavour, for you are quite simply the pride of our nation, and that is how you should be treated," she said.

As part of her "big thank you" message to the troops, the British PM praised the troops for taking down enemies and standing by allies when the going gets tough.

She warned that ISIS would still seek "new ungoverned spaces from which to plot and carry out attack" and that it was vital for Britain to continue to support its allies in the Middle East.
Senior Congress leader P C Chacko today claimed that BJP leader and former Union Minister Jaswant Singh had suggested that the JPC probe on the 2G Spectrum scam should be wound up as he felt that spectrum allocation had paved the way for a telecom revolution in the country.

Singh, who was a BJP member in the 30-member Joint Parliamentary Committee on the 2G spectrum issue, voiced his views when the JPC probe had reached its half-way mark, said Chacko while sharing his experience as the JPC head.

"Jaswant Singh was an eminent parliamentarian. After completing the examination of many, including CAG Vinod Rai by the panel, Singh told me --Mr Chacko, why don't you recommend your Prime Minister to wind up this probe? What happened in India is a telecome revolution," Chacko told a meet-the-press programme, organised by the Ernakulam press club here.

He made the claim a day after former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and all other accused were acquitted in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases by a special court in New Delhi, which held that the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove the charges.

The former Lok Sabha MP hailed the verdict acquitting Raja and Kanimozhi, saying it was just a charge to defame the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA government led by him.

Accusing the then Comptroller and Auditor General of overstepping its jurisdiction by calculating presumptive loss, Chacko said this was an interpretation by the constitutional body.

Scrutiny by various agencies have now held that the loss calculation made by it was erroneous and presumptive calculation was not correct, he said.

"CAG is only expected to assess the actual loss to the exchequer. But here overstepping its jurisdiction the CAG made an assessment on the basis of presumptive loss," Chacko said.

He said that during the examination by the panel he had asked Rai about the controversial presumptive calculation by the CAG overstepping its jurisdiction.

Rai merely said "I calculated presumptive loss," he said.

Chacko also hit out at BJP on the issue, asking why had not its government so far rejected the report submitted by JPC if it had differences on its findings.

"BJP has majority in Parliament. Five members of the BJP, including Minister in the government Ravi Shankar Prasad were members of JPC. Why didn't they reject that report so far,?" he asked, alleging that the ruling party had been using the 2G spectrum allegations for its political gains.

Chacko was made chairman of the 30-member JPC on the 2G spectrum issue in March 2011 by then Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

The controversial report of the JPC, which gave a clean chit to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker in October 2013.

The report, on which six parties had submitted dissent notes, had rubbished the notional loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore estimated by CAG, saying it was "ill-conceived."



Chacko also said CBI failed to prove the charge that there was a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of licences for the 2G spectrum which were scrapped by the Supreme court on February 2, 2012.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With over 200 sessions spanning a diverse range of topics, trends, ideas and genres, the full schedule for the upcoming Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) was announced today.

The 11th edition of the literature festival will witness Academy award-winning British playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, who will talk about his life and work in session titled 'The Real Thing'.

Another important session will be 'The Great Survivor' where Hamid Karzai, former President of Afghanistan, will discuss his life, legacy and leadership through the country's recent turbulent times.

He will also share his views on India's role in Afghanistan's past and present.

In sessions titled 'The Bridget Jones' Diaries', novelist Helen Fielding will talk about the comic, the tragic, film and fiction and Bridget Jones' bumpy ride to motherhood.

While combining crime with popular science, Kathy Reichs, an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist, academic and producer of the TV series Bones, will talk about her writing, popular science and communication, crime and punishment, gender and equity in sessions 'Conspiracy of Bones'.

Writer Akhil Sharma in a session called 'A Life of Adventure and Delight' will be in conversation with Chandrahas Choudhury on his writing and the intensity and emotional precision he brings to his craft.

In 'The Joy Luck Club', celebrated novelist Amy Tan will speak to Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi about her extraordinary life and her emergence as a writer of stature against many odds.

Known for leading a nomadic life between a Benedictine hermitage in California, Nara in Japan and international airports around the world, British-born Indian origin essayist Pico Iyer, in 'The Art of Stillness', will speak with writer and historian Patrick French about his life and work, movement and stillness, changelessness and change.

Visitors can look forward to sessions in poetry such as 'Jan Nisar and Kaifi' with Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi in conversation with Rakhshanda Jalil; 'Nude: The Poet Within' in which Vishal Bhardwaj will be in conversation with Sukrita Paul Kumar; and a Rajasthani bhasha session 'Rajasthali: Dharti Ri Koonkh' with Bulaki Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh Arha and Reena Menaria in conversation with Arvind Singh Aashiya.

"In its 11th edition, the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival lives up to its promise of being the grand dame of diversity, magnitude and sheer range in programming there is something here for everyone, much to explore and to suit every literary palate," the organisers said.

The JLF will also celebrate the diversity of languages, their enigmatic roots and multifaceted trajectories.

In 'Lok Bhasha: The Oxford Dictionaries Hindi Word of the Year', the announcement of the first ever Oxford Dictionaries 'Hindi Word of the Year' will be made at the event followed by a panel discussion with Ashok Vajpeyi, Pankaj Dubey, Saurabh Dwivedi, Vinod Dua and Yatindra Misra in conversation with Anu Singh Choudhary on new trends in Hindi usage and writing.

In 'Hindi Medium: Language and Elitism', Annie Montaut, Avinash Das, Satya Vyas and Satyanand Nirupam will examine the value of Hindi, its position as a common language in a multilingual nation.

In a linguistic leap of faith, the session 'Shalom: Indian Jewish Fiction', writers Esther David and Sethu will speak of ethnicity, community, belonging and the legacy of shared stories.

In sessions like 'River of Life, River of Death: The Ganges and India's Future' and 'Conflicts of Interest: Betrayals of the Earth' eminent environmentalists like Sunita Narain, Jairam Ramesh and Jeffrey Gettleman will address the cause and consequences of climate catastrophe.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today slammed his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath for flaying his government on the law and order front, saying, on the contrary, there was lawlessness in UP.

"There is no other place in the country where law and order had deteriorated to the extent it has happened in UP and Bihar," Siddaramaiah said.

"There is no law there in UP. What will they come and teach us here?" he told reporters at Belagavi.

Siddaramaiah's comments come a day after Adityanath lashed out at the state government, alleging that the way Hindu and BJP workers are being "brutally" killed signified "astate of anarchy."



The chief minister also criticised Adityanath for accusing the Congress of "insulting" India's rich tradition by showing respect to the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, whose birth anniversary celebrations by the government had triggered a controversy.

"What is my name- Siddarama, there is Rama in my name. We celebrate Rama jayanti, Hanuma jayanti, also Tippu jayanti," Siddaramaiah said.

Listing 'jayantis' of various social reformers, religious and historical leaders like Basava, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Valmiki and Kanakadas observed by the state government, he said "We celebrate jayantis of every one."



Speaking at the "Parivarthana Yatra" rally, organised by the state BJP in Hubballi yesterday, Adityanath had called Karnataka "the land of Hanuman" and home of valour and courage which was ruled by the erstwhile Vijayanagara empire.

It was unfortunate that the Congress "instead of worshiping Hanuman and Vijayanagara was worshiping Tipu Sultan," he had said.
Kiefer Sutherland says she did not want his daughter Sarah to join acting.

The "Designated Survivor" star, who is the son of actors Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, says he was disappointed when his daughter decided to follow the same career path as his, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"I was always grateful to my parents for letting me find my way. They were there if I wanted to talk to them, but they never pushed me. In fact, both of my parents were disappointed that this was what I wanted to do. I think I felt the same way for my daughter," Sutherland says.

"My father tried to lovingly deter me," Sarah adds.

The 50-year-old, however, does not believe there are advantages in having family members working within the same industry.

"I watch my daughter, who's an extraordinary actor, and she's had to grind it out. It would be interesting to find out behind closed doors if someone ever said (when) it's neck and neck between two people, 'Oh, let's give him a shot because I'm friends with his old man.' I have no idea if that ever happens," he says.

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Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil today said that the state government had no answers to issues raised by the Opposition.

He was speaking at a press conference here after the conclusion of the winter session of the Assembly.

He said that despite the Opposition demanding that the session be extended to three weeks, the government right from the start wanted to wrap it up as soon as possible.

He attacked the government over its failure to address the issue of compensation to farmers whose cotton crop had been attacked by bollworms.

He also accused the goverment of failing to provide fair price to soyabean and cotton producers.

Raising doubts on the farm loan waiver scheme, Vikhe Patil said the government was yet to submit the list of farmers whose loans had been waived.

"It is clear from the winter session proceedings that this government is against social justice, is anti-farmer and is protecting corrupt practices," he said.

Attacking the government on the issue of law and order, he said that government was still unable to nab absconding BJP corporator Munna Yadav from Nagpur.

He alleged that the absconding corporator was hiding in a farmhouse near Nagpur.

"We had asked the government to remove him from the government post he is in charge of but the CM did not reply to this demand," Vikhe Patil said.

He also attacked the Shiv Sena saying that the party did not take a stand on the farmers' issue.

In reply to a query on holding the monsoon session of the Assembly in Nagpur, Vikhe Patil said that his party had no objection to it being held in July.

"It is a good move and it should be extended to three weeks. It will allow for comprehensive discussions on issues relating to Vidarbha," he added.

He demanded that the government should apologise to former chief minister Ashok Chavan over the allegations leveled against Chavan in the Adarsh scam.

He said the present government had decided to pursue action against Chavan despite the earlier Governor refusing sanction to prosecute him.

"Subsequently, the present Governor set aside the previous Governor's order and allowed Chavan's prosecution. However the recent verdict on Chavan has proved that the government leveled false allegations and it should apologise to him," said Vikhe Patil.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said the government was considering giving the status of 'freedom fighter' to those who were jailed during the Emergency, imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975.

Replying to a query raised by BJP leader Eknath Khadse in the state Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said they will take "an appropriate decision regarding the proposal during the first Cabinet meeting in the New Year."



"The state government has sought information from every district of Maharashtra to take the decision," he said.

"There are some six-seven states in the country where a similar decision has been taken. I have sought information regarding the same," the chief minister said.

Earlier, Khadse said there were many people who fought for the protection of democracy (during Emergency), in the same way as people fought for the country's freedom,



"They are no less custodians of democracy, hence they should be rewarded appropriately," he said.

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The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee today strongly objected to the Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar writing to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa expressing his intent to resolve the Mahadayi water sharing dispute through an amicable settlement.

Questioning the propriety behind Parrikar's letter, KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said Goa chief minister's action is an insult to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah as he was sidelined from the whole process.

"I never thought the BJP will stoop so low. The case was going on for the last two years. The PM was aware of it but did not take any initiative," Rao said.

When elections are round the corner, BJP leaders led by their party national president Amit Shah held meetings to resolve the matter and "then Goa chief minister writes not to his Karnataka counterpart but BJP state president Yeddyurappa," he said.

The Congress leader said Parrikar should have written to Siddaramaiah saying Yeddyurappa has spoken to him in the presence of other BJP leaders and that he was ready to resolve the drinking water crisis in Karnataka by releasing water from the Mahadayi river.

Rao said, "Is it not pure if Yeddyurappa reads the letter in the BJP election rally? By playing the water politics, BJP is undermining the water crisis and demeaning the sufferings of people. It is also insulting our chief minister Siddaramaiah."



He said Parrikar did not turn up whenever meetings were arranged to resolve the Kalasa Banduri water project.

During an election rally in Hubballi, Yeddyurappa read out Parrikar's letter to him.

In the missive, Parrikar had said his government is willing to consider an amicable settlement with Karnataka on sharing inter-state Mahadayi river water to meet the drinking needs of drought prone areas in northern parts of the state.

Rao also took a dig at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for his speech yesterday at Hubballi.

"Yogi Adityanath says Congress is Tipu Bhakt and they are Hanuman Bhakt. This is purely divisive politics," he said.

"BJP got only 32 per cent votes (in Lok Sabha polls). So it means many other Hindus rejected them. Should it mean that those who did not vote for BJP are not Hindus? Such statement is an insult to a large majority of people," Rao said.

The Congress leader said his party does not want to learn lessons of governance from Adityanath.

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Major powerbrokers agreed today to hold a peace congress for Syria in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi in late January in a bid to speed up a political settlement for the war-torn country.

Sochi will host a "congress of national dialogue on Syria" on January 29 and 30, said a joint statement released after two days of talks spearheaded by Russia and Iran, both key backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and rebel-aligned Turkey.

The "Congress of National Dialogue" will see "the participation of all segments of Syrian society," said the statement released in the Kazakh capital Astana.

"To this end three guarantors will hold a special preparation meeting in Sochi before the congress on 19-20 January," it added, referring to Russia, Turkey and Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been hoping to convert Moscow's game-changing military intervention in Syria into a political settlement on his terms.

In November, he convened the leaders of Turkey and Iran in Sochi to discuss the plan for the peace conference.

While both Russian officials and Assad have spoken enthusiastically of the plan, rebel representatives have been wary and the UN has yet to firmly endorse it.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura's office acknowledged Friday the plan to hold the congress in January without throwing its full support behind it.

"The United Nations maintains its view that any political initiative by international actors should be assessed by its ability to contribute to and support the mandated political process under the United Nations in Geneva," Mistura's office said in a statement.

Mistura held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow yesterday.

Representatives of the opposition have expressed fears the Sochi congress could prove a distraction from the UN negotiations.

The Astana talks have run in parallel to the negotiations taking place in Geneva with the backing of the United Nations, but neither set of talks have borne much fruit.

Since the start of Syria's war in 2011, several diplomatic attempts to halt the conflict have stumbled, mainly over Assad's future.

A previous attempt to convene the Sochi congress in November failed following a lack of agreement among prospective participants.

Turkey has said it will be opposed to any talks involving the Kurdish YPG militia of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The Kremlin has however insisted that Turkey's concerns would not stand in the way of the future peace conference.

Putin, who last week ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria, discussed the peace process with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the phone today.

Syria was also on the agenda as Putin spoke by telephone yesterday with Saudi Arabia's King Salman.

A fragile ceasefire brokered at the end of last year by Moscow and Ankara has been bolstered somewhat by the negotiations in Astana. The talks there have focussed on implementing four de-escalation zones to stem fighting between government and rebel forces, among other issues.

But both Damascus and the rebel factions have regularly accused one another of violating the ceasefire the zones were intended to bolster.

The second day of the talks in Astana coincided with the anniversary of a devastating and strategically crucial victory by Syrian forces in Aleppo, the country's second-largest city and once a rebel stronghold, after a blistering Russian-backed offensive.

Since the victory over Aleppo, Damascus has consolidated control over much of the country, wresting territory from extremist factions not party to the truce, particularly the Islamic State Group.

The war in Syria has left more than 340,000 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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A demand for revising the National Population Policy 2000 and introducing a new policy with a two-child norm was made today in the Lok Sabha, with a member expressing concern over an impending "demographic catastrophe".

The demand was made by BJP member Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma as he moved a private resolution seeking implementation of a stringent population control policy to check the population explosion.

"National Population Policy 2000 should be amended, revised and a new anti-natalist policy should be introduced. This can be called National National Population Policy, 2018," the member said.

Expressing concern over the rising population, he said it would lead to demographic catastrophe in the next 50 years.

"In this situation, I wish to say before you that a National Population Policy 2018 should be made. It should be a two-child policy,"



He also said if a man has more than two children, then the third child should be deprived of subsidies and government job and should also not fight elections. He also suggested creation of a separate ministry to be named as "Ministry of Population Regulation."



Observing that it would be disastrous if there is no population stabilisation, he claimed "majority of the people in the country think that there should be concrete and meaningful policy for population control."



Maintaining that the population of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was higher than other states, he said as per a study, eight districts of western Uttar Pradesh, including Moradabad, were going to experience population explosion.

Stating that rising population was leading to ghettoisation of one community, Sharma asked whether it was "not important that communities should know each other instead of segregating from each other?"



Participating in the debate on the private resolution, another BJP member, Nishikant Dubey, said women should be made aware of the dangers of population explosion "or else there could be a chance that their wards could turn out to be notorious criminals ... due to lack of attention and basic amenities."



He also advocated a special policy to discourage people from having more than two children.

Ravindra Kumar Ray (also BJP) advocated a policy under which government benefits and subsidies can be stopped for those with more than two kids.

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Mauritania's press union complained today that a paper shortage had deprived readers of any privately-run media for more than 10 days, while state- sponsored publications continued to print normally.

A government-funded printing press covers two-thirds of private publications' costs in the French and Arabic-speaking West African nation, while such media are barred from publishing advertisements from public bodies to raise their own money.

"Since December 11, the national printing press has suspended printing of independent Mauritanian newspapers due to a shortage of paper," the RPM union said in a statement, adding 23 publications including seven daily newspapers were affected.

"Meanwhile state-run newspapers Chaab and Horizon are published as usual," it added.

A source with Mauritania's state printing press told AFP the stoppage was temporary and a delivery was expected "shortly".

But the union accused the government of "deliberately limiting information to state media," and called for the printing of all publications to restart immediately.

International campaign group Reporters Without Borders said in August journalists were arrested and questioned "to reinforce the government's control over the private press", adding that it was "impossible to criticise the state's actions without being called a political opponent".

Additionally, five private television stations had their programming suspended in late October over a reported financial dispute with the state broadcaster TDM.

One channel, Al-Mourabitoune, reached an agreement with TDM on Wednesday and has resumed broadcasting.

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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today welcomed media criticism on his government's performance and urged journalists to help him in his fight against corruption.

The media has always played a proactive role in the state, keeping a close watch on the functioning of the government and they must continue to do so, he said.

"The media should not hesitate to criticise us if we make any mistake," the chief minister said here after extending financial aid to the families of journalists, who were either killed by extremists or went missing in action.

No amount of schemes or allocation of funds can bring about 'parivartan' (change) unless the entire system - from the Chief Minister's Office to the Panchayat office - is corruption free, Sonowal said.

"Change will be possible only when the poorest of the poor can claim that they have got relief from the government and unless that happens, we cannot claim to be successful," he said.

The Chief Minister distributed one-time ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of 32 journalists at the event, organised by the state Information and Public Relations Department.

Sonowal said that his government was grateful to the media for helping him in his campaign against corruption.

"We cannot let the sacrifice of the journalists who laid their lives for the society, state and nation to go in vain and must jointly strive to achieve a peaceful, terrorist-free, corruption-free, pollution-free and economically resurgent state," he added.

Two books - one with biographical sketches of 32 journalists and another carrying articles by Assam's rural journalists who recently visited Madhya Pradesh on a Goodwill Mission - were also released by the Chief Minister on the occasion.

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Political parties in Meghalaya have expressed doubts over the trustworthiness of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti here today.

The oppposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) conveyed their concerns with the chief election commissioner, who arrived here for a two-day review on the poll-preparedness of the state.

Elections are due early next year in Meghalaya as the tenure of the House ends on March 6.

The UDP working president, Bindo M Lanong, asked why a small state of 60 Assembly constituencies have to use the EVMs instead of ballot papers.

"Over 50 per cent of the population has raised doubts over the EVMs," Lanong told reporters after meeting the Election Commission team.

He said that the EC members have assured that if any doubts are raised during the election process, the Election Commission will look into the matter.

The KHNAM, besides questioning the use of the EVMs, has also sought fixing a minimum education qualification and retirement age for politicians.

The National People's Party has sought adequate security coverage during the elections.

The NCP, on the other hand, raised the matter of issuing voter ID cards to citizens of Nepal who were recruited in the Army.

"Personnel recruited from Nepal are also having these service voter identity cards. We have demanded that these cards be scrapped immediately," NCP general secretary S Thapa said.

The Chief Election Commissioner is accompanied by Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and Om Prakash Rawat.

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A team of academics from the Michigan State University in the US today held discussions with the Deans and Heads of Departments of the Pondicherry University.

The talks were a follow-up of the Memorandum of Understanding Pondicherry University had inked with MSU, East Lansing Michigan, in January this year.

Assistant Registrar K Mahesh said the University had entered into MOUs with many universities over the years to promote technology, research and academic projects to benefit students and faculty of Pondicherry University.

The team was led by MSU's professor Karim Maredia of the Department of Entomology, the assistant registrar said in a release.

Pondicherry University Vice Chancellor Gurmeet Singh presided.

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Minimum temperatures continued to remain above normal levels in several parts of the northern states, where dense to moderate fog was witnessed today, even as rainfall occurred at a few places over Tamil Nadu and at isolated places over Kerala and Rayalaseema.

A thick blanket of smog enveloped the national capital where the maximum temperature settled at 25.3 degrees Celsius, four notches above the normal. According to the MeT department, the minimum temperature was 11 degrees Celsius, three notches above the normal.

The weatherman has forecast clear skies for tomorrow with possibility of shallow to moderate fog in the morning.

The minimum temperature remained above the normal limit at most places in Punjab and Haryana also. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 10.4 degrees Celsius.

In Haryana, Ambala registered a low of 10 degrees Celsius while Hisar recorded a minimum of 9 degrees Celsius. Karnal's minimum settled at 9.5 degrees Celsius.

Narnaul (9), Rohtak (12.2) and Sirsa 8.2 degrees Celsius also registered above normal minimum temperature.

In Punjab, the night temperature at Amritsar settled at 8.7 degrees Celsius while Ludhiana recorded a low of 8.6 degrees Celsius.

Patiala's minimum settled at 10.3 degrees while Pathankot registered a low of 7.2 degrees Celsius.

However, Adampur experienced a cold night at 5.4 degrees.

Barring Ambala, where shallow fog prevailed in the morning, the was clear at most other places in the two states including Chandigarh, the MeT official said.

In Rajasthan, night temperatures hovered above normal in parts of the state where Bhilwara was the coldest place with minimum temperature of 6.7 degree Celsius, the meteorological department said. The minimum temperatures were 1-3 degrees above normal last night.

Churu and Chittorgarh recorded minimum temperature of 7.4 and 7.7 degree Celsius respectively, while the night temperatures at Pilani, Sriganganagar, Sikar, Alwar, Jaipur, Kota and Barmer was 8.4, 8.7, 10, 11, 11.5, 11.7 and 14.1 degree Celsius respectively.

There was no cold wave anywhere in the state and the conditions would remain the same during next 24 hours, the MeT department said.

Dense fog occurred at isolated places over Uttar Pradesh where Hamirpur recorded the lowest temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said.

The was dry over other parts of the state and there was no significant change in the night and day temperatures, it said.

The MeT has forecast shallow to moderate fog at some places in the state tomorrow.

Meanwhile, rainfall occurred at a few places over Tamil Nadu and at isolated places over Kerala and Rayalaseema. Dry weather prevailed over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Lakshadweep.

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Rajya Sabha Chairman M Vankaiah Naidu today stepped up efforts to end the face-off between the government and the Congress over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'conspiracy with Pak' remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

According to sources in Parliament, Naidu met Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress deputy leader in the House Anand Sharma and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel in his chamber to explore ways to end the impasse. He also met the three separately.

What transpired at the meeting was not immediately known, but apparently there was no breakthrough yet.

Earlier in the day, Naidu adjourned the House soon after it convened following a demand by the Congress. Azad sought an adjournment and pitched for an end to the logjam that continues since December 15, the first day of the winter session.

"The House should be adjourned till a solution is found," he said, adding that the Congress members do not want to enter the Well to force an adjournment.

The meetings took place after Naidu adjourned the House till December 27 for a long weekend and Christmas break.

Sources said Naidu insisted on normal functioning of the Rajya Sabha when it reconvenes on December 27.

He was learnt to have asked Leader of the House Arun Jaitley and Azad to continue with the negotiations to end the stalemate.

Both sides have dug in their heels over the issue, with the Congress demanding an apology from Modi for his remarks during the Gujarat election campaign that Manmohan Singh had connived with some Pakistani current and former officials to influence the polls, and the BJP rejecting it outright.

As the BJP and the government refused to oblige, the Congress softened its stand a bit, and said Modi should at least give a clarification about his remarks. However, even that has not come about.

Even Naidu said recently that there was no question of an apology by anybody as the subject of confrontation was an event that happened outside the House.

Legislative business in both the Houses of Parliament has been affected due to repeated disruptions and uproar. The Rajya Sabha has been hit harder as the ruling dispensation does not have a majority in the Upper House.

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A mysterious disease affecting the Himalayan blue sheep in the Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand has caught the attention of the National Green Tribunal which has sought response from the ministry and other authorities on the issue.

A bench headed by Acting NGT chairperson Justice U D Salvi issued notice to the Ministry of and Forests, National Biodiversity Authority, Uttarakhand government and Uttarakhand State Biodiversity Board while seeking their reply before February 9.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by advocate Gaurav Bansal seeking shifting of the infected animals, locally known as Bharal, from the national park to a safer place.

According to the plea, in September this year, a group of BSF officers, who were camping at the Kedar Tal area of the Gangotri National Park, spotted several Himalayan blue sheep with their eyes popping out and bleeding.

"During the camping activity, one of the officer found several blue sheep with their eyes popping out or bleeding or eye socket empty. He took photographs of some of the infected blue sheep.

"The applicant also came to know that the BSF officer had informed the state forest department about the condition of the prevailing disease in the blue sheep, but it has failed to take proper measures to prevent and control the spreading of the disease," the plea alleged.

It said that according to the National Wildlife Action Plan, 2017-2031 issued by the ministry, the infectious disease was a concern not only to humans but wildlife species.

It, however, said the authorities were not taking any action to protect the animals.

"In order to eradicate the disease, there was an urgent need to establish and strengthen the centres for wild life rehabilitation and disease surveillance in and around the protected areas," it said.

The petitioner has sought setting up of a high-level team to inspect the national park and formulate appropriate an action plan for the conservation of eco-system and bio- diversity of the ecologically-sensitive area.

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The CBI in a number of high- profile and politically sensitive cases has not been able to cross the hurdle of judicial scrutiny as was evident in the 2G spectrum allocation matters.

The investigating agency, which was once termed as a "cagged parrot" by the Supreme Court, had been left red-faced by the courts in many such cases, putting a question mark over the probe conducted by it.

From the alleged corruption cases in the 2G spectrum allocation to criminal matters such as the sensational Aarushi murder case, the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has come under sharp criticism not only from the trial courts and high courts but also from the apex court.

The 2G spectrum cases, which had rocked the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government, led to the filing of charge sheets by the CBI in four different matters along with documents running into lakhs of pages but the agency could not secure even a single conviction.

In two cases dealt with by the special 2G court -- the Aircel-Maxis deal and the additional spectrum allocation matter -- the accused were discharged while in the main case involving former telecom minister A Raja and others, all the accused were yesterday acquitted.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini, who adjudicated all the 2G matters, had also let off the promoters of Essar Group and Loop Telecom.

The theory of the CBI in the murder case of Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj had come under sharp criticism in October from the Allahabad High Court which had termed it as "impossible hypothesis" and "patently absurd".

The high court had acquitted Aarushi's parents, dentists Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, holding that the prosecution had "miserably failed" to prove that the Talwars had destroyed material evidence. The dentist couple was convicted by a Ghaziabad court in 2013 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The CBI's investigation in the politically sensitive Bofors payoff case was also unable to withstand judicial scrutiny with the Delhi High Court on May 31, 2005 quashing all the charges against the Hinduja brothers -- Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand -- and the Bofors company.

The high court had also castigated the CBI over its handling of the Bofors case, saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.

The CBI's Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency probe into the larger conspiracy aspect in the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi has recently come under the radar of the top court.

In scathing remarks, the apex court had observed that the investigation does not appear to have achieved "much headway" and could be "endless".

In the coal scam, the CBI was time and again caught on the wrong foot by the apex court and the special trial court over its investigation.

The Supreme Court had in May this year slammed the CBI for "failing to live up to its reputation" in a fodder scam case involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad, saying there was "intolerable lethargy" in filing an appeal.

The CBI's case relating to alleged illegal mining in Bellary in which the agency had chargesheeted former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and others, also fell flat with the trial court discharging all the accused.
Cutting across party lines, members in the Lok Sabha today sought stronger coordination between various agencies to deal with cyclones and other natural disasters, with some of them alleging that the advance warning for cyclone Ockhi was given to Kerala very late.

Congress and Left members, especially from Kerala which bore the brunt, sought a probe into the alleged mismanagement, lack of coordination and other aspects of the disaster while also narrating the ordeal of death and destruction they had witnessed when the cyclone had hit the state.

They also demanded that the devastation caused by Ockhi should be declared a national calamity.

Initiating a discussion on natural calamities in various parts of the country, especially due to cyclone Ockhi in South India, Congress leader K C Venugopal sought putting in place a "functional" monitoring system and efforts to bring back hundreds of people who are still missing after cyclone Ockhi.

The cyclone, which had hit coastal states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu on November 30, claimed several lives and caused widespread damage. A large number of fishermen are still missing.

He sought to know the steps taken by the Centre so far and wondered whether it was "insensitive" on the issue. "Why is there a delay sending a central team" to Kerala, he asked.

Venugopal, who represents Alappuzha constituency in Kerala, also urged the government to come out with a timely and comprehensive relief package for Kerala, where more than 75 people have been killed and hundreds of fishermen are missing in the wake of Ockhi.

Stressing the need for strong coordination to bringing them back, he said there have been lapses on part of the authorities with regard to dealing with Ockhi and its aftermath. "We cannot accuse anybody for natural calamities... but we could have taken precautions" and had early warnings, he said claiming that some officers have committed mistakes.

Highlighting the plight of fishermen, he called for a "well functioning monitoring system" and emphasised the need for having a "specific alarm system" saying the people were alerted late about the cyclone.

"This tragedy is an eye opener... it is time to think about the lives of fishermen," he said, adding there has also been impact on the economy as they go into deep sea for many days together and at times are not even assured of income.

P R Sundaram (AIADMK) asked the Centre to declare Ockhi a natural disaster, a demand shared by several members in the House. He also sought a naval base in Kanyakumari to help people more effectively in future cases of natural calamities.

Nominated member Richard Hay claimed that the tragic aftermath of Ockhi could have been averted if the Kerala government had taken measured to warn fishermen in advance.

When he claimed that the Centre had provided advance warning and relief later, CPI(M) members protested saying he was not aware of the ground realities.

Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar intervened to defend Hay, saying there was a feeling that India Meteorological Department had provided adequate advance to the state but fishermen were not warned.

B Mahtab (BJD) said natural calamities were affecting his home state of Odisha frequently and asked the Centre to step up its assistance measures. He also demanded that pest attack on crops be declared a calamity.

Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) said the government should focus on preventive measures and expressed concern over the impact of climate change.

P Karunakaran (CPI-M) said the Centre should give Kerala a package of Rs 7348 crore and declare cyclone Ockhi a national calamity, a demand supported by N K Premchandramn (RSP) and Jose K Mani (KCP).

Shashi Tharoor (Cong), who represents Thiruvananthapuram constituency which was the most affected by the cyclone, said there was no early warning signal available to the state government, even when the radars to provide advance warnings were located in Kerala (Thumba) itself.

He demanded immediate investigation into the lapses for gaps leading to loss of lives and properties.

Since this is a "horrendous human tragedy", Tharoor said the government should be sensitive in compensating states hit by this. Kerala Government has submitted Rs 7,348 crore compensation demand while Tamil Nadu about Rs 9,000 crore.

"It is not compensation, we need some structural steps to be taken to mitigate loss" due to national calamity of such a magnitude, he said.

Asking government to immediately decide on compensation, Saugata Roy (TMC) said there should be no delay. Government should also provide data on the fisherman killed and missing due to the calamity, he demanded.

A P Jithender Reddy (TRS) raised the issue of vacancy of the top post in National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and said the post of the chairman has been lying vacant for 3 years and asked the government to fill it up urgently.

R M Naidu (TDP) demanded sufficient compensation to be provided without delay, saying if support does not come at right time, it is like justice delayed justice denied. Claim settlement process should be simplified , he added.

Md Faizal (NCP) also demanded shelters to be established for the affected people.

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Pakistan today arrested at least 28 Indians for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters, a day after it announced release of 291 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds over the next couple of weeks.

An official of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) said they nabbed the fishermen and seized five boats for fishing "illegally" in the country's waters.

"A case has been registered against 28 fishermen and they have been handed over to the police," the official said.

The arrests come a day after Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said 291 Indian fishermen will be released.

"Pakistan has decided to release and repatriate 291 Indian fishermen in two phases -- on December 29 and January 8, 2018 via the Wagah Border as a goodwill gesture on humanitarian grounds," he had said in a statement.

Pakistan had released 68 Indian fishermen in October.

A spokesman for PMSF had last week said that 400 Indian fishermen have been arrested this year.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other's territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

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A staffer of the Pakistan High Commission was injured after his car rammed into a bus in Delhi University's south campus area, police said today.

Rao Mohammad Anwar, 45, was in the vehicle when it collided with the Haryana Roadways bus yesterday, they added.

Anwar was being treated at a hospital.

The matter was being probed by the police.

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Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when it stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Given its actions, it doesn't appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the Army chief added.

He was in the Thar desert in the western sector to witness the 'Hamesha Vijayee' exercise conducted by the Southern Command close to the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan.

Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists.

"Only then can we say that peace talks should take place," he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.

"We also want that relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesn't appear that they really want peace," Rawat said.

Asked about Chinas rising presence and influence in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Army chief said India is also taking its steps while keeping security aspects in mind.

The way they are taking steps, we are also taking our steps while keeping our security perspective in mind, he said.

Rawat said the Army, paramilitary forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police have been taking actions against militants in Jammu and Kashmir successfully and the action will continue.

His comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

"It is important for Pakistan to understand our core concern, which is terrorism. We have time and again asked them to take action against terrorists who are operating from their soil. This is something they (Pakistan) will have to handle if they are serious in cultivating this friendship," Kumar said.

The assertions follow Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties.

According to media reports, Bajwa has said he will support any initiative of the civilian government to resolve issues with India through talks.

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The welfare of the constabulary and adequate budgetary allocation for police forces in various states is a "neglected" subject and is not given priority, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said today.

The minister of state for home said this while inaugurating a 'Visionary Summit' hosted by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).

He asked the police brass to think of measures like having an independent police complaints authority, so that police credibility is enhanced and the common man does not have to go to a minister seeking justice and for getting a policeman to act.

"Whenever I go to the states, I see police is being neglected in terms of welfare... that is ignored and the budgetary allowance and financial support to the police personnel is not given priority," the minister said at the day-long programme.

Rijiju said he visited various police mess in states and the situation of their constabulary and training centres was also not up to the mark.

When we say law and order is a priority then the support system for minimum facilities for police forces to act is found wanting (in states), he said, adding, how do we impress upon each government?



"While the priorities of the government are electoral, MLAs, ministers and various social groups put in a lot of demands to the government. But when you see the budgetary support system, it is found wanting," the minister said.

Rijiju said after the 14th Finance Commission, central funds for police modernisation and others have been delegated to the state governments but reports in this context were not "very rosy".

He also asked the police to take steps and ensure that the perception that police only act after political intervention is changed.

"Why should people come to the minister to get justice? I don't understand. People keep coming to my office... they say unless the minister tells, the SP or the DCP will not act. Why has this feeling come?



"Why should the society as a whole feel that unless some pressure is put (on police), justice is not going to come. Why is this perception developing?" Rijiju asked senior police officials attending the conference.

This kind of situation is not healthy in a democratic society. This means losing confidence in police. There should be no sense of loosing confidence in police officers, the minister said.

He said the police should have some "standard system within the organisation" so that a police officer who is supposed to act in a particular case will keep in mind that if he does not act appropriately, there is an authority and he will be a subject to scrutiny.

"That is very important," Rijiju said, adding this will enhance the "credibility" of men and women in khaki uniform.

He said the police cannot be "complacent" anymore and it has to respond to challenges like advent of social media, terrorism and radicalisation of the youth.

"In a democratic model like India it is difficult to maintain or sustain good police image but you have constantly keep working on it.

"You cannot be indifferent about anything. Society has changed with the advent of the Internet and it has changed the landscape of entire social structure," the minister said.

Rijiju said the "fear and respect" for the police must go parallel.

"Fear is for those who are law breakers and who think they are above the law. Respect is for ordinary and law- abiding citizens," he said.

The BPRD is a think tank to work on police subjects and it functions under the command of the home ministry.

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The Damoh district administration in Madhya Pradesh has ordered a probe after a government school teacher was purportedly captured in a video while being massaged by a male student.

The mater came to light when the video featuring the 46-year-old teacher, posted at Banjara Tola village in the district, went viral on social media.

The alleged incident took place on December 20.

District coordinator Hemant Kherwal has ordered a probe into the incident.

According to official sources, the teacher claimed that his body was aching, therefore he asked the boy to press his hands and legs.

Minister of state for school Deepak Joshi said he will direct the concerned authorities to take appropriate action.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin today described the new defence strategy unveiled by US counterpart Donald Trump as "aggressive," saying Moscow would take that into account in its own actions.

The new National Security Strategy launched earlier this week "in diplomatic terms, has an obviously offensive character, and if we were to use military language, it is obviously aggressive," Putin said. "We must take this into account during our practical work."



Putin especially criticised what he called an increase of US and NATO presence in Europe and said Moscow must strive to build a powerful modern army to protect its sovereignty and ensure its interests in the world are protected.

"Russia must be among the leading countries, and in some areas the absolute leader, when it comes to building a new- generation army," Putin said. "This is important to ensure our sovereignty."



"We must follow the change in the world's balance of power, first and foremost near Russia's borders... and in Europe, where NATO infrastructure is being built up quickly."



He accused the US of violating the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty dating from 1987 which eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles with short and intermediate range.

Moscow has said the US Patriot missile system in Poland and Romania could be tailored to shoot missiles at Russia. Washington has also accused Moscow of violating the treaty.

"Launching systems for air defence missiles can become systems for intermediate range cruise missiles at any moment," Putin said. "The US is on its way to destroying the INF treaty.

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A day after he was acquitted in 2G spectrum scam cases, former telecom minister A Raja claimed today that it was a "conspiracy" hatched to topple the Congress-led UPA dispensation and expressed anguish that even the then central government could not sense it.

In a letter to DMK president M Karunanidhi, he also raised apprehensions about the possible role of "hegemonic forces" which could not tolerate the regional party's national political clout at that time.

The DMK was a key partner in the UPA-I government from 2004 to 2009, when Raja held the telecom portfolio, and till 2013 in the UPA-II regime.

"It was regrettable that the government (at the Centre) itself was unable to figure out that the spectrum issue got caught in a conspiracy to defeat the UPA coalition government," Raja said without specifying who was behind it.

Spectrum "assault" was "initiated by individuals" and carried forward by institutions including the CBI, which was new to both Indian and world history, he said.

Thanking Karunanidhi for standing behind him during his years of trouble, the former minister dedicated the special court verdict exonerating him and other accused to the party chief.

He said the government itself was unable to realise the "conspiracy" despite having the intelligence wing under its ambit.

"It does not require extraordinary intelligence to understand that hegemonic forces which decided that it could no longer tolerate the national political clout of the DMK should have been there (behind the alleged conspiracy)," he said.

Defending himself, the former minister said a "cartel" of some telecom companies, which "hid availability" of spectrum, was shattered due to his policy. As a result, he said, people now had access to several features such as Whatsapp and Twitter in their smart phones.

"Facilitation of this revolution was labelled as an offence and it is possible only in this country," he said.

"Who will punish those who alleged a loss of 1.76 lakh crore and deceitfully tried to trivialise your 80 years of public life?" he told Karunanidhi, in an apparent swipe at the then Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai's report.

Hitting out at a section of media for its "hate" while pursuing the matter, he said the Left parties raking it up was an "ideological melancholy".

The "ignorance and lack of understanding" of some of the institutions that probed and held administrative enquiry over the spectrum matter was a "blemish" on the Indian administrative setup, he alleged.

"Seven years has rolled by and in these years how many demeaning words..the spectrum storm not only besmirched individuals but also a movement (DMK) moored in ideology," Raja said.

He said the " of spectrum" came in handy for those who tried to diminish the nonagenarian's (Karunanidhi's) "viswaroopa" persona into that of "Vamana" (a dwarfish avtar of Lord Vishnu).

He noted Karunanidhi and party working president M K Stalin brought him out of dejection.

The special CBI court in Delhi yesterday acquitted Raja, DMK MP and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and all other accused in the 2G scam cases that had rocked the UPA-II government, holding that the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove any of the corruption and money laundering charges.

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Rohit Sharma bulldozed the Sri Lankan attack with a whirlwind record-equalling 35-ball century and powered India to a colossal 260 for five in the second Twenty20 International, here today.

Rohit equalled South African David Miller's record of 35 -ball century, en route to a coruscating knock of 118, his second T20 hundred and the best by an Indian in this format.

In an incredible display of hitting, rather punishing of the bowlers, the Indian captain smashed 12 fours and 10 sixes during his 43-ball stay at the crease.

It was not power-hitting but sheer elegance which came with remarkable ease. There was never a dull moment till the time Rohit was at the crease as he pulled, cut and drove the clueless Lankan bowlers at will.

In the process he raised a 165-run stand for the first wicket, the highest for India, with KL Rahul, who scored 89 off 49 balls.

India's total is joint second highest in T20Is with only Australia's 263 for three against Sri Lanka being a better effort. Sri Lanka had scored 260-6 against Kenya at Johannesburg in 2007.

Before being caught at short third man off Dushmantha Chameera, the Indian captain left the Lankans shell-shocked but delighted the home fans at the jam-packed Holkar stadium, hosting its first ever T20 International.

He seem to have taken a special liking for the Lankans against whom he raised his third ODI double century, just eight days back.

Rahul, who was dropped on six, was also impressive with his stroke-making, especially the sixes in the 'V'. He missed out on his hundred, though, after being caught sensationally by Niroshan Dickwella off Nuwan Pradeep in the 19th over. His knock had five fours and eight sixes.

The Indian openers literally toyed with the Sri Lankan pacers, who ended up leaking 43 runs in the first five overs. Pradeep, introduced in the fifth over as first bowling change, was creamed for 17 runs. Both Rohit and Rahul hit a six each off him.

There was neither probing length nor the fearsome pace in the Lankan fast bowlers to trouble the Indians. The only blemish was Rahul's cut off Angelo Mathews that went straight to Sadeera Samarwickrama but the Lankan dropped the chance at backward point in the third over of the innings.

Desperate to rein in the Indians, Perera brought in off spinner Akila Dananjaya but he ended up conceding 16 runs in his first over.

Left-arm spinner Chaturanga de Silva was smashed for a 101-metre six by Rahul, who stepped out and launched the ball straight over media box. This was after Rohit had hit two fours off the hapless spinner.

The Indian captain completed his fifty with a six off Asela Gunaratne and followed it up with another six and two fours as the Lankans bled runs.

It was not even half-way mark and India had cruised to 108 for nine with 21 runs coming off ninth over from Gunaratne.

There was no stopping Rohit, who cruised to his hundred in the 12th over with a four off Angelo Mathews. This was after hitting his counterpart for four consecutive sixes in the previous over.

After his departure, former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was promoted yet again to bat at number three and he and Rahul raised a 78-run partnership.

Dhoni scored 27 off 21 balls with two fours and as many sixes.

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Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu today said the military has completed the partial withdrawal from Syria ordered by President Vladimir Putin, ending over two years of active involvement in the conflict.

"Your order to withdraw the contingent of Russian forces from Syria has been carried out," Shoigu said during a meeting of top Russian military brass in Moscow.

He said a total of 36 planes and four helicopters have returned to their permanent bases, while 157 motor vehicles were delivered to Russia by sea.

Special forces troops, a medical unit, a battalion of military police, doctors and deminers have been brought back to Russia, he added.

Putin made a surprise visit to Syria last week where he ordered the start of a pullout of Russian troops, saying their task in the war-torn country had been largely completed.

Russia became involved in the multi-front conflict in September 2015, when it began an aerial campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad's military. It acknowledged in recent months that its special forces are also active on the ground in the offensive against Islamic State jihadists.

Three battalions of military police and officers of the Russian Centre for Reconciliation will remain in Syria, Shoigu added, as well as its two bases in the country.

"Our two bases, the aviation group at the Hmeimim aerodrome and the material-technical navy base in Tartus remain according to international treaties," Shoigu said.

This week Russia's lower house of parliament ratified an agreement with Damascus to expand the naval facility in Tartus. The Senate is expected to ratify the deal next week.

Shoigu also said that Russian military ships and submarines armed with "high-precision weapons" will remain permanently present in the Mediterranean.

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Markets regulator Sebi today imposed a total fine of Rs 15 lakh on stock broker Parsoli Corporation for indulging manipulative trade practices in the shares of Dalal Street Investments Ltd (DSIL).

In an order, Sebi said the manipulative acts of Parsoli Corporation are attributable to the artificial increase in the volume and price in the scrip of DSIL on September 10 and 25, 2008 and that the stock broker failed to exercise due diligence while registering the client, monitoring the transactions and implementation of risk management practices.

According to the regulator, Parsoli Corporation violated PFUTP (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) Regulations and Sebi (Stock Brokers and Sub-brokers) Regulations.

The order of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has come following an investigation into the alleged irregularity in the dealings in the shares of DSIL during the period from September, 2008 to July, 2009.

The regulator noted that post the trades of the client (Nilesh Prajapati) on September 10 and 25, 2008, the price of the scrip of DSIL moved from Rs 4,438 apiece to Rs 10,817.70 in 45 trades with trading of just 82 shares.

"The conduct and dealings of the noticee (Parsoli Corporation) is highly irregular and indicative of the manipulative/ fraudulent intent to create to deliberately false and misleading volume and price in the market," Sebi said.

The regulator also said that Parsoli Corporation as a stock broker had "failed to identify the genuineness and financial soundness of the clients, which is required to be continuously monitored".

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Markets regulator Sebi today imposed a penalty of Rs 14 lakh on term lender IFCI Ltd for violating disclosure norms.

The regulator's order has come following an investigation into trading in shares of Glodyne Technoserve Ltd (GTL) during January, 2012 to April 20, 2013 for suspected price manipulation by promoter entities of the firm.

According to a show cause notice issued by Sebi to IFCI, the term lender had provided loan to Glodyne Ventures and Holdings for which the shares of GTL held by its promoter Divvyani Sarnaaik were pledged with IFCI.

IFCI had an aggregate of 5 per cent or more of the share capital of GTL in the form of the pledged shares, which were subsequently invoked by the term lender.

Following the invocation of pledge, there was an increase in IFCI's shareholding in GTL with regard to which the term lender was required to make disclosures.

It was alleged that IFCI had failed to make the required disclosures in terms of SAST (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations and PIT (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations.

"The noticee (IFCI Ltd) was required to make disclosures upon invocation of pledge," Sebi said in an order.

As the non-disclosure to the stock exchange and GTL regarding holding or acquisition of 5 per cent or more of the share capital of GTL and subsequent change in shareholding by more than 2 per cent due to invocation of pledge by IFCI remained undisputed, therefore, in view of such non discourse, it is established that the term lender had violated the SAST Regulations and the PIT Regulations, it added.

For the violations, the regulator has imposed a penalty of Rs 14 lakh on IFCI.

IFCI had contented that it was a public financial institution and Government of India undertaking engaged in the business of lending to companies and being the pledgee it had invoked the pledge only for selling the shares to recover dues.

However, Sebi noted that upon invocation of pledge, IFCI became the beneficial owner of the invoked shares and therefore, the same attracted disclosure requirement in terms of SAST Regulations and PIT Regulations.

In a separate order, Sebi has also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on GTL's former company secretary and compliance officer, Amit Jaste, for disclosure lapses.

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Seven naxals were today arrested and three others, including a woman, surrendered in two separate incidents in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bastar division.

Police said that seven naxals were arrested by security forces in Sukma district while three rebels, including a woman, surrendered in Narayanpur district.

The seven were arrested after a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and local police acted on a tip-off and rounded them up from the forests falling under Kistaram police station limits.

Police said that those arrested have been identified as Madvi Deva (25), Sodhi Kuma (20), Kuram Kosa (30), Kuram Hidma (20), Muchaki Ayta (21), Kawasi Joga (22) and Beko Ganga(35).

An official said that those arrested had fired on a police patrolling team in the Tetemadgu forest last month.

In a separate incident, three rebels, Sudor Vatti (30), Somaru Kavde (22) anda woman naxal Balmati Korram (40), surrendered before Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh.

Korram was carrying a reward of Rs 2000 on her head, he said.

The official added that the rebels had expressed disillusionment with the "hollow" ideology of the Naxal movement and were impressed with the surrenderand rehabilitation policy of the state government.

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Vijay Rupani, a confidante of BJP chief Amit Shah with deep roots in the RSS, will be the Gujarat chief minister for the second term running, after the newly elected MLAs of the party chose him their leader.

Incumbent Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel will also continue to hold his post following his election as the deputy leader of the BJP legislature party.

Both of them were elected unopposed at a meeting of the BJP legislators here in the presence of central observers- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey.

"A proposal to elect Rupani as the leader of the state BJP legislature party and Nitin Patel as the deputy leader of the legislature party has been adopted," Jaitley told a press conference.

Though the BJP retained power in the key western state for a record sixth straight term, there was speculation over whether Rupani would continue to hold the post given the party's narrow victory.

The BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, the first time its tally slipped below hundred since 1995, while challenger Congress clocked its best in many years, clinching 77.

Rupani's proximity to the top party leadership, his clean and caste neutral image apparently tilted the scales in his favour.

Jaitley said the central observers asked the MLAs for names for the posts of the leader and deputy leader of the legislature party, and one of them--Bhupendra Sinh Chudasama-- suggested Rupani and Patel. Five other MLAs backed Chudasama's proposal.

The Union minister said he asked the MLAs to come up with more names for the two top posts, but as nobody came forward, Rupani and Patel were declared elected as the leader and deputy leader of the legislature party.

Asked why was there the suspense over who would be the next chief minister, Jaitley said, it was a "media creation".

He said Rupani will hold consultations with MLAs and senior leaders before forming the new government. Rupani, he said, will meet Governor O P Kohli and finalise the date for the swearing-in.

The new government, according to party sources, is likely to be sworn in on December 25 to coincide with the birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. There is, however, no official confirmation yet.

Rupani was made the chief minister in August last year after his predecessor Anandiben Patel resigned in the wake of the growing Dalit unrest in the state after the Una flogging incident a month before, and the Patidar quota agitation, which had begun on a violent note in 2015.

Rupani, who successfully staved off a spirited challenge from the Congress, overcoming the incumbency factor, farm distress, angst and anger over demonetisation and GST in the state with a large population of traders, will have to show his political sinews and sagacity when Narendra Modi bids for a second shot at power in 2019.

Delivering Gujarat to the BJP is the least Prime Minister Modi will expect from him.

After his election, Rupani said although over 49 per cent vote share in the Assembly polls was a "huge achievement" for the BJP in Gujarat, the party would analyse its defeat in districts like Amreli, Gir-Somnath and Morbi, where it lost a majority of seats.

"We will do an analysis of our defeat in districts where we won fewer seats. We will also interact with the local people (to understand the reasons for it)," he said, adding the government will work for all sections without discrimination.

Nitin Patel said the government will take forward its development agenda.

Before the BJP legislature party met in the state capital today, independent MLA Ratansinh Rathod declared his support to the ruling party. With this the BJP now has the support of 100 MLAs in the 182-member Assembly. The opposition Congress has 77 MLAs and the backing of three others.

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Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav today said his party would go hammer and tongs against the "draconian" Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crimes Bill in the assembly and on the streets, claiming the legislation was aimed at threatening the opposition.

From the intentions of the government, he said, it does not appear that the people will get justice after the UPCOC Bill is passed.

"It has been brought to threaten the apposition. We will protest against it from the legislature to the streets," the former chief minister told reporters here.

The UPCOC Bill, 2017, drafted on the lines of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was passed by the UP Assembly yesterday amid opposition walkout.

"We have majority in the Legislative Council," he said, when asked about what his party would to do prevent the passage of the bill.

In the 100-member Council, while the ruling BJP has just 13 members, the Samajwadi Party has 61 members, the BSP nine, Congress two, RLD one and 'others' 12. Two seats are vacant.

When asked about the state government's decision to withdraw 20,000 political cases, he said cases with serious charges were lodged against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy also.

"Will the CM sign the file pertaining to withdrawal of cases against the deputy CM?" he asked.

Reacting to the SP chief's comments, cabinet minister and government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Akhilesh Yadav should say why he is afraid of the UPCOCA...He should know that court orders have come on cases pending against the CM."



"The cases lodged out of political vendetta will be withdrawn. This is for everyone irrespective of their party affiliations," he said.

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Spain's Supreme Court said today it has widened its probe into Catalan separatists over their independence drive to include six more politicians, a day after pro-independence parties won a majority in snap polls in Catalonia.

Among those included in Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena's expanded investigation are Marta Rovira, the number two of the separatist ERC party, and Marta Pascal, a top official with the PDeCAT, another key separatist party, according to a court decision seen by AFP.

He also included two former deputies of the far-left separatist CUP party in his probe into the alleged crimes of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds, along with the head of the Catalan association of municipalities for independence, Neus Lloveras, and former Catalan president Artur Mas.

The six have yet to be charged with any crime.

The three separatist parties won 70 seats in the 135-seat Catalan parliament in a regional election yesterday, dealing a blow to the effort by Spain's central government in Madrid to contain the push for independence by calling the polls.

Rovira, the general secretary of the ERC, was elected as a lawmaker in the assembly yesterday.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy branded the Catalan separatist effort illegal and deposed the regional government after the Catalan parliament unilaterally declared independence on October 27.

Several senior members of the deposed Catalan government have already been detained pending sedition and rebellion charges, including former vice-president Oriol Junqueras of the ERC.

In total, 17 of the pro-independence candidates who took part in yesterday's election were under investigation. Three of them are in detention.

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ISTOCK/THINKSTOCKAs many of us prepare to celebrate Christmas, some well-known music stars recently shared their holiday plans with ABC Radio.

Smokey Robinson says that for him, Christmas "is a family day," where as many loved ones who are able get together for a traditional holiday dinner.

"All the Christmas foods are on that table, man," the Motown legend declares. "There's turkey and ham and chicken and dressing and cranberry sauce and macaroni & cheese and green beans and pie."

Having said that, Smokey points out that he can't eat all the foods, because he's vegan.

"I still eat the stuffing and the macaroni & cheese and the cranberry sauce and the green beans," he explains. "I just don't eat the meat."

Bob Seger says he often heads to Florida for Christmas because his brother and mother-in-law live there. This year, however, the Michigan rocker says the holiday will be "kind of a quiet affair" at home, because of his recent neck operation that forced him to postpone part of his North American tour.

"They're coming up here because of my situation," Seger explains. "I just can't travel yet."

Foreigner's Mick Jones says his family will be gathering in Miami Beach, Florida, where two of his sons live. Jones' will be well fed on Christmas, since Mick's wife is "a great cook" who usually whips up "a pretty big dinner."

Among the dishes his wife makes is Christmas pudding, which Mick says is "a very British tradition, which takes a lot of people by surprise when they taste it. But it's always good."

Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward, whose band recently was chosen for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, simply tells ABC Radio that he's "looking forward to being with family" on Christmas.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A special train was today flagged off from Amritsar by Punjab's Tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to take devotees for the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh in Patna Sahib.

"1,470 devotees have left for Sri Patna Sahib. Forty-two officials from different departments of the state government have also gone with the devotees in order to ensure that they face no difficulty," said Sidhu.

Punjab government is bearing the devotees' expenses for the journey, he said.

The Haryana government has arranged two special trains from Ambala and Sirsa to Sri Patna Sahib to make the journey easier for the pilgrims.

BJP MLA Bakhshish Singh Virk today flagged off one of the two trains from Ambala Cantt. railway station that is carrying more than 1,500 devotees from across Haryana.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today visited the holy Takht Sri Patna Sahib Gurdwara in Patna to pay his respects to Guru Gobind Singh.

The chief minister went directly from the airport to Gurdwara Sahib in Patna.

Inside the sanctum sanctorum, the chief minister was given a 'siropa', 'kirpan', and a shawl.

The chief minister said he was impressed with the arrangements made by the Bihar government to commemorate the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh.

The concluding ceremony of the 350th 'Prakashotsav' of the Guru is being held from from December 22 to December 25 in Sri Patna Sahib.

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A second woman has come forward to accuse actor Sylvester Stallone of sexual assault dating back to the 1990s.

The anonymous woman has filed a report with the police in Santa Monica, Lt Saul Rodriguez of the Santa Monica Police Department told The Hollywood Reporter.

The alleged incident happened in the 1990s, which essentially means that it is outside California's 10-year statute of limitations for sexual assault.

The "Rocky" actor denied the allegation of rape through his attorney, who called the police report against Stallone "false".

"We have already notified the police that my client wants to file a claim against the woman for filing a false police report.

"My client categorically disputes the claim and it is apparent that the woman filed the report to get a media outlet to publish the story," said Stallone's attorney.

Stallone was earlier accused by an unidentified woman who claimed that the actor and his bodyguard Michael de Luca "intimidated" her into sex.

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A parliamentary committee has asked the defence ministry to immediately streamline the selection process to confer gallantry awards to defence personnel, insisting that the exercise must be transparent.

The recommendation by the Committee on Petitions of the Lok Sabha came after an alleged lapse by the then authorities concerned in recognising sacrifices of an armyman during the Indo-Pak war in 1965 was brought to its notice.

In a representation to the panel, the son of late Major Mohan Singh had mentioned that his father died while fighting the enemy during the 1965 war but his sacrifice was not attributed to death in action by the Army, depriving him of the gallantry award.

The



parliamentary panel asked the defence ministry to undertake a fresh exercise on the basis of available records to determine whether there was any lapse in recognising the "martyrdom" of Singh as 'battle casualty' attributable to military service with effect from 1965.

The petitioner, Brigadier (retd) N B Singh has also stated that after almost 50 years, the Army headquarters has acknowledged his father's sacrifice and "conceded" his death as a 'Battle Field Casualty'.

The committee recommended to the defence ministry to take immediate remedial measures to streamline the selection process for gallantry awards to obviate recurrence of such incidents in future.

It observed that the incident showed that the entire selection process of conferment of gallantry awards was not transparent.

"There is no doubt that the selection process for conferment of gallantry awards needs to be made more rigorous and meticulous in order to choose only those defence personnel who had exhibited exceptional valour during war," it said.

At the same time, it said, the whole exercise should be transparent and objective so that there is no scope for accusations from any quarters.

As per official records, Major Singh was from 6 Rajput battalion which was deployed in Chhamb-Jaurian sector of Jammu and Kashmir during the 1965 war.

Singh had died in an ambush by the enemy while he and some other troops were laying mines in the area of operation of the battalion on September 14, 1965.

The committee said that when it asked the defence ministry on possibility of conferring Late Singh with Param Vir Chakra or any other gallantry award posthumously, it ruled out relaxation in laid down rules, saying honours and awards are conferred within a specific period of two calender years from the date of the act.

"Since, the act mentioned in the petition took place 50 years ago, the case cannot be considered at this stage," according to submission before the committee by the ministry.

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Syrian government troops have retaken a string of small rebel-held pockets near the country's capital and in the northwest over the past two weeks, a monitor told AFP today.

After dealing a blow to the Islamic State group in Syria's east, pro-regime forces have been redeployed to fight rebels and jihadists on two other fronts, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

One is in the southwestern part of Damascus province, where troops are aiming to "finish off" remaining opposition outposts, said the Britain-based monitor.

Operations have focused on hilly terrain surrounding the village of Beit Jin, held by rebels for more than four years.

"This area is strategic because of its proximity to the Golan Heights and to the Lebanese border," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

"The regime wants to cleanse these areas of opposition groups, the strongest of which is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham," Al- Qaeda's former affiliate, he added.

Farther north, troops have received air cover from ally Russia as they pushed to reach Idlib province, which is held by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.

It is included in a "de-escalation" deal aiming to freeze fighting between rebels and the government, but since November, fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have ramped up operations to reach Idlib from two sides, the Observatory said.

Troops are pushing north from a corner of the adjacent province of Hama, as well as from Aleppo province to Idlib's east.

They have seized around 40 towns and villages across the three provinces in recent weeks.

"The regime is trying to reach Idlib's eastern half because of the strategic positions there," including a military airport and two rebel-besieged villages, said Abdel Rahman.

In particular, Assad loyalists want to "secure the route between Aleppo and Damascus", which passes near Idlib.

The steady advance comes as Syria's government marks the first anniversary of its victory in second city Aleppo.

The moment was the biggest defeat yet for Syria's rebel movement and set off a domino effect of other losses.

Observers say the de-escalation deal, agreed in May, also helped regime forces to consolidate territorial gains.

According to the Observatory, Syria's government held just 20 percent of the country at the beginning of 2017, but it now controls about 56 per cent.

The conflict erupted in 2011 with anti-government protests but evolved into a brutal war, with Damascus losing swathes of territory early on but regaining the upper hand in recent years.

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A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed Humvee into a police compound in Afghanistan today, killing at least six officers and destroying a building, officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn attack on the Maiwand district police headquarters in the southern province of Kandahar, the latest deadly assault by the insurgents, who have been increasingly targeting security installations.

The vehicle was carrying an estimated 3,000 km of explosives, Maiwand district police chief Sultan Mohammad told AFP.

It was not possible to verify his claim. If true, that would be roughly twice the number of explosives used in a massive truck bomb in Kabul that killed around 150 people in May.

"We have six police officers martyred and five wounded," Mohammad said, adding the figures could change.

Kandahar police spokesman Ghorzang Afridi confirmed the death toll.

"All the victims were local policemen," Afridi told AFP.

Those killed were new recruits.

While Afghan officials routinely understate the casualty toll in attacks carried out by insurgents, it appears the attacker failed to reach the building where a large number of police were deployed.

Mohammad said the attacker got through the first checkpoint and then detonated the vehicle at the second security check after a policeman opened fire.

One building "was completely destroyed and two other buildings next to it were damaged too," he said.

The force of the blast also blew out the windows of shops located two km away, he added.

"The explosion was very loud and you could hear the sound of the blast miles away from the headquarters," a local police officer told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

He put the death toll at eight with nine others wounded.

"The eight policemen who were killed have been removed or pulled out from under the rubble, and there were other policemen who went missing following the attack," the officer said.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on security installations as they seek to demoralise police and troops, and steal equipment to fuel the 16-year insurgency.

The militants have acquired "dozens" of armoured Humvees and pickup trucks in recent years, officials have said.

Some of those vehicles have been used in suicide attacks on police and military bases with devastating effect -- including one in Kandahar in October that killed more than 40 Afghan soldiers.

Afghan forces, already beset by desertions and corruption, have seen casualties soar to what a US watchdog has described as "shockingly high" levels since NATO forces officially ended their combat mission in 2014 and began a training and support role.

Morale has been further eroded by long-running fears that the militants have insider help -- everything from infiltrators in the ranks to corrupt Afghan forces selling equipment to the Taliban.

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Hollywood star Tom Hanks says he would not screen his film "The Post" for President Trump at the White House if he was ever invited.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film follows Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham, who ran The Washington Post for over 20 years, and made the decision to publish the Pentagon Papers, which held inflammatory details about the U S's involvement in Vietnam.

Graham risked losing her newspaper and even prison time by defying then-president Richard Nixon and publishing the papers.

Hanks plays the newspaper's then-editor, Ben Bradlee, who pushed publisher Graham to release the documents when the New York Times, which first started publishing the documents, was hit with an injunction.

Asked whether he would screen the film for the current president, Hanks told The Hollywood Reporter, "I don't think I would. Because I think that at some point look, I didn't think things were going to be this way last November. I would not have been able to imagine that we would be living in a country where neo-Nazis are doing torchlight parades in Charlottesville and jokes about Pocahontas are being made in front of the Navajo code talkers.

"And individually we have to decide when we take to the ramparts. You don't take to the ramparts necessarily right away, but you do have to start weighing things. You may think: 'You know what? I think now is the time.' This is the moment where, in some ways, our personal choices are going to have to reflect our opinions. We have to start voting, actually, before the election. So, I would probably vote not to go."



The White House often screens films in its private theater in the East Wing, although there are no indications Trump had asked that "The Post" be shown.

The film, which has received six Golden Globe Award nominations, hits theaters December 2.

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US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other militant groups, Vice President Mike Pence has said, warning that the country has much to lose if it does not stop harbouring terrorists on its soil.

Pence's remarks came during an unannounced trip to Afghanistan to assess ground realities in the war-torn country. During his visit yesterday, Pence held meetings with top Afghan leadership to hear from them the progress on the implementation of Trump's new South Asia Policy.

Trump while announcing his South Asia Policy in August had criticised Pakistan for not doing enough to combat terrorism.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

"As the President said, so I say now:Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists," the vice president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan.

Trump, he said, has unleashed the full range of American military might.

"We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy," Pence said.

The Trump administration, he said, has given troops new authorities to directly target terrorists no matter where they hide.

Trump has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win, Pence said, adding the president's new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan.

"For the partnerships we have forged and are continuing to forge to achieve peace and security here in Afghanistan but also ensure that peace and security for the people of the United States," Pence told reporters after his meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

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President Donald Trump today signed the most sweeping US tax overhaul in over 30 years into law and asserted that he has fulfilled his Christmas promise to the countrymen.

The USD 1.5 trillion tax reform bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday for the second time by 224 to 201 votes to clear the technical snag in the passage of the package, which was passed by the Senate and House earlier.

Trump signed the sweeping tax overhaul which represents the most drastic changes to the US tax code since 1986 into law in his Oval Office of the White House before leaving for Florida on his Christmas vacation.

Trump told reporters that he was rushing through the signing of the bill to fulfil his promise to his fellow countrymen that he would do it before Christmas.

"I didn't want you folks to say I wasn't keeping my promise. ... we did a rush job today and it wasn't fancy... we expected a formal ceremony in two weeks," Trump said.

The passage of the bill by the Senate and House of Representatives is considered to be the first major legislative victory for President Donald Trump, after coming to power.

Early this week, the Republican-majority Congress passed the tax reform bill, which was Trump's key election promise.

The bill among other things reduces income tax of individuals, drops down the business tax to 21 per cent.

Trump called the tax package the "biggest tax cuts and reform in our country".

The president said New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft said that because of the tax bill he was building "a tremendous paper mill."



He called it "a bill for the middle class and a bill for jobs".

"Corporations are literally going wild," he said.

The Democrats were highly critical of the tax reform bill.

"The American people have been robbed of the substantive and exhaustive debate in Congress they deserve on a USD 1.5 trillion bill that will shake up our entire economy and cripple our nation's spending power for decades to come," Senator Tom Carper had said.

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said the Republican tax bill would add nearly USD 1.5 trillion to the national debt while raising taxes on working families, and destabilise health care system by leaving 13 million more Americans without insurance.

"This legislation is a ticking tax bomb: millions of middle-class families could see their taxes increase over the next decade as state and local tax deductions and other middle-class provisions get dramatically scaled back," he had said.

"This tax 'plan' is little more than a gift to corporations and the top one per cent and an attack on our values," alleged Senator Kamala Harris.

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With China's backing, the UN Security Council today slapped new sanctions on North Korea that will restrict oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programmes.

The council unanimously adopted a US-drafted resolution that also orders the repatriation of North Korean workers abroad and earning revenue for Kim Jong-Un's regime.

It is the third raft of sanctions imposed on North Korea this year and comes as the United States and North Korea are showing no signs they are willing to engage in talks to end the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

The resolution bans the supply of nearly 75 percent of refined oil products to North Korea, puts a cap on crude deliveries and orders the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad by the end of 2019.

The measures are in response to North Korea's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on November 28 that marked an advance in Pyongyang's drive to threaten the US mainland with a nuclear strike.

President Donald Trump has threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if it attacks the United States while North Korea insists the world must now accept that it is a nuclear power.

Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would cripple its desperately struggling economy.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been sent to Russia and China to earn revenue for Pyongyang, working in what UN rights officials have described as "slave-like conditions."



Crude oil supplies were capped at four million barrels per year and a ceiling of 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum products, including diesel and kerosene, was set for next year.

That will reduce the flow of fuel from a previous ceiling set by the council of two million barrels a year.

To prevent North Korea from circumventing sanctions, all countries were authorized to seize, inspect, freeze and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea.

A total of 16 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, were added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the North Korean ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages logistics for the army.

They will be subjected to a global visa ban and assets freeze.

"This resolution bites," French Ambassador Francois Delattre said, adding that it increases pressure on Pyongyang.

"Maximum firmness today is our best antidote to the risk of war," he said.

Since September last year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test - its sixth - and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions.

The United States has led the drive at the Security Council to tighten sanctions aimed at piling pressure on Kim's regime to come to the negotiating table.

Ahead of the council meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a unanimous vote would be important to send a clear message to Pyongyang that it must abandon its ambition to develop nuclear weapons.

Speaking in The Hague, Guterres said the "unity of the council is necessary to create an opportunity for diplomatic engagement for the de-nuclearization to be achieved through peaceful means."



Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the council that the "pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved," as he backtracked from his offer to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang.

The council has also banned exports of North Korean coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and restricted joint ventures.

The United States separately asked the council to blacklist 10 ships, including two Hong Kong-flagged vessels, for carrying banned cargo from North Korea.

China, however, raised objections at those sanctions and the request to ban the 10 ships from ports worldwide will again be considered on December 28.

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US Secretary of the Navy Richard V Spencer held wide-ranging talks with Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba to further boost bilateral naval cooperation besides pursuing common interests in the Indo-Pacific.

The US Embassy said cooperation between the two navies, shared commitment of both countries to the rule of law, freedom of navigation and free and fair trade were discussed in the meetings.

The US has been pushing for an important role by India in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been expanding its presence aggressively.

"The relationship between the United States and India is based on our shared values and desire to preserve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and across the seas," the Embassy quoted Spencer as saying.

He said, "India is a model for peacefully resolving maritime border disputes and a strong provider of security. We look forward once again to joining the Indian Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in the Malabar exercise to be hosted in the Pacific next year."



This is Spencer's first visit to India as Secretary of the Navy.

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The Uttar Pradesh government today invited companies to invest in the aerospace and defence sectors, which are key to its industrial development.

"We seek investments in aerospace and defence as one of the key thrust areas for industrial development in the state. Our civil aviation policy also provides more emphasis on developing aero space sector," Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said here.

Speaking at a CII event 'Uttar Pradesh investors' summit', Mumbai roadshow, Adityanath said that his government has recently received permission from the centre to set up an international airport at Jewar near Greater Noida and it help in providing good connectively with the state.

He also assured that the state will follow a zero tolerance policy towards crime, which will support better investments.

The government is also looking at encouraging private sector participation to develop new airports. Along with the facility of dry cargo, aircraft maintenance hubs will also be encouraged.

The state offers several advantages such as infrastructure for Delhi-Mumbai and Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridors, a UP government official said.

Adityanath today met a host of bankers and industrialists in the run up to the UP Investors' Summit to be held in Lucknow on February 21-22 next year.

"Uttar Pradesh holds enormous potential for industrial development and my government is making all possible efforts to foster inclusive, sustainable and balanced growth. We are working to promote ease of doing business to create a business friendly environment in the state," the chief minister said.

"Earlier, UP was not considered as preferred investment destination for industrialists as far as law and order was concerned. Now the government has zero tolerance for crime and for people who are protecting criminals," UP Minister of industrial development Satish Mahana said.

For boosting investments and development opportunities in the state, the state government had in July approved Industrial Investment and Employment Policy, 2017.

The new policy is aimed at facilitating ease of doing business besides employment generation, and establishing a new 'Make in UP' department to derive the maximum benefits of the Make in India scheme.

He said the recently introduced policy is the roadmap not only for industrial development but also for overall standard of living, creation of jobs and exploring new avenues with substantial policy framework.

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A Vietnamese court today rejected the appeal of a dissident sentenced to nine years for anti-state propaganda, capping a grim year for activists in the one-party state.

Vietnam's communist government has been accused of intensifying a crackdown on its critics in 2017, jailing at least 15 activists and handing down heavy jail terms.

The latest to be punished is anti-China activist Tran Thi Nga, 40, who was handed nine years in prison plus five years of probation in July for posting material online criticising the government.

Her appeal was rejected today after a trial in northern Ha Nam province.

"The verdict is biased and not objective," Nga's lawer Ha Huy Son told AFP after the hearing.

Several of Nga's supporters gathered outside the courthouse were ferried away by security forces earlier today, according to activists' posts on Facebook.

Nga, who was arrested in January, is best known for calling on the Vietnamese government to stand up to its massive neighbour China over over territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea.

She also rallied for land and labour rights and protested the government's handling of a massive toxic dump in central Vietnam last year that killed tonnes of fish.

Rights groups say her case is part of a protracted crackdown on dissent that has accelerated under the conservative communist leadership in place since last year.

Yesterday, five people in southern An Giang province were jailed for between three and five years for "anti-state propaganda" after they hung flags of the former South Vietnamese regime in several locations across Chau Doc city, according to state media and a court clerk who confirmed the sentencing to AFP.

The flag is considered an incendiary symbol by communist authorities and has been banned since the end of the Vietnam War.

Ahead of Nga's appeal, Human Rights Watch called on authorities to drop charges against the activist and release more than 100 others currently in jail.

"Tran Thi Nga and other Vietnamese activists put themselves at grave risk to speak out against rights violations happening in their country," said Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director.

"Vietnam's friends and donors need to honour their fight by pushing for their unconditional release.

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Renowned Malayali writer KP Ramanunni has received this year's Sahitya Akademi award for a novel with Prophet Muhammad as its protagonist, months after receiving threats from fundamentalists for his articles.

In July, Ramanunni had received an anonymous threat letter warning him that his right arm and left leg would be chopped off if he did not convert to Islam within six months.

The award, announced yesterday for his novel "Daivathinte Pusthankam" (The book of God), is a vindication of his stand on secularism and religious harmony, Ramanunni said.

"It is more than just a coincidence for me...and I am so happy that I got this honour not too long after receiving the threat letter," Ramanunni told PTI over phone.

Ramanunni had lodged a police complaint after receiving the letter in which the extremists had alleged that he was "misleading" Muslim youth through some of his articles.

Ramanunni said many people had warned him not to write a book with the Prophet as its central character as it might invite the wrath of fundamentalists.

"The extremists may think, who am I to write on their Prophet. But, many genuine and secular Muslims have called me from various places and thanked me for portraying Prophet Muhammad in a such a good manner at a time when he is shown in a poor light by many," he said.

The 700-page novel is a blend of religion, history, and science with Prophet Muhammad and Lord Krishna as its central characters. Jesus Christ, Mahatama Gandhi, Karl Marx and Hitler also appear in the book.

"The book shares the dream of a beautiful world where people live together, setting aside their differences," he said.

A novelist and short story writer, Ramanunni is a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award and Vayalar award among other literary honours.

A film was also made on his debut novel 'Sufi Paranja Katha', which revolved around the love story of a Muslim man and a Hindu woman.

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By Tim Hepher and Brad Haynes

PARIS/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Airbus and Boeing are pairing with smaller regional rivals to add sales at the lower end of their $100 billion-a-year commercial plane duopoly, but the two market leaders are also laying the foundation for a longer-term strategic contest against more powerful threats such as China.

U.S. planemaker Boeing Co and Brazil's Embraer SA said on Thursday they were discussing a "potential combination" widely assumed to focus on jetliners, confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal.

of the talks comes just two months after Boeing's European archrival Airbus agreed to buy a majority stake in Bombardier Inc's 110 to 130-seat CSeries jet, the Canadian rival of Embraer's biggest E-Jets.

"This seems initially to be about blunting the offering of the CSeries," said consultant Jerrold Lundquist, managing director of The Lundquist Group, one of the first industry-watchers to predict the move. "One of the things the CSeries brings to Airbus is the ability to offer a broader product line."

Both Embraer's E-Jets, which generally range between 70 and 130 seats, and to a greater extent Bombardier's CSeries, overlap at the margins of the big-airplane portfolios of Airbus and Boeing, but the products are mainly seen as complementary. Boeing and Airbus smaller planes start at around 125 seats.

Such commercial tie-ups allow planemakers to offer package deals and expand opportunities for generating revenue and profit, a person familiar with the CSeries deal said.

Boeing now appears to be a convert to this approach after initially - at least in public - dismissing the deal between Airbus and Bombardier, several analysts said on Thursday.

But the proposed alliances, neither of which is finalised, are not simply about tacking on revenue and cash flow, analysts and industry sources said.

First, they could quickly lead to technical overlap.

"If Boeing begins to collaborate with Embraer, you could imagine them creating commonality in the Boeing cockpit," Lundquist said. Others see similar benefits at Airbus.

More importantly, they broaden the battlefront for the next round of developments in 2030 and beyond: one in which Western jetmakers will be up against growing competition from China and Russia and could rely on their new partners to spread the risk.

PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION

Boeing and Embraer had already prepared just such a tryst in confidential talks over a decade ago.

In October, reported that the template for a possible Boeing-Embraer response to the Airbus-Bombardier deal already existed in dormant plans for a new generation of single-aisle planes, for which there had been a previously unreported collaboration between Boeing and Brazil.

Plans for an all-new plane were put on hold while Boeing and Airbus focused on engine makeovers for existing models, cashing in on fuel savings that were considered strong enough to hold off Chinese and Russian competitors for another 10 or 15 years.

But the blueprint for deeper co-operation between Embraer and Boeing remained in place and by breaking the status quo, Airbus's Bombardier deal may have brought it back to life.

"Embraer gives Boeing access to technology for smaller jets for application on a next-generation narrowbody aircraft," Morningstar analyst Chris Higgins said in a research note.

A source with knowledge of the matter said Boeing had already approached Embraer twice about a potential deal in 2002 and 2006. At the time, the Brazilian government vetoed any deal, saying Embraer was a "strategic" company for the country.

Brazilian President Michel Temer, who took office last year, has pushed a more market-friendly agenda than predecessors.

Deals with their smaller cousins may give Airbus and Boeing more options when they develop the successors to the best-selling Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, perhaps allowing them to offer a trio of large jets coupled to a pair of smaller ones.

For Boeing, however, there may be another gamble at play.

The American firm is considering launching a twin-aisle 220 to 260-seat jet in the so-called middle of the market, challenging Airbus in the segment where it began life over 40 years ago.

The timing of the talks leaves open the possibility that any core technology Embraer has to offer could be considered for the "new mid-market airplane (NMA)," people familiar with the matter said.

To some, that only increases the chances that Boeing will kick-start the project next year, taking pains at the same time to shore up the lower end of its market with an Embraer tie-up.

"Boeing would apparently prefer to do the NMA and taking on two major developments at once may be considered too ambitious," Lundquist said.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher in PARIS and Brad Haynes in SAO PAULO; Additional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer in SAO PAULO; Editing by Bill Rigby)

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Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure on Thursday signed an agreement to sell its Mumbai power business to Adani Transmission for a total consideration of Rs 18,800 crore. Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) announced the signing of a definitive binding agreement with Adani Transmission (ATL) for a 100 per cent stake sale of its Mumbai power business, which includes integrated business of generation, transmission and distribution of power, Reliance Infrastructure said in a BSE filing.

Adani Transmission Ltd, the power distribution arm of Adani Enterprises, will pay an initial Rs 13,251 crore for Reliance's Mumbai power business and Rs 5,550 crore at a later date based on certain approvals, the Reliance statement said. The company said the total consideration is estimated at Rs 18,800 crore. The proposed transaction is subject to customary approvals.

RInfra will utilise the entire proceeds of this transformative transaction to reduce its debt, becoming debt free and garnering up to Rs 3,000 crore as cash surplus. Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, said: "The acquisition marks our foray into the distribution sector in India. We see distribution as the next sunrise sector as India embarks on its mission to achieve 24x7 power for all."

He further said, "We see a massive growth opportunity and will look at both organic and inorganic opportunities to build a market leading distribution company.'' With this acquisition, Adani Transmission will enjoy benefit of scale and of being an integrated distribution and transmission business in India. The company claimed that this is the largest ever debt reduction exercise by any corporate, saying this monetisation is a major step in RInfra's deleveraging strategy for future growth.

Reliance Infrastructure's Mumbai power business, known as Reliance Energy, is India's largest private integrated power utility, distributing power to nearly 3 million residential, industrial and commercial consumers in the Mumbai suburbs covering 400 sq km. RInfra had bought Mumbai power business from Bombay Suburban Electric Supply in 2002. It caters to a peak demand of over 1,800 mw, with annual revenues of Rs 7,500 crore with stable cash flows.

Going forward, RInfra will focus on upcoming opportunities in the defence manufacturing business as well as in its engineering, procurement and construction businesses. Reliance Infrastructure posted a net profit of Rs 544 crore and reported total debt of around Rs 14,000 crore.
Hours after the shocking 2G spectrum judgement, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today said the case was sabotaged by insiders and the government should immediately appeal in the high court against acquittal of all the accused. A special CBI court earlier in the day acquitted all 18 accused in high-profile 2G scam case. Swamy was one of the petitioners on whose plea a CBI probe was ordered in the case. The BJP leader, who is also a lawyer by profession, said: "O P Saini's judgement is a very bad judgement. It has to be appealed. Such things happened in course of law that is why we three tiers of courts."

Swamy further said that in today's judgement, Judge Saini states that the CBI and ED counsels were lackadaisical and they were not serious and the judge couldn't figure out what the prosecutors wanted to prove. "This is a very big condemnation of the government conducting of the case," Subramanian Swamy said. "Not only that, Judge Saini in the verdict says that in the begining there was lot of enthusiasm, but over a period of time it got worse and worse," Subramanian added.

Swamy also attacked the former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for supporting the judgement. He said: "Today Former Attorney General has welcomed the judgement. When he was appointed I protested to the Prime Minister that he was the advocated for many of the accused including Unitech." He said such people should be not be made law officers. "It wasn't appropriate to appoint Mukul Rohatgi as AG," Swamy said.

Swamy lashed out at the government and the investigating agency, saying that some officials in the ministry and CBI want to protect the corrupts. On Kapil Sibal's zero loss theory, he said: "This isn't final verdict. Congress happiness is short-lived." Earlier in the day, Swamy also tweeted that the government must prove its bonafides by filing an immediate appeal in the High Court.
India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki plans to launch its first electric vehicle in the market by 2020 and the company will also set up charging stations. Disclosing this here on Thursday, Maruti chairman RC Bhargava said the conventional internal combustion (IC) engine vehicles will also continue to grow.

The company has done an assessment, assuming an annual growth rate of 8 per cent between now and 2030, that 71 million cars will be sold, of which 14.4 million will be electric and 56.6 million will be internal combustion vehicles, he said. So, conventional cars will continue to be four times that of electrics, he added.

The government has set eyes on 100 per cent EVs for public mobility and 40 per cent electric for personal mobility by 2030. Bhargava also said government incentives will be needed to make electric vehicles (EVs) affordable as the country moves towards the ecofriendly solution for mobility. He pointed out that affordability is a major challenge that EVs will face and for them to be successful, focus has to be on manufacturing of batteries and other components within the country to bring down cost.

"My gut feeling is that yes, some kind of government intervention would be required but I don't know to what extent,'' he told reporters when asked if government incentives would be needed to support electric vehicles transition in India. As electric vehicles are a new development for the Indian auto industry it would be difficult to say in detail how much government support would be needed, he added. The company will conduct a study to understand more about consumer insights on electric vehicles.
First the bad news: Two separate financial stability assessments have suggested that the worst may be far from over for the Indian banking sector. While the RBI's half-yearly Financial Stability Report (FSR) has pegged the non-performing assets (NPAs) spiking to 10.8 per cent by the March quarter, the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) for India claims that a group of public sector banks are highly vulnerable to further declines in asset quality and higher provisioning needs.

According to the RBI, the overall gross NPAs in the system have grown to 10.2 per cent as of the September quarter-which was the level predicted for March 2018 in the precious FSR-from 9.6% six months earlier. "The banking stability indicator (BSI) shows that the risks remain at an elevated level weighed down by further asset quality deterioration," the FSR notes, adding that bad loans are expected to hit 11.1 per cent of all loans by September 2018.

Worryingly, it is the private sector banks, popularly perceived to be more prudent, that are reporting the most stress. Private banks registered a whopping 40.8 per cent spike in their gross NPAs compared to 17 per cent by the state-run ones. Let's not forget that private sector banks, including HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, reported cumulative divergences of Rs 12,000 crore in the first two fiscals of this financial year.

Whenever a bank writes off a loan as a loss, its capital shrinks. Though the capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) has reportedly improved from 13.6 per cent to 13.9 per cent between March and September 2017, under the FSR's base case scenario, two banks may have CRAR below the minimum regulatory level of 9 per cent by March 2018. If macro conditions continue to deteriorate, as many as six banks may record a CRAR below 9 per cent and the system level CRAR may decline to 11.2 per cent the next year, the report added.

"While the ongoing deleveraging in the heavily indebted parts of the corporate sector and muted credit growth in the public sector banks pose a risk to growth, the decisive recapitalisation move by the government could provide the much needed fillip to private investment going forward. If we keep our financial system, especially, the banking sector, in good shape, we can catch the tail winds of the external conditions. That would mean keeping the economy on even keel in terms of macroeconomic balance," summed up N.S. Vishwanathan, deputy governor of RBI, in the FSR foreword. The report further mentioned that corporate governance at the state-run lenders will be "key" to ensuring the success of government's ambitious Rs 2.1 trillion bank recapitalisation programme.

Meanwhile, the IMF highlighted that though India's key banks appear resilient, but the system is subject to considerable vulnerabilities. The stress tests conducted by IMF experts, which covered the 15 largest banks, including 12 PSBs, accounting for 71 per cent of the banking sector assets, showed that "while the largest banks are sufficiently capitalized and profitable to withstand a deterioration in economic conditions, a group of PSBs are highly vulnerable to further declines in asset quality and higher provisioning needs". These vulnerable banks "would require additional capital" under the baseline scenario, which were assessed between 0.75 per cent of GDP in the baseline to 1.5 per cent of GDP in the severe adverse scenario.

However, according to the Business Standard, this estimate was made prior to the finance ministry's announcement of the bank recapitalisation programme. The post-assessment supplement points out that the plan is expected to largely address the PSBs' recapitalization needs. Significantly, the FSSA findings note that the "provision of public capital should be contingent upon meaningful restructuring of PSBs and exit of weak banks (via sale of viable assets and liabilities to stronger public and private banks) should be considered, as consolidating weak PSBs into stronger ones risks undermining the viability of the acquirer".

According to an IMF press release, "Going forward, greater participation of the private sector in bank capital, a smaller footprint of the public sector in the financial system, a cautious reduction in statutory liquidity requirements, and assessing the effectiveness of directed lending, would boost the system's capacity to support credit to the economy, while reducing moral hazard and contingent fiscal liabilities."

With PTI inputs
Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest IT services exporter, has bagged a $2.25 billion outsourcing contract from television ratings company Nielsen. The deal, largest ever secured by an Indian IT firm, will top up the existing contract until 2025.

US-based consumer research firm had first awarded a $1.2 billion contract to the Mumbai-based company in 2007 for 10-year period. In 2013, Nielsen extended its ongoing contract with TCS by three years until 2020 and more than doubled the value to $2.5 billion.

The deal comes as a big boost for CEO and MD Rajesh Gopinathan, who replaced N Chandrasekaran as the CEO of TCS when Chandrasekaran moved out to join Tata Sons as Chairman in February. As per the new deal, the terms of the agreement have been extended for an additional five years so as to expire on December 31, 2025, with three one-year renewal options granted to Nielsen, the media research company said in a regulatory filing to the US SEC.

"Nielsen has committed to purchase services from TCS from the Effective Date through the remaining term of the Agreement (the 'Minimum Commitment') in the amount of $2.25 billion, including a commitment to purchase at least $320 million in services per year from 2017 through 2020, $186 million in services per year from 2021 through 2024, and $139.5 million in services in 2025," it added.

The filing stated that the Mumbai-based firm will globally provide Nielsen with professional services relating to IT - including application development and maintenance - BPO, client service knowledge process outsourcing, management sciences, analytics, and financial planning.

"At present, digital accounts for 20 per cent of our revenue, and that is primarily where our growth agenda is. Over time, it will become 80 per cent," the 46-year-old CEO had told Business Today's Nevin John.

"Technology has become central to the products and is normally 60 per cent of costs. With the disruptions, we have got a play in both, which comes to 75 per cent of the overall expenditure of the companies," Gopinathan had said.

In the second quarter, TCS generated 51.9 per cent business from North America, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. India accounted for 6.3 per cent. Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) was the largest vertical with 33 per cent business, followed by retail and consumer packaged goods (11.9 per cent). TCS has 37 large clients (over $100 million revenue).

TCS posted 9.35 per cent growth in consolidated income at Rs 122,187 crore in 2016/17. The profit rose 8.3 per cent to Rs 26,357 crore. But in the first six months of this financial year, the income rose just over 2 per cent to Rs 61,903 crore, while profit fell 4 per cent to Rs 12,410 crore, mainly due to rupee appreciation and higher wages. The average market value of the company was Rs 4.67 lakh crore in the October 2016-September 2017 period.

When Chandrasekaran took over as the CEO in October 2009, TCS' consolidated revenue was Rs 30,000 crore. It is now over Rs 1 lakh crore. Profits rose from Rs 7,000 crore to Rs 24,000 crore during his tenure. The five digital forces - mobility, big data, social media, cloud computing and robotics - changed the way TCS operated as Chandrasekaran and his team showed agility to adapt.

TCS first went past Reliance Industries in valuation in May 2012. For the next seven-eight months, both were neck and neck, but TCS took off from there and continued widening the gap till 2015. Since then, the gap has reduced. RIL overtook TCS in 2017/18 after consolidating the customer base of its telecom business, Reliance Jio.
With the special CBI court acquitting all 17 accused in the 2G spectrum case, the legal experts say that it has opened the doors for foreign companies who had invested in the Indian telecom sector during the time of UPA government to sue the government. The experts believe that operators like Loop Telecom, Russian conglomerate Sistema and Telenor may relook their strategy to recover losses they have incurred due to the flawed procedures followed by the department of telecom (DoT).

"These players have an excellent chance to relook everything and start recovery or whatever compensation they can get from the government," says Ashish Bhan, partner at Trilegal. The Supreme Court cancelled 122 licenses in 2012 on grounds that the procedure followed by DoT for giving out licenses was flawed.

"You have a position of the Supreme Court which says that the process was illegal and unconstitutional. The CBI court sees no criminality into the awarding of the license. It means that the process was wrong but the process was not set by the private players. The process was set by the government. Bad process cannot be attributed to private players," says Bhan adding that players like Loop have already started acknowledging this and possibly they will move forward.

But given that these foreign players could have challenged the DoT's flawed procedure (as proven in SC's decision) even before the special CBI court's verdict, Bhan says when the SC squashed licenses, these players had tried to intervene in the SC but nobody was ready to hear them.

"Entities who have exited India tried to prove the gross irregularities but their argument took a back seat because there was pending case going on [in the special CBI court] and the government was also trying to put pressure on them. Because of the whole atmosphere that was created around 2G scam, if these players had moved on with suing the government for recovery of money, the government would have pressurised them," says Bhan.

He says that ED's and CBI's decision to challenge the recent verdict in the High Court is unlikely to change the scenario. "It took seven years for the special CBI court to prove that there was no criminality in the case. I am of a strong view that unless the High Court finds a loophole in the evidences considered by the special CBI court, they would find it difficult to overturn its verdict. The interference of the High Court would not be easy," he says.
How the Cameroun dictator Paul BIYA bribed the Commonwealth General Secretary, Baroness Patricia Scotland by Dr Larry Ayamba :: CAMEROON

She didn't go to the English speaking regions of Cameroons, which is the main reason for her visit and more so, the reason why Cameroon is a member of the Gentle man Club - The Commonwealth of Nations.

She stayed in French speaking regions, dinning and wining with BIYA and his clique, and took gifts to the detriment of the why she went there in the first place.

The security reasons given as excuses for not being able to go to the Commonwealth regions of Ambazonian (Southern Cameroons) are all FAKE News. Listen to this Equinox television interview with Political Analyst Mr Akou John Akou as well as that with the SDF National Chairman Ni John Fru NDI

Read more below

Woman with no shame: Links with tyrants. Jobs for the boys, Profligacy with public money. In recent days we have exposed the disturbing activities of the new British boss of the Commonwealth. Is she apologetic? Curled from: www.dailymail.co.uk

Just two days after the Mail published a detailed investigation into the new boss of the Commonwealth, exposing her links with evil tyrannies and questioning whether she was fit for public office, I was passed a copy of an email subsequently sent to her staff.

It was from the organisations corporate affairs chief, Gary Dunn, on behalf of Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland, and had the subject line Together we are so much stronger.

This hackneyed phrase has been used by many in public relations and advertising over the years, and was even trotted out by Michelle Obama this week to endorse Hillary Clinton.

Mr Dunns email  a round-robin to members of the Secretariat, or civil service, which runs the Commonwealth  was somewhat different in tone, and dropped into the inbox of staff at 9.50pm on Monday, when many were preparing for bed.

It stated: I am sure you will share my concerns about recent press coverage making allegations about the Secretariat. These allegations are based on a distorted representation of information contained in some leaked documents. It is unfortunate that the actions of the very few impact on all of us and the reputation of our organisation.

Mr Dunn was talking about leaked documents which formed part of the material used in my investigation, which was published in last Saturdays Mail.

The article took a close look at Baroness Scotland, a Labour peer and close friend of Tony Blair, who took office as the Commonwealths Secretary-General, or effective boss, in May.

It detailed, among other things, how she is spending extraordinary and unprecedented amounts of public money on aggrandising herself and her office, and giving highly paid jobs to an assortment of loyal friends and political chums. Continue Reading: here

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3713778/Woman-no-shame-Links-tyrants-Jobs-boys-Profligacy-public-money-recent-days-exposed-disturbing-activities-new-British-boss-Commonwealth-apologetic-Dream-on.html
Those theories included that an enemy destroyer had run over it, but there was no sign of an oil slick or debris from a damaged hull in the area. It may have dived to escape a German vessel and suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure. The submarine had no deck gun and it's "only defence was to dive". There was also speculation it had hit a mine or a reef or run into mechanical problems during a practice dive.
One of my two theories, that the highly susceptible Holt (we know now that he had lovers and that he was at the coast to be with a mistress) was lured away by voluptuous mermaids to their Underwater Kingdom, has never received the forensic investigation it deserves. Only those of us who have been approached by mermaids (the highly-sexed Broulee ones have been the ruin of many a Canberra man) know just how beguiling they can be.
"I don't claim to have the range and talent of the usual host because I am the Karl you have when you are not having ratings. But I am up for a challenge and it is always good to try something new and broaden your pallet.
"His work ethic is second to none - as is his integrity. He will be a brilliant senator. He won't be bullied. He will always speak his mind and stand up for what he believes in. I have so much faith in him. He won't let Australia down," she said.
Mr Morrison has become so alarmed at the prospect of Australia being left with a corporate tax rate of 30 per cent that he fears February  when Parliament is due to return  will be too late, as northern hemisphere-based companies will be making decisions in January on whether to stay in Australia or move elsewhere.
In 2013, Aston Martin introduced the V12 Vantage Zagato as a way to celebrate its 50th anniversary with the famed design house.



Thanks to its bespoke bodywork, the Vantage Zagato is one of the most beautiful vehicles to ever leave Astons factory. Now, one has appeared for sale in Massachusetts with a $995,000 asking price.

Listed online by Aston Martin of New England Lotus Motorsports, this 2013 Zagato is painted in a breathtaking color dubbed Fiamma Red that apparently took 100 hours to produce.

When Aston commenced production of the model, it intended on building 150 examples. However, production reportedly stopped after just 61 production cars were produced, making the car rarer than the desirable One-77.

Alongside its Fiamma Red exterior, this example is bathed in Bitter Chocolate-colored leather and alcantara in the cabin, and has been driven just 253 miles from new. Additionally, it includes a number of special features from Q by Aston Martin, including Bitter Chocolate seat belts, alcantara steering wheel, and a fire extinguisher.

Given its limited availability, stunning design and potent performance, it seems inevitable that V12 Vantage Zagato prices will continue to rise, making this car a worthwhile investment for collectors.

PHOTO GALLERY
A software developer has accused Faraday Future boss and financier Jia Yueting of creating a $75 million trust fund for his children with company money.



The allegations were first reported by The Verge. Outspoken Washington-based software developer Gu Yingqiong publicly shared what he claims was a draft copy of a $75 million trust fund that the Chinese billionaire set up for his children with money from Faraday Futures coffers.

Less than one month later, Yueting filed a lawsuit against Yingqiong, claiming that the allegations were false and that Yingqiongs behavior is a continuous and systematic effort by an individual to intimidate, harass, and defame a stranger over the internet.

Yueting filed his lawsuit in California in October but it was dismissed due to a procedural issue. Shortly after, the tech billionaire filed for a temporary injunction in Washington and a libel lawsuit.

While Yingqiongs allegations havent been independently verified, they do come at a particularly tumultuous time for the electric startup. In recent months, over half a dozen senior executives have left the company. Despite this, Faraday Future claims to have recently secured $1 billion in additional funding.

PHOTO GALLERY
Honda is reportedly the latest company to jump onboard the solid-state battery train.



Reuters recently received word from Honda spokesman Teruhiko Tatebe that the car manufacturer is researching solid-state batteries.

At the same time, the spokesman shot down rumors that Honda was researching the tech alongside Nissan, stating that at the moment were not developing them with another automaker.

Earlier this week, BMW became the latest carmaker to confirm that it was working on solid-state batteries as the industry looks beyond the lithium-ion batteries currently used by hybrids and all-electric production vehicles.

Whereas lithium-ion batteries use a liquid or gel-based electrolyte, solid-state batteries instead use a solid electrolyte. This results in greater thermal management and energy density properties, allowing technology companies to squeeze greater range out of smaller batteries. In addition, solid-state batteries offer superior charging times.

PHOTO GALLERY
If you were like us, you probably learned to drive stick shift in a car that your parents/relative/friend didnt care about getting ruined.

The following 15-year-old, however, had the chance to experience a manual gearbox behind the wheel of an Acura NSX  no thanks to YouTube views .



The NSX in question is a first-generation model and unquestionably one of the most iconic performance cars to ever leave Japan. Have to say, if we were fortunate enough to own an NSX, we certainly wouldnt be lending it out to any teenagers, views be damned!

With that being said, its worth noting that the NSX, like many other performance-focused Hondas, has a very slick manual gearbox with a positive feel, perhaps making it the perfect choice to learn the basics.

Power for the first-generation NSX was initially provided by a C30A V6 engine delivering 270 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque. Later iterations had a slightly more potent C32B V6 with 290 hp and 224 lb-ft.

VIDEO
A number of automakers are teasing their unveilings for the North American International Auto Show but a new report is suggesting the Volkswagen Arteon will make its debut at the Chicago Auto Show in February.



Originally unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the Arteon is a stylish flagship which will replace the slow-selling CC which was only bought by 3,237 people in the United States last year.

Detailed specifications havent been announced but Consumer Reports says the model will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 276 hp (205 kW). The engine will be connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission which can be paired to an optional all-wheel drive system.

Like the 2019 Jetta, the Arteon will be underpinned by the MQB platform. Thats where the similarities end as the Arteon is a large and relatively luxurious vehicle that will slot above the Passat.

Pricing remains unconfirmed but the publication believes the model will cost around $34,500. That would make the Arteon significantly more expensive than the Passat which starts at $22,995. However, the Arteon should should come nicely equipped with power front seats, an infotainment system, and an assortment of other goodies.

Photo Gallery
Photo: Thinkstock.com Homes in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes are without power as a massive ice storm hits Eastern Canada.

Southern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes are now fully in the grip of a massive weather system that`s coating the landscape in ice.

The storm has knocked out the electricity to thousands homes and businesses and is creating massive headaches for travellers at one of the busiest travel times of the year.

The weather conditions have resulted in scores of flight cancellations and delays at airports in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Saint John, N.B., Halifax and St. John's, N.L.

Passengers are being advised to check their flights before heading to the airport.

Toronto shut down streetcar service and there were delays and suspensions of GO and RT service as well.

Outages affecting an estimated 350,000 hydro customers were reported in Ontario, including 250,000 in the Greater Toronto Area, as ice-coated tree branches snapped, pulling down power lines.

Toronto Hydro said it could take up to 72 hours to get everyone reconnected.

Hydro Quebec says nearly 29,000 customers are without power, mainly in the Estrie and Monteregie regions. There are only about 240 customers affected in Montreal.

NB Power reports 3,800 customers without electricity, with more than 3,600 in St. Stephen.

Salting and sanding crews worked through the night in an uphill battle against a dangerous mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain that stretches from Niagara Falls, Ont., to the Atlantic Coast.

The weather conditions are suspected to have been a factor in three fatal highway accidents in Quebec on Saturday, and another in Ontario.

Provincial police are strongly advising people not to drive unless it's absolutely necessary.

As the storm continues its eastward march Environment Canada meteorologist Weiqing Zhang said it would likely be sometime this afternoon before it leaves central Canada and sometime this evening before freezing rain stops falling on the Maritimes.
'm fortunate to live in an area of Peachland where the neighbours look after each other.

The last few days my neighbour cleared my driveway with his machine.

I am one very grateful and fortunate person.

Kerry Kozak


It's the holiday season again and the third Christmas since the Liberals formed government. It's time for us Canadians to count our blessings!

Our economy has been resurrected from a national recession in 2015 to dominating the G-7 in economic growth today. On the unemployment front those numbers are the lowest weve seen in a decade. The Liberals outstanding economic policies of lowering taxes on the middle class, lowering taxes on small business and taxing Canadas top 1 percent a little more has contributed positively to a more productive and fair economic position for the country. Even Alberta, hardest hit by the recession(s) is again back on her feet leading Canadian provinces in GDP growth!

The Liberals have accomplished all this while oil is still in a slump! The Liberals social accomplishments see us with a new Healthcare Accord, a new National Housing Strategy for the homeless and initiatives to help the provinces with the fentanyl crisis. The new Canada Child Benefit, the biggest social policy announcement since public healthcare, has lifted over 315,000 children out of poverty. We have seen pension increases for single seniors, pay increases for the military and rumour has it there are more exciting things to announce for our proud veterans.

This year Canada was named the most influential country in the world with our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named the second most influential leader! Reputations that are personified by the fact that Canada leads the most multinational Battle Group in NATOs Enhanced Forward Presence, an effort to counter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. On the home front, here in Kelowna our hard working (and cool, former fighter jet pilot) local MP Stephen Fuhr is doing very well. In fact, Kelowna - Lake Country certainly hasnt seen this much federal attention in decades. Weve hosted a Federal National Caucus, a Pacific Caucus, and a Federal Pre-Budget consultation and lets not forget the Royal Visit.

On the local economic front, the recent statistic from the central Okanagan Economic Commission indicate that household incomes have risen, labour force participation and housing starts are up, unemployment is low, more business licences have been approved and record breaking numbers of passenger traffic at Kelowna international continue to bring visitors to the Okanagan. Exactly what Mr. Fuhr campaigned on, bringing vitality, jobs and prosperity to our little corner of Paradise, something Okanagan Oldies (me) havent seen in a decade!

So I hope this Christmas is merrier than most, God bless!

Bill Rice
Photo: Darryl Burry

Police in Kelowna are showing they care.

The Sharing Christmas Program makes Christmas merry for families in need of support this holiday season.

It's a joint project between City of Kelowna Police Services staff, RCMP members and the Salvation Army.

Families in need registered through the Salvation Army and will receive gift cards to local grocery stores. They also get to choose a toy from a storehouse of donated items.

"This program helps take the pressure and stress off parents who are struggling and puts a big smile on their children's faces when they wake up on Christmas morning to find a gift for them under the tree," said Kevin Burk of Kelowna Police Services.

The gift cards are intended to help families have a Christmas dinner, or to purchase whatever else they may need.

"It's about providing the necessities for their family, such as having warm clothes, a fridge stocked with food, fuel for their vehicle or, for some, a family bus pass," said Const. Lesley Smith.
Photo: Contributed

You'll notice some changes coming to the Library parkade over the coming days.

Three of seven public art pieces will be installed at the parkade Thursday.

The remaining four will be put in place in the new year.

"The Valley," by B.C. artists Ron Hart and Michael Fugeta is an abstraction of the Okanagan landscape, made up of cross-sections of topography stretching over 200 kilometres from Osoyoos to Enderby.

The artwork encompasses seven panels which will be placed along the south face of the parkade.

There will be a temporary change in traffic patterns and a modified entrance and exit to the parkade at Ellis Street while the installation equipment is working.

The piece will cost about $135,000. It's part of the city's public art collection, which includes about 60 pieces, ranging from murals and banners to sculptures and works integrated into local landscapes.
Photo: Contributed

The BC Conservatives think the province should take the wheel when it comes to driverless cars.

Scott Anderson, interim leader of the BC Cons, believes British Columbia should be at the forefront of the coming transportation revolution by proactively introducing framework legislation to allow autonomous vehicles on our roads.

The party proposes legislation to allow autonomous vehicle testing on B.C. streets, similar to the legislation enacted in Ontario, but further reaching, as in the case of Virginia, where autonomous vehicles can be tested in real-world conditions.

According to Anderson, automakers and some technology companies hope to begin deploying driverless vehicles around 2020, and at least one manufacturer of light autonomous vehicles is ready for deployment as early as next year.

In terms of heavy trucking, Loblaw Companies Ltd. has already pre-ordered 25 electric self-driving trucks from Tesla. The autonomous programming software is already installed in them, but dormant because there is no legislation for its use. Meanwhile, as of 2017 33 US states have introduced autonomous vehicle legislation and 21 states have actually passed legislation related to autonomous vehicles.

"We are at the cusp of a revolution in transportation that will rival the transition from horse to automobile in importance," said Anderson. "Autonomous vehicles are coming far faster than we think, and coupled with the cheap, clean energy that Site C and other development projects will produce, these technologies will revolutionize our existence...everything from our use of streets to how we work and live will be impacted."

Autonomous vehicles are expected to save lives, lower insurance costs, and reduce injuries. Various studies have found that human error is the culprit in between 90-97 per cent of crashes, and a 2014 study found that U.S. traffic crashes cost society $836 billion annually.
Photo: Contributed

UPDATE: 8:30 p.m.

The head of the Penticton RCMP says the public should not be concerned about a homicide that was revealed by police Thursday evening.

The integrity of the investigation outweighs the need to notify the public of the particulars, says Supt. Ted De Jager.

Police have not disclosed when this year the homicide took place or who the victim was.

De Jager says charges have yet to be laid in connection with the homicide, but the public will be notified if charges are approved.

ORIGINAL: 7 p.m.

The Penticton RCMP is investigating a fourth homicide for the city, but the department wont say when it happened or who was killed.

Detachment commander Supt. Ted De Jager disclosed the investigation in response to year-end queries from Castanet about the status of the three other publicly known homicide investigations.

No further evidence to be gathered and no public safety concern so it was not released to the media, he said in an email. It will be released when charges are complete.

In addition to the mystery homicide, police are still investigating the murders of Dean Gillette, Dale Atkinson and Randal Toews.

Gillettes body was found dumped on a rural road in January near Willowbrook, suffering from a gunshot wound.

Toews was shot in April in broad daylight at an apartment complex on Creston Ave.

Atkinson died inside the home he shared with his common-law wife in June on Woodlands Dr.
Madison Erhardt

Jacob Daniel Forman made his first court appearance Thursday on three charges of second-degree murder in relation to the discovery of bodies at a home in Rutland Tuesday night.

Forman, 34, appeared in court in a grey sweatsuit. He looked around the gallery and appeared stoic.

Glenn Verdurmen, Formans lawyer, said the case is an extremely serious, very tragic situation."

"There is a lot of impact on the community," Verdurmen said.

We are at the early stages. It is (put) over to four weeks (from now), he said.

Forman did not make a plea on Thursday and his next court appearance is on Jan. 18.

He is not allowed to have contact with 13 people who were named in court by the judge.

He is facing the worst possible thing, said Verdurmen. I cant really speak for him  hes holding up in court today.

Forman lived at the home on Bolotzky Court where three bodies were found on Tuesday by RCMP.

Family members have confirmed that 33-year-old Clara Forman and her two young daughters, Karina and Yesenia, were killed at their Rutland home.

Verdurmen did not comment on who called police on the night the bodies were found.
Photo: Contributed Janie Crockett (left) and Agnes Sakakibara from the Japanese Womens Association present a cheque to VJH Foundation director Kevin Arbuckle for the Foundations annual Light a Bulb Campaign.

Once again, the generosity of the North Okanagan is shining bright as the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundations Light a Bulb Campaign nears its goal for 2017.

The annual fundraiser is at 97 per cent of its target, raising $244,586 towards the $250,000 needed to purchase new endoscopes for the VJH Ambulatory Care Unit.

We are very thankful to have received so many generous donations over the past week, including a gift of $30,000 from Grizzly Curb & Concrete, said Lisa Westermark, VJH Foundation executive director.

The North Okanagan is an exceptionally generous community, offering support through business and personal donations, community initiatives and fundraising event proceeds.

Some of the donors this week include the Japanese Womens Association, which raised funds from an annual spring chow mein fundraiser and fall bazaar.

Melina Moore of Big Apple Productions and Valley Vocal Arts presented a benefit performance, Music for a Winters Eve at All Saints Anglican Church Dec. 20, with admission by donation to Light a Bulb.

Local business, Kals Naan Stop, is raising funds for the campaign through samosa sales until Dec. 31. Fifty per cent of proceeds from its bulk samosa sales will be donated to Light a Bulb. Samosas can be purchased Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 3603  32nd St.

Funds raised from Light a Bulb will purchase cancer screening endoscopes for the Ambulatory Care unit at VJH.

Endoscopes are specialized tools used by surgeons and have flexible tubes with tiny, high definition cameras on the end. The images from the camera are projected on a screen, where the surgeon can see if there are any abnormalities. Many times, surgeons can deal with problems right at that moment and avoid any future issues for the patient  essentially curing cancer before it starts.

The Foundation office will be closed Dec. 25-26 for the holidays, but donors can contribute online at vjhfoundation.org, or mail cheques to VJH Foundation, 2101-32nd St., Vernon BC V1T 5L2. Donors can also call 250-558-1362 during regular office hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

All donations of $20 or more postmarked by Dec. 31 will receive an official tax receipt for the 2017 tax year.
Photo: Contributed

A Vernon family is looking to the new year with optimism after receiving a bit of a Christmas miracle.

The Kalamalka Secondary Student in a Vancouver hospital due to meningococcal meningitis is showing signs of improvement.

The news was posted Thursday on a community Facebook page dedicated to the teen.

"My heart is full of love, amazement, joy, pride, and awe of my little girl ... she opened her eyes today and moved her finger on command. It's been a big day for her so it is just rest for the rest of the day. I can't tell you what it was like to see her little eyes again ... something I wasn't sure I'd ever see again. Thank you all again for the love, support, prayers, healing wishes and strength you have shared with all of us. I will continue to try to provide updates as I can but as you can all imagine my focus will be here with Em as we slowly try to awake her."

Reaction to the post was swift with hundreds of shares and comments.

"Keep fighting Em, you're so strong."

"Loved opening my phone and reading this"

"Thank you for your updates. We are so happy for you and Em and the progress she is making. We continue to send our love and prayers."

"Best news ever. Continuing to send love, support and ((healing vibes))"

In December the teen fell ill with meningococcal meningitis. She was taken to Vancouver where she underwent emergency surgery and placed in a medically-induced coma.

The teen's story is at the heart of what has become a major health concern for parents and teens aged 15-19 in the Okanagan.

Several students throughout the Okanagan Valley have been diagnosed with meningitis, which prompted the Interior Health Authority to declare an outbreak of meningococcal meningitis.

Interior Health has provided vaccination clinics in the wake of the outbreak.
Photo: Trevor Nichols

There will be no strike at Kelowna's jail, according to the employer and union representing 17 guards who work at the RCMP detachment.

Commissionaires BC said late Thursday the two sides are returning to the bargaining table.

"(We are) pleased to advise the strike scheduled to begin tomorrow morning has been cancelled, as CUPE has agreed to participate in binding arbitration in order to reach a collective agreement," Julie Powers, vice-president of operations with Commissionaires BC, wrote in an email to Castanet.

"We have been proposing binding arbitration as a fair and reasonable method to reach a collective agreement for an extended period of time, and are encouraged that the Union has now agreed to this process."

The biggest issue is wages. CUPE says Kelowna's guards are paid $16.50 an hour compared to $27 and higher elsewhere in the province.

Harry Nott, CUPE national representative and lead negotiator, said the union agreed to binding arbitration in part because of the mediator involved.

Mark J. Browns reputation is that of a fair intermediary, Nott said.

I think thats part of the reason we went that way, he said. We think Brown will help us.

Nott also said guards have the bigger picture in mind.

He said the strike would have put more stress on those in Kelowna cells and the Mounties who would have to work more in their place.

The guards are concerned about this being the Christmas season, Nott said.

The two sides are hoping to return to the table in early January, said Nott.

Mounties dont do all the work at Kelowna cells.

The guards help oversee prisoners, assist with prisoner searches and cell searches, organize meals, record prisoner activity, take finger prints and dispense prescription medications to persons in custody.
Photo: Contributed

The update to this story on Dec. 22 can be found here.

Residents on Garnet Valley Road, north of Summerland, are reportedly under lockdown.

A resident said police are searching for an armed robber who's at large, but this hasn't been confirmed by police.

Garnet Valley Road is reportedly blocked off to traffic, due to a heavy police presence in the area.

Michael Giroux, who is currently locked down in his home in Garnet Valley, said he has seen a low-flying plane doing aerial surveillance.

He said that police are advising residents to stay indoors and not to answer their door unless it's for a police officer.

RCMP could not be reached immediately for further details.

Castanet will provide more information when it becomes available.

Send news tips to [email protected]
Colton Davies

While the sun was setting on the shortest day of the year, members of the public gathered to watch the winter solstice from the Pen Henge, on top of Munson Mountain in Penticton.

One man, a retired astronomer, explained that the winter solstice is the moment where the sun starts coming back to the Northern Hemisphere, after months of moving further away.

"If you look at any culture in the Northern Hemisphere, this is a big moment for them," Chris Purton said, ahead of the sunset at 3:28 p.m.

"There's promise ... It's celebrating the 're-birth' of the sun, it's going to come back. The summer solstice is more comfortable, but that's the sign that things are going to start closing in."

Four stones make up the Pen Henge in Penticton, marking the suns location during the winter and summer solstices and the spring and fall equinoxes.

Purton said, weather dependent, up to 120 people have gathered at the Pen Henge to take in the solstices.

The days will now slowly get longer until the summer solstice on June 21st.
Photo: @RuidoEnLaRed/Twitter

Injured survivors of a tour bus crash that killed 11 foreigners, including a Canadian, in southeastern Mexico began leaving hospitals and heading home Thursday.

Authorities said driver negligence and excessive speed caused the crash that killed eight Americans, two Swedes, a Canadian and a Mexican tour guide as they travelled from cruise ships to visit Mayan ruins south of the beach destination of Tulum.

The Canadian was identified by her family as Stephanie Horwood of Gatineau, Que.

Carole Pommet Reinthaler told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that her daughter-in-law was in Mexico with her husband and their two daughters aged nine and 11. All three were injured.

The Swedish and Canadian governments confirmed the deaths of their citizens, but the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City confirmed only that there were "multiple" American deaths and several injuries. A statement said the embassy had staff on the ground assisting victims and loved ones.

About 20 people were injured but only four tourists  one Brazilian and three Americans  remained in local hospitals Wednesday, according to prosecutors in Mexico's Quintana Roo state.

A preliminary manslaughter investigation indicated the driver lost control of the bus and when he tried to get it back on the narrow highway, the bus flipped, struck a tree and landed in vegetation along the roadside, state prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen told reporters.

Miami-based lawyer Jim Walker, who has represented victims in other cruise ship excursion accidents, said there have been 10 or 11 similar bus excursion accidents in recent years, mostly around the Caribbean.

"We see a lot of passengers complain about excessive speed, reckless driving," or intoxicated drivers, said Walker, who was not representing any of the victims in this accident.

The cruise ship companies "claim that the local companies are independent contractors and they try to disclose language to that effect in their passenger contracts saying 'Look, if you get off the ship you're leaving at your own peril, we're not responsible for you once you leave the ship,' and the law is kind of to the contrary that they do have an ongoing duty to warn of dangers ashore," Walker said.
Photo: Twitter

Australia has announced an end to its airstrike operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

The country's six Super Hornet fighter jets will soon head home in a major reduction to Australia's commitment to battling the militants in the region, three years after it began.

Defence Minister Marise Payne told reporters Friday the move followed discussions with the Iraqi government, whose Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier this month declared victory over the group.

Payne says Australia will continue to provide support in the region through surveillance and refuelling aircraft and the 80-strong Special Operations Task Group, which supports Iraqi security forces and counter-terrorism services.

Payne says she wants to "acknowledge the phenomenal efforts of the Hornet and Super Hornet pilots and support crew."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Australian police were investigating Friday whether there was any terrorism-related motive behind the car ramming attack on Melbourne pedestrians that left 12 people in a hospital, three of them in critical condition.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull condemned the "despicable and cowardly act." Nine of the 19 people originally injured Thursday were foreigners.

Victoria state police Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Thursday night that early indications were the driver of the car, a 32-year-old Australian citizen of Afghan descent with a history of drug abuse and mental health issues, was not motivated by terrorism. He said the ramming was being treated as a "singular" incident.

On Friday morning, however, Patton said the man had made several utterances while under police guard in a hospital on Thursday night, including mentioning poor treatment of Muslims, and that police were still exploring terrorism as a possible motive.

"He made some utterances in respect to a number of matters," Patton told Australia's Channel Nine television network. "He spoke of dreams and voices but also attributed some of his activities as well due to the mistreatment of Muslims."

Asked if there were links to terrorism, he said: "That's certainly one area we're exploring in respect to motivation."

But he added: "We haven't identified any extremist links with this man. We haven't identified him linked to any groups. We haven't identified anyone inciting him to do any actions, or any prior extremist activities prior to those utterances last night."

Seven of the 19 people admitted to the hospital were discharged overnight. Melbourne media reported three patients remained in critical condition, including an 83-year-old man, and that a 4-year-old boy's condition had improved from critical to stable.
Photo: The Canadian Press

All remaining significant evacuation orders for areas around the smouldering remnants of Southern California's huge wildfire were cancelled Thursday after a new round of winds caused little fire activity.

The lifting of evacuation orders and warnings in Santa Barbara County left only remote and little developed Rose Valley in the wilderness of neighbouring Ventura County under an order barring residents and visitors.

Warnings of high fire risk were cancelled for Santa Barbara County, although they remained in effect elsewhere in Southern California due to Santa Ana winds, low humidity levels and very dry vegetation.

The only visible flame was on the northern side of the fire where controlled burns set by firefighters to clear combustible material were being conducted in wilderness, said fire information officer Brandon Vaccaro.

About 18,000 homes and other buildings were still listed as threatened. Even when there's no sign of flame or smoke, fires can rekindle.

The Thomas fire, which began Dec. 4, is responsible for two deaths, has destroyed at least 750 homes, and has burned about 1,100 square kilometres.

The blaze was 65 per cent contained and is the second-largest in California's history.
Photo: The Canadian Press Farmers, Darryn and Robert Smart are welcomed back to their farm by workers and community members.

A white Zimbabwean farmer evicted by the government of Robert Mugabe has returned to a hero's welcome as the first to get his land back under the new president, in a sign of reform on an issue that had hastened the country's international isolation.

With a military escort, Robert Smart made his way into Lesbury farm about 200 kilometres east of the capital, Harare, on Thursday to cheers and song by dozens of workers and community members.

Such scenes were once unthinkable in a country where land ownership is an emotional issue with political and racial overtones.

"We have come to reclaim our farm," sang black women and men, rushing into the compound.

Two decades ago, their arrival would have meant that Smart and his family would have to leave. Ruling ZANU-PF party supporters, led by veterans of the 1970s war against white minority rule, evicted many of Zimbabwe's white farmers under an often violent land reform program led by Mugabe.

Whites make up less than 1 per cent of the southern African country's population, but they owned huge tracts of land while blacks remained in largely unproductive areas.

The evictions were meant to address colonial land ownership imbalances skewed against blacks, Mugabe said. Some in the international community responded with outrage and sanctions.

Of the roughly 4,500 white farmers before the land reforms began in 2000, only a few hundred are left.
Photo: The Canadian Press Ksenia Sobchak was one of at least 200 journalists and media personalities targeted by Russian hackers.

Russian television anchor Pavel Lobkov was in the studio getting ready for his show when jarring news flashed across his phone: Some of his most intimate messages had just been published to the web.

Days earlier, the veteran journalist had come out live on air as HIV-positive, a taboo-breaking revelation that drew responses from hundreds of Russians fighting their own lonely struggles with the virus. Now he'd been hacked.

"These were very personal messages," Lobkov said in a recent interview, describing a frantic call to his lawyer in an abortive effort to stop the spread of nearly 300 pages of Facebook correspondence, including sexually explicit messages. Even two years later, he said, "it's a very traumatic story."

The Associated Press found that Lobkov was targeted by the hacking group known as Fancy Bear in March 2015, nine months before his messages were leaked. He was one of at least 200 journalists, publishers and bloggers targeted by the group as early as mid-2014 and as recently as a few months ago.

The AP identified journalists as the third-largest group on a hacking hit list obtained from cybersecurity firm Secureworks, after diplomatic personnel and U.S. Democrats. About 50 of the journalists worked at The New York Times. Another 50 were either foreign correspondents based in Moscow or Russian reporters like Lobkov who worked for independent news outlets. Others were prominent media figures in Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltics or Washington.

The list of journalists provides new evidence for the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Fancy Bear acted on behalf of the Russian government when it intervened in the U.S. presidential election. Spy agencies say the hackers were working to help Republican Donald Trump. The Russian government has denied interfering in the American election.

Previous AP reporting has shown how Fancy Bear  which Secureworks nicknamed Iron Twilight  used phishing emails to try to compromise Russian opposition leaders, Ukrainian politicians and U.S. intelligence figures, along with Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and more than 130 other Democrats.

New Yorker writer Masha Gessen said it was also in 2015  when Secureworks first detected attempts to break into her Gmail  that she began noticing people who seemed to materialize next to her in public places in New York and speak loudly in Russian into their phones, as if trying to be overheard. She said this only happened when she put appointments into the online calendar linked to her Google account.

Gessen, the author of a book about Russian President Vladimir Putin's rise to power, said she saw the incidents as threats.

"It was really obvious," she said. "It was a classic KGB intimidation tactic."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Some former Miss Americas who were attacked in emails from the pageant's CEO are calling on him and other organization leaders to resign.

Three former title holders who were targeted for abuse in emails to and from Miss America Organization CEO Sam Haskell say the group's leadership needs to be replaced.

Mallory Hagan's appearance and sex life were mocked in the emails.

Pageant officials wrote that when one former Miss America died, they wished it had been a different former Miss America instead.

And they also mocked former winner Gretchen Carlson.

The Huffington Post reported Thursday on the emails, which it says it received from two sources.

"My hope is that this story that broke will bring light to the type of behaviour that's been in leadership of the Miss America Organization and really help us put in place some people who care and who embody the mission of Miss America," Hagan said. "Having somebody bully you, demean you, degrade you in any way is not OK."

In other emails, a former writer for the pageant notes the death of one former Miss America, and muses that he wished it had been 1998 Miss America Kate Shindle that had died instead. Shindle wrote a book critical of the Miss America Organization. Haskell responded to the email, indicating it made him laugh.

"The entire board of directors must immediately resign, including and especially Sam Haskell," Shindle wrote on Twitter, adding the content of the emails "makes me physically ill."

And Haskell wrote of tactics that would drive 1989 Miss America Carlson "insane." The Huffington Post reported she had clashed with Haskell and pageant officials over her push to modernize the organization, and her refusal to attack other former Miss America winners.

Carlson wrote on Twitter that any board member or official who tolerated such conduct should resign immediately.

"No woman should be demeaned with such vulgar slurs," she wrote.

The Miss America Organization said Thursday night that Haskell has apologized, and that the group is revising its policies regarding communications, adding it considers the matter closed.

Haskell and Miss America Organization officials did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Snow and bone-chilling cold couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of Fernie, B.C., as residents opened an outdoor ice rink Thursday night and took another step in their recovery from a deadly tragedy.

"This has been a huge step in the healing process, a place where we can gather again and get youth programming back on the ice," said Jocelyn Sombrowski, the chairwoman of Fernie's leisure services advisory board.

She spoke as volunteers put the final touches on the rink, which was made possible by a donation from the Calgary Flames Foundation in the weeks after three men died in an ammonia leak at Fernie Memorial Arena.

The arena remains closed indefinitely, and Sombrowski said the lack of a rink was keenly felt as the community tried to regroup following the Oct. 17 leak.

Fernie city workers Lloyd Smith and Wayne Hornquist died, along with Jason Podloski, a Calgary-based employee of refrigeration company CIMCO.

"I believe that our actual arena was the heart of our community, and there is hardly a person in our community that hasn't spent some time in our arena," Sombrowski said.

The Thursday night opening unveiled the NHL-sized boards, timekeepers box and players' benches donated by the Flames Foundation. It also recognized the work of nearly 100 volunteers and the local donation of more than $225,000 in supplies and labour costs, Sombrowski said.

Volunteers built changing rooms and a heated Zamboni storage shed, in addition to the pad for the regulation-sized ice surface.

Sombrowski hopes the outdoor rink will become a permanent fixture in Fernie.

"I understand the city has only committed to it for this particular season, but moving forward, I think it would be a huge asset to our community."
Photo: CTV

CTV is reporting that one man is dead after a shooting in Maple Ridge Friday morning.



Details are limited but the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the victim was shot at 6 a.m.

Officers responded to an incident near Mountainview Crescent and 121 Avenue in Maple Ridge Friday morning.

IHIT suggested the victim was not at the scene when police arrived.

-With files from CTV Vancouver
The price tag to build the 136,450-square-foot New York State Fair Expo Center is larger than expected.

The state Department of Agriculture and Markets announced Thursday that a $62,643,167 contract to construct the facility at the fairgrounds has been awarded to HBP Joint Venture, a collaboration between Syracuse-based Hueber-Breuer Construction and The Pike Company in Rochester.

QPK Design, a Syracuse firm, will handle the architectural work for the project, which is expected to be completed in time for the 2018 fair.

The 2017-18 state budget included $50 million for additional improvements at the fairgrounds. That funding will be used for the construction of the expo center. The remaining $12,643,167 will be provided through the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council's Upstate Revitalization Initiative plan, CNY Rising.

The region won $500 million in 2015 to support economic development in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. The pot of state funding is also being used to support the Orange Lot improvements near the fairgrounds. That project will cost $27 million.

"The new expo center will serve to maximize the economic benefits of the fairgrounds," said regional council co-chairs Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena and Rob Simpson. "The governor's vision for revitalizing the complex through the CNY Rising plan supports the economic resurgence that is happening here. This multi-use center will no doubt serve as an economic generator for the region for years to come."

This is the second phase of projects in and around the fairgrounds. The first phase of the improvements was backed by $50 million in the state budget. The projects included an expanded midway, permanent RV park and a new main gate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled plans for the expo center during the 2017 fair. He said the facility, which would be largest events center north of New York City between Boston and Cleveland, would help the fairgrounds host more year-round events.

The center will be equipped with 110,000 square feet of programming space and have the capacity for 4,000 retractable seats. For exhibitions, there will be enough space to hold 500 booths that are 10 feet long and 10 feet wide.

There will be rooms for conferences and meetings, year-round restrooms, a concession stand, catering space and an outdoor balcony.

Troy Waffner, acting director for the New York State Fair, said the center would help boost the fair's year-round business.

"As soon as the building was announced, we began to get interest from potential users," he said. "We will capitalize on that interest and deliver the promised benefits to central New York."

Earlier this month, the state issued a request for proposals from private companies interested in booking non-fair events at the expo center and other fairground venues. The state is seeking an entity that will book at least 20 events at the expo center through 2019.

The contract with the state will require the booker to retain 75 percent of the events it schedule from 2020 through 2023.

Proposals are due at the end of January.
AUBURN  The Auburn City Council voted Thursday to set a date for a public hearing so residents can give their input on proposed changes to the city's vehicle and traffic law.

The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 at Memorial City Hall. Proposed changes include:

 prohibiting overnight parking on Genesee Street from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. from James Street to Owasco and John streets.

 adding a prohibited left turn onto Genesee Street from Garrow Street for the purposes of enhancing traffic flow for Genesee Elementary School during school pick-up and drop-off hours.

 removing the traffic signal at the intersection of State and Cottage streets, replacing it with a two-way stop sign.

 establishing a 20 mph school speed limit on Court Street between Genesee Street and Westlake Avenue for the benefit of children attending Westminster Nursery School and the YMCA Summit School.

 removing parking meters on Dill Street where the Centro Bus station will be relocating.

In other news

 Council members unanimously voted to adopt a new public art ordinance after amending a portion of the document.

Councilor Jimmy Giannettino said he was concerned that the ordinance established a seven-member public art commission. He said he felt that a seven-member commission was too large because it has been difficult in the past to find people who are interested in serving on city boards and commissions. Giannettino said he would like to change the ordinance to require a commission with "a minimum of five members."

The council also changed the quorum required for voting from four members to a majority of the members present.

The public art ordinance was developed over the past year as part of the Auburn Brownfield Opportunities Area Program  also called Auburn SPARKS  and encourages and lays out guidelines for installing art on public property within the city.

Mayor Michael Quill was excused from the meeting and did not vote.

 The Auburn boy who donated his money to purchase a new star for the city's Christmas tree was recognized for his generosity by the Auburn City Council Thursday night.

When city hall won the the Downtown Business Improvement District's holiday decorating contest, Quill requested that Finn Bell choose an organization to donate the prize  a $150 Wegmans gift card  to. The fourth-grader chose the Cayuga Seneca Community Action Agency's domestic violence services program because he wanted the money to help children suffering from domestic violence.

Executive Director Laurie Piccolo accepted the donation and thanked Finn on behalf of the agency.

"Finn is a very special young gentleman, and I can't wait to see where he goes later in life," Piccolo said. "You have a lot of potential, and it's just great what you do for our community, and I thank you very much and the residents of our shelter who you are helping this Christmas are also grateful."

BID Director Stephanie DeVito presented Finn with plaque as a thank you for his generosity.

"Your kind spirit and generosity has really touched our community, and we're so proud of you and so proud that you're such a big part of our community," DeVito said.
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Physicists at the University of Basel have succeeded in cooling a nanoelectronic chip to a temperature lower than 3 millikelvin. The scientists from the Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute set this record in collaboration with colleagues from Germany and Finland. They used magnetic cooling to cool the electrical connections as well as the chip itself.

Even scientists like to compete for records, which is why numerous working groups worldwide are using high-tech refrigerators to reach temperatures as close to absolute zero as possible. Absolute zero is 0 kelvin or -273.15C. Physicists aim to cool their equipment to as close to absolute zero as possible, because these extremely low temperatures offer the ideal conditions for quantum experiments and allow entirely new physical phenomena to be examined.

Cooling by turning off a magnetic field

The group led by Basel physicist Professor Dominik Zumbuhl had previously suggested utilizing the principle of magnetic cooling in nanoelectronics in order to cool nanoelectronic devices to unprecedented temperatures close to absolute zero. Magnetic cooling is based on the fact that a system can cool down when an applied magnetic field is ramped down while any external heat flow is avoided. Before ramping down, the heat of magnetization needs to be removed with another method to obtain efficient magnetic cooling.

A successful combination

This is how Zumbuhls team succeeded in cooling a nanoelectronic chip to a temperature below 2.8 millikelvin, thereby achieving a new low temperature record. Dr Mario Palma, lead author of the study, and his colleague Christian Scheller successfully used a combination of two cooling systems, both of which were based on magnetic cooling. They cooled all of the chips electrical connections to temperatures of 150 microkelvin  a temperature that is less than a thousandth of a degree away from absolute zero.

They then integrated a second cooling system directly into the chip itself, and also placed a Coulomb blockade thermometer on it. The construction and the material composition enabled them to magnetically cool this thermometer to a temperature almost as low as absolute zero as well.

The combination of cooling systems allowed us to cool our chip down to below 3 millikelvin, and we are optimistic than we can use the same method to reach the magic 1 millikelvin limit, says Zumbuhl. It is also remarkable that the scientists are in a position to maintain these extremely low temperatures for a period of seven hours. This provides enough time to conduct various experiments that will help to understand the properties of physics close to absolute zero.
AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals has signed an agreement which will see its Deventer site in the Netherlands transformed into a chemistry and technology innovation hub.

Set to be positioned as a key European center for the most demanding chemistry and technology (chemtech), the Deventer Open Innovation Center is backed by a seven-year agreement with the municipality of Deventer and is being supported by the Restructuring Company Overijssel and the Province of Overijssel, who together are investing more than 25 million.

Companies, knowledge institutes, entrepreneurs, investors and students will be able to gain access to a working environment which includes special research facilities, such as a unique safety laboratory, analytical lab, pilot facilities for scaling up production, and education and training facilities.

The 2018 opening will also bring new companies to Deventer and will contribute to diversity in employment, from plant operators and laboratory analysts to technologists and chemists. By the end of 2025, the center should accommodate around 300 knowledge-intensive employees and 50 users in the field of training and education, in addition to the existing 315 AkzoNobel employees. Together with indirect employment, the total could amount to more than 1,000 jobs in 2025.

"We are strengthening our ties with Deventer and together we are creating an innovative center of companies and knowledge institutes," said Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Global RD&I Director of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals. "Open innovation is an essential part of our business in terms of meeting our growth and sustainability targets. By exchanging knowledge with our partners, we will be able to develop groundbreaking chemtech innovations much quicker and speed up the introduction of new applications in highly demanding chemistry."

The center is widely supported by the local and regional business community, educational and knowledge institutions, the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI) and the Top Sector Chemistry public-private alliance. Currently known as the Deventer Open Innovation Centre (DOIC), the final name is expected to be announced in early 2018.

Commenting on the signing of the agreement, Liesbeth Grijsen, responsible alderman of the municipality of Deventer, said: "DOIC offers space for starting, innovative companies in the chemical sector. It will strengthen the existing chemical expertise in Deventer and ensure the preservation of the existing R&D of AkzoNobel. We see opportunities for employment and the economy."

Added Eddy van Hijum, member of the Provincial Executive for the province of Overijssel: "This international hot-spot offers easy access to knowledge and facilities that are normally inaccessible for many companies, start-ups and students. This gives them the incentive to innovate and bring new products and processes to the market. The center thus contributes to creating, attracting and retaining knowledge-intensive activities and employment at all levels of education."

Han Wiendels, Director of the Restructuring Company Overijssel HMO, said: "Supporting the development of the DOIC through an investment in real estate as part of a revitalization process fits well with the mission of HMO. The location has a specific and unique character and the center will strengthen the business climate in Overijssel for companies and start-ups in the chemical industry."

Meanwhile, the first start-ups are already settling in at the center. Exxfire focuses on fire prevention and control in ICT servers and the aviation sector. The company started in 2011 and immediately won the Nyenrode Innovation Contest that year, followed in 2012 by an innovation credit from the government. Its first products have already been successfully launched on the market.

Ahrma Holding BV develops and produces sustainable pallets with a lifespan of between five and ten years. These are equipped with smart sensors (transponders) that register location, temperature and shocks, after which the data is visible in real-time via the internet, on a smartphone, or computer.
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AT&T, which is giving $1,000 bonuses to 200,000 employees in the wake of the new tax reform bill, is also handing out hundreds of pink slips to workers in Illinois and five other Midwest states. (Alan Diaz / AP)

AT&T, which is giving $1,000 bonuses to 200,000 employees in the wake of the Republican tax overhaul, is also handing out hundreds of pink slips to workers in Illinois and five other Midwest states.

About 600 workers across a variety of positions, from retail sales clerks to satellite technicians, were notified of the layoffs last week, according to sources close to the situation.

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The Dallas-based telecommunications giant would not confirm the scope of the layoffs, but it acknowledged in an emailed statement Friday that it was making workforce adjustments in its declining legacy services.

Technology improvements are driving higher efficiencies and there are some areas where demand for our legacy services continues to decline, and were adjusting our workforce in some of those areas as we continue to align our workforce with the changing needs of the business, the company said. Many of the affected employees have a job offer guarantee that ensures theyll be offered another job with the company, and well work to find other jobs for as many of them as possible.

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While AT&T would not confirm the number of layoffs in Illinois, a spokesman on Friday touted the companys recent hiring record in the state.

We hired about 640 people in Illinois alone through November of this year, including over 340 in Chicago, said Phil Hayes, an AT&T spokesman. Were currently hiring about 120 more in the state, including over 40 in Chicago.

Candice Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Communications Workers of America, which represents AT&T workers in Illinois and across the U.S., said the union is still assessing the effect of the layoffs. Last week, the CWA announced it had reached a tentative contract agreement with AT&T for 21,000 wireless workers in 36 states that included a 10.1 percent raise over four years and job security protections in the event a retail store or call center closes.

The employees are set to vote Jan. 12 on the new agreement.

Notice of the layoffs preceded the companys Wednesday announcement of the $1,000 bonuses and an additional $1 billion in capital spending in 2018 due to the tax overhaul, which lowers the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.

President Donald Trump praised AT&T, Comcast, Sinclair Broadcast Group and other companies that offered similar bonuses tied to the tax legislation Friday morning during a televised bill signing.

The Justice Department sued AT&T in November in an attempt to block the companys proposed $85 billion bid to buy Time Warner, a deal that Trump previously said would not be approved under his administration because it was too much concentration of power in the hands of too few.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

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Surgeon Harel Deutsch, center, is prepared to perform an anterior spine fusion surgery May 5, 2016, on a patient at Rush University Medical Center. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Twenty Illinois hospitals have won the federal governments highest rating when it comes to quality  and 13 have earned its lowest.

The ratings, released Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, were delayed by months after the American Hospital Association criticized the system and the government made changes to it.

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The system awards hospitals one to five stars based on up to 57 measures, including patient readmissions, patient experience, speed of care and death rates for conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and pneumonia.

Rush University Medical Center was the only Chicago hospital to notch five stars. Rushs rating increased from four stars to five stars this year.

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Its very gratifying to see CMS own data recognize this excellence and the better outcomes for patients that were achieving, said Dr. Larry Goodman, CEO of the Rush system and Rush University Medical Center, in a news release.

Other Chicago-area hospitals that earned five stars include Evanston Hospital, Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, Amita Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, Amita Health St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Palos Hospital in Palos Heights, Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Centegra Hospital-McHenry and Amita Health Adventist Medical Center in La Grange, among others.

Other hospitals, however, didnt fare as well under the revised system.

Chicago hospitals including the University of Illinois Hospital, Cook Countys Stroger Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital each received one star.

Representatives of the University of Illinois Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital said the rankings dont reflect the hospitals quality of care. A spokeswoman for the Cook County Health and Hospitals System also said Stroger takes pride in the quality of its care. She said many of the hospitals Medicare patients are referred from other hospitals and often lack the resources and social supports that help keep patients from being readmitted.

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The star rating system has faced criticism from hospitals since it began last year. While it may be well intentioned, the CMS star ratings program is confusing for patients and families and raises far more questions than answers, the American Hospital Association said in a Thursday statement.

The star ratings are supposed to be updated twice a year, but Thursdays release is the first since December 2016. The federal government delayed this years release as it made changes to the rating system. Not all hospitals in Illinois were rated.

Hospitals are rated each year by a number of organizations, which all use different methodologies and criteria. Experts caution that patients should consider ratings as just one factor when choosing hospitals.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
Nearly as many Illinois residents have signed up for health insurance through the Obamacare exchange for 2018 as did for 2017, despite a shorter enrollment period and uncertainty over the health care laws future.

This year, 339,740 Illinois residents enrolled through the end of open enrollment on Dec. 15. Thats compared with 356,403 who signed up through the end of the enrollment window last year, Jan. 31, 2017.

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Nationally, 8.8 million people signed up for coverage in the 39 states that use HealthCare.gov. Thats down from 9.2 million people last year.

The enrollment data were released just a day after Congress approved a tax bill that will, starting in 2019, eliminate the penalty consumers must pay if they dont have health insurance.

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The numbers pleasantly surprised Illinois consumer advocates, who had feared that far fewer people would sign up because the enrollment period was about half as long as last years and the Trump administration cut advertising and outreach this year. Premiums also rose and fewer insurers offered plans in Illinois.

The enrollment period this year also came amid ongoing debate in Washington, D.C., over ways to change and/or eliminate the health care law, also known as the Affordable Care Act. Shortly before open enrollment began, the Trump administration decided to end federal subsidies paid to insurers meant to help them offset out-of-pocket costs for lower-income consumers, raising questions about whether insurers would pull off of the exchanges.

We were worried it would be lower, said Kathy Waligora, director of the health reform initiative of EverThrive Illinois, of the enrollment numbers. We had everything against us.

Stephani Becker, a senior policy specialist at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, said there was a surge in demand for help from so-called navigators  who help people shop for coverage  in Illinois in the last couple of weeks. People want this coverage, and these numbers show it, Becker said.

Meanwhile, a Trump administration official touted the governments management of the enrollment period in announcing the numbers. In a news release, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma called this enrollment period the most cost effective and smooth enrollment experience for consumers.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, cautioned that the tally does not include plan selections for consumers who enrolled early in the morning on Dec. 16 or people who left their contact information with call centers because of high volume.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
Employers and payroll administrators are waiting for guidance on the tax reform bill from the Internal Revenue Service and hoping the rollout wont be a protracted accounting nightmare. (Andrew Harnik / AP)

The tax reform bill approved by Congress on Wednesday will affect your paycheck next year, but at this point, nobody knows when  or by how much.

Employers and payroll administrators are waiting for guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and hoping the rollout wont be a protracted accounting nightmare. The IRS has offered little in the way of a timetable.

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Were just looking for every opportunity to  get the withholding right with the least workload and the least panic or chaos, said Pete Isberg, vice president of government relations for ADP, the nations largest payroll firm.

The Republican-backed legislation, which is awaiting President Donald Trumps signature, will bring sweeping changes to the tax code, such as eliminating personal exemptions, nearly doubling standard deductions and lowering tax rates for individuals and corporations. For most employees, that should translate into less federal withholding and bigger paychecks, experts say.

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While the tax bill will take effect Jan. 1, the withholding changes will likely take some time  and may require employees to make a few adjustments on their W-4 forms  before the correct amount shows up on paychecks.

The IRS needs to issue new tax withholding tables for employers and payroll administrators to use in calculating paycheck deductions. The agency said earlier this month that those would be out in January, but a Thursday statement provided little clarity.

The IRS has started initial work on implementing this major tax legislation, the agency said. We are working to provide more specific information and guidance to taxpayers, businesses and the tax community as quickly as possible in the weeks and months ahead.

If new withholding tables do come out in January, it will probably take until February to make payroll adjustments. That means January paychecks shouldnt change. Since most employees will owe less tax under the new bill, it also means the federal withholding will likely be too high temporarily and could generate a refund in 2019.

Because the tax bill eliminates exemptions  personal allowances for employees and their spouses and children  payroll administrators expect the government to issue a new W-4 form, with new instructions, after the updated withholding tables are released.

Every worker in the workforce is probably going to have to sign a new W-4 sometime in 2018, Isberg said.

The potential lag between implementing the new withholding tables and a new W-4 could create another problem: an inaccurate withholding amount in the meantime, Isberg said.

ADP has already reached out to the IRS with a proposal to reduce the number of exemptions per employee by an increment prior to their filling out a new W-4, something Isberg said the agency is considering.

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Every year, federal withholding should approximate the tax liability so a taxpayer doesnt owe the government any money or get a refund. The delayed rollout of the new withholding guidelines could make it harder to get right this year, Isberg said

Michael OToole, senior director of government relations for the American Payroll Association, which represents payroll administrators at 17,000 employers, said getting employees to fill out a new W-4 correctly may be the biggest challenge. The issue will be whether employees take the time to deal with the new W-4, take a look at their tax liability and make sure that theyre having enough withheld, OToole said.

The changes in federal withholding will not impact payroll taxes such as Social Security and Medicare, which will remain the same, OToole said.

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In addition to the federal W-4, Illinois has its own version of the form, which it plans to stick with, said Terry Horstman, a spokesman for the state Department of Revenue.

The (state) W-4 does not need to be updated in light of federal action, Hortsman said. There could be some cleanup language, but that would not impact the calculations.

Illinois will also continue to give taxpayers credit on their state income tax return for personal exemptions eliminated by the federal tax code, said Dan Rahill, a tax partner with Chicago-based accounting firm BDO.

Taxpayers will still be able to claim an exemption amount for each person claimed, even though the exemption deduction has been eliminated for federal purposes, Rahill said. Taxpayers will still get a $2,175 deduction for each exemption claimed on their Illinois return.

Despite the broad implications of the federal tax bill, Rahill and other Chicago accountants say payroll processing is not at the top of most clients list of questions.

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Im getting a lot of calls from people asking if they should prepay their real estate taxes, but I havent gotten a single call asking about withholding yet, said Geoff Harlow, a partner with Deerfield-based accounting firm Kessler Orlean Silver & Co.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertChannick

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The oldest male polar bear in an accredited North American zoo was euthanized Friday at Brookfield Zoo.

His name was Aussie, and according to Dr. Mike Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society, the 32-year-old mammal had a lot of close relationships with the care staff  making it a tough day for the crew.

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It was unfortunate timing, but it was the right decision at the right time, he said. The care staff had been monitoring him closely for the past year and saw a decline in his health  an abrupt slowing down.

Aussie had been on a variety of pain relievers, which kept him comfortable. Over the past several weeks, veterinary and animal care staff noticed a gradual decline in his condition and decreased response to medications, necessitating the difficult decision for euthanasia to prevent Aussie from experiencing discomfort. As Aussie had been with the zoo for over 30 years, Adkesson likened the decision to one people must make for their pets at home in deciding when to say goodbye.

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He was about as old as a bear could get  well over 100 in human years, Adkesson added. He said most polar bears live to be in their 20s in the wild, and given Aussies health, he wouldnt have survived as long as he did if he were not in captivity. He wouldnt have been able to hunt or swim for food in the wild, Adkesson said.

Aussie was born at Adelaide Zoo in Australia in June 1985. His official name was BIAZ, an acronym for Born In Adelaide Zoo. However, upon arriving at Brookfield Zoo in December 1986, animal care staff started calling him Aussie because he was the first polar bear to come to North America from Australia. Soon after his arrival, he was introduced to one of the zoos female polar bears, and together they produced five offspring, including Hudson, who just turned 11.

Aussies passing leaves Brookfield with two polar bears  Hudson and a 24-year-old female polar bear named Nan. Adkesson said the two are breeding now and hes hopeful the Chicago-area will be greeting some new polar bear babies soon.

drockett@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @DarcelTribune

[ Related: Sing to the animals at Brookfield Zoo's Holiday Magic ]

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Frank Wills sits on the staircase of an abandoned house near his aunts home June 13, 1997, in North Augusta, SC. Wills was the Watergate security guard who discovered the break-in that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. (MICHAEL HOLAHAN / Associated Press)

It was 30 minutes after midnight on June 17, 1972, when Frank Wills, a security guard patrolling the parking garage at the Watergate office complex in Washington, noticed masking tape covering locks on a stairwell door.

Wills thought perhaps the maintenance crew had taped the doors to keep them from locking. The 24-year-old ripped off the tape, then went for his shift break across the street to the restaurant at the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge for carryout.

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A little more than an hour later, Wills was making another round, when he noticed the tape had reappeared.

Suspicious, Wills called police and reported a burglary in progress at the Watergate. The guard, who worked the midnight-to-7 a.m. shift for $80 a week, had discovered what would become the biggest political corruption scandal in U.S. history - so big that it led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.

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His mostly forgotten role in the Watergate scandal gets a new burst of attention Friday when "The Post," directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, hits theaters. The final scene in the movie, already generating Best Picture Oscar buzz, belongs to a flashlight-wielding Wills.

The guard wrote in blue ink in a security log now stored at the National Archives: "1:47 AM Found tape on doors; call police to make [an] inspection another inspection."

Plainclothes officers responded. When they entered the sixth-floor offices of the Democratic National Committee, they found the room ransacked.

Police arrested five men - some of them former CIA agents carrying bugging equipment. According to The Washington Post's first front-page story, they wore surgical gloves and carried sophisticated walkie-talkies and $2,300 in crisp $100 bills. They came out with their hands up.

The morning after the break-in, Post reporter Karlyn Barker went to interview Wills at his rooming house in D.C. "I remember going there and knocking on the door, and he was carrying a kitten," Barker told The Post in 2000. "He was very nice - he told the same story we all know."

Soon after Watergate, Wills' name faded from the headlines. He gave $200 speeches or interviews whenever an anniversary of Watergate rolled around. But he would never profit, as did other players in the Watergate scandal - even those convicted.

Wills had quit his job with the security company in 1973 after he wasn't given a raise. He encountered difficulty finding work and was convinced he was being blackballed in Washington. "I don't know if they are being told not to hire me or if they are just afraid to hire me," he told The Post.

In an interview this week, former Post reporter Bob Woodward said Wills deserved credit for alerting police.

"Being a security guard can be boring and routine and here's somebody who stepped up to the plate and said something is not right," Woodward said. "Instead of hesitating, he called the police right away. He didn't call some supervisor. Not a lot of people would have done that."

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Would there have been a Watergate scandal had he not found the taped lock?

"It would not have been a Watergate that way," Woodward said. "But Nixon and his crew were up to so much, there might have been another vehicle for disclosure."

Although he wasn't mentioned by name in the best-selling book, "All the President's Men," Wills was cast to play himself in the 1976 movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman.

The movie opens with an 11-second scene of Wills turning a doorknob. A shadowy shot of Wills captures him inspecting tape on a door before ripping it off.

The camera cuts. And that's all you see of Wills in the blockbuster movie.

"If I had yawned, I would have missed it," Wills complained to Simeon Booker in a 1976 "Jet" magazine story.

Booker described the movie's premiere: "The audience lustily applauded, showing a sensitivity and a recognition which was not given him by the authors who could not have written the best-selling book (which doesn't mention his name) or made the movie if there had been no Frank Wills."

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In the late 1970s, Wills returned South to care for his ailing mother. Wills worked as a guard and as a salesman for Dick Gregory's nutrition formula, The Post reported in his obituary. In 1983, he was arrested for shoplifting a $12 pair of sneakers. Wills denied the charge, saying he'd been hiding the shoes as a present for a teenager who was shopping with him.

Although Nixon had been pardoned for his crimes, Wills was convicted and sentenced to one year in jail.

Wills spent the rest of his life in poverty, living in the North Augusta, South Carolina, house his mother left him when she died in 1993. He could not afford water or electricity.

When Wills died of a brain tumor in Sept. 27, 2000, at a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, he was destitute.

In Watergate anniversary stories, Wills' name was often left out. He is not named in The Post's Watergate timeline.

And in 2005, when The Post ran a series on the identity of "Deep Throat," there was no mention of Wills.

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Washington Post op-ed columnist Colbert I. King was outraged by the omission.

"Were it not for Wills' suspicion of a break-in and his decisive action," King wrote in 2005, "the world most likely would never have heard the names E. Howard Hunt or G. Gordon Liddy. There would have been no 'Deep Throat' and no 'All the President's Men' by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. There would have been no Pulitzer Prize for The Post, no image of a disgraced President Nixon waving goodbye before liftoff on Aug. 9, 1974."

The discovery of the Watergate break-in at the end of "The Post" gives Wills, played by JaQwan J. Kelly, another moment of recognition. But it is brief.

And, once again, he isn't named in the credits.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
A garage and car were damaged after a vehicle fled police Dec. 21 in a burglary case in Tinley Park, officials said ( Alicia Fabbre/Daily Southtown )

Kelly Robertson was sleeping when she was awakened around 5:30 a.m. by what she thought sounded like an explosion nearby.

When she opened her curtains to look outside, she saw an unfamiliar car with the doors open in her driveway. The white minivan had rammed into the rear of her daughter's car, pushing it into the garage.

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"I looked out the window and I was like, 'Oh my God,'" the 55-year-old Tinley Park woman said.

She opened her front door Thursday only to have a Tinley Park police officer tell her and her family to remain inside. She said she would later learn the van had been reported stolen and the four people inside the car had jumped over Robertson's fence and taken off on foot.

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Tinley Park police arrested four people, including two teenagers. Victor Dillon Jr., 20, of Chicago, and Mansurmusa Abdullah, 20, of Calumet City, were each charged with one count of burglary and one count of criminal trespass to vehicle. The two 14-year-olds will be petitioned into juvenile court for burglary and criminal trespass to vehicle, officials said.

One person from the car was immediately apprehended. The other three were apprehended at the nearby Tinley Park Convention Center, police said.

"It's a blessing that no one at my address was hurt," said Robertson, who was home with her husband and her 25-year-old daughter.

"It's just a shame that now my daughter is out of a car," she added.

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According to a news release, Tinley Park police officers responded to a call at the Holiday Inn at 18501 Convention Center Drive after security at the hotel notified police that four people were walking around the parking lot looking into cars. The four entered a white minivan and left the area without their lights on when police arrived, the release said.

Police followed as the vehicle drove slowly east on 183rd Street and continued onto northbound Ridgeland Avenue before it turned into a subdivision. As police approached 182nd Street, another unit joined them and both units turned on their emergency lights in an attempt to stop the van.

The van then turned onto Robertson's cul-de-sac on 66th Avenue near 182nd Place where it then crashed into Robertson's garage as it attempted to ellude police.

"I don't think they realized they had turned on a cul-de-sac," she said adding that perhaps the driver of the van mistook her driveway for a street. She also noted there is no sign posted on their street stating it was a dead end or that it was not a through route.

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Police were able to recover items from the van that were stolen in other burglaries in the area.

An official from the village's building department visited the home to inspect the garage Thursday morning, Robertson said. An insurance representative for the family also was expected to inspect the damage to the garage and car.

Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 21, FAW Group announced that it has changed its name from China FAW Group Corporation to China FAW Group Co. Ltd. and according to the company, the English abbreviation of its name remains to be FAW.

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council has approved this reforming plan on the companys system and FAW managed to change the industrial and commercial registration information on December 14.

Ever since Xu Liuping became the chairman and secretary of the party committee of FAW, he has carried out many reforming measures. In September, FAW announced that its restructured technology center would put greater weight on R&D ability. After the reorganization, the company has four institutes, namely the R&D institute, designing institute, new energy institute, intelligence and connectivity institute.

Apart from the changes in company structure, there are also some personnel changes in the company. Many talents from FAW-VW, FAW-Toyota, FAW-Mazda have been transferred into the headquarter. Recently, the company announced that four board members have left and another four executives have been elected as new members.

Coincidentally, on the last day of November, Dongfeng Motor Corporation also changed its name. Analysts said that the sluggish and complicated system in state-owned companies impedes their ability to establish advantages in competitive industries, especially in auto industry. The changes in name and company system will help FAW and Dongfeng to give rapid response to the market competition.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- WM Motor is reported to have closed another round of financing recently. The round has four participants, including China Structural Reform Fund Corporation Limited, China Minmetals H.K (Holdings) Limited, Sequoia Capital China and Tencent. Up to now, WM hasnt revealed the details of the financing.

At the same time, it is also said that WM has reached a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with Chengtong Capital, a state-owned capital enterprise, and also the company will cooperate with China Minmetals in strategy and capital.

Freeman Shen, founder, chairman and CEO of WM, said that the support from the investors will speed the implementation the companys new energy vehicle strategy and improve the ability to provide the public with better travelling service. Tencents participation will help improve WMs intelligence with the internet giants extensive resources in connectivity and content. The capital cooperation with Chengtong and China Minmetals will be conducive to WMs layout in the whole industry chain.

WM, a Chinese start-up, is committed to providing mass-produced smarter electric vehicles. From its establishment, WM aims to promote the mass production and application of electrification technology and intelligence technology in auto industry. For the moment, WM has formed strategic cooperation relationships with many global companies such as Baidu, Tencent, Huawei, Mobileye, and Bosch.

The first mass-produced model, EX5, is a battery electric and intelligent SUV with a starting price of about RMB 200,000. The SUV boasts a maximum range of 600km and features rich intelligent interaction functions. WM will start the production of EX5 in the first quarter of 2018 in its intelligent manufacturing factory in Wenzhou of Zhejiang province. The company plans to deliver the vehicles to domestic customers in the second half of next year.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- According to data released by the China Passenger Car Association, New Excelle was the best seller among all models from American brands. Last month, the sales of New Excelle were 37,993 units, up 6.92 percent year on year and up 20.55 percent month on month. Here, the sales exclude the import volume.

Escort ranked second with a sales volume of 30,826 units, decreasing slightly compared with the same period of last year. Envision surpassed Cavallier in November sales with a narrow gap, but its sales were nearly 10,000 units less than Escort. All of the top 5 models have a sales volume of over 20,000 units.

As to the cumulative sales of the previous eleven months, the top 8 models' sales all exceeded 100,000 units. Cruze sales decreased 8.66 percent from a year earlier, and its cumulative sales were 69,026 units, dropping sharply from 178,164 of the same period last year.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- A local media reported today that Baidu has appealed to Beijing Intellectual Property Court to prosecutes Wang Jin, former senior vice president and general manager of Baidu autopilot department, and his company Jingchi for infringement of commercial secrets.

Its learned that Baidu requests a court order that the defendant ceases violating Baidus commercial secrets including using the commercial secrets to engage in autopilot and related businesses, which compete with Baidus business. Baidu also requests a court order that defendant should compensate for economic losses with a total of RMB 50 million, as well as making a public statement to eliminate effects and burdening all court fees. Beijing Intellectual Property Court has accepted the case.

Baidu also mentions in prosecution that Wang Jin planned to establish Janzsoft even before his resignation from Baidu and the new company has always been engaging in domestic businesses to compete directly with Baidu in autopilot area.

Data shows that Wang Jin, joining in Baidu in April, 2010, once took positions of Baidu Senior Vice President, Baidu Technical Strategic Committee Chairman, and General Manager of Baidu Autopilot Department. He established Baidu Mobile Cloud Department, Baidu Big Data Department, Baidu Infrastructure Department, Baidu Autopilot Department, Baidu USA R&D Center and Baidu Shenzhen R&D Center. He also co-established Baidu Institute on the basis of Baidu Deep Learning Laboratory to focus on artificial intelligence developments. During his term between April, 2010 and April, 2015, he was also responsible for the commercialization-oriented technologies and products, which made Baidu revenues rising 10 times in five years.

Besides, Wang Jin leads and makes Baidu big data engine, big data and open platforms, Baidu Cloud, Baidu open cloud and Baidu brain to actively promote the developments in voice recognition and image recognition. He also made layouts in high-performance heterogeneous computing platform based on ARM CPU, GPU, and FPGA in advance. He also actively pushed forward the developments and application of autopilot technologies. Baidu autopilot vehicles successfully completed road test in December, 2015.
Police officers across Coconino County loaded their patrol vehicles with toys throughout the week to give holiday gifts to children in need during the countys Northern Arizona law enforcement toy drive.

Officers from the Flagstaff Police Department, the Coconino County Sheriffs Office, Arizona Department of Public Safety and Williams Police Department did their part in donating and personally sending toys to 670 kids in northern Arizona.

We did pretty well this year, Flagstaff Police Sgt. Cory Runge said with a smile, as he looked at a room full of toys and a constant flow of officers filling large trash bags with gifts they would hand out on their shift.

Runge said local law enforcement served over 250 families, with half of them living in Flagstaff and the other half spread across Coconino County from Munds Park to Tuba City.

When you are talking about children in need they come from all over the county. Runge said. This year it has been spread out 50-50, with Flagstaff and the rural areas getting around the same donations.

Coconino County Sheriffs Spokesman Jon Paxton said the sheriffs office delivered more toys than last year.

Our deputies have been all over the county this year, Paxton said. We have filled up trucks full of toys heading to Doney Park and the Hopi Reservation. I would say we have given toys to 100-plus families.

Throughout the month of December residents could donate toys at the Walmart located at 2601 E. Huntington Drive. Law enforcement officers and the public could then write referrals for families they thought were in need of donations.

Runge said that the toy donations are meant for children of families that would not be able to have a Christmas without these presents.

Coconino County Detention Facility Sgt. Marcos Acosta said programs such as the toy drive are important for reaching out to needy families in the community.

This is a great program because we are all about outreach, Acosta said. When we can help out children in our community we are showing them that we are here to help.

Paxton expressed the same sentiment.

It is the holiday season and we want to show these kids that we are not just here to patrol the streets, Paxton said. I hope if we had some negative contacts with some of these families in the past we can show them that we do more than just arrest.

Runge said that interactions with police during this years toy drive were overwhelmingly positive.

People are grateful and happy that this program exists because we are helping families with gifts they otherwise might not be able to afford, Runge said. Any opportunity we have to do nice things for the public is a benefit to us and the community.

Flagstaff police will continue to give out toys during their shifts throughout the rest of the week. However, the toy donation window has closed.
Northern Arizona University and the city of Flagstaff announced Wednesday that Valeria Chase was chosen for the Neighborhood Liaison position.

Chase, an NAU employee, got both her bachelor's and masters degrees at NAU and is raising her family in Flagstaff. She has lived in Flagstaff for about 20 years, and prior to living in the city served eight years in the United States Army.

This position serves a critical function and we are excited to see it filled, Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans said in a press release. Strengthening neighborhood relationships and community building are City Council priorities and Valeria will be an asset in this role.

At a public forum to discuss her plans for the first few months on the job, Chase said she was committed to extensive outreach with stakeholders, including the city, university, business community, neighborhood associations, the police and fire departments, and student groups.

Her signature program would be the student ambassadors program, which would ideally involve students of different majors who live in the various communities off-campus. The ambassador would spearhead neighborhood projects like a trash cleanup, cookouts or other activities for the neighborhood to get both students and longtime residents involved, she told the audience at the forum.

This position plays an important role in bridging the relationships between the university, the city, and the neighborhoods, and Valeria brings a strong understanding of each, NAU President Rita Cheng said in a press release. Her existing connections with long-term residents and students will allow her to enhance cooperation and communication.

The position was previously held by Karissa Morgan, who spent less than a year on the job before accepting another job in May. The position has been vacant since her departure.
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China approves carbon emissions trading scheme

China has approved plans for its much anticipated carbon emissions trading system, which, when launched, will be the largest in the world.

The system will initially cover 1,700 utilities, including heavily polluting power plants, before expanding to other sectors of the economy, such as chemicals plants and civil aviation. While the 1,700 utilities are significantly fewer than the 6,000 that regulators previously considered, it still represents one of the worlds most ambitious carbon pricing schemes.

In addition to addressing emissions and climate change, the system is expected to provide authorities with much more detailed data about emissions and pollution-related issues in the country.

The system, which has been tested in pilot programs since 2013, is not expected to launch until late 2018 or 2019.

Five more cities to benefit from preferential cross-border e-commerce policies

Chinas Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has announced a transition period for the implementation of new cross-border e-commerce regulations in five ports, bringing the total to 15. The new ports are located in Chengdu, Dalian, Hefei, Qingdao, and Suzhou.

The 15 cities benefit from preferential policies, namely the delayed implementation of new laws requiring registration certificates for products purchased via cross-border e-commerce. From January 1, 2018, cosmetics, pet food, and other products imported and sold through ports in the 15 cities will not require the registration certificate.

Despite recent regulations that place more restrictions on cross-border e-commerce, the sector is expected to continue to grow at robust rates. In 2016, cross-border e-commerce turnover in China was worth RMB 5.85 trillion (US$889.7 billion)  an increase of 28.2 percent year-on-year  according to statistics from MOFCOM.

Business Intelligence from Dezan Shira & Associates

Instant noodles sales plummeting

Instant noodle sales in China are steeply declining, falling from 46.2 billion packets in 2013 to 38.5 billion packets in 2016  a drop of nearly 17 percent.

Several explanations have been given to explain the phenomenon, including a demand for healthier and higher quality food, a shrinking migrant worker population, and the rise of affordable food delivery services.

Despite the drop, China remains the worlds largest market for instant noodles. According to the BBC, China consumes almost as many packets as Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, India, the US, South Korea, and the Philippines combined.

Instant noodle companies are exploring a variety of tactics to counter the decline in sales, including developing new flavors and healthier recipes.



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Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2017

This Dezan Shira & Associates 2017 China guide provides a comprehensive background and details of all aspects of setting up and operating an American business in China, including due diligence and compliance issues, IP protection, corporate establishment options, calculating tax liabilities, as well as discussing on-going operational issues such as managing bookkeeping, accounts, banking, HR, Payroll, annual license renewals, audit, FCPA compliance and consolidation with US standards and Head Office reporting.

Chinas Investment Landscape: Identifying New Opportunities

Chinas foreign investment landscape has experienced pivotal changes this year. In this issue of China Briefing magazine, we examine how foreign investors can capitalize on Chinas latest FDI reforms. First, we outline new industry liberalizations in both Chinas FTZs and the country at large. We then consider when an FTZ makes sense as an investment location, and what businesses should consider when entering one. Finally, we give an overview of Chinas latest pro-business reforms that streamline a wide range of administrative and regulatory measures.

Dezan Shira & Associates
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Our weekly round up of other news affecting foreign investors throughout Asia:

The Philippines New Tax Reform Package Approved

The Philippines much awaited tax reform package or Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) was signed into law recently, paving the way for a simpler and fairer tax regime in the country.

The Aadhaar Card in India: What Expatriates Need to Know

The Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the federal body  Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)  to all residents of India, as directed by the Aadhaar Act, 2016. It contains biometric information  thumb print and iris scan. Thus, the Aadhaar number serves as a universal proof of identity and address  but does not equate to Indian citizenship.

Russia-China Trade Corridor Volumes Push Ahead of EU Nations

With Russia-China trade set to reach 70 billion this year and showing growth of around 30 percent, it is prescient to examine how this compares with other nations, including those of the European Union.

Central Asian States Create New C5+1 Consulting Group

The Central Asian states of Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan have grouped together with Afghanistan in what is known as the 5+1. These countries all share borders with Afghanistan, and effectively encircle the country.

Planting the Seed: A Guide to Vietnamese Agriculture

Vietnam has progressed to become the worlds fifth largest exporter of agro-food commodities including aquatic products, rice, coffee, tea, cashews, black pepper, rubber, and cassava according to a World Bank report released in 2016. However, while increasing its stature as a global exporter, the quality of growth in the sector overall remains low.



About Us Our Briefing updates are written by and provided by the various regional offices of Dezan Shira & Associates throughout Asia. To obtain a complimentary subscription to Asia Briefing please click here. To contact Dezan Shira & Associates concerning foreign investment and assistance in Asia, please email us at asia@dezshira.com

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017

Doing Business in ASEAN introduces the fundamentals of investing in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, concentrating on economics, trade, corporate establishment and taxation. We also include the latest development news in our Important Updates section for each country, with the intent to provide an executive assessment of the varying component parts of ASEAN, assessing each member state and providing the most up-to-date economic and demographic data on each.

An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2017

Doing Business in China 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates in January 2017, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Hong Kong 2017

Doing Business in China 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates in January 2017, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to stay up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2017 provides readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Singapore and outlines the citys role as a trading hub within ASEAN. The guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, and social insurance in the city-state.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam. Compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, this guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll, and social insurance in this dynamic country.
Jia Pingwa has been named "the most influential Chinese writer overseas" in 2017 by Amazon China.





Hot issues have a considerable influence on Chinese reading choices, according to the newly released lists of bestsellers by Amazon China.





The lists, based on Amazon's reading and sales data, include best-sellers both in paperbacks and e-books on Kindle.





Japanese writer Keigo Higashino's Miracles of the Namiya General Store tops the list of best-sellers in paperbacks and is second on the paid e-books list. This is the fourth year in a row that the book is in Amazon China's top 10. Chinese writer Liu Cixin's science fiction work, The Three-Body trilogy, tops the list of paid e-books this year.





In 2015, the first volume won the Hugo Award.





Thanks to the portability of e-books, books like Liu's trilogy, Arthur Conan Doyle's The Complete Canon of Sherlock Holmes, Ken Follett's trilogy Fall of Giants, as well as Chinese classics like Dream of the Red Chamber and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, have reached more readers.





Jia Pingwa was recognized by Amazon China as "the most influential Chinese writer overseas" at an annual reading ceremony held in Beijing on Dec 15.





The English version of Jia's recent novel Happy Dream was published simultaneously online and offline by Amazon in August.





Separately, Israeli Yuval Noah Harari, the author of two best-sellers Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, was recognized as "the most influential foreign author in China".





Popular films and TV series have also greatly driven the sales of books. In the Name of People, the anti-corruption novel by Chinese author Zhou Meisen, performed very well after its TV adaptation hit the screen in March.





Within one week, the sales of the digital version of the novel increased by 191 times, while for printed copies, the increase was 21 times, according to Amazon China.





In a related development, Chinese are increasingly willing to pay for knowledge, taking online courses, which, in turn, has prompted the sales of books ranging from business and skill training information to literature and history.





Also, Huang Zhizhong, the author of Speaking Well: Fresh and Interesting Skills for the Art of Speaking, has gained many fans via paid online courses and social network platforms, which has given a boost to the sale of his book.





In another development, a report on China's e-reading habit suggests the number of digital readers in the country exceeded 300 million in 2016.





The report, titled 2016 Chinese Digital Reading White Paper, was released by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association at the Digital Reading Conference China 2017 in April, in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.





According to Amazon China, the new reading boom is being fueled as the number of simultaneous publishedonline and printworks is up nearly 60 percent compared with the previous year.





Consequently, the sales of these titles are up three times over the ones that are not simultaneously released.




China will open its doors wider to foreign investors as the nation looks to achieve high-quality growth, with more policies coming up in areas such as the financial, manufacturing and services sectors, officials said.







The government will reduce restrictions on market access in some key areas in an orderly way, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said on Thursday.





He said the ministry will guide provinces and cities involved in economic pilot programs as they revamp regulations to introduce a unified national negative list as scheduled for 2018.





A negative list determines sectors in which foreign participation is prohibited or limited.





Gao said other priorities for the ministry include optimizing the regional distribution of foreign investment and deepening institutional innovation in pilot free trade zones.





These efforts correspond with the goals of reform and opening-up mapped out by this week's just-concluded Central Economic Work Conference. As part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Erathe new economic concept described by the presidentopening-up will be "further expanded in scope and level" and the "concept, structure and layout and system of opening up" will be further expanded, according to the statement.





At the 19th CPC National Congress in October, it was also emphasized that China will not shut its doors to the world and those doors will only open up more and more.





To achieve its economic goals, the nation must stick to the new era thought, the statement said.





"The new economic thought has been gradually formed in the past five years," said Liu Shengjun, an economist at the Financial Reform Institute of China. "The introduction of the Thought means China will prioritize economic reforms in the coming five years."





China's pledge to further promote opening-up comes at a time when it has seen another round of increased foreign direct investment in the last quarter of the year, as it shifts its focus to attract such investment in high-end manufacturing, services and green industries to transform its economy.





Foreign direct investment made by global companies on the Chinese mainland rose by 9.8 percent year-on-year to 803.62 billion yuan ($122 billion) in the first 11 months, according to the Ministry of Commerce.





As China veers toward growth relying on domestic consumption and less on exports, sectors that are able to help the country achieve high-quality growth are expected to benefit from efforts to open up further, experts said.





Feng Yaoxiang, a spokesman for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said companies from developed markets have noticed the changing trend and have become more willing to invest in China-based research and development, as well as its science and technology and design sectors.





Granting more market access is expected to bring massive business opportunities for foreign firms eyeing the evolving Chinese economy.





Gordon French, head of Global Banking and Markets for the Asia-Pacific region of HSBC, said greater access helps the company to better deploy its strength.




A senior Party official on Thursday pledged that judicial and law enforcement agencies will try to create a "fair, transparent and predictable" legal environment for sustainable economic growth.





Guo Shengkun, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting here to set the priorities for judicial and police work next year.





One of the priorities is to help control financial risks, safeguard the order of the socialist market economy and people's interests, Guo said.





Judicial agencies and police will work to better protect citizens' property rights so that people will have more confidence in the market economy, he said.





Efforts against organized crime, fraud, human trafficking, prostitution, gambling, drug use and trafficking will also be priorities, in addition to a serious crackdown on leaking and trading personal information and online fraud.





"We would like our people to have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security," he said.





Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court, and Cao Jianming, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, attended the meeting.




The Chinese Navy recently conducted a combat exercise in the western Pacific Ocean involving its aircraft and ships, the Navy said in a news release on Thursday afternoon.









Dozens of fighter jets, bombers, electronic warfare aircraft and early-warning planes from the South Sea Fleet took off from multiple air bases of the fleet. They then joined the exercise with ships of the 28th Escort Fleet that is sailing toward the Gulf of Aden, according to the release. It did not elaborate on the time or exact location of the exercise.

Photos published by the Navy show that the aircraft involved in the operation included the J-11 fighter jet, H-6 bomber, KJ-200 and KJ-500 early-warning planes.

The 28th Escort Fleet was formed by three vessels from the North Sea Fleet - two guided-missile frigates and a supply ship - and left a naval port in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Dec 3.

The Navy said the long-range drill was part of the South Sea Fleet's annual training plan and complied with international laws and norms, adding that it wasn't aimed at any specific nation, region or target. The operation did not affect the "freedom of navigation and flight" in related waters and airspace, according to the release.

The release quoted commanders of the fleet's aviation wing as saying that such long-distance operations have become a regular activity for naval aviation forces. They said realistic combat training between aircraft and ships in rough weather and complicated electromagnetic environments has verified and enhanced their units' operational capabilities.

"Such exercises effectively improved the Navy's ability to handle the currently sophisticated situations and to safeguard the nation's interests on the sea. We will continue to execute such exercises," the release said.

The exercise has been the Navy's latest large-scale operation this month. About two weeks ago, the Navy mobilized more than 40 ships from its three fleets to carry out a live-fire air defense drill in the East China Sea.
Nanchang University removed two officials from their positions on Wednesday, following a report that a female student was sexually assaulted by one of them for half a year.

Cheng Shuijin, president of the Institute of Chinese Classics at the university and Zhou Bin, vice-president of the institute, were removed from their posts, according to the university's Weibo account. Zhou's teaching and research work was also suspended.

The university, in Jiangxi province, said the case is now being handled by the police.

"The school will handle the case seriously and hand down severe punishment based on the final investigative report," the announcement said.

On Tuesday, a post on a Weibo account called "A cat drinking coffee" said the student was sexually harassed and later assaulted by Zhou.

The behavior started in December last year when Zhou invited the student to his office and showed his affection, according to "A cat drinking coffee", who alleged that he sexually harassed her twice and forced her to have sexual relations over the ensuing months.

She neither reported the case to the school nor to local police at the time because she was afraid of retribution before graduation, she told ThePaper.cn.

In the interview, she said Zhou deleted all social media contacts with her in May, and that she recounted her experience two months later to Cheng, who suggested she play the case down.

"A cat drinking coffee" also posted screen shots of messages between the student and Cheng saying that if the case became public the reputation of the university would be ruined.

Last month, a teacher surnamed Liu at Chengdu University of Technology in Sichuan province was removed for talking to students in an "improper manner" and using "unethical words", according to the university's Weibo account.

In 2014, the All-China Women's Federation released a survey of 1,200 female college students from 15 universities nationwide showing that 44 percent had encountered sexual harassment, including sexually suggestive language or physical contact.

In the United States, a similar survey by the Association of American Universities in 2015 asked students at 27 universities about their experience with sexual assault and harassment. More than 150,000 students responded.

In that survey, 23 percent of undergraduate women and 5 percent of undergraduate men said they had been victims of nonconsensual sexual contactranging from penetration to sexual touching.

Hu Shenzhi, a physiologist in Guangdong province, said many victims of sexual harassment or assault in school will often blame themselves and don't tell others because the case happened at an institution that most people believed to be very safe.

"Schools should strengthen education about prevention and put more emphasis on providing psychological assistance for the victims," he said.

In October 2014, the Ministry of Education issued a notice that for the first time emphasized that teachers should not sexually harass or have sexual contact with students.

"But those behaviors usually happen in private and it's hard for victims to prove. I think prevention should be written into the law and should specify the responsibilities of the universities," said Liu Xiaonan, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law.
By the end of November this year, Beijing has constructed or renovated 1,210 shopfronts for daily amenities, surpassing the original goal of opening up 1,000 establishments, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Among the shopfronts, 873 units were newly built and 337 were renovated. Altogether 421 vendors for green groceries, 201 convenience stores, and 167 breakfast stands were built or refurbished, making up 65 percent of the network in the city. In total, 541 shopfronts are located in the central districts including Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai and Shijingshan, accounting for 44.7 percent of the total number, and the rest fall in the other districts.

The coverage of these shopfronts for daily amenities reached 87.4 percent of the city by the end of November. Among them, 34.9 percent have become chain stores, an increase of 5.5 percentage points from 2016. In the central districts, the percentage of chain store is 43.2, which saw an increase of 8.2 percentage points compared to the end of last year.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce said the city has surpassed its target in its key project to improve people's livelihood.

The commerce authorities will release a series of follow-up documents to further ensure that shopfronts for amenities will get more space and cover a bigger area of the city. Starting from May 2017, for all the projects that aim to improve amenity establishments, the Beijing municipal government has been providing subsidies accounting for as much as 30 percent of total investment. The governmental support would last for three consecutive years to encourage and assist the construction of more service units.






China has made much headway in human rights protection and will continue to make contributions to humanity's development with its wisdom and solutions, scholars noted during a human rights seminar held in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province, on Dec. 19, 2017.







China will perform even better in regard to human rights protection, improving the livelihoods, and guaranteeing the political rights of its people, according to some experts.





The one-day "Seminar on Development of China's Human Rights Undertaking in the New Era" was co-hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the Publicity Department of Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and organized by the Human Rights Research Institute of Guangzhou University. It offered a unique opportunity for domestic scholars to reveal their visions and views.





Xia Changyong, deputy director of the Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said: "The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the country's human rights development and given top priority to people's rights to subsistence and development."





According to General Secretary Xi Jinping's report at the 19th CPC National Congress, the country, having lifted more than 60 million people out of poverty during the past five years with the poverty head count ratio falling from 10.2 percent to less than 4 percent, is expected to eradicate poverty by 2020.





The United Nations' "Millennium Development Goals Report 2015" also showed that China contributed more than 70 percent of global poverty reduction in the last 30 years.





However, poverty alleviation is not a single force for China to demonstrate its resolution to enhance human rights protection for its citizens.





Li Erping, professor and director of Human Rights Research Center of Kunming University of Science and Technology, said the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative, both proposed by Xi, also offer a reference to fulfill economic, political, civil rights and the right to full development.





Professor Zhou Wei from the Human Rights Law Research Center of Sichuan University, talked about how to better protect rights of workers, such as deliverymen, in a new digital era when the sharing economy is booming.





Zhou said China's emerging sharing economy has created job opportunities for millions, but at the same time brings to the fore new problems concerning certain negligence of the emerging labor force's legal rights, such as their overtime working hours, unstable employment and job safety concerns.





To better protect these workers' rights and interests, the expert believes establishment and improvement of the relevant legal frameworks are inevitable.





According to Chang Jian, director of the Research Center for Human Rights of Nankai University, "During the new era, the Chinese people are asking for more reliable support in regard of human rights protection, not just through education and the implementation of specific policies but also through legislation, law enforcement, justice and law-abiding practices."




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The General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution on the status of Jerusalem that will make U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital have no legal effect.









In a rare emergency special session, the draft resolution tabled by Turkey and Yemen was adopted 128-9 with 35 abstentions.





The nine countries that voted against the text were Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo, as well as the United States and Israel.





The resolution "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council, and in this regard calls upon all states to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem."





It further demands that all UN member states comply with Security Council resolutions regarding Jerusalem, and not recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.





Such a vote at the General Assembly is non-binding but a resounding "yes" reflects the collective will of the international community and carries much political weight.





Before the vote, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley repeated the threat to cut aid for the countries that would have voted in favor of the draft as well as U.S. contributions to the United Nations.





She said her country will move its Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that."





However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu showed defiance to U.S. pressure.





"We will not be intimidated. You can be strong, but that does't make you right!" Cavusoglu told the emergency special session in clear reference to U.S. threats.





"Before this meeting, a UN member state threatened all the other members. We were all asked to vote 'no' or face consequences. Some were even threatened with development aid cut," said Cavusoglu.





"Such an attitude is unacceptable. This is bullying and this chamber will not bow to that. It is unethical to think that the worth and dignity of member states are for sale," said the foreign minister.





Thursday's General Assembly emergency session was called after the United States vetoed a draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem at the Security Council on Monday. All other 14 members of the council voted in favor.





The Security Council vote was prompted by Trump's Dec. 6 announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.





Under a 1950 resolution, a General Assembly emergency special session can be called for all UN member states to consider a matter "with a view to making appropriate recommendations" for collective measures in case the Security Council fails to act.





Thursday's emergency special session was only the 10th of its kind in UN history. The last such meeting was held in 2009.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday underscored the one-China principle as he hosted Gambian President Adama Barrow on his first China visit since diplomatic relations were resumed last year.





Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds a welcome ceremony for visiting Gambian President Adama Barrow before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 21, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]





The two countries established formal diplomatic links in 1974, but China suspended relations in 1995 when the west African country resumed so-called "diplomatic" ties with Taiwan. Gambia severed ties with Taiwan in 2013.

"Upholding the one-China principle and the big picture of bilateral friendship, China and Gambia should understand and support each other on issues relating to core interests and major concerns, and be sincere friends and partners on an equal footing," Xi said during the talks at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.

Xi said Gambia's decision to resume diplomatic relations with China is a "correct choice," which follows the trend of the times and serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples.

Barrow said the resumption of diplomatic ties fully accords with the will of the Gambian people.

He said the Gambian people respect the Chinese people, reaffirming that his country will firmly adhere to the one-China policy.

Hailing the sound development of bilateral cooperation since the resumption of ties, Xi said such cooperation has brought tangible results to both peoples.

Xi and Barrow agreed to map out future cooperation in their talks.

Xi called on both sides to have closer exchanges between governments, political parties and legislative bodies and share experience in national governance.

"China attaches importance to cooperation with Gambia in agriculture, electricity and infrastructure, and is willing to enhance Gambia's capacity for self-development and sustainable development," Xi told Barrow.

Xi proposed more exchanges in culture, education, media, youth, women, health and tourism and joint efforts to build the Confucius Institute to consolidate the popular will of friendship between the two countries.

"China is willing to increase cooperation with Gambia in security and to step up communication and coordination in international and regional affairs to contribute to peace and stability in west Africa," Xi said.

China aims to build a community with a shared future for mankind and will strengthen solidarity and partnership with developing countries including those from Africa, according to Xi.

"China's cooperation with foreign countries is not attached to any political string. The essence of China-Africa cooperation is to combine China's development with that of Africa to realize win-win cooperation and mutual development," Xi said.

Barrow, who took office in February 2017, thanked Xi for extending him an invitation to visit China for the first time as a head of state.

"It is a sign of support, a sign of giving confidence to our new administration," Barrow told Xi.

Expressing his gratitude to China for supporting Gambia in the 1970s, especially since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations, Barrow said his country cherishes the friendship with China and will never forget its assistance.

China's support in the areas of agriculture and health has greatly promoted the national development of Gambia and improved people's livelihood, said Barrow, adding that he himself had received treatment by Chinese medical teams.

Gambia stands ready to enhance cooperation in areas of the economy and trade, agriculture, electricity, infrastructure, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, and collaboration in international affairs, he said.

Expressing his admiration for China's achievements, Barrow said Gambia would like to learn from China's reform and development experience and enhance its own capacity-building.

He also said that Gambia is willing to take an active part in cooperation within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Following the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents on the setting up a Confucius Institute at the University of The Gambia as well as on cooperation in economy, trade, investment, technology, infrastructure construction and human resources development.

Barrow arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a week-long state visit. Besides Beijing, he will also visit the cities of Xiamen and Guangzhou.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday sent a congratulatory message on the launch of the construction of the first phase of the China-Thailand railway project.









Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha attended the opening ceremony of the project held Thursday in Kele, northern Thailand.





The China-Thailand railway project is a flagship project of bilateral cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative and production capacity, which reflects the spirit of wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits, Li said in the message.





It is a win-win project, and will effectively enhance the infrastructure construction and interconnectivity in Thailand and the region, facilitate the sustainable development of Thailand, drive the development and prosperity in the region and improve the people's livelihood, Li said.





The Chinese premier hoped the two sides would continue to keep close cooperation, complete the first phase of the China-Thailand railway with high quality, steadily push ahead the related work about the second phase of the project, and strive to realize the interconnection of the China-Thailand railway and the China-Laos railway.





That will facilitate the trade and travel of people in the countries along the railway, and achieve a win-win situation, he added.





Li also noted that China attaches great importance to the development of the friendly relations between China and Thailand.





China is willing to work together with Thailand to strengthen their respective development strategies, and constantly advance the win-win pragmatic cooperation between the two countries with the railway cooperation project and to further promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two counties, he said.





The planned China-Thai railway stretches 867 km, from Nong Khai on the Thai-Lao border to Rayong in eastern Thailand. The initial phase, at 252 km long, runs between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.





The railway is planned to connect with China-Lao railway from Vientiane to Kunming in China's southern Yunnan Province, and to extend through the south, via Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, and finally ending in Singapore.




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Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on Thursday addressed congress prior to a vote on his impeachment, saying the move stands to damage the nation's democracy.

"I only hope parliament understands the historical magnitude of the mistake it plans to commit and does not vote in favor of a motion to nullify (the presidency) without any real reason. You will not be harming me, you will be harming Peru," Kuczynski said in his defense.

The president, who has been accused of having accepted bribes in the past from disgraced Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, called on lawmakers "to preserve the institutions and the democratic system" by voting against the measure.

Kuczynski, 79, was elected in 2016 after campaigning on a pledge to clean up corruption and secure a political stability in Peru. Due to the Odebrecht corruption scandal, his predecessor Ollanta Humala is being held in custody and Alejandro Toledo is living as a fugitive in the United States.

The motion to impeach the president for "moral incapacity" is being pushed by the opposition Popular Force party. The party is led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori. She narrowly lost the 2016 election to Kuczynski.

For impeachment to pass, it requires two-thirds of congress, or 87 of 130 votes, in favor.




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China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) on Thursday distributed school bags and stationery to over 100 students in Nepal's quake-hit areas.

The Chinese organization made the donation to students from Bhim Dhunga Lower Secondary School in the outskirts of Kathmandu.

Rameshwar Luitel, Principal at Bhim Dhunga Lower Secondary School, told Xinhua, "Most of our students were affected by the devastating earthquake in 2015. We are very thankful to get the stationeries, which will help our children to continue their education."

"Despite of being inside the capital, this area is backward in terms of education, health and facilities. Thus, the school support program from Chinese side is very effective. We look forward for more assistance in the future," Keshav Prasad Pokharel, the locally elected leader told Xinhua.

The CFPA has planned to distribute around 5,000 bags to various schools across the country till mid 2018. The bag comprises notebooks, pens, geometry box and other stationary items.

"I am very happy to get this bag, I will use it well. Thank you China," Bashna Khadka, a student at Grade 4, told Xinhua after receiving the bag.

Besides the stationary support, the CFPA recently completed the construction of toilets for boys and girls students and a concrete water tank in the same school.

Meanwhile, CFPA also distributed woolen clothes to some 100 students from Majuwa Primary School in the same area.

China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, which started works in Nepal right after the earthquake, has been focusing on health, education and community development programs.
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Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan in Tashkent Wednesday, expressing willingness to improve practical cooperation in various fields.

Mirziyoyev said China is a close friend and reliable partner of Uzbekistan, which adheres to the one-China policy and supports the Belt and Road Initiative.

Uzbekistan is ready to cooperate with China in a comprehensive way to serve the interests of both peoples and maintain regional peace and stability, said the president.

Chang said China and Uzbekistan have a long history of friendship and their relationship entered a new era in 2017, when the two countries celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.

He said China is willing to work with Uzbekistan to implement the consensuses reached by the two countries' heads of state and strengthen relations between the two countries and militaries, so as to contribute to a better comprehensive strategic partnership.

Earlier in the day, Chang also held talks here with his Uzbek counterpart.
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The Cuban parliament approved "unanimously" on Thursday to extend the mandate of the Council of State, of President Raul Castro and his vice presidents for two more months until next April.

According to an official release, the term extension is due to the damages provoked by Hurricane Irma that caused the modification of the initial electoral timetable.

Hurricane Irma hit Cuba in September, left 10 people dead and cost huge material losses, forcing the authorities to postpone for a month the first stage of the electoral process, scheduled in October.

The electoral process started on Nov. 26 with the election of the municipal councilors, and "therefore, it is impossible for the next Legislature to begin its mandate on February 24, 2018 as planned," said the news release.

In its last ordinary session of the year, headed by President Castro, the MPs agreed to extend their term until April 19, 2018.

Castro has reiterated on several occasions that he will step down as president in 2018, although he will remain as first secretary of the central committee of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).
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At least four people were killed when a ferry carrying 251 passengers and crew sank off Quezon province in heavy waves on Thursday, but majority of those on board were rescued, authorities said.

In an official statement, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said 240 passengers were rescued several hours after the ferry boat sank five nautical miles off Infanta town in Quezon province, southeast of Manila.

The PCG said seven more passengers remain missing.

The passenger ferry left the Ungos port in Real town around 9 a.m. local time and was en route to Polillo Island when it sank around 11:27 a.m. local time, said the PCG.

The vessel has a gross tonnage of 206.27, net tonnage of 61.88 and capacity of up to 286 passengers.

The cause of the disaster is not known, the PCG said.

"As of press time, the PCG is focusing on the search and rescue operations and will immediately conduct investigations to identify the cause of the incident and to verify possible oil spills," the PCG said.

But a survivor, Donel Jade Mendiola, told a local radio that the ferry was hit by strong wind and huge waves a couple of hours before it sank.

Ferry accidents are not rare in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands with a poor record for maritime safety.
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Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday.





Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a congratulatory letter that the China-Thailand high-speed railway is a flagship project in jointly realizing the Belt and Road Initiative in the spirit of "wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits."

The 253-km first phase of the railway links Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province. China is responsible for design of the railway, supervision of construction and manufacturing of trains and signal systems among others.

Once completed, the railway with a maximum speed of 250 km per hour will be the first high-speed railway of Thailand.

The planned second phase of the project will link Nakhon Ratchasima with Nong Khai on the border with Laos, which connects with the China-Laos railway in an artery railway linking Thailand, Laos and China.

Li said the project will contribute to infrastructure development and enhance connectivity in Thailand as well as in the region. He hoped both sides could cooperate to complete the first phase and push forward the second phase of the project, and connect the cross-border railway with the China-Laos railway as soon as possible.

The Chinese premier said the China-Thailand high-speed railway, as a new platform for bilateral cooperation, will further promote pragmatic cooperation of win-win and mutual benefit between the two countries and their comprehensive, strategic, cooperative partnership.

Wang Xiaotao, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lyu Jian, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayaphaisith, Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda among other officials from both countries attended a ground-breaking ceremony.





Thai Prime Minister Prayut said the Thailand-China high-speed railway will connect Thailand with other countries and help Thailand merge into the grand transport network under the Belt and Road Initiative. It will also help the kingdom become a regional transport and logistic hub.

Prayut emphasized that Thailand will work with the Chinese side to move the project forward in a bid to realized sustainable development.

Transport Minister Arkhom told Xinhua after the ceremony that the project will greatly help the development of Thailand's northeastern region and the first phase of the project is set to be operational late 2022 or early 2023.
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At least eight people were killed and many others wounded after a Taliban suicide car bombing struck a district police station in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, local police said Friday.

"The attack occurred late Thursday night after a Taliban suicide bomber drove a hijacked explosive-laden military vehicle into the police station in Maywand district. Police manning the front gate fired on the attacker in an effort to intercept the attack but they failed to stop the running vehicle," a police official told Xinhua anonymously.

The official added that the assailant detonated the vehicle at the second gate of the compound, where an Afghan Local Police (ALP) command and control post was also located, and the massive explosion left the casualties and destroyed the ALP building.

The government established the ALP, or community police, in 2010 to protect villages and districts around the country where army and police have limited presence.

Further details about the incident are still forthcoming amid the absence of any official statement.

No group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack, but the Taliban insurgent group routinely claims responsibility for such attacks.

The Taliban militants have used more than five hijacked military vehicles to target security forces in the past couple of months.




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The UN General Assembly on Thursday voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions to adopt a resolution on the status of Jerusalem, which shows that few countries favor the U.S. decision to recognize the holy city as the Israeli capital and mirrors the isolation of the United States on the issue.

The resolution, tabled by Turkey and Yemen in a rare emergency special session at the UN, affirmed that the U.S. decision has "no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council."

It also called upon all UN member states to "refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem."

The nine countries that voted against the text were Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo, as well as the United States and Israel.

Such a vote at the General Assembly is non-binding, but a resounding "yes" reflects the collective will of the international community and carries much political weight.

Before the vote, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley repeated the threat to cut aid for the countries that would have voted in favor of the draft resolution as well as U.S. contributions to the United Nations.

On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and instructed to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which had been strongly opposed or condemned by the international community.

The latest General Assembly resolution reaffirmed the international community's voice against the U.S. move. It was also a response to the U.S. veto of a draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem tabled by Egypt at the Security Council on Monday.

Although vetoed and blocked by the United States, all the other 14 Security Council members voted to back the Egypt-proposed draft resolution.

The Arab League condemned on Tuesday the U.S. veto of the Security Council resolution rejecting Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the veto will increase Washington's isolation.

"By this move, the United States withdraws itself from the peace process and puts itself in an isolated position," Abdel-Raouf al-Reedy, former Egyptian Ambassador to the United States and head of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, also said on Tuesday.

Countries around the world welcomed the resolution's adoption and urged the United States to rescind its decision.

"We welcome with great pleasure the UN General Assembly's overwhelming support for a historic resolution on Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem)," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on his official Twitter account.

"We expect the Trump administration to rescind without further delay its unfortunate decision, whose illegality has been clearly established by the UNGA," he added.

Earlier Thursday at an awards ceremony in Ankara, Erdogan blasted the U.S. threat to cut aid to countries that vote against Washington at the UN General Assembly on Jerusalem.

"Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," he said, calling on the world not to "sell your struggle for democracy for a few dollars."

In a statement, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the UN resolution "created a new opportunity for peace efforts" in the region.

Palestinians on Thursday hailed the UN General Assembly resolution. Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that the resolution expresses the international community's support for Palestinian rights.

"The threats by Trump to UN members didn't prevent them from voting in favor of the resolution," said Abu Rdineh.
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The role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will only grow in the international arena, leader of the Communist party of Kyrgyzstan, member of the Parliament Ishak Masaliev told Xinhua on Thursday.

Commenting his recent participation in the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in Beijing, Masaliev said China conveyed its proposal at the meeting that the development of economy will help achieve much more positive changes for all countries.

He said the proposal by the CPC, which he thinks ranks as one of the most leading parties in the world, is more effective and promising.

"This proposal was of great interest to all political parties participating in this forum," he said.

The Kyrgyz lawmaker said the proposals and initiatives put forward by China, including the Belt and Road Initiative, can help Kyrgyzstan achieve a powerful impetus in economic development.

On bilateral economic and geographical relations, Masaliev said Kyrgyzstan should carefully consider the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

"We must find mutually beneficial projects that will be economically beneficial to Kyrgyzstan and China," he added.

The leader of the Communist of Kyrgyzstan believed that this initiative will help the world overcome problems such as poverty and radicalization of society.

Masaliev emphasized the consistency and receptivity in the CPC's leadership, saying "the party ... looks for its own way for the development."

Masaliev said the 19th National Congress of the CPC in October indicated that the party supports its leadership. He also said it performs its work well.

He said keeping the continuity of a thousand-fold calculation before making decisions leads to only positive results.

"As far as I understand, the life of the leading communists is modest. This has a very positive effect on the attitude of society towards the Chinese Communist Party," he said.
China Aviation Daily | Dec. 22, 2017

Following an MOU signed at Le Bourget Paris Airshow in June, Viva Air, the Latin America low cost carrier group owned by Irelandia Aviation, has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 50 A320 Family aircraft. The 35 A320neo and 15 A320ceo will be operated by the group's airlines VivaColombia and Viva Air Peru and will allow the two all-Airbus operators to modernize their fleets and capture growth opportunities across Latin America.

William Shaw, CEO and Founder of VivaColombia, part of Viva Air, said:"This order reflects our long-term commitment to our customers lowering fares further due to the benefits of this new fleet. We are excited to continue expanding our successful low cost model and accelerate our growth throughout Latin America making air transportation more accessible and affordable to our customers."

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, said: "Airbus is pleased to play a major role in supporting Viva Air in its exciting journey to develop the low cost model throughout Latin America. With its exceptionally comfortable cabin, low operating costs and excellent fuel efficiency, the A320 and A320neo Families are the best product lines to complement Viva Air's expansion goals."

The Airbus-VivaColombia relationship began in 2012 when the airline began operations with A320 aircraft. VivaColombia, based in Medellin, has been an all-Airbus operator since, and today it operates 11 A320s. Viva Air recently launched Viva Air Peru, the sister airline of VivaColombia based in Lima. Viva Air Peru currently operates three A320 aircraft.

Viva Air is a Panamanian headquartered group created by Irelandia Aviation and led by Declan Ryan. Irelandia has successfully developed six low cost carriers around the world, namely Allegiant, Ryanair, Tigerair, VivaAerobus, VivaColombia and most recently Viva Air Peru. Combined, the airlines have a fleet of more than 420 aircraft and have carried over a billion passengers.

The A320 Family is the world's best-selling single aisle product line. To date, the Family has won over 13,000 orders and more than 7,600 aircraft have been delivered to some 400 customers and operators worldwide.

The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver at least 15 percent fuel savings at delivery and 20 percent by 2020. With more than 5200 orders received from 95 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market.

With over 1,000 aircraft sold and a backlog of over 400, more than 650 Airbus aircraft are in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Since 1990, Airbus has secured over 60 percent of net orders in the region and in the past 10 years alone, Airbus has tripled its in-service fleet.

Contributed by Airbus
(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2017-12-22

The 19th medical aid team comprised of top-notch doctors from 3A-grade hospitals in Nanyang has performed 2,345 operations and received 8,838 outpatients in Zambia over the past 200 days.

In accordance with an agreement between China and Zambia, 28 Nanyang doctors specializing in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, neurosurgery and orthopedics were dispatched by the Health and Family Planning Commission of Henan Province to extend medical aid.

The medical aid team provides volunteer medical consultation for students at a community school in Zambia. [Photo/Nanyang Daily]

On May 15, the team embarked on a year-long journey to the landlocked country in Southern Africa, where the breakout of AIDS and malaria are as common as catching a cold. However, there are few hospitals in rural areas in Zambia, with most residents relying on community health centers and rural health posts.

Confronted with differences in language and medical treatment procedures, the first thing the Nanyang doctors did was to familiarize local staff with work standards, procedures, names of the medicines as well as usage. A series of new technologies were brought to Zambia with each doctor taking on different roles based on their expertise.

Members of the medical aid team check the health of a Zambian baby. [Photo/Nanyang Daily]

Ndola Teaching Hospital witnessed its first nasosinusitis operation utilizing an endoscope system on Sept 26, which was performed by team member Bie Guoliang. Lacking a nasal endoscopy system, Bie, relying on his rich experience, innovatively proposed substituting a cystourethroscope.

The operation was a total success with the diseased tissue removed in a short period without causing trauma or massive blood loss. Multiple heads of the surgical and anesthesiology departments watched the process and burst into applause after the operation.

The Nanyang people who contributed to advancing local health care under the program are far too many to mention one by one. Although spread in different hospitals and specializing in different fields, all team members did their part to bring cutting-edge Chinese medical technologies and practices to the African country.
Updated : 2017-12-21

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Wang Hao, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, and Yuan Fei, head of the Wuxi Publicity Department, announce the launch of the "Charming Wuxi" English New Media Platform in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, on Dec 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An enhanced English language new media platform for Wuxi in Jiangsu province was launched on Dec 20, with a goal of promoting the city's brand to an international audience.

The "Charming Wuxi" English New Media Platform, which consists of Wuxi's official English website, Facebook and Twitter pages, is the result of strengthened cooperation between China Daily and the Wuxi Publicity Department over the years.

Wang Hao, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, together with Yuan Fei, head of the Wuxi Publicity Department, announced the launch of the platform at a ceremony held at the World Hotel Grand Juna Wuxi in Binhu district.

The upgraded platform will continue to report on Wuxi's development in all spheres using the latest new media technologies to present the storied eastern Chinese city to a western audience, said Liu Jie, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily website.

The Wuxi English website has become the preferred source of information for English-speakers to explore the famous industrial and commerce powerhouse. Since the site's launch in 2014, more than 2,000 stories have been published, along with 1,200 photos, 25 videos and 19 special reports, amassing 3 million page views, averaging about 3,200 per day.

The Wuxi official Twitter and Facebook pages were created in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and have attracted over 260,000 followers worldwide using an array of multimedia methods including 360-degree and panoramic photos, videos and live streaming. To build a stronger bond with Wuxi-based followers, a series of real life activities have also been held with great success.

Ten fans of Wuxi's Facebook and Twitter pages are honored on Dec 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The ceremony also honored 10 fans and several correspondents for their long-standing support and contribution to the ever-growing Wuxi new media platforms.

All platforms have witnessed significant progress in 2017. Website page views grew by 13 percent year-on-year, and the number of Wuxi Facebook and Twitter page followers nearly doubled thanks to China Daily and its more than three decades' expertise in international publicity.

Han Lei, editor-in-chief of China Daily website, shared the winning formulas with an audience of around 100 at the ceremony. She explained how China Daily has transformed from being a print edition newspaper to a comprehensive news organization with about 80 million global subscribers across its all media platforms.

Han also used some of China Daily's case studies as examples of how it has helped governments and institutions of all levels raise their profiles overseas.

The ceremony was sponsored by China Daily website and Wuxi Municipal Publicity Department, and organized by the China Daily Multimedia Wuxi Co and Wuxi New District (now known as Xinwu district) Publicity Department.

Attendees to the ceremony included Cai Wenyu, deputy head of Wuxi Municipal Publicity Department, Liu Xia, head of Xinwu District Publicity Department, as well as officials from local publicity divisions and representatives from local universities and leading enterprises.
Emerging Chinese company Kmind Consulting on Tuesday released its strategic business consulting achievements during a news conference held in Shanghai. The achievements comprise five major breakthroughs among the strategic industry and secrets of how their business consulting services helped 16 companies achieved rapid growth within two years.

Leng Youbin, chairman of Feihe International Inc, China's largest domestic baby formula supplier, said at the news conference last Tuesday that Kmind Consulting can offer Chinese companies a way to deal with tough problems in marketing. We have worked with many business consulting firms that didnt solve the companys essential problems. Through a partnership with Kmind Consulting, we launched a product positioning strategy on October 2015 to work out plans for branding, marketing channels and future development.

Xie Weishan, chairman of Kmind Consulting company, speaks at a news conference in Shanghai, Dec. 19, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the past two years, Kmind Consulting has helped 16 enterprises grow rapidly with the Kmind positioning theory, including Feihe Dairy, a subsidiary of Feihe International, Yadi Electric Vehicle and Flying Credit Loans. Xie Weishan, chairman of Kmind Consulting, said that an innovative competitive strategy consulting 1.0 system was unveiled by Kmind Consulting, which will effectively follow successful modes used by more enterprises.

Based on the process of winning the market competition, the strategy consulting 1.0 system was formulated by a trilogy of competitive strategies consisting of "exploring competition opportunities", "seizing competition opportunities" and "reining in competition. The system subdivides the strategy into 15 modules including market research, competition evaluation and operation scanning, and more than 210 specific aspects.

Customers of Kmind Consulting gained a lot from the positioning theory. Feihe Dairy's high-end infant formula sales increased by 200 percent and the company's overall sales increased by 45 percent over the first half of the year. Yadi Electric Vehicle's high-end sales volume increased 63 percent and the company was successfully listed in Hong Kong in 2016. In addition, Yadi Electric Vehicle sales increased 32 percent from January to July, despite the overall trend of a 20 percent drop in sales in the electric vehicle industry.

Kmind Consulting will shoulder the unique role of consultation. We aspire to complete 100 cases affecting the process of Chinas commercial progress in 10 years and become the first leading company in the global strategic consulting field," Xie Weishan said.
Americans Overwhelmingly Prefer Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays, According to New Marist Poll Contact: Joseph Cullen,

203-800-4923,

joseph.cullen@kofc.org;

Andrew Walther,

203-824-5412,

andrew.walther@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus



NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 22, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- By more than 20 percentage points (59 to 36 percent) a majority of Americans prefer the greeting "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays," according to a new Knights of Columbus-Marist poll.



*Results do not add up to 100 due to rounding



The nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) who prefer Merry Christmas is slightly higher than last year's 57 percent.



How the survey was conducted:



This survey of 1,074 adults was conducted November 6th through November 9th, 2017 by The Marist Poll. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the contiguous United States were contacted on landline or mobile numbers and interviewed in English by telephone using live interviewers. The results were balanced to reflect the 2013 American Community Survey 1-year estimates for age, gender, income, race, and region. Results are statistically significant within 3.0 percentage points. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.



The K of C was founded in 1882 by Venerable Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest, in New Haven, Connecticut. The organization was formed to provide charitable outreach and care for the financial well-being of Catholic families, focusing on the protection of widows and orphans, and on strengthening the faith of its members. It has grown to include 1.9 million members worldwide.



The Knights set a new all-time record for charitable donations in 2016, with more than $177.5 million in donations and more than 75 million hours of service valued at $1.8 billion.



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Knights of Columbus Donates Nearly $1 Million for Christmas Food for Iraqi Christians Some will celebrate Christmas in hometown for first time since ISIS invasion



Contact: Joseph Cullen, 203-800-4923, joseph.cullen@kofc.org; Andrew Walther, 203-824-5412, andrew.walther@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus



NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 22, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus is giving a 30-day supply of food to 12,000 displaced or formerly displaced Christian families in northern Iraq to coincide with Christmas.



"The Knights of Columbus is pleased to help bring a Merry Christmas to those displaced by ISIS or now returning home to recently liberated areas," said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. "These Christians have lost everything for their faith, and we want them to know that they are not forgotten and that their sacrifices inspire us in our own faith."



Valued at $840,000, the Christmas baskets contain food staples such as wheat, rice, beans and meat, along with cleaning supplies. With the assistance of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, the Knights' gift is being distributed to Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic families, as well as Yazidis.



"Even though we are still in a time of great uncertainty, the knowledge that our brothers in the Knights of Columbus are in solidarity with us, especially at this time of year, brings great comfort," said Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil. "God bless them all."



The K of C has committed more than $17 million in aid to Christians and other religious minorities in the region since 2014.



"We will be able to celebrate a true Christmas in our ancient Christian town of Karamles for the first time in years," said Father Thabet Habib, parish priest of the town, which is located on the Nineveh Plain.



Karamles was a predominantly Christian town before ISIS overran it, driving out inhabitants, damaging or destroying homes, and desecrating churches. The inhabitants have been able to return in recent months, thanks to the defeat of ISIS and a commitment of $2 million by the Knights of Columbus to help restore much of the town's infrastructure.



"We will be giving thanks this year for the wonderful Christmas gift we have received  the return of our town," said Father Thabet.



In addition to advocating on the behalf of persecuted religious minorities in Iraq, Syria and the surrounding region, the Knights also assisted Christian refugee programs in Lebanon and Jordan and provided aid to those targeted by ISIS in Egypt.



The Knights led a major campaign urging Congress and the State Department to declare ISIS' terrorism an act of genocide in 2016. To support the cause, it produced a nearly 300-page report on ISIS' atrocities against Christians and gathered 140,000 signatures for a petition calling for a declaration of genocide.



In addition, the K of C has urged the U.S. government to ensure that communities targeted for genocide not be overlooked. The Knights applauded Vice President Mike Pence's recent announcement that the Trump administration will begin providing aid directly to religious minorities impacted by ISIS' genocide.



More information on the Knights' efforts is available at www.ChristiansAtRisk.org.



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home World Israel prepares for 20 percent increase in Christian pilgrims for Christmas

Israel's Tourism Ministry is preparing to welcome tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims over the Christmas season, finishing up a record-breaking year as the number of tourists reaches 3.5 million people in 2017.

A 20 percent increase in Christian visitors is expected over the holiday season compared to last year, according to Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who attributed the record growth to his ministry's ongoing international tourism campaign.

"Israel invites the faithful from all religions to pray, worship and visit all the holy sites in Israel in freedom and security," he said, according to The Jerusalem Post.

"I am proud to take this opportunity to announce that this year we have broken all previous records for incoming tourism, and are set to end 2017 with a record 3.5 million tourists a half a million more than the previous record," he added.

In anticipation of the arrival of Christian pilgrims, the ministry announced that it will offer free shuttle service on buses every 30 minutes between Jerusalem and Bethlehem beginning on Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. The Jerusalem Post noted that there may be changes to the schedule due to demand.

"Buses will leave every 30 minutes near the Carta parking lot [opposite Jaffa Gate and near Mamilla Boulevard]," the ministry said.

"The bus will also stop near the entrance to the Mar Elias Monastery, and at the Rosmarin Junction, before continuing via Rachel's Crossing to Bethlehem and then back again," it added.

A fireworks display and a parade are expected to take place in the city of Nazareth on Saturday, and a mass will be held in the Basilica of the Annunciation on the following day.

The ministry's statistics revealed that 2.9 million tourists visited Israel in 2016, and more than half of them were Christians and about 120,000 of the tourists in December that year were Christian pilgrims.

Thirty-eight percent of the Christian tourists last year identified as Catholics. Twenty-eight percent were Protestants and another 28 percent identified as Orthodox.

Seventy-three percent of Protestant tourists identified as evangelicals, which comprised 13 percent of all tourists. Twenty-three percent of all tourists described the purpose of their visit to the Holy Land as "a pilgrimage," according to Breaking Israel News.

Most of the Christian tourists visited Jerusalem, with about 40 percent visiting Tel AvivaJaffa. According to the ministry, the most visited sites in the Holy Land were the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jewish Quarter, Western Wall, Via Dolorosa, Mount of Olives, Capernaum, Church of the Annunciation, and the City of David.
home World Prince Charles shares grief over persecution of Christians in the Middle East

Britain's Prince Charles has shared how heartbroken he was over the extreme persecution of Christians in the Middle East and he has asked believers in the U.K. not to take their religious freedom for granted.

On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales delivered a Christmas message to the Melkite Greek Catholic Community and representatives of other churches at the Anglican Parish of St. Barnabas in Pimlico, London, saying it was a "particular privilege" to be able to celebrate the birth of Christ with them.

He issued a stark warning about Christians who were facing attacks in the Middle East and called on Western Christians to pray and support the persecuted believers.

"It is heart-breaking beyond words to see just how much pain and suffering is being endured by Christians in this day, simply because of their faith," he said, according to Premier.

"As Christians we remember, of course, how Our Lord called upon us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute. But for those confronted with such hatred and oppression, I can only begin to imagine how incredibly hard it must be to follow Christ's example," he continued.

The prince said that he was "profoundly shocked" at the oppression suffered by the Melkite community in Syria, adding that the mistreatment of believers "is even more perverse and dreadful," given that Jesus and His mother, Mary are both revered in the Quran.

He urged Christians in the U.K. not to take their religious freedoms for granted and support other believers who are being denied those rights.

The prince also called on those attending the event to "commit to doing what each of us can to help ensure that those who are suffering have a brighter year ahead than the one that has passed."

Before the war in Syria, there were two million Christians in the country, but over 700,000 have left since the start of the conflict in 2011.

According to The Tablet, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, led by Archbishop Issam John Darwish, has been providing food, shelter, clothes, medicine and other essentials to more than 6,000 refugees who had fled Syria.

Darwish, the Melkite Archbishop of Zahle, Furzol and Bekka, had traveled to London to attend the service at St. Barnabas on Tuesday and he briefly addressed the congregation on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. The service was reportedly conducted in the Melkite liturgical tradition and included hymns by the choir of St. Barnabas School.

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church and is the largest Catholic community in Syria and Palestine, and the second largest in Lebanon. The congregation is composed mainly of Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians, Jordanians and Egyptians.
Evan Vucci/STF

After an exchange between AT&T's CEO and a union representing its workers, the company said it took steps to pay workers a $1,000 bonus in response to President Donald Trump's tax cuts.

The announcement by the company Wednesday had raised questions about whether it was attempting to curry favor with Trump. The president has been a vocal critic of AT&T's proposed $85 billion merger with Time Warner, which also owns CNN - the media outlet the Trump administration has treated as a nemesis.
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2. The Rooster Bar: By John Grisham. Three students at a sleazy for-profit law school hope to expose the student-loan banker who runs it.

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4. The People vs. Alex Cross: By James Patterson. Detective Alex Cross takes on a case even though he has been suspended from the department and taken to federal court to stand trial on murder charges.

5. The Midnight Line: By Lee Child. Jack Reacher tracks down the owner of a pawned West Point class ring and stumbles upon a large criminal enterprise.

6. Artemis: By Andy Weir. A small-time smuggler living in a lunar colony schemes to pay off an old debt by pulling off a challenging heist.

7. End Game: By David Baldacci. Jessica Reel and Will Robie fight a dangerous adversary in Colorado.

8. Tom Clancy Power and Empire: By Marc Cameron. President Jack Ryan seeks to identify the hidden forces escalating the tensions between China and the United States.

9. Hardcore Twenty-four: By Janet Evanovich. When a homeless man is murdered, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum searches for the killer.

10. Little Fires Everywhere: By Celeste Ng. An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

Nonfiction

1. Leonardo da Vinci: By Walter Isaacson. A biography of the Italian Renaissance polymath that connects his work in various disciplines.

2. Grant: By Ron Chernow. A biography of the Union general of the Civil War and two-term president of the United States.

3. Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: By Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson takes on the British in Louisiana.

4. Obama: By Pete Souza. More than 300 pictures of the former president by his White House photographer, with behind-the-scenes stories.

5. Let Trump Be Trump: By Corey R. Lewandowski and David N. Bossie. Insider accounts of the Republican presidential campaign and its outcome.

6. Killing England: By Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. Major events and battles during the Revolutionary War are told from several perspectives.

7. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry: By Neil deGrasse Tyson. A straightforward, easy-to-understand introduction to the universe.

8. Bobby Kennedy: By Chris Matthews. The New York senator's journey from his formative years to his tragic run for president.

9. Promise Me, Dad: By Joe Biden. The former vice president recalls his toughest year in office, as his son battled brain cancer.

10. Sisters First: By Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush. How the twin daughters of former President George W. Bush grew up in the public eye.

New York Times
Kingwood Rotarian Charlie Buscemi said it was one of the weirdest circumstances he ever encountered.

On Dec. 20, world famous musician Lee Greenwood was at an event in Katy speaking to members of other area Rotary Clubs about the damage Kingwood sustained from flooding during Hurricane Harvey.

"He said his concert in Dallas the next day was cancelled, and asked if he could come to Kingwood instead to sing and talk to people," Buscemi said.

Greenwood was put in touch with Buscemi, who quickly coordinated an event at Kingwood Town Center the night of Wednesday, Dec. 21. He worked with other individuals and local organizations to spread the word to as many people as possible.

During the event, Greenwood performed songs for the residents of Kingwood and surrounding areas. Toys and monetary donations were accepted for area hurricane relief efforts, although Buscemi said the main purpose of the event was to provide the community with a heartening holiday event.

"This is just an uplifting thing," Buscemi said. "It's about being able to come and talk to people. It's an opportunity to have a worldwide-known guy come out and sing songs for free because he heard there was a dire need in the area.

"We had less than 24 hours to put this together and had no idea whether 50 people or 50,000 people would show up tonight. It's just one of those things where you do the best you could with the opportunity you have."
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WASHINGTON - Lawmakers in both the House and Senate began heading home for the holidays Thursday after averting a government shutdown by approving a stopgap spending bill that will fund the federal bureaucracy through Jan. 19.

But after the House approved a long-sought $81 billion disaster relief package for victims of Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters, Senate leaders said they would not take up the measure until January, a bitter setback for the Texas delegation.

"This has been a painful season for so many of us, from California to Texas to Florida and Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands," Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee said before the vote on disaster aid. "So I am still here begging my colleagues for those who are begging in Texas."

Heading off a shutdown, the House voted 231-188 for the stopgap funding measure. The Senate passed the same bill later Thursday 66-32. It provides money for the popular Children's Health Insurance Program but was stripped of language on long-term spending, immigration and disaster relief  all contentious issues that threatened gridlock and a government shutdown.

The House also voted 251-169 for the storm relief package. But Senate leaders cited procedural rules that could delay consideration for days and put off the vote until January.

That's when Congress returns to battle over the budget, military spending and the legal status of "Dreamers," immigrants brought into the country illegally as children.

Funding still on hold

Texas lawmakers vowed to keep pushing for the federal storm relief, which ultimately fell victim to year-end spending budget maneuvers - as well as a midnight Friday deadline to continue funding for the government.

"Christmas Day marks four months since Harvey made landfall," said U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, whose Galveston-area district was hit hard. "We must focus on getting our neighbors the help they so desperately need. No games; no cliffhangers - just the assistance these communities need in order to have a roof over their heads, a bed in which to sleep, a kitchen in which to cook and personal transportation in which to get to their jobs."

Mayor Sylvester Turner urged federal officials to act quickly, speaking at a Thursday press conference where he was flanked by three Houstonians who suffered flooding during Harvey and face more challenges than they have the resources to handle.

"Just proposing an amount doesn't buy one roofing shingle or drywall section," Turner said. "Today the House was considering approval of the package but the Senate was not. We still need Washington to act on the pressing needs of Houstonians as we work towards a full recovery and resiliency.

"The debris is gone, the lights are on, and people are assuming that there's still not a tremendous need," the mayor continued. " Let me be very clear: This is urgent. There are thousands of people living in homes that need to be remediated, and there are thousands of people still living in hotels. The city is doing everything that we can do, but unless we have the additional resources, we're still going to fall short. We have to build a city that's stronger and more resilient."

While expressing sympathy for Texas and other storm-ravaged areas, lawmakers on both sides of the political divide found things not to like in the proposed aid package: Conservatives argued that it wouldn't be accompanied by spending cuts in other parts of the budget; liberals objected that the funding would not be sufficient to meet the needs of storm victims, particularly citizens in hard-hit Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

"It treats Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as second-class citizens," said New York Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley.

For Republicans, votes were cast in the shadow of opposition from Heritage Action, a conservative group that argued the proposed disaster aid would add to deficits without meeting the strict definition of "emergency spending."

Amid late concerns that the disaster request could sink the must-pass stopgap funding measure, GOP leaders chose to separate the two measures, leaving the storm package to stand on its own.

'It's maddening'

The Texas delegation, including Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, had long sought a stand-alone aid package, which they had hoped would win bipartisan support by the end of the year.

Cruz lamented the Senate's inaction in a floor speech reminding his colleagues that hundreds of thousands of storm victims will spend Christmas in hotels, shelters and other forms of temporary housing.

"They're waiting, counting on our help," Cruz said. "It's wrong. Indeed, it's maddening."

Cornyn placed blame for the failure on Senate Democrats, who "are refusing to cooperate."

Houston Republican Rep. John Culberson, who also had demanded a stand-alone vote, still called the House vote "a tremendous step in the right direction."

In the end, the House aid package was opposed by 51 Republicans and 118 Democrats. Only two Texans voted no: Austin Democrat Lloyd Doggett and Dallas Republican Jeb Hensarling. Hensarling, citing fiscal concerns, had voted against a previous disaster bill; Doggett said that given the Senate's inaction, the House bill was "largely symbolic."

Many Democrats voted against both the stopgap government funding bill and the disaster relief in protest of GOP leaders' refusal to include Dreamer protections in a final year-end spending agreement covering government funding and disaster relief.

Both Democrats and Republicans from Texas, even those who supported the House aid package, still expressed misgivings about its size, which would be split between all the areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and the western wildfires.

"Obviously, Texas doesn't do as well as I'd like," said Houston Democrat Gene Green, who was not present for the vote but said he supported the storm aid. "But this is also a train that's leaving the station, and I don't know when there will be another one."

Also not voting were Republicans Lamar Smith of San Antonio and Kay Granger of Fort Worth.

'Work in progress'

The $81 billion aid bill would represent nearly a doubling of the $44 billion requested by the White House last month - a sum that Gov. Greg Abbott decried as "inadequate." But it also fell short of the $61 billion that Abbott and the Texas delegation had sought for the Gulf region alone.

Abbott's deputy communications director, Ciara Matthews, said in a statement that the governor's office still sees the proposed funding level as "inadequate to address the profound needs of Texans trying to rebuild from the largest natural disaster in state history." Matthews said the state looks forward "to working with the Senate to improve the disaster funding to ensure it addresses the acute needs of Texans."

Texas officials have estimated the total storm damage from Harvey alone at about $180 billion, far above the $50 billion Congress has approved so far for Texas and other areas hit by this year's series of natural disasters.

The House bill included $26 billion for community development block grants and almost $28 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund. It also provided $12 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers for infrastructure repairs and upgrades.

In total, the hurricane relief package would have been Congress' third since Harvey slammed into the Gulf Coast in August, and the largest-ever single outlay for natural disaster assistance in the nation's history.

Diaz reported from Washington, Morris contributed from Houston and Ward contributed from Austin.
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What Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter found in a home Dec. 13 would become the most disturbing case of animal abuse he has seen in 32 years.

Two people found the carcasses of 16 dogs caged in a Midland home on East County Road 144 while serving a foreclosure notice, Painter told Chron.com Thursday morning.

The home once belonged to Carly Jo Underwood, 29, who was arrested Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. after getting off a flight from Nevada at Midland International Airport. She faces 16 counts of animal cruelty-torture, each of which carries a maximum two-year prison sentence, Painter said.

JAIL TIME: Fort Worth man sentenced to one year in jail for animal abuse

"This is the worst case I've ever seen," said Painter, who has been sheriff since 1985. "The stench from the feces was horrible. They were just bones and hair."

Now Playing: The Harris County Constable's office is investigating three cases of animal abuse after three dogs with severe cases of mange were dropped off at the Harris County Animal Shelter Monday. Video: Harris County Animal Shelter Volunteers

The last time Underwood had been seen at the house was eight months ago, Painter said.

Underwood was once a board member for Dust Bowl Animal Rescue. She resigned in November 2016.

"Her home was foreclosed on, apparently at some point she left. Not only her house and belongings but her animals," Mesha Randolph, president Of Dust Bowl Animal Rescue, told everythinglubbock.com.

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.


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The chief federal judge overseeing lawsuits involving more than 1,500 Houstonians whose properties were flooded upstream and downstream of Houston's dams in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey blasted government lawyers in a hearing this week for seeking delays that she described as unreasonable and "insulting."

Chief Judge Susan G. Braden of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims unloaded on the government lawyers, who had asked for delays in the case including a year to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to "look for documents."

"It took the Army Corps of Engineers a few minutes to make a decision to open dams that left people without homes and without property," Braden told a Houston courtroom with 20 attorneys representing both flooded-out Houstonians and the U.S. government.

DEVELOPING STORM: For buyers within 'flood pools,' no warnings from developers, public officials

Now Playing: Homeowners in the Cinco Ranch area  and in other neighborhoods in Harris and Fort Bend Counties were flooded because they live in whats called a flood pool near Barker and Addicks reservoirs. Many claim that they were uninformed about the reservoir when they purchased their homes. Video: Dave Funchess, Houston Chronicle

"What has been proposed to the court, frankly, is insulting," the judge said, according to a transcript of the Wednesday hearing. "It's insulting to the people in this community; it's insulting to the president of the United States; and it is unbefitting to those representing the Attorney General. And it shows no respect for the role of the judiciary."

The judge's remarks came during what was expected to be a routine hearing to set a schedule for the cases, in which thousands of Houstonians claim that the government illegally "took" their land, property, homes and businesses to store water during Hurricane Harvey's rains  either because their property was upstream of the city's Barker and Addicks' reservoirs in areas known as "flood pools" or was flooded downstream by dam releases.

Read more of the judge's words to DOJ lawyers in this partial transcript of the Dec. 20 hearing:

In an attempt to explain the government's side, Jeffrey H. Wood, the acting Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, argued that the U.S. Justice Department considers the matter a "high priority" but is busy with its 7,000 other cases. He said the Corps of Engineers remains occupied with "a post-storm recovery and debris mission, not just in Houston but across other impacted areas during this year's tremendous weather events."

But Braden, whose Washington D.C. court specializes in claims against the government, appeared unconvinced. She said she believes it's likely that the documents needed to understand the Corps' role in its dams operations during Harvey might be in two filing drawers based on her experience in similar cases.

SURPRISED: Many homeowners didn't know they lived in reservoir 'flood pools'

Braden, a former U.S. justice department trial attorney, was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2003 and named chief judge by President Donald Trump in March.

She said she and other federal judicial colleagues agree that the Houston flooding matters should be resolved on a "fast track" in two years or less.

The first hurdle for the plaintiffs will be to prove that the government "took" their property, albeit temporarily during Harvey.

To that end, one attorney for the upstream plaintiffs damaged by reservoir pools told the court his side already has collected and disclosed 25 Corps of Engineers documents related to dam operations and the reservoir flood pools. Other attorneys also said promised during the hearing that the owners of properties downstream from the dam, whose claims are slightly different, will be divided into groups and will move fast to provide the information needed.

More than 9,000 properties were damaged upstream of Addicks and Barker dams inside enormous flood pools; thousands more were damaged downstream during Harvey.

A Houston Chronicle investigation found that Corps officials had repeatedly studied and documented the potential for Houston dam-related flooding for years, producing maps and charts that revealed reservoir flood pools could inundate thousands of properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars for 45-49 days. But those engineering studies were not widely distributed and the Corps never acted on its own buyout proposals.

DAM SUITS: More than 80 Harvey-related lawsuits pile up

People who purchased flood pool properties damaged in Harvey were generally unaware of the dangers, the Chronicle found.

James Blackburn, a Houston-based attorney and advocate who is uninvolved in the federal cases, said he thinks the judge's remarks should give flooded-out homeowners hope.

"There's a judge that's worried about getting them a just result as quickly as possible  that's not the image a lot of people have of the federal court system," he said.

" I have talked to several of the lawyers and they all say they have never seen the government reamed out like the federal judge did to the assistant attorney general in this hearing. This is the stuff lawyers talk about for years."

***

DEVELOPING STORM: Hurricane Harvey was the most destructive storm in Houston's history. The late-August storm dumped up to 60 inches of rain on southeast Texas, but the resulting damage was multiplied by actions taken  and not taken  during the past 50 years. Our seven-part series explains why the storm's damage was both a natural and man-made disaster.

Part 1: Nature ruled, man reacted. Hurricane Harvey was Houston's reckoning

Part 2: Build, flood, rebuild: flood insurance's expensive cycle

Part 3: What's in Houston's worst flood zones? Development worth $13.5 billion

Part 4: Harvey overwhelmed some levee systems. Future storms could do worse

Part 5: Officials patched and prayed while pressure built on Houston's dams

Part 6: For buyers within 'flood pools,' no warnings from developers, public officials

Click here to read all of our Harvey coverage.

GET ENGAGED:

 Where do we go from here? Seven Houston-area leaders discussed flooding causes and solutions at a Greater Houston After Harvey forum hosted by the Houston Chronicle in early December. Watch Wednesday night's keynote address by Jim Blackburn, co-director of Rice University's Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center. Read his thoughts on living around water.

 Sign up for our Facebook community to share your Harvey story, engage with other community members and ask our reporters questions.

 Join the discussion on Twitter: #HoustonAfterHarvey.

SUBSCRIBE:

The Houston Chronicle is dedicated to serving the public interest with fact-based journalism. That mission has never been more important. Show your support for our journalism at HoustonChronicle.com/subscribe.
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It was a scene straight from a movie.

Two men wearing ski masks and dark hoodies attempted an early-morning heist Friday in River Oaks. At around 3 a.m., they broke into a jewelry store by cutting a hole in the roof with axes, saws and other tools, Houston police said.

They were lowered by a rope into jewelry store, where they began breaking glass cases. A silent alarm alerted police.

READ ALSO: Most dangerous Houston suburbs ranked by violent crime

Houston police and Harris County deputies responded while the suspects were still inside, trying to collect as many valuables as they could, dropping a few along the way.

Both suspects managed to escape. One quickly climbed back up the rope then jumped about 20 feet to the roof of a neighboring store.

"He took a running leap, and he made the jump," Lt. Dale Hubert said.

Officers aren't sure how much jewelry the suspects managed to steal, but they found scattered jewelry and broken cases inside the store. Hubert said jewelry store heists are more common during the holidays.

Check back for additional updates.
The 6-year-old boy killed by a stray bullet in a shooting involving Bexar County deputies in Schertz was identified Friday by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.

Kameron Prescott was shot in the abdomen and taken to University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Sheriff Javier Salazar previously said the boy was 7 years old, but the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office said on Friday that he was actually 6 years old.
The city of Memphis got rid of two Confederate statues Wednesday night, after a Tennessee two-step around a state law designed to prevent just that. It was a surprise maneuver that left the Sons of Confederate Veterans sputtering in anger and proclaiming to all who would listen: "Memphis stabbed you all in the back."

But James Patterson, commander of the Tennessee Division of the Sons, advised his compatriots to "stay away" from the city for the night (Wednesday). "I would say that the Memphis police will not tolerate any action around these statues."

Indeed, the flashing lights cutting through the dark from scores of police vehicles provided theatrical lighting for the cranes that showed up for the formal banishment of two Confederate heroes in the city where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated almost 50 years ago, on April 4, 1968.

The first to go was the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, especially loathed by many today because he was also a slave trader and a founder and "Grand Wizard" of the Ku Klux Klan. The statue was placed in a city-owned park in 1904 during the Jim Crow era of segregation.

About a mile and a half away and about an hour or so later, a statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, was hoisted from its base in another city park. The statue of Davis, who lived in Memphis from 1875 to 1878, was erected in downtown Memphis in 1964, at the height of the Civil Rights movement.

Mayor Jim Strickland, in a statement also posted on Facebook, said the city was particularly eager to get the job done now, in advance of the 50th anniversary of King's death.

"The statues no longer represent who we are as a modern, diverse city with momentum," he wrote. " Our community wants to reserve places of reverence for those we honor."

Memphis was following in the footsteps of numerous other cities which have rid themselves of Confederate symbols over the past few years.

It was also, legally, rather clever.

The dispute over the fate of the statues had been quietly percolating in the courts after removal was blocked in October by the Tennessee Historical Commission using its powers under the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2016.

That law said that "no statue, monument, memorial, nameplate, or plaque" erected "on public property" in honor of certain military conflicts and their heroes may be removed without the permission of two-thirds of the board of the commission.

Focusing on the law's key phrase - protecting statues on "public property" - Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner and others set up a private nonprofit corporation called Memphis Greenspace Inc.

On Wednesday, without fanfare, the City Council approved a measure authorizing the mayor to sell the two parks with the statues to the private group, for $1,000 each, which he promptly did.

In the morning, they were on public property. By the afternoon, they weren't.

By nightfall, the parks with the statues had been sold to the newly-minted nonprofit, which sent in the cranes.
Just minutes after crew members aboard the Australian submarine signaled about diminishing visibility, the vessel disappeared into the fog.

During WWI, Australia's first submarine, HMAS AE1, along with its sister ship, AE2, were used to capture German New Guinea. It was a Sunday in September of 1914 when the vessel helped secure the surrender of Rabaul in East New Britain, according to the Royal Australian Navy.

But the next day, the boat and its crew had vanished - leading to a 103-year-old maritime mystery.

"No trace of AE1 was found, not even the telltale shimmer of escaping oil floating on the surface of the water," according to a historical account from the Royal Australian Navy.

"The loss of AE1 with her entire complement of three officers and 32 sailors was the (Royal Australian Navy's) first major tragedy and it marred an otherwise successful operation to seize the German colonies in New Guinea and the South Pacific."

The Australian government could not explain how AE1 disappeared, but it began the first of several new searches in 1976.

Australia's Defense Department announced Thursday that the 800-ton submarine had been found, nearly 1,000 feet below the waves. A search vessel named "Fugro Equator" located it earlier this week in waters east of Rabaul, not far from Duke of York Islands in Papua New Guinea.

"Australia's first submarine, HMAS AE1, has been found after 103 years ending Australia's oldest naval mystery," Marise Payne, Australia's minister of defense, said on Twitter. "Congratulations to all involved & proud that Turnbull Government could support the search. Lest We Forget."

Officials said that following the discovery, those on the search vessel held a memorial service to honor the sub's crew.

The Australian government plans to work with counterparts in Papua New Guinea to try to preserve the site.

Brendan Nelson, director of the Australian War Memorial, called the find "one of the most significant and practically meaningful events of Australia's commemoration of the First World War."

In a statement, Nelson said, "The Great War, as it is often described, had a deep and lasting impact on our country. The tragedy and loss felt by all Australians was palpable, and instances like the mysterious loss of one of our very first submarines greatly affected us. The successful location of AE1 is extremely important, and the nation should be grateful to all those involved."

"Now we can properly mourn the deaths of those men who served in AE1, and commemorate their sacrifice in a meaningful and fitting way," he added.
KABUL, Afghanistan -Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday for an unannounced visit with U.S. troops, many of whom were just children when war began here more than 16 years ago, and to meet with top Afghan leaders to discuss President Donald Trump's strategy for the conflict.

Pence's journey here was shrouded in secrecy and only a few members of his own staff knew about the preparations. He slipped out of Washington on Wednesday afternoon so that he could arrive at Bagram Airfield near Kabul long after the sun had set on Thursday. He traveled in a nondescript C-17 instead of a traditionally labeled Air Force 2.

In the dark of night, he traveled via helicopter to the Presidential Palace in Kabul - a trip that almost didn't happen because visibility was low. Four helicopters took off not knowing if they would be able to land. After circling over Kabul, there was a brief break in the weather allowing Pence to swoop in.

The U.S. vice president met with President Ashraf Ghani and the country's chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom he regularly communicates with on behalf of Trump.

"I hope my presence here is tangible evidence" of the Trump administration's commitment to Afghanistan, Pence said in the opening minutes of a meeting with Ghani and his staff.

After meeting for about 45 minutes, Pence returned to the airfield and spoke to about 500 troops for 20 minutes. He opened his remarks by passing along greetings from Trump, who has yet to visit a combat zone as president.

"Under President Donald Trump, the armed forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, to our people, once and for all," Pence said in his speech to troops.

In Washington Thursday, Trump made an afternoon visit to visit patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Throughout the visit, Pence said the United States is committed to supporting the Afghan government with the goal of defeating the Taliban and terrorist groups in the region.

That commitment marks a shift for Trump, who repeatedly questioned why the United States was still involved in Afghanistan. During the presidential campaign, Trump called the war a "terrible mistake."
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.
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Press issues delay delivery of todays Chronicle Times Due to press issues, print subscribers will not receive the Nov. 16 issue of the Cherokee Chronicle Times in the...

Galva man charged with his brothers murder A Galva man with an extensive criminal history in Storm Lake was arrested on Sunday night for allegedly killing his...

Cherokee enrollment up 10% over 7 years Enrollment at most of Buena Vista and Cherokee Countys school districts increased across-the-board, according to estimates submitted to the Iowa...

Book Basket Project underway at library The 23rd-annual Book Basket Project is up and running at Cherokee Public Library. This silent auction launched on Monday and...
AKRON, Ohio - If you're an Ohio artist, especially Summit County, Stark State College invites you to apply by Jan. 4, 2018, to have your work featured in the new Stark State College Akron.



In collaboration with Ohio Arts Council, the selected Ohio artists will be commissioned and have their work featured as permanent installations on the walls of Stark State College Akron.



Stark State College Akron's newly developed 64,400-square-foot facility, located at 360 Perkins St., is scheduled to open for classes in the fall of 2018.

Summit County artists are especially encouraged to apply. Here's how:

visit the

create "Call for Entry Individual Artist" login

submit digital images of your previous work (up to five completed works that have been available for purchase)

apply before Jan. 4, 2018.



"The physical design of our learning spaces matter so much for student success," said ArtsNow Executive Director Nicole Mullet in a news release. "I'm grateful Stark State is continuing their tradition of engaging the arts in their buildings for their work in Akron."



The artwork will be commissioned and purchased via a selection committee of Stark State faculty and staff, community leaders and a student ambassador. For more information and to apply, visit the Ohio Arts Council, Stark State College call for entry.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
AKRON, Ohio - No one was harmed when a sale arranged online turned into an attempted robbery Thursday in the West Akron neighborhood, police said.

Two unidentified robbers tried to take money from a Brunswick man and woman who went to Akron to buy an Xbox One video game system. But the couple drove away with the money and the video game system before anything was taken, police said.

The man and the women contacted a seller via the internet and arranged to buy the Xbox One just after 8:30 p.m. on Orlando Avenue near Thorndale Drive. They waited in a car for more than an hour before the seller sent them a text message and asked them to drive farther down Orlando Avenue and park in a driveway, police said.

The seller sent them a second text message and asked them to park on the street. The woman parked the car on the street, and the two robbers approached the couple and identified themselves as the sellers, police said.

The two robbers, who did bring an Xbox One with them, got into the backseat of the car to complete the sale. While the Brunswick man was counting the money, one of the robbers pulled out a handgun and demanded the cash, police said.

The Brunswick man told the woman to drive away. The two robbers jumped out of the car, leaving the Xbox One and the money behind, police said.

Other Northeast Ohio residents have also reported robberies involving people they met through online marketplaces such as OfferUp and Craigslist. In response, some area police departments have designated their stations as "transaction safe zones" where buyers can arrange to meet sellers.

Anyone with information about Thursday's attempted robbery is asked to call the Akron Police Department's detective bureau at 330-375-2490.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There was no discussion about the role of women in cinema - or journalism, for that matter - when Betty French started her pioneering career at the Akron Beacon Journal. They just weren't involved, no questions asked.

Which only makes the career of the theater and film critic all the more pioneering.

It started in the 1940s, when women by and large enjoyed professional breakthroughs. French covered the wedding of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall at Malabar Farm in 1945 - the celebrity sensation of that year. Bogie even showed off his wedding ring to her in a photo that ran on Page One of the Beacon on May 22. She also wrote about music and theater.

French's career was sidelined the same decade, as with the careers of many other women in the 1940s -- when, as she was apt to say, with a smile that could be stoic yet puckish, "The men came back from the war."

Betty French Jarmusch managed to retain both stoicism and puckishness until her passing Nov. 15, in her home in Shaker Heights. She was 96. She died of natural causes.

Born Ruth Elizabeth French in 1921, she became the Beacon Journal's first woman movie and theater critic in the 1940s - a position held by men in what was a male-dominated industry.

For reference, the trailblazing Pauline Kael began publishing her film critiques in 1953. The legendary Jane Scott started at The Plain Dealer a year before that, working as a society writer while also covering the teen beat.

French got her start at the Beacon as the religion editor, right out of the University of Akron. She had won a writing contest while working at the school paper.

Her inquisitive mind and gentle charm made her comfortable interviewing the stars of the day - including Ginger Rogers, Wallace Beery and Boris Karloff - or comfortable standing in an elevator with Roy Rogers' palomino, Trigger.

Her aesthetic insight and love of adventure resulted in a March 1948 review of the Broadway show "A Streetcar Named Desire" - she took the train from Akron to Manhattan - in which she raved about a "sensational new actor" full of "animal spirits"... Marlon Brando.

That same year, she married Robert Jarmusch - a personnel director at the B.F. Goodrich Co. whom she had met in a candy store. They lived in an 1830s home in Silver Lake in Summit County before moving to Shaker Heights, and remained married until his death in 2005.

Even though Betty left the Beacon to raise their children, she continued writing stories for various publications on politics, antiques and history. She also penned a movie script about World War II spies living in Akron called "Zeppelin Blondes."

And she continued with her wide-ranging pursuits.

"My mom was interested in movies and history, nature, furniture, Colonial and Native American cultures," says son Jim Jarmusch by phone from his home in New York. "She researched the architectural details of the home in Silver Lake; the history of the area; even the story of a man that was a sympathizer of the Confederacy that shot at people when they came to conscript him into the Union Army."

She had an open mind, and approached all comers with one.

"She liked eccentric people and had a deep love for nature," says Jim Jarmusch. "I remember coming home one day from school as a kid, and she was sitting in the backyard. She had prematurely white hair since [she was] 25. She motioned for me to be still and stop.

"There was a hummingbird humming around her hair, and she just wanted to enjoy that moment. And when the bird took off, she looked at me and said, 'Did you see the tiny bird?' "

Betty's open mind and vivid imagination inspired her children and became manifest in their professions. Ann, who lives in Sedona, Arizona, became an architecture critic and journalist, with a focus on historic preservation.

Jim is the writer and director of such films as "Broken Flowers," "Paterson," "Down By Law" and "Stranger Than Paradise," populated with eclectic ideas and some eccentric characters.

Tom Jarmusch, a New York-based photographer and filmmaker, has chronicled distressed urban areas with photo exhibitions and documentaries such as "Sometimes City." Betty accompanied him on shoots as late as January of this year, at all hours of the day and night.

"I came to Cleveland to be with my mom and would use the shoots as a pretense to get mom out of the house, because she was still so curious, even when she was 95," says Tom Jarmusch, via phone from New York.

"I was shooting slums and she had a lot of compassion for people, but also loved art and architecture and could appreciate these beautiful old houses, even though they had deteriorated."

Betty, who was a docent at the Akron Art Museum and tutored students in that city, also loved animals, especially her cats, Maggie and Molly. It inspired her to become a vegetarian long before it was in vogue, and her children would follow in her footsteps.

"She was very open to people and to the world," adds Tom Jarmusch. "Every morning, she would wake up brush her cats and read the paper -- the cats came first, always -- and her mind remained open and curious throughout the day, up until she passed away."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland judge set a $1 million for the mother accused in the death of her 5-year-old son whose remains were found buried in the backyard of her home.

Cleveland Municipal Judge Charles Patton Jr. set Larissa Rodriguez's bond Friday during her first court appearance since her arrest.

Rodriguez, 34, is charged with murder in the death of her son Jordan.

At Friday's arraignment, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor Brian Murphy said Jordan was last seen alive in September.

"She did not seek medical treatment for son, who was already suffering from multiple physical infirmities. (His) conditioned worsened to the point that, it even though it was readily apparent (that there was a) need for medical attention immediately, Ms. Rodriguez failed to seek it, and the boy died," Murphy said.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office has yet to identify the remains found Tuesday as those of Jordan's, and they have yet to determine how he died. However, court records say the remains belonged to Jordan. The body showed signs of abuse and had several broken ribs, court records say.

Investigators believe Rodriguez killed Jordan around Sept. 22. She admitted to burying the boy in the backyard of their Detroit-Shoreway home, and led officials to his body, which the FBI and medical examiner investigators unearthed on Tuesday.

Police began investigating Jordan's disappearance this week, when the brother of Rodriguez's boyfriend, Christopher Rodriguez, called Cleveland police from Pakistan, police said.

The brother reported that Christopher Rodriguez -- who is serving a 6-month sentence in the Medina County jail for failing to pay child support -- told him that the boy was buried at the couple's home.

Larissa Rodriguez told police that her son went to Houston to visit his biological father, but was unable to provide contact information for his family there, police reports said.

Larissa is the mother of nine children and currently pregnant. Social workers, who have opened 13 neglect or abuse investigations into Rodriguez since 1999, found that the home was filled with rats and cockroaches when they investigated this week.

To comment on this story, please visit cleveland.com's crime and courts comment section.


Channel programs News

CRN Exclusive: Specialty Distribution Titan Jeff Bawol To Retire From Tech Data After 40-Year Career

Michael Novinson

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Jeff Bawol made two decisions as a 20-year-old college student that defined the rest of his life: he married a young woman named Erin and began working as a customer service rep at Hamilton-Avnet Electronics.

Bawol graduated from Detroit's Wayne State University; he stood by Erin and Avnet. The couple moved from his hometown of Detroit to Texas and then to Arizona as Bawol rose up the ranks at Avnet, leading the company's $5.76 billion Americas IT distribution business for nearly nine years before Avnet Technology Solutions was sold to Tech Data for $2.6 billion in February.

Now Bawol plans to leave behind the second love of his life to spend more time with his first. He is retiring to spend more time with Erin, and the three daughters and four grandchildren they helped bring into the world. Bawol will leave as Tech Data Americas senior vice president of enterprise solutions on Jan. 31, capping a 41-year career that paralleled the evolution of distribution from the mainframe to cloud computing, mobility, and IoT.

[Related: Tech Data Americas President Quaglia On The Avnet Integration, Accelerating Investments In Next-Gen Technologies, Going On The 'Offensive' And Why The New Tech Data Is Just 'Getting Started']

"I'm a consummate deal-maker, and I love to do strategy," Bawol told CRN exclusively. "It is a little bit bittersweet, of course, but at the same time, I'm so excited to spend more time with my wife, and my grandkids, and my children, and just move on."

Tech Data will search for Bawol's replacement, and hopes to have a new leader in place by Bawol's last day, said Joe Quaglia, Tech Data's president of the Americas. Bawol said many members of his team handling technology practice areas and vertical markets have 10 to 20 years of experience with the company and won't miss a beat after he departs.

"I think my team is ready and raring to jump in and continue with that tremendous service they're used to," Bawol said. "The legacy will live on and continue on."

The benefits of marrying Tech Data's legacy in device-oriented broadline distribution with Avnet's expertise in infrastructure-focused specialty distribution have been apparent for quite a while, with Bawol saying that Avnet actually considered buying Tech Data a number of years ago. But Avnet at that time wasn't "bold enough" to carry out a deal, Bawol said.

"I think this was the biggest, baddest, boldest move [Tech Data CEO] Bob [Dutkowsky] and the team could have made," Bawol said. "I think it's industry-changing. I think our competitors are still trying to figure out how to deal with it."

The opportunity for solution providers now spans all the way from the endpoint to the enterprise, Bawol said, incorporating both cloud technologies and predictive analytics.

Bawol gave his supervisors notice of his plan to retire all the way back in spring 2016. However, knowing the acquisition by Tech Data was likely near, Bawol's supervisors convinced him to stick around, and he ended up contributing through the close and subsequent integration process.

"We've been very open with them from the first day on that this was not going to be a long-term play for me," Bawol said.

When January ends, Bawol plans to leave the heat behind and go to Park City, Utah, where he and Erin finished building a new home a year ago. There, he plans to hit the slopes with his family and grandchildren  McKinley, 4; Harper, 3; Paxton, 1; and Halay, 1  who, despite their very young age, already know or are learning how to ski.

"As soon as they can stand, they're going on skis," Bawol said.

Bawol is a self-proclaimed "exercise nut," and relishes the opportunity to remain active in retirement without having to squeeze in a trip to the gym at 4:30 a.m. before whipping Tech Data into shape.

"It's exciting, but at the same time, it's a little bit sad," Bawol said. "I'm going to miss the people, I'm going to miss the customers, and I'm going to miss the engagement."
Cloud News

CRN Exclusive: Accenture Ditches Midsize G Suite Customers, Driving Business To Regional VARs

Joseph Tsidulko

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Accenture, the consulting giant that became a powerhouse in Google's channel with its 2015 acquisition of Cloud Sherpas, has dropped its G Suite practice for non-enterprise customers, driving much of that business to regional VARs.

Accenture told CRN Wednesday that it no longer made business sense to renew G Suite licenses for its smaller customers. Instead, the global systems integrator has been referring customers of the popular cloud-based office productivity suite to Google.

"Based on an ongoing assessment of our Google business, we are connecting smaller business customers directly with Google for help with their product licenses in the future," an Accenture spokesperson told CRN via email.

[Related: Accenture CFO: U.S. Tax Reform Bill Will Likely Result In Modest Increase To Our Effective Tax Rate]

"Managing these licenses is no longer a fit for our business model," the Accenture spokesperson said.

A Google Cloud spokesperson told CRN Google will lean on other partners to avoid any disruption for former Accenture customers.

"Google will continue to support our small business customers through our robust partner ecosystem focused on this market," the Google spokesperson said.

Accenture was recognized in 2016 as Google's Global Sales and Services Partner of the Year, and in each of the five preceding years, Cloud Sherpas won Google's award for its top enterprise partner.

"Accenture is firmly committed to our Google alliance and helping deliver greater value from Google technologies. Accenture is still committed to offering G Suite for enterprise clients," according to the Accenture spokesperson.

But Accenture wouldn't comment on when the change to its practice went into effect, or what was the size threshold for accounts it would keep in-house.

Several Google partners told CRN they have been enjoying a windfall from Accenture's decision to restrict its business.

Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global, a Google cloud partner based in Westborough, Mass., said former Accenture customers have been arriving at his door for months, some looking to renew accounts with hundreds of users.

Some of those Google customers told Cumulus they were surprised to learn they could no longer pay Accenture monthly or by credit card to maintain their G Suite subscriptions, Falcon said.

"With Accenture no longer renewing G Suite licensing, we have an opportunity to provide their customers with their subscription licenses and a broader range of services," Falcon said. "For many we are able to reduce licensing costs, discount upgrades to G Suite Business, and provide additional security and privacy services."

SADA Systems, a Google partner based in Los Angeles, is also fielding new accounts once owned by Accenture. Many of those businesses are in the "upper mid-market," SADA CEO Tony Safoian told CRN.

Safoian said he wasn't surprised to see Accenture stop supporting a broad base of G Suite customers.

"There's no way they can compete with a SADA for implementation," Safoian said. "They're too large and their cost structure doesn't support it."

Customers want the "boutique experience" for services like email migrations that a global giant like Accenture struggles to deliver, he said.

Cloud Sherpas, one of the first born-in-the-cloud solution providers to align with Google, thrived on such accounts.

That firm, based in Atlanta, Ga., was the leading reseller of Google Apps, the product later rebranded G Suite, and recognized by Google as its top enterprise partner from 2011 to 2015.

Cloud Sherpas posted a stunning 289 percent two-year growth rate leading up to its acquisition by Accenture.

In 2014, Cloud Sherpas sold over 450,000 Google licenses, and managed more than one million licenses across Apps, Maps, Search, Google Cloud Platform and Chrome.

The company added a Salesforce practice through a merger with GlobalOne in 2012, and a ServiceNow practice by acquiring Navigis the following year.
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It is a Chinese puzzle box that some have cracked over the years, and that has broken others who have tried to solve it  whats the secret to longevity on South Norwalks restaurant row along Washington Street?

For Tina Ye, it starts with her brother-in-laws dry pot recipe that has withstood the test of time, but theres a lot more to it than that as a quick perusal of Enchanted Szechuans menu can attest.

After opening in May in the former home of Quartina Trattoria & Vineria at 120 Washington St., Enchanted Szechuan is not quite yet a SoNo dynasty but has already doubled the tenure of Chi Public House, a Chinese restaurant that opened in late November 2016 a few doors down Washington Street, but only made it only as far as February.

Others to fade away in the past year include Estia Greek Restaurant, Hell or High Water Brewpub, The Loft Martini Lounge, Strada 18 and Zapata Mexican Restaurant; and within a few blocks radius, Ceviche Peruvian Cuisine, Jax & Co., Mammas Boy Southern Table & Refuge and Prime Burger.

Downtown Stamford saw similar flux in the past year. As the case there, in South Norwalk as quickly as restaurants close, replacements are quick to try their own hand, with some of the new names including SoNo Falafel, Gyro World, Il Posto, Iron Brewing, La Dolce Italian Ice & Cafe, Saltwater Restaurant & Bar and Spigot Beer. And more are en route, including Americanas Grubline Cafe on Water Street and a Mexican concept restaurant called Evaritos kitty corner from the massive SoNo sign on Washington Street, with the possibility of a Korean barbecue next door.

Ye had originally searched for restaurant space in Mamaroneck, N.Y. where she lives, with the idea springing from the culinary talents of her brother-in-law Biao Li, who is head chef at Enchanted Szechuan. Friends in Norwalk tipped her off about the Quartina space on Washington Street becoming available.

While the Enchanted Szechuan menu features many dishes familiar in Chinese kitchens everywhere  think General Tsos chicken and Kung Pao  it is Lis Szechuan dry pot dishes (served sizzling in a tabletop wok) that Ye says have created a following in SoNo with a melange of meat and seafood combined with vegetables, herbs and spices.

Also helping Enchanted Szechuan stand out on Washington Street are the prices, with most of its dry pots and other specialty dishes priced between $13 and $17, making for a reasonable night out in SoNo  particularly for those who produce a Stop & Shop receipt printed with an Enchanted Szechuan coupon on the back, which Ye says has been an effective marketing outlet along with delivery services like GrubHub, Uber Eats and Yelp.

With three years to go on its lease, there is plenty of time for Enchanted Szechuan to prove out its recipe for withstanding the test of time on Washington Street.

So many people were waiting for a Chinese restaurant here, Ye said. Everybody has told us they love it.

Includes reporting by Paul Schott.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
NEWTOWN - One week after the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre, a clear majority of American voters say Congress is not doing enough to reduce gun violence, according to a new poll.

A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,230 voters conducted from Dec. 13-18 also found that more women than men support stricter gun laws, and that a majority of Americans favor a ban on gun modifications that render semi-automatic firearms capable of shooting like automatic weapons.

The horror of Sandy Hook still resonates, especially with women, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Q Poll, in a prepared statement. But while Americans are crying out for tougher gun laws, the consensus is that Congress is sitting on its hands.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy agreed.

The only place common-sense gun reforms are controversial is in Congress, said Murphy, a Democrat. Congress should listen to the majority of American people who want us to do our jobs and start passing laws that will save lives.

The poll also asked topical questions, such as whether people think 2018 would be more peaceful than this year - 73 percent said it wouldnt  and seasonal questions, such as whether saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays is a real concern or a made-up one; 76 percent said its made up for political purposes.

But with the passage of Dec. 14 - the date in 2012 when 20 first-graders and six educators were slain at Sandy Hook School  the polls authors highlighted four questions specifically about gun control.

The poll found that:

Voters support stricter gun laws 59-36 percent, with women supporting more gun control, 69-26 percent, while men are evenly split over the issue , 47-47.

Voters believe Congress is not doing enough to reduce gun violence, 67-25 percent, although Republicans in the poll believe Congress is doing enough by 48-38 percent margin.

Voters support a ban on gun modifications that make semi-automatic weapons fire like automatic weapons, 68-27 percent.

By a wide margin, 95-4 percent, voters favor background checks for all gun purchases, including voters from gun-owning homes, 95-4 percent.

An advocate for gun law reform said the poll results confirmed that people wanted more measures to ensure the safe use of firearms.

This information does not surprise me at all, said Po Murray, chairman of the Newtown Action Alliance. There is more support from Americans for gun violence prevention than not, and it is just a matter of time before Congress understands that, or people will demand it and vote Congress out of office.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal agreed.

Americans overwhelmingly support common sense gun violence prevention measures - a fact proven again in this poll, said Blumenthal, a Democrat. Voters are right to be frustrated by Congressional inaction - I am too. Good ideas, when backed by the vast majority of Americans, must ultimately prevail.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
From grocery shopping to ironing, it seems there's no chore you can't outsource to professionals these days.

And now a new generation of women are making a living from one of the most dreaded tasks of the festive season: Christmas present buying.

Hailed as a godsend for time-pushed parents and busy working professionals, the services take the stress out of festive shopping - but often come with an eye-watering price tag.

No one knows this better than London-based Milda Chellingsworth, founder of Styling For You, who charges 680 a day for her services and is currently in the midst of the most busy periods of the year.

Previously a fashion buyer for a high street retailer, she turned her attention to personal shopping almost a decade ago.

Milda Chellingsworth, founder of Styling For You, charges 680 a day for her services and is currently in the midst of the most busy periods of the year thanks to time-pushed parents

One of Milda's clients, Virginia Hunter, spoke to MailOnline FEMAIL about why she outsources her presents - and why she hasn't looked back.

Virginia, 41, from south-east London, said: 'I started using Mildas service in 2013 when I was 34 weeks pregnant with twins and had a one year old. I had the twins a week before Christmas Day.

'I was exhausted had no time so reluctantly handed over present buying to someone else.

'I had always been someone who prided myself on my present buying skills and was known for spending a lot of time buying thoughtful perfect gifts for people. It was my thing.

'Styling For You is a luxury personal shopping and styling company, so it may seem pricey but saves me a lot of time and I do save.

Busy mum: One of Milda's clients, Virginia Hunter (pictured here with her husband) spoke to MailOnline about why she outsources her presents - and why she'll never look back

Virginia with her twins in 2013. She said: said: 'I started using Mildas service in 2013 when I was 34 weeks pregnant with twins and had a one year old. I had the twins a week before Christmas Day'

'Her services are 85 per hour, but for Christmas presents she charges us for one day's work and thats 680. This includes research and shop.

'We normally meet up to write a list of people and what they like as well as discuss budgets we want to spend on each person.

'Then she goes and does her research and we confirm once all is found and she will organise all payments and wrapping.'

Over the years, gifts Milda has snapped up for Virginia include personalised presents for the children and a cooking experience for her husband with Raymond Blanc.

Virginia gets to spend more time with her children (pictured) since outsourcing her shopping. She said: 'I had always been someone who prided myself on my present buying skills and was known for spending a lot of time buying thoughtful perfect gifts for people. It was my thing'

'I get her to buy some gifts for my immediate family and then a range of extended family and friends in the UK and overseas in Canada, America and New Zealand,' she said. I still buy a few gifts for my husband and kids of course.'

Price of Milda's shopping services . 85 per hour . 680 per day . 100 for a consultation Advertisement

Virginia, who works as a healer at virginiahunterhealing.com, had planned to just use Milda's services for one year but was so pleased with the results she's used them every year since.

She explained: 'The lead-up to Christmas is so busy with three childrens Christmas events and parties and then my husband's corporate events.

'When you have three kids under the age of two, it is a real reality check. You have to really surrender to the things you cannot do or do well, prioritise and outsource.

'You have no time and the time you do have you want to spend it on important things.

'So I outsource many jobs now as Im time poor and its a false economy to do it yourself when someone else can do it much better than me in much less time.'
For the past five years she has been caught in the crossfire of her parents' acrimonious multi-million pound divorce battle.

And now Laura Ashley heiress Angeline Francis Khoo, who has found herself thrust into the spotlight as her chairman father and former beauty queen mother thrash it out over a 64 million settlement, has told how she battled depression and estrangement by carving out her own path in the fashion industry.

Angeline - who is no longer on speaking terms with her multimillionaire business mogul father Khoo Kay Peng, 79, but remains close to her mother, ex-Miss Malaysia Pauline Chai, 71 - says her parents' split has given her a newfound freedom, allowing her own business and even her marriage to thrive.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline FEMAIL, Angeline, 34, said: I think when people have money with no accountability there's a certain sense of entitlement, where you feel like you can control people and make them do what you want.'

She added that if she'd remained in the controlling environment of the family business, her marriage to husband Jed would certainly have suffered.

'My husband is a very strong-willed person as well, and in that environment I dont know if our marriage would have lasted,' she said.

Making her own way: Angeline Francis Khoo, who has found herself thrust into the spotlight, tells MailOnline FEMAIL how her parents' high-profile divorce has been the making of her

Angeline's parents Khoo Kay Peng, now 79 (left) and Pauline Chai, now 71 (right) leave the Royal Courts of Justice in March shortly before the 64 million settlement was ordered

To outsiders, Angeline has enjoyed something of a charmed life as the heiress of the Laura Ashley empire, her childhood a whirlwind of private jets, security guards and mansions in Britain, Canada and Malaysia.

The fourth of five children, she was tipped to follow her father into the global fashion business before the bitter divorce proceedings, launched in 2013, threatened to tear her family apart.

Angeline recalled: 'Growing up I was told, youre going to work in Laura Ashley, its in your blood, this is what youll do.

'When youre told that, it becomes very difficult to separate your own thoughts from other peoples thoughts.'

But Angeline's Laura Ashley dream came to an abrupt end after she met her Caribbean-born Jedediah Francis, now 36, a former data scientist, while studying for her MSc at Oxford University.

Her father didn't approve for cultural reasons and their engagement and subsequent marriage caused an almighty rift between him and Angeline - and by default, her mother too.

Angeline, who remains close to her mother, former Miss Malaysia Pauline Chai, 71 (pictured), says her parents' split has allowed her business and even her marriage to thrive

Angeline and husband Jed on their wedding day. The couple tied the knot in the College Chapel at Oxford, after meeting at university while Angeline was completing her MSc

Mum was a really loyal wife so I wasnt in contact with her in those years either,' she said.

Choosing love over money, Angeline walked away from her inheritance to marry 'Jed' who comes from a small town in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Then, in 2013, her mother presented Khoo with a petition for a divorce on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour after 42 years of marriage - leading to a reconciliation with her daughter, and sparking what is believed to be one of the biggest cases ever to come before the British courts.

The legal costs, which have exceeded 6million to date, have been described as 'stratospheric' by Mr Justice Mostyn who last year urged the warring couple to declare an 'armistice'.

But the divorce saga rumbles on, and in April this year Angeline was called as a witness after her father accused her of 'stockpiling' his maintenance payments to her mother - an allegation later dismissed by the court.

Doomed marriage and couple's 'stratospheric' 6million divorce bill Dr Khoo and Ms Chai, who both come from Malaysia, married in 1970. When Ms Chai applied for a divorce in 2013, the couple could not agree on whether decisions about the division of assets should be made in English or Malaysian courts, and litigation was launched in both countries. Dr Khoo, who is based in Malaysia, said the marital home was in Malaysia and added that a judge in Malaysia should make decisions about the division of money. He said Ms Chai wanted to fight in England because an English judge would give her a more generous award. Ms Chai said they moved their home to Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, before separating and therefore decisions should be made in an English court. In December 2015, Ms Chai claimed victory in the fight over jurisdiction following a ruling by three Court of Appeal judges in London. She said at the time: 'I am so relieved that my prayers have been answered. I want to thank my children for standing by me and my extraordinary legal team - who have fought for me tirelessly throughout this difficult period. 'I have great respect for the English judicial system and am incredibly grateful to have been protected by it.' After analysing the evidence at the trial at the High Court in London, Mr Justice Bodey announced in April 2017 that Ms Chai should get a 64m package made up of cash and property. However Dr Khoo applied for permission to appeal the decision with the family currently waiting to see if the appeal will go ahead. Advertisement

With husband Jed and mother Pauline at the races. Their marriage caused a temporary rift in the family as Khoo did not approve of his daughter's choice of husband

The couple on holiday in St Vincent where Jed is from. Angeline said of her partner: 'My husband is a very strong-willed person [...] and in that environment I dont know if our marriage would have lasted'

Angeline and Jed in Venice. In April this year Angeline was called as a witness after her father accused her of 'stockpiling' his maintenance payments - an allegation later dismissed

Of her 'terrifying' and 'exhausting' time in court, Angeline told MailOnline FEMAIL: Testifying was so painful. It felt in part like a punishment, it feels like a deep rejection when you're called to testify in public by a parent.'

Before this divorce our family was really low-profile, thats just how we were raised. And this divorce was so public it threw us into the public sphere.'

She added: 'Weve been in this court for the past five years - thats half a decade - and when youre sitting there waiting for the judge to give his judgement your whole life depends on what he has to say.

Your life is in third party hands, its out of your control. Its physically exhausting, although I think for an older lady that emotional and mental toll.

'I have a lot of respect for Mum, I dont know how she's managed to do this for five years.

Beauty Queen: Pauline (centre) was crowned Miss Malaysia in 1969. She was finally granted agranted a decree nisi in 2016 at a hearing in the Central Family Court in London

Former pageant queen Paula and Dr Khoo could not agree whether decisions about who should get what ought to be made in English or Malaysian courts

Later that month, Mr Justice Bodey awarded Angelines mother a settlement of 64 million - around a third of her father's total 205 million fortune.

Khoo has since applied for permission to appeal the decision, and the family are now anxiously waiting to see whether or not his appeal will be granted.

The tycoon has also announced that he will be stepping down as chairman of Laura Ashley shareholder MUI to make way for Angeline's brother Andrew.

Angeline hopes to reconcile with her father once the case has been closed, but does not hold back on the harrowing toll her parents' divorce saga has had on her life.

At her lowest point, the proceedings took a significant toll on her mental health and led her to put on weight.

Angeline (far left) with her mother Pauline and siblings (L-R) Alfred, Andrew, Alex and Angelina [sic.] in 1987. Angeline was born in Australia but spent her childhood in Canada

Angeline with her little brother Alex, who has autism, in Victoria, Canada. The designer has since moved to London but travels to Malaysia once a month for work

Angeline and Alex on holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1991. Their parents' divorce, she says, has brought her closer to her siblings - particularly her younger brother Alex

Pauline and Alex in Disneyland in 1996. Angeline says she spent more time with her mother growing up, as her father was often busy with work as chairman of Laura Ashley

She said: At the beginning of the divorce I was falling into depression, and when I got disowned I fell into a really big depression  not showering, eating a lot and not wanting to go out.

'At those times you really just avoid the scales. You dont want to face reality at all, of feeling like your life is out of your control.'

The couple also struggled financially after being estranged from Khoo, but Angeline insists this was a liberating experience for her.

She explained: 'Jedidiah and I were both students when we got married. There was no trust fund, there were no assets, pretty much just the clothes we had, so I was working five part-time jobs to make ends meet.

Hopeful: Angeline hopes to reconcile with her father once the case has been closed, but does not hold back on the harrowing toll her parents' divorce saga has had on her life

Going solo: Angeline's Laura Ashley dream came to an abrupt end after she met her Caribbean-born Jedediah Francis, now 36, a former data scientist, while studying for her MSc

Difficult time: Angeline and husband Jedediah struggled financially after becoming estranged from her father, but Angeline says this was a liberating experience for her

Change of plan: The fourth of five children, Angeline was tipped to follow her father into the global fashion business before the bitter row threatened to tear her family apart

'When youre worried about how youre going to pay your rent, how youre going to afford your groceries, those things become your priority.

But I would also say that it was the best time in our lives. Jed would say the same thing; that if wed got married under normal circumstances I dont know if we would have made it so far.

'Simply because theres a control that comes with money and there would have been an element of control.'

Her parents' divorce, she says, also brought her closer to her siblings - particularly her younger brother Alex, who has autism - and spurred her on to start up her own business, Rosie On Fire, which specialises in luxury kimonos.

To outsiders, Angeline (pictured here with brother Alex) has enjoyed something of a charmed life as the heiress of the Laura Ashley empire with a multimillionaire father

Making her own way: Angeline says that her rift with her father spurred her on to start up her own business, Rosie On Fire, which specialises in luxury kimonos

Laura Ashley is this amazing heritage brand, and it would have been a privilege to work on it so I never would have considered starting my own thing,' she said.

'Sometimes you just need an external force to intervene in your life to make a difference.'

Her advice to other grown-up children coping with their parents' divorce? With any bad thing that happens to you, you always have the choice in how you want to view it.

'It can either make you bitter or you can choose to allow it to make you better.'
They say you have to suffer for the sake of beauty.

But sitting through a 90-minute South Korean facial with its endless theatre of pummelling, prodding and needling, with some sheep placenta and disco lighting thrown in for good measure is taking things to a new level.

Amazingly it's popular, even with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Beyonce and Kim Kardashian who swear the process gives them a flawless complexion known as 'glass' skin.

We've already seen K-pop, thanks to Psy and his bizarre gyrations to Gangnam Style.

Now it is the multi-billion pound K-beauty that's invading the British high street as people rush to get a flawless facial sheen prized by South Koreans, now rated as world leaders for beauty treatments.

I still find the old three step method - cleansing, toning and moisturising - a chore, so how would I get on with the extraordinary ten stage plus process now judged necessary for the celebrity glow?

Could the facial, which costs between 100 and 350 help this exhausted mother-of-one get ready for Christmas Gangnam style?

Amy Oliver tries the new treatment that is said to be the secret behind Beyonce, Jennifer and Kim Kardashian's complexions

Left: Amy pictured before the facial at the Harley Street clinic. Right: Amy after the 12 step beauty treatment

Apparently Beyonce swears by the Korean treatment which is responsible for her 'glass skin'

Step one  Double Cleanse

If there is one thing Koreans never do, it's go to bed with a face full of make-up. Jess, my therapist at the Medilift Clinic on London's Harley Street cleanses my face with Antioxidant Lightening Cleanser Scbi cleanser (90), which contains stem cells extracted from, of all things, sheep placenta.

Luckily, the smell of the kiwi extract trumps any farmyard odour. The South Koreans love stem cell based products due to their rejuvenating powers.

Step two  Exfoliate

To get good skin you need to 'stimulate it', Jess says, as she slaps on vitamin-enriched cream by Revive and then 'massages' my face with an exfoliation and oxygenating wand. It's excruciating, like scraping 60-grit sandpaper across my face. 'You look like a tomato,' Ian the photographer says, helpfully. Jess then uses a medical-grade, radio frequency wand.

This, she says, really works on 'lifting, tightening and reawakening' the collagen in my skin.

Boots sell a lower frequency version of the wand for 99 should you want to carry on the torture at home.

Amy said that one of the creams that contained stem cells taken from sheep placenta smelled like a farmyard

She had Antioxidant Lightening Cleanser Scbi cleanser applied to her face. According to the beautician, Koreans use a lot of stem cell based products

The beautician used a medical-grade, radio frequency wand to lift, tighten and reawaken the collagen in the skin

Amy described the exfoliating massage as 'excruciating', like scraping 60-grit sandpaper across her face

Step three  Micro needling

Jess uses a DermaPen wand with 12 tiny needles going at a rate of more than 1,000 pricks per second around my mouth and eyes. This, she says, enables the serum to really sink in and work its magic. I feel like a lemon drizzle cake, but surprisingly, it doesn't hurt, possibly because Jess has only set the depth to 0.25mm. I hope never to experience its deepest level of 2.5mls.

Step four  Sheet mask

Instagram has been awash with the likes of Trinny Woodall and P-Diddy, or 'Brother Love' as he's now known, raving about the benefits of sheet masks, another K-beauty secret. Jess applies the Scbi Vegan Stem Cell sheet mask (70 for four), loved by Bella Hadid and the Victoria's Secret models, which is infused with vegan stem cells - taken from an apple. This, she says, is the closest thing to the sheep's placenta, a 'fact' I'm still scratching my head about.

In ordinary face masks the product dries quickly, but the moisture can't escape under a mask. It feels cold and refreshing and is supposed to give an instant pre-party glow. Thankfully this mask is paper, rather than ocean-killing plastic.

Scbi Vegan Stem Cell sheet mask is loved by Bella Hadid and the Victoria's Secret models, which is infused with vegan stem cells - taken from an apple

Step five - LED lighting

With the mask still on, Jess places a plastic box over my head and switches the LED lights to red. It looks as though I'm in a Kubrick-esque disco nightmare, but in fact the wavelengths of light are supposed to deeply penetrate the skin.

Kourtney Kardashian was recently seen under blue light to treat her acne, but Jess suggests red light for me because it's anti-aging and collagen boosting.

Amy has red light treatment which is said to boost collagen and be anti aging

Step six  Filler-like serum without the needle

The Medilift Clinic is the only one in the UK licensed to use Sculplla, a Korean treatment, which gives filler-like results without the needle. Jess applies the potion, which contains Poly L Lactic acid  the same ingredient in some fillers  with a syringe.

Thanks to the micro needling it sinks into the holes and dries like Latex to my face. For a less effective, but more affordable, home-remedy the Koreans smear whipped up egg whites onto their skin.

Jess then applies a clear, hydrogen-infused mask. The two react which gives the filler-like results. After what seems like an eternity, Jess pulls away the mask from my by-now very angry-looking face.

It makes a wince-inducing noise like Selotape being ripped from its reel. I can feel my face tightening almost immediately. It will continue to tighten over the next few days. The effects of one treatment can last for six weeks.

According to the beautician who performed the treatment, Koreans never go to sleep with their make up on

The Medilift Clinic is the only one in the UK that uses this Korean treatment, which gives filler-like results without the needle

Step seven  Stem cell concentrate serum

Jess pats Scbi's Stem Cell Beauty Pure Concentrate Serum (350.00) into my face. Alas, there is no kiwi extract to mask the undeniable smell of sheep wee. Thankfully, the collection of the placenta is cruelty free. It's offered to the sheep to eat first before being collected for beauty products.

Step eight  Serum

Jess then applies Stem Cell Daily Gold Serum (200), which contains real gold and yet more sheep's placenta stem cells. Gold is good for oxygenating the skin, she says.

Step nine  Eye cream

I'm willing to try anything to eradicate the dark circles under my eyes thanks to 15 months of broken sleep  even smearing afterbirth under them. Jess says the Stem Cell Eye Firming Cream (150.00) will firm and plump.

A clear, hydrogen-infused mask is applied. Which reacts to the other products to give filler-like results

Step 10  Moisturise

Next, Jess applies a Stem Cell moisturiser (150), massaging it into my skin in wide circles.

Putting moisture back into the skin is a key plank of the Korean way, Jess says. 'It plumps and is anti-aging.' The cream contains hyaluronic acid which acts like a sponge holding vast amounts of water in the skin.

Step 11  Sunscreen

The South Koreans are obsessed with keeping their skin looking youthful so religiously apply an SPF. Jess applies a post-treatment repair cream with SPF 50 to finish off and protect the skin after having the treatments.

The sheet mask dries quickly, but the moisture can't escape under a mask. It gives a pre-party glow

Step 12  Oxygen

The last step is to blast my face with pure, medical grade oxygen and a bespoke cocktail of peptides. Jess suggests I go for rejuvenation and growth.

It feels a bit like a wet mist but is wonderfully cooling.

Clinic owner, Louisa Gill says she tried every oxygen facial on the market before deciding that medical grade gas was the only one with effective results. 'It boosts the cells and brings the life back into them, it closes up big pores and seals everything that Jess has done,' she says. Celebrities swear by this method. Madonna has previously confessed to keeping oxygen tanks in every home to help plump and hydrate her skin.

Amy described the oxygen facial made from a cocktail of bespoke peptides as cooling

Amy found that the day after she was given compliments from her colleagues and said her skin looks fresher and dewier

The Verdict

Twelve steps and two-and-a-half hours later we have finally finished. My skin is angrier than John McEnroe, but it looks fresher and dewier. Jess explains the filler-like Scullpa will continue to tighten my face so I should be party ready in the next couple of days. The next day I get compliments. Even my colleagues - cynical, hardened hacks - have to admit I look fresher and younger.

But finding the time for a regular ten-step treatment would involve some rather fierce rescheduling.

The Medilift Bespoke Facial from 100 to 350.
At the height of her drug addiction, Carissa Paglino was taking one gram of ice a day.

The woman, from Newcastle in New South Wales, shared harrowing details of how an introduction to crystal meth at the age of 29 started her downward spiral.

For the next five years, her world crumbled.

The now 34-year-old artist claimed her drug-fuelled lifestyle turned into a crippling addiction that led to a terrifying near-death ordeal.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, she revealed how she had to learn how to walk, talk and eat again after she was placed in an induced coma for 10 days.

At the height of her drug addiction, Carissa Paglino was taking one gram of ice a day (pictured left: when she was using ice and right: currently clean)

The woman said she was placed in a coma for 10 days following a binge on ice and cocaine

Before she swiftly descended into an ice addiction, Ms Paglino led an ordinary life.

She was born to a devoutly Christian family, sent to the best schools her parents could afford and she had a good upbringing - but then she turned to drugs.

She found herself on the drug scene from the tender age of 14.

'I first tried drugs when I was at a very young age. I tried marijuana and cigarettes at age 14. I also tried amphetamines and LSD as a teenager,' she said.

'I started drinking heavily every weekend from age 15. I devoted my life to sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.'

But her life quickly took a serious turn for the worst when she tried ice for the first time when she was 29 years old.

'As I got older I was using drugs to cover up past hurt, guilt or anger, but I didn't realise it at the time,' she said.

'I meandered through life taking different drugs including amphetamines, ecstasy, LSD as well as smoking a lot of marijuana and drinking heavily daily.

'I slept with a lot of different men and went from one failed relationship to another... Until one day when I was 29, I was introduced to methamphetamine.

'I used to buy a lot of amphetamines and at first I would say "make sure it's NOT ice, I don't want that c**p" then it became "MAKE SURE it's ice".

'I loved the energy it gave me and the intense high. When I was high I didn't have to think about reality or responsibilities... or my past.'

Her life quickly took a serious turn for the worse when she tried ice for the first time at age 29

Before she swiftly descended into an ice addiction, Ms Paglino had been smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol in her teenage years

When she woke from her coma 10 days later, she had to lean how to walk, talk and eat again

In 2015, she quit a job she held for 12 years because she was no longer happy working there.

'Towards the end I was even using ice and smoking pot at work,' she said.

The wrong crowd of people started supplying her with endless amounts of drugs, including ice, marijuana, ecstasy pills and seroquel - a drug that treats schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and depression.

'It was here that I developed an ice habit of a gram a day,' she recalled.

'The last two years was when I really gave up on life. I didn't want to die but I wasn't keen on living either.'

She had no income for the next two years - and so she moved back in with her mother who helped her through the addiction.

'I was prescribed anti-depressants and anti-psychotics as the years of drug use had taken its toll,' she said.

'I have never been good at dealing with emotions and I was suffering from anxiety, depression, agoraphobia and OCD because of my lack of ability to deal with life.

'My problems just bottled up over the years until I couldn't handle being straight. If I wasn't high I would just sleep.'

Growing up, a young Carissa had a good upbringing after she was born to a Christian family

The wrong crowd of people started supplying her with endless amounts of drugs

After being on a week long ice smoking binge in December 2016, Ms Paglino said she started taking the psychedelic drug DMT

After being on a week long of ice-smoking binge in December 2016, Ms Paglino said she started taking the psychedelic drug DMT.

'I hadn't eaten and I drank hardly any water in four days when I had a very strange body hallucinogenic experience on DMT,' she said.

'A couple of days later, I became very ill. I was vomiting, experiencing excruciating pain in my kidneys and involuntary movements and drug psychosis.

'I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance and it turned out I was having a kidney failure and was on the brink of having a brain damage.

'I was admitted to hospital where I stayed for detox for almost three weeks. This was my first wake up call that I had to change my lifestyle.

'For the first few days I was like a zombie.'

Before her addiction: Ms Paglino was born in a devoutly Christian family - who eventually helped her through her drug-fuelled battle

After she was discharged from hospital, Ms Paglino said she was doing well for about five weeks before she relapsed.

'I went really well for about five weeks but then I started hanging with the wrong crowd and using ice again,' she said.

'Eventually, I began shooting up ice any chance I could and I was also abusing codeine and my prescribed anti-psychotics.

'Then one day after a binge on the ice and snorting cocaine and taking many pills I had a major asthma attack.

'The last thing I remember was the ambulance arriving. Then next thing I know I wake up in hospital with tubes coming out of everywhere.'

After she was discharged from hospital, Ms Paglino said she was doing well for about five weeks before she relapsed

Ms Paglino said she was unable to move - and could only use her head to communicate.

'My mum was there and she asked me if I remembered what happened. I shook my head for no,' she recalled.

'She asked me if I wanted to know how long I had been in hospital. I nodded yes. She told me I had been there for 10 days. I began to cry then drifted out of consciousness.

'It turned out I had a very bad asthma attack. I had stopped breathing so I was put on life support in the Intensive Care Unit. I was breathing through a tube and had drips coming out of both arms and both feet.'

Ms Paglino said her family were told to prepare for the worst after she was given just a 45 per cent chance of surviving.

'My carbon dioxide levels were so toxic from my terrible lifestyle that my blood toxin levels were five times what usually kills people,' she said.

'I was administered three shots of adrenaline in the ambulance with no effect so I was put into an induced coma for 10 days,' she said.

'I had been on the life support for six days when my body started to shut down and I was deteriorating rapidly.

'My whole family were asked to come and say goodbye as the doctors were sure I was going to die.'

The now 34-year-old artist claimed her drug-fuelled lifestyle turned into a crippling addiction that led to a terrifying near-death ordeal

When she was in a coma for 10 days, Ms Paglino said her family were told to prepare for the worst after she was given just a 45 per cent chance of surviving

Born to a devoutly Christian family, Ms Paglino said her loved ones all 'prayed for my recovery'

But against all odds, she survived.

'Because of my own faith, the faith of my family and the faith of the church and everyone who was praying, I survived this ordeal,' she said.

'I had no damage whatsoever to my lungs, brain or heart. The doctors were so amazed by my fast and full recovery they were calling me "the miracle child".'

When she woke from her coma, she had to lean how to walk, talk and eat again.

'The doctors were expecting months of physio and speech therapy for my recovery but by the grace of God I was up and out of that hospital,' she said.

'I was walking, talking, feeding and doing everything for myself. My strong faith in God and determination saved me.

'This was the start of my healing journey and my road to sobriety.'

Reflecting back on her turbulent life, Ms Paglino - who found solace in her religion, art and her pet dog and cat - said she now feels happier and healthier.

'They say you never know how sick you were until you start to get better,' she said.

'Looking back I now realise how terrible I was living. I can say now that I'm so happy and healthy compared to the last five years, and well ever.'

Ms Paglino found comfort after she started pursuing her passion in painting and art

By telling her story, Ms Paglino wanted young people to draw hope from her experiences

Speaking about her battle, the former ice addict said she doesn't have any regrets.

'I say no regrets only life lessons. My past made me the strong person I am today and it helps me not to judge others because I have been there,' she said.

'No one wants to be a drug addict and there is usually some sort of pain, guilt or anger that people are trying to self medicate.

'You just want to be numb and not have to think about reality.'

By telling her story, Ms Paglino wanted young people to draw hope from her experiences.

'I hope to encourage others and give them hope that it is possible to recover and live a happy life without drugs,' she said.

'I came very close to death but I believe I have been given a second chance to help others. I have been clean from ice for going on 10 months now.

'My life has changed dramatically and I'm happier and healthier than ever before.'

For confidential support 24/7, please call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
A kindhearted foster mom has refused to give up on a tiny pit bull who was born with a series of serious health complications, and she is happy to report the pup is defying all odds.

Sasha was born in early September weighing just a mere 11 ounces, and from day one, she faced serious health issues. Born with a cleft lip and palate that made it impossible for her to nurse, Sasha was in dire need of medical attention.

Marie DeMarco, a veterinary nurse practitioner living in Westchester County, New York, was given custody of the ailing pit bull, and nearly four months later she is calling the dog her 'miracle' puppy.

Support system: A pit bull named Sasah (pictured) was born with cleft lip and palate, as well as a series of dire health conditions, but her foster mom Marie DeMarco refuses to give on her

So tiny: Issues: Sasha was born in early September weighing just 11 ounces

Issues: In addition to her cleft lip and palate, she has hydrocephalus, a build up of fluid in the skull. Her brain is only about a third the size it should be

When Sasha was born, the caretaker of the litter, reached out to Courtney Bellew, director of SNARR Animal Rescue Northeast, a New York-based rescue and rehabilitation center for animals with special needs.

'The owner recognized she had a cleft palate and lip and wanted to try and save her,' Courtney explained to The Dodo. 'He brought her to my house and she was so tiny and fragile.'

Courtney knew Sasha would have to be tube-fed because of her cleft lip and palate, so she called Marie, an experienced veterinary nurse practitioner who has cared for neonatal, injured and critically ill kittens.

Bellew made the decision to drive Sasha up to Marie's home in New York, and for the trip she kept the puppy wrapped up in blankets in a box and created a makeshift heating pad by putting rice in a sock to keep her warm.

Birthday: Sasha is three and a half months old, and Marie puts her in sweaters and dresses to keep her warm

Petite: Sasha weighs just one pound, nine ounces, making her unable to receive life-saving surgeries right now

Future: Despite all of her health issues and complications, Sasha lives a happy life where she is loved by Marie, although it's too soon to know her future

Upon receiving the puppy, Marie noticed something strange about Sasha's head; it looked too big compared to her small body. After tests, a veterinarian confirmed that Sasha has hydrocephalus, 'a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull.'

The puppy's brain is only about a third the size it should be, and she has been plagued with other health issues since she was born as well.

Sasha developed an upper respiratory infection, a urinary tract infection, and has some orthopedic issues, making her survival an uphill battle.

However, Marie was not going to let Sasha be put down. The founder of the nonprofit FURRR 911 took the pit bull under her wing, and she is impressed by the dog's 'amazing will and determination.'

Too cute: Marie is an experienced veterinary nurse practitioner, and Sasha loves to play with her foster kittens and cats

Overcoming adversity: Maria pointed out that Sasha has 'an amazing will and determination'

She's a fighter" 'She was dealt some bad cards in life, but boy, is she loved,' Marie said

As Sasha's foster mom, she feeds the puppy every three to four hours during the day and every five hours at night, giving them both some time to rest.

'She's defying all the odds and she's proven that she wants to be here,' Marie shared.

Today, Sasha is three and a half months old, and weighs just one pound, nine ounces, making her unable to receive life-saving surgeries as she's not big enough yet.

Despite all of her health issues and complications, Sasha lives a happy life where she is loved by her owner Marie, who puts her in tiny sweaters and dresses to keep her warm.

While it is too soon to say what will end up happening to Sasha, the people in her life are not worrying about the future, instead they're remaining optimistic and hopeful.

'She was dealt some bad cards in life, but boy, is she loved,' Marie said.
Redheads really are different from everyone else  but you still shouldn't believe the stereotypes.

Writer Erin La Rosa loves her red hair, but she grew tired of hearing about her supposed 'fiery temper' and getting asked whether 'the carpet matches the drapes.'

So the proud ginger did some research, digging up a bunch of fascinating scientific facts, myth-busting historical details, and fun trivia about those with fiery locks, and bundled them all together in The Big Redhead Book (St. Martin's).

'I've always felt a bit different myself, so I was curious to find out if I was making that up or if there was any truth to it,' she explained in an interview with Daily Mail Online. Here, find some of the most surprising facts from the book.

Upsides and downsides: Redheads have less melanin, which means they burn faster  but they also make vitamin D faster

1. Redheads make more vitamin D

Anyone who's ever seen a red-haired person sizzle and fry at the beach might think gingers don't play well with the sun.

But while it's true that redheads have less melanin  meaning they're more likely to burn  missing that pigment also has an upside: Because they absorb more sunlight, redheads also produce more vitamin D.

Getting more of the 'sunshine vitamin' in less time than it takes blondes and brunettes means health benefits, since vitamin D is responsible calcium absorption in the gut. It helps with bone growth, protecting against osteoporosis, and promoting immune function.

Because gingers' skin is a bit more acidic, perfume may smell different on them (so this fragrance probably reacts differently when Jessica Chastain spritzes it on)

2. They actually smell different than everyone else

It may sound like the start of a rude joke, but people born with the warm-hued hair often don't smell the same as others  at least, when they're wearing any sort of fragrance.

A spritz of the exact same perfume will smell different on a ginger than it will on a brunette or blonde (though the blonde and brunette will probably smell the same). It all comes down to body chemicals  specifically, the acidic skin mantle.

Everyone has an 'acid mantle,' an acidic layer of film that that covers every bit of skin but is invisible to the eye. For redheads, this layer is a bit more acidic than it is for everyone else. So if they spritz on some eau de cologne or rub on a fragrant body butter, it can interact differently with the higher acid content, resulting it a somewhat different smell.

Gingers have a mutation on the MC1R gene, which makes them process some types of pain  and painkillers  differently

3. Painkillers work best on female gingers... but it's harder to sedate them

Some drugs just work differently on redheads thanks to their unique genetic makeup, and scientists are still discovering more of these biological surprises.

Everyone has a gene called MC1R, but gingers have a mutation on that gene that leads to a few side effects  including an increased sensitivity to some painkillers.

In multiple studies, scientists found that women with red hair (yes, just women  not men) responded better to specific types of opiate painkillers, including morphine. Since the drug works more effectively, they need less of it.

But while they get more out of those painkillers, they get less out of anesthesia. One 2004 study found that on average, it takes 19 per cent more general anesthesia to put a redhead under for surgery.

Local anesthesia is less effective, too  drugs like lidocaine don't do the job quite as well, and dentists need to administer more Novocain to effectively numb their gums and face.

4. They have a higher pain tolerance

'Turns out we're superheroes, in many ways,' said La Rosa. 'Ginger women feel the stinging pain of needles less than anyone else, and they also can handle pain better than others.'

Studies have shown that redheads are less susceptible to some types of pain, particularly when it comes to the skin.

Getting pricked (like by a needle) hurts less, as does the stinging, burning sensation caused by capsaicin (which is found in jalapeno and chili peppers).

Brr! Natural redheads like Julianne Moore perceive cold pain more sensitively (and are more sensitive when it comes to tolerating both cold and heat pain)

5. They sense hot and cold more acutely

Scientists can't quite figure out why redheads feel some things more strongly and some things less so  but they've added 'hot' and 'cold' to the list of the former.

'My personal favorite fact is that we can sense cold and hot temperatures better than everyone else, likely because of a mutation on our MC1R gene,' said La Rosa. 'We're the Kings and Queens of The North  we know when winter is coming.'

A team at the University of Louisville discovered in 2005 that redheads are 'significantly' more sensitive when it comes to tolerating cold and heat pain, and they are also able to perceive cold pain more sensitively.

According to Jewish folklore, Lilith was Adam's first wife. She was too sexual and not obedient  and is often portrayed as a redhead

Mary Magdalene is often regarded as a promiscuous figure, while some people think she was a prostitute. She also gets the redhead treatment in art

6. The 'hyper-sexual' stereotype is wrapped up in religion

The idea that gingers are more passionate and sensual goes all the way back to the bible and its various interpretations.

In Jewish mythology, Adam actually got hitched before Eve came along, to a seductive and sexual woman named Lilith. As the legend goes, Lilith refused to be subservient to Adam and left him  leading to her being both demonized as sinful and hailed as a liberator of women.

Naturally, Lilith is often represented as a redhead.

Historically, some religious people (including monks) even blamed Lilith for being the cause of 'sinful' wet dreams in men.

The idea continued with interpretations of the New Testament. Mary Magdalene, who is often regarded as promiscuous and is believed by some to have been a prostitute, is also often portrayed as a redhead in artwork.

Judas is often painted as a redhead, including in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper

7. Confusion about genetics is to blame for the 'evil ginger' and 'soulless ginger' tropes

Ginger hatred, unsurprisingly, arose from ignorance.

'Red hair was often seen as a mark of the devil in ancient times, because redheads would be born to parents without ginger locks,' said La Rosa.

In fact, two non-ginger parents can still have a read-headed tot, as long as they both carry the recessive MC1R gene mutation. If they do, there's a 25 per cent chance their child will be a ginger.

Judas may also have had something to do with the 'evil ginger' myth. Though the bible does not actually say he had red hair, many medieval artists portrayed him that way  including Leonardo da Vinci in the Last Supper.

'There's no evidence that Judas was a redhead, but famous artists painted him as a ginger to show that he was an evil person,' La Rosa explained. 'The effect of having Judas portrayed as a redhead has had a long lasting effect on how we're perceived today.'

Judas (pictured in Joos van Cleve's Last Supper) and his supposed red hair have contributed toward redhead hatred

8. Hatred for people with red hair also has some anti-Semitic roots

A fair bit of antisemitism can be attributed to distrust for Judas (a Jew) because he betrayed Jesus (incidentally, another Jew).

So, because of his supposed auburn locks, that resentment of Judas and Jews somehow got rolled up with a resentment of redheads. There also happens to be a relatively high percentage of Ashkenazi Jews with red hair.

This idea continued to be reinforced through medieval times and the Renaissance period, particularly with Shakespeare's tragedy The Merchant of Venice, in which Shylock had red hair and actors portraying him would wear red wigs.

9. But not all religions historically demonized redheads

The Thracians, ancient tribes who lived in and around Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece circa 1000 BC, didn't cast gingers as demons. In fact, they worshiped gods with red hair and blue eyes.

Of course, that's probably because many Thracians had red hair themselves.

This isn't totally good news for gingers, though, since the Thracians had a reputation for being rather violent and sold their unwanted children into slavery.

However, the Celts had some redheaded gods, too, including Morrigan, a goddess associated with war, fate, and fertility.

10. The first carrot tops were born 70,000 years ago

When Neanderthals started migrating away from Africa to cooler climates, evolution began working its magic (or science, for that matter).

Because they were getting less sun  and hence, less vitamin D  their bodies evolved to have lighter skin, which would absorb more of the vitamin.

Along the way, that mutation in the MC1R gene occurred. But it wasn't just one mutation: There are three different mutations of the MC1R that cause red hair. Two of them occurred in West Asia roughly 70,000 years ago, while another sprung up in Europe around 30,000 years ago.

Scotland is the most redheaded country, with 13 per cent of the population sporting fiery locks. Experts attribute this to virile, redheaded Vikings hundreds of years ago

11. Virile Vikings are likely behind all those Scottish and Irish gingers

Redheads comprise only about 1 to 2 per cent of the world's population, but they make up a whopping 13 per cent of Scotland's inhabitants, and 10 per cent of Ireland. So how come there's such a high concentration in those two countries?

It's probably because of the Vikings, according to Professor Donna Heddle of the University of the Highlands and Islands' Interdisciplinary Institute for Northern Studies.

Many Vikings likely had red hair, and their trade routes took then around northwestern Europe, including Scandanavia and the British Isles  where, it seems, they spread their seed from the 790s to about 1066.

Several ancient Egyptian rulers, like Pharaoh Ramesses II (pictured), were redheads

12. People have been dying their hair red for millennia

La Rosa was inspired to dig into Cleopatra's past after reading a rumor that the Egyptian queen was a redhead.

Though she definitely wasn't born that way, there's evidence that suggest she adopted the color using henna dye, as many of her contemporaries did.

'I discovered that lots of ancient Egyptian rulers chose to put henna in their hair to be viewed as more powerful, which is really fun,' she said. 'Ramesses II, who ruled in the 1200s BC, was one such pharaoh. And Cleopatra, who ruled over Egypt for more than twenty years, also chose to be on the throne with dyed ginger locks.'

In fact, the British Museum even houses a mummy from around 3400 BC that has 'tufts of ginger-colored hair'  and has thus been nicknamed 'Ginger.'

Surprise! Molly Ringwald, whose red hair in '80s films like The Breakfast Club was iconic, is actually a natural brunette

Amy Adams is also know for having red hair, but she was born a blonde

Cynthia Nixon, who was copper-haired throughout Sex and the City, is naturally blonde, too

13. Some of Hollywood's favorite red-headed celebs are faking it

It may feel like a betrayal to learn that some of Hollywood's most iconic redheads are in fact  gasp!  brunettes. And blondes.

Molly Ringwald was born with brown hair, as were Alyson Hannigan, Debra Messing, and silver screen legend Rita Hayworth.

Meanwhile, Julia Roberts, Christina Hendricks, Amy Adams, Emma Stone, Gillian Anderson, and Cynthia Nixon are all natural blondes.
With just under three days left until Christmas, thousands of shoppers are flocking to stores across Australia in their droves all searching for those perfect gifts.

Shoppers across the nation are expected to collectively spend close to $22.1 billion this festive season.

Here, FEMAIL has rounded up retailers' opening hours, online delivery times, apps and services to help make those last-minute purchases a breeze.

This festive season Australian shoppers are collectively expected to spend in excess of $22 billion

Shoppers are descending on retail outlets in their droves, all searching for perfect presents

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE HITTING THE STORES

Though time is running out and you're likely consumed with the thought that you have so much to do before the big day, there's no need to panic - just yet.

One of the things you need to know before stepping out to take on the masses who are also doing their last-minute Christmas shopping is store opening hours.

Rather than blindly heading out into the fray, take a savvy approach with the advantage of extended shopping hours.

Major retailers pulling out all the stops include David Jones and Myer.

Before blinding rushing out into the Christmas fray, check store opening hours as many are offering extended closing times

Retail giants David Jones and Myer are both offering extending Christmas shopping hours

David Jones stores across NSW, ACT, Queensland and South Australia are open until 12am Friday 22 December, 10pm Saturday 23 December, and 6pm Sunday 24 December.

Hours for Myer stores across the country vary. Melbourne Myer stores are open until 12am Friday, December 22, 11pm Saturday, December 23 and 6pm December 24.

Sydney stores are offering shopping until 10pm Friday 22 and Saturday 23 December.

Electronic retailers Harvey Norman and JB-Hi Fi are expected to be busy, but their hours will remain the same.

CHRISTMAS TRADING HOURS

Westfield Sydney (NSW) Westfield Marion (SA) Chadstone (VIC) Forrest Chase (WA) The Myer Centre (QLD) December 19 9.30am - 9pm 9am - 9pm 9am - 12am 8am - 9pm 9am - 9pm December 20 9.30am - 9pm 9am - 9pm 9am - 12am 8am - 9pm 8am - 9pm December 21 9.30am - 11.59pm 9am - 11.59pm 9am - 12am 8am - 9pm 8am - 12am December 22 9.30am - 9pm 12am - 9pm 9am - 12am 8am - 9pm 8am - 12am December 23 9.30am - 7pm 9am - 6pm 8am - 12am 8am - 9pm 8am - 9pm December 24 10am - 6pm 9am - 5pm 12am - 6pm 8am - 5.30pm 9am - 6pm December 25 CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED December 26 7am - 9pm 9am - 5.30pm 7am - 10pm 8am - 6pm 9am - 6pm

SMART SHOPPERS THINK ABOUT PRICEY PARKING

Finding a park is an issue for almost 60 per cent of Australian shoppers, an Aussie Farmers Direct survey found last year.

It ranked as more stressful than long queues at cash registers and battling large shopping crowds, the Herald Sun reports.

While some of the larger shopping centres offer free parking, note there are some which charge. It always pays to check before heading out so you're not stung by sharp fees.

Apps like Park Me, Parkhound, Cheap Parking and iParked Here are all designed to help drivers score free or cheap parking or locate available spaces.

Though standing in long queues ranked as highly stressful at this time of year, finding parking came out on top

With less than 72 hours before Christmas, there's limited time to get your last minute shopping done

HOW LONG LEFT TO SHOP ONLINE?

If leaving the comfort of your home at this time of year seems too much, and we can't blame you, then shopping online is your go-to solution.

While there are only 72 hours left before the big day itself, it's still possible to shop and get gifts delivered directly to your door.

Again, leading the charge for convenience shopping is the retail giant, David Jones.

A range of options are still available to Christmas shoppers who can't make it to the store in time (stock image)

The store is offering various festive delivery options, depending on whether you live in Sydney.

Sydneysiders can receive same-day delivery for $15, although 1pm Saturday 23 is the cut-off time for Christmas deliveries.

'Click and Collect' is also available across all Australian David Jones stores on items purchased by 1pm and collected after 4pm.

DELIVERY AND COLLECTION TIMES AMAZON AU The recently arrived online retailer is advertising next business day deliveries for $9.99 amazon.com.au JB HI-FI Orders purchased online can be collected from JB Hi-Fi after two hours. Express delivery items will be received in one to two business days jbhifi.com.au COLES Groceries for your Christmas feast can be ordered as late as Saturday morning to be delivered the next day coles.com.au DAVID JONES Sydneysiders can receive same-day delivery for $15. Next business day delivery in other metro areas can be purchased for $12 Advertisement

OUTSOURCE YOUR SHOPPING TO THE PROFESSIONALS

Whether you want to recruit someone to do your Christmas shopping, hand-write your Christmas cards, source and collect your decorations or put up a gift you can't be bothered dealing with, the job-sharing economy has grown three-fold this year.

And with people more tech-savvy but time-poor than ever, it couldn't have come at a better time.

Got a trampoline you need assembling for your little ones on Christmas eve? Hit up Airtasker, who offer skilled and trustworthy people in any task or field.

The site have reported a huge surge in requests for people who can build trampolines, hand-write cards, wrap gifts, source Kris Kringle presents and bake homemade pavlovas this year.

And they're not alone on the outsourcing bandwagon. Other sites including Sherpa, ASAP and Ladies Running Errands can all help you get what you need and when - at the click of a button of course.

OUTSOURCING EXPERTS AIRTASKER Airtasker is an Australian-owned company which allows people to outsource tasks and jobs they would rather not do. airtasker.com SHERPA Sherpa offers a same-day delivery service for businesses and individuals living in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. sherpa.net.au

LADIES RUNNING ERRANDS Ladies Running Errands is a Sydney-based service helping the elderly out with whatever they need - be it lifts to appointments or Christmas shopping. ladiesrunningerrands.com.au ASAP Looking to get something delivered in a hurry? Hit up Sydney-based service, ASAP, which promises that your delivery will arrive within 60 minutes. getitasap.com.au Advertisement

SHOPPING THE BEST DEALS

Once upon a time you had to wait until Christmas was over to snap up the best deals.

Not anymore.

A whole host of retail giants and popular labels have already began marking down items, ensuring you can pick up some quality, yet affordable gifts for your loved ones (or for yourself).

PRE-CHRISTMAS SALES MYER DAVID JONES The department store chain is offering changing daily deals, such as clothing and kitchen appliances marked down by up to 50 per cent myer.com.au Hot on Myer's heels is David Jones, who are also offering a '12 days of Christmas' discount spree. The sale includes 20 per cent off sunglasses davidjones.com.au SHEIKE Fashion label Sheike is already offering up to 50 per cent off marked prices on dresses, skirts, handbags and other accessories sheike.com.au COUNTRY ROAD Popular brand Country Road are also offering shoppers up to 50 per cent off online marked prices on shoes, accessories and childrenswear countryroad.com.au WITTNER The shoe giant has slashed prices on a range of shoes in half. They are also giving 20 per cent off full-priced products purchased online wittner.com.au TONY BIANCO Major competitor Tony Bianco have one of the biggest sales - cutting prices on their shoe range by up to 60 per cent tonybianco.com.au Advertisement

Though Christmas time is traditionally one of buying for nearest and dearest, it can also be a great time to snap up a few bargains for yourself (stock image)

NEED SOME LAST-MINUTE GIFTSPIRATION?

If you're still struggling to think of the perfect gifts for your loved ones, there are places you can go for some last minute inspiration.

The Myer Christmas Giftorium is specifically designed as your one-stop shop for all your gift-giving needs.

There, you can personalise Nutella jars, pick up skincare sets or even find gifts for your cat or dog.

But when in serious doubt - or you're just wanting to play things safe for a fussy relative - a voucher from a major retailer will never go astray.
After having the plug pulled on her wedding by her fiancee at the age of 22, Esha Oberoi was at her lowest point.

Experiencing depression, she says she then rebounded into another toxic relationship, which compounded her feeling of hopelessness.

But after throwing herself into her job as a carer, the India-born Australian has gone on to become the chief executive of multi-million dollar home and aged care provider Afea.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Ms Oberoi said by devoting herself to others, she discovered a 'sense of purpose' which helped her overcome mental health problems.

Sydney-based businesswoman Esha Oberoi (pictured), 34, experienced depression before founding a multi-million dollar company Afea

Speaking to FEMAIL, Ms Oberoi (pictured) said by devoting herself to others, she discovered a 'sense of purpose'

'I healed myself overtime, as my perspective changed and my focus changed from myself to serving other people,' Ms Oberoi said.

'I believe it is underrated in our society - we don't realise enough that if we open ourselves to helping others, we can heal from our own struggles.'

Ms Oberoi migrated to Australia with her family when she was just seven-years-old, going on to experience bullying at school and into her early adult years, she said.

She then suffered the ultimate rejection by having her upcoming wedding cancelled by her would-be husband, sending her into a spiral of dark thoughts.

'I felt a deep-seated sense of rejection and feelings of unworthiness,' she said.

'I healed myself overtime, as my perspective changed and my focus changed from myself to serving other people,' Ms Oberoi (pictured with her staff) said

Ms Oberoi previously worked multiple jobs, but said her role as a carer - which she 'fell' into - was the only occupation which stuck

'I don't think I knew what was going on with me. It is not something you can articulate when you are in so much darkness and have feelings of hopelessness.

'I was just trapped in a world of anxiety, isolation, self-hatred and fear.'

Ms Oberoi worked multiple jobs during this time, but said her role as a carer - which she 'fell' into - was the only occupation which stuck.

She believes this was because of her ability to relate to feelings of isolation and vulnerability.

Ms Oberoi went on to turn her passion for helping others into her own business, Afea, at the age of 24.

Afea now provides services, such as meal preparation and transport assistance, to more than 500 families a week, achieving a $10 million annual turnover

Ms Oberoi is now married to her 'best friend' and Afea chief financial officer Gaurav (left)

The Sydney-based company now provides services such as meal preparation and transport assistance to more than 500 families a week and turns over $10 million a year.

Ms Oberoi credits her work at Afea for restoring her confidence and turning her life around.

'My work has helped me immensely ... as I started to see the impact of our work at Afea, it allowed me to regain my self-confidence, love for myself and self-respect,' she said.

'I was able to form healthier relationships, and as a result am very lucky to be married to an unconditionally loving, caring and supportive man.'

Ms Oberoi is now married to her 'best friend' and Afea chief financial officer Gaurav.

The pair share a five-year-old son and one-year-old daughter together at their home on Sydney's upper north shore.
The end of the year is a time to unwind and relax, but it's also a time to renew your look.

Brisbane cosmetic physician, Dr Mary Dingley, said the festive season is one of the most popular times of the year for having cosmetic procedures done.

'Christmas, like a birthday, is one of those milestone dates when we look in the mirror and want to see our most attractive selves,' she told FEMAIL.

Dr Mary Dingley said the festive season is one of the most popular times of the year for having cosmetic procedures done (stock image)

'We want to look and feel our best for the festivities with friends and also when catching up with our families, some of whom we may only see infrequently.

'Just as we like to make a special effort with our clothes, we do the same with our faces,' she said.

Findings from the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia (CPCA) show that more than half of Australians (55 per cent) now worry about looking old.

Dr Dingley (pictured) said Christmas is one of those milestone dates when we want to look our best

Last year Australians spent more than $1 billion on non-invasive treatments.

'More Australians than ever are now concerned with the ageing process,' said CPCA spokesperson, Dr Catherine Porter.

'We can expect to see increasing rates of Australians opting to treat themselves to cosmetic treatments this festive season as they ready themselves for the holiday period.'

The most popular treatments this Christmas are to do with physical signs of ageing including microdermabrasion, anti-wrinkle treatments, chemical peels and non-surgical fat reduction.

According to the CPCA, the popularity of non-invasive surgical treatments, in particular towards the end of the year, has led to a rise in ''Botox parties'' (stock image)

Sydney cosmetic physician, Dr John Mahony, revealed that summer and the holiday period are generally associated with a lift in people's mood; and happy and optimistic people are more inclined to want to look their best.

'Holidays also provide some down time so people can have an aesthetic procedure that might need a few days of recovery time without having to explain anything to work colleagues or the boss,' he said.

Dr John Mahony (pictured) said Christmas provides a few extra days of recovery time

'They can then return to work with everyone saying ''Wow! That holiday did you the world of good!'',' he explained.

According to the CPCA, the popularity of non-invasive surgical treatments, in particular towards the end of the year, has led to a rise in ''Botox parties'', where people have treatments performed in private homes, sometimes using illegally procured botulinum toxin.

'It is difficult to imagine a more dangerous set of circumstances for the administration of this procedure  a seemingly unqualified person, providing illegally-procured treatments, in an unhygienic setting, all whilst people may be intoxicated,' Dr Porter said.
The release of the Cambridge's Christmas card showcased them to be the perfect family their fans expect them to be.

However, fans have pointed out what appears to be a rather major imperfection in the family's seasonal greeting.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released their latest family portrait, featuring their children Princess Charlotte and Prince George on Monday.

The Cambridge's official Christmas card portrait was released on Monday, but royal fans claim there is a bizarre element to it

The portrait, taken at Kensington Palace earlier this year, will appear on Kate and William's Christmas cards.

However, several royal fans have spotted a rather bizarre element to the otherwise traditional Christmas card.

Several Twitter users point out that Kate, 35, appears to be missing her right arm, which can not be seen in shot.

One user writes: 'The more I look at this picture the more freaked out I get that you cant see Kates other arm.'

Another began a hashtag adding: '#WhoHasKatesArm? Has anyone seen Kate's right arm? Did she lose it somewhere?'

One user points out: 'Where is Kate's right arm? Can't be behind the Prince because they don't show PDA.'

Royal fans have taken to Twitter to point out that the Duchess of Cambridge's right arm appears to be missing from the shot

Several users tried to offer up explanations as to why the mother-of-two's right arm may not be in shot.

Said one: 'I always rest my arm up the middle of my husbands back...I imagine thats where Kates is.'

Another cheeky user added: 'Where is Kates other arm?!? I cant think why there is no trace of it unless she is grabbing Wills bum. Which, Godspeed, obvs.'

One user even joked that he would start a 'petition' to recover the royal's lost arm.

The MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for a comment.

Fans took to Twitter to debate the whereabouts of the Duchess' right arm

The Cambridges' photo was shared on the official Kensington Palace Twitter account earlier this week with the short statement: 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pleased to share a new photograph of their family. The image features on Their Royal Highnesses' Christmas card this year.

' The photograph shows The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their two children at Kensington Palace.'

The photo shows Prince William, 35, looking dashing in a suit and light blue tie. Kate, 35, chose a feminine peplum jacket and matching pencil skirt from favourite designer Catherine Walker for the shoot.

Several cheeky users offered up a solution as to where she could have put her arm

A closer look at the image suggests it was taken before Kate announced she was expecting her third child as her figure-hugging look reveals no hint of a baby bump.

Prince George is seen standing in front of his father, who has his hands resting reassuringly on his son's shoulders.

The young prince, who is understood to be quite shy, looks slightly uncertain about being in front of the camera and reaches a hand back to clasp his father's finger.

Princess Charlotte looks rather more sure of herself. Stood in front of her mother, the toddler purses her lips into an adorable smile and rests her hands lightly on the front of her printed floral frock, which she wore previously during the royal tour to Poland.

The image, taken by Getty royal photographer Chris Jackson, was released shortly after the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall revealed their Christmas card.
A man surprised his girlfriend by proposing to her thanks to a special hot chocolate with a flower-shaped marshmallow, which blossomed to reveal the ring hidden inside.

Allen Gonzales popped the question at the Tokyo bakery opened in 2015 by Dominique Ansel, the French chef who became a household name in New York City by inventing the Cronut, and whose success continues to grow around the world.

Dominique's hot chocolate comes with a marshmallow shaped like a flower that gets placed inside the cup after it is served. Once the marshmallow comes into contact with the hot beverage, it opens, mimicking the blossoming of a real flower.

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Surprise! A man surprised his girlfriend at Dominique Ansel Bakery in Tokyo by placing a ring inside a blossoming marshmallow flower that opens when placed in the beverage

The chef took to Instagram yesterday to share photos of the sweet proposal orchestrated by Allen.

One of the photos shows the ring at the center of one of the sweet flowers that come on top of the bakery's signature Blossoming Hot Chocolates.

Another snap shows Allen, who is also a chef, down on one knee during the proposal, with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers waiting for Samantha.

Both Samantha and Allen look over the moon in the picture, and another snap shows Sam flashing her brand new bling while her future husband jokingly raises his bare hand in the photo, pretending he got a ring too.

Dominique said he was delighted to wake up to photos of the romantic moment, and extended his congratulations to the couple.

Proposal: Dominique took to Instagram yesterday to share this photo of Allen Gonzales and Samantha Rodriguez during the sweet proposal

'Woke up to photos from our @DABJapan team, with a guest who not only surprised his girlfriend in Tokyo, but he then proposed to her with the ring hidden in our Blossoming Hot Chocolate marshmallow flower,' the chef wrote.

'She said yes! Congratulations, Allen and Sam! Thank you for thinking of us and letting our little bakery be a part of your story and this special moment. Heres to many years of happiness and hot chocolates together.'

Samantha commented on the engagement photos, thanking Dominique Ansel Bakery for their help in keeping this secret from her while helping her beau with the preparation.

'Thank you for helping my fiance make this happen! This place will forever hold a place in my heart,' she wrote.

Engaged! Samantha Rodriguez showed off her new ring in a snap with Allen and she thanked the bakery saying 'this place will forever hold a place in my heart'

Allen also thanked Dominique and added in a comment: 'Thank you very much again Chef Dominique Ansel. Couldnt have done it without your help.'

People from around the world gushed over the adorable proposal, commenting 'So cool of you guys to do that. You are part of there forever,' and 'OMG what a cute idea.'

'Oh man genius way to utilize the blooming hot chocolate,' someone else wrote. Another person jokingly wrote, 'the perfect proposal does not exi-', suggesting that the perfect way to pop the question does, in fact, exist, and Allen has found it.

This isn't the first time a couple tried out this genius idea. In September, Dominique took to Instagram to share a sweet photo of another couple, Emoniel and Arielle, after they got engaged at his bakery in New York City.

Emoniel also chose to propose with the creative hot cocoa, with the marshmallow flower blossoming to reveal a hidden ring.
Meghan Markle's couture gown may be worth an eye-watering 56,000, but her frugal fans have already found a cut-price alternative.

In engagement portraits released on Thursday, Prince Harry's fiancee teamed her show-stopping frock with her bespoke ring valued at anywhere up to 200,000.

Within hours of their release, bloggers at MeghansMirror.com, which charts the former actress's wardrobe piece by piece, had tracked down the best replica looks on the net - and they come at just a fraction of the price of the real thing.

For fans who want to emulate the future princess's look, MM suggests a $428 (320) frock by Japanese designer Tadasha Soji along with a string of cheaper options from Aidan Mattox, Unique Vintage and Jessica Howard.

Meghan's fans have tracked down dupes of the Princess-in-waiting's engagement shoot outfit (pictured) which is worth well over 100,000 when her bespoke ring is factored in

Style showcase: Meghan will have chosen her outfit with great care, and opted for British brands in a nod to her new home with Harry also wearing heritage label Burberry

The site also suggests a convincing dupe of her yellow gold and diamond ring - a $45 (34) 'Diamonique' band from QVC.

They believe they have even tracked down the exact shade of Meghan's nail varnish, a nude hue from Rimmel's Gel Polish that costs just 5.99.

The engagement photographs were captured earlier this week at Frogmore House which is on the ground of Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

The three pictures were taken by celebrated fashion and celebrity photographer Alexi Lubomirski, who has snapped everyone from Julia Roberts to Angelina Jolie.

Meghan is likely to have chosen her outfit for the pictures with great care, and opted for British brands in a nod to her new home with Harry also wearing heritage label Burberry.

The Californian royal-in-waiting is wearing a one-of-a-kind sheer couture dress exclusively revealed by MailOnline to be worth a staggering 56,000.

Look for less: For fans who want to emulate the future princess's look, MM suggests a $428 (320) frock by Japanese designer Tadasha Soji along with a string of cheaper options

The site suggests a convincing dupe of Meghan's ring - a $45 (34) 'Diamonique' band from QVC and made in Vietnam (left); plus exact shade of Meghan's nail varnish (right)

Kensington Palace confirmed to MailOnline that the dress by British firm Ralph & Russo was 'privately purchased', although it is not clear who bought it - or whether the full price was paid for it.

The couple released the first two pictures at 11am on Thursday, before Kensington Palace put out another one at 1pm, saying: 'Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments following the release of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle's engagement photographs.

'The couple are so grateful for the warm and generous messages they have received during such a happy time in their lives.

'As a way to say thank you, they have decided to share this candid photograph from the day of their portrait sittings directly with all of you.'
It seems that the Duchess of Cambridge is as busy as any mother pre-Christmas.

Just hours after joining her family at the Queen's annual pre-Christmas lunch, Kate made a surprise appearance at the Royal Opera House.

The mother-of-two was spotted at the evening performance of the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker on Wednesday.

Dressed in the same 95.99 Zara cape she wore to the dinner the Duchess looked preened and polished as she made her way into the theatre.

The Duchess of Cambridge made a surprise appearance at the Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House on Wednesday

Seen just underneath her cape was a dress by the label responsible for her wedding dress, and Alexander McQueen petal print ruffle dress.

Despite being five months pregnant with her third child, Kate opted for an elegant pair of black suede heels for the performance.

Following the performance, the 35-year-old spent time chatting to dancers in the show who were delighted to meet their royal fan.

Meaghan Hinkis, a soloist with The Royal Ballet, shared a photo on her Instagram account following their special visit.

Kate, who wore a Zara cape and an Alexander McQueen dress, spent time chatting to performers after the show

The Duchess had come from the Queen's Christmas lunch, an annual tradition which allows the monarch to catch up with more distant relatives

Captioning the snap she wrote: 'To say I was excited to meet the Duchess, is a colossal understatement.'

Deputy stage manager at the theatre known only as sazzle_mcdazzle shared an additional photo of the royal from the back.

She wrote: 'All I want for Christmas is K Midd's hair and cape.'

The Duchess had spent the afternoon alongside Prince William and their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Buckingham Palace.

The family had attended the Queen's annual pre-Christmas lunch held each year on December 20.

The tradition provides the Queen, as well as other immediate family members, to catch up with more distant relatives during the festive period.

The dinner is held in particular for those who do not receive an invitation to Sandringham in Norfolk for Christmas.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are regulars at the Norfolk celebrations arriving on Christmas Eve for three days of deeply traditional festivities, including a bracing walk to church on December 25th and a turkey lunch.
He is known for his no-nonsense approach, but TV's Judge Rinder showed his softer side when he helped children solve their disagreements in the courtroom.

Judge Rinder Kids Court, a special edition of his ITV daytime show, saw siblings trying to settle a number of squabbles, including a sister who accused her four brothers of stealing her missing dolls.

The court also heard the case of two sisters who were arguing over a broken mobile phone.

However perhaps the most memorable moment of the heart-warming show was when Judge Rinder's beloved dog Rocco relieved himself on his owner's lap.

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Brothers Kyle, Denver, Jayden and Taylor, pictured, were taken to court by their sister who was furious to find her favourite dolls had their heads removed

Jessica was thrilled to the point of tears when she was given a brand new doll's house

Brothers Kyle, Denver, Jayden, Taylor and their sister Jessica won over the audience with their touching dispute.

The plaintiff, Jessica, explained that her beloved LOL Dolls had gone missing - and believed her four brothers were responsible.

Judge Rinder, and the audience, couldn't control their laughter as the 'evidence' was handed out.

The court heard that the boys, who were all dressed in matching shirts, waistcoats and ties, had removed the heads of the dolls and had hidden them in bizarre places, leaving their sister a ransom note.

Jessica couldn't believe her eyes when she was presented with a dolls house on the show

It seemed that Judge Rinder found the trial as humourous as the four cheeky boys, who were far from camera shy.

The case was settled when Jessica, who paid for the dolls with her own money, was presented with a huge dolls house, bringing tears to her eyes.

However it wasn't just Jessica who was given a surprise. As Judge Rinder listened to a pair of brothers argue over a bad snoring habit, Rocco the dog pooed on his lap.

Judge Rinder's dog, Rocco, had an upset stomach and left him speechless after making a mess on his lap

The judge went quiet before bursting into uncontrollable laughter, explaining that his dog had an 'upset stomach' and that the dog had done a 'poo on his lap'.

The courtroom also saw two twins Eva and Ella fight over a pair of broken headphones, both accusing the other of the damage.

Both girls left the court room happy when they were gifted a pair of brand new headphones.

Eva and Ella, twins, were both in a despite over the breakage of a set of headphones
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Tiffany Trump celebrated Christmas with her mother, Marla Maples, a few days early before she jetting off to Florida to spend the holiday with her dad and half-siblings.

The 24-year-old first daughter and her father, President Trump, arrived at the Palm Beach International Airport at 1:30 in the afternoon as they made their to his Mar-a-Lago estate, where they are spending the Christmas holiday together.

Tiffany was photographed arriving at Mar-a-Lago with a Secret Service agent in tow, and she quickly changed out of her white dress and put on a short, black romper to walk around the grounds and soak up the sun.

Tiffany Trump enjoyed an early Christmas with her mother, Marla Maples, this week before heading to Florida with her father, President Trump

Marla, 54, took to Instagram on Friday to share a photo of herself opening presents with Tiffany a few days before Christmas

Tiffany, 24, traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, with her father, President Donald Trump, on Air Force One on Friday and was photographed waiting for him in a black vehicle

Trump gave a thumbs up before he stepping off Air Force One at Palm Beach International Air Force. The family is spending the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate

The president greeted cheering fans in Florida upon his arrival in Palm Beach while Tiffany waited for him in their vehicle

Tiffany was photographed arriving at Mar-a-Lago while on Friday afternoon while accompanied by a secret service agent

Trump's youngest daughter donned a short, white dress while enjoying the escape from the winter chill in New York

Tiffany wore her long blonde hair down around her shoulders for her arrival ahead of the Christmas holiday

The first daughter carried her large, pink handbag in the crook of her arm while making her away across the club's green

But before heading south for her holiday vacation, Tiffany spent some quality time opening gifts with her mother in New York City.

Marla, 54, took to Instagram on Friday to share a photo of herself posed on the floor of her living room with her only child.

In the picture, they are surrounded by presents, and the mother-daughter duo appear to be wearing matching cream sweaters and black leggings.

Marla is holding a box from the luggage company Tumi, and there are holiday bags filled with presents sitting between them.

'Sweet and cozy pre-Christmas moments with my girl,' the mom captioned the image.

On Friday afternoon, Trump's only child with Marla, his second ex-wife, was photographed following her father off of Air Force One after they arrived in Palm Beach.

The law student at Georgetown University finished her first semester of graduate school last week, and she looked ready for some fun in the sun in a white dress and dark sunglasses.

She carried a pink handbag and was seen sitting inside a black SUV at the airport while waiting for her father in the 80-degree weather.

The temperature in Palm Beach is in the 80s, and members of the family were already hanging out outside when Tiffany arrived

Tiffany's dress featured layers of ruffles on the skirt, which skimmed her thighs

Tiffany quickly changed into a short, black romper to take a walk around the luxurious property

A Trump helicopter was parked behind her as she walked toward the water with her Secret Service agent

A Secret Service agent dressed in plane clothes had his arms crossed while Tiffany checked out the view

Tiffany was joined by a second Secret Service agent who drove up on a golf car

While Tiffany was in sitting in the backseat of the vehicle, Trump shook hands with members of the crowd on the tarmac as they cheered and chanted, 'USA! USA!'

Earlier in the day, President Trump signed his tax cut bill on Friday morning in the Oval Office in front of a handful of reporters instead of at a lavish White House ceremony, in his final order of business before the start of his Christmas holiday away from the White House.

When Tiffany arrived at the estate, she was seen walking across the club's lawn before changing into a black romper to go on a stroll with one of her Secret Service agents.

Mar-a-Lago is being heavily guarded by Secret Service agents, snipers, and the U.S. Coast Guard while the Trumps are in town.

Tiffany's half-brother Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, arrived at the lavish Palm Beach estate on Wednesday along with their three-month-old son Luke, their two dogs, and their security team.

The pair appeared cool and casual as they sported tees and shorts while strolling across the club's green.

First Lady Melania and her son Barron were said to have arrived at the family's Winter White House on Tuesday ahead of the holiday.

Lara was later photographed speaking with a Secret Service agent on Friday afternoon, wearing a loose-fitting tank top, casual shorts, and a wide brim hat.

Tiffany donned sunglasses while enjoying the sunny afternoon in Florida

Tiffany appeared to be sending a text message at one point during her walk

Two of her Secret Service agents chatted while she was busy texting

The president's youngest daughter wore a small black bag in the crook of her arm

Tiffany's Secret Service agent traveled behind her as they headed back inside

Tiffany's romper had spaghetti straps and a heart-shaped neckline

Mar-a-Lago is being heavily guarded while the Trumps are in town. Snipers were photographed as they kept watch of the property following the president's arrival

The U.S. Coast Guard patrolled Mar-a-Lago from the water on Friday afternoon

A boat from Palm Beach County's sheriff's department was also photographed on the water

Eric Trump's wife, Lara, was photographed speaking with a Secret Service agent on Friday while holding one of her dogs

Lara donned a loose-fitting tank top, shorts, and a wide-brim hat while chatting with the agent

At one point, Lara turned around with her hands on her hips to take in the view

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. took to Instagram Stories on Friday to share a photo of his eldest son, Donald Trump III, bundled up in a blue fleece and overalls while posing in front of a tractor.

He later shared a video of the youngster driving the tractor in North Carolina.

It's unclear if he and his wife, Vanessa, will be taking their five children to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas.

It's also unclear if Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, will be flying to Florida with their three children Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore to join the family for the holiday.

Ivanka converted to Judaism to marry Jared, and the family celebrated Hanukkah at their home in Washington, D.C. this week. The two senior advisers were spotted arriving back at their home after a day of work at the White House on Wednesday evening, the last day of Hanukkah.

Earlier in the week, Tiffany enjoyed dinner with her mom in New York at Atlantic Grill near Lincoln center. Although they had an early Christmas, Marla will certainly be missing her little girl over the holidays.

This month, the nostalgic mom shared a few throwback photos of Tiffany enjoying the holiday as a child, including a picture of Marla and her daughter sporting matching red turtlenecks while riding one one of the little girl's toys.

She also paid tribute to her late mother with heartwarming photo of herself holding Tiffany while she and her mom, Ann, sat on Santa's lap.

Marla was married to Trump from 1993 to 1999, and she tagged her ex-husband's Mar-a-Lago estate when posting the picture, which was taken when Tiffany was a toddler.

Earlier in the day, Lara shared a sweet video of herself on the beach with her son, Luke, and their dogs

Eric and Lara traveled to Florida with their-three-month-old son, Luke, and two dogs on Wednesday

Donald Trump Jr. took to Instagram Stories on Friday to share a photo of his eldest son, Donald Trump III, bundled up in blue fleece while posing in front of a tractor. It's unclear if he and his family are heading to Mar-a-Lago

Don Jr also shared a video of his son driving the tractor on a farm in North Carolina. On the post he wrote: 'I think Donnie wants to be a farmer. Here he is driving his John Deere'

Ivanka Trump converted to Judaism to marry her husband, Jared Kushner, and the family celebrated Hanukkah at their home in Washington, D.C. this week

It's currently unclear whether Ivanka and Jared plan on taking their three children to Florida to join her family. They were seen arriving at their home in D.C. on Wednesday

Mara posted a throwback Christmas photo of herself with Tiffany when she was a little girl last week

This month she also shared a photo of herself sitting on Santa's lap at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate with her late mother, Ann, and Tiffany in the '90s

Last year, Tiffany spent Christmas with her mother's family in Georgia before heading to Mar-a-Lago to ring in the new year with her boyfriend Ross Mechanic at her dad's party

Last year, Trump's youngest daughter spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with her mother in her home state of Georgia before heading to Mar-a-Lago with her boyfriend Ross Mechanic for Trump's New Year's Eve.

It's unclear if Ross will be joining Tiffany for the holidays, as the two haven't been photographed together since they traveled to Europe over the summer.

The couple, who previously touted their relationship on their Instagram pages, hasn't posted any images of themselves together since they parted ways in July.

While Tiffany spent the rest of the summer gearing up to start law school in Washington, D.C., Ross started working as a data engineer in New York at Cadre, the real estate start-up co-founded by Tiffany's brother-in-law, Jared.

Three months ago the registered Democrat changed his public Instagram page to private after having gone several months without being seen in public with his other half.

However, it is unclear if his decision to change the status of his account was motivated by a change in his relationship status or a desire to have more privacy while dealing with the fame and scrutiny that comes with dating the president's youngest daughter.
Three men living with HIV were wrongly denied breast reduction surgeries by a New York plastic surgery clinic based on their statuses, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

Mark Milano of New York and the US sued Springfield Medical Aesthetic in 2015, claiming that the facility's policy against operating on anyone with HIV violated their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Two other men joined the suit.

Ultimately, the court's decision hinged instead on a federal law that requires doctors to assess the safety of a procedure based on a patient's full medical history, including medications they are on.

US District Judge Analisa Torres ruled that the doctors at Springfield had failed to thoroughly evaluate the medical facts in each man's case to determine if any of them were on medications that could interfere with their surgery outcomes.

A judge ruled Wednesday that three HIV positive men were wrongly denied plastic surgery

Lawyers for the company did not immediately return a message seeking comment Wednesday.

But in court papers, lawyers for Springfield Medical Aesthetic, which operates the medical offices, said the issue was whether a licensed physician could be held liable for refusing to perform elective cosmetic surgery on HIV-positive patients based on the physician's judgment the patients' medications could interfere adversely with medications used in the surgery.

'This case is not about a physician who holds discriminatory animus toward HIV+ patients,' the lawyers wrote.

'Importantly, this case is not about fear of infection by the physician or his staff when treating HIV+ patients.'

The lawyers called it an instance of judicial first impression and noted the government did not cite any US case in which a court had applied the ADA or federal or local law to overrule a physician's medical decision not to treat an HIV-positive patient.

Laws protecting medical rights for people with HIV A 1998 Supreme Court case established that a person with HIV but no symptoms is protected by the Americans with Disability Act. The case came about after a dentist refused to treat a woman with HIV in 1994. Now, healthcare professionals are not allowed to have policies refusing treatment based just on status. They must evaluate all the medical facts of each patient's case, and can only deny treatment if they establish that a procedure could interfere with a patient's medication or condition and cause them harm. Advertisement

The judge acknowledged the issue had not been addressed before in the courts but said there was precedent in a Supreme Court case that found a teacher living with tuberculosis was unjustly fired. In that case, the trial judge did not conduct an individualized inquiry into the health risks, if any, posed by the teacher's disease.

Torres wrote that the medical practice at Advanced Cosmetic Surgery violated federal law in HIV-related cases by failing to investigate whether drugs taken by the three men would threaten health as a result of surgery. The judge also said the company violated New York City Human Rights Law.

'Defendants' blanket refusal without individualized inquiry is insufficient to pass muster under the ADA,' the judge wrote.

Lawyer Ali Frick, representing Milano, said the court's decision 'elevated science and facts over fear and prejudice.'

'Discrimination against people living with HIV remains a pervasive problem,' the lawyer said. 'A doctor cannot hide behind his medical degree to discriminate against patients.'

There will be a damages trial, and Milano could be entitled to a financial payment.

Milano said he had lived with HIV for 30 years but felt it 'like a punch in the gut' when he was told by the doctor that he never performs procedures on people with HIV.

'It left me on the verge of tears,' he said. 'I had never experienced such blatant HIV discrimination in my life.'

In court papers, lawyers for the government wrote that a doctor did not have 'unfettered discretion to decide, without any supporting medical evidence, that he can turn away whatever patients he wishes.'
A one-year-old girl suffering a rare liver disease has stunned doctors with her recovery and is expected to celebrate Christmas at home after spending a quarter of her life in the hospital.

Leia Garcia was born with biliary atresia, a liver disease that has left her near death several times, forcing doctors to scramble to revive her.

The girl from Texas received a liver transplant last month as her only means of survival, though it caused a crucial artery to close, meaning blood was no longer flowing to her liver.

After three failed surgeries to reopen it, to doctors' surprise the artery began pumping on its own earlier this week and she is expected to be released next Wednesday, two days after Christmas.

Leia's mother told Daily Mail Online that they're excited to celebrate the holiday at home even if not on the actual day.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Leia Garcia, one, was born with biliary atresia, a liver disease in infants that blocks the bile ducts, leading to liver failure

Her father Arsenio Garcia and mother Naomi Chacon, 21, have been at the hospital in San Antonio nearly every day for the past three months as their daughter fights to stay alive

Biliary atresia is a disease of the bile ducts that only occurs in infants.

Bile is a digestive liquid that is made in the liver and travels through the bile ducts to the small intestine, where it helps digest fats.

The disease causes the bile ducts to become inflamed and blocked causing the liquid to remain in the liver and destroy the organ.

Only one out of every 18,000 infants is diagnosed with the disease and it is unknown what causes it.

After Leia was born doctors were able to diagnose her within two weeks when they noticed her liver was enlarged and she wasn't digesting milk properly.

They checked her billirubin levels, a compound that determines the health of the liver.

While healthy levels for a newborn should read below a one, Leia's billirubin was at a 20.

At less than a month old she underwent a Kasai procedure, a surgery meant to bypass the bile ducts and prevent liver damage.

However, the surgery was not fully successful and only acted as a band-aid, according to Lei's mother, Naomi Chacon, 21.

Leia was born on December 10, 2016 and spent her first Christmas in the hospital while recovering from the surgery.

Doctors sent Leia home at one month old and told the family that she would eventually need a liver transplant but needed to weigh at least 20 pounds.

For the next nine months she began developing like any other infant.

'She was doing everything a normal baby would do, talking and playing but she wasn't walking or crawling yet,' Naomi said.

'They expected her to be on a feeding tube but she went against the odds and bottle fed, which doctors said was rare,' she added.

But at 10 months old Leia woke up throwing up large amounts of blood.

Her liver was failing rapidly and she was rushed to the hospital where she was put on a breathing tube.

At 10 months old Leia woke up throwing up large amounts of blood due to her liver rapidly failing

The parents rushed their daughter to the hospital where she was revived by doctors several times and ultimately received a new liver

The transplant caused an artery to close, which pumps blood to the liver, but miraculously the artery has opened on its own and she is expected to go home next week

WHAT IS BILIARY ATRESIA? Biliary atresia is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts that occurs in infants. Only one out of every 18,000 infants is diagnosed with the disease. With biliary atresia, the liver ducts that produce bile - which flows to the gallbladder - are blocked. The bile is then trapped inside the liver, quickly causing damage and scarring of the liver cells (cirrhosis), and eventually liver failure. Signs and symptoms: Jaundice

Dark urine

Acholic (clay-colored) stools

Weight loss and irritability Biliary atresia is usually diagnosed through either an ultrasound or a liver biopsy. There is no medication to treat the disease but there are two forms of treatment. The first is a Kasai procedure - an operation to reestablish bile flow from the liver into the intestine. The surgeon removes the damaged ducts outside of the liver and attached a piece of the smaller intestine to the part of the liver that still works so that bile can flow correctly. The second, a liver transplant, is the definitive treatment for biliary atresia with a high survival rate. Advertisement

The 10-month old had lost so much blood that she nearly died.

Leia's father Arsenio Garcia, 21, told News 4 San Antonio there were three or four times in the past two months that the couple thought their daughter wasn't going to make it.

Though Leia was only 12 pounds, eight pounds short of the required weight for surgery, doctors moved forward with performing a liver transplant because it was her only chance at survival.

She received the new liver in the beginning of November and has been in a San Antonio hospital, an hour away from the family's home, for three months.

The couple has been traveling every day to the hospital to be with their daughter which has kept them from their jobs in EMS billing and at a craft store.

'She's coded when we've left the hospital for just a couple of hours. It's hard when you leave and then they call you,' Naomi said.

Since the transplant Leia has shown remarkable progress.

Her hepatic artery, a blood vessel that supplies blood to the liver, was shut during the transplant.

Doctors attempted three surgeries to open the artery which all failed.

However, earlier this week the artery opened on its own and has supplied small amounts of blood to the liver.

'Her arteries weren't supposed to open on their own, ' Naomi said. 'The doctors were shocked when she had blood flow to it.'

Leia has been given the green light to go home by Wednesday December 27.

Naomi said: 'We'll be able to spend Christmas at home even if it's not on the actual day.'

She will use a feeding tube because she has forgotten how to drink from a bottle and continue to do speech therapy and physical therapy.

The family has set up a GoFundMe to pay for the 12 medications that she will have to take everyday, some of which are not covered by insurance.
Charities are demanding action over an EU loophole which could deny thousands of children cancer drugs.

In a letter to European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, campaigners criticised drug companies who are currently allowed to exclude children from cancer drug trials.

Charities including the Institute of Cancer Research and Teenage Cancer Trust say around 3,600 British children could miss out on life-saving drugs as a result.

The loophole lets firms avoid doing trials of new medications on children in some cases if the drugs are for adult cancers  even if they may work for both age groups.

Charities are demanding action over an EU loophole which could deny thousands of children cancer drugs

But instead of changing the rules, the European Commission has set up a review into the regulation, which could last up to two years.

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: There is no scientific reason why childrens cancer treatments have not advanced as quickly as adult treatments.

'Paediatric cancer researchers are dedicated to finding new ways to treat childhood cancer but the outdated EU Paediatric Regulation is a major road block.

He added: We believe that there is no excuse for another two years of the status quo  and fear that the delays will cost the lives of children and young people.

Every year around 1,800 children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer - most commonly leukaemia, brain cancer or cancer of the spinal cord.

It means 3,600 children will develop the disease in the next two years, during which they could be denied access to a drugs trial.

The European Commission could take this long to reach a decision on changing regulations, with its evaluation of the rules set to conclude in 2019.

A top EU official has admitted its failure, with Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, stating recently: When we consider the advances in adult oncology, it upsets me deeply that we have not made the same progress in treating the cancers that affect children.

The Institute of Cancer Research found pharmaceutical companies were granted waivers to avoid childrens trials of cancer drugs for 33 out of 53 cancer treatments, in an analysis of European Medicines Agency data for the five years to 2016.

In a letter to European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, campaigners criticised drug companies who are currently allowed to exclude children from cancer drug trials

Drug companies are currently able to deny children clinical trials for adult diseases like lung and kidney cancer.

However experts say a lung cancer drug has been shown to treat childhood brain cancer, while an advanced kidney cancer drug, called axitinib, could help children with rare cancers like neuroblastoma.

If the review does not overturn the rules, British children with cancer are feared to miss out even post-Brexit. Cancer drugs tend to be cross-country projects, so European rules could still apply to trials taking in British cancer patients.

The letter to Mr Juncker is also signed by childrens cancer charity CLIC Sargent, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, umbrella parents group Unite2Cure and 11 smaller childrens cancer charities.

It states: We cannot accept that outdated legislation should be allowed to deny thousands of children with cancer across Europe the treatments they so urgently need.

A spokesman for the European Commission said: 'EU rules certainly do not prevent pharmaceutical companies from carrying out research into using new drugs to treat children.

'The rules require companies to do so unless they can justify otherwise. This has been a major factor in the recent increase in the number of new medicines being authorised for children - 260 have been given the go-ahead in the last ten years.'

The Commission is working with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to streamline how the Paediatric Regulation works.
Sex is great  except when it's excruciating and humiliating and lands you in hospital.

And ER doctors and nurses are the ones who see it all  and have to help the patient without giggling.

Men's Health asked medics what the most horrendous intimacy-related injuries they had come across were.

From the distressing, to the downright dumbfounding, here are their answers...

ER doctors have revealed the most horrendous sex-related injuries they have come across (stock image)

1. Genital burns from spicy food

'One time I treated a woman whose partner had performed cunnilingus on her immediately after eating some spicy food,' explained Gabe Wilson, an emergency physician in Southeast Texas.

'The hot sauce her partner consumed prior to the sex act left mild burns on her genital region.'

2. 'Rectal foreign bodies'

'While I was a general surgery resident, I encountered some 'unique' objects lodged in the rectum  in medical speak, "rectal foreign bodies," explained Joshua Zuckerman, a plastic surgeon in New York.

'In one case, we had to surgically remove a pink softball from someone's rectum, and in another case, a significantly-sized potato.'

3. Angry, swollen vagina from popping candy

David Meyers, an emergency physician based in Newport Beach, California, featured on the show Sex Sent Me to the ER.

He explained how a woman rushed into the hospital he was working in and said she had extreme discomfort in her groin area. She was shifting side to side like she needed the toilet urgently.

Dr Meyers explains that he carried out some tests but was left baffled. Then the patient and her husband explained what really happened.

A woman was rushed to the hospital by her husband having suffered an adverse reaction to popping candy on her vagina (stock image)

The amorous couple were spending their first evening alone without their newborn  and to celebrate the occasion they experimented in the bedroom with popping candy, also known as pop rocks.

But when the husband performed oral sex on his wife, the sweets immediately exploded, causing a painful irritation, swelling, and burning sensation.

'So we irrigated the area, prescribed an antihistamine, and the woman made a full recovery,' said Dr Meyers.

4. Penis fractured running into a pole  but was that true?

Robert Hartman, a urology specialist in Lake Forest, Illinois, explained that a street sweeper attended ER in agony with a fractured penis.

'When I met him in the emergency room, he was with his wife, and said he ran into a utility pole,' he said. 'That's the story he told her.'

But Dr Hartman said he knew he was lying  'because you can only fracture your penis a few different ways'.

And so the medic asked the man's wife to leave the room and the patient admitted he'd injured himself in the throws of passion with a prostitute.

The doctor said his wife never found out the truth and the man eventually made a full recovery.

5. Oral sex with braces

Dr Hartman had another tale to tell. He revealed a college freshman came into the emergency room with severely swollen penis.

'It was a very, very swollen, angry-looking penis,' he said. 'He had a couple little abrasions on the skin of the penile shaft.'

A freshman suffered with a severely swollen penis after receiving oral sex from a man with teeth braces (stock image)

After lots of questioning, the patient confessed that he had received oral sex from another freshman who was wearing teeth braces.

'The braces had cut open his penis, and whatever food, germs and bacteria were trapped in the braces were feeding into his wounds.'

Thankfully, the man recovered after a course of antibiotics.

6. Wedding ring stuck on penis

Dr Hartman treated a 60-something-year-old man who came in with a wedding stuck on his penis.

The patient had apparently been suffering with erectile dysfunction and after doing some research online decided the object could help with his problem.

'None of the blood was able to go back into his body,' explained the doctor. 'It all got trapped, and his penis was swollen and borderline necrotic.'#

After the local fire brigade were unable to help, Dr Hartman got hold of a saw blade.

'As we were trying to remove the ring with the tool, it would glow bright orange, like molten,' he said. 'It looked just like the Lord of the Rings ring... but on a penis.'

Dr Hartman reported that the man recovered well  and learned that he'd have better success with Viagra pills.
With its festive red livery and a name that sounds like one of Santa's speedier reindeer, what better present to give yourself this Christmas than the sporty and bold new Stinger grand tourer from Kia.

Having put one through its paces on UK roads this week, I can tell you this is a proper belter. Think of it as a coupe-like muscle car from South Korea  a rival to America's Ford Mustang.

But it's also gunning for BMW's 440i Gran Coupe and Audi's S5 Sportback. Though they are all around the same price bracket, Kia believes its fully loaded packages  less to spend on extras  will tempt buyers.

Cracker: Kia's new Stinger is a South Korean muscle car that combines blistering performance with a very sensible seven year warranty

Kia, whose UK HQ is in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, expects to sell about 1,500 in the UK in the first year with deliveries starting in the New Year.

I drove the top-of-the-range Stinger GTS model with a 3.3 litre turbo V6 petrol engine linked to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox (with manual paddles) that takes you smoothly, but with gusto, from 0 to 60mph in just 4.7 seconds.

Top speed, should you be on a German autobahn, is a mighty 168 mph. And for an all-in, on-the-road price of 41,140, it's packed tighter than Santa's sleigh with masses of kit as standard.

Competition: The Stinger is a rival for BMW's 440i Gran Coupe and Audi's S5 Sportback

Grunt: The top-of-the-range Stinger GTS model is equipped with a 3.3 litre turbo V6 petrol engine linked to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox with manual paddles

Performance: The GTS model will take you from 0 to 60mph in just 4.7 seconds and hit 168mph

This includes leather upholstery, front-heated seats and a heated steering wheel.

My favourite  which should be standard on every car  is a fighter-pilot style head-up display so you can see satnav and traffic information reflected through the windscreen without taking your eyes off the road.

There are five variants, with prices from 31,995 for a 2-litre turbo GT Line with a 244 bhp engine that does 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph.

With its long, low bonnet I felt like I was cruising the mean streets in a U.S. cop film.

It also has four full-sized doors and ample passenger room.

Styling was overseen by global design boss Peter Schreyer  who created the original Audi TT  and, to cap it all, it has Kia's class-leading seven year or 100,000-mile warranty.

Looks: Styling was overseen by global design boss Peter Schreyer  who created the original Audi TT

Practical too: The rear seats fold down to provide a very useful load space

Cabin: Standard kit includes leather upholstery, front-heated seats and a heated steering wheel

Choice: There are five variants, with prices from 31,995 for a 2-litre turbo GT Line with a 244 bhp engine that does 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph

LAND ROVER LAUNCHES POSH 4X4 VAN

If Santa needs help delivering presents, Land Rovers new commercial van version of its Discovery could do the job.

The second and third rows of seats have gone and the rear windows have been blanked to create arguably Britains poshest 4x4 van with 1,856 litres of boot space. Prices from 40,333 plus VAT.

Haughty hauler: The new Land Rover ban has 1,856 litres of boot space and a 40,333 price tag

F1 TECH IN AN ELECTRIC BIKE Fancy a state-of-the-art vehicle developed with F1 know-how and made of super-light carbon fibre that you can pick up for the cost of a second-hand car? Itll even help you burn off all those festive calories if you over-indulge on the Christmas pud and mince pies. The 4,790 Lavelle Power Bike combines a lightweight carbon fibre frame with a powerful 250w electric motor Costing 4,790, its not a car, but a hand-built high-tech bike boosted by a 500W battery and a 250W electric motor and automatic gears to pull away fast at junctions. The Lavelle Power Bike, created by Oxford-based Formula 1 and aeronautical engineers, doubles as an exercise bike and health monitor you can programme for your fitness as you ride. It has built-in satellite GPS diagnostic systems for both the ride and the riders performance, including monitoring the cyclists heart. The Lavelle has built-in satellite GPS diagnostic systems for both the ride and the riders performance, including monitoring the cyclists heart. It will reduce or increase the level of assistance according to the riders fitness or surrounding landscape. But it wont carry the children or keep you dry  which a decent second-hand supermini for the same price can.

Quirky British car company Morgan is to put its EV3 electric three-wheeler into production next year.

The Malvern-based manufacturer has teamed up with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems to create its first battery powered car, inspired by aero-engine race cars, classic Thirties motorcycles and Fifties fantasies.

Itll have a 120-mile range.Expect to pay around 52,000  about 60 orders have been placed already.
WHO IS IT? Australia-based Tlou Energy supplies electricity in southern African countries by extracting methane, or natural gas, trapped in unmined coal seams underground.

Founded in 2009, it has designs on becoming a major gas-to-power producer in Africa and has focused on Botswana because of its severe energy shortage and reliance on expensive or imported power sources.

WHATS THE LATEST? Tlou, which listed on AIM in 2015, has completed two new core holes in Botswana and this month listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange, raising 2.4million.

WHO BACKS IT? A main backer is African Alliance Botswana, a leading asset manager. Individual UK-based investors make up the majority of shareholders.

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST? Since it floated, its share price has risen nearly 80 per cent.

Experts hope it will increase in value. Graham Spooner, an investment research analyst at The Share Centre, believes the future prospects for coal-bed methane in the region is encouraging for the business.

He adds: The hope for early 2018, after a review of the information gathered from this drilling project as well as a seismic survey, is that it can expand its existing gas reserves and contingent resources. He also likes that Tlou has an experienced management team.

...AND WHY YOU SHOULDNT Investing in mining is high risk. Disappointing drilling expeditions, a dip in demand and political instability can hamper projects.

Spooner says: The biggest risk is that this isnt a profit-making company. There is the possibility that more money could be needed to complete projects and drive operations forward.
Waitrose is taking more orders from abroad including demands for spaghetti rings from Brazil

Brazilians love Waitrose's spaghetti rings, the French are big fans of the posh supermarket's baked beans and Australians go crazy for piccalilli.

Waitrose revealed orders for its food and drink to customers overseas are up by 20 per cent compared to 2016, through its partnership with online store British Corner Shop.

Exports of its baked beans to France are booming, with British Corner Shop exporting 66 per cent more of the supermarket's baked beans compared to last year.

In Germany, shoppers are shunning the country's bangers and instead plumping for Waitrose's free range pork sausages and its chipolatas with honey and rosemary wrapped in bacon.

Italy buys the most ginger nut biscuits and Canadians love guzzling Waitrose's bourbon creams.

The furthest orders come from Australia where the top seller is Waitrose's mustard piccalilli.

It has also exported gin and mince pies to the Cayman Islands and ice cream and profiteroles to Barbados.

Mark Callaghan, managing director of British Corner Shop, said: 'Brits [are] increasingly wanting a taste of home and new customers around the world [are] keen to try foods which aren't readily available.'
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Is the paint still wet on the Leonardo da Vinci Salvator Mundi that recently sold for an eye-watering 340million?

That is the question raised by art experts yesterday following the discovery of photographic evidence suggesting that someone carried on painting it between its unveiling at the National Gallery in London in 2011 and its auction at Christie's New York last month.

Dr Martin Pracher, a German lecturer in technical art history, was taken aback to find that the painting had changed, according to photographs taken then and now.

He alerted Michael Daley, director of ArtWatch UK, who was astonished by the differences  most notably, that folds on Christ's left shoulder, as seen when the painting was exhibited in the National Gallery's 2011-2012 Leonardo exhibition as a major discovery, had disappeared from the picture sold by Christie's.

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Photographic evidence suggests that someone carried on painting the Leonardo da Vinci Salvator Mundi that recently sold for an eye-watering 340m ($450m) between its unveiling at the National Gallery in London in 2011 (above) and its auction at Christie's New York last month

The blue mantle on Christs left shoulder is shown (left) after it was restored between 2007 and 2011 and as it was exhibited in the National Gallerys major 2011-2012 Leonardo exhibition. The photo on the right shows the changes that were made between 2012 and November 2017 when it was sold at Christie's in New York

The painting as sold in November 2017. Dr Martin Pracher, a German lecturer in technical art history, was taken aback to find that the painting had changed, according to the photographs taken then and now. He alerted Michael Daley, director of ArtWatch UK, who was astonished by the differences

Mr Daley said: 'The $450m Leonardo Salvator Mundi was not so much a discovery as a work-in-progress.'

Describing the photographic evidence as 'sensational', he added: 'It had never occurred to me that they'd go on painting after it had been officially sanctioned at a Leonardo exhibition and entered into the record and the history books as an image.

'That is, the picture as sold this month is not the same as it was when exhibited as Leonardo autograph work at the National Gallery.'

Although no one disputes that the painting underwent extensive restoration before its unveiling at the National Gallery, the new evidence led one expert to say: 'There must have been heavy cleaning or retouching - not for the better - after authentication, which moves the work even a bit further from its original [attribution].'

Beaux Arts, the learned arts journal, has just published a feature in which Jacques Franck - an expert in Leonardo's (above) painting techniques and a restoration adviser to the Louvre in Paris - says that he believes it is by Leonardo's assistant, known as Salai

A Christie's spokeswoman confirmed that Dianne Modestini, the painting's original restorer, had worked on the painting again before its sale.

Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World) portrays Jesus gesturing in blessing with his right hand while holding a crystal orb in his left hand.

Some of the world's foremost scholars confirmed its attribution to Leonardo in 2011, when Luke Syson, the then National Gallery curator, included the painting in his blockbuster Leonardo exhibition.

It was sold on November 15 by Christie's New York, which had described it as the artistic rediscovery of the 21st century, 'one of fewer than 20 known paintings by Leonardo'.

But some leading scholars doubt the attribution. Frank Zollner, of the University of Leipzig, believes that it could be a 'high-quality product of Leonardo's workshop' or even a later follower.

Beaux Arts, the learned arts journal, has just published a feature in which Jacques Franck - an expert in Leonardo's painting techniques and a restoration adviser to the Louvre in Paris - says that he believes it is by Leonardo's assistant, known as Salai.

Mr Daley said that Dr Pracher's photographic evidence clearly shows the differences: 'The blue drapery over Christ's true left shoulder has been repainted.

'Lots of folds that were there when it was exhibited as an autograph Leonardo, with the seal of approval by Luke Syson and others, have been changed or removed. The world is acting as if this is the same painting that was endorsed at the National Gallery, and it's not.'

He added: 'Someone has been working on it Is it still a work in progress? Has it been sold when the paint's still wet?'

Charles Hope, former director of the Warburg Institute and a leading specialist in the Italian Renaissance, also doubts the painting's authorship, noting that accepted Leonardo paintings look 'quite different'.

He said that Dr Pracher's photographic evidence clearly shows that 'there's been a change': 'It is a bit odd.'

Whether it has any impact on its value remains to be seen. Hope said of the 340million sale: 'The price is absurd. Crazy.'

After weeks of speculation about the buyer, with reports suggesting that it was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Christie's released a statement to 'confirm' that the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism 'is acquiring' the painting and that it 'will be available for public view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi'.

A Christie's spokeswoman said that the restorer told them that 'the difference' between the images is due to a 'natural byproduct of the cleaning, conservation and drying process'.

In her 2014 published report, she had written of degradation in the drapery caused by 'ultramarine sickness'  'the commonly occurring alteration of this pigment in conjunction with oil paint'  and noted that 'the shadows of the folds over the proper left shoulder... became progressively stronger'.

The painting was sold on November 15 by Christie's New York (above, as the bidding ended), which had described it as the artistic rediscovery of the 21st century, 'one of fewer than 20 known paintings by Leonardo'

Modestini argued yesterday that 'the black streaks in the left shoulder of the Salvator Mundi's blue mantle are not pleats': 'They are marks caused by the deterioration of the blue pigment made from the semi-precious stone, lapis lazuli

'Solvents used for the cleaning and retouching for a brief period saturated the paint in the area of the left shoulder and made the streaks 'disappear' [the cleaned state image]

'Over time, as the solvents evaporated completely, the degradation reappeared in this isolated area [the 2011 after-treatment image].'

The Christie's spokeswoman said: 'Prior to its presentation for sale at Christie's, Modestini partially cleaned the passage of paint in the shoulder and the dark streaks disappeared'.

She added: 'To imply that something incorrect has taken place would itself be incorrect.'

But Mr Daley said: 'The well-known phenomenon of "ultramarine sickness" is a red herring.

'The folds were there in 1912, the oldest photograph of the painting, and in 2011, when it was exhibited at the National Gallery and in the restorer's own report. No naturally-occurring phenomena could have altered an artist's depicted folds in a painting.'
Disturbing footage shows a man carrying two handguns, storming into an Ohio hospital's psychiatric emergency room, shooting a security officer and firing on police. The gunman fatally shot himself in the incident.

Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac identified the gunman in the Wednesday afternoon shooting as Isaiah Currie, 20, of Cincinnati. In November Currie was arrested after firing rounds into a park and playground, injuring one.

Some of the drama that unfolded at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center complex was captured on surveillance video and 911 recordings. The video begins with a calm looking Currie entering the hospital's sliding glass doors.

An officer attempts to enter the hospital to apprehend Isaiah Currie who was firing from inside

Currie starts shooting at the officer, who then does an about face to escape the incoming fire

Police say an unarmed security guard at the hospital was shot twice in the gunfire- it is unclear if this is the guard but from the video it appears likely that this was the guard that was struck

He first fires on a security guard who runs for his life. The guard was shot two times.

Currie then fires on a responding officer, who also runs for the door and manages to escape unharmed.

Police Chief Isaac said they have yet to determine Currie's motive but said he had a criminal record, including drug charges, resisting arrest, assault on a corrections officer and an earlier assault on a UC Health security officer.

'We have a shooter here. ... I'm hiding under a desk. Hurry!' a psychiatric services employee reported during a 911 call.

Isaac said: 'Shortly after entering the building Wednesday, Currie struggled with the security guard and fired shots. The guard then ran out of the building. Currie followed him.

'Video shows the man identified as Currie striding outside before apparently spotting the security officer and then running after him, firing more shots. The officer received two gunshot wounds to the torso.

Currie also walked outside to his car after the shooting but had left his car keys inside so he returned to retrieve them and was seen on this camera with guns in both hands

Currie walks into the lobby of the emergency room fully armed with a gun in each hand

Police responded to a previous crime scene in November where Currie fired multiple rounds into a park and playground, wounding at least one, before feeling the area. He was then charged with felonious assault and discharging a firearm on or near a prohibited premises

'Currie returned inside the hospital. He had left his car keys and he returned to the emergency room lobby to retrieve them, walking at a steady pace and still holding a gun in each hand.

'A Cincinnati police officer on security duty at a nearby medical building rushed into the emergency psychiatric services wing, drawing a gunshot from Currie. The shot missed. After ducking and retreating, the officer, Bob Nelson, regrouped with other officers outside and moved in on Currie.

'Currie killed himself with a single gunshot.'

Isaac said Nelson's actions 'and the action of the other responding officers was nothing less than heroic, along with the actions of the security officer.'

He also praised the UC Health staff, which locked down the emergency room before Currie returned.

'He was not able to penetrate,' Isaac said.

He said he didn't have details on Currie's mental health condition. He said Currie was armed with 9mm and .22-caliber handguns, at least one of them stolen.

Cincinnati Police Department Chief Eliot Isaac addresses the media at a press conference Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, in regard to the active shooter at a University of Cincinnati hospital facility the previous day

Hamilton County court records show several recent cases for Currie, including a felonious assault charge Nov. 2 for allegedly firing a semi-automatic rifle repeatedly into a public park, wounding a man.

Court records show a grand jury declined to indict him in that case, but Currie was then indicted on charges of assaulting a corrections officer and obstructing official business on Nov. 12.

The records show a Hamilton County deputy said he opened Currie's cell door to give him his dinner, and Currie charged him, punched him in the face, and then tried to throw him over a railing. Two other officers helped subdue Currie, they said in their statements.

Court records show Currie was released on $75,000 bond last week in that case.

The attorney who had been representing Currie in the case called the shootings 'tragic.'

Attorney M.J. Hugan said Thursday that she didn't know why Currie was at the Cincinnati hospital on Wednesday. She said he was scheduled for a pretrial hearing in January.

Police respond to a crime scene after Currie fired multiple rounds into a park and playground, wounding at least one, before feeling the area in November

Bullets riddled the ground after Currie fired multiple shots into a playground injuring one

Hugan said that she knew Currie had a mental health history but that he seemed very stable and coherent when she saw him at the Hamilton County Justice Center.

She also said that a corrections officer she talked to when she went to see Currie told her they hadn't had any problems with him other than the alleged assault that resulted in the charges.

'I didn't have grave concerns for his mental health,' Hugan said.

She said that Currie's family is 'devastated' by his death and very concerned about the security officer who was shot.

'Something went terribly wrong,' she said.
Homeowners in New York City have angered their fellow neighbors with their epic festive lights display, igniting a Christmas war in the Brooklyn area.

Several residents have decorated their front lawns with thousands of twinkling lights, massive inflatable Santas, candy canes and reindeers to celebrate the festive season, however some people aren't too happy with the display in the Dyker Heights neighborhood.

'This is a residential neighborhood - not Times Square!' President of Dyker Heights Civic Association, Vella-Marrone, said.

Pictured here are some of the epic light displays in the Dyker Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York

According to Marrone crowds from as far away as Japan are expected to top last year's 100,000 visitors.

Tour buses arrive nightly from Maryland and elsewhere during peak season from December 15 all the way to January 1.

These over-the-top Christmas displays have turned normally quiet neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut into tourist destinations, angering some members of the community.

Eye-popping photographs posted on social media have lured multitudes, twisting the once-charming local holiday event into an out-of-control block party, said Josephine Beckmann, district manager of the local community board.

The insane Christmas decorations also include giant candy canes on the lawn

The Christmas display has an array of colors including green, red, blue, orange and ice white

'The street becomes completely filled with pedestrians,' Beckmann said. 'Last year, an ambulance had trouble accessing the street.'

Neighbors blamed hot chocolate and popcorn vendors for blocking driveways, creating mountains of trash and polluting the air with their idling food trucks.

This year Dyker Heights organizers sought a permit to ban vendors and secure sanitation and extra police services, but city officials rejected their application.

On a quiet dead-end street in Old Bridge, New Jersey, meanwhile, neighbors took matters into their own hands.

Pictured here is a cute elf with other Christmas decorations situated behind him

When crowds returned to gape at Tom Apruzzi's annual display of 300,000 lights decking his home, some neighbors told CBS2 they were outraged by the legions of onlookers and Apruzzi said he bore the brunt of their anger.

'There's been a broken windshield on one of my trucks, there's been spitting on sides of the truck, harassment issues. Starting to get pretty bad,' Apruzzi told CBS2.

In Fairfield, Connecticut, police stepped in to cool tempers and negotiate a compromise after 40 neighbors signed a petition protesting parking problems created by hordes viewing Gene Halliwell's holiday electrical extravagance on Roseville Terrace.

The display known as 'Wonderland on Roseville,' now in its 18th year, drew 30,000 visitors last year, said Fairfield Police Lieutenant Robert Kalamaras.

The lights spell out 'Peace on Earth' and also 'Noel' in giant capital letters

As part of the deal, neighbors agreed to a temporary parking ban on one side of the street. The homeowner, who could not be reached for comment, agreed to turn off the lights an hour earlier - by 9 p.m. local time on weekdays - and to turn down the volume on a loop of the theme song from 'Frozen,' Kalamaras said.

Some neighbors - and even potential neighbors - remain delighted by the flashy exhibit.

Olia Yelner, an attorney who is considering moving to the neighborhood from nearby Trumbull, Connecticut, parked at a home for sale that overlooks the Halliwell's display and gazed at the spectacle with her three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.

'We thought that if we bought it we could look out onto the lights each evening,' she said, breaking into a smile.

The incredible display also features Christmas trees and inflatable santas
Police say Angel Colon, 54, was arrested for a DUI and endangering children after a road rage incident on Wednesday morning

Authorities say a New Jersey school bus driver was drunk with about 20 students aboard his vehicle when he was involved in a road rage incident.

Lakewood police say 54-year-old Angel Colon showed signs of intoxication when they responded to the scene Wednesday morning.

Police were called to the area of Chestnut Street and Vermont Avenue about the alarming incident that involved the vehicle Colon was operating and another.

Officers Christopher DiBiase and Ralph Hatt came to assist Daniel Brooks when Hatt said he smelled alcohol on Colon's breath, according to Patch.com.

Colon also had noticeably red eyes and was 'slurring his speech,' the officers said.

Colon was charged with drunken driving and child endangerment.

Police were called to the area of Chestnut Street and Vermont Avenue (pictured) about the alarming incident that involved the vehicle Colon was operating and another

He has been booked to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

The bus driver is employed with a Lakewood-based service and was transporting students who attend a private school.

It wasn't known Thursday if Colon has retained an attorney who could comment on the accusations.

The bus company declined comment on the matter and wouldn't say if Colon was still employed by the firm.
A federal appeals court in Virginia on Thursday denied a Trump administration request to delay a requirement that it begin allowing transgender people to enlist in the military on Jan. 1.

A three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in a short order that it would not grant the request as an appeal of a lower-court ruling proceeds.

President Donald Trump tweeted in July that the federal government 'will not accept or allow' transgender individuals to serve 'in any capacity' in the military. That would reverse a 2016 policy change under President Barack Obama allowing transgender people to serve openly.

Trump tweeted in July that the federal government 'will not accept or allow' transgender individuals to serve 'in any capacity' in the military but federal courts have stopped him

The Pentagon has been forced to side with a 2016 Obama administration directive instead

Trump later formally directed the Pentagon to extend indefinitely a ban on transgender individuals joining the military, and he gave Defense Secretary Jim Mattis six months to come up with a policy on how to deal with those currently serving.

Several legal challenges to that proposed ban are ongoing.

Thursday's order came in a lawsuit filed in Maryland by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of six current members of the armed forces who are transgender. A U.S. district judge in Baltimore halted the proposed ban in November, and the government is appealing.

Transgender politics have become front and center this year with Trump as president

The ACLU hailed the 4th Circuit's order.

'We are happy that the court saw through the government's smoke screen and rejected its request to further delay the policy allowing transgender people to enlist.,' senior staff attorney Josh Block said in a statement.

'The military has already developed comprehensive guidance to prepare for a January 1 start date, and the government failed to offer any credible reason why transgender people should be barred from enlisting if they can meet the same rigorous standards that apply to everyone else.'

The Department of Justice disagrees with the court's ruling and is currently evaluating next steps, spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said.

The Pentagon said last week that the enlistment of transgender recruits will start Jan. 1 and go on amid the legal battles.
A woman has been accused of trying to run over a man who punched her friend in the face in a horrifying road rage attack, while driving with a toddler in the back seat.

Central Coast mother Taylor Lea Bembridge, 23, fronted court Thursday after footage of the violent confrontation was shared widely online.

Dash cam video showed her passenger, Bianca Lee Sams, being punched by a male motorist - who earlier allegedly applied his brakes quickly in front of their car.

Central Coast mother Taylor Lea Bembridge, 23, fronted court Thursday after footage of the violent confrontation was shared widely online - dashing away from cameras as she left

Police allege Bembridge then overtook the man's vehicle on double white lines, pulled in front of him and braked sharply.

The young mother was accused of trying to get revenge by reversing her car towards the man as he walked back to his vehicle.

'You lost it and tried to run him over,' Magstrate Peter Barnett said in Wyong Local Court.

'No, just reversed,' Bembridge replied.

A police investigation uncovered a Facebook post the mother was accused of writing after the altercation.

The young mother shoved at cameras outside court after pleading guilty to driving 'recklessly, furiously or speed in a dangerous manner'

'Yeah he ran and once I seen him behind the car I tried running him over for hitting you...bloody gronk,' it read.

Before the on-foot confrontation, Sams allegedly ditched sharp nails at the man's vehicle as she leant out the window without a seat belt.

Bembridge told the court, 'I actually tried getting her back in the car by pulling her shirt.'

'Tried telling her to stop throwing nails and she told me to f**k off.'

Passenger, Bianca Lee Sams (pictured), allegedly ditched sharp nails at the man before being punched in the face

She pleaded guilty to driving recklessly, furiously or speed in a dangerous manner, as well as failing to comply with the conditions of a licence and travelling with an unrestrained passenger.

Dwayne Pillidge, who was not involved in the incident, posted the confronting dash cam footage to Facebook on Monday afternoon after witnessing the attack unfold.

He claimed the violent incident took place at Doyalson at Lake Macquarie, about two hours north of Sydney.

Dash cam footage has captured the shocking moment a man punches a woman in the face while stopped at a traffic light

The man strikes the woman directly in the face, snapping her head backwards, and then calmly walks back to his ute

In the footage, the man can be seen stepping out of his ute at a traffic light and approaching a female passenger standing by her door with her arms crossed.

Without warning he strikes the woman in the face, snapping her head backwards with the pure force of the blow.

She recovers from the punch and steps into her car, as the driver attempts to reverse towards the man who begins to calmly walk back to his vehicle.

'This is after the woman in the front car was tossing things from her window at his car,' Mr Pillidge wrote on the Facebook post.

'I don't care what your reason, it is not OK to hit a woman.'

A woman claiming to be the victim seen in the video took to Facebook to defend herself after a huge number of men tried to justify the horrific attack.

'I don't give a f*** he hit me....' she wrote.

'He tried running us off the road...we tried getting away from (him but) he kept going so I got out and asked what his problem was.'

She uploaded two images showing a bruised and bloody upper lip, and said she would be taking the matter to court.

The woman who was struck in the face took to Facebook to upload images of her bruised, bloody lip and said she would be taking the matter to court

A woman claiming to have been in the driver seat of the victim's car said the man had been tailgating her with her son in the car, so she had begun throwing things at his vehicle

Another woman, believed to be in the driver seat of the same car, also took to Facebook to tell her alleged side of the story.

She admitted to throwing nails out of the car window after the man took issue with her driving and began tailgating her.

'So your saying it was ok (sic) for him to tailgate me....trying to run us off the road,' the woman claimed.

'But it's not ok for her to throw things at him to get him off my tail after I have merged into the opposite lane.'

A spokewoman for NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia that a woman claiming to be the person struck by the man had contacted police but not yet been interviewed.

The spokeswoman said officers were hoping to speak to her today to get a clearer idea of exactly what happened.

'However at this time no formal complaint has yet been made and so we are still appealing for any other witnesses to come forward,' she added.

'Police have seen the vision and are examining it.'

Chief Inspector Colin Lott, from the Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command, condemned the man's actions and called for him to come forward.

'The level of violence is totally unacceptable, (but) obviously with any video footage were only getting a snapshot of a whole incident,' he told reporters.

'Assault of any sort is unacceptable especially assault to a female... it won't be tolerated.'

He said there was 'much conjecture' on social media from people who suggested 'there might have been aggravating circumstances leading up to the event.'

'We are unaware of that (aggravating circumstances) and we've had no one give us formal information to that effect,' he said.

'Ultimately, at some stage, we will be catching up with him.'
A high school teacher accused of having sex with a Year 12 student has applied to have charges against her dropped because the boy 'plainly wanted' it.

The married woman, 31, allegedly had sex with the boy, 17, four times in North Queensland - including at a beach - between March and May last year.

The woman's barrister, Sean Holt, QC, told Townsville Magistrates Court on Thursday the teacher could only be charged with procuring because the student was past the age of consent.

A Queensland teacher, 31, has been charged with having sex with a boy, 17, (stock image)

Lucinda Beach, north of Townsville, where a teacher is alleged to have had sex with a student

A charge of procuring requires an element of sexual exploitation to be proven, the Townsville Bulletin reported.

'There is just a complete dearth of evidence (of exploitation),' Mr Holt told the court.

'The Crown case is, at its highest, a 17-year-old describing sexual encounters which he plainly wanted and, in fact, often initiated.'

While the woman taught at the boy's school he was not his teacher, Mr Holt said. The pair's contact allegedly began with a conversation in a school hall.

According to Mr Holt, the boy told police he had the following conversation with the teacher:

'She said something along the lines of "Would you ever sleep or have sex with a teacher?" I said "I don't know". She said "Ah".'

'I said "Would you ever have sex with a student?" She shrugged her shoulders.'

Mr Holt told the court the boy had said his memory was unclear.

The 31-year-old teacher appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court (pictured) on Thursday

While the 31-year-old woman taught at the boy's school he was not his teacher (stock image)

The boy told police the teacher later contacted him and said 'Want to chill?' or 'Want to do something fun tomorrow night?'

The teacher allegedly picked the boy up at 7pm the next day and the pair drove to Crystal Creek, north of Townsville, with a six-pack of beer.

Mr Holt said the boy told police the pair talked about the woman's husband, then he touched her leg, which led to sex.

'Far from being exploitative, or even procuring, the first move is made by (the student),' Mr Holt said.

Magistrate Peter Smid noted the boy was carrying a condom.

The court heard the woman took the boy to Crystal Creek, north of Townsville, to have sex

Mr Holt told the court a week later the teacher allegedly took the boy to Lucinda Beach, also north of Townsville, where they again had sex.

On the last occasion the pair had sex, the boy had allegedly asked the teacher to come over when his parents were not home.

Mr Holt said the boy told police he ended the relationship with the teacher because he was worried about being caught.

Prosecutor Len Brown said the charges should go to trial.

'The point isn't whether he consented to or engaged in sexual activities,' Mr Brown said. 'The point is whether he was exploited.'

The teacher, student and school cannot be named.

Mr Smid will deliver his decision on whether the charges should be dismissed on January 19.
A bishop who was left with gruesome life-changing injuries after surgeons botched a kidney transplant has said he's 'thankful to be alive' and able to enjoy another Christmas with his congregation.

Bishop Larry Jones was given the transplant last November at Loma Linda Medical Center in California after his daughter donated her kidney to him.

But Jones, 51, says the surgeons let him leave the hospital with urine still leaking from his bladder into his abdomen.

The hospital's failed attempts to fix the problem gave Jones an infection that led to all his fingers, both his feet, and part of his penis being amputated, according to court documents filed by his lawyers at San Bernardino Superior Court in September.

But the Bishop admits he's lucky to still be around to see another Christmas with his family and his flock.

'I'm thankful to be alive, to be able to see another Christmas here with the church. To see the green trees and the earth and the dirt,' said Jones.

Scroll down for video

Botched: Bishop Larry Jones went in for a standard kidney transplant in November last year which resulted in his fingers, feet, and parts of his penis being amputated

Jones's body began to 'shut down' because no oxygen was able to reach his hands and feet. His friend shared this gruesome video on Twitter of Jones's blackened dead fingers hanging off his hand

Jones is now wheelchair-bound and is suing the hospital for an undisclosed amount to 'shed light' on its practices. According to the lawsuit, surgeons had cut Jones's ureter, a tube connecting the kidney and the bladder, during surgery

'We just give the whole day to Jesus Christ on Christmas. I'm thankful just to be able to worship once again in this land that God created.

'I've been able to learn to enjoy being alive. I've been able to learn to thank the Lord for all this fresh air that we're breathing, though it's borrowed.

'We go to church and come together. We try to have everything at Christmas, whatever the congregation wants, if we have the money, we go get it.'

The Inland Empire preacher, who is now wheelchair-bound, is suing the hospital for an unspecified sum to 'shed light' on its practices.

'I started to get scared towards the end. I feared for my life,' said Jones. 'I felt like they were killing me.

'They didn't hook up the bladder right, so it leaked. They sent me home and I was in pain. I went to bed and started feeling this pain in my stomach real bad.

'My body started to shut down, my kidney, the liver. No oxygen is getting to my hands, no oxygen is getting to my feet,' he said.

'I thought the hospital would know what to do. We shouldn't even have to ask. If you're the doctor, that's what you do. If you're the one connecting the tubes together, that's what you went to school for. And then it comes out they're doing something totally different.'

Jones, a bishop at Crossover Outreach Church in San Bernardino, says he will continue preaching from his wheelchair. 'That's not going to stop. That's going to go till the day I die,' he said

Bishop Jones's wife April (left) was allegedly told by hospital staff that her husband was not going to make it on the same day her mother had died from multiple sclerosis

The day after his transplant, Bishop told doctors he was still in pain. They performed scans which showed a sliced tube inside him was leaking urine into his abdomen.

According to the lawsuit, surgeons had cut Jones's ureter, a tube connecting the kidney and the bladder, during surgery.

However, the hospital waited two days to fix the bungled surgery, the court documents said.

Jones was discharged on December 9, but continued to deteriorate, and went back into Loma Linda Medical Center on December 30 with 'severe septic shock' due to Acinetobacter, a hospital borne infection, he claims in his lawsuit.

That night a doctor allegedly told Jones's wife, April, that her husband would not make it through the night.

To make matters worse, April's mother, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, had died that same morning in her nursing home aged 73.

'Everyone knew that I had lost my mother that morning, and he told me that my husband was going to die,' she said/

'He told me: "Your husband is not going to make it through another hour." I just went over to my husband and told him he had to make it out of there.'

Jones's daughter Stormy (pictured before the surgery) offered to donate her kidney to her father. Jones says the 'worst part' of his ordeal is that 'my daughter gave up her kidney so I could live, and now they're playing with it'

Above is the Loma Linda Medical center where doctors allegedly performed the botched surgery. A representative of the hospital told DailyMail.com: 'We reserve comment until we have received and analyzed the lawsuit'

Surgeons were then forced to amputate his feet and fingers, and remove part of his penis.

Jones' lawyer, Ben Mieselas, posted a gruesome video on Twitter of the pastor with blackened dead fingers hanging off his hand.

Jones's wife April, who was by his bedside the whole time, says the hospital showed a 'negligent lack of treatment'.

'Me and my daughter used to take his feet and connect it back to the bone and wrap it because it was separating,' she said.

'You make a huge mistake. I mean, this is a huge oneI never in a million years could imagine that my husband was going to lose his fingers and his feet.

The bishop said the day after the amputation, nurses changed his bandages with no painkillers.

'When they cut my feet off they just wrapped them. They came in the next day they ripped off the bandages without any pain medication.

'If you've ever had your feet cut off, you've got a whole bunch of nerves there. As they were ripping the bandages off it was like a whole bunch of knives sticking and sticking into you.'

Jones was rushed back to the hospital days after his surgery and had developed 'severe septic shock' due to Acinetobacter, a hospital borne infection, he claims in his lawsuit. Jones is due to get a pair of prosthetic legs a few days after Christmas

Jones is due to get prosthetic legs and says 'the next thing is they'll get to work on my fingers. So it's coming together.'

Jones was back in hospital in September for a biopsy, after his new kidney was damaged from the septic shock he suffered in December.

'The kidney was doing really well until he had the septic shock. It was a good 24-year-old kidney. Now it's functioning, but they had to do a biopsy to see how it's doing,' said April.

'That's the worst part of it,' said Jones. 'My daughter gave up her kidney so I could live, and now they're playing with it.'

Meiselas, from the law firm Geragos and Geragos, said the hospital 'callously disregarded' the pastor's life, and the lawsuit was needed to protect other patients.

'It's shedding light on what's taken place at Loma Linda,' he said. 'How they've callously disregarded his life so that other patients there recognize their patients' rights so they can be advocates for themselves or that they can reach out to advocates so that this doesn't happen to them.'

The preacher had been on dialysis after suffering from kidney problems for years. He said that when his daughter, Stormy, offered to donate her kidney to him, it seemed like his problems would be over.

'I trust in the cross, I'm a bishop,' said Jones. 'When I came to Loma Linda, I looked at the cross on that building and I trusted that. But a cross can go either way. Jesus died for our sins on the cross, but the cross was also a place of torture.'

Jones, who preaches at the Crossover Outreach Church in San Bernardino, was pastor to some of the victims of the 2015 San Bernardino shootings, and led vigils at his church.

Jones, who preaches at the Crossover Outreach Church in San Bernardino (pictured) was pastor to some of the victims of the 2015 San Bernardino shootings, and led vigils at his church

Jones added that he will continue preaching from his wheelchair. 'That's not going to stop. That's going to go till the day I die,' he said.

But he may not be wheelchair-bound forever, Jones said, as he is due to get a pair of prosthetic legs a few days after Christmas.

'They're still working on them but I tried some last week and took steps.

'Sometimes we're not thankful for those feet, but they play a major part in life when it's time to go somewhere,' Jones quipped.

'The next thing is they'll get to work on my fingers. So it's coming together.'

Loma Linda Medical Center said: 'We reserve comment until we have received and analyzed the lawsuit. We will respond appropriately at that time.'

Jones is currently trying to raise $400,000 for his medical bills through a GoFundMe page.
Homeland Security is suspending plans for bioterrorism drills near the Kansas-Oklahoma border, over concerns about their impact on grounds Native American tribes consider sacred.

More than 100 children are buried in the grounds where the testing would have take place.

Homeland Security spokesman John Verrico said in an email on Thursday that the tests were suspended over objections to them taking place at the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School.

The Department of Homeland Security is suspending plans to conduct bioterrorism drills near the Kansas-Oklahoma border over concerns about their impact on grounds Native American tribes consider sacred

The Chilocco school, which operated from the late 1800s until 1980, was one of several federally-run boarding schools where the U.S. once sought to intergrate Native American children.

Tribes say the federal agency is failing to protect a site with religious and cultural significance.

The agency's environmental assessment for the test said several inert chemical and non-hazardous biological materials were to be released to evaluate the ability of buildings to protect occupants from outdoor biological hazards.

The proposed testing was planned for the months of February and June and July.

'While the work remains very important for the security of our nation, further evaluation will be conducted to identify the best location for future testing,' Verrico said.

Homeland Security spokesman John Verrico said in an email that the the tests were suspended. Homeland security said the chemicals it planned to use were found in common household products

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran said he was pleased Homeland Security has suspended plans for testing near the Kansas border.

'While the chemicals DHS planned to use in these tests do not pose any bodily harm, Kansans deserve a thorough explanation when an event of this magnitude is occurring so close to where they live and raise their families,' Moran said.

Homeland Security said the chemicals it planned to use are found in common household products such as sunscreen, cosmetics and laundry detergents.

One chemical that's caused the most worry, especially among the many farmers who live nearby, is called DiPel, a biological insecticide that's been commercially available since the 1970s and approved for use in organic farming.

The Homeland Security project manager has said the chemicals won't pose harm to humans, animals or hundreds of acres of nearby cropland and pasture.
Five 'neglected' young children have been taken from their filthy mice-infested home in Adelaide after police and welfare officers stormed on it Wednesday.

The children, aged between two months and nine years, were removed from the care of their young parents and are now with the Child Protection Department.

The couple who identify themselves as parents on social media - a man, 27, and a woman, 25 - were arrested and charged with five counts of neglect and five counts of failing to provide.

Five 'neglected' young children have been taken from their filthy mice-infested home in Hillcrest in Adelaide's north east

Police and Child Protection Department officers attended the Hillcrest home about 1pm on Wednesday in a surprise out of concern for the childrens' welfare.

The male faced Elizabeth Magistrates Court Wednesday but did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court in March.

The woman was granted bail and is due back in court on January 25.

Health inspectors and Housing SA workers, along with police detectives, first arrived at the property just before 12pm but no one was home.

The 'mother' reportedly left the property moments earlier after a visit from her mother, but returned later when detectives re-entered the home via help from a locksmith.

The children, aged between two months and nine years, were removed from the care of their young parents and are now with the Child Protection Department

The exterior of the property didn't give any hints to the filth brewing within the home's walls, Adelaide Now reports.

It is understood mice ran had overrun bedrooms and wall cavities, while the stench was at times unbearable for officers, forcing them to step outside for fresh air.

There was a allegedly a significant build-up of rubbish and dirt in main living areas, particularly in the kitchen, with graffiti on the walls in almost every room.

Torn couches and stained mattresses were apparently hoarded in the carport, while tall piles of clothes and junk were stacked up against the boundary fence.

Access to the backyard was also obstructed by large amounts of toys and another mattress, as well as an abandoned pram and baby cot.
The purpose of history should be the quest for the truth about the past. But too often in modern Britain, it has been used as an instrument for political propaganda.

Some of the very institutions that have a duty to promote understanding of our past now indulge in vast exercises in brain-washing and self-loathing.

In this culture of manipulative distortion, ideology and modern-day political sentiment come before enlightenment, and the rich story of Britain is presented as a source of shame.

The idea that the British Empire was a cruel abomination, without redeeming features, is now a ruthlessly enforced conventional wisdom pervading schools, museums, universities and  as I have discovered as a historian focusing on the Stuart age  in government record offices.

William Wilberforce (pictured) heroically fought in Parliament which saw the abolition of the slave trade in 1807

Anyone questioning this belief is treated as a heretic who must be silenced.

I am fortunate enough to live in the London Borough of Richmond, which houses the National Archives, that wonderful treasure trove of written material covering everything from Cabinet papers to medieval manuscripts.

I first noticed the National Archives falling prey to insidious political correctness in 2009 when I visited the Keeper's Gallery at its Richmond HQ, where a series of displays about British history had been mounted.

To my profound irritation, I found that impartiality had regularly given way to political posturing. It was as if some of the entries had been written by a group of earnest but ill-informed Left-wing activists.

Perhaps the most offensive example was the section on slavery, which, ridiculously, failed to give any mention of the great British campaigner William Wilberforce, whose heroic fight in Parliament saw the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.

Just as misleading was an 1868 photograph on the display board of HMS Daphne sailing on the Indian Ocean, its deck full of black slaves.

There was nothing, characteristically, to indicate that these unfortunate people had actually just been rescued by the Royal Navy, for the Daphne was one of the key vessels that patrolled the seas in the drive to stamp out the slave trade between East Africa and the Arabian peninsula in the late Victorian age.

This kind of deceit is not confined just to the Keeper's Gallery. I was also disturbed to read on the National Archives website, during all the recent commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India, an official blog which gave an utterly jaundiced view of the event, heaping all the blame for the bloodshed that occurred on Britain.

But the historical reality is that the Indians, including Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, had been campaigning vociferously, sometimes violently, for the end of the British Empire.

When autonomy was finally granted in 1947 by Clement Attlee's government, it was not a precipitate act  as this National Archives blog pretended  but the culmination of long years of negotiations.

Partition was not an act of folly by the Labour government, but the inevitable consequence of independence, accepted by all political leaders, since most Muslims did not want to live under Hindu rule.

This photograph, taken in 1868, is on display at the National Archives in London

That kind of misinterpretation is so characteristic of officialdom's view of British history today: anything to give our country a bad name.

It is all so one-sided and depressing. Why are these display boards not used to provide a more uplifting, layered and compelling narrative of Britain's past instead of this dreary agitprop?

What is truly worrying is that the National Archives is supposed to be a great resource for us all  think of the countless children taken there on school trips whose view of our island's past is being warped.

There is far too little, for instance, about the real story of how our democracy was established, stretching back to the Middle Ages when the first representative parliaments were created, providing us with a system of accountable rule that was later exported around the world.

Nor is there much about the wonderful Victorian feats of engineering which transformed the 19th century. On the Empire, there could be far more about the benefits that British rule brought.

Of course there were faults, but I believe they were in so many cases more than outweighed by the benefits.

The Empire brought peace, security and stability through the rule of law to people who had lacked them; it delivered the products of science and technology to vast tracts of the world; and showed their inhabitants how they could master their environment through sanitation, agriculture and building development.

Throughout the world, the Empire brought nations medical colleges, hospitals, schools, universities, roads, railways, airfields, harbours, bridges, telegraph and phone systems and wireless transmitters.

AND it brought wealth, too  indeed, Harvard history professor Niall Ferguson contends that 'no organisation in history has done more to promote the free movement of goods, capital and labour than the British Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

'And no organisation has done more to impose Western norms of law, order and governance around the world.'

It was Lord Curzon, the grandest of Indian Viceroys, who did so much to protect and rebuild the Raj's architectural heritage, while Lord Rosebery, the Liberal Imperialist Foreign Secretary of the early 1890s, annexed Uganda precisely to put down the slave trade there.

Since my visit in 2009, I have been fighting a battle with the National Archives to persuade it to show greater impartiality in its displays and blogs.

It has been a struggle, with the organisation hiding behind bureaucracy to defend itself. The correct procedures have been followed, it cries, as if this were a municipal planning application rather than a presentation of British history.

I have had a few successes, like the withdrawal of its blog on Partition and a fuller explanation on the display board about HMS Daphne's role.

But the general attitude has been one of continued negativity and obfuscation, as if the National Archives  which in any other nation would be shouting about Britain's achievements  is ashamed of its country.

I am fortunate enough to live in the London Borough of Richmond, which houses the National Archives, writes Tony Adler

This desire to run down British history before the advent of all- caring, all-wise political correctness reminds me of a scene in George Orwell's terrifying novel 1984, about the horrors of totalitarian rule.

At one point, the hero Winston Smith picks up a children's history textbook and reads a passage about British life before the social revolution.

'The rich men were called capitalists. They were fat, ugly men with wicked faces, like the one in the picture opposite . . . The capitalists owned everything in the world, and everyone was their slave. They owned all the land, all the houses, all the factories and all the money. If anyone disobeyed them, they could throw them into prison.'

Tragically, I fear we are beginning to slide into an Orwellian one-sided stance on history. The signs are all around us. Not just in the outrageous attacks from students and even fellow dons on Oxford's Professor Nigel Biggar, who had the temerity to suggest that some elements of the Empire were beneficial. But also in the simplistic teaching of history in schools, with all its narrow obsessions with equality and diversity.

The same is true of the terror about giving offence in universities, which has resulted in the idiotic creation of 'safe spaces'  where students are 'safe' from criticism  and endless censorship of 'offensive' literature.

The growing influence of politically correct dogma in our intellectual life is further reflected in the relentless attacks on the symbols of British past, like the statues of politicians and military leaders  including Nelson's column  that student agitators want to pull down.

The truth about this politicised approach to history was exposed yesterday by a comment from Kathleen Burk, emeritus professor of history at University College, London, who said that she felt 'sorry for the National Archives because they are trying to appeal to a wide multi-cultural population'. But it is not the job of history to provide a political comfort blanket to certain sections of society.

Besides, the very reason so many migrants want to settle here is exactly because of our rich past which, whatever today's politically motivated vandals of British history might pretend, has helped to build one of the most successful nations and cultures that mankind has ever known.
Feared gangland enforcer Rodney 'Goldie' Atkinson has been arrested on drugs charged after police raids.

Strike Force Raptor - the New South Wales Police Gangs Squad's elite anti-bikie unit - raided a property in Canley Vale in Sydney's south-west on Tuesday.

Atkinson, 37, was arrested and charged with five counts of possessing the prohibited drug steroids.

Feared gangland enforcer Rodney 'Goldie' Atkinson (pictured, right, with his long-term partner) has been arrested on drugs charged after police raids

Strike Force Raptor - the the New South Wales Police Gangs Squad's elite anti-bikie unit - raided a property in Canley Vale in Sydney's south-west on Tuesday (pictured is Atkinson)

Police arrested three of Atkinson's associates during the raid, and allegedly found a firearm, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The enforcer appeared on television in March, and revealed life in the gang he helped found - Brothers for Life - was 'absolute s***'.

Atkinson helped start the gang after meeting Brothers for Life kingpin and convicted killer Bassam Hamzy when the pair were in prison segregation in 2006.

Atkinson (pictured, right with his long-term partner), 37, was arrested and charged with five counts of possessing the prohibited drug steroids

Police arrested three of Atkinson's (pictured, left, right) associates during the raid, and allegedly found a firearm

'Goldie', who has the nickname because of his 24-carat diamond-encrusted teeth, quickly went to work for the gang once he was released from jail.

'It was a job at the end of the day and something that you like doing. It's a bit easier to do than go into a job and working nine to five for something you don't like doing,' he said.

Atkinson told the program he was now a changed man and was in the process of removing his Brother For Life tattoos and his gold teeth.

Atkinson (pictured, right) helped start the gang after meeting Brothers for Life kingpin and convicted killer Bassam Hamzy (pictured, left) when the pair were in prison segregation in 2006

'It's s***. It's absolute s***. One bloke sits there and gets rich, and all the rest are just soldiers,' said Atkinson (pictured in an earlier mugshot)

'What you feel and find appealing and think is good at the time - it's not,' he said.

'It's s***. It's absolute s***. One bloke sits there and gets rich, and all the rest are just soldiers.'

During the past week Strike Force Raptor has made a number of raids and arrests, charging 14 people with drug and firearm related offences and offensive language.

On Monday Abdullah Hawchar was arrested by the unit, and later hospitalised after suddenly becoming ill during the police search for illegal guns.
When Lisa Garner first spotted the bedraggled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel looking for a home at a rescue centre, she says most people would not have been able to tell what breed she was.

Lisa, who runs a Warwickshire dog boutique, said Lucy didn't even resemble the breed. She had bald patches, stained feet from being kept on a urine-covered floor and an arched back.

Just eight pounds, Lucy had bald patches from malnourishment and chronically dry eyes. Her spine was curved, probably deformed from being kept in a cramped cage with hardly room to turn around. There was also a smell of burning flesh, a result of the ammonia from her urine she was forced to sleep in.

All her life, the little dog had been kept as a breeding machine, churning out pups on a puppy farm, probably to be sold in car parks or online for up to 800 each.

She was extremely underweight and absolutely tiny, recalls Lisa, 38, from Studley, Warwickshire, who found her at Many Tears Animal Rescue in Wales. I wasnt told much about her life prior to rescue, but it was clear from her physical condition that she had been subjected to appalling conditions. The rescue centre thought Lucy was around four to five-years-old, although she seemed frail beyond her years.

Lucy, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, had been kept as a breeding machine, churning out pups on a puppy farm. She weighed just eight pounds and a spined curve, probably from being kept in a cramped cage

Slowly Lisa nursed her back to health, helping her rebuild her confidence. Yet despite all the love she got in her new home, her years confined in the cage never really left her. She had separation anxiety and would sit crying behind the door on the rare occasions I had to leave her, says Lisa. She would still cower sometimes when you went to pick her up.

After her rescue in 2013, Lucy had just three years of kindness before she died, with no less than 70,000 Facebook followers. The spaniel became the face of Lucys Law  a campaign to boost pressure on the Government to bring in long-awaited legislation to crack down on the growing puppy farm trade.

While Lucys cute pups were no doubt sold for high prices by shady middle-men advertising online, the buyers never saw the heartless conditions their mother was kept in.

Nor did they realise that unscrupulous dealers snatched the pups away from their mother far too early in order to cash in on their cute factor.

Without a mother to teach them how to behave or humans to socialise them the pups would have suffered behavioural problems and anxiety, becoming afraid of noise or nervous of people and other dogs. And even if they looked adorable, they would have been born into such cramped, unnatural conditions that they would have brought home infections such as Parvo virus, which causes severe diarrhoea and attacks the heart muscle, often leading to death.

Lucys Law proposed banning anyone profiting from selling dogs bred by others by acting as a dealer, and allowed only people who have directly bred puppies themselves to sell them.

The spaniel became the face of Lucys Law  a campaign to boost pressure on the Government to bring in long-awaited legislation to crack down on the growing puppy farm trade (file photo)

Earlier this month, a cross-party group of MPs called for the introduction of the law, which will make it illegal to sell puppies unless their mother is present.

In doing so, Lucy became the canine face of other longer-running campaigns by charities such as Dogs Trust and the RSPCA to bring legislation up to date. David Bowles of the RSPCA told the Daily Mail: This is the first change in pet vending legislation since 1951 and the landscape has changed massively since then.

He added that the internet has allowed an explosion of middle men offering animals for sale, handing over the pets without any paperwork, let alone a glimpse of their parents or the place where they have been raised, then disappearing without a trace. The fact that buying a puppy is an emotional purchase has also allowed such a cruel trade to grow, says Mr Bowles.

Once youve decided you are going to get that dog, you are going to get that dog, no matter how many alarm bells are ringing in your head.

The internet has allowed an explosion of middle men offering animals for sale, handing over the pets without any paperwork, let alone a glimpse of their parents or the place where they have been raised, then disappearing without a trace (file photo)

Brachycephalic (or flat-faced) breeds, such as pugs, bulldogs and French bulldogs, are among the most at risk, because they are especially baby-like as puppies, the RSPCA said. As celebrity favourites, they are also coveted by those wanting to copy their idols.

Under the Governments new plan, every puppy will only be able to be sold in the presence of a dog that is clearly their mother by a breeder who is licensed.

Mr Bowles said: It will bring a lot of transparency in the marketplace because dealers will no longer be able to hide behind an online advert.

It will cut out middle men because dogs can only be sold from the place they are born.

Yet until the legislation comes into force, its important not to forget the other dogs still caught up in this system this Christmas, say dog welfare experts.

Marc Abraham, a vet who campaigned for Lucys Law says: The people producing puppies to be sold at this time of the year are usually unscrupulous breeders, so please resist the temptation to buy a puppy for yourself, your family or even a friend and make your New Years resolution to adopt from a rescue centre instead.

You may have to wait a little while but youll be saving a life  and not contributing to the puppy farming industry.
Dame Glynis Breakwell (pictured) - the highest paid university boss in the country - also earns a 50,000 salary running a pension scheme

The highest paid university boss in the country also earns a 50,000 salary running a pension scheme, it emerged yesterday.

Dame Glynis Breakwell was paid the extra money last year to manage pensions for academics  on top of the 468,000 she receives as vice-chancellor of the University of Bath.

It was unclear yesterday how many hours she works for her role as director of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) policy committee  or why the job is so well paid.

The figures, published by Times Higher Education, come at a time when the USS is struggling to plug a 7.5billion deficit.

Universities UK, which represents vice chancellors, is pushing for changes to the USS which could reduce payments to members by up to 39 per cent.

Dame Glynis has already announced her retirement from the university following a national outcry over her enormous salary  more than three times the amount earned by the Prime Minister.

After her retirement, she will get a six-month 'sabbatical' on full pay  a perk described by critics as a 'golden goodbye'.

She lives in a 1.6million grace-and-favour house and claimed 20,000 in expenses in one year.

Sir David Eastwood, vice-chancellor of the University of Birmingham, was paid 90,000 last year as USS chairman.

Dame Glynis has already announced her retirement from the university following a national outcry over her enormous salary  more than three times the amount earned by the Prime Minister

His pay package from Birmingham last year was 439,000, up from 426,000 in the previous 12 months.

The third university leader on the USS board is Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal of the University of Glasgow, who was paid 35,000.

After her retirement, she will get a six-month 'sabbatical' on full pay  a perk described by critics as a 'golden goodbye'

However a Glasgow spokesman said he 'gifts this entire amount every year' to the university, and 'always has done', adding: 'He thinks it is the right thing to do.'

Sir David and Dame Glynis declined to say whether they did the same.

But Roger Brown, former vice-chancellor of Southampton Solent University, said they were only on the board because they were vice-chancellors, so any earnings should therefore 'be paid to their employer'.

He added: 'Being a vice-chancellor of a university is not a small thing and vice-chancellors are not paid a small salary.

'Everything you do during your time at a university should be to the credit of the university.'

The USS' annual company report says that the remuneration of its 12 directors totalled 731,000 in the year ending March 2017, up from 591,000 the year before.

A spokesman said: 'Board members are responsible for the stewardship of a significant financial institutionwhich requires a substantial commitment of time and effort to demanding roles.'
Starving, dehydrated and in many cases, dying, hundreds of African slaves are crammed on to the deck of a British ship. Taken in the early days of photography, this picture gives a disturbingly contemporary feel to one of history's bleakest chapters.

No wonder the National Archives chose it to illustrate the 'profoundly oppressive' nature of the British Empire in an exhibition.

Thousands of visitors, many of them schoolchildren, would pause to reflect on the photograph captioned: 'East African slaves taken aboard HMS Daphne from a dhow, 1 November 1868.'

The subtext was clear: look at the cruelty of these brutal British imperialists. Except the curators of the exhibition had made one very serious mistake indeed. For the poor souls in this picture were no longer slaves.

They had just been rescued by HMS Daphne from an Arab slave ship, liberated from a crew of monsters, one of whom had beaten a baby to death a few hours earlier.

Thousands of visitors would pause to reflect on the photograph (pictured) captioned: 'East African slaves taken aboard HMS Daphne from a dhow, 1 November 1868'

That British sailor in the bottom left of the photograph was no villain. He was one of the good guys, part of a high-risk Royal Navy operation to curtail a roaring slave trade operating out of East Africa. It was a despicable business involving a network of Arab potentates plus Portugese, French and American traders.

The British, who had first voted to abolish the slave trade more than 60 years earlier, were trying to stop it  not that it suits the Empire-bashing narrative to say so.

The true story behind this extraordinary photo is told in a long-forgotten Victorian memoir called Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters  Five Years' Experience In The Suppression Of The Slave Trade. It is written by the man who took this picture, Captain George L. Sulivan, HMS Daphne's skipper. He was no cold-hearted imperialist.

True, some of his 19th-century language would have him denounced as a racist by today's campus commissars.

But there is no mistaking the motives of a man with a burning passion to stop this 'nefarious' trade in the 'vile cesspools' of the Indian Ocean. Thanks to Capt Sulivan and his men  several of whom died in the process thousands of enslaved Africans were freed.

The days before his photo was taken involved a series of horrific episodes, including an attack by Somali tribesmen while Capt Sulivan and his men were rescuing several emaciated slave children from a wrecked Arab dhow.

Then, on November 1, the crew of HMS Daphne, a 187ft sloop with a crew of 150, intercepted another dhow and discovered 48 men, 53 women and 55 children imprisoned on board.

'The deplorable condition of some of these poor wretches, crammed into a small dhow, surpasses all description; on the bottom of the dhow was a pile of stones as ballast, and on these stones, without even a mat were 23 women huddled together  one or two with infants; these women were literally doubled up, there being no room to sit erect.

No wonder the National Archives (pictured) chose it to illustrate the 'profoundly oppressive' nature of the British Empire in an exhibition, writes Robert Hardman

'Some of the slaves were in the last stages of starvation and dysentery.

'A woman came up having an infant about a month or six weeks old in her arms with one side of its forehead crushed in.

'On asking how it was done, she told us that just before our boat came alongside the dhow, the child began to cry and one of the Arabs, fearing the English would hear it, took up a stone and struck it . . .' HMS Daphne captured two more dhows that same day.

Conditions on the British ship were certainly basic and would get worse following an outbreak of smallpox which struck both the liberators and liberated.

But everyone was fed, washed and attended by the ship's doctor. A few weeks later, more than 300 were put ashore in the Seychelles to begin a new life of liberty while HMS Daphne returned to active duties.

We must never forget the wrongs committed by the British Empire. But every single person in this photograph certainly had good reason to be thankful to it for evermore.
David Leakey said the Palace of Westminster is at risk of major fire and loss of life as he stood down from the ancient post in the House of Lords last night

The outgoing Black Rod has warned that Parliament could be the next Grenfell unless vital repairs are carried out.

David Leakey said the Palace of Westminster is at risk of major fire and loss of life as he stood down from the ancient post in the House of Lords last night.

In an interview, he urged MPs to find the courage to back plans to vacate Parliament while urgent repairs take place.

The former Army officers comparison risked causing offence to those who lost their homes or family in the horrific blaze that engulfed the Grenfell Tower in west London in June, killing 71.

He said politicians had a tough task as it was difficult to justify spending billions on repairing Parliament when they have not spent millions on high-rise blocks such as Grenfell.

Mr Leakey, who will be replaced by the first female Black Rod, said the expert recommendation was to act quickly, rather than in phases, to prevent a similar fire.

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In an interview, he urged MPs to find the courage to back plans to vacate Parliament while urgent repairs take place

If we dont learn the Grenfell lesson, this building could burn down, just like it did in 1834 when there was a decade of delay and procrastination about how or when to refurbish, he warned.

We will again be accused of sitting on our hands.

What an embarrassment and a disgrace it would be to our nation if our Parliament suddenly disintegrated in a puff of asbestos because the steam pipes burst in the cavities around this building and the electricity and the IT infrastructure went with them.

There could be a major fire, there could be loss of life.

Mr Leakey, who has been Black Rod since 2011, said Parliament is wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers money patching up the Palace of Westminster while a decision on restoration is delayed. We are doing this, knowing that in a few years all that wiring is probably going to be ripped out and replaced, he said.

We are patching up and pasting up all over the House in a completely uneconomic way. Parliament is actively considering introducing a mass fire drill and evacuation, he added.

If theres a real incident, like a Grenfell Tower, we need to do the drill when everyone is here, so that people have the culture and understand how to do it. So that is what has been proposed and that is what is likely to happen sometime in 2018.

A replica chamber (featured) has been created which could house MPs and staff in the event of an emergency

The Palace is in desperate need of a major renovation, expected to cost up to 3.9billion.

In October, Tory MP Michael Elliss car windscreen was smashed outside Parliament when a piece of masonry fell on it.

An official report has recommended MPs move out while work is completed, but they have so far failed to reach a consensus. They were set to vote on the restoration plans this month, but the Government postponed the debate.

Mr Leakey told The House magazine: [Politicians] have got to find the courage to take a decision  stand by it, and justify it.

He announced yesterday that a replica chamber has been created which could house MPs and staff in the event of an emergency. The location was not revealed.
Theresa May today denied she was told about claims Damian Green sexually harassed a Tory activist a year ago.

Kate Maltby said she first told a senior Downing Street aide in September 2016 that the then Cabinet minister touched her knee and sent her a suggestive text.

She claimed the PM was aware of a pattern of behaviour nine months before she promoted Mr Green her be her deputy in the post election reshuffle.

But Mrs May vigorously denied the claim and said the first she knew about the allegation was when she read it in a newspaper early last month.

The new bombshell claim comes days after the PM sacked her close friend and deputy over separate claims he lied about porn being found on his office computer.

Theresa May vigorously denied the claim and said the first she knew about the allegation was when she read it in a newspaper early last month

Theresa May, pictured in Cyprus today, today denied she was told about claims Damian Green sexually harassed a Tory activist Kate Maltby a year ago

Damian Green, pictured arriving at is home near Ashford today, was promoted to become Theresa May's deputy nine months after No10 first knew about the allegations against him, Kate Maltby claims

Speaking on a visit to see troops in Cyprus today, the PM said: 'The first I learned of these allegations was when Kate Maltby wrote about them in The Times.

'I recognise that Kate Maltby was obviously extremely distressed by what happened.

'Damian Green has recognised that and he has apologised. I think that is absolutely the right thing to do.'

Mr Green was sacked from the Cabinet on Wednesday evening after he was found to have lied about claims porn was found on his office computer in 2008.

Investigators said they could not rule one whether he had been inappropriate with Miss Maltby - but said they fond her to give a 'plausible' account.

Kate Maltby made the allegations about the former First Secretary in an article after Mr Green was named in the Westminster sexual harassment dossier

In his resignation letter Mr Green said he did not recognise Miss Maltby's account. But he added: 'I clearly made her feel uncomfortable and for this I apologise.'

Mr Green has been friends with the PM for 40 years and was her closest ally in Westminster, and his loss has plunged her troubled premiership into fresh turmoil.

And the controversy threatens to overshadow the PM visit to see troops in Cyprus ahead of Christmas.

Miss Maltby, 31, told The Daily Telegraph she spoke to a top aide at No10 about Mr Green pestering her.

She said Mrs Mays aide then told her the incidents were part of a pattern, before adding: The Prime Minister knows.

The well-heeled Tory at centre of 'kneegate' Kate Maltby, 31, describes herself on her website as a critic, columnist and scholar whose primary academic interests are in Elizabethan literature. Her father Colin is a multi-millionaire banker and her mother Victoria was an Oxford University contemporary of Damian Greens. She was brought up in Geneva before moving back to her familys 5million home in Holland Park, west London. She had an elite education, attending both Cheltenham Ladies College and St Pauls Girls School. Aged 16, she interviewed Mr Green, then a shadow education minister, for the school magazine she was editing. She started a course studying classical languages and literature at Oxford but dropped out to go to Yale University in the United States. Later she secured a doctorate in English language and literature from University College London. In 2010 she helped set up a new centrist Conservative think-tank, Bright Blue, which counted Mr Green as one of its most enthusiastic supporters. She is a regular columnist for the Guardian, has appeared on TV history programmes and written theatre reviews for The Times. Her website says that she is working toward the completion of a PhD which examines the intellectual life of Elizabeth I, through the prism of her accomplished translations of Latin poetry, her own poems and recently attributed letters, and her representation as a learned queen by writers such as Shakespeare, Spenser and Sidney. Advertisement

She tore into the PM who she accused or promoting a man she knew to be sexually pestering women - and said the would tell other women in her position to stay silent.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, she said: I told my story as part of a movement to encourage other women to expose everyday sexual harassment. I only ever wanted to make Westminster a place where people feel safer speaking out.

However with my hand on my heart, unless the culture of Westminster drastically changes, I could not honestly tell any other women to put herself through what Theresa Mays conservative government has put me through.

She described how she was left shocked and needed to be treated for stress after seeing Mr Green appear on Prime Minister's Questions after she went public with the allegations.

The journalist described how the ordeal has left her afraid to be in large crowds or put herself in situations where she might have to speak to strangers.

Miss Maltbys allegation was considered as part of the official Whitehall investigation into Mr Green by Sue Gray, the head of propriety and ethics at the Cabinet Office.

The inquiry did not present any conclusions about whether Mr Green had acted inappropriately but did conclude that Miss Maltby was a plausible witness.

Speaking after the inquiry concluded, Miss Maltby said she had not told many people about the alleged incident at the time  except her parents  as she wondered if it was a one-off.

I would never, never have told my story about Damian Green if I did not believe I was exposing a pattern of behaviour of which I thought the Prime Minister was personally aware, she told the Daily Telegraph.

In a television interview with the BBC she added: This whole story has been about power. Damian Green became a very, very powerful person. I was aware that there seemed to be an improper mixing of mentorship and sexual advance within the Conservative Party.

In his case I was aware that he was the deputy prime minister and I was aware that No 10 knew about it. My actions in this have never been guided by the quest to claim scalps, to force resignations to end peoples careers.

We need an end to the era in which the sexual exploitation of younger people is the sort of peccadillo of a politician.

That is tolerated by those in power and perhaps exploited to enforce party discipline but not to actually do any good. The reason I didnt tell many people then, except my parents, is that I wondered if it was a one-off. And, eventually, I spoke to a very senior and long-serving aide of Theresa May.

Writing previously in The Times, Miss Maltby claimed Mr Green, now 61, had put a fleeting hand against [her] knee and told her his wife was very understanding.

She claimed Mr Green, who was not a minister at the time, texted her in another incident, after a photograph of her wearing a corset was published.

She said the message read: Long time no see. But having admired you in a corset in my favourite tabloid I feel impelled to ask if you are free for a drink anytime?.

Mr Green denied the claims at the time of the articles publication.

Miss Maltby said yesterday: The Prime Minister could have acted decisively when this scandal broke and made changes in Westminster, to demonstrate in her treatment of me that whistleblowers would be treated with respect  but she did not do so.

I told my story about Damian Green as part of a movement to encourage other women to expose every day sexual harassment.

I only ever wanted to make Westminster a place where people feel safer speaking out.

She also claimed she had been unable to work during the inquiry.

A Downing Street source said: The Cabinet Office conducted a thorough investigation into a number of allegations about Damian Green. The inquiry findings were published yesterday.

'The PM has made it clear that everyone should be able to work in politics without fear or harassment  that is why she has brought forward a new code of conduct for the Conservative Party, and set up a cross-party working group to make recommendations.

No 10 sources denied that the aide had made the admission to Miss Maltby or that Mrs May was told about Mr Green.
A family from Texas has demanded that a rescue dog be put down after it mauled their two-year-old son, Luca (pictured here) at an adoption event in Dallas last Saturday

A family from Texas has demanded that a rescue dog be put down after it mauled their two-year-old son at an adoption event in Dallas last Saturday.

The couple from Colleyville say their toddler, Luca Romero, was stroking dogs at the Dallas Pets Alive event when a pit bull-Labrador mix attacked him.

'It was awful,' his mother Allis Cho said. 'It literally dragged him to the ground and would not let go. It was flailing him around.'

'What we want is for this dog to be euthanized,' Alan Romero, his father, said.

'It was an unprovoked attack. This dog is dangerous. He mauled a little kid and will probably do it again.'

Apparently people were welcome to pet the dogs and Luca had actually been stroking the dog that attacked him - it had initially been friendly.

Luca is pictured here with his mother Allis Cho and his father Alan Romero

Cho said Luca loves dogs and is used to playing with their German shepherd.

However, things took a darker turn when Luca was walking back toward the leashed pit bull mix as it jumped up at him and started attacking.

Apparently the dog was very forceful and even sunk its teeth into the boys right arm and chest, refusing to let go.

Cho said: 'Four to five large men had to come in and literally pry the dog off of him.'

'One of the guys was punching the dog and the dog wouldn't let go of him. It seemed like forever, but I'm sure it was just a minute or two.'

Alan said the ambulance was called in immediately and his son was rushed to the emergency room at the Children's Medical Center Dallas.

Luca had to receive several stitches on his arm and chest.

Luca is used to playing with dogs - he's pictured here petting his German Shepherd

The executive director of the volunteer-based event, Leslie Sans, has refused to comment on what actually happened.

Although she didn't go into the specifics she did say the rescue agency is investigating the incident in order to prevent it from happening again.

She vehemently said the organization screen tests all of its animals before they are allowed to appear at an adoption event and before they are adopted by people.

Luca's parents said Luca is doing much better but is still quite scarred from the experience.

The dog is in the middle of a ten-day quarantine period, where it will be examined by Deborah Thorne, a DAS veterinarian, Ed Jamison, director of Dallas Animal Services, said.

The investigation is currently ongoing.
A Texas boys ranch residents has been called into questions as claims emerged vulnerable boys were raped, beaten and run over by horses under the noses of the staff.

Former residents have come forward to say they and hundreds of others were systematically abused at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch near Amarillo.

Among the harrowing allegations is that a staff member's wife was having sex with a number of boys at once, that youngsters were raping fellow residents and that boys were run down by horses as punishment.

A statement from the organization Wednesday said it was aware of the claims regarding 'harmful encounters they experienced at Boys Ranch years ago', referring to incidents spanning at least four decades from the 1950s to around the mid-1990s.

Former residents have come forward to say they and hundreds of others were systematically abused at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch near Amarillo. Pictured is a postcard from the ranch with unidentified boys

The head of a ranch that houses at-risk children in the Texas Panhandle issued an apology after several former residents said they were abused by staffers there.

Steve Smith, a 68-year-old from Amarillo, told The Guardian after his mother left him there as a boy, he was beaten many times and had to watch helplessly as his younger brother, Rick, was beaten.

Ed Cargill of New Mexico, said he made repeated escape attempts from the place he called 'a paradise for adult abusers'.

His time at the range overlapped with the Smiths, and he said that after one escape attempt he was made to run back in front of horses.

'Anytime I floundered, they'd hit me with coiled-up rope or run over me with the damn horse,' said Cargill, who said his dorm parent would also encourage other boys to administer physical punishment.

Bill Varnado, who was there at the same time as Steve Smith, said 'you really didn't have to 'get in trouble' for them to beat the hell out of you.'

Normally, he said: 'They used a belt, but as you got older they used their fists on boys.'

Cargill said that the wife of a staff member was having sex with him and three other boys.

A statement from the organization Wednesday said it was aware of the claims.

'For those who left Boys Ranch having experienced abuse of any form, I am truly sorry, both as the leader of this organization and as a man,' Dan Adams, president and CEO of Cal Farley's, said in the statement.

'It is for these reasons that regulatory oversight and strength-based models of care in this field evolved, and Cal Farley's strives to be a leader in observing both.'

Adams told the paper that since he took over in 1996, corporal punishment has been phased out.

The privately funded, faith-based residential community is open to children ages 5 to 18 and currently supports about 250 boys and girls.

The ranch said at-risk boys and girls can be placed there by their parents, a managing conservator or guardian.

Rick and Steve Smith and others told The Guardian that the abuse was systemic and affected hundreds.

Rick Smith said he was raped by another boy at the ranch.

Smith told the Amarillo Globe-News they want more than an apology.

Smith leads a Facebook group of other survivors that presented Adams in April with a proposal of how to deal with the past abuses.

The proposal included Boys Ranch issuing a public statement acknowledging wrongdoing, the creation of a fund for survivor care, utilization of best practices for abuse prevention and a review of marketing material to make sure information about the past is not misleading.

Smith also wanted the organization to stop honoring past staff accused of abuse.

A statement from the organization Wednesday said it was aware of the claims regarding 'harmful encounters they experienced at Boys Ranch years ago', referring to incidents spanning at least four decades from the 1950s to around the mid-1990s

Cal Farley's dedicated a new dormitory to a former superintendent at the ranch alleged to be one of the worst abusers.

The Child-Friendly Faith Project, a nonprofit that works to expose religious groups that abuse children, took the allegations to The Guardian after it became apparent Cal Farley's was not going to act on the proposal, said Janet Heimlich, the nonprofit's founder and a former journalist.

Heimlich first came into contact with Smith and the Facebook group after writing a blog post in 2015 praising Boy's Ranch for an advanced therapeutic model.

Smith commented on the post and they got in touch.

Adams told the Globe-News he didn't want to initially make a public apology because it would give children, families and donors undue concern.

Heimlich agreed that Boys Ranch, which opened in 1939, had cleaned up since the 1990s and emphasized that it still maintains a 'flagship model' for child therapy.

The ranch currently has a license with the state as a general residential operation providing child care and transitional living.

Texas Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Christine Mann tells The Associated Press that they have no recent history of corrective or adverse actions.

She said it was initially licensed by the state in 1979.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins said the ranch does have a contract in good standing to take in children in foster care.

Over the last five years 19 foster children have been placed there, including 11 who are currently there.
Australians crossing their fingers for a Christmas Day scorcher will need to settle for cooler conditions this year with mild temperatures forecast for most of the country.

Sydneysiders can expect breezy southerly winds throughout the day and a possible shower around lunch time, with the temperature warming throughout the afternoon.

Unlike last year's warm 28 degrees, the city will experience a maximum 23 degrees - and Melbourne won't be much different.

Milder conditions are expected across the country for Christmas Day this year: it will be cool in Sydney and Melbourne, wet for the country's north, hot on the west coast, and dry in the south

'It will be warmer in the afternoon, and showers will be more likely throughout the day,' Graeme Brittain from Weatherzone told Daily Mail Australia.

The Victorian capital will be 'quite cool' with a mostly sunny top of 22 degrees, warming up in the afternoon.

Conversely, Perth is expected to sizzle through a more traditional Christmas - with a perfect 32 degrees sure to keep the beach-goers happy.

Mr Brittain said Western Australian's should prepare for the heat to peak after mid day - a perfect time to cool off and recover from a lunch-time feast.

While the country's east coast can prepare to get a bit wet of Christmas Day, Western Australians can look forward to a summer scorcher, with a max temp of 32 degrees forecast

Canberrans shouldn't be surprised if some showers dampen their festivities, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a mild 25 degrees and a chance of rain.

Wet weather and a chance of a thunderstorm is threatening celebrations in Brisbane despite a warm 33 degrees being on the cards.

While BoM predicts the morning will be sunny, it says things will take a turn for the worst post-lunch, with thunderstorms expected to develop in the afternoon and into the evening.

Wet weather is threatening celebrations in Brisbane and Canberra, with a tropical thunderstorm likely in the afternoon for the Northern Territory

Pleasant dry conditions are expected in the country's south, with Adelaide to max out at 29 degrees and Hobart's wet spell to clear in time for a sunny 21 degree Christmas day.

The Northern Territory's stormy weather will continue into Christmas Day, according to BoM, with a dry reprieve not due to arrive until Wednesday.

A tropical thunderstorm will likely grace Darwin Monday, with 33 degrees expected along with a high chance of showers throughout the morning and afternoon.
Democratic Senator Al Franken gave a farewell speech Thursday on Capitol Hill, thanking his family and friends, while lambasting the president and his administration for what he called 'lies.'

The 40 minute speech by the outgoing Senator from Minnesota, who is stepping down amid allegations of inappropriate touching made by multiple women, tore into Trump and his fellow Republicans on a number of issues from treatment of LGBT rights to climate change and the middle class.

'As I leave the Senate, I have to admit that it feels like we're losing the war for truth,' Franken said in his final speech on the Senate floor. 'Maybe it's already lost. If that's what happens, then we have lost the ability to have the kinds of arguments that help build consensus.'

'During his inaugural address, President Trump vowed that 'the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,' Franken said. 'But the Republican tax bill represents a slap in the face to those forgotten men and women. I guess the president forgot about them.'

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U.S. Senator Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, in his farewell, lambasted the Trump administration. He officially resigns Jan. 2 after allegations of inappropriate touching by several women

Franken took shots at the Trump administration for its handling of LGBT rights issues and how the tax bill heavily benefits the one per cent

On the issue of voter fraud in the 2016 elections, Franken said: 'It's all based on a lie  and not a lie President Trump came up with.

Right-wing conservatives have been raising a false alarm about so-called voter fraud for years despite the fact that no credible evidence has ever been [found] demonstrating that it is a real problem.'

Franken also took issue with LGBT policies. 'Lurking behind these policies are lies,' he said. 'Lies that the advocates of LGBT rights want to trample on people's religious freedom. The lie that families led by a gay or lesbian couple don't provide a safe environment for children. The lie that allowing transgender people to use the appropriate bathroom opens the door to sexual assault. President Trump didn't invent these lies. But he and his administration proudly repeat them.'

'We now have enough evidence to conclude that climate change is real and it is man-made and it is a threat to our nation's security and an existential threat to the planet,' Franken said. 'President Trump didn't launch the war on science, but now he's leading the charge.'

Franken, who said on Wednesday he is officially stepping down on Jan. 2, praised his successor, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith.

'I have no doubt Sen. Smith will serve Minnesotans and all Americans well,' Franken said.

AOL News reported Franken concluded his speech on a positive note.

'Politics is about the improvement of people's lives,' Franken said. 'The American people know that to be true. And they fill me with hope for our future.'

The 66-year-old former comedian from Minnesota had been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party but he faced growing calls from fellow Senate Democrats to step down as allegations against him mounted.

Sen. Patrick Leahy said this week he regrets calling for Sen. Al Franken to resign instead of waiting for an ethics investigation.

The Burlington Free Press reported the Vermont Democrat released a statement Monday, saying he has 'stood for due process' throughout his career, and that he regrets 'not doing that this time.' He says the Ethics Committee 'should have been allowed to investigate and make its recommendation.'

U.S. Senator Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, announced his resignation on Dec. 7 over allegations of sexual misconduct

Franken announced his resignation from the Senate earlier this month following allegations of sexual misconduct. At the time, Leahy and dozens of other senators had urged the Minnesota Democrat to step down.

Franken got a new lease on political life after four of his colleagues stepped forward to say his promised resignation over groping and sexual harassment allegations should be put on pause.

Politico cited four lawmakers on Monday saying Franken was too quick to throw himself on the live grenade of the #MeToo movement and deserved a second chance.

None of them are women.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin criticized lawmakers who demanded Franken's head on a spit and then embraced him for pledging to quit.

'I hope they have enough guts... and enough conscience and enough heart to say, "Al, we made a mistake asking prematurely for you to leave,"' he said.

Fellow Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Monday morning on CNN that Franken deserves to stay as long as an ethics panel of his peers clears him

Accused: After the first allegation by radio broadcaster Leeann Tweeden, who produced this notorious photograph, Al Franken had a steady drip of follow-up accusers

The allegations against Franken began in mid-November when Leeann Tweeden, now a Los Angeles radio anchor, accused him of forcibly kissing her during a 2006 USO tour in Afghanistan.

Other allegations followed, including a woman who says Franken put his hand on her buttocks as they posed for a photo at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010.

Two more women told the Huffington Post that Franken squeezed their rear ends at political events during his first campaign for the Senate in 2008.

A fourth, an Army veteran, alleged Franken cupped her breast during a photo on a USO tour in 2003.

Franken has apologized for his behavior but has also disputed some of the allegations.

Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith has already been chosen to replace Franken

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was among a group of female senators who called on Al Franken to resign from the Senate
Australia is withdrawing its air strike operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The country's six Super Hornets will soon be brought home from the Middle East, marking a major reduction in its three-year commitment against ISIS.

Defence Minister Marise Payne said the decision to withdraw the fighter jets followed discussions with the Iraqi government and other allies.

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet flies over southern Iraq in September

A Super Hornet air combat officer checks armaments on his aircraft in the Middle East in 2014

An F/A-18F Super Hornet at the US-led coalition's main air operating base in the Middle East

'I want to particularly acknowledge the phenomenal efforts of the Hornet and Super Hornet pilots and support crew over the last three years,' Ms Payne told reporters at RAAF Base Glenbrook on Friday.

The minister, who visited the team in the Middle East twice, praised their work in extremely tough and long flying conditions.

Despite the Hornet air personnel returning home towards the end of January, Senator Payne insisted it was not the end of Australia's contribution in Iraq.

The Wedgetail surveillance and refueling aircraft would continue to support operations against ISIS - or Daesh - as well as the 80-strong Special Operations Task Group.

Australian soldiers supervise Iraqi military personnel during marksmanship training in Iraq

Smoke rises after an air strike on Islamic State militants in Raqqa, Sryia, in August this year

Australia's Wedgetail surveillance aircraft will remain in the Middle East fighting Islamic State

'They will continue to support the Iraqi security forces and the counter-terrorism services in their work to ensure that Daesh is precluded from taking any further hold,' Ms Payne said.

Earlier this month Iraq's prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the terrorist group.

Labor's former defence spokesman Stephen Conroy described the announcement as great news.

'I remember being in the room in the briefings when ISIS first starting rolling through all those towns in Iraq and there was enormous pessimism that Iraq would never come together,' Mr Conroy told Sky News.

'The troops over there have done a fantastic job and this is a real tribute to their professionalism.'
The National Archives has been forced to withdraw a display about British colonialism following accusations of 'Empire bashing'.

The exhibit claimed British rule over its colonies was 'profoundly oppressive' and failed to mention William Wilberforce's successful campaign to abolish the slave trade.

Critics said the presentation was one-sided and did not acknowledge any of the positive things that came about during the period.

The display, titled 'Empire & Colonialism', originally sat in the Keeper's Gallery, which aims to give visitors an overview of key moments covered by the archives' 11 million records. Tony Adler, 69, complained in 2009 that it was not balanced and presented a 'distorted' view of the past which was 'unremittingly anti-British'.

The National Archives (pictured) has been forced to withdraw a display about British colonialism

The archives originally rejected his complaint, but this month agreed to reword the display following an appeal to the organisation's chief executive and an internal review.

Bosses admitted it had presented a view of Britain's colonial history without 'due impartiality'. The archives also agreed to replace a board with an erroneous claim that Magna Carta helped the poorest in the population when it was drafted for the benefit of barons seeking to protect their own interests from King John.

And in addition, it said it would take down a blog post about the Partition of India which Mr Adler had complained had given an anti-British perspective.

Yesterday, Mr Adler, a retired history lecturer, said he was glad the changes had been made but said it should not have taken seven years of campaigning for them to take action.

In a letter to The Times, he said the archives had been 'Empire bashing' by using 'extravagant language' which 'betrayed the archives' obligation of fairness'.

His view was supported by Anthony Glees, director of the Centre For Security And Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham. He said: 'Museums should provide their visitors with facts, not opinions. The National Archives is a public record office, not a soap box.

Freed African slaves and their Royal Navy liberators were photographed on board HMS Daphne

'The things that were done well during the Empire . . . should be set alongside the many errors and wars imperial Britain waged. Not everything was good . .. but not everything was bad or violent. Nothing must be hidden or distorted, for otherwise the past is reduced to propaganda.'

The archives, a non-ministerial government department, said it had removed the blog post so it could be edited to comply with its code of impartiality and it will be republished. A spokesman said: 'The National Archives is the official archive and publisher for the UK Government. We provide access to the nation's history and connect people and communities with the millions of stories in our collection.

'At the heart of this complaint lies a disagreement over interpretation. Throughout history historians have argued about how to interpret sources, about how to assess the relative importance of events and about the origins of institutions.'
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A heroic first responder who rushed to help the casualties of Melbourne's Flinders Street attack has told how he laid down a bloodied woman, washed her cuts and held her hand until help arrived.

Innocent bystander Justin Davidraj was just about to cross the road near the city's famous train station about 4.45pm on Wednesday when a white SUV slammed into the crowd injuring 17 people with the sound of 'thud-thud-thud'.

Mr Davidraj works up the road on the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth and wanted to catch the 4.39pm Craigieburn train but was too late - instead seeing the car plough through the crowd.

'At the minute it hit, everybody (fled),' Mr Davidaj told Daily Mail Australia. 'Everybody ran to be honest.'

Justin Davidraj was just about to cross the road near the city's famous train station about 4.45pm on Wednesday when a white SUV slammed into the crowd injuring 17 people with the sound of 'thud-thud-thud'

The heroic first responder laid down a bloodied woman, washed her cuts and held her hand until help could arrive

'I didn't know what was happening so I stood there. A few of us stood there.'

So Mr Davidaj went to help the first people he could see - including a dark-haired woman bleeding from the forehead.

Dazed and confused, woman tried to sit up but Mr Davidaj laid her back down.

Harrowing video shot by a friend shows him holding the woman's hand as she laid sprawled across the road.

'She was trying to get up, she was bleeding and all that. We held her from the back, we said 'don't move because we don't know the extent of what hit you,' he said.

Harrowing video shot by a friend shows him holding the woman's hand as she laid sprawled across the road (L) along with other bystanders helping victims (R)

The mangled wreck of the white Suzuki Vitara 4WD after it smashed into a tram stop bollard after ploughing through 17 pedestrians

Two men were arrested at the scene after the white SUV (pictured) crashed into a bollard at Flinders Street Station

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age

'She didn't know what was happening. So I took her, checked her eyes, checked her bleeding. She was conscious. I checked her eyes, and she was good. The blood was from her forehead.

'We kind of washed her face, just to see where the cuts were, checked her ear lobes (for any sign of bleeding from the brain).'

Two police officers rushed over to ask how the woman was going but Mr Davidaj and first responders said other unconscious victims needed more serious help.

He was full of praise for the 'excellent' paramedics who came and took her to hospital, and said he had been praying nobody would die.

After being thanked for his efforts, Mr Davidaj said on Friday: 'I think that is the spirit of Christmas.

'There are no heroes here - everybody is a hero.'

Mr Daivdraj was full of praise for the 'excellent' paramedics who came and took her to hospital, and said he had been praying nobody would die

Paramedics at the scene were holding up tarps around the injured (pictured) who lay on the tram tracks of the busy street

Chaotic scenes unfolded during peak-hour as the white SUV crashed into the group of panicked pedestrians (pictured)

The rampage hurt 19 people including the driver and a heroic off-duty policeman who suffered shoulder and hand injuries as he wrestled the driver out of the car.

By midday on Friday 12 people were still in hospital with only one, an 80-year-old man, still in critical condition.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Many were from overseas including citizens of South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.

Saeed Noori, 32, the driver behind the wheel of the SUV with P-plates, arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Saeed Noori, 32, the driver behind the wheel of the SUV with P-plates, arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program

Speaking briefly to investigators last night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the 32-year-old made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'.

'But he also did attribute some of his actions to the poor treatment of Muslims,' Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Friday morning.

Commissioner Patton said Noori had a history of drug use and mental illness, stressing that investigators had not yet found any extremist or terrorist links to the horror rampage.

Noori was released from hospital on Friday afternoon and taken to Melbourne Police Station where detectives hope to formally interview him and potentially lay charges after that.

The 32-year-old had several run-ins with the law since settling in Australia, starting with a minor assault charge in 2010 that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and was fined $800.

Then in June this year he was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to driving while unlicensed, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail.

The missing bail charges was from when he missed a court date for the driving offences, which occurred either early this year or late last year, and which he also faced court for in February.
This is the glamorous Russian wife of the Ukrainian interpreter branded a 'rat in glasses' after being accused of spying for Russia.

Stanislav Yezhov, an aide who works for the Ukrainian cabinet and visited Downing Street earlier this year - was detained by the country's police yesterday and was accused of working for a 'hostile government'.

It has been suggested that Yezhovm, who met Theresa May at Number 10 during a visit in July, may have been recruited by Russia while living in the US with his Soviet wife Yulia Miroshnikova.

Ms Miroshnikova, 32, mother of the couple's young daughter, has millions of pounds held in a Russian bank, it is reported in Kiev.

Stanislav Yezhov, an aide who works for the Ukrainian cabinet and visited Downing Street this year - is accused of being a Russian spy and was arrested by Ukraine police yesterday. He is pictured with his mysterious Russian wife

Stanislav Yezhov (circled right) walks behind Theresa May and Ukraine's prime minister Volodymyr Groysman during a visit to Downing Street in July (outside Number 10 left)

She hit out at her husband's incarceration and claims that he spied for the FSB for two years, saying: 'I can say that this is some nonsense and surrealism. I don't want to be discussing anything else.'

Ms Miroshnikova has significant ties to Russia and is a graduate of St Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Both her father Alexander and grandfather Nikolai were submariners, spying on the West from underwater.

She was with her husband when he worked at the Ukraine's embassy in the US capital Washington until May 2016.

It is here where security experts believe he was recruited to spy for Russia.

Reports in Kiev say Ms Miroshnikova has 286m roubles  about 3.6m  in her Russian bank account while her husband has just over 50,000. The source of the money is not known but the couple live in a modest 90sq m apartment and share ownership with Yezhov's sister and father.

While in the US Ms Miroshnikova worked for energy consulting firm having gained a doctorate in renewable power installations during her time at university.

Her husband was yesterday branded 'a rat in glasses' by Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman after his arrest in Kiev on suspicion of espionage.

Yezhovm and his Russian wife Ms Miroshnikova, pictured on a hot air balloon ride, have a young daughter 90sq m apartment and share ownership with his sister and father

A Downing Street spokesman said: 'Security at Number 10 is kept under constant review.' Pictured left: Alleged spy Yezhov outside Downing Street. Right: Yezhov (highlighted) with Boris Johnson

Stanislav Yezhov - an interpreter for the Ukrainian cabinet - was detained by the country's police today

In an extraordinary Facebook post, Mr Groysman said that Yezhov had 'long been working in the interests of a hostile government'.

It is not known if Yezhov, who could be jailed for 12 to 15 years if found guilty of spying, is accused of acts of espionage at the time he attended Downing Street in July.

During the visit, Yezhov interpreted discussions held between Theresa May and Prime Minister Groysman.

Among the topics discussed were British support for Ukraine's cyber defences and sanctions against Russia.

Asked about the man visiting Downing Street, Mrs May told a press conference in Poland: 'I am aware of the reports in relation to a Ukrainian individual who attended Downing Street earlier in the summer. The matter is for the Ukrainian authorities.'

Asked whether he would raise the issue during talks with Mr Lavrov in Moscow, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: 'I think that is a matter for the Ukrainians.

'We want Ukraine to go on the right path and we are worried that Ukraine needs more encouragement, more help, to reform, to make sure it isn't captured by the wrong influences.

'I think possibly what this episode shows is the real difficulties and risks that the Ukrainian government is running. They need a lot of encouragement.'

Ukraine's state security service SBU detained Yezhov, 39, on suspicion of working in the interests of Russia, Prime Minister Groysman said today.

Oleksiy Petrov, head of Ukrainian's counter-intelligence department, said: 'He enjoyed respect.

'He worked responsibly, diligently and creatively for the Russian special services.

'He passed information, stole documents, eavesdropped on news, searched for information among colleagues and regularly sent it to the Russian special services. What a rat in glasses.'

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of reporting about the arrest of Stanislav Yezhov in Ukraine.' Pictured: Yezhov on board a plane

Ukraine's state security service SBU detained Yezhov, 39, on suspicion of working in the interests of Russia, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said today. Pictured: Yezhov being led away by police

Mrs May said today that Britain and Poland are concerned about Russian attempts to weaponise information. Pictured: Yezhov hanging his head while being taken away by police

The spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin was aware of the arrest.

Dmitry Peskov told Interfax: 'These allegations of spying simply reflect the general instability of Ukraine.

'They are nothing but attempts to transfer blame for what's going on in the country on to 'hostile forces'.'

Yezhov was seen being led away in handcuffs on Ukrainian television.

Ukraine's security service said Yezhov acted 'on the orders' of Russia to collect information 'about the activities of government structures', with the help of 'special equipment'.

Yezhov gave data to the Russians through 'electronic channels of communication', the security service said.

His home and workplace are now being searched by Ukrainian security services, they indicated.

A Downing Street spokesman said: 'Security at Number 10 is kept under constant review.'

Oleksiy Petrov, head of counterintelligence in Ukraine, told Pryamiy TV: 'The official had access to insider information about the Cabinet of Ministers'. Pictured: Yezhov being led away in handcuffs today

Yezhov's home and workplace are now being searched by Ukrainian security services, they indicated. Pictured: Yezhov in front of a Ukrainian flag

Oleksiy Petrov, head of counterintelligence in Ukraine, told Pryamiy TV: 'The official had access to insider information about the Cabinet of Ministers.

'He was respected. And he responsibly and diligently worked for the Russian special services.'

He also met then-US Vice President Joe Biden in 2016.

Neither the PM nor the SBU named the position or name of the detained official, but he has been widely named as Stanislav Yezhov.

The SBU said in a statement that the official was recruited by Russian agents while he travelled abroad. It said the official had been collecting information about the activities of the government.

Ukraine and Russia were once allies whose intelligence agencies often worked closely together, but relations deteriorated after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Asked about the man visiting Downing Street, Mrs May told a press conference in Poland: 'I am aware of the reports in relation to a Ukrainian individual who attended Downing Street earlier in the summer. Pictured: May with Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki today

The revelation came as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Moscow for a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov tomorrow. Pictured: The foreign secretary in Poland today

Mrs May said yesterday that Britain and Poland are concerned about Russian attempts to weaponise information.

'We have agreed today to bolster our cooperation to counter Russian disinformation in the region .... we are both deeply concerned by Russia's attempts to weaponise information,' she told reporters during a visit to Poland.

'The Kremlin is seeking to undermine the international rules-based system and it will not succeed.'

The revelation came as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Moscow for a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov tomorrow.

It comes at a time when relations between Moscow and the West are at their coolest for several decades.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of reporting about the arrest of Stanislav Yezhov in Ukraine.

'We can neither confirm or deny the allegations against him. It is not our practice to comment on legal proceedings in other jurisdictions.'
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The past 12 months have seen some of the most dramatic news stories in recent memory.

From hurricane-induced floods to wildfires and genocide to solar eclipses, journalists were kept busy trying to chronicle it all.

DigitalGlobe, a satellite-imaging company, released stunning images on Thursday of some of 2017s biggest events as seen from space.

The company uses a fleet of spacecraft to transmit 100 terabytes worth of pictures to Earth every day, according to Business Insider.

This image, taken on August 30 by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite, shows the extensive flooding in Brookshire, Texas

This image, captured by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite on August 19, shows an encampment of eclipse watchers in Big Summit Prairie, Oregon

This image, taken by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite on August 2, shows Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's palace in Harare, nicknamed Blue Roof, where the deposed dictator is under house arrest. Mugabe stepped down on November 21, ending 37 years as the country's ruler, following a military coup

On October 27, the Catalan Parliament voted to declare its independence from Spain, prompting the Spanish Senate to impose direct rule under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. This image, taken by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite on June 6, shows the Catalan Parliament building in Barcelona

We saw tragedies unfold, like the famine in Africa and Yemen, and we saw moments of great progress, like the strategic victories over the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, said Dan Jablonsky, the president of DigitalGlobe.

DigitalGlobe's satellite constellation had a front-row seat to these and thousands of other impactful events in 2017.

In late August, a series of hurricanes  Irma, Harvey, and Maria  dumped record-breaking amounts of rain, leading to massive flooding across wide swaths of Texas and Florida.

California has also been devastated this year by two deadly wildfires which have killed dozens and destroyed thousands of homes.

More than half a million Rohingya Muslims fled from the Rakhine province of Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh after government forces burned hundreds of their villages in what is being deemed a genocide. This image, taken by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite on November 5, shows the Nayapara refugee camp in Bangladesh

On March 10, the United Nations' top humanitarian official called for coordinated global efforts to stem the famine that has affected more than 20 million people in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria. This December 2 image shows the expansion of refugee and medical tents in one of the hardest hit areas in Dikwa, Borno State, Nigeria

Venezuela's years-long economic crisis reached new lows in 2017, with major shortages of food and medicine and the seizure of all legislative powers by the country's supreme court in March, which sparked months of violent protests across the country. This image taken on April 28 shows the nation's busiest port, Puerto Cabello, which has seen import traffic drop dramatically over the past few years

In October, US-backed Syrian militias reclaimed the city of Raqqa, which had been the de facto capital of the Islamic State in Syria for three years. This image from October 9 shows Syrian forces gathered in Raqqa's iconic Al-Naim square surrounded by the ruins of destroyed buildings

On October 14, a truck bomb exploded in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, which is thought to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab to target a compound housing international agencies and troops. It was the most deadly terror attack of 2017, killing 512 people and injuring 316. The image above, taken on October 16, shows the aftermath of the bombing

California experienced the most deadly and destructive year for wildfires on record in 2017. This image, taken by DigitalGlobe's GeoEye-1 satellite on October 11, shows the badly burned Coffey Park neighborhood in Santa Rosa

North Korea launched a series of increasingly capable ballistic missiles and conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. This image, taken by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite on November 21, shows the factory in Pyongsong where the Hwasong-15 ICBM is believed to have been developed

On April 7, the US military launched 59 Tomahawk missiles that struck a Syrian airbase where a chemical weapons attack is believed to have originated. This image, taken on April 7 by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite, shows damaged aircraft and infrastructure at Al Shayrat airfield

On October 1, a gunman at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas fired more than 1,100 rounds into a crowd of people at a nearby concert. It was the deadliest mass shooting in US history, leaving 58 people dead and 546 injured. This image, taken by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite on October 2, shows the hotel and concert venue

On January 21, millions of people across the United States marched for women's rights, racial equality, environmental protection, workers' rights, immigrants' rights, and other causes. It was the largest single day protest in US history. This image, taken by DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite on January 21, shows the protest in Denver

On December 15, SpaceX launched the first mission to fly a reused orbital rocket and spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station. This image, taken on December 12 by DigitalGlobe's GeoEye-1 satellite, shows the Falcon 9 rocket horizontal on the launch pad

The island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai formed in late 2014 as the result of an underwater volcanic eruption in the Kingdom of Tonga. It was expected to wash away over the course of months, but it has persisted to become the first new island of its kind to sustain itself in more than 50 years. This image taken on June 29 shows the newly formed volcanic island connecting two previously separate islands

The first destroyed large parts of Napa and Sonoma counties in October.

Now firefighters continue to battle the blaze that has engulfed areas around Los Angeles.

DigitalGlobe captured stunning images of these disasters as well as other large-scale events, like the nationwide Womens March and the public craze over the first total solar eclipse in North America in the last century.
The retired police officer who leaked information which resulted in the sacking of Damian Green 'liked' anti-Conservative posts on Facebook, it emerged last night.

Retired detective constable Neil Lewis, 48, reportedly went online and clicked on the post by a campaign group called 'Sack The Tories' in 2016.

The information leaked by Mr Lewis and former counter-terrorism boss Bob Quick led to Mr Green, 61, being sacked by Prime Minister Theresa May.

It came as the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation last night joined Mrs May and Boris Johnson in slamming the two 'abhorrent' retired officers.

A number of Tories have rounded on retired detective constable Neil Lewis (left) and ex-counterterrorism boss Bob Quick (right)

Damian Green (pictured) was forced to resign after he breached the ministerial code and wrote a letter to Theresa May

Ken Marsh was quick to criticise the men and said that the 30,000 officers he represents 'respect the rules' when it comes to confidential information.

His comments come after Mrs May, 61, demanded that the leaks are 'properly investigated' after her close friend and deputy was forced to resign.

Mr Green was sacked after he breached the ministerial code when he lied about pornographic material being found on his Commons computer.

The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and now Mr Marsh have now rounded on Mr Lewis and Mr Quick.

They both leaked details that pornography was found on Mr Green's computer in 2008.

According to The Times, Mr Lewis went on the anti-Tory page which celebrated Iain Duncan Smith's resignation in March last year.

Mr Marsh told The Times: 'It's unfair and disingenuous that again we are being hauled over the coals when most of my colleagues think that what these retired officers did is abhorrent.

'We are all privy to confidential information but we respect the rules. All this has done is pit the Tories against the police again. My colleagues are professional and they just want to do their jobs.'

Mr Johnson, who arrived in Moscow yesterday, said that he felt there was a 'vendetta' against his former colleague.

He said: 'I think it was a bit whiffy, frankly, this business with whatever happened with the information from his computer.

'I don't quite see why that was brought into the public domain in the way it was. I think it needs to be investigated further, as the Prime Minister was saying.

'It had the slight feeling of a vendetta.'

The Prime Minister (right) has demanded that the leaked information is 'properly investigated'

Mr Johnson, who arrived in Moscow yesterday, (pictured) said that he felt there was a 'vendetta' against his former colleague

Mrs May added: 'I share the concerns that have been raised across the political spectrum about comments that were made by a former police officer and I expect that issue to be properly investigated, to be taken seriously and to be properly looked at.'

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said questions needed to be answered regarding the conduct of the retired officer after the details were released.

He said: 'Some of the actions, of particularly a retired police officer, don't sit comfortably in a democracy.'

Other Tory MPs attacked the police and Chris Philp said Mr Quick and Mr Lewis should be investigated for misconduct in public office.

He told the BBC: 'I think they should be investigated for misconduct in public office. That is a criminal offence.

'What they have done is completely wrong. It undermines trust in the police. How can any of us trust giving information to the police if senior officers leak in this way?'
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Police have raided the homes of accused Flinders Street rampage driver Saeed Noori's family searching for clues to why he mowed down 17 people at a busy intersection.

The 32-year-old Afghan refugee was dragged from the car and arrested minutes after he ploughed through crowds of Christmas shoppers and commuters outside Flinders Street Station.

Police said it did not appear to a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Heidelberg West and Oak Park - where Noori lives - in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident.

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Police have raided the homes of accused Flinders Street rampage driver Saeed Noori's family searching for clues to why he mowed down 17 people at a busy intersection

The home of Flinders Street rampage river Saeed Noori in Oak Park in Melbourne's north, which was raided on Thursday nigth hours after the carnage

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives.

'At this stage nothing has been found to indicate a linkage to extremism, a terrorist organisation or anything of a terrorist nature,' police told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.

Speaking briefly to investigators last night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the Noori made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'.

'But he also did attribute some of his actions to the poor treatment of Muslims,' Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Friday morning.

Commissioner Patton said Noori had a history of drug use and mental illness, stressing that investigators had not yet found any extremist or terrorist links to the horror rampage.

The house, raided on Thursday night, had multiple cars and a boat parked in the front yard

The 32-year-old Afghan refugee was dragged from the car and arrested minutes after he ploughed through crowds of Christmas shoppers and commuters outside Flinders Street Station

Noori arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program, and had several run-ins with the law between 2008 and earlier this year.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

'At this stage, because investigations are continuing, apart from that statement, there are no known links to any political issues or any, certainly any links to extremist groups.

'Therefore, the position I am advised off at the moment is that no terrorism link has been identified at this stage. I want to stress, there is a mass of material that is being investigated and nothing should be ruled out, nothing should be ruled out.

'Now, whatever the motivation, this was a despicable and cowardly act, but I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident.'

Victims of the rampage included a four-year-old boy with serious head injuries, but in a stable condition, and three others still in critical condition

Police said it did not appear to a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Heidelberg West and Oak Park - where Noori lives - in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident

Noori's legal issues started with a minor assault charge in 2010 that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and was fined $800.

Then in June this year he was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to driving while unlicensed, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail.

The missing bail charges was from when he missed a court date for the driving offences, which occurred either early this year or late last year, and which he also faced court for in February.

Noori was released from hospital on Friday afternoon and taken to Melbourne Police Station where detectives hope to formally interview him and potentially lay charges after that.

A second man was arrested after filming the car ploughing through crowds outside Melbourne's Flinders Street train station and charged with weapons and drug offences.

Police confirmed the man, 24, was not believed to have been involved in the carnage that injured 19 including the driver but they hope the footage he took will be useful to investigators.

A second man was arrested after filming the car ploughing through crowds outside Melbourne's Flinders Street train station and charged with weapons and drug offences

Police confirmed the man, 24, was not believed to have been involved in the carnage that injured 19 including the driver but they hope the footage he took will be useful to investigators

Victoria Police's acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the man had now been charged with cannabis and weapons charges.

'He ran, was grabbed, and arrested,' Mr Patton told 3AW. 'We dont believe he was involved in this matter at all. His footage may be valuable.'

Victims of the rampage included a four-year-old boy with serious head injuries, but in a stable condition, and three others still in critical condition.

Others were men aged 25, 40, 43, 45, and 83; two 25-year-old women, and other women aged 30, 35, 47, and 58 along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the 'horrific act' was targeted against 'innocent bystanders'.

'This is a terrible, evil, cowardly act... At a time of the year when so many families are celebrating the end of they year, doing their Christmas shopping ... we have seen a horrific act,' he said.

Chaotic scenes unfolded during peak-hour as the white SUV crashed into the group of panicked pedestrians (pictured)

Paramedics at the scene were holding up tarps around the injured (pictured) who lay on the tram tracks of the busy street

Witness described seeing the car hurtling towards the crowd, ploughing through people in its path and crashing into the pole.

'It just mowed everybody down, people were flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere,' one told radio station 3AW:

Dramatic footage then showed a number of injured pedestrians being treated by passersby as they wait for paramedics.

'He has gone straight through the red light at pace and it was bang, bang, bang. It was just one after the other,' another told the Herald Sun.

'There were bodies on the ground and people running up to them - it was mayhem.'
Two babies have been rescued from water after a pontoon vessel capsized near a boat ramp south of Perth.

Thirteen people, including the babies, were on board the pontoon in the Mandurah estuary when the boat started taking on water about 7.20pm on Thursday.

All on board the pontoon - aged four months to 45 - ended up in the estuary, with nearby vessels quick to provide assistance, WA Today reports.

Thirteen people including two babies were thrown from a pontoon on Thursday night; West Australian water police (pictured) were among those to attend the scene south of Perth

Mandurah estuary, south of Perth, where 13 people - including two babies aged just four months and six months - were thrown from a pontoon south of Perth on Thursday

The Dudley Park boat ramp on Mandurah estuary, where 13 people including two babies were thrown from a pontoon when it capsized on Thursday night; five people were taken to hospital

Peel Water Police and Mandurah Volunteer Marine Rescue attended the scene near the Dudley Park boat ramp.

The two infants, aged four months and six months, two teenagers and a woman were taken by ambulance to Peel Health Campus as a precaution.

There were no serious injuries, a police spokeswoman said, and all were understood to be recovering well.

An officer from the Department of Transport Marine Safety attended the estuary and will make inquiries.

The boat was towed to the Mandurah marina.
Police in Chicago said on Thursday they have arrested 50 people suspected of using 'secret groups' on Facebook to deal in guns and drugs.

Police have teamed up with the world's largest social media network to crack down on criminal trafficking online.

Police did not detail charges facing the 50 men and women arrested through Thursday, but said there were 'dozens and dozens' of private Facebook groups being used for illegal drug and weapons transactions.

Police have arrested 50 people, and said there were 'dozens and dozens' of secret Facebook groups being used for illicit activities

Arrest warrants for 18 more suspects have been signed, and most have prior criminal histories, police said.

Among the illicit sites monitored by police was one offering a 'Thanksgiving special' on cocaine baggies discounted to $40 from a normal street price of $60.

Announcing the arrests at a news conference, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson initially criticized Facebook as being unhelpful during a 10-month investigation by his department.

'Quite frankly, they haven't been very friendly to law enforcement to prevent these things,' he told reporters.

However, police later said the department and the California-based company agreed to work collaboratively 'to target any illegal activity on the platform.'

In a statement on Thursday, Facebook Inc, which boasts 2 billion users worldwide, said it had only just been alerted to the arrests in Chicago.

'We do not allow the sale of guns or drugs on our platform. We routinely work with law enforcement and outline how officials may submit a request on our site,' Facebook added.

Chief of the police department's organized crime unit Anthony Riccio said investigators created covert identities on Facebook and were invited into private groups

'We do not allow the sale of guns or drugs on our platform': Facebook has teamed up with police to tackle crime online

Among those arrested was an elementary school teacher taken into custody at his Chicago school in possession of scales often used for weighing drugs, according to Anthony Riccio, chief of the police department's organized crime unit.

Since a confidential informant alerted investigators about alleged criminal trade on Facebook in February, police detectives working undercover arranged for the purchase of 17 different types of drugs and 18 different illegal firearms, Riccio said.

Riccio said investigators created covert identities on Facebook and were invited into private groups, which are closed unless the user-administrator allows someone to join.

Police then monitored messages and contacted those in the group via Facebook to make buys.

Chicago has been singled out by President Donald Trump as one of the most violent U.S. cities. In 2016, the number of murders there exceeded 760. (Reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)
Alberto Arias-Nunez, 37, mysteriously disappeared December 13 after he told his wife he was going to buy a car in a city hours away from the family's Cypress, Texas home

The frantic wife of a Texas father who disappeared after leaving to purchase a new car worries her family could be planning a funeral soon.

Bianca Arias has called on the public to help in the desperate search for her husband, Alberto Arias-Nunez, 37, who mysteriously vanished December 13 after leaving the family's Cypress home, police say.

It seems Alberto informed Bianca over the phone he was going to visit a friend that day at a body shop in Tyler - which is roughly a four-hour drive from the city of Cypress.

A beside herself Bianca has been active on social media since - sharing her story in hopes of locating the father of her three children.

She also spoke with local news station KHOU this week, and can be seen on video sobbing as she explains the family's horror just days shy of Christmas.

'I don't know what to tell my kids,' she weeped in the interview. 'My three-year-old asks me all the time, "mom, where is my dad?"'

Bianca became worried last week after she had not heard from her husband for some time and noticed her calls were going to voicemail.

Bianca Arias (shown next to her husband) has called on the public to help this week in the desperate search for Alberto (pictured also with his two sons and daughter on Facebook)

Alberto's white SUV was found in a parking lot unlocked, but his wallet, keys and phone were not inside

She reported him missing, but it wasn't until four days after he vanished authorities found his white SUV parked at Catfish Village restaurant in Waskom, the news station reported.

The vehicle was found unlocked - however his wallet, keys and phone were not inside.

The name of the alleged friend Alberto was visiting at the car shop is currently unknown.

'He has never been gone for that long,' Bianca said, while adding that Alberto's unexplained disappearance is completely out of 'character' for him.

Bianca said her husband's abrupt disappearance last week was completely out of 'character' for him

The wife is shown sobbing as she spoke with Mundo Hispanico this week about the nightmare incident

Police found his car found parked at Catfish Village restaurant in Waskom on December 17

'When they told me they found the truck and not my husband I was just like, "God, give me strength." That's the only thing I can ask for right now.' she cried.

Alberto, a church congregant and loving father to an infant daughter and two sons, three and six, is shown on his Facebook profile smiling and embracing his family in the months prior to his disappearance.

In May, Alberto is pictured posing with his then-newborn daughter at the hospital.

Thursday evening, Bianca took to her Facebook page to provide further information about the ongoing search for him.

Alberto, an avid church congregant and loving father, is shown on his Facebook page smiling and embracing his family in the months prior to his disappearance

In May, Alberto is pictured posing with his then-newborn daughter while at the hospital

Bianca announced on Facebook that she was planning to hand out flyers and continue the search this Saturday, December 23

'Hello everyone thank you so much for your prayers and for sharing my post and making the news interested in our case!' she wrote.

'This statement is to announce that this Saturday, Dec 23 we will meet in the parking lot of the church prince of peace 19222 Tomball Parkway Houston TX 77070 at 6:00 am to get out to Tyler Tx to hand out flyers and To look for him, to do everything in our hands.

'Everyone interested in helping us are welcome...'

While no signs of foul play have been found, Bianca said she believes the opposite to be true.

'I just ask God to help me find... I don't want to say body, but I just want to find him and hug him,' she said, somber.

'My baby, she just smiles she doesn't know nothing that is going on,' she told KHOU.
Former Labor leader Mark Latham has called for evil people to be locked up and kept off the streets in the wake of Thursday's car attack.

Mr Latham made the comments as Melbourne was still coming to terms with the carnage caused when Saeed Noori allegedly ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians.

Police revealed Noori, who came to Australia as a refugee from Afghanistan in 2004, was known to them and has a history of drug use and serious mental illness.

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Former Labor leader Mark Latham (pictured, right, with Jeff Kennet on Sunrise) has called for evil people to be locked up and kept off the streets in the wake of Thursday's car attack

Mr Latham spoke out strongly when discussing the attack, calling Noori a 'public menace' during an emotional Friday morning segment on Sunrise.

'We need to be a bit more hard-headed about this and start locking up evil people,' he said, triggering a fiery debate with former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett.

Mr Kennett accused Mr Latham of populism, and said it is not possible to imprison everyone who is known to police.

Mr Latham made the comments as Melbourne was still coming to terms with the carnage caused when Saeed Noori allegedly ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians (pictured is the car used in the attack)

'Thirty-years-ago, dangerous people weren't integrated into the community, the do-gooders had this attitude, let's integrate people into the community, well I say it's failed,' Mr Latham responded.

Mr Kennett later mentioned the exchange in an opinion piece, calling Mr Latham's comments 'understandable' in The Herald Sun.

'The perpetrator of the Bourke St rampage and Thursdays attack should be held to account before our law,' he wrote.

'Neither should be excused from that because their actions might have been drug related.'

Mr Latham later posted a video of the exchange on his Facebook page, with a list of five important things that need to be done to make Australia safer.

The clash came as the Australians grappled with the latest car attack to rock Melbourne.

Mr Latham (pictured, bottom right) spoke out strongly when discussing the attack, calling Noori a 'public menace' during an emotional Friday morning segment on Sunrise

There were 19 people injured when Noori allegedly drove a white 4WD into a crowd of people on Thursday afternoon.

The Australian citizen of Afghan descent remains in hospital under police guard, with investigators hopeful to interview him later on Friday.

The 32-year-old has spoken briefly to police about voices, dreams and the 'poor treatment of Muslims.

Nine foreign nationals were among the injured, and 16 people remain in hospital, three of who are critically injured, including an 83-year-old man.

Police raided homes in West Heidelberg and Oak Park overnight. Family members of the man helped police and none were taken into custody.

The accused man, who migrated to Australia via a refugee program, will be psychiatrically assessed in hospital.
Brian Houston and his Mexican fiance got hitched during a Border Patrol approved wedding at the San Diego border - what authorities didn't know was the groom plead guilty to drug smuggling charges months earlier.

Houston and wife-to-be, Evelia Reyes, were approved to wed in a special ceremony at Friendship Park in November.

Border Angels, a non-profit that organized the event, says they never do the background checks, but provides applicants with a questionnaire. Those that applied are then federally background checked by Border Patrol.

The groom said at the time they were marrying in the special ceremony because he could not cross the border - but declined to elaborate. He failed to mention his February arrest in which agents say they found 43 pounds of heroin, 47 pounds of methamphetamine and 43 pounds of cocaine in his Volkswagen as he crossed through the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

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Bride Evelia Reyes and groom Brian Houston pose for pictures after marrying at an open gate on the US-Mexico border at Playas de Tijuana, Mexico before Border Patrol realized Houston plead guilty to drug smuggling charges

Wedding cake on Border Patrol's face: Though Houston was federally background checked - his felony smuggling arrest did not appear initially

'The agents are upset, feel like they were taken advantage of, feel like they were duped,' said Joshua Wilson, vice president and spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613 to the San Diego Tribune. 'Turns out we provided armed security for a cartel wedding.'

Border Angels executive director Enrique Morones said in a statement Wednesday: 'Border Angels has never done any background checks, as the Border Patrol advised us they will do all background checks and advise us which families have been cleared.'

Border Patrol spokesperson Takae Michael said Houston was 'screened through an internal vetting process based on biographical information provided to us' by Morones.

'A review of the provided information, through our DHS systems, did not indicate criminal activity,' Michael said.

The Border Patrol said that after the wedding, 'a subsequent review of Houston's information was completed and confirmed a match for a previous arrest for drug smuggling.'

Because of this incident, future events like this are in jeopardy.

Morones says he plans to meet with San Diego's new Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott to discuss the incident.

'We were shocked to learn this past week of Brian Houston's very serious criminal situation. That goes against everything Border Angels stands for,' Morones said.

Houston plead guilty in May to smuggling the three drugs and his sentencing is set for February 23, 2018.

The November event was held for one hour to allow a quick meeting for friends and relatives from both sides of the nuptials.

In the crowd on the Mexican side was the bride, Evelia Reyes, who arrived wearing a white wedding dress, a long flowing train and a white veil, waiting to meet her groom, Brian Houston.

She was accompanied by three children from her previous marriage, including a young daughter also dressed in white.

'For a relationship this wall does not exist, for love there are no borders,' Reyes gushed.

In the crowd on the Mexican side was Evelia Reyes, who arrived wearing a white wedding dress, a long flowing train and a white veil, waiting to meet her groom, Brian Houston

At the gate a Mexican judge promptly married her to Houston, who approached from the US side dressed in a smart grey suit.

The wife of the mayor of Tijuana and the local Mexican Human Rights commissioner served as witnesses.

Reyes, a native of the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, said she met Houston in Tijuana three years ago.

And Houston, a US resident, told the San Diego Tribune he could not visit Tijuana for reasons he wouldn't elaborate on at the time.

The heavy steel gate is at Border Field State Park in San Diego, and has opened six times since 2013. It's in a small strip of land where families from both sides can see one another, but not touch, any time they want.

She was accompanied by three children from her previous marriage, including a young daughter also dressed in white

At the gate a Mexican judge promptly married her to Houston, who approached from the US side dressed in a smart grey suit

The crowd gathered at the gate under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol agents to witness the joyful moment
A record 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized in Western Australia and eight men have been charged over the $1.04 billion drug bust.

The six-month, multi-agency investigation is the biggest drug haul in Australian history, trumping the 903 kilograms seizure in Melbourne earlier this year.

Police allege a vessel called Valkoista arrived in Geraldton, in WA's Mid West region, about 2am on Thursday and the drugs were then offloaded into a white van just before 4am.

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About 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized in Western Australia in the biggest haul in Australian history

The seizure tops a 903kg seizure in Melbourne earlier this year (pictured are some of the men arrested)

Police described the bust (pictured) as being the result of a 'complex, multi-agency investigation which traversed the country'.

Officers intercepted the van as it reversed from the dock, allegedly finding 59 bags containing about 20kg of methamphetamine.

Police arrested the three people inside, including a 33-year-old man from southern Sydney and two other men from NSW, aged 38 and 52.

Officers also boarded Valkoista and arrested three crewmen including a 45-year-old man from the NSW Central Coast and two men from South Australia, aged 48 and 44.

A bag containing about 20kg of methamphetamine was found on the vessel.

Eight men have been charged over the $1.04 billion drug bust involving a boat (pictured) in Geraldton on Thursday

Police arrested the three people inside, including a 33-year-old man from southern Sydney and two other men from NSW, aged 38 and 52

Officers intercepted the van as it reversed from the dock, allegedly finding 59 bags containing about 20kg of methamphetamine

The Australian Federal Police display bags containing over $1 billion worth of meth seized

Eight men were arrested and charged in connection with the bust, shown here on display

Police believe the drugs originated from China and were destined for the east coast.

A further 20 search warrants were conducted at residential properties in Sydney, the NSW Central Coast and Adelaide.

Two men from South Australia, both aged 37, were later arrested at a Perth hotel.

Charges include importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, and possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported.

Police believe the drugs originated from China and were destined for Australia's east coast

Officers also boarded Valkoista and arrested three crewmen including a 45-year-old man from the NSW Central Coast and two men from South Australia, aged 48 and 44

A further 20 search warrants were conducted at residential properties in Sydney, the NSW Central Coast and Adelaide

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life behind bars.

'We're confident this will make a big dent,' an Australia Federal Police spokesman told reporters on Friday.

Police described the bust as being the result of a 'complex, multi-agency investigation which traversed the country'.
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A victim of the Flinders Street rampage was on the phone to his 13-year-old son when he was run over by a car deliberately ploughed into crowds outside the Melbourne train station.

Rohit Kaul was crossing the intersection on his way home from his job at Optus while chatting to his son Avi when the phone suddenly clattered to the ground.

The 45-year-old was thrown into the air and suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs, all while his traumatised son and wife Nataasha listened.

Rohit Kaul (L) was crossing the intersection on his way home from his job at Optus while chatting to his son Avi when he was hit and suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs, all while his traumatised son Avi, 13, and wife Nataasha (R) listened

He was among 19 people injured in the incident, including the driver and an off-duty policeman who heroic wrestled him from the car where other officers arrested him

'Suddenly, my husband's phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead,' she told The Indian Express.

'We tried to call him on his mobile but there was no response. We soon got a call from a fellow Indian who said my husband was injured and was being taken to a hospital.'

Ms Kaul said Avi said 'Mama, something is wrong' and went into a panic when his father was suddenly cut off and could only hear chaos on the other end of the phone.

The Indian immigrant from New Delhi said the man who picked up the phone told her the driver deliberately sped up and drove into pedestrians crossing Flinders Street.

Ethan Caruso, 13, narrowly escaped death as he was sideswiped by the speeding Suzuki Vitara after heroically pushing his friend out of the way, and told his father Peter (L) he nearly died when he called later that night

'He saw people lying on the ground, not moving. He's very shaken up, very traumatised but we're really proud of him, he's coping really well,' Mr Caruso said

'The driver was waiting for the red light and when people started crossing the road, he jumped the red light and crashed into them,' she said.

Mr Kaul was rushed to The Alfred Hospital, where he had surgery on Friday morning and was in a stable condition.

'I spoke to Rohit and he told me he was fine but he kept fainting. I'm thankful he has no major injuries,' he wife told The Age.

Teenager Ethan Caruso narrowly escaped death as he was sideswiped by the speeding Suzuki Vitara after heroically pushing his friend out of the way.

The 17-year-old suffered foot, neck, shoulder and elbow injuries and was later released battered and bruised after being rushed to Royal Children's Hospital.

'Dad, I nearly died today,' he said after picking up the phone when his panicked father Peter called him on Thursday night, before listening to his harrowing tale.

Ms Kaul said the man who picked up her husband's phone after he was hit told her the driver deliberately sped up and drove into pedestrians crossing Flinders Street

Two men were arrested at the scene after the white SUV (pictured) crashed into a bollard at Flinders Street Station

'He saw people lying on the ground, not moving. He's very shaken up, very traumatised but we're really proud of him, he's coping really well,' Mr Caruso told The Age.

'I think there was an angel looking after these kids yesterday. We feel really lucky it wasn't worse.'

Ethan and Mr Kaul were some of 19 people injured in the incident, including the driver and an off-duty policeman who heroic wrestled him from the car where other officers arrested him.

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabether Street.

By midday on Friday 12 people were still in hospital with only one, an 80-year-old man, still in critical condition.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Many were from overseas including citizens of South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.

Chaotic scenes unfolded during peak-hour as the white SUV crashed into the group of panicked pedestrians (pictured)

Paramedics at the scene were holding up tarps around the injured (pictured) who lay on the tram tracks of the busy street

Saeed Noori, 32, the driver behind the wheel of the SUV with P-plates, arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Speaking briefly to investigators on Thursday night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the 32-year-old made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'.

'But he also did attribute some of his actions to the poor treatment of Muslims,' Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Friday morning.

Commissioner Patton said Noori had a history of drug use and mental illness, stressing that investigators had not yet found any extremist or terrorist links to the horror rampage.

Noori was released from hospital on Friday afternoon and taken to Melbourne Police Station where detectives hope to formally interview him and potentially lay charges after that.

Saeed Noori, 32, the driver behind the wheel of the SUV with P-plates, arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program

Witness described seeing the car hurtling towards the crowd, ploughing through people in its path and crashing into the pole.

'It just mowed everybody down, people were flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere,' one told radio station 3AW:

Dramatic footage then showed a number of injured pedestrians being treated by passersby as they wait for paramedics.

'He has gone straight through the red light at pace and it was bang, bang, bang. It was just one after the other,' another told the Herald Sun.

'There were bodies on the ground and people running up to them - it was mayhem.'
Parents of a four-month-old girl say she was attacked by a raccoon inside their Philadelphia home.

Ashley Rodgers says the attack happened Wednesday night in the family's first-floor apartment located at North 22nd Street.

Rodgers says she had taken her six-year-old son to the bathroom while baby Jourini was asleep on a bed.

She returned to find her daughter on the floor with blood all over her face. Rodgers says the raccoon had dragged her across the room.

A 4-month-old baby girl, Jourini, was viciously attacked by a raccoon in Philadelphia Wednesday

Her mother, Ashley Rodgers, took her son to the bathroom when the baby was asleep and the raccoon attacked

Residents at the apartment complex located at North 22nd Street complained about the raccoon infestation

'She was laying on the floor across the room  blood all over her face and her pjs,' the horrified mom told Fox 26.

'I thought it was a nightmare when I heard over the phone,' the baby's father, Samuel Black added.

'My heart dropped. I didn't know what to say, what to think.'

Heartbreaking images of the baby girl show claw marks across her face and blood gushing from the wounds.

'She was laying on the floor, across the room, blood all over her face and her pjs,' horrified mom, Ashley Rodgers told Fox 26

'I thought it was a nightmare when I heard over the phone,' the baby's father, Samuel Black said

The baby was taken to a hospital, where she received as many as 65 stitches. She is currently recovering.

The Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia says an officer responded to the home, but couldn't find the raccoon.

Officers have since assessed the building and set traps. Officials say no raccoons have been caught yet.

Residents at the apartment complex complained to the news station about the raccoon infestation.
A young motorist has decided to spread Christmas cheer in an interesting way - by covering his car in thousands of fairy lights.

Canberra man Jordan Wallace spent 40 hours attaching 20,000 fairy lights to his Hyundai Santa Fe, with assistance from an enthusiastic group of little helpers.

The 21-year-old said this is the second year in a row he has created a Christmas car, following the 10,000 lights he put on his Holden Astra in 2016.

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A young motorist has decided to spread Christmas cheer in an interesting way - by covering his car in thousands of fairy lights (pictured are Jordan, right, and his helpers, from left, Courtney Tanner, Fern Boultan, Jasmine Fenyvesi, Morgan Jacobs and James Perkins)

Canberra man Jordan Wallace spent 40 hours attaching 20,000 fairy lights to his Hyundai Santa Fe (pictured), with assistance from an enthusiastic group of little helpers

Jordan told Daily Mail Australia he was inspired by a similar car he saw during Christmas as a child.

'When I was younger there was a ute that used to drive around my suburb with a light-up reindeer in the tray,' he said.

'I really wanted to take that spirit to the next level hence the Christmas Car was born.'

Surprisingly, the best reactions to the car come not from kids, but from others in their earlier 20s, although children love it too.

'It's the people closest to our age that we get the loudest cheers from. Some even go as far as asking to ride in the car,' he said.

The 21-year-old (pictured) said this is the second year in a row he has created a Christmas car, following the 10,000 lights he put on his Holden Astra in 2016

Jordan told Daily Mail Australia he was inspired by a similar car he saw during Christmas as a child

The car took Jordan and 10 of his friends about 40 hours to finish, and they worked on the vehicle three days.

As for the cost of all those lights, Jordan managed to create his Christmas car for about $400.

'The only supplies we really needed were lights and tape, other bits and pieces we needed to power the lights I thankfully already had on hand.

'We also bought some candy canes to hand out on our travels.'

Surprisingly, the best reactions to the car come not from kids, but from others in their earlier 20s, although children love it too

The car took Jordan and 10 of his friends about 40 hours to finish, and they worked on the vehicle three days

The 20,000 lights are powered by a second battery, located in the boot of the Santa Fe.

'The battery is connected to an inverter that transforms the 12-volt power from the car into 240-volt power just like at home,' Jordan said.

The Christmas car has attracted a lot of attention on social media, with people posting photos on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #ChristmasCar.

When it comes to the main aim of bringing Christmas cheer to his local area, the project is mission accomplished for Jordan.

As for the cost of all those lights, Jordan managed to create his Christmas car for about $400

The 20,000 lights are powered by a second battery, located in the boot of the Santa Fe

'The battery is connected to an inverter that transforms the 12-volt power from the car into 240-volt power just like at home,' Jordan said

At first, a lot of people dont believe their eyes - they look at the car in disbelief,' he said.

'Once the shock fades through we've had nothing but joyous reactions - always thumbs up from passing motorists and cheers from crowds on the street.

'Some of my favourite comments have been from passers-by that expressed how proud they were to live in Canberra and have a community that creates projects like this.'

The Christmas car has attracted a lot of attention on social media, with people posting photos on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #ChristmasCar
Mark Schwahn has been fired as showrunner from E! drama The Royals following allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women.

Actress Hilarie Burton was among 43 women who came out against Schwahn. She alleged he forcibly kissed her twice during her time working with him on One Tree Hill.

Eighteen women from that show, as well as 25 women from 'The Royals,' accused Schwahn of varying degrees of sexual misconduct.

'We have concluded our investigation and Mark will not be returning to 'The Royals,'' a spokesperson for Lionsgate TV said in a statement to Variety. 'The fourth season of the show has already completed production and will air as scheduled on E! in the spring.'

Mark Schwahn has been fired from his job producing E! drama The Royals due to allegations of sexual misconduct by cast members from the show as well as his former show One Tree Hill

Schwahn hasn't responded to the allegations, and his representatives did not respond to a request for comment by Variety. The Royals was created by Schwahn, and its fourth season is set to premiere in March

Twenty-five cast and crew members of The Royals also said in a letter to Variety that Schwahn engaged in 'repeated unwanted sexual harassment of multiple female members of cast and crew.'

In another letter, 18 women from One Tree Hill, made similar accusations.

In November, E! announced Schwahn would be indefinitely suspended from the show as the investigation was underway.

'E! Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television take sexual allegations very seriously, investigate them thoroughly and independently, and take appropriate action,' the studio told Variety in a statement at the time.

'Lionsgate has suspended Mark Schwahn from 'The Royals' as we continue our investigation.'

Actress Sophia Bush (left) and Hilarie Burton (right) claimed Schwahn of sexual misconduct during their time on 'One Tree Hill'

A letter, which was signed by 18 women on One Tree Hill, was sent to Variety to accuse him of harassment after Audrey Wauchope, a former writer on the series spoke about her experiences with the showrunner

Schwahn hasn't responded to the allegations, and his representatives did not respond to a request for comment by Variety.

The show, which was created by Schwahn, finished production on its fourth season in September. It is set to premiere in March, and tells the soap-opera fictionalized version of the story of the British royal family.

In the letter accusing the 51-year-old of harassment, 18 female actors, writers and crew members on the hit show One Tree Hill that ran from 2003-2012 wrote they were harassed in some manner during their time working with Schwahn on the show.

In that letter, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz said they stood behind writer Audrey Wauchope's allegations about the 51-year-old.

'Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally,' the letter reads.

'More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be.

'Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal. And a few of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe.'

In a series of tweets in November, Wauchope said she and other women who worked on One Tree Hill, were often times subject to unwanted touching.

'To say we left that job demoralized and confused is also an understatement. One of the 1st things we were told was that the showrunner hired female writers on the basis of their looks. That's why you're here - he wants to f**k you,' she tweeted.

She also talked about how Schwahn would allegedly show naked pictures of actresses he'd slept with to male staffers without the actress' knowledge.

'Men on staff were shown naked photos of on an actress he was having an affair with. Naked photos she didn't know were being passed around.

'Naked photos they didn't want to see. This is such a violation, both to the actress and to the men forced to look and participate,' she wrote.

In November E! announced that Schwahn would be indefinitely suspended from the show as the investigation into his actions continued

Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz, as well as others from the show, wrote that they 'have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope (pictured right) and one another' following Wauchope's statements made on Twitter

The cast and crew members who wrote the letter supporting Wauchope said they are all 'deeply grateful for Audrey's courage'. Pictured cast members (l-r) Burton, Murray, Bush, Lafferty and Lenz

One Tree Hill aired from 2003-2012 and followed the lives of a group of young men and women growing up in North Carolina. Schwahn wrote and directed the series and worked as the showrunner for its eight-season run.

The cast and crew members who wrote the letter supporting Audrey Wauchope said they are all 'deeply grateful for Audrey's courage'.

'For one another. And for every male cast mate and crew member who has reached out to our group of women to offer their support these last few days. They echo the greater rallying cry that must lead us to change: Believe Women. We are all in this together.'

Cast members Bush, Burton, Lenz, Danneel Harris, Michaela McManus, Kate Voegele, Daphne Zuniga, India DeBeaufort, Bevin Prince, Jana Kramer, Shantel Van Santen, and Allison Munn all signed the letter. Crew members, Audrey Wauchope, Rachel Specter, Jane Beck, Tarin Squillante, Cristy Koebley and JoJo Stephens also signed the letter.
A man wanted for questioning over a woman's suspicious death has died after ramming a police car.

The collision in central Queensland caused the police vehicle to catch fire and injure the officer inside.

Police were called to a Frenchville home in Rockhampton about 6am on Friday after a daughter discovered her 53-year-old mother dead.

A man wanted for questioning over a woman's suspicious death has died after ramming a police car (pictured is the scene of the collision)

A man was seen leaving the Mills Ave property prior to detectives' arrival.

It is believed that same man drove his car into a police vehicle at 7am in a neighbouring suburb, causing the police car to catch on fire.

The sole officer inside suffered several injuries and was taken to Rockhampton Base Hospital for treatment.

The man died at the scene. It is understood he did not die as a result of the crash or from police action.

The Queensland Ethical Standards Command is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Colton Murray, the 23-month old who won the hearts of millions, passed away Saturday morning.

Colton, who rose to fame as an ambassador for children with Down Syndrome and the families who love them, died early Saturday morning at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis.

'Very early this morning, he passed away in my arms,' his mother, Kim Murray, wrote on Colton's Facebook page titled 'ColtonStrong'.

'Thank you all so so much for praying for our little boy,' she said. 'Last Christmas morning when he crashed, I asked for a miracle, and I got one. Then he continued to defy the odds for so long. We are so so very proud of him. His strength was amazing.'

Colton's parents only discovered that he had Down Syndrome shortly after his birth in December 2015, it was discovered he had Down Syndrome (Pictured, Colton held in last picture with his mother)

Colton Murray, the 23-month old (left and right) who won the hearts of millions, passed away Saturday morning at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. He rose to fame as an ambassador for children with Down Syndrome and the families who love them

His mother added that Colton's Facebook page will stay up as a place to share memories.

His mother added that Colton's Facebook page will stay up as a place to share memories.

Later Saturday, Terre Haute Chief of Police John Plasse offered words of support to the family in a message to the Tribune-Star:

'I would ask that people keep the Murray family in their thoughts and prayers as they deal with the tragic loss of Colton.

'Colton touched the lives of thousands of people in his short life and inspired many during his courageous battle. Our world is a little less brighter today without Colton in it. #ColtonStrong.'

Colton's parents only discovered that he had Down Syndrome shortly after his birth in December 2015, it was discovered he had Down Syndrome.

Colton also had one, instead of two, heart ventricles. Heart defects are common with a Down Syndrome diagnosis, although a single ventricle is rare.

Surgeries, including open-heart surgery, would follow but to no avail. According to the Murrays' Facebook post, Colton had to receive an emergency breathing tube before his death.

Colton (held in last picture with his mother) also had one, instead of two, heart ventricles. Heart defects are common with a Down Syndrome diagnosis, although a single ventricle is rare. Surgeries, including open-heart surgery, would follow but to no avail

A photo of Colton was one of about 500 selected from the more than 2,000 submitted for a video in Times Square that helps kick off Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October

He went on to appear in the National Down Syndrome Society's annual Times Square video presentation that helps kick off Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October. He also appears in 'Meet Colton,' a Riley Children's Hospital social media video.

A photo of Colton was one of about 500 selected from the more than 2,000 submitted for the video in Times Square.

Kim Murray snapped the picture of Colton at the Terre Haute Buddy Walk in May, saying the combo of his glasses, bow tie and T-shirt that reads 'Homie with an Extra Chromie' was 'just too cute.'

Colton's is survived by his brother Hayden, his mother and his father, Matt, a Terre Haute police officer.

Visitation will take place on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning at Maryland Community Church.

In lieu of flowers, the Murray family has asked that contributions be made to the Riley Children's Foundation.
A self-styled paedophile hunter who led South Australian police to two alleged child sex predators has been charged with offences related to his amateur sting operations.

The online campaigner posted videos of two stings on alleged paedophiles who had agreed to meet with him after he put up a profile pretending to be a teenage boy.

The 42-year-old vigilante did not conceal the identity of the men he targeted in the videos, according to The Advertiser.

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Adelaide's self-described 'pedo hunter' as he appears in one of his videos posted online

An Adelaide vigilante confronted an alleged paedophile (pictured) he lured to a train station

A screenshot allegedly sent by one of the vigilante's targets after he posed as a teenage boy

South Australian law bans the publication of the identity of people charged with a sexual offence until they plead guilty or are committed to stand trial.

During the first sting, the man grabbed an alleged paedophiles shirt as he performed a citizens arrest.

The man, who calls himself 'Adelaide pedo hunter', was on Friday questioned by police before being charged with four offences.

He faces charges of aggravated assault, two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and one count of publishing the identity of a person charged with a sexual offence.

Following the first sting operation the vigilante said he wanted police to conduct their own investigations and said he did not mete out my own type of punishment.

The father-of-one said he embarked on his campaign because he had been abused as a teenager and wanted to expose child sex offenders.

Police were called to an Adelaide train station after a vigilante 'arrested' an alleged paedophile

However, police said the videos were of concern and there was a risk these may further create to all parties involved.

The officer in charge of the Sturt CIB, Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Overmeyer, said those who took the law into their own hands could expose themselves to facing criminal charges.

Let us do our job, Detective Chief Superintendent Overmeyer said.

Dont take the law into your own hands in relation to any criminal matter. If you have information, or suspect that a criminal act has taken place - contact the police.

Anyone who believes they have evidence of criminal behaviour should call police, not create a confrontation which, in turn, could create a risk to personal safety.

The man, from Adelaides western suburbs, has been granted bail and will face Adelaide Magistrates Court in February.
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A man was seen fleeing the home of accused Flinders Street rampage driver Saeed Noori's family hours after it was raided by police investigating the 'evil act'.

Norri, a 32-year-old Afghan refugee, was dragged from the car and arrested minutes after he ploughed through crowds of Christmas shoppers and commuters outside Flinders Street Station.

Police said it did not appear to a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident.

A man was seen fleeing the home of accused Flinders Street rampage driver Saeed Noori's family hours after it was raided by police investigating the 'evil act'

The home of Flinders Street rampage river Saeed Noori's family in Oak Park in Melbourne's north, which was raided on Thursday night hours after the carnage

Norri, a 32-year-old Afghan refugee, was dragged from the car and arrested minutes after he ploughed through crowds of Christmas shoppers and commuters outside Flinders Street Station

The unknown man hid his face with a grey jumper as he ran from the house on Ridge Road in Oak Park and legged it down the street away from the waiting media.

The four-bedroom, one-bathroom white weatherboard house is inhabited by members of Norri's family, but he himself lived at another house across town in Heidelberg East that was also raided.

Two 4WDs, a boat, and a trailer were parked in the house's front yard on Friday afternoon and the occupants did not answer the door when approached by reporters, and neighbours said they didn't know Norri.

The house was last sold for $980,000 on November 18, 2015, but property listings did not identify the owner or occupants.

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes on Thursday night that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives.

'At this stage nothing has been found to indicate a linkage to extremism, a terrorist organisation or anything of a terrorist nature,' police told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.

The unknown man hid his face with a grey jumper as he ran from the house on Ridge Road in Oak Park

He legged it down the street away from the waiting media, leaving the jumper around his head as he left the area

The four-bedroom, one-bathroom white weatherboard house is inhabited by members of Norri's family, but he himself lived at another house across town in Heidelberg East that was also raided

Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said there were no signs in Norri's online activity that he planned the attack in advance, and that counter-terrorism specialists did not believe it was a terrorist attack.

'We haven't excluded [him being motivated by terrorism]. We haven't seen any warning signs that there was any threat of violence,' he said.

Speaking briefly to investigators last night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the Noori made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'.

'But he also did attribute some of his actions to the poor treatment of Muslims,' Commissioner Patton said on Friday morning.

He said Noori had a history of drug use and mental illness, stressing that investigators had not yet found any extremist or terrorist links to the horror rampage.

Noori tried to hide his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he left Melbourne Police Station heading for the Custody Centre below the Magistrates Court on Friday evening

Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said there were no signs in Norri's online activity that he planned the attack in advance, and that counter-terrorism specialists did not believe it was a terrorist attack

Noori tried to hide his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he left Melbourne Police Station heading for the Custody Centre below the Magistrates Court on Friday evening.

He spent the previous 24 hours under police guard in hospital after crashing the white Suzuki Vitara into a tram stop bollard at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets

Detectives were not able to interview him due to his injuries from the crash and a struggle with an off-duty police sergeant who heroically wrestled him from the car before other officers arrested him.

Investigators were still searching for a motive for Noori's alleged 'evil act' and it was hoped a formal interview, likely followed by criminal charges, would shed some light on them.

Two 4WDs, a boat, and a trailer were parked in the house's front yard on Friday afternoon and the occupants did not answer the door when approached by reporters, and neighbours said they didn't know Norri

Witness described seeing the car hurtling towards the crowd, ploughing through people in its path and crashing into the pole

Noori arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program, and had several run-ins with the law between 2008 and earlier this year.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

'At this stage, because investigations are continuing, apart from that statement, there are no known links to any political issues or any, certainly any links to extremist groups.

'Therefore, the position I am advised off at the moment is that no terrorism link has been identified at this stage. I want to stress, there is a mass of material that is being investigated and nothing should be ruled out, nothing should be ruled out.

'Now, whatever the motivation, this was a despicable and cowardly act, but I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident.'

Victims of the rampage included a four-year-old boy with serious head injuries, but in a stable condition, and three others still in critical condition

Police said it did not appear to a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Heidelberg West and Oak Park - where Noori lives - in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident

Noori's legal issues started with a minor assault charge in 2010 that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and was fined $800.

Then in June this year he was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to driving while unlicensed, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail.

The missing bail charges was from when he missed a court date for the driving offences, which occurred either early this year or late last year, and which he also faced court for in February.

Victims of the rampage included a four-year-old boy with serious head injuries, but in a stable condition, and three others still in critical condition.

Others were men aged 25, 40, 43, 45, and 83; two 25-year-old women, and other women aged 30, 35, 47, and 58 along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the 'horrific act' was targeted against 'innocent bystanders'.

'This is a terrible, evil, cowardly act... At a time of the year when so many families are celebrating the end of they year, doing their Christmas shopping ... we have seen a horrific act,' he said.

Chaotic scenes unfolded during peak-hour as the white SUV crashed into the group of panicked pedestrians (pictured)

Paramedics at the scene were holding up tarps around the injured (pictured) who lay on the tram tracks of the busy street

Witness described seeing the car hurtling towards the crowd, ploughing through people in its path and crashing into the pole.

'It just mowed everybody down, people were flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere,' one told radio station 3AW:

Dramatic footage then showed a number of injured pedestrians being treated by passersby as they wait for paramedics.

'He has gone straight through the red light at pace and it was bang, bang, bang. It was just one after the other,' another told the Herald Sun.

'There were bodies on the ground and people running up to them - it was mayhem.'
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The Afghan refugee accused of deliberately running over shoppers in Melbourne has been taken for police interrogation.

Saeed Noori hid his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he was driven from Melbourne Police Station to the Custody Centre below the city's Magistrates Court on Friday.

The 32-year-old spent the previous 24 hours under police guard in hospital after ploughing a white Suzuki Vitara into 17 pedestrians outside Flinders Street Station.

Speaking to investigators from his hospital bed, he made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'.

'He also attributed some of his actions to the poor treatment of Muslims,' Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Friday morning.

Saeed Noori tried to hide his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he left Melbourne Police Station heading for the Custody Centre below the Magistrates Court

Detectives were not able to interview him due to his injuries from the crash and a struggle with an off-duty police sergeant who heroically wrestled him from the car before other officers arrested him

Detectives were not able to interview him earlier due to his injuries caused by the crash and a struggle with an off-duty police sergeant who heroically wrestled him from the car before other officers arrested him.

Patton said there were no signs in Norri's online activity that he planned the attack in advance, and that counter-terrorism specialists did not believe it was a terrorist attack.

He did not rule out terrorism but said: 'We haven't seen any warning signs that there was any threat of violence.'

Noori has a history of drug use and mental illness and reportedly suffered an addiction to ice, a highly purified form of methamphetamine which can cause depression and anxiety.

Investigators are still searching for a motive for Noori's alleged 'evil act' and hope a formal interview, likely followed by criminal charges, would shed some light.

The ice-addicted Afghan refugee accused of mowing down 17 pedestrians outside Melbourne's Flinder's Street Station has been transferred to a holding centre to be interrogated by police

The 32-year-old spent the previous 24 hours under police guard in hospital after crashing the white Suzuki Vitara into a tram stop bollard at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets

Speaking briefly to investigators last night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the Noori made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'

Police raided two homes in Heidelberg West - where Noori lives - and Oak Park in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident.

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives.

'At this stage nothing has been found to indicate a linkage to extremism, a terrorist organisation or anything of a terrorist nature,' police told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.

Noori arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program, and had several run-ins with the law between 2008 and earlier this year.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Police said it did not appear to a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Heidelberg West - where Noori lives - and Oak Park (pictured) in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives

'At this stage, because investigations are continuing, apart from that statement, there are no known links to any political issues or any, certainly any links to extremist groups.

'Therefore, the position I am advised off at the moment is that no terrorism link has been identified at this stage. I want to stress, there is a mass of material that is being investigated and nothing should be ruled out, nothing should be ruled out.

'Now, whatever the motivation, this was a despicable and cowardly act, but I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident.'

Noori's legal issues started with a minor assault charge in 2010 that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and was fined $800.

Then in June this year he was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to driving while unlicensed, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabether Street

The missing bail charge was from when he missed a court date for the driving offences, which occurred either early this year or late last year, and which he also faced court for in February.

Nineteen people were injured in the incident, including the driver and an off-duty policeman who heroically wrestled Noori from the car as other officers arrested him.

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabeth Street.

By midday on Friday 12 people were still in hospital with only three, including an 80-year-old man, still in critical condition.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Many were from overseas including citizens of South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.
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Three of the 19 people injured after a car deliberately crashed into crowds of people outside Flinders Street Station in Melbourne were family members from South Korea visiting a relative.

Two of them, men aged 61 and 67, are in a critical condition in intensive care at Royal Melbourne Hospital, according to The Australian.

A four-year-old grandson of one of the men underwent surgery on his leg on Friday afternoon and is in a stable condition.

A South Korean consulate spokeswoman said the family had flown to Australia earlier in December and planned to return to South Korea in January.

'This is a very difficult time for them,' she said.

Three of the 19 people injured after a car deliberately crashed into crowds of people outside Flinders Street Station in Melbourne were family members from South Korea visiting a relative

Two of them, men aged 61 and 67, are in a critical condition in intensive care at Royal Melbourne Hospital

A victim of the Flinders Street rampage was on the phone to his 13-year-old son when he was run over by a car deliberately ploughed into crowds outside the Melbourne train station.

Rohit Kaul was crossing the intersection on his way home from his job at Optus while chatting to his son Avi when the phone suddenly clattered to the ground.

The 45-year-old was thrown into the air and suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs, all while his traumatised son and wife Nataasha listened.

Rohit Kaul (L) was crossing the intersection on his way home from his job at Optus while chatting to his son Avi when he was hit and suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs, all while his traumatised son Avi, 13, and wife Nataasha (R) listened

Ethan Caruso, 13, narrowly escaped death as he was sideswiped by the speeding Suzuki Vitara after heroically pushing his friend out of the way, and told his father Peter (L) he nearly died when he called later that night

'Suddenly, my husband's phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead,' she told The Indian Express.

'We tried to call him on his mobile but there was no response. We soon got a call from a fellow Indian who said my husband was injured and was being taken to a hospital.'

Ms Kaul said Avi said 'Mama, something is wrong' and went into a panic when his father was suddenly cut off and could only hear chaos on the other end of the phone.

The Indian immigrant from New Delhi said the man who picked up the phone told her the driver deliberately sped up and drove into pedestrians crossing Flinders Street.

'He saw people lying on the ground, not moving. He's very shaken up, very traumatised but we're really proud of him, he's coping really well,' Mr Caruso said

'The driver was waiting for the red light and when people started crossing the road, he jumped the red light and crashed into them,' she said.

Mr Kaul was rushed to The Alfred Hospital, where he had surgery on Friday morning and was in a stable condition.

'I spoke to Rohit and he told me he was fine but he kept fainting. I'm thankful he has no major injuries,' he wife told The Age.

Teenager Ethan Caruso narrowly escaped death as he was sideswiped by the speeding Suzuki Vitara after heroically pushing his friend out of the way.

The 17-year-old suffered foot, neck, shoulder and elbow injuries and was later released battered and bruised after being rushed to Royal Children's Hospital.

'Dad, I nearly died today,' he said after picking up the phone when his panicked father Peter called him on Thursday night, before listening to his harrowing tale.

Ms Kaul said the man who picked up her husband's phone after he was hit told her the driver deliberately sped up and drove into pedestrians crossing Flinders Street

Two men were arrested at the scene after the white SUV (pictured) crashed into a bollard at Flinders Street Station

'He saw people lying on the ground, not moving. He's very shaken up, very traumatised but we're really proud of him, he's coping really well,' Mr Caruso told The Age.

'I think there was an angel looking after these kids yesterday. We feel really lucky it wasn't worse.'

Ethan and Mr Kaul were some of 19 people injured in the incident, including the driver and an off-duty policeman who heroic wrestled him from the car where other officers arrested him.

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabether Street.

By midday on Friday 12 people were still in hospital with only one, an 80-year-old man, still in critical condition.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Many were from overseas including citizens of South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.

Chaotic scenes unfolded during peak-hour as the white SUV crashed into the group of panicked pedestrians (pictured)

Paramedics at the scene were holding up tarps around the injured (pictured) who lay on the tram tracks of the busy street

Saeed Noori, 32, the driver behind the wheel of the SUV with P-plates, arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Speaking briefly to investigators on Thursday night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the 32-year-old made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'.

'But he also did attribute some of his actions to the poor treatment of Muslims,' Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Friday morning.

Commissioner Patton said Noori had a history of drug use and mental illness, stressing that investigators had not yet found any extremist or terrorist links to the horror rampage.

Noori was released from hospital on Friday afternoon and taken to Melbourne Police Station where detectives hope to formally interview him and potentially lay charges after that.

Saeed Noori, 32, the driver behind the wheel of the SUV with P-plates, arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program

Witness described seeing the car hurtling towards the crowd, ploughing through people in its path and crashing into the pole.

'It just mowed everybody down, people were flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere,' one told radio station 3AW:

Dramatic footage then showed a number of injured pedestrians being treated by passersby as they wait for paramedics.

'He has gone straight through the red light at pace and it was bang, bang, bang. It was just one after the other,' another told the Herald Sun.

'There were bodies on the ground and people running up to them - it was mayhem.'
Queensland's iconic Lizard Man was looking at starting his own branch of an outlaw bikie gang before inflicting the murder-suicide.

Bronson Ellery, 24, whose face and body was plastered with signature tattoos, murdered his ex-girlfriend Shelsea Schilling, 20, at his Gold Coast apartment on November 11 2016.

Ellery then took a lethal dose of drugs to end his own life where his body was found beside Ms Schilling's.

Lizard Man Bronson Ellery (pictured) looked at starting his own branch of an outlaw bikie gang

However he murdered his ex-girlfriend Shelsea Schilling (pictured) before ending his own life

Ellery took a lethal dose of drugs to end his life after he murdered Ms Schilling (pictured together) at his Gold Coast apartment in November 2016

Initially with the Bandidos bikies, Ellery was wanting to start his own operation of the notorious Dutch-based Satudarah MC, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'He was with the Bandidos originally but the information was that he was looking to start up a chapter of Satudarah on the Gold Coast with other associates,' a source told the publication.

Satudarah, meaning 'one blood', is considered more violent than Hells Angels and has been around since the late 1990s, starting in the Netherlands.

The Crime and Corruption Commission annual report highlighted the notorious bikie gang and one of the two most prominent new gangs in the state's southeast.

The notorious multi-cultural gang has almost 100 chapters across the globe, including a number of chapters across Australia which have popped up since 2015.

On its website it lists having chapters in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and northern New South Wales.

Initially a Bandidos bikie, Ellery wanted to start his own chapter of notorious Satudarah MC

Ellery want to start a branch of Dutch-based Satudarah on the Gold Coast with associates

Satudarah, meaning 'one blood', is considered more violent than notorious Hells Angels

The 24-year-old (right) spent time in and out of jail in recent years including for breaching a domestic violence order Ms Schilling (left) took out against him

Five days before Ellery and Ms Schilling's bodies were found, Lizard Man and another man allegedly stormed a property with a sawn-off rifle and machete, threatening two people.

Ellery allegedly threatened to 'chop up' or 'put a bullet' in the pair during the violent robbery, News Corp reported last year.

The 24-year-old spent time in and out of jail in recent years including for breaching a domestic violence order Ms Schilling took out against him.

There were reports Lizard Man, as he was known to police, had many enemies through his underworld associations.
Two days of deluges have dumped a month's worth of rain in some parts of the country, causing chaos on the roads and for commuters attempting to get to work this morning. Trains have been delayed this morning after flooding stopped them on the tracks, while some major roads were left shut due to the amount of standing water. The Met Office has warned that some areas could see almost four inches of rain in the coming 24 hours, as the 'atrocious' weather looks set to continue. The service has put in place two warnings for heavy rain which are in force across large part of the midlands and the north, as well as eastern Scotland, while the Environment Agency has issued 25 flood warnings and 99 alerts in England. Photos show cars stuck in deep standing water and lorries partially submerged after misjudging the extent of the flooding in Surrey and West Sussex. The M23 southbound was closed between J10 and J11 as workers tried to remove standing water during Rush Hour this morning, after the road and the nearby A27 was closed overnight due to flooding, with firefighters called in to rescue trapped motorists last night. Emergency services spent the night trying to free those trapped in the horrendous conditions, as well as removing vehicles stuck in the rising water. As of this morning the road's eastbound carriageway remains closed. There was also severe disruption on the trains in and around London this morning, with trains from Essex into the capital delayed after reports a lorry hit a railway crossing barrier, while part of the Piccadilly Line between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge has no service this morning, with Transport for London blaming 'significant leaf fall'
Princess Michael of Kent has apologised after coming under fire for wearing a blackamoor brooch to the Queens Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, attended by Prince Harrys mixed race fiancee Meghan Markle.

A spokesperson for the royal said that she's 'very sorry and distressed' for wearing the brooch, adding it was a gift she's worn many times before, without controversy.

The full statement said: 'The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before.

'Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence.'

Princess Michael, who is married to the Queens cousin, Prince Michael, could clearly be seen wearing the jewellery on her coat as she drove through the gates on Wednesday.

Princess Michael of Kent found herself under fire yesterday after she wore a blackamoor brooch to the Queens Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, attended by Prince Harrys mixed race fiancee Meghan Markle

She was not sat at the same table as Miss Markle, 36, who was attending the event for the first time, but would have been introduced to her at the intimate, private gathering.

The royal bride-to-be, whose former lighting director father, Thomas Markle is white, and mother, Doria Ragland, is black, has often spoken about the racism she experienced both as a child and as a grown woman.

The royal, who is married to the Queens cousin, Prince Michael, could clearly be seen wearing the jewellery on her coat as she drove through the gates on Wednesday (pictured)

Bride-to-be Meghan flashed her dazzling engagement ring from the front seat of Prince Harry's Land Rover as she left the Queen's annual Christmas lunch

Blackamoor: 18th century art and jewellery linked to 'racial conquest' Blackamoor art in Shirley Bassey's bedroom Blackamoor jewellery and art was extremely popular in the 18th Century. But they are now considered to be highly racially insensitive and the word blackamoor has been condemned as a term of abuse for anyone with a dark skin. In recent years there have been petitions for galleries and hotels to remove them, Blackamoors first emerged during the Middle Ages when Europeans first encountered the Moors, dark-skinned Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East who came to occupy various parts of the continent. The African figure is typically depicted with a turban, dressed in lavish jewels and are commonly fixed in positions of servitudesuch as footmen or waiters. They are usually carved from ebony or painted black in the case of porcelain. While they became an art form in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in Italy, many believe the figures suggest racial conquest. Advertisement

Blackamoor are a genre of figurines, small sculptures or jewellery which depict largely men, but sometimes women, with black skin usually from the 18th century.

Many will be worth 10,000 or more.

The princess lives in an apartment at Kensington Palace, just a stones throw from Harry and Meghans cottage in the grounds.

But she was roundly condemned on social media with comments ranging from: Has no-one noticed the blackamoor pin that Princess Michael of Kent is wearing.? Really? Meghan Markle official meets the family and is greeted by THIS?

Another attacked her for her racist jewellery, while a third added: I hope the Queen is going to ban this racist, horrible woman from any further gatherings. This woman is an embarrassment to the Royal Family.

It is not the first time that the royal, dubbed Princess Pushy, has found herself at the centre of a racist row.

In 2004 she was accused of insulting a party of black diners at a smart New York restaurant by allegedly telling them to go back to the colonies in a row over noise.

The princess strongly denied the allegations, claiming to have said she would be ready to go back to the colonies during a dispute about noise with the other table.

But she subsequently went on to make a series of toe-curling remarks in a television interview about the incident, referring to African people as 'adorable'.

Talking of her extensive travels through Africa she said: I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black.

I travelled on African buses. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted experiences from Cape Town to right up in northern Mozambique. I had this adventure with these absolutely adorable, special people and to call me racist: it's a knife through the heart because I really love these people.

The invite to the Queen's lunch was the first time that Meghan will have met much of Harry's family, and the invitation is a further sign that she is well and truly part of the royal establishment

Harry and Meghan released the official engagement portraits, almost a month after announcing their plans to get married

Bi-racial Miss Markle has told how she feels compelled to speak out about racism after being subjected to years of prejudice by people unaware of her heritage.

She claimed that some who believed she was Caucasian even made distasteful 'black jokes' in front of her.

She has also told of her anger and hurt at hearing her mother called the N word when she was pulling out of a parking space.

My skin rushed with heat as I looked to my mom. Her eyes welling with hateful tears, I could only breathe out a whisper of words, so hushed they were barely audible: 'It's OK, Mommy, she said.

How Princess Pushy told black diners to go back to the colonies and was shocked to discover her father was a Nazi SS officer

Princess Michael's decision to wear the blackamoor brooch is not the first time she has been embroiled in controversy after allegedly telling black diners to 'go back to the colonies' and claiming not to know her father was an SS officer.

In 2004 she was branded a racist by a group in a New York restaurant after a row erupted over the noise she claimed they were making.

The royal was accused of slamming her hand down on the group's table, telling them: You need to quiet down.'

The princess, pictured with husband Prince Michael, claimed to be shocked by revelations that her father was a high-ranking SS officer

Restaurant boss Silvano Marchetto offered to move Princess Michael and her party to another room.

Before switching tables the royal is alleged to have said 'you need to go back to the colonies'.

The princess was reportedly challenged at the time and was said to have replied: 'I did not say "back to the colonies", I said you "should remember the colonies".

'Back in the days of the colonies there were rules that were very good.'

She is alleged to have continued: 'You think about it. Just think about it.'

One of the group, Wall Street banker Merv Matheson, who said: 'She has a problem and that problem is racism. She needs help.'

AJ Callaway was also caught up in the alleged row and was surprised to find out she was a member of the Royal family.

'I thought she was just a crazy woman. I still think she's a crazy woman,' he said at the time.

A spokesman denied that the princess made the slur, which reportedly arose from a confrontation about the group making too much noise in the Da Silvano restaurant.

In 2014 it was revealed her father, Baron Gunther von Reibnitz, was a high-ranking SS officer, which the Princess Michael claimed was shocking news to her.

Baron Gunther von Reibnitz (pictured) joined the Nazi party three years before Hitler became the German chancellor

He joined the Nazi party in 1930 but would escape to Bavaria in 1945 when it was occupied by the Americas.

Princess Michael was born Marie-Christine von Reibnitz during the final months of World War Two.

Historian Philip Hall unearthed the baron's Nazi link at the Berlin Document Centre, where evidence showed he had joined the SS three years before Hitler became chancellor.

He also found references to Baron Gunther von Reibnitz being recommended for an appointment by Herman Goering and he is believed to have fought on the Polish front.

After the war's end, the baron split from his family. The children and their mother headed to Sydney, Australia, and he settled in Mozambique, where he ran a citrus farm.

The princess was accused of racially abusing black diners at this New York restaurant in 2004

The Czech princess joined the British Royal Family when she married Prince Michael of Kent in Vienna in 1978 and would later claim her union with the Silesian was an arranged marriage.

She famously accused the British of racism in the 1980s when she said in an interview: 'The English distrust foreigners.

'I will never become British even if I live here the rest of my life.'

She was branded Princess Pushy until 2013, when she was described as Princess Cushy for whinging about the rent she paid to Kensington Palace.

Before 2010 she was paying just 69 a week in peppercorn rent, but would go on to pay 120,000 a year to stay at the palace, which has ten main rooms.

The new rent rate was imposed when the Queen was forced to restructure her grace-and-favour residences a few years ago to bring rents into line with present-day market values.

She also courted controversy when she told Tatler magazine she knew 'the real story' about Princess Diana following her death in 1997.
A Victorian man has been jailed for at least 10 years for brutally killing his neighbour after drunkenly mistaking innocent physical contact as an unwanted sexual advance.

Stuart Matthew McKnight killed his 79-year-old neighbour Graham Stevenson after going to the elderly man's Clifton Springs home in 2016 to help him fix a broken pantry door.

The 47-year-old was on Friday sentenced to 13 years in jail, with a minimum period of 10 years, after earlier pleading guilty to manslaughter and arson.

Stuart Matthew McKnight killed his 79-year-old neighbour Graham Stevenson (pictured) after going to the elderly man's Clifton Springs home

The 47-year-old was on Friday sentenced to 13 years in jail, with a minimum period of 10 years, after earlier pleading guilty to manslaughter and arson

McKnight had been friends with the retired engineer for several years, Victorian Supreme Court justice Michael Croucher said.

But on May 19, 2016, McKnight attacked Mr Stevenson and left him to die with a carving fork impaled in his chest.

'In the course of helping him fix the broken pantry door, McKnight wrongly perceived what was only incidental touching as an unwanted sexual advance,' Justice Croucher said.

McKnight, then 45, responded by punching the older man in the nose and attacked him with a piece of wood as Mr Stevenson tried to defend himself with a carving fork.

After stabbing the elderly man with the fork, McKnight used petrol to set fire to the widower's home.

The 79-year-old was still alive when firefighters found him among the smoke and flames with full thickness burns to 15 per cent of his body.

'The fork had been left impaled in his chest,' Justice Croucher said.

'He was in a very bad way but still alive.'

The 47-year-old was on Friday sentenced to 13 years in jail, with a minimum period of 10 years, after earlier pleading guilty to manslaughter and arson

Mr Stevenson died in hospital two days later when his life support was switched off.

Justice Croucher said McKnight was 'carrying on like a pork chop' when firefighters arrived to put out the fire.

His 'odd and melodramatic' behaviour - including a feigned attempt to get inside the burning home and lies about where he had been - aroused suspicion, and he was questioned by police.

McKnight also smelt of alcohol and petrol, and forensic tests later confirmed he had petrol on his clothes.

After stabbing the elderly man with the fork, McKnight used petrol to set fire to the widower's home (pictured)

'A 79-year-old man was bashed in his own home over the merest of misunderstandings,'Justice Croucher said.

'He was bashed mercilessly for no other reason than a drunken man's perception about minor physical contact.'

McKnight has already spent 582 days in pre-sentence custody.
Theresa May declared that James Bond should be a woman in future as she hailed 'girl power'.

The Prime Minister revealed she would be watching Doctor Who on Christmas Day, which will have a female playing the doctor for the first time.

Jodie Whittaker, a Yorkshire actress who starred in the ITV drama Broadchurch, got the job as the Time Lord earlier in the year.

Daniel Craig has been playing 007 agent in the latest incarnation of the classic films (pictured in 2012's Skyfall)

Theresa May (pictured centre on a visit to Poland yesterday) said she wanted a woman to play Bond in the future

The Prime Minister revealed she would be watching Doctor Who on Christmas Day, which will have a woman - Jodie Whittaker - playing the lead role for the first time

Speaking on the way to visit troops in RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, she said: 'I do like watching Doctor Who at Christmas and I think this is a great move forward for girl power that there is going to be female Doctor Who.

'One day there should be a female James Bond.'

Actor James Norton has been recently named as the most likely successor to replace Daniel Craig as the next 007 agent.

The 32-year-old star of new BBC drama McMafia has danced with the 007 rumours for a couple of years now, but earlier this month he became the favourite according to bookmakers William Hill.

But the PM, 61, thinks it should one day be a female.

Asked about the next James Bond, Mrs May smiled: 'Well I dont know who is being did I read the other day that James Norton was being talked about as a possible James Bond?'

She added: 'Sorry there are rumours I think James Norton did the interview in which he said he would quite like to.'

Asked if she would back Mr Norton as the next James Bond, she laughed and responded: 'I dont know who the other candidates might be, so.'

Mrs May is a trailblazer for high-profile prominent women.

She set up Women2Win in 2005 with Baroness Jenkin.

The group leads a campaign to elect more Conservative women to Parliament.
Islamists have threatened to hunt down Muslims in Santa hats after issuing a fatwa against firms that force their staff to wear Christmas clothes in Indonesia.

The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) warned of 'sweeping operations' in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country, and said ordering Muslims to wear Christmas attire was a violation of their human rights.

Indonesia is home to several religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and people who follow traditional beliefs.

Islamists have threatened to hunt down Muslims in Santa hats after issuing a fatwa against firms that force their staff to wear Christmas clothes in Indonesia. Pictured: Indonesian men stand next to Christmas decorations outside a shopping centre in Jakarta

The constitution guarantees freedom of religion in an officially secular state though tension between followers of different faiths can flare.

'There can be no sweeping operations ... members of the public should respect other religions that are carrying out celebrations,' national police chief Tito Karnavian told police during a security exercise in the capital, Jakarta.

The FPI said it aimed to enforce a fatwa, or decree, issued by Indonesia's Islamic Clerical Council in 2016 prohibiting business owners from forcing employees to wear Christmas clothing.

'We will raid businesses in anticipation of them being stubborn about this and we will be accompanied by police,' said Novel Bakmukmin, head of the FPI's Jakarta chapter.

Employers forcing staff to wear Christmas clothes were violating their rights.

'Businesses should be aware that there should be no forcing,' he said.

The Islamic Clerical Council's decrees are not legally binding but serve as guidelines for Indonesian Muslims.

The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) warned of 'sweeping operations' in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country, and said ordering Muslims to wear Christmas attire was a violation of their human rights. Pictured: Christmas decorations inside a Jakarta shopping centre

Christmas is widely celebrated across Indonesia and holiday decorations are ubiquitous, especially at shops, restaurants and malls where many enthusiastic workers - even Muslims - don Santa hats or elf costumes.

The FPI built its reputation with raids on restaurants and bars serving alcohol during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

In recent years, it has turned its attention to Christian celebrations.

The group has also said it wants the Jakarta city government to stop sponsoring New Year celebrations, which attract many thousands of people.

About 90,000 police officers will be on duty cross the country during the end-of-year holidays, in an operation largely aimed at preventing militant attacks.

Attacks on churches in Jakarta and elsewhere on Christmas Eve in 2000, killed nearly 20 people. Ever since, authorities have stepped up security at churches and tourist spots for the holiday.
A tour guide has been trampled to death by an enraged elephant after tourists surrounded the giant beast and pulled its tail.



Chinese group leader Yongjie He, 35, had taken about 30 holidaymakers to the Golden Triangle elephant park in Chonburi, Thailand, yesterday afternoon.

As they arrived, two other women were just returning from an elephant ride.

Witnesses said that ten of the excited Chinese tourists then surged forward, surrounding 17-year-old male elephant Pai Utain in a bid to take pictures with him while the women sat on top.

While members of the group were posing next to the huge mammal's three-foot-long tusks, someone yanked on his tail, witnesses claimed. Pictured: Pai the elephant after the killing

Chinese group leader Yongjie He, 35, had taken about 30 holidaymakers to the Golden Triangle elephant park in Chonburi, Thailand, yesterday afternoon. Pictured: The scene of destruction after the elephant ran amok

Lieutenant Colonel Anan Lahuong, head of Huay Yai Police Station, Banglamung, Chonburi, said: 'Officers were notified of two injured tourists and one who was dead due to being crushed by an elephant.' Pictured: Police investigating the death

But while members of the group were posing next to the huge mammal's three-foot-long tusks, someone yanked on his tail, the witnesses claimed.

This caused Pai to go into a frenzy - flinging one of the riders to the ground while the other desperately clung on and the tourists fled for cover.

Tour guide Yongjie scrambled to protect the group, but was then caught in the path of the spooked beast - which ultimately knocked him to the ground and trampled him.

Several mahouts ran over to get Pai under control and the other girl down.

Police and paramedics arrived at 5.30pm but Yongjie was pronounced dead at the scene after sustaining catastrophic head and chest injuries.

Officers are now investigating the accident at the park, which is used by hundreds of tourists a day as they take part in one of the most popular - and most controversial - activities in Thailand.

Mahout Au Yungung, 37, said the elephant was eventually brought under control and tethered to a tree but was 'still shaking with fright'.

He said: 'The elephant was taking tourists back to the main area. Suddenly the tourists gathered round the elephant.

'One of them pulled the tail and the elephant began attacking people. I tried to control the elephant but could not save the leader of the group.

'The cause is that the elephants are likely to have been irritated by having the tail pulled. It did not have a seizure. I've known this elephant since he was small and he has never hurt anyone, he has always had good habits.'

Tour guide Yongjie scrambled to protect the group, but was then caught in the path of the spooked beast - which ultimately knocked him to the ground and trampled him. Pictured: The scene after the shocking death

Mahout Au Yungung, 37, said the elephant was eventually brought under control and tethered to a tree but was 'still shaking with fright'. Pictured: Pai after the horrible death

Sakda Malee, 27, one of the managers at the centre, said: 'The elephant came back and the people on top were waving to the group. Ten more people came from another direction and tried to take pictures of the elephant from the side. I tried to stop them but they didn't listen.

'They tried to take photographs of themselves with the ivory tusks, which are about one metre long. This caused the elephant to become moody and irritated. It turned to run away and shake off two of the females on top.

'One of the girls fell down and one held on. The elephant charged towards the group. They were running everywhere but the leader could not get out of the way in time.'

Police retrieved the dead tour guide's rucksack, which contained his passport and other travel documents.

Lieutenant Colonel Anan Lahuong, head of Huay Yai Police Station, Banglamung, Chonburi, said: 'Officers were notified of two injured tourists and one who was dead due to being crushed by an elephant.

'We must investigate the whole event again and wait for the conclusion. The dead man has also been sent for a forensic examination and the relatives have been informed.'
A man who fell more than ten metres down a rocky cliff face near Perth has been rescued by paramedics.

An ambulance helicopter was called to Washaway Beach near Barrabooka Street on Friday afternoon to assist the 37-year-old, who fractured his skull during the fall.

He was winched to safety by a rescue crew just before 5pm and was then rushed b chopper to the Royal North Shore Hospital in a serious condition.

Paramedics and police gather at Washaway Beach to save a man who fell 10 metres down a cliff

The man was winched to safety by a rescue crew and choppered to Royal North Shore Hospital

Paramedics and water police also rushed to the precarious scene on the Northern Beaches as the man was rescued from his precarious position.

The man is currently undergoing treatment for serious head injuries, a spokesperson for NSW ambulance confirmed to Daily Mail Australia.

The circumstances surrounding the fall are unknown, and police are talking to witnesses in the area.

Investigators scour the cliff at Washaway Beach where the man, 37, fell and fractured his skull
Two men have been caught on camera throwing punches at a truck driver during a violent road rage attack in Melbourne on Friday.

Tensions boiled over at a set of traffic lights in Campbellfield as the men were seen climbing the set of stairs leading to the semi-trailer's cabin.

One man was seen throwing punches into the cabin as the truckie tries to defend himself.

Another man wearing a hi-vis vest joins in the attack, standing with the first offender on the steps as they continue to assault the driver.

Scroll down for video

As the driver sits inside the vehicle, one man was caught throwing punches into the cabin as the truckie tries to defend himself

The footage, captured by passengers in a nearby vehicle, shows the driver landing one punch on his attackers.

The force of the punches shake the truck as the first man jumps off and runs back to his car.

The second man continues to land blows as other vehicles watch the violent outburst.

Police are now investigating the incident, 9 News reports.

The force of the punches shake the truck as the first man jumps off and runs back to his car
This is the six-year-old boy who was killed after being shot in the abdomen by a stray bullet when Texas cops opened fire.

A GoFundMe has been established for Kameron Prescott, six, who was killed when Bexar County deputies tried to stop a woman who was trying to break into a home at a San Antonio trailer park.

Mercedes Warneke, who claims to be Kameron's aunt, created the page to help cover funeral expenses which has raised more than $4,000 of its $10,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.

Kameron Prescott, six, was shot by Bexar County deputies who had opened fire on a woman who was trying to break into a home at a San Antonio trailer park on Thursday

The boy had been inside when the shooting started and one bullet penetrated his abdomen, killing him.

It is not clear why the deputies started firing as no weapon was found on her by officers at Pecan Grove Manufactured Home Community near Cibolo Creek in Texas.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar says the woman has no apparent connection to the child or his family.

His alleged aunt, Mercedes Warneke, created the GoFundMe page which has gained 2,965 of its $10,000 goal

Deputies said the woman pointed a firearm at them during an earlier confrontation.

Salazar says no gun was later found on her, and that it wasn't clear what prompted the deputies to shoot.

Authorities say she was a wanted felon and car-theft suspect, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

The child died at a hospital.

He had been in the trailer with his parents when the deputies started shooting outside.

The boy (pictured right) was inside the trailer when the shooting started

The officers had been tracking the woman for nearly two hours when they finally cornered her on the porch of the boy's home.

A deputy had confronted her earlier in the day over reports of a stolen car received at 10.48am.

Officers found her hiding in a closet and she pointed a gun at them as she fled the scene.

The footchase ensued and in an attempt to lose the cops she even tried to swim across chin-deep waters in Cibolo Creek, forcing a K9 officer to ditch his body armor and pursue her all whilst carrying his dog.

Kameron died at the hospital after he was fatally shot in the abdomen by sheriff's deputies

After leading officers on a 90-minute chase through woodland, she was tracked to the trailer park, which is now a live crime scene.

Rhonda Campbell, 58, told San Antonio Express-News she was in her bed watching TV when the woman forced her front door open trying to find somewhere to hide.

Anthony Fritcher, 33, was closing the back door she barged through the front door demanding keys to a car parked outside.

The pair along with Mrs Campbell's husband charged her, forcing the fugitive to run away around towards the seven-year-old boy's trailer.

She tried to get neighbors to help her before trying to break into the home moments before being shot dead.

Police are still trying to locate the gun pointed at officers in the initial fracas and the woman's identity has not yet been revealed.
A herder has been ordered to kill 125 of his reindeer to preserve land.

Norway's Supreme Court yesterday told Jovsset Ante Sara, 25, to reduce his 200-strong herd to 75.

It said a government order which Mr Sara was appealing against was 'valid' and the slaughter must take place to ensure sustainable management of the land.

A herder has been ordered to kill 125 of his reindeer to preserve land (stock image)

Norway's Supreme Court yesterday told Jovsset Ante Sara (pictured), 25, to reduce his 200-strong herd to 75

The herder, from the indigenous Sami community, argued that such a reduction would financially ruin him and that the ruling would breach human rights norms.

Norway's Supreme Court said that the cull order did not violate Sara's rights but he has vowed to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

'As I read it, the ruling doesn't take into account the rights of the Sami people,' said defense lawyer Trond Pedersen Biti.

Earlier this month, the herder's sister, Maret Anne Sara, drew attention to the case when hanging up a curtain made of 400 bullet-ridden reindeer skulls outside Norway's parliament in Oslo.
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RAF Top Guns intercepted the Prime Minister's plane today as part of a training exercise normally saved for the Russians.

The PM watched from the cockpit for the first time as two Typhoon fighter jets tipped their wings and revealed their deadly arsenal of weapons.

They were then refuelled by Theresa May's Airbus Voyager before she flew back into London for Christmas from her trip to see troops stationed in Cyprus.

The Typhoon fighter jets are normally tasked with intercepting Russian bombers that fly close to British airspace.

Armed with four missiles each, they deployed from RAF Conningsby, Lincolnshire and carried out a mock intercept around an hour before she landed, off the coast of Norfolk.

Typhoon fighter jets flew alongside Theresa May's Voyager plane to show off their weapons. They also refuelled in the middle of the air (pictured) as the PM watched the display from the cockpit

Armed with four missiles each, the planes deployed from RAF Conningsby, Lincolnshire and carried out a mock intercept around an hour before she landed, off the coast of Norfolk

A pilot aboard Theresa May's Voyager plane is at the controls as the daring display was undertaken in mid air as the PM made her way back home from Cyprus

Two pilots are at the controls of the Voyager plane as the Typhoon fighter jets tipped their wings and revealed their deadly arsenal of weapons

Flying at 17,000ft, they tipped their wings, as they would do to the enemy in a real emergency, to display their aircraft's air-to-air weapons systems.

The move is designed to display aggression to any aircraft operating near UK skies which are not responding to air traffic control.

The exercise was aimed at revealing how the Quick Reaction Alert jets challenge suspected hijacked aircraft and Russian bombers flying on the fringes of UK airspace.

It was also training for the pilots - which could be deployed to drop bombs on militants in Iraq and Syria - in how to refuel in the sky.

The PM said the RAF pilots were 'impressive'.She said: 'I am delighted to have the opportunity to see our brave pilots and crew in action.

'Refuelling in the air to prepare to fight Daesh over Iraq and Syria, witnessing the unique skill of the RAF at first hand is an absolute privilege and once again demonstrates that the British armed forces are the finest in the world.'

She added: 'I want to take this opportunity to thank them for everything they do to keep us safe.'

The delicate process of refuelling the fighter jets added about an hour onto the journey back from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, where the PM addressed the troops.

The display by the British fighter jets came after Mrs May met with British troops who will be stationed abroad for Christmas.

In a speech to soldiers, the PM said the so-called caliphate where ISIS jihadists plotted attacks against Britain has been 'crushed'.

Speaking to troops at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Mrs May said the barbaric group no longer held significant territory in Iraq and Syria.

She thanked RAF personnel for their efforts in protecting British citizens at home, adding: 'You are quite simply the pride of our nation.'

Speaking to troops at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus today, Theresa May said the barbaric group no longer held significant territory in Iraq and Syria

Mrs May visited the nursery on the base and chatted happily to the children, signing autographs for some of them

The PM visited military personnel on the last day of her whistle-stop tour of the region before flying home for Christmas

The PM visited military personnel on the last day of her whistle-stop tour of the region before flying home for Christmas.

The Cyprus base is where Typhoon and Tornado jets armed with 500lb bombs and precision-guided Brimstone missiles are stationed. They carry out the deadly bombing raids wiping out jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

The Premier said: 'Here in Cyprus you are at the epicentre of so much of our military activity in the region.'

RAF personnel have conducted more than 1,600 airstrikes against IS targets since the mission began three years ago.

The PM said the UK military had helped both fight the terror group and prevent its re-emergence.

She said: 'Let's be clear just what a difference that has made.

'Just three years ago Daesh declared a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, a safe haven in which to carry out the most barbaric acts and from which to plot murder on our streets at home.

'But today, thanks in very large part to your efforts, the so-called caliphate has been crushed and no longer holds significant territory in Iraq or Syria.'

She added: 'You should be incredibly proud of that achievement.'

But she said the war was not over and the military must continue to 'deal directly with the threat they still pose in the region'.

The Prime Minister said that the UK military had helped both fight the terror group and prevent its re-emergence

Mrs May warned that the war was not over and the military must continue to 'deal directly with the threat they still pose in the region'

She warned: 'As Daesh seeks new ungoverned spaces from which to plot and carry out attacks it is not just in those spaces that security is at stake but in the UK too.

'So it is vital we support the stability of our partners across the Middle East.'

Paying tribute to their hard-work, Mrs May said: 'It is you, your professionalism, your courage and your sacrifices that give meaning to the pledges we make as a nation.

'It is you who take down our enemies and stand by our allies when the going gets tough.'

Around 100 troops stationed at the base watched as the PM made the speech with two of the UK's warplanes stationed behind her.

She added: 'Every one of you here today is part of one of the greatest military forces in the world.'

She said she wanted to lead the nation in raising the national consciousness and promoting global Britain. The PM pointed out that next year will mark the centenary of the end of the First World War and also of the Air Force.

She added: 'I hope that as a nation in this special year ahead we can collectively raise the national consciousness of the work that you do and the sacrifices you make in the service of others.

'As Prime Minister I will do everything I can to lead the nation in this endeavour for you are quite simply the pride of our nation and that is how you should be treated.'
Alexander Vincent passed away in Tasmania

An extensive land, sea and air search of Blackman's Bay ended in tragedy after the body of a missing teenage boy was pulled from the water.

Police suspect that 16-year-old parkour enthusiast Alexander Vincent died trying to make a five-metre jump from one side of the Blackman's Bay blowhole to the other on Thursday.

The family is 'understandably distraught', Inspector David Wiss told ABC.

Alexander was last seen in the Kingston Beach area at 2pm.

When he didn't return from a walk along the foreshore, his family raised the alarm.

'After a few hours the family became concerned because he wasn't at his pick-up point, they contacted police and police undertook an extensive land and sea search,' Inspector Wiss revealed.

'Tragically his body was located in the water just outside the blowhole itself.'

Divers were prompted to search the area after his jacket was seen near the blowhole, with a helicopter searching the coastline and a police boat scouring the River Derwent.

Offering his condolences to the Vincent family, Kingborough Mayor Steve Wass said, 'It's a tragic event and our sympathies go out to his family and friends.'

The tragic death of Alexander is the second in the area this year after 17-year-old Maggie Lore fell from a clifftop in January.

The body of 16-year-old Alexander was found near the blowhole at Blackman's Bay

The incident has renewed calls for better fencing and warning signs in the area, with Councillor Was saying the council was awaiting the coroner's report into Maggie's death before responding.

'We are aware that we do have dangerous cliffs and of course we know that some accidents can occur,' he said.

'We can't fence it all and I'm sure the community wouldn't want us to fence it all.'

He added that adding fences would not have prevented Alexander's death, as he fell from a 'natural part of the foreshore' that is open to the water.
Kim Jong-un has boasted of being a 'substantial nuclear threat to the US' as North Korea accused Donald Trump of seeking the 'total subordination of the whole world'.

The dictator warned that his rapidly developing nuclear force is 'exerting big influence' on the international community as he delivered a speech in Pyongyang.

Kim made the remarks a month after declaring his secretive state had completed its nuclear armament in the wake of a ballistic missile test.

It comes after his foreign ministry hit out at Trump's 'criminal' new national security document calling it a 'proclamation of aggression aimed at holding sway over the world'.

In the document, announced on Monday, Trump said Washington had to deal with the challenge posed by North Korea's weapons programmes.

Kim Jong-un (pictured yesterday during a speech in Pyongyang) has boasted of being a 'substantial nuclear threat to the US' as North Korea accused Donald Trump of seeking the 'total subordination of the whole world'

Kim Jong-un's foreign ministry hit out at the US President's 'criminal document' was a 'proclamation of aggression aimed at holding sway over the world'

But in a statement released today, Pyongyang said: 'This has fully revealed that 'America first policy' which the gang of Trump is crying out loudly about is nothing but the proclamation of aggression aimed at holding sway over the world according to its taste and at its own free will.'

'The report openly reveals Washington's aspirations to attack us,' a ministry spokesman added, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

'As the U.S. set its diplomatic and security policy at crushing us militarily and is publicly aiming a sword at us, we will make the U.S. bitterly regret its strategy with our cannons.'

'The international community should be aware of Trump's scheme to set off a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula. And it should also see his real intentions behind Washington's dialogue offer as aiming to mask the US' evil intentions and how it ridicules the world.'

In a speech at the opening of the 5th Conference of Cell Chairpersons of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang yesterday, Kim boasted of his nuclear capabilities.

State media claimed he 'stressed that nobody can deny the entity of the DPRK which rapidly emerged as a strategic state capable of posing a substantial nuclear threat to the U.S.'

He added: 'Although grave challenges that should not be overlooked face us, we neither feel disappointed nor are afraid of them but are optimistic about progress of our revolution under this situation.'

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is due to vote on Friday on a US-drafted resolution that seeks, yet again, to toughen sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, diplomats said.

If approved the resolution would restrict oil supplies that are vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programmes.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivering his speech during the opening of the 5th Conference of Cell Chairpersons of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang

Hundreds of officials listen in as North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un delivers a speech in Pyongyang

The United States presented the draft resolution yesterday following negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, on new punitive measures in response to North Korea's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on November 28.

It would be the third raft of sanctions imposed on North Korea this year and comes as the United States and North Korea are showing no signs they are willing to engage in talks to end the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Diplomats said they expected the measure to be adopted during the meeting scheduled for 1pm.

Japan's Ambassador Koro Bessho, who holds the council presidency, said Japan supports the draft resolution 'wholeheartedly' and voiced hope that there will be unanimous support.

Building on previous resolutions, the new draft tightens restrictions on crude and refined oil deliveries to North Korea, most of which are supplied by China.

The measure would ban the supply of nearly 90 percent of refined oil products to North Korea and order the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad within 12 months, according to the text obtained by AFP.

US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to its desperately struggling economy.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (centre) warned that his rapidly developing nuclear force is 'exerting big influence' on the international community as he delivered a speech in Pyongyang

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been sent to Russia and China to earn hard currency for Pyongyang, working in what UN rights officials have described as 'slave-like conditions.'

The draft resolution would cap crude oil supplies to four million barrels per year and deliveries of refined petroleum products including diesel and kerosene would be capped at 500,000 barrels for next year.

Countries would be required to notify the United Nations of their oil shipments to North Korea.

Since September last year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test - its sixth - and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions.

The measure would expand a list of banned exports from North Korea to include food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone including magnesite and magnesia, wood and vessels.

In the document, announced on Monday, Trump said Washington had to deal with the challenge posed by North Korea's weapons programmes. A North Korean rocket launch in August is pictured above

US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured) last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to its desperately struggling economy

All countries would be authorized to seize, inspect, freeze and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea, according to the draft.

A total of 19 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, would be added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the North Korean ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages logistics for the army.

They will be subjected to a global visa ban and assets freeze.

The United States has led the drive at the Security Council to tighten sanctions aimed at piling pressuring Kim Jong-Un's regime to come to the negotiating table.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the council that the 'pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved' as he backtracked from his offer to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the new sanctions would pile pressure on Pyongyang 'not for the sake of pressure, but in order to push for a dialogue and to have better leverage for the negotiations and the political solution we need.'

In negotiations on previous sanctions, the United States has first agreed with China on provisions of each resolution before presenting the text to the full 15-member council, which has then quickly adopted it.

So far, the Security Council has imposed a ban on supplies of condensates and natural gas liquids to North Korea, capped deliveries of refined oil products to two million barrels a year, and capped crude oil exports at current levels.

The council has also banned exports of North Korean coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, restricted joint ventures and ended the hiring of North Korean workers abroad.

The United States separately asked the council to blacklist 10 ships, including two Hong Kong-flagged vessels, for carrying banned cargo from North Korea.

China however raised objections at those sanctions and the request to ban the 10 ships from ports worldwide will again be considered on December 28.
Japan has approved its highest-ever defence budget to beef up the armed forces in response to threats from North Korea.

The budget will swell to $46bn with money ear-marked for defence systems and new cruise missiles which can strike Pyongyang.

The announcement was made today as the government unveiled its $860bn national budget for the fiscal year starting in April.

It's the sixth year in a row that the defence budget has risen and comes after North Korea fired two missiles over Japan this year and vowed to 'sink it into the sea.'

Japan has approved its highest-ever defence budget to beef up the armed forces in response to threats from North Korea. Pictured: A Japanese defence unit near Tokyo

This is the moment North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in July

The budget approves $1.2bn to reinforce defences against a possible North Korean ballistic missile attack.

That includes purchases of a new longer range interceptor, the SM-3 Block IIA, designed to strike ballistic missiles in space, upgrades for the Patriot missile batteries that are the last line of defence against incoming warheads and preparations for the construction of two ground-based Aegis radar stations.

Japan will also spend $19mn to begin acquiring medium-range air-launched cruise missiles able to strike sites in North Korea in a bid to deter any potential attack by Pyongyang, which continues to test ballistic missiles.

Japan has a clause in its constitution which bans it from going to war but this was re-interpreted in 2014 to allow it to help any attacked allies.

'It is essential that we have the latest, most capable equipment to bolster our defences,' Japanese Minister of Defence Intsunori Onodera said after he and other Cabinet members approved the new spending plan.

Japan's government approved a record military budget today, with money ear-marked for weapons capable of pre-emptive strikes against North Korea. Pictured: A missile interceptor unit stationed in Tokyo deployed to counter North Korean rockets

The latest rocket launched by the North on November 29 reached an altitude of more than 2,485 miles before plunging into the Sea of Japan.

A spending spree on mostly US-made equipment means Japan's defence planners are being forced to curtail domestic programmes that would help local defence contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries maintain their military industrial base.

That may force Japan to curtail its long-held ambition to build an advanced stealth fighter, dubbed the F-3.

In November, U.S. President Donald Trump called on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to buy more U.S.-made weapons as his administration pushes Washington's allies to contribute more to their joint defence.

Japan plans to allocate $2.4bn of its next budget to buy defence equipment through the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales system, 15 percent more than the current budget and more than double the amount spent in year that ended March 31, 2015.

North Korea under Kim Jong-un (pictured) has accused Donald Trump of seeking the 'total subordination of the whole world' in his new national security strategy

Japan will delay a decision to develop the F-3, which is meant to counter military technology advances by China, putting on hold a project estimated to be worth more than $40bn.

The latest defence spending plans provide the first concrete public indication that pause is underway.

A budget request submitted in August earmarked $65mn for a new large jet engine test facility that Japan's defence ministry will need to test a prototype F-3 engine. That item was not included in the budget approved on Friday.

A proposed $21mn for other F-3 research was also trimmed to 1.6 billion yen.

'Money is being spent in other areas and this is a sign that the government sees the F-3 as a low priority,' a Japanese defence ministry official said.
Vice President Mike Pence insists the Trump administration is fully co-operating with special counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.

His comments come as the president's son, Donald Jr., blasted the investigation for a supposed lack of impartiality after Mueller removed FBI agent Peter Strzok from his team for exchanging anti-Trump text messages with his lover.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe has obtained guilty pleas from two Trump associates, including former White House security advisor Mike Flynn.

Vice-president Mike Pence was speaking while visiting US service personnel in Afghanistan

It has charged former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his one-time deputy, Rick Gates.

'My view of all these matters is that the special counsel has a job to do,' Pence said in an interview with CBS while visiting Afghanistan.

'We're fully cooperating with that inquiry, but for the president and myself and our entire administration, we're focused on what the American people hired us to do.'

Vice-president Pence was asked about former Flynn's guilty plea to the FBI about his contacts with then Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak.

'What I can tell you is that I knew that he had lied to me - and I know the president made the right decision with regard to him,' the vice president replied.

Donald Trump Jr. claimed on Tuesday that a deep-state conspiracy to undermine his father is stopping him from making his agenda a reality

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, made a speech Wednesday on the Senate floor warning Trump not to take any action relating to Mueller.

He said he gave the speech because the 'tone and tenor' coming from the White House and its allies 'should send a chill through all of us.'

'Over the last several weeks, a growing chorus of irresponsible voices have called for President Trump to shut down Special Counsel Mueller's investigation,' said Warner, adding that the attacks were 'seemingly coordinated.'

'Firing Mr. Mueller or any other of the top brass involved in this investigation would not only call into question this administration's commitment to the truth, but also to our most basic concept of rule of law,' Warner said. 'It also has the potential to provoke a constitutional crisis.'

A group of Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee have been meeting secretly to ferret out corruption they believe exists within the FBI and the Justice Department.

Senator Mark Warner (left) warned against any attempts to fire special counsel Robert Mueller

House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes has taken part in secret meetings with other GOP panel members to attempt to ferret out corruption they believe exists within the FBI and the Justice Department

The lawmakers may release a report on any findings they have and try to get information that may substantiate their case into the public domain.

House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes is participating in the meetings, Politico reported, although he initially said he would recuse himself from the full committee's Russia probe.

Sources familiar with the inquiry told the publication lawmakers were frustrated with the Justice Department for failing to share more information about the infamous dirty dossier, which contains salacious information about Donald Trump as well as purported financial connections with Russia

The dossier got handed over to the FBI during the campaign. During oversight hearings, Republican lawmakers have complained that a tainted document could have been the basis for conducting surveillance on Trump associates.
This is the moment Santiago residents thought they were witnessing a UFO dance around the skies of their city.

Santiago in Chile, South America, is the perfect spot to view the night sky due to its dry air and clear skies.

Watching the clear night sky some residents of the capital thought that they were witnessing a bona fide alien spaceship.

Confused social media user Esethefanny Horato uploaded the footage captioned: 'Does anyone know what these lights are? They appeared around the whole mountain range and were moving very fast.'

Erratic moving lights can be seen cross the Santiago sky in the video which sparked rumours that the flashing was a UFO.

Netizen Gabo tweeted: 'I just saw something strange flying over the city.

'I do not know if it is a UFO, something similar or perhaps a drone?'

Little Bobby Tables added: 'Has a UFO just whizzed over Santiago?'

However the hearsay was squashed flat when the UFO theorists were informed that the lights actually belonged to Chilean Air Force (FACh) aircraft performing for a ceremony.

Santiago residents thought they were witnessing a UFO dance around the skies of their city, which turned out to be a plane performing at a graduation ceremony

'Kalabaza Vegan' said: 'UFOs seen in Santiago were FACh aircraft performing in a graduation ceremony.'

'Raul Ignacio' added: 'They were FACh planes. Last year the same thing happened with the same aircraft.'

The mistake came weeks after CEFAA, the Chilean government agency which investigates unidentified aerial phenomena, released a nine-minute video of an object displaying unusual lights and flight behaviour.

The footage was filmed by two naval officers who swore that they had witnessed a UFO.
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The second aircraft carrier to be built for the Royal Navy in the record-breaking design of the 3.1 billion HMS Queen Elizabeth has passed a major milestone - it floats.

As its sister ship undergoes emergency repairs for an embarrassing leak, the HMS Prince of Wales rose up overnight as water was gradually let into its dry dock at Rosyth.

The 65,000-ton behemoth, which has been taking shape at the yard over the past three years and is due to be handed over to the Navy in 2019, was moved to a berth where the Queen Elizabeth was fitted out.

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HMS Prince of Wahes was floated for the first time at Royal Dockyard Rosyth after the sluices on the dry dock were opened

A team of engineers kept the dock under close observation as water filled to float the 65,000 ton ship

The several tugs helped move Prince of Wales, pictured yesterday amid gloomy weather conditions on the River Forth

Sub Lieutenant Freddie Spreckley who recently joined the ship's company said: 'For me, seeing water surround the ship has really made it transform from being a ship in build to a ship preparing to go to sea.

'I was privileged to be one of the last few people to walk underneath the ship before the sluices opened and flooded the dock. It was very exciting - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - to be involved with this engineering milestone in the ship's life and historic moment for the Royal Navy.'

The vessel's construction is running ahead of schedule due to lessons learned while completing her sister ship.

Captain Ian Groom, senior naval officer on the vessel said: 'It has been a massive team effort and I am proud of every individual contribution. It is a fitting end to the Year of the Navy to have HMS Queen Elizabeth commissioned and HMS Prince of Wales undocked and afloat for the first time.

'As the second of her class, HMS Prince of Wales is of strategic significance ensuring continuous carrier strike capability. Working as one team we are delivering an unmistakable sign of commitment to the defence of our great nation and that of our allies.'

HMS Prince of Wales was named in a ceremony at the Royal Dockyard in Rosyth in September

The Royal Navy confirmed the vessel is already 3,000 tonnes heavier than her sister ship at the same stage of construction.

The MoD released video footage of yesterday's launch.

The ship's gas turbines and generators are expected to be fired up for the first time during the middle of next year, with sea trials in 2019.

The now Portsmouth-based HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest, most powerful and most expensive ship to be built for the Royal Navy in its history, was the subject of embarrassing revelations this week after it emerged it had a leak.

The 919ft-long vessel set out for sea trials over the summer and is believed to have been taking on water for some time due to a faulty seal.

The Government has insisted that repairs will not cost the taxpayer, with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson claiming the money would come 'from the contractors who built her'.

It is understood the cost of fixing the leak will not cost millions as reported, but the bill could reach into the hundreds of thousands.

HMS Prince of Wales is being constructed at the Royal Dockyard at Rosyth, Scotland, and is running ahead of schedule

Prince of Wales is being constructed ahead of schedule due to lessons learned from HMS Queen Elizabeth which began its sea trials earlier this year

Mr Williamson said: 'This is the reason why we have the sea trials, to make sure that everything is working absolutely perfectly.'

Repairs to the damaged seal are currently taking place with a Multicat support boat called Uncle Bill at her stern.

Divers have been inspecting the area around the vessel's 33-tonne propellers.

A Royal Navy spokesman said the 'repairs under contract are already under way alongside in Portsmouth', and the next round of sea trials will take place in the new year.

He said sea trials were 'precisely for finding manageable teething problems like this and rectifying them', adding that the ship would continue to be 'rigorously' tested before she entered service.

The warship, the biggest and most powerful built by the UK, was accepted into the Royal Navy fleet by the Queen earlier this month.

During her estimated half-a-century working life, the vessel can be pressed into action for tasks such as high intensity war fighting or providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
A man has been charged over the fatal shooting of a 5.2 metre crocodile near Rockhampton in Queensland earlier this year.

Police appealed for information after the carcass of the huge reptile washed up in the Fitzroy River at Etna Creek on September 21, but nobody came forward.

But after searching two residences on Thursday afternoon, a 31-year-old man was taken into custody and charged with one count of unlawfully taking a protected animal.

He will front Rockhampton Magistrates Court on January 12, and faces a maximum fine of more than $28,000.

A man has been charged over the fatal shooting of a 5.2 metre crocodile near Rockhampton

The body of the huge reptile washed up in the Fitzroy River at Etna Creek on September 21

WA Today revealed that several bullets were pulled from the crocodile's body during a post-mortem examination, and given to the rural Major and Organised Crime Squad to assist their investigation.

Detectives will allege that a number of guns, rifles and ammunition were retrieved from the Etna Creek property during the search.

Under the Nature Conversation Act of 1992, it is an offence to kill a crocodile without authorisation.

Department of Environment and Science (DES) Conservation and Biodiversity operations director Michael Joyce praised the investigation, calling it a 'great example' of the DES and Queensland Police 'joining forces'.

Several bullets were pulled from the crocodile's large body during a post-mortem examination

The 31-year-old suspect will front court in January and faces a maximum fine of over $28,000

Koorana Saltwater Crocodile Farm owner John Lever said the killing of the crocodile created more problems than it solved.

'The crocodile was probably the alpha-male in the area and because it is now dead, there will be a scramble amongst the other males to take his place,' Mr Lever said.

'It will take two or three years to settle down and the crocs will be more dangerous during this time because they will be fighting for territory, females and food.'
A paedophile who lured a 10-year-old boy to his flat and then strangled him to death before dismembering his body and scattering the remains around town is facing life in jail.

Alexander Georgievskiy had been drinking in a railway station cafe when he saw victim Ruslan Korolev walking towards the platform in the town of Ortadnoe, 25 miles east of St Petersburg in Russia.

According to reports, the 10-year-old enjoyed 'train hopping' and was waiting to climb on top of the next train and take a ride on the roof.

Georgievskiy followed the boy to the platform where they started chatting.

Ruslan Korolev (left) was murdered and dismembered by Alexander Georgievskiy (right) after the latter told the boy to join him at his flat for sweets, police said

Alexander Georgievskiy (right in the foreground) had been drinking in a railway station cafe when he saw victim Ruslan Korolev (circled) walking towards the platform in the town of Ortadnoe, 25 miles east of St Petersburg in Russia

CCTV shows Georgievskiy leading the boy back to his apartment, where he began drinking alcohol and attempted to have sex with the child

He then invited the boy back to his apartment for sweets.

CCTV footage shows the two walking to a local shop where the man is seen buying cakes and vodka.

He is then seen leading the boy back to his apartment, where he began drinking the alcohol and attempted to rape the child.

When the terrified 10-year-old refused, Georgievskiy flew into a rage.

Police spokeswoman Anastasia Gluschenko told local media: 'After that [Georgievskiy] strangled and dismembered the boy.

'Then he hid the boy's body parts in different places around the local area and in St Petersburg.'

Initially the police, who were informed of the boy's disappearance by his worried family at the end of October, treated it as a missing person's case.

But then they began finding body parts scattered around the town and switched the investigation to a murder case.

According to reports, the 10-year-old enjoyed 'train hopping' and was waiting to climb on top of the next train and take a ride on the roof

Georgievskiy (left) followed the boy to the platform (right) after spotting him at the station. He then started chatting to him and persuaded him to come to his flat

Then two weeks ago Georgievskiy was identified in the CCTV footage.

He was arrested on December 21 and later charged with the boy's murder after confessing and revealing where he had hidden the rest of the remains.

A police spokesman said he was also being quizzed over the disappearance of a six-year-old boy who went missing six years ago.

He now faces life in jail.
The sister of Kim Jong-un has been seen sitting yards from the dictator as he made a speech - weeks after promoting her to tighten his family's grip on power.

Kim Yo-jong was given a place on an elevated platform just five seats away from the tyrant during a party conference watched by hundreds in the North Korean capital Pyongyang.

It is the latest sign of his younger sister's rise in status in the regime. Only selected top officials are permitted to sit near the dictator at such events.

Kim Yo-jong (circled) the sister of Kim Jong-un (standing) has been seen sitting yards from the dictator as he made a speech - weeks after promoting her to tighten his family's grip on power

Kim Yo-jong (circled) was among top officials invited to sit with Kim Jong-un as he delivered a speech at the opening of the 5th Conference of Cell Chairpersons of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang

Kim Yo-jong (right) was given a place on an elevated platform just five seats away from the tyrant during a party conference watched by hundreds in the North Korean capital Pyongyang

In October Kim Jong Un oversaw a major shakeup of North Korea's government as he promoted dozens of close aides to positions of power.

Among the new promotions was his 30-year-old sister, who was been elevated to a position within the powerful Central Committee.

The promotion marked a return to favour two years after she was fired as Kim's propaganda chief due to a series of security blunders at rallies around the country.

On one occasion Kim was nearly hit in the face with a guitar by an over-enthusiastic musician as he toured a farm, while on a second occasion he was man-handled by fans at a concert.

In October Kim Jong Un (left) oversaw a major shakeup of North Korea's government as he promoted dozens of close aides to positions of power. Among the new promotions was his 30-year-old sister (right), who was been elevated to a position within the powerful Central Committee

Kim Yo-Jong's new job will be as an alternative member of the Central Committee - the chief decision-making body over which Kim presides. She is pictured (left) with the dictator (right) in 2014

Kim Yo-Jong's new job will be as an alternative member of the Central Committee - the chief decision-making body over which Kim presides.

'It shows that her portfolio and writ is far more substantive than previously believed and it is a further consolidation of the Kim family's power,' said Michael Madden, a North Korea expert at Johns Hopkins University's 38 North website.

Kim made the announcement at the Korean Worker's Party conference in Pyongyang, which took place ahead of the anniversary of the party's founding.

Kim Yo Jong, 30, Kim Jong Un's sister, has been promoted to the powerful Central Committee in a party shake-up

Yesterday, Kim Jong-un used another conference to take aim at his enemies and boast about his nuclear capabilities.

He said North Korea was now a 'substantial nuclear threat to the US' and warned that his rapidly developing nuclear force is 'exerting big influence' on the international community as he delivered a speech in Pyongyang.

Kim made the remarks a month after declaring his secretive state had completed its nuclear armament in the wake of a ballistic missile test.

It comes after his foreign ministry hit out at Trump's 'criminal' new national security document calling it a 'proclamation of aggression aimed at holding sway over the world'.

In the document, announced on Monday, Trump said Washington had to deal with the challenge posed by North Korea's weapons programmes.

But in a statement released today, Pyongyang said: 'This has fully revealed that 'America first policy' which the gang of Trump is crying out loudly about is nothing but the proclamation of aggression aimed at holding sway over the world according to its taste and at its own free will.'
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The ice-addicted Afghan refugee accused of mowing down 17 pedestrians outside Melbourne's Flinders Street Station has rambled about Muslims from his hospital bed.

Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said Saeed Noori made comments while at St Vincent's under police guard, only hours after the horrific rampage on Thursday afternoon.

'I don't know the exact detail, to do with Allah and some ramblings about ASIO (the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation),' Mr Patton said according to The Herald Sun.

Saeed Noori tried to hide his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he left Melbourne Police Station heading for the Custody Centre below the Magistrates Court

Detectives were not able to interview him due to his injuries from the crash and a struggle with an off-duty police sergeant who heroically wrestled him from the car before other officers arrested him

Mr Patton told The Project Noori made utterances about voices, dreams and about why he drove the Suzuki SUV through the busy crowds.

'Others are about that he did this act because of perceived harms committed on Muslims around the world,' he said.

'There's a range of issues there.'

Noori has since been transferred from hospital to a holding centre to be interrogated by police.

The 32-year-old tried to hide his face with his cuffed hands while sitting between two detectives as he left Melbourne Police Station heading for the Custody Centre below the Magistrates Court.

The Afghan immigrant spent the previous 24 hours under police guard in hospital after crashing the white Suzuki Vitara into a tram stop bollard at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets.

Detectives were not able to interview him due to his injuries from the crash and a struggle with an off-duty police sergeant who heroically wrestled him from the car before other officers arrested him.

Mr Patton said there were no signs in Noori's online activity that he planned the attack in advance, and that counter-terrorism specialists did not believe it was a terrorist attack.

'We haven't excluded [him being motivated by terrorism]. We haven't seen any warning signs that there was any threat of violence,' he said.

He said Noori had a history of drug use and mental illness, stressing that investigators had not yet found any extremist or terrorist links to the horror rampage.

The ice-addicted Afghan refugee accused of mowing down 17 pedestrians outside Melbourne's Flinder's Street Station has been transferred to a holding centre to be interrogated by police

The 32-year-old spent the previous 24 hours under police guard in hospital after crashing the white Suzuki Vitara into a tram stop bollard at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets

Speaking briefly to investigators last night as he lay in a hospital bed at St Vincent's under police guard, the Noori made a 'number of utterances' and 'spoke about dreams and voices'

Investigators were still searching for a motive for Noori's alleged 'evil act' and it was hoped a formal interview, likely followed by criminal charges, would shed some light on them.

Police said it did not appear to be a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Heidelberg West - where Noori lives - and Oak Park in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident.

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives.

'At this stage nothing has been found to indicate a linkage to extremism, a terrorist organisation or anything of a terrorist nature,' police told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.

Noori arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004 through a resettlement program, and had several run-ins with the law between 2008 and earlier this year.

'He came to Australia as a refugee. He did not come with a people smuggler, he came through the appropriate refugee, the normal refugee programs,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Police said it did not appear to a terrorist attack but raided two homes in Heidelberg West - where Noori lives - and Oak Park (pictured) in Melbourne's north on Thursday night, hours after the terrifying incident

The family members present were reportedly cooperatives as forensics teams seized electronic items from the homes that police will comb through for clues about Noori's motives

'At this stage, because investigations are continuing, apart from that statement, there are no known links to any political issues or any, certainly any links to extremist groups.

'Therefore, the position I am advised off at the moment is that no terrorism link has been identified at this stage. I want to stress, there is a mass of material that is being investigated and nothing should be ruled out, nothing should be ruled out.

'Now, whatever the motivation, this was a despicable and cowardly act, but I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident.'

Noori's legal issues started with a minor assault charge in 2010 that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and was fined $800.

Then in June this year he was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to driving while unlicensed, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabeth Street

The missing bail charges was from when he missed a court date for the driving offences, which occurred either early this year or late last year, and which he also faced court for in February.

Nineteen people were injured in the incident, including the driver and an off-duty policeman who heroic wrestled him from the car where other officers arrested him.

Many more could have been injured or killed if the car hadn't crashed into a tram stop bollard on Flinders Street and the intersection of Elizabeth Street.

By midday on Friday 12 people were still in hospital with only three, including an 83-year-old man, still in critical condition.

Five men, aged 25, 40, 43, 45 and 83 and six women, aged 25, 30, 35, 47 and 58, were among the victims and along with another three men and two women of unknown age.

Many were from overseas including citizens of South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.
PC Adam Cox, 31, created an alter ego called Emily Whitehouse, where he then exchanged explicit messages with other men online

A police officer who belonged to a unit that protected MPs and the Royal Family was spared jail today for collecting indecent images of children while posing as a dead 17 year-old girl.

PC Adam Cox, 31, was working in Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection when he created an alter ego called Emily Whitehouse to exchange explicit sexual chat with three men online.

On being asked to send them sexually revealing photographs, Cox found images online of a Canadian woman who committed suicide at the age of 21 and passed them off as 'Emily'.

Police investigating the Emily online chat raided his home last year.

They found 1,691 indecent and extreme images, with one featuring an infant and others showing children as young as seven.

He told police: 'I'm not hoarding images. I have never meant to hurt anyone. I'm not a collector. I've not got a secret stash.'

On his Emily persona, he said: 'It's me. It's not me. It's madness, a way of escaping reality.'

Cox, from Windsor in Berkshire, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to four counts of possession of indecent images - 645 of the most serious category A pictures, 201 category B, 449 category C, and 396 extreme pornographic images of bestiality.

He denied encouraging three men to attempt to get indecent images from 'Emily' and the charges were ordered to lie on file.

The court heard it was impossible for police to establish if the dead woman in the Emily pictures was 16, 17 or 18 at the time the photographs were taken.

Judge Mark Dennis QC sentenced Cox to 20 months in prison suspended for two years and 250 hours of unpaid work. Cox will have to go through a rehabilitation programme known as 'Cybersafe'.

He said: 'It should be a matter of enduring shame on his part that he engaged in this offending with complete disregard for his oath and responsibility as a serving police officer.'

Prosecutor Charles Falk said Cox had been working for the Metropolitan Police with responsibility for the security of embassies, Parliament and the royal family.

The Metropolitan Police would not go into the specifics of his duties.

Mitigating, Nick Yeo said Cox had expressed 'intense remorse' and faced losing his job as a result of the case.

He said: 'He is a man who finds it extremely difficult to articulate his motivation and one can quite understand that because the context is extremely unusual conduct, one might think.'

Judge Dennis said Cox had pretended to be a teenage girl 'for kicks', adding it was 'troubling' that he had yet to come to terms with what it was all about.

Harry Gibbs, 32, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Andrew Monk, 39, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, and Ajai Shridhar, 46, of Ealing, west London, admitted attempting to possess indecent images of children and were each handed a 12-month community order.

Over two months in the spring of 2016, Monk pestered 'Emily' for pictures, particularly ones of her wearing high-heeled shoes. He posed sexually explicit questions, such as: 'Are you a moaner or a screamer?'

Supply teacher Gibbs' chat logs with 'Emily' went on between July and September 2015. Even though he knew she was under 18, he tried to set her up on the 'Chaturbate' - chat and masturbate - website, the court heard.

He told her she had 'real model quality' and advised her that sex was 'always big business'.

Shridhar asked 'Emily' for photos to 'cheer' him up as he chatted with her on Skype in February and March last year.

Cox used pictures of a dead Canadian woman called Alicia Fuller and passed them off as pictures of 'Emily Whitehouse'

He told her: 'Naughty of me to ask, but have you got any pics where you have to wear your school uniform?'

Cox has been made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and has been suspended from duty since his arrest.

PC Adam Cox has also been dismissed from the Met.

Chair of the misconduct hearing, AC Helen Ball said: 'It is particularly sad and unacceptable that an officer in PC Cox's trusted position would behave in such a discreditable way. He was in possession of a very large number of images of young children.

'Any conviction is discreditable; one of this nature where the behaviour has meant the abuse of the vulnerable is deeply so."

'Dismissal without notice is the appropriate sanction in these circumstances.'

PC Cox will now be placed on a Police Barred List preventing future employment elsewhere in policing.

An NSPCC spokesman said: 'Behind every indecent image is a child who has been subjected to the most horrific acts in order for this vile material to be produced.

'As a police officer, Cox would have known that by possessing these awful images he has helped to fuel an industry which feeds off children's suffering.

'To tackle this growing problem, the NSPCC is calling on tech companies, government and law enforcement agencies to ensure this type of content is taken down quickly when it does appear online but most importantly that it can't be published in the first instance.'
Mijanur Rehnan, 19, posed as a police officer and collected nearly 8,000 from victim William Dickson

A teenager who conned a pensioner of his life savings by posing as a police officer is facing years behind bars.

Mijanur Rehnan, 19, collected nearly 8,000 from William Dickson claiming he was investigating fraud.

Mr Dickson was warned he could face money laundering charges if he didn't hand over large sums of money to a courier sent to his flat in Notting Hill, west London.

He met Rehnan three times and gave him 7,870 before he spoke to staff at an HSBC branch in Notting Hill Gate on July 9 and realised he had been conned.

Rehnan was arrested by a plain clothes police officer at the victim's flat when he went to collect another 4,880 the following day, the Old Bailey heard.

He denied any involvement in the scam and claimed he was just doing a friend a favour when he collected the cash.

A jury of six men and six women convicted Rehnan of four counts of fraud following a four day trial.

Rehnan, flanked by two dock officers, shook his head in the dock in disbelief as the foreman returned their verdict.

Prosecutor Simon Ward told how the pensioner was tricked by fraudsters posing as police officers working for the fraud department of HSBC bank.

'They pretended people from HSBC were using William Dickson's bank account as a means of laundering cash.

'They got him to take quite large sums of money out of his bank account and hand it over to this defendant who was acting as the courier.'

The victim met Rehnan three times and gave him 7,870 before he spoke to staff at an HSBC branch in Notting Hill Gate on July 9 (pictured) and realised he had been conned

A man claiming to be 'DCI Robinson' rang Mr Dickson on July 7 and told him he was about to arrest HSBC staff suspected of money laundering.

When the pensioner asked for the inspector's warrant number he was told to dial '161' and was put through to a fraudster posing as 'DC Wallace' who claimed they were both from the Metropolitan Police.

The retiree was then passed on to crooks posing as members of HSBC's fraud department.

'He was left with the impression that he was speaking to the fraud team and they confirmed that there was an ongoing investigation,' said Mr Ward.

'From all of that he was given the impression he was dealing with bona fide people.'

Mr Dickson withdrew 5,000 in cash from an HSBC branch in Notting Hill on July 7 and handed it over to Rehnan outside his flat later that day, jurors heard.

The victim said he met Rehnan, who used the nickname 'Ryo', twice the following day and handed over 2,000 and 870 worth of Euros.

On 9 July he spoke to genuine HSBC staff and realised he had been the victim of a fraud.

The bank contacted the police and two plain clothes officers were sent to Mr Dickson's flat to arrest Rehnan when he arrived on 10 July.

Rehnan, of Margery Road, Dagenham, east London, denied but was convicted by jury of four counts of fraud.

He was bailed after a 15,000 surety was lodged with the court and now faces sentence on January 26.
The first pictures have emerged of a woman brutally stabbed to death in a shop after refusing to marry her boyfriend.

Shaknoza Abdikayumova, 23, was stabbed 17 times by her boyfriend Ali Kulbaev, 26, before he turned the knife on himself but failed to commit suicide in Ufa, Russia.

Before the attack he posted on his social media: 'It's enough that Allah knows good deeds from sins.'

The first pictures have emerged of a woman brutally stabbed to death in shop after refusing to marry her boyfriend. Shaknoza Abdikayumova is pictured left before and right after the attack

In another message he wrote: 'There is no way back, only forwards.'

Kulbaev, from Uzbekistan, is today in intensive care and is expected to survive, facing murder charges for killing the woman who refused to wed him.

It has emerged that the pair had been chatting on the internet for a year before he visited her in Ufa one month ago.

He 'fell in love' and soon started pestering her for marriage.

She asked for time but she grew alarmed when he threatened to kill her if she refused him.

Shaknoza Abdikayumova, 23, was stabbed 17 times by her boyfriend Ali Kulbaev, 26, before he turned the knife on himself but failed to commit suicide in Ufa, Russia

Before the attack Kulbaev (pictured) posted on his social media: 'It's enough that Allah knows good deeds from sins.'

Kulbaev, from Uzbekistan, is today in intensive care (pictured) and is expected to survive, facing murder charges for killing the woman who refused to wed him

Frightened, Shaknoza, also born in Uzbekistan, called his mother Rimma who told her: 'I don't want to see him again. He threatened to kill me too.'

When she died, the woman had run into the shop where she worked for protection, after he gave her flowers but demanded she agree to marry him.

She screamed 'Help!' to her work colleagues but he shouted: 'If I can't have you, no-one else will.'

He took out a knife and stabbed her multiple times, before plunging it into his own chest and abdomen.

'A man stabbed his girlfriend out of jealousy, because she refused to continue the relations with him,' said a statement from the Russian Investigative Committee, which has opened a murder case.

The killer (pictured) then turned the knife on himself in a failed bid to commit suicide

It has emerged that the pair had been chatting on the internet for a year before he visited her in Ufa one month ago. Pictured: Ali Kulbaev

A saleswoman from the shop said: 'We are still in shock. 'What has happened here was a nightmare.' Pictured: Ali Kulbaev

A saleswoman from the shop said: 'We are still in shock. 'What has happened here was a nightmare. It was terrible, he began to knife her and then stab himself. A policeman said she died on the spot.'

Shocking images from the scene show the woman's body and the man, drenched in blood, writing on the floor in agony.

A shopper who filmed the aftermath said: 'He just entered the shop. This scum was going to flee, I held him.' He asked the killer: 'Did you do anything to yourself? Or not? Did you stab yourself?'

A woman believed to be the dead woman's mother said 'he's a convict' as the man begged the bystanders: 'Finish me off.'
Ken Marsh, head of the Met Police Federation, said the Green affair threatens to poison relations between the force and the Tories

Police are furious at the 'abhorrent' behaviour of former detectives who waged a nine-year vendetta to end the career of Damian Green, a senior officer has said.

Ken Marsh, head of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said the affair threatens to poison relations between the force and the Tories.

And he said most officers are deeply upset retired officers Bob Quick and Neil Lewis went public with their porn claims after leaving the force.

The two officers claims they found vast quantities of inappropriate material on Mr Green's computer when they raided his Commons office in 2008.

He denied viewing or downloading the X-rated material but it cost him his Cabinet career after he was found to have lied about knowing of the existence of the porn.

But the intervention of the two retired officers sparked a storm of criticism, and a friend of Mr Green said the police had finally got their man after a decade long 'vendetta'.

Mr Marsh, who represents 30,000 rank and file police officers, told The Times: 'It's unfair and disingenuous that again we are being hauled over the coals when most of my colleagues think that what these retired officers did is abhorrent.

'We are all privy to confidential information but we respect the rules. All this has done is pit the Tories against the police again.

'My colleagues are professional and they just want to do their jobs.'

Damian Green (pictured arriving at his home near Ashford today) denied viewing or downloading the X-rated material but it cost him his Cabinet career after he was found to have lied about knowing of the existence of the porn

Retired police officers Bob Quick (pictured left) and Neil Lewis (pictured right) both went public with their claims Damian Green viewed extreme porn on his office computer. They have faced calls to be prosecuted for breaching confidentiality by going public with their claims

He warned the saga threatens to resurrect animosity which flared up during 'Plebgate' - the 2012 row between the Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell and officers who claimed he called them 'plebs'.

Mr Quick - dubbed 'Bitter Bob' - was a high-flying police officer who had risen to become Assistant Met Police Commissioner by the time he left the force in 2009.

But he sparked huge controversy when he raided the office of Mr Green - then a shadow immigration minister - seized his computers and questioned him for hours as part of the probe into Home Office leaks.

MAY DENIES SHE KNEW ABOUT GREEN CLAIMS A YEAR AGO Theresa May vigorously denied claims she was first warned that Damian Green was pestering Kate malty a year ago - before she promoted him to deputy Theresa May today denied she was told about claims Damian Green sexually harassed a Tory activist a year ago. Kate Maltby said she first told a senior Downing Street aide in September 2016 that the then Cabinet minister touched her knee and sent her a suggestive text. She claimed the PM was aware of a pattern of behaviour nine months before she promoted Mr Green her be her deputy in the post election reshuffle. But Mrs May vigorously denied the claim and said the first she knew about the allegation was when she read it in a newspaper early last month. Speaking on a visit to see troops in Cyprus today, the PM said: 'The first I learned of these allegations was when Kate Maltby wrote about them in The Times. 'I recognise that Kate Maltby was obviously extremely distressed by what happened. Damian Green has recognised that and he has apologised.' Advertisement

He was forced to quit a year later after being photographed with document detailing an undercover operation, but he blamed the controversial raid for the downfall of his career.

Mr Quick went to the Cabinet Office with his allegations about the porn in early November.

And his former colleague Neil Lewis swiftly went public to back him up - dusting off old police notebooks he had taken with him when he retired from the force to back up his claims.

But both officers have encountered a storm of criticism from MPs and serving police officers and are being investigated over whether they have breached rules by going public with the claims.

Theresa May joined in the condemnation and said she expects the leaks to be 'properly investigated' and 'taken seriously'.

While Tory MPs have demanded the pair have their pensions cut if they are found to have breached confidentiality rules.

And Cressida Dick, the Met Police commissioner - England's most senior officer - has said confidentiality is vital for public trust in the police.

Police officers are bound by the official secrets act but its provisions are not believed to apply in this case.

The two men could face prosecution if they are found to have breached the Data Protection Act.

Mr Mitchell said that what the officers had done is 'wrong' adding: 'If the law is not adequate to reflect that then it is for parliament and government to enhance the law.'

Mr Green was sacked by his friend of 40 years Mrs May on Wednesday night after he was found to have lied about knowing about the porn claims.

He was also investigated over claims he sexually pestered Tory activist Kate Maltby 31, by touching her leg over drinks and sending her a suggestive text.

The Cabinet Office investigation did not rule one whether he had acted inappropriately towards Miss Maltby - whose mother he knew while at Oxford University.

But it did say that investigators found Miss Maltby to give a 'plausible' account.
Ronnie Keith Williams will be charged with murder in the death of 23-year-old Julius Dyke, the brain-damaged son of a woman he fatally stabbed in 1993

A Florida man convicted in the 1993 stabbing death of a pregnant woman will stand trial for the death of the victim's son 23 years later.

The Sun Sentinel reports the Broward County prosecutor's office announced Thursday that Ronnie Keith Williams will be charged with first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Julius Dyke.

Julius Dyke was born via cesarean section two days after his 18-year-old mother, Lisa Dyke, was stabbed. Lisa died 18 days after he was born.

He had suffered extensive brain damage and his 2016 death was ruled a homicide linked to the attack.

Julius was not able to walk or talk and was only able to eat via a feeding tube.

Hearing of the impending charges, his grandmother and caretaker Margaret Dyke said: 'Oh my Julius, my love.'

Margaret Dyke, the grandmother and caretaker of Julius for his 23 years of life, said at the time of his death: 'Now I truly miss my daughter because the only part of her has gone on with her'

Margaret's daughter, Lisa (right) was murdered by Williams (left) in 1993 in Wilton Manors. He had apparently been looking for his ex-girlfriend when he broke into the home at which Lisa was baby-sitting. Her son, Julius, was born via cesarean section two days after she was stabbed

'Now I truly miss my daughter because the only part of her has gone on with her.'

Lisa had been babysitting for a friend in Wilton Manors, near Fort Lauderdale, when Williams entered the home and attacked her in 1993. He had apparently been looking for his ex-girlfriend.

Williams, who had already served time for a murder in 1984 before the crime.

Williams was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004 in Lisa Dyke's death and sentenced to death.

The 2016 Florida Supreme Court decision requiring the jury's unanimous support for the death penalty will send that case back to trial for a new sentencing phase as well.

The jury voted 10-2 in favor of the death penalty.
A primary school teacher in China has been caught on camera forcing his female students to smell his feet during a lesson.

CCTV footage shows teacher Lian lifting his foot towards the face of three female students as they did their homework, reported Shenzhen Television Station.

The pupils' parents filed complaints to the school's headmaster, but teacher Lian claimed 'it was just a joke'. The headmaster said he would 'criticise' the teacher.

Mr Lian can be seen standing in the corner and looking at a female pupil during a lesson

According to Shenzhen Television Station, the incident took place in Da Peng No. 2 Primary School in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on December 21.

Mrs Di, the parent of one of the pupils, learnt about the incident after her daughter said the teacher 'forced her and two other girls in the class to smell his foot'.

Her daughter said the teacher asked them if his foot was stinky.

He then gives the girl his foot to smell before going around the room to other female students

Mr Lian claims he did it for fun and not as a punishment to the students (left). Parents requested to watch the CCTV footage after receiving complaints from their daughters (right)

The parents filed a complaint to headmaster, Liu Yude, and requested to watch the surveillance camera footage.

The clip shows the teacher putting his foot close to the girls' face in an activity room at 4pm.

They were confirmed to be fourth-grade students.

Speaking to the TV station, teacher Lian insisted it was a joke.

He explained: 'I play with my students all the time. That day when I went into the classroom, they said my feet were stinky. So I took off my shoes and let them see if they really smelt.'

He admitted his behaviour was 'uncivilised' and 'thoughtless'.

Teacher Lian, who teaches Chinese literature, told a reporter he was 'playing with the pupils'

Headmaster Liu Yude (far left) said to a reporter that he would investigate the matter and 'criticise' the teacher as he met a parent (far right) who had filed a complaint

The man, who teaches Chinese literature, also claimed that the pupils were doing their English homework at the time, and he walked up and asked them about their Chinese knowledge.

Headmaster Liu admitted that teacher Lian's behaviour was not appropriate and not respectful to the students. He said the teacher was looking after the student after school in his spare time.

The headmaster said he would 'criticise' teacher Lian.

One father, surnamed Zhai, said teacher Lian's behaviour was 'insulting' and he hoped the teacher to be suspended from his post.

The school said it would investigate the incident thoroughly and give the parents a 'satisfactory answer'.
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Exiled former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has said he is ready to meet Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy anywhere in the EU except Spain, where he faces arrest.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels today, where he fled after his region's parliament declared independence from Spain, Puigdemont said yesterday's regional election opened 'a new era' for the region.

'I am willing to meet Mr Rajoy in Brussels or in any other location in the EU, so long as it is not in the Spanish state, for obvious reasons,' he said.

But Rajoy rejected the idea of meeting Puigdemont, explaining he should meet Ines Arrimadas, whose Ciudadanos party won the best individual result yesterday, instead.

Puigdemont earlier said that he would return to Barcelona if the new parliament elects him as leader, though what legal protections he would have as an elected leader are unclear.

'I only demand to the European Commission or other European institutions, to listen, to listen to the Catalan people, not only the Spanish state,' he said.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels today, where he fled a Spanish judicial probe into his recent attempt to split Catalonia from Spain, Puigdemont said yesterday's regional election opened 'a new era' for the region

'I am willing to meet Mr Rajoy in Brussels or in any other location in the EU, so long as it is not in the Spanish state, for obvious reasons,' he said. Pictured: Puigdemont arriving for the press conference in Brussels

As the most popular candidate among separatists in the election, Puigdemont could be chosen to lead a new pro-independence coalition depending on how negotiations with other parties go. Pictured: Crowds celebrating the results last night

But Rajoy rejected the idea of meeting Puigdemont, explaining he should meet Ines Arrimadas (pictured), whose Ciudadanos party won the best individual result yesterday, instead

Rajoy (pictured) has refused to engage in dialogue with the separatists until they pledge to defend their political goals within the limits of Spain's Constitution, which bans unilateral secession of any of the country's 17 autonomous regions

He added: 'Recognising reality is vital if we are to find a solution.'

The vote was widely seen as a moment of truth on the independence question - a divisive issue for the wealthy northern region - that has rattled a Europe already shaken by Brexit.

With the secessionists maintaining their parliamentary majority, the move to call snap polls appeared to backfire against Rajoy, who had sacked the regional government and dissolved its parliament over the independence declaration.

Rajoy has refused to engage in dialogue with the separatists until they pledge to defend their political goals within the limits of Spain's Constitution, which bans unilateral secession of any of the country's 17 autonomous regions.

But Puigdemont said that he wants guarantees to return to Catalonia and to be reinstated as the region's leader.

As the most popular candidate among separatists in the election, he could be chosen to lead a new pro-independence coalition depending on how negotiations with other parties go.

Speaking during the press conference in Belgium, Puigdemont insisted he has a mandate to meet the Spanish government

Speaking during the press conference in Belgium, Puigdemont insisted he has a mandate to meet the Spanish government.

He explained: 'I think now it's time to do politics. Rajoy's formula has failed.

'We need to talk and we have the obligation to do that. It is impossible to find solutions without dialogue.'

He added: 'It is time for rectifying, restoring and acknowledging - this is the message I would like to pass on in the name of the Catalan government.'

When asked if he will return to Spain, Puigdemont said the Spanish state is yet to accept the election's results, stressing: 'What I want is solutions'.

Though the pro-Spain Ciutadans (Citizens) collected most votes in the ballot, it was a bittersweet victory for the business-friendly party as separatist parties won most seats in the region's parliament.

Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia snared 34 seats in the 135-seat regional assembly, making it the most popular separatist party. Two other pro-independence parties made up the dominant bloc: the left-wing republican ERC party, which collected 32 seats, and the radical, anti-capitalist CUP, which has four seats.

Rajoy's conservative Popular Party came last with just three seats in what was a major blow to the country's governing party.

Rajoy, speaking at a news conference today, said he would make an effort to hold talks with the new Catalan government.

However, he did not clarify whether he would be willing to meet deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile in Brussels and whose party retained its position as the largest separatist force.

Yesterday Puigdemont said the Catalan people 'sent a message to the world' as he hailed victory for separatists in regional elections.

Pro-independence parties won an outright majority with 99 per cent of votes counted, setting up a fresh showdown with Madrid and issuing a sharp rebuke to EU leaders who backed the unionist cause.

Speaking from exile in Brussels, Puigdemont said he and his government must be allowed to return to Spain where there is currently a warrant out for his arrest.

He also branded the result a 'slap in the face' to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who had called the election after kicking Puigdemont from office.

Carles Puigdemont claimed victory for pro-independence parties in Catalonia's election yesterday, saying his government must now be allowed to return to Barcelona after they were ousted by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy

Mr Puigdemont spoke yesterday from Brussels where he has been in exile since he held a failed independence referendum which saw a warrant issued for his arrest

Pro-independence parties look to have won 70 seats in the regional parliament, claiming an overall majority, and will now enter negotiations to see if they can form a coalition

The Spanish government had hoped the election would put an end to Catalonia's attempts to split from the rest of the country, but it only seems to have entrenched divisions

Catalonia's pro-independence parties have secured an overall majority in the regional parliament with more than 90 per cent of votes counted

Pro-independence supporters raise glasses of champagne to celebrate retaining control of Catalonia's parliament in a closely-fought election

The result was a 'slap in the face' of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, My Puigdemont said, and a rebuke to the EU leaders who backed the unionist cause

The result was announced after Barcelona police were put on alert for a potential lone wolf terror attack, though it later transpired the suspect had left the country.

'We need to free all prisoners, we need to return to our country and we need to start the most important process, which is politics, something Mr Rajoy has never done,' Puigdemont told reporters in Belgium.

'We need to listen to the wishes of Catalan people... we have earned our right to be listened to.'

An aide to ousted President Carles Puigdemont sent a WhatsApp message to journalists as the news broke saying: 'As you see, we are the comeback kids.'

While unionist parties gained ground on their separatist rivals they failed to seize the reins of power.

TERROR SCARE Police in Barcelona were put on alert after a suspected Islamist entered the country amid fears he was there to carry out a lone wolf attack. Officers were warned to look out for El Ouakili Abdelhakim, a French citizen residing in Germany, according to an internal memo. But the search was later called off after the Spanish National Police said he had left the country. Investigators did not say where he had gone. Advertisement

Separatist parties look set to claim 70 sets in the parliament, while unionists will have 65 seats.

That means the secessionists will be returned to government, provided they can form a coalition.

But complicating matters, Anti-secessionist centrist party Ciudadanos will be the biggest single party with 37 of the 135 seats in the parliament.

Ines Arrimadas, party leader, was also claiming victory on Thursday night, telling supporters: 'The pro-secession forces can never again claim they speak for all for Catalonia. We are going to keep fighting for a peaceful co-existence, common sense and for a Catalonia for all Catalans.'

Junts per Catalunya, Mr Puigdemont's party, garnered 34 seats, left-republican ERC came third with 32 and the anti-capitalist CUP won four seats.

Further muddying the waters is the fact that, while the secessionists won a majority of the seats they did not win a majority of the total vote, polling a combined 48 per cent of all ballots cast.

Mr Rajoy's People's Party returned its worst result ever in the elections, holding just four seats.

A record-breaking 82 per cent of Catalans participated in the elections, according to the latest polling data.

The result will be a huge embarrassment to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy who called the election after kicking Mr Puigdemont from power

Also claiming victory last night was Ines Arrimadas, leader of the unionist Ciudadanos party which looks set to be the largest in parliament but miss out on power

Ms Arrimadas said that independence parties 'cannot claim they speak for all of Catalonia' vowing to fight for 'peaceful co-existence, common sense and for a Catalonia for all Catalans'

Catalan independence supporters celebrate at the Catalan National Assembly headquarters after the result was revealed

Protesters demand justice for jailed politicians as they celebrate victory for Catalonia's separatist parties on Thursday night

Staff and supporters of Mr Puigdemont's Junts Per Catalunya party watch his victory speech from Barcelona. He is in Brussels and cannot return home without being arrested

The vote was called by the Spanish government in an attempt to end the political crisis that erupted in October over a banned referendum on independence.

Opinion polls before the vote had predicted a close race between the separatist and unionist parties. Voters chose between parties who want Catalonia to remain part of Spain and those who want to continue the push for turning the northeastern region into an independent republic.

The election was held under highly unusual circumstances, with several pro-independence leaders either jailed or in exile for their roles in staging the Oct. 1 independence vote that was declared illegal by Spain's highest court.

Weeks of campaigning involved little debate about regional policy on issues such as public education, widening inequality and unemployment. At the heart of the battle instead was the recent independence push that led to Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

Tensions have been high in Catalonia since the referendum, when Spanish police used rubber bullets and batons against voters who tried to block them from removing ballots from polling stations.

Separatist regional lawmakers made a unilateral declaration of independence on Oct. 27, prompting Spain's national government to take the dramatic step of firing the regional government and dissolving the Catalan parliament.

Courts later ordered the arrest of the former Catalan leaders.

No incidents were reported during the election Thursday.

Catalan independence supporters kiss amid celebrations following the news that they will maintain control of parliament

Supporters of Mr Puigdemont celebrate as news spreads that pro-independence parties will hold a majority

Turnout for the election was at a record high, with 82 per cent of those eligible to take part participating after politicians touted it as a make or break moment for the region

Early polls show a coalition of secessionist parties are most likely to form the new government, though unionists could still overtake them

Voters queue in Barcelona to cast their votes in a regional election called after their last government was thrown from power

Voters cast their ballots in Catalonia's highly-contested regional election on Thursday night

A new Catalan attempt to secede would be an unwelcome development for the European Union, which is already wrestling with legal complications from Britain's planned exit from the bloc. Senior EU officials have backed Rajoy, and no EU country has offered support for the separatists.

Catalonia's independence ambitions also have scant support in the rest of Spain.

The outcome of the political battle is crucial for a region that accounts for 19 percent of Spain's gross domestic product.

An economic slowdown has been the most immediate consequence of the Catalan independence push. Spain's central bank last week cut its national growth forecasts for next year and 2019 to 2.4 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively, cutting a percentage point off its previous predictions and citing the conflict in Catalonia as the cause.
The daughter of Commons Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle was found hanged in her bedroom, an inquest heard today.

Natalie Lewis-Hoyle was found dead by her mother, Maldon councillor Miriam Lewis, at the family home in Heybridge, Essex last Friday.

An ambulance was called and the police were also sent to the property in Beeches but the 28-year-old couldn't be saved.

Her inquest opened today and confirmed her death was not being treated as suspicious.

Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said her body has not been released so further tests including toxicology. There will be a further hearing on January 8.

Her father Lindsay has found hundreds of messages from MPs 'a great support' after the death of his daughter, one of his fellow Deputy Speakers has said.

The deputy speaker of the House of Commons has paid tribute to his 'beautiful daughter' after she unexpectedly died aged 28 on Thursday

Commons Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has found hundreds of messages from MPs 'a great support' after the death of his daughter

Natalie Lewis-Hoyle's death is not being treated as suspicious but her body has not yet been released

Eleanor Laing relayed the message to MPs from Labour's Mr Hoyle at what she described as 'this very sad and tragic time for him'.

Over the weekend Chorley MP Mr Hoyle said he was 'truly devastated' by the death of his daughter Natalie, 28, who was found dead at her home in Essex on Friday.

Lindsay Hoyle, Labour MP for Chorley (pictured in the House of Commons), tweeted: 'I am truly devastated by the death of our beautiful daughter Natalie'

A large number of MPs have sent best wishes to Mr Hoyle throughout the week in the Commons, the latest of which was Labour's Lyn Brown (West Ham).

Speaking in the penultimate debate before MPs break for Christmas, Ms Laing said: 'I'd just like to say, following what the honourable lady has just said, that the chairman of ways and means is very grateful for all of the messages that he has received.

'Hundreds of members have sent him very kind messages, and he has found that a great support at this very sad and tragic time for him.

'I will pass on to him once again the good wishes of the whole House.'

Mr Hoyle, Labour MP for Chorley in Lancashire, said his family will never be the same without his 28-year-old daughter NatalieLewis-Hoyle.

Miss Lewis-Hoyle's body was found on Friday morning at the home she shares with her mother Miriam Lewis.

Paramedics were dispatched to the house in Heybridge, Essex, at 6.45am but were unable to revive her. Police said she died at the scene and are not treating her death as suspicious.

Mr Hoyle, 60, wrote on Twitter: 'I am truly devastated by the death of our beautiful daughter Natalie.

'Our family will never be the same without our loving granddaughter, sister and aunty. Thank you for the kind support we've received, it is overwhelming.'

Her mother, a Conservative councillor on Malden District Council, appealed for anyone who had been in contact with her daughter on the night before she died to get in touch with Essex Police.

Miss Lewis wrote on Facebook: 'It is with unbearable sadness that I have to announce the sudden death of my beautiful, much adored daughter Natalie.

'Natalie is my only child  my mini-me. Please help me find out what happened to her in the hours before her death.

'If Natty contacted you by phone, text, [Facebook] messenger or any other means on Thursday evening, 14 December, between 8pm and midnight, please let me know. Any little scrap of information may be more relevant than you imagine.'

Natalie's mother Miriam Lewis (pictured with her daughter), a Tory councillor, appealed for anyone who spoke to her on the night of her to death to contact police

Miss Lewis-Hoyle was a councillor for Heybridge Parish Council after working for property developer The Berkeley Group

Natalie Lewis-Hoyle died at a house on the road (pictured) where she lives in Heybridge, Essex

Miss Lewis said her daughter's mobile phone is missing and may have been left on the 9.18pm from Liverpool Street to Ipswich on Thursday.

Her daughter had worked for a number of construction and energy firms after leaving school.

She was most recently employed as a document controller for Berkeley Homes, according to her LinkedIn page.

Her grandfather is Eric Hoyle, a former Labour MP who was created a life peer in 1997 and is now Baron Hoyle of Warrington.

Miss Lewis-Hoyle was also a councillor for Heybridge Parish Council.

Councillor Richard Perry said she 'was a great councillor, fun to be with and a good mate.'

MPs have been offering their support to Miss Lewis-Hoyle's family.

Angela Rayner, Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, said: 'So sorry to hear the sad news of the death of Natalie, sending you and the family our deepest condolences.'

Anna Turley, Labour MP for Redcar said: 'Oh Lindsay I'm so so sorry. Sending you all the love in the world.'

Natalie Lewis-Hoyle was found dead at a house on the road where she lives in Heybridge, Essex. She is pictured with Boris Johnson on the Leave campaign trail before the EU referendum

James Frith, Labour MP for Bury North, added: 'This is desperately sad news to hear Lindsay. Love and prayers to you all. And our deepest sympathies.'

Mr Hoyle has been MP for Chorley since 1997 and deputy speaker since 2000.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: 'Officers were contacted by the ambulance service shortly after 6.45am on Friday, December 15, with reports that a 28-year-old woman had been found unconscious at an address in the Beeches Road area of Heybridge. Sadly she died at the scene.

'Her death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.'
Law enforcement is seeking help finding a man who walked away from the Alpha House Pre-release center in Billings on Thursday after arriving the day before.

David Armstrong, administrator of Alternatives Inc., which operates Alpha House, identified the offender as James Christian, 28, of Billings, who was sentenced in October on drug and burglary convictions in Yellowstone County.

Christian, who arrived at Alpha House on Wednesday, walked away from Alpha House at about 9:06 p.m. Thursday, and has been placed on escape status by the Montana Department of Corrections, a news release said.

Christian is described as Native American, five feet 11 inches tall, 210 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

The DOC is seeking help in finding Christian, who could be facing a 10-year sentence on escape charges. The public should not approach Christian. Any information about Christians whereabouts should be reported immediately to law enforcement.
Hopes that imprisoned British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be released before Christmas have been dashed by Iran's judiciary chief.

Gholamhossein Esmaili said there was no possibility could be freed until she had been tried on additional charges filed last month of 'spreading propaganda'.

Nazanin was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016, while visiting relatives with her young daughter before being jailed for five years over sedition charges.

'Nazanin Zaghari has two cases - in the first, she has been convicted, but the second has yet to go to court and there is no verdict,' Esmaili told the judiciary's Mizanonline news service.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, pictured with her husband Richard and daughter Gabriella, is serving five years for taking part in mass protests in 2009, which she denies

Gholamhossein Esmaili said there was no possibility the Thomson Reuters Foundation employee could be freed until she had been tried on additional charges filed last month of 'spreading propaganda'. Pictured: Nazanin with daughter Gabriella

Yesterday, Nazanin's husband Richard Ratcliffe revealed he had been given renewed hope after a computer database at the Iranian judiciary marked her status as 'eligible for release'

'The court can convict or acquit her. If she is convicted, we don't know what the sentence will be. So we don't know when she will be able to be released.'

Iranian authorities accused her of links to mass protests in 2009, which she denies, and sentenced her to five years in jail for sedition. They do not recognise dual nationality.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said yesterday that he had been told by an Iranian lawyer that she was now 'marked for early release'.

'He said there's still paperwork to finalise, but it should be over soon - days to weeks, not months or years.'

On her being home in time for Christmas, Ratcliffe said there was 'an outside shot'.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe told AFP yesterday that he had been told by an Iranian lawyer that she was now 'marked for early release'

Family photos in their home in London where the couple hopes to be reunited as soon as possible

Her case has become highly politicised, especially after a 'slip of the tongue' by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson last month when he stated that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been training journalists in Iran, which has been used by prosecutors to help justify the new charges.

Johnson visited Tehran earlier this month to press for her release on humanitarian grounds.

An online petition in her support has collected almost 1.5 million signatures.
Two hero surfers have saved a little boy's life after he struggled in a dangerous rip with his father on the Gold Coast.

Humbly putting it down to being in the right spot and the right time, Joel Hurrey and Michael O'Brien caught the rescue on their GoPro, according to Seven News.

The potentially deadly rip was dragging the father and son out to sea when the two surfers spotted the pair in trouble.

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Two hero surfers (pictured) have saved a little boy's life after he struggled in a dangerous rip

Joel Hurrey (pictured) and Michael O'Brien pulled the father and son to safety on their boards

Mr O'Brien (pictured) said he saw a 'bloke treading water with this young fella' at Gold Coast

'Just saw a bloke treading water with this young fella hanging on around his neck and going under ... so I thought I'd better give them a hand,' Mr O'Brien told the network.

The footage shows Mr O'Brien pull the young boy and father to safety on his surfboard.

The little boy then sat with Mr Hurrey, who was on Australian Ninja Warrior season tow, as he paddled back to shore.

The pair had been trying to cross Tallebudgera Creek when they were caught in the treacherous rip, according to Seven News.

The rescue comes days after two women were sucked out to sea on an inflatable toy flamingo in the same area.

In December alone, there have been more than 40 rescues of people swimming outside the flags at the notorious waterway.
Rachael Finch and an Instagram fitness model are locked in a scrap over the right to trademark the word 'bod'.

Gold Coast woman Sophie Guidolin, 28, has gone to court to try to stop Finch, 29, using the word as part of her new range of activewear, called B.O.D. the Courier Mail reports.

Ms Guidolin, a mother-of-four, told the court through her lawyer that she is known to her 64,000 Instagram followers as 'The Bod' and also has a legion of Facebook followers on a page with the same brand name.

Rachael Finch is fighting an Instagram model in court who claims the former Miss Universe Australia has breached a trademark agreement

Finch is set to launch a fitnesswear ranged named 'B.O.D.' (pictured)

Instagram star and mother-of-four Sophie Guidolin, 28, (pictured) claims to have trademarked the word 'bod'

Ms Guidolin says former Miss Universe Australia Rachel Finch (pictured) can't use the word for her new range of activewear called B.O.D.

The court heard Ms Guidolin (pictured) used the brand name 'The Bod' for her fitness and nutritional programs

Ms Guidolin's (pictured) lawyer Dauid Sibtain said his client is known by the name 'The Bod', and pointed to her 64,000 Instagram followers and hundreds of thousands of likes on Facebook

Justice Nye Perram handed Finch (pictured) an early win in the case on Thursday

The court heard Ms Finch started using the trademark 'B.O.D by Finch' on her health and fitness products and services earlier in 2017

But Justice Nye Perram handed Finch an early win in the case on Thursday, dismissing Ms Guidolin's application for an injunction to stop Finch from selling her clothes at Myer beginning in March.

The court heard Ms Guidolin used the brand name 'The Bod' for her fitness and nutritional programs.

She had also used the name for leggings, bikinis and exercise equipment since April 2016.

The court heard Ms Finch started using the trademark 'B.O.D by Finch' on her health and fitness products and services earlier in 2017.

Ms Guidolin got Finch (pictured) to sign an agreement that she would not use the name

Rachael Finch arrives at the Brownlow Medal ceremony in Melbourne

Ms Finch's lawyers Peter Wallis agreed that the model had removed all references to BOD on her website and social media

Ms Guidolin (pictured) said Finch's activewear range will mislead consumers

The case will return to court in January 2018 (Ms Guidolin pictured)

Rachael Finch poses at the Myer Marquee on Stakes Day at Flemington Racecourse

Ms Guidolin claims Ms Finch signed an agreement not to use the name.

Ms Guidolin's lawyer Dauid Sibtain said the activewear range breaks that agreement and will mislead consumers.

Ms Finch's lawyers Peter Wallis agreed that the model had removed all references to BOD on her website and social media, but said she was entitled to use the name B.O.D.  which stands for Body Of Dance  on her activewear.

The case will return to court in January 2018.
Meliha Kaya, 21, will stand trial next year accused of killing her teenage sister in a horror car smash

A university student accused of killing her teenage sister in a horror car smash will stand trial in June next year.

Meliha Kaya, 21, was allegedly driving a Mini Cooper dangerously when she careered over a three foot wall into a tree in South Woodford, east London.

Her 16 year-old sister Elif Kaya, a star 'A' level student who was sitting in the front passenger seat, died at the scene in Chigwell Road the early hours of February 13 2016.

Meliha, a criminology student at Middlesex University, suffered life threatening injuries and underwent plastic surgery to her face after the accident, and her friend Ayla Osman, 21, was also seriously injured.

She was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Meliha will stand trial on 18 June next year alongside Jordash Graham, 23, who is said to have driven a Ford Focus dangerously in High Road and Chigwell Road before the crash.

Elif Kaya (left) died after a Mini Cooper crashed with a BMW in South Woodford, north east London. Her older sister Meliha (right), was driving the car

Elif was an aspiring barrister. Meliha is a criminology student at Middlesex University

Both appeared at the Old Bailey for a trial preparation hearing but did not enter pleas to the charges.

They will return to court on 23 February next year.

Elif was studying her A Levels at Epping Forest College and dreamed of becoming a barrister.

Her mother Demet Kaya, 36, said after the accident: 'She was an angel. She was a lovely daughter. She wanted to be a barrister and was doing so well.

'This is just so unfair. She was a very fair child, very confident and strong character. She was so intelligent and worked very hard.'

Meliha Kaya, of Woodford, east London, and Graham, of Leytonstone, east London, are both on conditional bail.

This is the scene of a horror car crash which claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl in north east London. Elif Kaya died and her sister Meliha, who was driving, was seriously injured
She is a world-renowned violinist, widely regarded as one of the great soloists in the classical field.

But a leading airline has struck a sour note with Nicola Benedetti in a row over musicians being asked to pay extra to take instruments on board its aircraft.

The 30-year-old virtuoso has demanded a meeting with British Airways CEO Alex Cruz to discuss problems with transporting valuable equipment on flights.

The airline is accused of making musicians pay hundreds of pounds to buy a seat for large instruments, while those with smaller items can be asked to pay up to 77 for each additional piece of luggage.

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Violinist Nicola Benedetti (left) has demanded a meeting with British Airways CEO Alex Cruz to discuss problems with transporting valuable equipment on flights. The virtuoso came out to support trumpeter Alison Balsom (right), who complained about the airline on social media

Miss Benedetti sent a message to the British Airways chairman requesting a meeting to discuss the matter, writing: 'It would be greatly appreciated to have the opportunity to discuss the issues musicians are experiencing with British Airways, Alex Cruz [pictured], would this be possible?'

Miss Benedetti, who grew up in West Kilbride, Ayrshire, came out in support of renowned trumpeter Alison Balsom.

And she condemned the airline's response to complaints online saying they show its staff lack 'training and knowledge'.

Miss Balsom took to social media to berate British Airways on Tuesday, writing: 'That's it, I'm done  we've all been so patient with the lowering standards but not to let professional musicians bring on their (small) instruments as hand baggage?

'We take hundreds of thousands of flights  it's our living. A greedy disgrace.'

Miss Benedetti shared the post in support, writing: 'Totally appalling behaviour from British Airways to too many musicians and the replies on their Twitter demonstrate how lacking in training and knowledge staff members are.

'Something has to be done from the top  who can we write to, to get this sorted?'

Miss Balsom (above) took to social media to berate British Airways on Tuesday, writing: 'That's it, I'm done  we've all been so patient with the lowering standards but not to let professional musicians bring on their (small) instruments as hand baggage?'

Miss Benedetti shared Miss Balsom's post in support, writing: 'Totally appalling behaviour from British Airways to too many musicians and the replies on their Twitter demonstrate how lacking in training and knowledge staff members are'

She then sent a message to the British Airways chairman requesting a meeting to discuss the issues, writing: 'It would be greatly appreciated to have the opportunity to discuss the issues musicians are experiencing with British Airways, Alex Cruz, would this be possible?'

Miss Benedetti received dozens of messages of support, with people recalling their own experiences with the airline.

Paul Yole wrote: 'My daughter had to buy a seat for her violin and when she boarded they had sold the seat to another passenger.'

Electric string quartet Escala, which Miss Benedetti's 34-year-old sister Stephanie is a member of, said they refused to pay to take instruments on a British Airways flight to London from Amsterdam two weeks ago.

The group said: 'There seem to be different rules in different countries. It is so unclear. It makes us nervous every time we approach the BA desk.'

On Tuesday, BA released a statement stating it has changed its policy and instruments taken on to flights as hand baggage would be charged for. Hours later it issued a second statement saying this was wrong, adding: 'We are sorry for the misunderstanding'

On Tuesday, BA released a statement stating it has changed its policy and instruments taken on to flights as hand baggage would be charged for. Hours later it issued a second statement saying this was wrong, adding: 'We are sorry for the misunderstanding.'

The Musicians' Union said talks were being held with BA, which has given assurance that small items should be allowed as hand luggage.

A BA spokesman said: 'We will always do everything we can to accommodate smaller musical instruments in the cabin.

'In order to ensure there is enough space for all customers to store their belongings, larger instruments, such as guitars and cellos, can be carried in the hold.

'Alternatively customers can choose to buy an extra seat to carry them in the cabin at a discounted rate.'
Donald Trump extended his tax-cut victory dance Friday morning, taking some credit for a wave of corporate bonus announcements in the wake of his legislative victory this week.

'Our big and very popular Tax Cut and Reform Bill has taken on an unexpected new source of "love"  that is big companies and corporations showering their workers with bonuses,' the president wrote on Twitter.

'This is a phenomenon that nobody even thought of, and now it is the rage. Merry Christmas!'

Some of America's biggest companies have already passed on some of their winnings from a dramatic corporate tax cut that will see their basic rate fall next year from 35 per cent to 21 per cent  a move Trump calls 'rocket fuel' for America's economy.

Donald Trump extended his tax-cut victory dance Friday morning, taking some credit for a wave of corporate bonus announcements

The president wished workers a Merry Christmas and said no one could have predicted the raft of bonuses that more than 300,000 Americans will see because their employers' tax rates will drop in 2018

Trump's tax-cut victory lap at the White House included the news that AT&T is responding by paying $1,000 bonuses to all its workers

'Morning Joe' co-host Joe Scarborough called Trump 'Chairman Mao' on Friday for tweeting about tax cuts' impact on 'workers'

But MSNBC 'Morning Joe' co-host Joe Scarborough mocked the president's tweet minutes after seeing it.

'Showering their workers! Thank you, Chairman Mao,' he snarked.

An hour later Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that 'a result of tax reform legislation, it will pay a special $1,000 bonus to almost 9,000 full-time and part-time regular employees at all of its stations and subsidiaries, excluding senior level executives.'

AT&T had said Wednesday that it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 200,000 employees once a tax reform bill approved by Congress is signed into law.

Comcast NBCUniversal told more than 100,000 workers that they will get $1,000 bonuses to more than 100,000 workers, attributing the move to tax cuts as well as the FCC's decision to repeal 'net neutrality' rules.

And Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati, Ohio said it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 13,500 employees. The company will also raise the minimum wage for its workforce to $15 per hour.

Trump has staked his claim on the idea that the middle class will benefit from tax cuts that focus more dollar-for-dollar savings on companies and the wealthy.

And the stock market has rallied this week based on predictions that significant amounts of tax-cut savings will ultimately go to investors, not workers.

The White House insisted Thursday that it didn't coordinate Trump's tax victory event on Wednesday with the companies' bonus announcements.

In a letter to employees, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the bonuses would be paid to all 'union-represented, non-management, and 1st and 2nd line managers'

Comcast, which also owns NBC Universal, announced $1,000 each for more than 100,000 staff, Boeing said it would put $300 million into workforce development and Wells Fargo hiked its minimum wage to $15 an hour

Boeing also said it would make a '$300 million employee-related and charitable investment as a result of #TaxReform legislation.'

And Wells Fargo made its own $15-per-hour minimum wage pledge, saying it was prompted by the tax plan. The San Francisco-based bank also said it would make $400 million in donations to nonprofit charities and other community organizations in 2018.

Trump went out of his way Wednesday to read aloud a news account of the AT&T bonus announcement, saying that more similar good news would be coming.

'That's because of what we did,' he said. 'So that's pretty good.'

'I mentioned AT&T,' he said minutes later, 'but many companies have come forward and [are] saying they're so happy, and they're going to be doing similar announcements.'

In a letter to employees this week, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the bonuses would be paid to all 'union-represented, non-management, and 1st and 2nd line managers.'

'If the President signs the bill before Christmas, employees will receive the bonus over the holidays,' the company added.

'Something this big, something this generational, something this profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership. Mr. President thank you for getting us over the finish line,' said House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (left) said the tax cuts represented 'the worst bill in the history of the United States Congress'; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted AT&T as a greedy corporation just minutes before the company announced its bonuses

The missive to AT&T's workforce said the new 21 per cent corporate tax rate would put the U.S. 'in line with the rest of the industrialized world.'

'This new lower rate encourages businesses to invest more in the United States. And more investment creates more good-paying jobs and increases economic growth.'

Just minutes before AT&T announced its employee bonuses, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer excoriated the company as a greedy corporation that would use its tax cut to buy back its stock and reward its executives.

'Over the last ten years, AT&T has paid an average tax rate of 8 per cent a year. They have 80,000 fewer employees today than they had then,' the New York Democrat complained.

'Tax breaks don't lead to job creation. They lead to big CEO salaries and money for the very, very wealthy.'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the Republican tax cuts represented 'the worst bill in the history of the United States Congress.'

Schumer's office complained that since the Senate's initial tax bill passed, 32 companies have announced share buybacks worth a total of $83.7 billion.

Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, told the Associated Press that companies have been sitting on large cash holdings for years that easily could have gone to workers before the tax cuts.

Boeing, for example, had $8.8 billion at the end of 2016.

'If these companies had wanted to make these investments in their workforce, they could have done it before now,' Gardner said.

'They're trying to make an unpopular tax bill a little less unpopular.'
Two months were added to his original sentence for molesting a 13-year-old girl

He is accused of 'chatting up' a 15-year-old girl and inviting her over for a drink

A convicted sex offender has breached the conditions of his suspended sentence by 'chatting up' a 15-year-old supermarket cashier and inviting her over 'for a drink'.

Paul John Crowley, 51, was handed an eight month suspended sentence in January 2016 for molesting a 13-year-old girl - after he met her mother on an internet dating website.

Crown Prosecutor Matt Legrand said that Crowley had breached his eight-month suspended sentence by committing 15 offences, including not reporting his contact with the teen girl to the authorities and instances of drink driving.

Paul John Crowley, 51, was given a suspended sentence for molested a 13-year-old girl, which he breached by 'chatting' up a 15-year-old girl and asking her over to his house for a drink

As a registered sex offender, he is also banned from 'befriending children' and has had two months added to his sentence for the breach.

The Courier Mail reported that Crowley had followed the 13-year-old daughter of his girlfriend to her bedroom, 'pushed' her back on to her bed and held her there while he squeezed her breast.

In another incident, he plied her with rum and cokes before 'holding her down' and kissing her on the lips after her mother had gone to bed.

A disgraced former solicitor, Crowley was sentenced to ten years in jail for fraud after losing $4 million of his clients' money to a Nigerian scam.

Although he is part of a well-known Brisbane family including his father, former acting chairman of Queenslands Criminal Justice Commission Jim Crowley QC, none of them were there to support him in court on Friday.

He will now be eligible for parole on February 19.
President Donald Trump is finishing the calendar year with a bang having achieved his tax slash and a repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate to boot.

A top adviser to the president gleefully told reporters Thursday that 'the fruits of labor that's being done this year will be realized in 2018 and beyond' as the administration revealed its intent to tackle welfare reform, infrastructure investment and an immigration revamp before a set of federal elections next year that are looking to be a bloodbath.

To get what he wants his second year in office, however, Trump must pull over nine Democrats in the U.S. Senate where budget tricks the GOP used this year to get what it wanted won't suffice.

In a tweet on Friday morning the president acknowledged the changing dynamic, claiming, 'At some point, and for the good of the country, I predict we will start working with the Democrats in a Bipartisan fashion. Infrastructure would be a perfect place to start.'

Later in the Oval Office, Trump pledged: 'We're going to get infrastructure. Infrastructure is the easiest of the all. We're very well on our way.'

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President Donald Trump is finishing the calendar year with a bang having achieved his tax slash and a repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate to boot. Trump pledged Friday as the signed that bill: 'We're going to get infrastructure. Infrastructure is the easiest of the all. We're very well on our way'

To get what he wants his second year in office, however, Trump must pull over nine Democrats in the U.S. Senate where budget tricks the GOP used this year to get what it wanted won't suffice

'Infrastructure is by far the easiest, people want it, Republicans and Democrats. We're going to have tremendous Democrat support on infrastructure, as you know,' he said. 'I could have started with infrastructure. I actually wanted to save the easy one for the one down the road. So we'll be having that done pretty quickly.'

Raw partisanship will not carry Trump through the 11 months that will determine the backside of his term in the Oval Office.

Democrats, with the help of the Independents who side with their caucus, will hold 49 U.S. Senate seats to Republicans' 51 in the new year.

At a 60-vote threshold for nearly every action item on Trump's agenda, there can be no historic accomplishments for the president that do not come at the cost of a Democratic compromise.

Trump is looking for approval of $200 billion in federal funds that tip off $800 billion in infrastructure investments from state and local governments and private partnerships.

In a briefing on the administration's 2018 outlook on Thursday, a senior official said it was the White House's 'hope' that it could convince Democrats to support legislation that boosts their priorities in addition to the president's.

Chief among those is an immigration deal that would allow illegal residents who were brought to the U.S. as minors to stay indefinitely as part of restructured Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program so long as Trump is not prevented from building his border wall and moving the nation to a merit-based visa system.

'January is going to be a busy month, undoubtedly. I think that there's a lot of things that Democrats want in a budget deal, and DACA is one of those,' the official said. 'There's going to be a lot that we're trying to do, and I think you'll see us unveil in particular an infrastructure package that we hope will be bipartisan.'

The pivot to bipartisanship came hours after White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared on Fox News to rail against Democrats as having no plan, no agenda and nothing to talk about other than their assaults on the sitting president.

'Hopefully some of the Democrats will make some New Year's resolutions to come back and talk about working with this president to help Americans instead of working to attack this president,' she said. 'It's gotten them nowhere.'

Her interview came as Trump's administration publicly celebrated its tax cut victory Thursday morning with a round of television appearances from the North Lawn of the White House that gave them a platform to proclaim that the president was giving Americans a massive holiday gift.

'I think everybody in America is going to have a great time celebrating Christmas after this first year under President Donald Trump,' Sanders said in her hit on Fox & Friends.

Behind the curtain White House officials and party leaders are said to be bracing for a pendulum swing that will rob the GOP of its command of the U.S. Senate.

ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS: At a 60-vote threshold for nearly every action item on Trump's agenda, there can be no historic accomplishments for the president next year that do not come at the cost of a Democratic compromise

According to Politico, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has worried privately that the lower and upper chambers will turn from red to blue in the midterms.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has raised concerns that a spate of Republicans in purple districts will retire opening up opportunities for a Democratic takeover.

'In a year like this, you better not take anything for granted,' Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent, one of the Republicans that's retiring, told Politico. 'I think most members know this is going to be a really tough challenge this cycle.'

Presidents have typically hit the road after their State of the Union addresses to sell their vision. Trump is likely to take his message to states and districts the GOP believes will decide the make-up of Congress.

Republicans will have an especially steep climb next year in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois where voters will be now be capped at a $10,000 property tax deduction. The reform will offset the income tax rate slash that's included in the law for many.

Midterm elections have historically been unpleasant for the party that holds the presidency and Trump may not be able to defy those odds no matter how much campaigning or Democratic arm wrestling he does.

'History tells us it will be challenging. How challenging, time will tell,' White House Political Director Bill Stepien told Politico. 'But we have a strong sense of optimism.'
The wife of the Pulse nightclub gunman apologized to FBI investigators for lying to them, said she 'knew an attack was close' in the days before the massacre and wished she could 'go back to tell them' about it before it was too late, it has been alleged.

Noor Salman, 31, the wife of Omar Mateen who was killed by a SWAT team on June 12, 2016, after slaughtering 49 people in the Orlando nightclub, allegedly made the remarks hours after the massacre.

She was being questioned by FBI agents and local police and is said to have given a written statement which authorities believe proves she knew what Mateen was planning.

Despite the alleged remarks, she was allowed to leave the interviews a free woman.

She moved to California with their young son, gave a media interview protesting her innocence and lived quietly until January this year when she was arrested for alleged involvement.

The statements are now being revealed for the first time as Salman prepares to stand trial in Florida.

They were revealed in court on Thursday at a suppression hearing. Her lawyers are trying to block them from going into evidence at her March trial.

The hearing continued on Friday but Salman did not take the stand as expected.

Noor Salman allegedly told investigators she was sorry she had lied to them and knew her husband Omar Mateen was plotting an attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando in the hours after it one June 12, 2016. She will stand trial for her alleged involvement in March next year

They say that they should not be considered by a jury because she was not in custody at the time, had not been arrested.

THE COMMENTS SALMAN'S LAWYERS WANT BLOCKED FROM TRIAL 1. Before they could tell her what had happened, Salman allegedly told police Mateen is 'careful with guns and would never hurt anybody ' 2. She also asked if they wanted to take her to Disney World, which her husband had scouted as a location for a possible massacre but discounted 3. Without them telling her Pulse was the location of the shooting, she allegedly said her husband 'liked homosexuals because they were sympathetic to Muslims' - there had been news coverage of the shooting at Pulse, a gay hotspot 4. Of seeing Mateen look at Pulse's website two days before massacre: 'I knew at that time an attack was close' 5. 'I'm sorry for what happened. I wish I would go back and tell police and his family what he was going to do. 'I'm sorry I lied to the FBI, these are my own words.' - How Salman 'ended' her written statement Advertisement

There is also a suggestion that she was not read her Miranda Rights by one of the agents she allegedly made them to.

The statements included a written one which she allegedly made to FBI investigators and comments she allegedly made to the Fort Pierce Police Department officer who was the first law enforcement agent to speak to her immediately after the attack.

Fort Pierce Police Department watch commander William Hall was the first officer who spoke to Salman visited her home at 4am on June 12.

He claimed in court on Thursday, according to Click Orlando which attended the hearing, that before he could even tell her what her husband had done, she seemed to know.

He described her behavior in the immediate aftermath of the shooting as 'odd' and said she told him unsolicited that her husband was 'careful with guns and would never hurt anybody'.

Mateen had texted his wife at 2.30am, around 30 minutes into his killing spree and 1 hour and 30 minutes before police arrived at her home, to say 'I love you babe'.

Those text messages purport that she did not know where he was.

The conversation was prompted by a 2am phone call from Mateen's mother to Salman.

She allegedly asked her daughter-in-law if she knew where Mateen was and was worried. It is not known if the mother was ever questioned over why she was suspicious.

When police arrived at Salman's house at 4am to say they wanted to speak to her, she allegedly asked if they wanted to take her to Disney World.

FBI agents and the first officer who spoke with Salman, 31, last year said she seemed to know what her husband had done before they could tell her and that she admitted in a written statement, she said she 'wished she could go back and tell police' about the attack to prevent it

It is significant, they say, because Mateen had made surveillance trips to Disney World in the weeks before his attack to determine if it would be a suitable place for a similar attack.

They also say that before they could tell her what had happened, she allegedly volunteered that her husband 'liked everybody, even homosexuals'.

The woman allegedly said her husband was 'careful with guns' and 'liked homosexuals' before police could tell her that he was dead or involved in the attack at Pulse

When one agent asked her what she meant, she allegedly responded that Mateen 'liked homosexuals because they are sympathetic to Muslims'.

Later, police say Salman told them she saw him researching Pulse on the internet two days before the attack and that when she asked him about it, he said it was a 'target'.

One FBI agent claims that Salman told him she 'knew an attack was close' afterwards.

The comment he said she made was: 'I knew at that time the attack was close.

She also allegedly admitted to driving past it with her husband in the days beforehand on a scouting mission - something police previously alleged they had done - and hearing Mateen say 'how upset people are going to be when it gets attacked.'

According to the FBI agent, Salman wrote at the end of her statement: 'I'm sorry for what happened. I wish I would go back and tell police and his family what he was going to do.

'I'm sorry I lied to the FBI, these are my own words.'

Justin Enriquez, the FBI Agent who received the statement, told the court on Thursday: 'I realized, when I read that, that she knew.'

Salman also allegedly told police she saw her husband research Pulse online two days before the massacre and that he described it as 'a target' to her

Salman's lawyers say they are fighting for a fair trial. They questioned why FBI agents did not see her as a threat at the time but now allege she was involved.

Charles Swift, one of her lawyers, cross-examined the FBI agents and asked them if she had been read her Miranda Rights before she gave the statements.

He is also trying to block the recorded conversations Mateen had with a hostage negotiator while still inside the nightclub and they do not want one witness, a terror expert who says they can shed light on how Mateen was radically motivated, to testify.

Swift said neither piece of evidence is relevant to the man's wife.

Salman was questioned extensively in June immediately after the shooting.

Once she was let go, she took the young son she and Mateen shared back to California where she has relatives and she has since tried to change his name.

She gave one interview, to The New York Times, to protest her innocence and claim that she was the victim of domestic abuse at Mateen's hands.

In that interview, she said: 'I just want people to know that I am human. I am a mother.'

She admitted to knowing Mateen had been watching jihadist videos but said that because the FBI had earlier cleared him (which they did in 2013 after his work colleagues reported concerns about him), she did not think he posed a threat.

She cried during the interview as she recalled learning from the FBI what he had done, telling The Times journalist: 'How can someone be capable of that?'

Salman's suppression hearing continues on Friday.

In January, she was charged with obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting. She pleaded not guilty to both charges and now faces life imprisonment if charged.
Warren Ullyett went missing from Herne Bay on November 2. His body was recovered more than 70 miles away in France

A heartbroken mother whose son's body washed up on a beach in France six weeks after he went missing in Kent is trying to piece together his final movements.

Warren Ullyett, 28, disappeared from Herne Bay on November 2, but was found more than 70 miles away on the other side of the Channel.

His mum, Rani Ullyett, spearheaded a huge search for 6ft 7in Warren - known to pals as 'Hightower'.

But the quest ended in tragedy when his body was found near Sangatte, Calais, last week.

The cause of Warren's death remains unknown and the subject of a Coroner's investigation.

But Mrs Ullyett said: 'We have no idea how he got to France.

'The post mortem has not said how long he's been dead or the cause.

'We're hoping the gap between the time Warren went missing to when his body washed up will be filled.'

She was told a body had been found on the evening of December 12th, but didn't receive official confirmation of his death from the Foreign Office until six days later.

She said: 'I'm tempted to put a complaint into the police because it's been a living nightmare.

'I was told that the police were "happy' that it was Warren they'd found and I asked them to change the wording to satisfied.'

Mr Ullyett's body was not identified by a family member nor through DNA tests, but instead by matching the description of his tattoos and checking the passport he was carrying.

His body is still in France and Mrs Ullyett is unsure when it will be returned, leaving her unable to make funeral arrangements.

She has also been told that his body may have to be cremated in France before being returned to Herne Bay where he grew up.

Mrs Ullyett said he had served time in prison as well as suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse.

But he had confided in his mother that he wanted to get onto the straight and narrow.

Warren Ullyett went missing from Herne Bay on November 2 and his body was recovered from the shoreline at Sangatte, near Calais on December 12

She said: 'From a conversation I had with Warren six months ago, I knew that he wanted to make a fresh start.

'He wanted to get away from bad influences, to get free from drugs, be taken for the hardworking person that he was and do something positive.

'I asked him "Warren, you won't go without letting me know, will you?" and he said "of course not, mum," and gave me a hug - he gave such lovely hugs.'

Mrs Ullyett reported her son missing after 'alarm bells' were set off by the fact none of his friends knew where he was.

The family couldn't understand why had happened to him because his bank accounts were frozen, he was without a working mobile phone and there were only a handful of unverified sightings of him before his body was found.

His mother says he did not leave under a cloud of animosity and, as a result, does not believe her son took his own life.

She added: 'I went numb when I was told he had died.

'From when Warren went missing, I didn't anticipate or even contemplate this outcome.

'Suicide would not be something that Warren would have contemplated because he thought that would be a failure.'

Mr Ullyett's body was found washed up on a beach near Sangatte, outside Calais, France

She said of the eldest of her four children: 'it's really hard to adjust to the thought that my eldest isn't coming home.

'And at this time of year it's particularly horrible.

'It's meant to be a time of giving and love, but I'm without my baby.'

Kent Police say formal identification has not yet taken place and 'inquiries are ongoing with the French authorities' to establish the cause of death.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is assisting the Ullyett family and is also in contact with police in France.

It is understood Mr Ullyett had previously worked casually on a construction site.

Ms Ullyett said : 'It is such a log time since I last saw him, I tried to find him and I reported him missing but it is beyond surreal to have the police come round and say that his body had been found in Calais and it had on it a passport.

'I need answers myself, he wanted to travel hence he had his passport, he went on a school trip to Calais when he was young but as far as I know that was it, I don't know if he had friends in Calais.

'He kept his passport on him because he was very proud of it, proud to have something that not everybody had.

'I'm waiting on the coroner's report, I have no idea what happened to him or if he went for a swim or anything.

'The foreign office said a body had been washed up on Calais beach and the police came round on Tuesday and said they are dealing with an investigation with the coroner and rung up again yesterday to say there was no news.

'Warren worked in construction and drove diggers and all sorts of different vehicles, he did driving too.

'This is a total shock that this has happened, it was never on the radar.

"'e had planned to go to Morecambe with his friend and somewhere in Spain with another friend, he wanted to travel but there were no concrete plans, it was just ideas, he had spoken about volunteering in Africa too.

'The police did not say anything had been triggered, when there is a missing person they have his passport details and are told if he has used it to leave the country to go somewhere and it had not been triggered.

'We are just trying to concentrate on repatriation at the moment.

'He liked swimming and canoeing and liked to push himself physically like many young people do.

'We have a beach hut too but that was checked regularly and he wasn't there.

'He was found with his clothes on, I don't think he had tried to swim the channel, I just don't know what happened.'
A man who admitted robbing Western Security Bank in downtown Billings, his third bank robbery conviction, will spend about five years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters on Thursday sentenced Randy Ray Starnes, 60, to 57 months for robbing Western Security Bank, 2812 First Ave. N., on April 7. She also ordered $7,881 restitution.

The judge also sentenced Starnes to a consecutive 11 months for violating his supervised release in a previous bank robbery conviction. Starnes was sentenced in 2005 to about 13 years in prison and three years of supervised release for the robbery of First Citizens Bank in Billings.

He also has a bank robbery conviction from 1992 and other felony and misdemeanor convictions.

In the First Citizens Bank robbery, Starnes handed a bank teller a note that said, this is a robbery, $100s & 50s, and said, This is not a joke, I need $100s and $50s, court records said. The teller gave Starnes bait money along with a dye pack that was found under a semi-truck covered in red dye.

Starnes began his supervised release in 2016 and was revoked for absconding and again revoked for more violations.

In the Western Security Bank robbery, Starnes entered the bank, gave a teller a note, said he had a gun and demanded cash. I mean it, he told the teller, prosecutors said. The teller gave Starnes about $500 cash and he walked out.

Billings Police officers viewed video surveillance, which showed Starnes actions, and showed still photographs to people in the area. Officers found Starnes later that day at slot machines in a nearby casino and arrested him.

Assistant Federal Defender Steve Babcock said in court records that Starnes has significant mental health issues going back to an unstable and abusive childhood.

Starnes conduct, Babcock said, was directly tied to his mental health problems. Starnes has been incarcerated most of his adult life and adjusting to the outside world has been extremely difficult, he said. Shortly before the bank robbery, Starnes became depressed and anxious, didnt tell his probation officer of his mental problems, stopped taking his medications and began self-medicating with alcohol, Babcock said. Starnes does well when he takes medication and attends counseling sessions, he said.

Babcock recommended a sentence within the guideline range.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey asked for a 57-month sentence, saying in court records that Starnes was on supervision when he robbed Western Security Bank.
At least five people have filed petitions for the right to Charles Manson's body

The fight over Charles Manson's body continues.

On Wednesday, lawyers for the California county where the cult leader's body has been stored since his death last month filed court documents, saying that at least five people have claimed rights to the corpse.

Among those who have claimed ownership of the body are Manson's grandson and two prison pen pals, according to the Los Angeles Times. The five claimants hail from all over the country including Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois and California.

With so many people fighting over the body, and confusion over which county has jurisdiction to make the decision, experts say it could take years to settle the issue.

In the meantime, Manson's body will be kept on ice until a decision can be made.

This week, Kern County's attorneys asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to keep them abreast of any future claims to Manson's body, since there have already been five claimants and they don't want to accidentally turn the corpse over to the wrong person.

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The dead cult leader's body has remained on ice at the Kern County Coroner's office since his death last month

The big legal issue surrounding Manson's body is which county has jurisdiction to decide who it is turned over to.

In California, the county where the dead person had their permanent residence has jurisdiction, but in Manson's case that is fraught because he was living in a prison in Kern County when he died on November 19.

Before he was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the murders of Sharon Tate and eight other people in a 1969 killing spree, Manson had lived in Los Angeles, so there's an argument to be made that Los Angeles County is responsible for his body.

'What is the domicile of Charles Manson?' Bryan Walters, a county attorney, told the Los Angeles Times. 'He would've returned to Los Angeles? He could've been shipped everywhere by the prison system. Is it where he was housed?'

'This is a really weird legal case,' Walters said. 'It's like a circus, and nothing is clear where we should hang our hat on.'

Manson's grandson Jason Freeman (pictured) is one of the five men claiming to have the right to his body. He told the New York Daily News last month that he wants to give him a proper burial

In the documents they filed this week, Kern County lawyers said that five people had laid claim to Manson's body already.

The LA Times said that another person had filed documents in LA County asking for Manson's body as well.

Among those petitioning for Manson's body are his grandson Jason Freeman, 41, who lives in Florida and never met the cult leader. The married father-of-three told the New York Daily News last month that he wants to give Manson a proper burial.

Two others were pen pals, including 52-year-old Michael Channels of Santa Clarita, California.

Channels says he met Manson in 2002 after the two had corresponded through letters and that soon after, Manson sent him a will leaving his entire estate to him.

Freeman's lawyer is skeptical of the will, since it wasn't even properly signed.

'We are aware that there is a document that is reported to be a will, but frankly we are very suspicious,' lawyer Alan Davis said. 'Manson was incarcerated and we are suspicious that someone could get to him and get it signed.'

Michael Channels (left), a longtime pen pal of Manson, is another claimant to his body

Channels claims Manson gave him a will not long after they met in 2002, leaving his entire estate to him

'It turned into something I have never expected,' Channels said of the will. 'It's a nightmare all the way around.'

In the so-called will, Manson cuts out both of his known sons from his estate. But even if it was valid, one legal expert says that Freeman would still be the likely beneficiary since the will doesn't mention his grandchildren specifically, just the sons.

Previous reports have also stated that a man named Matthew Roberts was also fighting to get Manson's body, on the claim that he was his son

'The grandson was not disinherited in the will,' Jack Barcal, a specialist in probate and trust law, told the OC Register. 'The property should go to his grandson or whoever the grandchildren are.'

While Channels' alleged will gives him the right to all of Manson's estate - including the rights to cash in his prison account, and the rights to his prison and police records and his image, music, printing, movie and publishing rights, he says it has been more of a hassle than anything.

'It turned into something I have never expected,' Channels said. 'It's a nightmare all the way around.'

If he does get Manson's body, Channels said he would probably cremate him and spread his ashes in the desert.

'Cemeteries don't want him,' he said. 'They think if they take him, they will pollute the whole ground.'

Previous reports have also stated that a man named Matthew Roberts was also fighting to get Manson's body, on the claim that he was his son.

Roberts, who was adopted, said he tracked down his birth mother some years ago who told him that Manson had raped her.

After that revelation, he reached out to Manson in prison and the two became acquainted.

However, there's no evidence as of yet that they are biologically related, as Roberts claims.

Manson was serving a life sentence when he died last month, for orchestrating the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and eight others in a murder spree (pictured above in December 1969)

The LA Times report also did not mention Roberts being one of the five who has filed paperwork to claim Manson's body, so it's unclear if he has followed through on that promise or not.

Freeman's lawyer said he wouldn't be surprised if even more people came forward to claim the body.

'I'm sure there will be more. People will come out of the woodwork whenever someone famous dies,' he said.

He added that the case has the potential to go on for years.

A preliminary hearing has been set for January 8 to discuss the issue.
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It's one of the greatest artworks in the world, and now Chinese archaeologists and artists are using 3D printing to make a perfect copy of the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes.

'West Empress Chamber', the number 3 and the largest cave of Yungang Grottoes in northern China, have been meticulously re-created using specially developed 3D printers and state-of-the-art scanning technology.

Experts have now started re-producing two other grottoes of Yungang, a 1,500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site containing 252 cave temples and 51,000 statues.

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Vivid copy: Chinese experts have re-created the largest cave of Yungang Grottoes, an impressive Buddhist attraction

Beautiful and delicate: Archaeologists and artists used 3D printers to produce every minute detail of the 1,500-year-old cave

The original: 'West Empress Chamber', the number 3 and the largest cave of Yungang Grottoes (pictured), have been copied

World heritage site: Carved out of a mountain, the 1,500-year-old attraction contains 252 cave temples and 51,000 statues

The original 'West Empress Chamber' was carved between the 5th and 6th century during the Northern Wei Dynasty - when the religion first flourished in China.

The full-size replica is enormous, measuring 17.9 metres (59 feet) in length, 13.6 metres (45 feet) in width and 10 metres (33 feet) in height.

The exquisite cave consists of three Buddhist statues. The one in the middle, the largest of the three, is 10 meters tall while the two standing at either side is six meters (20 feet) tall.

Experts from the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute and Zhejiang University spent two years meticulously reproducing the grotto.

The cave temple measures 17.9 metres (59 feet) in length, 13.6 metres (45 feet) in width and 10 metres (33 feet) in height

The Buddha in the middle is the largest of the three and the two standing at either side is six meters (20 feet) tall

Experts used specially developed 3D printers and state-of-the-art scanning technology to build a digital model of the cave

YUNGANG GROTTOES: AMAZING CAVE ART Yungang Grottoes were carved out of the Wuzhou Mountain, situated 16 kilometres outside Datong city, China's Shanxi Province. The impressive attraction was created around 1,500 years ago during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The dynasty, which lasted from 386 to 534, was significant in terms of its religious influence in China. It was when Buddhist had its first peak after being introduced to China from India. There are 252 caves and 51,000 statues in Yungang, which represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art, according to UNESCO World Heritage. Advertisement

Technicians used cutting-edge 3D laser scanning technology combined with 3D image reconstruction technology to collect the data of the temple, according to China Central Television Station.

They took nearly 10,000 pictures of the grotto at different angles and heights to build a digital model of it.

They also had special 3D printers built which could print products with the maximum length, width and height of 1.2 metres (3.9 feet).

Diao Changyu, the assistant to Dean of the Heritage Research Centre of Zhejiang University, told China Central Television Station: 'The whole model was divided into 842 pieces.

'These 842 pieces were then printed out by 20 3D printers during six months time. The printing process went on day and night without stopping.'

The technicians then put the 842 pieces together before artists painted and sprayed sand over the replicated cave to imitate the texture of the original grotto.

The copy of the West Empress Chamber, almost indistinguishable from the original, is being displayed in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao.

The exhibition is part of the Yungang Grottoes art gallery, which opened to the public on December 16.

Experts are currently re-producing the number 12 and 18 grottoes of Yungang.

The replica was made by 20 3D printers, which worked day and night non-stop for six months to make 842 separate pieces

'West Empress Chamber', created in the Northern Wei Dynasty when the religion flourished in China, is exquisite. Above are the details of the copy of the cave which was completed after two years of meticulous work from a Chinese team

The copy of the cave is being displayed in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao as part of the Yungang Grottoes art gallery

One visitor, named Cai Meijiao, told China Daily: 'It's amazing to see the Buddha figures of Yungang. I plan to visit the grottoes next year.'

According to media, this is the first time experts in China have used 3D printers to replicate an entire attraction.

But apparently the Chinese are not alone.

Researchers from Madrid-based Factum Foundation have started a five-year project to reconstruct the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I also using 3D printing technology, according to CNN.

The tomb of the powerful Pharaoh, who ruled from 1290 to 1279 BC, is the largest tomb in the Valley of the Kings situated on the west bank of the Niles near Luxor.

So far archaeologists and artists have scanned and printed two chambers.
A disabled pensioner and his Latvian girlfriend who was nearly 30 years younger than him have been found dead in 'unexplained' circumstances at their bungalow.

The alarm was raised by a neighbour yesterday who became concerned that she had not seen or heard the couple for a week.

The couple were named locally as disabled Michael Cobley, 75, who was known as Jack and his 46-year-old partner Zanna Ernstone.

Police were yesterday standing guard outside the pair's two-bedroom council bungalow in Willders Garth, Holbeach, Lincolnshire.

Disabled pensioner Michael Cobley, 75, has been found dead at his home along with 46-year-old partner Zanna Ernstone. Police described the deaths as 'unexplained'

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said an investigation was under way into the deaths which were being treated as 'unexplained'.

Mr Cobley is believed to have been a retired coalman who was divorced with a grown up son and had lived with factory worker Ms Ernstone for several years.

Neighbours said that he had suffered from a brain tumour around four years ago and needed a mobility scooter to get around.

Ms Ernstone who had a 21-year-old son living with his grandparents in Latvia, worked night shifts at a local factory. She is said to have been in the UK for 13 years.

Curtains remained drawn at the couple's white brick bungalow which is in a cul de sac overlooking a communal grassed area.

Most of the bungalows which are owned by South Holland District Council are rented out to people with disabilities for around 300 a month.

A local resident said of the couple: 'They were always very pleasant and polite. Nobody has any idea what happened and the police are not saying anything.

'We used to see Jack going into town on his scooter and we would see her going to the shops in the morning or heading off to work at night in her fluorescent jacket.

'I remember thinking earlier this week that I had not seen them for a week or two and then we saw the police turn up.'

Police were yesterday standing guard outside the pair's two-bedroom council bungalow in Willders Garth, Holbeach, Lincolnshire

Another neighbour who asked not to be named said: 'I had not seen them since last Thursday and I got worried as there was no sound from their bungalow.

'Normally Jack would have the television on quite loud and you might hear them moving around.'

The neighbour said she called police who broke in and found them dead with their eight-year-old black and white cat Minka alive and hungry.

She added: 'It was a great shock, especially before Christmas. They were a very nice couple and I cannot think what happened.

'The police officer who found them asked asked me if I had any cat food for their cat because it was so hungry. I didn't have any, but I gave it some dog food and it ate it.'

The neighbour said that the couple's cat was now being cared for by the RSPCA.

Leonard Barber, 79, who lives nearby, said: 'Jack was a little short chap and used to wear a cap. But after his illness he looked older and older.

'He had been with his lady friend for some time and it was obvious that there was quite an age difference between them.'

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: 'Shortly after midday on Thursday, we received a report that two people had been found deceased at a property in Willder's Garth in Holbeach.

'At this time the deaths are being treated as unexplained and an investigation is under way. Further details will be released in due course.'

Anyone with information can call 101.
A paramedic gave terminally ill patients lethal injections for cash as part of a money-making scheme for a mafia-linked funeral parlour in Italy, it has been claimed.

Police have arrested a stretcher-bearer in Catania, Sicily, suspected of carrying out the killings in a so-called 'death ambulance'.

The 42-year-old is alleged to have injected air into the veins of three patients causing them to die of an embolism as they were being transported home from hospital to the town of Biancavilla.

The ambulance driver (not pictured) is alleged to have injected victims while transporting them home from hospitals

He was paid 300 euros for each death, according to a reformed mafioso who unveiled the affair in an investigative programme aired on Italian television.

Two other stretcher-bearers are being questioned by police over similar cases.

The total number of suspect deaths in the 'death ambulances' is thought to be around 50.

'As these people were at the end of their lives and were slated to die anyway, he injected air into their veins and they died of embolism,' the mafioso said.

Police detained the 42-year-old and charged him with voluntary homicide.

It is alleged that he took advantage of grieving families by recommending a funeral parlour linked to the mafia and then taking a commission.

Local reports claim this may have started five years ago and investigators say they have looked into dozens of deaths in Biancavilla.
Police are offering $3,000 for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest

In each case, victims reported hearing loud bangs as a vehicle passed them heading the opposite direction

One person was injured in the shootings after she sustained shrapnel wounds from broken glass

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said the initial round of shootings occurred between Nov. 27 and Dec. 7 in Fresno and Madera counties

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims (pictured) said at least 10 vehicles have been damaged so far

A person in a large pickup truck is randomly shooting at drivers in northern California, law enforcement officials said on Thursday.

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said during a news conference that at least 10 vehicles have been targeted so far with the initial round of shootings occurring between Nov. 27 and Dec. 7 in Fresno and Madera counties.

Investigators are currently on the lookout for the owner of a dark-colored, four-wheel-drive pickup with oversize tires and extended cab, The Fresno Bee reported.

Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney and California Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Johnson said their departments are also involved in the investigation.

One person has already been injured in the shootings after she sustained shrapnel wounds from broken glass.

A person in a large pickup truck is randomly shooting at drivers in northern California, law enforcement officials said on Thursday

Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney (R) and California Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Johnson say they are aiding in the manhunt for the shooter

'If this keeps going, we are going to have a murder investigation,' Mims warned.

In each case, victims reported hearing loud bangs as a vehicle passed them heading the opposite direction, according to the Fresno Bee.

Mims said that law enforcement in the area has made the search a top priority in their respective departments.

'We are highly motivated to find who is doing this,' Madera County Sheriff Varney said, with Mims adding 'we have committed significant resources' to the manhunt.

Detectives say that their work has been hamstrung by late reporting by victims, with some car owners waiting up to three days to inform police.

Police have reviewed video by a number of private home owners along the shooter's route, and have urged others to come forward with surveillance footage to contact police.

'To the suspect of these cowardly acts: We are all working together to find you,' added Mims.

Police are offering $3,000 for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and have urged the public to reach out to law enforcement with any tips at 559-498-7867 (STOP).
Mellie Stanley, 28, was picked up by police in Lexington, Kentucky, along with her husband for the fraud scam

A former star of the TLC reality show Gypsy Sisters has been arrested over claims she used bogus coupons to buy $18,000 worth of goods from Toys R Us.

Mellie Stanley, 28, was picked up by police in Lexington, Kentucky, along with her husband for the fraud scam.

It is not the first time Stanley, who was arrested under the name Mellie Lee, has been booked for fake vouchers after she and her sister were arrested for a similar scheme in 2014.

Police booked the former reality star for theft by deception, criminal possession of a forged instrument and unlawful access to a computer, according to TMZ.

It is also understood she tried to defraud Babies R Us.

The scam three years ago related to phony coupons she used at Target in North Carolina.

Randall Scott Vuncannon, who was her husband two years ago, has had a previous run in with the police too.

He was arrested in 2015 for allegedly killing Stanley's puppy during a heated argument when he threw the dog across the kitchen, according to TMZ.

Gypsy Sisters was a spin-off of My Big Far American Gypsy Wedding which gave an insight into the lives of Romanichal women in West Virginia.

Stanley appeared in all four seasons from 2013 to 2015.

She was an outcast in her family because she wanted to leave the Romani culture behind.
Child abuse: Robert Resendiz, 30, of Arizona, has been charged with two counts of child abuse after allegedly bending his six-month-old son in half because the baby would not stop crying

An Arizona man has been charged with two counts of child abuse after police say the man bent his infant son in half and repeatedly bit him, inflicting fatal injuries on the baby.

Robert Resendiz, 30, was arrested on Tuesday after officers with the Phoenix Police Department were called to his home near 12th Street and Camelback Road to a report of an unresponsive child.

The six-month-old boy was found not breathing and a responding officer performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived and rushed him to Phoenix Childrens Hospital.

There, doctors determined that the boy had lacerations to his liver and pancreas, which were 'not survivable', as ABC15 first reported.

The young victim also suffered a broken wrist and a bruised thigh.

Boy was taken to Phoenix Children's Hospital (pictured), where doctors found that some of his injuries were 'not survivable,' including lacerations to his liver and pancreas

When interviewed by police, Resendiz allegedly admitted to pressing his son's legs over his head and bending his body in half because the infant would not stop crying.

The 30-year-old man, weighing 210lbs, claimed he did not realize the intensity of the pressure he was putting on his son's body until he stopped moving and went limp.

Resendiz also allegedly admitted to biting the baby twice because he was frustrated.

The man was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on $250,000 bond on Tuesday night.

His next court appearance is set to take place on December 27.

Social media posts suggest that Resendiz also has an older daughter.
Holiday travelers at Dallas Love Field airport met their worst nightmare Friday morning when smoke triggered a fire alarm and caused a mass evacuation.

Smoke from an overheated air conditioning unit triggered the alarms and evacuation around 4.30am, according to airport officials.

Panicked and frustrated passengers looking to get a head start on their holiday travels were forced to leave the terminal in a herd.

People at the airport posted photos and videos of the madness on social media - showing crowds of hundreds of people packed tightly outside of arrivals and departures.

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Holiday travelers at Dallas Love Field airport met their worst nightmare Friday morning when smoke triggered a fire alarm and caused a mass evacuation

Panicked and frustrated passengers looking to get a head start on their holiday travels were forced to leave the terminal in a herd

Around 6.30am the Dallas Love Field Twitter account said that firefighters had finished inspecting the terminal and that normal operations would soon resume

Smoke was reported to be filling the terminal when the alarms went off.

Around 6.30am the Dallas Love Field Twitter account said that firefighters had finished inspecting the terminal and that normal operations would soon resume.

The entire inspection process took less than 20 minutes, according to a statement from the airport.

Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene and inspected the airport to be sure there was no larger threat. The entire inspection took less than 20 minutes

Love Field delays are currently averaging about an hour, and many flights were also delayed at the neighboring airport Dallas Fort Worth. At least three flights were cancelled at Love Field

But passengers were warned that security screenings could take as long as 90 minutes, and anyone traveling through the airport is encouraged to check their airline for updates on delays and cancellations before heading to the airport.

Love Field delays are currently averaging about an hour, and many flights were also delayed at the neighboring airport Dallas Fort Worth.

At least three flights were cancelled at Love Field.

More than 2.5million people around the country are expected to fly on Friday, ahead of the long holiday weekend.
If you have planned to catch a flight out of Sydney over the weekend, then you'd better prepare for crazy delays.

Travellers should brace themselves for lengthy queues at Sydney Domestic and International Airport this weekend.

The day before Christmas Eve is the busiest day for the year at the airport according to Sydney Morning Herald.

Travellers should brace themselves for lengthy queues at Sydney Domestic and International Airport this weekend (stock image)

The day before Christmas Eve is the busiest day for the year at the airport according to Sydney Morning Herald (stock image)

With the busiest day of the year for the skies being Saturday December 23, experts suggest arriving at least 90 minutes early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.

'Every day during the holiday period will be very busy, so no matter what day passengers are travelling, they should plan their journey and leave plenty of time to get to the airport,' General manager of landside operations and transport at Sydney Airport Craig Norton told the publication.

Road works around Sydney Airport could also contribute to any delays combined with extra traffic flooding the area.

Last year, more than 2.3 million people traveled domestically from the country's largest airport in December, followed by 2.19 million at Melbourne and 1.5 million at Brisbane.

And it is not just people taking to the skies this Christmas.

About 9000 cats and dogs will be jet setting off across the country, according to the publication.
If you haven't yet done your holiday shopping or stocked your pantry for Christmas lunch, you're definitely not alone - but you may want to prepare for a stampede.

A national survey estimates a staggering 1.1 million people have left their festive shopping to the last minute and a record $50 billion will be spent on gifts in the 48 hours before Christmas Day on Monday.

Department stores David Jones and Myer have extended trading hours and even put on more staff over the coming weekend to keep up with the demand.

A survey estimates a staggering 1.1 million Aussies left their festive shopping to the last minute

Food sales in the weekend before Christmas are expected to exceed $10 billion nationally

'We know from past years, the last weekend before Christmas is one of the busiest with our research telling us that one in five Australians leave their Christmas preparations until work is finished for the holiday,' said a David Jones spokesperson on Friday.

Food sales across the country are expected to exceed $10 billion as Australians stock up on Christmas favourites like seafood and fresh fruit.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Woolworths expects to sell 720,000kg of prawns this weekend, while Coles says 600,000 litres of ice cream will be scooped up in the two days before Christmas.

Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman advised people to prepare for huge crowds - and be ready for disappointment.

'It's going to be fairly busy, we all know that,' he said. 'So my advice to people is take it calmly, take it nicely, bring a list, but realise that some of the things you are looking for may not be available anymore.'

Research from Finder suggests that people were planning to spend an average of about $500 on Christmas gifts.

Department stores David Jones and Myer have extended trading hours on December 23 and 24

The fact that the last two days before Christmas happen to both be weekend days may have contributed to people's 'leave-it-to-the-last-minute' attitude this year.

But Finder spokesperson Bessie Hassan warned shoppers that there was a high change they would miss out on their first choice of item if they left it to the final weekend.

'Anyone who has left it until now isnt going to have much choice  you will effectively be stuck with whats left on the shelves in those stores,' she said.
It's been two years since Kathy Novasio sat on an emergency flight from Billings to Denver watching medical staff work continuously to keep her 11-year-old daughter's airway open.

Earlier that day Ahna Novasio, then 11, had wanted to go to school despite a sore throat and neck which had lingered beyond antibiotic treatments weeks earlier.

"She's a little gunner and said 'No, no, no," she didn't want to miss school," Kathy Novasio said.

A few hours later Novasio got a call from the school saying her daughter wasn't feeling well and that she should go home. Doctors that day initially thought Ahna was showing signs of mono. When the results of an x-ray test came back, Kathy Novasio said she and her daughter were told to go straight to the emergency room. Later in the afternoon when the results of a CAT scan came back, the Novasio's were told they needed to travel even farther.

"They finally came in and said she had cancer and I needed to pack a bag. There'd just be room on a flight to Denver for she and I and a small bag," Novasio said. "Basically she had a mass in her thymus gland. She's got leukemia. It's a t-cell leukemia and the leukemia cells, the t-cells built up in her thymus gland. That was what was causing the swelling in her neck. It was about to block off her airway."

That was in November 2015. Chemotherapy treatments, visits to hospitals and conversations with doctors and nurses have become regular parts of the lives of mother and daughter since. Chemotherapy has forced Novasio into isolation at times when her white blood cell count was dangerously low.

The two have coped with the illness in different ways. Kathy Novasio said it helps her to talk about it, whereas her daughter is more reserved with her feelings.

Both have benefited from the affection of a pair cats, Napoleon and Rosebud, which Kathy Novasio said she and her daughter picked out after trips from Denver.

Ahna is currently in remission and her chemotherapy treatments are expected to stop toward the end of March 2018, her mother said.

Thursday, Ahna Novasio was given something else to look forward to when Montana Make-A-Wish Foundation presented her with tickets to the upcoming Grammy Awards during a surprise assembly at Castle Rock Middle School.

And it was definitely a surprise, Ahna confirmed. "I thought it was going to be something like for school because they said so on the intercom," Ahna said. "And then I came in and that happened."

Family and friends visiting school for the event waited temporarily in the parking lot on a cold December day as Kathy Novasio received cellphone updates about her daughter's location in the school. As she passed the windows facing the parking lot, the group crouched and waited until the coast was clear.

After the rest of the school had assembled in the bleachers, Bruno Mars, one of the musicians Ahna hopes to see at the Grammys, began belting over the gym sound system. A plastic fabric red carpet was stretched across the floor from a side entrance of the gym and at its end waited Ahna's family holding signs saying "Your wish is granted."

"She's always been my toughest kid," Kathy Novasio said. Characteristically, Ahna kept her composure even as some of the adults around her grew visibly emotional. School counselor Shannon Toney told the school a little bit about Ahna's journey. Her voice quavered as she talked about Ahna's character. "She's the kind of person I want to be," Toney said. "She's the kind of person I want my kids to be."

Toney said throughout her treatments Ahna has maintained straight A's. During Ahna's frequent trips to Denver, Toney said she would get calls from Ahna about assignments she was missing. "She would be looking at what she was missing and trying to figure out how to make it up while she was doing chemo," Toney said.

Montana Make-A-Wish Foundation is working to set up a shopping event for Ahna to find something to wear for the star-studded show, according to Make-A-Wish Montana development manager Lea Hackey. Ahna, accompanied by family, will ultimately get a five day free trip to New York City as part of her wish.

"It's pretty big, just considering everything she's been through," her brother Alexander Novasio said. He described his sister as frank with her words and feelings.

Ahna said she wants to see "a bunch" of stars at the Grammys, with one in particular. "I want to see Bruno Mars," she said.

Asked if there was anything she didn't have a chance to say during an interview with The Gazette, Ahna was straightforward. "You could say that I'm awesome."
An abandoned cheese shop is stinking up a block in NYC's East Village after being abandoned for more than two weeks.

East Village Cheese, located at 80 East Seventh Street in Manhattan, New York, was last seen open on December 7 and shut down without any notice to customers.

The closed shop has had gates locked ever since and the store's power was cut off, leaving behind a dominant stench of rotting cheese that is leaving nearby businesses extremely annoyed.

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East Village Cheese, located at 80 East Seventh Street in Manhattan, New York, was last seen open on December 7 and shut down without any notice to customers

The power was turned off causing the rotting cheese and baked goods to leave behind a terrible odor, concerning nearby businesses

'The smell of cheese is seeping into my hat shop, and I am looking for ideas for how to get the place emptied before it rots,' said Julia Knox, owner of the next door East Village Hats, to the EV Grieve.

'My biggest concern is that the smell is going to be unbearable pretty soon, and a potential rat problem.'

Aware of the potent odor, the landlord has yet to move on the store as there are legal concerns surrounding entering the premises.

'The smell of cheese is seeping into my hat shop, and I am looking for ideas for how to get the place emptied before it rots,' said Julia Knox, owner of the next door East Village Hats, to the EV Grieve

Left untouched: Inside the store, rows of baked goods sit around the deserted bakery and icing can be seen hardening on some

Inside the gated store, cheese and other assorted bake goods sit untouched and are slowly getting more and more moldy.

Between slits of papers advertising different cheeses, visitors can even see a coffee pot left on the burner with remnants of the drink left behind.

On the door, business hours are still advertised but there is a sign that says 'Sorry We're Closed'.

Need caffeine? There is even a coffee pot left on a burner and closer looks show a dark liquid still inside

Gated: And while the shop is gated off so trespassers can't get in, signs are still on the door as if the store was still open

Remember the time: The shop proudly boasted that it was 'loved' on the popular site Yelp by customers

East Village Cheese moved to the area from Third Avenue back in September 2015 but was said to have been struggling.

The cash-only shop was infamously known for its early close time that prevented patrons from stopping by after work hours.

'These guys never really got on their feet after the move,' Knox added.

A 2011 article from The Local East Village list Lobsang Tsultrim and Thupten Tenphel as owners of the store.

'Sorry we're closed': A sign on the front door shows that the store is no longer open but does not offer an explanation
Sixteen dead dogs were found in a former dog rescuer's foreclosed Texas home.

Carly Jo Underwood, 29, of Midland, Texas, was arrested and booked into jail on 16 counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals  torture, after authorities said she left the dogs to fend for themselves when she abandoned her home.

Underwood was last seen at the home eight months ago. She was taken into custody after her flight landed at Midland International Air & Space Port on Wednesday, and booked into jail on the cruelty counts, in addition to three other, unrelated misdemeanor warrants.

Carly Jo Underwood, 29, was arrested Wednesday on 16 counts of animal cruelty after abandoning 16 dogs to their deaths in her Midland, Texas home. Some dogs were locked in cages and other cannibalized each other during the eight months that she was gone

The remains of the 16 dogs were discovered when bankers arrived at Underwood's house to serve a foreclosure notice. When authorities arrived, they noted a 'terribly strong' stench

Bankers serving a foreclosure notice on Underwood's home discovered the dead dogs.

Some of the dogs were said to have been left in their kennels, while others were free to wander around inside the house.

At least a few of the canines cannibalized each other during the eight months that Underwood was gone. Fecal matter and urine was said to be present everywhere.

All that remained of some of the dogs was tufts of fur.

Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter told CBS 7 that inside Underwood's house, 'The stench of the smell was terribly strong.' While walking through the home, he noted, there was no movement in the cages.

'Then you get to looking, lord, theres carcasses in there. Its just fur and bones, and the doors are locked, it was very sad,' Painter said.

Authorities said that Underwood was not seen at her home in eight months and that she had gone to live with her mother in Nevada before her home could be foreclosed on

While walking through the home, authorities saw tufts of fur, feces and urine everywhere

Underwood's former coworker at an animal shelter said that there was no way to recognize which of the dogs was which based on the remains. All that was left was bones and fur

Underwood left her position as a board member at the no-kill Dust Bowl Animal Rescue in Midland last year.

Her former coworker said that she had no idea why Underwood abandoned the dogs  which she believes came from the shelter  to their deaths.

'From the photos that I have seen, they are unrecognizable. There's no way for me to say what dog is which,' Mesha Randolph, President Of Dust Bowl Animal Rescue, told KMID. She also added that 'There was just fur, fur everywhere. That's all you could see.'

Randolph said that leaving the dogs behind was uncharacteristic behavior on Underwood's part.

'I cant even fathom where her mind is at, where her mind went because I knew her personally and that's not the person I knew,' Randolph said, adding that she could not comprehend how someone who 'truly loved animals could do this.'

Painter said that he had never seen an instance of animal cruelty that was this severe before during his years in the Sheriff's Office, particularly since some of the dogs were left locked in their cages with zero chance of escaping.

Painter said that after abandoning her home, Underwood had gone to Nevada to live with her mother and that Underwood's mother herself had informed deputies that Underwood would be flying back to Midland, giving them the opportunity to arrest her when her flight landed on Wednesday.
Mohamed Asab, pictured, from Ilford, Essex, is believed to have trained the fighting birds and arranged the deadly contests

A 'sickening' cockfighting gang has been banned for life from keeping birds after detectives found a blood-spattered fighting pit at a home in east London.

Police and RSPCA officers raided an address in Ilford and disrupted a suspected organised cockfight in an outbuilding.

A cockerel's blood was found splashed across a fighting pit, which had seats around the edge as a viewing area, and 10 cockerels and two hens were seized.

Several of the cockerels had injuries consistent with fighting, one was found to have sharpened spurs - a common cockfighting tactic - and the cockerels acted aggressively towards a dummy bird used as a training aid.

Five men were convicted at an earlier trial of animal welfare offences and they were sentenced at Barkingside Magistrates' Court in east London on Thursday, the RSPCA said.

All were banned from keeping birds and sentenced to a 200-hour community punishment order.

The men found guilty of being present at a cockfight on January 2 are: Mohamed Arif, 44, of Fairfield Road, Ilford; Akhtar Hussain, 47, of Greenhill Grove, Manor Park; Mehtab Ahmed, 41, of Celebration Way, Highams Park; Mohammed Asab, 51, of Water Lane, Ilford; and Altaf Hussain, 54, of Parkstone Road, Coventry.

Asab was also found guilty of causing an animal fight, training animals for use in connection with an animal fight, keeping a premises for use for an animal fight, and causing unnecessary suffering to a cockerel.

He was handed a 22-week suspended sentence, ordered to pay 12,000 costs and had his birds and cockfighting items confiscated.

The other men were ordered to pay 1,500 costs each, and Arif was ordered to hand over his birds.

Asab, pictured, was ordered to pay 12,000 in costs and had all his cockfighting equipment and birds confiscated by authorities following his conviction

RSPCA inspectors recovered several birds from the Asab's home in Ilford, Essex

RSPCA inspector Cliff Harrison described cockfighting as an 'abhorrent and cruel practice' which has been outlawed for almost 200 years due to the damage caused to the birds

RSPCA inspector Cliff Harrison, who led the investigation, said: 'Cockfighting is an abhorrent and cruel practice which was outlawed almost 200 years ago.

'To take enjoyment from watching two birds inflict such horrendous - and often life-threatening - injuries on each other is something that should be well and truly confined to the history books.'

The evidence suggested the men were there to watch and bet on the fight, he said, adding that photos and videos of cockerels being trained and of a champion trophy presentation were found on seized mobile phones.

'This was vital in proving that this group was part of an organised ring of cockfighters who operated this sickening league - with the birds paying the ultimate price,' he said.

The seized birds, all aseel or asil types originating from India and Pakistan, are in RSPCA care and will be rehomed.

Inspector Harrison added: 'An artificial grass square was being used as the cock fighting pit and seats had been arranged around the edge like a viewing area.

'Fresh blood was splashed across the fake grass and there was blood splattered up the white walls behind. That blood was tested and found to be from a cockerel.

'The evidence suggested that we had disturbed an organised cock fight and that the men were there to watch and bet on the fight.

'We found a blood-stained towel at the scene as well as training muffs - used to cover the bird's spurs while training - and a stooge training bird, and a number of other cockerels were being kept in cages at the house.

'We believe Mr Asab was breeding and training the birds as well as organising fights.

Asab was handed a suspended 22-week jail term and ordered to pay 12,000 in costs

'When mobile phones were seized and forensically examined, we discovered lots of photos and videos of cockerels being trained and the presentation of a 'champion' trophy at a group meeting.

'This was vital in proving that this group was part of an organised ring of cockfighters who operated this sickening league - with the birds paying the ultimate price.'

When RSPCA officers tested the birds with the training aid they found they attacked the fake bird aggressively without being prompted while one of the birds had sharpened spurs - a common cockfighting tactic - and several of the cockerels had injuries consistent with fighting.

Insp Harrison added: 'One of the birds had a nasty wound on his neck and it was obvious someone had made attempts to stitch it up.

'When asked how the bird came to be injured, Asab told us he had been attacked by a fox.'

Ten cockerels and two hens - all aseel or asil types which originate from India and Pakistan - were seized by police and placed into RSPCA care. The RSPCA will now seek to rehome the birds.

Cockfighting was banned in England in 1835 but still goes on amoing underground circles with successful prosecutions in Brighton in 2012 and Bournemouth in 2014.
Palestine president Mahmud Abbas (pictured) said that he would 'no longer accept' any peace plan proposed by the US

Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan today agreed to support the creation of a Palestinian state as Palestine president Mahmud Abbas said that he would 'no longer accept' any peace plan proposed by the US.

The Russian and Turkish presidents spoke in a phone call a day after the UN rejected Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A Kremlin statement said the two leaders 'discussed the situation of Middle East peace talks in the context of the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on the status of Jerusalem.'

They 'confirmed the mutual disposition to continue to assist in resolving the Palestine-Israeli conflict on the basis of international norms and realisation of the right of the Palestinian people to create an independent state.'

Palestinians have long demanded their own state out of lands claimed by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967.

Russia and Turkey already recognise the State of Palestine as do 70 per cent of countries in the UN. The US, Britain and western European countries do not.

Trump decided on December 6 to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The status of the Holy City is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides claiming it as their capital.

On Thursday, the 193-member General Assembly adopted the motion to reject Trump's decision by 128 to nine with 35 abstentions, though the US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the vote would make no difference to Washington's decision.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas today said that he would 'no longer accept' any peace plan proposed by the United States, dealing a pre-emptive blow to a fresh initiative expected by Washington next year.

US Vice President Mike Pence postponed a trip he was due to make to the region this week, after Palestinian and Arab Christian leaders expressed reluctance to meet him.

Erdogan (pictured in Ankara yesterday) said the UN vote showed the 'illegality' of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it

'The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from it,' Abbas told a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron repeated his earlier condemnations of the US decision on Jerusalem, but he also ruled out recognising Palestine as a state unilaterally, which France has mooted previously.

'The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing,' Macron said, conscious that any move to recognise Palestine would antagonise the Israelis.

Abbas hit out at efforts by the US to 'intimidate' countries ahead of the UN vote.

'I hope that the others will learn the lesson and understand that you cannot impose solutions by using money and trying to buy off countries,' he said in Paris.

Erdogan said the UN vote showed the 'illegality' of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it.

But US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the vote will 'make no difference' to US policy.
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President Donald Trump signed his tax cut bill on Friday morning in the Oval Office in front of a handful of reporters instead of at a lavish White House ceremony, in his final order of business before the start of his Christmas holiday away from the White House.

But the signing was televised and gave Trump a chance to speak almost uninterrupted for 15 minutes about his tax cut - while a ceremony might actually have made him share screen time with others.

Calling it 'the biggest tax cut, the biggest reform of all time' he said 'the numbers will speak' for themselves when taxpayers start to see results.

'I think it's selling itself,' Trump said of the landmark legislation. 'It's becoming very popular. You'll see something on February 1 when they open up the paycheck.'

Rather than holding an elaborate signing ceremony in early January, he said he rushed to turn the bill into law before December 25 to honor a pledge to make tax cuts his Christmas present to the American people.

'I didn't want you folks to say that I wasn't keeping my promise,' he told the press. 'I'm keeping my promise. I'm signing the bill before Christmas.'

And in a holiday truce with the journalists he loves to hate, he distributed official signing pens to some of them.

'Many of you have worked very fairly, and we appreciate that,' Trump said.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS: President Donald Trump says he rushed to turn the tax bill into law before December 25 to honor a pledge to make tax cuts his Christmas present to the American people

The president also signed a last-minute resolution to keep the government's lights on through January 19, averting a partial shutdown

Trump signed his tax cut bill on Friday morning in the Oval Office with little fanfare in his final order of business before the start of his Christmas holiday away from the White House

And in a holiday truce with the journalists he loves to hate, he distributed official signing pens to some of them

'Many of you have worked very fairly, and we appreciate that,' Trump said, inviting reporters to take a pen at the bill signing

The president said he'd have a press conference this week but took questions from a couple of reporters in the Oval Office on Friday instead

Trump also took a swipe at his political opponents on Capitol Hill, saying that 'the Democrats will really regret, the Democrats already regret' opposing him

The president also signed a last-minute resolution to keep the government's lights on through January 19, averting a partial shutdown.

Trump highlighted a provision that sets aside $4.6 billion for missile defense before he affixed his signature to the bill, saying in a tweet that the funds were 'much needed.'

He took a swipe at his political opponents on Capitol Hill, saying that 'the Democrats will really regret, the Democrats already regret' opposing him.

'They wanted to be a part of it,' he claimed, predicting that he'll get more bipartisan support during next year's push to fund far-reaching infrastructure projects.

The president is making his way now to Palm Beach, Florida, where his family has been awaiting his arrival for days at Mar-a-Lago, the private resort he has turned into his Winter White House.

Tiffany Trump, the president's younger daughter, was also seen exiting Air Force One on Friday in Palm Beach. President Trump's wife and sons were already at Mar-A-Lago

Trump tweeted after Air Force One took off that Democrats 'want to raise your taxes'

'Merry Christmas, everybody!' President Trump said as he walked from the Oval Office afterward to Marine One. He did not approach the press before boarding the helicopter

He stopped on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland when he saw a group of a few dozen servicemen and women and their families gathered to watch Air Force One take off.

'While you were down here, I wanted to say hello,' Trump said, wishing them a Merry Christmas.

Trump held a mass celebration on the White House's South Lawn on Wednesday to hail his tax cut victory as the start of 'a very special period of time' in America. He promised them that the reforms would lead to 'jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.'

'We are making America great again!' he said at the outdoor ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House with Republican lawmakers.

Marine One with takes off from the South Lawn of the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews on Friday morning

President Trump greeted troops at the base before boarding the presidential aircraft

Trump shakes a servicemember's hand at Andrews before boarding Air Force One

The president took off for Florida alone on Friday. His wife and sons have been awaiting him there for days

Vice President Mike Pence, who was up late the night before presiding over the final vote in the Senate, declared the bill's passage a 'middle class miracle' and shouted, 'Merry Christmas America!'

Trump was handed an immediate Christmas bonus of his own as AT&T announced it would give its more than 200,000 workers a $1,000 bonus once the tax cut is signed into law, and Wells Fargo, Boeing, Sinclair and Comcast, which owns NBC Universal, quickly followed suit with boosts for their workforces.

The president thanked them all as at he signed the tax reform bill on Friday in the Oval Office.

'They all have made tremendous contributions to their employees, and tremendous contributions to spending money in this country, because of the tax bill. And they all said it's because of the tax bill,' he said. 'So they are making tremendous investments. That means jobs, that means a lot of things. we are very happy.'

Trump said in lengthy remarks on the topic that 'corporations that are giving billions and billions of dollars away to their workers and many more are coming' and the bonuses would sell the legislation 'better than anybody could.'

WELCOME TO PALM BEACH: President Trump was greeted by a sea of supporters on Friday as he arrived in Palm Beach for his Christmas holiday

'But I think come February, when they open their checks and they see "Wow! what happened? I have a lot more money in here," ' he imitated. 'I think that's really going to be something very special. So have a great holiday, folks.'

GOP leaders were the first to congratulate Trump on the legislative achievement - the first major one of his presidency - praising him one-by-one in remarks Wednesday that characterized him as the greatest executive officeholder in decades.

'Something this big, something this generational, something this profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership. Mr. President, thank you for getting us over the finish line,' said House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell likewise said, 'America is going to start growing again. Thank you Mr. President for all you're doing.'

'But for your leadership, we would not be here today,' House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady piled on.

President Donald Trump proclaimed the GOP tax cut plan a 'historic victory' on Wednesday as the House headed to the floor for final passage

'Something this big, something this generational, something this profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership. Mr. President thank you for getting us over the finish line,' said House Speaker Paul Ryan

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, at his turn said, 'This is a big day for America. This is America's comeback.

'Come February check your check, because that will be the pay raise of the vote for Donald Trump,' McCarthy stated.

Senator Orrin Hatch, the Senate Finance Chairman, effusively said that Trump was 'one heck of a leader' and the bill 'could not have passed without you.'

'We're making headway. This is just the beginning,' the Utah senator who has not declared his intent to run for re-election next year said. 'I just hope that we call get behind him every way we can and we'll get this country turned around in ways that will benefit the whole world.'

Hatch said, 'We're gonna make this the greatest presidency that we've seen not only in generations but maybe ever. God bless all of you.'

The president told lawmakers in his remarks that the negotiation process has 'been an amazing experience,' and Republicans have now 'broke every record' with the size of tax slash.

'It was a lot of fun. It's always fun when you work hard and win,' Trump assessed. 'If you work hard and lose, that's not acceptable.'

HAPPY TAXMAS: That was the White House's message as it closed out the Wednesday workday after tax legislation passed

The biggest publicity coup for Trump may well be the immediate move by corporate giants to pass some of their winnings to workers.

AT&T said that it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 200,000 employees - and promised to make $1 billion in new investments in the United States next year - once the tax reform bill is signed into law.

As part of that bill, the tax rate on corporations will drop from 35 per cent to 21 per cent. Trump previously called the measure 'rocket fuel' for the economy.

After AT&T's announcement, other companies followed suit.

Comcast NBCUniversal said it would award $1,000 bonuses to more than 100,000 workers, 'based on the passage of tax reform' and a recent FCC decision to repeal 'net neutrality' rules.

The cable and Internet giant also boasted that it 'expects to spend well in excess of $50 billion over the next five years investing in infrastructure.'

Boeing said it would make a '$300 million employee-related and charitable investment as a result of #TaxReform legislation.'

And Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati, Ohio said it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 13,500 employees and raise the minimum wage for its workforce to $15 per hour because its tax rate is about to plummet.

SAY CHEESE: Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) take a selfie during the president's event on the South Lawn

Wells Fargo matched that $15 per hour minimum wage hike and said it was prompted by the tax plan. The San Francisco-based bank also said it would make $400 million in donations to nonprofit charities and other community organizations in 2018.

FedEx also showed optimism, with its CFO saying during an earnings call that the package shipping giant will likely expand if the tax cuts lead to larger national economic growth.

'GDP could increase materially next year as a result of U.S. tax reform. If this occurs, we would likely increase capital expenditures and hiring,' Alan Graf told investors.

Sinclair said Friday morning as Trump was about to sign the tax cut bill that it would give its employees Christmas bonuses of $1,000, too, a move that Trump quickly applauded.

The Senate passed the GOP's $1.5 trillion tax cut early Wednesday morning, leaving just one technical hurdle in the House and Trump's signature as the final steps before the Republican president's top legislative priority became a reality.

Trump was not able to sign the bill on Wednesday but delivered afternoon remarks at the White House anyway, where he was flanked roughly 100 Republican lawmakers.

He took an early victory lap in his cabinet meeting that morning and in a statement released by the White House just after the final congressional vote.

'I promised the American people a big, beautiful tax cut for Christmas. With final passage of this legislation, that is exactly what they are getting,' he said. 'I would like to thank the members of Congress who supported this historic bill, which represents an extraordinary victory for American families, workers, and businesses.'

Trump predicted that tax reform would lead to an even greater reduction in unemployment, new highs for the stock market and an increase in wages.

'By cutting taxes and reforming the broken system, we are now pouring rocket fuel into the engine of our economy,' he said. 'America is back to winning again, and were growing like never before. There is a great spirit of optimism sweeping across our land. Americans can once again rest assured that our brightest days are still to come.'

During an afternoon cabinet meeting, Trump said that the bill will provide 'a tremendous amount of relief for the middle class, including a doubling of the child tax credit and a nearly doubling of the standard deduction.'

'That's going to be tremendous for people. They're going to start seeing the results in February. This bill means more take home pay,' he said.

Trump proclaimed the GOP tax cut plan a 'historic victory' in the meeting as the House headed to the floor for final passage.

'It will be an incredible Christmas gift for hard-working Americans. I said I wanted to have it done before Christmas. We got it done,' the president said.
Ten moped robbers who attacked 17 mobile phone shops in a terrifying wave of smash and grab raids were jailed for a total of 110 years today.

The gang stole phones, tablet computers and caused damage worth more than 1million using hammers, knives, a gun and even a fencing post as a battering ram.

They hit different Three Mobile outlets several times in the early hours of the morning to grab the latest handsets and were in and out in 'a matter of minutes.'

Members of the gang threatened to shoot security guards in the head if they got in their way.

Courtney White, Mominur Rahman and Mohammed Anwar Hussain were part of a prolific moped gang who stole thousands of pounds of goods during a long-running campaign

Chris Costi, Bobby Kennedy and Alfie Kennedy were all part of the gang. Bobby Kennedy hadn't long been out of prison when he took part in the raids

Chang Mabiala (left) and Mohammed Imran Ali (right) were charged with robbery and burglary charges

Adam Atallah (left) got 10 years and 10 month and Dylan Castano-Lopez (right) got 10 years and one month

They left two officers with cuts after a violent struggle during another raid at a store in Wood Green, north London.

Ringleader Courtney White, 23, was jailed for 13 years and his righthand man Mominur Rahman, 22, received 12 years.

Mohammed Hussain, 24, got 10 years; Alfie Kennedy, 20, received 13 years and one month and his brother Bobby Kennedy, 22, was jailed for 11 years and six months

Chang Mabiala, 22, received eight years and six months, while Adam Atallah, 21, was jailed for 10 years and 10 months.

Dylan Castano-Lopez, 20, was jailed for 10 years and one month, Chris Costi, 19, received eight years and six months while Mohammed Imran Ali, 24, was jailed for seven years and one month.

White was previously cleared of involvement in some robberies after claiming his DNA was found at the crime scenes because he has bad eczema.

One of the hooded thugs was filmed wielding a hammer during one of the raids at a phone shop

Police released this image of the variety of weapons and tools the gang used during the raids

He has previous convictions for possessing knives and residential burglaries dating back to 2009, when he was 14, and was handed a suspended jail sentence in November 2015 for handling jewellery stolen during the vicious mugging of a 61-year-old woman in north London.

Rahman has an appalling criminal record and took part in a similar moped smash-and-grab robbery at a jewellers in Seven Sisters Road, Holloway in 2013.

He celebrated some of his crimes by taking a selfie with a wad of cash against his face.

Bobby Kennedy had only been released from prison two weeks before joining the raiders.

Rahman posed with a wad of cash as his gang brought misery to store workers in the capital

Their rap sheets were so long that prosecutor Michael Shaw spent nearly an hour reading out their 99 previous convictions for 172 offences.

Sentencing, Judge Michael Simon described the gang was a 'well oiled machine'.

'Working at speed they targeted high value phones such as iPhones and Samsungs... the attacks were highly organized and meticulously planned.

'Weapons were used, predominantly knives, kitchen knives and hunting knives, and hammers were brandished.

'[The security guard's] experience was terrifying and traumatic... the gang was prepared to use violence with weapons against defenceless individuals who got in their way.

'The defendants are young in chronological age, but old in criminality.'

A map shows the locations of the 17 raids carried out by the gang in just six months

Prosecutor Michael Shaw had urged the judge to pass severe deterrent sentences on the gang after an 'exponential rise' of moped robbery in the capital.

Judge Simon detailed the shocking statistic that the number of moped robberies in London had trebled in the past year from 8,268 to 23,546 incidents.

'This type of offending is having a massive community impact. The crime figures demonstrate an exponential rise,' he said.

After the case, John Williams, of the CPS, said: 'These 10 men targeted mobile phone shops to steal hundreds of valuable devices. They had no regard for security guards on scene, punching and kicking them and threatening them with claw hammers.

'The CPS used CCTV footage and mobile phone data to show which defendants were at the scene of the crimes both prior to and following the burglaries. GPS tracker devices placed in mobile phone boxes also traced the phones to some of the defendants' homes.

'The prosecution applied for Serious Crime Prevention Orders to stop these defendants being able to own a moped or motorcycle, and to restrict the number of mobile phones they can own.'
Dr. Kelly Folse, 35, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly killing her next door neighbor's bull dog. Through her attorney, she has maintained her innocence

The Louisiana veterinarian accused of shooting dead her next-door neighbor's dog has, through her attorney, maintained her innocence.

Doctor Kelly Folse, 35, was arrested December 19 and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, illegal discharge of a firearm and drug possession.

She allegedly shot Bruizer, the 15-month-old American bulldog owned by her neighbor Stacey Fitzner, on December 13. Because of his wounds, he was euthanized by a veterinarian - at the same practice at which Folse worked - the following day.

Folse's alleged motive is that the dog would not stop barking.

Defense attorney Robert Garrity Jr told the New Orleans Times Picayune: '[Folse] didn't shoot the dog.'

Garrity Jr accused the Jefferson Parish Sheriff, Joseph Lopinto, of using dubious evidence to arrest and charge Folse and making a political play in an upcoming election bid.

The sheriff said that the evidence pointed to Folse as a suspect, though he did not cite specific evidence.

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Folse had worked at a veterinary clinic in the New Orleans area since the age of 15 and has been fired. Defense attorney Robert Garrity Jr told the New Orleans Times Picayune : '[Folse] didn't shoot the dog'

Stacey Fitzner's American bulldog would apparently not stop barking and Folse allegedly lost her cool

Garrity Jr expressed doubt about certain aspects of the investigation such as the lack of witnesses and his assertion that Folse did not have Fiztner's telephone number - which contradicts Fiztner's claim that Folse sent her hostile text messages about the dog.

'I don't think they have jack on this lady,' Garrity Jr told the Times Picayune. 'She's done nothing to deserve what she got.'

Folse, who had worked at a clinic in Harahan in the New Orleans suburbs until she was fired this past week, is a vet and is normally the one tasked with saving the lives of animals.

Bruizer's owner, Stacey Fitzner, told Fox 8 that she'd left the pup in her backyard when she went to work.

Fitzner said that someone had deliberately forced open the gates to shoot her dog dead.

'My mother was picking up my niece and nephew from Hazel Park, and she noticed that the dog was lying in the grass not moving,' Fitzner said.

Owner Stacey Fitzner cannot comprehend why anyone would hurt Bruizer. She describes him as a friendly, 15-month-old who was like a member of the family

Folse, pictured, is accused of shooting Bruizer, a 15-month-old American bull dog that belongs to her next-door neighbor. A gun has not been found

She says her mother knew something wasn't right, so they decided to check on Bruizer.

'Her and my nephew found the dog with blood surrounding him. Someone had to come up behind him and put the gun to him and shoot him,' says Fitzner.

Bruizer was found lying in the grass with a gunshot wound to the back of his head.

'The person who did this has to be sick. A normal person would not come on someone's property and shoot a dog in the back of the head, and such a loving dog. It's just disturbing,' Fitzner said to Fox 8.

'The dog couldn't have pushed the gate open. There's no possible way. Someone had to open this,' says Fitzner.

When he was found, Bruizer was still clinging to life.

'My brother grabbed the dog, and we went straight to a vet,' Fitzner said. 'We thought the dog would survive. As awful as it was, we had hope that he would be OK. After being at the vet all night, we found they had to put him to sleep.'

'We got him right after my son was born. He was such a loving dog,' she continued.

She described him as a friendly, 15-month-old who was like a member of the family.

'He was always in the bed with us. He was always licking us. My son would ride him. He was a great, wonderful American bulldog,' says Fitzner

'He was always in the bed with us. He was always licking us. My son would ride him. He was a great, wonderful American bulldog,' says Fitzner.

Sheriff Joseph Lopinto added: 'This is crazy, a veterinarian shooting a dog of her next door neighbor. This is nuts. I don't know how else to put it.'

Fitzner has said that since the shooting she doesn't feel safe in her own home any more.

In the weeks leading up to the killing, Fitzner said that she and Folse texted one another about the dog's constant barking.

Fitzner says that she receive numerous hostile text messages and videos from her neighbor.

The dog was 15-months old and had been treated at the same vet practice where Folse works

By sheer coincidence Bruizer was taken to the Harahan clinic where Folse works last week, although she had not been treating the dog.

Folse was taken into custody and has since been fired from the veterinary hospital which she had worked at for 20 years, since the age of 15.

She was said to be well-liked by her clients and had never been the subject of any complaints.

'We're shocked and disgusted,' Dr. Scott Abadie, the owner of the vet practice said. 'It's just not something you expect of anybody, especially a vet.'

Deputies searched Folse's home and found narcotics including diazepam and Adderall.
A 'Russian spy' who worked as an interpreter for the Ukrainian government and visited 10 Downing Street in the summer has appeared in court.



Stanislav Yezhov - an interpreter for the Ukrainian cabinet - was detained by the country's police yesterday after Ukraine's prime minister accused him of having 'long been working in the interests of a hostile government'.

Now the alleged spook, who was seen just feet from Prime Minister Theresa May on a visit to London in July - has been photographed in a glass cage as he awaits trial at Shevchenkovskiy district court in Kiev.

Flanked by soldiers, with his hands in his pockets, Yezhov looked glum in his black turtleneck while photographers documented his every move and a judge sat at the end of the room.

Stanislav Yezhov - an interpreter for the Ukrainian cabinet - was detained by the country's police yesterday after Ukraine's prime minister accused him of having 'long been working in the interests of a hostile government'

Now the alleged spook, who was seen just feet from Prime Minister Theresa May on a visit to London in July - has been photographed in a glass cage as he awaits trial in Kiev

Flanked by soldiers, with his hands in his pockets, Yezhov looked glum in his black turtleneck while photographers documented his every move and a judge sat at the end of the room

Last night, he was recorded being led away in handcuffs on Ukrainian television.

Ukraine's security service said Yezhov acted 'on the orders' of Russia to collect information 'about the activities of government structures', with the help of 'special equipment'.

Yezhov gave data to the Russians through 'electronic channels of communication', the security service added.

Ukraine's state security service SBU detained Yezhov on suspicion of working in the interests of Russia, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said yesterday. Pictured: Groysman (left) with Theresa May at No 10. Behind them, circled, is Yezhov

It is not known, however, if he is accused of spying at the time he attended Downing Street in July.

Asked about the man visiting Downing Street, Mrs May told a press conference in Poland yesterday: 'I am aware of the reports in relation to a Ukrainian individual who attended Downing Street earlier in the summer.

'The matter is for the Ukrainian authorities.'

Asked whether he would raise the issue of the alleged spy during talks with Mr Lavrov in Moscow on Friday, Mr Johnson said yesterday: 'I think that is a matter for the Ukrainians.

'We want Ukraine to go on the right path and we are worried that Ukraine needs more encouragement, more help, to reform, to make sure it isn't captured by the wrong influences.

'I think possibly what this episode shows is the real difficulties and risks that the Ukrainian government is running. They need a lot of encouragement.'

Ukraine's state security service SBU detained Yezhov, 39, on suspicion of working in the interests of Russia, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said yesterday.

'Together with the Security Service of Ukraine, an official in the government's secretariat was found to be working for a long time in the interests of the enemy state. He was detained,' Groysman said on Facebook.

Stanislav Yezhov - an interpreter for the Ukrainian cabinet - was detained by the country's police

A Downing Street spokesman said: 'Security at Number 10 is kept under constant review.' Pictured left: Alleged spy Yezhov outside Downing Street. Right: Yezhov (highlighted) with Boris Johnson

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of reporting about the arrest of Stanislav Yezhov in Ukraine.' Pictured: Yezhov on board a plane

Ukraine's state security service SBU detained Yezhov, 39, on suspicion of working in the interests of Russia, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said yesterday. Pictured: Yezhov being led away by police

Mrs May said yesterday that Britain and Poland are concerned about Russian attempts to weaponise information. Pictured: Yezhov hanging his head while being taken away by police

Oleksiy Petrov, head of counterintelligence in Ukraine, told Pryamiy TV: 'The official had access to insider information about the Cabinet of Ministers'. Pictured: Yezhov being led away in handcuffs yesterday

Yezhov's home and workplace are now being searched by Ukrainian security services, they indicated. Pictured: Yezhov in front of a Ukrainian flag



His home and workplace were searched by Ukrainian security services, according to authorities.

A Downing Street spokesman said yesterday: 'Security at Number 10 is kept under constant review.'

Oleksiy Petrov, head of counterintelligence in Ukraine, told Pryamiy TV: 'The official had access to insider information about the Cabinet of Ministers.

'He was respected. And he responsibly and diligently worked for the Russian special services.'

He also met then-US Vice President Joe Biden in 2016.

The SBU said in a statement that the official was recruited by Russian agents while he travelled abroad. It said the official had been collecting information about the activities of the government.

Asked about the man visiting Downing Street, Mrs May told a press conference in Poland: 'I am aware of the reports in relation to a Ukrainian individual who attended Downing Street earlier in the summer. Pictured: May with Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki yesterday

Ukraine and Russia were once allies whose intelligence agencies often worked closely together, but relations deteriorated after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Mrs May said that Britain and Poland are concerned about Russian attempts to weaponise information.

'We have agreed today to bolster our cooperation to counter Russian disinformation in the region .... we are both deeply concerned by Russia's attempts to weaponise information,' she told reporters during a visit to Poland yesterday.

The revelation came as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Moscow for a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov tomorrow. Pictured: The foreign secretary in Poland yesterday

'The Kremlin is seeking to undermine the international rules-based system and it will not succeed.'

The revelation came as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Moscow for a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov tomorrow.

It comes at a time when relations between Moscow and the West are at their coolest for several decades.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of reporting about the arrest of Stanislav Yezhov in Ukraine.

'We can neither confirm or deny the allegations against him. It is not our practice to comment on legal proceedings in other jurisdictions.'
UN ambassador Nikki Haley vowed that the actions of nations who opposed the U.S. on a comdemnatory UN resolution would 'be remembered'  and now those nations are getting left out of a 'thank you' party.

Just nine nations including the U.S. and Israel voted against the resolution at the UN General Assembly condemning the Trump administration's decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

The overwhelming majority of nations voted to condemn President Trump's move. The final vote was 128-9 with 35 abstentions.

That vote came after a veiled threat by Haley, who told member nations in her speech: ''This vote will be remembered.'

UN ambassador Nikki Haley is holding a 'thank you' reception for nations that didn't support a resolution to condemn the U.S. for moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

SAVE THE DATE!: The invite went to nations who abstained or voted against the resolution

U.N.'s TINIEST PARTY Nikki Haley doesn't need to book anywhere big to invite the 'no' voters who were (apart from the U.S.): Guatemala Honduras Israel Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru Palau Togo Advertisement

Only Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo joined the United States and Israel in opposing the measure. Another 21 countries didn't show up to vote.

Those tiny nations get to join the U.S. at a Jan. 3d reception, according to a save the date invitation issued by Haley's office.

Haley 'invites you to a reception to thank you for your friendship to the United States.'

Longtime allies Canada, Mexico and Australia all abstained from the vote, which was mostly symbolic.

The non-binding resolution likely change President Donald Trump's course of action. But it declared that 'any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded.'

Haley lectured her peers and said that 'unlike' in some other countries, the U.S. government is 'answerable to its people' and can't spend money on failing institutions

The stunning vote tally shows an increasingly anti-Israelitrend among nations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East

Just nine nations (in red), including the U.S. and Israel, voted 'no' on Thursday; another 35 countries abstained rather than taking a stand

The UN General Assembly debated in advance of a nonbinding, symbolic vote condemning America's decision to recognize Jerusalem (shown) as Israel's capital and move its embassy there from Tel Aviv

Haley was not shy about warning nations the importance the U.S. was placing on the vote, and that there would be consequences.

'America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do. And it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that,' Haley lectured from the central podium.

'But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN.'
A post-mortem on a killer whale calf swept 25 metres inland by Storm Caroline has confirmed the creature was healthy when it was stranded.

Grisly footage shows the orca being cut apart and its organs examined - all of which appeared to show no signs of pre-existing damage.

The clip shows veterinary pathologist Dr Andrew Brownlow carrying out an autopsy on the whale after it was dumped in a field by the 100mph storm.

The marine animal expert from the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme travelled to Eshaness in Shetland earlier this week to conduct the investigation.

This three metre-long whale calf was blown inland by Storm Caroline's 100mph winds. It was discovered on Eshaness in Shetland earlier this month

Scientists performed a post-mortem on the stricken creature and discovered it was perfectly healthy before it had been stranded

Grisly footage shows the orca being cut apart and its organs examined - all of which appeared to show no signs of pre-existing damage

The marine animal expert from the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme. Footage showed the dead mammal's organs being examined

It is understood the four-year-old whale calf suffered an agonising death when it became stranded on shore while still alive, on December 7.

The three-metre long animal was discovered by a member of the public on the west coast of Shetland's main island.

In the gruesome clip, Dr Brownlow and staff from the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary roll the whale onto its stomach before taking various measurements.

At the start he describes the aims of the autopsy, saying: 'The thing we're really interested in, given its a killer whale, is these animals feed right at the very top of the food web.

'They eat marine mammals which themselves eat fish, they eat everything else. So whatever is going on with killer whales is representative of whatever else is going on in the ocean.

'This year and the last couple of years we've found quite alarming results with killer whales, not of this population but of ones that are off the coast of the western isles, what's called the west coast community.

Orcas are apex predators - meaning they have no natural predators and sit at the top of the food chain. Scientists say whatever happens with orcas is representative of the rest of the ocean

Scientists used knives and saw to get inside the killer whale. During the examination, they found the animal had recently fed on a seal

One shot from the film shows the corpse of the orca completely opened up, revealing the animal's internal organs

In another shot, the contents of the orcas stomach appears to be revealed, showing small fragments of bones

'These have very high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in them and what we want to try and do is see whether or not animals up here have similar levels.'

During the post-mortem investigation, it was revealed that the apparently healthy animal had recently fed on a seal.

At one point in the video Dr Brownlow can be seen taking a hand saw to the skull of the orca and opening it up to reveal the brain before scooping out a sample.

While another shot shows the animals lungs being opened up and large sections of its skin and blubber being removed.

In another shot, the contents of the orcas stomach appears to be revealed, showing small fragments of bones.

In total, the team spent three hours dissecting the sea creature and collecting various samples for testing.

Veterinary pathologist Dr Andrew Brownlow performed the post-mortem. He said the whale was in good condition before it was swept inland

At one point in the video Dr Brownlow can be seen taking a hand saw to the skull of the orca and opening it up to reveal the brain before scooping out a sample

The four-year-old whale calf probably suffered an agonising death when it became stranded on shore while still alive, on December 7

At the end of the footage, Dr Brownlow concludes: 'That was a slightly messy and rather, I wouldn't say unpleasant, but it was certainly not the most obvious way to spend Christmas week.

'What we have found however is really, really interesting. We know now that this animal was in actually OK, verging on good body condition at the point at which it died.

'We know that it came onto the beach alive and was probably brought on by the storms that came a couple of weeks ago.

'But really interestingly, from what we found in the stomach contents in terms of seal fur and the claw from a seal, is that we can confirm this is from a group that are feeding on marine animals such as seals.

'That's sort of useful to us, because when we start looking at the blubber, looking at the contaminant burden, looking at the stable isotope profile of what they've been feeding on and where they've been feeding.

A post-mortem on a killer whale calf swept 25 metres inland by Storm Caroline has confirmed the creature was healthy when it was stranded

The Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, the island's only wild animal rehabilitation centre, posted the interesting footage online yesterday

'Knowing that they've had seal in their stomach is very useful to enable us to interpret that information we'll get from the contaminant burdens.

'It was a healthy animal right up until the point it stranded at which it stranded on this beach here as a result of probably coming in on a very, very big storm on a very big tide and that is the reason that it died.'

He confirmed there were no obvious underlying conditions he could find.

The Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, the island's only wild animal rehabilitation centre, posted the interesting footage online yesterday.

The group wrote: 'It took Andrew and his Shetland team three hours to dissect the whale and collect samples for analysis.

'Such a sad end for one of the young orcas that have been inspiring whale watchers throughout these islands for the past couple of years.

'Local crofter Magnus Nicolson buried the whale, its skeleton to be recovered later for analysis and display, hopefully here in Shetland'
Determined to have a meaningful birthday this year, 9-year-old Ellesse Porco of Red Lodge asked her party guests to bring presents not for her, but for the homeless of Billings.

Then Ellesse and her sister, Maylie, decided they could also do without Christmas gifts, and that meant $200 more to be spent on wool socks given to homeless people Thursday during a party at the HUB.

To cap off their efforts, the Porco sisters and the party guests created handmade cards for HUB party-goers. One had a drawing of a smiling turtle with the Earth on its back and the message: All aboard!

Above a drawing of a horse, another child advises, When all is lost, gallop on!

Then there was this wisdom from a Red Lodge child: Have you seen the snowflakes? You might not think they or you are important. But you are important, and unique, and I love you for who you are.

Those cards made us cry, said Carmen Gonzalez, PATH team leader at the Mental Health Centers HUB. They were healing and non-judgmental. Those children are educating the rest of us because they can live without boundaries.

Writing those cards was powerful, said Kat Porco, the girls mother. What they say is there is someone out there who sees you as a person, not someone wandering the streets.

Maylie, who is 11 and has cystic fibrosis, was especially caught up in creating the cards, her mother said.

She knows how you can become identified with something, because shes Maylie with cystic fibrosis, and it is defining, Kat Porco said. Her cards tell people they are unique and have something to give the world. She knows its easy to get wrapped up in being something instead of being someone.

Remembering those lost

During a brief candlelight vigil on the Courthouse Lawn on Thursday, Billings residents honored the 13 people who died during 2017 while living with homelessness. The frosty vigil occurs during the shortest day  just before the longest night  of the year.

Keynoter John Felton, chief executive officer of RiverStone Health, said the people being honored have been duly categorized  homeless, street people, squatters, addicts, alcoholics, drug abusers, the mentally ill and even criminals.

It might be easier to dehumanize these folks with labels instead of names, he said, but the easy thing and the right thing are not always the same thing.

Lets help someone just because we can and they need some help, Felton told the crowd of more than 75 people. Lets give people the benefit of the doubt  I honestly believe that it really is just that easy.

This short day reminds us how short life is, said the Rev. Glenn Fournier of Montana Rescue Mission during a prayer to open the vigil. All of us have a lot of means. Soften our hearts, he implored the Almighty, to the plight of others.

When the vigil was over, people made their way to the HUB for a party and the distribution of the kits assembled by the Red Lodge children.

Russ Limberhand was remembering his mother, Ginger Littlebird, a homeless woman who died Oct. 6. Now her son, whos 20, stays most nights at Tumbleweed. He and his siblings are seeking jobs, he said, but so far have found only temporary work.

Russ turned 20 on Dec. 7. On that day, he said, he missed his mother acutely.

On our birthday, shed go all out and decorate, he said. I picture her in my head like that, and the sadness hits me.

A helping community

Those who attended the vigil donated gifts of warmth  hats, scarves, gloves and blankets among them.

It was a nice message to hear, when you see someone in need, be a good neighbor and step up, said Jeanie Mentikov, a RiverStone Health physician assistant.

She said most of the homeless people she works with arent homeless by choice, but are victims of circumstances.

Its wonderful to see this kind of support from the community, she said.

Everyone in here is an incredibly awesome person, Gonzalez said at the HUB before the party began. Your car didnt start this morning? Thats nothing compared to them.

The HUB serves about 600 people every three months, she said, and people are worried that announced and rumored state and federal cutbacks that will trim anti-poverty efforts could result in even more deaths in 2018.

These arent deadbeat dads or drunk Indians. Theyre people who died  and not because the community didnt try to help them, she said. They all died waiting for an answer to the question, Where is the hope? 

During her blessing at the vigil, Gonzalez lamented the darkness around us. I want to look at the positive, not the drama of the trauma, she said. These people died not when they left this Earth, but the day they had their trauma. Thank God there are good people in this community who help.
Two men pleaded guilty to assault in a street brawl in May near the Turkish embassy in Washington during a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Sinan Narin, 45, of McLean, Virginia, and Eyup Yildirim, 50, of Manchester, New Jersey each pleaded guilty to one count of assault in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Sentencing for the two is scheduled for March 15, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Police said 11 people were injured, including a Washington police officer, during the brawl which Turkey blamed the violence on demonstrators linked to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party

Video captured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) watching as his government security detail and several armed individuals violently clashed with protesters on Tuesday

At the time Turkey summoned the U.S ambassador to protest the treatment of Turkish security officials in the United States during a visit by President Tayyip Erdogan last week, the foreign ministry said.

A video had captured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan watching as his government security detail and several armed individuals violently clashed with protesters.

The incident occurred outside the residence of the Turkish ambassador with the president watching for a few seconds before turning to go inside.

The video, recorded by Voice of America's Turkish service, showed security forces brutally kicking and punching protesters before Erdogan emerges from a black Mercedes in the driveway to watch the incident.

It remains unclear if Erdogan communicated with the assailants while he was sitting in the car.

The protesters had gathered on Embassy Row in a peaceful dissent of the Turkish leader's policies on a range of issues such as his government's stance toward the Kurds and Armenians to his perceived assault on the country's democratic institutions

He turns to head inside the Turkish ambassador's residence but not before stopping to look back one last time.

Roughly two dozen protesters had gathered outside of the embassy in a peaceful protest of the Turkish leader's policies on a range of issues such as his government's stance toward the Kurds and Armenians to his perceived assault on the country's democratic institutions.

Social media was ablaze with witnesses reporting on the chaotic scene, which occurred in the middle of rush hour traffic along stately Embassy Row.

The video showed two men bleeding from the head and men in dark suits punching and kicking protesters, some lying on the ground.

Washington's police chief described the incident as a 'brutal attack' on peaceful protesters.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement the conduct of Turkish security personnel during the incident was 'deeply disturbing.' It confirmed the U.S. ambassador in Ankara had been summoned by the Turkish government to discuss the 'violent incidents.'

The Turkish foreign ministry said it summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest 'aggressive and unprofessional actions' by U.S. security personnel to the security team of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Because the altercation took place in broad daylight, many wonder if the US will charge the security personnel and other Erdogan supporters involved in the attack - all of whom could potentially claim diplomatic immunity (Erdogan is pictured on Thursday in Istanbul)

'It has been formally requested that the U.S. authorities conduct a full investigation of this diplomatic incident and provide the necessary explanation,' the foreign ministry said in a statement.

It said that lapses of security experienced during Erdogan's stay in Washington were caused 'by the inability of U.S. authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official programme,' adding that incidents would not overshadow what was otherwise a 'very successful' visit.

Washington voiced its strongest possible concern to Turkey over the brawl. U.S. Senator John McCain, one of the leading foreign policy voices in Congress, on Thursday called for the expulsion of Turkey's U.S. ambassador.

Eleven people were injured, including a police officer, and nine were taken to a hospital, after men in suits brutally kicked and punched the protestors. Several of the attackers claimed diplomatic immunity

Erdogan turned away from the brawl and headed inside the Turkish ambassador's residence but not before stopping to look back one last time

Erdogan was in Washington, DC to meet with President Donald Trump (pictured together on Tuesday), who praised him as a loyal ally in the battle against Islamic extremism. The White House has remained silent on the episode

The Turkish Embassy claimed on Wednesday that Erdogan's bodyguards were acting in 'self-defense' during the incident and the protesters were affiliated with the terrorist group PKK.

But a protest leader denied that anyone involved had any ties or sympathies to the PKK.

'We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms,' said Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman.

Erdogan was in Washington, DC to meet with President Donald Trump, who praised him as a loyal ally in the battle against Islamic extremism.

The White House has remained silent on the episode, with White House press secretary Sean Spicer referring reporters to the State Department.
Murder detectives are investigating after a man and woman were found dead in a flat on a quiet residential street in north Manchester.

The pair, who were both in their 30s, were found dead in a property in the Harpurhey area of the city this morning.

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths and that they are treating them as unexplained.

A man and women, both in their 30s, were found dead in a flat in the Harpurhey area of Manchester at 10.10am today

Greater Manchester Police confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths and that they are treating them as unexplained

A police spokesman said: 'At around 10.10am today, Friday 22 December 2017, police were called by the North West Ambulance Service to a property on Beech Mount in Harpurhey.

'On arrival, officers discovered the body of a man in his 30s and a woman in her 30s. The deaths are currently being treated as unexplained.

'Forensic officers and detectives will remain at the scene whilst investigations continue.'

Detective Chief Inspector Terry Crompton said: 'We have specially trained officers supporting the families at this very difficult time.

'I would urge anyone with any information that could assist our investigation to please get in touch.'

One neighbour said the people who lived in the Victorian bay-fronted building which was split into flats were mainly male and tended to keep to themselves.

They added they were deeply saddened by the deaths.

Detective Chief Inspector Terry Crompton said that anyone with information which could help the investigation should get in touch

Pat Kearney, Harpurhey ward councillor, said the deaths were especially socking because they came so close to Christmas

Harpurhey ward councillor Pat Karney said the deaths were especially appalling given they came so close to Christmas.

He said: 'It's shocking at any time to hear about such tragedies, but doubly so three days before Christmas.

'Everyone in the Harpurhey community wants to extend their sympathies to the families of these relatively young people.

'The police tell us they are not looking for anyone else in relation to these deaths.'
The millions of Americans travelling for the holiday weekend could meet flooding, sleet, snow and bitterly cold temperatures descending across the country.

And for those who are able to get to their destinations in a timely fashion, many will see a White Christmas.

Wet and wintry conditions are expected from Tennessee to Montana and up to Maine - and parts of the Northeast and Northern Plains have already had more than a foot of snow fall.

And snowflakes are expected to sprinkle through Christmas day in Pennsylvania, New York and northern New England. In parts of the Midwest and areas of high elevation there is expected to be a dumping of snow over the holiday weekend and all through the next week.

Roughly 2.7million Americans are flying to their holiday destinations on Friday ahead of the weekend.

And there will be millions more driving to visit friends and family over the holiday weekend, with more than 97million expected to take to the roads over the next week.

In total a record number of more than 107million people will pack into airports, railways and roads over the holiday weekend. This will be the highest year-end travel volume on record and a 3.1 percent increase in travel volume compared to last year.

The millions of Americans travelling for the holiday weekend could meet flooding, sleet, snow and bitterly cold temperatures descending across the country. Interstates 90 and 94 are pictured late Thursday night as holiday travel started around the country

Wet and wintry conditions are expected from Tennessee to Montana and up to Maine - and parts of the Northeast and Northern Plains have already had more than a foot of snow fall

Roughly 2.7million Americans are flying to their holiday destinations on Friday ahead of the weekend. And there will be millions more driving to visit friends and family over the holiday weekend, with more than 97million expected to take to the roads over the next week. Pictured are travelers at O'Hare International airport Thursday night

Of those traveling, 97.4million will go by road, 6.4million by plane and 3.6million by trains, buses, rails and cruise ships.

Many will meet treacherous road conditions with rain forecasted to fall around the country for the majority of the condition.

Slick roads will likely cause car crashes and huge delays from coast to coast.

There have already been a number of crashes and spin-offs in New England and parts of the west, and road conditions will likely worsen as the weekend continues.

Parts of New England are already blanketed in snow which will continue to fall throughout Friday and into early Saturday.

The snow will then turn to rain over top, and blasts of freezing air will likely cause everything to ice over.

Upstate New York already has more than a foot of snow - and the temperatures there and through the Northern Plains will continue to drop over the weekend, reaching the single digits by Christmas morning.

Between four and eight additional inches are expected to fall over the holiday weekend from Buffalo up through New England.

Further west freezing rain is already falling on Pennsylvania, and there are thunderstorms predicted from Dallas through Memphis.

Snow is expected to fall in parts of the Northeast and Northern Plains on Friday night and into Saturday. Later on Saturday it is expected to turn into rain, which will fall around the country and likely turn into ice in some areas

Winter weather advisories and storm warnings were posted by the National Weather service between the Great Basin and Rockies to northern New England for the upcoming weekend

Minnesota has light snow falling and coating the highways - which has caused a number of spinoffs for travelers looking to get an early start on their holiday weekend. Other parts of the upper Midwest have also had a few inches of snowfall.

Freezing temperatures and rain could also target areas down into the central and southern Appalachians and the Interstate 95 corridor, according to Accuweather forecasts.

Rain across the country mixed with freezing temperatures has caused roads to ice over around the country, and will likely cause power lines to freeze in some areas.

Light rain, fog and heavy clouds could cause delays in southern states such as Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee on Friday and Saturday.

Winter weather advisories and storm warnings were posted by the National Weather Service on Thursday for areas from the Great Basin and Rockies to northern New England for the upcoming weekend, according to the Weather Channel.

Delays were already starting up on Friday morning in Dallas when an air conditioner at Love Field Airport overheated and started to smoke up. The airport had to be evacuated and dozens of flights were delayed and cancelled.
This is the dramatic moment cops tasered an Alaskan man after he refused to leave a courtroom.

Angered David Haeg, 51, was not happy with being convicted for illegally killing wolves at Anchorage court in Alaska.

In the video he can be heard shouting 'It's a conspiracy' and 'I'm putting my f****** foot down because someone has to' before calling the judiciary system corrupt.

The cops step in and taser him as he becomes more animated and refuses multiple requests to leave the courtroom.

As the case drew to a close he told the public not to leave as he had not finished speaking.

He claimed the map used in the case against him for illegally killing wolves was falsified 'by altering lines in'.

David Haeg, 51, was not happy with being convicted for illegally killing wolves at Anchorage court in Alaska

After going on a rant and refusing to the leave the courtroom, cops step in and try to escort him out

As the dramatic footage unfolds, Haeg is tasered and is taken to the floor.

Six officers can be seen trying to pin the man down, but Haeg continues to shout as he struggles on the ground.

A woman in the gallery can be heard saying 'Judge you need to stop this right now.

'He's a citizen of the United States.

'It's a travesty.'

As the dramatic footage unfolds, Haeg is tasered and is taken to the floor as he shouts 'It's a conspiracy'

It takes six officers to hold Haeg down. A woman in the gallery can be heard shouting 'He's a citizen of the United States. It's a travesty'

Haeg was charged with disorderly conduct after the tasering.

'It was pretty traumatic, but court security officials did no more than necessary to prevent me from testifying about the constitutional violations above,' Haeg told KTUU

'I was in pain - my legs and back are covered in large welts, as a result of being tased so many times  approximately ten.'
A white Zimbabwean farmer has been given a hero's welcome after returning to the land he was evicted from by former president Robert Mugabe.

With a military escort, Robert Smart made his way into Lesbury farm, about 124 miles east of the capital, Harare, to cheers and song by dozens of workers and community members.

He is the first white farmer to be given back his land since Mugabe was removed from office and a new president installed.

Such scenes were once unthinkable in a country where land ownership is an emotional issue with political and racial overtones.

'We have come to reclaim our farm,' sang black women and men, rushing into the compound yesterday in support of the family.

Farmers Darryn, left, and Robert Smart, right, are welcomed back to their farm, Lesbury, by workers and community members yesterday

With a military escort, Robert Smart made his way into Lesbury farm, about 124 miles east of the capital, Harare, to cheers and song by dozens of workers and community members

Smart's return, facilitated by Mnangagwa's government, could mark a new turn in the politics of land ownership. During his inauguration last month, Mnangagwa described the land reform as 'inevitable,' calling land management key to economic recovery

Two decades ago, their arrival would have meant that Smart and his family would have to leave.

Ruling ZANU-PF party supporters, led by veterans of the 1970s war against white minority rule, evicted many of Zimbabwe's white farmers under a violent land reform program led by Mugabe.

Whites make up less than 1 per cent of the southern African country's population, but they owned huge tracts of land while many blacks remained in largely unproductive areas.

The evictions were meant to address colonial land ownership imbalances skewed against blacks, Mugabe said. Much of the international community responded with outrage and sanctions.

Of the roughly 4,500 white farmers before the land reforms began in 2000, only a few hundred are left.

But Mugabe is gone, resigning last month after the military and ruling party turned against him amid fears that his wife was positioning herself to take power.

New President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe ally but stung by his firing as vice president, has promised to undo some land reforms as he seeks to revive the once-prosperous economy.

Smart is the first to have his farm returned. Yesterday, some war veterans and local traditional leaders joined farm workers and villagers in song to welcome his family home.

'Oh, Darryn,' one woman cried, dashing to embrace Smart's son.

In a flash, dozens followed her. Some ululated, and others waved triumphant fists in the air.

'I am ecstatic. Words cannot describe the feeling,' Darryn said.

New President Emmerson Mnangagwa (pictured), a longtime Mugabe ally but stung by his firing as vice president, has promised to undo some land reforms as he seeks to revive the once-prosperous economy

Ruling ZANU-PF party supporters, led by veterans of the 1970s war against white minority rule, evicted many of Zimbabwe's white farmers under a violent land reform program led by Mugabe (pictured)

Smart's return, facilitated by Mnangagwa's government, could mark a new turn in the politics of land ownership. During his inauguration last month, Mnangagwa described the land reform as 'inevitable,' calling land management key to economic recovery.

Months before an election - scheduled for August 2018 at the latest - the new president is desperate to bring back foreign investors and resolve a severe currency shortage, mass unemployment and dramatic price increases.

Zimbabwe is mainly agricultural, with 80 percent of the population depending on it for their livelihoods, according to government figures.

Earlier this month, deputy finance minister Terrence Mukupe travelled to neighboring Zambia to engage former white Zimbabwean farmers who have settled there.

The evictions were meant to address colonial land ownership imbalances skewed against blacks, Mugabe said. Much of the international community responded with outrage and sanctions. Pictured: Mugabe with former communist Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 2005

The Commercial Farmers Union, which represents mainly white farmers, said it plans to meet the lands minister.

'I am advising our members to be patient and give it time. But I do see many of them going back into farming,' said Peter Steyl, the union's vice president.

'The government seems serious about getting agriculture on track but how it is going to achieve this, I don't know.'

The firmness with which the government ensured Smart's return signaled resolve.

At the farm, a soldier sat quietly in a van that acted as an escort for the family. His services were not needed. The people gathered there share deep social bonds with the family, away from the politics of race and elections.

'I have known this boy since day one,' said 55 year-old Sevilla Madembo. 'He was born here. I took care of him when he was young. He is back to take care of me now that I am old.'

She was born at the farm, which was home to her parents and grandparents.

'We are part of one family. We belong to the Tandi people. That's why we are going to perform a traditional African ceremony before we start on production,' Darryn said, going through the farmhouse.

Locks to some rooms had been changed by the 'new owner,' a cleric with close ties to Mugabe's family who has since lost his claim. Other rooms had been ransacked and most property was missing.

Left untouched on the walls were a portrait of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a photo of Zimbabwe's last colonial leader, Ian Smith, officiating at an agricultural fair.

Twenty-one white Zimbabwean farmers are pictured being released from prison after their arrest in 2001. They had clashed with war veterans over Mugabe's land reforms

Local chief Peter Tandi led efforts to lobby Mnangagwa's administration to allow Robert Smart to return. 'He voluntarily gave up his estates to the community when the land reform program started. He continued helping us with technical knowledge, equipment and other inputs,' Tandi said.

'That man supported the guerrillas during the war... He gave us a place to hide from colonial government soldiers,' said Gift Maramba, a war veteran and local ZANU-PF official.

Smart and his son held back tears while greeting familiar faces. Others were keen to get on with business.

'Hey Darryn, I want us to talk about my beans I stored in your warehouse,' one villager said.

'We can discuss that later, man. Come on, for now let's just be happy to be with each other again,' Darryn replied.
US Marshals have located a pregnant 14-year-old girl who has been missing for more than two weeks and arrested her fugitive cousin who is believed to be the father of her child.

Annalys Clay, of Barberton, who was last seen around midnight on December 4, was discovered at the scene of a two-car collision on Interstate 480 near Graydon Road on Thursday.

The expectant teen mom and her cousin, 33-year-old Louis Jakab, tried to flee on foot into the nearby woods, but police officers arrested the man.

Scroll down for video

US Marshals have captured fugitive Louis Jakab, 33 (left), in connection to the disappearance of his pregnant cousin, 14-year-old Annalys Clay (right), who was found safe

The pair were found in Cleveland after being involved in a two-car crash following a brief police pursuit (pictured is Jakab's damaged Audi)

Jakab and Clay had allegedly ran off together on the night of December 3, travelling in this 2017 black Audi A3 to Virginia

US Marshal Pete Elliott said the man was in possession of a toy gun when he was taken into custody, reported WKYC. Meanwhile, Clay was taken to Fairview Hospital for evaluation.

Jakab was wanted on charges of parole violation, interference with custody, robbery, theft, fraud, passing bad checks and receiving stolen property, according to a Cleveland.com report.

His criminal record, which dates back to 2003, includes a conviction for a manslaughter involving a shooting, which had sent him to prison for 10 years.

According to multiple reports, Clay and Jakab had a sexual relationship in October, at which time he possibly impregnated the girl. Clay is the daughter of Jakab's first cousin.

Jakab, who had served 1- years in prison on a manslaughter conviction, allegedly had a sexual relationship with his teenage relative (pictured together)

Clay's mother, 36-year-old Helenea clay (left), was arrested earlier this month for allegedly filing a false police report

Ms Clay has been posting photos and messages on her Facebook page professing her love for her daughter and urging her to come home

Federal officials said the pair ran off together on the night of December 3, travelling in a 2017 black Audi A3 to Virginia, where they were spotted on Monday, and then on to Pennsylvania, before returning to Northeast Ohio for the holidays.

Elliott told reporters the runaways were sighted on Thursday at the Denny's eatery on West 150th Street in Cleveland, and police were altered.

Officers from multiple agencies went in pursuit of the pair until Jakab crashed his Audi into another vehicle, eventually leading to his arrest.

Clay's mother, 36-year-old Helenea Clay, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly filing a false police report.

The woman initially told the authorities that her daughter assaulted her while she was driving her car, then jumped out of the car and was whisked away by her cousin, Louis Jakab.

Ms Clay had been posting photos and messages on her Facebook page professing her love for her missing daughter and urging her to come home, or to call her.
Former senior Royal Navy officer Charles Howeson, pictured, has been found guilty of ten counts of indecent assault against eight victims at Bristol Crown Court

A former senior Royal Navy officer has been found guilty of sexually assaulting young men during his illustrious career.

Pervert Charles Howeson, 68, assaulted victims while serving with the Navy including groping a junior rating during a man overboard drill.

He also 'humped' an odd-job man 'like a dog' at his house.

Complaints were made within the Navy but Howeson was let off with a warning and went on to pursue a successful career in the service.

He became a first lieutenant and second-in-command on a ship and felt he was 'too powerful' to be affected by complaints against him.

Howeson also abused young men after he left the Navy and went to work for an environmental organisation.

The earliest charge took place in December 1985, while Howeson, from Plymouth, was employed as an officer in the Royal Navy.

Howeson, from Plymouth, allegedly groped a junior rating on the ship during a drill, touching the young man's legs, lower back and genital over his clothing. He was let off with a warning

He allegedly groped a junior rating on the ship during a man overboard drill, touching the young man's legs and lower back and his genitals over his clothing.

The 'shaken and upset' victim reported the incident to a petty officer and the master-at-arms.

There was an investigation launched into Howeson's behaviour following a similar complaint from a ship's steward.

But Bristol Crown Court heard the defendant was let off with a warning about his future behaviour - and went on to enjoy a successful Navy career.

Howeson was also granted a similar 'escape' during his subsequent employment at environmental organisation where he was employed as executive director.

Bristol Crown Court heard Howeson went on to enjoy a successful Navy career, becoming a first lieutenant and second-in-command on a ship. He felt he was 'too powerful' to be affected by complaints against him

He has been found guilty of ten counts of indecent assault against eight victims.

Howeson was released on bail until a date to be fixed for sentencing.

The jury was unable to reach verdicts on two alternative counts against a boy aged 14 or 15 who used to live near Howeson's former home.

He was charged with attempted sexual assault of the teenager and indecent assault.

Judge Mark Horton adjourned the case for the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether to seek a retrial on those two counts next year.
A 63-year-old was handed a maximum sentence for shooting her husband dead in their kitchen.

Rosalie Kennedy gunned down Gary Kennedy, 66, in their home in Logan County, Ohio, but prosecutors are still baffled by the lack of motive.

She was the one who dialed 911 as her husband bled out on the kitchen floor in March having shot him twice.

Kennedy said she loved her husband and that he was her world, but Judge William T Goslee sentenced her to life behind bars.

A 63-year-old was handed a maximum sentence for shooting her husband dead in their kitchen. Rosalie Kennedy (left) gunned down Gary Kennedy, 66, in their home in Logan County, Ohio, but prosecutors are still baffled by the lack of motive

In court yesterday she continued to plead her innocence, saying: 'I loved my husband. He was my world.

'I love my family and he was my family. I have grieved for him every day.'

Speaking for the victim, the victim's son Jason Kennedy told the Bellefontaine Examiner: 'Its difficult to imagine what Gary went through. Our family is deeply pained by how Garys life ended.

Kennedy said she loved her husband and that he was her world, but Judge William T Goslee sentenced her to life behind bars

'He did not deserve the ending of life he was given. This will haunt us forever.

'Listening to the 911 tape (and other evidence), I think we saw a glimpse of what he regularly experienced when he was alive, the son said.

'In Christ, we can forgive Rose for what she did, but we will never forget what she did.'

Prosecutors previously believed her motive was anger, but there was no indication as to what exactly she was angry about, according to Logan County Assistant Prosecutor Alice Robinson-Bond.

Radio recordings suggest Kennedy admitted shooting her husband, according to the Springfield News-Sun.

She can be heard clearly emotionally distraught, begging the dispatcher to send help.

In court yesterday she continued to plead her innocence, saying: 'I loved my husband. He was my world. 'I love my family and he was my family. I have grieved for him every day'

When asked why she had shot her partner, she can be heard saying: 'Because he pulled out a gun and he turned it on me and I shot him.'

The couple were involved in at least one prior domestic incident, which dated back to March 1997.

He was convicted of disorderly conduct while the charges against her were dropped.
A French bulldog in China has stunned onlookers in parks with its amazing skateboarding skills.

The two-year-old pet 'Da Niu' taught himself the incredible stunt about a year ago after its owner Mr Fu brought it to a park in Yiwu of Zhejiang Province.

Da Niu enjoys skateboarding and can now skate at a high speed after months of practice.

Meet Da Niu the sports star: The dog teaches himself how to skate about a year ago in China

The two-year-old Da Niu enjoys the speed and fun as he charges energetically on a skateboard

Pear Video posted the clip showing the black-and-white pooch charging up quick on a skateboard, whose wheels were colourfully lit.

'I never train Da Niu particularly, he learnt it when I took him to a plaza one time,' Mr Fu said.

'Normally, I bring him to the plaza to play two to three times a week,' he added.

However, he said Da Niu is now has a higher proficiency and it's better to have him zoom around in empty places.

Mr Fu, Da Niu's owner, said he brings his dog to a plaza for skateboarding three times a week

The French Bulldog is now a 'professional skateboarder' after a year of self practice
President Donald Trump singled out $4.6 billion in missile defense funding as he signed a bill to keep the government open for a month with just hours to spare before a shutdown deadline.

The continuing resolution keeps the government running at current year levels through Jan. 19, after Congress failed to enact spending bills on time.

It also includes funding to purchase new missile defense systems to defend against ballistic missiles and set up new ground-based interceptors in Alaska.

President Donald J. Trump signs a missile defense bill in the Oval Office at The White House in Washington, DC. $4.6 billion in missile defense funding was included in a budget bill the president signed

As he signed the budget bill, Trump said it 'very importantly gives us the right and we are ordering $4 billion worth of missile defense equipment and missiles themselves. Very important. Top of the line best in the world,' the president said. 'We make the best mil product in the world. Notbody is even close.'

The missiles can be used to counter the growing missile threat posed by North Korea, which has pulled off a series of successful tests of its missile program that some experts now believe is capable of hitting cities on the U.S. mainland, even while detonating nuclear bombs.

'So were ordering R4b worth of missile defense,' said Trump. He did not mention North Korea and instead described the missiles as a reward for the military's success.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force practices deploying Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile interceptors on Sept. 7, 2017, at the U.S. military's Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, amid the increased threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs

In this handout image provide by South Korean Defense Ministry, Bombs hit mock target at the Pilseung Firing Range on August 31, 2017 in Gangwon-do, South Korea. U.S. and South Korea also operated air-to-ground strike drill in response to North Korea's ballistic missile launch which flied over Northern Japan on August 29.

'Our military has been doing a fantastic job in so many ways with ISIS and everything theyre touching lately has been working out so were signing that,' Trump said.

The continuing resolution has $2.4 billion to procure missile defense, along with $200 million to build an intercepter field in Alaska.

There is also $1.3 billion for R&D, The Hill reported, and $43 million for maintenance.

The president also wrote congressional leaders to have the spending declared 'emergency,' meaning the cost gets added onto the deficit. 'And Im very honored to be doing that,' he said.

Congress on Thursday passed the continuing resolution bill to keep the government running for a month.

This July 28, 2017 picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 29, 2017 shows North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Hwasong-14 being lauched at an undisclosed place in North Korea

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 07: People are taking pictures with a display of model missiles including a North Korean Scud-B at the War Memorial of Korea on February 7, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea

The Senate passed the short-term spending bill Thursday evening by a vote of 66 to 32, with Republicans joined by Democrats from more conservative states.

The short-term funding extension passed the House by a vote of 231-188 late afternoon Thursday  just over a day before funding was set to expire Friday night.

Only 14 House Democrats voted for the bill, which then headed to the Senate for likely approval. Just 16 House Republicans voted against their party leadership.

A separate bill to provide disaster aide following hurricanes passed the House by a vote of 251-169.

But the Senate won't take up that legislation until next year. It provides disaster aide for Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and California following hurricanes and wildfires.
On a frigid morning, students from Skyview High dropped off a warm gift at the Montana Rescue Mission Women and Families shelter.

Students made blankets as part of a monthly service project that's a joint effort between several special education classes.

"It feels good, just because you're helping someone else," said student Kile Skaggs.

Students toured the shelter Thursday when delivering the blankets, which will be donated to new arrivals at the shelter.

"The ladies here will really appreciate that you have done this," said rescue mission public relations manager Denise Smith. "They just came into the shelter within the last few days or week or so."

Students saw the kitchen area and different room styles that shelter residents stay in, including some that were newly remodeled. They also learned a little about rescue mission programs, like cooking classes that teach people cost-effective skills.

Smith asked students how many knew how to make the likes of mac 'n' cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Everyone raised their hand.

"We have people who don't know how to do any of that stuff," she said.

Other projects the Skyview students have worked on this year include volunteer work for the Billings Food Bank and a volunteering with holiday decorations for the elderly.

The other side of the coin for students is a monthly reward field trip, like bowling.
A Maryland woman whose boyfriend allegedly purposely set her on fire, forcing her to deliver her baby seven weeks early, said she's happy to be alive despite her painful recovery period.

Andrea Grinage, 30, was doused with flammable liquid and said to have been set on fire by her boyfriend, Laquinn Phillips, 34, at her Capitol Heights, Maryland apartment on September 6.

Grinage, who sustained burns to more than 70 per cent of her body, was forced into labor by the trauma and gave birth, seven weeks early, to a baby girl named Journey Aleah.

Andrea Grinage, 30, who was purposely set on fire by her boyfriend, said that she is happy to be alive and blessed that her baby, born seven weeks early due to the trauma, is healthy

The September fire left Griange with burns on 70 per cent of her body. She says her burns have left her in pain and she is now undergoing physical therapy to retrain her muscles

Grinage was 33 weeks pregnant when her boyfriend, Laquinn Phillips, 34, set her on fire at her Maryland home. She said that he had been abusive towards her during their relationship

'Even with the aches and pain, I'm just happy to be home. I'm happy to be able to walk and speak,' Grinage told News4 on Thursday, while speaking about her ordeal.

Grinage said that she is also 'happy and blessed' that Journey survived the premature birth and is healthy.

Grinage is currently undergoing physical therapy to retrain her muscles, in part because the scarred skin on her legs  which were severely burned  is attempting to contract.

'I have pain in my legs from the skin grafts,' Grinage said.

'With the severity of things, nobody expected me to be home so soon or be able to do the things that I'm doing,' she added.

Grinage said that Phillips, who is baby Journey's father, was abusive while they were together and that she had filed for at least one protective order against him in the spring.

Laquinn Phillips, 34 (left), was charged with first- and second-degree murder among other charges. Authorities said Jonathan Edward Miller, 27, helped Phillips during the attack

Phillips is said to have doused Grinage with a flammable liquid before setting her on fire during an incident occuring on September 6 at Grinage's apartment in Capitol Heights, Maryland

Phillips was charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, arson, assault and several related charges. He turned himself into police after the incident

Phillips was charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, arson, assault and several related charges after turning himself in to police.

News4 previously reported that Phillips is a personal trainer and runs a boot camp. He had been accepted as a firefighter with the D.C. Fire Department prior to the incident, but his status is pending the outcome of the court case.

A second man, Jonathan Edward Miller, 27, of Temple Hills, Maryland, was arrested and charged in connection with the incident. He allegedly helped Phillips set Grinage on fire.

Miller was charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, arson, assault and other related charges.
This is the heart-stopping moment a trail guide stops a charging elephant in its tracks - by standing incredibly still.

Alan McSmith calmly stood up to an elephant who was charging at him in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

The video is an example of how calm energy can influence the behaviour of wild animals.

Other trail guides admitted to Mr McSmith that they would probably have just shot the animal in panic if they were in the same position.

It is testament to elephant's intelligence and complex behavior and shows how humans and animals are able to connect.

The footage shows the elephant try to charge at Mr McSmith twice as he faces him without batting an eyelid, forcing the elephant to retreat.

Trail guide Alan McSmith manages to stop an elephant in its tracks by using 'calming energy'

The video of the incredible moment was taken at Kruger National Park in South Africa

Speaking to Newsflare, Mr McSmith, said: 'The elephant encounter is an authentic example of how calm energy can influence the behaviour of wild animals.

'Most trail guides who have seen the video admit that they may have shot the elephant in self-defence, it was that close.

'The footage is a testament to elephant's intelligence and complex behavior and shows how humans and animals can connect on a meaningful level,' he added.

'Therefore, ultimately, the video is about the elephant and not me.'

The footage is an example of how calm energy can influence the behaviour of wild animals
American Airlines Flight 2160 from Boston has just arrived in Washington, D.C., and Bette Nash, 81, helps the passengers disembark. They embrace her, take photos, and express their thanks.

It's always like this.

After six decades crossing the skies as a flight attendant, Nash still has impeccable style, incredible energy and a constant smile. She has lost only one thing: her anonymity.

Kendra Taylor, a passenger, beams after taking a selfie with the octogenarian, whom she had hoped to meet.

Bette has been flying for six decades and at 81 has become a celebrity in her own right

Bette chats with the Captain before disembarking

'When I saw her I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' I just saw her on TV last week!'

In a dark suit accented by a colored scarf, with her hair in a bun, Nash lends herself to accolades and plays with the compliments.

She is the undisputed star of the Airbus jet, rather than the captain, Mike Margiotta, who emerges from the flight deck.

'Very professional,' he says of his model hostess.

'She's got that old-school way of doing things.'

In this undated picture from a personal album courtesy of Bette Nash, Bette poses for a photo in her flight attendant uniform in Washington, DC.

In the United States, pilots must retire at 65 but there is no such restriction on commercial flight attendants, of whom Bette Nash is probably the world's most senior.

See her gliding through the terminal concourse, pulling her suitcase, and it's hard not to be taken by the admiring words one hears about her.

'I start my day at 2:10 in the morning. I have two alarm clocks and when they go off I don't lie there, I get up,' Nash says.

At her home in Virginia, bordering Washington, Nash prepares food for her only son, who is disabled, and who will be waiting for her return to solid ground.

Bette was 21 years old and Dwight Eisenhower was president when Eastern Air Lines recruited her as a 'stewardess,'

Primped, and fueled by 'a couple of eggs,' she arrives before sunrise at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Nash prefers the Washington-Boston-Washington route, on which she gets priority because of her incomparable seniority.

She was 21 years old and Dwight Eisenhower was president when Eastern Air Lines recruited her as a 'stewardess,' a word which -- like Eastern itself -- has disappeared from use.

At that time, travel by air was the preserve of a certain elite.

'There were a lot of men because they were doing business, and women came on with their fur coats, and their finery and their hats and everything. You didn't have... the flip-flops and the sneakers and things you do today,' Nash says.

Her own uniforms ranged, through the years, from conservative, to elegant, and 'wild.'

'When (president) John Kennedy came into office and everything, things started opening up, so we wore crazy uniforms. We even had hot pants for a brief period, and these boots,' she remembers.

In those earlier times, which seem almost prehistoric, there were no plastic meal trays. Hostesses cooked lobster and duck a l'orange equally well, and carved the meat. In first class, passengers dined with silverware and porcelain.

'We had five carts: we'd start with a beverage cart, then we'd have an hors d'oeuvre cart, then we'd have the entrees cart.'

Desserts followed, and then finally came 'a cordial cart.'

There was no mixing of classes. Flights were either all first class or 'tourist' class.

In the less-opulent class, 'we sold sandwiches and milk. Sandwiches were 50 cents and milk was 15 cents,' Nash says.

'We just had coffee, tea, hot chocolate and bouillon.'

American Airlines longest serving flight attendant, Bette Nash (R), 81 years old, checks the passengers' seats for forgotten items before disembarking from her daily return flight to Boston at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport in Arlington, Virginia on December 19, 2017.

Strikes, mergers, buyouts, Nash has gone through all the somersaults of the US aviation industry. She even worked for Trump Shuttle, an airline briefly owned by current President Donald Trump in the early 90s.

During one unforgettable approach to Washington, her plane was hit by turbulence so violent that part of a toilet separated, and it seemed as though a wing hit the ground.

'It was just terrible,' Nash said, recalling lightning that 'kept on coming in and I think we even flew over the White House that night, which was really illegal.'

The plane had to return to New York.

Ten years ago, for her 50th anniversary on the job, Nash's plane was welcomed on the tarmac by sprays of water from fire engines -- an honor normally reserved for veteran pilots or the baptism of a new plane.

American Airlines longest serving flight attendant, Bette Nash, 81 years old, walks in the airport corridors after disembarking from her daily return flight to Boston at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport in Arlington, Virginia on December 19, 2017.

Who imagined that Nash would still be there ?

'I am not going to work until I am 90,' she says, before adding on the subject of retirement: 'I don't want to think about it!'

Bette Nash will celebrate her 82nd birthday on December 31.
Donald Trump's animatronic addition to Disney's Hall of Presidents was unveiled on Tuesday, leading many people to wonder if the artist behind the figure had a different president in mind when they started the design.

Disney has been accused of starting the construction before the 2016 election and quickly revamping it after Hillary Clinton's crushing defeat.

People on social media have pointed out how the robot looks far more like the election loser than the winner, and many pondered if Disney started building the animatronic figure early because most pollsters had Hillary winning.

Donald Trump's animatronic addition to Disney's Hall of President was unveiled on Tuesday, leading many people to wonder if the artist behind the figure had a different president in mind when they started the design

Disney has been accused of starting the construction before the 2016 election and quickly revamping it after Hillary Clinton's crushing defeat

People on social media have pointed out how the robot looks far more like the election loser than the winner, and many pondered if Disney started building the animatronic figure early because most pollsters had Hillary winning

 Slide me 

'Here (sic) me out on this. Clearly Disney had Hilary's (sic) robot ready to go and then had to try to make it look like Trump,' Shannon O'Neill wrote on Twitter.

'Don't hate me. This is just a necessary and painful fact we all need to deal with.'

'The more I see of Disney's 'Hall of Presidents' Trump, the more I'm convinced they made a Hillary one first and had to redo it,' another user wrote.

'Disney was so sure Hillary would win they just made a Hillary robot for their hall of presidents and when Trump won they just put a trump skin over it and it looks like something straight from hell,' another joked.

And media outlets across the political aisle have wondered the same thing - with both left-leaning NPR and far right InfoWars pointing out the striking difference between Trump's face and his Disney sculpture.

A writer for Jones conspiracy theory-laden Radio Show even wondered if the engineer simply put a Trump wig on the Hillary robot.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Disney for comment, but has not heard back yet.

Some people have also pointed out the similarities between the robot's face and Ray Donovan actor Jon Voight. And others pointed out the animatronic figure's likeness to the Chucky Doll.

'Here (sic) me out on this. Clearly Disney had Hilary's (sic) robot ready to go and then had to try to make it look like Trump,' Shannon O'Neill wrote on Twitter

'The more I see of Disney's 'Hall of Presidents' Trump, the more I'm convinced they made a Hillary one first and had to redo it,' another user wrote

Another Twitter user joked that the robot looks like 'something straight from hell'

Some people have also pointed out the similarities between the robot's face and Ray Donovan actor Jon Voight

The long-standing attraction has a revamped 25-minute show about the history of the United States and those who governed it. A lot of people were unhappy that an animatronic figure of Trump was going to be displayed at Disney World

The Hall of Presidents has been a significant fixture at the Magic Kingdom since 1971 where visitors enter the theater inside a building that resembles Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

The long-standing attraction has a revamped 25-minute show about the history of the United States and those who governed it.

A lot of people were unhappy that an animatronic figure of Trump was going to be displayed at Disney World.

Around the time of Trump's inauguration a Change.org petition was created with people protesting against the businessman being in the Hall of Presidents.

The petition, which drew support from more than 15,000 people falling just short of its goal of 25,000, demanded that Disney not allow of Trump to speak due to his 'degrading, insulting and demeaning' comments, the New York Times reported.
Ohio governor John Kasich signed a statae law that prohibits doctors from performing abortions based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome

Ohio is prohibiting doctors from performing abortions based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome, joining other states with similarly strict legislation.

Republican Governor John Kasich signed the legislation into law on Friday.

Lawmakers had sent the bill to him earlier this month, in one of their last acts of the year.

The legislation, which cleared the GOP-led Legislature with some Republican opposition, makes it a crime for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy based on knowledge of Down syndrome.

The syndrome is a genetic abnormality that causes developmental delays and medical conditions such as heart defects and respiratory and hearing problems.

It makes performing an abortion in such cases a fourth-degree felony and requires the state medical board to revoke the physician's license if convicted.

Pregnant women involved in such procedures won't be penalized.

Under the law, convicted physicians will have their licenses revoked. Pregnant women will not be penalized. Pictured is a general view of a Pregnancy Decision Health Center in North Columbus, Ohio

Kasich's action was a victory for the anti-abortion group Ohio Right to Life, which argued it will prevent discrimination based on misinformation.

'Now that the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act is law, unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are given a shot at life' the group's president, Mike Gonidakis, said in a statement Friday.

Abortion rights groups argued the law would be another blow to women's constitutional right to legal abortion.

The executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, Kellie Copeland, said the law does nothing to support families taking care of loved ones with Down syndrome but instead 'exploits them as part of a larger anti-choice strategy to systematically make all abortion care illegal'.

'This law shames women and will have a chilling effect on the conversations between doctors and patients because of the criminal penalties that doctors will face,' Copeland said.

A statement from the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio on Friday said Kasich signed a 'blatantly unconstitutional bill'.

Ohio follows North Dakota and Indiana in enacting similar legislation; however, the Indiana law has been blocked by a federal judge. Pictured is a general view of a Planned Parenthood in Lorain, Ohio

The civil rights group said it is coordinating with its legal staff and coalition partners to determine the next steps.

North Dakota and Indiana were ahead of Ohio in passing similar restrictions.

The Indiana law has been blocked by a federal judge, who said the state has no right to limit women's reasons for terminating pregnancies.

The Indiana measure was enacted in 2016.

North Dakota's went into effect in 2013 and has not been challenged. That state's sole abortion clinic, in Fargo, says the issue hasn't arisen under its policy of not performing abortions after 16 weeks into a pregnancy.
Nine men who conspired to traffic and sexually exploit Romanian women as prostitutes across the UK - in an 'extremely sinister case' - have been sentenced for a total of 25 years.

The vulnerable women were driven to clients' homes and hotels throughout Lancashire after adverts were placed on website Vivastreet, Preston Crown Court heard.

Florinel Mitru, 31, Marius Trasca, 30 and Traian Gavrila, 31, from Lancashire, were among the several gang members arrested as part of Operation Ludlow - a nine-month probe into an organised crime group.

Ringleader Florinel Mitru, 31, from Preston, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison

Ionut Cosmin Dogaru (pictured left) got three years and four months, Alexandru Peter Baltoiu (pictured centre) was sentenced to two years and six months and Alexandru Pitigoi (pictured right) was given one year and 10 months in prison

Marius Dide, 27, from Preston, received two years in jail. Marius Trasca, 30, of Blackburn, was jailed for two years and nine months and two years and two months in prison was given to Marian Diaconu, 26, of Blackburn

Gang leader Mitru, of Preston, started to advertise 'out calls' - where the women would go to the clients hotels or homes - after police visited an address on St Barnabas Street, Blackburn, in June 2016, over fears that the premises were being used as a brothel.

Judge Robert Altham said the women were plainly vulnerable to exploitation.

He added: 'The case concerned a highly organised, well capitalised and sophisticated criminal enterprise.'

He detailed how one woman had arrived in Liverpool, at Mitru's request, without knowing what he did.

Judge Altham added: 'It is clear that in certain circumstances the women knew they would work as prostitutes. In her case she plainly did not,' reported the Lancashire Post.

Ringleader Mitru was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

Marius Trasca, 30, of Blackburn, was jailed for two years and nine months and Traian Gavrila, 31, from Preston, was locked up for three years and nine months.

Traian Gavrila (pictured left), 31, from Preston, was locked up for three years and nine months. Catalin Georgian Iordache (pictured right), 28, from Blackburn, was sentenced to one year and five months in prison

Ionut Cosmin Dogaru, 29, of Blackburn, got three years and four months and Alexandru Peter Baltoiu, 25, from Evesham, Worcestershire, was sentenced to two years and six months.

Alexandru Pitigoi, 25, also of Evesham, Worcestershire, was given one year and 10 months in prison and Marius Dide, 27, from Preston, received two years in jail.

Two years and two months in prison was given to Marian Diaconu, 26, of Blackburn, and Catalin Georgian Iordache, 28, also from Blackburn, was sentenced to one year and five months in prison.

All defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to traffic for purpose of sexual exploitation and were served deportation notices.

Mitru has convictions for corruption in Romania, and had at least 77,000 going through his bank account during the conspiracy.

The court heard the men controlled the women's entry into the country and their financial situation.

The criminals charged 120 an hour for the women and kept half.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau assisted the investigation by identifying false insurance details which had been obtained for some of the vehicles used by the gang.

Ben Fletcher, IFB Director, said: 'We are pleased that IFB were able to play a role in strengthening the case against Mitru. This is an extremely sinister case and we hope the sentencing goes some way in providing justice for the innocent victims involved.'

Det Sgt Stu Peall, of the Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Team for Lancashire Police, said: 'A team of seven officers worked tirelessly to bring these offenders to justice. We managed to save 11 vulnerable women from an uncertain future.

'The fact that these men admitted the offences is a testament to the strength of the evidence against them.

'Lancashire Constabulary remains committed to investigating human trafficking and modern slavery and taking robust action against those willing to exploit others for financial gain.

'Modern slavery is a difficult crime to detect and we would urge the public to report any concerns within their communities.'

A number of women have been safeguarded as part of the investigation.
Photographs document the horrifying abuse of a three-year-old boy at the hands of his mother and stepfather who are accused of murdering him, it has been alleged.

The images were referred to in the arrest affidavits of Miranda Miller, 36, and Stephen Bodine, 40, who are both facing federal murder charges for the death of three-year-old Evan Brewer.

They were found in a Google account called 'ballbuster' which was assigned to the email address Evanbrewer67@gmail.com.

Investigators believe they were taken with WardenCam, an app which turns home devices like smartphones and tablets into security cameras by activating their cameras when they sense motion.

Police found the files after Evan's body was found encased in concrete in the small laundry room in the home he once lived in with his mother and Bodine in Wichita, Kansas, in September.

The slab was discovered after the couple had moved out by the landlord. Miller and Bodine were already in custody after being arrested days earlier as they tried to move out the house.

Evan Brewer, three, was tortured in videos and photographs which his mother and stepfather recorded before they killed him and encased his body in a slab of concrete, it has been alleged

They were held for breaching a custody order issued months earlier which gave full custody to Evan's father. His mother and Bodine had been ignoring it for months.

His father reported ongoing domestic abuse at the home and a social worker investigated it in May but Miller claimed Evan was out of town with his 'sister'.

By the time he was eventually found, Evan's body was so badly decomposed that it is not clear what kind of injuries he sustained, how or when he died.

The videos discovered by police were time stamped and included abuse in March and May. Evan was last seen alive in July.

In September, his remains were found wrapped in a Ninja Turtles bed sheet, towels and roof tarp.

Bodine and Miller are both awaiting their first court appearance for his murder.

Among the photographs and videos which police found after their arrest is one which allegedly shows his mother spanking his bare buttocks in a bed, shouting at him for moving around.

Another allegedly shows Evan standing naked with a chain around his neck, standing on a piece of cardboard on top of wooden pallets.

One photographs how him standing naked with a belt tied around his neck.

In other footage, Bodine can allegedly be heard shouting: 'Here you go tough smart guy. Think you can hear me coming now? Think you are so smart? Bet you you're not.'

Miranda Miller, 36, and Stephen Bodine, 40, Evan's mother and stepfather, are charged with his murder

In the videos obtained by police, Evan appeared standing naked with his hands behind his back, sometimes with a belt around his neck

TIMELINE OF ABUSE March 12: Timestamp on video of Evan standing naked being shouted at March 19: Carlo Brewer made report to Kansas Dep. for Children and Families that his son Evan had a broken nose March 24: A social worker spoke with Miranda and Evan at her office. She noted he had a small abrasion on his back too but he was allowed back into her care April 22: Carlo reports ongoing physical abuse at the home May 1: Social worker goes to speako to Bodine May 2: Same social worker as before sees Miranda and she tells her Evan is in Oklahoma with her sister May 4: Carlo reports again that he hasn't seen Evan since March 19 and cites a friend's concerns that Bodine was beating Evan and Miranda July 17: He is granted custody and a notice is taped to the front door of home August 3: Another police officer goes to house, finds Bodine but he says neither Miranda nor Evan are still living there August 11: Bodine tells Carlo and a friend that they have gone to Oklahoma August 30: Bodine and Miranda are arrested trying to move out house September 2: Landlord finds concrete slab with Evan's body inside Advertisement

In others, Evan appears naked in the same small room as Bodine shouts at him: 'I'm f***** sick of you. You're going to lose everything.'

In addition to the first reference of the photographs, their arrest affidavits also reveal the long timeline of alleged abuse which led up to the discovery of Evan's body.

Evan was last seen alive by his biological father Carlo Brewer in March 2017 when he saw him with what he thought was a broken nose.

When he asked Miller if she had been abusing him or if Bodine had, she lashed out and threatened that he would never see the boy again, he claimed.

He told police about it and they tried to contact Miller and Bodine at their home but there was no answer, it is claimed.

It was not until July that Brewer was awarded full time custody of Evan. That is when police began trying to remove him from the care of Bodine and Miller.

They spent a month pinning notices to their front door to tell them to hand the child over but little more was done.

On August 30, the couple told their landlord they were planning to move out and their neighbor called police.

They were arrested on their way out of the home with a U-Haul truck.

Once in custody, they refused to say where Evan was and the pair were held for breaching the custody order.

It was not until September 2 that Evan's body was discovered when the landlord went into the property the couple had fled to clean it.

By the time Evan's body was found, it was so badly decomposed that experts could not determine how or when he died

The abuse was filmed at the couple's home in Wichita, Kansas (Above) which is where police found Evan's body encased in concrete in September

'While working in the utility room located at the back of the residence, he attempted to remove a carpet covered platform that had tool boxes stacked on top of it,' the arrest affidavit reads.

'The platform was much heavier than he expected so he removed the tool boxes and pulled off the carpet

'He found that it was a large block of concrete with a wooden lower frame and caster wheels. The block is large enough to encase a child's body.

Evan's father last saw him on March 19 and reported that he had a broken nose. He called police several times between then and September, when his body was finally found, to report abuse but nothing was done to remove Evan from his mother and Bodine's care

'He then drove to a tool store and purchased a sledge hammer to break it open.

He returned to the residence and started hitting the block to break it open because he feared Evan was inside. He struck the block breaking deeper into the concrete and was hit by a rotten odor emanating from it.

'He believed the smell was Evan's body so he stopped and called 911,' it reads.

When the police officer arrived, he told her he was crying while 'he swung the sledge hammer because he feared Evan was inside and that the concrete block reminded him of a tomb.'

Police have not yet been able to determine when or how Evan was killed.

When they searched the home, they found a receipt for concrete, a threaded rod and a concrete trowel. It was dated May 26.

Friends of the couple have since told police that they took and dealt methamphetamines.

One person told police that Bodine allowed men to molest his daughters from a previous relationship in exchange for drugs.

Miller and Bodine were arrested in August as they tried to leave their home. Both refused to tell police where Evan was. Months earlier, the boy's mother told social workers he was with her sister

According to people who sometimes looked after Evan, he was constantly terrified and would flinch at the slightest sound of a raised voice.

He was particularly scared of Bodine, they said, and would sometimes wet himself at home to avoid having to cross paths with him in their home.

According to Bodine's former wife and his daughter, he was abusive, violent and prone to beating children.

They told of how he kept his daughter's head under water on three occasions for so long that she would have to be revived by CPR.

The affidavits also cite inmates who Bodine apparently confessed to once in jail that Evan was dead.

He allegedly told them that he helped his mother get rid of the body at her request.

Bodine and Miller are both due in court for their preliminary hearings on January 11. Both are charged with first degree murder and child abuse.

Evan's father has since hired an attorney and claims the system failed his son. It is not clear yet if he plans to file civil action.
Track Palin's ex-girlfriend has told how he attacked her as she held their one-month old son and revealed how his parents Sarah and Todd did not want police involved when he threatened to kill her.

Jordan Loewe, 24, exclusively revealed to DailyMailTV how she had suffered a series of attacks by her 28-year-old former partner and said: 'He told me he was going to kill me.'

She became the second woman to accuse him of domestic violence this week and spoke as he was freed on bail after an alleged attack on his father.

Court documents revealed how his ex-wife, Britta Hanson, accused him of attacking her in front of their six-year-old daughter in November.

Loewe and Track Palin became parents to Charlie, now 15 months, after he split from Hanson.

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Track Palin, Sarah Palin's eldest son, walked free on Thursday morning after spending five days in jail in the wake of his attack on father Todd Palin last weekend and returned to his home to start house arrest while he awaits trial

Palin, 28, was charged with burglary and assault after allegedly punching through a window to get inside his parents' Wasilla home, and then beating his father

He was was photographed exclusively by DailyMailTV carrying his belongings in a plastic bag as he returned to his home to begin his detention there

Track was seen on his cell phone outside his home following his arrest last weekend

Both women filed this week for protective orders requiring Palin to stay away from them, after he was charged with attacking Todd Palin at his parents' home in Wasilla last weekend.

He must remain under house arrest with an ankle monitor and was photographed exclusively by DailyMailTV returning to his home to begin his detention there.

Court papers reveal that most of the Palin family have received protective orders requiring Track to keep away from them and the family home.

Loewe, however, told DailyMailTV that Track's parents had not always been in favor of involving authorities.

'He's told me he was going to kill me and his parents knew that,' she said.

'They didn't want me to call the police. They know, there's no doubt about it. I think they wish they didn't know but they know.

'I did stay quiet each time, I never spoke about anything before this. I wanted to respect their privacy and mine and I just didn't think the world needed to know.

'But I'm at the point that keeping quiet didn't do anything and he's hurt more people, so it's time to speak up.'

Track's ex-girlfriend Jordan Loewe (right) 24, said she dated him for a year before breaking up with him after a terrifying incident of domestic violence in January 2016

Loewe is the mother of Track Palin's youngest son Charlie (right). Loewe told DailyMail.com she has filed to remove Track's visitation rights on their child

Loewe said that she was angered by the court's decision to allow him to be released on a low bail.

She said: 'I think he has a lot of issues  not just instability but a lot of mental health issues that have never been addressed. I think there's a bit of PTSD there but that's not the main problem. There's a lot of problems and that maybe just adds to it. It's the same with alcohol, it exacerbates it.'

Jordan said she was unaware if Track, a veteran who served in the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, in Iraq, was using drugs.

'When I was with him, he was sober for year at that time and there was still a lot of violence problems,' she said. The issues are there, with or without substance abuse. He doesn't think have a problem so much as anyone wants to help him  you can't help yourself.'

Jordan and Track were together for a year before she broke up with him after a terrifying incident of domestic violence in January 2016. Track was arrested on the night of January 18 she told authorities he punched her in the face and allegedly threatened to shoot himself with an AR-15 rifle.

Track Palin remains on house arrest in his Wassila, Alaska home (pictured). Most of the Palin family have received protective orders requiring Track to keep away from them and the family home

He was charged with assault, interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime and possessing a weapon while intoxicated. The first two charges were dropped in July when Track agreed to a plead guilty to misconduct involving weapons while being under the influence. Track agreed to complete an alcohol-related treatment as part of the agreement. Anchorage District Attorney Clinton Champion also revealed that Track planned to enter a therapeutic program for 'several months' to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.

A few months later after the incident, Jordan found out she was pregnant. 'Around the middle of my pregnancy, we started going to counselling to try to figure out how to co-parent. In the midst of all that we did get back together and decided to try to work things out. He was going to help and change and go to these treatment programs but that obviously didn't happen.'

Jordan moved back in with Track in August 2016 and their son, Charlie, was born in September last year.

However things did not improve. Jordan said: 'He was still so controlling and possessive and had temper problems. I had to file a restraining order a second time because was he was so crazy. He was physically hitting me when he was mad and throwing things at me while I was holding Charlie when he was one month old. He tried to run me off the road in his car when Charlie was in my back seat. He would spit in my face.

Jordan, pictured while pregnant with the Palins, says she keeps her distance from the family. She said that she received a call from the Palin family on Saturday evening letting her know that Track was in jail

Track is the eldest child of Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, and Todd Palin. Jordan says it is not news to Sarah and Todd that Track has problems and that she had even been to them for help in the past

'The last month of us being together was crazy. I was still trying to co-parent with him and let him see our one-month-old. It was terrible. I think he really didn't want our relationship to end so he just had these crazy swings from really trying to make it work and then when I would tell him it wasn't going to work, he would go off the deep end.

'He would tell me he was watching me through my window and would put a bullet in my head, he was going to kill my family. Then he would cry and say he was going to go to counselling and fix this.

'Nothing is really an excuse. I didn't know Track before he went into the military but his friends and family have told me he has had anger and violence problems his entire life. The military probably just made it worse, just like alcohol makes it worse.'

Britta Hanson, Palin's ex-wife, also filed a protective order preventing him from coming near her and her daughter, Kyla (pictured)

Earlier this week, Jordan filed a court order changing her custody agreement with her ex. Hanson, Palin's ex-wife, also filed a protective order preventing him from coming near her and her daughter, Kyla. Track is now not allowed near Hanson's home or her daughter's school and is not able to call, his ex or daughter.

Jordan said: 'I have full physical custody of Charlie but we share legal custody and that means he has a right to supervised visitation. However I filed to get all that taken away.'

Jordan said that she received a call from the Palin family on Saturday evening letting her know that Track was in jail.

'I don't know what they think,' she said. 'I think they know there is a problem but I don't know if they are done dealing with Track or choose to turn the other cheek because it's easier. But he's 28 years old  at what point do you stop coddling your child? He doesn't want to help himself and they don't take any measures to force him to help himself. I don't know how you can't know about his mental health issues. I think his whole family are aware, its been going on for a long time.'

She said that it is not news to Sarah and Todd Palin that Track has problems and that she had even been to them for help in the past.

'I would call them and tell them. I tried to call them before I would call the police and most of the time that worked and they were able to at least keep me safe and get me away from him.

'I don't have any family out in Wasilla. So when I was living there [with Track], I didn't have anywhere to go, except to drive all the way back to Anchorage and in the middle of winter, when it was dark, I didn't want to do that with Charlie.

'A few times, I would go over to their house. I would feel safe at their house away from him and they could talk him down sometimes but sometimes not, so they saw all of that.

Jordan's father Matthew Loewe, 49, said he was always concerned for his daughter because 'I think he's going to kill someone sometime'

'They have always been against calling the police because then it's all over the news and a really big deal. To me, the fact that they called the police this time, tells me that it must have been really bad because I have seen him be absolutely crazy in front of them and they haven't called the police.'

Jordan believes that Track has never properly committed to help for his issues and doesn't believe that he has a problem.

'Help has been offered to him. We went to vet [veteran] court and there were treatment programs that were offered. I put it into our custody agreement, it was something he could work towards, if he went to classes for anger management and alcohol treatment.

'I said that if he did that then he could see Charlie on regular visitation and it didn't have to be supervised. I gave him an opportunity to fix his problems and if he did that he could spend more time with him, and he never did anything.'

She said that some of the Palins keep in touch with her and maintain a relationship with their grandson. 'I wouldn't say we get along but there's not a lot of problems. For the most part we are civil with each other and they reach out to me if they want to see Charlie  which is usually once every couple of months.

'We keep our distance. There are members of the family  not the immediate family - that I am in touch with.

She said that the Palin sisters  Bristol and Willow - kept their distance from her.

'They are a really tight-knit group so they have each other's backs, no matter what. Even still, they have Track's back right now and they are upset with me for speaking out against this as it's 'disrespectful to their family'. The restraining orders that the Palins have were put in place by the state of Alaska, so they didn't file for them themselves.

Happier news: Sarah Palin's 23-year-old daughter Willow announced her engagement to boyfriend Ricky Bailey in the wake of her brother's arrest. Palin shared two pictures from the moment Ricky got down on one knee and popped the question at Rockefeller Center in NYC

Family affair: The former Alaska governor later posted an image of her children Bristol, Willow and Trig along with Track's son Charlie and Ricky (bottom right)

She said that Track contributed to the raising of their son with child support, 'sporadically'.

'He's supposed to pay me child support and he kind of does, when he can afford it. Sometimes I'll get a $100 payment but he still owes me quite a bit of back child support. I think in the summers when he's making more money, he way paying more. He works for a directional drilling company.'

She said that she has minimal contact with her ex. 'I last ran into him at the Alaska State Fair. He walked right past Charlie and myself and acted like he didn't know us. The last time before that I saw him was at our court date in March.'

Jordan works full-time as the local hospital as a patient-care technician. She said that she was caring for Charlie alone 'with the help of her family' when she was at work. She broke out in a huge smile as she talked about her son, who is now 15 months old. 'Oh my gosh, he is just the best thing,' she said.

Jordan Loewe's father Matthew Loewe, 49, also told DailyMail.com that he was worried for Jordan after seeing what Track was capable of in the domestic violence assault against his father, Todd, last weekend.

'I'm always concerned for her because I think he's going to kill someone sometime,' Loewe said. 'He's got a control problem and his drinking is going to get to him. He's going to make a bad decision one day and whoever's in his way I hope it's not one of us.'

Loewe said that he had always liked the Palin family and sympathized with what they were going through. 'I like the Palins and I've got nothing bad to say about them. Unfortunately Track drags their name through the mud and continues to do it.

'Track and Todd have had tension for years. They've got their problems. They just have to put up with it and you can only imagine what their life is like with it.'

He added: 'I think that if he doesn't start getting some help, he's going to end up He's got anger management issues, drinking problems and he doesn't have boundaries. This is the second incident involving a gun.

'I think it says a lot that Todd had to get a gun knowing he was coming over. He was afraid for what was going to happen.'
Ricky Bolden, 37, took a plea deal for the second-degree murder of John Ferrari, 61, who he struck multiple times with shovel in Monticello on September 21, 2016

A New York man who admitted to beating his boss to death with a shovel has been sentenced to 21 years to life in prison.

Ricky Bolden, 37, took a plea deal for the second-degree murder of John Ferrari, 61, who he struck multiple times with shovel in Monticello on September 21, 2016.

The arrangement was made so that Bolden could waive his right to an appeal and so the victim's family wouldn't have to stand trial, according to what Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell told Judge Michael McGuire in Sullivan County Court as per the Times Herald- Record.

Authorities say Bolden, from Monticello, was employed as a maintenance worker at the Pardess Bungalow Colony in the town of Thompson when he used a shovel to kill 61-year-old John Ferrari, of Riverdale, New Jersey, in September 2016.

There was surmountable evidence tying Bolden to the killing of Ferrari. The victim's DNA was found on blood stains on Bolden's sneakers, sweatshirt and jeans.

Video from the colony showed the two walking off to the rear of the property only for Bolden to reappear driving Ferrari's car less than an hour later.

Authorities say Bolden, from Monticello, was employed as a maintenance worker at the Pardess Bungalow Colony in the town of Thompson when he used a shovel to kill 61-year-old John Ferrari, of Riverdale, New Jersey, in September 2016

Bolden pawned a stolen chain from Ferrari 17 minutes after he took the car.

Thirteen sharp-force injuries from the shovel fractured the man's skull and several more we injuries were found on his arms and face.

Bolden dumped the body under trash and debris and set fire to hide his crime. The next day, he came back and stole the colony's security cameras but dropped the DVR. Police were able to find that, Farrell said.

Police found Ferrari's body on the property two days later while investigating a missing person report.

His lawyer, Larry Gold, stated that his client acted out in rage but has since had remorse.

Bolden apologized to members of Ferrari's family who were in court. As part of the plea, Bolden has waived his right to appeal the case.

'I know that words can never make up for my actions,' he said.

'Mr. Ferrari was a good man to me, and I apologize for my actions.'
James Baker, the FBI's leading lawyer who was a confidante of fired FBI Director James Comey, has been reassigned from his post, as the agency's top personnel are under high scrutiny.

Baker told colleagues he will assume different duties for the bureau, the Washington Post reported.

Baker oversees the bureau's Office of General Counsel, and has received such awards as the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in counter-terrorism in 2006.

He also was the subject of a leak investigation over the summer after Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered a crackdown on leakers.

James Baker, the top lawyer at the FBI, has been reassigned, as the bureau comes under heightened scrutiny by congressional Republicans

People familiar with the probe told the Post it had ended with a decision not to bring charges against any officials.

The FBI had no comment when asked why Baker was being reassigned and what he would be doing.

His reassignment comes at a time of increased scrutiny and pressure on the agency, following the release of private text messages between agents working in the Hillary Clinton email probe.

Peter Strzok, the FBI's deputy head of counter intelligence, was removed from special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian election interference in August following the revelation that he and Lisa Page, a senior FBI lawyer, exchanged 10,000 texts in which they called Trump an 'idiot' whose election was 'f***ing terrifying'.

The disclosure has led to hearings in Congress, with the deputy FBI director quizzed this week for eight hours on apparent anti-Trump bias in his agency.

President Trump has asked FBI Director Chris Wray to 'clean house'

Baker was close to former FBI Director James Comey, who President Trump fired after Comey testified Trump asked him for 'loyalty'

Could be questioned: Two House committees are to make formal requests to interview Lisa Page, Strzok's FBI lawyer lover, after their exchange of anti-Trump texts was revealed

The Department of Justice released scores of their texts, revealing that the lovers discussed an 'insurance policy' if Trump won the election.

President Trump, who fired Comey, has tweeted that the FBI is 'in tatters' and called on Wray to 'clean house.'

Comey appointed Baker to his General Counsel post. Circa reported in July he was the subject of the leak probe.

According to reporting by the Post into the leak probe, NSA officials were concerned that information about a classified program was revealed, in the course of efforts to correct an earlier report.

'Jim was distressed about it but was confident he hadn't leaked anything' a U.S. official told the paper.

FILE - In this June 7, 2017, file photo, FBI acting director Andrew McCabe listens during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington

President Trump tweeted Dec. 3: '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.'

He also suggested that Wray, who he nominated to succeed Comey, 'needs to clean house.'

On Thursday, House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees grilled Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe over his involvement of the probe of Hillary Clinton's emails, an inquiry that ultimately did not result in charges.

Republicans also pushed him on the origins of the 'dirty dossier' on President Trump, and whether it was the foundation for surveillance of Americans.
A federal judge in Billings this week sentenced an Emigrant man to four years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters also imposed 10 years of supervised release in sentencing Noah Roger Washa, 29, on Wednesday and ordered him to register as a sex offender.

Washa pleaded guilty in July to possessing child pornography. Watters dismissed a distribution count as part of a plea deal. He faced a maximum 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus requested a nine year sentence, while Assistant Federal Defender Steve Babcock recommended a three year term, court records said.

An investigation began after DropBox.com reported to law enforcement in October 2015 that child porn images had been distributed over its server, the government said. The distribution involved about 41 images and 97 videos, many of which showed prepubescent children involved in sex acts with adults.

The investigation found that Washa had created the DropBox.com account.

Officers served a search warrant in August 2016 at Washas residence and seized electronic media. Washa acknowledged in an interview with investigators that he had used his DropBox.com account to upload child porn and that he knew it was illegal.

Watters continued Washas release and ordered him to self-surrender when assigned to a prison.
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These polar bear cubs were almost tickled to death by their great play fight.

Adorable pictures show the bears appearing to have a fun tickle fight in the Arctic snow, rolling around and even showing toothy grins to each other.

After tumbling around in the snow and batting each other with giant paws, one bear eventually stood triumphantly over its sibling.

The two cubs were getting in some light-hearted practice during the play fight, but the skills they are honing will come in handy in serious territorial battles in the future.

Adorable pictures show the bears appearing to have a fun tickle fight in the snow, rolling around and even showing toothy grins to each other

After tumbling around in the snow and batting each other with giant paws, one bear eventually stood triumphantly over its sibling

The tickle fight was captured by a Russian second mate on the expedition ship 'Polar Pioneer' Alexey Seafarer, who spotted them north of the Spitsbergen archipelago.

In some of the pictures the animals are more or less hugging, while in others they seem to be scrapping heartily with each other on the ground.

Alexey, 35, said: 'Our job is to show the north off to tourists, so we especially searching for polar bears to show them. We were really lucky to find this mum and two cubs.

'It doesn't happen often that we come across a mum with cubs, so we were delighted.

The two cubs were getting in some light-hearted practice during the play fight, but the skills they are honing will come in handy in serious territorial battles in the future

The tickle fight was captured by a Russian second mate on the expedition ship 'Polar Pioneer' Alexey Seafarer, who spotted them north of the Spitsbergen archipelago

'When we first saw them they were eating a seal together and then the cubs started to play. The mother was watching on.

'We were about 50 metres away from them, but the clear weather made photographing them very easy.

'The mother glanced at us bit they did not take much notice of us. The bears don't care about people much, and some of the younger ones will even come up close to sniff you because they are interested.

'We try to stay out of the way as much as possible.'

In some of the pictures the animals are more or less hugging, while in others they seem to be scrapping heartily with each other on the ground
An quarrel with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer exploded into a full-blown altercation on Thursday as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus scolded him for undermining their efforts to pass legislation that protects Dreamers.

Congressman Luis Gutierrez led the charge, telling the Democratic Party boss, 'I feel like your throwing us under the bus.'

Schumer told the House member that the claim was 'insulting' and tempers flared.

Gutierrez replied, '"Don't you dare raise your voice at me,"' and Schumer responded, '"You raised your voice first," 'a member of Congress who witnessed the altercation told DailyMail.com.

An quarrel with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer exploded into a full-blown altercation on Thursday as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus scolded him for undermining their efforts to pass legislation that protects Dreamers

Congressional Hispanic Caucus legislators are fuming over Schumer's pleas this week to Democratic lawmakers to vote for a resolution to keep the government open even though it did not address the plight of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. when they were children.

Lawmakers who are part of the caucus, and Democrats who aren't, had committed to using the must-pass spending bill as leverage to get the DREAM Act signed into law.

Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House, signaled her support for the tactic when she last month said, 'We will not leave here without here without the DREAM Act passing with a DACA fix.'

However, the movement to allow a partial shutdown of the government to take place until an immigration compromise could be reached fizzled out.

Two continuing resolutions to keep the government open were approved by Republicans with the support of Democrats in the House and the Senate.

The latest bill extends federal funding through Jan. 19, taking the pressure off legislators finish the fiscal legislation or face a shutdown three days before Christmas.

Members of the Hispanic caucus were staunchly against the deal, and Latino leadership said so during a meeting with Pelosi, Schumer and Democratic leader Dick Durbin on Wednesday that was first reported on by the Washington Post.

Pelosi concurred, a member familiar with the discussion said. She ultimately voted against the GOP-brokered spending resolution.

Schumer made excuses and claimed that they would never see DREAM Act legislation become law if they made this their big stand.

The following day at a convening of the full CHC group two Members of Congress revealed conversations they'd overheard in which Schumer had called Democratic representatives and asked them to vote in favor of the resolution that punted the spending debate to the middle of January.

Schumer told them their yea votes would grease the skids for members of his caucus in the Senate to let the legislation pass without incident.

'That pretty much set everybody off,' a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus revealed to DailyMail.com.

A group vote was held, and they decided it was time to confront Schumer.

'It devolved pretty quickly,' the source said of the argument that ensued between Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, and Gutierrez, an Illinois representative who plans retire at the end of 2018.

Others jumped in, and Schumer eventually agreed to back off. In the end, 32 Democrats refused to support the resolution. The effort fell short, though, of the 41 necessary to launch a filibuster.

'We weren't that naive. We knew we weren't going to get the DREAM act at the last minute,' the CHC member who spoke to DailyMail.com said. 'What we knew was that we could not have Schumer undercutting us anymore, and that we had to make sure he knew this was a red line, especially when he goes into the budget cap negotiations.'

Democrats will have another chance in January to force the issue when federal spending authorization nears the end of its rope once again.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus legislators are fuming over Schumer's pleas this week to Democratic lawmakers to vote for a resolution to keep the government open even though it did not address the plight of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. when they were children. Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House, signaled her support for the tactic last month

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is hopeful it can use a cap on defense spending that was introduced by the sequester as a bargaining chip to prevent the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, DACA, or a version of it from concluding in March.

'You cannot deport 800,000 families. That is not American, and we are not going to let any Democrat continue to do that, especially someone who's supposed to be in leadership,' the member said.

Illegal residents who came to the U.S. as youth will be stripped of their protection in March, according to a mandate from President Donald Trump's administration.

The executive action allowing them to stay this long was unconstitutional, the Trump government has said.

'We understand the anxiety of the Hispanic caucus and share their anguish on this issue. Were going to do everything we can to get the Dream Act done,' Schumer said in a statement provided to the post after the argument.

Gutierrez suggested cooler heads had prevailed in a tweet that said: 'This fight continues in January & I think Dems are on same page now.'

Trump has said the Dreamers can stay in the U.S. as long as he get his border wall and an immigration overhaul that eliminates the visa lottery system.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week that he'd bring legislation that achieves those goals to the floor if the two sides can broker a deal by the end of next month.

'Yeah, not gonna happen,' the person who spoke to DailyMail.com said. 'We could litigate this in the election year, but we're not going to create a new migration system because Donald Trump created a fake emergency using Republican attorneys general or his so-called Sophie's Choice where he had to somehow revoke DACA.'
The man, believed to be in his 60s, was found unconscious after suffering a heart attack

Mystery surrounds an elderly runner who collapsed and is now left fighting for his life alone as no friends or family know of his critical condition.

Christmas is just around the corner and police are eager to discover the identity of the man so his loved ones can spend this time supporting him.

The man, believed to be in his 60s, was found unconscious by a passerby after he had apparently suffered a heart attack.

Emergency services were called to Kendra Hall Road, Croydon, on Thursday December 21 at 11.39.

Only a single Yale key was discovered on the man.

Emergency services were called to Kendra Hall Road, Croydon, on Thursday December 21 at 11.39. Only a single Yale key was discovered on the man

He wore a black tracksuit and trainers suggesting he had been running before his fall.

The man remains in intensive care at a central London hospital and is in critical condition.

Police say they have conducted extensive enquiries but have yet to find any of the man's family and friends.

Police have released images of the man's clothes in a bid to find his relatives. He wore a black tracksuit and trainers suggesting he had been running before his fall

Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan, said: 'It's very important that we identify this man as soon as possible to make his loved ones aware and to safeguard anyone he may care for.

'We appreciate the public's support at this busy time of year and hope that we can contact his friends and family before Christmas.'

The incident is not being treated as suspicious.

Officers urge anyone with information of his identity to call Croydon police on 020 8649 0145.
This is the mugshot of a man accused of murdering his mother by stabbing her repeatedly in the throat on Wednesday.

Justin Jay Paul, 22, is accused of murdering his mother Jeanette, 50, at their home in Westland, Michigan, on Wednesday morning then fleeing the scene.

He was arrested shortly afterwards after a family member found Jeanette's body in the house.

The young man was shot in the leg as police took him into custody.

Justin Jay Paul, 22, is pictured smiling in his mugshot after allegedly murdering his mother at their home on Wednesday. It is not known if the blood on his face is his, from when he was shot in the leg by police, or hers

He denies the killing and entered a not guilty plea to a single murder charge in court on Friday.

Prosecutors have not revealed what they think drove him to commit murder.

The man's father told Click Detroit that he suffers bipolar and ADHD but he said he had no problems with his mother.

Police were called to the family home shortly aft

er 10.30am on Wednesday after a relative found Jeanette's body inside.

Jeanette Paul, 50, was found with stab wounds to her neck. She was pronounced dead at home

The attack happened at the family's home in Westland, Michigan, on Wednesday morning

They went door to door looking for Justin and found him 15 miles away in Livonia.

He tried to run away at first and was shot in the leg and taken to hospital.

Police say he had a knife in the front pocket of his trousers when they found him.

Justin is being held without bond until his next court date which has been set for January 4.
Princess Michael's decision to wear the blackamoor brooch is not the first time she has been embroiled in controversy after allegedly telling black diners to 'go back to the colonies' and claiming not to know her father was an SS officer.

In 2004 she was branded a racist by a group in a New York restaurant after a row erupted over the noise she claimed they were making.

The royal was accused of slamming her hand down on the group's table, telling them: 'You need to quiet down.'

Princess Michael claimed to be shocked by revelations that her father (pictured, right) was a high-ranking member of the SS

Restaurant boss Silvano Marchetto offered to move Princess Michael and her party to another room.

Before switching tables the royal is alleged to have said 'you need to go back to the colonies'.

The princess was reportedly challenged at the time and was said to have replied: 'I did not say "back to the colonies", I said you "should remember the colonies".

The princess was accused of racially abusing black diners at this New York restaurant in 2004

Princess Michael was spotted wearing the brooch as she attended a dinner also attended by Meghan Markle

'Back in the days of the colonies there were rules that were very good.'

She is alleged to have continued: 'You think about it. Just think about it.'

One of the group, Wall Street banker Merv Matheson, who said: 'She has a problem and that problem is racism. She needs help.'

The princess was accused of telling a table of black diners to 'go back to the colonies' in a New York restaurant in 2004

AJ Callaway was also caught up in the alleged row and was surprised to find out she was a member of the Royal family.

'I thought she was just a crazy woman. I still think she's a crazy woman,' he said at the time.

A spokesman denied that the princess made the slur, which reportedly arose from a confrontation about the group making too much noise in the Da Silvano restaurant.

Princess Michael, pictured in 1984, once claimed to know the real story behind Princess Diana

Born Marie-Christine von Reibnitz in the final months of World War Two, she joined the Royals when she married Prince Michael (pictured)

In 2014 it was revealed her father, Baron Gunther von Reibnitz, was a high-ranking SS officer, which the Princess Michael claimed was shocking news to her.

He joined the Nazi party in 1930 but would escape to Bavaria in 1945 when it was occupied by the Americas.

Princess Michael was born Marie-Christine von Reibnitz during the final months of World War Two.

Princess Michael of Kent was at the centre of controversy when she was accused of telling black diners in New York to 'go back to the colonies'

Historian Philip Hall unearthed the baron's Nazi link at the Berlin Document Centre, where evidence showed he had joined the SS three years before Hitler became chancellor.

He also found references to Baron Gunther von Reibnitz being recommended for an appointment by Herman Goering and he is believed to have fought on the Polish front.

After the war's end, the baron split from his family. The children and their mother headed to Sydney, Australia, and he settled in Mozambique, where he ran a citrus farm.

The princess, pictured at the signing for her 2004 book Serpent and the Moon, was accused of telling black people in New York to 'go back to the colonies'

The Czech princess joined the British Royal Family when she married Prince Michael of Kent in Vienna in 1978 and would later claim her union with the Silesian was an arranged marriage.

She famously accused the British of racism in the 1980s when she said in an interview: 'The English distrust foreigners.

'I will never become British even if I live here the rest of my life.'

Known as Princess Pushy, she complained about the rent she was paying after the Queen was forced to bring Kensington Palace's rates in line with market value

She was branded Princess Pushy until 2013, when she was described as Princess Cushy for whinging about the rent she paid to Kensington Palace.

Before 2010 she was paying just 69 a week in peppercorn rent, but would go on to pay 120,000 a year to stay at the palace, which has ten main rooms.

The new rent rate was imposed when the Queen was forced to restructure her grace-and-favour residences a few years ago to bring rents into line with present-day market values.

She also courted controversy when she told Tatler magazine she knew 'the real story' about Princess Diana following her death in 1997.
A former Marine has been arrested for plotting a Christmas Day attack on San Francisco's Pier 39.

The FBI announced on Wednesday that Everitt Aaron Jameson from Modesto, California, had been taken into custody.

They found a manifesto at his home which denounced Trump for recently declaring Jerusalem Israel's capital and they also discovered three handguns and four fireworks.

For months, Jameson had been speaking to an undercover FBI agent who he thought was a high-ranking member of a terror group.

Agents started looking into him after one of their sources flagged his Facebook profile to them. The source said they noticed him 'liking' posts in support of ISIS and terror attacks against the US.

Between October and this week, Jameson exchanged messages with the source and with a second undercover FBI agent who he thought were both high ranking members of terror groups.

Among their messages was his offer to use a truck from the tow truck company where he worked to further the 'cause'.

He also asked them for materials included a PVC pipe, ammunition, powder, nails and an assault rifle, they said.

Jameson's plan was to set off explosives at the pier to 'funnel' crowds to a certain area where he could then hurt them further by presumably shooting them, according to the documents.

He said he was familiar with the site and sent the undercover agents maps and the photographs of it, they said.

Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, from Modesto, California, was arrested on Wednesday for an alleged terror plot. He is pictured above in a recent Facebook profile picture where he declared Jerusalem the capital of Palestine after the president's recent declaration that it is Israel's capital

This is the statement FBI investigators found inside the man's home. It was dated December 16

On Facebook, Jameson, opposed President Trump's recent announcement that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel - a move which enraged millions of Muslims around the world.

Jameson, who refers to himself as a 'slave of Allah' online, said Jerusalem was Palestine's capital instead.

In his correspondence with the agents, he called himself a 'revert' meaning he had returned to Islam after not believing.

On December 16, he allegedly met with an undercover FBI agent and proposed a bomb attack on the tourist destination.

'Jameson specifically named Pier 39 in San Francisco as a target location because he had been there before and knew that it was a heavily crowded area and that according to Jameson, no reconnaissance or site survey would be necessary.

'Jameson explained that he also desired to use explosives and described a plan in which explosives could 'tunnel or funnel' people into a location where Jameson could inflict casualties.

He described a plan in which he explosives could 'tunnel' or 'funnel' people into a location where Jameson could inflict casualties

'He replied that he could do it this week (the week of December 18-December 25).

'Jameson also stated that Christmas was 'the perfect day' to commit the attack,' the FBI's arrest affidavit reads.

In his manifesto, he allegedly described being inspired by the October 31 New York City attack of Sayfullo Saipov who killed eight people by mowing them down on cycle path in a rented Home Depot truck.

The 26-year-old served graduated from the US Marines training in 2009 and was awarded the 'sharp shooter' title.

He was discharged later for failing to disclose he had asthma.

According to the FBI's arrest affidavit, Jameson offered to help other people he thought were jihadis by giving them use of his tow truck for 'the cause'.

On October 27, he told the agent, who he believed was a high-level member of a jihadi group: 'I am here to beg to join the cause against darul kuffar. I'm ready.

He said he was a 'revert' which meant he could 'blend in' and cause more 'shock and awe'.

Jameson works for a local tow truck company which has a contract with the City of Modesto, according to the FBI.

Jameson, 26, graduated from Marines training in 2009 but was later discharged for failing to tell them he had asthma. He describes himself as a 'slave of Allah' on social media

FBI agents say he revealed his plot to unleash terror on San Francisco's Pier 39 (above) to an undercover agent

On November 27, FBI agents watched him as he worked at the site.

They later saw him driving a truck around Modesto, they said.

At the start of December, a second FBI agent who was posing undercover began speaking with him on Facebook.

Jameson, 26, graduated from the marines in 2009 and was later discharged for not telling them he had latent asthma

He is alleged to have told them: 'I was a soldier in the Kuffar army before I reverted. I have been trained in combat and things of war. In Sha Allah anything of that nature, as well as funding. Anything for Allah.'

Later, he told the agent 'they needed something along the lines of New York or San Bernardino'.

Jameson continued to speak to him over text message but, on December 18, backed out of the plot, they said.

'I also don't think I can do this after all. I've reconsidered,' he allegedly said.

The FBI searched his home on December 20 and found inside a 'last will' and a statement.

The statement read: 'I Abdallah adu Everitt ibn Gordon have committed these acts upon the Kuffar, in the name of Dar al Islam, Allahu Akbar! You all have brought this upon yourselves.

'There is no innocent Kuffar! Each and every Kuffar in this Nationalistic, Godless society has a hand in this.

'You've allowed Donald J. Trump to give away Al Quds to the Jews. Both You and he are wrong, it belongs to the Muslemeen. We have penetrated and infiltrated your disgusting country. These acts will continue until the Lions of Islam overtake you.

'Turn to Allah, make tawbah and fight with us, the soldiers who fight in the day and night. Allah SWT is most forgiving, I am not. Long live Isil, Long Live Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

'Abdallah abu Everitt ibn Gordon al-Amriki.'

During the search of his home, he allegedly admitted to supporting ISIS and said he would have been happy for an attack to be carried out.

'During the search of the residence, FBI Agents interviewed Jameson.

At periodic times during that interview, Jameson stated his support of ISIS and terrorism and discussed aspects of the plan to carry out an attack, noting that he would not be happy if an attack was carried out,' it read.
The Environmental Protection Agency is suffering a brain drain, and that's just the way the Trump administration wants it. But most of those leaving aren't actually environmental scientists.

The 47-year-old government bureaucracy employed just over 15,000 people at the end of 2016, but will be down to less than 14,300 workers by year's end.

About half of the 15,000 last year were scientists, engineers and environmental protection experts; the rest were mostly lawyers, public relations professionals, bookkeepers and computer experts.

Of the more than 700 who have accepted buyouts, retired or quit in 2017, just 200 are scientists and less than 100 fell under other environmental protection categories.

That suggests more non-science staff and fewer scientists departed than should be expected, given their proportion in the agency's workforce.

More than 700 Environmental Protection Agency employees will have quit, retired or taken buyouts in 2017 by year's end; the number includes a smaller proportion of scientists than they represent in the EPA's workforce

President Donald trump, who claimed during his campaign that the EPA was waging a 'war on coal,' wants to return the agency to late-1980s employment numbers, cutting around 3,200

The New York Times, however, reported Friday that the departures reflect 'poor morale and a sense of grievance' in a Trump era marked by 'muting government scientists.'

The Times story, whose headline claimed EPA staff were 'disheartened by [the] agency's direction,' was co-written by ProPublica, a liberal nonprofit news agency.

They interviewed Thomas Burke, who was an EPA science adviser during the Obama years.

'I think it's important to focus on what the agency is all about, and what it means to lose expertise, particularly on the science and public health side,' he argued.

'The mission of the agency is the protection of public health. Clearly theres been a departure in the mission.'

An administration official told DailyMail.com on Friday that 'we're all pretty dedicated to trimming the fat, but not just at the EPA.'

'Anybody who's heard the president speak should understand that running a tight ship is what he's all about.'

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 7: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt presided over about 15,000 workers earlier in the year, but after a hiring freeze, buyouts and retirements that number is down to around 14,300

It's clear that the current EPA staff cuts are a continuation of a trend that started under George W. Buch and continued unabated while Barack Obama was president.

There were 17,558 EPA employees at the end of 2000 and 17,049 at the end of Obama's first year, 2009.

Bush's eight-year drop of about 500 EPA employees pales in comparison to Obama's, which was roughly 2,000.

'The EPA offered two major buyouts during the Obama administration,' the Times reported, 'losing 900 employees in 2013 and an additional 465 the following year.'

'Hundreds of other workers left through attrition and were not replaced.'

A union executive who represents EPA employees said, however, that Obama was bowing to pressure from Republicans.

'This is the effort of the Republicans under the Obama administration on steroids,' American Federation of Government Employees Council 238 president John O'Grady said.

The EPA itself sees shrinking its footprint as a sign of the kind of efficiency that President Trump was known for during his real estate years.

Agency spokesman Jahan Wilcox told the Times that 'with only 10 months on the job, Administrator [Scott] Pruitt is unequivocally doing more with less to hold polluters accountable and to protect our environment.'

The Trump administration ordered a hiring freeze at the EPA and many other agencies in January, leading to what CNN estimated in April were 350 unfilled job openings.

Overall, according to the Times, the administration aims to shrink the agency by 3,200 employees, putting it back to late-1980s numbers.

Reuters reported in late September that more than 2,000 were already eligible for early retirement with full taxpayer-funded benefits.
Willow Palin is standing by her brother Track just days after his arrest for beating up their father Todd.

The 23-year-old hairdresser took to social media and blasted her brother's critics on Friday, saying: ' I swear the second people decide to post a rude comment about someone else's family ... all of the sudden they come from a family full of frickin saints who have done no wrong.'

She also took aim at one woman in particular who wrote: 'Well at least her brother didn't kick the s*** out of the fiance. By the way is Willow knocked up yet? You know, like following in her sister's footsteps.'

Willow responded by mocking the woman,saying: 'Still wanting to be young and hip trying to keep up with her daughter. Twice divorced. Spends majority of her time trolling Instagram. Takes enjoyment out of her sad life to make unnecessary comments that doesn't get her anywhere.'

She also commented: 'Bout to lose my shiete and call all these cowards out.'

Scroll down for video

Clap back: Willow Palin lashed out at people criticizing her brother Track in the wake of his recent arrest on social media

Don't try it: 'I swear the second people decide to post a rude comment about someone else's family...all of the sudden they come from a family full of frickin saints,' she wrote

Back in action: Track gives a thumbs up after being dropped off at home

Willow also shared some more exciting photos of her and groom-to-be Ricky Bailey from their trip to New York City.

'Cannot wait to marry my best friend! Love you forEVVV RickyB!! Ps he nailed my ring its everything I imagined and more!!' she wrote.

She later showed off her ring and said that Rickey picked it out himself, with her only requests being that the bauble was oval ans the setting rose gold.

Willow also shared picture of herself and Ricky heading to the airport to go home and celebrate as well as the treat she had purchased for her mother Sarah at the famed NYC bakery Magnolia.

Ricky also posted a photo that showed him popping the question, writing: 'Went off and got ourselves engaged.'

The couple have been together for four years, and Ricky has been a frequent fixture in social media posts shared by the family over the holidays for the past year.

It was just four days after police in Wasilla took Track into custody on domestic violence charges that the former governor of Alaska got a chance to share some good news by announcing Willow's engagement.

'Good things happen!!! My happiest baby girl Willow and Ricky, last night at Rockefeller Center!!! So, so happy,' wrote Sarah.

She posted two photos of the happy couple from Tuesday along with the moment Ricky got down on one knee in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Sarah later posted a collage of images that included Willow's ring, Willow with Ricky and an image of her children Bristol, Willow and Trig along with Track's son Charlie and Ricky.

'Congrats! Rick and Willow 4-eva,' read the print at the bottom of the mocked-up announcement.

Bristol Palin also posted a photo of the couple in New York City along with a nice close-up of her sister's ring.

'I am DYING!! My little sister is getting married!!!!!' wrote the mother-of-three.

Willow's youngest sister, Piper, posted a photo as well sharing how excited she was about the news.

That announcement came on the heels of the news that Bristol was pregnant with her son Tripp.

And while things are going better-than-ever on the east coast for Willow, it is a much different story back home on the west coast for Track.

They did: Willow and her fiance Ricky Bailey traveled home to Alaska on Friday after getting engaged in New York City on Tuesday night

Beauty: The 23-year-old hairdresser shared photos of her engagement ring saying Ricky picked it out himself and she only asked that it be oval and rose gold

Big news: The couple has yet to celebrate with their friends and family

The 28-year-old veteran walked free on Thursday morning, but court papers reveal that most of the Palin family have received protective orders requiring Track to keep away from them and the family home in the wake of his attack on father Todd Palin this weekend.

That includes his dad, newly engaged Willow and her older sister Bristol but not minor children Piper and Trig who would still like to see their big brother according to courtroom testimony from Todd on Monday.

Sarah also wants to speak with her son.

It was revealed that Kaleb Westfall posted Track's bail, handing over the required $5,000 in cash, and that the oldest palin child will be forced to wear an ankle bracelet while on house arrest.

It is not just his parents and siblings who want Track to stay away either, as his exes Jordan Loewe and Britta Hanson also both filed orders for themselves and their children with the troubled 28-year-old veteran.

Hanson's filing for a domestic violence order on Monday revealed the Palins had received their own protective orders, while also detailing an incident last month during which she claims Track attacked her in front of their child and later threw tools at Todd's head while threatening to beat him up.

She was granted a short-term order shortly after submitting her petition, which reveled that Track has now been accused of committing domestic violence against multiple people including Hanson, Loewe and his father Todd.

In the section about her daughter, Hanson also wrote 'yes' when asked if domestic violence had been 'committed against the child.' The Blast was the first to obtain a copy of Hanson's filing.

At the same time, Track's ex Jordan Loewe also filed an emergency motion to change the child custody agreement that is in place between the couple.

Track and Jordan are the parents of a son Charlie, who is almost two.

Meanwhile, Track does not look to be going anywhere soon as he remains behind bars despite his bail being posted over 24 hours ago, unable to come up with either the $5,000 cash bond or find a court-ordered third-party custodian.

If his parents or some other family member does not step up soon he may spend Christmas in jail.

'On December 16, 2017 at 2036 hours, Wasilla Police responded to a reported disturbance at a residence in Wasilla,' a department spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Tuesday of Track's arrest.

'Following an investigation, Track Palin was arrested for domestic violence burglary in the 1st degree, domestic violence assault in the 4th degree and domestic violence criminal mischief in the 4th degree. Palin was transported to the Mat-Su Pretrial facility.'

An incident report that was included in the young man's charging documents reveals that he broke into his family home through a window after being told by Todd he was not welcome, and then began to hit the man over the head.

Todd had tried to keep his son out by meeting him at the door and pointing a gun at him, but Track was able to disarm the man and 'put him on the floor' before beating him bloody.

Sarah told police her son, 28, was 'freaking out and was on some type of medication.'

Sweet treat: Willow also brought home some goodies from Magnolia for her mother

After Track assaulted his father, a bloody Todd fled the home followed by Sarah, and Track engaged in a brief standoff with police.

'Given the nature of actions addressed last night by law enforcement and the charges involved, the Palins are unable to comment further,' said Sarah and Todd's lawyer John Tiemessen.

'They ask that the familys privacy is respected during this challenging situation just as others dealing with a struggling family member would also request.'

Track is not represented by the same lawyer.

'Track stood on the porch,' wrote Officer Adam LaPointe of the Wasilla Police Department.

'Communication was attempted which failed due to Track yelling and calling myself and other officers peasants and telling us to lay our guns on the ground before approaching the residence.'

He then went inside the house before reappearing on the roof of the garage so he could get a look around the entire property according to Office LaPointe.

After that Track again when into the house, where he remained for approximately 15 minutes before reestablishing communication with police.

Track then turned himself over to police, admitting he had a few beers earlier in the night and had gotten into a argument with his father over the use of a car.

'Track said he had been talking to his dad, Todd, about a vehicle,' reads the report.

'Track stated he had a disagreement and that there had been threats made between them. Track stated that he then drove over to Todd's house and when he arrived Todd had a gun in his hand,' reads Officer LaPointe's sworn affidavit.

When Track then looked through the window next to the door he saw 'Todd point a gun at him.'

The eldest son of Sarah and Todd then told his father to shoot him several times before deciding to break a window in order to enter the home.

'Track stated that he went through the broken window and disarmed Todd and put him on the ground,' states the affidavit.

'While Track had Todd on the ground he started hitting Todd in the head. Todd was able to get away from Track and out of the residence.'
The Navy said on Friday that it will grant waivers to 50,000 sailors who have physical fitness failures in their records as part of a new initiative to keep more individuals in uniform.

The Navy Times reports that the military branch has given a command to immediately stop discharging sailors who have multiple failures in their Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) records.

The directions also instructs the Navy to cancel any pending discharges for sailors slated to be released after March 31, with the changes applying to both enlisted individuals and officers.

The Navy said that it will immediately stop discharging sailors who have multiple failures in their Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) records

The directions also instructs the Navy to cancel any pending discharges for sailors slated to be released after March 31

The Navy said that the new PFA rules were being instituted as part of an effort to keep more sailors in uniform to increase force capacity by 4,100 by September 2018.

Before Friday's message, rules guiding fitness standards forced sailors who failed their PFA twice in a three-year-period to leave the Navy.

The tests is two parts and examines sailors based on their age, on push-ups, sit-ups and a 1.5-mile run

The Navy's Physical Fitness Assessment consist of a two-part examination called the Body Composition Assessment and a Physical Readiness Test.

The tests examine sailors based on their age, on push-ups, sit-ups and a 1.5-mile run, according to The Navy Times.

The new rules will also make sailors take a body fat test immediately after reporting to a new command and also designate sailors who fail the fitness test ineligible for advancement or frocking.

Frocking is a naval tradition that selects sailors for advancement and lets them assume the responsibilities of the next higher rank prior to their official promotion date.

'Retention of every capable Sailor is critical to the operational readiness of the Navy,' chief of naval personnel Vice Adm. Robert P. Burke wrote in prescribing the new rules.

The Navy said that the new PFA rules were being instituted to keep more sailors in uniform and increase capacity to 4,100 by September 2018 (Pictured: Vice Adm. Robert P. Burke)

'The goal of the Navy's physical readiness program is to maintain a minimum prescribed level of fitness necessary for world-wide deployment and to maintain a sailor's long-term health and wellness,' Burke added.

The new guidelines, however, do not apply to soldiers who regularly flunk the PFA test, only allowing those who have enlisted to reach the end of their current enlistment or service obligation.

Last year, nearly 17,000 sailors were kicked out of the Navy for failing the Physical Fitness Assessment twice in a three-year-span.

At least 43,000 soldiers have at least one failure in their PFA record and another 5,477 have at least two failures on the books, according to the chief of naval personnel.

This is the second time in as many years the Navy has given PFA waivers to sailors with failures on the books, according to The Navy Times.
Andrew Spark, 55, was arrested on Sunday after he was caught having sex with an inmate at the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater, Florida

An attorney who was arrested on Sunday for having sex with an inmate in a Florida jail for a 'Girls in Jail' porn series is now wanted for doing the same thing with an inmate at another jail in the Tampa area.

Andrew Spark, 55, was arrested on Sunday after he was caught in the act having sex with 28-year-old Pinellas County Jail inmate Antoinette Rose Napolitano.

Police said he had an arrangement with the drugs suspect: He would put $30 to $40 in her commissary account if she had sex with him in the attorney-client meeting room.

He would then allegedly post videos of their trysts on the internet.

At the time of his arrest, Pinellas County officials said there may be more victims.

Hillsborough County authorities confirmed that suspicion on Thursday when they issued a warrant for Spark's arrest on the same charges.

According to a press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Spark met with a female inmate at the Falkenburg Road Jail the evening of October 13 'under the guise of official attorney business'.

Now he's wanted in nearby Hillsborough County for doing the same thing with another inmate at the Falkenburg Road Jail (pictured above)

The unnamed inmate met with Spark in a 'secure, un-monitored, attorney client priviledge visitation room' where she proceeded to perform oral sex on the lawyer while he took pictures on a tablet.

The photos were discovered as Pinellas County officials were investigating the initial case. She was positively identified by her mother.

Hillsborough County officials went on to listen in to a previous call between Spark and the inmate at the Falkenburg Road jail, and found they talked on the phone a day before their meeting.

During the five minute phone call, they discussed the best time to visit and agreed on a payment of $10 - which Spark deposited into the inmate's commissary account.

The investigation into Spark began in November when they got a tip about him approaching 25-year-old inmate Shauna Boselli, left, and offering to pay her money to have sex with him in the attorney-client meeting room at the Pinellas County Jail. She turned him down, but police discovered that he had convinced another inmate, 28-year-old Antoinette Napolitano (right), who he slept with six times while she was behind bars

Neither of the women that Spark is accused of sleeping with in jail were his actual clients.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant for Spark's arrest on Thursday, on the charges of introduction/possession of contraband into a detention facility and solicitation for prostitution - the same charges he was hit with in the first case.

After his arrest on Sunday, he bonded out of jail.

It's unclear if he has turned himself into Hillsborough County authorities or not yet.

The investigation into Spark started in November, when they got a tip about him allegedly approaching 25-year-old Pinellas County Jail inmate Shauna Boselli, and offering to put money in her commissary account if she performed oral sex on him while he filmed. He bragged about having sex with another inmate just before meeting with her.

'It was really ridiculously nominal amounts,' Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a Monday press conference. 'But when you're in jail those ridiculously nominal accounts add up.'

Spark and Boselli knew each other before she was jailed for child pornography charges. Last year, Spark met Boselli at a Tampa porn festival and tried to get her to do a video with him but they could not agree on the price.

Detectives caught Spark and Napolitano engaged in a sex act while they were meeting in the attorney-client room at the Pinellas County Jail on Sunday

Boselli turned him down again when he approached her at the jail, but authorities were later able to confirm that he had sex with at least one other inmate - 28-year-old Antoinette Rose Napolitano.

Like Boselli, Spark met Napolitano before she was incarcerated. He solicited her for sex off Backpage.com three years ago and they would meet to hook up before she was jailed for drug charges.

Authorities say Spark had sex with Napolitano at the jail at least six times since June.

When they learned that Spark planned to meet with Napolitano on Sunday, they wired the room and then waited for the sex act to begin.

They say Spark started recording the video while Napolitano was seated at the table. He asked her to describe some sexual fantasies and then to perform sex acts.

When Spark pulled out his penis, detectives opened the door and took him into custody.

Spark was booked into the same jail where he filmed the sex acts. He posted $5,300 bond later that same day.

Spark refused to speak to detectives and asked for an attorney.

'He wouldn't talk,' Gualtieri said. 'He said he wanted a lawyer. Go figure.'

Gualtieri says they have not been able to find any of his videos on the internet yet.

They say Napolitano will not face charges for the sex acts.

The Florida Bar is currently investigating Spark. They said he has no prior disciplinary history since becoming a lawyer in the state in 1991.

Records show that Spark once worked for the Florida Attorney General's Office as an assistant attorney general, but quit in 2011.

A spokesman for then Attorney general Pam Bondi said that he was the subject of an internal investigation regarding the use of a work computer to do personal business. The complaint was closed when he quit.
A Wyola woman this week denied second degree murder charges stemming from a November 2016 incident.

Vernelle Lynn Badbear, 35, pleaded not guilty to an indictment during an arraignment on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Billings.

The indictment accuses Badbear of killing a person identified as F.B. with malice aforethought on Nov. 4, 2016, at mile marker 4 on U.S. Highway 451 near Wyola, on the Crow Reservation.

Badbear previously was charged in Crow Tribal Court in November 2016 with deliberate homicide in the death of Freman Bends, 38.

Bends' body was found in mid-November 2016 about four miles south of his home in Benteen. The Big Horn County coroner said Bends died on Nov. 3.

If convicted in federal court, Badbear faces a maximum life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan ordered Badbear to remain in custody. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters.
President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted out thanks to a head of a conservative student group just a day after its field director of accused of sending out a racist text saying she hates black people.

The president sent out the missive after Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Points USA, had appeared on Fox News and praised the president in a segment.

'The President has accomplished some absolutely historic things during this past year,' Kirk said of Trump  a quotation the president mentioned in his own tweet.

After including the quote, Trump wrote: 'Thank you Charlie Kirk of Turning Points USA. Sadly, the Fake Mainstream Media will NEVER talk about our accomplishments in their end of year reviews. We are compiling a long & beautiful list.'

President Donald Trump tweeted out thanks to Charlie Kirk of Turning Points USA, a day after a member of the group was accused of sending a racist text

Trump wrote the 'Fake' media will never talk about his administration's accomplishments

The White House has already undertaken to shape year-end lists, giving a background briefing to reporters the day before Trump left town for Mar-a-Lago, and compiling a list of 81 accomplishments.

Trump did not mention that a day earlier, the New Yorker published a lengthy report on the group which revealed the group's national field director, Crystal Clanton, was accused of sending a racist text.

Screenshots showed to the magazine by a source showed a text Clayton sent to another Turning Point employee saying, 'i hate black people. Like fuck them all . . . I hate blacks. End of story.'

'Thank you Mr. President,' Kirk tweeted in response to the president's acknowledgement.

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio

Charle Kirk pictured with Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump, Jr.

Kirk thanked Donald Trump Jr. and former White House aide Sebastian Gorka for attending a 'wonerful surprise birthday party' in October

Crystal Clanton resigned from the group over the summer and is accused of writing a racist text

Clanton, who resigned from her post last summer, did not explicitly deny sending it.

'I have no recollection of these messages and they do not reflect what I believe or who I am and the same was true when I was a teenager,' she told the magazine.

The group is a non-profit with an $8 million annual budget.

It is a charity organized as a 501(c)3, which means contributions are tax-deductible, but it is barred from political work.

The New Yorker spoke with former Turning Point aides who were asked to use efforts and lists to boost GOP presidential candidates. Kirk told the magazine that some donors 'are in the fossil-fuel space.'

The group had a Campus Victory Project to take over student government presidencies control across college campuses.
The clock read 10pm when criminal defence barrister Julia Smart sat down at her kitchen table with a cup of mint tea and opened her laptop to work.

Dinner eaten, husband and three young children in bed and exhausted after a stressful day in court, the task ahead felt overwhelming.

But the fate of one young man accused of rape lay in her hands.

Female barrister Julia Smart helped clear student Liam Allan of rape after she found text messages showing the complainant discussed fantasies of violent sex, including being choked during intercourse

It was down to her as his lawyer  and her alone  to avert a potential miscarriage of justice. Sleep could wait.

On a PDF file were 2,500 A4 pages containing 40,000 text messages  downloaded by police from the alleged victims mobile phone  to sift through.

The next time Julia Smart looked up it was 4am. Somehow, shed found the gold dust, the smoking gun which would prove beyond all doubt Liam Allans innocence and blow the prosecution case out of the water.

I couldnt believe what I was seeing. I managed to grab three hours sleep and was straight back in court where I told Liam what Id found, says Julia, 48.

He simply put his head in his hands and cried: I cant believe it.

Apart from a short text conversation between Liam and the complainant submitted as evidence, this disc of downloads hadnt been disclosed to the defence, which the Crown Prosecution Service has a duty to do, until the first day of the trial.

I thought: What other messages are there that we dont know about?

From Liams arrest wed been told there were no messages between Liam and the complainant and the material from her phone was just personal girlie chat which was not relevant and therefore couldnt be disclosed to us.

All the police had, I was told, was one page of Snapchat messages which were utterly innocuous, so of no value to anyone at all.

In one text to a friend, three months before her January 2016 complaint to police, she said of sex with Liam: It wasnt against my will or anything

But nothing, as we all know now, could have been further from the truth.

Despite telling police she didnt like being intimate with men, text and social media messages recovered from the complainants phone told a different story.

In conversations with friends, she discussed fantasies of violent and extreme sex, including being choked during intercourse.

In one text to a friend, three months before her January 2016 complaint to police, she said of sex with Liam: It wasnt against my will or anything.

Today, undergraduate Liam, 22, is a free man.

All six charges of rape and six charges of sexual assault were dropped following a CPS review of the evidence after Julia successfully halted his trial at Croydon Crown Court by alerting Judge Peter Gower to the existence of the messages.

Julia successfully halted his trial at Croydon Crown Court by alerting Judge Peter Gower to the existence of the messages and all charges were dropped following a CPS review

Liam professed his heartfelt thanks to Julia for working so doggedly through the night to clear his name.

He had always insisted sex with the complainant was consensual and that the troubled woman only went to the police when he ended their relationship after starting at Greenwich University.

Had he been convicted, Liam would have faced up to 12 years in jail and would have been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

He says he has no choice but to sue the Metropolitan Police, which this week launched an investigation into their handling of the case, and the CPS

In the two years he was on bail facing trial  which he described as a terrible form of limbo . . . I cant explain the mental torture  police were in possession of evidence that completely exonerated him.

Liam faced up to 12 years in jail and would have been placed on the sex offenders register for life if he had been convicted

I dont know if the investigating officer read all the messages or not, but individually and collectively, they demonstrated his innocence, says Julia.

There was no crime. He should never have been charged. He went through hell for nothing.

It was on the first day of Liam Allans trial at the end of November that she first noticed with alarm that the prosecution had included as evidence a short chain of text conversations between her client and the complainant which hadnt been disclosed to his defence.

She immediately raised the issue with prosecuting barrister Jerry Hayes, who had taken over the case that weekend.

Mr Hayes, former Tory MP for Harlow, Essex, said alarm bells started ringing when DC Azariah confirmed there was a download but said there was nothing to disclose

He was unaware of any police download from the complainants mobile phone and questioned the investigating officer, DC Mark Azariah, who was in court.

Mr Hayes, former Tory MP for Harlow, Essex, said alarm bells started ringing when DC Azariah confirmed there was a download but there was nothing to disclose because the material was too personal.

After briefly examining the download, Mr Hayes passed it to Julia Smart to review before her cross-examination of the complainant.

I was absolutely absorbed all that time, looking through all these messages while at the time thinking: Why am I doing the investigating officers job at the 11th hour? says Julia, who is married to fellow lawyer Trevor Siddle. They have three children aged 14, 12 and nine.

I was investigating my own case to prove my own client is an innocent man, when, if the police had reviewed them properly, no charges would ever have been brought. If Id accepted what the police had told me, scrolled through the first few pages and taken the view it was just all girlie chat, I could have been in bed by 11pm.

I could have said to Liam: I cant find anything. Lets crack on, but its cases like these that make you feel sick to the stomach as a defence barrister  knowing that if you dont put in the hours, often unpaid, you might miss something and an innocent man could go to prison.

I knew that within those 40,000 messages of girlie chat there could be something explosive. In six hours I only managed to scale the tip of the iceberg and the next day I asked the judge for more time and both Liam and I went through them again to find more, so he was in the position of having to investigate his own case.

If we hadnt examined that disc of downloads, it could have been a very different story for Liam. Even worse, there are other men, just like him languishing in jail right now.

Absolutely, there will be individuals whove had trials where material wasnt disclosed. They may not even know it existed.

Julia, a criminal defence barrister for 24 years  the past five with Furnival Chambers  says that between 50 and 75 per cent of her caseload involves defending those accused of sex crimes.

This is not the first time I or other barristers have found something. It just happens to be the first time this has been brought out into the open.

I dont know if its because of economics and funding cuts or a mindset in the police that if they have a victim, that victim needs justice and the only way to obtain that is to secure a conviction.

Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders (pictured) described what happened to Liam as regrettable and said she would like to apologise to all parties involved

Julia says non-disclosure is a constant battle for defence barristers  especially in rape and sexual assault cases where the drive to remedy past failings and push up woeful conviction rates has, in her view, created a sales target culture where believing the victim now trumps objective and thorough investigation.

She argues that the police and the CPS are, in her experience, failing in their responsibility to investigate every claim objectively and disclose vital evidence which could assist the defence while cherry picking from material they hold to strengthen the prosecution case.

The Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders described what happened to Liam as regrettable and said she would like to apologise to all parties involved.

Scotland Yard is reviewing hundreds of rape, child abuse and sexual assault cases after a second prosecution collapsed earlier this week.

Julia says she has watched victim-centred justice  first championed by New Labour and now entrenched in the British legal justice system  result in either unfair convictions or the life-long shame of being publicly accused of rape, despite an acquittal.

Once a man is convicted of a sex crime, it is very difficult to get him out of prison, says Julia. You may not even know if such material exists. If we hadnt found out about that disc, it could have been very different for Liam.

Without such evidence, facing a jury  even if the case is weak  can be a lottery. All it takes is a bad jury, having a bad day and a young persons life is effectively ruined. The consequences are dire.

Another recent rape shambles occurred when a Tory MPs aide, Samuel Armstrong, 24, was cleared of attacking a young woman who claimed hed raped her after a night drinking in Westminster

What happened to Liam Allan is not regrettable, its absolutely monstrous. Its shocking and there needs to be a root and branch investigation into how we investigate such cases and disclose evidence.

This case has had worldwide coverage because we supposedly have the best justice system in the world, but if thats the position, how on earth can we have a Liam Allan and others?

These cases are not in isolation. I have ongoing cases which have a frighteningly similar pattern to Liams, and so do many of my colleagues in chambers. I have had previous cases where material has been disclosed at the 11th hour over something fundamental.

I cant talk about the psychology of those who make false accusations, but I do know that once a complaint is made and video evidence is recorded it is very difficult for a complainant to withdraw their allegations without facing prosecution.

The whole thing snowballs. You cant just go into a police station and say: I was in a bit of an emotional mess at the time, I want to take it back. The alleged victim is assigned a police support officer. Theres no going back.

But its for the police to investigate all the evidence thoroughly and objectively and I dont want to be that person sat there at 4am trawling through this material, knowing if I miss something there will be a miscarriage of justice.

Isaac Itiary, 25, charged with rape of a child under 16, spent four months in prison awaiting trial until charges were dropped after police failed to disclose texts showing his alleged victim routinely posed as a 19-year-old.

Julia commended Liam's suggestion that two police officers should be assigned to every case  one to investigate the complainants account and another to investigate the defendants to ensure objectivity

And on Thursday there were reports of another rape shambles when Tory MPs aide, Samuel Armstrong, 24, was cleared of attacking a young woman who claimed hed raped her after a night drinking in Westminster.

Messages eventually recovered from her phone, after nine months, revealed how shed contacted a journalist just hours after the incident to secure a sympathetic write up. Her medical notes also disclosed significant mental health issues.

Julia supports Liams call for anonymity for defendants accused of sex crimes unless proven guilty. She also commends his suggestion that two police officers should be assigned to every case  one to investigate the complainants account and another to investigate the defendants to ensure objectivity, and a senior officer to then review all the evidence.

The complainant has anonymity for life, but for Liam this will be the first thing that comes up whenever his name is Googled, says Julia. It will leave its footprint forever.

Some people might argue that those defendant rights should apply to all crimes, but its the opprobrium and cloud which hangs over sexual offences that make this an issue. Its almost as if, once someone has been accused of rape, you cant look at them in the same way.

I know for Liam, his nearest and dearest and all his friends absolutely supported him, but in the minds of the public this special category of offences is different. Other offences dont hang over you like that.

As for Julia, from the moment she first met Liam Allan at his first Crown Court appearance where he left the dock in tears, she has never doubted his innocence.

He is a lovely young man, very genuine and respectful, she says. When all the charges were dropped he asked me: Am I allowed to give you a hug? And I said: Of course you are!

When I took on his case, I defended Liam as if he were my own son because if this can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.
Another giant U.S. corporation announced bonuses on Friday that are directly related to a sweeping reform of America's income tax code.

Bank of America said it would cut $1,000 holiday checks to more than 145,000 of its employees  all non-executives who earn less than $150,000 per year.

Goldman Sachs analysts estimated in December that the Republican tax cuts, which include a reduction in the corporate rate from 35 per cent to 21 per cent, would likely boost the earnings of big banks by more than one-eighth in 2018.

CEO Brian Moynihan said in a letter to his workforce that 'in the spirit of shared success, we intend to pass some of those benefits along immediately.'

President Donald Trump had already extended his tax-cut victory dance Friday morning, taking credit for a wave of corporate bonus announcements in the wake of his legislative victory on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump has another success story to tell after he signed the tax cut bill into law Friday morning as a giant bank is paying $1,000 bonuses to 145,000 of its employees

Bank of America is just the latest large corporation to pass on some of its anticipated savings to its workforce in time for Christmas

Earlier in the day Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its own $1,000 bonus pledge, and President Trump tweeted a dubious claim that his tax cuts were the biggest in U.S. history

Trump signed the bill with a host of media surrounding him in the Oval Office (and then distributed souvenir pens to the reporters he loves to hate)

'Our big and very popular Tax Cut and Reform Bill has taken on an unexpected new source of "love"  that is big companies and corporations showering their workers with bonuses,' the president wrote on Twitter.

'This is a phenomenon that nobody even thought of, and now it is the rage. Merry Christmas!'

Sinclair Broadcast Group said Friday that 'as a result of tax reform legislation, it will pay a $1,000 bonus to almost 9,000 full-time and part-time regular employees at all of its stations and subsidiaries, excluding senior level executives.'

AT&T had said Wednesday that it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 200,000 employees once a tax reform bill approved by Congress is signed into law.

The president started the day by extending his tax-cut victory dance, taking credit for a wave of corporate bonus announcements

The president signed the bill, along with a separate piece of legislation authorizing the purchase of $4 billion in military hardware to beef up America's missile defense capability

Comcast NBCUniversal told more than 100,000 workers that they will get $1,000 bonuses to more than 100,000 workers, attributing the move to tax cuts as well as the FCC's decision to repeal 'net neutrality' rules.

And Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati, Ohio said it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 13,500 employees. The company will also raise the minimum wage for its workforce to $15 per hour.

Texas-based Pinnacle Bank and Texas Capital Bank also followed suit, announcing their own $1,000 bonus plans for full-time employees in the wake of the tax bill becoming law.

'We feel strongly that the message should be loud and clear that this is a tax cut that will benefit all Americans,' said Ronny Korb, Pinnacle Bank's Texas Charter president.

Trump has staked his claim on the idea that the middle class will benefit from tax cuts that focus more dollar-for-dollar savings on companies and the wealthy.

And the stock market has rallied this week based on predictions that significant amounts of tax-cut savings will ultimately go to investors, not workers.

The White House insisted Thursday that it didn't coordinate Trump's tax victory event on Wednesday with the companies' bonus announcements.

Boeing also said it would make a '$300 million employee-related and charitable investment as a result of #TaxReform legislation.'

And Wells Fargo made its own $15-per-hour minimum wage pledge, saying it was prompted by the tax plan. The San Francisco-based bank also said it would make $400 million in donations to nonprofit charities and other community organizations in 2018.

Trump's tax-cut celebration at the White House on Wednesday included the news that AT&T is responding by paying $1,000 bonuses to all its workers

In a letter to employees, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the bonuses would be paid to all 'union-represented, non-management, and 1st and 2nd line managers'

Comcast, which also owns NBC Universal, announced $1,000 each for more than 100,000 staff, Boeing said it would put $300 million into workforce development and Wells Fargo hiked its minimum wage to $15 an hour

Trump went out of his way Wednesday to read aloud a news account of the AT&T bonus announcement, saying that more similar good news would be coming.

'That's because of what we did,' he said. 'So that's pretty good.'

'I mentioned AT&T,' he said minutes later, 'but many companies have come forward and [are] saying they're so happy, and they're going to be doing similar announcements.'

In a letter to employees this week, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the bonuses would be paid to all 'union-represented, non-management, and 1st and 2nd line managers.'

The missive to AT&T's workforce said the new 21 per cent corporate tax rate would put the U.S. 'in line with the rest of the industrialized world.'

'This new lower rate encourages businesses to invest more in the United States. And more investment creates more good-paying jobs and increases economic growth.'
A 52-year-old Illinois bus driver was allegedly drunk when she tried to pick up special needs students for their afternoon ride home from school.

Karen Kawa, of Chicago Ridge, Illinois, was charged with one count of aggravated DUI while operating a bus, stemming from an incident that occurred on Wednesday.

Prosecutors said that Kawa's blood-alcohol levels were almost three times the level allowed by law, the Daily Southtown reported.

Karen Kawa, 52, of Chicago Ridge, Illinois, was charged with one count of aggravated DUI while operating a bus after she allegedly arrived drunk to pick up a busload of students

A special needs assistant noticed that Sawa was allegedly acting oddly when she drove up in the school bus to Walsh Elementary School at about 3pm on Wednesday, prosecutors said on Thursday.

The special needs students had already filed onto the bus before the assistant was able to bring the principal over.

Upon arrival, the principal told Kawa to exit the bus, at which point Kawa allegedly had a hard time standing and appeared to move sluggishly, according to authorities.

The principal then pulled the keys out of the bus' ignition, instructed the students to exit the bus and called police.

Prosecutors said that Kawa's blood-alcohol level was allegedly three times above the Illinois state's legal limit when she drove the school bus to Walsh Elementary School on Wednesday

Prosecutors said that a blood-alcohol test administered to Kawa allegedly showed that she had a level of 0.231  almost three times Illinois state's legal limit.

Kawa's lawyer said that she had worked as a bus driver for the past decade.

A Cook County judge set Kawa's bail at $5,000. She is scheduled to return to court on January 9.
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Fresh violence has seen 'thousands' of Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces  including an amputee demonstrator.

The disabled demonstrator was rolled along by comrades to the Israeli border in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City.

The unnamed man used a sling to hurl projectiles towards the security forces amid fresh clashes over President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

It comes after Israeli troops reportedly shot dead a wheelchair-bound man with no legs in Gaza on December 15.

Disabled Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29, was taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being shot and was later pronounced dead.

Abu Thurayeh, who had previously lost both his legs, was shot along the border east of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The UN said Abu Thurayeh appeared to have been shot in the head when he was 20 yards away from the fence separating Gaza from Israel.

On December 18, the Israeli army said it had conducted an investigation, according to which it was 'impossible to determine whether Abu Thurayeh was injured as a result of riot dispersal means or what caused his death'.

'No live fire was aimed at Abu Thurayeh,' the army said in a statement.

One disabled protester was pictured on Thursday hurling projectiles at Israeli forces at the border in Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City

The military said its investigation was hindered because Palestinian authorities did not share the details of the mans injuries.

'Despite numerous IDF requests for information, no precise details or conclusions regarding Abu Toriyas (sic) injuries were received. If additional details will be received, they will be examined and studied,' the army spokesperson said.

A day after the IDF's statement, on December 19, the UN's human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said he was 'truly shocked' by the Israeli army's killing of the wheelchair-bound protester, and demanded an 'independent and impartial investigation'.

'The facts gathered so far by my staff in Gaza strongly suggest that the force used against Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was excessive,' Zeid said.

'As far as we can see, there is nothing whatsoever to suggest that Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was posing an imminent threat of death or serious injury when he was killed.

'Given his severe disability, which must have been clearly visible to those who shot him, his killing is incomprehensible - a truly shocking and wanton act.'

Gaza's Health Ministry today confirmed a further two Palestinian protesters were killed during renewed clashes.

Violence continues as the U.N. General Assembly yesterday voted overwhelmingly to condemn Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The disabled protester is rolled along by fellow demonstrators before on the Israeli border, in Gaza City. Violence continues as the U.N. General Assembly yesterday voted overwhelmingly to condemn Donald Trump 's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

Palestinian protesters carry away an injured demonstrator during a demonstration on Thursday at the Israeli border in Gaza City

Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli troops since Trump's Jerusalem announcement over two weeks ago

Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29, was taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being shot by troops but was later pronounced dead on December 15

One of those killed was Zakariya Al-Kafarneh, 24, who was shot in the chest with live ammunition, the ministry said. The second victim has not yet been identified.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts amid the continued fallout.

The Israeli military said thousands of Palestinians participated in 'violent riots' along the Gaza border and across the West Bank 'hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tires' at Israeli forces.

One legless protester was pictured on Thursday hurling projectiles at Israeli forces at the border in Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City.

Mr Abbas said he would no longer accept any U.S. plans for Mideast peace because of the US president's position on Jerusalem.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said a 24-year-old and a 29-year-old were killed by live fire in clashes along the border with Israel.

A further 45 Palestinians were wounded, he said.

It said troops responded with tear gas and deployed live fire 'selectively toward main instigators.'

Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli troops since Trump's Jerusalem announcement over two weeks ago.

Ten Palestinians have been killed and dozens more wounded so far.

The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem 'null and void' was approved 128-9 - a victory for the Palestinians, but was not as big as they predicted.

Amid Washington's threats, 35 of the 193 U.N. member nations abstained and 21 were absent.

Ten Palestinians have been killed during fierce clashes and dozens wounded so far

Another wounded protester is carried away by demonstrators during clashes on the Israeli border two days ago

On Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to denounce Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital

The Trump administration made it clear the vote would have no effect on its plan to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The United States and Israel had waged an intensive lobbying campaign against the U.N. measure.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley sending letters to over 180 countries warning that Washington would be taking names of those who voted against the U.S.

Mr Trump went further, threatening a funding cutoff and posting to TwitterL 'Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care.'

Mr Abbas said he would no longer accept any U.S. plans for Mideast peace because of the US president's position on Jerusalem. Pictured: A man waves a Palestinian flag at the Israeli border in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City today

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN that Trump's Jerusalem declaration recognizes 'a historical truth.'

'Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years from the time of King David.

'It has been the capital of the state of Israel for 70 years, and it's about time that the United States said, and I'm glad they said it, "This is the capital and we recognize it" and I think that's going to be followed by other countries,' Netanyahu said.

He would not name the countries he referred to but said that they are 'seriously considering' following the U.S.'s lead and moving their embassies to Jerusalem.

Speaking in Paris, Abbas said the United States is 'no longer an honest mediator in the peace process'.

Abbas also denounced the U.S threat to cut financial aid for countries who voted to back the U.N. resolution.

In a Christmas message, sent by his office as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Abbas said the US president's move disqualified the the States from continuing in its traditional role as mediator in peace talks.

'The U.S. chose to be biased. Their future plan for Palestine will not be based on the two-state solution on the 1967 border, nor will it be based on International Law or UN resolutions,' President Abbas said in the written message.

Trump's announcement departed from decades of U.S. policy that the fate of Jerusalem should be decided through negotiations.

Palestinian protestors carry a wounded protester during a demonstration against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital

East Jerusalem is home to Jerusalem's Old City with its key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, and its status is an emotionally charged issue.

A sensitive hilltop compound there, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, is at the heart of the conflict.

Jews revere it as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the nearby Western Wall, a remnant of the temple complex, is the holiest place where Jews can pray.

The walled compound is home to both the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Some 45,000 worshippers attended prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, said the Waqf, Jordan's religious body that administers the site.

Hundreds of Palestinians marched after prayers there chanting 'Jerusalem is Arab.'

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war from Jordan, as the capital of their hoped-for state. Israel says the entire city, including east Jerusalem, is its eternal capital.

Trump said his decision merely recognizes the fact that Jerusalem already serves as Israel's capital and is not meant to prejudge the final borders of the city.
Former first lady Michelle Obama penned a thank you note to a Greek restaurant for catering a recent private plane trip from San Francisco to Washington, DC.

The letter, which was sent to Souvla, a fast-casual Greek food chain with three locations, showcased Obama's gratitude for making her five-hour ride 'enjoyable'.

'Dear Souvla Staff, I wanted to write and thank you for all the delicious food for our plane ride back to DC,' begins the letter, dated December 14.

'Everything was phenomenal and it made our long flight home so much more enjoyable.

'The support of people like you is truly remarkable and means so much to Barack and I. Once again, thank you for the wonderful meal.'

Former first lady Michelle Obama (pictured, October 2017) penned a thank you note to Greek restaurant Souvla for catering a recent private plane trip from San Francisco to Washington, DC

It is unclear from the letter (pictured), dated December 14, whether Obama made a recent visit to San Francisco this month or if it is a belated thank you note

Souvla's original location opened in April 2014, with the second and third locations opening in 2016 on Divisadero Street and on Valencia Street (pictured) in the Mission, respectively. Ride-hailing app Lyft reported this month that the restaurant's original Haynes Valley location was the most popular drop-off destination in the county this year

The Twitter account for Souvla shared a picture of the letter on Thursday morning.

'We've been so fortunate to have served so many incredible people over the years. To receive a call from @michelleobama's team requesting Souvla for a recent trip to DC was the ultimate honor for our team,' the post was captioned.

'We were so grateful for this opportunity, and humbled by her letter to us.'

Obama also sent a separate letter to Souvlas founder, Charles Bililies, to thank him for his support, which he shared on Instagram.

It is unclear from the first letter whether Obama made a recent visit to San Francisco this month or if it is a belated thank you note.

The former first lady's last-known visit to the city took place in mid-November, when she spoke at the Salesforce Dreamforce conference.

It's also unknown what food Obama ordered but a representative for the restaurant told Eater SF that she and her team enjoyed 'pretty much everything on the menu'

She also sent a separate letter to Souvlas founder, Charles Bililies, to thank him for his support (pictured), which he shared on Instagram

It's also unknown what food Obama ordered but a representative for the restaurant told Eater SF that she and her team enjoyed 'pretty much everything on the menu'.

And Obama is far from the only one to express an enthusiasm for Souvla. Lyft, the ride-hailing business, reported this month that the restaurant's original Haynes Valley location was the most popular drop-off destination in the county this year.

Souvla's original location opened in April 2014, with the second and third locations opening in 2016 on Divisadero Street and on Valencia Street in the Mission, respectively.
Imam, Asim Hafiz (pictured) has called for more British Muslims to join the military in hope to stamp out extremism

The imam for the UKs armed forces has called for more British Muslims to join the military to help stamp out extremism.

Asim Hafiz, an Islamic adviser to top officers, said British Muslims serving in Muslim-majority countries can help prevent violence and ultimately save lives.

And he said the British militarys quest to stamp out terrorism was not just for one faith but for the whole of Britain.

Mr Hafiz also rubbished claims that Muslims are a fifth column who are not integrating within UK communities, and said hundreds of soldiers following the Islamic faith were ready to die serving Britain.

He added that Muslims sitting behind deadly weapons pointed at the UKs enemies were often more in tune with their faith than civilians because of the tests they faced.

There are currently 530 Muslims serving in the UK military out of 147,000 service personnel, the latest figures show.

But the Ministry of Defence wants to increase this number and has launched a major recruitment drive.

Last year a cadet unit was set up in a school in Birmingham that was embroiled in the Trojan Horse extremism scandal in a move designed to instil British values in Muslims from a young age.

Figures show that in 2014-15 and 2015-16 a total of 720 people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds joined the military.

This rose to 1,260 joining this year - taking the total to around 11,000 - and ministers want 10 per cent of the military to consist of people from ethnic minority backgrounds by 2020.

There are currently 530 Muslims serving in the UK military out of 147,000 service personnel

Mr Hafiz, who in 2005 became the first Muslim chaplain for Britains Armed Forces, told the Mail: If we are to be more reflective of British society then we do need more people of different faiths and cultures.

A good British Muslim makes a good British soldier. If you are a good Muslim you have values, you have principles and you have discipline. Being British and being Muslim and serving your country is absolutely compatible with each other.

Earlier this month Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said British passport holders fighting for IS should be killed on the battlefield.

Asked about Mr Williamsons comments, Mr Hafiz said British troops operate within the law ... and I personally believe the British militarys values are absolutely compatible with the values of the Islamic faith.

He said said British Muslims serving in Muslim-majority countries can help prevent violence and ultimately save lives

The imam added: The British military will do what it has to to ensure that we are free from any risk of terrorism and any risk of violence to our people and our citizens.

It is not just one particular faith the military supports. It is for the whole of Britain.

Mr Hafiz said those in the Armed Forces are actually more in tune with their soul and with their faith and spirit because they are asked to make life and death decisions.

He added: The Armed Forces arent just about shooting bullets and throwing bombs... [it] has a variety of roles that people can get involved in. Muslims who continue to serve for Britain today are willing to pay the ultimate price in defence of this country. That is something that should be celebrated.
Corey Hughes, 27, the inmate who escaped from his work crew in November, is back in custody, police say

Authorities say an inmate with a skull tattooed on his face who escaped last month from a work crew in central California is back in custody.

The Fresno Bee reports police arrested 27-year-old Corey Hughes on Thursday at a home in Stockton.

Officers set up a perimeter and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Stockton police then sent a police dog into the residence, and Hughes was apprehended.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment before being booked into San Joaquin County Jail.

Hughes was reported missing from a work crew near Interstate 5 in Stockton on November 27.

He had been serving time on a weapons charge and was due to be released in February.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office released a public statement on the matter Friday.

'Escapee Corey Hughes is 'home' for the holidays! And, 'home' is the San Joaquin County Jail!

The department also thanked the community for their assistance in his capture.

'Escapee Corey Hughes is 'home' for the holidays! And, 'home' is the San Joaquin County Jail!,' the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement

'We had tips from all over the country. And, a special thanks to Stockton PD, the Fugitive Apprehension Team from CDCR, and the AB 109 Task Force for their hard work,' the statement said.

'Hughes was housed in the Honor Farm and escaped from a work crew near I-5 and Country Club last month. Thanks to tips and good investigative work, he was caught near the 6000 block of Don Avenue this morning.

'Hughes, before his unwise escape, was set to be released in early February on a weapons charge. Instead, he's added to his troubles and his days behind bars.'

The department previously announced that he fled from a work crew near Interstate 5 on the late November Monday afternoon.

Hughes was being housed at a minimum-security facility called Honor Farm (pictured) in French Camp, just south of the city

'Today at approximately 1.30pm Sheriff's work crew driver notified Sheriff Dispatch that inmate Corey Hughes (6/30/1990) was missing from his work crew,' they wrote in the Facebook post at the time.

Hughes was being housed at a minimum-security facility called Honor Farm in French Camp, just south of the city.

The Honor Farm houses pretrial and sentenced inmates who are typically allocated with a 'low-risk, non-violent classification,' said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Dave Konecny.

According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, Hughes was scheduled to be released on February 6, 2018.

'It's surprising how many inmates over the years have walked away from a detail with only a few months left on their sentence,' Konecny added.
An ultra-Orthadox Jewish grandmother has given birth to her 20th child in Jerusalem - but she still has a way to go before she beats the Guinness World Record.

The unnamed 42-year-old was rushed to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem after going into labour on Wednesday.

Nurses were left open-mouthed when the unassuming woman revealed she was already a mother to 20 and this was her 19th pregnancy.

The grandmother has spent a total of 14 years of her life expecting and has given birth 19 times, including to one set of twins.

An ultra-Orthadox Jewish grandmother has given birth to her 20th child in Jerusalem - but she still has a way to go before she beats the Guinness World Record (stock image)

But she still has a long way to go if she wishes to beat the current world record which is held by an 18th century Russian peasant woman.

The wife of Feodor Vassilyev (b. 1707c1782), a peasant from Shuya, Russia gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets.

However this Jewish grandmother is giving her a run for her money, having already spent 14 years of her life pregnant.

Speaking to hospital staff, she admitted her eldest children were now beginning to start families of their own.

Midwife Aliza Altmark told The Times of Israel the woman in preparation for the birth when the mother revealed that she already had 19 children  including one set of twins  from 18 previous births.

The unnamed 42-year-old was rushed to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem (above) after going into labour on Wednesday

Altmark said the mother was calm and relaxed and the labor took a few hours, longer than the woman's previous births.

'She was very excited about every birth, every child, even the 19th and the 20th,' Altmark told the newspaper. 'It also gave me a good feeling. She has sons- and daughters-in-law, and of course she has a lot of help at home.'

The hospital said the baby boy was born naturally and without complications.

The most prolific mother according to the Guinness World Record website was Mrs. Vassilyeva, an 18th-century Russian peasant woman who produced 69 children.

During 27 labors the Vassilyeva gave birth to a remarkable 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets.
No longer do we huddle around little square boxes to watch the Queens Speech on Christmas afternoon.

Snap: Samsung's The Frame TV can show off family photographs when it's not turned on

Instead, we can enjoy Her Majesty in cinema-like proportions, as TVs are now supersized and super-slim.

LGs 77in Wallpaper TV is just 2.57mm (a tenth of an inch) thick (14,999, selfridges.com).

But if your screen isnt exactly waif-like, how do you stop it from dominating proceedings?

TV stands and cabinets seem old-fashioned. Who needs recesses to house video or DVD players when weve switched to online services such as Netflix?

Interior designer Hilary White (hjwhiteinteriordesign.com) says she is often asked to create a media room to house the TV and accompaniments such as a corner sofa.

Where space allows, Im seeing a big shift to moving the screen from the main formal sitting room to a TV room, reflecting the continuing trend for large TVs.

Those without room to spare can still do away with a traditional unit: simply mount your TV on the wall at a comfortable height and that doesnt necessarily mean eye level.

If youre in a cinema, the screen doesnt sit on the floor, notes Olga Alexeeva, who owns the interior design firm Black and Milk (blackandmilk.co.uk). She suggests hanging televisions around 70cm from the floor.

If you do place your screen on a base, remember a TV set that is wider than the unit on which it stands tends to look odd.

Thats the general rule: it will look unbalanced if you have a small stand with a huge TV overhanging it, says White.

A small visual trick, she adds, is to paint the wall behind it a dark colour  dark greys and blues are increasingly popular  which helps the screen to blend in when switched off.

Super slim: The wallpaper TV by LGs is just 2.57mm thick and available from Selfridges

You could try using a sideboard as a base, which will offer storage, too.

For a recent project, Alexeeva sourced a sideboard 2.5 metres long, so it had enough space for the TV and some art as well.

A word of warning: traditional sideboards often stand taller than built-for-purpose TV units. Alexeeva suggests 65cm as the maximum height.

But manufacturers are responding to the changing market by creating long sideboards that dont tower too high.

The Solia sideboard, by Andrew Piggott Contemporary Furniture, a modern-looking unit with a white, high-gloss finish, is 210cm long and just 53cm tall (405.50, furnish.co.uk). For a more traditional, country-style setting, a trunk could be used in the same way.

Built-in: A storage unit with space for the TV by interior design company Black and Milk

A pricier option, but one that can downplay the TVs presence, is to house it in a full wall system.

Many built-in units can work around a large screen, with modular options allowing you to pick and mix shelving and cupboards.

Poliform, of Italy, has an ex-display Skip wall system, finished in a dark oak veneer with sliding cupboard doors, in which the TV screen sits in a neat recess (down from 20,980 to 12,000 inc VAT, poliformuk.com).

Ikeas modular system Besta is cheaper. It allows you to choose the number and size of your units cupboards, add feet to increase the height, if needed, and decide on various overhead options.

A simple three-door unit, 180cm long (able to take a large TV) and standing 74cm high, is 295, plus more for additional cupboards and shelving (ikea.com).

But what if you want to hide the set away entirely?

Designers often turn to bespoke joinery, such as two folding doors that create a small cabinet around the screen on the wall, or cover it with art that slides upwards or sideways.

Pop-down: The Italian company, Maior, designs TV screens which come down from the ceiling

The Maior remote-controlled ceiling TV lift lets your screen descend from on high, where its integrated and aligned with the ceiling, at the push of a button, maiormover.it/en.

These days, we may simply pretend our TVs are something else altogether. Samsungs The Frame set looks like a picture on the wall when not in TV mode.

You can rotate 100 different artworks or family photos on the screen, and customise it with snap-off frames in walnut, beige wood and white (1,999 for a 55 in screen, johnlewis.com).

Other TVs present the screen as art: German brand Loewes Bild X, on sale next year, suspends the display within a striking thin, gold-coloured metal frame; while Samsungs Serif TV  I-shaped in profile  has a textile back cover so that, placed on its stand in the middle of a room, it looks like a painting on an easel (from 499, samsung.com, in red, white and dark blue).

Or might we, in fact, go back to that little square box? Alexeeva is already seeing a swing in the other direction. A lot of people, particularly young professionals, want a really small TV. Each wall is precious.
LARAMIE, Wyo.  As travelers drive down Snowy Range Road in Laramie, they are greeted by a wooden farmer wearing a Santa hat and a white beard waving at people from a holiday-themed 1941 model H John Deere tractor.

Constructed of two-by-fours and dressed in coveralls, the farmer is set atop Rudolph the Red-Nosed John Deere. The festive decoration is complete with a taxidermist's deer-head mold sporting a reflective red nose mounted to the front.

"Of course, we get a lot of traffic and people are saying, 'We have been by your house,'" said Lynn Hiatt, who restores tractors with her husband, Dale. "We used to put the tractor . in the parades, but it is too hard on those old tractors to go out in the cold, so we decided to try this."

Sitting next to Lynn Hiatt while sipping coffee, Dale Hiatt said the couple started restoring tractors after they retired from the livestock business.

"We had always been in the livestock business, and in '93, we decided we were tired of horses," Dale Hiatt said. "We saw an ad for a tractor pull in Colorado Springs, (Colorado), so we decided it would be fun and went down. That started the whole thing."

While they attended their first show in Colorado, the couple started participating in shows in Torrington by 1994, Lynn Hiatt said.

"We enjoy (restoring tractors)," she said. "We have had a lot of fun and have met wonderful people. Everywhere you go for tractors there are the same kind of people as we are, so we have a common interest."

Each one of the 85 tractors they have restored requires several months to complete, Dale Hiatt said.

"We've torn them down, till there wasn't anything left but the transmission," he said. "The sheet metal gets sandblasted and any moving parts are taken down to the metal with a wire brush, and then, we just start putting them back."

While the couple used to travel to find tractors to restore, nowadays, the tractors are coming to them, Dale Hiatt said. A few years ago, a Torrington banker called about a farmer selling two tractors that were in the family for generations, Dale Hiatt said.

But the farmer didn't want to sell them separately.

On the way home, (from buying the tractors) I told Lynn that as long as we own them, they will never go anywhere," Dale Hiatt said. "We were able to take it back to Torrington to a show, and (the farmer) got to see it and drive it."

Lynn Hiatt said they have participated in shows across the nation including Kansas, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

"One year, we got Best of Show with one of our tractors," she said. "The other years, we always won the Most Unique."

Although the Hiatts sell some restored tractors, others, like Rudolph the Red-Nosed John Deere, are used for cutting grass at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site and allowing children a chance to drive them during the Albany County fair, she said.

"Anytime when there is a kid driving a tractor, (Rudolph the Red-Nosed John Deer) is the tractor that goes," Lynn said. "We go to the Wyoming Territorial (Prison State Historic Site), and we go to the family night for 4H during the (Albany) County fair. The (1941 model H John Deere) is set up so the kids can drive it, and we just ride alongside them."



Information from: Laramie Boomerang, http://www.laramieboomerang.com
Sick of tinsel, carols and talk of virgin birth? It's hard to escape Christmas in December.

But even if you don't believe in Christ or a God, religion can still be a powerful force.

Research shows that even nonreligious people may hold unconscious beliefs linked to religion that can affect their psychology.

In an article for the Conversation, Britanny Cardwell, a researcher at Otago University, and Jamin Halberstadt, a professor also at Otago University, discuss the surprising ways faith can shape our views.

Even if you don't believe in Christ or a God, religion can still be a powerful force. Research shows that even nonreligious people may hold unconscious beliefs linked to religion that can affect their psychology (stock image)

By many measures, religion declining  but Christianity still shapes the culture and politics of these societies, from the holidays celebrated to values officially endorsed.

It's not that surprising that religious symbols and traditions remain in secularised societies.

What is surprising is how religious beliefs may remain in and affect the minds of secular people.

Subconscious responses to God

A study in Finland explored how religious and non-religious people responded to the idea of God.

The researchers used electrodes to measure how much sweat people produced while reading statements like 'I dare God to make my parents drown' or 'I dare God to make me die of cancer'.

Unexpectedly, when nonbelievers read the statements, they produced as much sweat as believers  suggesting they were equally anxious about the consequences of their dares.

And that's not simply because nonbelievers didn't want to wish harm on others.

A companion study showed that similar dares that did not involve God (such as, 'I wish my parents would drown') did not produce comparable increases in sweat levels.

Together, then, these findings suggest that despite denying that God exists, nonbelievers behaved as though God did exist.

Does this mean that nonbelievers are lying when they say they reject God?

Not exactly. Rather, these contradictory behaviours probably arise in part due to living in a theistic culture that hammers home the idea that God exists.

Perhaps this leads nonbelievers to form 'implicit' attitudes that are at odds with their 'explicit' ones.

Researchers based their views partly on a study which used electrodes to measure how much sweat people produced while reading statements like 'I dare God to make my parents drown' (stock)

Explicit and implicit attitudes

Explicit attitudes are those people can call to mind consciously and can report when asked: for example 'carrots are good for me' or 'God does not exist'.

By contrast, people have little or no awareness of their implicit attitudes  the learned associations between ideas in their minds, such as how easily the concept 'carrot' brings to mind another concept like 'bland,' or how easily the word 'God' brings to mind 'existence'.

As these examples illustrate, implicit and explicit attitudes can clash. It's possible for a person to say they 'love carrots' while unconsciously bringing negative associations to mind about them.

Or, to say 'God does not exist' while unconsciously bringing to mind ideas of God's existence.

In this way, it makes sense for nonbelievers to get nervous at the thought of daring God to do harm.

How attitudes shape health

The idea that mismatches between explicit and implicit attitudes can create conflict is consistent with the theory of cognitive dissonance.

Studies exploring this psychological phenomenon found that conflict between your behaviour (for example, meeting parental expectations of being a submissive daughter) and your own perception of who you are (for example, being an independent woman) was associated with relatively high scores on measures of neuroticism and depression, and low scores on measures of self-esteem, compared to people whose behaviours and self-perceptions better align.

Likewise, people whose implicit and explicit attitudes about their self-esteem are misaligned (those who report high self-esteem, but hold negative unconscious associations about the self, or vice versa) suffer negative outcomes.

ARE WE HEADING TOWARDS A GOD-LESS SOCIETY? No one believes God exists because it is a 'preposterous' idea, according to Graham Lawton, author of a new book on the human existence. Mr Lawton argues people want to believe religious claims because they have a 'God-shaped conceptual space waiting to be filled'. But deep down people don't actually think it's true - not even priests and nuns. The controversial author suggests that as our lives become more stable, society could become more 'godless' as our need for religion fades away. In 'How to be Human', Mr Lawton analyses the strange things that make us human - including human's propensity to find religion attractive, arguing that it is the default path of the human mind. His comments are supported by studies into the cognitive theory of religion which suggests having faith is an evolutionary advantage. Mr Lawton, who wrote the book with New Scientist Editor-at-Large Jeremy Webb, has a degree in biochemistry from Imperial College. 'If you ask quite religious people about the claims that are made by religion - like the fact that god's watching you - they don't really believe that', said Mr Lawton. The author claimed the reason people continue to be believe it because 'they haven't thought that hard about it'. Although people accept there is a god and an afterlife, not even theological experts like priests actually believe the factual content of religion, he claimed. Advertisement

They are more likely to become defensive in response to negative feedback, to suppress their anger and to take days off of work for health reasons.

Might cognitive dissonance also be at play in the context of religion?

Religion and health

Cognitive dissonance, and the degree of alignment of implicit and explicit beliefs might help us understand relationships between religion and health.

Indeed, positive outcomes of religious belief could help explain why implicit beliefs persist in nonbelievers.

A study of over 400 white American men showed that those who attended church had lower blood pressure, and a separate study found having a religious affiliation is associated with a greater sense of well-being.

Tweets posted by Christians have been interpreted to reflect greater happiness and social connectivity than those from atheists, and believers in God are reported to be less anxious about their eventual death, and more certain about the meaning of their existence.

But things aren't so simple when religious belief is less robust.

People with moderate religious beliefs report lower well-being than those with very strong or very weak beliefs.

Many factors will be at work here, but one to consider is that moderate believers are more likely to hold conflicting implicit and explicit beliefs.

This might be particularly true if that group includes people who developed strong links between God and concepts of existence during their religious upbringing, but who have begun explicitly doubting those ideas.

If you are a nonbeliever then, you may have lingering beliefs in God that put you at risk of, at best, amusing self-contradictions, and at worst, poorer well-being.

At this point, you're probably wondering what you can do to reduce that risk.

Unfortunately we can't offer much advice until more is understood about the links between religious beliefs and well-being.

For now, it is safe to assume that if you are a staunch (explicit) nonbeliever, then putting yourself in situations that reinforce your implicit religious beliefs - by, for example, attending church services at Christmas - may exacerbate your internal conflict.
Toshiba has unveiled a long telescopic pipe carrying a pan-tilt camera designed for an internal probe of one of damaged reactor chambers at Japan's tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.

The snake-like device is 43 feet (13 metres) long and designed to give officials a deeper view into the nuclear plant's Unit 2 primary containment vessel, where details on melted fuel damage remain largely unknown.

The Fukushima plant had triple meltdowns following the 2011 quake and tsunami and it's estimated officials have only located 10 per cent of the waste fuel left behind.

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Toshiba's energy systems unit has unveiled a long telescopic pipe (pictured) carrying a pan-tilt camera designed for an internal probe of one of damaged reactor chambers at Japan's tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant

WASTE FUEL AT FUKUSHIMA In 2011, a 10-metre-high tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 people crashed into Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to several meltdowns. Five years after the disaster, researchers are still struggling to clean up the highly dangerous radioactive materials in water of the wasting reactors. It's estimated that plant officials have only located 10 per cent of the waste fuel left behind after the nuclear meltdowns. And the damaged plant is believed to be leaking small amounts of the radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean, which could be travelling as far as the west cost of the US. In July a Japanese robot began probing the radioactive water at Fukushima's nuclear reactor. Takahiro Kimoto, a spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Company who created the probe said it was the first time a robot camera has captured what is believed to be the melted fuel. Advertisement

A 10-metre-high (33ft) tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 people crashed into Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to several meltdowns.

Five years after the disaster, researchers are still struggling to clean up the highly dangerous radioactive materials in water of the wasting reactors.

Finding melted fuel details is crucial to determining the right method and technology for its removal, the most challenging process during the plant's decades-long decommissioning.

The camera is attached to a telescopic guiding pipe that will enter and investigate the vessel.

It weighs 4.5lbs (2kg) and can shoot 120 degrees along its vertical direction and 360 degrees horizontally.

It is attached to a telescopic mechanism which can stretch up to 16 feet (5 metres) in length.

The device will be deployed from the latter half of January to February 2018, the company said in a statement.

'We are doing all we can to contribute to the investigation of the interior of the Fukushima reactors,' said Goro Yanase, General Manager of Toshiba ESS's Nuclear Energy Systems and Services Division.

'In this case, we have had to meet the challenges of limited access and a highly radioactive environment', he said.

Naoaki Okuzumi, Senior Manager of IRID's R&D Strategy Planning Department said; 'We will continue to develop technologies that contribute to the decommissioning of the plant'.

A simpler predecessor to the pipe unveiled today captured a limited view of the vessel and an even earlier crawling robot stalled inside.

The device is 43 feet (13 metres) long and designed to give officials a deeper view into the nuclear plant's Unit 2 primary containment vessel, where details on melted fuel damage remain largely unknown

Finding melted fuel using probes such as this one is crucial to determining the right method and technology for its removal, the most challenging process during the plant's decades-long decommissioning

The damaged plant is believed to be leaking small amounts of the radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean, which could be travelling as far as the west cost of the US.

In July a Japanese robot began probing the radioactive water at Fukushima's nuclear reactor.

The marine robot, nicknamed the 'little sunfish', is on a mission to study structural damage and find fuel inside the three reactors of the devastated plant

The underwater robot found large amounts of lava-like debris apparently containing fuel that had flowed out of the core into the primary containment vessel of the Unit 3 reactor at Fukushima.

The camera is attached to a telescopic mechanism which can stretch up to 16 feet (5 metres) in length. The device (pictured) will be deployed from the latter half of January to February 2018, the company said in a statement

The camera is attached to a telescopic guiding pipe that will enter and investigate the vessel. It weighs 4.5lbs (2kg) and can shoot 120 degrees along its vertical direction and 360 degrees horizontally.

Takahiro Kimoto, a spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Company said it was the first time a robot camera has captured what is believed to be the melted fuel.

'That debris has apparently fallen from somewhere higher above. We believe it is highly likely to be melted fuel or something mixed with it,' Kimoto said.

The search for melted fuel in the two other reactors has so far been unsuccessful because of damage and extremely high radiation levels.

A Japanese robot is probing the radioactive water at Fukushima's nuclear reactor. This image captured by an underwater robot shows a part of equipment housing a control rod drive system of Unit 3 at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant

Experts said remote-controlled bots are key to finding fuel at the dangerous site, which has likely melted and been submerged by highly radioactive water.

The probe - about the size of a loaf of bread - is equipped with lights, manoeuvres using tail propellers and collects data using two cameras and a dosimeter radiation detector.

Plant operators chose to send the robot inside the containment vessel of the No. 3 reactor because it has highest known water levels out of the the three reactors.
With just three days until Christmas the final countdown to Santa's one-night circumnavigation of the globe has started.

Youy can track his progress with The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), which follows Father Christmas as he leaves his top-secret toy factory in the North Pole this Sunday.

The site allows children - and adults - to track Santa as he travels around the world at lightening speed, starting on Christmas Eve.

You can track Santa in real-time using NORAD's tool below. Mobile users who can't see the tracker above can visit NORAD's website to use it

You can track Santa in real-time using NORAD's tool above. Mobile users who can't see the tracker above can visit NORAD's website to use it

TRACKING SANTA Although Father Christmas won't set off until Christmas Eve, the site is now live to get people ready. The popular website shows his path above different countries and has a counter that reveals the number of presents delivered. As well as a clock with a countdown to Christmas Eve there are weather updates, games, films and Christmas stories available on the site. Come Christmas Eve, if users cannot access the tracker there is also an email address or number you can contact to get the latest updates. Another tracker - Googles Santa Tracker website and Android app - will also go live on 24 December. This allows fans worldwide to follow Santa's progress on either the desktop web, mobile web (Android/iOS), Android app, Android TV app and Chromecast. Advertisement

NORAD has been following Santa's movements from space since 1955, when an advert encouraging children to phone Santa gave out its number instead.

It told children to give Santa Claus a call 'any time day or night' on his private phone, but accidentally gave the number ME-2-6681, which connected to the NORAD 'hotline'.

Colonel Harry Shoup received the call on a telephone meant to be used during an incidence of impending attack by the Soviet Union, but responded in a playful way and let the boy know where Santa was en route from the North Pole.

Colonel Shoup ordered staff to answer calls with an update on Father Christmas' location and the tradition has continued, now with a live tracker of Santa's journey online.

The website shows his path above different countries and has a counter that reveals the number of presents delivered.

Although Father Christmas won't set off until Christmas Eve, the site has been live all this month to get people ready.

Come the 24th December, if users cannot access the tracker there is also an email address or number you can contact to get the latest updates.

As well as a clock with a countdown to Christmas Eve there are weather updates, games, films and Christmas stories available on the site.

People can track Santa's progress when he leaves his toy factory in the North Pole. This screenshot shows tracking has begun

NORAD has been following Santa's movements from space since 1955, when an advert encouraging children to phone Santa gave out its number instead. This screenshot from NORAD shows Santa's village

'One of our favourite places on the website is the Holiday Activities page under Library', according to the NORAD Facebook page.

'You can see a personalised message from Santa, Elf Yourself, print out colouring pages, and SO MUCH MORE'.

Volunteers are manning NORAD's 157 phone lines and computers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs to field hundreds of phone calls, emails and tweets from anxious children, wondering what time Santa will arrive.

According to the website the email address is; noradtrackssanta@outlook.com

It says you can phone the call centre on 00-1-719-556-5211.

Santa is based in a top-secret workshop at the top of the world, known only to a few people

NORAD said Santa is able to complete his journey because he works within his own special space-time continuum. His sled carries incredible weights and is propelled by 'reindeer power (illustrated above)

They generally get around 70,000 calls from children in around 200 countries checking his location.

Parents and guardians will also want to ensure their children are in bed before Santa arrives so he stops and makes his much-anticipated delivery.

Volunteers will share Santa's location on Facebook and Twitter. In 2014 Santa got 1.6 million Facebook likes.

Normally the NORAD facility is responsible for defending the skies of the US and Canada and was originally located within Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs in order to withstand a nuclear attack.

You can also track Santa using Amazon Alexa by installing the NORAD Tracks Santa skill which is free from Amazon.

Another tracker - Googles Santa Tracker website and Android app - will also go live on 24 December.

For 13 years, Googles Santa Tracker has been a fun, educational and interactive way for fans to celebrate the holiday season', a Google spokesperson said.

This allows fans worldwide to follow Santa's progress on either the desktop web, mobile web (Android/iOS), Android app, Android TV app and Chromecast.
the firm of interfering with their devices without consent

Apple is facing several class action lawsuits, just days after it admitting it deliberately slows down old iPhone models.

On Wednesday, the firm admitted it slows down phones to extend their life and stop them from shutting down as batteries age and become less effective.

Some customers are unhappy the company has been less than transparent about the performance throttling feature, which they see as a ploy to drive sales of new handsets.

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Apple intentionally throttles the performance of its smartphones when a battery gets too old, a new study has claimed, including the iPhone 6 and 7, once battery life begins to suffer. This image shows CEO Tim Cook at the launch of the iPhone 6 on September 9, 2015

PLANNED IPHONE OBSOLESCENCE? This is not the first time Apple has been accused of deliberately throttling the performance of its older phones. Explanations for the slowness range from Apple's iOS causing problems on older devices to the firm deliberately slowing down old phones to make people buy the new handsets. This latter explanation is known as planned, or built-in, obsolescence. This is the idea that manufacturer's deliberately make their products in such a way that they become out-of-date sooner. By doing this, the companies can encourage customers to buy the latest model of a certain product. This also stimulates demand for products because people return again and again. Advertisement

Stefan Bogdanovich and Dakota Speas from Los Angeles have filed a lawsuit with the US District Court for the Central District of California.

They are accusing Apple of interfering with their devices without consent.

The pair are trying to get the case certified to cover all people in the United States who owned an Apple phone older than the iPhone 8.

Their application for the lawsuit states: 'Plaintiffs and Class Members never consented to allow Defendants to slow their iPhones.

'As a result of Defendant's wrongful actions, Plaintiffs and Class Members had their phone slowed down, and thereby it interfered with Plaintiffs' and Class Members' use or possession of their iPhones.'

A second lawsuit, filed by five plaintiffs in the Northern District of the State of Illinois, accuses Apple of deliberately keeping its power management features under wraps to persuade people to upgrade to newer devices.

'Apple's iOS updates purposefully neglected to explain that its purposeful throttling down of older model devices and resulting lost or diminished operating performance could be remedied by replacing the batteries of these devices,' the lawsuit states.

'Instead, Apple's decision to purposefully slowdown or throttle down these devices was undertaken to fraudulently induce consumers to purchase the latest iPhone versions of the iPhone 7, as well as new phones such as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X .'

In a statement sent to MailOnline, a spokesman for Apple said: 'Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.

'Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

'Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions.

'We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.'

A consumer watchdog that evaluates electronic gadgets' performance sparked the outcry after it found that processing power of older models is limited once battery life begins to suffer.

CAN YOU MAKE A CLAIM? In the US, a class action lawsuit is a court case in which a large number of people join together to sue another person or company, or in which a large group of people or companies are being sued. It often saves the time, money and energy of everyone involved to bring cases together into one class action lawsuit, rather than filing individual cases. In general, you don't need to do anything to join a class action. If your legal rights are affected by a class action, you usually will only need to get involved once the case settles. In most cases, you will need to submit a claim, either online or through the mail, to receive your portion of the settlement or judgement. If a class action has already been filed, you may receive a class action notice in the mail stating that your legal rights may be affected by a lawsuit. You should carefully read the class action notice. Some class actions only cover residents of certain states or individuals who suffered a particular type of physical or financial harm. The situation is slightly different in the UK. As a consumer, you're expected to try to resolve things directly with the company involved before taking legal action. Legal action in what's usually known as the 'small claims court' is limited to claims under 10,000. US style class action suits, known as Group Litigation, is becoming more popular, although these differ slightly. They are a way for individuals with similar complaints to join together against the wrongdoer and avoid pitfalls that can be associated with individuals having to make their own separate claim each time. By joining together as a group, individuals can benefit from collective strength in the commonality and sharing of knowledge, and the sharing of the risks and costs. Usually test cases are selected from within the group so the rest of the group members benefit from the decisions in those cases. Defendants in these types of claims are often large multinational companies and the group collectively enjoys the resources to fight on an even playing field. Certain legal firms specialise in this area of the law, and will work on your behalf to prosecute the company in question. Advertisement

Apple has come under fire for not being clear with users about the software update, or explaining when throttling happens.

The update reduces this drain on resources, allowing the phones to continue operating.

The drop in performance came to light in benchmark tests, from Toronto-based firm Geekbench.

Geekbench developer John Poole decided to analyse the results of a number of iPhone 6 and 7 models running various versions of iOS. He found an update issued to fix a ' sudden shutdown' issue wit the iPhone 6 was to blame for poor performance

It found that on certain versions the Apple operating system, phones with older batteries achieved much lower performance scores.

Battery capacity is expected to decrease as they age, but processor performance should stay the same.

However, users with older iPhones with lower-than-expected Geekbench scores have reported that replacing the battery increases their score, as well as the performance of the phone.

Apple said it recently extended the feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and said it plans to add support for other products in the future

Geekbench developer John Poole decided to analyse the results of a number of iPhone 6 and 7 models running various versions of iOS.

He found that an update issued to fix the ' sudden shutdown' issue, when users found their iPhone 6 was turning off when its battery reached half charge, was to blame.

This resulted in the poor performance results observed.

Writing in a blog post, Mr Poole said: 'It appears the problem is widespread, and will only get worse as phones, and their batteries, continue to age.

So it's true Apple intentionally slow down old iPhones. Proof: My iPhone 6 was bought 3years ago and recently got really slow. APP 'CPU DasherX' shows iPhone CPU is under clocked running at 600MHz. After a iPhone battery replacement. CPU speed resumed to factory setting 1400MHz. pic.twitter.com/pML3y0Jkp2  Sam_Si (@sam_siruomu) December 20, 2017

'I believe, as do others, that Apple introduced a change to limit performance when battery condition decreases past a certain point.

'If the performance drop is due to the 'sudden shutdown' fix, users will experience reduced performance without notification.

'Users expect either full performance, or reduced performance with a notification that their phone is in low-power mode.

'This fix creates a third, unexpected state.'

Without this warning Mr Poole believes that the fix will cause users to believe their phone is slow so they should replace it, rather than the battery which is actually at fault.

'This will likely feed into the 'planned obsolescence' narrative,' he added.

Apple's iPhone 6s battery fiasco caused some iPhone 6s handsets to shut down without warning. The issue only affected a 'relatively small batch' of the devices manufactured in 2014

Every time Apple launches a new handset people seemingly flock to Google to ask why their current iPhone or iOS is slow.

This trend has been seen every year since Apple released the iPhone 3G in 2008.

Explanations for the slowness range from Apple's iOS causing problems on older devices to the firm deliberately slowing down old phones to make people buy the new handsets.

This latter explanation is known as planned, or built-in, obsolescence.

This is the idea that manufacturer's deliberately make their products in such a way that they become out-of-date sooner.

APPLE SUDDEN SHUTDOWN The technical issue causes some iPhone 6s handsets to shut down unexpectedly. The Cupertino-based technology firm will replace batteries on affected devices. 'iPhone 6s devices made in September and October 2015 contained a battery component that was exposed to controlled ambient air longer than it should have been before being assembled into battery packs,' the company said. The issue only affected a 'relatively small batch' of the devices manufactured in 2014, says Apple. The firm will not disclose the exact numbers or what regions are affected. Advertisement

By doing this, the companies can encourage customers to buy the latest model of a certain product.

This also stimulates demand for products because people return again and again.

Alternatively, the so-called 'slow iPhone phenomenon' may be psychological, as people believe their phone is being sluggish even if its not.

In a blog post Felix Richter, from analytics firm Statista, said: 'Many of us know the feeling: one day we're perfectly happy with the smartphone we've been using for the past 12 months, the next day, after we've seen a colleague showing off his new gadget, ours suddenly feels inadequate, bulky and slow.

'The good news is we're not alone.'

He continued there are two possible explanations for these spikes.

The first is that it is a psychological phenomenon caused when people convince themselves their old phone is slow in comparison to the latest devices, and this could help them justify buying a new one.

Google Trends data (pictured) shows that searches for 'slow iOS' and 'slow iPhone' significantly peaked on the days after each was released. Explanations range from Apple's iOS causing problems to the firm deliberately slowing down old phones to make people upgrade

The second explanation, which Mr Richter said is much more plausible, is down to the operating system not being compatible with the hardware on older phones.

New operating systems are often designed to work most effectively with the more advanced processing power and RAM seen in the newer models meaning older models can struggle to keep up.

In 2014, a study by Harvard University PhD student Laura Trucco appeared to back up conspiracy theories that Apple deliberately slows down older models of its iPhones to encourage users to buy a new release.

The study analysed worldwide searches for 'iPhone slow' and compared those results with similar searches for the term 'Samsung Galaxy slow'.

Interestingly, it discovered the term was unaffected by new releases from Samsung, but this may be due to the fact Android updates aren't rolled out at the same time like iOS ones are.

While some MailOnline readers said at the time they hadn't noticed a slow down, others claimed Apple sabotages older phones through software updates.

'This is common knowledge,' one reader wrote.

'If you want to keep your iPhone running at the same pace do not do the software upgrade that comes out within six months of a new iPhone release,'

Sendhil Mullainathan, a professor of economics at Harvard, described the results of the study as 'striking'.

But added it does not prove Apple has done anything wrong.

No matter how suggestive, he said, the data alone doesn't allow anyone to determine conclusively whether their phone is any slower.

There are other explanations for why an older model iPhone may slow down, he claims.

For instance, the latest version of the Apple operating system, iOS, is always tailored to the newest device and may therefore not work as efficiently on older models.

'Hearing about a new release makes you contemplate getting a new and faster phone,' he said. 'And you suddenly notice how slow your old phone is.'

Dom Ferkin, managing director of UK-based iOS experts, Creation Application, agrees.

He previously told MailOnline he doesn't believe Apple is doing this intentionally.

'On every hardware release they tend to upgrade the chips and they are faster every time they are released,' he said.

'Each year they release a new iOS. If you're running an iOS 7 on a 5 chip, for example, it's comparable to running Windows XP on a Windows 95 machine.
Russia wants to welcome space tourists to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2022.

The nation's space agency, Roscosmos, is currently reviewing plans for a five-star hotel onboard the space station.

The 'luxury orbital suite' will feature four private cabins, measuring two cubic metres each, with personal portholes so tourists can look down on Earth.

But a stay won't come cheap. Tourists will be charged 30 million ($40 million) per person for a one to two week visit.

An extended month-long visit will set travelers back an additional $15 million ($20 million).

Russia wants to welcome space tourists to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2022. The luxury tourist hub (foreground) will closely resemble the Science and Power Module, NEM, (background) scheduled for delivery to the International Space Station around 2021

PLANS FOR RUSSIA'S LUXURY SPACE HOTEL The 'luxury orbital suite' will feature four private cabins, measuring two cubic metres each, with personal portholes so tourists can look down on Earth. As well as being able to gaze down on Earth from their lofty vantage point 220 miles (350km) miles above Earth, tourists will be offered the opportunity to take part in space walks. The luxury hotel will feature a lounge area with a giant 16-inch window, as well as two 'hygiene and medical' stations. It will also boast exercise equipment and even Wi-Fi, according to a proposal seen by Popular Mechanics. Overall, the habitat will have a 20-ton, 15.5-meter-long module which will provide 92 cubic meters of pressurized space. But a stay at the cosmic suite won't come cheap. Tourists will be charged 30 million ($40 million) per person for a one to two week visit. An extended month-long stay will set travelers back an additional $15 million ($20 million). Advertisement

The luxury hotel will feature a lounge area with a giant 16-inch window, as well as two 'hygiene and medical' stations.

It will also boast exercise equipment and even Wi-Fi, according to a proposal seen by Popular Mechanics.

As well as being able to gaze down on Earth from their lofty vantage point 220 miles (350km) miles above Earth, tourists will be offered the opportunity to take part in space walks.

Overall, the habitat will weigh 20-tons, feature a 15.5-meter-long module would provide 92 cubic meters of pressurized space.

The proposed hotel is estimated to cost between 16.4 billion and 26.2 billion roubles (210 million and 336 million).

Roscosmos says it will be funded by both private and public investments.

Russia's main space station contractor, RKK Energia, wants to book at least 12 passengers who would agree to make payments of around 3 million ($4 million) up front.

Currently, the launch of the module is planned for 2021.

RKK Energia estimates that it would take at least five years to build the tourist module, which means that if the work began straight away, it would make it to the station in 2022, according to Popular Mechanics.

The space station isn't the only place Russia is eyeing for future space travel.

The nation's space agency, Roscosmos, is currently reviewing plans for a five-star hotel on board the ISS (pictured)

A graphic of what the exterior of the space module could look like. The 'luxury orbital suite' will feature four private cabins, measuring two cubic metres each, with personal portholes so tourists can look down on Earth

Last month, it emerged that Russia is building a 30 million ($40 million) space ship to explore the moon as part of its ambitious plan to become a superpower in space.

The Luna-25 will explore its south pole and collect soil samples to be sent back to Earth for analysis.

No astronauts will travel in the lunar orbiter, which comes 40 years since Moscow's last mission to the moon in the Luna-24.

The Luna-24 will instead serve as an automated space station directing unmammed aircraft, according to a Russian news agency TASS.

It is expected to be launched in 2020.

Russia has previously announced plans to colonise the moon by the year 2030 by setting up a base there.

In 2016, the European Space Agency said it was interested in joining Russia's attempts.

While Russia wants to get space tourists to the ISS by 2022, others have more ambitious places.

The space station isn't the only place Russia is eyeing for future space travel. Last month, it emerged that Russia is building a 30 million ($40 million) space ship to explore the moon as part of its ambitious plan to become a superpower in space

Earlier this year Richard Branson confirmed plans to launch people into space in 2018.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Branson said: 'We will never be able to build enough spaceships. The demand is enormous.'

Branson mentioned that Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin  two of Virgin Galactic's biggest competitors  could fill this gap.

He said: 'There is definitely the demand for all three.

'We can take off at 24-hour's notice, put a couple of satellites up and come back again.

'With ground-based rockets, there's quite a long waiting time. Elon has bigger rockets, so he has advantages there.'
The object that smashed into earth to create the moon was far smaller than thought, a new simulation has shown.

Researchers at the Paris Institute of Earth Physics tested over two billion combinations of parameters to try and solve the mystery of how the moon formed.

The key, they concluded, was an impact with a body roughly one-tenth the mass of Earth.

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Researchers at the Paris Institute of Earth Physics may have solved the mystery - and say the key to the mooon's formation was an impact with a body roughly one-tenth the mass of Earth

THE MOON THEORIES Astronomers have long suspected that the moon was created when a giant protoplanet called Theia struck the newly formed Earth - a theory first put forward in the 1970s. It says the huge collision created a vast cloud of debris, which coalesced into the moon. However, until now, astronomers have not been able to explain how this left the moon and Earth chemically identical. Later, two different hypotheses arose that could explain why the moon is Earth's chemical clone, but they predict radically different masses for Theia. In one scenario, two half-Earths merged to form the Earth-moon system. But the second hypothesis suggests Theia was a small, high-velocity projectile that smacked into a large and fast-spinning young Earth. Advertisement

Astronomers have long suspected that the moon was created when a giant protoplanet called Theia struck the newly formed Earth - a theory first put forward in the 1970s.

It says the huge collision created a vast cloud of debris, which coalesced into the moon.

However, until now, astronomers have not been able to explain how this left the moon and Earth chemically identical.

This led to two other ideas, which predicted dramatically different masses for the impact object.

In one, two half-Earths merged to form the Earth-moon system, and in the second, Theia was a small, high-velocity projectile that smacked into a larger and fast-spinning young Earth.

To try and solve the mystery, James Badro at the Paris Institute of Earth Physics decided to his colleagues set out to determine how each idea matches up with our planet's chemistry.

'We know that the giant impact occurred within the first 100 million years and that the impactor, regardless of whether it's a small impactor or a big impactor, must have left a chemical imprint in the Earth's mantle,' Badro told New Scientist.

The chemical imprint differs depending on Theia's mass.

The researchers ran more than 2 billion simulations of the crash, and found an impactor larger than 15 per cent of the mass of Earth, couldn't produce the chemistry we see in Earth's mantle, instead leading to a mantle far too rich in nickel and cobalt.

A separate study recently found shortly after the creation of the moon, the Earth was bombarded by small planets that brought several precious elements to our world, a new study has revealed.

These moon-like objects brought elements such as gold, silver and platinum directly to the core of our young planet - as well as substantially contributing to its overall mass.

The findings shed new light on the evolution of Earth 4.5 billion years ago.

At the dawn of time, Earth collided with a large object the size of Mars, and the debris ejected formed the orbiting moon.

This was known as the giant-impact hypothesis, or the Big Splash.

Now, a simulation created by researchers from Southwest Research Institute in Colorado has found that after this massive impact, there was a long period when leftover mini planets called planetesimals pounded the Earth.

These rocks varied from the size of a grain of sand to lumps 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) across, writes Cosmos Magazine.

When a planetary system was forming, a cloud of dust was gradually pulled together by gravity to form small chunks.

Planetesimals are then thought to have coalesced to form Earth and the other planets.

Earth collided with another large object the size of Mars, and the debris ejected formed into the orbiting moon. Pictured is an artistic rendering of a large collision on the early Earth

This bombardment, the so-called 'late accretion,' was when large bodies impacted the Earth delivering materials that were integrated into the young planet.

Lead author, Dr Simone Marchi explained: 'We modelled the massive collisions and how metals and silicates were integrated into Earth during this 'late accretion stage,' which lasted for hundreds of millions of years after the Moon formed.

'Based on our simulations, the late accretion mass delivered to Earth may be significantly greater than previously thought, with important consequences for the earliest evolution of our planet.'

Previous studies estimated materials from planetesimals integrated during the final stage of terrestrial planet formation made up about half a percent of the Earth's present mass.

This is based on the concentration of highly 'siderophile' elements - metals such as gold, platinum and iridium, which have an affinity for iron - in the Earth's mantle.

But these previous estimates assumed that all highly siderophile elements delivered by the later impacts were retained in the mantle.

The new study suggests late accretion may have involved large differentiated projectiles which may have concentrated the highly siderophile elements primarily in their metallic cores.

This figure shows the location of the projectile's core (dark brown) and mantle (green) particles. Earth's particles are not shown for clarity, while the red and grey half-spheres indicate the Earth's core and surface

The new high-resolution impact simulations showed substantial portions of a large planetesimal's core could descend to, and be assimilated into, the Earth's core, or ricochet back into space and escape the planet entirely.

Both outcomes reduce the amount of highly siderophile elements added to Earth's mantle, which implies that two to five times as much material may have been delivered than previously thought.

Dr Robin Canup, co-author of the study, said: 'These simulations also may help explain the presence of isotopic anomalies in ancient terrestrial rock samples such as komatiite, a volcanic rock.

'These anomalies were problematic for lunar origin models that imply a well-mixed mantle following the giant impact.

'We propose that at least some of these rocks may have been produced long after the Moon-forming impact, during late accretion.'
Beginning in the 1950s, the US government conducted hundreds of atomic weapons tests at a remote site in Nevada, in efforts to ramp up nuclear capabilities amid building Cold War tensions.

But, nuclear fallout from reckless experiments prior to 1963 had grave and unintended consequences  and, new research reveals they may have been far more extreme than ever suspected.

Above-ground tests on US soil left millions of Americans exposed to tremendous amounts of radioactive pollution, which made its way into the environment and the food supply, leading to as many as 695,000 deaths from 1951-1973.

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Beginning in the 1950s, the US government conducted hundreds of atomic weapons tests at a remote site in Nevada, in efforts to ramp up nuclear capabilities amid building Cold War tensions. An image from the

HOW IT SPREAD Millions of Americans were exposed to radiation from both the environment and food supply as a result of above-ground tests at the Nevada Test Site. According to the study, humans are able to metabolize specific radioactive isotopes crated through fission. The main exposure in this case comes from irradiated food products. Cows consumed massive amounts of irradiated pasture, as winds carried the pollution far from the test sites. And, radioactive material was thus concentrated in their milk. Advertisement

The shocking new research suggests the total number of excess deaths was comparable to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After 1963, tests in the US were moved underground  but by then, there had already been 100 atmospheric tests at the Nevada Test Site.

In a new study, University of Arizona researcher Keith Meyers analyzed annual county level fallout patterns across the US.

And, there was one vector in particular through which Americans came in contact with the deadly pollution  milk.

During the 1950s most milk was consumed in the local area it was produced, Meyers explains.

It is through this channel where local fallout deposition would enter the local food supply.

There was one vector in particular through which Americans came in contact with the deadly pollution  milk. The researcher found that the pollution made its way across the whole country, with higher concentrations in a number of hotspots

The researcher examined estimates of the pollution concentrations in the locally produced milk, revealing grave figures on human exposure to the fallout.

Prior to 1963, many above-ground tests were conducted on US soil, at the Nevada Test Site.

From 1951 to 1973, Meyers found that the radioactive isotopes from the tests contributed to as many as 395,000-695,000 deaths.

The effects werent just isolated to the regions right around the test site.

The researcher found that the pollution made its way across the whole country, with higher concentrations in a number of hotspots.

The geographic scope of the mortality consequences of NTS activities is broader than what previous research has shown, Meyers writes.

HOW LAS VEGAS SOLD 'ATOMIC TOURISM' DURING THE COLD WAR A mushroom cloud rises over Yucca Flat as dust cloud begins to form below during Operation Big Shot on April 22, 1952 Between 1951 and 1963, 100 of the above-ground tests were conducted at the Nevada Test Site. Atmospheric atomic bomb tests in Nevada during the 1950s created mushroom clouds that could be seen for nearly 100 miles. The nuclear tests soon became a major tourist attraction, with reporters, locals, and out of town visitors traveling to watch the action. After the first test, people from Los Angeles began arriving in anticipation of witnessing either a detonation or some of the imagined destruction wreaked by the blast, according to a report from the Department of Energy. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Dean remarked that the detonations, far from keeping people away from Las Vegas, accounted for one of the biggest tourist influxes that the city had ever had. The nuclear tests soon became a major tourist attraction, with reporters, locals, and out of town visitors traveling to watch the action The A-Bomb glow can be seen over Las Vegas, appearing like the sunrise as the blast brightens the sky. The image was captured from the roof of the California Club, looking approximately north-west People in the area set their alarms to wake up in time for 5:45 a.m. detonations, and cars would line up to catch the best view. Las Vegas even held pageants to crown Miss Atomic Bomb. The United States conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests from 1945-1992. In total, there were 219 atmospheric tests - meaning they are carried out in the atmosphere, being dropped from airplanes, detonated on barges or islands, or being buried at a shallow depth to create a surface-breaking crater. Dancer Gene Nelson poses for the 'Atom Antic' on a mountain top not far from Las Vegas. An atomic mushroom can be seen rising in the background. Some of these took place in whats known as the Pacific Nuclear Proving Ground, which includes a number of sites in the Marshall Islands. The rest primarily took place at the Nevada site. Research suggests these tests likely contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths across the country, as fallout entered the environment and atmosphere. After 1962, all nuclear tests in the US were conducted underground. Ten miles away from ground zero, newsmen at the Nevada Test Site photograph the first atomic detonation of the 1958 series Advertisement

The largest health effects appear in areas far beyond the scope of previous scientific and medical studies.

The scientific and medical literature has studied the effects of atmospheric testing on populations residing in Downwind counties in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.

Counter-intuitively, the areas where fallout had the largest impact on the crude death rate was not in the region surrounding the test site, but rather in areas with moderate levels of radioactive fallout deposition in the interior of the country.

Prior to 1963, many above-ground tests were conducted on US soil, at the Nevada Test Site. Atmospheric atomic bomb tests in Nevada during the 1950s created mushroom clouds that could be seen for nearly 100 miles.

Nuclear fallout from reckless experiments prior to 1963 had grave and unintended consequences  and, new research reveals they may have been far more extreme than ever suspected

The shocking new research suggests the total number of excess deaths was comparable to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An image from the 'Grable' test at the site is pictured

This was largely due to pasturing practices at the time, the researcher notes.

All in all, Meyers argues that the 100 above-ground tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site contributed to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths in the United States between 1951 and 1972.

And, had it not been for the testing moratorium put in place in 1958, and the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, there likely would have been hundreds of thousands more.
Facebook has released a new tool to tell users if they liked or followed posts considered part of a Russian effort to meddle with last year's US election.

It shows users to see whether they engaged with Facebook pages or Instagram accounts linked to the Internet Research Agency between January 2015 and the August before last year's presidential election.

The agency is seen as a Russian resource for spreading propaganda online, and nearly 150 million Facebook and Instagram users may have seen paid ads and organic posts distributed by the Kremlin-linked organization in St. Petersburg.

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The new tool is in the Facebook Help Center. It will enable people on Facebook to learn which of the Internet Research Agency Facebook Pages or Instagram accounts they may have liked or followed between January 2015 and August 2017

HOW TO CHECK To access the tool, click here. It will show any account you have interacted with on Facebook. It will also show an option to perform the same check on your Instagram account. Advertisement

'We are taking action to be more transparent about the foreign interference in the 2016 US Elections,' Facebook says on the page where users can check their account.

It will show if pages or accounts users liked or followed between January 2015 and August 2017 were created by Russian operatives.

The accounts spread posts on race, religion, gun rights, gay rights, immigration and other hot-button issues.

Some promoted the candidacy of Donald Trump and criticized his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton.

However, the tool won't tell you if friends shared the content, and will not show you the content posted by the accounts or pages - only a list of the content.

'We've taken down fake accounts and Pages by the Internet Research Agency and have shared this information with Congress.'

Secured Borders created shareable content with a strong anti-immigrant message, which also encouraged voters to support President Trump

'It is important that people understand how foreign actors tried to sow division and mistrust using Facebook before and after the 2016 US election,' the leading online social network said in a blog post earlier this year when it first announced the tool.

Creation of the new tool comes in the face of Congressional pressure on Facebook and other internet giants to let users know if they were exposed to Russian propaganda prior to the election.

Google, Facebook and other tech firms joined global news organizations earlier this year in a major initiative aimed at identifying 'trustworthy' news sources, in the latest effort to combat online misinformation.

Microsoft and Twitter also agreed to participate in the 'Trust Project' with some 75 news organizations to tag news stories which meet standards for ethics and transparency.

Google, Twitter and Facebook have come under fire for allowing the spread of bogus news -- some of which was directed by Russia -- ahead of the 2016 US election and in other countries.

During a quarterly earnings call with analysts this month, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg addressed criticism over allowing disinformation and manipulation during the US presidential election, just hours after the company's top lawyer faced a grilling at a Washington congressional hearing.

'Our community continues to grow and our business is doing well,' Zuckerberg said.

'But none of that matters if our services are used in ways that don't bring people closer together. Protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits.'

THE BANNED ADS REVEALED A report by the Russian media outlet RBC last March identified the Secured Borders page as the work of the Internet Research Agency, a St. Petersburg firm that employs hundreds of so-called trolls to post material in support of Russian government policies. A Facebook official confirmed that Secured Borders was removed in the purge of Russian fakes The meetings sponsor, an anti-immigrant page called Secured Borders, was one of hundreds of fake Facebook accounts created by a Russian company with Kremlin ties to spread vitriolic messages on divisive issues. ABC News revealed that the group Secured Borders, which looked like an American grassroots organization, was really a page operated by the Russians Advertisement

Facebook told Congress that the apparent political meddling included use of its image-sharing application Instagram.

Facebook general counsel Colin Stretch told a hearing that Instagram posts by suspect Russian accounts were seen by some 20 million Americans last year.

The data on Instagram is on top of the estimated 126 million Americans exposed to Facebook posts from Russian entities seeking to create divisions during the election campaign.

'I've expressed how upset I am that the Russians tried to use our tools to sow mistrust,' Zuckerberg said earlier this month.

'What they did is wrong and we are not going to stand for it.'
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Would you want your phone to tell you what makes a pretty picture?

Google's latest neural image assessment system (NIMA) is using AI to scan all the pictures you took on your phone for quality and then help choose the most attractive ones.

The system uses deep convolutional neural networks, a type of computing system that replicates the biological networks in the brain, to scan phone photos for both technical and aesthetic elements.

Google hopes to develop the system as app to suggest improvements such as tweaks to brightness and contrast in real time, and even offer tips to improve the framing and 'aesthetic beauty and emotional appeal' of images.

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The photos are rated based on data from human judges ranked as a good image in various photo contests. The algorithm gives all photos a composite score of 1-10 and suggests edits for things like better brightness and exposure. Blurriness, highlights, shadows and emotional appeal all play a role in determining what will be judged as an attractive image.

HOW IT WORKS Google introduced a new neural image assessment system (NIMA) that helps weed out bad snapshots on your phone. The algorithm uses deep convolutional neural networks and combined data from human judges in photo contests to rank photos based on both technical elements and visual appeal. Photos are compared to reference images of similar style and given a ranked score of 1-10. According to Google, a high score closely matches what humans tend to prefer. Generally, high-scoring photos have a combination of technical elements and visual appeal. NIMA also gives users suggestions for how to improve photos based on elements such as brightness, highlights and exposure. Ideally, Google hopes to use the system to get people to take better pictures in live time. Advertisement

With data based on what human judges generally select as good images in photo contests, the algorithm rates photos based on technical elements such as blurriness, highlights and use of shadows.

Once it is officially released for use on phones and computers, the system will also judge photos based on more subjective elements of attractiveness, such as aesthetic beauty or emotional appeal.

Ideally, each photo will be compared to a reference image of a similar subject and style.

But if no such reference image is available, Google will use statistical data to gauge what image humans are most likely to prefer.

The algorithm gives all photos a composite score of 1-10 and suggests edits for things like better brightness and exposure.

Google's engineers hope that the system will allow users to make the edits in real time.

'Our proposed network can be used to not only score images reliably and with high correlation to human perception, but also it is useful for a variety of labour-intensive and subjective tasks such as intelligent photo editing, optimising visual quality for increased user engagement, or minimising perceived visual errors in an imaging pipeline,' Google software engineer Hossein Talebi wrote in a blog post.

Google claims that the photo scores very closely match the ratings given by human judges, with photos that both have the right technical elements and tug at the heartstrings receiving the highest scores.

The neural image assessment system (NIMA) rates photos based on both technical and aesthetic elements. The 1-10 rankings system recognizes technical errors such as blurriness or distorted imagery while also giving photos a score based on what humans generally determine to be a good photo. In these images, the algorithm rated the amount of distortion in each image

In the sample photos released by Google, sunset and water images tended to receive higher scores than ones of only trees or fields.

'This leads to a more accurate quality prediction with higher correlation to the ground truth ratings, and is applicable to general images,' Talebi wrote.

While the system has not yet been released for general use, Google's engineers hope that it will soon allow people to take better photos in live time.

Google's algorithm also suggests edits to enhance the quality of the photos. Changes to the brightness, exposure and highlight levels can all be used to improve the score of any photo to be more in line with humans' aesthetic preferences.

Current automatic photo-ranking systems will typically only sort photos into categories of high and low-quality.

By using a points-based ratings system, Google engineers think they can give users a more nuanced estimation of which of the photos they took will be the most well-received.

'We're excited to share these results, though we know that the quest to do better in understanding what quality and aesthetics mean is an ongoing challenge  one that will involve continuing retraining and testing of ourGOOG
An emergency blood transfusion from one reindeer to his younger brother saved Little Buddy's life just in time for Christmas.

Little Buddy, a five-month-old reindeer in Shortsville, New York, fell violently ill after catching a dangerous tick-based disease.

Reindeer owner Mike Schaertl first discovered that one of his reindeer wasn't feeling well when Little Buddy became lethargic and stopped playing with his older brother Moose.

Little Buddy is a 5-month-old reindeer from Shortsville, New York. He fell violently ill with Babesios, a tick-borne disease that attacks animals' red blood cells and could be fatal.

WHAT HAPPENED? Little Buddy, a 5-month-old reindeer from Shortsville, New York, fell violently ill after being struck with a potentially fatal tick-borne disease. Babesios is a parasitic disease that attacks animals' red blood cells and makes them severely anemic. After Little Buddy grew weak and lethargic, his owner rushes him to an animal hospital near their town. Veterinarians gave the reindeer a litre of his older brother Moose's blood in an effort to save his life. The transfusion went well and both reindeer were able to make it home in time for the holidays. Advertisement

'When I came home from work one day to check on Little Buddy, I noticed his urine was dark red,' Schaertl said.

'That's when I realized this was a serious problem.'

He rushed Little Buddy to the Cornell University Equine and Nemo Farm Animal Hospital in Ithaca, New York, where veterinarians diagnosed the reindeer with a parasitic disease called Babesios.

The disease, which is spread by ticks and attacks red blood cells in animals and in rare cases humans, made Little Buddy severely anemic.

The high fever and rapid loss of energy are similar to the symptoms caused by malaria.

Even though the hospital's veterinarians gave Little Buddy some medicine and kept him overnight at the intensive care unit for animals, the reindeer's health was still growing progressively worse.

'We were very worried about Little Buddy. Most reindeer that present to the hospital with this disease do not survive,' Melissa Fenn, the hospital's resident animal internal medicine specialist, told Futurely.

The disease caused Little Buddy to grow a fever and lose energy very fast. After his owner rushed the reindeer to an Ithaca animal hospital, veterinarians gave him a litre of his brother Moose's blood to save his life.

As a result, the hospital made the call to give Little Buddy a litre of his half-brother Moose's healthy blood in an attempt to save his life.

The blood transfusion went well for both Moose and Little Buddy, who started to feel better almost immediately after.

During his recovery, the animal hospital built a special fitted stall that brought in cold air and had no bars or grills that could hurt Little Buddy's horns.

'The hospital team was so creative and came up with a great solution to keep him as comfortable as possible during his recovery,' Fenn said.

A day after the transfusion, Little Buddy started to stand on his own and eat independently.

In a week, the reindeer had been rid of the blood parasites that made him ill, no longer required oxygen, and had started playing with Moose.

After a week in the hospital, Little Buddy's health improved to the point where he could leave the intensive care unit and start to play with his older brother again. The two reindeer were able to make it back home just in time for Christmas.

The rapid improvements in health meant Little Buddy and Moose could both be moved out of the hospital and, eventually, back to their home in time for Christmas.

But as happy as Little Buddy and Moose were to be home, there were others who were even more glad.

Once they returned to Shortsville, the two reindeer were greeted with a 'welcome home' celebration from several hundred of Shaertl's family and friends.
As a young high school American government teacher, I compared our system to an automobile that was useful if it could start, speed up, slow down and stop. When the people thought government needed to be more active, they elected liberal Democrats to press down on the accelerator. When people thought governments role was getting too large and expensive, they elected Republicans to apply the brakes and slow things down.

Our national debt is now $20 trillion and rising. That amounts to about $155,000 in tax liability for the average family of four, and about $320,000 for each individual American under the age of 18, and not old enough to vote. They are the folks who will have to make good on the hot checks cashed by those of us who are old enough to protect ourselves and pass on the pain to them.

The monstrous debt is clearly no priority to either of todays political parties. We now have two accelerator parties. Each is so committed to its base of supporters that neither will work with the other on a strategy for the essential public purpose of slowing down the debt.

In defiance of demographics, the Democrats still want to expand the reach of social programs, appearing unable to deal with the ever-increasing costs. In defiance of history, the Republicans want to speed up the economy so corporate businesses will create more jobs, thus trickling down prosperity, and limiting the need for the social safety net.

By this argument the Republicans claim their proposal benefits all the people. But its unquestionably clear that the people who are corporations will benefit far more than those who are mere human organisms. Corporations are currently fat with cash (an estimated $2.3 trillion) which could be invested in job expansion now, without the government assistance the Tax Cut and Jobs Act provides them with $1.5 trillion in borrowed money. Why gamble their gains making capitol investments in an unstable world made more unpredictable by racing trends in technology?

So, increasingly prosperous corporations probably wont invest much in creating jobs. They will continue to invest in their stockholders. The stock market bubble, accelerated by a new infusion from public debt, will continue its abnormal rise. Common folks who are not investors will see only a minimal and temporary benefit in their taxes. They will be hurt the most, however, when the market correction inevitably comes.

The tax bill shifts costs to the states. On the heels of a budget cutting special legislative session, Montana Department of Revenue analysts have so far identified provisions within the 1,100-page bill that they estimate will result in a net loss of revenue to the state of about $122 million per year.

The economy likely wont get much better, but count on the debt to get bigger as a result of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Beyond impacts on states, other unforeseen consequences of the massive tax bill are yet to be discovered.

Proceeding more slowly and cooperatively, Congress could have produced positive tax reform. Now, undoing the damage done will require more than a brake peddle.
When booking a flight, most holidaymakers expect to fly on an aircraft belonging to the airline they've made the reservation with.

But the practice of 'codesharing' is on the increase. More than 100,000 codeshares operate out of the UK every month, with two or more airlines having listed the flights under each other's names. It means travellers will find themselves on a plane belonging to another carrier.

Often this doesn't affect the journey to a great degree - but a new report by Which? claims to have uncovered hidden dangers with the practice, that if something goes wrong passengers may be left without rights to compensation and in some cases hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

The practice of 'codesharing' is on the increase. More than 100,000 codeshares operate out of the UK every month, with two or more airlines having listed the flights under each other's names. It means travellers will find themselves on a plane belonging to another carrier.

It turns out that if you book with the likes of BA, Virgin Atlantic or another European airline, under EU law, you can be entitled to up to 600 euro compensation if your flight is cancelled or delayed.

But if the flight ends up as a codeshare with the likes, say, of Delta or AA, you're only covered if you fly from a European airport.

Two passengers who fell foul of the codesharing practice were married couple Chris Pile and Laura Trevino, who booked flights through British Airways from Washington DC to Alicante in Spain.

The Which? report tells how they were due to fly from Washington's Ronald Reagan airport to New York on BA's codeshare partner American Airlines.

However, American Airlines cancelled the flight, which in turn meant they missed their connection in New York to London.

They then took a $100 taxi to Dulles airport in Washington in order to catch a BA flight to the UK.

But when they arrived at Dulles, they discovered they were on stand-by and could only guarantee seats on the flight by forking out $760 (570) to upgrade to the premium economy cabin.

They claim they were told by BA to keep their receipts so they could claim back their extra expenses.

But they say BA later refused to reimburse them, claiming it wasn't its fault for the initial cancellation.

Meanwhile AA also would not compensate them fully.

It said: 'Your tickets were booked through British Airways. They have received the funds for your trip and we are unable to refund any money that we did not receive. Please contact BA directly to further escalate your claim.'

AA offered an apology and $200 in vouchers that had a 12-month shelf life - leaving them out of pocket. And they arrived home 20 hours late.

Meanwhile, said Which?, BA walked away with a profit  having sold an unexpected upgrade purely because its codeshare partner had cancelled a flight.

It turns out that if you book with the likes of BA, Virgin Atlantic or another European airline, under EU law, you can be entitled to up to 600 euro compensation if your flight is cancelled or delayed. But if the flight ends up as a codeshare with the likes of Delta or AA, you're only covered if you fly from a European airport

The report also claims that one Which? member was offered just a $200 voucher when her flight from Chicago to Manchester was cancelled.

Despite having a BA flight number, the service was actually being operated by AA, meaning she wasn't entitled to the EU compensation.

Regarding the case of Mr Pile and Ms Trevino, AA told Which?: 'Our system is only able to confirm passengers on alternative flights where seats are available. You will have to speak to British Airways regarding the couple's experience at Washington Dulles.'

THE 19 AIRLINES THAT CODESHARE WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS Aer Lingus airBaltic American Airlines Bangkok Airways Cathay Pacific China Eastern Finnair Flybe Iberia Japan Airlines LATAM Chile Loganair Meridiana Fly Qatar Airways Royal Jordanian S7 Airlines TAAG Angola Airlines Vueling Advertisement

Meanwhile an unapologetic British Airways said that the couple had enjoyed a larger, more comfortable seat with increased legroom, a more exclusive cabin, a premium three-course meal and a larger baggage allowance after upgrading to premium economy.

And it told Which?: 'Customers hugely benefit from codeshare arrangements with other partner airlines, which allow them to take advantage of great-value fares and more convenient connecting flights via just one booking.'

Mr Pile took British Airways to its arbitration service, CEDR. But CEDR ruled in favour of BA on the grounds that the carrier hadn't operated the initial cancelled flight. Unfortunately, it had no power to consider American Airlines' behaviour, as it is not signed up to CEDR's scheme.

Another issue that Which? claims to have identified is that some websites don't make it clear that a codeshare is in operation.

Its report states that sites such as Edreams and lastminute.com often don't display this information clearly.

However, Edreams told Which?: 'We are addressing a technical issue which affected the way some of our flights which included a codeshare element were displayed, resulting in the 'operating carrier' not being identified.

While lastminute.com added that the information is available on its 'search results page'. It only appears, though, if you click 'details'. The company said that it was 'looking into' providing this crucial information at the booking stage.

Trevor Baker, who investigated codeshare practices for Which?, said: 'Codeshares between airlines are a good idea when they allow us to make connections and bookings more easily.

'But passengers need to be aware that they have some significant downsides.

'We know that many customers have been confused and disappointed to discover that they're not flying with their chosen airline, and so the information provided by booking sites needs to be much clearer.'

Emma Grimster, spokeswoman at TravelSupermarket, said: 'It is important passengers are clear which airline is operating their flight when booking to save any confusion at the airport, as well as around the airline's policies on check-in times, baggage allowances and any other charges. Such policies do vary from carrier to carrier and making a mistake on an item such as baggage could not only be inconvenient, but also costly if you exceed your allowance.

'Knowing your carrier becomes more relevant again if a flight is delayed. Passengers would be entitled to compensation for delayed flights if operated by a EU-based carrier or if they are departing from an EU airport, however, if they have booked through an EU-based carrier, but are actually flying with a code share partner based outside of the EU and are departing from an airport outside of the EU, this would mean they are not due the same rights as they won't be protected by EU law.

'If booking online, the operating carrier name should be visible before you send payment. It will also appear on your eticket or email confirmation. If you are in any doubt, contact your booking site to double check.'
The holiday destinations offering Brits the best value for money in 2018 have been revealed - and it's Argentina and Brazil where the pound goes furthest.

Currency exchange experts FairFX looked at the countries where the pound has been performing well and where it is expected to continue to do well next year.

And its research has revealed that sterling goes a staggering 196 per cent further in Argentina that it did compared to five years ago.

Currency exchange experts FairFX has revealed its top travel destinations for 2018 based on value for money and topping the list is Argentina, pictured

FairFX research has also revealed that Brazil, pictured, also offers value for money with the pound now going 31 per cent further there

FairFX says that 2018 could be the perfect time to snap up Argentine pesos and head to the country to visit the stunning waterfalls and glaciers as Brit travellers will get 662.24 more for 1,000 exchanged than they did in 2012.

While another bargain travel destination is Argentina's South American neighbour Brazil, with those heading for a view of Christ the Redeemer seeing their pound going 31 per cent further than in 2012.

Meanwhile in Mexico, FairFX has found that Brits benefit from a 24 per cent improvement in the pound to peso rate in the past five years.

Other places making it on to the exchange expert's list include Papua New Guinea, which it says is more affordable than ever with the pound going 28 per cent further than in 2012.

A table showing FairFX's top 10 travel destinations for 2018 based on value for money for Brits

Traveller favourite Australia also makes the list with the pound up 12 per cent against the Australian dollar.

Or if Brits prefer to stay closer to home, FairFX say Brits could head to Norway - even though it has a reputation for being expensive.

This is because the pound is up 24 per cent compared to the krone, with travellers getting 190.78 extra for 1,000 exchanged compared to five years ago.

In Papua New Guinea, pictured, the pound goes 28 per cent further compared to five years ago

If Brits prefer to stay closer to home, FairFX say Brits could head to Norway, where FairFX says that the pound is up 24 per cent compared to the krone over five years

The research comes as FairFX also found that this year, the pound has also been faring well against currencies in Nicargaua and Costa Rica.

Outside of South America, several Asian destinations now also offer travellers significantly better value than this time last year, with Sri Lanka, Laos, Indonesia and Hong Kong all making the top 10.

Ian Strafford-Taylor, CEO of FairFX, said: 'If the Brexit trade talks have some positive momentum in 2018, then we may see sterling improve against the euro, making the Eurozone better value than this year for Brits planning holidays.

'However, if Brexit negotiations impact on sterling creating another rocky year, travellers may have to look further afield at destinations where countries have performed better in the long run, taking the opportunity to capitalise on currency improvements to test out long-haul and off-the-beaten track destinations.'
Sometimes splashing out on an upgrade puts an financial stranglehold on you.

Because you can never go back to the economy version.

A discussion on this matter has set an internet forum alight, with over 17,000 comments flooding in to debate the merits of paying more for better butter, Merino wool socks and quilted toilet paper.

One Reddit user joked how he made the 'mistake' of having sushi in Tokyo - and now he can't find a restaurant with the same high quality products

The debate was kickstarted on Reddit by member Bogey-Yogi, who asked: 'What item once you get a taste of the luxury version, means you can't go back to the economy version?'

And many of the first responses were about luxury food items where the cheaper version just cannot compare.

One user, 2_Sheds_Jackson, said: 'Sushi. Made the "mistake" of having sushi dinner in Tokyo. It is tough to find a suitable restaurant now.'

While Tragic16 added: 'Had real Belgian chocolate once. Nothing else comes close.'

Redditor SmoothPebble threw out every pair of cotton and synthetic material socks - after trying a pair made from Merino wool

And octohoof also talked about chocolate, explaining: 'My dad brought home some French chocolate truffles from a party. $42/oz. It was really hard to go back to Hershey's after that.'

Fellow forum member killistaflockhard said: 'Not a luxury item necessarily, but real-ass good butter. Grew up using margarine, made an Irish friend in college, started buying Kerrygold, now I can't stop.'

And hobbes_shot_first said nothing could compare to real Mexican food - not even Chipotle or Taco Bell.

When it came to cheese, gedden8co said there was no comparison to real parmesan, while CowHaterGaming said he couldn't eat any other popcorn than the cheese version from a gourmet popcorn shop.

Another forum member said they couldn't go back to regular toilet paper after using the soft quilted version

While another Reddit user said: 'I got gifted a bag of 100 per cent Jamaican Blue Mountain, and it ruined every other coffee for me. Too bad I can't afford it. So I make do with a blend. Still not quite the same.'

For others, having a luxury experience at the toilet was important, especially for 'xxxx', who claims they had a Korean bidet installed in their bathroom.

They added: 'Heated spray with oscillation, heated seat, little blow dryer, good god.

'I've got a regular non-heated bidet in the other bathroom that I used happily for years. It is now for emergency use only.'

And curioustriangle said: 'Toilet paper. The soft, quilted, expensive type is bliss.'

Another user, d-d-d-dirtbag, explained how he can never go back to a car without air conditioning but for feketefy, he will never buy a vehicle without heated seats.

Upgraded air travel, especially when older, was another thing that was mentioned in the Reddit thread

Upgraded air travel, especially when older is one thing ChilrenOfAnEldridGod cannot live without.

While 'absurded' added that buying a normal seat in the cinema was not an option anymore after enjoying watching movies in a posh theater with recliner chairs and food and alcohol delivered to one's seat.

And Redditor SmoothPebble threw out every pair of cotton and synthetic material socks - after trying a pair made from Merino wool.

But one of the most unusual 'luxury items' was added by one forum member who said it was his train simulator addons.

He said: 'The animated cabs, realistic physics and reverser locks have me hooked.'
Most Instagram models are known for their heavy use of deceptive photo filters and airbrushing.

But on Thursday, Instagram model Tully Smyth decided to break rank by posting an empowering makeup-free selfie with no filter.

The 30-year-old's brave social media post comes just days after she hit back at body shamers for criticising her slender physique.

Empowered: Tully Smyth bravely posted a makeup-free selfie with no filter on Thursday

The Hillary Clinton supporter accompanied her makeup-free, no filter selfie with a powerful quote from Facebook poet Sneha Pal.

'She is both, hellfire and holy water. And the flavour you taste depends on how you treat her,' she wrote.

In the image, a bare-faced Tully can be seen pouting in a bra with sexy tousled bed hair.

Brave: In the image, the bare-faced 30-year-old can be seen pouting in a bra with sexy tousled bed hair

Earlier this week, the former Big Brother beauty hit back at body shamers online.

'I've had a couple of comments that say I look sick, or that I look too thin, or that I would look better with a few extra kgs on me,' she said in a video.

'Um, these comments are kind of just as hurtful than people telling me that I've put on weight or I look chubby.'

Outspoken! Earlier this week, the former Big Brother beauty hit back at body shamers online in a video posted to her Instagram account

She continued: 'First off, I know my angles. It's literally part of my job to take photos, so I know how to stand and hold my body so it looks the way I want it to look. That's like 101 Instagram.

'And secondly- and probably most importantly- and there has been plenty of proof of this on my social media channels, but I train really hard. I work out six days a week. And I do this so that I can eat whatever the hell I want to eat.'

She finished: 'I will never shy away from a cheeseburger or a kebab or a pizza. I eat what I want to eat, I train really hard, I'm fit and I'm healthy and I'm strong. So for all of those saying I look sick or too thin [middle finger].'
She is set to wed her boyfriend Hugo Taylor after a romantic proposal in Mykonos in July.

And Millie Mackintosh certainly looked in high spirits as she flaunted her impeccable frame while on a tropical holiday with her husband-to-be on Thursday.

Without revealing the exact location of their getaway, the former Made In Chelsea star was pictured cooking up a storm in a quirky Boomerang mini video as they enjoyed their Winter break.

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Cheeky: Millie Mackintosh was in high spirits as she flaunted her impeccable frame while on a tropical holiday with her husband-to-be on Thursday

The 28-year-old showcased her slender physique as she cheekily stuck her tongue out for the mirror selfie.

Captioned 'Working on my tan', the Quality Street heiress soaked up the sun's rays as she put on a scantily-clad appearance in the barely-there swimsuit, held by a circular chain.

Her wet tresses were flipped to one side as she protected her eyes from the sweltering hot beams in cat-framed sunglasses.

In the latter snap, the fashion icon wrapped her golden mane into a high-bun as she cooked a meal for her beau.

Cooking up a storm: In the latter snap, the fashion icon wrapped her golden mane into a high-bun as she prepared a meal for her beau

Hugo popped the big question to Millie in July this year, a year after they rekindled their relationship following Millie's divorce from Professor Green, 34.

The fashionista gave a rare glimpse into her private romance when she gushed about her fiance on The Ray Darcy Show, RTE in Dublin, Ireland last month.

While fans know them as an original golden Made In Chelsea couple, Millie revealed the couple go way back as they have been friends for a 'long time' before the show.

On/off: Hugo popped the big question to Millie in July this year, a year after they rekindled their relationship following Millie's divorce from Professor Green

Of their relationship, she explained: 'We've known each other since I was 16. So we've been friends for a long long time.'

Former Made In Chelsea co-star Spencer Matthews confirmed he will act as best man for the highly anticipated wedding.

When asked whether he'd be at the nuptials in June 2018, Spencer told The Sun: 'I am the best man. I think hed [Hugo] be a bit peeved if I didnt turn up.'

Long-time relationship: Of their relationship, she explained 'We've known each other since I was 16. So we've been friends for a long long time'
It was recently reported that she and her husband Keith Urban were moving back to Australia permanently.

And on Friday, Nicole Kidman arrived home in Australia for Christmas with her family.

Nicole and Keith were seeb at Sydney airport with their two daughters, Sunday Rose, 9, and and Faith Margaret, 6.

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The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Nicole Kidman arrives home in Australia with her very smartly dressed lookalike daughters and husband Keith Urban for Christmas

The Big Little Lies star looked incredibly stylish as she made her way through the terminal, wearing a dusty pink frock.

She teamed the look with nude floral flats and accessorised with a summery hat and sunglasses.

The actress also carried a chic tan leather handbag.

An A-list arrival: Nicole looked incredibly stylish as she made her way through the terminal, wearing a dusty pink frock

Sweet: She dressed her lookalike daughters in white floaty dresses and shiny sandals

The girls stealing the spotlight! Keith was dressed more casually for the occasion, wearing black Adidas tracksuit pants and running shoes, with a black T-shirt

Meanwhile, her lookalike daughters wore white floaty dresses and shiny sandals.

They appear to be growing up fast, and tall like their mother.

Keith was dressed more casually for the occasion, wearing a black Adidas tracksuit pants and running shoes with a black T-shirt.

The family appeared in high spirits, smiling as they walked through the terminal after the long flight.

They were greeted by staff as they made their way to an awaiting car.

Touch down: The family appeared in high spirits, smiling as they walked around after the long flight

Chic: Nicole accessorised with floral flats, a beige bag and hat

Where to next? On the day, they were greeted by staff as they made their way to an awaiting car

Australian star Nicole and Kiwi-born Keith have family in Australia, who they'll no doubt be spending Christmas with.

Nicole recently told US Weekly about her Christmas plans, saying that the clan want to spend the day by the beach.

Meanwhile, Woman's Day recently reported that Nicole and Keith are planning a 'permanent' move back to Australia.

Feeling festive: Australian star Nicole and Kiwi-born Keith have family in Australia, who they'll no doubt be spending Christmas with

Keen for summer: Nicole recently told US Weekly about her Christmas plans, saying the clan want to spend the day by the beach

Relocating? Meanwhile, Woman's Day have reported that Nicole and Keith are planning a 'permanent' move back to Australia

The pair are reportedly 'house hunting' after Nicole expressed her desire to move back Down Under.

The publication reports that the pair are planning to relocate to Sydney to be closer to Nicole's mother, Janelle, who lives on the North Shore.

The pair are reportedly looking at mansions in the pricey suburbs of Mosman and Balmoral.

'Nicole has been longing to move back to Oz for some time now,' a source told the magazine.

It comes as the pair are trying to sell their Nashville retreat, for $3.45 million.
She flaunts her killer curves from coast to coast.

And Ashley Graham looked comfortable in her own skin as she sang and danced in a stunning leopard print one-piece swimsuit in Agadir, Morocco, on Thursday afternoon.

The model, 30, showed some serious moves while singing Africa by Toto on Instagram during a Swimsuits For All photo shoot set overlooking the ocean.

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Having fun: Ashley Graham, 30, looked comfortable in her own skin while she sang and danced in a stunning leopard print one-piece swimsuit in Agadir, Morocco on Thursday afternoon

Large turquoise tassles dangled across her thighs as she perched her tanned body on top of a bright yellow cushion.

Ashley held an imaginary microphone in one hand as she sang the words to the hit '80s song wearing a skin-tight leopard swimsuit.

She captioned the fun Instagram video, 'Shooting my new @swimsuitsforall collection,' before revealing her own line is set to debut in February 2018.

Sing it! The gorgeous model showed some serious moves while singing Africa by Toto on Instagram during a Swimsuits For All photo shoot set

Songstress: Ashley held an imaginary microphone in one hand as she sang the words to the hit '80s song wearing a skin-tight leopard swimsuit

The gorgeous Moroccan set featured large colorful tents and blankets overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Ashley gave another nod to the '80s in a retro-inspired hot pink and maroon suit which showed off her toned tummy.

Her ample assets were on full display in a daring purple, blue and white string bikini as her long chocolate brown hair caught the wind.

Model behavior: Ashley gave another nod to the '80s in a retro-inspired hot pink and maroon suit which showed off her toned tummy

Tan: Her ample assets were on full display in a daring purple, blue and white string bikini as her long chocolate brown hair caught the wind

Sweet ride: Ashley rode off into the sunset in a thong bikini while on the back of a camel

On Wednesday, Ashley showcased her model figure in a hot pink two-piece with delicate bows tied around her waist.

In one sweet video, Ashley shared with her fans that 'camels really aren't my thing' as she pensively stood by the large animal.

She proclaimed 'smiles all day long' between a series of clapping emojis while her team tended to her look.

Strike a pose: The 30-year-old Sports Illustrated swimsuit model posed up a storm on her Instagram stories in the desert sand wearing a series of pieces from her line with Swimsuits For All

Stunning: Ashley's tanned and toned body was on full display in a hot pink two-piece with delicate bows tied around her waist

Stay calm! In one sweet video, Ashley shared with her fans that 'camels really aren't my thing' as she pensively stood by the large animal

The Addition Elle spokesmodel rocked a black one-piece with cutouts along the side and a plunging woven neckline.

In another behind-the-scenes snap, Ashley stood in a makeshift changing room with the caption, 'Bikini please' scrawled in hot pink writing.

Her curves were kept under wraps in a bright white one-piece with woven ties holding together her ample assets.

Lovely: The gorgeous Moroccan set featured large colorful tents and blankets overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

Dancing queen: Her curves were kept under wraps in a bright white one-piece with woven ties holding together her ample assets

Pretty please: She proclaimed 'smiles all day long' between a series of clapping emojis while her team tended to her look

She wrote 'clearly I know the words to every song. 'Voice of an Angel,' with her hands thrown up in the air to dance.

No trip is complete without Ashley's mother Linda by her side as the blonde beauty posed in front of a sunset, with her daughter writing 'She's just so cute tho!' on the gorgeous photo.

Hairstylist Justine Marjan made sure Graham's chocolate brown tresses were perfectly coiffed for the sandy shoot.

Covered up: In another behind-the-scenes snap, Ashley stood in a makeshift changing room with the caption, 'Bikini please' scrawled in hot pink writing

What a view: Ashley posed in a series of swimsuits overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

Makeup artist Allan Avendano highlighted Ashley's already stunning features with a golden glow

The busy supermodel took time to relax on the beach in a vibrant red two-piece with a copy of her own book, A New Model.

While there are no doubt many pining for the star's affections, Ashley is happily spoken for.

The model has been married to long-term sweetheart Justin Ervin, who she met through her church, since 2010.

Work it: Hairstylist Justine Marjan made sure Graham's chocolate brown tresses were perfectly coiffed for the sandy shoot
Cameron Douglas welcomed his first child with girlfriend Viviane Thibes on Monday.

The happy couple named their daughter Lua Izzy paying tribute to great-grandfather Kirk Douglas who was born Issur Danielovitch, and later went by Izzy.

'Today I took part in a miracle as my baby girl was introduced to the world through a beautiful Amazon warrior,' the son of Michael Douglas, 39, posted on social media.

Great news: Cameron Douglas, 39, welcomed his first child with girlfriend Viviane Thibes, 38, on Monday

'Today my appreciation for [mothers] all over the world has reached new heights,' he added to the snap of a very pregnant Viviane, 38, in a yoga pose.

'Im so proud of you @vivianethibes. #iloveyou;'

And the new father expressed joy on being able to be by his new family's side.

'Since Viviane has given birth to a beautiful healthy girl on Monday afternoon, Ive been at their side ever since. Im very happy,' Cameron told People.

Beaming: 'Today I took part in a miracle as my baby girl was introduced to the world through a beautiful Amazon warrior,' the son of Michael Douglas posted on social media

Turn around: The son of Oscar winner Michael has recently turned his life around since serving 7 years in prison on drug charges

The son of Oscar winner Michael has recently turned his life around since serving 7 years in prison on drug charges.

His romantic history was scrutinized publicly during his jail time since two of his past relationships involved his battle with addiction.

In 2009, his then girlfriend Kelly Sott served seven months in jail after she was arrested for trying to smuggle heroin to him in an electric toothbrush while he was on house arrest.

Family affair: Cameron was born to Michael and Diandra Luker, the daughter of an Austrian diplomat

And one of his defense lawyers, Jennifer Ridha, was also caught sneaking drugs to Cameron inside prison after they developed a romantic relationship.

After his release from jail in August 2016, Cameron began dating Viviane and by the following August they were ready to announce their pregnancy.

Cameron was born to Michael and Diandra Luker, the daughter of an Austrian diplomat.

And Michael was born to Hollywood legend Kirk and his wife Diana Dill in 1944.
She debuted a new dark 'do on Wednesday afternoon.

But Sofia Richie seemed to need a few touch ups to her chocolate brown bob as she visited the Meche Salon in Beverly Hills on Thursday afternoon.

The 19-year-old model checked her phone in the parking lot before parading into the hair house near trendy Robertson Boulevard.

Walk it out: Sofia Richie seemed to need a few touch ups to her chocolate brown bob as she visited the Meche Salon in Beverly Hills on Thursday afternoon

The previously blonde bombshell kept her famous figure under wraps in a pair of cozy black sweat pants.

She sported a white sweatshirt with a large graphic logo of Parliament cigarettes, with the brand's name emblazoned in large black lettering.

Making sure comfort was key, Sofia donned a pair of tall black combat boots as she carried a black fanny pack across her shoulder.

Quick break: The 19-year-old model checked her phone in the parking lot before parading into the hair house near trendy Robertson Boulevard

Richie shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun with a pair of dark sunglasses and kept her iPhone and coin purse locked in one hand.

Not seen on the outing was teenage Sofia's 34-year-old boyfriend Scott Disick who she's been linked to since May.

Later in the afternoon she took to Instagram to show off a makeup-free face and her gorgeous new hair.

Lovely: Later in the afternoon she took to Instagram to show off a makeup-free face and her gorgeous new hair

Love: Sofia and Scott made their relationship public in September while enjoying a romantic holiday in Miami, Florida; seen in December

Sofia and Scott made their relationship public in September while enjoying a romantic holiday in Miami, Florida.

The darling duo are reportedly 'very serious' as a source confirmed to PEOPLE magazine in November that Sofia's been a positive influence in Scott's life.

'Shes made a big impact on his life and hasnt partied at all since they met,' the source said.

Scott raises three children with ex Kourtney Kardashian; Mason, eight, Penelope, five, and Reign, three.

Sweet: PEOPLE magazine reported in November that Sofia's been a positive influence in Scott's life; seen in December
East Rosebud Creek is closer to the Wild and Scenic Rivers protection neighbors have long sought, thanks to all three members of Montana's congressional delegation.

On Wednesday, legislation reintroduced earlier this year by Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines passed the Senate. Montana's senators jointly announced the Senate approval.

Now the House needs to approve Rep. Greg Gianfortes East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (H.R.4645), which he introduced on Dec. 14. As noted in a Dec. 11, Gazette opinion, Gianforte needed to sponsor a House bill to boost the prospects of this Beartooth Mountains stream being designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Gianfortes office told The Gazette that he would introduce an East Rosebud bill soon, and he did so.

In some areas, the best use of our natural resources and treasures is conservation and recreation, Gianforte said in a press release. This standard applies to the East Rosebud Creek.

The Senate and House bills would apply the Wild and Scenic designation to two stretches of the creek totaling 20 miles of waterway  both entirely on public lands in the Custer National Forest. The designation would not apply to East Rosebud Lake where there are private cabins.

Hunters, anglers, hikers and conservationists applauded Gianfortes bill and Thursday's Senate success.

East Rosebud neighbors are hoping that the stream can be protected in must-pass legislation yet this year. However, the bills Gianforte and the senators proposed could still pass in 2018. The sooner, the better for this clear, cold trout stream that nourishes a valley filled with pine and wildlife.

The same day as he announced his East Rosebud bill, Gianforte introduced another measure that Montanans have been seeking for years: the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act (H.R. 4644). Gianfortes bill would put 30,000 acres of national forest land north of Yellowstone Park off limits to mining development permanently.

At the request of Montanans who live and work in the area, Tester introduced legislation earlier this year to withdraw those same lands from mineral development. As Tester and Gianforte have recognized, action is urgently needed. Two mining companies with foreign investors have proposed exploration and development of gold mines, one along Crevice Mountain on Yellowstones northern border east of Gardiner; the other in Emigrant Gulch further north in Paradise Valley.

Like their Park County constituents, Tester and Gianforte cited the tremendous value of the outdoor economy and agriculture in this area.

Gianfortes press release says he is working with my colleagues in the House to build consensus to get this bill passed.

The Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act still lacks Daines support. He hasnt signed onto Testers protection act and told proponents of the Yellowstone Gateway Act that their coalition needed to support his Wilderness Study Area release bill if they wanted his support for the mineral withdrawal.

Tester and Gianfortes Yellowstone Gateway bills properly propose what Montanans have asked: permanent protection for specific public lands that have high recreational and agricultural value because of their proximity to Yellowstone Park and the Upper Yellowstone River.

We urge Daines to join the rest of the delegation in advocating for permanently barring development of publicly owned minerals at Emigrant Gulch and Crevice Mountain. Its the right thing to do  with no strings attached.

The East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Act, once again, has unanimous support of the Montana delegation. Yet it will require all three lawmakers to push it to the presidents desk. Its been more than 40 years since a Montana waterway was protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

We call on Gianforte, Daines and Tester to work toward enacting laws on both Rosebud Creek and Yellowstone Gateway by early 2018.
Eddy and Patsy, the most disreputable double act on telly, were reunited in Absolutely Champers

Darling! Sweetie! Sweetie darling! Eddy and Patsy, the most disreputable double act on telly, were reunited and fuelled with gallons of lovely Bolly, in Absolutely Champers (BBC2). Surely disaster loomed.

This documentary didnt so much tour the celebrated vineyards of Champagne as stagger about with a magnum in its fist, hooting and screeching, before falling flat on its back and burbling at the sky.

And what a wonderful relief that was. Weve seen so many celebrity comedians turn travelogue host, on jollies around the world with us licence payers footing the bill. Too often they are dull, pompous prigs.

But certainly not Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. For a start, the stars of Absolutely Fabulous are real friends, perfectly relaxed in each others company  criticising, poking fun, teasing and talking over each other.

Both notorious gigglers, they set each other off. At the champagne bar in St Pancras station while they waited for the Eurostar, Joanna could see Jennifer was still waking up and deliberately reduced her to incoherent laughter by talking to the camera with a mouthful of stuffed olives.

For a start, the stars of Absolutely Fabulous are real friends, perfectly relaxed in each others company  criticising, poking fun, teasing and talking over each other

Yuletide of the week: Yuletide wishes of the week: Animal surgeon Noel FitzPatrick reset a Humboldt penguin chicks twisted leg, on The Supervet At Christmas (C4). Peace to all men, but especially peace to all penguins, declared Noel . . . living up to his name! Advertisement

It was an unscripted moment  and much funnier for it. Eavesdropping on their constant silly chit-chat was a joy: this natural friendship made the viewer feel as though wed known them all our lives, though the spontaneity was causing the film crew all kinds of problems. One conversation, in an ancient Citroen with the windows down, sounded like it was recorded in a wind tunnel.

Wherever they went, they were knocking back champagne  last thing at night in the idyllic courtyard of their B&B, at an open-air breakfast in the vineyards on harvest morning, in the cellars, in the Bollinger winery, in the bars, on a canal . . . as though Ab Fab wasnt a sitcom but the true biography of Edd and Pats.

Even the voiceover was funny. They did it together, ad libbing to put each other off. The show only faltered when excerpts of Ab Fab were shoehorned into the flow.

It was as though the director didnt trust the presenters to provide enough entertaining moments unaided, which was ridiculous. Clips from classic comedies are never as funny out of context.

Flashes of spectacular silver screen choreography in Darcey Bussell's (pictured) Looking For Fred Astaire were the highlights of the show

Clips from movies, especially musicals, work much better, and the flashes of spectacular silver screen choreography in Looking For Fred Astaire (BBC1) were the highlights of the show.

Darcey Bussell was an assured presenter, talking us through the life of one of her heroes. Shes done this before, with Margot Fonteyn and Audrey Hepburn, and shes good: confident on her facts and capable of explaining complex technicalities without getting bogged down.

She managed to make us understand what elements of Astaires peerless technique came from vaudeville and what was based on jazz dancers at New Yorks Cotton Club. But her documentaries also tend to feature awkward scenes of her sitting and smiling tightly as she watches younger dancers in a mirrored studio, and stilted conversations with historians.

Darcey is too polite to make a good interviewer  maybe she should let fellow Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood do those scenes

Darcey is too polite to make a good interviewer  maybe she should let fellow Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood do those scenes. She did accidentally mortify one archivist, who produced her greatest treasure for the camera to admire  a straw hat, worn by Fred himself for a movie routine.

Darcey grabbed it, drummed her fingers on the brim and then waggled it round the room. Imagine the museum label now: Fred Astaires boater . . . as wrecked by Darcey Bussell.
Pitch Perfect 3 (12A)

Verdict: Decidedly imperfect

Rating:

The first two Pitch Perfect films were great fun. In fact, I bestowed four stars on the last one, in May 2015, and wrote that it was pitched perfectly at any audience craving a couple of hours of unremitting, occasionally risque fun.

They should have left it there. Pitch Perfect 3, like so many movies with the dreaded 3 after the title, is a misfire.

Like Christmas leftovers on the third or fourth day, the energy of the first two films feels as if its been microwaved, warmed up hurriedly and a bit half-heartedly in vain search of former glories.

They should have left it after doing the sequel - Pitch Perfect 3, like so many movies with the dreaded 3 after the title, is a misfire. Above Rebel Wilson (left) and Anna Kendrick

Moreover, even in the last film a little Rebel Wilson went a long way. Here, theres way, way too much of her, indeed she pretty much takes over from Anna Kendrick as the main character, which counts as a major misjudgment on somebodys part.

Wilson is a charismatic performer, undoubtedly, but her steady supply of off-colour one-liners somehow suck the charm out of the exercise.

As for the story, the champion a cappella singing group, the Bellas, have now left college and are all trying, with varying degrees of failure, to make their way in the world. Fat Amy (Wilson) is developing a tribute act called Fat Amy Winehouse, which is no funnier on paper than it is on screen.

Then they get a chance to re-form at a U.S. military base in Spain. The competitive element is reintroduced by a famous DJ, looking for someone to open his show.

Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins again play the duo willing the Bellas to fail, but dramatically feel entirely superfluous.

And John Lithgow pops up with an almost-credible Australian accent playing Fat Amys rascally, estranged father, whose nefarious schemes eventually explain the films opening scene: an explosion on a super-yacht.

Above, Rebel Wilson has played Fat Amy in all three Pitch Perfect movies. She's a charismatic performer, undoubtedly, but her steady supply of off-colour one-liners somehow suck the charm out of the exercise

The action sweeps from Spain to Italy and finally to the French Riviera.

Whether it will sweep audiences with it is doubtful, however.

Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld and co do their best with some increasingly desperate material, and there are some lively musical routines and the odd sharp gag, but just like those fourth-day Christmas leftovers, this should never have reached the table.
A Christmas Carol (Windsor Castle)

Venue Verdict: Wonderful location

Rating:

Play Verdict: Underwhelming show

Rating:

The Grinning Man (Trafalgar Studios)

Rating:

Christmas as we know it  with the trees, cards, carols and charity  was strongly shaped by two 19th-century figures: Charles Dickens and Prince Albert.

It was therefore a neat idea of the Royal Collection Trust to stage a production of Dickenss A Christmas Carol at Windsor Castle, where Queen Victoria and Albert were photographed at their Christmas tree in 1848 by Illustrated London News.

Christmas as we know it  with the trees, cards, carols and charity  was strongly shaped by two 19th-century figures: Charles Dickens and Prince Albert. It was therefore a neat idea of the Royal Collection Trust to stage a production of Dickenss A Christmas Carol at Windsor Castle

That image inspired the British middle classes to copy the royal couple.

Thus did your critic find himself in Windsor Castles St Georges Hall one night this week, gawping at an enormous Christmas tree while singing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing with Mr Ebenezer Scrooge.

What a tree! It was as high as a two-storey house and topped by a child-sized angel.

Scrooge (Edward Halsted) and his fellow performers from the Watch Your Head company in their period costumes stood among us and in a minstrels gallery as we all warbled away, transported to Victorian times.

Well, that was the idea. Artistically, the show was a mixed success. The direction was always going to struggle to match the setting.

Most of the play was enacted in the round in the castles Waterloo Chamber, a high-ceilinged barn with difficult acoustics. The Waterloo Chamber is used for state gatherings and is where the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret acted in am-dram productions at Windsor during the war.

Scrooge - Edward Halsted (pictured) - and his fellow performers from the Watch Your Head company in their period costumes stood among us and in a minstrels gallery as we all warbled away, transported to Victorian times

Hefty portaits of monarchs and generals and politicians stare down from the walls. That chill running down your spine was not the Ghost of Christmas Past but the basilisk stare of Frederick William, early 19th-century Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, an odd-looking cove.

Add monumental balconies, suits of armour, displays of battle axes and pikestaffs, tall double-doors leading to palatial corridors, and a suggestion of moonlight through the clerestory windows, and there was no doubting the sense of history.

Artistically, the show was a mixed success. The direction was always going to struggle to match the setting

To REACH the chamber we had walked up a narrow gravel path with views of the darkened castle keep and, above, the floodlit Round Tower. Actors  beggars, match sellers, musicians and gentry  fluttered round us. Could the production utilise all this for dramatic ends?

The opening monologue by Marley (John Kay Steel) was delivered with good poise but the echo made his lines indistinct, particularly when his back was turned.

In a cast of just eight, six of the actors take multiple roles which, even with agg-ressive editing of the plot, pushes credibility.

The best moments came with the use of the balconies and when the lighting isolated individual characters.

Things turned peculiar when a white sheet was brought on stage to act as some sort of signifier (its purpose eluded me). One of the ghosts was symbolised by giant vegetables made of plastic.

I caught the eye of a full-length George III opposite me and he looked as baffled as the rest of us. Never mind. Even if the theatre is patchy, Windsor Castle is a wonderfully dramatic place.

One of Victor Hugos darker tales has been turned into a musical, The Grinning Man. The Hugo original was The Man Who Laughs, about a young man whose mouth was so mutilated in boyhood that he seemed always to be amused. A terrible fate.

First seen at the Bristol Old Vic, this production is done with Brechtian cleverness but is hard to love. The auditorium has been done up to resemble a circus.

We are in 17th-century London, in the company of the ailing kings favourite clown (Julian Bleach).

One of Victor Hugos darker tales has been turned into a musical, The Grinning Man. The Hugo original was The Man Who Laughs, about a young man whose mouth was so mutilated in boyhood that he seemed always to be amused. A terrible fate

Disfigured Grinpayne (Louis Maskell) wishes he could be avenged on the person who slit his mouth into a melon slice when he was little. But an old man who took him in as a boy has given him a medical potion which robs him of memory.

The story could be done as exaggerated melodrama, comprising the English royal family, court intrigues and Grinpaynes life as a fairground freak show exhibit.

Director Tom Morris goes instead for knowing self-mockery. He accentuates the other-worldliness of the saga, both by use of puppets and a few post-modern asides (some of the language is 21st-century coarse).

Disfigured Grinpayne - Louis Maskell (pictured) - wishes he could be avenged on the person who slit his mouth into a melon slice when he was little. But an old man who took him in as a boy has given him a medical potion which robs him of memory

Puppets usually leave me cold but one of a kindly wolf here is particularly well done. The wolf helps Grinpayne to defy his enemies and stay loyal to his blind girlfriend (Sanne Den Besten).

Tim Phillips and Marc Teitlers breezy music is similarly interesting, a couple of the songs succeeding despite the aversion to sentimentality. Mr Maskell has a pleasant seltzer of a voice.

The politics of Hugos story, attacking the monarchy, is largely lost, although there was a laugh for a line which expressed incredulity about Lords being paid by the state.

Much though I admired the ingenuity of its staging, I never really warmed to The Grinning Man.
Alfie Moon will reportedly make a shocking return to EastEnders next year - despite appearing to die in the soap's spin-off series Redwood.

Viewers looked on in horror as Shane Richie's character was seen flat-lining in hospital after an operation to remove his brain tumour went wrong.

But bosses are allegedly planning for the fan favourite to reunite with wife Kat - who is returning to the soap in 2018 after almost drowning in the Irish sea in Redwood.

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Rumour has it: Alfie Moon will reportedly return to EastEnders to rejoin his wife Kat - who is confirmed to be rejoining the soap next year

Just as Kat survived her near-drowning, there is fresh hope that Alfie could have been resuscitated in the explosive series finale back in June.

Discussing his possible return, show boss John Yorke told The Mirror: 'Alfie will always be part of the EastEnders family.'

Richie, who is currently starring in pantomime Robin Hood in Woking, Surrey, is in talks to reprise the role, according to the publication.

MailOnline has contacted Shane's representative for comment.

The speculation comes after it was revealed that the Slater family will be returning to Albert Square.

Kat (Jessie Wallace) brings with her Jean (Gillian Wright) and Big Mo (Laila Morse), and another mystery family member.

Nightmare: Viewers looked on in horror as Shane Richie's character was seen flat-lining in hospital after an operation to remove his brain tumour went wrong

Plot twist! Jessie Wallace will return to EastEnders as Kat Moon in early 2018 despite apparent onscreen death in a bid to get viewers back on board

Tamzin Outhwaite is also returning to the show to reprise her role as Melanie Owen.

A source also told the paper: 'The aim is to establish the Slaters once again as a force of strong women to be reckoned with.

'Alfie's comeback is some way off but it was always the plan to reunite them. Who could resist a bit more Kat and Alfie?'

Discussing her return, Jessie Wallace said: 'I am thrilled to be returning to EastEnders next year and knowing what John Yorke has in store for the Slaters is incredibly exciting.

'I love Kat and Walford dearly and I cannot wait to get started  watch out Walford, Kat's coming home.'

Traumatic scenes: Kat was last seen on the show unconscious and, apparently, not breathing after being cut by a propeller and dragged back to a beach

Meanwhile, Shane Richie previously discussed a potential return to EastEnders.

'Thankfully, Kat and Alfie are not dead. That's as much as I know,' he confirmed. 'You know what I love? Every time you get actors, they always say, "Never say never". And I've watched and I've gone, "Shut up, never say never".

'Because all these actors make out it's their decision whether they go back or not, and it's bollocks. It's never their decision.

'So I'd like to sit here and go, "Maybe I'll see how I feel about it". Trust me, if I get the phone call from EastEnders... I loved being there. I've got a lot of friends that are still there. If I got the phone call to come back, I'd love the idea.'

Legendary! The star helped boost ratings alongside her family when they arrived on Albert Square in 2000 - and starred in one of the show's most memorable storylines, when she told her 'sister' Zoe (played by Michelle Ryan, above) that she was actually her mother

Jessie, 46, had left EastEnders alongside co-star Shane to star in the spin-off Kat & Alfie: Redwater.

With her romance with Alfie being a focal storyline for Kat throughout the soap, it was believed that things would go well.

But while viewership started strongly, by the second episode the ratings for Redwater had dropped by two million so it was quietly cancelled soon after.

The series saw the couple head to Ireland to attempt to find a child Kat never knew she had - a far-fetched tale that had left viewers and critics divided.

New storylines: The 46-year-old actor left the long-running show with her co-star Shane Richie, who plays her onscreen partner Alfie Moon, to star in the spin-off Kat & Alfie: Redwater

The twist in the pilot episode was that Kat's son's identity was revealed - which fans said they considered to be one of the draws of the show in the first place.

Kat was last seen on the show unconscious and, apparently, not breathing after being cut by a propeller and dragged back to a beach.

Alfie, meanwhile, was on the operating table for a brain tumour and was in need of resuscitation after his heart had stopped beating.

A show source told The Mirror: 'Kat Slater was a huge and popular character in EastEnders and John was in charge when the Slaters first came into the soap.

'Her marriage to Alfie Moon was one of the biggest relationships in the soap.'

Jessie shot to huge fame playing Kat, a member of the popular Slater family, in 2000 and has appeared on the soap on and off ever since.
She's the former high class sex worker who hung up her heels after finding love with newscaster Ryan Phelan.

And on Friday, a smitten Samantha X (real name Amanda Goff) was proudly watching her new beau on the television as he filled in as a co-host on The Morning Show.

The 42-year-old laid back in bed with her pussycat, proudly taking to Instagram to share a snap of her TV screen.

She's clearly Phelan the love! Samantha X took to Instagram Friday as she and her pussycat watched beau Ryan Phelan as a fill-in host on The Morning Show

'Even the cat laughs at his jokes', Samantha captioned the photo, which she uploaded to Instagram Stories.

No doubt the busty Bondi-based beauty was very interested in what Ryan had to say on the show, particularly given one of the program's guests was a sexologist.

Jacqueline Hellyer appeared to give advice on couples who have mismatched libidos.

Smitten! No doubt the busty Bondi-based beauty was very interested in what Ryan had to say on the show, particularly given one of the program's guests was a sexologist

Jacqueline dispelled rumours to Ryan and co-host Kylie Gillies that men 'have bigger sex drives' than women.

The former Cleo Bachelor of The Year listened attentively as Jacqueline dished details on how to connect sexually and emotionally with your significant other.

He even proved to be somewhat of a sexpert himself, stating: 'Some people are hopeless at getting the other person in the mood.... You've gotta lay down some groundwork.'

Surely he doesn't have trouble getting in the mood! Ryan listened attentively to a sexologist who dished details on how to connect with a partner

After the segment, co-host Kylie looked over, clearly amused and giggled saying 'I was just observing you in the moment'.

An embarrassed Ryan tried to deflect stating: 'You were listening very intently there... Are you making the assumption I need Jacqueline's advice?'

In a separate segment on the show, Ryan dished details on what kind of gift giver her is.

Start your engine! Samantha hung up her heels as a high-class escort after finding love with newcaster Ryan

With December 25 right around the corner, Samantha may be hoping Ryan will splash the cash on a lavish Christmas present, given it is their first festive season together.

However, the newsman appears to be quite tight, revealing he's even re-gifted a tin of shortbread.
Jack and the Beanstalk (New Wimbledon Theatre)

Verdict: Panto to the people

Rating:

Clive Rowe and comic Al Murray lead another hearty panto in Wimbledon.

Rowe is one of the best dames in the business and here he is again, looking like a giant fairy cake stuffed with additives, colourings and preservatives.

Also, like a supersized Frankie Howerd, hes a very game Dame, shuffling up his stuffed bosom when gravity starts to take its toll, rolling an eye over dads in the front rows, and wheezing at his own gags.

Clive Rowe (pictured left) and comic Al Murray (pictured right) lead another hearty panto in Wimbledon

As his errant son Barman Al, Murray storms the stage with his battle cry all hail the ale!  followed by his set-piece questions, where would we be without rules? (France!) and where would we be with too many rules? (Germany!).

Murray always has something up his sleeve including marvelling at a lady called Dawn and telling us her name comes from the ancient Celtic, meaning born on a council estate.

Theres a great gag about Meghan Markle thats more adult-oriented, but the best thing about this show is that its a riot of festive chintz for all the family.

My favourite dance routine was an Old MacDonald farmyard jig that featured local kids dressed as lambs.

Murray always has something up his sleeve including marvelling at a lady called Dawn and telling us her name comes from the ancient Celtic, meaning born on a council estate

My seven-year-olds favourite character was the panto heifer, turning livestock into laughing stock by flashing her ample udder.

There are pop songs from Mr Postman to Superstition, and a groan-inducing If You Leave Me Cow (before Daisys taken to market) and a silly serenade to the titular plant: Aint No Beanstalk High Enough.

Rowe is one of the best dames in the business and here he is again, looking like a giant fairy cake stuffed with additives, colourings and preservatives

But the highlight of the second half is a 3D tour of the giants castle with spiders, skulls and giants snot shooting into the audience. Youve been warned.

If there was a scintilla of sophistication, I couldnt detect it  unless it was the fact that as well as lining their own pockets the producers make sure theres a collection for charities too.

A festive knockabout.
She played girl-next-door Sally Fletcher on Home and Away for more than a decade.

But Kate Ritchie cuts a far more sultry figure in the current issue of Facon Magazine.

The mother-of-one, 39, sets pulsing racing in the sizzling photo shoot, showing off her flawless figure in a a number of racy outfits.

Turning up the heat! Former Home and Away star Kate Ritchie, 39, sets pulses racing in a new photo shoot for fashion magazine Facon

The brunette dons a tight white bodysuit tucked into a pair of stylish pants as she lays back on the ledge of a pool.

Turning up the glam, the actress adds bold red lipstick and a pair of large gold Chanel earrings to complete her fashionable and frisky look.

In another snap, the stunner sets sail on the high seas, going braless as she wears a low cut red dress.

Ahoy there! Kate made sure she left no desires at half mast as she took to the high seas for the photo shoot

As the wind whips her locks into a lather, Kate poses seductively against a flag pole, making sure that the desire of all viewers is definitely at full mast.

It's not the first time the Nova FM personality has shown off her raunchy side.

Earlier this year, Kate stripped down for a Jockey underwear campaign.

Leggy lady! Miles from her Home And Away character Sally Fletcher, Kate showed off her sultry side in the shoot

In 2010 Kate married former NRL player player Stuart Webb.

The couple welcomed a daughter, Mae, in 2014.

She is now known as co-host of NOVA's Kate Tim and Marty Radio Show.
She's a doting mother, TV host and cookbook author.

And Chrissy Teigen showed no signs of slowing down as she was spotted getting her holiday shopping done in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

The supermodel, 32, looked effortlessly chic in a denim jacket and black gown as she carried her one-year-old daughter Luna on her arm leaving Barneys.

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Stunner: Chrissy Teigen, 32, showed no signs of slowing down as she was spotted getting her holiday shopping done in Beverly Hills on Thursday

Daring to impress, the stunner put her pretty decolletage on center stage as the black dress was strapless.

Upping the ante in accessories, Chrissy sported see-through high heels, the ubiquitous hoop earrings, and retro shades.

Her trademark sandy blonde tresses were left long and slightly loose while being held in a pin back.

Meanwhile, the self-subscribed foodie posted a video earlier in the day showing her skills at making cinnamon rolls.

Pretty: Daring to impress, the stunner put her pretty decolletage on center stage as the black was strapless

Family! Chrissy's mom Vilailuck followed along on the shopping adventure

Batters up: Meanwhile, the self-subscribed foodie posted a video earlier in the day showing her skills at making cinnamon rolls

Luna - whom Chrissy shares with John Legend - helped her mother out in the kitchen as she was spotted whisking the batter in a bowl.

The adorable tyke took a seat on the marble counter as the cinnamon rolls were being prepared in foil tins.

The happy couple announced they were expecting their second child last month, with Chrissy enlisting the help of Luna to reveal the news in an Instagram video clip.

Helper: Luna - whom Chrissy shares with John Legend - helped her mother out in the kitchen as she was spotted whisking the batter in a bowl

Adept: The baby girl was adept at using the kitchen utensils

Back in August, Chrissy revealed she'd given up alcohol in hopes of conceiving a second child and was embarking on IVF treatment - having welcomed daughter Luna via the same means.

Reflecting on the process, John revealed to Cosmopolitan magazine: 'I wouldn't say we can't conceive naturally, but I would say that it's enough of a challenge where it felt like we needed help.

'We're lucky that we're living in an age where we can conceive in other ways. [IVF] brought us Luna and hopefully it will bring us a few more awesome kids, too.'

Marble seat: The adorable tyke took a seat on the marble counter as the cinnamon rolls were being prepared in foil tins

Gets it honestly: Luna took after her mom as she played in her own kitchen.

Chrissy has been open about her desire to expand her family, and recently told E! News she would love to be 'pregnant for the rest of her life' if she could.

She shared: 'I really want to just knock 'em out. That's my dream, I want to just be pregnant kind of for the rest of my life. Not for the rest of my life, but the rest of my fertile life. So we'll see.'

Chrissy and John married in Lake Como, Italy, in September 2013 and welcomed Luna in April three years later.
On Thursday, she was asked point blank by comedian Tom Gleeson 'what's more fake, your relationship with Stu Laundy, or your face?'

And while the latter remains unverified, it's becoming increasingly clear that Sophie Monk and Stu Laundy are the real deal.

More proof came on Friday, with the lovebirds sharing snaps from Sophie's Gold Coast home - now expected to spend their first Christmas together.

All I want for Christmas is Stu! Sophie Monk and Stu Laundy have hinted they'll spend Christmas together, sharing smitten snaps from the Bachelorette's Gold Coast home on Friday

In the caption, the Bachelorette beauty wrote: 'back with this dork head @stulaundy44 *love heart eyes emoji*.'

The lovers smiled wide in the very close-up, very filtered image, which Stu later shared to his own Instagram.

'With this gorgeous chick in her natural habitat,' he wrote in his caption.

'Back with this dork head': The lovers smiled wide in the very close-up, very filtered image, which Stu later shared to his own Instagram

It appears increasingly likely they'll now spend Christmas together, unless Stu cuts his stay remarkably short.

That then casts doubt over whether or not the publican will see his four kids on Christmas day, given the fact they live in Sydney with their mother.

What's becoming clear, however, is the answer to Tom Gleeson's brutal question, asked on an episode of Hard Chat this week.

What about the kids? Their likely Christmas union casts doubt over whether or not the publican will see his four kids on Christmas day, given the fact they live in Sydney with their mother

Speaking to Sophie, the comedian harshly quipped: 'what's more fake, your relationship with Stu Laundy, or your face?'

Tom was referencing longstanding rumours the pair were faking their relationship due to contract requirements, or to prevent public outcry over Stu's casting.

That's cleared up! What is clear, however, is the is the answer to Tom Gleeson's brutal question: 'what's more fake, your relationship with Stu Laundy, or your face?'

The rumours first started after several media personalities called the pair out after interviewing them in the wake of the Bachelorette finale.

An awkward interview on The Project, in which the lovers rarely made eye contact and had little-to-no chemistry, only served to accelerate the rumours.

Having repeatedly denied the claims, it's becoming clear the pair are legitimate, their awkwardness explained by their struggles to adjust to increased fame.

Hard Chat! He asked it on his Hard Chat program for ABC, the former Bardot songstress clearly shocked by the questioning, denying either were fake
She's the brave blonde who broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first female to co-host The Footy Show.

And it appears Erin Molan has inherited her trademark courage from her father, Major General Jim Molan.

On Friday, it was announced that Jim - who held one of Australia's most senior military positions during the war in Iraq - is set to become a NSW senator in Parliament.

Congratulations! The Footy Show's Erin Molan took to Instagram Friday to congratulate her father Jim Molan after he was appointed a NSW Senator, replacing ousted politician Fiona Nash

Paying tribute to her 67-year-old dad, Erin took to Instagram to share a snap that showed her cuddled up with her old man.

Beneath the picture, the TV talent wrote: 'Its official... congratulations to Dad on becoming a Senator. Thoroughly deserved.'

She added: 'Your commitment, dedication and brave, exemplary service to this country over many decades is testament to the man you are and the politician you will become. Immensely proud!!! Love you and congratulations xxx'.

Like father, like daughter! Trailblazer Erin clearly inherited her father's courage

Erin capped off her lengthy caption with some humour, referencing the fact that the photo also featured a poster that included her famous visage.

'Oh and yes - I know - I managed to find a photo that featured me twice,' she wrote, accompanied by crying-with-laughter emojis.

High-powered Jim is a member of the Liberal Party, and will take the place of Nationals Senator Fiona Nash after she was ruled ineligible to serve in parliament due to her dual citizenship.

Accomplished! 67-year-old Jim was Chief of Operations in Iraq during 2004 and 2005, and was honoured with a Distinguished Service Cross by the Australian government

The former military man was Chief of Operations in Iraq during 2004 and 2005, and was honoured with a Distinguished Service Cross by the Australian government.

In addition to Erin, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also took to social media to congratulate Jim on his entry into Parliament.

In addition to Parliamentarian, the former General also has another exciting role to look forward to next year- grandfather.

Earlier this month Erin revealed she was expecting her first child with her police officer partner Sean Ogilvy in 2018.
A former Minnesota House speaker is stepping down as vice chairman of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents following increased criticism over his question about whether the Morris campus is too diverse. Steve Sviggum has resigned his leadership position but will remain on the board until his term expires. That will happen when the state Legislature holds its regents election during the 2023 session. In talking about declining enrollment at the Morris campus about two weeks ago, Sviggum asked the acting chancellor whether the campus was too diverse from a marketing standpoint. Currently, Morris has 1,068 students, 41% of whom are people of color.
The stunners strut their stuff on the coveted Victoria's Secret Fashion Show catwalk in Shanghai last month.

And Victoria Lee and Georgia Fowler once again flaunted their enviable frames in a beachside photo shoot in Sydney on Friday.

The pair wore a mixture of demure and seductive ensembles on set, with Victoria sizzling in a risque semi-sheer number.

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Beach babes! Victoria's Secret models Victoria Lee and Georgia Fowler pose up a storm in SHEER frocks and figure-hugging swimwear in Sydney photo shoot

Australian Victoria and Kiwi Georgia appear to have bonded after their joint-appearance in the Victoria's Secret televised parade.

Both stars follow each other on social media.

Victoria, 27, posed up a storm in a revealing slip dress with a plunging cut.

Leaving little to the imagination, the outfit was left unbuttoned to expose her element of her chest and taut torso.

Wow! Victoria sizzled in a risque semi-sheer number

Australian Victoria (L) and Kiwi Georgia (R) appear to have bonded after their joint-appearance in the Victoria's Secret televised parade in 2017

Doing what she does best! Aussie model Victoria, 27, posed up a storm in a revealing slip dress with a plunging cut

Risking a wardrobe malfunction, glimpses of Victoria's slight cleavage and side boob were visible as she raised her arms into the air.

She used a large white cloth as a prop for the ethereal shoot.

The statuesque beauty stood upon a raised wooden platform as her trim pins were shown through the transparent skirt.

Daring to bare: Leaving little to the imagination, the outfit was left unbuttoned to expose her element of her chest and taut torso

The outfit's large side splits showed off her legs, while she parted the dress to reveal her upper thighs in seductive poses.

Her look was kept relatively simple, with only a black material headband used to accessorise.

It appears Victoria was completely nude under the kimono-style ensemble, with her pert derriere visible under the sheer material.

Peek-a-boob! Risking a wardrobe malfunction, glimpses of Victoria's slight cleavage and side boob were visible as she raised her arms into the air

Leggy display! The outfit's large side splits showed off her legs, while she parted the dress to reveal her upper thighs in seductive poses

Windswept beauty: Victoria used a large white cloth as a prop for the ethereal shoot

The blonde bombshell's career appears to be going from strength-to-strength since making her Victoria's Secret debut.

She signed on as the new ambassador for department store David Jones last month.

According to the Daily Telegraph, she will join current ambassadors Jesinta Franklin and Jessica Gomes in the retail giant's upcoming Autumn/Winter campaign.

Victoria told the publication that she's looking forward to following in the footsteps of previous David Jones ambassadors like Megan Gale and Miranda Kerr.

That's cheeky! It appears Victoria was completely nude under the kimono-style ensemble, with her pert derriere visible under the sheer material

Up-and-coming! The blonde bombshell's career appears to be going from strength-to-strength since making her Victoria's Secret debut. She signed on as the new ambassador for department store David Jones last month

Meanwhile, Georgia was spotted making her way to the beachside shoot in a grey fluffy robe.

Smiling as she sauntered across the sand, Georgia appeared in her element.

Changing into a nude one-piece swimsuit, the model flaunted her slender physique.

Wearing an oversized hat, she stared down the camera with her luscious pout.

All smiles: Meanwhile, Kiwi Georgia Fowler was spotted making her way to the beachside shoot in a grey fluffy robe

Looking good! Changing into a nude one-piece swimsuit, the model flaunted her slender physique

Relaxed: She also appeared to wear a black material-tie headband while on set between takes

Work it! Wearing an oversized hat, she stared down the camera with her luscious pout

Stunner! Georgia's hair appeared to have damp curls and waves, while her makeup was flawlessly applied in natural and neutral tones

She also appeared to wear a black material-tie headband while on set.

Her swimwear look was accessorised with colourful bangles.

Georgia's hair appeared to have damp curls and waves, while her makeup was flawlessly applied in natural and neutral tones.

Cosy: Victoria later covered up in a white fluffy robe, as she spoke with a member of the crew

Victoria later covered up in a white fluffy robe, as she spoke with a member of the crew.

Emerging on the soft sand in a delicate white frock, another crew member appeared to hold a similar ensemble for a future outfit change.

Victoria hair appeared spritzed by water and parted in damp ringlets over her shoulder.

Looking all-white! Emerging on the soft sand in a delicate white frock, another crew member appeared to hold a similar ensemble for a future outfit change

A vision in white: The thigh-skimming white number showed off her tall legs, while the plunging cut provided a glimpse of her assets

Her makeup included a dusty brown eyeshadow, blush and a nude lip.

The thigh-skimming white number showed off her tall legs, while the plunging cut provided a glimpse of her assets.

She appeared to pose sitting down near a rustic chair and faux vines, with the frock's large back cut-out pictured.
She's the Australian actress who now lives in Manhattan, New York.

But Naomi Watts has returned home for holidays, spotted arriving at Brisbane International Airport on Friday.

It appeared the 49-year-old was paying tribute to her home country donning an iconic Akubra hat as she strolled through the terminal with her sons, Sasha, 10 and Samuel, 8.

Home at last! Naomi Watts was spotted with her two sons at Brisbane Airport on Friday, arriving in her native Australia just in time for Christmas

Shielding her eyes from the harsh Australian sun, Naomi donned a pair of large sunglasses she walked ahead of her beloved boys.

The beauty wore a comfortable-yet-stylish ensemble for her long-haul flight across the Pacific, clad in loose black pants and matching blazer.

She opted for a pair of brown Gucci loafers to complete her look.

Stylish! It appeared the 49-year-old was paying tribute to her home country donning an iconic Akubra hat as she strolled through the terminal

Happy holidays! The mother of two shared a sweet Christmas card with her sons

Putting her kids to work, son Samuel was seen hauling his own luggage, appearing excited to be in Australia.

Meanwhile, Naomi's estranged husband, Liev Schreiber, appeared to be staying back in New York for the festive season, seen stepping out in the snowy city on Tuesday.

The Spotlight star was accompanied by former Miss South Dakota, Taylor Niesen, the 26-year-old who is rumoured to be his new girlfriend.

Close: Naomi and estranged husband Liev are still close, and are proud parents of sons Sasha and Samuel (pictured in 2016)

Meanwhile, Naomi is just one of a number of Australian stars ditching the cold climes of the Northern Hemisphere to spend Christmas Down Under.

The actress's best friend Nicole Kidman was spotted arriving at Sydney Airport on Friday, accompanied by husband Keith Urban and their two daughters.

Hugh Jackman is also home for the holidays, seen stripping down in Sydney on Thursday, cooling off in the city's heatwave by enjoying a swim at Bondi Beach.
It's the Australian TV family favourite which sees some of the some of the nation's top lifeguards protect beach-goers in Sydney's Eastern suburbs.

However, on Friday, it was revealed that season 13 of Bondi Rescue may be the last.

With cancellation rumours continuing to swirl, News Corp announced that last week production company Cordell Jigsaw Zapuder (CJZ) sent Waverley Council an internal report which asked for only 10 rather than 13 episodes.

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Is this the end? On Friday, it was revealed that season 13 of Australia's favourite Bondi Rescue may be the last

'Following changes to ownership and management at Network Ten, the number of episodes requested has been reduced from 13 episodes to 10,' read an internal report to Waverley Council last week, according to the publication.

'CJZ would therefore like to film for a reduced period, nine weeks in total.'

But it's not all over for the show, which began filming its next season last weekend.

New management: 'Following changes to ownership and management at Network Ten, the number of episodes requested has been reduced from 13 episodes to 10,' read an internal report to Waverley Council last week according to the publication

Money making: With the show's filming debut in 2005, Waverley Council has so far racked up earnings of over $1.5 million to date

With the show's filming debut in 2005, Waverley Council has so far racked up earnings of over $1.5 million to date.

And the money will continue to come-in with CJZ set to pay the council a $115,000 licencing fee as well as five per cent of the series' net profits.

According to the report, an additional $160,000 will also be paid as a salary between the 39 council-employed lifeguards for their 'promotional services' regardless if they make an appearance on the hit show or not.

And it's not just Australian's who love the six-time Logie winning series, with a fan from Peru taking to Instagram earlier in the week to express her love.

'I have seen almost all the episodes of Bondi life guards and one day I will go to Bondi beach and take a photo with all of you,' wrote one dedicated follower.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Network Ten for comment.
She is taking a well-deserved break from her summer theatre stint, spending much of her recent time in New York with five-year-old Marlowe, where her former fiance Tom Sturridge is shooting new Starz drama Sweetbitter.

But Sienna Miller has jetted back to London for the festive season, and was seen enjoying a night out with rocker Noel Gallagher and his wife Sara McDonald at popular eatery Chiltern Firehouse on Thursday night.

They were joined by model Poppy Delevingne and her husband James Cook for the pre-Christmas celebration.

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You can't sit with us! Sienna Miller was seen enjoying a night out at popular eatery Chiltern Firehouse on Thursday night

Sienna put on her trademark effortlessly cool display, slipping into jeans, boots, a striped top and khaki trench coat.

Meanwhile a serious-looking Liam dressed in black skinny jeans and a matching bomber as he exited the venue, joining his glamorous wife in the cab.

Joining the eclectic group of stars was Poppy Delevingne, sister to supermodel Cara, who showed off their stunning genes in a feathered bomber.

Her husband James put on a rather more animated display, appearing in the Christmas cheer as he larked around in front of the cameras.

Too cool for school: She joined rocker Noel Gallagher for the star-studded night on the town in London

Wifey for lifey: Noel's wife Sara McDonald, who is mum to their children Sonny, four, and Donovan, seven, was also seen joining the pair

Noel and Sara - who are known for their shared love of hard partying - are parents to children Sonny, four, and Donovan, seven.

Noel is also father to daughter Anais, 16, from his first marriage to rock chick Meg Matthews. The pair parted ways in 1997.

He found love with Scottish PR consultant Sara in 2000 and they went onto tie the knot in 2011.

Worse for wear? James Cook put on an animated display as he joined the star-studded night out

Understated! Sienna put on her trademark effortlessly cool display, slipping into jeans, boots, a striped top and khaki trench coat

What a line-up! Doctor Who star Matt Smith joined the star-studded night out (left)

Back in 2015, Noel told Radio 4 shows Kirsty Young that his wife was 'everything' to him.

He said: 'She calls a spade a spade as well. When I am working on music or writing songs and I do demos, shes the last person I play them to because I can play her a song and go,"I think this is going to be an amazing tune" and shell listen to it and go, "Hmm, its all right".

'You know, I never believed in love at first sight or that soulmate thing until I met her.'

Rock chic: A serious-looking Liam dressed in black skinny jeans and a matching bomber as he exited the venue, joining his glamorous wife in the cab

Good night? James put on a rather more animated display, appearing in the Christmas cheer as he larked around in front of the cameras

Meanwhile Sienna enjoyed a night out away from ex fiance Tom Sturridge, who she has remained on close terms with following their split.

Despite ending their romance in 2015 after four years together, the pair have remained on amicable terms with both regularly going on holiday together with their little girl.

'Everybody will stay over or we'll all go on holiday and that's because we genuinely want to be around each other,' she told Harper's Bazaar.

'It's great for our daughter that she has two parents who love each other and are friends. He's definitely my best friend in the entire world.'

Back in the hood: Sienna is taking a well-deserved break from her summer theatre stint, spending much of her recent time in New York with five-year-old Marlowe, where her former fiance Tom Sturridge is shooting new Starz drama Sweetbitter
She has cemented her name as one of Australia's most in demand actors in Hollywood thanks to her breakout role as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect.

And Rebel Wilson has spoken about conquering her fear of heights while making the third installment of the movie musical on Late Night With Seth Meyers, on Thursday.

The 37-year-old revealed the script required her to do a 20 foot (six metre) free fall jump with co-star Anna Kendrick.

'I thought I was gonna die!' Actress Rebel Wilson has spoken about conquering her fear of heights while making Pitch Perfect 3

'I know I seem pretty tough but I am afraid of heights, that's the one thing I'm afraid of and I had to do this 20 foot jump 10 times ... and each time (I was) petrified (and) thought I was gonna die,' she said.

The Sydney-born actress also credited Anna with keeping her calm each time they were being back hoisted up.

'She would sing random stuff to distract me, like she was singing a lot of Bette Midler classics... and I'd be like "keep singing, keep singing".

Jump! The 37-year-old revealed the script required her to do a 20 foot free fall jump with co-star Anna Kendrick (still pictured)

Prettified: 'I know I seem pretty tough but I am afraid of heights, that's the one thing I'm afraid of and I had to do this 20 foot jump 10 times... and each time prettified (and) thought I was gonna die,' she said

Rebel also told the talk show host that her background in martial arts helped with stunt training for the film.

'It was so much fun, like I did my own stunts and I fight off a lot of bad guys in the film when the rest of the Bellas get kidnapped and it was really cool,' she said.

Rebel explained while the other actresses were busy doing dance classes, she was completing 'hardcore action training'.

Impressive: Rebel also told the talk show host that her prior background in martial arts helped with her stunt training for the film. 'I fight off a lot of bad guys in the film when the rest of the Bellas get kidnapped and it was really cool,' she said (Pitch Perfect movie still)

Final film: 'I can really through down,' Rebel comedically boasted.

'I can really throw down,' Rebel comedically boasted.

The final Pitch Perfect film sees the Bellas reunite for one last singing competition on a global USO tour against full live bands.

Pitch Perfect 3 will be released in cinemas across Australia on January 1, 2018.
She recently divided fans over her incredible youthful complexion, with some saying how well she looked for her age, while others accused her of having too much plastic surgery.

But Priscilla Presley continued to put her incredible taut complexion on full display as she picked up some last minute Christmas gifts in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The 72-year-old star, who was married to the late rocker Elvis Presley, sipped on a hot drink as she rocked an all-black ensemble for the outing.

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Tightened up: Priscilla Presley, 72, showed off her incredibly smooth complexion in a muted all-black ensemble as she picked up some last minute Christmas gifts in Los Angeles

Priscilla rocked a black ribbed turtleneck jumper and flared trousers combo over a waterfall suede and leather jacket, with her bright red tresses tied back into a low bun.

The actress was seen chatting with a friend as she picked up her last minute presents ahead of the festivities.

Despite covering her eyes in large framed sunglasses, the star was sporting very little makeup, keeping her taut skin on full display.

Priscilla was married to Elvis, who passed away 40 years ago, from 1967 to 1973, and the couple have a daughter Lisa Marie, 49.

Far below her years: Priscilla looked much younger than her 72 years as she went for barely-there makeup on the outing on Thursday

Fans took to Twitter in droves to comment on Priscilla's incredibly smooth complexion as she appeared on ITV's Lorraine to chat about the Elvis on Tour exhibition.

A viewer shared on the micro-blogging site: 'What has Pricilla [sic] Presley done to her face?'

'Priscilla Presley what happened to ageing gracefully? #plastic,' another posted.

One fan wrote: 'What has Priscilla Presley done to her face.....looks like she has a scary mask on'.

Incredible: Fans took to Twitter in droves recently to comment on Priscilla's complexion during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine

Amazing? Viewers were divided on the actress' appearance, with some saying she has had too much surgery

While a viewer wrote: 'Priscilla Presley looking like something from a horror movies on ITV Lorraine'

Despite the negative commentary, fans of Priscilla jumped to her defense and expressed their awe in how great she was looking.

One fan wrote: 'I know she has had a lot done but Priscilla Presley looks amazing!!! @reallorraine @ITVLorraine'

'@Cilla_Presley lovely to see you on "Good Morning" with Lorraine,' another shared. 'I always listen to Elvis. Love his music #ElvisPresley'.
They've been together for more than 20 years, recently celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary.

But Barbara Windsor, 80, and husband Scott Mitchell, 53, looked closer than ever as they attended the opening night of Hamilton at Victoria Palace theatre in London, on Thursday evening.

The EastEnders icon looked incredible in a black-and-white vertically striped frock as she cosied up to her husband to watch the multi-award-winning American hip-hop musical.

Dazzling duo: Barbara Windsor, 80, was joined by her husband of 16 years, Scott Mitchell,53, as she attended the opening night of the critically acclaimed Hamilton at Victoria Palace theatre in London this Thursday evening

Barbara dressed to impress for her special night and looked elegant in a long sleeved black-and-white vertically striped frock.

Her dress finished below the knee, and nipped her in at the waist, before fanning out around her legs as she posed with her loved one.

She paired the classy look with black tights and pointed court heels, whilst her tousled hair was piled high into a chignon.

Scott meanwhile looked dapper in a smart silver grey suit and baby blue shirt and tie.

TV legend: She looked incredible in a black-and-white vertically striped frock

Glam night out: Dressed up for their date night, he looked dapper in a smart silver and grey suit

The TV icon - who became a Dame in 2016 - made her first film debut at the age of 17 in The Belles Of St Trinian's (1954).

She received a BAFTA Award nomination for Sparrows Can't Sing (1963), and a Tony award nomination for the Broadway production of Oh, What A Lovely War! (1964).

However, it was her starring role in the 1964 film, Carry On Spying that saw her thrust into the spotlight.

She has since gone on to enjoy a glittering career, becoming a staple character on EastEnders, playing popular pub landlady Peggy Mitchell from 1994 to 2010.

60 years in the business: The blonde bombshell has enjoyed a glittering career over the last 60 years, cementing her title as a TV legend

The multi-award-winning American hip-hop musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a leading politician in the creation of the United States.

He was George Washington's top military aide in the fight for independence from Britain and he later helped shape the US constitution.

The show has experienced the most successful run in Broadway history, with tickets to the sell-out production reportedly selling at 6,000.
She's won a legion of fans thanks to her scantily clad social media snaps.

But despite training hard for her gym-honed physique, Skye Wheatley also knows how to treat herself.

The Big Brother star took to Instagram on Friday, sharing a photo over her devouring a greasy burger.

How does she do it? Big Brother star Skye Wheatley devours a greasy burger after flaunting her VERY toned figure on Instagram

Taking to Instagram, Skye shared a photo of sitting on a bed and tucking into her fast food treat.

Wearing just a white towelling robe, the social media star appeared preoccupied with her burger and wasn't looking at the camera.

'Lets be real, girl can eat,' She captioned the photo, also adding the hashtags #girlcaneat #lovesaburger #burger #burgerobsession.

Social media maven: Rising to fame as a contestant on the last season of Big Brother in 2014, Skye has continued to make headlines thanks to her many surgical enhancements

Got a boob job: The social media fanatic traveled to Bangkok in 2015 for a $3,800 breast augmentation

Rising to fame as a contestant on the last season of Big Brother in 2014, Skye has continued to make headlines thanks to her many surgical enhancements.

The social media fanatic traveled to Bangkok in 2015 for a $3,800 breast augmentation.

However, Skye later claimed the surgery was botched, leaving her with a 'double bubble' in one breast.

Since her boob job Skye has plumped her pout with lip fillers and underwent a nose job late last year.

Enhanced her appearance: Since her boob job Skye has plumped her pout with lip fillers and underwent a nose job late last year

The busty blonde told Yahoo Be she had the length of her nose shortened and her nostrils shrunk.

'When I woke up from surgery it was really painful because obviously I had just had my face half ripped up,' Skye recounted.

'The surgeon took most of the cartilage out my tip because it was really long and when you looked down at my face from a particular angle, it looked like a witch's nose.

'My nostrils were flared and I just wanted my them brought in and down.'
His oldest son's well-publicized troubles have given Michael Douglas plenty of worry over the years.

But it was clear the actor felt nothing but pride as he shared the first picture of his new granddaughter on Thursday.

Alongside the image of the sleeping newborn, the first-time grandpa wrote: 'Congratulations to my son, Cameron, and lovely Viviane, on the birth of their daughter Lua!'

'Congratulations to my son!' Michael Douglas is a proud grandpa as he shares first picture of Cameron's daughter Lua

Great news: Cameron, 39, and girlfriend Viviane Thibes, 38, welcomed Lua on Monday

Cameron and girlfriend Viviane Thibes welcomed the baby on Monday.

The couple named their daughter Lua Izzy paying tribute to great-grandfather Kirk Douglas who was born Issur Danielovitch, and later went by Izzy.

'Today I took part in a miracle as my baby girl was introduced to the world through a beautiful Amazon warrior,' Cameron, 39, posted on social media.

'Today my appreciation for [mothers] all over the world has reached new heights,' he added to the snap of a very pregnant Viviane, 38, in a yoga pose.

'Im so proud of you @vivianethibes. #iloveyou;'

Beaming: 'Today I took part in a miracle as my baby girl was introduced to the world through a beautiful Amazon warrior,' the son of Michael Douglas posted on social media

And the new father expressed joy on being able to be by his new family's side.

'Since Viviane has given birth to a beautiful healthy girl on Monday afternoon, Ive been at their side ever since. Im very happy,' Cameron told People.

The son of Oscar winner Michael has turned his life around since serving 7 years in prison on drug charges.

His romantic history was scrutinized publicly during his jail time since two of his past relationships involved his battle with addiction.

In 2009, his then girlfriend Kelly Sott served seven months in jail after she was arrested for trying to smuggle heroin to him in an electric toothbrush while he was on house arrest.

Turn around: The son of Oscar winner Michael has recently turned his life around since serving 7 years in prison on drug charges

Family affair: Cameron was born to Michael and Diandra Luker, the daughter of an Austrian diplomat

And one of his defense lawyers, Jennifer Ridha, was also caught sneaking drugs to Cameron inside prison after they developed a romantic relationship.

After his release from jail in August 2016, Cameron began dating Viviane and by the following August they were ready to announce their pregnancy.

Cameron was born to Michael and Diandra Luker, the daughter of an Austrian diplomat.

And Michael was born to Hollywood legend Kirk and his wife Diana Dill in 1944.
She's one of the UK's most successful recording artists and the woman behind the hits How We Do and Your Song.

And on Saturday, Rita Ora opened up about her $2.4 million 2016 lawsuit against her former record label Roc Nation, founded by rap mogul Jay Z.

Speaking to News Corp, the 27-year-old revealed she was left in a 'deep sadness' after feeling 'anger' and 'desperation' over the fight, which she has channeled into her forthcoming album.

Opening up: On Saturday, Rita Ora opened up about her $2.4 million 2016 lawsuit against her former record label Roc Nation, founded by rap mogul Jay Z

'I really wanted to get to the bottom of what people wanted to know, everything with my personal life - it boiled up from the frustration of not being able to put music out for a few years,' she said.

'It was like anger into desperation into sadness and so it has got a lot of emotion in there,' she added while teasing her upcoming album set to be released in March next year.

Rita's confession comes after she found herself in the midst of a $2.4 million six-month legal battle with Roc Nation, after failing to release the required number of albums in her time with the label.

Truth: 'It was like anger into desperation into sadness and so it has got a lot of emotion in there,' she added while teasing her upcoming album set to be released in March next year

But according to the star, the battle which was settled out of court, was an 'easy separation'.

'My appreciation and respect for them [Roc Nation] hasn't changed at all,' she said of the case to The Sun.

'I wanted a fresh start. They understood that! And that's why it was an easy separation.'

Moving on: 'I wanted a fresh start. They understood that! And that's why it was an easy separation'

Positive thinking: 'It could have been bad, but it was very respectful. It was one of the easiest separations ever,' added Robert Kardashian's ex-girlfriend

'It could have been bad, but it was very respectful. It was one of the easiest separations ever,' added Robert Kardashian's ex-girlfriend.

Having only released one record in 2012, the Fifty Shades actress now signed to Atlantic Records, is gearing up for her sophomore release early next year.

'I'm so excited because I really kind of grew up with my songwriting and with the process of making songs,' said Rita to BW Magazine.
Burleigh County Senior Assistant State's Attorney Julie Lawyer has announced her candidacy for state's attorney in 2018.

The 18-year prosecutor made the announcement over the noon hour Friday in a conference room of Bismarck's Quality Inn.

"The concerns that I see are an increase in crime, an increase in caseload that our attorneys have and we do have a younger office, so we have less experience than we've had in the past," Lawyer said.

Twenty-year incumbent Richard Riha announced Wednesday his intention to not seek re-election and to retire when his term concludes in January 2019, ending a 36-year career with the Burleigh County State's Attorney's Office.

Lawyer grew up in Bismarck. Her career began as a Stutsman County assistant state's attorney after graduating from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1999, admitted to the state bar association that same year.

In 2000, she joined the Burleigh County State's Attorney's Office, having spent 13 years there, bookending a four-year stint with the attorney general's office in prosecuting state and federal drug offenses.

She returned in 2013 to Burleigh County as a senior assistant state's attorney.

Lawyer lauded Riha's impact on her career, such as his office mentorship program and the years they have worked together on cases here.

"He's also shown me how to be a state's attorney," she said.

Riha and Lawyer respectively highlighted the increasing caseload in Burleigh County in recent years. Lawyer said more violent offenses are coming across their desks these days.

"Today alone we just got another rape and another child abuse case, and we're seeing those more and more often, unfortunately," she said.

Since she joined the Burleigh County State's Attorney's Office, attorney staff have more than doubled, from six to 13.

In her senior role, Lawyer has prosecuted more complex cases, including sex offenses, domestic violence and murder.

"I am familiar with the job. I am familiar with how to do the job," Lawyer said. "I'm very well familiar with how to present a complex case to a jury."

Last week, South Central District Judge John Grinsteiner accepted her recommendation to sentence convicted murderer Morris Brickle-Hicks to life imprisonment without parole.

"Burleigh County needs someone who is familiar with the community, who is familiar with the issues that are facing the county and who is a strong and responsible, experienced leader, and that person is me," she said.
She's a devoted animal lover, with four dogs, four chickens and a pet fish living under her roof.

And Ellen Pompeo was joined by one of her adorable canine companions, Tino, as she ran a few pre-Christmas errands in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Grey's Anatomy star, 48, went make-up free as she carried her pet pooch through the streets, keeping casual in a black coat worn over a baggy turtleneck.

Puppy love: Ellen Pompeo was joined by one of her adorable canine companions, Tino, as she ran a few pre-Christmas errands in Los Angeles on Thursday

The actress teamed her look with jeans and a pair of black sneakers as she went about her day.

The mother-of-three accessorized with an over the shoulder purse and a pair of oversized sunglasses, while carrying a large shopper bag.

The star completed her low-key look by wearing her curly light brunette locks pulled back from her face.

Ellen appeared to buying a few pre-holiday gifts before the weekend madness kicks in.

Paws for thought: The Grey's Anatomy star, 48, went make-up free as she carried her pet pooch through the streets, keeping casual in a black coat worn over a baggy turtleneck

Fresh-faced: The actress teamed her look with jeans and a pair of black sneakers as she went about her day with her pet pooch

She certainly can afford to splurge after selling her Hollywood Hills home for $2 million earlier this morning, a whopping $80,000 above asking price for the split-level residence.

Ellen raises three children, Stella Luna, eight, Sienna May, three, and Eli Christopher 11 months, with music producer husband of ten years Chris Ivery, 50.

As well as celebrating the Christmas period, the family will be toasting baby Eli's first birthday on December 29.

Ellen told Ellen Degeneres in March that the family has a total of four dogs, four chickens and a fish.

Full of festive cheer! Ellen looked as though she had a spring in her step as she enjoyed a lunch date at E Baldi restaurant in Beverly Hills on Friday

True love: Ellen raises three children, Stella Luna, eight, Sienna May, three, and Eli Christopher 11 months, with music producer husband of ten years Chris Ivery, 50 (pictured in June 2016)

Animal lover: Ellen is a devoted animal lover, with four dogs, four chickens and a pet fish living under her roof

Grey's Anatomy fans are in for a treat this spring.

Ellen - who has played the role of Dr. Meredith Grey for 14 seasons - is set to get behind the camera to direct an as-yet-untitled episode.

According to TV Line, the episode will show flashbacks to Alex's (Justin Chambers) turbulent teen years.

This isn't her first time Pompeo has served as director of an episode.

Her first time time was during season 13, episode 13 in the episode titled Be Still, My Soul for which she has received positive reviews.
Famous for partying and socialising, they were both famously part of the Primrose set during the mid-Nineties.

But it wasn't Sadie Frost, 52, that Kate Moss, 43, found company with on Friday, it was her mother Mary Davidson, 67.

In between puffs on a cigarette, the Croydon native was seen contorting her famous visage in a variety of ways as she chatted away with her glamorous companion during a last-minute Christmas shop in London.

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Happy shoppers: Kate Moss was spotted going Christmas shopping with Sadie Frost's mother Mary in north London on Friday

The mother-of-one stepped out in typical effortless style for the excursion, wearing an oatmeal sweater under a fur coat, which she teamed with black skinny jeans and matching boots.

Carrying a large blue leather bag, she accessorised with a pair of gold earrings, while she wore her streaked tresses in a relaxed ponytail.

Sadie's mother displayed her own flair for style in a full-length patterned black dress under an elegant jacket, while her lilac pixie cut added a funky touch to her look.

Haute or not? The model was pictured taking her friend's mother out and about

Quilted: Mary carried a quilted black handbag as she walked alongside her famous daughter's friend

Let's face it: The supermodel pulled a series of bizarre as she embarked on her shopping spree

Visage: Puffing on a cigarette, the Croydon native continued to contort her famous visage

Kate and Sadie were famously friends in the same north London social set, which featured models, musicians and actors in the mid-to-late Nineties.

In 2008, it was reported that Mary had stepped in for Kate's old nanny, Sadie's sister Jade, who was 21 years old when she quit the job of caring for Lila Grace.

Kate's best friend Sadie reportedly then offered up her mother's services to volunteer in the house at the age of 58.

Kate was recently spotted doting on a new puppy as she stepped out with her boyfriend Count Nikolai von Bismarck, 30, in London.

Famous friends: Sadie (right) and Kate (left) have been friends since modelling - and partying - in the same north London social set in the mid-Nineties

Like mother, like daughter: Kate has clearly built up a close relationship with Sadie's mum (pictured, Sadie and Mary at a fashion show in 2015)

She beamed with joy as her chivalrous boyfriend held the gate open for her as she left her home and made her way to her black Range Rover.

Her new addition is not the only dog Kate has, as she shares a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross named Archie with her ex-husband Jamie Hince, from whom she split in 2015.

Kate embarked on a romance with German aristocrat Mikolai in late 2015, following her split from The Kills rocker husband Jamie.

Bless you! Carrying a warm beverage, Kate appeared to sneeze into the cuff of her coat

Stylish: The mother-of-one stepped out in typical effortless style for the excursion, wearing an oatmeal sweater under a fur coat, teamed with black skinny jeans and matching boots

They settled their divorce the following year, but reports had surfaced at the time suggesting the couple were locked in a custody battle over the dog, with both wanting ownership.

Kate had previously spoken out about her love for Archie and admitted that becoming a dog owner had changed her style.

She confessed to Daily Star back in 2013: 'I'm more day [wear] now. I've got a dog, he's eight months. So I've got a dog, and the dog's making me more day.

'It's a nightmare. You can't do a dog in a heel. I'm having to rethink everything. You can't walk a dog in a heel. You look ridiculous.'

She's got it in the bag: Carrying a large blue leather bag, she accessorised with a pair of gold earrings, while she wore her streaked tresses in a relaxed ponytail

New addition: Kate was recently spotted doting on a new puppy as she stepped out with her boyfriend Count Nikolai von Bismarck, 30, in London

British model Kate was famously discovered at New Yorks JFK airport when she was 14 by Sarah Doukas, founder of Storm Models management.

At just 17, the model landed her first huge assignment in the industry for Calvin Klein underwear with actor Mark Wahlberg. Speaking to The Telegraph, she recalled how her mum told her she wasn't 'photogenic' before she embarked on her stellar modelling career.

Quipping about how she has gone on to prove her wrong, she enthused: 'And my Mum always said I wasn't photogenic. Well, hello. 'She was like: "Kate, do you really think you can be a model?"'

Funky: Her mother displayed her own flair for style in a full-length patterned black dress under an elegant jacket, while her lilac pixie cut added a funky touch to her look

As well as taking the modelling industry by storm, Kate is the doting mother to her 15-year-old daughter.

The mother-of-one gave birth to Lila Grace in 2002, amid her romance with Dazed & Confused magazine's co-founder Jefferson Hack.

And mother like daughter, Lila secured her first modelling success as the face of the Braid Bar at the tender age of 14.

Kate went onto marry her ex, The Kills guitarist, Jamie in a romantic ceremony in Gloucestershire in 2011, but the couple split four years later. She is now going strong with her new younger beau.

Big break: British model Kate was famously discovered at New Yorks JFK airport when she was 14 by Sarah Doukas, founder of Storm Models management

Yummy mummy: The mother-of-one gave birth to Lila Grace in 2002, amid her romance with Dazed & Confused magazine's co-founder Jefferson Hack
Fans are eagerly awaiting the return of EastEnders favourite Mel Owen, played by Tamzin Outhwaite, who has not been seen on Albert Square since 2002.

And when she makes her grand entrance in 2018, she won't be alone.

The blonde will be bringing her 15-year-old son Hunter with her, played by first-time actor Charlie Winter.

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Back on the Square: EastEnders' Tamzin Outhwaite's much-anticipated return as Mel Owen will introduce her and Steve's son Hunter (and he's got a 'dark side')... as show boss promises a DEATH this Christmas

When Mel departed Walford in April 2002 she was pregnant with Hunter - and now he's a teenager, viewers will learn he has never met his father Steve before [originally played by Martin Kemp].

Producers have described Hunter as 'charming and charismatic' like his Lothario dad, but similarly has a 'dark side'.

Both Tamzin and Charlie have begun filming scenes already on the London set, but the air date for their characters' first appearance is unknown.

Charlie said: 'I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be on such an iconic show as EastEnders. It still feels really surreal that this has happened.

'It's an exciting time for me and I can't wait to get stuck in and for everyone to meet Hunter.'

But before the return of the Owens, this Christmas Day is set to deliver one of EastEnders' traditional festive tragedies - as bosses have revealed there will be a shock death.

Making an entrance: Fans are eagerly awaiting the return of EastEnders favourite Mel Owen, played by Tamzin Outhwaite, who has not been seen on Albert Square since 2002

Comeback: When Mel departed Walford in April 2002 she was pregnant with Hunter - and now he's a teenager, viewers will learn he has never met his father Steve before [originally played by Martin Kemp]

According to the Daily Star one of the show's main characters will be axed in a twist that viewers won't see coming.

Show boss John Yorke revealed: 'I came up with this line "Someone old, someone new, someone's dead, someone's blue".

'We really want this Christmas to be full of shocks and surprises and we have some shocking twists coming up.'

This refers to the fact that the characters of Linda and Mick Carter [played respectively by Kellie Bright and Danny Dyer] are set to renew their wedding vows after a tumultuous year.

Black Christmas: Before the return of the Owens, this Christmas Day is set to deliver one of EastEnders' traditional festive tragedies - as bosses have revealed there will be a shock death

Ho Ho... No! Show boss John Yorke revealed -- 'I came up with this line "Someone old, someone new, someone's dead, someone's blue"'

EastEnders has celebrated boosted ratings this year thanks to it's extreme storylines.

In addition to the Carter renewal, Stacey Fowler [Lacey Turner] and Max Branning [Jake Wood] will find themselves re-igniting the spark after their affair was exposed 12 years ago.

Yorke used to be the soap's script editor but now runs things; he's been instrumental in bringing fan favourites like Mel back, as well as Kat and Alfie Moon [Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie].

The couple's return has also prompted the characters of Big Mo [Laila Morse] and Jean Slater [Gillian Wright] to return.

High drama: Stacey Fowler [Lacey Turner] and Max Branning [Jake Wood] will find themselves re-igniting the spark after their affair was exposed 12 years ago

Ten years later: Yorke hinted that as well as a death, the Christmas instalments of the show will bring Max and Stacey's affair 'full circle' - with first-look pictures promising steamy scenes on Christmas Eve

Meanwhile, Yorke has promised that 'strong women are back at the heart of the show' as he teased a Christmas episode details.

Yorke hinted that as well as a death, the Christmas instalments of the show will bring Max and Stacey's affair 'full circle' - with first-look pictures promising steamy scenes on Christmas Eve.

The executive producer said: 'I realised there were a lot of stories running that lent themselves to significant endings, but one story was crying out in particular for the EastEnders treatment.

'I was head of department of continuing drama 12 years ago, when the Brannings were introduced to Albert Square, and the temptation to square that circle and bring that story to a full ending was pretty hard to resist.

Back in the spotlight: Meanwhile, Yorke has promised that 'strong women are back at the heart of the show' as he teased a Christmas episode details

Another return: Yorke used to be the soap's script editor but now runs things; he's been instrumental in bringing fan favourites like Mel back, as well as Kat and Alfie Moon [Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie]

'I think, rightly, from the very beginning, strong women are back at the heart of the show, exactly where they belong.'

To do the job justice, Yorke has drafted in former award-winning show runner and Brannings creator Simon Ashdown.

'I came up with an idea and I met Simon in a pub, trying to lure him back in - because he had said "Don't ask me to come back",' he confessed.

But he said the writer eventually 'dropped everything' to take on the job.

Ashdown commented: 'John had a kind of skeleton of what was happening and then, when I went away, I could just see the ending of it in my head, so that kind of hooked me in.'

Happy holidays? On the dramatic climax to come, actor Jake Wood told the Press Association -- 'I think the Christmas episodes are some of the best I've ever read'

On the dramatic climax to come, actor Jake Wood told the Press Association: 'I think the Christmas episodes are some of the best I've ever read.

'It feels like you're at the centre of something very special so I'm just honoured to be in that position.

'If Max finally finds happiness then it would be really boring to watch. Stuff that's going to happen over Christmas seems to me to go from bad to worse, as we'll find out.

'Can he be redeemed? I hope he can be. If it is the end of the story, it's been a great story. But hopefully we will see him beyond this.'

The story will continue on BBC One at 8pm on Friday.
Nicky Hilton has given birth to her second child with husband James Rothschild.

The hotel heiress, 34, and the British banking heir, 32, welcomed a baby girl named Teddy Marilyn Rothschild into the world in New York City on Wednesday.

Announcing the news via her Twitter page on Friday morning, Nicky wrote: 'Christmas came early! On December 20th James and I welcomed a baby girl, Teddy Rothschild into the world. Feeling very blessed this holiday season.'

'Christmas came early': Nicky Hilton has given birth to her second child with husband James Rothschild (pictured together in New York City last month)

Happy news! The hotel heiress, 34, and the British banking heir, 32, welcomed a baby girl named Teddy Marilyn Rothschild into the world in New York City on Wednesday

The couple named their second daughter after Nicky's paternal grandmother, Marilyn June Hawley, her representative confirmed to People.com.

Marilyn was the wife of Nicky's grandfather Barron Hilton, now 90 - the son of famed hotelier Conrad Hilton, who founded the Hilton Hotel empire. She passed away in 2004 at the age of 76 and raised eight children with Barron.

Teddy will be a little sister for the couple's daughter, Lily-Grace, 17 months.

Nicky's Los Angeles-based family flew into New York in anticipation of the arrival, with big sister Paris Hilton, 36, pictured arriving at JFK Airport on Wednesday with her actor boyfriend Chris Zylka, 32.

Paris appeared besotted with the family's latest arrival as she took to her Instagram page on Friday, saying she was 'so proud to be an aunt again' to 'beautiful little angel' Teddy.

Family values: The couple named their second daughter after Nicky's paternal grandmother, Marilyn June Hawley, her representative confirmed (pictured in June)

Bump in the city: The socialite was pictured running errands in Manhattan on Tuesday, showing off her baby bump in a striped knit, while keeping cozy in a black wool coat

Tribute: Marilyn was the wife of Nicky's grandfather Barron Hilton, now 90, she passed away in 2004 at the age of 76 and raised eight children with the businessman (pictured in 1951)

Alongside a shot of Paris and Nicky as children, she wrote: 'Feel like a kid on Christmas morning! So proud to be an aunt again! She is such a beautiful little angel! Welcome to the world Teddy Rothschild!'

Nicky was pictured running errands in Manhattan on Tuesday, showing off her baby bump in a red and black striped knit, while keeping cozy in a simple black wool coat.

The fashion designer recently said she and James won't be finding out the gender of their little bundle of joy, but she insisted she would be 'thrilled with either'.

Nicky told US Weekly: 'You know what? I would be happy with either but I love having a sister.

'With a sister, you have a best friend for life. But a boy would be really cute, too. Im thrilled with whatever.'

The heiress also admitted little Lily has no idea she is about to become a big sister, but she's been helping her prepare for the new arrival by introducing her to the world of babies with a new toy doll.

Mom on the run: The fashion designer was up and about in the city just hours before the birth of her second daughter

Here comes Auntie Paris! Nicky's Los Angeles-based family flew into New York, with big sister Paris Hilton, 36, seen arriving at JFK Airport on Wednesday with her boyfriend Chris Zylka, 32

Besotted: Paris appeared besotted with the family's latest arrival as she took to her Instagram page on Friday, saying she was 'so proud to be an aunt again' to 'beautiful little angel' Teddy

Nicky said: 'I bought her a doll and she loves her doll. Its her baby and it goes everywhere with her.

'She feeds her baby a bottle. She tried to put her baby in the bath with her tonight.'

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed Nicky was expecting her second baby this summer.

An insider claimed she and sister Paris love being close in age, so the family are all very excited at the news.

'It's Lily's first birthday July 8 so they are excited,' the source revealed. 'They always wanted to give Lily-Grace a sibling close in age, like they both have.'

Nicky has previously described being a mother to Lily Grace as 'heaven'.

Mom's the word! The socialite recently said she and James won't be finding out the gender of their bundle of joy, but she insisted she would be 'thrilled with either' (pictured last month)

Two under two! Teddy will be a little sister for the couple's daughter, Lily-Grace, 17 months

Speaking to E! News in September 2016, she said: 'I love it! I love it! Waking up to that face - it's heaven.'

The Hilton hotel heiress married British banking heir James in a lavish ceremony at the Kensington Palace Orangery in London in July 2015, surrounded by the creme de la creme of British society, as well as their friends and family.

Nicky and James started their relationship in 2011 after meeting at Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt's Italian wedding.

James flew from England to the States to ask her parents for her hand in marriage before he proposed to her in Lake Como, Italy, in August 2014.

Nicky was previously wed to financier Todd Meister, before having the marriage annulled less than three months after they tied the knot in Las Vegas, Nevada, in August 2004.

Big sister to be! The heiress recently said she and James introduced little Lily-Grace to the world of babies by giving her a new toy doll
He fuelled long-standing rumours that he will be the next James Bond when he donned a tuxedo for the first scene in new BBC drama McMafia.

And James Norton has opened up about the speculation that he will replace current 007 Daniel Craig, calling the discussion both 'flattering and bizarre.'

The 32-year-old actor is currently one of the most popular choices to take over the role of 007 from Daniel Craig according to the bookies, thanks to his part in new BBC One drama McMafia.

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Norton, James Norton: The actor has opened up about the speculation that he will replace current James Bond Daniel Craig, calling the discussion both 'flattering and bizarre'

Icon: Daniel Craig took up to Secret Service agent mantle in 2006 and has appeared in four Bond films to date

In the trailer for the forthcoming series, Norton is seen wearing a suave dinner suit, which further fuelled reports that he could be in line for the prestigious role as Britain's most powerful Secret Service Agent.

But James told ITV's This Morning: 'In the first scene (of McMafia), I'm in a tux getting out of a black cab, so everyone assumes this is my... they call it the 'Bond audition'.

'Obviously that is not the case, this is just a show.'

He added: 'It's very flattering, it's bizarre and a massive compliment, but it is pure speculation.'

Coy: The 32-year-old actor is currently one of the most popular choices to take over the role of 007 from Daniel Craig according to the bookies, thanks to his part in new BBC One drama McMafia

Handsome:In the trailer for the forthcoming series, Norton is seen wearing a suave dinner suit, which further fuelled reports that he could be in line for the prestigious role as Britain's most powerful Secret Service Agent

Speculation: He said of the Bond rumours on Friday's This Morning: 'It's very flattering, it's bizarre and a massive compliment, but it is pure speculation.

The Black Mirror star is one of the frontrunners to play James Bond, along with Tom Hardy, Aidan Turner and Idris Elba.

Bookmakers William Hill are offering 5-2 odds that Norton will be the seventh actor to play 007, while Coral has him at 7-2 odds.

Current Bond Daniel Craig, 49, has played 007 since 2006 and will reprise his role in the as yet unnamed Bond 25, set for release for 2019.

Meanwhile, Norton will soon be on screens again in McMafia, which debuts on New Year's Day.

In the crime thriller series, based on the book of the same name by Misha Glenny, he plays Alex, the son of a Russian ex-mobster who finds himself being dragged back into his family's shady past.

Hunk: James said: 'In the first scene (of McMafia), I'm in a tux getting out of a black cab, so everyone assumes this is my... they call it the 'Bond audition. Obviously that is not the case, this is just a show'

Happy: The Black Mirror star is one of the frontrunners to play James Bond, along with Tom Hardy, Aidan Turner and Idris Elba

New projects: In new crime thriller series McMafia James plays Alex, the son of a Russian ex-mobster who finds himself being dragged back into his family's shady past (pictured above with Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford AND Rylan Clark)

Speaking of the variety of characters has played on screen, including a villain in Happy Valley and a vicar in Grantchester, Norton said: 'I think most actors get into the job because they're inquisitive and they want to learn about different lives and worlds.

'If you start doing the same thing over and over you stop learning."

He added: 'I've been very lucky to have been offered a whole cross-section of people, it's the fringes of humanity where you really learn stuff.'

Norton shot to fame in 2014 playing psychopath Tommy Lee Royce in BBCs Happy Valley and was nominated for the BAFTA Best Supporting Actor for his role the following year. He has since gone on to star as Prince Andrei in BBCs adaptation of War and Peace and Reverend Sidney in ITVs Grantchester.

He set pulses racing when he appeared topless in the first few minutes of the second series of Grantchester last year.

The actor, whose parents are both teachers, graduated from Cambridge University with a First in theology before pursuing acting at Rada.

McMafia was inspired by Misha Glennys non-fiction book McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime, which was published in 2008, but the majority of the main story is fictional.

McMafia will air at 9pm on New Years Day on BBC1.
Caitlyn Jenner has settled the final lawsuit resulting from the 2015 car crash that left one woman dead.

The reality star's attorneys filed documents this week confirming a settlement with composer Peter Wolf-Millesi, according to The Blast.

Wolf-Millesi was the driver of a Hummer which was one of a number of vehicles involved in the chain-reaction crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu in February 2015.

Settled: Caitlyn Jenner has come to a settlement in the final lawsuit resulting from the chain reaction car crash that left one woman dead in February 2015

Damage: Composer Peter Wolf-Millesi sued Caitlyn Jenner after his Hummer was involved in a chain reaction crash; his wife, children and a 73-year-old woman were inside the car

The crash occurred when the-then Bruce Jenner's sport utility vehicle rear-ended Kim Howe's Lexus, pushing it into oncoming traffic, where it was struck head-on by Wolf-Millesi's Hummer.

At the time of the incident Wolf-Millesi's vehicle contained his wife, their children and a 73-year-old woman.

Howe, 69, died at the scene. Her stepchildren have previously settled with Jenner, as has the Hollywood agent driver of a Prius also rear-ended by the star during the collision.

Fatal collision: Sheriff's investigators determined Jenner was traveling at an unsafe speed for the conditions at the time of the incident; the offroader she was towing can be seen

Chain reaction: A diagram demonstrating how the cars collided; the Hummer can be seen to the left

Sheriff's investigators determined Jenner was traveling at an unsafe speed for the conditions at the time of the incident.

Prosecutors, citing unlikelihood to prove negligence in court, declined to file a vehicular manslaughter charge against Jenner, who won a 1976 Olympic gold medal in decathlon as Bruce. She later came out as transgender, transitioning to a woman.

Jenner herself filed a lawsuit relating to the crash - accusing paparazzi photographers of distracting her.
She previously revealed her husband Rod Stewart won over her dad Graham with whiskey and soul records when they first began dating.

And Penny Lancaster proved the bond between her 'two favourite men' was as strong as ever during a fun-filled festive trip to a carol service at St Marylebone Parish Church in London.

The 46-year-old model beamed as she sang hymns with her rocker husband and retired lawyer father - who are both 72 - during the heartwarming outing.

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'My two favourite men': Penny Lancaster, 46, shared a sweet snap with her husband Rod Steward (R) and dad Graham (L), both 72, during a carol service

Penny shared a sweet snap of the trio, captioning it: 'Lovely night out with my two favorite men, my Dad and my husband at St Marylebone Parish Church Christmas Service last week, for Chain of Hope.'

The model has been married to Rod for more than ten years and they share two children - sons Alastair, 11, and Aiden, six.

They began dating after Rod's marriage to Australian model Rachel Hunter, 47, broke down.

Rod admitted in his memoir that his and Penny's relationship was initially met with criticism from both of their families.

Sweet: She previously revealed her husband Rod Stewart won over her dad Graham with whiskey and soul records when they first began dating

Happy: The couple looked utterly content as they cosied up in a pew for the fun-filled festive outing last week

'Our emerging relationship was difficult for both our families. My brothers and sisters were initially suspicious and worried about a repetition of my relationship with Rachel Hunter, whod recently left me after eight years of marriage,' he admitted.

'And Pennys brother Oliver was clearly anxious about his sister consorting with a rock star.'

Rod then revealed that he decided to break the ice by meeting Graham, a retired solicitor who is divorced from Penny's mum Sally.

'A good way to remove some of these understandable familial tensions, I decided, was to arrange for me to meet Pennys dad, Graham, whos the same age as me and a lawyer,' he recalled.

Happy families: The model has been married to Rod for more than ten years and they share two children - sons Alastair, 11, and Aiden, six. Pictured last year

Backlash: Rod admitted in his memoir that his and Penny's relationship was initially met with criticism from both of their families. Pictured in 2014

'Neither of us, however, was quite sure what to wear for our dinner date. In the end, Graham came dressed like a rock star  in denim and leather  and I came dressed like a lawyer in a dark suit with a perfectly pressed shirt and a well-knotted tie.

'We hit it off straight away, though, and ended up back at my house in Epping, drinking whisky and listening to Sam Cooke soul records.'

Rod added that while he was not looking for love after splitting from Rachel, Penny brought an undeniable joy into his life.

Former flames: They began dating after Rod's marriage to Australian model Rachel Hunter, 47, broke down

'When my marriage to Rachel ended, the last thing I wanted to do was fall head over heels in love with a tall blonde girl in her 20s,' he confessed.

Rod previously praised Penny for bringing his eight children from five relationships together.

Giving a ITV's Lorraine an honest interview, he said: 'She literally did bring the family together.

'I've got eight children and I think I am appreciating it more now in old age than I ever did before. I really cherish those moments.'

Candid: Rod said: 'My brothers and sisters were initially suspicious and worried about a repetition of my relationship with Rachel Hunter, whod recently left me after eight years of marriage'. Pictured, Rod and Penny in 2012

At the tender age of 18 Rod fathered his first child Sarah Streeter (now 55) with art student Susannah Boffey, and she was raised by adoptive parents.

He then went on to marry Alana Hamtilton, now 71, and the duo became parents to Kimberley and Rod Stewart, now 37 and 36 respectively.

Following their separation the musician welcomed daughter Ruby, now 29, with model ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg, now 57.

His second marriage was to Australian model Rachel Hunter, 47, from 1990 to 2006, with whom he shares son Liam, 24, and daughter Renee, 22.
She announced she was 'taking time apart' from her husband Dave Abrams last month after two years of marriage.

And Jennie Garth was seen out and about without her wedding ring as she shopped for groceries in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Thursday.

The former Beverly Hills, 90210 star, 45, went make-up free while running errands and opted for a comfortable workout ensemble.

Marital woes: Jennie Garth was seen out and about without her wedding ring as she shopped for groceries in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Thursday

The actress wore a pair of camouflage leggings and comfortable black sneakers, as well as a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt.

The mother-of-three had her hair tied up in a messy top knot and her face was completely make-up free.

Jennie's representative confirmed she and husband of two years Dave were putting a pause on their relationship in late November.

The last photo Jennie posted of her estranged husband on social media was of the couple attending an Eagles game on October 1.

Off-duty beauty: The former Beverly Hills, 90210 star, 45, went make-up free while running errands and opted for a comfortable workout ensemble

Go Eagles: The actress wore a pair of camouflage leggings and comfortable black sneakers, as well as a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt

Memories: The last photo Jennie posted of her estranged husband Dave Abrams on social media was of the couple attending an Eagles game on October 1

A source said to US Weekly at the time: 'They are taking time apart and working on their marriage. Jennie and Dave are not living together, but 'are still trying to make it [their marriage] work.

'They love each other, but like every marriage, it takes work. Jennie is taking the time to focus on her girls and herself.'

Jennie and Dave tied the knot in an intimate Californian ceremony in July 2015, after having first met on a blind date on December 2, the year prior.

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.

She's back! A few weeks ago, Jennie shot a guest starring role that will allow her to return to the Fox Network, where her show Beverly Hills, 90210 aired during the '90s

Focusing on work: She will play herself on the Kaitlin Olson-led comedy The Mick for one episode set to air as their winter premiere on January 2

The star was previously wed to first husband, musician Daniel B. Clark, for two years from 1994 to 1996.

The actress is focused on family and her career as she moves forward with her life.

A few weeks ago, Jennie shot a guest starring role that will allow her to return to the Fox Network, where her show Beverly Hills, 90210 aired during the '90s.

She will play herself on the Kaitlin Olson-led comedy The Mick for one episode set to air as their winter premiere on January 2.

In the episode titled The Climb, she meets two of her biggest fans: Mickey (Olson) and Alba (Carla Jimenez).

When the oldest Pemberton child Sabrina (Sofia Black-D'Elia) puts together a soiree to impress talented artists, not everything goes to plan.

Stay away: In the episode titled The Climb, she meets two of her biggest fans: Mickey (Olson) and Alba (Carla Jimenez)

Oh no! Garth freaks out when something happens to a child's hair

Ben (Jack Stanton) invites his new friend who has a celebrity mom (Garth) who loves art.

Micky decides she'll co-host the party in order to sway her.

As fans of the comedy might expect, things hilarious backfire on them.

Variety reported the casting on December 5, revealing her character is 'a pretentious, new age parent who just happens to also be named Jennie Garth'.

While she's playing a character with the same name, it's a fictional version of herself.
It's been the scene of many a wild night on The Real Housewives Of New York.

And now Dorinda Medley has opened the doors of her Berkshires mansion to DailyMailTV, showing off her extravagant Christmas decorations.

'I like to have that feeling of... going back to your grandmas house,' she explained, sharing footage of multiple Christmas trees and green boughs draped along the stairwell.

Santa baby! Dorinda Medley opens the door of her Berkshires mansion to DailyMailTV

Romantic: The 11-room estate was a surprise present from the blonde's late husband Richard Medley, shortly before they wed

She continued: 'I like to have a little tacky, a little sophisticated, a little old world. I like to mix it up so people kindof come in and they reminisce, like "Oh my god I remember that.'

The 53-year-old mother-of-one lives in New York, but returns regularly to her Massachusetts hometown of Great Barrington, where her 11-bedroom estate is located.

Dorinda told DailyMailTv the romantic story of how she came to own the mansion, known as Blue Stone Manor.

Deck the halls: Green boughs hang from the staircase in the old pagan tradition

Let it snow! Blue Stone Manor is located in Dorinda's Massachusetts hometown, Great Barrington, which has seasonably white weather over Christmas

'A little tacky!' The reality star seeks to mix sophisticated decorations with more garish touches, such as this table crowded with glass snowglobes

'I used to say when we'd go by the house "You see that? One day when I'm really rich and grown up I'm gonna buy that house," Dorinda recalled.

'So about a month before I married Richard [Medley, her second husband] he brought me to the Berkshires and he said "I got you a present." And we went to the drive and I said "What are we doing? We can't go to this house!" And he said "Well it's your house".'

As fans of RHONY will remember, the huge home has been the scene of many a wild party - and even wilder rows.

Romantic gesture: The socialite's late husband Richard Medley surprised her with the house shortly before they married

Must be a grown up! Dorinda said she had always hoped to own the house when she was older

Dorinda admitted that alcohol may play a factor, adding: 'Something about all those women cooped up in the Berkshires doesn't help.'

Talking of wild nights, the socialite, known for her charity work, explained that she had learnt not to dwell on how she came across on television.

Said Dorinda: 'I think the audience is very smart and you can't be upset when you make a mistake. So you can do something so horrible that you're like "Oh my god my life is over", and the next week nobodies talking about it.'

Party palace: The home has been the scene of many a raucous celebration

Just like Grandma's house: The 53-year-old collects ornaments to evoke a certain atmosphere

Divorced from her first husband and widowed following the death of Richard in 2011, Dorinda is now in a long-term relationship with John Mahdessian, owner of New York's legendary couture restoration house Madame Paulette.

But, she tells DailyMailTv, she is in no rush to walk down the aisle a third time.

'I love John very much and we're very much together,' she said. 'I need a little time. I know everybody thought that was going to happen. And here's the thing, I surprisingly love living on my own.'

Partner: Dorinda is now in a long-term relationship with John Mahdessian, owner of New York's legendary couture restoration house Madame Paulette
She was in a high-profile relationship with Joshua Jackson for a decade.

But Diane Kruger hinted the 10-year romance wasn't all smooth sailing as she posed in a stunning cover shoot forModern Luxury's January issues.

Although she didn't mention Joshua, 39, by name, the actress, 41, admitted she has been 'incredibly disappointed in the past' because she was led to believe she and a former partner were 'moving toward the same goal'.

Compromise: Diane Kruger has hinted her 10-year romance with Joshua Jackson wasn't all smooth sailing as she posed in a stunning cover shoot for Modern Luxury 's January issues

The couple split in 2016 after a decade together, and the Inglourious Basterds star explained past relationships have now made her refuse to compromise.

She said: 'I think lifes better with somebody holding your hand, but Ive also learned that I need to take care of myself first.

'In the past, Ive been incredibly disappointed in people. You think youre moving toward the same goal, and then youre not.

'There are things I won't accept anymore. I think when youre in a long-term relationship, you start making excuses, and youre making a lot of compromises.'

Tough: Although she didn't mention Joshua, 39, by name, the actress, 41, admitted she has been 'incredibly disappointed in the past'

Out with the old: The couple split in 2016 after a decade together, and the star admitted past relationships have now made her refuse to compromise (pictured in November 2015)

The German-born former model has now moved on with her love life and went public with her romance with The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, 48, in March.

The couple first met when they starred alongside each other in Sky back in 2015, when she was still with Joshua.

Diane played coy when asked about her new relationship, explaining: 'I dont want to talk about that part of my life. Thats one thing I learned.'

The actress also discussed her latest role in German film In The Fade, her first project in her native tongue.

The movie has bagged a Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language Golden Globe nomination, and Diane won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

New love: The German-born former model has moved on with her love life and went public with The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, 48, in March (pictured in September)

Former friends: The couple first met when they starred alongside each other in Sky back in 2015, when she was still with Joshua (pictured in September 2015)

In the action-packed crime drama - which is released on December 27 - Diane plays Katja, who is seeking revenge after a bombing that kills her husband and young son.

The actress admitted taking on the role was a life-changing experience and affected her more than she could have ever thought possible.

She explained: 'Ive been very good up until this point to separate my work from my everyday life. This was the first time it wasnt possible. I didnt expect [the film] to affect me this amount... its changed me forever.

'I definitely started to feel like I was drowning in their grief after witness[ing] that much pain. I felt like I was in it.

Talented: The actress also discussed her latest role in German film In The Fade, her first project in her native tongue

New project: The movie has bagged a Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language Golden Globe nomination, and Diane won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May

'I was Katja reacting to what was happening in front of me. I wasnt done at the end. I couldnt have gone on another day - I was a mess; I really was.'

Diane also discussed the unfortunate timing of the movies Cannes premiere coming two days after the terrorist attack outside an Ariana Grande Concert in Manchester, England.

She said: 'It was an awful time because I was so excited to see the movie, and yet, at the same time, I was conscious of how many Katjas were just created.'

Appearing in the stunning Modern Luxury shoot - which saw her appear on the January editions of Angeleno, Manhattan, Miami, Orange County, Boston Common, CS, San Diego and DC magazines - Diane looked every inch the cover girl.

Tense: In the action-packed crime drama - which is released on December 27 - Diane plays Katja, who is seeking revenge after a bombing that kills her husband and young son

And it's no surprise, with the blonde moving to Paris, France, at the tender age of 15 when she was spotted by a model scout.

But the actress admitted although she relished the attention being part of the fashion industry brought when she was a teen, she quickly grew tired of it.

Diane explained: Modeling was fun for the few years I did it, but I just got bored with it. When youre young, the attention is nice.

People tell you, "Youre so pretty", and youre like, "This is great!" Then as you grow older, you think, "Wait a minute, Im not just that".'
North Dakota attorney general Drew Wrigley says doctors who perform abortions should be able to disclose the patients personal health information as part of their defense to avoid prosecution. North Dakotas abortion ban, which is currently on hold because of a lawsuit, makes the procedure illegal except in cases of rape or incest or when the life of the mother is in danger. Doctors would have to prove those exceptions in court in order to be cleared of a Class C felony. The attorney general said he couldnt find any cases that address the scenario and it would not violate the privacy rule.
Teri Hatcher looked fit as she left a workout with mini-me daughter Emerson Tenney in Studio City, California on Friday.

The 53-year-old had toned legs and a trim waistline in her tight exercise clothes.

This comes after her former Desperate Housewives co-star Eva Longoria announced she was pregnant with her first child.

Just the two of us: Mom and daughter Teri Hatcher and Emerson Tenney get their morning started with a trip to the gym in Studio City on Friday

The brunette beauty wore a dark grey tank top, slim, black leggings, a jacket and a pair of black Nike sneakers.

To finish her look, she wore an oversized pair of shades and black handbag.

Emerson looked fresh in a red Reebok jacket over a tank top, black and grey leggings and teal sneakers. She kept her hair out of the way by wrapping her hair into a side braid.

So fit: The mother-daughter duo love to eat delicious food, so they put time into the gym daily

The 20-year-old, who Hatcher had in 1997 while married to fellow actor Jon Tenney, is a budding writer and recently wrote a piece about using the term 'cheat day.'

It's important that no one use that term because it implies that 'we are bad,' she wrote on Spoon University.

The Brown University student instead encourages others to use the term 'intuitive eating.'

Let's go: The pair are workout buddies who travel the world in search of delicious food

'By labeling a particular action as 'cheating' we are implying another, more insidious, labelthat we are 'bad,' she wrote.

'As soon as we buy into that notion of "bad vs. good," "cheating vs. achieving," we place a moral weight on our decisions surrounding food.

'Slowly, we begin to confirm or condemn our own morality and worth as people based on the food we eat.'

Moderation: Emerson wrote on Spoon University why people should eliminate the term 'cheat day' from their vocabulary

Cheers: Hatcher's only child celebrated her 20th birthday in November

Healthy: Hatcher shared a photo of a healthy dish she prepared consisting of branzino, sweet potato and spinach

Splurge: Teri traveled to Maine where she enjoyed a famous lobster roll and a cup of beer

This comes after Eva told UsWeekly she and Jose 'Pepe' Baston are expecting their first child together.

The 42-year-old actress is four months pregnant with the 49-year-old media mogul's child a rep confirmed.

That wasn't all the happy news as the insider told the publication that the happy couple are expecting a bouncing baby boy.

Baston already shares three kids - 22-year-old daughter Natalia and 14-year-old twins Mariana and Jose - with ex-wife Natalia Esperon.

Eva and Teri worked together on Desperate Housewives from 2004 until 2012.
On Thursday night, he shared a video of girlfriend Sofia Richie, 19, dancing in her underwear and a holiday sweater to her dad Lionel's song.

And one day later, Scott Disick met with his ex and the mother of his three children, Kourtney Kardashian, for a meeting in Los Angeles.

Scott, 34, and Kourtney, 38, both wore hoodies and sweat bottoms for their meet up, before leaving separately.

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Focused: Scott Disick met with his ex and the mother of his three children, Kourtney Kardashian, for a meeting in Los Angeles

Scott sported a stony face while wearing a blue hoodie with white sweats as he headed out of the meeting.

Kourtney chose an oversized white and red hoodie with coordinating bottoms, opting to leave her long brunette tresses loose.

The duo have three children together: Mason Dash, eight; Penelope Scotland, five; and Reign Aston, three.

They were in a relationship for ten years until they parted ways in July 2015.

Low key; Scott, 34, and Kourtney, 38, both wore hoodies and sweat bottoms for their meet up and left separately

Heading home: Kourtney chose an oversized white and red hoodie with coordinating bottoms, opting to leave her long brunette tresses loose

On Thursday night, Scott posted an Instagram story of Sofia dancing to her dad's 1983 hit song All Night Long while wearing just a holiday jumper and cheeky white underwear.

Fans took to Twitter to express their discomfort at watching the clip of the teen prancing around the father of three's home in lingerie.

Scott and Sofia went public with their romance in September, but they were linked as far back as May.

Interesting: On Thursday night, Scott posted a video to his Instagram story of Sofia dancing to her dad's 1983 hit song All Night Long while wearing just a holiday sweater and white cheeky underwear

Odd: On Thursday night, Scott posted an Instagram story of Sofia dancing to her dad's 1983 hit song All Night Long while wearing just a holiday jumper and cheeky white underwear

Meanwhile, Kourtney is in a relationship with s handsome Algerian-born model, Younes Bendjima, 24.

They enjoyed romantic holidays together to France and Egypt earlier this year.

The duo were spotted for the first time as a couple in December 2016, but were linked two months prior in October.

On Thursday, Kourtney enjoyed some holiday shopping while rocking a festive top; she shared the experience on her Instagram stories.

Doting: Kourtney was spotted taking her son to art class on Thursday night in LA

Happy: She was seen holding hands with Penelope and carrying Reign to Mason's birthday party last week in the Woodland Hills

Classy: Meanwhile, Kourtney is in a relationship with the handsome model, Younes Bendjima, 24; seen with her beau on September 30 during the Haider Ackermann show at PFW in Paris
Seriously mentally ill people could have their drivers licences reviewed after a man used a car to plough through pedestrians in Melbourne.

But Victoria has ruled out plans to use bollards to protect tram routes because it could make spaces more dangerous and halt the public transport network.

On Thursday a 34-year-old man drove a white 4WD on tram tracks to deliberately hit pedestrians, leaving three critical and more than a dozen injured in hospital.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said the possibility of reviewing the drivers licences of seriously mentally ill people was an "interesting question".

"I think it is worthy of some discussion, to have a look at that issue, because there's no question that vehicles are and will continue to be weapons and they are extremely dangerous," she told ABC radio on Friday.

"(But) at what point does that trigger? Because people with mental health issues can get well and be well."

Premier Daniel Andrews also said there was no way to make every public space 100 per cent safe and he ruled out bringing in bollards for tram routes.

"If you were to try and bollard-off every set of tram tracks, trams tracks are shared spaces, and you couldn't run a tram network, you might even make spaces more dangerous than they are now," Mr Andrews told 3AW on Friday.

"You can't protect against every single possible threat, but you can do the things that experts tell you need to happen - and we've done that."

Temporary concrete bollards were installed across Melbourne following January's Bourke Street Mall vehicle attack, which left six people dead.

Some of the heavy blocks remain around key sites in the city, with others replaced with purpose-built and planter-box style bollards.
A female pedestrian has died after being hit by a car in the Newcastle suburb of Wallsend.

The 21-year-old woman was walking west along Minmi Road after 11pm on Thursday with two friends when she and one of the men were struck by a car travelling in the same direction.

The woman was taken to John Hunter Hospital with serious head injuries where she later died. The male pedestrian received a minor leg injury and did not require treatment.

The 18-year-old male driver is assisting police with their investigations.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state is "well prepared" for any potential attack over the Christmas holiday period, the day after an SUV mowed down 19 pedestrians in the heart of Melbourne.

Ms Berejiklian says the state's threat risk remains at "probable" with police and other agencies ready to respond to any incident.

"We have a number of policies in place, including policies around managing large crowds," the premier told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

"We know there will be lots of gatherings over this festive period and we're obviously not leaving any stone unturned in terms of the amount of security."

Ms Berejiklian says if anything further needs to be done in terms of security, it will be.

"But I'm confident our agencies are well prepared," the Liberal leader said.
Today's Birthday, December 27: Australian serial killer Ivan Milat (1944 - ).

Arguably the most notorious serial killer in Australian history, Ivan Milat had his seventh application for a review into his cold-blooded murder convictions quashed earlier this year.

Convicted of the infamous 1990s NSW backpacker murders, the 73-year-old has been serving consecutive life sentences in Goulburn Correctional Centre's SuperMax wing for the past two decades.

In October, NSW Supreme Court justice Megan Latham dismissed his latest bid for a review, noting points raised had already been considered in previous applications.

Born in Sydney in 1944, Milat grew up in Bossley Park on the city's outskirts, one of 14 children belonging to a large immigrant Yugoslavian family.

Given the sheer size of the family, his hard-working and strict parents found it difficult to contain Milat and his mischievous brothers.

Dating back to age 17, Milat started flirting with the law as police filed charges in relation to home invasions, car thefts and armed robberies.

The former road worker was acquitted of the rape of two female hitchhikers in 1971, who testified that he had pulled a knife before the alleged assault.

Between 1989 and 1992, several backpackers went missing outside Sydney, leading to a widescale scouring of bushland in the Belanglo State Forest.

The search recovered the bodies of seven dead male and female travellers, of Australian, British and German backgrounds.

The killer used a wide variety of methods including beating, strangulation, shooting, stabbing, decapitation and sexual assault, the autopsies confirmed.

Investigators believed the deaths were connected due to similarities at some of the crime scenes but it took British backpacker Paul Onions - forced to run from Milat after being picked up while hitchhiking in 1990 - to link his moustachioed attacker to the area in 1994.

This allowed police to finally raid Milat's property and after 15 weeks of trial, he was found guilty in July 1996 and handed seven life sentences plus an extra six years for the Onions attack.

Milat's celebrity has grown further behind bars with consistent appeals, prison antics (foiled escape plan, ingesting razor blades and amputating a finger), speculation he carried out more killings and the popular television series Wolf Creek and Catching Milat.
RECENT ATTACKS AND FOILED TERROR PLOTS IN MELBOURNE

FLINDERS STREET

* A 32-year-old driver with a history of mental health and drug problems, ploughs into a group of pedestrians on the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets, injuring 19 people on December 21, 2017.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

* Ali Khalif Shire Ali, 20, charged on November 28, 2017 with allegedly planning to shoot New Year's Eve revellers at Melbourne's Federation Square. The Werribee man will remain in custody until he returns to court on March 13.

BOURKE STREET

* Dimitrious 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas allegedly deliberately drives into scores of people, killing six and injuring dozens more, on January 20, 2017. The case returns to court on March 2 for an update on whether he is fit to stand trial.

CHRISTMAS

* Hamza Abbas, Ahmed Mohamed and Abdullah Chaarani were allegedly days away from carrying out a Christmas Day 2016 terror plot targeting Melbourne's Flinders Street Station, Federation Square and St Paul's Cathedral. Their trial is due to begin in July.

BOMB

* Counter-terrorism police disrupt an alleged domestic terrorist attack in Melbourne, potentially involving improvised explosive devices, in August 2016.

HOME MADE BOMBS

* A 17-year-old boy was charged following a public tip-off on May 9, 2015 with planning a terrorist attack in Victoria using home made bombs.

ANZAC DAY

* Three Melbourne men were charged over a plan to behead a police officer on Anzac Day, 2015. One of the trio, Sevdet Ramadan Besim, is serving at least 10-and-a-half years in jail.

KNIFE ATTACK

* Numan Haider, 18, stabbed two counter-terrorism officers outside a police station before he was shot dead on September 23, 2014.

Source: AAP
The NSW Department of Primary Industries has hit back at allegations it colluded with the egg industry to block moves to ban battery cages ahead of a nation-wide rewriting of welfare guidelines.

The ABC's 7.30 report on Thursday cited documents showing the DPI met with poultry industry leaders before official stakeholder meetings to develop the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry.

The RSPCA believes the meetings' attendees discussed ways to stifle a push by animal welfare groups to outlaw cages for hens.

"This is collusion, not consultation - it's secretive, it's exclusive, it's strategising behind the scenes to manipulate the process toward a specific result," RSPCA senior policy officer Dr Jed Goodfellow said in a statement on Friday.

But the DPI has defended its actions, stating the meetings were routine consultations with stakeholders, and there was "no such thing as a secret poultry management group meeting".

"There is no way meetings were held to manipulate any process," a spokesman told AAP.

"We worked right across the spectrum from welfare groups, industry, government, community to form welfare standards and these are now out for consultation - no decision has been made."
The South Australian government will call in key stakeholders to try and address the state's recent migrant drownings, including two at one beach in little more than a week.

The government will bring together a committee of government departments, royal surf lifesaving and other bodies to look at different ways young South Australians from migrant communities can be educated on the dangers of the beach.

"We need to look at how best we can get the (safety) message out to migrant communities," Emergency Services Minister Chris Picton told reporters on Friday.
The Grinch is ready to strike this Christmas with robberies, break-ins and assaults known to rise at this time of year.

Police across the country are warning that opportunistic thieves can take advantage when car and home owners are either distracted, away on holiday or have not locked up.

"Lock doors even when at home and put keys, wallets and valuables in a safe place out of sight," Northern Territory police say.

"And if you are travelling, ask a trusted friend or neighbour to take out your bins, collect mail and keep watch over your house."

Extra pressures on families at this time of year also leads to an increase in domestic violence, Tasmanian police warn, adding that people should call police before a situation escalates into violence.

Alcohol-fuelled violence on the streets, in homes and pubs has prompted warnings for people to be aware of how much they drink.

"It is important that the community remain vigilant with regard to their personal security," South Australian police say.

Beach areas and nearby car parks are also hotspots for opportunistic crimes when people are tempted to leave windows and doors open in the rising heat.

"Summer time is generally a time when we encourage people to ensure their homes are secure and valuables are not left in open view," WA police say.
More deputies have left the McKenzie County Sheriffs office in the wake of the sheriffs reinstatement.

Eight sheriffs deputies have resigned while one each has retired or been fired since Gov. Doug Burgum reinstated McKenzie County Sheriff Gary Schwartzenberger on Aug. 4. Included in that number are three deputies whose last days were between Dec. 8-15: Det. Daniel Blood, Det. Michael Mees and Deputy Catlin Sitting Bear.

"It's a free country," Schwartzenberger said. "They can do what they want to do."

All three took law enforcement positions at other agencies, as has most every officer who has left since Schwartzenberger returned. Two have filed grievances with the North Dakota Department of Labor, including former K-9 Deputy Travis Bateman and former Det. Sgt. Korey Lass, who wrote to Burgums legal counsel in April to express his concerns about Schwartzenbergers leadership.

At the time, the sheriff was suspended during a monthslong removal proceeding based on allegations of bullying and retaliation.

The Bismarck Tribune obtained Lass letter in an open records request. His four-page narrative describes an office experiencing low morale under a sheriff who threatened his deputies employment and made heavy-handed decisions regardless of others concerns.

I cannot in good conscience sit by and allow this matter to go on without giving my insight, Lass wrote. A number of deputies are preparing to have to find another job in the event that Gary comes back as they will either be terminated or conditions will worsen to the point of not being able to stay here.

Four months later, Burgum reinstated the embattled sheriff after a special commissioners recommendation to do so following a two-day hearing.

In his complaint of retaliation to the state labor department, Lass claims Schwartzenberger learned of his letter to the governors office and claimed the sheriff then passed him over for a new promotion that went to a newer officer.

I had no other choice but to resign my position on Sept. 14, 2017, Lass wrote.

Lass did not return a request for comments. Blood, Mees and Sitting Bear also did not return messages requesting interviews.

Schwartzenberger said he was aware of Lass' letter from a legal discovery process. He described his management style as that of a leader.

"I lead people in the right direction where they need to be for the best focus of the public's safety," he said.

Regarding the resignations, Schwartzenberger said: "I believe them leaving made this a better agency."

He did commend Blood and Mees for progressing as agents with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

"I would never stop anyone from progressing in a law enforcement career," Schwartzenberger said.

He fired Bateman six days after his reinstatement, for ruining fresh concrete.

Bateman claims his termination was politically motivated after he signed a petition urging Schwartzenbergers removal. He said his fellow deputies departures dont surprise him.

It was said and made obvious by many seasoned members that they would leave or seek employment elsewhere if Gary returned, Bateman said.

Kathy Kulesa, state human rights director, said her department awaits responses from McKenzie County regarding Batemans and Lass filings.

Former Deputy David Christensen said he will likely file a labor complaint as well. He resigned effective immediately on Oct. 10, hours after two other deputies quit in similar fashion.

Christensen said he disagreed with Schwartzenbergers approach and policies, though he conceded the sheriff may run his office as he sees fit. He added that Schwartzenberger brought a negative atmosphere into the agency.

Since he left the McKenzie County Sheriffs Office, Christensen said he has been absolutely fantastic, having transitioned to a patrol officer for another agency.

Meanwhile, with the exits of Blood, Lass and Mees, the McKenzie County Sheriffs Office has lost a raft of experienced detectives. Bateman said they had 17 to 19 years experience altogether.

Schwartzenberger said his office currently has three detectives who share almost 10 years experience.

Were maintaining, he said.

Amy Robinson, Schwartzenberger's executive assistant, said the office is currently looking to hire a detective and detective sergeant, as well as several deputy positions.

As of Dec. 15, the McKenzie County Sheriffs Office had 28 sworn officers, according to Robinson, with six deputies hired since Schwartzenbergers reinstatement, amid the 10 who have left in that time. Three new hires returned from the law enforcement academy Dec. 15, the sheriff added.

Schwartzenberger said he intends to run for re-election in 2018, despite his controversial civil, criminal and removal cases, all of which are rooted in disputes with the McKenzie County Board of Commissioners.

"The way I look at it is I've been fighting to preserve the elected office of sheriff and fighting to preserve the power of the vote for the people," said Schwartzenberger, referring to his successful appeal over the employment authority of his office, after county commissioners attempted to discipline a former administrative lieutenant.

Christensen said he hopes McKenzie County voters make the right choice in their sheriff election. Bateman agreed.

The publics faith and trust has been horribly misused and abused, Christensen said.

Schwartzenberger is set for a two-day misdemeanor jury trial in February for misapplication of entrusted property related to nearly $1,000 in unauthorized expenditures at a Las Vegas sheriffs convention almost three years ago. He has pleaded not guilty.
A woman who killed a man in a road crash north of Adelaide has asked for a suspended jail sentence to avoid being separated from her soon-to-be-born child.

Rebecca Lee Greatley has pleaded guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving over the crash near Port Pirie last year which claimed the life of 26-year-old Jamie Dumbleton.

Defence counsel Nick Vadasz told the District Court on Friday that South Australia is the only state that does not allow babies to stay in prison with their mothers.

If Greatley is jailed, she would be separated from her child soon after giving birth in March next year.

"The position taken here is cruel and barbaric and not acceptable in 21st-century society," Mr Vadasz said.

The court heard Greatley had suffered a brain injury from the crash which had left her forgetful.

She fell pregnant after forgetting to take her contraceptive pill.

However, prosecutor Vanessa Burrows told the court that pregnancies and childbirth were not unknown in the prison system and separation from loved ones was "part of the punishment".

The court also heard Greatley had been high on cannabis a time of the crash when she failed to stop at a stop sign and ploughed into a semi-trailer on the Augusta Highway.

The 25-year-old had been driving erratically before the crash, despite objections from her passengers, and her actions meant her offending was not at the lower end of the scale and warranted an immediate jail term, the prosecutor said.

"This was not a momentary lapse."

At a previous hearing, Dylan O'Donnell-Middleton, who was a passenger in the car, said details about the crash were starting to come back to him.

"I can remember really clearly the massive flash of the truck headlights through the back window," he told the court in a victim impact statement.

"It goes dark there and the next thing I remember is waking up and opening the car door and getting out even though my hip and arm were fractured.

"I remember seeing Jamie in the back seat and someone trying to resuscitate him and that's when I realised just how serious everything was.

"The memory of Jamie in the back seat being worked on is really weird because there was no blood and he looked completely at peace."

Judge Stephen McEwen will sentence Greatley in January.
A teenage boy has been arrested after a wild party where police were attacked with rocks and an AirBnB rental house trashed in Melbourne.

The out-of-control party at the house in Werribee on Wednesday ended with cars smashed, the house trashed and police pelted with rocks in the street.

The 15-year-old boy from Kurunjang was charged on Friday with aggravated burglary, criminal damage and armed robbery and an application has been made to remand him to appear in court at a later date.
Newly appointed InfoTrack skipper Tom Slingsby concedes the Sydney-Hobart forecast probably favours the three other supermaxis ahead of his defending line-honours champion.

The London 2012 Olympic Laser gold medallist and 2013 America's Cup winner was on the boat last year when it broke the race record sailing as Perpetual LOYAL.

Slingsby felt the forecast for this year's race wouldn't be as good for the boat which had been renamed after being bought by tech entrepreneur Christian Beck.

"The forecast is for a very fast race, but probably not at the wind angle that InfoTrack will be strongest," Slingsby told AAP.

"Where we're generally pretty good if the wind is side on, 90 degrees to the boat, this year, the wind will be behind us.

"Comanche, Wild Oats and Black Jack are definitely going to be pretty quick in these conditions we've got forecasted.

"But you never know what can happen. Conditions could change, they could make a mistake and, all of a sudden, we're in there with a good shot."

Slingsby was announced on Thursday as skipper of the boat.

"For me, it's not really about being the skipper. I signed up to do the race and titles don't really mean too much to me," he said.

"But I'll enjoy steering the boat and racing the boat as hard as I can."

Slingsby's participation in this year's race was only revealed a couple of weeks ago.

"I wasn't planning on doing it this year. I was actually considering having a year off, watching it on the couch with a beer in hand and watching my friends go south," Slingsby said.

"But Christian came along and I met him and a few people on the boat and I decided that I would compete.

"He (Beck) is a very unassuming guy; he's really just one of the team members.

"If you met him, you'd never know that he's as wealthy as he is.

"He doesn't assign jobs to other people. He just says 'guys, we're a team'.

"He'll be down getting waters for the crew. He'll be cleaning the boat; he'll be dragging sails around; he really pulls his own weight."

Slingsby said the crew were going through a rebuilding phase, with just three of last year's team back, although there's no lack of talent aboard.

Among those joining Slingsby are multi-America's Cup winner Grant Simmer and Olympic 49er gold and silver medallist Iain Jensen.

The fleet was reduced to 102 on Friday when the 39-year-old Checkmate of Hollywood withdrew.

The 50-footer, built in the United States, had on and off-boat issues in the lead-up to the race after arriving just over a week ago in Australia and enduring a rough passage from the Gold Coast to Sydney.
NSW Police's new criminal groups squad has nabbed 46 ex-criminals in a series of raids across the state that's netted cash, weapons, drugs and even exotic reptiles.

The five-day operation utilising officers from the anti-bikie Strikeforce Raptor included 45 raids that resulted in 46 arrests and 117 charges against former inmates and parolees who posed a "significant risk" to society.

The new squad's commander, Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Smith, revealed on Friday the operation netted $47,000 in cash, 11 guns including shotguns and rifles, illegal weapons including Tasers and flick knives and a commercial quantity of ice along with 20 kilograms of precursor chemical used to make the drug.

A python and a turtle were also seized.

"In terms of Strikeforce Raptor and the newly-formed criminal groups squad this is going to become the norm," Det Chief Supt Smith said.

"The operation is about ensuring we break the connections between individuals so they're not comfortable to carry out their criminal activities as a group."

The commander issued a warning to others exiting the prison system and looking to rejoin their old networks.

"We will get to you soon," he said.

The raids took place in Sydney, Newcastle and in regional NSW.

Many of the targeted individuals were all on parole for serious offences including armed robbery, malicious wounding and intimidation.

Det Chief Supt Smith declined to comment on whether or not they should have been released but noted his officers were "in the arrest business" and the community had been supportive of the operation.

Further raids are executed in the near future.
Victoria's mental health system has been in crisis for over a decade, leading to preventable murders, violence and suicides, an expert says.

Former Australian of The Year Patrick McGorry said he knew little about the driver who mowed down 18 pedestrians in Melbourne on Thursday, who had a history of mental illness and drug use.

But Professor McGorry said the shortcomings of the state's mental health crisis sometimes resulted in violent episodes.

"We've seen a series of these sort of events, a man released from a psychiatric unit, again a mentally ill refugee who tried to hijack a plane, a woman who killed her children having inadequate psychiatric care and probably the Bourke Street person is mentally ill and untreated and complicated again by drug use," he told AAP on Friday.

"The system is completely unable to treat people safely, so we've had a great rise in suicides as well and a smaller number of homicides.

"The public mental health system has basically been collapsing over the last 10 or 15 years with inadequate funding."

Prof McGorry said one Melbourne mental health service, covering about a quarter of the city, reported 23 murders by patients in contact with the mental health system over 11 years.

"This is something we never saw in the past," he said.

He estimated about one per cent of Victorians are covered by the public mental health system - but three per cent require it.

"Every night in emergency departments, people are being turned away with serious mental illnesses," Prof McGorry said.

"In the next 12 months we will see several murders which are preventable, committed by poorly treated psychiatric patients and we will see hundreds of suicides, which are mostly preventable."

Prof McGorry said the Andrews government was working on the problem but it was upsetting as 20 years ago Victoria boasted the world's best quality mental health services, "now it's down around the worst".

He said the mental health and drug and alcohol systems need to be integrated rather than separate, and the system urgently needs a radical redesign to prevent huge numbers of people ending up in emergency departments.

Mr McGorry said incidents like the Melbourne car attack brought the crisis home to the public.

"If they think that just putting up bollards is going to stop this, they should think more upstream as to why a person's driving there in the first place," he said.
The United Nations has criticised Australia for deporting a young Tamil man to Sri Lanka in what it says is a breach of Canberra's international obligations.

The asylum seeker, known as Rajah, arrived in Australia by boat after fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka in 2012 and was deported from Sydney this week after missing an October 1 deadline to apply for refugee status.

"The forced return of an asylum seeker by Australia this week constitutes a worrying breach of Australia's international obligations," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement on Friday.

"The UNHCR had sought assurances from the government of Australia that the asylum seeker would not be removed from Australia and would have access to Australia's national asylum procedures."

The UN refugee agency said returning an asylum seeker whose claim for international protection was not considered on its merits presented "a serious risk of return to danger or persecution".

"All asylum seekers are entitled to have their claims for refugee status considered fairly and in accordance with the 1951 Refugee Convention to which Australia is a party," the organisation said.
Retired major general and Liberal candidate Jim Molan can now take his seat in the Senate after the High Court declared he has been duly elected as a senator for the state of NSW.

"There should be no lingering uncertainty and it is in the public interest that that issue be resolved as soon as possible," Justice Stephen Gageler said on Friday in the High Court in Sydney.

Senator-elect Molan replaces former Nationals senator Fiona Nash, who was disqualified by the court for holding dual citizenship.

Justice Gageler was not asked, nor did he rule on, the question of what place Mr Molan would take in the list of 12 NSW senators which determines whether they have three- or six-year terms.

But Mr Molan's barrister, Arthur Moses SC, told the judge there was no dispute between his client and Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells that he was entitled to three years and she the six-year term.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tweeted his congratulations after the court's declaration stating "your vast military experience, courage and wisdom once again deployed in Australia's service".

Mr Molan said he hoped to use his experience in helping defend Australia and working with other countries to achieve democracy "to make a contribution that will benefit the people of NSW and Australia".

Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue QC, acting for the federal attorney-general, had asked for the declaration on Friday, noting the Senate was scheduled to sit on February 5.

"The order sought will have a limited statutory effect, namely of allowing Mr Molan to take his seat accordingly," the judge said.

Ms Nash was to have been replaced by Liberal candidate Hollie Hughes, but she was found to be disqualified because of her job with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Mr Molan was the next candidate after Ms Hughes on the coalition's 2016 NSW Senate ticket.

After a special count of ballot papers on November 22, Mr Molan was identified as one of the 12 people elected.

The Australian Electoral Commission had indicated that whereas Ms Nash was placed fifth, Mr Molan would be placed 10th and Senator Fierravanti-Wells, who was previously seventh, was fifth.

Justice Gageler also heard arguments from Geoffrey Kennett SC, who was appointed to assist the court on legal issues related to the case.

He argued the declaration order should not be made on Friday as the question of the length of terms or other questions may need to be determined.

But the judge said if such issues arose they could be addressed through further applications.

Speaking outside court, Senator Fierravanti-Wells said it was up to the Senate to determine the order of senators, but it was clear that she took the fifth place of Ms Nash.
SOME SIGNIFICANT DRUG BUSTS IN AUSTRALIA IN 2017:

February

A record 1.4 tonnes of cocaine worth more than $312 million from a yacht off the NSW coast with six people charged following raids in the culmination of a two-and-a-half-year investigation.

February

254kg of Colombian cocaine and 104kg of Chinese methamphetamine worth an estimated $186 million hidden in mining machinery seized by border officials in Melbourne

April

903kg of methamphetamine discovered hidden in floorboards shipped in 70 boxes to Melbourne.

November

Two Mexican men charged over an attempted importation of 300kg of cocaine, valued at $105 million, hidden in pallets of coffee and cocoa discovered during a raid on a business in Melbourne.

December

Four men charged for allegedly being part of an interstate drug network that trafficked 2.2 tonnes of cannabis between Brisbane and Sydney.

December

A record 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine seized in WA inside 60 bags that came from a vessel in Geraldton. Eight men were charged over the $1.04 billion drug bust following a six-month, multi-agency investigation.
A Victorian man jailed for at least 18 years over the repeated sexual abuse of three daughters made one of them pregnant and manipulated another with "sick and twisted" comments.

The man, who cannot be named to protect his children, was on Friday sentenced to 20 years and three months in prison, with a non-parole period of 18 years.

The 60-year-old pleaded guilty in September to multiple counts of child sexual abuse against three daughters when they were aged between four and in their teens.

He began abusing one daughter during the late 1980s when she was four years old and he was 26 years old, a Victorian County Court judge said.

The man's brother once interrupted the abuse and the man said he would stop and get help.

But the abuse continued on a weekly basis.

"She tried to get you to stop," the judge said on Friday.

"Instead, you demonstrated the depths of your depravity by telling her that it would not hurt if she tried to enjoy it."

The abuse eventually resulted in the teenager falling pregnant. She terminated the pregnancy.

The father also sexually abused his second daughter, who had an intellectual disability.

He continued to abuse both girls after he split up with their mother, and would often create pretences to be alone with them.

The man had more children with another woman and began abusing a third daughter in 2010.

"You told her you used to abuse her older half-sister, in a sick and twisted way trying to make her compete with her," the judge said.

She described the father's crimes as "prolonged abuse of the worst kind".

"Your daughters were entitled to your love, respect and protection as a parent, and entitled to feel safe in their own home," she said.

The judge said the man's alcoholism was no excuse for his appalling sexual abuse.
Florence Bjelke-Petersen will be honoured with a state funeral next month at the same town hall in regional Queensland where her husband was farewelled over a decade ago.

Lady Bjelke-Petersen died on Wednesday aged 97 following complications from a fall she suffered a few weeks ago.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk have announced a state funeral will be held on January 4 to farewell the former federal senator.

It will take place at the Kingaroy Town Hall where her husband Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's own state funeral was held after his death in 2005.
Attorneys representing several members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa have filed a new complaint challenging North Dakotas latest voter ID law.

The amended complaint, filed Dec. 13, asks a federal judge to declare House Bill 1369 unconstitutional and prevent it from being implemented, arguing that it violates the national Voting Rights Act. The bill, sponsored by Republican lawmakers, was signed into law by Gov. Doug Burgum in late April.

The plaintiffs already scored a legal victory in August 2016, when U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland granted a preliminary injunction preventing the state from implementing its voter ID law without some kind of fail-safe option that was eliminated by the Legislature in 2013. Voters who didnt bring a valid identification to the polls in November 2016 were offered affidavits to swear that he or she was a qualified elector.

Seeking to protect the integrity of North Dakota elections, legislators passed a new law this year that doesnt include the affidavit option but instead allows voters without an ID to cast a ballot thats set aside until they can produce one. An ID thats out of date could be supplemented with a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or a government-issued check or document.

IDs issued by the state Department of Transportation or a tribal government are valid under the new law. It includes options for those in special circumstances, such as living in a long-term care facility.

North Dakota is the only state without voter registration.

The amended complaint said the new law maintains North Dakotas restrictive voter ID requirements with no fail-safe mechanism and disproportionately burdens and disenfranchises Native Americans. It lists Secretary of State Al Jaeger, a Republican and North Dakotas chief elections official, as the sole defendant.

Because a voter must still show a valid ID, and because the canvassing board may have discretion to deny inclusion of the vote, the provisional or set-aside ballot process is not a fail-safe mechanism for those that simply do not have an ID, the complaint states.

House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, said the new law addressed the concerns raised in the lawsuit. He said lawmakers worked to make sure no voters would be disenfranchised.

Im not sure that you could ever please that group. What we think is we have a very fair bill there for the people who want to vote, said Carlson, the bills primary sponsor. You cant go anywhere in this country, in the world, without an ID of some type.

A federal judge has not yet ruled on the plaintiffs motion to amend their complaint, and no hearings have been set. Tom Dickson, an attorney for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa members, said the motion was filed in light of the upcoming 2018 election cycle.

They sort of padded the bill to placate a federal judge, he said. It wont work.

Deputy Secretary of State Jim Silrum said North Dakota will continue to offer voter affidavits until the judge rules otherwise.

Proponents of voter ID laws see them as tools to prevent voter fraud, while opponents say theyre meant to suppress minority votes. Experts say voter fraud is rare.

In a letter to President Donald Trumps commission on election integrity, Jaeger said there were nine suspected cases of double voting during the 2012 general election in North Dakota, prompting the 2013 legislative changes that were challenged in federal court.

Jaeger said his office didnt have an information regarding voter fraud in North Dakota before the 2012 general election. Earlier this year, the Burke County prosecutor reached a pretrial diversion agreement with a western North Dakota man charged in a rare voter fraud case.
Skeletal remains found by a member of the public in the NSW Southern Highlands have been confirmed as belonging to a local mother who'd been missing for six months.

Kathleen Lidden, 52, disappeared in mid-June after leaving her home at Bowral on foot without any personal belongings.

She was later recorded on CCTV outside a shop in nearby Mittagong, however extensive searches in June and September failed to locate her.

On Friday, police confirmed human remains found in bushland north of Lake Alexandra nearly a week ago belonged to the 52-year-old.
Queensland police are preparing a report for the coroner into the murder of a woman, killed by her son-in-law just hours before he took his own life.

The 53-year-old grandmother was found dead by her daughter in her Rockhampton home on Friday morning.

The 25-year-old man took his own life after ramming a police vehicle in a neighbouring suburb, injuring an officer and causing the car to burst into flames.

"Our thoughts are with all families involved," Acting Detective Inspector Luke Peachey said.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.
Christian conceptions of life and love were challenged during the "horrible year" of 2017 courtesy of gay marriage and euthanasia debates, Australia's leading Catholic says.

In a Christmas message released on Friday, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher also acknowledged the "shameful crimes and cover-ups" in the church uncovered by the child abuse royal commission.

"For people of faith you might say it's been an annus horribilis," he said.

But he added the Christmas story insists there is a "star in the dark sky".

Other religious leaders also reflected on various challenges during 2017, with one delivering his message via Twitter for the first time.

Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies added hash tags and subtle swipes at US President Donald Trump's use of the social media platform to his Twitter messages.

He also urged people to read the full version of his Christmas story in the Bible's book of Luke.

"With a limit of 280 characters - it is difficult to say much, let alone explain anything complex," he said.
The holidays officially start when Carols by Candlelight begins on Christmas Eve.

David Campbell has hosted the event at Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne for four years now.

"The spirit of Christmas literally is with you on the night so you don't feel the need to be rowdy or overcompensate, it's a strange feeling," Campbell said.

For the first time, Campbell's Today Extra co-host Sonia Kruger will be on stage alongside him, taking over from former Today host Lisa Wilkinson

"At first I thought it would be really tense hosting it, I thought it would be really hard, but Lisa said 'you'd be surprised at how easy it is' and she's right. As a host you sort of sit back a bit."

Campbell will also be performing a Christmas song along with his cast members from the stage musical, Dream Lover.

Other performers include Anthony Callea, Tim Campbell, Marina Prior, Silvie Paladino, David Hobson and Denis Walter.

Kruger is hoping to hear one Christmas tune in particular.

"My favourite Christmas song is I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas by Bing Crosby," she said.

"My Dad would always sing that song so that's now my favourite Christmas song of all time. We lost Dad couple of years ago so every time I hear that song it makes me very nostalgic and it makes me think of him."

Sunday also marks the 80th Carols By Candlelight which raises money for Vision Australia.

* Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight airs on the Nine Network at 8pm AEDT on December 24.
Law became one of the main faces of the sex abuse scandal that has dogged the Catholic Church

Cardinal Bernard Law, one of the most influential Catholic prelates in the United States until he resigned in disgrace for covering up decades of sexual abuse, died on Wednesday. He was 86.

The Harvard-educated former archbishop, who rubbed elbows with presidents and promoted social justice for immigrants and the poor, died in Rome. He had moved there after his 2002 resignation as the abuse scandal unleashed a major crisis in the Catholic Church that continues to reverberate around the world.

Evidence that he protected pedophile priests for years and hushed up their abuse of children to protect the church hierarchy shattered his once-venerated career and triggered an avalanche of molestation scandals reaching from Ireland to Australia and from Haiti to the Philippines.

Law died on Wednesday after a long illness, the Vatican said. Pope Francis will perform last rites at his funeral Thursday at Saint Peter's Basilica, triggering outrage from abuse victims who say he deserves a more ignominious end.

The molestation scandal hit Boston like an avalanche in January 2002, with hundreds of people coming forward to claim they had been abused by priests. Mushrooming allegations and mounting pressure ultimately forced Law to resign that December.

The case became the subject of the Oscar-winning 2015 Hollywood movie "Spotlight," centered on how the Boston Globe newspaper uncovered the scandal -- work that earned the Globe's investigative team a Pulitzer Prize.

"I would prefer to see him tied to a cross and burned," victim Alexa MacPherson told a news conference in Boston on Wednesday.

"I don't think the Pope gets it at all," she said. "It's time to bring forth change, and if you say that you want that, then you don't celebrate this man's legacy."

"I just hope that man suffered every day of his life, knowing what he did," said fellow victim Robert Costello, 56. "I think he should die like Osama bin Laden," Costello added, referring to the Al-Qaeda leader's burial at sea with no plaque or marked site.

"It should just be that the man disappears. The Pope is honoring him and saying its okay to abuse children by saying a Mass for this man. He doesn't deserve it, and this could bring a slew of people forward."

Law was initially accused of moving priest John Geoghan from parish to parish, despite knowing that Geoghan was believed to have abused up to 130 boys.

- 'Sincere apologies' -

The Spotlight reporters later discovered that the local Catholic hierarchy, led by Law, systematically covered up sexual abuse by some 90 priests over decades.

In 2015, the National Catholic Reporter said the US Catholic Church had incurred nearly $4 billion in costs related to the abuse crisis over 65 years, well above the nearly $3 billion figure often cited.

The current archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, acknowledged that Law's death "brings forth a wide range of emotions" and apologized to sexual abuse victims.

"To those men and women, I offer my sincere apologies for the harm they suffered, my continued prayers and my promise that the archdiocese will support them in their effort to achieve healing," he said in a statement.

- Known as an authoritarian -

Born in Torreon, Mexico on November 4, 1931, the son of a US Air Force colonel, Law grew up on military bases before studying medieval history at Harvard University.

He began his priesthood studies in 1953 and was ordained in Mississippi in 1961, becoming known nationally for his ecumenical work on social welfare and civil rights.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II declared him archbishop of Boston -- at the time the third-largest diocese in the United States -- where he was known as a conservative and authoritarian leader, but one who nonetheless built bridges with the Jewish community.

Close to the pope, he was a staunch opponent of abortion and birth control. He hewed to strict church orthodoxy on issues like ordaining women or loosening traditional celibacy rules of the priesthood.

After first retreating to a convent in Maryland in 2002, he was transferred to a low-key position in a Rome basilica in 2004. He is to be buried in Rome.

"Cardinal Law was an individual who allowed innocent children to be sexually abused... (He) chose to turn his back on innocent children," Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who specializes in sexual abuse cases, told AFP.

As victims continue to come forward across the world, Pope Francis has vowed a "zero tolerance" policy toward sexual abuse, but has been accused of being too soft on pedophiles, extending to them a general policy of mercy he is promoting.

burs/jm/bbk
India's former telecoms minister A. Raja was charged with corruption over his alleged role in a multi-billion dollar scandal in 2008

India's former telecoms minister was cleared Thursday of his alleged role in a multi-billion dollar fraud that ballooned into one of the country's biggest-ever political scandals.

A special court in New Delhi acquitted A. Raja of corruption and also dropped charges against a slew of other bureaucrats and corporate executives implicated in the 2008 scandal that cost the state billions in lost revenue.

Judge O. P. Saini said India's federal investigators, who brought the explosive charges against the high-profile defendants, could not prove allegations of criminality.

"I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that (the) prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any accused," Saini told a packed courtroom.

Raja, who appeared in court alongside the other accused, waved and smiled after the verdict as his supporters let off firecrackers outside.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which brought the case, said it would appeal the judgement in the Delhi High Court.

"The court has not appreciated (the) evidence in proper perspective. The CBI will be taking necessary legal remedies in the matter," spokesman Abhishek Dayal told reporters.

The so-called "2G spectrum scam" came to light in 2010 when a government auditor estimated it cost the treasury as much as $39 billion in lost revenues -- equal to India's defence budget.

India's then-ruling Congress party was accused of under-pricing licenses and favouring certain firms, seriously damaging the administration of former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

In 2012, India's top court cancelled 122 licenses for eight firms amid allegations of bribery and wholesale fraud.

Time Magazine in 2011 included the scam on a list of historic scandals alongside "Watergate", which brought down US president Richard Nixon in 1974.

- Political fallout -

Analysts say the fallout weakened the Congress party and contributed to its heavy defeat at the 2014 general elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won that poll in a landslide, campaigning in part on a pledge to clean up corruption.

Singh, who was not linked to the scandal but was accused of turning a blind eye as prime minister, said the Congress party finally stood vindicated.

"I am glad that the court has announced unambiguously that all this massive propaganda... was being done against the UPA (Congress-led alliance) without any foundation," he told reporters after the verdict.

Senior Congress politician Shashi Tharoor said it was clear that "innocent people have been wronged".

"Justice has worked as it is supposed to work in our country," he said.

But top officials from the ruling BJP called for an appeal.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Congress should not treat the verdict as "a badge of honour".

"That this was a corrupt, dishonest policy has already been held by the Supreme Court," he told reporters.

Subramanian Swamy, a senior BJP politician whose legal challenge of the tender process sparked the criminal investigation, was confident the acquittal would be reversed.

"This is not a setback but an aberration... This judgement will definitely be set aside," he said.

Raja, a politician from southern Tamil Nadu state, resigned as a minister in 2010 but always maintained his innocence.

He was arrested the next year before being released on bail in 2012.

A lawyer by training, Raja argued his own case and questioned witnesses throughout the trial as it dragged on for years through India's glacial legal system.

The scandal pulled in some of India's best known companies, with executives from Reliance and Sun TV network also cleared of any wrongdoing on Thursday.

Shares in both companies rallied sharply on the news.

Corruption in public life has become a burning issue in India, with demonstrations attracting tens of thousands in recent years calling for cleaner politics and business.

India ranked 79 out of 176 countries on Transparency International's global corruption index in 2016, in which first-placed Denmark was deemed to have the cleanest system.
A white SUV sits in the middle of the road as police and emergency personnel work at the scene of where a car ran over pedestrians in Melbourne on December 21, 2017

A car ploughed into a crowd in Australia's second-largest city on Thursday injuring 19 people in what police said was a "deliberate act" but one they did not believe was terror related.

Witnesses said people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle, which did not appear to be trying to stop as it "mowed everybody down" at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne.

Victoria state police said the 32-year-old driver, an Australian of Afghan descent, was known to authorities for traffic and "minor assault" offences and had mental health issues.

The car was driven "intentionally" through the intersection and collided with a "large number" of pedestrians, Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters in Melbourne.

The driver "has a history of drug use and mental health issues... At this time we do not have any evidence or intelligence to indicate a connection with terrorism" or extremism, he said.

The man was arrested after a tussle with an off-duty police officer.

Investigators were waiting to interview the driver, who was in hospital under police guard.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews, called the incident an "evil, deliberate, cowardly act" that left 19 people hurt -- four of them critically.

- 'Thump, thump' -

In a tweet, police appealed to members of the public to upload any images they might have of the incident to help assist with their investigation.

Close-up map of Melbourne locating the area where a car ploughed into a crowd on December 21, 2017

A witness, named only as Sue, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that she heard screams and saw "people flying everywhere".

"We could hear this noise, as we looked left, we saw this white car, it just mowed everybody down," she said.

"People are flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere."

Another witness, John, told ABC Radio Melbourne that he saw an "SUV coming at high speed".

"(I) really just heard the collision with people with bags and what must be shopping trolleys -- and I hope not prams," he said.

"I've really never seen anything like this before and I haven't stopped shaking."

The intersection is one of Melbourne's busiest, a local shop owner told national broadcaster ABC, and is particularly crowded at this time of the year ahead of the Christmas break, with school holidays under way.

- Vehicle attacks -

The incident came after a car mowed down pedestrians in Melbourne's busiest mall in January, killing six people.

The driver, whose case is still being heard in court, had been pursued by police prior to the rampage after he had allegedly stabbed his brother.

Canberra has become increasingly worried about homegrown extremism and officials say they have prevented 13 terror attacks on home soil in the past few years.

The Australian government in August unveiled a strategy aimed at preventing vehicle attacks in crowded public places.

Police and emergency personnel investigate the area where a car ran over pedestrians on Flinders Street in Melbourne, on December 21, 2017

Suggested steps include deterrent options like fencing and closed circuit cameras, and delaying approaches such as trees and bollards to slow down vehicles.

Melbourne has also been installing a public siren system and more security cameras to warn people of a possible terrorist attack or other serious threats.

Andrews said there would an inquiry into the incident, and whether any further changes to Melbourne's security measures needed to be made.

Over the next few days, hundreds more police would patrol the city, he added.

While the circumstances surrounding Thursday's incident were still unclear, there have been several cases of vehicles being used to deliberately maim and kill.

The most deadly such case was in the southern French city of Nice on July 14, 2016, when 31-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck down a beachside promenade, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more.

Other deadly attacks using vehicles have taken place in Berlin, New York, London, Stockholm and Barcelona.
A man watches the Thomas Fire, which authorities say is now 60 percent contained, in the hills above Carpinteria, California on December 11, 2017

Authorities have lifted evacuation orders imposed as the massive Thomas fire scorched swaths of southern California, they said on Thursday, as firefighters moved closer to victory over the destructive inferno.

An area of 272,000 acres (110,000 hectares) -- just under half the size of Luxembourg -- has been burned since the inferno broke out on December 4, and firefighters are describing it as 60 percent contained.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said a recent period of windy weather had made little impact on the fire, which has destroyed more than 1,300 structures.

"The past three days of reduced fire behavior has allowed crews to continue securing the Montecito area effectively with tactical patrol and line improvement," it said in a statement, referring to the affluent community in Santa Barbara County that is home to numerous celebrities.

The Santa Barbara County sheriff's office said the evacuation orders were being lifted in the area but warned returning residents to remain alert to danger.

The area has not seen rain since February, providing for the tinder-like conditions in which wildfires thrive.

Cal Fire issued red fire alerts indicating "high risk" in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as well as on the Nevada border.

The Thomas fire is the second-largest wildfire in California since 1932, behind the Cedar Fire of 2003, with 110,578 hectares.

According to Cal Fire, "there were fires with significant acreage burned in years prior to 1932, but those records are less reliable," which is why its list of the 20 largest wildfires in the state starts in that year.
Australia's six F/A-18 Hornet jets will be heading home after a three-year mission in Iraq and Syria

Australian warplanes will cease their air strike campaign in Iraq and Syria, it was announced Friday, with the country's six hornet jets heading home after a three-year mission.

The decision follows the Islamic State jihadist group losing its two main hubs, Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria.

It is now only clinging to the dregs of a "caliphate" that spanned territory the size of Britain three years ago, with Iraq declaring victory in the war this month.

Defence Minister Marise Payne said Canberra had decided to scale back its mission after consultations with coalition allies following more than 2,700 sorties.

"The battlefield success against Daesh means our own Operation OKRA has now reached a natural transition point and our strike aircraft will begin returning home early in the New Year," she said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym.

"Since October 2014, our Hornet pilots and support personnel have made a significant contribution in support of the Iraqi Security Forces and I commend all the personnel who have contributed over this period for their dedication, skill and professionalism."

Based in the Middle East, Australia's Air Task Group consists of six F/A-18 Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker and Transport plane.

While the hornets are returning, the Wedgetail and the refuelling plane will continue to support coalition operations and around 380 personnel will stay to train Iraqi forces.

The United States first sent warplanes in August 2014 to carry out strikes against IS when it was massacring members of the Yazidi minority in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq.

A coalition was formed soon after with the support of around 60 nations, although only a handful such as Australia, Britain and France have played a significant military role.
North Korea looms large over the Japanese budget

Japan's defence budget will swell to a record $46 billion for the next fiscal year, the government said Friday, as the nation shores up its missile shield against the threat posed by North Korea.

The defence spending was part of a $860-billion national budget for the fiscal year starting in April, also a record as medical and social welfare costs snowball in Japan's rapidly ageing society.

The defence budget rose for the sixth consecutive year, as Tokyo seeks to bolster its military in the face of threats from the regime in Pyongyang, which has fired two missiles over the country this year and vowed to "sink" it into the sea.

Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that plunged into the waters of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The extra defence funding will cover the cost of preparations for introducing the US military's Aegis Ashore land-based missile interceptor system.

"At a time when North Korea is beefing up its ballistic missile capability, we need to strengthen our capability fundamentally," defence minister Itsunori Onodera said earlier this month.

During his first visit to Japan last month, US President Donald Trump backed a more militaristic Japan, saying the Pacific ally should buy US equipment to protect itself.

"It's a lot of jobs for us and a lot of safety for Japan," said Trump.

Japan also plans to purchase long-range cruise missiles with a range of some 900 kilometres (560 miles) from US firms.

The move is controversial as Japan's pacifist constitution bans the use of force as a means of settling international disputes.

Japan's military policy has long been restricted to self-defence and relies heavily on the US to attack enemy territory under the Japan-US security alliance.

Yukio Edano, head of the biggest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said the offensive missiles will be a "fairly big point of dispute" when lawmakers debate the budget bill next month.

While insisting Japan will maintain the decades-long policy, Abe said he wants to review the country's defence capability to match it with "the severe reality".

"The Abe administration is using North Korea's threats as leverage to upgrade its defence system," said Akira Kato, professor of international politics and regional security at Tokyo's J.F. Oberlin University.

"Japan is expected to continue strengthening its defence power for now," Kato told AFP.
I doubt many of you recognize the name Terri Roberts, or her son, Charles.

Terri became known because of what Charles did, but its important that you know Terri because of what Terri did.

Charles, a quiet young father of three stopped at an Amish school near Lancaster, Pa., while on his milk collection route one morning. Many of the children knew him because he collected milk from their farms.

Charles ordered the boys to leave the one-room schoolhouse and then tied up 10 girls, all between the ages of 6 and 13, before he killed five and severely injured the rest.

As one would imagine, the Roberts family was crushed, and shocked that their quiet, hardworking, church-going son, would do something so terrible.

I listened as Terri told her story to a reporter a couple of years ago, around the time she released her powerful book, "Forgiven."

Among her chief concerns was shielding her daughter-in-law and grandkids from the national media that quickly found their home.

While the police agencies and emergency responders were still investigating the scene one Amish man named Henry came to the Roberts home and said the Amish community wanted them to know that they were not seen as the enemy, but as friends who were also grieving the loss of a child.

Charles Roberts had killed himself in the schoolroom.

Terri said she and her husband felt tremendous shame for their son's actions and while she appreciated the Amish farmer's words of sympathy, she didnt immediately believe it.

The Roberts family stayed home and out of the spotlight until a few days later when they had to bury their son. She said she dreaded having to face the media. She felt she had to give an explanation, but there was no explanation, no warning signs, no suicide note, nothing.

It was at the cemetery that the words of the Amish spokesperson began to sink in. As the family arrived for the burial, she said nearly 30 Amish men and women surrounded them, creating a wall so they could grieve out of sight of cameras. Many of the men and women were parents of the girls who had been killed or wounded.

Terri said thats when she began to understand forgiveness. As a Christian, she thought she had understood Gods forgiveness, but now she knew she had to forgive her son.

Not long after that dreadful day in 2006 Terri began making weekly visits to the homes of the injured girls and participated in their care and built close bonds with their families.

Each time she left the home of Roxanna, the most severely injured girl, she said she would cry and be overcome with grief realizing that her son was responsible.

Terri died in August after a long bout with cancer. But her powerful story of learning to receive and to give forgiveness lives on.

Memphis minister Jimmy Young said the imperative of Matthew 18 is that Christians must forgive, and often, it is before it is felt.

That, to me, is the story of Christmas. Christ came to forgive us, and our job as Christians is to spread that light, and nothing does that better than being forgiving people.

I have purchased 10 copies of Terris great book, "Forgiven," and placed them in our reception area. You are invited to come and take one. I only ask that after you read it, you pass it on to someone else.

Merry Christmas!
Director Mohammad Rasoulof is under house arrest in Iran facing charges of 'propaganda against the regime' and 'endangering national security'

It is not easy to lead a good and virtuous life in Iran if the film-maker Mohammad Rasoulof's latest film, "A Man of Integrity", is anything to go by.

Its downtrodden hero struggles to make an honest rial from his goldfish farm, caught in a nightmarish, distorting fish bowl of corruption at every turn.

The film, which won the prestigious Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes film festival in May, is a damning indictment of how the "daily reality of graft" is sapping the Islamic Republic.

"Corruption has penetrated every layer of society," Rasoulof told AFP by Skype from his home in Tehran, where he is effectively under house arrest since his passport was confiscated when he returned from the Telluride film festival in the US in September.

The dark thriller tells the story of Reza, who refuses to pay a bribe for a loan that would save his business, and finds himself confronting a rotten array of officials and businessmen who run a small town in the north of the country.

"Corruption goes from the bottom of the social ladder right to the top of the pyramid of power," said Rasoulof, whose earlier acclaimed films "Manuscripts Don't Burn" and "Iron Island" were banned in his homeland.

- 'Country exhausted by graft' -

"A Man of Integrity" is unlikely to see the light of day there either despite being praised by Variety and the Hollywood Reporter as a "compelling... tense, enraging drama".

Rasoulof, 34, already has a suspended 12-month prison sentence hanging over his head after he was arrested on set in 2010 with his friend, the "Taxi" director Jafar Panahi, who was subsequently banned from making films for 20 years.

Initially jailed for six years, Rasoulof's sentence was reduced on appeal.

This time he faces similar charges of "propaganda against the regime" and "endangering national security".

But the threat of prison did not stop Rasoulof squaring up to the uncomfortable truth he insists is undermining the country from within.

Iranians are exhausted by graft, he said. "They want to leave it behind but they cannot, because corruption has become a system.

"This system forces you to be both corrupted, and a corrupter yourself. Even my friends are repulsed by it but cannot get away from it," he added.

"People become oppressed and oppressors at the same time," Rasoulof argued.

- No free pass -

In the film, no one gets a free pass, not even Reza's long-suffering wife Hadis, the head of a secondary school.

She does nothing to stop a girl being excluded because she comes from a religious minority.

Nor is the fact that Reza is a goldfish farmer without significance. Iranians traditionally display goldfish on their tables for Persian New Year, Norouz, to symbolise renewal and perpetual life, and release them into ponds and rivers afterwards, where they inevitably perish.

President Hassan Rouhani tried to suggest a more humane alternative last year by putting an orange in his fish bowl.

For now, Rasoulof's own fate is not dissimilar to that of his character's goldfish.

"I am completely in the dark, I do not know what is going to happen," he told AFP. "But I will not allow myself to be beaten by it."

"I cannot see my film being shown in Iran while I am waiting to be tried," he added, lamenting how the country's "intellectuals had either left, were in prison, or had been reduced to silence."

His French production company ARP has launched a petition on Change.org demanding that he be allowed to work and travel freely.

"If people were not supporting me outside Iran... my situation would be a lot worse," Rasoulof added. "What keeps me going is that people do not forget me, and that my film will be seen."
The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more

Flammable materials on the outside of a South Korean building fuelled a major blaze that killed 29 people, experts said Friday, evoking comparisons with the Grenfell Tower disaster in London.

The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more. 20 of the dead were found at a female sauna and others elsewhere in the building, which also houses a fitness centre and restaurants.

The husband of one of the victims received a phone call from his wife, pleading for help.

"My wife was screaming on the phone, asking for help, but she was coughing badly because of the smoke," he told the Yonhap news agency.

The man, surnamed Yun, immediately alerted the emergency services. "Then I called her back, but she did not answer this time," he said.

Experts said the structure was a fire trap, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to emergency vehicles.

Street surveillance video footage showed orange flames and black smoke billowing from the ceiling of a ground floor car park underneath the stilted building, which stood on pillars.

Experts said the structure was a fire trap, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to emergency vehicles

The fire spread quickly upwards along the outside walls of the tower, which contained cheap and highly flammable finishing materials.

"There were three or four exploding sounds and I saw the fire on the ground floor quickly jump upwards along the outside walls," said one eyewitness.

It reportedly took only seven minutes for the entire building to be engulfed in smoke and flames.

Barber Kim Jong-Su, 64, was working at the men's sauna -- one floor above the women's facility -- when the fire alarm went off.

"I saw flames and smoke outside the windows," he said.

He stayed at the premises for around five minutes, helping a dozen customers to safety down an emergency staircase -- many of them in their underwear -- before he was hospitalised with smoke inhalation.

- Toxic fumes -

South Korean President Moon Jae-In visited the scene Friday to receive a report on the accident and rescue efforts, his office said.

Engineering Professor Chung Sang-Man at Kongju University said the tower had cladding materials made of a cement and foam sandwich, which are widely used for insulation but prone to spreading fire.

"Inflammable finishing materials have been a great source of problems in major blazes," he said, citing the Grenfell Tower inferno in June that killed 71 people, among other disasters.

South Korea fire

The London fire started with a faulty refrigerator on the fourth floor of the building owned by the local authority, but rapidly spread up the 24-storey tower, which had new cladding on the outside.

In the wake of the disaster, hundreds of similar buildings across Britain were subjected to safety checks, and some residents were evacuated as a precaution.

The painstaking process to identify all the remains took months and anger is still simmering among the survivors, with most awaiting permanent housing and voicing scepticism about an official inquiry.

On Friday experts said stilted buildings such as the Jecheon fitness centre are especially vulnerable to fires that begin on the ground floor as staircases act like smoke stacks, making flames spread upwards quickly.

Vehicles in the car park under the building also ignited, fuelling the blaze.

"There seem to have been a lot of toxic gases produced when the cars burned," said Jecheon fire chief Lee Sang-min.

"The locker rooms inside where you put your clothes are structured almost like a maze," he added.

The fumes and flames were sucked rapidly upstairs to reach the women's sauna on the first floor, suffocating victims who had no escape with passageways blocked.

"The female sauna has a large toughened glass wall and no windows," Lee told journalists.

He also complained of illegally parked cars in the roads around the site, which hampered fire engines.
A man prepares the altar inside the Church of the Nativity situated above the grotto believed to be the spot where Jesus Christ was born in the West Bank city of Bethlehem

US Vice President Mike Pence may have postponed his visit, but Palestinian Christians still say Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is spoiling their Christmas.

In Bethlehem, thousands plan to celebrate on December 24 and 25, including the midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity, built on the site considered the birthplace of Jesus.

In good years the West Bank town is flooded with Palestinian and foreign visitors in the days before Christmas.

But in the weeks before festivities this year, the city has at time appeared almost empty of tourists -- with nearby clashes between Palestinian protesters and the Israeli army keeping many away.

In the courtyard next to the church, a towering Christmas tree adorned with lights has had few visitors, apart from street vendors selling Santa hats and Palestinians taking selfies.

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the most senior Roman Catholic official in the Middle East, told journalists Wednesday there had been a marked increase overall in religious tourists this year.

But since Trump's declaration on December 6, "dozens" of groups had cancelled planned visits.

"Of course this created a tension around Jerusalem and this diverted attention from Christmas," he said.

Jane Zalfou, a 37-year-old Bethlehem Christian, said a lot of Christmas celebrations had been called off following the decision, which had "killed the joy" in the community.

"Music, fireworks and many other things have been cancelled," she told AFP.

"What happened wasn't a small thing -- it is a big deal. The Palestinian people have been waiting for so long to have their rights."

Perhaps as few as 50,000 Palestinian Christians make up only around two percent of the predominantly Muslim population in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Israel's tourism ministry denies Christmas has been negatively affected, saying they are running free shuttles between Jerusalem and Bethlehem for mass.

The ministry says it expects a 20-percent increase in Christian pilgrims over the course of 2017 compared to the year before.

- Evangelical support -

Israel seized east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, in moves never recognised by the international community.

Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, but Israel sees the whole city as its undivided capital.

The international community does not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, instead keeping embassies in Tel Aviv.

A Muslim woman takes a picture of the Christmas manger on Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem

The Palestinians interpreted Trump's statement as rejecting their right to a capital in east Jerusalem, though the Americans deny this.

In the latest international show of support for the Palestinians, the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday rejected the US decision on Jerusalem by a vote of 128 to nine.

Trump's announcement was the fulfilment of a campaign promise which was particularly important to evangelical Christian supporters -- with Pence included among them.

The evangelical Christian movement is overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, whose founding they see as the fulfilment of biblical prophecy.

Influential US evangelical Christian Laurie Cardoza-Moore said they want to see a third Jewish temple built in Jerusalem to help facilitate Christ's second coming, but their support for Israel was based not merely on scripture.

"Like Judaism, Christianity believes that the Messiah will one day sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem," she said in a statement to AFP.

The irony that American Christian support is one of the driving factors in Trump's embassy move is not lost on Palestinian Christians.

They see their fate as part of the wider Palestinian community, which views Israel's occupation as the largest problem they face.

Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, said Christian Americans supporting Israel were ignoring the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories.

"The essence of the Bible is freedom, not slavery, liberation not occupation," he told AFP.

"Unfortunately Trump and his people are sacrificing the Palestinian Christians for their political agenda."

Palestinians from the West Bank, including Christians, need special permits to visit Jerusalem, while the Jewish state has built a wall surrounding most of the city.

Georgette Qassis, a 65-year-old from Bethlehem wrapped in a blue scarf embroidered with the word Jesus in English, agreed.

"Who gave Trump the right? We did not," she said. "The Palestinian people are here on this great land. They should have asked for our opinion."
Nigeria-Libya-Diplomacy-Migrant

Amid the global outcry over hellish migrant camps in Libya, many African leaders have accused the country of racism and crimes against their African "brothers".

But for those who have returned from the living hell, it's not only the Libyans who are profiting from the "migrant business". Illegal migrants are also the prey of sub-Saharan mafia groups, especially Nigerians.

Daniel* was a student when smugglers convinced him to travel to Europe, which many migrants see as the path to a prosperous life. "In two weeks, you will be in Italy," they promised him.

But 10 months later, in early December, the 28-year-old Nigerian was repatriated to Benin City, his hometown, after enduring kidnapping, violence and forced labour. His legs were lacerated by electric wire burns.

Migrants brought home from Libya arrive in Benin, capital of Edo State in midwest Nigeria, after being stranded in the volatile North African country en route to Europe.

"We feel cheated. It was a trap. The guys who did that to us are the ones who collected money from us" to go to Europe, Daniel said, surrounded by his likewise disillusioned companions.

Some 200 Nigerians being repatriated that day could hardly begin to describe the horrors they had suffered in Libya.

One just said: "The Arab man doesn't like Africans."

- Work 'like slaves' -

But others spoke up as confidence and a spirit of revenge began to show, and their testimonies recounted to AFP were unanimous: both Libyans and Nigerians are responsible for the ill treatment, kidnappings and enslavement of migrants.

Daniel paid 550,000 nairas (1,290 euros, $1,530) to a criminal organisation for his promised passage to Europe.

"When I arrived in Libya the contact I had there told me that the money was finished and that I should pay 500,000 extra," he told AFP.

Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Professor Yinka Omorogbe carries the one-month-old child of a migrant brought home to Nigeria from Libya.

In the hidden camps, Daniel said the smugglers hang "us by the feet and make you bleed while you call your parents to beg for money."

Those whose relatives cannot or will not pay are sold to the Libyans with whom the Nigerians "work hand and hand."

Daniel could pay and continued his journey. Arriving at the coast, the network of smugglers demanded he pay 400,000 nairas (937 euros) to cross the Mediterranean. Once more he paid up and was freed -- but he never got out of Libya.

Stuck in Tripoli, Daniel did small jobs for the equivalent of about two euros per day.

"I was going to work, hidden in the boot of the car. You don't want to be seen if you are illegal because Nigerians or Libyans can kidnap you," he said.

Daniel finally gave himself up to the authorities, in the hope of being deported to his home country. His bank account empty, he waited seven months in a detention centre where Libyans came to get them to work for free "like slaves" during the day.

Nigerian consular services based in Libya have sped up the repatriation procedure under orders from Abuja, after a CNN video showing migrants being sold as "slaves" shocked the world.

- 'Jungle justice' -

In November, 1,300 Nigerians were repatriated compared with only 643 between last December and March. Nigerian authorities claim that 5,000 nationals are still "stranded" in areas "accessible by consular services".

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 250,000 sub-Saharan migrants were in Libya, as of the end of September. The largest number of them are from Nigeria, a country of 190 million people.

The IOM noted that these estimates were "certainly lower than the reality".

Osagie, another Nigerian repatriated to Benin City, also denounced the corruption of certain employees at the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli and the IOM "who asked for bail" to get them out of official detention camps.

Migrants see health officials shortly after returning from Libya. Some 1,300 Nigerians were repatriated in November alone.

"They are supposed to help us to return home, but they are looking to enrich themselves," said the young man.

The relevant authorities declined to respond to questions by AFP.

At the same time, international organisations find access to Libya extremely complicated and limited.

"Yes, both Nigerians and Libyans are involved in (human) trafficking in Libya," said Julie Donli, director de NAPTIP, a Nigerian security unit against trafficking. But she added that it was difficult to get information from the victims.

Now back in Nigeria, Osagie says he will not file a complaint against his smugglers. The law of the jungle reigns.

"We don't trust the system. At the end of the day, you lose when you report a situation like that and after one month the person is out (of jail), they will come get you," he said.

Some of the victims "will round up a gang, and go the person's (smuggler's) home and take back their money... It's jungle justice."

*All first names have been changed to protect their identities
Pro-Erdogan supporters wave Turkish flags during a rally in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2017, during Erdogan's visit

Two supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pleaded guilty to assaulting demonstrators in Washington, according to court documents released on Thursday.

A group of Turkish security officials and Erdogan supporters attacked pro-Kurdish protesters during his visit to Washington in May, an incident that raised tensions between the US and Ankara.

Sinan Narin and Eyup Yildirim both pleaded guilty to "Assault with Significant Bodily Injury" and were sentenced to a year and a day in jail under plea agreements, according to the documents.

A Washington police spokesman described the incident as "a brutal attack on peaceful protesters," and the US government subsequently froze arms sales to Erdogan's bodyguards.

A total of 19 people including Turkish security officials were identified from video footage of the May 16 clashes outside the residence of Turkey's ambassador and indicted, though almost all are still at large.

Turkey's foreign ministry reacted angrily to the indictments, protesting "in the strongest terms that such an unjust and biased indictment, with names of people that have never been to the US, has been accepted."
The voting results are displayed on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly in which the United States declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was declared "null and void" on December 21, 2017 in New York City

Washington's latest overwhelming defeat at the United Nations may have been an embarrassment, but any claim it has lost its role as Middle East peace mediator will likely prove premature.

A huge majority of UN member states, including close US allies and major aid recipients, voted Thursday to reject President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Underscoring the significance of the defeat, US ambassador Nikki Haley had warned that Trump would be watching and that she would be "taking names" of countries who let him down.

But -- once again -- Trump's "America First" policy delivered an "America Alone" result, leaving some Palestinians crowing that the United States can no longer serve as peace mediator.

Vice President Mike Pence had already postponed a trip he was due to make to the region this week, after Palestinian and Arab Christian leaders had proved reluctant to meet him.

- Peace broker -

So, perhaps Washington will have to keep its powder dry for a few weeks as dust settles, some experts acknowledge.

But if there is ever to be a long-elusive peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, only one broker can deliver it.

"There's been peaks and valleys before on this issue," said David Makovsky, a peace process veteran and senior fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"If I had a dollar every time people said 'Oh, it's over now, the US is not the broker..." he told AFP ironically.

Dan Shapiro, who served as former president Barack Obama's ambassador to Israel, dismissed the vote as a "pathetic UN circus" and urged Washington to refocus on its goal.

"What is US strategy to end the conflict, achieve two states, avoid permanent binational reality? Or at least keep those goals alive?" he demanded, on Twitter.

That strategy should reveal itself in the coming weeks or months, when Trump's son-in-law and peace envoy Jared Kushner reveals his hotly anticipated blueprint.

Almost since Trump has been in office Kushner and his fellow real estate lawyer Jason Greenblatt have been shuttling between the White House and the region drawing up plans.

Few details have leaked, but Washington gossip assumes it will be a less prescriptive version of the plan to see Israel and Palestine negotiate the borders of two states.

Kushner and Greenblatt initially made a good impression on leaders in the region, despite Palestinian fears that Trump is sympathetic to Israeli settlement building on occupied land.

But America's unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital without the parties first agreeing a division of sovereignty in the holy city outraged Palestinians.

Planned meetings with Pence were cancelled and, at the United Nations on Thursday Palestinian envoys tasted bitter victory when the world largely united to condemn Trump's position.

- Peace parameters -

"One hundred twenty-eight versus nine -- that's a massive setback for the United States of America," Ambassador Riyad Mansour told AFP, after the vote.

But if the Palestinians are now hoping for a more convenable mediator, they stand to be disappointed.

France -- along with other key US allies like Britain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia -- voted to censure Trump, but French envoy Ambassador Francois Delattre played down its importance.

"Today's resolution simply reaffirms the international law that applies to Jerusalem," he told reporters.

"It is more important than ever to unite the international community behind agreed peace process parameters, including of course the United States," he said.

Of Washington's mediation, the ambassador added: "Everyone knows the special role and weight they have in this dossier."

So, however the Palestinians fell today after a rare procedural victory, next year they may find themselves obliged to engage with whatever new plan Kushner comes up with.

Makovsky argued that Trump had never ruled out a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem, and said US officials should have gone on Arab television to explain this.

"Look at what the guy said; that he wanted to leave this open to the parties to negotiate whatever sovereignty arrangements they want, including the religious sites," he argued.

"So I wouldn't say this is dead and buried," he told AFP.

"My feeling is that if Kushner and Greenblatt actually put forward a peace plan in the first quarter of 2018. I think [the Palestinians] would have to take it seriously."
Chinese authorities are cracking down on tools people use to avoid strict internet censorship

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) seller in southern China has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison, official media reported Wednesday, one of the most severe sentences yet for helping users evade the country's "Great Firewall".

The sentence comes as authorities clamp down on tools for circumventing the severe restrictions on China's internet, which prevents users from visiting a large number of sites, including Google, Twitter and Facebook.

VPNs allow internet users to reach censored content by filtering web traffic through servers around the world but China has cracked down on them.

Wu Xiangyang from the south Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region received the sentence along with a 500,000 yuan fine ($76,000), after being prosecuted by the Guangxi Pingnan County People's Procuratorate.

Wu "illegally profitted" from setting up VPN servers and selling software "without obtaining relevant business licenses", a news website managed by the Supreme People's Procuratorate -- the national prosecuting authority -- reported Wednesday.

Wu also opened an online store on Taobao, the shopping platform of e-commerce giant Alibaba, and a "Fangou VPN" website to rent or sell VPN software and hardware routers, reaching a sales volume of nearly 800,000 yuan, it said.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced in January that it would ban the use of unlicensed providers of VPN services.

In September, 26-year-old Deng Jiewei was sentenced to nine months in jail with a 5,000 yuan fine for selling VPN softwares from October 2015 to 2016.

Tech giants Apple and Amazon, too, have moved to limit their customers' access to the tools in China in what has been seen as a voluntary move to get ahead of the impending crackdown.
An empty chair with a diploma and medal that should have been awarded to Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, stands in Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2010

A French citizen and her husband have been incommunicado for a week after the couple travelled to southern China to paint a tribute to the late democracy activist and dissident Liu Xiaobo, friends and witnesses said Friday.

Marine Brossard and Hu Jiamin painted a mural at the entrance of a public exhibition in Shenzhen on December 15, but city authorities covered the wall with a banner the same evening, witnesses told AFP. Tributes to Liu are censored in China.

Brossard is a French national, but Hu's nationality is unclear, a friend who has known them for over five years said.

AFP tried to call Hu several times this week, but an automated message said his phone was switched off.

The couple had travelled from their home in the French city of Lyon to participate in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism Architecture, witnesses who spoke with the couple in Shenzhen told AFP.

"We have been trying to reach them but we haven't been able to confirm anything," said the friend of the couple, who asked for anonymity due to safety concerns.

Their painting depicted an empty blue chair inside a room with red bars, an apparent reference to Liu, who was in prison when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

An empty chair stood symbolically in his place at the ceremony, which infuriated the Communist regime.

Liu died from liver cancer in July, making China the first country since Nazi Germany to allow a Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in state custody.

Chinese poet Ye Du, who went to Shenzhen to see the exhibition, said he spoke briefly with Hu after seeing the tribute.

"I was shocked to see it. I never imagined that I would see a public commemoration of Liu in China," Ye told AFP.

Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao reported that its reporter had seen the couple shouting while being taken away from their covered-up mural by plainclothes men after 7 pm (1100 GMT) on December 15.

The Shenzhen public security bureau said it did not have information on the couple.

The French embassy in Beijing declined to make a statement.
Police said security would be boosted to safeguard churches and public spaces between December 22 to January 2

Indonesia will deploy some 180,000 security personnel ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, authorities said Friday, following the arrests of more than a dozen suspected militants in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.

Thirteen suspected militants were arrested in separate, pre-emptive raids across the Southeast Asian nation earlier this month.

Many of the suspects were proven to have links to the Islamic State group or had fought in Syria.

Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said no specific terror threats had been detected since the arrests, but security would be boosted to safeguard churches and public spaces between December 22 to January 2.

"We will keep monitoring and stay alert," he said.

About 70,000 people from other government agencies and civil society groups -- including the country's largest Islamic youth organisation -- would assist security personnel, Sitompul said.

A sprawling archipelago of more than 250 million people, Indonesia has long struggled with Islamic militancy and has suffered a number of deadly bomb attacks, including a Christmas Eve attack in 2000 that left 18 dead and scores injured.

In 2002, a bomb in a Bali nightclub killed over 200 people while, more recently, a suicide bombing and gun attack claimed by IS in the capital Jakarta killed eight people in January 2016.
American Airlines longest serving flight attendant, Bette Nash (R), 81 years old, greets passengers disembarking from her daily return flight to Boston at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport in Arlington, Virginia

American Airlines Flight 2160 from Boston has just arrived in Washington, D.C., and Bette Nash, 81, helps the passengers disembark.

They embrace her, take photos, and express their thanks.

It's always like this.

After six decades crossing the skies as a flight attendant, Nash still has impeccable style, incredible energy and a constant smile.

She has lost only one thing: her anonymity.

Kendra Taylor, a passenger, beams after taking a selfie with the octogenarian, whom she had hoped to meet.

"When I saw her I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' I just saw her on TV last week!"

In a dark suit accented by a colored scarf, with her hair in a bun, Nash lends herself to accolades and plays with the compliments.

In this undated picture from a personal album courtesy of Bette Nash, Bette Nash poses for a photo in her flight attendant uniform in Washington, DC

She is the undisputed star of the Airbus jet, rather than the captain, Mike Margiotta, who emerges from the flight deck.

"Very professional," he says of his model hostess.

"She's got that old-school way of doing things."

In the United States, pilots must retire at 65 but there is no such restriction on commercial flight attendants, of whom Bette Nash is probably the world's most senior.

See her gliding through the terminal concourse, pulling her suitcase, and it's hard not to be taken by the admiring words one hears about her.

"I start my day at 2:10 in the morning. I have two alarm clocks and when they go off I don't lie there, I get up," Nash says.

At her home in Virginia, bordering Washington, Nash prepares food for her only son, who is disabled, and who will be waiting for her return to solid ground.

- From furs, to flip-flops -

Bette Nash will celebrate her 82nd birthday on December 31

Primped, and fueled by "a couple of eggs," she arrives before sunrise at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Nash prefers the Washington-Boston-Washington route, on which she gets priority because of her incomparable seniority.

She was 21 years young and Dwight Eisenhower was president when Eastern Air Lines recruited her as a "stewardess," a word which -- like Eastern itself -- has disappeared from use.

At that time, travel by air was the preserve of a certain elite.

"There were a lot of men because they were doing business, and women came on with their fur coats, and their finery and their hats and everything. You didn't have... the flip-flops and the sneakers and things you do today," Nash says.

Her own uniforms ranged, through the years, from conservative, to elegant, and "wild."

Bette Nash poses for a photo in her flight attendant uniform in Washington, DC

"When (president) John Kennedy came into office and everything, things started opening up, so we wore crazy uniforms. We even had hot pants for a brief period, and these boots," she remembers.

In those earlier times, which seem almost prehistoric, there were no plastic meal trays. Hostesses cooked lobster and duck a l'orange equally well, and carved the meat. In first class, passengers dined with silverware and porcelain.

"We had five carts: we'd start with a beverage cart, then we'd have an hors d'oeuvre cart, then we'd have the entrees cart."

Desserts followed, and then finally came "a cordial cart."

There was no mixing of classes. Flights were either all first class or "tourist" class.

- A rare honor -

In the less-opulent class, "we sold sandwiches and milk. Sandwiches were 50 cents and milk was 15 cents," Nash says.

"We just had coffee, tea, hot chocolate and bouillon."

After six decades crossing the skies as a flight attendant, Nash still has impeccable style, incredible energy and a constant smile

Strikes, mergers, buyouts, Nash has gone through all the somersaults of the US aviation industry. She even worked for Trump Shuttle, an airline briefly owned by current President Donald Trump in the early 90s.

During one unforgettable approach to Washington, her plane was hit by turbulence so violent that part of a toilet separated, and it seemed as though a wing hit the ground.

"It was just terrible," Nash said, recalling lightning that "kept on coming in and I think we even flew over the White House that night, which was really illegal."

The plane had to return to New York.

Ten years ago, for her 50th anniversary on the job, Nash's plane was welcomed on the tarmac by sprays of water from fire engines -- an honor normally reserved for veteran pilots or the baptism of a new plane.

Who imagined that Nash would still be there ?

"I am not going to work until I am 90," she says, before adding on the subject of retirement: "I don't want to think about it!"

Bette Nash will celebrate her 82nd birthday on December 31.
While many of us were shopping last week for hot Christmas bargains or had visions of chestnuts roasting, hundreds of firefighters put their holiday plans on hold to save lives, homes, and public and private property.

And what a job they did.

The Legion Lake Fire exploded Tuesday night from around 4,000 to approximately 47,000 acres in and around Custer State Park in South Dakota. Firefighters from the Black Hills, western and eastern South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and other places found themselves battling flames on tinder-dry land driven by bone-chilling winds that pushed the fire beyond the parks boundaries to private land.

Evacuations were ordered for Fairburn and Buffalo Gap as the fast-moving blaze raged on its way to becoming the third-largest fire in the modern history of the Black Hills.

Yet as of Dec. 15, when the fire was 50 percent contained with over 50,000 acres burned, there were no reports of lives lost or homes destroyed. Custer State Park said its herd of around 860 bison had escaped the fire that claimed over 70 square miles.

While firefighters and air tanker pilots put their lives on the line to protect and serve, others provided support for those ordered to leave 175 homes in the southern Hills.

The American Red Cross, naturally, was on the scene providing food, aid and comfort. An evacuation center with cots was opened in the old gym at Hermosa School, where those who spent the night were fed by businesses that offered everything from pizza to fresh fruit to desserts  providing sustenance for those who could only hope and pray their homes would be spared.

In addition, local residents were helping others load and remove horses and cattle as the fire grew. The neat thing was there was a lot neighbor helping neighbor, which is what they do around here, Custer State Park Ranger Jim Ganser told the Rapid City Journal.

Not everyone came away unscathed by the fire. There are reports of outbuildings and fences being destroyed on private land scorched by the fire. But it could have been much worse if not for the efforts of firefighters whose tireless efforts protected valuable property and contained a fire that riveted the entire Black Hills.

Those efforts will enable residents of the fire zone to enjoy Christmas and offer thanks to the firefighters who gave them the greatest present of all  home sweet home with family and loved ones.

-- Rapid City (S.D.) Journal
A member of Afghan security force keeps watch at a checkpoint in Maiwand district of Kandahar province

A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed Humvee into a police compound in Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least six officers and destroying a building, officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn attack on the Maiwand district police headquarters in the southern province of Kandahar. It was the latest deadly assault by the insurgents, who have been increasingly targeting security installations.

The vehicle was carrying an estimated 3,000 kilogrammes of explosives, Maiwand district police chief Sultan Mohammad told AFP -- roughly twice the number of explosives used in a massive truck bomb in Kabul in May which killed around 150 people.

"Our latest toll shows that we have six police officers martyred and five wounded," Mohammad said, adding the figures could change.

Kandahar police spokesman Ghorzang Afridi confirmed the death toll.

"All the victims were local policemen," Afridi told AFP.

While Afghan officials routinely understate the casualty toll in attacks carried out by insurgents, it appears the attacker failed to reach the building where a large number of police were deployed.

Mohammad said the attacker got through the first checkpoint and then detonated the vehicle at the second security check after a policeman opened fire.

One building "was completely destroyed and two other buildings next to it were damaged too," he said.

The force of the blast also blew out the windows of shops located two kilometres away, he added.

"The explosion was very loud and you could hear the sound of the blast miles away from the headquarters," a local police officer told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

He put the death toll at eight with nine others wounded.

"The eight policemen who were killed have been removed or pulled out from under the rubble, and there were other policemen who went missing following the attack," the officer said.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on security installations as they seek to demoralise police and troops, and steal equipment to fuel the 16-year insurgency.

The militants have acquired "dozens" of armoured Humvees and pickup trucks in recent years, officials have said.

Some of those vehicles have been used in suicide attacks on police and military bases with devastating effect -- including one in Kandahar in October that saw more than 40 Afghan soldiers killed.

Afghan forces, already beset by desertions and corruption, have seen casualties soar to what a US watchdog has described as "shockingly high" levels since NATO forces officially ended their combat mission in 2014 and began a training and support role.

Morale has been further eroded by long-running fears that the militants have insider help -- everything from infiltrators in the ranks to corrupt Afghan forces selling equipment to the Taliban.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir during a meeting in Sochi on November 23

Russia has signed an agreement to build a nuclear power plant in Sudan, Russia's Rosatom nuclear agency announced on Friday, a month after a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide and war crimes, has been pushing for closer energy and military ties with Russia.

The nuclear power plant deal was signed in Khartoum on Thursday by Rusatom Overseas, a branch of Rosatom, and Sudan's electricity ministry, the Russian nuclear company said in a statement.

"The development of nuclear technology will allow Sudan to deal with its energy security problem. It is a strategic project which will determine the nature of relations between our two countries for a long time," Rosatom said.

"As part of a feasibility study for the nuclear power plant construction project, the choice of site will be examined and the key parameters will be defined," including timing and funding, it said without giving further details.

The deal comes after Bashir met Putin in the Black Sea coast city of Sochi on November 23, where a cooperation nuclear energy deal was signed.

During the visit Bashir asked for Russia to protect his country from the "aggressive acts" of the United States. He also said he wanted to ramp up military ties and praised Moscow's military campaign in Syria.

Arrest warrants against Bashir were issued by the ICC in 2009 and 2010 on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Darfur, which claimed at least 300,000 lives.

Bashir denies the charges and has evaded arrest.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, pictured with her husband Richard and daughter Gabriella, is serving five years for taking part in mass protests in 2009, which she denies

Tehran's judiciary chief on Friday dismissed hopes of a swift release, possibly in time for Christmas, for British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year jail sentence for alleged sedition.

Gholamhossein Esmaili said there was no possibility the Thomson Reuters Foundation employee could be freed until she had been tried on additional charges filed last month of "spreading propaganda".

"Nazanin Zaghari has two cases -- in the first, she has been convicted, but the second has yet to go to court and there is no verdict," Esmaili told the judiciary's Mizanonline news service.

"The court can convict or acquit her. If she is convicted, we don't know what the sentence will be. So we don't know when she will be able to be released."

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016, after visiting relatives with her young daughter.

Iranian authorities accused her of links to mass protests in 2009, which she denies, and sentenced her to five years in jail for sedition. They do not recognise dual nationality.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe told AFP on Thursday that he had been told by an Iranian lawyer that she was now "marked for early release".

"He said there's still paperwork to finalise, but it should be over soon -- days to weeks, not months or years."

On her being home in time for Christmas, Ratcliffe said there was "an outside shot".

Her case has become highly politicised, especially after a "slip of the tongue" by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson last month when he stated that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been training journalists in Iran, which has been used by prosecutors to help justify the new charges.

Johnson visited Tehran earlier this month to press for her release on humanitarian grounds.

An online petition in her support has collected almost 1.5 million signatures.
Tran Thi Nga (L) shouting anti-China slogans as she takes part in a rally in Hanoi in 2013

A Vietnamese court on Friday rejected the appeal of a dissident sentenced to nine years for anti-state propaganda, capping a grim year for activists in the one-party state.

Vietnam's communist government has been accused of intensifying a crackdown on its critics in 2017, jailing at least 15 activists and handing down heavy jail terms.

The latest to be punished is anti-China activist Tran Thi Nga, 40, who was handed nine years in prison plus five years of probation in July for posting material online criticising the government.

Her appeal was rejected Friday after a trial in northern Ha Nam province.

"The verdict is biased and not objective," Nga's lawer Ha Huy Son told AFP after the hearing.

Several of Nga's supporters gathered outside the courthouse were ferried away by security forces earlier Friday, according to activists' posts on Facebook.

Nga, who was arrested in January, is best known for calling on the Vietnamese government to stand up to its massive neighbour China over over territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea.

She also rallied for land and labour rights and protested the government's handling of a massive toxic dump in central Vietnam last year that killed tonnes of fish.

Rights groups say her case is part of a protracted crackdown on dissent that has accelerated under the conservative communist leadership in place since last year.

On Thursday, five people in southern An Giang province were jailed for between three and five years for "anti-state propaganda" after they hung flags of the former South Vietnamese regime in several locations across Chau Doc city, according to state media and a court clerk who confirmed the sentencing to AFP.

The flag is considered an incendiary symbol by communist authorities and has been banned since the end of the Vietnam War.

Ahead of Nga's appeal, Human Rights Watch called on authorities to drop charges against the activist and release more than 100 others currently in jail.

"Tran Thi Nga and other Vietnamese activists put themselves at grave risk to speak out against rights violations happening in their country," said Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director.

"Vietnam's friends and donors need to honour their fight by pushing for their unconditional release."
Since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012, he has stressed a drive to infuse every aspect of Chinese education with "patriotic spirit" in a campaign to strengthen the legitimacy of the ruling Communist Party.

China is considering a law that would punish those who "insult or slander heroes and martyrs," according to a report Friday from the country's top legislature.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) said on its website that it is examining a proposal on the "Protection of Heroes and Martyrs Law" in order to "promote the spirit of heroic martyrs and patriotism."

Since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012, he has stressed a drive to infuse every aspect of Chinese education with "patriotic spirit" in a campaign to strengthen the legitimacy of the ruling Communist Party.

The NPC approved legislation last month to punish anyone who disrespects the national anthem with up to three years in prison.

Laws covering the use of the national flag and national emblem have been in place for years.

The new draft law makes entities such as public security bureaus and internet operators responsible for protecting the reputation and honour of heroes and martyrs, the official Xinhua state news agency reported.

It stipulates they must handle information that may infringe on this duty in a timely matter, Xinhua said.

The NPC discussed related legislation during its annual meeting this March, but the previous proposal focused on civil liability, whereas the latest draft mentions criminal consequences.

"Those who appropriate, damage or contaminate memorials, and insult or slander heroes and martyrs, may receive administrative penalties from public security or even criminal sanctions," the draft reads, according to Xinhua.

The "illicit appropriation" of land and facilities around heroes and martyrs' memorials would also be forbidden.

Last month, China's ubiquitous "dancing aunties" were ordered to not congregate in "solemn places like martyrs' cemeteries."

And in June of last year, a Chinese court ordered an apology from Hong Zhenkuai, editor of an influential magazine, for questioning the official story of the "Five Warriors of Mount Langyashan," touted as patriotic heroes for jumping off a cliff rather than surrendering to the Japanese during World War II.

The Beijing Xicheng District People's Court ruled that Hong had "tarnished [the warriors'] reputation and honour."
Syrian soldiers marched in Aleppo on Thursday to mark the anniversary of retaking the city from rebel forces, a crucial victory for President Bashar al-Assad

Major powerbrokers agreed Friday to hold a peace congress for Syria in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi in late January after previous attempts to hold the conference collapsed.

Sochi will host the "Congress of National Dialogue" on Syria on January 29 and 30, said a joint statement released after two days of talks spearheaded by Russia and Iran, both key backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and rebel-aligned Turkey.

The congress will see "the participation of all segments of Syrian society," said the statement released in the Kazakh capital Astana.

"To this end three guarantors will hold a special preparation meeting in Sochi before the congress on 19-20 January," it added, referring to Russia, Turkey and Iran.

But a list of prospective participants was not released and the opposition did not immediately confirm participation.

A previous attempt to convene the Sochi congress in November failed following a lack of agreement among would-be participants.

Turkey has said it will be opposed to any talks involving the Kurdish YPG militia of the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been hoping to convert Moscow's game-changing military intervention in Syria into a political settlement on his terms.

In November, he convened the leaders of Turkey and Iran in Sochi to discuss the plan for the peace conference.

While both Russian officials and Assad have spoken enthusiastically of the plan, rebel representatives have been wary and the United Nations has yet to firmly endorse it.

Head of the Syrian government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari said Friday that the congress would "pose a basis for dialogue between the Syrians" and confirmed the government would attend.

- 'Not a rejection' -

The opposition was more cautious, although Ayman al-Aasemi, a member of the opposition delegation in Astana, told AFP there was "an openness to the idea of Sochi".

"It's not a rejection. We've asked for more details -- how often it will meet, what's the essential goal," said Aasemi, who also credited Moscow with "opening up" during the latest round of talks.

"According to the Russians, the constitution and the elections will be the main topics."

"We will go back to our popular base and the people we represent in Syria, and see what our interest is in attending this conference. But in my view, it's better to attend than not attend."

The head of the opposition delegation in Astana, Ahmad Tohmeh, said the opposition would have to "hold consultations with our military and political leaders" before confirming participation.

"(The Syrian regime) is participating in peace talks but they are killing our people. How can we talk about a national dialogue?" Tohmeh asked emotionally on Friday.

- A cautious UN -

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura's office acknowledged Friday the plan to hold the congress in January without throwing full support behind it.

"The United Nations maintains its view that any political initiative by international actors should be assessed by its ability to contribute to and support the mandated political process under the United Nations in Geneva," de Mistura's office said in a statement.

The UN envoy held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday.

The Astana talks have run in parallel to the negotiations taking place in Geneva with the backing of the United Nations, but neither set of talks have borne much fruit.

Since the start of Syria's war in 2011, several diplomatic attempts to halt the conflict have stumbled, mainly over Assad's future.

A fragile ceasefire brokered at the end of last year by Moscow and Ankara has been bolstered somewhat by the negotiations in Astana.

The talks there have focussed on implementing four de-escalation zones to stem fighting between government and rebel forces, among other issues.

But both Damascus and the rebel factions have regularly accused one another of violating the ceasefire the zones were intended to bolster.

The second day of the talks in Astana coincided with the anniversary of a devastating and strategically crucial victory by Syrian forces in Aleppo, the country's second-largest city and once a rebel stronghold, after a blistering Russian-backed offensive.

Since the victory over Aleppo, Damascus has consolidated control over much of the country, wresting territory from extremist factions not party to the truce, particularly the Islamic State group.

The war in Syria has left more than 340,000 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A Palestinian protester kicks a flaming tire during clashes with Israeli security forces north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank

Two Palestinians were killed as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border on Friday in a new protest against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said.

The third Friday since US President Donald Trump's controversial announcement on Jerusalem was again billed by Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas as a "day of rage".

It came a day after the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn Trump's December 6 announcement that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Both Israel and the United States vowed to ignore that vote.

In Gaza on Friday, hundreds of Palestinian protesters at various points along the border threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with smoke grenades and live and rubber bullets, AFP correspondents said.

Palestinian protesters help a man in a wheelchair during clashes with Israeli soldiers near the border fence east of Gaza City on December 22, 2017

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Zakaria al-Kafarneh, 24, died after being shot in the chest in clashes near Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

Thousands attended his funeral later Friday, AFP photographers said.

A second man, 29-year-old Mohammed Mohaisen, died later in clashes east of Gaza City, it said.

Another 94 other people were injured in Gaza, including three in serious condition, the ministry said.

One man dressed as Santa Claus holding a Palestinian flag was shot in the leg east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, eyewitnesses said.

In the occupied West Bank, clashes broke out in Ramallah, Hebron and other major cities, with smaller protests across the territory, including near the Jewish settlement of Beit El.

Osama Najar, spokesman for the health ministry in the West Bank, said they had seen protests in more locations than on previous Fridays.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had dealt with dozens of injuries during the West Bank clashes, including at least seven hit by live ammunition.

A Palestinian protester throws a tear gas canister back towards Israeli troops during a clash on the Gaza border on December 20, 2017

The clashes broke out after the weekly Muslim prayers, with minor scuffles in Jerusalem.

The army said in a statement that around 1,700 "rioters are hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tyres... In order to disperse the riot, troops are responding with riot dispersal means".

In Gaza, around 2,000 Palestinians took part in protests, the army said, with soldiers firing "live rounds selectively towards main instigators".

By the evening, the demonstrations and clashes had abated, a military spokeswoman said.

There have been near daily protests across the Palestinian territories since Trump's announcement.

Ten Palestinians have died, eight in clashes and two in an Israeli air strike on Gaza.

Fridays, traditionally a day of protest for Palestinians, have seen the most violence.

On Thursday, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution reaffirming that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations, and that any decision reached outside that framework must be rescinded, without explicitly mentioning Trump's announcement.
French president Emmanuel Macron welcomed Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas as he arrived at the Elysee Palace in Paris

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Friday that he would "no longer accept" any peace plan proposed by the United States, dealing a pre-emptive blow to a new initiative expected by Washington next year.

The comments in Paris came hours after 128 members of the United Nations voted to condemn US President Donald Trump's decision on December 6 to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

That move continues to reverberate across the Middle East, and European diplomats are pessimistic about the Trump administration's peace plan which is being prepared behind closed doors and will be presented to both sides in 2018.

Two Palestinians were killed Friday as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border in a new "day of rage" against the US stance, officials there said.

US Vice President Mike Pence postponed a trip he was to make to the region this week, after Palestinian and Arab Christian leaders expressed reluctance to meet him.

"The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from it," Abbas said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron reiterated his condemnations of the US decision on Jerusalem, but he also ruled out recognising Palestine as a state unilaterally, which France has mooted previously.

"The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing," Macron said, conscious that any move to recognise Palestine would antagonise Israel.

- 'Massive setback' -

The United Nations General Assembly rejected Washington's unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as "null and void"

Late Thursday in New York, the 193-member General Assembly adopted a resolution by 128 to nine, with 35 abstentions, that rejected the US decision on Jerusalem.

The defeat for Washington -- despite threats that it might cut off funding for the UN or to countries that voted against its decision -- was called a "massive setback" by Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour.

Speaking at the emergency session, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that Washington "will remember this day".

"This vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN," Haley said.

Abbas hit out at efforts by the US to intimidate countries ahead of the vote.

"I hope that the others will learn the lesson and understand that you cannot impose solutions by using money and trying to buy off countries," he said in Paris.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the UN vote showed the "illegality" of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it.

- Trust in Macron? -

Abbas's visit to Paris, less than a fortnight after a trip here by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has raised speculation about whether Macron might be tempted to mediate in the world's most intractable conflict.

He and French diplomats have ruled out any new French initiative, insisting that the American effort must run its course first.

The 40-year-old Macron has emerged as a dynamic international figure since his election in May but his team insists he is focused on reforming the European Union, avoiding instability in Lebanon, and bolstering anti-terror efforts in Syria and west Africa.

But Abbas, like Netanyahu before him, praised the young centrist at the Paris news conference, notable for the warmth of the exchanges and relaxed body language.

"We have trust in you. We respect the efforts made by you and we count heavily on your efforts," Abbas told him.

Macron replied that he had "committed myself very clearly to doing everything" to further the peace process and would visit the Palestinian territories in 2018 and "intensify" contacts between the French and Palestinian governments.

"Palestine is not on its own. We will work so that it can live within sound and recognised borders, in security alongside Israel, with Jerusalem as the capital of the two states," Macron tweeted afterwards.

Many analysts in Washington say they believe that the US remains the only power able to play the mediator role in the crisis.

"There's been peaks and valleys before on this issue," David Makovsky, a peace process veteran and senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told AFP.

"If I had a dollar every time people said 'Oh, it's over now, the US is not the broker..." he added ironically.
President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, has faced multiple scandals during his time in power

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma challenged on Friday a court ruling which ordered him to launch a legal probe into corruption allegations against him, according to legal documents.

The North Gauteng High Court last week ordered Zuma to appoint a judicial inquiry within 30 days to investigate graft allegations that have dogged him and his associates in recent years.

It said the country's chief justice, not Zuma, should choose a judge to preside over the inquiry to avoid a conflict of interest.

But in court papers seen by local media on Friday, Zuma's lawyers challenged the order on 20 grounds, arguing that it "offends the separation of powers doctrine" which governs the relationship between the executive and the judiciary.

In its ruling last week, the court also reprimanded the president for being "seriously reckless" by defying the recommendations of the country's graft watchdog which proposed the judicial inquiry.

Judge Dunstan Mlambo said the watchdog had "uncovered worrying levels of malfeasance and corruption" and yet Zuma was "delaying the resolution" of the allegations.

He also ruled that Zuma should personally pay the litigation costs, including one in which he had sought to halt the publication last year of the graft watchdog's scathing report linking him to the wealthy Gupta family.

The Indian-origin business family is accused of having undue power over Zuma's government, including influence over the appointment of some cabinet ministers.

Zuma had tried to block the publication of the report arguing that he had not been granted enough time to respond to the allegations.

He stepped down this week as president of the ruling African National Congress party after a 10 year term marked by numerous damning court judgements against him.

Zuma was succeeded by his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa in a tightly fought contest in which his former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also ran.

He is due to resign as state president after general elections in 2019.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance party said Zuma is "simply playing for time" so that "evidence can be destroyed" before he appoints the commission of inquiry.
Helmets of the Tanzanian UN peacekeepers who were killed by suspected Ugandan rebels being displayed at a ceremony in Goma, DR Congo, this month

Uganda's army said Friday that it had launched attacks on a shadowy rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the militants killed 14 UN peacekeepers earlier this month.

"Shared intelligence between Uganda and the DRC confirmed that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists which recently carried out attacks on UN peacekeepers... were planning to conduct hostile activities against Uganda," the army said in a statement.

"In a pre-emptive move, this afternoon UPDF (Ugandan People's Defence Force) conducted attacks on their camps in Eastern DRC."

The ADF, a Ugandan rebel group dominated by hardline Muslims operating in the DR Congo, was behind an attack that left 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers dead two weeks ago, according to the UN.

The ADF started out with the aim of overthrowing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions and started carrying out attacks in 1995.

Gradually pushed westwards by the Ugandan army, the ADF relocated most of its activities to the DRC.

It was also blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12.

It has also been accused by Kinshasa and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014.

Kinshasa has insisted on a jihadist motive to the killings, but many observers and experts say that there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground, and that this is a "simplistic" explanation for their acts.

Many ADF recruits -- drawn from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and as far as Somalia -- are not hardcore ideologues but young Muslims lured by the promise of going to study in Saudi Arabia, an intelligence agent and civil society source told AFP last year.

A group run by US researcher Jason Stearns published a report claiming that several distinct groups "appear to be involved in the massacres", including soldiers from the regular army.

The government rejected the claims and Stearns was expelled from the DR Congo after the report's release.

Beni's mayor Bwanakawa Nyonyi told AFP last year that he believed the massacres were carried out by a nebulous group, with politically motivated "Congolese hands" behind them.

In explaining the violence, some have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich resource potential.
Mali's former president Amadou Toumani Toure was ousted on March 22, 2012

Mali's ousted former president Amadou Toumani Toure will return to the country on Sunday for the first time since the coup that deposed him, he told AFP.

Mutinous soldiers overthrew the government and detained Toure on March 22, 2012, precipitating the fall of the country's northern territory to Islamist rebels allied with Al-Qaeda.

The coup led by army captain Amadou Sanogo toppled what had been heralded as one of the region's most stable democracies, and Toure has been living in exile in neighbouring Senegal ever since.

Mali's current president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (also known as IBK), took office in September 2013 in an election held after Sanogo agreed to step aside.

"With the agreement of Mali's president, I will return to Bamako on Sunday," Toure told AFP by phone, in what is believed to be his first public statement since he left the country.

"I am happy. I would like to thank the Senegalese authorities. I will see my brother, President IBK, on Sunday, and I am not there to do politics," he added.

Keita said at an event earlier in the day the moment had arrived "for us to tell our brother Amadou Toumani Toure to return to Mali".

Mali holds a presidential election in 2018 but Keita has yet to say whether he will seek another term.

"I will send a state plane to fetch him and bring him back to Mali," Keita added, describing how he had invited the ex-leader for lunch on Sunday.

Toure was accused by Keita's government of treason over the failure of soldiers to tackle a rebellion led by Tuareg people that eventually led to jihadists trying to take over the country. The charges were dropped last year.

Islamist militants took control of northern cities in Mali in March and April 2012 but were chased out by a French-led military operation launched in January 2013, which is still under way.

Mali's army, French soldiers and a UN mission (MINUSMA) have little control of large tracts of the country, which regularly come under attack in spite of a peace accord signed with Tuareg leaders in May and June 2015, aimed at isolating the jihadists.
Rights groups say Pakistani activists and journalists often find themselves caught between the country's security establishment and Islamist militant groups

Five Pakistani activists who made international headlines when they went missing earlier this year were cleared of blasphemy charges Friday, a lawyer said, a hugely sensitive and potentially deadly issue in the conservative Muslim country.

The men, who used social media to stand against religious intolerance and at times criticised Pakistan's powerful military, vanished within days of each other in January, sparking fears of a state crackdown.

Four of them have since been released, with some accusing their captors of torture. No group claimed responsibility for their abduction, and Pakistan's government and military have denied involvement.

But during their disappearance, a virulent social media campaign to paint them as blasphemers began, triggering a flood of threats.

Blasphemy is a criminal offence in Pakistan and can carry the death penalty, though the state has never executed someone convicted of it.

But even mere accusations can spark mob lynchings and vigilante murders. Observers have said the allegations alone were enough to put the five activists' lives in danger.

On Friday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the Islamabad High Court it could find no evidence against the five men.

"The FIA officials told the court it ... seems the five bloggers were not involved in blasphemy," Tariq Asad, one of the lawyers bringing the charge against the activists, told AFP.

"The judge remarked that no innocent person should be implicated in a false case of blasphemy," Asad said.

The campaign against the missing men spotlighted how extremist efforts to muzzle liberal voices using Pakistan's draconian laws have found a powerful new platform online, rights activists say.

The result is often self-censorship, and in the wake of the allegations, a number of liberal commentators shut down their accounts completely.

Ahmad Waqass Goraya, one of the activists who was released and lives in the Netherlands, told AFP the court should now investigate why Pakistan's mainstream media repeated the dangerous claims against him without proof.

He has previously accused Pakistan's security establishment of abducting and torturing him, and said Friday's ruling "has at least questioned the full impunity that the agencies enjoy."

Rights groups say Pakistani activists and journalists often find themselves caught between the country's security establishment and Islamist militant groups like the Taliban.

Pakistan is ranked among the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, and reporting critical of the military is considered a major red flag. Journalists have at times been detained, beaten and even killed, though the military denies any involvement in these cases.
Three female suicide bombers struck in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, on October 22, killing 13 people

A surge in Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria's restive northeast despite a sustained military offensive against the jihadists is being driven by a need to replenish food and weapon supplies, security and local sources say.

In recent months, fighters from two of the main factions of the hardline Islamist group, led respectively by Abubakar Shekau and Abu Mus'ab Al-Barnawi, have launched attacks on troops, hit-and-run raids and suicide bombings in towns and villages across the region.

The upsurge followed a relative lull after months of military offensives against the insurgents which saw them routed from their strongholds, prompting the government to declare them a spent force.

"The increased Boko Haram attacks are in desperate response to the ongoing military operations that have cut off the terrorists' supply lines for food, weapons and ammunitions," a senior military officer involved in the operation in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, told AFP.

"They are fighting back to secure these essential items they so desperately need because they know they will die whichever way, as hunger is a silent killer," said the army officer, who asked not to be identified by name because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

"No doubt Boko Haram (fighters) are starving and are desperately in search of food," agreed Mamman Sani, a fisherman in the town of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad.

"They are attacking military locations for weapons and raiding villages for food," he added.

- Increasingly bold -

In the latest such attacks, on December 13, fighters from the Barnawi faction, which has the backing of the Islamic State group, made a failed attempt to take over a military base in Mainok, a village outside Maiduguri, though they succeeded in seizing four vehicles, two of them armoured.

On November 21, a Boko Haram suicide bomber blew himself up at a mosque in Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state, killing at least 50 worshippers.

Last month, fighters briefly overran Magumeri, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Maiduguri, forcing troops to withdraw until reinforcements arrived.

And this month, two suicide bombers killed at least 13 people and injured more than 50 in Biu, a town about 185 kilometres south of Maiduguri.

Worried by the increased attacks, Nigeria's military authorities replaced the army commander in charge of the counter-insurgency operation in the region.

"The terrorists are attacking military locations, particularly those with few troops, to cart away equipment, instill fear and bolster their capabilities," said a local militia member who is assisting the military in the fight against the jihadists.

He said that on December 10, Shekau, the shadowy leader of Boko Haram's other main faction and the former deputy of the group's founder, led about 400 fighters in an attack on a military post in Bita, a village near the border with Cameroon.

He said the jihadists forced the troops to withdraw before hauling away weapons and heading back to their nearby sanctuary in the Sambisa forest -- an area which the military claimed had been seized in December last year.

The eight-year Boko Haram insurgency has killed 20,000 people and forced 2.6 million out of the homes, prompting a humanitarian crisis in the region.

The violence has also taken a heavy toll on a military already overstretched by unrest in Nigeria's oil-producing region along with efforts to halt clashes between farmers and herders, as well as by peacekeeping operations elsewhere in Africa.

President Muhammadi Buhari said recently that Nigeria was considering recalling troops on peacekeeping missions in Guinea Bissau to bolster the counter-insurgency operation at home.

- Failed truce -

On December 4, the two Boko Haram factions met in Duguri on Lake Chad to discuss a truce after days of clashes in the Dikwa area in northern Borno, according to sources close to the negotiation.

The two sides agreed to forge a common front against the military, the sources added.

But the peace talks collapsed days later after the killing of 18 members of Barnawi's faction by Shekau's fighters.

The two sides have been locked in confrontation since August last year, when the Islamic State said it had replaced Shekau with Barnawi, the 23-year old son of the group's founder, Mohammed Yusuf.

"The two sides are back to the trenches and internecine fighting has resumed between them," a source with deep knowledge of the matter.

"Had the truce succeeded it would have signalled increased collaboration between the two factions, which could have led to increased bold attacks on troop locations with attendant consequences", a military source added.
Uganda's army said it had launched attacks on a shadowy rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the militants killed 14 UN peacekeepers earlier this month

Uganda's army said Friday it had launched attacks on a shadowy rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the militants killed 14 UN peacekeepers earlier this month.

Army spokesman Richard Karemire said the air force and long-range artillery were used in the cross-border strike, however no ground troops were deployed in what was described as a "pre-emptive move".

He said in a statement that intelligence sharing with the DRC revealed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group was planning "hostile activities" against Uganda.

The ADF, a Ugandan Muslim rebel group whose basic motives and ideology remain unclear, was behind an attack that left 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers dead two weeks ago and scores wounded, according to the UN.

Both Uganda and the DRC insist on a jihadist motive to the group's actions, however many observers and experts say there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground, and that this is a "simplistic" explanation for their acts.

Karemire said the strike was the culmination of co-operation between Kinshasa and Kampala against "this growing terrorist menace in our neighbourhood".

"They have been recruiting, training and carrying out radicalisation even of women and children while working with foreign jihadists," he said.

Karemire said that while the ADF has conducted massacres in the DRC, it has also "instigated killings of Muslim clerics and some notable people", in Uganda.

"Of recent, there have been increased signals of intended active hostile activities against Uganda necessitating beefing up security along the border."

The ADF started out in 1989 with the aim of overthrowing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions into its ranks and started carrying out attacks in 1995.

Forced westwards by the Ugandan army, the group relocated most of its activities to the DRC, finding a lucrative niche in its lawless, resource-rich east.

Its rollcall of crimes includes mass killings and maiming using machetes, the use of child soldiers and rape, according to the UN.

The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12.

It has also been accused by Kinshasa and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014.

- Hazy motives -

The group purportedly has links to Somalia's al-Shabaab and to al-Qaeda. Its founder and leader, Jamil Mukulu, was arrested in Tanzania in April 2015 and was extradited to the DRC, to await trial.

However, a group run by US researcher Jason Stearns published a report last year based on interviews with hundreds of witnesses, claiming several distinct groups "appear to be involved in the massacres", including soldiers from the regular army.

The government rejected the claims and Stearns was expelled from DRC after the report's release.

Stearns said on Friday: "The ADF are indeed a military threat. However, our research suggests that the group, which has been in the Congo for over 20 years, is deeply embedded in local society, often collaborating with other Congolese armed groups.

"Rash military action alone is unlikely to pacify this area. First we need to understand the nature of the threat: Who attacked the UN peacekeepers? How were they able to obtain such firepower and sophisticated weaponry?

"What is the relation between the ADF and the proliferation of other armed groups in the Beni region over the past year."

The ADF are just one of a number of armed groups, based on ethnic or sectarian lines, who roam eastern DRC.

Beni's mayor Bwanakawa Nyonyi told AFP last year he believes the massacres are carried out by a nebulous group, with politically-motivated "Congolese hands" behind them.

In explaining the violence, some have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich potential.
Volunteers have held rallies to warn of the risks faced by migrants attempting to make the high-altitude crossing

African migrants are increasingly braving the snow-clad Alps in efforts to evade immigration police and reach France from Italy, often taking treacherous high-altitude passes that locals warn will lead to deaths.

The Alps have seen weeks of heavy snowfall after an early onset of winter, making efforts to cross the border more difficult and dangerous than in previous years.

"There's going to be a death any day now," Jean-Gabriel Ravary, a mountain guide based in the Alpine town of Nevache, told AFP.

"There's a whole catalogue of dangers that could bring tragedy," said Ravary, who has worked in the region for 42 years.

Nevache can be reached via the Echelle pass which runs between Italy and France and lies at an altitude of 1,762 metres (5,814 feet).

Temperatures often dip to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) in the winter -- not counting the wind chill factor.

There is an easier route via the Montgenevre pass, but it is more heavily patrolled by border police.

Volunteers have been carrying out nightly searches for migrants stranded in the snow as they attempt to cross in to France from Italy

Once on the French side migrants face the added risk of getting lost, according to activists who say signposts have been removed.

Alain Mouchet, a volunteer and mountaineer who organises nightly outings in search of stranded migrants, said between 10 and 12 people were arriving in the area every day.

Like the volunteers, Mouchet said the gendarmes are struggling with the arrivals: "They weren't hired to run after kids in the snow."

Last Sunday, dozens of guides rallied together to warn of the risks faced by migrants attempting to make the crossing.

Other locals have joined efforts to support the new arrivals, arguing that they have a duty to help people in danger.

Police recently rescued one young man from Guinea from an avalanche, winching him out by helicopter.

He was barefoot, according to a guide who gave his name only as Etienne.

"He had gone through hell in Libya, in the Mediterranean, and now again maybe here in France," he said.

- People in distress -

The Alps have seen weeks of heavy snowfall, making efforts to cross in to France from Italy more difficult and dangerous

The migrants have typically been refused asylum in Italy, and want to try their luck in France -- although under the so-called Dublin Regulation, France has the right to send them back across the border.

Until recently it was relatively easy to cross into France thanks to the unmanned border between the two countries.

But monitoring has tightened as the volume of arrivals has grown in recent years.

And French President Emmanuel Macron, elected in May, has vowed that his government will be "inflexible" in its policy of expelling economic migrants who have no right to asylum.

Macron's centrist government has promised to open up new legal avenues for refugees to travel to France, while cracking down on others who are in France to avoid poverty back home, rather than war or persecution.

"We can't take all of the world's misery," Macron has said.

The words echoed those of his Socialist mentor Michel Rocard, who was prime minister from 1988 to 1991, and the first left-wing leader openly to suggest curbs on immigration.

But solidarity with the migrants is strong in the communities around the Alpine town of Briancon, which is close to the Italian border and the popular Serre Chevalier ski resort.

The daily Le Monde reported that 2,000 migrants have been sheltered in the area since July.

Pierre Mumber, 53, is among the hosts for a network named Welcome. "You can't sleep well knowing that down the road there could be people in distress," he said.

Mumber slammed what he called a "killer response" by authorities at the border who are cracking down on locals who opt to help the migrants cross.

French farmer and activist Cedric Herrou was given a four-month suspended sentence in August for people smuggling after helping migrants cross into France from the northwestern Italian town of Ventimiglia.

Max Duez, a doctor who is part of a volunteer medical cell set up to help the migrants in the Alps, said: "I'm not an anarchist... but you have to be capable of disobeying."
US President Donald Trump signed into law a sweeping overhaul of the US tax code, shortly before departing on a year-end break at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida

President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a sweeping overhaul of the US tax code, two days after the Republican plan was adopted by Congress in a major political victory.

Making good on a vow to push through the tax cuts before Christmas, Trump endorsed the bill shortly before departing for a year-end break at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, pulling forward a formal signing initially planned for January.

"I watched the news this morning and they were all saying, will he keep his promise, will he sign it by Christmas?" Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office.

"And I called downstairs and said 'Get it ready, we have to sign it now.'"

Trump this week celebrated his first major legislative victory since taking office a year ago as Congress passed the $1.5 trillion overhaul, set to impact every corner of the economy through dramatic tax cuts for corporations and temporary reductions for individuals.

"As you know, $3.2 trillion in tax cuts for American families," Trump said. "And they're going to start to see that because we're signing today."

He added that "we're going to bring back probably $4 trillion from overseas," and said corporations "are literally going wild over" the prospect.

"This is something that Republicans wanted for years and Democrats wanted for years and yet it never got done. Now it's being done."

Opposition Democrats have branded the tax plan a giveaway to the wealthiest that risks blowing a hole in the national debt, and a CNN poll showed that 55 percent of Americans oppose the tax reform.

But House Speaker Paul Ryan thinks they will be won over once they start to reap the benefits. He proclaimed immediately after Trump's signing: "The biggest tax reform in a generation is now the law of the land.

"As promised, the American people will begin the new year with a new tax code."

- 'Working in Florida' -

Trump -- who did not hold a traditional year-end news conference before departing Washington -- seized on the occasion to speak at length to reporters, enumerating the achievements of his first year in office.

"We have more legislative victories than any other president," he said -- an assertion not supported by facts. He has signed into law fewer than 100, mostly minor, pieces of legislation, fewer than his nine predecessors according to the GovTrack website.

President Donald Trump left the White House right after signing the tax bill, for what he said would be a working holiday in Florida

"This is the capper, because this is again the biggest tax cut, the biggest reform of all time," he said, while vowing that infrastructure reform would be a domestic priority for 2018.

Trump left the White House right after the signing, for what he told reporters would be a working holiday.

"We'll be working in Florida, I'll be working very hard during that Christmas because we have many things we're talking about, including North Korea, including a lot of things happening in the Middle East as you know."

The US leader also signed into law a short-term funding bill that will keep the federal government running until January 19, averting a looming shutdown.

The temporary funding extension gives more time to lawmakers from both parties to reach an agreement on funding for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year, which ends September 30.

The bill adopted by Congress on Thursday also unlocks four billion dollars to build a new missile base in Alaska, and to repair US Navy ships damaged in recent accidents.
The US Treasury Department has blacklisted Russia's so-called "Thieves-in-Law" organized crime gang as well as four members of the shadowy group

US authorities moved Friday to blacklist one of Russia's oldest and most notorious organized criminal gangs, the so-called "Vory v Zakone" or "Thieves-in-Law."

The Thieves-in-Law, a group born in the Soviet Union's prisons, are kingpins in an underworld network that has spread beyond Russia to the world's great financial centers.

Authorities have targeted the Thieves before, but the Treasury's designation of the entire network as a "Transnational Criminal Organization" is the first measure that treats them as a single group.

"The Thieves-in-Law is a Eurasian crime syndicate that has been linked to a long list of illicit activity across the globe," said John Smith, director of Office of Foreign Assets control.

"Treasury is designating the Thieves-in-Law as part of a broader strategy to disrupt the financial infrastructure of transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States and our allies."

Under the designation, US individuals and firms are banned from doing business with the group or designated persons linked to it, and any assets held by the Thieves on US soil can be frozen.

In addition to listing the group, the Treasury also named four members of the shadowy group -- alleged veteran mobsters whose addresses and multiple identity papers span Russia, Central Asia, Israel, Belgium and Italy.

A luxury spa hotel in the Russian resort of Sochi is listed as a front organization and a Moscow publishing house and public relations agency is said to be owned by a Dubai-based suspect.
In Tunisia, women have more access to senior positions than in other North African and Middle Eastern countries, but decision-making spaces such as the cabinet, pictured in 2016, are far from gender parity

Tunisia's minister for women said Friday more needs to be done to promote female civil servants to top jobs after a study showed that few reach the most senior positions.

Just 37 percent of Tunisia's 630,000 civil servants are women, said Khaoula Labidi, who coordinated the study, a joint French-funded project by the country's presidency and UN Women.

She said that was "very high compared to other countries in North Africa and the Middle East", but added that men hold three quarters of prestigious, better-paid "director general" positions.

Labidi said women who reached medium-level positions faced a "glass ceiling" preventing them from advancing further.

"We want to pierce this glass ceiling to allow competent women -- and there are many -- to access these high-level positions," she said.

Women's minister Naziha Labidi acknowledged the need "to do everything so these women can reach decision-making positions", adding that a strategy had been developed to put women on a par with men in such roles by 2020.

Tunisia is seen as a pioneer in the Arab world in terms of women's rights, adopting a penal code in 1956 which granted rights to women and abolished polygamy.

This summer, parliament also passed a law designed to "end all violence against women", strengthening protection and help for victims, in a move welcomed by rights groups.

It will provide for judicial and psychological assistance for victims of domestic violence and removes a controversial article that allows men to escape punishment for rape if they marry their victim.

Tunisian society remains deeply divided between conservatives and social liberals.

Rights groups say women are still discriminated against, and around half say they have been subject to at least one form of violence in their lives.
Concertgoers flee from gunfire at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017

All 58 victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting died of gunshot wounds, including the gunman who killed himself, a Nevada coroner said on Friday.

"The 58 victims died from a gunshot wound or wounds. Their deaths were ruled homicides," said John Fudenberg, the Clark County coroner who led the forensic investigation into the deaths.

"Suspect Stephen Paddock's manner of death was suicide, the cause was an intraoral gunshot wound to the head," he said in a statement.

Paddock, a wealthy retired accountant, had stockpiled an arsenal of firearms in his room at the Mandalay Bay hotel when he opened fire on a country music festival where some 22,000 people had gathered on the night of October 1.

He killed 58 people and wounded almost 500, the worst mass shooting in recent US history.

Police are still investigating what made Paddock, 64, a compulsive video poker player who took Valium for anxiety, open fire that night.

The Islamic State group claimed the former accountant as one of their "soldiers," but investigators have found no link to any extremist group.
Leftist flag-bearer for president Salvador Nasralla admitted defeat

Honduras appeared to have pulled back from the brink of crisis on Friday, after the opposition candidate admitted defeat in a disputed presidential poll and the United States recognized the incumbent as the victor.

Leftist flag-bearer Salvador Nasralla conceded shortly after Honduras' key ally Washington endorsed President Juan Orlando Hernandez's re-election, following a month of sometimes deadly street clashes.

"With the decision by Washington, I am no longer in the running," Nasralla told the HCH television station. As he spoke, police were dismantling the latest barricade erected around the capital by his supporters to protest the vote.

Washington is Honduras' main aid donor and largest trading partner and US diplomats have been following events in the impoverished Central American republic nervously since the November 26 election.

Vote counting took more than a week, with mysterious breaks in the process, and the leftist opposition alliance has alleged that Hernandez only won through fraud.

Supporters of presidential candidate for the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship, Salvador Nasralla, set up barricades to protest in Tegucigalpa on December 22, 2017

But on Friday the US State Department congratulated the 49-year-old on his re-election, with the proviso that all "irregularities" in the vote be fully investigated.

"A significant long-term effort to heal the political divide in the country and enact much-needed electoral reforms should be undertaken," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

"We urge Honduran citizens or political parties challenging the result to use the avenues provided by Honduran law."

Nauert noted that vote monitors from both the Organization of American States and the European Union had noted shortcomings in the way the election had been conducted.

And she insisted that the Honduran Supreme Election Tribunal should investigate "and fully review any challenges filed by political parties."

Washington urged all Hondurans to refrain from violence and warned that government security forces who fail to respect the rights of peaceful protesters must be held to account.

- Excessive force -

Honduran authorities declared a curfew on December 1 after opposition protests broke out.

Global rights watchdog Amnesty International had tracked 14 deaths by December 8 and accused the military police of acting with brutal impunity against protesters.

The United Nations has also expressed concern over "excessive use of force."

There was less sign of trouble on Friday, and police were able to quickly dismantle attempts to barricade roads on the entrance to the capital, Tegucigalpa.

The Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship has called for "peaceful protests" and has claimed that up to 34 people have died since the trouble erupted.

According to the official results, Hernandez beat the Alliance's Nasralla by 1.5 percentage points.

Nasralla maintains he won the vote, and travelled to the United States this week to press allegations of fraud in meetings with State Department officials and the Washington-based OAS.

Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, ousted in a 2009 coup, rides a motorcycle through the blocked streets and avenues of Tegucigalpa

But this week the United States was leaning toward endorsing Hernandez, whose government was just one of nine worldwide to back Washington in this week's UN vote admonishing it over its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A senior US State Department official told AFP earlier this week that Washington had not seen "anything that alters the final result."

And on Tuesday, Hernandez urged the opposition to engage in talks with him to calm the crisis.

But the opposition rebuffed the appeal and 64-year-old Nasralla -- an ally of ousted former president Manuel Zelaya -- demanded that the poll be held again.

The opposition will not have been surprised by Washington's support for Hernandez, who is seen as a US stooge. Zelaya mocked him as "the US ambassador to Honduras."

"We are going to continue permanently in the streets, we do not have to surrender," he declared on UneTV. "It's the Christmas resistance."
It is always worth remembering how Christianity reformed Western culture  especially during the Christmas season, when we meditate on how Christ refashioned human nature to be a fitting abode of the divine nature. From teaching  and in some cases, inventing written languages  to preserving ancient manuscripts, to founding the university system, it would be impossible to imagine Western civilization without Christianitys contributions. With this in mind, textbooks once referred to the West merely as Christendom. But a new book has won a wide audience by presenting Christianity as historys greatest annihilator of culture, artwork, learning, and ecumenical understanding.

In The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World, Catherine Nixey deems early Christians who destroyed pagan temples guilty of the largest destruction of art that human history had ever seen.

Nixey claims that pagan Roman civilization had been fundamentally liberal. This tolerance had been shattered by Christian clerics filled with suspicion, prejudice, vindictiveness, and  lest anyone miss the point  ignorance and sheer stupidity.

Nixeys chief accomplishment seems to be exacerbating anti-Christian stereotypes already popular in the West for at least a generation. Fittingly, in his London Times review, Peter Thonemann tells Richard Dawkins, the leading philosopher of the New Atheists, here is a book to gladden your heart.

Writing in the New Statesman, Emily Wilson likens Christian martyrs to later suicide bombers whose actions are disturbingly reminiscent of the destruction of cultural heritage sites by Islamic State.

Wilson deduced that she and the average reader of Nixeys book were supposed to conclude in the age of Brexit and Donald Trump, that intolerance, ignorance, and hostility to cultural diversity are sadly nothing new.

Yet even Wilson finds the book unswervingly negative and one-sided. She notes that Nixey says nothing of the fact that Christianity provided certain advantages and correctives to the hierarchies and inequalities of the later Roman empire. It also ended the exposure of infants, among other trifles.

However, even conservative publications have accepted the books message at face value. Thus, in its review the UKs premier conservative publication, The Spectator, asserted, Christianity is a fundamentally masochistic religion.

Nixeys book has exercised influence far out of proportion with its historical value, writes Josh Herring in his review for Religion & Liberty Transatlantic. Herring, a humanities instructor at Thales Academy, weighs Nixeys book in the balance, so to speak:

If correct, Nixeys arguments merit a reevaluation of the relationship between Christianity and Western civilization. Her arguments, however, are not sound. She bases her conclusions on faulty premises which illustrate a lack of awareness in three areas: Christianity, history, and logic.

Nixey does not understand the rich and varied diversity of early church Christianity, writes Herring. She conflates the actions of lone individuals with the Church as a whole. She likewise dismisses all conflicting Christian and pagan claims to exclusively embody the truth. And she judges both Christianity and paganism by modern standards that do not accurately reflect either ancient traditions self-understanding.

Ultimately, Herring writes, the book tells the reader more about Nixey than about Christianitys penchant for cultural destruction or creation:

The scholars she assembles are uniformly opposed to Christianity, presenting it as a destructive force that ended the merry, jolly days of pagan festivity. The prose she uses is filled with judgmental adjectives, indicating that she does not trust readers to draw their conclusion from the evidence; we must be told how to feel about the person she describes. Her book was several years in the making, but it does not reflect a clear understanding of Christianity, the complexities of Late Antiquity, or the nuances of historical craft. While this book is sold under the guise of popular history, treat it instead as an insight into how a secular journalist views Christianity in the year of our Lord 2017.

Herrings review is both a well-written, reasonably presented corrective to those who credulously accept Nixeys narrative and a scholarly guidebook to the lost art of encountering history on its own terms.

You may read his full review here.

(Photo credit: Public domain.)
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Free speech activists and opponents of Donald Trump on Friday welcomed the acquittal of six protesters charged over unrest on the US president's inauguration day.

They were among more than 200 people accused in connection with the January 20 protests, some of whom have already pleaded guilty.

A jury on Thursday found the six, the first to be tried, not guilty on all counts at the end of a month-long trial.

The verdict is "an important victory for the First Amendment," the American Civil Liberties Union said, referring to the constitutional provision protecting freedom of expression.

Demonstrators grouped as "DisruptJ20" gathered in the US capital on the day Trump was sworn in.

There were localized clashes between protesters and police in the city center a few blocks from the White House, and some vandalism which authorities estimated caused $100,000 in damage.

The six who initially went to trial were charged with destruction of property and participating in a riot, even if there was no evidence connecting them to vandalism.

Prosecutors relied on a controversial argument that they had supported the vandals by choosing to stay with the group from which the unrest originated.

Lawyers for the accused countered that the six were simply exercising their right to peacefully protest.

Jurors did not buy the prosecution's case.

"Today's verdict reaffirms two central constitutional principles of our democracy: first, that dissent is not a crime, and second, that our justice system does not permit guilt by association," said Scott Michelman, a lawyer with the ACLU.

"We hope that the US Attorney's Office gets the message and moves quickly to drop all remaining charges against peaceful demonstrators."

In a statement following the verdict, prosecutors insisted they will go ahead with plans to try the remaining accused, almost 200, in small groups until the end of next summer.
A UNHCR representative (C) speaks with refugees in November 2017

A group of 162 "vulnerable" refugees were flown directly from Libya to Italy on Friday for the first time, a day hailed as "historic" by Interior Minister Marco Minniti.

"For the first time a humanitarian corridor has been opened from Libya to Europe. It's a start," Minniti said, adding: "Today is a historic day."

Those evacuated came from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. They comprised families, single mothers, unaccompanied children and handicapped people, who were flown on a military jet.

Vincent Cochetel, the UNHCR's special envoy for the central Mediterranean, said: "For the first time, we have been able to evacuate extremely vulnerable refugees from Libya directly to Italy.

"Many of those evacuated spoke of great suffering and were kept prisoners by traffickers in inhuman conditions."

Libya has long been a transit hub for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, but people smugglers have stepped up their lucrative business in the chaos since the 2011 revolution.

Libyan authorities have come under fire over migrant abuses since the airing last month of CNN footage of a slave market in the North African country.

The United Nations has urgently appealed for countries to take in 1,300 "extremely vulnerable" refugees stranded in Libya.
A pilot performs preflight checks in an F-16 at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan may be entering its 17th year, but screams of military jet engines in the twinkling skies above Bagram Airfield show no sign of quieting.

This city-scale military base just north of Kabul has -- like similar facilities in Kandahar and Jalalabad -- become central to Donald Trump's promise to succeed where his predecessors failed, and end the Afghan war on favorable terms.

Trump concluded a months-long strategy review in August. During that soul searching, the White House came to believe that the Obama administration underutilized America's total aerial superiority. The skies, they believe, could hold one key to unlocking the conflict.

Trump will likely send a few thousand more troops to the country -- a development sure to grab the headlines -- but the days of having 100,000 US military personnel in the country are over.

The ground war is likely to fall more and more to Afghan government forces, and early political efforts will be trained, in part, on getting Pakistan to stop providing safe havens for jihadists across the border.

But the first tangible moves have been a significant increase in the tempo and intensity of airstrikes, an effort to take the war to the Taliban.

The US, which is the only foreign force in Afghanistan carrying out airstrikes, targeted the Taliban and Islamic State group militants with 751 bombs and missiles in September, the month after the strategy review.

That was up 50 percent from August and the highest since October 2010, according to US Air Force data.

US Air Force personnel on the ground in Afghanistan report a significant shift in how air power is being used.

Before, jets patrolled for up to four hours waiting to provide air support to ground forces. But they often returned to Bagram without having fired a shot in anger.

- Chocks away -

Today, according to Captain Lyndsey Horn, they are much more likely to come back having engaged the Taliban, the Islamic State group or having targeted an opium production facility.

"For a long time here we stagnated," said a second officer. "The effects so far are positive, the long term effects are harder to tell."

US Vice President Mike Pence poses with military leaders shortly after arriving at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on December 21, 2017

Vice President Mike Pence, who on Thursday became the most senior member of the Trump administration to visit Afghanistan, says the strategy is starting to make a difference in Taliban morale.

"President Ghani informed me that in 2017 we have eliminated more senior leaders of the Taliban than were eliminated in all the prior years combined," Pence said after his meeting in Kabul.

"They have begun to see a sea change in the attitudes among the Taliban" he added. The Taliban "are now beginning to question their future, and our hope is, as we take the fight to the enemy... that eventually the enemy will tire of losing and will be willing to come forward."

Lofty claims of progress are hard to verify, and the Taliban were able to lift their momentum even after the deaths of their first two chiefs, including Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was killed by a US drone strike in 2015 ordered by Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.

Afghan forces, beset by desertions and corruption, have seen casualties soar to what a US watchdog has described as "shockingly high" levels since NATO forces officially ended their combat mission in 2014, and the figures are now classified in an effort to save morale.

The Taliban continue to control or contest 45 percent of the country's territory, according to a September analysis by the respected Long War Journal, and have stepped up raids on security installations across Afghanistan.

No recent arrival at Bagram, and certainly not Trump's Afghan-savvy former generals who had a hand in the new strategy -- namely National Security Advisor HR McMaster and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis -- believe the Taliban is about to surrender wholesale.

But the White House hopes overwhelming force will exacerbate divisions in the Taliban ranks and help lure more members to the negotiating table, where America's diplomats will be waiting.

Officials admit the US strategy is not without risk, and the longer it runs the more costs will accrue.

More bombing almost invariably means more civilian casualties, which could further mobilize Afghans against the United States.

And while the US recently wiped out 10 Taliban labs used to process opium into heroin, counter-narcotics experts believe three million Afghan farmers make their living from the crop, which has been described as "a low-risk crop in a high-risk environment."
A US jury is tasked with deciding the fate of Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the deputy chief executive of Turkish lender Halkbank, who has been charged with violating sanctions against Iran.

The US jury in the explosive Iran sanctions-busting trial of a Turkish banker paused Friday for the Christmas holiday without reaching a verdict and will resume deliberations on January 3.

The 12-member panel ended a third day of deliberations without reaching a consensus on the charges and requested that Judge Richard Berman dismiss them until January 3, after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

They are tasked with deciding the fate of deputy chief executive of Turkish lender Halkbank, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, charged with violating US economic sanctions against Iran, bribery and money laundering.

In a trial that has strained relations between Ankara and Washington, Iranian-Turkish mogul Reza Zarrab admitted being involved in the multi-billion-dollar gold-for-oil scheme, and implicated former Turkish ministers and even President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The 34-year-old was arrested by US authorities in March 2016 after jetting to Florida with his pop-star wife and child on a family holiday to Disney World. Shortly before the trial got underway, he cut an apparent plea bargain.

The defense has called Zarrab a "liar and a briber" and 47-year-old Atilla an "honest, hard-working man." US prosecutors say Atilla is the liar.

Any conviction risks further straining relations between Erdogan and President Donald Trump, already damaged by rows over the war in Syria and US prosecution of Turkish presidential bodyguards.

It could also lead to US sanctions on the Turkish banking sector, beginning with Halkbank. The Turkish lender denies any suggestion that it violated US sanctions, saying it had "not been a party" to any "illegal" transaction.
Patrick Jiron, 80, and his wife Barbara, 70, went on a cross-country road trip from California to Vermont to visit friends and family -- and brought with them a dizzying 60 pounds (27 kg) of marijuana, according to the York News-Times

An elderly American couple's Christmas plans went up in smoke after they were caught by police with a giant stash of pot -- which they said they planned to give as gifts.

Patrick Jiron, 80, and his wife Barbara, 70, went on a cross-country road trip from California to Vermont to visit friends and family -- and brought with them a dizzying 60 pounds (27 kg) of marijuana, according to the York News-Times.

They told police in Nebraska -- where they were detained about midway through their trip -- that the approximately $336,000 worth of pot were intended as Christmas presents, the newspaper said.

Police allegedly had pulled over the couple on Tuesday for traffic violations, and smelled a pungent odor emanating from their pickup truck.

Patrick Jiron was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and having no drug tax stamp, according to the newspaper, which said he had been released after posting 10 percent of his $100,000 bond.

Barbara Jiron was cited, but was not jailed due to unspecified medical conditions, the newspaper reported.

Pot is illegal in Nebraska, even though a handful of states, including California and Nebraska's neighbor Colorado, have legalized the drug for recreational use.

Vermont is among 29 states that have legalized marijuana for medical use.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A triumphant President Donald Trump and jubilant fellow Republicans celebrated the passage of their $1.5 trillion tax overhaul Wednesday as a "historic victory for the American people." The American people, however, will need some convincing.

As Trump and GOP lawmakers gathered at the White House to cheer their first major legislative achievement - and the biggest tax changes in a generation - some Republicans warned that the party could face a painful political backlash against an overhaul that offers corporations and wealthy taxpayers the biggest benefits and triggers the loss of health care coverage for millions of Americans.

There was no hint of anxiety at the White House, though, as the president and congressional Republicans pushed any qualms aside and reveled in a much-needed win at the end of a year marked by GOP infighting and political stumbles.

President Donald Trump congratulates Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., while House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., watches to acknowledge the final passage of tax overhaul legislation by Congress at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

"We are making America great again," Trump declared, personally thanking his "little team" of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, before lawmakers lavished praise upon a president they have often openly criticized.

"I don't know if we'll have bigger moments, but we hope to," said Trump.

The president was expected to sign the bill at a later date for technical reasons. In fact, the signing may be postponed until the start of the new calendar year in order to delay $120 billion in automatic cuts to popular programs such as Medicare and spare Republicans from having to explain them in an election year.

The tax package provides a deep cut in the corporate rate, from 35 percent to 21 percent. On the individual side, about 80 percent of American households will get tax cuts next year, while about 5 percent will pay more, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

People who make less than $25,000 will see an average tax cut of $60; those who earn between $49,000 and $86,000 will get about $900, and those in the top 1 percent of income - earning more than $733,000 - will receive around $51,000 in tax savings, the policy center said.

The cuts will come at a price: The Congressional Budget Office predicts the legislation will add $1.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

Some of the president's strongest allies conceded that voters may not immediately warm to the new law.

Andy Surabian, a senior aide for a pro-Trump super PAC, likened the president's position to that of Ronald Reagan, who struggled through low approval ratings early in his presidential term after Congress passed a tax cut that led to huge Republican losses in the 1982 midterm elections. Reagan went on to a sweeping re-election in 1984 after the economy improved.

Said Surabian: "Even if we don't start seeing positive effects in 2018, the important thing here is President Trump sets himself up to win re-election in 2020."

GOP strategists and candidates alike called on Trump to launch an immediate public relations tour to sell the plan to help avert an anti-Republican tsunami in 2018.

"People don't understand it," said Virginia Republican Senate candidate Corey Stewart, though he still called passage "a massive win" for Trump and the GOP.

Only about 1 in 3 voters have supported the legislation in recent days, according to several polls. About half of Americans believe the plan will hurt their personal finances. And 2 in 3 voters say the wealthy will get the most benefits, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last week

The White House said Wednesday that Trump will actively promote the bill. Aides argued that media coverage has not accurately portrayed the benefits and that people will come around as they feel the payoff.

Trump himself complained in a tweet that "defeated Dems" and the media were out to "demean" the tax package but "the results will speak for themselves, starting very soon."

Democrats, who unanimously opposed the tax plan in Congress, were furious about the new policy yet upbeat about the potential political fallout in next year's elections. They need to flip 24 House seats and just two Senate seats to take control of each chamber.

Asked if the tax bill will help Republicans hold the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi leaned into a microphone and said, "Let. Them. Think. That."

The bill goes far beyond taxes.

While it does not repeal the law known as "Obamacare," the legislation finalized by the House on Wednesday attacks a central tenet of the health care system by eliminating the requirement that all Americans have health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office says elimination of the "individual mandate" will boost health care costs by about 10 percent for those with coverage and leave 13 million additional Americans without health insurance in 10 years.

Millions of people will still remain covered under the law's Medicaid expansion and health care exchanges, but Trump cast the package as a shadow repeal.

"We have essentially repealed Obamacare," the president declared.

On taxes, the first modest effects will be felt in February paychecks.

People living in high-tax states like New York and California may ultimately pay more. Among those who benefit, the wealthy will make out far better than the working-class voters who fueled Trump's victory last year.

Trump said Wednesday the bill will spur economic growth as corporations, flush with cash, increase wages and hire more workers. Democrats questioned, even mocked that prediction.

Reflecting the political risks, some of the nation's most vulnerable House Republicans voted against the bill.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., one of 12 GOP House members to vote no, said the tax plan would hurt many people in high-tax states. The bill imposes a $10,000 cap on taxpayers who deduct their state, local and property taxes. Currently, there is no limit on how much in state and local taxes you can deduct.

All but one of the GOP no votes came from like-minded Republicans facing re-election in 11 months in moderate districts across New Jersey, New York and California.

The road to a Democratic House majority, if there is one, runs through these districts.

All the salesmanship in the world won't change the reality that the tax overhaul overwhelmingly favors the rich, Democratic critics said.

"People think it's unfair. They want tax reform, they don't want tax cuts for the wealthy," said Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia. "And I think people will realize they've been sold a pig in a poke."

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Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Ken Thomas, Stephen Ohlemacher and Andrew Taylor contributed from Washington.

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This story has been corrected to show the bill will cap, not eliminate, the deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, standing with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, on the passage of legislation that overhauls U.S. tax law. The massive $1.5 trillion tax package affects everyone's taxes but is dominated by breaks for business and higher earners. Democrats call the legislation a boon to the rich that leaves middle-class and working Americans behind. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump speaks during a bill passage event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, to acknowledge the final passage of tax overhaul legislation by congress. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., during an event to acknowledge the final passage of tax overhaul legislation by Congress on the South Lawn of White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., turns to President Donald Trump as he speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, to acknowledge the final passage of tax overhaul legislation by Congress, as Vice President Mike Pence applauds. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump waves to Republican lawmakers after speaking during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, to acknowledge the final passage of tax overhaul legislation by Congress. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian parliament voted on Thursday to extend Russia's lease of a naval base in Syria for 49 years, following Vladimir Putin's announcement of a partial pullout of Russian troops from the war-torn country.

Russia's air campaign in Syria, which began in September 2015, helped turn the tide of the civil war in favor of Moscow's long-time ally Bashar Assad. Putin earlier this month ordered a partial withdrawal from Syria but said Russia would keep its military presence there.

The State Duma voted to ratify an agreement with Syria, submitted by Putin, for Russia to keep its warships at the Mediterranean base in Tartus for 49 years. The agreement allows Russia to keep 11 vessels there at a time, including nuclear-powered ships.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, left, listens to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, bottom right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, bottom center, during their Syria-focused talks in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russia also operates an air base in Syria's coastal region that has been an Assad stronghold since the start of the conflict in March 2011.

The parliament vote came as the eight round of "technical" talks over Syria that are brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey resumed in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana.

The latest round of talks is expected to discuss the humanitarian crisis in rebel-held parts of the suburb of the Syrian capital known as Eastern Ghouta.

Eastern Ghouta has been witnessing an increase of violence in recent weeks as humanitarian access dropped for the estimated 393,000 people trapped inside the enclave.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners have only been allowed to reach 7 percent of those besieged, and food shortages have led to many cases of "severe acute malnutrition," U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said this week. In addition, more than 500 people are waiting for medical evacuation and 16 have already died, including three in the last few days - an infant, a 9-year-old girl, and a quadriplegic.

The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian Civil Defense, volunteer first-responders known as White Helmets, said Thursday's shelling of Eastern Ghouta wounded several people.

The Observatory said that since the attacks on the suburb resumed on Nov. 14, 213 civilians - including 50 children - have been killed in the region.

Syria's state news agency SANA, said the government delegation met in Astana on Thursday with the Iranian and Russian delegations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, center, and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, welcome UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, left, prior to their talks in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, center, and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, welcome UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, left, prior to their talks in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, center left, and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, welcome UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, center, prior to their talks in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) - Anthony Stansbury propped his rusty bike against a live oak tree and cast his fishing line into the rushing waters of Florida's Anclote River.

When he bought a house down the street last year, Stansbury says he wasn't told that his slice of paradise had a hidden problem. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Stauffer Chemical Co. Superfund site, a former chemical manufacturing plant that is on the list of the nation's most polluted places. That 130-acre lot on the river's edge is also located in a flood zone.

"Me and my kids fish here a couple times a week. Everyone who lives on this coast right here, they fish on this water daily," said the 39-year-old father of three.

Stansbury is among nearly 2 million people in the U.S. who live within a mile of 327 Superfund sites in areas prone to flooding or vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change, according to an Associated Press analysis of flood zone maps, census data and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records.

This year's historic hurricane season exposed a little-known public health threat: Highly polluted sites that can be inundated by floodwaters, potentially spreading toxic contamination.

In Houston, more than a dozen Superfund sites were flooded by Hurricane Harvey, with breaches reported at two. In the Southeast and Puerto Rico, Superfund sites were battered by driving rains and winds from Irma and Maria.

The vulnerable sites highlighted by AP's review are scattered across the nation, but Florida, New Jersey and California have the most, and the most people living near them. They are in largely low-income, heavily minority neighborhoods, the data show.

Many of the 327 sites have had at least some work done to help mitigate the threat to public health, including fencing them off and covering them in plastic sheeting to help keep out rain water.

The Obama administration assessed some of these at-risk places and planned to gird them from harsher weather and rising seas. EPA's 2014 Climate Adaptation Plan said prolonged flooding at low-lying Superfund sites could cause extensive erosion, carrying away contaminants as waters recede.

President Donald Trump, however, has called climate change a hoax, and his administration has worked to remove references from federal reports and websites linking carbon emissions to the warming planet.

"Site managers had started reviewing climate and environmental trends for each Superfund site, including the potential for flooding," said Phyllis Anderson, who worked for 30 years as an EPA attorney and associate director of the division that manages Superfund cleanups until her retirement in 2013. "The current administration appears to be trying to erase these efforts in their climate change denials, which is a shame."

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said he intends to focus on cleaning up Superfund sites, and he appointed a task force that developed a list of sites considered the highest priority. The Stauffer site in Florida is not on it.

Like Trump, Pruitt rejects the consensus of climate scientists that man-made carbon emissions are driving global warming. His task force's 34-page report makes no mention of the flood risk to Superfund sites from stronger storms or rising seas, but eight of the 21 sites on EPA's priority list are in areas of flood risk.

Despite EPA's announced emphasis on expediting cleanups, the Trump administration's proposed spending plan for the current 2018 fiscal year seeks to slash Superfund program funding by nearly one-third. Congress has not yet approved new spending plans for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.

Pruitt's office declined to comment this week on the key findings of AP's analysis or why the agency appears to no longer recognize an increasing flood risk to toxic sites posed by the changing climate.

However, Jahan Wilcox, an EPA spokesman, said, "Despite fear-mongering from the Associated Press, not a single dollar has actually been eliminated, as Congress still hasn't passed a budget."

Many flood-prone Superfund sites identified through AP's analysis are located in low-lying, densely populated urban areas. In New Jersey, several polluted sites have more than 50,000 people living within one mile.

In Hoboken, across the Hudson River from New York City, the site of a former manufacturing plant for mercury vapor lamps sits within a mile of almost 100,000 residents, including 7,000 children under 5.

The Martin Aaron Inc. Superfund site is in the heart of Camden's Waterfront South, a low-income neighborhood of crumbling row houses and industrial facilities stretching along the Delaware River.

The 2.5-acre lot, which takes up most of a city block, has been home to a succession of factories dating back to 1886 that included a leather tannery. The air around the fenced site hangs heavy with the nose-stinging odor of solvents. Testing found that soil and groundwater under the site contained a witch's brew of highly toxic chemicals, including PCBs and pesticides.

Earlier this month, workers used heavy machinery to remove contaminated soil and to pump polluted water from deep underground. Long range plans approved by EPA call for eventually covering the land and restricting its future use.

Just around the corner, Mark Skinner and his niece Cherise Skinner pushed her 1-year-old son in a stroller in front of their rented row house. Mark Skinner shrugged when asked about the work at the former industrial site.

"It's really contaminated, there's a lot of stuff in the ground, but I don't know what all it is," said Skinner, 53, who works at a nearby scrap metal yard and has lived in Waterfront South since he was a teenager.

Foul-smelling water filled the streets there during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, flooding many basements, long-time residents said. Census data show about 17,250 people live within a mile of the Martin Aaron site - 65 percent are black and 36 percent are Latino.

Across the nation, more than 800,000 homes are located near flood-prone toxic sites. Houses are at risk of contamination if intense flooding brings water into them, and many more people could be affected if the contamination seeps into the ground, finding its way into drinking water.

Mustafa Ali, who resigned in March as EPA's senior adviser and assistant associate administrator for environmental justice, said it's no accident that many of the nation's most polluted sites are also located in some of the poorest neighborhoods.

"We place the things that are most dangerous in sacrifice zones, which in many instances are communities of color where we haven't placed as much value on their lives," said Ali, who worked at EPA for 24 years.

The Stauffer site in Florida is a scrubby green field along the Anclote River, ringed on its other three sides by chain-link fences with "No Trespassing" signs. Testing showed the 130-acre lot's soils were contaminated with radium, the long-banned pesticide DDT, arsenic, lead and other pollutants that over the years have fouled the area's groundwater and the river.

Environmental regulators say the site now poses no threat to people or the environment because the current owner, the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, paid to treat contaminated soils, and cover the pollution with a "cap" of clean earth and grass. Still, residential development and use of groundwater on the site are prohibited because of the legacy pollution.

Covering toxic waste is often a cheaper option than completely removing the pollutants, but the installations are not always as long-lasting as the chemicals buried beneath them, said Jeff Cunningham, a civil engineering professor at the University of South Florida.

"As a long-term strategy, capping only works if the contaminants degrade to safe levels before the capping system eventually fails. What if it takes centuries for some of these contaminants to degrade to safe levels?" Cunningham said.

Damage to a protective cap from storm-fueled flooding has already occurred at least once this year.

In October, the EPA said dioxins from the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund site near Houston were released after the cap was damaged by Harvey-related flooding. Tests afterward measured the toxins at 2,300 times the level that would normally trigger a new cleanup. Pruitt has since ordered an accelerated cleanup of the site.

Seventy-six-year-old Tony Leisner has lived near Florida's Stauffer chemical site all his life. He told the AP he is seeing damage to docks and riverside properties from the ever-rising waters in the neighborhood, and is concerned about what more flooding could mean for the Superfund lot. Although monitoring wells do test local groundwater for contamination from the site, some in Leisner's neighborhood said they're fearful enough to drink only bottled water.

The Anclote River is listed as an "impaired waterway" because it fails to meet state clean water criteria, though how much of that is due to the Stauffer site's legacy is unclear. The state has issued a warning about eating bass out of the river, but there are no signs at the popular fishing spot warning anglers even though tests show heightened levels of mercury in fish.

Leisner said barrels of chemicals at the Stauffer site self-ignited while crews were working. He said he's disappointed neither the company nor EPA removed the pollutants, especially since rising waters are already threatening the neighborhood.

"Burying things rarely helps. And if you've got a chemical that is that toxic ... I think you need to find a way to reuse, recycle and remove (it), to a place where it's not going to contaminate groundwater," he said.

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Associated Press environmental writer Michael Biesecker reported from Camden, New Jersey. Reporter Tamara Lush contributed from Tarpon Springs.

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Follow Jason Dearen at http://twitter.com/JHDearen and Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate quietly released a bare-bones report late Thursday on what a statement called "harassment settlement" data, showing that nearly $1.5 million in taxpayers' money has been spent over the past two decades to cover claims against lawmakers and other Senate offices.

The two-page release contained no names of senators or victims. It said $599,000 was for 13 settlements involving "member-led" Senate offices, while the remaining $853,000 was for 10 settlements involving "other" Senate offices.

The Senate's Rules and Appropriations committees released the information on the evening of Congress' final work day this year. It came during a period that has seen several lawmakers resign or announce their retirements following sexual harassment accusations, and growing condemnation for the secrecy with which Congress has guarded information about such cases.

While the release called the information "harassment settlement data," none of the terse descriptions of each case used those words. Four of the cases involved sex discrimination, including two that also involved "reprisal," while most of the rest were for race, age or disability discrimination.

The document said the largest Senate settlement was $421,000 and was for "race discrimination and reprisal."

Similar figures released this week show $342,000 in federal funds has been used to settle workplace discrimination cases involving House members between 2008 and 2012. That included almost $175,000 for sexual harassment and discrimination allegations.

"Harassment in the workplace should not be tolerated," Rules Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said in the statement, "particularly not in the United States Senate." He said his panel wanted to release the information "in a transparent manner" but its priority was to protect victims "from further harm."

The statement said the data came from the Office of Compliance, which oversees the congressional workplace. It covered 1998 through 2017.

Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee expanded its investigation of Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas beyond its inquiry into sexual harassment allegations to determine whether he lied to the panel.

The House Ethics panel said it is also reviewing whether Farenthold or someone acting on his behalf directed his congressional staff to work on his campaigns. House employees are free to work on campaign activities on their own time, but doing so at the direction of a lawmaker is an impermissible campaign subsidy.

Farenthold, who has announced he won't seek re-election to a fifth term, is already the subject of an investigation into whether he sexually harassed a former member of his staff and retaliated against her for complaining of discriminatory conduct. The accusations against Farenthold first surfaced in 2014, when a former aide sued him over sexually suggestive comments and behavior, charging that she'd been fired after she complained.

Farenthold, a seven-year House veteran, had said he'd engaged in no wrongdoing when he settled the case in 2015. But after congressional sources said he'd paid a $84,000 settlement using taxpayers' money, the House Ethics Committee said last week it would investigate him and public focus intensified, even though he said he'd reimburse the Treasury Department.

Farenthold had said he was "relieved" that the Ethics Committee would look further into the case. But in the following days, he announced he would not seek re-election after serving out his term. In that announcement, the Texas lawmaker denied the sexual harassment accusations, but he apologized for an office atmosphere he said included "destructive gossip, offhand comments, off-color jokes and behavior that in general was less than professional."

The Ethics panel also said Thursday it had created an investigative subcommittee to determine whether Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen of Nevada engaged in sexual harassment. Kihuen was already the subject of an ethics investigation, but the subcommittee's formation is necessary for the most serious sanctions in ethics matters.

Kihuen, serving his first term, has also announced he won't seek re-election. He has denied the sexual harassment allegations and said he was committed to fully cooperating with the committee and looked forward to "clearing my name."

In a separate matter, the House Ethics Committee said it voted against forming an investigative subcommittee to review the arrest of Democratic Reps. Judy Chu of California and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois at a protest outside the Capitol. The two lawmakers paid a $50 fine and the committee decided to take no further action.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress has again failed to approve long-term funds for a popular program that provides health insurance for nearly 9 million low-income children, leaving each party blaming the other for Christmas-season gridlock and states scrambling to decide how to parcel out dwindling money.

Lawmakers scurrying to leave the Capitol for the holidays approved a short-term patch Thursday designed to keep state programs operating through March, though some Republicans said federal officials think the money would run out by early February. The money was part of a bill averting a weekend federal shutdown. Congress had approved a previous stopgap solution for the children's health program that was about to expire.

Democrats and Republicans agree that finances for the Children's Health Insurance Program should be renewed for five years, but they've clashed over how to pay for it. And while few think Congress would blunder into letting the money completely lapse - which no lawmaker would care to defend with elections approaching - an effort to provide long-term money collapsed as leaders punted a bunch of unresolved issues until early next year.

"What GOP is obsessed with: Ramming through tax cuts for the rich and powerful," tweeted Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., referring to the $1.5 trillion tax bill Congress approved this week. "What GOP completely ignores: Extending #CHIP - health care for our children."

"We would love to pass it. They won't let us," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in an interview, asserting that Democrats had blocked a multiyear extension.

As the issue slipped into next year, the two top senators on the issue - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and top committee Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon - issued a statement promising to seek a five-year extension soon.

"We will be vigilant to ensure this program isn't subject to repeated short-term fixes and constantly looming deadlines - families across the nation deserve better," they said.

With no long-term funding agreement imminent, growing numbers of states have begun edging toward depleting their federal funds and commencing steps to cope with that. According to a survey the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation conducted in November and released this month, 14 states were planning to end or phase out coverage for children, including five by the end of January.

A separate study by Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families estimated that without the money from Thursday's short-term extension, 25 states would run out of money by the end of January, with 1.9 million children potentially losing coverage.

It remained uncertain how those states and others would react to the latest infusion of federal money.

But Alabama recently warned it would stop registering new beneficiaries on Jan. 1 and halt the entire program a month later. Connecticut cautioned it would stop supporting families after Jan. 31, and Colorado has sent letters to recipients warning that their coverage may be canceled.

"We're just hoping Congress does the right thing and doesn't put politics in front of people's health, in front of children's health, in front of pregnant women's health," said Colorado Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, a Democrat.

Although Congress has stepped in and provided eleventh-hour money twice in recent months, the will-they-or-won't-they drama has put pressure on state officials about how to respond. They say they need lead time to keep recipients abreast about the status of their assistance and to adjust their programs if there's a chance state allotments might change.

Kelly Haight, spokeswoman for North Carolina's health department, said the state's 220,000 children receiving assistance under the program "will not experience any interruption in benefits at this time" because the state had enough money for the beginning of 2018. She said officials were "considering all our options" for possibly losing federal funds.

Federal taxpayers paid about $16 billion for the program last year, with states adding a smaller share, according to government figures. The program is aimed at children from families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, the health insurance program.

The House approved GOP legislation in November extending the health insurance program's federal money for five years. Most Democrats voted no, saying they opposed plans to finance the extension in part by cutting a public health program created under President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law.

The Senate Finance Committee easily approved its own five-year measure in October, but that bill lacked offsetting savings to pay for the extra money. One Democratic aide said top lawmakers of both parties had subsequently quietly agreed to a package of savings.

But as Congress rushed Thursday to pass short-term pending legislation preventing a weekend federal shutdown and leave town for the holidays, unsettled disputes over health care, immigration and other issues fell by the wayside for lawmakers to address next year.

Instead, the short-term bill includes $2.9 billion for states to use for children's health plus authority for federal officials to continue distributing unspent program money to states running short.

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking in Washington; Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon; Kyle Potter in St. Paul, Minnesota; Jonathan Drew in Durham, North Carolina; and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
Examples of how states have been reacting to the threat of running out of federal money for the Children's Health Insurance Program. It was unclear how their plans might change with the short-term federal funds Congress approved Thursday.

-Arizona: More than 24,000 children covered. Current funding was expected to run out by the end of December. Could shift children to Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, which reimburses states at a lower rate than the children's health program does. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey hinted he could use state funds to continue coverage, perhaps costing $80 million.

-California: Plans to shift many of the 1.3 million covered children and pregnant women to Medicaid. Officials say this would cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars, could put 32,000 at risk of losing coverage.

-Colorado: Lawmakers approved Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper's request for $9.6 million in state funds to finance the program through February. Covers almost 75,000 children and pregnant women.

-Connecticut: State has been notifying thousands of families that the program could run out of money by Jan. 31 unless Congress reauthorizes federal funding. Letters urge parents to enroll their children in new health coverage for Feb. 1. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said more than 17,000 children could be affected.

-Minnesota: Around 125,000 children covered. State will use more of its own money to cover recipients if federal money halts, said state Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper.

-Oregon: Federal money ran out this month for 120,000 children and 1,700 pregnant women, but coverage continued with added state money. One-third of the children would be shifted to Medicaid. The rest would continue in the children's health program.

-Texas: About 400,000 children covered, expected to have enough money through February. No warning letters sent to families. Christine Mann, spokeswoman of the state health department, says, "We're hopeful that Congress will renew the program soon."

-Washington state: 58,000 beneficiaries. Amy Blondin, spokeswoman of state Health Care Authority, said the program has been functioning with money redistributed from other states. "We're choosing to not send out any notices right now to families, especially right before the holidays, when we're not clear on what the final outcome will be," she said.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - Grand Canyon National Park rangers say remains have been found that are believed to be those of a California hiker who went missing in June.

The National Park Service announced Thursday that people on a private river rafting trip discovered remains while on a day hike. Rangers found evidence indicating the remains are those of 72-year-old Raafat "Ralph" Amin Nasser-Eddin of Los Angeles.

Nasser-Eddin was reported overdue on June 12 and matched the description of a person reported to park rangers as being disoriented at a canyon camping area the day before. A dayslong search was fruitless.

The remains were found Wednesday nearly 3 miles from his last known location near Hermit Camp. The Coconino County medical examiner will confirm the identity.
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:

1. UN DENOUNCES TRUMP'S MIDEAST MOVE

The U.N. General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to condemn the president's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In this Dec. 14, 2017 photo a snowy owl stares prior being released along the shore of Duxbury Beach in Duxbury, Mass. The owl is one of 14 trapped so far this winter at Boston's Logan Airport and moved to the beach on Cape Cod Bay. The large white raptors from the Arctic have descended on the northern U.S. in huge numbers in recent weeks, giving researchers opportunities to study them. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

2. HOUSE, SENATE KEEP GOVERNMENT UP AND RUNNING

The Republican-led Congress narrowly passes a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown while punting disputes on immigration, health care and the budget to next year.

3. 'WHAT HE DID WAS WRONG'

Renowned conductor Charles Dutoit is accused of sexual misconduct by women who tell the AP that the extraordinary musician is also a predator.

4. PENCE MAKES SECRET VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN

The vice president and Afghanistan's leader discuss a newly announced U.S. strategy to break the stalemate in America's longest war.

5. 'OBAMACARE' DEMAND SURPRISINGLY STRONG

Nearly 9 million people have signed up for the health insurance next year, as government numbers show predictions of the program's collapse are at least premature.

6. WHAT'S BOOSTING CATALAN INDEPENDENCE

Catalonia's secessionist parties regain a slim majority in the regional parliament, giving new momentum to their political struggle for independence from Spain.

7. SEXUAL MISCONDUCT VOTED NO. 1 STORY

The wave of allegations that toppled Hollywood power brokers, politicians and many others is the top news story of 2017, according to the AP's annual poll.

8. WHY EXPERTS ARE BULLISH ON US ECONOMY

GDP grew at a solid 3.2 percent annual rate from July through September, giving the country the best back-to-back quarterly growth rates in three years.

9. ALARM SOUNDED ON SNOWY OWLS

Researchers believe there are far fewer of the birds than previously thought, and they worry the birds' long-term survival could be affected by global warming.

10. HOW NFL IS PENALIZING SEATTLE

The Seahawks are fined $100,000 for not properly following concussion protocol with QB Russell Wilson during a game in November.

Catalan independence supporters celebrate at the ANC ( Catalan National Assembly ) headquarters after results of the regional elections in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. The pro-secession bloc won a majority but the anti-independence Ciutadans (Citizens), led by 36-year-old lawyer Ines Arrimadas, won the highest number of votes for a single party. ANC is Catalan pro independence platform promoting the political independence of Catalonia.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A sharply divided California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that pharmaceutical companies can be held liable for warning labels on generic versions of drugs they once made even after they've sold the drugs to other companies and stopped manufacturing them.

The 4-3 decision was a victory for consumer advocates, but the pharmaceutical industry had argued that such a finding would stifle innovation and lead to extraneous warnings on drugs that could deter people from using them.

In a dissenting opinion, Associate Justice Carol Corrigan said the ruling was at odds with courts across the U.S. that have refused to hold a previous manufacturer responsible for failing to warn about injuries caused by a successive company's product.

"When a drug manufacturer acquires a new product line, it assumes the responsibility to update the warning label if and when reasonable evidence demonstrates a link to a serious health hazard," she wrote. "Predecessor manufacturers have a right to presume successors will perform their duty and follow the law."

The ruling came in a lawsuit against drug company Novartis by the children of a woman who while pregnant in 2007 was prescribed a generic version of the drug terbutaline - an asthma medication that Novartis once sold under the brand name Brethine. The drug was used to stop the mother's premature labor, but the children claim it caused them to suffer brain injuries.

They accuse Novartis of failing to warn their mother about those dangers though it knew or should have known about them.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned in 2011 that injectable terbutaline should not be given to pregnant women to prevent preterm labor or treat it for a prolonged period. The lawsuit against Novartis claims studies going as far back as the 1970s raised concerns about using terbutaline on pregnant women.

Novartis argued it had sold its rights to Brethine in 2001 and had no additional responsibility for the warning label on generic versions of the drug at the time terbutaline was administered to the mother.

Novartis said in a statement it is reviewing the opinion and "will continue to defend against the plaintiffs' unfounded claims."

Brand-name drugmakers under federal regulations are responsible for the accuracy and adequacy of a drug's warning label, according to Thursday's ruling. Generic manufacturers are only required to make sure their warning label is the same as that of the brand-name drug.

In this case, Novartis had sold the brand-name drug to another company. Still, federal rules required the new manufacturer to use Novartis' warning label unless directed otherwise by the FDA, according to the state Supreme Court ruling.

Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, writing for the majority, said those rules made it "forseeable" that the new manufacturer would not update the warning label when the first company failed to do so.

"In such circumstances, it is at least plausible that a successor manufacturer may choose to undertake only a cursory investigation of the medical literature, on the assumption that the prior manufacturer must have done a more thorough inquiry during the period that it was responsible for maintaining the warning label," he wrote.

The court did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit against Novartis, but its ruling kept the case alive.
BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese entrepreneur has been sentenced to 5  years in prison for selling virtual private network service, a government newspaper said, as Beijing tries to stamp out use of technology that evades its internet filters.

Wu Xiangyang also was fined 500,000 yuan ($76,000) by the court in the southern region of Guangxi for operating his business without required licenses from 2013 until this June, according to the Procuratorate Daily. It said he was convicted of collecting "illegal revenue" of 792,638 yuan ($120,500).

The ruling Communist Party tries to block China's internet users from seeing material deemed subversive or obscene. It is tightening control over VPNs, which create encrypted links between computers and can be used to see blocked websites.

FILE - In this Aug. 19, 2013, file photo, computer users sit near a monitor display with a message from the Chinese police on the proper use of the Internet at an Internet cafe in Beijing. A Chinese official newspaper says an entrepreneur has been sentenced to 5  years in prison in December 2017 for selling virtual private network service amid a campaign by Beijing to stamp out technology that evades its internet filters. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

The crackdown has disrupted work and study for millions of Chinese entrepreneurs, academics and other people.

The VPN crackdown is part of a campaign to tighten political control that activists say is the most severe since the 1989 suppression of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement.

Regulators say only government-authorized VPNs will be allowed. One popular service, Green VPN, told customers in June it had been ordered to close. Others shut down without warning.

In March, a 26-year-old entrepreneur who sold VPN service in Dongguan, near Hong Kong, was sentenced to nine months in prison.

A software developer was arrested in August in Jiangsu province, near Shanghai, on charges he set up a business to sell unauthorized VPNs.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Peter Bernard's Yuletide plans include dressing up in a tuxedo emblazoned with marijuana leaves, donning a green Santa hat and doling out cookie bars made with marijuana to his friends from a big pillowcase.

"That's me exercising my right to give marijuana this Christmas," said Bernard, a Taunton, Massachusetts, pot lover who heads the Massachusetts Growers Advocacy Council when not doubling as "Pot Santa" at events for weed enthusiasts.

Not everyone's plans are quite so flamboyant, but for many pot lovers, this Christmas is much more about reefer than wreaths. Gift-giving has long been a part of marijuana culture, and the drug's newly legal status is a source of Yuletide celebration in four states.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 photo, a marijuana bud is seen in Portland, Maine. Gift-giving has long been a part of marijuana culture, and the drug's newly legal status is a source of Yuletide celebration in four states. Voters in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts voted to legalize recreational marijuana last year, and some residents of those states will legally stuff stockings with spliffs for the first time this Christmas. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

For others, trouble with the law has killed the holiday buzz. A couple was arrested in Nebraska, on Tuesday with about 60 pounds of marijuana in their pickup truck they told police they planned to give as Christmas gifts.

The couple, 70-year-old Barbara Jiron and 80-year-old Patrick Jiron, told authorities they were traveling from California to Vermont and were unaware it was illegal to transport marijuana in Nebraska. Court records didn't list attorneys for them.

Marijuana is still illegal in most states, but voters in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts voted to legalize recreational marijuana last year, and some residents of those states will legally stuff stockings with spliffs for the first time this Christmas.

Because retail sales are operating in only one of those states - Nevada - Bernard and others excited about legalized pot said homegrown marijuana is one particularly popular gift.

"I figure, I've got all this pot, I might as well just give it away for Christmas," said James MacWilliams, of Portland, Maine, who started growing weed when it became legal and is giving away fancy jars of his stash this year. "I told my friends, you're all getting a little bit of pot for Christmas."

Others plan to give marijuana-infused baked goods or even decorations made of pot plants.

Statistics about legal sales of marijuana suggest a modest bump around the holidays. In the four states where it was already legal, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, it has been "generally a good month," slightly ahead of November and January, said Roy Bingham, chief executive officer of BDS Analytics, a firm that compiles data about the pot industry. December sales accounted for 9.38 percent of sales revenue in Colorado last year, which is one percentage point above average, according to statistics provided by the firm.

California's retail laws begin next month, while Massachusetts' retail laws are scheduled for July and Maine's are still being developed.

Legalization means pot lovers can legally do something they've always done, which is give away marijuana to people they love, said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.

"People consume cannabis on the holidays and they always have," Smith said. "Now they are doing so through a regulated system."

The drug remains illegal on the federal level, which means activities such as driving it across state lines or sending it through the mail are off limits. Authorities will deal with incidents involving marijuana in interstate commerce "on a case by case basis," said Matthew O'Shaughnessy, a Boston-based spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association, said marijuana was likely to be a part of Christmas in California this year whether it was legal or not.

"Cannabis has been pretty ubiquitous here for several generations," he said. "Honestly, I think everyone's just a little more open about it."

In this Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 photo, James MacWilliams prunes a marijuana plant that he is growing indoors in Portland, Maine. "I figure, I've got all this pot, I might as well just give it away for Christmas," said MacWilliams, who started growing weed when it became legal and is giving away fancy jars of his stash this year. "I told my friends, you're all getting a little bit of pot for Christmas." (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

This Dec. 19, 2017 photo provided by the York County Sheriff shows Patrick Jiron. Jiron and his wife were charged after police said they were stopped on a Nebraska highway with about 60 pounds of marijuana Jiron said he planned to give out for Christmas. Jiron told authorities they were traveling from California to Vermont and were unaware it was illegal to transport marijuana in Nebraska. (AP Photo/York County Sheriff)

In this Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 photo, marijuana plants grow indoors in Portland, Maine. Marijuana fans say one particularly popular gift this holiday season is homegrown marijuana, because it's still not legal to purchase weed in many jurisdictions where it's now legal to grow and use it. Voters in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts voted to legalize recreational marijuana last year, and some residents of those states will legally stuff stockings with spliffs for the first time this Christmas. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
HOUSTON (AP) - The groups helping to rebuild on the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey have collected close to $1 billion in donations, according to an Associated Press tally of major national and local organizations.

Much of that money is already being put to work after Harvey, which ravaged cities in Southeast Texas in August with high winds before dumping record amounts of rain on the rest of the coast, including Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city.

Here is a look at the fundraising picture after Harvey:

FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2017 file photo, George Dorsey, center, hugs Samaritan's Purse volunteers, Nikki Moore, left, and Samantha Roundtree, who are helping rebuild his hurricane-damaged home in Houston. The groups helping to rebuild on the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey have collected close to $1 billion in donations. The evangelical group Samaritan's Purse has raised $86 million. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

WHO'S RAISING MONEY?

Of the $928 million raised by major groups involved in the recovery, the most money has been collected by the Red Cross, which said this month that it's raised $493 million for Harvey relief.

The Greater Houston Community Foundation, which is operating the relief fund endorsed by Houston's top elected leaders, has raised more than $108 million. The Rebuild Texas Fund, administered by the family foundation of computer magnate Michael Dell, has raised more than $89 million. The evangelical group Samaritan's Purse has also raised $86 million. United Way has raised more than $54 million.

The online campaign by Houston Texans star J.J. Watt raised $37 million, and both the Salvation Army and a fund created by the government of Qatar have each pledged $30 million.

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HOW IS THE MONEY BEING SPENT?

At least 40 percent of the total amount has been spent or distributed so far, though some groups could not confirm how much they had disbursed for the AP's tally. Several major groups say they're planning to announce new recipients of aid this month and in January.

The Red Cross used $254 million - more than half the money it has raised - to give out financial assistance, food and other relief. It also funded emergency shelters for weeks after the storm and other financial assistance to individuals and community funds.

Most of the other funds are helping smaller organizations that directly manage the cases of individual people in need or provide housing, job training, new furniture or mental health assistance. The Greater Houston Community Foundation has distributed at least $36 million to local groups so far, with plans for a new round of grants in January focused on housing.

"We're trying to balance a sense of great urgency to make sure people who need help are getting it rapidly, while at the same time a sense of care and responsibility to our donors to ensure that the funds are being spent effectively and efficiently," said Renee Wizig-Barrios, the foundation's senior vice president.

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ARE THE GROUPS WORKING TOGETHER?

Coordination between groups working to resolve a crisis is key, say experts on disaster recovery and people who were part of the rebuilding after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.

Many of Houston's major aid groups have met twice so far to discuss priorities and the work they're doing. But the Red Cross was not invited to those two meetings, even though it has raised the most money. A spokeswoman for the Houston Endowment, which convenes the meetings, said the Red Cross wasn't included because the meetings are for groups that will make grants to local nonprofits.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have both criticized the Red Cross publicly. Abbott said in November that he was concerned that money given to the Red Cross "was not getting into the hands of the people who need it."

A Red Cross spokesman said this month that the group has "active collaborative efforts" with other organizations. The Red Cross has publicly committed that 91 cents of every dollar raised will go toward recovery work, though the organization has been sharply criticized for perceived misspending after the Haiti earthquake and Superstorm Sandy.

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WILL NONPROFIT AID BE ENOUGH?

By all accounts, no. Local and state officials say that while donor funds can help fill in gaps and immediately help people in need, most of the support for Texas' rebuilding will have to come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other U.S. government agencies.

FEMA says it has approved about $1.5 billion in funding so far for almost 900,000 people in Texas. Many thousands more are still waiting for an answer on their applications for disaster aid, or starting to file appeals of denials for help.

The U.S. House on Thursday passed an $81 billion disaster aid package for hurricane-hit Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, along with regions of California ravaged by recent wildfires. The Senate isn't expected to vote until next month.

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Follow Nomaan Merchant on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nomaanmerchant

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Associated Press journalists Juan A. Lozano in Houston and Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

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FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2017, file photo, volunteers set up signage outside the Civic Center, where the Red Cross has set up a shelter for those who evacuated their homes due to storm damage in Beaumont, Texas. The groups helping to rebuild on the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey have collected close to $1 billion in donations. Of the $853 million raised by major groups involved in the recovery, the most money has been collected by the Red Cross, which said this month that it's raised $493 million for Harvey relief.(Kim Brent/The Beaumont Enterprise via AP, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2017 file photo, evacuees rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center that was been set up as a shelter operated by the Red Cross for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas. The groups helping to rebuild on the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey have collected close to $1 billion in donations. Of the $853 million raised by major groups involved in the recovery, the most money has been collected by the Red Cross, which said this month that it's raised $493 million for Harvey relief. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2017 file photo, Malachia Medrano, sleeps at the George R. Brown Convention Center that was been set up as a shelter operated by the Red Cross for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas. The groups helping to rebuild on the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey have collected close to $1 billion in donations. Of the $853 million raised by major groups involved in the recovery, the most money has been collected by the Red Cross, which said this month that it's raised $493 million for Harvey relief. (AP Photo/LM Otero File)

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2017 file photo, people rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center that was been set up as a shelter operated by the Red Cross for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas. The groups helping to rebuild on the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey have collected close to $1 billion in donations. Of the $853 million raised by major groups involved in the recovery, the most money has been collected by the Red Cross, which said this month that it's raised $493 million for Harvey relief. (AP Photo/LM Otero File)
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak led thousands of Muslims in a rally Friday to show solidarity with Palestinians, slamming the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Najib told the crowd that Malaysia will do all it can to "save Jerusalem" and that he will not be cowed by the U.S. nor by his close ties with President Donald Trump. Najib in September met Trump at the White House, and last month, posted a photograph of himself with Trump on Twitter on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Manila.

Malaysia on Thursday joined more than 120 countries voting in favor of a U.N. General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, ignoring a threat by Trump to cut off financial aid to countries voting against his move.

A Muslim boy eats his fruit during a rally at Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is leading a huge rally to protest U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The headband reads: "Save Palestine." (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

"Yes, I have visited the White House and yes, Trump is a good acquaintance but I will not pawn the sanctity of Islam," Najib said to loud cheers at the protest outside a mosque in the government capital of Putrajaya after Friday prayers.

"We are firm in our stand. We support the formation of a Palestine that is free and sovereign. We demand a Palestine with dignity and pride. We want East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine," he said.

Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy by announcing the United States recognized Jerusalem - home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites- as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

Najib vowed to hold weekly protests in support of Palestinians. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told local media that the Cabinet would next month discuss a proposal by Najib for Malaysia to follow Turkey in opening an embassy in east Jerusalem to recognize the city as the Palestinian capital.

A muslim waves Palestine flags during a rally at Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak led a huge rally to protest the U.S.President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, speaks during a rally at the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak led a huge rally to protest the U.S.President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Muslims holds placards reading "Palestine will be Free" and "Anti-Israel" during a rally at the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak led a huge rally to protest the U.S.President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A Muslim man waves the Palestine flag during a rally at the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak led a huge rally to protest the U.S.President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A Muslim takes a picture with her phone during a rally at the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak led a huge rally to protest the U.S.President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A Muslim waves Palestine flags during a rally at Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia Prime Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak led a huge rally to protest the U.S.President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysian Muslims attend Friday prayers in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Prime Minister Najib Razak leads a huge rally to protest U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, third from right, attends Friday prayers in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Najib leads a huge rally to protest U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, right, talks with Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during Friday prayers in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Najib leads a huge rally to protest U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, third from left, and Muslims perform prayers in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Najib leads a huge rally to protest U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, standing left, performs prayers in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Najib leads a huge rally to protest U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

A Muslim walks to Friday prayer as Malaysia and Palestine flags on display in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak leads huge rally to protest US move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A Muslim women stands in font of the Malaysia and Palestine flags on display in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak led huge rally to protest US move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.(AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The 95-year-old founder of the Lotte Group and his son and group chairman were convicted on corruption charges on Friday but will avoid jail.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced founder Shin Kyuk-ho to four years in prison but didn't issue a warrant to arrest him in consideration of his age, court officials said on condition of anonymity, citing office rules.

The court also handed a 20-month prison term to his son and chairman Shin Dong-bin but suspended that sentence for two years, the officials said. The ruling allows him to stay free if he breaks no laws for two years.

Lotte group Chairman Shin Dong-bin arrives at the Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. News reports say a Seoul court has convicted the 95-year-old founder of the Lotte Group and his son and group chairman on corruption charges. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Both the Shins and the prosecutors have one week to appeal, according to the court.

Prosecutors earlier indicted Shin Kyuk-ho, his mistress and all three of his children including Shin Dong-bin on embezzlement, tax evasion and other charges.

The five indicted people together allegedly evaded a total $76 million in taxes and embezzled $46 million of company funds. The prosecutors said Shin family members also incurred $123 million of losses for Lotte companies by using their influence to control corporate funds and to make decisions favorable to themselves rather than to shareholders.

Lotte, one of South Korea's largest conglomerates with a major presence in Japan and Southeast Asia, has suffered a spate of setbacks.

Last year, its vice chairman was found dead in an apparent suicide as authorities were expanding investigations into the company. Earlier, it was embroiled in a festering family feud over who would succeed Shin Kyuk-ho after the founder was demoted to a powerless role in the business.

Lotte faced apparent backlash to its business activities China after agreeing to let one of its golf courses in South Korea be used as a site for deploying a contentious high-tech U.S. missile defense system. Beijing sees the system as a security threat. Dozens of Lotte Mart discount stores in China were shut for a month each after surprise inspections found violations of fire safety standards, the company said

Lotte began as a chewing gum company in Japan in 1948. It now operates businesses in chemicals, food, shopping and hotels, including South Korea's largest discount and department store chains. Its brands are well recognized across Asia.

Friday's verdict allowed Shin Kyuk-ho allowed him to avoid an immediate arrest, but he could still be jailed if the ruling becomes final if neither prosecutors nor the wheelchair-bound Lotte founder appeal it. If the case is handed over to a high court, its judge could approve his arrest but such a decision is unlikely unless Shin's health dramatically improves, one of the court officials said.

Lotte group Chairman Shin Dong-bin arrives at the Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. News reports say a Seoul court has convicted the 95-year-old founder of the Lotte Group and his son and group chairman on corruption charges. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Lotte Group Founder Shin Kyuk-ho in a wheelchair, arrives at Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. News reports say a Seoul court has convicted the 95-year-old founder of the Lotte Group and his son and group chairman on corruption charges. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
TANDI, Zimbabwe (AP) - A white Zimbabwean farmer evicted by the government of Robert Mugabe has returned to a hero's welcome as the first to get his land back under the new president, in a sign of reform on an issue that had hastened the country's international isolation.

With a military escort, Robert Smart made his way into Lesbury farm about 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of the capital, Harare, on Thursday to cheers and song by dozens of workers and community members.

Such scenes were once unthinkable in a country where land ownership is an emotional issue with political and racial overtones.

Farmers, Darryn, left and Robert Smart, right, are welcomed back to their farm, Lesbury, by workers and community members Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 in Tandi, Zimbabwe. The family who were evicted by gun-wielding police and a mob associated with the ruling party returned to a hero's welcome, in a sign that the new president is charting a path away from predecessor Robert Mugabe on an issue that had hastened the country's international isolation. (AP Photo/Farai Musaka)

"We have come to reclaim our farm," sang black women and men, rushing into the compound.

Two decades ago, their arrival would have meant that Smart and his family would have to leave. Ruling ZANU-PF party supporters, led by veterans of the 1970s war against white minority rule, evicted many of Zimbabwe's white farmers under an often violent land reform program led by Mugabe.

Whites make up less than 1 percent of the southern African country's population, but they owned huge tracts of land while blacks remained in largely unproductive areas.

The evictions were meant to address colonial land ownership imbalances skewed against blacks, Mugabe said. Some in the international community responded with outrage and sanctions.

Of the roughly 4,500 white farmers before the land reforms began in 2000, only a few hundred are left.

But Mugabe is gone, resigning last month after the military and ruling party turned against him amid fears that his wife was positioning herself to take power. New President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe ally but stung by his firing as vice president, has promised to undo some land reforms as he seeks to revive the once-prosperous economy.

Smart is the first to have his farm returned. On Thursday, some war veterans and local traditional leaders joined farm workers and villagers in song to welcome his family home.

"Oh, Darryn," one woman cried, dashing to embrace Smart's son.

In a flash, dozens followed her. Some ululated, and others waved triumphant fists in the air.

"I am ecstatic. Words cannot describe the feeling," Darryn told The Associated Press.

Smart's return, facilitated by Mnangagwa's government, could mark a new turn in the politics of land ownership. During his inauguration last month, Mnangagwa described the land reform as "inevitable," calling land management key to economic recovery.

Months before an election scheduled for August 2018 at the latest, the new president is desperate to bring back foreign investors and resolve a severe currency shortage, mass unemployment and dramatic price increases.

Zimbabwe is mainly agricultural, with 80 percent of the population depending on it for their livelihoods, according to government figures.

Earlier this month, deputy finance minister Terrence Mukupe traveled to neighboring Zambia to engage former white Zimbabwean farmers who have settled there.

The Commercial Farmers Union, which represents mainly white farmers, said it plans to meet the lands minister.

"I am advising our members to be patient and give it time. But I do see many of them going back into farming," said Peter Steyl, the union's vice president. "The government seems serious about getting agriculture on track but how it is going to achieve this, I don't know."

The firmness with which the government ensured Smart's return signaled resolve.

At the farm, a soldier sat quietly in a van that acted as an escort for the family. His services were not needed. The people gathered there share deep social bonds with the family, away from the politics of race and elections.

"I have known this boy since day one," said 55 year-old Sevilla Madembo. "He was born here. I took care of him when he was young. He is back to take care of me now that I am old."

She was born at the farm, which was home to her parents and grandparents.

"We are part of one family. We belong to the Tandi people. That's why we are going to perform a traditional African ceremony before we start on production," Darryn said, going through the farmhouse.

Locks to some rooms had been changed by the "new owner," a cleric with close ties to Mugabe's family who has since lost his claim. Other rooms had been ransacked and most property was missing.

Left untouched on the walls were a portrait of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a photo of Zimbabwe's last colonial leader, Ian Smith, officiating at an agricultural fair.

Local chief Peter Tandi led efforts to lobby Mnangagwa's administration to allow Robert Smart to return. "He voluntarily gave up his estates to the community when the land reform program started. He continued helping us with technical knowledge, equipment and other inputs," Tandi said.

"That man supported the guerrillas during the war. ... He gave us a place to hide from colonial government soldiers," said Gift Maramba, a war veteran and local ZANU-PF official.

Smart and his son held back tears while greeting familiar faces. Others were keen to get on with business.

"Hey Darryn, I want us to talk about my beans I stored in your warehouse," one villager said.

"We can discuss that later, man. Come on, for now let's just be happy to be with each other again," Darryn replied.

Farmer Darryn Smart, centre, and his family are welcomed back to their farm, Lesbury, by workers and community members Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, in Tandi, Zimbabwe. The family who were evicted by gun-wielding police and a mob associated with the ruling party returned to a hero's welcome, in a sign that the new president is charting a path away from predecessor Robert Mugabe on an issue that had hastened the country's international isolation. (AP Photo/Farai Musaka)
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - Germany forward Mario Gomez will return to Stuttgart, where he won the 2007 Bundesliga title, from rival Wolfsburg.

Stuttgart said Friday that the 32-year-old Gomez will sign a contract through 2020.

Gomez started his career in Stuttgart's youth team. He made his Germany debut in 2007 while playing for the club, then played for Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and Besiktas before joining Wolfsburg in 2016.

In this Monday, Sept. 4, 2017 photo Germany's Mario Gomez celebrates after scoring his side's sixth goal during the World Cup Group C qualifying soccer match between Germany and Norway in Stuttgart, Germany. Gomez leaves his current German first division, Bundesliga, club VfL Wolfsburg and signed a contract with his former club VfB Stuttgart with a contract duration until 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Gomez said he was "very happy to be back home, where everything began for me," and promised to "give everything" to keep Stuttgart in the top flight.

Promoted Stuttgart went into the winter break in 14th place in the 18-team Bundesliga, two points clear of the relegation zone.

News agency dpa reported that the transfer fee was more than 3 million euros ($3.5 million).

Also Friday, Stuttgart said 19-year-old winger Josip Brekalo will return to Wolfsburg during the winter break, rather than staying on loan until the end of the season as originally planned. The Croat has been with Stuttgart since January.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Spain's worst political crisis in decades showed few signs of abating Friday after Catalan separatist parties clinched a parliamentary majority in an exceptional election called by the country's prime minister, who remained steadfast in his refusal to consider independence for the prosperous region.

The outcome of Thursday's election, in which an anti-secession party also made its best showing to date, did yield a sign of possible movement: Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the pro-independence regional president he removed from office said they were ready to talk.

However, the two men made clear they were working off different sets of presumptions for a potential dialogue.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont speaks during a media conference in Brussels on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Ousted Catalan president Charles Puigdemont addressed the media on Friday, a day after regional elections in Spain. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Speaking from Brussels, where he fled nearly eight weeks ago to avoid being arrested on possible rebellion and sedition charges, ex-Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said he would talk with Rajoy under one condition - their meeting would have to be outside Spain.

Even with Puigdemont campaigning from Belgium, his Together for Catalonia party snared 34 of the regional parliament's 135 seats, making it the most popular separatist party.

As the leading separatist candidate, Puigdemont could try to become president of Catalonia again. The new parliament would not be able to elect him for the post unless he returns to Barcelona, the regional capital, but he is likely to be arrested when he turns up on Spanish soil.

The election results nonetheless strengthened Puigdemont's hand, as separatist politicians won 70 of the parliament seats altogether. Rajoy's conservative Popular Party secured just three seats, a major embarrassment for the prime minister who took unprecedented steps to put down the Catalan independence movement.

"More than 2 million people are in favor of Catalonia's independence," Puigdemont said, referring to the election results. "Recognizing reality is vital if we are to find a solution."

Rajoy ignored his adversary's appeal for a meeting, declaring instead that the election show a "new era based on dialogue" was beginning in Catalonia. He also set out a condition of his own for any talks: separatist officeholders must abide by the Spanish Constitution, which says the country is "indivisible."

"I will make an effort to dialogue with the government that forms in Catalonia, but I expect it to stop acting unilaterally and outside the law," Rajoy said during a media briefing.

People walking by the sea in Barcelona said they wanted the leaders to settle their differences through negotiation.

Product manager Beatriz Versosa, 33, said "the rulers of Spain and Catalonia (must) put themselves in the place of citizens and understand that they must solve the issue and set aside the most extreme positions."

Mercedes Aras, meanwhile, wanted Spanish authorities to "sit down to negotiate on a realistic basis."

Negotiations in the past involved a compromise of granting Catalonia more self-government rights, but separatists are likely to use their regained majority to push for a binding referendum on secession.

Rajoy, invoking constitutional authority to temporarily take over a region's affairs, fired the Catalan government that Puigdemont led and dissolved the regional parliament after separatist lawmakers declared Catalonia's independence in October. They based the declaration on results from a voter referendum that Spanish courts ruled was illegal.

The prime minister also called the election held Thursday. With statistics showing the region's moves toward independence hurting the Catalan economy, Rajoy hoped the vote would sideline the separatist movement.

The pro-Spain Ciutadans (Citizens) collected the most votes of any single party and its biggest electoral triumph since the business-friendly party was founded just over 10 years ago. But its 37 seats aren't enough for it to form a regional government on its own.

The parties that favor an independent Catalonia did better than polls had predicted. Along with the 34 seats won by Puigdemont's party, its main separatist rival, the left-wing republican ERC party, collected 32 seats.

ERC leader Oriol Junqueras - Puigdemont's No. 2 in the previous Catalan government - is jailed near Madrid while an investigation into possible sedition and rebellion by the separatist leaders continues. The radical, anti-capitalist CUP won four seats.

The separatist parties' history of squabbling won't make it easy for them to put together a Cabinet.

Fernando Vallespin, a professor of political studies at Madrid's Autonomous University, said multiple unresolved issues cloud the immediate future of Catalonia, including the legal issues and whether the pro-independence parties can find common ground.

"It really is an unknown situation," he said.

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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Lorne Cook contributed from Brussels.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, right, speaks during a media conference in Brussels on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Ousted Catalan president Charles Puigdemont addressed the media on Friday, a day after regional elections in Spain. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont speaks during a media conference in Brussels on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Ousted Catalan president Charles Puigdemont addressed the media on Friday, a day after regional elections in Spain. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont speaks during a media conference in Brussels on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Ousted Catalan president Charles Puigdemont addressed the media on Friday, a day after regional elections in Spain. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Catalan independence supporters celebrate at the ANC ( Catalan National Assembly ) headquarters after results of the regional elections in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. The pro-secession bloc won a majority but the anti-independence Ciutadans (Citizens), led by 36-year-old lawyer Ines Arrimadas, won the highest number of votes for a single party. ANC is Catalan pro independence platform promoting the political independence of Catalonia.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, center, leaves after a press conference at the Square Meeting Center in Brussels on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. The pro-secession bloc won a majority in Catalan regional elections, but the anti-independence Ciutadans (Citizens), led by 36-year-old lawyer Ines Arrimadas, won the highest number of votes for a single party. Several members of the ousted Cabinet, including Puigdemont, have campaigned from Brussels, where they sought refuge from Spanish justice. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A man stands next to a banner reading in Catalan: "Freedom for Political Prisoners" in support of Catalonia politicians who have been jailed on charges of sedition at Sant Jaume Square in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Elections in Catalonia have failed to clarify the restive region's immediate future, exposing a deep and broad split between those for and against independence from Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy leaves after a news conference in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Catalonia's secessionist parties won enough votes Thursday to regain a slim majority in the regional parliament and give new momentum to their political struggle for independence from Spain. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Pedestrians walk past a building decorated with Catalan flags and messages in support for imprisoned pro-independence politicians in Girona, Spain, Friday, Dec. 2, 2017. Elections in Catalonia have failed to clarify the restive region's immediate future, exposing a deep and broad split between those for and against independence from Spain. The banner reads in Catalan "Democracy!". (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
BERLIN (AP) - A Romanian truck driver has been convicted of murder and rape in the killing last year of a woman who was out jogging in southwestern Germany. Austria is seeking the man's extradition for a further trial there over the killing in 2014 of a French student.

News agency dpa reported that the Freiburg state court sentenced the 40-year-old defendant Friday to life in prison without the possibility of early release. German media have identified him only as Catalin C., in line with German privacy rules.

The man confessed when his trial opened last month to killing the 27-year-old victim in a forest in Endingen. The court says he also has told a psychiatric evaluator he was responsible for the killing of a female student in Kufstein, Austria in 2014.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - A white former South Carolina policeman who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the shooting death of an unarmed black man is appealing his punishment.

U.S. District Judge David Norton sentenced former North Charleston officer Michael Slager on Dec. 7 after the ex-officer pleaded guilty to a civil rights violation in the 2015 shooting death of Walter Scott, who ran from Slager after a traffic stop.

Slager's attorney asked a court clerk to file a notice of appeal once Norton files his order explaining the sentence, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported. Notices of appeals do not typically lay out the reasons for the challenge.

"There are issues in the sentencing proceeding that we are concerned about," defense attorney Andy Savage said Wednesday. Savage said he will await the judge's written order before spelling out details on the appeal.

Slager, 36, pleaded guilty earlier this year to violating Scott's civil rights by shooting him eight times. Slager's underlying offense was ruled to be second-degree murder rather than manslaughter.

Slager is at the Charleston County jail until he is assigned to a federal prison.

He stopped Scott's car for a broken brake light in April 2015. A bystander's video showed Scott running away as Slager pulled his pistol and fired.

Slager was tried for murder in state court, but it ended in a mistrial when a jury couldn't agree whether he had committed a crime.

After Slager pleaded guilty to the federal charge, Norton heard testimony during a four-day sentencing hearing earlier this month. Slager's lawyers said the officer made the initial decision to shoot and defend himself but got carried away.
GOOCHLAND, Va. (AP) - One of the pit bulls that authorities say mauled a Virginia woman to death had a history of aggression.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew says the pit bull, named Pacman, had previously been adopted and returned because of concerning behavior.

Authorities believe Bethany Lynn Stephens, 22, was mauled by her two pit bulls while out on a walk last week. Investigators said the petite woman of about 100 pounds was killed by the dogs, which had a combined weight of about twice hers.

Agnew said Pacman's previous owner returned him after he "snapped at her a couple of times." Agnew said the investigation continues into the death, which has garnered international attention.

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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.com
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) - Toshiba Corp.'s energy systems unit on Friday unveiled a long telescopic pipe carrying a pan-tilt camera designed to gather crucial information about the situation inside the reactor chambers at Japan's tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.

The device is 13 meters (43 feet) long and designed to give officials a deeper view into the nuclear plant's Unit 2 primary containment vessel, where details on melted fuel damage remain largely unknown.

The Fukushima plant had triple meltdowns following the 2011 quake and tsunami. Finding details about the fuel debris is crucial to determining the right method and technology for its removal at each reactor, the most challenging process to safely carry out the plant's decades-long decommissioning.

Toshiba Corp. unveiled a pan-tilt camera which it jointly developed with the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRND), to inspect the interior of the damaged primary containment vessel of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 in Yokohama, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. The device shown to media Friday is 13 meters (43 feet) long and designed to give officials a deeper view into the nuclear plant's Unit 2 primary containment vessel, where details on melted fuel damage remain largely unknown. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Japan's stricter, post-Fukushima safety standards also require nuclear plant operators elsewhere to invest more time and money into safety measures.

On Friday, Kansai Electric Power Co. announced that it would decommission two idle reactors at the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant in western Japan, citing the difficulty of adding all the safety requirements at the nearly 40-year-old reactors that would be needed to get approval for their restart.

Reports have said it would cost about 58 billion yen ($500 million) and take 30 years to decommission a reactor, about half the estimated cost to restart one.

Also Friday, Japan Nuclear Fuel said that it was postponing the planned launch of its trouble-plagued spent fuel reprocessing plant by three more years until 2021. It cited delayed approval by the authorities. It also said it was postponing the planned manufacturing of fuel from recycled plutonium and uranium.

The mission involving Toshiba's new probe at Fukushima's Unit 2 reactor could come as soon as late January. Company officials said the new device will be sent inside the pedestal, a structure directly below the core, to investigate the area and hopefully to find melted debris.

The device looks like a giant fishing rod about 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) in diameter, from which a unit housing the camera, a dosimeter and thermometer slowly slides down. The probe, attached by a cable on the back, can descend all the way to the bottom of the reactor vessel if it can avoid obstacles, officials said.

Two teams of several engineers will be tasked with the mission, which they will remotely operate from a radiation-free command center at the plant.

A simpler predecessor to the pipe unveiled Friday had captured a limited view of the vessel during a preparatory investigation in February. A crawling robot sent in later in February struggled with debris on the ground and stalled in the end due to higher-than-expected radiation, its intended mission incomplete.

The upgraded probe has been co-developed by Toshiba ESS and International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning, a government-funded unit of construction and nuclear technology companies over the past nine months.

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Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at twitter.com/mariyamaguchi

Her work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/mari%20yamaguchi .

Toshiba Corporation unveiled a pan-tilt camera developed by the Toshiba Corp. and the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRND), designed to inspect the interior of the damaged primary containment vessel of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 in Yokohama, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. The device shown to media Friday is 13 meters (43 feet) long and designed to give officials a deeper view into the nuclear plant's Unit 2 primary containment vessel, where details on melted fuel damage remain largely unknown. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
JERUSALEM (AP) - Two Palestinians were killed in renewed clashes with Israeli forces, Gaza's Health Ministry said Friday, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts amid continued fallout over President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The fresh violence came a day after the U.N. General Assembly resolution denouncing President Donald Trump's decision.

Abbas on a visit to Paris urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts, insisting he'll no longer accept any U.S. plans for Mideast peace because of the Trump's position on Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as the administration siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the conflict.

A Palestinian protester tries to throw a gas canister shot by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli troops across the West Bank and along the Gaza border since Trump's announcement. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said a 24-year-old and a 29-year-old were killed by live fire in clashes along the border with Israel. Another 45 Palestinians were wounded, he said.

The Israeli military said thousands of Palestinians participated in "violent riots" along the Gaza border and across the West Bank "hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tires" at Israeli forces. It said troops responded with tear gas and deployed live fire "selectively toward main instigators."

Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli troops since Trump's Jerusalem announcement on Dec. 6. Ten Palestinians have been killed and dozens more wounded so far.

In Bethlehem on Friday, some Palestinian protesters held anti-Trump banners reading "Mr. Trump, it's not your land to decide to whom it belongs, Jerusalem is ours and it belongs to us," and "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine."

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to denounce Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, largely ignoring Trump's threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him.

The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem "null and void" was approved 128-9 - a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they predicted. Amid Washington's threats, 35 of the 193 U.N. member nations abstained and 21 were absent.

The Trump administration made it clear the vote would have no effect on its plan to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The United States and Israel had waged an intensive lobbying campaign against the U.N. measure, with U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley sending letters to over 180 countries warning that Washington would be taking names of those who voted against the U.S.

Trump went further, threatening a funding cutoff. "Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," he posted on Twitter.

Speaking in Paris, Abbas said the United States is "no longer an honest mediator in the peace process."

Abbas also denounced the U.S threat to cut financial aid for countries who voted to back the U.N. resolution.

In a Christmas message, sent by his office as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Abbas said Trump's move disqualified the U.S. from continuing in its traditional role as mediator in peace talks.

"The U.S. chose to be biased. Their future plan for Palestine will not be based on the two-state solution on the 1967 border, nor will it be based on International Law or UN resolutions," Abbas said in the written message.

Trump's announcement departed from decades of U.S. policy that the fate of Jerusalem should be decided through negotiations. East Jerusalem is home to Jerusalem's Old City with its key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, and its status is an emotionally charged issue.

A sensitive hilltop compound there, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, is at the heart of the conflict.

Jews revere it as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the nearby Western Wall, a remnant of the temple complex, is the holiest place where Jews can pray.

The walled compound is home to both the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Some 45,000 worshippers attended prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, said the Waqf, Jordan's religious body that administers the site.

Hundreds of Palestinians marched after prayers there chanting "Jerusalem is Arab."

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war from Jordan, as the capital of their hoped-for state. Israel says the entire city, including east Jerusalem, is its eternal capital.

Trump said his decision merely recognizes the fact that Jerusalem already serves as Israel's capital and is not meant to prejudge the final borders of the city.

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Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet and Angela Charlton in Paris and Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.
NEW DELHI (AP) - India and China on Friday discussed ways to prevent a repeat of a recent face-off between their armed forces at a Himalayan plateau where their borders meet and agreed that resolving their boundary disagreements served the interests of both countries.

Relations between the two Asian giants have often been strained, partly due to an undemarcated border. They fought a monthlong border war in 1962 and have been trying to settle the boundary since the 1980s.

The two sides agreed Friday that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it was necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, a statement by India's External Affairs Ministry said at the end of daylong talks.

Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, right, talks with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi before their delegation-level meeting in New Delhi, India, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Special representatives of India and China hold the 20th round of negotiations on the border issues on Friday. The meeting, which comes four months after the forces of the two sides confronted each other at the Doklam plateau. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

The Indian side was led by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the Chinese delegation by Special Representative Yang Jiechi. The two had met in Beijing in July on the sidelines of a meeting of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) summit.

"The talks were positive and focused on bringing out the full potential of the closer developmental partnership between the two countries," the statement said. "They re-emphasized their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date."

The latest confrontation took place where India and China's border meets that of Bhutan. It started in June when Indian troops moved in to stop China from constructing a road in the Doklam region in Bhutan. Both countries agreed to pull back their troops on Aug. 28.

The border dispute continues to bedevil relations between the giant Asian neighbors - armed with nuclear weapons and with 2.6 billion people between them - despite a recent warming of economic relations.

Each side accuses the other of occupying its territory. China claims some 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) of territory in India's northeast and cites the region's cultural affinity with Tibet as evidence that the area is part of what it calls "southern" Tibet. India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of its territory in the Aksai Chin plateau in the western Himalayas.

Friday's was the 20th meeting between the two sides on the border issue since mid-1980s.
CAIRO (AP) - Rights groups and a press freedom organization renewed calls on Egyptian authorities Friday to release an Al-Jazeera journalist whose detention passed the one-year mark. Egypt accuses the Qatar-based news network of bias toward Islamist groups including its own outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

The statements from Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Amnesty International mark one year since the arrest of Mahmoud Hussein, believed to have been apprehended while in Egypt on vacation. He is accused of publishing false information and belonging to a banned group.

"Mahmoud Hussein languishing for over a year in pretrial detention demonstrates Egypt's deep-rooted intolerance for free expression," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director. Similarly, RSF and Amnesty International slammed Egypt over his detention for "no apparent reason."

Al-Jazeera also demanded Hussein's release in earlier statements, saying his health deteriorated while in prison.

Authorities have arrested several Al-Jazeera journalists since the military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who enjoyed Qatar's support, in 2013 following mass protests against his one-year rule which proved divisive. Relations between Egypt and Qatar have been fraught with tension since Morsi's ouster and the Al-Jazeera network, especially its Arabic service, and its staff has been embroiled in the wider political rift between Cairo and Doha.

In June, Egypt along with other Arab nations severed ties with Qatar over allegations that, among other charges, it supports terrorist groups and uses Al-Jazeera as a mouthpiece to destabilize the region. They demanded Qatar shut down the widely viewed network.

Al-Jazeera's website is among hundreds blocked in Egypt, including many run by rights groups.

Egypt ranks near the bottom of press freedom indexes. It's third on the list of the world's top jailers of journalists, for the second year in a row, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists released earlier in December.

Under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Egypt has launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent, jailing thousands of people, mainly Morsi's Islamist supporters but also a number of well-known secular activists.
BEDFORD HILLS, N.Y. (AP) - The lawyer for a woman who pleaded guilty in the drowning death of her fiance during a New York kayak outing says she is grateful to be out of prison.

Angelika Graswald was released Thursday from Bedford Hills prison.

She and her fiance, 46-year-old Vincent Viafiore, were on the Hudson River in April 2015 when he drowned. Prosecutors said she admitted sabotaging his kayak by pulling the drain plug and suggested she wanted his life insurance money.

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2017 file photo, Angelika Graswald stands with her attorneys Jeffrey Chartier, left, and Richard Portale during her sentencing at the Orange County courthouse in Goshen, N.Y. Graswald, initially charged with murder in the drowning death of her fiance during a New York kayak outing, is being released from prison after pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Graswald, of Poughkeepsie, admitted she should have perceived the risk of danger and was sentenced in November to 16 months to four years in prison. (Jim Sabastian/Times Herlad-Record via AP, Pool, File)

She was initially charged with murder. But they later said her statements were inconsistent and she pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide. She was behind bars for nearly three years.

She did not speak to reporters waiting outside the prison in upstate New York. Her attorney Richard Portale said she would work on reconstructing her life.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - The Polish government has donated 100 million zlotys ($28 million) to restore and protect a major Jewish cemetery in Warsaw, one of the country's largest public contributions toward preserving the Jewish culture nearly wiped out in the Holocaust.

The Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, established in 1806, is the resting spot of 250,000 Polish Jews - Yiddish writers, rabbis, philanthropists, scholars, bankers and regular citizens who once belonged to a vibrant community that made up one-third of Warsaw's population before World War II.

Among the notable people buried at the Okopowa Street cemetery are Ludwik Zamenhof, the creator of the Esperanto language (1859-1917), and Samuel Orgelbrand, publisher of Poland's first modern encyclopedia (1810-1868).

This photo shows gravestones at the Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw, Poland, Friday Dec. 22, 2017. The Polish government is donating 100 million zlotys (US$ 28 million) to preserve the cemetery. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Today, decades after Germany uprooted and destroyed that community, many sections of the cemetery are a desolate sight. Some tombstones are broken or disappearing below decades of decomposing vegetation, and others bear inscriptions rendered unreadable by erosion.

"It's a disaster. It's a large territory in the middle of the city which looks like a jungle," said Michal Laszczkowski, the head of the Cultural Heritage Foundation, a private organization that preserves Polish heritage sites. "That's why we decided to do something."

The foundation will oversee the preservation work at the Jewish cemetery. Catholic churches, monuments and cemeteries have been among the organization's focus.

In Warsaw on Friday, Polish Culture Minister Piotr Glinski signed a contract with Laszczkowski that formalized the government donation. The money established an endowment, returns from which are supposed to go to cleaning the cemetery, preserving its tombstones and monuments and reinforcing an outer wall.

Anna Chipczynska, the head of the Warsaw Jewish community, and Michael Schudrich, an American who is the country's chief rabbi, attended the signing.

While many Poles see Jews as a foreign nation or separate people despite centuries of co-existence, Glinski described the cemetery as an element of "Poland's cultural and national heritage."

"It's the duty of the Polish state to care for our heritage," the culture minister said.

Schudrich called Glinski's words "honey to my heart" and added: "It's obvious, but sometimes it needs to be said."

Poland's Jewish population numbered nearly 3.5 million on the eve of World War II. Most were murdered in ghettos or death camps set up by Nazi Germany during its wartime occupation of Poland.

A Jewish community that numbers in the thousands now struggles to maintain hundreds of cemeteries and depends on local communities, volunteers and foreign donations for help.

Tad Taube, an American philanthropist who fled Poland on the eve of war and who has contributed in past years to Poland's Jewish revival, welcomed the government's endowment. The California resident said it follows years of efforts to restore "one of the most significant Jewish historical sites in Europe."

"It is truly a milestone that the Polish government has committed the needed funds to protect the cemetery and the rich heritage it represents," Taube said.

This photo shows gravestones at the Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw, Poland, Friday Dec. 22, 2017. The Polish government is donating 100 million zlotys (US$ 28 million) to preserve the cemetery. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

People visit the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw, Poland, Friday Dec. 22, 2017. The Polish government is donating 100 million zlotys (US$ 28 million) to preserve the cemetery, parts of which are dilapidated or overgrown. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

People visit the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw, Poland, Friday Dec. 22, 2017. The Polish government is donating 100 million zlotys (US$ 28 million) to preserve the cemetery. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - In a story Dec. 21 about allegations of past abuse at a facility in the Texas Panhandle, The Associated Press erroneously attributed information in the 11th paragraph to Rick Smith. The information came from Steve Smith.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Former Texas boys ranch residents say they suffered abuse

The head of a ranch that houses at-risk children in the Texas Panhandle has issued an apology after several former residents say they were abused by staffers there from the 1950s until at least the 1990s

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - The head of a ranch that houses at-risk children in the Texas Panhandle issued an apology after several former residents said they were abused by staffers there from the 1950s until at least the 1990s.

Former residents told The Guardian , a British newspaper, about abuse they suffered at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch. Steve Smith, a 68-year-old from Amarillo, told the newspaper for the Wednesday story that after his mother left him there as a boy, he was beaten many times and had to watch helplessly as his younger brother, Rick, was beaten.

A statement from the organization Wednesday said it was aware of the claims regarding "harmful encounters they experienced at Boys Ranch years ago."

"For those who left Boys Ranch having experienced abuse of any form, I am truly sorry, both as the leader of this organization and as a man," Dan Adams, president and CEO of Cal Farley's, said in the statement. "It is for these reasons that regulatory oversight and strength-based models of care in this field evolved, and Cal Farley's strives to be a leader in observing both.

Adams told The Guardian that since he took over in 1996, corporal punishment has been phased out.

The privately funded, faith-based residential community is open to children ages 5 to 18 and currently supports about 250 boys and girls. The ranch said at-risk boys and girls can be placed there by their parents, a managing conservator or guardian.

Rick and Steve Smith and others told The Guardian that the abuse was systemic and affected hundreds. Ed Cargill of New Mexico, whose time at Cal Farley's overlapped with Rick Smith's, said he made repeated escape attempts from the place he called "a paradise for adult abusers." He said that after one escape attempt he was made to run back in front of horses.

"Anytime I floundered, they'd hit me with coiled-up rope or run over me with the damn horse," said Cargill, who said his dorm parent would also encourage other boys to administer physical punishment.

Bill Varnado, who was there at the same time as Steve Smith, said "you really didn't have to 'get in trouble' for them to beat the hell out of you." Normally, he said, "they used a belt, but as you got older they used their fists on boys."

Rick Smith said he was raped by another boy at the ranch. Cargill said that the wife of a staff member was having sex with him and three other boys.

Steve Smith told the Amarillo Globe-News they want more than an apology. Smith leads a Facebook group of other survivors that presented Adams in April with a proposal of how to deal with the past abuses.

The proposal included Boys Ranch issuing a public statement acknowledging wrongdoing, the creation of a fund for survivor care, utilization of best practices for abuse prevention and a review of marketing material to make sure information about the past is not misleading.

Smith also wanted the organization to stop honoring past staff accused of abuse. Cal Farley's dedicated a new dormitory to a former superintendent at the ranch alleged to be one of the worst abusers.

The Child-Friendly Faith Project, a nonprofit that works to expose religious groups that abuse children, took the allegations to The Guardian after it became apparent Cal Farley's was not going to act on the proposal, said Janet Heimlich, the nonprofit's founder and a former journalist.

Heimlich first came into contact with Smith and the Facebook group after writing a blog post in 2015 praising Boy's Ranch for an advanced therapeutic model. Smith commented on the post and they got in touch.

Adams told the Globe-News he didn't want to initially make a public apology because it would give children, families and donors undue concern.

Heimlich agreed that Boys Ranch, which opened in 1939, had cleaned up since the 1990s and emphasized that it still maintains a "flagship model" for child therapy.

The ranch currently has a license with the state as a general residential operation providing child care and transitional living. Texas Health & Human Services Commission spokeswoman Christine Mann tells The Associated Press that they have no recent history of corrective or adverse actions. She said it was initially licensed by the state in 1979.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins said the ranch does have a contract in good standing to take in children in foster care. Over the last five years 19 foster children have been placed there, including 11 who are currently there.
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - The United States ambassador to Kosovo said Friday he opposed a petition to amend a law governing a war crimes court, calling it a "terrible idea" that would isolate the young country.

"Don't turn back the clock," Greg Delawie wrote on Twitter. "We have not invested so much effort into #Kosovo's success to see it destroy its future by undoing the Special Court Law."

Former fighters of Kosovo's independence movement have allegedly collected more than 10,000 signatures for a petition on a 2015 law that governs the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, seeking to extend its jurisdiction to include Serbs, their adversaries in their war for independence.

Local online news site Gazetaexpress reported that the tweets come as Kosovo's president, parliament speaker and prime minister - all former independence military commanders - are planning "to smuggle" the law through in an extraordinary session of parliament.

At parliament, 43 lawmakers called for an extraordinary session, but quorum was not met as some parties refused to take part.

Both Delawie and his British counterpart Ruairi O'Connell were present at the parliament building and planned to stay until a decision was made.

"The U.S.A considers this as a knife on the back," said Delawie, calling on Kosovo's leader "to end this effort."

"Tonight could be Kosovo's most dangerous night since the war," said O'Connell.

The court, with judges from European Union member countries, the U.S. and Canada, says it has jurisdiction over all potential war crimes suspects who were citizens in Kosovo, which includes Kosovars and Serbs. It is part of Kosovo's legal system and covers crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes committed during and immediately after the 1998-1999 war.

The court's prosecutors are investigating allegations that senior members of the Kosovo Liberation Army ran detention centers where Serbs and other civilian captives were killed and their organs sold on the black market.

Earlier this month Kosovo President Hashim Thaci expressed doubts that the special court would "strengthen the feeling of justice for the war victims" since he and other Kosovars say it focuses on Kosovo Liberation Army fighters. He complained that the international community is discriminating against Kosovo.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade has not recognized.

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Associated Press writer Llazar Semini contributed from Tirana, Albania.

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Follow Semini on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lsemini
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican confirmed Friday that Pope Francis had ordered up an investigation into alleged financial and other irregularities in the diocese of one of his top advisers, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga.

Italian newsweekly L'Espresso said the investigation was initiated in May following allegations of failed investments, questionable expenses by one of Maradiaga's deputies, and the ultimate destination of a 35,000 euro monthly payment to the cardinal by the Catholic University of Honduras.

Rodriguez Maradiaga's supporters have told Catholic media the university funds - which belong to the Honduran church - are used to pay salaries and other diocesan expenses, and that such arrangements are used by other Honduran bishops.

The Vatican press office confirmed Friday that Francis ordered up an investigation, but provided no details. Significantly, it didn't deny L'Espresso's report.

Rodriguez Maradiaga is one of Francis' top cardinal advisers and a member of his parallel cabinet. He was the longtime head of the Vatican's Caritas International charity.

The L'Espresso report said the papal investigator, Argentine Bishop Jorge Pedro Casaretto, had looked in particular into financial losses by the diocese's media empire, failed overseas investments as well as expenditures by one of Rodriguez Maradiaga's top deputies for an "intimate friend."

The spokesman for the Catholic Church in Honduras, the Rev. Juan Angel Lopez, denied any investigation had been launched.

"What the Vatican has announced is that it will send someone to visit us ... and nothing else," he said.
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has announced it is leaving UNESCO citing the U.N. cultural agency's "systematic attacks" on the Jewish state.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Friday that the decision was based on the organization's "attempts to disconnect Jewish history from the land of Israel." He said the official letter of departure will be submitted before the year's end and that Israel will leave the organization by the end of 2018.

Israel has long complained of perceived anti-Israel bias within the U.N., where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters.

The U.S withdrew from UNESCO earlier this year citing similar reasons.

Recent resolutions by the organization outraged many Israelis who viewed them as diminishing the deep Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the biblical city of Hebron.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate left town for the year without acting on dozens of President Donald Trump's nominees, including his picks to head the Health and Human Services Department and NASA.

The Senate's lack of action returns the nominations to the White House, which will have to renominate them in January if Trump wants them installed. Among the nominees in limbo are former pharmaceutical company executive Alex Azar to run Health and Human Services, Oklahoma Rep. Jim Bridenstine to head NASA and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback for an ambassador's post.

The nomination of KT McFarland, a former deputy national security adviser nominated as U.S. ambassador to Singapore, is in doubt amid questions about her communications with ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.

FILE- In this Nov. 29, 2017, file photo, Alex Azar, President Donald Trump's nominee to become Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate has left town for the year without acting on dozens of President Donald Trump's nominees, including his pick to head the Health and Human Services Department. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said nominees will be considered once they are resubmitted next year.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., blamed Democrats for using procedural tactics to slow up Trump nominees.

"We've got agencies all over this town that can't answer a question because the bureaucrats are waiting on a Senate-confirmed individual to be able to lead that ... particular agency," said Lankford, who has pushed to change Senate rules to streamline the confirmation process.

Too many nominees "sit and wait," Lankford said Thursday in a speech on the Senate floor.

Democrats point out that the administration has taken its time in submitting official paperwork to the Senate on the nominees and also has withdrawn a number of high-level appointees, including choices for Labor secretary, Army secretary and drug czar.

McConnell also has made judicial appointments a priority and Trump has gotten 19 confirmed, including 12 circuit judges, the most in a president's first year in office in more than a century.

Under Senate rules, an appointee who has not received a confirmation vote by the end of the year must be nominated again unless senators agree unanimously to carry the nomination into the new year. Dozens of nominees, including Azar, Bridenstine and Brownback, were not granted exemptions, meaning at least one senator objected.

Azar has been nominated to replace Tom Price, who resigned in September over questions about his use of private jets.

A former Eli Lilly and Co. executive, Azar served three years on the board of the Indianapolis Airport Authority as it struggled to contain CEO John Clark III, who by some estimates racked up more than $200,000 in publicly funded travel.

Senators at Azar's confirmation hearing last month focused on whether he is willing to stand up for consumers rather than "Big Pharma" as a former executive at the Indiana drug giant.

A Trump administration official said Azar will be renominated early next month. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination, with a vote expected in a few weeks.

Sheryl Kaufman, a spokeswoman for Bridenstine, said the congressman is optimistic the Senate will move "expeditiously" to confirm his nomination when it is refiled early next year.

A Senate committee narrowly backed Bridenstine last month. Democrats criticized past comments he made dismissive of global warming as a man-made problem. They also questioned whether he would keep the space agency from being mired in political battles.

Brownback faces opposition from Democrats and LGBT groups. In 2015, he rescinded an executive order banning discrimination in state hiring and employment against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals. Brownback, a social conservative, argued that the GOP-controlled Legislature should sign off on such a policy.

Brownback told The Associated Press earlier this week that his nomination had taken "way too long, as have a number of nominations this year."

Other nominees being delayed include Kathleen Hartnett White, who has been named to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Thomas Farr, a district court nominee whose work defending North Carolina's redistricting maps and a voter identification law has raised concerns among civil rights advocates.

Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment Committee, said White's "extreme" record "and shockingly poor performance" before the panel "elicited serious concerns on both sides of the aisle."

Carper said he is hopeful Trump will "start the new year on the right foot by nominating a new and better qualified candidate to lead this consequential office."

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking in Washington and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas contributed to this story.
NEW YORK (AP) - The day after last November's presidential election, Paul Thomas Anderson boarded a plane to London to go make a movie about love.

"Phantom Thread," which began shooting days after the inauguration, is a hushed chamber drama made amid a time of wall-to-wall cacophony. For his second - and as it has turned out, likely final - collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis, the protean 47-year-old Californian filmmaker endeavored to make his British gothic romance - his "Rebecca."

"We have a really old-fashioned kind of film. It has nothing to do with the current state of the world. Maybe that's good, in a way," Anderson said in a recent interview in SoHo. "The more the world continues to turn upside down, the more appreciative we can be of all these small things every day that we have with each other."

In this image released by Focus Features, Daniel Day-Lewis, left, appears with director Paul Thomas Anderson on the set of "Phantom Thread." In 'Phantom Thread,' Anderson stitches together a 'peculiar' love story for what Daniel Day-Lewis has said will be his final film. (Laurie Sparham/Focus Features via AP)

It's a nice sentiment that Anderson is immediately suspicious of.

"It's a good time for pitchforks, too," he adds. "And I know just where to aim them."

But "Phantom Thread" needs nothing sharper than a seamstress' needle to pierce and prod. The film is set in the meticulous world of a 1950s couturier. Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis) is a women's clothing designer of precise routine and enchanting craft. On a country trip from his London town house he meets a waitress at a seaside hotel, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who become his model and muse.

Romance invades his rigidly guarded creative sphere and "Phantom Thread" becomes a spellbinding, and often funny, collision of art and love, stubborn isolation and won't-take-no-for-an-answer intimacy. Alma, in the end, is a disruption just as eye-opening as the frogs that fell from the sky in Anderson's "Magnolia."

"Are we disciplined enough to build in a proper pause to our life? Or are we so consumed with running around that it's only acts of God or large outside forces that propel us to stop, take stock of how lucky we are?" says Anderson. "And without it, most of us will continue to be rushing around like lunatics, not looking at what's right in front of us."

"Phantom Thread" at times takes on the ominous tone of a Hitchcock film, but it veers away from such suspenseful dramatics - "more told as - oh, I don't know - as a peculiar romance movie," says Anderson. "A kind of movie-movie way to look at what a relationship is really like."

"I wish there was a moment in 'Rebecca' about 45 minutes in where she was like, 'Right. Enough of your s---. I've had it with your nastiness,'" he says, laughing.

The movie, which Focus Features will release Monday, is yet another sharp swing in direction for Anderson, whose last three films ("There Will Be Blood," ''The Master," ''Inherent Vice") were all period California dramas that dove headlong into America's past: greed and fury in the turn-of-the-century oil boom; the existential drift of post-World War II America; the fading counterculture of Thomas Pynchon's 1970s Los Angeles.

While Day-Lewis's Daniel Plainview of "There Will Be Blood" was a volcanic force of nature, his Reynolds Woodcock is a more refined figure of fervor. Perhaps not so dissimilar from Day-Lewis, he's consumed by his much-celebrated work. But the demands of concentration required for his process are considerable. Some memorable scenes were partly improvised by the intensely Method-acting Day-Lewis, like one where Woodcock chastises Alma for bringing him tea at the wrong time. As she departs after a tongue-lashing, Woodcock fumes: "Yes, you can take the tea out but the interruption is staying right here with me."

"I thought, boy oh boy, is that a great one," says Anderson, grinning "Only someone with access to that feeling could come up with that one."

Krieps, a 34-year-old newcomer from Luxembourg, didn't meet Day-Lewis until the first day of shooting at a London church. She vividly remembers the echoing sound of his approaching steps.

"Of course I was nervous," says Krieps. "When I knew I was going to be his partner, I decided to forget whatever I knew. Not Google him, not watch his movies, not know anything about Method acting. I don't know if it was right but it worked for not having a panic attack during the shooting. I tried to empty myself of all of expectations and hopes and fears. I tried to make Alma like a blank sheet."

Day-Lewis has said the film will be his last. The actor told W magazine of the decision: "Before making the film, I didn't know I was going to stop acting. I do know that Paul and I laughed a lot before we made the movie. And then we stopped laughing because we were both overwhelmed by a sense of sadness."

Anderson says his only sadness was the usual one that accompanies a years-long project winding down. But there were notable interruptions to the film's own single-minded bubble, and not only political distractions. On the final day of shooting, the filmmaker Jonathan Demme - a lifelong inspiration and friend to Anderson - died. "Phantom Thread" is dedicated to him.

"It was a crazy combination of melancholy," says Anderson of the final day. "His voice was rattling around in my head. 'Buddy! You finished your film!'"

The initial germ for "Phantom Thread" came when Anderson noticed the tender way his partner, the actress Maya Rudolph (they have four children together), looked at him while he was sick. Illness plays such a central role in the film that Rudolph first responded to the film by asking Anderson: "So you want me to poison you?"

But Anderson, disarmingly genial for a genius filmmaker, shares little of Woodcock's ways. While there's seldom an imperfectly composed shot in his movies, Anderson's way of filmmaking is exploratory and curious.

"He gives you everything," says Lesley Manville, who co-stars as Woodcock's ever-present sister and partner. "You've got this amazing house to shoot in. You've got these extraordinary clothes. Great hairdresser, great makeup. Everything's right. And then he lets you put your color on this great canvas."

Among movie directors, Anderson estimates he's "pretty low on the OCD scale."

"My obsessions are very different than (Woodcock's)," says Anderson. "I'm not too strict with my rules. I'm moody as hell for sure. He thrives in silence. I thrive more with noise. I come from a very large family and I have a very large family. I kind of live much more in a pigpen than the world he creates."

"Phantom Thread" is, in a way, a mission statement for Anderson that suggests it's possible - even necessary - to make art while not being a complete jerk. Now, he's starting to, with eyes wide open, look for his next obsession.

"The fun part of this job is finishing one and you feel open to limitless possibilities," says Anderson. "Whatever your imagination can come up with."

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Latest on a new Ohio law banning doctors from performing abortions based on diagnoses of Down syndrome (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

An anti-abortion group says a new Ohio law banning doctors from performing abortions based on diagnoses of Down syndrome will give unborn babies with the genetic disorder "a shot at life." But abortion rights groups argue the law will be another blow to women's constitutional right to legal abortion.

Republican Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sihk) signed the legislation into law Friday.

The anti-abortion group Ohio Right to Life says the law will prevent discrimination based on misinformation.

Abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio says the law is part of "an anti-choice strategy to systematically make all abortion care illegal."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio calls the legislation unconstitutional and says it's determining its next steps.

North Dakota and Indiana were ahead of Ohio in passing similar restrictions, but Indiana's has been blocked by a judge.

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12:35 p.m.

Ohio is prohibiting doctors from performing abortions based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome, joining two other states with similarly strict legislation.

Republican Gov. John Kasich signed the legislation into law Friday.

The president of the anti-abortion group Ohio Right to Life says it gives unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome a "shot at life." The executive director of the abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio predicts it will have a "chilling effect" on doctor-patient conversations.

Doctors who perform the procedures could face felony charges and would risk losing their medical license.

North Dakota and Indiana have passed similar restrictions. Indiana's law has been blocked by a federal judge, who says the state has no right to limit women's reasons for terminating a pregnancy.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Management within the Pascagoula Chevron Refinery believe they identified the person responsible with placing a noose on company property on Monday, according to a statement released Friday afternoon.

On Monday, the noose was found hanging in an operating unit at the refinery.

Tuesday afternoon, Chevron released a statement informing the community of the company's stance and their immediate launch of an investigation.

Friday afternoon, the company released the findings of their investigation in a statement released by company spokesman, Alan Sudduth.

"On December 18, a noose was found hanging in an operating area at the Pascagoula Refinery. The item was immediately removed and the matter reported to Refinery leadership.

An internal investigation by Chevron's Refinery Security Team and Global Security Team was initiated. That investigation team has collected sufficient evidence to identify the person we believe is responsible. The evidence indicates that this individual acted alone and does not pose a threat to personnel at the refinery. The evidence further indicates that the individual is not a Chevron employee and is no longer on site. The individual will not be allowed on site in the future.

We are turning over the evidence we have to local law enforcement and will continue to cooperate with them as needed. To protect the integrity of the investigation, we are not releasing information about what evidence has been collected. We also remain in contact with the local chapter of the NAACP.

Diversity and inclusion and protecting people are some of the core values of The Chevron Way and the Pascagoula Refinery. Chevron will not tolerate discriminatory or harassing actions that seek to undermine our core values. The Chevron Way holds everyone accountable in encouraging an inclusive workplace that values the diversity of ideas and talents and placing the highest priority on the health and safety of our workforce."

Curley Clark, president of the Moss Point-Jackson County chapter of the NAACP released the following statement Friday evening:

"The individual responsible for erecting a hangman's noose at the Chevron facility has been identified and reprimanded. He is no longer on the property; nor has access.

The NAACP has been assured that the company holds true to its commitment to diversity and inclusion."

The Mississippi Press placed a call to the Pascagoula Police Department to inquire if charges would be brought forth against the individual responsible, however, our calls have yet to garner a response.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump has endorsed Republican congressman Ron DeSantis for Florida governor.

Trump tweeted Friday that DeSantis is "a brilliant young leader."

DeSantis, who is 39, back in August proposed a time limit on funding for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Russia and Trump or his associates. DeSantis's House website has a link to a column he signed on FoxNews.com.

Other Trump allies have tried to discredit Mueller and his team.

Trump's endorsement came as the president headed to his Florida estate for Christmas vacation.

The president's backing could be a blow to Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, the current GOP front runner in the Florida gubernatorial race.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea on Friday in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang says is capable of reaching anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

The resolution adopted by the council includes sharply lower limits on North Korea's refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 24 months, and a crackdown on ships smuggling banned items including coal and oil to and from the country.

But the resolution doesn't include even harsher measures sought by the Trump administration that would ban all oil imports and freeze international assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

Matthew Rycroft, left, Britain's Ambassador to the U.N. and U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley vote in favor of a resolution, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, at United Nations headquarters. The council is voting on proposed new sanctions against North Korea, including sharply lower limits on its refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 12 months, and a crackdown on the country's shipping. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The resolution, drafted by the United States and negotiated with the North's closest ally China, drew criticism from Russia for the short time the 13 other council nations had to consider the draft, and last-minute changes to the text. Two of those changes were extending the deadline for North Korean workers to return home from 12 months to 24 months - which Russia said was the minimum needed - and reducing the number of North Koreans being put on the U.N. sanctions blacklist from 19 to 15.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said after the vote that "the unity this council has shown in leveling these unprecedented sanctions is a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regime's actions."

The Security Council has stood united for the 10th time "against a North Korean regime that rejects the pursuit of peace," she said.

President Donald Trump tweeted the 15-0 vote, adding: "The World wants Peace, not Death!"

China's deputy U.N. ambassador, Wu Haitao, said it's "imperative" to pursue a peaceful settlement and resume dialogue and negotiations at an early date, warning that resorting to force "will only lead to disastrous consequences."

Deputy Russian Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov also demanded that key parties display "openness to genuine, meaningful political dialogue." Stressing the importance of "creative approaches," he said that "isolation and pressure must give way to dialogue and talks."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for a political solution, "which requires de-escalation and open communication channels now," his spokesman said.

Haley recalled that the previous sanctions resolution approved in September, when combined with earlier measures, would ban over 90 percent of North Korea's exports reported in 2016.

That resolution, adopted in response to North Korea's sixth and strongest nuclear test explosion on Sept. 3, banned North Korea from importing all natural gas liquids and condensates. It also banned all textile exports and prohibited any country from authorizing new work permits for North Korean workers - two key sources of hard currency for the northeast Asian nation.

Haley told the council Friday that the new resolution "bans all remaining categories of major North Korean exports - a loss of nearly $250 million in revenue to the regime."

Here are key provisions of the new sanctions:

-The import of refined oil products, including diesel and kerosene that are key to North Korea's economy, is capped at 500,000 barrels a year. That represents a reduction from the 4.5 million barrels North Korea imported in 2016, and a cap of 2 million barrels in September's resolutions. And it means the North's refined oil imports have been cut by 90 percent.

-The import of crude oil is capped at 4 million barrels a year and countries supplying oil are required to provide quarterly reports to the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions on North Korea.

-North Korea is banned from exporting food and agriculture products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stones, wood and vessels - and all countries are banned from importing these items.

-All countries are banned from exporting industrial machinery, transportation vehicles, iron, steel and other metals to North Korea.

-All countries must expel North Korean workers and safety monitors by the end of 2019. The resolution expresses concern that earnings from these workers are being used to support the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. According to the U.S. Mission, there are nearly 100,000 overseas North Korean workers, with about 50,000 in China and 30,000 in Russia.

-U.N. member states are authorized to seize, inspect and impound any ship in their ports or territorial waters suspected of being involved in illegal smuggling and evasion of U.N. sanctions. The resolution expresses "great concern" that North Korea is illegally exporting coal and other prohibited items "through deceptive maritime practices and obtaining petroleum illegally through ship-to-ship transfers."

-All countries are banned from providing insurance or re-insurance to North Korean-affiliated ships believed to be involved in illegal smuggling and sanctions evasion and are required to de-register these vessels.

-Fifteen North Koreans, including 13 representing banks overseas, and the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces were added to the U.N. sanctions blacklist. The two others facing a travel ban and asset freeze are Kim Jong Sik, identified as a leading official guiding North Korea's development of weapons of mass destruction, and Ri Pyong Chul, an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and first vice director of the Munitions Industry Department.

North Korea's test on Nov. 29 of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile yet was its 20th launch of a ballistic missile this year, and added to fears that it will soon have a military arsenal that can viably target the U.S. mainland.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the Security Council was sending "a very strong united signal to the North Korean regime that enough is enough - that they must stop their nuclear program and they must stop their intercontinental ballistic missile program."

France's U.N. ambassador, Francois Delattre, said: "We believe maximum pressure today is our best lever to a political and diplomatic solution tomorrow ... (and) our best antidote to the risk of war."

The new resolution reiterates the Security Council's regret at North Korea's "massive diversion of its scarce resources toward its development of nuclear weapons and a number of expensive ballistic missile programs." It notes that 41 percent of the population is undernourished.

The resolution reaffirms the council's support for a resumption of six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program aimed at the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

It also reiterates the importance of maintaining peace and stability in northeast Asia and "expresses its commitment to a peace, diplomatic and political solution to the situation ... through dialogue."

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley talks with Chinese deputy ambassador Wu Haitao, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, at United Nations headquarters. The council is to vote on proposed new sanctions against North Korea, including sharply lower limits on its refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 12 months, and a crackdown on the country's shipping. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley votes in favor of a resolution, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, at United Nations headquarters. The Security Council is voting on proposed new sanctions against North Korea, including sharply lower limits on its refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 12 months, and a crackdown on the country's shipping. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Chinese deputy ambassador to the U.N. Wu Haitao speaks at the Security Council, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, at United Nations headquarters. The council voted on proposed new sanctions against North Korea, including sharply lower limits on its refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 12 months, and a crackdown on the country's shipping. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

FILE - In this Nov. 27, 2017, file photo, North Korean soldiers look at the South side as a South Korean stands guard near the spot where a North Korean soldier crossed the border on Nov. 13 at the Panmunjom, in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. South Korea says on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, it has fired 20 rounds of warning shots as North Korean soldiers approached a military demarcation line at the border after their comrade defected to South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

In this Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, file photo, visitors tour the Imjingak Pavilion, with barbed wire seen at left, in Paju, South Korea. South Korean soldiers fired 20 warning machine gun rounds Thursday, turning back North Korean soldiers apparently pursuing a comrade who had earlier dashed across the rivals' shared border, officials said. It is the fourth time this year a North Korean soldier has defected across the world's most heavily armed border. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

Visitors walk by the wire fence decorated with ribbons carrying messages to wish for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. South Korean soldiers fired 20 warning machine gun rounds Thursday, turning back North Korean soldiers apparently pursuing a comrade who had earlier dashed across the rivals' shared border, officials said. It is the fourth time this year a North Korean soldier has defected across the world's most heavily armed border. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A protester holds up a banner to oppose the United States' policies against North Korea near U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. The U.N. Security Council is meeting Friday to vote on whether to impose new sanctions on North Korea, including sharply cutting limits on its imports of refined oil, forcing all North Koreans working overseas to return home within 12 months, and cracking down on the country's shipping. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):

4:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump is in Florida celebrating the holidays and a much-needed political victory.

President Donald Trump shows off the tax bill after signing it in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Before departing for his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump signed the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul into law. He also put off a government shutdown by signing a temporary spending bill.

The tax cut is a long-held Republican goal. Starting next year, the new law will give big cuts to corporation and wealthy Americans and more modest reductions to other families.

Trump pitches the tax overhaul as a win for the middle class, insisting that even though polling indicates the tax cut is unpopular, "the numbers will speak" for themselves.

The tax law is the largest since 1986, but far from the biggest ever, as the president repeatedly claims. It's also projected to add to the nation's debt.

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12:15 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he's learned a lot about Washington, partly by getting to know members of Congress. Asked whether he has any regrets over his first 11 months, he shook his head no.

The president spoke as he signed a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul that marks his first major legislative achievement. He said he ordered up the last-minute Oval Office event because news coverage questioned whether he would sign the bill into law by Christmas.

The legislation provides generous cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, along with smaller ones for middle class and low-income families.

It also ends fines for people who don't carry health insurance. That's a major change but far from end of "Obamacare," as Trump has suggested.

The new tax law also could swell the national debt over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

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11 a.m.

President Donald Trump has signed into law a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul package.

Trump touted the size of the tax cut, declaring to reporters in the Oval Office before he signed it Friday that "the numbers will speak."

The president said he was going to wait to sign it until after Jan. 1 but changed his mind.

The legislation provides generous cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans and smaller ones for the middle class and low-income families.

It is the first major overhaul of the nation's tax laws since 1986, but far from the largest tax cuts in American history as the president claims. Politically, it marks the Republicans' first major legislative accomplishment of Trump's presidency.

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10:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he's getting ready to sign into law a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul package. It provides generous cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans and smaller ones for the middle class and low-income families.

Trump tweeted that he'll sign the law in the Oval Office before jetting off to his Florida estate for Christmas.

It is the first major overhaul of the nation's tax laws since 1986, but far from the largest tax cuts in American history as the president claims. Politically, it marks the Republicans' first major legislative accomplishment of Trump's presidency.

Some estimates say the cuts could add to the nation's soaring deficit.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Their tax bill triumph in the rear-view mirror, Republicans running Congress face a 2018 in which they'll need Democratic votes to get almost anything done.

And that won't be easy. Short of a few must-pass items, divisions within both parties plus a natural election-year tendency to draw distinctions with the other side means achievements and cooperation will be minimal.

The pressure will be on the GOP, which controls the White House, Senate and House and would probably be blamed by voters for any major screw-ups. Since Republicans will have just a 51-49 Senate majority next year - well shy of the 60 votes needed to pass most bills - Democrats will have leverage for most things, including a deal to prevent a politically jolting January federal shutdown.

Ready to leave for the Christmas recess, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to a news conference to discuss the GOP agenda for next year and and his accomplishments in the first year of the Trump Administration, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Their tax bill triumph in the rear-view mirror, Republicans running Congress face a 2018 in which they'll need Democratic votes to get almost anything done. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

"There's not much you can do on a partisan basis in the Senate," Senate Majority Leader McConnell, R-Ky., conceded to reporters Friday.

Topping McConnell's immediate list will be a spending bill averting a shutdown and providing big boosts for the Pentagon. In exchange, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will be demanding comparable increases for domestic spending. Schumer also wants a deal to extend protections that President Donald Trump has threatened to halt for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, the so-called Dreamers.

Factored into Democrats' thinking: Their recent momentum-building successes swiping a Senate seat in Alabama, holding governorships in Virginia and New Jersey and grabbing unexpected local legislative seats. With Trump's profound unpopularity weighing down the GOP across the country, Republicans face a legitimate risk of losing House and Senate control in the November midterm elections.

McConnell said he'll be looking for bipartisan cooperation on immigration and an effort to ease parts of the Dodd-Frank law that regulates financial market, but Democrats won't be eager to shake hands quickly.

"For Democrats, there's no reason to cut a deal just for the sake of cutting a deal, especially with the Republican Party as weakened as it is right now," said Jim Manley, a Democratic consultant.

Also in play in January will be money to keep nearly 9 million low-income children in all 50 states covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program, an extension of a law allowing U.S. surveillance of foreigners overseas and tens of billions of dollars for recovery from storms and other disasters in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and elsewhere.

Even as GOP leaders plot their broader 2018 agenda, they'll need to cautiously seek a sweet spot between showing hard-core Republican voters that they're pursuing conservative goals and protecting their more centrist and vulnerable members from damaging votes.

That will be complicated by internal divisions. Already, McConnell and his House counterpart, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., seem to be contemplating divergent pathways.

Ryan, whose Republicans are generally more conservative than GOP senators, has talked about overhauling benefit programs like welfare, Medicaid and parts of Medicare. Reining those ever-growing programs has long been a priority for Ryan and his party, but targeting popular entitlements in an election year can be risky. McConnell signaled this week that he's not likely to do that.

"We'll not be doing entitlement reform unless we have enough Democratic support to achieve it," McConnell said in an interview, citing a condition that seems just shy of implausible.

The year just ending underscored the limits of unity within both parties.

Republicans rallied around their $1.5 trillion tax overhaul, a primary plank of GOP ideology for decades. They also banded together to confirm the nominations of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and other top federal judges and to peel back 14 rules enacted during the final months of Barack Obama's presidency dealing with guns, the internet, education and the environment.

But Republicans splintered when it came to their failed effort to erase Obama's health care law. And they face internal divides over issues like spending, where hard-right members of the House Freedom Caucus can be single-minded in their desire to slash spending and defy leadership efforts to strike compromises inevitably needed with Democrats.

"The only difference that mitigated the December difficulties is we passed a historic tax reform bill," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who leads the Freedom Caucus. "We're not going to have an historic tax reform bill to fall back on in January, so now it gets down to some very difficult decisions on how we move forward."

Democrats also face splits over how aggressively to pursue their agenda, particularly immigration.

While party leaders like Schumer work toward reaching an agreement with Republicans, some liberals and members of the party's Congressional Hispanic Caucus accuse them of not being assertive enough.

In one tell-tale look at that rift, 17 Senate Democrats - including several seeking re-election next year from GOP-leaning states - voted Thursday for the bill that prevented a federal shutdown this weekend.

Twenty-nine Democrats voted "no," including some of its most liberal members and potential presidential contenders. They included Sherrod Brown of Ohio, New Jersey's Cory Booker and Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren. Schumer joined them.

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AP reporters Matthew Daly, Kevin Freking and Andrew Taylor contributed to this story.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A 70-year-old woman accused of manufacturing the deadly toxin ricin and testing it on fellow residents at a Vermont retirement community has pleaded not guilty.

The Burlington Free Press reports that Betty Miller was arraigned on Friday.

Miller, who has an extensive mental health history, was arrested last month after telling investigators she made the ricin at her home at the Wake Robin community in Shelburne because she wanted to "injure herself." According to a federal complaint, she told investigators she tested the poison's effectiveness by putting it in residents' food or beverages. No one became seriously ill.

According to the complaint, she said she made the ricin from castor beans she harvested from plants growing at Wake Robin.

Miller is being held in a Vermont jail.

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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota conservatives stymied on recent high-profile measures by Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard are eyeing the end of his last term in early 2019, betting their preferred policies will fare better under either of two Republican front-runners looking to replace him.

Since his 2014 re-election, Daugaard has won a pair of tax increases, supported expanding the Medicaid health program and blocked gun-rights and transgender "bathroom" bills, much to the dismay of conservatives in this heavily GOP state. They're predicting that the top two Republicans vying to succeed Daugaard - Attorney General Marty Jackley and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem - will be more supportive of their ideas.

"There are a number of conservative legislators in South Dakota that are frustrated right now, that are saying we just have to ride out Gov. Daugaard's last remaining year," said state Rep. Lynne DiSanto, who this year sponsored a bill that would have loosened restrictions on carrying concealed handguns. "I think that Gov. Daugaard has pretty clearly shown his colors - especially during his second term."

FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2017 file photo, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard gives his annual budget address at the State Capitol in Pierre, S.D. South Dakota conservatives stymied on high-profile bills by Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard are eyeing the end of his last term in early 2019. They're betting their policies will fare better under either Republican front-runner in the race to replace the term-limited governor.(Briana Sanchez/The Argus Leader via AP File)/The Argus Leader via AP)

Daugaard vetoed DiSanto's proposal that would have let people carry concealed handguns without a permit shortly before neighboring North Dakota's governor signed a "constitutional carry" law; Daugaard also rejected such a measure in 2012. In 2016, Daugaard vetoed a bill that would have restricted which bathrooms transgender students could use at school, saying it didn't address "any pressing issue" and that such decisions were best left to local schools. Supporters scuttled a similar proposal this year after he threatened to do it again.

Jackley and Noem have already offered support for both ideas. Backers have said they plan to wait until 2019 before pushing them again.

"I certainly think they recognize that the hill has been too high for them and probably still remains so for at least another year," Daugaard said. "Whether it remains so afterwards - time will tell."

The 64-year-old Daugaard's final legislative session as governor starts Jan. 9; he can't run again next year because of term limits.

Ed Randazzo, director of political operations at Family Heritage Alliance Action, an influential nonprofit that supports bathroom legislation, said he thinks both Jackley and Noem are generally friendlier to what he called "faith, family and freedom" issues.

"Generally speaking, we think the governor's office will be more receptive to our issues," he said.

That wouldn't be the case if state Sen. Billie Sutton becomes the first Democratic governor elected in South Dakota since 1974. The Senate Democratic leader has said he could serve as a check on the Republican-controlled Legislature and opposes the bathroom legislation.

Terri Bruce, a transgender man who fought against the bathroom bill last year, said he's worried about what's to come after Daugaard leaves office. Critics say that such measures are discriminatory; supporters insist they're trying to protect students' privacy.

"I think Daugaard is a moderate Republican," Bruce said. "I hope that by that time rolls around, that it will be such a non-issue that we don't even go there."

Jackley's campaign earlier this year hired the founder of the Family Heritage Alliance to work as state political director for the campaign, likely a move to court conservative voters ahead of the June 2018 primary for governor.

Daugaard, whose 45-point margin of victory in 2014 was the largest of any governor in state history, takes pride in South Dakota's financial health. The same governor who orchestrated a massive cut in state spending to eliminate a budget deficit early in his first term has since championed tax hikes to fund roads and wage hikes for teachers.

Spokesmen for both Jackley and Noem say they would oppose tax increases if elected governor.

But Daugaard has supported some ideas backed by conservative lawmakers. This year, he signed a bill to give legal protections to faith-based organizations that refuse based on their religious beliefs to place children in certain households. In 2016, he signed into law a 20-week abortion ban.

"I'm sure there are some who see me as too conservative and some who see me as too liberal, and maybe that isn't a bad spot to be in," Daugaard said.
Bitcoin went into freefall on Friday, its price collapsing from the dizzying heights of nearly $20,000 earlier this week to around $12,000 as steam appeared to be running out of its year-end rally.

According to Coindesk, the cryptocurrency was trading at $12,137, a fall of 36 per cent in five days. Its price has fallen by over $2,000 in the space of 12 hours.

It comes after a troubled week for Bitcoin, in which a cryptocurrency exchange went bust in South Korea following a cyber attack, knocking its price.

The price of Bitcoin has fallen from $20,000 earlier this week to $12,137 as its rally runs out of steam

Coinbase, another exchange based in the US, also said it was opening an investigation into sharp price increases.

It temporarily halted trading amid a price rout in cryptocurrencies. In a statement the company said: 'Investigating. All buys and sells have been temporarily disabled. We are working on a fix and apologize for any inconvenience.'

Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital, said: 'Has the bubble finally popped? It's hard to see the bell tolling just yet.

'Large price swings have become so normal that it's hard to decide  we can easily see this market bounce back in very short order.

'Whilst there have been some hacks, public infighting in the mining community, lots of rumoured forks and regulatory pressure building on some fronts, this is likely to be a simple bout of risk-off selling as investors rebalance towards year-end.

The fall comes after a troubled week for Bitcoin, in which a cryptocurrency exchange went bust in South Korea following a cyber attack, knocking its price

'It looks like it's time to cash in the gains and spend the winnings on a bumper Christmas.'

But it hasn't all been bad news this week.

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) launched its own bitcoin futures trading on Monday, following in the footsteps of the CBOE exchange.

US regulators approved futures trading in Bitcoin earlier this month and Goldman Sachs is reportedly gearing up to enter the market.

A Bitcoin ATM machine at Olive's Caribbean Restaurant, New Cross, south London. Despite this week's flop the currency is trading well up on the year

JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon has branded Bitcoin a 'fraud', while Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund said 'it may not be wise to dismiss virtual currencies'.

The Treasury has announced plans for closer scrutiny of the cryptocurrency as part of EU-wide plans that will require online platforms that trade in Bitcoin to carry out due diligence on customers and report suspicious transactions.

But that has not curbed excitement over its emerging investment opportunities.

Despite its Friday flop, the currency is still well up on the year, rising from around $900 US dollars in January to today's price.
The head of the Metropolitan Police Federation has condemned the abhorrent actions of two retired officers accused of leaking details about the discovery of pornography on former Cabinet minister Damian Greens computer.

Ken Marsh, whose organisation represents more than 30,000 officers, spoke out after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson suggested they may have been motivated by a vendetta.

Former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Bob Quick and ex-detective constable Neil Lewis have been warned they could face prosecution for passing confidential information obtained during a 2008 police inquiry to the media.

Pornography was found on Damian Green's computer (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: 'Police had Green vendetta, says Boris' #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/wjz4UR5U1g  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) December 21, 2017

Mr Marsh told The Times: Its unfair and disingenuous that again we are being hauled over the coals when most of my colleagues think that what these retired officers did is abhorrent.

We are all privy to confidential information but we respect the rules. All this has done is pit the Tories against the police again.

His comments come amid a furious backlash from Conservative MPs in the wake of Mr Greens sacking on Wednesday.

Speaking during a visit to Moscow, Mr Johnson added his voice to calls for further investigation of the way police evidence about the discovery of legal porn on his work computer found its way into the press.

He said: Im very sad for Damian and I think he has been a fine public servant and done a great job, and hopefully one day he will come back and continue to serve in other ways.

I think plainly, judging by the exchange of letters, he agreed that he had broken the ministerial code so the result was inevitable.

But I think it was a bit whiffy, frankly, this business with whatever happened with the information from his computer.

I dont quite see why that was brought into the public domain in the way it was. I think it needs to be investigated further, as the Prime Minister was saying.

It had the slight feeling of a vendetta.
A "sickening" cockfighting gang has been banned for life from keeping birds after detectives found a blood-spattered fighting pit at a home in east London.

Police and RSPCA officers raided an address in Ilford and disrupted a suspected organised cockfight in an outbuilding.

A cockerels blood was found splashed across a fighting pit, which had seats around the edge as a viewing area, and 10 cockerels and two hens were seized.

Several of the cockerels had injuries consistent with fighting, one was found to have sharpened spurs - a common cockfighting tactic - and the cockerels acted aggressively towards a dummy bird used as a training aid.

One of the 10 cockerels seized by police and RSPCA officers in Ilford (RSPCA/PA)

Five men were convicted at an earlier trial of animal welfare offences and they were sentenced at Barkingside Magistrates Court in east London on Thursday, the RSPCA said.

All were banned from keeping birds and sentenced to a 200-hour community punishment order.

The men found guilty of being present at a cockfight on January 2 are: Mohamed Arif, 44, of Fairfield Road, Ilford; Akhtar Hussain, 47, of Greenhill Grove, Manor Park; Mehtab Ahmed, 41, of Celebration Way, Highams Park; Mohammed Asab, 51, of Water Lane, Ilford; and Altaf Hussain, 54, of Parkstone Road, Coventry.

Asab was also found guilty of causing an animal fight, training animals for use in connection with an animal fight, keeping a premises for use for an animal fight, and causing unnecessary suffering to a cockerel.

He was handed a 22-week suspended sentence, ordered to pay 12,000 costs and had his birds and cockfighting items confiscated.

The other men were ordered to pay 1,500 costs each, and Arif was ordered to hand over his birds.

RSPCA inspector Cliff Harrison, who led the investigation, said: "Cockfighting is an abhorrent and cruel practice which was outlawed almost 200 years ago.

"To take enjoyment from watching two birds inflict such horrendous  and often life-threatening  injuries on each other is something that should be well and truly confined to the history books."

The evidence suggested the men were there to watch and bet on the fight, he said, adding that photos and videos of cockerels being trained and of a champion trophy presentation were found on seized mobile phones.

"This was vital in proving that this group was part of an organised ring of cockfighters who operated this sickening league  with the birds paying the ultimate price," he said.

The seized birds, all aseel or asil types originating from India and Pakistan, are in RSPCA care and will be rehomed.
A High Court judge who says he is very concerned indeed about a four-year-old girl missing with her schizophrenic mother has appealed for help from Britons spending the Christmas holiday in Spain.

Mr Justice Hayden says there is evidence to suggest that Elliana Shand and 26-year-old Jessica Richards are now in Alicante on the Costa Blanca.

He has authorised the release of photographs and has urged ex-pats and British tourists to raise the alarm immediately if they think they have any information.

Elliana, who has been at the centre of private family court litigation, and her mother disappeared from their London home during the summer after social services staff at Barking and Dagenham Council raised concern about the youngsters welfare.

Mr Justice Hayden is overseeing Ellianas case at hearings in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

He appealed for help finding the pair in November.

Elliana Shand

Earlier this month Ellianas grandfather, Sean Doyle, whose son Craig, 29, of Southend, Essex, is Ellianas father, made another appeal.

Now the judge has renewed pleas for help after investigators told him that there was evidence to suggest that Elliana has been taken to Alicante.

I am very concerned indeed about Elliana and her mother, said Mr Justice Hayden.

I would urge anyone living in Alicante or visiting the area for Christmas to keep their eyes open.

Please study their photographs and think very carefully whether you have seen them.

You might have seen Jessica in a shop, they might have seen Elliana out playing, they might have seen them on the beach or in a fast-food restaurant.

He added: It is imperative that they are found so that we can be sure they are safe.

Elliana is thought to have been abducted by her mother following intervention by social workers and in breach of a judges order.

Last week Mr Doyle, a Liverpool fan who campaigns for victims of the Hillsborough disaster, begged people for help.

Please think if you have seen them, said Mr Doyle, 51, who comes Liverpool but now lives with wife Eileen, 52, in the Wembley area of London.

We know Jessica loves Elliana to bits. But Jessica is schizophrenic and Elliana is very small.

They must be somewhere. Someone must have seen them.They both need help.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- A Vancleave man was sentenced to serve 15 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections on Tuesday for burglary of a dwelling and one count of auto burglary, per Sheriff Mike Ezell.

John Coty Harrington, 26, of Vancleave, pled guilty in November to one count of burglary of a dwelling and one count of auto burglary. The crimes occurred on Nov. 14, 2016 in Vancleave.

Harrington was arrested near the location of the burglary and ultimately confessed to the crimes, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.

On Tuesday, Dec. 19, Judge Dale Harkey sentenced Harrington on the charge of burglary of a dwelling as a habitual offender to 25 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with 15 years to serve, day for day.

Harrington was sentenced to the maximum penalty of seven years day for day for auto burglary in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Harkey also ordered Herrington's placement in prison in the Recidivism Reduction Program, which is meant to help offenders learn how to refrain from committing more crimes once they are released.

Harrington is no stranger to the law. Prior to his November crimes, Harrington had several prior felony convictions, four of which were residential burglaries. Therefore, he was sentenced as a habitual offender and must serve his sentence without the benefit of parole.

Burglary of any kind will not tolerated, District Attorney Tony Lawrence said.

"People have a right to feel safe and secure in their homes," Lawrence said. "This defendant has demonstrated his disregard for the laws of this State by continuing to burglarize homes in our community. I hope this fifteen year, day for day sentence sends a message that if you continue to violate the law, we will hold you accountable as a habitual offender."

Assistant District Attorney William Barrett prosecuted the case.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has insisted he will no longer accept any US plans for peace in the Middle East because of the Trump administrations recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

During a visit to Paris, Mr Abbas urged France and wider Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts, as he said the United States was no longer an honest mediator in the process.

The Palestinian leader met French president Emmanuel Macron in the nations capital a day after the UN General Assembly resolution denouncing US president Donald Trumps decision.

Final breakdown of the vote by member states on the resolution that was passed today in the #UNGA on the status of #Jerusalem. 128 in favor, 9 against and 35 abstentions. pic.twitter.com/IDKqh0HEPP  State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) December 21, 2017

During a news conference, Mr Macron was careful not to take sides, saying: The American mistake was to want to unilaterally manage from afar a situation whose solution is in the hands of the Israelis and Palestinians.

However, Mr Abbas said: We will not accept any plan from the United States of America because of its bias and violation of the international law.

He also denounced the US threat to cut financial aid for countries who voted to back the UN resolution.

We call upon countries that did not recognise Palestine yet to do so to preserve the two-state solution before its too late, he added.

Mr Macron reaffirmed his disapproval of Mr Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

During the news conference, Emmanuel Macron was careful not to take sides (Francois Mori/AP/Pool)

The French president recalled he met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month in Paris and urged him to make courageous gestures to help revive peace talks, including freezing Israels construction of settlements on occupied lands.

EU leaders, including Mr Macron, have reiterated support for establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

On Thursday, the UN General Assembly voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions in favour of the non-binding resolution countering the US recognition of Jerusalem.
CCTV of a moped gang smashing their way into a mobile phone shop in a spree of raids has been released by police.

The group, armed with hammers, knives, angle grinders and a battering ram, carried out 17 burglaries in stores across east and north London, according to the Metropolitan Police.

In the footage they can be seen arriving on scooters, wearing helmets and dark clothing, before smashing their way inside and ransacking the stockroom.

The men, armed with hammers and knives, broke their way into stores using portable angle grinders and fencing blocks used as makeshift battering rams (Metropolitan Police/PA)

During one of the robberies a witness was threatened with a firearm and security staff were beaten as they guarded the shops overnight, police said.

The total value of the stolen electronics and damage to the properties was estimated by officers to be about 1 million.

Ten men have either admitted or been found guilty of taking part in the burglaries, which took place between May and November last year.

Courtney White, 23, of Higham Road, Tottenham, north London, Mominur Rahman, 22, of Maitland Park Road, Camden, north London, Mohammed Hussain, 24, of Goulton Road, Hackney, east London, and Chang Mabiala, 21, of Union Square, Islington, north London, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary on Thursday after a trial at Blackfriars Crown Court.

Tools and weapons that were used by the gang (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Chris Costi, 19, of Linscott Close, Hackney, and Bobby Kennedy, 22, of no fixed address but from the Islington area, were convicted of the same charge after a trial in August.

Alfie Kennedy, 21, of Arlington Avenue, Hoxton, north London, Dylan Castano Lopez, 20, of Rust Square, Camberwell, south London, Adam Attalah, 21, of no fixed address, and Mohammed Ali, 24, of Newick Road, Hackney, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.

They are all due to be sentenced at a later date.
The Polish government has donated 100 million zlotys (21 million) to restore and protect a major Jewish cemetery in Warsaw, one of the countrys largest public contributions toward preserving the Jewish culture nearly wiped out in the Holocaust.

The Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, established in 1806, is the resting spot of 250,000 Polish Jews  Yiddish writers, rabbis, philanthropists, scholars, bankers and ordinary citizens who once belonged to a vibrant community that made up one-third of Warsaws population before the Second World War.

Among the notable people buried at the Okopowa Street cemetery are Ludwik Zamenhof, the creator of the Esperanto language (1859-1917), and Samuel Orgelbrand, publisher of Polands first modern encyclopedia (1810-1868).

Today, decades after the community was uprooted and destroyed, many sections of the cemetery are a desolate sight.

Graves at the Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw

Some tombstones are broken or disappearing below decades of decomposing vegetation, and others bear inscriptions rendered unreadable by erosion.

Its a disaster. Its a large territory in the middle of the city which looks like a jungle, said Michal Laszczkowski, the head of the Cultural Heritage Foundation, a private organisation that preserves Polish heritage sites.

Thats why we decided to do something.

The foundation will oversee the preservation work at the Jewish cemetery. Catholic churches, monuments and cemeteries have been among the organisations focus.

In Warsaw on Friday, Polish culture minister Piotr Glinski signed a contract with Mr Laszczkowski that formalised the government donation.

The money established an endowment, returns from which are supposed to go to cleaning the cemetery, preserving its tombstones and monuments and reinforcing an outer wall.

Anna Chipczynska, the head of the Warsaw Jewish community, and Michael Schudrich, an American who is the countrys chief rabbi, attended the signing.

While many Poles see Jews as a foreign nation or separate people despite centuries of co-existence, Mr Glinski described the cemetery as an element of Polands cultural and national heritage.

Its the duty of the Polish state to care for our heritage, the culture minister said.

Mr Schudrich called Mr Glinskis words honey to my heart and added: Its obvious, but sometimes it needs to be said.

Polands Jewish population numbered nearly 3.5 million on the eve of the Second World War.

Most were murdered in ghettos or death camps set up by the Nazis during the wartime occupation of Poland.

A Jewish community that numbers in the thousands now struggles to maintain hundreds of cemeteries and depends on local communities, volunteers and foreign donations for help.
Boris Johnson has signalled that he believes he is winning the battle in Cabinet over Britains approach to EU regulations after Brexit.

The Foreign Secretary is at the head of a group of senior ministers pushing for freedom to tear up Brussels red tape in the hope of boosting the UKs trade opportunities around the world, while others including Chancellor Philip Hammond are understood to be wary of taking steps which might limit access to the single market.

Prime Minister Theresa May has not said publicly which side she will come down on, but Mr Johnson said he believed his argument was "gaining ground".

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Moscow

Our negotiations hub contains all the key documents about our negotiations for a new partnership with the European Union https://t.co/WghkRxVxpJ pic.twitter.com/MlIDGSdj9i  Department for Exiting the EU (@DExEUgov) December 22, 2017

The US in particular has made clear that signing up to observe EU regulations on issues like data protection, animal welfare and food standards after Brexit could limit the kind of free trade deal available to the UK.

US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross warned during a recent visit to London that continued regulatory alignments could act as "land mines" to a deal.

Speaking during a visit to Moscow, Mr Johnson told reporters: "I think that the argument is gaining ground that it would be madness to leave the EU without taking back control of our regulatory freedoms."

Mr Johnson said that during recent talks with the Polish government he had heard their concerns over Brussels over-regulation in growth areas like bulk data, technology, artificial intelligence and bioscience.

He added that after Brexit, "we just may want to do things differently".

Mr Johnson said: "The world needs to move to global standards. I think the idea of regional blocs with very densely integrated legal systems - the EU is the only example of such a creation in the world at the moment.

"I think people want to see a much freer approach with global standards and individuals being able to trade more freely.

"I think that argument is gaining ground."
By Ben Blanchard and Jess Macy Yu

BEIJING/TAIPEI, Dec 21 (Reuters) - A Beijing court on Thursday handed down jail sentences of up to 15 years to 85 people deported from Kenya for telecoms fraud, including 44 from self-ruled Taiwan, an island Beijing claims as its own which said vital evidence had been ignored.

Over the past two years, countries including Kenya, Spain, Vietnam and Cambodia have deported hundreds of people from Taiwan to China for telecoms fraud, sparking accusations from Taipei that Beijing was effectively kidnapping its citizens.

China has defended the deportations, saying the crimes were committed against people in China and that as Taiwan is a part of China.

The Beijing court said in a statement that one of the Taiwanese, Chang Kai-min, had been jailed for 15 years for helping scam 185 people out of more than 29 million yuan ($4.4 million).

Taiwan's China policy-making Mainland Affairs Council said Taiwan and China had initially agreed to cooperate in investigating the Kenya case, but China had gone back on its word.

The outside world could only believe justice had been done if the case had fully considered all the evidence and gone through proper legal procedure, the council added.

"In this case, we obtained intelligence on the criminal suspects behind the scenes," it said.

"We again call on the mainland China side to cooperate with our public security organs, investigate the origins and not allow the masterminds behind the scenes to get away with it."

On at least two occasions last year, Kenya deported groups of Taiwanese to China. In one case, a Kenyan magistrate said the Taiwanese should be repatriated to their place of origin, Taiwan, but the Kenyan government sent them to China.

Kenya, like most countries, only has diplomatic relations with China. Beijing considers democratic Taiwan a wayward province, ineligible for formal ties with other nations.

Chinese authorities have sought to contain an explosion of telecom crime it says has led to huge financial losses, with callers often impersonating officials or authority figures and preying on the elderly, students or the unemployed.

The fraud has spread overseas, with Chinese speakers recruited in neighbouring Taiwan increasingly setting up operations in East Africa or Southeast Asia.

The deportations have come as relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated, with China suspecting Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of pushing for the island's formal independence.

She says she wants to maintain peace with China but will defend Taiwan's security and democracy. ($1 = 6.5835 yuan) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Jess Macy Yu; Editing by Nick Macfie)
By Emelia Sithole-Matarise

RUSAPE, Zimbabwe, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The last time white Zimbabwean farmer Rob Smart left his land it was at gunpoint, forced out in June by riot police armed with tear gas and AK-47 assault rifles.

He returned on Thursday to ululations and tears of joy from former workers and their families who were also kicked out - a jubilant return and the first sign that the president who has replaced Robert Mugabe is making good on a vow to stop illegal land seizures and restore property rights.

Scores of jubilant black Zimbabweans nearly knocked the 71-year-old off his feet as he and his two children stepped out of their car and onto their land for the first time in six months.

Smart's case was taken up by Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe's then vice-president who heard of Smart's violent eviction while at an investment conference in Johannesburg.

Mnangagwa became president last month following a de facto coup that ended 93-year-old Mugabe's rule. In the latter half of his 37 years in power, Zimbabwe's economy collapsed, especially after the seizure of thousands of white-owned commercial farms under the banner of post-colonial land reform.

Land ownership is one of Zimbabwe's most sensitive political topics. Colonialists seized some of the best agricultural land and much of it remained in the hands of white farmers after independence in 1980 leaving many blacks effectively landless.

Twenty years later, Mugabe authorized the violent invasion of many white-owned farms and justified it on the grounds that it was redressing imbalances from the colonial era.

White farmers complained that well connected people used state security forces to force them off their farms, sometimes in the middle of harvesting, even after the Mugabe government indicated, some four years ago, that land seizures were over.

"We are overjoyed, over the moon. We thought we would never see this day coming," Smart's son, Darryn, told Reuters.

"Getting back to the farm has given not just us, but the whole community hope that it's a new Zimbabwe, a new country."

Rob Smart, whose father said he started the farm from "virgin bush" in 1932, expressed confidence in the new government's pledge to protect the commercial farming sector, a mainstay of the struggling economy.

"It's early days but so far what they (the new government) said they are going to do they are doing," he told Reuters.

"We just hope this whole incident will give hope to other farmers, who've had the same situation."

"NO CONFUSION"

Mnangagwa, who is under pressure to revive the economy ahead of elections next year, said on Thursday that he was resolute about the changes he was introducing.

"There is no business as usual. Things have changed, it's a new era," he said at a meeting with business leaders in South Africa.

"I'm from the military. If it's 'left turn' then it's 'left turn'. If it's 'right turn' it's 'right turn'. No confusion."

Mnangagwa's new agriculture minister, Perrance Shiri, last week ordered illegal occupiers of farms to vacate the land immediately, a move that could ultimately see some white farmers who say they were unfairly evicted return to farming.

Shiri, a military hardliner who was head of the air force before being picked for the crucial ministry this month, called for "unquestionable sanity on the farms".

For 83-year-old Anna Matemani, whose late husband worked on the farm, Smart's return was long overdue.

"I'm so happy he is finally back. He always helped us and the farm provides jobs for many of our young people," said the grandmother of 15, who grew up and raised her children on the farm and witnessed Rob's birth, wiping away tears.

Some of the Smarts' joy subsided as they walked into their ransacked farmhouses.

The occupiers had looted property, including clothes, the children's toys, three guns, bottles of 100-year-old wine and Smart's late father Roy's medals from when he served with the Police Reserve Air Wing in the former Rhodesia.

"I'm sad about my grandfather's medals," Darryn Smart said, surveying a ransacked room.

"You can buy tables and chairs, you can't buy that family history. But thank goodness we're here." (Additional reporting by Tanisha Heiberg in Johannesburg; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
By Adam Jourdan

SHANGHAI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - HNA Group's plan to take a majority stake in Vienna-based C-Quadrat Investment AG has gained approval from Austrian regulators, a rare recent win for the acquisitive Chinese conglomerate amid rising global pushback on its deals.

HNA, which has announced acquisitions worth more than $50 billion in the past two years, has faced growing questions about its governance and ownership structure. Just this week, New Zealand blocked HNA's $460 million purchase of a finance unit.

C-Quadrat, worth some 226.9 million euros ($270 million) by market value, is the company through which HNA holds its near 10 percent stake in Germany's Deutsche Bank AG.

The investment manager said in a filing late on Thursday that it had been informed that Austria's Financial Market Authority had "no objections" to the deal.

The deal, which still needs approval from the Central Bank of Armenia, would see HNA own 74.8 percent of a third company Cubic, which in turn will hold more than 98 percent of C-Quadrat, the Austrian firm said. HNA currently owns a smaller minority stake in C-Quadrat.

HNA said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it had fully cooperated with the Austrian regulator in its review and was very pleased by its decision to approve the deal.

In New Zealand, the Overseas Investment Office cited lack of clarity over HNA's ownership structure for the rejection of its plan to buy a vehicle finance firm owned by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group.

In other setbacks, Swiss regulators last month found the group had failed to disclose that company executives held controlling stakes in the conglomerate in submissions relating to HNA's $1.5 billion takeover in 2016 of Gategroup, the airline catering group.

Earlier this month HNA was sued by Ness Technologies who accused it of failing to adequately answer questions in a U.S. review, thereby causing a $325 million deal between the two to fail. HNA said the lawsuit was "baseless".

HNA has also been facing questions over its finances.

Last week, China Citic Bank Corp said HNA was "experiencing temporary liquidity difficulties", including difficulty repaying a commercial acceptance bill pledged by Hainan Airlines Holding Co, the conglomerate's flagship carrier.

HNA said in its response its cooperation with Citic Bank was "fully normal" and denied the group was facing any temporary liquidity difficulties or that there were any repayment delays. ($1 = 0.8442 euros) (Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Additional reporting by Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
SOFIA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- Bulgarian prosecutors will start an investigation whether Bulgarian cigarette maker Bulgartabac was involved in cigarette smuggling following a report by Turkey suggesting such practices was sent to Interpol, chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said. (Trud, Telegraph, Sega)

-- Bulgarian farmers have received some 2.8 billion levs ($1.70 billion) in EU aid in 2017, Agriculture Minister Rumen Porozhanov said. (Trud, 24 Chasa)

-- The prices of electricity and central heating will not be increased by April despite planned hikes of natural gas prices, the energy regulator said. (Trud, Telegraph, Standart)

-- Bulgarian finance minister Vladislav Goranov said the attack against a high-level tax official, who was shot in broad daylight in downtown Sofia, was an attack against the state and vowed that police and prosecutors will take all measures to protect tax officials. (Trud, Telegraph, Monitor, 24 Chasa, Standart) ($1 = 1.6494 leva)
BANGKOK, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A troupe of elephants bearing presents visited students in Thailand's old capital of Ayutthaya on Friday to spread Christmas cheer.

Four elephants, with their mahouts were dressed in Santa Claus suits, arrived at Ayutthaya's Jirasartwitthaya School to hand out toys, balloons and snacks to delighted children.

"I'm so glad today because elephants are coming to school. And they are giving presents", said nine-year-old Patcharamon Udomsanti.

The elephants also entertained the children with some dance moves, shaking their tails from side to side.

"It's so nice that they can share our festival. We share it with them, and the Thai share their festivals with us like Songkran," said Rita Laureys, a Belgian teaching English in Thailand, referring to the Thai new year.

Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, with Christians making up only about 0.7 percent of the population, nevertheless, many people enjoy Christmas festivities. (Reporting by Sadanan Komonvisut; Writing by Jutarat Skulpichetrat; Editing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Karishma Singh)
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin

LONDON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The head of Iran's justice ministry was quoted on Friday as saying Tehran would decide the fate of a detained British-Iranian aid worker sentenced to five years in jail and that he could not confirm Western media reports relating to her case.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested in April 2016 at a Tehran airport as she was heading back to Britain with her two-year-old daughter after a family visit.

She was convicted of plotting to overthrow Irans clerical establishment, a charge denied by her family and the Foundation, a charity organization that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard Ratcliffe told the Guardian newspaper and other British media on Thursday that her lawyer had said that her case had been marked as being eligible for early release.

"Irans judiciary cannot confirm any of the claims in Western media about this case," Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency on Friday quoted Gholamhossein Esmaili, the head of the justice department in Tehran province, as saying.

"When a decision is made, it will be announced by the Islamic Republic's judiciary or through diplomatic channels."

British foreign minister Boris Johnson travelled to Iran this month to lobby for her release.

Esmaili was also quoted by Tasnim as saying that a second case had been brought against Zaghari-Ratcliffe - the first such acknowledgement from a justice ministry official.

Her family said in October that the second case carried charges that could bring mean another 16 years in prison, including joining and receiving money from organizations working to overthrow the Islamic Republic and attending a demonstration outside the Iranian Embassy in London.

"Besides serving her current sentence, she has also another ongoing case against her in court... We do not know if she would be found guilty or not," Esmaili was quoted as saying.

Tasnim said Esmaili also dismissed reports of a swap deal, but did not make clear which reports he was referring to.

The release of dual national prisoners in Iran in recent years has been mainly done through prisoner swaps.

Iran refuses to recognise dual nationals and denies them access to consular assistance. It has arrested at least 30 dual nationals during the past two years, mostly on spying charges. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
Arkansas, California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas need to make some big improvements to their plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act , according to letters released publicly Friday by the U.S. Department of Education.

The most important letter is probably Californias . Its a huge population center, and its plan, which relies on a dashboard to track school accountability, is either one of the most innovative and holistic in the country or one of squishiest and most confusing, depending on who you talk to.

The feds gave the Golden State a long, long list of things to fix. For one thing, the department says, its not at all clear from Californias plan that academic factors (like test scores) will count for more than school quality factors (like discipline data), an ESSA requirement. California wants to handle schools with low test participation by simply noting the problem on the states dashboard. The feds arent sure that meets the laws requirements. And California told the department that it plans to finalize its method for identifying the lowest-performing schools in the state in January of 2018. The feds say they need it explained before they can greenlight Californias plan.

California also doesnt have clear interim or short-term goals for English-language proficiency. Its also unclear how the state will calculate suspension rates, which California wants to use to gauge school quality and student success. The state also needs to better spell out how it will make sure disadvantaged children get access to their fair share of effective teachers.

California has a long history of bucking the department. The state faced off with the Obama administration on student data systems, teacher evaluation, and more. So it will be interesting to see how many of these changes California makesand whether the state will be approved even it doesnt significantly revise its plan. A number of states that turned in their plans this spring didnt make changes the department asked forand got the stamp of approval anyway.

What do the letters to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas say? Heres a quick rundown. Click on the states name to read the letter.

Arkansas : Arkansas doesnt have a separate indicator for English-language proficiency, an ESSA no-no, according to the department. The state also needs to do some work, on its academic achievement long-term goals. And the state needs to do a better job of explaining how it will make sure disadvantaged students have access to their fair share of qualified teachers.

Oklahoma : Oklahoma wants to include an all remaining students subgroup, which would combine a number of different racial groups for accountability purposes. Thats not kosher under ESSA. And the state doesnt appear to have an indicator of English-language proficiency, an ESSA must. Oklahoma also needs to be more clear about how it will calculate academic achievement. (The state outlines two different possibilities for doing this, and both appear to raise questions with the feds.) Oklahoma also may need to change the way it considers alternative diplomas for students in special education in calculating graduation rates. And the state needs to be more specific about how it will come up with more serious interventions for schools that struggle to make progress, even after years of help from their districts

Pennsylvania : Pennsylvania needs to make changes to how and when the performance of English-language learners will be included in its system, the department says. Its not clear from Pennsylvanias application that academic factors (like test scores) will carry much greater weight than nonacademic factors (like college readiness). The state also needs to more fully describe its method for identifying the bottom 5 percent of performers. And Pennsylvania needs to do a better job of explaining how it will make sure that disadvantaged students get their fair share of effective teachers.

Texas : Texas wants to exclude the test results of English-language learners for two years or less, and to keep some asylee/refugee students from being counted toward a schools overall rating. The department says thats not OK. The states graduation rate goals also dont expect progress from every subgroup. (The goals have white students dipping in performance.) Texas will have to rework them, according to the department. Texas will also need to make changes to the way test participation figures into school ratings, the department says. And the Lone Star State cant include science, social studies, and writing in its academic achievement indicator. (It will have to move them elsewhere in its accountability system.) Its also unclear whether a schools grade will be based on all of the indicators required under ESSA (test scores, graduation rates, English-language proficiency, and a school quality indicator). And its unclear if Texas is counting academic factors (like test scores) more than school quality factors (like college readiness). Texas also needs to spell out how it will make sure disadvantaged students get access to their fair share of highly qualified teachers.

For those keeping score at home: Thirty-four states turned in their ESSA plan this fall, and the department has sent feedback letters to at least 30 of them. Another 16 states and the District of Columbia submitted them in the spring. Of those, all have been approved except Colorado, which asked for extra time to make improvements. You can check out the letters here .

Edweek has some great tools for understanding and tracking ESSA plans here .

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Dec 22 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

** A translator who was arrested in Ukraine this week on suspicion of spying for Russia sat in on a meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Ukrainian counterpart during a recent trip to Canada, Trudeau's office said on Thursday. https://tgam.ca/2Dtu5B3

** Opposition parties are calling on Justin Trudeau to pay back taxpayers for his trip to Aga Khan's private island after the Ethics Commissioner ruled the Prime Minister broke Canada's ethics law over two all expenses-paid family trips to the Bahamas. https://tgam.ca/2BNuYEb

** Sobeys Inc, Canada's second largest grocer, has come out on the counteroffensive, attacking leading food retailer Loblaw Companies Ltd by saying major rivals conspired to fix the price of bread. https://tgam.ca/2zg2D6t

NATIONAL POST

** Edward Gong, a Chinese-Canadian businessman, was charged on Thursday in connection with an alleged fraud and money-laundering case involving hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of investors in China. http://bit.ly/2zaTewP (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)
By Rina Chandran

MUMBAI, Dec 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Technology innovations such as a free recruitment service for low-skilled workers in Cambodia and mobile apps for on-demand domestic workers in India could help curb trafficking by eliminating fraudulent middlemen, their developers say.

Cambodia and India are among source, transit and destination countries for men, women and children forced into labour and sex trafficking. Most victims are poor and uneducated, lured from villages by the promise of good jobs in neighbouring countries.

They end up being sold to brothels or enslaved in low-paying jobs in the construction, seafood or hospitality industries.

"The best way to prevent human trafficking is to provide people at risk of being trafficked with livelihood opportunities and access to local jobs," said Sara Piazzano at Winrock International, which implements the anti-trafficking programme of the U.S. Agency for International Development in Cambodia.

Bong Pheak, a free recruitment service for low-skilled workers, combines the web, Facebook and phone calls to reach even those who do not have access to the internet.

Launched in October 2016, about 20,000 potential workers access the service every month, with some 500 employers registered, said Federico Barreras of Open Institute, a non-profit that developed the service with funding from USAID.

All employers on the site are verified, and the Open Institute follows up with workers who are hired to make sure they receive promised benefits, and are treated fairly, he said. About 45 percent of users are women, he said.

There is also a "report abuse" tool on Bong Pheak, which was named the most important technology-for-development initiative in Southeast Asia this year.

"The aim is to promote safe employment options in Cambodia, so low-skilled workers have choices other than migrating, which makes them vulnerable to trafficking," Barreras said.

"We are looking to expand the service to other countries in the region, as well, and permanently reduce vulnerability to human trafficking," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Other innovations in the region include a data collection app to share information on trafficking victims across borders, and a planned platform to monitor labour conditions aboard fishing vessels.

In India, mobile apps matching domestic workers with employers is helping poor women bypass fraudulent middlemen amidst growing demand for cooks and babysitters.

"These women have always depended on middlemen to bring them to the city and place them with an employer. But the middleman often trafficks them," said Anupam Sinhal, co-founder of on-demand domestic work firms BookMyBai (maid) and NanoJobs.

"That process is changing as smartphones get cheaper and women become more aware. It is keeping these women safer."

(Reporting by Rina Chandran @rinachandran. Editing by Ros Russell. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Malaysia has arrested 20 suspected militants, including 13 foreigners, police said on Friday, adding to a list of hundreds detained in recent years accused of having links to terror groups.

The Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country has been on high alert since gunmen linked to Islamic State launched multiple attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016.

The suspects were arrested in a counter-terror operation carried out in four states between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15, Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement.

They include a 50-year-old Filipino suspected of recruiting his countrymen in Malaysia to join up with the Abu Sayyaf, a militant group notorious for kidnappings and beheadings in the southern Philippines.

The man, who has been living in Malaysia since 2016, was believed to be a cousin of late Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, a Malaysian intelligence source told Reuters.

Hapilon, the Islamic State's anointed "emir" in Southeast Asia, was killed in October by Philippine troops in Marawi city, where he had led a five-month siege.

Police also arrested an Indonesian, suspected of being a leader of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, a pro-Islamic State alliance of Islamic militants, he said.

The man was involved in a July 2017 bombing in Bandung, Indonesia, before travelling to Malaysia to escape arrest, Mohamad Fuzi said.

"The suspect... planned to raise funds in Malaysia before departing for Syria to join up with Daesh," he said, referring to Islamic State.

A 46-year-old former Malaysian teacher was arrested in Sarawak, on Borneo island, in connection with a plan to attack a beer festival in Kuala Lumpur, police said. Three others had been arrested in October in connection with the plan.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Nick Macfie)
KAMPALA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Ugandan army on Friday attacked camps in eastern Congo housing Ugandan Islamist rebels blamed for a raid this month that killed 14 United Nations peacekeepers, an army spokesman said.

The attack, carried out with air strikes and long range weapons from inside Uganda, is the first in a joint military operation by Congo and Ugandan armies against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

The attack followed intelligence sharing with Democratic Republic of the Congo that indicated ADF militants were planning "hostile activities" against Uganda, army (UPDF) spokesman Richard Karemire told Reuters.

"In a pre-emptive move this afternoon, UPDF conducted attacks. They are of a limited nature on camps in DRC," he said.

Karemire added that the army had not yet evaluated the results of the strikes but that Uganda had boosted its military presence along the border.

Uganda has justified previous military interventions in eastern Congo over the last two decades by the presence of rebel groups on Congolese soil. Congo, however, has accused its neighbour of seeking a toehold in eastern Congo to exploit its rich reserves of gold and other resources.

A spokesman for Congo's army declined to comment on Friday's strikes. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Writing by Maggie Fick and Aaron Ross; Editing by Toby Chopra)
By John Irish

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A hundred metres from the office of Libyan Prime Minister Fayaz al-Seraj in Tripoli, guards at a detention centre for migrants had a message for a visiting French delegation: no minister, no journalists, nobody is allowed in.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian went to Libya on Thursday to revive U.N. talks between rival groups controlling the west and east, with a view to stabilising a nation in turmoil since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

But the Tripoli leg of the visit showed how difficult it will be to find anyone capable of imposing authority, with a weak U.N.-backed government depending on an array of armed factions, each with its own agenda.

After meeting Seraj in his impressive office, Le Drian was meant to visit the nearby detention facility to see conditions for African migrants caught as they try to reach Europe.

But after CNN aired a video appearing to show migrants being auctioned off as slaves, Libyan officials are on edge, with guards refusing to let the French visitors through the detention camp's thick steel door.

"What do you want to call it? " said a visibly tetchy man who described himself as the supervisor. "It is a detention centre. Nobody is allowed. Not the minister and not journalists. Not allowed."

French officials played down the incident, saying there had been no time for a visit anyway.

But it was symptomatic of how Seraj's government is struggling to make an impact, failing to fix anything from electric power cuts to a collapsing currency.

Seraj promised to tackle migrant trafficking, but French officials say that will depend on which armed groups are prepared to help him.

POLISHED BOOTS

While armed factions are vying for control in Tripoli, power in Benghazi is in the hands of one man, General Khalifa Haftar, whose forces have driven out Islamist fighters.

"It's a lot more ordered here. There's no doubt here that there is just one chief," said a European security contractor in Benghazi.

Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army is made up of different groups, which he struggles at times to control.

But the general, who hopes to run for the Libyan presidency next year, sought to impress his French visitor with as much fanfare as possible.

Soldiers stood at strategic points, uniforms spotless and boots polished, in contrast to other parts of Libya, where armed groups are more informally dressed in a mixture of uniforms and civilian clothes.

Opponents accuse Haftar of Gaddafi-style high-handedness and of trying to revive a police state, something his supporters vehemently deny.

He did not leave his office during the French visit, leaving Le Drian to review air, sea and land forces as a military band struggled to play La Marseillaise.

Haftar's aides did not allow journalists to film his meeting with le Drian with their phones.

"I appreciate the frankness of our exchanges," Le Drian said after an hour-long discussion. "That's quite natural," Haftar responded loftily.

Haftar is attempting to position himself as a presidential candidate, but there is still sporadic fighting in Benghazi despite his having declared victory in July.

One diplomat recalled how Haftar was envious of Seraj after he met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington last month, perhaps sensing a shift in the Libyan balance of power.

"I don't know how comfortable he (Haftar) is feeling, because I sense that this time the security was much more stringent than when we were last here (in August)," said a French official. "He may be feeling some pressure." (Editing by Ulf Laessing and Giles Elgood)
By Ahmed Aboulenein

BAGHDAD, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary groups have deployed to the frontier to back up border guard forces who came under fire from within Syria over the past three days, one of their commanders said on Friday.

There was no immediate word on who opened fire from Syrian territory, but forces arrayed against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria expect the group will resort to guerrilla warfare after losing its urban bastions earlier this year.

"After several Iraqi border guard positions came under several attacks by missiles, and backup from security forces was late, the 13th brigade of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) was deployed and targeted the origins of the launch," PMF commander for west Anbar, Qassem Mesleh, said in a statement.

"Operations command and the infantry brigade are now present on the Iraqi-Syrian border in border guard positions to repel any attack or movement by the enemy," Mesleh said.

"This area is not within the PMF's remit but it is our duty to back up all security forces."

The PMF is an umbrella grouping of mostly Iran-backed and trained Shi'ite militias that formally report to Iraq's prime minister but are separate from the military and police.

Sunni Muslims and Kurds have called on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to disarm the PMF, which they say are responsible for widespread abuses against their communities.

An Iraqi military spokesman confirmed the deployment. Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told Reuters it was temporary, however, and "very normal" because it was the PMF's duty to back up government forces.

The PMF were officially made part of the Iraqi security establishment by law and formally answer to Abadi in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Abadi has said the state should have a monopoly on the legitimate use of arms.

Iraqi forces on Dec. 9 recaptured the last swathes of territory still under Islamic State control along the frontier with Syria and secured the western desert.

It marked the end of the war against the militants, three years after they overran about a third of Iraq's territory.

Rasool, the military spokesman, denied backup to the border guards had been late.

"The primary responsibility for the borders lies with the border guards and the army, however," said Rasool.

He said Iraqi forces coordinate with both the Syrian army, which is backed by Russia, Iran and Iran-backed Shi'ite militias, and the U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias known as the Syrian Democratic Forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He said parts of Syria - including many areas on the border with Iraq - were still under Islamic State control. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by William Maclean)
REUTERS, 22nd DECEMBER, 2017-More than 120 countries defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.



Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.



Trumps threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.



Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure. Some of those allies, like Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of U.S. military or economic aid, although the U.S. threat to cut aid did not single out any country.



A spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the vote a victory for Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the vote.



Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy by announcing the United States recognized Jerusalem - home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites - as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.



The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the 193-member General Assembly ahead of Thursdays vote.
Indira Gandhi (L) Radhakishnan( C) and Kamaraj (R)

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Thamizhan Illaathaa Naadumillai. Thamizhanukkendroru Naadumillai (There is no country without Tamils. There is no country for Tamils) is a saying in Tamil that vividly illustrates the angst felt by the more nationalist sections of Tamils about the lack of a country of their own - an independent sovereign self-governing Tamil state!



The Tamils, who speak one of the most ancient living languages in the world, boast of a distinct civilization and vintage heritage. Tamils live in almost every country on the global map and are substantially concentrated in many of those including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius, and Trinidad.



Tamils have been elected to office in different local bodies and legislatures of many countries and have served as councillors, mayors, Senators, Ministers, Prime Ministers and heads of state.

Yet the Tamils have no country to call their own, exclusive homeland.



The southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu meaning Tamil Land or Tamil Country is home to more than 60 million Tamil speaking people. It stands to reason therefore that if the Tamils do want to establish a separate state of their own, the best and correct choice would be for Tamil Nadu to declare independence and secede from the Indian Union.



However, that has not happened so far.



Although there was a flourishing Tamil secessionist movement in India at one time, the Tamil separatist demand is now virtually extinct in India.



The primary factor which contributed to this state of affairs was the pragmatic conduct of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) which abandoned the secessionist demand when separatism was banned through the 16th Amendment to the Indian Constitution.



How this state of affairs came about provides a fascinating glimpse into Indian politics in general and Tamil (Indian) politics in particular.



As stated in earlier articles the Dravida Kazhagham (DK) meaning Dravidian Association, which spearheaded a separatist movement in the pre-independence years had a break-up in the aftermath of India gaining freedom from the British imperialists.

The breakaway group formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) meaning Dravidian Progressive Association in what was then the Southern state of Madras.



The DK led by E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker was known as Periyaar (great person) and the DMK led by CN Annadurai called Anna (elder brother) espoused the cause of Dravida Nadu meaning a Dravidian Country.



The demand was for the South Indian people speaking the Dravidian languages of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tulu to secede from India and set up a separate state.



Though a strand of Tamil political thought envisaged a Pan-Dravidian state, support for a Dravida State was virtually negligible among the non-Tamil speaking people.



Furthermore, the re-organization of states based on the linguistic principle had resulted in the old Madras State being reduced in size and population.

The Tamil language could be restored to its rightful position within the Indian union. All this meant that the grievances of the people exploited by the Dravidian movement were becoming less intense. Ideas can only be defeated by superior ideas.



The Pan- Dravidian identity was seriously fractured with the setting up of states for the Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam speaking people.



The existing Madras state with a preponderant Tamil population was the only state where Dravida Nadu politics prevailed to some extent.



The plain-speaking Periyaar was the first to acknowledge the changed situation.

When asked What constitutes Dravida Nadu now? by the press, Periyaar replied bluntly:

Whatever that remains of the old Madras State is the new Dravida Nadu now.



Perceiving the rise of Tamil as opposed to Dravidian nationalism in the Madras State, the Dravida patriarch now began talking of a separate Tamil Nadu State. The DK changed its stance gradually to Thamizh Nadu Thamizharukke (Tamil Nadu for Tamils) from the earlier Dravida Nadu Dravidarukke Dravida Naadu for Dravidar.



The shift was illustrated vividly when the party newspaper Viduthalai (Liberation) altered its masthead to Tamil Nadu from Dravida Nadu.



Annadurai, however, was not so willing to jettison the Dravida Nadu demand so easily. He too realised that the DMK had no choice other than to do politics among the Tamils of Madras State.



But he still adhered to the political objective of achieving Dravida Nadu. Annadurai argued that the four South Indian States should secede from India and then merge together as a Dravida Confederation.



A senior DMK leader T.M. Parthasarathy explained DMKs position thus: The four Dravidian States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala should get independence separately and the four should join on racial lines (Dravidian race) to form a Dravidian Federal Union .



Chief Minister Kumaraswamy Kamaraj

If the State re-organisation undermined the basis of Dravidian politics another event brought about significant de-valuation of other linguistic and caste-based grievances.



This was the elevation of a common Tamil man Kumaraswamy Kamaraj known as Kamarajar as Chief Minister of the Madras State.



Kamarajar belonged to the socially backward but commercially influential Nadar Caste.



He had not studied beyond the 6th standard and lacked proficiency in English. He came from a poor family background and was not elitist like his predecessors.



Kamarajar had spent nine years in British jails during the freedom struggle. Kamarajar was a smart organiser and had a grip on the Congress Party machinery in his capacity as State party Secretary.

Madras State Congress legislators met on March 31st, 1954 to elect a new leader after chief minister C. Rajagopalachary known as Rajaji resigned. Nehrus daughter Indira Gandhi was present as an observer.



Kamaraj with 93 votes defeated C. Subramaniam who had 41 votes. Later C. Subramaniam became a respected central government minister.



On April 13th, 1954 Kamaraj became Congress Chief Minister.



The Congress image of the upper caste, elitist leaders was transformed overnight. The Dravidian movement was deprived of its favourite bogey. There was no way that Kamaraj could be attacked on the basis of caste as a member of an Aathikka Jaathi (Dominant Caste) caste group.



Kamaraj also contested the by-election in Kudiaatham. In an interesting U-turn the Dravidian patriarch supported the leader of the Congress. Periyaar called Kamaraj Pachchaith Thamizhan or Raw Tamil.



The DMK also supported Kamaraj.

Kamaraj known for his administrative efficiency enacted several measures at a rapid pace to uplift the Madras state and emancipate the down-trodden masses.



His tenure from 1954-1963 is hailed as the Potkaalam or Golden Era of the State.



By empowering the poorer sections of society and promoting the use of Tamil in multiple spheres, Kamaraj began the process of redressing grievances exploited by the Dravidian movement to make a case for secession.

All this meant that the grievances of the people exploited by the Dravidian movement were becoming less intense. Ideas can only be defeated by superior ideas.



Education-wise Kamarajar opened up nearly 14,000 new primary schools. Every village within a radius of one mile or having more than 350 people had a school.



The number of high schools was increased from 650 to 2,200. The high school student number went up from 386,000 to 1.3 million. In order to encourage student attendance, Kamaraj introduced a free noon-day meals scheme through which 1.6 million students benefited.



Free school uniforms were provided. Children from poor families receiving an annual income below 1,500 rupees (INR) per annum were given free education.



School teachers were given pensions and provident fund benefits. During Kamarajs rule, the percentage of school going children increased from 44 % to 76%. Medical, Engineering, Agricultural and Technical institutions of higher learning proliferated.



A rural electrification scheme was implemented successfully. Land reform was brought in with a ceiling of 30 hectares. Irrigation schemes increased the area of cultivable lands. High yielding crops were encouraged. Industrial sector made vast strides.



Empowering the Tamil Language

Unlike the DMK which thunders frequently about its commitment and devotion to the Tamil language, Kamaraj seldom talked emotionally of Tamil. In any event, he was a man of few words.



But in his own, quiet way Kamaraj enacted many measures empowering the Tamil language. The Congress under Kamaraj in 1956 made Tamil the official or administrative language of the State.

It was the Kamaraj-led Congress that submitted a budget in the Tamil language for the first time. Tamil as a medium of instruction was expanded to university level.

Glossaries in Tamil for all subjects were compiled. An encyclopaedia in Tamil was published the first of its kind in India.



Kamaraj also introduced the reservation scheme in higher education and government employment.

This ensured greater opportunities for the caste groups described as non-forward, backward and scheduled. The forward caste domination in educational and employment spheres was reduced.

The reservation scheme was hailed by Periyaar as he realised that Brahmin ascendancy would be gradually curtailed and the so-called lower castes would gain more benefits incrementally.



The Madras state was making significant strides and the poorer sections of society were getting empowered slowly. The Tamil language was also receiving its due place in the state.



Thanks to Kamaraj it appeared that caste domination could be removed among Tamils while remaining within the Indian union. Socially oppressed caste groups could be emancipated within the Indian union. Poorer sections of society could be uplifted economically within the Indian union. Inequalities could decrease and equality of opportunity increase within the Indian union.



The Tamil language could be restored to its rightful position within the Indian union.



All this meant that the grievances of the people exploited by the Dravidian movement were becoming less intense. Ideas can only be defeated by superior ideas.



The secessionist idea of Dravida Nadu/Tamil Nadu was being overcome by the idea of emancipation and equality within an undivided India.



The underlying grievances highlighted by the secessionists were being done away with. Nevertheless, they did not vanish overnight.



Dravidian Lanka King Ravana

With Kamaraj implementing many projects close to Periyaars heart the DK began reducing its opposition to Congress rule. Gradually Periyaar moved closer and closer to the Congress.



The DK began losing its position within the Dravidian school of thought. While Periyaar did not deviate from his policies, in theory, the DK in practice, moved away from hard, confrontational politics.



The DK concentrated on countering what it termed as the cultural hegemony of the Aryan North.

For instance, to counter the north Indian festival Ram Leela where Lord Rama an Aryan was extolled, Periyaar started the Ravana Leela where Ravana the Dravidian King of Lanka was eulogised.

Periyaar was now turning into a nuisance factor from being a vibrant political force.



But the pragmatic Annadurai had other ideas. Notwithstanding the Kamaraj effect, the DMK leader felt that it was time for the DMK to enter electoral politics.



While Periyaar expressed disdain for elections and kept the DK out of such contests, Annadurai began leading his party into the electoral arena. In 1952 the DMK had not contested elections but extended support to parties and independent candidates supporting the Dravida Nadu cause.



The Vanniyar community was represented then by the Commonwealth Party led by Manickavelar and the Toilers Party of S.S. Ramasamy Padaiyaachi.



The former had clout in then North Arcot and the latter in the then South Arcot districts. Both signed a pledge before polls to get DMK support but shifted stance later and joined the Congress Government.

Annadurai set the stage carefully for the DMKs entry into electoral politics.



The DMKs 2nd State convention was held in May 1956. The issue of contesting the 1957 elections was raised. An internal opinion poll was taken to decide the issue.



Those who supported contesting polls had to put their votes in a red box. Those opposing in a black box. (DMK party colours were red and black).



More than 60,000 DMK members voted. Those who supported contesting elections numbered 56,942.Those opposing numbered 4,203. With such a sweeping result the DMK contested the elections to both the Madras Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha (Central Parliament) in 1957.

The DMK got fifteen seats in the Legislative Assembly and two seats in Parliament.



The DMK election manifesto had specific clauses demanding a separate Dravida State.



In what was clearly a policy contradiction, Periyaar and the DK campaigned for Kamaraj and the Congress in the polls. So great was Periyaars distaste for his ex-disciple that Periyaar personally focused on Kanchipuram, where Annadurai contested.



Despite Periyaars active support for Congress candidate Dr. Sreenivasan, Annadurai triumphed. Both the DK and DMK flung mud at each other in their respective election meetings.



The DMK also contested Madras city municipal elections in 1959 and formed the administration. In 1962 the DMK contested again and got fifty seats in the Assembly and eight seats in Lok Sabha. Except for Karunanidhi all the sitting MLAs including Annadurai lost but the DMK founder -General Secretary was made Rajya Sabha (Upper House) member.

Right to Self-Determination

CN Annadurai in his Rajya Sabha maiden speech on May 1, 1962, reiterated DMKs demand for an independent Dravida Nadu. He said:



Dravidians demand the right to self-determination...We want a separate country for Southern India.

Later on, while speaking about his maiden speech in Parliament, Annadurai said at a public meeting in Chennai (Madras), I am steadfast in the Dravida Nadu demand I spoke of in the upper house of Parliament.



Once in response to a statement made by the then President of India Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Annadurai said:



You say that India is one country because Rama and Krishna are worshipped from Kanyakumari to the Himalayas. Jesus is worshipped throughout Europe, yet there are so many countries in Europe.

During this period from 1957 to 1963, the DMK kept up its drive for a separate Dravida Nadu. As stated earlier the DMK wanted the four south Indian States to break away from India and then merge together as a Dravida Nadu Confederation.



There was no support at all for this proposal in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mysore (Karnataka) States.



But there was considerable support in Tamil Nadu, chiefly because of attractive DMK propaganda.

The DMK leaders addressed meetings in flowery, alliterative language with musical tones. Their writing too was fiery and emotional.



A host of Tamil newspapers like Kanchi, Nam Naadu, ThiraavidamThendral, Mandram etc. were published apart from the flagship Murasoli.



A number of books and booklets were also released. There was a regular reference to a Dravidian State for the Tamils in the speeches and writings of DMK stalwarts.



A constant feature of the political meetings, was the rousing speeches on the theme Aen Vaendum Inba Thiraavidam? (Why do we need this sweet Dravidian land?)



Different leaders spoke at different meetings on this topic. Pamphlets and booklets with the same heading were also issued. Another familiar emotional proclamation at meetings was Adainthaal Thani Nadu. Illaiyael Sudukaadu (Achieve either a separate state or the cemetery)



Much propaganda mileage was derived from the stage and screen. DMK policies were referred to directly and indirectly in the dialogue. Songs would refer to these in poetic fashion. The Dravida Nadu concept was also publicised very much in film and stage. One such illustration is the song written by Kannadasan for his own production Maalaiyitta Mangai in 1957. The song has martial melody composed by the duo Viswanathan-Ramamurthy. It is sung effectively on a very high note by T.R. Mahalingam. The chorus is Engal Thiraavidap Pon Naadu. Kalai Vaazhum Thennaadu (Our golden Dravidian country. The southern land where the arts flourish)



The films storyline was also of four daughters-in-law from the four Dravida States of south India.

An amusing example of how film dialogue was utilised to promote Dravida Naadu is from the film Puthiya Paathai starring Gemini Ganesan in 1960.



(Different to the one directed and acted in by Parthiban in 1989).



The dialogue was written by Murasoli Maaran the nephew of DMK leader and former Chief Minister Muttuvel Karunanidhi.



Maaran s son Dayanidhi was a Cabinet Minister in Manmohan Singhs Congress-led Government.

The elder son Kalanidhi owns the Sun Group media conglomerate.



In this film, the hero Gemini and his friend played by Balaji are discussing the kind of wife they would like to have. One tells the other Her complexion must be fair like that of a woman from Kerala; her figure must be perfect like that of women from Andhra; her voice should be sweetly melodious as that of a Kannada woman; her face must have beautiful features like that of Tamil women.



The friend then responds Surunga sonnaal our Thiraavida Naadu vanadium engiraai (In short you are asking for a Dravida State)



Since the four South Indian states were to comprise the envisaged Dravida Naadu this crude yet a direct piece of contrived dialogue summed up the secessionist cause for film fans.



In todays enlightened age this description of the ideal desirable woman would receive scornful laughter. But more than fifty years ago it was well received by the target audience.



Separate Tamil Nadu State

It was mainly through propaganda stratagems and cinematic devices like these that the DMK espoused the secessionist cause. There were two schools of thought within the DMK, who were getting disillusioned with the Dravida Nadu demand. One group wanted the party to discard Dravida Nadu and focus on a separate Tamil Nadu State demand alone.



The other felt secession was unattainable and therefore should be dropped in favour of a demand for greater autonomy for the state within India. But Annadurai was reluctant to alter course.



CN Annadurais foremost deputy at one time was E.V.K. Sampath, the son of Periyaars brother Krishnaswamy.



Sampath had fallen out with his paternal uncle and crossed over with Annadurai in 1949. Initially, Sampath urged Annadurai to drop the Dravida Nadu demand and take up the Tamil Nadu secessionist demand.



But Anna disagreed and persuaded Sampath to stick with the Dravida Nadu demand whereby the DMK wanted all four South Indian States to secede and then confederate.



One reason Annadurai adduced was that the sharing of river waters would be a big problem for Tamil Nadu if the South Indian States did not belong to a practical political arrangement.(Currently there is much bickering among the Southern States over the river water sharing issue.)



Annadurai felt that the DMK should stick to its Dravida Nadu policy until the party increased political representation significantly.



Rightly or wrongly Annadurai felt then that political mobilisation was easier along lines of Dravidian secessionism than through Tamil Nadu secessionism.



While his fiery deputies thundered about Dravida Nadu and Tamil Nadu, the articulate Annadurai avoided both references to a great extent and instead used the term Thani Nadu (Separate State) more in his Tamil political discourse.



In 1961 Sampath, Kannadasan, M.P. Subramaniam, P. Nedumaran and some others broke away from the DMK and formed the Tamil Thesiyak Katchi or Tamil Nationalist Party.



The TTK initially demanded a separate Tamil Nadu and bitterly criticised the Dravida Nadu demand as unrealistic and unachievable. When Annadurai was questioned on this he retorted in style.



Referring to the Ramayana, Annadurai said Would we accept it if those who went in search of Sita returned with another woman and said we did not get Sita, so we brought this Chinthamani (Chintamani is a woman after whom a Tamil epic is named). Likewise, our quest is Dravida Nadu or Sita, not Tamil Nadu or Chinthamani.



The DMK held its Third General Convention on July 13-16, 1961 at Thiruparankundram in the suburb of Madurai.



There were loud shouts of Dravida Nadu for Dravidians when DMK leader Annadurai hoisted the Red and Black party flag on the first day. There was vociferous chanting of the separate State demand from party cadres throughout the four-day conference.



There were also references to an independent Dravida Nadu in the speeches made by party leaders. In his concluding speech on the fourth day, Annadurai urged everyone to work hard for our independence.



Dravida Nadu For Dravidians

DMK held its Special Election Conference in the city of Coimbatore (Kovai) on December 16 and 17, 1961, in preparation for the forthcoming 1962 general election. Shouts of Dravida Nadu for Dravidians were heard throughout this two-day event and all the speakers touched on the need for independent Dravida Nadu.



The 1962 general elections for the Madras State Legislative Assembly were held between February 17 and February 24, 1962. The DMK contested on a platform of separatism demanding a Dravida Nadu for Tamils.



The party won 50 seats in the State Legislature and Eight seats in the Lok Sabha.



Annadurai was appointed to the Rajya Sabha upper house where he argued eloquently for an independent Dravida Nadu.



Shortly after the 1962 elections, a by-election ensued in the Thiruchengode electorate. The victor Dr. P. Subbarayan of the Congress Party resigned his MP seat to take up the position of Maharashtra State Governor.



The by-election on August 11th, 1962 was a straight fight between the Congress and DMK. The by-election turned out to be a Mini-referendum on Tamil secessionism.



The Congress party which was then ruling both the state and the central government mounted an intensive polls campaign urging that people should not vote for the DMK as the election result would be interpreted as an endorsement of the separate state demand.



The voters of Thiruchengode reversed the earlier result by voting conclusively for the DMK Candidate K. Anbalaghan who in later life was a senior DMK minister. Thus the prevalent mood then (1962) was in favour of secessionism.



A month after the By -election victory, the DMK organized a Dravida Nadu Viduthalai Vizhaa (Dravida Nadu Independence Festival) in Chennai then called Madras on September 22, 1962. Over 200, 000 people participated in the procession organised as part of that festival. More than 300,000 people attended the public meeting that followed. The mood was buoyant. The secessionist cry resonated throughout the event.



One month later war erupted between India and China. The war lasting one month and one day from October 20th to November 21st, 1962, proved a military debacle for India.



The silver lining was that the war with China aroused patriotic feelings in all parts of India. Even the DMK espousing separatism closed ranks with the rest of India against a common enemy.



DMK leader Annadurai made an emotionally charged patriotic speech requesting that the DMK too should be included in the Roll call of Honour of those defending the nation.



The DMK contributed lavishly to the Defence Fund launched by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Former actor turned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, who was a Legislative Councillor in 1962, topped the list of individual donations in the state with a six-figure contribution.



16th Amendment of Indian Constitution

New Delhi shattered by the China war undertook several measures in the political, military and diplomatic spheres in the aftermath of the war.



One such measure was the prohibition of fissiparous tendencies. Secessionism in any part of the country was perceived as a threat to national security and territorial integrity. The Committee on National Integration and Regionalism appointed by the Indian National Integration Council recommended that Article 19 of the Indian Constitution be so amended that adequate powers become available for the preservation and maintenance of the integrity, and sovereignty of the Union.



The Committee was further of the view that every candidate for the membership of a State Legislature or Parliament, and every aspirant to, and incumbent of, public office should pledge himself or herself to uphold the Constitution and to preserve the integrity and sovereignty of the Union and that the forms of oath in the Third Schedule to the Constitution should be suitably amended for the purpose.

It was proposed to give effect to these recommendations by amending Clauses (2), (3) and (4) of article 19 for enabling the State to make any law imposing reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the rights conferred by sub-clauses (a), (b) and (c) of Clause (1) of that article in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India.



It was also proposed to amend Articles 84 and 173 and the forms of oath in the Third Schedule to the Constitution so as to provide that every candidate for the membership of Parliament or State Legislature, Union and State Ministers, Members of Parliament and State Legislatures, Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts and the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India should take an oath to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India. Accordingly, a bill to achieve the above-mentioned objectives was presented in Parliament.



The sixteenth amendment to the Indian constitution disavowing separatism was passed in October 1963 one year after the war with China



The 16th Constitutional amendment placed the DMK in an unenviable position. The DMK was then the single largest Indian political party championing secessionism in India. There were mixed feelings among party members on their future course of action. If the DMK was to abide by secessionism the party could not contest polls and would have to do politics as an extra-Parliamentary entity.



This entailed an unpredictable future. With patriotic fervour being aroused by the China debacle there was every likelihood, that the Indian people may turn against separatist organisations.



Besides the Central Government, too could crack down severely on advocates of separatism.

On the other hand, prospects were bright for the DMK in future elections. There was every chance of the party capturing political power through elections in the near future.



Manila Suyaatchi (State Self-Rule)

The pragmatic Annadurai decided to stoop and conquer. He decided to abandon secessionism. The DMK Mathiya Seyal Kuzhu (Central Committee) met on November 3, 1963, at the DMK party Office in Royapuram.



The party General Secretary V. Nedunchezian presided.



Annadurai in a passionate speech stated that the DMK would be only dropping the separate state demand but would not abandon the reasons which led to the separatist demand.



He said the party would capture power in the future and struggle for greater autonomy within the Indian union in the form of Maanila Suyaatchi (State Self-Rule).



The central committee approved Annadurais stance and voted unanimously to drop its demand for an Independent State.



Thus ended Tamil secessionism promoted by the DMK in India.



Annadurais pragmatic political approach in abandoning secessionism paid enormous dividends in four years. The mishandling of Hindia as the sole official language in India by the Congress party at the state and central levels resulted in massive anti-Hindi demonstrations by Tamils. Over 25 Tamils self -immolated themselves and hundreds of thousands courted arrest. The anti-Hindi protest churned up a huge anti- Congress wave among Tamils at the 1967 elections.



The DMK along with its political allies swept the polls in 1967 winning 138 out of 234 seats in the Legislative Assembly and 25 out of 39 Constituencies allocated to the State in the Lok Sabha.



Annadurai became Chief Minister and formed his State Government. One of the first things done by the new administration was to change the name of the state from Madras to Tamil Nadu. It was a symbolic achievement. The Tamils may not have a Tamil State outside the Indian union but there would be a Tamil Country within India.



Annadurai passed away in 1969 and was succeeded by Karunanidhi. M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) who split from the DMK in 1972 and formed the All - India Anna-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK) became Chief Minister in 1977.



After MGRs death in 1987 his widow Janaki Ramachandran served as Chief Minister briefly. She was followed by MGRs paramour, the actress-turned -politico Jayalalithaa Jayaram, who took over the AIADMK leadership and became Chief Minister.



Thereafter political power in Tamil Nadu has remained in the hands of the Dravidian movement with the DMK and AIADMK ruling the State at different times.



It is indeed noteworthy that Tamil Nadu has been governed by one Dravidian party or the other for fifty years from 1967 to date. Furthermore, both the DMK and AIADMK have on different occasions shared power at the centre holding Cabinet Posts in different coalition Governments.



Politics Is The Art Of The Possible

And all this was due to the enlightened political approach of DMK founder CN Annadurai who knew when to let go of an unrealistic, non - viable secessionist demand and adapt pragmatically to prevailing political realities. It was the Prussian statesman Otto Von Bismarck, who said: Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable  the art of the next best! C.N. Annadurai and the DMK adhered to Realpolitik and chose the attainable second best option instead of pursuing the mirage of a desirable objective.



D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
Hameedia, Sri Lankas leading menswear specialist, recently awarded the winner of Mr. England 2017-19 - Jack Eyers - a wardrobe courtesy of its premier brand Envoy London during the course of his visit to Sri Lanka.



As Brand Ambassador of Envoy London, Eyers attended the fifth edition of Fouzul Hameeds highly-anticipated fashion showcase - Concept 2018 by Hameedias, which was attended by Colombos fashion elite, several VIPs, leaders of the business and fashion communities and the senior management and staff from Hameedia. Envoy London is the official title partner of Mr. England.



The first and second runners-up of the international competition for Mr. England 2017-19, Jack Hesslewood and Zac Oldershaw were also present at the event. This year, the showcase featured an exclusive range of ready-to-wear and tailor-made collections for modern and stylish urban men.



Hameedia Group Managing Director Fouzul Hameed said, We are delighted to host the winner of Mr. England 2017-19, Jack Eyers, in Sri Lanka, along with the first and second runners-up of the international competition, Jack Eyers and Zac Oldershaw. As Brand Ambassador of Envoy London, Jack Eyers has done us proud. His presence at the Concept show, a truly iconic fashion event in the country, further enhanced the evening.



It is our pleasure to gift him a stylish Envoy London wardrobe as a token of our appreciation. We are also pleased to have facilitated the travel of the three winners of Mr. England 2017-18 to Galle and other key tourist hotspots in Sri Lanka which they have enjoyed immensely. Envoy London wishes Jack Eyers all the best for his future endeavours and we look forward to seeing them back again soon in Sri Lanka.



The Miss. England pageant began in 1928 and the Mr. England arm of the competition first commenced in 1996. The competition not only recognizes the physical attributes of participants but also aims to make an impact through the Beauty With a Purpose campaign, which raises funds for various charities through the competition.



Established in 1949, Hameedia has grown to become a pioneer in the Sri Lankan fashion industry. The fashion store is renowned for delivering high-quality custom tailoring under the bespoke and Made to Measure category and ready-made clothes for gentlemen. The Hameedia, multi-brand retail stores house a collection of quality menswear brands such as Le Bond, Envoy, Signature, Raymond, Lee and Adidas to name a few. Hameedia also prides itself on offering outstanding standards of service to ensure that all clients enjoy a shopping experience that is positive and personalized.



With a network of over 30 outlets across Sri Lanka and a large and experienced team, Hameedia has a strong local presence and has also extended its operations to the global fashion industry with outlets in the Maldives and Australia.
A petition filed in the Jaffna Magistrate Court seeking an order to prevent the holding of the funeral ceremony of Jaffna Naga Viharaya Chief Incumbent and Northern Province Chief Sanghanayaka the late Most Ven, Meegahajandure Gnanarathana Thera at the Jaffna Mutraveli Ground, was today rejected by Jaffna Magistrate S.Sadeeskaran.

In the petition filed by the Chairman of the Jaffna Tamil Peoples Cultural Organisation S.Nisanthan and Jaffna Organiser of Tamil National Peoples Front V.Manimukan they had sought a court order to stop the Prelate's funeral ceremony at the Mutraveli Ground as a Kovil stood in this place although it was earlier used as cemetery of the Tamil people.

The judge after calling for an archaeological report said this land was a crown land and there was no obstacle to hold such a ceremony, before rejecting the petition. (Romesh Madushanka)
The U.S. Department of Education is cranking out responses to states plans for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act at a fast and furious pace. The latest states to hear back are: Hawaii, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. (Scroll down to see which other states have gotten feedback and who has been approved.)

All five stateswhose feedback letters were released Thursdayhave work to do on the nuts-and-bolts of the accountability plans, their ideas for identifying and fixing schools, and more. Heres a quick look at some highlights of the responses. Click on the state name to read the full letter.

Hawaii : The department wants the Aloha State to identify languages other than English spoken by a significant number of students. States must make every effort to offer tests in those languages, according to ESSA. And Hawaii needs to be more specific about what it will take for a school to get out of low-performing status. Right now, Hawaii says those schools need to make significant improvement, but it doesnt say what that means. Hawaii also needs to make sure disadvantaged and minority students have access to their fair share of qualified teachers.

Kentucky : Kentucky needs to make sure that its English-language proficiency indicator stands aloneright now, its lumped in with other indicators in the states accountability system. The state also needs to make clear that it is targeting schools as chronically underperforming because of the performance of historically overlooked groups of students and not for another reason. And Kentucky cannot include writing test scores as part of a schools overall academic achievement score, because those tests arent offered in every grade.

Nebraska: The Cornhusker State proposed using a minimum number of assessments, rather than students, as its minimum n-size. That is not OK, according to the department. (Under ESSA, an n-size refers to the number of kids a state has to have from a particular group, like English-language learners, in order for it to matter for accountability purposes.). Nebraska also got hit for its use of so-called scale scores, which convert student grades to a comparable scale, say of 1 to 100. Other states, including Connecticut, got similar feedback in the first round, but ended up being able to use scale scores with minimal changes to their plans. Nebraska also needs to define what it means for a student to become proficient in English, and make sure that English-language proficiency counts as a separate indicator in its system. And it state needs to provide information about how much weight it is giving each indicator of its accountable system, so that the feds can make sure that academics are given more consideration than other factors.

New Hampshire : New Hampshire needs to be more clear about how it is calculating graduation rates for the purposes of its long-term goals, and identifying schools in need of serious intervention. The Granite State needs to provide information about how much weight it is giving each indicator of its accountable system, so that the feds can make sure that academics are given more consideration than other factors. And New Hampshire needs to spell out its plan for ensuring that disadvantaged students get access to their fair share of effective teachers.

Wisconsin : On paper, the Badger State presents a tough political challenge for U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The states governor, Scott Walker, a Republican and DeVos ally, refused to sign off on the proposal, calling it bureaucratic and unlikely to improve student achievement. The state chief, Tony Evers, who wrote the plan, is running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. If he gets it, he could challenge Walker next year.

But the department doesnt appear to have been any tougher on Wisconsin than other states. The department told Wisconsin it needs to better explain how it will use test scores to calculate the academic achievement piece of school ratings. Wisconsin has also said it will identify schools as low-performing every six years, but ESSA requires states to do that at least once every three years, the feds say. And Wisconsin needs to spell out its plan for ensuring that disadvantaged students get access to their fair share of effective teachers.

Do states need to take the departments suggestions in order to win approval for their ESSA plans? Thats unclear. Some states in the first round of plan submissions didnt make major changes the department asked for and still got the federal stamp of approval. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., an ESSA architect has accused DeVos of approving plans that go outside the bounds of the law.

For those keeping score at home: So far, at least 19 other states that turned in plans this fallAlabama , Alaska , Florida , Georgia , Iowa , Kansas , Maryland , Minnesota , Mississippi , Missouri , Montana , New York , North Carolina , Ohio , South Dakota , Utah , Washington , West Virginia , and Wyoming have received feedback from the feds. Puerto Rico has also gotten a response on its plan. (Check out our summaries of their feedback here , here , and here .)

Plus, 15 states and the District of Columbia, all of which submitted plans in the spring, have gotten the all-clear from DeVos. Colorado, which asked for extra time on its application, is the only spring-submission state still waiting for approval.

Want more analysis of ESSA plans? Edweek has you covered here .

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Oceanfront Condos, Sri Lankas very first beach-front, serviced, luxury, leisure apartments located in Nilaveli, officially handed over the keys to its owners recently. The project concluded its phase one successfully with the second phase now underway to be ready for occupancy and renting by March 18.

The brainchild behind this initiative was none other than the Chairman of International Construction Consortium (ICC), Sri Lankas pioneering infrastructure and multisector general contractor, Harsha De Seram. Surrounded by the pristine beach of Nilaveli, these condominiums offer blissful solitude and freedom to be at home when on holiday without the constraints a hotel would impose and gives people an opportunity of a life-time investment.

For the first time in Sri Lanka we are offering interested parties the opportunity to buy a beachfront condominium, which could function both as an investment, and of course as their getaway holiday destination. The first owners of the first oceanfront condominiums have recently been handed their keys to their home by the beach.

Oceanfront Condos Nilaveli is increasingly becoming sought-after, and people have realized the convenience of owning their own holiday home which holds a higher resale value and have the ability to rent it out to others while being owned. ICC also facilitates the renting and managing of these condominiums on behalf of the clients, so that their investment is not just increasing in value, but also bringing in revenue in the interim.

Oceanfront Condos Nilaveli is now listed on major online booking sites including bookings through direct and travel agents, and will be available via its official website soon. With more privacy in a serviced apartment making it a haven of ones own, these condos are highly spacious (1180sqft- 2100sqft) and guests can choose to cook in the kitchenette, explore the area and stay for the long haul. Theres also a restaurant serving fresh seafood, fully equipped gym, pool, among others.

Following the success and popular demand with the Nilaveli project, ICC has picked Galle as the next destination to build oceanfront condos with developments planned to commence shortly. With a rich and diverse experience of over 35 years, ICC, the project lead, has proved to be the countrys pioneering construction company renowned for maintaining quality standards and timely delivery.
GENEVA AFP Dec20, 2017 -The UNs rights envoy for Myanmar said Wednesday the government had banned her from the country, adding her exclusion suggests something awful is happening in Rakhine state.



UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee had been due to visit Myanmar in January to assess the state of human rights across the country including in Rakhine, which was plunged into crisis by a military crackdown on the Rohingya minority Muslim community in late August.



Some 655,000 of them have fled for Bangladesh since then, with accounts of arson, murder and rape at the hands of soldiers and vigilante mobs in the mainly Buddhist country.



I am puzzled and disappointed by this decision by the Myanmar government, said Lee, who is required to go to the country twice a year in order to report to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.
The annual carol service organized by the Police Buddhist and Religious Affairs Association was held at the Police Field Force Headquarters Ground in Colombo yesterday.

Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and IGP Pujitha Jayasundara were the guests of honor at the event.

'
The Colombo Fort Magistrate today dismissed a request made by former Litro Gas Lanka Ltd Chairman Shalila Moonesinghe to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne said facts were not clear about the medical treatment required by Mr. Moonesinghe and whether the requested medical procedures were not available in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Moonasinghe was remanded and later granted bail in connection with the charge of transferring of US$1.1 million from Far Eastern International Bank of Taiwan to his personal account in Sri Lanka. (Yoshitha Perera)
President Trump suggested Wednesday that billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid could hinge on how countries vote on a U.N. resolution condemning his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the U.S. Embassy there.



In a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said he would be watching those votes in the General Assembly when it meets in emergency session Thursday on the U.S. decision.



They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us, he said. Well, well be watching those votes. Let them vote against us; well save a lot. We dont care.Trumps remarks came after Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned on Twitter that the US will be taking names of countries that support the resolution. And in a letter she sent to more than 180 U.N. ambassadors of member nations, she said she would report back to Trump on how they voted.



We will take note of each and every vote on this issue, she wrote.



On Monday, the United States exercised its Security Council veto to block a resolution on the council declaring Jerusalem. Now, the nonbinding resolution is going to the General Assembly, where the United States does not have veto power.



Neither Trump nor Haley mentioned any specific countries that could be affected. Apart from Israel, only two other countries receive more than $1 billion in annual aid  Egypt and Jordan.

By Carol Morello Washington Post, December 20, 2017
REUTERS, 22nd DECEMBER, 2017-The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Friday on a U.S.-drafted resolution that seeks to toughen sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, diplomats said.



The draft, seen by Reuters on Thursday, seeks to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and demand the repatriation of North Koreans working abroad within 12 months.



It would also cap crude oil supplies to North Korea at 4 million barrels a year. The United States has been calling on China to limit its oil supply to its neighbor and ally.



The text was circulated to the 15-member council on Thursday. While it was not immediately clear how China would vote, traditionally a draft on North Korea is not given to all members until it is agreed by Beijing and Washington.



The United States has been negotiating with China on the draft resolution for the past week, diplomats said. If adopted, it would be the 10th resolution imposing new sanctions on North Korea over its missile and nuclear programs since 2006.



To pass, a resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
The United Nations general assembly on Thursday voted to reject US President Donald Trumps unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, the Guardian reported.

The vote came after US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley said that Washington would remember which countries disrespected America by voting against it.

Despite the warning, 128 members voted on Thursday in favour of the resolution supporting the longstanding international consensus that the status of Jerusalem  which is claimed as a capital by both Israel and the Palestinians  can only be settled as an agreed final issue in a peace deal.

Countries which voted for the resolution included major recipients of US aid such as Egypt, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Although largely symbolic, the vote in emergency session of the world body had been the focus of days of furious diplomacy by both the Trump administration and Israel, including Trumps threat to cut US funding to countries that did not back the US recognition, the Guardian said.

Only nine states including the US and Israel had voted against the resolution. The other countries which supported Washington were Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Marshall Islands, Guatemala and Honduras.

Twenty-two of the 28 EU countries voted for the resolution, including the UK and France. Germany, which in the past has abstained on measures relating to Israel, also voted in favour.

Thirty-five countries abstained, including five EU states, and other US allies including Australia, Canada, Colombia and Mexico. Ambassadors from several abstaining countries, including Mexico, used their time on the podium to criticise Trumps unilateral move.

Another 21 delegations were absent from the vote, suggesting the Trumps warning over funding cuts and Israels lobbying may have had some effect.

While support for the resolution was somewhat less than Palestinian officials had hoped, the meagre tally of just nine votes in support of the US and Israeli position was a serious diplomatic blow for Trump.

Immediately after the vote the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, described the result as a victory for Palestine. The Palestinians UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, described the result as a massive setback for the US.

They made it about them. They did not make it about Jerusalem, so when you make it about them and to only be able to get nine votes to say no to it, I think it was a complete failure for their campaign, Mansour has told the AFP.

Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the UN vote out of hand.

Israel thanks President Trump for his unequivocal position in favour of Jerusalem and thanks the countries that voted together with Israel, together with the truth, said a statement from his office.
Why is U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos even more unpopular among educators than her boss, President Donald Trump?

Overall, 67 percent of the 1,122 teachers, school, and district leaders surveyed by the Education Week Research Center in October . had an unfavorable opinion of Trump, but 72 percent said they didnt like DeVos.

In followup interviews, educator after educator brought up what they see as DeVos lack of qualifications for her job, given that shes never worked professionally in a public school district, or postsecondary institution, and never sent her own children to a public school or attended one herself.

I think Betsy DeVos is very destructive, said Douglas Jones, a Democrat who teaches history in Sarasota County, Florida, and voted for Clinton.

I would love to have her removed, said Beth Boxley, a media specialist and high school English teacher in a small rural Missouri district, and a Democrat who voted for Hillary Clinton.

Even some teachers who voted for Trump dont support DeVos.

I think he probably could have made a wiser choice, said Jason Tackett, a Republican who voted for Trump. He teaches social studies at Herald Whitaker Middle School in Kentuckys Magoffin County, about an hour and a half drive from Lexington.

Others, however, said why they think DeVos was a good pick.

Laurie Villani, a Republican who teaches kindergarten in Virginias Prince William County, is heartened to have someone at the helm of the department who is motivated by her religious faith.

For decades, the secretary and her family have given millions to Christian organizations and causes, as well as more secular ones. DeVos interest in education was first sparked by a visit to The Potters House, a Christ-centered school serving a largely income low-population in her home state of Michigan.

By hiring her they broke through the wall that we had been putting up around us of fear of religion, said Villani, who voted for Trump. DeVos presence at the department is making a statement, she said that, its okay if you are a Christian.

Want more? Check out these other stories on the survey results.

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
UPDATED

New Mexico education officials have decided not to renew the contract of the states largest full-time online charter school.

The Public Education Commission, which authorizesor overseescharter schools in the state, cited poor academic performance and academic growth as the reason why it wont renew the online charters contract, according to the Associated Press.

The school, New Mexico Connections Academy, which contracts with a national for-profit operator, earned an F grade from the state in 2017. The number of students testing proficient in math had bottomed out at 11 percent.

The disappointing academics, as well as issues relating to oversight, funding, and financial transparency, are not limited to New Mexico Connections Academy, according to a legislative report released on the heels of the nonrenewal decision.

Put together by two nonpartisan legislative committees for state lawmakers, the report found that the states three virtual schools have struggled to provide acceptable outcomes, demonstrate fiscal responsibility, and comply with state law.

This Doesnt Mean Online Charter Schools Will Close

But the Public Education Commissions nonrenewal decision doesnt necessarily mean that the 1,350-student school will close. New Mexico Connections Academy, which contracts with Connections Education, one of two national virtual school companies, can appeal the non-renewal to the states education secretary. It could also switch to another oversight group, or authorizer, if it can find a local school district to sponsor it.

Both moves are common for struggling cyber charters nationwide. Shrinking rural school districts, in particular, are often eager to assume oversight of a virtual school because it brings thousands of new studentsand dollarsinto the district.

For these reasons, as well as aggressive lobbying practices on behalf of cyber school companies, its rare for virtual charter schools to close, as we found in a 2016 Education Week investigation .

Poor Outcomes and Financial Transparency in Cyber Charters, Report Finds

The New Mexico legislative report raised the issue that local school districts could be easily persuaded to take on struggling cyber charters to increase revenue.

It also found that virtual school students in the state performed on average worse in reading and math and had less academic growth than their peers in traditional, brick-and-mortar schools. Thats even though virtual schools serve fewer students who are learning English, have disabilities, or are from low-income families.

Additionally, the report raised concerns over whether the companies that the three cyber charters contract with, Connections Education and K12 Inc., play too large of a role in operating the schools. Although public schools can contract with for-profit providers for some services such as curriculum, state law bans companies from making staffing decisions or running schools entirely.

Finally, the report said there was a concerning lack of financial transparency in the schools. For example, monthly invoices from the operating companies to the schools at times surpassed six figures but lacked detail on the services they were charging schools for.

The report concluded that overfunding and open-ended contracts allow virtual charter schools to send large amounts of money to for-profit companies with limited transparency. (When reached for comment, Connections Education said it was still reviewing the report, and that it takes any analysis of virtual schools seriously.)

Among the recommendations the report made to state legislators:



Allow only the Public Education Commission to authorize virtual schools that plan to serve students statewide;

Place caps on the number of students a virtual school can enroll;

Develop either an expedited school closure process or ban cyber charters from operating as full-time, open-enrollment schools;

Devise a new funding formula for virtual schools that take into account lower staff, building, and transportation costs (virtual schools in the state are funded the same way as traditional schools with buildings, buses, and far lower teacher-to-student ratios).

Many of these same issues have cropped up with virtual schools across the country, as Ed Week detailed in its 2016 investigation. As part of that work, we compiled reports of trouble in cyber charters from local media outlets, state agencies, and researchers over the past decade into an interactive map, which you can explore here . The map is updated through 2017.

Related stories:

CLARIFICATION: This post has been updated to clarify that Connections Education does not directly run New Mexico Connections Academy. The company contracts with the online school to provide services.
From a massive philanthropic commitment to new state-level support, to a rising backlash from some concerned parents and Silicon Valley critics, 2017 was a big year for personalized learning.

Generally speaking, the term refers to an educational approach in which the pace of learning and the instructional strategies being used are adjusted to best fit each childs unique strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Technology is often seen as playing a critical enabling roleby allowing real-time measurement of what each student knows, the development of profiles of each individual student, and an array of strategies for matching students with the right supports and learning experiences.

But this modern version of personalized learning is still relatively new. And as Education Week has chronicled over the past year, even the definition of the term can be hotly contested .

With that in mind, here are 10 big personalized-learning trends from 2017, as covered by Ed Week.

1. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative goes all-in on a new vision of personalized learning.

In June, Education Week talked with Jim Shelton, the president of education for CZI, about the groups work. Shelton described a new notion of whole-child personalized learning . He said CZI will soon support that vision with hundreds of millions of dollars per year"likely to come through a mix of donations, investments, and advocacy and lobbying work, all of which CZI can undertake with minimal public disclosure requirements.

That kind of money would vault the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative up among the highest-giving educational philanthropies in the countryright there with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with whom CZI is already partnering to support personalized learning .

We also covered CZI investments in state-level personalized-learning work , as well as its move to hire its own personalized-learning engineers .

2. States start to take on the challenge of personalized learning.

Indeed, statehouses have become an active front in the push to advance personalized learning.

As part of our November special report, Education Week reporter Daarel Burnette broke down the efforts taken by 15 states to waive regulations, set up innovation zones, and more.

Kevin Bushweller, the executive editor of EdWeek Market Brief, also took a deep dive into Vermonts ambitious-but-messy statewide personalized-learning experiment .

And back in February, we also covered Rhode Islands statewide personalized-learning push , centered around developing a common statewide vision for what personalized learning entails, supporting and expanding related models in Rhode Island schools, and establishing a research network that can help guide implementation.

3. Concerns about personalized learning start to mount.

For that same November special report, I took an in-depth look at some of the main criticisms that have started to emerge around personalized learning : that the hype behind the movement outweighs the evidence; that there are unacknowledged tradeoffs in teaching and learning when schools adopt a personalized approach; and that the tech sector is pushing personalized learning too aggressively, before K-12 schools can fully consider the potential for harm and unintended consequences along the lines of what weve recently seen with personalized consumer platforms.

While the story didnt land clearly on one side of these debates, it apparently did strike a nerve in a K-12 field that seems hungry for honest, balanced, hype-free considerations of this big new trend: The Case(s) Against Personalized Learning was my most-read story of the year.

4. New research paints a decidedly mixed portrait of personalized learnings effectiveness.

The two biggest studies of personalized learning this year came from the RAND Corporation.

The first looked at 40 personalized-learning schools that have received funding from the Gates Foundation . It found modest improvements in test scores, plus big implementation challenges.

The other examined 10 high schools that were redesigned to focus in part on personalization , with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. It also found big implementation challenges.

This November Q&A with RAND researchers synthesizes the findings.

5. Some big names in the personalized-learning movement take big hits.

Summit Public Schoolsa California charter network that has worked with Facebook and CZI to develop its own personalized-learning platformhas pushed hard to get about 300 other schools to adopt its technology. But Summit has run into some resistance, including a couple districts that have voted to stop or roll back their use of the platform after parent concerns.

Californias AltSchool also came under fire recently , after it announced that it was listening to investors and pivoting to software sales while closing and consolidating some of its private micro-schools that had been open for less than three years.

And in May, global publishing giant Pearson announced that it would phase back its partnership with adaptive-learning company Knewton ,

6. Schools find that implementing personalized learning is exceptionally hard work.

As the personalized-learning movement has taken root, schools have been tasked with finding ways to make an appealing-sounding idea work in the real world.

In November, Education Week looked at how three schools are wrestling with three big personalized-learning challenges : teacher training, adjusting to self-paced student learning, and maintaining high standards while meeting every student where he or she is.

7. New efforts are launched to help teachers and schools.

In August, we took a look at efforts by two big players in the education-technology field to help ease the transition to personalized learning .

The nonprofit group Digital Promise announced its Dynamic Learning Project, funded by Google, which will embed former classroom teachers inside 50 low-income middle schools to help staff learn to use technology in transformative ways.

And the above-mentioned Summit Public Schools network launched a new teacher-residency program. Billed as the first of its kind in the country, the Summit Learning Teacher Residency aims to help prepare teachers specifically to work in new, more personalized classrooms where project-based teaching, regular use of data, and ongoing mentorship of students and families are central parts of the job description.

8. Teachers union questioned on personalized learning.

Ill admit that this one caught me by surprise.

In June, the NEA Today (the official magazine of the 3-million-member National Education Association) published an article titled As More Schools Look to Personalized Learning, Teaching May Be About to Change.

The social-media backlash was swift and fierce , and educators like New York teacher and school board member Chris Cerrone told Education Week he was upset that the union was promoting something that really takes away from genuine teaching and human-to-human contact.

Definitely something to watch heading into 2018.

9. The role of algorithms in K-12 education comes under scrutiny.

Many personalized-learning products, services, and approaches rely on algorithmsto track student progress, recommend content and lessons, flag students for extra support, and more. For one example of how this looks in action, check out my March story on the curriculum-playlist model employed by the 50 or so schools using a program called Teach to One: Math.

Recently, though, broader societal concerns have emerged about the roles of algorithms in decision-making and resource allocation, especially with public goods like education.

In April, we talked with RAND researchers about what these concerns look like in K-12 .

And last month, we took a look at proposed legislation that would have required public agencies in New York City (including the department of education) to open-source their algorithms (including for such functions as high-school assignment and teacher evaluation.) A revised version of that bill calling for further study of the issue was eventually passed, pointing to algorithmic transparency as another personalized-learning issue to watch in the coming year.

10. Some researchers are already looking to the next frontiers of personalized learning.

And to really leave your head spinning, Ill close this list with my February Q&A with three researchers from the Center for Human-Applied Reasoning and the Internet of Things at the University of Southern California.

The focus of their work? A moonshot investigation into whether deploying sensor networks and other new technologies in the classroom might yield valuable new data on student learning, without compromising student privacy.

Photos:

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at an event in 2016 iin Barcelona, Spain. --Manu Fernadez/AP-File

James H. Shelton, head of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiatives education division, at the organizations offices in Palo Alto, Calif.--Ramin Rahimian for Education Week

Max Ventilla, founder and CEO of AltSchool, poses for a portrait at the AltSchool headquarters in San Francisco in 2015.--Ramin Rahimian for Education Week-Fil

Fifth grade teacher Elias Hernandez observes 4th grade teacher Jannette Moya at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School in Chicago.--Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

As many as 67 math students might be working in a single Teach to One classroom at Nathan Hale Middle School. Some work on live investigations with a teacher to solve a problem, while others work independently on Chromebooks.--Mark Abramson for Education Week


Who will succeed Carmen Farina as chancellor of the New York City schools, the largest and perhaps most complex school system in the country?

While New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hints that he wants an educator who will continue the work Farina began, there are school district advocates and observers who think he needs to bring aboard a leader with new ideas.

Mayor de Blasio plans to hire Farinas replacement within a few months, paving the way for her to leave the post before the end of the school year. Her successor will take the helm of a 1.1 million-student school system rife with problems and possibility.

Its not just about running a company or an organization. Its about education, said Daniel Domenech, the executive director of the AASA, the School Superintendents Association. The person thats applying for the job has to feel that they can actually succeed and make a difference.

Pedro Noguera, a professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: The next chancellor needs to bring innovation and change, especially to the districts struggling schools.

There is a tremendous need to create better schools in disadvantaged communities. Simply making bad schools a little better is not good enough, said Noguera, who also serves as faculty director for the Center for the Transformation of Schools at UCLA.

Noguera celebrated Farinas efforts to bring stability to the district, end a long-standing conflict with the teachers union, implement universal pre-kindergarten, and her commitment to working with struggling schools. But Nogueras review of her four years on the job wasnt all praise: He said the former chancellor was very weak on school integration.

A New York native, Noguera worked for years at New York University as the executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education.

The size of the district, its diversity and complexity, make this an extremely challenging job. The next chancellor should have experience leading large, complex systems, Noguera said.

Insider or Newcomer?

Domenech said an internal candidate may already be the favorite to fill the role.

Farina fit that bill back in 2013. A former deputy chancellor in the system, she was a recent retiree when de Blasio tapped her for the role after persuading her to come out of retirement.

Citing unnamed sources, The New York Daily News speculates that senior deputy chancellor Dorita Gibson, one of Farinas top aides, is among the candidates to replace her.

Noguera thinks de Blasio should consider two former deputy chancellors, Andres Alonso and Shael Palokow-Suransky, for the job. Alonso is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He led the Baltimore city schools from 2007 to 2013. Palokow-Suransky is the president of the New York-based Bank Street College of Education.

Noguera also suggested that Alberto Carvalho, the schools chief in the Miami-Dade schools in Florida, the fourth-largest district in the country, should be encouraged to apply. Carvalho, who has led that district since 2008, was named superintendent of the year in 2014 by AASA.

While Farina has faced criticism for her on-the-job performance, Domenech said she wouldnt have lasted four years if she was not effective.

New York City does not take kindly to chancellors that are not capable of doing the job, said Domenech, who has some insight into the hiring process for the job.

Domenech was a finalist to lead the district in 1995 when he was a district superintendent for a regional board that oversees 18 school districts in western Suffolk County on Long Island. The school board ultimately hired Rudy Crew to the lead the district.

You have parents who need to develop confidence that the person [who] is leading the system and is making decisions on behalf of the students is someone that knows the business, Domenech said.

Unsolicited Advice

Eva Moskowitz, the founder and CEO of the New York City-based Success Academy charter school network , distributed a list of 14 people she deems as strong candidates to run the school system. Moskowitz has clashed with Farina and de Blasio , with their debates over the role of charter schools in the city and squabbles over co-locating charters in buildings with regular, district-run schools.

Moskowitzs list of favorites, which is heavy with superintendents leading Florida school districts, has a strong theme: Many have a track record of working at least amicably with charter schools; and some in direct partnership with charters.

On her list are Alonso and Carvalho, along with: Robert Avossa, superintendent of the Palm Beach County, Fla., schools; Malika Anderson, former superintendent of the Tennessee Achievement School District; Desmond Blackburn, superintendent of the Brevard County, Fla, schools; Tom Boasberg, superintendent of the Denver public schools; Lewis Ferebee, superintendent of the Indianapolis schools; William Hite, superintendent of the Philadelphia schools; Barbara Jenkins, superintendent of the Orange County, Fla., schools; Pedro Martinez, superintendent of the San Antonio Independent schools; Robert Runcie, superintendent of the Broward County, Fla., public schools; David Steiner, the director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy; Clayton Wilcox, superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., schools; and Antwan Wilson, chancellor of the District of Columbia schools.

While de Blasio has declined to reveal or discuss possible candidates for the job, he briefly addressed Moskowitzs recommendations.

I will not hold [Moskowitzs] endorsement against any of those candidates, the mayor said during Thursdays press conference, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Heres a look at the Moskowitz list .
This post is by Katie Shenk, Lead Curriculum Designer at EL Education

In Annie Holyfields primary classroom at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, kindergarten students huddle together to create an imaginary rainstorm with their bodies. Clap your hands again, a bit more loudly. Now slap your thighs with both hands and stomp your feet! The young students delight in this playful activity that engages their bodies and brains. For the past six weeks, Holyfields students have been studying the weather through one of EL Educations open-access English Language Arts curriculum modules: Learning Through Science and Story: Weather Wonders. Throughout this investigation, these young meteorologists have conducted scientific investigations, participated in structured conversations, sung songs and read poetry, and engaged in close read-alouds of literature and informational texts about weather. They will soon showcase their deep knowledge by writing their own fictional weather stories, a la Ezra Jack Keats The Snowy Day. Because they have read, thought, talked about, and played with meaningful content, students are better prepared to create high-quality pieces of writing. Even while they are meeting new standards for primary grades literacy, they are also excited about weather and eager to share their learning. Lets take a closer look at the progression from reading to writing in action with primary learners.

Young Children Love to Get Close: Deep Read-Alouds

Creating an evidence-based reading culture in primary classrooms might seem both unnecessary and impossible. However, by adapting the techniques of close reading to reading aloud complex texts, and teaching students to engage their ears and brains simultaneously, even young students can learn to support their written ideas with text-based evidence.

In Sarah Metzs class at Explore Elementary in Thornton, Colorado, for example, kindergarten students participate in a close read-aloud of Come On, Rain! By Karen Hesse. For students, close read-aloud experiences feel much like play, but they are actually engaging in important and hard work. Students responses to text-based questions, movement activities, and vocabulary practice serve as pre-writing experiences to help students rehearse for future writing. As students build their world and word knowledge by interacting with a rich text, they are also absorbing concepts and language they will later use in their own writing.

Lets Talk About It!

But these experiences alone wont suffice; young learners need time to talk about their understanding. Put simply, talk is the foundation of literacy. This should come as no surprise to educators of primary students, who know that students listen and speak well before they can read or write.

The power of talk does not diminish once students enter school. Young students need, and deserve, abundant time to orally share their a-has, questions, and musings with peers. However, rich conversations dont often happen by happenstance. Teachers must to be intentional about creating the systems, structures, and routines that foster rich discourse. Conversational protocols that build rigor and equitable engagement , like Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face or Think-Pair-Share , are commonly used in EL Education classrooms.

Conversation protocols support primary students in multiple ways: they cultivate students listening and speaking skills, help deepen their content knowledge as they interact with peers, and empower students to use their voices as a vehicle for showing what they know and what theyre still wondering. Talk is also an essential scaffold for quality writing. When students talk about what they know before they write, they solidify their understanding of the content about which they plan to write. Primary teachers say to their students: If you can say it, you can write it. Its imperative that students have the time, space and guidance to say it loudly and clearly.

Writing to Show Understanding

Once students have built content knowledge and vocabulary through reading, thinking, and talking, they are primed to show and deepen their understanding through writing.

This is precisely what the 2nd graders in Kate Reids class at Centennial Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, did following an in-depth study of schools around the world. Students expanded their literacy and citizenship skills while reading a variety of texts about schools. They gathered information through research reading, participated in collaborative conversations, used graphic organizers to synthesize their research, and engaged in mini cycles of drafting, revising, and editing portions of their text. Then they applied their learning to produce informational writing, like the piece below, which explains what makes school important and compares and contrasts Centennial with tent schools in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

High quality writing is abundant throughout all the grades at Centennial and is showcased on the schools high-quality work website. Improvements in students writing at Centennial are backed up by strong reading scores . In addition, students engagement in an authentic writing process enables them to learn skills and a mindset that they will continue to employ to craft future high-quality work.

Teach Students to Critique and Revise for Excellence

For a window into that process, lets re-visit Holyfields primary students as they write their weather stories. Students have begun to draft their stories, keeping in mind criteria for quality that theyve generated collaboratively after looking at models of similar stories. Along the way, they will give and receive feedback in bite-sized pieces throughout the writing process. Each time they look at a partners work, Holyfield reminds students, When we give feedback to someone on their writing (that they have worked hard on), it is important to be kind and helpful at the same time. We want to give feedback to help our partner improve his or her writing, but that feedback should also not hurt our partners feelings. Holyfield provides sentence frames to support students feedback language: I notice ______ I like how you ________ and Would you consider____? Students then form partnerships and practice giving kind, specific, and helpful feedback aligned to the criteria for quality weather stories. Afterwards, they debrief the feedback process and set goals for the next round. This feedback process continues throughout the writing project and students ability to give and receive feedback sharpens with each try.

Because Holyfield has afforded her students the time and tools to read, think, talk, and write about meaningful content, they beam with pride during their celebration of learning where they showcase their weather stories for visitors. Like students at Centennial, these primary learners crave independence and mastery. Giving them multiple opportunities to build knowledge and share their expertise through high quality reading and writing experiences satisfies that craving. It also builds their competence and confidence in learning deeply.

Photo Credit: Joe Shoemaker Elementary School

Photo Credit: Centennial Elementary School
Larry Wittig resigned as chairman of Pennsylvanias state board of education Thursday after the Philadephia Inquirer and Daily News published stories in which several women accused him of pursuing a sexual relationship with them when they were teenagers.

The alleged behavior that has come to light is reprehensible, said J.J. Abbott, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfs spokesman after the governor accepted Wittigs resignation.



The reports earlier this week quoted several women who said Wittig in the early 1980s made sexual advances toward them when they were teenage rowers at a boathouse he was a member of. Wittig, who runs an accounting practice and is president of a waste management company, joined the state board of education in 2001.

All of the time, he kept making passes at me, Margo Boyle, one of the rowers, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. And I just, I blew him off. I didnt mind the passes. But I knew nothing was going to happen, because he was creepy.

Wittig was charged in 1970, when he was 21, of raping a 15-year-old girl, but the charges were ultimately dropped, according to the newspaper. The woman recently maintained to a reporter that she was raped.

Wolf on Friday morning named two-term state board member Karen Farmer White to permanently replace Wittig as chair.



.@GovernorTomWolf today appointed Karen Farmer White of Pittsburgh as Chair of the State Board of Education, effective immediately. https://t.co/HnrBPgT3F2  The Press Office (@GovernorsOffice) December 22, 2017

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New Delhi: The government is committed to increasing India's contribution to global trade in a "very significant" manner, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Friday.

He said he was looking forward to the country, which has about 1.7 per cent share in global trade, taking a rightful place in the world community as a significant player.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) and the Integrated Transit Corridor Development Project here, Prabhu said that both imports and exports contribute significantly to improving the country's GDP.

"When we import something, that also adds to consumption, adds to the capacity of Indian manufacturing to create world- class products. Obviously when we export, it creates new capabilities," he added.

India is poised to be the third largest economy in the world, Prabhu said, adding that several factors are however need to make that happen.

"One of them obviously is increasing investments, increasing consumption within the country, and also propelling India to a new growth trajectory by making global trade as a driving force of increasing the rate of growth of Indian economy," he said.

Referring to the IECC, Prabhu said the Pragati Maidan re-development project will be an exhibit of what India is going to be.

"If you look at the kind of facilities that are going to be created, it is truly in the spirit of what modern India should be. This (project) will showcase India's ability to create world-class infrastructure," he said.

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India's capacity to hold international events is "severely handicapped and circumscribed" by the absence of infrastructure to host such events.

Puri said financial assistance amounting to Rs 739 crore, which is 80 per cent of the total cost of the Pragati Maidan re-development, was being contributed from the Urban Development Fund.
Hyderabad: Experts from American Telugu Association (ATA) believe that these are interesting times for startups to get investments from overseas, given that rules set by the United States for immigrants to start a business are getting stringent by the day. About 20 CEOs and investors, who own businesses in the US, were in T-hub to interact with 40-odd startups and possible partnerships on Thursday.

With the stringent visa rules in place, Indian origin CEOs believe that starting a company in the US was not favourable in the current scenario, unlike decades ago when they started off. It makes India the right place to start a new business, with skilled labour also available in the country. Jay Challa, co-founder of Ace Info Solutions and head of business ATA group, was confident that the United States would not shut doors completely for skilled labour.

Mr Challa said, Politicians, whether in Telangana or the United States, talk something and do something else. United States does not want to shut the doors as it has to remain competitive with other countries. Even though there will be some initial impact on skilled labour wanting to migrate from India and other countries, prospects for the IT sector are good there in long term.

Citing an example of Disneys H-1B visa abuse, KPMGs Karthik Gopalakrishnan said, That Indian IT services were relying on labour arbitrage and because the cost of doing business is low is validation of that fact. However, what worked for companies in the past will not work in the future. There are opportunities for only those start-ups that are more innovative and creative in their business model.
An eight-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by six boys, including five minors, in Pune's Kondhwa locality. ( Representational image)

Pune: An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by six boys, a 19-year-old and five minors aged about 10, living in her neighbourhood, police officials said at Pune in Maharashtra on Friday.

All six have been held following a complaint from the girl's mother on Thursday.

She alleged that the six, all living in her neighbourhood in Kondhwa area, sexually assaulted her daughter, an official said.

The police arrested the 19-year-old and sent the five boys, in the age group of 10 to 11, to an observation home, he said.

The incident came to light on Thursday when the woman took her daughter to a doctor after she complained of abdominal pain.

The doctor found some marks on the girl's body during a medical examination and suspected it to be a case of sexual abuse, the official said.

When the doctor asked the girl about the marks, she revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by the six on four to five occasions in the last couple of weeks, he said.

The girl's mother then immediately approached the police.

The six have been booked under IPC Section 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.
A one-man commission was constituted and a probe under a retired Madras High Court judge, Justice Arumugasamy, was initiated on October 30. (Photo: File)

Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death probe commission on Friday summoned All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary VK Sasikala and Apollo Hospitals Founder- Chairman Pratap Reddy.

A 20-second video clipping, which was released on December 20 by disqualified MLA P Vetriivel, a loyalist of ousted AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, has resulted in a political storm.

The ruling party is questioning the timing, as it was released a day ahead of assembly by-poll of RK Nagar seat, for which Dhinakaran is contesting as an Independent candidate.

In the video, a frail Jayalalithaa can be seen on a bed. She has an I-V drip attached to her right hand.

However, Reddy had reiterated that his doctors did their best while treating the late chief minister.

Jayalalithaa, popularly known as 'Amma', was taken to Chennai's Apollo hospital on September 22 last year and treated in the hospital for 75 days before she breathed her last on December 5.

Following her death, allegations of foul play began to do the rounds and state forest minister Dindigul Sreenivasan even claimed that all cabinet ministers had lied to the people about hospitalisation and death of the former AIADMK general secretary.

Subsequently, a one-man commission was constituted and a probe under a retired Madras High Court judge, Justice Arumugasamy, was initiated on October 30.

The commission, whose constitution was challenged in the Supreme Court through a plea, which the apex court later rejected, will submit its findings early next year.
Several petitions, including the one filed by NGO Health for Millions Trust, have challenged the high court verdict. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant any interim stay on the Karnataka High Court verdict which quashed the government regulation that packets of tobacco products must carry pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of the packaging space.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked the high court to upload the judgement on its website and fixed the appeal against it for further hearing on January 8, 2018.

Several petitions, including the one filed by NGO Health for Millions Trust, have challenged the high court verdict.

The high court had on December 15 struck down the 2014 amendment rules that mandated the pictorial health warning to cover 85 per cent of the tobacco product packaging space, holding that they violated the constitutional norms.
This is the first time in its 105-year history that the Indian Science Congress (ISC) has been indefinitely postponed.

Hyderabad: The Indian Science Congress, which was to be held at Osmania University, has been indefinitely postponed just days before the event was scheduled  from January 3 to 7.

The decision to postpone the event barely two weeks before it was to commence has come as a rude shock to Osmania University, which is holding its centenary celebrations this year, and the Telangana state government.

The event was postponed due to security issues on the Osmania University campus following the suicide of a postgraduate student which led to violent protests by students, who blamed the lack of government jobs for the students frustration and suicide.

This is the first time in its 105-year history that the Indian Science Congress (ISC) has been indefinitely postponed.

The ISC is traditionally the first public function the Prime Minister addresses in the new calendar year.

The ISC Association will meet on December 27 to decide on a new venue and date.

The ISC venue is usually decided a year in advance as the logistics are massive, involving coordinating the visits of several Nobel laureates, heads of Indian science academies and thousands of students.

The gap between the TRS government and Osmania University students has widened further with the decision to postpone the event.

Though Osmania University had made all the arrangements to conduct the Congress and wanted the government to shift only the inaugural meet to HICC, the government was averse to this proposal after violence broke out recently over the student's suicide.

OU students, who were the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samitis most staunch supporters during the statehood agitation, are at loggerheads with the TRS government.

What started with the OU students protests against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos decision to regularise the services of over 70,000 contract staff in July 2014, intensified with the CM proposing to take over some portion of the university's unutilised land for the 2BHK housing scheme for the poor.

Neither Mr Rao nor any of his ministers have entered the campus since then, except when he attended the OU centenary with then Presi-dent Pranab Mukherjee early this year, but left without delivering a speech or visiting the Arts College building.
Hubballi: Even as a political slugfest erupted between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP over Goa CM Manohar Parrikars letter expressing willingness to release Mahadayi water to Karnataka, BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa said the BJP is committed to ensure supply of Mahadayi water to cater to drinking water needs of the state.

The former CM claimed that some elements will try to create confusion about the in-principle approval given by the Goa Chief Minister for release of water. Addressing the Parivarthana rally here on Thursday, he appealed to farmers not to pay heed to such attempts to confuse them.

Maintaining that the BJP has always given top priority to the irrigation sector, Yeddyurappa promised that the party will earmark Rs 1 lakh crore for completion of irrigation projects apart from filling lakes to help farmers suffering from recurring droughts. He also claimed that he had to fight for the last three months for a discussion on the Mahadayi row with the BJP top brass and this had finally yielded a positive result with the Goa CM giving his approval.

Lambasting the state government, Yeddyurappa said Congress leaders had recommended formation of the Mahadayi tribunal against the interest of state farmers. Accusing the Congress of delaying the implementation of Kalasa Banduri project, he said former AICC president Sonia Gandhi had derived political mileage from the issue by assuring Goans during the Assembly polls in that state that she will not allow Karnataka to use Mahadayi water.

Farmers need not worry about the Mahadayi row as the BJP will take the responsibility of supplying water for drinking purposes. We had laid the foundation stone for the Kalasa Banduri project and earmarked funds when a BJP-JD(S) coalition government was in power in the state. But, the Congress government has built a wall across Kalasa Nala to stop water from flowing, Yeddyurappa asserted.
Chennai: Power cut and EVM failures in high octane RK Nagar byelection made voters wait for hours on Thursday. Severe power cut problem in several polling stations in Korukkupet and Tondiarpet made voters angry.

At a polling station in Harinarayanapuram, power cut became a persistent problem and poll officials struggled to bring power back. Generator deployed at the polling station did not help as officials were not sure about operating it. Though EVMs do not need electricity, dark rooms without lights halted the polling process. Many voters, especially elderly voters, returned to their houses without casting votes. An elderly woman said that she had waited for over two hours but the queue moved slowly. My legs are hurting, she said.

Meanwhile, EVMs also caused trouble at various booths that added to voters disappointment. At Cheriyan Nagar polling booth, EVM malfunction occurred shortly after polling started. Although the officials rectified the shortcoming, the machine failed again at 10 am to 2 pm. Some voters complained that EVM failure had occurred at Madras port trust (MPT) colony for two hours. The polling percentage, which is higher when compared to recent polls, would have increased further by 2 to 3 per cent. Many voters left the booths owing to long hours of waiting in the queue, an election department source said.
Vijay Rupani to be CM of Gujarat, Nitin Bhai Patel will be his deputy. (Photo: ANI/ Twitter)

Gandhinagar: Vijay Rupani will continue as the chief minister of Gujarat and Nitin Patel as his deputy. The announcement was made on Friday evening after a meeting of the BJP's newly-elected legislators, which was supervised by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

Addressing the media after the party's legislatures meet at Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Friday, Arun Jaitley said: "Vijay Rupani chosen as Legislature party leader unanimously, Nitin Bhai Patel as the deputy Legislature party leader in a meeting today. Will inform you all about the swearing in, soon."

Jaitley added that Bhupendra Singh proposed the two names for leader and deputy leader which was supported by five other MLAs who came to the dais and supported them.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah had earlier this year indicated that Vijay Rupani and deputy chief minister Nitin Patel would continue in their positions if the party is voted to power.

The BJP has won elections for the sixth consecutive time in the recently concluded Assembly elections at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat.

Soon after the BJP swept the Gujarat elections, the party's decision making body had sent Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and partys general secretary to Gandhinagar as BJPs observers for the selection of the chief minister in Gujarat.

Chances of Rupani holding the chief ministerial position of Gujarat were diminishing after the BJP won 99 seats, only seven more than it needed for a majority to form government and 16 less than it had won last time.

The party now has achieved the 100 seat mark in the Gujarat Assembly after an independent MLA Ratansinh Rathod from Lunawada offered his support to the BJP.

The Congress improved its position bagging 77 seats in the 182-seat Assembly.

After the muted result the BJP took time to come to a decision amid speculation over other probable candidates for the top post, like union ministers Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya, both prominent Patel or Patidar leaders from Saurashtra, the region where the BJP lost most heavily.
It is not just about the hostility of the government in Kabul; more troubling is the fact that the adverse sentiments in Afghanistan towards Pakistan are deeply entrenched in the public. The indignation has heightened over the past years, with most people in Kabul blaming Pakistan for their suffering. This was very clear during my interaction last week with young students at a private university in Kabul. Most students shared similar views about Pakistan being a villain that is responsible for many of Afghanistans problems. Many complained about Pakistan supporting the insurgents responsible for the death of thousands of Afghans. The resentment is not restricted to any ethnic group  it is across the board. Even former Taliban officials who now live in Kabul have little empathy for the country which once patronised them. Of course, it is expedient for our civilian and military leadership to dismiss these growing anti-Pakistan sentiments in Afghanistan as merely inspired by enemy forces. This, however, doesnt help improve our image.

One of the major reasons for Pakistans growing isolation is that our entire Afghan policy is built around a skewed security paradigm. Understandably, four decades of conflict in the region and Pakistans position as a front-line state has enhanced the role of the security agencies. But the formulation and implementation of policy should not be left entirely to the security establishment. In fact, there is great need for diplomacy to take charge in times of conflict. Our foreign policy has suffered hugely because of its direction being determined solely by a national security paradigm that must be corrected in light of the fast-changing geopolitics of the region. One understands the concerns of our security establishment regarding Indias growing presence in Afghanistan, but the issue must not be exaggerated so that it clouds our entire decision-making process. What irritates the Afghans most is our insistence on curtailing Indias role in their country. Indeed, Pakistani militant groups having been granted sanctuaries across the border and the alleged Indian connection with these terrorist networks has become a major source of tension between Islamabad and Kabul. But there are also allegations of Afghan groups operating from inside Pakistani territory. The question regarding Pakistans alleged support for the Taliban is not only regularly raised at official meetings but also questioned by the public. The rise of Taliban insurgents as the most serious threat to the gains made in the field of education.

It is not only important to improve relations with the Kabul government, but also to bridge the widening gap with the Afghan people. We have failed to take advantage of our geographical and cultural proximity to win public goodwill and strengthen our economic and trade ties in order to neutralise the antagonists. It is not just geopolitics but also geo-economics that should be driving our Afghan policy. The recent measures taken by Pakistani authorities to send back Afghan refugees and put restrictions on cross-border travel have added to the indignation. Many complain of difficulties in travelling to Peshawar for medical treatment. Now many of them are flying to India that is providing a subsidised air travel facility. Unnecessary travel restrictions under the pretext of border management have further alienated the Afghans. The move has also affected trade, with Pakistani exporters suffering greater losses. Although Pakistan remains Afghanistans biggest trading partner, the situation may change soon with Iran and Central Asia making significant inroads into the Afghan markets. The move to close down the border for over a month early this year has dealt an irreversible blow to our exports to Afghanistan that had reached between $2 billion and $5bn in 2014. Such short-sighted and reactive actions have hugely affected our interests in Afghanistan. Hence it is not surprising to see how young Afghans feel about us.

By arrangement with Dawn
While previous American administrations have espoused much of the same views, there is a certain change in tone and a brutal frankness in US President Donald Trumps new National Security Strategy (NSS), unveiled in mid-December, that reflects Mr Trumps personality and style. Van Jackson, writing for an Australian think tank, says it represents a continuously renegotiated bargain between neo-conservative hawks and America First nativists. In other words, an interplay between the generals who hold several key positions in the Trump administration and the US Presidents own instincts. Two major events are already casting a shadow over US policymaking. One was the WTO ministerial conference in Argentina where India, seeking exception for the procurement of crops for food security, was strongly opposed by the US. Further, the European Union and Japan joined the US to focus on industrial overcapacity and forced technology transfers, thus directly targeting China. Friends and rivals can switch with the context.

Second is the formal US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, pending the final resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. This has embarrassed Americas partners and allies in the Islamic world and emboldened others to resist, including Nato ally Turkey. Consequently, resolutions were moved in the UN Security Council and General Assembly to condemn the US and seek a reversal of its policy. In the Security Council, the resolution was vetoed by Washington when even allies and permanent members Britain and France joined a 14-1 landslide. In the General Assembly on Thursday, 128 nations voted for the resolution, eight opposed it and the rest abstained. Significantly, four permanent members of the UNSC voted with the majority, as did India. A warning from the United States that those voting against it would invite Americas wrath and denial of aid actually worked to irritate nations like Canada, which was planning to oppose but abstained in order not to be seen as US lackeys. The NSS opens with a America First Foreign Policy incantation and in a Trumpian flourish promises a new and very different course. Noticeably, it resurrects great power rivalry by identifying Russia and China, besides states like Iran and North Korea and non-state terrorist entities, as the prime challenges. Principled realism to promote a balance of power that favours the US, our allies and our partners is advocated. That US power can be self-sustaining, it argues, is a false belief.

Multilateralism, in line with Mr Trumps nativist beliefs, finds no mention. In fact, similar anti-UN rhetoric was prevalent during the Ronald Reagan presidency in the 1980s too and even speculation that perhaps the UN headquarters needed to move to a less hostile environment. The end of the Cold War in 1989-90 diffused polarisation among the permanent members of the Security Council, and American unilateralism became the means to address international crises, with rubber-stamping by the UN. The world, of course, has changed considerably, and the current NSS deals with it. Seen leading the revisionist challenge are Russia and China. The former, it is felt, is attempting to restore great power status by establishing spheres of influence near its borders. The reference is to Russian actions in Ukraine, Crimea and Central Asia. Syria, where Russia has successfully resurrected its ally, the Bashar al- Assad regime, is not mentioned, and is hardly near Russias borders. China gets more attention, the tone being set by the opening assertion that many nations have risen as they subsidised their industries, forced technology transfers and distorted markets. China is seen as seeking to displace the US in the Indo-Pacific and expand the reach of its state-driven economic model. Finally, while both are aspiring to project power worldwide, they are seen as principal actors in their neighbourhoods, upsetting existing balances of power. The past assumption that by engaging rivals and including them in international institutions and global commerce would make them benign players and partners has turned out to be false.

It is proposed for the US to respond to political, economic and military competition globally. Free enterprise is touted as historys greatest antidote to poverty. To do this, the US will counter unfavourable shifts in the Indo-Pacific, Europe and Middle East. Thus, the US will try bridging a paradox. One the one hand, it will ring-fence its technologies against poaching, restrict immigration of non-gifted persons, closely scrutinise students from designated nations pursuing higher education in advanced disciplines of science and technology, closely assess foreign investments through its Committee on Foreign Investment in the US and scuttle the role of international institutions like the WTO. On the other, it will aggressively market its arms and products abroad by twisting arms, prying open what it considers as non-level playing rules, asking allies and partners to share the security burden, and so on. India finds mention in both the South and Central Asian context as well as the Indo-Pacific construct. There are the usual threats and cajolements to Pakistan on curbing the terror syndicates operating from its territory. But it will be useful to remember that any nation is just one tweet away from being a friend or a pariah. Indias vote with the majority in the General Assembly is a sensible course correction from the unbridled pro-US tilt. With Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu arriving in India next month it is a brave but necessary move, although it may go in Mr Trumps debit account. The NSS loftily claims that today geopolitical competition is between free and repressive visions of the world order. But this Trumpian nativism is at variance with US exceptionalism which had created and defended the free order in the last century. Former Indian President K.R. Narayanan, when he was ambassador to the US in the early 1980s, was fond of telling his US audiences that great powers and small minds go ill together. It applies so appositely to many nationalistic leaders of big and emerging powers today. More global turbulence can safely be predicted for 2018.
India did well to join the UN General Assembly vote on Thursday that overwhelmingly criticised the US for deciding to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This would not have been a difficult decision considering that the major allies of the US such as Britain, France, Germany and Japan voted for the resolution and, impliedly, against the decision of the Trump administration which upended a 50-year-old understanding of US foreign policy that Jerusalem, whose eastern part was occupied by Israel in 1967, was a disputed and occupied city and that its status would be decided through negotiations between Palestine and Israel.

In a rare vote in the General Assembly, the US stood isolated when the resolution, moved by Turkey and Yemen, was passed 128-9 with 35 abstentions and a few countries absenting themselves. The result was one-sided although US president Donald Trump had threatened that he would cut aid to countries that voted in favour of the resolution. Mr. Trump was boorish enough to call such countries ungrateful. The US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley went to the extent of saying that America would remember this day, when time came for the US to make its contribution to the UN.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has maintained extraordinary close relations with both, the US and Israel, seeking to inject personal warmth into these ties. But it would have been inconsistent with the Indian record in the UN to vote against the resolution, or even abstain. Since 1967, in the UN Security Council, India has backed moves to decide the status of Jerusalem through negotiations and denounced Israeli capture of East Jerusalem by force.
The fear that growing intolerance is fuelling communal discord is further enhanced by the latest data of violent incidents showing Rajasthan as one of the eight states in which about 85 per cent of communal incidents in the country are taking place. The incident in which dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was set on fire was no isolated instance of a hate crime as it seems to fall into a pattern of sustained hatred and discord being sown by fringe Hindu nationalist groups. The current scenario in the state is being further exacerbated by willful acts disrupting Christmas events being organised by the minority community. While Uttar Pradesh has taken action to protect the Christians by serving notice on the majority community of punitive action in case deliberate discord is whipped up by provocative acts, it appears Rajasthan, also a center where cow vigilante groups have been proactive, is going down the road towards hate in mindless majoritarianism.

It makes us wonder how society can expect to prosper when strife is being spread in certain states in the northern part of the country by deliberate action. The creation of communal strife to gain political power may have been a ploy exploited by some in recent years. But once in power they may begin to realise that those who spread hate become ogres who cannot be controlled. If such groups lose the fear of punishment by the state, they would only be further emboldened to widen the rift and try to profit by driving fear into the minds of people. Unless the state realises the trap of religion being used for dividing people can come back to haunt governance, matters may slip out of its hands. We know there is a looming problem when the difference between people like Hafiz Saeed living in Pakistan and using religion to propagate hate and people in India begins to blur.

If India is to be truly great, which is what even divisive politicians claim to be working towards, and see progress in industry, job creation and social welfare, certain northern states have to look at the south of the country, at states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to understand what communal harmony means to the welfare and upliftment of society. One need not delve deep into history to understand that a country as diverse as India grew harmoniously by bypassing cultural, religious and linguistic identities and creating an Indian nationalism while celebrating its diversity of cultures, eating habits and points of view. To lose sight of that would be to allow religious intolerance and a kind of rhetorical nationalism to eat away at the vitals of a pluralistic democracy. The year has seen enough of this phenomenon for us not to recognise the signals.
I think, therefore I am!

Descartes

I am, therefore I think

Desbachchoo

Religion is the opiate of the masses

Marx (19th century)

Opiates are the religion of the masses

Bachchoo (21st century)

Before last weeks results of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, an Indian TV channel asked me to stand by in London to comment on the results as they came through on Monday. By stand by they actually meant sit in front of a computer and switch Skype on. Skype is, I am well aware, one of the easiest ether-age applications for the millions to use, but I always find it fiddly. I never know which symbols on the screen to activate, especially since Indian Standard Time is four-and-a-half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, which meant waking up at 5.30 am, sobering up with a cup of tea or two for the TV appearance and waiting for the Skyped screen to show signs of life. At first the broadcasters asked me to consider the fate of secularism after this election but they then changed their minds and asked me whether Rahul Gandhi had anything to learn from Tony Blairs alteration of the fortunes of Britains Labour Party.

Mr Blair was elected to the leadership of the Labour Party in the early Nineties and set about attempting to reverse its seeming unelectability. The ruling Tory party, in power since 1979, at first under Margaret Thatcher and then under her successor John Major, made much of the fact that Labour was controlled by the trade unions and was dedicated to fighting Capitalism and would, if it won an election, turn Britain into a pseudo-Communist state. This Tory allegation was not contradicted by Clause 4 of Labours constitution, introduced in 1918 into the then 12-year-old party by Sidney Webb, the dedicated socialist. He formulated it as the aim of (and I paraphrase) owning the means of production and distribution... and controlling the heights of the economy for the benefit of those who toil by hand and brain. It was not as if the common voter read the Labour constitution before elections and decided that this was one aim too far and a declaration to nationalise and ruin everything. Nor is it true that the British voter is as paranoid about the term communism as the voters of the US. Indeed, very many leaders, including Mr Blair, have openly embraced their own version of socialism and won elections.

What Mr Blair thought he needed was a grand gesture to attack this notion of a hidden Stalinist hand. He announced the abolition, through a vote of the partys democratic mechanism, of Clause 4 and announced the renaming of his party as New Labour. His manifesto promised several other polices: against crime, for education, the liberalisation of banking control, but any Labour leader would have had similar stuff. But getting rid of Clause 4 was his version of Donald Trumps Make America Great Again or the Brexiteers Take Back Control. There followed the 1997 election. Years later Mr Major told the story of election night on the radio. He said he was in 10 Downing Street as the results of the election became clear in the early hours of the morning as he and his staff and Cabinet colleagues watched the reports on TV. When, about 3 am it became clear that he had decisively lost his majority, he asked his aides to get the No. 10 switchboard to call Labour headquarters. He wanted to do the sporting thing and acknowledge defeat.

In a few minutes the switchboard called back and when Mr Major picked it up the operator said: Mr Major, the Prime Minister is returning your call! Mr Blairs strategy kept the party in power for three terms. Can Mr Gandhi and the Congress learn anything from this reversal? Is there any commanding principle they can abandon to win the hearts, minds and votes of the electorate  something that will tip the balance and reinstate the Congress in government? There has been an abolishing-of-Clause 4 moment in Indian politics. It wasnt the Congress Partys strategic move, but rather the BJPs repudiation of Indias secularism. This clear and reprehensible move swayed a minority of the electorate and assisted the BJPs assent to power. Elements of the BJP have subsequently challenged the inclusion of the secular principle in the Indian Constitution.

Mr Gandhis advisers obviously told him to visit temples in Gujarat. He did diligently. The BJP accused him of trying to steal their Hindutva avatar, but that was just mockery. Mr Gandhis advisers should have realised that Hindutva is not religion and has nothing to do with praying at temples  its a political reaction to the events of history and its supposed victims. Just as the Tories used the existence of Clause 4 as a jibe that Labour were Commies and Stalinists, the spokesmen of the BJP have often used Congress persistence in appointing dynastic leaders as evidence of its undemocratic, feudal inheritance. If the Nehru-Gandhi familys guaranteed accession to the leadership is Congress Achilles heel, it cant be dealt with as Mr Blair did with Clause 4.

Mr Gandhi is not likely to abolish himself. He should rather, with all the other promises he can make to the broad and varied electorate, such as spreading the benefits of our rampant capitalism and growth and stopping the wealth of a tiny minority flowing abroad, tackle the main moral question. This would, in the first instance, amount to introducing a version of Clause 4. The nation has invented very ingenuous corrupt ways to swindle the exchequer and politicians have turned a blind eye. That ingenuity can surely be applied to defeat itself? The moral innovation the Congress Party is called upon to introduce is a vigorous reassertion of secular India with the will and force to enforce it. Then only will it be possible for the switchboard in Lok Kalyan Marg to say Mr Modi, the Prime Minister is on the line and has returned your call.
As expected the BJP won the recent state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shifted focus to the forthcoming elections in the Northeast. Given that numerous other critical matters involving national security need the urgent attention of our tireless Prime Minister, it is perhaps time that both the Central and state elections are held either simultaneously or almost simultaneously. As the world is moving closer to possibility of war in the Korean peninsula, and China has permanently based 1,800 troops in Doklam, India apparently remains in near-permanent election mode. In the meantime, President Donald Trump has announced a new National Security Strategy (NSS) on December 18 to deal with the emerging threats, while our time-tested strategic partner Russia is increasingly aligning with China to confront the United States. To add fuel to the fire, the Pakistani national security adviser has recently stated that a nuclear war in South Asia cannot be ruled out. This article seeks to show what new threats have now emerged, along with two frequently used phrases by the media and the strategic community  Thucydides Trap and sharp power.

First, President Trumps NSS 2017 recognises the challenges to the US from China, Russia, emphasises the importance of a strong military, proactive homeland defence against terror and missile attacks, envisions a radical upgrade in US industrial base, largescale support for scientific and technical education and rebuilding of infrastructure in response to Chinas economic and strategic challenge. Other details include retaliation against economic aggression by states who exploit free trade selectively, and embracing emergency dominance by removing restrictions on shale oil exploitation and nuclear energy, a new system of alliances centring on Japan and India to counter Chinas economic diplomacy in Asia. And finally, the NSS recognises India as an emerging global power while portraying China and Pakistan as antithetical to US interests. Thucydides was an Athenian (Greek) general and historian of fifth century BC, when he wrote: What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta. In the 1970s, American political scientist Professor Graham Tillett Allison, Jr. coined the phrase Thucydides Trap to refer to when a rising power (China) causes fear in an established power (the US), which escalates towards war.

The term hard power refers to coercion by a country using its military and economic power. On the other hand, soft power is based on attraction, arising out of the positive appeal of a countrys culture, political ideals, policies, as well as a vibrant independent civil society. Sharp power is a term applied to powerful, ambitious and authoritarian regimes (e.g. China), which ruthlessly suppress free expression and pluralism at home while exploiting democratic conditions in other countries like China has done in Australia, where as per media reports, Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop has bluntly warned Chinese university students in Australia, affiliated to the Communist Party of China (who were reporting to Beijing on other Chinese students), to respect freedom of speech in Australia. Security agencies in Australia are now asking allies  the US, the UK, Canada and New Zealand  to forge a common strategy to resist Chinese government intrusions into Western universities. Last fortnight, a prominent Australian Opposition member, Sam Dastyari, resigned from the Senate over charges of having close links with wealthy Chinese donors. In November this year, American Republican Senator Steve Daines achieved a long-standing breakthrough in selling $200 million worth of beef to China. In return he was required to host on December 5 a delegation of Chinese party officials who oversee Tibet, to undermine a simultaneous visit to Washington by the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

How close is the world to a local conflict, which may spread rapidly to destroy the global economy and is based on sea-borne commerce? In the Korean peninsula, things are heating up with military and naval drills by both sides, while China has commenced building refugee camps along its border with North Korea and also conducted joint anti-ballastic missile drills with new ally Russia. Chinese warplanes with missiles have started flying close to Taiwan, while the tensions in the South China Sea-East China Sea (SCS-ECS) continue unabated. A few days back for the first time, Chinese warplanes entered the South Korean Air Defence Identification Zone and were intercepted by South Korean Air Force jets. Closer home, 1,800 PLA troops have camped at Doklam in the freezing winter for the first time, indicating a new hardness in the Chinese posture, which could escalate to a shooting war anywhere along the 4,000-km disputed Line of Actual Control, and will invariably suck in the Pakistani Army and its home-grown terrorists to attempt some territory grab, across the disputed Line of Control. In any case a war in the Korean peninsula will most probably spill over to the SCS-ECS at a minimum and severely disrupt half of Indias total sea-borne trade.

In a worst-case scenario, India must be prepared for tensions, economic backlash and possibly conflict reaching its backyard in the Indian Ocean Region with the possibility of nuclear war in the Korean peninsula. Indias leadership needs to break away from the permanent election mode by combining state and national elections, starting end-2018 (possibly by advancing the 2019 general election with the 15 state elections due end-2018), recognise the threats to national security from dynamic global changes and promulgate an Indian NSS 2018 by April 2018, walk a diplomatic tightrope in greatly improving ties with the US while retaining its time-tested strategic ties with Russia.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The history of Malayalam computing is only over a decade old. But the font, one constituent of the Malayalam we use in computers, was in the making even before, according to Mr Santhosh Thottingal, a Malayalam computing expert. In the 1970s, government institutions started using typewriters. But the English typewriters could not be used to type Malayalam language. More than 1,000 characters were needed, he said. He was not born at the time and was not associated with Malayalam computing until 2006. But he narrated, keenly like he witnessed it first, how the government decided to constitute a commission-- Sooranad Kunjanpillai Lipi Parishkarana commission-- to simplify Malayalam, only because English typewriters could not accommodate the complex language.

There was resistance from printing presses, though the government urged them to start using the new script. In the 1990s, with the advent of computers, the State Institute of Languages decided to simplify Malayalam even more. It was at this point that the lovers of the original Malayalam script came together to form Rachana Aksharavedi and create Rachana font with 1,128 characters. In 2002, Swatantra Malayalam Computing was formed. In a few years, the first Malayalam font based on free software, Rachana, was designed by K.H. Hussain. Mr Santhosh has designed the fonts Manjari and Chilanka.

Malayalam is a very complex language. The sentence structure is different from English. Some letters are a combination of many letters and sounds. For example, pna consists of the letter pa, the sound u and letter na. The computer recognises this sequence and turns it into the complex letter pna. Complex letter rendering is very difficult. It took us about ten years to help the machine understand Malayalam, he said. Malayalam computing needs more people who are willing to contribute, he added.

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Mr Trumps pressure tactics had raised the stakes at Thursdays emergency meeting and triggered accusations from the Muslim world of US bullying and blackmail. (Photo: File)

United Nations: The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to denounce President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, largely ignoring Mr Trumps threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him.

The nonbinding resolution declaring US action on Jerusalem null and void was approved 128-9 a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they predicted. Amid Washingtons threats, 35 of the 193 UN member nations abstained and 21 were absent.

The resolution reaffirmed what has been the United Nations stand on the divided holy city since 1967- that Jerusalems final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Trump administration made it clear the vote would have no effect on its plan to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said afterward that he completely rejects the preposterous resolution.

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour called the vote a victory not only for the Palestinians but for the United Nations and international law, saying US Ambassador Nikki Haley failed miserably in persuading only seven countries aside from the US and Israel to vote against the resolution.

And they used unprecedented tactics, unheard of in the diplomatic work at the UN, including blackmail and extortion, he said.

The United States and Israel had waged an intensive lobbying campaign against the measure, with Haley sending letters to over 180 countries warning that Washington would be taking names of those who voted against the US Mr Trump went further, threatening a funding cutoff- Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care.

But in the end, major US aid recipients including Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and South Africa supported the resolution. Egypt received roughly USD 1.4 billion in US aid in 2017, and Jordan about USD 1.3 billion.

The nine countries voting no were the US, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Togo. Among the abstentions were Australia, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic and Mexico.

The absent countries included Kenya, which was the fifth-largest recipient of US aid in 2016, Georgia and Ukraine, all of which have close US ties.

After the vote, Ms Haley tweeted a photo naming the 65 nations that voted no, abstained or were absent, and said- We appreciate these countries for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the UN.

Read: Nikki Haley will tell on you: Trump wants names of Jerusalem move opposers

She later sent invitations to the 65 ambassadors inviting them to a reception on January 3 to thank them for their friendship with the United States.

The US is scheduled to dispense USD 25.8 billion in foreign aid for 2018. Whether Mr Trump follows through with his threat against those who voted yes remains to be seen.

But within hours, the Trump administration appeared to be backing away from its funding threats. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said cuts to countries that opposed the US are not a foregone conclusion.

The presidents foreign policy team has been empowered to explore various options going forward with other nations, Nauert said. However, no decisions have been made.

During the debate, Arab, Islamic and non-aligned nations urged a yes vote on the resolution, which was sponsored by Yemen and Turkey.

Yemeni Ambassador Khaled Hussein Mohamed Alyemany warned that Trumps recognition of Jerusalem undermines any chance for peace in the Mideast and serves to fan the fires of violence and extremism.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump complained that Americans are tired of being taken advantage of by countries that take billions of dollars and then vote against the US Ms Haley echoed his words in her speech to the packed assembly chamber, threatening not only member states with funding cuts, but the United Nations itself.

And this vote will be remembered, she warned.

Mr Trumps pressure tactics had raised the stakes at Thursdays emergency meeting and triggered accusations from the Muslim world of US bullying and blackmail.

It is unethical to think that the votes and dignity of member states are for sale, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. We will not be intimidated! You can be strong but this does not make you right!

The Palestinians and their supporters sought the General Assembly vote after the US on Monday vetoed a resolution supported by the 14 other UN Security Council members that would have required Mr Trump to rescind his declaration on Jerusalem.

The resolution adopted by the assembly has language similar to the defeated measure.

It affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the holy city of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded.
Acting commissioner Shane Patton said that the police do not believe what happened is terror related but will continue to investigate. (Photo: AFP)

Melbourne: An Indian was among 19 people injured Thursday when a speeding SUV ran down pedestrians at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne in what the Australian police said a deliberate act.

A white Suzuki Grand Vitara with two men inside drove into the crowd at the intersection just after 4.30 pm local time (0530 GMT), injuring 19 people including Rohit Kaul, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir.

Quoting eyewitnesses, the local media said that people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle.

The attack was an act of evil and an act of cowardice, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.

He said the condition of four people hit was critical. Fifteen others were stable.

The 45-year-old Kaul was talking to his son while crossing the intersection when he was hit by the car.

My husband was talking to my son Avi and crossing the intersection. Suddenly, my husbands phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead, Kauls wife told PTI.

We tried to call him on his mobile but there was no response. We soon got a call from a fellow Indian who said my husband was injured and was being taken to a hospital, she added.

Her husband suffered leg injuries and will undergo a surgery this evening. He is stable, she said.

The driver was waiting for the red light and when people started crossing the road, he jumped the red light and crashed into them, she said, adding that it was a deliberate act.

Read: Melbourne: Car ploughs down pedestrians; 12 injured, driver arrested

A pre-school child who suffered a head injury is not in a critical condition.

Acting commissioner Shane Patton said that the police do not believe what happened is terror related but will continue to investigate.

He said police will allege the man intentionally drove into the pedestrians.

The driver of the car has been arrested and is receiving hospital treatment, Patton said.

The driver, identified as a 32-year-old of Afghan descent, was known to police in relation to minor traffic offences and a minor assault in 2010.

We believe hes driven down the tram tracks and he crashed into a tram-stop on the other side, Patton said.

A 24-year-old man was also detained at the scene after he was seen filming the incident on a phone. He was also carrying a bag that contained knives but police said it was probable that he had no links to the incident and say the driver was alone in the car, the Age reported.

The car was registered to a family member and police said was not stolen.

Victoria police appealed to people to upload any images they might have of the incident to a cloud address to help assist with their probe.
Fifty-nine bags containing some 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of methamphetamine each were seized from the vehicle. (Photo: File)

Sydney: Australian police said on Friday they made the country's largest seizure of methamphetamine, a 1.2 ton haul with a street value estimated at AUSD 1.04 billion (USD 802 million).

Eight men, all from Australia, were charged as a result of the bust in the West Australian coastal town of Geraldton, after what police called a "complex, multi-agency investigation which traversed the country."

A press release issued by a combination of five law enforcement agencies, including the Australian Federal Police, said the seizure surpassed the previous record meth bust, a 903-kilogram haul in Melbourne early in 2017.

It is also the largest drug bust of any kind in Western Australia, the country's largest state, with almost 13,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) of coastline.

Police said the drugs had been transported on a private boat that docked in Geraldton in the early hours of Thursday morning and loaded into a van. Police intercepted the vehicle as it reversed from the dock.

Police arrested three men in the van, a further three on the boat, plus two more in a hotel in Perth, culminating a five-month operation that dismantled a complex drug trafficking network.

Fifty-nine bags containing some 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of methamphetamine each were seized from the vehicle. An additional bag containing approximately 20 kilograms of methamphetamine was found on the vessel.

The three men on the boat and the two seized at the Perth hotel were charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.

The occupants of the van were charged with possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported. Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Federal police will allege in court these men intended to distribute the drugs along the east coast of Australia, said federal police Deputy Commissioner Operations Leanne Close.

Police did not say where the meth came from before reaching Geraldton.
The cache, with documents dating back to the mid-18th century, includes religious texts, Yiddish literature and poetry, testimonies about pogroms as well as autobiographies and photographs. (Photo: AFP)

Vilinius: For decades, a confessional in a church in Lithuania's capital Vilnius kept a precious secret: a trove of documents offering an unprecedented glimpse into Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust.

The cache, with documents dating back to the mid-18th century, includes religious texts, Yiddish literature and poetry, testimonies about pogroms as well as autobiographies and photographs.

"The diversity of material is breathtaking," David Fishman, professor of Jewish History at New York's Jewish Theological Seminary, said via telephone, describing the discovery as a "total surprise".

"It's almost like you could reconstruct Jewish life before the Holocaust based on these materials because there is no aspect and no region and no period that is missing," he added.

The trove was discovered earlier in 2017 during a cleanout of the church that was used as a book repository during Soviet times.

The documents, together with a larger cache found in Vilnius nearly three decades ago, are "the most significant discovery for Jewish history since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1950s", Fishman said.

'Jerusalem of the North'

Among the most treasured finds are several original manuscripts of poems written in the Vilnius ghetto by celebrated Yiddish poet Avrom Sutzkever, including the haunting "To My Brother".

"We had the versions that he reconstructed from memory and published right after the war," Fishman said of Sutzkever, who survived the Holocaust.

"Now we have the manuscripts that he actually wrote in the ghetto and there are differences -- that was a very powerful find."

An 1857 agreement between the Jewish water carriers in Vilnius and the city's famous Ramailes rabbinic Talmudic academy, or yeshiva, offers a telling insight into everyday life 160 years ago.

In exchange for copies of the Bible and Talmud, the yeshiva agreed to let the water carriers use a room for prayers on the Sabbath and holidays free of charge.

A ledger of the patients of Zemach Shabad, a famous Jewish doctor and social and political activist whose monument stands in central Vilnius, was also among the documents seen by AFP.

Known as the "Jerusalem of the North" before World War II, Vilnius -- Vilna in Hebrew and Vilne in Yiddish -- was a hub of Jewish cultural and religious life and home to hundreds of Jewish social, religious, cultural and scientific organisations.

'Book Smugglers'

Established in 1925, the YIVO Yiddish Scientific Institute was among the most important. Co-founded by Shabad, it documented and studied Jewish life in Eastern Europe.

Its New York branch was founded in 1926, and became the institute's headquarters in 1940 as Nazi Germany invaded Eastern Europe.

After occupying Vilnius in 1941, the Nazis destroyed the Jewish community and plundered its cultural wealth.

Jewish poets and intellectuals were coerced by the Nazis in the Vilnius ghetto into selecting Yiddish and Hebrew books and documents for a planned institute in Germany about the people they had slated for annihilation.

Their story has been chronicled in a book written by Professor Fishman entitled "The Book Smugglers".

The Germans sent a portion of the plundered texts to Frankfurt, but the Jewish archivists risked their lives to hide a vast array of precious documents from their tormentors.

Then, the Soviets

But that was not the end of the threat.

After the war, a Lithuanian librarian, Antanas Ulpis, intervened to save those documents that had survived the Nazis from the country's new Soviet occupiers, who were bent on destroying them as part of dictator Joseph Stalin's anti-Jewish purges.

Ulpis deftly hid some of the manuscripts "under a pile of Soviet journals -- that's why no one bothered to look, that's why they weren't discovered sooner," Renaldas Gudauskas, director of Lithuania's National Library said.

There they remained untouched for decades in the confessional in St. George's Church that the Soviets used as a book repository after the war.

It was only earlier in 2017 when any remaining papers were being cleared out in order to hand the building back to the Catholic Church that the pile of Jewish documents was stumbled upon.

They were transferred to Lithuania's newly renovated national library in Vilnius which already holds a larger archive of Jewish documents discovered in the capital after the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly three decades ago.

The entire collection includes roughly 170,000 pages, Lara Lempertiene, head of the national library's Judaica Research Centre, said.

History online

Library archivists, who read Yiddish and Hebrew, pore over the newly-found documents that Fishman estimates will take five years to catalogue.

They are also preparing them to be accessible on the internet.

The New York-based YIVO Institute has spearheaded a bid to put the collection online along with Jewish documents from Vilnius that the US Army found in defeated Germany in 1946 and sent to New York.

Launched two years ago, the cyberspace history project aims to put the overall total of more than one million documents online in a digital archive highlighting Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust.

Archives that were once scattered on both sides of the Atlantic "are now conceptually, intellectually and physically being reunited," says Lempertiene.

For Simonas Gurevicius, one of the city's few Jews who still speaks Yiddish, the newly discovered archive proves that Hitler and Stalin ultimately failed to wipe out his language and the civilisation built around it.

"The star of the Northern Jerusalem nearly burnt out, but its light is still shining," Gurevicius said.

Some 195,000 Lithuanian Jews perished under the 1941-44 Nazi German occupation. Today, there are around 3,000 Jews living in the NATO and EU country of 2.8 million people.
With turnout at a record high and 99.9 per cent of the ballots counted, the election handed a mandate back to the region's ousted separatist leaders, even after they campaigned from exile and behind bars.(Photo: AP)

Catalan separatists won a crucial snap poll on Friday, plunging their region into further uncertainty after a failed independence bid rattled Europe and triggered Spains worst political crisis in decades. With turnout at a record high and 99.9 per cent of the ballots counted, the election handed a mandate back to the region's ousted separatist leaders, even after they campaigned from exile and behind bars. In a clear indicator of the huge gulf over independence afflicting Catalan society, anti-secessionist centrist party Ciudadanos had the biggest individual result with 37 of the 135 seats in the regional parliament.

Its a strange feeling. We won the majority of seats, but we lost in votes, 26-year-old doctor and separatist supporter Fran Robles said after the results were announced. Its a good reflection of the reality that Catalonia is politically divided, he added. However, unless the three pro-independence lists fail to clinch a deal to work together in the coming months, they will rule Catalonia with 70 of the 135 seats in parliament  two less than their previous tally of 72. For Catalans on both sides of the divide the day had been a moment of truth, following weeks of upheaval and protests unseen since democracy was reinstated following the death in 1975 of dictator Francisco Franco.

This is a result which no one can dispute, deposed leader Carles Puigdemont said from self-imposed exile in Belgium. Analysts noted that what the separatists victory will mean in practice remains a mystery. It is unclear if Puigdemont will be able to be re-appointed ... as he will be arrested if he returns, said Antonio Barroso, political analyst at Teneo research centre.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday said that Kulbushan Jadhav, Indian national jailed in Pakistan, will not be executed anytime soon.

Addressing a news briefing here on Thursday, foreign office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal said Jadhav still had pending mercy appeals so his execution was not on cards.

The spokesperson said that visas have been issued to the wife and mother of agent Kulbhushan Jadhav and their meeting would take place in Islamabad on December 25.

He said this should not be considered as the last meeting because Jadhav had not exhausted mercy appeals.
Saeed reacted strongly to US President Donald Trump's announcement to shift the American Embassy to Jerusalem, terming the decision pro-Zionist and anti-Muslim. He made these statements in both Lahore and Karachi. (Photo: File)

Lahore: Days after his release from house arrest, Hafiz Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist, has been issuing political comments and statements against the United States and Israel on the issues of Jerusalem and the future of the Palestine State.

The co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the chief of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah recently reacted strongly to US President Donald Trump's announcement to shift the American Embassy to Jerusalem, terming the decision pro-Zionist and anti-Muslim. He made these statements in both Lahore and Karachi.

He warned President Trump that his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would evoke a strong reaction from the Muslim world and could possibly lead to a declaration of war across the Middle East.

Saeed, who was released from house arrest on November 23, has led anti-US demonstrations at the Markaz al Qadsiya in Lahore and attended a Friday sermon at the Markaz Aqsa in Gujranwala.

On December 12, in Karachi, he stated that member countries of the International Human Rights bodies were active in trampling human rights and also condemned the silence of these institutions to the "oppression" of Muslims in Palestine and other parts of the world.

He further added that Israel in Palestine are "committing atrocities" and urged the Government of Pakistan not to become the victim of external forces and stand with Palestinians in their "freedom struggle".

Saeed and the JuD were already banned by the UN while US has put USD 10 million bounty on the arrest of Hafiz Saeed.

During interactions with delegates at Jama Masjid Al-Qadsiya in Lahore, Saeed termed Israel as a cancer which had afflicted unarmed Muslims in Palestine for more than half-a-century.

He claimed that President Donald Trump's announcement regarding recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel had sabotaged peace all over the world. He alleged that Israel in Palestine was "using chemical weapons" against "unarmed Muslims" but the world institutions were ignoring it.

Saeed also reportedly addressed a training session for JuD cadres at Jamia Masjid Al Quds in Rawalpindi.

Despite spreading religious hatred during open gatherings in major cities across Pakistan, the government fails to act against perpetrators of terror like Hafiz Saeed.
India today joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.



Nine countries voted against the resolution, while as many as 35 countries abstained.



India's decision to vote against American recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital comes a day after Trump warned countries against opposing the US position. India did not speak on the floor of the Assembly in New York, but after Trump recognised the holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it had said that its Palestine position was independent and consistent.



In her intervention at the NAM ministerial meeting on Palestine on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the path to Israel-Jerusalem peace clearly lay in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements.



The UN General Assembly resolution moved by Turkey and Yemen stressed that Jerusalem was a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations.



It demanded that all States comply with Security Council resolutions regarding Jerusalem, and not recognise any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.



In his address to the UN general Assembly, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Trump's decision was an outrageous assault to all universal values.



"The Palestinians have the right to their own state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," he said.



"This is the main parameter and only hope for a just and lasting peace in the region. However, the recent decision of a UN Member State to recognise Jerusalem, or Al-Quds, as the capital of Israel, violates international law, including all relevant UN resolutions," Cavusoglu said.



The eight countries that joined the US in voting against the Turkish resolution were Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Togo.



Among the major countries who abstained the voting were Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Columbia, Hungry, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Poland and Uganda.



Strongly supporting Trump's decision US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that the US may strip funding of those countries that voted against its Jerusalem move.



"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly. We will remember it when we are called upon to, once again, make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations," Haley told the General Assembly.



"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference in how Americans view the UN," the top American diplomat said.



Trump had warned against cutting funds yesterday. "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot. We don't care. This isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they're doing," Trump told reporters at White House yesterday.



Early this week, the US had vetoed a similar resolution in the Security Council. The resolution passed by the General Assembly has no legal implications on the UN member countries.



Trump praised Haley for taking a tough position on Jerusalem at the world body yesterday and warned the countries who voted against the US that America will not be "taken advantage" of anymore.



"All these nations take our money and then vote against us at the Security Council," Trump told his Cabinet members at a meeting at the White House.



He was referring to the isolation of the US in the UN Security Council when all 14 members of the apex body joined hands against Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.
Many dalit and progressive organisations across Karnataka staged protests demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits responsible for rape and murder of a dalit school girl in Vijayapura.



It may be recalled that a dalit schoolgirl had been abducted by a gang of youth that came on a scooter and in an auto, raped and murdered on December 9 in Vijayapura city.

One member of the gang has been identified as Deepak Mulasavalagi.

A bundh was called in Muddebihala, Vijayapura on Thursday and was largely successful. The protesters demanded a CBI inquiry instead of a CID one which has been ordered by the government now.

Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Kumar R Jain told DH that the CID police had arrived in the district HQ on Thursday and were hunting for the rapist-murderers.

Chikkamagalur

In Chikkamagalur, Karnataka also, a bundh was called demanding the arrest of the gang-rapist/murderers on Friday. Many pro-Kannada, progressive, dalit organisations participated. They took out a protest march on MG Road and forced shops and stalls to shut down.

Police arrested three people who tried to force an unwilling private school to shut down. Police resorted to a mild lathi charge when the protesters gathered to protest the arrest of their associates in the police station premises.

Kolar

The Bahujana Vidyarthi Sangha (BVS), Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishath (ABVP) and dalit organisations federation. The dharna and roadblock were staged at the College circle in Kolar city in Karnataka.

CPM members staged a similar protest in Gandhi Park.

"If the culprits for the Vijayapura incident are not brought to justice we will stage a 'chief minister gherao' when CM Siddaramaiah comes to Kolar on December 30," the protest leaders said.
The CBI today opposed in a Gurgaon court the bail plea of the 16-year-old student, accused of killing a seven-year-old boy, at the Ryan International school here.



Additional Sessions Judge Jasbir Singh Kundu fixed the matter for January 6 for arguments on the appeal filed by the accused against an order of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) denying him bail.

The probe agency opposed the appeal in a written submission before the court.

The court posted the matter for the next date after an adjournment was sought by the counsel for the accused.

The JJB had on December 20 held that the 16-year-old boy would be tried as an adult and directed that he be produced before the Gurgaon sessions court today.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 lowers the age of juveniles from 18 years to 16 years for heinous crimes like rape, murder and dacoity-cum-murder, which warrants at least seven years of imprisonment.

However, the JJB first decides whether the crime committed has been "child-like" or was it committed in an "adult frame of mind", following which the JJB orders the accused to be tried as juvenile or adult.

The JJB had passed the order on a plea that the accused teenager should not be treated as a juvenile.

If convicted, he will stay in a correctional home till he is 21-years old after which the court can shift him to a jail or grant him bail, it had said.

The board had earlier rejected the bail plea of the Class 11 Ryan International School student, charged with killing Pradhuman Thakur, a Class 2 student of the same school, in the school premises on September 8.

It had set up a committee which included a psychologist from the PGI, Rohtak for an expert opinion on the accused, who had been taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last month.

The panel submitted its report in two sealed envelopes.

The JJB had noted that the accused was mature enough to recognise the consequences of his actions.

Pradhuman was found with his throat slit in the school's washroom. The Gurgaon Police had said the crime was committed by a school bus conductor, which the CBI later refuted.

The CBI claimed the teenager had killed Pradhuman in a bid to get the school closed so that a scheduled parent-teacher meeting and an examination could be deferred.
The protests by Congress in the Lok Sabha over the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against former premier Manmohan Singh entered the fifth day today, as it also asked the BJP to apologise for the charges it had made regarding the 2G spectrum scam.



Soon after the House assembled and took up the Question Hour, Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans demanding an apology from Modi for his charges during Gujarat poll campaign that Manmohan Singh and others had colluded with Pakistan to rig the election results.

The protesting Congress members continued to raise slogans for an hour even as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan continued with the Question Hour proceedings.

A visibly upset Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge raised concerns about not being allowed to raise the issue despite making the demand for the past five days.

Few minutes after the Zero Hour began at noon, the protesting Congress members walked out.

Besides seeking an apology from Modi, the Congress members also sought an apology from the BJP for alleging that a scam had taken place in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation during the UPA rule.

Their demand came a day after a special court acquitted all the accused in the 2G scam case.

On the fifth day of their protest, the number of Congress members in the Well was less compared to other days. The overall attendance in the House was on the lower side, both in the Treasury and the Opposition sides.

The Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were also not present in the House. Sonia Gandhi is usually present during Question Hour, which has recently witnessed her party members protesting in the Well.

Parliament would now meet again on Wednesday after a long weekend due to Christmas. PTI NAB ARC
Bengali film "Rong Beronger Kori" has drawn the ire of a Hindu outfit as two of its characters are named after deities Ram and Sita.



Director Ranjan Ghosh, however, has refused to make any changes, calling the protests an attempt to curb his creative freedom.

The activists of the fringe group, Hindu Jagran Manch, held demonstrations outside the local office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) today and submitted a deputation seeking changes in the names of the characters.

The spokesperson for the West Bengal unit of Hindu Jagran Manch, Vivek Singh, has also written a letter to the Union Information and Broadcasting minister, Smriti Irani, stating that naming the film's characters after Ram and Sita will hurt the sentiments of Hindus.

Singh told reporters yesterday that he will not give up the fight and may even explore legal options if the Censor Board clears the film without considering the group's demand.

Ghosh said the film has four separate stories about relationships and there is no mythological connection. In one of the four stories, two characters have been named Ram and Sita.

"Don't we see people having names like Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Kartik, Saraswati in our everyday life? Do they now want to change those names as well!" he wondered.

"It is a question of artistic freedom, a director's prerogative of creating a work of art. We will protest and object to any bid to curb our freedom," he asserted.

The BJP's West Bengal unit President Dilip Ghosh said the trend of naming film characters after Hindu Gods or revered mythological characters might harm the sentiments of people of the community.

The film has Chiranjit Chakraborty, Rituparna Sengupta, Ritwik Chakraborty and Arunima Ghosh in lead roles.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it assembled on Friday as the Congress insisted that the impasse over the remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his predecessor Manmohan Singh should be resolved first.



For the past week, the Opposition has been demanding a clarification from the prime minister over his remarks made during the Gujarat election campaign against his predecessor and others.

As soon as the House assembled and papers were laid, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the House should be adjourned till afternoon so that a solution can be found to end the impasse prevailing in the House since the first day of its sitting on December 15.

He said two meetings of the panel headed by Leader of the House Arun Jaitley have taken place to find a solution.

"The House should be adjourned till a solution is found," he said, adding that the Congress members do not want to enter the Well to force adjournment.

Azad said the Opposition too wants the House to function and carry out legislative business.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel suggested that the House should continue to function and in the meantime a solution be found.

"This is an issue where a solution cannot be found," he said, adding the Rajya Sabha did function for a day even during the impasse.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma too insisted that the House should be adjourned without any disruption.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu tried to continue with the Zero Hour proceedings, but as the Congress did not budge, he adjourned the House for the day.

Rajya Sabha will now meet again on December 27, after the long weekend and Christmas break.

Earlier, the Chairman had allowed two members to raise points of order.

While TMC member Derek O'Brien raised the issue of a brief "blackout" of Rajya Sabh TV telecast on Thursday, Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agarwal demanded a hike in the salaries of MPs.

O'Brien said the telecast was stopped at 2.13 pm on Thursday when Congress members were protesting Modi's remarks against Manmohan Singh and others.

These are "democratic scenes", so let the people watch it, he said, adding that this is also part of parliamentary democracy. O'Brien urged the Chair that the live broadacst should not be shut down.

To this, Naidu said "this is a suggestion" and not a point of order.

Naresh Agarwal then demanded that the salaries of MPs should be increased and said the possible criticism by the media for this should not be a factor while deciding on the salary hike. He said mediapersons also get hefty salaries.

He demanded for a response from the government on the issue.

Naidu said he will bring the matter to the notice of Jaitley.

Earlier, members paid obituary to Jalaludin Ansari who died on December 17. Ansari was member of the House from April 1994 to April 2000.
The birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 25 will bring cheers to the faces of 93 prisoners as the Yogi Adityanath government has decided to set them free on that day.



These 93 convicts, who are going to be released, are lodged in different jails of Uttar Pradesh and their names were chosen from a list of prisoners who have completed their tenure in jail.

"It has been decided to set free 93 prisoners convicted in different cases on the 93rd birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. These prisoners have completed their tenure in jail but could not be released due to non- payment of fine imposed on them," Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said in an order issued here.

He directed the prisons department to ensure the fine is paid by NGOs, trusts and others, after verifying their credentials.

"The names of convicts to be set free have been picked up in a random manner from a list of 135 such prisoners who are not named or are serving imprisonment in another case," a senior Home department officials said.

Vajpayee had represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha five times -- 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004.

His legacy was taken forward by BJP leaders Lalji Tondon and Rajnath Singh, who won Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014.

"Vajpayee is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as Prime Minister. He means a lot not only in Lucknow seat which he served but for the entire state and in his regime, a number of historic schemes were launched in his regime," BJP Spokesman Shalabh Mani Tripathi said.

On the Yogi Adityanath's government decision to set prisoners free, the BJP leader said, "It is a good decision and based on humanitarian approach. Releasing those who served their sentence by ensuring payment of their fine is a welcome step and shows the people-friendly approach of our government".

Born in 1924, Vajpayee had his baptism in politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was also the first External Affairs Minister to deliver a speech in Hindi in the UN Assembly in New York.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said the government was considering giving the status of 'freedom fighter' to those who were jailed during the Emergency, imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975.



Replying to a query raised by BJP leader Eknath Khadse in the state Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said they will take "an appropriate decision regarding the proposal during the first Cabinet meeting in the New Year."

"The state government has sought information from every district of Maharashtra to take the decision," he said.

"There are some six-seven states in the country where a similar decision has been taken. I have sought information regarding the same," the chief minister said.

Earlier, Khadse said there were many people who fought for the protection of democracy (during Emergency), in the same way as people fought for the country's freedom,

"They are no lesser custodians of democracy, hence they should be rewarded appropriately," he said.
Separatists looked set on Friday to regain power in Catalonia after voters rejected Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's attempt to neuter the independence movement to defuse Spain's biggest political crisis in decades.



Spanish markets recoiled at a surprise result that is also a setback for the European Union, which must now brace for more secessionist noise as it grapples with the disruption of Brexit and simmering east European discontent.

By risking an election in the wealthy region, Rajoy appears to have made the same mistake that leaders such as Greece's Alexis Tsipras, Britain's David Cameron and Italy's Matteo Renzi have made in recent years: betting that voters would resolve their troublesome domestic conundrums for them.

With the count from Thursday's Catalan parliament election almost complete, separatist parties had secured a slim majority, sending stocks down around 1 percent on fears that tensions with its richest region will hurt the euro zone's fourth-largest economy.

Catalonia accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy. More than 3,100 firms have shifted their headquarters out of the region since the independence drive boiled up this year into a referendum that Madrid declared unconstitutional.

"More companies leaving, less economic activity there - and worse for everyone," said the chief executive of a major listed Spanish company, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the tense climate of the independence debate.

Rajoy, who called the election after sacking the previous, secessionist government, had still not made a comment, some 12 hours after the outcome became clear. He is due to make a statement at 1300 GMT.

REJECTION FOR RAJOY

Rajoy had hoped to mobilise hitherto quiescent supporters of union with Spain and so deal separatism a decisive blow.

Instead, his own party performed miserably, and the result raises the question of a return to power for the Catalan president he had deposed.

Carles Puigdemont campaigned from Belgium after fleeing Spain to avoid arrest for sedition, and he faces the prospect of arrest if he were to return home.

Puigdemont is due to speak in Brussels at 1100 GMT.

"Either Rajoy changes his recipe or we change the country," he said on Thursday night in a televised speech, flanked by four former cabinet members who fled to Brussels with him.

At jubilant pro-independence rallies around Barcelona, supporters chanted "President Puigdemont!" and unfurled giant red-and-yellow Catalan flags as the results came in.

Puigdemont's spokesman told Reuters in a text message: "We are the comeback kids."

Catalonia, a former principality with its own language, has stepped up its push for independence in recent years as its economy has boomed. Secessionists say it pays an unfair share of taxes to Madrid, but investors fear independence would knock the indebted region out of the EU and the eurozone by default.

Spain has trimmed its growth forecasts for next year because of the crisis, and official data shows foreign direct investment in Catalonia was down 75 percent year-on-year in the third quarter.

GERMANY AND FRANCE BACK RAJOY

The EU's major powers, Germany and France, have backed Rajoy's anti-independence stance despite some criticism of his methods at times.

On Oct. 1, national police used tear gas and batons to prevent some Catalans from voting in the banned referendum.

When the Catalan parliament declared independence after the referendum, Rajoy invoked constitutional powers to impose direct rule from Madrid. He promised to restore Catalonia's autonomy regardless of the election result but could re-impose it if a new government again pursued secession.

Puigdemont's attempts to gain international support in Brussels have failed so far. He has called the EU a "club of decadent countries" for declining to mediate a solution.

But Europe now ends the year having struggled to build on the integrationist Emmanuel Macron's victory in the French presidential election in May. Germany faces months of political limbo, Brussels is mired in a nasty dispute with Poland's right-wing government and a far-right party has just entered the government in Austria.

A German government spokeswoman called on Friday for reconciliation in Spanish society and hoped that divisions could be overcome.

Catalonia's separatist parties won 70 of the 135 seats, with Puigdemont's Junts Per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) retaining its position as the largest separatist force.

The unionist party Ciudadanos (Citizens) won the most votes, but other unionist forces -- Rajoy's People's Party and the Socialist Party -- registered a dismal performance.

"It's a bitter victory," said Paloma Morales, a 27-year-old student at a Ciudadanos rally. "It means four more years of misery."
Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday witnessed the 'Hamesha Vijayee' military exercise in the Thar desert in Rajasthan.



It was conducted close to the India-Pakistan border, where army and air force, in integration, executed manoeuvres to evaluate the capabilities to strike deep into the enemy territory.

The exercise, conducted by the Southern command, was aimed at streamlining operational procedures, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said.

Rawat witnessed the army executing its manoeuvres in a network-enabled environment by employing diverse elements of combat and combat-support arms, fully integrated with air assets to achieve decisive results.

Having closely witnessed the exercise, the army chief commended the forces on their preparedness and synergised orchestration of complex operational manoeuvres, Ojha said.

Rawat also complimented the troops on achieving a high standard of training during the exercise and termed it as "highly successful".

The Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General D R Soni, stated that a number of vital concepts were validated during the exercise and a number of important lessons were drawn which will enable the army to further streamline its operational plans and procedures.

With an emphasis on surveillance, a multitude of aerial and land based surveillance devices were fielded to gain information and present a comprehensive picture to the commanders, he said.

Various electronic warfare equipment and other new age force multipliers were also used to amalgamate technology and further refine real time information of adversary's activities which was shared with various command and control centres for planning and execution of coordinated operations, Ojha said.

Thereafter, a host of medium and long-range weapons as well as airborne and heliborne forces and the entire spectrum of aerial platforms were utilised to ensure non linear application of combat potential.

With a large array of tanks and other types of armoured vehicles duly supported by extensive firepower assets and robust logistics, the army showcased its operational readiness.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee today strongly objected to the Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar writing to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa expressing his intent to resolve the Mahadayi water sharing dispute through an amicable settlement.



Questioning the propriety behind Parrikar's letter, KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said Goa chief minister's action is an insult to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah as he was sidelined from the whole process. "I never thought the BJP will stoop so low. The case was going on for the last two years. The PM was aware of it but did not take any initiative," Rao said.

When elections are round the corner, BJP leaders led by their party national president Amit Shah held meetings to resolve the matter and "then Goa chief minister writes not to his Karnataka counterpart but BJP state president Yeddyurappa," he said.

The Congress leader said Parrikar should have written to Siddaramaiah saying Yeddyurappa has spoken to him in the presence of other BJP leaders and that he was ready to resolve the drinking water crisis in Karnataka by releasing water from the Mahadayi river.

Rao said, "Is it not pure politics if Yeddyurappa reads the letter in the BJP election rally? By playing the water politics, BJP is undermining the water crisis and demeaning the sufferings of people. It is also insulting our chief minister Siddaramaiah."

He said Parrikar did not turn up whenever meetings were arranged to resolve the Kalasa Banduri water project.

During an election rally in Hubballi, Yeddyurappa read out Parrikar's letter to him.

In the missive, Parrikar had said his government is willing to consider an amicable settlement with Karnataka on sharing inter-state Mahadayi river water to meet the drinking needs of drought prone areas in northern parts of the state.

Rao also took a dig at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for his speech yesterday at Hubballi.

"Yogi Adityanath says Congress is Tipu Bhakt and they are Hanuman Bhakt. This is purely divisive politics," he said.

"BJP got only 32 per cent votes (in Lok Sabha polls). So it means many other Hindus rejected them. Should it mean that those who did not vote for BJP are not Hindus? Such statement is an insult to a large majority of people," Rao said.

The Congress leader said his party does not want to learn lessons of governance from Adityanath.
The CBI in a number of high- profile and politically sensitive cases has not been able to cross the hurdle of judicial scrutiny as was evident in the 2G spectrum allocation matters.



The investigating agency, which was once termed as a "caged parrot" by the Supreme Court, had been left red-faced by the courts in many such cases, putting a question mark over the probe conducted by it.

From the alleged corruption cases in the 2G spectrum allocation to criminal matters such as the sensational Aarushi murder case, the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has come under sharp criticism not only from the trial courts and high courts but also from the apex court.

The 2G spectrum cases, which had rocked the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government, led to the filing of charge sheets by the CBI in four different matters along with documents running into lakhs of pages but the agency could not secure even a single conviction.

In two cases dealt with by the special 2G court -- the Aircel-Maxis deal and the additional spectrum allocation matter -- the accused were discharged while in the main case involving former telecom minister A Raja and others, all the accused were yesterday acquitted.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini, who adjudicated all the 2G matters, had also let off the promoters of Essar Group and Loop Telecom.

The theory of the CBI in the murder case of Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj had come under sharp criticism in October from the Allahabad High Court which had termed it as "impossible hypothesis" and "patently absurd".

The high court had acquitted Aarushi's parents, dentists Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, holding that the prosecution had "miserably failed" to prove that the Talwars had destroyed material evidence. The dentist couple were convicted by a Ghaziabad court in 2013 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The CBI's investigation in the politically sensitive Bofors payoff case was also unable to withstand judicial scrutiny with the Delhi High Court on May 31, 2005, quashing all the charges against the Hinduja brothers -- Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand -- and the Bofors company.

The high court had also castigated the CBI over its handling of the Bofors case, saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.

The CBI's Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency probe into the larger conspiracy aspect in the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi has recently come under the radar of the top court.

In scathing remarks, the apex court had observed that the investigation does not appear to have achieved "much headway" and could be "endless".

In the coal scam, the CBI was time and again caught on the wrong foot by the apex court and the special trial court over its investigation.

The Supreme Court had in May this year slammed the CBI for "failing to live up to its reputation" in a fodder scam case involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad, saying there was "intolerable lethargy" in filing an appeal.

The CBI's case relating to alleged illegal mining in Bellary in which the agency had charge sheet former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and others, also fell flat with the trial court discharging all the accused.
Close on the heels of the warning by a saffron outfit to the missionary schools against "forcing" Hindu students to celebrate Christmas, a senior Muslim cleric from Deoband issued a 'fatwa' (religious decree) against new year celebrations terming them as ''un-islamic''.



''It is not proper for the Muslims to celebrate new year on January 1 and greet each other as it is against the tenets of Islam,'' senior cleric Mufti Tariq Quasmi said in Deoband.

The cleric asked Muslims to keep away from the new year bash saying that the first day of the Islamic new year was observed on 'Moharram'.

The mufti, who was associated with the Islamic Education Centre at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district, about 500 km from here, said that January 1 was celebrated as the new year day by "the British".

The 'fatwa' comes within days of the warning by the Hindu Jagaran Manch, a saffron outfit affiliated to the RSS, to missionary schools in the communally sensitive district of Aligarh, about 400 km from here, against forcing Hindu students to celebrate Christmas.

The manch had said that such activity amounted to "conversion" and could not be tolerated.

The outfit said that its letter might be considered a ''request'' or a ''warning''. ''It depends on you (schools) how you take this letter... it can be considered a request or warning,'' the letter said further.
Two men, including a close aide of an authorised representative of a company linked to former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, have been arrested in connection with a land grab case in Rajasthan's Bikaner.

Jaiprakash Bagarwa and Ashok Kumar, a close associate of an authorised representative of Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, Mahesh Nagar, have been arrested, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stated.

The ED registered a money laundering case in connection with the land grab case based on 18 FIRs filed by the Rajasthan Police in August 2016 after the tehsildar filed a complaint.

The ED suspected money laundering in connection with the case of transfer of government land in 34 villages, to expand the army's firing range, to private persons using "forged and fabricated documents".

Kumar was used as "conduit" by Nagar, who knew the "fraudulent nature" of the deal.

"M/s Skylight Hospitality Pvt. Ltd (linked to Vadra) had purchased 69.55-hectare land in Rs 72 lakh, sold it to M/s Allegheny Finlease Pvt Ltd for Rs 5.15 crore and earned a huge profit of Rs 4.43 crore. M/s Allegheny Finlease Pvt Ltd as a company is not involved in any real business activity and many of its shareholders were found to be dummy/non-existent during the investigation," the ED said.

Earlier, the ED had issued a Provisional Attachment order under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, attaching movable and immovable properties worth Rs 1.18 crore.
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has announced lower premium rates for existing and new customers in the private car segment.



The new rates will be applicable from January 1, 2018. With this step, the company aims to encourage more people to buy insurance. The reduction of premium will be in the range of 5% - 15%.

Tapan Singhel, MD & CEO, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance said, "The company will pass on the benefits of digitisation and increasing efficiency in various distribution channels to all existing and new customers. Insurance is an essential financial tool and through this move, we hope to encourage more people to cover their risk, thereby, improving penetration of insurance in the country."

In the past, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has explored and implemented new technologies beneficial for private car policyholders, a company release said.



For instance, DriveSmart a telematics offering which rewards customers for their good driving behaviour and Motor OTS that enables customers to self-survey the loss with the company's Insurance Wallet application on their smartphones and allows them to settle the motor claims of less than Rs 20,000 immediately.
The state BJP is considering a proposal to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi address two to three rallies in each of the seven regions of the state during February-March next year.



The state BJP core committee is meeting on December 26 to chalk out, among others, an action plan to further galvanise the party into poll mode, following the conclusion of its Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthan Yatra next month.

The 80-day yatra led by party state president B S Yeddyurappa, which is visiting each of the 224 Assembly segment in the state, will conclude with a mammoth rally in Bengaluru on January 28 to be addressed by Modi.

The state leaders are keen that post-yatra, as Modi continues to address a series of rallies in the state. Assembly polls in Karnataka are due in April/May. Modi addressed a total of 34 public rallies in his home state of Gujarat after Assembly polls were announced there on October 25.

BJP's state leaders want to encash on Brand Modi' early and seek his presence in Karnataka much before the poll dates are announced by the Election Commission of India.

"We will start drawing a detailed action plan on December 26 at the core committee meeting," BJP sources said.

Incidentally, BJP national president Amit Shah plans to make Bengaluru his second home February onwards. Besides drawing up election strategy, he will be virtually taking control of the state unit till the end of the Assembly elections, the sources said.
The Union Cabinet has approved the rollout of the third batch of e-auctions of private FM radio stations for 683 channels in 236 cities.

"The Cabinet approval has paved the way for undertaking the auction of 683 channels in 236 cities in subsequent batches," a source said.

"These cities include those in the border areas of Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast where the population is less than 1 lakh. This batch of the auction will also cover cities in districts which are badly affected by Left-wing extremism," the source added.

Batch-I and Batch-II auctions of private FM radio stations under Phase-III of the FM policy guidelines, as approved by the Cabinet in 2011, were held by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

A total of 97 channels in 56 cities were auctioned in Batch-I while it was 66 channels in 48 cities in Batch-II.

"With the complete rollout of FM Phase-III auctions, all the 29 states and 6 out of the 7 UTs (except Dadra & Nagar Haveli) will be covered by private FM radio broadcasting," the source said.

The government hopes that the move would generate "direct and indirect employment to more than 10,000 people on a pan India basis."

"These auctions will yield an estimated revenue of more than Rs 1,100 crore," the source added.

In order to ensure complete transparency, the Simultaneous Multiple Round Ascending Process will be adopted for the e-auction.
The top 10 causes of death in India can't be cured by an ordinary MBBS doctor, top clinicians informed lawmakers, waving red flags on an acute shortage of specialist doctors across the country.



Heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (lung disease), brain stroke, diarrhoea, chronic kidney disease, tuberculosis, neo-natal pre-term births and accidents are among the leading causes of death.

But the shortage of cardiologists, pulmonologists, neurologists, paediatrician, nephrologist and general surgeons is too huge to be filled up any time in the coming years.

In four states and union territories (out of 36 provinces) there is not a single specialist in the government-run national health mission. Odisha has only one specialist and Delhi has two for the scheme.

In the south, Karnataka has only 70 specialists in the government programme a the lowest among the four large southern states.

States with relatively higher number of specialists are Maharashtra (736), Tamil Nadu (474), Bihar (456) and West Bengal (384).

The doctors shared specific data on the shortfall. For instance there are 4,000 cardiologists in India, but the requirement is of 88,000. There are only 315 post-graduate(PG) seats in cardiology whereas the need is to have 3,375 seats.

In nephrology, there are only 1,200 practising doctors but a country of India's size needs 40,000 specialists. Existing medical colleges offer 120 PG seats all over the country while 2,150 seats are needed to take care of the patient load.

Similarly in paediatric and chest medicine, only 31 seats each are available for the MBBS graduates who want to pursue their post-graduation in this two disciplines.

As a result, there are only around 23,000 paediatricians in India though the requirement is 2,30,000 to bring down India's child mortality burden.

Notwithstanding India's reputation as the diabetes capital of the world, only 78 PG seats in endocrinology are available all over the country, because of which there are just about 650 specialists as against a requirement of nearly 28,000.

The worrying scenario was presented by several doctors to a panel of lawmakers, headed by veteran Parliamentarian and former minister Murli Manohar Joshi.

"In the USA, they have 20,000 under-graduate seats and 40,000 post graduate seats. We have 62,000 under-graduate seats and 14,500 PG seats," cardiologist Devi Shetty told the Parliamentarians.

"There is an urgent need to increase the number of PG seats in all colleges. But it needs to be ensured that quality of medical education is not compromised," the Committee on Estimates said in its report tabled in the Parliament.
Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer Tiger Zinda Hai, released nationwide on Friday, faced an uproar outside cinema halls in Jaipur with the Valmiki community alleging that the actor has hurt their sentiments. The protesters raised slogans and destroyed posters of the film though their grouse was not against the film's content.



The community members targeted theatres where the movie was released, including the historic Raj Mandir cinema hall in Jaipur. As a result, several morning shows were cancelled across the state.



The protesters accused the Bollywood star of making casteist remarks and wanted all shows cancelled. The community members charged that the actor, during an episode of Bigg Boss television reality show, had insulted the community by using pejoratives against lower castes.



The community had recently filed a complaint against Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty for uttering the word 'bhangi' to describe his hat, which hurt the community's sentiments. Speaking to media, Vikram Valmiki, President, Valmiki Community said, "We are not against the film but we are protesting against Salman Khan's misplaced words. We will call off the protest if he apologises."



Police protection



Apart from Jaipur, other districts, including Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Dausa and Nasirabad, felt the heat as protestors burnt effigies of Salman and vandalised posters. Most of the theatres have now been put under police cover. In Udaipur, Valmiki community members submitted a memorandum to the police demanding that a case be registered against Salman under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.



After Padmavati, this is the second film in recent days to face the heat in Rajasthan.



Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Tiger Zinda Hai s a sequel to Kabir Khan's blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger. Starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the title roles as Tiger and Zoya, the film has been much hyped right from the time it commenced shooting.
The Centre earned close to Rs 2.8 lakh crore through taxes on petrol, diesel, and other petroleum products, while the states garnered Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2016-17, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.



Half of the Rs 2,73,502 crore that the Centre received in 2016-17, came from excise duty on petroleum products alone. Rest of the taxes and other levies included cess on crude oil at Rs 13,285 crore, royalty on crude oil/gas at Rs 4,649 crore, customs duty at Rs 9,521 crore, service tax at Rs 2,956 crore, and other levies at Rs 399 crore.

The information was given by Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla in a written reply on the average annual amount of revenue generated from the petroleum industry through taxation.

The minister said that the states earned a total of Rs 1,89,587 crore in the same year through taxes on petroleum products, which consisted of royalty, sales tax, octroi, electricity duty, entry tax and others. In the states too, sales tax garnered Rs 1,66,378 crore of the total sum.

To another question on whether the government proposed to reduce the taxes levied on petrol and diesel, Shukla said the Centre had reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre in October. It also requested the states to reduce VAT imposed by them on petrol and diesel. But so far only Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh have reduced VAT on petrol and diesel.
A Parliamentary Committee on Friday favoured the merger of loss-making state-owned telecom firms BSNL and MTNL, saying it would give them a fighting chance to take on the might of private sector.



The 43rd report of the Committee on Petitions of the Department of Telecom (DoT) tabled in Lok Sabha, said that for "the long-term survival and success of MTNL and BSNL, their merger would only be a viable proposition - in view of the fact that their merger would give both entities a chance for competition against the emerging consolidated private sector players".

The panel noted that the DoT had outlined two options for turnaround - one of the options entailed MTNL focusing on a turnaround, with support from the government and shareholders and seeking opportunities "to sell and divest select business assets".

The second option was about seeking opportunities for merger of MTNL with BSNL to become a pan-India integrated telecom operator offering wired and wireless telephony services.

This would also allow them to optimise resources and increase revenue through synergised operations, the panel said, adding that the Ministry of Communications should explore ways to implement the revival plan of the state-run companies without further loss of precious time.
Rajya Sabha Vice Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday expressed anguish over frequent disruptions in ongoing Parliament session with the Congress demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.



One more day was washed out in the Upper House, as the Congress MPs continued their protest against Modi's remarks against Singh and others over a dinner meeting they had with Pakistani leaders.

Pay hike

The disruptions, however, did not deter Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Agarwal from demanding a salary hike for parliamentarians. He said no decision on hiking salary was being taken fearing media criticism. TV anchors on the other hand were paid Rs five crore a year, he claimed.

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien also managed to speak before Congress started its protest. He raised the issue of blackout of Rajya Sabha TV while Congress members were protesting on Thursday. These were "democratic scenes" and people should get to watch them, he said.

Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded that the House be adjourned till afternoon to enable talks with the government to end the stalemate.

As Congress MPs stood up to endorse Azad's demand, Naidu adjourned the House till Wednesday saying, "There is no need for you all to raise the same issue every day. The Leader of the Opposition has spoken and I have taken note of it. There are others waiting to speak. Yesterday, Sachin Tendulkar was to speak on an important issue but you did not allow him."

Later, Naidu met Azad, Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel in his chamber to thrash out a solution.
In a classic case of mistaken identity, the city police had issued a lookout notice for an innocent. As a result, the youth had to spend half-a-day in the police station soon after landing from Dammam.



Mohammed Ashfaq, 26, a resident of Kulai Vidyanagara was working in Saudi Arabia. However, he was detained at Mangaluru International Airport and was later handed over to the police on Thursday.

Though Ashfaq was not involved in any criminal cases, a lookout notice was pending against his passport number, by mistake. In reality, it was Mohammed Asfar who was involved in the murder of Shivaraj in Kodikere in 2012 and by mistake, the lookout notice was issued in the name of Ashfaq. As a result, he was detained by the immigration officials when he landed at 4 am on Thursday. Ashfaq's parents were waiting at the airport to receive him. The issue was brought to their notice at around 7 am. Ashfaq called his parents from the police station using another man's phone and informed about his plight. He was initially taken to Bajpe police station and later to Panambur police station.

DYFI president Muneer Katipalla brought the issue of mistaken identity to the notice of the senior police officials. After verifying the documents, the police released him at 2.30 pm.

Ashfaq's father Ahmmed Bava said, "My son was not part of any criminal cases. Owing to the mistake of the police, my son had to face difficulties."

City Police Commissioner T R Suresh said, "The lookout notice was issued in 2016. The officials are looking into the reason for committing a mistake."

It is said that Dinesh and Prakash had murdered Shivaraj. Later, Prakash too was murdered. Dinesh is serving life imprisonment. The police, in their charge sheet, had said that Mohammed Asfar had given supari for the murder of Shivaraj. Both Asfar and Ashfaq's parents' names are Ahmmed Bava and Hajira.

After submitting charge sheets, while collecting documents from school, the police had brought the documents of Ashfaq instead of Asfar. Based on this, the lookout notice was served, the sources said.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday expressed unflinching support to new President Rahul Gandhi to build a disciplined, young party.



During a two-hour deliberation, the party top brass, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, emphasised that the Congress party needed to be accountable and pitched for a massive programme to reach out to the masses to win back the trust of the people.

At the outset, Rahul Gandhi told the leaders that the CWC will meet once every two months so that the party leadership could target issues facing the nation and know the pulse of the people.

Rahul is expected to announce his new team around the Congress Foundation Day on December 28.

The leaders also backed Rahul on taking steps to ensure discipline and eschew all loose talk. This unequivocal support for enforcing party discipline comes in the wake of the suspension of veteran leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for certain objectionable comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A section of leaders believed that Aiyar's views and comments by a few other leaders dealt a severe blow to Congress' prospects in the Gujarat elections.

"I agree. We will ensure discipline is enforced and the party is strengthened," Gandhi told the meeting.

Thursday's special court verdict acquitting the 2G spectrum allocation 'scam' accused and the Gujarat assembly elections dominated the deliberations. Several leaders concurred that had the 2G verdict come earlier, the Congress could have formed the government in Gujarat.

Later, interacting with reporters, Rahul said the 2G verdict has been a vindication of the Congress party's stand.

Lies, says Rahul

Gandhi referred to Modi's promise of putting Rs 15 lakh in every citizen's bank account, the 2G spectrum allocation issue and Modi's development model and said, "one by one the lies are coming out".

The meeting also took note of the Bombay High Court order quashing the Maharashtra Governor's sanction to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing scam.
People in Kashmir, cutting across political ideologies, on Friday welcomed New Delhi's decision at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to vote against US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.



Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was proud of India's decision. "Very proud to see that India joined over 100 countries at the UN to vote against recognising Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. This vote further reaffirms our stand and support to Palestine," she tweeted.

Mehbooba's predecessor and Opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, while lauding New Delhi's stand, tweeted: "I called this one wrong in the morning. Well done MEA for not taking the easy/safe option of abstaining like the 35 others. Donald Trump's threat backfired spectacularly (sic)."

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while expressing his satisfaction over the resolution said the majority vote has proved that the US president's decision was unilateral, partial and anti-Palestine. "This has left Trump in isolated and vindicated the just cause of Palestinians," he said.

"Long pending disputes of Palestine and Kashmir are the two hot issues of the present times and it is the moral responsibility of world community especially the UNGA to take concrete steps to resolve both the issues for the human good," the Mirwaiz added.
Two illegal pubs in Indiranagar 2nd Stage were closed on Friday night on the orders of Dr Ashok, Joint Commissioner (East), BBMP. The senior official visited the area following complaints from residents.



Jonah's and Fatty Bao shut up their shop as they were found to be operating in a residential area in clear violations of the rules. Tippler a On the Roof, another well-known bar, shut down on Thursday following high court orders.

The official's inspection prompted many pubs and bars to cease operations for the day. One of them, The Humming Tree, even cancelled a scheduled evening gig.

More than 100 residents held a candlelight vigil on Friday protesting against commercial shops in residential areas.

Rooftop bars and restaurants were the main targets of the inspection as most of the complaints were about them. "Most of these rooftop bars and pubs do not have permission to function in residential areas. They do not even comply with fire safety or building plan norms. They remain open until late in the night and keep blaring sound, disturbing the neighbourhood," said Ashok Sarath, a resident.

When asked whether the closing down of these pubs was a temporary measure, he said: "It is for the first time that a joint commissioner has actually come to our place and taken some action. We are hopeful something good will come out of this."

He added that Dr Ashok had promised to go after the illegal establishments and shut them down in 15 days.

As many as 90 pubs, bars and liquor shops operate out of the bylanes of 12th Main Road, 100 Feet Road, CMH Road and 80 Feet Road, according to Vinoo Thimmayya, a resident.

Some residents suggest traders are hand in glove with the police. "The BBMP has been misleading all these days. It claims to have issued closure notices to these pubs and bars, but they are open every day of the week. Sometimes, there are ladies night events and the noise goes on until 1.30 am," Newton said.

Sneha Nandihal, president, BM Kaval Bairasandra Resident Welfare Association, said: "These watering holes have commercial connections for electricity and water, which again is illegal."

The residents' activism against the watering holes seems to have riled the traders. Nandihal and Aruna Newton, president, HAL 2nd Stage Civic Amenities and Cultural Association of Indiranagar, alleged receiving violent threats from Siddaramu, the president of Traders Association, 100 Feet Road. "We are worried about our personal safety now," Nandihal said.

The joint commissioner could not be reached for a response.
State-owned defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has received a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 15 Limited Series Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army. This comes close on the heels of HAL receiving RFP for supply of 83 LCAs (Light Combat Aircraft) just days ago.



LCH is a 5.5-tonne class combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL. It is powered by two Shakti engines and inherits many technical features of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). The features that are unique to LCH are sleek and narrow fuselage, tricycle crash-worthy landing gear, crash-worthy and self-sealing fuel tanks, armour protection and low visibility features which make the LCH lethal, agile and survivable.

The helicopter would have day/night targeting systems for the crew including the helmet pointed sight and electro-optical pod consisting of CCD camera/FLIR/Laser Range Finder(LRF)/Laser Designator(LD). The LCH is fitted with Self Protection Suite consisting of Radar/Laser Missile warning systems and Countermeasures dispensing system.

Presently, four technology demonstrators are under flight testing. LCH has the distinction of being the first attack helicopter to land in Forward Bases at Siachen, 5,400 metres above sea level. The helicopter participated in IAF's `Iron Fist 2016' exercise in March 2016 and displayed its rocket firing capabilities in its weaponised configuration.

On August 26, 2017, the defence minister launched the production of LCH at Bengaluru and Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) documents of the basic version were handed over to HAL by the Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC).
In a relief to senior Congressman Ashok Chavan, the Bombay High Court on Friday quashed and set aside the sanction accorded by Maharashtra Governor C H Vidyasagar Rao to prosecute him in the Adarsh housing scam.



"In the absence of fresh material, the sanction cannot be sustained, and is quashed and set aside," a division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice Ranjit More and Justice Sadhana Jadhav said.

Chavan, 58, who in November 2010, had to resign as the chief minister, is among 14 retired and serving defence personnel, bureaucrats and politicians named as accused in the scam by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"The charges against me were baseless and politically motivated," said Chavan, who is currently the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).

Chavan is the son of former Maharashtra chief minister and ex-Union Home Minister late Shankarrao Chavan.

The 31-storey Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society Ltd is located Colaba, a plush locality in Mumbai. It was originally meant to be a six-storey structure to house Kargil War heroes and their kin but was later extended to 31 floors allegedly without mandatory permission.
San Dieguito Union High School District President Amy Herman passed the gavel to new President Beth Hergesheimer at the Dec. 14 organizational meeting but it was not without some drama.

Following public input that the board should consider rotating officer positions and taking turns in leadership roles, trustee John Salazar nominated Mo Muir. He said in his eight years on the board he has never been offered the position as president, he didnt necessarily want it, but thought Muir ought to have her turn as they are the only two members on the board to have never served as president.

The motion was seconded by Torrey Pines High School student representative Isaac Gelman but the vote did not pass.

You cant even let Mrs. Muir be president? Salazar asked his fellow board members after the vote. Why? Because she doesnt agree with you politically? Its a ceremonial position anyway.

Its extremely disappointing, Salazar continued. What youre going to do is vote one of yourself president and youve all been it. That is just ridiculous. You three have the power and thats the way its going to be and you dont care about myself and you dont care about Mrs. Muir.lets not BS each other and say lets all work together for whats best for the school district because whats best for the school district is having a new person be board president and have a different perspective on things.

Hergesheimer said generally in the past, the president has served an officer role prior to taking on the president position. Herman also stated she disagreed with Salazars description of the role as a ceremonial position.

We do each have one equal vote but it does come with a lot of responsibility, said Herman, who served a number of years as vice president and as clerk. Theres a lot to learn and I learned a lot, this being the only time Ive served as president.

Salazar said he believed that Muir was highly qualified as she has served on the board for four years and for two terms on the Encinitas Union School Board prior to that.

Cole Gonzales, the student representative from San Dieguito High School Academy, offered his perspective as an observer.

Just from listening from all of your different opinions, I think Mrs. Herman is the most centrist person on here. Youre the hardest person to read so I think youre probably the most qualified for being president even if maybe you lean toward one side over the other, Cole said. I also think its just natural for the person who kind of sides with the majority to be the president, thats how it works for most levels of government.

I would agree and I think at the same time, its almost always a positive thing to shake up, I dont see any negative, Isaac added, noting that Herman learned the role of president fairly quickly and he didnt see it as necessary for a president to have held another position first if they are willing to serve.

Both Herman and Joyce Dalessandro said they did not want to serve as president this year and when nominated, Hergesheimer said she was willing and able: At this point, this is what I consider my job so I would accept.

Salazar voted against Hergesheimer as she has already served in the role. He then nominated Muir for vice president  the vote carried. Dalessandro was elected clerk.
In back-to-back items on the Dec. 14 San Dieguito Union High School District school board agenda, a raise was awarded to teachers just after district staff revealed its projection for a large deficit in 2017-2018.

We have a deficit, SDUHSD superintendent Eric Dill told board members, in response to trustee Mo Muirs question to him asking if the district is in a financial crisis.

He said the district will pay higher pension contribution costs in the coming year, but were anticipating that. He added that additional state funding is expected, but he doesnt yet know how much.

The districts multi-year projection, according to district documents, shows reserves for 2017-2018 at about $13.5 million (9.4 percent of the total budget), down from last years $20.1 million.

For 2018-2019, reserves are projected to be around $7.73 million, or 5.5 percent of the total budget.

In 2019-2020, the unrestricted reserves balance is projected to be about $3.35 million, or 2.4 percent of the total budget.

Money set aside for special (restricted) reserves in 2019-2020 is about $2.57 million, which bumps up the total reserve that year to 4.2 percent of the budget.

The SDUHSD board-recommended minimum reserve is 4.5 percent, and the states minimum reserve requirement is 3 percent.

Even as reserves dwindle, pension contribution costs escalate, and the state budget for education remains uncertain, the board by a vote of 4-1 agreed to give San Dieguito teachers a raise of .5 percent, retroactive to July 1, 2017.

This is on top of the 12.5 percent raise all SDUHSD employees received two years ago, which costs taxpayers over $6 million annually  and was the reason the San Diego County Taxpayers Association awarded the district the dubious distinction of winning the agencys Grand Golden Fleece Award in 2016.

This new raise will decrease the districts general fund by just over $370,000 annually.

This only accounts for raises given to teachers. Traditionally, San Dieguito has awarded the same percentage raise to all other employees a month or two later.

In addition to this across-the-board raise, many teachers receive annual increases in compensation under step-and-column policies which provide automatic salary increases based on longevity and education credentials.

According to Dill, over one-third of teachers this year received step-and-column increases that are costing the district an additional $908,000.

Students first?

Cindy Frazee, SDUHSDs Associate Superintendent of Human Resources, called the .5-percent raise a modest increase that helps offset the increased cost of health benefits.

But when Muir asked what percent health care costs have risen, Frazee didnt know. Neither did Dill. Nor did Tina Douglas, SDUHSDs Associate Superintendent of Business Services.

We already have highly compensated teachers, said trustee John Salazar, who was the lone vote against the raise.

Salazar said if the district had extra cash (which we dont), the $370,000 could be better used to directly help students, by funding other things we desperately need.

He mentioned music and art programs, increased security, nurses and counselors.

With the district expected, as usual, to claim it has no money to pay for essential programs and supplies for students, parents should be prepared for foundations to hit them for donations even harder than before.

For its optimistic outlook on state funding, San Dieguito must be using a crystal ball unavailable to other San Diego County districts, most of which are cutting back.

San Diego Unified, for example, is facing a minimum shortfall of $47 million. A district spokesperson said state funding, and future district revenue, is uncertain. SD Unified aims to begin reducing expenses by first eliminating administrative costs.

It was only a few years ago that former SDUHSD superintendent Rick Schmitt expanded his top tier of administrators by adding a fourth Associate Superintendent position, for instructional services.

This position was created primarily to assist the workload of another high-level administrator who was out with a serious illness for months and has since recovered and returned to work.

Schmitt told me at the time that this position would disappear eventually. But when have bureaucracies ever eliminated newly created positions?

Meanwhile, teachers get another raise.

Why would we hold this back? said trustee Joyce Dalessandro, in support of the raise. The teachers are Number One.

The idea of Students First seems to have been forgotten.

Approved new election map

Cranberry is the fruit of the season.

With nearly 200 emails from residents in Pacific Highlands Ranch who voiced their preference for the Cranberry 1 election-by-trustee map, the boards decision was quick  although making the motion to approve Cranberry 1 needed a bit of a kick-start from a student board member.

After the legal presentation on the pros and cons of all the maps, the board entered into what was feared to be a protracted, drawn-out, bitter discussion of each and every map, although initial interest was on Cranberry 1.

So Isaac Gelman, student board representative for Torrey Pines High School, cut to the chase and interjected when there was a brief pause early in the discussion by making a motion to approve Cranberry 1.

Dill, who seemed relieved that the issue would not drag on for hours, shook Isaacs hand and gave him the appropriate language to read, to make his motion. It was seconded immediately and approved unanimously.

The new map will take effect for the 2018 election.

This map creates five separate voting areas and unites Pacific Highlands Ranch all together into Area 5, which is currently trustee Amy Hermans district. Hermans district will be electing a new trustee in 2018. Canyon Crest Academy is in Area 5.

Dalessandro represents Area 4 and serves until 2020, so there will be no election in Area 4 until then. Area 4, which includes Torrey Pines High School, stretches from Del Mar on the coast through the northern part of Carmel Valley and into the southern parts of Rancho Santa Fe.

Area 3, currently represented by Salazar, includes San Dieguito Academy and the communities of Solana Beach, Cardiff and the northern parts of Rancho Santa Fe. There will be an election for Area 3 in 2018.

Area 2 encompasses the eastern part of Encinitas and Carlsbad, including La Costa Canyon High School. This area is represented by trustee Beth Hergesheimer who was just elected in 2016 and serves until 2020, so there will be no election in this area in 2018.

Area 1 includes Sunset High School and the western part of Encinitas, and is represented by Muir. There will be an election for Area 1 in 2018.

Of the 119,226 eligible SDUHSD voters, Cranberry 1 gives Area 5, encompassing Pacific Highlands Ranch, the following breakdown: 64 percent white, 26 percent Asian and 7 percent Hispanic.

Area 4 is 80 percent white, 9 percent Asian and 8 percent Hispanic. Area 3 is 86 percent white, 4 percent Asian and 8 percent Hispanic. Area 2 is 84 percent white, 7 percent Asian and 7 percent Hispanic. Area 1 is 84 percent white, 6 percent Asian and 9 percent Hispanic.

To those who think their points of view dont matter, take a lesson from the residents of Pacific Highlands Ranch whose letters managed to sway decision-makers on this seismically significant issue.

And kudos to Isaac Gelman for getting right to the point when the end result was obvious from the start. For cutting short what could have been an excruciatingly tedious map discussion, he was the hero of the evening.

Special education statistics

On the Dec. 20 agenda for SDUHSDs Special Education Task Force meeting, paid facilitator Maureen OLeary Burness presented statewide disability trends over time.

Thirteen disabilities are listed: intellectual disability, hard of hearing, deaf, speech or language impairment, visual impairment, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, multiple disability, autism and traumatic brain injury.

Most categories have seen limited change between 2006 and 2016.

Those with significant declines in the 10 years include:

1. Speech and language impairment, from 178,597 to 159,750

2. Specific learning disability, from 306,938 to 288,294

The two categories that have seen a significant rise are:

1. Autism, from 39,706 to 97,156

2. Other health impairment, from 43,492 to 83,361

Mark Miller, SDUHSDs Associate Superintendent of Instructional Services who heads special education for the district, said the statistics statewide for these four categories are consistent with SDUHSDs.

In his experience overseeing special education at other districts, he said the other health impairment category was an area of growth, especially at the elementary level.

That category includes students with ADHD and ADD.

According to the presentation, the statewide average of general fund spending on special education is 20 percent.

Although the district did form a special education task force as parents requested, dissatisfaction remains with how the program continues to be run. Many parents feel much-needed change is still a long way away.

Creation of the task force is a good start. Lets hope it leads to the achievable goals demanded by parents.

 Opinion columnist and Sr. Education Writer Marsha Sutton can be reached at suttonmarsha@gmail.com.
San Diego City Council voted 5-4 Dec. 13 to amend the recreation council fee schedule, taking away the recreation councils ability to collect funds and adding oversight to how those city funds are spent. All 52 San Diego recreation councils special use permits that give them the authority to collect those funds will expire on Dec. 31 and funds are required to be transferred to the city.

Councilmembers David Alvarez, Lorie Zapf, Georgette Gomez and Chris Cate opposed the change and all of the City Councilmembers who voted in favor did so with some reluctance, but Council President Myrtle Cole said, Its the only way to limit the impacts on the community and those that rely most on rec centers and the programs they provide, and to ensure public dollars are spent fairly, appropriately and in compliance with state and local laws.

All City Councilmembers wanted assurances that classes and programs would continue to operate without interruption or delays. Park and Recreation Director Herman Parker said that there will be no discernable difference in the transition.

We want to make sure we are following the law when it comes to the administration of city funds, City Attorney Mara Elliott said.

Recreation councils used to be able to collect surcharges for activities, classes and permits as well as fundraising and donations. Councils used those funds to keep recreation centers open longer, enhance park maintenance, fund special events and activities and provide programming tailored to the communitys needs.

With the change, revenue from permit surcharges and independent contract classes will be deposited into special revenue funds at the city. Recreation councils that hold nonprofit status will be able to retain grants, donations and fundraising revenue.

Interim standard operating procedures for recreation councils were also adopted that state that councils will no longer administer programs, only plan, coordinate and promote them. Previously under the special use permit, recreation councils administered the contracts with independent contractors for programs but under the interim standard operating procedures, the review and approval of independent contract classes will be administered by Parks and Recreation.

Recreation councils across the city generate approximately $4 million in revenue from fee surcharges, permits and donations, managed in private accounts.

On Sept. 8, Elliott sent a memo stating that all funds collected by recreation councils are city funds and subject to charter and code requirements. To achieve compliance, City Council would be required to revise the fee schedule and all funds would be deposited into a special revenue fund, giving authority back to City Council and restricting the use of recreation council spending.

The proposed change came about quickly  it was before City Council for approval on Oct. 31 but the council elected to delay its decision and send it to the Dec. 6 Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee to allow for more public input.

This has been a period of disruption with recreation councils, that has to be noted for sure, said David Graham, deputy chief officer for the city of San Diego. The input from rec council members and the community has been absolutely crucial in developing recommendations and policies moving forward.

At the Dec. 6 meeting, recreation council volunteers said a lot of the frustration stemmed from not being given information in a timely manner and hearing different messages in different meetings  one presentation they heard included plans to have just one centralized Park and Recreation Council downtown with standardized programs throughout the city and four full-time staff members hired to control programming for all centers in the city.

Carmel Valley Recreation Council Chair Marilee Pacelli said at each meeting they would receive limited information but the timeline felt rushed, which is why she requested to slow the process down until many unanswered questions and issues were resolved.

Many felt disenfranchised, Pacelli said at the Dec. 6 committee meeting.

This process has been handled poorly, said longtime Carmel Valley resident Ginny Barnes, who founded the Carmel Valley Recreation Council back in 1988. The recreation councils have been the citys partners for decades and yet we were the last ones to be informed about anything.

At the committee meeting, Councilmember Chris Ward agreed to move the item to the full City Council discussion the following week with a heavy heart, saying that he understood recreation council volunteers feeling blindsided by the changes. He, too, wanted to ensure that recreation councils would be able to operate unimpeded and not buried in layers of bureaucracy.

Councilmember Alvarez said staff was placed in a very difficult position to try and recreate a system that works for everybody and in the re-creation perhaps created more problems than solutions.

I dont see what problem this is solving. I think there will be consequences as a result of this, said Alvarez, noting he would not support the changes. Our rec councils need to operate to the best extent possible.

District 1 City Councilmember Barbara Bry worked with the city attorney to draft a proposal to establish a working group that will meet over the next six months to make recommended changes to documents like the permanent recreation council standard operating procedures, special use permit and the council policy. Brys proposal also included that until the amendments to council policy are adopted, Park and Recreation Department should work closely with recreation councils to maintain programs and events consistent with the status quo, to establish fees charged by the city for programs, and adopt a budget for the expenditure of funds in each city account assigned to a recreation council.
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Subscriber content preview

RICHLAND (AP)  The homes of seven Hanford Nuclear Reservation workers in Washington state are being inspected after a spread of radioactive contamination in recent days.

The total number of vehicles reported to be contaminated with apparent specks of radioactive material increased to 14 from the eight reported Tuesday.





. . .
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By PETER PRENGAMAN and BETH J. HARPAZ

Associated Press

AP Photo/Peter Prengaman [enlarge] Officials in Brazil have been clamping down on the use of wildlife as tourist props.





Planning to visit the Amazon? You might want to look at the controversy over wildlife selfies before choosing tours.





. . .
211217 CS Commander for Bougainville upholds Rehabilitation for In mates

By- Theresa Baranangko

The Commander for Correctional Service, Mr Jackson Gubang is very supportive to the concept drawn by the Principal Director for Halia Rehabilitation Centre Mr Leo Solly.

Together they have established the first of its kind halfway house framed purposely as a bridging for in mates with the community.

He says the half-way house will be responsible for the rehabilitation of both the unfortunate illiterate youths in the community as well as the in mates who are currently serving their sentences at Bekut prison.

The Commander says the State or the Correctional Services alone cannot change a person therefore they have bridged with community youths through the Half way house within the Rehabilitation centre at Halia.

The Commander was commended for this initiative during the recent correctional commanders conference held in Port Moresby. He believed that correctional service will be a leading agency to develop Bougainville.

He is sure that communities in partnership with correctional services can play a better role in rehabilitating inmates rather than being locked up in prison for the duration of their sentence.

While being accommodated at the Halia Rehabilitation centre, the in mates are participating in beautifying the Halia Clinic at the same time participating in the programs within the Rehabilitation Centre and also attending to community matters during community meetings. In doing so, they feel that they are in their own communities, says Gubang.

The Commander believes that after completing their rehabilitation programs and also their term at Bekut Prison, they will be fully equipped with technical skills training and return to their own communities as changed people.



Ends//


Innovative U District apartment complex 47+7 has sold for $8.8M



Journal staff reporter By BRIAN MILLER Journal staff reporter

Photo by Sellen Construction [enlarge] 47+7 was a demonstration project for Sustainable Living Innovations. Wall and floor panels were constructed offsite, and then placed  from top to bottom  within a steel exoskeleton.





Don't call them modular! The innovative kit of parts apartment complex called 47+7, at 4558 Seventh Ave. N.E. in the University District , has sold for $8.8 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Wallace Properties SLI, whose Erik Peterson and Allison Jones were the brokers.

The buyer was Brilliant City LLC, which is associated with a private investor in Bothell.

The six-story, 24-unit building went on the market in July, without a list price; offers were due in August. The sale was worth about $367,250 per unit.

47+7 was a demonstration project for Sustainable Living Innovations, a division of the architecture firm CollinsWoerman.

SLI and Wallace acquired the 6,420-square-foot site in 2012 for $975,000. The wall and floor panels were constructed offsite by SLI, and Sellen began on-site construction in 2014. Panels were trucked to the site and individually jacked into place  from top to bottom  within a steel exoskeleton.

SLI sold its interest in the project to Wallace for $600,000 in 2014.

47+7 was completed last year and is now fully leased. It won several design awards. It has a number of green features including low voltage electrical lighting, natural ventilation, solar panels, concrete floors and high-efficiency windows and insulation.

Each floor has four one-bedroom apartments, ranging from 426 to 534 square feet. The location is walkable to the U District light rail station that will open in 2021.

47+7 is generally considered to be a feasibility prototype for a 38-story, 424-unit apartment tower being planned for 1800 Terry Ave. in the Denny Triangle. CollinsWoerman/SLI is the architect for that project, and Seawest Investment Associates and One Eighty are the developers.

At its last design review in September, 1800 Terry was recommended to proceed toward a master use permit, which has not yet been issued.





Brian Miller can be reached by email at brian.miller@djc.com or by phone at (206) 219-6517.




3GPP, the working group that is developing the 5G standard for next-gen wireless communication, has ratified the first 5G specifications at a meeting in Portugal. The ratification means the final design of the first tranche of 5G, Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G New Radio (NR), would be now available to networks and manufacturers. The development will help the global mobile industry to initiate full-scale development of 5G NR for large-scale trials and commercial deployment as early as in 2019, according to telecom bodies and smartphone makers. The ratification comes a trifle ahead of the long-term schedule, which only had 5G NR scheduled for completion next year. Although there have been plenty of 5G trials and plans for commercial deployment already, finalising the specification is a big and very concrete step towards making 5G widely available. ''This is really the step that enables vendors to start building equipment,'' Qualcomm director of Technical Marketing Matt Branda told Fierce Wireless. ''This is an important moment and a crucial development toward making 5G NR happen,'' said Neville Ray, chief technology officer for T-Mobile US. ''At T-Mobile, we're committed to drive a 5G rollout across the US in 2020, and the efforts of 3GPP will help us to realise this great win for our customers.'' ''Reaching this milestone enables the next phase of equipment availability and movement to interoperability testing and early 5G availability,'' said AT&T, one of T-Mobile's big rivals in introducing 5G to the US market. The announcement to accelerate the development of 5G NR has been welcomed by a number of leading industry players including AT&T, BT, China Mobile, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, LG Electronics, MediaTek, Nokia, Qualcomm Technologies, Samsung, Sony Mobile, Vodafone, and ZTE. ''As one of the key players, Huawei has committed to develop a single global 5G standard. With the a successful cooperation and join efforts with global organizations including governments, regulatory agencies, research organizations, academia, industries, and many more sectors, 3GPP 5G NR standardisation Phase 1 has been completed with great progress. Huawei will keep working with global partners to bring 5G into the period of large-scale global commercial deployment from 2018,'' said Yang Chaobin, president of Huawei 5G product line, www.digit.in reported.








Udaras na Gaeltachta has issued a statement saying that they are disappointed that SLM Ceangail Teo. have terminated the employment of their staff on the Derrybeg Industrial estate within days of Christmas.

The statement said: "This is a significant blow to the companys current employees and to others who had recently secured new jobs in the company, particularly in advance of the Christmas period. Although company management maintained customary and regular correspondence with Udaras na Gaeltachta, as late as yesterday (December 20th) evening, Udaras were not given any indication that the company was to close."

Udaras confirmed that they have not received any contact from the company in this regard, as yet.

In line with its standard support schemes, Udaras na Gaeltachta approved a comprehensive support package for SLM Ceangail Eire Teo. when they were first established in Gaoth Dobhair in early 2016 and every appropriate assistance and support possible under state aid rules was made available to the company.

There were 32 people employed in the company, 24 full time and 8 part time and it is reported that 8 new posts were to commence in the company in January.

A total of 171,467 in grant aid, Employment & Training Grants & Rental Subsidy, has been paid to the company to date. When the appropriate details are officially confirmed as regards reports of the companies liquidation Udaras na Gaeltachta will take all appropriate steps as regards recoupment of state aid invested.

The Chief Executive Officer of Udaras na Gaeltachta, Micheal O hEanaigh, said: This news is a significant source of disappointment for the Gaoth Dobhair community just before the Christmas period and especially for the workers who have lost their jobs today. Udaras na Gaeltachta will continue with our diligent efforts to create new jobs on Gaoth Dobhair Business Park.

Meanwhile, the Gaeltacht Minister Deputy Joe McHugh is to meet staff today at a Gaoth Dobhair company which closed yesterday.

SLM Eire Teo, a digital marketing company with its HQ in Manchester, gave their 32 Donegal notice of closure at their offices at the Gaeltacht Business Park.

After talks between Minister McHugh and Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty last night, staff from her Department will also meet former SLM staff in Gaoth Dobhair today to advise them of their rights. Emergency payments will also be processed if required.



Udaras officials will also be on hand to advise on vacancies at other companies at the Business Park.

This is very upsetting news for 32 people and their families, said McHugh.

Minister Regina Doherty has organised her Department staff to be on hand for a group meeting with staff today and for individual meetings where claims can be made and emergency payments issued if required. Id like to thank Regina who responded so quickly yesterday evening.

My immediate concern is for the former staff and their families. This is a very upsetting time for them and I have spoken to a number of staff by phone and will be meeting them later today in Gaoth Dobhair.

The Donegal TD added: Ive also arranged for Udaras na Gaeltachta staff to be at our meeting today to advise on other positions available in the area.
A member of the U.S. Air Force has been arrested on a charge of sexual abuse.

According to court records, James Phillip Ward, 31, of Prattville, was arrested Thursday on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse. The alleged victim was a 12-year-old girl. The alleged molestation occurred in March.

According to an affidavit of hardship filed in Houston County Circuit Court, Ward has been in the Air Force for 12 years and is stationed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery.

Ward was released on a $25,000 bond Friday.

First-degree sexual abuse is a class C felony in Alabama. If convicted, Ward could face up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Dothan City Commissioners have different takes on whether and how the city should use public funds for economic development, as reflected by a recent vote on an eastside project.

The commission, by a 5-2 vote, approved providing $150,000 to the Commercial Development Authority to aid in the creation of limited-access turn lanes near a project called the Med Park East development. The project could eventually attract several new businesses in the proximity of Southeast Alabama Medical Center, but the main attraction seems to be a proposed third Chick-fil-A franchise.

Chick-fil-A is a popular fast-food chain nationwide, something that also pertains to Dothan. The first franchise here attracted so many customers that traffic problems ensued, and a major redesign of the driveway and traffic patterns was completed in the past few years to aid in logistics.

Officials believe a traffic volume increase could negatively impact emergency services that are trying to access the hospital, leading to the request for a redesign of lanes. Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce president Matt Parker said a stoplight was originally suggested, but officials later determined that plan was not feasible.

While District 6 Commissioner David Crutchfield agrees the development will cause some traffic issues, he said he does not believe public funds should address the problem. Crutchfield, who dissented along with District 4 Commissioner John Ferguson, said he asked several departments if the city had previously aided a commercial project in this manner before making a decision.

I couldnt find any examples where the city had helped a project in this way before  and weve had all that growth out (U.S. Highway) 84 West, he said. Center-turns, crossovers  all of that was done by the developers. If it impacts the surrounding area, it should be the responsibility of the developers.

Crutchfield said he worries the vote to approve the project sets a bad precedent and that more developers will now seek help in future projects. District 3 Commissioner Albert Kirkland does not think more requests would be a bad thing.

Ever since Ive been in office, Ive been wanting us to set a standard for what we will do for (commercial) projects, Kirkland said. If you spend a certain amount, hire a certain amount, pay a certain wage, then this is what the city will provide.

Kirkland said while unique situations could require tweaks to a set standard, he believes setting guidelines will eliminate most disagreements.

Right now, each time one of these things comes up, it puts us in political turmoil  and I do not like it, he said.

As the city prepares to create a master development plan for the 84 East corridor  an area beginning from Oates and reaching to the eastern city limits  Kirkland foresees more requests for help arising in the future.

District 1 Commissioner Kevin Dorsey noted he supported the plan because of its potential impact on jobs. He said Chick-fil-A has a contract with Wayne Farms, one of the citys largest employers, and Wayne Farms resides in his district.

Any time for job creation, he said. That builds a better relationship with Wayne Farms and ensures people in my district have jobs.

Dorsey also compared attracting new businesses to promoting a large concert.

If a big-name act comes to the Dothan Civic Center, then some accommodations have to be made, he said. The same applies to landing businesses whose popularity may cause some traffic issues.

Its putting the cart before the horse, he said. Why wouldnt you want to make accommodations?
OZARK  Those who knew Tammy Cooper want to know how she died and who is responsible.

Dozens gathered Thursday to remember the 49-year-old woman whose body was found Dec. 15 in a wooded area near Fall Street and Popular Avenue.

She was a great person and she did not deserve this, said Octavius Cooper, who organized the prayer vigil and balloon release in memory of her aunt.

Authorities are calling the death suspicious and suspect foul play. The body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy.

The case is under investigation by the Ozark Police Department and the Dale County Sheriffs Office.

Investigators have collected evidence and interviewed witnesses but no arrests have been made. The department is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Kevin Saffold said people should hold police accountable for the investigation.

The community needs to come together as family and stand up for one another, he said. We dont know what happened to Tammy, but we know whatever it is she didnt deserve that.

He stressed unity and led the crowd in a chant: One life, one love, one Tammy!

James L. Fuller, founder of Hearts of Goal (H.O.G), and Apostle Chris Jackson of Temple of Refuge Deliverance Ministries in Clio led prayers and addressed the crowd in a parking lot on Acker Avenue at Reynolds Street, not far from where the body was found.

People yelled We love you, Tammy and We miss you as balloons were released.

Coopers niece and others encouraged anyone with information pertaining to the investigation to contact the family or the Ozark Police Department at 334-774-2644.
Unemployment numbers are looking good for Alabama, but some Wiregrass counties saw a small uptick this month.

According to the Governors Office, Alabamas unemployment rate hit 3.5 percent for November, dropping .1 percent from the previous month. Several Wiregrass counties saw a small uptick in unemployment, however.

Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Parker said unemployment in the area still looks pretty good compared to where it stood just a year ago.

We have 1,300 more people working than last year, he said. Thats the number that really matters.

Parker said that the areas employment growth has been diversified among retail, warehousing, manufacturing, health care and other sectors. Parker said incoming industries, including Gateway Tire and International Beam, should add more jobs in the coming year.

Parker was also optimistic about the impact the recently passed tax bill would have on employment growth, saying that companies bringing back money from overseas would re-invest that money in their operations.

Statewide, Novembers unemployment rate represented 75,807 people, a record low. Just one year ago, 136,135 people were unemployed statewide.

It was just last month (October) when we reached the extraordinary milestone of breaking all previous unemployment rate records, but now just a month later the trend continues and we have once again broken those records. Gov. Kay Ivey said. This continued historic decline in our unemployment rate, coupled with the fact that Alabamas businesses are employing more Alabamians than ever before, shows that we are truly moving forward and proving to everyone that Alabama is a great place to live and do business.
Project to support domestic SMEs and promote trade

The EBRD is stepping up its reengagement in Uzbekistan with the provision of a financial package of up to US$ 30 million to JSCB Hamkorbank, the countrys largest privately-owned commercial bank.

The loan will facilitate better access to finance for small private businesses (SMEs) and promote trade operations in Uzbekistan and the region.

The transaction will consist of a US$ 20 million loan to Hamkorbank to support its lending operations with local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, the EBRD will also provide a limit of up to US$10 million under its Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) to assist Hamkorbanks international trade transactions, widen correspondent banking network and strengthen its trade finance product range .

With a network of 32 branches and 177 service outlets across the country, Hamkorbank is well positioned to provide much-needed finance to smaller businesses in Uzbekistan, especially in rural areas.

Alkis Vyrenios Drakinos, EBRD Head of Uzbekistan, said: We have known Hamkorbank for almost two decades and we are very pleased to resume our cooperation with the financial institution. It is a well-established bank, which will deliver in areas of the economy where support is required the most.

Rudolf Putz, Head of TFP in EBRD said: The TFP team is happy to welcome back Hamkorbank. The programme will strengthen its ability to provide advanced trade financing and trainings for local private entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan. The EBRD limit will also allow Hamkorbank to improve access to international markets and extend tenor for trade transactions.

The TFP promotes international trade to, from, and within the Banks countries of operations, including Uzbekistan. Through the Programme, the EBRD provides guarantees to international confirming banks, taking the political and commercial payment risk of international trade transactions undertaken by banks in these countries. The Programme supported over 20,000 trade finance transactions totalling 15 billion across the EBRD region.

The EBRD is the largest institutional investor in Central Asia, with close to 11.6 billion (US$ 12.3 billion) committed to projects in a variety of sectors, from infrastructure to agriculture, with a focus on private sector development.

Between 1992 and 2010, the EBRD invested 894 million in Uzbekistan in 54 projects. Since its reengagement in 2017, the Bank has identified several new projects in the country, some of which have already been signed or are due to be signed by the end of 2017, with more to follow in 2018.






Aviagen Kft supports Poultry Business Forum in Serbia



Aviagen Kft demonstrated its commitment to Serbia's poultry industry at the Poultry Business Forum held on November 2.

More than 180 guests from various parts of the poultry industry attended the event, including Aviagen's technical service manager, Dejan Bosanac. Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary Department, Chamber of Commerce and local government were also in attendance.

Bosanac's presentation was entitled "Chicken of Tomorrow" and included advice and information on regional and global genetic and production trends. He also used the opportunity to present awards to the two latest members of the Ross 140 Club, Robins and Agro-Mil.

The forum was held to promote the newly formed poultry cooperative Sumadija 2017 and featured various presentations from guest speakers with the unifying themes of the current poultry business climate in Serbia and new developments in global poultry production.

"Aviagen has an integral role to play in the Serbian poultry industry and I am grateful for the opportunity to present to delegates and discuss some of the key issues impacting the poultry business in the country," Bosanac said. "I am also delighted to officially welcome Robins and Agro-Mill to the Ross 140 Club. They both showed exceptional results and have set new standards for local Parent Stock production."

Sumadija 2017 was created in response to the need of local poultry producers to connect and improve production, share information on local markets, and have easier access to government benefits for agricultural production.

The 2018 edition of the forum will take place on May 3-4.
To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020.
Candy

If you associate Christmas with candy, try some chocolate thats good for you. Well, good for your heart anyhow. The EIB financed the University of Latvia this year, an institution thats big on research and development. Yet some of the fruits of this research and development can be relatively small, like the chocolate pills. Youre instructed to take four per day. But do consult with a professional if youre already taking chocolate during this festive time of the year.

Alternatively, consider vegan truffles and peanut bars from Arzu the Foodbar Supplier in the Netherlands. They are planning to expand, with the support of an innovative fintech company iZettle that the EIB recently financed.

And, yes, wine.

How about trying out something different this year? Wine from Moldova, for example. Winemaking in Moldova dates back 5000 years and the Eastern European country, according to some reports, has the highest density of vineyards in the world. Over the past couple of years the EIB provided a EUR 75 million loan to the Moldovan wine industry to improve the wines quality and to increase exports to countries other than Russia.

To achieve this, Moldovan banks used EIB financing to give loans to vine growers, wine producers, bottlers, label printers and even the oenology department of the Technical University of Moldova, where modern lab equipment can now be used to test wine and improve the quality.

The EIB also provided technical assistance to the industry by, for example, taking Moldovan farmers and winemakers on trips to learn different methods in Italy, Luxembourg and France.

The push toward quality in Moldovan wine is making progress. Moldova has dramatically increased exports to new markets such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and even China and Nigeria. Exports to EU countries have grown about 50% from 2010 to 2015.

When Rudolph guides Santas sleigh down from the far north this Christmas, hell discover that, after being rather naughty a few years ago, Europes economy is now behaving quite nicely. All these EIB projects have contributed to that. But next year we really ought to see if we can finance a mistletoe farm
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Supreme Court of Florida. TYRONE WILLIAMS, Petitioner, v. STATE OF FLORIDA, Respondent. No. SC16-785 Decided: December 21, 2017

Rocco J. Carbone, III, Eakin & Sneed, Atlantic Beach, Florida, for Petitioner Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General, Trisha Meggs Pate, Bureau Chief, and Michael McDermott, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida, for Respondent

In this case we examine section 794.0115, Florida Statutes (2009)also known as Florida's Dangerous Sexual Felony Offender Act (the DSFO Act)which imposes mandatory minimum sentencing for certain sexual crimes committed under certain circumstances. Specifically, we consider whether the DSFO Act's mandatory minimum sentencing term of 25 years imprisonment up to, and including, life imprisonment provides trial courts with the discretion to impose a mandatory minimum of life imprisonment irrespective of the statutory maximum for the crime.  794.0115(2), Fla. Stat. (2009). We have for review Williams v. State, 189 So. 3d 288 (Fla. 1st DCA 2016), in which the First District Court of Appeal held that the DSFO Act authorizes a mandatory minimum life sentence regardless of the statutory maximum for the crime. In so holding, the First District certified conflict with Wilkerson v. State, 143 So. 3d 462 (Fla. 5th DCA 2014), in which the Fifth District Court of Appeal concluded that when the statutory maximum for a particular crime is less than twenty-five years, the DSFO Act authorizes a trial court to impose only a mandatory minimum term of twenty-five years' imprisonment. We have jurisdiction. See art. V,  3(b)(4), Fla. Const.

Both parties agreeas do wethat this case is controlled by this Court's decision in Mendenhall v. State, 48 So. 3d 740 (Fla. 2010). In Mendenhall, we concluded that a very similar mandatory 25 to life provision in section 775.087, Florida Statutes (2004)also known as Florida's 10-20-Life statute authorized the trial court to impose a mandatory minimum of twenty-five years to life, even if that mandatory minimum exceeds the statutory maximum provided for in section 775.082. Id. at 742. As explained below, we decline Williams's invitation to recede from Mendenhall. Accordingly, we approve the First District's decision in Williams. We also disapprove the Fifth District's decision in the conflict case of Wilkerson to the extent it is inconsistent with this opinion.

I. BACKGROUND

Petitioner, Tyrone Williams, was convicted of sexual battery by use of force not likely to cause serious personal injury. Under Florida law, that crime is a second-degree felony generally punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding fifteen years. See  794.011(5), 775.082(3)(c), Fla. Stat. (2009). But because Williams had been designated as a dangerous sexual felony offender, he was subject to the mandatory sentencing provisions under the DSFO Act.  794.0115, Fla. Stat. (2009). The trial court sentenced Williams to a mandatory minimum life sentence. Williams appealed, and the First District affirmed. See Williams v. State, 83 So. 3d 1001 (Fla. 1st DCA 2012).

Williams subsequently filed a postconviction Motion to Correct Sentence with the trial court under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a), contending that the mandatory minimum life sentence was unlawful. Specifically, Williams argued that the trial court was not authorized to impose any sentence under the DSFO Act other than a mandatory minimum of twenty-five years. In denying Williams's motion, the trial court principally relied on two subsections of the DSFO Actsubsections (2) and (6).

Section 794.0115(2) sets forth the enumerated crimes covered by the DSFO Act and contains the mandatory minimum sentencing provision itself. Under section 794.0115(2), an offender convicted of one of the referenced crimes and meeting certain other conditions is a dangerous sexual felony offender, who must be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of 25 years imprisonment up to, and including, life imprisonment.  794.0115(2), Fla. Stat. (2009).

Section 794.0115(6) addresses the DSFO Act's mandatory minimum sentencing provision as it relates to Florida's general statutory sentencing maximums:

(6) Notwithstanding s. 775.082(3), chapter 958, any other law, or any interpretation or construction thereof, a person subject to sentencing under this section must be sentenced to the mandatory term of imprisonment provided under this section. If the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment imposed under this section exceeds the maximum sentence authorized under s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or chapter 921, the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section must be imposed. If the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section is less than the sentence that could be imposed under s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or chapter 921, the sentence imposed must include the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section.

 794.0115(6), Fla. Stat. (2009). This mandatory minimum precludes eligibility for discretionary early release (including gain-time), other than pardon, executive clemency, or conditional medical release.  794.0115(7), Fla. Stat. (2009).

The trial court concluded that Williams's mandatory minimum life sentence was appropriate because the plain language of section 794.0115(2) does not reflect any restriction on the length of the mandatory minimum that can be imposed under it, other than stating it must be between 25 years and life imprisonment, and because the plain language of section 794.0115(6) provides that the mandatory minimum term must be imposed if the mandatory minimum exceeds the statutory maximum for the crimewhich it did in this case.

In reaching its conclusion, the trial court dismissed the Fifth District's decision in Wilkerson on the basis that it provides no analysis of how it reached its conclusion that a trial court cannot impose more than a 25-year mandatory minimum on a second-degree felony. The trial court also relied on Flowers v. State, 69 So. 3d 1042, 1044 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011), in which the First District concluded that the 25 to life provision in Florida's 10-20-Life statute permitted a trial court to impose a mandatory minimum life sentence for a second-degree felony. The trial court noted that Flowers reached its decision by applying this Court's decision in Mendenhall. And the trial court ultimately concluded that the same analysis in Flowers and Mendenhall should apply when analyzing the DSFO Act.

Williams appealed the trial court's denial of his Motion to Correct Sentence. On appeal, the First District upheld the trial court's sentence, holding that the DSFO Act provides the trial court with discretion to impose a mandatory minimum life sentence regardless of the statutory maximum for the charged offense. Williams, 189 So. 3d at 290. As did the trial court, the First District relied on the plain language of section 794.0115 and on the district court's previous decision in Flowers. Id. at 289-90.

As to the plain language of the DSFO Act, the First District noted that under section 794.0115(2) and section 794.0115(6), a designated sexual felony offender must be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of 25 years imprisonment up to, and including, life imprisonment, and the minimum sentence must be imposed whenever that minimum exceeds the statutory maximum otherwise provided by Florida law. Id. at 289 (quoting  794.0115(2), Fla. Stat. (2009)). And according to the First District, that mandatory minimum allows for any term between twenty-five years and life. Id. at 289-90.

The First District also relied on its previous decision in Flowers, which held that the 25 to life provision in the 10-20-Life statute authorized any mandatory minimum term between twenty-five years and life for a second-degree felony. Id. at 290. Unlike the trial court, however, the First District did not mention the fact that Flowers reached its decision by applying Mendenhall.

In upholding Williams's sentence, the First District disagreed with the Fifth District's conclusion in Wilkerson that the plain language of the DSFO Act authorized only a twenty-five-year mandatory minimum when the underlying crime had a fifteen-year statutory maximum. Id. at 289. The First District determined that the plain language of section 794.0115 instead supported the conclusion that the minimum mandatory sentence is any term between twenty-five years and life in prison. Id. The First District then certified conflict with Wilkerson. Id. at 290.

In Wilkerson, the defendant was similarly convicted of a second-degree felony that generally carried a fifteen-year statutory maximum. See Wilkerson, 143 So. 3d at 463 (citing  775.082, Fla. Stat. (2012)). The defendant was subject to the DSFO Act's mandatory sentencing provisions, and the trial court imposed a life sentence with a mandatory minimum term of twenty-five years' imprisonment. Id. at 462. On appeal, the Fifth District reversed and remanded for resentencing, holding that the life sentence was unauthorized and that the only sentence that could be imposed was a twenty-five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Id. at 463. In so holding, the Fifth District relied on the plain language in subsection (6) of the DSFO Act which provided, in relevant part, that [i]f the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment imposed under this section exceeds the maximum sentence authorized under s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or chapter 921, the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section must be imposed. Id. (quoting  794.0115(6), Fla. Stat. (2012)). The Fifth District determined that the term mandatory minimum under the DSFO Act means twenty-five years. Id. Consequently, because the mandatory minimum under section 794.0[1]15 (twenty-five years) exceeds the maximum sentence authorized under section 775.082 (fifteen years), the mandatory minimum must be imposed. Id. In reaching its conclusion, the Fifth District made no mention of Mendenhall.

II. ANALYSIS

This certified conflict case involves a question of statutory interpretation, which is a pure question of law that we review de novo. See Polite v. State, 973 So. 2d 1107, 1111 (Fla. 2007). The issue presented is whether Florida's DSFO Act provides trial courts with the discretion to impose a mandatory minimum anywhere in the range of twenty-five years to life imprisonment, irrespective of the general statutory maximum for the crime. As correctly noted by Judge Makar in his concurring opinion below, an answer of no to this question could only be given if we recede from Mendenhall. See Williams, 189 So. 3d at 290 (Makar, J., concurring).

Because of the similarities between the pertinent provisions in Florida's DSFO Act at issue in this case and those in Florida's 10-20-Life statute at issue in Mendenhall, we first present a comparison of the respective statutory provisions, followed by an examination of Mendenhall.

DSFO Act vs. 10-20-Life Statute

The DSFO Act imposes mandatory minimum sentencing for certain sexual crimes committed under certain circumstances.  794.0115, Fla. Stat. (2009). The 10-20-Life statute imposes mandatory minimum sentencing for certain crimes committed by an offender while possessing or using a firearm.  775.087, Fla. Stat. (2004). The pertinent provisions in each law are strikingly similar, as shown below.

I. Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Provisions

In the DSFO Act, section 794.0115(2) contains the mandatory minimum sentencing provision and provides that an offender convicted of one of the referenced crimes and meeting certain other conditions is a dangerous sexual felony offender, who must be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of 25 years imprisonment up to, and including, life imprisonment.  794.0115(2), Fla. Stat. (2009) (emphasis added).

Similarly, in the 10-20-Life statute, section 775.087(2)(a)3. contains the mandatory minimum 25 to life sentencing provision and provides that a defendant who discharges a firearm causing death or great bodily harm while committing an enumerated felony shall be sentenced to a minimum term of imprisonment of not less than 25 years and not more than a term of imprisonment of life in prison.  775.087(2)(a)3., Fla. Stat. (2004) (emphasis added).

II. Mandatory Minimums and Statutory Maximums

The DSFO Act and the 10-20-Life statute also both address their respective mandatory minimum sentencing provisions as they relate to the more general statutory sentencing maximums provided elsewhere under Florida law.

In the DSFO Act, section 794.0115(6) provides:

Notwithstanding s. 775.082(3), chapter 958, any other law, or any interpretation or construction thereof, a person subject to sentencing under this section must be sentenced to the mandatory term of imprisonment provided under this section. If the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment imposed under this section exceeds the maximum sentence authorized under s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or chapter 921, the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section must be imposed. If the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section is less than the sentence that could be imposed under s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or chapter 921, the sentence imposed must include the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section.

 794.0115(6), Fla. Stat. (2009).

In nearly identical fashion, section 775.087(2)(c) of the 10-20-Life statute provides:

If the minimum mandatory terms of imprisonment imposed pursuant to this section exceed the maximum sentences authorized by s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or the Criminal Punishment Code under chapter 921, then the mandatory minimum sentence must be imposed. If the mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment pursuant to this section are less than the sentences that could be imposed as authorized by s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or the Criminal Punishment Code under chapter 921, then the sentence imposed by the court must include the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment as required in this section.

 775.087(2)(c), Fla. Stat. (2004).

Mendenhall

In Mendenhall, we concluded that the mandatory 25 to life provision in the 10-20-Life statute gave trial courts the discretion to impose a mandatory minimum sentence anywhere in the range of twenty-five years to life under section 775.087(2)(a)(3), even if that sentence exceeds the statutory maximum provided for in section 775.082. Mendenhall, 48 So. 3d at 746. In reaching our conclusion, we examined the various provisions of the 10-20-Life statute but eventually relied primarily on the two provisions discussed above. Namely, we noted that section 775.087(2)(a)3., which set forth the mandatory minimum for the crime at issue, clearly states that the convicted person shall be sentenced to a minimum term of imprisonment of not less than 25 years and not more than a term of imprisonment of life in prison. Id. at 748 (quoting  775.087(2)(a)3., Fla. Stat. (2004)). We also noted that section 775.087(2)(c) makes reference to [the general sentencing statute] and states that the mandatory minimum, when it exceeds the statutory maximum, must be imposed. Id. We interpreted the provisions to mean that the trial court may impose a minimum term of imprisonment anywhere in the range of twenty-five years to life. Id. at 746.

We supported our reading of the 10-20-Life statute by examining certain tenets of statutory construction in order to resolv[e] any perceived conflict between the statutory maximum in the general sentencing statute and the mandatory minimum range of twenty-five years to life. Id. at 748 (emphasis added). We primarily focused on the principle of statutory construction that the more specific provision controls over the general provision, finding that the more specific mandatory minimum provision controlled over the general provision regarding sentencing maximums. Id. We also noted the elementary principle of statutory construction that significance and effect must be given to every word, phrase, sentence, and part of the statute if possible, and words in a statute should not be construed as mere surplusage. Id. at 749 (quoting Sch. Bd. of Palm Beach Cnty. v. Survivors Charter Sch., Inc., 3 So. 3d 1220, 1233 (Fla. 2009)). In doing so, we determined that adopting the defendant's interpretation of the statute would render the following words in the mandatory minimum provision meaningless and mere surplusage: and not more than a term of imprisonment of life in prison. Id. Lastly, we examined the statement of legislative intent in the act that created the 10-20-Life statute in 1999, id. at 749-50 (examining ch. 99-12, at 537, Laws of Fla.), and concluded that our interpretation of the statute effectuated the Legislature's unambiguous intent to punish offenders who possess or use firearms to the fullest extent of the law,  id. at 749 (quoting  775.087(2)(d), Fla. Stat. (2004)).

Hatten Reaffirms Mendenhall

We recently reaffirmed Mendenhall in no uncertain terms in Hatten v. State, 203 So. 3d 142 (Fla. 2016). In Hatten, we again addressed the 10-20-Life statute, but in a slightly different context. There, the defendant was convicted of, among other things, a first-degree felony for which the statutory maximum was thirty years' imprisonment. Id. at 143, 145. The trial judge sentenced the defendant under the 10-20-Life statute to a term of forty years, with a mandatory minimum of twenty-five years. Id. at 143. The defendant appealed, arguing that the sentence was illegal because the forty-year term exceeded the statutory maximum of thirty years. Id. The First District affirmed, relying on its previous decision in Kelly v. State, 137 So. 3d 2, 6-7 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014), in which the district court held that circuit courts in the First District may, pursuant to [the 10-20-Life statute], impose a sentence in addition to its selected mandatory minimum sentence without regard to whether additional statutory authority for such an additional sentence exists. Hatten v. State, 152 So. 3d 849, 850 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014) (alteration in original) (quoting Kelly, 137 So. 3d at 6-7). The First District also certified conflict with various decisions from the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Districts which held that the trial court may not impose a sentence in excess of 30 years for a first-degree felony under the 10-20-Life statute when the court imposes a mandatory minimum term of less than 30 years. Id. at 850 & nn.2-4.

On review, we quashed the First District's decision and remanded for resentencing, holding that additional statutory authority is required in order for a trial court to be able to add a term of years in addition to the mandatory minimum selected by the trial court. Hatten, 203 So. 3d at 146. In doing so, we made multiple references to Mendenhall, unequivocally reaffirming that decision. For example, we noted as follows:

This Court in Mendenhall, 48 So. 3d at 742, clarified the issue of whether the mandatory minimum terms of twenty-five years to life provide the trial judge with discretion to impose a mandatory minimum of twenty-five years to life without regard to the statutory maximum for the crime contained in section 775.082, Florida Statutes (2004). And this Court expressly conclude[d] that the trial court has discretion under section 775.087(2)(a)(3) to impose a mandatory minimum of twenty-five years to life, even if that mandatory minimum exceeds the statutory maximum provided for in section 775.082. Id.

Id. at 145 (alteration in original). We also noted in Hatten that the trial court could have imposed the total 40-year sentence as a mandatory minimum sentence pursuant to the 10-20-Life statute, even though it would exceed the 30-year maximum under the general sentencing statute, pursuant to Mendenhall. Id. at 145-46. Finally, we noted that Mendenhall clarified that the 10-20-Life statute prevails over the general sentencing maximums. Id. at 146.

In short, Mendenhall makes clear that the 25 to life provision in the 10-20-Life statute provides trial courts with discretion in imposing a mandatory minimum anywhere in the range of twenty-five years to life, even if that mandatory minimum exceeds the statutory maximum for the crime. And Hatten makes clear that the same 25 to life provision does not also provide trial courts with discretion to impose a sentence greater than the mandatory minimum selected by the trial courtinstead, doing so requires additional statutory authority. Id.

Applying Mendenhall and Hatten

Because we see no compelling reason to recede from Mendenhall and to interpret the 25 to life provision in the DSFO Act differently than we interpreted the similar 25 to life provision in the 10-20-Life statute, we hold that section 794.0115, Florida Statutes (2009), authorizes trial courts to impose a mandatory minimum sentence anywhere in the range of twenty-five years to life, even if that sentence exceeds the maximum under the general sentencing statute.

In the instant case, the trial court sentenced Williams under the DSFO Act to a mandatory minimum life sentence for a second-degree felony that generally carried a fifteen-year statutory maximum. In upholding the sentence, the First District interpreted the 25 to life provision in the DSFO Act consistently with Mendenhall. See Williams, 189 So. 3d 288. Accordingly, we approve the First District's decision.

In Wilkerson, the trial court sentenced the defendant under the DSFO Act to a life sentence with a mandatory minimum term of twenty-five years' imprisonment for a second-degree felony that carried a fifteen-year statutory maximum. On appeal, the Fifth District correctly concluded that the life sentence was unauthorized but did so for the wrong reasons. Namely, the Fifth District erroneously held that the DSFO Act authorizes only a mandatory minimum term of twenty-five years whenever the general statutory maximum for the crime is less than twenty-five years. See Wilkerson, 143 So. 3d at 463. This holding, which the Fifth District reached without mentioning Mendenhall, cannot be reconciled with this Court's jurisprudence. In short, under the DSFO Act, the trial court in Wilkerson had the discretion to impose a mandatory minimum anywhere in the range of twenty-five years to life. See Mendenhall, 48 So. 3d at 742. But once the trial court selected the mandatory minimum of twenty-five years, additional statutory authority was required for the trial court to be able to add a term of years. See Hatten, 203 So. 3d at 146. Because the trial court had no such additional statutory authority, the life sentence imposed by the trial court was unauthorized.

III. CONCLUSION

For the reasons set forth above, we approve the First District's decision in Williams. We also disapprove the Fifth District's holding in Wilkerson that the 25 to life provision in section 794.0115, Florida Statutes (2012), does not authorize trial courts to impose a mandatory minimum sentence anywhere in the range of twenty-five years to life regardless of the general statutory maximum for the crime.

It is so ordered.

The result of the majority's continued acceptance of the legal fiction created in Mendenhall is a legal system where a defendant who is twice convicted of a second-degree felony, as in this case, is authorized to receive a harsher sentence than one who is repeatedly convicted of attempted murder, see  775.082(3)(d), Fla. Stat. (2009). Surely this draconian and absurd outcome was not intended by the Legislature when it enacted the DFSO Act. Accordingly, I dissent.

Although the parties argue that Mendenhall is controlling here, I cannot agree that Mendenhall is applicable under these circumstances. I believe that the language of the DFSO Act and the 10-20-Life statute are distinct enough to provide a different outcome. Unlike the 10-20-Life statute, the DFSO Act does not purport to supply the minimum sentence a defendant sentenced under the act shall receive. Compare  794.0115(2), Fla. Stat. (2009) (providing that a DFSO offender must be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of 25 years imprisonment up to, and including, life imprisonment. with  775.087(2)(a)(3), Fla. Stat. (2009) (providing that defendants who discharge firearms during the commission of enumerated crimes shall be sentenced to a minimum term of imprisonment of not less than 25 years and not more than a term of imprisonment of life in prison.). Section 794.0115(6), Florida Statutes, provides that a term of imprisonment imposed under this section that is less than the sentence that could be imposed under section 775.082, section 775.084, or chapter 921  must include the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section. There is no reason for this language to be included if the Legislature believed that a minimum mandatory life sentence could be imposed. Unlike the 10-20-Life law, where multiple levels of offense exist, the DFSO Act provides one statutorily enhanced minimum mandatory. Accordingly under the majority's reasoning, the language of section 794.0115(6), which provides for an occasion in which the statutory minimum mandatory is less than the otherwise authorized sentence, is meaningless. As reasoned in Mendenhall, to adopt [this] interpretation of the statute would render the phrase [If the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section is less than the sentence that could be imposed under s. 775.082, s. 775.084, or chapter 921, the sentence imposed must include the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment under this section.] meaningless and mere surplusage. Mendenhall, 48 So. 3d at 749. Yet, the majority here has no problem ignoring the plain language of the statute to extend the holding of Mendenhall to this case where the statute differs.

Furthermore, I agreed with Justice Pariente in 2010 that Mendenhall was wrongly decided. Mendenhall, 48 So. 3d at 751-55 (Pariente, J., dissenting). In addition to her reasoning there that statutes providing for mandatory minimum sentences do not always trump the statutory maximums in other statutes, id. at 751, I would explicitly hold that where the lower term in a range of years provided as a statutory minimum mandatory sentence exceeds the statutory maximum for an offense the plain language of the DFSO authorizes only that the lower number be applied. The range provided by the Legislature exists to provide an enhancement to crimes where the statutory maximum may already exceed twenty-five years, not to create mandatory minimum life sentences for crimes that are otherwise subject to ten- or fifteen-year sentences.

Because I would find that the statutory maximum cannot be exceeded unless the minimum sentence under the DSFO is higher than the sentence otherwise authorized, I respectfully dissent.

PARIENTE, J., concurs.

FOOTNOTES

. The 10-20-Life statute imposes mandatory minimum sentencing for certain crimes committed by an offender while possessing or using a firearm.

. Williams does not contest his conviction or dispute that he is subject to the DSFO Act's mandatory sentencing provisions.

. The trial court also referenced certain legislative committee reports that supported the court's conclusion. In 2003, the Legislature increased the mandatory minimum under the DSFO Act from a then ten-year minimum to 25 years imprisonment up to, and including, life imprisonment. See ch. 2003-115,  1, at 1-2, Laws of Fla. The trial court noted that the Senate committee reports contained examples of what the new mandatory minimum would be for persons convicted of second-degree felonies, and that those examples reflect[ed] a mandatory minimum of 25 to life.  See, e.g., Fla. S. Comm. on Crim. Just., CS for SB 2172 (2003) Staff Analysis 8 (Apr. 10, 2003). But the trial court also recognized that committee reports do not necessarily reflect legislative intent.

. In 2014, the Legislature amended the DSFO Act by increasing the mandatory minimum term for offenses committed on or after October 1, 2014. See ch. 2014-4,  4, at 7, Laws of Fla. The DSFO Act now provides that a dangerous sexual felony offender must be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of 50 years imprisonment up to, and including, life imprisonment.  794.0115(2), Fla. Stat. (2017). These amendments are not at issue in this case.

. The statutory maximum for the offense in Mendenhall was similarly thirty years' imprisonment. See Mendenhall, 48 So. 3d at 750.

CANADY, J.

LABARGA, C.J., and LEWIS, POLSTON, and LAWSON, JJ., concur. QUINCE, J., dissents with an opinion, in which PARIENTE, J., concurs.
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. BRENNON KYLE HOLLEY, Petitioner-Appellant, v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent-Appellee. No. 16-17390 Decided: December 20, 2017

Before MARTIN, ROSENBAUM, and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.

Brennon Holley, a federal prisoner, appeals from the district court's denial of his motion to vacate or correct sentence, 28 U.S.C.  2255, which he filed after pleading guilty to one count of attempting to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. In his motion to vacate, Holley alleged, among other things, ineffective assistance of plea counsel. After an evidentiary hearing, the district court denied Holley's motion, concluding that counsel's performance was not deficient and that any errors did not prejudice Holley. The district court then granted a certificate of appealability on whether plea counsel rendered ineffective assistance such that Holley should be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea. Because we conclude that the court did not address one of Holley's claims of ineffective assistance, we vacate and remand for further proceedings.

I. Background

A. Underlying Criminal Proceedings

In October 2012, Holley pled guilty under a written plea agreement to one count of attempting to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  2422(b). The agreed Statement of Facts explained that on June 13, 2012, a Bay County Sheriff's Office investigator, posing as a 13-year-old girl named Rhea, responded to a sexually explicit advertisement Holley posted on Craigslist. The investigator and Holley communicated by email, text message, and phone calls over the next few days, and Holley, believing Rhea was only 13 years old, agreed to travel from Pensacola to Rhea's house in Panama City on Friday, June 15, 2012, to engage in sexual activity with her.

Holley's presentence investigation report calculated an advisory guideline range of 78 to 97 months of imprisonment based on a total offense level of 27 and a criminal history category of II. Because of the ten-year statutory minimum, however, Holley's guideline range became 120 months. See 18 U.S.C.  2422(b).

At sentencing in January 2013, Holley personally addressed the district court and claimed that he had just recently learned of the mandatory minimum. He explained,

I did not know of minimum mandatory looking at the points that I scored out to before, before October 18th when I pled guilty to this offense. I justI really wanted to put this behind me, and I pled and thought that I would do that time that was allotted. I wasn't aware of the minimum mandatory. Now that I am aware of it, once again, I would like to get this behind me.

The court replied that it would consider allowing him to withdraw his guilty plea if he did not know of or was confused about the mandatory minimum. In response, Holley elaborated on his reasoning in pleading guilty:

At the same time, Your Honor, I was told offenses of this nature are looked down upon understandably, quite understandably, and trials usually end up with 25 years to life. That's basically the option I was given, or the option I weighed, was do I want to take this to trial and possibly do 25 years to life, or do I pled [sic] guilty and do 87 months in prison? Actually, I pled.

When the district court explained that it likely could not sentence Holley below the mandatory minimum, Holley asked for additional time to consider his options. The government did not oppose Holley's request. Based on Holley's statements, however, the government reiterated that [t]here [was] no 25 to life in this case and that the only mandatory minimum that applied was 10 years. The court continued the sentencing hearing for three weeks.

When sentencing resumed in February 2013, Holley indicated that he was ready to go forward. The district court sentenced him to the minimum term of 120 months of imprisonment. Holley did not file a direct appeal.

B. Post-Conviction Proceedings

In 2014, Holley filed a pro se 28 U.S.C.  2255 motion, which he later amended, raising, among other claims, allegations of ineffective assistance of plea counsel. In pertinent part, Holley claimed that counsel provided constitutionally ineffective assistance by (a) failing to conduct a meaningful investigation; (b) failing to explain various matters, including the elements of the charge against him, the strength of the government's case, and any available defenses, such as an entrapment defense; and (c) advising him that exercising his right to a jury trial would inevitably result in at least 25 years in prison.

In a supplemental pro se filing, Holley submitted an affidavit swearing that plea counsel told him that he would inevitably receive a prison term of 25 years to life if he went to trial. Out of fear of a more severe sentence, Holley stated, he pled guilty. He also submitted affidavits from his grandmother and sister, who swore that counsel made the same sentencing prediction to them.

Finding that Holley's claims warranted greater scrutiny and development, a magistrate judge appointed habeas counsel, who then filed a supplemental brief in support of Holley's amended  2255 motion. The magistrate judge set the matter for an evidentiary hearing.

Before the hearing, the parties submitted a joint pre-hearing stipulation and summary listing the issues to be resolved. Holley stated that the issues were whether counsel was ineffective in the following ways: (1) failing to properly advise him of the elements of the offense and the strength of the government's case; (2) failing to explore and advise him of an entrapment defense or other defenses; (3) failing to reasonably investigate the case; (4) advising him that he would receive a sentence in excess of 20 years if he went to trial and lost; and (5) failing to advise him about his appellate rights. The government, by contrast, believed that the issues were narrower and related to the failure to file a direct appeal, the sufficiency of the evidence to support the plea, and the viability of an entrapment defense.

An evidentiary hearing was held on May 11, 2016. Plea counsel was the only witness to testify. Counsel testified that he discussed with Holley the evidence, the elements of the offense, and any potential defenses, but that he advised Holley to plead guilty because he believed that Holley was likely to lose at trial. Counsel also testified that he talked with Holley about the range of possible sentences. According to counsel, he advised Holley that a sentence of more than 10 years was unlikely if he pled guilty, but that there was a possibility of a more severe sentence if he went to trial and lost. However, counsel was not asked whether he told Holley that going to trial and losing would inevitably result in a prison sentence of at least 25 years.

Following the evidentiary hearing, and after receiving additional briefing from the parties, the magistrate judge issued a report and recommendation (R&R) that Holley's amended  2255 motion be granted. Addressing Holley's claims of ineffective assistance as a whole, the magistrate judge concluded that, for a variety of reasons, Holley was deprived of the critical opportunity to make a meaningful and informed decision whether to go to trial.

After receiving the government's objections and Holley's response to them, the district court issued an exhaustive 92-page order rejecting the R&R and denying Holley's amended  2255 motion. The court conducted its own review of the record, Holley's amended  2255 motion, and the counseled supplemental brief in support of that motion, among other filings, and found that plea counsel's performance was not deficient and that any errors by counsel did not prejudice Holley.

In particular, the district court determined that it was reasonable for counsel to advise Holley to plead guilty because the evidence was sufficient to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and a jury likely would have rejected an entrapment defense. The court further found that counsel reasonably decided not to investigate Holley's alleged preference for older women because it was unlikely to sway a jury. Finally, the court concluded that the reasonableness of counsel's advice to plead guilty was supported by the benefits in doing so. The court noted that Holley literally faced life imprisonment for his offense, that the government promised not to seek more than the mandatory minimum if Holley pled, and that he would have faced a guideline range of 120 to 135 months of imprisonment after trial. As to that last point, the court stated, pleading guilty had a real benefit to him by reducing the risk that the Court would sentence him at the high end of the Guidelines range and add over a year to what he actually received. However, the court did not expressly address Holley's claim that he was advised by counsel that going to trial increased his likely sentence by at least 15 years, not just 15 months.

Upon denying Holley's amended  2255 motion, the district court granted a certificate of appealability on two issues: (1) whether plea counsel rendered ineffective assistance such that Holley should be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea; (2) whether plea counsel failed to properly advise Holley of his appellate rights such that he should be permitted the opportunity to file a direct appeal. On appeal, Holley expressly waives review of the second issue, so our discussion is limited to the first.

II. Standard of Review

Whether counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance is a mixed question of law and fact that we review de novo. Hagins v. United States, 267 F.3d 1202, 1204 (11th Cir. 2001).

III. Discussion

Holley's main contention on appeal is that plea counsel unreasonably advised him that he would likely receive a prison sentence of 25 years to life if he went to trial and lost. Had he been properly advised that he was unlikely to receive a sentence substantially above the 10-year mandatory minimum, Holley maintains, he would have insisted on taking his chances at trial. See, e.g., Lee v. United States, 137 S. Ct. 1958, 196667 (2017) (stating that, when the respective consequences of a conviction after trial and by plea are, from the defendant's perspective, similarly dire, even the smallest chance of success at trial may look attractive).

The government responds that there is no evidence that Holley was so advised by counsel. But, in fact, Holley's comments at the initial sentencing hearing in January 2013 strongly suggest that he did receive that advice and that it affected his decision to plead guilty. At that hearing, he stated,

I was told offenses of this nature are looked down upon understandably, quite understandably, and trials usually end up with 25 years to life. That's basically the option I was given, or the option I weighed, was do I want to take this to trial and possibly do 25 years to life, or do I ple[a]d guilty and do 87 months in prison?

(emphasis added).

The district court did not expressly address Holley's claim of ineffective assistance based on counsel's allegedly unreasonable sentencing advice, however, so it never resolved whether counsel's advice as to the respective consequences of a conviction after trial or by plea was deficient or whether Holley was prejudiced by counsel's advice, whatever it was.

District courts must resolve all claims for relief raised in a  2255 motion, regardless of whether habeas relief is granted or denied. See Clisby v. Jones, 960 F.2d 936, 93536 (11th Cir. 1992) (en banc); Rhode v. United States, 583 F.3d 1289, 1291 (11th Cir. 2009) (extending Clisby to  2255 motions). A claim for relief is any allegation of a constitutional violation. Clisby, 960 F.2d at 936. A defendant alleges a constitutional violation, and therefore a claim for relief, when he alleges that counsel provided ineffective assistance in violation of his Sixth Amendment rights. See Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 68586 (1984).

We cannot consider claims that the district court has not resolved in the first instance. See Clisby, 960 F.2d at 935 ([R]espondent urged us to consider the ineffective assistance claims not addressed by the district court. This we clearly cannot do.). Instead, when a district court does not address all claims in a motion to vacate, we will vacate the district court's judgment without prejudice and remand the case for consideration of all remaining claims. Id. at 938.

Generally, an unresolved claim constitutes a Clisby error regardless of the reason the claim was not resolved. Puiatti v. McNeil, 626 F.3d 1283, 1307 (11th Cir. 2010). But a claim must be raised in a way that the district court cannot misunderstand it in order for the district court to resolve it. Smith v. Sec'y, Dep't of Corr., 572 F.3d 1327, 1352 (11th Cir. 2009). In Smith, we held that a petitioner failed to fairly present a legal argument to the district court when that argument was mentioned in only one sentence of a 116-page habeas petition, without citing any authority, and it was not mentioned in a 123-page supporting memorandum of law. Id. In Dupree v. Warden, 715 F.3d 1295, 1299 (11th Cir. 2013), however, we held that two sentences found in the middle of a fifteen-page memorandum attached to [a  2254] petition sufficiently raised an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim. Because the district court did not resolve the claim, we vacated and remanded as a violation of the Clisby rule. Id.

After reviewing the record here, we conclude that Holley adequately presented the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim based on counsel's allegedly unreasonable prediction of the likely consequences after a trial. In a 22-page typed attachment to his amended  2255 form, Holley claimed, under GROUND SEVEN: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, which covered four pages, that he was told by counsel that if he did not plead guilty, he would get a prison sentence of 25 years to life. He then asserted that counsel's advice on this point was itself constitutionally deficient and induced him to plead guilty out of fear of a more severe sentence. Thereafter, Holley submitted affidavits attesting that counsel gave that advice to him, his sister, and his grandmother. Then, in the pre-hearing stipulation and summary, he included among five ineffective-assistance claims to be resolved [w]hether counsel was ineffective, in violation of the Sixth Amendment,  for  advising the Petitioner that he would receive a sentence of 20 years if he went to trial and lost. Holley's three sentences in the attachment to his amended  2255 motion, combined with his actions later in the proceedings, were sufficient to raise the specific claim in a way that that district court could understand it. See Dupree, 715 F.3d at 1299.

Moreover, Holley did not abandon that claim during the course of proceedings below. To be sure, it was not a focus of his filings after habeas counsel was appointed. And for that reason, we can certainly understand why the claim slipped through the cracks. However, the record shows that his counseled filings merely supplemented, rather than superseded, his pro se amended  2255 motion. After being appointed, habeas counsel was given the option of filing an amended  2255 motion or a supplemental brief, and counsel chose the latter. Then, before the evidentiary hearing, habeas counsel included among the issues to be resolved at the evidentiary hearing the claim based on plea counsel's allegedly unreasonable sentencing advice. Finally, after the hearing, habeas counsel's brief, which focused on issues of evidentiary sufficiency and the viability of an entrapment defense, made clear that it was intended to supplement the arguments Mr. Holley raised in his Amended Motion, and that Holley did not intend to abandon the issues discussed therein, apart from limited exceptions not relevant here. Nor did the district court make any finding that Holley had abandoned the ineffective-assistance claim based on plea counsel's allegedly unreasonably sentencing advice.

Despite the district court's commendably thorough and probing treatment of Holley's claims, we nevertheless conclude that it did not address his specific claim that plea counsel provided ineffective assistance by advising him that he would likely be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison if he went to trial. The court's factual findings do not permit resolution of that specific claim, and, without a resolution as to that claim, we cannot meaningfully review whether plea counsel rendered ineffective assistance such that Holley should be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea. See Long v. United States, 626 F.3d 1167, 1170 (11th Cir. 2010) ([W]e have long required the district courts  to facilitate meaningful appellate review by developing adequate factual records and making sufficiently clear findings as to the key issues.).

Accordingly, we conclude that the district court violated Clisby when it did not address Holley's claim that plea counsel provided ineffective assistance by unreasonably advising him that he would likely be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison if he went to trial. We therefore vacate the district court's judgment without prejudice and remand for consideration of this claim. See Rhode, 583 F.3d 1292; Clisby, 960 F.2d at 938. We decline to consider the other arguments Holley presents on appeal and instead leave these matters to be addressed, as appropriate, following the district court's disposition of Holley's remaining claim. See Clisby, 960 F.2d at 936 (Policy considerations clearly favor the contemporaneous consideration of allegations of constitutional violations grounded in the same factual basis ).

VACATED AND REMANDED.

FOOTNOTES

. We recognize that appellate review is generally limited to the issues in the certificate of appealability, which, in this case, did not mention error under the rule of Clisby. See Murray v. United States, 145 F.3d 1249, 1250 (11th Cir. 1998). Nevertheless, we cannot meaningfully review whether plea counsel rendered ineffective assistance such that Holley should be permitted to withdraw his guilty pleathe substantive issue specified in the certificate of appealabilitywhen a claim necessary to determine that question remains unresolved. Cf. Callahan v. Campbell, 396 F.3d 1287, 128889 (11th Cir. 2005) (finding error under Clisby after the district court granted a certificate of appealability on substantive claims that it failed to address).

. In the pre-hearing stipulation and summary, Holley expressly waived his claims that the presentence investigation was flawed and that 18 U.S.C.  2422(b) violates the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.

PER CURIAM:
Has Meghan Markle found her wedding dress? That's definitely the question of the day.

So far, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement has been anything but traditional. If the latest rumors are true, neither will be the soon-to-be bride's choice of wedding dress.

Based on previous reports, designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Caroline Catigliano, and Calvin Klein have all been linked to design the Suits star's bridal gown. However, it doesn't seem like any of those designers will make the cut.

On Monday, Israeli designer Inbal Dror stated that she was contacted by the royal family about possibly dressing Markle for her big day. TMZ was able to obtain three sketches from Dror. See the leaked photos here.

Dror's Designs

Dror's designs are all body-hugging pieces, so, it looks like Markle has plans to show off those curves. The couple has managed to break several traditional rules, however, Markle is keeping it traditional when it comes to the sleeves of her dress.

Each sketch includes long sleeves, which is a tradition for the royal brides. Middleton and Princess Diana have confirmed this traditional designs. In terms of price, most of Dror's designs range from $8,000 to $10,000, which is a lot less compared to Middleton's dress, which reportedly cost almost $500,000.

Dror actually dressed Beyonce for last year's Grammy Awards and she has also fitted Naomi Watts.

In an interview with Elle Magazine, Dror was asked what makes her dresses unique.

"I think the bold style. It's sexy, and I love to highlight a woman's form," Dror said.

Dror is not new to the wedding scene, however, and the designer has been designing dresses since 2014. Her pieces are actually available at the Morgan-Davies Bridal boutique in London with fittings by appointment only.

Markle Might Break Tradition With Her Wedding Dress

In an interview with Bridal Magazine, Dror also shared her thoughts on why a wedding is such a significant event for a woman.

"It's how she feels wearing the dress that emphasizes her features and can make her feel like the queen of the night," she said.

Markle might be feeling the pressure to make a decision on a dress but luckily, she has Canadian fashion stylist, Jessica Mulroney, who is sure to have a hand in her critical decision.
Attention, music lovers! Universal Music Group and Facebook are collaborating on a licensing deal that will enhance your social media experience.

The Music Messenger

Ever wanted to post a video of you singing Demi Lovato's "You Don't Do It For Me Anymore" or Kanye West's "Heartless" without fearing Facebook removing the video? The major multi-year licensing deal that both Facebook and Universal Music Group signed today will allow users to keep their musical ambitions alive.

Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Oculus will allow users to legally incorporate songs from the Universal Music Group into their posts. The recording company is the very first music corporation to license any song from its vast libraries for a new kind of digital experience.

"There is a magnetic relationship between music and community. We are excited to bring that to life on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, and Messenger in partnership with UMG," said Tamar Hrivnak, Facebook's head of music business development and partnerships. "Music lovers, artists, and writers will all be right at home as we open up creativity, connection, and innovation through music and video."

Facebook vs YouTube

Many industry insiders believe that Facebook's brand new venture with Universal Music Group may present a challenge for one of its biggest competitors. Universal Music Group also has signed an agreement with YouTube. Starting next year, the recording industry will start synching its content with some of YouTube's elite services. One service that music industry fans may need to take a closer look at is if they find Lady Gaga's "The Cure," Kendrick Lamar's "Humble," or OneRepublic's "Apologize" on YouTube Red, the social media network's premium service.

While Facebook remain mum if they are targeting YouTube with this deal, several Universal Music Group leaders are concentrating on making sure that professional artists continue to make a living as details of this partnership are rolled out.

"This partnership is an important first step demonstrating that innovation and fair compensation for music creators are mutually reinforcing----they thrive together." Said Michael Nash, Universal Music Group's executive vice president of digital strategy.

Facebook's Major Moments

The social networking company's deal with Universal Music Group continues to prove why Facebook is having an incredible 2017.

Facebook signed a significant deal with the WWE to air and introduce a new 12 episode web series Mixed Match Challenge. Mixed Match Challenge will feature fan-favorite wrestlers from WWE Raw and SmackDown Live. The series will start airing in January.

Another critical moment for the social media network happened when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg confronted President Trump on social media. Zuckerberg defended his organization to the President and stated that Facebook helped the country engage in dialogue during the 2016 Presidential Campaign.

A few weeks ago, Apple revealed that several of Facebook's products made it to the Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps of 2017. Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook all made the Top 6 of the 2017 Top Apps Charts.
Cardi B continues to make history, the "Bodak Yellow" rapper, left Jimmy Fallon speechless after her interview with the host on Wednesday night.

Fallon began by congratulating the rapper and all of her success in 2017. Starting with her hit track "Bodak Yellow," which topped the Billboard Charts and is the first single to hit number one from a female rapper since 1998 and went platinum three times.

Cardi B thanked him by making silly sound effects such as, Okurrrr!
Will Smith has been known for taking risks. The actor has starred in numerous sci-fi films, such the Men in Black trilogy, I, Robot, Independence Day, and I Am Legend.

After the humongous failure of his film, After Earth, which also featured his son, Jaden Smith, the actor was left disheartened and took a hiatus from acting for about a year and a half.

Smith returned to the screen and starred in the successful films, Suicide Squad, Concussion, and Collateral Beauty.

Smith has now stepped back into the sci-fi realm with his latest project, BRIGHT. It is set to be released on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, on the popular streaming service, Netflix. Reviews for the movie have already come in and the reception has been less than favorable.

Did Will Smith Fail Again?

BRIGHT is set in an alternate reality where magical creatures such as Orcs, Fairies, and Elves have existed for centuries. Smith portrays LAPD cop, Daryl Ward, who is partnered with an Orc named Nick Jakoby portrayed by Joel Edgerton.

Ward and Jakoby discover a magic wand that was ought to be destroyed and also encounter a threat that could alter their worlds forever.

From the previews and trailers, the movie looked to be another successful hit for Netflix, however, recent reviews from major publications have stated otherwise.

Some of the publications who have already reviewed the film include Rolling Stone, Forbes, and The Wrap.

"You'll get lots of violence and colorful threats and confusing shoot-outs, but you're not going to get much meaning," wrote Rolling Stone.

Forbes wrote that the movie was "visually grotesque" and "dreadfully dull." The Wrap, on the other hand, stated that the film was "astoundingly bad" and Smith seemed lost as the character Daryl.

Even though most of the reviews of the movie have been painfully negative that could mean it's not worth watching, Netflix already ordered a sequel to be released sometime in 2018.

The film was directed by Suicide Squad director David Ayer and Netflix's most expensive film to date.

BRIGHT also stars Jay Hernandez, Lucy Fry, David Ayer, Edgar Ramirez, Will Smith, Noomi Rapace, and Enrique Murciano.

Will you be watching the movie this holiday weekend?
YouTube star Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, a.k.a. "El Pirata de Culiacan," was shot and killed inside a bar in Jalisco, Mexico on Monday, Dec. 18.

The death of the 17-year-old comes several weeks after he insulted the notorious Mexican drug lord Ruben Oseguera Cervantes also known as "El Mencho." Authorities are now investigating a link between Rosales' death and the video.

Who Is 'El Pirata De Culiacan?'

Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, Rosales dropped out of school at the age of 15 and moved to the neighboring city of Culiacan where he washed cars for a living. It was this city that gave him the nickname "El Pirata de Culiacan," which translates to "The Pirate of Culiacan."

Rosales shot to fame after posting YouTube videos of his partying lifestyle and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. The minimum age required for consuming alcohol in Mexico is 18. However, he would upload videos of himself chugging bottles of beer and whiskey sometimes, until he blacked out.

The videos quickly went viral on social media and it wasn't long before the binge-drinking teenager became a YouTube sensation. Rosales had a huge fan following, with over 1 million followers on Facebook and about 325,000 on Instagram.

His growing popularity also earned him music video gigs as well as events to promote various alcohol products and men's clothing brands.

How Did He Insult 'El Mencho?'

In a recent video he shared on social media, an inebriated Rosales recorded himself insulting the notorious "El Mencho," which U.S. government officials have dubbed as one of Mexico's most dangerous drug lords. He is also the head of the country's fastest-growing and deadliest drug cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

"El Mencho a mi me pela la verga," Rosales said in the video, which roughly translates to "suck my c***" in English.

What Happened At The Bar?

Rosales was gunned down inside a bar in Jalisco on Monday while he was partying with his friends. According to witnesses, Rosales was the main target of the shootout, which took place at a bar called Mentados Cantaros.

Reports claim a group of armed individuals entered the bar, walked directly over to Rosales' table, and shot him dead. Authorities identified the teenager, who was shot 15 to 18 times, with the help of his tattoos.

"He opted to make a career as a broken toy of cyberspace, a path he carved out drink by drink and that left him with enemies of flesh and blood," said Univision reporter Fernando Mexia.
22 December 2017

With effect from 6 January 2018, the EPO will be extending its PPH pilot programmes with four partners around the globe, namely Canada, Israel, Mexico and Singapore, thus enabling innovators from Europe and these countries to continue obtaining patents more quickly and efficiently.

All four PPH pilot programmes are being extended for three years until 5 January 2021, and the current conditions and requirements for participation will continue to apply.

The trials with Canada, Mexico and Singapore stem from bilateral agreements which EPO President Benoit Battistelli signed with the respective heads of patent offices at the side lines of the 2014 World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly in Geneva. The PPH with Israel resulted from an agreement signed with the Israel Patent Office in December 2015.

The EPO's PPH portfolio

In addition to these four extended programmes, the EPO has operational PPH pilot programmes with the IP5 offices (the grouping of the world's five largest IP offices, made up of the EPO and the patent offices of China, Japan, Korea, and the US), as well as with the national patent offices of Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia and the Eurasian Patent Office.

Further information
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Jeremy Sanquan WRIGHT, Defendant-Appellant. No. 17-4281 Decided: December 20, 2017

Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, and WILKINSON and DUNCAN, Circuit Judges. Emily Deck Harrill, Assistant Federal Public Defender, FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellant. Beth Drake, United States Attorney, Jimmie Ewing, Robert F. Daley, Jr., Assistant United States Attorneys, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellee.

Jeremy Sanquan Wright was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm under 18 U.S.C.  922(g) (2012). In light of his prior convictions, the district court sentenced Wright to life imprisonment under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C.  924(e)(1) (2012). We affirmed. United States v. Wright, 594 F.3d 259 (4th Cir. 2010).

In 2016, Wright filed a 28 U.S.C.  2255 (2012) motion challenging his designation as an armed career criminal in light of Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015) and Mathis v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 2243 (20162). The Government conceded that Wright no longer qualified for the enhanced sentence, and the district court resentenced Wright to 120 months' imprisonment, the statutory maximum, to run consecutively to Wright's state sentence of life without parole. Wright appeals, arguing that his sentence is procedurally and substantively unreasonable.

This court reviews a sentence, whether inside, just outside, or significantly outside the Guidelines range[,] under a deferential abuse-of-discretion standard. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 41 (2007). This review requires consideration of both the procedural and substantive reasonableness of the sentence. Id. at 51. In determining procedural reasonableness, this court considers whether the district court properly calculated the defendant's advisory Guidelines range, gave the parties an opportunity to argue for an appropriate sentence, considered the 18 U.S.C.  3553(a) (2012) sentencing factors, selected a sentence based on clearly erroneous facts, or failed to explain sufficiently the selected sentence. Id. at 49-51. Only after determining that the sentence is procedurally reasonable does this court consider its substantive reasonableness, tak[ing] into account the totality of the circumstances. Id. at 51.

Wright concedes that the district court properly calculated his advisory Guidelines range and gave him an opportunity to argue for an appropriate sentence. However, Wright argues, first, that his sentence is procedurally unreasonable because the district court included in its written statement of reasons those that he did not mention at the sentencing hearing. Second, Wright asserts that his sentence is procedurally unreasonable because the district court failed to articulate a valid reason for imposing a consecutive, rather than concurrent, sentence to his state term of imprisonment. Wright also claims that his sentence exceeds the statutory maximum by running consecutively to his state sentence.

Although Wright's advisory Guidelines range would have been life imprisonment, the statutory maximum for his offense is 120 months. Before pronouncing Wright's sentence, the district court reviewed Wright's extensive criminal history as well as the relevant  3553(a) factors; namely, the court addressed the seriousness of Wright's offense, his lack of respect for the law, and the need for deterrence and protection of the public. The court also addressed at some length its decision to impose Wright's sentence as consecutive, rather than concurrent, to his state life sentence.

Wright claims that the district court committed procedural error in providing additional reasons in the written statement of reasons to those articulated in open court. However, we find that these were not additional factors relied upon by the district court, but rather were part of the nature and circumstances of the offense within the meaning of 18 U.S.C.  3553(a)(1) that the district court discussed at sentencing.

Wright's claim that the district court failed to adequately explain its reason for imposition of a consecutive sentence is belied by the transcript of the sentencing hearing. Finally, Wright offers no support for his contention that a 120-month sentence imposed to run consecutively to his state sentence exceeds the 120-month statutory maximum. See, e.g. 18 U.S.C.  3584(a) (2012) ([I]f a term of imprisonment is imposed on a defendant who is subject to an undischarged term of imprisonment, the terms may run concurrently or consecutively. Accordingly, we find that Wright's sentence is procedurally reasonable.

If this court concludes that a sentence is free of significant procedural error, this court then considers the substantive reasonableness of the sentence. United States v. Lynn, 592 F.3d 572, 575 (4th Cir. 2010). Any sentence within or below a properly calculated Guidelines range is presumptively substantively reasonable. United States v. Louthian, 756 F.3d 295, 306 (4th Cir. 2014). Such a presumption can only be rebutted by a showing that the sentence is unreasonable when measured against the  3553(a) factors. Id.

Wright argues that the district court committed substantive error in failing to explain its rejection of a concurrent sentence, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual (USSG)  5G1.3(b) (2016), and for placing too much emphasis on Wright's juvenile record. However, as noted above, the district court went to great lengths to explain its reasoning for imposing a consecutive sentence and Wright's juvenile criminal history was only part of his extensive criminal record mentioned by the district court. Therefore, we find that Wright cannot overcome the presumption of reasonableness accorded his within-Guidelines sentence.

Accordingly, we affirm Wright's sentence. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

PER CURIAM:

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
The EU and Mexico failed to agree on a revamp of their mutual trade deal despite three-day talks in Brussels. Both sides were not able to get over the contentious outstanding issues such investment protection and geographical indications for some agricultural products. The modernization of the deal started last year and has advanced significantly with many of the chapters progressing nicely. Energy is one of those areas and Mexican economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo, the head of negotiations on the Mexican side, confirmed that energy is not one of the remaining issues.

European leaders had been generally more positive about the prospects for a deal with Mexico than with the South American bloc Mercosur but the talks got stuck in December. Despite the lack of success, European Commission hopes to announce a political deal with Mexico by the end of this year. The issues that required some additional work included market access in agriculture, geographical indications on cheeses and the EUs investment court system. EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom commented on the current state of negotiations that we are confident we can solve all the remaining political issues. But we need a little bit more time.

Mexico was the first Latin American country to sign an Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement with the EU. In 2016, the bloc was Mexicos second biggest export market after the US and the EUs key imports from Mexico are fuels and mining products as well as transport machinery and telecommunication equipment. The EU was also an important source for Mexican imports and in 2016, the third biggest after the US and China.

Trade relations are currently governed by the 2000 Free Trade Agreement, which has helped liberalize trade in all industrial goods and improved market access conditions for Mexican and European exporters. The deal has also helped Mexico boost its exports and competitiveness thanks to the diversification in the trade of goods but also in the liberalization of trade in services.
Hello,

Does anyone know a Roman Catholic Church that offers Christmas mass in English? We're near Heliopolis but willing to travel.

Thanks!!
Whats the real deal on the new policy with border entry by land/sea (not air)?

I was told we now can only get a 15 days stamp per entry TWICE a year and no more.

And unlimited 30 days stay stamp by air.

But Ive heard that people still crossing by land are getting 30 days stay stamp!

So what is true or is the whole thing a hoax to get people to purchase visas at their embassies?

Anyone crossed lately and gotten 30 days stay stamp?
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Frances A. Hall is incarcerated in a state prison for the murder of her trucking magnate husband, killed in a jealous rage in 2013.

The consequences of Bill Hall Jr.s death reverberate more than four years later.

Now, Bexar County Probate Judge Tom Rickhoff must decide whether Frances, 54, is entitled to receive her late husbands half of their community property or if it should be split between their two children, Justin, 30, and Dominique, 34.

Lawyers for Justin were in Rickhoffs court Thursday asking for a ruling declaring Justin and Dominique the beneficiaries of a constructive trust, which would give each of them a half interest in their late fathers portion of the community estate.

Mark Braswell, a lawyer for Justin, said a person who causes someones death should not then benefit financially from their criminal act.

I dont think that she should benefit from her willful or wrongful act, Braswell told Rickhoff. The judge said he would decide the issue by the end of the day Friday.

Frances opposes Justins request, and she has her daughters support even though Dominique stands to benefit if Rickhoff grants the request.

Attorney Keith Miller, who represents Frances, said his client was not convicted of intentionally murdering her husband, a necessary requirement for imposing a constructive trust.

Frances Hall was acting under the influence of sudden passion without the mental ability for cool reflection about what she was doing, Miller said in court.

Bill Hall Jr. died on Oct. 10, 2013, after Frances knocked the motorcycle he was riding off South Loop 1604 with her Cadillac Escalade. Prosecutors said she wanted to kill her husbands longtime lover Bonnie Contreras  who was driving an SUV on the same stretch of highway that day  for ruining their marriage, but ended up killing her husband instead. Bill Hall Jr. was 50.

A Bexar County District Court jury in September 2016 handed the lightest possible sentence to Frances Hall, agreeing with her lawyers that she acted out of sudden passion that fateful day. She is serving a two-year sentence at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, about 40 miles west of Waco. Her projected release date is Sept. 7.

Justin initially agreed with his sister Dominique that their fathers death was accidental and that their mother should be entitled to all of the benefits of Bills half of the community estate.

Braswell said at the time Justin made that declaration he was not receiving the advice of independent legal counsel. Braswell said Justin was represented by attorney Edward Lavin, who also was representing Frances, Dominique and the estate. Lavin had a conflict of interest that Justin was never asked to waive, Braswell said.

Frances Hall and Justin Hall are each suing Lavin for legal malpractice.

More than three years ago, Rickhoff awarded proceeds from multiple life insurance policies on Bills life to Frances after Justin relinquished any rights to the money.

Before the attorneys even presented any arguments, Rickhoff entered the courtroom and told them, I wouldnt have given her the money in the first place if the kids hadnt signed off on it.

This whole family is in a row boat, Rickhoff later said. Ones rowing to the left. Ones rowing forward. Ones rowing backward, and thats where this family is going. They should all be rowing in the same direction for a while.

Bill and Frances community estate was valued at $15.5 million in a 2014 court filing in the probate case. The bulk of the estate was the trucking businesses, worth a combined $13.2 million. At one time, the businesses had a fleet of more than 100 trucks.

Bills share, which was more than $7.5 million, has dissipated by about $6 million, Braswell said after the hearing, citing a valuation presented to the court earlier this year.

Justin has accused his sister, the estates independent administrator, of running the businesses into the ground and improperly transferring trucks, trailers and equipment belonging to Bill Hall Jr. Trucking to her own trucking businesses and another operated by her boyfriend. Two of Bill Hall Jr.s trucking companies filed for bankruptcy, one in November and the other in January.

I just want whats rightfully mine, Justin said after the hearing, adding he isnt seeking a portion of his mothers house.

In March, Rickhoff had the Halls enter into a family settlement agreement for the preservation of the estate, which Braswell said prevents the transfer of any assets belonging to the estate. The judge also appointed a forensic accountant to track estate assets, but she has not yet reported her findings.

In bankruptcy court in San Antonio this month, the U.S. Trustee, part of the Justice Department, filed papers seeking to toss the bankruptcy of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking GP LLC because the company has been in Chapter 11 since Jan. 25 and has yet to file a reorganization plan. The company, which had a previous bankruptcy case dismissed, also failed to file a monthly operating report that was due Nov. 20. The company hasnt responded to the U.S. Trustees motion.

Bill Hall Jr. Trucking Ltd. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in November 2016. The case was converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation in March. Nothing has been filed in the case since August.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | pdanner@express-news.net | @AlamoPD
Jerry Lara /Staff file photo

Q: I live in a mobile home park and have been thinking about how we might get more people to avail themselves to low-cost spaying and neutering services. For some people who work, it might help if the pet owner could leave their dog or cat at the clinic the day before. We also need more notices of where the spay-neuter van will be so that we can get more pets neutered.

As for myself, I offer to pay to neuter peoples pets. I coordinate payment with a nearby veterinary office, so all they have to do is take their pet to the clinic and get the surgery done. Even so, more than one person has not taken me up on this offer. That is why I would also suggest the city give a $25 gift certificate from H-E-B or Walmart to the person once their pet is sterilized.
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A 6-year-old boy was fatally shot when Bexar County sheriffs deputies opened fire on a woman at a Schertz mobile home park after a lengthy manhunt Thursday.

The woman  a wanted felon and a suspect in a car theft  also was killed by the gunfire at the Pecan Grove Manufactured Home Community, located off FM 78 on the banks of Cibolo Creek.

She had been trying to break into a mobile home while the child was inside when deputies caught up to her on the front porch.

The woman, whose name has not been released, had no apparent connection to the child or the family inside that mobile home in the 100 block of Peach Lane, Sheriff Javier Salazar said.

It was not known what prompted four uniformed deputies to shoot during their final confrontation with the woman, Salazar said. At least one round penetrated the wall of the mobile home and struck the boy in the torso, the sheriff reported.

That child, whose name also was not released, later was pronounced dead at University Hospital.

The child, a student at Wiederstein Elementary School in Cibolo, was inside the home with two family members, who were not injured.

Investigators did not find a gun in the slain womans possession after she was killed, but she had pointed a firearm at a deputy who found her hiding in a closet at a home earlier in the day, Salazar said. While running away, the woman also pointed a gun at least once directly at a deputy who was chasing her, the sheriff noted.

Investigators were continuing to search for that gun.

The shootings followed a nearly two-hour manhunt that unfolded for some distance on the Bexar County-Guadalupe County line, at one point crossing the chin-deep waters of Cibolo Creek, which the woman swam across while trying to get away from deputies. That prompted one K9 officer to discard his body armor and swim after her while carrying his dog, Salazar said.

The incident began at 10:48 a.m. when a man reported a woman had stolen his car. The caller said he knew who the woman was and where they could find her. Deputies were informed she was armed, Salazar said.

Deputies eventually found her hiding in a closet at a house in the 11200 block of FM 1518, at which point she showed a gun and threatened to shoot a deputy, Salazar said.

The woman then bolted from the home and ran away, going down a ravine and crossing a creek before disappearing into a wooded area. The Sheriffs Office called other police agencies for backup.

During a 90-minute search of the wooded area, tracking dogs picked up and lost the womans scent several times.

The woman eventually ran to the mobile home park, where two residents who crossed her path reported that she physically threatened them, Salazar said. The pilot of a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter circling overhead also reported the woman reached for her waistband several times, indicating she may be armed, the sheriff said.

The pilot watched as the woman tried breaking into several mobile homes in the area. She then made her way to the childs home, where deputies closed in on her.

Salazar said he did not know specifically what prompted the four deputies to open fire.

I havent personally interviewed the deputies  I dont know what they saw, he said.

Salazar said Sheriffs Office policy allows deputies to use deadly force against a person presenting a threat to them or to another person. He would not address whether that policy changes if a family home is in the line of fire.

The four deputies who fired their handguns and at least one rifle have a range of experience with the Bexar County Sheriffs Office, from two years to 27 years, he said.

Though deputies werent injured, the sheriff said they were pretty shaken up after the shooting and he hugged each of them.

On Thursday, some residents stood outside their trailers and watched deputies work the crime scene.

Rhonda Campbell, 58, was in her bed watching TV when she heard a loud boom. The woman eluding police had forced open her front door, breaking the door hinge into splinters.

Anthony Fritcher, 33, was closing the back door when the front door was flung open and the wanted woman walked in, demanding the keys to a Kia Soul parked in the driveway.

Fritcher, along with Campbell and her husband, all charged toward the woman, who then ran off the porch and curved around the yard and out of sight.

Valerie Mills, 58, another resident of the mobile home park, walked outside her home on Oak Bloom after hearing helicopters in the area. At that point, a woman approached her.

She ran towards me, asking for help, waving her arms at me, Mills said.

She was about 20 feet away from me. I just turned around and walked off.

Students at the childs school had been released early Thursday, at noon, for Christmas break.

Peggy O'Hare is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | pohare@express-news.net | @Peggy_OHare
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AUSTIN  Its just another day on Cecilia Abbotts Meals on Wheels route, her state security detail close at hand as she delivers lunch and conversation to Texans who she says give her as much as she brings them.

Thats the one thing I said I cant give up, Abbott said, recounting her decision to keep her volunteer commitment despite the changes that came with the election of her husband, Greg Abbott, as governor.

It sounds sort of cliche, but its really true  I think I get so much more out of it than maybe they do. But they are really appreciative of just that one little visit. I might be the only human being they talk to all day long, said Abbott, who has highlighted the importance of volunteering as Texas first lady.

One change in her routine is the security detail, which drives her from the Governors Mansion to pick up meals at the Wheels on Meals Central Texas distribution center and then to the five homes on her list this day.

A member of the detail follows her as she walks up to each door, standing at a respectful distance. When her husband was attorney general, she didnt have security on her deliveries, although occasionally theyd follow by car, she said.

What hasnt changed is her concern for her clients over almost a decade of volunteering for Meals on Wheels, an effort that started when she worked for Harden Healthcare as director of community relations. She regularly delivers meals every other week, but may be called to do more if needed.

Texas Meals on Wheels organizations, using primarily volunteers, deliver meals to about 100,000 frail Texans every day. The average age of clients is 77, and more than half live alone. Besides delivering meals, groups can provide additional services, such as help with pets and with grocery shopping.

Abbotts work for the organization was praised by Adam I. Hauser, president and chief executive officer of Meals on Wheels Central Texas.

Ms. Abbott  a true champion of volunteerism for whom Meals on Wheels Central Texas is so grateful  takes an hour out of her incredibly busy schedule on Fridays to deliver nutritious meals and spend a bit of quality time with some of the homebound older adults we serve. These visits are done quietly, without any fanfare; and they mean the world to the frail folks on her delivery route, Hauser said.

Abbott and other volunteers worry if an elderly clients name drops from their list, and they check to see if someone is in the hospital or has passed away. She keeps an eye out for changes in the clients attitude, routine or surroundings, ready to provide help or contact a case manager if further assistance is needed.

The clients worry about their volunteers in return, Abbott said. They wonder if everythings OK if she has a scheduling conflict and another volunteer takes her spot for a day.

They look forward to your visit. If I have a commitment, its really hard on them when I dont show up, even though somebody else is going to show up, she said. Its funny how they worry, I think, more about me. Its kind of a mutual thing.

Some Meals on Wheels clients are up to more interaction than others, but at each house, she offers an engaging presence along with a nutritious meal.

On this day, its a Christmas menu of roast beef with gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, a roll and Rocky Road pudding. And at Mervin Klugs home, its also an exchange of Christmas gifts and a conversation about his family and the loss of his wife.

Klug, 93, meets Abbott at the door with a pretty glass jar candle for her. She has a present for him, too  a Governors Mansion Christmas ornament featuring the Abbotts dogs, Pancake and the late Oreo, along with a Christmas card. She brought them for all her clients.

Because Klugs daughter and her two dogs recently moved in with him, Abbott also brought some dog bagels that were part of a batch given to Pancake.

Pancake needs to learn how to share, she said.

Inside, she notices his new glasses, pronouncing his look very intelligent when he quips that he looks like a goofer. His wife died two years ago, and he said he particularly appreciated Meals on Wheels when she was ill and again when he lost her.

It wasnt so much the cooking stuff that bothered me. It was the fact of, what kind of a menu can I put together? Klug said. I wasnt getting very good nutrition.

He calls it a privilege to have a Meals on Wheels volunteer who is the governors wife, adding that the other volunteers are nice people, too.

Its like being family now, you know, its been going on so long, he says.

As Abbott heads to her next stop, she thanks him again for thinking of her with the gift. When he says she probably has a bunch of them, she is quick to assure him, This will be special for us.

Another treat awaits her when she visits Helen Paust, 92: an enthusiastic greeting from Pausts little dog, Tia. Abbott scoops up the dog, praising the canines friendliness as she talks with Paust.

Thats kind of the way our Pancake is. She even greets protesters like, Hey! Hi! Abbott says.

Past clients are special too, including one who was eager to taste the mashed potatoes at the Governors Mansion because, he told Abbott, he had heard they were the best ever.

I said, Well, you need to come by then, but he was just not able to get out of the house, she said. But Patrick, one of our chefs, made the mashed potatoes for him, so we brought them. He said those were really the best potatoes ever.

Abbott, who grew up in San Antonio, said her parents set an example of helping others.

Her chores at home were centered on providing transportation to those who needed it, she said, whether it was someone who needed a ride to the doctor or her grandmother going to play bingo.

My dad, I remember wed be running late to a meeting we all had to be at. It was an important meeting. Maybe my dad was even speaking. But somebody right here  they had a flat tire. My dad was never going to pass that person up. He has never passed up anybody who needed help, Abbott said.

My mom is the same way. Thats the way San Antonio is, anyway, Abbott said.

Her parents, who still live in the same home in which she grew up, always have people checking on them, whether neighbors or family, she said. But shed like to see them consider becoming Meals on Wheels clients as well.

I would really, really love to see my parents at least consider it, Abbott said, adding that a neighbor of theirs gets the service now. Shes very, very, very picky  and she LOVES her Meals on Wheels.

Peggy Fikac is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | pfikac@express-news.net | @pfikac
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Razak A. DOSUNMU, a/k/a Zak Dosunmu, Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-4798 Decided: December 20, 2017

Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, and TRAXLER and THACKER, Circuit Judges. Geremy C. Kamens, Federal Public Defender, Patrick L. Bryant, Appellate Attorney, Kevin R. Brehm, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellant. Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney, Jack Hanly, Assistant United States Attorney, Edward P. Sullivan, Special Assistant United States Attorney, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellee.

Razak Dosunmu was charged with two counts of bribery of a public official, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  201(b)(1) (2012). Dosunmu moved to suppress the inculpatory statements he made to law enforcement, arguing that they were obtained in violation of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1986). The district court denied the motion. Dosunmu proceeded to a jury trial, where he was convicted of two counts of the lesser included offense of offering illegal gratuities to a public official, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  201(c) (2012). Now, Dosunmu appeals his conviction and 15-month sentence, challenging the district court's denial of his suppression motion. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

On appeal, the parties primarily dispute whether Dosunmu's waiver of his Miranda rights was knowing and intelligent in light of the advisements he received from the interviewing agents regarding his right to appointed counsel before and during questioning. Ultimately, we conclude that we need not resolve this dispute, as any such constitutional error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

Admission of a defendant's statement obtained in violation of Miranda does not mandate reversal of the defendant's conviction if the admission of the statement at issue was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, such that it is clear that a rational fact finder would have found the defendant guilty absent the error. United States v. Giddins, 858 F.3d 870, 885 (4th Cir. 2017) (internal quotation marks omitted). In the Miranda context, factors relevant to harmlessness include: (1) the importance of the statement to the government's case; (2) the impact on credibility of other evidence; and (3) the admission of prejudicial evidence based solely on the admission of the statement. Id. at 886 (citing Arizona v. Fulminante, 499 U.S. 279, 297-300 (1991)). We review the record de novo to determine whether the Government has met its burden to establish that the admission of Dosunmu's statements did not contribute to his conviction. See Fulminante, 499 U.S. at 295-96.

We conclude that the Government satisfied its burden here. As the Government observes, the trial provided overwhelming and largely undisputed evidence that Dosunmu offered illegal gratuities to a government official. Dosunmu's own recorded statements to the official clearly established his intention to provide the official with money in appreciation for his assistance in securing a government fuel contract. Dosunmu made unequivocal offers of payment and repeatedly referenced the financial assistance he would provide the official for his efforts. In a recorded, in-person meeting with the official, Dosunmu explicitly described these payments as a gratuity or treat, and he suggested methods for concealing the payments. He eventually made a nominal payment to the official, which he explained was intended as a token of his sincerity in offering larger future sums. While Dosunmu also admitted to offering the official money as a gratuity during his interview with law enforcement, that admission was essentially duplicative of other uncontroverted evidence introduced at trial.

Dosunmu observes that the Government relied on his interview with law enforcement during its closing argument. Although we recently recognized that reliance on evidence in closing argument may indicate the weight that evidence carries in relation to the trial as a whole, we declined to adopt a bright-line rule that evidence addressed by the Government in closing necessarily contributed to the defendant's conviction. See Giddins, 858 F.3d at 885. Here, the Government relied on Dosunmu's statement to law enforcement primarily to support its argument that the evidence established Dosunmu's corrupt intentthe mental state distinguishing the charged bribery offenses from the lesser-included illegal gratuity offenses of which he was convicted. See United States v. Jennings, 160 F.3d 1006, 1013 (4th Cir. 1998) (distinguishing illegal gratuity from bribery). The jury agreed with Dosunmu in acquitting him of the bribery charges.

Dosunmu also argues that the introduction of his statement altered his trial strategy, as he would not have conceded the illegal gratuity offenses and instead would have argued more forcefully that he was entrapped by the government official or was merely joking or playing along with the official's solicitation of bribes. This argument, too, ignores the nature and import of Dosunmu's own recorded statements to the official. Dosunmu did not offer an entrapment defense with respect to the illegal gratuity offenses, and we conclude such a defense would find little support in the evidence, even if his statement to law enforcement were excluded. See United States v. Ramos, 462 F.3d 329, 335 (4th Cir. 2006) (discussing entrapment); United States v. Squillacote, 221 F.3d 542, 569 (4th Cir. 2000) (same). In short, our review of the record as a whole convinces us beyond a reasonable doubt that the error did not influence the jury's verdict. See Williams v. Zahradnick, 632 F.2d 353, 360 (4th Cir. 1980).

Accordingly, we affirm the district court's judgment. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

PER CURIAM:

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
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HOUSTON  A woman who had recently miscarried has been accused of killing an acquaintance so she could abduct the womans newborn and claim the baby as her own, according to Houston police, who arrested her Thursday.

Erika Jisela Miranda-Alvarez has been charged with capital murder in the stabbing death of Carolina Flores, who police found dead in a Greenspoint apartment on Tuesday afternoon. Flores baby, 6-week-old Shamali, was missing at that time.

Miranda-Alvarez was arrested about 1 a.m. Thursday at the Woodscape Apartments on South Gessner. Police were in the complex and spotted a suspicious man and woman holding a baby who seemed to be attempting to leave, Acevedo said. Using pictures, they were quickly able to determine the baby was Shamali Flores.

Miranda-Alvarez had been expecting a baby in January but recently had a miscarriage, police said. She didnt tell her family or boyfriend about the miscarriage, then pretended to have been at the hospital giving birth, and had told them Shamali Flores was her own baby.

She was pretending her baby had been ill at the hospital, Acevedo said. Lo and behold, she shows up Dec. 19 claiming the baby was hers.

Police have questioned the boyfriend, but he has not been charged.

The Texas Department of Public Safety discontinued an Amber Alert for Shamali Flores at 6:15 a.m. after learning that Houston police had located her at the apartment complex.

The 6-week-old infant was taken to Texas Childrens Hospital for an examination. Acevedo said she is healthy and shows no signs of abuse.

It was a joyous moment for all of us when we saw that little angel sitting there in that apartment, Acevedo said. When you can find a silver lining in a tragedy as horrible as this, you have to take what you can get.

Acevedo declined to comment on Miranda-Alvarezs mental state, but said she cooperated with police when they approached her.

Police said Miranda-Alvarez was an acquaintance of Carolina Flores family and had gotten to know the victim through Flores brother.

The real work now continues for our investigators, Acevedo said. They need to piece together every single piece of this complex puzzle to not only have a charge, but a conviction.

Acevedo stressed the importance of community policing in finding Shamali. Early interviews with people in the complex turned out to be valuable, he said. Investigators were able to put together a theory about the suspect  that it was a woman who recently had lost her own child  quickly.

Everything our investigators theorized turned out to be true, Acevedo said. But a lot of that relied on community policing, community trust.
ezhejiang.gov.cn

East China's Zhejiang province organizes a tour for overseas students promoting the matchmaking between innovative projects and local companies on Dec 18-22. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

More than 110 students from abroad started a tour around Zhejiang promoting their projects to potential investors on Dec 18.

It is an annual event initiated by Zhejiang's organization department, the Department of Science and Technology and the Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University in Zhejiang, aiming to facilitate the matchmaking between projects and local companies.

The road show on the first day presented over 100 high-tech projects and startup plans in various rising industries including medical care, advanced manufacturing and new materials, which were all highly appreciated by attending companies and incubation platforms.

Chloris Yang, a graduate from Babson College, brought a travel mug able to cool coffee from extremely hot to just right in one minute by applying aerospace materials. A co-founder of Thero LLC Company based in Boston, the United States, Yang participated in the activity for fund raising and product promotion.

"Zhejiang's manufacturing industry enjoys great reputation and I traveled over 20 hours to Hangzhou, hoping to find opportunities for strategic cooperation," she said.

It was introduced that these students, divided into different groups according to their concentrations, would visit a few Zhejiang cities like Ningbo, Taizhou and Jiaxing in the four days for detailed discussions.

The Zhejiang tour for overseas students has been held for nine consecutive years and an accumulated 1,000 high-end teams have been invited. Among them, approximately 300 students choose Zhejiang to further develop and realize their innovative ideas. The investments flowing to the settled projects have surpassed 5 billion yuan ($76.02 million).

People actively participate in one-to-one talks at the matchmaking session of the tour on the first day. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. WILLIE TERION WASHINGTON, Petitioner - Appellant v. LORIE DAVIS, DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS DIVISION, Respondent - Appellee No. 17-70009 Decided: December 20, 2017

Before CLEMENT, OWEN, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges.

Petitioner, Willie Washington, seeks a Certificate of Appealability (COA) on two ineffective assistance of trial counsel (IATC) claims, which the district court concluded were procedurally barred. Washington also argues the district court prevented him from having a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate cause for his procedural default by denying his petition for discovery and a hearing. We are persuaded that his petitions are meritorious.

I.

Washington was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 1986 by a Texas jury. The conviction and sentence were affirmed in 1989 by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) on direct appeal.

Then Washington commenced collateral proceedings. During his now two-decades-long pursuit of habeas relief, Washington has raised numerous claims on habeas petitions before both state and federal courts. But the present motion concerns only two IATC claims. In the first, Washington challenges his trial counsel's failure to raise a timely Batson claim despite evidence of the violation (IATC-Batson). In the second, Washington argues his trial counsel failed to conduct a competent investigation into his background, which would have unearthed important sentence mitigation evidence (IATC-sentence).

Neither of the claims has been adjudicated on the merits. The IATC-Batson claim was rejected by the TCCA as procedurally barred under Texas's abuse of the writ statute. Although Washington's state habeas counsel raised an initial IATC claim regarding trial counsel's failure to investigate mitigating evidence, he significantly altered his IATC-sentence claim when he (with the assistance of new counsel) raised it in his federal habeas petition. Accordingly, the district court declined to review both.

We initially agreed with the court's decision. Washington v. Thaler, 464 F. App'x 233 (5th Cir. 2012). But, after our ruling, the Supreme Court decided Trevino v. Thaler, which established a new basis for overriding a procedural default in Texas criminal proceedings: ineffective assistance of habeas counsel. 133 S. Ct. 1911 (2013). The Supreme Court granted Washington's certiorari petition and remanded for further consideration in light of Trevino. This court then granted a COA and remanded to the district court to review his IATC claims anew.

In his supplemental briefing ordered by the district court, Washington only raised the IATC-Batson and IATC-sentence claims. He sought 90 days of discovery and an opportunity to plead allegations relating to cause for the procedural default on those claims. Such discovery would allow him to acquire information about and plead with more specificity his state habeas counsel's ineffectiveness.

But he also noted evidence of deficiency already in the record. Regarding the adequacy of counsel's representation, Washington argued that [s]tate habeas counsel appears to have conducted no investigation into trial counsel's failure to raise a Batson objection. He noted this failure prevented him from raising an IATC claim that this court found to be potentially meritorious. See Washington, 464 F. App'x at 23940 (noting that there was sufficient evidence at trial to raise a prima facie Batson claim and that [t]he failure to raise a Batson challenge at voir dire may have been ineffective assistance). Regarding the IATC-sentence claim, Washington conceded that his state habeas counsel raised the claim initially. But he contended that this challenge relied exclusively on an affidavit Washington had signed, suggesting his state habeas counsel's challenge was based on insufficient efforts.

Turning to prejudice, Washington noted that federal habeas counsel had been able to unearth information that supported the merits of both IATC claims. The IATC-Batson claim was supported by the discovery of the prosecutor's jury questionnaires from the trial, which appeared to be racially coded. Federal habeas counsel also discovered that the same prosecutor had been found guilty of a Batson violation in another proceeding, wherein he made similar markings. Whitsey v. State, 796 S.W.2d 707 (Tex. Crim. App. 1989). Regarding the IATC-sentence claim, Washington's federal habeas counsel had unearthed a plethora of mitigating information based on a more thorough investigation, suggesting that the deficient investigation impacted the outcome of his IATC-sentence claim. These discoveries suggested that a more extensive investigation by habeas counsel would have led to a different result.

The district court interpreted his petition as seeking an evidentiary hearing and denied relief. The court neither considered the underlying merits of Washington's IATC claims, nor investigated the underlying state record. Instead, it focused on Washington's petition, noting he offered little other than a generalized hope that additional investigation and an evidentiary hearing might lead to something relevant. The court further noted that he offer[ed] no explanation as to how [the newly-discovered] evidence relates to the defaulted claims, or how state habeas counsel was deficient for failing to raise the defaulted claims.

The court then reaffirmed its prior decision that the claims were procedurally barred. Specifically, the court found that Washington had made no showing that [habeas] counsel was ineffective, and thus had not demonstrated cause for the default. The court also denied Washington's petition for a COA. This motion followed.

II.

Washington's motion requests a COA to review the procedural default of the IATC claims, but he primarily seeks to overturn the district court's denial of a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate that his procedural default should be excused. Specifically, he argues that he should have been entitled to some amount of discovery and an evidentiary hearing to establish that his state habeas counsel was ineffective, which, in turn, would establish cause for his procedural default of the IATC claims under Trevino.

A COA may not be issued unless the applicant has made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. 28 U.S.C.  2253(c)(2). But this requirement does not entail a full merits analysis. As the Supreme Court has recently warned, [w]hen a court of appeals sidesteps [the COA] process by first deciding the merits of an appeal, and then justifying its denial of a COA based on its adjudication on the actual merits, it is  deciding an appeal without jurisdiction. Buck v. Davis, 137 S. Ct. 759, 773 (2017) (internal quotations and citation omitted). Instead, [w]hen the district court denies a habeas petition on procedural grounds without reaching the prisoner's underlying constitutional claim, a COA should issue when the prisoner shows  that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the petition states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right and that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court was correct in its procedural ruling. Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). Since this is a death-penalty case, any doubt as to whether a COA should issue  must be resolved in favor of the petitioner. Pippin v. Dretke, 434 F.3d 782, 787 (5th Cir. 2005).

But COAs (and the standard of review governing them) apply only to final orders that dispose of the merits of a habeas corpus proceeding. Harbison v. Bell, 556 U.S. 180, 183 (2009). By contrast, a [habeas] petition challenging an evidentiary ruling may only be entertained as corollary to a constitutional violation. Norman v. Stephens, 817 F.3d 226, 234 (5th Cir. 2016) (internal quotations and citation omitted). We may only consider such petitions after we have granted the underlying COA. The decision to hold an evidentiary hearing is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Segundo v. Davis, 831 F.3d 345, 351 (5th Cir. 2016). The petitioner bears the burden. Young v. Herring, 938 F.2d 543, 559 (5th Cir. 1991).

A. COA regarding the procedurally defaulted IATC claims

Turning first to the merits of the COA, we are mindful of Buck's warning against a probing review of the merits. Such hesitancy seems particularly prudent in the present circumstances, where neither Washington's IATC nor his ineffective habeas counsel claims have been evaluated on the merits by either state habeas courts or the district court. We are also required to provide Washington the benefit of any doubt regarding his COA. In light of that deferential review, we are inclined to grant it.

Federal habeas petitioners cannot overcome a state procedural default unless they show cause for the default and actual prejudice from the underlying violation. Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 74950 (1991). In Trevino, the Supreme Court ruled that, in Texas, ineffective assistance of the initial habeas counsel can qualify as cause. 133 S. Ct. at 1921. Such a claim of ineffective assistance entails a two-part showing: (1) that counsel made errors so serious that [he or she] was not functioning as the counsel guaranteed  by the Sixth Amendment, and (2) there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 694 (1984).

Here, the defaulted claims are both IATC claims, and, as this court has explained, in the COA context, we have held that to succeed in establishing cause, the petitioner must show (1) that his claim of [IATC] is substantiali.e., has some meritand (2) that habeas counsel was ineffective in failing to present those claims in his first state habeas proceeding. Segundo, 831 F.3d at 350 (internal quotations and citations omitted). In other words, the prisoner seeking to override his procedural default must demonstrate that his habeas counsel's errors and his trial counsel's errors were both serious, Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694, and had a substantial likelihood of producing a different result, Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86, 112 (2011).

Although the district court found that Washington had failed to demonstrate his habeas counsel was ineffective, it did not discuss the basis in the record for this conclusion. Moreover, the district court did not discuss the underlying merit of Washington's IATC claims. But we see at least a debatable merit in these claims.

Regarding the IATC-Batson claim, we have already admitted there might be a plausible IATC-Batson claim (or, at the very least, that Washington had a prima facie case for one) when we last considered the argument on appeal. Washington, 464 F. App'x at 240. Moreover, as noted supra, the presence of race-identifying marks on the prosecutor's jury questionnaires is evidence of a Batson violationas both the Supreme Court, Foster v. Chatman, 136 S. Ct. 1737 (2016), and the TCCA, Whitsey, 796 S.W.2d 707, have found. There is admittedly little evidence that trial counsel's failure to raise a timely Batson challenge was a dereliction of duty, aside from the fact that most of the prosecution's peremptory strikes (six of ten) were used on minorities and the final jury was all white. But this only weakens the IATC-Batson claim on the merits; it does not render it so futile as to be beyond reasonable debate. See Buck, 137 S. Ct. at 773.

Regarding the IATC-sentence claim, Washington notes, with cites to the state record, that trial counsel's only investigation with respect to sentencing was a brief discussion with Washington's parents. This fact is not controverted by the State. Because of this insufficient investigation, substantial mitigating evidence regarding his rough upbringing and schooling, his devotion as a father, etc., was never brought to light. Thus, it is at least debatable that trial counsel failed to undertake a reasonable investigation or ignore[d] pertinent avenues of investigation. Escamilla v. Stephens, 749 F.3d 380, 390 (5th Cir. 2014). And, with the benefit of federal habeas counsel's more probing investigation, Washington has provided details about his upbringing and character that might have had an impact on his sentence.

Turning to his state habeas counsel claim, there is again a basis in the record to find the representation was debatably ineffective. The mere fact that state habeas counsel failed to raise two potentially meritorious IATC claims evidences both his ineffectiveness and the prejudice that resulted. Moreover, as noted by Washington in his brief, although habeas counsel did challenge the IATC-sentencing claim, his own research into mitigating evidence involved perhaps less investigation than trial counsel's: he merely interviewed Washington himself. This fact is also not controverted by the State.

The State argueswith persuasive forcethat the foregoing claims are unlikely to succeed on the merits. But, in so doing, it proves that Washington's claims are debatable and thus warrant a COA.

B. Evidentiary Hearing and Discovery

Having decided that the underlying COA is meritorious, we now turn to the remaining evidentiary issues. The district court found that Washington's request for an evidentiary hearing regarding his initial habeas representation was little more than a fishing expedition and denied the petition. This was an abuse of discretion.

As a guiding principle when reviewing evidentiary petitions, this court has held that where specific allegations before the court show reason to believe that the petitioner may, if the facts are fully developed, be able to demonstrate he is  entitled to relief, it is the duty of the courts to provide the necessary facilities and procedures for an adequate inquiry. Murphy v. Johnson, 205 F.3d 809, 81314 (5th Cir. 2000) (internal quotations and citation omitted). When a habeas petitioner seeks further discovery in particular, he must establish good cause to do so. Id. at 814. Although we have never fully defined the boundaries of this term's application, good cause may be satisfied upon a prima facie showing that the petitioner is entitled to relief. Id. Additionally, we have required that the discovery requests be specific, as opposed to merely speculative or conclusory. Id.

When a petitioner seeks an evidentiary hearing, a federal court must consider whether such a hearing could enable an applicant to prove the petition's factual allegations, which, if true, would entitle the applicant to federal habeas relief. Schriro v. Landrigan, 550 U.S. 465, 474 (2007); see Young, 938 F.2d at 560 n.12 ([A] petitioner need not receive an evidentiary hearing if it would not develop material facts relevant to the constitutionality of his conviction.). But [a] petitioner is not entitled to an evidentiary hearing  if his claims are merely conclusory allegations unsupported by specifics. Young, 938 F.2d at 560 (internal quotations and citation omitted). Finally, if a petitioner squanders prior opportunities to expand the record and conduct discovery, his subsequent petition asserting such need is not persuasive. Id.

Accordingly, the considerations guiding our review of Washington's petitions for an evidentiary hearing and for limited discovery are the same. We conclude those considerations require us to overturn the district court's denial of both petitions. The evidence sought by Washingtonpertaining to his state habeas counsel's effortsis central to his attempt to overcome the procedural default in light of Trevino. And, notably, there has never been a state hearing on this issue, nor did Washington have a reasonable opportunity to discover this information prior to his petition. After all, prior to Trevino, the Supreme Court had held that the ineffectiveness of habeas counsel's representation could not establish cause for a procedural default. Coleman, 501 U.S. at 757.

Moreover, the equitable principles that advise against a hearing and further discovery are not applicable. Washington's request was not open-ended, but was specifically limited to the efforts habeas counsel made when representing Washington's initial collateral appeal. Nor was it, as the district court suggested, based on conclusory allegations unsupported by specifics, lacking any clear relation to Washington's ineffective habeas counsel or IATC claims. To the contrary, it was based on other evidence that, as noted supra, suggested both his habeas and trial counsel were inept. And, as just noted, Washington has never had the opportunity to discover this information.

It is true that this court in Segundo decline[d] to hold that Martinez mandates an opportunity for additional fact-finding in support of cause and prejudice. 831 F.3d at 351. But the mere fact that an evidentiary hearing is not mandated in all cases does not mean it is not required here. Notably, when this court explained its decision not to overturn the district court's denial of an evidentiary hearing in Segundo, it noted that the district court thoroughly reviewed the record of the state-court proceedings, and made specific findings of fact in denying relief. Id. This court also observed that there had been extensive factual development during trial and during the state habeas proceedings, so the district court did not abuse its discretion in determining it had sufficient evidence. Id. The court also noted that the petitioner's IATC claims were patently meritless. Id. at 352.

Here, the district court engaged in no evaluation of the record. Nor did the district court find that there was sufficient evidence in the record to deny Washington's ineffective assistance of habeas counsel claim. Instead, the district court rejected the request solely on the unpersuasive grounds that it was overbroad. Moreover, as noted above, Washington has at least raised debatable IATC and ineffective habeas counsel claims. Accordingly, the court's denial of Washington's evidentiary petition was in error.

III.

In light of the specific circumstances of this case, we GRANT Washington's COA, VACATE the district court's denial of an evidentiary hearing and dismissal of Washington's habeas petition, and REMAND for further discovery and an evidentiary hearing on Washington's ineffective habeas counsel claims.

FOOTNOTES

. Specifically, the questionnaires of black jurors had the letter b written in the margins.

. The State argues that 28 U.S.C.  2254(e) of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act governs our review of the district court's denial of the evidentiary hearing. But this restrictive standard should not apply here. Since ineffective assistance of habeas counsel was not a relevant legal consideration for Washington's petition prior to Trevino, his need for further information can hardly be considered a fail[ure] to develop the factual basis of a claim in State court proceedings under  2254(e). See McDonald v. Johnson, 139 F.3d 1056, 1059 (5th Cir. 1998) ([A] petitioner cannot be said to have failed to develop a factual basis for his claim unless the undeveloped record is a result of his own decision or omission.). Even if the provision did apply here, an evidentiary hearing would be permissible under  2254(e)(2)(A)(i), as relying on a new rule of constitutional law, made retroactive to cases on collateral review by the Supreme Court, that was previously unavailable.

PER CURIAM:*
By Julia Mitric

In California, ranchers already need a veterinarian's prescription for certain antibiotic treatments for livestock.

But a new law taking effect in January will require a prescription for all medically important antibiotics used to treat health problems in cattle, sheep and other livestock.

University of California Agricultural Natural Resources farm advisor Dan Macon works with ranchers on livestock production in the northern Sacramento Valley and the Sierra foothills.

Macon notes the law doesn't require a vet to be on site for each animal that needs treatment. But there will need to be a veterinary-client-patient relationship.

As Macon explains, that means "the vet knows the operation, knows the rancher and has some idea of the types of animals and types of issues the rancher may be dealing with.

"And so, it does require some semi-annual check in with the vet at the ranch," he adds.

Macon points out that food animal veterinarians have become increasingly rare.

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By Shawn Conley

The University of Wisconsin Madison and UW Extension has been inundated with questions related to industrial hemp production since the passing of the 2017 Wisconsin Act 100. The below information was authored by Patrick Robinson, Associate Dean Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Cooperative Extension, University of Wisconsin Extension. Patrick recognizes William (Bill) Barker Associate Dean for Research, The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Wisconsin - Madison as a significant contributor to this article. Patrick also recognizes DATCP and NIFA sources as some language was copied verbatim for legal purposes.

Wisconsin growers will be able to grow and process industrial hemp under 2017 Wisconsin Act 100, a law recently passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. The law directs the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to write an emergency administrative rule that will spell out the details of the program, including requirements for growers. This is a pilot program to study growth, cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp. Participants will be required to obtain a license from DATCP to grow hemp, and to pass a background check before receiving a license. DATCP will complete the emergency rule by March 2, 2018. This rule will remain in effect until July 2020, or until the permanent administrative rule is completed  whichever comes earlier. As of today, the rules and pilot program have not been developed. More can be found here: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/IndustrialHemp.aspx.

USDA NIFA is authorized to support industrial hemp research where such activity complies with state law. Further, the researcher must either 1) be an institution of higher education or state department of agriculture, 2) or grow the industrial hemp under the auspices of a state agricultural pilot program. More can be found here: https://nifa.usda.gov/industrial-hemp.

Section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill did not alter the approval process for new drug applications or any other authorities of the FDA, nor does it alter the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act that apply to the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of drug products containing controlled substances. Whether hemp may be grown for food and pharmaceutical products remains a question for the FDA and/or the DEA.

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New projections show climate change could induce a 5 percent increase for the average commercial buildings energy consumption in Indiana by the year 2100, while reducing an average residential homes energy use by 3.5 percent.

These are looking at statistically representative average residential homes and commercial buildings in Indiana, so the effects of climate change on residential and commercial energy consumption will range above and below these estimated projections, said Roshanak Nateghi, an assistant professor in Purdue Universitys School of Industrial Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering.

Roshanak Nateghi, an assistant professor of industrial engineering and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, leads research into the effects of climate change on future energy consumption.

Since the largest part of residential energy demand in Indiana is attributed to heating, future warming scenarios could lead to reduced end-use residential demand due to lower space heating and water heating needs. In the commercial sector, the overall energy demand is expected to increase under future warming scenarios. This is because the increased space cooling required during hot summer months will likely outpace the reduced heating needs during the more temperate winter months.

One surprise for us was that the demand goes down for statistically representative average households in the residential sector, Nateghi said. The main reason is that air conditioning use is only 2 percent of energy consumption for residential households. In fact, the majority of residential energy use is for heating, at about 74 percent.

The majority of existing energy-economy models do not account for climate variability and change.

So, we propose a multi-paradigm framework to help extend the energy-economy models, such as a well-known model called MARKAL, to be able to account for climate change, said Sayanti Mukherjee, a postdoctoral research associate in the Division of Construction Engineering and Management and a visiting scholar in the School of Industrial Engineering. To illustrate the applicability of our proposed framework, we used the state of Indiana as a case study.

She and Nateghi co-authored a paper about the research published online Nov. 20 in the journal PloS One. They refer to their approach as a multi-paradigm framework because it integrates different types of modeling techniques.

Sayanti Mukherjee, a postdoctoral research associate at Purdue University, is the lead author of a new paper into the potential effects of climate change on energy consumption in Indiana.

The study compared the future projections to historical energy consumption for cooling, heating and water heating for the commercial and residential sectors from 19812013.

Two sets of projections were calculated: one assumes a future world with lower greenhouse gas emissions than the other because more aggressive steps are taken to mitigate emissions. The analysis concluded that under both scenarios, by the year 2100 the effects of climate change alone will cause energy consumption for an average commercial building in Indiana to increase by 5.1 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. Energy consumption for the average residential household is projected to decrease by 3.5 percent on average under both scenarios because warmer temperatures will reduce energy use for heating.

Projecting long-term trends in energy demand is an increasingly complex endeavor due to the uncertain emerging changes in climate, policy, the regulatory environment, the economy and technology, among other factors, Mukherjee said.

The projected changes are in addition to the expected changes in energy consumption caused by a variety of factors such as changes in electricity rates, population and energy policy.

The work was conducted as part of the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) project, led by the Purdue Climate Change Research Center in the universitys Discovery Park. The IN CCIA is a multidisciplinary effort to provide accessible, credible climate science to Indiana residents, allowing a better understanding of climate change-related risks that will support more effective planning. Another team working on the assessment provided critical climate-change data, downscaling general climate models to focus on Indiana. The findings will be part of the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment being coordinated by the center to be released next year.

Being an importer of electricity from the neighboring states and Canada, Indiana is vulnerable to supply shortages in cases of shifts in end-use demand due to reasons such as climate variability and change. The state ranks second in terms of coal consumption in the energy sector.

Changing patterns of energy consumption, therefore, will have significant implications for the environment, Nateghi said.

The researchers used a Bayesian, ensemble decision-tree based algorithm to develop predictive models.

For the residential sector, the findings reveal that the future median energy demand under the lower-emissions scenario is projected to be 278.5 trillion British thermal units (Btu), a 3.5 percent decrease from the historical median, and can range from 243.7323.2 trillion Btu. Under the higher-emissions scenario, the median residential demand is projected to be 278.7 trillion Btu, also a 3.5 percent decrease from the historical median, and could range between 243.0276.9 trillion Btu.

The demand in the commercial sector will be on-average substantially higher than the historical average values under both emission scenarios. More specifically, under the low-emission scenario, the average demand will be around 179.9 trillion Btu, a 5.1 percent increase than the historical median, and it could range between 147.8214.1 trillion Btu. Similarly, under the high-emissions scenario, the projected median commercial demand will be around 180.5 trillion Btu, a 5.4 percent increase from the historical median and could range between 146.4211.4 trillion Btu under the uncertain future scenario.

The projected increase is due to the commercial sectors greater use of cooling energy, relative to the residential sector, and higher projected daytime temperatures.

It should be noted that while our proposed framework accounts for demand variation due to climate change, it does not account for potentially higher intensity and frequency of climatic extremes such as ice storms and tornadoes under climate change, Nateghi said. Future work is needed to extend our paradigm to also account for such weather and climate extremes that could become much more intense and frequent under climate change, and have significant impacts on our energy sector in the future.

The projections could be underestimating the potential influence of climate change because they are based only on the expected rise in temperature, not relative humidity.

In future work, the researchers will use a more sophisticated dynamically downscaled model from the Climate Change Research Center to more accurately predict the impacts of climate change on energy consumption.

The researchers also are expanding their work to prepare projections across other energy-intensive states in the United States.

The research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the Climate Change Research Center.
He said the event provided a mix of farm ready research results that growers could apply directly to their farming operations, as well as unique perspectives about leading trends in grain production and agriculture.
Macrofertil, which entered the WA market in 2013 when it took over the former Ravensdown Fertiliser WA operation, sells a range of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and specialty fertilisers out of distribution warehouses at Kwinana, Geraldton, Albany and Esperance, plus a warehouse in South Australia and one in Victoria.
It's the right time to be servicing self-propelled boomsprayers, or in this case, completing a pre-delivery check of a new Goldacres G6 model. Torque snapped this shot last week at Goldacres dealer AgServe Goomalling as Graham Taylor (left), Toby Perrins and dealer principal Greg Baird stopped briefly to smile for the camera. Though in Toby's case it was more of a quizzical look at Greg. Maybe Gr
: This sight will certainly turn heads. It's a team of Fendt MARS 'workers' in a paddock in Europe. MARS stands for Mobile Agricultural Robot Swarms and AGCO and Fendt believes it's the way of the future for farming.
With my interests in technology and how it can be used to improve on-farm performance, this project with the Facey Group was ideal for me to research options to improve the productivity for sheep producers in WA.
'Star Wars' fans have been trying to visit the fictional planet of Ahch-to.

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker

Kiwi.com has found the British public are desperately searching for the fictional land, which doesn't exist, as they have noticed hundreds of people have searched for the fictional planet where exiled Jedi Master Luke Skywalker lives in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'.

The real location is Skellig Michael in the southern coast of Ireland, but Stephen Davis - who works at the flight booking site - has admitted he cannot take passengers to Ahch-to but offers flights to the real-life island where the movie is filmed instead.

He said: '''Star Wars' continues to influence holidaymakers to plan trips that are truly out of this world.

''It's clear The Force is strong with the latest episode, with Brits keen to fly to Luke Skywalker's home to learn the ways of the Jedi first hand.

''Although we can't fly you to Ahch-to, we have plenty of flights to the southern coast of Ireland, where the picturesque filming location Luke calls home is situated.''
I started writing as I have a life-long passion to encourage children to read more and want as many of them to become confident readers from an early age.

Lawrence Prestidge

My favourite childhood book is Roald Dahls Matilda and its fair to say that I have been completely inspired not only by this but by many of his other stories. Imagination and childhood go hand in hand and reading a good book definitely helped steer me in the direction of becoming a childrens author myself.

I also work as a freelance drama teacher and theres nothing I like more than to get into character. It helps also when I visit schools that I like to perform in front of the children. It helps my stories to come alive and I always get great reactions.

I worked in Disneyland for two years in the character and parade department and in the stage shows. I also volunteer my time as a Captain Jack Sparrow impersonator for the Make-a-Wish foundation, which supports young people with life-threatening conditions.

I was lucky that whilst I was writing my first book Rolo, I was able to check the reaction of the children I was teaching, whilst I went along. It was like having a ready-made reviewer panel.

Im delighted to say that my second book, Terror at the Sweet Shop, has already sold three-thousand copies and is on its second print run. Its something Im incredibly proud of and its great to see so much demand for the story.

Every year I try to visit as many schools across the UK as I can. This year alone I have visited 50 primary and 10 secondary schools from as far afield as Newcastle to schools much nearer to my home in Oxfordshire.

I like to write in complete silence with just my laptop and my imagination for company. I find that my characters develop better that way and it allows everything to flow much better for any plot.

I love being a childrens author  its the best job in the world! Ive even had a primary school in Banbury name its new library in my honour, which Im completely bowled over by.

I cant wait to reveal more of my books and am already on my third called Chesters Fairground. Having a collection of books behind me has always been a dream of mine. And if I inspire a child along the way, then that to me is the real hallmark of success.
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. FREDI VARGAS-ESTUDILLO, AKA Alfredo Vargas-Estudillo, Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-50235 Decided: December 15, 2017

Before: NGUYEN and HURWITZ, Circuit Judges, and EATON,** Judge.

MEMORANDUM*

Fredi VargasEstudillo appeals his conviction for attempted re-entry of a removed alien in violation of 8 U.S.C.  1326(a) and (b). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.  1291. We hold that the district court erred in denying VargasEstudillo's discovery request, and otherwise deny the challenge to his conviction.

1. The district court denied Vargas' motion to dismiss the indictment because it found that the government's failure to preserve a video recording of the pedestrian lane at the Port of Entry was the result of mistake, not bad faith. This finding was not clearly erroneous. See United States v. ZaragozaMoreira, 780 F.3d 971, 977 (9th Cir. 2015). Accordingly, the district court did not err in denying VargasEstudillo's motion to dismiss the indictment.

2. We conclude, however, that the district court erred in denying VargasEstudillo's motion for a list of people who applied for admission at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on March 6, 2015, at approximately 5:23 p.m. through the SENTRI lane and booth opposite of the SENTRI lane. These people may have been in a position to observe Vargas and his interaction with the Border Patrol, and the defense should have been allowed to endeavor to interview them. See United States v. Cadet, 727 F.2d 1453, 1469 (9th Cir. 1984) (Witnesses, particularly eye witnesses, to a crime are the property of neither the prosecution nor the defense. Both sides have an equal right, and should have an equal opportunity, to interview them. (citation omitted)); see also United States v. Stever, 603 F.3d 747, 752 (9th Cir. 2010) (holding that the materiality requirement of Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(a)(1)(E)(i) is satisfied if a defendant presents facts which would tend to show that the Government is in possession of information helpful to the defense (citation omitted)).

3. Because the list of witnesses was not turned over, Vargas cannot know, nor can he show, that there is a likelihood that the outcome of the trial would have been different if discovery had been granted. United States v. Budziak, 697 F.3d 1105, 1113 (9th Cir. 2012) (citing Stever, 603 F.3d at 754). Nor is it possible, based on the appellate record, for us to determine whether the result of [VargasEstudillo's] trial would have been different if [the list of witnesses] had been disclosed to him. Id. Accordingly, we remand and instruct the district court to order the production of the witness list and determine whether the list would have led to  information that might have altered the verdict. Id. (citations omitted). The district court shall order a new trial if it concludes that testimony from any disclosed witness could have affected the outcome of the trial. Id.

VACATED and REMANDED with instructions.
Peter Jackson has proven his love for the world of fantasy isnt something thats fading this week, with the release of the first official teaser trailer for his huge next project, Mortal Engines, based on the book by Philip Reeve. You can check out the brilliant first look at the action-packed adventure below:

Plummeting audiences thousands of years into the future, well all go on an epic ride with a saga that will show just what happened after civilisation was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, with survivors forced to adapt and find a new way of living through evolution and pure determination.

Now, gigantic cities roam the Earth and prey on smaller traction towns, becoming living machines and churning up anything that gets in their way.

Robert Sheehan takes on the role of Tom Natsworthy in the film; a man who comes from a Lower Tier of the traction city of London, but somebody who here finds himself fighting for his life after he comes up against dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). A pair who should never have ever come across one another, they begin to realise their efforts would be best put together if theyre to truly change the future for the better.

Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide and Stephen Lang all also star in the upcoming release, with Christian Rivers sitting in the directors chair in a movie presented by Lord of the Rings and Hobbit director, Peter Jackson.

Zane Weiner, Amanda Walker and Deborah Forte serve as producers alongside screenwriter Fran Walsh, with Ken Kamins joining screenwriter Philippa Boyens as executive producer.

Mortal Engines has all the makings of an incredible start to something special in the movie world, and we imagine that if it does well upon release, Jackson will be returning to the big screen with further adaptations of Philip Reeves book series.

For now however, were getting excited about seeing what could be one of the biggest launches of a new franchise to-date. Lets hope all the right boxes are ticked and audiences flock to this one upon its release next year.

Mortal Engines is set to hit cinemas across the UK in December 2018.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have thanked their fans for their "generous messages" in the wake of the release of their engagement photos.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The 33-year-old royal and his fiancee published a selection of official photographs on Thursday (21.12.17) to mark their engagement, and after receiving an influx of "wonderful comments", the pair decided to publish one more alongside a heartfelt thanks to their fans.

After the first two pictures were released at 11am GMT on Thursday, a third - which featured the pair smiling as they walked along the grounds of Frogmore House - was released two hours later, alongside a statement which read: "Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments following the release of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle's engagement photographs.

"The couple are so grateful for the warm and generous messages they have received during such a happy time in their lives.

"As a way to say thank you, they have decided to share this candid photograph from the day of their portrait sittings directly with all of you."

The photographs were taken by fashion photographer Alex Lubomirski, who took to his Instagram account to thank the couple for choosing him to capture their special "love for each other" in the stunning portraits.

Alex wrote on Instagram: "A huge thank you to His Royal Highness Prince Harry and Ms Markle, for allowing me to take their official engagement portraits. Not only was it an incredible honour, but also an immense privilege to be invited to share and be a witness to this young couple's love for each other. I cannot help but smile when I look at the photos that we took. @Kensingtonroyal (sic)"

Prince Harry and the 36-year-old American actress will tie the knot in on May 19 next year, at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, after announcing their engagement last month.

An official statement read: "His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle.

"The wedding will take place in Spring 2018. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course."

"His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month.

"Prince Harry has informed The Queen and other close members of The Royal Family.

"Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents.

"The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace."
Whilst wishing everyone an amazing Christmas and with 2018 closing swiftly in on us, I am finishing my year on a high and boarding a flight to The Philippines. Before I speak to you all in the New Year and after having visited over 26 countries this year, I wanted to round up my top five remarkable travel discoveries of 2017, to help you know exactly what to ask Santa for ;)

Sabrina Chakici in Zanzibar

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Not just one of my favourite travel experiences of 2017 but one for the all-time list! The secluded yet intimate escape of a Safari expedition is something that should be experienced by everyone at least once in a lifetime. Driving through the African plains whilst encountering lions, zebras, giraffes and monkeys makes for the most extraordinary holiday and sharing remarkable moments with these wild animals was a few days I will never forget.

We stayed at Four Seasons Serengeti which is one of the most unique and extravagant hotels Ive ever stayed in. The swimming pool overlooks a natural watering hole so breakfast with elephants was a daily occurrence!

Costa Rica

With all the wonders of both the rainforest and the ocean, Costa Rica is a country I wasnt expecting to travel to in 2017 and yet one of my favourite trips. From watching baby turtles take their first walk down to the beach to seeing toucans soar through the sky, the close connection with nature was incredible. I also discovered the best natural spa in the world, The Tabacon Springs, where the heat of the volcano warms up natural whirlpools and waterfalls and guests can watch up from the Jacuzzis at a sky full of stars.

We stayed at Nayara Springs Hotel, where your balcony leads into the wonders of the rainforest and the sounds of howler monkeys are your alarm clock ;)

Bora Bora, Tahiti

It turns out those turquoise blue waters we see in the glossy magazines are, in fact, real because in the wonderful islands of Tahiti no filter is needed! There are so many countries that boast pristine beaches and enviable waters with gleamingly luxurious water villas but there is something about the atmosphere in Bora Bora that is unmatched by any other paradise location. It's simply heavenly.

We stayed at Conrad Bora Bora Nui where rooms boast stunning sunset views and a hammock directly above the sea to watch the bountiful marine life swim beneath you.

Zanzibar Island

A small island that, in my opinion, doesnt get enough credit for just how beautiful it is. Powder white beaches, glistening transparent waters and exceptional hospitality. A laid back way of life pours from the sea onto the mainland and a visit to the The Rock, a restaurant on its very own island, will you have you remembering the unique beauty Zanzibar for years to come.

We stayed at The White Sand Villas, who earned the title of my best hotel discovery of 2017. The villas are exceptional spaces that even your imagination couldnt create, all leading onto a postcard perfect beach.

Swedish Lapland

Amongst my tropical travels this year I also spent a lot of time in the snow with my favourite white escape being the magical plains and frozen lakes of Swedish Lapland. Here we mushed through the days with our pack and shivered through the night staring up at the Northern Lights, I even made a visit to the world famous Ice Hotel. The man-made ice extravaganza has a wow factor like no other hotel, the whole trip was a truly unforgettable experience.

We stayed at Camp Ripan which was the perfect base for both Northern Light viewings and Dog Sledging.

Read about all 26 countries Ive visited this last year on my blog: www.clutchandcarryon.com

Written by Sabrina Chakici, TV Host & Travel Expert, Follow her on Instagram @sabrina_chakici
Madonna and Guy Ritchie would have celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary today- had they stayed together- so we reflect on their time as a couple.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie (Credit: Famous)

1. The couple married on the 22nd December 2000 at Skibo Castle in Scotland.

2. Gwyneth Paltrow was Madonna's maid of honour and Matthew Vaughn was Ritchie's best man.

3. The entire wedding allegedly cost the couple 1.3 million and they apparently booked out all 21 rooms of the estate for their guests.

4. Madonna's wedding dress was designed by her friend Stella MaCartney.

5. Their son was born on 11th August 2000 in Los Angeles.

6. The pair then adopted a Malawain boy name David.

7. On 15th October 2008, the media began to speculate that they were going to split, which was later confirmed by their spokesperson.

8. On 15th December 2008, a divorce settlement was made in which each party reportedly got 50-60 million which included their London Pub and Wiltshire Estate in England.

9. When it came to the children, Madonna and Ritchie supposedly decided to divide their time equally so half of their time was spent with Madonna in New York and the other half with Ritchie in London.

Source: Wikipedia and IMDB.

by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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In a bid to improve the shopping experience of its customers, Tata Cliq, the Tata groups multi-brand e-commerce platform, has announced the launch of Tata Cliq luxury application and has also revamped its website. Curated especially for the discerning luxury customers, this will enable them to fully experience the brands and its renowned legacy.

Delivering on the proposition of being a brand-forward destination, Tata Cliq Luxury plans to further strengthen its portfolio by including aspirational brands such as Diesel, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Juicy Couture, Scotch & Soda etc. Each of these brands will provide a distinct and an unparalleled experience to the discerning luxury consumer. In the coming months, Tata Cliq Luxury plans to add multiple categories and product lines, becoming the one-stop destination for everything luxury.

"The demand for luxury brands is steadily growing across the country with non-metros playing a major role. However, limited number of stores in most cities has led to an increase in the unmet demand for these brands," said Vikas Purohit, chief operating officer, Tata Cliq.

In a bid to improve the shopping experience of its customers, Tata Cliq, the Tata group's multi-brand e-commerce platform, has announced the launch of Tata Cliq luxury application and has also revamped its website. Curated especially for the discerning luxury customers, this will enable them to fully experience the brands and its renowned legacy.#

"Through Tata Cliq Luxurys app and website, we are planning to resolve this gap by offering premium luxury and bridge-to-luxury fashion brands with the click of a button. Tier II cities form a very big part of our customer base as over 30 per cent of our customers are from smaller towns and cities. Since the launch of the Tata Cliq Luxury business, we have witnessed a consistent growth with one out of three customers being repeat buyers. We foresee a steady demand for our premium offerings and hope to deliver a differentiated experience to our customers," Purohit added. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Diesel, the Italian fashion company, has announced the appointment of Marco Agnolin as its new chief executive officer (CEO). Agnolin has succeeded Alessandro Bogliolo who parted ways with the company after association of four years. With extensive experience in the retail industry, Agnolin has spent last several years at the Bershka brand of Inditex.

"I am proud to welcome Agnolin on board, one of the most talented fashion executives worldwide and a professional whose career I have followed for a long time," said Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel and president of parent company OTB. "His experience and personal attitude, matched with our vision of the brand, will bring about a successful future for Diesel."

"All my life I have looked up to and have been inspired by one brand, and that was Diesel," said. Agnolin. "Today I am happy to be part of it, looking forward to giving my contribution to the next chapters of its unique story."

Diesel, the Italian fashion company, has announced the appointment of Marco Agnolin as its new chief executive officer (CEO). Agnolin has succeeded Alessandro Bogliolo who parted ways with the company after association of four years. With extensive experience in the retail industry, Agnolin has spent last several years at the Bershka brand of Inditex.#

Diesel is an innovative international lifestyle company, producing a wide-ranging collection of jeans, clothing and accessories. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PRGMEA) has urged the government to relax duties on yarn import to encourage value addition, reduce cost of doing business and bridge the gap between production and consumption. The request comes as the government is preparing to withdraw sales tax and customs duty on import of cotton.The governments decision on duty exemption for imported cotton followed demands by the spinning industry, but it displeased growers and ginners.

The Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PRGMEA) has urged the government to relax duties on yarn import to encourage value addition, reduce cost of doing business and bridge the gap between production and consumption. The request comes as the government is preparing to withdraw sales tax and customs duty on import of cotton. #

To bridge the soaring gap of trade deficit, the government should provide a level-playing field to the whole textile chain instead of supporting only yarn manufacturers, which have just around 350 units, compared to the value-added sector of 10,000 units, Pakistani media reported quoted PRGMEA chief coordinator Ijaz Khokhar as saying.If the government could help the spinning industry on the plea that domestic cotton is of short staple though around 1.86 million bales of cotton are lying unsold in the country, it should remove restrictions on yarn import as well under the same plea, said Khokhar.As the apparel sector has a limited production line because of lack of latest fabric varieties at the local level, the harsh duties are resulting in significant decline in apparel export, he added. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, 2017-12-22 00:42 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pretium Resources Inc. (TSX:PVG) (NYSE:PVG) ("Pretivm" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that an application has been submitted to the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to increase the Brucejack Mine production rate to 3,800 tonnes per day. The application submitted on December 20, 2017 reflects a production rate increase to an annual average of 1.387 million tonnes from 0.99 million tonnes (daily average of 3,800 tonnes from 2,700 tonnes). The approval process is expected to take approximately six to twelve months. Engineering is underway to assess the mill capacity upgrades required to increase the production rate. Based on preliminary engineering, the capital cost to increase the mill capacity is estimated to be less than US$25 million and will be updated when the engineering process is complete. Lyle Morgenthaler, B.A.Sc., P.Eng., Chief Mine Engineer, Pretium Resources Inc. is the Qualified Person responsible for Brucejack Mine development. 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.
BANGKOK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) recently approved more incentives for SMEs to cover more than 100 business activities and increased the ceiling of corporate income tax (CIT) exemption up to 200 percent to enhance SMEs' competitiveness.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622493/BOI.jpg

It also identified a list of targeted industries for the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) and the Digital Park Thailand (EECd).

Ms. Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment, revealed after the BOI board meeting chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha that the board has approved more attractive incentive programs for SMEs to increase competitiveness including the extension of promotional period of the scheme to 30 December 2019.

The board approved new investment promotion conditions for SMEs as follows:

1. More business activities and relaxed requirements and conditions: Activities eligible for investment incentives are expanded from currently 40 to over 100activities to provide more opportunitiesfor SMEs to seek investment promotions. Meanwhile, some conditions are relaxed for particular business activities.

2. Tax incentives: More attractive incentives are offered with both basic and additional tax incentives.

2.1 Basic tax incentives (Activity-based incentives): The ceiling of corporate income tax exemption is increased from normally 100 percent to 200 percent, for activities eligible to obtain CIT exemption, meaning the amount of tax exemption on capital investment will be doubled.

2.2 Additional tax incentives (Merit-based incentives): SMEs will receive tax exemption or reduction under two conditions:

For SMEs operating any activities that enhance competitiveness including research and development, advanced technology training, IP licensing fees, product & packaging design, investment and expenses conditions will be significantly relaxed to enable SMEs to have a better access to enhanced incentives.

For SMEs located in 20 provinces with lowest per capita income:

Activities that are eligible for eight-year CIT exemption will receive an additional 50 percent CIT reduction for another five years.



Other activities that are eligible for CIT exemption will receive an additional three-year exemption, on top of normal CIT exemption.



Promoted SMEs are allowed to utilize used machines available in Thailand in their projects but with maximum value not exceeding 10 million baht .

Targeted industries identified for EECi, EECd

The BOI board has approved the list of targeted activities to be located in the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) and the Digital Park Thailand (EECd). These activities will be eligible for a special tax incentives under the EEC scheme.

Investments in the targeted industries in the EECi and EECd were offered, from the previous board meeting on 23 November 2017, two more years of CIT exemption on top of normal incentives and 50 percent CIT reduction for another five years. However, projects are required to have cooperation on human resource development as specified by the board.

More human resource development cooperation in EEC

Additional to the current human resource development scheme with educational institutes or research institutes, such as WiL (Work-integrated Learning), Cooperative Education and Dual Vocational Education and Training, the board has approved a new scheme called "Special Vocational Program in the EEC". The project focuses mainly on training and human resource development in response to industry sectors' demand, especially in the high-value-added targeted industries.

Under this program, participating companies will work with educational institutes in recruiting new students and designing courses and curriculums. Financial and other support will be provided to students, including tuition fees, personal expenses and apprenticeship or employment after graduation.

********************

For more information, please contact: Thailand Board of Investment

Email: thailandinvestmentyear@gmail.com

Tel. +66 (0) 2553 8111

Website: www.boi.go.th
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. JOSEPH AVILA, Defendant-Appellant. No. 17-10065 Decided: December 21, 2017

Before: LEAVY, W. FLETCHER, and PAEZ, Circuit Judges.

MEMORANDUM*

Joseph Avila appeals from the district court's judgment revoking his supervised release and the 24-month sentence imposed upon revocation. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.  1291, and we affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand.

The superseding revocation petition alleged that Avila violated the provision of his supervised release prohibiting him from committing another federal, state or local crime. Charge One alleged that Avila discharged a firearm in the direction of Yolanda Fuentes. Charge Four alleged that Avila possessed ammunition. The district court determined that these two allegations were supported by a preponderance of the evidence.

1. Avila contends that Charge One was not supported by sufficient evidence because the key piece of evidence identifying Avila as Fuentes' assailant footage from police officer Manuel Jaramillo's body camera  was never formally received into evidence. This argument fails because our case law holds that evidence is deemed admitted where, as here, the district court ruled it was admissible, it was presented to the trier of fact, and the parties treated it as having been received into evidence. See, e.g., United States v. Brown, 832 F.2d 128, 130 (9th Cir. 1987); United States v. Stapleton, 494 F.2d 1269, 1270-71 (9th Cir. 1974).

2. Avila contends that his due process right of confrontation was violated because the district court permitted the government to play Officer Jaramillo's body camera footage, during which Fuentes identified Avila as her assailant, without requiring the government to produce Fuentes as a witness. We review de novo, see United States v. Perez, 526 F.3d 543, 547 (9th Cir. 2008), and we agree.

Under Morrissey v. Brewer, 408 U.S. 471(1972), every releasee is guaranteed the right to confront and cross-examine adverse witnesses at a revocation hearing, unless the government shows good cause for not producing the witnesses. United States v. Comito, 177 F.3d 1166, 1170 (9th Cir. 1999). When deciding whether a violation has occurred, we consider the importance of the hearsay evidence to the court's ultimate finding, id. at 1171; the  traditional indicia of reliability borne by the evidence; United States v. Martin, 984 F.2d 308, 312 (9th Cir. 1993) (quoting United States v. Simmons, 812 F.2d 561, 564 (9th Cir. 1987)); and the difficulty and expense of procuring witnesses, id. (internal quotation marks omitted)..

As to the first consideration, the evidence at issue here was important to the district court's finding on Charge One because Fuentes' identification of Avila as her assailant was the key piece of evidence on this charge.

As to the second consideration, Fuentes' identification of Avila bore few indicia of reliability. Whether the identification qualifies as an excited utterance under Federal Rule of Evidence 803(2) presents a close question. Fuentes identified Avila ten to fifteen minutes after the shooting, not contemporaneously with it. Before identifying Avila as the shooter, Fuentes paused for three or four seconds, allowing time for deliberation and fabrication. Fuentes previously had been convicted of making a false representation to a police officer. Moreover, Fuentes was not honest with Officer Jaramillo because she lied to him about her relationship with Avila. Given these concerns, as well as the weak evidence corroborating Avila as the shooter, the evidence at issue bore few traditional indicia of reliability.

As to the final consideration, the government has not established good cause for failing to produce Fuentes as a witness. Although the government presented evidence of unsuccessful efforts to secure Fuentes as a witness in a prior separate proceeding, the government made no efforts to procure Fuentes' cooperation as a witness in this case. Nothing in the record suggests that Fuentes' reluctance to cooperate in a prior proceeding would have carried over to this proceeding. Furthermore, although police records contained two phone numbers and addresses for Fuentes, the government attempted to contact Fuentes at only one of these numbers and addresses in connection with the prior proceedings.

In sum, weighing Avila's due process confrontation right against the government's good cause for denying it, we conclude Avila has demonstrated a constitutional violation. With respect to Charge One, the error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Comito, 177 F.3d at 1170. Fuentes' identification of Avila as her assailant was the key piece of evidence on this charge and was critical to the district court's finding. As to Charge Four, by contrast, the error was harmless. The finding on Charge Four was based on the ammunition found in Avila's automobile, not Fuentes' recorded statements to Jaramillo.

3. Avila also challenges the district court's imposition of a special condition of supervised release prohibiting him from possessing or using a computer or any device that has access to any on-line computer service unless approved by the probation officer.

The district court plainly erred by imposing this condition. See United States v. Vega, 545 F.3d 743, 747 (9th Cir. 2008). First, this condition indisputably implicates a significant liberty interest. United States v. Blinkinsop, 606 F.3d 1110, 1119 (9th Cir. 2010); see also Packingham v. North Carolina, 137 S. Ct. 1730, 1735-36 (2017). Second, nothing in the record suggests this condition is reasonably related to the goal of deterrence, protection of the public, or rehabilitation of the offender, and involve[s] no greater deprivation of liberty than is reasonably necessary for the purposes of supervised release.  United States v. Rearden, 349 F.3d 608, 618 (9th Cir. 2003) (quoting United States v. T.M., 330 F.3d 1235, 1240 (9th Cir. 2003)). Neither Avila's underlying conviction nor his supervised release violations involved use of the internet. Cf. United States v. Antelope, 395 F.3d 1128, 1142 (9th Cir. 2005) (upholding supervised release condition restricting internet access where the internet had been essential to the commission of the crime); Rearden, 349 F.3d at 621 (same). Accordingly, the condition is invalid. See United States v. LaCoste, 821 F.3d 1187, 1192 (9th Cir. 2016).

We vacate the judgment as to Count One. We affirm the judgment as to Count Four. We vacate the special condition of supervised release relating to computer use.

AFFIRMED in part; VACATED in part; REMANDED.
Debuting the Honor 9 Lite- A Quad-lens Smartphone and Fashion Icon in China

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Honor, the young, innovative and trendsetting brand born for digital natives under the Huawei Group, celebrated its fourth-year anniversary, reviewing its remarkable journey in China and overseas markets, and revealing the new chapter of its global expansion plan to fans and partners. It also officially launched its third "secret weapon" following the global launch in London in early December.

A Look Back at Honor's Past 4 Years of Success

Since Honor's birth four years ago, it has grown and accelerated at an incredible pace, rapidly setting a series of great milestones of success in both domestic China and overseas markets with its trendsetting product offerings.

Between January and November 2017, Honor shipped a total of 49.7 million handsets in China with sales exceeding US$10.9 billion, according to Sino-Market Research.

In Russia and Finland specifically, Honor has achieved excellent results in the past two years. According to GfK, Honor's revenue and sales volume figures in Russia were among the top three mobile brands. In Finland, where the market was saturated with premium smartphone brands, Honor has managed to break through and now has the largest market share there.

Honor also realized incredible sales performance during major promotional seasons this year, including the "Singles Day" in China, during which Honor generated approximately $605 million in revenue on two China's largest e-commerce platforms Jingdong and Alibaba. Honor also showed its strength and popularity in Europe and the US with outstanding Black Friday shopping results. In France and Germany, Honor was the bestseller in smartphone category and had multiple devices represented on the top 10 bestseller list on Amazon, including the Honor 9 and the Honor 8 in France, and the Honor 6X in both France and Germany. In the US, the Honor 6X, one of our initial offerings in the US market, having debuted at CES 2017, became one of the top 5 bestsellers on Amazon in the unlocked smartphone category.

The large-scale success of the company could not have been achieved without Honor's commitment to product excellence; all of the products made by Honor are pioneers in three key areas: new technology, aesthetic design, and accessibility for the younger generation. Each of Honor's products is setting a trend in its own way, for examples:

Honor 6P: an early exploration in bionic parallel dual-lens cameras;

Honor 8: pushing the boundary of smartphone aesthetic design;

Honor Magic: a pioneering demonstration of R&D efforts in artificial intelligence (AI);

Honor View 10: a revolution in smartphone AI function.

Co-creating Style for the Young

Honor possesses a unique way to communicate with its audiences. With four years' of fan engagement with Honor's brand through various events and channels catering to youth, we have accumulated a huge fan base. That is the reason over 1,000 fans volunteered to take part in Honor's anniversary event this year, and our relationship with fans only gets stronger by the day.

Honor's Global Goal

Honor plans to become one of the top five smartphone brands in the world within the next three years, and one of the top three within five years. "Currently, Honor's overseas business contributes 15% of our total revenue. I expect continued growth in China, but even more aggressive growth overseas. And I anticipate a fifty-fifty split in terms of revenue contribution by 2020, with overseas business surpassing sales in China by 2022," says George Zhao, President of Honor.

In order to provide the finest product user experience to its global audiences, Honor is always dedicated to crafting state-of-the-art products for the young generation. Moving forward, Honor will continue to optimize our product portfolio to provide an all-rounded experience to users with our four key product categories:

View series: the super-flagship and strong performer;

N (Digit) series: the flagship line with cutting-edge design and performance;

X series: trendy and premium features, with great accessibility;

Lite series: flagship-like features, with great accessibility.

At the event, Honor officially launched the Honor 9 Lite in China. Beautiful inside and out, the Honor 9 Lite is set to be the third stunner in the brand's latest series, sure to set off another wave of hype following the launches of the Honor 7X and the Honor View 10 in London earlier this month.

The Honor 9 Lite is not just a symbol of style, but also the perfect way to capture your life moments, with competitive dual-lens 13MP + 2MP cameras on both the front and back, and an expression of who you are, with its exquisitely designed 2.5D glass and 5.65-inch edge-to-edge FullView HD Display. The Honor 9 Lite offers flagship-like features and seamless performance to consumers at an irresistible price point.

Following its China launch, the Honor 9 Lite will soon be debuting in global markets as well.

About Honor

Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers.

For more information, please visit Honor online atwww.hihonor.comor follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/

https://twitter.com/Honorglobal

https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/

https://www.youtube.com/honorglobal

For media enquiries, please contact:

Burson-Marsteller Hong Kong



Reed Li

+852 2963 6719

reed.li@bm.com

Alice Du

+852 2963 6767

alice.du@bm.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622497/Honor.jpg
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 22, 2017 / For Los Angeles property investors, a relationship with a good real estate agent is imperative. You want to find an agent you can continue to work with in the future as you grow your portfolio of investment properties. A good agent will also be important in getting you started. They will help identify and purchase good investment properties for the best prices. The factors you should consider when hiring an investment real estate agent will be outlined in this article.

Experience

Per Neil Shekhter not every real estate agent is familiar with buying and selling investment properties. Investment real estate requires a specific set of skills and knowledge that not all agents have. Most real estate agents are in the business of assisting clients who want to buy a property as a permanent residence. Investment, on the other hand, is focused on turning a profit from the property, and you want a real estate agent who will look at the purchase in that way. An agent who has experience in working with property investors is preferable. An agent who has personal investing experience is an even better find.

Any Specializations

It is also important to consider the type of investment properties you are interested in. This will be an important element of your branding as an investor. A Los Angeles real estate agent experienced in buying and selling the type of properties you want to acquire then must be found. For example, buying apartments or other multifamily types of housing is vastly different than buying a single-family home. There are different sets of state and federal laws to take into account as well as other complicating factors, such as governing documents.

Reputation

Such as when searching for a real estate agent normally, you want to ask for recommendations and referrals. An agent with a good reputation is more likely to perform their role well. There are a number of ways to research different agents. Online reviews and testimonials are helpful. Contact other investors or speak to them at events to get recommendations and ask about the agents they work with. However, also understand that an investor might lose money on a property for reasons beyond their agent's control. Because of this, they may be inclined to say negative things about an agent even though the failure could be due to a great deal of other factors. Due to the nature of real estate investing, this should be taken into account.

Willingness To Make Offers

An investment real estate agent must be comfortable making offers. Real estate investment entails buying properties for the lowest possible price in order to get the most return. When buying the property, this often means making offers until an acceptable price is agreed upon. Agents who are not good at haggling will likely not be a good match for property investors.

Local

You want a real estate in Los Angeles agent who is local and familiar with the areas in which you wish to invest. As widely known by all real estate professionals, location is one of the most important factors in buying and selling properties. Agents should understand the different neighborhoods, especially in big cities, and be able to determine which neighborhoods are best for investment. For example, in Los Angeles, communities like Santa Monica are desirable and can be excellent holding investments. If you plan to own properties in different areas with vastly different real estate markets, it might be advisable to find a different agent to work with in each location. A local agent will be constantly aware of properties that come up for sale you might be interested in, giving you the first chance to make an offer on a property.

Understanding Of Cap Rates and Cash Flow

You want an agent who can accurately determine the cap rates and cash flows of different properties. This will help you determine whether buying the property is a smart investment or not. The cap rate is how the profitability of an investment property is measured and usually shown as a percentage. It can also be used as a metric for how risky the investment is. The cap rate is determined by simply dividing the net operating income (which takes into account revenue and expenses such as rent and utilities) by the purchase price. Cash flow must be determined to come up with those numbers. Look for an agent who can not only give you the numbers but also offer suggestions on renovations and repairs to any property you are considering.

Can You Work With Them?

Selecting a real estate agent for investment properties is a major decision. You must find an agent you can trust, who will be your partner in acquiring and selling these properties, and who will tell the reality of it to you straight. While you can always switch agents if your first choice does not work out, endeavor to make the best choice possible, to begin with for the best chances of success. An agent who has worked with you for a significant amount of time will know what properties you are interested in buying and which ones will best fit into your portfolio. This will result in investors being able to grow their portfolios faster with the right properties at the right prices.

Neil Shekhter is the CEO of NMS Properties, a privately owned real estate management firm that specializes in multi-family and mixed-use properties in the Greater Los Angeles Area and in Santa Monica. Founded by Neil Shekhter in 1988, NMS currently manages more than 70 properties.

Apartments For Rent In Los Angeles And More - NMS residential: http://www.nmsresidential.com/
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 4:30 am ET Friday, the Office for National Statistics is set to release UK final GDP data. Economists expect GDP to grow 0.4 percent sequentially, in line with the preliminary estimate. Ahead of the data, the pound traded mixed against its major rivals. While the pound rose against the greenback and the franc, it fell against the yen and the euro. The pound was worth 1.3379 against the greenback, 151.64 against the yen, 1.3241 against the franc and 0.8865 against the euro as of 4:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were slightly lower on Friday as fresh political turmoil in Spain dented investor sentiment, heading into the long holiday weekend. Consumer confidence figures from Germany and U.K. GDP data topped forecasts, helping limit regional losses to some extent. German consumer confidence is set to improve slightly in January, survey data from market-research group GfK showed. The forward-looking consumer sentiment index rose to 10.8 for January from 10.7 in December. The score was forecast to remain unchanged at 10.7. The U.K. economy grew as initially estimated in the third quarter, data from the Office for National Statistics showed. Gross domestic product expanded 0.4 percent sequentially in the third quarter, faster than the 0.3 percent growth seen in the first two quarters of 2017. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index was marginally lower at 390.65 in late opening deals after rising 0.6 percent on Thursday. Spain's IBEX was tumbling more than 1 percent, dragged down by banks. The German DAX and France's CAC 40 were down 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 held steady near a record high reached in the previous session. Spanish banks Banco Sabadell and CaixaBank were down about 3 percent. German industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp lost 1 percent after it had reached a collective agreement with trade union IG Metall on the planned merger of its European steel business with India's Tata Steel. Retailer Next rallied 2.6 percent in London on holiday sales optimism. 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.
The Diverse Income Trust plc

The Company advises that it will enter a closed period (in accordance with the provisions of the EU Market Abuse Regulation) on 23 December 2017 in relation to the announcement of the Company's results for the six months ended 30 November 2017.

The Company confirms that all inside information which the Directors and the Company may have had to the date of this announcement has been notified to a Regulatory Information Service. Accordingly, in the absence of any new undisclosed inside information arising, the Company is not prohibited from dealing in its own securities during this closed period.

22 December 2017

LEI: 2138005QFXYHJM551U45
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2017) - CannabisNewsWire ("CNW"), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company for the cannabis industry, today announces the publication of an editorial featuring InMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CSE: IN) (OTCQB: IMLFF), a client of CNW and a preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the research and development of novel, cannabinoid-based prescription drug therapies utilizing novel drug delivery systems.

The publication titled, "Pot Stock Bull Market Primed for Even More Growth as Major Markets Legalize," discusses the soaring stock prices of high value operators in the nascent cannabis industry.

To view the full publication, visit: https://www.cannabisnewswire.com/pot-stock-bull-market-primed-even-growth-major-markets-legalize/

InMed's use of genetically engineered microorganisms to produce cannabinoids not only opens the gates for industrial-scale manufacturing of naturally occurring cannabinoids, it provides commercially viable access for the first time in history to the rarest and most sought-after ones. The sophistication of InMed's biosynthesis platform for drug engineering is evident from examples like the ocular hydrogel formulation being developed in conjunction with the University of British Columbia. The company recently demonstrated a first of its kind hydrogel-mediated cannabinoid nanoparticle offering, which uses a unique tissue-specific delivery vehicle that forms a thin, uniform, gel-like 'lens' over the cornea, via the natural reflex of blinking. InMed has been making significant progress leveraging its biosynthesis technology to advance its growing pipeline, and the overall R&D effort has been significantly enhanced by the company's proprietary drug/disease targeting bioinformatics assessment tool. These kinds of finer details about the company's capabilities are likely a large reason why InMed has generated such a great deal of market buzz, with TheSeedInvestor.com putting the company as one of the "5 Cannabis Biotech Stocks to Watch."

About InMed

InMed is a preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the research and development of novel, cannabinoid-based prescription drug therapies utilizing novel drug delivery systems. InMed conducts research, discovery, preclinical, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and commercial development activities for its product candidates. InMed's proprietary bioinformatics database assessment tool, the biosynthesis manufacturing process and its drug development programs are the fundamental value drivers of the company. For more information, visit www.InMedPharma.com.

About CannabisNewsWire (CNW)

CannabisNewsWire ("CNW") is a specialized information service that (1) aggregates cannabis news, (2) provides CannabisNewsBreaks that quickly updates investors in the space, (3) enhances corporate press releases, (4) helps companies with distribution and optimization of social media, and (5) delivers comprehensive corporate communication solutions. CNW is uniquely positioned in the cannabis market with a strong team of journalists and writers who can help private and public companies reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public through our ever-growing dissemination network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets. CNW is bringing unparalleled visibility, recognition and content to the cannabis industry.

For more information please visit https://wwwCannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

Forward-Looking Statements

This 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. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

CNW Contact:

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)

Denver, Colorado

www.CannabisNewsWire.com

303.498.7722 Office

Editor@CannabisNewsWire.net
Company to focus on advancing the clinical development of ELX-02, a disease-modifying therapy for genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations WALTHAM, Mass., REHOVOT, Israel, and SAN DIEGO, 2017-12-22 14:45 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Ltd. ("Eloxx") and Sevion Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB:SVON) ("Sevion") today announced the two companies have completed their previously announced acquisition transaction effective as of December 19, 2017. The Company will be known as Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. following the completion of the transaction, and began trading on OTCQB Market under the new name effective as of December 20, 2017. "This acquisition transaction marks a significant milestone as Eloxx transitions from a private to a publicly-traded company with significantly increased financial resources," said Silvia Noiman, Ph.D., MBA, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eloxx Pharmaceuticals. "We are now better positioned to advance our development programs and look forward to initiating multiple Phase 2 studies for ELX-02. In parallel, we intend to strengthen our company on all fronts and, most recently, we hired several key employees to support this effort." At the effective time of the transaction, all of the issued and outstanding ordinary and preferred shares of Eloxx stock were converted, on a pro rata basis, into the right to receive 20,316,656 shares of Sevion common stock, par value $0.01, after giving effect to the 1-for-20 reverse stock split. Following the reverse stock split and post-acquisition, the combined company has approximately 27.6 million shares outstanding. About Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule medicines to treat many rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations. Nonsense mutations are a class of genetic defects that result in premature termination of protein synthesis. As a consequence, patients with a genetic disease caused by nonsense mutations have absent or truncated nonfunctional proteins, accounting for some of the most severe phenotypes in these genetic diseases. Eloxx's lead product candidate, ELX-02, is an optimized aminoglycoside designed to restore full-length functional proteins. Eloxx was founded in 2013 and maintains offices in Waltham, MA, and Rehovot, Israel. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements included in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. All statements that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect or believe may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from such statements expressed or implied herein as a result of a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the ability of the Company to consummate additional financings; the development of the Company's antibody technology; the approval of the Company's patent applications; the Company's ability to successfully defend its intellectual property or obtain the necessary licenses at a cost acceptable to the Company, if at all; the successful implementation of the Company's research and development programs and collaborations; the success of the Company's license agreements; the acceptance by the market of the Company's products; the timing and success of the Company's preliminary studies, preclinical research and clinical trials; competition and the timing of projects and trends in future operating performance; and the quotation of the Company's common stock on an over-the-counter securities market, as well as other factors expressed from time to time in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). As a result, this press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's periodic filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Contacts: Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Greg Weaver, CFO greg@eloxxpharma.com
The New Blog Post, Which Can Be Found on YogaLifestyles.com, Offers Tips on How to Get Rid of the Cookie and Eggnog-Caused Extra Pounds by the New Year

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 22, 2017 / Yoga Lifestyles, an online community that is devoted to honoring everybody's uniqueness through yoga and the wellness lifestyle, has published three effective methods to beat holiday weight gain.

To read the new blog in its entirety, please check out https://yogalifestyles.com/top-3-secrets-beat-holiday-weight-gain-new-years/.

As Melody Beuzelin, an official spokesperson from YogaLifestyles.com noted, the timing for the new blog is ideal. Weight gain around the holidays is an issue that usually goes hand-in-hand with participating in all the festivities that accompany this time of year.

"We're all human, we all love to indulge, but that doesn't mean we should self-sabotage just because we had a few extra cookies," she said, adding that Yoga Lifestyles offers a positive community with its content, offering tips, advice, and even videos to help everyone get back on track not just as a New Year's resolution, but as a mindset shift that becomes part of their lifestyle.

As the new blog post notes, in addition to incorporating specific yoga poses that assist with digestion and striving to eat anti-inflammatory foods, staying as hydrated as possible is key to dropping holiday weight gain before January 2018 rolls around.

"A healthy gastrointestinal tract moves its contents along by utilizing a wavelike contraction known as peristalsis," noted Dr. Frank Scali, M.D., D.C., adding that these specialized contractions are initiated by stretch and pressure, which can be induced by rotating and bending the axial skeleton while practicing certain yoga poses such as spinal twists.

"In order for things to run smoothly, the gut needs to be lubricated. If waste in the GI tract becomes sluggish or stagnant, it interacts with bacteria and bowel wall leading to irritation and inflammation."

Long-standing inflammation results in an array of pathologies, Dr. Scali said, the worst of which is colon cancer.

"Being well hydrated and eating foods high in fiber is the mainstay preventative measure in maintaining a healthy GI system during and after the holidays because it bulks up the stool and moves the waste out," he said.

Staying hydrated is not only important for lubricating the GI tract, Dr. Scali said, it also provides the medium for pancreatic enzymes to digest food and permits transport of nutrients as well as vitamins into the bloodstream.

About Yoga Lifestyles:

Yoga Lifestyles is an empowering online community that celebrates everyone's individuality through yoga as a means of expression, vitality and instrument for positive transformation. The website serves as a fresh, unbiased resource for yoga, health and wellness content such as tutorial videos, yoga poses and flows, product recommendations, meditation information, alternative holistic practices, healthy recipes and other content. For more information, please visit https://yogalifestyles.com/.

Contact:

Edward Jordan

E@relyy.com

1-312-869-4495

SOURCE: Yoga Lifestyles


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar dropped against its major counterparts in the European session on Friday, after a data showed that Canadian economic growth stagnated in October.



Data from Statistics Canada showed that the GDP was unchanged on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, following a 0.2 percent growth in September. Economists had expected the economy to expand by 0.1 percent.



On year, GDP grew 3.4 percent in October from 3.3 percent last month. This missed expectations for a 3.5 percent growth.



Oil prices dropped even as Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that the ongoing global oil output cuts would exit only gradually.



Crude for February delivery dropped $0.33 to $58.03 per barrel.



The currency was trading mixed in the Asian session. While it held steady against the greenback and the yen, it fell against the aussie. Against the euro, the currency rose.



The loonie dropped to a 2-day low of 0.9874 against the aussie, following a high of 0.9801 hit at 8:05 am ET. The next possible support for the loonie is seen around the 1.00 region.



Reversing from an early weekly high of 1.5048 against the euro, the loonie edged down to 1.5169. Continuation of the loonie's downtrend may see it challenging support around the 1.53 mark.



Survey data from the market-research group GfK showed that German consumer confidence is set to improve slightly in January.



The forward-looking consumer sentiment index rose to 10.8 for January from 10.7 in December. The score was forecast to remain unchanged at 10.7.



Having advanced to more than a 2-week high of 1.2698 against the greenback at 8:05 am ET, the loonie reversed direction and weakened to 1.2796. If the loonie falls further, 1.29 is possibly seen as its next support level.



Pulling away from an early high of 89.28 against the yen, the loonie declined to 88.60. The loonie is seen finding support around the 87.00 area.



Looking ahead, University of Michigan's final consumer sentiment index for December is set for release shortly.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
KISTA, Sweden and INGOLSTADT, Germany, December 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Macnica Europe GmbH and H&D Wireless AB (HDW) have signed a collaboration agreement for distribution of HDW wireless modules for the European IoT market.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/494475/H_and_D_Wireless_Logo.jpg )



The full wireless product portfolio of H&D Wireless will be offered via Macnica GmbH to the European market with a focus on IoT for Smart Home and Enterprise such as Industry 4.0 but also other wireless applications such as audio, medical and the COM market. This focus will primarily be supported by the new H&D Wireless modules in the Accelarate family. The Accelarate family of modules are world class in power consumption, size, cost and supports 802.11ac/abgn 2x2MU-MIMO/BT5, 802.11abgn/BT4.2 and 802.11ac/abgn/BT4.2/NFC in M.2 1216 and other form factors including 8x8mm SIP's.

An extended consulting and support service is offered by both companies. New products, such as the high performing SPB228 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo module, are under release right now and will be further promoted during f.ex. Embedded World Congress 2018. The new Accelerate family Evaluations Tools and Boards will be supported by Macnica going forward.

"HDW believe that the IoT market is to explode over the next years and we are happy to now be able to support that together with a leading distributor as Macnica, with the expertise and knowledge in respective areas. With the sales, FAE network and world class logistic centers from Macnica, we target to expand our sales and also penetrate more of Europe's major industrial companies", says HDW CEO Par Bergsten."

Andreas Wemmer, Sales Director of Macnica Europe GmbH, stated: "Macnica is watching carefully the technological evolution and further standards development of wireless connectivity in the context of industrial IoT and industrial automation and are excited to start demand creation, sales and application support of these innovative products jointly with H&D Wireless as a new partner in our distribution area across Europe."

About H&D Wireless

H&D Wireless AB, is Global Swedish IoT Company based in Stockholm. We support our customers to convert their business model from selling a device in a box to offer a service and content via the Cloud, and help saving the planet at the same time.H&D Wireless offer OEM customers the possibility to quickly and cost effective digitalize their products and make them accessible over the internet.By Oct. 2017 H&D Wireless AB products has been installed into Millions of products worldwide. H&D Wireless has over the last seven years developed end-to-end system solution containing world class Wireless modules, cloud services and smart phone apps. This solution is called: Griffin'. The Griffin' Wi-Fi Cloud platform communicates over several wireless standards such as Wi-Fi, BLE, NFC and RFID. Griffin connects your IoT Enterprise, Smart Home, SmartGrid, Industry 4.0, Healthcare devices to the cloud. Monitor and Control your utilities, appliances, toys and security units, from the comfort of your home, or when away.

Further information under http://www.hd-wireless.com.

About Macnica, Inc.

Macnica was established in 1972 as a semiconductor distribution company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and has over 65 sales offices worldwide in eastern Asia, Europe and the USA. Total number of employees is over 2,600 and its consolidated revenue for fiscal 2015 was approximately US$ 4 B. Macnica is famous for having an excellent engineering team of more than 800 application support engineers, IC designers and software developers with strong focus on providing technical support for its customers including custom design services. Macnica is continuing to extend its presence globally by having successful partners in strategic areas in the electronics market.

About Macnica Europe GmbH

Macnica's European headquarter was originally established in the UK in 2006, and moved to Germany in July 2008, to increase efficacy of its service for European customers.

By it's acquisition of the Munich based company Scantec Mikroelektronik in 2014 Macnica Europe formed a powerful semiconductor distribution with headquarters in Munich and Ingolstadt and numerous sales offices in Europe offering an attractive and competitive portfolio of highly sophisticated devices.

Macnica provides end to end support from design-in to production through its global service network to its customers, regardless of the final destination of the product shipment to customers' manufacturing locations.
The global commercial aircraft airframe materials market is expected to grow at a CAGR of close to 4% from 2017-2021, according to a new market research report by Technavio.

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Technavio has published a new market research report on the global commercial aircraft airframe materials market 2017-2021 under their energy library. (Photo: Business Wire)

Global commercial aircraft airframe materials market segmentation by aircraft type and geography

Technavio's report on the global commercial aircraft airframe materials market analyses the business dimensions and presents a comprehensive breakdown in terms of market segmentation by aircraft type, including narrow-body aircraft, wide-body aircraft, and regional aircraft. As projected in 2016, approximately 63% of the market share originated from the narrow-body aircraft segment. The increasing popularity of point-to-point flying approach and the demand for cost-effective narrow-body aircraft will remain dominant during the forecast period.

Based on geography, the global commercial aircraft airframe materials market has been segmented into APAC, EMEA, and the Americas. As of 2016, approximately 45% of the market share came from the Americas. The aerospace industry in the Americas is matured, and it is supported by the booming aviation base in North American countries, particularly in the US. North America had about one-third of the global operational fleets by the end of 2016, and this number is expected to increase in the next two decades. North America contributes to almost one-fourth of the global aerospace production.

"The US dominates the aerospace manufacturing among other nations in the Americas. The aerospace supply chain is highly dependent on sales to airlines and the governments. The growth in this region can be attributed to the increasing demand for air travel and fluctuating fuel prices that has surged the demand for fuel-efficient new-generation commercial aircraft," says Ramyabrata Chakraborty, a lead analyst at Technavio for aerospace components research.

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Commercial aircraft airframe materials market: competitive vendor landscape

The mix of materials in aviation will continue to change in upcoming years. Fresh machinable metals, composites, and new metal alloys will replace the traditional materials. The aviation industry is moving towards lightweight components and structures having increased strength with improved corrosion and heat resistance. Due to this, material suppliers are channelizing substantial funds in research and development of new-generation materials that can cater to the increasing demand.

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Other topics covered in the report:

Market drivers:

Increasing orders for new-generation aircraft

Growing demand for lightweight airframe materials

Market challenges:

High production and maintenance cost

Technical hindrances associated with repair and maintenance of composite materials

Market trends:

Adoption of 3D printing technology for aircraft airframe

Carbon nanotube composites in airframe manufacturing

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Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

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If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

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TriLinc Global Impact Fund has approved a new term loan sub-advisor for business expansion and socioeconomic development in Emerging Europe, broadening its existing term loan and trade finance investment capabilities in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

TriLinc Global Impact Fund ("TriLinc") announced that it has approved a new Investment Manager, CEECAT Capital Limited CCL Investments SARL (collectively "CCL Capital" or "CCL Investments"), to act as a sub-advisor on term loan investment opportunities in Emerging Europe.

TriLinc is an impact investing fund that provides growth-stage loans and trade finance to established small and medium enterprises ("SMEs") in developing economies where access to affordable capital is significantly limited. Impact Investing is defined as investing with the specific objective of achieving a competitive financial return as well as creating positive, measurable impact in communities across the globe.

TriLinc complements its global macroeconomic portfolio optimization and management with investment services from experienced sub-advisors that have established track records in target asset classes and geographies, and access to high-quality investment pipelines. Collectively, TriLinc's twelve sub-advisors, including CCL Capital, have deployed over $34 billion in developing economy debt transactions.

Established in 2014, CCL Capital is a European-focused spin-off of ADM Capital group ("ADM Capital"), which has specialized in recovery, special situations and stressed opportunities across Asia since 1998 and in the Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Turkey ("CEECAT") region since 2005. CCL Capital manages all of ADM Capital's legacy assets in the CEECAT region and focuses on extending private credit to SMEs who cannot access regular bank financing due to factors such as local regulatory restrictions on bank lending, illiquidity or stress in the banking sector, delays in the bank approval process, collateral coverage mismatch for local banks, among others.

CCL Capital's principals have 42 years of combined experience in corporate and structured finance, cash equity sales and equity derivative sales, including past tenures at Merrill Lynch, DEG, The World Bank, IFC, KPMG Transaction Services, and Allen Overy, and have completed a total of ~$299 million (equivalent to 255 million) in debt investment deals across the CEECAT region. CCL Capital has a demonstrated track record in establishing, operating, managing and advising funds that invest in companies across the region through utilizing their strong cultural knowledge of the local legal jurisdictions and regulatory compliance requirements. TriLinc's partnership with CCL Capital will provide term loans to borrower companies primarily operating in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Following the 2008 crisis, SMEs have found it challenging to source capital in the CEECAT region given the dominance of foreign owned banks in the local markets and the consequent withdrawal of capital once the financial crisis hit. The SME sector represents 90% of all corporations in the region and is a major source of employment, production and income tax. SMEs possess a number of constraints when seeking growth capital, including insufficient access to capital markets, lack of financial management, insufficient equity capital, and difficulty in accessing bank finance. With scarce access to capital, CCL Capital is able to scale this market by being one of the few private debt providers targeting SMEs in this region.

CCL Capital differentiates itself from traditional bank lenders by structuring its facilities to focus on improving corporate governance by working closely with the borrower's management team to improve the finance functions of the borrower company, such as accounting transparency, better financial planning, and cash flow management. CCL Capital implements improvements in the areas of operations, strategy, and environmental and social practices for its borrowers. The directors appointed by CCL Capital strengthen the borrower's corporate governance through active participation and by establishing the functions and operations of the board. Critical environmental and social roadmaps are identified during the due diligence phase with the help of third party consultants, who are often employed by CCL Capital to further counsel and monitor the implementation of post investment action plans and management systems against the IFC Performance Standards. Since capital is scarce for SMEs in Emerging Europe, CCL Capital believes that the ultimate goal of their facilities is to see their investee companies access the formal banking sector by demonstrating strong financial ratios, improved governance, and a track record of responsible financial management.

"TriLinc's partnership with CCL Capital represents the first time that we will be able to take advantage of the investment and impact opportunities within the growing SME segment in Emerging Europe," said Gloria Nelund, TriLinc's CEO. "CCL Capital's institutional quality approach, deep market knowledge and appreciation for environmental and social performance of portfolio companies align with TriLinc's goal to continue meeting the financial needs of local SMEs while delivering risk adjusted returns to our US investor base."

Anthony Stalker, CIO of CCL Capital, added, "CCL's partnership with TriLinc demonstrates not only an important step in mobilizing private money into this region but also a shared commitment to responsible investing resulting in a long term legacy of job creation and capital formation. Both TriLinc and CCL have a strong focus on social development goals which we believe are a critical part of development in the region."

About TriLinc Global Impact Fund

TriLinc is a non-traded, externally managed, limited liability company that makes impact investments in SMEs in developing economies that provide the opportunity to achieve both competitive financial returns and positive measurable impact. TriLinc invests in SMEs through experienced local market sub-advisors, and expects to create a diversified portfolio of financial assets consisting primarily of collateralized private debt instruments. In addition, the Company aggregates and analyzes social, economic, and environmental impact data to track progress and measure success against stated objectives.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws and regulations. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "will" and other similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions and forecasts of future results. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained herein to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company's expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171222005388/en/

Contacts:

TriLinc Global Impact Fund

Gloria Nelund

Chief Executive Officer

310-220-0871
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2017) - Intercontinental Gold and Metals Ltd. (TSXV: ICAU) ("ICAU" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news release dated December 13, 2017, it has agreed to issue, as a loan bonus in accordance with Policy 5.1 of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"), up to 3,750 units (the "Units") at a price of C$1,000 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$3,750,000. Each Unit is comprised of: (i) one promissory note in the principal amount of C$1,000 bearing a coupon of 10.0%, payable semi-annually (the "Note"); (ii) 750 common shares (the "Bonus Shares"); and (iii) 750 common share purchase warrants (each a "Bonus Warrant"), with each Bonus Warrant being exercisable for one common share of the Company at a price of $0.20 per share for a period of five years after the closing date.

The Notes have a 5-year term.

Proceeds of the financing will be used for gold trading activities and project development capital for the Company's current operations in Bolivia, expansion of gold trading activities into Peru and Brazil, and for general working capital purposes.

About Intercontinental Gold and Metals Ltd.

Intercontinental Gold and Metals Ltd. has successfully transformed itself to become a Next Generation Metals and Mining Company providing leverage to commodity prices, exploration and development success and significant growth potential for our stakeholders. We believe our active involvement in the physical commodities market will provide insights in global primary supply and demand trends that in turn create a strategic and competitive advantage on new mine development and expansion opportunities on a global basis. The Company generates revenues from the purchases and sales of gold (accounted for as revenue). Cost of sales is measured at the fair value of the precious metals purchased and inventory sold, which is purchased at a competitive discount from licensed artisanal and small miners (ASGM). ASGM supply supports a sustainable revenue generation model. We are unique being the only publicly listed company servicing the LATAM ASGM market.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

INTERCONTINENTAL GOLD AND METALS LTD.

Gorden Glenn

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact;

Investor Relations at 647-985-2785 or Barry Mire, Renmark Financial at 514-939-3989

Forward Looking Statements

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expect, are forward-looking statements. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. 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, save and except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwired - December 22, 2017) - Saxena White P.A. has filed a securities fraud class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Credit Suisse Group AG ("Credit Suisse" or the "Company") (NYSE: CS) on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired the common stock of the Company between March 20, 2015 and February 3, 2016, inclusive (the "Class Period").

Credit Suisse is a multinational financial services holding company with one of its four primary divisions focused on investment banking. The Company is based in Switzerland with its principal U.S. offices in New York, New York.

The Complaint asserts claims for violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and risk controls.

Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Credit Suisse's risk protocols and control systems were routinely disregarded (3) the Company was accumulating billions of dollars of risky, highly illiquid securities in violation of those risk protocols; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' statements about Credit Suisse's business, operations, and risk controls were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

You may obtain a copy of the Complaint and join the class action at www.saxenawhite.com.

If you purchased Credit Suisse American Depositary Receipts between March 20, 2015 and February 3, 2016, you may contact Lester Hooker (lhooker@saxenawhite.com) at Saxena White P.A. to discuss your rights and interests.

If you purchased Credit Suisse American Depositary Receipts during the Class Period of March 20, 2015 through February 3, 2016 and wish to apply to be the lead plaintiff in this action, a motion on your behalf must be filed with the Court by no later than February 20, 2018. You may contact Saxena White P.A. to discuss your rights regarding the appointment of lead plaintiff and your interest in the class action. Please note that you may also retain counsel of your choice and need not take any action at this time to be a class member.

Saxena White P.A., with offices in Florida, New York, and Massachusetts, concentrates its practice on prosecuting securities fraud and complex class actions on behalf of institutions and individuals. Currently serving as lead counsel in numerous securities fraud class actions nationwide, the firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injured investors and is active in major litigation pending in federal and state courts throughout the United States.

CONTACT INFORMATION



Lester R. Hooker, Esq.

lhooker@saxenawhite.com

Saxena White P.A.

150 East Palmetto Park Road, Suite 600

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Tel: (561) 206-6708

Fax: (866) 290-1291

www.saxenawhite.com
The latest market research report by Technavio on the global folding carton marketpredicts a CAGR close to 5% during the period 2017-2021.

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Technavio has published a new market research report on the global folding carton market from 2017-2021. (Photo: Business Wire)

The report segments the global folding carton market by end-user including, food, personal and household care, and healthcare; and by geography including, APAC, EMEA, and the Americas. It provides a detailed illustration of the major factors influencing the market, including drivers, opportunities, trends, and industry-specific challenges.

Here are some key findings of the global folding carton market, according to Technavio transportation and logistics researchers:

Increase in demand for folding cartons from healthcare sector: a major market driver

The food segment dominated the market with approximately 30% share in 2016

APAC dominated the global folding carton market with a share of 43% in 2016

Graphic Packaging International, Smurfit Kappa, Sonoco, and WestRock are the leading players in the market

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Increase in demand for folding cartons from healthcare sector: a major market driver

The healthcare industry is expected to witness a considerable boost in the demand for folding cartons during the forecast period. Paperboard cartons and cases, in folding cartons, are widely used to contain, protect, and transport medical products and pharmaceutical drugs. Due to swift growth in population along with an increase in expenditure on healthcare, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries is expected to be the chief contributors to the increase in the demand for folding cartons in the healthcare industry. The need for easy to carry, recyclable, and biodegradable packaging solutions for medicines and associated products will have a positive impact on the demand for folding cartons in the healthcare and pharma industry.

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China leading the market in APAC

The leading users of folding cartons and overall consumption in APAC is China. It accounts for almost 55% of the market in this region. The food industry is expected to have the highest demand for folding carton packaging during the forecast period. One of the drivers for the growth of the folding carton market in APAC is the development of new manufacturing technologies.

According to Sharan Raj, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on packaging, "APAC is expected to witness a significant growth during the forecast period due to the rise in the demand for convenience foods. In countries such as India and China, the introduction of active and intelligent packaging with anti-counterfeit technology is projected to boost the market. The increasing demand for folding cartons is expected to draw more attention from vendors while generating an increase in investment."

Competitive vendor landscape

Presence of several vendors offering folding cartons for a variety of products has led to the global folding carton market being highly competitive. No sole vendor dominates the market; however, a large part of the market is collectively dominated by certain large firms. Vendors in the market compete with small as well as large, vertically integrated folding carton companies. Vendors also compete globally with a number of small non-integrated companies that manufacture various segments of paperboard.

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Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

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Xtera, a provider of innovative subsea fiber optic solutions, today announced that it has initiated legal action against Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) ("Nokia"), including Alcatel-Lucent, and NEC Corporation ("NEC") in order to halt infringement of its intellectual property in subsea telecommunications systems. Xtera has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC") alleging that Nokia and NEC are using its technology illegally and without permission, and seeking to prevent the companies from importing and selling in the U.S. products that infringe on Xtera's patents.

Xtera's industry-leading subsea telecoms solutions carry digital data across ocean waters and directly inland to cities, allowing the transmission of data between continents. The company supplies both repeatered and un-repeatered systems, using its high performance amplifiers to deliver traffic through a network infrastructure that optimizes performance, delivers maximum reach and capacity, and reduces costs. Backed by continuous investments in engineering, research, and development, Xtera has remained at the forefront of innovation in the subsea telecoms industry. Its customers include telecoms service providers, content service providers, enterprises, and government entities worldwide.

Xtera believes that Nokia and NEC market and sell products that incorporate patent-protected technologies developed by Xtera without license to do so. These products include submarine line terminal equipment and components that are needed to transport optical signals across the ocean.

Keith Henderson, Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Xtera, said, "Xtera's investment in R&D, commitment to innovation, and focus on providing high-quality solutions to customers have always been, and will always be, at the core of our strategy. Our relentless pursuit of that strategy has transformed the subsea telecommunications industry, helping to enable the effective and efficient transmission of data across continents and around the world. We are proud of our achievements and our role as an industry pioneer, and we cannot allow our competitors to unfairly, and illegally, take advantage of our technology. By initiating legal action, Xtera is not only taking steps to protect what is lawfully ours, but we are also helping to ensure that innovation and intellectual property, which are essential to scientific advancement, are appropriately safeguarded."

Xtera has asked the ITC to issue a permanent, limited exclusion order that would prevent entry into the U.S. of products that infringe on Xtera's patents. The company also seeks a permanent cease and desist order that prohibits Nokia and NEC from importing, selling, distributing, marketing and/or advertising, and transferring any products within the U.S. that infringe on Xtera's asserted U.S. patents.

Specifics of the Complaint Xtera Filed with the ITC

Xtera is asserting five patents against Nokia and NEC, including: U.S. Patent Nos.: 8,380,068; 7,860,403; 8,971,171; 8,351,798; and 8,406,637. In paragraphs 81 89 of the complaint filed with the ITC, Xtera provides illustrative, non-exhaustive examples of instances in which Nokia and NEC engaged in the improper importation and sale of certain subsea telecommunications technologies patented by Xtera without license to do so.

About Xtera

Xtera is an innovative provider of sub-sea telecoms solutions and carries an extensive portfolio of intellectual property. The company supplies both un-repeatered and repeatered systems, using its high performance optical amplifiers to deliver traffic directly inland to cities. Xtera creates novel solutions that are suited for each individual customer whether that be provision of a full turnkey system, an open architecture design or supply of a particular product or service. We aim to challenge the norm and to provide more reliable and higher quality products over new and existing routes. Xtera is a flexible supplier who works with a variety of partners to create the best solution for each project and every customer. For more information, please visit www.xtera.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171222005463/en/

Contacts:

Sard Verbinnen Co.

Lisa Green Gloria Labbad

212-687-8080
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/22/17 -- Niobay Metals Inc. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: NBY) is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement of 814,075 flow-through shares ("FT Shares") at a price of $0.27 per FT Share and 2,890,909 common shares at a price of $0.22 per share for total proceeds of $855,800 (the "Offering").

The proceeds will be used primarily to fund exploration and development costs of the Company's mineral projects and for general corporate purposes. More specifically, the proceeds of the sale of the FT Shares will be used to incur eligible Canadian exploration expenses and flow-through mining expenditures, as defined under the Income Tax Act (Canada), that will be renounced in favour of the purchasers with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2017.

The common shares issued under the Offering are subject to a hold period expiring on April 23, 2018. The Offering was made under the prospectus exemptions under applicable securities legislation and is subject to the final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. Following completion of the Offering, the Company has 36,690,111 common shares issued and outstanding.

Resignation of a Director

The Board also announces the resignation of Mr. Jean Rainville as director of the Company, for professional reasons. The Board would like to thank Mr. Rainville for his services to the Company and wish him much success in his other projects.

Filing of Technical Report

The Company is also pleased to report that the Company has filed a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Technical Report supporting the mineral resource for the James Bay Niobium Project in Ontario, reported in the Company's news release dated November 16, 2017.

The NI 43-101 Technical Report was prepared by Dorota El Rassi, P.Eng. and Paul Chamois, P.Geo. of Roscoe Postle Associates Inc., both being considered as independent "Qualified Person" as that term is defined in NI 43-101. The NI 43-101 Technical Report may be found on the Company's website at www.niobaymetals.com or under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

About Niobay Metals Inc.

NioBay Metals Inc. is a mining exploration company holding a 100% interest in the James Bay Niobium property in Ontario, Canada. In addition NioBay holds an option to acquire an interest of up to 65% in the La Peltrie gold project in northern Quebec, a 46.9% direct participation in certain mineral titles located in the Chibougamau region, Quebec, under a joint venture agreement with SOQUEM, and a 72.5% interest in the Crevier niobium and tantalum project, located in Quebec.

Cautionary Statement

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward looking information under the provisions of Canadian securities laws. All statements that address future plans, activities or events that the company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur are forward-looking information. Specifically, this news release contains forward looking information about the Company's plans and intended use of proceeds. Forward looking information is based upon assumptions by management that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties beyond the company's control, including risks related to obtaining all necessary permits to carry out exploration work. There can be no assurance that outcomes anticipated in the forward looking information will occur, and actual results may differ materially for a variety of reasons. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information, except as may be required by law.

The FT Shares and common shares issued under the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Claude Dufresne, P.Eng.

President & CEO

NioBay Metals Inc.

514 866-6500, Ext. 221

cdufresne@niobaymetals.com

www.niobaymetals.com




KOWLOON, HONG KONG / ACCESSWIRE / December 22, 2017 / Mr. William Ko, President of LBTD, is excited to announce that:

LOTUS BIO- TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORP. (OTC PINK: LBTD) has entered into a significant agreement with COIN RIG SOLUTION (Coin), an Ontario, Canada Cryptocurrency Algorithm and Encryption Company. The agreement allows LBTD to lead the Cryptocurrency market with its own algorithm optimizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) that allows mining bitcoins, ethereum, litecoins and other cryptocurrencies. The AI will choose the most profitable currency to mine on any specific day. COIN is employing its expert algorithm specialist so that LBTD can build an expert team of smart cryptocurrency programmers.

We have a new twitter feed as of today. @lbtd_coin_rig

The current combined market cap of all cryptocurrencies is valued at over $557,000,000,000 (five hundred fifty-seven BILLION dollars) U.S. Dollars today.

LBTD is in the process to acquire up to 100% of COIN, paid in shares of LBTD or in cash equivalent of at a price to be determined at a later date, an enter this lucrative market together.

COIN RIG SOLUTIONS is the authority on mining cryptocurrencies utilizing application specific integrated circuit mining rigs, which are high-performance computer systems used for cryptocurrency mining. The dash rigs and bitcoin rigs it will obtain are high powered CPU and GPU servers and are customized to the company's specifications. Each is considered to be the most powerful available in the marketplace currently in terms of hash rate.

"As education of digital coin mining continues, here is our technical analysis that most companies do not share to the public: The strength of a machine is measured in terms of its hash rate and electricity use. A machine that has a higher hash rate and uses less electricity than an alternative machine is considered more powerful because it can mine more coins while using less power. The hash rate measures how powerful a miner's machine is. Specifically, it measures the number of times a hash function can be computed per second. A higher hash rate is better when mining as it increases your opportunity of finding the next block and receiving the reward," said Ko.

"We at LBTD are open and are willing to educate the public about cryptocurrency mining. The more our investors know the higher their confidence levels are with LBTD. We will learn as well and want to build a great company with great technology and with great profitability. We will invest in smart people and smart hardware for maximum efficacy in the mining marketplace," said William Ko, President of the Company.

About Lotus Bio-Technology Corp:

Lotus Bio-Technology is a company actively seeking new opportunities to add shareholder value with strategic partnerships. The Company is currently headquartered in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It has an agreement with Coin Rig Solutions as of Dec. 22, 2017, to allow the Company to enter the cryptocurrency industry, a half-trillion dollar marketplace.

Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Website: http://lotusbiotechnologies.com

Twitter: @LBTD_COIN_RIG

Forward-Looking Statements

Some information in this document constitutes forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements, such as the closing of the share exchange agreement. The words "want", "willing", "to lead", "wishes", "aspires", "plan", "forecast", "anticipates", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to Caduceus Software Systems Corp., herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Lotus Bio-Technology Corp., disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE: Lotus Bio-Technology Development Corp.
RIMOUSKI, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/22/17 -- Puma Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE: PUM)(SSE: PUMA) (the "Company" or "Puma) is pleased to announce the closing of non-brokered private placement financings of flow-through shares with qualified investors, employees and consultants. The Company issued 8,358,000 shares at an issue price of $0.10 per flow-through shares for gross proceeds of $835,800. The flow-through share comprises one flow-through common share without any warrant.

In connection with these Private Placements, the Company has paid cash finder's fees in an amount of $41,664 and issued 416,640 finder's warrants will entitle holder to acquire one additional common share of Puma at a price of $0.10 for 24 months. All securities issued to purchasers and finders under the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period from the date of issuance of the securities, pursuant to applicable securities legislation and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The placements have received the conditional approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The proceeds of the Offerings will be used for the exploration and development of Puma's properties in New Brunswick. The technical team is on site at Murray Brook Area in order to get the drill sites and access road ready for the current drilling program. 5,000 meters of drilling is planned to begin at close proximity of the Deposit and will move next to the Murray Brook East Property contiguous to the Caribou Mining Lease held by Trevali Mining Corp. Also, Puma is proceeding with a geochemical drillcore sampling program within the footwall and hangwall zones of the Murray Brook Deposit to determine the alteration model along the favorable horizon. This alteration survey will also help defining more precisely the drilling targets.

About the Murray Brook Project

The Murray Brook Project consists of three (3) distinct contiguous areas that cover more than 18 kilometers of the favorable rocks that host the operating Caribou Mine (Trevali Mining Corp.), the Murray Brook Deposit and the past operating Restigouche Mine (Trevali Mining Corp.). From east to west, the project comprises the Murray Brook East Property (4925), the Murray Brook Mining Lease (# 252) and the Murray Brook West Property (7846) (refer to website).

The Murray Brook East and Murray Brook West Properties have been subject to various degrees of exploration and share the same potential of increasing the mineral resources defined at the Murray Brook Deposit. The Company has defined several future priority targets on these properties.

The Murray Brook deposit has a currently defined measured and indicated mineral resources of 5.28 million tonnes averaging 5.24% zinc, 1.80% lead, 0.46% copper, 68.9 g/t silver and 0.65 g/t gold. The core of the mineral resource occurs in the West Zone which is 200 meters wide, extending from surface to 300 meters vertical and the true thickness of the massive sulphide body varies from 75 meters to 100 meters. The East Zone (Copper-Gold) is 100 meters wide, also extending from surface to 300 vertical meters and is mainly mineralized with gold and copper. On February 20th 2017, a NI 43-101 report was accepted and filed on SEDAR.

About Puma Exploration Inc.

Puma Exploration is a Canadian mineral exploration company with advanced precious and base metals projects in Canada. The Company's major assets consist of an option to acquire 100% beneficial interest in the Murray Brook Property, the Turgeon Zinc-Copper Project and the Nicholas-Denys Project located in New Brunswick as well as an equity interest in BWR Resources, Manitoba. Puma's objective for the coming year is to focus its exploration efforts in New Brunswick.

Qualified Persons and QC/AC

The content of this press release was prepared by Marcel Robillard, P.Geo., President and Dominique Gagne, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration of Puma Exploration, qualified persons as defined by NI 43-101, who supervised the preparation and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. 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. Mr. Robillard and Mr. Gagne are not independent of the Company, as both are officers and shareholders thereof. The samples were prepared, sent, processed at ALS Val D'Or, Quebec and ALS Sudbury, Ontario. All samples were assayed by ME-ICP41 method and gold was assayed by AU-AA26 method. QA/QC are monitored by the analysis of blanks, reference material and replicate samples at a frequency of one (1) of each per 30 samples.

You can visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

Learn more by consulting www.pumaexploration.com for further information on Puma Exploration Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Puma Exploration Inc. to be materially different from actual future results and achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date the statements were made, except as required by law. Puma Exploration undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the quarterly and annual reports and in the documents submitted to the securities administration.

Contacts:

Marcel Robillard, President

(418) 724-0901

president@explorationpuma.com




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2017) - Benchmark Botanics Inc. (CSE: BBT) (the "Company" or "Benchmark") is pleased to announce that the Company has completed the acquisition of a 10 acre land parcel (the "Stowell Property") contiguous to the Company's property that together comprises, in the total, 20 acres of land on which the Company's facility is located. The acquisition was completed for a purchase price of $1,000,000 paid in cash pursuant to a Contract of Purchase and Sale dated November 30, 2017 as amended on December 15, 2017 with Claude Clifford Stowell as vendor. Mr. Stowell is the Chief Operating Officer and a director of the Company and also the President and a director of Potanicals. Prior entering into the Contract of Purchase and Sale, Mr. Stowell had leased the Stowell Property to Potanicals, and Potanicals was given a right of first refusal to purchase the Stowell Property, as disclosed in greater detail in the Company's Listing Statement dated November 2, 2017, which is filed on SEDAR.

The purchase and sale of the land parcel is a 'related party transaction' within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") because the vendor is directors of Benchmark and Potanicals. The Company relies upon the exemption in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 from the requirement to obtain a formal valuation of the land parcel because the Company's common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange and are not listed or quoted on any of the stock exchanges or markets specified in section 5.5(b). The Company also relies on the exemption contained in section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 from the requirement to obtain minority shareholder approval of the acquisition of the land parcel because neither the fair market value of the land to be purchased nor the fair market value of the consideration paid by the Company for the land exceeded 25 per cent of the Company's market capitalization.

About Benchmark

Benchmark, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Potanicals Green Growers Inc., is a licensed producer of medical cannabis under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR"). The Company operates a 12,700 square foot production facility in Peachland, British Columbia and is in the design stage of a Phase II expansion of an additional 50,000 square feet of growing area. The Company intends to utilize advanced cultivation methods in its cannabis facilities to address the significant opportunities in the medical marijuana market in Canada and overseas.

For more information about Benchmark, refer to the Form 2A Listing Statement available to the public under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the CSE website.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF

BENCHMARK BOTANICS INC.

/s/ "Ping (Johnson) Zhang"

Ping (Johnson) Zhang

Chief Executive Officer

For further information contact:

Robert Wilson

Vice President

416.604.7900

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. This news release includes forward-looking statements with respect to the business and future objectives of the Company. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including related to: (i) the facility and Potanicals' operations; (ii) adverse market conditions; (iii) the ability of the Company to complete financings in the future; (iv) dependence on suppliers and skilled labour; (v) government regulation and compliance with the ACMPR; (vi) managing and maintaining growth; (vii) unfavourable publicity or consumer perception litigation; and (viii) competition. The Company is not currently producing medical marijuana. There is a risk that Potanicals' Producer's License will not be amended to permit the Company to sell medical marijuana produced at its facility. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including the risk factors discussed in this news release and in the Company's disclosure documents, which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com and on the CSE website. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2017) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQX: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a preferred share purchase agreement (the "Agreement") with an entity managed by The Lind Partners, a New York based asset management firm ("Lind"). The financing will involve the issuance of 300 Series B1 Preferred Shares (the "Preferred Shares") on a private placement basis at a price of $5,000 per Preferred Share for gross proceeds of $1,500,000. The proceeds will be used for ongoing market development work, metallurgical studies and preliminary engineering work on the Separation Rapids Lithium Project and for general working capital purposes. The transaction is expected to close the week of January 1, 2018.

The Preferred Shares do not carry a dividend and have a redemption value per share that starts at $5,000 and increases by $250 per share each quarter over the next 24 months, to a cap of $6,750 per share. After the four month Hold Period (defined below), the Preferred Shares can be converted by Lind into common shares of the Company at a price per common share equal to 85% of the five-day volume weighted average price of the common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") immediately prior to the date that notice of conversion is given.

In conjunction with the closing, Lind will receive a commitment fee of $75,000 and 6,250,000 common share purchase warrants. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 per common share until 60 months after closing.

Pursuant to Canadian securities laws, the securities issuable under this private placement will be subject to a hold period (the "Hold Period"), which expires four months and one day after closing. After the Hold Period, Lind has the basic right to convert 15 Preferred Shares into common shares of the Company on a monthly basis, subject to certain conversion limits set out in the Agreement, however Lind is permitted to convert up to 60 Preferred Shares on a monthly basis in the event such amount does not exceed 20% of the Company's 20-day traded volume of common shares on the TSX immediately prior to the date of delivery of a conversion notice.

Lind will also be entitled to accelerate its conversion right to the full amount of the redemption value applicable at such time, or demand repayment of the applicable redemption value per share in cash, upon the occurrence of certain events as set out in the Agreement. The Company has the right to redeem the Preferred Shares at any time after the Hold Period at a small premium to the redemption value. The Company has floor price protection such that if any conversion results in an effective conversion price of less than $0.10 per common share, then the Company has the right to deny the conversion and instead redeem the Preferred Shares that were subject to that conversion for the redemption amount in cash plus a 5% premium.

At any time while any Preferred Shares are outstanding, Lind has the option of subscribing for up to an additional 50 Series B2 Preferred Shares at a price of $5,000 per share and under the same terms and conditions as the initial financing, subject to certain triggering events and subject to the prior approval of the TSX.

The Company has received conditional approval of the TSX in connection with the completion of the Series B1 Preferred Share private placement.

Phillip Valliere, Managing Director at Lind said, "Lind is pleased to make this follow-on investment in Avalon, increasing our total investment to $4,000,000. We remain confident that management will successfully advance the Separation Rapids Lithium Project and we are happy to provide our continued support to the Company."

Don Bubar, Avalon's President and CEO commented, "Lind continue to be solid supporters of the Company's development plans for both the Separation Rapids Lithium and East Kemptville Tin Projects. This preferred share financing model achieves a balance that mitigates some of the risk of excessive dilution to our shareholders while providing Lind with some downside protection."

Flow-Through Private Placement

In addition to the above transaction, the Company has also completed a non-brokered private placement consisting of 2,500,000 flow-through shares at a price of $0.145 per share for gross proceeds of $362,500.

In conjunction with this private placement, Avalon paid finder's fees of $19,140 and issued 132,000 non-transferrable finder's warrants, with each finder's warrant being exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 for a period of 24 months from today. Pursuant to Canadian securities laws, the securities issuable under this private placement are subject to a hold period which expires four months and one day from the date of issuance. The proceeds from this offering will be used primarily to continue to advance the Company's Separation Rapids Lithium Project.

This news release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to US persons (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration. All currency reported in this release is in Canadian dollars.

About The Lind Partners

The Lind Partners is a New York-based institutional fund management firm focused on small-and mid-cap companies publicly traded in Canada, Australia and the UK across mining, oil & gas, biotech and technology. Lind employs a multi-strategy investment approach: direct investments of new capital; participation in syndicated equity placements; IPO/pre-IPO investments; and selective open market trades. Since 2009, the Lind team has completed over 75 direct investments totaling over $600 million in value.

About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.

Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. The Company has three advanced stage projects, all 100%-owned, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium, and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON and its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Yarmouth, NS. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones.

For questions and feedback, please e-mail the Company at ir@AvalonAM.com, or phone Don Bubar, President & CEO at 416-364-4938.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to the anticipated closing of the financing and how the Company plans to use the net proceeds from the financings. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "potential", "scheduled", "anticipates", "continues", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", "planned", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" or "will not be" taken, reached or result, "will occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Avalon to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. Although Avalon 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. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to market conditions, and the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's current Annual Information Form, Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. 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. Such forward-looking statements have been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Avalon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Guest Post by Roberto Bonanzinga  InReach Ventures and formerly Balderton (Benchmark Europe)

Efficiency. Speed. Proactive outreach.

Two years ago Ben, John and I started InReach Ventures with a great idea, a strong will to work hard, and special support from our friend Riccardo Donadon and H-FARM. Today we have more friends supporting us and the idea is a reality. Our suspicions are being proven out by real-world evidence. Our biggest learning so far: we have a hell of a lot more to do.

Lets start with some numbers. The chart below details what the team at InReach Ventures has achieved.

These numbers are important for three reasons:

Efficiency: Smart technology obviates the operational model of a traditional Venture Firm. So far InReach Ventures is benefiting from a 10x efficiency gain. Its clear that we can do even better.

Speed: DIG (InReachs proprietary tech platform) enables us to discover deals, across the whole of Europe, faster and earlier than would otherwise could.

Proactive outreach: InReach deal-flow is based on proactive hunting. We reach out to the entrepreneurs that our platform discovers. We neednt wait for them to come to us.

After looking at companies all over Europe, in the last 18 months we invested in six companies (Soldo, Oberlo, Qriously, Kontena, Shapr3D and Aibl) in five different European countries (UK, Hungary, Finland, Lithuania and Sweden).

One more thingOur portfolio company, Oberlo, has been acquired by Shopify!

More than 18 months ago, using a primitive version of todays much enhanced DIG, we discovered what was (at the time) a largely unknown startup called Oberlo based out of Vilnius, Lithuania. Since then, with our help, the Oberlo founding team has grown from its small, Lithuanian, office to comprise a 40 person-strong team spanning from Vilnius to Berlin.
New Delhi: When the Special CBI court acquitted all the 19 accused in the 2G spectrum allocation case, there were gasps of disbelief all round. Hadnt the Supreme Court cited irregularities in spectrum allocation under the same UPA-I regime to cancel 122 telecom licenses? If the SC could find irregularities, how come the CBI court could not? In his judgment, O P Saini said The end result of the above discussion is that, I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that, the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any of the accused, made in its well choreographed charge sheet.

If one looks at some of the star witnesses that deposed before judge Saini over the years, it becomes apparent why the judge was perhaps left with no option but to allow all the accused to walk free. Case in point? Well known corporate lobbyist Niira Radia. She is remembered as much for her public relations work for some of India Incs biggest names as for the controversy around her alleged conversations with the powers that be. Some would say that the leaked Radia tapes were among the first indications of any wrongdoing in the telecom ministry under A Raja.

But that turned out to be mere perception and Radias deposition proved to be a damp squib in the quest for answers. Anyhow, it is safe to say that not often in her life would Niira Radia have faced a situation where her words held as little meaning as they did in the court of Justice Saini. The Special CBI Judge heard out Radia, one of the star witnesses, five times during the long trial on the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam. And concluded in his judgment, which was given out on Thursday, that this witness did not cite any reason as to why TTSL (Tata Teleservices) did not get the spectrum. Perhaps, she knew that the denial was for right reasons. There is nothing of any significance in her deposition. Her deposition is of no use to prosecution.

At the time of 2G spectrum allocation, Radia was handling the PR mandate of the Tata Group on telecom matters and deposed before the CBI court on 28 May, 2013. The judgment quotes Radia saying she was aware that TTSL has applied for dual technology (CDMA as well as GSM) license in 2007 but though the company got the license, it did not get any spectrum.

When the judge wanted to know why TTSL did not get the spectrum, she repeated several times that TTSL was assured it was in queue and would be getting spectrum as and when spectrum became available. To a question on what was the position (number) of TTSL in the queue for dual technology spectrum in Delhi service area, she said I am not aware of their number for dual technology spectrum in Delhi service area. However, there was enough correspondence between Tatas and DoT saying that TTSL was ahead in the queue by virtue of their dual technology licence. They were existing CDMA operators.

She again repeated TTSL was ahead of everybody else to another question. When she was asked to explain the reason for TTSL not being granted spectrum in Delhi service area despite being ahead of everyone else, since she was handling their (TTSLs) affairs in this regard, Radia again repeated that TTSL did not get the spectrum first as it was advised by DoT that it was not ahead of others.

TTSL was advised in this regard by the DoT orally. Swan Telecom (P) Limited had got the spectrum in Delhi service area. Reliance Communications had also got the spectrum, she added.

When she was further questioned why, when TTSL was ahead of everyone else, did Swan Telecom (P) Limited and Reliance Communications get the spectrum first, Radia once again said TTSL had opposed allocation of spectrum to STPL and Reliance Communications. However, they were advised that they were in the queue and as and when the spectrum would be available they would get it. This was the only reply we got from the DoT..........

Radia gave no apparent explanation for the DoT not allocating spectrum to her clients, though she was known to be close to senior executives in the telecom ministry and minister Raja confessed to having met her.

And the TTSL representative, who also deposed in this case, merely gave a detailed timeline of events which lead up to the company seeking spectrum, having paid for licenses and dual technology operation.

Anand Dalal, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at TTSL has said in his deposition that TTSL filed applications for UAS licences in three service areas - Assam, NorthEast and J&K  on 21 June, 2006. Both, TTSL and group company Tata Teleservices Maharashtra (TTML) were existing licencees and were using CDMA technology.

They applied for permission to use GSM technology on 19 October, 2007. While TTML applied for Mumbai and Maharashtra service areas, TTSL applied for eighteen service areas. Letter of Intents (LOIs) for three service areas were issued on 10 January,2008 and in-principle approval for use of GSM technology, for the circles applied for, was also issued on this date. The two companies submitted their application for allocation of spectrum while collecting the LoIs for three service areas as well as for GSM technology. He further deposed that the company did not get spectrum for Delhi service area despite being ahead in priority as payment was the only criteria.

Well, as Judge Saini said Not a single soul turned up. This indicates that everybody was going by public perception created by rumour, gossip and speculation. However, public perception has no place in judicial proceedings. When even star witnesses practiced reticence before the CBI court, perhaps acquittal of all the accused was the only option before the judge.
New Delhi: Airtel Payments Bank Managing Director and CEO Shashi Arora has resigned in the wake of the firm's eKYC licence suspension by Aadhaar-issuing body UIDAI.

"Shashi has decided to move on to pursue opportunities outside of Airtel. We wish Shashi the very best for his future endeavours," the company said in a statement.

Arora has been working with Airtel in senior leadership roles since 2006. He was appointed MD and CEO of Airtel Payments Bank on 1 June, 2016.

"He has been an asset for Airtel and over the years has contributed to the companys growth story. Having led the operations in key telecom circles followed by building a strong DTH business, he has laid the foundation for Airtel's payments bank operations," the statement said.

The Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) had barred Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank from conducting Aadhaar-based verification of customers using the eKYC process.

The action was taken following allegations that Bharti Airtel was using the Aadhaar-eKYC based SIM verification process to open payments bank accounts of its subscribers without their 'informed consent'.

UIDAI on Thursday allowed Bharti Airtel to use Aadhaar for re-verification of its mobile customers till 10 January with stiff riders after it returned Rs 138-crore LPG subsidy remitted to the unsolicited payments bank accounts.

It, however, maintained that Airtel Payments Bank eKYC licence will remain suspended till final enquiry and audit report.
Investors and entrepreneurs are disappointed over a recent government move to impose an income tax rule on angel investment in a bid to crack down on suspected black money flow into the country's startup ecosystem.

A tweet from startup entrepreneur Mohandas Pai, a former Infosys, a former director of Infosys, set the proverbial pigeon aflutter among the startup ecosystem.

@arunjaitley Sir Start Ups are getting harassed by IT for raising Capital,threatening to consider it as income!very bad scene and very many are angry and upset,may shift overseas.Appeal process broken, takes 15 years. Pl intervene, @PMOIndia @narendramodi @amitabhk87 @rsprasad  Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) December 19, 2017

It is not that the tax is a new development. In fact, angel investors have been making representations to the government about it but when someone like Pai tweets, it does get noticed

The startup ecosystem in India is in its nascent stage though a few have become Unicorns. But after the boom period of around two years ago, reality has struck and funding is not coming easy for the startups. Earlier, an idea would get funds but the flow stopped when many of them crash landed after being infused with funds as the product or service was not accepted by the market in some cases while some floundered as cash-burn was at a higher rate with no healthy bottomlines.

A startup is basically an idea which has some ability to be marketed. The startup founder/s then raise money from themselves and friends to get the idea ground up. After that, it usually goes to angel investors who help them to develop the idea, may say if it needs to be tweaked or not, give them inputs on what markets to target, etc. Angels put in money into the project and also handhold the startup. After it gets traction and needs more funds, is when the Venture Capitalist steps in.

Despite several promising and encouraging programmes by the government to boost the startup sector in India, Budget 2012 introduced Section 56 in the Income Tax Act which gives the authorities the power to levy tax on any consideration more than the fair value against issue of shares.

Section 56 (2) (vii) (b) of the I-T Act states:

Any consideration received by a company (startup) from a resident, against issue of shares, exceeds the fair market value of such shares, such excess consideration is taxable in the hands of the startup, as an income.

Any such extra inflow is taxable as income from other sources under Section 56(2) of the Income-Tax Act and charged the corporate tax rate, resulting in an effective tax of over 30 percent.

However, in July 2016 the government scrapped angel tax only for eligible startups (read here). According to the notification, only startups which fulfil the conditions specified by the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) as per a circular dated 17 February 2016 are eligible for the angel tax exemption. Eligible start-ups can get the tax benefit provided they obtain a certificate from the inter-ministerial board of certification. Predictably, only a few would fit the above description.

Though the tax was introduced in 2012, it is only now that the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is questioning investors, a Times of India report said.

Angels miffed

Angel investors expressed their disappointment at what they consider to be a slap on the face of the startup ecosystem which the government is trying to promote through many programmes.

Paula Mariwala, Partner, Seedfund and Co-Founder, Stanford Angels termed the governments actions completely bizarre. She said that the government had no business questioning valuation of a startup which basically has no revenues. As an angel investor, I may value a startup at x amount depending on the market reach of its product/services. Valuation cannot be linked to revenues and should be linked to projected value, she says.

Citing an instance, Mariwala says that if a company is building a product and test-markets it and need angel funding, the questions such an investor asks is about market access. A value is projected based on the sale of the product to one customer.

"There is no profitability matrix. There is no math that can say how the startup arrived at this valuation. How is a chartered accountant going to value that? Mariwala asks.

If a startup founder can pay tax, why does he need to raise money from angels anyways, ask another investor. If angel money is going towards payment of taxes, why would any angel investor come forth to fund a startup.

The number of angel and seed funding deals halved to 435 in 2017 from 901 in 2016, according to report in VC Circle. The total disclosed valued of these deals also fell sharply to $245 million from $374 million.

The angel investor community has been making representation to abolish the tax. They suggest the government should bring in a regulator, be it CBDT or Sebi, and then give those registered with them exemptions.

We understand the governments rationale is to weed out black money but it cannot use the same brush to paint everyone who is investing in start-ups from among angel investors, says Nandini Mansinghka, chairperson, Mumbai Angels. She suggests the government should identify angel networks and give them accreditation like in the US. The government must arrive at a consensus on those individuals who put in big stakes into a venture.

There are cases of persons in power favouring a sector or startup and in return being given large number of shares for money they invest, said an entrepreneur on conditions of anonymity. Angels anyway dont invest huge sums. Who will decide on fair value? What is the definition, the entrepreneur asked. If the move is to ferret out black money, the government must then look at what it has collected by way of angel tax, the entrepreneur said. Is the government saying before Section 56 of the I-T Act, no black money was being generate in the country?

Startups find it difficult to get funds and with investors not willing to part with their funds easily to this sector, the income tax department is only constricting the sector, some experts said. "If the investor is going to be subjected to the scrutiny by the income tax department it makes matters furthermore cumbersome, said Ishan Singh of Mumbai Angels.

He said that since start-ups have emerged as the growth drivers of the economy, and have been praised for bringing in innovation and creating more job opportunities, the government needs to resolve the matter of angel tax. Authorities need to regulate and streamline the space while making tax structures more conducive from an investment standpoint. The same will further encourage private investments, giving a massive boost to the pivotal sector."

The government needs to do something to do away with the angel tax so that the startup ecosystem can grow.
Mumbai: Share of households in bank deposits has increased by nearly two percentage points to 63.5 in FY17 thanks to the note-ban-driven spurt in saving deposits by individuals, show data released by the Reserve Bank on Thursday.

It can be noted that demonetisation, which involved pulling out of high denomination notes during the last November-December period, led to a massive spurt in cash deposits forcing RBI to ask banks to park the excess funds with it and draw interest on them.

The overall deposits by households increased by 14.14 percent to Rs 69,13,900 crore as against an 11.20 percent rise in total deposits with banks to Rs 1,09,43,700 crore, the Reserve Bank said.

In the annual data on the composition and ownership of deposits, the central bank said the share of household deposits rose to 63.2 percent in FY17 from 61.5 percent in the previous fiscal led by savings bank deposits.

"Unlike in the past, more than two-thirds of individuals' incremental deposits were in the form of savings deposits," it said, adding savings account deposits by individuals grew by nearly 30 percent to Rs 26,78,200 crore.

Households' share in total deposits grew across all types of deposits and in all population groups/ domestic banks groups, whereas in foreign banks, the private corporate sector held the major portion of deposits.

The central bank said households and government sectors contributed the entire incremental deposits, whereas deposits of financial and foreign sectors shrank during the last fiscal.

Among the states, Maharashtra remained at the top when in terms of share of deposits with 20.4 percent, followed by the Delhi NCR at 10 percent.

But gauging by incremental deposits by households, it was UP that led the way with a 12.7 percent share followed by Maharashtra (9.5), Bengal (8) and Gujarat (7.1).
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank India (RBI) has said gross non-performing assets in the system shot up to 10.2 percent as of the September quarter, primarily led by private sector lenders, and has warned that the situation will only aggravate from there, "elevating" the systemic risks.

In the half-yearly Financial Stability Report (FSR) put out late this evening, the central bank, however, said the financial system remains "stable" overall though it has pegged the bad loans spiking to 10.8 percent by the March quarter and to 11.1 percent by September 2018.

"The banking stability indicator (BSI) shows that the risks remain at an elevated level weighed down by further asset quality deterioration," the FSR notes.

Overall, the stressed assets, including restructured loans and dud loans increased marginally to 12.2 percent during the same period from 12.1 percent. The state-run banks' GNPA shot by 100 bps to 13.5 percent while the same for their private sector peers jumped to 3.80 percent.

Incidently, the report says private sector lenders, considered more prudent are the ones reporting the most stress reporting a whopping 40.8 percent spike in their GNPAs as against 17 percent by the state-run ones whose lazy banking has been blamed primarily for the mess in the system.

The overall gross non-performing assets or GNPAs in the system have grown to 10.2 percent as of the September quarter from 9.6 percent six months earlier, when the last FSR was released, it said.

It can be noted that all the top private sector lenders, including ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Yes Bank, and even HDFC Bank, have been found to have under-reported their dud assets in the recent RBI" supervision, results of which were recognised over the first two quarters of the fiscal.

In what should cause more concern for everyone, a baseline scenario of the Reserve Bank says the GNPAs ratio will slip further to 10.8 percent in the March quarter and 11.1 percent by September 2018.

In the foreword to the report, deputy governor NS Vishwanathan warns that overall risks to the system arising from asset quality concerns "continue to persist".

He warns that though supporting factors exist on external front like increased consumption, investment and geographical spread, the economy will be able to take advantage of the "tailwinds" only if the banking sector comes back into "good shape".

The central bank notes the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code regime is "showing significant progress in dealing with financial and operational creditors to insolvent companies in a market determined and time bound manner".

Corporate governance at the state-run lenders is "key" to ensuring the success of government's Rs 2.1 trillion bank recapitalisation programme, it says.

On the growth front, the report acknowledges that there has been an uptick after GST and note-ban "hiccups", but warns that corporate deleveraging and muted credit growth by state-run banks that account for 70 percent of the system pose a "downside risks".

Investment climate remains "challenging" as seen from the decline in investment proposals, it says, noting that events like the sovereign rating upgrade from Moody's, progress on stalled projects and efforts to improve quality of state expenditure can help revive the inflows.

"The decisive recapitalisation move can provide the much needed fillip to private investment going forward," Vishwanathan notes.
New Delhi/Mumbai: Dismissing rumours, both the government and the Reserve Bank on Friday said there was no question of closure of any public sector bank.

The decision of the Reserve Bank to initiate a 'prompt corrective action' (PCA) against large state-owned lender Bank of India led to rumours that the government may close down some banks.

The RBI in a statement said that it has come across some "misinformed communication" circulating in some section of media, including social media, about closure of some public sector banks in the wake of their being placed under the PCA.

The government too dismissed such rumours saying that on the contrary it is planning to strengthen the state-owned banks.

"No question of closing down any Bank. Government is strengthening PSBs by 2.11 lakh crore recapitalisation plan. Do not believe rumour mongers. Recap, Reforms roadmap for PSBs firmly on track," said financial services Secretary Rajeev Kumar in a tweet.

The RBI, on its part, clarified that "the PCA framework is not intended to constrain normal operations of the banks for the general public".

The central bank had issued a similar clarification in June also.

It emphasised that the PCA framework has been in operation since December 2002 and the guidelines issued on 13 April, 2017 are only a revised version of the earlier framework.

Besides Bank of India, the RBI has also initiated similar action against other public sector banks including IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and UCO Bank.

The RBI said that under its supervisory framework, it uses various measures/tools to maintain sound financial health of banks.

"PCA framework is one of such supervisory tools, which involves monitoring of certain performance indicators of the banks as an early warning exercise and is initiated once such thresholds as relating to capital, asset quality etc. are breached," it said.

The objective is to facilitate the banks to take corrective measures including those prescribed by the RBI, in a timely manner, in order to restore their financial health.

The framework also provides an opportunity to the RBI to pay focused attention on such banks by engaging with the management more closely in those areas.

"The PCA framework is, thus, intended to encourage banks to eschew certain riskier activities and focus on conserving capital so that their balance sheets can become stronger," the RBI added.
After putting a cap on stents and orthopedic implants, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has decided to cap MRP and margins allowed on disposable syringes and needles. The NPPA has asked syringe and needle manufacturers set trade margins at maximum 75 percent over discounted ex-factory prices including GST on a voluntary basis, and comply with it by 26 January 2018.

This announcement has come as a welcome decision after a recent NPPA report showed that some hospitals are taking margins of anywhere from 1,000 percent to 1,700 percent on procurement prices.

In one of the most recent examples of overpricing, the Fortis Hospital in New Delhi, which was recently in the news for overcharging and unethical practices  and whose licence was first cancelled and then reinstated  took over 1,000 margins for syringes of 2ml, 5 ml and 10 ml and over 1,700 percent for 50 ml syringes, according to an NPPA report released on 15 December.

The NPPA report was based on the bill that the hospital had generated in the treatment of seven-year-old Hadiya, who later died of dengue, due to the hospital's negligence. According to the report, the hospital had reportedly charged Rs 18 lakhs to the girl's parents and inflated the cost of consumables and medicines by taking huge margins on procurement prices.

While the syringes and needles do not fall under the purview of the Drugs (Price Control) Order 2013, and hence their prices are not regulated, the 2ml needle, the MRP for which is fixed by the DPCO 2013 at Rs 5, was charged at Rs 19, nearly four times the regulated price.

According to All India Syringe and Needles Manufacturers Association (AISNMA), a group led by manufacturers of syringes and needles, the NPPA has asked manufacturers to print the latest reduced MRP on syringe and needles from 24 December 2017, while the new prices will be implemented from 26 January 2018 onwards.

"This period is to allow all manufacturers to clear current stock of their packaging material with current MRPs and enable a smooth transition," AISNMA said in a release earlier this week.

The price caps will be applicable on all categories of syringes and needles including disposable, auto disposable, reuse prevention, needle stick prevention and insulin pen needles, and was voluntary agreed upon by manufacturers like HMD, BioMed, HiTech, Shreyans, One Touch, Guru Mangalam, PH Healthcare, Veekay Surgicals, Romsons, SRS, Dora, Nilham Maruti Meditech and Prickwell. The cap, however, was opposed by Lifelong, while others were absent.

Pradeep Sarin, head of marketing, HMD, one of the manufacturers which has agreed to self-regulate the prices of syringes and needles and controls 60 percent of India's syringe and needles market, says, "Syringes don't make a huge part of the medical consumables market, but it's one of the basic items in a medical treatment, and hence must be regulated."

However, since NPPA has not set an MRP, and it's still voluntarily, "different syringes and needles from different companies are still likely to be priced differently".
New Delhi: In a major crackdown against leak of price sensitive information about listed firms, market watchdog Sebi on Friday conducted searches at premises of more than 30 market analysts and dealers and seized documents, computers, mobiles and laptops.

The searches follow a probe into circulation of unpublished price sensitive information about various listed companies, including some blue chips, through WhatsApp messages and social media chatrooms.

"Sebi carried out 'search and seizure' operations in major cities today. The operations were conducted at the residences and offices of more than 30 market analysts and dealers in securities market," a source familiar with the development said.

"Registers, documents, computers, mobile phones and laptops, among other things, were seized," the source added.

The operations involved more than 70 Sebi officials, assisted by the state police departments.

This is one of the biggest operations since Sebi got the search and seizure powers.

Sebi launched a probe after reports recently indicated that price sensitive information relating to major companies listed in Indian stock exchanges, were being circulated in WhatsApp groups, prior to the public announcement of quarterly results.

Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi recently said that the regulator was investigating into the matter.

It is first of its kind operation by a securities market regulator, across the globe, said a market expert.

So far, no securities market regulator has been able to check the circulation of such information through WhatsApp encrypted messages, he added.

Circulation of unpublished price sensitive information and trading based on such information in the securities market is prohibited under the Sebi Insider Trading Regulations.

"While Sebi might have achieved a breakthrough in seizing the material, it will be a challenge for Sebi to prove the same, as Whatsapp messages are encrypted," said an IT (Information Technology) expert.

Separately, the government on Friday informed Parliament that Sebi was examining the matter about leakage of business details of companies through WhatsApp.
New Delhi: India's leading IT exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has bagged a $2.25-billion outsourcing contract from Nielsen, a television rating measurement firm. The partnership, signed in October this year, is a renewal of TCS' existing collaboration with Nielsen. The two companies had struck a 10-year deal in 2008 for $1.2 billion, which was expanded to $2.5 billion in 2013.

Under the new deal, the terms of the agreement have been extended for an additional five years so as to expire on 3 December, 2025, with three one-year renewal options granted to Nielsen, the TV rating company said in a regulatory filing to the US SEC.

"Nielsen has committed to purchase services from TCS from the effective date through the remaining term of the agreement (the 'minimum commitment') in the amount of $2.25 billion, including a commitment to purchase at least $320 million in services per year from 2017 through 2020, $186 million in services per year from 2021 through 2024, and $139.5 million in services in 2025," it added.

The filing stated that the Mumbai-based firm will globally provide Nielsen with professional services relating to IT -- including application development and maintenance -- BPO, client service knowledge process outsourcing, management sciences, analytics, and financial planning.
What's more fun than passing off stalking celebrities on social media as work?

Very little, right?

And so, we scanned the Instagram and Twitter accounts of celebs from India and abroad, to bring to you weekly updates from the interwebz. Who tweeted to whom? Who re-posted last night's party pics? Who went on a rant about what. Whatever it is, don't worry, we've got you covered.

We stalk, you read. Deal?

Virushka (Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma) arrive in Mumbai:

After their hush-hush uber-luxe wedding in Tuscany, Italy and then an elaborate reception at Delhi, the newly weds arrived in Mumbai. The moment they set foot in Mumbai, shutterbugs didn't miss the opportunity to capture each of their moves. The couple is also going to throw a lavish reception party in Mumbai on 26 December.

The new poster of Akshay Kumar's Padman is out:

What it takes to be #PadMan! Get to know this Republic Day, 26.01.18 And today don't forget to catch me with the real Pad Man, @murugaofficial LIVE on my Facebook page at 12 noon IIT Bombay's Mood Indigo!@PadManTheFilm @SonyPicsIndia @kriarj #RBalki pic.twitter.com/ekVbMRNVwS  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 22, 2017

Akshay Kumar's film is all set to hit silver screens on 26 January 2018. Padman details the real-life achievements of social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, who is noted for creating low cost sanitary napkins for women. The film also stars Radhika Apte, Sonam Kapoor along with Akshay.

Katrina Kaif spends quality time with sisters and grandma:

Grandma  A post shared by Katrina Kaif (@katrinakaif) on Dec 21, 2017 at 6:20am PST

Ahead of the release of her film Tiger Zinda Hai, Katrina decided to spend some quality time with her near ones, much away from the box-office figures, reviews and feedback on the film. She posted adorable pictures along with her sisters and grandmother.

Shahid Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter's bromance:

Starboy.  A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Dec 21, 2017 at 9:22pm PST

While big bro Shahid Kapoor has established himself as one of the most-sought after actors in Bollywood, Ishaan Khatter is taking his baby steps into Bollywood. Khatter has earned accolades and awards for his phenomenal performance in his debut film Beyond The Clouds, helmed by Majid Majidi. He is currently shooting for Sairat remake Dhadak along with debutante Janhvi Kapoor.

Dulquer Salmaan wishes wife Amal Sufia on their wedding anniversary:



Malayalam heartthrob Dulquer Salmaan surely knows how to steal hearts. Salmaan who enjoys a massive female fan following has emerged as the new-age method actor  with an array of diverse roles in films in multiple languages. At the same time, he happens to be a romantic husband: He posted an adorable picture along with his wife Amal Sufia on their 6th marriage anniversary.

Tusshar Kapoor's Christmas bash:

 A post shared by Ekta Kapoor (@ektaravikapoor) on Dec 21, 2017 at 7:56pm PST

Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor threw a Christmas party which had Ekta Kapoor (obviously), Karan Johar, Neelam Kothari and TV actress Kanchi Kaul along with their babies, in attendance.
Choosing a title for a sequel has been a bone of contention for many producers. There have been many instances where presenters and producers have had a rift while deciding on the name of the second instalment of a movie. It looks like the upcoming project of Ashi Dua is facing the same problem.

Ashi Dua is going to produce another anthology, similar to the 2013 film Bombay Talkies, with the same lot of directors  Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap.

A few days ago the producer revealed that the title of this movie will be Love and Lust. However, by that time, everyone had started calling the film Bombay Talkies 2. This perhaps irked Viacom 18, which had collaborated with producer Ashi Dua for the 2013 anthology.

Even when Karan Johar started his film earlier this month, one of his pictures was captioned #bombaytalkies2. Viacom 18 is reportedly miffed with the reference to the 2013 film and has apparently decided to take legal action against Ashi Dua.

While Viacom hasnt yet made any comment on this matter, Ashi Dua has denied the reports claiming that she hasnt received any kind of legal notice. Although she agreed that the film is, in fact, an anthology similar to Bombay Talkies but she insisted that the title of her new film has no connection with the old one and that the upcoming film is a completely different film with just the same directors, according to the same Mumbai Mirror report.

She made it clear that Love and Lust has been finalized as the title of the film and she is collaborating with Ronnie Screwvala for it. She also claimed her relation with Viacom is still as good and even though she roped in the same directors on board, Love and Lust will be different from Bombay Talkies.
Oscar-winner Matt Damon has alienated friends with remarks over the sexual misconduct firestorm blazing through Hollywood, but enough to become the next male star on the cutting room floor?

An online petition demanding the dumping of his cameo in 2018 heist movie Ocean's 8 has nearly reached its goal of 17,000 signatures  signed by more than 16,620 supporters by late afternoon New York time 21 December.

Critics say his inclusion would be particularly galling given its status as an all female reboot of the popular franchise, starring Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.

The petition calls on Oceans 8 producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, "to toss Damon's Oceans 8 cameo where it belongs: on the cutting room floor."

It alleges that he "enabled" Harvey Weinstein's conduct by trying to squash a New York Times report in 2004 that detailed instances where the now fallen Hollywood mogul exploited his status as a studio executive to harass and assault women.

Damon denied trying to bury the story and claimed he had no idea of the allegations against Weinstein, who helped catapult him into an international household name.

The actor also came under fire last week, for telling ABC News that there was a "spectrum of behavior" and a "difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?"

His long-time friend, Ben Affleck, with whom he shared an Oscar for best screenplay over 1997 movie Good Will Hunting and Affleck's actor brother Casey, have also been accused publicly in recent months of sexual misconduct.

"This behavior is beyond enabling  it's just gross. Matt Damon should not be in this movie," said the petition.

"Damon's inclusion would trivialize the serious nature of the charges against sexual abusers like Weinstein," and "show massive disrespect" to women speaking out, it said.

Harvard-educated Damon, 47, is the father of four daughters, including a child from a previous relationship of his wife.

Ocean's 8 is scheduled for release in June 2018 and tells of an attempted heist at New York's annual Met Gala, one of the hottest tickets in the celebrity universe.
by Sharanya Gopinathan

Have you been seeing the amazing hashtags #FeminichiSpeaking, #OMKV and #StandUpStars on your Twitter feeds this week and wondered what on earth is going on? It all began with a case of what in school we would have gleefully called guilty conscience.

Close on the heels of winning Best Actress at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Malayalam actor and all-round rockstar Parvathy was speaking at an open forum at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) on Sunday. She discussed misogyny in movies, the need for more women to get into filmmaking, and the urgent and obvious need for the film industry to create better working conditions for women.

She referenced a film she had the bad luck to watch recently, and said that, with all respect to the makers, the film disappointed [her], as it featured a great actor spitting totally misogynistic dialogues.

Now, note that Parvathy didnt even mention the movie, Kasaba, or the star, Mammootty, by name until she was encouraged to do so by filmmaker Geethu Mohandas, even though she would have been perfectly within her rights to scream this from the rooftops right from the get-go. She did take the time to mention that she gives the filmmakers all respect, but this lone, highly justified comment about Kasaba was enough to bring all the creeps crawling out of the woodworks, and boy, were they in a hurry to out themselves.

Self-aware fans immediately came to Mammoottys defence, and trolled her viciously in response. Kasaba had faced flak from several quarters back when it was released in July 2016, because it depicted superstar Mammootty verbally abusing various woman characters, including grabbing a policewoman by the belt and threatening to punch her so severely that it would apparently result in immediate menstruation.

And unlike when Tamil superstar Vijay recently stepped in and asked his fans to stop trolling The News Minute founder Dhanya Rajendran after she said she didnt like his movie Sura, Mammootty has remained stonily silent and appears to have nothing to say to his clearly loyal and toxic fans.

Maybe its because it wasnt just anonymous online trolls who attacked Parvathy in the week since she made her excellent comments, but also several notable and even hitherto respected Malayalam film industry insiders.

Kasaba director Nithin Renji Panicker took to the films official Facebook page to say that this was Parvathys attempt to become popular by shaking a big tree. But its fairly clear, from her cool body of work, independent rise in the industry and the fact that she became the first Malayalam actor to ever win a silver peacock at IFFI where she bagged the Best Actress award just this November, that she needs to shake no trees to get famous or be recognised for her talent.

The movies producer, Joby George, said with all the creativity of troll commenters on feminist websites, If Geethu aunty and Parvathy aunty tell me the dates of their birthday, I will show Kasaba in full house as my birthday gift."

Then there was film director Jude Anthany Joseph  respected by nobody ever since he was comically arrested earlier this year for abusing Soumini Jain, the mayor of Kochi. On Monday, Joseph tried his hand at veiled insults without naming names, but it became fairly clear to the public and the media that he was referring to Parvathy as he began speaking about circus monkeys who worked in industries that they now cry exploited them, and that they should have just stayed in the forest the whole time.

Veteran actor Siddique attempted an elegant neither-here-nor-there on Facebook on Monday, but ended up very firmly there amongst the misogynists and trolls. He announced that it was clear that those trolling Parvathy were on the wrong side of the debate, but that it is Parvathy who paved the way for this situation, so the responsibility to control them or react to them is also on her.

Victim blaming 101, basically.

Its so strange to hear an actual adult saying that the statement I watched a sexist movie recently is an invitation to be brutally harassed and trolled. He also decided to play the Self-Effacing Senior card, unnecessarily admitting that he doesnt have Parvathys talent or English-speaking abilities, but that he still requests her as a veteran actor to look at the film industry as us and not them. I dont know English as well as you by the way, is a polite way of saying you are a snobbish upstart and Im the real deal in Kerala.

This request from an established male actor to a young female actor to look at the film industry as us, and not them, is particularly rich coming from the Malayalam film industry at the end of 2017.

While this year has seen a sort of global reckoning with sexism and sexual harassment ever since the Harvey Weinstein revelations broke in October, Kerala has been in a unique flux since February 2017, when a popular Malayalam actor was abducted and assaulted, allegedly at the behest of another Malayalam superstar, Dileep.

Until he was kicked out of the organisation the day after his arrest (at a meeting held at Mammoottys house), the largest existing body of Malayalam film actors, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), had publicly announced that both Dileep and the assaulted actor were its children, and that it stands by both of them.

How does any woman include herself in a film fraternity that believes that sexual assault victims, and those who finance sexual assault, are worthy of equal support?

It was in response to the Malayalam film industrys known inability or unwillingness to meaningfully address womens issues, and the knowledge that most film fraternity organisations were headed and controlled by powerful and misogynist men like Innocent and Dileep, that this year witnessed the creation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). Its founding members include Manju Warrier, Bhavana, Rima Kalingal, Anjali Menon and Sajitha Madathil.

The WCC had a stall at the IFFK, and this years edition of the film festival even had a section for womens cinema deliberately and tellingly named after the movement the WCC created around the assaulted actor, Avalkoppam (Im With Her).

The fact that the Women in Cinema Collective was formed at all, let alone that it was so joyously received, and managed to make its mark in this saucy way at the IFFK with an entire section named after Avalkoppam, is bound to have sent new chills down the spines of powerful men in the industry.

For decades now, men in the Malayalam film industry have been comfortably ruling the roost, absolutely secure in the fact that all the major unions and groups were headed and populated by them alone, and that no one else had the clout to stand up for rights that men didnt think were necessary. Now, the WCC, helmed by the industrys leading women, is making its presence known, calling out the sexism it sees on the daily and even sending out powerful, meaningful messages by influencing the organisation of major film festivals like IFFK.

Against this backdrop of women finally speaking up for their rights this year, its hard to think that the vitriolic reaction to Parvathy from within the industry is anything but the actualisation of the famous anonymous saying, When youre accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.

Which means that the only thing left to say to these men has already been said, by Parvathy herself, no less. In response to all the insults, Parvathy on Monday took to Twitter to silence trolls with the single best tweet of the year.

#OMKV of course, stands for Odu Myre Kandam Vazhi: run away the paddy field way, you pube.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine
That the current situation in the country is far from being conducive to the creative freedom of the arts and artists is a feeling that's gained ground. Sanjay Leela Bhansalis epic drama film Padmavati and Sanal Sasidharans brilliant commentary on patriarchy S Durga  two films with two different messages, and at two different ends of the financial spectrum of filmmaking  have both been held hostage to rising outcry from fringe groups.

The latest victim of such baseless protests is the upcoming Bengali film Rong Beronger Kori (The Many Colours of Money) by director Ranjan Ghosh. The Hindu Jagaran Manch has recently mounted protests against the release of the film, until certain specific changes are made. Rong Beronger Kori is essentially an anthology film, with four stories connected by the central theme of the different hues (or notions) of money, each story bringing out a distinct colour of money through the changes in relationships among the characters inhabiting them. In the film, such basic human emotions as love, separation, the need for profit and the fear of loss are shown to colour money in four different ways. In one of these stories, a tribal couple is shown, and the man and the woman are named Ram and Sita respectively. Allegedly, they have been shown to get a divorce as the story progresses, and this simple fact (or shall we say fiction?) has ruffled the feathers of radical Hindu groups  who have demanded that the film be banned, claiming that it has the propensity to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus all over the world.

Director Ranjan Ghosh, whose scriptwriting collaboration with veteran filmmaker Aparna Sen in Iti Mrinalini (Yours, Mrinalini) and directorial debut with Hrid Majharey (Within My Heart) both speak volumes of his talent and bright prospects, has said that not even in his wildest imagination did he think that a controversy could arise from an issue so gratuitous, unwarranted and untenable as this. He does mention that there is a reason why the two characters in his film have been named Ram and Sita, and that the reason is an extremely noble one, nothing to do with religion at all, and which will be easily seen and accepted by anyone who watches the film with an open mind. How one can object to the release of the film without even having watched it  he fails to understand. The allegorical motives behind his film, if any  he claims  are centred around the notion of money. There is no commentary on religion in his film at all. However, what does exist in his film is a critique of the recent exercise of demonetisation in the country, and Ghosh feels that that could be the real motive behind the confounding protests. In our country, of course, religion is a low hanging fruit for all kinds of radicalism, and in the absence of any debate, dialogue or civil discussion whatsoever, the names of the films characters are being targeted.

It is said that there are as many as thirty-three crore gods and goddesses in the Hindu religion. If one were to stop using their names in the arts and literature for fear of retaliation from such self-appointed sentinels of the religion, then there will be no artistic expression left in the country, and our great nation, which was once known all across the globe as an upholder of uninhibited creative freedom, will soon turn into a barren and dark desert of fear and subjugation.
The teaser of Thackeray, the upcoming biopic of Balasaheb Thackeray, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the politician, has released and it does not disappoint. The actor is unrecognisable but uncannily similar to the Shiv Sena founder in Thackeray.

The actor shared the teaser on his Twitter.

Its an honour and pride to portray the Real King of the Country on Screen.

Here comes the TEASER of #Thackeray

Hearty Thanx to Shri @uddhavthackeray Sir, Shri @rautsanjay61, Shri @SrBachchan Sir and Abhijit Pansehttps://t.co/cYHRUkdJEu  Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) December 21, 2017

The Thackeray teaser was released in the presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray who said, "The life and times of Balasaheb was about making the common man a hero, boosting confidence and strengthening the common man," at the event attended by Amitabh Bachchan and director of the film Abhijit Panse.

The one minute forty second-long teaser starts with a reference to a violence-ridden city, followed by a Muslim man praying with the Shiv Sena leader, who is conducting a meeting in the same room. The teaser then reveals Siddiqui as Bal Thackeray, greeting a large rally with his party symbol, the face of a tiger, framed right behind his head.

While the poster of the film had been doing the rounds for quite some time, Siddiqui's final look as the controversial politician, has hit the right spot. Nawazuddin, who has already played Manto in Nandita Dass upcoming biopic of the writer, is currently enjoying the challenge of playing famous personalities.

The film has been written by journalist and MP Sanjay Raut, and will be shot in Hindi, Marathi, and dubbed in English. It is slated for to release on 23 January, 2019.




Walmart and Sams Club associates are helping put the money where the miracles are again this year with a combined fundraising effort raising $207,712 for Children's Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga following the annual Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals campaign. The fundraising efforts are part of a broader national effort that raised more than $35 million in support of the 170 member hospitals across the country.There is a great sense of community when our associates and our customers can rally around a cause we all believe in like supporting CMN Hospitals, said Brad Hodsden, Walmart market manager.We always say that every dollar counts, and we are so grateful for our customers and members who donate to help children live better. Their passion for helping kids served by Children's Hospital at Erlanger has never wavered, and it inspires us to go bigger and do more every year.All funds raised by Walmart for Childrens Hospital at Erlanger will directly benefit the construction of its new Childrens Outpatient Center, phase one of its new Childrens Hospital. This new facility will serve more than 50,000 children from the region annually. To date, Walmart has raised more than $935,000 for the Believe Campaign which benefits the new Childrens Outpatient Center.Walmart and Sams Club associates support for children treated at our partner hospitals has always been rooted in an authentic desire to help kids in need, said John Lauck, president and CEO, Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. Their passion is amplified millions of times over by customers and members who believe in our mission to give kids a chance at a better life. Their incredible response to the store- and club-level fundraising efforts are inspiring and impactful."Walmart and Sams Club have supported Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals for 30 years. Funds raised impact each of the 170 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, which treat 10 million kids annually across North America. Hospitals utilize the funds based on what they need most  including lifesaving equipment and research, top therapy programs, charitable care and more."Fundraising efforts have evolved over the last 30 years. While donations at the registers drive most of the fundraising at stores and clubs during the campaign, associates also get creative by hosting fundraising events," officials said.
After the much-awaited Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer Tiger Zinda Hai released on 22 December, there is a surging protest against the film's screening in Jaipur. Protesters gathered outside Jaipur's cinema theatres  the iconic Raj Mandir, Paras and Ankur to name a few; created havoc and vandalised the premises, claim multiple TV reports.

It was reported earlier that Salman Khan and actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra have been accused of hurting the sentiments of Valmiki community by uttering the word 'bhangi' in a disrespectful context. Thus the community has filed a case against both the actors and are staging protests in various towns and cities of Uttar Pradesh like Agra and Moradabad, along with Rajasthan.

According to a report by Times Now, the community wrote to the DCP, South Delhi. The Valmiki Samaj Action Committee Delhi Pradesh have also shared a copy of the complaint on Facebook.

While Salman Khan allegedly used 'bhangi' referring to his style of dancing in films, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, during an interaction with the media said that she is always dressed like a 'bhangi' at home. "I look like a bhangi doing this step," said Salman in an old promotional video. Shilpa, when asked about her looks at home, said, "I look like a bhangi," reports Times Now.

Tiger Zinda Hai is a sequel to the 2012 blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger and brings back the love story of cross-border spies  Tiger (Khan)and Zoya (Kaif)  along with some kick-ass action while they rescue people from the clutches of a fearsome militant group. The film is directed by Sultan helmer Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Yash Raj Films.
Vijay Sethupathi, who has had a promising 2017 with super-hit films such as Vikram Vedha and Kavan, was felicitated with the 'Amitabh Bachchan Youth Icon' award at the closing ceremony of the 15th Chennai International Film Festival.

Reminiscing about his early days as an aspiring actor, Vijay Sethupathi said, "When I was trying for acting opportunities during my formative years in the industry, so many people had asked me about 'international films,' which sounded like a strange term to me. I thought just like how we make films here, they create in their own countries. Then, I happened to read an article written by cameraman Cheziyan in Vikatan magazine and later watched Life Is Beautiful. That's when I understood what international cinema meant. Life Is Beautiful made me think deeply."

Vijay Sethupathi also recalled his film festival experiences and how he became a fan of the medium. "I did not have enough time then to watch a lot of films since I was frantically searching for offers. I was more focused on learning the nuances of acting. Then, I made contact with a lot of friends and expanded my network. Later, I started to attend film festivals for two to three years with a few friends and acquaintances to understand the real meaning of cinema. But I was baffled about what films to watch. Some told me that 'matter films' would be screened at festivals. I couldn't even understand the descriptions written for each film," he said.

Vijay Sethupathi talked in detail about the Kazazh film Tulpan and how it transformed him into a film aficionado. "As I gradually started watching, one movie which turned out to be an eye-opener for me was the Kazakh drama Tulpan. It left me awestruck. It had a simple, flesh-and-blood storyline and spellbinding shots. Although I couldn't understand the language, I was hooked to the screen. I could feel the culture of Kazakhstan in the story. It swept me off my feet. It was a divine experience. After I came out of the screen, there were non-stop discussions about who the director was and what films he had made earlier. But, I wanted to learn more about the structure of the screenplay, the performances of actors, shot divisions and fascinating metaphors in the story. That's when I began to watch movies keenly and understand it from different perspectives. Later, cinema continued to teach me a lot. And, I'm still learning from films."

Vijay Sethupathi donated the cash award presented to him for the festival and said, "No one can own the film industry. For the past few days, I have been reading some silly reports. We had legends like Rajinikanth, MGR and others. Everyone has left behind a great legacy. Today, I'm standing here with this award and tomorrow someone new will arrive. Cinema is a reflection of our society. We all are here because of cinema and not vice-versa."

While debutant director Suresh Sangaiah's Oru Kidaiyain Karunai Manu, which starred Viddharth in the lead role, bagged the Best Tamil Feature Film award, Vikram Vedha helmed by director duo Pushkar and Gayathri fetched the Second Best Tamil Feature Film honour. Vikram Vedha has also topped the IMDB's 'Top 10 Indian Films of 2017' list published yesterday.

Debutant director Lokesh Kanagaraj's acclaimed hyperlink thriller Maanagaram, which featured Sundeep Kishan, Sri and Regina Cassandra in the lead roles, won the Special Jury award.

Veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja, who delivered a sterling performance as Sundaram in debutant director Nithilan Swaminathan's Kurangu Bommai, earned a Special Jury Mention certificate from the committee.

Other films that were contending for top honours under the competition section include Thupparivaalan, Aramm, Kadugu, 8 Thottakkal, Taramani, and Magalir Mattum to name a few.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh once famously said his silence was better than a thousand answers because it kept the aabroo (honour) of many questions.

That poetic riposte was to allegations of corruption in allocation of 2G spectrum and coal blocks. It seems the prime minister'words were indeed prophetic. For Manmohan indeed maintained silence when his advice was sought on a controversial change in the procedure for allotment of licences that were later scrapped by the Supreme Court.

Though the Congress has been celebrating the special CBI court verdict on allegations of corruption in allocation of 2G licences, a careful reading of the judgment hints at the atmosphere of permissiveness and pliability in the PMO under Manmohan. The verdict suggests Manmohan could be easily kept in the dark on key policy issues by his own team, thus, proving the charge that he was a puppet prime minister.

At the core of the 2G controversy, apart from the low prices charged from buyers, is the then telecom minister A Raja's decision to overnight change the first-come-first-served policy to first-pay-first-served. This somersault denied bidders a level-playing field and allegedly helped those who had inside information on the decision to walk away with licences.

In his judgment, special CBI judge OP Saini observed that Raja had conveyed to Manmohan what he intended to do but PMO officials presented a partial view to the then prime minister, keeping him in the dark about the decision to change the policy to first-pay-first-served. Saini also pointed out that Raja wrote a letter on 2 November, 2007, to Manmohan informing him of the large number of applications and scarce spectrum. He also talked about other issues, including the fact that auction was not recommended either by the telecom regulator or the Telecom Commission headed by the telecom secretary. But, the court observed, there was no evidence to suggest the letter was examined by South Block.

Instead, in response to Raja's note, Manmohan's principal secretary Pulok Chatterjee put up another note that did not talk about the controversial aspects at all. "This note discussed only the spectrum related issues as to how much spectrum was available in the country (and related matters)... This note did not consider at all the issue of new licences, which were to be issued as per changed criteria from date of application to date of payment and was also the most controversial one. Thus, this note gave only a partial view of the whole issue and ignored the most important and controversial issue of new licences." the court said.

Now, this is a stunning indictment of the work ethics of the PMO under Manmohan. First, it shows that it could be manipulated by bureaucrats by withholding important information from the prime minister. Two, important decisions could be taken by his principal secretary Chatterjee, who, according to Saini, not only withheld controversial aspects of Raja's letter to Manmohan but also gave a go-ahead to the changes himself after consulting the telecom secretary. And three, it shows, even when the prime minister came to know of these lapses, he did not take any action against the guilty officers.

Chatterjee's clout in the UPA government was well known. He was considered close to 10 Janpath and, thus, had access to a parallel power centre. That he got away by keeping the prime minister in the dark about controversial policy changes and then continued to remain in a position of power certainly give credence to the theory that Manmohan was just the face of the government.

It also reinforces the belief that led to Manmohan's eventual downfall. By the end of his tenure, Manmohan had acquired the reputation of a prime minister who was perennially silent and ran a government that allowed ministers and bureaucrats to run their departments like independent jaagirs. Saini's verdict only vindicates those who derided him as Maun Mohan Singh.

The Congress, now, rues that the prime minister's reputation was tarnished by lies, rumours and conspiracies. But, Manmohan himself is to blame for the denouement. His own silence, ultimately, contributed to the fall in the aabroo of the prime minister's office.
New Delhi: Former telecom minister A Raja, who was at the centre of the allegations in India's biggest graft case, on Thursday said a trial court acquitting him of all charges proved that the presumptive loss in allocation of 2G spectrum was "cooked-up".

Raja, who was the minister in the Congress-led UPA government when 122 telecom spectrum licences were issued to 8 companies in 2008 on first-come-first-serve basis, said his actions were for the benefit of masses.

Bringing competition in the telecom sector had sent mobile call charges to rock-bottom levels.

"My firm belief in the rightfulness of my actions as well as my faith in our nation's justice system has been validated today," he said in a statement.

He said his decision for allocation of spectrum, or radiowaves that carry mobile voice signals, were in line with the National Telecom Policy and recommendations of the sectoral regulator Trai.

Raja said he had, in fact, brought a "revolution" in the telecom sector.

"I have felt somewhat vindicated all along even prior to this judgement because the beneficial results of my actions are evident to and being enjoyed by the nation's public (especially the poor)," he said.

Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and all other accused were on Thursday acquitted in the politically-sensitive 2G spectrum allocation scam cases by a special court which held that the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove the charges.

Further, Raja debunked the presumptive loss theories in the allocation. 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 2 February, 2012.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had put the loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

"I brought a revolution in the telecom sector. It is not unknown to the history that a person who did a revolution is often termed as a criminal," he said.

Raja, a leader of Tamil Nadu-based DMK party, which was an ally in the Congress-led UPA government, blamed vested interests for propagating the presumptive loss theory.

"Vested interests manipulated public perception by leveraging the media and sensationalising fabricated allegations," he said. "It has been repeatedly proven that the

presumptive loss to the exchequer which formed the basis for the conspiracy theorists to run amok, was cooked-up."

Raja said he had full faith in the judiciary and had cooperated fully with the trial and did not seek even single day adjournment.

"I also had the courage and confidence to step into the witness box and gave evidence and offered myself for cross examination by the CBI, which is very unusual in criminal trials in India," he said.

Raja claimed that the trial court judge had repeatedly observed that his evidence was "cogent, credible and consistent with the official records, in contrast with the

evidence of the prosecution witnesses whose evidence has been rejected as untrustworthy".

He added: "The learned Judge has held that it is not just a case of the prosecution failing to prove its allegations, but a case where the prosecution case itself was false, which was my submission from the very first day."

He went on to thank his party leader and DMK cadre for their unflinching support during the "dark period" of his life which include 15 months in jail.
New Delhi: Varied views were expressed by legal experts on a special court verdict acquitting all accused including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases.

While one section dubbed the acquittal as "unfortunate" and opined that it will politically raise a serious situation, the other said that a "bubble was created" which burst due to lack of evidence.

Former Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee said he cannot term the judgement as "good or bad" without reading it but was quick to add that "this is not a final verdict" and can be tested in appeals before higher courts.

"It is only a special court verdict which can be appealed against. The CBI can appeal in the High Court. I have not read the judgement so cannot say if it was good or bad," Sorabjee, who was the top law officer during the previous NDA regime, told PTI.

However, senior advocates Ajit Kumar Sinha and Dushyant Dave were forthcoming in their views and questioned the prosecution for the debacle.

While Sinha, a former high court judge, termed the outcome as "unfortunate", Dave said "it shows a botched-up investigation in the matter where the prosecution failed to prove the case" and "this verdict creates serious doubts on the investigating agencies especially premier agency like the CBI."

"Politically it raises a serious situation in the country. We have to see it in the political spectrum in a long way," he said.

Sinha toed the findings of the special court which said the CBI had started its case with "great enthusiasm and ardour" but at the final stage of the trial, the Special Public Prosecutor and the regular CBI prosecutor moved in "two different directions without any coordination". "They (the CBI and ED) started on a good note and later it became very very lacklustre and there was no evidence to corroborate nor it was taken with all sincerity and that really led to acquittal of each and every accused and its unfortunate," he said.

However, differing with Sinha and Dave, senior advocate Vikas Singh and former High Court judge RS Sodhi said prosecution did not have enough material to establish its case. "There was lack of evidence. It speaks volumes of our judiciary. They had the best special public prosecutor in the matter. There was nothing in the matter. A bubble was created and it has now been burst," Sodhi said.

Taking a slightly different angle, Singh maintained that scam was only, if at all, with regard to the eligibility being changed from first-come-first-served. "However, the prosecution did not have enough materials to establish even that and that is why everybody has gone scot-free in this case," he said.

Further, Singh said that he maintained right from the beginning that this was never a scam. "This whole decision to give spectrum at those pre-determined prices can never be a scam at all because if the government decides to give infrastructure to people at cheaper rates through these companies, then it can't be a scam," he added.
When a special court on Thursday acquitted all the accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases, many people were shocked. The 2G scam, after all, was one of the main reasons for the downfall of UPA-II.

With varying opinions coming on the verdict, one section dubbed the acquittal as "unfortunate" and opined that it would politically raise a serious situation, while another section said that a "bubble was created" which burst due to lack of evidence.

However, a lot of analyses and opinions in newspapers offered detailed explanations on why and how the 2G case went down the way it did.

As this article in The Hindu points out, there is a big difference in pointing out the illegality of an act from the point of view of administrative law and point out the same in a criminal court.

Criminal trials require a lot more investigation than mere reliance on "public perception and audit reports". Fighting corruption cannot be the main agenda only during election time. "The CBIs image has taken a beating, with the court calling it out for its waning enthusiasm in pursuing the case," said the article.

Another article in The Times of India explains that one of the main reasons for the 2G case collapsing was that CBI was unable to prove that former Telecom Minister A Raja manipulated the cut-off date for bids in the first-come, first-served policy for spectrum allocation.

The CBI also failed to prove that Raja was familiar with two of the accused, DB group promoter Shahid Balwa and Unitech Ltd managing director Sanjay Chandra.

Another article in The Indian Express said that the court also rejected CBI's allegation that a Rs 200-crore bribe meant for Raja had paid to Kalaignar TV (P) Limited, run by DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's family.

"It has to be kept in mind that the role of investigating officer is only to collect evidence. His word, by itself, does not provide proof for commission of any offence. Examination of the IO in the witness box only shows the procedure followed during the investigation and the material collected for proof of offence alleged in the chargesheet," the article quoted the court as saying.

To the allegation that the first-come, first-served policy was subverted, the coutr said that this policy was not followed by the Department of Telecommunications in the first place.

However, the special court's verdict should not be combined with the Supreme Court's decision in 2012 which cancelled all 122 telecom licences, according to this article in Hindustan Times. The special court's judgment was just on three cases that constitute the 2G scam. The verdict has nothing to do with the apex court's decision.

Another article in NDTV said that the size and scale of the 2G scam had been exaggerated and such "misuse of process that was common before the UPA, common during the UPA" was present even under the current government.

With inputs from PTI
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside the sanction granted to the CBI by Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to prosecute senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing society scam.

A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhana Jadhav ruled that though the CBI had claimed to be in possession of fresh evidence against Chavan at the time of seeking the sanction, it "failed to present any fresh evidence."

Following is the chronology of events pertaining to senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing society scam case.

Nov 2010: Adarsh scam unearthed. CBI probe begins.

29 January, 2011: CBI registers FIR in case against 14 persons, including former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, under IPC section 120 (b) for criminal conspiracy and various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.

4 July, 2012: CBI files first charge sheet in the case before special CBI court.

Dec 2013: Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan refuses sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan.

Jan 2014: Sessions court refuses to delete Ashok Chavan's name as accused in the case on request made by CBI.

Mar 2015: Bombay High Court also dismisses Ashok Chavan's petition seeking deletion of his name from the case.

Oct 2015: CBI submits fresh evidence to Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao seeking sanction once again.

Feb 2016: Governor Rao grants the CBI permission to prosecute Ashok Chavan. Chavan approaches HC challenging Governor's order.

22 December, 2017: HC allows Chavan's petition and quashes and sets aside Governor's order granting sanction to prosecute him.
Former telecom minister A Raja, who was acquitted by a special court on Thursday of culpability in the 2G spectrum scam, has written to party supremo M Karunanidhi, thanking the latter for his "support".

Raja, who was a Union minister in the Manmohan Singh government in 2008, has penned an emotional letter, in which he said Karunanidhi stood by him throughout. "Who is going to punish those who tried to taint your reputation and your 80 years of public life?" Raja has asked Karunanidhi.

Apart from Raja, Karunanidhi's daughter and DMK MP MK Kanimozhi was also acquitted of all charges by the CBI court on Thursday. He said he places the verdict that vindicates the party's position "at the feet of Karunanidhi" with gratitude, reported CNN-News18, which secured a copy of the letter.

#BREAKING | A Raja writes to Karunanidhi post the 2G verdict; asks who will punish those who tainted 80 years of your public life? #UPAAcquittedIn2G pic.twitter.com/fbX2Fe2yvI  News18 (@CNNnews18) December 22, 2017

In his letter, he has indicated that the allegations were politically-motivated vendetta, in an attempt to implicate the UPA government, of which the DMK was a part of.

"You preserved me in snow. You stood behind me. I am waiting to hear your words. The spectrum allegations tainted our ideological movement. Spectrum politics gave a handle to those who couldn't shrink your governance. Spectrum battle was conceived was individuals and waged by institutions  including CVC, CBI, JVC," he wrote.

It's first of its kind in world history, he wrote, implying that it's a shame that the UPA government couldn't realise it was trapped in the plot to bring it down.

"In 2009 itself, we gave 59 crore mobile connections against the 60 crore target set before 2012. The spectrum cartel was broken to pave way for the WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter revolution. Calling it a crime and being jailed for this will happen only in India. The press and media, which refused research and showed vulgar interest on spectrum, wouldn't see the social perspective," Raja further wrote.

Raja's letter comes a day after the former Union minister claimed credit for bringing about competition in the telecom sector, which sent mobile call charges to rock-bottom levels.

"My firm belief in the rightfulness of my actions as well as my faith in our nation's justice system has been validated today," he said in a statement.

He said his decision for allocation of spectrum, or radiowaves that carry mobile voice signals, were in line with the National Telecom Policy and recommendations of the sectoral regulator TRAI.

Raja said he had brought a "revolution" in the telecom sector. "I have felt somewhat vindicated all along even prior to this judgment because the beneficial results of my actions are evident to and being enjoyed by the nation's public (especially the poor)," he said.

Raja, Kanimozhi and 17 other accused were acquitted in the politically-sensitive 2G spectrum allocation scam cases by a special court which held that the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove the charges.

Further, Raja debunked the presumptive loss theories in the allocation. In its chargesheet 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 2 February, 2012.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had put the loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore. "I brought a revolution in the telecom sector. It is not unknown to the history that a person who did a revolution is often termed as a criminal," he had said immediately after the court announced its verdict.

"Vested interests manipulated public perception by leveraging the media and sensationalising fabricated allegations," he said. "It has been repeatedly proven that the presumptive loss to the exchequer which formed the basis for the conspiracy theorists to run amok, was cooked-up."

Raja said he had full faith in the judiciary and had cooperated fully with the trial and did not seek even single day adjournment. "I also had the courage and confidence to step into the witness box and gave evidence and offered myself for cross examination by the CBI, which is very unusual in criminal trials in India," he said.

Raja claimed that the trial court judge had repeatedly observed that his evidence was "cogent, credible and consistent with the official records, in contrast with the evidence of the prosecution witnesses whose evidence has been rejected as untrustworthy".

He added, "The learned judge has held that it is not just a case of the prosecution failing to prove its allegations, but a case where the prosecution case itself was false, which was my submission from the very first day."

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: The AAP on Thursday questioned the CBI's investigation in the 2G spectrum case after a special court acquitted all the accused, asking whether the agency "messed up" the case "intentionally".

AAP leaders alleged that the CBI did not submit any evidence before the court because of which all the accused, including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi, were cleared of the charges.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "2G scam is one of the biggest scams. It rocked the country n was one of the reasons for UPA's downfall. Today everyone goes scot free. Did CBI mess up the case? Intentionally? People need answers (sic)."

Party leader Ashutosh alleged that the CBI works directly under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it was under its direction that the agency saved the accused.

He tweeted: "Jaitley ji is giving Gyan on TV but not responding why CBI working like a parrot under Modi govt could not get evidences to nail accused? Jaitley ji tell to the world what DEAL has been done (sic)."

He also sought an explanation from the BJP government on the agency's alleged failure to collect evidence.

"2G scam acquittal has shaken the very foundation of our justice system. Modi govt owes an explanation why CBI could not collect prosecutable evidences? Has Modi govt colluded with accused? BJP should tell to the nations about the DEAL?

"If all of them proven innocent in 2G scam by CBI court then who did GHOTALA? Who are culprits? (sic)," he said.

A special CBI court today acquitted all those accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases.
The CBI will approach the Supreme Court against an Allahabad High Court verdict acquitting Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar in the murder case of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, an official said on Friday.

"The agency will file an appeal in the apex court before the end of this month against the acquittal verdict," the senior Central Bureau of Investigation official told IANS.

On 12 October, a bench of Justice BK Narayana and Justice AK Mishra of the Allahabad High Court had acquitted the dentist couple by giving them the benefit of doubt in the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi and Hemraj at their Jalvayu Vihar home in Noida on 16 May, 2008.

The High Court had upheld an appeal by the Talwars against a Ghaziabad CBI court order awarding them life imprisonment on 26 November, 2013, bringing an end to a nine-year ordeal of the couple.

After Aarushi was found murdered in her bedroom, Hemraj was initially considered a suspect. However, his body too was found in a pool of blood a day later on the terrace of the house.

The Uttar Pradesh Police accused Rajesh Talwar of killing his daughter in a fit of rage. Rajesh Talwar was arrested on 23 May, 2008.

On 31 May, 2008, the CBI took over the case and initially absolved the parents but later held them responsible for the two murders.

On 13 June, 2008, Rajesh Talwar's compounder Krishna was arrested by the CBI. Ten days later, Raj Kumar, a servant of a doctor friend of the Talwars, and Vijay Mandal, the domestic help of the Talwars' neighbour, were also nabbed.

The three were later freed after no evidence was found against them.
UTC has reached a $50,000 settlement with a fired WUTC reporter.

UTC Chancellor Steve Angle said, UTC values both the editorial independence of WUTC and high journalistic standards of ethics. I have made that commitment clear to both the University community and to WUTC employees.

Jacqui Helbert was fired following reporting on the "Bathroom Bill" at the state legislature.

Lawmakers said she did not identify herself as a reporter when she was with students inquiring about the transgender bathroom bill.

She said she was wearing radio earphones and a mic.
The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside the sanction granted by Maharashtra governor to prosecute Congress leader and former state chief minister Ashok Chavan in Adarsh housing scam case, said media reports.

Chavan had earlier filed a petition challenging Governor C Vidyasagar Raos sanction to prosecute him for his role in the Adarsh housing society scam.

#BREAKING | Relief for Ashok Chavan. Bombay HC sets aside sanction to prosecute him in Adarsh Housing Scam case | @radhika1705 with more details pic.twitter.com/nJdISrzrjL  News18 (@CNNnews18) December 22, 2017

Responding to the high court's verdict Chavan told News18 that the present governor's order was "politically motivated" and totally uncalled for. "The truth has prevailed. I have full faith in the judiciary," Chavan added.

The court, in September, had reserved its order on Chavan's petition challenging Rao's decision granting the CBI sanction to prosecute him.

The governor had in February 2016 granted the sanction to prosecute the former Maharashtra chief minister under various sections of the IPC related to criminal conspiracy and cheating and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Chavan had challenged Rao's order in the high court, calling it "arbitrary, illegal and unjust" and passed with "mala fide intentions".

Chavan, currently the president of the Maharashtra unit of the Congress, had served as chief minister of the state between December 2008 and November 2010 before he was asked to step down on charges of corruption in the Adarsh scam.

His counsel Amit Desai had argued before a division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhana Jadhav that the governor's order was "politically biased and motivated".

Desai cited the December 2013 decision of the then Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan who had refused to grant sanction to prosecute Chavan.

Subsequently, CBI in 2014 approached the special court seeking deletion of Chavan's name from the case. "When the lower court rejected the CBI's application, the agency approached the high court which also dismissed their plea. Later, when the BJP came to power at the Centre and in the state, the CBI sought a review of the 2013 decision," Desai had argued highlighting how the CBI's stance in the case changed with a change in power at the state and Centre.

The CBI had told the high court then that if Chavan's petition was allowed, it would amount to his acquittal, which would render the entire probe exercise futile.

With inputs from PTI
Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday quashed a decree of divorce based on instant triple talaq, setting aside a family court order.

A family court in Bareilly had passed a decree in March in favour of Mohammad Farooq alias Farooq Khan and held that by pronouncing talaq thrice, the husband had divorced his wife, Arsey Jahan.

The High Court bench, comprising Justice Arun Tandon and Justice Rajiv Joshi, passed the order, allowing an appeal filed by Jahan in which she challenged the family court's judgment.

The bench, while setting aside the decree of divorce, stated that instant tripal talaq has already been deemed illegal by the Supreme Court in the case of Shayara Bano.

According to the facts of the case, Farooq married Arsey Jahan in 2009. He was employed in the Indian Army.

While he was on duty, his wife lodged an FIR against him and his family, alleging dowry harassment.

She also stated that she was not ready to live with her husband.

On 17 August, 2011, Farooq divorced his wife by pronouncing talaq thrice in the presence of two witnesses, which was later communicated to her by a registered letter.

The husband filed a case before family court seeking a declaration be issued that he has divorced his wife, Arsey said.

She then filed her plea in the High Court.
New Delhi: The Delhi government's experiment with anti-smog guns to control pollution has failed the test of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which on Thursday declared the machine ineffective in open areas and on fine particles.

The CPCB also observed that even to control dust, it would take at least 50,000 such machines to control bigger particles in the air across Delhi, which has an area of 1,484 square kilometres.

"This system can't be applied in an area like Delhi, it can only work in a confined area like a stadium and not in open areas," D Saha, scientist at the CPCB who observed Wednesday's experiment at Anand Vihar, told IANS.

Mounted on a diesel truck, the "Anti-Smog Gun" sprays atomised water into the atmosphere to control air pollution. It typically uses 30 to 100 litres of water in a minute. It aims at settling dust and the fine particles in a limited radius of 25 to 50 meters with the water spray, a typical 0.03 square kilometres at its peak efficiency.

The CPCB observed that the machine a water scrubber was suitable only for controlling industrial dust in mining, grinding, coal or mineral handling and stone crushers.

The unconfined ambient air laden with lesser dust, compared to industrial fugitive location, might not get a chance to get adhered with tiny and submicron particles in a given time, felt two CPCB scientists Saha and Abhijit Pathak.

The scientists further said that the water droplets from the device would stay in the air for lesser time that the pollutant of same size, thus the area of impact would result only in the form of a "wet-surface".

On Wednesday, the data from Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) showed no change in the major pollutant PM2.5 and PM10, or particles in the air with diameter less than 2.5 and 10 micrometers, though the manufacturers claim that the machine aims at controlling PM2.5 and PM10.

The PM2.5 concentration at Anand Vihar was 412 units at 5 pm (before test), which increased to 419 units at 6 pm and to 426 units at 7 pm, even as the experiment was going on.
Jaipur: Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when it stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Given its actions, it doesn't appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the army chief added.

He was in the western sector, close to the India-Pakistan border, to witness the Hamesha Vijayee exercise conducted by the Southern Command in Thar desert. Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists.

Only then can we say that peace talks should take place, he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.

"We also want relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesn't appear that they really want peace, Rawat said.

The army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir police have been taking actions against militants in Jammu and Kashmir successfully and the action will continue, he added.

Rawat's comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

"It is important for Pakistan to understand our core concern, which is terrorism. We have time and again asked them to take action against terrorists who are operating from their soil. This is something they (Pakistan) will have to handle if they are serious in cultivating this friendship," Kumar said.

The assertions follow Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties.

According to media reports, Bajwa has said he will support any initiative of the civilian government to resolve issues with India through talks.

In a rare move, the Pakistan Army chief briefed the Senate  the Upper House of the Parliament  on security situation and regional issues on Tuesday.
Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat has said the Indian Army is "ready" to tackle the threats from Pakistan and China, a day after increased activity was noticed along the Pakistan border near Rajasthan.

A report in The Times of India quoted Rawat as saying there was no need to be "scared" of the presence of Chinese soldiers alongside the Pakistan Army troops, and if they take action, India "will be completely ready".

Rawat's statements came a day after his Pakistan counterpart Qamar Javed Bajwa made a statement urging Pakistan lawmakers to improve relations with India.

"The military is ready to back political leadership's initiative for normalisation of relations with India," Bajwa was quoted as saying, in comments that were seen as a "major gesture" by the Pakistani media.

However, Bajwa also later appeared to defend Hafiz Saeed, Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind. When asked about Saeed's role in "fighting for the country", Bajwa said, "Like every other Pakistani, Saeed can also take up the Kashmir cause."

While Rawat didn't specifically refer to Bajwa or the remarks made by the Pakistan Army chief, he did speak about the insurgency in the Valley and said they are ready to face meet all the challenges. "There is no need to be scared of any increased activities by Pakistan Army. We are no less in any regard. These days, training is going on in the desert, and I have come to oversee night activities in this special exercise," he was quoted as saying in The Times of India report.

He also said of the 11,000 cases registered against stone-pelters in Kashmir, 4,000 cases have been withdrawn. "Action is continuing against terrorists in the Valley and terrorists will soon be wiped out," Rawat further added.
The Bombay High Court on Friday granted a huge relief to Congress leader Ashok Chavan by setting aside the sanction for his prosecution in the Adarsh controversy by the Maharashtra governor. The order comes as vindication for Chavan, who had suffered the ignominy of having to step down as chief minister in November 2010 following allegations of his involvement.

On 4 February 2016, Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao had granted sanction to prosecute Chavan in the case for offences related to conspiracy and cheating.

The FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case states that Chavan, in his capacity as revenue minister of Maharashtra, "became a member of the criminal conspiracy with accused RC Thakur, Brig Madan Mohan Wanchu and Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and in pursuance to the same, he proposed to include the civilians as members in the (Adarsh housing) society with ulterior motive to make his relatives as members in the society."

Thakur, Wanchu and Gidwani were promoters of the housing society.

The 31-storey structure in the upscale Cuffe Parade area of south Mumbai was initially said to be meant for retired defence personnel.

Three of Chavan's relatives  his sister-in-law Seema Sharma, mother-in-law Bhagwati Sharma and father-in-law's brother Madanlal Sharma  were members of the society.

However, in a deposition to a two-member commission probing the alleged scam, he claimed that he was unaware of his relatives holding flats in the society till media reports surfaced about the matter. His relatives later gave up their membership.

In an affidavit before the commission, Chavan had sought to pass the blame for the controversy on to Vilasrao Deshmukh  his predecessor in the post of chief minister  stating that he allotted land for the project, as reported by India Today. Deshmukh, on his part, also blamed Chavan, stating that he allotted land to the society based on the recommendation of the revenue minister and that the chief minister does not look into individual files.

The commission, in its report, had indicted Chavan for 'quid pro quo' and said he had given political patronage to the promoters of the society. However, it had not held him guilty of allowing civilian membership to the extent of 40 percent in the society, an allegation which was made by the CBI, according to Hindustan Times.
New Delhi: Senior officials at the office of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh had "suppressed the most relevant and controversial part" of A Raja's letter and the then telecom minister "cannot be faulted" for misrepresenting the facts, a special court said on Thursday.

The CBI had alleged that Raja had misled Manmohan in his letters on several key issues related to the policy of grant of 2G spectrum licences, including first-come-first-served and the cut-off date.

"It was not A Raja, but Pulok Chatterjee, in consultation with T K A Nair, as he had suppressed the most relevant and controversial part of the letter of A Raja from the then Prime Minister," Special CBI Judge OP Saini said while acquitting all accused in three separate 2G spectrum cases.

"In the end, I do not find any merit in submission of the prosecution that the Prime Minister was either misled by A Raja or that the facts were misrepresented to him," the judge said while making a stinging remarks against the top bureaucrats.

Judge Saini said that CBI's arguments in this regard were advanced just to "prejudice" the mind of the court. "The arguments have been taken up by the prosecution just to prejudice the mind of court by invoking the high name and authority of Prime Minister of the country," he said.

The court held that Raja "cannot be faulted" for alleged misrepresentation of facts before Manmohan as the complete facts were not placed before him by his own office.

Referring to a note by Chatterjee, the court said it was lengthier than Raja's letter to the prime minister.

"Prime Minister is a busy executive. Wherefrom would he find time to read such lengthy notes. Prime Minister is not expected to be immersed in files. It was much easier and better for him to read and understand the letter of A Raja rather than this note of Pulok Chatterjee," it said.

Raja had written letters to Manmohan informing him of the decisions of the Department of Telecom (DoT) on several issues, including issuing letter of intents for new licences and processing of large number of applications in the wake of inadequate spectrum.

Referring to Chatterjee's note, the court said that it discussed only the spectrum-related issues and did not at all consider the issue of new licences, which were to be issued as per the changed criteria from the date of application to the date of payment and was also the most controversial one.

It said that it was not clear from the record whether the note was seen by the then prime minister or not.

"However, it is clear that somebody from the PMO had given a go ahead to the DoT for issue of new licences and most probably it was Pulok Chatterjee himself, as his note records that he had spoken to Secretary (T)," the court said. The special judge further said that only a partial view was placed before the then prime minister regarding spectrum related issues by the PMO.

"Accordingly, DoT issued 120 LOIs on January 10, 2008. Thus, the record shows that the facts were misrepresented to the then Prime Minister by the officials of the PMO and not by A Raja," it said.

The court also dealt with the CBI's allegations that Raja had misled Manmohan on the issue of opinion of the law ministry to refer the issue to the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM). "The action of DoT shows that the opinion of Law Minister was considered out of context after due deliberation in the DoT and the competent authority to constitute Group of Ministers, that is, Prime Minister was duly informed," it said.

The judge noted that in the absence of legally admissible evidence, the CBI was trying to prove its case merely by arguments across the bar, which was not a correct approach, as their submissions were based on conjectures and speculations alone.
New Delhi: The Union government on Friday refused to declare, as a "national calamity", Cyclone Ockhi in which 74 people lost their lives and as many as 214 went missing when it struck Tamil Nadu and Kerala last month.

However, it acknowledged the cyclone as "rare and extraordinary" which turned into the lethal cyclonic storm from deep depression within six hours.

"We can't declare it as a national calamity as rules don't allow and the government has its own compulsions. However, the government has recognised it as a disaster of severe nature," said Home Minister Rajnath Singh said while responding to a debate in Lok Sabha over recent natural calamities across the country in view of the cyclone.

He also ruled out any inquiry into the alleged delay in issuing alerts, saying all the standard protocols were followed while issuing alerts.

"The Met Dept had issued a warning on 29 November itself and bulletins were issued after every three hours. It was a rare storm which developed from deep depression to lethal cyclonic storm in only six hours," Rajnath Singh said.

He added that alerts were issued and fishermen were warned 24 hours before.

Rajnath Singh said that a cyclonic storm which has a peculiar behavior cannot be predicted earlier.

"Whatever alert was available, the state was informed," he said assuring the house that there was no delay in bringing about rescue efforts.

Rajnath Singh also refuted the Opposition's allegations that the government discriminated against Kerala and Tamil Nadu by deploying more National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) teams in Gujarat.

"No need for any inquiry. This government can't be so inhuman. Teams were deployed as per the demand of state governments," he said.

Earlier, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of deploying seven teams of NDRF in Gujarat while deploying four in Kerala and three each in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Demanding an inquiry into the matter, Kharge also pulled up party leader Shashi Tharoor for praising central government's efforts as "extremely helpful".

Most of the members who spoke over the issue sought by the government to announce the cyclone as the national disaster and demanded more compensation.

"Adequate compensation should be provided and the government should take some structural steps so that money sent to state is used properly," Tharoor said.

He also sought an inquiry over the alleged delay in issuing the alerts. Not satisfied with the answer of the minister, members of Congress, the Left parties, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) staged a walkout.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar hit out at Congress for staging walkout and accused the Opposition of politicising the issue.

"It's unfortunate. They are doing politics on natural calamities. The government did everything that needed to be done," he said.

He also alleged that there was no delay on part of the Central government in issuing alerts and the fault was at end of state governments.
New Delhi: A 22-year-old woman has alleged that she was raped by five people, including four juveniles, in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri area, police said on Thursday.

The woman, a resident of Jahangirpuri, had recently become friends with a juvenile staying nearby. She claimed that she was invited by him for a party on Wednesday at his home, they said.

The juvenile's four friends also joined them, they said.

The woman, who is working at a private firm, alleged that they forcefully made her consume liquor, the police said.

She has alleged that they threatened her with dire consequences and held her hostage for around five hours, they said.

The woman claimed that they asked her not to inform anyone about the incident, the police said.

She approached the police and a case was registered against the five accused, they said.

All of them have been identified, the police said, adding that one of the accused has been arrested while the four juveniles have been apprehended.
New Delhi: Rebel JD(U) leader Ali Anwar, who has been disqualified from Rajya Sabha, was on Friday asked by Delhi High Court why he was seeking to retain government accommodation "so desperately".

The leader from Bihar, whose tenure as Rajya Sabha MP was to end in April 2018, has sought a stay on his disqualification from the Upper House and requested the court to direct the authorities not to evict him from his bungalow till the court decides the matter.

"You hand over your accommodation to the government. Why you want to hold it so desperately?," Justice Vibhu Bakhru orally asked the counsel for the leader.

The court did not pass any formal order on Anwar's plea and posted the matter for consideration on 3 January, 2018.

In its passing remarks, the court said that "once your term is over, you hand over the bungalow to the authorities".

Advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for Anwar, said that his client was not given any chance by the Rajya Sabha Chairman to be heard before disqualifying him and former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav on 4 December.

The high court had refused to grant any interim stay on the disqualification of Yadav as a Rajya Sabha member on 15 December but allowed him to draw his salary, allowances and

perks, and retain the bungalow.

Anwar, who had rebelled against the official JD(U) faction led by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar after the latter joined hands with the BJP, has termed the Rajya Sabha chairman's order as "perverse, contrary to the rules of the natural justice and is also tainted with malafides".

The plea stated that the filing of an application before the Election Commission of India (ECI) by the Yadav-led faction for recognition as the real JD(U) cannot lead to the inference that he voluntarily gave up his membership of the party.

"The dispute before ECI was in respect of which faction constitutes the JD(U) and, therefore, any adjudication by the ECI on a petition filed by the supporters of the petitioner cannot be termed as anti-party activity by any stretch of imagination," the plea said.

Anwar was elected to the House in year 2012 and his term is scheduled to expire in April, 2018. Naidu, while disqualifying the two, had accepted the JD(U)'s contention that they had "voluntarily given up" their party membership by defying its 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 directive.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) honored four Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency wildlife officers during the 2017 Statewide Night of Remembrance and Awards Ceremony.



TWRA wildlife officers Greg Julian, Josh Landrum, and Jeff Roberson were honored by MADD Tennessee for their efforts on removing boating under the influence (BUI) operators from Tennessee waterways thus enhancing safety and saving lives.



Mr. Julian serves in Anderson County, Mr. Landrum in Davidson County, and Mr. Roberson in Knox County.



In addition, TWRA Boating Investigator Capt. Matt Majors also received a special honor. He received the 2017 Middle Tennessee Outstanding Service Award.



This years annual event was held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. Hosted by MADD Tennessee, it honors and remembers victims of substance impaired driving and underage drinking and to recognize law enforcement heroes for their commitment to protecting Tennesseans from these crimes. The organization works with victims from both DUI and BUI incidents.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the CBI to trace the founder of the north Delhi-based ashram where girls were allegedly kept under illegal confinement.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar has aksed Virender Dev Dixit, the founder of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in North Delhi's Rohini to be present before it on 4 January.

The high court on Thursday raised doubts over the ashram's claims that women inmates there were not illegally confined, saying that if they were free, why were they being kept behind locked doors. The bench had also sought to know why the ashram's founder was not making an appearance if he was genuine and honest.

The high court had also enquired into the financial details of the ashram and sought to know from where they were

getting funds to run the institution.

Earlier, the high court had directed the CBI to probe the alleged illegal confinement of girls and women in the ashram

where, it was claimed, they were kept in "animal-like" conditions behind metal doors in a "fortress" surrounded by

barbed wire.

Taking note of the "seriousness and the sensitivity of the matter", the bench had asked the CBI director to forthwith constitute a special investigation team (SIT) which will take charge of all records and documents pertaining to the case.

The court has passed the order on the PIL filed by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which informed the court that several minors and women were allegedly being illegally confined at the "spiritual university" here and were not allowed to meet their parents.

Taking note, the high court immediately set up a committee, comprising lawyers and Delhi Commission for Women

chief Swati Maliwal, to inspect the premises of the institute. The committee, comprising lawyers Ajay Verma and Nandita Rao, gave a report detailing the "horrible" living conditions of the over 100 girls and women who were housed in "animal- like conditions with no privacy even for bathing".

The panel, which had again inspected the ashram and its adjoining building, submitted today that over 30 mobile phones were seized and they want the court to order sealing of a room where they found trunks and other documents containing "serious evidence".

The bench said since the CBI is now seized of the issue, they should investigate it.

During the hearing the bench was informed by the ashram that that there were over 168 women living in the premises.

It was informed by Delhi police's standing counsel Rahul Mehra that the Delhi government's health department has set up a medical board, which will soon visit both the premises in question to medically examine all inmates to ensure their

well-being.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday raised doubts over a north Delhi-based ashram's claims that the female inmates there were not illegally confined, saying that if they were free, why were they being kept behind locked doors.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar asked why the ashram's founder and spiritual head was not making an appearance if he was genuine and honest.

"Where is he? This inquiry (by the CBI) into the ashram, where girls and women were allegedly kept in illegal

confinement will throw him in suspicion, if he does not appear," the bench said and sought his appearance before the

CBI. The counsel for the ashram, however, told the bench that its founder was not in Delhi and he has sent the message about the court's order through someone else.

Irked over the counsel's statement, the court wished to know about the whereabouts of Virender Dev Dixit, referred to

as the founder and spiritual head of the Adhymtmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in North Delhi's Rohini. It directed the counsel to give information about Dixit by Saturday while cautioning him not to act as proxy between the founder and the court.

The bench also enquired into the financial details of the ashram and sought to know from where they were getting funds to run the institution. It asked the ashram's lawyer, who claimed that he was not representing Dixit, that "if you are claiming that the inmates are free, then why are you controlling their movements?

"Why are you controlling, how they should dress? Why are you not allowing them to meet their parents? Why does your ashram look like a fortress and why are there metal doors, grills and locks at every five feet interval," the bench asked. It asked why the women are not being allowed to move out of the ashram.

On Thursday, the high court had directed the CBI to probe the alleged illegal confinement of girls and women in the

ashram where, it was claimed, they were kept in "animal-like" conditions behind metal doors in a "fortress" surrounded by barbed wire.

Taking note of the "seriousness and the sensitivity of the matter", the bench had asked the CBI director to forthwith

constitute a special investigation team (SIT) which will take charge of all the records and documents pertaining to the case.

The court has passed the order on the PIL filed by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which informed the court that several minors and women were allegedly being illegally confined at the "spiritual university" here and were not allowed to meet their parents.

Moved by the issued, the high court immediately set up a committee, comprising lawyers and Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, to inspect the premises of the institute. The committee, comprising lawyers Ajay Verma and Nandita Rao, gave a report detailing the "horrible" living conditions of the over 100 girls and women who were housed in "animal-like conditions with no privacy even for bathing".

The panel, which had again inspected the ashram and its adjoining building, submitted today that over 30 mobile phones were seized and they want the court to order sealing of a room where they found trunks and other documents containing "serious evidence".

The bench said since the CBI is now seized of the issue, they should investigate it.

During the hearing the bench was informed by the ashram that that there were over 168 females living in the premises.

It was informed by Delhi police's standing counsel Rahul Mehra that the Delhi government's health department has set up a medical board, which will soon visit both the premises in question to medically examine all the inmates to ensure their well-being.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has arrested two persons in connection with its money laundering probe in the Bikaner land scam case.

The agency identified the arrested duo as Jaiprakash Bagarwa and Ashok Kumar.

"Ashok Kumar is a close associate of Mahesh Nagar of Ms Skylight Hospitality Private Limited," it said.

They have been arrested under the PMLA law, it said.

Skylight hospitality is a firm that has been alleged to be linked to Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

The agency had searched the premises of Kumar and Nagar in April this year.

It had said that in four cases of land purchase in Bikaner by this firm that is alleged to be linked to Vadra, the "authorised representative" was Nagar.

Kumar, it has been alleged by the agency, purchased land in the same area using the "power of attorney" of others.

It is also alleged that Kumar is a "close associate" of Nagar.

The ED probe is related to the purchase of 275 bigha land allegedly by the company in the Kolayat area of the border town of Bikaner in Rajasthan, few years back.

The ED had also attached assets worth Rs 1.18 crore of government officials and others in connection with the case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED had registered a criminal case under the PMLA in this matter in 2015, taking cognisance of FIRs filed by the state police after the local Tehsildar had complained of alleged forgery.

The agency, in this case, had also issued notices to the said firm linked to Vadra and has obtained certain documents from it.

However, the ED has not mentioned the name of Vadra or any company linked to him in its FIR filed.

In the FIR, it had named some Rajasthan government officials and the "land mafia".

Vadra had denied any wrongdoing even as the Congress called the action "sheer political vendetta".

The Rajasthan government had in January, 2015 cancelled the mutation (transfer of land) of 374.44 hectares of land, after the land department claimed to have found that the allotments were made in the names of illegal private persons.

The tehsildar had said in the complaint that the government land in 34 villages of Bikaner, to be used for expanding the armys firing range in the area, was

grabbed by the land mafia by preparing forged and fabricated documents in connivance with government officials.

ED suspects that huge amounts of money was laundered in this case by people buying land at cheap rates through forged documents.

The state government had, while cancelling the mutations, said these were not issued by the Commissioner, Colonisation, Bikaner.

The state police had also filed charge sheets in the 18 cases in a court in Kolayat.
Kolkata: With the Centre reportedly excluding the West Bengal tableau from next year's Republic Day parade in New Delhi, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said it was an "insult" to the state.

The West Bengal government had proposed 'unity is brotherhood' as its theme for the tableau for the parade, which has a worldwide viewership.

"This year our proposed theme was 'Ekatai Sampriti' (unity is brotherhood). I think this was why we have been left out," Banerjee said inaugurating the Christmas Festival at the Allen Park.

"This year we have been excluded from the Republic Day's parade. I would like to know the reason...I am sorry to say that this is an insult for Bengal," Banerjee said.

West Bengal won awards twice for the best tableau and the state has the right to know the reason behind being left out from the next year's Republic Day parade, she said.

"Because we have done quite good in the Republic Day parades so we have the right to speak on this. Between 2013 and 2016 we received the first prize twice," she said.

West Bengal proposed theme was appreciated in the expert committee's meetings and the state had agreed to follow its suggestions, she said.

"We were called for the expert committee's meeting in September and also for another meeting in October and our proposal was appreciated there. We had also accepted all their suggestions, but we were not called for the next meetings because our proposed theme was on unity," she added.

The West Bengal tableau on its acclaimed 'Kanyashree' scheme, which is a conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at improving the status and well-being of the girl child in the state by incentivising the schooling of all teenage girls and delaying their marriage till the age of 18, was not allowed in 2015 as it was reportedly found having similarity to the Centre's tableau on 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'.

"I had sent Kanyashree tableau in 2015 which was not accepted by them (the Centre), but the same Kanyashree won United Nation's Public service's No 1 award," she said.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday granted two-week parole to INLD chief OP Chautala, serving a ten-year jail term in a teachers recruitment scam case, to look after his ailing wife.

Justice Mukta Gupta, however, restrained the former Haryana chief minister from involving in any other activity and also stopped him from moving out of Sirsa where his wife is admitted in a hospital.

While granting the relief, the court asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the like amount.

"He should confine himself to the hospital at Sirsa where his wife is admitted and is in ICU, unless she is shifted to other hospital out of that place," the court said.

It further said that Chautala should ensure that he will not indulge himself in any activity except the reason for which he has been granted two weeks parole.

In the petition filed through advocate Amit Sahni, the 82-year-old leader had said that his wife Sneh Lata was critically ill and was hospitalised at Sirsa in Haryana and that he wanted to spend time with his wife "in her last days".

Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra vehemently opposed his parole plea, saying the court had earlier cancelled Chautala's parole and furlough on the ground that he was attending political rallies.

He further said there were other family members to take care of the ailing woman.

The court, however, observed that the order by which his parole and furlough was cancelled was appealed before a division bench which had asked the authority to consider Chautala's request when he applies in future.

It also said that after that the March order, he was granted furlough twice and has not misused it. The court also said there was no dispute that his wife was ill and he needed to visit her.

The court had earlier asked Chautala to substantiate his claim of seeking two-month parole to look after his ailing wife by producing her recent medical records.

The plea has said the leader was last granted parole earlier this year and he was entitled to get parole as per parole and furlough guidelines, which stipulate that a minimum of six months should elapse after the date of termination of the previous parole.

The high court had on 1 March cancelled the parole granted to Chautala on medical grounds and asked him to "surrender forthwith", saying he cocked a snook at the court

and "misled" it by feigning illness. It had then said that Chautala was misusing his parole to attend public meetings.

Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and three others are serving 10-year jail term in the case.

The Supreme Court in August 2015 had dismissed Chautalas' appeals against the high court verdict upholding their conviction and sentence of 10 years awarded by a trial court in the junior basic trained teachers recruitment scam case.

The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were among 55 persons convicted on 16 January, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 JBT teachers in Haryana in 2000.
A girl, who was set on fire in full public view by two youth in Secunderabad on Wednesday evening, has succumbed to her wounds, police said.

According to IANS, the incident occurred in Lalaguda area of the city on Wednesday evening, when the 23-year-old girl was returning home from work.

The girl, Sandhya Rani, sustained 80 percent burns and was rushed to the government-run Gandhi Hospital, said a report on NDTV. However, she succumbed to her burns and died on Friday morning.

Sandhya had been working in a commercial establishment for about a year. The attacker is suspected to be a jilted lover.

Quoting eye-witnesses, the police said Sandhya was returning home when the youth, riding a motorcycle, met her on a road. They spoke for about 10 minutes. Following a heated argument, the attackers sprinkled petrol on her and set her on fire. Before passers-by could raise an alarm, they managed to escape.

Following a complaint by the girl's brother, the police picked up one youngster, who reportedly admitted to having resorted to the ghastly crime after the girl spurned his advances.

The NDTV report identified the youth as Karthik, a former colleague of Sandhya's. "Investigations have revealed that Karthik had been chasing and harassing Sandhya for months. He has reportedly told the police that she didn't reciprocate his feelings," it added.

Speaking to PTI, Secunderabad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north zone) B Sumathi said, "She passed away this morning. We are now altering the case sections also.

The police had earlier registered a case under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder).

With inputs from agencies
by Swagata Yadavar

In 2011, 4.1 percent Indians slipped into poverty, earning less than $1.90 (2011) or Rs 84 per person per day, due to out-of-pocket health expenditure, the second highest proportion in the world after Bangladesh.

In absolute numbers, 52.5 million Indians were impoverished due to health costs in 2011, almost half of the world's impoverished population, according to data released by World Bank and World Health Organisation.

Health expenditures push about 100 million people per year into "extreme poverty" those who live on $1.90 or less a day  and about 180 million per year into poverty using the $3.10 per day threshold, according to the 2017 Universal Health Coverage Global Monitoring Report.

Bangladesh, with 4.5 percent persons impoverished due to health costs, has the highest proportion in the world.

South Asians accounted for 60 percent of the world's 97 million people impoverished due to health costs. While the number of people impoverished in South Asia due to health costs has reduced from 62.4 million in 2000 to 57.1 million in 2010, the region has the most people impoverished due to health expenditure.

The author is a principal correspondent with IndiaSpend.

Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit/FactChecker.in is a fact-checking initiative, scrutinising for veracity and context statements made by individuals and organisations in public life.
New Delhi: India and China on Friday held special representative level talks on key aspects related to border issues.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi met along with senior officials for the 20th round of the India-China border talks.

During the day-long talks the Doka la episode and other concerns pertaining to unresolved issues of boundary between India and China are expected to be discussed.

The Doka la standoff began on 16 June over People's Liberation Army's plans to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan after the Indian troops intervened to stop it as it posed a security risk to chicken neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its North-eastern states.

The standoff ended on 28 August following mutual agreement between India and China.
New Delhi: India and China agreed on Friday that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas, and exchanged ideas on various confidence-building measures (CBMs) in this regard as the two sides tried to put behind them the Doka La episode.

After a meeting between the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China on the Boundary Question  Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India and Yang Jiechi, State Councillor  the external affairs ministry said the talks were "positive".

During Friday's border talks, first since the 73-day-long military standoff in Doka La, the two sides underlined the need to build on their convergences while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each others concerns, sensitivities and aspirations.

While the MEA statement did not say whether the Doka La issue was discussed, in Beijing, a spokesperson in Chinese foreign ministry skirted a question on whether it figured during the talks and instead said, "This mechanism is not only a high-level channel for dialogue on border issues between the two sides but also important platform for strategic communication between China and India."

The Doka La standoff began on 16 June after the Indian troops intervened and stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the area claimed by Bhutan as it posed a security risk to Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its north-eastern states. The two armies "disengaged" on 28 August.

"The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence-building measures," the MEA said in a statement.

It further said, "The talks were positive and focused on bringing out the full potential of the Closer Developmental Partnership between the two countries."

The SRs undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks and agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries.

They re-emphasised their commitment to achieving a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date.
New Delhi: Indigo on Friday said it is in the process of responding to the show-cause notice issued by aviation regulator DGCA with regard to the incident where airline staff manhandled a passenger at the airport in New Delhi.

There is an ongoing probe into the incident that was initiated by the DGCA and the Bureau of Civil Aviation

Security, according to a regulatory filing. "The notice has been received by the company pursuant to and in connection with this enquiry and the company is in the process of responding to it," the filing by the airline's parent InterGlobe Aviation said.

The incident came to the notice of the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) through social media last month even though it happened on 15 October.

On Wednesday, sources had said the watchdog has issued a show-cause notice seeking an explanation from the airline with respect to the incident, including the reasons for not informing it voluntarily.

Further, Indigo said the incident "did not affect, impact or hamper" the company's flights or operations in any manner.

"No adverse action has been taken against the company by the DGCA or any other regulatory authority in relation to the said incident," the filing noted.

The airport entry passes of the two employees involved in the scuffle have also been cancelled by the BCAS, a source had said on Wednesday.

After a video clip of the scuffle went viral on 7 November, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had condemned the incident. The airline had admitted that it was at fault and had apologised.

Shares of InterGlobe Aviation rose nearly two percent to Rs 1,158.45 in late morning trade.
The government is all set to introduce a Bill in the current session of the Parliament criminalising instant triple talaq. In August this year, the Supreme Court, by a thin majority, had found the practice of a Muslim male divorcing his wife by pronouncing talaq three times at one go, to be un-Islamic and illegal (and not unconstitutional, as widely reported in the media). The minority opinion in Shayara Bano versus Union of India, by Justice Jagdish Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer had held that since personal law was constitutionally protected as religious freedom (a flawed argument), courts were not authorised to rule on the matter, but the state could invalidate the practice by enacting a law.

Consequently, the minority opinion had suggested that the government should enact a law within six months of the verdict. Though the government had ruled out any plan to enact a law back then in view of the majority opinions invalidating the practice, it has now gone a step ahead and proposed a criminal law to deal with, what is decidedly a civil matter.

Titled, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017, it reportedly makes instant triple talaq, a cognizable and non-bailable offence, punishable with imprisonment for three years. The title of the Bill is strategically worded to speak to a signpost in Indian legal history, and is thus meant to perform a certain function in the politics around personal law. Those familiar with personal law debates in India would be quick to spot that the title plays on the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986  the law enacted by the Congress government under Rajiv Gandhi, in response to the Supreme Courts verdict in the Shah Bano case. The 1986 Act was supposedly enacted to undo the Courts judgment, in which it had held that if a divorced Muslim woman fell on hard times, she could seek maintenance from her former husband under the secular law  section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure  even if Muslim law did not require the husband to maintain her after divorce.

In popular consciousness, the 1986 Act embodies Muslim laws exceptionalism that lets off husbands easily as compared to the law governing other Indian men; the Muslim communitys backwardness that resists reform and denies its women legal rights available to other Indian women; a polity wedded to vote bank politics and minority appeasement; a pliant state that allows all of the above and fails its commitment to secularism; and so forth. Notwithstanding the fact that creative judicial interpretation of the 1986 Act has ensured that Muslim husbands are not easily let off and their divorced wives have often received better economic protection under the 1986 Act than their non-Muslim counterparts under the secular law, the above narrative continues to frame discussions on personal law.

It is this narrative of a Congress government buckling under the pressure of conservative Muslim organisations and compromising womens rights in 1986, that the Modi government is trying to capitalise on through the title of this Bill. The Bills title is so worded to contrast the illusory protection given to Muslim womens rights on divorce by the 1986 Act, with its own supposedly radical protection offered to them on marriage. This is a political move, of a piece with the BJPs continuous projection of Modi as a liberator of Muslim women and a champion of their rights, during the litigation in Shayara Banos case and after the Supreme Courts verdict.

What is problematic about the Modi governments self-positioning as a protector of (Muslim) womens rights within marriage, is its contradictory position on two different forms of abuse frequently suffered by women in marriage. The government wants to use criminal law to protect Muslim women from the indignity of being arbitrarily and unceremoniously divorced at a moments notice. But in an ongoing case before the Delhi High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the marital rape exception in the Indian Penal Code, the government has taken the stand that recognizing marital rape will destabilize the institution of marriage apart from being an easy tool for harassing the husbands. These are not two unconnected issues, as I hope to illustrate with the help of the case of a Muslim woman called Praveen.

Praveens story is recorded in an order passed in August 2009 by a magistrate of the Karkardooma district court in Dehi (Praveen versus Ziyaul), and is in the public domain. Praveen had remained in an abusive marriage for twenty-two years, before she filed a case under the Domestic Violence Act, in which she sought an order preventing the husband from committing violence and directing him to pay maintenance. The abuse had a pattern: Ziyaul would periodically divorce her by pronouncing triple talaq, leave her for some time, then come back and force his way into the house, destroy household goods, threaten Praveen and the children with violence, and often commit violence against them. Of particular relevance is Praveens allegation recorded in the order, that Ziyaul, despite giving talak used to have sexual intercourse () without her consent on the point of knife.

This case serves as a reminder that the improper and illegal use of talaq by husbands does not exist as a singular form of abuse; it coexists with other severe and mundane forms of abuse against wives. It is important to remember that even Shayara Banos petition contained allegations of domestic violence and dowry harassment, along with that of being divorced through instant triple talaq, though the latter got exceptionalised in the popular discourse owing to its easy association with notions of Muslim backwardness.

What the governments dual stance with respect to marital abuse means for cases such as Praveens is that the abuse of divorce law by Ziyaul  which happens across religious groups, and whose only consequence in family law is the courts refusal to grant divorce  would likely send him to jail for three years, but for the repeated acts of sexual assault  which is a criminal offence otherwise  he would remain free from liability simply because of his marriage to the victim.

To be sure, my argument is not that either both should be criminalised or neither, but rather that criminal law is relevant in certain contexts, namely, in addressing sexual assault, but not in addressing an issue such as misuse of divorce law. Once again, Praveens case is instructive here. The magistrates order illustrates the existing laws potential to respond to women abused by the illegal use of triple talaq. Women oppose triple talaq, not because they want to remain in abusive marriages, but because marriage breakdown implies economic hardship for most women, who do not have independent sources of income or unquestioned support from natal families.

Women oppose triple talaq, because of the uncertainty of the resulting economic predicament. The magistrate in this case directed Ziyaul to pay a monthly amount to Praveen as maintenance under the Domestic Violence Act, noting that he was legally and morally bound to maintain the wife.

We do not know whether Ziyaul appealed the order, chose to disregard it, committed further violence, or divorced Praveen following the lawful procedure for talaq, and paid her the dues as per the 1986 Act. We also do not know if Praveen went back to court complaining of further violence, or to recover her maintenance dues under the Domestic Violence Act or the 1986 Act. In either situation, there is very little that the criminal law can do. There is definitely no rationale for using criminal law to prevent people from divorcing their spouses. Divorce is already regulated by matrimonial law. If the government is serious about protecting womens rights on marriage, it needs to ensure their economic well-being upon divorce, so that women like Praveen do not have to accept an abusive marriage as a better deal in comparison to penury, and wait for twenty-two to approach the legal system and assert their rights.

The author teaches at the Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat.
BJP's Sopore Assembly constituency president, Farooq Ahmad Rather, remained hiding in his house quite often. Any suspicious knock at the Sopore house, where he visits from Srinagar, would alert and make the 33-year-old nervous and frightened. Now he has been living away from his family and puts up at a hotel in Srinagar, which is over 50 kilometre from his village after militants visited his house twice and threatened his family members to kill him if he continues to remain associated with the BJP. In August, this year, he was twice visited by unknown gunmen and escaped from attack as his parents lied to the militants that he was not at home. He was hiding in the attic of his other house before he was shifted by the government in September to a Srinagar hotel, where he is guarded by three police personnel.

On 29 November as Farooq went to visit his family in Sopore, militants came and burnt to rubble his under-construction house. The attacks on pro-India politicians like Farooq which includes MLAs and ministers have stepped up in the last one year. After BJP youth activist Gowhar Bhat was killed by militants and his throat-slit body was recovered on 3 November, two police personnel were deployed at Farooq's Sopore house as well.

However, he said, the policemen didnt join duties at his house fearing that they may be run down in an attack by militants, who could be higher in number. He asked the government to shift his family to a government accommodation in Sopore, which is protected by a large number of policemen, but said, "I am instead made to live in a single hotel room in Srinagar. The government officers have been made to live in the protected area in Sopore, but my family has not been shifted even after the militants burnt the house."

The stepped-up militant violence against the pro-India politicians has been a security nightmare as the police have to provide additional deployments at the houses of politicians and also provide them bullet-proof vehicles. But that has however not helped to revive the pro-India political activities in Kashmir and the public rallies are still not being held in the militancy-infested areas particularly in the southern part of Kashmir, where the parliamentary election in April this year was cancelled after many people were killed during the polling in Srinagar constituency.

Though Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, visited some of the districts recently and even to South Kashmir area of Pulwama, they have happened amid tight security. Mehbooba as well former chief ministers, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, are under heavy security cover of police and paramilitary forces.

This is, however, unlike BJPs Farooq who said that his security has been curtailed. "I was provided security by a team of five police personnel, but two of them have been withdrawn. I was told by senior police officials that they will withdraw two other policemen as well. I asked that I should be provided with a vehicle which has not happened," he said.

On 3 November after militants killed BJP worker, Bhat, Superintendent of Police, Shopian, AS Dinkar, said, "adequate security measures have been made to protect his family" and other political workers. But on 16 December, a video of BJP worker Mohammad Maqbool Wagay from Shopian being beaten up by militants went viral. In the video, Wagay promised to snap ties with the BJP.

BJP leader and partys media coordinator, Altaf Thakur, said that after the PDP-BJP formed an alliance in the state at least 22 incidents of militant attacks on the workers have been reported across Kashmir. He said that he was also living in Srinagar and is unable to visit his hometown in Tral. "I was attacked by stone throwers at my private residential house at Hazratbal in Srinagar recently and I have now moved to a government accommodation," Thakur said. He said that he was not able to visit his Dadsara house in Tral for nearly six years.

The incidents of attacks by militants have particularly gone up this year as the support for pro-freedom activities has notched up following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander, Burhan Muzaffar Wani. Unlike past elections when a good strength of people turned to cast votes across Kashmir, people have largely boycotted the mainstream political activities in Kashmir. After the recent killing of a driver in Kupwara in the action by the army, Hurriyat(G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, asked people to remain away from supporting the mainstream parties. He called people to boycott Panchayat or parliamentary polls that may be announced.

"Few people who vote in election dramas were not only committing an act of treason, their actions were also acting as oxygen for the Indian occupation of Kashmir. It is very sad that in Kupwara a few people voted even for BJP. Taking part in the election process is tantamount to betrayal with the sacred blood of martyrs and any sort of participation in elections would prolong our struggle for freedom," he said in a statement.

PDP legislator from Tral, Mustaq Ahmad Shah, said that it could be even the local militants who were behind the attack on his house on 20 October. He said that after he remained associated with the PDP, it was the first time that militants attacked his house and he escaped unhurt as he was not in Tral. Only a month back on 21 September PDP leader and state Public Works Minister, Nayeem Akhtar, was also attacked by militants in Tral as he was driving to oversee the developmental works in Wanis hometown. After militants attacked the security cavalcade, three civilians were killed. A CPRF personnel was among the 30 others injured.

Both the houses of PDPs Wachi MLA, Aijaz Ahmad Mir, and NCs MLC from the same area, Showkat Ahmad Ganie, were attacked by militants. While a grenade was hurled on the house of PDP MLA in October this year, the house that belonged to NC MLC was attacked in January.

"After militants attacked PDP MLAs house recently a police party had rushed from the nearby police station, but they had managed to flee," said a police official.
Chennai: The family of late poet Inqulab (born as Shahul Hameed) has decided not to accept the Sahitya Akademi award announced for him, the poet's son said on Thursday, 21 December.

The Sahitya Akadmei announced the award on Thursday in New Delhi for Inqulab's collection of poems.

"My father was not running behind any award. He wrote expecting action by authorities against him, not any award. He had told us that he will decline the Sahitya Akademi award, if he was given one," S Inqulab, Assistant Professor at Quaide Milleth College near Chennai, told IANS.

"My father would have certainly declined the award if he was alive today. If we accept the award now, it will be an insult to him," S Inqulab said.

He said the late poet had returned the Kalaimamani Award given by the Tamil Nadu government to protest against the state government's alleged failure to protect Sri Lankan Tamils.

According to him, the award at this stage when there are reasons for the people to struggle is not right.

The late poet's song 'Manushangada Naanga Manushangada' (We Are Humans) has become an anthem which is played at Dalit meetings. Through his writing, Inqulab condemned the incident where 44 agricultural labourers were burnt alive in 1968 in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu.
When the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly adopted a Bill into an Act on Wednesday which extends assistance for all non-legal shanties and their dwellers to redevelop them, it did so without a debate. It could be interpreted in two ways.

The absence of any debate, without a murmur from the Opposition, implies that everyone is convinced about the need to improve the housing for the poor who teem in the slums, the biggest ones to be found in Mumbai. That's a liberal construct.

The other point of view is that no political party, whether BJP which has come out with the new law or any other party, wants to say anything likely to be seen as anti-slum rehabilitation. Slums with their slumlords are vote banks, and politicians are always pro-slum dwellers.

Whether it was the Shiv Sena-BJP government which initiated the plan in 1996 but stumbled, or later the Congress-NCP dispensation, and now the one led by the BJP, all have been pledging to rid urbanising Maharashtra of shanties. They have worked towards it, but not with the verve it deserved.

But there is a lot to say about what the new Act intends to enable, and not all of it is palatable; that is why perhaps the Opposition was tongue-tied. It took only minutes for introducing the Bill and it was quickly disposed of. It would not go to the Upper House for ratification.

The datum line  or the cut-off date for a slum to be eligible initially was 1 January, 1996. It was subsequently pushed to later dates, the last being the year 2000. Now, with the latest formulation, all the shanties that exist, even if illegal, are entitled to help. But for now, there is an informal cut off of 2011  the Census year.

When about half of Mumbai's population lives in slums, even if only on about ten percent of its land area, the issue takes on gargantuan dimensions, especially with the continuing flow of people seeking livelihoods.

But the last six-seven years have seen newer slums emerging. In cities like Mumbai and its surrounding metropolitan region, new ones have mushroomed, with some even being put up as recently as six months ago along the boundary wall of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority office.

The informal capping to 2011 is apparently an acknowledgement of the reality that slum rehabilitation  either free or as is now contemplated for the new ones mentioned in the Act  is too liberal a portion the government has served itself on its plate.

The enactment does not enable free replacement housing, where a builder takes up the task on behalf of the cooperative of slum dwellers on a contiguous piece of land and subsidises it by building additional saleable space for the open market. This has only had a nominal impact as many builders have been squatting on the slum plots.

It has to be worked along the guidelines provided under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) 2017, which specifies that the beneficiary should not be the owner of a dwelling anywhere else in the country. This is a cumbersome task, and record fudging is the norm in the countryside. And each adult member of a family can be a beneficiary.

It was required that such schemes be on a city-wide basis so that instead of peppering the city with new paid-for homes, where the PMAY provided the subsidy, the dweller has to pay the construction costs. That ability is doubtful. Being poor, most only have the slum which is hardly their "own" and that too is not accepted for a mortgage.

While some help is required and welcome to improve one's dwelling in the informal sector, free for the pre-2000 datum slum dwellings, and assisted with rebates under PMAY, it smacks of discrimination.

Earlier, there were legal slums, that is ones that are protected and those that are not. But now, a new category has emerged: the assisted segment which is distinct from the 'free replacement' housing  so far in vogue, but inadequately executed. The processing of the former category was easier, a coop of slum dwellers allowed to decide on the developer who builds and delivers. Now, it would be on a case by case basis, which implies a scattered effort.

What happens to slums that emerge from now on  on someone's private land, and on those owned by the state, central or municipal governments and their entities like the Railways is not clear. Therefore, this is not yet the time to exult; for slum dwellers can feel secure if better housing is far on the horizon.
Keeping in view the festive season ahead, Maharashtra state government has permitted liquor shops, permit rooms and bars in Mumbai and Pune to stay open until late on 24, 25 and 31 December, media reports said.

According to a circular issued by the Maharashtra state excise department, permit rooms and bars in Mumbai and Pune will be allowed to stay open till 5.00 am on the nights of 24, 25 and 31 December, while liquor shops will be open till 1 am, The Times of India reported.

The shops usually shut down at 10.30 pm while clubs and bars have permission to stay open till 1 am. However, the government circular will only come into effect after the state vendors get a police clearance.

"We have submitted a letter to DGP Satish Mathur seeking police permission to stay open till 5 am," said Dilip Datwani, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India told The Times of India.

The traders, however, remain hopeful that the clearance will eventually be granted as the government has been continuing with the relaxation policy since last few years.

The only occasion when the government nod to the relaxations seemed difficult was in 2015, when the Christmas eve coincides with Prophet Mohammed Paigambars birthday (Id-e-Milad), due to which several sections of the Muslim population had demanded that 24 December be declared a dry day.

Caught between year-end and Christmas revellers and a section Muslim population, the Devendra Fadnavis government had, however, ultimately allowed the liquor sale until late hours.

The mover also comes days after the Maharashtra government allowed shops and retail establishments in the state to remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, liquor shops, bars and restaurants serving alcohol are still exempt from doing so, and the relaxation in opening hours will remain in effect only on Christmas eve, Christmas and new years' eve.
Imphal: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh told the state assembly on Friday that Rohingya Muslims have started sneaking into the state which has a common border with Myanmar.

Singh was replying to a calling attention motion tabled by Congress member K Meghachandra.

Singh said Police at Moreh border town has arrested one Rohingya Muslim during a routine check. It was learnt that seven of them had sneaked into Manipur and the rest were absconding. A manhunt is on."

Checking has been intensified in the border districts and the police has rounded up some 560 persons of doubtful nationality, the chief minister told the House. Of them, 105 undocumented ones were forced back.

A total of 178 undocumented persons were rounded up at Jiribam and unauthorised bamboo bridges used by the migrants were pulled down, Singh said. He appealed to one and all to be "sincere" on the issue.

"Truck drivers are bringing the outsiders and land is being allotted to them by officials. Some politicians use them as vote banks. All MLAs should conduct a survey in their respective constituencies to establish how many outsiders are there and inform me accordingly," the chief minister said.

Meghachandra, who insisted on the introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Manipur, said, "Activists are threatening to start the ILP agitations again and there should be a time frame to prepare the bills."

New ILP bills would be drafted to protect the indigenous people, Singh assured the House.

The Congress MLA said that the ILP system was already in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Underlining the need for the ILP system, Meghachandra said that in 1948 the population of outsiders in Manipur was 2,719. According to the 2001 census, their population increased to 7,40,488 which is higher than the majority community in the state.

The total population of the majority community and the Manipuri Muslims is 9,18,266, the 2001 census said.
Sixty-year old Noorie Mohammed belongs to the erstwhile Katputli Colony at Shadipur Depot. Some weeks ago, she and her family of six members were moved to Narela in Delhi. When asked if she had heard about the bill titled Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage), 2017, (MWM) which is slated to be placed in Parliament next week, she replied in the affirmative. She said that she had heard that talaq-e-biddat (instant talaq) had been struck down by the Supreme Court.

But when Noorie was asked to give her views on whether she supported the idea of a husband who had pronounced triple talaq being jailed, she was aghast.

"Which woman will want to send her husband to jail?," Noorie asked. "It will only serve to further erode the institution of marriage," she remarked.

In Chitli Kaber, the bustling residential cum market place located behind Golcha cinema in Daryaganj, Delhi, the middle-aged Ruksana Khan who earns her livelihood as a dai (mid-wife) is equally aghast at learning about these developments.

"We have never supported talaq-e-biddat, but we cannot support our boys being sent to jail either. As it is, our community is suffering and has its back to the wall, said Khan.

Muslim activist in Uttar Pradesh, Shabina Mumtaz uses the same logic to point out the travesty in of this current piece of legislation which is expected to be tabled in Parliament on Friday.

"Hundreds of Muslim women I have interacted with in the last few weeks have come up to me asking for a clarification on this piece of legislation. They point out, `Earlier a man could throw a woman out of the matrimonial house; now, we can turn around and throw him out of the matrimonial house. This is because the bill says that once a woman files an FIR, she can continue to live in her matrimonial house and take financial support from her husband. But if the husband is in jail, how is he going to support the wife and children? And which husbands family will be ready to keep the wife if she is responsible for getting their son arrested? What kind of fools paradise is this?' these women ask me," pointed out Mumtaz.

"These women believe MWM will leave both the women and their children more vulnerable. They do not want to be ostracised by the men in their community as they will have no place to vent their grievances," said Mumtaz.

Even more important, women want to know why what is primarily a civil dispute is being turned into a criminal offence.

Supreme Court advocate Indira Jaising, who is representing different women groups in court on this issue, said, "Marriage is a civil contract between two adult persons and so the procedures to be followed on its breakdown must be civil in nature."

"We support the Supreme Court verdict striking down instant triple talaq. If a bill has to be legislated, it should stop at the portion of the verdict which says instant talaq shall be void and anti- legal," said Jaising.

Hasina Khan of the Bebak Collective, an outfit which supported Shayara Banos petition against instant triple talaq, also insisted her organisation is opposed to making the violation of the civil contract of marriage a criminal act.

"MWM has made instant triple talaq into a non-bailable offense, with the husband being given a three-year jail sentence. It will allow for the police to literally march into a couples bedroom and claim he has pronounced triple talaq and then arrest him,"said Khan.

Khan cited examples of cow vigilantism and love jihad where Muslim men are being lynched on the basis of rumour mongering. "How do we know that the same will not be perpetuated in this case also?" she asked.

This bill also does not touch on the issue of unilateral talaq, which Muslim men can still pronounce over a period of three months under the personal law.

Instead of bringing in a new legislation that criminalises instant talaq, the government should amend the existing Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939. The Act requires women to approach the court for divorce. It should be made gender-neutral so that even men have to approach the court for a divorce, she said

The activists quoted above point out that there is a difference between instant triple talaq and triple talaq because while the latter is pronounced over a period of 90 days and gives space for reconciliation, this is not the case with instant triple talaq which has been deemed unconstitutional and un-Islamic by the Supreme Court.

In fact, Khan, as also many other activists, maintains that in cases of triple talaq, the aggrieved woman can use the exiting provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and Section 498A of the IPC. The provisions of the Domestic Violence Act are civil in nature but the procedure followed is the one prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Prof Ayesha Kidwai of JNU is horrified at the surreptitious manner in which the bill is being passed. "The bill has not been circulated. No feedback has been taken from women's organisations and from Muslim groups to incorporate their point of view. The bill must be referred to a Parliament Standing Committee for wider consultations," said Kidwai.

Members of Bebak Collective have met both Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to express their dissatisfaction with the bill.

The outfit has also written a letter to MPs from Opposition parties pointing out that since instant triple talaq has been declared invalid by Supreme Court, the marriage is not dissolved and hence criminalisation would violate the rights of conjugality.

"The move to imprison Muslim men will add to the prevailing insecurity and alienation of the Muslim community, the letter added.

The government is presently seeking support from all political parties across the country. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday seeking the support of the Trinamool Congress. Other leaders that have been contacted are Naveen Patnaik, chief minister of Odisha.

For the BJP, the issue of triple talaq remains an extremely political one. It is trying to present itself as the champion of the Muslim women's rights. But other political parties believe this piecemeal approach is one more attempt to saffronise the bill and present Muslim men as being adulterous and errant. They also ask why the government showing so much concern only for deserted Muslim women especially when Hindu, Christian and Sikh women are also being deserted by their husbands.

Indira Jaisingh has warned that it will be unacceptable for the government to pass this bill through a voice vote. "If the government does not hold wider consultations, the bill will be severely challenged in the Supreme Court."
Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday arrested at least 28 Indians for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters, a day after it announced the release of 291 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds over the next couple of weeks.

An official of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) said they nabbed the fishermen and seized five boats for fishing "illegally" in the country's waters.

"A case has been registered against 28 fishermen and they have been handed over to the police," the official said.

The arrests come a day after Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said 291 Indian fishermen will be released.

"Pakistan has decided to release and repatriate 291 Indian fishermen in two phases  on 29 December and 8 January, 2018 via the Wagah Border as a goodwill gesture on humanitarian grounds," he had said in a statement.

Pakistan had released 68 Indian fishermen in October.

A spokesman for PMSA had last week said that 400 Indian fishermen have been arrested this year.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other's territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.
New Delhi: A parliamentary committee has asked the defence ministry to immediately streamline the selection process to confer gallantry awards to defence personnel, insisting that the exercise must be transparent.

The recommendation by the Committee on Petitions of the Lok Sabha came after an alleged lapse by the then authorities concerned in recognising sacrifices of an armyman during the Indo-Pak war in 1965 was brought to its notice.

In a representation to the panel, the son of late Major Mohan Singh had mentioned that his father died while fighting the enemy during the 1965 war but his sacrifice was not attributed to death in action by the Army, depriving him of the gallantry award.

The parliamentary panel asked the defence ministry to undertake a fresh exercise on the basis of available records to determine whether there was any lapse in recognising the "martyrdom" of Singh as 'battle casualty' attributable to military service with effect from 1965.

The petitioner, Brigadier (retired) NB Singh has also stated that after almost 50 years, the Army headquarters has acknowledged his father's sacrifice and "conceded" his death as a 'Battle Field Casualty'.

The committee recommended to the defence ministry to take immediate remedial measures to streamline the selection process for gallantry awards to obviate the recurrence of such incidents in future.

It observed that the incident showed that the entire selection process of conferment of gallantry awards was not transparent.

"There is no doubt that the selection process for conferment of gallantry awards needs to be made more rigorous and meticulous in order to choose only those defence personnel who had exhibited exceptional valour during war," it said.

At the same time, it said, the whole exercise should be transparent and objective so that there is no scope for accusations from any quarters.

As per official records, Major Singh was from 6 Rajput battalion which was deployed in Chhamb-Jaurian sector of Jammu and Kashmir during the 1965 war.

Singh had died in an ambush by the enemy while he and some other troops were laying mines in the area of operation of the battalion on 14 September, 1965.

The committee said that when it asked the defence ministry on the possibility of conferring late Singh with Param Vir Chakra or any other gallantry award posthumously, it ruled out relaxation in laid down rules, saying honours and awards are conferred within a specific period of two calendar years from the date of the act.

"Since the act mentioned in the petition took place 50 years ago, the case cannot be considered at this stage," according to submission before the committee by the ministry.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday she was proud of India's decision to vote in the UN against the US recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"Very proud to see that India joined over 100 countries at the UN to vote against recognising Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. This vote further reaffirms our stand and support to Palestine", Mufti said in a statement on Twitter.

Very proud to see that India joined over 100 countries at the UN to vote against recognising Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. This vote further reaffirms our stand & support to Palestine.  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 22, 2017

Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim majority state, has always reacted emotionally to Israel-Palestine conflict in the past.
Srinagar: Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city to prevent separatist-called protests post the Friday prayers against civilian killings during gunfights between the security forces and the militants.

Senior separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, was placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence on the city outskirts.

A police officer said restrictions under section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in Rainawari, Khanyar, Nowhatta, MR Gunj and Safa Kadal in the old city areas in Srinagar.

"Partial restrictions will also remain in force in Maisuma and Kralkhud," he added.

Train services between Baramulla town of the Kashmir Valley and Bannihal town in the Jammu region have been suspected on the day as a precautionary measure.

Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in sufficient strength to enforce the restrictions.
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday welcomed media criticism on his government's performance and urged journalists to help him in his fight against corruption.

The media has always played a proactive role in the state, keeping a close watch on the functioning of the government and they must continue to do so, he said.

"The media should not hesitate to criticise us if we make any mistake," the chief minister said here after extending financial aid to the families of journalists, who were either killed by extremists or went missing in action.

No amount of schemes or allocation of funds can bring about 'parivartan' (change) unless the entire system  from the Chief Minister's Office to the Panchayat office  is corruption free, Sonowal said.

"Change will be possible only when the poorest of the poor can claim that they have got relief from the government and unless that happens, we cannot claim to be successful," he said.

The chief minister distributed one-time ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of 32 journalists at the event, organised by the state Information and Public Relations Department.

Sonowal said that his government was grateful to the media for helping him in his campaign against corruption.

"We cannot let the sacrifice of the journalists who laid their lives for the society, state and nation to go in vain and must jointly strive to achieve a peaceful, terrorist-free, corruption-free, pollution-free and economically resurgent state," he added.

Two books  one with biographical sketches of 32 journalists and another carrying articles by Assam's rural journalists who recently visited Madhya Pradesh on a Goodwill Mission  were also released by the chief minister on the occasion.
The bill which seeks to criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq is headed for Lok Sabha on Friday. The bill has been listed for introduction in the Lower House of Parliament even as ruckus created by Opposition parties, including the Congress, have stalled Winter Session proceedings which started on 15 December.

'Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill', prepared by an inter-ministerial group headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, makes giving instant triple talaq "illegal and void" and provides for a jail term of three years for the husband.

The bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet last week.

Though the bill has been listed in Lok Sabha's agenda papers for tomorrow, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the bill would come up for introduction next week.

According to the provisions, the husband could also be fined and the quantum of fine would be decided by the magistrate hearing the case.

The bill is being introduced as the practice still continued despite the Supreme Court striking down 'talaq-e-biddat' (instant triple talaq). A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had declared the practice as unconstitutional and not an essential part of Islamic law and faith, but cases of Muslim men divorcing their wives through instant triple talaq did not subside.

The proposed law would only be applicable on instant triple talaq or 'talaq-e-biddat' and it would give power to the victim to approach a magistrate seeking "subsistence allowance" for herself and minor children.

The government has maintained that "the legislation would help in ensuring the larger constitutional goals of gender justice and gender equality of married Muslim women and help subserve their rights of non-discrimination and empowerment.

The government in the recent Winter Session of the Parliament had informed the Lok Sabha that "66 cases of triple talaq were reported" even though the Apex court struck any such form of divorce thus proving that the verdict had failed to act as a deterrent.

Coinciding with the introduction of the bill in the Lok Sabha, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) too has decided to hold an executive body meeting at Nadwa-tul Ulema in Lucknow on 24 December to finalise its response to the bill, News18 reported. The body has released an official letter to its executive members to attend the meeting.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who is a member of the Lok Sabha as well as the AIMPLB, has voiced opposition to the proposed legislation on social media. "This is a draconian and will lead further exploitation & more injustice to married muslim women this is being done by Modi government only for political considerations,burden of proof on women (again) we need law against abandonment married women (sic)," he tweeted.

Under the new proposed law, the woman can also seek the custody of her minor children from the magistrate who will take a final call on the issue. Under the draft law, triple talaq in any form -- spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp -- would be bad or illegal and void.

According to the draft law, which would be applicable to the entire country except Jammu and Kashmir, giving instant talaq would attract a jail term of three years and a fine. It would be a non-bailable, cognisable offence.

After the Supreme Court order striking down the practice, the government was of the view that the practice would end. But it continued and there have been 177 reported cases of instant talaq before the judgement and 66 after the order this year. Uttar Pradesh tops the list.

Women's activists feel government intends to 'fuel fear' in Muslim community

Meanwhile, women's right activists said that the government intends to "fuel fear" in the Muslim community by criminalising pronouncement of instant triple talaq.

In a press conference held today by Bebaak Collective, an intervener in support of the triple talaq plea by Shayara Bano in Supreme Court, activists and lawyers also questioned why the government was bringing a bill without consulting the civil society and various stakeholders.

According to the draft law, pronouncing instant triple talaq will be considered illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. It would be a non-bailable, cognisable offence.

"At a time there have been incidents of violence against the Muslim community and no redressal available to them, this bill will give legal power to target the Muslims," said Sadhna Saxena from the Saheli Trust. "The law is intended to fuel fear of the state by being able to walk into your home and incarcerate Muslim men," said Ayesha Kidwai, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Another activist questioned the inherent contradiction in the draft law that renders pronouncement of instant triple talaq void and yet sends the man to jail.

"When the marriage is not broken why send the man to jail. The law will make me a divorcee," said Shabina Mumtaz, a social worker from UP.

She said that the government should instead offer protection to women unlawfully divorced by their husbands.

"If a woman or a man says I have divorced you is that a criminal offence under any law. It is not," senior advocate Indira Jaising, who was also the counsel for Bebaak Collective in the Supreme Court, said, questioning the need to criminalise pronouncing talaq thrice.

The law also promises "subsistence allowance" as well as custody rights to a victim of triple talaq, which Jaising said was another contradiction within the law.

"The moment a divorce is declared null and void the woman has a status of a wife, and in her capacity as the wife she is entitled unrestricted access to the resources of the family and matrimonial home," Jaising said.

Similarly, there was no question of custody of a child being granted to either party when the divorce has been invalidated, the senior lawyer said. Lawyer Vrinda Grover also questioned the rationale behind sending a man to jail for issuing a divorce.

"If the divorce is declared void what is the harm or injury caused to an individual, property or society for which a man is being put in jail. Afterall, for a criminal offence must cause harm or injury," Grover asked.

Activists demanded that the law should ensure that Muslim men cannot seek divorce outside court. They also want the government to address other practices such as polygamy and nikah halala, where a woman has to consummate her marriage with another man before she can return to her former husband.
Istanbul: Turkey summoned a senior United Arab Emirates diplomat to complain about a tweet by an Emirati minister that infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media reported.

The Emirates' foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan this week retweeted a post on Twitter in which a user made allegations of historic misdoings by "ancestors of Erdogan".

The tweet alleged that a former Ottoman governor pillaged and kidnapped people from the pilgrimage city of Medina in the early 20th century.

The Turkish foreign ministry summoned the Emirati charge d'affaires in Ankara on Thursday and complained about the post, state news agency Anadolu said.

The charge d'affaires was the top UAE diplomat currently present in Turkey as the ambassador was temporarily absent.

The offending tweet was posted by a user called "Ali al-Iraqi", presenting himself as an Iraqi dentist living in Germany.

"Ali al-Iraqi" said Fahreddin Pasha  Medina governor from 1916 to 1919  "committed a crime against the people of Medina by stealing their money, kidnapping them and putting them on trains that took them to Syria and Istanbul".

The user added: "Those are the ancestors of Erdogan and this is the history that they have with Arab Muslims."

Fahreddin Pasha was governor during the siege of Medina (1916-1919).

Erdogan hit back yesterday, telling the minister to "know your place" as he railed against the Twitter user's "slanderous claims".

"Know your place! It means you do not know this country, you do not know Erdogan, you do not know about Erdogan's ancestors," he retorted.

"When Pasha was protecting Medina... where were your ancestors?"

Erdogan went on the attack again yesterday, saying the Emirati minister was "ill-brought up" and "too spoilt by oil and money".

Relations between the UAE and Turkey are filled with distrust as Ankara supports Qatar in a six-month crisis with its Gulf neighbours including the UAE, as well as political groups stemming from the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

The UAE outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood as a "terror" group in 2014.

Turkish pro-government newspapers also routinely allude to UAE involvement in last year's attempted coup against Erdogan.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government will withdraw 20,000 political cases slapped on various people for reasons like staging a demonstration and holding sit-ins, chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Thursday.

Speaking on the UPCOCA debate in the state assembly, he said that his government, after due deliberations, had decided to do this. Officials said there were many instances where cases had been slapped for political and other considerations to victimize political opponents and law had been misused in a big way in the past.

Adityanath also sought the support of the opposition parties, bitterly opposed to the legislation, to come join hands with the state government to weed out criminals and make Uttar Pradesh a peaceful and investor-friendly state.

A firm hand towards crime and criminals was necessary, he added while pointing out that his government had been mandated by the people to turn UP into a peaceful state.

He also allayed fears of opposition benches and the media that the law would be misused to muzzle their voice or to hound minorities or political opponents. "It is must to break the backbone of organized crime, which has thrived with the support of politicians and officials", the UP chief minister said.
So nobody made money in 2G scam, nobody flouted norms, nobody was complicit while laying down an arbitrary first come first serve policy on antiquated pricing. In the end, the special CBI court verdict on this case, which stirred national conscience for years and led to demise of UPA-government, is like the verdict in Jessica Lal murder case and Aarushi and Hemraj murder case: No one killed Jessica, no one killed Arushi and Hemraj, and now no one caused 2G scam.

What makes the lower court order even more curious as it comes over five-and-half-years after two-judge bench of Supreme Court said, while cancelling 122 licences that A Raja "virtually gifted away the important national asset at throw away prices".

Armed with special CBI court order acquitting all accused in the 2G scam, the Congress was back to claiming zero sum loss, and also demanding explanation from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for having made it an issue against UPA.

In Congress' thought process, the verdict has given them an opportunity to claim vindication and charge the BJP with a conspiracy to label the erstwhile Congress regime as neck deep in corruption or the most corrupt government ever.

The Congress chest thumping has another angle: It wants to convey a message to the its ally, the DMK in Tamil Nadu, that it was the BJP and not the Congress which was responsible for their plight where two of its top leaders, A Raja and Kanimozhi, had the ignominy of being lodged in Tihar Jail for a prolonged period.

A Raja was in jail for 15 months and Kanimozhi was in jail for six-and-half-months. The partys eagerness to strike a fresh fraternal bond with DMK was heightened by Modi's surprise visit to DMK chief Karunanidhis home in Chennai.

The prime minister's visit broke the ice that was there for past decade and half between the BJP and DMK. Almost all family members, including MK Stalin, Kanimozhi and Karunanidhi's two wives gave a warm welcome to Modi. The visit had the potential to alter political alignment ahead of the 2019 general election.

In its enthusiasm to claim vindicationto quote Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the Congress was treating the lower court verdict as a badge of honour, the Congress and its top leadership seems to be experiencing some kind of amnesia.

Let us consider the facts: The 2G scam, which occurred during UPA-I, came to the fore during UPA-II after a 2010 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report alleged arbitrary allocation of spectrum to telecom companies by the government led to a whopping loss of 1.76 lakh crore to the state exchequer.

Vinod Rai, the then CAG, an IAS officer of impeccable credentials, was appointed by the Congress-led UPA government. Prior to that, he served as secretary in finance ministry. It was not the BJP but the UPA  forced by CAG report, public anger and tough stance taken by the Supreme Court  which initiated the CBI inquiry.

It was the UPA and not the BJP which sacked then telecom minister A Raja. It was also during the UPA regime that A Raja, Kanimozhi, and a whole lot of other people were sent to jail and denied bail for a long time. It was also during the UPA rule that charge sheet in the case was filed and Supreme Court gave a series of stinging observations.

It must also be noted that during that period, when 2G scam was being furiously debated in media and all other public forums, thereby raising political temperature and stirring popular psyche, Narendra Modi was nowhere in picture, at least on the national stage.

The BJP was then accused of not doing anything on its own, but simply latching on to what was said in CAG report and indictments made by the Supreme Court. The BJP would have failed in its duty if it had not raised the issue with the force with which it did.

The larger question, which Thursday's verdict and Congress' claim of fair play raises is: If there was no scam and nobody was guilty, then why did Supreme Court cancel all 122 licences allocated by the government and order auction of the same?

Remember, the Supreme Court in its 2 February, 2012 order, while declaring the allocation of spectrum as illegal and cancelling 122 licenses, said that the process followed by telecom ministry under A Raja directions was "wholly arbitrary, capricious and contrary to public interest apart from being violative of the doctrine of equality" to "favour some companies at the cost of the public exchequer".

The apex court also took on the Telecom Regulation Authority of India (TRAI) for its role in the entire episode, saying that the regulator's approach was "lopsided" and "contrary to the decision taken by the Council of Ministers" and its recommendations became a "handle" for A Raja who "virtually gifted away the important national asset at throw away prices".

A bench of Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguli also held that spectrum was a natural resource and natural resources are vested with the government as a matter of trust in the name of the people of India, and it is the solemn duty of the state to protect the national interest, and natural resources must always be used in the interests of the country and not private interests.

It noted that there was a fundamental flaw in the first-come, first-served principle, inasmuch as it involves an element of pure chance or accident In matters involving award of contracts or grant of licence or permission to use public property, the invocation of the first-come, first-served principle has inherently dangerous implications.

Jaitley indicated that the Modi government would appeal in the high court. "I am sure investigating agencies and prosecuting agencies will look into it and decide what to do further in the matter. The Congress should not consider this as some kind of certificate of clean chit," Jaitley said.

Turning to its political implications: How will the verdict impact politics and political alignments at the Centre? Though the DMK has gone on record to say that it continues to be Congress ally, the fact that the charges were framed against Raja and Kanimozhi when UPA was in power and were acquitted when BJP is in power can make the Tamilian party more amenable towards Modi and BJP in 2019, if it needs to be.

Follow all the LIVE updates from the 2G spectrum case judgment here
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi will chair a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Friday, his first as Congress president.

The CWC will accord a warm welcome to the new president and likely discuss the current political situation, including the ramifications of the Congress's strong performance in the Gujarat Assembly election for the party in future.

Party sources said the 2G spectrum case judgment acquitting all the accused is also likely to be discussed. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used the alleged scam to the hilt while mounting a fierce campaign against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Alleged corruption under UPA II was widely believed to have led to the defeat of the Manmohan Singh government.

The Congress, sources said, wants to take the 2G issue to the people for which it is likely to formalise a plan soon. The CWC, the party's highest decision-making body, is also likely to adopt a resolution to this effect.

AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the CWC meeting will commence at 10:30 am.

The agenda for the meeting was, however, not officially disclosed.

Though Rahul Gandhi has chaired CWC meetings in the past in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi, it will be for the first time that he will preside over it as Congress president.

Rahul was elected unopposed as Congress chief on 11 December and assumed the party's reins on 16 December.
Chennai: The acquittal of DMK leaders Kanimozhi, daughter of party president M Karunanidhi, and former Union Telecom Minister A Raja, and others by a court in the 2G spectrum case has come as a big boost for the party and could lead to a political realignment in Tamil Nadu, especially with the ruling AIADMK a divided house, political observers and party leaders say.

"There will be a realignment in the political scenario in Tamil Nadu following the verdict. Political parties may now gravitate towards the DMK without any hesitation as the shadow of 2G case is no more there on the party," Professor of Political Science at the University of Madras Ramu Manivannan said.

"It is ironical that DMK lost elections due to the alleged scam in 2G spectrum allocation. Now DMK will claim moral and political victory," Manivannan added.

There is also a view that DMK will be wooed by the BJP with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. There could be a race between the Congress and BJP to align with DMK.

"The relationship between Congress and DMK is strong. There will not be any change in that," S Thirunavukkarasar, Tamil Nadu Congress chief, said.

"Other like-minded parties who want to join us are welcome," Thirunavukkarasar added.

Asked whether the two Communist parties would come forward and join the Congress-DMK alliance with the shadow of 2G scandal now gone, he said it could happen as there should be a united secular front to oppose the BJP.

Currently the DMK has Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as allies.

The two communist parties supported the DMK candidate in the Radhakrishnan Nagar by-election on Thursday. Even the MDMK party led by Vaiko, VCK, supported the DMK candidate in the by-poll.

"We have to read the full judgement first and then comment," G. Ramakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Secretary of Communist Party of India-Marxist said when asked about the political realignment in the wake of the 2G case verdict.

Thirunavukkarasar did not agree that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre can put pressure on DMK by going on appeal against the Delhi Special CBI Court verdict.

"The acquittal verdict has come on the merits of the case. Even the appeal has to be made on the same count," Thirunavukkarasar said.

He said "there is not much possibility" of the BJP threatening DMK.

According to Thirunavukkarasar, the ruling AIADMK party in Tamil Nadu is a divided house. It has to be seen whether BJP would like to go with the AIADMK.

"There is nothing to stop DMK from getting back on the political saddle in Tamil Nadu. The two communist parties and others may not have any reservation in aligning with DMK," Manivannan said.

"For BJP to set its foot firmly in South, it has to break the alliance between Congress and DMK in Tamil Nadu as the ruling AIADMK is riven by factions," John Arokiasamy, political analyst, said.

According to him, BJP has to start from Tamil Nadu for a stronger southern foray, which it could do by going on appeal in the 2G case.

"The acquittal of Kanimozhi may also create an internal power struggle within DMK as there may be demands for her to be given higher party responsibility," Arokiasamy added.

According to him, the BJP may want to align with DMK as AIADMK is not strong now and whether DMK would succumb to that pressure has to be seen.

"For BJP, the 2019 general election is more crucial than the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu," Arokiasamy added.

"There is nothing to stop DMK from aiming for power in Tamil Nadu. DMK may not want to align with BJP," Manivannan said.

On the PMK's position, former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said, "We continue to hold on to our stand. We will not align with DMK or AIADMK."

Ramadoss said if there was no corruption in 2G spectrum allocation then why had the Supreme Court cancelled 122 spectrum licences and why did the central government opt for auction route later.
The time at which Rahul Gandhi begins his stint as president of the Congress party couldn't be better for him. His endless temple visits in Gujarat must have attracted the attention of some really powerful deity because he is beginning his term as party chief with a lot of luck. Regardless of the defeat in the numbers game in Gujarat, the state elections have been widely viewed as a victory for the Congress.

There are fewer 'Pappu' jokes doing the rounds these days. Most regional party heads, including BJP ally Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, are endorsing Rahul's repackaged avatar. The Congress in the state also got a shot in the arm on Friday when the Bombay High Court set aside the sanction granted by Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao to prosecute Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing scam case. Finally, Thursday's CBI court verdict in the 2G spectrum scam came as a relief to the party, which it used immediately to free itself from the ignominy of being party to one of the biggest scams India has seen.

The Congress is adding more weapons to its arsenal as next year's state polls approach, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to be losing some of his favourite political talking points. At least on the criminality aspect, the special CBI court has ended the debate by acquitting all the accused. Modi, henceforth, will find it difficult to flash the 2G weapon in his political rallies with the same vigour as before. If Modi questions the court verdict, his critics will use the same statement against him in connection with the Gujarat riots case.

The luck that is with Rahul at the moment, however, will not last forever. This is probably his one big chance in his (as yet) not-so-successful political career, to claim the upper hand. Gujarat proved that Modi is no superhuman and he is indeed vulnerable to tough fights. In fact, the Congress came closing to smelling success in the Modi bastion before conceding the numbers game in the end. If Rahul builds on this momentum and brings together the Opposition, Modi will not be an invincible force in 2019.

But, for this to happen, Gandhi needs to first overhaul his own party infrastructure on the ground. Since Modi came to power in 2014, the Congress has been a demoralised group of senior leaders, aspiring leaders and clueless workers on the ground. The new Congress president needs to work closely with state leaders to identify and consolidate the strengths. Local alliances are key and herein lies the main political challenge for Rahul. For instance, befriending the Left at the Centre to tackle Modi will not be something with which the Left cadres in Kerala will be comfortable.

More careful planning and re-engineering of local units is vital. The CBI court verdict, although not a vindication of the UPA government, is a good political opportunity for Rahul to claim otherwise  something his party leaders are already doing  and question the BJP leadership for using the 2G scam as a political weapon. The BJP has fiercely used it to its advantage in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and thereafter. This line of attack will be weak from this point on. The Congress will play victim and try to convince the electorate that the BJP won the elections on an issue where no wrongdoing was carried out by the UPA government.

At least on the criminality aspect, the scam-accused have got the clean chit. But as mentioned earlier, this luck alone won't do the trick for Rahul. A strong political narrative is missing from his style of politics so far. His political steps against Modi and the BJP have been largely reactionary. There is no fresh, convincing narrative Rahul has offered to the electorate beyond offering freebies and accusing rich industrialists of snatching wealth from the poor. To begin with, Rahul needs to chalk out a credible economic agenda for the country. He calls demonetisation and GST twin torpedoes that hit the economy, but he is silent on clear solutions to curb the black economy or offer a better GST structure  the twin objectives Modi attempted to achieve.

If one leaves out the rhetoric and social media barbs at Modi, Rahul is yet to have a clear-cut and prudent economic roadmap to counter the government's economic policy failures and shortcomings. Next, Rahul will have to prepare for questions on his approach to contentious issues  majority/minority balance, caste politics  where answers are tricky. His temple run in Gujarat and proclamation of being a 'sacred thread-wearing Hindu' weren't convincing enough to the informed voters. If Rahul does the right things at the right time, with luck on his side, the new Congress president can reverse the course of his party from near-collapse back to its glory days.
After years of political rivalry, are the AAP and Congress moving closer? Are the two parties working in tandem towards a possible alliance before the 2019 parliamentary polls? Has the AAP has finally found resort in the Congress to ensure its own survival?

These questions have surfaced after AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday retweeted a sarcastic post related to a CBI court's recent verdict on the 2G spectrum allocation case, in which all the accused were acquitted . The post, which has a picture Dr Manmohan Singh, sarcastically quoted the former prime minister as saying, All the arrests, including ministers happened during my regime, all the acquittal happened during Modi's regime".



Arvind Kejriwal retweeted the post adding a comment, So true.

A Twitter account 'History of India' originally posted the tweet which Kejriwal retweeted on Friday, an action which is seen as him echoing the voice of the Congress.

Significantly, his retweet came a day after the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh issued a statement on the judgement saying, The judgement speaks for itself...I am glad the court has pronounced unambiguously that all this massive propaganda that was being done against the UPA was without any foundation."

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Kejriwal is showing his support for the Congress. In the 5th foundation day celebration of AAP held just before Gujarat election, Kejriwal while addressing the party volunteers appealed voters to vote for the strongest candidate rather than voting for the AAP candidates in Gujarat.

"It is not necessary to vote for the AAP candidate. I appeal to the people of Gujarat to vote for the strongest candidates against the ones fielded by BJP. It is time to defeat BJP," he said.

Though the AAP has hardly any footprint in Gujarat this statement was seen as made to benefit Congress.

The CBI court's verdict on Thursday prompted the Congress to create a ruckus in the Parliament, demanding an apology from the prime minister as the purported scam was the main political plank for the BJP in the 2014 parliamentary election.

Congress claimed that there was no scam at all in 2G spectrum allocation.

The AAP, in its statement, reserved harsh words for the main accused, who are from DMK. In a press conference on Thursday, AAP leader Ashutosh said that the nation would never accept that there was no scam. He raised doubts regarding a possible hush-up by the present regime to protect the accused DMK leaders.

Recently the PM met DMK leader Karunanidhi. The nation wants to know whether there was a deal in this meeting which resulted in the acquittal of the DMK leaders and the companies?

He further asked, "Why did the CBI fail to collect any evidence against the accused?

He went on further to ask whether the government will now take action against the CBI officials who failed to collect evidence.

While the AAP adopted a harsh stance on the DMK and BJP suggesting a nexus between them, the party chief Arvind Kejriwals retweet credits Congress leader Manmohan Singh for arresting the accused in his term as the Prime Minister. Thus, the AAP is seen to have taken a softer stance towards the Congress.

Is this an attempt by the AAP to pave the way for a possible alliance with the Congress?

Significantly, the AAP has seen neither seen any electoral success after its landslide victory in Delhi in the year 2015, nor it has managed to formulate a national vision to woo voters outside Delhi. Given growing anti-incumbency against the Delhi government, the only way by which it can stay in power in Delhi for a long time is by carving an alliance with the Congress. This could be why the AAP is busy in whitewashing the grand old party.

The AAP has been vocal against the Congress since its early days. The Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption movement, which Arvind Kejriwal was an important part of, raised an anti-corruption crusade against the Congress-led UPA government. Kejriwal's relatively softer attitude towards the Congress now is seen as a U-turn from his earlier stance.
China's embassy in Canberra has issued a warning for protection after claims from a couple of "insulting incidents" has been directed at Chinese students living in Australia.

Over the weekend, a message has been posted by the embassy to its website, warning about "a rising number of insulting incidents" and urged students to report any safety problems.

Prior to that, the Chinese consulate-general in Melbourne made a similar announcement, and according to a report in the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, it states that "Recently, attacks and insults targeting Chinese students have occurred in different places in Australia."

"Therefore, we warn all Chinese students in Australia to keep alert of possible danger and call the police and embassy if such incidents occur."

The astonishing messages are believed to be in response to the three Chinese students that have been bashed at a Canberra bus station in October.

The incident alerted the Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye to visit the students at Canberra College and express the Chinese government's "serious concerns" over the violence.

The warning also comes after racist flyers - suggesting Chinese students would be deported - were found in two Melbourne universities in July.

Furthermore, China has about 170,000 nationals studying in Australian universities, schools and colleges.

The warning is the latest fiasco between China and Australia after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pointedly declared that he would "stand up" against Chinese interference in Australian politics by announcing tougher espionage laws.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, Australia needed to "shake off their Cold War mentality and bias against China".

"We are shocked by the Australian leader's remarks, which lack principle and simply pander to those irresponsible reports by some Australian media," he said earlier this month.

"Imbued with bias towards China, these groundless and unfounded remarks can sabotage China-Australia relations and are detrimental to the foundation of mutual trust and co-operation.

"We are strongly dissatisfied with those remarks and have lodged stern representations with the Australian side."
New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday cited a Supreme Court verdict on 2G spectrum to assert corruption in the case and claimed that a trial court order acquitting the accused was no "clean chit" to the opposition party.

While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley cited the details of the UPA government's policy and the apex court's subsequent order in 2012 quashing all allocations to say that the facts proved corruption in the case, his colleague Prakash Javadekar claimed it was the Congress which had "choreographed" the chargesheet in the criminal matter.

The trial court in its verdict on Thursday had described the chargesheet as "choreographed".

Javadekar told reporters that the CBI had filed it in 2011 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"The Congress choreographed it," he said, citing a case in which then law minister Ashwani Kumar had to resign after he was accused of interfering with a CBI report into a probe in coal block allocations.

Javadekar likened the case to a murder probe, saying that if somebody was killed, the guilty had to be exposed.

Similarly, he said, corruption had taken place and the guilty had to be found.

Jaitley told reporters that the Congress should not treat the 2G verdict as a "badge of honour".

Citing the Supreme Court verdict in 2012 quashing all allocations, he said the fact that the UPA's policy was dishonest and intended to promote corruption had been upheld by the apex court.

Each allocation was quashed as arbitrary and unfair, he said, adding that the criminal case was launched on the Supreme Court's order.

"Its (Congress's) history is of corruption. Facts have proven it. Congress leaders are treating the judgement like a badge of honour and certification that the 2G spectrum allocation policy was an honest policy," Jaitley said.

He also rejected former telecom minister Kapil Sibal's "zero loss" claim in the allocation, saying it was disproved by the subsequent allocation by the BJP-led NDA government, fetching Rs 1.10 lakh crore in 2015 and Rs 66,000 crore in 2016. Sibal fired a fresh salvo at the BJP following the trial court order on Thursday.

The UPA government had fixed a price of Rs 1,734 crore per licensee, the finance minister said.

Attacking the Manmohan Singh government, Jaitley said it had given licences in 2007-08 on the basis of a price linked to 2001 and there was a "huge element of arbitrariness" in the implementation of the policy.

Cut-off dates were advanced and the first come first served policy was intended to serve a select few, he said, adding that it was later changed to "first come first pay" and a select few were informed in advance.

It was proved by the fact that they had got bank drafts prepared on back dates, he said.

Javadekar referred to the money received by the NDA government for the allocation of 2G spectrum and said it was almost equal to Rs 1.76 lakh crore, which former CAG Vinod Rai had said was the loss to the exchequer caused by the UPA policy.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the party was so desperate that it was seeing a win in its loss in Assembly polls and now finding vindication in the 2G case verdict.

"It is no clean chit to the Congress," he said.

The Congress was silent on coal block allocation cases in which many accused had been convicted, he said.

Had the UPA policy been clean and involved no corruption, then the court would have revived the cancelled licences, he said.

A Special CBI court on Thursday acquitted all those accused in the 2G scam case which had rocked the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government, holding that the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove any of the corruption and money laundering charges.
Ahmedabad: Congress contestants who fought the recent Gujarat polls may move the high court against the Election Commission over the functioning of the EVMs during the election process, a senior party leader said on Thursday on the concluding day of the party's introspection meet in Mehsana.

On the second and concluding day of the 'chintan shivir', party leaders expressed doubts over the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines and claimed the party's performance would have been better had ballot papers been used in the polls.

"Defeated candidates raised doubts over EVMs and said the party could have won more seats had ballot papers been used in polls," Gujarat Congress unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki told reporters.

The meet, aimed at analysing the electoral outcome and discuss the roadmap in view of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, began on Wednesday.

The party's new president Rahul Gandhi will interact with the newly-elected MLAs as well as leaders from state's four zones  north, south, central Gujarat, and Saurashtra  separately for four hours in Ahmedabad on Saturday, before addressing a gathering of party workers in the evening.

"Many candidates said the party suffered due to EVMs. We have discussed the matter with technical experts. We are seeking a legal opinion on this," Solanki said.

He said the candidates who have raised doubts over the functioning of the EVMs may file a petition in the high court, challenging the Election Commission.

Solanki said the conclave also discussed the "misuse" of the government machinery by the ruling party during polls.

On Tuesday, a day after the Gujarat election results were declared, a senior official of the election machinery had said there was a "100 percent match" in a random vote count on EVMs and paper trail slips carried out by the Election Commission in the 182 polling stations in the state.

Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer BB Swain had said that the vote count through the EVMs matched with the VVPAT in all the constituencies where the paper trail slips were counted.

In the elections, the Congress could not wrest power from the BJP even though its tally increased to 77 seats from 61 last time.

Congress ally Bharatiya Tribal Party won two seats, and along with an independent backed by it winning his seat, the tally of the Congress-led alliance stood at 80, 12 short of the simple majority in the 182-member Assembly.

The BJP retained power for the sixth time, though with a reduced score of 99 seats against 115 in 2012.

The Congress performed well in rural areas of Gujarat but failed to make a significant mark in the urban pockets.

According to Solanki, it was for the first time that the Congress held an introspection meet immediately after an election.

"The aim of the meeting was to ensure that the connection with the public remains intact and any issues with the party are addressed," the senior leader said.

During the conclave, Congress workers from 33 districts in Gujarat discussed the poll results with senior leadership. They also raised issues like allotting tickets to "outsiders" and use of "money power" by the BJP government.
Agartala: Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath, and a small section of the ruling CPM, on Friday joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections due in 2018.

Apart from Nath, the president of Tripura unit of Pradesh Mohila Congress and councillor of Agartala Municipal Council (AMC), Himani Debbarma, also joined the BJP on Friday.

Ram Madhav, General Secretary of the BJP, on Friday inducted Nath into the party by handing over the saffron flag.

The other new recruits were received by state BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb. With the induction of Nath, the total number of MLAs of the saffron party in Tripuras 60-member House rose to seven.

Earlier, six MLAs from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) who had won with Congress tickets, joined the saffron party in August.

State media in-charge Victor Shome said, altogether, 1,000 people from 350 families from West Tripura district on Friday joined the BJP.

Nath claimed that he switched allegiance to the BJP to crush "corruptions of CPM" and see a BJP government in the state in the Assembly elections to be held early in 2018.

The Tripura government, headed by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, has become the applied centre of corruption, and Sarkar is the main abettor," Nath said in his speech.

Tripura would be the 20th state in the country to be ruled by the BJP because majority of people in the state were dreaming of a BJP government," Ram Madhav said.

He also said that if the BJP came to power in Tripura, good governance would be the axis and the motto would be to eliminate poverty, backwardness and unemployment.

Our battle cry is to form a Marxists-free government because they are violent. At least five BJP workers were murdered in recent time, he added.

The Chairman of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sharma said, nobody can stop BJP from forming the government in Tripura.

People have become euphoric of forming BJP government. I am sensing that our party would sweep in the state and it would be even difficult for CPM to win in 10 seats in the 60-member House, Sharma said in his speech.

BJP state President Biplab Kumar Deb and BJP MLA, Sudip Roy Burman also spoke on the occasion.
New Delhi: Indiscipline in the Congress was one of the key issues raised on Friday at the first CWC meeting Rahul Gandhi chaired after taking over as the party president, against the backdrop of Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Though no names were mentioned, some Congress Working Committee members raised the issue of leaders making "irrelevant" statements that hurt the party and adversely impacted its prospects in elections.

The issue cropped up at the meeting of the Congress's highest decision-making body days after senior leader M Veerapa Moily said controversial statements by Aiyar and Kapil Sibal might have undone the gains made by Rahul Gandhi during campaigning in the Gujarat elections.

Modi had used Aiyar's remark that he (the prime minister) was a "neech kism ka aadmi" (a vile sort of person) to the hilt at the hustings to whip up a sense of Gujarati pride.

Senior Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal's pitch for deferment of the hearing of the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title suit till after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, many feel, also harmed the party's chances in elections.

The Congress suspended Aiyar's primary membership the day he made the comment, while it distanced itself from Sibal's remark.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, sources said the issues of indiscipline and leaders making out of turn statements were raised by many CWC members and discussed. These members also suggested action against such "errant" leaders.

Gandhi, they said, was in agreement with those who brought up the issue. "We will ensure discipline is enforced and the party is strengthened," Gandhi was quoted as having told the meeting.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh spoke about the challenges before the party and insisted on greater accountability of leaders.

"The working committee was unanimous in saying that the momentum gained from the current set of elections would only be enhanced so that in the next set of elections Congress emerges victorious," the party's communications in charge Randeep Surjewala told journalists after the meeting.
17:07 (ist)

Sonia Gandhi attends CWC meeting as Rahul Gandhi presides over meet

Congress' longest serving president Sonia Gandhi is attending the CWC meeting as a member today. "Soniaji is in the meeting as CWC member. This is happening after a long time," a Congress source said.

It will be first time in the past several decades that a former party president also sits in the meeting along with the new president  in this case, Sonia and Rahul respectively. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi held the post of Congress president as long as they lived. PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri filled in the slot from 1992 to 1998 when Sonia in the aftermath of Rajiv Gandhis assassination was not prepared to get into active politics and become Congress president.

Earlier, there were some speculations around whether Sonia would attend the meeting. What heightened curiosity over her presence or non-presence at the meeting is the fact that on the opening day of Parliament when she came face to face with the media after Rahuls elevation as Congress president, Sonia had said "My role is now to retire". That became major news, instantaneously sparking off debates about her retirement from politics.
Long before the Gujarat Assembly election, there was one thing that was clear about the Karnataka Assembly polls, about five months from now: It will be a tough fight for the BJP against the ruling Congress. The Gujarat verdict has only confirmed it.

BJP president Amit Shah, the celebrated impresario of elections whose skills in selling brand BJP can shame corporate marketing mavens, had sensed this months ago. At a closed door meeting in Bengaluru in August, Shah pointedly asked local BJP leaders how many seats the party would win in the 224-seat Assembly. He patiently heard the chants of "150" from the leaders including state unit president and chief-minister-in-waiting BS Yeddyurappa.

Shah himself had earlier set the target of 150 seats  something the party began to call "Mission 150". This is either because Shah was fond of this figure or because it was his way of telling partymen to "get in there and knock 'em dead", he also set the target of 150 in Gujarat.

So when the Karnataka leaders chorused "150" at the party meeting, they thought it would be like Carnatic music to Shahs ears. Except it wasnt. With barely-concealed irritation, he told them they would be lucky to win 80 seats "if elections are held today", and dictated plenty of dos and don'ts to ensure a victory. Topping that list was an aggressive campaign against corruption during the regime of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Mission 150? Forget it

This was five months ago. There is nothing to suggest that the situation has changed dramatically since then. If there was any fallout of that meeting, it was only that we began to hear less about "Mission 150" since then. We may stop hearing it entirely, now that the party has woefully fallen short of the 150-mark in Gujarat.

For the record, however, the BJP claims that the Gujarat victory has boosted its chances of returning to power in Karnataka after a five-year gap. But the reality, at least for now, seems to be the exact opposite, if only because the BJP's reduced margin in Modi's home state now makes the party look less like an unbeatable political Godzilla than it had seemed.

Does all this mean that the politics of Gujarat and Karnataka have the same sort of electoral nuts and bolts? Hardly. The political ecosystems in the two states are as different as Kutchi dabeli and idli-sambaar. For one thing, it's the Congress that faces the anti-incumbency threat as the ruling party in Karnataka, on account of non-performance and corruption. But unlike in Gujarat, the Congress is better organised in Karnataka and has a leader in Siddaramaiah, even if he walks around with his chin in the air that sets his own partymens nerves on edge.

Siddaramaiah has been fighting anti-incumbency by misusing his incumbency: He has been dishing out one populist scheme after another ranging from free rice to the poor to subsidised food at Indira Canteens. "A sop a month will keep an election defeat away" seems to be his mantra, unmindful of the damage it wreaks on the state's economy.

The latest is a free health scheme that targets people ranging from the poorest of the poor to journalists and legislators. He is hurrying through this to implement it well before the Model Code of Conduct kicks in, despite questions from his finance department. Siddaramaiah has also been advocating a separate Karnataka flag and making periodical noises against the Centre's alleged imposition of Hindi. Having waived farmer loans, he constantly accuses the Narendra Modi government of not doing enough to help the state in getting its share of water from the Cauvery and Mahadayi rivers in disputes with Tamil Nadu and Goa respectively.

Although populism is not always guaranteed to win elections, it can possibly tilt results in combination with multiple other factors, and Shah is surely aware of this.

The BJP has exhibited remarkable flair for surviving anti-incumbency in Gujarat. But the party is doing little to turn anti-incumbency against Siddaramaiah into votes in any tangible way. The anti-corruption campaign that the local leaders had launched  at the behest of Shah  has so far been halfhearted, unconvincing and unsubstantiated. Unfortunately for Yeddyurappa and his party, the perception of his own corruption lingers in public minds, despite his acquittal in most cases.

Lingayats are not Patidars

Where the Congress is on a slippery ground is Siddaramaiahs caste and communal matrix that aims to please Muslims and some select castes  a potentially risky proposition considering the possibility of backlash from others. And after the Gujarat verdict, Karnatakas Congress leaders have a new dream. They imagine that the states upper caste Lingayats will turn into Karnatakas Patidars and back the Congress.

Lingayats, so far thought to make up around 17 percent of Karnatakas population, but account for only 9.8 percent according to the yet-to-be-released caste-census of Siddaramaiah, have traditionally stood by the BJP. But by tacitly supporting a section of Lingayats who have been demanding the status of a separate religion, the chief minister wants to seduce them away from BJP.

Comparisons between Lingayats and Patidars by the Congress are based on wishful thinking and wild fantasy.

The only thing in common between them is that both are upper castes and both have creamy layers as well as economic dregs of society. But unlike Patidars, Lingayats already enjoy reservations (five percent) and are without a leader, not even a 24-year-old Twitter artiste like Hardik Patil, either within or outside the Congress.

Itll be back to the Modi-Shah duo

There is little doubt that the BJP in Karnataka, as it did in Gujarat, will have to depend a lot on Modi's personal popularity and Shah's repertoire of election management skills.

Having sensed this months ago, Shah virtually took control of the Karnataka unit. After the Gujarat election interlude, he will be back to work in Karnataka pretty soon. There is even talk that Shah has found a temporary home in Bengaluru, conveniently near the airport.

What makes the BJP's job even tougher in Karnataka is the presence of a third player in the form of former prime minister HD Deve Gowdas Janata Dal (Secular), which has a significant presence in at least a third of the Assembly constituencies.

The author tweets @sprasadindia
The BJPs spin doctors, aided by a few embedded journalists, have been trying to downplay the partys losses in the 2017 General Election to the Gujarat Assembly. They argue that notwithstanding the decline in seats of BJP from 115 in 2012 to 99 in 2017, a win is a win.

There's no doubt about that: BJP won Gujarat. But Gujarat is BJPs bastion, and comments on BJPs diminishing seats in their bastion cant be silenced with "Jo jeeta wahi Sikander".

The gap between BJP and Congress in Gujarat was the widest in 2002 and has been narrowing since, as the chart below shows. It is notable that the trend should not only continue but accelerate with Narendra Modi as the prime minister.

The narrowing distance would look even closer if we were to count the Congress allies, who got another three seats, taking Congress+ to 80 of the 182 seats.

Those in defense, immediately point out that BJP was facing 22 years of anti-incumbency in Gujarat. That is a rare acknowledgment that BJP under Modi also faces anti-incumbency, which is a voter sentiment that the incumbent hasnt lived up to the expectations.

Yet one could argue that BJP was also facing three years of pro-incumbency in Gujarat. After all, their chief minister became the Prime Minister of India in 2014. When a states leader becomes the prime minister theres pride, and also development benefits that flow from the Centre.

After all, the Modi government isnt making a bullet train from Varanasi to Delhi, but one from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. Modi used to complain of step-motherly treatment towards Gujarat from New Delhi in the UPA years. He contested the 2012 Assembly elections in Gujarat with the idea that the state was going to elect a prime minister. Once that was done, once the step-motherly treatment ended, one would think BJP would increase its number of seats in Gujarat. Instead, they have declined. Isnt that a massive setback to Modis popularity in his home state?

In fact, BJP lost at least 13 rural seats in Gujarat this time despite the fact that the prime minister himself held rallies in those places. The BJP even lost the Unjha seat which contains part of Modis hometown, Vadnagar.

The "Modi factor" in Gujarat elections has been widely commented upon. It has been argued that BJP would have lost Gujarat had it not been for the Modi factor. But it could equally be argued that evidence shows that the Modi factor has weakened. While in Uttar Pradesh, BJP nearly retained its Lok Sabha tally during the 2017 Vidhan Sabha elections, in Gujarat, the Modi factor has been substantially eroded.

The other argument is that BJP increased its vote share in Gujarat. But so did Congress. Both parties increased their vote shares at the cost of "others". The BJP increased its vote share from 47.85 percent in 2012 to 49.1 percent  a rise of 1.25 percentage points. The Congress increased its voteshare from 38.93 percentage to 41.4 percentage  a rise of 2.47 percentage points. Add the votes earned by the Congress' allies in the six seats it didnt contest, and the gain in vote share rises to well above 3 percentage points.

A look at the strike rates  seats won against seats contested  of BJP and Congress, show that the gap has never been this close since 1985

The BJP earned its urban stronghold seats by very high margins, thereby showing an over-all 7 percent vote share lead over Congress. The map below clearly shows that central and south Gujarats urban centres had the highest margins:

All this talk of vote shares is itself misleading because what matters is seats  Jo jeeta wahi Sikander.

The Congress lost many seats with very narrow margins. Together with its allies, Congress won 80 seats and needed only 12 more seats to form the government. It was possible for Congress to have won this election with a simple majority despite having a lower all-Gujarat vote share than BJP.

This has happened before on many occasions. In Tamil Nadu in 2006, AIADMK had just 32.6 percent vote share but only 61 seats. The DMK had managed just 26.5 percent vote share but won 96 seats. In the Karnataka Assembly in 2008, BJP and allies came to power despite having 1.2 percentage points less vote share than INC+.

This is not surprising at all, as high margins in some seats can skew the overall figure. The moral of the story is that this could have happened in Gujarat too  that is how close Congress came to defeating BJP in this election.

GST, demonetisation, rural distress, angry Patidars, anti-incumbency of 22 years, a weak chief minister  given all these factors, the critics say, Congress could have won this election but still lost. That is a fair criticism of Congress. In rural areas, Congress does have some cadres because it wins panchayat and Assembly elections. In urban areas, Congress was unable to harvest discontentment because it had neither the cadres nor a chief ministerial candidate who could give Congress a new identity.

And yet, Congress did many things right too. It countered its anti-Hindu image with Rahul Gandhis temple run, did smart coalitions, reduced rebellion inside the party and addressed the farmers' discontent.

That there were all these issues affecting BJP is a big sign that Narendra Modis popularity appears to be flagging, his party is in deep trouble in rural India, and 2019 can no longer be considered a foregone conclusion. This is what BJP and its cohorts  inside and outside the political system  are trying to underplay. If the fortress nearly fell in Gujarat, it's time to consider the empire's foundations.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched victory in Himachal Pradesh by a convincing two-thirds majority, winning 42 out of 68 seats. But it lost the one seat that really mattered: Sujanpur constituency, where the party's chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal was contesting against Congress' Rajinder Rana.

The BJP doesn't usually name its chief ministerial candidate before an election unless it's the incumbent party. For instance, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Yogi Adityanath were named chief ministers of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh only after the election results had been announced in favour of BJP. Even in Maharashtra, the party contested the Assembly elections in 2014 without naming Devendra Fadnavis as its chief minister candidate when polling took place.

But in Himachal, midway through the campaign, the party named Dhumal as its face. It also convinced the 73-year-old to give up his traditional Hamirpur seat in favour of Sujanpur. It was a decision that would ultimately cost Dhumal his job.

With Dhumal no longer in the reckoning, the party is looking at alternative chief ministerial candidates. Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Singh Tomar, who are BJP's central observers, reached Shimla on Thursday to hold consultations with newly elected party MLAs to elicit their views and arrive at a consensus on the name of a new chief minister.

Here are all the names in the reckoning:

Jairam Thakur: Five-time MLA Jairam Thakur is being seen as a frontrunner to land the Himachal Pradesh chief minister's job, according to indications.

A senior party leader said Thakur has "suitable credentials" for the post as he has been a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing affiliated to BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He also said that Thakur has been BJP state unit chief, a state minister and has been elected to the Assembly five times.

Another factor in his favour is that the party will not need to go through a by-election if he is chosen. Thakur had won from Seraj constituency by defeating Chet Ram of Congress.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Thakur is seen as a "gentle face" of the party in Himachal, and barring a bypoll in 2014, when he lost to Congress' Pratibha Singh (wife of incumbent chief minister Virbhadra Singh), he has won every Assembly election that he has contested.

JP Nadda: The Union health minister wields considerable clout in the hill state. Nadda, a sitting MP, was said to be an early frontrunner for the post of chief minister after Dhumal's defeat, but The Indian Express report quoted sources as saying that the party was inclined towards choosing an elected candidate, a view advocated by senior party leader and former chief minister Shanta Kumar, during his visit to New Delhi on Wednesday.

If the party does choose Nadda to become the next Himachal Pradesh chief minister, one of the elected MLAs would have to vacate their seat for him to contest a by-election. It's a prospect the party wants to avoid.

What also works against his favour is the caste equation. Nadda is a Brahmin, and the community isn't as numerically significant as the Rajputs. The last Brahmin chief minister of Himachal Pradesh was Shanta Kumar, incidentally. The last two BJP chief ministers, Rawat and Adityanath, have also been Rajputs.

On the other hand, as reported by Hindustan Times, Nadda has been a Union minister in the Narendra Modi government and his proximity to the top rung of BJP leadership will give him an edge.

Prem Kumar Dhumal: Dhumal, though lost the Sujanpur seat, may still get elected as chief minister. He would need to contest an election within six months of taking charge, and one of the sitting BJP MLAs would need to vacate their seats for him to do so.

There is also no shortage of candidates willing to sacrifice their seats for Dhumal's sake. Virender Kanwar, who won from Kutlehar seat, has offered to resign. A report on PTI said that the clamour for making Dhumal the chief minister has gained momentum and three BJP MLAs have reportedly offered to vacate their seats for him.

He may be given a chance, especially considering Sujanpur was never his preferred choice. He had won the previous election from Hamirpur and had reportedly wanted to contest from the same constituency again, but was asked by the party's central leadership to move to Sujanpur. The man he lost to, Rajinder Rana, was Dhumal's former "election manager" and knows his family well. The margin of defeat was also a slender 1,919 votes.

What doesn't work in Dhumal's favour, however, is the party's reluctance to have bypolls.

The other names in the list, according to the Hindustan Times report, are Mohinder Singh, who won for a seventh time; five-term legislator Rajiv Bindal; Krishan Kapoor, who was elected for a fourth time; and former state BJP chief Suresh Bharadwaj, one of the founding leaders of BJP in Himachal Pradesh. Bharadwaj started his career as an RSS member before joining the party's student wing, the ABVP.

With inputs from agencies
Nagpur: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that the government was considering giving the status of 'freedom fighter' to those jailed during the Emergency, imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975.

Replying to a query raised by BJP leader Eknath Khadse in the state Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said they will take "an appropriate decision regarding the proposal during the first Cabinet meeting in the New Year."

"The state government has sought information from every district of Maharashtra to take the decision," he said.

"There are some six-seven states in the country where a similar decision has been taken. I have sought information regarding the same," the chief minister said.

Earlier, Khadse said there were many people who fought for the protection of democracy (during Emergency), in the same way as people fought for the country's freedom, "They are no less custodians of democracy, hence they should be rewarded appropriately," he said.
In a major setback to former revenue minister of Maharashtra and senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse, the state's chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the FIR filed against him will continue. Fadnavis also said that the judicial committee probing the allegations against Khadse has now become irrelevant after the Bombay High Court instructed the ACB to file an FIR in the matter.

Khadse had hoped that he would get a clean chit from the committee. But after Fadnavis' statement in the Assembly, the investigation against the veteran leader will continue.

The ongoing ACB investigationwhich is expected to take some timewill delay Khadse's return to the state cabinet. The former revenue minister was the second seniormost cabinet minister. He had resigned as a minister in June 2016. In fact, in the present circumstances, Khadse's chances of returning to the cabinet are slim. The Fadnavis-led government will complete its tenure in October 2019.

Social activist Anjali Damania and others had filed a public interest litigation (PIL), alleging that Khadse and his relatives have assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

On the last day of the winter session of the Assembly in Nagpur, former chief minister and Congress senior leader Prithviraj Chavan raised the issue of ongoing investigations against several ministers of the BJP and the Shiv Sena, including Eknath Khadse, housing minister Prakash Mehta and industry minister Subhash Desai.

Replying to Chavan's question, Fadnavis on the floor of House said, "After allegations against Khadse , we set up an inquiry committee of retired judge DS Zoting. Later, a case was filed in the Bombay High Court. During the hearings, we requested the court to let us complete the inquiry, after which subsequent action can be initiated. The High Court did not accept our contention and asked us to file an FIR against Khadse. Subsequently, the enquiry committee has no relevance. The investigation in the case is going on."

The DS Zoting committee, which is looking into allegations of land grabbing against former revenue minister Eknath Khadse, had submitted its report to the state government on 4 July. The recommendations of the report were not made public; but it was perceived that the report had given a clean chit to Khadse.

The one-man committee was appointed on 23 June, 2015 by Fadnavis following allegations by the opposition that a plot of land of MIDC in Pune located at Bhosari was transferred in the name of Khadses wife (Mandakini). Khadse was accused of having a clear conflict of interest as he had exercised his quasi-judicial powers to clear the land transfer.

BJP leader and housing minister Prakash Mehta and Shiv Sena leader and Industries Minister Subhash Desai are also facing allegations of corruption. In the case of Prakash Mehta, the Lokayukta has found the housing ministers approval to a proposal of the slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) to be improper. The Lokayukta has held that the housing minister should have rejected the proposal. On this issue, Fadnavis said on Friday, "The Lokayukta in his primary report has decided what aspects are to be probed. He has given a chance for Mehta to make his statement. The inquiry is going on."

The Maharashtra government on 28 August had set up a one-man committee under retired bureaucrat KP Bakshi to inquire into graft allegations against industries minister Subhash Desai with regard to the denotification of industrial land in the Nasik MIDC area. On this issue, Fadnavis said, "I have received a letter from the chief of the committee stating the inquiry is at the last stage. It will submitted within the next 15 days to the state government."

Ousted minister Eknath Khadse targeted his party's ministers on various issues during the winter session, inviting approval from the opposition benches by thumping of desks. Khadse flayed the government on just about every issue, right from agriculture pumps to shortage of veterinary doctors to land acquisition and the bollworm attack, while accusing its ministers of being negligent. A couple of days after he openly attacked the government, BJP leader Eknath Khadse on Wednesday skipped the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghs yearly workshop in Nagpur for BJP legislators, fuelling speculations in the media about his future course of action.

Speaking to Firstpost, Khadse said, "For the last three to four days, I have been experiencing excruciating pain in my hip joint. I am not even able to walk properly. Because of this, I could not go to this workshop." Khadses absence from the RSS workshop led to many eyebrows being raised, and led to speculation with how he was treated by the BJP. "I have been working for the BJP, since the time the party was far away from political power. I promoted many youngsters who are important leaders now. It is painful for me that allegations are being made against me these days without any evidence," he said.

A close aide of Khadse said that there are serious allegations against many ministers of the government, but they continue to be in the cabinet. "In the last 18 months, many agencies investigated the Bhosari land case in which Khadse is alleged to be involved, as also charges of disproportionate assets. However, no evidence has come out till date. This is a painful state of affairs for the people who work for the BJP in the true spirit."

With inputs from PTI
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Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the investigation into a first information report (FIR) lodged against BJP leader and former minister Eknath Khadse in a case of alleged land grab will continue. Khadse, who was number 2 in the Fadnavis cabinet, had resigned after a land deal by his family was questioned for irregularities.

On Friday, the last day of Winter Dession of the state legislature in Nagpur, former chief minister and Congress MLA Prithviraj Chavan asked about the status of investigations against current or former ministers of the BJP and Shiv Sena, including Khadse.

In his reply, Fadnavis said, "After the allegations (against Khadse), we set up an enquiry committee. Later, a case (PIL) was filed in the Bombay High Court (by some activists). We requested the court to let us complete the enquiry, saying that action can be initiated subsequently. The court didn't agree and asked us to lodge an FIR against Khadse, so the relevance of the enquiry committee is over.

"Its report is no longer relevant and we have filed the case (FIR). The investigation is going on," he said. The Justice (retd) Dinkar Zoting committee submitted its report on 4 July.

While it was not made public, some media reports had said that it gave a clean chit to Khadse. It was alleged that a plot of land at the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area at Bhosri near Pune was sold illegally to Khadse's wife. Khadse was accused of using his influence as a minister in the matter.

As to allegations against housing minister Prakash Mehta that his approval of a proposal of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to allow transfer of extra building rights to another scheme in Mumbai was improper, Fadanvis said inquiry was going on.

"The Lokayukta, in his preliminary report, has decided what aspects should be probed. He has given Mehta opportunity to make his statement. The enquiry is going on," the chief minister said.

As to allegations of graft against Shiv Sena leader and industry minister Subhash Desai regarding de-notification of government-acquired land in Nashik district, Fadnavis said, "I have received a letter from the chief of inquiry committee, stating that the probe is at the last stage. The report will be submitted to the government in the next 15 days."

The government, on 28 August, had set up a one-man committee of retired bureaucrat KP Bakshi to inquire into the allegations against Desai.
Rahul Gandhi on Friday chaired the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting for the first time after being elected as the party chief.

Speaking to the press after a two-hour-long closed-door meeting, Rahul tore into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but did not specify the agenda of the meeting of the Congress top brass.

In his under three-minute speech, Rahul slammed the BJP for 'spreading lies', when he was asked if he thought the 2G verdict in which all the accused have been acquitted was a vindication of Congress' stand.

"Everyone knows about 2G, the truth has come out in front of you, but the whole architecture of BJP is about lies, their whole structure is all about lies," Rahul said.

The Congress president, who had launched a relentless onslaught against Modi during the Gujarat polls, continued in the same vein as he termed the 'Gujarat model' a "lie".

Flaying the Gujarat model of development, he said, "If you see the Modi model in Gujarat, it was a lie, clearly. When we went to Gujarat and we spoke to the people of Gujarat, they said there is no model. What is going on is the stealing of resources of the people of Gujarat and that's their design"

The media interaction of a Congress president after a CWC meet was also a rare event, as traditionally, either the party skips a presser or the designated spokespersons hold a small briefing.

The Congress president also raised questions on the Modi governments handling of the Rafale aircraft deal. He alleged that under the BJP government the same aircraft as finalised by the Congress government is being purchased at a much higher price. Without naming anybody, Rahul also questioned the Modi government's intent behind involving Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group as he asked why the contract was given to a "certain businessman" with no defence sector experience and who is in considerable debt.

Addressing the CWC, he said the BJP used the 2G issue as the biggest instrument against the UPA government which has "turned out to be fake".

"So the idea, their model, is to come up with a lie, spread that lie, and just keep repeating that lie until people believe the lie. And the good news that I can see is that people are now beginning to question it. "Across the country, they are questioning Mr Modi on the economy, theyre questioning Mr Modi when he insults our ex-prime minister. So that feeling is coming up and there is a positive sentiment towards the Congress party," he told the CWC

Gandhi said there is a lot of opportunity for the Congress "that we need to step into and take advantage of".

"It was disappointing that we lost but it was pleasing to see the Congress party fight hatred and anger with respect, love and courage. I send my good wishes to people of both states," he said. He termed the Gujarat campaign as "unique" and "a real eye-opener" for him, where he got to know how the BJP designs campaigns and "uses hatred and untruth" to fight elections. "One of the successes that the Congress party can take credit for in Gujarat is the dismantling of the Modi model of development. I was surprised when I went to Gujarat," he said.

The CWC meeting was attended among others by former party chief Sonia Gandhi which made for a rare event as a former Congress chief was present in the meeting along with the new president. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi held the post of Congress president as long as they lived. PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri filled in the slot from 1992 to 1998 when Sonia in the aftermath of Rajivs assassination was not prepared to get into active politics and become Congress president.

Although the Congress party did not officially announce the agenda of the meeting on Friday, it was expected that the current political issues, including the verdict in the 2G spectrum case, the Bombay High Court order in Adarsh scam case and the Congress' strategy to corner the government in Parliament during Winter Session might have figured on the list of issues being discussed at the party meeting.

Sources said the issue of indiscipline in the party, with leaders giving out-of-turn statements that hurt the party's prospects in the recent assembly elections, were also raised at the meeting, besides the need to strengthen the organisational structure.

Without naming anyone, some leaders raised the issue of enforcing discipline in the party and action against errant leaders, to which Rahul Gandhi agreed, the sources said. "I agree. We will ensure discipline is enforced and the party is strengthened," Gandhi reportedly told the meeting.

Former prime minister Singh raised the issue of the challenges ahead for the party.

Later addressing the media, Congress communications incharge Randeep Surjewala said the CWC also discussed the current political situation and how the BJP "concocted the conspiracy" against the Congress in the 2G issue.

"The Working Committee was unanimous in saying that the momentum gained from the current set of elections would only be enhanced so that in the next set of elections Congress emerges victorious," Surjewala said.

The results of the Gujarat Assembly polls announced earlier this week brought some cheer to the Congress camp, even as it lost Himachal Pradesh and with it another state where it had a government, as the party put up a strong fight in the home state of Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. The Congress lost the polls mainly because of some of its top leaders lost and it was not able to gain much in the urban areas.

The CWC also passed a resolution lauding the contribution of Sonia Gandhi in leading and guiding the party to great heights during her 19 years of presidentship.

The meeting was attended by CWC members Manmohan Singh, Motilal Vohra, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mohsina Kidwai, Kamal Nath, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma, CP Joshi, BK Hari Prasad, Oscar Fernandez, Janardan Dwivedi, Vilas Muttemwar, Karan Singh Ambica Soni, Hemaprabha Saikia and Sushila Tiriya.

Conspicuous by there absence were CWC members, Digvijaya Singh, AK Antony, Sushil Shinde, P Chidambaram and Ashok Gehlot. While Chidambaram was out of town at the moment, Gehlot was in Gujarat making arrangements ahead of Rahul's visit to the state on Saturday.

The newly elected Congress president is likely to hold meetings with party leaders, workers, and newly elected MLAs from all four zones of Gujarat. Although the party managed to improve its tally in Gujarat elections, it could not win the polls. Rahul is also expected to visit the Somnath Temple.

Some organisational changes are also in the offing with Rahul expected to appoint some new office-bearers to bring better electoral results.

Besides, two-time former chief minister Oommen Chandy and suave Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor are also likely to make it to the CWC, either as permanent or special invitees to the party's highest decision-making body, according to the buzz in Congress circles in Kerala.

Rahul faces major challenges next year as the party has to prevent the BJP from wresting Karnataka, one of the only two major states ruled by the party. It will also seek to oust BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Assembly polls will also be held early next year in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura.

With inputs from agencies
On Friday evening, Rahul Gandhi will chair the Congress Working Committee meeting as party president. Although he has been part of the Congress' highest policy- and decision-making body for a long time, this will be the first time that he will be presiding over the meet.

Since this meeting has been convened six days after Rahul officially took over the reigns of the Congress  succeeding his mother Sonia Gandhi, it is expected to begin with the members placing their confidence in their newly-elected president and eulogising his leadership for whatever it could achieve in the Gujarat Assembly election.

The other key issue that the CWC is expected to deliberate on (and perhaps come out with a resolution claiming vindication) is the party's position on the 2G verdict. The party will likely yet again affirm its faith in former prime minister Manmohan Singhs handling of matters pertaining to the issue.

Armed with the special CBI courts verdict on the 2G scam, where the court acquitted all the accused, the Congress has already gone to the town claiming conspiracy and victimisation by the BJP. Manmohan too has spoken about the issue, patting his own back. The Congress will prefer not to consider the special CBI courts indictment of the then PMO (Manmohan's PMO).

But thats the usual stuff for Congress or any political party that would hold an official meeting of a closed group of its senior leaders.

What would be of greater interest, at least politically, for the Congress and people outside is whether or not Sonia attends this meeting. What heightens curiosity over her presence or non-presence at the meeting is the fact that on the opening day of Parliament when she came face to face with the media after Rahuls elevation as Congress president, Sonia had said "My role is now to retire". That became major news, instantaneously sparking off debates about her retirement from politics.

Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala then did something that rarely happens  he officially clarified, perhaps even contradicted part of what the party's supreme leader had said. Surjewala went on record through a tweet:

Would sincerely request friends in the media to not rely upon innuendos. Smt. Sonia Gandhi has retired as President of Indian National Congress and not from politics. Her blessings, wisdom and innate commitment to Congress ideology shall always be our guiding light.  Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 15, 2017

The day Sonia announced her intentions to retire, Firstpost had noted that she didn't clarify whether or not she was retiring from active politics, or if she was simply calling it quits from the day-to-day affairs of the Congress in order to let her 47-year-old son take full charge as Congress president and be the sole power centre in the party. She didn't want any confusion in the minds of Congressmen and women, particularly among those from the older generations who looked up to her, for their continued relevance in the party.

If Sonia attends the CWC meeting, it will be first time in the past several decades that a former party president also sits in the meeting along with the new president  in this case, Sonia and Rahul respectively. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi held the post of Congress president as long as they lived. PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri filled in the slot from 1992 to 1998 when Sonia in the aftermath of Rajiv Gandhis assassination was not prepared to get into active politics and become Congress president.

By not attending the meeting, Sonia will be sending a clear signal that she wants Rahul to be in full command and the centre of all attention, and let everyone know in party's rank and file that he is now the sole authority and she is on a retirement mode.

Either way, Sonia will be scripting a fresh chapter in the Congress' history when her son Rahul presides over the CWC meeting.

Follow live updates here
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Friday was adjourned till next Wednesday by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu following a request by Congress members.

#NewsAlert | Congress gives adjournment notice in Rajya Sabha over PM Modi's remark on former PM Manmohan Singh pic.twitter.com/S87cMEN3iz  News18 (@CNNnews18) December 22, 2017

After papers were laid in the House, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government is talking with the Opposition to end the logjam and till a solution comes out, the House should be adjourned.

However, MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel asked the Opposition to let the House function.

As the Congress members persisted with their demand, Naidu adjourned the House till Wednesday.

Congress has been demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks against the former prime minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat election. Modi had suggested that Pakistan was trying to influence the Gujarat Assembly polls. According to The Hindu BusinessLine, Modi had "also claimed that some Pakistani officials and Singh had met at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyars house over dinner on 6 December."
Vijay Rupani won't sound like a spiritual leader if he ever tells his family, friends, peer group or a larger public audience that "humility pays". They would know that these words are not coming from his moral science class lessons but from real life experience. The 61-year-old non-controversial, caste-neutral, down to earth, low profile and easily accessible leader is back as chief minister of Gujarat, the state which matters most in BJPs organisational scheme.

Though the party leadership, or to be particular Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah made him wait for four days after the declaration of results and weighed their options in view of the 18 December mandate, Rupani ultimately had the last laugh. In view of the altered social and political situation in the state as the election results threw up, the Modi-Shah duo took time to assess if any other individual could perhaps be more suitable to lead the state but at the end, they settled for Rupani.

Remember in the run-up to the elections, there were too many reports that Rupani was on a sticky wicket and was in real danger of facing the ignominy of defeat. Hardik Patels rally in Rajkot was much debated and discussed, prompting many to write off Rupanis candidature. But the final count proved all sceptics and analysts wrong. He actually won by a handsome margin of 55,000 votes, more than double from the same seat when he had contested last from here. The man who is set to begin his second innings as the Gujarat chief minister clearly turned the tide of the Patidar anger ineffective.

Second, Rupani not only scored a thumping victory in his own constituency Rajkot but also ensured that the BJP won all the four urban seats in Rajkot, increasing its tally by one. The BJP won six out of the eight seats in the district. The losses, which BJP suffered in Saurashtra, were in the rural areas and were attributed to various other factors.

Third, Rupani made his mark as an organisational man who was rooted to the ground. He was never a minister in the government till he was named the chief minister of the state in August 2016 under challenging circumstances but was somebody who was closely associated with the BJPs organisational structure in the state and had served in various capacities. He has risen from rank, first getting elected as a corporator of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation in 1987, then becoming the youngest chairman of its standing committee and then rising to the post of mayor.

Fourth, he is gentle and non-confrontationist. At a time when the state has shown signs of divisiveness and social tensions among various caste groups, the BJP needs a man to run the government whose caste-neutrality and non-confrontationist approach could come handy in dealing with emerging situations or in containing latent tensions.

Fifth, the 18 December results have given an important message to the BJP  not to loosen the organisational grip. Rupani's easy accessibility to party workers and others concerned would keep the general happiness quotient going among the rank and file.

Sixth, as a senior party leader from Gujarat told Firstpost that in the newly elected Assembly the BJP has a slim majority margin and this situation needed a chief minister who has the capacity to listen to all, reach out to opposition benches without hesitation when needed and vice-versa.

Seventh, Rupani had made his mark as an administrator when he immediately reached out to the people during the floods this year in the state. For days he remained stationed in Palanpur and mounted a massive and well-organised relief and rescue operation in Banaskantha and other affected regions.

Eighth, for the last two years he showed that he has the capacity to be a team leader and at the same time act as a spirited team player. There have been no reports of any conflict situation between him and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel. There was a clear division of power and responsibility between the two.

Ninth, the BJP won the election and the best course is to retain the winning team. A change in leadership would have been seen as a sign of weakness and in a way accepting that the state leadership failed to deliver. A change would have also caused uncertainty in the organisational structure, something which Modi and Shah would like to avoid at all cost.

Tenth, lastly and most importantly, Rupani has total confidence of Shah. This went in his favour in August 2016 when Anandiben Patel relinquished the chief ministers office. His nomination as chief minister had then come as a surprise to many but this time around there are no surprises in store.

Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017
The BJP has decided to maintain status quo in Gujarat as Union finance minister Arun Jaitley confirmed on Friday that the party has elected Vijay Rupani to remain the chief minister, while Nitin Patel will continue as his deputy.

Vijay Rupani to be the Legislature party leader: Arun Jaitley #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/le3874RrVj  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

The newly-elected BJP MLAs of Gujarat met in Gandhinagar at the party headquarters 'Kamalam' on Friday to choose a leader and a deputy leader of the legislature party. Jaitley and BJP general secretary Saroj Pandey were the central observers for the exercise.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Jaitley said that all the MLAs were present at the meeting and the decision to elect Rupani and Patel was unanimously made.

Describing the process of the election, Jaitley said that the MLAs were called upon to propose a name. Following the decision, Rupani lauded BJP's victory and said that Gujarat has rejected Congress' divisive politics.

People have given us mandate for 27 years. It is a huge victory that public has shown faith in us all these years: Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/nMsBM0S8Bh  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

Following the poll results, in which BJP retained power in Gujarat for the sixth time by winning 99 seats in the 182-member House, Governor OP Kohli dissolved the Assembly on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Rupani and members of his council of ministers had tendered their resignations to Governor OP Kohli, who accepted them.

Rupani was the front-runner for the chief minister's post, and was asked to continue as caretaker chief minister till the swearing in of the new government.

With inputs from PTI
Reuters

The U.S. Republican tax overhaul passed by Congress this week will allow Apple Inc to bring back its $252.3 billion foreign cash pile without a major tax hit - a long-standing company goal.

Other provisions of the bill, namely the cut in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, are also a big boon for Apple.

But not everything went the companys way. A critical difference between the Senate version of the bill and the final version could actually raise the amount of cash taxes that Apple pays on profits from patents held abroad, tax experts said.

The treatment of foreign patent profits is important to Apple because shifting those profits overseas was a cornerstone of its tax practices for decades.

In effect, the company attributes a large portion of the value of its products to patents and other intellectual property such as trademarks. Apple then assigns some of that IP, proportional to overseas sales, to subsidiaries in countries with low tax rates and assesses substantial patent royalties on sales. Those royalties then flow back to those low-tax locations, like Ireland.

The bill has a pair of provisions designed to make that maneuver less alluring. One creates a minimum tax on foreign patent income that is expected to come to about 13 percent, said Gavin Ekins, a research economist with the Tax Foundation.

At the same time, a tax break for patents held in the United States will lower the tax on licensing income from the standard corporate rate of 21 percent to 13.1 percent - about the same as if the patents were held abroad.

Congressional Republicans dont want the tax rate to be a consideration in where you put your intellectual property, Ekins said. The whole intention (of the measures) is to bring back that intellectual property to the United States.

Parts of the scheme are similar patent boxes employed in countries like the United Kingdom to encourage firms to generate and keep their innovations at home.

But the final bill omits any explicit way for patents held overseas to be returned to the United States without being taxed.

Congress screwed it up, said Ed Kleinbard, a tax professor at the University of California and former chief of staff of the U.S. Congresss Joint Committee on Taxation. Its kind of weird that they created the patent box, but didnt give a pass to bring things back.

For those patents that remain overseas, the minimum tax on foreign patent profits means Apple might actually face higher cash taxes abroad.

Im willing to bet a dollar that 13.1 percent is higher than Apples actual non-U.S. tax rate, said Kleinbard. Its entirely possible their cash tax bill going forward would go up based on this alone.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has said the company intends to bring some overseas cash home, but the company declined to comment on precisely how much or how it would use the funds.

Gary Hufbauer, a fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the tax cut is not likely to spur Apple to start building iPhones in the United States. However, Apples U.S. suppliers, which the company said it spent $50 billion with in 2016, will also see lower taxes.

If those suppliers pass their tax savings along in the form of lower prices offered to Apple, it could make them more competitive against foreign rivals and entice Apple to spend more with them, Hufbauer said.

Questions on use of cash

The repatriation rules will change the way Apple manages its cash, analysts said. Companies now have to pay a one-time 15.5 percent tax on their overseas cash to bring it back.

After that, companies will pay 21 percent tax on U.S. profits and a minimum 10.5 percent tax on foreign profits, but they will be able to deduct foreign taxes already paid on those profits, so in many cases the foreign profits can be brought home with no additional U.S. taxes paid.

At 15.5 percent, Apple would owe about $39.1 billion on its $252.3 billion in overseas cash. Unlike many other large companies, Apple has already set aside $36.3 billion for that purpose.

With the remaining cash, Apple could attack its $97 billion in long-term debt, much of which it has used to fund its dividend and share buy-back program.

The (foreign cash) overhang for Apple is just an enormous issue, Kleinbard said. Even Apple has finite borrowing capacity. This removes the issue.
Reuters

Software from Moscow-based company Kaspersky Lab is a threat to Lithuanian national security and its products will be banned on sensitive computers, Lithuanias government said on Thursday. It is the latest setback for the software maker.

The software will be removed from computers that control critical infrastructure such as energy, finance or transport including those run by private companies. Government agencies can only continue running it if their computers are not deemed sensitive by the cybersecurity agency.

Kasperskys anti-virus software was banned from U.S. government networks this year because of concerns the company has close ties to intelligence agencies in Moscow and that its software could be used to enable Russian spying.

This month Britains main cybersecurity agency warned British government agencies to avoid using anti-virus software from Russian companies. The Lithuanian government said in a statement Kaspersky Labs software was a potential threat to ... national security.

Information from computers using the software can leak into countries where we dont want it to end up, Rytis Rainys, deputy director at the state cybersecurity agency told Reuters.

We drew on various sources for the conclusion, including information from our partners and intelligence sources. Kaspersky Labs was not immediately available for a comment.

The company has repeatedly denied it has ties to anygovernment and said it would not help a government with cyberespionage. It also says it is a scapegoat given tension between Washington and Moscow.
tech2 News Staff

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will be held from 9-12 January next year and we are already starting to hear news about the probable launches.

The Korean giant LG is all set to release its Nano IPS technology sporting 5K UltraWide monitor alongside a 4K monitor. These products are aimed specifically at video editors or photographers.

The first monitor in the series named LG 32UK950 and it will be sporting a 32-inch 4K UHD display with 98 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut. This will come with HDR600 support which means that it can support a peak brightness level of 600 nits, along with local dimming feature and 10-bit processing. The 32UK950 will also come with Thunderbolt 3 connection which will let you daisy-chain multiple such monitors.

The other monitor is called LG 34EK95U which will come with a 34-inch 5K (5120 x 2160 pixels) resolution with Nano IPS technology. The Nano IPS technology which is currently seen only on LG TVs, will make its debut on widescreen monitors in 2018. Nano IPS technology comprises light-absorbing nanometre size particles which are applied to the display's LED lighting for getting a more impressive colour reproduction.

The LG 34WK95U display comes with a 21:9 aspect ratio. While it also comes with a Thunderbolt 3 port, it does not support daisy chaining.

Pricing and availability details of these monitors will be announced at CES.

With these latest premium monitors from LG, we wanted to communicate that LG is absolutely committed to delivering the best possible screen resolution and the best user experience on a desk or workspace," said Chang Ik-hwan, head of LG's IT business division.
IANS

NASA has picked two concepts for a solar system mission planned to launch in the mid-2020s  a comet sample return mission and a drone-like rotorcraft that would explore potential landing sites on Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

Which of these two missions will finally make it will be known only in 2019. Both missions will receive funding through the end of 2018 to further develop and mature their concepts.

"NASA plans to select one of these investigations in the spring of 2019 to continue on to subsequent mission phases," the US space agency said on Wednesday.

"These are tantalising investigations that seek to answer some of the biggest questions in our solar system today," said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

The Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) mission seeks to return a sample from 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, a comet that was successfully explored by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft, to determine its origin and history.

The other selected mission, Dragonfly, is a drone-like rotorcraft that would explore the prebiotic chemistry and habitability of dozens of sites on Saturn's moon Titan, an ocean world in our solar system.

NASA announced the concepts following an extensive and competitive peer review process. The concepts were chosen from 12 proposals submitted in April under a New Frontiers programme announcement of opportunity.

The selected mission will be the fourth in NASA's New Frontiers portfolio, a series of principal investigator-led planetary science investigations that fall under a development cost cap of approximately $850 million, NASA said.

Its predecessors are the New Horizons mission to Pluto and a Kuiper Belt object known as 2014 MU69, the Juno mission to Jupiter, and OSIRIS-REx, which will rendezvous with and return a sample of the asteroid Bennu.

NASA also announced the selection of two mission concepts that will receive technology development funds to prepare them for future mission competitions.

The concepts selected for technology development are  Enceladus Life Signatures and Habitability (ELSAH) and Venus In situ Composition Investigations (VICI)

The ELSAH mission concept will receive funds to develop cost-effective techniques that limit spacecraft contamination and thereby enable life detection measurements on cost-capped missions.

The VICI mission concept will further develop the Venus Element and Mineralogy Camera to operate under the harsh conditions on Venus. The instrument uses lasers on a lander to measure the mineralogy and elemental composition of rocks on the surface of Venus.
Washington: US president Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terror organisations in its soil, Vice-President Mike Pence has said during his unannounced visit to Afghanistan.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over," Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence said, addressing about 500 troops in a hangar decorated with Christmas decorations and massive armored vehicles.

"As the president said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," the vice-president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan, for which using non-state actors against its two neighbours India and Afghanistan has been part of its national security policy.

Trump, he said, has unleashed the full range of American military might.

"We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the president has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy," he said.

The Trump Administration, he said, has given the troops new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide.

He has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win.

Pence said this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan.

"American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan. We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive," he said.

"We've prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. We've targeted the Taliban's funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks, Pence said.

"All across this country we've won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide. Our enemies will have no time to recover or rebuild because we will continue to bring overwhelming force to defeat them every day, every time," Pence said.

Trump, according to him, has ordered the integration of every facet of American power, diplomatic and economic measures to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan.

"And until that day comes, you can be assured, we will be relentless in our campaign to destroy our enemies. Because as history attests, weakness arouses evil, and peace only comes through strength. So be strong and courageous, and do the work of freedom," Pence said.

In Afghanistan, Pence met the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

"We discussed the progress that we've made in this country and America's commitment to the Afghan government and the commitment of the Afghanis to their own freedom in this land," he said.

"I said to them what I say to you now: Under President Donald Trump, the Armed Forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people once and for all," he added.
India did right to vote for the United Nations resolution that rejected US President Trumps acceptance of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Sure, foreign policy decisions should be based on national interest. This vote was in Indias national interestquite apart from being morally correct, right in international law, and historically consistent. Lets see how:

Palestine has become the nub of geopolitics. Not to see this is perilous. This vote was not about Jews and Muslims, not even just about Palestinians and Israelis. It was about Russia, China, Iran and Pakistanand a world in amazing geopolitical flux.

President Trumps high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel in May was difficult to miss, given the media glare. What has occurred since then, vis-a-vis Lebanon (with which Israel has had a longstanding border dispute), and within Saudi Arabia, have been no less than earth-shaking.

Much easier to miss was the visit to China of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestine National Council, in July this year. He was grandly feted the way his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, used to be in New Delhi until a couple of decades ago.

Chinese President Xi affirmed commitment to a two-state resolution, with full sovereignty for Palestine and its capital in East Jerusalem (including the old city sacred to three religions, which Israel occupied in 1967). It was over the capital that the Camp David talks between Arafat and Israels then Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, broke down in the US in July 2000.

Plus, Xi suggested a trilateral discussion with Israel and Palestine to figure out how China could develop Palestine. The import of that cant be shrugged awaylike the combined geopolitical weight of the seven countries (Nauru, Palau, Togo, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nicaragua and Guatemala) which voted with the US and Israel can.

There is no getting away from the fact that we are witnessing a strong push by China to supplant the US as the pre-eminent geopolitical power, at least in Asia. Crucial to this is that Russia, which still retains a superpower military even after losing that status in economic and political terms, stands shoulder to shoulder with China.

Russia used its military strength to bolster Syrian President Assad over the past couple of years. That was less about Syria than about regional geopoliticsIran on the one hand, and Israel on the other.

Iraq invasion fall-out

To understand the complex multiple wars that have been played out in the Levant, one needs to take a hard-nosed look at the consequences of the USs invasion of Iraq. The neo-conservatives plan to take over West Asia, which was to fall like a set of skittles, went very wrong. That much we know. But few of us bother to study what that failed takeover threw up instead. We should study it, for much of the geopolitics we are seeing today stems from that gross failure.

Once Iraq descended into chaos, Iran gained tremendous leverage particualarly in southern Iraq. From Israels standpoint, this was horrific, for an ungoverned Iraq opened a land route from Iran to Syria and Lebanon, and thence Israel. Israel had already lost its last war against the militant Lebanon-based Hizbullah, for which it blames Iran. There is indeed little doubt that Iran has been a mentor to Syria, Lebanon, and Hizbullah.

When Islamic State emerged about five years ago, it effectively blocked Irans route to not just Israel but even to Lebanon and Syria. Indeed, it took over parts of Syria amid the chaos that crop failure, migration, repression and other internal factors had already caused in Syria. Iran could only watch helplessly for a couple of years.

That has changed radically. Not only has Islamic State been reduced to ineffectiveness in the region, Russia, China and Iran have emerged as an unstated but tough-to-miss axis in global affairs.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC) has turned Pakistan into a key geographical pivot for that emergent axis. Indias national interest is to make that its prime foreign policy focus, not to plunge bull-headed into the quicksands of the `Middle Eastfrom where India sources most of its energy needs.

Chinese ambitions

Predictably, in the light of his Belt and Road project, President Xi has proposed to ease the Palestine-Israel problem through `development. The examples of Sri Lanka, Venezuela and several other countries indicate that this could involve high-spend, high-debt infrastructure-cum-trade deals that would give China a robust presence in the disputed territories.

Although China is investing vast amounts to develop Djibouti and other ports to Africa, let us not forget that Gaza, which abuts Egypt, is the land connection between Asia and Africa. Chinas plans for the 21st century are based on controlling the infrastructure via which trade (and potentially, any military operation) is conducted across Europe, Asia and Africa.

Having lost the opportunity to compete with China for world domination, India has barely any elbow room with regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The hard fact is that Chinas `development based initiatives are generally acceptable, and has given China the moral as well as the strategic high ground.

It doesnt take an outsized brain to see why initiatives based on trade and development would fly in the chanceries and public opinion forums of the world far more than a legally questionable switch to treating Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Indias priority

To have voted against the UN resolution defying the overwhelming tide of world opinion would have brought India into sharp focus, not as a prime mover of geopolitics, the way China is now seen, but as a mindless, spineless camp-followerof Trump.

Indias immediate concern should be the CPEC arm of the BRI, which passes through Jammu and Kashmir state. It will connect China with the Gulf and the Suez Canal, and so give China far more influence over West Asia.

In the bargain, CPEC could result in the physical takeover of parts of Pakistan. China has already taken over the geostrategically vital Hum Buntota port and a vast economic zone around it in Sri Lanka was a few days ago, when Sri Lanka could not pay its construction-related debt.

India must handle these challenges smartly, circumspectly, for it has left itself a weak hand. To revive its influence in its own neighbourhood demands deft and balanced handling of China, Russia, Iran and Pakistannot to speak of other neighbours.

If it to be taken seriously, India must be seen to act on the basis of its own priorities and agenda, taking logical and consistent positions. Particularly in the light of President Trumps uncertain record and focus on economic self-interest, it would be foolish to depend on the US as an unfailing support.
United Nations: More than 120 countries, including India, defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Nine countries voted against the resolution, while as many as 35 countries abstained. India's decision to vote against American recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital comes a day after Trump warned countries against opposing the US position. India did not speak on the floor of the Assembly in New York, but after Trump recognised the holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it had said that its Palestine position was independent and consistent.

India's yes vote comes even as the NDA governments proximity to Israel and the US has grown. Israels prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit India next month and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had skipped Palestine during his visit to Israel in July this year.

Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Trumps threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.

Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure. Some of those allies, like Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of US military or economic aid, although the US threat to cut aid did not single out any country.

A spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called the vote a victory for Palestine but Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the vote.

Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of US policy by announcing the United States recognised Jerusalem -home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites -as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation, US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told the 193-member General Assembly ahead of Thursdays vote.

We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the worlds largest contribution to the United Nations, and so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit, she said.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who were furious over Trumps move. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the full city.

Netanyahu described the resolution as preposterous. Jerusalem is our capital, always was, always will be. But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theatre of the absurd, he said a video on his Facebook page.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in a 1967 war and Palestinians want it as the capital of a future state they seek.

Abstentions

Among the countries that abstained on Thursday were Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.

Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Nauru and Togo joined the United States and Israel in voting no.

Australian UN Ambassador Gillian Bird said Australia wanted to see the United States continue to play a leadership role in brokering peace and abstained from the vote because, We do not wish to see any party isolated from the process.

According to figures from the US governments aid agency USAID, in 2016 the United States provided some $13 billion in economic and military assistance to countries in sub-Saharan Africa and $1.6 billion to states in East Asia and Oceania.

It provided some $13 billion to countries in the Middle East and North Africa, $6.7 billion to countries in South and Central Asia, $1.5 billion to states in Europe and Eurasia and $2.2 billion to Western Hemisphere countries, according to USAID.

The General Assembly vote was called at the request of Arab and Muslim countries after the United States vetoed the same resolution on Monday in the 15-member UN Security Council.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the United States or Trump but which expressed deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.

The resolution adopted on Thursday affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered, the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded.

French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre said in a statement: The resolution adopted today only confirms relevant international law provisions on Jerusalem. France voted for the resolution.

The UN action comes a year after the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favour and an abstention by former US President Barack Obamas administration, which defied heavy pressure from longtime ally Israel and Trump, who was then president-elect, for Washington to wield its veto.

After Thursdays vote, a spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations said: Its clear that many countries prioritised their relationship with the United States over an unproductive attempt to isolate us for a decision that was our sovereign right to make.

With inputs from agencies
Las Vegas: All 58 victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting died of gunshot wounds, a coroner said Thursday, revealing that no one was trampled to death trying to escape from an outdoor concert that turned into a massacre.

The deaths in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history were all ruled homicides, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg told The Associated Press.

The only wound to the shooter, Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, was a self-inflicted gunshot to the mouth, Fudenberg said. The death was ruled a suicide.

Twenty-one people were shot in the head, 36 died with chest and back wounds and one died of a gunshot to the leg, according to a chart the coroner released. Four victims had multiple gunshot wounds.

Authorities have said more than 500 people were injured when Paddock, a high-stakes video poker gambler, unleashed gunfire from an upper floor of a high-rise casino hotel onto an outdoor country music festival below.

Some have described receiving injuries other than gunfire during their escapes.

Police and the FBI have not said publicly what they think motivated Paddock to amass an arsenal of assault-style weapons and ammunition in a two-room suite and then rain bursts of gunfire for 10 minutes from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay into a crowd of 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest Festival below.

They also haven't said why they think he stopped shooting. They say he killed himself before officers reached his room.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said last month that Paddock fired more than 1,100 shots. Authorities also reported finding about 4,000 unused rounds along with the 23 guns in the suite.

Fudenberg said autopsy reports in the case are not yet complete.

Paddock's brain was sent to Stanford University in California to study after a visual inspection during found no abnormalities.
Kabul: US vice president Mike Pence arrived on an unannounced pre-Christmas visit to Afghanistan, becoming the most senior Trump administration official to visit troops fighting a 17-year-old conflict that has largely receded from US public view.

I know there are many faith traditions represented among our troops in Afghanistan. No matter their background & belief, I hope they find renewal & renewed strength in this season. From the First Family and my family and families all across America: Merry Christmas! pic.twitter.com/cV56Vpcxeb  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 22, 2017

It was my great honor on behalf of @POTUS & the American people to join our courageous troops in Afghanistan & thank them for their service. It's because of them that we're safe. It's because of them that freedom has a future in Afghanistan, America, and across the wider world. pic.twitter.com/qFWR5DGLSG  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 21, 2017

Flying secretly through the day and night on a standard unmarked US Air Force C-17, Pence corkscrewed into Bagram Airforce Base, where he thanked some of the roughly 15,000 US personnel still hoping to turn the tide of America's longest-ever war.

The superpower's vexed campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban  born from the rubble of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, receives ever-less public attention in the United States these days.

Pence's visit is designed to shift the spotlight back on personnel and their mission, however briefly, before Americans turn their focus to turkey lunches, festive cheer and contentious domestic politics.

Pence's visit also included a perilous helicopter dash from Bagram into the heart of the capital Kabul to meet President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom the United States is counting on to help rebuild this war-shattered country.

"We've been on a long road together," he said, adding, "We've both sacrificed much."

But, he added, "We are here to see this through."

Pence's visit comes four months after Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan.

With typical certitude, the 45th commander-in-chief promised a nation "weary of war without victory" a more ruthless campaign, and one without Obama-era exit deadlines or niceties.

"We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists," Trump said in unveiling the strategy at Fort Myer, Virginia in August. "In the end, we will win."

I told our troops in Afghanistan that under this Commander-in-Chief and because of their courage, I believe with all my heart that Afghanistan will be free and America will be safe, and we'll WIN this fight. pic.twitter.com/gMTJ8CvF61  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 22, 2017

But, the fact that Pence's visit took place in secrecy and under cover of winter darkness is a stark reminder of the difficult security situation even around Kabul and even after a war effort worth more than half a trillion dollars.

His visit from Bagram to central Kabul was in doubt until the last moment, when a White House official said he countermanded a decision that the weather was not clear enough to travel.

Even then, Pence's helicopter flight took place in near total darkness, hovering low and fast and with a heavy phalanx of secret service and special forces.

The White House official said the decision was made "out of respect. To meet with Ghani and Abdullah".

The White House had looked at the possibility of bringing the pair out to Bagram, but that plan was dropped given the political sensitivities about the symbolism of an Afghan leader traveling to meet a US vice president in their own country.
New Delhi/Kathmandu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held telephonic talks with top Nepalese leaders, including KP Sharma Oli, who is set to become the premier of the Himalayan nation, and conveyed India's support to Nepal in its pursuit of stability and inclusive development.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi spoke with Chairman Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Oli, Chairman Communist Party of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Nepalese prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and congratulated them on their successful participation in the recently conducted parliamentary and first-ever provincial elections.

In his telephonic conversations, prime minister Modi reiterated India's "support to Nepal in its pursuit of stability, prosperity, and inclusive development", an MEA statement said. Modi also recalled that timeless people to people contacts are at the heart of the India-Nepal ties.

"Our open border is a reflection of our unique bonding. He (the PM) reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthen these bonds of friendship and work with the incoming government on a broad range of development and reconstruction projects," the statement said.

The MEA also said that Nepal's holding of elections at all three levels of the government in 2017 is a commendable achievement.

Modi congratulated Oli on the Left alliance's grand success in the recently concluded elections, said a statement issued by the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) in Kathmandu.

The conversations were the first highest-level contact between the leaderships of the two countries after the Left alliance of Oli and Prachanda swept the elections. "The results of the recently held elections will strengthen democracy, bring political stability in the country and lead Nepal towards economic prosperity," the statement quoted Modi as saying.

It said Modi also invited Oli to visit India immediately after the formation of the new government, saying he was eager to welcome him in New Delhi. "Modi said his government is willing to work together with the Nepalese government," according to the statement.

Oli thanked Modi for his good wishes and said good relations will be maintained with neighbouring countries. The CPN-UML chairman said he would like to collaborate with neighbouring countries, especially India and China, for economic development and prosperity. He said that shortly after the formation of the new government invitation will be sent to Modi to visit Nepal.

Oli also congratulated Modi on his party's success in the recent elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Nepal's Left alliance won 116 seats out of a total 165 under the first-past-the-post system while the ruling Nepali Congress bagged 23 seats in the country's recently concluded historic polls that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation.

Oli's triumph is being widely seen as a victory for the pro-Chinese elements in Nepal.
It was not surprising that the Pakistan Parliament was all agog a few days ago. The Chairman of the Senate, the veteran politician Raza Rabbani had informed the House that Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was to provide the first-ever briefing by an Army Chief to a Senate Committee. Bajwa arrived in a helicopter, attended by a veritable phalanx of his officers, which included the heads of the ISI, Military Intelligence, and the Director of Military Operations, among others. As an in-camera session, details of the meeting are not entirely available. But enough has been leaked, deliberately or otherwise, to make an assessment possible.

The briefing appears was agreed upon when members of Parliamentary Defense Committees visited Army Headquarters in mid September for a short briefing ostensibly on military operations. That briefing went on for three hours. Occurring as it did in the aftermath of elections, and the brouhaha of Nawaz Sharifs ouster, the army naturally declared that it had nothing to do with the whole, and supported any prime minister at the helm. The newly-elected Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was then in London, and had been quoted as saying that conspiracies against the party was continuing, though he did not specify by whom. It was at that meeting that Bajwa offered to provide the Senate with a briefing himself.

The occasion chosen was based on a motion for a policy review moved much earlier, by Senate leader Raja Zafarul Haq, a long time supporter of the Army. According to Senate records, the purpose was to prepare policy guidelines in the light of emerging regional realities and the role of the United States. The Senate then converted itself into a Committee of the Whole house, sanctioned by a 2012 change in rules of business, which allows it to call a meeting to summon any official of the Pakistan government or almost anyone on issues of national importance. The final agenda was redone to call for a briefing on the emerging national security paradigm and recent visits and developments, a title which gave the Chief the leeway to speak on almost anything.

According to available media coverage, that is precisely what he did. Though the Senate Chairman has since berated the legislators for talking to the press, it is highly likely that the Army was well aware that some of its comments was bound to be leaked out. A part of the briefing by senior officers referred to operations in the tribal areas, counter-terrorism, and the successful use of military courts. Bajwa's comments however seems to have dealt with foreign policy, which as he rather rightly pointed out, had suffered due to the lack of a minister in charge. Questions on Pakistan and the Saudi led coalition were parried blandly, with the chief stating that his predecessor was heading it in his personal capacity. Needless to add, no former army chief will take such a step without explicit approval, particularly in Pakistan.

Then came the equally bland statement that the Army was subservient to Parliament  a term that was later hotly denied  and that it would follow its lead in foreign policy. This would have been a supremely superfluous statement in any democracy. In Pakistan it was a cause for celebration. Then came the surprise. The chief reportedly then stated that the Army was ready to follow Parliament if it sought to normalise relations with India. Since this was immediately followed by allegations of Indian support to terrorists, apparently in collusion with Afghan intelligence, as well as a warning that much of Indian army deployments were against India, it is assumed that this was a challenge to the legislators present to find a way through the maze if they could.

Senators also reportedly queried the chief on the role of Hafiz Saeed, to which he seems to have said that he was free to take up the Kashmir cause, just like any other Pakistani. The terrorist chief was released from house arrest only a month ago. Earlier in February, the Army public relations unit had said that Saeeds detention was a policy decision taken in national interest. Presumably therefore, the release of a declared terrorist is also based on the same grounds.

The fact is that the Lashkar is already in politics is obvious after the recent Lahore elections. Though Yaqoob Shaikh is registered as an independent, his party the Milli Muslim League is clearly a front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. His party, together with Sheikh Hussain Rizvi of the Tehreek Labbaik ya Rasulallah took more than eleven percent of the votes, eating into Sharif's traditional vote bank. Thereafter, the two have been cooperating in the sit in Islamabad, which ended after open Army mediation. Bajwa had no qualms about defending the Rangers action in virtually paying off the protestors, on the grounds that the situation would have aggravated without its intervention. It only remained for General (retd) Musharraf to claim Saeed as a virtual patriot. While his offer to make up a political party with the Lashkar may not have been in consultation with the present army leadership, it certainly plays a part in mainstreaming a declared terrorist.

The briefing showed in no uncertain terms who is in charge, at a time when the country is led by a weak Prime Minister, virtually hand held by a deposed former Prime Minister. The Chiefs briefing was aimed at demonstrating the Armys democratic credentials. What it did was to demonstrate that the army holds the cards in both internal and external policy. It also puts the ball neatly into the court of the legislators, the message being that if Parliament wants to have a go at improving foreign policy, it is welcome to try. As a method of cementing civil-military relations, it seems to have succeeded admirably, given the heaping of praise on the Army Chief for his frankness and openness by Senators. One thing it is clearly not, is a extension of a hand of friendship to India. If anything, it is the reverse. General elections are likely around the corner, and it looks like mainstream political parties will have an uphill battle, as another army sponsored extremist coalition is on the horizon.
United Nations: There are no terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, a senior diplomat told the UN Security Council during a discussion on the security situation in Afghanistan.

The denial from Pakistan came at a time when, both US President Donald Trump and vice president Mike Pence have warned Islamabad of having terror safe havens in its soil.

There are no such safe havens. The only havens that exist for the insurgents and for Daesh and other terrorists are within the 40 percent of Afghan territory, which is outside the control of the Afghan government, Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi said in her address to an open debate on Afghanistan.

Lodhi told the Security Council that peace will not be restored by the continuing resort to military force. Indeed, it is evident after years of war, that neither Kabul and the coalition, nor the Afghan Taliban, can impose a military solution on each other, she said.

The promotion of a political settlement and the pursuit of a military solution are mutually incompatible. You cannot kill and talk at the same time. Another resort to the military option will not produce a result different from the past.

It will not break the impasse much less yield a political solution, the Pakistani diplomat said.

Lodhi said 16 years of war, waged by the worlds most powerful forces against an insurgency of irregulars, has not yielded a military solution. This failure cannot be explained away by alleging the existence of safe havens for the insurgency across the border, she said.

Apart from the conflict between the Afghan government and the Taliban-led insurgency, a new and vicious threat has emerged in Afghanistan: the presence of a conglomerate of terrorists from various parts of the world, the TIP, ETIM, IMU and other groups which have all now adopted the umbrella of Daesh, she said.

These terrorists are now located in the 40 percent of Afghan territory which, according to a recent US Pentagon report is either out of Kabuls control or is contested. It appears that Daeshs core, under pressure in Iraq and Syria, may be relocating to these ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, Lodhi said.

Observing that securing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and preventing cross border terrorism is essential for both countries, Lodhi said this can be achieved only through constant vigilance, effective management and real-time communication. Terrorists should not be allowed to provoke clashes between our border security forces, she said.
Paris: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Friday that his people would "no longer accept" any peace plan proposed by the United States following Washington's decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Trump administration has been preparing a plan in secret which is expected to be presented to the two sides in 2018.

"The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from the United States," Abbas said after meeting French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

He also hit out at efforts by the US to intimidate countries ahead of a vote at the UN on Thursday which saw 128 countries condemn Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

"I hope that the others will learn the lesson and understand that you cannot impose solutions by using money and trying to buy off countries," he added.

US ambassador Nikki Haley, noting that Washington made "generous contributions" to the United Nations, had warned that the vote would affect "how Americans... look at countries who disrespect us in the UN."

Macron repeated his earlier condemnations of the US decision on Jerusalem, but he also ruled out recognising Palestine as a state unilaterally which France has mooted previously.

"The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing," Macron told the joint press conference with Abbas.

He added: "The solution will be built around two states so inevitably there will be a moment in the process when there is recognition. I want to do it at a moment that will help build peace on the ground."

Macron has also ruled out launching a fresh French peace initiative in the short term, saying he is waiting to see what happens with the American effort which Abbas rejected on Friday.

The 40-year-old French leader has stepped up his meetings with leaders from the Middle East in recent weeks, hosting Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris less than a fortnight ago.

Jordanian King Abdullah II visited on Thursday, the day before Abbas' arrival. Macron said he would visit the Palestinian territories in 2018. "I have committed myself very clearly to doing

everything" to further the peace process, Macron said. Abbas praised Macron's efforts as a mediator.

"We have trust in you. We respect the efforts made by you and we count heavily on your efforts," he said.
Havana: Cuban president Raul Castro on Thursday affirmed that he will leave office in April 2018, when the country's new national legislature convenes to elect a leader for the next five years.

"When the National Assembly convenes, I will conclude my second and last mandate as leader of the state and government, and Cuba will have a new president," Xinhua quoted Castro as saying.

The Cuban Parliament approved on Thursday a decision to extend Castro's mandate for two more months until April 2018, citing the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Irma to the country in September.

Raul Castro, who took over power from his brother Fidel Castro in 2008 and was re-elected to a second term in 2013, has overseen the modernisation of Cuba's socialist system and spearheaded a series of reforms.
In June, British prime minister Theresa May was on firm political ground. It had been only two years since her Conservative Party claimed a win in Parliament under her predecessor David Cameron, and the next elections weren't due until 2020.

But a decision to call early elections, purportedly to strengthen her hand ahead of the summer's Brexit negotiations with the European Union, proved decisive. "If we do not hold a general election now, their political game-playing will continue. May said in her address to the country. "And the negotiations with the European Union will reach their most difficult stage in the run-up to the next scheduled election."

Her Conservative Party suffered badly in the election, winning only 318 out of 650 seats, short of the simple majority mark of 325. She needed to stitch up an alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a Far Right party from Northern Ireland.

The six months since have been anything but comfortable for May. Her government has lurched from one disaster to another, while her Cabinet rank ministers have been courting controversies and living dangerously. Here's a look at all the Cabinet-rank ministers who have dragged the British government through troubled waters:

Boris Johnson: Foreign Secretary Johnson has never been known for tact, and many were surprised when May made him Britain's top diplomat. Now he stands accused of endangering a British-Iranian woman imprisoned in Iran with his loose talk.

The husband and employer of Nazarin Zaghari-Ratcliffe  serving a five-year sentence for plotting the "soft toppling" of Iran's government  say she could face more prison time after Johnson told lawmakers last week that she had been training Iranian journalists before she was arrested last year.

Husband Richard Ratcliffe and the Thomson Reuters Foundation say Zaghari-Ratcliffe was on vacation visiting family. They say Johnson's statement was seized on by Iranian authorities as evidence she was engaged in propaganda against the regime.

Johnson was forced to accept that "my remarks could have been clearer". "The UK government has no doubt that she was on holiday in Iran when she was arrested last year and that was the sole purpose of her visit," he told lawmakers in a contrite statement to the House of Commons.

Priti Patel: The international development secretary Priti Patel quit in November following accusations that she held unauthorised meetings with Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was later revealed she held 12 secret meetings in all and hadn't told May or her colleagues about them.

In her resignation letter, Patel said her conduct "fell below the high standards that are expected of a secretary of state".

When news broke about the trip, Patel insisted that "Johnson knew about the visit." Her department was later forced to clarify the statement, saying "the foreign secretary did become aware of the visit, but not in advance of it."

Patel said earlier that her meetings in Israel  arranged by Stuart Polak, honorary president of the group Conservative Friends of Israel  stemmed from her "enthusiasm to engage". But critics accused her of breaching ministers' code of conduct and making a major diplomatic gaffe in a region of high political sensitivity.

Michael Fallon: Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was also forced to resign saying his past behaviour "may have fallen below the high standards" expected. A female journalist had accused him of repeatedly touching her knee at a function in 2002; another said he had given her an unexpected and unwelcome kiss.

Fallon, one of May's stalwart lieutenants, was often deployed to speak for the government in broadcast interviews. His resignation was a blow to May  made worse when she upset many Conservative lawmakers by replacing him with the widely mistrusted Gavin Williamson, a disciplinarian chief party whip famous for keeping a pet tarantula on his desk.

"A number of allegations have surfaced about MPs in recent days, including some of my previous conduct. Many of these have been false, but I accept in the past I have fallen below the high standards that we require of the armed forces that I have the honour to represent," Fallon said in his resignation letter to May.

Damian Green: Green, who was the first secretary of state in the UK Cabinet and was effectively the deputy prime minister. He was forced to step down after an investigation found that he had breached the ministerial code.

Green, 61, stepped down after a parliamentary investigation found he had breached the ministerial code of conduct by making "inaccurate and misleading" statements about what he knew about claims that pornography had been found on a computer in his House of Commons office in 2008.

"I apologise that my statements were misleading on this point," he said in his resignation letter.

In her response, May expressed "deep regret" at his departure.

Green, who had been under investigation regarding allegations of inappropriate conduct, had previously denied suggestions that he made unwanted advances to a female journalist, Kate Maltby, in 2015 and viewed pornography on a computer in his Commons office in 2008.

An official report by the UK Cabinet Office found that statements he had made about being unaware pornographic material had been found on his computer were "inaccurate and misleading" and as such fell short of the ministerial code.

With inputs from agencies
United Nations: The UN Security Council will vote Friday on a US-drafted resolution ramping up sanctions on North Korea by restricting oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programmes.

The United States has been in negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, on slapping new sanctions in response to the 28 November test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The vote is scheduled for 1 pm New York time (11.30 pm IST), diplomats said.

Building on previous sanctions resolutions, the new draft tightens restrictions on crude and refined oil deliveries to North Korea, most of which are supplied by China.

The measure would ban the supply of nearly 90 percent of refined oil products to North Korea and order the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad within 12 months, according to the text obtained by AFP.

US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to its desperately struggling economy.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been sent to Russia and China to earn hard currency for Pyongyang, working in what UN rights officials have described as "slave-like conditions."

The draft resolution would cap crude oil supplies to four million barrels per year and require countries to seek UN permission to ship crude to North Korea.

Deliveries of refined petroleum products including diesel and kerosene would be capped at 500,000 barrels for next year, according to the measure that would order all countries to report their shipments to the United Nations.

Since last year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test  its sixth  and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions.
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday described the new defence strategy unveiled by US counterpart Donald Trump as "aggressive," saying Moscow would take that into account in its own actions.

But he said that although Russia must strive to develop a new and modern army it would not be drawn into a new arms race or aspire to be a "world policeman" and instead be creative.

Speaking to an assembly of Russia's top military brass, Putin slammed the National Security Strategy unveiled earlier this week by Donald Trump, and condemned "offensive" NATO activity in Europe.

"In diplomatic terms, it has an obviously offensive character, and if we were to use military language, it is obviously aggressive," Putin said of the 'America First' strategy. "We must take this into account during our practical work."

"Let's call things by their name, concerning Europe, infrastructure being created there is offensive infrastructure," he said.

He accused the US of violating the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty dating from 1987 which eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles with short and intermediate range.

Moscow has said the US Patriot missile system in Poland and Romania could be tailored to shoot missiles at Russia. Washington has also accused Moscow of violating the treaty.

"Launching systems for air defence missiles can become systems for intermediate range cruise missiles at any moment," Putin said. "The US is on its way to destroying the INF treaty."

"We have the sovereign right to react adequately and timely to such potential threats," Putin said, asking the senior officers to adapt Russia's strategy if needed.

The Kremlin previously denounced the "imperialist character" of the US strategy, which accused Moscow of aiming to "weaken US influence in the world and divide us from our allies and partners" while calling Moscow's nuclear arsenal an "existential threat."

'Peaceloving foreign policy'

Although Russia's military budget is just a fraction of that of the Pentagon's, Putin said it will continue developing new technology and even strive to be a leader in some areas in order to ensure its interests in the world are protected.

"Russia must be among the leading countries, and in some areas the absolute leader, when it comes to building a new-generation army," Putin said. "This is important to ensure our sovereignty."

"We must follow the change in the world's balance of power, first and foremost near Russia's borders... and in Europe, where NATO infrastructure is being built up quickly."

Russia spent more than four percent of GDP on its military last year, but Putin said this share will decrease in the future.

Defense Minister Shoigu said Russia's military budget in 2018 will amount to 2.8 percent of GDP at $46 billion  just a fraction of the $700 billion budgeted by the United States.

Shoigu added that NATO has increased its presence near Russia's western frontier in Europe threefold since 2012 and has held twice as many exercises in 2017 compared with 2014.

"The question is, can we be self-sufficient in these conditions and with such capacities... can we ensure our country's defences?" Putin asked.

To get the most from its military investment, Putin said Russia will "rely on our brains" and refrain from building "endless numbers of bases around the world."

"We will not be sucked into a senseless arms race that would deplete our economy," he said, adding that Russia's military budget is based on its "peaceloving foreign policy."
What's a bitcoin worth? Lately nobody knows for sure, but after a wild ride on Friday, it's worth a good deal less than it was Thursday.

After losses over the last few days, the digital currency fell as much as 30 percent overnight in Asia, and the action became so frenzied that the website Coinbase suspended trading. It later made up much of that ground, and slumped 9.5 percent to $14,042 Friday, according to the tracking site CoinDesk.

Experts are warning that bitcoin is a bubble about to burst, but things might get crazier before it does: A lot of people have heard of bitcoin by now, but very few people own it.

"Bubbles burst when the last buyers are in," said Brett Ewing, chief market strategist for First Franklin. "Who are the last buyers? The general public, unfortunately."

Ewing said 40 percent of bitcoin belongs to just 1,000 people, and hedge funds and other major investors are going to start buying it soon. But those funds may buy bitcoin and also protect themselves by placing bets that it will fall. Retail investors may just buy it only to see it fall.

"I think investors should approach it with caution and I think many people will dive into it not understanding what it is," he said.

As bitcoin skyrocketed this month, the volume of trading was unprecedented as investors hoping to catch a ride up piled in. Prices have risen so fast, the Friday returned the price of bitcoin only to where it was trading two weeks ago.

The volatility has created a circus-like atmosphere. Some companies that have added the word "bitcoin" or related terms to their names to get in on the action. The craziest thing is, it's worked.

Long Island Iced Tea Corp. until this week had been known for its peach-, raspberry-, guava-, lemon- and mango-flavored drinks. Then, on Thursday, the company announced a radical rebranding. It's changing its name to Long Blockchain Corp., shifting its primary focus from iced tea to "the exploration of and investment in opportunities that leverage the benefits of blockchain technology."

Blockchain is a ledger where transactions of digital currencies, like bitcoin, are recorded.

Shares in Long Island Iced Tea soared 200 percent in one day.

The Hicksville, New York, company did what investors are doing, hitching a ride on a currency that raced from less than $10,000 at the end of November to almost $20,000 on Sunday. And it cost less than $1,000 at the beginning of the year.

The rise of price of bitcoin, which is still difficult to use if you actually want to buy something, has led to heated speculation about when the bubble might burst.

The currency has been, if nothing else, highly elastic, bouncing back every time it crashes, which occurs about once every quarter.

It fell 11.5 percent over two days in early December and 21.5 percent over five days in November.

Curiosity has now driven bitcoin to the futures market, where investors bet on which direction it will go.

Bitcoin futures started trading on two major exchanges  the Cboe and CME  this month. Those futures fell about 8 percent Friday.

If people get burned, it won't be because they were not warned.

The Securities and Exchange Commission put out a statement last week warning investors to be careful with bitcoin and other digital currencies. The Commodities Futures Trading Commission has proposed regulating bitcoin like a commodity, similar to gold or oil.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, a financial watchdog, issued a similar warning recently.
If you put high-yield dividends and healthcare stocks together, it's a winning combination. High dividend yields are appealing for the obvious reason -- more money for you. And healthcare stocks are attractive because the sector represents nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy, and demand for healthcare services should grow in the future.

But which high-yield healthcare dividend stocks look like smart picks for 2018? I'd put Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPW), Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI), and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) near the top of the list. Here's why.

Medical Properties Trust

Let's start with Medical Properties Trust's fantastic dividend yield of 6.86%. If the company kept on paying dividends at that level and you reinvested them, your initial investment would double in around 12 years -- even if the stock didn't gain a penny.

But can Medical Properties Trust keep the dividends flowing? I think so. The company is organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), which means it must return at least 90% of earnings to shareholders as dividends. Medical Properties Trust receives all of its revenue from leasing properties to hospital operators. These leases are usually for long-term periods of at least 15 years. That translates to a relatively steady income stream.

The stock is definitely more of an income play than a growth story, though. Over the past five years, Medical Properties Trust stock is up by only 15%, compared to the S&P 500 index's gain of 85% during the period. That's not to say there aren't opportunities for the company to grow. Medical Properties Trust completed several major acquisitions in 2017 and will probably make more in the future.

Omega Healthcare Investors

Another healthcare REIT to consider is Omega Healthcare Investors. Omega's dividend currently yields an eye-popping 9.22%. The company has also increased its dividend for 21 consecutive quarters.

Omega Healthcare Investors primarily focuses on skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). As of Sept. 30, the company owned 772 SNFs plus another 120 assisted-living facilities, 16 specialty facilities, and one medical office building. Its lease terms range from five years to 15 years.

Like Medical Properties Trust, Omega's attraction is for its income rather than growth prospects. The stock has increased by only 18% during the past five years. Omega's performance in 2017 was marred by disappointing third-quarter results. The company wrote down nearly $195 million after one of its customers slipped more than 90 days into arrears. Still, this wasn't enough to affect Omega's dividend payout.

I wouldn't count on seeing the quarterly dividend increases continue indefinitely. However, if you like to receive fat dividend checks, Omega Healthcare Investors appears to be a prime investing candidate.

Pfizer

Pfizer is sort of the oddball of the group in a couple of ways. First, it's not a REIT. Second, Pfizer's dividend yield isn't at the sky-high levels of Medical Properties Trust or Omega Healthcare Investors. But the drugmaker's yield of 3.44% is nothing to shrug off. And Pfizer could deliver growth that neither of the REITs will.

In a sense, Pfizer is three businesses rolled into one. The biggest moneymaker for the company is its innovative health segment, which markets blockbusters including nerve pain drug Lyrica, blood thinner Eliquis, and cancer drug Ibrance, as well as many other drugs. This segment also includes the second core business for Pfizer -- consumer healthcare. Pfizer's essential-health segment sells the company's legacy drugs, for which sales are generally declining, but also includes a fast-growing biosimilars lineup and a large sterile-injectables business.

Look for Pfizer's dividend to increase in the future, as the company's cash flow increases and it gets a boost from U.S. corporate tax reform. Pfizer's earnings should also grow faster than they have over the past five years, a period in which the stock gained 44%. Also, Pfizer is considering selling or spinning off its consumer healthcare business, which could provide a nice payout for investors.

Best pick

I like all three of these stocks. My favorite, though, is Pfizer. Why? It comes down to total return.

If your sole focus is on income, Medical Properties Trust and Omega Healthcare Investors are better choices. But when it comes to total return, Pfizer beat both of the REITs over the past five years. I expect that dominance will continue into 2018 and beyond.

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The Latest on the election results in Catalonia (all times local):

2:10 p.m.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says he expects a "new era based on dialogue" will begin in Catalonia following a regional election that exposed the sharp divisions between citizens for and against independence.

Rajoy called the election held Thursday after ousting the pro-secession government in the region, hoping to stop the movement to break away from Spain. A block of separatist parties retained their majority in the Catalan parliament.

Rajoy said during a news conference Friday that the election's outcome, which also gave the pro-Spain Ciutadans (Citizens) party the most votes, showed a diversity of views in Catalonia that compel the new government to abide by the law.

The prime minister says he will talk with the region's new leaders as long as they don't violate Spain's Constitution. The previous government held an independence referendum that Spanish courts said was unconstitutional.

___

1.45 p.m.

A prominent politician in Catalonia's left-wing republican ERC party says Spanish authorities need to accept election results that gave separatists a majority in the regional parliament.

"The (Catalan) Republic has won again in elections," Marta Rovira told reporters on Friday in Barcelona.

Separatist lawmakers passed an illegal independence declaration in late October. The Catalan Cabinet was ousted and faces possible charges over the secession push. Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is evading the probe in Brussels, while his deputy, ERC militant Oriol Junqueras, remains behind bars.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy "needs to accept dialogue with President Puigdemont and Vice President Junqueras," Rovira said, without clarifying if her party would support Puigdemont, whose ticket received more votes than ERC's.

Rajoy, Rovira said, "needs to put an end to this unjust exile and imprisonment."

___

12:45 p.m.

The German government says any new Catalan government will have to respect the Spanish constitution and is stressing that it still views the region's future as a Spanish domestic issue.

Thursday's regional election gave separatist parties another slim majority in Catalonia's parliament, offering new momentum to their drive for independence  which has no support from Spain's European partners. Spain's constitution bars secession.

German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Friday Berlin hopes regional lawmakers will be able to "overcome the current division of Catalan society and shape a common future with all political forces in Spain."

Demmer said Spanish politicians should "use all opportunities for dialogue and de-escalation."

She added: "This is a domestic Spanish matter that has to be resolved within Spanish law and the Spanish constitutional order."

___

12:30 p.m.

Fugitive Catalan former leader Carles Puigdemont says that he's ready to meet Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in any European Union location but in Spain, where he's facing arrest.

Speaking Friday to reporters in Brussels, where he fled evading a Spanish judicial probe into his recent attempt to split Catalonia from Spain, Puigdemont said that Thursday's regional election opened "a new era" for the region.

Rajoy has refused to engage in dialogue with the separatists until they vow to defend their political goals within the limits of Spain's Constitution, which bans unilateral secession of any of the country's 17 autonomous regions.

Puigdemont says that he wants guarantees to return to Catalonia and be reinstated as the region's leader. As the most voted candidate among separatists, he could be chosen to lead a new pro-independence coalition depending on how negotiations with other parties go.

___

12:15 p.m.

People walking by the sea in the Catalan capital Barcelona say they want Spain's political leaders to sit down and figure out a solution for the tense and drawn-out stalemate over their region's future.

A snap regional election Thursday 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.

Beatriz Versosa, a 33-year-old product manager, regrets the lack of progress and said Friday that "the rulers of Spain and Catalonia (must) put themselves in the place of citizens and understand that they must solve the issue and set aside the most extreme positions."

Mercedes Aras chided the Spanish government for imposing direct rule from Madrid after Catalan separatist parties in October unilaterally declared independence. The 54-year-old historian wants Spanish authorities to "sit down to negotiate on a realistic basis."

Meanwhile, computer analyst Didag Fortun says the ballot changed nothing and that politicians "should look now for a different solution to solve the problem."

___

11:55 a.m.

A Spanish judge investigating Catalan separatists for leading an illegal independence push in October is widening the probe to six more politicians.

Among those included in the wider probe from Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena are former Catalan president, Artur Mas, and left-wing republican Marta Rovira, one of the names floated as a hopeful to become the region's next leader.

The move creates further complications to the political future of Spain's restive northeastern region as Rovira was also elected as a lawmaker in Thursday's election which saw pro-independence parties come out on top.

Eight of the separatist lawmakers elected, including ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his no. 2 Oriol Junqueras, are either in jail or are fugitives from Spanish justice in Brussels following the October secession bid.

___

11:45 a.m.

Residents and politicians in and outside Catalonia are digesting election results which further exposed the sharp divisions between those for and against independence.

Though pro-Spain Ciutadans (Citizens) collected most votes in Thursday's election in the restive region, it was a bittersweet victory for the business-friendly party as separatist parties won most seats in the region's parliament.

If they work together, the pro-independence parties have the ability to forge a majority in the Catalan parliament and form the next government. However, past squabbles between them suggest it won't be easy.

Parties are already holding meetings to assess the new political landscape.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is scheduled to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. (1300GMT) on Friday.

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who campaigned from Belgium where he is evading a Spanish judicial probe into his recent attempt to split Catalonia from Spain, is also scheduled to speak.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted priority review for Novartis's Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist for treating some patients with advanced melanoma, the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday.

The review covers the combination therapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations following complete resection.

In October, the FDA also granted breakthrough therapy designation to Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation following complete resection, the company said in a statement.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Vyas Mohan)
A former education adviser to New York's governor says she was repeatedly groped by a drunken man on her United Airlines flight to New Jersey.

Katie Campos recounted the event on Twitter , saying she was groped multiple times by the stranger during the 45-minute flight from Buffalo to Newark. Campos says she was allowed to move seats but the man continued to harass her and other female passengers until the plane landed.

Campos is an executive director for a Buffalo-area Teach for America chapter and says the man was visibly intoxicated and shouldn't have been allowed on the plane.

The Washington Post reports the man was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct after the plane landed.

Chicago-based United says it has no tolerance for the behavior described by Campos.
In a scene straight out of The Fast and The Furious, a gang of crooks in Sweden were caught on camera breaking into tractor trailers as they were driving down the highway at 50 mph.

Four Romanian men were arrested for the crimes, which occurred in September.

The trucks belonged to PostNord, the Swedish-Danish postal service, which had seen a rash of thefts of electronic goods along a stretch of highway  totaling more than $300,000  and came up with a clever way to investigate: it equipped several vehicles with live cameras that could be watched on a tablet by a security team from a remote location.

During one run, they witnessed the rear door being opened and two men jumping into the trailer from the hood of a car driving closely behind it. Finding nothing of value, they exited the same way.

In a similar incident, the team contacted the driver of the truck to have it slow down as it was intercepted by police.

The Associated Press reported that the four Romanians were given sentences of 18-21 months and will be expelled from the country upon their release from prison.
A Mercedes-Benz that was used to shuttle Adolf Hitler around Nazi Germany will be auctioned in Arizona early next year and could be worth millions, if anyone steps up to bid on it.

The 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagens anonymous owner will offer the car to bidders at the Worldwide Auctioneers event in Scottsdale on Jan. 17, during the citys annual classic car extravaganza.

While any Nazi symbols on the vehicle were removed long ago, the ghosts of its past remain.

The imposing, four-door convertible Super Mercedes is one of a handful of cars used by the German High Command that have a well-documented connection to Hitler himself, including parading him through Berlin after the defeat of France in 1940 and after the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece in 1941. Benito Mussolini also got a ride in it during a visit to Germany.

The partially-armored car eventually fell out of this use and turned up in France, where it was captured after the war by American forces who, no doubt unaware of its notoriety, assigned it to a military police motor pool for several months.

In 1946, the car found its way into private hands in Belgium, and three years after that, an American tobacco merchant purchased it and donated it to the Greenville, N.C., branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Ironically, like many other vehicular trophies from the war, it was rolled out for patriotic parades, according to Robert Klara, author of The Devil's Mercedes: The Bizarre and Disturbing Adventures of Hitler's Limousine in America, which chronicles the controversial legacy of this car and others from the Fuehrers fleet.

The car later sat for years in a garage and had been nearly forgotten in 1976 when collectors Steve Munson and Joe Ogden purchased it for $50,000. When they discovered its possible ties to Hitler, they spent another $50,000 to restore it.

Munson and Ogden publicized the car and displayed it in several venues before it was sold twice more for unknown amounts. (One of the sales was rumored to be on the order of $1 million). In 1983, it found a home at the Imperial Palace Collection in Las Vegas, an enormous car museum owned by Ralph Engelstad, a casino operator. Engelstad had a private room full of Nazi relics in which he held Hitler-themed birthday parties that got him slapped with a $1.5 million fine from Nevada gaming authorities.

After Engelstad died in 2002, the car and several other Mercedes from the collection were sold to a European collector. It was sold again in 2009 to an anonymous buyer known only to be a wealthy Russian businessman, who displayed it briefly in a Moscow car museum to celebrate the Russian-led Soviet Unions role in defeating the Nazis.

Michael Frohlich, the German car dealer who brokered the sale, would not confirm how much the Russian businessman paid for the car, citing confidentiality stipulations. But to the best of his knowledge, he said, it hasnt been sold since.

Now it likely will be  and in the same city where what turned out to be a phony Hitler-linked Mercedes was sold amid protests and bomb threats for a then-record $153,000 in 1973.

Ken Jacobson, deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the organization isnt so much concerned about next months auction itself as it is about what will happen to the car afterward.

MORE CLASSIC CAR NEWS FROM FOX NEWS AUTOS

We understand there is a market for war memorabilia and that serious collectors are interested in items like this, Jacobson told Fox News. While we dont have an issue with Nazi-era automobiles like this going up for auction, we would not want to see the vehicle winding up in the hands of someone who would use it to glorify Hitler or the deeds of the Nazis. Ideally, we would prefer to see it housed in a museum, so that it could be understood in its proper context.

Klara agrees. He said the car is a legitimate World War II timepiece, but its also a socially radioactive one that needs to be handled in a historically responsible way, because there isnt anyone who doesnt have an opinion on a car like this.

The onus is on the owner to present it in a correct, culturally sensitive context. Thats the job of a museum, but a tougher task for a private collector.

Just how much the car will sell for remains to be seen. One of Americas most prominent classic car valuation experts, who asked to remain anonymous, said a Mercedes-Benz like this is likely worth $5 million to $7 million, but this one, given its historical significance, could sell for double that.

Whatever it goes for, the auction house said the seller has promised to donate 10 percent of the proceeds to an unidentified organization dedicated to Holocaust education.
Willie Geist of MSNBCs Morning Joe and NBCs Sunday Today said the abrupt firing of his former co-worker Matt Lauer due to sexual misconduct was a shock to everybody.

Geist, 42, told Northjersey.com he was still in shock over the bombshell sexual misconduct allegations against Lauer.

MATT LAUERS FORMER-MODEL WIFE MEETS WITH LAWYERS TO GET BIGGER SETTLEMENT IF THEY SPLIT, REPORT SAYS

I was [shocked]. I think it was a shock to everybody, Geist said. I dont know how you couldnt be surprised. I started filling in for Matt in 2010. I wasnt close to him outside of work, but I considered him a friend and mentor. Certainly he was somebody I looked up to. He was the guy who was considered the best at that job, at hosting a morning show. So, yeah, I think we were all surprised and I think were all still a little bit shocked by it.

The New Jersey native dismissed rumors that he would take Lauers coveted spot on the Today show. He called the rumors a fun parlor game.

EX-TODAY ASSISTANT WHO ADMITTED TO MATT LAUER AFFAIR CALLED WHORE, HOMEWRECKER

"Ill just be totally honest with you: I love Morning Joe. Im on the show that is the place to go in the morning for the hottest story in the world, which is Donald Trump, Geist said. And I have a show on Sunday  a Today show with my name on it  where I get to write it and help control the content and interview people I find incredibly interesting. I really genuinely love these two jobs."

Lauer, 59, was fired by NBC News in November for inappropriate sexual behavior. The former Today show host reportedly had an affair with a production assistant. Variety published an expose on Lauers inappropriate behavior and reported the television personality had a secret button in his office that locked his door without him having to get up.

NBC has not named a replacement for Lauer.
The feud between actress Rosie O'Donnell and radio talk show host Ben Shapiro does not appear to be slowing down.

The conservative commentator reported ODonnells tweets that included a vulgar term to see if the social media site would consider them as sexual harassment.

Shapiro tweeted that he reported the former View host to Twitter, mainly to see if Twitter does indeed have a double standard.

It's an attempt to clarify Twitter's standards. I don't actually want them to ban or suspend Rosie."  Ben Shapiro

Everyone knows if Rosie were conservative, Twitter would suspend her in a hot second. So, Twitter, put your money where your mouth is, Shapiro tweeted, adding the #MeToo hashtag, which was started by Alyssa Milano who called on men and women to use the hashtag if they were sexually harassed or assaulted.

He elaborated: It's an attempt to clarify Twitter's standards. I don't actually want them to ban or suspend Rosie. I want them to stop applying their own rules inconsistently.

Later, Shapiro tweeted again: "Surprise of surprises. Twitter says that @Rosie's tweets were not in fact abusive in any way under their rules. Good to know."

Earlier this week, O'Donnell said she would give $2 million each to Senators Susan Collins and Jeff Flake if they voted against the tax reform legislation.

Shapiro, who is also the editor in chief of the Daily Wire, responded with a series of jabs at the liberal former co-host of The View. One tweet cited an article he wrote for his website claiming, "Rosie O'Donnell Violates Federal Law, Offers To Bribe Republican Senators To Vote Against Tax Bill."

Another tweet called for O'Donnell to be locked up, while Shapiro also joked, "If Trump orders Sessions to investigate Rosie, he will be carved into Rushmore by Friday."

After the barrage of Shapiro posts, O'Donnell sent a profanity-laced reply: "suck my d*** Ben."

The exchange continued, leading Shapiro to make even more claims against O'Donnell.

"Youre already a felon, Rosie. Dont be a homophobic sexual harasser too," replied Shapiro.

After Shapiro alerted his followers that he had reported O'Donnell, she simply replied, oh ben, to which he answered: All victims deserve to be believed.

ODonnell retweeted a number of tweets calling Shapiro a snowflake and accusing him of mocking victims of sexual abuse. However, she did block Shapiro on Twitter.
Hollywood's most famous wizard just pulled off a pretty good trick.

Daniel Radcliffe, celebrated as young wizard Harry Potter in the popular film franchise, has taken on a new surprising role  that of executive producer for a documentary exploring what it's like to grow up in a circus family.

Circus Kid captures the real-life tale of Lorenzo Pisonis unique childhood with The Pickle Family Circus and how it wasnt all fun and games when it came to taking the stage as an entertainer with his performing parents.

Radcliffe met Pisoni during his Broadway debut on Equus in 2008 and was immediately captivated by his fellow performers journey.

We became very good friends, Radcliffe told Fox News. I started learning about his life and then I became the most annoying [person] Like, Oh, you were in the circus?! Can you juggle? It was annoying Im sure, but he was very sweet and humored me."

And while the two men shared similar offbeat upbringings, Radcliffe was more fascinated by their differences and how the spotlight had impacted them over the years.

I think I'd be hard-pressed to find parallels in our families and how we dealt with it all, explained Radcliffe. Lorenzos parents are separated. Im very lucky my parents are still together and are a wonderful team. And Lorenzo went off on his own for a lot of his childhood. I was generally chaperoned by one or the other of my parents But it all just made sense.

When youre living in a life where there really isnt a blueprint for it, theres nobody you can look to.  Daniel Radcliffe on his unique childhood

"When youre living in a life where there really isnt a blueprint for it, theres nobody you can look to, there wasnt a family my parents can go and say, OK, so whats it like when your kid gets involved in a massive franchise? You just have to go, Lets do this ourselves. I certainly wouldnt change anything about my life or how I grew up because it made me the person that I am. Im actually becoming more and more OK with that person.

At age 11, Radcliffe achieved international stardom when he was cast as the lead in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in 2001, which was based on the beloved best-selling fantasy novel by British writer J.K. Rowling.

Not only did the film become a box-office sensation, but the eight-film series spanned Radcliffes late childhood  and set him up for life. The franchise ended its run in 2011 and skyrocketed the young actor's net worth to nearly $100 million.

Radcliffe managed to escape the child star curse, however, and has gone on to enjoy a scandal-free Hollywood career. He credited his parents for providing a sense of normalcy over the years.

I think my mom and dad were just parenting very instinctively. Not that Im saying Im an amazing person, but I just feel like they did a really good job.  Daniel Radcliffe

From my point of view, I feel like my parents set a ridiculously high bar for me when I become a parent, he admitted. I just look back and go, Man, they really made things easy for me and comprehensible and not scary.' I dont think they were ever thinking, We have to do this. I think my mom and dad were just parenting very instinctively. Not that Im saying Im an amazing person, but I just feel like they did a really good job.

And while Harry Potter has certainly provided Radcliffe with immense wealth, he isnt interested in enchanting audiences on screen with the same magic formula. Instead, Radcliffe is determined to take on diverse roles that showcase his talent.

In 2016s Imperium, Radcliffe starred as an FBI agent going undercover as a white supremacist. That same year he also starred as a flatulent corpse in Swiss Army Man.

Radcliffe is aware some may question his choice of roles, but hes perfectly content with transforming into different characters  even if they wont become his next moneymaker.

I think I wanted to try as many different things as I possibly could, he explained. You know, to find out what youre good at, to find out what you like doing I think this is something Ive become better at [doing] in the last few years [Just] really trusting my instinct.

Im still really enjoying acting and Im finding lots of projects that I really want to do.  Daniel Radcliffe

"Having a good time with the [film] Im doing now is the most important thing for me. Because I dont watch myself back. I might see [the film] once or twice when theyre not finished so I can go and take a note of something my experience of something is going to be the experience that I had making it. Thats ultimately the thing youre left with. Thats my drive now. Will I enjoy this or wont I?

Radcliffe said he can envision himself working more behind the lens in the future.

I would love to direct at some point down the road, he said. Ive been saying this for years. I will get around to it eventually. Im still really enjoying acting and Im finding lots of projects that I really want to do. For the moment, Im very happy to act. Theres no rush.

"I would also love to write. Ideally, I would like to write and direct, but I dont want the first thing I make to be s----y. I want to make sure the script is right. Im going to take my time working on those things.

Still, Radcliffe knows he may never escape "Harry Potter." But rather than shun the iconic persona who has delivered a life of immense wealth and professional freedom with just the wave of a magic wand, he embraces it. In fact, it only motivates him to show audiences what hes capable of.

I think I felt a lot of that pressure in the beginning, said Radcliffe. I dont know what the percentage is, but theres a percentage of people who will absolutely be willing to see me as different characters. Theres a percentage of people, probably smallish, that already do. But theres a percentage of people who will never see me as anything other than Harry Potter. And Im not going to worry about that.

"Im also very happy with that. I loved the part. And if thats the way I will remain in some peoples minds until the end of time, then thats fine The fact that Im able to do stuff that Im proud of, if I just carry on and do the things that I want to make, hopefully they will reach more and more people.

Circus Kid premieres December 21 on Sundance Now.
Dave Chappelle admits to feeling sorry for the "poor white" population who voted for Trump in a new comedy routine.

Chappelle will return to the small screen with a new stand-up special, "Equanimity, set to stream on Netflix December 31, with a segment dedicated to his sympathy for "poor white" Trump voters.

In the routine, the comedian explained that he spoke with several Trump supporters in that demographic while in line to vote last year, and they told him they were voting for the now president because he was going to fight for them.

Chappelle then says in the bit: "I'm standing there, thinking in my mind, 'You dumb motherf---ers. You are poor. He's fighting for me.

The comedian goes on to compliment the group of people he spoke with, calling them "decent folk," but called their comments about Trump "naive, poor, white-people things.

"I've never had a problem with white people ever in my life, but, full disclosure, poor whites are my least favorite," he began the segment. "We've got a lot of trouble out of them."

Netflix released a preview of the Chapelles stand-up special on Wednesday, December 20, the same day that Congress approved Trump's new tax plan, which will introduce a 40 percent tax reduction for major corporations in America.

Following the 2016 election last November, Chapelle hosted Saturday Night Live and performed a joking monologue about how he planned to give Trump a chance. During that same episode of "SNL," Chappelle performed in a skit about educated, upper-middle class, white Hillary Clinton supporters who are shocked when Clinton loses the 2016 election.

Chappelle is then joined by fellow comedian Chris Rock, who informs the disappointed Clinton supporters that it was clear that Trump was going to win the election due to the countrys long history of racism.

In August, Chappelle appeared on "The Late Show" and talked to host Stephen Colbert about his appearance in SNL that night.

"Its not like I wanted to give him a chance that night," he said.

Colbert then asked how the comedian felt about Trump now, but instead of giving his own personal thoughts on the president, Chappelle said the public is now "getting an education (on) the presidency."
The force is strong with this one.

A dying veteran asked to see the newest Star Wars movie before he passed and he received his wish.

Ron Villemaire, 69, of New Hampshire, has stage 4 colon cancer and is in hospice care in Bedford, NH. The U.S. Air Force and Vietnam War veteran asked to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi but could not get to a theater to sit down and watch it, FOX47 reported.

Ngo bought tickets to the movie at least a month ago, but Villemaire started experiencing more pain and it became difficult for him to sit up. His daughter, Elizabeth Ngo, asked for the publics help to grant her dying father his last wish.

STAR WARS: DYING VETERANS WISH TO SEE THE LAST JEDI COMING TRUE

The Bedford and New Boston fire departments came through and announced they would take the veteran to a theater.

"We decided to partner to make his dream come true," New Boston Fire Chief Dan MacDonald said.

On Saturday, Villemaire was visited by Darth Vader at his hospital bed and was transported to ONeils Cinemas for the show. Characters from the movie greeted the veteran upon his arrival at the theater. The theater allowed Villemaire and his family to watch the movie together.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI SCORES $45 MILLION AT BOX OFFICE OPENING NIGHT

"We're also big Star Wars fans and we could help him," Kelly O'Neil, the owner of the theater, told ABC 13. "I think any time you can help someone you should."

Villemaire was ecstatic by the whole experience.

"I hope God will bless each and every one of them just the way I feel blessed right now. He's definitely with me right now," he said. "It's just unbelievable all these people are here, and thank God for Star Wars fans!"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The ex-wife of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has asked a New York judge Thursday to demand her ex-husband pay the remaining millions he allegedly owes to their daughters before he goes broke from legal fees.

The lawyer for Weinstein's ex-wife, Eve Chilton, 56, asked a Manhattan Supreme Court judge for Weinstein to pay the $5 million he allegedly still owed their three daughters in child support, Page Six reported. The lawyer, Bonnie Rabin, said the money should be paid before Weinstein goes broke from legal fees.

"We have an almost weekly, if not daily, avalanche of accusations and allegations that make it clear [Weinstein] is going to have little [money] left," Rabin said.

MERYL STREEP POSTERS CLAIMING SHE KNEW ABOUT HARVEY WEINSTEIN POP UP IN LOS ANGELES

Hes pre-paying many, many lawyers many, many millions of dollars to defend himself against these lawsuits all over the world, she said.

The lawyer cited seven lawsuits the media mogul faced by women who claimed he sexually assaulted or harassed him.

The judge excused Weinstein because his main lawyer could not make it to court that day. The judge said he may order Weinstein to show up and testify regarding his total net worth.

Weinsteins lawyer, Steven Silpe, argued the producer has never missed a child support payment.

Hes never not made a payment. He has made every single payment for nearly 14 years, Silpe said.

Justice Michael Katz was concerned about the finances but said there was little precedent for such a drastic remedy.

If we wait another couple of months, its not clear to me if he will be in the same financial situation, Katz said.

Chilton, Weinsteins former assistant, married the producer in 1987 before they divorced in 2004, People reported.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN DOWNFALL DOCUMENTARY ALREADY BEING PRODUCED BY BBC

The disgraced movie mogul was reportedly worth an estimated $240 million. Chilton reportedly received $60 million from the divorce, including $50,000 a year to spend on vacations.

Georgina Chapman, Weinsteins current wife, and the producer separated in October following numerous sexual misconduct allegations against him. Chapman could make off with nearly $12 million due to the prenuptial agreement, People reported.

Weinstein has denied the sexual assault allegations.

Mr. Weinstein has never at any time committed an act of sexual assault, and it is wrong and irresponsible to conflate claims of impolitic behavior or consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of criminal conduct, Weinsteins lawyers said. There is a wide canyon between mere allegation and truth, and we are confident that any sober calculation of the facts will prove no legal wrongdoing occurred.

Nonetheless, to those offended by Mr. Weinsteins behavior, he remains deeply apologetic."
Queen Elizabeth's first cousin, Princess Michael of Kent, known as "Princess Pushy" for her snooty ways, had to do some quick explaining after she showed up wearing a brooch many are calling racist at a party with Prince Harry's future wife Meghan Markle.

The Christmas lunch, hosted by the Queen on Wednesday, was the first major event for Markle, who is bi-racial, to meet and greet with the extended royal family, who arrived at Buckingham Palace one chauffeured limousine after the next.

The 72-year-old first cousin of the Queen of England was quickly called out for sporting a brooch in a blackamoor style, but later insisted she meant no harm.

PHOTOS: Harry and Meghan Markle attend the queen's Christmas lunch

Blackamoor art and jewelry romanticizes slavery and is considered racially insensitive today. The brooch worn by the princess featured a black figure donning a gold headdress and robe.

Princess Michael said in a statement through a royal rep that the brooch "was a gift and has been worn many times before. Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offense.

And while the princess claimed she meant no offense to the American actress, she is known for pushing the limits and has had allegedly had previous outbursts of racism.

The royal family member reportedly told a group of African American patrons at a New York City restaurant to "go back to the colonies" in 2004. She denied making the comment to the New York Post at the time.

Everything you need to know about the royal wedding

Several months after the alleged incident, she again denied making a racial slur, telling ITV, "I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black."

She added, "I had this adventure [in Africa] with these absolutely adorable, special people and to call me racist: it's a knife through the heart because I really love these people."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry on May 19, 2018. The couple's nuptials will take place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II "granted permission" for the couples wedding to take place there.
Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski upset women who accused Mark Halperin of sexual harassment when she reported on air Friday that she had tried to arrange a meeting so the now-disgraced political analyst could apologize.

Brzezinski said Halperin, who was fired in October after being accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, was "more than willing to meet with his accusers and apologize with them face-to-face."

The MSNBC star said she actually tried to offer him to them but the women don't want to talk to him.

Ten of Halperins accusers including Emily Miller, katie Glenn, Dianna May, Ella Spektor McManus and Lara Setrakian sent a letter to MSNBC following Brzezinskis comments. The letter, signed by Ten victims of Mark Halperin, was posted on Facebook and states that Brzezinski was inappropriate for suggesting such a meeting and that she has a conflict of interest because of her personal friendship with Halperin.

Sexual harassment and assault is illegal in the workplace, and represents a violation of the policies and standards of NBC News," the letter said. "It is an unethical and harmful request to ask that sexual assault victims confront their accusers in person and, in particular, on live TV.

The letter goes on to ask that Brzezinski to practice higher standards of editorial judgment, compassion and human decency.

Brzezinski issued a statement late Friday:

"We have been trying our best on Morning Joe to have an honest conversation about sexual harassment and sexual assault. The issue has hit close to home given that Mark Halperin was on our show. I have spent a lot of time talking to some of his accusers and to Mark himself. Often I bring up the issue on our show because I think it would be less than genuine to talk about the growing number of cases without recognizing that a former member of our team acted very badly.

"In our discussion about sexual harassment this morning, I said some things that hurt people. In the case of Mark, my goal today was to start a conversation about hearing from the men whenever we can, but I realize that it is not my place. It isnt my call to make, and for that I am truly sorry. As a victim of sexual assault, I understand that each individual's case is different. This is up to the victims, some of whom I've been in contact with. My hope is for all of us to come together to support the brave women who speak out and help make workplaces safer as we continue this difficult conversation in the months and years ahead.

Back in October, Halperin was fired by NBC, MSNBC and HBO amid multiple misconduct accusations. NBC News Chairman Andy Lack was quick to separate himself from Halperin, as the accusations arose from Halperins time at ABC, as opposed to NBC.

Lack has been significantly less transparent when it comes to sexual misconduct problems within his own company. A former anchor at NBC News recently told Fox News she is in contact with multiple women who are frustrated that Lack and his top deputy, Noah Oppenheim, refuse to hire an outside investigator to review a culture of sexual misconduct.

The former anchor, who has so far asked not to be identified, said numerous women began contacting each other when now-disgraced Today star Matt Lauer was fired over inappropriate sexual behavior last month.

The group of former and current NBC News employees has stayed in touch and wants to share their stories of when they were harassed, groped or outright assaulted at NBC News, said the former employee, who added that many of the women havent come forward for fear of retribution.

Beyond the firings of Lauer and Halperin, MSNBC recently admitted that star Chris Matthews settled in 1999 with a former producer who accused him of sexual harassment, and the network suspended Morning Joe contributors Glenn Thrush and Harold Ford Jr., after they were accused of harassment by women.

Lack and Oppenheim have come under increasing fire for sitting on two explosive sex harassment stories: Ronan Farrows investigation of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein this past fall, and the Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump just over a year ago. Both stories were ultimately aired through other premier news organizations.
Morning Joe namesake Joe Scarborough slammed United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley on Friday for threatening the General Assembly--but the MSNBC star wanted to withdraw from the U.N. altogether back when he was a Congressman.

Haley threatened to pull funding over the U.N. vote condemning President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel--and the MSNBC star didnt appreciate it.

Unfortunately for Scarborough, Breitbarts Joel Pollak dug up a bill the former Republican Congressman introduced back in 1995 that would have ended U.S. membership in the U.N.

Scarborough said that Haley was no diplomat and an embarrassment to the United States because she warned the U.S. will remember the lack of support the next time the General Assembly needs money.

The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation, Haley said. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the worlds largest contribution to the United Nations and we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.

Scarborough was furious, saying, Were going to need them on Iran. Were going to need their help on North Korea. We may need their help again in Syria. Were going to need their help in a thousand places. And yes, theyre going to need our help, too. And guess what? Were not going to work together if Nikki Haley is going up there humiliating the United States of America by threatening our allies over a non-binding resolution. Its just like Donald Trumps tweets. Every response has to be a nuclear response. There is no subtlety of thought.

But the 22-year old proposal spearheaded by Scarborough makes him appear to be hypocritical when it comes to needing the U.N. His bill, the United Nations Withdraw Act of 1995, proposed leaving the group altogether.

Effective four years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the United States Mission to the United Nations shall be closed and all staff and any remaining functions of such office shall be carried out through the Secretary of State and the Department of State, Scarboroughs proposal said.

Scarboroughs bill failed and he resigned in 2001. He eventually landed on MSNBC and launched Morning Joe in 2007.
The highly paid journalists at NBC and MSNBC who keep blasting President Trumps tax reforms wont have to wait for their rates to go down to benefit, since parent company Comcast likes the plan so much it is sending out $1,000 checks to employees.

Comcast announced on Thursday that it would award special $1,000 bonuses to over one hundred thousand employees because of the passage of tax reform and the FCC's action on broadband.

The cable companys generosity presumably extends to seven- and eight-figure stars, who have been railing nonstop against the landmark GOP reform as benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor.

Officials at NBC News and MSNBC declined to say if news stars like Rachel Maddow, Lawrence ODonnell and Chris Matthews would try to make it up to tax policy victims by redistributing their $1,000 windfalls.

So, will the anti-Trump newsers pocket the cash?

The tax bill does, indeed, raise some dilemmas for the MSNBC commentators, now that the newly passed tax bill will directly benefit their wallets. But I say they should go ahead and take the Comcast cash and then donate it to a charity that can help low income workers. That provides some degree of moral consistency for the MSNBC on-air talent who condemned the tax plan as a giveaway to the rich, an economic class that would surely include most of them, media critic Jeffrey McCall told Fox News.

Thats a lot of money, MSNBCs Joe Scarborough said on Morning Joe Friday morning when discussing the bonuses that several companies are handing out.

The tax bill has been regularly attacked on MSNBCs top programs, including Morning Joe, The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word with Lawrence ODonnell. When discussing the tax bill, Today star Savannah Guthrie recently asked Paul Ryan, Are you living in a fantasy world? MSNBC hosts Joy Reid and Katy Tur have also criticized the bill and essentially everyone else at the liberal network have mocked the bill in some capacity.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham tweeted that every panelist and host on MSNBC better give the money to charity but not everyone thinks that will actually happen.

Trump's critics on MSNBC will, of course, keep the $1,000 bonuses since Comcast's generosity has a significant tax benefit to the company and represents a corporate 'thank you' for eliminating net neutrality, journalist-turned-investment banker Poter Bibb told Fox News.

The $1.5 trillion tax bill reduces the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent and changes the way the U.S. government taxes companies that also operate internationally.

Most on-air talent collect hefty paychecks from Comcast, but McCall pointed out that anti-Trump pundits dont have to take advantage of the tax reform if theyre against it.

A bigger quandary might be whether these personalities will take any benefits from the new, lower income tax rates. Those decisions will be made in private, I presume, but there's nothing to stop people from continuing to pay at the higher level, if their moral compasses suggest they should be paying a higher share of their income to the feds, McCall said.

Other companies including AT&T, Boeing, Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bancorp are giving similar bonuses.

Comcast did not respond to a request for comment.

Fox Business Thomas Barrabi contributed to this report
Matt Damons comments on sexual harassment in Hollywood has prompted a petition for his cameo to be removed from the mostly female cast of Oceans 8.

A recent tally of the online petition has over 18,000 signatures calling for his removal.

The reboot, starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and other notable female actresses, was supposed to be an empowering film for women, the petition says, while alleging that Damon not only ignored but enabled his friend Harvey Weinsteins inappropriate behavior.

"Damons inclusion (in the movie) would trivialize the serious nature of the charges against sexual abusers like Weinstein  a show of massive disrespect for the brave women speaking out,"  the petition read.

It cited that Damon allegedly tried to squash a New York Times report in 2004 that detailed instances where the now fallen Hollywood mogul exploited his status as a studio executive to harass and assault women, the Agence France-Presse reported.

Damon denied trying to kill the story and claimed he did not know of the allegations against Weinstein, who helped catapult his career, the report said.

The actor also came under fire last week, for telling ABC News that there was a "spectrum of behavior" and a "difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?"

"Damons inclusion (in the movie) would trivialize the serious nature of the charges against sexual abusers like Weinstein  a show of massive disrespect for the brave women speaking out," the petition read.

The petition calls on "Oceans 8" producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh to leave Damons cameo on the cutting room floor."

Damon's long-time friend, Ben Affleck, who he shared an Oscar with for best screenplay in 1997 for "Good Will Hunting" and Affleck's actor brother Casey, have also been accused publicly in recent months of sexual misconduct, the AFP reported.
Brooke Burke-Charvet frolicked on the beach in Malibu in a gold bikini that hugged her in all the right places. Can you believe this beauty was born in 1971? Click here for more celebrity beach bodies.
Though millions of Americans begin their day with a cup of coffee, few stop to think about how the beverage got to their hands in the first place. One female-driven coffee brand is working hard to change this norm by spotlighting the women who largely bring the must-have drink from plant to cup.

City Girl Coffee is perhaps the nations only coffee company to use beans exclusively from farms and co-ops owned or run by women, and founder Alyza Bohbot couldnt be prouder. The second-generation coffee roaster from Minnesota told the New York Times in a Dec. 20 interview that she was inspired to create the trailblazing brand after attending an International Womens Coffee Alliance (IWCA) event in 2015.

THE 'SELFIECCINO' IS SOCIAL MEDIA'S NEWEST FAVORITE COFFEE

Hearing the story of a Colombian widow who was forbidden from keeping keep her family coffee farm because of her gender, Bohbot felt obliged to make a crusade against such unjust industry norms. Across the globe, women are responsible for getting a whopping 70 percent of coffee to market, the International Trade Center reports, and many have little control over their livelihood.

Though the process of purchasing coffee beans exclusively from female growers adds a whole other layer of stress on our company, Bohbot wouldnt have it any other way. City Girl Coffee further empowers women in the java business by donating 5 percent of all profits to that support the women in their nation of origin.

DUNKIN' DONUTS RELEASES BEER FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE

Self-described as not just a cute company with a chic look, City Girl has succeeded far beyond Bohbots expectations. The Times reports that while sales are up 300 percent year over year, the larger mission is what truly matters.

Women are vocalizing more than ever before. To speak out and not settle. To demand our place in society, Bohbot said of the larger global fight for gender equality.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Now thats some good news brewing, indeed.
Military veterans are often faced with numerous challenges when making the transition back to civilian life. One organization trying to help them is War Horses for Veterans, which offers a three-day equine and networking experience where veterans bond with horses, as well as each other.

When I came back from fighting in Iraq, I decided to start a career in horse training. A few years later, I started having memories and dreams reminding me of my time Iraq," said Patrick Benson, an Iraq war veteran who started the Stilwell, Kansas-based non-profit.

"I hadnt talked about those experiences with anyone," he told Fox News. "I reached out to a friend who was still in the Army and he told me how bad things had gotten for him and other service members after prolonged and numerous deployments.

I realized what I was doing for a living was helping me  Patrick Benson

"I realized that what I was doing for a living was helping me, he added.

It was then that Benson decided to combine his passion for horses and veteran causes into one.

I was hired to fix horses, but in reality they were fixing me," he said. "I wanted combat veterans to have the same opportunity."

Many of our combat veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury (TBI). We can also accommodate amputees," said Benson, explaining that veterans can come back to the program as many times as they want as long as they bring another combat veteran to mentor.

It gave me confidence and worth I was lacking for so many years  Jeremy Harrell

Jeremy Harrell, who served in the Army from 1999 to 2008, told Fox News how the organization impacted his life.

I was struggling with some things due to my service in Iraq, and my wife, who has been around horses all of her life, was telling me how therapeutic they are by nature," Harrell said. "I had no experience with horses, but I knew I needed something different as traditional therapy wasnt cutting it.

Harrell said the organization changed his life and mentality dramatically. "What I found out was that there was so much healing to be had, he said.

Harrells experience at War Horses for Veterans led him to pay it forward for other veterans.

Since coming back from the program, I have started my own veterans organization called Veterans Club and now Im a board member for USA Cares, which assists veterans in financial need. It gave me the confidence and worth I was lacking for so many years. I learned that it didnt break me but built me for this new mission of helping other vets, Harrell said.

War Horses for Veterans is a completely free program, but Benson says caring for the horses is expensive and he is open to all the support he can get. To donate, please go to www.warhorsesforveterans.com/donate.
The excitement over passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act overshadowed the extraordinary National Security Strategy report released on Monday.

Just as the first comprehensive tax cut bill in 31 years marked a milestone in resetting national economic strategy, the National Security Strategy report is a milestone in resetting America's approach to national security and foreign policy.

The speech by President Trump on Monday highlighting the National Security Strategy was the culmination of eight months of hard work by National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell and Deputy Assistant to the President Nadia Schadlow.

This strategy paper is especially necessary because President Trump campaigned on, and is now executing, a revolution in how America interacts with the world.

The elite consensus since 1990 has been that the United States is helping develop a New World Order. This new world order was to come from lawyers and diplomats engaging in endless multilateral conferences and reaching agreements that limited sovereignty and had nations reporting and answering to the international bureaucracy. It was a dream world for elitist academics who saw themselves as the all-knowing international bureaucrats, whose careers would be spent "taming" sovereignty with the higher moral order of globalism.

Candidate Trump won the Republican nomination over 16 other candidates by understanding and giving voice to a growing consensus that globalism subordinated America to foreign bureaucrats, that multilateral trade deals hurt America, and that other countries were using American lives and American money to achieve their own goals.

The bipartisan elites in foreign policy and national security were appalled and enraged that some billionaire businessman would have the audacity to challenge their 26-year-old consensus. They were shocked to watch him actually implement his commitment to refocusing national security and foreign policy around American interests.

While the bipartisan elites had wanted to put globalism first and make the American economy and the values and interests of the American people secondary to this larger multinational system, President Trump began transforming his campaign rhetoric into official government policy.

If you had said in December 2015 that in two years we would be in the early stages of a revolution in national security and foreign policy, the elites would have thought you were completely out of touch with reality.

Yet consider the first year of the Trump presidency:

? The new president pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiation on trade.

? While having dinner with President Xi Jinping of China, President Trump excused himself to announce an airstrike on Syria by 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles in response to Syria using chemical weapons. Contrast this decisive action by President Trump with President Obama's supposed red line in Syria, which carried no action or consequences when the line was crossed.

? President Trump pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, arguing it undermines American jobs.

? President Trump refused to certify that Iran was keeping its side of the nuclear arms agreement.

? Unlike his two predecessors, who had campaigned in favor of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but then broke their word and refused to move the U.S. embassy, President Trump kept his word  despite overwhelming global pressure against him.

? President Trump has dramatically increased the pressure on North Korea and is clearly preparing military options, if needed.

? Even this week, the president instructed the secretary of Defense and secretary of the Interior to develop a strategy to break the Chinese and Russian efforts to control rare minerals that are needed for modern technology.

President Trumps much more assertive presidency is having an impact.

? The Chinese have greatly increased their pressure on North Korea.

? Leaders from more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations came to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Arab Islamic American Summit to create a counterterrorism center and ally with the United States.

? Because the Saudis trust President Trump (while having deeply distrusted President Obama for eight years), the crown prince has launched a revolutionary effort to modernize and open Saudi society.

? President Trump's reliance on Defense Secretary James Mattis and the professional military has led to the destruction of ISIS as a territorial power, at a remarkably low cost to America. This has been almost completely ignored by the elite media.

? After complaining and grumbling, the members of NATO have begun to increase their financial commitment to defense  something Presidents George W. Bush and Obama were unable to achieve.

Beyond immediate actions, it is clear the Trump administration is going to make economic growth and technological development key parts of its approach to national security.

The efforts to develop maximum American energy resources also has a national security component. The opening of Alaskan oil resources this week fits perfectly with the National Security Strategy report.

The new commitment to American leadership in space is another significant part of that National Security Strategy.

President Trump has consistently articulated the shift away from globalism in favor of American interests during his campaign. He did this in his Inaugural address, in his speeches in Warsaw and at the United Nations  and this week at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The National Security Strategy report puts the president's actions into a larger context of planned change from the recent past.

It is well worth reading and studying.
The Trump administrations National Security Strategy Report unveiled this week makes it a priority to protect religious freedom and religious minorities abroad. This is an integral part of the new U.S. strategy to champion American values around the world.

To make this happen, the administration should start by ending the United Nations role as middleman for distributing U.S. aid to the worlds needy. In the Middle East, U.N.-administered aid programs that undermine American values are working to drive out threatened Christians and Yazidi minorities.

Christmas Day will mark two months since Vice President Mike Pence declared that beleaguered Middle East Christians and other religious minorities have been sidelined in U.N. aid programs. The vice president said that help is on the way.

To assist religious minority communities, which are in a desperate struggle to recover from an ISIS genocide started three years ago, U.S. aid dollars were to be immediately shifted out of ineffective U.N. programs and provided directly to the victims, Pence said,

But so far, this hasnt happened. Despite the dire urgency, it seems that slow-walking U.S. aid bureaucrats prefer U.N. priorities.

The United States continues sending most of the $2 billion in aid we give to Iraqis  including some meant for these horrendously battered minorities  through the U.N.

As Pence noted: The believers in Nineveh Iraq have had less than 2 percent of their housing needs addressed and the majority of Christians and Yazidis remain in shelters.

A relatively small amount of U.S. direct aid for rebuilding these minorities homes is supposedly already in the pipeline, but no details are public.

Stephen Rasche, the lawyer representing the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee  the association of unified local churches that care for the displaced Christians  tells me that we hope that meaningful aid will arrive soon. He gave similar testimony before Congress in October.

Meantime, the U.N. continues to prioritize the resettlement of Muslims  even ISIS families. Over 1 million Iraqi Muslims have been resettled over the last year with U.N. help.

Christians must relay for their resettlement on the Knights of Columbus and a patchwork of other private charities. Only 30,000 Christians  or less than a quarter of the Christian community has been resettled.

Consider the case of Rita Habib Ayyoub, a 30-year-old Iraqi Christian woman.

Ayyoub is one of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Christians and several thousand Yazidis captured in Iraqs Nineveh province. She was forced to become a Muslim and a sex slave. Iraqi lawyers documented 68 Christians still in ISIS captivity in August.

Ayyoub told journalists that she was taken to a slave market in Mosul and sold, along with three Christian children, to ISIS emirs. A local Sunni man bought her and a 14- year old Yazidi girl. He raped the both of us over and over again, she says.

Ayyoub says she was later resold in Raqqa to another jihadi who had a Moroccan wife. Ayyoub relates her horrific ordeal in that family: I was beaten and tortured by her (the jihadis wife) every day. She would not give up until I was bleeding, from my head, for example. They made me read the Quran and threatened to kill me if I did not convert to Islam.

Ayyoub was rescued by Syrian Democratic Forces in November and is now being aided in Syria by a small womens group of Assyrians (a traditionally Christian ethnicity)  not by the U.N.

Assyrian Swedish journalist Nuro Kino, who is helping Ayyoub, tells me that she does not know where to go next. Ayyoubs hometown of Qaraqosh, Iraqs largest Christian city, stands mostly empty.

Conceivably, Ayyoub could end up in the Erbil Catholic Chaldean Archdioceses displacement center, which shelters most displaced Iraqi Christians and has not had U.N. support.

There she would find Christina Abada, a 6-year-old from Qaraqosh. Christina was snatched from her mothers lap and sold on the slave market at age 3. Rescued last June, she and her family have no means to rebuild.

But while Ayyoub may not be able to access U.N. aid, her ISIS tormentors can, thanks in part to generous U.S.-taxpayer-supported U.N. stabilization aid.

Though Ayyoubs enslaver is likely dead, his radicalized Moroccan wife might also qualify for U.N. resettlement help in Telkayf. That Nineveh town was Christian until the U.N. decided to move in the families of ISIS jihadis killed in battle and, thus, effectively bar its Christians return.

A Washington Post expose on ISIS families quotes a Moroccan widow vowing: Our children will one day get (the caliphate) back. Another says that she wanted both her children to grow up to be martyrs in jihad.

The U.N. justifies this travesty by rebranding basic aid programs as stabilization and counterterrorism. Of course, needy Muslims should be aided and counterterrorism is crucial. But this reclassification of housing, water and power aid virtually ensures that the peaceful Christians and Yazidis are last in line. Unlike the U.S. National Security Strategy report, the U.N. seems to blame Islamist terror on poverty, not ideology,

In addition, half-vacant Christian towns, like Bartella, are being colonized with schools, mosques and libraries built by Iran, which seeks to control a corridor through Nineveh into Syria.

Recently, 800,000 people petitioned the U.N. to help Iraqi Christians, but the U.N. is accountable to no one. Moreover, the UNHCR, the U.N. refugee aid agency, failed multiple internal U.N. audits, as reported in 2016. Then-UNHCR director Antonio Guterres is now U.N. secretary general.

With this track record, how can we entrust the U.N. with billions of dollars for important programs involving core American values that are U.S. strategic security priorities?

Vice President Pences important promise to bypass U.N. aid programs, which he repeated twice on Twitter, would both help save persecuted minorities and honor the National Security Strategy. The administration now needs to implement that promise  in Iraq and worldwide.
Republicans have climbed the tax reform mountain. Their next summit: student loans.

A small group of GOP lawmakers is gathering momentum heading into the new year for yet another ambitious legislative drive, pursuing a revamp of the federal government's complex and costly education loan system.

Democrats and the college lobby already are lining up against what would be the first major reform of higher education laws since 1965. But the PROSPER Act has quietly advanced, passing the House Committee on Education and the Workforce last week.

Change is difficult, and change in higher education is particularly difficult, North Carolina GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx, the chairwoman of the House Education committee, told Fox News. Theyve always said that its easier to turn a battleship than it is to make changes in education.

But Republicans see a broken system  one that leaves graduates with massive debt and without sufficient job skills despite billions spent every year in government aid.

Total student loan debt in America is now well above $1 trillion. One recent report put the average debt for the class of 2016 at over $17,000.

To address this, the PROSPER Act would put caps on the amount that students and parents can borrow, end some loan-forgiveness programs and consolidate student aid programs.

Republicans argue the abundance of federal student aid has driven up college costs, with schools feeling like they can charge more for tuition.

Their proposal, they say, would encourage people to borrow more responsibly for education.

"Somehow, despite the six types of federal student loans, nine repayment plans, eight forgiveness programs, and 32 deferment and forbearance options out there, college costs continue to surge, leaving millions of families paying the price for well-intentioned but poorly executed federal involvement," Foxx said during a recent hearing.

The overhaul would simplify an application process GOP lawmakers call a "chaotic maze," consolidating the various programs into one grant, one loan and one work-study program. It also simplifies repayment to a standard 10-year-plan.

Under the bill, new borrowers also would no longer be able to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which provides forgiveness of remaining student debt if the person seeks a career in public service and makes 120 qualifying payments.

The program was designed to encourage people to enter public service jobs, but critics have expressed concerns about the high cost.

But where Republicans see an effort to nudge students into better borrowing decisions and limit the amount of debt they can take on, Democrats and university interests see a plan that would cut off aid options and make college more expensive.

"It is a bad bill for borrowers," said Terry Hartle, the senior vice president of the American Council of Education. "We are increasing the cost of college for students."

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, said the bill hurts those who need aid the most.

This bill would hurt the students that need the most help by cutting billions in financial aid, making college more expensive, undermining protections for survivors of sexual assault, and loosening accountability standards to benefit for-profit colleges, which have a history of taking advantage of students and cheating them out of their education and savings, Murray said.

But supporters of the bill say the status quo needs changing, as financial aid has exploded in recent years.

The only real beneficiaries of this set-up have been colleges and universities, which have been able to boost tuitions with impunity, and pour money into more administrators and fancier dining, while not having to worry about whether they're providing a useful service to their customers, read a recent editorial in Investors Business Daily.

Foxx said more people are graduating from college every year  and yet employers still cant fill 6.2 million jobs with skilled workers.

Theres a mismatch somewhere and were attempting to fix that, she said.

Foxx said she is hopeful the bill, which would also reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965, comes up for a vote in the House early next year.

Things have gotten very, very complicated in the area of financial aid, Foxx said. And so we are simplifying them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The House and Senate Thursday approved a temporary spending bill, avoiding a government shutdown that would have kept lawmakers in the nation's capital for Christmas.

The House approved the legislation, known as a continuing resolution, by a vote of 231-188. The Senate followed just over two hours later, passing the measure 66-32. Senate Democrats from Republican-leaning states provided many of the key votes. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure.

The continuing resolution funds the government through Jan. 19. A two-week continuing resolution passed by Congress earlier this month expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday.

The stopgap legislation means that a number of key issues will face Congress when it returns in January -- most notably the question of what to do about immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children and are enrolled in the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Trump ended the program in September, giving Congress a March deadline to furnish a legislative fix.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi vowed earlier this month that lawmakers "will not leave here" without an agreement to protect so-called "Dreamers" from deportation. On Thursday, she told the House Rules Committee that the young immigrants in the program "embody the best in our nation: patriotism, hard work, perseverance."

"We should not leave them to celebrate the holidays in fear," Pelosi added.

Trump and Republicans are pushing for additional border security and other immigration enforcement steps in any DACA agreement.

"The vast majority of Republicans want to see a DACA solution," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters. "They just want to see a DACA solution that's balanced."

The continuing resolution -- the third stopgap bill since Oct. 1 -- includes a $2.1 billion fix for an expiring program that pays for veterans to seek care outside the Department of Veterans Affairs system; a temporary fix to ensure states facing shortfalls from the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) won't have to purge children from the program, and a short-term extension for an expiring overseas wiretapping program aimed at tracking terrorists.

GOP lawmakers insisted the legislation was crucial to keep operations running and give negotiators more time to finalize a spending blueprint.



Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said the legislation was essential for the "stability of our economy, and the security and well-being of the American people."

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., called the result "an epic failure of governing," adding "the Republican majority has made a complete mess of the basics of governing."

Among Republicans, opposition to the temporary measure came mostly from the party's defense hawks, who had hoped to enact record increases for the military this year and force the Senate to debate a full-year, $658 billion defense spending measure. But that idea was a nonstarter with the Senate, especially Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who will only agree to Pentagon increases if domestic programs get a comparable hike.

The short-term spending bill does contain about $5 billion to upgrade missile defenses to respond to the threat from North Korea and to repair two destroyers damaged in accidents this year in the Pacific.

The legislation also has a provision to turn off automatic cuts to many "mandatory" spending programs, including Medicare, that would otherwise be triggered by the tax cut bill. Democrats had sought to highlight the looming spending cuts in arguing against a $1.5 trillion tax package that passed both houses of Congress without a single Democratic vote.

The House also passed an $81 billion measure to deliver rebuilding aid to hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean as well as fire-ravaged states. However, the Senate declined to take up the bill before leaving for its Christmas recess.

"Democrats want to make sure that we have equal bargaining," said Schumer, "and we're not going to allow things like disaster relief go forward without discussing some of the other issues we care about."

Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On Jan. 17, 1955, the commanding officer of the Navy's first nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Nautilus, signaled, "Underway On Nuclear Power."

Those remarks heralded the dawn of a new peaceful use of nuclear energy. Indeed, the sub's propulsion system was the prototype for U.S. civilian nuclear plants.

But in a sign of how nuclear power's appeal has waned since then, no new civilian nuclear power plant has been licensed and built in America since 1978. Accidents, aging infrastructure, opposition from environmentalists and bureaucratic obstacles have dulled the technology's once-bright promise.

On Thursday that may have changed, though, when the five members of the Georgia Public Service Commission voted unanimously to approve the permitting and final construction of the Vogtle 3 and 4 reactors in Burke County.

The owner, Georgia Power, announced moments later it would complete the plant, with a tinge of reluctance. Under stipulations demanded by regulators, it must deliver rebates of $75 to each of its nearly two and a half million customers in 2018 because of cost overruns and delays.

"We will do all that we can to complete this project," Kevin Greene, an attorney for Georgia Power, told the commission.

Despite the panel's unanimous vote, commissioners had their own reservations.

For the last decade, there have been budget overruns and busted schedules, "and it is an inherently risky project," Chairman Stan Wise told reporters after the votes had been cast.

The risk stems in part from the just=passed tax bill, which did not include an extension of nuclear power tax credits that would have made construction more economically feasible. Regulators announced the go-ahead anyway based on a promise from Republican Congressional leaders.

"They assured me that it would be an item that Congress would take up early in January," Wise said.

Environmentalists and others opposed to the plant fear customers will bear the brunt of any future cost overruns. "The problem here is that Georgia Power says if the extensions don't come through, they want customers to make up for that as well -- and we think that's unreasonable," Kurt Ebersbach, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, told Fox News.

Others contend it's pressure from environmentalists that has helped increase the costs of this non-carbon-emitting energy. One oft-cited illustration of the point involves Germany. Spurred in part by the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl, then in Fukushima, Japan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel undertook an energy transformation - promising to end all nuclear power by 2022. As German plants were taken off line, energy costs skyrocketed.

The two nuclear power stations at the Watts Bar generating plant in Tennessee offer another lesson in bureaucracy and the time-consuming permitting process. Construction got underway at Watts Bar in 1973. But the first unit was not completed until some 23 years later, and the second was finished about two years ago.
The House Ethics Committee expanded its investigation of Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas beyond its inquiry into sexual harassment allegations to determine whether he lied to the panel.



The panel also said Thursday it is reviewing whether Farenthold or someone acting on his behalf directed his congressional staff to work on his campaigns. House employees are free to work on campaign activities on their own time, but doing so at the direction of a lawmaker is an impermissible campaign subsidy.



Farenthold, who has announced he won't seek re-election to a fifth term, is already the subject of an investigation into whether he sexually harassed a former member of his staff and retaliated against her for complaining of discriminatory conduct. The accusations against Farenthold first surfaced in 2014, when a former aide sued him over sexually suggestive comments and behavior, charging that she'd been fired after she complained.



Farenthold, a seven-year House veteran, had said he'd engaged in no wrongdoing when he settled the case in 2015. But after congressional sources said he'd paid a $84,000 settlement using taxpayers' money, the House Ethics Committee said last week it would investigate him and public focus intensified, even though he said he'd reimburse the Treasury Department.



Farenthold had said he was "relieved" that the Ethics Committee would look further into the case. But in the following days, he announced he would not seek re-election after serving out his term. In that announcement, the Texas lawmaker denied the sexual harassment accusations, but he apologized for an office atmosphere he said included "destructive gossip, offhand comments, off-color jokes and behavior that in general was less than professional."



The Ethics panel also said Thursday it had created an investigative subcommittee to determine whether Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen of Nevada engaged in sexual harassment. Kihuen was already the subject of an ethics investigation, but the subcommittee's formation is necessary for the most serious sanctions in ethics matters.



Kihuen, serving his first term, has also announced he won't seek re-election. He has denied the sexual harassment allegations and said he was committed to fully cooperating with the committee and looked forward to "clearing my name."



In a separate matter, the House Ethics Committee said it voted against forming an investigative subcommittee to review the arrest of Democratic Reps. Judy Chu of California and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois at a protest outside the Capitol. The two lawmakers paid a $50 fine and the committee decided to take no further action.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein told Fox News Thursday night that Americans "have yet to see the proof" that Moscow meddled in last year's election.

Stein confirmed earlier this week that the Senate Intelligence Committee had contacted her campaign to request documents, including emails, as part of its investigation into Russian activities and alleged collusion between campaigns and foreign interests.

"I think there are legitimate aims here in the investigation," Stein told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "Interference in our election is much bigger than the Russians and ... I would like to see the evidence of Russian culpability here."

Stein compared the Russia investigation to the run-up to the Iraq War, saying, "We didnt get to really see the evidence [then] ... We are still paying that price -- $5.5 trillion and counting. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me a gazillion times, shame on all of us."

Stein also addressed her attendance at a now-infamous dinner in Moscow marking the 10th anniversary of RT, a Russian state-run news and propaganda channel. She was photographed sitting at a table with Russian President Vladimir Putin and future national security adviser Michael Flynn, who is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

"The dinner ... was really a non-event," Stein said. "At one point, Putin came in with a couple of guys that I assumed were his bodyguards. Turns out they were actually his inner circle, but you would have never known it. Nobody was introduced to anybody ... At one point, Putin made a very rapid turn around the table and shook everybodys hand, but without any exchange of names, so thats about as significant as this was."
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley sent an invitation Thursday to the 65 countries who didnt vote against the United States in the U.N. General Assembly vote to denounce President Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The invitation to the Jan. 3 reception marked a symbolic step of the U.S. taking note of who supports the country and who doesnt.

Haleys email invitation, which has been obtained by Fox News, asks the nations who voted no, abstained from voting or didnt cast a vote to a reception to thank you for your friendship to the United States.

The General Assembly voted 128-9, with 35 abstentions, in favor of declaring Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital "null and void." 21 countries were absent during the vote.

Earlier Thursday, Haley, who has adopted an aggressive stance at the world body on U.S. priorities, took to Twitter to voice her appreciation to the countries who didnt vote against the U.S. for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the @UN.

"The Trump administration needs to use this as a fulcrum to look at funding of the U.N. system more broadly," former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said on Fox News' "The Story" Thursday night.

On Wednesday, Trump linked the UN vote to the future of assistance from the U.S. to foreign countries, telling reporters: "Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care."

Haley added the U.S. would be "taking names."

Fox News' Ben Evansky and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A new report published Thursday by the Trump administration shows that 92 percent of foreign nationals in federal prisons are in the U.S. illegally  a revelation that Attorney General Jeff Sessions said proves why the U.S. needs to follow through on President Trump's proposed immigration reform.

The 2017 report, from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, found that more than one in five individuals imprisoned were not born in the United States. In addition, 94 percent of foreign nationals in the custody of either the Federal Bureau of Prisons or the U.S. Marshals Service entered the U.S. illegally.

Sessions said in a statement that Americans are being victimized by illegal aliens who commit crimes.  The simple fact is that any offense committed by a criminal alien is ultimately preventable. One victim is too many.

The attorney general also noted that, based on sentencing data, non-citizens commit a substantially disproportionate number of drug-related offenses, which contributes to our national drug abuse crisis.

BORDER WALL CONTRACTORS FACE GROWING BOYCOTTS FROM LIBERAL CITIES

By the end of the 2017 fiscal year, 58,766 known or suspect foreign nationals were imprisoned in the United States.

Newly-confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen added that the report highlights that more must be done, and added the department will continue to pursue President Trumps immigration priorities.

The report did not include information on incarcerations in state prisons or local jails. State and local facilities do not routinely provide DHS or DOJ with comprehensive information about their inmates and detaineeswhich account for approximately 90 percent of the total U.S. incarcerated population, the report said.

This past October, the Trump administration announced it was seeking several major changes to the country's immigration system, as the president pushes forward with his plans for a wall along the Mexico border. The requests included additional crackdowns on sanctuary cities that protect illegal immigrants; reducing the number of incoming refugees; 10,000 more Customs and Border Patrol agents; and new initiatives curbing the number of unaccompanied immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally as children. Democrats already have said many of the White House's terms are off the table.

It remains unclear when the wall might actually go up. Trump campaigned on building it and set an ambitious timetable for construction. But aside from potential funding and political complications, there have been court challenges from geologists.

Critics also have said the barrier would be ineffective and costly. On the campaign trail, Trump said Mexico would pay for the bill, which Mexico has flatly denied. The actual cost of the wall has not been clear.

Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Rick Dearborn, one of President Trumps top aides, will step down early next year to pursue private sector work, White House officials said, becoming the latest high-profile departure from the West Wing in recent weeks.

Rick loyally served the president for two and a half years and brought tremendous energy to the White House staff, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said. Hes a super guy and it breaks my heart to see him leave, but I look forward to his continued personal friendship and support for the presidents agenda.

A deputy chief of staff who oversaw the White Houses political operation, public outreach and legislative affairs, Mr. Dearborn will remain at the White House for the first month or two of next year, according to people familiar with the planning.

Mr. Dearborns decision comes after Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser, informed President Trump earlier this month about her plans to leave in the new year. The White House is bracing for a raft of departures as the president hits the one-year mark in office.

Mr. Dearborn has worked for Mr. Trump for more that two years. He helped set up the campaigns Washington office and was executive director of the presidential transition team after the election.

Read more from the Wall Street Journal.
President Trump paid a visit to wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Medical Center on Thursday ahead of the holiday weekend.

Hailing the service members as some of the bravest people anywhere in the world, Trump awarded a recently injured soldier a Purple Heart.

1st Lt. Victor Prato of the 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion was given the award after suffering multiple soft tissue injuries following a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device blast while deployed in Afghanistan last month, the White House said.

"One of the most powerful moments of my life watching @POTUS give the Purple Heart to this American Hero," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted. "Amazed by the strength and resilience of the men and women in our Armed Forces."

The president also met with other sick and injured service members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces, according to Sanders.

Trump, who last visited the hospital in April, told reporters ahead of his visit that "We're just going to wish them a merry Christmas, a happy New Year. We love those people."

The president is expected to return to the facility in the new year to undergo a physical.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A federal court on Thursday struck down the Trump administrations appeal to keep transgender recruits from joining the U.S. military in January  just 11 days before the policy was set to take effect.

A three-judge panel on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia decided not grant the White House a delay in allowing transgender recruits in the military. The administration argued that it has not yet put processes in place to screen and accept such recruits.

The Pentagon said last week that the enlistment of transgender recruits will begin in January despite the legal battles. The Department of Justice said it disagrees with the ruling on Thursday and is considering further steps.

The government went to the appeals court after a U.S. district judge in Baltimore halted the proposed ban in November. The order on Thursday leaves President Donald Trump with no other option than appealing the decision to the Supreme Court.

Trump announced the ban in July, saying that the federal government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military  reversing a 2016 policy under President Barack Obama.

He added: Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.

The president later formally directed the Pentagon to extend indefinitely the ban on transgender people in the military, giving Defense Secretary Jim Mattis six months to come up with a plan on how to deal with those already serving.

The proposed ban sparked several legal challenges led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of six current transgender members of the military.

The ACLU celebrated the latest court order, saying in a statement: We are happy that the court saw through the governments smoke screen and rejected its request to further delay the policy allowing transgender people to enlist.

The military has already developed comprehensive guidance to prepare for a January 1 start date, and the government failed to offer any credible reason why transgender people should be barred from enlisting if they can meet the same rigorous standards that apply to everyone else.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats are manufacturing a crisis with their drumbeat of warnings about the possible firing of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, sources familiar with the relationship between Muellers office and President Trumps legal team say.

The sources insisted to Fox News that Mueller is not going to be fired, and the discussion is nothing more than speculation and rumor. Further, they said the legal team has an excellent and very professional relationship with Mueller and his team.

The fact is [Democrats] have been caught red handed manufacturing a crisis and all the phony allegations, one source said.

Over the past couple weeks, Democratic lawmakers and liberal activists have ramped up warnings about a potential Mueller firing and called for protests to defend the Republic if Trump takes that step.

KURTZ: TRUMP SAYS HE WON'T FIRE MUELLER, BUT MEDIA WON'T LISTEN

GOP frustration over Muellers probe has indeed intensified in recent weeks amid allegations of bias on his investigative team. Complaints have focused lately on the disclosure of anti-Trump text messages between two former Mueller investigators. Trumps team also alleged last weekend that Mueller and his investigators improperly accessed emails from the transition team before the start of the administration.

But Trump recently denied any plans to fire Mueller, as did legal counsel Ty Cobb.

The only sign of a looming firing any lawmaker cited was an unconfirmed rumor. Democratic California Rep. Jackie Speier claimed a week ago that the rumor on the Hill was Trump would fire Mueller at the end of this week, after lawmakers leave D.C. for the recess  which has not happened as of Friday afternoon.

It would be a Saturday massacre  worse than that, Speier said on KQED Newsroom last week. Without a doubt there will be an impeachment effort.

Despite denials from the Trump team, more and more Democratic lawmakers amplified their warnings in the run-up to the recess.

If the president were to fire special counsel Mueller, our country would face a constitutional crisis, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., delivered a letter advising the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee to be prepared to call the panel back to Washington  and consider impeachment  if Trump ousts Mueller.

Every Democrat on the Judiciary Committee should be ready to launch an immediate investigation into obstruction of justice if the President takes this action over the holidays and be prepared to fight to impeach him, he wrote.

Fox News Judson Berger and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
The Justice Departments scrutiny of an Obama-era deal that gave Russia partial control of the U.S. uranium supply has opened the door to the possibility of a new investigation  egged on by the White House.

If the attorney general feels theres a need for that investigation, he should absolutely look into that  and obviously he sees cause for it, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters on Thursday.

She was reacting to a report that DOJ prosecutors are now pressing FBI agents about a prior probe related to the Uranium One deal which Republican critics have criticized over alleged links to the Clintons. NBC News reported that agents are being asked to explain the evidence they found and whether there was any improper effort to stop a prosecution.

Its all part of a broader effort by the Justice Department, first reported by Fox News, to evaluate GOP calls for the appointment of a second special counsel examining Obama administration-tied controversies. As Fox News reported in November, Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed senior federal prosecutors to make recommendations on whether such an appointment is warranted, and whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened.

Sessions told reporters last week that the DOJ is cooperating with congressional investigators on Uranium One and other issues, including by making available a confidential informant. He said a senior attorney has been supplied with the resources he may need to review cases and make a recommendation.

As for Uranium One, I think the end game would be if they found something, they certainly would be potentially capable of reopening the investigation and handling it as though it were an active, ongoing criminal matter, said Thomas Dupree, former Justice Department official under the George W. Bush administration.

Its unclear at the moment whether Sessions would eventually take the step to either appoint a second special counsel or reopen the probe, amid Republican criticism of Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential collusion with Trump associates.

The pressure from Capitol Hill regarding Uranium One isnt letting up.

Earlier this month, a top Republican senator expanded his own investigation into the sale of the Canadian mining company to a subsidiary of Russias Rosatom nuclear company. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, fired off a letter to the heads of the U.S. Energy Department and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeking more information  specifically, on how uranium under the Russian firm's control made its way out of the U.S.

Back in 2011, then-NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko assured the senator that the companies did not hold a specific NRC export license and would not be able to export uranium from the U.S. without one.

Yet The Hill reported last month that while the NRC never issued the license, memos show it did approve the shipment of yellowcake uranium from the U.S. mines to Canada in 2012 through a third party. The same report said the Obama administration later approved some of that material to go to Europe, and the approval involved a process with multiple agencies.

At a recent Senate hearing, NRC Chairwoman Kristine Svinicki committed to responding to the senator, while acknowledging the prior responses he got have not fully depicted the complexity of this issue. She said the commission would depict it in context and more accurately in the forthcoming response.

The Uranium One deal, which was covered extensively in 2015, burst back into the headlines in October, after The Hill reported the FBI had evidence as early as 2009 that Russian operatives used bribes, kickbacks and other dirty tactics to expand Moscows atomic energy footprint in the U.S., related to a Rosatom subsidiary. Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill quickly started asking questions about how the deal was approved the following year by an inter-agency committee.

While scrutinizing the 2010 approval, Republican lawmakers have also revived questions that first surfaced in 2015 about payments to both Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation from interested parties.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has renewed scrutiny, for instance, of a $500,000 fee Bill Clinton collected from a Russian investment bank for a June 2010 speech. Grassley wrote in an October letter that the banks senior officers include former Russian intelligence personnel, and sources had described the company as an extension of the Russian government.

Notably, in the same month as the Clinton speech, Uranium One and Rosatom notified CFIUS of the Russian governments intent to acquire twenty percent of the United States uranium assets. The next month, in July 2010, Renaissance Bank reportedly assigned Uranium One a buy rating, a move that would principally benefit its Russian investors, Grassley wrote. The donations raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest for Secretary Clinton and the Obama administration.

Figures related to the company also donated a reported $145 million to the Clinton Foundation, though its unclear whether any of that was connected to the deal  and a key figure claims he sold his stake in the company years earlier.

Addressing the matter on C-SPAN in October, Hillary Clinton said its the same baloney theyve been peddling for years, and theres been no credible evidence by anyone. In fact, its been debunked repeatedly and will continue to be debunked.

The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said these issues are just part of the distraction and diversion from the investigation into Russian meddling and possible coordination with Trump associates in last years election.

Fox News Ed Henry, Jake Gibson and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
The governor of Ohio and former presidential candidate John Kasich signed into law on Friday a controversial state bill that would ban abortions after a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

The legislation, which cleared the GOP-led Legislature with some Republican opposition, makes it a crime for a doctor to end a pregnancy based on knowledge of Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that causes developmental delays and medical conditions such as heart defects and respiratory and hearing problems.

It makes performing an abortion in such cases a fourth-degree felony, which is punishable by up to 18 months in prison and requires the state medical board to revoke a convicted doctor's license. Pregnant women involved in such procedures won't be penalized. The law will go into effect in 90 days.

Kasich, despite signing the bill, has mentioned in the past that he had concerns about the bill being unconstitutional, according to Cincinnati.com. That led him to veto a separate bill in 2016, which proposed a ban on abortions done after six weeks of gestation.

The anti-abortion group Ohio Right to Life said that the bills signing into law was a victory. "Now that the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act is law, unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are given a shot at life" the group's president, Mike Gonidakis, said in a statement on Friday.

Abortion rights groups in the state argued that the new law would be another blow to woman's constitutional right to legal abortion.

The executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, Kellie Copeland, said the law does nothing to support families taking care of loved ones with Down syndrome but instead "exploits them as part of a larger anti-choice strategy to systematically make all abortion care illegal."

"This law shames women and will have a chilling effect on the conversations between doctors and patients because of the criminal penalties that doctors will face," Copeland said.

A statement from the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio on Friday said that Kasich had signed a "blatantly unconstitutional bill." The civil rights group said it was coordinating with its legal staff and coalition partners to determine the next steps.

North Dakota and Indiana were ahead of Ohio in passing similar restrictions. The Indiana law has been blocked by a federal judge, who said the state has no right to limit women's reasons for terminating pregnancies.

The Indiana measure was enacted in 2016. North Dakota's went into effect in 2013 and has not been challenged. That state's sole abortion clinic, in Fargo, says the issue hasn't arisen under its policy of not performing abortions after 16 weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
January is the new December in Congress.

Lawmakers dashed out of Washington Thursday night after approving a short-term bill to run the government through Jan. 19. December was supposed to be an epic month on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers expected brawls over a host of seemingly intractable issues like military funding, disaster aid and DACA. Then there was the GOP aim to finish tax reform.

The tax bill was the easy part. Republicans wrapped that with relative ease on Wednesday  and proceeded to shelve virtually every major issue until January.

Even Ray Guy never punted like this.

Did the holiday spirit simply prevail on lawmakers? Or, basking in the afterglow of tax reform, did Republicans simply come to their senses and realize it wasnt a good idea to mess with a government shutdown at Christmas?

But in the end, Democrats wanted to ditch Washington too. Democrats noted that the GOP controls both the House and Senate. If Republicans managed to discombobulate their tax reform victory by stumbling into a government shutdown around the holidays, fine. But if Republicans got their act together, Democrats knew the issues wouldnt dissolve over the break. Democrats would hold even more leverage in January. Plus, Democrats thought they could force the presidents hand on a number of subjects just days before the State of the Union speech on Jan. 30.

Congressional Republicans reveled at the White House Wednesday afternoon after the House approved the final version of the tax bill. But two hours later, House GOPers sweated in an intense, testy meeting in the Capitol basement about options to avoid a government shutdown.

Some GOPers worried that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., misread how much good will hed garner from passing tax reform. They feared Ryan would make his members eat a barely adequate bill to avert a government shutdown at the holidays.

We just passed tax reform, said one senior House GOPer leaving the meeting. At least give us two to three hours before you murder Santa Claus on the way to Christmas.

Some Republicans complained that the leadership focused on little else but the tax bill of late.

Id walk into a fire for Paul. But [funding the government] was never as easy as they thought it going to be, said Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. We need to do a better job of multi-tasking.

Many conservatives with libertarian leanings were upset about attaching a temporary reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to the spending bill. Defenders of FISA consider the program a key tool in disrupting terrorism plots. But some lawmakers fear the operation could lead to spying on Americans without a warrant.

It was almost too much for House Republicans to swallow as they stared into the abyss of a holiday government shutdown.

This was one of the most depressing conferences Ive ever set through, moaned one senior House Republican.

That alone is an utterly stunning comment considering the fact that Republicans just approved the tax bill.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., took the pulse of members during a series of votes on the floor Wednesday night, weighing government funding scenarios. When asked how the vote tally went, Scalise said they were still tabulating the numbers, adding there was a lot of enthusiasm. But no one was quite sure how Republicans could be enthused about the government funding plan.

Members of the Freedom Caucus abhorred the idea of re-upping FISA just to keep the governments lights on.

We want to change FISA, said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a Freedom Caucus member. We dont want it on the CR (Continuing Resolution, which is shorthand for the spending bill).

Ryan remained trained on tax reform Thursday morning. The speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore (the most-senior member of the body of the majority party) Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, signed the tax bill in a splashy ceremony at the Capitol before shipping the package to President Trump for his signature.

Yours truly tried to ask Ryan at the end of the celebration if there were problems with the CR. But the Wisconsin Republican was having none of it.

Oh Chad, lets just enjoy the moment, said Ryan before walking out of the Rayburn Room off the House floor.

In the end, the House and Senate voted to avoid a shutdown.

Im not quite sure how we did it after that conference Wednesday night, conceded one senior Republican source. I didnt think we [had the votes]. That was a rough one.

But a lot remains undone.

The House and Senate couldnt even get in sync on an $81 billion disaster relief package for areas stricken by hurricanes and wildfires. The House approved the effort. But the Senate wants to alter the measure in January. Lawmakers must figure out a long-term solution for FISA. Full funding for the military isnt resolved  to say nothing of the rest of government. A permanent fix for DACA remains elusive.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, lamented that lawmakers would face the same crises in 2018.

I guess wed better recharge our batteries. Its like Groundhog Day. Over and over and over again, said Cornyn. Its maddening.

Things may even be harder come 2018. On Jan. 3, the Senates will swear in its newest members. Sen.-designate Tina Smith, D-Minn., succeeds Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., whos resigning amid an avalanche of sexual harassment allegations. Sen.-elect Doug Jones, D-Ala., is prepared to take the seat of Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., after last weeks special election.

In 2017, Republicans enjoyed a 52-48 edge in the Senate.

That narrows to 51-49 with the arrival of Jones in January.

Capitol Attitude is a weekly column written by members of the Fox News Capitol Hill team. Their articles take you inside the halls of Congress, and cover the spectrum of policy issues being introduced, debated and voted on there.
An Oval Office meeting this week turned contentious at times as top advisers  from inside and outside the White House  discussed with President Trump how to confront a political landscape that is growing problematic for Republicans ahead of the 2018 midterms, sources with direct knowledge of the session told Fox News.

Those in attendance Wednesday included White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, Communications Director Hope Hicks, Political Director Bill Stepien, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, former campaign digital guru Brad Parscale and others.

Some outside advisers like Lewandowski rang the alarm that the president was not being well served by his current political operation at White House -- which is run by Stepien -- and that changes needed to be made there and at the Republican National Committee to counter potential Democratic gains in 2018.

Both Lewandowski and former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who privately visited the president on Tuesday, were in agreement that significant changes are needed, according to a White House source. Though the two men have butted heads in the past, they both expressed concerns about the 2018 midterms and the current trajectory.

There was also some criticism during the meeting about how the RNC, under Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, was running its political operation despite a strong fundraising arm.

Some White House officials told Fox News they do not believe the RNC, which serves essentially as the political arm of the White House, is doing enough to back the president and his political agenda.

Despite the periodic tense conversations, sources said there was unity over the "big victory" on the presidents tax cut bill. Trump signed the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul minutes before boarding Air Force One for Mar-a-Lago on Friday.

The top advisers at Wednesdays Oval Office meeting agreed that the legislation could generate momentum going into 2018.

Neither Lewandowski nor a White House spokesperson would comment to Fox News about the Wednesday meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times.

Fox News John Roberts contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: Attorney General Jeff Sessions is launching a review of a law enforcement initiative called Project Cassandra after an investigative report was published this week claiming the Obama administration gave a free pass to Hezbollahs drug-trafficking and money-laundering operations to help ensure the Iran nuclear deal would stay on track.

The Justice Department said in a statement to Fox News that Sessions on Friday directed a review of prior Drug Enforcement Administration investigations to evaluate allegations that certain matters were not properly prosecuted and to ensure all matters are appropriately handled.

While I am hopeful that there were no barriers constructed by the last administration to allowing DEA agents to fully bring all appropriate cases under Project Cassandra, this is a significant issue for the protection of Americans, Sessions said in a written statement. We will review these matters and give full support to investigations of violent drug trafficking organizations.

According to a bombshell expose in Politico on Sunday, an elaborate campaign led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, known as Project Cassandra, targeted the Lebanese militant groups criminal activities.

"We will review these matters and give full support to investigations of violent drug trafficking organizations"  Attorney General Jeff Sessions

But when Project Cassandra leaders, who were working out of a DEA facility in Chantilly, Virginia, sought approval for some significant investigations, prosecutions, arrests and financial sanctions, Obama Justice and Treasury Department officials delayed, hindered or rejected their requests, according to Politico.

Protecting our citizens from terrorist organizations and combatting the devastating drug crisis gripping our nation are two of the Justice Departments top priorities, Sessions said. Operations designed to investigate and prosecute terrorist organizations that are also fueling that drug crisis must be paramount in this administration.

DOJ officials told Fox News the review could lead to new prosecutions of people affiliated with Hezbollah. It could also lead to an Inspector General investigation of personnel matters relating to the project.

The DEA has worked tirelessly on this front, Sessions said. I am committed to giving our hard working and dedicated DEA agents all the tools that they need to allow them to shut down these drug rings.

Sessions added, The Department of Justice is absolutely committed to investigating and prosecuting international drug trafficking organizations and with the assistance of our DEA and FBI agents we will leave no stone unturned as we work to making America safer.

REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS OVER CLAIMS OBAMA GAVE HEZBOLLAH A PASS

Since the report surfaced, a number of Republican lawmakers have demanded answers about the allegations. Meanwhile, former Obama administration officials have broadly dismissed the allegations as false.

There are many reasonable critiques of Obama's foreign policy, former Obama official Tommy Vietor tweeted. The idea that he was soft on Hezbollah is not one of them. The story is so manufactured out of thin air that it's hard to push back except to say that it's a figment of the imagination of two very flawed sources.

Fox News Frank Miles contributed to this report.
The Trump administration is dramatically scaling back U.S. refugee resettlement efforts, according to a Thursday Reuters report.

The move comes months after the White House announced plans to significantly curb refugee admissions and to more carefully vet new entrants to the country.

In a Dec. 1 meeting, State Department officials reportedly told nine refugee agencies that resettlement offices throughout the country will not receive federal authorization to resettle nearly as many people in 2018.

Stripped of that necessary approval  and federal funding  dozens of resettlement offices will probably have to close, Reuters reported.

There are approximately 300 such offices in 49 states, and they are often affiliated with or overseen by the refugee agencies. The local offices employ aid workers that help refugees transition to life in America in various ways.

Resettlement officers that plan to assist fewer than 100 refugees next year will be prohibited from helping to settle new arrivals, Reuters reported, citing State Department officials.

The news came on the same day that a federal judge said he would decide before Christmas whether to stop a Trump administration ban on certain refugees after hearing arguments Thursday that the ban is separating families and putting some refugees in danger.

Lawyers from the ACLU and Jewish Family Service asked U.S. District Judge James Robart for an injunction on a ban the administration has placed on refugees from some mostly Muslim countries.

The ban went into effect in October after President Donald Trump issued an executive order resuming the refugee program "with enhanced vetting capabilities."

In September, the Trump administration announced it would sharply curtail the number of refugees allowed into the United States to 45,000 next year. It would reflect the lowest admissions level for the U.S. in more than a decade.

Lowering the cap reflects Trumps opposition to accepting refugees and other immigrants into the U.S., an approach that has already driven down refugee admissions.

Former President Barack Obama had wanted to take in 110,000 in 2017, but the pace slowed dramatically after Trump took office and issued an executive order addressing refugees.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Trump administration is weighing a policy that would separate families who are caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally as a way to discourage more arrivals, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

The policy, developed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Officials and other Department of Homeland Security agencies, would place children in protective custody or with an approved sponsor while their parents would be placed in a detention facility to await deportation, officials told the Post.

People arent going to stop coming unless there are consequences to illegal entry, a DHS official told the paper.

Under current policy, families caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are held together at detention centers or released with a court date while awaiting a decision on their deportation.

The idea to separate families had been circulating earlier this year in the DHS, but was canned after the proposal received backlash and illegal migration levels dropped.

According to Customs and Border Protection, when Trump took office in January, the number of people illegally crossing the border dwindled to the lowest number in 17 years.

But the controversial measure is being considered once again after the number of illegal border crossings has climbed back up. In November, immigration authorities apprehended 7,000 family units and 4,000 unaccompanied minors  a 45 percent increase from the previous month according to DHS statistics.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has final approval power, however. DHS officials told the Post that Nielsen has not yet signed off on the plan.
The White House Deputy Chief of Staff Ricky Dearborn said Thursday that he will step down early next year, becoming the latest high-profile departure from the West Wing in the last month.

Dearborn told Fox News that his departure is bittersweet because he loves working for President Trump. But he said the time was right following the tax bill victory.

Dearborn oversaw the White Houses political operation, public outreach and legislative affairs, The Wall Street Journal reported. He will stay in the position for the first month or two of the next year, the report said.

Dearborns decision to resign comes after Dina Powell announced earlier this month that she will be leaving the administration.

Rick Ricky Dearborn is considered well-liked by the top brass at the White House, including Chief of Staff John Kelly, who tried to keep him. Fox News spoke to several White House officials late Thursday who said Dearborn was part of the main echelon of top senior aides.
President Trump on Friday signed his first major legislative triumph  a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul expected to trigger tax cuts for most Americans next year  as well as a temporary spending bill that keeps the government running through mid-January.

Trump signed the bills before heading to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., for the winter holidays.

As he did, the president told reporters he was initially going to wait until after the new year but changed his mind because he wanted to prove he was keeping his promise to America to get a tax bill signed before Dec. 25.

"I didn't want you folks to say I wasn't keeping my promise" to sign the bill by Christmas, he said. "Every one of the networks was saying 'Will he keep his promise? Will he sign it by Christmas?'"

So Trump said he told his staff: "Get it ready, we have to sign it now."

The president also called out Democrats who he said would really regret not supporting the bill.

Ahead of the morning signing, Trump also tweeted: The President has accomplished some absolutely historic things during this past year.

He added, We are compiling a long & beautiful list.

The tax bill is likely at the top of that list, after GOP lawmakers passed the most extensive rewrite of the tax code in three decades. The package would cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, double the standard deduction and make a host of other changes.

After its passage, Trump basked in the praise of Republican lawmakers  some of whom he had taken to task publicly earlier this year. They put the bad blood behind them, at least for now, and congratulated him as one heck of a leader and a man of action.

This has been a year of extraordinary accomplishment for the Trump administration, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Democrats continue to slam the tax bill as a giveaway to the wealthy and corporations.

But the bill passage and signing marked a rare moment of legislative success for Trump, who has been dogged by Democrats challenging him at every turn during his first year in office. The president has also seen his popularity plummet to historic lows and is still dealing with accusations he or members of his campaign colluded with Russia during the presidential race, which he denies.

Late Thursday, the Republican-led Congress also averted a government shutdown by passing a temporary spending bill  punting thornier issues like immigration, health care and the budget itself to 2018.

The measure to keep the government running passed the House on a 231-188 vote over Democratic opposition. It cleared the Senate 66-32.

The stopgap legislation keeps the government from shutting down at midnight Friday, and funds the government through Jan. 19.

At some point, and for the good of the country, I predict we will start working with the Democrats in a Bipartisan fashion, Trump tweeted. Infrastructure would be a perfect place to start. After having foolishly spent $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is time to start rebuilding our country!

Trump also had some words for the media, whom the president regularly complains don't treat him fairly.

With all my Administration has done on Legislative Approvals (broke Harry Trumans Record), Regulation Cutting, Judicial Appointments, Building Military, VA, TAX CUTS & REFORM, Record Economy/Stock Market and so much more, I am sure great credit will be given by mainstream news? he tweeted.
An Americans prison ordeal on the resort island of Bali has caught the attention of President Trump.

The American, Christian Beasley, 32, was thrown into Balis notorious Kerobokan Prison in August after being picked up with a small amount of marijuana. He escaped Dec. 11 and was on the run in the mostly Muslim nation for five days before being recaptured. Fox News aired a report on Beasleys plight on Special Report on Thursday, and it was seen at the White House.

Now senior administration officials tell Fox News that after seeing the piece, Trump inquired about getting involved. The officials say he asked for additional information regarding the charges and conditions of Beasleys captivity.

I was encouraged the other day when the president and this new administration has been very good about helping Americans who are finding difficulties in foreign lands, and I would love the situation where they would just send him home, Beasleys father, Hank Giesecke, told Fox News.

Beasleys family members are most worried about his health and safety behind bars. Kerobokan is overcrowded, understaffed and brutally violent.

This Kerobokan jail was designed for 300 inmates, Giesecke said. It has 1,600, so you can imagine the conditions there.

Giesecke said his son has been in and out of therapy most of his life.

Sadly when he was four he was kidnapped and he was gone for a year and a half, he said. It has always had an effect on him.

He alleged his son was kidnapped in 1989 from his backyard in San Diego through a shadowy group called the Children of the Underground. Christian was found a year and a half later in a cabin in Vermont.

The group, according to reports, claimed to shelter alleged victims of child abuse in the 1980s and '90s by hiding them in safe houses scattered throughout the U.S. The groups founder claimed to have hidden in excess of 1,000 children.

Justice is not being done, Giesecke told Fox News. What we need to do is bring him home because he needs some help and he is not going to get it in prison.

Beasley, of California, and compatriot Paul Anthony Hoffman escaped during heavy rain on Dec. 10 from the Kerobokan penitentiary in Bali's provincial capital by sawing through a ceiling and then climbing over a 20-foot-high wall.

Hoffman, 57, from New York, who has been serving a 20-month sentence for robbery since July, was captured right away. Beasley hired a motorbike driver to take him to Ubud, where he hid in a bush near a museum until midnight.

He then rode in a car to Padang Bay, a ferry port, where he hired a speedboat to take him to the resort island of Lombok. He was recaptured on Saturday in an alley near a Lombok beach.

I have a license to use ganja (marijuana) for medical reasons but they want to give me four years or more in jail, Beasley told reporters at the Badung Police station on Wednesday.

He said he escaped because other inmates were trying to extort money from him and he feared being beaten because he had none to give. "They threatened me to pay protection money, that was why I left," he said.

"I need help, I really need help. ... Please help me, please help me. In my country (it) is not a crime (to) use ganja," he shouted to journalists while being taken back into the jail by police.

Giesecke told Fox News he found it disturbing that police were parading his son around in a hood and shackles.

I don't understand this business of parading people around in hoods, he said. Why would you put a hood on someone unless his face is all beat up? My concern is they are just going to take him out and shoot him.

Giesecke said his son has a medical marijuana prescription for fivegrams.

Police in Bali say he was caught at a post office with a packagae containing 5.7 grams. Giesecke said seven-tenths of a gram is like a pinch of salt.

Compassion says we bring him home and get him some treatment, he told Fox News.

Beasley escaped the day before he was to hear the verdict in his case.

Beasleys mother, Rosalind, 70, told Newsweek she was in Bali for the verdict and saw her son right after he escaped.

He apparently ran from the prison to my room and knocked on the door in the middle of the night. It was raining, she told the magazine. I opened the door and he said, You have to come with me.

Rosalind said of her son, [Christian] explained he was fearful, hed heard from other prisoners that friends or close relatives could be threatened with physical harm as a mean to obtaining information about the location of the escapee.

She said she stood there frozen, not knowing what to do.

He grabbed my little sack and put my computer in it and said, You want to take some clothes? I just couldnt figure out what to do, what to take, she told the magazine.

I stuffed my purse belongings in that little backpack and put on a rain cover. I dont think it could have been five minutes that we were there in the room, she added.

She left Bali and flew to Thailand to await word from her son. She then flew home to California.

The scooter Beasely used in the escaped held a Bible, Newsweek reported. I did not know he had those things, Rosalind told the magazine. I wasnt aware he escaped with anything, but he has a strong faith. Whether he brought the Bible or he obtained it after he escaped, I dont know.

Fox News' William La Jeunesse in Los Angeles and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Daggers, axes and jewelry made from rare iron during the Bronze Age are literally out of this world, according to new research finding that ancient artisans crafted these metal artifacts with iron from outer space carried to Earth by meteorites.

The finding upends the idea that a few artisans during the Bronze Age in the ancient Near East knew how to make iron by smelting it from Earth's crust.

Instead, it appears that Bronze Age metalworkers sought out meteorites to make these treasures, said study author Albert Jambon, a French archaeo-metallurgist and a professor at the Pierre and Marie Curie University, in Paris. [See Photos of King Tut's Dagger & Other Old Iron Objects]

"Iron from the Bronze Age are meteoritic, invalidating speculations about precocious [early] smelting during the Bronze Age," Jambon wrote in the study.

Jambon tested the ancient iron daggers, including one from Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt, iron axes and pieces of iron jewelry from the ancient Near East and China with X-ray scans to identify their metals.

Last year, a study using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry determined that Tutankhamuns dagger was made with iron containing nearly 11 percent nickel and traces of cobalt: a characteristic of extraterrestrial iron found in many of the iron meteorites that have rained down on Earth for billions of years.

Most of the iron meteorites that smash into Earth each year are thought to have formed in the metal-heavy cores of planetesimals  small bodies in the protoplanetary disk of debris that orbited the sun during the early stages of the solar system.

As a result, these meteorites contain high levels of nickel or cobalt. In contrast, iron smelted from terrestrial iron ores, which are mined from our planet's outer crust, contain less than 1 percent nickel or cobalt, far less than the levels found in iron-rich space rocks.

Jambon used a portable XRF analyzer to scan other ancient iron objects and iron meteorites in museums, as well as iron in private collections in Europe and the Middle East.

His research showed that all the iron in the tested artifacts came from meteorites, and not from terrestrial smelting, he told Live Science in an email.

The findings suggested that iron meteorites were the only source of that metal until the discovery of smelting iron from terrestrial iron ore, probably in Anatolia and the Caucasus around 3,200 years ago, Jambon said.

Ancient iron

Jambon examined some of the most ancient iron objects ever found, including sheet-iron beads from Gerzeh in Egypt, dated to 3200 B.C.; an ax from Ugarit on the coast of northern Syria, dated to 1400 B.C.; a dagger from Alaca Hoyuk in Turkey, dated to 2500 B.C.; and three iron objects from Tutankhamun's tomb, dated to 1350 B.C.  a dagger, a bracelet and a headrest.

Some archaeologists have proposed that these early iron objects could have been created by "precocious" smelting of iron ore nearly 2,000 years before the technology became widespread in the early Iron Age  perhaps by accident, or through experimentation.

But Jambon said his research found no evidence that smelted iron was known until the Iron Age dawned in the Near East, around 1200 B.C. The oldest-known furnace for smelting iron ore, at Tell Hammeh in Jordan, dates to 930 B.C., he noted. [Photos: Ancient Burial and Metal Tool from Southern Levant]

"We know from texts that during the Bronze Age, iron was valued 10 times as much as gold," Jambon said. "[But] in the early Iron Age, the price fell dramatically to less than that of copper, and this is the reason why iron replaced bronze quite rapidly."

His analysis also showed that Tutankhamun's dagger, bracelet and headrest were made from the iron of at least two different meteorites, suggesting that an active search was carried out for valuable iron meteorites in ancient times, he said.

Metal from space

Jambon hopes to scan more ancient iron with XRF spectrometry, but access to these items is not always possible, especially in conflict zones like Syria and Iraq. Even studying artifacts in museums can be challenging, he said.

"For obvious reasons, curators are reluctant to carry artifacts to a foreign institution, and this is why we need to travel, he said: "This is why the portable XRF analyzer changed the deal."

Jambon hopes his research will form the basis of a hunt for the earliest smelted irons on Earth. "The very first irons will be recognized from their chemical composition, which markedly differs from meteoritic iron," Jambon said. "Such analyses should be done for all irons between 1300 [B.C.] and 1000 B.C."

"[This method] opens the possibility of tracking when and where the first smelting operations happened, the threshold of a new era, he wrote in the study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Original article on Live Science.
Many Americans will look to have a pecan pie as part of their Christmas feast, but farmers who grow the nut in New Mexico are worried a small bug might impact their harvest.

The state's Department of Agriculture is currently trying to protect its $215 million a year industry, by preventing the spread of little critters that eat pecans as theyre growing, called weevils.

The pecan weevil is probably considered one of the most devastating or one of the most damaging to pecans, said Phillip Arnold, President of the New Mexico Pecan Growers Association.

The Department of Agriculture placed a quarantine on pecans coming from the eastern New Mexico counties of Curry, Eddy, Chaves and Lea, until May 20, 2018.

Its an especially risky time for pecan farmers, because it's the middle of their yearly harvest. The spread of weevils could have crippling financial implications. Farmers are especially trying to prevent weevils from spreading into Dona Ana County, which Arnold estimates will produce 90 to 100 million pounds of pecans this year.

The Mesilla Valley here is one of the largest production areas in the continent, and for that matter in the world, said Arnold. To bring that type of pest in here could be devastating to the industry.

The larval weevils are a small, white, waxy worm-like creature. The adults have a snout and six legs. They use their snout to go into pecans during the growing season, and eat the developing nut.

Pecans with weevils can be fumigated. But according to Arnold, fumigation or insecticides dont always kill every weevil, and the survivors can start spreading again.

The proven method for getting rid of weevils is freezing them. Pecans with weevils are put into cold storage at zero degrees. As long as the pecans remain at zero degrees for 96 hours, all the weevils will be dead.

Its the type of insect you can try and control and eradicate if you do it properly, said Arnold.

Arnold said the weevils wont travel very far as long as they have a food source. Weevils spread when infested pecans, soil, or equipment is shipped with weevils inside.

Im not going to say that its not something its a slam dunk that were going to be able to get rid of if it shows up, said Arnold.

Arnold said the Department of Agriculture and the Pecan growers have been closely monitoring for weevils since the 1990s. They follow a set quarantine system if weevils are found in local orchards. His biggest concern is people bringing infested pecans into Dona Ana County from Texas and other areas, hoping to get a better price.

A lot of times people dont mean to do anything bad, they just dont know any better, said Arnold.
COLUMBUS  Some Platte County elected officials earn less than their counterparts in comparable counties.

Whether to give those employees a pay increase is being considered by the Platte County Board of Supervisors. The board debated Thursday where to set elected officials' salaries for 2019-22 before delaying a decision until Jan. 9 so the supervisors can continue to review information.

They have until Jan. 15 to set the salaries.

The board has heard from elected officials requesting pay increases while citing a study released by the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) that suggests Platte County should be paying elected officials $64,500 to $82,000 annually.

The study is NACOs continued effort to promote that fair and equitable salaries and benefits be provided to all elected and appointed county officials.

The local board has previously shrugged off NACOs recommendations, which are released every four years.

However, some, including Supervisor Tom Martens, say the study shouldnt be disregarded.

Supervisor Jerry Micek disagrees. He said NACO represents elected officials, not taxpayers. He also has an issue with using comparable counties to determine salaries.

Comparability, in my opinion, is the poorest law we have in Nebraska. We are the only state in the Union that has that law, he said, adding that pay should be based on merit.

Board Chairman Jerry Engdahl said it can be difficult to get the whole picture, including benefits, vacation days and paid holidays, when comparing counties.

Supervisor Hollie Olk put together her suggestions for minimum salaries for elected officials and presented them to other board members to review. Her suggestions are based on several factors, including an elected officials workload, the number of employees in an office and salary of the deputy in that office, all compared to other counties.

When looking at only salaries, Platte County elected officials are making less in some cases.

For 2018, the county clerk, assessor, treasurer, clerk of district court and register of deeds will earn $59,500 in Platte County, with the county clerk receiving an additional $1,500 as the budget-making authority. In a few other counties of comparable size, such as Adams and Buffalo, employees filling those positions earn more. Adams will pay $62,950 each, with an additional $3,500 to the budget-making authority, and Buffalo County employees earn $71,027 annually.

In Madison County, the county clerk and assessor will earn $74,000 next year, plus $5,000 for performing additional duties. The treasurer will make $69,000, the clerk of district court will get $61,000 and the register of deeds will receive $60,500.

Other elected officials' earnings for 2018 include:

 county attorney: $84,500 in Platte, $86,500 in Madison, $87,310 in Adams, $109,382 in Buffalo.

 public defender: $54,691 in Buffalo, $60,300 in Platte, $76,500 in Madison.

 sheriff: $72,000 in Platte, $72,500 in Adams, $77,000 in Madison (plus an additional $5,000 for jail administrator duties), $86,653 in Buffalo.

 county surveyor: $4,500 in Adams, $11,000 in Madison, $17,000 in Platte, $30,213 in Buffalo.

 county supervisors: $16,500 in Platte, $20,000 in Adams, $25,000 in Buffalo (chairperson gets an additional $200 per month), $44,650 in Madison (chairperson receives $46,450).

Platte County Supervisor Ron Pfeifer said county employees have been vocal about the issue of pay increases, which is different than the past.

This is the fifth time that Ive been participating in setting salaries for officials. Never before has there been pressure and kind of an organized movement from officials to raise salaries, he said.

If all of the elected officials' salaries are going to be "jacked up," Pfeifer asked whether that should include the supervisors.

"I didnt run for this office to be paid. I didnt worry about the money. I wanted to serve the people out there who voted for me," he said.

Some board members also said aside from the public defender, county attorney and assessor, elected officials dont need experience for the job. Because of that, Pfeifer said someone who is newly elected could be starting at a pretty high salary to perform a job they have no experience in and have great benefits.

Micek said the primary reason a person runs for office should be to serve the public, not the pay.

When you run for office you know going in what the salary and benefits are. There is no guarantee you will get a raise. Nothing in the state statute says you have to give anyone a pay increase, he said.
Great things come in small packages and our stocking stuffer gift guide top picks are no exception. We have curated the ultimate gifts that are small enough to fit in Christmas stockings  but are sure to be massive in impact.

From irresistible coffee made by a Special Forces veteran and bottle openers made from fighter jet ammo through to combat flip-flops, whiskey ice bullets and Navy SEAL-created camouflage for hunting, here are seven outstanding stocking stuffers  something for every budget and all with the tactical spin.

Freedom Fuel by Black Rifle Coffee

Black Rifle is bespoke small batch coffee at its best. For conservatives in the know, it has rapidly become the coffee of choice.

Evan Hafer served our country at the most elite level, including in Special Forces soldier and as a CIA contractor. He then applied that same rigorous commitment to excellence to founding Black Rifle Coffee Company and to every aspect of the process. Hafer selects coffee beans in South America and then they are especially blended and roasted in Utah.

US SOLDIERS SET TO RECEIVE NEW HOLSTER AS ARMY DEPLOYS ITS LATEST PISTOL

There are lots of delicious blends to choose, from Snipers Hide Blend, Freedom Fuel Silencer Smooth Blend, AK-47 Blend and Beyond Black Blend. There is also a special limited edition of Holiday Roast, available for $14.99.

Pick one and pop it in the stocking. The unmistakable Black Rifle coffee aroma will lure everyone from their cozy beds Christmas morning.

A 12-ounce bag starts at $12.99.

Chute Vacuum from CamelBak

This is one outstanding, sleek-looking stocking stuffer that is ideal for just about anyone who loves the outdoors, hiking, hunting and shooting, or simply likes hitting the gym.

CamelBak has set the gold standard for hydration in combat and hydration in the toughest, most extreme environments in the world.

The company has taken all that expertise accumulated over all those years and all those war zones and combined it with the latest in their cutting-edge innovation to create must-have bottles.

COOL TECH CONVERTS DIRT BIKES FOR JASON BOURNE-LIKE SNOW SUPREMACY

Perfect size to pop in a stocking, its Chute Vacuum keeps liquids cold for a full 24 hours. On a day hike, it will keep your soup or hot chocolate warm for six hours. This 40 ounce-insulated bottle has a number of smart design features, like a cap that snaps into the handle so it stays out of the way when you pour and double walls to prevent condensation.

Even the opening has been especially tailored to make it ultra-easy to drink from and difficult to spill.

The Chute Vacuum is available for $38.

Bullet Ice Cubes by Bottle Breacher

Whiskey and other spirits are always a classic holiday gift, but this year why not go next level with the tactical twist? Instead of the traditional bottle of a favorite blend, go with the fun special bullets designed to protect the temperature of a favorite bourbon.

The Bottle Breacher Whiskey Bullets are stainless steel bullets that chill whiskey, vodka, eggnog  you name it. They're not just a great conversation piece, they also protect the flavor of that holiday drink since they won't dilute.

They just get popped in the freezer and then popped in the drink, where they will behave sitting at the bottom of the glass.

6 TOP JAMES BOND-INSPIRED TACTICAL GIFTS

These bullets may be small but they are bound to be a big hit. The company recommends one whiskey bullet for every ounce of whiskey poured.

The set comes with six bullets and is available for $49.99. If youd like to go bigger, you could add  under the tree, that is  the Revolver Cylinder Holster that is designed to hold the bullets.

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AS THE BEST WEAPON AGAINST TERRORISTS WITH THIS NAVY SEAL

Rite in the Rain Notebooks

Made in the USA, Rite in the Rain notebooks are ultra-popular with tactical professionals, underwater bomb experts, adventurers, expeditions and more. This is an amazing American company that has created truly weatherproof paper and a waterproof notebook cover.

These notebooks can withstand just about any adventure, anywhere. If it gets hit with water, the all-weather paper wont disintegrate like regular paper  it is just fine. Accidentally left in a pocket and put in a washing machine? No problem. Thrown in the gym bag and hit with sweat and mud? No problem.

Rite in the Rain also makes tailored notebooks for different passions and hobbies, from fishing and hunting through to shooting and birdwatching. They also make fantastic calendars with all the benefits of their extraordinary craftsmanship and quality materials.

NEW F-35A FIGHTER JET GETS A NEW POWERFUL BOMB

The notebooks come in all sorts of shapes, colors and sizes. The pocket-sized ones have a great, tough impact resistant wire binding so whether it is in the back pocket or backpack, it will never lose its shape.

Rite in the Rain also makes phenomenal pencils relied on regularly in combat and expeditions all over the world. The lead won't break. Wont be unsteady. Wont snap off. Wont fall out. It will be the only pencil you will ever need to buy for your student.

Rite in the Rain All-Weather Mechanical Pencil retails for $10.45 but you can now snap one up at a steal of $5.

Pocket top spiral starts at $3.95. The 2018 pocket calendar is available for $9.95.

Combat Flip Flops

Anyone who has been around special operations will tell you flip-flops are very popular with the military's most elite teams. Founders Matthew Griffin and Donald Lee both served as Army Rangers and served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Theyve now created a company to make a difference in war-torn countries.

The men's Floperator in OD green is a must-have and not just because they will become the favorite footwear of your gift recipient. As Combat Flip-Flops says, Bad for running. Worse for fighting. But we know you are going to do what you want with them  which is just about anything.

This is a stocking stuffer that also helps make a difference. Their sandals are made in Colombia to provide jobs to locals there. And each Floperator stocking stuffer spreads Christmas spirit to a girl in need, funding one day of secondary school for an Afghan girl.

They are currently on sale for $24.99.

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INTO HOLLYWOOD + HEAD BEHIND THE SCENES ON A NEW TV SHOW

Predator Warpaint

For the hunter in your family, the very best surprise in the stocking would be Predator Warpaint.

Created by Navy SEAL veteran Nick Norris, this is best in class camo face paint that will also protect your loved ones face from the sun on those long days outdoors. It incorporates bulletproof sunscreen with SPF 50 protection. This scent-free war paint lasts for more than four hours and the colors wont bleed no matter how hot it gets.

Also makes an excellent gift for children who like to do their military maneuvers outdoors.

Made in the USA, the 3-Color Woodland Camo With Bottle Opener is available for $14.95 and the 5-Color Camo Milspec Compact $19.95.

Vintage Brass 20mm Bottle Opener by Bullets2Bandages

How about a bottle opener made from ammunition used by fighter jets like the FA  18 hornet and combat helicopters like AH  1 Cobra? These vintage brass bottle openers are made by Bullets2Bandages from 20 mm casings.

This a truly unique bottle opener that weighs half a pound and is nearly 7 inches long. You can personalize it with custom engraving, making it even more special.

It is also a gift in keeping with the holiday spirit because when you buy any product from this company, founded by two naval EOD officers, 15 percent of the profit is donated to veterans charities.

You can nab one on sale marked down significantly to $25.99 right now.

.308 Bullet Bottle Opener by Lucky Shot

This stocking stuffer is made from a .308 caliber bullet casing. Lucky Shot takes it and turns it into a key ring that opens bottles. It gives the bullet a new life, tackling beer bottles instead of bad guys.

Lucky Shot offers a military discount and the .308 Bullet Bottle Opener can be personalized with an engraving for $7. The key ring comes with a velvet keepsake bag and a care card and is available for $ 8.99.
In a surprise move, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is stepping down as executive chairman of the search giants parent company Alphabet amid reports his personal life is being scrutinized.



One of the highest profile figures in Silicon Valley, Schmidt attracts plenty of media attention. Citing unnamed current and former employees, The Wall Street Journal reports that the executives personal life has been the subject of interest within Alphabet.

The New York Post reports that the former Google CEO has been married to Wendy Schmidt for 37 years. However, in 2012 she said that they were living separate lives because she felt like a piece of luggage following him around the world, according to the report.

The Post said Schmidt had been linked to several women over the years, and cited a source saying other news outlets had been looking for a Harvey Weinstein-like bombshell, but had come up empty. An insider told the newspaper "They havent found st. Because there is no sexual harassment. There has never been any issue. They have had nothing."

In a short statement released by Alphabet on Thursday, Schmidt said that he wants to increase his philanthropic efforts. The 62-year-old billionaire will leave the executive chairman role in January but remain as a technical adviser to Alphabet, the company said.

GOOGLE REVEALS MATT LAUER AND HURRICANE IRMA ARE 2017'S TOP SEARCHES

Schmidt, who has close ties with Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration, became Googles adult supervisor when he took the companys reins in 2001.

Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. Three years later Schmidt took the CEO role following investors calls for more mature leadership as Google quickly grew into a tech titan. He stepped down as CEO in 2011 when Page was restored as Google chief but remained as executive chairman of the company.

In 2015 Schmidt became executive chairman of Alphabet, the company that was formed to contain Google and its sprawling so-called "moonshot" subsidiary businesses. Some of those "other bets" include self-driving cars, smart thermostats and Internet-delivering balloons. Page and Brin are now Alphabet CEO and president, respectively.

GOOGLE SCORES A WIN IN GENDER DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT

Since 2001, Eric has provided us with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology, said Page, in the statement. Continuing his 17 years of service to the company, hell now be helping us as a technical advisor on science and technology issues. Im incredibly excited about the progress our companies are making, and about the strong leaders who are driving that innovation.

Larry, Sergey, [Google CEO] Sundar [Pichai] and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabets evolution for this transition. The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving, said Schmidt, in the statement. In recent years, Ive been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work.

FORMER GOOGLE AND UBER ENGINEER IS DEVELOPING AN AI 'GOD'

Schmidt and his wife Wendy founded The Schmidt Family Foundation in 2006.

After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I cant wait to dive into the latest in science, technology, and philanthropy. I look forward to working with Larry and Sergey on our future here at Alphabet, Schmidt tweeted Thursday.

According to the company's latest proxy filings from April, Schmidt held shares worth about $4.9 billion and maintained 5.6 percent voting control over the company. Page and Brin together control a majority of the votes with shareholdings worth four times as much apiece. A spokeswoman said Schmidt was not selling any shares as part of the transition.

Alphabet has not yet responded to a request for comment on this story from Fox News.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
More than 40 years ago, social psychologist Dr. Stanley Milgram gave his students an assignment: Go on the New York City subway and ask fellow passengers to give up their seats.

The majority of students reported high anxiety and even trauma upon asking fellow passengers to give up their seats, even though the majority of those asked complied.

Confronting a stranger  even nicely  is still a nerve-racking experience for many people today, which is why New York City, among others, have tried to educate riders about polite behavior. Tokyo, meanwhile, is turning to technology to make interactions on the subway easier.

Using the popular messaging app Line, pregnant riders on the Tokyo subway now request fellow passengers to give up their seats. Once a pregnant rider presses I wish to sit on their phone, nearby riders who have previously registered as willing to give up their seats for a pregnant passenger will receive a notification, alerting them that its their opportunity to stand up.

If and when theres a match, the pregnant passenger will receive a notification on their phone, alongside a seat map guiding them to the passenger whos willing to give up their spot.

This may be particular to Japan but some people hesitate to speak to a person who may need a seat, a spokesperson at Dai Nippon Printing, the company testing the service on the subway, told AFP. Many people are also looking at smartphone screens and do not always realise quickly that someone in need is standing nearby.

The seat-request feature will also be available for elderly or disabled passengers.

The service began testing in Tokyo last week but its unclear if and when it will become a permanent feature on the subway. But if the app fails, theres still always the the old-fashioned idea of noticing a fellow passenger in need and offering a seat before being asked. But first, passengers will need to look up from their phones.
More than 90 percent of top U.S. colleges have policies regulating campus free speech, with one-third applying severely restrictive policies, according to a recent study.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) reported Tuesday that more than half of the 461 schools included in its annual year-end study limit free speech in some way.

"Despite the critical importance of free speech on campus, too many universities  in policy and in practice  chill, censor and punish students and faculty members expressive activity," the study said. "One way that universities do this is through the use of speech codes: policies prohibiting speech that, outside the bounds of campus, would be protected by the First Amendment."

However, the study also found that for the 10th year in a row, the percentage of "red light" schools -- institutions FIRE says have severely restrictive policies -- has declined. And the group reported that an unprecedented number of schools have removed all of their speech codes, earning them a "green light" rating.

The majority of institutions surveyed -- 58.6 percent -- earned a "yellow light" rating, which means their policies "still chill or outright prohibit protected speech."

"We are happy to see that fewer schools are maintaining the most restrictive types of speech codes, but the fact that 90 percent of schools maintain a speech code of some kind is still a significant problem for free speech."  Samantha Harris, vice president of policy research at FIRE

In its analysis, FIRE noted a difference in free speech at public universities versus private ones. The First Amendment generally does not apply to students at private colleges because its regulates government  not private  conduct, according to FIRE.

The group claims that while "most private universities explicitly promise freedom of speech and academic freedom," their policies often contradict such statements.

FIRE cites a 2017 statement from Georgetown University in which the school declares its commitment to free speech.

"As an institution of higher education, one specifically committed to the Catholic and Jesuit tradition, Georgetown University is committed to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate in all matters, and the untrammeled verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas," the university said in a June 2017 statement. "It is Georgetown Universitys policy to provide all members of the university community, including faculty, students and staff, the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn."

However, Georgetown is labeled "red light" school by FIRE. The school has a ban on any language that disrespects individuals there: a "civility" requirement in the student code of conduct that FIRE deems restrictive to free speech. But all other policies at Georgetown are considered "yellow light" by FIRE.

Other schools deemed "red light" include American University, Boston College, the University of Notre Dame, Harvard, Wesleyan, the University of Texas at Austin, Rice University and Pennsylvania State University  University Park.

Schools listed as "yellow light" include Amherst College, Brown, Columbia and several state schools, like Colorado State University. "Green light" schools include University of Chicago, the University of Florida and Duke.

"We are happy to see that fewer schools are maintaining the most restrictive types of speech codes, but the fact that 90 percent of schools maintain a speech code of some kind is still a significant problem for free speech," Samantha Harris, vice president of policy research at FIRE, said Wednesday.

"In the coming year, we hope to work with more schools to eliminate their speech codes altogether," Harris said.
A seven-year-old Texas boy was shot and killed Thursday after he was caught in a crossfire between sheriff's deputies and a female suspect they were pursuing.

The unidentified woman, who was also killed, was reported to have stolen a car in the town of Scherz. Bexar County sheriff's deputies tracked the woman to a mobile home park, where they found her trying to break into one of the homes.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters that four deputies opened fire at the suspect. The boy was inside the mobile home the woman was trying to break into when he was struck in the abdomen and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Two other people who were in the mobile home were not hit by bullets, but were also hospitalized.

Salazar said it was not clear who fired the shot that killed the boy.

"We don't want to leave any stone unturned," he said. "We want everybody to have answers here. Right now, it's just too soon to tell."

Salazar added the deputies involved in the shooting have between two and 27 years of experience in the department and said they were "pretty shaken up."

Click for more from Fox San Antonio.
Chicago police say they received no help from Facebook while they were investigating an invitation-only page that was used to facilitate the sale of drugs and weapons.

The criticism came on Thursday, after the Chicago Police Department announced the arrests of more than 50 people who were said to have used an invite-only group page to run guns and narcotics, according to The Chicago Tribune.

"Facebook has a responsibility to the people that they serve to ensure that these types of things don't go on," police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference on Thursday. "And quite frankly, they haven't been very friendly to law enforcement to prevent these things."

The Chicago police narcotics division began investigating the ring after a source told it about the group and their activities on Facebook. Undercover officers set up stings and arranged the purchase of nearly 20 firearms and nearly $50,000 in drugs.

In addition to the dozens arrested, police have issued warrants for another 18 people believed to be involved in the ring.

One offender is wanted for attempted murder in Indiana. Another sold these illegal items while on electronic monitoring. Another had been recently arrested for carjacking and aggravated battery by firearm, and he did all this while he was on parole, Johnson said.

Anthony Riccio, chief of the department's organized crime division, called out Facebook at the news conference, too.

I absolutely think Facebook has a responsibility to monitor this and for this very reason, Riccio said. Theres other illegal activities  I want to point out this is Phase 1  there's other illegal activities going on on Facebook. We're looking at potentially human trafficking, things of that nature as well. There's a lot of tentacles going out here. The things that are being trafficked on their site are killing people in Chicago.

He continued: I think they have an obligation to take steps to make sure that stuff doesn't happen. If any other organization was putting guns or allowing guns and drugs to be trafficked onto the streets of the city, I think we'd take action and citizens would expect us to take some action.

Officials with Facebook told Fox News in a statement that they were not aware of the investigation until reports surfaced in news reports.

We are investigating this report now as it is the first time we have been alerted to it, A spokesperson for Facebook said in a statement provided to Fox News, adding that the company routinely work with law enforcement on such matters.

We do not allow the sale of guns or drugs on our platform.

Riccio told The Tribune that the Facebook group selling guns and drugs would not be found by searching; someone had to vouch for anyone intent on joining. A department source said in the newspaper article that covert accounts set up by investigators were shut down once Facebook learned that they involved law enforcement.
Clifford Irving, a prankster who wrote a phony autobiography of billionaire Howard Hughes in 1971, fooling a major publisher into releasing it, has died at age 87.

His wife, Julie Irving, confirmed for the New York Times that he died Tuesday at a hospice near his Sarasota, Fla., home. She said he had been admitted there after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a week earlier.

Irving conned McGraw-Hill publishers into paying him a $765,000 advance for his book about the reclusive Hughes. His elaborate ruse became a nationwide sensation and was the subject of the 2006 movie "The Hoax," starring Richard Gere.

Irving served 17 months in federal prison for fraud after Hughes emerged to condemn the book as a fabrication.

The bogus autobiography wasn't published until 1999, when it was printed as a private edition.

During his career, Irving also published 20 novels, including "Fake!," "Tom Mix and Pancho Villa," and "Trial," the Aspen Times reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
An old dog who was discovered in Brooklyn tied up in a garbage bag with his mouth taped shut is expected to make a full recovery.

Saint Vincent, believed to be a shepherd mix around 10 years old, was rescued Tuesday after someone found him wrapped in garbage bags next to a garbage can and contacted authorities, according to the New York Post.

He was deliberately put there to die, Carla Mohan, of the animal rescue organization New York Bully Crew, told 1010 WINS. He was left there to suffocate.

The dog, reported to be docile and friendly, wasnt only recently abused, a veterinarian told WABC  he was subjected to a life of it.

"This didn't happen overnight or over the course of a couple of days, this is sustained neglect and abuse, just basically leaving him lying in his own urine and feces to the point that he's developed massive infections," Dr. Levitzke said.

Although Saint Vincent seems to be doing alright after his rescue, when he was found abandoned in the bag, he was barely breathing.

"For anyone to just tape this dogs muzzle shut theyre monsters."  Craig Fields, New York Bully Crew

He was bleeding from the nose, like I said, his mouth was taped up, Mohan told WABC. He was covered in urine. He has complete urine scalds all over his body.

Doctors believe Saint Vincent couldve been stuck with mouth taped shut in the garbage bag for a week.

Hes been laying down for a long time so he has sores on his body, he has urine scald, Dr. Philip Fico, of the Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group where St. Vincent is being treated, told 1010. Were addressing those wounds, weve shaved down the hair taking care of the skin and things that have broken down from the urine.

Craig Fields, also of the New York Bully Crew, told the New York Post Saint Vincents treatment was just straight abuse. I cant even wrap my head around it, how anyone could do this to a dog. For anyone to just tape this dogs muzzle shut theyre monsters. Theres a monster out there right now that did this.

But despite what hes gone through, Dr. Fico says Saint Vincent is doing OK. Hes hanging in there. However, Fields told the Post the dog has tumors and is undergoing medical tests to determine why his back legs arent working.

Its a heartbreaking story to see things like this and I wish we could say that its the first time. You just wonder how someone can do something like that, Dr. Fico said. He had to have been so scared to sit there and have someone do that to him.

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Rescuers hope those responsible for Saint Vincents abuse are recognized or admit to their crimes so there can be some justice, Dr. Levitzke said.

The New York Bully Crew hopes to erase the horrific thing that just happened to him so that is not his last memory, according to Mohan. He deserves better. He deserves more. He deserves unconditional love.

The Crew also plans to find a loving family for the dog once hes medically cleared.

A reward of $4,500 for anyone with information leading to an arrest of whoever abused Saint Vincent is being offered by authorities.
Killer mastermind Charles Manson died last month, but authorities in California still haven't resolved a basic, if morbid, question: What should happen to his body?

At least five people have claimed the rights to Manson's remains, including someone who says he is the infamous cult leader's grandson, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Two other individuals reportedly told officials they should have the rights to the body because they were pen pals with Manson.

The logistical brouhaha led Kern Countys attorneys to request Monday that the Los Angeles County Superior Court monitor any future claims to the body.

But therein lies another problem: Local officials are not even sure which court has jurisdiction over Mansons estate. In California, jurisdiction over estates is determined by the location of the domicile of the decedent.

What is the domicile of Charles Manson? Bryan Walters, a county attorney, told the Los Angeles Times. He wouldve returned to Los Angeles? He couldve been shipped everywhere by the prison system. Is it where he was housed?

The complexities, which Walters said were unexpected, have seemingly exasperated local officials.

This is a really weird legal case, Walters said. Its like a circus, and nothing is clear where we should hang our hat on.

In the meantime, Manson's body remains on ice and will not be cremated, according to local reports.
Shell drink to that!

The Latvian woman who watched her fiance drown in the Hudson River walked out of prison Thursday  and celebrated with a martini and steak lunch.

Angelika Graswald, 37, was sprung from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester, a month after she was sentenced for criminally negligent homicide in the July 2015 death of her beau.

Graswald  who admitted to watching her lover drown after pulling the drain plug from his kayak  checked her reflection in her lawyers white Infinity before standing before reporters in front of the jail.

Angelika is so grateful to be here today, her lawyer, Richard Portale said. She is grateful for this day. Shes excited to be able to reconnect with her family in a meaningful way. She plans to FaceTime her family as soon as we can.

MAN STOPS ATTEMPTED RAPE OF WOMAN WITH MOUTH DUCT-TAPED IN TRUCK; SUSPECT ARRESTED

Graswald was accompanied by two women, one holding a camera, who stepped out of Portales car to film the reporters as they recorded the statement.

Portale made it clear his client wouldnt be taking any questions.

The foursome then sped off to a white-tablecloth Mount Kisco eatery where Graswald was looking forward to eating some pink meat.

Shes going to take a deep breath of fresh air and then enjoy a nice steak, Portale told The Post Wednesday, repeating this to reporters outside the prison today.

WISCONSIN TEEN IN 'SLENDER MAN' STABBING SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY

As Portale rushed off, a man who said he was one of Graswalds lawyers drove a Range Rover that attempted to act as a blocker car  weaving erratically between lanes at approximately 60 mph to deter any reporters trying to follow the cold-blooded belle.

At one point, the Rover cut off a school bus and stopped at a green light so Portale could get away.

Once at the Lexington Square Cafe, a surf n turf eatery, Graswald, both of her lawyers and the two women sat in a private room on the second floor, were served four martinis to start.

Graswald then devoured a $38 steak cooked medium during the two-hour lunch.

Read more from the New York Post.
Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Thursday was 78, with 48 from Platte County and 30 from out of county.

Police

Nov. 23

7:10 p.m.  At 818 E. 23rd St., Juan Leon, 18, 719 Sixth St., was cited for shoplifting.

Nov. 25

5:04 p.m.  At 209 27th St., Irvin Alvarez, 18, 962 30th Ave., No. 5, was cited for possession of marijuana-one ounce or less and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Dec. 18

4:14 a.m.  In the 3900 block of Howard Boulevard, Maria Leon, 44, 719 Sixth St., was cited for no valid registration.

Dec. 20

12:05 p.m.  Theft at 2658 29th Ave., Christmas decorations stolen, $15 loss.

6:55 p.m.  Motor vehicle theft at Dominos Pizza, 2005 black Cadillac stolen, under investigation.

Sheriff

Dec. 20

8 a.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of 175th Avenue and 83rd Street, Maria Juarez-Gonzalez of Columbus cited for speeding.

10:42 a.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of East 59th Avenue and U.S. Highway 30,Chris Hanson of Columbus cited for failure to yield right of way.

8:42 p.m.  Welfare check at the intersection of 53rd Street and Third Avenue, Olivia Rath of Schuyler cited for possession of marijuana-one ounce or less and possession of drug paraphernalia.

11:09 p.m.  Traffic violation on 18th Avenue north of the Loup Power Canal, Tristian Marking of Columbus cited for speeding.

Fire

Dec. 20

10:44 a.m.  Accident at the intersection of East 59th Avenue and Highway 30, assist medical.

Dec. 21

1:20 a.m.  At mile marker 102 on U.S. Highway 81, medical.
All 58 people killed during the massacre at the country music festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 died of gunshot wounds, a coroners report confirmed Thursday -- showing that none of the victims died from injuries related to their attempts to escape the chaotic scene.

The deaths of all those killed by gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, during the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival were considered homicides, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said.

LAS VEGAS GUNMAN STEPHEN PADDOCKS $5M ESTATE TO BE SETTLED IN COURT, JUDGE SAYS

Still, nearly three months later, investigators have not yet publicly released a motive in what's considered the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

The coroner also said Paddock, who killed himself after the ambush, died of a single self-inflicted gunshot to the mouth. His death was considered a suicide.

Fudenberg said he waited to release the autopsy findings until all the families involved had the information.

In addition to those killed, more than 500 people were injured during the deadly shooting spree. Paddock, holed up in a luxury suite on the 32 floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, fired more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition at a crowd of concertgoers.

LAS VEGAS MASSACRE GUNMAN FIRED MORE THAN 1,100 ROUNDS, SHERIFF SAYS

Paddock ultimately killed himself as police approached his hotel room.

Police and the FBI have not said publicly what they think motivated Paddock to amass an arsenal of assault-style weapons and ammunition in a two-room suite and then rain bursts of gunfire for 10 minutes from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay into a crowd of 22,000 people at the festival below.

They also haven't said why they think he stopped shooting.

Paddock's brain was sent to Stanford University in California to study after a visual inspection during found no abnormalities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A woman in Arizona died Wednesday after she was attacked by a dog at the kennel where she volunteered, the business confirmed on Facebook.

The 69-year-old woman, whose name was not released, volunteered with Akita Advocates and was working with an Akita, a type of dog breed, when the incident occurred, Fox 29 reported.

The organization had rented out an area at the Canine Country Club & Feline Inn in Phoenix, the outlet said.

VIRGINIA WOMAN KILLED IN GRISLY MAULING BY HER DOGS, COPS SAY

The woman was discovered with what appeared to be dog bites in an exercise area of the facility, Phoenix police confirmed to Fox 29. She was reportedly brought to the hospital immediately but ultimately did not survive.

The dog will be put to sleep, Maricopa County Animal Care and Control officials told Fox 29.

The business, which describes itself as a pet sitter on social media, shared the news on Facebook and asked for privacy as well as prayers for the deceased woman and her family.

DOGNAPPED: IRAQ WAR VETS SERVICE DOG IS STOLEN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, REPORT SAYS

It is with heavy hearts we pass along sad news, the post said. We take great pride in the work the rescue groups who use our facilities do to ensure better lives for animals. What happened today was a tragedy. We are all at a loss for words.

The Facebook post originally included incorrect information claiming that the animal that attacked the victim was her own dog before later adjusting and correcting their post.
Plans for a weed Christmas went awry on Tuesday after authorities in Nebraska found an elderly couple with 60 pounds of marijuana in their truck as they drove across country, NPR reported.

Patrick Jiron, 80, and his wife Barbara, 70, were driving from California to Boston, Mass. and Vermont when they were pulled over Tuesday by sheriff deputies in York County, the outlet said, citing the York News-Times.

COLORADO DUO ARRESTED AFTER OFFERING SHERIFF BLACK MARKET MARIJUANA FOR CAR ON CRAIGSLIST, COPS SAY

Authorities reportedly saw the Toyota Tacoma drift over the center line of the road and not signal. When they pulled the vehicle over, deputies smelled a pungent odor of marijuana, NPR said.

When asked, Patrick reportedly admitted that drugs were in the truck and allowed deputies to perform a search.

They said the marijuana was for Christmas presents, Lt. Paul Vrbka of the York County Sheriffs Department told the York News-Times.

CHICAGO PD SAYS FACEBOOK WAS NO HELP IN TAKEDOWN OF ONLINE GUN AND DRUG RING

Beneath the pickup topper in the back of the truck, deputies discovered 60 pounds of marijuana and several containers of concentrated THC, NPR reported. Authorities reportedly estimated the weed to be worth more than $300,000.

The pair were charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp, which is required by Nebraska state law, NPR said. Patrick Jiron was placed in York County Jail, but his wife Barbara was not due to a medical issue, USA Today reported.
The busy holiday travel season has officially kicked off and online flight tracker FlightAware is keeping tabs on the jam-packed skies around the globe.

FlightAware provides an interactive map to users, showing up-to-date flight tracking for arrivals and departures across the world. Using airplane symbols to demonstrate flights, crowded clusters over several continents show the highly traveled routes people are taking to make it home for the holidays.

OHARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WORKERS GO ON STRIKE DURING BUSIEST TRAVEL SEASON

As of Friday evening, the website said it was actively tracking more than 10,000 airborne planes and had tracked more than 110,000 arrivals in the previous 24 hours.

FlightAware, according to its website, taps flight databases from all over the world to provide current air travel information for travelers.

The company, founded in 2005, is reportedly the worlds largest flight tracking data company and was the first to provide tracking services at no charge to users, the website said.
A proposed gold and copper mine that nearly got buried by the Obama administration moved closer to reality when its developers filed new permits with the federal government.

The company behind Pebble Mine, in Alaskas Bristol Bay, were poised Friday to file a wetlands-fill permit with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The permit application by the Pebble Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of Northern Dynasty Minerals, marks a milestone for the project that has seen renewed interest since President Trump appointed former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the EPA.

At the outset of 2017, we established three ambitious corporate objectives for Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project, Northern Dynasty President & CEO Ron Thiessen said in a statement. We committed to reaching a resolution with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to restore the Pebble Project to normal course permitting, to re-partnering on the Pebble Project and to initiating permitting under [National Environmental Policy Act.] As we approach the end of the year, Im proud to report that we will hit our mark on all three important milestones.

The permit application comes months after Northern Dynasty reached a settlement agreement with the EPA to apply for permission to build what could be the worlds largest gold and copper mine.

The project has been stuck in legal limbo since a 2014 EPA decision to block the mine, even before the company had submitted its permit applications. The EPA ruling came on the heels of a study that concluded that large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay watershed posed significant risk to salmon and adversely could affect Alaska Native Americans in the region whose culture is built around salmon.

The study provided the basis for the EPA to invoke a little-known part of the Clean Water Act called Section 404(c) that allows the EPA to restrict, prohibit, deny or withdraw the use of an area as a disposal site for dredged or fill material if the discharge will have unacceptable adverse effects on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife or recreational areas.

Supporters of the proposed Pebble Mine feared that the use of Section 404(c) could result in the project's veto before it goes through the permitting process.

While the permit application indicates that the mining industry will enjoy better relations under President Trump than it did with the previous administration, the Pebble Mine project still faces widespread opposition from environmentalists, Alaskas indigenous communities, and the states large-scale salmon fishing industry.

The project has been hampered for decades over concerns that toxic residue from the mine could harm the worlds largest population of sockeye salmon and endanger the 14,000 jobs and $252 million-a-year generated by the local fishing industry.

My family has been here for generations and we rely on the salmon to feed our families and to have a livelihood, Kimberly Williams, the executive director of the Bristol Bay nonprofit Nunamta Aulukestai, told Fox News. Salmon fishing is not just part of my culture and history, but it provides jobs for everyone in the community and helps send people to college. The mine puts all that at risk.

Pebble Mine executives have tried to assuage concerns about both the environmental impact of the mine and the effect it will have on the salmon population.

The project design were taking into permitting includes a substantially reduced development footprint and meaningful new environmental safeguards that respond directly to the priorities and concerns weve heard from stakeholders in Alaska, Tom Collier, Pebble Partnership CEO, said in a statement. Not only are we confident that Pebble as currently envisaged will secure development permits from federal, state and local regulatory agencies, we are confident it will co-exist with the world class fisheries of Bristol Bay and earn the support of the people of the region and the state.
A U.S. citizen banned from Mexico, who wed his Mexican fiancee during a special event at the border last month, was reportedly revealed as a convicted drug smuggler, leaving border patrol agents furious over providing armed security for a cartel wedding.

Brian Houston was cleared to marry the love of his life, Evelia Reyes, during the Door of Hope event last month after passing a federal background check. He requested the ceremony because he claimed he could not cross into Tijuana.

But it has been revealed that the groom is barred from Mexico because he is a convicted drug smuggler, currently awaiting his sentencing in San Diego federal court after he was caught smuggling 43 pounds of heroin, 47 pounds of methamphetamine and 43 pounds of cocaine back in February, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The agents are upset, feel like they were taken advantage of, feel like they were duped, Joshua Wilson, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613, told the newspaper. Turns out we provided armed security for a cartel wedding.

It was the first-ever wedding ceremony at the event that opens a steel border gate for an hour every year, allowing people who cannot cross the border to meet for about three minutes each. Its a statement that love has no borders, the convicted drug smuggler told the Union-Tribune last month during the wedding.

The participants of the event were reportedly screened before the ceremony. Houstons conviction, however, did not appear during the federal background check.

The Door of Hope event is currently under scrutiny following the mishap with Houston.

The group organizing the event, Border Angels, said they do not vet the applicants themselves, only provides the Border Patrol with questionnaires filled out by candidates. Background checks are the responsibility of the border patrol, the groups director Enrique Morones told the Union-Tribune.

A Border Patrol official said Houston was screened through an internal vetting process based on information provided by the group organizing the event. The review did not show any criminal activity.

Morones said he was stunned after finding out Houston was actually a drug smuggler, adding that he will meet with Border Patrol officials to discuss the case and future events. That goes against everything Border Angels stands for, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Catholic priest who plunged to his death from one of Chicagos most recognizable skyscrapers this week was being investigated by police for "questionable text and telephone communications with a minor, the Catholic Diocese of Columbus has revealed.

Rev. James Csaszar, a pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, Ohio, died Wednesday after leaping from the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, part of the 82-story Aqua skyscraper. The 44-year-old priests death was ruled as a suicide.

The diocese described the allegations, in a statement, as "excessive and questionable text and telephone communications with a minor and potential misuse of church funds" during Csaszars time as a pastor at St. Rose of Lima Parish in New Lexington. It added that church officials placed Csaszar on administrative leave last month when it learned of the allegations on Nov. 7.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began reviewing the allegations and had contacted police in New Lexington, about 55 miles southeast of Columbus. Csaszar worked at the church there for 11 years, 10TV reported.

An email from the chief of New Lexington Police to an agent at the bureau of criminal investigation that was viewed by the station had a subject line of "inappropriate relationship between Priest and 16yom."

Police told 10TV that the investigation was in its preliminary stages, no charges were filed yet and the allegation involved a child at the church. Media devices were seized and being looked at for evidence.

It is with deep shock and sadness that we have learned of the death of Father James Csaszar, pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, who took his own life yesterday in Chicago, Bishop of Columbus Frederick F. Campbell wrote Thursday on the Church of the Resurrections website.

We are reminded throughout sacred scripture that God our Father is loving, merciful, compassionate and forgiving. We also know that in his years of priestly ministry Fr. Csaszar did many good things for the people that he served in his parish assignments, Campbell added. And so we ask that everyone pray for Father Csaszar, his family, friends, and parishioners during this most difficult time.


They are no longer cutting the cheese here, but it still stinks anyway.

A New York City cheese shop that mysteriously closed its doors more than two weeks ago is sending foul odors up and down the block, and its owners are nowhere to be found.

"The smell of cheese is seeping into my hat shop, and I am looking for ideas for how to get the place emptied before it rots," Julia Knox, who owns the East Village Hats store next door, told the news blog EV Grieve. "My biggest concern is that the smell is going to be unbearable pretty soon, and a potential rat problem."

Neighbors told the Manhattan shop was last open on Dec. 7, but the power has been shut off and everything is still inside  including an array of cheeses decomposing amid a lack of refrigeration. A photo of the shop a week after it closed  taken through metal gates in front of it -- showed loaves of bread and cheese stacked on the shelves.

The landlord of the building the shop is located in has been notified, although there are legal concerns about entering the shop, EV Grieve reported.

The store reportedly is run by a pair of former Tibetan monks.
A former Southern California sheriff's deputy who was previously cleared of wrongdoing had bail set at $1 million on Friday after he was charged with the murder of the father of his lover's children.

Former Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Oscar Rodriguez, 36, was arrested Thursday in the 2014 shooting death of Luis Carlos Morin Jr., the Riverside County district attorney's office said in a statement.

The district attorney's office had previously determined that Rodriguez was justified in shooting Morin while attempting to arrest him on a warrant. But authorities reopened the case after learning through a civil lawsuit filed by Morin's family that Rodriguez was intimately involved with the mother of Morin's children, officials said.

"Based on additional information, we realized this was not an officer-involved shooting review, it was a murder investigation," the statement said.

Rodriguez was indicted earlier this month on one charge of murder and use of a firearm and could face up to life in prison if convicted. On Friday, Rodriguez's arraignment was put off until Jan. 3 and his bail was set at $1 million.

Also charged was the woman Rodriguez was intimately involved with, Diana Perez. Perez, 39, was also arrested Thursday on a charge of being an accessory to murder. She also is expected to be arraigned Jan. 3

It was not immediately known which attorneys were representing Rodriguez and Perez. A message was left for attorney Douglas Smith, who handled Rodriguez's civil case.

John Hall, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, could not immediately explain what led the agency to absolve Rodriguez in the first place in August 2015.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin told reporters the case was an isolated incident involving a "rogue deputy."

"There was no evidence of any wrongdoing or any cover-up by the sheriff's department," he told reporters.

The Sheriff's Department declined to comment and referred all questions to the district attorney's office.

The shooting occurred Jan. 27, 2014, after Morin returned to his mother's home in Coachella  a desert city southeast of Palm Springs  from attending a family birthday party.

Rodriguez tried to detain 39-year-old Morin from behind and then held him on the ground after Morin fell, firing at least one shot, Morin's family said in federal court filings.

Rodriguez claimed in court papers to have shot Morin in self-defense after trying to arrest him on two warrants.

The county agreed to pay Morin's family nearly $7 million to settle the suit in October 2015.
A Northern California tow-truck driver is accused of planning an ISIS-inspired Christmas Day suicide attack on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, was arrested and charged Friday with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

In a statement, Acting San Francisco Mayor London Breed credited the "diligent efforts of the FBI and local law enforcement agencies" for thwarting the planned attack and announced that the San Francisco Police Department would have an increased presence throughout the city.

"San Francisco is a city that proudly champions democracy, freedom and liberty," Breed said. "Sadly, that makes our home a target. We will not allow the thwarted attempts of one dangerous individual to disrupt our way of life. We will remain vigilant and continue to protect our city from any threat."

A spokeswoman for the FBI's San Francisco field office said in a statement that there was "no specific and credible threat to the Bay Area at this time" and "the public was never in imminent danger."

Jameson denied the allegations during a hearing in federal court Friday.



His father, Gordon Jameson, said he believes the FBI has the facts wrong.



"He wouldn't do that to innocent people," the elder Jameson told the Merced Sun-Star . "He's a loving, kind person that would never hurt nobody."

In an 11-page affidavit filed in federal court in Fresno Friday, FBI special agent Christopher McKinney alleged that Jameson espoused "radical jihadi beliefs" on social media. According to the agent, Jameson "liked" and "loved" ISIS-related social media posts, including one that threatened a Christmas attack in New York City.

Jameson also allegedly expressed support for Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek immigrant who drove a rented truck down a Lower Manhattan bike path on Halloween, killing eight people and injuring 11 others.

NYC ATTACK SUSPECT ENTERED US THROUGH DIVERSITY VISA PROGRAM

"I'm glad to know we Muslims are finally hitting back," Jameson wrote to an FBI informant he was communicating with. "The Kuffar deserve everything and more for the lives they have taken," he added, using an Arabic term meaning "non-believer."

Earlier this month, McKinney said an undercover FBI agent began communicating with Jameson and questioned how he might be able to help ISIS. Jameson allegedly responded, "I was a soldier in the Kuffar army before I reverted [to Islam]. I have been trained in combat and things of war. [God willing,] anything of that nature."

McKinney said Jameson attended Marine basic training "in or about" June 2009 and "graduated several months later." Jameson trained as a sharpshooter, but was later discharged for failing to disclose a history of asthma.

On Dec. 16, McKinney claimed Jameson met with a second undercover FBI agent and "expressed that he was willing to do anything for 'the cause,'" including traveling to fight with ISIS in Syria. At the same meeting, Jameson allegedly suggested a bomb-and-gun attack on the San Francisco waterfront's Pier 39 and asked for help obtaining a fully automatic military assault rifle -- either an M-16 or an AK-47 -- along with ammunition and materials to make explosives -- including nails, timers and remote detonators, the affidavit said.

Jameson told the undercover agent that "he did not have and did not need an escape plan because he was ready to die," McKinney wrote in his affidavit.

Pier 39, packed with restaurants, bars and souvenir shops, is home to San Francisco's aquarium and offers a good spot to photograph sea lions that gather in the marina below.

That night, Jameson allegedly drafted a martyrdom letter swearing allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Each and every Kuffar in this Nationalistic, Godless society has a hand in this," the note read. "You've allowed Donald J Trump to give Al Quds [Jerusalem] to the Jews. Both You and he are wrong, it belongs to the [Muslims] ... These acts will continue until the Lions of Islam overtake you."

Two days later, however, Jameson appeared to be getting cold feet about his plan. In a conversation with the second undercover FBI agent, Jameson allegedly said, "I ... don't think I can do this after all. I've reconsidered."

"[God willing], one day I can," Jameson added. "But I can't."

On Wednesday, FBI agents searched Jameson's home in Modesto and recovered fireworks, two rifles and a 9mm handgun, along with multiple magazines. When interviewed by FBI agents, Jameson "stated his support of ISIS and terrorism" and said that "he would be happy if an attack was carried out."

Jameson faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He was ordered held for a Dec. 28 detention hearing.

Jameson made a pledge to the Muslim faith two years ago at an Islamic center in Merced, according to the affidavit. A message left at the Islamic Center of Merced was not immediately returned.



"The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is real -- and it is serious," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement, but federal agents are protecting the nation from what he called "an alleged plot to kill Americans."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
COLUMBUS  Engine braking is no longer allowed in certain parts of Platte County after the board of supervisors voted Thursday to approve an ordinance prohibiting the practice in some areas.

The issue was brought up by county residents in the Columbus area who complained about the noise engine braking, also known as Jake braking, causes. The county installed signs prohibiting the act after approving a resolution four years ago, but an ordinance was necessary to enforce the ban.

A violation of the ordinance will result in a fine of $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second and $75 for the third and subsequent offenses.

Engine braking is prohibited in the following areas:

 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on U.S. Highway 30 for eastbound traffic approaching the U.S. Highway 81 junction and Whitetail Lake residential neighborhood.

 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Highway 81 for northbound and southbound traffic approaching the Highway 30 junction south of Columbus.

 on East 29th Avenue between Eighth Street and Highway 30.

 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Highway 81 for southbound traffic approaching the Lost Creek Parkway turnoff.

Another ordinance impacting commercial solicitation in the county was also approved.

Solicitors now must register with the sheriffs office by filling out a form. Information on the form includes the type and nature of product being sold, name and permanent address of the registrant and description of the vehicles being used.

Registration is free and expires after five days. Exemptions include employees and volunteers with nonprofits.

In other business, the board approved:

 allowing the Platte Valley Juvenile Diversion Program to apply for a $123,250 community-based aid grant and $2,200 community-based enhancement grant from the Nebraska Crime Commission.

 allowing the Extension office to hire a 4-H program assistant at an hourly rate of $16.

 paying a bill of $28,187.21 from the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts for the county audit that ended June 30. The board also authorized the same office to conduct the audit for the 2018 fiscal year, with the amount not to exceed $22,000.
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Developing now, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017:

Jill Stein tells Fox News Thursday night that Americans "have yet to see the proof" that Moscow meddled in last year's elections

As President Trump pushes forward with his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall, companies competing for the chance to work on the multi-billion-dollar project are facing mounting boycotts

A new report published Thursday by the Trump administration shows that 92 percent of foreign nationals in federal prisons are in the U.S. illegally

A federal court on Thursday struck down the Trump administrations appeal to keep transgender recruits from joining the U.S. military

THE LEAD STORY: Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein told Fox News Thursday night that Americans "have yet to see the proof" that Moscow meddled in last year's election.

Stein confirmed earlier this week that the Senate Intelligence Committee had contacted her campaign to request documents, including emails, as part of its investigation into Russian activities and alleged collusion between campaigns and foreign interests.

"I think there are legitimate aims here in the investigation," Stein told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "Interference in our election is much bigger than the Russians and ... I would like to see the evidence of Russian culpability here."

CASE FOR REFORM? A new report published Thursday by the Trump administration shows that 92 percent of foreign nationals in federal prisons are in the U.S. illegally -- a revelation that Attorney General Jeff Sessions said proves why the U.S. needs to follow through on President Trump's proposed immigration reform.

The 2017 report, from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, found that more than one in five individuals imprisoned were not born in the United States. In addition, 94 percent of foreign nationals in the custody of either the Federal Bureau of Prisons or the U.S. Marshals Service entered the U.S. illegally.

CALIFORNIA VS. WALL: As President Trump pushes forward with his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall, companies competing for the chance to work on the multi-billion-dollar project are facing mounting boycotts from local Democratic lawmakers moving to blacklist the border builders.

Coordinated efforts have been launched in California, Arizona, Illinois, New York and Rhode Island that would prohibit cities and towns from doing any official business with the companies as part of a larger resistance strategy to delay construction of the controversial wall.

COURT DEFEAT FOR TRUMP: A federal court on Thursday struck down the Trump administrations appeal to keep transgender recruits from joining the U.S. military in January  just 11 days before the policy was set to take effect.

A three-judge panel on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia decided not grant the White House a delay in allowing transgender recruits in the military. The administration argued that it has not yet put processes in place to screen and accept such recruits.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

Python attacks man's running shoes, video goes viral

Despite deadly rays, pulsars could host habitable planets

HOLLYWOOD SQUARED

Petition for Matt Damon's removal from 'Ocean's 8' gains traction

'Morning Joe's' Willie Geist says Matt Lauer sexual misconduct allegations were 'shock to everybody'

New York Public Radio axes 2 radio legends for workplace misconduct

NEW IN FOX NEWS OPINION

Sen. Mitch McConnell: Tax bill tells middle class Americans 'we heard you'

Newt Gingrich: The Trump administration became truly historic this week

Judge Andrew Napolitano: Will Trump staffers get caught in Mueller's lying traps?

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

Bitcoin slips below $14,000, down 30 pct from record peak

The Dow is on track to do something it hasn't done since 1959

GOP tax bill could end Puerto Rico's reign as tax haven

ACROSS THE NATION

The Latvian woman who watched her fiance drown in the Hudson River walked out of prison Thursday  and celebrated with a martini and steak lunch.

One of two Wisconsin girls who attempted to kill a classmate in 2014 in an effort to please the fictional horror character Slender Man" has been sentenced.

All 58 people killed during the massacre at the country music festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 died of gunshot wounds, a coroners report confirmed Thursday -- showing that none of the victims died from injuries related to their attempts to escape the chaotic scene.

Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

#OnThisDay

1944: During the World War II Battle of the Bulge, U.S. Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for surrender, writing "Nuts!" in his official reply.

2001: In 2001, Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers. He is serving a life sentence in federal prison.

2010: In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law allowing gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America's military, repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Thank you for joining us on Fox News First! Enjoy your day, and we'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.
A veteran Illinois school bus driver has been busted for trying to pick up special needs students while having a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit, prosecutors say.

Karen Kawa, of Chicago Ridge, was arrested Wednesday after pulling up to the Walsh Elementary School in Summit. A special needs assistant allegedly noticed her acting strange and notified the schools principal as students boarded the bus, the Chicago Tribune reported.

When the principal asked Kawa to step off the bus, she allegedly had trouble standing, officials told the newspaper.

The students disembarked as the principal removed the keys from the ignition. Kawa then blew a 0.231 in a blood-alcohol test conducted by police, prosecutors say. In Illinois, a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher is considered a DUI.

Kawa, 52, has been charged with one count of aggravated DUI while operating a bus, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing court records, and a Cook County Judge set bail for her at $5,000 on Thursday.

Her attorney says she has worked as a school bus driver for the past decade.
New documents showed a Kansas toddler who was found encased in concrete after going missing in September was abused before his death.

On Wednesday, probable cause affidavits were issued and showed why police arrested toddler Evan Brewers mother, Miranda Miller, and her boyfriend, Stephen Bodine, in connection to his death, KSN.com reported.

MISSING KANSAS BOY, 3, FOUND ENCASED IN CONCRETE; MOTHER IN CUSTODY

The affidavits described photos and videos found by the Wichita Police Department that appeared to show the toddler being abused. Photos showed the toddler surrounded by concrete walls, his hands bound behind his back and wearing a metal-buckle belt around his neck, the Wichita Eagle reported.

A video showed Miller violently spanking Evan for moving while in bed, KSN reported.

Police also discovered a receipt that showed a trowel, concrete and a rod was purchased in May.

The affidavit also stated Bodine told a sheriffs office employee that he was the one who put the kid in the concrete in the laundry room.

COUPLE BOOKED IN THE DEATH OF KANSAS BOY ENCASED IN CONCRETE

The childs body was discovered on Sept. 2 by Miller and Bodine's property owner in the concrete structure after he went missing for two days. Police said the man found the concrete block and used a sledgehammer to hit it, finding the toddler's body inside, KWCH reported. The boys body was so decomposed medical examiners could not determine the childs cause of death.

The Department for Children and Families were reportedly called a number of times alleging the toddler was being abused or neglected.

Miller and Bodine were both charged with first-degree murder in the toddlers death Tuesday. They were each being held on $500,000 bond.
Want to finally know why Stephen Paddock gunned down 58 people in Las Vegas in early October?

Be prepared to wait a while  possibly until next October  the chief of the FBIs Las Vegas office revealed this week during an interview in which he said the agency probably wouldn't brief the public until their report is released sometime before the tragedys first anniversary.

Now thats a long time for some people, but speaking for the FBI, thats light speed, all right? Special Agent in Charge Aaron Rouse told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday.

Rouse said reports from other agencies investigating the mass shooting will be released at different times, but the FBIs one is focusing a large part on the why which is what everybody wants to know.

That burning question has not been answered, but Rouse said evidence still suggests Paddock was the only person involved in the attack and that he has not been linked with any affiliations or ideologies. The FBI previously denied claims by the Islamic State that Paddock was responding to a call to intensify attacks against Western countries bombing its territories in Syria and Iraq.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo has said in the past that Paddocks mounting gambling losses may have played a role.

As I sit here today, I believe that we are learning as much as we possibly can about why the subject did what they did, Rouse said.

LAS VEGAS SHOOTING VICTIMS ALL DIED OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS, CORONER'S REPORT FINDS

Rouse told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the FBI has interviewed around 400 people worldwide in connection to Paddock and has brought in the same number of specialists to help document evidence. He said the Route 91 Harvest music festival site took investigators 14 days to comb over, while Paddocks room and hotel hallway at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino took 13. Important items found at both sites have been sent to the FBI's central lab in Virginia.

Were going to have, I think, the best digital schematic of what happened and where it happened and how it happened that you can come up with, Rouse said.

He added that FBI investigators have 22,000 hours of surveillance and cellphone footage and 250,000 photos to look over, amounting to about 40 terabytes of data.

We didnt leave anything uncovered, Rouse told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. And again, the casinos, with their support, let us track down a lot of information of who may have had contact with that person. And it was very helpful to us.
Police in California's central valley on Friday were searching for at least one suspect after 10 random shootings on vehicles that resulted in one woman injured.

A woman was shot when she was driving earlier this month in Fresno County, near the rural town of Kerman, Reuters reported. Her injuries were not life-threatening. The nine other shootings occurred between Nov. 27 and Dec. 17, authorities said. Cars were struck by gunfire, but no one was wounded, the report said.

The shooting attacks could turn deadly, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said at a news conference, Reuters reported.

If this keeps going, its going to be a matter of time before we have a murder investigation, Mims said. Thats what were trying to avoid.

Witnesses described the suspects vehicle as a dark colored pick-up truck with oversized tires, she said.

Investigators are not sure if a single suspect or others are behind the attacks, authorities told Reuters.

The motive for the shootings is unknown, the report said, citing the Fresno County Sheriffs Office, and authorities believe the victims were randomly chosen.

To the suspect, this is a cowardly act and we are working very hard to find you, Mims said. We will hold you responsible.
WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

A four-month-old infant was viciously mauled and dragged by a raccoon Wednesday night in a Philadelphia apartment, her parents said.

Journi Black was sleeping in her bed when her mother, Ashley Rodgers, took her six-year-old son, Jordan, to the bathroom, FOX29 reported. Rodgers said she heard a sound coming from the bedroom and saw a raccoon running down the steps.

My daughter was laying on the bed sleeping and I went to take my son to the bathroom, Rodgers told CBS Philly reported. We heard a sound upstairs and we see a raccoon run down the steps.

PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL APPROVES BILL TO REMOVE BULLETPROOF GLASS FROM STOREFRONTS

When I finally got to her, she was laying on the floor so it had dragged her off the bed, across the room, and she was bleeding and crying and her whole face was red, the devastated mother said.

The baby was rushed to the hospital where she received 65 stitches in her face, FOX29 reported. Doctors said the babys recovery could take up to a year.

Rodgers moved her children to the one-room apartment a few days before the vicious attack.

However, tenants in the apartment building had complained previously about a raccoon infestation. Rodgers told CBS Philly she had alerted her landlord about witnessing a raccoon the day of the attack.

The citys Licenses and Inspections Department spokesperson told CBS Philly the landlord appeared to not have a rental license.

KANSAS BOY FOUND ENCASEDIN CONCRETE SHOWED SIGNS OF ABUSE, AFFIDAVIT SAYS

It needs to be shut down. Everybody needs to leave out of there, Rodgers said.

Rodgers said she intended to seek legal action following the attack.

It is his (the landlords) responsibility. Theres no reason an animal should have gotten into the house with minors, Samuel Black, the girls father, said.
A small plane carrying one passenger crash landed on Friday afternoon in the bay in Miami Beach, Fla., local news outlets reported.

According to NBC Miami, the banner plane experienced engine problems. The pilot, who was the only person on board, was reportedly forced to land the aircraft in the water just behind Mt. Sinai Hospital, near 41st Street and Collins Avenue.

SANTA CLAUS PASSES AIRPORT SECURITY CHECK

Chopper video of the scene from WSVN shows the yellow plane fully submerged in the water except for the tail and the top of the cockpit. A number of response teams can be seen nearby.

The U.S. Coast Guard told the outlet that the crash victim was successfully rescued from the water and was in satisfactory condition. The unnamed pilot was able to swim to the seawall and rescue officials located him, NBC Miami reported.
Two retired San Francisco judges chastised a speaker Thursday for making what they described as a racially insensitive comment about deceased San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

During a Sunday celebration for Lees life, San Franciscos Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz told an audience that whenever Lee laughed, his squinty eyes would light up.

Lee, the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco who died last week of a heart attack, was Chinese American.

Lillian Sing and Julie Tang, two retired Chinese-American judges who were in the audience, described the phrase as a racially insensitive stereotype of Asians.

Speaking before an audience at Lees funeral on Thursday, Sing and Tang called out Shultzs comments without naming her by name.

We felt uncomfortable when one person spoke about squinty eyes.

Tang who was in the audience Sunday during Shultzs comments said, When I heard it, I said, is this real? Am I really hearing this? I was shocked.

She said several people came up to her saying they were upset with the comment.

In response to criticism, the Mayors Office of Protocol issued a statement offering Shultzs apology.

The statement said, This has been a very difficult time for her. Mrs. Shultz apologizes if any of her comments regarding the mayor  which were intended to be heartfelt and warm  offended anyone. Mrs. Shultz loved Mayor Lee very much and will miss him dearly.
Catalonia's secessionist parties won enough votes Thursday to regain a slim majority in the regional parliament and give new momentum to their political struggle for independence from Spain.

It was hardly an emphatic victory, however, as the separatists lost support compared to the previous vote in 2015, and a pro-unity party for the first time became Catalonia's biggest single force in parliament.

The anti-independence, pro-business Ciutadans (Citizens) party garnered 37 seats in the 135-seat regional assembly with nearly 99 percent of the votes counted.

Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), the party of fugitive Catalan president Carles Puigdemont garnered 34 seats, left-republican ERC came third with 32 and the anti-capitalist CUP won four seats. The three pro-independence forces together make up 70 seats, two above a majority but two less than in the previous 2015 election.

"The election has resolved very little," said Andrew Dowling, a specialist in Catalan history at Cardiff University in Wales. "Independence has won but in a way similar to 2015. Majority of seats but not in votes."

Puigdemont, who was dismissed by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government, campaigned from Belgium, where he is evading a Spanish arrest warrant in a rebellion and sedition probe. He greeted the result with delight, but rebuked Spain's central government.

"The Spanish state has been defeated," Puigdemont said, without saying if he would return to Spain. "Mariano Rajoy has received a slap in the face from Catalonia."

The result leaves more questions than answers about what*s next for Catalonia, where a long-standing push for independence escalated to a full-on clash with the Spanish government two months ago.

The result is a blow to Rajoy, who ousted the Catalan Cabinet and called the early election hoping to keep the separatists out of power. His ruling Popular Party had a poor showing in the Catalan election, left with only three seats in the regional assembly from 11 held in the previous parliament.

Rajoy has said that taking over control of the region again would be something he would consider if independence, which is against Spain's constitution, is sought by a new Catalan government.

Catalan voters turned up in force for the election seen as a crucial test of strength for the powerful movement that wants Catalonia to split from Spain.

The vote was called by the Spanish government in an attempt to end the political crisis that erupted in October over a banned referendum on independence.

Opinion polls before the vote had predicted a close race between the separatist and unionist parties. Voters chose between parties who want Catalonia to remain part of Spain and those who want to continue the push for turning the northeastern region into an independent republic.

The election was held under highly unusual circumstances, with several pro-independence leaders either jailed or in exile for their roles in staging the Oct. 1 independence vote that was declared illegal by Spain's highest court.

Weeks of campaigning involved little debate about regional policy on issues such as public education, widening inequality and unemployment. At the heart of the battle instead was the recent independence push that led to Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

Tensions have been high in Catalonia since the referendum, when Spanish police used rubber bullets and batons against voters who tried to block them from removing ballots from polling stations. Separatist regional lawmakers made a unilateral declaration of independence on Oct. 27, prompting Spain's national government to take the dramatic step of firing the regional government and dissolving the Catalan parliament. Courts later ordered the arrest of the former Catalan leaders.

No incidents were reported during the election Thursday.

Ines Arrimadas, leader of the pro-Spanish unity party Ciutadans that won the most votes, promised her party will continue to fight the region's separatists.

"The pro-secession forces can never again claim they speak for all for Catalonia," she said. "We are going to keep fighting for a peaceful co-existence, common sense and for a Catalonia for all Catalans."

A new Catalan attempt to secede would be an unwelcome development for the European Union, which is already wrestling with legal complications from Britain's planned exit from the bloc. Senior EU officials have backed Rajoy, and no EU country has offered support for the separatists.

Catalonia's independence ambitions also have scant support in the rest of Spain.

The outcome of the political battle is crucial for a region that accounts for 19 percent of Spain's gross domestic product.

An economic slowdown has been the most immediate consequence of the Catalan independence push. Spain's central bank last week cut its national growth forecasts for next year and 2019 to 2.4 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively, cutting a percentage point off its previous predictions and citing the conflict in Catalonia as the cause.
COLUMBUS  Since moving here in March 2016, Columbus Berean Church Senior Pastor Justin Bebb has been focused on bringing more people into discipleship.

That is, of course, when he isnt following the Chicago White Sox or reading books on history and theology.

Bebb and his wife Megan moved to Columbus from Kearney, where he couple managed a mailing and shipping business. Time away from the office was spent at Cornerstone Berean Church in Kearney.

I didnt have an official title at the time, Bebb said. But I did try to help out in any way that I could. When I was in college, I discipled in faith and made sure to give my passion to help people follow God in all their lives.

The Kearney native earned a Master of Divinity degree at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was inspired by a mentor to one day become a pastor.

Bebb was called to Columbus Berean Church as an associate pastor. His position changed when former Senior Pastor Will Sanborn retired last month.

Megan has also been a driving force for Columbus Berean Church. Her knowledge of graphic design and marketing is transforming how the church promotes itself. The Bebb family also includes daughters, Nora and Lucy, with another on the way.

The Berean Church and its history certainly reveal his interests when faith is involved.

The Berean name comes from Acts 17:11, Bebb said. It describes the Berean people, who lived in Greece, that wanted to know God and the Scriptures accurately. The Bereans also received the Word eagerly. This is what I want my congregation to keep doing.

Bebb said Columbus and his congregation are very supportive and very like-minded.

The self-described "people person" offers his congregation an important reminder.

I always say that the heart of the church is where our heart is, he said. One of my biggest passions within the church is making and growing disciples for Jesus, and to help people progress in their faith. This reflects my passion well.
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.
Danish police have arrested a 30-year-old man who planned to carry out an attack in Copenhagen using knives and explosives.

The Ekstra Bladet tabloid says the man, who was not named, was a 30-year-old Syrian national known to Swedish intelligence as dangerous for his sympathies with the Islamic State group.

Police on Friday confirmed the Thursday arrest but declined to elaborate, citing an ongoing pre-trial custody hearing.

The tabloid said the arrested man likely was an accomplice of a Syrian refugee who in July was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison in Germany for planning a terror attack in Denmark.
An Italian stretcher-bearer suspected of intentionally killing patients to get payouts from a funeral home allegedly linked to the mafia was arrested Thursday in a scandal investigators are calling the ambulance of death.

Davide Garofalo, 42, from Sicily, has been accused of injecting air into at least three hospital patients veins and then directing their grieving families to do business with a funeral home that would pay him around $350 per body sent, The Telegraph reported.

They all had the trust they put in him as a stretcher-bearer betrayed, Andrea Bonomo, an anti-mafia investigator, told the newspaper.

This was a particularly cruel way for these people to die, added senior police officer Raffaele Covetti.

Investigators are dubbing the case the ambulance of death probe. The secret air injections  which would trigger blockages of arteries -- allegedly happened as ambulances were taking terminally ill patients from a Sicilian hospital to their homes to die in peace.

Garofalos three alleged victims were a 55-year-old man, an elderly man and an elderly woman, and police are also looking into whether he is connected to 50 other suspicious deaths in the Sicilian town of Biancavilla over a 4-year period ending last year, The Telegraph reported.

Authorities believe Garofalo, a 42-year-old father of three, may have been working in tandem with a local clan of the Cosa Nostra mafia, according to the newspaper.

Three of Garofalos alleged accomplices are also being probed by police. Officers learned of the scheme earlier this year after an alleged accomplice-turned-informant told a television station and police that people were not dying by the hand of God.
A Mexican teenaged YouTube star, famous for drinking himself into oblivion in his viral videos, was shot to death Monday after he insulted a notorious drug kingpin.

Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, 17, of Sinaloa, a Mexican state, grew up too fast. The teenager dropped out of high school and moved out at age 15 to Culiacan, The Washington Post reported. The teenager made his living by washing cars before he became known on the internet as El Pirata de Culiacan which translates to The Pirate of Culiacan.

Lagunas became engrossed in a hard-partying lifestyle that became his brand. The teenagers videos of him chugging beer and liquor eventually went viral and he started to gain a following. By the time he turned 17, the Mexican teen had hundreds of thousands of followers on his Instagram and more than a million on Facebook. His newfound fame got him featured roles in music videos.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERING TO SEPARATE FAMILIES WHO ILLEGALLY CROSS U.S.-MEXICO BORDER

The teenager, in a rush to be identified as an adult, tattooed himself, drew a beard on his face, drank excessively despite the drinking age in Mexico being 18, and posted photos of him with guns, scantily clad women and expensive rides.

However, the rising star was not ready for what was about to occur. Lagunas posted a video recently of insulting Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, one of the countrys most notorious drug kingpins, the U.S. Government declared.

In the video, Lagunas said El Mencho a mi me pela la verga which loosely translates to suck my c---.

It was not immediately clear why Lagunas singled out El Mencho in his video.

On Monday night, Lagunas was enjoying a night out at a bar in Jalisco with a group of friends when a squad of young men busted into the establishment and shot the social media star between 15 to 18 times, killing him, Raul Sanchez Jimenez, Jaliscos attorney general, said.

Mexican authorities were investigating if Lagunas criticism of El Mencho had something to do with his death. So far nobody has been arrested and a motive was not named, the Daily News reported.

MEXICO BUS CRASH VICTIMS KILLED INCLUDED 8 AMERICANS

El Menchos cartel, the New Generation, which was founded less than 10 years ago, made its fortune by stealing gas, kidnapping, extortion and selling guns, The Washington Post reported. The group has also been tied to thousands of murders, the Rolling Stone reported. Many of those murders were traced back to El Mencho who was allegedly a police officer at some point in his life.

"El Mencho" was indicted in a U.S. federal court on "charges of drug trafficking, corruption and murder, and currently has a $5 million bounty on his head," the Rolling Stone reported.

The YouTube stars death comes on the heels of one of Mexicos deadliest years on record. The country averaged some 69 murders a day, according to Reuters. Lagunas death also gained attention from Rolling Stone, Univision and from musicians who previously featured him in their videos.

There are a lot of people who criticize him, but the truth is . . . thats why El Pirata got started, Luis Adame, of Ultimo Escuadron, said. Everyone in their own way tries to find a way to get ahead.

Beto Sierra, an Instagram star, remembered his friend Laguna as cheerful and encouraged him to drink less.

He told me that he wanted to change, but on the weekend, there was no lack of bad influences, Sierra wrote on his Instagram.

You were living a fast life you never listened, and I dont judge you, he wrote. Those who knew you know you were a good person.
An American grandmother, an 11-year-old boy, and a couple from Washington state were among 12 people killed in a bus crash in Quintana Roo, Mexico, on Tuesday.

Passengers from Royal Caribbean cruise ships were being transported to the Chacchoben Ruins in Costa Maya, along the eastern coast of Mexico, when the bus overturned.

Authorities have now determined that driver negligence and excessive speed caused the crash. A preliminary manslaughter investigation indicated the driver lost control of the bus and when he tried to get it back on the narrow highway, the bus flipped, struck a tree and landed in vegetation along the roadside, the Associated Press reported.

"We can confirm the death of multiple U.S. citizens in a bus accident in Quintana Roo, Mexico, on December 19, a State Department official said in a statement following the incident. "We are aware of several U.S. citizens injured in the accident."

We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. We are in contact with local authorities, and will continue to monitor the situation. We have staff on the scene and at local hospitals to assist victims and loved ones, the official added.

Overall, eight Americans, two Swedes, a Canadian and a Mexican tour guide died in the crash.

Below is what we know so far about the victims.

Fanya Shamis

Fanya Shamis, a 78-year-old grandmother from Coconut Creek, Fla., was among those killed, her grandson, Benjamin Shababo, 18, told the Sun-Sentinel.

He added that other family members were involved in the crash.

We dont have really concrete information, Shababo said. Were all scared. Its just really scary to process this in my head that possibly something really bad happened to them.

Daniel & Anna Behar

Daniel Behar, 11, and his mother, Anna, 46, were both killed in the crash Tuesday.

Anna's mother, and Daniel's grandmother, was Fanya Shamis, who also was killed in the crash.

A family uncle told WUSA that both Anna and Daniel, of Lorton, Va., died when the bus crashed.



Jody & Andy Fritz

Jody and Andy Fritz, both 51 and of South Sound, Wash., were both killed in the bus crash, The Olympian reported.

Jody, who reportedly began working as an assistant principal at an elementary school in September, "was just a down-to-earth person who was committed to the education of children," the school's superintendent, Dana Rosenbach, said.

Andy was an environmental science instructor at a technical college and was "well known in the South Sound running community," the News Tribune reported.

The couple met in Massachussetts and reportedly leave behind their two sons.



Stephanie Horwood

Stephanie Horwood of Gatineau, Canada, was among those killed in the crash. She was a week shy of celebrating her 42nd birthday, CTV Ottawa News reported.

Horwood's husband, Fred Reinthaler, and their two children, ages 9 and 11, reportedly suffered minor injuries in the accident.

Theres honestly so much I can say about her but words would never do her justice, longtime friend Michelle Earle told the Ottawa Citizen of Horwood. She was an incredible person, full of life and love.

Bob Bever

A church in Tennessee confirmed that one of its parishioners, Bob Bever, was killed in the bus crash.

Cecilia Aparicio-Rascon, a bookkeeper at Saint Mary Catholic Church in Athens, Tenn., told a local news station that Bever, 68, was killed. She added that his wife and two daughters were injured in the crash.

Manuel de Jesus Acosta

Manuel de Jesus Acosta, the guide who was leading the excursion to the ruins, also died in the crash, according to ABC News. Additional details about Acosta are not currently available.

Laura & Christopher Couallier

Laura Couallier, 52, and her husband, Christopher Couallier, 55, died in the bus crash. A family member confirmed the deaths to WCVB. Laura, who was originally from Gloucester, Mass., lived with her husband in Florida.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Uganda says it has attacked rebels accused of killing 14 United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Congo earlier this month.

Military spokesman Brig. Richard Karemire tells The Associated Press that the ongoing assault, based on shared intelligence with Congolese officials, is meant to pre-empt further hostilities by the Allied Democratic Forces.

He says Ugandan forces are carrying out aerial bombardments and shooting "long-range weapons" from Ugandan territory but troops haven't entered Congo.

The Dec. 7 attack was the deadliest single assault on a U.N. peacekeeping mission in almost 25 years.

The ADF originated in Uganda as a rebel force against the government but a military campaign forced them to relocate to eastern Congo. They are accused of carrying out deadly attacks in both countries over the years.
A Ukrainian court has ordered a government official accused of spying for Russia to remain in custody during an investigation.

The court in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev ruled Friday that Stanislav Yezhov would be kept in jail through Feb. 17. His defense lawyer says Yezhov pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Ukrainian media reports identified Yezhov as a senior aide and personal interpreter to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. He was arrested Wednesday.

Ukraine's Security Service, or SBU, alleges that Yezhov passed government secrets to Russian handlers.

Groysman told lawmakers that the aide, who accompanied the prime minister on foreign trips, was under SBU surveillance and without access to confidential information for some time.

Russia and Ukraine have been in a tug-of-war following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Oh, my God, Donnie Embrey said as sickly, starving goats hobbled toward their rescuers on hooves that curved upward from neglect.

The lice-infested goats were in a muddy field in Louisa County with no water or grass.

One kid lay dead and several other goats had to be euthanized in what Embreya retired firefighter and leader of the all-volunteer Louisa Community Animal Response Team, or CARTcalled the biggest animal hoarding case in Virginia history.

Embrey and other CART volunteers descended on the farm Nov. 29 to help seize more than 500 animals. Louisa animal control officers discovered the squalid conditions after responding to a call about goats on West Old Mountain Road, authorities said.

They found old sheds packed with cramped cages of chickens and guinea pigs and coops that smelled of feces and mold.

A few cats scurried by, but Embrey did not see much other movement. The confined animals were too tightly packed to allow it.

Some of the caged chickens crouched on top of more than a foot of rotten straw, feces and food.

The volunteers came across a peacock at the back of a wooden shed. They had to maneuver through a maze of junk just to get to it.

Embrey felt dirty, itchy and overwhelmed.

Court records show that 77-year-old Clara Mae Collier was found guilty this month of five misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in the case. She was sentenced to unsupervised probation.

It was the worst conditions Ive ever seen, Embrey said.

In the weeks that followed, a dozen CART volunteers spent hundreds of hours caring for the animals at a temporary shelter at the Louisa County Fairgrounds.

Dr. Melinda McCall, CART volunteer vet and owner of Louisa Veterinary Service, worked with another veterinarian to compile health records for each animal within the first 72 hours. It took them eight hours just to process the guinea pigs and birds.

The volunteers dewormed all the goats and trimmed their overgrown hooves. They also clipped the claws of each guinea pig and chicken.

They hung large tarps to block the cold wind. They set up more than 300 cages and crates. And they spent hours cleaning equipment in plastic kiddie pools with water heated to 160 degrees.

When that many people come together and volunteer their time and efforts, big things can happen, McCall said.

Chickens regained the sheen on their feathers, and their tail feathers regrew.

Pigeons and hens laid eggs in a sign of contentment.

A roosters previously frostbitten comb no longer flopped to one side of its head. And it crowed several times on a recent afternoon.

They didnt make much noise when they came here, Embrey remarked. But now theyve got attitude to spare.

WATCH OUT AGGRO ROO, read a message taped to one of the cages, shorthand for aggressive rooster.

This guys the worst of the bunchhes completely crazy, Embrey said with a note of affection in his voice.

Nearly 100 guinea pigs and 40 rabbits recovered in a building at the fairgrounds that normally hosts BINGO games. The scent of fresh wood chips permeated the space, a welcome change from the rotting odor at their previous home.

And just three days after the seizure, one of the 55 surviving goats gave birth to healthy twin kids. Embrey found out when he returned to the fairgrounds from a Christmas parade.

Donnie, youre a grandpa, CART volunteer Martha Drum proclaimed.

They were just little fur balls jumping around and playing, McCall said. It gave everybody something else to focus on.

All of the animals have since found new homes or foster care.

Loudoun County Animal Services took most of the goats and adopted them out within a day.

Many of the guinea pigs went to Washingtons Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue. In a Facebook post, the nonprofit wrote that it took 41 guinea pigsmany with deformed ears and injuries from fightingbut ended up with two more after one gave birth. The organization hopes to start adopting out some of the males next month.

The chickens went to Carolina Waterfowl Rescue and Izzies Pond, both South Carolina nonprofits.

Some of the animals did stay in Louisa. A CART volunteer adopted a rabbit named Joey, and her two children feed the pet and clean his cage first thing every morning and again before they go to bed.

Volunteer Beckah Ritchie was also thinking about adopting a Rhode Island Red rooster. I have a lonely chicken, so yeah, I want some chicken friends, she said.

And the twin kids and their mother will spend the rest of their lives at Drums farm, just a 10-minute drive from the fairgrounds. They made the trip in the backseat of her truck.

The three goats have an insolated room to themselves with hay and two heating lamps, but will eventually join Drums other goats in a pasture.

The twins like to nibble on clothing and will jump into Drums arms like puppies. The volunteers named them Donnie and Rhonda, after the Embrey couple that helped spearhead the rescue.

And moms name is Louisa in recognition of all the support these animals received from our community, Drum said.

She plans to bring her new pets to the agricultural fair, fall festival and other community events.

Theyre all of our goats, Drum said.
A woman wanted in West Virginia was arrested in Stafford County this week, and police say it happened after she was accused of stealing Play-Doh.

Sheriffs spokeswoman Amanda Vicinanzo said county deputies were at the Target on South Gateway Drive on Tuesday when they noticed a woman in the womens clothing section. The woman was carrying a black purse in one hand and a jar of Play-Doh in the other, and appeared unsteady on her feet, Vicinanzo said.

The deputies allege that she left the store without paying for the Play-Doh and was taken into custody, Vicinanzo said. When asked for her identity, the woman provided what turned out to be a fictitious name, Vicinanzo said.

The deputies finally determined that the woman was actually Ciara Dakota Ratliff, 24, of Lester, W.Va. She was wanted in her home state on charges of escape and destruction of property.

Ratliff is charged in Stafford with felony shoplifting, public intoxication, identity theft, giving false identity to a law enforcement officer, possession of marijuana and being a fugitive from justice. The shoplifting charge is a felony because Ratliff has multiple prior theft convictions, police said.
A Stafford County man is facing a mandatory minimum of five years in prison after being convicted of drug and gun charges in federal court Thursday.

Mark Jamahl Stephens, 26, was convicted of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He will be sentenced Feb. 23 in federal court in Alexandria.

According to federal court records, Stephens was arrested on May 5 by the Metropolitan Police Department after officers found two guns and crack cocaine in his vehicle.

While being interviewed by police, he said that he carried guns in Virginia "every single day" and that he had just sold a Ruger .380-caliber pistol to a friend. But he denied ownership of the cocaine.

On July 12, federal officers searched Stephens' home in Stafford and found several guns, a stack of $100 bills and four ounces of packaged marijuana. They also seized cellphones with pictures of Stephens holding numerous guns, thousands of dollars and marijuana, according to court records.
As solar farms spring up across the Fredericksburg region, King George County this week approved its second such operation after some residents praised the plan to generate clean energy and others complained about its impact on prime farmland.

It will put King George on the map as a participant in this important technology, said Jim Lynch.

Cindy Myers, whose property abuts land designated for the new operation, said it doesnt fit in the countryside.

A solar farm, if youve seen pictures, is ugly, she said, and ugly is ugly.

Port Conway Solar LLC got approval from King George to put a 20-megawatt farm on land along Port Conway Road, a few miles past the Hopyard Farm development. Its the second such facility approved in the rural countyand one of several in the Fredericksburg region.

Officials in Culpeper and Orange counties recently approved proposals for farms, and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe was in Fauquier County in late October to install the last of 235,900 solar panels at a Remington facility.

Spotsylvania County recently passed an ordinance allowing solar farms on certain agricultural property, but like other localities, is asking for a special-use permit that requires two public hearings and approval by the Board of Supervisors.

The newly approved solar farm in King George consists of eight parcels totaling about 610 acres, although panels would be placed on only 333 acres of farmland or cleared woodlands, according to county documents.

The land is owned by Rodney Rollins, his living trust and the Rollins Family Limited Partnership. The farm would be operated by Port Conway Solar, a subsidiary of Community Energy in Radnor, Pa.

The company is investing $30 million in the project. The plant will generate enough electricity to light and heat 4,000 homesabout half the residences in King George, although the power generated will not stay in the county.

The solar farm also will generate about $20,000 in annual taxes, and about $64,000 in rollback land-use taxes, according to county documents.

At a public hearing Tuesday, energy officials stressed that the plan presented to the Board of Supervisors was a result of extensive discussions with county officials and nearby property owners. The company sent certified letters to everyone within 1,000 feet of the parcel lines, held eight meetings in person and fielded three phone calls from King George residents, said Jay Carlis, vice president of Community Energy Solar.

We took what we believed was a good project when we initially presented it on September 20th to an even better project, Carlis said.

As a result of the discussions, the solar company agreed to move panels back 400 feet from one property line so owners would have an open 6-acre field behind their home. In other areas, the company added more trees to shield the view.

Thats what convinced Judy Purks to support the plan. She and her husband, Bob, board and show quarterhorses, and their farm is right across Port Conway Road from where panels would go.

He favored it from the start, but she initially opposed it, until the company agreed with his suggestion to push it back and put up foliage. After those changes, she figured a solar farm wouldnt make for a bad neighbor.

The solar panels  they dont talk; theyre not gonna bother us, Judy Purks said.

Farmers Miles Hastings and Perry Bowen thought otherwise. Hastings said one solar farm will lead to anotherjust as sand-and-gravel operations did in that areamaking it harder for farmers to find land to rent.

Hastings said he and other farmers are opposed because of its positioning in the heart of the countys most agricultural district.

Carlis said the panels would be in place for 35 years, and after that, the land is turned back to the farmer. No concrete footers are usedjust wooden posts driven 7 feet into the groundand grasses are planted around the panels.

Were going to conserve the farmland for future generations, and you cant say that about any other development projects, Carlis said.

Bowen wondered if land used by solar farms would be usable afterward. He said the Essex Solar Center, along U.S. 17 in Essex County, has trenches running through it, and he wondered how that land could be farmed again.

That facility is one of the largest in Virginia and is operated by Coronal Energy and Dominion Energy.

Carlis said solar farms compete with low-cost natural gas and therefore look for ways to cut costs. Some facilities had put in trenches for the underground wires that are connected to the panels, but he said innovation in the last year had led to putting the wires behind the panels and attaching them with plastic ties.

Were not proposing any significant topsoil removal, he said.

Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Ruby Brabo told residents she visited Alamosa County, Colo., the site of the nations largest solar farm, last year while visiting gas drilling sites in the region. She heard from officials there about lessons learned, in terms of regulations, and what we need to do to protect ourselves going forward.

The county approved its first solar farm at the King George Industrial Park in May 2016, and Coronal Group of Charlottesville wants to create a 15- to 20-megawatt solar farm on land across from the King George Regional Landfill. The company, which has until May 2018 to study its options, has not submitted a site plan for the solar farm.
NATIONWIDE was not on an elderly Pennsylvania couples side in October, when an insurance agent mistook their hibiscus plants for marijuana and reported them to the police. A raid ensued, and police ransacked the couples home.

Through it all, 66-year-old Audrey Cramer sat partly dressed and handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser for four hours.

In 2012, a SWAT team raided Bob Hartes Leawood, Kansas, home, holding the parents and two young children at gunpoint for two hours while police searched their house for marijuana.

Why? Police observed Harte with hydroponic equipment he had purchased for his sons science project. Police then rifled through the Hartes garbage and found used tea leaves which they mistook for marijuana.

Things have gotten so ridiculous in the search for victimless criminals that police have even taken to setting each other up, if only inadvertently. Recently, Detroit officers posing as drug buyers approached officers posing as dealers. They ended up brawling in the street. No actual criminals were even involved.

Its easy to see how we got to this point. When crime goes from acts perpetrated upon clear and identifiable victims to behaviors that some of us simply dont like, these sorts of things are bound to happen.

What also happens is a growing animosity between the people and the police sworn to serve and protect them. Recent estimates put the number of federal criminal statutes at 4,500, plus an additional 300,000 federal regulations. The list is so long that experts believe the average person unknowingly commits three felonies each day.

Add prosecutors, from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on down, who have a political incentive to be tough on crime, and a police state results.

Innumerable laws mean that police can arrest citizens almost at whim. Looking to advance their careers by racking up convictions, prosecutors pile on numerous charges and engage in coercive plea bargaining wherein they offer less prison time if the accused plead guilty to some of the charges.

Often, even innocent people plead guilty rather than take the risk of being tried on numerous charges and losing.

According to a National Registry of Exonerations study, among people subsequently exonerated from drug convictions, almost two-thirds had pleaded guilty. Among those convicted of manslaughter, half had.

According to a recent Gallup poll, over the last five years, only 55 percent of citizens expressed either a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police.

The meaning is clear: Either 45 percent of Americans are criminals, or there are more than 100 million law-abiding adults in this country who regard the police with, at best, indifference and at worst, enmity. This is most pronounced among black Americans, of whom only one-third report they trust the police.

We live in a police state, and our legal system is to blame.

The law holds police to lower standards than regular citizens. Both prosecutors and judges give police a benefit of the doubt they do not extend to ordinary citizens.

When going about their duties, police are legally protected by qualified immunity, making it all but impossible for citizens to hold them accountable in civil court.

And when they are accused of wrongdoing, who investigates them? Other police. In our zeal to criminalize all manner of victimless behavior, we empowered the police, then made them unaccountable.

The way to unwind this police state is to prohibit lawmakers from criminalizing any activity in which there is no clear and well-defined victim, to end coercive plea bargaining, and to remove the qualified immunity protections that shield police from the consequences of their actions.

The police shouldnt be the enemy of the people, but to the extent that they are it is because we have made them so. We were complicit in building the police state, but with common sense reforms we can begin to unwind it.
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DEAR ABBY: I had planned a trip to Europe with my friend "Elizabeth," a friend of hers and Elizabeth's daughter. The plan was I would share rooms with Elizabeth. We paid for the hotels in advance.

Shortly before our scheduled departure I fell, broke my ankle and couldn't go. We tried unsuccessfully to obtain some kind of refunds, and travel insurance paid only if the accident happened while we were actually traveling.

I was out $2,000. Elizabeth's friend offered me $500. Elizabeth, feeling some obligation, also offered me $500. I feel guilty taking Elizabeth's money because she paid for herself and her daughter. I think the other woman should give me at least half -- not just $500 -- because she derived 100 percent of the benefit. Also, she has never reached out to me directly at all.

No money has been received at this point. Should I just write it off? Or am I wrong to expect some of the money back? -- MONEY WOES IN THE EAST

DEAR MONEY WOES: Yes, you are wrong. Nobody owes you anything. Accidents happen, but the broken ankle was your bad luck. It was generous of Elizabeth and her friend to offer you any money at all. My advice is to accept it graciously, write the rest off, and stop looking for someone to be mad at.

DEAR ABBY: One of my relatives has bipolar disorder, and as far as I know he takes medicine for it. However, at our Christmas celebration last year he became verbally aggressive and abusive toward a family member who had done nothing to provoke it. Needless to say, it put a damper on the festivities.

Some people make excuses for him because he's bipolar, but I don't want another holiday ruined because of his behavior (which can be unpredictable). Must the rest of us sit on pins and needles hoping he doesn't explode this Christmas? I'd prefer not to invite him until he has better control of himself. Your opinion, please? -- HOPING FOR HAPPY HOLIDAYS

DEAR HOPING: You have a point. A solution might be to talk directly with your relative and explain that if he's taking his medication -- which means there will be no unpredictable outbursts -- he is welcome to be your guest for Christmas. If not, however, he should make other plans.

DEAR ABBY: On Veterans' Day I visited my family's cemetery plot and noticed my closest uncle does not have a military service marker like his two older brothers do. "Uncle Claude" had frequently mentioned to me how important a service marker was to him. I discussed it with his two out-of-state children several times after his death.

Almost two years have passed now, and it appears getting the marker might not happen. Should I inquire about this with my cousins, offer to assist them in getting and placing the marker or let it go? I did place a small flag on his grave later in the day. -- MILITARY SERVICE MARKER

DEAR M.S.M.: Discuss this with your cousins once more and ask if they would like you to pursue getting the marker for your uncle. There may be reasons why it hasn't happened -- including that they may not be able to afford the expense. You will never know unless you inquire.

DEAR ABBY: Could you help all of us guys named Shelby spread the word that Shelby is not just for the female gender? Many boys and men like me have the handle and are proud of it. -- SHELBY FROM TEXAS

DEAR SHELBY: So do some automobiles! I'm glad to relay your message. Today many women have names that were once associated only with the masculine gender -- Cameron, Bailey, Logan, Morgan, to name a few -- and turnabout is fair play. I'm reminded of the song "A Boy Named Sue."

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 17-year-old girl and a junior in high school. I have a crush on a guy who's 14 and a freshman. I know age gaps don't matter as much later on, but the difference between 17 and 14 can be drastic. "Jake" is really sweet, and he's as interested in me as I am in him (unlike the boys in my grade).

I'm friends with Jake's sister "Julie," who's a year older than me and a senior. Julie has made it clear she doesn't like the idea of a romantic relationship between Jake and me because Jake is only 14.

What can I do? Should I ignore this crush? I have judged people who have dated despite age gaps. (For example, a senior boy dating a sophomore girl.) But now I understand it. If the girl is older, does that complicate things?

I don't want to be seen as creepy or gross, but, to be honest, I'm not that experienced romantically or socially myself. (I have never even been to a real party.) Must I forget my feelings and move on, or do I talk to Julie and try to pursue this? -- TEEN CRUSH

DEAR TEEN CRUSH: Julie has already given you her answer. As you have pointed out, there is a bias against dating someone so much younger, and it could cause you problems not only with your peers, but also with the law if your relationship were to become sexual when you turn 18. That's why I'm suggesting you turn your romantic interests elsewhere. When you're BOTH adults, if you're still interested, you can pursue a romantic relationship then.

DEAR ABBY: My fiance and I are being married in a few days. We are expecting our first child a few days after that. The problem is my mother. We decided on a small ceremony, but my mother is opposed to the marriage because she doesn't like the idea of me marrying -- not just my fiance, but anyone. She has always told me a man will leave me destitute, pregnant with too many kids, and I won't be able to take care of myself. She has repeated it since I was about 10.

Because she has threatened to object at the ceremony, we decided not to invite her. We have invited his parents and my father and stepmother. Mom has said she will not allow my child to see her grandfather because "he is a bad person." She may have good intentions, but dictating who can be around my child is not her choice, considering she has had little to no contact with him in 25 years.

I wish she could be at our wedding, but she has now distanced herself from me and my fiance. Should I let her cool off and hope she comes around, or accept that this is the path she has chosen? Please advise, Abby. -- PROBLEM MOTHER IN KENTUCKY

DEAR PROBLEM MOTHER: Your mother may be anti-marriage because hers failed spectacularly. She appears to be a troubled woman. By all means, let her cool off, but do not allow her to dictate your life. If she does, her anger and bitterness could negatively affect your marriage.

DEAR ABBY: The winter months are hard for me. They remind me that another year has gone by without my father and my younger sister.

Dad had been a smoker since his teens and died from pancreatic cancer at 39. I was 13, and my siblings were younger. In those days, we didn't know that smoking was a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

My sister smoked from the time she was 13. She died from lung cancer at 44, leaving behind two young sons.

Neither my father nor my sister got to experience the wonderful family milestones and celebrations we have had. Their grandchildren will never know them. Each year during the holidays, I feel a sadness in my heart.

I urge every smoker to make a vow to quit and carry it through, not only for their own sake but also their family's. Stay determined to quit so you won't cause your loved ones sadness and won't miss out on their futures. With all my heart, I wish smokers the best of luck in quitting. -- MISSING DAD AND SIS IN SACRAMENTO

DEAR MISSING: I'm glad you wrote because the American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout will be held on Nov. 16. It's a day when millions of smokers put down their cigarettes -- just for one day -- with the conviction that if they can go 24 hours without one, then they can do it for 48 hours, 72 hours, and stop smoking for good. The idea grew out of a 1970 event in Randolph, Massachusetts, and became a national event in 1977.

Readers, I'm not going to harangue you with death threats. We are all aware of the grim statistics associated with cancer-related deaths caused by tobacco. If you're interested in quitting, this is a perfect opportunity. Call (800) 227-2345 to be connected with counseling services in your community, provided with self-help materials offering information and strategies on quitting for good, and to receive information about medications available to help you quit. This service is free and provided 24/7. Or go online to cancer.org.

DEAR ABBY: I need your help. Over the past few weeks, I have been vacationing at my mother-in-law's home. The other day I was browsing on her computer and accidentally opened her browsing history. It turns out that she regularly looks at and responds to Craigslist personals.

I was shocked when I read some of the perverted requests she has responded to. The language she used would make a sailor blush. Keep in mind, my mother-in-law is a married woman.

I don't know how to react. Should I tell my wife? Keep it to myself? Make a fake Craigslist post and catch her in the act? -- KINKS IN THE FAMILY

DEAR KINKS: If you disclose this to your wife, it could damage her relationship with her mother. If she tells her mother what you found, it will create a breach in the family. If you trap the woman by creating a fake Craigslist post and she realizes she has been made a fool of, it will not -- to put it mildly -- endear you to her. Let it lie.

DEAR ABBY: I am in a predicament. My therapist is great, but sometimes I think she shares too much. Last time I went, she was running late. When I finally got into her office, she told me the previous patient was nonverbal and had painted her nails during the session. Later in the session, she confided that years ago she had been date raped.

Abby, I am in counseling because my father raped me when I was 15 (I am now 24). Her sharing has me worried because I don't want her telling others what I say or do during counseling. Further, her story of the date rape scared me. She described a situation that is not uncommon for me to be in, and it caused something almost like a flashback in me. I think what she did was insensitive, to say the least.

I have nobody else to ask, so what should I do? I'm getting counseling for free now due to my income, and it took months to get set up with a counselor. Should I report her or accept that this was a mistake and say nothing? If I need to report her, how would I go about doing that? -- CONFLICTED ABOUT IT

DEAR CONFLICTED: You should change therapists because it appears this one has more problems than you do. As to what agency you should report her breach of professional ethics to, contact the state organization that has licensed her to practice.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
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No more interim, Batchler named new Blacksburg football coach Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat. Josh Batchler achieved one of his dreams when he was named the new Blacksburg High head football coach Monday evening. He had served as...

Indians hit growth spurt just in time Gaffney coach Dan Jones never wavered when the Indians were blown out by South Pointe in the season opener. He never wavered when the Indians struggled to beat Hammond. He...
News

In Moody v. Moody, brothers battle it out

GALVESTON

Attorneys representing two Moody brothers were in a Galveston court Thursday arguing whether the brother who filed the lawsuit has standing to sue the other and the board of a major corporation their father started.

In September, Robert L. Moody Jr. filed a lawsuit in the 122nd District Court against his brother Ross Rankin Moody, chairman of Austin-based National Western Life Insurance Co., and six other National Western Life board members, claiming corporate misconduct and breach of fiduciary responsibilities.

In the lawsuit, Robert Moody Jr. accuses the company under Ross Moodys direction of failing to get proper licensing to sell insurance in Brazil and failing to remedy or prevent the situation resulting in a $6 billion penalty and criminal investigation brought by the Brazilian government. The penalty was later reduced to about $960,000, according to the lawsuit.

A slate of high-profile Texas attorneys were before Judge John Ellisor Thursday for a hearing over a plea for jurisdiction request by attorneys for Ross Moody and National Western Life to dismiss the suit. Ellisor had not yet issued a ruling Thursday afternoon.

Robert Moody Jr.s suit against the companys board should be dismissed because Moody Jr. did not own stocks in the company when the actions hes complaining about occurred, said Harry Reasoner, lead attorney for Ross Moody and National Western Life Group board members.

Also plaintiffs in shareholder derivative suits like the one filed cannot do so because of personal vendettas but as acts of fiduciary responsibility, Reasoner said.

Robert Moody Jr. was upset that he had been passed up and not appointed a trustee of the Moody Foundation and had lost some of his benefits from the company, said David Beck, an attorney representing National Western Life Insurance Company and National Western Life Group Inc.

Thats not a legitimate basis for a shareholder derivative suit, Beck said. How can this person be an adequate representative of the company when his primary interests are matters personal to him and not these companies?

But attorneys for Robert Moody Jr. said case law backed up his standing to sue as a stakeholder. The boards attorneys had waded into other issues unrelated to the hearing, said Mike Martin, a Houston attorney representing Robert Moody Jr.

The suit was about a penalty assessed against the company for selling insurance in Brazil without proper licensing, which the board had been aware of, Martin said.

At all material times these board members were aware of the practice of selling insurance in Brazil, Martin said. They admit they knew about the unlawful conduct.

From 2002 to 2011, the unlicensed sales of insurance in Brazil grew substantially and the board knew and willfully violated the rules and regulations, Martin said.

Thats the key point, thats why were here, Martin said.

It doesnt matter what you think subjectively about whether its good to file this lawsuit or bad to file this lawsuit in terms of National Westerns point of view. It is undeniable and without question that there is no conceivable way violating the law ever serves the best interest of the corporation.

The brothers are members of the Moody family, among Galvestons oldest and most prominent, tracing its roots on the island to 1866, and responsible for founding American National Insurance Co., Moody National Bank and the Moody Foundation, to name a few. Those Galveston operations are not involved in the lawsuit.

Robert L. Moody Jr. filed the shareholder derivative lawsuit on behalf of National Western Life Insurance Co. and its parent company, National Western Life Group, of which hes a stockholder, according to the lawsuit.

In the hearing Thursday, Reasoner said National Western had successfully settled the Brazilian claim, yet Robert Moody Jr. was recommending the board be sued for alleged criminal conduct. The move was evidence of his bad faith because it would likely hurt the company and had no basis, he said.

It would be disastrous for the stock if a derivative suit was filed on behalf of the corporation accusing all the directors of knowing criminal conduct, Reasoner said.

That alone, frankly, is dispositive of Mr. Moody Jr.s bad faith. This is clearly not in the interest of the shareholders.

The lawsuit stemmed from a sibling rivalry between Robert Moody Jr. and his brother Ross Moody and sister Frances Moody-Dahlberg, both members of the board, not a fiduciary responsibility to the corporation, Beck said.

The issue was the boards actions in Brazil and the boards failure to inform itself about bad business practices in Brazil, said Dick Schwartz, a Houston attorney representing Robert Moody Jr. The board hadnt conducted an independent review or investigation of Brazilian allegations, he said.

The board of directors had made fundamental mistakes, which caused the company to quit doing business in Brazil and resulted in a pending criminal investigation, Schwartz said. The board had not upheld its fiduciary responsibilities for conducting business in Brazil, which prompted the suit, he said.
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This year has been one of stark partisanship, with rhetoric from both sides of the aisle seeking to stress differences between Democrats and Republicans. But one thing I thought we all could agree on is that we need to do everything we can to look out for our children. I see our responsibility and mission as legislators  and the core purpose of our Constitution  as ensuring children have safe spaces, full bellies, and good health.

Thats why I am outraged that the majority in Congress has refused to act to renew the Childrens Health Insurance Program, commonly referred to as CHIP. For 20 years the program, with strong bipartisan support, has ensured that no children fall through the cracks of our health care system. It provides states with funding to cover health care expenses for children whose families have incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to afford expensive private coverage.

Oregons CHIP program, called Oregon Healthy Kids, last year helped more than 140,000 Oregon children access health care. Thanks to CHIP, 2,637 children in Linn County and 1,131 in Benton County  thats 9 percent of children in each county  this year have been able to access check-ups, immunizations, dental care, doctors visits, and other important health care services.

Funding for CHIP expired on Sept. 30, 2017, because Congress failed to extend funding for the program. Every single state in America  50 out of 50 states  has a CHIP program. Oregon, along with five other states, will run out of CHIP money this month. Another 25 states will run out of CHIP money in the first three months of 2018.

It is completely unacceptable that the congressional majority allowed CHIP to expire  and its even more outrageous that theyve waited 83 days and counting to reauthorize it.

Right now there is a bipartisan bill ready and waiting to be brought to the Senate floor. It would extend the Childrens Health Insurance Program through 2022. It was passed by the Finance Committee with unanimous support. The Senate could take up that bill right now and pass it. So whats the holdup? Why is health care for our children being disrupted?

The answer makes my blood boil: It is a pawn in cynical political machinations. The majority leadership in Congress is using the health and well-being of thousands of children in Linn and Benton counties and 9 million children across the country as a bargaining chip. Instead of taking up this bipartisan bill, theyre holding it hostage to try to win concessions in budget negotiations. The most the majority is willing to give our children is a paltry three-month extension of the program that was included in a continuing appropriations bill. Three months is unacceptable; we need to create stability and reliability for our children by reauthorizing this program for years to come.

The holidays are around the corner, and no parents should have to worry at this time of year that an illness or injury could endanger their child's life or family's finances. I am urging my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to urgently prioritize issues that are essential to working folks  like ensuring the children who rely on CHIP can keep getting the care they need.

There is no reason I can see that we shouldnt be able to agree that protecting health care for 9 million children across the country is an absolute top priority. That is our responsibility. That should be our mission. We must get it done. Nine million American children are waiting.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
Speaking while addressing Zimbabwean business leaders domiciled in South Africa, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, disclosed how he fled to South Africa shortly after his expulsion from government and later the ruling Zanu PF party on allegations of plotting to dethrone his 93-year-old former boss, Robert Mugabe.

According to News Day, the newly-elected president, Mnangagwa paid homage to former Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander General, Constantino Chiwenga, for facilitating his takeover from Mugabe, who resigned following a military intervention codenamed Operation Restore Legacy.He said Chiwenga would be, giving the clearest hint that the retired former ZDF commander was earmarked for the position of Vice-President.

Quote

I came here to pay homage to my brother President Jacob Zuma. I spent a good 16 days as a Diasporan here in South Africa after walking some 30 kilometres crossing the border into Mozambique. After I had been fired around 4 oclock (on November 6), intelligence had made me aware of the next move intended to eliminate me, Mnangagwa said.



Fortunately, I found a [business] card in my wallet which bore the name of a colleague here, (Justice) Maphosa, whom I phoned and he picked me. I came here and I was well-looked after, Mnangagwa said to applause as a bespectacled man believed to be Maphosa stood up to be recognised.



Mnangagwa also revealed he had been in secret communication with Zuma. I had good communication with the leadership here, not openly, you understand, he said.



Then, my colleagues back home asked me to come join them in moulding our future. This is the young man and I have banned him from putting on army uniform anymore. I retired him a few days ago, General [Sibusiso] Moyo,

the President said.
French English

PRESS RELEASE

Jakarta, 21st December 2017

VELCAN: SALE OF THE SUKARAME HYDROPOWER PROJECT IN INDONESIA

VELCAN announces it has fully divested its Sukarame Hydropower Project (7 MW located in South Sumatera), sold to an Indonesian Independent Power Producer.

Since March 2016, the construction of the project was on hold due to acute tariff uncertainties and PPA unavailability. The Group had started in late 2015 the pre-construction activities, after an increase of the feed-in-tariff (USD 132 /MWh for the first 12 years, and USD 82.5 for the remaining 8 years), decided by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

However, PLN (the state owned electricity company and sole authorized buyer in Indonesia) has refused to comply with this regulation and to buy the power, claiming that such new FIT was too high. Policy discussions have been going on and have resulted in August 2017 in a new tariff, which is now to be negotiated with PLN, and subject to a ceiling of 100% of the provincial BPP, which is PLN's local procurement cost. In the West Lampung Regency, where the project is located, such BPP ceiling is of Rp 1034 per kWh (7.6 USD cts as current exchange rate). That means the maximum tariff for the Sukarame Project that can be negotiated with PLN is USD 76 / per MWh, barely 60% of the tariff based on which the investment decision was initially taken.

The Sukarame project costs were already fully impaired as on 31st December 2016. The sale price, which is to remain confidential at this stage, allows only a partial recovery of such costs, given the low IRRs forecast resulting from the new tariff.

The small size of the Group's portfolio in Indonesia (now only the Redelong Hydropower project of 18 MW) does not economically justify having full operations in the country, and the Group is having discussions with potential partners and investors for taking over the lead development in the Redelong project.

* * *

Investor Relations Contact investor@velcan.lu

About Velcan:

Velcan (ALVEL FP) is a company from Luxemburg, developing and operating hydroelectric concessions in emerging countries such as India, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Velcan is a Luxemburg headquartered investment holding company founded in 2005, operating as an independent power producer in emerging countries and managing a global portfolio of financial assets.

The company owns and operates one 15MW hydro power plant in Brazil that it developed and built in 2009. Its major power project under development is a cascade of hydropower concessions located in India and totalling 571 MW. The Group also has a smaller project of 18MW in Indonesia.

Hydropower concessions provide long periods of cash generation but their development outcome is uncertain and many years are needed to bring these projects to maturity in emerging countries: it involves field studies in remote places, obtaining the necessary authorizations and permits, and land acquisition in political and regulatory environments that can be unstable or heavily hampering. Meanwhile Velcan actively manages its treasury, investing in listed financial instruments and private equity deals.

Velcan's headquarters are in Luxemburg, with administrative and financial offices in Singapore and Mauritius. The team dedicated to the development of the Indian hydropower cascade is based in New Delhi and at the project site (Arunachal Pradesh).

The company was launched more than 10 years ago by its reference shareholder Luxembourg Hydro Power SA, owned by Velcan's management team.

Velcan is listed on the Paris Euronext Growth Stock Market (Euronext Growth/Ticker ALVEL/ISIN FR0010245803).

Velcan never performed any Public Offer as understood under Directive 2003/71/CE of the European Parliament and Council.

Disclaimer

This press release contains prospective information about the potential of the projects in progress and/or of the projects of which the development has begun. This information constitutes objectives attached to projects and shall not be construed as direct or indirect net income forecast of the concerned year. Reader's attention is also drawn on the fact that the performance of these objectives depends on future circumstances and that it could be affected and/or delayed by risks, known or unknown, uncertainties, and various factors of any nature, notably related to economic, commercial or regulatory conjuncture, which occurrence could be likely to have a negative impact on future activity and performances of the Group.

This announcement does not constitute a public offering ("offre au public") nor an invitation to the public or to any qualified investor in connection with any offering. This announcement is not an offer of securities in the United States of America or in any other jurisdiction/country.
English Finnish

Kotipizza Group Oyj

Stock Exchange Release 22 December 2017 at 9am (EET)

Kotipizza Group Oyj Financial reporting and annual general meeting

Kotipizza Group Oyj will publish upcoming financial information as follows:

Financial statements bulletin 2017-18: Wednesday 21 March 2018 at 9.00 am (EET)

Financial statements 2017-18: Tuesday 24 April 2018 at 9.00 am (EET)

Interim report Q1 (February-April 2018): Wednesday 20 June 2018 at 9.00 am (EET)

Half-year report (February-July 2018): Wednesday 26 September 2018 at 9.00 am (EET)

Interim report Q3 (August-October 2018): Wednesday 19 December 2018 at 9.00 am (EET)

Financial statements bulletin 2018-19: Wednesday 20 March 2019 at 9.00 am (EET)

The annual general meeting of Kotipizza Group Oyj is planned to be held on Wednesday, 16 May 2018. The Kotipizza Group's board of directors will summon the meeting at a later date. Possible requests from shareholders to include matters on the agenda of the 2018 annual general meeting should be submitted in writing by mail no later than 29 March 2018 to Kotipizza Group Oyj, Board of Directors, Hermannin rantatie 2 B, 00580 Helsinki, Finland.

Kotipizza Group Oyj

Tommi Tervanen, CEO

For more information:

Tommi Tervanen, CEO

tel. +358 207 716 743

Timo Pirskanen, CFO and Deputy to the CEO

tel. +358 207 716 747

Kotipizza Group in brief

Kotipizza is a Finnish pizza chain founded in 1987. At the end of financial year 2016, the number of restaurants stood at 257. In the financial year 2016, the total sales of Kotipizza restaurants amounted to EUR 89.9 million. The Kotipizza chain is part of the Kotipizza Group, alongside the supply and logistics company Helsinki Foodstock Oy and Chalupa Oy that operates the Mexican-style restaurant chain Chalupa, launched in 2015, as well as Day After Day Oy, operating the Social Burgerjoint restaurant and the Social Food food truck.

In the financial year 2016, Helsinki Foodstock had net sales of EUR 53.2 million and the total sales of Chalupa restaurants were EUR 1,04 million. In the same period, the Kotipizza Group had net sales of EUR 66.6 million with a comparable EBITDA of EUR 6.73 million.

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/688dea1c-2f48-4adc-8404-051587499d28
English French

Alstom becomes majority shareholder in its Kazakh locomotive joint venture

22 December 2017 - Alstom signed an agreement with the Kazakh national railway company (KTZ) to acquire their 25% stake in the EKZ Joint Venture (JV). After approval by the relevant authorities, Alstom will see its total share brought to 75%. The agreement was signed by Maksat Kabashev, KTZ Strategy VP and Didier Pfleger, Alstom Senior Vice-President for Middle-East and Africa.

Alstom entered the Kazakhstan's railway market in June 2010 together with its Russian partner Transmashholding (TMH), by laying the first stone of the EKZ facility in order to build locomotives for the Kazakh network. The joint company was held by Alstom (25%), TMH (25%) and Kazakh Railways (50%). Alstom, EKZ, TMH and KTZ had signed a contract for the supply of 200 Prima T8 (KZ8A) and 95 Prima M4 (KZ4A) locomotives. The plant was inaugurated in 2012. In 2016, Alstom had acquired another 25% from KTZ. The freight locomotives are now fully assembled at EKZ, the full assembly of passenger locos will start in the beginning of 2018.

"By increasing once again Alstom's share in EKZ, we show our confidence in the attractiveness of Kazakhstan and we contribute to the development of new expertise and skills locally to address not only Kazakhstan's needs but also regional ones", said Didier Pfleger.

This acquisition reaffirms Alstom commitment to modernizing Kazakhstan railway and follows the signature of a MoU last week in Astana by Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Alstom Chairman and CEO and Mr Kanat Alpysbayev, President of KTZ, for Alstom other local JV KEP for the modernization of the signalling in 25 railway stations around the country.

Kazakhstan is an important hub linking Europe, Middle East, Asia and Russia through the new Silk Way. With almost 20,000 km of tracks, the Kazakh railway network is the world's third biggest using the 1,520 mm track gauge. Besides wide and winterized rolling stock able to run in temperatures reaching -50C, this market is characterized by very specific technical standards which require adapted engineering solutions.

About Prima

The Prima range is covering all market segments of locomotives from heavy-haul (mostly in China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and India), freight and passenger operation (Europe, Africa, Middle East, and CIS) and shunting or trackworks operation (Europe). The Prima brand stands for innovative traction solutions, including electric or diesel-electric traction systems, as well as hybrid or bi-mode systems.

About Alstom

As a promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom develops and markets systems, equipment and services for the transport sector. Alstom offers a complete range of solutions (from high-speed trains to metros, tramways and e-buses), passenger solutions, customised services (maintenance, modernisation), infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility solutions. Alstom is a world leader in integrated transport systems. The company recorded sales of 7.3 billion and booked 10.0 billion of orders in the 2016/17 fiscal year. Headquartered in France, Alstom is present in over 60 countries and employs 32,800 people.

Press contacts

Justine Rohee - Tel. + 33 1 57 06 18 81

justine.rohee@alstomgroup.com

Christopher English - Tel. + 33 1 57 06 36 90

christopher.a.english@alstomgroup.com

Zaure Rakhmetova - Tel. + 7 701 889 33 45

zaure.rakhmetova@alstomgroup.com

Investor relations

Selma Bekhechi - Tel. + 33 1 57 06 95 39

Selma.bekhechi@alstomgroup.com

Julien Minot - Tel. + 33 1 57 06 64 84

Julien.minot@alstomgroup.com
 September 20, 2013: House passes appropriations bill H.J.Res 59, a continuing resolution that would fund the government until December 15, 2013. The bill included a controversial amendment that would defund the ACA.



 September 27, 2013: Senate amends H.J.Res. 59, removing the House amendment that would defund the ACA. This is commonly referred to as a clean continuing resolution.



 September 29, 2013: House amends H.J.Res. 59 a second time to add another amendment to defund the ACA. President Obama threatens veto



 September 30, 2013: Senate amends H.J.Res. 59 again to remove the defunding amendment and return to a clean continuing resolution. House Speaker refuses to bring amended bill to vote. House passes H.Res.368 so only the Majority leader or his designee can bring H.J.Res.59 to a vote.



 October 1, 2013: Government shuts down



 October 2, 2013: Obama meets with Republican and Democratic leaders, but no agreement is reached. House begins passing "mini" appropriations bills. Senate Majority Leader refuses to bring "mini" bills to vote



 October 9, 2013: President Obama invites the entire Congress to meet with him about the government shutdown and upcoming debt ceiling. Separate meetings for House Democrats, House Republicans, Senate Democrats, and Senate Republicans were suggested. The House leadership responded that they would send 18 members to meet with Obama.[17]



 October 16, 2013: Congress plans last-minute votes to avert default. The plan would allow the U.S to continue borrowing until February 7. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said he would allow the deeply divided House to vote on the Senate plan to move the debt limit and a government reopening. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 81 to 18. It passed in the House a few hours later, 285 for and 144 against. President Obama signed the bill into law at 12:30am on October 17, effectively ending the shutdown and debt ceiling crisis

Lazy ***.Here's the timeline.
President Joe Biden says he is feeling really good about Democrats chances in the midterm elections, even as he traveled to the Chicago area to support two House members who are facing more competitive reelection battles than expected. Biden says he is not buying the notion that Democrats are in trouble. He spoke at a political reception in a hotel for U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood and Sean Casten. The president ticked off his administrations signature legislative achievements on infrastructure, climate and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, efforts he said were achieved in collaboration with Underwood and Casten.
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by VVC Exploration Corp. (TSX-V:VVC), please note that in the "Equity Financing" paragraph of the release, both of the amounts of Shares and both of the amounts of Warrants have been revised. The corrected release follows:

VVC Exploration Corp. (VVC or the Company) (TSX-V:VVC) announces the closing of 2 non-brokered private placement financings on December 20, 2017.



Equity Financing

The Company held a second and final closing of an equity private placement financing (the Equity Financing) for which the first closing occurred on October 31, 2017. A total of 6,372,740 additional Shares and 3,186,370 additional Warrants are being issued pursuant to the second closing of the Equity Financing for CA$ 318,637. An aggregate of 31,522,590 Shares and 15,761,295 Warrants were issued pursuant to this Private Placement for the aggregate value of CA$ 1,576,129.50. No insiders participated in the 2nd Closing.

The Equity Financing included units of the Company (Units) at a price of CA$ 0.05 per Unit, whereby each Unit comprises one common share (a Share) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant) of the Company. Each full Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of CA$0.06 per share until November 30, 2020.

Debenture Financing

The Company also closed a non-brokered convertible 3-year Debenture private placement financing of US150,000 (the Debenture Financing) whereby the Debenture is convertible into common shares at a conversion rate US$0.04 per share in the first year and at US$0.08 per share in years 2 and 3. An aggregate of 750,000 detachable warrants are being issued with the Debenture. Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company at an exercise price of US$0.11 per share, until December 20, 2020. The Company received the TSX Venture conditional acceptance for the Debenture Financing.

Other

The Company received the conditional acceptance of TSX Venture Exchange for both financings. All securities issued pursuant to these financings are subject to the applicable statutory, exchange and regulatory hold period of four months, expiring on April 21, 2018. Prior to the closings, 237,745,821 shares were issued and outstanding. For more information on the Companys Share capital, please refer to the Quarterly Financial Statements filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

The proceeds of these Financings will be used for ongoing drilling program, maintenance fees and option payments on the Companys Samalayuca Copper Project, and for fees and work related to its Cumeral and La Tuna projects in Mexico, general administration costs in Canada and Mexico and for working capital.

About VVC Exploration Corporation

VVC is a Canadian exploration and mining company with projects in Mexico and Canada, including the Samalayuca copper property in Chihuahua State, and gold and silver prospects in Sonora and Sinaloa States, Mexico. The Company also has a grassroots gold/VMS prospect in the Timmins area of northern Ontario. Visit our website at: http://vvcexpl.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Michel J. Lafrance, Secretary-Treasurer

For further information, please contact:

Patrick Fernet - (514) 631-2727

E-mail: pfernet@vvcexploration.com

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.




Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - AurCrest Gold Inc. (the Company or AurCrest) (TSX-V: AGO) (FRANKFURT: TM8A, WKN: A0YG1K) is pleased to announce the signing of a significant mineral claim staking agreement with the Lac Seul First Nation, the second such agreement for the Company, to support and assist the staking of mineral claims within the traditional territory of the Lac Seul First Nation for purposes of opening future resource development opportunities.

I am pleased that the ongoing relationship building efforts of AurCrest Gold with our local First Nations has resulted in the signing of this second milestone agreement for the Company, this time building on the traditional and historic knowledge of the Lac Seul membership to expand the opportunities to the mineral development industry in Northwestern Ontario, said President & CEO Christopher Angeconeb. Our approach toward reconciliation with First Nations has focused on inclusion of and partnership with the First Nations proximal to our claim holdings and areas of activity, and this expands the involvement of the Company with the First Nation of which I am a member. By continuing to move beyond consultation and accommodation, the Company hopes to foster an environment of socioeconomic growth and wealth generation for our local First Nations and their memberships, while growing Company shareholder value.

AurCrests Richardson Lake property in Northwestern Ontario lies approximately 120km north of the Lac Seul First Nation, a large reserve with approximately 1,000 residents living in three on-reserve communities and a membership of approximately 3,800. The First Nation has been a shareholder of the Company since 2011.

About AurCrest Gold Inc.

AurCrest is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold properties. AurCrest has a portfolio of properties in Ontario, which include the Richardson Lake and Bridget Lake gold properties.



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

AurCrest Gold Inc.

Christopher Angeconeb Ian Brodie-Brown President and C.E.O Director of Business Development (807) 737-5353 (416) 844-9969 christopherangeconeb@gmail.com ianbrodiebrown@gmail.com

Forward Looking Statement:

Some of the statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various risks. The following are important factors that could cause the Companys actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes in the world wide price of mineral commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events may differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. AurCrest undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

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.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/AurCrest12222017.pdfSource: AurCrest Gold Inc. (TSX Venture:AGO)

To follow AurCrest Gold Inc. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com

Copyright  2017 FSCwire
Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first Tiger helicopter retrofitted into the HAD version of the French Army Aviation, after having previously completed its formal acceptance process with the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA). The retrofit from the HAP to the HAD version involves performing over 100 airframe modifications and installing over 1,500 new parts and 250 electrical cables. This retrofit program covers 36 helicopters. Airbus Helicopters has set up a new industrial organization for this Tiger retrofit program, combining personnel from its Military Support Center France and its Tiger serial production Final Assembly Line.

Compared with the previous HAP version, the HAD Tiger benefits from an increased maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and is equipped with two new enhanced MTR 390 E engines and with a new STRIX roof-mounted sight system complete with a laser designator that allows the Hellfire II air-to-ground missile to be fired. The Tiger HAD is Airbus Helicopters multi-role attack helicopter which also performs armed reconnaissance, air or ground escort, air-to-air combat, ground firing support, and anti-tank missions in day, night and in adverse conditions. The Tiger attack helicopter has proven its capabilities during operational deployments in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali. In service with the armed forces of France, Germany, Spain, and Australia.

Airbus Helicopters has recently entered another support agreement in the UK, under follow-on Support to the Royal Air Force Puma 2 fleet. The contract, awarded by the British MOD, is worth an initial 100 million. As part of the companys support offering, Airbus Helicopters will provide repair and overhaul services in addition to a parts-by-the-hour programme to sustain the Puma-2 fleet. The single-source contract also includes the provision of training to all Puma avionics and mechanical technicians as well as engineering managers. The first phase provides full technical support and logistics until March 2022. with optional extension through 2025. It follows an interim Support Arrangement, that was in place since the first upgraded Puma 2 entered service in 2012. The upgraded Puma 2 fleet recently logged 20,000 flight hours.
If we get into those emails and executives are in the chain knowing what theyve unleashed on the American public, Im going to kick it over to a criminal lawsuit. Ive been to too many funerals.
States may soon see an unexpected windfall of tax revenue as a byproduct of the federal tax law, but several governors have said they dont want the money.Several governors have said they anticipate their state will take in more money because of the changes in the Republican tax overhaul, which President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday. The extra money could set off battles in state legislatures over how to spend the unexpected windfall, or whether they should even collect it in the first place.It is very clear that due to the loss of several longstanding federal tax deductions and exemptions, Maryland state revenue will likely increase by hundreds of millions of dollars, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said in a statement earlier this week. Our goal will be to leave that money in the pockets of hardworking Marylanders.Most states, including Maryland, are still analyzing the effects of the federal tax revisions on state budgets.But states could find themselves collecting more money, because Congress eliminated or reduced many popular tax deductions, allowing more income to be taxed.At the federal level, Congress tried to offset those provisions by lowering tax rates and raising the standard deduction. States often follow the federal governments calculations for determining how much income should be taxed, but, unlike Congress, they have not changed their tax rates to reflect the smaller level of deductions.New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican with one month left before he leaves office, says he wants state lawmakers to help soften the blow of the tax changes.We should make property taxes on our state income tax returns completely deductible in response to what the federal government has done, because if we dont, it will have an effect on property values in the state, Christie said New Jersey has some of the highest property taxes in the country, and the federal changes will significantly scale back a long-standing policy of exempting state and local taxes from federal taxation. Under the new law, taxpayers will only be able to get an exemption for up to $10,000 of state and local taxes. Beyond that, theyll pay federal income taxes on the state and local taxes they pay.For example, Christie says he typically pays $41,000 a year in property taxes. Until now, hes been able to deduct that from his state and federal income taxes. But under the changes to federal tax law, he would only be able to deduct up to $10,000 on both his state and federal taxes.Do you think thats going to affect property values? You bet it is, he added. But we can fix that, and its a relatively affordable fix.The fix would require the state to stop following the federal rules for state and local tax deductions and create its own so New Jersey taxpayers could deduct the entire cost of their property taxes. That would cost the state $150 million to $170 million, out of a $34 billion budget, Christie said.A third Republican governor, Rick Snyder of Michigan, also supported a change to state tax law in response to the federal overhaul.The federal tax reform is going to cause peoples Michigan taxes to go up. We shouldnt take the benefit of that at the state level, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder told the Associated Press. We should figure out how to give that back to the hard-working taxpayers.Snyder told the AP he is especially worried about the federal laws elimination of the personal exemption . That exemption excludes a certain amount of income from being taxed for every member of a household. For 2017, it is $4,050 per person. But Michigan also has a $4,000 exemption for each federal exemption.The changes in federal law could mean a $170 state tax hike for a single person in Michigan, or a $680 hike for a family of four. Snyder said he would propose a fix for the problem in January.Not every governor wants to turn down the prospect of additional revenues.In Colorado, the prospect of an extra $196 million to $340 million coming to the state treasury has already set off a fight over how to spend it, thereports.The administration of Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said it would come up with plans to spend the new money on education, transportation and building up the states reserves.But Republicans and business groups are pushing for the money to be spent on road improvements, thenotes, quoting a statement from House Minority Leader Patrick Neville. Roads are our top priority, and there is no reason why nearly all of this new revenue should not go to widening highways and expanding primary arteries, he said.In Connecticut, top officials in the administration of Gov. Dannell Malloy are warning that an expected revenue bump from the federal tax changes could paper over significant problems with the states tax structure that still need to be addressed. The state projects it will face deficits of $1.9 billion in 2019-20 and $2.7 billion in 2021-22.Theres nothing about these [federal] tax changes that are going to turn things around for us in the next 18 months, Malloys budget director, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes, told the. Im concerned that the short-term disruption may give the legislature the mistaken impression we dont need to address the deteriorating revenues.
Colorado lawmakers on Thursday approved emergency funds to keep alive a health insurance program for children and pregnant women, amid concerns that a short-term extension of the program's funding OK'd by Congress won't arrive soon enough to help.In a unanimous vote, members of the Joint Budget Committee approved spending $9.6 million of state funds to run the Children's Health Plan Plus program for an extra month, if necessary. The vote means ominous end-of-coverage letters that Colorado had planned to send next week to more than 75,000 kids and pregnant women covered by the program won't go out.But the cash infusion doesn't secure the long-term future of the program, which normally is paid for mostly with federal money that Congress has yet to reauthorize for more than a few months at a time."I have my fingers crossed that Congress will do the right thing," state Rep. Millie Hamner, a Democrat from Dillon and the chair of the state's budget committee, said just before Thursday's vote.Children's Health Plan Plus, or CHP+, is the state's version of the national Children's Health Insurance Program, which covers more than 9 million kids across the country. The program provides health coverage for children and pregnant women from low-income families that earn just enough not to qualify for Medicaid.Congress allowed funding for the program to expire several months ago, and Colorado's program has been running on leftover money since then. The state had expected to run out of money for CHP+ at the end of January.On Tuesday, Gov. John Hickenlooper asked lawmakers to dip into a state fund to keep CHP+ alive through February. That would give Congress time to reauthorize the program funding or give Colorado time to figure out what to do next, he said."We just hope we're not in the same situation in another month," Hamner said Thursday.The situation is somewhat less dire after the Republican-controlled Congress on Thursday passed a last-minute measure to fund the government through Jan. 19.Included in the bill was a provision that would pay for the Children's Health Insurance Program through March 31, with three months of retroactive funding to cover costs incurred since the program lapsed this fall."I support the inclusion of language in the must-pass CR that allows CHIP funding to continue while a long-term bipartisan agreement is worked out," U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said in a statement.U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said he voted against the stopgap funding bill in part because it doesn't provide a long-term fix for the Children's Health Insurance Program."We should not accept this approach," Bennet said in a statement. "We should stay here and finish our work, rather than abdicating our responsibility and leaving so many Coloradan families in the lurch."Tom Massey, the interim executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, said state officials are uncertain whether the new federal money will arrive in time to keep CHP+ from running out of cash. He said his department would spend the newly approved state money only if it's needed.The state money will come from the CHP+ trust fund, which has $23.7 million in it. Money from the tobacco master settlement flows into the trust fund every year. But those dollars aren't enough to pay for the whole program, which would cost the state more than $100 million a year if it wanted to fund CHP+ on its own, Massey said."We don't think it's ever going to come to that," Massey said optimistically.But, he said, Congress normally reauthorizes funding quickly for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which was created in 1997."We've never seen it get this far," he said.
Michigan school employees got an early Christmas present Wednesday from the Michigan Supreme Court, which ruled that the state has to refund $554 million that was taken from them during the height of the last recession.The Supreme Court upheld a state Court of Appeals ruling that said the 3% taken from school employees' pay checks to help fund retiree health care from mid-2010 to the start of 2013 was unconstitutional. The pay was taken during the administration of former Gov. Jennifer Granholm to help deal with the state's struggling economy.As many as about 275,000 current and former school employees could be eligible to share in the money now held in escrow, Department of Technology, Management and Budget spokesman Kurt Weiss said.The court ruled 6-0 in favor of the school employees.The 2010 law "substantially impaired the plaintiffs' employment contracts by involuntarily reducing the plaintiffs' wages by 3%, and the state failed to demonstrate that this measure was reasonable and necessary to further a legitimate public purpose," the Supreme Court said in its ruling on Wednesday morning.The court's newest member, Justice Beth Clement, did not participate in the ruling. The court gave no reason, but Clement had not yet joined the court when it heard oral arguments in early November and teacher unions had asked that Clement be disqualified because she served as legal counsel to Gov. Rick Snyder when he was defending the law.The court's order means that more than 200,000 current and former teachers and other school employees in the state will get a portion of the $554 million, including nominal interest earned, that was withheld from their pay, although the details and amount per teacher haven't been worked out yet.Weiss said it wasn't clear Wednesday when checks will go out. But there will be a two-step process to getting the money into the hands of current and former school employees, he said."The contributions will be returned to the school districts where the contributions were withheld," he said. "The school districts will then, in turn, issue the refund to members through the school districts."Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart said she "cannot imagine a better pre-holiday gift to Michigan's school employees than getting their hard-earned money returned to them."Herbart described the ruling as a "culmination of years of work by both AFT Michigan and MEA on behalf of our members" that "reinforces why being a member of a union matters.""Working collectively, we won this case that no individual could have fought for themselves," she said.Snyder, who hired outside attorneys to fight the ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals after Attorney General Bill Schuette said he was no longer prepared to argue the government's case, said he was pleased that taxpayers now have a resolution."The funding has been held in escrow, so Michigan will continue to have a balanced budget," Snyder said in a statement. "We will not need to raise new revenue or remove funding from other priorities to refund the money that was collected for retirement health care."Schuette, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, issued a statement through a spokeswoman that said he "strongly agrees that the Michigan Supreme Court made the right decision."David Hecker, president of the American Federation of Teachers Michigan, said he hopes the Snyder administration and Schuette will now work to get the money paid in a timely fashion."Michigan's school employees have waited eight long years to get their hard-earned money returned to them -- no further delay is necessary," Hecker said.In 2012, the Republican-controlled Legislature under Gov. Rick Snyder passed a new law that continued the 3% deductions but gave an opt-out provision. The Michigan Supreme Court has upheld that law as constitutional. The state argues the 2012 law cured any constitutional defects the 2010 law might have had.Attorneys for school employees had argued that not only did the 2010 law give school employees no option, but it was applied to many employees who would never get a chance to benefit from retiree health care.In continuing to pursue the appeals, despite losing at every court level, Snyder said through a spokeswoman the money was needed to help assure the financial stability of retiree benefits."It's so frustrating that the state keeps fighting it," Mary Jo Hardy of Okemos, a former Lansing Community College teacher, said in November at a union-sponsored vigil outside the Michigan Supreme Court Hall of Justice."They've already taken enough from the teachers," said Hardy, who estimates she is owed between $2,000 and $3,000.Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, called the ruling long overdue justice."Coming from a family of educators and as a son of a high school lunch lady, I know exactly what this win means for the hard-working teachers and support staff in our schools," he said in a news release. "Their hard-earned money was held hostage for seven years but now it will finally be back in their hands."
Legal complexities

Shrouded in secrecy

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley has launched an investigation into whether Gov. Eric Greitens and his staff illegally destroyed public records by using an app that erases text messages.News of the investigation comes nearly two weeks after The Star first revealed that the governor and his senior staff use Confide, an app that destroys a text message after it has been read. The app also prevents someone from saving, forwarding, printing or taking a screenshot of the text.Hawley announced the investigation in a letter delivered Wednesday afternoon to state Sen. Scott Sifton, a St. Louis County Democrat who called for the attorney general's office to look into Greitens' use of Confide to determine whether it's being used to undermine the state's Sunshine Law and records retention law.Later Wednesday in an interview with The Star, Hawley said his office will also look into recent accusations made by a GOP-aligned nonprofit that Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway has not properly turned over text messages sent and received on her state-issued phone.Both investigations will be led by Amy Haywood, section leader of the attorney general's consumer protection division, and Darrell Moore, deputy attorney general for criminal litigation.Hawley said in his letter to Sifton that the attorney general's office "takes very seriously the mandates of transparency and open government" enshrined in the state's Sunshine Law."All Missourians," he wrote, "deserve a state government that is open, transparent and accountable."The investigation into the governor's office is a major blow to Greitens, who last week dismissed The Star's report as a "nothing story that's come from a liberal media outlet that is just desperate for salacious headlines."Neither Greitens nor his staff has challenged any details of The Star's reporting.The governor has thus far largely ignored criticism of his use of the app, which was primarily coming from Democrats. But the optics of an investigation being launched by a fellow Republican are harder to shrug off.Hawley and Greitens were both elected for the first time last year, and both are seen as rising stars in the Republican Party with ambitions beyond Missouri. Hawley is a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018, and Greitens is widely believed to be laying the groundwork for a future White House bid.Hawley promised that his investigation of Greitens would be "fully independent" and that the Republican governor "will be treated in exactly the same manner as anyone else that we'd come in contact with."Parker Briden, Greitens' press secretary, said in an email to The Star that any records related to official business of state government that come into the possession of the governor's office staff are retained. Once a record is retained, Briden said, it may be subject to the Sunshine Law if it relates to public business and is not otherwise closed under state or federal law."We're confident that this review of our records retention policy will show that we follow the law," Briden said, later adding: "Our office policy is straightforward: we follow the law."The accusations against the auditor stem from a lawsuit filed in July by Missouri Alliance for Freedom, a Kansas City-based nonprofit with ties to leaders of the state Republican Party. The group alleges Galloway is not complying with the state's Sunshine Law.Galloway's office says it has worked to fully comply with Missouri Alliance for Freedom's records requests, including turning over more than 24,000 pages of documents at no charge. The lawsuit, Galloway has argued, is simply an attempt to intimidate a political rival."We are confident our office follows the Sunshine Law," said Steph Deidrick, Galloway's press secretary. "We welcome an unbiased review of the legal issues involved. If this process results in recommendations that would modernize the Sunshine Law, we would support those efforts."When news first broke about the governor's use of the app, Hawley expressed skepticism that his office could launch an investigation. He said at the time that the Missouri Supreme Court has previously ruled that the attorney general's office can't simultaneously represent a state officer or state agency and also take legal action against that state officer or agency.But Hawley promised to continue studying the issue."The legal complexities are significant," he said last week, "but we are reviewing those carefully and as swiftly as possible."In his letter to Sifton, Hawley concluded there is not conflict of interest that would prevent an investigation, and that the attorney general's clients are "first and foremost the citizens of the state.""While my office currently represents the governor in ongoing litigation, it represents the governor in those other cases in his official capacity," he said. "The real party in interest in each of those cases, and the office's true client, is the State of Missouri."In a statement to The Star, Sifton said he was "pleased to see the attorney general respond to two weeks of public pressure and move forward with an investigation. We must ensure transparency in our state's highest office."The last time a similar issue arose was in 2007, when then-Attorney General Jay Nixon appointed a special investigative team to look into allegations that then-Gov. Matt Blunt was allowing his staff to destroy emails in violation of the state's open records laws.Blunt eventually released 60,000 pages of emails as part of a settlement in a lawsuit initiated by two attorneys acting on behalf of Nixon's office and joined by several media organizations, including The Star.The investigation officially came to a close in early 2009 -- after Blunt left office and was replaced as governor by Nixon -- when investigators released their final report that concluded Blunt's administration had wrongly deleted emails in violation of state law. But they did not refer the violations to prosecutors.The investigation into Greitens' use of a secret texting app caps a tumultuous first year in office for the governor, who has faced a barrage of criticism for habitually working to cloak the actions of his office in secrecy.Members of his taxpayer-funded transition team were required to sign gag orders banning them from discussing their work publicly. Several key members of the transition team used private email addresses to conduct public business, and the governor's office has refused to make those emails public.He broke with tradition when he refused to disclose how much lobbyists and corporations donated to fund his inaugural festivities. When responding to requests for public records, the governor's office often charges fees some argue could be illegal. The time it takes to turn over those records can stretch out for months, and in one instance more than a year.The governor's proclivity for secrecy inspired a Washington, D.C.-based group tied to national Democrats to file a formal request this week with Hawley's office asking for an even broader investigation into Greitens' compliance with the Sunshine Law.The American Democracy Legal Fund, which was founded by major Democratic Party fundraiser David Brock, is asking Hawley to determine whether the governor's office is violating state law by "failing to retain public records created through the use of private email and text messaging services, by refusing to disclose those records in response to records requests, and by imposing unreasonably high fees on those seeking access to records related to Gov. Greitens' administration."
Fewer States Reporting Revenue Declines

Weighed Down by Pensions

How Much Sales Tax Revenue Is Really Lost Online?

Its all about perspective. A new analysis from the Rockefeller Institute of Government finds that 11 states saw revenue declines during the last three months of fiscal 2017. That sounds bad until one remembers that a full 19 states were in the same predicament a year ago.The reports author, Lucy Dadayan, found that the losses were more concentrated in Eastern states and were primarily due to lower income tax revenues.The analysis also gives a preliminary picture of how fiscal 2017 compares with 2016. Dadayan estimates that 10 states -- Connecticut, Illinois, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Wyoming -- collected less in tax revenue in 2017 than they did the year before.The numbers confirm earlier reports that income tax revenue was anemic in 2017. But theres reason for states to have hope for the current fiscal year. The report notes that preliminary data for the first three months of fiscal 2018, which began in July in most places, indicate much stronger growth. On the whole, personal income tax revenue grew by 4.7 percent and sales taxes increased by 2.7 percent, compared with the first three months of fiscal 2017.Only Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland and Wisconsin reported a decline in total tax collections for that three-month period.Pension debt continues to weigh down state and local government balance sheets.Among states, Fitch Ratings reports that the median long-term liability burden ticked up slightly over the past year. Of course, there is considerable variation between states. Illinois has the highest liability burden, equal to 28.5 percent of its total taxpayer income. Alaska, Connecticut, Kentucky and New Jersey have pension liability burdens higher than 15 percent of personal income -- far higher than the median 3.1 percent. Meanwhile, Nebraska has the lowest burden at 1.4 percent of personal income.The story is much the same for local governments. Moodys Investors Service reports for the largest 50 local governments, the pension burdens amount to more than double debt and unfunded retiree health-care liabilities combined. For those governments, total unfunded pension liabilities reached $456 billion last year, up from $390 billion the prior year. Chicago, Dallas and Houston, which combine for about $60 billion in unfunded liabilities, shoulder the biggest burdens.When considering how credit ratings agencies score pension liabilities, its important to remember they typically use their own math. Both Moodys and Fitch assume lower investment returns over time because they believe this is more realistic than what most plans assume. The end result is that agencies take plans reported liabilities and then adjust them. While Moodys has done this for some time, this year marks the first time Fitch has released its annual pension report using more conservative figures.Pension plans dont much like these conservative figures because it makes their fiscal health look worse. Still, a fair number of them have stepped down their return assumptions in recent years, an acknowledgement that the higher targets of the past decades are unlikely to materialize in the future. But their average annual investment return assumption is still north of 7 percent -- more than a percentage point higher than what Moodys and Fitch believe is realistic.A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report lowers a figure commonly used by state and local governments when talking about lost online sales tax revenues.The report looked at online transactions in the 45 states and the District of Columbia which levy a sales taxes. States cant collect the tax on businesses that dont have a physical presence there. This has resulted in many goods being sold tax-free online. The National Conference of Legislatures pegs the lost revenue figure at around $23 billion annually.But the GAO says its likely much lower . It estimates that state and local lost revenues is somewhere between $8.4 billion and $13.5 billion annually.The discrepancy is likely because there have been increasing cases where state and local governmentscollecting a tax from a remote seller. Notably, Amazon, the largest internet retailer, now has deals in roughly 39 states to remit a sales tax for purchases made through the site.The GAO estimates that state and local governments can currently require remote sellers to collect about 75 to 80 percent of the taxes that would be owed if all remote sellers were required to collect a sales tax. Nevertheless, governments are still collectively losing out on billions each year.
Description

GIS  22 December, 2017: An awareness campaign on Safety and Disaster Risk Reduction for Head of Schools working in the Primary Education sector was held this morning at the Mobile Wing, SMF, in Vacoas. It was organised against the backdrop that education is recognised as having a crosscutting role in disaster risk reduction and can significantly contribute in working towards a safer and disaster resilient-society.

The awareness campaign main objective is to sensitise primary schools senior management staff on disasters and the importance of preparedness so as to ensure that, in turn, all children are made aware of the related dangers surrounding them and how to remain safe in these circumstances. Around 250 Head of Schools from the four Education Zone of Mauritius were in attendance.

In his address, the Acting Chief Technical Officer, Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, Mr. K. Ng Wong Hing, emphasised the importance given by Heads of Schools in ensuring the safety of children under their care. Safety also concerns all citizens of the country and therefore everyone has the responsibility to understand the need of preparedness when faced with disasters, he pointed out.

The awareness campaign was organised by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre (NDRRMC) operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Environment and Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research.

Presentations focused on the following: History of disaster management in Mauritius; Sendai Framework; Community preparedness; Vulnerability of Mauritius; School safety plans which include evacuation route, safe haven, school disaster management committee, crisis mode, and drills.

Resource persons were from the NDRRMC, the Mauritius Fire Rescue Service, Groupe d'intervention de la police mauricienne amongst others. A group of secondary school students also shared their knowledge acquired following their participation at the World Tsunami High School Summit 2017, held in Japan.
Description

GIS - 22 December, 2017: A Foire des Artistes, aiming to provide a platform for local artists of various disciplines to showcase their artistic creativity and sell their products, opened yesterday at Le Jardin de la Compagnie, in Port Louis in the presence of the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun. , aiming to

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Roopun highlighted that the fair serves as a means for local artists to increase their visibility and consolidate their status. It also offers the opportunity for artists to increase the sales of their artworks during the festive season, added the Minister.

He underscored that this artistic fair enables the Mauritian public and tourists to discover the different talents of Mauritius. More fairs targeted at local artists should be organised to further promote the creative industry and endorse the development of cultural tourism, pointed out Minister Roopun.

As regards the combat against piracy, the Minister reiterated that consumers should refrain from the purchase of pirated products and foster an anti-piracy culture across the country.

Foire des Artistes

Several artists are participating in the three-day fair spanning from 21 to 23 December 2017 which is open to the public from 10.00 hours to 15.00 hours.

The activities on the agenda for the fair comprise musical instruments show and the sales of painting and photography works as well as DVDs of local artists.
(TNS)  Georgia lawmakers are proposing a new tax on phone lines, TV subscriptions and maybe even Internet streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.The telecommunications tax, along with existing sales taxes, would help pay for the cost of building high-speed Internet lines to the 16 percent of Georgians who live in rural areas that currently lack Internet access. The tax could raise roughly $200 million a year in new revenue.State representatives on the House Rural Development Council unanimously supported the broadband plan on Dec. 13. Details of the tax will be negotiated during next years legislative session.The telecommunications tax would cover phone and TV services, including Internet phones and satellite TV, which currently arent taxed. Existing franchise fees on communication services would be eliminated and replaced by the telecommunications tax. Proceeds from the tax would be split between state and local governments.This will level the playing field, said Clint Mueller, a lobbyist for Association County Commissioners of Georgia , which advocates for county governments. We really need to get away from fees and sales taxes applying to bits and pieces of technology.Its unclear whether the telecommunications tax, which could be set at a rate around 5 percent, would cover streaming services.Internet service providers are exempt from taxation under a 1998 federal law, the Internet Tax Freedom Act.But states such as Florida and Pennsylvania have already begun to levy taxes on video streaming services.Its something well have to look at as we go through the process, said Rep. Jay Powell, R-Camilla, the chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. Our goal is to broaden the base to cover technologies  that arent being taxed because they didnt exist when the state created its tax structure decades ago. Amazon declined to comment Thursday, and Netflix didnt immediately respond to a message.Cable companies are in favor of a telecommunications tax, said Georgia Cable Association lobbyist Stephen Loftin during a May 23 presentation to the House Rural Development Council . The Georgia Cable Associations members include Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox Communications, the cable and broadband Internet subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, which also owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.We continue to support something like that, thats not based on the technology, its based on the service, Loftin said.Money raised from the telecommunications tax would be dedicated to subsidizing Internet companies construction costs.Georgia legislators have proposed creating a reverse auction, where the state would essentially auction off government funding for Internet lines in low-population areas. The Internet service provider that needed the smallest subsidy to make Internet construction financially feasible would win the funding.
As part of the expanded weapons capability of the M-346 Master aircraft, the Leonardo Group tested the fighter/attack trainer with air-to-air capability launching Raytheons AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missile (AMM). The test, performed at the Salto del Quirra test range in Sardinia this week, also included releases of laser-guided bombs (LGB). Rafael Litening targeting pod was used to guide the LGB. The M-346FA is a fighter/attack variant of the Master. It has additional hardpoints carrying ordnance and fuel tanks, and wingtip rails for AAM. This type also uses the Grifo-346 radar. The goals of the missile launch were to measure the effects of missile plume on engine air-intake and aircraft structure, evaluate store management system (SMS) the functionality and safety interlocks and assess handling quality during missile launch. Two combat capable variants of the M-346  the FT (Fighter Trainer) variant is a dual-role aircraft that keeps both advanced trainer and Lead-In Fighter Trainer functions. As an evolution from the M-346FT, the FA (Fighter Attack) is designed to provide combat capabilities to a wide range of operational needs.

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The Wall Is Lava

World's Tallest Turbine Under Construction in Germany

Alexa Takes Japanese 101

One of the key ways to ensure a secure connection between your Internet browser and the website youre visiting is to encrypt it, a process done by generating completely random strings of numbers that are difficult to hack. There are computer programs that can create these numbers, but external sources of randomness are also up for grabs. The San Francisco-based headquarters of the Web security company Cloudflare has taken a groovy approach to randomness: A wall of 100 lava lamps is recorded and sent in a live feed to a server, which then takes all the tiny lava movements and extracts random, unpredictable chains of encryption from them. It then sends those around the world to help generate encrypted keys for secure Web connections. Since Cloudflare encrypts about 10 percent of all Internet traffic, theres a good chance your own security online relies on that wall of psychedelic light.Source: DigitalTrends.com Standing 264.5 meters, or about 868 feet, from ground to tip, construction of the worlds tallest wind turbine began in a small town near Stuttgart, Germany, in October. Not only does it set a new height record, but it also introduces a new form of energy storage: the water battery. Part of a four-turbine pilot project, the towering giant will have at its base a water reservoir for a nearby pumped-storage hydropower station. This boosts the turbines height, allowing it to more efficiently capture wind, and also acts as short-term energy storage to help ensure grid stability. The company constructing the turbine, Max Bogl Wind, anticipates it will start supplying energy to the German power grid in 2018.Source: NewAtlas.com Before Amazons Echo and Dot devices were released in Japan in mid-October, Alexa had to go back to school, so to speak. The digital assistant built into Amazons devices was rebuilt from the ground up for Japanese customers, including a new Japanese voice, local knowledge and over 250 skills from Japanese developers, said Alexa Senior Vice President Tom Taylor. So that third-party developers can continue to tailor the devices to Japanese culture, Amazon is giving them access to Alexas Skills Kit.Source: Engadget.com
(TNS) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed an $81 billion disaster recovery bill aimed largely at hurricane and wildfire victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and California on a bipartisan vote Thursday evening.But the massive federal relief package includes a slew of changes to federal disaster-recovery policy that could remove numerous bureaucratic roadblocks for victims of the 2016 Louisiana floods.Billions of dollars in disaster mitigation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers money included in the bill, meanwhile, could be tapped for flood-prevention projects in Louisiana.Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, estimates the state could receive about $600 million in recovery money through the bill. That figure matches previous estimates from the Louisiana Governor's Office of needed infrastructure and flood-prevention funding.The massive package's fate in the U.S. Senate, however, remained murky on Thursday night. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who's pushed hard for recovery money for his state over the last several months, said Thursday morning the Senate likely wouldn't consider the bill until returning to work in the new year.Democrats objected to how the overall bill divvies up relief money, complaining that Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands receive short shrift.Some conservative Republicans, meanwhile, voted against the bill in the House because its $81 billion price tag isn't offset by spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. Conservative political groups Heritage Action and the Club for Growth urged lawmakers to vote against the bill.But a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers passed it by a wide margin, 251 to 169.U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond was the only member of Louisiana's delegation to oppose the bill. In an interview earlier this week, Richmond praised the bill's policy reforms, some of which he helped author.But the New Orleans Democrat said inadequate funding for the Virgin Islands to recover from a pair of devastating hurricanes led him to vote against the bill."The good news is that the Senate agrees that this bill is insufficient," Richmond said. "Hopefully, they will draft a better version that includes the resources the U.S. Virgin Islands so desperately needs."In the Senate, Republicans' narrow two-vote majority means they need Democratic support to pass legislation through the chamber.Among the policy tweaks in the package is one that would allow flood-hit homeowners who applied for Small Business Administration loans to access Restore Louisiana recovery grants.Current federal law has severely limited or blocked access to Restore Louisiana grants for the roughly 10,000 Louisianans who applied for SBA loans in the wake of the 2016 floods  even if those homeowners never actually borrowed the money.That policy change  authored by Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, and Richmond  is among a number of policy changes potentially affecting Louisiana included in the proposed Disaster Recovery Reform Act, which was tacked onto the disaster relief package passed by the House on Thursday.The SBA duplication of benefits issue has been among the most frustrating  though not the only  roadblock faced by Louisiana flood victims and local government officials since heavy flooding devastated large parts of the state in March and August of 2016.Other provisions would streamline the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency compensates local governments for damage and would ease rules that have made it difficult for religious groups  including local churches and relief organizations like Samaritan's Purse  from tapping federal recovery dollars."This is a really big, important bill," Graves said earlier this week. "I would argue that some of the policy reforms in here are actually as important as the money is."Graves told The Advocate he's been working with Louisiana Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, as well as Cornyn and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, to build support in the upper chamber.Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has also helped lobby senators to back the changes, calling several Democrats  including Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri  to stress the importance of the changes."I feel like we've been able to explain to most of the senators who have raised issues," Graves said Thursday.Advocate staff writer Elizabeth Crisp contributed to this report.2017 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.Visit The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. at www.theadvocate.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS)  PROVIDENCE, R.I.  An access-to-public-records request has uncovered the state's previously unreported loss of access to many years of emails to and from people in state government.The predicament resulted from the 2015 shift from one email system to another by the state's Division of Information Technology, also known as DoIT, according to an email that Richard Thornton, the campaign-finance director for the state Board of Elections, sent to software entrepreneur and two-time candidate for governor Ken Block on Wednesday.The email said, in part: "There were significant problems with the syncing process, as the two systems are wholly incompatible with each other." As a result, Thornton told Block, "there may, or may not be, additional email communications responsive to your request, but for which the State of RI has no capacity to retrieve presently.''"This is an unbelievable email,'' Block said Thursday. "If I am reading this correctly, an email system upgrade made in 2015 by the RI Digital Office of Information Technology has rendered many, if not most state emails made prior to 2015 unrecoverable."Department of Administration spokeswoman Brenna McCabe told The Journal, "We did not lose the emails." But she acknowledged, "They are [now] in a format that is not easily searchable ... [And] it would take significant resources to put the data in an accessible, searchable format.""The vendor we used  Microsoft Consulting Services  made the State aware that we could lose up to 5 percent of its total email in this process, but management accepted the risk because there was no alternative due to technical differences between the two systems,'' she added.Despite that, she said, the administration considers the $1.15-million upgrade a success because the state "continued operations without significant disruption."As to why the state switched to the new email system, McCabe said the state sought to replace "a widespread mix of outdated Novell GroupWise and Microsoft Exchange systems,'' and what it got in their place was a "cloud-hosted, consolidated platform we have now  Microsoft Office 365 [that provides] DoIT the opportunity for more efficient backup of data, a more standardized approach for records retention and a secure disaster recovery solution."Block's response: "Wow. How does that square with Thornton's email?"Block, who has not indicated plans to run for public office in 2018, performed a computer analysis of the potential for voter fraud in Rhode Island earlier this year. The work was done for a nonprofit organization co-founded by President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Stephen Bannon.As part of his continuing inquiry, Block asked the elections board for communications  dating back to Jan. 1, 2003  from the state to local boards of canvassers about "voter registration ... voter identification policies and processes."This was the response he got from Thornton on Wednesday: "In 2015, the State of RI converted its email system from GroupWise to Outlook365. Emails from active GroupWise mailboxes were transferred, or synced, with mailboxes created in Outlook365."There were significant problems with the syncing process, as the two systems are wholly incompatible with each other. DoIT used a third party tool to act as a go-between to import GroupWise mailboxes to Outlook365, but the results were very inconsistent. As a result ... there may, or may not be, additional email communications responsive to your request, but for which the State of RI has no capacity to retrieve presently.''"If needed, the action of recovering any data that used to exist in GroupWise would need to be contracted out to a third party, as the State of RI does not have the resources or technology currently to perform this activity."As for the cost, Thornton told Block: "DoIT did not provide a cost estimate for this data recovery, but indicated that it could potentially reflect hundreds of hours worth of work to retrieve mailboxes which may or may not be usable."Block responded, "It is bad enough that the Board of Elections wanted to charge me $600 for emails sent to local Boards of Canvassers that set voter registration policy. Now, the State (and by extension the Board) may ask to charge me for 'hundreds of hours' of work that may or may not recover those emails.'"If old emails can only be produced with 'hundreds of hours' of effort, at the cost of many thousands of dollars, those emails are effectively lost,'' he said."How widespread is this loss of State emails? What is the impact to not have perhaps a decade of State email documentation?'' Block asked. "I know that if I lost my historical emails it would have a major impact on me both professionally and personally." The state has not yet answered those questions.
(TNS)  The bank account numbers and personal information of as many of 52,000 customers of The United Illuminating Co., Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut may have been exposed to potential identity thieves as a result of a security breach by a third party vendor.Customers of the three utilities have begun receiving letters this week about the breach from TIO Networks. The Canadian companys Softgate Systems subsidiary had been responsible until last month for processing the walk-in payments of customers from three energy companies, which are subsidiaries of Orange, Conn.-based Avangrid.The investigation to date has uncovered evidence of unauthorized access to the TIO network, including locations that stored personal information of some of TIOs customers and customers of the companies that TIO services, the letter to customers says in part. We have no proof, however, that your data was accessed, acquired, or misused. Although we have no proof that your data was accessed, acquired, or misused, we are notifying you in an abundance of caution because the TIO servers involved in this incident stored data such as customer names, contact information, and subscriber/billing account numbers Other information that may have been exposed includes payment card information, bank account information, Social Security and other government identification numbers, account usernames and passwords, according to the letter.TIO Networks is offering customers whose information may have been compromised one year of complimentary identity protection that includes credit monitoring, identity theft insurance and assistance with combatting identity theft and fraud, should any be detected.News of the scope of the data breach surfaced just 24 hours after Avangrid announced it has contracted with Western Union to accept walk-in payments from customers of three utilities as well as Berkshire Gas of Massachusetts. The ability to make walk-in payments had been suspended for more than a month amid security concerns that surfaced after TIO Networks was acquired by online payments giant PayPal in July.At the time walk-in payments for customers of the three Avangrid utilities were suspended in early November, spokesman Michael West said there was no evidence that customer data may have been compromised. But Avangrid officials were informed on Nov. 29 that a data breach had occurred, said Ed Crowder, an Avangrid spokesman.They (TIO Networks and Pay Pal) had come up with a communications plan to offer some credit protection, and because the problem occurred in the TIO Network, we let them take the lead in this, Crowder said. On our side, we also did some outreach to make customers aware of alternate payment methods.About 29,000 customers of UI alone make bill payments using the walk-in network, he said. Avangrid officials have not said how many customers make their payments in person, across the four utilities.United Illuminating serves 325,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in 17 towns in the New Haven and Bridgeport regionsThe scope of the TIO Networks data breach goes well beyond Avangrids Connecticut utility customers and the states borders.Last week, it was revealed that approximately 2.5 million customers of New Jerseys largest utility, Public Service Electric & Gas, may have had their personal and financial data compromised TIO Networks processed payments made at automated kiosks in PSE&G's walk-in customer service centers between 2012 and 2017. It also allowed for utility bill payments at other payment centers, such as convenience stores.
(TNS)  Seeking to test the security of its 300-plus public-facing websites, the Air Force recently invited  and paid  a group of outside hackers to try to expose system bugs.Twenty-five civilian computer savants from around the world joined a team of seven airmen from various cyber operations squadrons for Hack the Air Force 2.0, which was held on Dec. 9 in New York City.The nine-hour event uncovered 55 bugs  two of which were found within the first 30 seconds  netting a government payout of $26,883, according to HackerOne, the company contracted to host and coordinate the event.A couple of hours into the hackathon, two civilians uncovered a major weakness that exposed the Defense Departments unclassified network, HackerOne said on its website. The discovery netted Brett Buerhaus and Mathias Karlsson $10,650  the biggest single reward to date from any government bug-bounty program.Theres such a perception of the government being closed off and ready to sweep issues under the rug, Buerhaus told HackerOne. It was great seeing how excited they were to work with us.Maj. Gen. Christopher Weggeman, 24th Air Force commander, said the event helped the service showcase its offensive capabilities in an official capacity alongside private and commercial sectors and international partners.Not only does this program strengthen those partnerships, it allows the Air Force to both teach and learn from the best and brightest outside of the [Defense Department], he said in an Air Force statement.Separate Hack the Air Force 2.0 events are scheduled to continue through Jan. 1. Non-Air Force participants could receive cash rewards of up to $50,000 for each vulnerability they identify. For more information, visit the Hack the Air Force 2.0 site
Earbuds are ubiquitous. Theyre lodged in the ears of walkers, runners, passengers and cubicle-dwellers everywhere. But the mix of whats playing is changing. Sure, theres lots of music. And NPR. Then there is direct-to-your-device listening.A decade and a half after their introduction, podcasts are a growing part of the listening habits of 25 percent of Americans. According to Edison Research, monthly podcast listenership grew 24 percent in the last year among a core audience of 18- to 54-year-olds.There is plenty of competition for what Edison calls share of ear. The Apple podcast directory, through which almost two-thirds of podcasts are consumed, lists more than 400,000 titles. Whats more, RawVoice, a podcast hosting and analytics company, reports that at least 1,000 overtly political podcasts have been added to the mix in the year since the 2016 presidential election.So where do explicitly nonpartisan podcasts that give voice to state and local government fit in this world of spoken-word audio delivered directly to your personal device? Fred Dews , a writer, editor and podcaster at the Brookings Institution, set out to find an answer. His scope included all public agencies  including the federal government and nonprofit organizations. On a first pass, he noted that only one public entity cracked Apple Podcasts top 200: a cleverly named show from NASA called Houston, We Have a Podcast . Countless searches and much scrounging later, Dews curated a list of 175 shows to see if there are common through lines in public podcasting.Dews found wide variation in production quality, longevity (some were almost brand-new, and some dated back to the introduction of the now discontinued iPod), and diverse, eclectic subject matter. The California Driver Audio Handbook from the states Department of Motor Vehicles was syndicated as a podcast early on, as was a show for and about prison and probation officers in Michigan.Dews drew three key lessons from his extensive listening tour around the world of nonprofit and government podcasts: (a) they can demonstrate an organizations relevance; (b) they are often started as skunk works within agencies and sold up within the organization; and(c) for the size of the sector, there really are not too many podcasts in this space.Beyond Dews list, we have been listening to a number of state and local podcasts. Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL), the people who brought you the #cityhallselfie, also produce GovLove , a podcast that introduces listeners to the people who do the work of local government. Eighteen months ago, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) offered its own take on managing local government with its podcast series Local Gov Life . And from the town of Gilbert, Ariz., Chief Digital Officer Dana Berchman hosts Government Gone Digital , a podcast that chronicles how local government life is changing.At about the same time, Salem, Mass., Mayor Kim Driscoll and Ruston, La., Mayor Ronny Walker each began their own podcasts. Last summer saw the launch of the eponymousfrom Louisville, Ky. Mayor Rahm Emanuel changed up the model earlier this year when he began tellingby sitting down with everyday Chicagoans for surprisingly candid conversations.Were talking the talk too. Our podcasthelps unpack what new technologies mean for states and localities. And Governing magazines flagship podcast,, features conversations with women who serve in government.* You can find both (among others) at govtech.com/podcasts Podcasting is a crowded, loosely organized, noisy world. It is also in an in-between state  big and mature enough to claim a permanent spot in the media landscape but still open to experimentation and new voices. Discover. Listen. Subscribe. And maybe even start your own.*GoverningGovernment Technologys
Attorneys for Oregon State University have asked a judge to seal the record of termination proceedings against a tenured faculty member while he reviews the universitys actions to determine whether the firing was fair.

The motion was filed Wednesday evening by two lawyers with the Portland firm of Miller Nash, hired by OSU to represent the university in the case of toxicology professor Morrie Craig. He was terminated on Oct. 30 after a faculty committee found he had bullied two students who worked in his lab and had sexually harassed a student and a faculty member.

Craig filed a petition in Benton County Circuit Court for a review of his case, and on Dec. 5 Judge Matthew Donohue granted his request, directing the university to restore Craig to his job for the time being. He also ordered OSU to hand over the records of the termination proceedings for his evaluation by Jan. 5.

An OSU spokesman said the university will comply with that order, but its legal team has taken steps to shield the details of Craigs dismissal from public view.

On Dec. 11, OSU attorneys filed a motion to seal Craigs original petition for a writ of review because it identifies two students who provided information detrimental to the professor during the universitys investigation of allegations against him.

Craigs attorney, Dan Armstrong of Heilig, Misfeldt & Armstrong in Corvallis, objected to that request in a Dec. 15 response, and early Wednesday afternoon he filed a slightly updated version of his original petition.

That evening OSUs lawyers expanded their earlier request with another motion asking that all the records ordered by the court be placed under seal, which would mean that the judge and attorneys for both sides would have access to the documents, but the public would not.

The motion argues that the victims of Dr. Craigs harassing and bullying conduct should not be forced to endure further distress by having their names and details of their interactions easily accessible to the public.

In a court hearing on Thursday, OSU attorney Cody Elliott asked that the amended petition for writ of review be sealed as well.

Donohue said he would consider all three motions to seal as one.

Im going to roll everything together, he said.

The judge also said he needed more information before making his decision. Donohue directed Elliott and Armstrong to prepare briefs by Thursday on how the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act relates to the case.

No formal arguments were made during the hearing, which lasted less than 15 minutes, but attorneys for both sides provided a glimpse into their thinking on the matter.

Armstrong pushed to keep the entire record public on grounds of fairness.

You give these guys an inch, theyre going to take a mile on redacting stuff, he told the judge. Dr. Craigs reputation has been shattered  and all of a sudden the publics not going to be able to see anything.

Elliott pushed back, arguing for privacy.

This is not a situation where the public needs to know the victims of harassment, he countered.

A public records request filed by the Gazette-Times for documents related to Craigs termination was partially granted by the university, but many of the requested documents were withheld on the grounds that OSU faculty records do not meet the definition of a public record under state law.

The newspaper has asked the university to reconsider that decision and, at a minimum, release the records in a redacted form that protects the identities of Craigs accusers while providing full details of the allegations against him and the process that led to his firing.

The Gazette-Times also has asked Judge Donohue to balance privacy considerations with the widespread public interest in the case and reject OSUs blanket motion to seal the entire record of Craigs termination proceedings.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ( NPRM ) on the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with biofuels that are produced from grain sorghum oil extracted at dry-mill ethanol plants. EPAs evaluation of the GHG emissions shows that producing biofuels from distillers sorghum oil results in no significant upstream agricultural GHG emissions.

As such, biodiesel and heating oil produced from distillers sorghum oil via a transesterification process, and renewable diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, naphtha, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) produced from distillers sorghum oil via a hydrotreating process, would meet the lifecycle GHG emissions reduction threshold of 50% required for advanced biofuels, and biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard program.

Based on these analyses, EPA is proposing to amend the RFS program regulations to define the term distillers sorghum oil. We also propose to add to the regulations approved pathways from the production of biodiesel and heating oil from distillers sorghum oil via a transesterification process, and renewable diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, naphtha, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) produced from distillers sorghum oil via a hydrotreating process. NPRM
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The class will meet for group lessons designed to build skills and knowledge of music theory for beginning guitar players or intermediate players to refresh their skills.

This eight-week class meets Tuesdays from 6 to 7:50 p.m. starting Jan. 9. The cost is $99. For more information or to register, see the LBCC online schedule at www.linnbenton.edu, email albany@linnbenton.edu or call LBCC Community Education at 541-917-4840.
HIGH POINT  Maxine Campbell turns over a painting of a rain-streaked cityscape set in a metal frame.

She reaches around back and the artwork sprouts legs.

Put the legs back up and put the painting back on the wall. Have people over, bring it back down and have something on which to set some beverages or magazines.

Campbell, the former director and curator of High Point Universitys Sechrest Art Gallery, has always been interested in creating what she calls functional art, and recently launched Unique Home Art & Objects.

The High Point ventures signature product is Table Art  prints measuring 24 inches on each side that can be hung over the mantel but also have metal legs that can be folded out.

Theyre on high gloss aluminum, and it has a real glow, kind of like glass. Some are printed on white coated aluminum, makes for a nice transfer, Campbell said. And I wanted the art to be of a vast array of styles and genres. So youve got Aborigine, youve got midcentury modern, youve got bohemian, youve got Asian. Ive got one based on an old science poster. Theres a big variety of art.

Raised in Brooklyn in New York City, Campbell studied art history at the State University of New York at New Paltz, and later at UNC-Greensboro. She began her career as a designer by creating hand-painted lampshades.

I looked at the lampshade and decided it was a blank canvas, she said. And I started doing things that looked very Picasso or Braque or Matisse-esque.

Eventually she took a job as a print textile designer for Burlington Industries. She has also done some work for supermodel Kathy Irelands lifestyle brand, and consulting for Chinese furniture-maker Kinwai.

At HPU, she oversaw the Sechrest Art Gallery for 10 years and also taught in the universitys School of Art and Design.

She left earlier this year to start her company.

Campbell said she was inspired in part by her uncle, who died about a year ago.

He was instrumental in mentoring me, she said. He was an artist, an art collector. And we really had a connection on a creative level. He would always give me ideas, tell me the latest things going on in New York in the art world. He said to me, Do you want to start this business? I think theres a need in the marketplace. 

Campbells husband. John, had also died, about two years ago, and she said starting the company helped give her some direction.

It gave me something to channel my energies into, she said. I was working for the university, but this was something I could do for me.

The works printed on the table tops/wall hangings come from artists that she knows, or who have exhibited at Sechrest, as well as from herself and from museum collections. The images are transferred onto the aluminum through a dye-sublimation process, which permeates the metal, and makes for a water- and heat-resistant surface.

So far, she has about 40 prints in the collection.

The frames come in bronze, black and silver finishes, and are made in Thomasville.

In October, Campbell set up a booth at the High Point Market, and she has been selling the works wholesale for $399 each. She is also working on some prototypes for a kids line.

Right now this is just something I do out of the garage, but eventually I would like to have a Table Art studio, she said. Its something that appeals to people who are really art-minded.
Charlotte-based Bojangles has been ordered to pay $15,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit from a transgender former employee at one of its restaurants in Fayetteville.

According to the initial complaint filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in July 2016, former employee Jonathan Wolfe, who identifies and presents as a woman, was subjected to offensive and derogatory comments from her bosses about her appearance.

Bojangles violated federal law by subjecting Wolfe to a hostile work environment, the suit claims. Wolfes bosses made insulting comments about her appearance and gender identity, according to the EEOC complaint. Bojangles fired Wolfe in retaliation for complaining about the harassment.

Wolfe began working as a biscuit maker at a Bojangles restaurant in 2012. According to the complaint, during the first few months of Wolfes employment, her boss made comments about her effeminate mannerisms, including her gait, speech and posture.

A few months after starting work, Wolfe came to the restaurant while off-duty, dressed, as she always does, as a woman. At this time, the same boss told Wolfe she could not come into the restaurant again wearing makeup or fake fingernails while working.

In December 2012, a Bojangles assistant unit manager began making frequent comments to Wolfe that included, God made woman for man and Boy, you need to pray, according to the complaint.

Wolfe complained about the comments, but shortly after that, the assistant unit manager was promoted. Wolfes bosses behavior, described in the complaint as derogatory and humiliating, went on for months, and in February 2013, she was terminated.

The $15,000 settlement is for emotional injuries alleged in this action. Bojangles did not respond to a request for comment.

Also as part of the settlement, Bojangles has agreed to provide annual training for two years to area directors, unit directors, assistant unit directors and shift managers on regarding discrimination based on sex and retaliation.

This isnt the first sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit Bojangles has paid to settle an EEOC case in recent years.

In September 2012, the chain agreed to pay over $33,000 to a Greensboro employee who was sexually harassed and then fired for complaining about it. According to the settlement, the employees boss repeatedly asked for sexual favors, including oral sex in exchange for time off.
Many otherwise hard-boiled political reporters still fondly recall their moments with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on the Straight Talk Express, the low-spin, laughs-filled campaign bus of his losing 2000 presidential try.

My travel memories with the senator are no less evocative, if perhaps not quite as rollicking: slogging through a muddy refugee camp in Serbia, say, or listening to the anguished testimony of exiled Belarusian dissidents in a government building in Vilnius.

Year after year, to no particular political advantage, McCain has traveled to distant, lightly touristed corners of the world, dragging along whatever senators or representatives he could, no matter their party or ideological persuasion. Meanwhile, the McCain Institute for International Leadership gives temporary shelter in Washington, D.C., and Arizona to democratic activists from those same distant corners.

At a time when U.S. global leadership is in doubt as never before in the modern era, we have something to learn from that commitment.

McCain being McCain, when I asked him during a recent conversation in his Senate office why he devotes so much energy to such trips, he shied away from grand pronouncements and began telling stories instead.

About the time he helped head off a Russian-inspired coup in the tiny Balkan nation of Montenegro.

About walking through Tripoli, Libya, with U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens in 2012 as dozens and then hundreds and thousands of Libyans gathered, honking their horns and shouting, Thank you, USA, for Americas part in overthrowing Moammar Gaddafi.

About meeting with former political prisoners in Burma who began to cry when they heard his voice, having heard him on the Voice of America speak up for human rights.

So the reward is mine, not theirs, McCain told me.

Like many people, Ive been alternately cheered and disappointed by McCains stances on domestic matters over the years  admiring when he helped save Obamacare a few months ago, disappointed when he went along with the Republican tax-cut bill this month.

But McCain has never wavered in his support for democracy and human rights, and in his conviction that the United States needs to provide moral support to those who fight for freedom around the world. With President Trump often expressing more admiration for dictators than for democratic leaders, McCains advocacy has become lonelier  and more essential.

His advocacy isnt always successful, as his anecdotes make clear. Libya slid into civil war, and Stevens was killed two months after that election-day stroll through Tripoli. Burma, though former human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi is nominally in charge, is presiding over the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people.

The easy part is the revolution, McCain said. The hard part is democracy. ... The trend is obviously in the wrong direction.

One reason, he said, is the lack of American leadership, which he believes accelerated under President Barack Obama. For the most part, McCain tries to restrain his criticism of the incumbent, though the occasional acerbic remark slips out.

Maybe we ought to have a rule that (national security adviser H.R.) McMaster has to be up and about by 5 a.m., he suggested to me, for example.

But he does not disguise how worried he is by the deeper currents that recall to him the darker movements of the 1930s: the nativism, the assaults on freedom of the press and the rule of law, the blaming of foreign competition for all ills, the rise of extremism.

I worry about the polarization thats going on here, I really do, McCain said. The terms of the debate is what is really disappointing.

The other day I was flipping the channels, and I saw (Steve) Bannon just beating the crap out of (Mitt) Romney, he continued, alluding to Bannons attacks on Romney for his service as a Mormon missionary in France during the Vietnam War. McCain, who more than did his part in Vietnam, made clear he didnt share Bannons view. I didnt think there was anything wrong with serving your church. I had no idea that was a crime.

Then McCain, who is fighting a brain tumor and who briefly returned to the hospital not long after our conversation, paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.

Could I also say  I still believe that were the best nation on Earth, he said. I still would not bet against the United States of America. I still would rather be the United States than any of these other countries.

But were going through some very choppy waters, he said. Weve got to appeal to the better angels of our nature.
President Trump has exhibited a chilling sympathy to past authoritarian behavior. A Roman Senate cowers before a modern Caligula who, like Hitler, persuades a complaisant public, preoccupied with daily life, into docilely accepting frequently told lies.

He encourages public indifference to suffering, vigilante violence and methods of government suppression; ridicules public respect for courts and other constitutional protections of civil rights; criticizes religious, ethnic and racial minorities; discredits America as a moral force in geopolitical affairs; diminishes the quality of life through executive regulations beyond the control of law; and strips governmental infrastructure of the means to adequately govern.

Trump advocates disrespect for impartial national, state and local law enforcement, blatant preferential treatment for members of his socio-economic class and his family, and flouts respect for the legal system by arbitrary (or threatened) power of pardon and disregard of illegal activities by his political cronies. With appointments of unqualified lifetime judges, he burdens the judicial system with long-term incompetence.

America has historically rescued the world from periodic attempts to destroy civilized traditions. But is our turn looming, and who will there be to rescue us if we fail to prevent the pernicious effects of Trumpism?

Eugene E. Pfaff Jr.

Greensboro
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY  After serving eight years in the state house, Reidsville resident Bert Jones has announced week that he wont seek re-election for the 65th District seat.

It has been an honor and privilege for me to serve the citizens of our great state for four terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives, said Jones in a prepared statement. Ive been encouraged by people who care deeply about our nation and those foundational principals that make it great. But, it has never been my ambition to pursue a long political career. My prayerful decision is that it is time for me to devote more time and energy to other important life priorities.

Jones, who ran as an independent in the 2010 general election, took office in 2011 after defeating incumbent Nelson Cole by 2,067 votes.

Eight days after the General Election, the Rockingham County native accepted an invitation to join the house Republican Caucus, according to previous news reports.

Jones, a dentist by trade, was re-elected in 2012 with 59.5 percent of the vote. He was selected by the people for a third term in 2014  defeating democrat Elretha Perkins of Eden by over 30 percentage points.

Jones followed that up in 2016 by defeating fellow former county commissioner Keith Duncan, while sweeping all 12 local precincts that covered the seat representing Rockingham and Caswell counties.

The representative stated in a public newsletter and on social media that it has never been his ambition to seek a long political career and that he is satisfied knowing that a likeminded, well-qualified friend is ready to serve.

He added that the friend, who shares similar values, plans to announce his candidacy very soon.

As for his remaining time in Raleigh, Jones said that he hopes to see the house pass Joint Resolution 44  which provides support for applying to congress for an Article V Convention of the States, with the intention of proposing amendments to the United States Constitution.

A similar resolution was passed 29-20 in the state senate on April 26 and was supported by Sen. Phil Berger (R-Eden).

The resolution, which was voted down in June, could be brought up again for consideration during short session. After denying it, legislators also chose to send it to the House Rules Committee and allow for it to be brought up for future consideration in 2018.

Verbiage in the one-page document filed in February contends that the federal government has, increasingly usurped legitimate roles of the states and created a crushing national debt through unsustainable budgeting and spending.

Amendments to the U.S. Constitution can be proposed by a two-thirds vote by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate or by a convention of states, called to order by two-thirds of state legislatures.

A constitutional convention hasnt been held since 1787. That meeting ended with the creation of the United States Constitution.

A fiscal conservative, the former Rockingham County board has been vocal about state and federal debt, as well as the need for leaner budgets at both levels.

In an email interview with RockinghamNow, the UNC-Chapel Hill graduate said that one major legislative accomplishment that took place during his tenure, was the rebuild of a healthy business and tax climate.

When I assumed office in January 2011, the state of North Carolina had the highest tax burden in the 16-state South region, had a state budget deficit of $3 billion, ranked fifth worst in the nation in unemployment, ranked fifth worst in business and tax climate, and Rockingham County was ranked in the poorest tier level among North Carolina counties, Jones said.

He added that legislative reform has led to drastic changes in the states public perception.

North Carolina is now recognized as a model for the nation, has been running healthy budget, surpluses annually, has an employment rate above the national average, and has climbed from 46th to 11th nationally in the Tax Foundations business and tax rankings (the largest rise of any state, ever), Jones wrote in response to a question about his accomplishments while in office.

According to Jones, Rockingham County has benefited from the statewide improvements, which he says has created billions in tax relief and a better environment for businesses and jobs statewide.

Our county leadership deserves a lot of credit for the county's improvement, said Jones, who also cited that Rockingham County has now risen to a middle-tier county. Of course we still have our challenges, but the past seven years under more common-sense, conservative leadership in the legislature has resulted in many important improvements for our state. We have been better stewards for the people, and have brought runaway taxes and spending under control (as is desperately needed in Washington), Jones wrote.

Jones added that there have been many accomplishments during his tenure in office, but didnt claim them as his own. Instead, he called them a team effort.

It has been an honor to serve and contribute my small part, which would not have been possible without the strong support I have received from the citizens of our county, said Jones. They sent me to the legislature to represent their values and they deserve the most credit of all for the results.

Jones told RockinghamNow that he would not rule out public service in the future, but he has no plans to run for office at this time.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no candidates have filed in Rockingham County for the 65th district seat, according to Rockingham County Board of Elections Director Tina Cardwell.
SALEM  The Bi-Mart Willamette Country Music Festival will stay in Brownsville for 2018, but organizers are still seeking a move to Jefferson for the following year.

Anne Hankins, president of Willamette Country Music Concerts LLC, gave that information as part of a public hearing Wednesday on the festival's request for a conditional use permit from Marion County.

No decisions have been made on the permit so far. The hearing has been continued to 4 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Senator Hearing Room at Courthouse Square, 555 Court St. N.E., Salem.

The four-day country music festival has been held on farmland outside Brownsville for 11 years. Concert organizers have applied to move it to property at 13054 Jorgenson Road South and also in the 3700 block of Wintel Road South, Jefferson.

Festival organizers have said they will keep attendance at 25,000 for the coming festival in Brownsville but, if approved, would like to expand to 30,000 for 2019 in Jefferson.

Initially, the request to Marion County was for a conditional use permit for temporary use of 692 acres in an Exclusive Farm Use zone in conjunction with a mass gathering permit for Aug. 16-19, 2018.

However, Hankins said the festival wants more time to meet Marion County's requirements for the permit and also wants to address Jefferson residents who oppose the move.

About 100 people filled the hearing room Wednesday. More than two dozen people testified, including attorneys representing both pro and con positions.

James Buchal, representing farmers in the area who object to relocating the four-day music festival, questioned whether the permit request should be allowed to go forward under Oregon statutes, saying he doesn't believe a four-day mass gathering falls within the allowable exceptions for land use in an Exclusive Farm Use Zone.

"We think as a matter of law that it can't be approved at all," he said.

Other opponents said they worry concert traffic will lead to trespassers, land and equipment damage, and problems with farmers getting to their fields, which could damage time-sensitive crops.

They also cited concerns about fire danger, impacts to groundwater and possible effects on the nearby Ankeny Wildlife Refuge.

"There's really no way to mitigate the impacts," said Mary Anne Cooper of the Oregon Farm Bureau. "Putting it in the middle of farmland is just not the right option."

But Brownsville City Administrator Scott McDowell, speaking on behalf of the concert, said the music festival has worked hard to limit impacts on farmers in Brownsville, meeting with property owners to work out issues ahead of time.

"They basically put on a world-class event, and I think they'll bring that same tenacity to Marion County," he said.

And some residents said they welcome the opportunity for a four-day influx of visitors, which could generate income for businesses and donations for nonprofits.

Jefferson, said 63-year resident Dan Gilmour, "is kind of on a rebound now, and I think something like this would benefit the area."
Bareburger in Ridgefield played host to the inaugural class of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy this week, the second of six field trips the students will take during the program.

Bareburger co-founder Euripides Pelekanos traveled from Queens, N.Y., to share his story with the YEA students. Starting with one restaurant in Astoria, Bareburger is now an international franchise.

The Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce launched the local YEA program this fall for middle and high school students in the Danbury area interested in becoming entrepreneurs. The 30-week program includes guest speakers, mentors, and field trips. Students will create a business plan and pitch it to a panel of investors at the end of the program.

The class previously visited Noteworthy Chocolates in Bethel.

At Bareburger this week, students also spoke with store manager Andrei Paschenko and events manager Dana Jevarjian, who discussed the importance of thinking outside the box.

To have someone like Euripides share his story with our students is priceless, said Jennifer Zinzi, executive director of the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce. He brings a wealth of experience to the panel and easily relates to the students.

Following the meeting, Pelekanos agreed to serve on the YEA Investor Panel, which will evaluate the students business plans.

It would be an honor to take part in this valuable experience, which will pave the path for future business leaders, he said.

Other investors and judges include: Mary Kate Gobleck, owner of Reliance Merchant Services; Robert Salaga, owner of Tutoring Club of Ridgefield; and Chris Brown, co-owner of Teed & Brown.

Bobbi Jo Beers, YEA program manager, said more panel members are needed. The Investor Panel event is set for April 5 at Western Connecticut State University. Those interested may contact Beers at (203) 733-7406.

YEA is a national program; Ridgefield is the only one in the state. The inaugural class includes students from Danbury, Bethel, Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton and Stratford.

cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
For more than 40 years, dozens of players in and around Greenwich looked forward to attending the District 3 Tri-State Regional tournament held every year at the Rye Town Hilton, about 15 minutes from downtown Greenwich. The locals were joined by hundreds of players from New York City, Westchester, New Jersey and Massachusetts in the annual seven-day quest for glory and master points.

But two years ago, the powers that be decided to move the tournament out of Westchester to a site in northern New Jersey. This apparently did not prove a wise decision, with many Westchester and Connecticut players declining to cross the Hudson to compete. Now, the good news is that the Tri-State is back in Westchester, but at a different venue, the Tarrytown Marriott, about half an hours ride from Greenwich.
Im not going to sugarcoat this. Scheduling is a mundane task I really dont look forward to.

However, if I dont schedule my time effectively, my mind will be scattered all over the place. Thats because having a schedule keeps me focused, organized and productive.

One of the best ways that Ive been able to achieve this is by creating a master calendar for small business. This is simply one calendar that contains all of my most important dates, events, and tasks.

Thats not really complicated, is it? To get started on creating your own master calendar, heres 10 tips that you should follow.

1. Jot down all of your recurring dates and activities.

The first step you need to take when creating a master calendar is to write down all of your recurring tasks and activities. Since this is for your small business, focus on just those that are business-related. These could include:

Client consultations.

Team meetings.

Replying to phone calls and emails.

Marketing.

Networking.

Product development.

General administration.

If you were to make a master calendar for your personal life, then you would list activities like family time, meals, exercise, and reading.

Now that you have these activities listed, start inputting them into your calendar to create a schedule. For example, if you have a team meeting every Tuesday at 3pm, then create that as a recurring event.

Related: 7 Tips for Managing Your Schedule Like a Pro

2. Establish clear work boundaries.

After youve jotted down your list of recurring dates and activities, its time to set aside specific blocks of time. Sometimes this is a straightforward. Since team meetings are usually 30 minutes long, then you now to block out from 3:00 to 3:30 every Tuesday afternoon.

Sometimes this can be a bit trickier. For me, Ive found when Im most productive and set working hours around those times. Usually this is from eight am to noon and then two pm to five pm. Knowing this, I blockout those times for undisturbed work.

Making this schedule not only guarantees that Im getting everything done, it allows me to create a more structured calendar. For instance, I dont schedule meetings in the morning since thats eating into my peak productivity time. Instead, Ill schedule a meeting between noon or two pm.

This structure also keeps my working hours contained. This way Im not spending too much time at work. If Im done at five pm, then Im only working on soft tasks for the last hour or so to ensure that Im done on time.

3. Make important dates and deadlines stand-out.

Lets say that you have a meeting with a client on Wednesday at one pm. You want to make sure that this date stands out from all of your other events and activities. Your best option is to use a different color, bold face, or all caps.

To be honest, you should just go ahead and color code your various tasks and appointments so theyre easy to differentiate with each other. For internal team meetings you could use blue, while client meetings could be orange. I even highlight events so that I'm not wasting time with networking events.

Related: I Tried Google Goals for a Week. The Result: I Meditated, Hydrated and Hibernated More Than I Ever Have Before.

4. Include time buffers on your schedules.

Scheduling back-to-back meetings is just setting yourself up for failure. You need time between meetings to travel, recharge, prepare, eat a snack, or unwind. Most of the time a half an hour between meetings is enough of a buffer time.

If youre traveling, however, youll probably want to bump that up to an hour.

During this period, dont schedule anything else. You need this time to flawlessly flow from one meeting to the next.

Related: Try This Calendar App to Keep Your Crazy Schedule Straight

5. Be flexible.

This is especially important if youre working with a team. After all, there will be times when plans have to be altered. Lets say a team member had a doctors appointment at 2:30 pm on a Tuesday. They probably wont be able to make the meeting.

However, you could push the meeting to 3:30 instead of 3:00 pm. This way youre not cancelling the meeting since everyone can attend.

In my master calendar, I always schedule some time before and after an exact time. I usually use this time to prepare or recharge. But Ive also used these blocks to adjust meeting times if I have to.

6. Use a combination of tools.

This is no one-size approach when it comes to creating a master calendar. Thats why you can use a variety of tools to help you create your own master calendar.

I rely on Google Calendar for setting my daily routine. I also receive reminders and can easily share it with others. For scheduling meetings, Calendar App is my go-to-tool (I also built it). Other times I use a project management tools like Basecamp to stay-on-top of projects.

Find which tools work best for you, and make the most out of them. If theyre working for you, then stick with them.

Related: How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog

7. Capture information.

What happens when a new idea, task, or event pops-up? Capture it ASAP by writing it down and then adding it to your calendar.

As David Allen explains in the iconic Getting Things Done, this will make sure that you wont forget about it. More importantly, it frees your brain so that youre not retaining too much information.

8. Designate one person to be in charge.

Unless youre a solopreneur, you need to designate one individual to be the calendars keeper. Theyll be responsible for updating the calendar, making sure all information is correct, and resolving any scheduling conflicts.

If you have too many people editing the calendar, it can get messy real fast. If they need to add an event, it goes through the person in charge of the calendar first. This way the new event can be added to an open time slot so that youre not double-booked.

9. Share the calendar with your team.

Unless youre a one-person operation, sharing your master calendar is a must. Thats because it improves communication, efficiency, and calendar productivity within your organization since it keeps everyone on the same page.

Sharing your calendar also saves you time and balances out assignments.

At the same time, you also want to make sure that its collaborative and inclusive. For example, you may not mind those four pm meetings on Wednesdays. But, what if some of your team lives in a different time zone? It may be six pm for them, which youre taking-up their personal time.

Tools like Calendar can make scheduling events or appointments much easier since your team can select the best date and time for them.

Related: 10 Social Media Posts That Deserve a Place in Your Content Calendar

10. Keep the master calendar centrally located.

Thanks to the cloud, this isnt really a problem. Your team can just login to Google, for example, and access the master calendar. Just make sure that you grant access to them.

If you want to be old school, you could print out a copy and post in a central location, like your companys bulletin board.

Related:

10 Secrets to Creating a Master Calendar That Drives Your Productivity

Managing Time Is the Biggest Struggle Facing Entrepreneurs. Here's What to Do About It.

3 Successful Influencers Share the Time Managements Tricks They Use to Stay Productive



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Louisiana is finalizing a plan to move thousands of people from areas threatened by the rising Gulf of Mexico, effectively declaring uninhabitable a coastal area larger than Delaware.

A draft of the plan, the most aggressive response to climate-linked flooding in the U.S., calls for prohibitions on building new homes in high-risk areas, buyouts of homeowners who live there now and hikes in taxes on those who won't leave. Commercial development would still be allowed, but developers would need to put up bonds to pay for those buildings' eventual demolition.

"Not everybody is going to live where they are now and continue their way of life," said Mathew Sanders, the state official in charge of the program, which has the backing of Gov. John Bel Edwards. "And that is an emotional, and terrible, reality to face."

Months of community meetings on the program wrapped up this week.

The draft plan, a portion of which was obtained by Bloomberg News, is part of a state initiative funded by the federal government to help Louisiana plan for the effects of coastal erosion. That erosion is happening faster in Louisiana than anywhere in the U.S., due to a mix of rising seas and sinking land caused in part by oil and gas extraction. State officials say they hope the program, called Louisiana Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments, or LA SAFE, becomes a model for coastal areas around the country and the world threatened by climate change.

While the state hasn't come up with a cost estimate, the buyouts and resettlement could add up to billions of dollars. The federal grant for the initial phase cost $40 million.

The idea hasn't gone over well with all the people it's supposed to help, some of whom want the government to do more to protect their communities instead of abandoning them.

"Are we doing every single damn thing we can? I don't think we are," Richie Blink, 31, said over a bowl of gumbo in Empire, a town 60 miles south of New Orleans on the bank of the Mississippi River. He paused, then said he didn't mean to get worked up. "This stuff wears you out emotionally."

Empire lost half its population after Hurricane Katrina, and now has fewer than 1,000 people. Blink, a community organizer for the National Wildlife Federation, said he understands the dilemma political leaders face, but wishes they would do more to keep the area habitable longer.

Empire's harbor has a flood gate to protect the boats inside from extreme weather. "When I was a kid, it was a big deal to see the flood gates closed," said Blink. This year, he said, those gates were closed for 100 days.

Sanders is working to complete the plan by early next year, at which point it will be up to federal, state and local officials to decide if they will implement it. Edwards, the Democratic governor, announced his support for the program in March. If he backs its recommendations, the state could create a buyout program or eliminate the homestead exemption for homes in high-risk areas, which would mean higher property taxes for many residents.

In a statement, the governor's office said he is "following the progress being made by the LA SAFE team intently and looking for ways to build upon their success as we determine the next steps for the program."

Under the proposal, commercial development would still be allowed, but developers would need to put up bonds to pay for those buildings' eventual demolition.

Rob Moore, a flood policy expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Chicago, said that if the state goes ahead with the plan, "then every coastal state in the country should be asking themselves, 'If Louisiana can do this, why aren't we?'"

The LA SAFE program defines as "high risk" land where, five decades from now, the expected depth of a 100-year flood will reach more than six feet. According to data provided by state officials, 94 percent of the land in Plaquemines Parish, which includes Empire, falls into that category.

Across the six coastal parishes covered by the LA SAFE program, more than 59,000 people live in those high-risk areas. The proposed buyouts and restrictions on future development would only apply to the parts of that land that aren't protected by levees, and the state isn't sure how many that may be.

Another town on the wrong side of the state's risk map is Leeville, a cluster of houses and trailer homes west of Empire that state officials say will soon be underwater. On a recent afternoon, Opie Griffin stood on the front deck of his family's gas station and restaurant and wondered what he's supposed to do then.

"There's no way they can protect this," Griffin said, sweeping his hand out over what's left of the town, the bayou seeping in from all sides. "I see more and more water every year." He put the store up on stilts, perched 16 feet in the air, after Hurricane Gustav blew through in 2008. Now his parking lot floods nearly every day. "Nothing I could do, except come to work on a boat."

However untenable Leeville becomes, however, Griffin is more worried about what's waiting for him somewhere else. "I'm almost forty. Do I want to start a whole new chapter in my life?" he asked. "Where do you want me to go?"

The possibility of backlash makes it hard to predict whether the state's recommendations will take effect. Other ideas in the plan would require cooperation from different levels of government.

The report calls for adding Louisiana's high-risk communities to what is called the Coastal Barrier Resource System, a federal designation that prevents homes and businesses there from getting most types of federal assistance. That change would require federal legislation, and President Donald Trump's signature.

Perhaps the most challenging could be local governments, which have the most authority over land-use and zoning decisions. Sanders said his office's strategy was to demonstrate to local officials that the plan's recommendations have the support of the people who would be affected. The state, working with a nonprofit called the Foundation for Louisiana, held some 60 public events, which together drew more than 3,500 people.

The meetings presented the science on sea-level rise and future flood risks so that people could understand what it meant for where they live, according to Liz Williams, who runs the foundation's coastal resilience program.

According to Sanders, the lesson from those months of meetings is that the people most at risk along Louisiana's coast know they're in danger, and they want more than just assurances that life can go on as normal.

"'They will string you from a tree, burn the room down, throw rotten vegetables at you, slash the tires of your car,'" Sanders recalls being warned before he started talking to residents about the idea of emptying out their neighborhoods. "None of that has happened. People appreciate honesty."

One of them is Ly Chan.

Two years ago, Chan moved from Richmond, Virginia to Buras, a town south of Empire, after she and her husband lost their jobs. The couple had a friend in Buras who owned a shrimp boat; he told them there was work. They bought a single-wide trailer and the land underneath it for $50,000 and planted banana, mango and papaya trees. It was almost paradise.

But the drawbacks of living along the Louisiana coast soon caught up to them. The area around their home floods constantly; in October, Chan, her husband and their teenage son had to evacuate north ahead of Hurricane Nate. Chan, who has worked with the LA SAFE program as a translator for her Cambodian neighbors, said that if the state offered her a buyout she would take it.

"It's not just going to be one time - it's going to be again and again," Chan said of storms like Nate. "God gives you wisdom. You have to use it."
SALEM  Beginning Jan. 2, Albany resident James C. Egan will have a new job.

The former Linn County attorney and Circuit Court Judge will be sworn in as the Chief Judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, on which he has served for the last five years.

This is truly an honor for me, he said. It means my fellow judges trust me enough to take the helm.

Egan never expected to move into the administrative position so quickly.

When I got here, half of the judges had been here for more than 15 years, he said. It was a slow-moving pace that meant maybe being here 5 or 10 years before becoming a presiding judge.

Egan said his new position opened up when current Chief Judge Erika Hadlock decided to step down and take a presiding judge role.

All of the judges then get together and a couple people toss their name into the hat, he said. The votes are taken to the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, Thomas Balmer, who makes the appointment.

Egan said his role will shift almost entirely into administration.

I will no longer sit on the merits panel or decide cases on a daily basis, Egan said. I will fill in on the merits panels when they need a substitute. Now, I will manage the court and make sure each of the four panels is ruling consistently and sit in on each of the conferences to act as the institutional memory of the court.

Egan said he will also make corrections, decisions and recommendations.

At 61, Egan has no plans to retire any time soon, although there's a mandatory retirement age of 75.

I love this job. I get to read, contemplate and write every day, he said. I get to think and do deep research into topics.

Egans rise to Chief Judge comes as the Court of Appeals has undergone rapid growth and has seen a number of retirements in recent years.

The Oregon Court of Appeals is one of the nation's busiest appellate courts. Over the last five years, filings have averaged between 2,600 and 2,900 cases per year. The court issues more than 500 decisions per year.

In 2012, due to the increased workload, the Legislature approved increasing court size from 10 judges to 13 beginning in 2013.

But there have also been a number of retirements during the same period. Of 10 judges who were serving in 2010, only four continue to serve. Egan took office in February 2013, joining Judge Rick Haselton, a West Albany High graduate. Haselton retired in 2015.

Egan, himself a West Albany High alumnus, is a graduate of Willamette University and the University of Oregon School of Law.

He was an attorney in private practice for 25 years and a Linn County Circuit Court Judge for 2 1/2 years before being elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2012.

He also spent 34 years in the Marine Corps, active and reserves.

Egan likes to describe the Court of Appeals by saying Oregons 191 circuit court judges mine the ore; the 13 members of the Oregon Court of Appeals hammer it into shape; and the states seven Supreme Court judges put a fine edge on it.

Previously, Egan said each panel of three judges is assigned about 625 cases per year. Each case comes with 50 to 100 pages of briefs. About 70 percent of the cases are affirmed quickly, which Egan said affirms that most Oregon judges are getting things right. Judges complete one case per week and write a 15- to 20-page decision for each.

Egan has always prided himself on working with young offenders, because he said at one time he was a juvenile delinquent. When he was on the Linn County Circuit Court, he would tell young offenders about his jail cell.

They thought I was talking about having an open cell to put them in. Instead, we would take them up to the fourth floor of the courthouse, to the old jail and I would show them the cell I spent some time in. They usually got the message.

Egan and his wife, Michelle, live in Albany and have eight children.
Jerry Patterson says the fellow Republican who succeeded him as Texas land commissioner, George P. Bush, fixed very few homes in the months since Hurricane Harvey slapped ashore in August 2017.

Patterson, otherwise confirming his 2018 candidacy for land commissioner, a post he previously held for 12 years, said in a recent interview that the Bush-led General Land Office hadnt accomplished much in the way of hurricane relief.

On Dec. 8, 2017, Patterson said to Austin American-Statesman commentator Ken Herman: "I mean, who the hells in charge here? And now we have tens of thousands of Texans who are essentially homeless and the land office has repaired two--two homes. And weve got folks waking up that have been sleeping in tents and they got snow this morning. People are still sleeping in tents."

Pattersons comment seemed potent given that the GLO announced in September 2017 it was teaming with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to hasten post-Harvey recovery in part by helping eligible survivors begin to patch up their homes--though full rebuilds werent in the mix.

Bush said at the time: "With the magnitude of the damage from Hurricane Harvey, there is no doubt this will require a long recovery. This agreement marks the beginning of a new model for simplifying and expediting the transition out of sheltering to short-term and long-term housing recovery efforts."

We focused this fact-check on Pattersons insistence the GLO had only repaired two homes.

Homeless--and tents?

But Pattersons other pokes also got our attention.

How many Texans remain homeless due to the hurricane is hard to pin, we recently found. But a University of Texas expert, Gordon Wells, has estimated, based on flood insurance claims and satellite imagery, that at the least, more than 1 million Texas homes sustained flood damage though he told us that count could exceed 1.7 million.

After Patterson spoke, we queried government officials about survivors in tents. By phone, the GLOs Pete Phillips said some Aransas County residents, resistant to options such as out-of-town hotels, were residing in tents. Similarly, Bob Howard of FEMAs Harvey response team responded by email: "Every effort is made to ensure survivors are aware of available local, state and federal resources. Thus far, all tent-dwellers found by the field team have indicated they prefer to remain in their current status or are not eligible for federal disaster assistance."

Now lets turn to Pattersons focus on homes repaired with government help since Harvey and related rains flooded much of Southeast Texas.

Patterson points to federal program

We asked Patterson the basis of his numerical claim; he told us by phone that he was referring to two homes repaired as of early December 2017 through the federal Direct Assistance for Limited Home Repair (DALHR) program.

Patterson, who said hed drawn his tally of two from state-enlisted contractors and others he declined to identify, urged us to seek insight from elected leaders in counties hit by Harvey.

We heard back from elected officials in two counties.

Galveston Countys county judge, Mark Henry, said by phone that flooding due to Harvey had flooded 22,000 to 24,000 local homes with water an inch to eight feet deep. Henry, who volunteered that hes a longtime friend to Patterson, said his office daily fields calls from residents awaiting help. Calling delayed repairs "frustrating," Henry said: "As far as the why" repairs have been delayed, Henry said, "I dont know and I dont care. I want it to get done."

By email, a GLO spokeswoman, Brittany Eck, specified that as of mid-December 2017, the agency along with FEMA had housed 56 Galveston County "applicant households and 446 are in the process of receiving a direct housing solution."

Also by phone, Loyd Neal, Nueces Countys judge, expressed chagrin that no agency advanced dollars enabling the Coastal Bend Council of Governments to hire individuals to consider applicants for short-term housing help.

By email, Eck countered that the GLO had guaranteed up to $200,000 in reimbursed administrative costs to the regional councils asked to help administer post-Harvey housing assistance. Eck said that after the Coastal Bend council declined to participate, GLO employees were carrying out the program in that region.

Neal told us that nearly four months since Harveys arrival, FEMA-funded housing including trailers or manufactured homes had yet to be brought into Port Aransas, the island tourist town where, Neal elaborated, more than two-thirds of local hurricane-damaged condominiums had yet to reopen. "Its an absolute disgrace," Neal said, "that the state of Texas and the federal government and whoever else is in charge of this have not responded. Its the greatest bureaucratic buck-passing Ive ever seen."

By email, Eck said that per FEMA in December 2017, 52 Nueces County households were in need of direct housing assistance.

Correct count, but

We confirmed Pattersons count of two homes whose DALHR repair projects had been completed with Eck and Phillips, a land office administrator.

But those officials said Pattersons claim gave short shrift to everything Harvey-related that Bush and the land office have undertaken and, Phillips said, to FEMAs supervisory governing role.

"He is oversimplifying what is going on," Phillips said, and "cherry-picking" given that the federal government supports housing options including thousands of hotel rooms, two types of home repair and possibly temporary apartments or trailers or manufactured homes.

At the state level too, Phillips elaborated, "were always at the mercy of FEMA. They control the triage process" including, Eck said, confidential lists of homeowners for GLO to contact about their possibly seeking partial repairs backed by federal aid.

Patterson, commenting on Phillips general assessment of his claim, said by email that "to be clear, I made a statement, and it turned out to be 100% factually accurate. None of the context or cherry-picking BS need apply."

DALHR in Texas

In November 2017, Bush announced the completion of the first DALHR home-repair project in Dickinson, in Galveston County. A GLO press release said the project included electrical and plumbing repairs, wall insulation, sheet rock, siding repair and replacing kitchen and bathroom sinks and a bathtub.

That release said DALHR "provides permanent repairs for homeowners with moderate damages who lack available housing resources." But not everybody qualifies, the release made clear, in that beneficiaries must have sustained a FEMA-verified loss of $17,000 or more after 18 inches of interior flooding or more--though Phillips told us the GLO later encouraged FEMA to drop the 18-inch requirement, a change that qualified an additional 2,600 homes for consideration.

According to the release, interested homeowners had to clear another half dozen hurdles such as a lack of other applicable insurance coverage and that eligible damages wouldn't exceed $60,000 or half the pre-hurricane taxable assessed value of the home. Then again, Eck told us by email, the latter limit was subsequently relaxed to allow awards to pay for up to half of a homes replacement value.

The November release also said that funded repairs under DALHR "are limited to real property components such as heating, plumbing, ventilation and air conditioning, walls, floors and ceilings," leaving our structural or engineering needs or any items covered by other aid.

Varied aid offerings

Lets walk through some more of what the GLO and FEMA described as the programs theyre steering to Harvey survivors.

Notably, Phillips said, and FEMAs Howard confirmed, the teaming of the state agency with FEMA to coordinate short-term housing aid marked the first time a state agency had been given that front-line role.

Eck said Gov. Greg Abbott "tapped the GLO to help FEMA implement these programs three weeks after the storm, in part due to the enormity of the affected area. In all cases, the applicant must be approved for eligibility by FEMA and, if interested, agree to the terms of FEMAs regulations. The GLO is processing eligible applicants for short-term housing programs as FEMA is making their information available to the agency," Eck wrote.

By email, Eck wrote that individuals displaced by the hurricane and its aftermath were offered federally funded hotel stays by FEMA while they looked for longer-term housing. "This program is currently housing 15,027 individuals in 1,334 hotels," Eck said.

"None of the programs provided by FEMA are designed to be a permanent home replacement or complete repair program," Eck added. "The programs are designed to be short-term (up to 18 months) stopgap solutions while individuals work on long-term solutions."

Starting Nov. 18, 2017, Eck wrote, the agency through early December 2017 had contacted 664 households judged by FEMA to be potentially qualified for the program. She said those contacts led to 290 expressions of interest and 182 DALHR home inspections--with 67 homes pre-qualified for repairs and 13 work orders issued for builders to start.

"To date, two homes have had the work completed," Eck wrote. By email. FEMAs Howard wrote: "We believe it is two projects at this point."

Phillips said by phone that his DALHR goal was to complete more than 100 home projects by 2018; he said 36 builders were standing by ready to do the "re-work" on homes.

Meantme, Phillips said, over 670 Texas families had received direct housing help by landing a trailer or manufactured home. At our request, FEMAs Howard emailed us that agencys daily Harvey fact sheet from the date that Patterson made his claim stating that 638 Texas families by then had been provided a trailer or manufactured home. As of mid-December, Howard told us by email, 8,057 Harvey survivors in the state still showed a need for a trailer or manufactured home and, he said, 2,600 of them remained under review for DAHLR aid.

Otherwise, Phillips said, the GLO helped make available 40 apartment units in Wharton and also found 120 units of "corporate housing" to be made available in Conroe, in both cases under FEMA-backed programs.

Howard said that generally by Dec. 14, 2017, 894,606 Texas residents had registered for Harvey-tired FEMA assistance of one kind or another.

Another Patterson-cited program

Patterson further told us the GLO had failed to help Texans benefit from another FEMA offering, the Partial Repair and Essential Power for Sheltering (PREPS) program, which provides up to $20,000 enabling homeowners to shelter in their homes thanks to limited repairs and the restoration of power.

Eck said by email that PREPS aid was being offered by FEMA separately in that beneficiaries need a local government to provide a 10 percent match for an award to be made. By phone, meantime, Phillips said GLO officials had judged PREPS to be of limited value because families getting awards end up practically camping at home. The DALHR program, Phillips said, gets families "close to being whole."

Our ruling

Patterson said that since Hurricane Harvey, the agency helmed by Bush has done just two home repairs.

Pattersons figure, confirmed by GLO, was accurate. However, this claim leaves out ample significant information such as FEMAs overriding control of the complicated DALHR program, which isn't open to every homeowner and only funds partial repairs. Notably too, additional homes were poised to qualify for or get repairs through DALHR at the time that Patterson spoke.

We rate this statement Mostly True.

MOSTLY TRUE  The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

See Figure 1 on PolitiFact.com
Home is supposed to be a place where you feel safe and protected ... but of course that doesn't mean it's completely danger-free. Far from it! For instance, did you know that your shower door can explode? Or your pantry? This really happens, folksand although such calamities are rare, there are things you can do to try to stop the worst from happening. Probably the first step is just knowing where these ticking domestic time bombs can be found. So allow us to fill you in on six things in your home that can put on their own surprise, fireworks-worthy show.

Sure, if you slam a glass shower door shut, it can crack or shatter into a million pieces. You already knew that, right? But the Consumer Product Safety Commission receives dozens of complaints each year about glass shower doors that spontaneously explode for no obvious reason. In one complaint, a consumer said, Nobody was in the bathroom at the time, and nobody had used the shower since 9 a.m. that morning." Weird, huh?

Turns out there's a very good reason this happens: Tempered glass, created by applying high heat followed by intense cold, creates the equivalent of a tightly wound spring under a lot of pressure. When the pressure is suddenly released, either because of a tiny crack or faulty manufacturing, the glass explodes. It might seem spontaneous, but it's really the result of a long, wearing process.

"If your shower door starts to sag and catches the tile on a bottom corner, it can blow up," says Tommy Patterson, director of product development and technical services for Glass Doctor, a nationwide glass servicing company headquartered in Waco, TX.

To prevent it: Eyeball the glass for dips or sags that make the door rub against something. Alternatively, hire a professional glass company to inspect the door twice a year, for $30 to $125 a visit, Patterson says.

2. Light bulbs

Although any type of light bulb can explode, halogen bulbs are the most common type to burst, because they get substantially hotter than most other bulbs. Any oil on the bulb can make it heat irregularly and explode, which is why it's also bad news to touch any bulb with your bare hands.

To prevent it: Use gloves or a paper towel when screwing a bulb in. Also remember that water can cause any bulb to burst, so its best to wipe a dirty bulb clean with a microfiber cloth, rather than to douse it with water or cleaning fluids.

3. Pumpkins

No, we're not talking about those annoying neighborhood delinquents who slip firecrackers under your holiday gourdspumpkins stored or displayed outdoors can detonate all on their own. The water content in them can freeze on a cold Halloween night, push through the flesh, and explode.

To prevent it: Carve it! Carved pumpkins have natural pressure release valves, so they dont burst.

4. Hot water heaters

Most of the time, they just heat water. But if gas leaks in and around your heateror if the tanks safety mechanism fails and pressure buildsthe tank can become an extremely dangerous rocket that could even shoot up through your roof. Its not common, but it does happen, as one unfortunate Arizona man discovered when his water heater exploded and soared 135 yards out of the garage, landing across the road at a bus stop.

To prevent it: Hire a plumber annually to inspect your hot water tank. Plumbers will check for gas leaks, including carbon monoxide, and test the units temperature and pressure valve (T&P) to make sure it properly releases excess pressure. You may be tempted to inspect the tank yourself, but with life and limb at stake, its better to hire a pro, which will cost $45 to $150 per hour.

5. Pantries

Common powdered pantry items like flour, sugar, cocoa, powdered milk, and even coffee, can explode when they are disturbed, sending a cloud of particles into the air that can be ignited by static electricity, friction, or any little spark. If your flour bin suddenly pops and burns, this is why.

To prevent it: The good news is that it takes a high concentration of these airborne particles to create an explosionnot to mention some static electricity at just the right time. So just keep your pantry undisturbed and cloud-free, and you should be fine.

6. Beer bottles

Think back to elementary school science, when you learned that water expands when it freezes and becomes ice. Since beer is up to 95% water, when you forget about the bottle of Bud youre chilling in the freezer, before too long, the frozen liquid can increase in volume and shatter the bottle, sending glass everywhere.

To prevent it: If you want to chill beer quickly, place the bottle or can in a cold water bath with a 2:1 ratio of water to ice. Your beer will be cold in about five minutes. Surely you can wait that long, right?

The post 6 Surprising Things in Your Home That Can Explode Out of the Blue appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
WESTPORT  Mary Anne Mayo and Stephen Nelson never planned to build a house. Mother Nature made that decision.

Some people want to build their dream house, Mayo said. We never wanted to do that, but our house was destroyed in Sandy so we didnt have much choice.

Theyve lived at 28 Harbor Road in Westport since 1997, and said they would have lived in their original home forever. It was a simple beach home dating back to the 1970s. It wasnt anything special  save for the spectacular views that come with waterfront living  but it was theirs.

So when Superstorm Sandy hit the Connecticut coastline and destroyed the first floor of the home, their initial inclination was to renovate and restore. It didnt take long before they realized the cost of not only renovating, but raising the house to comply with Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines, was near that of knocking it down and starting over.

More Information Do you know of a house or apartment building with an interesting story? Contact kkrasselt@thehour.com, and the home could be featured in an upcoming installment of Habitat. See More Collapse

Now, they have the dream house they never wanted. Whats more, its FEMA compliant and unlikely to be toppled by the next Sandy.

We had no desire to do that at all, this wasnt like our lifelong dream and now here it is, Nelson said. We thought if were going to build it we might as well build it the way we would like it. Wed have never torn the old one down if Sandy had not done it.

The result is a 3,200-square-foot custom, eco-friendly contemporary inspired by the mid-century modern movement of architecture. The homes open floor plan takes full advantage of the waterfront location with massive windows and water views from every room.

The slanted roofline was an engineering conundrum, but plays off the straight lines of the movement that inspired Mayos vision. Solar panels and propane heat keep the homes utility bills low  rarely above $20 per month, Mayo said.

We wanted to build at least a 20th-century house, Mayo said. We didnt really love all the houses that were neo-Victorians that were all kind of the same. We wanted it to have a sort of mid-century vibe ... and my son is an environmental scientist and we try to do at least what we can without bending ourselves too far out of shape, its really efficient in its design.

Mayo and Nelson lived at the Avalon apartments in Norwalk while the home was being built, and despite missing the water views and community theyd come to love, they said the process theyd always hoped to avoid wasnt actually as terrible as theyd assumed it would be.

It was relatively painless, Mayo said. Our builder was a friend of ours and were still friends after the process. I just dont think building a house is ever really going to be fun. Every time you build a house, theres delays and anxiety, but that said, it went about as smoothly as it could.

They moved into the house in 2016, and now, after a year in their accidental dream home, the couple is ready to downsize. The home is listed for $3.2 million through Nanci Lewis of The Vanderblue Team at the Higgins Group.

Though Mayo and Nelson have lived in the house year-round, Lewis said she also thinks many people might also be interested in the property, located in Saugatuck Shores, as a weekend or summer home.

I dont know that theres anything as unique as this one, but I get the impression that because its Saugatuck Shores, the whole area seems to me to be more of a quaint area, where not everything is uniform, Lewis said. Its not that type of a neighborhood. I think just generally in beach areas, you get that variety. People have different tastes. When people are using it as a second home or summer home, they want it to be less formal. If they have a traditional house, they want their second home or summer home to be a little more different. Its such a great area, I think, in all seasons.
Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali. Photo: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images

Following sexual-harassment allegations against Mario Batali, more of the chefs employees have come forward, saying that he and his business partner Joe Bastianichs behavior encouraged a culture of sexual harassment and abusive behavior.

As part of a detailed, disturbing report, Eater spoke with employees from Del Posto, Babbo, Otto, and Lupa in New York, and B&B Ristorante and CarneVino in Las Vegas. The reported misconduct spans the last 15 years, and includes humiliation of both female and male employees, lewd comments, groping, and more. The company retained staffers despite their bad behavior, sometimes even giving them promotions, making staff feel discouraged to come forward. Some chefs and managers are perceived to be untouchable, and misbehaving men were so commonly promoted or moved to another restaurant that several people described this as the B&B shuffle.

Staffers say that the problems go beyond Batali, who has stepped away from the restaurants, and that both Batali and Bastianich created a boys club environment. A former Del Posto server, Brianna Pintens, says that she was groped and harassed by a male line cook, and that when she reported the behavior to a female manager, she was asked, You realize youre turning this into an HR situation. Do you really want to do this? Pintens quit on September 7, a little over a year after taking the job. Pintens also says that the women at Del Posto found escape routes to avoid the men who harassed them or otherwise acted inappropriately.

Five men and women who worked at Babbo over the last 12 years say that it is the most inappropriate workplace they have ever experienced, with some also telling Eater that it is the most abusive. Executive chef Frank Langellos kitchen was allegedly rife with harassment, according to a former female employee, who says that he endlessly bullied men and women, whom he also harassed. Langellos behavior reportedly encouraged other employees, with another female employee saying that one chef harassed her for over a year. Earlier this year, former Babbo pastry chef Ivan Franco Nava filed a discrimination lawsuit against the restaurant that included allegations of harassment. Speaking with Eater, Nava says, Batali knows exactly whats going on, and he doesnt care. A former Babbo employee told the website that you get marked as a social pariah if you go to HR.

B&B sent another statement to Eater saying that it clearly needs to improve its culture, will hire more people to look over operations, and that an outside firm will survey staff for compliance with sexual-harassment policies. Bastianich has attempted to distance himself from Batalis behavior, denying through a spokesperson that he ever saw the chef grope an employee, and saying that he was unaware of Batalis misconduct until it came out in the media. The two have been partners since 1998, and Bastianich wrote about his close relationship with Batali in his book, Restaurant Man. In that, he talks about women lewdly and about partying at the Spotted Pig  itself a hotbed of harassment  with Batali. Managers and current and former employees who spoke with Eater say that they could not fathom how Bastianich would be unaware of Batalis behavior.
The weather provided teeth chattering and shivering conditions in Albany on Thursday afternoon, but Rieghly Sitton waited outside for more than an hour for a free plate of grub from the Oregon BBQ Company.

Its really good and its worth standing in line for an hour in 30-degree weather, said Sitton, an Albany resident. I think Im going to do the brisket meal. Brisket is my favorite.

The Oregon BBQ Company, 744 Old Salem Road, was holding the second edition of its Feed the City holiday event, and several hundred residents got brisket, pulled pork, ribs or other selections. The Lebanon location of the business also was giving away food on Thursday.

People flocked to the Millersburg barbecue joint from throughout the valley, including Dacoda Edwards of Stayton.

Its awesome that they do this, said Drew Pape of Corvallis, who said he frequents the Oregon BBQ Company about once a month.

Every year, they bless us by giving us free food back at Christmas time, Pape added.

James and Marie Smith of Albany were among dozens of cars in line at the food cart, which has a drive through lane. Those in their automobiles had a slightly longer wait than people out in the elements, but they also had their car heaters cranked.

The Smiths said they like OBCs brisket the best, but they were ordering the ribs to change things up. My absolute favorite is the coleslaw. They have the best coleslaw in the world, Marie Smith said. (Oddly enough, OBCs head honchos arent fond of coleslaw at all. But that meant they kept modifying their recipe to make it more palatable to themselves, and coleslaw aficionados like the Smiths enjoyed the results.)

The No. 1 thing that keeps us coming back is the employees and the owners, Marie Smith said, adding that the customer service was superb.

Nathan Pendley, OBC vice president, said the event was a way to thank loyal customers.

Theyre the ones who make it all happen, he said.

Pendley added that his business gave away food to roughly 1,000 people in Albany and Lebanon, and that amounted to about $10,000 worth of barbecue.

Thursday was the last day that Oregon BBQ Company was open to the public in 2017. The business will reopen on Jan. 2, 2018.




Haiti - Politic : Official wishes of President Jovenel Moise





At this end of the year, President Jovenel Moise at the official greeting ceremony presented his wishes to the population for the new year 2018.



Wishes of President Jovenel :

"Since the day of my installation at the head of the State on February 7th, I pledged myself to work, relentlessly and without reserve, to the recovery of the State. I knew that I was going to face a lot of difficulties.



Today, more than 10 months later, I feel reinforced in my convictions that more must be done to ensure that this valiant and courageous Haitian people can at last have a better future.



The resilience and combativeness of the Haitian people remain my main source of inspiration for transforming the state and truly putting it at the service of the population by taking measures to :





Improve its living conditions ;



To preserve the environment ;



Diversify and increase national production ;



Fight against corruption ;



Reduce inequalities of all kinds.





I therefore pay a well deserved tribute to the Haitian people for the confidence he has kindly placed in me.



It is also a time to express my thanks to my family for having understood the meaning of my commitment to the Haitian people and for their unwavering support.



In the same way, to all my collaborators, from near and far, I recognize your much needed contribution during the first 10 months of my mandate. I greet all those who have recognized in me the qualities of a servant of the Haitian people, those who started and maintained this journey with me, as well as those I met along the way.



Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the diplomatic corps,



I want, in the new year, to strengthen the rapprochement I started with you. An active, frank and sincere partnership focused on national priorities is, without doubt, one of the best, if not the most important, path leading to the strengthening of bilateral relations and to this necessary communion of ideas and actions to face the many global challenges, such as climate change.



With regard to resilience to the effects of climate change, Haiti holds the rotating presidency of the Caribbean Community on January 1, 2018. At the One Planet summit on financing climate action, which I led the Haitian delegation, in Paris on December 12, the conclusion was reached that the countries of the Caribbean, particularly the CARICOM members, are victims of a phenomenon caused by emissions of greenhouse gases which they hardly contribute.



The wish of the Haitian government is to strengthen hurricane insurance mechanisms, while providing a common front for adaptation and mitigation efforts at the level of regional island countries.



With regard to official development assistance, I reiterate my readiness and that of the Government to continue to work with you in the spirit of solidarity that drives international cooperation. My administration is open to collaboration with all partners, indistinctly, according to the deep aspirations of the Haitian people and according to the priorities identified by the government.



My sincerest wish, in connection with Haiti's external relations, is that, drawing the necessary lessons from the experiences of the last thirty or forty years, we will continue the path of effective collaboration that my administration has begun during the past ten months.



Together, in 2018, we will continue to correct and innovate in the methods and practices of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, so that the social, economic and political development of Haiti ceases to be wishful thinking, a declamation to make politically correct and become a lived reality, experienced by every citizen.



It is also the vision that drives the Caravan of Change. I invite you to visit the field to see the recovery efforts underway in Haiti in the context of the Caravan.



Ladies and Gentlemen, Haitian people,



With regard to the national outlook for 2018, a number of challenges await us, of course. However, we will redouble our efforts to strengthen the ongoing political dialogue. Because I believe and I insist that the proper functioning of the state requires a constant exercise of listening and understanding. Some fellow citizens do not share the same political orientations as I do. Beyond our differences, we join in our shared desire and our shared will to profoundly change our country.



I want to reassure all my compatriots, opponents, supporters, young, old, workmen, craftsmen, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, laymen, religious, all Haitians indiscriminately, that the door of true and constructive dialogue remains open so that, with mutual respect , we can weave together the necessary understanding for political and social stability in the best interest of the nation and for the good of our dear Haiti.



This year, the consolidation of stability characterized by the departure of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah) offers an opportunity to strengthen the country's governance. For the maintenance of this stability, I express the wish that the powers of the State will spare no sacrifice for the consolidation of democracy.



In this sense, I invite the political parties, the civil society, the private business sector, in short, all the forces of the Nation to work tirelessly in 2018, to maintain the momentum of the dialogue initiated this year, to :



Lead to the success of sectoral States General of the Nation ;



Establish the Permanent Electoral Council ;



Complete the Court of Cassation ;



To set up the Constitutional Council ;



Strengthen the judicial system.



Article 136 of the Constitution enshrines in the presidential institution the continuity of the State and the crucible, par excellence, of national unity. In my capacity as President of the Republic and Head of State, I will not cease for a moment to fulfill this noble mission.



My political vision, to which the Haitian people, who has mandated me, commits me to the major projects that should lead to the economic and social recovery of the country. Among my best wishes are the continuation of efforts to :



Build the national electricity grid ;



Gradually convert the country to Green Energy ;



Protect our watersheds;



Modernize and finance agriculture ;



Review our social security policy ;



Strengthen vocational education ;



Control and ensure the management of surface water ;



Gradually fill the 12,000 classroom shortage and improve the quality of education ;



Improve the business climate and attract direct investment ; and



Transforming Public Administration.



All of these policies help to restore young people's confidence in their future, in their country.



Haitian people,



Ladies and gentlemen,



May the year 2018 bring us all the wisdom and strengthen our civic and patriotic spirit, which is more than ever necessary, to overcome our differences for the collective well-being and progress of our dear Haiti.



Thank you."



Jovenel Moise, President of the Republic of Haiti



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Religion : Christmas message of bishops of the Catholic Church of Haiti





The bishops of the Catholic Church of Haiti (CEH), meeting in Ordinary Plenary Assembly at the headquarters of Lilavois sent their traditional Christmas message to priests, religious, faithful lay and men and women of good will whom we invite you to share excerpts.



Excerpts from the Christmas message of the Bishops of the Catholic Church of Haiti :



"[...] As we prepare to celebrate this feast of the Light, we live in particularly dark events in our history. We observe with great sorrow and anxiety the growing phenomenon of mass migration of Haitians and especially young people to Latin America (Chile and Brazil), the Caribbean and North America (Canada and USA). This migratory flow deprives Haiti of a significant part of its youth, its executives. It is the very future of the country that is threatened. The young people of Haiti are struggling to hope, to build their future in a country that, in their opinion, offers them no chance, no prospect for the future [...]



There is also and above all the shameless corruption that is spreading at all levels of society and becoming rampant. Indeed, corruption, 'without respect for the borders, concerns people, public and private structures of power and the ruling classes'. This is a situation that 'promotes impunity and the illicit accumulation of wealth, lack of trust in political institutions, especially in the administration of justice and public investment, which are not always transparent, neither equal for all, nor effective' (John Paul II, The Church in America, 1999, n.62). The plague of corruption must be denounced and fought with force by those who hold the authority and with 'the generous support of all citizens, animated by a strong moral conscience' (John Paul II, Message for the World Day of Peace of 1998).



Certainly, some people fructify honestly their credit. But unfortunately many others enrich themselves with impunity, fraudulently to the detriment of the impoverished population. With impunity, the perpetrators of evil are tolerated, even protected by those who should chastise them and bring them back on track.



[...] We urge the holders of the three powers of the state to take firm measures and concerted decisions to create conditions conducive to job creation, state stability and security of the nation. We urge the elites of different sectors (economic, political, professional) and politicians to invest and invest more in the consolidation of institutions, respect for democratic rules and development of the country.



We urge the Haitians from here and our compatriots in the diaspora to feel themselves challenged by such a dramatic situation and become aware of their civic responsibility towards the Haitian nation to build together and on values, such as : living together of people and the vocation to develop it; the pursuit of the common good, which is at once the good of all and the good of everyone; respect for human dignity, honesty and civility.



We are preparing to celebrate Christmas, the feast of Love, Solidarity, Sharing, Fraternity, Communion in the Son of God who has incarnated. It is a time of grace that we, Haitians, are called to welcome and live in unity, forgiveness, reconciliation. Haitians, let us hold ourselves sincerely and solidly by the hand, and say: No to the division which weakens us and destroys our Nation ! Yes to the union that is strength ! Let us put together our intelligence, our talents, our resources, our wealth, at the service of building a solid rule of law, a democratic and prosperous nation, a Haiti that looks with confidence at its future to live fully and with hope its present. On this time of Advent, time of hope and active waiting in prayer and action, let us turn, together, with our eyes wide open, towards the salvation that God offers us in Jesus, the Messiah, the long-awaited Savior...



We wish you all: a Merry Christmas 2017 and a Happy New Year 2018 in the hope of the Lord who turns evil into good, death into life and changes darkness into Light !"



HL/ HaitiLibre
























Haiti - News : Zapping...





Spirit Airlines : Direct flight Florida/Cap-Haitien

Spirit Airlines announces that effective April 12, 2018, Spirit will begin a non-stop flight from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Cap-Haitien International Airport 3 times a week all year round. This new flight is in addition to the already existing towards Port-au-Prince.



Vote against Trump, Haiti abstains

Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly voted to 128 vote against, 9 for and 65 abstentions, a symbolic (non-binding) text declaring "null and void" the declaration of the American President Donald Trump to make Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish State. During this vote, 65 States abstained including Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Canada... Recall that the American President Donald Trump had threatened before the vote, to reduce funding to States that would support the text.



Activities and Christmas greetings of the First Lady

The Office of the First Lady Martine Moise, announces the holding of cultural and leisure activities from 22 to 24 December 2017 in the area of the Champs de Mars on the theme "Nwel chanjman : yon jenes fo pou yon demen miyo" On the program: street performances, dance performances, musical group concerts, jugglers, gift distributions and other types of attractions. Christmas is the family's day. On this occasion, the First Lady wishes Happy Holidays full of peace and love to Haitian families.



Distribution of mattresses and hygiene kits to prisoners

This Friday, December 22, the Office of the Protection of the Citizen (OPC) will proceed to the distribution of mattresses and hygiene kits respectively to the National Penitentiary, to the Prison of the Arcahaie and to the Center of Reinsertion of the Minors in Contravention with the Law (CERMICOL).



Payment of contractual of MAST

Wednesday, during a press briefing Stephanie Auguste the Minister of Social Affairs announced that after treatment of irregularities in the files of the 4,000 contract workers of the Ministry (duplicates, contractual inactive or unassigned etc...) ,882 checks were delivered by the Ministry of Finance. The distribution of checks started on Thursday, December 21, 2017, from 9:00 am on the sites of : Delmas 33, rue Coicou ; Centre dAccueil of Delmas 3 and to the Centre dAccueil of Carrefour.



Schedules MUPANAH

The General Directorate of the Haitian National Pantheon Museum informs its friendly visitors and the general public that the institution will keep its doors closed on Monday, December 25 and Monday, January 1 and Tuesday, January 2, 2018. On Sunday, December 24 and 31, 2017, the museum will function normally.



Museum hours : Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm; Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; Saturday and holidays: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday noon to 5:00 pm



HL/ HaitiLibre


















July 16, 1930 December 9, 2017

She was born Rosetta Cohen in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn to Anchel and Minnie, immigrants from Romania and Lithuania. When her mother told Italian nurses to enter Raisa Yita on her birth certificate, they suggested instead Rosetta, meaning little rose. So the Jewish girl received an Italian name.

She had an austere but happy childhood; her father was a baker for Ratners Restaurant on the Lower East Side and she only saw him in the afternoons. She always recalled how loving he was and how he would bite his fist so hard to make it bleed rather than ever lay a hand on her or her brother. She also noted that as a child she only had three blouses, but that her mother kept them continually clean and ironed; this became part of her lesson to her own children about not needing much to be happy, but rather cultivating the responsibility to take care of what you have.

She was raised in a Yiddish speaking household during the Depression and then the rationing of the war years. She graduated from Lafayette High in Flatbush in 1948 and enrolled in Brooklyn College to study business and accounting. She obtained her first job at Macys Department Store and during her employment was asked to grace one of their floats in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

She married Martin Davison in 1952 in Brooklyn, New York, and they made their home in D.C. Later, he pursued his Doctorate of Podiatry at Temple in Philadelphia, and the couple welcomed their first born there, a girl. Two sons followed in their home in Silver Spring, Maryland, where the family lived for the next 40 years.

When Martin became ill in mid-life, she went back to work at Bloomingdales and was promoted to assistant manager of her department. Although she left the position when Martin recovered, her return to work meant a great deal to her.

But, she saw her grand occupation as raising her children, who each grew to be productive, ethical, happily-partnered people. As adults, each child entered the professions as a librarian, professor, and physician.

Like many women of the greatest generation, she threw herself into being a wife and mother with her entire person. She was a tireless caretaker, nurturer, teacher, and disciplinarian, and growing up, her children had the privilege of never questioning her unconditional love or pride in them.

In her late-70s, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease, and the couple moved to St. Louis, Missouri where their younger son lives. Even though her mind faded, she remained sweet and congenial, and could still recall the lyrics to many songs. During visits, her children would join her in such favorites as Fly me to the Moon or You Belong to Me. Even in her very last years, she never lost her will to live.

She was a rare individual, whose capacity for loving others, kindness, and hard work knew no bounds. Her selflessness, warmth, and down-to-earth sense of humor made her special to everyone who knew her. She taught us how to be compassionate, affectionate, and to understand the human quality in all things. She was a great soul whose ego never overrode her understanding that we each play a part in the wider goal of making the world a better place, and that her role was to be the best mother she could. In her life, we recall the messianic prayer of the Hebrew prophets who remind us that we have not come into being to hate and destroy, but to praise, to labor, and to love.

She was preceded in death by her husband, who passed in 2012.

She is survived by her children, Jan and David Goldenberg of El Dorado Hills, California; Neil and Nadine Davison of Corvallis, and Glenn and Kathy Davison of Chesterfield, Missouri; and seven grandchildren, Michelle and Brian, Daniel and Lara, and Rebecca, Elyse, and Alec.

Donations in honor of her memory can be made to: St. Lukes Employee Crisis Fund, Office of Development, 232 South Woodsmill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017.
The Jones Act Revisited

by Thomas Grennes, Emeritus Professor of Economics, North Carolina State University, Mercatus Center, December 20, 2017

The Jones Act is costly to consumers, and it is an obstacle to a speedy response to domestic disasters such as hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. It makes negligible contributions to foreign operations of the US military. Despite its high costs relative to benefits, the Jones Act has survived for nearly a century and retains strong support from elected leaders of both parties today.

The benefits of the act are concentrated among special interest groups, but the costs are broadly dispersed. Total costs are large, but costs per consumer are low. Consumers (voters) have only a weak incentive to mobilize against the act, even though it is wasteful for the general population. I explain these and other points in An Economic Analysis of the Jones Act (EA), published online by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in May 2017. The EA has been criticized in a position paper by the American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the main supporter of the Jones Act. The purpose of this brief is to bring the EA up to date and respond to some points raised by the AMP position paper.

Criticism from the American Maritime Partnership

The AMP represents the shipyards, carriers, and labor unions that receive the concentrated benefits from reducing competition in waterborne transportation. Their members are aware that they gain from the Jones Act, and they have been very effective at persuading elected and appointed officials to support their cause. They have produced a document on their website, written by an anonymous author, that is mostly critical of my paper. Not surprisingly, the document disagrees with my main conclusions, but it also produces a list of specific objections that will be evaluated.

These objections include a claim that the arguments are one-sided and that costs of foreign-flag ships would be higher if they operated in the US market. The AMP paper asserts that arguments put forth by supporters of the Jones Act are ignored. The paper also makes a claim about job creation flowing from the Jones Act and attempts to defend the costs imposed by the act during national disasters as justifiable. I discuss each of these objections in turn.

Are the Arguments Against the Jones Act One-Sided?

The AMP accuses the EA of being one-sided because it does not take into account arguments made by Jones Act supporters. On the contrary, every one of the arguments raised by Jones Act supporters is evaluated and rejected. For example, they make two claims about costs. One is that the costs of Jones Act ships cannot be compared directly with costs of foreign-flag ships because the latter might incur higher costs if they were operating in the US market. For example, foreign crews might become subject to the US minimum wage and other US labor laws if they operate within the US. This point has been made by the Government Accounting Office and others, and it is discussed explicitly in the EA. This problem may have influenced the US International Trade Commission to cease issuing quantitative estimates of the costs of the Jones Act. A direct comparison is not possible because foreign-flag ships have not been allowed to operate in the US domestic market since 1920. The AMP emphasizes the difficulty of obtaining accurate estimates of certain costs of the Jones Act. However, its paper is conspicuously silent on the even more difficult problem of obtaining accurate and objective estimates of the benefits to national security from the Jones Act.

This measurement problem has some legitimacy for operating costs, but it has no relevance to the cost of acquiring new American-built versus foreign-built ships. Costs of acquiring new ships can be compared directly, and American-built ships cost much more. The exact cost difference varies with the type of ship, but some American-built ships are five times as expensive as their foreign counterparts.

A second point about costs was made by Eric Smith, a former vice president of the AMP, when he claimed that costs of Jones Act ships were not higher than those of foreign-flag ships. According to Smith, the Jones Act doesnt cost the consumer a single penny.

In fact, higher costs of ships are passed on to consumers in the same way that gasoline taxes are passed on to buyers of gasoline. The cost difference is the main reason American businesses that export products hire almost entirely foreign-flag ships. Some of the same shipping companies that service Puerto Rico with American-flag ships also service foreign islands in the Caribbean with lower-cost foreign-flag ships.

AMP spokespeople regularly say they have sufficient capacity to satisfy the Puerto Rican market without the participation of foreign-flag ships. What they leave out is that the absence of competition from foreign ships has allowed some Jones Act companies to conspire on prices and charge markups that violate the Sherman Antitrust Act. Puerto Rican buyers who pay the higher prices do not feel satisfied.

Are the Supporters of the Jones Act Ignored?

The AMP claims that my paper ignores supporters of the Jones Act. On the contrary, the EA acknowledges the strong political support for the Jones Act from Congress and from both Democratic and Republican administrations. For example, Congressman Duncan Hunter from California has been a strong and outspoken advocate for the Jones Act. Representative Hunters district includes NASSCO, a division of General Dynamics, the largest US shipyard employer. He has accused Jones Act critics of dubious claims of higher costs.

Representative Hunter has not produced alternative cost estimates, but there is a more fundamental problem for him and his allies: why do American shipyards need protection from foreign competition if their costs are not higher?

Representative Hunter has received consistent financial support from the industry, and he recently demonstrated his commitment to his campaign supporters by holding a hearing for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, which he chairs. Every witness he chose to testify was a firm Jones Act supporter.

In fact, political support for the Jones Act has been so strong that a Jones Act opponent, Senator John McCain, said that he could not find 20 votes in the Senate in opposition to the Jones Act. In international trade negotiations, both Democratic and Republican administrations have consistently excluded the Jones Act from negotiations about trade liberalization. US representatives in World Trade Organization negotiations considered the Jones Act to be the most sacrosanct of the sacred cows.

Does the Jones Act Create Jobs?

The AMP cites large numbers of jobs created by the Jones Act as a benefit of the act, but these numbers do not tell the whole story. The number of oceangoing ships (vessels at least 400 feet in overall length) produced in the US has steadily declined, from 45 per year in 1953 to 5 per year in 2015. If the number of workers employed has not declined correspondingly, this implies that more workers are being employed per ship, which in turn implies low worker productivity and higher costs per ship produced. Low productivity may be one reason new American-built ships cost five times as much as foreign ships. Consequently, nearly the only buyers of American-built ships today are those who are legally obliged to buy them. The high cost of American-built ships makes them uncompetitive on the world market, and it is a main reason why ship-building has moved to Asia.

Increasingly complex supply chains make the calculation of job creation more difficult. American shipyards are using an increasing percentage of foreign components, from ship design to engines to electronics. Thus, some of the jobs created by the Jones Act are overseas. All three American shipyards that produce oceangoing commercial ships have close relations with foreign shipyards. NASSCO partners with South Korean shipbuilding power Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering. Philly Shipyard is a subsidiary of Norwegian Aker, ASA, whose shares are traded on the Oslo exchange. VT Halter is owned by ST Engineering, whose major shareholder is the government of Singapore. Offshore outsourcing of ship components creates foreign jobs, which is not the outcome intended by the Jones Act or most of its supporters. Outsourcing is used extensively for new ships and increasingly for servicing and refitting of old ships. The American shippers Matson and Pasha recently sent ships all the way to China for refitting, even though they had to pay a 50 percent US tariff for importing the services. Even though Jones Act ships must be American built, regulatory authorities are now acknowledging the increasing use of foreign sourcing by referring to the ships as American assembled.

Does the Jones Act Increase National Security?

Defenders of the Jones Act claim that the higher costs it imposes are justified because the act contributes to national security. However, when national security requires a quick and effective response to domestic disasters, such as hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017, the Jones Act serves as an obstacle to recovery. The Jones Act prohibits the use of foreign ships for domestic transport, so by prohibiting a potentially useful transportation option, it is obvious that the act could slow disaster relief. Authors of the act acknowledged this potential shortcoming by allowing for waivers during national disasters that are declared by the president and the cabinet.

However, a waiver is not automatic, and the request for a waiver necessarily results in delay as the request moves through the bureaucracy. It must be submitted to Customs and Border Protection, and that agency must consult the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) to determine whether American-flag ships can provide the requested transportation. The AMP and its allies have frequently opposed waivers, which can result in a political delay. Waivers were granted in 2005 and 2012, but not in 2010 following the BP Horizon oil spill. In the BP case, foreign ships were eventually permitted to participate in skimming oil from the polluted water, but it took more than a month for the administration to determine that skimming oil was not prohibited by the Jones Act. Retired Admiral Thad Allen, who headed the BP Horizon cleanup effort, claimed the Jones Act did not hinder the cleanup, but the time lag between the offer of services of foreign ships and their actual participation is undeniable.

The same issue arose after Hurricane Harvey, as the government evaluated the request for a waiver submitted by Phillips 66 Oil. As Hurricane Irma approached the coastal United States, the government acted more quickly by issuing a seven-day waiver on September 5 that was later extended for two more weeks. A waiver was also issued for the damage done by to Florida by Hurricane Harvey. However, when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the administration first denied a waiver. It later reversed the initial denial and issued a 10-day waiver. The delay and uncertainty about the waiver occurred while some people desperately sought electricity and fuel. The waiver process could be made quicker and more predictable if a waiver automatically took effect at the time the president or the presidents agent declared a national disaster and if it lasted for the duration of the emergency.

The recent damage from Hurricane Maria has called attention to the adverse effects of the Jones Act on disaster relief in Puerto Rico. Even before Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico suffered from long-term adverse effects of the Jones Act. Puerto Rico has higher costs of electricity than any of the mainland states. Prices of many other products are inflated because the Jones Act limits competition from foreign-flag ships.

After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, President Trump first hesitated to issue a Jones Act waiver. Following a request from the governor of Puerto Rico, Mr. Trump issued a 10-day waiver, but it was not long enough to allow ships to respond to the crisis. A Norwegian-flag ship that was docked in New Orleans offered to take supplies to Puerto Rico, but the waiver expired before it could complete its voyage. Similarly, Greenpeace representatives discovered that their Dutch-flag ship was not allowed to carry supplies from New York City and unload them in San Juan.

Many people in Congress, including Senator John McCain, Senator Mike Lee, and Representative Nydia Suarez, have called for a waiver or a permanent exemption from the Jones Act for Puerto Rico. Following a study of the Puerto Rican economy, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York called for a five-year waiver of the Jones Act for Puerto Rico. The Jones Act is an obstacle to providing quick relief from a domestic disaster.

Is the Jones Act Relevant to Trade with Guam?

The AMP makes some quibbles, including denouncing the EA for claiming that Guam is harmed by the Jones Act. There is a so-called Guam exemption that makes it possible for US-flagged ships to avoid the US-built and US-owned requirements for trade between Guam and the US mainland. However, Michael Hansen has pointed out that Guam is de facto constrained by these requirements:

Although Guam is de jure exempt from the U.S. build requirement of the Jones Act and other such U.S. cabotage laws, its functionally shackled to the domestic build requirement de facto. This [is] because the natural trade lane from the U.S. West Coast to Guam passes through Hawaii, which is subject to the U.S. build requirement, and shipping lines must call at both Hawaii and Guam to mount a financially successful voyage.

Therefore, Guam is harmed by the Jones Act de facto, and that is why Guams legislature voted in favor of a measure to exempt Hawaii from the Jones Act.

Adam Smith and Abuse of the National Defense Argument

The AMP document claims Adam Smith as a supporter of the Jones Act of 1920, because he made a national defense argument for the British Navigation Acts in the 1700s. The relevance of this point to modern transportation is a bit of a stretch, since there were no airplanes, railroads, trucks, or modern pipelines to substitute for ships in the 1700s. Furthermore, the British were wise enough to repeal the Navigation Acts in 1848.

Because of the Jones Act, shipping today is regulated more stringently than any other mode of transportation. On domestic water routes, American businesses are not allowed to use foreign-built ships today.

However, American commercial airlines are permitted to use foreign-built aircraft on domestic flights, and they often do. European Airbus, Canadian Bombardier, and Brazilian Embraer are commonly used, and they provide effective competition for American aircraft builders. Surely the US Air Force is important for national defense, but the Air Force does not seem weakened by the absence of a Buy American requirement for US commercial airlines. Similarly, truckers and railroads are permitted to buy the best equipment available, whether it is foreign or domestic made. Claiming that the use of American-built ships for commercial water transportation is essential for national defense is an extreme abuse of the national defense argument put forth by Smith. Since national defense benefits the entire country, it is logical to finance it with a broadly based tax rather than imposing a cost burden on the shipping industry.

The Jones Act Moves Transportation from Water to Land

Jones Act defenders claim that it contributes to national security by strengthening the US merchant marine. However, an unintended side effect is that by making domestic water transport more expensive, the Act has moved transportation from water to land. This point has been documented by Rockford Weitz and his colleagues at the Fletcher Maritime Studies Program at Tufts University.

They point out that water transport in the United States is far less important (2 percent of total transport) relative to transportation of all modes than is water transport in the European Union (40 percent of total transport), and they cite the Jones Act as a contributing factor. Substitution of land transport for water transport has even been accused of causing traffic jams on land.

The Jones Act and Ship Safety

Proponents have argued that the Jones Act would contribute to a strong merchant marine and a strong navy. However, there is increasing concern that the Jones Act may have the unintended consequence of making the American merchant marine less safe. A tragic example of the possible safety issue is the sinking of the El Faro in 2015 that killed the entire crew. The El Faro was a 40-year-old Jones Acteligible ship, and the extremely high cost of new American-built ships has contributed to the older age of the American-flag fleet. Higher costs have led owners to delay purchases of expensive new ships in favor of extending the lives of older ships. On October 1, 2017, the Coast Guard issued its report on the causes of the El Faro sinking, and it criticized the ships vulnerable design (possibly owing to its age), its failure to use the latest information about the hurricane, and its use of open life boats.

The National Transportation Safety Board has announced that it will issue its report on the El Faro sinking in December of this year. If accumulating evidence indicates that the Jones Act is contributing to less safety, this information may weaken political support for the Jones Act. Will elected officials continue to support laws if evidence indicates that they compromise the safety of crews? Will union officials change their minds if the act is found to endanger the lives of seamen they purport to represent?

Corrections in the EA

Some minor errors in the EA were not noticed by the anonymous author of the AMP document. For example, contrary to the EA, ferry service is not in place among the Hawaiian Islands. Also, the percentage of American businesses that hire foreign-flag ships for exports and imports today is closer to 99 percent than the greater than 80 percent stated in the EA. These errors were corrected in the version of the EA currently on the Mercatus website.

Conclusion

After a thorough evaluation of the arguments made by supporters of the Jones Act, the conclusion remains the same. The Jones Act is harmful to American consumers and businesses as a whole. Americans would gain from a major reform of the act, including a possible repeal. However, the supporters of the act have effectively protected it from repeal since 1920, and there is little evidence that their political support is diminishing. If repeal is not a reasonable option, reform of the act that would include relaxing the American-built requirement for ships would bring substantial benefits. A specific bill supported by the Hawaii Shippers Council would provide an exemption from the American-built requirement, but only for oceangoing ships traveling to or from the noncontiguous parts of the US (primarily Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico). The remaining features of the Jones Act would remain in place. To make the reform more palatable to shipyard employees, compensation could be paid to certain shipbuilders for a limited number of years. A precedent for such a buyout would be the tobacco buyout of 20042014.

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SCOTUS Keeps Rebuking Lower Courts That Rule Against Trump

by Kevin Daley, Daily Caller, 12/21/2017

In recent weeks the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly chided lower courts that issued rulings unfavorable to the Trump administration, suggesting at least some of the justices believe the judiciary is not treating the Trump administration fairly.

Though such a conclusion can only be reached by inference, the justices have issued several fairly extraordinary orders in cases involving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the latest iteration of the travel ban, which deals rather harshly with trial courts in California, Hawaii and Maryland.

The latest signal came in a Wednesday order concerning the number of documents the government must release in connection with a lawsuit challenging the termination of DACA, an Obama-era amnesty initiative that extends temporary legal status to foreign nationals who came to the United States as children. A federal court in California ordered the Trump administration to release all documents relating to its decision to terminate the program. The government counters that it need not publicize its sensitive internal deliberations.

The order appears to be the product of a compromise, as the justices split five to four along ideological lines on Dec. 8 over the same issue. This time, however, it appears all the justices agreed that the California courts order was overly broad, and that the breadth of the order warrants a slight rapping on the knuckles.

The government makes serious arguments that at least portions of the district courts order are overly broad, the Supreme Courts ruling reads. It goes on to say that the lower court should have allowed the government to temporarily shield the documents while resolving arguments in favor of their continued concealment.

It is rather unusual that the Court would involve itself in a dispute relating to the evidence-gathering phase of litigation, as Justice Stephen Breyer noted in his Dec. 8 dissent. That the Court reviewed this matter at all suggests that at least some of the justices believe lower courts have treated the administration with imprudence or intemperance, warranting a reprimand.

The Court has elsewhere flashed impatience with the lower court hearing challenges to the travel ban. In early December the justices issued a pair of rulings allowing the presidents latest travel sanctions to take full effect, overturning two lower courts that initially barred their enforcement.

The rulings, which drew dissents from Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, are terse and straightforward, suggesting the Court sees little ambiguity in the cases and believes the Trump administration will ultimately prevail. The rulings also instruct the 4th and 9th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, which are currently hearing travel ban challenges, to render [their] decision with appropriate dispatch. This language is highly unusual in a Supreme Court order, and suggests that the justices plan to take the case and issue the final word as soon as possible.

Taken together, these decisions suggest the justices believe several lower courts have seriously erred in handling challenges to key Trump initiatives. The concise, per curiam opinions they have issued overturning these courts seem to send a clear message  that the Court takes seriously its role as the keeper of equilibrium in a chaotic political system, and that all courts must respect the prerogatives of the administration.
(Institutional Investor) When hedge funds blow up, they tend to inflict lasting damage on managers careers, a new study has shown. The study  Career Risk and Market Discipline in Asset Management, published through the University of Indianas Kelley School of Business  found that hedge fund employees typically 

To read this article:
The vouchers were initially proposed as a means to allow social and health care customers to choose a private service provider over a public one. The counties to be established as part of the regional government reform would have been obliged to provide the vouchers upon request from the customer.

The Finnish government has acceded to the demands of experts and ruled special health care outside the scope of the service vouchers to be introduced as part of the social, health care and regional government reform.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on Wednesday announced, however, that the obligation will not extend to the field of special health care.

A service voucher, however, has to be offered if a patient cannot access services provided by a county-operated utility within the time frame laid out in the treatment guarantee for special health care, it stated in a press release.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health highlights that the binding nature of the vouchers in special health care was a particular concern for the 703 social and health care experts who commented on the reform bill this autumn.

The regulations governing service vouchers will be clarified so that they do not jeopardise public special health care services and emergency services, the press release reads.

The announcement was welcomed with delight by a number of social and health care experts, including Lasse Lehtonen, the administrative chief physician at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS).

Criticism has an impact. The government will expectedly fix sections concerning service vouchers in the freedom of choice proposal, he tweeted on Wednesday.

Others, meanwhile, argued that the decision will effectively rule special health care outside the social and health care reform, thus ensuring that the reform neither addresses the problems in the field of special health care nor creates the savings targeted by the government.

Itll simply cement the situation we have under the current legislation. In other words, if you have long wait times for surgeries, the [] hospital will be required to provide treatment for people by paying for it, Martti Kekomaki, a professor emeritus of health care administration and a member of the task force drafting the reform bill, commented to YLE.

The issue has also divided opinion within the ruling three-party coalition government.

The Centre Party repeatedly voiced its concern that the introduction of service vouchers would lead not only to the deterioration of special health care but also trigger a transfer of physicians from the public to private sector. The National Coalition, on the other hand, was eager to use the vouchers as a means to increase the market share of private service providers.

Paula Risikko (NCP), the Minister of the Interior, nevertheless described the outcome as an excellent compromise according to Helsingin Sanomat.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Martti Kainulainen  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
The so-called activation model will reduce benefits for job seekers who fail to work for a pre-determined number of hours or participate in employment services over a three-month period.

The Finnish government is crumbling the foundation of the competitiveness pact by overhauling the unemployment security system in an attempt to encourage job seekers to become more active in their efforts to find employment, says Ann Selin, the chairperson of Service Union United (PAM).

Job seekers who fail to satisfy the requirements will lose 4.65 per cent of their monthly unemployment benefits. The Finnish Parliament approved the overhaul of unemployment benefits by a vote of 103 for and 90 against on 19 December, 2017.

Selin reminds that PAM originally committed to the competitiveness pact on the condition that the position of unemployed job seekers will not be weakened. The government, she adds, had also promised to set aside the proposed cuts in unemployment benefits.

Wage earners were widely willing to protect the position of the unemployed, and that is why they agreed to extend working hours as part of the competitiveness pact, she says in a press release.

We have done our part and shouldered our responsibility. The question now is how the government and employers intend to keep their promise? You cannot talk about a common effort if everyone is not involved  and that seems to be the case now.

The Finnish Industrial Union has similarly expressed its concerns about the activation model and threatened to organise a strike in protest of the overhaul.

Jari Lindstrom (BR), the Minister of Employment, has voiced his support for the much-berated model by reminding that there are no longer any easy measures to improve the employment situation.

I can say with a straight face that the so-called easy measures to improve employment have been used. Whatever measures we decide to use going forward, someone will always be protesting, he wrote in a blog on Puheenvuoro on Tuesday.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Markku Ulander  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
War Horse | New Theatre Oxford | Wednesday, December 13

SINCE it was first staged in 2007, War Horse has acquired almost legendary status. Michael Morpurgos novel, adapted by Nick Stafford, has become a massive success in the theatre. So I went to the Oxford leg of the current UK tour with high expectations  and I wasnt disappointed.

War Horse is a spectacle  theres music, song, special effects and, most importantly, the remarkable horse puppets from Handspring.

The audience gets to know and love Joey, the war horse of the title, as a foal, acquired at auction by the obstinate Ted Narracott, largely to spite and win against his brother. Teds son Albert quickly bonds with Joey and, although the impoverished family can scarcely afford to keep him, Joey and Albert become inseparable.

Historical context is vitally important to War Horse  its essentially a play about the First World War. A recruitment drive for both men and horses sees Joey sold to the army by the venal Ted. The bond between horse and boy is broken  at least for now. Cousin Billy signs up and leaves the Devon countryside for France, to be followed later by Albert, in search of his beloved Joey.

The battlefield is effectively evoked through sound, light, images and choreographed movement. The trenches are depicted as a terrible environment for soldiers on both sides. But the horses suffer too.

Joey is now ridden by Lieutenant Nicholls and befriends another army horse, Topthorn. A disastrous cavalry charge sees Joeys rider dead and the two horses commandeered by the German forces.

The symbiotic relationship between horses and people is a strong theme in the play. Joey and Topthorn represent the many horses who died in battle during the war.

Respect for the animals comes across in the craftsmanship of the horse puppets and the skill of the puppeteers, who clearly understand how horses behave and move; sitting in the audience, I knew I was watching puppets, but found it easy to believe I was actually watching horses.

We see many different people responding to Joey. When the horse finds himself trapped in No Mans Land, soldiers from both sides collaborate with tenderness to free him from the barbed wire. Lieutenant Nichollss sketchbook, with its lovingly drawn images of Joey, features both as a plot device and a key contribution to stage design. But what about the human characters? The energy and stage presence of Thomas Dennis as Albert carries the show along. His upbeat performance elicits great sympathy from the audience.

There are convincing characterisations by numerous cast members, including Gwilym Lloyd as the foolish Ted Narracott,

Jo Castleton as his long-suffering wife, and Ben Ingles as the decent army officer who takes Joey as his mount.

Song man Bob Fox punctuates the scenes melodically with folk songs specially written for the production

Although War Horse derives from a childrens novel, its a serious play for everyone. This dramatisation is about the horror and desperation of war, presented graphically.

Be prepared to be moved, perhaps shocked, by the raw experiences and emotions evoked. But you will leave the theatre uplifted.

This first class production runs until January 6. Dont miss it!

Susan Creed
THE interim headteacher drafted in to help save Chiltern Edge School is to stay on.

Moira Green started in June after the school was rated inadequate by Ofsted and placed in special measures.

Now she has accepted the job permanently after Oxfordshire County Council, the education authority, lifted its threat of closure over the school following immediate improvements.

Miss Green said she wanted to remain in charge of the Reades Lane school at least until it has achieved a good rating from the education watchdog.

She said: The school is an important part of the community and we have reached the point where it is staying open but that is only the start. We are working to get the school back to good and making sure the foundations are in place for it to stay good. I have become very fond of the place and want to see the job through.

Miss Greens appointment comes after a monitoring report by Ofsted said the school was on the right track to be moved out of special measures.

Inspector Matthew Newberry, who visited Chiltern Edge on November 21 and 22, said the schools leaders and managers were taking effective action and the improvement plan was fit for purpose.

He revealead that 20 teachers and 26 support staff had left the school since the previous inspection. Mr Newberry said: Teachers are now aware of the need to raise their game and of how all staff will be supported by leaders and external consultants to improve.

Many teachers and support staff have left. Those that remain, and the new staff, are keen to improve their practice; they feel valued and are well supported to do so. Staff morale is much higher.

Staff, governors and pupils are proud of their school and recognise that significant changes have been made and that it is improving.

Mr Newberry praised Miss Greens changes, saying: Teachers are getting the support they need to make improvements.

Senior leaders have started a regular programme of monitoring teaching with a clearer focus on pupils progress. Senior leaders have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment. They are turning their attention to supporting middle leaders to gain the same clarity.

New tracking systems have begun in key stages 3 and 4 to assess pupils attainment and monitor the progress they make against ambitious targets.

Mr Newberry also recognised the progress made by older students.

He said: Staff are working hard to put the interim headteachers new principles for effective teaching into practice. Teachers are trying to challenge pupils more purposefully, including the most able .

Where this is working well pupils respond positively and demonstrate better progress.

This is very apparent in the progress year 11 pupils are making in Saturday school classes in English and mathematics. In some key stage 4 mathematics groups, where teachers have higher expectations, then pupils reasoning skills are promoted well.

Miss Green, a former head of music at Langtree School in Woodcote, said: The report is really positive. It says we are improving and we are taking effective action. It recognises we know what we are doing and we have an effective plan as we move forward.

Its nice to have something positive about the school in the public domain because the last report was not very positive at all.

The report reflects a positive outlook for the school and recognises the changes that have been made to date and the ongoing developments are the right things to do to return Chiltern Edge to a good rating. I am particularly pleased that the report more accurately reflects the school, the pride that staff and students feel and the desire to work hard to be our best selves.

The school will have another monitoring inspection next year. External reviews on governance and the schools use of the pupil premium will also be undertaken.

Miss Green, who lives in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, said she hoped the school would reach an agreement to become part of the Maiden Erlegh Trust, a multi-academy trust based in Wokingham, next year. This would need to be signed off by the regional schools commissioner.

Miss Green was previously assistant deputy head at a 1,700-pupil school in Peterborough and then headteacher at a London school for two years before becoming a consultant.
Evangelical Christians across the U.S. reconfirmed their allegiance to conservative candidates and causes in the midterm elections. Catholic voters also continued to show how closely divided they are, even on abortion. AP VoteCast shows Catholic voters split about evenly on a high-profile ballot measure that enshrined abortion rights in Michigans constitution. VoteCast is an expansive survey of over 94,000 voters across the country. In Kentucky, 60% of Catholic voters cast No votes for a GOP-backed ballot measure aimed at denying any state constitutional protections for abortion. In contrast, about two-thirds of white evangelical voters in both Kentucky and Michigan voted against abortion access.
COEBURN, Va.A man faces attempted murder charges after police say he fired his weapon at his son and his sons pregnant fiance during a domestic situation in Coeburn, Virginia.

Robert James Ellis, 50, has been charged with two counts of malicious wounding, attempted homicide of a pregnant woman, attempted homicide, three counts of brandishing a firearm, two counts of use of a firearm while attempting to commit murder, reckless handling of a firearm and malicious discharge of a firearm within an occupied dwelling, according to the Coeburn Police Department.

On Wednesday evening, the mans son, Matthew Ellis, 27, and the sons fiance, Debra Light, 18, went to the police department to report that they had been involved in a physical domestic situation and had been shot at by Robert Ellis, Coeburn Police Chief Scott Brooks said. The shooting occurred at a residence in the 100 block of Brook Avenue NE in Coeburn.

Matthew advised that during the incident he sustained injuries, bleeding cuts, to his face, neck and hands, Brooks said.

The domestic fight escalated when the father pulled a .38 cal. revolver from the back of his waistline and pointed it at the floor in front of his son and fired the weapon into the floor of the living room, Brook said.

Matthew advised that Robert was still yelling and trying to fight Matthew and Debra, and advised that Robert then pointed the gun at him and fired a 2nd round at him, missing him, Brook said. Matthew and Debra advised that Matthew pushed Robert down and Robert pointed the weapon at Debra and fired a 3rd round at Debra.

The son and his fiance were able to escape the home on foot and walked to the police de-partment for help.

Light told police she was 12 weeks pregnant.

Brooks said Robert Ellis was holding a .38 cal. revolver behind his back when officers confronted him inside his home. After several commands to drop the weapon, he complied and was taken into custody, Brooks said.

Ellis is being held without bail at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Duffield.
BRISTOL, Va.  With Christmas just around the corner, theres still lots of last-minute shopping to be done and holiday gatherings to look forward to. Unfortunately, this year, there may be an unwelcome visitor  flu.

Things are going to get worse before they get better, Dr. Gail Stanley, an infectious disease physician at Bristol Regional Medical Center, said Thursday. As people start to come back home from the holidays, and the weather gets colder, the chances of spreading the virus are even greater.

Influenza hit the Mountain Empire earlier than usual this season, prompting hospitals to enact visitor restrictions Thursday and health professionals to issue warnings of how people can reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Flu season generally hits the region in early winter, but numbers have been accelerating in the past few weeks at BRMCs emergency department, where they have seen a sharp increase in cases.

In early December, Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System hospitals recorded 54 positive flu cases. Last week, that number more than doubled to 140, according to a Wellmont spokesman.

The past two years of flu season have been extremely light, Stanley said. We usually start seeing a peak between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, I dont think weve gotten to even the peak point yet, and were already seeing an increased number of cases in the region.

In Virginia, more than 60 cases have been reported in the past week, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The state is also listed as having a widespread number of cases statewide, meaning there are active cases in at least half of the VDHs five reporting regions.

Typically, Tennessee sees the highest number of seasonal flu cases in January and February. However, just like Virginia, Tennessee has seen an increase, according to state health officials.

In addition to emergency rooms, urgent care centers and doctors offices have been busy with people presenting flu and flu-like symptoms. However, Stanley said it is important for people to understand the difference.

There is a difference between the two, Stanley said. When you have the flu, you feel like youre going to die. You are fine, and then all of a sudden  bang  it ends up just hitting you.

Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches and fatigue. Those symptoms are usually more severe than cold symptoms and happen quickly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The widespread presence of the flu has been declared three weeks earlier than it was last year, according to Dr. Karen Shelton, medical director for Mount Rogers Health District. Last year, the flu virus remained widespread for 16 weeks, or through the beginning of April.

While Shelton said its too soon to tell about the flu season and the vaccines effectiveness this year, she noted that there are concerns over reports from Australia, which is now at the end of its flu season, about a severe outbreak.

Even though some people who have gotten the flu had a flu shot, health professionals like Shelton continue to recommend that local residents still get a flu shot because it may reduce the duration and intensity of the illness.

I highly recommend the vaccine, Shelton said, noting that all the health district offices still have plenty of the vaccine readily available.

To limit the spread of the flu, both Wellmont and Mountain States hospitals in Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol have enacted visitor restrictions, meaning that anyone younger than 12 and anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms should refrain from visiting hospital patients.

Once we started seeing an increase outside of the hospital, then we started looking at how we can limit transfer of the virus into the hospitals, Stanley said. If you have someone in the hospital and youre sick yourself  send the person a card or just call them on the phone.

Anyone who is sick should also not visit elderly relatives or attend holiday parties. If visits are necessary, Stanley advised wearing a mask and staying several feet away from everyone.

Other adults, young children and those with compromised immune systems are more susceptible to flu complications, including pneumonia, according to the CDC.

You can transmit the flu up to 24 hours before you even start to experience any types of symptoms, Stanley said. We want people to know that this year, influenza is going to be worse and people need to be prepared and take the necessary steps to protect themselves.
A terminated police officer in Bristol, Tennessee, who lost his job after a traffic stop involving a state senators daughter, has received a job offer.

The city of Bristol, Tennessee, dismissed Phil Kiersnowski on Dec. 1, according to a letter addressed to the officer. On Thursday, Kiersnowski, who said hes ready to move on from the incident, has a job offer, but he declined to provide more details.

On Nov. 29, state Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, said he called the police chief about traffic stops involving his family. His wife had been stopped for a traffic violation earlier in the day, and his daughter was stopped that afternoon regarding dark window tinting.

Jokingly, Lundberg, who was returning home to Bristol, said he asked the chief if the police department was targeting his family. Now, Lundberg said he regrets calling the chief.

I was contacted by Jon Lundberg who was concerned about a recent traffic citation his daughter received for illegal window tint, Police Chief Blaine Wade said in a memo to the citys director of administration, Mary Lee Williams. During the course of the investigation, Mr. Lundberg advised his daughter was targeted.

Wade said police obtained video related to the traffic stop to determine what had happened.

The video shows Kiersnowski, who had worked for the department for about five years, according to department records, stop Samantha Lundberg at 4:46 p.m. on Nov. 29 for a window tint violation.

Jon Lundberg admits the tint violated code and his daughter should have been stopped.

Kiersnowski approached the woman, who he had known for about a decade, according to Lundberg and the chiefs memorandum.

Officer Kiersnowski used unprofessional language that the window tint was darker than hell, Wade wrote.

The officer also attempted to disable the audio portion of his camera system during the stop, Wade said. He told the driver he was only writing her a ticket because the department insisted on enforcing window tint policy violations. He also indicated that most of the officers knew Samantha Lundbergs windows were too dark, since many of them knew her personally.

Officer Kiersnowski told Ms. Lundberg while his audio was muted that the administration was pushing the window tint charges and one phone call from her father could save everyone a lot of grief, Wade wrote.

Kiersnowski wrote Samantha Lundberg a citation during the stop. Her father said she has since removed the tint from the vehicle. However, shes preparing to move out west, to a state where the dark tint would be legal, he added.

Wade said in the memo that Kiersnowski was insubordinate with his attempt to persuade someone to take action to change police department policy that he does not agree with.

Kiersnowski was dismissed following the review.

Lundberg said he believes Kiersnowski should have been counseled on the situation but should not have been fired. He called it a teachable moment. As a result, he hired an attorney to assist the man. Recently, Kiersnowski lost an appeal on the dismissal.

This is the kind of person we want on the streets, Lundberg said. He was a good officer.

Lundberg added that window tinting is not a significant safety issue in the city.

It has been inappropriately enforced, Lundberg said.

He said the citys opioid problems, drugs, speeding and intoxicated driving should be of more concern for the police department than window tinting.

While Lundberg has reviewed the states window tint code, he does not plan to take up the issue when he returns to the state Senate next month.

Tennessee state code says its unlawful for a person to operate a motor vehicle in which any window has a visible light transmittance of less than 35 percent. So window tint can only block 65 percent of the light. There are a few exceptions, including law enforcement vehicles.

Sullivan County District Attorney General Barry Staubus confirmed Thursday that an outside prosecutor has also reviewed the case to determine if it was a criminal matter.

He reviewed it and found no criminal law violations, Staubus said.

City Attorney Danielle Kiser said it is city policy not to comment on personnel matters.
BRISTOL, Tenn.  The Mountain Empire could see a little snow on Christmas Eve, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Derek Eisentrout.

Theres around a 30 percent chance of rain and snow showers Christmas Eve night, he said Thursday. But folks shouldnt expect to see any snow on the ground Christmas morning. The ground is warm and snow that falls should melt fairly quickly.

Temperatures on Sunday are expected to range from the mid- to upper 40s during the day and in the low 20s overnight.

Monday, it will be sunny but cold, Eisentrout said. The high will be in the 30s and the overnight low will again be in the 20s.

WCYB Meteorologist Chris Michaels said some Southwest Virginia residents could wake to some snow Christmas morning.

Its expected to start Christmas Eve night and end before sunrise, he said. The way it looks now, Id be surprised if there wasnt at least a slight dusting of snow in the mountains  but they could see up to an inch.

He added that the snow shouldnt affect travel.

The snow wont be heavy and roads should not be impacted, he said.

According to Eisentrout, the last time there was an accumulation of snow in the region on Christmas Day was in 2010, when there was 1.2 inches.

And in 1969, there was a record 8.7 inches, he said.

The record high on Christmas Day was 74 degrees in 1982 and the record low reached negative 6 degrees in 1983, he said.

Today and Saturday, the highs should be around 59 degrees and lows will be in the mid 40s, according to the NWS.

Michaels said both Tennessee and Virginia can expect rain both days.

Most of the rain today should be north of Interstate 81, he said. But both today and tomorrow will be soggy.
ABINGDON, Va.Two Washington County, Virginia deputies were involved in a crash late Thursday in downtown Abingdon, Sheriff Fred Newman confirmed.

"Two of our deputies were responding to a serious domestic call on Fall Hill Road," Newman said.

The deputies were enroute from different directions and collided at the intersection of Cummings Street and Main Street in Abingdon. Newman said one of the deputies suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Local EMS and fire units were called to the scene. The Abingdon Police Department investigated the crash.

Appalachian Power was also called to the scene due to the damage.
One of the regions largest employers has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to sexual harassment and offers multiple avenues for workers to report it.

Wellmont Health System employs thousands at facilities it operates across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. While officials have dealt with cases of harassment, all have been handled swiftly and thoroughly, according to Hamlin Wilson, senior vice president of human resources.

We have 7,500 employees, and we have relatively few complaints that are lodged for sexual harassment. It doesnt mean we dont take them all seriously. We investigate very promptly and thoroughly, Wilson said.

The actual numbers of complaints are really few. I really believe that has to do with the training we give our managers, the actions weve taken in the past when we found sexual harassment  disciplinary actions and separations of employment. Weve created a culture where its really not permitted, and we move swiftly when we get a complaint.

The companys path toward eliminating workplace harassment of any kind begins with orientation for new employees, which includes a review of its anti-harassment policies and continues through annual training.

We have a code of conduct for employees that is shared during their initial orientation to our health system. Among other things, that code specifically prohibits sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, Wilson said. We have another policy called a disruptive behavior policy, which identifies sexual harassment as one type of disruptive behavior. In a health care system, its important to have these policies because were often dealing with high-stress situations, and we dont want disruptive behavior of any kind to affect patient care.

The message is given and then reinforced with multiple avenues to report and awareness about the consequences.

What we want them to know from that first day  from a human resources perspective  boils down to sexual harassment is not tolerated at Wellmont, and if they believe to be victims of harassment of any kind here are the things to do to file a complaint. From a new employee perspective, theyre given a policy, theyre aware of the policy and they are told what the process is to report sexual harassment, and they know its not permitted at Wellmont.

To report harassment, employees can notify their immediate supervisor, the human resources department, Wellmonts compliance department or call an ethics hotline and make the report anonymously.

They can give their name or not and it goes to a third party, Wilson said. They receive the call and will process the call, gain the information, and that will go back to our compliance department. They will triage it, and often those come to human resources.

All sexual harassment complaints go to the human resources department, and each is investigated, Wilson said. The accused is typically placed on temporary suspension until the investigation is completed, and there are a variety of punishments, depending on the circumstances.

If there is no basis found for harassment, that person is brought back and no corrective action is necessary. In other cases, we have a lot of options available as to what disciplinary action we take, Wilson said. If its a minor infraction, not really sexual harassment but still inappropriate, it could be a verbal warning or a written corrective action that goes into the employees record. A final written warning, if the situation calls for it. If its egregious, we will separate the employee and have done so; we will dismiss the employee for sexual harassment.

The harassment issue is especially sensitive in health care, where people work side by side in facilities that never close and may see co-workers or supervisors more than their own families.

In hospitals, were an 80 percent or more female workforce. Thats a fairly unique demographic and we have to be particularly sensitive to that demographic, Wilson said. I cant speak for all hospitals, but at Wellmont we are very proactive, take a firm position against harassment, and we practice what we preach.
Good news from the recent annual United Way campaign: The goal was reached, assuring that the agencies served by United Way of Bristol will get the funding they need for the coming year.

In its recent public announcement, United Way said it received pledges totaling $1,104,395 for the 2018 calendar year. The campaign began in August and wrapped up last week.

We have been able to share the work that the United Way of Bristol does in our community with more people and businesses, which has helped us reach our goal, said United Way Executive Director Lisa Cofer.

The community owes its thanks to everyone who chipped in to help United Way reach its goal, which was actually set at $50,000 less than last years.

This community never ceases to amaze me, campaign Chairwoman Carolyn Ferrell said during the announcement at the Boys and Girls Club of the Mountain Empire, where remote-controlled racecars were used as props to display the total amount raised.

The generosity of the businesses and the people in Bristol is why we are able to meet our goal, Ferrell said.

Supporting United Way is important because of how it works: The campaign serves as a central fundraising effort for a variety of key nonprofit groups that provide community needs that would largely go unfilled without the United Ways assistance.

Among the agencies and groups served by the United Way campaign are Big Brothers/Big Sisters, First Tennessee Human Resources Agency, the Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the YMCA and YWCA, Bristol Regional Counseling Center, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and Legal Aid of Southwest Virginia, American Red Cross of the Mountain Empire, Imagination Library, the Salvation Army, Rivers Way, Healing Hands Health Center, Family Promise of Bristol, CASA for Kids, Bristol Speech and Hearing, Link House and more.

With the financial help from the annual United Way campaign  through your generous contributions on your own and through your workplaces  these agencies do a lot of good in our community.

Without your support, they would not be able to provide these necessary services.

On its campaign flyer, United Way of Bristol Tennessee/Virginia states its purpose this way:

We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to have a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, sufficient income to support a family through retirement and good health. This is why United Way of Bristols work focuses on a foundation for a good life: Education, Income, Health and Basic Necessities.

And on its website, the agency says:

United Way of Bristol brings people and resources together to advance the common good by focusing on the building blocks of a good life. Our goal is to create long-lasting changes to prevent problems before they occur. We know it takes the entire community working together to effect change.

Its also important to note that unlike some charities, all money contributed to the United Way of Bristol stays in our local community, unless designated otherwise by the donor.

Ive seen miracles happen, and people really step up to the plate to make a difference in their community, Ferrell said of her experience with United Way.

We say congratulations to United Way for achieving this years goal, and a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to help make this campaign a success.

For more information about United Way of Bristol and the agencies it supports, visit the website at unitedwaybristol.org or call 423-968-4912.
On Dec. 23, Larry and I traveled 400 miles to spend time with our friends, Chris and Bernie Grossman, in their new home in Tallahassee. And on Dec. 25, the Shapiros and Grossmans upheld a tradition as steeped in Jewish culinary ritual as eating brisket on Rosh Hashanah, potato latkes on Chanukah, and matzo ball soup on Passover. We ate Chinese food on Christmas Day.

Growing up in a small town in Upstate New York, my family didn't eat Chinese food on Christmas Day, or most other days of the year. If there was a Chinese restaurant in Plattsburg, the "big town" near us, I don't remember ever going there.

Once or twice a year, my father would pile my mother and the four children into the station wagon and drive the 90 minutes to Montreal. We would weave our way into Chinatown and head to the Nanking Cafe. We would climb a set of steep stairs and crowd around a table in a booth. (Family lore tells of the time that my brother Jay drank the water in the finger bowl.) The wonton soup and noodles would be followed by chow mein (much better than the stuff we ate out of cans that we got at the local Grand Union). We would finish up with fortune cookies and vanilla ice cream and head back home.

The Chinese food at Christmas tradition started for me after Larry and I married and bought a home in Saratoga County in 1976. Ling's, near the corner of Routes 146 and 9 in Clifton Park, was the only restaurant open on Dec. 25th. (It was also the only Chinese restaurant in a 10-mile radius; there are now at least 10!) Larry and I met half the Jewish population of our community there.

By the next year, we were going to Ling's with a group of friends. And by the time our children left home, we had a standing date for a Dec. 25th dinner with the Grossmans and several other couples in various Chinese restaurants throughout the Capital District. Wherever we chose to go, we could count on sharing the evening with tables of fellow Jews-including many rabbis and their families.

The tradition continued when we moved to Florida in 2015, when the Grossmans and another of our regulars, Joyce and Mel Toub, joined us in Kissimmee for three days. Of course, we had reservations at the local Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day.

Last year, Chanukah started on Dec. 24. Congregation Shalom Aleichem in Kissimmee held a community dinner. I was hoping we would be dining on huge metal pans filled with vegetarian or kosher-style dishes from one of the two Chinese restaurants close to our shul. To my disappointment, the committee planning the event opted for Italian. The next day, we joined my brother Jay, his wife Leslie, and their family for a traditional Chanukah meal in Sarasota. This year, however, we were back on track for wonton and moo shu, heading to Tallahassee to maintain the ritual of eating Chinese food on Dec. 25.

According to Mathew Goodman, author of "Jewish Food: The World at Table," the Jews' love for Chinese food dates back over 100 years ago. The Lower East Side of Manhattan was populated by Eastern European Jews, Italian, and Chinese. "Italian cuisine and especially Italian restaurants, with their Christian iconography, held little appeal for Jews," Mark Tracy wrote in a 2011 Atlantic article. "But the Chinese restaurants had no Virgin Marys. And they prepared their food in the Cantonese culinary style, which utilized a sweet-and-sour flavor profile, overcooked vegetables, and heaps of garlic and onion"-all similar to Eastern European cuisine.

Another theory was included in a 1992 academic (seriously!) paper by Gayle Tuchman and Harry G. Levine in which they supported the idea that Chinese food was 'Safe Treyf.' True the dishes featured un-kosher foods including shellfish and pork. But it was chopped and minced and mixed with so many vegetables, it was disguised. As stated in a 2007 blog post Feed the Spirit, "If pork was in wontons (which looked very much like Jewish kreplach) or in tiny pieces in chop suey, it didn't seem as bad as chowing down on a ham sandwich. And the Chinese typically don't cook with dairy products, so no one had to worry about mixing milk and meat. The concept has made it to the highest court in our country. According to the Judaism 101 website, Justice Elana Kagen brought up the Jewish/Chinese food connection up at her 2010 Supreme Court confirmation hearing. When a senator asked her where she was on Christmas, she said, "You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant."

In 2009, Brandon Miller even penned a song: "I eat Chinese food on Christmas/Go to the movie theater, too/'Cause there just ain't much else to do on Christmas/When you're a Jew."

As you can tell by her undecidedly non-Jewish name, Chris was not born Jewish. She converted after she met Bernie at Grinnell. Chris, whose Hebrew name is Chava, keeps kosher. So on Dec. 25, in a Chinese restaurant in Tallahassee, she ordered the egg drop soup and flounder filet with yu shang sauce.

The rest of us, however, ate "Safe Treyf." Larry ordered crispy jumbo scallops with black bean sauce. Bernie got egg rolls and black pepper beef tenderloin tips ("Bernie always eats something with beef, no matter what ethnic variety food we have," quipped Chris). And I ordered my favorite-chicken moo shu chicken with pancakes and plum sauce.

After the main meal, we popped open our fortune cookies and shared the Chinese predictions for the upcoming year. Then we went back to the Grossmans and dined on my "world famous chocolate chip cookies," another long-standing holiday tradition for us friends. We raised a glass of wine, shouted "L'Chaim" (To Life!) or "ganbei" (gon bay) the traditional Chinese toast which literally means 'dry cup.'

The Hebrew year is 5778 and the Chinese year is 4715. That must mean, the old joke goes, that against all odds the Jews went without Chinese food for 1,064 years. Fortunately, for us, we were able to share fried rice, friendship and fortune cookies with the Grossmans.
ELKO  Wells Fargo branches in Elko are doubling as a food bank this holiday season in a joint effort with FISH Elko to fight hunger.

Until the end of the year, approximately 5,900 Wells Fargo branches nationwide will serve as food donation centers, collecting nonperishable foods in specially marked bins as part of the Wells Fargo Holiday Food Bank.

The stark reality is that one in seven Americans rely on a food bank over the holidays to help put food on the table, said Mary Mack, head of Community Banking. By bringing together our customers, our team members, nonprofits, and others, well make it easier for everyone to enjoy holiday meals together.

The hope is that, by working together this holiday season, Wells Fargo can help support the 41.2 million Americans the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates are food insecure  meaning they cant always obtain adequate nutrition.

The holidays are about people coming together as family and friends to celebrate, Mack said, and sharing meals together and making memories around the table is a cherished part of that tradition.

The holiday food banks add to Wells Fargos year-round philanthropic support of nonprofit organizations and volunteer efforts of the companys more than 260,000 team members.

From Nov. 28 to Dec. 30 alone, Wells Fargo volunteers will support 41 food-related nonprofits  delivering meals, sorting food, and working to fight hunger in 14 states and the District of Columbia.

In 2016, Wells Fargo donated a total of $281.3 million to nonprofits, and team members volunteered 1.7 million volunteer hours to their favorite charities.
It could be argued that Israel might not exist today were it not for Eliahu "Eli" Cohen, who was executed as a spy in Syria in 1965-but not before passing on information that likely saved his country.

Over 50 years later, Avraham Cohen, is still trying to get his brother's remains returned.

Avraham Cohen, Eli Cohen's last surviving sibling, will be speaking at Nate's Shul as part of a larger presentation on the historical and ongoing issue. It's something he's been doing in Israel for many years, but abroad for only five, he said.

"I feel I have a mission and a duty to honor Eli's memory," he said. "It's painful to talk about, but I also feel it's a great honor to be his brother, and I feel a sense of warmth when I share his story."

When, in 1967, Israel dismantled Syrian guns on the Golan Heights as part of a preemptive strike, it was a mystery to most how they knew those weapons' secret location.

Few knew it was the work of Eli Cohen, a 41-year-old married father of two daughters and a son, and Israel's most famous spy, who had successfully penetrated the upper echelons of the Syrian government as an undercover Mossad agent.

The secrets he obtained proved crucial to Israel's victory in the Six-Day War.

"He had infiltrated the regime with such brilliance that he was being considered for the position of Syrian minister of defense," said Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad North Orlando.

He was eventually discovered, captured, tortured and publicly executed, leaving behind a widow, three daughters and a son. His remains still have not been returned to Israel, despite many diplomatic attempts to ensure a proper resting place for "our man in Damascus."

Avraham Cohen said that even if his presentation inspires someone to try and apply pressure on Syria to return the remains, he holds little hope of such a development, since "in recent years, there really has been no Syria; no one to talk to over there," and few with a sympathetic ear.

In the days between Jan. 8 - 11, 2018, Avraham Cohen will tour Central Florida and visit five Chabad centers to retell the amazing story of his brother - Israel's greatest spy.

"Cohen will reveal behind the scenes insight into Eli Cohen's story," said Majesky. "He will share his family's experience as well as the ongoing struggle to have his brother's remains returned to Israel."

Before retiring in 2009, Avraham Cohen was the senior economist for the industrial development bank of Israel, in charge of feasibility studies for the electronics, high-tech and defense industries. He now volunteers with the Weizmann Historical Archive and is active in the Association for the Preservation of the Legacy of Eli Cohen.

The tour schedule is as follows:

 South Orlando-Monday, Jan. 8, 7 p.m. http://www.JewishOrlando.com or 800-765-7905

 Longwood-Tuesday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. http://www.JewishNorthOrlando.com/EliCohen or 407-636-5994

The Villages-Wednesday, Jan. 10, 12:30 p.m.

http://www.OurChabad.org or 352-330-4466

 Palm Coast-Wednesday, Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. http://www.ChabadPalmCoast.com or 386-225-4941

 Lakeland-Thursday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m.

http://www.ChabadLakeland.org or 863-937-5565

To reserve seats and purchase tickets or for more information please contact the location nearest you.
Foreign ministers from India, Russia and China notably refrained from recognizing 'East Jerusalem' as the capital of Palestine at their annual meeting in New Delhi this week-seven days after the US recognized the holy city as the capital of Israel.

The decision not to restate the position on Jerusalem long-held by all three countries was in marked contrast to their joint call at last year's meeting in Moscow for a "sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital." At this year's 15th annual meeting, their statement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stressed support for "an independent, viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders," without mentioning the issue of Jerusalem.

The absence of Jerusalem from Tuesday's statement is particularly striking given the strident opposition to the US move in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Turkey and Iran, both of whom retain close diplomatic and security ties with all three countries, have led the denunciation of the US announcement on Jerusalem.

India in particular stands out for not having even taken a position on the US decision. Asked for clarification of India's position on December 7, a spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry said simply, "India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country." Bilateral relations between Israel and India were handed an unprecedented boost by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-profile visit to the Jewish state in July of this year.

Russia's individual position is also under scrutiny, following the announcement by its foreign ministry last April that Moscow was recognizing West Jerusalem as Israel's capital. At the time, the Russians stated their reaffirmation of their "commitment to the UN-approved principles for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, which include the status of 'East Jerusalem' as the capital of the future Palestinian state. At the same time, we must state that in this context we view 'West Jerusalem' as the capital of Israel." That statement went onto declare support "for the two-state solution as an optimal option that meets the national interests of the Palestinian and Israeli people, both of whom have friendly relations with Russia."

Meanwhile, China's official statement in response to Trump's decision expressed strong concern at the security implications of the move but stopped short of full-throated condemnation. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry even implied that historic claims of exclusive Arab ownership of the city are not as clear-cut as Palestinian leaders might believe.

"The question over the status of Jerusalem is complicated and sensitive," foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, following Trump's recognition announcement. "All parties should be cautious in order to maintain peace. All parties should avoid shaking the long-term foundations of solving the Palestinian issues, and avoid creating new divisions in the region."
Dec. 6, 2017, will be forever remembered as a day when a historic wrong had been righted.

His long-awaited speech drew praise from both sides of the aisle from our Florida Congressional representatives Congressman Brian Mast (R-Fla.) called it a day of celebration and warned that for groups like Hamas, this is just another excuse to cause violence and destruction that proves they are not ready to negotiate peace. His sentiment was echoed by fellow Republican Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), who lauded President Trump for is decision, after the Obama administration worked furiously [last December] to engineer a U.N. resolution so anti-Israel that it characterized the Western Wall as occupied territory.

Meanwhile, Congressman Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) issued a joint statement with Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), highlighting again the profoundly bipartisan nature of the decision. The two Floridians stated that the announcement is a recognition of existing U.S. law that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and that the U.S. embassy should ultimately be located in the capital. The pair added: There is no debate that the Jewish people have a deep-rooted religious, cultural and historic tie to Jerusalem, and todays decision reaffirms that connection.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also threw his support behind the move. I commend President Trump for following U.S. law and recognizing Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish state of Israel, he noted. The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which Congress passed during the Clinton administration, he continued, requires the United States not only to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but also to eventually move the American embassy to Jerusalem.

With his landmark speech, the president accomplished something remarkablehe brought some sorely needed reality therapy to the Palestinians.

Trump honored a bipartisan commitment made over 20 years agoa policy reaffirmed by the Senate in June of this year, when lawmakers declared that Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel by a 90-0 vote.

Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, and finally, after 2,000 years, we have come home to our ancient homeland, where we are no longer passive agents in history, but free and active participants in determining our history. Yet Israel has been the one nation in the world that, up until Dec. 6, had been denied the freedom to choose its own capital and have it recognized by the international community, and to have the nations of the world respect and honor that decision.

Of the 190 nations with which the U.S. has diplomatic relations, up until this week, Israel had been the only one whose capital had lacked recognition from America.

Contrary to what some of the State Department types have argued, this is not a concession to Israel. This is American law, and has been so since 1995. Yes, prior presidents have taken advantage of a presidential waiver in the law, arguing that it is not the right time.

According to these stale State Department types, it is never the right time.

They argue that it will destroy the peace process. One might ask, What peace process?

The truth is that there has not been any peace process to speak of for at least a year. The latest round of official Israeli-Palestinian talks, held from 2013-2014, broke down under Secretary of State John Kerry because the Palestinian Authority (PA) refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. PA President Mahmoud Abbass foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, stated in December 2016 that recognizing Israel for what it is, a Jewish state, was unacceptable.

If Trumps statement is going to cause mass violence, it is not the fault of the U.S. nor of Israel. It is the fault of the Palestinians, who have not even recognized pre-1967 Israel in their textbooks, who teach that all of pre-1967 Israel will one day become Palestine, and who have television programs indoctrinating children that Haifa, Tel Aviv, and west Jerusalem will all someday be theirs.

On Nov. 29, 1947, prior to President Harry Truman recognizing Israel at the United Nations, people had told Truman that the recognition would only lead to mass rioting. What would have happened if Truman had listened?

The Arabs and Palestinians have always used the threat of violence as a negotiating tool. The longer we cower to the threat of violence, the more we reinforce that as a legitimate tool of negotiations.

Either we have a policy and a law, or we do not. We should not change our policies to appease the most violent participants on the world stage. It simply does not work, but rather begets more violence.

By using appeasement, we do not gain the respect of the international community, nor of the Muslim and Arab world. As Osama bin Laden had said, When someone sees a weak horse, and a strong horse, it is natural to bet on the strong horse.

Those who argue otherwise are engaging in what the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called the soft bigotry of low expectations. They are simply being patronizing to the Palestinians.

What message does that send to the Palestinian leadership when there are government spokesmen around the globe saying that we expect the Palestinians to engage in violence? We are giving them a pretense for violence and bloodshed, which eventually becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

The Palestinians need to learn that no matter what dangerous illusions of conquest they are teaching their children, Israel will never cede its capital of Jerusalemnot after 3,000 years of history.

And they need to learn, once and for all, that Israel is here to stay.

In this way, Trumps Dec. 6 speech was a sorely needed dose of reality therapy for the Palestinians.

Sarah N. Stern is the founder and president of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), which describes itself as an unabashedly pro-Israel and pro-American think tank and policy institute in Washington, D.C.
JERUSALEM (JTA)Amid the global controversy over President Donald Trumps recognition last week of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, Israeli and Palestinian leaders actually found rare consensus: They agreed that the development was a win for Israel and a loss for the Palestinians.

To be sure, Trumps concession was not a major one. Israel was always expected to get a recognized capital in Jerusalem under any Middle East peace deal, and the president did not reject Palestinian claims to have their capital in the city, too.

However, the change in two decades of American policy on Jerusalem cemented the impression on both sides that the United States was tilting toward Israel. With Trumps team working on a peace deal, Israeli and Palestinian leaders debated how his decision would affect the effort.

The Israelis said their country still wants peace and Trump was only recognizing the obvious: Israel already controls all of Jerusalem, has treated it as its capital for 69 years and was never going to settle for anything less than an acknowledgement that Jerusalem is its capital. Whether the Palestinians can also claim parts of Jerusalem as their capital remains an open question, but that was always one of the so-called final-status issues at the heart of negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday during a visit with French President Emanuel Macron that Jerusalem was as much Israels capital as Paris was Frances, and that recognition of this fact was necessary for peace.

I think that what peace requires is to be built on the foundation of truth, on the facts of the past and on the present, Netanyahu said. This is the only way that you can build a pluralistic and successful future.

More important, Israeli leaders contended, Trump gave the Palestinians a long overdue reality check. They said the president showed that he would not indulge the Palestinians attempts to deny Israels existence.

Netanyahu made that equation explicit in a meeting Monday with European foreign ministers in Brussels. He likened the Palestinians opposition to recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital with their refusal to accept the existence of a Jewish state, which he has long maintained was the primary obstacle to peace.

I think we should give peace a chance. I think we should see what is presented and see if we can advance this peace. But if we have to begin it, I would say its one place: Recognize the Jewish state, he said Monday morning in Brussels. Its always been about the Jewish state. And its time that the Palestinians recognize the Jewish state and also recognize the fact that it has a capital. Its called Jerusalem.

Palestinian leaders, meanwhile, accused Israel of having no interest in making peace on terms they could ever accept. By giving Israel something it wants for free, they suggested, Trump signaled that he would not even try to oppose its continued settlement of eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank, which they said has made nearly impossible the creation of the state the Palestinians demand as part of a peace deal.

In an op-ed Thursday in The New York Times, Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian lawmaker and a member of the Palestine Liberation Organizations executive committee, said Trump may have finally put to rest the dream of a two-state solution, which has been on life support for years already.

By rewarding its claim on Jerusalem with official recognition, Mr. Trump is giving Israel a free hand to accelerate its policies of creeping annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories and its deliberate attempts to erase the Palestinians historical, political, cultural and demographic presence in historic Palestine, she wrote.

Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authoritys chief peace negotiator, on Thursday for the first time endorsed giving up on a separate Palestinian state and instead pushing for a binational state shared by Jews and Arabsan outcome unthinkable to most Israelis.

Now is the time to transform the struggle for one state with equal rights for everyone living in historic Palestine, Erekat told Israels Haaretz newspaper.

At the same time, Palestinian leaders said Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel showed once and for all that the United States was not an honest broker for peace. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement Friday that the United States was no longer fit to oversee the peace process. The next day, Abbas diplomatic affairs adviser confirmed that the president canceled plans to meet with Vice President Mike Pence this month in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authoritys de facto capital in the West Bank, because of the announcement on Jerusalem.

There will not be a meeting with Pence. The matter is bigger than a mere meeting because the United States, in its decisions on Jerusalem, crossed redlines, Majdi al-Khalidi told the P.A. radio station.

Palestinian leaders warned that with the two-state solution no longer viable, their people would turn to violence. The Palestinian Authority urged protests, and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas called for a new intifada, or uprisinggranted, a call they make habitually. A series of rockets was launched at southern Israel from Gaza, where Hamas governs.

However, by Tuesday, the status quo seemed to remain in effect. To ease pressure on Trump over his Jerusalem announcement, Netanyahu quietly delayed the final votes, slated for this week, on a bill that would make it harder for Israel to hand over any part of the city under a future peace deal, Israels Hadashot TV news reported Saturday. Pleased but not ecstatic over Trumps decision, Israelis continued their daily routines.

In eastern Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, a wave of Palestinian demonstrations petered out and schools and businesses that had closed reopened. Abbas foreign affairs adviser on Sunday clarified to The Times of Israel that the Palestinians had no plans to cut ties with the United States.

We are not cutting our relationship with America. We are protesting the move of Mr. Trump, Nabil Shaath said. We think Mr. Trump has acted in a way that makes it impossible for the United States to act as an honest broker. We are just expressing that.

Meanwhile, the world awaits Trumps plan for what he branded as the ultimate deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
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Dec. 21

William S. Agee, 51, of Elko was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. Bail: $5,000



James L. Bell, 46, of Elko was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive on a parole violation along with two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Bail : $30,000



Matt P. Berg, 18, of Sparks was arrested at the juvenile detention center on felony charges of escape by a prisoner, robbery, probation violation, and misdemeanor battery. Bail: $71,140



Bradley C. Bowman, 59, of Elko was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance and buying, possessing or receiving stolen property; and misdemeanor charges of possession of a hypodermic device and drug paraphernalia. Bail: $26,780



Nickolas J. Callahan, 28, of Elko was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive on a misdemeanor charge of use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $640



Paul A. Cowles, 36, of Elko was arrested at Idaho Street and Convention Drive for possession of a controlled substance, possession of burglary tools, driving with a suspended license, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, texting or talking without a hands-free cellphone, and displaying bogus vehicle registration, plates or title. Bail: $8,805



Nicole M. Duncan, 40, of Spring Creek was arrested on Lamoille Highway for failure to dim headlamps, driving with a DUI-revoked drivers license, nonresident driving when privileges are suspended, revoked or cancelled, and on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $2,575



Lucia M. Gonzalez, 26, of West Wendover was arrested on Wendover Boulevard for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. No bail



Michael M. Melendez, 20, of Elko was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive on a misdemeanor charge of use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $640



Elizabeth A. Morrison, 28, of Elko was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. Bail: $5,000



David J. Nelson, 51, of Elko was arrested at the Elko County Jail on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $1,050



Bounchanh Sayarath, 42, of Salt Lake City was arrested at Montego Bay Casino for trespassing. Bail: $355



Olivia A. Thompson, 20, of Elko was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor charge of possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. Bail: $5,740



Tiffani L. Thornton, 37, was arrested at 150 Laurel Drive for violation of probation or condition of suspended sentence, and use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $640
An old couple living in industrial area Mandideep waited eagerly first for construction of a toilet at their house and then its completion. Nothing moved in the past one month. Of them, Bansilal (80), the husband died on Thursday.

Bansilal lived with his wife Jetiyabai (76) in the slums in the ward no. 11 at Mandideep. The town falls in Raisen district and is situated hardly 20 kilometers away from state capital city Bhopal.

The area is represented by union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Lok Sabha and culture and tourism minister Madhya Pradesh government Surendra Patwa in the state assembly.

As per local residents in the locality Bansilal, a labourer, who had no children, was much impressed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modis Swach Bharat campaign to such an extent that not only he applied for a toilet at local Nagar Palika office but also he used to defecate in a bucket and used to throw the excreta far away from the locality.

He deposited Rs 1300 too to the Nagar Palika office for construction of the toilet sometime last year after which a pit was dug near his dwelling. There was hardly any progress later.

After his repeated complaints to authorities some Nagar Palika personnel came to his residence about a month back and raised a two feet high brick structure leaving the work incomplete. He complained to authorities and requested for completion of the structure but to no avail.

Jetiyabai said her husband was eager to have a toilet near their residence but it was not done in the past one year despite their efforts.

Neighbour Ramkrishna Mishra told the media persons that they requested the chief municipal officer (CMO) Rajesh Shrivastava to allow them to construct the toilet by raising funds if the Nagar Palika was not able to do this but he assured that the same would be done by them.

Ward corporator Prarthna Chauhan spoke in a similar vein. She said she too had requested the CMO and other authorities concerned in this regard but they accomplished their duties just by placing some bricks.

However, the CMO Rajesh Shrivastava said wife of the deceased asked the contractor sent by Nagar Palika to carry on the work as her husband was ailing.

Collector Raisen Bhavana Walimbe said she would instruct the SDM concerned to look into the matter as to whose fault it was in not completing the construction of the toilet.
The stamp of poverty marked on the walls of tribals homes in Shivpuri, more than 300 kilometers north of Bhopal, that read Mera parivar gareeb hai (My family is poor) was removed by the district administration on Monday, said the official sources on Wednesday.

HT had reported on December 16 that a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) brought to light an incident in Vinega village, under Chandanpura panchayat, in which local administration had branded Saharia tribals poor by writing on the walls of their homes.

A team of persons led by panchayat secretary Deepak Sharma reached Vinega village on Monday night and plastered white paint over the message which was written about two months back to identify the villagers below poverty line.

Abhay Jain, a law student studying in National Law University, Orissa lodged a complaint to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Delhi in November third week to brought to its notice the dehumanising act of the government and stating that it was extremely humiliating for the BPL villagers and also in violation of their right to live with dignity.

The district collector Tarun Rathi had denied that there was any instruction to any of the government employee to write the message anywhere and said he would institute an inquiry to find out who had done this.

Talking to the Hindustan Times at Vinega village on Wednesday Rakesh Adivasi told the Hindustan Times that about a dozen people came on Monday night accompanying the panchayat secretary Deepak Sharma. The latter told the villagers that a new transformer for better electricity supply to the village and a new hand pump for a drinking water facility at the village would be installed soon. After this assurance those accompanying him went door to door and removed the message.

Sunita Adivasi said they had protested when people were writing the message but they didnt listen to us. Likhne se kya hoga jab ration hi na mile. Hame ration chahiye jo kabhi milta hai kabhi nahi. Sarkar ko ration dena chahiye (What is use of writing the message if we dont get ration. We need ration which we dont get regularly. The government should ensure this), she added.

Talking to the Hindustan Times Panchayat secretary Deepak Sharma said the message was written on about 70-80 houses at Chandanpura and Vinega villages under Chandanpura panchayat. This was removed from all the houses. However, such message was written in other villages too but only Vinega was highlighted. The villagers were getting their ration regularly.

District collector Tarun Rathi said it was yet to be known as to who wrote this message. However, since it was brought to his notice he got the message removed.
After Padmavati and Game of Ayodhya, it is Salman Khans Tiger Zinda Hai that has drawn the ire of a section of society. The Valmikis have opposed the film on the ground that Khan used a casteist remark against their community during a promotional interview for the film. The actor had used the word Bhangi while describing his dancing skills.

The community is upset with actor Shilpa Shetty too. She, like Khan, had also used the word Bhangi in an inappropriate manner during an interview.

The community is upset with actor Shilpa Shetty too. She, like Khan, had also used the word Bhangi in an inappropriate manner during an interview. (Mahipal Singh)

On Friday, members of the community protested against Tiger Zinda Hai, tore down its posters and burnt Khans effigy. Salman Khans insulting remark against Valmikis has hurt our sentiments, said community leader Sandesh Raj. If action is not taken against him, we will not allow the movie to be screened in Aligarh, he said while also issuing a warning to the films producer Aditya Chopra.

Earlier, a meeting of Shri Balmiki Sena (UP) was organised at the bodys office in Shishiyapara, Aligarh, where the speakers lodged their protest in the matter. The outfit threatened the administration that if the movies shows were screened in any cinema in the city, consequences would be harsh.

SBS state president Anand Shastri said it was lamentable that the societys thinking about Dalits was still unchanged and even educated people were using insulting remarks against them. State secretary Prashant Balmiki agreed with him.

Billu Chauhan, another Valmiki leader, demanded public apology from Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty. Otherwise, we will launch state-level agitation against them. We will also halt the screening of the film (TZH) all across UP.

Meanwhile, city convener of BJPs scheduled caste cell informed that another dalit outfit, Maharishi Balmiki Mahotsva Mela Committee, had announced a protest against Salman Khan and Tiger Zinda Hai.

Just about a month ago, several Rajput groups had opposed Sanjay Leela Bhansalis film Padmavati. (Mahipal Singh/HT Photo)

Valmikis in Rajasthan and Delhi have also agitated against Khan and Shetty for their casteist remarks.

Just about a month ago, several Rajput groups had opposed Sanjay Leela Bhansalis film Padmavati that stars Deepika Padukone in the titular role. Such was the scale of protests that the movies release had to be postponed indefinitely. Soon after that saffron outfits had objected to the screening of Game of Ayodhya -- a movie based on the backdrop of the Ram Temple- Babri Mosque issue.
The trailer of Rani Mukerjis comeback film, Hichki, got a great response following its release on December 19. But immediately afterwards, the filmmakers landed in a controversy  Melbourne-based author Nishant Kaushik accused Yash Raj Films and director Siddharth P Malhotra of not giving him due credits for script contributions.

In a long Twitter rant on December 20, Nishant made statements like how easy it is to treat writers like trash. The same day, Siddharth issued a statement, calling the accusations baseless.

Reacting to Siddharths statement, Nishant tells us, I have no intention of picking a fight over this. I only wanted to make a point; I made one. He made one in response, which I disagree with but dont intend to dispute.

This blame game has once again put the spotlight on the question: do writers actually get taken for granted, or is it that they assume their draft would make it to the final cut, without even getting a confirmation from the filmmakers?

On being contacted, Siddharth tells us, If Nishant had contributed to even a single scene, why would I have not given him the credit? The film was announced a year ago, so why didnt he feel the need to get in touch with us then? Can he prove through any e-mail or text message that the script was commissioned to him and that hed be given the credit?

The back story is that about two-and-a-half years ago, Nishant was contacted by Siddharth through an agency and asked to submit a draft script on the basis of a very short brief, and he did so. And then, as per his tweets, he never got a response. After watching the trailer, Nishant says, he realised that the storyline had many similarities with his script.

We ask Siddharth if this agency failed to keep Nishant informed, and the director replies, I cant talk on their behalf. As a filmmaker, it takes a lot of hard work to come out with a film, and then such negativity is not something you want.

And what was Nishants reason for not contacting the filmmakers when Hichki was announced? Various reasons! says the writer. One, living far away in Melbourne has its own challenges  out of sight, out of mind, until I was reminded via the trailer. In the early months, I did follow up, but didnt hear back from [Siddharth] or from the agency, so I presumed that maybe like several other film ideas, this was either delayed or shelved.

While Nishant clarifies that he isnt expecting to be credited as the writer of Hichki, he insists that the least I expected was closure.

Landing in India this morning, I watched the trailer of #Hichki which served as a rude reminder of how easy it is to treat writers like trash. I will rant in this short thread after I have collected my composure.  Nishant Kaushik (@nofreecopies) December 20, 2017

He adds, My time is at a premium. I have a day job, a family to look after and my own novels [to write], too. When I agreed to write for Siddharth, I put everything on the line. I developed characters  of the protagonist as well as of the students under him (my protagonist was male). I invested more than three months in this. The lack of responsiveness was disappointing.

Miffed with this practice of social media ranting, filmmaker Hansal Mehta states, Its high time that the concerned parties sort these issues among themselves and stop washing their dirty linen on social media, because people, after reading these long posts on Twitter and Facebook, jump to judgments without knowing the complete truth.

And Simran. And 3 Idiots Earlier this year, director Hansal Mehtas film Simran, starring Kangana Ranaut, was in a huge credit controversy  writer Apurva Asrani expressed his fury with the poster showing Kangana as co-writer, saying that she took undeserved credit. In 2009, Aamir Khans award winning-film 3 Idiots created a hullabaloo when novelist Chetan Bhagat stated that he felt strange when he was not given an opening credit in the film. He got a passing mention in the end credits of the film, which was loosely based on his novel, Five Point Someone. This year, screenwriter Sameer Gautam accused Apurva Asrani of insisting on a screenwriting credit for the Rajkummar Rao-starrer Shahid (2013), which was also directed by Hansal Mehta.

Echoing the writers view, filmmaker-screenwriter Apurva Asrani says, In Bollywood, people often take writers for granted and assume that the other person would understand what the response is. Ive often given one-line pitches to filmmakers, who have not responded to me. So, all we ask for, as writers, is timely communication, whether the draft we wrote has been liked or rejected or is being used for the final script.

On Nishants claims, Apurva states, Hes alleging that his efforts havent been acknowledged and that he wasnt given feedback on the material he sent. Im not sure [if] hes claiming plagiarism. What seems to have gone wrong is a lack of communication. Whatever work he has done in good faith, used or unused, deserves a response and proper feedback, like in Hollywood. Thats how they nurture good writing.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap believes that Bollywood needs to change its outlook towards writers. More than the credit, I feel writers should get their money right after they have given the story or the draft to the filmmakers. A writer shouldnt be subjected to the risk [of] whether the film would be a hit or not. If the filmmakers say that the writers would be paid after the project goes on the floors, then writers have every right to demand profit-sharing, because then it becomes a bigger risk for them, too.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Bitcoin plunged by a quarter to below $12,000 on Friday as investors dumped the cryptocurrency in manic trading after its blistering ascent to a peak close to $20,000 prompted warnings by experts of a bubble.

It capped a brutal week that had been touted as a new era of mainstream trading for the volatile digital currency when bitcoin futures debuted on CME Group Inc, the worlds largest derivatives market on Sunday.

Fridays steep fall bled into the US stock market, where shares of companies that have recently lashed their fortunes to bitcoin or blockchain - its underlying technology - took a hard knock in early trading.

The biggest and best-known cryptocurrency had seen a staggering twentyfold increase since the start of the year, climbing from less than $1,000 to as high as $19,666 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange on Sunday and to over $20,000 on other exchanges.

Bitcoin has fallen each day since, with losses accelerating on Friday.

In the futures market, bitcoin one-month futures on Cboe Global Markets were temporarily halted due to the steep price drop, while those trading on the CME hit the limit down threshold.

In the spot market, bitcoin fell to as low as $11,159, down more than 25 percent on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange , its largest one-day drop in nearly three years. For the week, it was down around a third - its worst performance since April 2013.

After its parabolic-like rally, a crash was imminent and so it has proved, said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at Forex.com in London. Investors may have also been put off buying bitcoin at those elevated levels amid repeated warnings from experts about the way it had climbed near $20,000.

A manic upward swing led by the herd will be followed by a downturn as the emotional sentiment changes, said Charles Hayter, founder and chief executive of industry website Cryptocompare in London. A lot of traders have been waiting for this large correction.

With the end of the year in sight a lot of investors will be taking profits and saying thank you very much and closing their books for the holiday period, he added.

Warnings about the risks of investing in the unregulated market have increased - Denmarks central bank governor called it a deadly gamble - and there have been worries about the security of exchanges on which cryptocurrencies are bought and sold.

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Youbit said on Tuesday it is shutting down and is filing for bankruptcy after it was hacked for the second time this year.

Coinbase, a U.S. company that runs one of the biggest exchanges and provides digital wallets for storing bitcoins, said on Wednesday it would investigate accusations of insider trading, following a sharp increase in the price of a bitcoin spin-off hours before it announced support for it.

CRYPTO-RIVALS

As rival cryptocurrencies slid along with bitcoin, the total estimated value of the crypto market fell to as low as $440 billion, according to industry website Coinmarketcap, having neared $650 billion just a day earlier.

But other cryptocurrencies surged this week, with investors moving into cheaper digital coins, rather than cashing out of the sector.

Ethereum, the second-biggest cryptocurrency by market size, soared to almost $900 earlier in the week, from around $500 a week earlier. Ripple, the third-biggest, has more than quadrupled in price since Monday.

Stephen Innes, head of trading in Asia-Pacific for retail FX broker Oanda in Singapore, said that there have also been moves out of bitcoin into Bitcoin Cash, a clone of the original cryptocurrency. Oanda does not handle trading in bitcoin.

Most of it is unsophisticated retail traders getting burned badly, Innes said on bitcoins recent retreat.

While some say the launch by CME and its rival Cboe Global Markets of bitcoin futures over the last two weeks has given the digital currency some perceived legitimacy, many policymakers remain sceptical.

Bitcoin is known to go through wild swings. In November, it tumbled almost 30 percent in four days from $7,888 to $5,555. In September, it fell 40 percent from $4,979 to $2,972.

(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York and Jemima Kelly in London; Additional reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro in Tokyo; Editing by Keith Weir and Susan Thomas)
The Uttarakhand unit of Congress is set to launch a state-level campaign against the BJP government, alleging that the latter has failed the huge mandate given to it by the public in assembly polls earlier this year.

The campaign is being launched just few months ahead of the civic polls in Uttarakhand in April 2018.

We will carry out a state-level campaign against overall failure of the BJPs double engine government (BJPs rule at the Centre and the state) and its failed promises which has disappointed the public in the past nine months (since BJP took over state in March), Congress state unit president Pritam told HT.

Singh said that the BJP government had failed to waive off farmers loans, despite the agriculturists being under tremendous pressure.

According to government figures, over 4.21 lakh farmers had taken loans in the state and the quantum of farmers loans in Uttarakhand stood at Rs.4,821 crore as on March 31, 2017.

Among other issues on which the Congress plans to target the BJP government include the ongoing expansion of urban local bodies. The government is expanding the urban local bodies at its own whims and fancies with no fixed pattern.

Law and order has taken a beating while mining mafia is having a free run.

Be it delivering on Lokayukta (ombudsman) promise or tiding over unemployment, this government has failed to meet peoples expectations, Singh said, alleging that the government was working in a directionless manner. To raise voice against this, the Opposition party will carry out a state-level campaign on December 25, followed by meetings in Garhwal and Kumaon regions on December 27 and January 5 to plan further strategy.

The ruling BJP, however, trashed the Congress allegations, terming it the manifestation of the Opposition partys desperation.

Disappointment is not in the public but in the Congressfirst their poor performance in the Uttarakhand polls and now in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh has baffled the Congress, which is making such baseless accusations, Devendra Bhasin, BJPs state media in charge, told HT.

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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Uttarakand government on the unknown disease ailing blue sheep of Gangotri National Park.

On Thursday evening, a bench headed by NGT chairperson UD Salvi gave a three-week deadline for the parties to respond after it heard the petition of advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal who filed his application about a fortnight ago.

The disease affecting Bharals (local name of blue sheep) came in focus after mountaineer Loveraj Singh Dharamsaktu alerted chief wildlife warden Digvijay Singh Khati on September 9. Blue sheep in Kedar Tal were suffering from a strange disease leading to blindness, he informed.

A team was sent to the park and it brought back an ailing lamb that later died. Samples were sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly but the test reported the lamb died of lung infection. The episode gained more following after Dharamsaktu complained about lackadaisical approach of the forest department.

Another team comprising forest staff, members of Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and porters were again sent to Kedar Tal in first week of December. Though the team didnt find any diseased sheep during three-day trek, it found carcass of a sheep. Samples were again sent to IVRI. But the institute was unable to do any test as the samples were decayed.

Dharamsaktu approached me following which I filed an application before the tribunal, Bansal told Hindustan Times.

The forest department doesnt deny the presence of the disease but claim it is helpless. Twice, we sent our team to Kedar Tal. We did found one ailing lab in the first expedition, but even IVRI couldnt confirm about the disease. The area is now covered with snow and wild animals have moved to lower Himalayas, Khati said.

But Dharamsaktu insisted the forest department was careless in its approach. The forest staff dont patrol rigorously in the area where the infection persists and, therefore, it could not spot any diseased sheep, he said.

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DEHRADUN: Sikkims gain is Uttarkhands loss. The Centre will soon dispatch a pair of sniffer dogs  specially trained to track down Himalayan Viagra, or Yarsagumba  to Gangtok. Government officials from Uttarakhand, apparently, failed in putting forward its request to the Centre.

On December 15, a batch of 13 trained canines completed nine-month training at Gwaliors National Training Centre for Dogs, a premiere institute of the central government functioning under the Border Security Force. While two canines are headed to Corbett, the pair trained to sniff out Yarsagumba (Cordyceps sinensis) will go to the Northeast state.

Its the failure of forest divisional officers who didnt demand sniffer dogs for tracking smuggling of Yarsagumba, chief wildlife warden Digvijay Singh Khati told Hindustan Times, accepting the lapse in official procedure.

Yarsagumba, according to experts, is much in demand in the international market particularly in China for aphrodisiac use. It primarily grows in the higher reaches of Tibet, Nepal, Northeast India and Uttarakhands Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts. Yarsagumba is collected from May to July in the two districts.

Dharchula legislator and former chairman of the Uttarakhand Forest Develo pment Corporation (UKFDC) Harish Dhami said about 5 quintal of the parasitic fungus is extracted each season. The UFDC is responsible for marketing of Yarsagumba. As many as 300 villages and 20,000 villagers from the two districts are involved in the hunt of Keeda Jadi (the local name of Yarsagumba).

For the last four years, the UKFDC has stopped the trade as villagers were not getting decent price for their stock. It had fixed the rate at Rs 50,000 for a kilo of the fungus. As a result, Yarsagumba finds its way to Nepal as villagers reportedly get as much as Rs 10 lakh per kg.

In July, about a kilo of Yarsagumba was seized from Chamoli district. Several cases of smuggling were reported earlier too. Unless the government provides the villagers the market price of Yarsagumba, they wont sell it to the corporation. This will only boost smuggling across the border, Dhami says.

The Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board had proposed to follow the Bhutan model wherein bonafide residents are given rights of extraction to check smuggling of Yarsagumba. The government provides refinery for cleaning and packaging, and then registers the stock. It is auctioned and the government keeps a percentage (nearly 5% of the sale) as royalty.

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Within hours of his victory in last years presidential election, Donald Trump dispatched his lawyers to establish a nonprofit corporation to manage his transition from private life to the presidency. This was done pursuant to a federal statute that provides for taxpayer-funded assistance to the newly elected  but not yet inaugurated  president. The statutory term for the corporation is the presidential transition team, or PTT.

In addition to paying the PTTs bills, the General Services Administration, which manages all nonmilitary federal property, provided the PTT with government computers, software and a computer service provider. During the course of the PTTs existence, the folks who worked for it sent or received tens of thousands of emails. The PTT ceased to exist upon Trumps inauguration, and a receiver was hired to wind it down.

Last weekend, a lawyer for the receiver revealed a letter he sent to Congress complaining that special counsel Robert Mueller  who is investigating whether there was any agreement between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin that resulted in the now-well-known efforts by Russian intelligence to affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election  dispatched FBI agents to the GSA looking for copies of all the PTTs emails and that the GSA surrendered them.

How did this happen?

When the FBI is looking for documents or tangible things, it has several legal tools available. They range in their disruptive nature from a simple request to a grand jury subpoena to a judicially authorized search warrant.

The FBI request is the easiest for the government, and if FBI agents ask you for something and you give it to them, you cannot later be heard to complain that your privacy rights regarding the things you surrendered were violated. If they seize your documents pursuant to a subpoena or a warrant, they normally get to use what they have seized.

The issue becomes more complex when the FBI comes calling for documents of yours that are legally in the hands of a custodian  such as your physician, lawyer, banker or accountant. In the case of Trumps PTT and Muellers wish for all PTT emails, the sought-after data  the electronic copies of all the PTTs emails  were in custody of the GSA.

Anyone who has ever used a GSA computer is familiar with the warning that appears on the screen at the time of each use. It says that there is no right to privacy in the communications sent or received, as the electronic versions of those communications are the property of the federal government. This, no doubt, is the reason Hillary Clinton infamously used her husbands computer servers during her four years at the State Department rather than the governments.

We do not know whether Muellers FBI agents merely requested the electronic data from the GSA or his prosecutors obtained a grand jury subpoena. If it was a simple FBI request and if the GSA simply complied, that was a lawful acquisition by the FBI of the PTT emails, yet in that case, the GSA violated its fiduciary duty to inform the PTT of the request before it complied with it.

If the FBI came calling on the GSA with a grand jury subpoena, that means Muellers team must have presented evidence under oath to a grand jury and demonstrated that the sought-after items would more likely than not be helpful to the investigation. When a grand jury issues a subpoena to a custodian of records  no matter who the custodian is  it is the moral and fiduciary duty of the custodian, not the government, to inform the owner of the subpoenaed items that a subpoena has been received.

In some cases, it is also the legal duty of the custodian to inform the owner, but it apparently was not in this case. As far as we can tell, there was no written agreement between the GSA and the PTT requiring the GSA to inform the PTT of any document requests or subpoenas. Had such a request been revealed, the lawyer for the receiver of the PTT would have had an opportunity to challenge the government before a judge. Without that notice, there is no time for the challenge.

Until 1986, it was the duty of the government when seeking documents or tangible things from a custodian to inform the owner, as well as the custodian, of its intent. That fair procedure gave the owner of the records time to challenge the government before a judge. But the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (which has nothing whatsoever to do with protecting privacy), enacted at the dawn of the digital age, did away with that requirement.

Now if the custodian remains silent in the face of an FBI request or a grand jury subpoena, the owner of the documents loses his opportunity to keep them from the government. That is what happened here.

But there is more.

The practical effect of Muellers acquisition of the transition emails could be devastating to White House staff who once worked for the transition. Many of them have been interviewed by the FBI while no doubt being ignorant of the fact that the FBI had read their emails. Stated differently, the FBI was in a position to lead Trump White House staff members into a lying trap  just as it did with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn  by asking them questions to which the FBI already had the answers.

Lying traps are reprehensible, but theyre lawful. And they are not unique to Muellers practices; it is the way the feds work today. Can the FBI get away with getting the Trump teams emails? In a word: yes. This investigation is not going away soon.
Jamrani dam on Gola river is likely to see light of the day after over four decades as the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments --two stakeholders -- have decided complete paperwork and resume work.

The foundation stone for the dam was laid in 1976 and since then, the construction has not begun. It will have a hydropower plant that would generate 14 megawatts electricity. The Uttarakhand irrigation department is making a proposal for making the dam a national project so that fund can be received from the Centre. It will also urge the state government to press this demand.

DK Pachauri, the irrigation departments chief engineer in Kumaon, said the approval for the financial aspect of the project has to be taken from the Central Water Commission. We are asking the state government to press for making it a national project after which the costs would be borne by the centre, said Pachauri.

The distribution of water would be based on irrigation potential of the dam and would be decided after consultations.

In 1976, total cost of the project was estimated at 63 crore. Now, it stands at 2,350 crore.The dam would be constructed on 360 hectares area and it would have the height of 130 metres. Its main purpose is not generating electricity, but to provide drinking water to Haldwani.

Social activist Chandra Shekhar Kargeti said the main reason behind the delay in constructing the dam was pressure from quarrying lobby as existence of the dam would hit the flow of gravel and rocks downstream.

Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath along with chief secretaries of both states have held a meeting in Lucknow recently over the issue. Modalities for signing the memorandum of understanding for making the dam are being finalised, they said.
A 20-year-old woman was gang-raped allegedly by five youths in Jahangirpuri late on Wednesday night. All five accused have been arrested. Police said the women knew all the five youths and helped investigators with their identity,leading police teams to trace and nab them.

The victim said in her complaint that she was passing by the dumpyard in Jahangirpuri at around 1.30am on Thursday, when she saw the five persons. The youths then allegedly grabbed her, took her to a corner and raped her. The woman said the incident took place in a dark stretch, not often used by local residents.

Deputy commissioner of police (northwest ) Aslam Khan said the woman called the police control room, after the five had fled. DCP Khan said a police team rushed to the spot and spoke to the woman. The womans medical examination at a city hospital later confirmed rape.

Based on her statement, a case of gang rape was registered at Jahangirpuri police station. We conducted raids and caught the five youths, said Khan.

Some of the accused have claimed that they are under the age of 18, but we are still verifying that. They have no supporting documents, such as a school leaving certificates or Aadhaar cards to back their claims. We will seek an ossification test to ascertain their age, Khan said.

No breakthrough in Shalimar Bagh case yet

Meanwhile, more than five days have passed but police are yet to get a breakthrough in the Shalimar Bagh case, where a 16-year-old was robbed and gang-raped in a park. The minor victim, who had gone to the park with her male friend, was assaulted, robbed and gang-raped on the evening of December 16.

On the status of the probe in that case, a senior police officer said that the girls male friend told police that he was hit on his head and fell unconscious even before the three men sexually assaulted the girl. He has alleged that when he regained consciousness, he found that the attackers had robbed his mobile phone as well as his shoes. Police are probing his version of the sequence of events .

Police sources said the womans male friend has been unable to provide any other clues about the suspects. Police are yet to recover his mobile phones or the pair of shoes, which was taken that evening. The crime branch is also simultaneously working on the case.
A Class 12 student was arrested on Friday for allegedly assaulting his teacher at a Delhi government school in south west Delhi.

Suresh Yadav, who teaches commerce to Class 11 and 12 students, was taking a class at the government boys senior secondary school in Sagarpur on Thursday when the incident happened.

I was teaching Class 12 (A) when he(student) came inside the classroom. When I asked him to return to his class, he attacked and punched me on the face in front of the class, said Yadav.

Yadav said directorate of education officials were present inside the school when the incident happened.

The deputy director of education and some other officials present in the school initially discussed about rusticating him but I said he should be allowed to study as the class 12 Board exams are just a few months away, he said.

The teacher said that on Wednesday, some kids were taken for a local tour when the 18-year-old student and some other students were scolded by some teachers for creating trouble and sent them to him. Yadav said he did not scold the boy.

On Thursday, after he attacked Yadav, the schools principal Dharam Raj filed a police complaint against the student and said that he is not a minor.

Milind Dumbere, deputy commissioner of police (south west) said, We registered a case of obstructing, assaulting and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant in discharge of public functions. He has been arrested.

Last year, in September, two Class 12 students allegedly stabbed a government schoolteacher after he complained to their parents about their indiscipline. Mukesh Kumar, a Hindi teacher, later died.

Over the past few years, there have been quite a few incidents of teachers being assaulted by students.

In March 2015, a principal at Tughlaqabad was attacked by a student and was left bleeding from his ears. The student had vandalised the school property.

In 2014, a teacher in Madanpur Khadar had to be admitted to hospital after he was beaten by parents and students.

In 2011, an eighth standard student in Rohini pulled a 58-year-old teacher by her hair, kicked her and slashed her chin with a sharp object after she asked him to submit his notes during an exam and stop talking loudly. Other teachers had to intervene to rescue her.
They had elaborate plans to start a new life. Expelled from school a week ago, five kids aged between 12 and 14 left their homes and fled to Loni in Ghaziabad, where they had decided to start working. On Thursday, Delhi Police traced them to their new house which they had managed to get on rent. The five had told the landlord that they were labourers in search of work.

DCP (north east) AK Singla said that the boys had even set up a kitchen, with a cylinder and bought utensils. When the police team reached the house, the boys were even painting the wall with a new shade of colour and told us that they had no plans to return home. They had all taken up work and had planned to quit studies for good.

Officer Singla said the boys have been reunited with their parents. The five boys live in the same locality and went to the same school in Karawal Nagar. Three of them had part-time jobs alongside their studies, police siad. When the others learnt about it, they also decided to look for work and quit studies. While one is a Class 9 student, the others are in Class 7.

They were not good in studies and used to bunk classes regularly. They were expelled from school a week ago. When they told their parents about it, they were scolded, said DCP Singla.

The five told police they had planned to leave their homes a few days ago. Acting on their plan, police said they started looking for a house and found one in Loni.

They finalised a house on December 17 and told the landlord that they were labourers working at a tent house. They also found part-time work in a wedding and earned enough money to pool in and bought basic necessities to run the house. On December 20, they fled their house and moved in together, said Singla.

A parent of one of the runaway children approached police and a case was registered. Police also found that four others were also reported missing on December 20.

It was surprising that five kids between 12 and 14 years from same locality went missing, so we formed a team and started an investigation. They were seen with one child who is older than the rest and who knew of their plans. We won the childs confidence during and he disclosed that all kids have escaped together in order get away from their parents and are living in a rented room in Loni, Singla added.
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the CBI to trace the founder of the north Delhi-based ashram where girls were allegedly kept under illegal confinement.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar has aksed Virender Dev Dixit, the founder of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in North Delhis Rohini to be present before it on January 4.

The high court had on Thursday raised doubts over the ashrams claims that women inmates there were not illegally confined, saying that if they were free, why were they being kept behind locked doors.

The bench had also sought to know why the ashrams founder was not making an appearance if he was genuine and honest.

The high court had also enquired into the financial details of the ashram and sought to know from where they were getting funds to run the institution.

Earlier, the high court had directed the CBI to probe the alleged illegal confinement of girls and women in the ashram where, it was claimed, they were kept in animal-like conditions behind metal doors in a fortress surrounded by barbed wire.

Taking note of the seriousness and the sensitivity of the matter, the bench had asked the CBI director to forthwith constitute a special investigation team (SIT) which will take charge of all records and documents pertaining to the case.

The court has passed the order on the PIL filed by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which informed the court that several minors and women were allegedly being illegally confined at the spiritual university here and were not allowed to meet their parents.

Taking note, the high court immediately set up a committee, comprising lawyers and Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, to inspect the premises of the institute.

The committee, comprising lawyers Ajay Verma and Nandita Rao, gave a report detailing the horrible living conditions of the over 100 girls and women who were housed in animal- like conditions with no privacy even for bathing.

The panel, which had again inspected the ashram and its adjoining building, submitted today that over 30 mobile phones were seized and they want the court to order sealing of a room where they found trunks and other documents containing serious evidence.

The bench said since the CBI is now seized of the issue, they should investigate it.

During the hearing the bench was informed by the ashram that that there were over 168 women living in the premises.

It was informed by Delhi polices standing counsel Rahul Mehra that the Delhi governments health department has set up a medical board, which will soon visit both the premises in question to medically examine all inmates to ensure their well-being.
The next time Delhis air quality goes foul, the authorities wont wait for directions from the pollution panel EPCA to get into action.

The Delhi government said this in a review meeting of the graded response action plan (GRAP) conducted by the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) on Friday.

According to an environment department official, after the air quality moved to the severe plus level on Thursday, Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash took meeting of senior officials of all government departments.

We are prepared. As soon as severe plus comes again (for 48 hours), we will initiate action. We wont even wait for any meeting. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee will issue an alert immediately to all departments concerned, the official told the EPCA members.

The SC-appointed appreciated the decision. This an excellent move. If this becomes routine, then actually EPCAs role in even sending directives should go out. It becomes something that happens automatically Hopefully by next year, we will be in a position that the moment it reaches severe plus, these emergency actions are taken, EPCA member Sunita Narain said.

The EPCA on Thursday had on Thursday written to the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan governments to gear up for another round of tough measures under the emergency category of the graded plan keeping in mind the rising pollution levels.

Under the GRAP, pollution is considered severe plus or emergency when the reading of ultrafine particulates PM2.5 or PM10 are above 300 and 500 ug/m3, respectively.

On Thursday, at 2pm, the PM2.5 readings had touched 320.9 ug/m3, in the emergency levels, while the PM10 levels were just short of the danger mark at 498 ug/m3.

Measures listed under the emergency category are rolled out when these conditions prevail for 48 hours at a stretch. On Friday, however, air quality got improved and became very poor and so no new measure is being put in place, at the moment.

Delhi police was asked to have better liaison with their counterparts in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to regulate the movement of trucks.

For the odd-even road rationing measure, which is supposed to be implemented as part of the emergency measures, the EPCA said all major towns of NCR will be included the next time the scheme is rolled out.

Apart from Delhi, odd-even has to be enforced in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. Two-wheelers will also be included. We will send an advisory note on this to all authorities, Narain said.

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A 47-year-old woman shot and wounded her mother and brother at their residence in south Delhis Defence Colony, shortly after midnight on Friday.

The woman, a state-level shooter, tried to shoot her father who overpowered her.

Though the reason for her action remains unclear, police said the woman, Sangeeta Singh, had reportedly been depressed for the past one year and was undergoing treatment.

Around 12.30am on Friday, Sangeeta, who was allegedly drunk, used her licensed pistol to shoot at her 75-year-old mother Geeta and her elder brother Harsaran, 48, police said. The two were rushed to a nearby hospital where their condition is stable.

Police said Sangeeta, who had reportedly consumed sleeping pills and alcohol before the incident, had to hospitalised because of the impact the cocktail had on her body.

We are yet to find the motive. The victims statements will be recorded once we get permission from doctors, said a police officer.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday met the family of the twins, one of whom was wrongly declared dead by Max hospital, Shalimar Bagh, and assured them of assistance.

The family has been reportedly assured that the government will provide legal help if they decide to challenge the decision of the Court of the Financial Commissioner that stayed the governments order to cancel the hospitals licence.

The CM met us today and assured he would help us in any way needed. He asked us to wait till January 9, when the next hearing on the matter of licence cancellation is scheduled. After that, he said we can challenge it in the high court, said Deepak Bidawat, uncle of the deceased twins.

The matter is sub-judice so we cannot comment on it. If the family wants, they can challenge the decision in the court of law. And, the Delhi government will provide them legal help, if needed, said Nagendra Sharma, spokesperson of the government.

He has spoken to the police about the case, he added.

The family went on a dharna demanding justice in front of the hospital, which opened after 11 days on Wednesday. We will continue the dharna till the doctors and the hospital is punished, said Deepak.

The family had demanded a CBI probe into the matter, alleging the crime branch was not doing anything. They have not contacted us even once to record our statement; they have not even visited the hospital. What are they doing? Deepak had said.

The family said they had already filed a petition in a Rohini court, demanding to know the progress in the investigation.

A pair of twins  a boy and a girl  prematurely born at 22 weeks, was declared dead by Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, and were handed over to the family in a polythene bag.

When the family was taking the babies for the last rites, they discovered that the boy was alive. He was kept on a ventilator for nearly a week at a hospital in Pitampura, where he died.

The Delhi government had cancelled the licence of the hospital on December 8.
The sealing of commercial establishments at the Defence Colony market threw a number of shop owners in a tizzy on Friday.

At first, many failed to understand the reason and urgency for the drive by municipal authorities in the five-decade old market.

At 11am, members of Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, along with MCD officials and Delhi Police, swarmed to the market. First, they targeted Colonel Kababz, an eatery right at the entrance of market and directed its staff to remove all stuff on first floor as they were going to seal the building. Since the owner of the shop lives in Gurgaon, he requested us (other shopkeepers) to intervene, said Jagdish Gupta, owner of Shop number 43, that has been rented out to a bank.

When some shopkeepers inquired, we were told that commercial units operating out of the first and second floors had not deposited conversion charges and will be sealed as per directions of the monitoring committee, he said.

The drive caught a lot of establishment owners by surprise, who alleged that they were not given any prior notice about the action.

This sealing drive is trespass on private properties as the officials were not carrying any orders. Moreover, we were not informed about any such exercise, said Tushar Dhingra of Defence Bakery.

Shivam Shahi, who runs a cafe shop in market, said he had obtained the health license from south civic body three days ago and got the legal rent agreement prepared.

And today, MCD officials asked me to vacate the complex. They should have given me some advance notice, he said.

There were contradictory versions on conversion charges, a reason municipal authorities cited for Frdays sealing action.

We are not liable to pay conversion tax because the land and development authority had declared this a commercial market before transferring it to the MCD in 2006. We shared the facts with the municipality commissioner and the L-G earlier. On Friday again, we tried explaining the situation to the committee but they were not ready to listen, said Gupta.

A group of aggrieved shopkeepers later called a meeting on Friday evening to discuss legal ways of getting their shops de-sealed.

Residents questioned the silence of the civic bodies. Where was the MCD when floors were illegally getting constructed in the market? said a RWA member of Defence Colony Welfare Association.

Even if some dues are pending, the MCD should have served prior notices, sharing details of pending amount, rather then sealing the complexes directly, said Rajendra Malik, president of Defence Colony Market Association.

MCD officials, however said that they were carrying the action as per direction of the Supreme Court committee and thus not bound to carry a orders copy. There might be few who had paid the conversion charges, but not as per rates specified in Master Plan of Delhi-2021, said an official.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj blamed complicated municipality norms for Fridays mess. The bylaws of MCD are so complicated that the owners in most cases dont know where they violated it, he said.

Congresss local councillor, Abhishek Dutt questioned the timing of the drive. People are already losing businesses because of GST and demonetisation. Now when the festive season nearing and they can make some money, what was the urgency to seal the shops, he said.
New Delhi Urging students to engage with neighbourhood rural communities, Union minister of state for rural development Ram Kripal Yadav on Thursday said that learning from them can make academics vibrant.

Engage and partner with neighbourhood rural communities. Learn from them and make academic activity vibrant and challenging. Days of going global have gone. We need to go to our villages and address concerns of rural citizens, he said.

He was addressing the gathering at an event organised by the National Council of Rural Institutes (NCRI) where it announced the upcoming Mahatma Gandhi Abhiyan under which it would encourage universities across the country to promote rural empowerment and entrepreneurship through various courses and modules.

Technologists have to meet the rural needs, Yadav said.

He also underlined the importance of creating awareness among the youth to understand the problems and challenges plaguing the Indian rural ecosystem at the grass roots level while building their professional capacities and confidence.

The government is committed to the upgrading of rural skills, preserving the culture and creating a sustainable atmosphere to encourage rural talent, entrepreneurship and technologies in every possible manner.

NCRI Chairman WG Prasanna Kumar said that the organisation had devised rural immersion camps for National Service Schemes volunteers for structured learning experience.

Other major areas of their involvement would be in Village Development Plans, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana and Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan, he said.

The programme will be taken up across the country including in all Universities, IITs, NITs and IIMs.

The current rural curriculum is being launched as a build-up towards evolving Mahatma Gandhi Grameen Vidya Abhiyan for Indian universities, marking Mahatma Gandhis 150th Birth Anniversary in 2019,Kumar said.
People want politics to be simple. Left vs. right. Clinton vs. Trump. My side vs. your side. Elect the right guy, and things will be good!

The truth is more complicated.

Influential political philosophies created the mess we live with today, not just a political left and right. Theres socialism, conservatism, populism, progressivism, liberalism, scientism (eugenics), Marxism, totalitarianism, nationalism, fascism, Islamo-fascism, Nazism and probably others I missed.

But only two isms work well for ordinary people. More on them in a moment.

Its in the interests of politicians and activists to tell us society is divided into two armies, one good and one evil, with crushing defeat for one side just about to happen. When primitive parts of our brains see the world as us vs. them, were ready to fight each other.

We may not realize until its too late that all those ideologies will reduce our freedom and increase the power of politicians.

Matt Kibbe, head of the group Free the People, calls them the Deadly Isms in a new series of online videos.

He urges people to stop wasting time worrying about which ism is on the left or right and worry more about how all threaten individual liberty.

Stalin was not the opposite of Hitler. Both were mass murderers who censored the press, seized control of industries and murdered innocent people. We dont benefit by choosing between communism and Nazism, or between the milder forms of them that still find adherents today: socialism and fascism.

Whether government gives you orders in the name of the working class or a superior race, it still takes away your right to do as you please.

On the other hand, there is an ideology that does leave us mostly free to do what we please. John Locke called it liberalism, saying that: The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man.

We need some government to do some things  keep the peace, for example  but otherwise, government should mostly leave us alone.

Unfortunately, todays liberals stole Lockes word. Now liberalism means regulating most every detail of individual behavior and dividing people into grievance groups that use government to take each others money and freedom.

Conservatism claims to love freedom, but its advocates dont mind government starting wars and crushing civil liberties of unpopular groups like drug users, immigrants, gamblers, sex workers and pornographers.

Today, both liberalism and conservatism are guilty of encouraging another ism: corporatism. Thats what we get when government doles out special privileges to corporations and people who have more lawyers and lobbyists than you do.

A genuine free market rewards entrepreneurs who serve customers well. A government that hands out farm subsidies, wind-farm tax credits, mortgage deductions, etc., skews the economy in favor of those who are already rich. Thats corporatism, or crony capitalism, or crapitalism, and thats basically what weve got in America now.

Donald Trump practiced crapitalism. Thats why cronies like Bill and Hillary Clinton attended his wedding. I dont blame Trump. When government has its fingers all over the economy, developers are smart to get cozy with the political class.

But when Trump ran for president, he didnt call himself a crony capitalist; he said he was a populist. Sometimes he called it popularist.

Populists are angry at the establishment.

But populism offers no solution. It leads instead to people following the will of self-appointed leaders who say they share the mobs anger. Bernie Sanders is called a populist, too.

Trump complains about regulations one day (I cheer), but then he complains about free trade the next. He seems to go wherever his moods, and the publics shifting moods, suggest. The anger is constant, but individual liberty suffers.

The only ism that doesnt threaten your freedom is liberalism (as originally defined)  libertarianism, as we call it now.

Lets take power from the other deadly isms and leave people free.
Teachers are constantly managing students across the entire spectrum of potential and capabilities. There are various skilled programmes that cater to students who shine in subjects like math, science, and other academic areas of interest. Nevertheless there is one distinct type of student interest that is actively discouraged by schools - which is hacking of computers.

There has been a growing demand for talented and ethical hackers in the industry and in the government, but unfortunately society views them with a jaundiced eye. When it comes to hacking, the common notion is that the job involves entering a system without permission solely to access someones bank and other private information or to disrupt a website.

However, while accessing bank information is a criminal act and thereby illegal in nature, hacking could help one understand computers and related infrastructure in a little more detail. It also includes added focus on finding flaws in the system and fixing these errors. It is important to remember that hacking, like everything else, has a good and bad side to it. There are those that misuse hacking for their own personal agenda, but that does not serve true for every hacker.

There are hackers and movers and shakers present in every industry. People must be educated about both the legal and illegal aspects of hacking. Every school has a few students who are exceptionally good with computers, write their own code, and are generally well versed with the processes involved. Those children, without the correct guidance, could resort to seeking all answers on the internet  which is at times not an ideal place for an ethical hacker to learn and grow. However, in India due to the negative perception of hacking, many institutions hesitate to offer a course in ethical hacking.

Schools at present have various clubs: for science and math or dramatics and literature, to help students develop their passions. In a similar way, one option would be to create a club for computer sciences to enable those with exceptional computing skills to grow their skill sets. Potential hackers among them can be supervised by a responsible adult with a guideline of the dos and donts of hacking. This is a much safer method of learning than leaving children on their own to educate themselves online.

This should be included in the curriculum of schools. Many schools can host activities that allow for the sifting of gifted students and those that are interested can opt for it or join clubs.

Despite constant disruptions, we need the youth of today to come up with newer solutions. To promote ethical hacking, we must teach those interested the way the current systems work and how to make it better. Outside of India there are students as young as 12 who have begun unsupervised hacking of accounts, thanks to all kinds of information available on the internet. If there is a supervised hacking course that is provided at school, students will be privy to guided ethical hacking and may secure good careers later. Therefore, only by allowing children to enrol in ethical hacking courses can they be swayed to not pursue unsupervised hacking processes.

Since India is an IT hub, we must procure and partner experts from the industry that design solutions so that they can positively influence the youth of today. These experts can aid in guiding, mentoring and setting clear boundaries for aspiring hackers across the spectrum. On a micro level, this helps in providing the child with a fundamental understanding of how ethical hacking works and on a macro level aids in shaping the future of the IT sector

The author is an educationist and recipient of Edupreneur of the year 2017 by Assocham India. Views expressed are personal.
Unknown to them that the car they had stolen was having a GPS tracking device, three hardened criminals were intercepted by a crime branch team of Gurgaon police on Thursday night while they were consuming liquor at a plot of Gali no 4 in Ravi Nagar on Basai road.

When the trio saw a police official knocking the driverside window, one of them fired a shot from inside, which was immediately retaliated by the police officer killing the driver who tried to escape in the Honda City stolen from Gandhi Nagar in Gurgaon on Wednesday, the police said.

The deceased was identified as Akash Kumar (20), a hardened criminal.

Police said despite being critically injured in the shootout, Akash drove the car towards Gali no 3 and took a left turn, but hit a large cement manhole cover in the middle of the street. As the car lost balance, the car hit a pole a few metres ahead. He also tried to run over the officer, the police said.

One of the accused managed to disembark from the car, when it slowed down after hitting the manhole cover and managed to escape, the police said.

The crime branch officials encircled the car and it took about two minutes for them to arrest one of the accused on the drivers seat. However, the critically injured driver (Akash), couldnt come out and had to pulled out by policemen, Rame Pradhan, a local who saw the incident from the top of his house, said.

Police said Akash was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Aakash alias Lucky, hailed from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh and was living on rent in Bahadurgarh. Another accused, who was arrested from the car, was identified as Sagar (20). Manish, the third accused who managed to escape from the spot, fired at the officer, the police said. Sagar, too, is a resident of Bahadurgarh.

Read I Gurgaon: Bouncers hurt in shootout at MG Road mall, two arrested

Vivek Sachdeva, owner of the stolen Honda City, had lodged a complaint of car theft with the police and a case was registered at Shivaji Nagar police station on Thursday. Sachdeva later informed the police that he was tracking his car through a GPS device and told them about its movement after which the crime branch located the car in an empty plot in Ravi Nagar.

Sachdeva was also accompanying the police team, as they tracked down the accused. He also identified the vehicle before the police intercepted the accused. It was also revealed later that the car had remained stationed near a police station on Thursday.

Locals also said that Akash knew the Ravi Nagar area quite well,as he had stayed in the colony for sometime before moving out in 2014.

His distant relatives and people from his village in Aligarh also stay on the same street where he was killed, one of the local residents said.

The police said that the accused Akash had more than 30 criminal cases registered against him. These included car theft, burglary, dacoity, attempt to murder in Gurgaon and Delhi-NCR.

As per a the Supreme Court directive and guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the autopsy of the deceased was conducted by a team of doctors and the postmortem examination was also videographed. The three accused are hardened criminals and a case against them has been registered at Sector 9A police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The family members of the deceased have been informed about the incident, Ravinder Kumar, PRO, Gurgaon police, said.

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A police complaint was lodged on Friday against a private hospital in Gurgaon for medical negligence leading to the death of a seven-year-old boy suffering from dengue on November 22.

The complaint comes as the city police investigate a similar case filed by Jayant Singh, father of seven-year-old who died of dengue at Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon, against the hospital and doctors concerned for medical negligence.

The deceased boy, Shaurya, was admitted to Medanta-The Medicity in Sector 38 of Gurgaon from October 29 to November 20. He was then referred to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, his father Bhupender Singh Parmar said in his complaint lodged at the Sadar police station.

In his complaint, Parmar, a resident of Dholpur in Rajasthan, stated that his son was suffering from dengue when he was admitted to the private hospital in Gurgaon. Shaurya was referred to RML in New Delhi when his condition did not improve even after 22 days, the complaint states.

Parmars complaint states that his son died because he did not get proper treatment for which they spent 15 lakh in Medanta.

Police said they have initiated investigation and will send a copy of the complaint to the chief medical officer, Gurgaon, before filing an FIR. The family came to us on Friday with the complaint and we are looking into the case. We will contact the health department for verification in this case, inspector Vijay Kumar, station house officer of Sadar police station, said.

When contacted, the medical superintendent of Medanta said Shaurya was given the best treatment possible.

Shaurya was suffering from dengue shock syndrome, among other complications, when he was admitted to the hospital. He was given adequate treatment based on his condition and was then transferred to RML. We are not aware of any (police) complaint in this matter. However, we will fully cooperate with any investigating agency, AK Dubey, medical superintendent, Medanta-The Medicity, said.

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Wary after the twist to the Sandeep Gadoli encounter case in February, 2016, the Gurgaon police treaded very cautiously during the encounter of Akash Kumar alias Lucky, who was killed in a shootout with police late Thursday evening in Ravi Nagar. Ensuring that all the procedures were followed, the police immediately ordered that inquest proceedings of the deceased are conducted by a judicial magistrate.

The postmortem examination of the deceased was also conducted by a team of designated doctors and the entire procedure was videographed, the police said.

The family members of the deceased have been informed about the incident. We are following guidelines issued by the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) and the Supreme Court directive that is to be followed during such incidents, Ravinder Kumar, PRO, Gurgaon police, said. He also said that immediately after the shootout, the deceased was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

The Gurgaon police had suffered a major setback in the Sandeep Gadoli encounter case, as five police officers of the crime branch were arrested by the Mumbai police on charges of orchestrating a fake encounter. While two constables arrested in that cause were granted bail, three officers are lodged in jail since the last one-and-a-half years.

Read I Gurgaon: TV channel staffer shot dead in broad day light on Jharsa road

Police also said that Akash Kumar (20), the deceased, had an early brush with the law enforcers as he escaped from a Faridabad jail in 2015 when he was a minor. He also had over 30 cases registered against him in Aligarh, Delhi and NCR related to theft, dacoity, attempt to dacoity and burglary. Police also said that the family members of the deceased had cut off ties with him due to his criminal activities. It was also revealed that the accused stole vehicles from Gurgaon and executed robberies before leaving the city.

They were planning another hit when they were caught by the crime branch team. They not only fired on the police, but the driver (Akash) also tried to run over our men. The police also found a pint of whiskey, three plastic glasses and cigarette lighter lying under the back seat. The glass window on the drivers side was broken due to the exchange of fire, Sumit Kuhar, DCP, crime, said.

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Indias apex medical research organisation will notify next month the conditions under which doctors can withdraw life-sustaining treatment for terminally ill patients.

Once notified, the Indian Council of Medical Researchs (ICMR) new glossary will become a reference point for doctors in determining limitation of treatment and providing palliative care at end of life.

The draft definitions are being reviewed before getting approved and notified in January, said Dr Roli Mathur, who is supervising the project.

Withholding or withdrawing artificial life-support is different from euthanasia  or mercy killing  where life is ended actively and intentionally to relieve pain and suffering. Euthanasia is illegal in India.

A panel of experts set up by ICMR in January took eight months to draft the definitions based on accepted international definitions and national consensus.

In most hospitals in India, patients are subjected to painful inappropriate life-sustaining interventions, while in US and in Europe withdrawal of inappropriate life-sustaining interventions preceded death in up to 90% of deaths in ICUs, according to the draft.

In India, in an estimated 22-49% of the cases, treatment was withdrawn as it was not beneficial for the terminally-ill patients. Anticipatory directives and advance care planning are non-existent, said the ICMR document.

There is a lot of confusion over terms such as actively dying, sustaining life support, do not attempt to resuscitate etc. It has become a grey area as people tend to confuse it with euthanasia, which is illegal. We have several court cases also going on currently around the issue, said Dr Mathur.

We had put the draft in public domain for comments and received several suggestions that have been incorporated in the document, she said.

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Legal experts expressed differing views on a special court verdict acquitting all accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases, with one of them saying that it was an example that how battles won in the Supreme Court are often lost in lower courts.

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan expressed surprise over the outcome of the trial, while former attorney general Soli Sorabjee refrained from terming the judgement as good or bad but was quick to add that it can be challenged in the higher court.

With varying opinions coming on the verdict, one section dubbed the acquittal as unfortunate and opined that it would politically raise a serious situation, while another section said that a bubble was created which burst due to lack of evidence.

Read: 2G spectrum verdict: Why the case fell flat

I am surprised. Have not gone through the verdict yet but this shows how battles won in the Supreme Court are often lost in courts below, Dhavan told PTI.

Sorabjee said this is not a final verdict and can be tested in appeals before higher courts.

It is only a special court verdict which can be appealed against. The CBI can appeal in the High Court. I have not read the judgement so cannot say if it was good or bad, Sorabjee, who was the top law officer during the previous NDA regime, told PTI.

However, senior advocates Ajit Kumar Sinha and Dushyant Dave were forthcoming in their views and questioned the prosecution for the debacle.

While Sinha, a former high court judge, termed the outcome as unfortunate, Dave said it shows a botched-up investigation in the matter where the prosecution failed to prove the case and this verdict creates serious doubts on the investigating agencies especially premier agency like the CBI.

Politically it raises a serious situation in the country. We have to see it in the political spectrum in a long way, he said.

Sinha was of the opinion that the acquittal in the cases were surprising as the apex court while scrapping the 122 licences for the 2G spectrum had held that due process was not followed when the radio waves were auctioned during the tenure of A Raja as the telecom minister in the first UPA regime.

He also toed the findings of the special court which said the CBI had started its case with great enthusiasm and ardour but at the final stage of the trial, the Special Public Prosecutor and the regular CBI prosecutor moved in two different directions without any coordination.

They (the CBI and ED) started on a good note and later it became very very lacklustre and there was no evidence to corroborate nor it was taken with all sincerity and that really led to acquittal of each and every accused and its unfortunate, he said.

However, differing with Sinha and Dave, senior advocate Vikas Singh and former High Court judge R S Sodhi said prosecution did not have enough material to establish its case.

There was lack of evidence. It speaks volumes of our judiciary. They had the best special public prosecutor in the matter. There was nothing in the matter. A bubble was created and it has now been burst, Sodhi said.

Taking a little different take, Singh maintained that scam was only, if at all, with regard to the eligibility being changed from first-come-first-served.

However, the prosecution did not have enough materials to establish even that and that is why everybody has gone scot-free in this case, he said.

Further, Singh said that he maintained right from the beginning that this was never a scam.

This whole decision to give spectrum at those pre- determined prices can never be a scam at all because if the government decides to give infrastructure to people at cheaper rates through these companies, then it cant be a scam, he added.
A teenage boy was arrested and five juveniles were detained for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl over the past few months in Punes Kondhwa locality, police said on Friday.

The incident came to the light on Thursday when the victim was taken to a doctor after she complained of stomachache.

The doctor found some marks on the girls body during a medical examination and suspected it to be a case of sexual abuse, the official said.

When the doctor asked the girl about the marks, she revealed that she had been sexually assaulted on several occasions by the six.

Following the revelation, father of the victim reported that matter to the police.

Kondhwa Police Station Incharge Milind Gaikwad said that the accused and the victim stayed in the same locality and attended the same school.

The 18-year old first came into contact with the victim five months ago when he went to her house and took her out on the pretext of buying sweets. He was later joined by other minors who raped her turn by turn over the period, he said.

The minor accused are in the age group of 6-12.

According to Police Inspector Gaikwad, the minors influenced the eighteen-year-old suspect to commit the sexual act which, according to him, is shocking. The eighteen-year-old teen has been sentenced to police custody till December 28.

The six have been booked under IPC Section 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police official said.

(with PTI inputs)
The BJP on Friday decided to continue with Vijay Rupani at the helm, naming him Gujarats chief minister, while Nitin Patel will remain his deputy.

The decision was taken at a meeting supervised by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley in Ahmedabad. BJPs general secretary-in-charge of Gujarat Bhupender Yadav was also present.

Vijay Rupani was chosen as legislature party leader unanimously. Will inform you all about the swearing in soon, Arun Jaitley told reporters in Ahmedabad on Friday.

The BJP, which has been in power in Gujarat for 22 years, won 99 of the 182 seats, its poorest performance so far. The Congress plus allies won 80 seats.

61-year-old Rupani, who replaced Anandiben Patel in August 2016, had resigned on Thursday.

In the polls held earlier this month, Rupani won Rajkot West seat with over 53,000 votes and Nitin Patel retained his Mehsana seat.

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The Congress party has undertaken first-of-its-kind review to analyse the electoral reverses it suffered in the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls. Majority of the candidates termed infighting, sabotage by the local leaders and lack of resources as the reason of their defeat in election.

The meeting at the local Congress office that lasted for more than three hours was chaired by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge Sushil Kumar Shinde in the presence of secretary Ranjeet Ranjan.

Congress tally in the 68-member house this time has came down to 21 from 36 seats it had secured in the 2012 election.

The party candidates and legislators have strongly recommended actions against local and a few top-rung leaders for marring the election. While it was learnt that Congress candidates presented as a proof the audio and video footage of local Congress leaders who sabotaged the election this time, many contestants overtly and covertly blamed Virbhadra Singh for propagating local leaders who allegedly worked against their own party.

Deepak Rathore, a Congress candidate from Theog, has reportedly produced audio and video clips before Shinde and Ranjan alleging that Congress leaders had backed CPI(M) candidate Rakesh Singha.

Singha, who won in 1993 from Shimla urban seat, made it to the Vidhan Sabha this time from Theog. Due to incomplete formalities, returning officer had rejected the nomination of Congress octogenarian leader Vidya Stokes from the same segment.

Former health minister Kaul Singh Thakur has already shifted the onus of defeat on Virbhadras loyalist Puran Thakur  vice-president of PCC  who had rebelled against him at his home turf in Darang.

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The protests by Congress in the Lok Sabha over the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against former premier Manmohan Singh entered the fifth day on Friday, as it also asked the BJP to apologise for the charges it had made regarding the 2G spectrum scam.

Soon after the House assembled and took up the Question Hour, Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans demanding an apology from Modi for his charges during Gujarat poll campaign that Manmohan Singh and others had colluded with Pakistan to rig the election results.

The protesting Congress members continued to raise slogans for an hour even as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan continued with the Question Hour proceedings.

A visibly upset Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge raised concerns about not being allowed to raise the issue despite making the demand for the past five days.

Few minutes after the Zero Hour began at noon, the protesting Congress members walked out.

Besides seeking an apology from Modi, the Congress members also sought an apology from the BJP for alleging that a scam had taken place in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation during the UPA rule.

Their demand came a day after a special court acquitted all the accused in the 2G scam case.

On the fifth day of their protest, the number of Congress members in the Well was less compared to other days. The overall attendance in the House was on the lower side, both in the Treasury and the Opposition sides.

The Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were also not present in the House. Sonia Gandhi is usually present during Question Hour, which has recently witnessed her party members protesting in the Well.

Parliament will now meet on Wednesday after a long weekend due to Christmas.
Editor:

Senator Heller must reject Kathleen Hartnett White, White House nominee for the Center For Environmental Quality who lied about the risk of increased radiation levels in public drinking water

This January, the Senate will vote to decide whether Kathleen Hartnett White should be confirmed as President Trumps top environmental advisor and Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

As Commissioner of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from 2001 to 2007, White failed to report increased levels of radiation in drinking water because she didnt agree with federal standards designed keep children and families safe from dangerous, cancer-causing radiation.

It gets worse. Years later, when the truth came out, Kathleen Hartnett White defended her actions, saying that she didnt agree with the federal standards, so the decision to falsify the data made incredibly good sense. When the issue came up again in her confirmation hearing last month, she lied to the Senate about it.

Kathleen Hartnett White also served as Distinguished Senior Fellow In Residence & Director, Armstrong Center For Energy & The Environment for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative anti-renewable energy, pro fossil fuel think tank," where she wrote a blog about how the use of coal ended slavery.

Nevada families count on sane officials to ensure society has things like safe water to drink, bathe in, and wash their food. Kathleen Hartnett White cannot be trusted with that basic responsibility. Senator Heller must take a stand for the people of Nevada and vote to reject her nomination.

Christian Gerlach

Las Vegas
A day after a special court acquitted all the accused in the 2G scam, an upbeat Congress, led by party president Rahul Gandhi, launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for spreading lies to win elections.

Gandhi drew a parallel between the campaign initiated by the BJP against his party over the 2G scam in 2014 and Modis allegation that former PM Manmohan Singh had colluded with Pakistan ahead of the recent Gujarat elections.

The entire foundation of BJP is based on lies, the whole structure is about lies, Gandhi said after chairing the first meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), partys highest executive body, as the Congress chief.

The 47-year-old maintained that the 2G verdict, in which A Raja telecom minister in the UPA government also got a clean chit was a vindication of the partys stand.

Modi Model attacked

Although the Congress was not able to dethrone the BJP in Gujarat, the party president continued to attack Modis Gujarat Model of development.

If you see the Modi Model in Gujarat, it was clearly a lie When we went to Gujarat and spoke to the people, they said there is no model. What is going on is a theft of Gujarat peoples resources. That is their (BJPs) design, Gandhi said.

Partys chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala later said that Gandhi had remarked in the meeting that people can go to any extent to achieve political gains.

Questioning Centre

Posing questions to the Centre, the Congress statement released after the meeting said: Did PM Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley and the BJP not conspire with Vinod Rai (the then C&AG chief) to malign and defame the country and also the Congress-led UPA with falsehood and lies?

The grand old party also wanted to know why Modi, finance minister Jaitley and other BJP leaders should not be held accountable for selling lies and allegations akin to a scam. It also accused the BJP of wasting the exchequers money by stalling the Parliament through its protests.

Checking indiscipline

Congress sources said during the meeting, a few leaders urged partymen to be more disciplined while making statements, a remark that was taken to be a veiled dig at Mani Shankar Aiyar and Kapil Sibal.

Gandhi also told party leaders to reach out to the people and oppose the BJP more at the ground-level. While the party brass reiterated that they should strengthen block-level organisation, a few leaders highlighted the need to counter BJPs shoot and scoot policy.

The CWC also passed a resolution praising former party chief Sonia Gandhi for her guidance and leadership through challenging times. Former PM Manmohan Singh praised Sonia during the meet and spoke about the challenges the party may continue to face from the BJP.
The Allahabad high court on Friday said every citizen had the right to celebrate festivals in a peaceful manner and the authorities should not be reluctant in giving their consent, if permitted by law.

The bench comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice MK Gupta made the observation while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Sanjay Singh and 34 members of the Christian community from Birner village in Kaushambi.

The petitioners said the local administration had imposed Section 144 of the CrPC during the local bodies election prohibiting assembly of more than four people in the village.

They alleged that the administration officials were not allowing them to celebrate Christmas on the pretext that prohibitory orders were still in force.

The bench said Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed for the election time only and the petitioners would not face any difficulty in Christmas celebrations.

During the course of hearing, standing counsel of the state government raised the issue of loudspeakers during Christmas celebrations to which he court asked: If loudspeakers are being used as per norms and only till the time it is permissible in law, how can you deny permission?

The counsel for the petitioners said their application (dated December 16) seeking permission to celebrate Christmas between December 24 and 31 was pending before the district administration.

Since Friday is the last working day and the court will remain closed till January 1, a directive should be issued to the administration regarding grant of permission for Christmas celebrations, the counsel said.

The court directed the authorities to consider the application filed by petitioners on or before Monday, in accordance with law.

Earlier, the Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) had asked Christian missionary schools in Agra and Aligarh not to force Hindu students to celebrate Christmas.

The RSS, however, distanced itself from the advisory.
Former Intelligence Bureau (IB) special director Rajender Kumar, who was once charged by the CBI in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on Friday asked Union home minister Rajnath Singh for legal protection for intel-based undercover operations.

Kumar put the question immediately after Singh finished his 30th IB endowment lecture here wherein he spoke about various policing challenges before the country and how to meet them.

Chief and number two officer in an investigation agency outsourced their probe to an officer who is a traitor and (prestige) of IB was torn apart. Sensitive call records were made public. Dont you think there should be a law to protect undercover operations of intelligence agencies? said Kumar.

As the crowd comprising top police and IB officials of the country started clapping, the home minister said the topic needs discussion. I will discuss it with you, Singh told Kumar.

Kumar was one of the four IB officials chargesheeted by the CBI in connection with the encounter of 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan in Ahmedabad in 2004. But when the NDA came to power in 2014, Union home ministry decided not to give nod to the CBI to prosecute Kumar citing lack of enough evidence and thus stalling the trial against him.

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The BJP wants to revive the sensitive issue of deploying army in Golden Temple and the 1984 riots in Rajya Sabha on Friday as an upbeat Congress is demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modis clarification on his statement during Gujarat assembly elections.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy wants to move a resolution to express regret on the deployment of army by the then Indira Gandhi government in Golden Temple 1984. He also wants speedy action against all culprits of 1984 Sikh riots, which he said, continues to shock the conscience of the patriotic citizens of India.

His resolution says, This House, to further the process of healing the long standing hurt feelings and sentiments, resolves that the deployment of the military in the Golden Temple at Amritsar on June 6, 1984 in retrospect, is deeply regrettable, and the targeted mass killing of Sikhs on November 1-3, 1984 continues to shock the conscience of the patriotic citizens of India and further calls upon the Union and State Governments to declassify all the records relating to these two tragic events of 1984 and take speedy action according to Article 21 of the Constitution, to bring to book under the criminal law all those found guilty in the mass killing of Sikhs in November, 1984.

Any debate on these two issues is bound to push the Congress in a defensive corner.

While the government has listed three bills for passage in the Upper HouseThe Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, The State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill and The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Amendment) Billit has listed the GST amendment bill in the Lower House.

The government also wants to push The Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill to further improve ease of doing business.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill and The Public

Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill has also been slated for passing.

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BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje was on Friday booked for alleged inflammatory tweets on the rape and murder of a minor Dalit girl in Vijayapura, an incident which led to tension in some areas there for the past three days.

Police said an FIR was registered against Karandlaje on charges of provoking people to cause riots, disturbing communal harmony and spreading rumours.

Karandlaje had tweeted about the recent rape and murder of the 15-year-old girl and accused chief minister Siddaramaiah of inaction to catch the Jehadis behind the incident.

CM @siddaramaiahs appeasement politics has turned Karnataka into a safe haven for Jihadi Goons. He is shamelessly pursuing his agenda of appeasement & dividing the society, tweeted Karandlaje.

In a tweet about another incident she said Jihadis tried to rape and murder a girl studying in 9th std near honnavar. Why is the govt silent about this incident? Arrest those who molested and injured this girl. Where are you CM @siddaramaiah?

Police said the MPs tweets and video messages through social media platforms further added to tension in the regions of coastal Karnataka, which was on the boil since December 6 when 19-year-old Paresh Mesta was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

Karandlaje meanwhile shared copies of the FIR on Twitter, saying Govt which has failed in providing safety to women in Karnataka now tries to stifle my voice through a FIR. @siddaramaiah Govt protecting Jihadis.

She vowed to continue her fight against Jihadi elements without succumbing to the pressure of the Chief Minister.

Protesting against the girls murder, right wing outfits called a bandh in Talikote, Vijayapura and Chikkamagaluru today.

Security was beefed up in these areas, police said.
A day after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah in New Delhi, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said a breakthrough in the Mahadayi water sharing dispute with Goa has been achieved, a claim rubbished by chief minister Siddaramaiah.

Yeddyurappa, the BJPs chief ministerial face in the Karnataka assembly polls next year, called on Amit Shah to discuss the emotive issue on Wednesday.

Addressing a rally in Hubballi on Thursday, Yeddyurappa said Goa has agreed not to oppose the move to provide additional drinking water in parts of northern Karnataka.

He said the dispute was resolved at the meeting with Shah where Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar was also present.

Siddaramaiah, however, is quick to dismiss Yeddyurappas claim as a political gimmick, not willing to give any mileage to his opponent ahead of the assembly elections where the water dispute is likely to become a major issue.

The BJP is trying to wrest the state from the Congress.

Karnataka is locked in a dispute with Goa over a proposal to construct canals to divert water from the rivers tributaries for drinking and irrigation in Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gadag districts.

The Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal had, in an interim order last year, rejected Karnatakas proposal to divert 7.56 tmc ft of water.

Parrikar has written a letter to me... and assured that Goa will not oppose the demand for additional water on humanitarian grounds, added Yeddyurappa, an influential Lingayat leader who led the BJP to its maiden victory in the southern state in 2008.

Parikkars letter to Yeddyurappa, however, does not provide any such explicit assurance. It states Goa is willing to consider the demand on humanitarian grounds, and discussions have to be conducted bilaterally.

I appreciate your concern over the drinking water issue of the people and assure to extend the best possible cooperation in the matter, Parrikar said in the letter.

Reacting to Yeddyurappas statement, Siddaramaiah said, Who is Yeddyurappa to announce this? He added, I was told that a meeting would be convened after the Goa elections. But so far they have not come for discussions.

Siddaramaiah said Parrikar should have written to the Karnataka government or filed an affidavit with the tribunal in this regard. What is the inference one (can) draw? This is a political gimmick.

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A Kuala Lumpur-bound private airline returned to the airport here following a technical snag and all the passengers were given accommodation, airport officials said.

Pilots of the flight with 166 passengers noticed the snag after taking off from the airport here and subsequently returned.

The flight made a safe landing, they said, adding, all the passengers were provided accommodation in the city.

The flight was expected to fly later in the evening, they added.
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ranchi will deliver its verdict on Saturday in a fodder scam case involving former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra.

The case filed by the CBI relates to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 90 lakh from the Deoghar treasury during 1991-94. Out of the six fodder scam cases registered against Lalu Prasad, this is the second case which would see a verdict.

The fodder scam refers to a series of cases where state funds meant for buying fodder were allegedly siphoned by government officials and politicians in Bihar.

Lalu Prasad, Mishra and other accused arrived in Jharkhands capital Ranchi on Friday to appear in person before the court.

To meet their party chief, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) workers and supporters from Bihar and Jharkhand made a beeline to the railway guest house where Lalu Prasad is staying.

My client has arrived in Ranchi to appear before the court on Saturday, the day fixed for the verdict, said Prasads advocate Prabhat Kumar.

Lalu Prasad had suffered a major jolt on September 30, 2013 when the court held him guilty in another fodder scam case. He was give a five-year prison term, disqualified from Parliament and banned from contesting elections. He was given bail by the Supreme Court in December that year.

The case against Lalu Prasad -- which was related to the Deoghar treasury -- was revived after a Supreme Court order on May 8 this year.

The Deoghar treasury case  FIR registered by CBI: May 15, 1996 (on Patna High Courts directive)

 Interim chargesheet: October 28, 1997

 Charges framed: September 26, 2005

 Period of alleged offences: 1991-1994

 Alleged Scam Amount: Rs 89.27 lakh

 Total number of accused: 38

 Accused died during trial: 11

 Accused pleaded guilty before verdict: 2

 Accused who faced trial: 22

 Total prosecution witnesses testified: 160

 Defence witnesses testified: 16 FIR registered by CBI:(on Patna High Courts directive)Interim chargesheet:Charges framed:Period of alleged offences:Alleged Scam Amount:Total number of accused:Accused died during trial:Accused pleaded guilty before verdict:Accused who faced trial:Total prosecution witnesses testified:Defence witnesses testified:

The apex court had restored the corruption charges against Lalu Prasad by quashing a 2014 order of the Jharkhand high court, which had dropped sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 (1)(d) (corruption, abusing his office as public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act from the charges.

Since the trial began in June, Lalu Prasad had to make a personal appearance before the court almost every week in Ranchi. Even on the day when Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with the RJD on July 27, Lalu Prasad had to travel to Ranchi by road to attend court proceedings the next day.

The case, however, witnessed a curious turn in August this year when Lalu Prasad accused judge Shivpal Singh of misbehaving with a defence witness and moved the high court seeking transfer of the case to another court. The high court, however, found no merit in his petition and dismissed it.

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Acting on the petition of a woman who claimed to be J Jayalalithaas daughter, Madras high court on Friday directed the Apollo Hospital to provide the late Tamil Nadu chief ministers blood samples.

The court directive is being considered as a precursor to a DNA test, which could establish the petitioners parentage. Justice S Vaidyanathan directed the Apollo management to reply to court the order by January 5.

The petitioner S Amrutha had first approached the Supreme Court on November 27 seeking a DNA test to prove that she was the late AIADMK leaders daughter. The apex court had rejected her plea and directed her to instead approach the high court. Amrutha moved the high court on Thursday and also urged it to direct the state government to let her cremate Jayalalithaas body as per family traditions.

The high court admitted the Bengaluru-based womans plea and sent notices to the state government chief secretary and Chennai Corporation.

The court also impleaded J Deepak and his sister J Deepathe two children of Jayalalithaas brotheras respondents in the case.

During Fridays proceedings, Justice Vaidyanathan wondered why Amrutha was reluctant to name film star Sobhanbabu as her father even though she was willing to publicly claim that Jayalalithaa was her mother. Amruthas counsel V Prakash told the court that at this time, his client could only name her mother.

Representing the government, advocate general Vijay Narayanan opposed Amruthas petition, calling it a publicity stunt and said in order to direct a DNA test, the court first needed to arrive at a prima

facie case.

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He is still too young to talk, but a two-year-old boy has become a modern-day Mowgli and a subject of local intrigue after befriending a gang of langur monkeys.

Samarth Bangaris unusual friendship was discovered when the youngster was spotted alone in his village in Karnataka playing with nearly two dozen grey langurs.

The infants uncle Barama Reddy said it was strange for the monkeys to behave like that, and villagers feared the boy would be attacked while his parents worked in a nearby field.

But it soon became clear they were more than comfortable in his presence, with the yocungster happy to share some of his food with the visiting troupe. The monkeys kept returning, day after day, to visit their young friend in Allapur village in Bidar district of Karnataka, his uncle said.

Since that day, the monkeys havent missed a day. They come to the house around the same time, Reddy told AFP.

Even if he is sleeping, they first wake him up, and then sit with him for an hour or two.

Mallikarjuna Redder Reddy carries his nephew Samarth outside his home so he can play with langur monkeys in Allapur village in Karnataka. (AFP)

The unusual relationship piqued local interest, and soon people began visiting the house to catch a glimpse of young Samarth tottering around the farm with 20 langurs in tow.

Thinking the monkeys must enjoy the company of children, another youngster was plonked next to Samarth but the langur pack became aggressive, Reddy said.

He said Samarth was now a local legend due to his special bond with the monkeys, whose sounds he mimics even though he cannot speak yet.

Everyone thinks that he is special and they are communicating with each other, and can understand what is being said, Reddy said.

Mowgli was a character in The Jungle Book, writer Rudyard Kiplings tales about a boy who grew up in the wild in India, and is often used as a shorthand for people who are able to bridge the human-animal divide.
Ara Asoyan: I think if we vaccinated girls at the age of 15-16 we would not be late

Ara Asoyan, chief epidemiologist of the Republic of Armenia, does not consider it a bit acceptable to vaccinate against papillomavirus at the age of 13. "I think if we vaccinated girls at the age of 15-16 we would not be late." Ara Asoyan says that this vaccine is being used in 72 countries for the past 10 years. There has not been any negative result reported during these years. Asked why vaccination in Armenia is at the age of 13 and 30 free examinations, Ara Asoyan answers. "Only a risk can be borne by the virus at the age of 13. But usually cervical cancer is observed after age 35. Due to this, free checks are being carried out in Armenia for that age group. He says, however, that vaccinations are necessary, since the illnesses caused by the virus is life-threatening. "As far as I know, over 200 cases of cervical cancer were found in Armenia last year, and the loss of so many women is a serious loss for a small country like Armenia," adds Ara Asoyan.
Congress continued to protest in the Lok Sabha over the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against former premier Manmohan Singh on Friday, as it also asked the BJP to apologise for the charges it had made regarding the 2G spectrum scam.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it assembled as Congress insisted that the impasse over the reported remarks by the PM Modi be resolved first.

Here are the updates:

3.30pm: Home Minister Rajnath Singh says in Lok Sabha that initial figure of missing persons in the Cyclone Ockhi was 433. Now after return of some, the number of missing remains 275. Even today, which is the 22nd day, 18 ships of Navy and Coast Guard are conducting search ops, he says.

1.40pm: CPI(M) MP demands more central aid to Cyclone Ockhi-affected Kerala, says the assistance provided is insufficient. He also asks the government to declare the cyclone as national disaster.

12.30pm: Lok Sabha discusses issue of natural disasters, including Ockhi cyclone that hit Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat early this month.

12.20am: Few minutes after the Zero Hour began at noon, the protesting Congress members walk out. A visibly upset Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge raises concerns about not being allowed to raise the issue despite making the demand for the past five days.

11.55am: Finance minister Arun Jaitley says schemes like road to every village and electricity to all will make village smart.

11.42am: Health minister JP Nadda says the a meeting with nurses are being held every month. Its a state governments duty to keep tabs on private hospitals.

11.31am: BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab says Chhattisgarh has cut supply of Mahanadi river water to Odisha, putting in danger habitation of dolphin in Chilika Lake. The minister replies that there is a plan to spend Rs 25 crore on campaign to save dolphins

11.29am: Environment minister Harsh Vardhan says the government is always ready to set up a biodiversity park in the country.

11.27am: Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till December 27.

11.26am: If you dont let the House run, I will have to adjourn it till December 27. You will also get a long weekend, Rajya Sabha chairman tells opposition members.

11.24am: In Lok Sabha, minister of state for health, Anupriya Patel, says states always have 15% more budget to spend if there is any delay in release of funds from the Centre.

11.22am: Minister of state, parliamentary affairs, Vijay Goel requests the Congress to let Rajya Sabha run smoothly. But Congress is adamant over its demand for PM Modis apology.

11.19am: Naresh Agarwal of the Samajwadi Party raises the issue of salary hike of parliamentarians, asks the government to give its reply. The chairman says its an important issue and he will bring this to the ministers notice.

11.15am: TMC member Derek OBrien says Rajya Sabha TV was blacked out on Thursday, requests the chairman to look into the issue.

11.05am: Lok Sabha discusses National Health Accounts as Congress creates ruckus demanding PM Modis apology for his remark against predecessor Manmohan Singh.

9.35am: BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe has again today given adjourned motion notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 on remarks of Congress leaders against PM Modi.

9.30am: The Congress gives adjournment motion notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 on PM Modis remarks against Manmohan Singh.
A parliamentary panel has agreed to a 10% annual increase in the fines for various traffic violations including drunken driving, talking on mobile, rash and negligent driving.

The panel was studying the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which already proposes a significant increase in penalties for traffic offences.

The bill has been cleared by the Lok Sabha in April and is pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Drunken driving  one of the main causes of deaths in road accidents in India  will invite a fine of Rs10,000 from the existing Rs2,000. Talking on mobile phones while driving will result in a fine of Rs5,000, up from the present Rs1,000. For red light jumping, driving without seat belt/helmet, the proposed fine is Rs1,000.

The Rajya Sabha select committee has endorsed in totality the amendments to the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017 that was cleared by Lok Sabha. We have submitted the report today, BJP MP Vinay P Saharabuddhe who headed the committee told Hindustan Times.

The amendments to the proposed law include a three-year jail and Rs25,000 fine for guardians of minors caught driving and causing fatal accidents, and a ten-fold increase in compensation for families of accident victims.

A slew of reforms including simplifying vehicle registration process, online issue of learners license, bringing ride hailing service providers under the motor vehicle law and mandatory vehicle recall policy, in case of defect, have also been proposed in the law.

However, despite the select committee accepting all the proposed amendments, the bill is unlikely to have a smooth sailing when it comes up for discussion and passage in Rajya Sabha in the first week of January. The Parliaments winter session is ending on January 5.

Seven of the 24 members of the select committee including Congress Pramod Tiwari and BK Hariprasad, DMKs K Kanimozhi, and AIADMKs A Navaneetha Krishnan have submitted a dissent note to some of the provisions of the proposed law.

Congresss BK Hariprasad and CPI(M)s CP Narayanan have objected to the provision of empowering dealers to register vehicles on behalf of owners on the grounds that this is against public interest. The Union road transport ministry, which is piloting the bill has stood its ground and said the proposed amendment will not only check delays but will also bring in transparency as dealers would be able to apply online for registration numbers instead of having to visit RTOs.

Hariprasad has also dissented to the provision to simplify the process of change of residence or place of business as it encroaches on states right in fixing jurisdiction.

Congress MPs Pramod Tiwari and Hariprasad and CPI(M)s Narayanan have also objected to the provision in the bill empowering the central government to modify permits and make schemes for inter-state transport of goods and passengers on the grounds that it infringes on states rights.

A senior road transport ministry official, however said, We have given reasons for each of the objections raised by the members and why the proposed amendments are valid. We will stick to it.The bill, once approved, will replace the 26 -year-old Motor Vehicle Act that was last amended in 2001.

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Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Friday peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when the country stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Given its actions, it doesnt appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the army chief said during his visit to the Thar desert in the western sector to witness the Hamesha Vijayee exercise conducted by the Southern Command close to the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan.

Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists. Only then can we say that peace talks should take place, he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.

We also want that relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesnt appear that they really want peace, Rawat said.

Asked about Chinas rising presence and influence in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the army chief said India was also taking its steps while keeping security aspects in mind.

The way they are taking steps, we are also taking our steps while keeping our security perspective in mind, he said.

Rawat said the army, paramilitary forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police have been taking actions against militants in Jammu and Kashmir successfully and the action will continue.

His comments come a day after ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

It is important for Pakistan to understand our core concern, which is terrorism. We have time and again asked them to take action against terrorists who are operating from their soil. This is something they (Pakistan) will have to handle if they are serious in cultivating this friendship, Kumar said.

The assertions follow Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties.

According to media reports, Bajwa said he will support any initiative of the civilian government to resolve issues with India through talks.
The BJP, which won both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections earlier this week, is busy trying to finalise its chief ministerial picks. While some reports have claimed that Vijay Rupani is expected to stay at the helm in the western state, it's Himachal that is seeing an open race.

The shock defeat of Prem Kumar Dhumal, the partys CM candidate in the hill state, means there are now two contenders  five-time MLA Jairam Thakur, seen as a frontrunner, and Union health minister JP Nadda. But Dhumal too is still very much in the race, as three MLAs have reportedly offered to vacate their seats for him.

Dhumal, a two-time former chief minister, lost from the Sujanpur constituency. The BJP won 44 seats in the 68-member assembly.

On Friday, as BJP observers Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar and party in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Mangal Pandey held a meeting with RSS leaders in Shimla, chaos broke out outside the venue.

Supporters of Dhumal raised slogans in his favour, while another group cried CM should be chosen from the elected MLAs, there shouldnt be any lobbying.

Party veteran and Kangra MP Shanta Kumar, who is believed to be opposed to any move to install Dhumal as CM, said raising slogans in favour of any one leader is wrong. Observers have come from Delhi, decision on CM will be taken soon...If I was the party president I would have expelled such workers. I did not like it, he said.

A senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity that there is a strong view in the party to pick one of the elected MLAs to head the government in Himachal. The name of the new leader is likely to be announced on Friday.

In Gujarat, meanwhile, chief minister Vijay Rupani resigned on Thursday along with his council of ministers, a day after Governor OP Kohli dissolved the assembly, paving the way for formation of a new government.

The process to select the new chief minister will be carried out under the supervision of state observers finance minister Arun Jaitley and BJP general secretary Saroj Pandey.

Gujarat: BJP observers for Gujarat, Arun Jaitley & Saroj Pandey arrive in Ahmedabad; BJP National General Secy Bhupender Yadav also present. pic.twitter.com/tTqhWEAFrN  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

Sources said the party is likely to stick with Rupani though there is speculation that the central leadership might want a change given the narrow margin of victory.

The BJP, which has been in power in Gujarat for 22 years, won 99 of the 182 seats, its poorest performance so far. The Congress plus allies won 80 seats.

Besides Rupani, the other names doing the rounds for the top job are deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and Mansukh Mandavia, a Rayja Sabha member. Mandavia is from the Patidar community.
India has accepted a demand from Sri Lankan Tamils to be allowed to travel to the Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu for pilgrimage on a ferry.

After Colombo agreed to the demand to open the sea route for Sri Lankan Hindus, India on Thursday said it was also decided to allow the pilgrims to reach the coastal state on a ferry, which works out cheaper than air fare.

The government was approached on behalf of Lord Shiva devotees in Northern Sri Lanka who expressed the desire to visit the Natraj temple in Chidambaram for the Maarkazhi Thiruvembavai festivities, also known as Arudra darshana festival, which will be held next week from December 27 to January 3. This is a major festival at a particularly sacred temple for Indians and Sri Lankans. In response to the request, India agreed to facilitate the travel through a ferry from Kankesanthurai in Jaffna to Chennai, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs, said.

The demand for opening the sea route to pilgrims was spearheaded by Marvanpulavu Sachchithananthan, who heads a collective of Hindus in the island nation known as the Siva Senai.

Sachchithananthan, who was in Delhi last week to meet officials in the ministry of external affairs and the Sri Lankan embassy to push for setting an early date for the facility, told Hindustan Times that the Siva Senai had negotiated with the Sri Lanka government through the Governor of the Northern Province to permit a pilgrim ship to Chidambaram during Maarkazhi Thiruvembavai festival days.

Sachchithananthan said the annual pilgrimage will be a moral booster for the poor who cannot afford a plane travel.

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Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, India in an apparent reference to Pakistan has said the support for terror groups like Taliban, the Haqqani network and LeT must be forced to stop.

Terrorists continue to attack the most vulnerable, including the sick in hospitals, children in schools, devotees in mosques and even mourners at funerals. Terror groups have gained territory, deputy permanent representative of India to UN, Tanmaya Lal said during an open debate of the Security Council on Afghanistan.

The support for terrorist organisations like the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Mohammed from outside Afghanistan, must be forced to stop, Lal said.

All safe havens and sanctuaries available to such groups outside Afghan borders must end. Security Council has an important responsibility in this regard in our collective interest, Lal said.

The continued resilience shown by the Afghan people and security personnel has been exemplary but hopes of a better future still appear distant, he said.

Our regular consultations and the work done by the Council have not been enough to more effectively reverse the situation on the ground, he added.

Lal said it has been painfully clear since long that the security situation in Afghanistan has implications not only for the region but the entire world.

While new threats emerge from the Daesh, the Security Council cannot even decide whether to designate the new leaders of Taliban or to freeze the assets of the slain leader of the group more than a year after the issue was brought to its attention, Lal said.

In his address to the Security Council, Afghan Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud Saikal said Afghanistans patience on indiscriminate shelling from across the border by Pakistan should not be tested.

Under the pretext of receiving fire from our side, Pakistans violations across the Durand Line, including indiscriminate artillery shelling, has continued unabated throughout 2017, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and destruction of villages, he said.

The proposal of Afghanistan for engagement and operational coordination towards addressing these concerns has not seen any response, he told the UN Security Council.

At the same time, Afghanistan has the will and the capacity to defend its territory and our patience should not be tested, Saikal said.

Afghanistan believes that confidence building measures can only be successful when violations of this nature come to a complete halt, he said.

In a similar vein, we are also in communication on the imperative of addressing terrorists regional safe havens and hope to see positive developments on this front soon, he said, adding that Afghanistan looks forward to the upcoming trilateral meeting in Beijing next week between the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China.
Within two months of becoming the Gujarat chief minister in August 2016, Vijay Rupani gave up the traffic privileges due to his convoy in the larger interests of regular commuters.

For Gujarat, which was ruled by Narendra Modi and Anandiben Patel for over a decade, the accessible and low-profile governance of Rupani came as a different yet welcome experience. It was the new chief ministers self-effacing persona  coupled with a corruption and controversy-free tenure of one-and-a-half years  that made the BJP decide against changing the state leadership before the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

I say Rupani is a sarvmitra (friend to all). His friendly approach within the party and outside helped the state gain much-needed stability after Anandiben Patels controversial two-year term, said political analyst Hari Desai.

Though Rupani is close to both BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he launched his electoral campaign by seeking the blessings of former chief minister-turned-Modi baiter Keshubhai Patel. It was this ability to connect with everybody that helped the BJP leader become the partys general secretary and state president before assuming the chief ministers post.

The BJPs top leadership positioned him at the helm of Gujarat at a time when the ruling party was caught at the receiving end of social uprisings such as the Patidar quota agitation, the OBC protest against Patidar demands, and the Dalit unrest following the flogging of the four youngsters by self-styled cow vigilantes in Una. The BJP had also lost the states countryside in local body polls for the first time in three decades.

Rupani hails from Rajkot, a Jansangh cradle and the main urban pocket of the Saurashtra peninsula. A Jain with RSS roots, he is a vocal proponent of building the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

The BJP leader became a cabinet minister after winning a by-election from the Rajkot West constituency in 2015. Later, he retained the seat by a margin of over 53,000 votes despite a fierce year-long campaign launched by Indranil Rajyaguru, his Congress opponent and one of the richest candidates in the state. A year on, he had already become the Gujarat chief minister.

If the state was dubbed Vibrant Gujarat under Modi and Gatisheel Gujarat (progressive Gujarat) under Anandiben Patel, Rupani went with Adikham Gujarat (a Gujarat that stands tall). Flagship programmes such as Seva Setu and fairs aimed at providing one-stop solutions to administrative problems faced by the common man were the high point of his government. Even as opponents targeted Rupani on a personal level, he maintained: I am not here to defeat anyone but to win the hearts of the people.

But experts view Rupanis non-aggressive persona as a shortcoming of the party, which will have to regain lost ground before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While his image is free of corruption and controversy, the BJPs need of the hour is an aggressive leader who can help it recover sufficiently (from the relatively poor showing in the just-concluded assembly polls) before the general elections, said Desai.

Gujarat, the home state of both Modi and Shah, remains central to the BJPs narrative for retaining power at the Centre for the second term. After all, it was by showcasing the states development model under Modi that the BJP took over the country in 2014.

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Political parties may exploit Thursdays court verdict acquitting all accused in the so-called spectrum scam of 2008, but it does nothing to change the fortunes of the telecom sector, analysts said.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court Thursday acquitted all the accused.

Most companies named in the original charge sheet have wound up operations. None of the companies are coming back. This verdict means nothing for the sector, said an industry analyst on condition of anonymity.

Read | 2G spectrum verdict: Why the case fell flat

This is something of the past and has no bearing on the industry so many years later. Only political dividend can be gained, another analyst said, also requesting anonymity.

The impact of the judgement on the sector is minimal. Most of the impact due to the 2G issue, especially the allocation of spectrum, has already been seen in the marketplace. Players have either left the country or those that bought licences  Telenor, Videocon  are in the process of exiting, Mahesh Uppal, director, ComFirst India, a communications consulting firm, said.

In 2008, during A Rajas tenure as telecom minister, 2G spectrum and licenses were awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to operators, at a price discovered in an auction held seven years earlier.

Based on a report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, which said 2G licences were issued to telecom operators at throwaway prices, causing a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 trillion to the exchequer, the apex court cancelled 122 telecom licences and spectrum allocated in January 2008, holding that the process of allocation was flawed. It further directed that spectrum or any natural resource must be auctioned.

Apart from dealing a political blow to the then Congress-led UPA government, the sector too went into a tailspin. As decision-making ground to a halt, licencees went bankrupt, resulting in thousands of jobs being lost. Consumer service quality was also impacted as investment in the sector dire up.

There will be political impact. It will reopen issues on loss to the exchequer. While the issues are not identical, the spirit of the SC and the CBI judge seem to be at variance, Uppal added.

Experts believe the sector is unlikely to see any impact. These kind of judgments keep coming, an official at the Department of Telecommunications said. The government has realised that auction is the best way to allocate a public resource and that will stay, the official added.

But, an interesting takeaway from today could be the prices at which spectrum will be auctioned going forward.

Because the case crippled the system and decision-making, the auction prices were never curated. Nobody intervened to correct these prices; they are still very high, an expert said, requesting not to be named. The government needs to take a hard look at the spectrum prices so that the investment by companies can actually go into upgrading networks and not into a bidding war, the expert added.
Bhopal:

Three persons were booked on Thursday in connection with the suicide of a 20-year-old woman over alleged ostracising of her family by a local panchayat after she married a Dalit boy in Madhya Pradeshs Tikamgarh district, police said.

Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Rakesh Khakha said the accused are relatives of the girl, Suman Raikwar, who had been ostracised by her extended family after a selfie with the Dalit boy, surfaced in the social media.

Khakha ruled out the involvement of panchayat in ostracising the victims family.

Local Dalit activists, however, said police let the panchayat members, who are powerful people, off the hook under pressure.

Tikamgarh, which is around 345 km north of Bhopal bordering Uttar Pradesh is steeped in casteism.

The victims father Sarju Raikwar, a resident of Maharajpura village had alleged before media persons that his family was socially boycotted at the behest of the panchayat.

My daughter got married to a Dalit boy sometime ago, but the villagers were not aware about it. A few days ago, the couples photos were posted on social media by their friends. When the villagers came to know about it, they called a panchayat and took a decision to ostracise me and my family. Suman couldnt bear the trauma and took the extreme step, he said.

The girl was found hanging in her room on Wednesday.

The ASP said that though the family members had levelled serious allegations against villagers, after investigations we found there was no merit in the allegations.

Main accused are Munne, Raja and Sonu (all identified by their first name) and they have been booked. We did not find any basis in the allegation against the entire panchayat, he said.

Dalit rights activist Manorama Sharma said the girls father had clearly said that the panchayat was involved and the family members had pleaded against the verdict, so the police departments conclusion is surprising.
With less than 10 days left for the deadline to publish the first draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, union home secretary Rajiv Gauba said on Friday that work on the mammoth exercise still remains incomplete.

As per directions of the Supreme Court, the first draft of the updated NRC is to be made public at midnight on December 31.

Very substantial work has been completed already, but very significant amount of work still needs to be done, Gauba told journalists here after reviewing progress of the work.

As per provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, the NRC is being updated after a gap of over six decades, only in Assam, with the view to weed out illegal immigrants especially from Bangladesh.

The magnitude of the work is evident from the fact that there are 3.28 crore individuals involved, there were about 68 lakh applications and there were over 6 crore documents that need to be verified, Gauba said.

On December 31, only a part draft of the updated NRC will be made public. The entire draft will be published at a later date after verifying documents of all applicants.

Persons who can prove links with family members whose names appeared in the 1951 NRC or subsequent electoral rolls till March 25, 1971 will be included in the updated NRC.

Any claims or objections will be taken up only after the complete draft NRC is made public. The final NRC would be published after all such claims are settled.

Entire machinery is working in tandem to complete the exercise within deadline. Those whose names dont appear in the first draft neednt get unduly worried as there will be opportunities for subsequent verification, he said.

With the authorities racing to meet the deadline to release the draft, there are fears that many names, especially of those belonging to minority community, may get left out. There are apprehensions of violence as well.

Gauba took part in a meeting of the strategy group of the unified command comprising military, paramilitary and state police force to review security situation ahead of the publication of the first draft.

I took stock of the security scenario. Our endeavour is ensure there will be no fallout (once the draft NRC is made public), he said.

The home secretary said barring few incidents, the overall security scenario in Assam and northeast has improved in the past 15 years.

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A government-run school in Rajasthans Bharatpur, forces girl students to double up as cleaning staff, and sweep the school premises before classes begins, say students and teachers at the school.

The government senior secondary school in Bharatpurs Jeevad, about 35 km from the district headquarters, does not have any cleaning staff for the last four years so the school authorities make girl students to sweep the floor and do other odd jobs to make up for the lack of staff, some of them say.

There are 162 students in the school, including 91 girls.

Suman Kumari, a Class 10 student, says girls have to sweep the classrooms before classes commence.

We clean the classrooms as we cannot sit in dirty rooms, she says.

There is no one else to do the job.

School principal Ram Babu Pathak says he has sanction to hire people for  500 every month under the Rajasthan Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan but unable to find a cleaning staff as the honorarium is too paltry.

The school also faces a shortage of teachers and clerks, he says.

There no teachers for Sanskrit and English, says Man Singh Dhakad, who teaches Mathematics and takes English and Sanskrit classes.

District education officer for secondary education (II) Virendra Singh Yadav says the department has been facing shortage of cleaning staff.

We will, however, inspect the school and ask the principal to employ casual employee to sweep the school premises, he says.

We will request the directorate of secondary education in Bikaner and in Jaipur to fill the vacant posts of teachers in the school.

There 232 secondary and senior secondary schools in the Bharatpurs Weir block where 132 post of cleaning staff are lying vacant for a long time, Yadav says.

Under the Rajasthan Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan scheme  500 is provided every month for each school to hire a sc leaning staff for 10 months.
In a case of double whammy, a man went to a police station in Jaipur on late Wednesday evening to report theft of a bag, only to find minutes later that his car parked outside too was stolen.

Ali Hasan Panwar, an official in the education department of Rajasthan government, was meeting an event manager on Wednesday evening at a marriage venue near the Officers Training School. Panwars own sons marriage is slated for January 5.

At about 9:30 pm, when he came out, he found that the car door was unlocked and his bag containing chequebook, ATM cards, an ipad and a few other things was missing.

I immediately reached the Malviya Nagar police station to report the theft along with my wife, daughter and a nephew, said Panwar.

The police wished to see the spot from where the bag was stolen. So my nephew and I accompanied the police in their car while my wife and daughter remained at the police station.

When they returned after some 20-25 minutes, they found that Panwars car was missing.

It was parked right outside the police station, near the board bearing the stations name, said Panwar.

Ramesh Kumar, head constable at the police station said that the man left the duplicate key of the car in the vehicle itself. The thieves probably took it at the time of the first theft and then followed the car, he added.

Panwar said it was possible that he had left the second key in the car itself as he could not find it at home.

A case of theft against unknown persons has been registered by the police.

My bag had the second key of my house, and my pen drive too, which has many important documents including copies of my Aadhaar card. The thieves have all my details now, said Panwar.
A team of Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan police arrested three arms smugglers in Chittorgarhs Nimbahera area on Thursday evening. The SOG also recovered 19 pistols and a revolver from them, said a release from the SOG, a specialized wing that deals with organised crime.

Two constables in Chittorgarh had got information about the smuggling. Based on it, the SOG constituted a team under the supervision of SOG additional superintendent of police Karan Sharma. The team, along with a team from SOG outpost in Udaipur, reached Chittorgarh to probe, additional director general, SOG, Umesh Mishra said.

The SOG team learnt that the smugglers were going to supply arms for criminal activities in Nimbaheras Transport Nagar. Keeping a tight vigil in the area, the SOG team nabbed Irfan Khan, Saddam Hussain, and Firoz Khan, all residents of Chittorgarh.

During initial interrogation, the accused revealed that they had bought the weapons for Rs 27,000 each from Madhya Pradeshs Ratlam and were to sell them for Rs 55,000 each. A case against them has been registered.

SOG inspector general Dinesh MN said that the SOG has recovered 58 weapons and arrested 27 arms smugglers in the state since December 2016.
The manner in which terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir does not indicate that Pakistan wants peace with India, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Friday.

Reacting to Pakistani army chiefs recent statement that he will support peace talks with India, Rawat said, Pakistani armys activities do not reflect that.

Rawat addressed media persons in Barmer where he was present to observe military preparedness during the Indian Armys exercise Hamesha Vijayee.

When asked that in the name of Pakistan-China corridor both the countries are increasing their activities along the international border, Rawat said, India is also increasing its presence and carrying out many activities Every country plans activities according to its security requirement, and in the same manner, India is also conducting many activities.

Asked about induction of assault rifles, the Army chief said, Government approvals for this are there in place and currently it is under testing phase. As soon as the testing phase is over, assault rifles will be inducted, he said.

The Armys Southern Command conducted Hamesha Vijayee in the deserts of Rajasthan from December 16 till December 22 to evaluate the capability of the forces to strike deep into the enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle.

More than 30,000 troops participated in the military exercise, and 200 tanks, including Arjun and T-90 (Bhisma), and 23 aircraft, including C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules, were utilised.

The military exercise, carried out in the general area of Barmer and Jaisalmer, aimed at fine-tuning surveillance and destruction mechanisms to support precision strikes and manoeuvres by network-enabled forces. The exercise was concluded in the presence of the Army chief.

Hamesha Vijayee exercise underway in Rajasthan. (HT Photo)

During the exercise, aerial and land-based surveillance devices were fielded to gain information and present a comprehensive picture to the commanders. Electronic warfare equipment and new-age force multipliers were used to amalgamate technology and refine real-time information about an adversarys activities, which was shared with command and control centres for planning and execution of operations.

Medium- and long-range weapons, airborne/heliborne forces and aerial platforms were utilised to ensure non-linear application of combat potential, defence officials said. With an array of tanks and armoured vehicles supported by firepower assets and robust logistics, the army showcased its cutting-edge operational readiness and a high degree of synergy with the Indian Air Force.

Commending the forces for their battle preparedness and synergised orchestration of complex operational manoeuvres, the Army chief called the exercise as highly successful.

Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General DR Soni said, A number of vital concepts were validated during this exercise and important lessons were drawn which will enable the army to streamline its operational plans and procedures.

He expressed the confidence that the Southern Army will prove its mettle whenever the situation demands.
West Bengals tableau for the Republic Day parade in Delhi has been rejected by the Union government, chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Friday evening.

This is an insult to Bengal and her people. The theme of our tableau was unity and we wanted to show that only harmony among people can ensure peace. Is that why our tableau was rejected? quipped Banerjee while inaugurating the biggest government-aided Christmas celebrations at Allen Park on Kolkatas famous Park Street.

Without naming the BJP or any leader, she said divisions are being created among people of different faiths.

Only those who can accept all opinions and beliefs and move forward with the people become great leaders. To become great, one has to show a lot of tolerance, she said.

But right now, some people are busy causing divisions among Hindus, Muslims and Christians, she alleged.

This is not the first time that a tableau sent by Bengal or any other state has been rejected by the committee set up by the ministry of defence (MoD) that organises the grand show on Rajpath every year. States have to go through strict scrutiny before the ministrys Tableau Selection Committee gives them a go-ahead to present their tableaux at the parade.

In 1995, Delhis tableau was rejected for the third time in a row and records show that Delhi has taken part in the parade only 11 times in 25 years.

Senior bureaucrats said a number of tableaux presented during the 34-year-long Left Front regime in Bengal were rejected as well but neither former chief minister Jyoti Basu nor his predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee raised the issue.

Banerjee, however, was in no mood to forget the past.

Our tableaux on folk culture were awarded in 2014 and 2016 but in 2015, they rejected the tableau based on the Kanyashree project for girl children. The Centre did not give any recognition to Kanyashree but it was awarded by the United Nations, she said.
The Aligarh administration on Thursday issued notices to five Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) leaders, warning them that they should not be found within 50 metres radius of schools on Christmas day (December 25).

Additional city magistrate (ACM) Renu Singh issued notices to HJM leaders  Sonu Kavita, Sanju Bajaj, Amit Raja, Bablu Sunny and Punit Sharma under Sections 111,107 and 116 of the IPC with Rs 1 lakh bond.

The notices were sent through Kawarasi police station warning HJM leaders that they should not be found within 50 metres radius of schools on Christmas day. If theres any trouble in schools, they will be held responsible and legal action would be taken against them.

The HJM had recently sent letters to school managements stating that if Christmas celebrations were held on campuses on December 25, they will be opposed. These letters were signed by local leaders of the outfit  Sonu Kavita, Sanju Bajaj, Amit Raja, Bablu Sunny and Punit Sharma.

After HJMs warning became public and the media took up the issue, school and parent associations strongly opposed HJMs stand.

The ACM confirmed issuing notices to all five HJM leaders.

On the other hand, SSP Rajesh Pandey asked police officials to bolster security arrangements in the city, especially in schools.

The Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) also opposed HJMs warning to schools. AMUSU president Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani said, The AMUSU is with minorities and it will be their voice.

AMUSU secretary Mohd Fahad stated: If the patience of people runs out, what will happen in the country?

Reacting to Fahads comment, the Hindu Mahasabha leaders submitted a complaint against AMUSU president and others in the Civil Lines police station, alleging that Fahads remarks were generating hatred against the Indian government.

-Pradeep Saxena
Dinesh Babu, who announced Rs 10,000 reward for the person who brought back his lost parrot, finally reunited with his missing pet on Wednesday.

His African Congo Grey parrot Lilly, which flew away on November 25 was found after 25 days. After reading HTs report of the missing parrot, the owner of a small general merchant shop Subhash called me up at around 10.30 am on Wednesday. I immediately went to his shop located nearly one kilometer away from my residence and was so relieved to see Lilly safe. I also gave Rs 10,000 to Subhash who was very happy to receive the reward, shared Dinesh Babu. HT carried a story about the missing parrot on December 16th.

Dinesh Babu had launched an extensive search operation in the city to find Lilly.The parrots posters were also put up in different localities along with a campaign on social media. I am unable to express my happiness on seeing her back in my home. I was worried that being an exotic bird, Lilly would not be able to survive on local food. I used to feed the bird with imported food, said Dinesh Babu who is the chief finance officer in Allahabad Nagar Nigam and excise department.
Hearing the case related to Birahimpur Gram Sabha Bridge, which is lying pending for the last 70 years, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday asked the district magistrate, Lucknow to file his reply by January 15.

The plight of people hit by incomplete bridge since 70 years was highlighted by Hindustan Times in its editions of November 13 and 17.

The court had taken suo motu cognizance of the plight of residents of the village and had instructed that the HT report be registered as a PIL petition and both editions of the newspaper shall form part of the record.

It had directed the state counsel to inform it about the steps taken for the construction of a bridge over river Behta to connect Birahimpur village with Malihabad town, 40 kilometres away from Lucknow.

During hearing on Thursday, a division bench of justice Vikram Nath and justice Abdul Moin granted two weeks time to the state counsel to file counter affidavit (reply) on an interveners application.

Read more: No bridge in 70 years, Uttar Pradeshs Birahimpur villagers say theyre losing hope now

As per earlier order of the court, state counsel filed an affidavit of DM saying that UP State Bridge Corporation was requested to submit an estimate of the bridge which has since been submitted and is now to be considered by the relevant department of the state government for sanction. State counsel sought time to obtain further instructions from the state in the matter.

Read more: Birahimpur bridge case: HC gives more time to government to file its reply

The court granted two weeks time and also accepted an application filed by one Parvan Ansari seeking permission to intervene in to the case. The court provided two weeks time to the state counsel to file reply on the application.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday assured the state assembly that there will not be any misuse of the law being enacted to control organized crime in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP government has neither misused any law nor will it misuse this one. We are here to provide security to people. The opposition is making different statements against the proposed law. No one can misuse this law and opposing this means defending those indulging in organized crime, said Yogi while initiating debate on Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill 2017 that was later passed in the house amid walkout by the entire opposition.

Yogi gave statistical data to make his point that the crime graph had witnessed a downward trend following measures initiated by his government to nab criminals. He said crime was being committed to give a bad name to his government. Do you want organized crime to flourish, asked Yogi adding there were cases of extortion from roadside vendors as well.

Yogi read out provisions of the bill to make his point that the new law had stringent provisions that were even better than the provisions of the provisions of Gangsters Act. A criminal would not be given bail again if an offence has been committed when the perpetrator of crime is already on bail, he said. Yogi said no security would be given to those involved in organized crime.

Yogi said the new law would check organized crime like kidnapping for ransom, stopping others from taking part in tendering process of government and public sector undertakings and illegal mining etc. This law will break the backbone of criminals indulging in organized crime. If the bill is passed unanimously in the house it will send a good message, said Yogi.

About some statements made against the bill, Yogi said everbody was aware about the image of those opposing the bill.

Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary called the move undeclared emergency that would target the media. Chaudhary said the newspapers and news channels would have to take prior permission of police to publish news items. Such restrictions had been imposed on the media during emergency as well, said Chaudhary.

He also referred to objections minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna and BJP MP Hukum Singh had raised against a similar law that the Mayawati government had introduced in the house on November 5, 2007.

Chaudhary said laws like Gangsters Act and Goonda Act were first used against student leaders in UP and the law to check organized crime may also be misused in a similar manner. He said the BJP government should not have brought such a bill as it had experience of facing the Emergency. About 90 percent of BJP and RSS workers and 100 percent Samajwadi Party leaders were sent to jail during the Emergency, he said.

Chaudhary said the BJP had been talking about bringing Ram Rajya but it had brought the UPCOCB instead. In a lighter vein, Chaudhary said he did not find a mention of any such law in the Ramayan.

To this, minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna said there was a mention of death sentence awarded to those who involved in Sita Haran (kidnapping of Sita).

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Uttar Pradesh government is pulling out all stops to make its Investors Summit 2018 a big draw. On Friday, Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will hold a roadshow in Mumbai for the captains of industry and invite them to participate in the two-day summit to be held in Lucknow on February 21 and 22.

The roadshow will be held at Hotel Trident in south Mumbai. "The idea behind the event is to seek the participation of leading industrialists operating in Maharashtra, said Industrial Development commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey. He said well-known industrialists, including Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Deepak Parekh, Subhash Chandra, Ashok Hinduja along with several Bollywood personalities, have also been invited in to attend the event.

The purpose of the summit is to attract industrial investment in UP, said Awanish Awasthi, principal secretary and director-general of the Department of Tourism. He said the state government was committed to establishing strong industrial infrastructure to provide employment opportunities to the youth by implementing the new Industrial Investment and Employment Promotion Policy 2017, Information Technology Policy and policies regarding startups, food processing and agriculture. The state government, he said, was creating an atmosphere conducive for industry. Industrial Development minister Satish Mahana and chief secretary Rajive Kumar will lead a delegation of senior officers from UP, Awasthi said.

On December 19, Mahana had held a similar roadshow in Hyderabad to invite investors and industrialists from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to explore possibilities of investing in UP. We have come up with a very progressive industrial policy after holding detailed discussions with industries and industry associations. We have big potential area and we welcome industries from across the country to UP now," Mahana said.
Armen Ashotyan: When crossing the border of Armenia there is little difference between the power and the opposition (video)

In the second half of 2017, the downturn in border incidents has to do with the Minsk Group's work, according to RPA Deputy Chairman Armen Ashotyan. "I can tear down or weaken the tension exclusively with the good will or personal decision of the political leadership of Azerbaijan." Armen Ashotyan, Deputy Chairman of the HHK (Republican Party), said that the downturn of incidents in borders, in the second half of 2017, had nothing to do with the Minsk Group's work. "I am connecting the tension downturn or weakening exclusively with the Azerbaijani authorities' "kindness" or personal decisions." The HHK Deputy Chairman did not sum up the year today. He started speaking about the agreement signed with the EU, spoke about China, came back to Iran, noting that we did not know our neighbors well. From that point of view, the situation is worse with Turkey. Our relations are in a deadlock. "Armenian-Turkish Protocols signed on Armenian side's initiative will no longer be part of political agenda since spring 2018." According to the representative of Nzhdeh's ideology, Turkey, however, had to find excuses for this absence of relations; though all their efforts were in vain. "They do not hide the fact that the settlement of the Armenian-Turkish relations is exclusively connected with with the expectations of the pro-Azeri solution of the Artsakh issue." Despite this, the number one priority of Armenia's foreign policy for the next year is to intensify relations with the Islamic states. Armen Ashotyan meant Arabian countries which do not imagine Armenia well. "Taking into consideration Azerbaijan's dangerous policy to provoke Islamic countries' animosity towards Armenia and Armenians, though the policy does not succeed, nevertheless, these challenges do exist." Speaking of diplomatic success, Mr. Ashotyan did not overpass the cooperation with the opposition. "When crossing the border of Armenia there is little difference between the power and the opposition." By the way, Armen Ashotyan also spoke about the 20-minute breaks of the Yelk (Way Out) in Parliament, mocking the force. Armen Ashotyan said that the Yelk did not accept the fact that the party does not have the levers that belong to the opposition, according to the Constitution.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said his government would formulate a law providing for the withdrawal of about 20,000 cases of political nature registered against leaders, legislators and ministers in Uttar Pradesh.

The CM made the announcement in the House while proposing a discussion on the Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill (UPCOCB) that was moved in the state assembly on Wednesday.

Yogi said cases were registered against legislators and ministers for staging a protest and even warrants were issued against ministers for not appearing before the courts.

He said the proposed law would mean end of all cases of political nature against leaders.

Yogi assured the assembly that the BJP government would not misuse the UPCOCA. This government has neither misused any law nor will it misuse this one. We are here to provide security to people. The opposition is making statements against the proposed law. Opposing it would mean defending those indulging in organised crime, he said.

Opposing the bill, leader of the opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary said it would lead to an undeclared emergency and would be used to target the media.

Newspapers and news channels will have to take prior permission from the police to publish news items. Such restrictions were imposed on the media during the Emergency as well, said Chaudhary.

He also referred to the objections made by BJP leaders Suresh Khanna and Hukum Singh against a similar law that was introduced by the Mayawati government on November 5, 2007.

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Bright

Director - David Ayer

Cast - Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Edgar Ramirez

Rating - 3/5

David Ayer makes movies about men. That isnt an insult, although in this current cultural climate, it could so easily be misconstrued as one. His movies are like his characters -- heavily tattooed, sinewy and prone to violence. Theres a gold grill glittering in their mouths, heavy bling dangling from their necks, guns bulging from under their baggy jeans. They hide behind an armour of their own making.

David Ayer makes movies about men in the way that Guy Ritchie makes movies about men. He takes these characters  off the streets and out of the crummy homes where they live in isolation  and emotionally incarcerates them with each other. He makes them ride shotgun in cars, cramps them in tanks and submarines, and buckles them into helicopters. It is in these enclosed spaces  these vehicles of change, if you will  that his characters reveal themselves for what they really are.

In Bright  which is a notable film for many reasons, mostly for being Netflixs biggest original film yet  Ayer returns to the City of Angels to make a movie that is, on the surface, a film that only he could have made - complete with nauseatingly edited action, grand posturing, and quips (so many quips).

The milieu is so specific, it has such a pointed sense of time and place, and that goes a long way to acclimatize the viewer into what is, essentially, a fantasy world. The gangland graffiti on the walls, peeling from age and harsh sunlight; the iconic ghetto doors, hiding shame and secrecy; the orange street lights, emitting a surreal glow on hardened faces  these are details youd often spot in a Los Angeles gangster movie, or an episode of Bosch or Southland, but in Bright they perform the duty of grounding the movie into our world, of making the class politics and lore easier to digest. Its a far superior choice than subjecting the viewer to scene after scene of expository speechifying.

That isnt to say Bright isnt guilty of an information dump or two  there are several lazy scenes, especially early on, that seem to have been designed only to introduce the audience to its world. Even though Will Smith and Joel Edgertons characters have been partners for some time, some of the drives they take through the streets of LA begin to resemble one of those Hollywood tours.

Perhaps it is a result of writer Max Landis original script having undergone sneaky rewrites, or perhaps Landis fell into the same traps he enjoys calling other writers out on. Theres no way of knowing, but at least we understand how the movies socio-politics works: The elves are at the top of the ladder, living in what is essentially the Beverly Hills of this alternate reality; at the bottom, a spot usually occupied by minorities in our world, there are the orcs, ostracized, ghettoized criminals; and sandwiched between them are the humans, who receive the most unimaginative treatment of the lot (were still petty, were still racist, and were still mostly horrible to each other).

One line Smiths character utters early on in the film is particularly resonant -- confronted by a pesky fairy, he arms himself with a broom, knocks the critter out of the air, and bashes its head in, declaring, Fairy lives dont matter today.

Its a dour observation, but true nonetheless. And this inherent human racism is only heightened by the films treatment of the relationship Smith and Edgertons characters share.

Jakoby  thats Edgerton  is the first orc in history to have made it to the LAPD, and much to the displeasure of Ward  thats Will Smith, positively exploding with charm  theyve been partnered up. Its a deft reversal of roles  black men in movies are typically preyed upon, but here, its Ward whos the racist.

Bright acts as a capper to Ayers thematically connected trilogy that began with Training Day and End of Watch  a wildly imaginative, and very timely takedown of the problems that plague modern America  racism, police brutality and corruption. It reminded me of District 9, another movie that used classic sci-fi themes to tell a very specific parable about class-division  that film was a direct statement against apartheid. Along with Get Out and the electric Ferguson riots documentary, Whose Streets?, its encouraging to see that Hollywood is engaging in a conversation about difficult realities in 2017, and it is doing it the only way it knows how  through movies.

And as any admirer of Ayers would know, hes rather brilliant at writing interpersonal dialogue between guys. As Ward and Jakoby prowl the streets, encountering belligerent orcs and deranged men and vindictive elves, he finds ways to develop character.

And it is on one of these routine rounds that they encounter the inciting incident of the movie  an active crime scene in which there is clear evidence of the use of magic. A murder has been committed, and there are forces at play that neither Ward nor Jakoby are skilled enough to handle. To make matters worse, theyre compelled to help a runaway elf, and suddenly, they find themselves in possession of a magic wand  a rare weapon, and hence coveted even in this fantastical world. On the run, theyre chased by corrupt cops, the FBIs Magic Division, and a villainous elf named Leilah -- a minion of the Dark Lord -- who requires the wand to stage his return to Earth after being defeated in a legendary war 2000 years ago.

I know, it can get a bit overwhelming, but there you have it, the biggest  and really, the only glaring problem  of Bright.

Watch the Bright trailer here

Follow @htshowbiz for more

The author tweets @RohanNaahar

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
In response to an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act filed by citizens group Watchdog Foundation, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) released a statement that it has shut down 834 polluting factories over the last two years.

These factories, located in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area, were asked to shut down after investigations by the MPCB revealed that they had violated the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

P Anbalagan, member secretary, MPCB, said, We asked these factories to shut down as a last resort, after they repeatedly failed to comply with environmental laws. We were forced to take this action on the basis of the severity of the violations. He also added that there are over 90,000 factories in the state, which meant that less than 1% of the factories were found to violate pollution control laws.

The 834 factories, mostly chemical or pharmaceutical units, included 49 in Pune, 380 in Ulhasnagar, 170 in Ambernath and Dombivli, 81 in Tarapur, 23 in Chiplun, seven in Taloja, and 8 in Patalganga, Roha and Mahad each.

On October 4, HT had reported that according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Maharashtra has the maximum number of polluted river stretches in the country - 49 of 315. In another report, HT reported that around 3,000 million litres of untreated sewage and industrial effluents are discharged into the states rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.

According to a report by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), while Maharashtra generates 13% of the countrys sewage, about 8,143 million litres a day (MLD), it has facilities to treat only 5,160.36 million litres of sewage per day.

Godfrey Pimenta, trustee, Watchdog Foundation, said, The water pollution problem faced by the state can be attributed to the fact that the enforcement of the anti-pollution law was lax. The figures in the reports show that the prosecution of a few factories was mere tokenism

However, it is not just an enforcement issue, but is also owing to the fact that industries are more focused on profit-making than the well-being of the environment, he added.

Units in the state that failed to install or effectively use individual effluent treatment plants (ETP) and common effluent treatment plants (CETP), or directly discharged effluents in water bodies without following environmental norms, are the ones that have been taken to task, said Anbalagan.

He added that some of the closure directions were issued as a result of orders passed by the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal. If, while drawing samples from these plants, the levels exceed the safe standards by 70%, our policy mandates shutting down these industries without any hearing.

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Despite being one of the citys most controversial scams involving top politicians and senior army officials, little progress has been made in connection with the Adarsh housing society case over the past seven years.

In 2011, the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) had registered a case against 13 accused, including former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, over alleged irregularities in the construction and allotment of apartments in the 31-storey Colaba high rise, originally meant for the families of Kargil war heroes. Following an investigation, the agency filed its charge sheet in July 2012.

However, the case hasnt moved ahead since then, with the special CBI court yet to take cognisance of the charge sheet.

The accused had challenged the case in higher forums, owing to which the trial was stayed on several occasions.

The key accused in the case, former member of legislative council Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, died in December 2012.

The case returned to the courts last year, when Thane resident Pravin Wategaonkar moved the Bombay high court, seeking a further investigation into the scam.

Wategaokar said there were several irregularities in the investigation. He also alleged that the benami transactions had not been looked into.

Acting on Wategaokars petition, the Bombay high court ordered an investigation into benami transactions in connection with the Adarsh case. Investigations are ongoing, with the CBI looking into various angles.

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A day after all the accused in the 2G scam case were acquitted, the Congress got another major legal reprieve. The Bombay high court on Friday set aside the sanction granted by the Maharashtra governor to prosecute former chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh society scam.

Leaders from political parties, bureaucrats and ex-servicemen allegedly conspired to get flats at cheap rates in the Adarsh Housing Society, a prime property in south Mumbais Colaba, originally constructed for the welfare of war widows.

Chavan was accused of criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct for granting additional floor space index (FSI) to the society in lieu of flats for relatives.

The bench, comprising justice Ranjit More and justice Sadhana Jadhav, quashed the February 2016 sanction given by governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to prosecute Chavan. Rao had, in February last year, overturned the December 2013 decision of the then governor K Sankaranarayanan, who had rejected the CBIs plea for sanction to prosecute Chavan after the latter was forced to resign as chief minister after being implicated in the scam. Such a sanction from designated constitutional authorities is a mandatory prerequisite to prosecute public servants such as a chief minister or a former chief minister.

The sanctioning authority is an independent [authority], which cannot allow itself to be influenced by any opinion. The ASGs [additional solicitor general] argument cannot be entertained as it would amount to abuse of power, the judges ruled on a challenge filed by Chavan.

The bench held that the CBI failed to present fresh evidence before Rao while seeking the sanction to prosecute Chavan and the material presented by it could not be converted into credible evidence against the Congress leader.

The material which is required to be considered by the sanctioning authority is not limited or restricted to the evidence collected by the investigating agency during the course of investigation. However, the material must be admissible in evidence or capable of being converted to evidence which can be substantiated at the trial, the judges observed while passing the order.

While setting aside and quashing Raos order, the judges concluded, In absence of fresh material, the governor has no jurisdiction to review the order of erstwhile governor.

Chavan had contended that the decision to review the December 2013 decision of the then governor was politically motivated and biased, and there was no additional material warranting review of the decision.

The judges also held that Justice JA Patil Commission report and the order of the learned single judge of this court cannot be termed as material, much less as fresh material, the impugned order is vitiated and cannot be sustained.

The JA Patil Commission report followed the appointment of justice Patil on September 10, 2014, to look into the illegality over the allocation of houses in the Adarsh cooperative housing society.

The court also observed that neither the extract of the report nor the high court order of November 2014 is admissible in evidence or capable of being converted into evidence.

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A sessions court acquitted a woman of murder charges, after she was booked for killing her husband with the help of her lover. Observing that there was no intent to kill, it instead convicted Ranjana Rathod and Bajarang Bal for culpable homicide. They have been sentenced to five years prison and must also pay a fine of Rs2,000.

According to the prosecution, Ranjana, her husband Manohar, and their three children  Payal, Jayashree and Aakash  live in Pune.

The couple and two of their children had come to Mumbai on a tour in 2014. On June 23, they were travelling to the railway station in an autorickshaw, accompanied by Bajarang to return to Pune. Payal and Aakash, who were eye-witnesses to the incident, said their father was under the influence of alcohol and had been verbally abusing their mother.

The children deposed before the court saying that they alighted at Bandra bridge. Ranjana and Bajarang started assaulting Manohar and pushed him towards a gutter. The children said their mother pushed their father, while Bajarang smashed his head with a stone.

They said the two returned to the spot to check if Manohar was dead and only then boarded the train.

While the children stuck to their story, defence lawyers  advocate Prakash Salshingekar representing Ranjana and Wahab Khan representing Bajarang  said the police had tutored them.

The prosecution said the children did not have any reason to depose against their mother. The court held that Manohars death was homicidal.

Payal and Aakashs testimonies make it clear that Ranjana and Manohar had quarrelled in the auto, which is why they alighted. Thus, it cannot be said that the accused hatched a conspiracy to commit the murder and that there was any intention to kill him, the court observed.

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After the BJP suffered an election setback in the cotton-growing areas of Gujarat, the Maharashtra government has taken steps to pacify farmers cultivating the cash crop in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

It has decided to compensate farmers whose cotton crop has been infested with a pest known as pink bollworm.

With around 18 months to go for the Assembly elections, the relief and financial assistance is being viewed as a measure to prevent a reversal in BJPs electoral fortunes in the region, which is controlled by the party. More than 50 BJP MLAs come from these two largely agriculture-driven economy regions.

The states relief and rehabilitation department is still carrying out surveys of destroyed cotton crop. During the winter session, agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar said compensation for non-irrigated land would be Rs 30,800 per hectare, and Rs 37,500/ha for irrigated land. He said that farmers with two-hecatre of land would be eligible.

The announcement of a financial assistance to farmers came two days after the BJP lost considerable ground in the Saurashtra-Kutch region of Gujarat, which predominantly grows cotton and groundnut.

Of the 13.6 million farmers in Maharashtra, nearly 4.5 million cultivate cotton. In addition to crop insurance and assistance, farmers will also receive compensation from seed companies.

Shiv Sena, BJPs partner in the government, has been slamming the BJP for not looking after farmers welfare, and failing to implement loan waiver.

(with inputs from Surendra P Gangan)

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Slum-dwellers  who own houses built between 2000 and 2011 and have so far not got legal protection  welcomed the state governments new amendment that will help them get houses. However, they said they were not keen on paying the construction cost as stipulated. They told HT they want to be treated on par with the slum-dwellers who built houses before 2000, who are given free houses.

The Maharashtra government has proposed that these slum-dwellers be included in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), in which the state and Centre will contribute Rs2.50 lakh and give them subsidised homes. This comes as the state realised that these residents were a large obstacle to slum clearance schemes, in which they were ineligible for houses.

We cannot afford to buy a home, which is why we live in shanties. We do not earn enough for our daily needs. Paying lakhs for a house is out of question, said Sarita Jadhav, who lives in Ganpat Nagar slum at Dahisar. The Jadhavs built their shanty in 2005.

Arman Khan, who stays with his six-member family in a 100 square feet slum at Jogeshwari, agrees. I am the sole breadwinner of my family. Like the others, we should not be charged, he said.

The state has said that in case the builder is unable to give the slum-dwellers a new home in the same location, they will be accommodated in another place.

Slum-dwellers have opposed this. Our jobs are here. If we are made to move out of the city, we will lose our livelihood, said Suman Gaikwad, a Goregaon resident who works as a house help in Malad.

Town planner Jeetu Patel said asking slum-dwellers to shift will only complicate matters. People who live in Goregaon will not be willing to move out of Mumbai and will overwhelmingly oppose this scheme. For years, slum-dwellers have been getting free houses. They will not pay now. The builder will ultimately have to bear the cost, he said.
The CSMT government railway police (GRP) booked three ticket checkers under the stringent Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Monday, after a 17-year-old girl said they had threatened her and cast aspersions on her character after she was caught with an invalid ticket.

The girl said she not only paid a fine of Rs200, but was also made to wait for six hours.The girl had written an application to the CSMT GRP a few days after the incident, which occurred on July 23.

The police turned her application into an FIR recently, following which they booked the three TCs  Bikto Baktar Singh, 25, Sandeep Kuma, 29, and Ramchandra Katpe, 41  on charges of threatening, wrongful restraint and intimidation along with sections of POCSO.

The girl, a student and Thane resident, said she was on her way from home to her college in CSMT when the incident took place. When she alighted from the train at CSMT at 12.30pm, Singh stopped her and asked to see her ticket.

The girl said she presented her second-class ticket from Thane to CSMT without realising that she had failed to start the journey within an hour of buying it. She apologised, but Singh told her she would have to pay the fine, which is the cost of the ticket, plus Rs250.

As she only had Rs200 in her pocket, the girl said she began negotiating with the TC, asking him to let her off with just a warning as it was an honest mistake.

An argument began, following which fellow TCs Kumar and Katpe joined in and started taunting the teenager. The girl told us that she called a friend, said Machindra Chavan, assistant commissioner of police, CSMT GRP.

In her complaint, the girl said she was made to wait for four hours, following which the TCs refused to give her a receipt for the fine she paid. The TCs ganged up against me and taunted me, saying I had gone to meet my boyfriend, which is why I was delayed and boarded the train an hour late, said the girl in her police complaint.

She said the men also passed comments on her character, which embarrassed her.The girl added that after she paid the fine, she called up her father and an uncle who is an advocate. Her uncle advised her not to leave until the TCs gave her a receipt, according to the complaint.

She said the TCs threatened her and made her wait another two hours, saying they would take her to the police station, added an officer from CSMT GRP. The girl said she eventually left without a receipt.

A few days later, she wrote an application to the police, saying the TCs harassed her and passed several objectionable remarks. We will examine the CCTV footage to ascertain what happened. Following this, we will arrest the three, said Chavan.
N R Narayan Murthy, co-founder of software firm Infosys, on Friday, chided the top executives at Information Technology (IT) companies for giving themselves massive raises even as the sector faces a slowdown.

While speaking at a panel discussion during Mood Indigo, Indian Institute of Technology Bombays (IIT-B) annual cultural festival, he said, While in most companies, the salaries of freshers have been stagnant for some time, people in senior positions have been getting 300% to 500%, and even 1000%, raise. Narayan Murthy said that everyone, including top executives, need to make sacrifices, so that the capitalistic economic model works.

Murthy was responding to a question concerning the recent large scale layoffs in IT companies. The slowdown in hiring is said to have also affected job prospects of IITians. HT had reported that the IT sector had offered 32% fewer jobs during IIT-B placements during last academic year, compared to 2015-16. The median salary and the proportion of students getting placed has also dipped by a few percentage points.

P Chidambaram, former finance minister, who also spoke at the event, raised concerns over rising unemployment among the youth, including IIT and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) graduates. Earlier, joblessness was limited to less educated youngsters. Now, it has begun to bite qualified professionals as well. If IIT and IIM graduates are finding it difficult to get jobs, then there must be something seriously wrong with job market, he said.

The session also saw Chidambaram and Narayan Murthy debate the necessity of linking Aadhaar with various services. The former finance minister said that Aadhar linking must be mandatory only for the services subsidised by the government. The government says that Aadhar data is safe in silos. But somebody can hack into the data and create a 360 profile of an individual in a jiffy, he said.

Meanwhile, Narayan Murthy said that the concerns of privacy can be addressed through a law which limits the access to Aadhar-linked data to certain people. He also suggested using a system of real-time verification of identity instead of creating a permanent link. Aadhar is nothing but a simple verification of an individuals identity. Except for providing fingerprints and iris recognition IDs, it doesnt violate any form of privacy, he said.

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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

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Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

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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

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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".

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jayprakash.naidu@htlive.com

Two police sub-inspectors from Amboli police station were suspended on Friday for failing to register a case of vehicle theft earlier this month. Incidentally, the same jeep was seized by Nashik police last week after four men were arrested for carrying a huge cache of weapons in it. They had stolen the weapons from an armoury shop in Uttar Pradesh.

The vehicle, a Mahindra Bolero jeep, was seized last week on Friday on the Agra-Mumbai highway in Nashik (rural) after 25 rifles, including one machine gun, 19 revolvers, 44 guns and 4,136 live cartridges were recovered from it. The two officers from Amboli police suspended have been identified as Pramod Kate and Ganesh Devkatte.

On December 6, the jeeps owner Firoz Mehboob Khan, 53, a vehicle dealer from Oshiwara, had approached the Amboli police station but was turned away by Devkatte, who asked him to come later.

When Khan went again a day later, Kate asked him to meet the first officer (Devkatte) in order to get the case registered.

Khan told HT, My car was stolen from Lashkariya tower situated at 90 feet road near Lotus petrol pump in Oshiwara, Andheri (West) around 11:20pm on December 5. After the arms seizure, Khan was asked to come to the police station on December 15 where an FIR was registered for car theft.

Soon after the arms haul was detected by Nashik rural police, an enquiry was ordered by Mumbai police. Kate and Devkatte were suspended following the enquiry.

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The Public Accounts Committee of the state legislature has rapped the state home department for delay in planning and finalising a design for the installation of the CCTV network in Mumbai, Pune and other cities. The department drew ire as this delay led to lapse of budgetary allocation made during 2013-14. The government had allocated Rs149.78 crore for the network in Mumbai and Pune and Rs200 crore for temporary installation of such cameras during the 2015 Kumbh Mela in Nashik.

While allocating funds for vital projects, the home department is always given priority. Lapse of funds is unpardonable as it has happened due to inefficiency of the department. The department failed to finalise the bid for the network in Mumbai and it could not complete the installation in due period. Action should be taken against officials responsible for the lapses, the report said.

The CCTV networks were installed in Mumbai and Pune in the past couple of years. The report also stated that the allocation of Rs1.5 crore for the installation of CCTVs in Gondia has not been utilised owing to lack of planning and design.

The committee also rapped the Urban Development Department for its failure for not utilising 80% of Rs10 crore meant for computerisation of municipal corporations in the state. Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation had developed a software for the computerisation of corporations. The government had directed civic bodies in the year in 2000 to use it, but they failed to complete the work in due time. The lapse of money was a serious flaw as it halted the expected transparency in the citizen services in corporation, the report said.

The committee has also pointed at the lack of training given to fire fighting personnel with fire brigades in municipal corporations. It said government agencies failed to utilise the funds allocated for training. The committee then directed municipal corporations and councils to chalk out training sessions for their fire fighters. The civic bodies have high-end fire fighting equipments, but in the absence of training, equipments render meaningless. The bodies should utilise the training available at Fire Training College at Nagpur and six other empaneled agencies for training, the report stated.

The report was tabled in the lower House on Thursday by PAC head and Congress MLA Gopaldas Agarwal after examining action taken by the respective departments on the CAG report of 2013-14.
Partygoers in Mumbai can rejoice: the Maharashtra government has permitted hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars and lounges to stay open and serve alcohol till 5am on three days  December 24, 25 and 31.

The notification, issued on Thursday, also allows wine shops to operate till 1am. Rules have been relaxed so Mumbaiites can enjoy Christmas and New Year celebrations and parties, the order said.

Now, the police department has to endorse the governments decision, expected to be a formality.

The Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHAR) has welcomed the move. People party through the night, and we also have tourists coming in Mumbai in large numbers, so this is good, said Arvind Shetty, advisor, AHAR.

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has already written to the Director General of Police Satish Mathur for permission to extend the timings on these three days. For several years now, police permission has been coming at the last minute, which does not give hoteliers and restaurateurs sufficient time to make adequate arrangements. As a result, neither establishments nor patrons are able to make the best of these festive days, said Dilip Datwani, president, HRAWI. This year, we hope it will be different.

The excise department said these three days are money-spinners for them because of high sale of alcohol. We gain a lot by means of taxes and one-day permits, said an officer who did not wish to be named.

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The owner and driver of a tanker in Mumbai have been booked for stealing furnace oil worth Rs 4 lakh from the tanker and substituting it with water. The RCF police are now on the lookout for the two accused, one of whom escaped from their clutches after they laid a trap.

The tanker had been hired to transport furnace oil from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) depot to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in Mahul, Chembur. During the journey, the accused halted the tanker midway and extracted furnace oil, poured an equal quantity of water so that the company would not know about the theft, the police said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police stopped the vehicle last Thursday night. However, the driver abandoned the tanker and escaped from the spot, said Shrikant Desai, senior police inspector, RCF police station.

The police are now trying to determine whether the duo has stolen oil in the past. We sent the oil for testing, and results show that there was adulteration, after which we registered a case on Wednesday night, said Desai.

They have registered a case under sections 420 (cheating), 407(criminal breach of trust by carrier, etc) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

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The Oshiwara police recently booked two businessmen who cheated a woman of Rs1.04 crore under the pretext of supplying her with 95 iPhones and some laptops.

The accused neither delivered the items, nor did they return the money.

According to the police, the complainant, Simran Sood, is a resident of Oshiwara in Jogeshwari (West). She is a businesswoman and runs her own private company which deals in garments. She wanted to buy a number of phones (iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus), for gifting purposes.

The woman came in touch with the two men who also claimed to be businessman. Between December 2016 and April 2017, the complainant paid them the money in instalments, but the duo failed to deliver the phones.

The woman waited for a few more months, but the duo soon cut all communications with her. Senior police inspector Subhash Khanvilkar of Oshiwara police station told HT, The woman finally approached us and we registered a First information Report (FIR) against the two.

The FIR has been registered under section 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The police said they will send summons to the accused and ask them to be present before the police station to record their statements. The police have collected evidence to prove that the woman had made the payment for the phones to the accused.
The slum dwellers in a small lane between Vasundharas Vartalok society and Eastend Gates high rise said the boy who shot at a girl injuring her seriously, before shooting himself, made several rounds to the crime spot in search of the injured girl.

The slum dwellers were worried after they became eyewitness to the incident of crime during which shots were fired in Vasundharas sector-4 on Wednesday evening.

During the incident on Wednesday evening, a class 11 boy twice fired at a class 10 girl with his fathers licensed revolver. The locals said both of them had come on a scooty and had some altercation before the boy allegedly shot and critically injured the girl.

After shooting the girl, he pulled the trigger pointing the weapon to his head. He also fell down and lay down near the girl. Nearly 10 minutes later, he got up and put the revolver to the chest of the girl. Then he pulled out her mobile and broke it off. From his mobile, he called up someone and said he had killed the girl. Seeing us, he fired a shot in the air and fled on the scooty. He was bleeding from his head, said Mohammad Rehman, a slum dweller at the lane and also an eyewitness to the incident.

In between, other slum dwellers and some locals arrived at the spot hearing the gunshot. A car later stopped midway and picked up the injured girl and rushed her to a hospital for treatment. The police said that the some men from nearby Kanawani helped the injured girl.

After the girl was taken away in the car, the injured boy came with two other boys on the same scooty. The injured boy was sitting behind and not driving. They were searching for the injured girl. Two of them, including the injured boy, fled on the scooty while the third one walked away afoot, Rehman said. The two boys then came again but could not find the girl, he said.

By the time, the police had also arrived but the boys fled on the scooty.

I shouted to police that he was the same boy but the two boys fled the spot. We were scared. The injured girl and the boy were lying under the tree for nearly 15-20 minutes. We had no courage to pick them up. We thought they were dead, said Mohammad Irshad, another local.

Before fleeing for the first time on his scooty, the boy picked up the revolver lying on the body of the injured girl and fired a shot in the air to scare us all. He than threw the weapon near a wall and fled on his scooty, he added.

Another slum dweller Shahzadi said after shooting the girl, the boy had come to her while she was preparing dinner in her shanty.

He pointed a gun towards me and asked me to pick up the injured girl and put her on the scooty. He wanted to take her away. But I refused. Her skull was ruptured and she was bleeding. I could not gather the courage to go near her. Then he went back, Shahzadi said.

The scene of crime is barely half a kilometre from Indirapuram police station. The police later recovered the bags of both the students and traced their families.

We questioned the boys. They said the injured boy asked them for help and we rushed along for help. Then they dropped him away from the spot. The other boys had no involvement in the entire episode, said sub inspector Paras Malik, investigating officer in the case.

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The class 10 girl who was shot at and the class 11 boy who had allegedly shot her and shot himself were shifted to different hospitals on Thursday.

They were admitted to Atlanta Hospital in Vasundhara following the shooting incident on Wednesday evening. The boy had allegedly shot the girl with his fathers licensed revolved in a secluded lane in Vasundharas Sector-4 locality. The boy later attempted suicide by shooting himself.

The girls condition remained critical and was shifted to a hospital in Noida.

The girl was rushed to the hospital by several men in a car while the injured boy was later found roaming around the streets by police and taken to the hospital. She sustained a bullet injury to her head and it was fired from a close range. The bullet pierced her head deep and has damaged her entire brain. She was brought in a state of coma and shifted to other hospital in the same state. We had called several specialist neurosurgeons but they opined against operating on her as it would have proved life threatening. She was immediately put on life support system, said Dr Hemant Garg, head of critical care at Atlanta hospital.

Her chances of survival are bleak as she has suffered a complete brain damage. Had we operated on her, she would have gone into shock and this would have been life threatening, he said.

The doctors said the bullet also pierced the skull and led to minor damage to the brain of the boy.

The bullet caused a minor damage to his brain and it was not a major damage as such. He is more stable than the girl and his chances of survival are good. He was put oxygen support, Dr Garg added.

The girl was shifted early morning to another hospital in Noida. All her family members remained at the hospital. The family is from Muzaffarnagar and staying at Vasundhara. Her father is an engineer working at a private firm.

She is unconscious and remains in the same condition as she was on Wednesday night. The doctors are not very hopeful of her revival. She had gone for tuition and the incident took place then. We still dont know what had happened but got to know that she was lodged in hospital in a critical condition. We are only worried about her condition and have not been able to inquire the sequence of events that took place, her uncle said on Thursday afternoon.

The boys father, was remorseful and said, We have no grudge against the girl or her family. I wish she recovers. My sons act has ruined my family. I dont know how he got hold of the revolver as I never allowed him access to the weapon.

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A Noida based businessman has announced a cash reward of Rs50, 000 to anyone who finds his pet  an American Bully dog  that was allegedly abducted by four men from outside his Omaxe Forest Spa condominium in Sector 93-B on Wednesday.

Chintan Tewari has filed a complaint at Phase-2 police station and the police have swung into action to trace the three-year-old dog that has been missing since Wednesday evening. Tewari said that his dog, named Promise, was being taken for a walk by his 30-year-old domestic help outside the upscale society when the incident took place.

The owner has promised to reward the person who finds his pet with Rs50,000. The dog was wearing a blue jacket and a green-black harness when it was abducted.

He said that the four men, in their 20s, got down from a white Toyota Corolla, held the domestic help at knifepoint and fled with the dog. The dog was wearing a blue jacket and a green-black harness, he said.

Shawez Khan, the station house officer, Phase-2 police station, said,We have received the complaint, but no case has been registered. On the basis of the CCTV footage and account of the complainant, steps are being taken. We are meeting people and trying to get the dog rescued.

Talking to Hindustan Times, Tewari said that his domestic help was momentarily scared to raise an alarm. In the CCTV footage, we could not see the registration number of the car. But it was a Toyota Corolla. The four men were well dressed and went away with the dog.

Tewari on Friday got posters pasted at various locations in Sector 93-B. The poster was shared by many people on WhatsApp also. The poster reads: Drop him behind Forest Spa. The reward will be Rs50,000. It also reads that the returnee will not be asked questions or his/her identity.

As the car arrived at the scene of the crime a few minutes before the abduction took place, police suspect they were waiting for the target.

We got 100 posters printed and pasted them in public spaces. These posters are on social media as well. The phone number is mentioned on the poster. Any person who will bring back can contact me and take the cash. I want my dog back and do not even want to know the persons identity, Tewari said.

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The Ghaziabad Police on Thursday lodged an FIR for attempt to murder and for attempted suicide against a Class 11 boy who allegedly shot and critically injured a Class 10 girl at Vasundhara locality. The minor later shot himself in the head in an attempt to commit suicide.

Police said that the boy and the girl were friendly and it appeared that some altercation had led to the incident.

The boy  the son of a property dealer  and the girl  daughter of an engineer  studied at the same tuition centre in Vasundharas Sector-2C.

Apart from the attempt to murder and attempted suicide, we have also booked boys father as his licensed weapon was used in the crime. We will also recommend cancellation of his arms licence, said SC Dubey, station house officer, Indirapuram.

The incident was apparently witnessed by several slum dwellers who reside near the location in Vasundharas Sector-4 where the shooting happened.

The eyewitnesses said that after the boy shot himself in the head, he apparently lied at the spot for 15-20 minutes, but later got up. Then in a visibly injured state, he got on his scooter and fled from the scene. After he shot the girl he fired another shot to his head and fell down. Before fleeing on his scooter, he fired a shot in the air. Later, he came to the spot at least thrice in search for the girl who was already taken to hospital by some locals. He also threatened a woman with his gun, said Mohammad Rehman, an eyewitness.

The police recovered four used cartridges and the gun allegedly left behind at the scene of crime by the boy.

A bullet pierced her skull and caused major damage to her brain. She was brought in a state of coma and has been shifted to other hospital. A bullet also damaged some part of boys brain, but his chances of survival are better than the girl, said Dr Hemant Garg, head of critical care at Atlanta Mediworld, Ghaziabad.

The two were later shifted to two different hospitals on early Thursday morning after both families reportedly had an altercation at the hospital. The police picked up the boys father after the incident.

I generally keep the weapon in almirah and keep it locked... On Wednesday, I had to rush to work in the morning. When I returned around 7pm, I found the almirah open, said boys father.

The girls uncle said his family had no clues what transpired.

The girl had gone to her tuition and later we came to know that she is critical after being shot. The entire family is at the hospital. Her condition has not improved, he said.

Following the incident, police traced the injured boy who was found on the streets the streets of the locality while injured.

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Amidst more intense US pressures than seen in the past decade and a half, Pakistan faces an uncertain environment. An energised Saudi monarchy is calling in IOUs to consolidate a concert against Iran. The plateau in relations with India and Afghanistan also continues. And finally, some very nascent signs have appeared that even the most rock solid of Pakistans external relationships  with China  cannot fully insulate itself from its domestic flux.

But for all this, Pakistans issues remain domestic and more than any other time December is usually the month for introspection. This year too it is no different. December after all is that month when the dream of an exclusive Muslim homeland in South Asia was shattered in Dacca in 1971. From being the defender of the realm, the Pakistan army in East Pakistan through 1971 became the demolisher of an idea. Embedded in its profile since has been an element of public doubt that wanes and rises depending on Pakistans circumstances. Doubts were also sown, and almost simultaneously, that very December about the countrys most potent civilian force since the death of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan  the Pakistans Peoples Party. Its 50th anniversary also falls this month and this has provided the spur to many to reflect on its underutilised potential and on the gap between the dreams of its cadres and the reality of its politics. Unfulfilled dreams are evoked even more poignantly by another anniversary later this month  the tenth since the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. In her life and even more in her death she epitomised all of Pakistans contradictions: the first women to head a government in a Muslim majority country, gunned down by terrorists representing the so-called rage of Islam against almost everything. The question marks of who actually felled her in Rawalpindi on December 27 also underline that opacity and enigmatic quality surrounding most major events in Pakistans history.

If December 16 marks the breakup of Pakistan, also on that day took place Pakistans most horrific attack when over a hundred children were gunned down in their school in Peshawar in 2014. This one single act embodied two of Pakistans current trajectories  its intense but ultimately halfhearted battle against extremism and its confusion on whether militants and terrorists are liabilities or assets and allies. All this ties up inevitably with Pakistans flawed India and Afghanistan policies.

This is the accumulated legacy of history. This December is however also witnessing an intense contest between a weakened government and what appears to be the rest of Pakistans political spectrum. Is this the normal raised level of static as the country enters the last lap before the general election? Or is the next act of the so called creeping coup that unseated Nawaz Sharif being played out and behind which stands the brooding presence of the Pakistan army?

Pakistan oscillates between these two narratives as speculation mounts around the longevity of the government. If it completes its term then the new Senate members will reflect for the next few years the existing strength of the Pakistan Muslim League in the National Assembly. In that case Nawaz Sharifs political clout will continue to some extent at least regardless of what happens in the general elections. The Senate elections are scheduled for March and in some analysis the aim is to dislodge the present government before that. If that indeed does happen Pakistan would have missed another milestone. Nawaz Sharifs premature ouster meant that the achievement for the first time in Pakistans history of having a prime minister complete full term could not be attained. The past two governments  Musharrafs civilian veneer and the Zardari led PPP government (each with three prime ministers)  had nevertheless completed their full terms. This governments premature exit  howsoever unmourned it may be  would mean that even elementary continuity is now difficult to sustain.

This disarray of the mainstream political system opens up new possibilities for Pakistans Islamists. Those with established political parties see opportunities with the weakening of the Peoples Party and the Muslim League in Punjab. Their history so far is of being important at the national level as swing players and their frequent utility to the military has been just that- not identified with any of the major parties but with the capacity to influence events in a hung situation. But the weakening of the mainstream parties is also accompanied by a mainstreaming of extremists such as those in the Jamaat ut Dawa led by Hafiz Sayeed. To make matters worse, from time to time, prominent politicians speak of these extremists as patriots and as being ready fo defend Pakistan, especially when it comes of Kashmir. This is a dangerous trend as this seems to suggest that the terrorist who is useful should be nurtured, even mainstreamed. More significant is the mobilisation by disparate Barelvi groups, sensing the confusion in the political system and driven by a past history of real and imagined neglect by the military and the political class.

TCA Raghavan is a former High Commissioner of India to Pakistan and Singapore

The views expressed are personal
A few years ago, I was in Varanasi for a short visit with a set of friends who swear by the place. After soaking up the city, as a friend loves to put it dramatically, we decided to do a very touristy thing: A boat ride along the Ganga. As we slowly moved from one ghat to another --- stinking refuse of the city floating past us and children swimming next to them, nonchalantly ---- another boat with three Japanese tourists and their guide went past ours. Soon enough, the tourists took out their fancy pocket cameras and started clicking furiously: Not the sunset, not the ghats (selfies were not a rage then), but the filth in the river and the two open cremations on the riverbank. The guide, of course, was undaunted by all this: He continued to regale them with stories of what the Ganga means to Indians and so on , but I think it was all lost on them: the tourists were more moved by the present condition of the river than its historicity.

Its really surprising that a country that views the Ganga as a some kind of a religious entity (its a living entity, said Uttarakhand High Court earlier this year and the UPA declared it Indias national river), has failed so spectacularly to keep it clean. There is no point blaming successive governments only; citizens are equally to blame. No amount of entreaties not to pollute it has helped: Recently referring to the Hindu tradition of immersing the ashes of the deceased in the Ganga, Union minister Satyapal Singh exhorted people to revisit their beliefs and stop this practice and bury the ashes instead.

There has been no dearth of plans and funding to clean up the river. But now it seems we have a new (strange) problem at hand: the State has even lost the capacity to plan and spend the money meant to rid the river of pollutants. In a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the Comptroller and Auditor General said The National Mission for Clean Ganga, the nodal body for cleaning the Ganga, could not utilise any amount out of the Clean Ganga Fund, which meant that the entire amount of Rs198.14 crore (March 31, 2017) was lying in banks. Cleaning the Ganga is a flagship project of the NDA, for which it had established the Clean Ganga Fund. Slamming the central government for inaction, the CAG report said that NMCG could not finalise the long-term action plans even after more than six-and-a-half years of signing of agreement with the consortium of Indian Institutes of Technology.

In February, the National Green Tribunal had observed: Not a single drop of river Ganga has been cleaned so far, rapping the government agencies for only wasting public money in the name of the cleaning project.

To clean the river, spending on Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) wont be enough; the government has to ensure that the flow of the river is intact. According to the Namami Gange Mission, rejuvenation implies restoring the wholesomeness of the river and that includes three things: Aviral dhara (continuous flow), nirmal dhara (unpolluted flow) and ecological and geological integrity. Yet the State it seems is overly focused on nirmal dhara but not aviral dhara, forgetting that nirmal dhara is only a subset of aviral dhara, not the other way round. To ensure that there is aviral dhara, the focus cannot be only on the main river but also on the smaller rivers, which feed it. The main problem with the STPs was not only that they could not cope with increasing pressure, but also bad maintenance. The Centre put them up but the states and municipalities did not have the wherewithal to maintain them and the contractors made a killing.

Is it surprising then that we are back to square one on the Ganga cleaning mission?

@kumkumdasgupta

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The doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) are going to have some light moments with Charlie Chaplin in the coming weekend.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), PGIMER in collaboration with the Chandigarh Film Society are organising Charlie Chaplin Film Festival.

The film festival will be held from December 23 to 24 at Bhargava auditorium, PGIMER. Justice Mahesh Grover will inaugurate the function on Saturday. Twelve movies will be screened during the festival.

On Saturday, three movies  The Gold Rush, The Immigrant, Easy Street will be screened. On Sunday, movies The Tramp, Triple trouble, The Vega Bond, Twenty Minutes of Love, The Fireman, The Adventurer, Behind the Screen, By the Sea, A Women, His Regeneration will be screened.

PGI has over 1,500 resident doctors but limited recreational facilities. The ARD and the Chandigarh Film club had held a meeting regarding the matter in July.

The purpose of screening Charlie Chaplin movies is only to lessen the stress of doctors who are overburdened. We want them to laugh. And who can be a better comedian than Charlie Chaplin, said ARD president Dr Sombir Singh.

Even the previous PGI director wanted Charlie Chaplin movies to be screened, said Chandigarh Film Society secretary and Federation of Film Societies of India regional secretary Tapesh Sharma. Sharma said that he was trying to organise this festival for the last five to six months.

I am glad that it is happening now. Director Dr Jagat Ram also appreciated the idea, said Sharma. He said, December 25th is also the 40th death anniversary of Charlie Chaplin.
The special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday awarded four years rigorous imprisonment (RI) to former Punjab senior division judge Manmohan Singh Walia for amassing Rs 52.4-lakh assets disproportionate to his income.

The case was registered in 1998. Walia, who was suspended in November 1997 and subsequently dismissed from service, was held guilty of criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act on Tuesday.

Assets unearthed While the CBI stated Rs 53-lakh disproportionate assets, the court found the amount to be Rs 52.4 lakh After the CBI initiated probe, it found fixed deposits of Rs 3 lakh in the accounts of Walias family members. Walia had claimed that it was on account of the properties sold by him. Later, the CBI also seized documents pertaining to the agreement to sale and general power of attorney of the Sector 9 house from his possession. Debentures of Vardhman Mill worth Rs 12.5 lakh which were also encashed into Walias accounts were found Documents pertaining to an investment of Rs 25 lakh in the name of Sehgal Motors at Ludhiana was also unearthed

Pronouncing the sentence on Thursday, the court of special CBI judge Gagan Geet Kaur also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him besides ordering confiscation of some of his properties.

A total of 107 people were made witnesses in the case, which comprised 204 hearings, a period during which five CBI judges changed, said senior public prosecutors Pawan Kumar Dogra and Kanwar Pal Singh, who represented the CBI.

Complaint

The CBI had registered a case against Walia on March 24, 1998, on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC). Initially, Chandigarh Police had investigated the case after an HC internal probe found Walia guilty. On the HCs complaint, the UT police had lodged an FIR against Walia, then a Bathinda court judge, on February 3, 1998.

The court had acted on the complaint of a Sector-9 resident and former HC lawyer BS Bindra and his wife Guddi Manjit.

Bindra had stated in his complaint that half portion of a house in Sector 9 was in his familys name and the other half, in which Walia had started living, was in the name of HP Singh, a non-resident Indian (NRI), who was Walias uncle. Bindra had alleged that Walia had got the portion for himself in Singhs name.

OTHER SEIZURES While searching Walias house, the CBI also found incriminating documents and bank passbooks. Also 53 bottles of whiskey and a .12 bore double barrel breech loading gun and 295 cartridges were seized. Walia was also booked under the Excise Act and Arms Act, but later acquitted of the former charge.

Confiscation

The court ruled half portion of Walias house (No. 311 in Sector 9D), which was attached on June 7, should be confiscated and given to the UT administration. Similarly, movable property worth Rs 2.15 lakh  money in the accounts of Walia and his wife Parminder Kaur  are to be handed over to the UT administration under Section 452 of the CrPC.

Also property (movable/immovable) worth Rs 29.7 lakh will be forfeited to recover the remaining amount.

Walias wife and his elder son and daughter, both of whom are practising lawyers, were also present during the hearing. While the children were in the courtroom during the time of sentencing, his wife waited outside praying all the while.

The former judge had filed multiple petitions in the HC and Supreme Court, but on most occasions did not succeed in getting relief. Walia had alleged that Bindra had conspired to frame him with a former Punjab and Haryana HC judge, with whom Bindra practised at the Ludhiana courts and later at HC. However, the HC had termed the allegations far-fetched.

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There will be no political conferences during the Shaheedi Jor Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib this time as the Akal Takht on Thursday banned such events, saying these do not go well with the somber occasion of martyrdom anniversary of two Sahibzadas (sons) of tenth Sikh Master Guru Gobind Singh.

Guru Nanak Dev Jis followers observe martyrdom of Sahibzadas in shock. It is seen that political parties use this day to propagate their agenda and politicise the religious atmosphere. 

Giani Gurbachan Singh, Akal Takht Jathedar

The decision comes in the wake of protests by some Sikh organisations, including Satkar Parchar Committee, at Fatehgarh Sahib for the past two days over the annual slugfest by various parties.

Soon after the directive from the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, the Shiromani Akali Dal cancelled its scheduled event. The Congress also decided against holding any political conference in view the sanctity of the occasion while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had already announced not to hold any meet in Fatehgarh Sahib this time.

The martyrdom day falls on December 28, but the political conferences were to be organised on December 26 as the Jor Mela is usually held for three-four days.

Lakhs of devotees throng Fatehgarh Sahib to observe martyrdom of younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, who were bricked alive in Sirhind.

However, there were protests against political conferences on the occasion for the first time. A Sikh activist even observed hunger strike at Fatehgarh Sahib and some activists tried to damage the tent installed by the SAD for the event.

Takht communique

In a communique, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said, Followers of Guru Nanak Dev Ji observe the martyrdom of Sahibzadas in shock and the occasion is very sacred. However, normally it is seen that the political parties use this day to propagate their political agenda and politicise the religious atmosphere.

So, all political outfits are strictly directed not to indulge in such political activity. Instead, efforts should be made to preach Sikh history and life events of Gurus on the occasion, he added.

Will abide by Takht directive: Sukhbir

The SAD has been abiding by the edict of Akal Takht and it has resolved to cancel the conference, said party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

A Punjab Congress spokesman said the party has decided not to hold a conference following a discussion between chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and state party president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday. He said the CM felt that the solemn occasion should be observed with utmost reverence.
A local court in Chandigarh on Friday sentenced a man to 10-year jail for raping three and a half year old girl.

The court of additional district and sessions judge Poonam R Joshi also imposed Rs 1.05 lakh fine on Rahul (27), a resident of Kajheri village, out of which Rs 1 lakh will be given as compensation to the victim.

The case was registered under Section 376 (punishment for rape) and Sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, on the complaint of the minors father on March 30 at the Sector-36 police station.

As per the complaint, the father, a scrap dealer, noticed his daughter shivering and sensed something amiss. He found out that his daughter had been raped by a distant family member who used to visit them often. She described how he would touch her private parts inappropriately and make her sit on his lap.

According to the complaint, the girl was unable to deal with the trauma and felt a sense of discomfort and then she informed her father.
Heres what ratification of 5G specifications mean for you and the telecom industry.

3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), a body which sets industry standards for technologies, on Thursday finalised specifications for 5G network, the next generation of mobile telecommunications.

This essentially means telecom service providers and manufacturers can now make uniform preparation for the next-generation network. This would involve creating an ecosystem with relevant radios and equipment compatible with 5G.

It is worth noting that most of the markets, including India, are aiming to deploy 5G networks in next three to four years. The standardisation means the industry can finally move towards full-scale and commercial development of the network.

Interestingly, the ratification has come six months ahead of the schedule, a move that could accelerate the arrival of 4G network.

"The 5G stage 2 level specifications include the overall architecture model and principles, eMBB data services, subscriber authentication and service usage authorisation, application support in general, but also specifically for applications closer to the radio as with edge computing. Its support for IMS includes also emergency and regulatory services specifics," said the industry body in a release.

"Further, the 5G system architecture model uniformly enables user services with different access systems, like fixed network access or WLAN, from the onset. The system architecture provides interworking with and migration from 4G, network capability exposure and numerous other functionalities."

The technology companies including the likes of Huawei, Intel, Qualcomm, MediaTek, Nokia, NTT Docomo, have welcomed the completion of the first 5G New Radio standard.

NSA 5G NR specs were approved today at RAN#78. Balazs Bertenyi , RAN Chair called it "an Impressive achievement in a remarkably short time, with credit due particularly to the Working Groups". News article to follow on the 3GPP site and from 3GPP Member announcements. pic.twitter.com/b10fTV5V5n  3GPP Live (@3GPPLive) December 20, 2017

"We look forward to continue working with our mobile industry peers to bring 5G NR commercial networks and devices in 2019 in smartphone and other form factors, for both sub-6Ghz and mmWave frequency bands, and to continue developing 5G technologies to connect new industries and enable new services and user experiences in the years to come," said Cristiano Amon, executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and president, QCT.

The latest development comes at a time when various technology companies are running trials of 5G network. And some of them have achieved big milestones. For instance, Samsung earlier this month tested 5G on a high-speed train travelling over 100 kmph in order to show potential of the network on-the-go.

Ericsson in one of its first 5G demos in India achieved a throughput of 5.7 Gbps and ultra-low latency of 3 millisecond. Huawei and NTT Docomo recently successfully conducted a field trial for 5G mobile communications over long distance using 39GHz Millimeter Wave (mmWave) band, achieving a maximum speed of more than 2Gbps on a test vehicle.
The castle town of Himeji in Japan continues to uphold its 1,000-year-old traditional leather industry. The town is famous for Himeji Castle, also known as Egret Castle, which has a history of 400 years and has been designated as the first landmark in Japan to become a World Cultural Heritage.

The leather industry grew big in the past, thanks to the beginning of cattle ranching in the scenic region, and because of the production of good quality salt and clean rivers in the nearby areas.

The leather industry grew up around the castle town of Himeji about 1,000 years ago. Our production starts from the stage where tanning is finished in the factory here. We let the leather dry naturally. The speed of drying and the drying process is different and dependent on weather conditions, said Shinya Fukumoto, the President of Sansho Co, a manufacturer of leather products.

The industry also employs thousands of Vietnamese workers who have adopted traditional leather production skills. Praising their role in the production, Fukumoto said, About 30 years ago, we began hiring Vietnamese wrokers. They are very diligent. Today they make up over half of our employees.

The company has also started an online business and has opened a showroom for the display of products. We started digitising our business five years ago. There are many customers who want to see our leather skins, so we created this digital showroom for them, said Fukumoto.

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Indias decision to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution criticising the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital of Israel was consistent with its historical position on Palestine and in tune with global sentiments.

India voted alongside 128 of the General Assemblys 193 members on US President Donald Trumps decision on Jerusalem, which bucked an international consensus lasting decades.

And the resolution was approved by an overwhelming majority of countries despite Trumps threat to cut financial aid to nations that backed it.

The vote was consistent with our position on Palestine historically, across governments going back decades, said an Indian official, on condition of anonymity. To expect anything else  specially a no-vote  would be a gross lack of awareness of Indias stand on the issue.

Only nine countries voted against the resolution, including the United States and Israel. Keeping them company were countries like Nauru, Togo, Micronesia, Palau, Guatemala and Honduras  as the official said, they have no interest in the Middle East, frankly, they just got bullied by the US to get it done.

Thirty-five countries abstained, including Australia and Canada, and 21 didnt show up to vote at all, deterred perhaps by US threat to cut aid.

US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley invited the remaining 64 countries  those that voted against, abstained or were no-shows  to a friendship reception.

Those who voted in support of the resolution included many close allies and genuine partners such as Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.

India believes this was on Trump.

The big story is the US got itself into this They are our friends, they are our partners, so is Israel. However, we dont know why they went down this path they could have easily just given up and moved on after the Security Council vote, saying we are done, the official said.

The Trump administrations National Security Strategy recently declared India a leading global power, and committed the US to working on advancing quadrilateral cooperation with India, Australia and Japan  a grouping thats a barely concealed front against China.

Coupled with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus upcoming visit to India, some Indians had speculated India could abstain or vote against the resolution, given growing ties with both the United States and Israel.

Others wondered if an abstention might be a better strategy to insulate these evolving but fragile relationships from avoidable challenges, specially from the White House.

However, an Indian diplomat hit the yes button in front in the UN General Assembly, recording an affirmation of Indias unwavering support of Palestine, undiminished by its growing proximity to the United States and Israel in the pursuit of its place in an evolving world order.

Anyone who expected otherwise, said an Indian diplomat, would have had the same blinkered vision you guys have in Washington you missed the warnings and the signs that Indias support for Palestine goes back by several decades, not just some years.

India has long maintained that Jerusalem  a city claimed by both Israel and Palestine, but occupied by Israel since 1967  must be a part of permanent status negotiations of issues left untouched by the Oslo Accords of 1993.

In September, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told fellow leaders at a break-out meeting of the non-aligned movement on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings: For independent India, support for the Palestinian cause has been a reference point of its foreign policy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a UN vote on Thursday that rejected a US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, but expressed satisfaction at the number of countries that didnt vote for the measure.

Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital, always was, always will be, Netanyahu said in an English-language video posted online by his spokesman.

But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theatre of the absurd, said the Israeli leader.

Especially I want to again express our thanks to President (Donald) Trump and Ambassador (Nikki) Haley for their stalwart defence of Israel and their stalwart defence of the truth.

The motion was backed by 128 countries and opposed by nine, with Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the Marshall Islands joining Israel and the United States in voting against the measure.

But 35 countries abstained including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Romania and Rwanda.

Ukraine, which supported the draft resolution at the Security Council, was among 21 countries that did not turn up for the vote.

Trump had warned ahead of the vote in the 193-nation assembly that were watching and threatened reprisals against countries backing the measure, which reaffirms that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations.
US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terror organisations in its soil, Vice President Mike Pence has said during his unannounced visit to Afghanistan.

For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over, Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

President Trump has put Pakistan on notice, Pence said, addressing about 500 troops in a hangar decorated with Christmas decorations and massive armoured vehicles.

As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists, the vice president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan, for which using non-state actors against its two neighbours India and Afghanistan has been part of its national security policy.

As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists

Trump, he said, has unleashed the full range of American military might.

Weve lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy, he said.

The Trump Administration, he said, has given the troops new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide.

He has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win.

Pence said this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan.

American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, were making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan. Weve dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, weve put the Taliban on the defensive, he said.

Weve prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. Weve targeted the Talibans funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks, Pence said.

All across this country weve won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide. Our enemies will have no time to recover or rebuild because we will continue to bring overwhelming force to defeat them every day, every time, Pence said.

Trump, according to him, has ordered the integration of every facet of American power, diplomatic and economic measures to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan.

And until that day comes, you can be assured, we will be relentless in our campaign to destroy our enemies. Because as history attests, weakness arouses evil, and peace only comes through strength. So be strong and courageous, and do the work of freedom, Pence said.

In Afghanistan, Pence met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

We discussed the progress that weve made in this country and Americas commitment to the Afghan government and the commitment of the Afghanis to their own freedom in this land, he said.

I said to them what I say to you now: Under President Donald Trump, the Armed Forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people once and for all, he added.
The United States has added the Milli Muslim League, which is backed by the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), to its list of terrorist organisations, with expectations that more entities will soon be added soon to this index.

While Pakistan is an important partner for achieving US priorities in the region, this administration has also set clear expectations for Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorist and militant groups that operate from Pakistani soil, Daily Dawn on Friday quoted a US state department official as saying.

The official did not identify the groups that the US wanted Pakistan to go after, but local media quoted diplomatic observers in Washington, who say that they see the move against the backdrop of a recent statement, in which the Trump administration criticised Islamabad for allowing JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to continue his political activities unchecked.

Washington had expressed similar concerns after the Lahore by-election this year, in which Saeeds group backed the Milli Muslim League. Recent media reports suggest that Saeed may also participate in the 2018 general elections.
Lew Wallace (18271905) made national headlines as author of the 1880 best-selling novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and for his efforts as New Mexico territorial governor to bring outlaw William Billy the Kid Bonney to heel. But perhaps his single most important accomplishment came on July 9, 1864, at Monocacy Junction, Md., 45 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. At a critical juncture in the American Civil War the disgraced Union Army major general and his ragtag force were all that stood between the nearly defenseless capital and a Confederate invasion force led by Lt. Gen. Jubal Early. By threatening Washington, the Rebel general hoped to draw Union forces away from his besieged commander, General Robert E. Lee, in Petersburg, Va.

After driving off Union forces in his march down the Shenandoah Valley, Early and his 14,000 Confederates crossed the Potomac River into Maryland on July 56. Hoping to bring Lee to a decisive battle, Union commander Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had myopically ordered most of Washingtons defenders south to assist Maj. Gen. George Meades Army of the Potomac in the siege of Petersburg. Lee hoped Early could force Grant, who was in Petersburg with Meade, to send part of the Army of the Potomac back to the capital. Blocking Earlys path was Wallace. An unlikely hero, the latter had sullied his own reputation by arriving late to the fight on the first day of the April 67, 1862, Battle of Shiloh, Tenn. Wallace had found himself increasingly sidelined from the war until March 1864, when President Abraham Lincoln appointed him to command the Baltimore-based Middle Department and VIII Corps.

Wallace chose to make his stand at Monocacy Junction, southeast of Frederick, Md., astride the turnpikes to Washington and Baltimore. He would have to defend a 6-mile front encompassing three bridges and several fords across the Monocacy River. With only 3,200 new and short-term recruits, Wallace hoped to delay the Confederates long enough for reinforcements to arrive and avert catastrophe.

Fortunately, Grant had decided to send Brig. Gen. James Ricketts 3rd Division, VI Corps, back from Petersburg. Ricketts arrived at Monocacy on July 8 with little more than 3,300 men. While the reinforcements increased Wallaces force to nearly 6,600 men, Earlys approaching Confederates still outnumbered them more than 2-to-1. Wallace stationed Ricketts men on the Union left, south of an iron railroad bridge some 400 yards upriver from the covered wooden bridge on Georgetown Pike, the route to the capital. Wallace positioned his recruits on the Union right, 2 miles upriver from the railroad bridge, at the stone bridge on Baltimore Pike, thus securing a line of retreat back to Baltimore.

On the morning of the 9th Early sent skirmishers against the covered bridge on Georgetown Pike, but they were unable to budge the bluecoats. Early then ordered Brig. Gen. John McCauslands dismounted cavalry to circle around the Union left by fording the Monocacy a mile downriver from the bridge. Wallace countered by first having the covered bridge burned and then moving the bulk of Ricketts men to resist the flanking attack. When devastating fire forced McCausland to retreat, Early sent Maj. Gen. John Brown Gordons three infantry brigades across the ford. By mid-afternoon their numbers finally broke the Union line, forcing Wallace to retreat down the Baltimore Pike. Though hed suffered nearly 1,300 casualties to some 900 for the Confederates, Wallace had resisted a far larger, better equipped and more experienced force for more than seven hours.

Early drove his exhausted army on toward Washington, but it was too late. The delay at Monocacy had enabled Grant to send the veteran 1st and 2nd divisions of VI Corps to the defense of the capital. On July 11 Early made an ineffectual assault on Fort Stevens, 6 miles north of Washington, as President Abraham Lincoln himself watched from the parapets. By the afternoon of July 12 Early knew his invasion had failed, and the next day he retreated into Virginia. Confederate forces would not again set foot on Northern soil.

On learning of the rout at Monocacy, Grant relieved Wallace of command. But once the magnitude of the major generals actions became clearthat his tactical defeat had in fact been a strategic victory, buying Washington crucial time for reinforcementGrant reinstated him at the head of VIII Corps. Wallaces reputation was also restored, as he received public approbation, as well as praise from Grant and, years later, from his Confederate opponent Gordon.

The battlefield remained in private hands for more than a century before Congress acquired the land and opened Monocacy National Battlefield [nps.gov/mono] to the public in 1991. The park encompasses more than 1,600 acres, preserving 51 structures and maintaining the landscape much as it appeared in 1864. Monuments pay tribute to soldiers on both sides of the Battle That Saved Washington.
IT WAS THE KIND OF ENGAGEMENT that breeds confidence. Two hours after midnight on June 24, 2004, an American resupply mission was running south on Main Supply Route Mobile, the divided six-lane highway that curves around the Iraqi city of Fallujah, when the 28-vehicle convoy ran into a massive ambush. Explosions from rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds bracketed the trucks as bullets ripped into them. The convoys security detail of 16 military police in four uparmored Humvees, led by Marine Corps 1st Lt. Nick Hurndon, met the wildest combat of their lives with cool precision. They returned fire, coordinated with air assets and pushed the convoy through the 2-mile kill zone to Camp Fallujah, a stronghold just a few miles away, while the camps armored quick-reaction force moved out to punish the insurgents.

Fighting continued for hours. That night Hurndons team took up positions on berms outside the camp, watching M1 Abrams tanks and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters blast away at buildings along Fallujahs east side. Crews unloaded the convoys trucks, and the next morning the Marines briefed a new plan, with tighter spacing between vehicles, before mounting up and rolling north through the chaotic gauntlet. Taking damage to their vehicles but no casualties, they returned fire, zipped through the danger and soon arrived back at Camp Taqaddum.

A year later, during their next deployment to Iraq, members of Hurndons MP unit found themselves fighting a different kind of war. Along that same stretch of MSR Mobile, Sgt. Mark Chaffin, a squad leader in Hurndons unit, was taking position on a hill to overwatch engineers building a new entry point into Fallujah after a major offensive had finally brought the city under coalition control. Chaffin sat beside his driver in an uparmored Humvee as his fire team climbed a dirt trail a quarter-mile off the main road.

The next thing I remember, I was getting woke up, and we had gotten hit, Chaffin recalled in a recent interview. It happened, and I was out. He came to with a mangled leg and broken nose, covered head to toe in oil and grease from the Humvees shattered engine. The Marines concluded they had hit a buried bomb triggered by a pressure platewhat the U.S. military calls a victim-operated improvised explosive device (VOIED). The Humvees armor had done its jobnone of the four men inside was killedbut Chaffins war was over. In a millisecond one well-placed explosion had done more damage to Hurndons unit than hundreds of heavily armed insurgents had the year before. This time there was no enemy to engage, no air assets to call, nothing for the MPs to do but rush Chaffin to Baghdad for surgery.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the signature weapons of the Iraq War, were nothing new to the world in 2004. The French Resistance had used them to derail German trains during World War II. British troops had torn out their hair trying to counter them in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, an experience the Israelis had shared in Lebanon in the 80s. Insurgents in Afghanistan had resorted to IEDs after the U.S.-led 2001 invasion, adding radio-controlled detonators, a combination that proved especially deadly.

But IEDs proliferated with the insurgency in postSaddam Hussein Iraq, a country overflowing with leftover ordnance and unemployed former soldiers who knew how to use it. A single artillery round contained enough explosives to destroy a tank. One buried in a roadway and triggered by a hidden observer was more accurate than any big gun. The U.S. Defense Department has come to regard the IED as one guerrilla tactic among manylike the tripwire booby trap or the snipera problem that truly goes away only when the insurgency itself has been snuffed out. In the interim the worlds greatest military has suffered thousands of casualties and spent billions of dollars searching for a technological solution that remains elusive.

The vast majority of soldiers and Marines entering Iraq in spring 2003 knew nothing about detecting and countering IEDs. They had been trained to invade and hold territory against a foreign army. In a trade for speed over armor they fielded relatively few mechanized vehicles, such as tanks and armored troop carriers, and lots of thin-skinned Humvees, many without doors. When Army Pfc. Jeremiah Smith was killed by a bomb triggered beneath his vehicle a few weeks after the invasion ended, the Pentagon was so unfamiliar with the threat it failed to recognize the device as an IED, instead declaring Smiths vehicle had hit unexploded ordnance.

The vast majority of soldiers and Marines entering Iraq in spring 2003 knew nothing about detecting and countering IEDs. They had been trained to invade and hold territory against a foreign army

By that summer, with an uptick in the enemy use of IEDs, it became clear troops needed more protection. The Pentagon hired vendors to produce 25,000 sets of body armor per month and scoured bases across the United States for uparmored Humvees. Only 235 such vehicles made it to Iraq in 2003, so troops got creative. They covered vehicle floors with sandbags, put Kevlar blast blankets beneath their seats, strapped ceramic armor plates to their doors and bolted on scrap metal hillbilly armor wherever it would fit.

The number of IEDs attacks increased month after month, as did the ingenuity of the insurgent cells mounting them. A typical cell was led by a planner/financier who employed the bomb maker, emplacer, triggerman, a spotter or two and a cameraman, who videoed attacks for propaganda use and to help plan future attacks. The insurgents buried the explosive-packed artillery rounds beside roads, set them in parked cars or perhaps hid them in animal carcasses, then detonated the devices at just the right moment using a mobile phone, garage door opener, even the receiver unit of a remote-controlled toy car.

A lethal cat-and-mouse game developed. When convoys avoided certain trouble spots, insurgents emplaced IEDs on the alternate routes. When a new standard operating procedure instructed drivers to halt 300 meters from a suspected IED, insurgents took to placing a readily visible bomb 300 meters from a well-hidden one, then triggering the concealed device when convoys stopped to wait for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams.

The emerging heroes of the war, EOD technicians from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines endured the same rigorous training and performed the same risky duty. Like firefighters, EOD teams relied on field personnel to discover IEDs and call for help. The disposal team would drive to the site, neutralize the bomb, do a quick forensic analysis and get out quickly. Staying more than a few minutes invited an insurgent mortar attack. The teams shuttled all over Iraq, with infantry or military police as security, and used a variety of gadgets to disarm or destroy insurgent bombs. One favored method employed concentrated water jets to tear apart IEDs without detonating them. As the war progressed, EOD techs increasingly relied on robotsfrom the compact PackBot to the 485-pound ANDROS F6-Ato do the work at a distance, but by fall 2003 only 18 such robots were in theater, and just six of those were functioning.

With little direction from above, convoy troops tried everything they could think of to counter roadside bombs. Some installed leaf blowers on vehicle bumpers to clear the trash-strewn Iraqi streets and uncover IEDs. Hoping to cut down on false positives, some used bomb-sniffing dogs, but the animals quickly lost their enthusiasm in the 120-plus-degree heat. Hoping to speed up the demolition process, others fired on suspected bombs using .50-caliber rounds, shotguns and Vietnam-era 40 mm grenade launchers someone had pulled from storage and sent to the theater. But if an explosion occurred, did that mean the threat was neutralized? An IED could comprise a string of more than 20 artillery rounds.

Whether to use vehicle lights during night operations depended on the mission and the proclivities of convoy commanders. EOD technicians and their security teams usually ran blacked out wearing night-vision goggles (NVGs), but blacked-out supply vehicles kept running into things. Drivers of the 7-ton trucks hated wearing the cumbersome goggles, which cut off peripheral vision and were susceptible to glare.

Early in the war, still regarding IEDs as one element of a small-arms ambush, convoy security troops ran in blacked-out Humvees to preserve the element of surprise in the event a counterattack was required. But as small-arms ambushes waned, and IEDs became the main threat, even MPs learned to love big lights. They attached spotlights and rally lights to their Humvees and changed tactics accordingly. The lead security vehicle would push far ahead of the convoy, then slow down to search suspicious areas. The later use of infrared headlights in tandem with NVGs proved effective, and some security detachments went back to running dark.

By summer 2004 a particularly nasty type of IED started appearing in Iraqthe explosively formed projectile (EFP). To create one, a bomb maker capped an explosives-filled cylinder with a dish-shaped copper or steel liner, concave side out. An emplacer then concealed the device along a supply route, perhaps within Styrofoam cut and painted to look like a rock or part of a roadside wall. Many such devices were fitted with passive infrared sensors that could detect the heat signature of a passing vehicle. When the device detonated, the force of the blast warped the disk into a superheated slug traveling some six times the speed of sound. Capable of penetrating virtually any armored vehicle, the EFP sprayed its occupants with molten metal. Ever adaptable troops started dangling radiators, toasters and the like on poles jury-rigged to the front bumpers of their vehicles to pre-detonate EFPs. Riffing on that concept, military engineers developed a countermeasure called the Rhinoan electronic heating element, or glow plug, housed in a steel box at the end of a fixed boom attached to a vehicles front bumper. When insurgents angled back EFPs to counter that decoy, engineers fitted the Rhino with an adjustable-length boom.

No matter what countermeasures troops employed, however, the IED threat persisted. Coalition forces reported just 22 IED incidents in June 2003, a toll that climbed to 1,582 by years end. Total incidents climbed to 8,446 in 2004 and 15,322 in 2005. The annual toll peaked in 2006 at 24,099 incidents, of which effective attacks killed 558 troops, or 64 percent of those killed in action in theater that year.

It became increasingly clear the coalitions most efficient method for detecting IEDs was a well-trained, alert soldier who repeatedly traveled the same supply route and noticed changes in the environment. Troops sarcastically referred to this technology as the Mark 1 Human Eyeball

Meanwhile, a new Pentagon task force had been throwing resources at the problem. In fall 2003 Lt. Gen. Richard Cody, then Army deputy chief of staff for operations, told his staff to hire a small group of former special-operations soldiers and work the issue from a basement office in the Pentagon. Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel led the group, estimating the struggle to control IEDs would take between six and eight months. The first field team of seven contractors arrived in Iraq in mid-December 2003 to work with the Armys 4th Infantry Division. They taught basic convoy tacticschange routes frequently, have guns always at the ready, watch for wires and triggermen, etc. Votels task force soon expanded into a joint-services group working with some 132 government agencies. Its $100 million budget in fiscal year 2004 ballooned to $1.3 billion in 2005. In a nod to the intensive World War II effort to develop atomic weapons, Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, called for a Manhattan Projectlike approach to defeat the IED threat. He also asked the Defense Department to develop a molecular-level bomb sniffer that could be mounted on convoy vehicles.

Willing to explore any potentially useful anti-IED systemeven flying insectsthe Pentagon shelled out more than $2 million for the Stealthy Insect Sensor Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Harnessing bees acute sense of smell, scientists found they could condition the insects to stick out their proboscises for a sweet reward whenever they sniffed explosives like TNT or C-4. Harnessed in a tube and observed via camera, a bee would signal the presence of such explosives. Training 50 bees took just two to three hours, but the harnessed bees lived mere days. When informed of the results, Votel had serious doubts. How do we operationalize this? he asked. How does, say, 1st Platoon manage their bees? The project was quietly dropped.

In late summer 2004 the Pentagon started funding an experiment dubbed IED Blitz. Martialing a range of air reconnaissance assetsU-2 and C-12R manned aircraft, drones and satellitescoalition forces scrutinized one especially hazardous stretch of MSR Tampa north of Baghdad. The various platforms took some 10,000 images per day, which analysts compared for anomalies in a process called coherent change detection. The photos were so clear, interpreters could read the labels on water bottles. What they couldnt do was find bombs. During the $3 million, 10-week experiment 44 IEDs exploded or were cleared by EOD teams along that stretch of MSR Tampa. IED Blitz caught none of them.

Throughout this trial-and-error period the Defense Department pursued what it called counter radio-controlled IED electronic warfare (CREW), sending thousands of vehicle-mounted electronic jammers to Iraq to thwart radio-controlled IEDs. All jammers in theater were to be programmed according to the MOASS (mother of all spreadsheets), a list of enemy-employed radio frequencies collected, analyzed and distributed on the militarys secure internet. Yet field troops were poorly trained on how to program and update their jammers, and the devices often interfered with convoy radios. Many convoy commanders shut them off as soon as they got outside the wire. Some suspected the jammers didnt work at all.

The search for a solution continued. Several research teams tried employing lasers, microwaves and other high-energy devices to disarm or explode IEDs from a safe distance. One exciting invention, an unmanned vehicle dubbed the Joint IED Neutralizer (JIN), used tesla coils generating a half-million volts to detonate blasting caps, but it proved effective from a distance only when the caps were above ground. When dealing with a buried IED, the JIN had to close within 3 feet to trigger a blast, which in turn destroyed the vehicle itself, at a cost of $800,000 per pop.

It became increasingly clear the coalitions most efficient method for detecting IEDs was a well-trained, alert soldier who repeatedly traveled the same supply route and noticed changes in the environment. Troops sarcastically referred to this technology as the Mark 1 Human Eyeball.

As IED casualties mounted, a new argument emerged about the definition of combat itself. Service members headed home wearing Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in IED attacks, but they werent authorized to wear their services Combat Action Ribbon or Badge. According to military directives, since these incidents didnt involve direct personal contact with an enemy, they werent considered combat. Officers on the ground started a quiet campaign to change the rules. A June 2005 memo by Marines in Anbar Province argued, To state that the Marines who encounter this new form of enemy action have not experienced combat action is to interpret the award based on an old definition of combat and would deny the Marines who have performed their duties honorably in the face of this new faceless enemy the distinction of being formally recognized with the Combat Action Ribbon. Within a year the Marines authorized IED victims to wear the CAR, retroactive to fall 2001, and in 2008 the Army did the same for the CAB.

That debate paralleled a major shift in roles for servicewomen. The injury, capture and rescue of Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch during the invasion epitomized a problem that expanded with the insurgency. Though officially women were barred from serving in combat, they were being asked to go outside the wire, not only to drive convoys, but also to search and interrogate Iraqi women and fill other roles necessary in a gender-segregated Muslim society. Since any trip off base invited contact with the enemy, by the militarys new definition women were regularly engaging in combat. Bringing the law in line with the reality on the ground, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta eventually lifted the ban on women in combat 10 years after the Iraq invasion.

In late 2005 Pentagon leaders finally admitted they could find no magic bullet to defeat IEDs. No amount of jamming or armor would stop them completely, and killing insurgents who emplaced or detonated the bombs wasnt putting a dent in the threat. Instead coalition forces would take the fight left of boomthat is, before an explosionby interrupting supply chains and arresting the bombs clandestine manufacturers. As part of a broader counterinsurgency program, the Pentagon expanded its anti-IED task force, creating the Joint IED Defeat Organization with a mandate to confront the entire IED system. JIEDDO marked an important shift from reactive stopgaps to strategic planning. Retired Gen. Montgomery Meigs took the helm and declared it his goal to defeat IEDs as weapons of strategic influence, not to defeat every IED. The difference in approach was huge. Focusing on IEDs as a tool of influence, Meigs sought to loosen insurgents strategic hold on the Iraqi population. With a nearly $4 billion budget for 2006, Meigs funded three lines of operation: defeat the device through armor, jamming and other countermeasures; attack the network that funded and built IEDs; and train troops on the ground in a range of anti-IED techniques. Since renamed the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization, the group continues to pursue the same three-pronged mission. IEDs are here to stay. MH

Paul X. Rutz is an artist, freelance writer and former Navy officer. For further reading he recommends The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows, by Brian Castner, and Left of Boom: The Struggle to Defeat Roadside Bombs, a 2007 four-part series in the The Washington Post, by Rick Atkinson.
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Long-time Google CEO Eric Schmidt given up the role of the board of directors of the umbrella company Alphabet.

He wants to engage more with science, technology and charity, said Schmidt on Thursday.

He would remain as a member of the board and continue to act as a consultant, said Alphabet.

The 62-year-old was brought to the top of Google in 2001, as a kind of "adult supervisor" for the young founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

10 years later he relinquished the CEO position to Page and became the chairman of the board. He also kept this job when in 2015 the new umbrella company Alphabet was founded.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Only 2,428 units out of a possible 6,946 used for social housing, according to the latest figures. The information comes as homelessness numbers have soared with 3,300 children now homeless this Christmas, an unprecedented number.

Figures revealed that only one in three of the units identified by NAMA for social housing have actually been utilised by local authorities.

The PQ data highlights that, as of September 2017, over 4,000 units have not been used for social housing as planned.

Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Housing Barry Cowen TD told us: The latest homelessness figures are a moral shame.

"The housing crisis has been ongoing for many years now and the Government has simply failed to get to grips with it.

"There are also 100,000 people stuck on housing waiting lists across Ireland and that number looks set to increase due to Government inaction.

The most up to date figures on the underutilisation of NAMA units is a damning indictment of Government strategy."

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Local authorities have refused over 4,000 units and even failed to take up almost 400 more that they had identified as suitable for social housing, Deputy Cowen claims.

The increase in child homelessness at Christmas is particularly shameful. It should focus minds in Government that 3,300 children are in such dire circumstances at what should be a special time for them," he adds.

"The failure to make the most of NAMA units has been fully confirmed by these figures. The Government should ensure all remaining available units are now taken up.

"In addition, the projected 3bn profit by NAMA should be invested in a new social housing provision vehicle as a matter of priority.
In the opening line of your comeback single, Solid Gold  imagine a particularly lascivious Rolling Stones covering Queens Hammer To Fall  you predict that people are going to shit themselves. Justin Hawkins, I put it to you that youre foot shooting and this is never going to make daytime radio playlists. I think our best work is us shooting ourselves in the foot, but thats a good point. The last three albums, we have tried to second guess ourselves a bit, but once we started thinking we know how to do this, we stopped being able to do it. Is a hit single even that important anymore? Were more concerned about our fan base and having another album of great material that we enjoy playing live.

We sat down with Hawkins to discuss the return of The Darkness, their dynamite new album Pinewood Smile - recorded live with famed producer Adrian Busby (Foo Fighters)  the main thing was his energy - and their mini Irish tour, part of The Tour De Prance campaign. Hot Press genuine malapropism, Tour De Ponce, raises approving guffaws, Hawkins filing it for future use.

Their line up has changed since the last visit; the magnificently monikered Rufus Tiger Taylor has replaced Emily Dolan Davis - We had different philosophies with regard to live work - on drums. Hes made it so much fun to be out and about, a hilarious guy and a brilliant player. Hes a handsome bastard too. Its just a relief not to be the best looking one anymore. At last, someone else can carry that weight! Was his being the son of Queens Roger Taylor part of the attraction? It was for me, yeah, but he had to be even more amazing to get past that.
The FCC has leveled a $13.4 million fine against Sinclair Broadcast Group for failing to identify sponsored content that aired on its TV stations.

The fine announced Thursday is the largest ever proposed by the commission for such a violation and comes at a delicate time for the Maryland-based company, which is seeking Justice Department and FCC approvals for its proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media.

The FCC said Sinclair created 60-second and 90-second spots that promoted the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah and aired them on its local newscasts, or as free-standing half-hour programs.

But the company did not identify the spots as sponsored content paid for by the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Other non-Sinclair stations that were supplied the programs and segments were also not informed about the sponsorship, the FCC said in a statement.

The segments and programs were shown more than 1,700 times, according to the FCC.

The FCC's sponsorship identification rules require that paid programming be identified as such to provide a clear distinction for viewers between commercials and news coverage or editorial content.

Sinclair denied any wrongdoing and said it will contest the fine. "Any absence of sponsorship identification in these public service segments was unintended and a result of simple human error," Sinclair said.

Sinclair has already been widely criticized among television news professionals for forcing its stations to run segments with conservative-leaning points of view or commentaries on its local newscasts. However, those segments do not run afoul of FCC regulations.

Sinclair is currently the largest owner of TV stations in the U.S., and the merger with Tribune would give it 233 broadcast outlets reaching 72 percent of the country.

The proposed merger has been opposed by both liberal and conservative advocacy groups who believe it will create too much consolidation of power in the media business.
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The energy industry's financial prospects could improve in 2018 if oil prices stay elevated.

Fitch Ratings said in a report Thursday it believes the energy industry could default on 11 percent of its leveraged loans next year, down from 17 percent this year. That's roughly $5 billion in loan defaults forecast for 2018, down from $7.4 billion in 2017. (Fitch is majority owed by Hearst Corp., the parent company of the Houston Chronicle.)

But about $3.3 billion of next year's energy defaults could come from a single company on Fitch's watch list, Houston-based Fieldwood Energy, a private equity-backed oil company operating in the Gulf of Mexico. If Fieldwood doesn't default on its loan, the energy default rate would sink to 3.5 percent in 2018.

The industry's default rate was 14.2 percent in 2016 and 9.8 percent in 2015, according to Fitch.

"There are just a handful (of energy companies) still out there" that could default, said Eric Rosenthal, an analyst at Fitch. "We're winding down in terms of the energy default cycle."

Related: Oil bankruptcies decline as prices rise
If the chemistry between the stars is how we judge the quality of romantic films, it's likely the striking dynamics of Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer in "Call Me By Your Name" could earn director Luca Guadagnino the Nobel Prize. The bubbling strain between the leading men is the kind of intimate, authentic work that feels several steps above movie acting.

Set in an atmospheric country estate in northern Italy in the languid, sun-kissed summer of 1983, the film is an emotionally rich reflection on the mystery, longing, triumph and heartbreak of first love.

Chalamet, a newcomer who is clearly a star of tomorrow, gives a naturalistic performance as 17-year-old Elio Perlman, who faces that changing time of life with volatile nervous excitement. He's the son of cultured Jewish Italian-American parents (Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar), who are summering at the family's villa near the seaside where his father, an eminent historian, is dredging up ancient Roman sculptures.

Elio spends his days reading poetry, swimming and playing Bach and Berlioz in wildly different styles every time he touches the piano. That's a nice indication of the molten state of his inner life. The drenching sunlight isn't the main thing keeping all of the nearby teenagers in heat. It's hormonal confusion that puzzles even multilingual prodigies such as Elio. There is a good deal of wisdom in the glances he gets from his parents, watching nearly silently from the sidelines as their son tries to make sense of himself.

More Information 'Call Me By Your Name' In English and subtitled Italian Rated R: for sexual content, nudity and some language. Running time: 132 minutes xxxx See More Collapse

Education is the cornerstone of the Perlman family's values, and it appears in unexpected form with the arrival of Oliver (Hammer), who has a lot to teach Elio. Joining the group in their summer house, he is a 24-year-old graduate student working as a research assistant for Elio's father. Oliver, who is also a Jew temporarily stepping into this conspicuously Christian land, is not only Adonis handsome and sophisticated, he radiates a personal magnetism that could pull the leaning Tower of Pisa up off its tilt.

As shy, shrinking Elio and cool, conceited Oliver take one another's measure, a sense of uncertainty edges the frame of the film.

There's much here to read between the lines as they spend more time side by side, holding conversations that grow into confidences and more, unfolding their relationship patiently. Elio confesses to Oliver that he may be book-smart but he's unschooled about the things that matter. "What things?" Oliver asks. "You know what things," Elio responds.

Could Elio's infatuation with this mysterious stranger in skintight shorts go unrequited? Given his embarrassing indiscretions - fondling Oliver's used underwear and taking a virginal high schooler's practice run with a ripe peach, something out of "American Pie" - will he be rejected as a laughingstock?

Though his dramatic love story offers several ribald chuckles, Guadagnino is too humane to hold anyone up for mockery. He understands sensuality's first explorations can be exciting and dangerous at the same time. There is no antagonist pushing the pair apart. What slows their getting together to a cautious pace is their fears of rejection. In his earlier films "A Bigger Splash" and "I Am Love," Guadagnino showed a skill for representing characters' shortcomings while offering them sincere respect. He stays true to those values here.

This summer of desire will not last forever, and he wants us to consider what memories remain when all that can connect them is a phone call from far away. The question sets the stage for the film's two triumphant closing moments. Stuhlbarg delivers a final speech that is the finest, warmest, most profound parent-to-child monologue in memory.

It's hard to think of any way to top that, but Chalamet's stunningly expressive long shot during the end credits raises the film to a still higher level. As he sits and watches the fireplace alone, he reveals Elio's feelings of sadness and elation without uttering a single word. It's a suitable ending for a film that leaves you feeling a bit too dazed to rapidly take stock of your emotions or catch your breath.
Before the hashtag started trending, before the fall of Harvey Weinstein, before the dominoes began to tumble and powerful men accused of sexual harassment and abuse started to topple, there was Tarana Burke.

It was Burke, an African-American activist, who began to use the phrase "Me Too" more than a decade ago, as a way to give "empowerment through empathy" to survivors of sexual abuse, assault and harassment, especially those in marginalized communities.

After actress Alyssa Milano sent out a call on Twitter on Oct. 15 urging survivors to share their experience using the hashtag #MeToo, the phrase quickly became the mantra of a new movement - and a critical moment in the fight against sexual harassment.

By the next morning, the hashtag, accompanying horrific and heart-rending stories of harassment and abuse, had been posted more than 30,000 times. It has since appeared millions of times, been adapted to other languages - # BalanceTonPorc, #YoTambien, #Ana_kaman - and spread to other countries.

As journalist Britni Danielle watched #MeToo go viral, she wanted to make sure the originator of the phrase was not overlooked. Danielle posted a tweet recognizing Burke's contribution and her work with sexual assault survivors.

Burke, founder and director of Just Be Inc., a nonprofit "focused on the health, well-being and wholeness of young women of color," has also created an online support network for sexual assault survivors.

Burke was recently named as one of the "The Silence Breakers," Time's Person of the Year. According to Edward Felsenthal, the magazine's editor-in-chief: Their "galvanizing actions  have unleashed one of the highest-velocity shifts in our culture since the 1960s."

Burke spoke with the Houston Chronicle about the beginnings of the movement, the struggles facing women of color and the future of the fight against sexual harassment.

Q: What makes "Me Too" such a powerful phrase?

A: It's a powerful phrase because it is succinct, and it can tell a whole story, particularly if you are talking to a survivor and now even if you're not because it's become so popular. It can tell your whole story. You don't really have to say much more than that. It's a response. So if someone is sharing their story, it creates an instant connection between you and that person, between you and the other survivors. I think it is very powerful because it's quiet and it's succinct.

Q: Why did you start the movement 10 years ago?

A: I was working with girls in the South who were revealing their experience with sexual violence to me, and I couldn't find resources to support them. I couldn't find ways to help them process. I couldn't find agencies that were doing the work, and so I thought about what I needed at that age and developed our program around that.

Initially, it was middle school and high school, so seventh- and eighth-grade girls and high school girls.

I needed somebody I could talk to, somebody I could trust and somebody who could walk me through what my experience was. Somebody who could say, "No, you are not complicit in your own abuse. No, this person is wrong, and you are not the one who is wrong. No, you are not alone, and you are not crazy."

Q: What was your initial reaction to Alyssa Milano's use of the #MeToo hashtag and the viral response?

A: I never saw her tweet. I just had people who were tagging me and who were reaching out to me. Either they thought it was me and I was doing it or they were alerting me that this thing is happening. "Are you connected to it?" People who knew my work were curious, wanted to know what was happening.

I was a little bit taken aback at first. I thought, I'm not sure where this is going to go. I'm not sure how this is going to be. If people will understand that there's work that existed already and there was a body of work that was attached to it and that there was thought behind it, and it wasn't just two random words.

Then I quickly had concerns about people who were disclosing who had nowhere to process, no context for it. They were just joining in this moment but didn't understand what came next. I thought, What's going to happen when these people are in their quiet time and they realize that they just told the entire universe essentially one of your deepest darkest secrets? I thought there would be fallout from that.

Q: Why do you think it caught fire this year? Is there something distinct about this point in time?

A: The (President Donald)Trump election and all of the ways in which he revealed himself to be deeply misogynistic and sexist and a sexual predator and a self-admitted sexual predator. It represented a tipping point for a lot of women. It can't last forever. Even these powerful people and these deeply ingrained systems, they have to implode. We just have to believe that justice is possible. It had to happen, but I definitely believe the Trump election contributed to it.

Q: How do you feel about the trajectory of the movement? Is there, as some people have noted, a "reckoning" taking place?

A: I think it's because there are pros and cons to a lot of the trajectory. I didn't envision it unrolling this way, but I did envision a world where we could use something like "me too" as a way for people to communicate not necessarily to disclose about what happened to them, not just to disclose about what happened to them but where people could communicate our solidarity around the fight against sexual violence, and I'm seeing that happen.

There are so many people who need support that the agencies and organizations that are set up to help them are going to be overwhelmed and are going to need lots more resources. And so we have to make sure that this groundswell of support translates into resources for those organizations doing that work.

Q: There has been some criticism that #MeToo has overlooked women of color. Do you think that is a valid concern?

A: I think that women of color are often looked over when you have mainstream movements. I think that they leave us out of the conversation often or think of us as a secondary thought. I think what we've seen here is that this hashtag, not the movement but the hashtag, gained popularity among white women first. And so a space wasn't immediately created for women of color, but the space does exist for women of color to insert themselves in this. And I think we're seeing that with this shift in focus to low-wage workers and more marginalized communities. There has been more recent talk lately about how we support people who are not famous.

I think the beauty of having something like this on the internet is that it can be an equalizer in some ways. So what we've seen happen in Sweden. Sweden has created more than a 100 hashtags under #MeToo. They have #MeTooFlightAttendants, #MeTooWaitresses, #MeTooPharmacists. What that has done is create a national conversation about other industries. Although people won't pay attention to folks individually, they will pay attention to numbers of people coming out and saying something.

Q: Some people on social media were unhappy that you were not featured on the TIME Person of the Year cover and saw that as an example of the marginalization of black women in the movement. How do you feel about that response?

A: I took part in the photo shoot and was not given any information, so I can't speak to their decision. I mean, there was a black woman on the cover. I think in all of the conversation about me being on the cover, and also not just that I could be on the cover but that, Can two black women be on the cover at the same time? I think those are really legitimate questions.

The reality is people didn't even know who I was two months ago. So I can't be complaining about not being on the cover of a national magazine.

Q: What are the obstacles that face women in poor and marginalized communities who are confronting sexual harassment and assault?

A: Just by the nature of being in a marginalized community or being in a low-wage job means that they need those jobs in ways that women who have higher-paying (jobs), who come from higher-income brackets or have careers in different ways, don't. Some women can afford to quit their job and find another position, or if you're a professional, you can embark on your own. But if you're a waitress or if you're a domestic worker, that's a decision that's not just weighted on your personal experience, but it's on your family. Your livelihood is wrapped up in that. And so I think women in those positions, people in those positions, have to make very different decisions because they sit right at intersection of race, class and gender.

Q:Where should #MeToo go from here?

A: We have to expand our conversation. People keep trying, maybe because it's the end of the year, to put a pretty bow on it and say, OK, this was great. A lot of things happened and that's the end of it. It's actually very much the beginning of it. And I think where we go is exactly what we've been talking about. We expand the conversation into other communities. We expand the conversation to talk about communities of color, to talk about youth, to talk about disabled people, trans people, queer people to really expand this public discourse around what sexual violence is,and we keep trying to figure out what accountability looks like for various players.

I think this is going to take a concerted effort for us to figure out accountability across a spectrum.
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Dr. Charles Fraser, one of the nation's preeminent pediatric heart surgeons, is stepping down as chief of surgery at Texas Children's Hospital and will continue treating patients only through the spring.

The departure, announced this week in an email to employees, came as a surprise to many and left hospital staffers speculating about what caused the abrupt shake-up.

Fraser, widely regarded as an heir to legendary Houston heart surgeons Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley, is leaving "to pursue new professional opportunities," according to a hospital news release.

Hospital spokeswoman Lindsey Fox said she had no additional information about Fraser's future plans or what prompted his decision to step down from the elite heart program, which for the first time was ranked as the best in the country this year by U.S. News & World Report.

The 59-year-old surgeon is on vacation this week and not available for an interview, Fox said. Fraser did not reply to an email from a reporter, and Fox said no other hospital officials were available to comment.

Three other Texas Children's physicians contacted by the Houston Chronicle declined to comment on Fraser's departure or talk about his accomplishments over the past two decades. Instead, they referred to the news release, which included a short quote attributed to Fraser:

"I am extremely proud of the work I have been able to accomplish at Texas Children's with the help of talented physician, nursing and administrative colleagues. I am grateful to the patients and families who I have been permitted to serve and look forward to continuing to provide high-quality patient care in my next chapter."

Dr. Larry Hollier, a plastic surgeon who specializes in reconstructive surgery, will replace Fraser as surgeon-in-chief. Dr. Jeff Heinle will serve as interim chief of congenital heart surgery while the hospital conducts a nationwide search for a replacement. Those changes will become effective Jan. 15, according to the news release.

Fraser also is a professor of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and remains on the faculty there, a spokeswoman said, referring additional questions to Texas Children's.

Amy Basken, the director of the national Pediatric Congenital Heart Association, was surprised to learn of Fraser's departure.

"His contributions to the community have affected every patient born with congenital heart disease," Basken said.

Two other national experts in the field of pediatric heart surgery declined to comment without knowing the circumstances of his departure.

Fraser's accomplishments are well documented. In what some consider the most difficult, stressful job in medicine - operating on tiny, malformed hearts - Fraser is known as one of the best in the nation both for his technical skill and for his innovations that have led to improved survival rates.

Congenital heart defects affect nearly 1 percent of all births, or about 32,000 babies a year. Most abnormalities now can be repaired, a stark contrast to 30 years ago, when the majority of such newborns died.

"It's kind of like being a jet fighter pilot," Fraser told the Chronicle in 2013. "The high stakes, the tiny margin for error, the technological precision, the speed of things happening, the peripheral vision you need to be aware of everything around you."

Fraser is even more highly regarded in Houston and throughout the Texas Medical Center, where his reputation is linked with legends of heart surgery. He was especially close to Cooley, who pioneered many of the surgical techniques he has mastered: Fraser is married to Cooley's daughter, Helen Cooley.

In the news release, Texas Children's president and CEO Mark A. Wallace thanked Fraser for his "dedication and leadership over the past 23 years."

"He helped build a leading transplant program and a state-of-the-art cardiovascular surgical program that has performed more than 16,000 congenital cardiac repairs," Wallace said in the statement. "Dr. Fraser has been an integral part of Texas Children's Hospital's success and is well respected by the Texas Children's board of trustees and the Houston community."
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That much-favored, hypocritical saying bandied about by lazy authoritarians, "Do as I say, not as I do," never seems very convincing to any kid. And now, research has demonstrated that the exact opposite is actually what motivates kids to tackle tough situations - because when responsible adults communicate "Do as I do," it's inspiring to young 'uns, especially if the doing takes effort.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an institution that regularly turns out award-winning mathematicians, rocket scientists, engineering marvels and world leaders, did a study published in the journal Science that showed that kids as young as 15 months old who observe adults struggle at different tasks before succeeding try harder at their own tasks, compared to kids who watch adults sail through their problems/tasks without any trouble. And other studies have found that a kind of persistence and toughness in the face of adversity predicts success more than IQ does.
The chief federal judge overseeing lawsuits involving more than 1,500 Houstonians whose properties were flooded upstream and downstream of Houston's dams in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey blasted government lawyers in a hearing this week for seeking delays that she described as unreasonable and "insulting."

Chief Judge Susan G. Braden of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims unloaded on the government lawyers, who had asked for delays in the case including a year to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to "look for documents."

"It took the Army Corps of Engineers a few minutes to make a decision to open dams that left people without homes and without property," Braden told a Houston courtroom with 20 attorneys representing both flooded-out Houstonians and the U.S. government.

DEVELOPING STORM: For buyers within 'flood pools,' no warnings from developers, public officials

Now Playing: Homeowners in the Cinco Ranch area  and in other neighborhoods in Harris and Fort Bend Counties were flooded because they live in whats called a flood pool near Barker and Addicks reservoirs. Many claim that they were uninformed about the reservoir when they purchased their homes. Video: Dave Funchess, Houston Chronicle

"What has been proposed to the court, frankly, is insulting," the judge said, according to a transcript of the Wednesday hearing. "It's insulting to the people in this community; it's insulting to the president of the United States; and it is unbefitting to those representing the Attorney General. And it shows no respect for the role of the judiciary."

The judge's remarks came during what was expected to be a routine hearing to set a schedule for the cases, in which thousands of Houstonians claim that the government illegally "took" their land, property, homes and businesses to store water during Hurricane Harvey's rains  either because their property was upstream of the city's Barker and Addicks' reservoirs in areas known as "flood pools" or was flooded downstream by dam releases.

Read more of the judge's words to DOJ lawyers in this partial transcript of the Dec. 20 hearing:

In an attempt to explain the government's side, Jeffrey H. Wood, the acting Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, argued that the U.S. Justice Department considers the matter a "high priority" but is busy with its 7,000 other cases. He said the Corps of Engineers remains occupied with "a post-storm recovery and debris mission, not just in Houston but across other impacted areas during this year's tremendous weather events."

But Braden, whose Washington D.C. court specializes in claims against the government, appeared unconvinced. She said she believes it's likely that the documents needed to understand the Corps' role in its dams operations during Harvey might be in two filing drawers based on her experience in similar cases.

SURPRISED: Many homeowners didn't know they lived in reservoir 'flood pools'

Braden, a former U.S. justice department trial attorney, was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2003 and named chief judge by President Donald Trump in March.

She said she and other federal judicial colleagues agree that the Houston flooding matters should be resolved on a "fast track" in two years or less.

The first hurdle for the plaintiffs will be to prove that the government "took" their property, albeit temporarily during Harvey.

To that end, one attorney for the upstream plaintiffs damaged by reservoir pools told the court his side already has collected and disclosed 25 Corps of Engineers documents related to dam operations and the reservoir flood pools. Other attorneys also said promised during the hearing that the owners of properties downstream from the dam, whose claims are slightly different, will be divided into groups and will move fast to provide the information needed.

More than 9,000 properties were damaged upstream of Addicks and Barker dams inside enormous flood pools; thousands more were damaged downstream during Harvey.

A Houston Chronicle investigation found that Corps officials had repeatedly studied and documented the potential for Houston dam-related flooding for years, producing maps and charts that revealed reservoir flood pools could inundate thousands of properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars for 45-49 days. But those engineering studies were not widely distributed and the Corps never acted on its own buyout proposals.

DAM SUITS: More than 80 Harvey-related lawsuits pile up

People who purchased flood pool properties damaged in Harvey were generally unaware of the dangers, the Chronicle found.

James Blackburn, a Houston-based attorney and advocate who is uninvolved in the federal cases, said he thinks the judge's remarks should give flooded-out homeowners hope.

"There's a judge that's worried about getting them a just result as quickly as possible  that's not the image a lot of people have of the federal court system," he said.

" I have talked to several of the lawyers and they all say they have never seen the government reamed out like the federal judge did to the assistant attorney general in this hearing. This is the stuff lawyers talk about for years."

***

DEVELOPING STORM: Hurricane Harvey was the most destructive storm in Houston's history. The late-August storm dumped up to 60 inches of rain on southeast Texas, but the resulting damage was multiplied by actions taken  and not taken  during the past 50 years. Our seven-part series explains why the storm's damage was both a natural and man-made disaster.

Part 1: Nature ruled, man reacted. Hurricane Harvey was Houston's reckoning

Part 2: Build, flood, rebuild: flood insurance's expensive cycle

Part 3: What's in Houston's worst flood zones? Development worth $13.5 billion

Part 4: Harvey overwhelmed some levee systems. Future storms could do worse

Part 5: Officials patched and prayed while pressure built on Houston's dams

Part 6: For buyers within 'flood pools,' no warnings from developers, public officials

Click here to read all of our Harvey coverage.

GET ENGAGED:

 Where do we go from here? Seven Houston-area leaders discussed flooding causes and solutions at a Greater Houston After Harvey forum hosted by the Houston Chronicle in early December. Watch Wednesday night's keynote address by Jim Blackburn, co-director of Rice University's Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center. Read his thoughts on living around water.

 Sign up for our Facebook community to share your Harvey story, engage with other community members and ask our reporters questions.

 Join the discussion on Twitter: #HoustonAfterHarvey.

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After more than a month of nothing but holiday music at a major Houston radio station, you might think the elves behind the microphones would be ready for a return to normalcy.

Not Dana Tyson, the morning host who's been with Sunny 99.1 since 1991.

"I could do this every single day, all year long," Tyson said after a recent 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. shift on the air.

The station's managers also might wish the station could play holiday music all year, since the most wonderful time of the year likely is also the most profitable time of the year, with the upbeat station's audience increasing by as much as 150 percent. And employees say there's even more demand since Hurricane Harvey.

Sunny 99.1 first tried the holiday format in 2000, experimenting with an idea that had worked well in other markets but had yet to reach Houston.

"It was met with a great deal of trepidation," remembered Marc Sherman, a programming executive who joined the staff in 1991, a few months after Tyson. He remembers some colleagues worrying, "We're just going to ruin the format on a successful station."

Bah, humbug.

"The minute the flip happens, it's like a magnet," Tyson said.

"It has drawn enough of an audience every time.  We'd be foolish not to continue it," Sherman said. "It is absolutely good for business."

Holiday music can be "a major profit driver," said Marc Fisher, a Washington Post editor who wrote a book about radio, "Something in the Air."

"It's enough of a ratings boost that they can charge a higher price for advertising."

Fisher explained that the Christmas format emerged in the 1980s and 1990s because satellite technology let stations across the country share music. Earlier, switching to holiday music would have required keeping a whole second set of records.

'Like comfort food'

Today, the Christmas format is so popular that "there probably aren't many medium or large markets that don't have one," the author said. In Houston, there's a second major station that goes full-Christmas: KSBJ 89.3, a religious broadcaster. On satellite radio, consumers can find half a dozen or more flavors of holiday music: classics, R&B, Latin, country and more.

The growth has a positive side effect, creating what Fisher called "this extraordinary stockpile of great Christmas tunes" as new artists cover the classics and, occasionally, create new holiday songs.

This year, the station's deejays are excited about a new Christmas song from Sia as well as a collaboration between megastars Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. But those new lyrics are the exception.

More frequent are the covers of classics: Miley Cyrus sang "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" nearly a half-century after Brenda Lee recorded the original. Decades after Burl Ives first sang about a "Holly Jolly Christmas," Michael Buble covered the inescapable tune.

Fisher said the switch from regular radio programming has crept earlier and earlier in many markets, to the point that some flip just after Halloween.

Sherman said Houston listeners sometimes clamor for an earlier start than their usual, the Friday before Thanksgiving.

"It's like comfort food," he said. "It's a simpler time. It reminds you of family."

He got many more messages from listeners this year, starting earlier than usual. He thinks it was because of Harvey.

"This year, I think it was even more special," said Anthony Chase, the morning show's producer. "A lot of people are tired; they're exhausted. We wanted to give them something positive."

Chase sits on a stool behind an array of controls and editing tools. On the shelf next to him sits a faded Santa hat. Rather than a fuzzy white ball, the hat's point is topped with a bright yellow ball with a smiley face. It's a Sunny 99.1 giveaway from more than a decade ago, when Chase started working in the station's promotions department as a University of Houston undergraduate.

Name that tune

In the studio, the hosts look forward to a daily feature in which listeners are invited to call in and sing a holiday tune. If the hosts can guess its title (and it's usually not hard) the caller wins a prize. But it can't be a song that someone else has used recently.

One morning earlier this month, Jay Rodriguez, co-host of "Sunny Mornings with Dana & Jay," listed the verboten verses, reading from a handwritten list. His voice picked up speed as he went: "No 'Jingle Bells.' No 'O Holy Night,' 'Let It Snow,' 'Baby, It's Cold Outside,' 'Little Drummer Boy,' 'Rudolph,' 'Feliz Navidad,' 'Twelve Days of Christmas,' 'We Need a Little Christmas,' 'This Christmas.'"

Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle

The prize that day was tickets to an Eagles concert. The lucky caller was Brenda, a Katy woman who was driving her 10-year-old son Miles to school.

"He's been practicing this thing since August," Brenda said. "We've been (calling) for about two weeks now."

The elementary schooler launched into song, his pitch high and his tempo speedy: "Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away."

"Miles!" exclaimed Tyson. Miles plowed ahead through verses and choruses.

Tyson and Rodriguez cracked up and clapped. Miles kept singing.

"Wow," Rodriguez said, "I didn't know this song had words." Miles kept singing.

"OK," Rodriguez said, gently interrupting. Tyson chirped, "And you did it all without taking a breath! Miles, you are incredible!"

Rodriguez guessed the song, "Carol of the Bells." They thanked Brenda and Miles, wishing them a very merry Christmas.

'It's got to be fun'

Now it was Chase's turn to work. His hands flew across keyboards and controls as he edited the recording, making it smoother and much shorter. Radio today demands tighter and shorter interruptions to the music, Tyson said, partly thanks to commercial-free options like satellite radio and streaming services.

But more than tight, it has to be fun.

"If it's not fun, it's not worth doing," Tyson said. "When you wake up at 3:30, it's got to be fun."

Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle

Rodriguez wakes up two hours earlier to get to the station about 3 a.m. and prepare for the show. The hosts say they've trained themselves to cope with short nighttime sleeping. When they have to stay up late on a weeknight, they just call it a nap.

Tyson's morning routine is even faster lately thanks to her shaved head, a stunt that was part of the telethon that raised more than $300,000 for St. Jude Children's Hospital.

After weeks of constant holiday music, she was preparing for the return to the station's normal contemporary format. She wasn't looking forward to it.

"I get very depressed when the Christmas music ends, and our listeners do, too," she said. She said she begged Sherman and the other programming managers to sprinkle in a few holiday songs over the following days, to help ease back into normalcy.

The switch will happen at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

"But," Sherman said in an email, "we'll spice up each hour between Christmas and New Year's with a few holiday favorites."
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For the third time in the past three months, a Houston Police Department officer is accused of breaking the law.

Houston Police officer Jeramiah Joseph Lapaglia, 26, has been charged with misdemeanor assault of a family member stemming from an incident that occurred Nov. 4 on Aldine Wesfield Road in Houston, according to court documents.

The Harris County Sherriff's Department responded to a call at a home on Aldine Westfield when a woman flagged them down.

BUSTED: Houston police officer arrested in massive prostitution sting identified

"The female appeared to be visibly shaken and crying, wearing a light blue blouse with a torn sleeve on the right shoulder and was bare foot," the court documents stated.

The woman claimed Lapaglia, her boyfriend of six months, had assaulted her. The woman also told deputies she was five months pregnant.

The deputies called for an ambulance. Upon examination, emergency personnel advised the woman to be taken to the hospital. The woman declined.

The woman told deputies in a subsequent interview that Lapaglia had grabbed her cellphone to look through her messages.

"[He] observed she has been texting her ex-husband which upset [Lapaglia]," the court documents stated.

Lapaglia allegedly threw the phone into the kitchen, causing it to break. Lapagalia then threw her clothing on the living room floor while telling the woman to leave his apartment. Once outside the apartment, the woman claims Lapaglia grabbed her from behind by the stomach and "forcibly took her back inside the apartment," court documents state.

IN TROUBLE: HPD officer arrested in cocaine sting could face more charges

The woman was able to leave the apartment a second time. Lapaglia allegedly followed her outside again and grabbed her right arm in an attempt to bring her inside. When the woman refused once again, Lapaglia tried picking her up, causing her right sleeve to tear.

"She turned and slapped [Lapaglia] with an open hand," according to court documents. "[Lapaglia] then picked her up and threw her onto the ground. She landed on her back and felt pain."

The woman also claims that Lapaglia choked her while she was on the ground.

Now Playing: Fox 26 Reporter Stephen Morgan Video: Fox 26 Houston

Lapaglia told the deputies he was off duty when, he claims, the woman threatened and assaulted him.

HPD spokesman Kese Smith told Chron.com Lapaglia has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation. He had been with the patrol division since May of this year.

A request for comment has also been placed with Lapaglia.

Lepaglia's arrest follows two other HPD officers arrested in the past three months.

On Nov. 17, HPD identified longtime officer Robert Teweleit, 54, as one of the men arrested in an extensive prostitution sting conducted in early October. Teweleit was charged with misdemeanor prostitution, according to court documents. Teweleit retired from HPD on Nov. 1 after 31 years with the department.

HPD officer Julissa Guzman Diaz, 37, was arrested Nov. 9 and charged with third-degree felony of tampering and fabricating evidence. Diaz is accused of trying to steal a duffel bag with 8 kilos of cocaine during a traffic stop in an elaborate internal affairs sting. If she is convicted of the third-degree felony, Diaz faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. She was indefinitely suspended on Dec. 5.

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.

Editor's note: A prior version of this story inaccurately stated an HPD spokesman was unavailable for comment. It has been updated to reflect Lapaglia has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.
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A woman who had recently miscarried has been accused of killing an acquaintance so she could abduct the dead woman's newborn and claim the baby as her own, according to Houston police, who arrested her Thursday.

Erika Jisela Miranda-Alvarez has been charged with capital murder in the stabbing death of Carolina Flores, 33, who police found dead Tuesday in a Greenspoint area apartment. Flores' baby, 6-week-old Shamali, was missing at that time.

Miranda-Alvarez, 28, was arrested about 1 a.m. Thursday at the Woodscape Apartments on South Gessner. Police were in the complex and spotted a suspicious man and woman holding a baby, Police Chief Art Acevedo said. Using pictures, they were quickly able to determine the baby was Shamali Flores.

The infant was taken to Texas Children's Hospital for an examination. At a press conference at HPD headquarters, Acevedo said the baby is healthy and shows no signs of abuse.

"It was a joyous moment for all of us when we saw that little angel sitting there in that apartment," Acevedo said. "When you can find a silver lining in a tragedy as horrible as this, you have to take what you can get."

Miranda-Alvarez had been expecting a baby in January but recently had a miscarriage, Acevedo said. She didn't tell her family or boyfriend about the miscarriage, then pretended to have been at the hospital giving birth, and had told them Shamali Flores was her own baby.

"She was pretending her baby had been ill at the hospital," Acevedo said. "Lo and behold, she shows up Dec. 19 claiming the baby was hers."

Police have questioned the boyfriend, but he has not been charged.

The Texas Department of Public Safety discontinued an Amber Alert for Shamali Flores at 6:15 a.m. after learning that Houston police had located her at the apartment complex.

Acevedo declined to comment on Miranda-Alvarez' mental state but said she cooperated with police when they approached her.

Police said Miranda-Alvarez was an acquaintance of Carolina Flores' family and had gotten to know the victim through Flores' brother.

"She did not break in" to Flores' apartment, Acevedo said.

"The real work now continues for our investigators," he said. "They need to piece together every single piece of this complex puzzle to not only have a charge, but a conviction."

Acevedo stressed the importance of community policing in finding Shamali. Early interviews with people in the apartment complex turned out to be valuable, he said. Investigators were able to put together a theory about the suspect - that it was a woman who recently had lost her own child - quickly.

Houston police cooperated with the FBI to investigate the case, and Acevedo said law enforcement had a heavy presence at the South Gessner apartment complex before Miranda-Alvarez was arrested - including patrol officers, a SWAT team, and FBI agents: "You name a unit; they were there."

Acevedo wouldn't comment on how investigators knew they'd find the suspect at the Gessner apartment complex.

On Wednesday, police investigators had said that a woman who recently lost a child could have been responsible for the slaying.

"Everything our investigators theorized turned out to be true," Acevedo said Thursday. "But a lot of that relied on community policing, community trust."
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration said Thursday that 8.8 million people had signed up for health insurance through the federal marketplace, only slightly lower than last year's numbers when the open enrollment period was twice as long and heavily advertised.

The numbers essentially defied President Donald Trump's assertion that "Obamacare is imploding" and could re-energize the efforts by both parties for and against President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement.

Seema Verma, the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, reported the total in a Twitter post. She said her agency had done a great job to "make this the smoothest experience for consumers to date."

In the last open enrollment period, which was twice as long, 9.2 million people selected health plans through the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act.

Consumer advocates said they were pleasantly surprised to see how many people had signed up in the latest enrollment period. And the numbers could go higher. In some states that run their own exchanges, consumers have more time to sign up. The deadline is Jan. 14 in Minnesota, Jan. 15 in Washington state, and Jan. 31 in California and New York.

"It's a very, very strong number," said Joshua Peck, who was the chief marketing officer for HealthCare.gov in the Obama administration. "It implies that the final week of open enrollment this year was very big."

The latest enrollment period, which ran from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, faced unusual challenges. Many insurers announced big rate increases for 2018. The Trump administration slashed the budget for advertising to promote enrollment and greatly reduced grants to insurance counselors known as navigators who help people sign up for coverage.

In the first nine months of this year, Republicans tried repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act and asserted that health insurance markets were collapsing. For weeks, consumers have been confused about whether they would be subject to penalties for going without insurance. Congress voted this week to eliminate the penalties, starting in 2019.

The report Thursday shows sign-ups by people in 39 states that use HealthCare.gov. It does not include activity in 11 states that operate their own insurance exchanges.

In addition, people losing coverage because their insurer withdrew from the marketplace may qualify for a special enrollment period providing 60 additional days to sign up for a health plan.

The new numbers could reignite the fight around the health law. The tax cut that Trump will soon sign into law repeals the Affordable Care Act's tax penalties for most Americans who are not insured.
A Houston Independent School District trustee has sued the Harris County Democratic Party for rejecting her application to run for a Harris County justice of the peace seat in the March primary.

Diana Davila said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in state district court that her application to run for justice of the peace Precinct 6, Place 2 in the March primary election was inappropriately rejected by the Democratic Party.

The lawsuit states that Davila had submitted a petition containing 310 signatures that would qualify her to be on the ballot, but had omitted printing the name of the person circulating the petition on one line in the petition.

The name appeared elsewhere on the page and the petition was signed and notarized.

"The only thing that's important is that this person signed their name before a notary," said Davila's attorney Keith Gross.

The lawsuit states that despite that omission, Davila should be allowed to run in the primary. She would face one challenger in the primary election, Angela Rodriguez.

In a statement, the Harris County Democratic Party stated that Rodriguez filed a complaint with the party about Davila's paperwork. The party then followed up on the complaint and rejected Davila's application because "the challenge appeared to be well founded."

"Should the courts determine this candidate is entitled to be on the ballot, the Harris County Democratic Party will welcome her as a candidate in the Democratic primary, and should she succeed there, as the party's nominee in the general election," the statement said.

The party sought guidance from the secretary of state before rejecting Davila's application.

"This dispute is primarily between the two candidates and the party has no preference, one way or the other, for which party wins in the lawsuit or in the primary election," the statement said.

Davila was elected to the HISD board of trustees to represent District VIII in 2015. She previously had served on the board for seven years before resigning her term early in 2010.

Davila said she resigned because her father had cancer. The end of her tenure was marked by controversy after HISD's inspector general ruled that her attempt to appoint her husband, Abel Davila, to the district's bond oversight committee was a conflict of interest.

Diana Davila did not return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.

Her lawsuit against the Democratic Party would need to be resolved by Jan. 2 when the county clerk finalizes the ballot, according to court filings.
Former Harris County state district judge Ryan Patrick has been confirmed as the next U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, which handles one of the busiest criminal dockets in the nation.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Patrick on a voice vote. Long considered a front-runner for the seat formerly held by Ken Magidson, Patrick is the son of Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

The younger Patrick declined to comment until President Donald Trump signs his commission, which normally happens in a matter of days. He could be sworn in within a week and take the helm right away at the tower offices on Louisiana Street in downtown Houston. A formal investiture ceremony likely will take place within months.

"We look forward to working with him and the lawyers in his office throughout the district," said Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal.

Patrick will be the chief federal law enforcement officer for the 43-county region, overseeing nearly 200 lawyers who represent the government in civil and criminal matters. He will set the Justice Department's priorities for the district and determine how resources should be allocated.

"I think it's one of the most important jobs an attorney can take in their lifetime," said Magidson, who was among the 46 U.S. attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama who were fired by Trump in March. "The role you play in representing the United States is extremely important.

"Because of the tremendous geographical expanse of the jurisdiction, the office is at the forefront of so many endeavors," Magidson continued. "There's the border, a major city, a major port and the federal government touches everything."

The state's two Republican U.S. senators said Patrick is well prepared for the task.

"Ryan Patrick's record shows a dedication to public service and respect for the rule of law," Sen. John Cornyn said in a statement. "I proudly recommended him to the president, and I know he will continue to serve Texas well in this new capacity."

Sen. Ted Cruz said in the same news release that Patrick would do an excellent job in the position.

"He has a distinguished career as a former prosecutor and judge, and I am confident he will continue to honorably serve and protect the people of Texas in this new role," Cruz said.

Patrick was narrowly defeated in his bid for reelection, one of several Republican Harris County state district judges swept out of office by Democrats in November 2016.

Patrick, 38, has spent the past year running his own law firm and doing criminal defense work as senior counsel for the firm HooverSlovacek. He was a state district court judge between 2012 and 2016, and before that served as an assistant district attorney for Harris County. He earned degrees from Baylor University and South Texas College of Law Houston.

In a recently updated Twitter profile, he describes himself as a "Christian, Husband, Father, Baylor Bear. US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. Former state judge." He lives with his wife and three children in Houston.

The Southern District of Texas stretches from the Louisiana border through Houston, Galveston, and Corpus Christi to Laredo. The district sees a substantial number of immigration, drug and human trafficking cases each year and oversees expansive Medicare fraud and white-collar investigations.

Attorneys across the district represent U.S. government agencies ranging from the Johnson Space Center to the Army Corps of Engineers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The office also handles civil rights matters.
'Tis the season for making wish lists.

Gov. Greg Abbott ought to get the wrapping paper ready because a Republican in the White House and a Democrat in the Senate have been asking for something that only he can deliver - a special session to tap the rainy day fund to repair the mess caused by Hurricane Harvey.

After months of waiting, lots of interested parties are running out of patience with the good governor. We don't blame them. How long is it going to take to bring the state's legislators back to Austin?

Last month, the Trump administration made it clear. Rather than rely exclusively on federal resources for Harvey recovery efforts, Texas is going to have pony up some of its own cash.

"Texas has not put any state dollars into this process," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. "We feel strongly that they should step up and play a role and work with the federal government in this process."

This week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed the White House's sentiment and put the blame on Abbott for requesting support from his longtime political scapegoat: Washington, D.C.

"On its face, it's an absurd position for a routine critic of the federal government to take," Schumer said. "I for one don't want to vote a nickel for Texas unless they tap that rainy day fund."

There's just one problem. Texas has already dropped plenty of nickels on hurricane recovery. The state has spent around $500 million to support local efforts.

In fact, the governor was in League City, Dickinson and other Houston-area coastal towns this week to distribute funds from the state's general revenue account. Those million-dollar checks will help these cities spend their 10 percent local-share necessary to draw down a 90 percent match from FEMA to pay for debris removal.

Eventually those funds will be covered by tapping the $10 billion rainy day fund during the next legislative session.

But the rest of the nation won't be convinced by some technically correct excuse. Politicians in Washington want to see the money wrapped up in a big bow and placed under the tree as proof that, yes Virginia - and New York and D.C. - there is a Santa Claus. Texas actually is paying its fair share in the post-Harvey recovery.

Abbott's recalcitrance has repercussions. The $81 billion disaster recovery bill - which still doesn't cover the state's full post-Harvey request - has hit unexpected tension in the Republican-run Senate after passing the House.

While we understand that primaries are looming, it's time for once to get beyond petty politics and do what is right, what is essential for the well-being of our coastal communities. A fallback position - and it's a distant second choice - is for our state's leader to publicly promise he'll act once the party primary elections are over.

That kind of gesture would show Congress that we're doing our part.

So, governor, our holiday message to you is don't be a Grinch. Put on that white beard and play Santa to millions of people who need your help - and need it now.
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The government has unveiled its Smart Hong Kong initiative in the policy address of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. Several schemes to move towards the goal have been put forward, with HK$700 million in funding allocated for related projects.

Dr. Winnie Tang, honorary professor in the Department of Computer Science of the University of Hong Kong, recently sat down with Hong Kong Economic Journal to discuss what Hong Kong can learn from other countries in developing smart city initiatives.

HKEJ: How would you define smart city?

Tang: In my view, the term smart city relates to the use of ICT (information and communication technologies) to improve the quality of life and city services, making the city more livable and creating new job opportunities.

Worldwide, countries developing smart city initiatives set their own metrics and goals. For example, Denmark wants to create a zero emission city by 2025. Sweden established a program to eliminate all traffic-related deaths by 2025. Dubai focuses on improving its gross national happiness index, an indicator measuring peoples happiness. And Singapore is set to be a global leader in Smart Government.

For Hong Kong, in developing a smart city plan, the citys low tax regime, established infrastructure and advanced university education all contribute to a suitable environment for cultivating smart talents.

Further, the government can do more to fuel smart city development, such as by installing free Wi-Fi hotspots, promoting open data policies, and encouraging private enterprises to share data.

Smart Transportation

HKEJ: What do you mean by smart talents?

Tang: As I always say, the ideal format of development should embrace the 4Ps: Public, Private, People and Partnership. Among the four elements, People is the most important. In the process of developing a smart city plan, people need to be empowered in order to raise support from society.

The smart city plan should be more than simply importing talents and improving education. We need to stimulate the public to participate in it.

HKEJ: In your view, what should be done to develop smart transportation, a top focus in Hong Kongs smart city plan?

Tang: Smart transportation, in general, consists of intelligent parking and traffic systems, and some of them have been rolled out in Hong Kong as well. There are by now around 40 car parks offering real-time parking vacancy information. And for smart traffic lights, transit authorities can use data analytics to forecast traffic condition and customize traffic light schedules.

In the medium to long term, the government should consider consolidating all real-time transit information from the public and private sectors into one aggregate platform. This would enable the optimization of mobility services planning and operation.

Open Data

HKEJ: Why cant we get access to data on traffic conditions via navigation platforms?

Tang: In fact, the government should have the data to do that, but they have their concern on whether to open it to the public or not. There is a software that is capable of sharing real-time transit information to the public. For instance, TomToms application consolidates transit data from Google Maps and Android, providing real-time data sourced from different platforms including Apple, BMW, Nissan and Uber.

For Hong Kong, local telecoms can indicate areas with large crowds based on mobile phone signals. However, according to current regulation standards, telecoms are not allowed to open up such anonymous data, leaving us with no tools to improve the crowd management program.

HKEJ: Is there a similar regulation on open data in other countries? How can this issue be addressed?

Tang: Several cities have taken an active approach to open up data. In Los Angeles, the government appointed a chief data officer, responsible for promoting open data of the city departments and various private enterprises.

New York had already passed the Open Data Law back in 2012, which mandates all public data to be made available on a single web platform by the end of 2018. Also, corporations and organizations need to issue regular updates on datasets for use by the public, so they are really useful in improving the efficiency of city operations.

Source: http://www.ejinsight.com/20171222-citizen-participation-key-to-hong-kong-smart-city-plan-expert/
The lights will be on for the next 10 days at 100 North St. The kickoff of the display features caroling. An array of different colors can be projected. The lights can be programmed to display designs and even change to the beat of music. Hello down there! A few dozen people went to North Street to see the display Thursday evening. The 14 lights will stay with Berkshire Lightscapes for the next six months so other buildings can try them, too. The LED lights bring a dynamic look to the buildings. PreviousNext

Non-profit Looking at New Ways to Light Up Downtown



Berkshire Lightscapes hopes to light up downtown buildings and public spaces permanently. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Elie Hammerling was vacationing in Arizona when he saw private buildings and businesses all lit up with color kinetic. He wondered what it would take to have that in Pittsfield.

"I started thinking whether Pittsfield, scaled to Pittsfield, could embrace lighting the street, storefronts, buildings," Hammerling said.

So he formed the non-profit Berkshire Lightscapes last year to bring it downtown. The board found Philips Lighting and consultants Apex Lighting Solutions, which offered to let them try the lights out.

On Thursday, the group lit up the former Agricultural Bank building at 100 North St. so the community, other businesses, and the committee can see for themselves what it would be like here.

"These were presets but you can change them at will. You can coordinate them to music so if you had speakers out there, then the lights could actually move in sync with the music. There are an endless amount of possibilities," said Cindy Malinchak, the northeast regional manager for Philips Lighting.

Philips is leaving the 14 lights with Berkshire Lightscapes for the next six months to try on different buildings. For the next 10 days, 100 North St. will be lit up but from there, the committee can move them to other buildings or spaces.

"We are going to leave them here with Berkshire Lightscapes for a period of time so each of the buildings could actually get to see their building mocked up as well. We've got 14 lights we'll leave here for six months and anybody else who wants their buildings lit up," Malinchak said.

David Carver, owner of CT Management Group which owns 100 North St., was pleased with the display on his building. He had been asked about doing it by Hammerling more than a year ago.

"I love it. I think it is a great idea. It lights up the downtown. Lighting in the dead of winter is a wonderful thing. It is done all over the country and has been very successful," Carver said.

Allegrone Companies has expressed interest on some of its buildings as did Police Chief Michael Wynn for the Police Station. Malinchak said a local electrician -- Pete Yetman, owner of Performance ECM -- will be trained with how to program the displays. Yetman installed the fixtures at 100 North.

The color kinetics technology was first developed in the 1990s by students at Carnegie Mellon University. Philips later purchased the technology and expanded upon it. The lighting is now used throughout the country with the most notable sites being the Empire State Building, Park Place, and the Zakim Bridge.

Malinchak said the company is currently installing them on nine bridges and four tunnels in New York City, which all will be synced up to music and matching patterns in the sky. Malinchak said the benefits aren't just in aesthetics but have proved to help with economic development of an area.

Hammerling added that it will also help toward providing safety for those walking the streets at night.

"It is partly for the beauty and artistic quality of it. But it is also to light up our streets for purposes of having people walk comfortably, feel safe, have the attractiveness of lighting. It is beauty and safety that are the two major reasons," Hammerling said.

Hammerling said the demo taking place during these 10 days, and over the next six months, will gauge how interested the community is in bringing it to more public spaces and private buildings. The committee hopes to start fundraising to buy the technology for various areas.

"From this point forward everything we do is going to be permanent lighting. It is not an art show. It is not light art for a festival. It is to have permanent lights you will see when you are walking," Hammerling said.

Later adding, "I'm very excited by tonight's show but I think it is the beginning. I think there is so many things ahead of us."

The lighting does come at a cost but Malinchak said the LED lights "actually pay for themselves from the energy savings." She said the 14 lights being demoed by Berkshire Lightscape equals the wattage of a single flood light many building owners use for lighting.

And for any readers who come to check out the display at 100 North St., make sure you wave to us. We're in the top middle window.
Merry Christmas from Stand for Israel

The Fellowship | December 22, 2017 Merry Christmas from Stand for Israel

Stand for Israel is suspending activity December 23-25 for Christmas. Well be back on Tuesday, December 26  and rest assured, if any critically important developments related to Israel come up, well be here to let you know about them. We wish a Merry Christmas to our Christian friends, and thank you all for standing for Israel!

In the meantime enjoy this photo from Christmas 1958, in which American staffers from the embassy in Tel Aviv celebrate in the Holy Land.
Imperial Valley News Center

The Troika Welcomes the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians, and Humanitarian Access Concerning the Conflict in South Sudan

Washington, DC - The following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway.

On Thursday, December 21, the parties to the conflict in South Sudan signed the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians, and Humanitarian Access in Addis Ababa. The members of the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) congratulate the parties on their willingness to compromise for the benefit of the people of South Sudan and hope that they immediately take action to make good on that agreement. The Troika fully supports the continuing effort by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to build peace through the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF).

We would like to recognize in particular the meaningful contributions of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, and the members of the IGAD Council of Ministers. We further recognize the tireless work undertaken by IGAD Special Envoy Ismail Wais and the High Level Facilitators to bring the parties together and the inclusion of a number of civil society organizations and women representatives at the Forum. The Troika calls on all the parties to implement the Agreement immediately including the parties obligations regarding humanitarian access. We are encouraged by the strong statements from the African Union and IGAD making clear their intent to hold the parties accountable. The Troika calls on the parties to reconvene urgently to address the important security and governance arrangements that are essential for peace.
Imperial Valley News Center

Special and General Courts-Martial for November 2017

Washington, DC - The following reports the results of Special and General Courts-Martial tried and completed within the United States Navy in November 2017. The cases are listed by the Navy Region in which they were tried.

Naval District Washington



General Court-Martial



* At a General Court-Martial in Washington, DC, Petty Officer 3rd Class Xavier Guerra, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to possessing child pornography, distributing child pornography, and soliciting the rape of a child. On 8 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Dishonorable Discharge, to forfeit all pay and allowances, reduction in rank to paygrade E-1, and confinement for 8 years. Pursuant to the pretrial agreement, all confinement greater than 36 months is to be suspended. The suspended punishment may be served if the Service Member violates the terms of the pretrial agreement.



* At a General Court-Martial in Washington, DC, an E-6 was tried for sexual assault and abusive sexual contact. On 30 November 2017, the panel of members returned a verdict of not guilty.



Special Court-Martial



* None.





Navy Region Mid-Atlantic



General Court-Martial



* At a General Court-Martial in Norfolk, Virginia, Seaman Kareem I. Diggs, USN, was tried for two specifications of sexual assault and indecent visual recording. On 18 November 2017, the panel of members found him guilty of indecent visual recording and sentenced him to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge, to forfeit $2,125.80 pay per month for 3 months, reduction in rank to paygrade E-1, and confinement for 6 months.



* At a General Court-Martial in Norfolk, Virginia, Seaman Alex J. Hines, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to sexual harassment, false official statement, and assault consummated by a battery. On 20 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge and confinement for 19 months. Pursuant to the pretrial agreement, all confinement greater than 18 months is to be suspended. The suspended punishment may be served if the Service Member violates the terms of the pretrial agreement.





Special Court-Martial



* At a Special Court-Martial in Norfolk, Virginia, Petty Officer 3rd Class Thomas G. Colton, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to fraudulent enlistment, two specifications of wrongful possession of a controlled substance, obstruction of justice, and assault consummated by a battery. On 28 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to reduction in rank to paygrade E-3 and confinement for 89 days. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence. The Service Member is being processed for administrative separation.





Navy Region Southeast



General Court-Martial



* At a General Court-Martial in Jacksonville, Florida, Chief Warrant Officer Jason M. Boyett, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to conduct unbecoming an officer and adultery. On 8 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to a letter of reprimand, to forfeit $1000 per month for one month, and restriction for 30 days. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence. The Service Member is being processed for administrative separation.



Special Court-Martial



* At a Special Court-Martial in Pensacola, Florida, Petty Officer 1st Class Jesus A. Cervantes, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to failure to obey a lawful order and communicating a threat. On 15 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to reduction in rank to paygrade E-4 and confinement for 60 days. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence. The Service Member is being processed for administrative separation.



* At a Special Court-Martial in Jacksonville, Florida, Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Bollinger, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to four specifications of wrongful appropriation and wrongful use of a controlled substance. On 27 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to forfeit $1,000 per month for five months, reduction in rank to paygrade E-1, and confinement for 150 days. Pursuant to the pretrial agreement, all confinement greater than 60 days is to be suspended and remitted. The Service Member is being processed for administrative separation.





Navy Region Northwest



General Court-Martial



* At a General Court-Martial in Bremerton, Washington, Seaman Caleb E. Beckner, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; failure to obey a general order; five specifications of wrongful use, introduction, and distribution of a controlled substance; two specifications of underage consumption of alcohol; and obstruction of justice. On 21 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge, reduction to paygrade E-1, and confinement for 9 months. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence.



Special Court-Martial



* At a Special Court-Martial in Bremerton, Washington, Petty Officer 2nd Class Richard L. Medlen III, USN, was tried for unauthorized absence from unit, eight specifications of making false official statements, and malingering. On 8 November 2017, the panel of members found him guilty of all charges and sentenced him to reduction in rank to paygrade E-3, a fine of $17,004.00, and confinement for 12 months if the fine is not paid.



* At a Special Court-Martial in Bremerton, Washington, an E-5 was tried for failure to go to appointed place of duty. On 15 November 2017, the panel of members returned a verdict of not guilty.



* At a Special Court-Martial in Bremerton, Washington, Airman Apprentice Arthur P. Van Housen, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, failure to obey an order, and two specifications of wrongful use and distribution of a controlled substance. On 21 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge, reduction in rank to paygrade E-1, and confinement for 5 months. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence.



* At a Special Court-Martial in Bremerton, Washington, Chief Petty Officer Wesley R. Square, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to three specifications of wrongful introduction, possession and use of a controlled substance. On 22 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to reduction in rank to paygrade E-6. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence.





Navy Region Southwest



General Court-Martial



* At a General Court-Martial in San Diego, California, an E-5 was tried for four specifications of abusive sexual contact and one specification of attempted rape. On 8 November 2017, a panel of members returned a verdict of not guilty.



* At a General Court-Martial in San Diego, California, Petty Officer 2nd Class Pedro A. Perez, USN, pled guilty to five specifications of violation of a lawful general order and four specifications of wrongful use of a controlled substance. On 15 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Dishonorable Discharge, to forfeit all pay and allowances, reduction in rank to paygrade E-1, and confinement for 13 months.



Special Court-Martial



* At a Special Court-Martial in San Diego, California, Seaman Recruit Cameron D. Goins, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to two specifications of failure to obey an order and one specification of wrongful use of a controlled substance. On 14 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge and confinement for 90 days. Pursuant to the pretrial agreement, all confinement greater than 60 days will be suspended. The suspended confinement may be served if the Service Member violates the terms of the pretrial agreement.



* At a Special Court-Martial in San Diego, California, Petty Officer 3rd Class Shad D. Hernandez, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to two specifications of wrongful use of a controlled substance. On 29 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to confinement for 120 days. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence. The Service Member is being processed for administrative separation.



* At a Special Court-Martial in San Diego, California, an E-4 was tried for wrongful use of a controlled substance. On 30 November 2017, a panel of members returned a verdict of not guilty.





Navy Region Hawaii



General Court-Martial



* At a General Court-Martial in Pearl Harbor, HI, an E-6 was tried for sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. On 3 November 2017, the panel of members returned a verdict of not guilty.



* At a General Court-Martial in Pearl Harbor, HI, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ethan Landin, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to assault consummated by a battery. On 9 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge, to forfeit all pay and allowances, reduction in rank to paygrade E-1, and confinement for six months. The pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence.



Special Court-Martial



* At a Special Court-Martial in Pearl Harbor, HI, Fireman Daniel Legate, USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to three specifications of wrongful use of a controlled substance. On 8 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge, reduction in rank to the paygrade E-1, and confinement for 90 days. Pursuant to the pretrial agreement, the punitive discharge will be disapproved and all confinement in excess of 75 days will be suspended. The Service Member is being processed for administrative separation.





Navy Region Japan



General Court-Martial



* At a General Court-Martial in Yokosuka, Japan, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charlene Hayes, USN, was tried for sexual assault, abusive sexual contact and false official statement. On 16 November 2017, the panel of members found her guilty of false official statement and sentenced her to forfeit $1275 per month for 1 month, reduction in rank to paygrade E-4, restriction for 30 days and confinement for 30 days.



* At a General Court-Martial in Yokosuka, Japan, Petty Officer 3rd Class Kendell Henry, Jr., USN, pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to false official statement and assault consummated by a battery. On 29 November 2017, the military judge sentenced him to forfeit $750 per month for 3 months, reduction in rank to paygrade E-3, and confinement for 90 days. The Service Member is being processed for administrative separation.



Special Court-Martial



* None.





Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia



General Court-Martial



* None.



Special Court-Martial



* None.
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David Walliams Bad Dad has been announced as the top book that kids hope to find under the tree this Christmas.

The best seller about a father and son who go on a mission to break an innocent man into prison was rated as the most-desired kids book this Christmas in a survey of 1,000 UK children aged between eight and 12.

Kid Normal by Greg James, Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford and Giraffes Cant Dance by Giles Andreae also made the top five.

The survey also asked children what they look for most when deciding which book to read next and making them laugh came out on top.

It also seems that, despite the age-old warning, kids cant help but judge a book by its cover as an interesting cover comes in at number two as the most important sign when looking for a good read.

Simon Johnson, Director of Media, Amazon.co.uk, said: Were delighted to have had a selection of the childrens books in our Christmas Store be given the stamp of approval by kids themselves.

Books have always been a firm favourite on peoples Christmas wish lists through the ages - from hotly anticipated new releases to timeless classics - there is something for everyone in the list that the children recommend this year.

When asked what they like most about receiving books at Christmas time, nearly half the children surveyed said it was just because they simply love to read.

Nearly four in ten children said it is because books are entertaining, and a third of children revealed that reading together with their family was what they liked most.

The research also revealed that two thirds of parents in the UK claim that their kids read the same, if not more, than they did at their age, suggesting that despite todays children being known as the YouTube generation, reading is still an important pastime that brings families together.

The Chatterbooks reading club in Hackney, London, is just one example of keen young readers who are looking forward to getting their hands on their next book this Christmas.

With members aged between eight and twelve, the group meets weekly to talk through their favourite page turners.

Along with teen vlogger star Amazing Arabella, this panel of young book-lovers was invited by Amazon to critique some of the top books to offer a little expert advice and guidance to those buying their young loved-ones books this Christmas.

Amazing Arabella said: It was great to chat to the kids in Chatterbooks reading group and find out what they think of the books in Amazons Christmas Store this year.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

Ive always loved reading and books are a great present to give at Christmas and I hope our reviews have helped people decide which books to buy for their nearest and dearest this Christmas.

In addition to the top five, Chatterbooks also gave a special shout-out to the book Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky, which Florence, aged 8, and Oasis, aged 12, described as inspiring and important as it shows how different women changed the way we see the world today, even though a lot of people told them no.

Top five most desired books this Christmas

Bad Dad by David Walliams Guinness World Records 2018 Kid Normal by Greg James Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford Giraffes Cant Dance by Giles Andreae

Top five factors children look for in a good book

Makes me laugh (45 per cent) Great and colourful front cover (37 per cent) Lets me use my imagination (34 per cent) If my friend loves it too (33 per cent) Colourful pictures (27 per cent)

SWNS
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Alan Bennett once suggested that the worlds worst-taste T-shirt would read I HATE JUDI DENCH. By the same heretical token, its a fair bet that you could get yourself lynched right now if you were to walk round the West End with HAMILTON SUCKS emblazoned on your chest. This has been the most frenziedly anticipated musical in London since The Book of Mormon and the implacable publicity blitz (all together now for those 11 Tonys, the Pulitzer, the triple-platinum Grammy-winning cast-album et al) might lead even the most mildly rebellious soul to wonder if anything could possibly live up to this degree of hype.

Im delighted to report that, for the most part, Hamilton manages to do so  quite exhilaratingly  and will disarm folk who think that a hip-hop musical about the Founding Fathers isnt ideally placed to be a mega-hit on this side of the pond. Join the revolution is one of the main selling lines. Watching Thomas Kails production, you get a genuinely heady sense that Lin-Manuel Miranda  who wrote the book, music and lyrics  is offering us two revolutions in one here. The saga of the American War of Independence and a look at the teething problems of a new nation are presented in the shape of a bona fide game-changer of a musical  a (virtually) through-sung piece that blends rap, hip-hop, R&B and Broadway.

They may wear knee breeches and period costumes, but Hamilton and his band of brothers  the Marquis de Lafayette, John Laurens, and Hercules Mulligan  are played by performers of colour (the cast are of diverse ethnic backgrounds) and they rap in exuberant volleys of assonance and street-smart word-play, syncopated riffs and sprung rhythm (Lock up ya daughters and horses, of course/Its hard to have intercourse over four sets of corsets). The idiom takes you right into the fiery metabolism and word-drunk wit of these youthful rebels, desperate to seize and mould a nascent nation.

Later on, presided over by Obioma Ugoalas sombre and dignified Washington, cabinet debates become ferocious rap-battles with red-hot dropped mics. Hamilton and Jason Pennycookes superb, provocatively foppish Jefferson argue the toss over issues such as whether America should establish a national bank or provide aid to its former ally, France, in any upcoming conflict with Britain. The effect of the torrents of subversive coruscation (argumentative virtuosity translated from one style to another) and the unconventional casting feels wonderfully liberating and joyous. If this is the story of America then told by America now (as Miranda has pithily put it), you can appreciate why the similarly diverse company of the Broadway production felt entitled to treat Vice President Mike Pence, when he visited the show, to a salutary reminder about the duty to uphold American values.

This is a piece that urges America to take pride in its immigrant heritage (the composers family hail from Puerto Rico). Its a land where a penniless bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, like Hamilton, could arrive in New York from the Caribbean and rise to be Washingtons right-hand man and the first Secretary of the Treasury  before being brought down by the countrys ur-sex scandal and meeting his premature end in a duel with the vice president, Aaron Burr. Just occasionally you may reckon that the author overplays his hand. You can almost see the waggle of an Applause placard on the line Immigrants  we get the job done! But, in general, the sentiment is fervent and far from facile.

Miranda originated the title role on Broadway. Here it goes to Jamael Westman who delivers a very intelligent and well-sung performance, while coming over as perhaps too disciplined to give full turbulent life to this relentless, pell-mell, sometimes rackety prodigy who can toss off 51 of the Federalist Papers in six months, does everything as if is he is running out of time, and likens his raw, ravenous state, at the start, to the condition of America: Hey yo, Im just like my country,/Im young, scrappy, and hungry/And Im not throwing away my shot!. Giles Terera is splendid as Burr, the frenemy and nemesis who is Salieri to Hamiltons Mozart, all silky, privileged containment and disengaged calculation as opposed to his fellow orphans committed impetuosity. If you stand for nothing, Burr, whatll you fall for? asks Hamilton with scathing succinctness. He effectively seals his fate by endorsing Jefferson rather than Burr in the 1800 election. While hes never agreed with the former about anything in his life, at least Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none. The pairs intertwined destinies play out as a beautifully articulated part of the proceedings.

There are several knockout numbers, among them Tereras jivey, obsessive The Room Where It Happens, the hypnotic and danceable plaint of a man who feels politically excluded. Rachel John is in tough, ravishing voice, rhapsodising about how good it is to be alive now and living in New York, as Hamiltons smart proto-feminist sister-in-law, Angelica Schuyler, who is his soulmate in unappeasable yearning. It may be unfair to the original but its a terrific joke that George III  hilariously played by Michael Jibson as a camp clump of twinkling malice in full royal regalia  sings of the political break-up in the jaunty tones of a 1960s Britpop number: Youll be back/Soon youll see/Youll remember you belong to me. He cant believe that the presidency is not for life, unlike kingship, and settles back, with condescending relish, to watch his former subjects tear themselves to pieces.

Kails production is not perfect. It unfolds with seamless fluency on David Korinss handsome open-stage set, with its bare brick walls, revolve, coils of rope and other maritime paraphernalia. The ensemble, in their sexy torn-off costumes, give the show high-energy propulsion, but their movements sometimes look banal. When they sing of The world turned upside down! after the decisive victory at Yorktown, they clamber aloft and hold up inverted furniture  evidently unafraid of the obvious.

If I sometimes wanted the piece to go further (why not an African-American woman as George Washington?), this is doubtless just a tribute to the shows instigative powers of suggestion. Towards the end, though, for my taste, it starts to tackle its serious developments with a po-faced solemnity that is faintly risible. The death in a duel of Hamiltons son; the fall-out from the sex scandal (Rachelle Ann Go overacts the role of his wife, Eliza); the preoccupation with the eyes of history and with legacy  these are weighty subjects, true, but the show begins to feel as if its a little in awe of itself in the way it deals with them. I fell to musing what revivals of Hamilton might be like in years to come when it is not such an institution and directors have more latitude.

These are relatively minor cavils, though, about a piece that, in the main, is obviously a magnificent achievement. Mirandas synthesis of the historical material is phenomenal, as is his supple control of the diverse musical idioms. Two eras train light on each other here and, at its best, the show creates the impression that it is not merely dramatising Hamiltons revolution but, in its artistic choices and spirit, is carrying it forward. Patience may be required to secure tickets, but on no account is this to be missed.

Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre, London. Currently booking until 30 June 2018  hamiltonthemusical.co.uk
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Apple is being sued after admitting that it did not tell customers that it slowed down some iPhones as they get older.

A number of lawsuits have been filed against the tech giant. One accuses it of trying to fraudulently induce consumers to purchase the latest iPhone versions.

Apple has admitted that it throttles performance on some mobile handsets as a precautionary measure, to stop them from shutting down unexpectedly or breaking altogether.

Recommended Tips to improve your iPhone battery life

But it denied that it was doing so to encourage consumers to buy newer models. The Independent has contacted the company for comment but none had arrived at the time of publication.

A class-action lawsuit filed in California by Stefan Bogdanovich and Dakota Speas, alleges the throttling of iPhone performance caused them to suffer economic damages and other harm for which they are entitled to compensation.

First seen by TMZ, it states that they were never given the option to bargain or choose whether they preferred to have their iPhones slower than normal.

A separate lawsuit filed by five customers who live in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina, alleges that the tech giant purposefully neglected to explain that the slowdowns in older model device performance and resulting lost or diminished operating performance could be remedied by replacing the batteries of these devices.

Apple purposefully declined to make these disclosures because it knew that consumers would, more likely than not, purchase a new device out of (a) loyalty to Apple and/or (b) because Apple knew that its consumers desired to have devices performing at optimal speed that they had previously be used to," according to the Chicago Sun Times which originally reported the lawsuit.

Apple has been criticised for failing to make users aware of the practice before this week.

Apple unveils the iPhone X Show all 10 1 /10 Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, introduces the iPhone x during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, introduces the iPhone X during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, introduces the iPhone X during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 Reuters Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, introduces the iPhone x during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, introduces the iPhone x during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, introduces the iPhone x during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, shows Animoji during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, speaks during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, introduces the iPhone x during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple unveils the iPhone X Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, speaks about the iPhone X during a launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2017 REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Consumers who have had their iPhones throttled can regain higher levels of performance by replacing their battery, which costs up to 79  far less than upgrading to a newer model.

iPhones use lithium-ion batteries, which degrade over time. Apple says that if it did not reduce performance there would be a greater risk of internal components being damaged.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions, the company said this week.

Weve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.
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Britain's homes and businesses will have a right to demand high-speed broadband by 2020 after the government said it would impose new regulation to help the 1.1 million premises who cannot access decent speeds.

The government on Wednesday said it had rejected a voluntary proposal from network provider BT to improve speeds in favour of a universal service obligation (USO) that will require coverage of at least 10 Mbps to the whole of the UK by 2020.

Under the plan, broadband providers will face a legal requirement to provide high-speed broadband to anyone requesting it, subject to a cost threshold.

Regulator Ofcom said this month that 4 percent of UK premises, or around 1.1 million, could not access broadband speeds of at least 10 Mbps. Britain also lags most of Europe in providing fibre to the home which guarantees the fastest speeds available.

We are grateful to BT for their proposal but have decided that only a regulatory approach will make high-speed broadband a reality for everyone in the UK, regardless of where they live or work, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said.

Poor connections were a particular concern for small businesses, Ofcom said, with almost 230,000 unable to get a decent service.

Under BT's offer, which the company had said would cost up to 600 million ($803 million), 98.5 percent of premises would have had access to a fixed broadband service in 2020, with another 0.7 percent having access to a service delivered by a combination of fixed and wireless connections.

The remaining 0.8 percent in the most difficult-to-reach areas would have been guided towards satellite or on-demand fibre solutions.

The company, which provides broadband to its own customers and to other suppliers through its Openreach network, said it respected the government's decision.

BT and Openreach want to get on with the job of making decent broadband available to everyone in the UK so we'll continue to explore the commercial options for bringing faster speeds to those parts of the country which are hardest-to-reach, it said.

We look forward to receiving more details from the Government outlining its approach to defining the regulatory USO, including the proposed funding mechanism.

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

BT's rival TalkTalk said the government had made the right decision.

Broadband is increasingly a utility and it is critical that all of society has fast, affordable access, Chief Executive Tristia Harrison said.

By opting for formal regulation rather than weaker promises, ministers are guaranteeing consumers will get the minimum speeds they need at a price they can afford.

Reuters
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Cybercriminals are using Facebook Messenger to infect computers with malware that mines cryptocurrency.

Security researchers the Trend Micro cyber security firm said "Digmine" is targeting as many machines as possible, in order to earn monero  an alternative to bitcoin  for its creators

It could also help cyber criminals completely take over a Facebook account, the researchers added.

The bot was detected by cyber security firm Trend Micro, which says "Digimine" is designed to look like a video file.

It only works when it is spread via the desktop version of Messenger, on Google Chrome. If you open it through Messenger on another platform, such as a mobile phone, Digmine wont function as it is supposed to.

However, it can still be considered very dangerous. As well as having the potential to let hackers take over your account, it can also slow your computer down and use your Facebook account to target your friends.

If the users Facebook account is set to log in automatically, Digmine will manipulate Facebook Messenger in order to send a link to the file to the accounts friends, the researchers said.

The abuse of Facebook is limited to propagation for now, but it wouldnt be implausible for attackers to hijack the Facebook account itself down the line.

Security experts recently told The Independent that bitcoins rapid recent rise in value might be making unsuspecting computer users more vulnerable to hackers.

It has led to more and more machines being secretly infected with malware that is designed to help cyber criminals mine for cryptocurrencies.

The increasing popularity of cryptocurrency mining is drawing attackers back to the mining botnet business, said Trend Micro.

And like many cybercriminal schemes, numbers are crucial  bigger victim pools equate to potentially bigger profits. The fact that theyre piggybacking on popular platforms such as social media to spread their malware is unsurprising.

11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Show all 11 1 /11 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Clean up your News Feed Most of us are Facebook friends with some people we dont actually care about, and there are several ways to keep their updates off your News Feed. The easiest option is to head to the column on the left and open News Feed Preferences. From here, you can prioritise friends, unfollow friends, refollow friends you unfollowed in the past and even block specific apps. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Change ad preferences You can view a list of everything Facebook thinks youre into and tinker with your ad preferences. A lot more information is displayed on the desktop site than the app, so wed recommend doing this on a computer. Just open Settings and select Advert Preferences. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Manage notifications You can get notifications about pretty much anything on Facebook these days, and that can be seriously irritating. Choose what you do and dont want to be notified about by going into the Settings menu and selecting Notifications. You might be surprised by the number of sections you have to trawl through. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Save data Facebook automatically plays videos in your News Feed, and thats a problem if you arent on a generous data plan. You can change this by going to Videos in the Settings menu and disabling autoplay. On the app, theres feature in the left-hand column called Data Saver, which also does this, but reduces the size of pictures too. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Reorder your News feed You can choose to order the updates that appear in your News Feed by time or importance. Just hit the three buttons next to News Feed Preferences on the Facebook site and choose between Top Stories and Recent Stories. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Download your data Facebook lets you download all of the immense amounts of data it has on you, including the posts youve shared, your messages and photos, ads youve clicked on and even the IP addresses that are logged when you log in or out of the site. Its a lot of information, which youll want to get your hands on if you decide to quit the social network. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Find nearby places Nearby Places is actually a really handy tool, which lets you quickly find and research things like restaurants, hotels, museums and nightlife hotspots around you. It lives in the left-hand column, and also shows useful information like customer ratings, prices and distance. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Find free Wi-Fi Similarly, Find Wi-Fi is ideal for when youre bored, running low on data or lost. It shows you all the places in your vicinity that offer free Wi-Fi, so you can head over and either relax or get some work done. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Save things for later Facebooks ideal for killing time, but every now and again youll stumble across something youre interested in right as you need to put your phone away. Fortunately, you can save posts for later by hitting the arrow in the top-right corner and selecting the Save option. Everything you save goes straight to the Saved section in the left-hand column. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Control tags When people tag you in posts or pictures, they dont have to automatically appear on your profile. You can switch on Facebooks Review Tags feature by going to Settings and Timeline and Tagging. 11 useful Facebook features you didn't know existed Delete your account To permanently delete your Facebook account, you need to head to Facebooks Delete Account page. The site can take up to 90 days to process account deletion requests, but once your account's gone, its gone. You can deactivate your account instead, by going to Security and Login in the Settings menu.

The researchers the malware has infected people in South Korea, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand and Venezuela, but its not far-off for Digmine to reach other countries given the way it propagates.

They have alerted Facebook to the malware.

The social media giant said: We maintain a number of automated systems to help stop harmful links and files from appearing on Facebook and in Messenger. If we suspect your computer is infected with malware, we will provide you with a free anti-virus scan from our trusted partners.

We share tips on how to stay secure and links to these scanners on facebook.com/help.

Weve teamed up with cryptocurrency trading platform eToro. Click here to get the latest Bitcoin rates and start trading. Cryptocurrencies are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No EU investor protection. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
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A transgender man who recently gave birth to his second child after having his first baby while presenting as a woman five years earlier has spoken out about the differences between his pregnancies.

Speaking to the Victoria Derbyshire Show, Kaci Sullivan from Missouri explained why his second pregnancy was so much more enjoyable than his first.

They were very different experiences, for sure, he said. Nothing about my first pregnancy felt hopeful or within my control. My body didnt look anything like I wanted it to.

Recommended Transgender man gives birth after having first child as woman

I was still wrestling with the fact that that was my reality. I hadnt told anybody, I didnt know if I ever would. I was so depressed, I didnt know if Id be able to bond with the baby once I had them.

I was so terrified: Whats my life going to look like? Whats this babys life going to look like?

Sullivan at 37 weeks pregnant (Kaci Sullivan / SWNS.com)

The pregnancy itself was sort of an oopsie pregnancy; I wasnt trying for it. I didnt mean it to happen.

The way I thought about myself and perceived myself was so different. Ive changed a lot in the last five-and-a-half years.

30-year-old Sullivan explained how hed hoped becoming pregnant the first time would make him feel more connected to womanhood, but it didnt.

But during his second pregnancy, as a man, there was none of the anxiousness hed felt the first time.

I wasnt trying to turn it into something it could never be. This time I was trying to make it work for my own expectations, at least a lot more things were in my control. It was an experience I was emotionally prepared for this time, he said.

Sullivan is believed to be the first person in the world to give birth living as both a woman and a man.

In giving birth to his new baby, Phoenix - a healthy child weighing 8lbs 9oz - Sullivan underwent a C-section after seven days in labour.

Phoenix was conceived with Sullivans partner Steven, 27, after Sullivan took a break from male hormones.

The birth comes four years after the business student started his transition from female to male.
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The price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has soared this year to record levels but for some, the bubble has already blown up in their face.

Investors joining the bitcoin craze in December will have seen the value of their investments drop dramatically. Bitcoin tumbled by 30 per cent on Friday to as low as $10,775.

As regulators debate how to handle cryptocurrencies, some people have already lost huge sums of money on bitcoin overnight.

Harvard educated Cameron and Tyler Winkelvoss, also known as the Winkelvoss twins, may feel the biggest hit from bitcoin volatility. Earlier this week their bitcoins were estimated by the New York Times to be worth around $1.3bn, implying that they lost approximately $220m overnight.

The bitcoin billionaires bought 1 per cent of all bitcoin tokens, or 120,000 coins, in 2012 when one coin cost below $10, as reported by the Times. Despite the volatility, the brothers have held their ground on bitcoin.

We are very comfortable in very high-risk environments with absolutely no guarantee of success, Tyler Winklevoss told the New York Times on 19 December. I dont mean existing in that environment for days, weeks or months. I mean year after year.

It's not just bitcoin billionaires feeling the hit. Michael Foote, CEO of insurance comparison website Quote Goat, lost 500 in 24 hours on Thursday.

Bitcoin has lost its meaning  its not the alternative currency it was originally meant to be, Foote said.

The Londoner invested in bitcoin, litecoin and ethereum in September and sold the majority for a 300 per cent profit, but found the last remaining bitcoin transactions delayed and as such, devalued in the latest volatile drop on Thursday.

For the average person like me, bitcoin is always a gamble, he told The Independent. But people are treating it like a punt.

The entrepreneur says hes staying away from bitcoin for now, and may look into alternative cryptocurrencies such as ripple  something with more substance  but only a little more, although he admits that substance isnt the best word for cryptocurrencies at the moment.

Im very heavily against encouraging anyone to invest unless they are happy to lose it all, he said.

[Its] definitely not a get rich quick scheme!

A South African investor admitted on Twitter on Thursday to losing 6,000 Rand (352). Lauren Cohen-Mendozza tweeted: Husband has now lost 200k on Steinhoff. Ive lost 6k on bitcoin.

Weve teamed up with cryptocurrency trading platform eToro. Click here to get the latest Bitcoin rates and start trading. Cryptocurrencies are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No EU investor protection. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
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The value of bitcoin has fluctuated wildly in the past week. After hitting a new high at the beginning of the week of around $20,000 it has now lost around a third of its value after crashing dramatically on Friday. There are several theories as to why this happened.

Herd mentality

The factor most likely to be driving the price down is that people are just simply following what everyone else is doing.

Tech entrepreneur and investor Oliver Isaacs said that the fluctuations were being driven a herd mentality amongst investors.

Just as people feared missing out on the way up, the idea you can actually lose money is also a new emotion investors are experiencing and people, especially retail investors are selling manically on the way down, Mr Isaacs said.

Unlike many other investments, bitcoin is not regulated, so there are no rules in place to stop a full-blown sell off in the event of a market panic.

Flee to safety

Another factor may be that investors are looking to move to less risky investments towards the end of the year.

Bitcoin whale sells stake

Kerim Derhalli, founder and CEO of finace app Invstr, thinks that someone with a large stockpile of bitcoin could have made it available to the market.

This increase in availability could have initially driven prices down, with other holders  especially those that bought at the top of the market  panicked into offloading as a result, Mr Derhalli said.

Competition

Bitcoin is also facing stiff competition from other cryptocurrencies, which aim to improve on aspects of bitcoin.

A lot of the capital is flowing from bitcoin into alt-coins. Companies like Verge and Ripple, have seen cryptocurrency values go up over 400 per cent in the last week, said Mr Isaacs.

However, all major cryptocurrencies experienced big losses on Friday.

Will it continue to fall?

That is impossible to say. Michael Jackson, partner at venture capital firm Mangrove Capital Partners, believes the price will rally.

"The vast majority of long-term holders of bitcoin are still way in the money and have shown no sign of cashing out. We see the exit of short-term speculators and we have seen it before, he said.

The fundamentals are still in place and there is no reason why the bitcoin ecosystem should not continue to develop, he added.

Why has bitcoin been so volatile?

The highly speculative nature of cryptocurrencies and the fact that they are not regulated by any central bank makes them very volatile.

Whereas a central bank stands behind and stabilises traditional currencies, there is no bank, corporation or government acting as a backbone to bitcoin, said Mark Ward, head of trading at Sanlam UK.

This is why the value of cryptocurrencies are so volatile  its value derives from the confidence in the market that tomorrow, the bitcoin will not be worthless, he added.

Hacks

Investors worried about the security of cryptocurrencies can also be scared off by security breaches.

Cryptocurrency exchanges have also faced a number of hacks in recent months.

North Korea is being investigated for possible involvement in a massive cyber-attack on a South Korean currency exchange after hackers stole 17 per cent of its assets.

This sparked a sell-off in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, with prices plunging about 15 per cent in Asian trade before recovering.

Bitcoin recently moved closer towards being seen as a mainstream financial investment after the launch of futures contracts tied to the cryptocurrencys price.

The worlds biggest exchange operator by value, CME Group, launched the futures, which allow traders to bet on the future value of bitcoin. Around $50m (37.4m) of contracts changed hands in the first three hours of trading.

What will happen in 2018?

Many economists believe bitcoin remains a major gamble and there are concerns that the crypotocurrecys value could crash.

If you are thinking of investing in bitcoin it is advisable to make sure you understand bitcoin and what drives the price up or down before committing any money.

You should also be willing to sustain the large losses which could stem from the volatility of the cryptocurrency.

Mr Derhalli said that as cryptocurrencies continue to mature into an asset class of their own, we should see levels of volatility decrease.

However, there is some way to go yet, but investors would be wise to look at the long term picture rather than short-term ups and downs, he said.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

Mr Ward said that the future of cryptocurrencies could depend on whether they receive endorsement from central banks and government and if the price stabilises.

Whether bitcoin falls to near-zero, continues to rise like diamonds have over the past century, or simply holds steady once the market finds the level it can tolerate, is anyones guess at the moment, but it is certainly one to watch as it becomes better understood by the mainstream, he said.

Mr Issacs believes that prices will continue to rise over the next year despite the massive swings.

The top driving factor behind cryptocurrencies price increase, especially in the last few months has been wider mainstream awareness and acceptance, he said.

Many well-known businesses have begun accepting bitcoins as a means of transaction, such as Reddit and Wordpress, as well as a number of online retailers, not to mention the patents filed and domain names registered from billion dollar companies like Apple and Amazon.
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Eric Schmidt will step down as the executive chairman of Googles parent company, Alphabet, the firm announced on Thursday.

Mr Schmidt, 62, will relinquish his role at the next board meeting in January and become a technical adviser to the firm as well as continuing to serve as a director.

No reason was provided for the decision. Mr Schmidt said that he, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as chief executive Sundar Pichai, believe that the time is right in Alphabets evolution for this transition.

The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving, Mr Schmidt said in the statement, referring to the company's ventures outside of its core search business. In recent years, Ive been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work.

It ends a 17-year reign at the top of Google for Mr Schmidt who joined as chief executive in 2001 when the company had just 200 employees.

Alphabet, which was formed when Google restructured its operations in 2015, now has more than 70,000 employees worldwide, and owns Google Search, Maps, Ads, Gmail, Android, Chrome, and YouTube.

He was brought in to guide founders Mr Page and Mr Brin, who were both then in their twenties and has guided the company through its stock market flotation in 2004 and its acquisition of YouTube in 2006. He steps down with the company firmly in place as the undisputed leader in search and online advertising worldwide.

The move signals the shift to a new generation of leaders at Google, including Mr Pichai.

He did a lot of that important public-facing work on behalf of the company, John Battelle, author of 2005 book The Search, a book about Google, told The New York Times.

"At a moment when the world needs to have more conversations with Google about its growing power and influence, my question is not why is Eric stepping down.

Its who is going to fill the void.
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A new species of semi-aquatic spider has been discovered scuttling over corals exposed by the receding tides on an Australian beach.

The spider has been named Desis bobmarleyi in honour of the legendary reggae musician and his song High tide or low tide, by the scientists who discovered it.

Desis bobmarleyi belongs to a family of marine spiders with special behaviours that allow them to survive submersion in water.

An individual of the newly discovered species Desis bobmarleyi on brain coral at low tide (Paul Hoye)

They seem to have adapted to an underwater lifestyle by hiding in air-filled pockets in rock cavities, shells and seaweed.

While the tide is high and the spiders homes are covered by water, they build silk chambers in these pockets to seal themselves inside, allowing them to breath.

Then, at low tide, they emerge from their chambers to feed on small shore-dwelling creatures, which they pierce with their large jaws.

It is partly this behaviour that inspired the unusual name for the new species, but its not the only reason.

Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans  we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA

The song High tide or low tide promotes love and friendship through all struggles of life, said Dr Barbara Baehr, a spider expert at Queensland Museum, who co-authored the study describing the new spider.

It is his music that aided a field trip to Port Douglas in coastal Queensland, Australia, to collect spiders with a highly unique biology.

The description of the species was published in the journal Evolutionary Systematics. Male and female specimens were found living on coral along the shoreline by the Great Barrier Reef.

Recommended Spiders set to invade British homes this winter

The discovery adds to the limited understanding of these spiders, including two of its previously known, but poorly understood, relatives from Samoa and Western Australia.

Dr Mike Gray at the Australian Museum described in a blog post how marine spiders had once been common residents of Sydney harbour, but were relatively unknown now.

Although marine spiders are known from many areas of the Australian coast, it appears that people rarely notice them, wrote Dr Gray.

Expressing concern that sightings of the spiders appeared to have decreased in recent times, he wrote: The worst scenario is that marine spiders are locally extinct in Sydney harbour.
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A 44-year-old man has been charged with murder following the death of a 30-year-old woman in the Aldi store where she worked. Jodie Willsher, described as a lovely mum, died as a result of the injuries she suffered when she was stabbed in the store in Skipton, North Yorkshire.

Neville John Hord, 44, will appear before magistrates in York tomorrow, charged with her murder. North Yorkshire Police said: The suspect was initially detained by brave members of staff and shoppers. He was then arrested by officers who were quickly on scene.

Police paid tribute to members of the public who prevented the suspect from escaping after the attack by pinning him to the ground. The suspect was initially detained by brave members of staff and shoppers. He was then arrested by officers who were quickly on the scene.

The arrest came after Ms Willshers husband Malcolm paid a moving tribute to his wife.

Town of Skipton said to be grieving over the loss of Willsher, who was well-liked in the community (Facebook)

She was lovely and warm and always had a smile on her face. She was amazing, beautiful and a lovely person. She was a doting mother and a loving wife.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

Colin Breslin, regional managing director at Aldi, said she was a much loved and popular colleague, adding that all her co-workers are deeply shocked and saddened by her death.

Matthew Barnes, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: Everyone at Aldi is heartbroken by this devastating news. Our deepest sympathy goes to Jodies family, friends and colleagues.

We are doing everything we can to support our people and all those affected during this difficult time.

The supermarket remained shut as investigators worked on Friday, with police officers, plain-clothed detectives and forensics specialists entering the building.

Half-filled shopping trolleys and items left at check-outs could be seen abandoned after the attack unfolded on Thursday afternoon.

Well-wishers, including some people in tears, left flowers at a police cordon with one card reading: To our dear beautiful sweet friend. We are all broken. Sorry we never got our girls night, here a glass to you.

Another said: Jodie, no words can explain how much you are going to be missed. You were truly one in a million.

Kelly Blagden, a former school friend of Ms Willsher, said she had worked at Aldi since it opened two years ago. Shes a lovely girl, she was so in love [with her husband], she added. They were just the perfect relationship, they were so in love with each other and I just cant believe it really.

Mr Willsher changed his Facebook photo to a smiling picture with his wife and another showing Ms Willsher with their four-year-old daughter.

Writing on Facebook, her cousin Chris Swales paid tribute to the fun loving, caring person. How can life be so cruel, a selfless act by one person has left a husband without a wife and a little girl without her mother? he added.

You werent just my cousin Jodie, you were like the sister I never had and now Im broken youve gone. Be the brightest star in the sky and sleep tight.

Andy Rankine, the mayor of Skipton, said the whole town was in shock and grieving over the loss of Jodie. He added: Skipton is a small but close-knit community where most people know each other.

We are in shock about the sad events of yesterday where a store worker was murdered whilst going about her duties. Christmas this year will an ordeal for many residents.

Recommended Woman stabbed to death at Aldi supermarket

A former school friend of Ms Willsher, who did not want to be named, lay down flowers describing the victim as an absolutely lovely person. I dont know anyone who had a grudge against her, she seemed, lovely, such a nice person, he said.

Theres probably 20,000 people in Skipton and around 5,000 will know her, through school and working at the shop, its that kind of small town. Theres so many people she knew, so many people affected by it. Its shocking, an absolutely lovely person, never do any harm to nobody.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident was not terror-related or believed to be a hate crime.
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A mans rape conviction has been overturned after new Facebook messages emerged in the latest case to spark alarm about the failure to disclose key evidence.

Danny Kay, now 26, had been in prison for four years after a jury at Derby Crown Court found he had raped a 20-year-old woman in 2012.

But he challenged his four-and-a-half year term after newly discovered Facebook messages from the complainant supported his claims the sex was consensual.

The woman said there had been little contact after sex but the full exchange showed otherwise, and three judges at the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction.

They said the messages contradicted the prosecutions case and supported Mr Kays claim their relations were consensual, adding: The applicant was aware prior to and at the time of trial that the Facebook messages exhibited were incomplete and that further messages existed.

Lord Justice Simon, Mr Justice Goss and Judge Walden-Smith said defence lawyers later found the archive of 29 Facebook messages that had been selectively deleted by the complainant.

In consequence, a number of significant and misleading impressions were given in the edited trial version, the judges said, concluding that Mr Kay might not have been convicted had all messages been presented to the court.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 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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

Police seized Mr Kays phone and laptop and he had called on them to access the messages  which had been deleted on the complainants account only  via his Facebook page.

Gaps resulted in the jury being given a misleading impression of a message reading sorry, which was construed as being about the alleged rape.

It was in fact a response to her asking him why he was ignoring her, the judgement said.

The full version of the exchange not only undermined her account but also supported the applicants version.

The edited record supported the womans claims that the only contact after the alleged rape was over the morning after pill, but the full stream showed the pair had chatted.

Lawyers say there could be a slew of further appeals from prosecuted rapists and sexual offenders seeking grounds to argue their convictions were made unsafe by disclosure failures.

The ruling was published on Thursday, as a Conservative MPs chief of staff was acquitted of rape in another case seeing information disclosed late.

Samuel Armstrong, 24, insisted he had consensual sex with a parliamentary worker in his MPs office after a night drinking  a claim supported by a jury at a two-week trial.

Samuel Armstrong was acquitted of all charges ( Victoria Jones/PA) (Victoria Jones/PA Images)

My whole life has been turned upside down. For a year I have not slept or eaten, and I was innocent, he said outside Southwark Crown Court.

Were it not for the fact that crucial evidence was disclosed to my defence team just eight working days before trial, there could well have been yet another miscarriage of justice in this case.

Mr Armstrong, a senior aide to South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay, did not elaborate on the material referred to but the court heard the complainant initially refused to give police access to her mobile phone and medical records.

In messages recovered from her phone, she said she contacted a journalist hours after the alleged attack to secure a sympathetic write-up, while her medical notes revealed details of a history of mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the disclosure of evidence was undertaken properly and in line with our legal obligations in Mr Armstrongs case.

We disclosed additional material to the defence on 30 November  only a day after the police officer in charge and the CPS had first examined it, a statement added.

The trial went ahead on 11 December and it was not suggested by the defence that there was no case for Mr Armstrong to answer at the close of the prosecution case.

The case was left for the jury to decide and we respect their decision.

The Metropolitan Police pointed out that there had been no adverse comment by the judge over its conduct, adding: We are content with the investigation and our disclosure work, which was conducted in liaison with the CPS.

 Liam Allan says rape suspects should have anonymity until proven guilty

Britains largest police force is currently reviewing around 30 live sexual offence and child abuse investigations as a precaution after two rape cases collapsed within a week.

Judges threw out unrelated prosecutions against Liam Allan and Isaac Itiary, with both men acquitted after the discovery of evidence that should have stopped them ending up in court.

A detective involved in both cases has been removed from active investigations as the probe continues, amid a joint inquiry with the CPS into Mr Allans case and separate review of disclosure by the Attorney General.

Police had downloaded the contents of complainants phones but failed to pass on the information they contained to the prosecution or defence, claiming thousands of messages were irrelevant.

Mr Itiary had been charged with the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl but messages showed she had claimed she was 19, while Mr Allans alleged victim had told friends she wanted and enjoyed sex she later reported as rape.

Both men are expected to launch legal action seeking compensation, with their cases sparking debate in the Houses of Parliament amid warnings over the potential miscarriage of justice.

Some lawyers are calling for the responsibility for identifying evidence to be taken away from police officers and passed to the CPS amid claims investigators may be treating material selectively to secure a win.

But the CPS itself was criticised for saying its lawyers work to identify the right evidence to secure a realistic prospect of conviction at court in a statement on Christmas staffing.

Scotland Yard are reviewing all live child abuse and sexual offences allegations (Getty)

After a week of disclosure failures this is your take? replied barrister Matt Stanbury. How about scrutinising all the evidence?

Some have pointed out that the resources needed to comb through entire phone downloads  including 40,000 messages in Mr Allans case  and other digital data are greater than needed for evidence in the past.

A report issued in July by HM CPS Inspectorate and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said even unused items of evidence must be reviewed to see whether it is capable of undermining the prosecution case or assisting the defence case and passed on.

Warning of widespread failures by both police and prosecutors, the authority said officers failing to comply with requirements were often ignorant of their disclosure responsibilities.

Non-compliance with the disclosure process is not new and has been common knowledge amongst those engaged within the criminal justice system for many years, the damning report concluded.

Police officers and prosecutors interviewed by inspectors said they believed limited resources and a lack of time were the main causes, even though long-standing problems predate recent budget reductions.

Requests from the defence caused the material that destroyed the cases against Mr Allan and Mr Azariah to be released and other trials are believed to be on hold after late disclosures.

Campaigners emphasised that false rape allegations are rare in comparison to the publicity they receive, with the crime believed to be severely underreported.
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A shamed royal police officer has avoided jail after he stole a dead woman's pictures to pose online as a 17-year-old girl "for kicks".

Pc Adam Cox, 31, was working in Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection when he created an alter ego called Emily Whitehouse to exchange explicit chat with three men online.

After being asked to send them revealing photographs, Cox found indecent images online of a Canadian woman who committed suicide at the age of 21 and passed them off as "Emily".

Police investigating the online chat raided his home last year, and uncovered a stash of 1,691 indecent and extreme images, with one featuring an infant and others showing children as young as seven.

He told police: "I'm not hoarding images. I have never meant to hurt anyone. I'm not a collector. I've not got a secret stash."

On his Emily persona, Cox said: "It's me. It's not me. It's madness, a way of escaping reality."

Cox, from Windsor in Berkshire, pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of indecent images - 645 of the most serious category A pictures, 201 category B, 449 category C, and 396 extreme pornographic images of bestiality.

He denied encouraging three men to attempt to get indecent images from "Emily" and the charges were ordered to lie on file.

The Old Bailey heard it was impossible for police to establish if the dead woman in the Emily pictures was 16, 17 or 18 when they were taken.

Judge Mark Dennis QC sentenced Cox to 20 months in prison suspended for two years and 250 hours of unpaid work.

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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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He said: "It should be a matter of enduring shame on his part that he engaged in this offending with complete disregard for his oath and responsibility as a serving police officer."

Judge Dennis said Cox had pretended to be a teenage girl "for kicks", adding it was "troubling" that he had yet to come to terms with what it was all about.

Prosecutor Charles Falk said Cox had been working for the Metropolitan Police with responsibility for the security of embassies, Parliament and the royal family.

Mitigating, Nick Yeo said: "He is a man who finds it extremely difficult to articulate his motivation and one can quite understand that because the context is extremely unusual conduct, one might think."

Cox was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sacked following a misconduct review by the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS).

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said: "It is particularly sad and unacceptable that an officer in Pc Cox's trusted position would behave in such a discreditable way.

"He was in possession of a very large number of images of young children. Any conviction is discreditable, one of this nature where the behaviour has meant the abuse of the vulnerable is deeply so.

"Dismissal without notice is the appropriate sanction in these circumstances."

Co-defendants Harry Gibbs, 32, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Andrew Monk, 39, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, and Ajai Shridhar, 46, of Ealing, west London, admitted attempting to possess indecent images of children and were each handed a 12-month community order.

Over two months in spring 2016, Monk pestered "Emily" for pictures, particularly ones of her wearing high-heeled shoes. He posed sexually explicit questions, such as: "Are you a moaner or a screamer?"

Supply teacher Gibbs' chat logs with "Emily" went on between July and September 2015. Even though he believed she was under 18, he tried to set her up on the "Chaturbate" - chat and masturbate - website, the court heard.

He told her she had "real model quality" and advised her that sex was "always big business".

Shridhar asked "Emily" for photos to "cheer" him up as he chatted with her on Skype in February and March last year.

He told her: "Naughty of me to ask, but have you got any pics where you have to wear your school uniform?"

An NSPCC spokesman said: "Behind every indecent image is a child who has been subjected to the most horrific acts in order for this vile material to be produced.

"As a police officer, Cox would have known that by possessing these awful images he has helped to fuel an industry which feeds off children's suffering.

"To tackle this growing problem, the NSPCC is calling on tech companies, government and law enforcement agencies to ensure this type of content is taken down quickly when it does appear online but most importantly that it can't be published in the first instance."

Press Association
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An "unduly lenient" sentence given to double killer Aaron Barley has been increased by the Court of Appeal.

On Thursday, three judges agreed with Solicitor General Robert Buckland that the 30-year minimum term imposed on Barley at Birmingham Crown Court in October was insufficient in "this most exceptional and grave case".

Lord Justice Holroyde, Mrs Justice Whipple and Mr Justice Goose substituted it with a minimum term of 35 years, less time on remand - amounting to 34 years and 178 days before he can be considered for release on licence.

Barley, 24, admitted the savage murders in March of Tracey Wilkinson, 50, and her 13-year-old son Pierce and the attempted murder of Peter Wilkinson, 47.

He was taken into their family home in Stourbridge, West Midlands, and given a fresh chance in life after Mrs Wilkinson spotted him sleeping rough outside a supermarket.

Mr Wilkinson and his daughter Lydia, who was away at university at the time of the attack, were in court in London while Barley watched from prison by video-link.

Barley armed himself with a kitchen knife before repeatedly stabbing Mrs Wilkinson and her son as they slept in their beds.

Mr Wilkinson, who was out walking the dog, was stabbed a number of times on his return and was fortunate to survive.

The sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Carr, told Barley that it was "a vicious and unprovoked attack" on people who had shown him "extraordinary kindness and generosity".

He had shown no remorse, indeed only regret that Mr Wilkinson survived his injuries.

She said she had decided not to impose a whole-life tariff "principally because of your youth".

Lord Justice Holroyde said that the judge was entitled to conclude that the circumstances of the crimes, truly dreadful as they were, did not require a whole-life order.

But, the only significant features of mitigation were Barley's psychological problems - which did not prevent his ability to plan and meticulously carry out the attack - and his admissions.

He added: "The brutality of the stabbings and the terror which the victims must have felt were very grave aggravating features."

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said: "Aaron Barley's attack on the Wilkinson family was a truly despicable crime.

Peter Wilkinson, who attended court with his daughter Lydia, said Aaron had 'destroyed' his family PA

"The Wilkinson family had gone out of their way to help him and he repaid their kindness with a brutal attack which devastated their family.

"My thoughts are with Peter and Lydia Wilkinson particularly and I hope they can find some comfort in the increased sentence today.

Lord Justice Holroyde said that Barley ended two lives but blighted many more.

In very moving personal impact statements, the family had set out their continuing anguish.

Mr Wilkinson had spoken of the "vile, callous, barbaric and cowardly" attack.

He said: "We cared for Aaron, welcomed him, and showed him love and respect, which he had never received anywhere else.

"The repayment was for him to destroy my family for no reason whatsoever."

The judge said that it fell to Lydia Wilkinson to carry out the awful task of identifying her mother and brother.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

"Unsurprisingly, she described that as a memory which will stay with her forever."

He said that the court offered its sympathy to the bereaved.

Detective Chief Inspector Edward Foster, from West Midlands Police homicide team, said: "I am pleased that the original sentence was deemed too lenient and I hope this brings further closure to Peter Wilkinson and his daughter Lydia."

PA
A lorry burst into flames on the M40, causing long delays (Biceser Fire Station)

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Two lorry fires and a closed runway at Bristol Airport caused travel misery on what was dubbed "frantic Friday" three days before Christmas.

The RAC estimated around 11 million separate getaway trips will take place before Christmas Day, with 1.3 million motorists taking to the road.

The M6 and M40 were among the roads worst affected after two separate lorries caught fire on Friday afternoon.

Drivers on the A303, which runs past Stonehenge, were told to expect traffic  last Christmas, drivers experienced 13 hours of tailbacks.

For a run-through of the day's events, check our liveblog below.

Please allow a few moments for the liveblog to load

Meanwhile, a plane coming off the runway at Bristol Airport caused travel disruption for thousands of people embarking on the Christmas getaway.

Twenty-five people were on board the BMI flight from Frankfurt when it left the runway as it was taxiing to the terminal shortly after 11.30am on Friday.

No-one was injured and passengers were taken to the terminal building by coach.
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A move to ban meat from non-stunned animals across schools in Lancashire has been halted after Muslim leaders raised concerns it would create community tensions.

Lancashire County Council made the decision to stop using halal meat in 27 council-run schools in October, saying it was cruel not to stun animals before slaughter.

But the Lancashire Council of Mosques is now seeking a judicial review, claiming the authority did not consult adequately over the decision and warning that they would take the council to court if the ban went ahead.

The council has now said the ban will be put on hold until legal matters are resolved.

The resolution agreed by the council in October stated it recognises and respects the Muslim communitys requirements for their food to comply with their religious beliefs, but that it was concerned that slaughtering animals without stunning them beforehand causes them unnecessary stress and suffering.

As part of the decision, animals would have to be stunned before they are slaughtered in order for the meat to be served in 27 schools in the county which cater for 12,000 children.

But Lancashire Council of Mosques said the decision, which was due to take effect from December, meant the council would stop providing meals in accordance with the universal criteria of halal.

Abdul Hamid Qureshi, acting chief executive of the organisation, told The Independent the vote was disappointing and warned the ban was unnecessary and would be divisive.

He added that neither the Muslim nor Jewish communities had been properly consulted before the resolution was proposed at council.

Its divisive. Lunchtime in schools would become a point of controversy, he said. Muslim children would have to start bringing food from home. People would ask why they dont eat school meals. It would be a continuous debate every day.

We think the decision is wrong, and the proper procedure has not been followed. There are proper protocols on consultation and impact on society. There are real issues in legislative law which were breached in this case.

This is part of our faith, and the county councils lead has imposed his own thinking in saying it is a cruel and abhorrent process. If the council had consulted us about their concerns, we could have discussed it and worked with them. He can have the opinions he likes, but he should have the duty of care.

Lancashire County Council leader Geoff Driver said in response: We are due to put on hold the new contract for supply of halal meat to schools. We will continue to supply halal meat under the terms of the current contract while the legal matters are resolved.

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 attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA

Under UK law, farm animals are to be stunned before slaughter but there are religious exemption for Jews and Muslims.

Halal accreditation agencies are responsible to ensure companies producing halal meat meet the criteria for the appellation but there are no single UK standards for halal meat.

The Halal Food Authority has decreed that stunning cannot be used to kill an animal but it can be used if an animal survives and is then killed by halal methods.
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A legal action to decide if Britain can unilaterally halt Brexit if MPs vote down Theresa Mays withdrawal deal should go ahead, a court has ruled.

The Government will now be required to respond to a petition, brought by a cross-party group of Scottish politicians, after the decision in Edinburgh.

The politicians want the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to rule on whether the UK can halt the Article 50 process without needing the approval of all other 27 EU member states.

Recommended Secret Brexit legal advice could be revealed in Commons vote

The move comes as one of the EUs most senior legal experts boosted the case by arguing the UK could withdraw the exit notification without that consent.

Article 50 is based on the principle that withdrawing from the EU is a unilateral decision. Nobody can force a state to leave, Jean-Claude Piris, former head of the EU councils legal service, wrote on Twitter.

The only condition is that [the] decision is taken in conformity with its constitutional requirements.

Meanwhile, as The Independent reported, MPs will vote next month in an attempt to lift the lid on secret legal advice which is believed to say that Britain could act alone to halt Brexit.

The Prime Minister has been accused of suppressing a formal opinion that Parliament has the power to reverse the Article 50 notice.

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 controversy could be crucial if MPs reject any Brexit agreement she secures in a meaningful vote to take place next year, before the withdrawal process can start.

The signatories to the action, at the Court of Session in the Scottish capital, SNP and Liberal Democrat MPs, MEPs representing the SNP and Labour, and SNP and Green members of the Holyrood Parliament.

 Brexit: Article 50 author says Theresa May is misleading the public on reversing result

The inclusion of Labours two Scottish MEPs, David Martin and Catherine Stihler, adds to party divisions, given Jeremy Corbyns stance that the referendum decision should be respected.

A crowdfunding campaign to meet the legal costs has passed its 50,000 target, with a petition asking the Scottish judges to refer the issue to the ECJ in Luxembourg.

Jolyon Maugham, a QC coordinating the action through his Good Law Project campaign group, said it was right for the UK parliament to have the power to cancel the Brexit process.

It would allow Brexit to be abandoned if the Prime Ministers deal was poor  as well as strengthening her hand in the negotiations in Brussels, he argued.

Mrs May has insisted a rejection of her deal would simply mean Britain crashing out with no deal  insisting the Article 50 process is unstoppable.

But Lord Kerr, a former diplomat and the Article 50 author, argued the British Government could withdraw its letter and stop the process if it wished to.

Separately, the Government is being taken to court over a claim the UK never made the constitutional decision to leave the EU.

A judicial review being filed in the High Court seeks to challenge the legality of the Article 50 notification on the grounds that an Act of Parliament did not ratify the referendum result.
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Boris Johnson has clashed publicly with his Russian counterpart in Moscow, who criticised the Foreign Secretary for his outspoken attacks on Vladimir Putins regime.

Describing relations between the UK and Russia as at a low point Sergei Lavrov said their differences should be aired privately, not to the media.

You prefer to talk about these reasons publicly, whereas we would prefer to talk about our mutual concerns not before a mic and at a tribune, but directly, Mr Lavrov told Mr Johnson.

Later, Mr Lavrov said he did trust Mr Johnson, but he insisted: Honestly I cannot remember any actions of Russia that would have been aggressive towards the UK.

We hear some aggressive statements from London. Despite all that, we have never taken any aggressive measures to reciprocate.

The unusual diplomatic spat came after the Foreign Secretary  before arriving in Moscow  criticised Russia over the war in the Ukraine, its alleged cyber attacks on the West, Syria and the annexation of Crimea.

He warned that Britain is prepared and able to launch retaliatory cyber attacks, if hackers continued to target Western power stations and communication networks, subvert elections and spread fake news.

Mr Johnson  the first UK foreign secretary to visit Russia for five years  has accused Moscow of behaving in a more hostile way towards British interests than at any time since the Cold War.

The visit also comes just one day after it emerged an alleged Russian spy had met Theresa May in Downing Street in July.

Facing Mr Johnson across a conference table at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guest House in Moscow, Mr Lavrov said: It is no secret that right now our relations are at a low point.

Mr Johnson told the Russian foreign minister: As you rightly say, Sergei, things are not easy between us at the moment.

Whatever the difficulties in our relationship  whether over Ukraine, over the western Balkans or what is going on in cyberspace  I agree with you that its important to talk about these things and to be frank about them and accept that they are obstructions in our relationship at the moment.

However, the Foreign Secretary insisted the two countries should not be defined by these problems, insisting they had substantial interests in common.

He pointed to Iran and the need to continue with the Iranian nuclear deal, the imperative to stop North Korea acquiring a nuclear weapon and the need to progress the future for the people of Syria.

Later, Mr Johnson added: We cannot ignore those difficulties. We cannot pretend they do not exist.

And, welcoming increased trade and cultural links between the UK and Russia, Mr Johnson said: Im delighted to say that there are increasing exports of British kettle crisps to Russia and 300 Bentleys have been sold this year in Russia  not, I believe necessarily to employees of the Foreign Ministry but nonetheless a sign of progress.

Mr Johnsons jibe at the possibility of imported luxury cars being snapped up by Russian state officials prompted a silent laugh from Mr Lavrov.

This week, Mr Johnson described Russia as closed, nasty, militaristic and anti-democratic and said it could not be business as usual.

But he is seeking improved co-operation on issues of global security, including preserving the Iranian nuclear deal and countering the threat to stability from North Korea.
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The Government is facing a High Court challenge over the legality of Article 50, in a case it is claimed could bring Brexit negotiations to a halt.

A judicial review being filed in the High Court on Friday contends the UK never made the constitutional decision to leave the EU.

Campaigners argue the referendum result was not ratified by an act of Parliament, which they claim means the triggering of Article 50 is invalid.

While the wording of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 gave Theresa May the authority to trigger Article 50, activists say the act does not explicitly state that Parliament makes the decision to leave the bloc.

In an earlier case brought by Gina Miller, the Supreme Court established the referendum result was not a constitutionally binding decision to leave the EU and that only an act of Parliament could make that decision.

Campaigners bringing the case to the High Court claim if they are successful, the Article 50 notification could be nullified and negotiations halted until Parliament votes on an act to recognise the referendum result to leave the bloc.

 Brexit could be delayed in 'exceptional circumstances', Theresa May admits

A crowdfunding campaign raised more than 111,000 to launch the legal challenge, with nearly 3,900 people donating to the case.

Elizabeth Webster, a 54-year-old small business owner who ran as a Liberal Democrat candidate for North Swindon in the 2017 General Election, is spearheading the case.

Speaking to The Independent, she said: We need to get people to see whats going on. This is not about stopping Brexit, but if we are to leave the EU then it needs to be done in a lawful and orderly way.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

Ms Webster warned that ignoring the proper legal process for Article 50 to be triggered would bring consequences almost too grave to contemplate.

She added that any divorce deal and post-Brexit trade deals negotiated with the EU could be struck down if Article 50 was found to be invalid.

Whether you are for or against Brexit, we believe it is a democratic scandal that the public and Parliament have been misled by Ms May, David Davis and others. It is an abuse of our constitution, she said.

If we fudge through this one what will we be fudging through next time?

Ms Webster said her decision to lead the case was not taken lightly and admitted that her family was worried about her security. I realise that a lot of people are going to be hating me for this, she said.

The group of activists, led by Ms Webster and represented by Hugh Mercer QC  who chairs the Brexit Working Group of the Bar  and Gwion Lewis, is calling on the courts to make Parliament vote on a new act which would ratify the result of the EU referendum, or call for a second referendum which in turn would be ratified by MPs in the Commons.

The legal argument setting out the alleged invalidity of Article 50 is not new. In an article for Counsel magazine, barrister David Wolchover previously described the letter giving notice of the UKs intention to leave the EU as an illusion and wrote that Ms Mays triggering of Article 50 was a non-event with no legal basis.

Earlier this year, Baroness Eluned Morgan, the Shadow minister for Wales in the House of Lords, said in a plenary session that the Withdrawal Act did not actually notify the EU of the UKs decision to leave the union.

She warned this technical flaw could make it vulnerable to a challenge in court.

Separately, architect Steve Lawrence, who lives between London and Amsterdam, warned Downing Street, Commons Speaker John Bercow, Attorney General Jeremy Wright, the Queen and the European Commission of the risk of the invalidity of the Withdrawal Act, in a series of letters seen by The Independent.

Downing Streets office confirmed receiving Mr Lawrences letters and a petition is also being considered by the European Parliament.

 Simon Calder explains what will be different about your passport after Brexit

Mr Lawrence, who supports the Article 50 challenge, accused the Government of using the crown prerogative to circumvent Parliament.

He told The Independent: Our parliamentary democracy has been turned upside down. The so-called will of the people has been used to beat MPs into submission in passing an act they did not have to pass. This challenge is an attempt to restore our parliamentary democracy.

The latest legal challenge comes after Ms May faced an embarrassing defeat in the Commons at the hands of Tory rebels with the Government forced to accept changes to its Withdrawal Bill to guarantee Parliament a meaningful final vote on any Brexit deal.

Weakened by two departures from her Cabinet in less than two months, Ms May was prepared to climbdown on her promise to enshrine the Brexit date of 29 March 2019 into UK law, shying away from another confrontation with Tory rebels.

The Department for Exiting the European Union said: This is a matter for the court. It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on ongoing proceedings.
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The Houses of Parliament could experience a Grenfell Tower-style disaster unless urgent repair work is carried out, according to the outgoing top official in the House of Lords.

David Leakey  known as Black Rod in Westminster  is standing down after seven years in the role as the senior official responsible for maintaining order in the upper chamber.

But in an unprecedented intervention upon leaving the post, Mr Leakey urged politicians to strop dragging out a decision on the full-scale overhaul of the Palace of Westminster in order to avoid a potential catastrophe.

I know what the risk are here, he told the House magazine. Knowing the detail that the expert recommendation is that you should do this quick and now, not slowly over time in phases.

I know that is necessary in order to prevent another Grenfell Tower happening here. And thats the point.

Mr Leakey said that if politicians did not learn the lessons of the Grenfell Tragedy, which claimed 71 lives, the Westminster building could burn down just like it did in 1834 when there was a decade of delay and procrastination about how or when to refurbish the building.

Recommended Grenfell fire survivors left out of major safety review after disaster

He added: We will again be accused of sitting on our hands. What an embarrassment and a disgrace it would be to our nation if our Parliament suddenly disintegrated in a puff of asbestos because the steam pipes burst in the cavities around this building and the electricity and the IT infrastructure went with them.

Warning there could be a major fire and loss of life, he continued: The state of the fabric of this building is a red risk - the highest risk you can have in your risk register in terms of the likelihood of something happening, and of the impact of the consequences.

Mr Leakey said a Grenfell dynamic was making some politicians hesitant about spending huge sums of money of renovating Parliament.

This is a national, global, iconic building. It has got to be either knocked down and rebuilt, or it has to be preserved because it is so iconic, and that is the decision that has been taken - the right one, I think.

Speaking as a taxpayer, on that assumption, there is only one option, and that is doing it quickly and in the most economical way and that should be the end of the matter.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

The politicians have a more difficult problem. They will see it from the perspective of what is described as 'the Grenfell dynamic - if we couldn't spend a few million on the cladding of a residential tower block, why should we be spending billions - and it will be billions - on refurbishing the Parliament of this country?'

This seems an unequal and disproportionate use of the taxpayers' money, and I really understand that Grenfell perspective and the dilemma in which the politicians find themselves too.

So, here is the decision that politicians have got to take. They have got to find the courage to take a decision, the right decision, and stand by it, and justify it, and that will take some courage.

Everybody probably has a finite pool of courage and you can exhaust your courage.

I understand, therefore, that with so many tough current political issues on their plates, politicians need to pick carefully in which priorities to invest their courage."
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Theresa May has denied knowing last year about allegations of inappropriate behaviour by her former deputy Damian Green towards a young Tory activist.

Writer Kate Maltby said she had warned Downing Street about the former First Secretary of States pattern of behaviour towards women in 2016, after she claimed he had made unwanted advances towards her.

Her accusations triggered a Whitehall investigation into Mr Greens conduct, which eventually led to him being sacked from the Cabinet for making misleading statements about pornography found on his Commons computer.

However the Prime Minister told reporters on a trip to Cyprus that she did not know the allegations until she read about them in a newspaper article.

She said: I first learnt of these allegations when Kate Maltby wrote about them in The Times.

I recognise that Kate Maltby was obviously extremely distressed by what has happened. Damian Green has recognised that. He said that in the letter that he wrote to me.

He has apologised and I think thats absolutely the right thing to do.

 Damian Green leaves home and refuses to comment after porn sacking

Ms Maltby originally claimed he fleetingly touched her knee during a meeting in a pub in 2015, and a year later sent her a suggestive text message after she was pictured wearing a corset in a newspaper. Mr Green has always disputed the claims.

She now alleges that she told a Downing Street aide about her claims against Mr Green in September 2016, and she was informed it was part of a pattern of behaviour, and that the Prime Minister knows.

She told The Daily Telegraph: I would never, never have told my story about Damian Green if I did not believe I was exposing a pattern of behaviour of which I thought the Prime Minister was personally aware.

In a separate interview with the BBC, she said: The reason that I didnt tell many people about the first encounter, the encounter which I felt the political mentorship, or even a job in the Conservative Party, was being offered at the same time as a sexual suggestion.

The reason I didnt tell many people then, except my parents, is that I wondered if it was a one-off ... and, eventually, I spoke to a very senior and long-serving aide of Theresa May.

Asked if she had told the Cabinet Office investigation, headed by senior civil servant Sue Gray, that Downing Street was aware there was an issue with Mr Greens behaviour towards women, Ms Maltby said: I gave evidence to the inquiry, as soon as I sat down with Sue Gray, that, to the best of my knowledge, Downing Street was aware.

But this whole story has been about power imbalances. This whole story is about power.

Damian Green became a very, very powerful person. I was aware that there seemed to be ... an improper mixing of mentorship and sexual advance within the Conservative Party.

In his case I was aware that he was the Deputy Prime Minister and I was aware that No 10 knew about it.

I wrote about the problem of sexual harassment in Westminster because I knew it was a persistent problem ... but, I also knew of similar experiences with many other people in Westminster across all parties.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

A Downing Street source said: The Cabinet Office conducted a thorough investigation into a number of allegations about Damian Green. The inquiry findings were published yesterday.

The PM has made it clear that everyone should be able to work in politics without fear or harassment  that is why she has brought forward a new Code of Conduct for the Conservative Party, and set up a cross-party working group to make recommendations about the Houses of Parliament.

The report said it was not possible to reach a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of Mr Greens behaviour with Kate Maltby in early 2015, though the investigation found Ms Maltbys account to be plausible.

Leaving office on Wednesday, Mr Green said: I deeply regret the distress caused to Kate Maltby following her article about me and the reaction to it.

I do not recognise the events she described in her article, but I clearly made her feel uncomfortable and for this I apologise.
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A former CIA official has said that US President Donald Trumps threat to cut foreign aid over the United Nations vote on Jerusalem is akin to diplomatic prostitution.

The scathing criticism came from Phil Mudd, the former director of the CIAs Counterterrorist Centre.

He appeared on CNN and said: We are telling people, Unless you vote with us, were not going to give you money. And if your heart doesnt agree with American policies, were not going to support you in terms of US aid.

The UN had voted 128-9 to make the US decision to recognise the Holy City as the capital of Israel null and void.

It is a non-binding vote, but seen more as a symbolic message from the world to the Trump administration about breaking over 50 years of diplomatic policy towards Israel and disputed territory with Palestinians.

Speaking to members of his cabinet ahead of the vote, Mr Trump said: For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us.

 Donald Trump threatens to cut 'billions of dollars' of aid to countries over UN Jerusalem vote

Were watching those votes. Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care, Mr Trump said.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley echoed the sentiment at the UN just ahead of the vote the the US will remember the countries that voted yes, against the Americans.

She noted that the US is the single largest contributor to the world body but this vote could change that.

In 2016, the US contributed approximately $13bn (9.7bn) in economic and military assistance to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and $1.6bn to states in East Asia and Oceania, according to the US Agency for International Development.

Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Show all 22 1 /22 Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of Difa-e-Pakistan Council a coalition of right wing Islamic parties, burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump, during a protest in Quetta, Pakistan EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli police scuffle with a Palestinian protester outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn pictures of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu following Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces disperse Palestinian protesters outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on 7 December 2017 AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organization, chant slogans as they burn Israeli and US flags during a protest against Donald Trump in Peshawar REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinians paint an 'X' over the face of a picture of US president Donald J. Trump which was painted on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors burn the Israeli flag and a poster of US President Donald Trump in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party rally against Donald Trump in Lahore AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn the US and Israeli flags in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A poster depicting U.S. President Donald Trump is burnt during a protest against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Ramallah REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces detain a Palestinian protester during clashes that followed protests against US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters shout slogans against Donald Trump EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A Palestinian protester wears a Guy Fawkes mask used by the anonymous movement during clashes with Israeli troops in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops during protests AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party chant anti-American slogans during a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistanis burn a representation of the U.S. flag during a protest rally in Hyderabad AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Young Palestinian women look on as smoke billows from burning tyres as fellow Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops AFP/Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protesters burn a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump at a protest in Islamabad REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protestors shouts slogans against US President Donald Trump as they hold Palestinian and Turkish flags during a protest near the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors put their feet over a picture of US president Donald Trump during a protest in the West Bank City of Nablus EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistani protesters burn tires at an anti-Donald Trump rally in Multan AP

Mr Mudd said to remember, this isnt just about aid, using the US-Egypt relationship as an example.

Egypt voted yes and Mr Mudd said one of the reasons that the president has developed a relationship with President Sisi of Egypt is that he is so aggressive against the version of ISIS that is operating Egypt. Do you think [Mr Trump is] going to get on the phone and say because of one vote thats non-binding in the UN were going to back down on our partnership with you as you kill ISIS partners in Egypt?

Mr Mudd said he does not believe there will be any reprisal against Egypt or any of the other 127 countries that voted yes.

The Americans arent going to do it, and the presidents not going to back it up, he said.

However, UN expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations told The Independent that the US will probably make some token aid cuts, but if [Mr Trump] really slashes assistance to scores of countries, he will just weaken US influence further.

After the vote, Ms Haleys only public response has been the announcement of a friendship party for all the nine countries that voted no with the US, the 35 countries that abstained from voting, and the 21 countries that were not present for the vote.

The White House nor Mr Trump have responded to the vote as yet.
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Mexican authorities are investigating the murders of six people, four of whom were hung from highway overpasses, near the twin beach destinations of Los Cabos in Baja California Sur state.

The state's murder rate of 50 per 100,000 residents now ranks third in Mexico, trailing only Colima and Guerrero. Violence has surged over the past three years as the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels battle for territory in the state.

The bodies were found early on Wednesday hanging from three overpasses, two of which were above highways running to the airports in La Paz and Los Cabos, raising the question of whether organised crime was specifically trying to hurt the tourism sector, which generates about 90% of the economic activity in Los Cabos.

These were the first known cases of bodies hung from bridges, a public terror tactic seen in other cities such as Nuevo Laredo and Mexico City. The killings raised fears that cartel violence could affect tourism as it has to devastating effect in Acapulco in Guerrero state.

On Thursday, Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of Los Cabos Tourism Board, tried to allay those fears saying that the public and private sectors have invested heavily in security.

We are confident that the destination will remain safe, Mr Esponda said.

He outlined several measures taken in Los Cabos in recent months to confront the violence: creation of a rapid response network to share information among hotels and businesses about security issues; expansion of surveillance cameras to 250 by the end of year from the current 40; construction of a new marine base as the military presence expands; formation of a hotel security committee to discuss security measures; and, implementation of international security training protocols for hotels and businesses.

Mr Esponda said that tourist visits were up 16% despite the fact that the state's murder rate has doubled this year. According to federal government statistics, investigations into more than 400 murders between January and October have been opened.

State prosecutor Daniel de la Rosa Anaya said the four bodies were discovered before dawn in three different locations: La Paz, San Jose de Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. The victims had not been identified.

In many cases, the violence has been focused away from Baja California Sur's tourist enclaves, but there have been exceptions. In July, the bodies of three people were found shot inside a car in the car park of a condominium in Cabo San Lucas' hotel zone.

In August, there was a shoot-out at the entrance to crowded Playa Palmilla, a popular beach next to San Jose del Cabo. Three men were killed and two people were wounded.

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

In October, the US State Department issued a warning that included Los Cabos, noting that bystanders had been wounded in daytime shootings.

The Caribbean beaches around Cancun have also been impacted by shootings this year.

AP
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Five-year-old TyLon Pittman was watching YouTube videos of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in his home in Mississippi when he suddenly became afraid.

He reached for the house phone and called 911 to report an urgent tip.

I just want to tell you something. Watch for that little Grinch. Because the Grinch is gonna steal Christmas, OK? TyLon said on the 911 call, which was posted on the Clarion-Ledger website.

The 911 dispatcher asked the child if he was home alone. His father quickly came to the phone and apologised for son's call to the police in Byram, Mississippi.

No, no it's fine, the 911 dispatcher said with a laugh. He called in saying the Grinch was trying to steal his Christmas.

TyLon's brother and mother were out shopping when it happened, and learned about it two hours later when there was a knock on the door about 9pm on Saturday.

TyLon's brother, TeDera Graves, a senior airman in the Air Force, answered the door and saw a police officer standing there.

I cracked the door and saw the uniform and she explained to me, 'I'm looking for a little boy who was watching The Grinch?'  said Graves, 25. We called him out and he explained to her what happened.

The officer told Graves that normally police don't respond to these kinds of calls. Graves grabbed his phone and started recording as the officer told TyLon that she'd protect him from the Grinch.

She said she thought it was the cutest thing, Graves said. She wanted to pay him a visit to let him know his Christmas will be safe.

Then the police department took it a step further.

They invited TyLon and his family to tour the police station on Monday. When the five-year-old arrived, they surprised him with a real-life Grinch (really someone dressed in a Grinch costume) who was in a police car. They told TyLon to lock him up.

TyLon took the Grinch by his hand and put him in a holding cell and locked the door. The boy then reluctantly let him out, and the Grinch commended TyLon on his bravery.

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

Graves said that even before this happened, TyLon wanted to be a police officer, and that he does even more so now. Graves described his brother as an outgoing kindergartner who regularly makes his family laugh.

Graves said his family has enjoyed the attention the 911 call has brought, and thinks the whole episode is pretty amusing.

We thought it was funny, we were shocked he actually did it, Graves said. But we had a talk with him about when it's OK to call 911.

The Washington Post
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Police in California have launched a manhunt after a rash of seemingly random shootings targeting vehicles during the morning and evening commutes.

Sheriffs officials in the states sprawling agricultural heartland say theyve received 10 different reports in the last week of drivers being sprayed with bullets since the end of November.

No one has yet been killed and only one person has been injured  likely by shrapnel. But Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims warned that, given the frequency of the shootings, if this keeps going, its going to be a matter of time before we have a murder investigation.

All of the shootings have occurred over several square miles on the outskirts of the city of Kerman, a rural community of some 14,000 people, and they bear a common pattern: During morning or evening commuting hours, drivers joining the flow of people to or from work hear shots as another car rushes past in the other direction.

We have not determined what a motive is or could be for these shootings, Ms Mims said. They all appear to be completely random.

This is a cowardly act, she added.

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

Based on first-hand accounts from victims, authorities have pieced together a description of the suspected vehicle. They are on the lookout for a dark-coloured pick-up truck with oversized tyres.

As they work to solve the apparently arbitrary shootings, authorities have increased the reward for leads to $3,000 (2,240). The search has marshalled sheriffs offices in two counties and members of the California Highway Patrol.

Efforts to gather useful information have been stymied so far by a tendency of affected drivers to wait until they get home from their commutes, Ms Mims said, or in some cases longer. She urged anyone whose car is fired on to contact authorities swiftly.

What Im asking the public to do is if this happens to you, to get to a place of safety first and then call 911 and let us know as soon as possible that this has happened, Ms Mims said.

Recommended Guns have killed more Americans in last 50 years than all US wars

She asked people to stay alert to the possibility that they could be affected.

As vehicles pass each other is when these shootings are occurring, and many times the victims think maybe another vehicle has thrown up a rock, she said. However, were asking that you think twice about that and it could be something more.

Road shootings have plagued other communities over the years. A series of incidents known as the I-10 shootings unfolded on highways around Phoenix, Arizona, in 2015, with numerous vehicles incurring bullet damage. A suspect was named but charges were later dropped.

A string of shootings in the Washington DC area in 2002 had more deadly results. Ten people died and three suffered critical injuries as John Allen Muhammad and his teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, opened fire on cars, terrifying the region and injecting danger into simple acts like stopping at a petrol station.

Muhammad was ultimately executed. Earlier this year a federal judge threw out two life sentences handed to Malvo because he was a juvenile at the time of the crimes.
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A discharged Marine has been arrested for allegedly planning to bomb a busy San Francisco tourist destination over Christmas in the name of Isis.

In an affidavit, an FBI agent who built the case against Everitt Aaron Jameson describes how the suspect espoused radical jihadi beliefs, liking pro-Isis posts and eagerly communicating with undercover agents he believed to be representatives of Isis.

He has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.

Today, our incredible law enforcement officers have once again helped thwart an alleged plot to kill Americans, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

After suggesting to an undercover agent something along the lines of New York or San Bernardino, an apparent reference to a pair of terrorist attacks conducted by Isis sympathisers, Mr Jameson suggested planting a bomb at Pier 39, according to the affidavit.

He allegedly targeted the destination because he had been there before and knew that it was a heavily crowded area, the affidavit says, and asked for bomb-making components and an assault rifle.

The affidavit also says he suggested Christmas Day and said he did not need an escape plan because he was prepared to die.

As he was communicating with the undercover agent and formulating plans for an attack, Mr Jameson reportedly showed that he believed he was in touch with Isis leadership. The agent represented himself as serving Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

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

According to the affidavit, when authorities conducted a search of Mr Jamesons home they found a note that pledged fidelity to the terrorist cause and proclaimed Long live Isil.

Youve allowed Donald J Trump to give away Al Quds to the Jews, the note allegedly said, using an Arabic name for Jerusalem, adding that these acts will continue until the Lions of Islam overtake you.

While the Marine Corps ultimately discharged Mr Jameson for failing to disclose that he suffered from asthma, he was still able to earn a sharpshooter qualification and offered his expertise with rifle marksmanship in a potential assault, according to the affidavit.

In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, the FBIs regional office said there is no specific or credible threat to the Bay Area.
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An elderly couple is facing felony charges in Nebraska after police pulled them over and discovered the unwrapped Christmas presents they planned on delivering to their friends and family in Vermont and Boston were actually just 60 pounds of marijuana.

Patrick Jiron, 80, and Barbara Jiron, 83, were on their way east from their home in northern California to visit family for the holidays when they were pulled over by sheriff deputies in York County, Nebraska. The deputies, after catching the whiff of the strong scent of marijuana, say that they asked the driver about the smell, and were told that there was contraband in the truck.

After receiving consent for a search, the deputies took a look around the Toyota Tacoma and eventually  with the help of the countys canine unit  found all of the bud, alongside multiple containers of concentrated THC.

They said the marijuana was for Christmas presents, Lieutenant Paul Vrbka told the York News-Times. The marijuana reportedly has a street value of over $300,000, according to the sheriffs department.

Mr Jiron faces felony charges for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, and for lacking drug tax stamps for the weed (the sheriff's department told The Independent that Ms Jiron was not arrested). In Nebraska, the law requires marijuana dealers to buy drug tax stamps to prove that the states relevant taxes have been paid.

A sheriff's department employee told The Independent that Mr Jiron was released from custody Wednesday.

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

Marijuana is not legal in Nebraska, neither for medical nor recreational uses. The state legislature has seen attempts to legalise marijuana for medical purposes, but the most recent iterations of that effort havent been voted on, though they did get several hours worth of debate.

More and more states have legalised marijuana in recent years, and 29 states have legal weed in some form or another on the books. So far, seven states plus the District of Columbia that have legalised marijuana for recreational uses
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It was one of the peculiar features of the Abbey Inn: A couple might spend a holiday there in a romantic suite surrounded by southern Indiana woods - and never meet another soul.

No other guests, sometimes. No full-time staff. Often no clerk. Your stay is private, read the now-defunct hotel website in the spring of 2016. You may not see another person.

The place looked pretty to Katrina Arthur. From the outside, the Abbey seemed to fit its name, a little forest sanctuary, painted white like a church. So she and her husband booked a weekend getaway in March last year. Then they found out what lay beyond the surface.

A deception lawsuit submitted last week by the state of Indiana against the hotel's owner claims that Arthur never got to see a thick policy document that listed certain other peculiarities about the Abbey.

We hope you enjoy your stay with us, read a page buried deeper on the website, beyond the pretty pictures of flowers and white walls. However, occasionally things do go wrong.

The power breakers sometimes tripped at night, for example, and no staff members were there to restore the power until morning. There were no phones in the suites.

There sometimes were swarms of lady bugs, and flying roaches liked to gather around the hot tubs. Please remember you are coming to the woods! read the page that Arthur said she never saw.

And it offered an unusual warning, which is now the basis of the state's lawsuit: Guests had best be careful what they said about the hotel's problems. Because the Abbey Inn had ways to punish them.

The Abbey sits off a state road in Brown County, near the gate to a state forest. Guests often arrive to find no staff at all, the state wrote in its lawsuit - just a packet waiting for them with the room keys.

But when the couple arrived from two counties over last spring, they did have a meeting with an employee, if a fleeting one. Finally came to desk, Arthur wrote in her complaint letter to the state. Had me sign receipt for $230 for the room, then left.

She never saw the clerk again, according to the lawsuit. And things started to go wrong as soon as the couple walked into the room.

Smelt like sewer, Arthur wrote in her complaint. The air conditioning didn't work, either. We started checking the sheets and the bed, she told the ABC affiliate RTV. I found hairs, dirt.

She went to the desk to complain, according to the lawsuit, but no one was there. Arthur found no employees in the hotel at all, according to the lawsuit. Nor did anyone answer when she phoned an after-hours number.

So, Arthur said, she cleaned the room herself. And then, with nothing else to do, she and her husband hunkered down for the night, with the strange odour.

When they woke the next day, they still found the desk deserted. So they put their room key in a drop box and got away from the Brown County woods. Only later, according to the state's lawsuit, did the Abbey contact the couple.

It came as an email, asking Katrina Arthur to leave a review online. As it turns out, what she would term her nightmare experience had not been entirely unique.

Hair on the wall, read a review posted that same March on bedandbreakfast.com. The power went out twice.

It is basically a run-down cabin someone had written the previous year. And in 2011: The sewage smell emitting from the bathroom was horrible, but it didn't seem to bother the insects and spiders.

These disturbing anecdotes were heavily outnumbered by guests who found the Abbey charming and its rustic solitude endearing. But as the state now argues in its lawsuit - and as Arthur found out - there may be a reason for that.

Her own review was scathing, she told RTV. I was honest; I wanted people to know.

The next month, she got a letter from a man named Andrew Szakaly. The state's lawsuit says he described himself as the hotel's attorney, when he was in fact its owner and operator. The letter claimed that Arthur's review was false and had caused irreparable injury to the Abbey, and it said that Szakaly would sue for libel unless Arthur took it down.

That scared me to death, Arthur told RTV. So she deleted the review. She said she checked her bank statement a few days later and found that the hotel had charged her an extra $350 anyway.

That punishment was laid out in the policy document that the state says no one ever showed to Arthur: Guests agree that if guests find any problems with our accommodations, and fail to provide us the opportunity to address those problems while the guest is with us, and/or refuses our exclusive remedy, but then disparages us in any public manner, we will be entitled to charge their credit card.

And that's why, after Arthur wrote to the attorney general's office asking for help getting her $350 back, the state is now suing.

Claiming that the Abbey's owner deceived Arthur, the state is seeking more than $5,000 in damages from Szakaly and an injunction that would prevent the Abbey from oppressively one-sided or harsh rules.

Szakaly told The Washington Post that he's owned the hotel for nearly two decades and had good reason for a policy the state calls harsh. Several years ago the inn began to experience what has become known in the hospitality industry as 'social media blackmail,' Szakaly wrote in a statement. A guest would complete their stay, leave without making any complaints regarding their stay, then later demand a refund or they would post negative comments regarding the inn on social media.

He called Arthur a disgruntled guest who had failed to raise any complaints during her stay, though he did not address her claim that she could find no one to raise them with.

Szakaly also noted that the $350 punishment policy ended several months after Arthur's stay. Since then, a new manager has been operating the hotel with plans to eventually buy it.

The new manager is Amanda Sweet, who answered the phone right away when The Washington Post called the hotel. Sweet said she and her husband had been working for a year to fix the place up.

Guests were no longer punished for complaining, she said. We want to know what we did right and what we did wrong.

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

But she acknowledged there was only so much that could be done about some of the Abbey's peculiarities - the swarms of ladybugs, for example, or the sulphur-smelling creek that some guests might mistake for sewage.

As for the unstaffed lobby, she said, it's now a feature of the hotel. There's no front desk at all anymore. Guests get a key code to check in and can text housekeeping if they need anything.

The guests, don't want to see anyone, Sweet said. They want to enjoy each other's company.

The Washington Post
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They call they porch pirates - people who cash in on the popularity of online shopping and the resulting large number of packages that get delivered and left outside peoples doors.

Presumably, the people who stole a package that had been delivered and left outside the home of four-year-old Austin Taylor did not realise what they were taking - a three-month supply of life-saving medicine he needs to stop his body rejecting a transplanted kidney.

Either way, the package containing medicine worth $5,000 was taken from outside his home in Riverdale, Utah, a week before Christmas. If was the first time the drugs had been been stolen off the porch.

The boys father, Cody Taylor, told NBC that he received a notification that a new dose of medicine had been delivered.

Usually as I get that, I expect to see the boxes as I pull up, but there was nothing there, Mr Taylor said.

Very quickly, he realised the package had been stolen and he panicked that the insurance company would not cover the cost of replacing it.

Luckily my SUV is paid off. I was prepared to take out a loan and pay for the medication outright, Mr Taylor said.

Thieves use forklift to steal ATM

As it was, his insurance company did pay for new medicine and Mr Taylor said he was been overwhelmed by the support he received from the community.

One company, called The Porch Locker, donated a lock box for the little bodys medication to be delivered to in the future.

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 youngster was born with a host of both defects and doctors were unsure about how long he would live.

When he turned four over the summer, his father wrote a message on Facebook about his sons tenacity.

1,461. It may seem like an odd number to post on Facebook. But this number holds more meaning to our family then you realise. This is the number of days Austin has gone beyond the doctors life expectancy, he wrote.

1,461 days full of smiles trials and accomplishments, of progress and setbacks, of tears, fear and hope. 1,461 days of being thrown up on. All the trials seem so small when we look at what he has done. He is taking, walking and eating - three things the doctors said he would never do. He watches and learns, and tries so hard to normal. This has been our smoothest year yet, with so much to look forward to. Happy 4th Birthday my son, my little hero.

His message for the people who stole his sons medicine was blunt.

You don't know who you're hurting by your actions, he said. It could range from ruining someones Christmas to threatening someone's life. You just never know.
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You know it must be Christmas.

Having notched up his first legislative achievement in the form of a major tax cut, Donald Trump has offered an olive branch to Democrats, predicting they will be soon be working with him for the good of the country.

No Democrats voted for the Presidents tax plan, which was widely criticised for benefiting wealthier Americans and corporations. Yet Mr Trump has predicted Republicans and Democrats could be allies in the New Year.

At some point, and for the good of the country, I predict we will start working with the Democrats in a Bipartisan fashion, he wrote.

Infrastructure would be a perfect place to start. After having foolishly spent $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is time to start rebuilding our country.

To this point, Mr Trump has been inconsistent in his willingness or desire to work with the Democrats, as the Republicans control both houses of congress and the White House.

 'We can say Merry Christmas again' declares Donald Trump

In September, he held a highly-publicised and controversial White House dinner with Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to try and come up with a solution to the Republicans wish to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, which had been introduced under Barack Obama to allow young immigrants to remain in the country without being deported.

In the end, Mr Trump allowed the programme but gave congress a six-month window to save the scheme.

The President was to meet again with the two Democratic leaders in November to discuss ways to avoid a government shutdown. In the end, Mr Trump resorted to insults on Twitter, with both sides blaming each other if there was a federal shutdown, something that was ultimately avoided.

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

If Mr Trump is serious about working with the Democrats, improving the countrys infrastructure would be a good place to start. Surveys show that there is widespread public support for investment in Americas crumbling transport, sewage systems and housing.

Indeed, such is the level of support among members of both parties that many had assumed that a major infrastructure investment bill would have been one of the Presidents priorities in his first 100 days in office, rather than wasting political capital trying to scrap Obamacare, which had been one of his predecessors landmark successes.

In April, in an interview with the New York Times, it appeared Mr Trump was aware of this.

Infrastructure is so popular that I might want to use it for another bill, he said. Infrastructure is so popular with the Democrats and pretty popular with the Republicans. A lot of Republicans want infrastructure, too.

He added: I did great in real estate in New York. I know all the developers. I know all of the folks. I know the good ones and the bad ones. And Im setting up a commission of very smart people that know how to spend money properly. That know how to build on time, on budget. And ideally, under time and under budget.
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Averting a government shutdown, Congress has passed a short-term spending bill that defers decisions on key issues.

Budget brinkmanship has become routine in Washington, and this year was no different; with a Friday deadline approaching, representatives approved a stopgap that will fund the government until mid-January.

They had last cobbled together a temporary extension two weeks ago.

The measure left unresolved disputes around immigration, surveillance and an imperilled childrens health insurance program.

Despite Democrats pushing hard for a deal, there was no agreement on replacing an initiative known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or Daca, that allowed young immigrants in the country illegally to secure work permits and deportation reprieves.

The bill temporarily extends a warrantless surveillance program authorised under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act  powers that continue to be embroiled in a congressional debate over privacy and civil liberties.

A lapsed health insurance programme that offers coverage to millions of low-income children will be funded until March, with Congress unable to strike a long-term settlement for a popular initiative whose funding expired in September.

Disagreement over military spending also helped thwart a longer-term agreement. Republicans pushed legislation that would have allocated a years worth of defence spending but only funding other programmes for four weeks, drawing objections from Democrats who said the measure unfairly privileged the military over other needs.

The government last suffered a shutdown in 2013, when Republicans refused to approve funding without language that undercut Barack Obamas healthcare law.

The shutdown lasted for more than two weeks until they agreed to a deal with only minor impacts on the law.

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

Donald Trump has threatened to wield the budget as leverage, saying he would be willing to risk a shutdown to secure funding for his as-yet unfunded border wall with Mexico.

During the last budget spat, he sought to blame Democrats for the risk of a shutdown, citing what he called their intransigence on immigration.

The Democrats are really looking at something that is very dangerous for our country. They are looking at shutting down, he said.

They want to have illegal immigrants; in many cases, people that we dont want in our country.
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Vice President Mike Pence has claimed that victory in Afghanistan is closer than ever before in a surprise trip to the war-torn country.

Mr Pence met with Afghan leaders and addressed US troops in a brief visit intended to promote President Donald Trumps four-month-old military strategy for the country.

The road before you is promising, but its perilous. And this commander-in-chief is clear-eyed about the threats you face and the challenges that lie ahead, Mr Pence told troops at the USs Bagram military base. But today, let me assure you: President Trump has your back.

Recommended Mike Pence lands in Afghanistan on surprise trip

Mr Pence also met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul, assuring them that the US was here to see this through.

The Vice President is the highest-ranking member of the Trump administration to visit Afghanistan to date. He planned the trip in secret and flew in on an unmarked C-17 transport plane to minimise security risks.

Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Show all 16 1 /16 Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2001 Afghans at the Killi Faizo refugee camp desperately reach for bags of rice being handed out to the thousands who escaped the bombardment in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. (Chaman, Pakistan, December 4, 2001) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2002 Mahbooba stands against a bullet-ridden wall, waiting to be seen at a medical clinic. The seven-year-old girl suffers from leishmaniasis, a parasitical infection. (Kabul, March 1, 2002) All photos Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2003 A mother and her two children look out from their cave dwelling. Many families who, fleeing the Taliban, took refuge inside caves adjacent to Bamiyans destroyed ancient Buddha statues now have nowhere else to live. (Bamiyan, November 19, 2003) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Students recite prayers in a makeshift outdoor classroom in the Wakhan Corridor, a mountainous region in northeastern Afghanistan that extends to China and separates Tajikistan from India and Pakistan. (Northeastern Afghanistan, September 2, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Bodybuilders in the 55-60 kg category square off during a regional bodybuilding competition. Many Afghan men, like others around the world, feel that a macho image of physical strength is important. (Kabul, August 6, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2008 A woman in a white burqa enjoys an afternoon with her family feeding the white pigeons at the Blue Mosque. (Mazar-e-Sharif, March 8, 2008) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Addicts inject heroin while trying to keep warm inside the abandoned Russian Cultural Center, which the capital citys addicts use as a common gathering point. Heroin is readily available, costing about one dollar a hit. (Kabul, February 9, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 An elderly man holds his granddaughter in their tent at a refugee camp after they were forced to flee their village, which US and NATO forces had bombed because, they claimed, it was a Taliban hideout. (Surobi, Nangarhar Province, February 7, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Seven-year-old Attiullah, a patient at Mirwais Hospital, stands alongside an X ray showing the bullet that entered his back, nearly killing him. Attiullah was shot by US forces when he was caught in a crossfire as he was herding sheep. (Kandahar, October 13, 2009). Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 US Army Sargeant Jay Kenney (right), with Task Force Destiny, helps wounded Afghan National Army soldiers exit a Blackhawk helicopter after they have been rescued in an air mission. (Kandahar, December 12, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 An Afghan National Army battalion marches back to barracks at the Kabul Military Training Center. (Kabul, October 4, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Eid Muhammad, seventy, lives in a house with a view overlooking the hills of Kabul. He and millions of other Afghans occupy land and housing without possessing formal deeds to them. (Kabul, November 21, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Razima holds her two-year-old son, Malik, while waiting for medical attention at the Boost Hospital emergency room. (Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, June 23, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Young women cheer as they attend a rally for the Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani. (Kabul, April 1, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Burqa-clad women wait to vote after a polling station runs out of ballots. (Kabul, April 5, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2015 Relatives, friends, and womens rights activists grieve at the home of Farkhunda Malikzada, who was killed by a mob in the center of Kabul. Farkhunda was violently beaten and set on fire after a local cleric accused her of burning a Quran. (Kabul, March 22, 2015) Paula Bronstein

When Defence Secretary James Mattis visited the country in September, the Taliban fired rockets at the airport where his plane was parked. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited in October, but remained in the military base and had Afghan leaders flown in from Kabul to meet him.

Still, Mr Pence assured the troops that Mr Trumps strategy to stabilise the region was working.

Weve dramatically increased American airstrikes, the Vice President said. And together with our Afghan partners, weve put the Taliban on the defensive. Weve prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years.

 President Trump Delivers Remarks Regarding Afghanistan

Mr Trump, who regularly criticised Americas involvement in Afghanistan on the campaign trail, sent nearly 4,000 more troops to the country this autumn. He also plans to send hundreds more US Army trainers to the region next year, as part of what he calls a fight to win strategy.

US officials estimate the number of troops in the country could reach nearly 16,000 by early next year  almost double the number stationed there when former President Barack Obama left office.

Mr Trump outlined his strategy for ending the 16-year-old war in a policy address this August, saying he would focus on attacking US enemies, obliterating Isis and al-Qaeda, preventing Taliban advances, and stopping terrorist attacks against Americans. He also emphasised the importance of regional cooperation with nations like Pakistan and India.

Mr Pence singled out Pakistan in his address to troops on Thursday, accusing the country of providing a safe haven to Taliban insurgents.

President Trump has put Pakistan on notice, Mr Pence said, from a stage decorated with a Christmas tree and an inflatable Santa Claus. As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists.

Pakistans Foreign Office said on Friday that Mr Pences comments were at odds with their previous conversations with the Trump administration.

Allies do not put each other on notice, the Foreign Office added in a statement.
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Donald Trump will have to resubmit nearly 100 of his nominees for judgeships, department heads, and ambassadorships in the new year, after the Senate left town without voting to keep them under consideration.

Senate rules require any nominees not yet confirmed to be sent back to the White House at the end of the first session  unless they vote unanimously to hold them over. The Senate agreed to hold over about 150 of Mr Trumps nominations, leaving about 100 to be resubmitted next year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells office told Politico.

Nominees who are resubmitted by the White House will also have to turn in up-to-date paperwork. Doing so could be time-consuming, especially for those nominees who have been under consideration for months.

Recommended Trump administration considering family separation for asylum seekers

The paperwork requires a detailed explanation of nominees financial lives and can exceed 60 to 70 pages, lawyers representing some of the nominees told Politico.

Holding over nominations has rarely been an issue in past administrations. Only eight nominees were not carried over in the first year of the Obama administration, and only two were sent back during President George W Bushs first year in office, Senator James Lankford said.

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 decision not to carry over Mr Trumps nominees may have been a political calculation on the part of Democrats, but could also reflect concerns about the quality of the Presidents picks.

One nominee who will have to be resubmitted is KT McFarland, who Mr Trump picked to be the ambassador to Singapore. Ms McFarland has faced serious questions about her contacts with former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI last month.

Another nominee is Kathleen Hartnett-White, the Presidents pick to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Ms Harnett-White stammered, paused, and contradicted herself throughout her hearing in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and barely made it through to a full Senate vote. Now, she will be forced to face the environmental committee for another vote in the new year.

 Republican Sen John Kennedy asks one of Donald Trump's District Judge nominees basic questions of law & he cant answer a single one

The situation reflects a larger issue with the slow pace of Mr Trumps nominations. Four of the Presidents nominees went down over the span of the last week, after either withdrawing themselves from consideration or being shot down in a Senate vote. One nominee was even shot down by a Republican-controlled committee.

Incoming presidents need to fill more than 4,000 positions, approximately a quarter of which require Senate confirmation, according to the Centre for Presidential Transition. At this time in their presidencies, Mr Obama and Mr Bush had confirmed more than 400 nominations each. Mr Trump has confirmed just 300.
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Donald Trumps former top strategist Steve Bannon has been asked to testify before a congressional panel investigating alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Mr Bannon, who was fired from the White House this summer, has reportedly been asked to appear before the House Intelligence Committee. The committee has made a similar request to one of Mr Trumps former campaign managers, Corey Lewandowski.

Both men, who remain close to Mr Trump and whose counsel he still seeks even though he has formally broken ties with them, were sent letters this week asking them to appear in early January, according to Bloomberg News.

The news agency said the committee, chaired by Republican Devin Nunes and on which Adam Schiff is the senior Democrat, has been looking into Russias alleged meddling in the 2016 election. As part of its work, it has been examining possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The issues are also being investigated by other congressional panels and by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed after Mr Trump fired his FBI Director James Comey in May. Mr Trump, along with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, have dismissed claims that Moscow interfered in the election to undermine Mr Trumps opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Reports suggest the panel is rushing to conclude its investigation, something that has angered Democrats who feel that issues are not being given sufficient scrutiny.

Members of the committee are due to question Rhona Graff, a longtime associate of Mr Trump, who has been described as his gatekeeper at Trump Tower in New York for more than three decades and who rose to become a senior vice president at the Trump Organisation.

 Peter King: Steve Bannon 'looks like some disheveled drunk that wondered onto the political stage'

Also scheduled to be questioned is Felix Sater, a Trump associate who once boasted that he could help fix a real estate deal with the aid of Mr Putin that would help win Mr Trump the presidency. Most of the panels interviews have taken place at secure locations inside the US Capitol.

But Democrats claim the process is being rushed. Were departing from all of our practices. Were departing from whats in the best interest of the investigation in an effort to jam in every possible interview in December, Mr Schiff said this week.

And this looks like the House leadership capitulating to pressure from the White House and Steve Bannon.

As far as it is known, Mr Bannon has not been publicly accused of any wrongdoing. However, he was Mr Trumps top strategist during he final few months of the election campaign and then took up a senior position within the White House.

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

Mr Lewandowski served as Mr Trump campaign manager for 12 months from June 2015. He was fired after he fell out with members of Mr Trumps family, including Ivanka Trump, the real estate tycoons eldest daughter.

He was replaced with Paul Manafort, a veteran political consultant who served in the role for just a handful of months before being replaced himself by Mr Bannon. Mr Manafort is one of four Trump associates to have been indicted by Mr Mueller. He and his associate Rick Gates have pleaded not guilty.

Bloomberg News said that had not yet been a response from Mr Bannon or Mr Lewandowski.

It said the letters that were sent to them were not in the form of a subpoena compelling them to testify but were rather a request for a voluntary interview in the committees offices, which would mean it would be held behind closed doors.

The letters do not lay out specific reasons the committee wants to interview them, or the questions the panel wants to pose, but it makes clear that the interviews are part of the Russia investigation, it said.
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Baby elephants in South-east Asia have been forced to wear colourful hand-knitted coats to keep warm, after a gush of cold air swept down from China and plunged temperatures to as low as 0C.

Creatures in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia  countries known for their tropical climates  have been wearing woollen garments, which were created by volunteers from the Blankets for Baby Rhinos charity.

Save Elephant Foundation is handing out the multi-coloured coats at sanctuaries in both Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar.

Recommended Rescuers carry starving baby elephant on their soldiers to save it

A cold front came down from China this week affecting many places throughout South-east Asia. Many countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are experiencing temperatures that rarely occur here, its director Lek Chailert said.

On the mountain top of Thailand it is below zero. We are doing our best to keep all of our animals warm, with fires being kept through the night.

She said that animals at the Wingabaw elephant camp in Myanmar had particularly suffered when the weather turned.

We provide straw and bring cosy jackets to help keep them warm, she added.

India elephants with knitted jumpers Show all 9 1 /9 India elephants with knitted jumpers India elephants with knitted jumpers Badly treated rescued elephants at the Wildlife SOS sanctuary outside Agra, India with their newly knitted jumpers are on show for the first time, they are all effected by the cold after their ordeal at the hands of owners Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen India elephants with knitted jumpers Roger Allen

It has also shipped the coats to sister sanctuaries around the region.

The coats were shipped to the charity by Sue Brown and Ruthie Cassidy from Blankets for Baby Rhinos, a wildlife conservation craft group. It was set up to help animals rescued from captivity.

Sues husband is a pilot who flew the parcel to us from the United Arab Emirates to Bangkok, said Ms Chailert. We are so appreciative of this beautiful kindness."

A British co-founder of Blankets for Baby Rhinos said it researched animal charities around the world before deciding to help them and was "very happy" with Save Elephant Foundation's work.

Elisa Best said the group, which is actively fundraising, started out a year ago supporting rhino orphanages and anti-poaching units within South Africa.

She revealed: "We have branched into supplying wildlife orphanages and sanctuaries worldwide as you can see by our donation to the elephants in Thailand."

The elephant coat campaign came after a similar one in India earlier this year when local women knitted jumpers for formerly abused animals.

Women in a village near the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in the northern city of Mathura made the garments when temperatures dipped close to freezing point.

The animals were rescued from illegal captivity after being poached by trafficking mafia.
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A man who was mistakenly declared dead, has returned home to his family, seven months after they thought they had cremated him.

After finding a corpse in a rented room in Bangkok, police in Thailand, told Sakorn Sachiwa's family that he had passed away from a digestive disease.

But almost seven months on from that fateful May day, the 44-year-old walked into his home in the Non Khun district, more than 300 miles from the capital.

His stepbrother Charoen Lakdi, told the Bangkok Post said the family were "astounded".

As the family picked up his body, along with the death certificate dated 21 May, Mr Sachiwa's cousin, Nakornchai Pimklang, said he raised concerns with an official after noticing the corpses teeth appeared to be different to those belonging to his relative. Mr Sachiwa has two missing.

But he said they were told to take the body anyway.

 Funeral director desribes the 'subtle' and 'discreet' tactics undertakers use to squeeze money out of grieving families

The family held religious rituals for three days before cremating the body. The ashes were placed in a stupa  a Buddhist burial mound  near the family home.

When Mr Sachiwa returned, his cousins repeatedly touched him to ensure he was not a ghost, Mr Pimklang said.

Mr Sachiwa said he had been working on a fishing boat in the south of the country since January and his ID card had been stolen by a Burmese worker.

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

He now wants the official record changed.

The identity of the person who was cremated remains a mystery.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak led thousands of Muslims in a rally Friday to show solidarity with Palestinians, slamming the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Najib told the crowd that Malaysia will do all it can to "save Jerusalem" and that he will not be cowed by the US nor by his close ties with President Donald Trump. Najib in September met Trump at the White House, and last month, posted a photograph of himself with Trump on Twitter on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Manila.

Malaysia on Thursday joined more than 120 countries voting in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, ignoring a threat by Trump to cut off financial aid to countries voting against his move.

"Yes, I have visited the White House and yes, Trump is a good acquaintance but I will not pawn the sanctity of Islam," Najib said to loud cheers at the protest outside a mosque in the government capital of Putrajaya after Friday prayers.

"We are firm in our stand. We support the formation of a Palestine that is free and sovereign. We demand a Palestine with dignity and pride. We want East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine," he said.

Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of US policy by announcing the United States recognised Jerusalem - home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites - as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

Najib vowed to hold weekly protests in support of Palestinians. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told local media that the Cabinet would next month discuss a proposal by Najib for Malaysia to follow Turkey in opening an embassy in east Jerusalem to recognise the city as the Palestinian capital.

AP
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The UN Security Council has unanimously voted to impose new sanctions on North Korea in the wake of their latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.

All 15 members of the Security Council signed on to a resolution limiting oil trade with the country and demanding the repatriation of all North Koreans working abroad.

The vote came just weeks after Pyongyang tested an ICBM that it claimed put the US mainland within reach of its nuclear weapons.

The US-drafted resolution caps exports of refined petroleum products to North Korea at 500,000 barrels per year, and crude oil supplies at 4 million barrels. It also demands all North Koreans working abroad return to their home country in the next 24 months.

Recommended South Korea fires warning shots at North Korea after soldier defects

The resolution builds on two previous rounds of sanctions already imposed by the Security Council over Pyongyangs rapidly expanding missile programme.

North Korea tested what it called its most powerful ICBM yet in November. US Defence Secretary James Mattis confirmed that the launch proved North Korea had the ability to hit everywhere in the world.

The launch followed two months of relative silence from the North, after a summer filled with missile launches and even the test of a nuclear bomb.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley thanked her fellow Council members for supporting the most recent sanctions, calling North Koreas latest missile test another attempt by the Kim regime to masquerade as a great power while their people starve and their soldiers defect.

North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Show all 13 1 /13 North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Pyongyang residents react after the news of the successful launch of the new intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Images North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un signing an order to test-fire the newly developed inter-continental ballistic missile KRT via AP Video North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch A news broadcast displays Kim Jong Un's signed document AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch People cheer as they watch the news broadcast announcing Kim Jong Un's order to test-fire the new inter-continental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Images North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Residents react after the document signing AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Pyongyang residents celebrate Kim Jong Un's announcement AFP/Getty North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Cheering Pyongyang residents react AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch To counter North Korea's missile test, South Korea fired missiles into the East Sea The Defence Ministry/Yonhap via REUTERS North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch The Hyunmu-2 missiles firing during the drill South Korean Defense Ministry vi North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch The exercise was carried out in an attempt to counter Kim Jong Un's order South Korea Defense Ministry via AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch The South Korean army continue to carry out military exercises AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Where K-9 self-propelled howitzers were taking part in a drill Rex Features North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch US soldiers are also present in the border city of Paju AFP/Getty Images

Analysts testified that the fuel caps would put a heavy strain on North Korea, which is already facing shortages. Peter Ward, a columnist for NK News, said the caps would be devastating for North Koreas haulage industry, and for businesses and individuals who use home generators.

The CIA, however, has said publicly that no amount of sanctions will convince North Korea to drop its nuclear programme. The US intelligence agency recently blamed the North for the WannaCry cyber attack that temporarily debilitated businesses and hospitals around the world in May.

President Trump has used just about every lever you can use, short of starving the people of North Korea to death, to change their behaviour, Homeland Security adviser Thomas Bossert said upon announcing the agencys findings.

And so we dont have a lot of room left here to apply pressure to change their behaviour.

 North Korea TV shows video of ballistic missile launch

Still, the latest round of sanctions secured the support of China and Russia  both of which have resisted sanctioning North Korea in the past. The deadline for repatriating North Korean workers was extended from 12 to 24 months due to pushback from the two countries, according to the New York Times.

South Korea warned the Council earlier this month that the North had reached the final stages of nuclear weaponization. The country launched missiles over Japan  another member of the Security Council  on two occasions this year.

The US, meanwhile, has had little success pursing diplomatic options. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said earlier this month that he was prepared to talk with Pyongyang without preconditions.

But he walked those comments back less than a week later, saying the country must earn its way back to the table with a sustained cessation of threatening behaviour.
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President Moon Jae-ins drive to give South Koreans their right to rest by slashing work hours is making little headway as lawmakers haggle over pay rates for weekends.

While the long hours were once considered necessary to fuel rapid economic growth, the grind is now seen as the source of the countrys social problems, including low birth rate and productivity. South Koreans work 2,069 hours a year, the second-most among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members after Mexico.

With the changing societal attitude toward work, Koreas ruling and opposition party lawmakers reached a tentative agreement in November to cap weekly hours at 52, down from 68, and give an extra 50 percent in pay for weekends. Moon, who pledged to cut hours during his presidential campaign last spring, said the change is a task that should not be delayed any more.

(Bloomberg (Bloomberg)

But the agreement failed to reach the plenary session as some lawmakers and labour unions argued for doubling the extra pay for weekend work to 100%. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said in a statement that doubling pay for weekend work is necessary to reduce working on weekends, and an appropriate level of compensation for those who must do so.

If lawmakers fail to revise the labour law by 23 December, which seems likely, parliament may not be able to pick it up again until February at the earliest. A prolonged debate could put Moons right to rest initiative on a permanent holding pattern as was seen with much of former President Park Geun-hyes legislative agenda.

As lawmakers argue over weekend wages, some employers say that while they agree with the need to shorten working hours, the changes should be more gradual. Kim Young-vae, vice chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, said at a forum on 14 December that the change should first be applied to bigger companies with more than 1,000 employees, and that a 60-hour cap should be allowed at companies that have reached agreement with their employees.

Shorter working hours are necessary for the sake of happiness, but it needs to be discussed along with ways to improve labour productivity, said Kim Tai-gi, a professor of economics at Dankook University in Jukjeon, South Korea. Without better productivity, it would have side effects like a decline in income for workers and an increased cost burden for employers.

Labor productivity, as measured by total working hours and per capita GDP, was $33 per hour for Korea in 2016, compared with $24 for Chile, $41.5 for Japan, $60 for France, and $63 for the US, according to OECD data.

Not all workers welcome the move towards fewer hours.

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

Shinsegae Group, South Koreas retail giant, has announced it will reduce regular weekday working hours to 35 per week from 40 with no cut in wages from 2018. But some labor unions for Shinsegaes discount store unit, E-mart, say it will only increase the burden on workers because they will be required to complete the same workload in fewer hours. They said that by 2020, the employees could also be paid less than others who are working longer hours and receiving the minimum 10,000 won per hour promised by President Moon during the campaign.

Bloomberg
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It was billed in the local press as the visit of one of Russias harshest critics; a man who, on the eve of talks, has described Russia as modern-day Sparta  closed, nasty, military and anti-democratic. There was past history too. An earlier meeting between veteran diplomat Sergei Lavrov and recent-convert-to-the-trade Boris Johnson had already been cancelled.

In the event, it was the Boris and Sergei show  a session filled with jokes, faux barbs, and general bonhomie. Im called Boris, said the British Foreign Secretary. I know, answered his Russian equivalent  and I trust you so much I will even call you BorIS, placing the stress on the second syllable, as is correct in Russian.

With huge policy gaps between the countries, it was not long before the two professed statements of disagreement. There were differences on Ukraine, Syria and North Korea, declared Mr Johnson. There was no question that this was a difficult patch. Mr Lavrov agreed  and that was even without the fallout from Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian spy assassinated in London in 2006.

Recommended Johnson clashes with Russian Foreign Minister during Moscow visit

Trade relations between Russia and Britain were once excellent  at their height, the best bilateral economic relationship of anywhere in Europe. The new sanctions regime, pushed by the British, has put paid to that. During todays press conference, Mr Johnson seemed to be clutching at straws for signs of life. Sales of British imports  including the hugely strategic areas of Kettle crisps and Bentley  were going through the roof, he said.

There was not complete cooperation on terrorism, he accepted. But the British minister had a blue pad of paper from the Fedralnaya sloooozba bezopahznowsty  which, I think, is the FSB. That, Mr Johnson said, was evidence enough of collaboration.

It was classic Boris: bumbling, chaotic, spectacle-driven. But judging by the way the wily Mr Lavrov carried his half of the press conference, Russia is not altogether unhappy having him. Bar a couple of gruff exchanges on alleged interference in the Brexit referendum, the tone of the press conference was, by Moscow standards, tame.

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

On the one hand, the Russians think they have a man they can relate to. Despite the anti-Russian shots, Mr Johnson embraces much of the Russian political modus vivendi. Alpha male, cynical, showman, risk-taking  he is the exact opposite of his predecessor Philip Hammond, who was not popular in Moscow. With new oligarch-related sanctions coming from the US in the new year, Russia is looking to cultivate every ally it can get.

There is a second, franker point. As poor as relations between the UK and Russia have been since Litvinenko, the British have always been spared the vitriol often directed towards the Americans. And that is because the post-Brexit UK is now largely peripheral to Russian foreign policy goals.

Moscow doesnt lose much sleep of what London has to say on matters other than sanctions, says the former Kremlin advisor and security expert, Vladimir Frolov. But this has an upside  you are not our arch enemy anymore, just a nuisance.
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Hopes of early negotiations between the exiled president of Catalonia and Madrid following the landmark election in the region have faded, after Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy rejected an offer of immediate talks outside the country.

Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium in October, asked for the meeting without preconditions after parties seeking independence won an overall majority in the Catalan parliament.

I am willing to meet Mr Rajoy in Brussels or any other location in the EU, as long as it is not in the Spanish state, for obvious reasons, he said.

We need to talk and we have the obligation to do so. It is impossible to find solutions without dialogue.

Speaking in Madrid, Mr Rajoy acknowledged that a new era based on dialogue was needed, saying: It is evident that something is broken, and it will take time to repair it.

But asked about Mr Puigdemonts request, he responded: The person I need to meet is Mrs Arrimadas, who is the one who has won the election.

Innes Arrimadass unionist Ciudadnos (Cs)  or Citizens  party has emerged as the biggest single party from the polls, but in reality will only be able to form a minority administration.

The Prime Minister later added that he make an effort to have dialogue with the government that forms in Catalonia, but it must stop acting unilaterally and outside the law.

Madrid had declared that a referendum on independence called by Mr Puigdemont on 1 October was illegal, and he faces an arrest warrant back home.

Oriol Junqueras, the leader of another separatist party Esquerra Republicana (ERC), is in a Spanish prison, along with a number of other Catalan politicians.

Asked whether Mr Puigdemonts arrest warrant may be rescinded to begin the dialogue he had mentioned, and other Catalan leaders freed from jail, the Prime Minister was adamant.

These are judicial matters unaffected by the election and politicians need to stay within the law, he said, adding that any government which is formed must be subject to the rule of law.

Catalonia election: in pictures Show all 9 1 /9 Catalonia election: in pictures Catalonia election: in pictures People react to results in Catalonia's regional elections at a gathering of the Catalan National Assembly REUTERS Catalonia election: in pictures Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and former Catalan Health Minister Antoni Comin, left, gesture during a press conference Rex Features Catalonia election: in pictures Center-right party Ciudadanos (Citizens) candidate Ines Arrimadas (C) and the rest of candidates and party members celebrate their polls results AFP/Getty Images Catalonia election: in pictures Suporters of Ciudadanos party celebrate the results EPA Catalonia election: in pictures Former Catalan regional minister Jordi Turull (C), candidate of Catalan pro-independence party Junts per Catalunya, and former Catalan regional minister Josep Rull, candidate of Junts per Catalunya celebrate the results Rex Features Catalonia election: in pictures Catalan independence supporters celebrate AP Catalonia election: in pictures Candidate of Ciudadanos party to the Catalan regional elections, Ines Arrimadas (C), next to the party leader, Albert Rivera (behind), delivers her speech as they celebrate the results EPA Catalonia election: in pictures Catalan independence supporters celebrate at the Catalan National Assembly headquarters after results of the regional elections in Barcelona AP Catalonia election: in pictures Junts Per Catalunya supporters celebrate following the Catalan regional election Getty Images

In a move which is likely to lead to more anger among the separatists, prosecutors in Madrid announced that six more Catalan politicians will be investigated for alleged treason and rebellion.

Judge Pablo Llarena of the Supreme Court said that they include former Catalan President Artur Mas, and Marta Rovira, the general secretary of the ERC who was re-elected to parliament in the election and is viewed as a future leader of Catalonia.

Ms Rovira has insisted that she and her colleagues would not be cowed by threats of legal action, and that ERC would support the reinstatement of Mr Puigdemont, whose party, JxCat  Together for Catalonia  got the biggest number of seats among the pro-independence parties.

We are not contemplating any alternatives; we need to be loyal to what the people had decided at the polls and focus on achieving this, she said.

About Mr Rajoy, she added: If he was a democrat, he must accept the result of the election, guarantee the return of Mr Puigdemont and other members of government in exile and do everything possible to free political prisoners.

He also has to accept that people have totally rejected his own party.

Mr Rajoys Peoples Party (PP) won just four seats, with the bulk of the unionist votes switching to Ciudadnos. Its leader, Ines Arrimadas, maintained that the ERC and JxCat may not be able to form a governing coalition, saying: Lets not draw hasty conclusions, they were celebrating, they were euphoric on election night.

But, she continued, I know them, and I doubt if they will be able to reach an agreement. This election has shown that there is not a problem between Catalonia and Spain, but between Catalans.

We must stand together with Spain and we must stand together with Europe.

The European Union has backed Madrid against the separatists, and some Spanish officials view Mr Puigdemonts offer to hold talks with the Prime Minister in any location in the EU as an attempt to drag Brussels into the dispute.

The EUs refusal to change its stance has led a frustrated Mr Puigdemont to accuse it of being a club of decadent countries which is abrogating its responsibility to mediate a solution.

But in the aftermath of the polls, he said: I do not ask the European Commission to change its position, only to listen to the whole world, to listen to us as it listens to the Spanish government.

We have an independentist majority: the more than two million voters are not a hologram  they are real, they matter.

The view has the support of many by pro-independence voters in the streets.

The EU complained that not everyone voted in the referendum [on 1 October] but now everyone has had a chance to vote, we have had a record turnout, so it is only fair that they listen to us, said Raquel Santiago, who works for the Fire Service. We cant really understand why there cant be a dialogue.

Teacher Vincente Perella said: This is not like Brexit. We are not anti-Europe; it is Europe which is being anti-us at the moment.

But we hope that in time there will be another referendum here which will bring us independence, and we will be able to join the EU. Who knows, maybe Scotland will join us there.
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At least two Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli troops, as protests raged over the USs decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

A day after the UN voted to condemn the USs unilateral action, thousands of Palestinian protesters confronted Israeli forces, many of them carrying rocks, along the Gaza fence in all seven cities in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In a high-profile global rebuke to President Trump and his administration, the UN General Assembly voted 128 to 9  with 35 abstentions  for a resolution demanding the US scrap its 6 December decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In advance of the vote, Mr Trump had threatened to withhold aid from countries that supported the measure. Afterwards, the USs UN Ambassador Nikki Haley invited countries which had abstained or voted against the motion to attend a thank you party in Washington.

Mr Trumps threats were widely condemned, including by former CIA chief John Brennan who suggested Mr was acting like a vengeful autocrat.

Trump admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem is beyond outrageous, he said on Twitter.

 The United Nations General Assembly votes 128-9 to declare the United States' Jerusalem capital recognition 'null and void'

Palestinians and their supporters celebrated the vote that rebuked Mr Trumps decision, which breaks with 50 years of international consensus that the status of Israel should be part of a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Ms Haley, however, said the the resolution (which had no legal impact) was null and void.

Israel said the vote was similar to a UN resolution passed in 1975 that equated Zionism  the movement that supports a Jewish homeland in historically recognised territory  with racism. That was only scrapped after intense US lobbying.

Its shameful that this meeting is even taking place, said Israels UN Ambassador Danny Danon. Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be.

Reuters said the protests by Palestinians marked an intensification of those that broke out after Mr Trump made his announcement, and that have continued daily ever since.

Israeli troops killed at least two Palestinian protesters and injured dozens (Getty)

In Bethlehem, smoke from burning tyres filled the streets. Meanwhile in southern Gaza, at least two Palestinians were shot and killed and up to 40 wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Health officials said at least one Palestinian suffered a live bullet wound in the West Bank, and some 30 protesters were hit by rubber bullets. Others were overcome by tear gas.

In a statement, the Israeli military said 2,000 Palestinians had faced off against troops at the Gaza border fence, facing firebombs, rocks and burning tyres.

It said the crowd threw stones and rolled burning tyres at soldiers, who responded with riot dispersal measures and fired live rounds selectively towards main instigators.

 Protests break out in Gaza following Trump's reaction to UN vote

The news agency said that protesters chanted: Trump is a coward. Trump is a fool. Among the wounded was a man dressed as Santa Claus.

The Palestinian military puts the number of demonstrators at about 1,700 and the injured at six.

In a Christmas message, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Mr Trumps decision an insult to millions of people worldwide, and also to the city of Bethlehem.

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

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN the US's Jerusalem declaration recognised an historical truth.

Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years from the time of King David. It has been the capital of the state of Israel for 70 years, and it's about time that the United States said, and I'm glad they said it, 'This is the capital and we recognise it' and I think that's going to be followed by other countries, Mr Netanyahu said.

He would not name the countries he referred to, but said that they are seriously considering following the US's lead and moving their embassies to Jerusalem.

While the Prime Minister described the vote as preposterous, his deputy minister for diplomacy appeared to play down support for the resolution shown by many countries Israel considers friends.

We have an interest in tightening our bilateral relations with a long list of countries in the world, and expect and hope that one day they will vote with us, or for us in the United Nations, Michael Oren told a radio station in Tel Aviv.

But I am not prepared to suspend all cooperation with important countries, such as India.

Mr Netanyahu, who hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, is due to visit New Delhi next month.
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The United States has disqualified itself from the Middle East peace process by recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said.

Mr Abbas said the US was no longer an honest mediator and declared his government will not accept any plan put forward by Washington, urging Europe to play a more influential role instead.

Speaking through a translator at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, he also condemned Donald Trumps threat to cut off financial aid to countries that criticised his administration.

The United Nations General Assembly voted by 128 to nine to declare Washingtons controversial decision on the status of Jerusalem null and void, an outcome a spokesman for Mr Abbas described as a victory for Palestine.

The official UN position is that Jerusalem is a final status issue to be decided at the end of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. No member country bases their embassy in Jerusalem  something Mr Trump said the US has plans to do in the future.

Washingtons decision sparked global condemnation and protests in the Middle East, as well as fears it would kill off the decades-long peace process.

The United States are no longer an honest mediator in the peace process, Mr Abbas told the press conference. "We will not accept any plan from the United States of America because of its bias and violation of the international law."

He added: "We call upon countries that did not recognise Palestine yet to do so to preserve the two-state solution before it's too late."

 The United Nations General Assembly votes 128-9 to declare the United States' Jerusalem capital recognition 'null and void'

Mr Macron reiterated that France remained committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine peacefully co-exist.

He said France would recognise a Palestinian state at the right time, and not under pressure.

"The American mistake was to want to unilaterally manage from afar a situation whose solution is in the hands of the Israelis and Palestinians," added French President, who denounced the US threat to withhold aid from UN member states that voted for the resolution.

Some of the biggest recipients of US aid - most of them Muslim or Arab countries  defied Mr Trumps threat and supported the motion.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had warned that she would be taking names of member states that backed the resolution, while the American leader said: Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care. But this isnt like it used to be, where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars.

Middle Eastern leaders welcomed the outcome of the General Assembly vote, with Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif declaring it a "global no" to Mr Trump's "thuggish intimidation".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expected Washington to rescind its decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
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The City of Lights: its the place to stroll down boulevards, gaze at world-famous art and eat like a king  but where should you bed down when its time for lights out? As the capital city of the worlds most-visited country, the choice of where to stay in Paris is mind-boggling, with thousands of accommodation options, from budget hostels to luxury hotels, and B&Bs to self-catering apartments.

As a France specialist, Ive stayed in hundreds of hotels across lHexagone, but nothing quite compares to the je ne sais quoi of the kind of Parisian abodes which can, in themselves, become a highlight of any stay in the French capital.

But style doesnt have to mean breaking the bank; there are plenty of superb hotels offering great service, exquisite decor and a peaceful nights sleep without getting into debt. Its what we at The Independent call real-world luxury. So take a peek at these before your next trip to Paris.

The best hotels in Paris are:

Best for shopping: Grands Boulevards, booking.com

Grands Boulevards, booking.com Best for cocktails: The Hoxton Paris, booking.com

The Hoxton Paris, booking.com Best for classic style: Pavillon Des Lettres, booking.com

Pavillon Des Lettres, booking.com Best for history: Lhotel, booking.com

Lhotel, booking.com Best for fun: 123 Sebastopol, booking.com

123 Sebastopol, booking.com Best for budget: Mama Shelter East, booking.com

Mama Shelter East, booking.com Best for luxury: The Saint James, booking.com

The Saint James, booking.com Best for fashionistas: Hotel Du Petit Moulin, booking.com

Hotel Du Petit Moulin, booking.com Best for romance: Le Bourg Tibourg, booking.com

Le Bourg Tibourg, booking.com Best experience: Kube Bar & Hotel, booking.com

Kube Bar & Hotel, booking.com Best for nightlife: Grand Pigalle, booking.com

Grand Pigalle, booking.com Best for a local hangout: Le Pigalle, booking.com

Le Pigalle, booking.com Best for a sweet tooth: Hotel Fauchon, booking.com

Hotel Fauchon, booking.com Best for interior decor: Brach Paris, booking.com

Brach Paris, booking.com Best for classic luxury: Hotel Lutetia, booking.com

Hotel Lutetia, booking.com Best for swimming: Hotel Molitor, booking.com

Hotel Molitor, booking.com Best for eco-minded travellers: Hotel Gavarni, booking.com

Best for shopping: Grands Boulevards

Hotel des Grands Boulevards opened in December 2017 (Grand Boulevard)

From Londons Experimental Cocktail Group comes Hotel des Grands Boulevards, a chic property located in a 300-year-old manor house close to some of Paris best shopping streets, which opened in December 2017. Wonderfully discreet, its reached via a secret corridor and has its own quiet courtyard and terraces.

The 50 rooms have been created by Parisian designer Dorothee Meilichzon, and have handmade beds from Brittany with satiny, 300-threadcount sheets, while some rooms offer bathtubs big enough for two. Theres also an Italian restaurant and a terrace cocktail bar with views of Paris. The best bit? Despite its buzzing central location, the bedrooms promise complete silence.

Price: Doubles from 261 (217)

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Best for cocktails: The Hoxton Paris

Hoxton Paris is popular for its Moroccan-inspired cocktails (Hoxton Paris)

Recommended What to do in Paris

The newest addition to Paris design hotel scene is a British export. The Hoxton Paris, which opened in summer 2017, brings with it superb Moroccan-inspired cocktails in Jacques Bar. Decorated in florals and velvets, with full-height windows, it makes all-day cocktails a perfectly acceptable prospect.

The hotel itself is located in an 18th-century mansion, and the French outpost of the the biggest of the expanding Hoxton Hotel collection. Spread over three buildings, it offers 172 bedrooms in four very British-named categories  Shoebox, Cosy, Roomy and Biggy  with decor featuring parquet floors, elegant cornicing, bold feature walls and geometric-tiled bathrooms. The standout design feature is its 15 elegant staircases, two of which are more than 300 years old. Elsewhere, the decor incorporates other features of the original building, such as tiles and mosaics, and exposed timber roof beams.

Price: Doubles from 299 (249)

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Best for classic style: Pavillon des Lettres

Each suite at Pavillon des Lettres is named after a famous writer (

This soothing hotel is a must-stay for book lovers: its elegant decor is dedicated to great works of literature. Each of its 26 rooms and suites is dedicated to a different letter in the alphabet and in turn a great scribe, from Hans Christian Andersen to Emile Zola.

Some rooms offer views of the Eiffel Tower, but all feature calming neutral tones and hand-stencilled texts from the writers great works. Its located in the 8th arrondissement, so is a short stroll from the Champs Elysees.

Price: Doubles from 272 (227)

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Best for history: L'Hotel

Oscar Wilde died in the building where L'Hotel is now located (L'Hotel)

Literature lovers will delight in this bijou hotel, tucked away on the Left Bank. Once upon a time, it was a flea-bitten doss house where Oscar Wilde breathed his last breath, shortly after uttering the words This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death.

Now, though, on the walls of that very same room (number 16), interiors guru Jacques Garcia has created a magnificent fresco of a gold and green peacock, while the rest of the room features historic prints and photos of Wilde, as well as the famous scribes desk. Elsewhere, the tiny bar makes for a wonderfully cosy spot to be served a cocktail by the velvet-waistcoated bar staff. Dita Von Teese is a fan, and so  apparently  is Johnny Depp.

Price: Doubles from 377 (323)

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Best for fun: Hotel 123 Sebastopol

123 Sebastopol is a movie-themed hotel ( (123 Sebastopol)

The French love a theme and this fantastic movie-obsessed hotel is just a few metres from the famous cinema Le Grand Rex. Every detail is cleverly thought out, from its reception desk beneath an illuminated billboard to the cinema posters in the lobby.

The 63 bedrooms vary in style and have been designed by such cinematic glitterati as film-score composer Ennio Morricone and Cesar-award-winning actress Elsa Zylberstein. The minibars are stocked with complimentary soft drinks.

Price: Doubles from 167 (139)

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Best for budget: Mama Shelter East

Mama Shelter Paris started the budget-chic trend ( (Mama Paris)

The Mama Shelter brand launched in 2009 with this, their original hotel; since then the budget-style group has gone global, with branches from Rio to Bordeaux, and a third planned in the French capital alone.

Thats not to say it lacks that French vibe; as the original, this was designed by Philippe Starck, who gave his quirky Midas touch to the whole place. Meanwhile, many of the dishes on the menu in the laidback restaurant were created by another French legend, Michelin-star chef Guy Savoy.

The 172 bedrooms arent enormous, especially the entry level ones, and theyre deliberately designed to be cocoon-like with black and grey decor. But with mod cons such as a 27-inch iMac doubling as a TV, its the perfect place to crash when the City of Lights has worn you out.

Price: Doubles from 91 (76)

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Best for luxury: The Saint James

The Saint James is the place for slightly eccentric luxury digs (The Saint James)

If youre going to push the boat out with something a little different, then this slightly bonkers 49-room hotel, part of the Relaix & Chateaux group, is the place. Set in the elegant 16th arrondissement on a former airfield that was used to launch hot air balloons, this theme is carried through into the hotels Wonderland-esque decor with rooms sporting bold toile wallpapers and lavish fabrics.

Elsewhere, it features a glamorous red-carpeted staircase and copious animal print. Meanwhile, two-Michelin-star chef Jean-Luc Rochas works magic in the chandelier-lit restaurant.

Price: Doubles from 572 (476)

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Best for fashionistas: Hotel du Petit Moulin

The Hotel du Petit Moulin was designed by Christian Lacroix (Hotel du Petit Moulin)

Fans of Christian Lacroix will love this four-star boutique hotel in the Marais; the fashion designer has brought his flamboyant style to the 17 rooms. All are decorated in a unique style, including polka-dot carpets and zebra-print fabrics, giving a nod to the history, culture and art of the area. On the doorstep there are a host of hip boutiques, as well as restaurants and bars (though the hotels own bar is the ideal place to kick off your evening with an aperitif). Lacroix isnt the only celebrity to be linked to the property  the building was Paris first bakery, and Victor Hugo used to buy his baguettes here.

Price: Doubles from 223 (185 )

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Best for romance: Le Bourg Tibourg

Hotel Dames du Pantheon celebrates famous Parisian women (Dames du Pantheon)

This bijou four-star hotel in the hip Marais District is another of Jacques Garcias works. This time, hes made what is a tiny space into something of an Aladdins cave of decor. The place abounds with whimsical opulence: chandeliers, antique furniture, lavish fabrics and wallpapers all in deep reds, with accents of purple, green and grey.

Rooms are cosy, but its a delight to snuggle into the comfortable beds and watch a classic French film (available from reception), complete with popcorn. Staff are welcoming without being overbearing, and the hotel is a hop, skip and jump from some of the Marais best restaurants and bars.

Price: Doubles from 331 (275)

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How many hotels have you stayed in that have an in-house ice bar? (Kube)

Not many hotels can lay claim to their own ice bar but this is the main attraction at Kube, where you can sip vodka cocktails in glasses made of ice, in -10C temperatures. The theme doesnt end there; on arrival at the hotel youre welcomed into the reception, set in a large glass cube in the courtyard.

From there, everythings designed to be modernist and fun. Its 40 open-plan, minimalist rooms offer all mod cons, including plasma TVs, CD and DVD players. The hotel is a short walk from Gare du Nord, so its a great location if travelling with Eurostar.

Price: Doubles from 204 (170)

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Best for nightlife: Grand Pigalle

Set in the hip Pigalle district under the gaze of the Sacre-Coeur basilica, Grand Pigalle was the first Paris hotel from the Experimental Cocktail Group (which have also just opened sister Hotel des Grands Boulevards, above) and makes the perfect base for those in search of Paris coolest bars and restaurants. Rooms are cosy but offer swish decor from top designer Dorothee Meilichzon in muted greys and teal tones, with geometric patterns in tiles and wallpapers. I particularly love the cocktail-glass carpet on the hallways and stairs and pineapple door knockers. Breakfast is served in the bar area and offers their delicious homemade granola.

Price: Doubles from 232 (193)

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Best for a local hangout: Le Pigalle

Le Pigalle is packed with local charm (Le Pigalle)

Once upon a time, the Pigalle district was a bit seedy  its the home of the Moulin Rouge after all  but these days its one of Paris hippest quartiers that harks back to its heyday as a boho hangout for artists and musicians. The hotel itself celebrates all that is local: breakfast features croissants from the best local bakery, the cool bar has a soundtrack curated by a local DJ, and should you find yourself alone, there are plenty of books supplied by a local bookshop to peruse. Its 40 rooms are decked out with vintage furniture with a mid-century vibe and feature edgy photography and art works.

Price: Doubles from 139 (167)

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Best for a sweet tooth: Hotel Fauchon

The junior suite at Hotel Fauchon (Hotel Fauchon)

Paris Fauchon boutiques are likely to inspire Willy Wonka-esque levels of mouth-watering awe, with their exquisite pastries, decadent chocolates and aromatic teas and coffees. Gourmets will be spoiled with a night or two at the new hotel, the first from the much-loved French patisserie brand, which was established in 1886. With the brands accent colours of fuchsia pink, black and gold tastefully carried through the decor, the comfortable rooms all have mod cons, from tablet-controlled music and movies, to Bluetooth-linked speakers in the bathroom. The piece de la resistance is the "gourmet bar": a souped-up mini-bar rammed with free champers, chocolates and other goodies. Theres also a small spa and an excellent restaurant.

Price: Doubles from 456 (380)

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Best for interior decor: Brach Paris

Soak up the superb views of the Eiffel Tower on the rooftop of Brach Paris (Brach Paris)

Philippe Starck does a good hotel; the acclaimed French designer is responsible for the budget chic Mama Shelter, the palatial Le Meurice and dozens of other hotels worldwide  and his latest, Brach Paris, is a real treat. The moment you enter the glass facade, dripping with jungle-like foliage, youre enveloped into a sumptuous space that blends Bauhaus, modernism and surrealism; warm wood panelling and plush carpets, gentle lighting and books everywhere lend an atmosphere that is hard to resist.

Brach is set in the residential 16th arrondissement, and the hotel has spaces designed to welcome the well-heeled set: a sports club, swimming pool, and an enticing bar and restaurant. Ask to see the roof-top potager garden for its sensational views of the Eiffel Tower.

Price: Doubles from 628 (522)

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Best for classic luxury: Hotel Lutetia

The expansive pool at Hotel Lutetia (Hotel Lutetia)

In the early 20th century, the grand Hotel Lutetia on the Left Bank was the place to see and be seen, with stars such as Josephine Baker and Ernest Hemingway being frequent visitors. After a four-year renovation, during which architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte has sliced into the building to bring light into the once-dark areas, it has been given a new lease of life and an almost other-worldly feel. Polished walnut, white marble and a midnight blue and greige (grey-meets-beige) colour scheme combine for an elegant yet modern effect, with occasional nods to the original art nouveau and art deco style. There is a spa, with a huge swimming pool, while Brasserie Lutetia is headed up by three-star Michelin chef Gerald Passedat.

Price: Grand Superior Room from 1060 (883)

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Best for swimming: Hotel Molitor

Molitor (Marc Plantec)

If a hotel break isnt a hotel break without a dip in the pool, look no further than The Molitor in western Paris. At its heart is a magnificent 50-metre swimming pool, which dates from 1929. For 60 years it was the citys most popular swimming pool, but after it closed in 1989 it lay abandoned and empty before being taken over by graffiti artists. It reopened as a five-star hotel in 2014 and now offers 124 rooms and suites. The rooms that surround the summer pool (there is an indoor one too) have a cruise-ship vibe, and theres a huge Clarins Spa, an art deco brasserie, a bar and and a roof garden open in the summer.

Price: Doubles from 318 (264)

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Best for art-lovers: Hotel de Berri

Hotel de Berri (Eric Laignel)

Hidden away in a quiet street near the Champs dElysee, the Hotel de Berri is a haven for art lovers, and has so many originals and reproductions, it could easily distract from Paris legendary galleries. The ground floor restaurant and bar is a cornucopia of impressive paintings and sculptures, while the 75 rooms and suites each have the feel of an exclusive Parisian pied-a-terre. This is all thanks to the design prowess of interiors expert Philippe Renaud and his clever styling that brings decorative fireplaces, hallways and lounge suites into the bedrooms, and an eclectic luxury into the shared spaces.

Price: Doubles from 507 (423)

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Best for eco-minded travellers: Hotel Gavarni

Hotel Gavarni (Hotel Gavarni)

Just a short walk from Trocadero, the Hotel Gavarni was Paris first independent hotel to be granted the European Ecolabel. It is powered by electricity from renewable sources, has a energy-efficient heating system, regulation of water flow in the showers, sorting of waste and fully organic breakfasts. Staff are really friendly too, and the rooms are decorated in classic style. The Eiffel suite is particularly impressive though, with a view of the Iron Lady, and fantastic line-drawn wallpaper that depicts the views of Paris rooftops. Its location means its an easy walk to the Eiffel Tower and the Musee de Quai Branly, with vertical wall garden.

Price: Doubles from 184 (153)

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Best for a health kick: Kimpton St Honore

The swimming pool at Kimpton St Honore (Kimpton/IHG Hotels)

For those looking to indulge in Paris while also maintaining healthy habits, the Kimpton St Honore is for you. With a California-inspired approach to wellness, the hotel provides complimentary yoga mats in each of the rooms, with protein bars replacing usual sweet treats in the mini bar. All of the food is just as health-conscious, with the hotel restaurant, Montecito, offering nutrient-dense meals such as fish tacos, ceviche, and vegan burgers. At breakfast, dishes like shakshuka and avocado on toast take centre stage, while the pastries are miniature. Despite being minimalistic in their aesthetic, the rooms are very comfortable, with large beds, soft sheets, and everything else youd expect from a luxury hotel. Be sure to pay a visit to the spa, too, where guests can enjoy treatments with CODAGE Paris products before taking a dip in the hotels heated indoor pool. Theres a steam room and sauna too, and of course, a gym.

Price: Doubles from 473 (394)

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Read more on Paris hotels

Boutique hotels in Paris

Best cheap hotels in Paris
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The mayor of Como, a city in the northern Italian province of Lombardy, has passed a controversial law banning begging and camping in the city centre.

Mario Landriscina, the citys recently elected centre-right mayor, issued a 45-day decree on Friday 15 December which aims to protect urban decorum and livability.

Those in contravention of the decree face a fine ranging between 50 to 300 and are responsible for restoring the state of the premises at their own expense.

Officials said the decree follows a rise in the number of beggars and homeless, claiming some get drunk and perform their physiological needs in central parts of the city, reports The Local. The accompanying press release said that these problems became more apparent over the Christmas holidays when there are more visitors in the city centre; Como is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to Lake Como and the Alps.

Recommended Paris authorities tell volunteers stop distributing food to refugees

The Mayor said he had chosen an administrative tool already adopted in other cities.

The decree specifically targets both those who are begging proactively by approaching people and asking for money, and those who are passively begging with signs.

Not everyone is happy with the decision: The Como ban is negative and unacceptable, don Virginio Colmegna, president of the Casa Della Carita Foundation in Milan, tells The Independent. Yet it is part of an alarming list of measures against homeless and beggars.

In Italy, unfortunately, too many politicians criminalise the poor. Too often homeless people and beggars have been kicked out of town centres, away from shop windows and bars tables.

Too many times marginalised people have been pushed into the outskirt of the cities, where it is more and more difficult for them to survive.

The Como ban will not solve anything. Poverty is not a street cleaning problem. It is a social problem which needs social interventions. Measures like this just make homeless peoples living conditions worse and worse.

Furthermore, they increase the stigmatisation of poor people: they are not considered human beings but a waste, as Pope Francis says.

Como is not the first place to ban begging.

In 2016, the mayor of coastal town Bordighera, close to the French border, issued a law that made giving money to beggars an offence punishable by a fine. In November of this year, police in the city of Hyderabad rounded up beggars ahead of a summit attended by Ivanka Trump, with at least 200 transported out of the city centre by authorities.
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This is the holiday season, but heres a modern dilemma  should our choice of destination be informed by local politics? These days, were encouraged to travel ethically  offsetting plane travel and fuel consumption, spending our cash supporting local businesses, and blending in with the customs and culture. Now, should we add another choice to that ethical list  is it acceptable to holiday in places that tolerate human rights abuses?

Myanmar, for example, and Saudi Arabia  but what about Australia? Aussies are famous for their hospitality, so  while visiting friends in northern New South Wales  I was surprised to read the following message in the local paper: If you are on holiday here please dont come again  because some people cant leave. The ad highlighted the plight of the hundreds of detainees currently held against their will on Nauru and the Papua New Guinea Island of Manus. The Australian government, determined to stem the flow of asylum seekers arriving by boat, is refusing to allow them to enter the country.

There have been as many as 2,000 people detained in camps on the two islands, with currently around 650 left, refused entry to Australia and fearful for their lives if they return home. Recently, New Zealand offered a home to 150 of them, but  outrageously  the Australian government spurned the offer, claiming it would only encourage more boat people to come. President Obama offered to allow several hundreds to enter the US, and although Trump tried to renege on the deal, he has grudgingly accepted less than 100 in total.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

The ad telling me to go home has a point  the treatment of these refugees is shocking, and conditions in Manus and on Nauru leave a lot to be desired, with allegations of sexual assault, brutality and self-harming. There is a lack of a long-term plan from the authorities, in spite of a high-profile campaign on social media titled #LetThemStay, with prominent Australians such as Russell Crowe describing the camps as a nations shame. The governments Pacific Solution was devised in desperation, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has done nothing to bring it to a humane conclusion, using vital foreign aid to Papua New Guinea and Nauru to bribe those regimes into continuing to host the camps.

Some of the detainees have been in this limbo land for five years, but just as Australia took forever to approve of gay marriage, so it seems to be just as reluctant to grant fellow humans some rights in this vast country full of empty space.

Ironically, tourism is important to the New South Wales economy, particularly along the coastal areas, but foreigners are in the minority. And if we started to apply this kind of rationale to all our potential holiday destinations, where could we visit with a clear conscience?

 Refugee explains what it's like sleeping rough in Calais

Take the UK, for example. According to the Refugee Council, in the year to June, 27,819 asylum seekers and refugees were held in detention centres in the UK. According to official figures, more than half are held for less than two months, and only 1 per cent for over a year  but that is more than 270 people. In spite of saying children would no longer be locked up, 48 were held during this time  and conditions in our detention centres remain a cause for concern.

Recently, a Panorama highlighted the brutality and shoddy treatment of detainees at Brook House, near Gatwick Airport, which contains people refused asylum, foreign nationals who have completed jail sentences, and visa overstays  all people the Home Office wants to dump somewhere else, just like the people on Manus and Nauru. After the BBC programme, nine officers were suspended and an inquiry is underway. There have been allegations of sexual assaults at Yarls Wood.

After Brexit, the way that the UK treats refugees and asylum seekers will be part of our national identity. Having sat through the harrowing scenes in the award-winning BBC series Exodus, I do not want my country to be blighted in the same way that Australias image has been tarnished by Manus and Nauru. The second series of the programme followed dozens of refugees slowly attempting to make their way across Europe to a new life. They were articulate and dignified, as they trudged for hundreds of miles, encountering barbed wire, packs of ferocious dogs and hostility  scraping together makeshift shelters out of rubbish and donations. Their positivity in the face of rejection was utterly moving.

Every day, dozens of desperate people arrive in the UK, stowed in cars and trucks. Children routinely escape from processing centres, sought out by trafficking gangs. The UK has no time limit for someone held in detention, and has the lowest rate of asylum approvals in the Big Five EU nations (Italy, France, Spain and Germany). Asylum seekers are only allowed to work after they have been waiting to hear about their status for 12 months, and many exist on just 5 a day. Isnt it about time that we asked some tough questions about the treatment of detainees in the UK? The Germans and French have a far better track record than we do  when it comes to ethical tourism, Britain isnt necessarily a great choice of destination.
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A single stupid remark by a political leader can suddenly illuminate deep and destructive ignorance about important issues. This has happened to me twice recently, the first time during the confrontation between Britain and the EU about the status of Northern Ireland and the Irish border after Brexit. I saw prominent Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith explaining that the Irish government was hanging tough on negotiations because the presidential election is coming up. This caused hilarity in Ireland because there is no presidential election in the offing there. The rest of his analysis of what was happening in Ireland, delivered in a self-confident and patronising tone, was equally ill-informed.

Duncan Smiths remarks were significant because they showed that the Brexiteers knew as much about Ireland as they did about Samoa. It never figured in their referendum campaign in 2016 and they have not thought much about it since. For all their supposed devotion to British history, they have forgotten, if they ever knew, that the Irish question has been a central preoccupation of modern British governments from 1880 to 1922 and again from 1968 to 2007. Already there were signs that this issue  the cause of the bloodiest and longest guerrilla war in Western Europe since the Second World War  beginning to re-emerge when Theresa May did a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to give her a majority after the general election. She casually abandoned the British governments neutrality between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland, which was essential to its role as a mediator between the two sides.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA 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 centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA

There is a flippancy about the way in which the Brexiteers saw through branches, both Irish and European, on which Britain is sitting. A striking feature of Duncan Smiths ill-informed words was not just his ignorance of the facts, but the tell-you-a-thing-or-two-old-boy tone in which they were uttered. A conservative historian, Sir Lewis Namier, once wrote that strictly logical conclusions based on insufficient data are a deadly danger, especially when pride is taken in the performance. This is very much the stance of the proponents of Brexit who dispose of uncomfortable facts as if they were so many English archers shooting down French knights at Agincourt.

The dispute with Ireland and the EU appeared to disappear when agreement was reached on moving on from the present phase of Brexit in December. But this only happened because Britain has issued post-dated political cheques to the EU, Irish government and nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland that cannot all be honoured. If Britain does not want a hard border, then it will have to stay within the single market and customs union and vice versa. Presumably, the Brexiteers acclaimed a series of climb-downs because they do not intend to stick to the agreement and want to get to Brexit day on 29 March 2019 without their project going visibly on the rocks. Britain will then be free of the shackles of the EU and able to ignore past promises as it makes its way in the wider world.

But the advocates of Brexit have made extraordinarily little effort to find out what this wider world is like. On the contrary, their view of it is constructed out of gobbets of propaganda and wishful thinking, which make it impossible to have any realistic view of Britains real strengths and weaknesses. There is nothing wrong with any nation seeking self-determination or greater control of its future, but the leaders of such a movement owe it to their followers to get their calculations right.

Since I write mostly about the Middle East I am very conspicuous of how British failures there since 2003 have been rooted in a refusal to view the political landscape objectively. This lack of knowledge was crystallized for me recently by a remark by the new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson which does not, at first, look as if it has much to do with Britains international status.

 Who is new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson?

He said in an interview that British terrorists should be hunted down and killed on the grounds that a dead terrorist cant cause any harm to Britain. But who does he think decides who is a terrorist in Syria and Iraq? Does he imagine that there is some fair-minded judicial process before terrorist suspects are jailed, tortured, shot in the head or tossed off the top of the nearest tall building? His words could be dismissed as a crude bit of bombast by a politician demonstrating that he is tough on terrorists. But what he is really doing is giving license to the lynching of anybody with a British passport or with even the most remote British connections in the vast war zone that stretches from the western frontier of Iran to the Mediterranean and from Turkey to Yemen. There are far more innocent but vulnerable Britons in this area than there are British Isis fighters. Declaring open season on them is cruel and irresponsible.

Possibly Williamson imagines that terrorists will be identified and hunted down by British forces in Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan, but the picture he paints of Britains role in these conflicts is exaggerated to the point of fantasy. Such pretensions are the province not just of the Conservative right, but of British politicians and pundits in general. Remember the great debate in Parliament in 2015 about British military intervention in Syria in which Hilary Benn won Tory cheers by comparing British intervention to 1940 and other iconic periods in British history?

This was nonsense: nine months later it emerged that the RAF had carried out just 65 air strikes on the ground in Syria because we had no allies on the ground though David Cameron had claimed that there were as many as 70,000 moderate fighters on our side. This was admitted by General Mark Carleton-Smith, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff who said that in Syria the UK was marginally engaged, from the air only, across a much less homogenous battlefield, where the identification of the multifaceted parties, agencies and militias is much more difficult to determine. In other words we cant tell friend from foe, yet in this chaotic battlefield Gavin Williamson believes that British Isis fighters can be identified and eliminated.

Britain is a minor player in Syria and the major player in Northern Ireland, but makes similar mistakes in both places. This is why the off-the-cuff remarks of senior politicians like Williamson and Iain Duncan Smith are significant. In both cases there is the same unblushing ignorance of the facts. This is compounded by an exaggerated idea of Britains real power and influence.

This does not mean that Britain is becoming a failed state. There is a great deal of ruin in a nation, as Adam Smith famously pointed out. But nations do fail all the same if they consistently misjudge their place in the world around them.
Just a quick note during the holiday rush :). My name is Scott Davis, writing from Leesburg Virginia and I was recently going through my late fathers boxes of important papers. He was in Vietnam in 1965 and, though he sustained severe injuries during the war, I saw that he kept a few Christmas letters that were sent from random people in the USA to the troops in Vietnam. I wish I had gotten started on this earlier, but I thought it would be a nice Christmas surprise to have these letters come full circle to the original senders. If you have any way of connecting with this person, could you please forward the letterI would be happy to forward the original letters if there are any successful connections.
CONCORD  The winter fishing in Cabarrus County and across the state just got better with the release of thousands of trout in the past few weeks by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

The pond at Frank Liske Park got 1,200 rainbow, brook and brown trout in a release Thursday as did the pond at McAlpine Park in Charlotte.

The aim is expand opportunities for fishing and hunting across the state, according to District 6 Fisheries Biologist Lawrence Dorsey, who was with the crew who delivered the fish.

There are opportunities across the state but this is a unique opportunity for people in this area who would otherwise have to travel to the mountains to fish for trout, Dorsey said.

The Wildlife Commission stocks the pond at Frank Liske with channel catfish during the summer months, so having the trout during the winter will expand the fishing season at the park, Dorsey said.

It didnt long for the fish to start biting. A youngster caught a trout before the tanker truck pulled out of the water. His brother threw the fish back after posing for a photo with it.

We want people to take what they catch home and eat them if they want, Dorsey said.

The trout can survive in the Frank Liske pond until early spring, about the time the channel catfish stocking begins. The trout like cold water, while catfish prefer warmer water.

Frank Liske and other parks were chosen for the program because they have a variety of things to offer those who visit.

You might be here with your family picnicking and you can also come out and fish while youre here, Dorsey said.

Officials hope to continue the program if its successful this winter.

There arent many restrictions, except having a regular fishing license.

There is a $1 fee to fish at Frank Liske Park.

13 counties get the trout

Here is the complete list of ponds that were stocked with trout this month:

Alexander County  Ellendale Pond

Buncombe County  Azalea Park Pond, Charles D. Owen Park Pond, Tomahawk Lake

Burke County  Broughton Ponds

Cabarrus County  Frank Liske Park

Caswell County  High Rock Pond

Forsyth County  CG Hill Lake and Village Point Lake

Gaston County  Gaston County Farm Lake and George Poston Park Pond

Jackson County  Cashiers Park Pond

Mecklenburg County  McAlpine Pond

Polk County  Laughter Pond

Surry County  Tumbling Rock Reservoir

Transylvania County  Lake Imaging

Yadkin County  Yadkin County Park Pond

Besides these December stockings, the Wildlife Commission stocks more than 930,000 catchable-size brook, brown and rainbow trout into mountain streams and reservoirs annually to provide trout fishing opportunities for the thousands of trout anglers who fish North Carolinas public waters, according to the commission.

The economic impact

These opportunities have substantial economic benefits on North Carolinas economy, according to a 2015 study conducted by Responsive Management and Southwick Associates.

Nearly 149,000 trout anglers fished approximately 1.6 million days in 2014, and the effects these trout anglers had on North Carolinas economy totaled an estimated $383 million, according to the study, Mountain Trout Fishing: Economic Impacts on and Contributions to North Carolinas Economy. The study also found that money spent on trout fishing in 2014 supported approximately 3,593 jobs.
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Boeing and Brazilian airplane manufacturer Embraer said Thursday that they are in discussions about a potential tie-up.

The talks are ongoing, but the companies cautioned in a joint release any deal would be subject to the Brazilian government,

regulators and each companies boards and shareholders. The talks have been happening for some time , sources familiar with the situation told CNBC

Shares of Embraer surged as much as 25 percent in midday trading.

Boeing could face a challenge in gaining Brazilian government approval to buy the countrys aviation giant. Reuters, citing a government source, reported Brazil is open an Embraer partnership  but not a total sale of the company. Any deal which transfers control of Embraer is out, according to Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal reported Boeing is open to protecting jobs, the Embraer brand or structuring a deal that will maintain Brazilian government interest in the companys defense business.

Embraers commercial aviation CEO, John Slattery, said at the Dubai Airshow in November that the Airbus deal for control of Bombardiers CSeries should generate a higher level of activity for Embraer.

The deal in progress would be a boon for Boeings current offerings due to Embraers strength in regional jets. Embraer rivals Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier in commercial jets with 100 to 150 seats, a product that is center stage of a bitter trade dispute between Boeing and Bombardier.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday finalized duties of nearly 300 percent on passenger jets made by Bombardier, a win for Boeing, which lodged the complaint. The suit alleges Bombardier received unfair government subsidies and dumped narrow-body jets below cost to No. 2 U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines. The Commerce Department first recommended the duties on Bombardiers CSeries jets earlier this autumn.

Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare on Thursday defended the discounting of new airplanes. Bellemare doesnt deny that Delta received a good price, saying early customers for a fresh product rarely pay list prices. Steep discounts are common in the industry, to draw interest and attention to new planes.

Bellmare told CNBC that Bombardier has an aircraft that nobody produces except Embraer. The real competitor to this aircraft is Embraer, its not Boeing.

Theres no case here, Bellemare added, calling the complaint ridiculous.

(CNBC)

The post Boeing and Brazilian plane maker Embraer in talks over a potential tie-up appeared first on Metaforespress.
Trump, Jerusalem and International Law

By Lawrence Davidson



The Relevance of International Law



December 20, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - It is not easy to write anything new about President Trumps 6 December 2017 announcement that he  and supposedly the U.S. as a nation  was recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. After all, plenty of very smart and attentive people have already commented on this decision. I particularly like those who pointed out that Trumps move replicated that of Arthur Balfour. As Balfour had assumed in 1917 that he could promise Palestine to the Zionists, so Trump seems to have assumed he could legitimize Jerusalem as Israeli territory. The connection seems to support the philosopher George Santayanas observation that those who know no history are bound to repeat it.



As was the case with Balfour, neither Trump nor the U.S. Congress (whose edict the president has so eagerly carried out) has any legal authority to proceed in this fashion. In the case of Trump and the Congress, what should get in their way is international law  which, when represented in signed treaties, is incorporated into U.S. law. The Geneva Conventions are such a case. Part of these conventions (again, now made U.S. law) makes it illegal to conquer territory and then absorb it by moving your own citizens in while ethnically cleansing the original population. One can also cite the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court declaring apartheid policies a crime against humanity. This is not U.S. law but reflects international consensus. Israel is in violation of aspects of the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, as well as a host of United Nations resolutions.



Trump, along with the Republicans and Democrats in Congress, seems to be ignorant, or perhaps just callously unconcerned about international law  even when it has become their law! Nowhere is it referenced in Trumps announcement. It is doubtful that he and those in Congress give it any thought at all. It is this shameless stupidity that concerns me. For, to the extent that we ignore international law, the world returns to the conditions that led to World Wars I and II, and of course, to the Holocaust.



Part II  Open Eyes and Fresh Thinking



Trump: When I came into office I promised to look at the worlds challenges with open eyes and very fresh thinking.



Comment: This state of mind cannot be completely achieved because we all are shaped by culture and personal past experiences. However, it can be approximated if one is (a) conscious of ones biases and assumptions and (b) knows enough relevant history to recognize what is indeed relatively fresh and original. I think it is safe to say that President Trump is nowhere near this level of consciousness. Rather than clear-headed and original, he behaves erratically and is very much in the grips of cultural prejudices and personal biases.



President Trump, though a particularly outrageous example of this impaired condition, is not the only American leader to mistake his own ignorance for clear-sightedness (George W. Bush comes to mind). It is perhaps because it is so difficult to really see the worlds problems with open eyes and fresh thinking that wiser men and women than Mr. Trump have laid down international laws designed to prevent nation-states from taking actions that have, beyond doubt, proven to be disastrous.



Part III  Alternative Facts



Trump: The announcement on Jerusalem marks the beginning of a new approach to conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital and relocating the U.S. embassy there will advance the cause of peace. We know this to be so because putting off this step for the past 20 years has not advanced that cause.



Comment: Trumps reasoning here is, well, unreasonable, and historically mistaken. Previous presidents did not delay moving the U.S. embassy because they thought not doing so would help bring about Palestinian-Israeli peace. First, they promised to make this move for domestic political reasons during election campaigns  a nod to the Zionist lobbys funding potential. Afterward, they held back because to actually take this step would only make things in the Middle East worse, and not only for the Palestinians and the Israelis. The United States has other Muslim rulers in the region who are its allies. Trumps predecessors, or at least their advisors, knew that the men who ruled Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the like had populations with significant numbers of people who would be quite agitated over just the move Trump has now undertaken. The U.S. leaders feared, not without reason, that ceding Jerusalem to the Israelis would destabilize those allies and boost the threat of terrorism.



No doubt aided by an abiding ignorance, President Trump has replaced the facts which held back the hand of his predecessors with alternative facts. For instance, he has replaced the facts that make up the history of Jerusalem as related to both Islam and Christianity, and the millennia-old emotions that go along with it, with the reality of an illegal fifty-year occupation of the entire city by Israel. Having rendered truth in this fashion, the president concludes that his decision must be in the interest of both the U.S. and peace because it is nothing more or less than the recognition of reality.



How simple is President Trumps world! Simple as only the ignorant can see it. No wonder Secretary of State Tillerson (who is not without his own short-sightedness) called President Trump a moron.



Part IV  Dont Misunderstand Me



Much of the rest of the presidents speech was an attempt to assure the world that what he had just declared was not as fresh and new as he at first claimed.



Trump: I want to make one point very clear . The United States remains deeply committed to helping to facilitate a peace agreement that is acceptable to both sides. We are not taking a position on any final status issues.



Comment: It is at this point that you have to ask just what world the president is living in. Actually, the answer is not that hard to come by. It is a personal world that is singularly egocentric. As such it has no real relevance to U.S. national interests and certainly not to Palestinian-Israeli conflict resolution. Its only reference point is Trumps own, largely unrestrained, self-serving urges and needs.

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According to reports coming from inside the White House, Trump was interested in the alleged prestige of being the president who actually went through with the promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today I am delivering.

He sought out those who would encourage his goal  those who are hardly any more knowledgable then he  his Christian Fundamentalist Vice President Mike Pence, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is a family friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump is also reported to have been encouraged to take this step by the Senate minority leader Charles Shumer, a man whose only foreign policy interest is in supporting Israel. Trump ignored the advice of his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, and Secretary of Defence, James Mattis, both of whom thought the move ill-advised. So now we have the Zionists and Christian fundamentalists standing behind Trump, patting him on the back. The rest of the world stands in front of him, aghast. Typical of the self-serving type he is, Trump only cares about the blandishments pushing him in the direction he wants to go.



That direction is decidedly backwards. Back in the direction of no rules, no international law, not even any binding treaties to bother with. Just free rein for the whims of the leader.



Part V  Power and the Will



One gets the sense that Trump feels he can simply create a new reality by the exercise of his will. I want to emphasize the word feels here because I do not think the president reasons out these actions. He experiences a feeling that suggests to him a way he can change things. He does not weigh this feeling against history or contemporary reality. For example, take his description of the eventual new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem as a magnificent tribute to peace.



This equating of what one feels or wills with what will actually be is a sign of a delusional personality  someone who cant tell the difference between his own opinion and hard facts. To have such a person in a position of power is dangerous indeed. We know this from experience. The only things that may keep such impulsive people in check are rules  rules that are at once humane and based on historical lessons learned, and rules that are enforced.



Such rules exist. They were introduced in the form of a growing body of international law as nations confronted the consequences of modern warfare and brutality. Unfortunately, today these rules are rarely enforced  and never done so when it comes to superpowers and their close allies.



So Donald Trump, with his alleged open eyes and fresh thinking, pays no attention to the rules. Announcing his recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, he leads us all backwards toward disaster.

Lawrence Davidson is a retired professor of history from West Chester University in West Chester PA. His academic research focused on the history of American foreign relations with the Middle East. He taught courses in Middle East history, the history of science and modern European intellectual history.

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US Tax Bill Crowns Donald Trump King of the Swamp



The US tax bill, the first key measure passed by the Republicans, does not even try to cloak its intent. It's an unashamed enrichment scheme for the wealthy and slap in the face for the poor.



By Michael Knigge

December 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - After numerous embarrassing false starts, Congressional Republicans, goaded by President Donald Trump's relentless tweets, finally scored their first major legislative victory Tuesday by passing a massive tax bill.

Trump and his party will surely spend the next months touting the measure as the fulfillment of a campaign promise that will help "Make America Great Again." That is, as several independent studies of the Republican tax plan have clearly shown, not true.

Instead, what the tax bill will overwhelmingly do is make rich Americans richer. Under the revised joint Congressional bill, the top 1 percent of Americans would get 82 percent of its benefits in 2027, the bill's last year, according to a study by the Tax Policy Center. That is because most of the other provisions included in the measure are temporary and will have expired by then. But even when the bill takes effect next year with comprehensive tax cuts across the board, 5 percent of Americans will be paying more taxes than now while the wealthiest Americans reap most of the benefits.

Gutting the Affordable Care Act

But the Republican bill does not stop at providing massive tax breaks for corporations, wealthy Americans like themselves and the Trump family. An often overlooked part of the legislation actively hurts lower middle class and poor Americans, who stand to gain little from the tax scheme in the first place.

That part is the gutting of a key element of the Affordable Care Act, the so-called individual mandate, which imposes a financial penalty on people who do not purchase health care coverage. Without the requirement, insurance premiums are expected to skyrocket and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that more 10 million people could drop out of the system. That would in turn lead to a rising number of uninsured Americans (again) and thereby threaten the viability of the Affordable Care Act as a whole.

Killing the dreaded Affordable Care Act, which despite its problems, has enabled millions of Americans to get health insurance, has been a primary goal for Republicans for a long time. The tax bill brings them one step closer to achieving that end.

But the bill hurts average Americans in another way that is also often overlooked. It is estimated to increase the deficit by more than 1 trillion dollars over the next 10 years, which will cause the same politicians who engineered the tax scheme in the first place to demand drastic cuts in government spending in programs benefiting primarily the poor and elderly to make up for it.

Unmasking of Trump

Still, as important as it is to debunk the obscene Republican tax scheme, which the UN's special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights recently (and rightly) slammed as "America's bid to become the most unequal society in the world," it is equally essential to consider what it means politically for the future and how this money grab can be reversed.

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First, for Trump the tax bill serves as his official abdication from his self-proclaimed role as the defender of working class Americans and his crowning as the "king of the swamp." Trump styling himself as the spokesman for regular Americans was of course always a ruse devoid of any real meaning. But this giant giveaway to US corporations and the richest Americans like himself, which was preceded by what The New York Times called a "lobbying frenzy," finally makes clear to everyone where the president's real sympathies lie.

Second, the tax bill shows that the Republican Party, despite all the huffing and puffing from some of its hardline Tea Party members, has the back of big corporations. While that is not necessarily a new development, the fact that Republicans  who once prided themselves on fiscal responsibility  have trashed that concept and opted for a bill which will lead to a new massive deficit, is noteworthy.

Time for the Democrats?

And finally, the bill gives the opposition Democrats ample fodder for next year's midterm election and the coming presidential race in 2020, as it exposes that the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans are beholden to the very corporate interests, the wealthy elites and the so-called Washington swamp they routinely decry.

Undoing the noxious tax bill can be done by a simple Congressional vote. Getting there and convincing Americans that they not only oppose Trump, but actually have a realistic plan of helping working Americans, is the hard part for a Democratic Party that is still struggling to find itself.

This article was originally published by Deutsche Welle -

 2017 Deutsche Welle
Home CONFIRMED: US Preparing to Attack North Korea



Daily Telegraph claims US engaging in advanced planning for military strike against North Korea



By Alexander Mercouris



December 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - An article in the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph is reporting that the US is now very close to deciding on a list of options for military strikes against North Korea.



The Daily Telegraph claims that its article is based on inside information provided to it by officials of the US and British governments this newspaper talked to around a dozen current and former officials in America and Britain about policy towards North Korea. The conversations show that the Trump administration is more willing to consider military options to end the conflict than widely assumed. The Daily Telegraph outlines some of the options which are being discussed. The White House has dramatically stepped up preparation for a military solution in recent months amid fears diplomacy is not working, well-placed sources said. One option is destroying a launch site before it is used by the regime for a new missile test. Stockpiles of weapons could also be targeted. The hope is that military force would show Kim Jong-un that America is serious about stopping further nuclear development and trigger negotiations. Three sources  two former US officials familiar with current thinking and a third figure in the administration  confirmed military options were being worked up. The Pentagon is trying to find options that would allow them to punch the North Koreans in the nose, get their attention and show that were serious, said one former US security official briefed on policy. The article also makes it fairly clear who the principal hardliner pressing for military action against North Korea is, as well as growing British alarm at the war talk in Washington Mr Kims refusal to negotiate has left senior White House figures disillusioned with diplomacy and increasingly considering military avenues. One British source who recently attended a briefing with H.R. McMaster, Mr Trumps national security adviser, and other officials left feeling alarmed. The Americans said deterrence doesnt work against North Korea and negotiation doesnt work, the source said. Those who heard them left with the impression that military action is very much an option they were considering seriously... British officials are continuing to urge their US counterparts to focus on diplomatic solutions and are looking to increase pressure on North Korea. (bold italics added) That General H.R. McMaster appears to be at the centre of the attack planning in Washington and seems to be the leading advocate of a military strike on North Korea will come as no surprise to anyone. In parenthesis, I would add that when General McMaster replaced General Flynn as President Trumps National Security Adviser back in February the USs European allies breathed a collective sigh of relief. One wonders whether anyone in Europe is now having second thoughts? Putting this aside, how much credence is to be given to the Daily Telegraphs story? Firstly, there are too many reports coming out of Washington discussing possible military action against North Korea to leave any doubt that serious preparations for a military strike on North Korea are indeed underway. There is also no doubt about the growing frustration in Washington at the USs inability to bring North Koreas ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programme to a stop and at Chinas refusal to impose an oil embargo on North Korea. The Daily Telegraph article admits that North Koreas ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programme has advanced much faster than anyone in Washington expected, and that this has left the US struggling to come up with a response Pressure to act comes from the drop in estimated time it will take for North Korea to develop a missile that could hit America with nuclear weapons. Just a few years ago it was believed the regime was a decade away from that point, but now the figure has dropped to as little as 18 months  though estimates vary. Senior figures in the Trump administration have made clear in public that it would be unacceptable for North Korea to reach that position. The Daily Telegraph also says that there is a split within the Trump administration between the advocates and opponents of military action Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Experts also say there is a split in the US administration with Mr Trump and Mr McMaster more willing to consider military action than Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, and Jim Mattis, the defence secretary. In such a situation it is no surprise that there is active planning in Washington for a strike on North Korea, and that Washington has split into hawks and doves ie. between advocates and opponents of military action. Indeed this is the classic situation in Washington whenever the US finds itself in confrontation with another country, and it is one which has repeated itself on numerous occasions since the start of the Cold War. It is however likely that behind all this war talk there is a strong element of bluff. With the US apparently incapable of making any concessions that might open the way for talks with North Korea  eg. by accepting the Chinese proposal for a double freeze (a cessation of US military exercises in the Korean Peninsula in return for a suspension by North Korea of its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programme)  the strong possibility must exist that articles like the one in the Daily Telegraph are being deliberately leaked to the media in order to scare China into ramping up pressure on North Korea by imposing an oil embargo on the country. I say this because I still find it very difficult to believe that the US seriously intends a military strike against North Korea which every serious analyst I know of considers both extremely risky and likely to be completely ineffective, and which is opposed by both the Secretaries of State and Defense. It is not after all as if there has ever been an occasion in the past when the US has attacked a country which possess nuclear weapons. Would it really take on itself the enormous risk of doing so against a country as unpredictable as North Korea? Having said this the danger in all this war talk and in all this planning is that beyond a certain point it starts to acquire its own dynamic. It is very easy to see how as the North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programme gathers pace pressure in Washington for a US strike on North Korea might increase. If it appears that there is an option for a strike on the table, then that pressure would increase still more. Needless to say the risks involved in such a strike are colossal and I cannot imagine anything that might alarm and anger China more. However when people of war instead of peace war is what tends to happen. This article was originally published by The Duran - ==== Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. This website encourages readers to use the "Report" link found at the base of each comment. When a predetermined number of ICH readers click on the "Report" link, the comment will be automatically sent to "moderation". This would appear to be the most logical way to allow open comments, where you the reader/supporter, can determine what is acceptable speech. Please don't use the report feature simply because you disagree with the author point of view. Treat others with respect, remembering that "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."- Benjamin Franklin. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. 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Trumps Gross Hypocrisy on Yemen War



The Trump administrations hypocrisy was on clear display when it denounced Iran over an ineffectual Yemeni missile that landed in Saudi Arabia while the U.S. aids the Saudi slaughter of Yemeni civilians, says Jonathan Marshall.



By Jonathan Marshall



December 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Political charlatans like Donald Trump often employ an essential trick from stage magic: misdirecting the audience. By taking the publics eye off the real issues and channeling discussion toward made-up controversies, they can keep working their agenda in the shadows.U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has been quick to learn that technique from her mentor in the Oval Office. Last week, in a performance reminiscent of Secretary of State Colin Powells UN speech before the Iraq War, she staged a highly publicized demonstration of alleged Iranian perfidy: bits and pieces of a missile fired on Nov. 4 by Houthi rebels in Yemen toward Saudi Arabias King Khalid International Airport outside of Riyadh.

When you look at this missile, this is terrifying, this is absolutely terrifying, Haley asserted . She said the scraps included parts made by Iran, some by Irans government-run defense industry. All are proof that Iran is defying the international community. In particular, she claimed that Iran is violating a United Nations Security Council resolution banning it from engaging in transfers of ballistic missiles  an annex to the Security Councils endorsement of the Iran nuclear deal.

Critics quickly shot holes in her case. For one thing, the Security Councils resolution actually says Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons . . . Called upon is not the same as a ban. Nor would any serious expert confuse Houthi rockets with nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

In addition, the New York Times noted , Defense officials said they could not say exactly when the weapons . . . were given to the Houthis, which means that they could have been transferred before the Security Council resolution was enacted.

Nor could a U.N. panel of experts even confirm that Iran had supplied the missiles; analysts at IHS Janes raised the possibility that Houthi rebels modified foreign missiles purchased by Yemens military before the outbreak of war. Although Haley put on display an Iranian-made component that was allegedly part of the missile, one reporter noted that the debris also contained an American-made part used to circulate liquid fuel propellant.

Unless someone can provide a direct smoking gun, such as a shipping manifest or other documents which clearly identify the weapons and how they were sourced, this is simply speculation to further support the administration, Saudi, and Israeli case to militarily confront Iran, said Rob Richer, former associate deputy director for operations at the CIA.

Diversion from Saudi War Crimes

Haleys show was pure misdirection. No serious analyst of the region doubts that Iran has given at least some limited material support to the Houthi rebels who control a sizeable portion of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa.

The question of whether Iran also smuggled a small number of relatively crude missiles to the Houthis should hardly weigh too heavily on anyones moral scales when Saudi Arabia and its allies have been pounding Yemen since March 2015 with high-explosive bombs, mostly supplied by the United States and Great Britain.

As former CIA analyst and presidential adviser Bruce Riedel said of Riyadhs vocal outrage over the ineffectual Houthi missile attack, They desperately want to change the conversation away from starving children to Iranian bad guys.

Or as Irans foreign minister put it in a tweet , Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen to smithereens, killing 1000s of innocents including babies, spreads cholera and famine, but of course blames Iran.

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The Houthis fired off their missile  which killed no one  just days after a Saudi-led airstrike at a market in northern Yemen killed at least 25 civilians.

Immediately after the Houthi retaliation, the Saudi coalition bombed Yemens international airport and closed all the countrys other air, land, and seaports, putting in dire peril some 7 million people deemed by humanitarian agencies to be immediately at risk of famine.

The Saudi blockade also made it almost impossible for medical workers to contain the spread of cholera, which has sickened nearly a million people. The international aid group Save the Children estimated that 50,000 Yemeni children under the age of 5 could die by years end.

It is very clear that if you are using starvation as a weapon you are in breach of international humanitarian law, said Penny Mordaunt, the British governments international development secretary.

The U.N.s human rights office recently accused the Saudi coalition of further killing at least 136 non-combatants from Dec. 6 to 16. Targets of its bombs included a TV station, a hospital, and a wedding party. The hospital was in the Red Sea port of Hodeida, the countrys main point of entry for food. Some close observers predict an imminent attack by the Saudi coalition to oust Houthi rebels from the city  a move that one of Oxfams senior executives said would breach international humanitarian law and result in near certain famine.

President Trump earlier this month called on the Saudi government to permit food, fuel, water, and medicine to reach the Yemeni people who desperately need it. Its hard to take his words seriously, however, after Reuters report that Saudi Arabia has agreed to buy about $7 billion worth of precision guided munitions from U.S. defense contractors . . . in a deal that was part of a $110 billion weapons agreement that coincided with President Donald Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia in May.

Nonetheless, there are serious rumblings of concern in Congress, even among Republicans, over the humanitarian disaster in Yemen. Senator Todd Young of Indiana, a Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recently pressed Trumps nominee to the State Departments top legal office about the implications of Saudi Arabias blockade on international aid to Yemen.

And just last month, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to condemn the killing of civilians in Yemen and to demand that the warring parties increase efforts to adopt all necessary and appropriate measures to prevent civilian casualties and increase humanitarian access.

By itself, to be sure, that was a toothless measure, but its a sign that anti-Iran sentiment on Capitol Hill has not blinded legislators to the crimes being committed by the Saudi coalition in Yemen. So far, at least, Nikki Haleys tricks have failed to divert the worlds attention.

Jonathan Marshalls articles on Yemen include  How US Policy Helps Al Qaeda in Yemen ,  The Wests Moral Hypocrisy on Yemen ,  Belated Pushback on Saudis War on Yemen , and  How Washington Adds to Yemens Nightmare .

This article was originally published by Consortium News -

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Can the FBI Get Away With Getting Trump Team Emails?

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

December 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Within hours of his victory in last years presidential election, Donald Trump dispatched his lawyers to establish a nonprofit corporation to manage his transition from private life to the presidency. This was done pursuant to a federal statute that provides for taxpayer-funded assistance to the newly elected  but not yet inaugurated  president. The statutory term for the corporation is the presidential transition team, or PTT.



In addition to paying the PTTs bills, the General Services Administration, which manages all nonmilitary federal property, provided the PTT with government computers, software and a computer service provider. During the course of the PTTs existence, the folks who worked for it sent or received tens of thousands of emails. The PTT ceased to exist upon Trumps inauguration, and a receiver was hired to wind it down.



Last weekend, a lawyer for the receiver revealed a letter he sent to Congress complaining that special counsel Robert Mueller  who is investigating whether there was any agreement between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin that resulted in the now-well-known efforts by Russian intelligence to affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election  dispatched FBI agents to the GSA looking for copies of all the PTTs emails and that the GSA surrendered them.



How did this happen?



When the FBI is looking for documents or tangible things, it has several legal tools available. They range in their disruptive nature from a simple request to a grand jury subpoena to a judicially authorized search warrant.



The FBI request is the easiest for the government, and if FBI agents ask you for something and you give it to them, you cannot later be heard to complain that your privacy rights regarding the things you surrendered were violated. If they seize your documents pursuant to a subpoena or a warrant, they normally get to use what they have seized.



The issue becomes more complex when the FBI comes calling for documents of yours that are legally in the hands of a custodian  such as your physician, lawyer, banker or accountant. In the case of Trumps PTT and Muellers wish for all PTT emails, the sought-after data  the electronic copies of all the PTTs emails  were in custody of the GSA.



Anyone who has ever used a GSA computer is familiar with the warning that appears on the screen at the time of each use. It says that there is no right to privacy in the communications sent or received, as the electronic versions of those communications are the property of the federal government. This, no doubt, is the reason Hillary Clinton infamously used her husbands computer servers during her four years at the State Department rather than the governments.



We do not know whether Muellers FBI agents merely requested the electronic data from the GSA or his prosecutors obtained a grand jury subpoena. If it was a simple FBI request and if the GSA simply complied, that was a lawful acquisition by the FBI of the PTT emails, yet in that case, the GSA violated its fiduciary duty to inform the PTT of the request before it complied with it.



If the FBI came calling on the GSA with a grand jury subpoena, that means Muellers team must have presented evidence under oath to a grand jury and demonstrated that the sought-after items would more likely than not be helpful to the investigation. When a grand jury issues a subpoena to a custodian of records  no matter who the custodian is  it is the moral and fiduciary duty of the custodian, not the government, to inform the owner of the subpoenaed items that a subpoena has been received.

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In some cases, it is also the legal duty of the custodian to inform the owner, but it apparently was not in this case. As far as we can tell, there was no written agreement between the GSA and the PTT requiring the GSA to inform the PTT of any document requests or subpoenas. Had such a request been revealed, the lawyer for the receiver of the PTT would have had an opportunity to challenge the government before a judge. Without that notice, there is no time for the challenge.



Until 1986, it was the duty of the government when seeking documents or tangible things from a custodian to inform the owner, as well as the custodian, of its intent. That fair procedure gave the owner of the records time to challenge the government before a judge. But the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (which has nothing whatsoever to do with protecting privacy), enacted at the dawn of the digital age, did away with that requirement.



Now if the custodian remains silent in the face of an FBI request or a grand jury subpoena, the owner of the documents loses his opportunity to keep them from the government. That is what happened here.



But there is more.



The practical effect of Muellers acquisition of the transition emails could be devastating to White House staff who once worked for the transition. Many of them have been interviewed by the FBI while no doubt being ignorant of the fact that the FBI had read their emails. Stated differently, the FBI was in a position to lead Trump White House staff members into a lying trap  just as it did with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn  by asking them questions to which the FBI already had the answers.



Lying traps are reprehensible, but theyre lawful. And they are not unique to Muellers practices; it is the way the feds work today. Can the FBI get away with getting the Trump teams emails? In a word: yes. This investigation is not going away soon.

Judge Andrew P. Napolitano sat on the bench from 1987 to 1995, during which time he presided over 150 jury trials and thousands of motions, sentencings and hearings. He taught constitutional law at Seton Hall Law School for 11 years, and he returned to private practice in 1995. www.creators.com

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Russia Tells U.S. Military to Get Out of Syria

By John Haltiwanger

December 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Russia ramped up its calls for the U.S. military to depart from Syria on Thursday, contending it has no substantial reasons to be in the country and its presence there "must end."

Any reasons cited by the Americans to justify their further military presence... are just excuses and we think their presence must end," Alexander Lavrentiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy to Syria, told reporters. Lavrentiev was in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday ahead of peace talks regarding the Syria conflict between Russia, Iran and Turkey, Reuters reports . Russia, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has played a significant role in the Syria conflict.

This is not the first time the Russian government has expressed such views in recent weeks . Russia seemingly feels the U.S. military has no purpose in Syria now that the the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) has largely lost its foothold in Syria and Iraq. The envoy's remarks also come after the U.S. and Russia have sparred over airspace in Syria. In mid-December, two U.S. warplanes in Syria were diverted from supporting ground operations against ISIS to intercept Russian fighter jets that allegedly crossed into U.S. coalition airspace.

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But the Pentagon has signified it has no plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria any time in the near future. "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 spokesperson Eric Pahon told Agence France-Presse earlier this month. "To ensure an enduring defeat of ISIS, the coalition must ensure it cannot regenerate, reclaim lost ground or plot external attacks," he added. There are currently nearly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria , according to numbers from the Pentagon.

This article was originally published by Newsweek -

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Popular cult group, Badoo has again unleashed terror on a family in Itesiwaju Community Development Area, Ibeshe, Ikorodu, killing a man, his son and sister-in-law and injuring his wife.

The mans wife reportedly sustained serious injuries and was said to have been admitted to the Ikorodu General Hospital.

It was learnt that the victims were found dead in the apartment on Thursday morning by one of the couples children who was on a visit.

Although the names of the victims had yet to be ascertained, the family was identified as the Aros.

A resident of a neighbouring community, who gave his name only as Israel, said that the assailants gained entry into the apartment by tearing the window net.

He said, I learnt about the incident this morning (Thursday) and I went to the area. There was no burglar proof bar on the windows of the familys apartment.

The man, his son and his wifes younger sister were found in a pool of blood. The wife survived but she was in a critical condition. The sister-in-law had visited them. I was told that it was the couples daughter who also visited this morning (Thursday) that raised the alarm.

The sight of the deceased was very gory. From all indications, the attack was perpetrated by Badoo members.

It was learnt that the incident was reported to the police at the Ipakodo Police Division, who removed the corpses.

Another source said that, the residents would convene a meeting on Friday (today) to discuss the security issues in the neighbourhood.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
A driver to the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Jerry Ojugbeli, was killed on Thursday by Canon shots to herald the entry of dignitaries at the Ndokwa West PDP Local Government Council election campaign flag off rally at Kwale.



Eyewitnesses reveal that the incident occurred as the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and other dignitaries arrived Kwale stadium, venue for the rally.

Narrating further, a source stated that when the canon was fired, it flew straight towards the deceased at a close range and hit him badly, adding that the crowds attention was already at the stadium, so help did not come on time and he died before he could be rushed to he hospital.

This is very strange because the canon when fired normally enters the ground, but sadly this particular one flew like a rocket through the car shattering glasses and hit Ojugbeli and also injured two others close to the canon shots. Because people were already seated and the rally started, he was not attended to promptly, considering the degree of injuries he sustained, maybe he would have survived, but help came a bit too late, the source noted.

Nevertheless, the rally went on as schedule, but when the news of his death filtered into the venue, the rally was brought to close. Governor Okowa expressed sadness over the untimely death of Ojugbeli.
The foremost anti-corruption agency, EFCC has revealed why Innoson Motors boss was arrested, and that he has been freed.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has released the chief executive officer of Innoson Motors, Innocent Chukwuma.

In a statement issued by its Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, he said the businessman was released on bail.

The statement reads: The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has released Nnewi, Anambra-State born Industrialist, Chief Innocent Chukwuma on bail.

The business man who runs a local auto assembly plant was arrested on Tuesday December 19, 2017 at his Enugu residence, following his refusal to respond to invitations by the Commission, after initially being granted administrative bail by the Commission, while his surety could also not be found.

Unfortunately the industrialist resisted arrest and stirred controversy by bringing six truck-loads of thugs to block the entrance to his Plot W1, Industrial Layout, Abakaliki Road, Emeni, Enugu, home.

This was after he initially misled the Police Command by informing them that his home had been invaded by armed robbers and kidnappers despite the fact that operatives of the Commission duly identified themselves to policemen guarding his home.

His unruly thugs encircled and manhandled operatives of the Commission who had gone to effect the arrest. Consequently, a distress call was sent to the Commissions Enugu Office for reinforcement.

In all of this, the Commissions operatives acted with decorum and civility. No one was manhandled or assaulted by the EFCC team, and not a single shot was fired, despite the provocation.

Chief Chukwuma and his brother, Charles Chukwuma (who is still at large), are being investigated by the Insurance and Capital Market Fraud Section of the Commissions office in Lagos over matters bordering on N1, 478, 366, 859.66 fraud and forgery.

The industrialist, among other infractions, allegedly used forged documents to secure tax waivers.
Four Chinese persons have been rescued by the Nigerian Navy from kidnappers in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State.

The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Sylvanus Abbah, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the four victims were abducted aboard a fishing trawler within the Lagos waterways on December 14, 2017.

According to him, operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT rescued the abducted Chinese nationals from a militant camp in the riverine area of Ondo State.

He said after the abduction, the kidnappers took their victims in a speedboat to Igbokoda, Ondo State, the same day.

Abba said, Naval operatives attached to Forward Operations Base, who sighted the kidnappers as they were entering Igbokoda, gave them a chase.

The kidnappers opened fire on the naval gunboat.

There was a fierce gun battle between the suspects and the naval men, but the hoodlums eventually abandoned their speedboat and fled on foot through the creeks.

Abbah said the naval men went after the suspects who later abandoned the four Chinese men.

Presently, efforts are ongoing to arrest the suspects.

The Chinese sustained bullet injuries during the gun battle, but they have been treated and are in stable condition, he said.

The Acting Chinese Consul General in Nigeria, Mr. Guan Zhonggi, who paid a visit to the FOC, commended the navy for its intervention.

He said the four Chinese men regained their freedom because of the swift response of the naval men.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Nollywood actor, Yomi Fabiyi took to social media to celebrate his 5th wedding anniversary with his estranged wife.

The actor while celebrating the anniversary, pleaded with her to move to Nigeria and take up residence as he is tired of being married and living single.

He shared a photo with his former wife and wrote;

Happy 5years Wedding Anniversary to US.

In the 5years of our marriage, I enjoyed tremendous growth in my career and we had good times, rough moments. The memory of our holiday to Republic of Benin in 2015 lingers. The cruises in my car and those resorts visited.

You support my career and honestly wish I continue when I decide to live in the UK, you have good plans but as God will have it I choose to stay back, kept working harder and 2016 in particular my decision was vindicated to a reasonable extent, I won BEST ACTOR in Leading Role(Yoruba) BON AWARDS, BEST PRODUCER(CITY PEOPLE AWARDS), BEST MOVIE(YOMAFA), BEST PRODUCER (AFRICAN FILMS AWARD, LONDON), and in 2017 I won BEST ACTOR in a Supporting Role( AFRICAN FILMS AWARD, LONDON). The GREEN WHITE GREEN as our outfit and hall decor was a clear message from day 1 dear and it has not change cos I believe in Nigeria, my people and my career ???? God willing as we proceed onto the sixth(6) year, we will be able to sort the only hurdle in our marriage and you keep to your promise to me from the beginning to take up employment in Nigeria and live under my roof. I honestly will NOT love to celebrate the 6th anniversary this way MARRIED but LIVING SINGLE. As we celebrate, I hope and wish this will be my FIRST and the LAST MARRIAGE, God willing. Congratulations to us and see you in few hours.

source: Instagram
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has warned telecommunication service providers to stop multiple charges on candidates attempting to register for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

It noted that nobody must suffer for the providers poor network service.

The JAMB said on Thursday that it would insist on a refund by the service providers which defrauded candidates.

The boards spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, in a statement, said the providers must stick to the agreement reached with the board.

Benjamin said, We have heard about multiple Short Messaging Service charges on candidates phone numbers attempting to register for the 2018 UTME and the Direct Entry by the telecommunications companies. These companies were enlisted to provide a profile code creation service through sending and receiving of SMS.

The telecom companies are to charge only N50 per SMS to use the service. Candidates are made to repeat these SMS commands several times either due to poor network or processing failure after the command is sent.

The board therefore advises telecom service providers to stop the multiple charges and stick to the agreement reached with the board. Candidates who are victims of these multiple charges are to raise a complaint for redress and further action by the board.

The board would insist on a refund by any telecoms provider that continue to charge these candidates twice. We are mindful of the nations network challenges and do not expect the candidates to pay for the telecoms infrastructural difficulties.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Nigerians have been urged by a Non-Governmental Organisation, identified as The Good Samaritan Foundation to support internally displaced persons across the country.

The group, which is based in the United Kingdom, lamented the plight of the people in the camps and said it would address some of their challenges.

A statement on Thursday said the groups founder and director, Mrs. Funmi Ademilua, stated that the NGO had been giving out relief items such as food, groceries, clothes, drugs and mattresses to displaced persons.

As a trained counsellor and a product of single parent, who has experienced emotional hard side of life, I want to fill the gap of psychological, social and economic needs of the hopeless and the underprivileged.

We are also bringing in counsellors and nurses to address post-traumatic stress disorder, especially among children at some of the IDP camps. Public-spirited people and philanthropists should help the IDPs.

We are in Nigeria to join the government in assisting the people that have been overwhelmed by the damage done by terror and the prevailing economic recession. The problems of IDPs are too enormous to be left to government alone, she said.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The Osun State workers have declared their intention to begin an indefinite strike following the refusal of the state government to revert to paying them full salary and arrears despite the receipt of the third tranche of N6.3 billion Paris Club loan refund.

The workers under the umbrella of the Osun State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council gave the strike notice in a statement issued on Friday following an emergency meeting of labour leaders on Thursday.

The notice of strike was signed by the Chairman JPSNC, Bayo Adejumo; Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Tunde Adekomi and the Trade Union Congress Chairman, Bowale Adekola and leaders of various affiliate unions.

The notice read in part, Consequent upon the refusal of the government of Osun State to accede to the demands of the workers and pensioners as contained in our letter of Tuesday, December 5, 2017, the workers of Osun State will be proceeding on an indefinite strike by 27th December , 2017.

The labour leaders enjoined the workers to stay at home until they received another directive from them concerning the strike.

The labour leaders had on Tuesday disagreed with Governor Rauf Aregbesola over his insistence on paying November salary with the modulated scheme which makes workers from grade level 08 and above collect between 75 and 50 per cent of their salaries.

The workers had insisted that the state had the financial ability to pay them full salaries, saying most of them had been collecting half salaries since September 2015. But the governor in a statement issued by his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Adelani Baderinwa, pleaded that they should exercise more patience till the state was able to revert to paying full salary.

Source : ( Punch Newspaper )
A Nigerian Slay Queen identified as Temi Choice, had nothing but swear words for her friend Funmi, who she accused of stealing her gold.

Temi who slut-shamed her friend wrote;
David Ledoux and Rick Stockton were looking for passive income streams in 2015 when they decided to purchase a self-storage facility in Houston. After failing to agree on a price with the seller, they brainstormed alternative methods to break into the industry. Little did they know their disappointment would inspire them to build a new breed of eco-friendly facilities.

Their idea was to incorporate stacked shipping containers to create a multi-story structure. They stopped at their favorite watering hole and created a napkin sketch of what this type of facility might look like.

At the time, the pair worked at a Houston-based engineering, procurement and construction firm, which specialized in building and installing modular petroleum refineries worldwide. Over the next year, they spent their spare time working on their design. They also established relationships with contractors, engineers and, specifically, Stephen L. Levine, an intellectual-property attorney with the firm Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal LLP, to verify, expand and improve their initial concept.

Steve has been instrumental in guiding us through the patent process, which was a real learning process for both Rick and me, Ledoux says.

It appears that self-storage intellectual property has been fairly static if not undeveloped, whereas the excitement and significant changes surrounding Rick and Davids innovations has translated into a long-term legal strategy that has them filing multiple patent applications, domestically and internationally, Levine says. This has allowed them to further secure and commercialize their rights in what could well constitute a pioneering transition and position in the self-storage industry.

It wasnt long before they left their day jobs and founded GreenSpace Holdings.

New Partners

Ledoux and Stockton soon met with Fairway America, an advisory, consulting and investment firm specializing in non-institutionalized real estate assets. After several months vetting the GreenSpace concept, the company decided to sponsor the first facility to be developed using the proprietary design, in Pearland, Texas.

It was at about this time the partners discovered finance firm Jernigan Capital. They not only liked its program, they visited its headquarters in Memphis, Tenn. Jernigan Capital liked what we were doing and embraced our designs, Stockton says. It was clear to them that we had spent a lot of time developing numerous aspects and implementation innovations of the concepts. We visited Jernigan several times before committing to a project together, and they have been fantastic partners.

Because the designs involved new construction techniques, finding a builder to sign their non-disclosure agreement (NDA) was difficult. However, they discovered a collaborator in design-build firm TMS Contractors LLC, which works right in their same office building. TMS Vice President David Cannaliato signed the agreement, and a new alliance was forged.

Working with TMS President Stefan Knieling and David has been nothing short of a dream, Stockton says. They worked with us tirelessly for almost a year before we closed our first project finance. They are true partners.

Once GreenSpace and TMS began collaborating on the first project, their creativity was turbo-charged. The companies spent hundreds of hours converting innovative ideas into engineered drawings that would be ready for permitting and further augment the growing intellectual-property portfolio.

Certain aspects of GreenSpace inventions have been vetted by industry moguls, the banking industry, civil and structural engineers, and investors. The benefits Ledoux and Stockton discovered from their patents-pending ideas convinced these groups to invest and finance their projects.

The Design

Self-storage projects incorporating GreenSpace innovations enjoy many benefits over traditionally built multi-story facilities. One core aspect of the design is it allows the structural integrity of lower containers to support upper floors, providing substantial cost savings. Other advantages include:

A reduced need for new structural steel and concrete, which is better for the environment

Lower electricity needs during the manufacturing and construction process, saving enough energy to power more than 500 homes for the full year and reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by about 600 tons

A construction-cost reduction of $20 to $30 per gross square foot

Leveraged break-even occupancy of about 45 percent

A six-month construction timeline

Lower interest-carry requirements and lower working-capital reserves due to quicker construction and lower break-even occupancy results

Likely higher occupancy due to easily movable unit partitions, which quickly create different unit sizes

Hallways that can be designed in any width

Containers configurations that can fit any property shape

Minimized engineering costs

An exterior design thats indistinguishable from any class-A facility

Container walls that are three times thicker than traditional hallway walls, adding security

The Projects

The three-story facility under construction in Pearland will comprise 96,000 net rentable square feet of storage space in 1,017 units. Located off a main thoroughfare in one of Houstons fastest-growing suburbs, the facility will be near a mix of retailers including Lowes Home Improvement and an H-E-B grocery store.

GreenSpace is also building a 133,000-net-rentable-square-foot facility in Houstons energy corridor, just north of an affluent neighborhood, at Interstate 10 W. and the Sam Houston Tollway. Both projects are expected to be completed this year. Theyll be managed by self-storage real estate investment trust CubeSmart and branded under its name.

The Future

Since news about their designs and projects has been published, Ledoux and Stockton have been contacted by self-storage developers, public real estate investment trusts, real estate funds and high-net worth families looking to build single facilities or as many as 10. Theyre also in discussion with a potential financial partner.

Their plan? To license their know-how and technology to other developers, build as many facilities as they can for themselves, and have as much fun as possible, Ledoux says. The company hopes to build 50 multi-story self-storage facilities nationwide in the next seven years. All in all, its not a bad beginning for a concept that started on a napkin.
Devon Self Storage, a California-based operator that owns or manages 46 facilities nationwide, has acquired a 21-story U-Stor-It facility in downtown Chicago. The building on S. Wabash Avenue comprises 95,589 net rentable square feet, according to a press release from Marcus & Millichap, the commercial property-investment firm that brokered the deal.

Converted from a parking garage in 2016, the property features exterior brickwork, fire suppression and heating systems, and new flooring. Two high-speed elevators capable of climbing one floor per second also have a security feature that limits tenant access to floors on which they rent a unit, the release stated.

Amenities include a pull-through loading area and indoor, off-street parking for new customers. The structure also has a side loading area with 14-foot clearance for larger vehicles. The leasing office includes a retail component and security monitor displays.

The buyer will benefit greatly from leasing up the remaining square footage, with nearly 8,000 apartment and condominium units under construction or permitted in the immediate area, said Charles Chico LeClaire, executive managing director of investments in the Marcus & Millichap Denver office, who represented the seller in the transaction, along with Adam Schlosser, first vice president of investments. This is truly a one-of-a-kind asset and at 21 stories, it is, to our knowledge, the tallest storage facility in the world.

LeClaire and Schlosser also procured the buyer. Steven Weinstock, regional manager of the Marcus & Millichap office in Oak Brook, Ill., also assisted in the transaction.

Founded in 1971, Marcus & Millichap is a commercial property-investment firm with more than 1,700 investment professionals in offices throughout Canada and the United States. The firm closed nearly 9,000 transactions in 2016 with a value of approximately $42.3 billion.

Devon has maintained a dedicated self-storage operating platform since 1993. Since then, the company has been involved with the acquisition, development, disposition and management of approximately $1 billion in self-storage assets.
Self-storage real estate investment trust and third-party management firm CubeSmart will soon operate several new facilities in the works in Louisiana, working with various owners and investors. The properties are largely in the Baton Rouge area, including the surrounding cities of Gonzalez and Prairieville.

Development has begun or land purchases made for four sites in Baton Rouge and one in Prairieville. Five additional land acquisitions are underway, according to the source.

Attorney Craig Smith is building a three-story facility in Baton Rouge. Additional development sites under contract in the city include the former Lone Star Steakhouse at 1920 ONeal Lane and a property on Highland Road near Ruffinos Restaurant.

A mixed-use project in Gonzales will include a RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. gas station in addition to self-storage. Locations in Denham Springs and Zachary are also being considered, according to Mark Hebert, an agent with Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate Inc., which represented CubeSmart in some of the deals.

Each of the projects could include up to four stories and will cost $5 million to $6 million to build, said Hebert, who also represented the REIT during transactions in Lafayette and New Orleans.

Development in the state could be spurred by the flooding in 2016, which damaged many older self-storage facilities, the source reported. Also, this type of commercial investment will likely be less of a risk factor for a commercial loan, Hebert said.

StorageMax is also entering the Baton Rouge self-storage market with the development of a 600-unit facility on Burbank Drive. The company, which operates 21 facilities in the South, stated the industrys growth on a national level could explain the new development in the area.

Malvern, Pa.-based CubeSmart owns or manages 868 self-storage facilities across the United States. Its operating portfolio comprises 58.7 million square feet.
Update 1/15/18  The planning commission voted unanimously this week to recommend Kolbs self-storage facility for approval. The project would combine 13 lots, comprising most of a city block and wrapping around a cluster of homes, according to the source.

Planning staff recommended approval along with 13 standard operating conditions, all of which Kolb was in agreement. We thoroughly support the staff report as well as the complete 13 provisos outlined in the staff report, and we will work with the staff to address any technical issues that they may have, he said.

No one spoke in opposition to the project during the planning meeting.

12/22/17  Real estate developer Gordon H. Kolb, CEO of GHK Developments Inc., is seeking permission to build a three-story self-storage facility in New Orleans called Superior Storage. The property at 4866 Tchoupitoulas St. houses an existing building that formerly housed Guillots Sanitary Supplies. The site is zoned mixed-use development, which doesnt include self-storage use. The planning commission will review the proposal on Jan. 9, according to the source.

The storage facility will encompass much of the block, which is bordered by Lyons, South Front, Tchoupitoulas and Upperline Streets at the rear. The property is also near homes on the Tchoupitoulas/Lyons corner. It has enough parking spaces to meet city requirements, the source reported.

GHK Developments is a commercial real estate developer serving the southeast United States. Since 1972, it has developed 3 million square feet of gross leasable area.

Sources:

Uptown Messenger, Self-Storage Facility on Tchoupitoulas Gets City Planning Approval

Uptown Messenger, Three-Story Self-Storage Facility Planned for Tchoupitoulas at Upperline
The William Warren Group (WWG), a privately held real estate company that operates the StorQuest Self Storage brand, has opened a new location in Reno, Nev., its fourth in the city. The facility at 9250 Gateway Drive is off Interstate 580 in the South Meadows community.

Property features include 24-hour access, climate control, perimeter fencing and video cameras. Customer amenities include online billpay and reservations.

WWG also recently purchased Outback Storage Laguna in Elk Grove, Calif. The property at 2340 Maritime Drive comprises 67,750 square feet in 641 units, and will be rebranded under the StorQuest name.

Founded in 1994 and based in Santa Monica, Calif., WWG acquires, develops and operates 128 self-storage facilities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina and Texas.
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Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Announces Funding to Close on ELMS Assets

BREA, Calif. - November 17, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) ("Mullen" or the "Company"), an emerging electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, announces today receipt of $150 million on Nov. 16, 2022, which will be used in part to close on ELMS assets.

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Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires UK-based Forecasting Innovator Predictive Black To Help SMEs Optimize Cash Management

NEW YORK, NY - November 15, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow (some call SMEs), has acquired Predictive Black Ltd, a UK-based innovator of real-time cash management, financial insights and business wellness for SMEs.

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Around 500 AIB workers are in line to share around 317,500 for moving offices.

The deal comes after the Labour Court recommended the State-owned bank adhere to the provisions of an 11-year-old agreement with the Financial Services Union.

The agreement provides for a payment of 635 to each worker if they are relocated by over a mile to a new office.

The bank is proposing to relocate 500 staff from Dublins Ballsbridge to 10km away in Leopardstown. Before the Labour Court, AIB resisted the relocation claim made by the union. It also said that payments for relocating workers were indefensible where staff are required to travel small distances to new and better-working facilities.

It said: Staff transfer between branches is a routine feature of employment in the bank for which no compensation is paid.

The Financial Services Union told the court there was an adverse impact on the personal and financial wellbeing of the staff facing relocation. Staff faced longer commuting times and increased transport costs, and that as a very profitable bank it could afford to compensate staff and their families, the union said.

During the financial crisis in which AIB received almost 21bn in state cash, the 2006 agreement providing for the relocation payments was suspended because the bank felt it was no longer appropriate, given the banks reliance on the bailout money.

In its recommendation, the Labour Court said that the 2006 agreement remains in force as employees who co-operated with adjustments to pay and conditions of employment during the crisis were entitled to have those cuts progressively reversed as circumstances improve.

Billy Barrett, a senior industrial relations official with the union, said: We have been clear that the suspension by the bank of elements of the 2006 head office moves agreement could only be considered a temporary measure, effectively introduced during an emergency for the bank.

The unions general secretary Larry Broderick, said: This is an important recommendation by the Labour Court. It recognised that staff in the banking sector, in common with other public and private sector employees, endured significant changes to pay and terms and conditions during the financial crisis.

Significantly the recommendation states that bank staff are now entitled to have those progressively reversed as circumstances improve. This, of course, is welcome news for the AIB staff on whose behalf we took this particular case but may well have implications for staff across the sector.
The Central Bank has fined investment firm BCP Asset Management 210,000 after an enforcement investigation found nine of the firms retail clients were wrongly categorised as professional investors and afforded a lower level of protection as a result.

The regulator said the factors in deciding the size of the fine included the seriousness of the cases, the length of time of some of the breaches which extended up to four-and-a-half years, and the firms conduct in altering two already signed declarations without the clients consent.
British mineral exploration company Erris Resources is to use 4m (4.5m) in flotation proceeds to fund the development of zinc assets in Ireland and has said it is open to acquiring further mining licences here.

Erris has floated on Londons AIM market and will use the funds to develop gold projects in Sweden and its Abbeytown zinc exploration target in Co Sligo. A 5,000m drilling programme on that licence is due to start within the next few months.

The company is also looking at further acquisition opportunities elsewhere in Europe. A spokesperson said it is open to acquiring more Irish-based licences.

Meanwhile, energy infrastructure company Greencoat Renewables has made its first acquisition since its stockmarket flotation earlier this year.

It has acquired the Dromadda More wind farm in Co Kerry, from British owner Impax Asset Management for 88.4m. The 36MW, 11 turbine, farm is due to be commissioned in March.

Greencoat raised 270m in a dual listing in Dublin and London in July. It has also just agreed a 250m revolving credit facility with a consortium of five banks; namely AIB, BNP Paribas, Santander, Commerzbank and Royal Bank of Canada.

Greencoat has two Irish onshore wind farms in Cork and Tipperary and a stated aim of buying more. Davy expects it to add to its portfolio soon, with the capacity to add 38MW and 48MW of capability.

In addition to dividend payments [Greencoat plans to pay a maiden dividend of 2.61c to shareholders, in respect of the second half of 2017, in March], further growth in assets looks likely, said Davys Michael Mitchell.

Elsewhere, Eddie OConnors Mainstream Renewable Power has secured $50m (42m) in funding for windfarm projects in Chile. Conroy Gold and Natural Resources has raised 1m (1.12m) through the placing of 7.8m shares. The funds will be used to develop its gold targets in counties Monaghan and Armagh.
Markus Jooste, the ex-head of Steinhoff who quit this month amid an accounting scandal, is being sued by three South African lenders after a racehorse company he was a director of failed to meet its financial commitments.

Troubled Steinhoff owns the Dealz and Poundland discount stores across Ireland.

Mayfair Speculators Ltd, of which Mr Jooste was a director until two weeks ago, owes Sanlams capital markets arm, Investec and Absa, a banking unit of Barclays Africa Group, over 1.2bn rand (79.3m), according to documents filed by Absa on December 18 in the Western Cape High Court.

Both Absa and Investec have gone to court to try and recoup their money and want Mayfair to be liquidated.

The filings deepen Mr Joostes predicament. Fears around Steinhoffs accounting irregularities have cut the share price by more than 90% as investors baulked at a lack of further information and billionaire chairman Christo Wiese also quit.

Steinhoff is being investigated by regulators in Germany, South Africa, and the Netherlands and faces a spate of lawsuits in Europe.

Steinhoff said the company cant comment on the ex-CEOs affairs as hes no longer an employee.

Mr Jooste is a known horse racing fanatic and through Mayfair owned one of the largest stables of thoroughbreds in South Africa. Mayfair sold one of its prize horses, Legal Eagle, this week, according to the Sporting Post, while a South African labour group has asked the organisers of a major Cape Town horse race to ban Mr Jooste from entering his animals in the competition.

Mayfair, which also owns properties and a Steinhoff share portfolio held by a unit of Standard Bank Group, transferred 1.5bn rand in assets to its holding company in August, said Absa, just before Germanys Manager-Magazin reported that Mr Jooste and others were being investigated by prosecutors for possible accounting fraud.

A Mayfair representative and Danie van der Merwe, recently appointed Steinhoff interim chief executive, approached Investec for extra capital in November, and must have known that the collapse in the Steinhoff share price was imminent, said Absa manager Hester van Niekerk.

Absa is owed 226m rand, Investec about 250m rand, and Sanlam Capital Markets around 800m, Mr van Niekerk said in the court papers.

Bloomberg and Irish Examiner
Update 9.03am: The Minister of State for Defence has admitted that there is a huge shortage of pilots in the Air Corps.

Paul Kehoe said he has been reassured by the chief of staff that they are able to carry out their duties.

Defence force members have repeatedly warned they're having trouble recruiting and retaining staff because of low pay.

They have just agreed to the successor to the Lansdowne Road deal to try to restore wages to pre-crash levels.

Minister Kehoe said he knows it is an uphill battle.

"There is a huge shortage of pilots and we are competing against a huge strong economy when it comes to pilots," he said.

He will join the Taoiseach later as they visit Irish troops spending Christmas on duty in Lebanon.

Leo Varadkar will thank the Irish members of the UN interim force for their service.

Earlier: Defence Forces agree pay deal

The Defence Forces have agreed to a new deal on pay and conditions aimed at returning their wages to pre-crash levels.

The 'Public Service Stability Agreement' is the successor to the Lansdowne Road agreement.

It was accepted after a ballot of soldiers, sailors and aircrew - but they are keen to point out it is not a ringing endorsement.

Photo: Rollingnews.ie

They are still unhappy they are not allowed join with the trade union ICTU for discussions.

They said they are not being treated as well as other public servants who have managed to negotiate their own side deals.

Under the new agreement troops will see the return of a 5% allowance cut in 2010.

They added that they believe they are still owed more.

Digital Desk
By Cillian Sherlock

There were almost 19,000 opiate users in Ireland in 2014, according to the latest estimates from the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol.

The report shows the majority of users, 69%, were male, while approximately two-thirds were between the ages of 35 and 65.

Almost 13,500 users were in Co Dublin, representing a much higher prevalence rate than the rest of the country at 15.15 per thousand population between the ages of 15 and 64.

Graph: National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol

The data suggests the prevalence of opiate users in Dublin is more than twice that of the national rate of 6.18 per thousand population between the ages of 15 and 64.

With regards to city differences, Dublin City has the highest prevalence of opiate use at 22.68 per thousand population aged 15 to 64.

Galway City has the lowest prevalence of opiate use at 1.93 per thousand.

Graph: National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol

NACDA said while overall rates remain stable compared to 2011, 2012 and 2013, the prevalence in the older age bracket of 35-64 appears to be increasing.

"This may be due to an ageing cohort effect where existing opiate users are getting older while fewer younger people initiate into opiate use," NACDA said.

It said while there has been an increase in overall figures each year (17,387 in 2011 to 18,988 in 2014), it is not statistically significant over time.

Graph: National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol

The findings of the report highlight the chronic nature of problem opiate use, according to NACDA Chairperson Professor Catherine Comiskey.

"Estimates highlight the possible increases in the numbers of people using opiates within the 35 to 64 year age bracket," she said.

"This is a phenomena seen across Europe and indeed across other chronic conditions as populations age. Again, it is essential that the new National Drug Strategy addresses this challenge and the possible comorbidities that arise as any population ages," Prof Comiskey added.

"It is important to remember that many seeking or currently in treatment are parents or grandparents and have additional health and social care needs," she said.

NACDA used information from the Irish Probation Service, the Central Treatment List, Clinics, GPs, National Drug Treatment Reporting System database, and An Garda Siochana for the study.

Graph: National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol

The Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy welcomed the "stable" results of the study.

Minister Catherine Byrne said the study indicates that fewer young people are starting to use opiates.

"The prevalence figures highlight a definite ageing cohort effect, whereby existing opiate users are getting older while fewer young people are initiating into opiate use," she said.

"More than half of the opiate users in Ireland are in the older age group of 35 to 64 years - the previous study, in 2006, reported that less than a third were in that age group," she added.

The Department of Health's 'Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery' strategy from July this year was propped up by the Minister as a "health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland".

The Minister said this "invaluable" NACDA report will assist in the implementation of that strategy, which includes commitments to improve access to Opiate Substitution Treatment and reduce waiting times.

"While the results are encouraging, we cannot afford to be complacent. Ireland remains a country with a relatively large heroin problem. At the end of 2016, there were over 9,900 people in methadone treatment, and the report estimates the number of opiate users in 2014 was 18,988. This suggests that a considerable number of opiate users are not currently in treatment."

Digital Desk
By Elaine Loughlin

The Taoiseach has wished our defence forces serving overseas a very happy Christmas while visiting members of the Irish Battalion in Lebanon today.

Leo Varadkar travelled to the Lebanon where members of the Irish defence force who are deployed on United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) operation along with Finnish and Estonian troops.

This Christmas around 580 Irish troops will be serving overseas, including in Mali, the Middle East, Bosnia and Western Sahara.

Mr Varadkar told members of the defence forces that he had travelled to the Lebanon to say "thank you" on behalf of the Irish peope Irish people and the Irish Government.

"At Christmas time we feel the distance of loved ones overseas more than ever. I know it is a difficult time of year for parents separated from their sons and daughters, partners who are apart.

"I know that those at home are reminded of the contribution made by members of the defence forces and other public servants serving overseas.

"Your families and loved ones can take great pride in all the defence forces have done and continue to do in our name in challenging environments."

Mr Varadkar is being accompanied on the trip by Minister with Responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe and Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Vice Admiral Mark Mellett.

Busy morning in South Lebanon with UNIFIL, meeting Irish troops, wreath laying at Cenotaph, meeting key mission officers and getting detailed briefing of Irish role pic.twitter.com/FKjyXtycFJ  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) December 22, 2017

Mr Varadkar said Irelands contribution to international peace keeping, whether with the United Nations or the European Union, resonates with Irish people.

"Indeed no mission is more familiar to us than that of UNIFIL. We as a people feel attached to it and therefore to you.

"The Irish Government remains strongly committed to the maintenance of peace and security in Lebanon through our continued participation in UNIFIL.

"By acting with impartiality and integrity, and providing the necessary leadership in difficult and challenging environments, our defence forces act as ambassadors.

"You enhance Irelands international standing and influence through your daily work," he said, adding that he had learned a lot from his visit.

"I have been greatly impressed by what I have seen and heard today: stories of commitment and courage, trust built and lives saved.

"I want to wish all members of the Battalion a very Happy Christmas and every success with the Mission and in your careers in the years ahead. Thank you for your service," said the Taoiseach.
Withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership will reduce US influence in Asia as China and Japan gain ground, writes Kevin Rudd.

In the last year, the single most pointless wound inflicted by the US on Asia, not to mention itself, was its abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

In one fell swoop, the once great free-trading nation that was the United States of America died, leaving the global trading system utterly rudderless.

With Americas spurning of the TPP, not only was progress toward further trade liberalisation reversed; the global free-trade system itself, including its common rules and arbitration mechanisms for resolving disputes, came into question.

You dont have to be a Marxist to understand that economics has a profound and probably even decisive impact on politics, both national and international. And, indeed, the geopolitical and geo-economic implications of Donald Trumps move are just beginning to be felt across the Pacific.

With Chinas economic footprint across the Asia-Pacific region already large, countries in the region are now increasingly concluding that the US is consigning itself to growing economic irrelevance in Asia.

US financial institutions will, of course, remain important, as will Silicon Valley, as a source of extraordinary innovation. But the pattern of trade, the direction of investment, and, increasingly, the nature of intra-regional capital flows, are painting a vastly different picture for the future than the one that has dominated post-war Asia.

The abandonment of the TPP  a key campaign promise that Donald Trump fulfilled almost immediately upon taking office  reflects the collective failure on the part of the American political class in the 2016 presidential election. Continuing that failure, Americas leadership has not followed up on the decision with much of anything.

At home, the Trump administration has engaged in much chest-thumping about America First. Abroad, it has begun to tout an ill-defined concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which displays all the hallmarks of a slogan in search of substance.

What economic reality will hang beneath this shingle, we know not. If the idea is a series of individual bilateral free-trade agreements, any seasoned observer of US trade diplomacy can tell you that we are looking at a decades worth of negotiations that, ultimately, will probably yield very little.

For their part, Asia-Pacific countries have begun to look to two unlikely sources for leadership on trade liberalisation: Japan and China.

Japan has sought to pull the TPPs remains out of the ashes by creating the TPP 11, which includes all of the original negotiating states, except the US, which would be permitted to rejoin later.

The core tenets of this agreement were signed, despite reservations from Canada, at the November Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Da Nang, Vietnam (a meeting that Trump himself also attended), highlighting Asia-Pacific countries view that they are no longer chained to US leadership.

The so-called Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership represents a significant advance in terms of trade and investment liberalisation across the 11 signatory countries.

As for the US, we can only hope that a future administration, whether Republican or Democrat, will see its way clear to acceding to an agreement that Japanese economic leadership has sought to keep alive. But, given the evidence, that may be farfetched.

The other surprising source of trade leadership in the Asia-Pacific region is China. Some years ago, the country began championing a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

While this will not represent a high-ambition arrangement, it will represent some advancement from the status quo. It embraces 16 states, including China, India, Japan, and South Korea, but excludes the US.

India, the third-largest economy in Asia, could also have a critical role to play in furthering pan-regional trade liberalisation. But prime minister Narendra Modis government has yet to direct its political capital toward becoming a member of Apec, let alone advance a trade-liberalisation agenda of its own. This needs to change, but the forces of mercantilism are alive and well in Delhi.

The net result of these developments, with the US having eschewed both the TPP and regional economic partnership, has been a further diminution of American power in the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, the US is increasingly emerging as an incomplete superpower.

It remains a formidable military actor, with unique power projection capabilities that extend far beyond its aircraft carrier battle groups to include an array of other capabilities that are as yet unmatched by other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

But its relevance to the regions future  in terms of employment, trade, and investment growth, as well as sustainable development  is declining fast.

Some in Washington seem to think the US can sustain this pattern for decades to come. But many of us are sceptical. Unless and until the US chooses comprehensive economic re-engagement with the region, its significance to the overall future of Asia, the worlds most economically dynamic region, will continue to fade.

Precisely how other regional powers  China, Japan, India, and South Korea (Asias four leading economies)  will respond to this decline remains to be seen. But the truth confronting those who observe the region closely is that Southeast Asia has already begun to move meaningfully toward Chinas strategic orbit.

Ultimately, the policies of an administration committed to putting America first are likely, in Asia at least, to result in America being put last.

Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia, is president of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, and chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017. project-syndicate.org
French president Emmanuel Macron is using instability in the Middle East to cast himself in the role of honest broker and position France as Europes top player, says Maysam Behravesh.

Shortly after Saad Hariri unexpectedly announced his resignation as Lebanons prime minister in a speech from Saudi Arabia last month, French president Emmanuel Macron made a surprise trip to Riyadh.

Regional tensions were escalating, with Lebanese leaders accusing the Saudis of holding Hariri hostage and Riyadh accusing Lebanon of declaring war against it.

Macrons hastily-scheduled visit was to see Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and to discuss ensuring the preservation of stability in the region, according to a statement from the French presidency after the meeting.

A week later, on November 16, Hariri arrived in Paris, where Macron welcomed the Lebanese premier to a family lunch at the Elysee Palace. By the end of the month, Hariri was back in office in Beirut, his bizarre resignation rescinded and the political temperature pulled down a notch  at least for the moment.

Macrons mediation in the Lebanon crisis may not be surprising given that France takes a special interest in its former colony. But his successful intervention  along with his eagerness to address the broader Saudi-Iran rivalry that has destabilised the Middle East  is emblematic of the French presidents efforts to establish France as a leading power within the region and beyond.

Consider these signs of Macrons more muscular geopolitical approach:

On December 7, he went to Qatar to negotiate the sale of 12 French-made Rafael fighter aircraft to the Persian Gulf sheikhdom. While there, he used the official visit as an opportunity to try to mediate in the Gulf diplomatic crisis that had erupted in June, when a Saudi-led Sunni bloc said it was cutting ties with Qatar and imposing a blockade on the small nation for backing extremism.

The French president had urged the blockading states to lift the embargo as quickly as possible during a September meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Paris.

During this months Doha trip, Macron echoed a similar demand for a promise of reconciliation between the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) members at a joint press conference with the Qatari emir. The blockade is still in place, but Macron presumably hopes that French diplomacy eventually may facilitate a break in the impasse.

Macron is also seeking a more assertive role in Syria. Since winning office, he has offered to serve as an interlocutor in its long-running civil war and to set up an international contact group to revive stalled peace talks in Geneva.

At the same time, he has tried to make it clear that France is no pushover. In May, he threatened French military action if the Bashar al-Assad regime carried out further chemical attacks in Syria and slammed Kremlin-linked news outlets as Russian president Vladimir Putin stood next to him at a press conference outside Paris.

Then theres Iran. Macron has also offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington, where President Donald Trump has refused to certify that Iran is complying with the terms of the nuclear deal and warned that he might ultimately terminate it.

Macron has adopted a tougher line towards Iran than the rest of Europe  thereby perhaps firming up his credentials with Trump  by saying that the agreement was not enough given the increasing pressure that Iran is exerting on the region, and given increased activity by Iran on the ballistic level since the accord.

Tehran has refused Macrons calls to hold talks on the missile tests, but the French president presumably hopes to make some progress when he goes to Tehran next year a trip that would make him the first French president to visit the Islamic Republic since 1971.

The planned visit is part of Macrons bid to present himself as an honest broker who can accommodate the interests and concerns of both Sunni and Shiite Muslims at a time the United States has explicitly sided with the Saudi-led Sunni camp against Shiite Iran.

Macrons strategy carries significant risk. Iran says its missiles are defensive and unrelated to the nuclear deal and the deputy commander of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), General Hossein Salami, has warned that Tehran will remove the current self-imposed cap of 2,000km on the maximum range of its missiles. Such a measure would put Europe within the reach of Iranian ballistic weapons.

Any French proposals to avert that outcome will have to take into account the painful legacy of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, when Irans lack of a strategic deterrent allowed Saddam Hussein to launch extensive missile attacks on Iranian cities. Macron needs to understand that Tehran is unlikely to see restrictions on its missile programme in the same light as those on its nuclear activities.

Macron also needs to avoid reviving unfavourable memories of French colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa  especially in the former colonies of Algeria and Lebanon  if he wants to achieve his goal of presenting France as a diplomatic problem-solver.

Aware of this potential hazard, Macron urged Algerian youth to look forward rather than getting stuck in the past during a recent visit to Algiers. However, he fell short of offering an official apology for what he described as French crimes during its colonial rule in Algeria and the vicious independence war from 1954 to 1962.

Nonetheless, Macron is well-positioned to assert the nationalism that he has made a hallmark of his presidency. Britain is consumed with its withdrawal from the European Union and German chancellor Angela Merkel is weakened by her partys loss of support in this years election.

Trumps America First mantra, along with actions like his one-sidedness on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem drew widespread condemnation, and withdrawing from international agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership on trade and the Paris climate accord, have left a gap in global leadership.

That has provided Macron with an opportunity to project France as the foremost European power on the world stage. The French presidents skill has been in using the instability of the Middle East as the political springboard for that goal.

Maysam Behravesh is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Political Science and an Affiliated Researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, Sweden
A "sickening" UK cockfighting gang has been banned for life from keeping birds after detectives found a blood-spattered fighting pit at a home in east London.

Police and RSPCA officers raided an address in Ilford and disrupted a suspected organised cockfight in an outbuilding.

A cockerel's blood was found splashed across a fighting pit, which had seats around the edge as a viewing area, and 10 cockerels and two hens were seized.

Several of the cockerels had injuries consistent with fighting, one was found to have sharpened spurs - a common cockfighting tactic - and the cockerels acted aggressively towards a dummy bird used as a training aid.

Five men were convicted at an earlier trial of animal welfare offences and they were sentenced at Barkingside Magistrates' Court in east London on Thursday, the RSPCA said.

All were banned from keeping birds and sentenced to a 200-hour community punishment order.

The men found guilty of being present at a cockfight on January 2 are: Mohamed Arif, 44, of Fairfield Road, Ilford; Akhtar Hussain, 47, of Greenhill Grove, Manor Park; Mehtab Ahmed, 41, of Celebration Way, Highams Park; Mohammed Asab, 51, of Water Lane, Ilford; and Altaf Hussain, 54, of Parkstone Road, Coventry.

Asab was also found guilty of causing an animal fight, training animals for use in connection with an animal fight, keeping a premises for use for an animal fight, and causing unnecessary suffering to a cockerel.

He was handed a 22-week suspended sentence, ordered to pay 12,000 costs and had his birds and cockfighting items confiscated.

The other men were ordered to pay 1,500 costs each, and Arif was ordered to hand over his birds.

RSPCA inspector Cliff Harrison, who led the investigation, said: "Cockfighting is an abhorrent and cruel practice which was outlawed almost 200 years ago.

"To take enjoyment from watching two birds inflict such horrendous - and often life-threatening - injuries on each other is something that should be well and truly confined to the history books."

The evidence suggested the men were there to watch and bet on the fight, he said, adding that photos and videos of cockerels being trained and of a champion trophy presentation were found on seized mobile phones.

"This was vital in proving that this group was part of an organised ring of cockfighters who operated this sickening league - with the birds paying the ultimate price," he said.

The seized birds, all aseel or asil types originating from India and Pakistan, are in RSPCA care and will be rehomed.
Update 9pm: A man has been charged with murder after a supermarket worker was stabbed to death in an aisle at work.

Jodie Willsher was attacked at an Aldi in the UK yesterday.

Her husband Malcolm has since described the 30-year-old as "lovely and warm", and always having a smile on her face.

"She was amazing, beautiful and a lovely person. She was a doting mother and a loving wife," he added.

North Yorkshire Police said the 44-year-old man will appear at York Magistrates' Court on December 23.

North Yorkshire Police said Mrs Willsher suffered multiple serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to hospital for emergency treatment, where she later died.

Colin Breslin, UK regional managing director at Aldi, said she was a "much loved and popular colleague", and that they are all deeply shocked and saddened by her death.

Matthew Barnes, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: "Everyone at Aldi is heartbroken by this devastating news. Our deepest sympathy goes to Jodie's family, friends and colleagues.

"We are doing everything we can to support our people and all those affected during this difficult time."

Officers investigating the death have appealed for a man in his sixties or possibly older, who restrained the suspect, to come forward.

Described as wearing a flat cap and a lighter and darker two-tone walking-type jacket, the force said he was the first person to try to intervene and was involved in a sustained struggle with the suspect.

Officers said it is believed he was shopping with a lady with short, light brown hair who was wearing a light-coloured, possibly grey, jacket - and that they both appear to have left the store before emergency services arrived.

The town council's mayor Andy Rankine said those who live in Skipton are "in shock and grieving" over the loss of Mrs Willsher.

Floral tributes to Mrs Willsher have been left at the edge of the police cordon around the store in Keighley Road, which is closed until further notice while police continue their investigation.

One man, who did not want to be named, laid down flowers describing Mrs Willsher as an "absolutely lovely person".

"There's so many people she knew, so many people affected by it. It's shocking, an absolutely lovely person, never do any harm to nobody," he said.

"She idolised her daughter. She put a snap on Facebook yesterday of her with her daughter cuddling in bed before she went to work.

"Nobody should ever go to work and not come home."

Jodie and Mal Willsher, via Facebook

Earlier: A supermarket worker who was stabbed to death in an aisle at work was a "bubbly, lovely girl", well-wishers have said.

Customers pinned down the suspect after Jodie Willsher, 30, was attacked at an Aldi in Skipton, North Yorkshire in England, on Thursday afternoon.

A 44-year-old local man was being questioned on suspicion of murder on Friday morning.

Mrs Willsher was married to Mal and their daughter is at primary school.

He changed his profile picture on Facebook to show the couple smiling together.

The town council's mayor Andy Rankine said: "Skipton is a small but close-knit community where most people know each other. We are in shock about the sad events of yesterday where a store worker was murdered whilst going about her duties.

"The whole town is in shock and grieving over the loss of Jodie.

"Christmas this year will an ordeal for many residents."

People left tributes on a community Facebook page, saying "she was such a happy, friendly person", while another described her as a "bubbly, lovely girl".

One wrote: "Horrendous, so tragic for her family and for those who witnessed this barbaric act."

Another customer said she had seen Mrs Willsher earlier that day wearing a Christmas jumper at work.

One shopper who was in the store at the time of the attack said she had "never been so scared in my life".

The witness, who asked to remain anonymous, heard "loads of screams" then saw the victim lying on the floor and a man pinned down as "everyone screamed and ran up and down".

She said: "I just saw the aftermath. I was so scared I ran off. All the staff were racing about, not knowing what to do."

Paramedics were called to the store in Keighley Road but Mrs Willsher died despite their efforts.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident was not terror-related or believed to be a hate crime.
Update 10.45pm: The party of ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has claimed victory for the separatist bloc in the regional election.

Agusti Alcoberro, vice president of Catalan National Assembly, said: "We can say that pro-independence forces have won the elections."

He told a crowd gathered in Barcelona's Maritime Museum that "we demand the restitution of the (Catalan) government and the release of the political prisoners".

Spain's government deposed Catalonia's regional government after the Catalan parliament made an illegal declaration of independence on October 27.

A judge also imprisoned the then president of the Catalan National Assembly, Jordi Sanchez.

He resigned his post to run in the election.

Update 10pm: Pro-independence parties looked set to regain their majority in Catalonia's parliament after 50% of the votes had been counted.

The regional electoral board said the anti-independence Ciutadans (Citizens) party, led by 36-year-old lawyer Ines Arrimadas, is likely to win the highest number of votes for a single party, and 35 seats in the 135-member chamber.

But it said the pro-independence ticket led by fugitive former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont would garner 34 seats for the Together for Catalonia group. In third place would be the pro-secession leftist republican ERC party with 32 seats.

With the help of the radical pro-independence radical CUP party, which could get four seats, the pro-secession bloc is set to regain a majority in parliament.

The regional election is being closely watched in and outside Catalonia as a crucial test of strength for the region's powerful secession movement.

Earlier: Voting has finished in a crucial election in Spain's Catalonia region, as polling stations closed at 7pm.

The regional election is being closely watched in and outside Catalonia to see if support for a separatist push will grow, fuelling much political tension with Spain.

Catalan authorities said voting turnout was up by more than five percentage points at 6pm, with 68.3% of Catalan voters having cast ballots, compared to 63.12% in the last election in 2015.

Surveys in recent weeks had predicted record turnout numbers.

The day passed off without any major incident beyond lengthy queues at polling stations at peak times of the day.
Update 8pm: Two passenger trains have collided near Vienna, injuring several people.

The trains, one of them regional and the other local, collided near the station in Kritzendorf, north of the Austrian capital, a little before 6pm (1700 GMT).

Two cars turned over and a third was leaning to one side.

The point of impact appeared to be the sides of both trains, which were travelling in the same direction and then derailed.

Infrastructure minister Norbert Hofer told the Austria Press Agency that four people were slightly hurt and another four were more seriously injured.

A rescue helicopter took one person to a Vienna hospital with head injuries.

Austrian media, citing emergency services, had earlier put the number of injured at between 15 and 20.

"We suspect that the cause is to be found in human error, not in a technical defect, but that will be verified in the coming days," Mr Hofer said.

The trains were evacuated by shortly after 7.30pm local time.

AP

Update 6.50pm: Two trains have collided near Vienna and several people have been injured, Austrian media have reported.

Public broadcaster ORF said that the accident happened at Kritzendorf, north of the capital, this afternoon.

Fire service spokesman Franz Resperger said that two passenger carriages apparently turned over.

He told ORF that emergency services said 17 people were injured. Two rescue helicopters were sent to the scene.

More to follow.

PA
In a week in which the homeless crisis hit new levels, at least 2,700 people are expected to attend the Day Centre in Dublins Bow St today for its Christmas Parcel Day, collecting specially prepared food parcels.

Last year, around 3,000 people received a parcel and more could attend today, with 2,700 tickets issued last week in a bid to streamline the process and reduce the amount of time people will have to spend queuing.

Cork-born Brother Kevin, 82, said it is so sad, in this day and age, to have so many people queueing for food parcels. I think it is absolutely appalling.

He told RTEs Today with Sean ORourke programme that while demand for food parcels has remained consistent, there has been an increase in the number of families seeking baby food and nappies, with as many as 1,000 people looking for those items throughout last week.

Last year on December 22nd, it was Christmas parcel day and almost 3,000 people collected the blue bags filled with food. Brother Kevin Crowley of the Capuchin Day Centre dicusses their plan for this #Christmas #TodaySOR  Today with Claire Byrne (@TodaywithClaire) December 21, 2017

The Capuchin Day Centre has long been seeking a dedicated social worker to help assist some of its clients and Br Kevin said this might finally happen after receiving recent assurances.

He said the homelessness crisis means families are struggling and that urgent action is required, claiming it is time Dublin City Council and the Government get together to start building houses, otherwise the problem will only escalate.

We have heard ministers talk and heard TDs talk, for so many years, that the homeless people will be taken care of and everybody will get a bed. I find it so difficult to see that there are so many people without a home and especially the children and their parents going into hotels  to me that is absolutely appalling.

I remember one child saying to me last year, he said: Brother Kevin, will Santy know where I am this year? Will he be able to find out where I am staying? 

Preparation of the food parcels, which contain items such as bread, sugar, and butter, began yesterday evening and will be completed this morning when chickens are popped into the bags. People are expected to be handed parcels from 9am and most parcels will have been issued by 11.30am.

Running costs at the day centre are around 3.3m a year, said Br Kevin, while State funding has remained static at 450,000 annually.

However, donations from the public have filled the gap.

We have never gone short of food and we have never gone short of money, he said.

The centre will stay closed for Christmas Day, when many people in need of food will attend an event at the RDS, but it will reopen on December 26.

One future visitor could be Pope Francis, amid speculation that he could attend the centre when he comes to Ireland next year.

Br Kevin said: It would be a great privilege for the homeless to sit down and have a meal with Pope Francis and I am sure that he will come to visit the homeless here in the Capuchin Day Centre.
Management at CUH had planned to shut down theatres for three weeks, but this was blocked by senior medical staff.

The Irish Examiner has learned the proposed three-week closure was met with total resistance by surgeons and anaesthetists on the basis it could result in worse outcomes for patients.

Despite this resistance, the hospital is to cease elective (non-urgent) surgery from today to Monday, January 8, at a time when there are 1,431 people on the inpatient/day-case waiting list.

Of these, 348 are awaiting general surgery, including 210 waiting six months or more, and 43 waiting 18-months plus.

Figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show 236 people on a waiting list for plastic surgery, including:

50 who are waiting more than 18 months;

54 people awaiting breast surgery;

62 awaiting cardio-thoracic surgery;

19 awaiting neurosurgery;

25 on orthopaedic waiting list;

88 awaiting vascular surgery.

Staff concerns over the proposed theatre closures, and the potential impact on patients of further surgical delays, are recorded in the draft minutes of a theatre operations management group meeting seen by the Irish Examiner. The group includes five surgeons and two anaesthetists.

The minutes outline how Patrick Seigne, clinical director and chair of the group, said he had received a letter from CUH chief executive Tony McNamara in relation to theatre closures.

The minutes state: One option proposed in the letter was the cessation of elective surgical activity until Monday, January 15, 2018... this proposal was met with total resistance, particularly as it could potentially have an impact on patient outcome, as well as impacting KPI [key performance indicator]/charter timeframes. This will ultimately mean that there will be three full weeks where there will be no elective surgery carried out at CUH.

The hospital has since confirmed that elective surgery will cease for just over two weeks.

When the Irish Examiner asked CUH why it was closing down elective surgery, it replied: It is a standard policy in all hospitals to curtail routine elective surgery to allow for a surge in trauma cases over the Christmas period.

However, when the Irish Examiner contacted other hospitals comparable to CUH, it emerged that not all restrict elective surgery.

The Mater University Hospital and St Vincents University Hospital in Dublin said elective surgery will not be disrupted over the holiday season.

University Hospital Limerick said its curtailment of elective surgery extended to just three days: December 27-29.

University Hospital Galway said it planned to scale back on electives over Christmas and the new year, but gave no further detail.

A spokesperson for St James Hospital said there will be no elective surgery on Christmas Day or St Stephens Day.

The spokesperson said while the hospital endeavours to perform some elective surgeries over the holiday period, it can be difficult to get patients to agree to come in so the level of activity during this time will not be known until the week before Christmas.

Beaumont Hospital said elective surgery will be limited during the latter half of December through January, but failed to provide any further detail.

A spokesperson for the South/South-west Hospital Group said the following theatres will be fully operational in order to meet emergency requirements: Two orthopaedic trauma theatres; one neurosurgery theatre; one plastic surgery theatre; and one emergency surgery theatre.

The Irish Examiner asked CUH how many elective surgeries would not take place as a result of cessation, but no response was forthcoming.

The hospital also failed to clarify if any attempt had been made to use theatre capacity in other hospitals in the hospital group during the Christmas period, including private hospitals.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is worried that just 13 of the additional 1,224 nursing and midwifery posts have been confirmed this year.

There are 3,000 fewer nurses and midwives at work today than there were in 2007 and nurse recruitment and retention problems are mainly to blame.

INMO general secretary designate, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said the situation could not be ignored: This scenario poses high risks for the delivery of safe patient care and will further exacerbate the exodus of nursing and midwifery staff from the public health service.

The INMO is disappointed that the HSE National Service Plan 2018 did not state that there would be additional funding to increase the number of nurses and midwives.

However, the HSE did confirm in the service plan that they will need to make significant savings next year to deliver services.

Ms Ni Seaghdha said comments by HSE director general, Tony OBrien, make her concerned that the health authority is going to start cutting staff.

She pointed out that they have had a recruitment agreement with the HSE since last February that by year-end there would be a fully funded increase of 1,224 nurses and midwives.

Ms Ni Sheaghdha said they raised their concerns with Health Minister, Simon Harris, who attended the launch of the HSEs spending plan.

The INMO has since received a letter from the minister confirming full funding for the February agreement and full implementation.

Ms Ni Sheaghdha said HSE officials had told her an additional 200 nurses and midwives would be recruited by the year-end.

A challenge for the HSE is that the number of nurses leaving the health service exceeds the number of recruits, so the overall increase is minimal.

Representatives from the INMO and officials from the HSE are expected to meet in early January to discuss the development of a nursing and midwifery workforce plan for 2018.

The HSEs spending plan points out that a priority for 2018 is to increase acute hospital capacity by opening additional beds and units.

However, the health authority has warned that there is less money provided for the acute hospital service next year.

The estimated cost of acute hospital services this year, at 4.7bn, is 6m above the 2018 budget level. The HSE describes this as a financial challenge.

HSE national director of acute hospitals, Liam Woods, said more staff would be needed for additional inpatient beds being provided next year so there would be an increase in the numbers.
Mr Varadkar said all sides will need to be grown up about it in the months ahead but said he will work hard to get the best deal possible for Ireland.

Relations obviously are a little bit strained, and theyve been challenged by the events of recent months, he said. The reason that relations have become strained is because of Brexit.

Brexit was not our policy. Brexit was a decision of the UK people which we respect and is being pursued by the government in the UK. What has strained relations is that decision.

But we need to be grown up about it. And we need to get on with it and try to get the best outcome for the Irish people.

So even though relations are strained because of the different positions weve taken, theyre not bad.

You know, I would speak with prime minister May probably every two weeks, and we do, I believe have a shared and common objective which is to get the best outcome for our people ... for her the best outcome for the United Kingdom, for me the best outcome for Irish people, both here in this state and Northern Ireland.

Mr Varadkar said fresh efforts will be made in the New Year to get the Northern Assembly back up and running but said the Government could assume some role should that not happen, as is allowed for under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

Were going to have another push in the New Year to get the executive up and running, he said.

He said he was very conscious that there are a number of parties in Northern Ireland.

And Im certain the Tanaiste and I will be meeting them over the course of January and doing anything we can do to get those institutions up and running again, he said.
For many, this was an effort to improve their job prospects. Others merely wanted the thrill of adventure. Regardless of their reasons for leaving, research suggests most would like to return home for Christmas. Only half will actually be able to.

One person who will be spending the holiday season on foreign soil is 29-year- old Eoghan ODonogue from Kildare. A qualified doctor, Eoghan moved to a place called Whangarei in New Zealand earlier this year.

I moved for numerous reasons, but mainly to experience a different healthcare system and live in a country that is renowned internationally for its outdoor lifestyle and has a warm and welcoming attitude towards foreign nationals, he revealed.

I had been working in Cork and Kerry for just over a year before I decided to move. The healthcare system here in New Zealand is very supportive of doctors and I think I have a much better work/life balance than I did in Ireland.

While the job he was offered was too good to turn down, Eoghan admitted it was incredibly tough to leave his family. They were very positive and encouraging and saw it as a great opportunity for me but I did find leaving my family was the hardest aspect of the move, he said.

I did miss home quite a bit for the first few weeks, but Facetime, Skype and Whatsapp are great for keeping in touch. That made it easier.

Due to the nature of his job, Eoghan wont be able to come home for Christmas, which he said will be tough on both him and his family. The job Im working on at the moment is as relief cover for other doctors who are either sick or on holidays or working night shifts, so Im working over both Christmas and New Years, he said.

It would be nice to be able to head home but its just not possible. Theres a change of jobs in February so Ill have a more regular roster and should be able to organise a trip home.

Another expat unable to travel to home this yuletide is Martin Fitzgibbon from Cork.

Cork man Martin Fitzgibbon on a night out in Toronto

In 2015, Martin made the move from Ireland to Canada along with a number of friends.

The main reason I left was because it was just so hard to get a decent job in Ireland. I tried for years after finishing college to find something I could make a career out of, but jobs were so scarce you just had to take whatever was available, he said.

Whenever anything half decent came up, thered be hundreds of other applicants. Employers knew that everyone was desperate too, so they could treat people however they liked. It was tough.

Martin said it was really hard to leave his family and friends, but he knew he needed to leave.

Everyone was very supportive. By the time I left loads of my friends had already moved abroad. I think everyone at home knew that we were all leaving because we sort of had to, he explained.

But I do think any Irish person living abroad lives with a certain amount of guilt for being away. Family life and social life are so important to Irish people youre always thinking about the people you love back home.

Since he had already spent a semester living in Calgary as part of his studies at the University of Limerick, Martin knew moving to Canada was a viable option. He had friends living in Toronto, and decided to give the city a go.

Before I left I had been living in Limerick for nearly nine years, so I was ready for a change of pace and Toronto is definitely that. Straight away it was cool just to find a place with a totally different vibe, he said.

Toronto is a really diverse city, and Ive made friends with people from all over the world, so that has been great. The way of life here suits me, Ive found a good job and gotten a lot of opportunities, and as much as I hate to say it, I just dont think anything similar would have happened if Id stayed in Ireland.

While Martin was able to return home for Christmas last year, visa issues mean its not looking likely that he will get to do the same this holiday season.

Ive just gotten Canadian Permanent Residency, which is great, but Im in a bit of limbo at the moment because Im still waiting to receive my PR card, which I cant re-enter the country without, he said.

So technically Im not allowed to fly anywhere at the moment. It could come any day now, and if it does come in time Ill do everything I can to try to get home for Christmas, because Christmas is a very big deal in our house, but at this stage the flights will probably be too expensive.

The #christmas entertainment continued @CorkAirport over the weekend with a song from Moana performed by the children of Jenns School Of Dance Cork here on Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/vYQ8jpuikF  Cork Airport (@CorkAirport) December 20, 2017

Fellow Corkonian Shane Buckley, and his girlfriend Niamh Costello from Limerick, will also be spending Christmas abroad this year.

The couple left the country in January 2016 to go backpacking in Asia. After a few months they ended up settling in Australia, before only recently hitting the road once more.

I dont think we ever had the intention of moving away from home, as I had a dream job working as a radio broadcaster for Red FM and Niamh had just finished college in UCC and had graduated as a nurse, Shane said.

But, as the cliche saying goes, we thought we might as well do something like this while we are young and so off we went.

Shane said it wasnt a hard decision for him to make, because initially he was only supposed to be away for four weeks.

But nearly two years later Im still away from home and loving it, he said. My dad is pretty easy going so when I told him I wasnt coming back after the four weeks he just said to be safe and he would see me when I was home. It was the same for my sister. But, of course, my mother was not so secretly upset that I wasnt coming back.

Since Shane and Niamh both managed to get work visas for Australia for one year, they decided that was how long they would stay down under.

After a week or so we did eventually land jobs and managed to find an apartment that wasnt stupidly priced. Then again, we did have five people living in a two-bed but we all knew each other from home and it was a great laugh. At one stage Niamh had some friends passing through and we had 11 people staying there!

Now its time for Shane and Niamh to move again, and they plan to spend Christmas exploring South America.

While both say its hard to be away from family at this time of year, they know their travels wont last forever and say they more than likely will be home by next Christmas.

Thankfully, though, there are some Irish expats who will be making it home for the festivities.

The Arrivals Hall is a special place this time of year @CorkAirport. Little Amelia Forde chatting with Santa a few days ago. #FlyCork. pic.twitter.com/UH9tw1seRw  Cork Airport (@CorkAirport) December 20, 2017

Among the lucky few is Shona Coultry, a Mayo woman and University of Limerick graduate who has spent the last three and a half years living and working in the United Arab Emirates.

The main reason I wanted to move to Abu Dhabi was to gain some teaching experience and travel. In my third year of college, studying Music, Media and Performance Technology, I was having a change of heart and wondered if I would prefer a career in teaching. Abu Dhabi offered that opportunity, explained Shona.

For me it wasnt a hard decision to make. I had my sister who had decided long before me she was moving to Abu Dhabi the same year. She was able to help me search for jobs too. We are very close and were both going to Abu Dhabi so the thought of having her living nearby was comforting and made the decision to move easier.

Initially Shona was only going to stay for two years. She is now well into her fourth year away from home. It will, however, be her last. I am ready to move closer to home now, she said.

It has been a fantastic experience for her so far though, and one she will always look back on fondly.

The best thing about moving abroad was to experience a new job and a new culture. Most weekends there were opportunities to go sightseeing and do brunches. The best thing about living in Abu Dhabi is the continuous good weather, endless things to do every weekend and travelling opportunities. I have made amazing friends for life and the bond from living abroad is special, she said.

Young Anna Steinmetz a pupil of St. Patricks Girls N.S. Cork carol singing for people coming home for Christmas at Cork Airport London. Pic: Dan Linehan

The most difficult aspect of living abroad was being far away from family but we keep in touch by skype regularly.

Thankfully, Shona has been able to visit home fairly regular since her move in 2014.

I work in a British curriculum school so our holidays match with the holidays in Ireland and the UK. I am very much a home bird and enjoy going home any time I can. I will be home for Christmas soon and I cannot wait. I am lucky I have three weeks of holidays, she said.

I am looking forward to being around my family, cousins and friends again. I always spend Christmas at home in Belderrig with my parents, three sisters and nephew, Cillian. He is turning 10 soon and always makes Christmas extra special in our house. I look forward to usual nights out over the festive season and catching up with friends.

Fellow Mayo woman Grainne Harte is also counting her lucky stars that she is able to travel back home for the holidays.

Grainne Harte

Grainne, who boasts an Undergraduate degree from the University of Limerick and a Masters from Dublin City University, has been living and working in the hustle and bustle of New York City since September 2014.

I completed my Masters and spent a few months interning in amazing places like TV3, Hot Press, and Image Magazine. Things were going well, and I absolutely loved Dublin, but I was getting itchy feet, she admitted.

Ive always wanted to live in New York so one day, after coming back from Ibiza on holiday actually, I just decided I was doing it! I booked my flight that night and landed in JFK airport one week later. It was a whirlwind, but thats exactly what life in NYC turned out to be, so I suppose I was starting out with the correct mindset!

Considering this, it comes as no surprise to hear that Grainne doesnt yet know how long she will be living in the US for.

Its a question I get asked all the time and I still dont have a definitive answer! Im not really planning ahead too much. Things in New York are going great so Im just going with the flow for now, she said.

I do think about moving home sometime in the future, but I dont like to plan too far ahead either. So who knows? I do still call Ireland home though, and I know I always will.

After one week in New York City, all alone with no set plan, Grainne had tracked down a cousin to show her around and had secured a job in a bar. She later moved into a job with a recruitment company. Work visas, however, remained a constant difficulty.

Firstly, it can be extremely difficult to find a company who is willing to sponsor you. I got very lucky in that respect, but I know many others are not and unfortunately that can often mean the end of an adventure before its even begun, she said.

If you are lucky enough to get sponsorship, you still never really feel safe that your visa is secure, especially in the current political climate.

But these struggles are not the only ones encountered by emigrants  there is always the constant homesickness and the gut-wrenching feeling of missing people who are half a world away.

Unfortunately, Grainne was unable to come home for Christmas in 2016  something she intends to rectify this year.

Its hard to be away at this time of year. And while Christmas in New York really is magical, there is just no place youd rather stuff your face with Roses and fight over the remote than on your own couch with your own clan.

Its a plan shared by Kerry woman Rachel Quirke who is also lucky enough to be coming home this Christmas.

Rachel Quirke with Laura Quirke

Rachel made the move to Washington DC five months ago. She had always wanted to try and live outside of Ireland and so, when an opportunity came up earlier this year, she decided to take it.

It was very hard to decide to move away from my friends and family, though, and to leave a job Id enjoyed doing for a number of years and the whole life I had set up in Cork, she said. But I was also excited at the prospect of meeting a whole new circle of friends and getting the chance to live in America.

Some people, she admitted, thought she was crazy to leave her job and move away. Her family, however, remained supportive.

I knew it would be hard as we are a close family, but they have been great, she said. And I was lucky in that I moved over into a new job, so at least I knew where I was going to be based and that I had employment but I didnt know anyone in Washington when I moved. Making friends was definitely the hardest part.

She admitted the first few months were a struggle, but that her efforts have finally paid off and she finally feels settled.

Having said that, Rachel said she is extremely glad to be heading home for a visit this month.

Im really looking forward to the simple things of seeing all my friends and family. So many friends are living away from home so it will be nice to have some school reunions over the Christmas break, she said.

But Christmas Day, and an amazing dinner made by my mom, is always the highlight for me. Im also looking forward to enjoying a box of Roses by the fire. Ill get to visit family and catch up on how everyone has been since I moved away. I cant wait.
ITS hard to surpass the feelgood glow of that magical warm hug when grandchildren wrap themselves around you on the first meet-up after a long absence  its like all your Christmases have come at once.

The emotional undercurrent revving up the intensity of that cuddle, is the mutual awareness that time together is so precious  this is the stratospheric excitement of the hello, but waiting in the wings is the stomach-churning goodbye.

Of course, that is pretty much one-sided when they are babies, but thanks to being able to video chat online, those babies grow up to be toddlers sitting on a parents lap, getting as familiar with nana and grandads facial features and voice, as if they were physically in the room together.

From then onwards, as I have learnt, you can chat away, make silly noises and enjoy the full flourish of each others personalities as if life always offered that wonderful technical opportunity  and of course, it has, for them.

A major spinoff of this virtual inter-generational relationship is that when grandparents are lucky enough to have those physical encounters, there is not that gaping chasm that existed in days gone by, when photographs, snail post and expensive long-distance phone calls, were the thread that held three generations together.

For 83-year-old Marie OGorman from Walkinstown, in Dublin, the desire to keep in touch with her 20 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren scattered everywhere,

encouraged her to learn how to use a computer and the free phone messaging app WhatsApp.

Its very important especially that I make contact with them at Christmas. In Armenia they are four hours ahead of us and in America six hours behind ... so we have to say what time is it there?, she laughs.

My youngest granddaughter Lois is in Armenia and will be four at the end of this month. When were talking shell say: I cant see you, so I have to change [to video] on the WhatsApp. Its very important that she sees me.

I wouldnt see her much in person but she would know me as well as anyone else because we see one another all the time on the phone.

Isnt it wonderful with the grandkids when we cant be near one another, that we can talk and keep in touch. Its terrific for me.

Im not brilliant but I know the bits that I want to email and [how to] use WhatsApp. Thats what its all about, says Marie.

Justin Moran, head of advocacy and communications with Age Action, says its one of the main reasons older people come to them to learn how to use computers and iPads.

They want to keep in touch with relatives who are overseas and particularly with their grandchildren. The skills theyre always most interested in learning are how to use things like Facebook, Skype and FaceTime, the kinds of tools that allow them to see and speak to their grandchildren so easily, to share pictures, to stay a part of their lives, he says.

The benefits of that intergenerational relationship, for both sides, have been increasingly the source of research as longevity extends and grandparents fit into changing family patterns  whether in real time or virtually.

Research at the University of Oxford, for instance, has shown how grandparents play a vital role in childrens wellbeing and the results have been informing British family policy.

The study by Professor Ann Buchanan from the Department of Social Policy and Intervention showed a high level of grandparent involvement increases the wellbeing of children with fewer emotional and behavioural problems.

Colman Noctor, a child and adolescent psychotherapist, says the virtual global village that technology provides often comes more into view when we approach the Christmas season which is very much about connectedness.

I remember as a child talking with my Aunt Mary in England at Christmas but I also remember being rushed to conclude the conversations as the cost of a call to the UK back then did not come cheap, he says.

However, now we have Skype and FaceTime and all the others, which offer a richer and cheaper communicative experience that we can all enjoy.

Its important that parents encourage children and support grandparents to embrace this technology and reap the benefits of seeing how animated the grandchildren get and share in that pre-Santa excitement, he says.

My guess is that this Christmas, all some grandparents wished for from Santa was to have their children and their childrens children from abroad, at home. The emotional barometer rises high during the festive season.

Those who have got their Santa wish will be sharing traditions and perhaps even hosting their grandchildren in their son or daughters childhood home.

However, for those who dont get the actual hug, pressing that camera icon on the computer or mobile device will be the next best thing. And what a wonderful time of the year it is, to do it.
General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo: VNA)



During his stay in Vietnam, the Lao leader held talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and had a meeting with President Tran Dai Quang before announcing the ending of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2017.

He also met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and visited some former Party and State leaders of Vietnam. He also hosted receptions for leaders of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association and Vietnamese former voluntary soldiers and experts in Laos, Vietnamese youngsters, and Lao students in Vietnam.

He visited some economic and cultural facilities of Hanoi, Nghe An and the Military Zone 4 Headquarters. He also laid flowers at the Martyrs Monument in Hanoi and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the leaders mausoleum as well as the Kim Lien Historical Relic Site in Nghe Ans Nam Dan district.

At the meetings, the two sides pledged to continue to inherit and promote the tradition to protect and develop the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, State and people, considering it as a matter of vital importance to the future of the two nations.

They agreed on orientations and measures to continue boosting bilateral relations and working closely together to effectively implement agreements between the two countries. The will maintain regular meetings between Party and State leaders, while enhancing the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms and expanding partnership as well as fostering relations between ministries, organisations and localities of both sides.

Vietnam and Laos will also strengthen communications, especially among youngsters, on the special ties of Vietnam and Laos.

They concurred to improve the effectiveness of cooperation in economy, investment, trade, culture, education and training, health care and science-technology, as well as defence and security, while supporting citizens of each other. The two countries will also coordinate closely at regional and international forums.

They also highlighted the need to maintain peace, stability, security and safety in the East Sea.

The same day, General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith sent a message to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dai Quang expressing his thanks for Vietnams warm welcome to him and the Lao delegation.

He said he believes that the outcomes of the Laos-Vietnam, Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2017 as well as discussions of leaders of the two countries will help boost bilateral ties, benefiting their people.

He also expressed his wish that the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people of Vietnam and Laos will be ever green and stable./.
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Ambassador Dang Xuan Dung presented his letter of credentials to Uruguayan President (Photo: Uruquay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)



At the ceremony, the Ambassador conveyed regards and recalled the invitation to Vietnam of President Tran Dai Quang to President Vazquez.

The Uruguayan President highly appreciated Vietnam's economic achievements in recent years and affirmed that he and other relevant agencies will cooperate closely with the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina and Uruguay in activities to promote the bilateral relations to be stronger and more comprehensive in the coming time.

For his part, Ambassador Dung expressed his pleasure to receive the mission at a time when the relations between Vietnam and Uruguay are developing well and the two countries are looking forward to mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1993 - 2018).

He affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy is actively working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant agencies of Uruguay to best prepare for activities marked in the two countries in 2018, especially the first meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Bilateral Investment held in Montevideo.

Vietnam and Uruguay established diplomatic relations on August 11th, 1993. Over the past two decades, the relationship between the two countries has grown steadily, reflecting in the results of visits to Vietnam by President Vazquez in November 2007 and Vice President Danilo Astori in November 2012; visits to Uruguay by Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan in November 2012 and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh in December 2013./.
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


remaining of

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12/21/2017



Kappa Sigma President Coleman Anderson and Phi Mus Abbie Patterson sort donations for 2nd Chance.

JSUs fraternities and sororities recently teamed up to collect donations for 2nd Chance, a nonprofit that provides safe shelter and supportive services to victims of domestic and sexual violence in Northeast Alabama.

Abbie Patterson, a member of Phi Mu, led the charge for the campaign. Her work with Phi Mu and Women's Issues, Support and Empowerment (WISE) connected her with employees at 2nd Chance who requested donations. Patterson contacted the president of Kappa Sigma and the two chapters reached out to every fraternity and sorority president on campus seeking support.

After a weeklong drive and participation from nearly every Greek organization, more than $1,000 in toiletries, household items and clothes was donated by JSU's generous students.
The United Nations General Assembly [official website] on Thursday demanded [text, PDF] that all member states comply with Resolutions issued by the Security Council [official website] regarding the status of Jerusalem.

The General Assembly described city as a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations in line with relevant United Nations resolutions, and declared that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council. With apparent reference to the United States decision earlier this month to recognize Jerusalem as the capital [NYT report] of Israel, the UNGA called on all states to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem and to adhere to Security Council Resolution 478 [text], which urges all member states to withdraw diplomatic missions from the city. The General Assembly also renewed its call to end conduct imperiling the two-State solution and for the intensification and acceleration of international and regional efforts and support aimed at achieving, without delay, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East[.]

The measure was approved by a vote of 128-9-35 [UN News Centre report].

Following Thursdays vote, Yemen and Turkey asked the Secretary-General to resume [letter, PDF] a currently suspended emergency session in order to pursue the Uniting for Peace procedures in Resolution 377(v) [text, PDF]. That procedure allows [official materials] the General Assembly to make recommendations for collective action  including the use of armed force when the Security Council fails to fulfill its duty to protect international peace and security due to the inability of the permanent Council members to agree to a course of action.

The General Assembly resolution comes just days after a nearly identical Security Council resolution was vetoed [UN News Centre report] by the United States. The remaining fourteen members of the Security Council, including the four other permanent members, approved of the Resolution. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley [official bio] said that the veto was an exercise of US sovereignty [press release], and that the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem does not prejudge any final status issues, including Jerusalems boundaries. The draft resolution was put forward by Egypt, who expressly identified [meeting record] the US decision as animating the proposed resolution.
State police said two people were killed when at least six vehicles collided on a major highway in New Jersey during the morning rush, creating fires and snarling traffic for several hours.

The crash occurred shortly before 6 a.m. Friday in the southbound lanes of Route 440 near Interstate 287 in Edison Township.

Authorities said six people were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Police said others with more serious injuries were still being evaluated.

A stretch of the road was closed while the crash was investigated, causing major travel delays in the area that were expected to continue into the afternoon.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

Minnie Mouse is one of the Disney cartoon characters that will always have a special place in our hearts. If you're like me who have seen Minnie Mouse since time immemorial, I presume that once in your life you had a stuff that's all Minnie Mouse in your house.





If you're a die-hard fan of Minnie Mouse, I'm sure that you'll be so happy to hear this news from Girlstuff. They collaborated with Walt Disney Company Philippines to produce the first Minnie Mouse Nail Lacquers here in the country. More information about the brand and what Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer offers below :)





Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer





Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

Girlstuff has endeared itself to the local market over the years with its fashion-forward stance.

They have affordable nail lacquers and a wide array to shades to choose from.

Developed in the Philippines but customized and made in France. Unlike most local nail polish Girlstuff Nail Lacquers are free from harmful chemicals commonly found in polish such as Formaldehyde, Toluene, Di-butyl phthalate, Camphor, and Formaldehyde Resin.

Each bottle comes with the Girlstuff safety guarantee to assure you of healthy nails, and a quality assurance of high gloss, long wear and no-streak formula!

Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

In the launch that was held at Aruga by Rockwell, beauty and lifestyle bloggers had a mini nail polish session in order for them to try the shades from this collaboration. With the help of nail artists, each attendee was asked to get their nails done and have their photos taken while sporting different Minnie Mouse nail art on their nails.

Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

Minnie Mouse Nail Art Pegs

Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

A True Love Story on my nails

Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer The fashion icon, Minnie Mouse will jazz up your nails with colors that will show your inner Minnie.

Rock those dots through the colors, texture, and artistry you can call your own.

The Minnie Mouse Palette was inspired by her enduring style and timeless class; fearless independence and contagious high spirits.

To celebrate this special collection, Girlstuff created Minnie Mouse-inspired nail art tutorials with three ladies of different personalities and ages, TV Host and model Janeena Chan, actress Alexa Ilacad and beauty blogger Nikki Tiu.

Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

10 head-turning shades of Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer



10 Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer shades:





A. Sentimental Shades- these are shades that reflect quiet class and harmony.

Yours Truly is a warm nude.

Je taime is a passionate dark taupe.

A True Love story is a romantic and vintage mauve.



B. Girly Shades- for the girl who just want to have fun!

Live Out Loud is a fun cotton candy pink.

Be Mine is a fiery maraschino cherry red.

All Dolled Up is a happy strawberry smoothie pink.

So In Love is an intense deep red shade.



C. Adventurous Shades- these are shades where Minnie Mouses spunk and independence are seen as she goes from one adventure to another.

Paint The Town is a delicate blend of pastel blue and mint green.

Sweetest Little Thing is a dainty mix of blush and white.

Simply Me is a cool mash-up of white and the lightest of greys.

Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer swatches



I so love the colors in this collection. I'm sold to the sentimental shades which are so me. I like classic colors that scream class and simplicity. Free your inner Minnie! Minnie Mouse Nail Lacquer by Girlstuff is now available in Girlstuff branches in the metro. Each bottle of Minnie Mouse Nail Lacquer retails at Php150 each. While a box of three retails at Php430.





Minnie x Girlstuff Forever Nail Lacquer

With Michelle of Rockstar Momma





Available at all Girlstuff Kiosks/Outlets at SM Mall of Asia, SM North Edsa, SM San Lazaro, SM Megamall, Glorietta2 and Alabang Town Center. The collection will also be available online at girlstufforever.com and beautymnl.com. Minnie Mouse Nail Lacquer by Girl Stuff will also be available at Robinsons Department Store and Rustans Department Store this holiday season.



What shade will you sport this holiday season?





To know more about Girlstuff Forever and Walt Disney Studios,

visit their website: www.girlstufforever.com, www.disney.com.ph

Like them on Facebook: Girlstuff Forever

Walt Disney Studios PH

Follow them on Instagram: @g irlstuffforever @ disneyph

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Good Times!~
KEARNEY  Todd Thalken looks forward to Christmas Eve. Thats when he finally puts his feet up after a busy holiday season.

Thalken and his wife, Lois, own Kearney Floral at 210 W. 21st St. Christmas has been a big part of their business since they bought the shop from the late Jack Erickson in 1989. Along with providing bouquets as gifts and Christmas table decorations, they create outdoor displays for customers.

Its pretty much a fresh garland around the doors, or wreaths on windows and doors, and lights, Thalken said.

In the past five years, Christmas decorations have become more natural and organic, Thalken said. New trends include filling large outdoor flower pots with evergreen branches, berries, pine cones, birch poles and lights, either white or multi-colored. Kearney Floral gets shipments from the Pacific Northwest that include pine, cedar, juniper, Douglas fir and noble fir. We use a lot of fresh product. Theyre very exquisite boughs, Thalken said.

For florists, the Christmas season starts in the fall, when customers begin planning for the holidays. The Thalkens visit the homeowners to view both the interior and exterior of the house and discuss what the customer wants. We also take pictures. Everyone is different, but they trust us. They show us what they like, Thalken said.

He orders the greenery, boughs and more in September. Several hundred bales arrive the week before Thanksgiving. Everything is placed in a cooler for safekeeping.

Some customers are particular. He has been asked, for example, to remove every few bulbs in a string of 100 white lights and put in colored lights.

Hes assisted during the Christmas season by seasonal help like Tim Schutte. Schutte owns Tims Home Improvement but helps Thalken decorate homes and businesses for Christmas. Schutte started delivering flowers for Kearney Floral when he was studying industrial technology at what is now the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

I like decorating, Schutte said. He also has six Christmas-season customers of his own.

Displays have changed very little in the last 30 years, he said. Schutte begins hanging lights before Thanksgiving. We often do decorations the same way at the same place every year, but sometimes, we freshen a display with a garland, or we put up bows, he said.

He also keeps an eye on displays after theyre in place. One year, after decorating Farmers and Merchants Bank at 3015 Second Ave., I drove by and saw a garland hanging down. It was fresh and very heavy. Sometimes garlands fall down, so weve started to double-twine those or use heavier twine, he said.

Weather can cause problems, too. Years ago, he was on his way to decorate a house in Rolling Hills on an icy day and slid back down the hill.

Because of family and his busy work schedule, Schutte does less holiday work now. He used to decorate 15 homes for the holidays. He used to climb trees to string lights, but he no longer does. Now, he might string lights along the roof line, a task that takes a couple hours per house, he said. He might weave lights into the bushes.

He does all his own decorating at home. This year, he has strung little white lights along the walk from the driveway to the front door.

By Dec. 15, Kearney Floral is usually sold out of garlands and more. By then, people have finished decorating, Thalken said.

But the work isnt over. Since what goes up must come down, Schutte will be out taking down lights right after New Years Day.
JOHNSON LAKE  People, particularly ice fishermen, are urged to use caution if they venture onto Johnson Lake in the next several weeks.

Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District announced that the reservoir is being lowered by about 8 feet to prepare for maintenance work on the Johnson No. 1 Hydroplant just below the lake.

The gradual drawdown will continue until about Jan. 22, when the project is scheduled to start. However, the timing for lowering or raising lake levels may vary depending on ice conditions in the Platte River and Centrals Supply Canal.

If colder temperatures cause an ice cap to form on the lake, changing water levels can affect the thickness and integrity of the ice. The result could be unsafe conditions.
Cabelas will retain some jobs in Sidney, Nebraska, but its still unclear how many will be lost after a letter sent to employees by the chief executive of the retailers new owner, Bass Pro Shops.

Bass also will keep open all of Cabelas retail stores in Nebraska  in Sidney, Kearney and La Vista, according to the letter, which was obtained by The World-Herald.

Bass Pro Chief Executive Johnny Morris sent the 11-page document to employees in Sidney on Thursday. In it, Morris detailed some of the operations that will stay in Sidney as the combined Bass-Cabelas consolidates its headquarters in Bass hometown of Springfield, Missouri.

The letter didnt say how many jobs would be cut in Sidney, the city of about 6,800 where Cabelas has employed 2,000 people in recent years. A Bass Pro spokesman wouldnt comment on potential job cuts when contacted Thursday by The World-Herald. The spokesman said Morris visited Sidney on Wednesday and met with Cabelas employees.

What will stay? Bass said Thursday in its letter that it will keep Cabelas information technology division, which employs 125 people. The letter says significant accounting operations also will remain in Sidney, although it didnt say what operations or how many people the division would employ. The distribution center in Sidney also will remain.

The document said the company is continuing to work on evaluating which jobs will stay in Sidney, which ones will stay in Springfield and which ones need to be eliminated.

One of our biggest priorities is to be as thoughtful to Cabelas outfitters and the City of Sidney as we possibly can, and go above and beyond what is required to be very fair and supportive, the document said.

Outside of Sidney, the companys credit card operation in Lincoln will remain, according to the letter, along with call centers in Grand Island, Kearney, North Platte and Lincoln. The call centers employ approximately 350 people, the document said.

Some employees, however, will lose their jobs, according to the letter. It said that those employees will receive severance and that Bass Pro has allocated an additional $10 million to extend benefits and pay for employees who will be displaced.

The company has hired Career Arc, an outplacement firm, to help employees who might need to relocate and find new work. The company, in the document, said its also pondering establishing an early retirement package.

Employees in Sidney will be consolidated into one of the Cabelas office buildings.

The document said empty buildings on the Cabelas campus will effectively be donated by Bass Pro Shops to the City of Sidney. Bass will lease them for $1 per year to any qualified businesses that may want to open an operation in Sidney, the document said.

The company also detailed what staff will occupy some senior leadership positions in the new combined company. Of the 12 positions listed, three will be employees from Cabelas who will relocate to Springfield.

Ralph Castner, who had been Cabelas chief financial officer, will serve as CFO for the combined company in Springfield; Sarah Kaiser, who worked in human resources at Cabelas, will become senior vice president of human resources for the combined company; and Sheila Dormann, a Cabelas employee for 17 years, will become vice president of finance for White River Marine Group, one of Bass Pros subsidiaries.

Bass Pro completed its $5 billion acquisition of Cabelas in September.

In the letter Thursday, Morris thanked employees and said he hoped they take pride in their personal contributions to building iconic brands.

Still, the last page of the letter detailed the realities of a competitive retail market and challenging outdoor/hunting segment.

Morris said more than 1,000 outdoors-related stores have closed in recent years. He called out Cabelas specifically, noting that the retailers sales had been in decline since 2013 and that its retail business was on track to lose money in 2017.

And research by Mercer, a human resources consultant, highlighted that Cabelas had more layers of management than similar companies, according to the letter, in part because it was a publicly traded company.

Cabelas has been operating under the weight of an extremely heavy corporate payroll that is over two times greater than that of Bass Pro Shops to conduct relatively the same volume of business, Morris said in the letter.

It is now time for a new approach and to turn around the strategies that did not work, Morris said.

He signed the cover letter to the document, Respectfully and with Great Optimism!
The University of Nebraska is making great strides in making education  the great equalizer  more accessible. The university reported this week that enrollment growth in online classes is outpacing national norms. NUs online status is important because it underscores the success of efforts to bring educational opportunities to as many people as possible. Erasing the geographic hurdles that formerly limited access is huge, especially for would-be students who might live too far from an NU campus or cannot enroll in traditional classroom courses because of work and family schedules or military obligations.

For many people who fall into those categories, online classes erase all boundaries to access.

New figures reported to the Board of Regents this month show that unduplicated headcount enrollment of distance-only students  that is, students enrolled exclusively in NU online programs  rose from 4,454 in fall 2015 to 4,887 the following year, an increase of almost 10 percent.

Each campus, including the University of Nebraska at Kearney, saw an increase in distance-only students, and NUs growth outpaced the average among U.S. public four-year institutions, according to the report shared with regents.

Students need their university to remove as many barriers as possible so education is accessible to as many people as possible.

The University of Nebraska Online website provides access to more than 100 fully online programs offered by the campuses, including those in the health professions, computer science, engineering, agriculture and life sciences, business and other fields important to the workforce.

Harnessing the power of communications technology is a breakthrough that cannot be ignored, and NU is not ignoring it. Now if NU can reduce another educational barrier  cost  there would be hardly anything limiting would-be students from enrolling for classes.

Special delivery

Congratulations to Kearney Regional Medical Center. On Jan. 16, the hospital will celebrate the first anniversary of its new maternity care center. About 550 babies have been delivered to-date, so if mothers and babies can maintain that pace, KRMC could reach the 600-baby mark by Jan. 16, 2018.

The expanded maternity center has four neonatal care rooms, a c-section suite, and so that expectant mothers neednt wait in line, there are 10 delivery rooms.
As 2017 draws to a close a new legislative session looms on the horizon. Nebraskas 2018 Legislature will convene on Jan. 3. This will be a A short session lasting 60 legislative days. The Legislature is scheduled to conclude in early April.

The first 10 legislative days are the only opportunity for senators to introduce new legislation. During that time, new bills will be submitted and referenced to their committee of jurisdiction to schedule public hearings. It is expected that several hundred new pieces of legislation will be introduced.

Because it is the second year of the biennium, legislation that was introduced last year but not indefinitely postponed by Committee or during floor debate remains active. Floor debate this session will begin by debating bills that remain on General and Select File from the previous year. The website of the Nebraska Legislature contains a link to the end of session worksheet which details the status of every bill introduced the last session.

As new bills are introduced, they will be added to the worksheet and their status updated daily as they progress through the system. As bills make their way through the committee and floor debate process, I encourage voters to use the Nebraska Legislatures website to identify bills of interest, track their progress, and access voting records. A wealth of resources are available at nebraskalegislature.gov for voters to access, including the daily activities of the Legislature.

A biennial budget was created and adopted in the last session to cover the budget cycle from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019. However, actual tax receipts were below the forecast projections during the first three months of the new fiscal year. On Oct. 27, the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board revised the revenue forecast. A downgrade of the revenue forecast by $100 million in the current fiscal year will require modification of the budget adopted last session.

Known as a deficit budget bill, this process will make budget adjustments to match the lower revenue forecast and address any additional requests for new spending. The state is constitutionally required to balance its budget. It is also worth noting that receipts for the first month following the revised revenue forecast, November, fell $4 million short. The budget situation will have a significant impact on the nature of the legislation introduced this session. Any bill that requires an appropriation will need to have a funding source.

Voters should not lose sight of the $235 million in one-time cash transfers funding state spending in the current year, and the additional $131 million of one time money in the second year. The statutory minimum reserve was also temporarily lowered, which has a $35 million impact. That $400 million hole, just under 10 percent of the general fund budget, will need to be filled with new revenue in the budget to be crafted in 2019.

As in prior years, it is expected that bills will require a priority designation in order to receive floor debate, even if they have been advanced from committee. There will be four afternoons of floor debate before public hearings begin on January 16 and fill the afternoon schedule.

If you are in Lincoln while the Legislature is in session to testify at a bill hearing or observe the process in action, contact my office.

Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell represents District 38 in the Nebraska Legislature. The district encompasses southwest Buffalo County and all of Clay, Franklin, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps and Webster counties.
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A VIA Rail train sits idle at the train station in Churchill, Man., on June 22, 2017. The town of Churchill in northern Manitoba is saying thank you to everyone who has helped the community since it lost its rail service. Mayor Michael Spence and his council say in a release on Twitter that many Manitobans, Canadians and people from across the world have reached out. The town of 900 people on Hudson Bay lost its only land connection to the south last spring when severe flooding damaged the rail line. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alex de Vries
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2013 file photo, Miss New York Mallory Hytes Hagan reacts as she is crowned Miss America 2013 in Las Vegas. Some former Miss Americas shamed in emails from the pageantAos CEO are calling on him and other leaders of the Miss America Organization to resign. HaganAos appearance and sexual habits were mocked in the emails. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File)
A man who carried out a one punch attack after the victim bumped into the buggy his child was in has been sentenced to two years in prison with six months suspended.

William Harty, with an address at 3 Glenville Estate, Dunmore Road, Waterford was charged at Kilkenny Circuit Court with assault causing harm for the offence committed on April 5 of last year on the High Street in Kilkenny.

The case was due to be heard on June 29 but Mr Harty did not show and a bench warrant was issued and he has been in custody since July 15 in relation to the matter.

The court heard on the day of the attack the victim  who is in his 60s - was leaving a retail store on the High Street at around 1.15pm on the date in question when he accidentally bumped into a childs buggy.

Mr Harty, 22, walked down the street after the man and punched him in the face. The victim suffered a deep jagged laceration to his lip and had an abrasion over his nose.

Mr Harty was identified as the attacker from CCTV footage. Medical evidence and photographs of the injuries sustained to the victim were handed into court.

The victim also fell forward and hit the ground after the punch to the face but the medical evidence revealed there was no report of loss of consciousness and no loose teeth.

The court heard on April 5 of last year, the day the offence took place, Mr Harty was convicted of burglary but was given a six month suspended sentence for eighteen months provided he entered into a bond to be of good behaviour.

Prosecuting barrister, Cephas Power, said Mr Harty had just left the courthouse before he carried out the assault and breached the suspension within minutes of entering the bond. Mr Harty was arrested for the offence on June 6 of last year and when arrested he stated: I done it because he fell on top of a buggy.

Defence counsel for Mr Harty, Patrick ORiordan, said his client had just been released from custody and the victim bumped off the buggy in which Mr Hartys child was in. Mr Harty was suffering withdrawals from heroin on the date of the offence after having been just released from prison and everything was a daze.

The court heard Mr Harty has a dreadful background and Mr ORiordan said there was no weapon or glass used and it was a one punch case. A Probation Services report found Mr Harty at a high risk of re-offending.

Mr Harty is from Kilkenny but is living in Waterford and has a number of previous convictions which include offences like criminal damage and theft. The court heard that the revolving door custodial system was not working for him and that whatever sentence was imposed he was eager and anxious to work with the Probation Services.

He is going to school currently in Cork Prison and is attending classes on a regular basis. He is also working in a woodwork shop and has been occupying himself gainfully.

The 22-year-old  who has been in and out of custody since he was twelve  married when he was sixteen and has two children aged four and three.

Judge Brian OCallaghan said the circumstances of this case are quite simply disgraceful and described it as an unprovoked attack on a vulnerable person.

He said the victim had entered Mr Hartys space as the defendant saw it and decided the only way to deal with it was with a vicious punch resulting in a man falling to the ground.

Judge OCallaghan said thankfully there was no fatal injuries as can happen in these situations and the offence happened quite brazenly 30 minutes after Mr Harty left Kilkenny Courthouse.

He added that Mr Harty was oblivious as to whether this man was okay or not, you just left him on the ground and that no matter what the victim did there was no excuse for Mr Hartys reaction.

Judge OCallaghan sentenced Mr Harty to two years in prison with the last six months suspended with a view to incentivising Mr Hartys rehabilitation and he must also be of good behaviour while in custody and under the supervision of the Probation Services.

The custodial sentence was backdated to July 15 of this year.
The druids were out in force on Thursday for the winter solstice at the magnificent Knockroe passage tomb in South Kilkenny.

The magnetism of this pagan pace of worship was evidenced by the crowd of well over 100 people that attended.

They were present, on the shortest day of the year, to witness the alignment of the sun with the stones in the burial chamber.

One druid, Eimear Burke from Threecastles explained that for druids the

winter solstice was a highlight of the year on their nature based spiritual path.

"We have no dogma, no guilt, just ethics, a responsibility for our actions," she said.

"We wait for the sun to come into the burial chamber and we reconnect with the landscape," she explained.

It's a simple, live-and-let-live philosophy that works for Eimear and many others.

And it's hard to argue with the resonance that Eimear and many others feel with the place when they enter the site on the Kilkenny-Tipperary border.

The Druids Alter the Red Hill, The Coshel, whatever you call at Knockroe Passage Tomb is by far the most important, intricate, complex and most interesting pre-historic site in this region and we are still literally, unearthing its secrets.

It predates the Pyramids of Egypt and is considerably older than Newgrange or Stonehenge and yet, is still shrouded in mystery.

Professor Muiris O'Sullivan is Associate Professor of Archaeology at UCD gave a potted history of the site and its importance.

There was tea, sausage rolls, buns and mulled wine made available by a local group in what was a wonderful evening.

The sun failed to make it through the clouds and there was no sunlit alignment but it was still magical.
SHANGHAI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - China's Ministry of Finance auctioned 15 billion yuan ($2.28 billion) of 3-month bills in the interbank market on Friday at an average yield of 3.9010 percent, traders said.

The auction yield came in below Thursday's benchmark secondary market yield of 3.9712 percent for 3-month government bonds .

For stories on Chinese debt issues, click on . ($1 = 6.5782 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Sunil Nair)
By Nikhil Nainan

Dec 22 (Reuters) - Singapore shares rose slightly on Friday after six consecutive sessions of declines, while most other Southeast Asian markets were subdued in thin trade ahead of a long holiday weekend.

Asian stocks edged up after Wall Street rose on economic data pointing to steady economy growth in the United States.

The U.S economy grew at its fastest pace in more than two years in the third quarter, concluding a fairly positive week for the United States, although growth came in slightly lower than forecasts. Investor sentiment has recently been upbeat following the passage of the U.S. tax bill and as Congress averted a government shutdown a day before federal funding was due to expire. Singapore shares rose 0.3 percent, buoyed by gains in financials, but were down 0.7 percent this week in what could be their third weekly drop.

Top lenders Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp and DBS Group Holdings gained 1.1 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively.

Philippine shares slipped ahead of November budget deficit data expected later in the day.

In October, the country had posted a budget deficit of 21.8 billion pesos ($433.87 million), much wider than the gap a year earlier. Losses in industrials slightly outweighed gains in financials. Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc and LT Group Inc dropped 1.7 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.

Indonesian shares edged down after closing at a record high on Thursday. Ratings agency Fitch upgraded the credit ratings of Southeast Asia's largest economy on Thursday, saying economic and monetary policies had made the economy resilient to external shocks. Gains in energy and financial stocks were offset by telecom stocks.

United Tractors Tbk PT and Bank Central Asia Tbk PT rose 1.9 percent and 0.5 percent respectively, while Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Perusahaan Perseroan PT declined 0.7 percent.

For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS: CHANGE AT 0334 GMT Market Current Previous close Pct Move Singapore 3391.71 3382.53 0.27 Bangkok 1738.84 1736.91 0.11 Manila 8371.12 8378.28 -0.09 Jakarta 6177.709 6183.391 -0.09 Kuala Lumpur 1750.45 1751.21 -0.04 Ho Chi Minh 949.68 946.06 0.38

Change so far this year Market Current End 2016 Pct Move Singapore 3391.71 2880.76 17.74 Bangkok 1738.84 1542.94 12.70 Manila 8371.12 6840.64 22.37 Jakarta 6177.709 5296.711 16.63 Kuala Lumpur 1750.45 1641.73 6.62 Ho Chi Minh 949.68 664.87 42.84 ($1 = 50.2450 Philippine pesos)

(Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
HANOI, Dec 22 (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 0404 GMT.

December 22 USD/VND mid-point 22,433 USD/VND interbank 22,711/22,712 USD/VND unofficial 22,755/22,770 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.30/36.52

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.6-1.1

1 week 0.7-1.2

1 month 2.0-2.5

3 months 4.5-5.0

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)
MILAN, Dec 22 (Reuters) - ArcelorMittal has reached a preliminary agreement to sell its steel mill in Piombino, Italy to Italian steelmaker Arvedi to help get clearance from EU authorities for its purchase of Ilva, Europe's largest steel plant.

ArcelorMittal, the world's top steelmaker, reached a 1.8-billion-euro ($2.1 billion) deal to buy Ilva, in southern Italy, in June but the purchase has since stalled thanks to legal challenges and an EU anti-trust investigation. Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the deal was struck this week, and that ArcelorMittal was moved to dispose of Piombino due to EU concerns over market concentration in the galvanised steel sector.

The sources did not provide any other details. ArcelorMittal and Arvedi declined to comment.

Galvanised steel is used in the autos, white goods and construction sectors. The Piombino mills make 800,000 tonnes per year of the product.

EU antitrust authorities in November upgraded their investigation into ArcelorMittal's proposed takeover of Ilva, fearing it will lead to steel price hikes. European steel prices are up some 85 percent since Jan. 1 2016.

A few weeks after the anti-trust filing, the Puglia and Taranto regions of Italy filed an appeal against the Italian government's approval of ArcelorMittal's environmental plan for Ilva.

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni wrote to the governor of Puglia and mayor of Taranto on Friday, urging them to drop a lawsuit that could scupper the deal and sink the planned clean-up operation for Ilva.

"I ask you to withdraw your suit from the regional courts and not imperil the environmental clean-up," Gentiloni said. The Puglia governor, Michele Emiliano, said he would be happy to meet the prime minister but declined to drop the lawsuit.

ArcelorMittal's proposed takeover of Ilva comes as steel majors Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp are looking to combine their European assets, meaning anti-trust authorities are on high alert.

To allay their concerns, Italy's state holding company CDP and Intesa Sanpaolo have signed a non-binding agreement to join ArcelorMittal's bid for Ilva, replacing former bid partner Marcegaglia, an Italian steel processing firm. The Ilva plant has been dogged by charges of corruption and environmental crime for years. In 2012, Italian authorities ruled emissions from the plant had caused deaths, tumours and respiratory diseases. About half the plant's annual 11 million tonne capacity was eventually mothballed.

(Reporting by Massimiliano di Giorgio, additional reporting by Steve Scherer and Crispian Balmer. Writing by Maytaal Angel, editing by David Evans)
BRASILIA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The amount of outstanding loans in Brazil rose 0.4 percent in November from the previous month, the central bank said on Friday, as defaults and loan spreads fell. Outstanding loans totaled 3.064 trillion reais ($924 billion), down 1.4 percent from the year before. Loan defaults slipped 0.1 percentage point from October to 5.3 percent, while lending spreads fell to 34.2 percent. ($1 = 3.32 reais)

(Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Writing by Bruno Federowski Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
BEIJING, Dec 22 (Reuters) - * Chinese authorities handled 40,706 cases of environmental damage during environmental inspections in August and September, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said in a statement on Friday * Inspections targeted eight provinces: Jilin, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hainan, Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang * Over 10,000 companies were fined a total of 547.59 million yuan ($83.3 million) by inspectors, according to the statement * Some 6,471 local officials were held accountable for incidents of environmental damage, the MEP said

($1 = 6.5756 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Muyu Xu and Beijing Newsroom)

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.
(Corrects Dec. 14 story to clarify Christo Wiese did not start Pepkor in paragraph 8)

* Wiese's son Jacob also steps down

* Family resigns to reinforce independence of governance

* Heather Sonn takes over as acting chairman

* Banks sells portion of Wiese stake held as collateral

By Emma Thomasson and Tiisetso Motsoeneng

BERLIN/JOHANNESBURG, Dec 14 (Reuters) - South African tycoon Christo Wiese resigned on Thursday as chairman of Steinhoff , the latest setback for the retail group in the throes of an accounting scandal.

Once a must-have for investors who backed its reinvention from small furniture outfit into a retail empire, Steinhoff has seen its shares crash more than 80 percent since last week when it ordered an investigation into its accounts and parted ways with long-serving chief executive Markus Jooste.

Steinhoff said Wiese, its top shareholder and chairman who stood in as chief executive last week, had offered to step down to reinforce independent governance and address any possible conflict of interest.

Wiese has been chairman since last year and a board member since 2013. He owns about 22 percent of the company, the stake he built in 2014 when he sold his clothing retailer Pepkor to Steinhoff via a combination of cash and shares.

Steinhoff named Heather Sonn, a member of the supervisory board and its independent sub-committee, as acting chairperson, and said Wiese's son Jacob had also resigned from the board.

The accounting scandal has tarnished the 76-year-old's credentials as one of South Africa's most respected stewards of shareholder capital.

It has also reduced his stake in Steinhoff: the company said on Thursday that banks have sold 98.4 million shares they used as security to lend Wiese 1.6 billion euros ($1.89 billion) to fund the purchase of additional shares in Steinhoff in September 2016.

Wiese was one of the early executives of clothing retailer Pepkor, which was co-founded by his parents in the 1960s in Upington on the southern edges of the Kalahari desert, but is best known for transforming grocery retailer Shoprite from just six shops in the 1970s to hundreds of stores across Africa.

He was also instrumental in reinventing Steinhoff, turning it from a modest distributor of furniture made in communist era eastern Europe to a global household goods retailer, vying for market share with the likes of IKEA.

But he suffered a setback this year when Steinhoff and Shoprite, in which Wiese owns a 20 percent stake, called off a deal in February to merge to create an African shopping giant, preventing Wiese from bringing more of his retail assets under one roof.

His resignation comes a day after Steinhoff's second largest shareholder Public Investment Corporation expressed discomfort about possible conflict of interest in having Wiese as interim chief executive.

Steinhoff, which moved its primary share listing from Johannesburg to Frankfurt two years ago, has been under investigation for suspected accounting fraud in Germany since 2015. Four current and former managers are under suspicion of having overstated revenues at subsidiaries, prosecutors said.

Steinhoff has previously said that the investigation related to whether revenues were booked properly, and whether taxable profits were correctly declared.

($1 = 0.8480 euros)

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Susan Fenton)
PRAGUE, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Czech Finance Ministry will offer up to 11 billion crowns ($506.54 million) worth of domestic government bonds in six primary auctions taking place in January, the ministry said on Monday.

The ministry also said the maximum expected nominal value of bonds sold in auctions in the first quarter is planned at 60 billion crowns.

The ministry added it would also offer up to 20 billion crowns worth of short-term Treasury bills through four auctions scheduled for January.

It said the expected nominal value of T-bills sold in the first quarter is 50 billion crowns excluding roll-overs.

NOTE: For detail table see: ($1 = 21.7160 Czech crowns)

(Reporting by Mirka Krufova; Editing by Jan Lopatka)
(Kitco News) - Bitcoin is once again making headlines; this time, it is the result of major selloff as the digital currency was down more than 40% at one point on Friday.

However, according to some analysts, it might be a little too premature to call an end to the bubble, which just last week was showing gains of almost 2,000% for the year.

Bitcoin has managed to find some support as it has managed to bounce off its early lows at $10,700. Kitco.com aggregated Bitcoin charts show the digital currency last traded at $13,175, down almost 16% on the day. For the week Bitcoin is down more than 30% since Monday.

Bill Baruch, president of Blue Line Futures said that he welcomes this selloff as it was needed in a market that has worked itself into an unstainable frenzy. While Bitcoin could continue to suffer, he added that other assets could benefit.

This selloff is getting me excited because I see this as a market cap cleansing, he said. I think you are going to see money come back into the market but maybe not into Bitcoin. I am a lot more bullish on other cryptocurrences than I am on Bitcoin.

Jasper Lawler, senior market analyst at London Capital Group, said the recent selloff just demonstrates how volatile the market is and this could keep long-term investors away from the marketplace. However, he added that it is too soon to count the cryptocurrency out as it has recovered from previous sharp selloffs.

Previous price pullbacks have only strengthened the conviction of Bitcoin traders when the price rebounded. If Bitcoin does reach $20k after this slump, we suspect it will make short work of $50k, he said.

Lukman Otunuga, research analyst at FXTM, said that because of the aggressive nature of the selloff Friday, investors should not expect to see the market bounce back right away.

From a technical standpoint, Bitcoin is at risk of dropping further if prices fail to keep above $13,000. Sustained weakness below this level could encourage a decline back towards $11,000, he said.
ROME, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Italian cabinet has appointed Mario Nava as head of bourse watchdog Consob replacing the outgoing chairman, Giuseppe Vegas, a government source said on Friday.

Nava, 51, is currently the head of the European Commission's Directorate General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.

Vegas had been chairman of Consob since 2010 and came under criticism in recent years over his handling of the banking crisis. Industry Minister Carlo Calenda last year accused the bourse regulator of committing "grave errors" in its oversight of bond sales by banks to retail clients.

Vegas always denied the accusations, saying the regulators did everything they could given the information available to them.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Valentina Za)
HELSINKI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Finnish state treasury said on Friday it was looking to issue a new 15-year euro benchmark bond and another 10-year bond next year. Tap auctions of existing euro bonds are also expected next year, the treasury said. Its net borrowing requirement for 2018 is 3.1 billion euros ($3.7 billion) while redemptions amounted to 15 billion euros. ($1 = 0.8436 euros)

(Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl, editing by Gwladys Fouche)

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.
Editor's Note: View Kitco News' full 2018 outlook coverage

(Kitco News) - The global mine supply of silver should rise in 2018, assuming disruptions at a couple of large mines end and with Goldcorp Inc. (TSX: G, NYSE: GG) expected to move into a higher-grade ore zone, two consultancies report.

Metals Focus projected 2018 silver-mine supply of 867.2 million ounces, compared to 856.9 million in 2017, which in turn would be down from 888.3 million in 2016, said Oliver Heathman, head of mining research for the consultancy.

CPM Group looks for global silver-mining output to increase 2.7% to around 817 million ounces in 2018, said Rohit Savant, director of research at CPM Group. The consultancy looks for 796.1 million ounces in 2017.

Heathman blamed the decline in 2017 production on disruptions at certain mines, such as a strike by union workers at Hecla Mining Co.s (NYSE: HL) Lucky Friday Mine in Idaho and the shutdown of Tahoe Resources Inc.s (TSX: THO; NYSE: TAHO) Escobol Mine due to licensing issues with the Guatemalan government.



The increase in 2018 is expected to be driven by those issues being resolved and those mines coming back on line and driving up production, Heathman reported.

Additionally, Heathman and Savant both look for higher output from Mexican mines.

You have a few increases [at mines] in China and Peru, but they are not as big as the ones we are expecting to see in Mexico, Savant said.

Metals Focus also looks for increased production of silver as a by-product from gold mines, even though the consultancy does not anticipate a big change in global gold-mining supply itself.

One of the mines where silver output is expected to rise is Goldcorps Penasquito Mine in Mexico, both analysts said. Heathman explained that mining is anticipated in areas with higher gold and silver grades.

While CPM Group expects mine supply to rise in 2018, output may then ease in future years, however.

This is as a lack of [exploration and development] expenditures catches up and starts to weigh on mine supply, he said. Mining companies cut back on such expenses around half a decade ago after a steep decline in the prices of precious metals.

CPM Group sees secondary, or recycled, supply of around 201.5 million ounces in 2018, not much different from the 202 million projected for 2017.

The one thing that could change secondary supply is if prices go up strongly, Savant said.

This could encourage more people to sell jewelry and other items made of silver, putting more metal back on the open market. Further, price rises in precious metals often coincide with periods of economic weakness, which also encourages people to sell silver in order to generate spending money.
NAIROBI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The weighted average yield on Mauritius' 91-day Treasury bill rose to 2.48 percent at auction on Friday from 2.43 percent at the last sale on December 15, the central bank said.

The Bank of Mauritius sold all the 600 million rupees worth of the 91-day it had offered.

Complete auction results were as follows: MATURITY 91-DAY 182-DAY 364-day WEIGHTED AVERAGE PRICE THIS AUCTION 97.385 98.725 97.350 LAST AUCTION 99.398 98.759 97.397 WEIGHTED AVERAGE YIELD (PCT) THIS AUCTION 2.48 2.59 2.73 LAST AUCTION 2.43 2.52 2.68 BIDS ACCEPTED (RUPEES)600(MLN)528.8(MLN)771.2 (MLN)

(The table includes both government (91-day) and Bank of Mauritius (182-day, 364-day) bills)

(Reporting by Jean-Paul Arouff; Editing by Maggie Fick)
PORT LOUIS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Mauritius' trade deficit in October increased by 22.1 percent to 10.06 billion rupees ($300.75 million) from the same period last year, on higher food and live animals imports, the statistics office said on Friday.

Imports rose 11.8 percent year-on-year to 16.56 billion rupees, driven by a surge in shipments of food and live animals.

Exports edged up 1.2 percent to 6.49 billion rupees, Statistics Mauritius said in a statement.

The United States was the main buyer of goods from the Indian Ocean island in October, accounting for 12.1 percent of all exports.

($1 = 33.4500 Mauritius rupees)

(Reporting by Jean Paul Arouff; Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Subhranshu Sahu)
TOKYO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average eked out small gains on Friday as gains in banks and commodities trading houses offset weakness in pharmaceuticals, while Kobe Steel stumbled after it said senior executives were aware of its data tampering.

The Nikkei ended 0.2 percent higher at 22,902.76. For the week, it gained 1.6 percent, the biggest weekly percentage gain in more than a month.

Outperforming the market were banks and trading houses, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group soaring 1.9 percent and Itochu Corp rising 2.4 percent.

The pharmaceutical sector tumbled 1.4 percent and was the worst performer on the board, after Eisai Co dived 15 percent on news a drug it is jointly developing to treat Alzheimer's disease failed to achieve mid-stage trial goals. Santen Pharmaceutical stumbled 8 percent after it said on Thursday that the U.S. regulator had declined to authorise its medication to treat eye disease. Kobe Steel Ltd dropped 2.4 percent after the company admitted for the first time that executives were aware of falsified data, and said it had reassigned three senior staff. The broader Topix rose 0.4 percent to 1,829.08.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Eric Meijer)
MANILA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Philippines' Bureau of the Treasury aims to raise as much as 240 billion pesos ($4.78 billion) from auctions of government securities in the first quarter of 2018, it said on Friday.

That is 60 percent more than the 150 billion pesos the bureau sought to raise this quarter. It raised less than the target following bid rejections at several of this quarter's auctions.

Between January and March, there will be six auctions for 91-day, 182-day and 364-day T-bills, with the offer size raised to 20 billion pesos from 15 billion pesos this quarter, the bureau said in a notice to dealers.

The government will also offer 20 billion pesos worth of T-bonds at each of the six auctions for such papers with tenors of 3, 5, 7, 10 and 20 years.

For more details on the government's domestic borrowing plan, click on ( ).

Borrowing from both domestic and foreign sources is expected to reach 888 billion pesos next year, with the government also looking to raise $200 million from yuan-denominated bonds and $1 billion of dollar-denominated global bonds. President Rodrigo Duterte this week signed the 2018 budget law, which raises state spending by 12 percent to a record 3.77 trillion pesos including big expenditures on infrastructure projects under his "Build, Build, Build" blueprint.

($1 = 50.1650 Philippine pesos)

(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Friday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour):

DATA

The statistics office is to release its unemployment data for November at 0900. CABLE CARS

Polish flagship cable cars PKL's Initial Public Offering will include only existing shares sale, its Chief Executive Officer Janusz Rys told Rzeczpospolita daily.

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY

The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party is considering liquidation of the Environment Ministry, Nasz Dziennik daily said quoting "media speculation". The ministry is responsible for logging the ancient forest in Bialowieza, which became one of the focal points of the country's conflict with the European Union.

STADLER

Swiss train producer Stadler is ready to analyse a potential purchase of its Polish peer Pesa, Puls Biznesu daily said, quoting a Stadler representative. Other contenders are Polish state development fund PFR and another train producer Newag.

****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****

For other related news, double click on: Polish equities E.Europe equities Polish money Polish debt Eastern Europe All emerging markets Hot stocks Stock markets Market debt news Forex news For real-time index quotes, double click on: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX (Reporting by Warsaw Bureau; Editing by Sunil Nair)
BUCHAREST, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Romanian lawmakers approved a budget plan for 2018 on Friday, seeking to keep the deficit just below the European Union's ceiling of 3 percent of gross domestic product while emphasising social security and public sector wage spending .

Bucharest said it estimates economic growth of 5.5 percent next year after an expected 6.1 percent in 2017.

Romania posted the EU's highest growth rate in the third quarter at 8.8 percent year-on-year, but it also had the largest rate of household deprivation last year, Eurostat data showed, with one in two Romanians struggling to keep their home warm or pay their bills on time.

Last month, the government approved a tax overhaul that was criticised by investors, trade unions and the centrist president. It cut income tax to 10 percent from 16 percent and lowered social security contributions while shifting their burden entirely onto employees.

The ruling Social Democrats have wavered over their tax intentions this year, often announcing measures without prior assessment of their impact and then backing out, raising uncertainty among investors and weighing on asset values.

The budget plan estimates budget revenue would total 31.7 percent of GDP next year, an ambitious target given that revenues stood at 24.7 percent of GDP at the end of October.

Romania generally collects significantly less revenue than the EU average of roughly 40 percent of GDP.

The budget envisions total expenditure at 34.6 percent of GDP. Of that, social security spending and public sector personnel costs amounted to 10.9 percent and 8.9 percent respectively.

Public investment is expected to be 4.2 percent of GDP, in a country with the EU's least developed infrastructure.

The country's fiscal watchdog said on Friday the government has overestimated value added tax revenue and underestimated its social assistance costs by billions of lei, which, coupled with optimistic macroeconomic estimates could put public finances under strain.

"All this indicates as highly probable the event of a deficit significantly beyond the assumed target and ... as a consequence, the need for additional discretionary revenue measures and/or expenditure cuts to maintain the budget deficit at the level of the assumed target," it said in a statement.

The European Commission said it expected Romania's budget shortfall to jump to 3.9 percent in 2018 and 4.1 percent in 2019, driven by hikes to state employee wages and pensions as well as tax cuts.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)
MOSCOW, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Russian central bank said on Friday it will scrap limits for foreign currency swaps it offers from 2018 as the situation on the domestic forex market has stabilised.

From Dec. 19, 2014 the central bank provided no more than $10 billion in foreign currency swaps.

The central bank also said it lowered a limit on its refinancing operations, including repo transactions and loans, in foreign currency to $15 billion from Jan. 1 as banks have no more outstanding obligations raised via such tools.

In 2017, this limit stood at $25 billion.

(reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; writing by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Adrian Croft; editing by)
MOSCOW, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Friday that his ministry was proposing an amnesty on businesses returning capital to Russia to be restored in 2018 for at least one year.

After huge capital outflows in 2014 amid deteriorated relations with the western nations over the Ukraine conflict and weak oil prices, President Vladimir Putin offered an amnesty on people returning capital to the country.

That amnesty on capital return to Russia expired in mid-2016.

(Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya; Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Katya Golubkova)
The following Spanish stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Friday. Reuters has not verified the newspaper reports, and cannot vouch for their accuracy:

POLITICS

Futures for Spain's main stock index fell and bond yields rose on Friday after separatists won a slim majority in a regional election in Catalonia. SABADELL Banco de Sabadell says completes sale of 100 percent of Hi Partners Holdco value added to Halley Bidco for 630.7 million euros. ABERTIS Atlantia says to ask for authorization from the government to buy Abertis. SOTOGRANDE Sotogrande takeover bid for 100 percent of company's shares is accepted by 78.616 percent of shares addressed in the bid. For today's European market outlook double click on .

For real-time moves on the Spanish blue-chip index IBEX please double click on For IBEX constituent stocks highlight .IBEX in the command box and press the F3 button on your keyboard

For latest news on Spanish stock moves double click For Spanish language market report double click on For latest Eurostocks report please double click on
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 22 (Reuters) - South Africa sold 3.555 billion rand ($279 million) worth of three-month Treasury bills on Friday, at an average yield of 7.67 percent compared with 7.75 percent last week, central bank data showed. The bid-to-cover ratio rose to 2.1 from 1.3. Auction date: 22/12/2017 Settlement date: 27/12/2017 Days 91 182 273 365 Amount received (R'bln) 7.522 6.55 6.04 6.935 Amount on offer (R'bln) 3.555 2.46 2.5 2.5 Amount allotted (R'bln) 3.555 2.46 2.0 3.0 Bid-to-cover ratio 1.5 2.7 3.0 2.3 Avg discount rate (pct) 7.53 7.66 7.29 7.33 Average yield (pct) 7.67 7.96 7.71 7.91 ($1 = 12.7338 rand)

(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia)

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.
jmiks/iStock/Thinkstock(KIEV, Ukraine) -- An assistant and interpreter for Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman was arrested this week after authorities learned that he was spying for Russia for at least two years.



A spokesperson at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed the arrest to ABC News on Thursday. Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Minister, told Interfax Ukraine that Stanislav Yezhov was "recruited by the Russian special services during his work at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington several years ago."



Gerashchenko said that there were "a lot of Russian agents" in the Ukrainian authorities who work for the Russian special services.



This summer, Yezhov attended talks involving United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street. He served as Groysman's interpreter at those talks.



On Thursday, May spoke during a visit to Warsaw, Poland, saying "I'm aware of the reports in relation to a Ukrainian individual who attended Downing Street earlier in the summer. The matter is for the Ukrainian authorities."



"Security at Number 10," May added, "is kept under constant review."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
FRANKFURT, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp could halve its stake in a planned European steel joint venture with Tata Steel if the owners decide to list it on the stock market within the first six years, a board member of the German company said.

Initially, Thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel will each own 50 percent of the venture and have committed to hold equal shares in the entity for the first six years, Thyssenkrupp personnel chief Oliver Burkhard told journalists on Friday.

In case of a listing, Thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel's joint ownership in the venture must not fall below 50.1 percent, he said, adding that Thyssenkrupp could theoretically reduce its own stake to, but not below, 25.05 percent.

Burkhard made the comments after the company reached a deal with steel workers to secure jobs and plants, a key condition for the joint venture to go ahead next year. (Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Tom Sims)
KAMPALA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Uganda shilling was unchanged on Friday amid flat demand as players prepared to close trading activity for a long holiday weekend. At 0905 GMT commercial banks quoted the shilling at 3,615/3,625, the same level as Thursday's close. UGX Spot Rate..... Ugandan Shilling Money Guide.... Calculated Cross Rates.......... Deposits..................... Deposits & Forwards............. Uganda Equities Guide....... Uganda All Share Index........ Shilling background ..... Ugandan Debt Guide............ All Uganda Bonds............. Uganda T-Bills.............. Uganda Benchmark............. Central Bank ................ Ugandan Contributor Index.... Uganda Coffee Prices....... (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema)

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.
* Bitcoin extends loss after nearing $20,000 on Sunday

* Drop seen as correction after big surge earlier in Dec

* Bitcoin also seen facing competition from other cryptocurrencies

* Bitcoin moves known to be big and volatile

(Adds details and quotes)

By Shinichi Saoshiro

TOKYO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency bitcoin tumbled below $14,000 briefly on the Bitstamp exchange on Friday, down roughly 30 percent from its record top near $20,000 set at the start of the week.

It was last down 7 percent at $14,499 but fell as much as 14.7 percent earlier in the Asian day.

The cryptocurrency, which was at about $1,000 at the year's start, had surged to a record high of $19,666 on Sunday in the lead up to exchange giant CME Group's launch of its bitcoin futures. It has since lost about a third of its value.

"Keep in mind that bitcoin has gone up a lot this year, so a correction is always likely," said Shane Chanel, equities and derivatives adviser at ASR Wealth Advisers in Sydney.

Bitcoin's success brought cryptocurrencies to the forefront and has also boosted the profile of its rivals, which offer alternatives to bitcoin.

"A lot of the capital is flowing from bitcoin into alternative coins. You've seen companies like Verge and Ripple, which are over 400 percent in the last week," Chanel at ASR Wealth Advisers said.

Verge and Ripple are among an array of cryptocurrencies that both emulate and compete with bitcoin.

Stephen Innes, head of trading in Asia-Pacific for retail FX broker Oanda in Singapore, said that there have also been moves out of bitcoin into Bitcoin Cash, a clone of the original cryptocurrency. Oanda does not handle trading in bitcoin.

"Most of it is unsophisticated retail traders getting burned badly," Innes said on bitcoin's recent retreat.

Bitcoin is known to go through wild swings. In November, it tumbled almost 30 percent in four days from $7,888 to $5,555. In September, it fell 40 percent from $4,979 to $2,972.

"Trading in bitcoin is akin to gambling, so its movements don't follow logical patterns," said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex Securities in Tokyo.

"Unlike equities and bonds, it is not possible to calculate expected returns on bitcoin, so buying it becomes a gamble rather than an investment."

While CME and its rival Cboe Global Markets move to list bitcoin futures has given the digital currency some perceived legitimacy, some policymakers remain skeptical.

South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service said on Tuesday it does not consider bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to be currencies of any kind. Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday that bitcoin had not been proven as a credible currency. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bitcoin moves this year ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro; Additional reporting by Masayuki Kitano in Singapore; Editing by Sam Holmes)
* Higher premiums in line with firmer spot premiums

* Marks first increase in three quarters

* Producers' initial proposals were at $110-118/tonne -sources

(Adds comment, detail)

By Osamu Tsukimori

TOKYO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Japanese aluminium buyers have agreed to pay producers a premium of $103 per tonne for metal shipped in the January-March quarter, reflecting higher spot premiums, five sources directly involved in the quarterly pricing talks said.

The deals, an 8 percent to 10 percent rise from the $94-$95 per tonne premium in the previous quarter, mark the first increase in three quarters.

Japan is Asia's biggest importer of aluminium and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region.

The latest pricing negotiations began late last month between Japanese buyers and global producers, including Alcoa Corp , Rio Tinto , South32 Ltd and Rusal , with initial offers ranging between $110 and $118 a tonne, the sources said.

But buyers sought lower prices of around $96-$105 a tonne, forcing some producers to compromise, the sources added. The sources all spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Another buyer source said that the negotiations for the quarter ended on Friday.

A source with a producer who declined to be identified said that producers settled on one price this time around.

"This time, there was no higher or lower price," the source said.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Joseph Radford)
(Adds details, quotes, background)

MOSCOW, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Russian central bank has found multiple law violations at Promsvyazbank (PSB) that it now plans to report to the law enforcement authorities, the central bank said on Friday.

The central bank decided last week to bailout PSB, Russia's No.10 lender by assets, and started an investigation into the bank's accounts. On Friday, the central bank approved a rescue plan aimed at preventing PSB's bankruptcy. A temporary administration at PSB appointed by the central bank found corporate credit dossiers worth 109.1 billion roubles ($1.87 billion) had been destroyed, alongside other violations, the central bank's deputy governor, Vasily Pozdyshev, said.

The temporary administration also found the bank was funding its own subordinated debt via the REPO operations without disclosing the deals in the accounts, he said.

The subordinated debt volume is matching the volumes of credit dossiers destroyed, Pozdyshev said.

A representative for Promsvyazbank Chairman Dmitry Ananyev declined to comment.

The central bank said last week that the bank's rescue could involve writing off 100 billion roubles ($1.71 billion) in subordinated debt to reduce the amount the regulator needed to spend on the bailout, its third major bailout this year.

The rescue plan approved on Friday triggers the write off of PSB's subordinated debt, including deposits, loans and bond issues. ($1 = 58.2925 roubles)

(Reporting by Tatiana Voronova and Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Katya Golubkova and Edmund Blair)
Dec 22 (Reuters) - Following are domestic prices of Vietnam's key commodities. Unit: Million dong per tonne Item Dec 18-22 Dec 11-15 Location Robusta beans 35.0-36.3 35.0-36.9 Central Highlands Black pepper 71.0-77.0 77.0 Southern region Refined sugar 15.0-16.0 15.0-16.0 Southern region Summer-autumn paddy 6.1-6.6 6.0-6.6 Mekong Delta SJC gold 3.652-3.655 3.650-3.654 Hanoi, HCMC City NOTES: Gold prices are low/high selling prices quoted in million dong per 3.75-gram ingot during the week by top manufacturer SJC. Prices in the previous week are updated. Coffee export prices Rice export prices Historical data Central bank's gold auction ($1 = 22,711 dong)

(Reporting by Mi Nguyen; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

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.
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Workers at Pan African Resource's Barberton gold mine in South Africa have ended a wildcat strike that started on Sunday, an industry source said on Friday.

About 1,800 mine workers downed tools in the strike over allowances and the dismissal of two union leaders. Those issues have not been resolved but the workers agreed to return to work while their grievances are reviewed, the source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The company could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia)
By Yoon Ja-young



Korea may be taken off the European Union's (EU) list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions in January at the earliest, according to the finance minister. At a year-end meeting with the media, Thursday, Strategy and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said the government will overhaul tax benefits for foreign investors which put the country on a blacklist issued by the EU.



Dong also stated that the government is considering taxation on cryptocurrency trading.



The EU published its first list of "non-cooperative tax jurisdictions" early this month, labeling 17 countries including Korea.



"The EU applied different criteria than the OECD this year, and designated Korea citing special favors given to foreign invested firms compared to local ones," Kim explained. Korea exempts corporate tax for a few years for businesses in special foreign investment zones if they meet certain conditions.



The minister, however, said the government had been considering scrapping such a special tax favor, even before EU took issue with it.



"These measures for foreign investment promotion were established in the 1960s when Korea needed foreign capital and were further expanded during the Asian financial crisis. Now, however, Korea has huge foreign exchange reserves and stable supply of foreign funds. We were thus wondering whether it is right to maintain such measures."



He said the government has been consulting with the EU and plans to solve the blacklist issue soon.



"With quick follow-up measures, we have agreed with the EU that we may be off the list as early as January next year. We will try to get delisted as soon as possible."



With speculation in virtual currency like Bitcoin causing controversy here, Kim said the government will sternly deal with its side effects such as speculation and its use in crime. He said the government is also considering taxation on cryptocurrency trading.



"The ministry's tax policy office formed a joint taskforce with private sector experts to examine possible taxation on virtual currencies. I heard that many countries levy capital gains tax. We are examining whether taxation is good and whether it is possible to figure out taxation sources."



He said despite problems such as speculation cryptocurrencies are a totally new field. "We should examine measures not to hinder development of new technologies such as the blockchain. It needs a comprehensive analysis."



While the economy is expected to achieve over 3 percent growth for the first time since 2014, Kim said there still remain structural problems.



"Despite relatively good economic indices, it is questionable whether we have had quality growth. Income distribution and polarization remain as challenges."



He said this will be reflected in the economic policy directives for 2018, which will be unveiled next week. According to the minister, there will be three main objectives - innovative growth, job creation, and preparation against long-term risks such as tackling the low birthrate, the aging of society and enhancing female participation in the economy.



"If we don't prepare now, they will be huge risks to the economy," the minister said. "It is certain that we will achieve $30,000 per capita income next year, but it is questionable whether the quality of life has improved much. Economic policy next year will focus on making notable changes in the quality of life."



Regarding concerns over the corporate tax hike, which contrasts with the United States that recently approved a reduction, the finance minister stressed that only a handful of conglomerates would be affected.

"Up to 99.7 percent of businesses are subject to 10 percent to 20 percent tax rates, which are lower than that of the United States," he said.
By Kim Bo-eun



Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin received a 20-month prison term suspended for two years after a court found him guilty of breach of trust Friday.



In the ruling on the founder family of the retail group, the Seoul Central District Court handed his father and group founder Shin Kyuk-ho a four-year sentence and fined him 3.5 billion won.



The court sentenced his sister Shin Young-ja, head of the Lotte Foundation, to a two-year term, but acquitted his brother, SDJ Corp. Chairman Shin Dong-joo. It sentenced Shin Kyuk-ho's common-law wife Seo Mi-kyung to a two years in jail suspended for three years.



"(The Lotte Group owner family) regarded the group's affiliates as their private possessions, and carried out the offenses for their own interests, without a rational decision-making process," the court said in its rulings.



It acknowledged the charges of malpractice Shin Dong-bi faced, but cleared him of embezzling corporate funds.



Shin, 62, was indicted on charges of giving business rights to a company run by his sister, Seo and her daughter, wreaking 77.8 billion won in losses for the group's affiliate Lotte Shopping.



He also faced charges of providing 49.9 billion won in illegal funds to its electronic banking affiliate Lotte PS Net.



In addition, he faced charges of evading 85.8 billion won in taxes in handing Japan Lotte Holdings shares over to his sister, Seo and her daughter.



He was suspected of handing a total of 50.8 billion won in corporate funds to his family members _ 39.1 billion won to his brother and 11.7 billion won to his father's common-law wife and daughter, but was cleared of this charge.



Prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence and a 100 billion won fine for Shin. They sought a 10-year term and 300 billion won fine for his father, a five-year term and 12.5 billion won fine for his brother, and a seven year-term each for his sister and Seo.



Shin is also facing a trial for corruption in the influence-peddling scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye's confidant Choi Soon-sil.



He is charged with providing 7 billion won in bribes to the Choi-controlled K-Sports Foundation in exchange for getting approval for a duty-free license for a business in Seoul.



Prosecutors are seeking a four-year jail term. The court will deliver its verdict next month.



Shin's trial had drawn particular attention as his absence would hit the group hard amid its drive to innovate its business and deal with Lotte's situation in China.



In October, Lotte launched a holding company to solidify Shin's leadership and boost transparency in the group's management.



The group has been facing difficulty with its business in China, due to retaliations over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery by Seoul.



It has been turning to new markets in Asia _ pursuing overseas projects worth 10 trillion won.



After the ruling, Lotte Group said it would push forward with its drive to solidify the holding company structure and carry out its overseas projects.


By Choi Ha-young





Hong Joon-pyo
By You Soo-sun



The government has rejected license applications by two small low-cost carriers, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Friday.



The two carriers, Aero-K and Yangyang Flight, requested air operator's certificates (AOC) from the ministry on June 26 and June 29, respectively, seeking to become the next budget carriers in the country.



The ministry rejected their requests, however, citing concerns about their financial status and ability to ensure safety. The ministry also pointed to the saturation of the low-cost carrier market as reasons for denying their requests.



It came to the decision after consulting with related institutions and experts, and undergoing a committee review which examined if the two carriers satisfied the seven requirements needed to operate flights.



Under the current requirements, new carriers need to have at least 15 billion won ($13.9 million) in capital and be equipped with three aircraft. They must also be financially secure and be able ensure the safety and convenience of customers. Additionally, there must be no concerns about excessive competition among carriers.



Aero-K, which operates from Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, has equipped itself with sufficient capital and aircraft. But the ministry rejected its application based on grounds that it may lead to further saturation in the routes it would operate on.



As for Yangyang Flight, it said there is insufficient demand at its operating airport in Yangyang county, Gangwon Province.



The committee also recommended the ministry to strengthen its requirements for granting low-budget carriers operation licenses, calling for an increase in the minimum capital requirement for new carriers to 30 billion won, from 15 billion won, and the minimum number of aircraft from three to five.



The ministry plans to revamp carriers' operation regulations and strengthen the carriers' operation requirement standards following these recommendations.



Currently, six domestic low-cost carriers operate flights. Air Seoul, owned by Asiana Airlines, was the latest to have obtained a license early last year.


Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks with Gambian President Adama Barrow (not seen) during a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Dec. 21. / Reuters



By Jane Cai

President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader in decades, has mapped out a plan to renew the economy in three years by tackling financial risk, reducing poverty and fighting the country's chronic smog problem. President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader in decades, has mapped out a plan to renew the economy in three years by tackling financial risk, reducing poverty and fighting the country's chronic smog problem.

At the three-day, closed-door economic work meeting that concluded in Beijing on Wednesday, the top leadership decided China will follow a "high quality" growth model with more focus on fairness, the environment and a joyful life, Xinhua reported. That takes the place of the old "high speed" model that for decades has put the expansion of gross domestic product above all else.

In a departure from previous years, Xi used the annual meeting to draft three-year, rather than one-year, plans for the financial sector clean-up and environmental management. The policies also touch on a wide range of issues that matter to the everyday lives of the country's 1.3 billion people, including too much homework for children, difficulties getting an appointment to see a doctor, the nursing shortage and online scams.

"Unlike his predecessors, Xi is willing to compromise and more determined to push forward this work [by tolerating slower GDP growth]," said Ding Shuang, chief Greater China economist at Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong.

The meeting did not reveal a quantitative GDP growth target for the US$12 trillion economy. Many economists expect Beijing to announce a lower target in March than this year's goal of around 6.5 per cent, showing its tolerance of slower growth to allow for reforms.

China has developed at breakneck speed in past decades to become the world's second-largest economy, mainly through heavy investment, cheap labour and land resources, and by ignoring the environmental costs.

Although previous leaders have vowed repeatedly to change the development model, there has been little progress in achieving a trade-off between quality growth and fast growth.

But Xi  after cementing his power at the Communist Party congress in October, when he was elevated to the same status as late leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping  appears keen to drive change.

In 2020, Xi will reach the "midterm" of his second five-year term as leader and he is aiming to make good on the party's promise to build "a comprehensive well-off society" by then.

So for the next three years, the leadership's top economic priorities will be improving the air quality, alleviating poverty and curbing financial risk, according to the communique released after the conference.

There are at least 43 million people living in absolute poverty on the mainland, or with an annual income of less than 2,800 yuan (US$420), according to official data. China's Gini coefficient, a gauge of income inequality, was 0.465 last year  one of the highest in the world. A reading above 0.4 is seen as a mark of a society ripe for unrest.

Analysts said policy mentions of social issues to do with quality of life showed a wider concept of development under Xiconomics, which was given an official name at the conference: "Xi Jinping Economic Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era".

Zhao Xijun, a finance professor at Renmin University, said Xi has "broadened the concept of the economy from just investment, exports and consumption to a comprehensive range of issues which could affect the economy implicitly".

"At the heart of his idea is having people benefit from economic development," Zhao said.

Rapid growth in the last four decades has turned China from a poor rural country into a global economic superpower. But development has also left it with a yawning wealth gap and appalling pollution, and many ordinary Chinese feel they have been left behind in the economic boom.

On Wednesday, the leadership vowed to push ahead with a clean-up of the financial sector. "We will promote a benign cycle from the financial sector to the real economy, to the property sector, and within the financial system, and firmly crack down on financial irregularities," the statement said.

Beijing will also push ahead with housing reforms and work on a "long-term mechanism"  including fiscal, monetary and land policies  to keep property prices in check, it said. There was no mention of property taxes.

Local and non-local residents were allowed to take co-ownership of homes along with local governments last year  with prices at less than half the market rate  and the authorities have also encouraged long-term stable rental housing.

But Yi Xianrong, an economist at Qingdao University, said the measures did not go far enough to change the imbalance in China's housing market. "It will take at least five years to see any effects from the mechanism," Yi said.

Although China is facing headwinds from an increasingly unfriendly Washington over trade, as well as US tax cut plans and a hawkish Federal Reserve, the communique did not mention the US or Donald Trump  the leadership said only that Beijing would try to balance trade by boosting imports.
Police in Sioux Falls say a 75-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly having sexual contact with a minor several years ago.

Public Information Officer Sam Clemens said David Ross Hirsch was arrested by the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office Wednesday on a warrant for sexual contact with a child under 16 years old.

He is being held on a $50,000 cash bond.

Clemens said the alleged abuse happened back in 2012 when Hirsch was around 70 years old and the victim was nine years old.

According to an interview with Child's Voice included in court documents, the victim said she visited Hirsch in his garage workshop in the 1900 block of Shellyn Drive where the incident happened sometime between June 1, 2012 and September 30, 2012.

The victim said she went to the workshop one day when Hirsch was working on a project. She sat with him for a short time before getting up to leave because she was bored.

At this time, she said Hirsch began massaging her shoulders and that it felt "weird." She then tried to leave, but said Hirsch allegedly pulled her back to him.

According to court documents, Hirsch then allegedly put his hand down her pants and touched her inappropriately on her frontside and backside. She asked him what he was doing, and he allegedly responded that he was "playing."

The victim said he eventually stopped and smiled as he left the workshop.

In an interview with the Sioux Falls Police Department included in court documents, Hirsch told officers that he "gave her a hug" and touched the victim over her pants.

He told the detective that he thought the incident was okay because the victim did not pull away, according to court documents.

The victim told Child's Voice that she was originally going to wait to tell her mother about the incident after Hirsch died, but decided to talk about it because of the media coverage surrounding sexual assault allegations.

During the time of the incident, Hirsch and his wife ran an in-home daycare.

As an issue of transparency for our readers we want to let you know that Hirsch is a former employee of KSFY Television but according to court documents filed in the case his alleged crime has no connection to KSFY.
The unstable price situation on the Ukrainian fuel market is linked to dependence of the country on imported goods: the sharp reduction in domestic production and a lack of modern domestic oil refineries, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said.

"I'm firmly convinced that our state needs construction of an oil refinery with [light fuel] production efficiency of 94-95% on the basis of public private partnership or financing of the state jointly with investors," he said at a press conference, presenting the results of 2017 in Kyiv on Thursday.

The minister recalled that in 2016, he reached an agreement during his visit to Iran: if the refinery is built, Iran is preparing for participation in financing and providing for the funds with a large discount compared with the parameters seen on the market.

Nasalyk recalled that before 2006, all six oil refineries operated in Ukraine. The share of Ukrainian light fuel on the market was 92% and only 8% of fuel was imported. He said that the changed policy for excise duties and Kurchenko's schemes resulted in the fact that the situation became the opposite: the market share of the only operating oil refinery in Ukraine in Kremenchuk is only 12%.

According to the State Statistics Service, as of December 11, 2017, average price of A-95 petrol reached UAH 28.06 per liter, growing by 20.8% in a year, while average price of diesel fuel grew by 25.7%, to UAH 20.54. Prices continue growing.
EBRD managing director for Eastern Europe and Caucasus urges intl society to step up impulse of reform support in Ukraine

Managing Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Eastern Europe and Caucasus Francis Malige has called on international society to step up support of further reforms in Ukraine.

Reform in Ukraine is being rolled back, it would seem. The country is impossible to reform, some say already. It is hopelessly corrupt, one hears. The thunder of we told you so is rumbling in the distance.

But while the pushbacks are real, they also show that reforms are biting.

"Reform in Ukraine is being rolled back, it would seem But while the pushbacks are real, they also show that reforms are bitingAchieving reform in these times requires an approach that tightly coordinates the positions of the international community around shared objectives," he wrote in an article in the Financial Times newspaper.

He said that some are genuine reformers and others are deeply conservative in Ukraine. But Ukraine's reformers have another trait in common: they count on the international community.

"International support is tangible and delivers results," Malige said.

He said that the EBRD is one of the few institutions with the local presence to lead and measure implementation. Four years after the Maidan events we have reached a period of uncertainty. Election time is coming and the IMF (International Monetary Fund's) plan that provides a stabilising framework and a protective umbrella for the entire reformist community will expire in March 2019. More manpower is urgently needed for this purpose.

Malige said that the G7 presidency, which next year rotates to Canada, a country with a large Ukrainian diaspora and a vocal friend of Ukraine, offers a great pulpit.
Naftogaz Ukrainy will not, in keeping with a ruling by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce on Friday, be paying for gas that Russia's Gazprom has supplied to parts of the Donbas that are not controlled by Kyiv.

"Naftogaz is not responsible for alleged gas deliveries to the uncontrolled territories in the east of Ukraine," the company said in a press release.

"The Stockholm Tribunal stated that gas delivered to someone else than Naftogaz in the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions should not be the responsibility for Naftogaz to pay for. Also future deliveries to these territories are not the concern of Naftogaz as long as the occupation remains. Any such deliveries will not be accounted for in the annual contract volume," it said.

"Basically, whoever supplied the gas to ORDLO [the Ukrainian acronym for the Donbas territory not in its control] can pay for it," Naftogaz said in facebook.

Naftogaz Chief Commercial Officer Yuriy Vitrenko told journalists in Kyiv on Wednesday that Gazprom is currently claiming payment of $1.3 billion for supplies to that territory.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has signed an agreement on providing a $350 million syndicated loan to Ukraine's largest steel mill, PubJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.

"The EBRD has signed the biggest project in Ukraine this year," EBRD Senior Adviser Anton Usov wrote on Facebook on December 22.

The loan is designed to support the mill's modernization and environmental upgrade, the Facebook post said.

"It is the largest private sector investment program in Ukraine in recent years," it said.

The EBRD loan will be structured as an A-loan of up to $200 million provided for the Bank's own account and a B-loan of up to $150 million, which will be syndicated to commercial banks.

The investment will allow ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih to upgrade its facilities for sintering  one of the early stages in the process of refining iron ore  and reline one of the plant's blast furnaces.

The investment will also allow the addition of two new continuous casters, along with improvements to the plant's competitiveness, energy efficiency and environmental performance.

The project supports the EBRD's Green Economy Transition approach as it will reduce ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih's CO2 emissions. It will also significantly reduce dust emissions from a current 14,700 tonnes per year to about 3,000 tonnes per year, as well as other specific emissions, including nitrogen oxide.

"This financing is a very good example of the benefits that can be derived from foreign direct investment. This particular investment brings to Ukraine the highest standards in corporate governance as well as advanced environmental practices and technologies," Francis Malige, the Managing Director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus for the EBRD, was quoted as saying.

CEO of PubJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Paramjit Kahlon, in turn, said: "This project proves our commitment at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih to significantly reduce our environmental footprint. We are grateful for the EBRD's support and guidance in helping us to make this important considerable investment in us and the region."

The loan to ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is helping to finance investments worth US $1.1 billion at the mill, which is owned by global steel maker ArcelorMittal.

PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest rolled steel products manufacturer in Ukraine specializing in manufacturing long products, including reinforcing steel bars and wire rods. The production facilities of the full-cycle enterprise enable to manufacture over 6 million tonnes of rolled products, about 7 million tonnes of steel and over 7.8 million tonnes of hot metal.

The main sales markets for metal products are situated in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Algeria, the EU and Eastern Europe.

Mittal Steel Corporation bought 93.02% shares of OJSC Kryvorizhstal at an open tender on October 24, 2005, for UAH 24.2 billion with the starting price set at UAH 10 billion.

On June 14, 2007, the stockholders' meeting decided to replace the name of Mittal Steel Kryvyi Rih with PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.
The price of natural gas under a gas supply contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy, which is valid until the end of 2019, will be equal to the price on a European gas hub, in accordance with the ruling of the Stockholm arbitration court, Naftogaz Head Andriy Kobolev has said.

"The price will be reduced in the future... It will be close to the European price. To be precise, it will be equal to the price on a European hub, which we consider a significant improvement in the terms of gas purchase in Ukraine," he told journalists in Kyiv on Friday.

Kobolev said that according to the arbitration court's decision, the price for the second quarter of 2014 was reduced by 27.4%, to $352 from $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, and the same approach will be applied to future supplies, but the figure of reduction to the original contract formula will be different.

"In the future, Naftogaz will be able to buy gas at a price lower than originally envisaged in the contract," Kobolev said earlier in the day at a meeting with President Petro Poroshenko, while commenting on the court decision.
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Final figures about who owes who in dispute with Gazprom to be known in Feb 2018

The final figures of settlements in a dispute between NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy and Russia's Gazprom will be clear after the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce rules on a gas transit contract, which is expected at the end of February 2018, Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev has said.

"We will be able to talk about the final figures who owes who and sums of settlements with OAO Gazprom after that [decision by the Arbitration Institute on the transit dispute]," he said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko which was broadcast by Ukrainian television channels on December 22.

At the same time, Naftogaz distributed a press release on the issue which said it hoped to succeed and that Naftogaz's financial claims totaled up to $16 billion, including interest, for the dispute in arbitration proceedings on the transit contract.

"A final understanding of who owes how much to who and how and when the settlement between the two sides will take place will not likely appear before February," the press release said, citing Naftogaz Chief Commercial Officer Yuriy Vitrenko.

Naftogaz also said that it would apply maximum efforts to implement the ruling of the arbitration court in good faith, noting that a final decision in the proceedings on the transit contract was expected on February 28, 2018.
PRESS RELEASE

Saudis Open Yemeni Port of Hodeidahfor Now; U.S. Lawmakers Demand More Be Done

Dec. 21, 2017 (EIRNS)Apparently bending to international pressure, the Saudis have announced they will reopen the Yemeni port of Hodeidah for a minimum of 30 days, to allow entry of food aid and commercial fuel "to the brotherly Yemeni people." The port "will remain open for humanitarian and relief supplies and the entry of commercial vessels, including food and fuel vessels," according to a statement from the Saudi government-run news agency.

On at least two occasions over the past month, President Trump has publicly urged the Saudis to lift the blockade of Yemenis ports, to allow humanitarian aid to enter the country. Last night, The Hill reported today, a group of U.S. lawmakers wrote to the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates urging them to

"implement a humanitarian plan of action that will end the blockade of Yemen, provide for humanitarian and commercial access to all of Yemens seaports, airports, and land crossingsincluding Hodeidah port, Sanaa airport, and other points of entry not under the Hadi governments authority."

The letters signatory, Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Human Rights Commission co-chairmen, Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) said opening the Hodeidah port for 30 days was not good enough.

"The size and pace of these gestures are not proportionate to the emergency on the ground," they said, warning that millions of civilians are at risk of starvation and disease because of the rapidly-deteriorating humanitarian crisis.

In a briefing this afternoon, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tim Lenderking reported that the United States would speak to the Saudis about possibly changing the 30-day timeframe, but added that first, the United States wants to see ships moving in and goods and services reaching the Yemeni people, Voice of America reported.

The urgency of putting an end to the genocidal Saudi war on Yemen was driven home by todays announcement by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), that cholera cases in Yemen have now reached the one-million mark, Xinhua reported. The ICRC added on its Twitter page that more than 80% of the population lacks food, fuel, clean water and access to health care. Moreover, in October, the country was hit by a diphtheria outbreak, and vaccines needed to treat diphtheria are about to run out.
The difficulty of reckoning with Sam Shepards artistic legacy is primarily a problem of cartography. Indeed, negotiating the terrain of such an uncommonly broad, richly contoured oeuvre is no easy feat for the would-be elegist. Perhaps best known as a playwright (he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for Buried Child), Shepard was also a gifted actor, musician, screenwriter, essayist, short story writer and novelist. Occupying a kind of permanent West, his spare and often surreal portraits dismantled the bankrupt mythologies propping up the American dream. In Shepards work, what is most wanted  family, home, identity  is most unmoored, prone to drift and distortion.

Shepard, who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs disease, in July, was working on a final book at the time of his death, writing drafts by hand until the complications of his neurodegenerative disease made such work impossible. He then dictated segments into a tape recorder, which his family would later transcribe. Longtime friend and ex-lover Patti Smith assisted him in editing the manuscript, the final review of which occurred just days before his death.

The resulting novel, Spy of the First Person, is an eloquent, if necessarily brief, valediction. At just 96 pages, its effect is one of atmosphere rather than narrative, an aching requiem sung in the shadow of extinction. It is also partly autobiographical. Like Shepard, the narrator is an old man dying of a debilitating illness. His flickering consciousness ranges over great temporal distance, blending present-day observations with fragments from a disintegrating past. Across the street, the eponymous spy watches him through binoculars, obsessing over the mysterious stoic with whom he feels a curious kinship: I cant help feeling a similarity between him and me. I dont know what it is. Sometimes it feels like were the same person. The short dispatches that serve as chapters leap between these two voices, at times attaining an almost Beckettian quality, the lean poetry of utterance as it scrapes against the void. Sometimes people appear like that out of nowhere, the younger man says during one of his vigils. They just appear and then they disappear. Very fast. Just like a photograph that emerges from a chemical bath. Shepards gaunt lyricism conjures an album of bleached images in which the life of a man and the changing face of a country are cataloged with both love and bafflement.

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Spy of the First Person, is an eloquent, if necessarily brief, valediction.

The dissolution of the American frontier  one of Shepards enduring themes  animates many of these fractured remembrances. There used to be orchards as far as the eye could see, the old man says of the California he knew as a boy. Like picture postcards Orchards of every kind corresponding to the nationality that brought them here. Now it is a land of corroded metal, trash, fences, dead birds. As in so much of Shepards work, fixity is a mirage that vanishes when approached. Durangos still there, the deserts still there, Mexicos still there. Everythings still there but everythings changed.

Beneath the pressure of such implacable transformation, a kind of cosmic rootlessness begins to crystallize:

If you were traveling in a foreign country and you lost your dogs and you lost your car and you lost your note from home that your mother pinned on your collar and you lost your clothes and you were standing there naked and somebody came up to you and said, where do you belong, how would you answer? Would you ask the one ancestor who happened to be Portuguese? Or would you ask the Spanish Armada? Somebody has forgotten.

Far from mere metaphysical noodling, the consequences of such forgetting are situated within an all too familiar contemporary dread. Shepards West, always a land of endless vistas and no exits, has here acquired a newly thrumming menace in the presence of agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement . There are trucks loaded with masked men looking for immigrants of all kinds. Looking for enemies of the people behind coffee shops. Behind shoe stores. Behind wineries. The telescoping nature of collapse  from the frailness of the physical body to the tragedy of the national soul  lends these pages a loss that is both painfully intimate and disconsolately vast.

Sam Shepard (Robert Durell/Los Angeles Times )

Amid these intimations of decay, enigmatic vignettes are scattered like detritus. Characters turn up again and again in elliptical flashbacks. There are free associations of family, flowers, colored stones and animals, zocalos, little lost towns. At one point, the narrator appears to confess to a crime heretofore unknown to his daughter, a shooting committed at a racetrack  or perhaps its all in his head, as she believes. Everythings in my head, he counters.

If these fragments attain a particular elegiac gravity, Shephard never allows them to stray into unearned sentiment. A lived richness burnishes each page, though the constructive and the ennobling are never less than relentlessly qualified: There must be a cure. We are children of the miraculous. Long pause. Pausing. A long pause. Pausing. Nobody hangs on to words. Nobody hangs in the moment. Nobody really hangs for nobody.

The novel ends at a Mexican restaurant, the old man having been joined by his family for tequila and a lot of conversation, a lot of people talking at once, the whole table bustling with conversation. Afterward, the troupe makes its way outside into empty, moonlit streets. The mans final thoughts are moving in their simple dignity, suggesting the only continuance were afforded: The thing I remember most is being more or less helpless and the strength of my sons.

Shepards last novel is not meant to be a definitive statement; he has a careers worth of those. Still, it is difficult not to be moved by these sparks of beauty and belonging. They light up all the brighter for how quickly they go dark.

Illingworth is a writer in Southern California. His work has appeared in the Atlantic, the Paris Review, and the Times Literary Supplement.

Spy of the First Person

Sam Shepard

Knopf: 96 pp., $18
A 1939 touring car reputedly used to ferry the Fuhrer around Germany is headed for the auction block.

Worldwide Auctioneers will present at its Jan. 17 sale in Scottsdale, Ariz., a Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser Offener Tourenwagen that the auction house claims is one of only four such vehicles built to transport Adolf Hitler and his staff during his reign over the Third Reich.

The meticulously restored vehicle is powered by a massive 7.7-liter supercharged engine, and at the time of its construction was capable of top speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. It was fitted at the time of construction with bulletproof glass and armor plating.

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According to Worldwide, the car was seized by the liberating Allied forces in 1945 and then used by U.S. military police in France until 1946, after which time it was shipped to America and donated to a Veterans of Foreign Wars group, which used the car in parades.

The car later was featured in auto collections housed at the Chicago Historical Antique Automobile Museum in Highland Park, Ill., and the Imperial Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The auction house asked prospective bidders not to judge the vehicle too harshly for having been built for historys most notorious mass murderer.

This motorcar did not choose its original owner nor its use, said Rod Egan, auctioneer and principal for Worldwide. If its original provenance can be set aside, surviving examples of the Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser or Super-Mercedes remain quite likely the worlds greatest achievement in terms of automotive design, engineering and construction.

It should be noted, the auction house publicity materials added, that 10% of the sale price of the car will be donated and used to educate how and why the Holocaust happened and how to effectively prevent similar atrocities in the future.

More details are available online at worldwideauctioneers.com. Viewing of the vehicle in person will be arranged by appointment only.

charles.fleming@latimes.com

@misterfleming
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has introduced changes to the schedule for banks to raise their minimum charter capital and regulatory capital, having postponed an increase in charter capital to UAH 300 million until July 11, 2020, from the earlier deadline set on July 11, 2018, to the NBU said on its website.

"The relevant decision is based on a detailed analysis of risks in the banking sector: now the situation in the financial system has stabilized, and the dynamics of the Ukrainian banks' performance are positive. Therefore, objective factors have let [the NBU] ease the schedule for bringing the minimum amount of charter and regulatory capital to the required level," it said.

The National Bank also clarifies that small banks' capital adequacy ratio is now significantly (more than two times) higher than the required value. In addition, after the examination of the quality of active operations it was established that only four banks from the group of small banking institutions needed additional capitalization due to unsatisfactory quality of the loan portfolio.

At the same time, the NBU indicates that the key task for the shareholders and top management of small banks should now be the development and revision of business models.

As of December 11, 2017, there were 42 banks whose charter capital was below UAH 300 million.

The corresponding decision is stipulated in NBU Board resolution No. 136 dated December 21, 2017, on amendments to certain legal acts of the NBU. It will become effective from December 23, 2017.
The Weinstein Co. board of directors met Friday to consider bids for the struggling film and television studio, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because the talks are private.

Bids came due this week, and the board members are expected to make a decision quickly as the company struggles to stay afloat amid the swirling sexual assault allegations against co-founder Harvey Weinstein.

The board, which includes Lance Maerov and Tarak Ben Ammar, must choose a bidder for continued negotiations. The directors are likely to come to a decision about how to proceed during the weekend, if not before, the source said.

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A representative for the New York-based company did not respond to requests for comment.

Board members are said to be considering five or six serious offers for all or part of the company, the knowledgeable person said. Interest has been limited, given the heavy legal liabilities that would come with any deal. Multiple women have sued Weinstein Co. over the alleged conduct of its co-founder.

The Weinsten Co. has been under pressure to sell, file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, or shut down amid the billowing scandal. Weinstein was fired by the board in October shortly after sexual harassment allegations against him were first reported by the New York Times.

Bidders who have submitted offers include an investor group led by former Obama administration official Maria Contreras-Sweet. Under her plan, the company would get a new name, keep its approximately 150 employees and install a majority-female board of directors, according to people familiar with the talks.

Another bid came from New York production company Killer Content, which wants to buy Weinstein Co. assets and funnel some of the proceeds to womens charities.Private equity firms and Santa Monica-based studio Lionsgate also submitted bids for Weinstein Co. assets, according to people familiar with the process.

Choosing a buyer is likely to be the beginning of a difficult process for the company. Many financial experts familiar with the matter have said the studio would probably need to go through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in order to complete a sale.

ryan.faughnder@latimes.com

@rfaughnder

UPDATES:

6:12 p.m.: This article has been updated with information about additional bidders.

This article was originally published at 12:40 p.m.
Under President Obama, the U.S. Department of Transportation was in the process of adopting a rule that would have required that airlines disclose the cost to check bags when travelers compare prices online.

But under President Trump, that rule proposal has been withdrawn, sparking protest from the attorney generals for 16 states.

Pennsylvania Atty. Gen. Josh Shapiro and the attorney generals for California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine and 10 others signed a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, urging her to not pull the plug on the rule.

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The rule was designed to make it easier for travelers to compare air travel costs. Many airlines make it difficult to calculate the entire cost of a flight because fees and surcharges are not added into the fare until it has been booked.

Some low-cost carriers, such as Spirit Airlines, generate up to 40% of their revenues from fees and charges.

As airlines increasingly charge separate fees for basic services rather than building them into the cost of their tickets, transparency in pricing is more important than ever, the letter says.

A representative for the agency could not be reached for comment. The department under Trump has been seeking to lessen the regulatory burdens on companies.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
Director Bryan Buckley discusses his ties to Somalia Bryan Buckley directed The Pirates of Somalia after having directed a documentary and a short film about the country. The film is based on a memoir by Jay Bahadur.
Seventh Annual Greatest Cartoons Ever A fine selection of cartoon shorts including Robin Hood Daffy, Mickeys Fire Brigade, Plumbing is a Pipe, with Popeye and Olive Oyl, Max Fleischers Superman toon, The Magnetic Telescope, Horton Hatches the Egg, and many more classics from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Alex Film Society, Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, (818) 243-2539. Dec. 26, 2 and 7 p.m. $12 for advance tickets; walk-up, day of tickets, $16. alexfilmsociety.org/

Poseidon Adventure Double Feature In The Poseidon Adventure (1972), a luxury liner capsizes just after the clock strikes midnight on New Years Eve when hit by a titanic-sized seismic wave. It was the disaster movie that helped launch a decades worth of disaster movies, and its chockablock with memorable moments, especially from Gene Hackman as the Messianic minister who leads a small group of survivors and Oscar nominee Shelley Winters as a grandmother with chutzpah who shows up all the jerks who hurl fat lady insults. With Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons and Stella Stevens. Producer Irwin Allen became known as the master of disaster and directed 1979s Beyond the Poseidon Adventure himself, to ill-effect, despite a crack cast that included Sally Field, Jack Warden, Peter Boyle, Shirley Jones and Slim Pickens. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 938-4038. Dec. 27-28, 7:30 p.m. $8. thenewbev.com

Screwball Comedy Classics This four-day series of double features, a must-do for fans of classic screwball comedy, opens with two of director Ernst Lubitschs gems, the English manor-set Cluny Brown (1946) with Jennifer Jones, Charles Boyer and Peter Lawford, and Trouble in Paradise (1932) with Miriam Hopkins and Herbert Marshall as a pair of glamorous grifters. Next are director Howard Hawks newspaper classic, His Girl Friday (1940), with Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant as the fast-talking journalists, and Ball of Fire (1941), with Barbara Stanwyck as the sexy burlesque artist who schools a square professor (Gary Cooper) on the finer points of slang, see? Two starring the queen of screwball comedy, Carole Lombard, who died too young in a plane crash at age 33, screen Dec. 30. Hawks Twentieth Century (1934) is the film that truly uncovered Lombards comedic genius. She is perfectly paired with John Barrymore as a self-important producer. Lombard and Barrymore teamed again for the 1937 courtroom comedy True Confession. The series concludes with two of the Marx Bros. most famous films, Horse Feathers (1932) and Animal Crackers (1930). American Cinematheque, Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 260-1528 www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/ Dec. 28-30, Jan. 1. All the double features will begin at 7:30 p.m. except for the Jan. 1 Marx Bros. double, which will begin at 3 p.m. $12; $8 for Cinematheque members.

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Laemmles Anniversary Classics Based on Jacqueline Susanns must-read novel for people who dont read (think Fifty Shades of Grey circa 1966), the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls, starring Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins and Sharon Tate, was panned upon release and became a cult classic. The film is an interesting time capsule and a fascinating look at certain womens issues that werent explored in American films of the time. Duke is potent as the truly gifted Judy Garland-inspired Neely OHara, and Tate gives a moving performance as an untalented but resilient actress forced to trade on her looks. Ahrya Fine Arts, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 478-3836. Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m. $13. www.laemmle.com

Mary Poppins Julie Andrews won an Oscar in her feature film debut as the lovely, inventive, firm yet loving nanny who brings efficiency and magic to the London home of the Banks family in director Robert Stevensons 1964 adaptation of P. L. Travers Poppins books. Dick Van Dyke is wonderful as Marys cockney-accented, chimney sweeping friend Bert, who sings the Oscar-winning song, Chim Chim Cher-ee. One of Walt Disneys favorites, the film remains an enchanting pleasure. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 938-4038. Dec. 30 and 31, 2 p.m. $6. thenewbev.com

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When you want to accomplish the unprecedented and make it look routine, it helps to have the skill, experience and committed collaborators Ridley Scott commands in All the Money In the World.

The 80-year-old veteran director, responsible for everything from Blade Runner and Alien to Gladiator and Thelma & Louise, made a decision last month to replace embattled principal Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer with just six weeks to go before the films scheduled December release.

Hes done it so successfully in this propulsive story of the notorious 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III that the movie is only a few minutes old before the whole issue fades from your mind.

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Thats partly because of the impeccable craft and complete success of Plummer in the role of the victims grandfather, J. Paul Getty  a.k.a. the richest man in the history of the world  who refuses to pay so much as a penny of ransom out of a bizarre combination of parsimoniousness and principle.

Plummer, much closer in age to Getty than Spacey was in the role, makes a marvelous miser, never as disappointed by beautiful objects as he is by fallible people. If you can actually count your money, the real Getty once said, then youre not a rich man.

Also key to getting this job done is the directors high-functioning production machine, including cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (this is his sixth film with Scott) and editor Claire Simpson, capable of reshooting and integrating 22 new scenes into the finished product in record time at a reported cost of $10 million.

Though its theme of the corrosive influence of unimaginable wealth is not exactly news, All the Money benefits, in much the same way that Scotts similar (and underappreciated) American Gangster did, from the directors expertise at bringing pace and interest to stories he cares enough about to sink his teeth into.

It also helps, obviously, to have an involving script, and David Scarpas work, which appeared on 2015s Black List, structures the Getty story in a way that combines a history of family dysfunction with a true-crime drama.

Adapted from John Pearsons nonfiction work Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortune and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty, Scarpas script is true to the broad outlines of the story while feeling free to dramatize specific incidents.

In addition to Plummer, All the Money is fortunate to have Michelle Williams in the cast. Her role as the victims grieving but resolute mother, Gail Harris, is also a standard one, but Williams invests such passion in it that her work elevates the entire film.

[Michelle] Williams makes Harris into a splendid antagonist for [Christopher] Plummers Getty.

Always expert at bringing conviction and reality to her characters, Williams makes Harris into a splendid antagonist for Plummers Getty, as her concern for human caring and emotion is the perfect counterweight to the older mans rigid inflexibility.

Before these two have any reason to clash, were introduced to the center of attention, 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, known in real life as the Golden Hippie because of the cascading blond hair he affected.

Charlie Plummer (star of the festival hit Lean on Pete) perfectly captures the insouciance of young Getty as he wanders the late-night streets of Rome, and the film uses his voice-over to make shrewd points about the world he comes from.

To be a Getty is an extraordinary thing, young John Paul says. We look like you, but were not like you. Its like were from another planet.

Gettys walk has barely begun before he is snatched off the streets of Rome by a group of kidnappers from Calabria connected to the criminal syndicate Ndrangheta that ask Harris for $17 million in ransom.

When the distraught mother accurately says she doesnt have that kind of money, Cinquanta (a spot-on Romain Duris), the kidnappers contact person, tells her to ask the boys grandfather, the nominal possessor of all the money in the world.

Except Getty senior doesnt see himself that way. Suspecting that the boy orchestrated his own kidnapping and pathologically attached to his oil wealth (we see him washing his own underwear in his luxury hotel room to save money), Getty claims he doesnt want to set a precedent that would put his other grandchildren at risk.

But hes also capable of saying, with a completely straight face, Ive never been more vulnerable financially. I have no money to give.

To keep the boys mother from causing a fuss, Getty assigns Fletcher Chase (the always effective Mark Wahlberg), one of his corporate troubleshooters, to get a handle on the situation.

According to Pearsons book, Chase was probably the worst emissary the old man could have chosen, but because All the Money feels the need of a quasi-heroic masculine presence, Chases missteps are minimized and his action-hero credentials enhanced.

With as visual a director as Scott at the helm, the film is especially good at re-creating the frenzy and chaos the Italian press whipped up around the kidnapping, and it never loses sight of the pain Gettys inflexibility about his fortune causes his family.

All the Money in the World doesnt play the Beatles Cant Buy Me Love over the final credits, but that message comes through loud and clear.

All the Money in the World

Rating: R, for language, some violent, disturbing images, and brief drug content

Running time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Playing: In general release

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kenneth.turan@latimes.com

@KennethTuran

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One of the most exquisite moments in Paul Thomas Andersons Phantom Thread, a film composed entirely from exquisite moments, features a delicious riff on boy-meets-girl. The boy is having breakfast at a country inn; the girl is waiting on him. She trips, charmingly, on her way over to his table, then jots down his order  a feast of Welsh rarebit, scones and sausages  while returning his warm smile with a nervous, playful one of her own.

Will you remember? he asks, confiscating her notes. She will indeed.

Much of the pleasure of this strange and spellbinding movie, set in England during the 1950s, lies in how lovingly Anderson stitches together those eccentric throwaway details. Even in this sweet first encounter between Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), a highly regarded London fashion designer, and Alma (Vicky Krieps), a young waitress of unknown background, we see the beginnings of a dynamic that will soon darken and intensify: her clumsiness, his appetite, her eagerness to serve, his flirtation issued in the form of a challenge.

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Phantom Thread emerges as a dry comic allegory about self-absorbed male artists and the female muses who patiently love and nurture them.

Alma passes the first test, and the next one as well. After having dinner with Reynolds that evening, she goes home with him and disrobes. But what follows isnt any ordinary consummation. Instead, he studies her figure and takes her measurements, rattling them off to his sister and business partner, Cyril (Lesley Manville), who, as she is wont to do, has appeared at his side like clockwork. (Youre perfect, he says, noting her flat chest. Cyril agrees, whispering, He likes a little belly.)

Its a lot to take in, and Krieps gives a performance so emotionally responsive and minutely detailed that we can see Alma arriving at one crushing realization  shes the latest model of many  before settling just as quickly into steely determination. Reynolds may be fitting her for a specific role, but he, too, will soon know how it feels to be whittled down to size.

So begins the tender and tempestuous love story of Phantom Thread, which is at once a darkly romantic comedy of manners and a transporting invitation to a bygone world. Its also an unsurprisingly bravura showcase for Day-Lewis, who, in what will reportedly be his final screen performance, has left us with something rich, indelible and at times marvelously loathsome  a portrait of the artist as a fey, prickly, hyper-demanding middle-aged man.

Perhaps most of all, the movie is a reminder that there are few contemporary American filmmakers quite like Anderson, who, after the dazzling Altmanesque panoramas of Boogie Nights and Magnolia, has followed his instincts in ever more feverish and idiosyncratic directions.

Paul Thomas Anderson and collaborators unravel the mysteries of Phantom Thread 

His recent pictures, including the 1950s psychodrama The Master and the 70s noir Inherent Vice, feel less like stylized period pieces than weird, indelible relics of their respective eras  impeccably crafted, rich in mystery and deeply attuned to their characters turbulent inner states. If Andersons canvases have become more brooding and self-contained since There Will Be Blood, his masterful 2007 collaboration with Day-Lewis, they have also opened windows onto vast and cavernous psychic landscapes.

Phantom Thread is at once a lush, loving homage to vintage romantic melodramas, Alfred Hitchcocks Rebecca foremost among them, and a characteristically bold departure  not merely because its Andersons first production set outside the U.S.

Superbly shot by the director himself on 35-millimeter film, the movie pulls you in immediately. Truth be told, the cascading piano scales of Jonny Greenwoods magnificent score could pull you into a dentists chair.

But what holds you throughout isnt just the pictures astounding craftsmanship but also its unsettling, exploratory vibe  the sense it conveys that youve seen something like it before, even as you assuredly havent.

To some extent, Alma makes that confusion manifest. Before long she has become Reynolds lover and assistant, and taken up residence in the Woodcocks London townhouse. She can seem lost in this world of tight corridors and staircases winding their way to infinity, where foreign princesses and local dowagers come for their fittings. But whether Alma is showing off Reynolds creations on the runway or standing silently at attention, shes always quick to regain her footing.

On some level Alma understands Reynolds better than he understands himself; her fierce protectiveness of the House of Woodcocks reputation occasions the storys most ardent romantic gesture. But its when she decides to love Reynolds in ways that dont conform to the house style that she finds herself dangerously at sea. Having once stood out enough from the crowd to catch his attention, shes now expected to integrate herself, invisibly, into his routine.

Its only fitting that Day-Lewis, known for his own exacting Method intensity, should play a man so consumed by artistic commitment. The rewards of the actors process are plain to see in the suavity of his bearing, the devilish charisma, the silver, slicked-back hair that at times gives him the appearance of a debonair mad scientist. But Day-Lewis also lays bare the peevishness behind the smile  the arrogance, the contempt and, most of all, the childlike fragility that both aggravates Alma and keeps her coming back for more.

The fruits of Reynolds labors are even more wondrous to behold, in part because costume designer Mark Bridges never seems to be trying to wow us. With a few delicate exceptions, like a svelte, lacy red dress cleverly inspired by Almas waitress uniform, much of the Woodcock couture looks heavy and stiffly layered, suggesting a buttoned-up idea of society glamour. The gowns are stunning all the same, ravishments of lavender, green and gold, and almost architectural in their construction; its no accident that the assembly process, requiring numerous technicians working silently in white lab coats, brings surgery to mind.

You can see why Cyril has devoted her life to safeguarding this magnificent enterprise, ensuring that nothing and no one, least of all the girl of the month, shatters her brothers concentration. Cyril is as tightly coiffed and venomously poised as Judith Andersons Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca, an association that only an actress as formidable as Manville could have borne without collapsing under it. Its a triumphant performance, a near-silent symphony of alternately withering and sympathetic glances cast knowingly in Almas direction.

But if Alma seems at first the most wobbly and expendable leg of this co-dependent triangle, she also has a gift for confounding the Woodcocks expectations at every turn. Not unlike Darren Aronofskys mother!, Phantom Thread emerges as a dry comic allegory about self-absorbed male artists and the female muses who patiently love and nurture them. Andersons film may be less deranged, but if anything it surpasses Aronofskys in eviscerating the weakness of a man who deems his art more worthy of his time than the woman he shunts to the side.

This is hardly the first time Anderson has slyly subverted the power dynamic of a marriage, as anyone who remembers Amy Adams glittering eyes in The Master, silently asserting control over her cult-leader husband, can attest. Nor is it the first time that he has drawn us into relationships that look doomed or destructive from the outset, only to express a surprisingly heartfelt optimism about their survival.

But what finally gives Phantom Thread its subversive kick isnt just its provocative theorizing about the pursuit of genius, the desire for domestic fulfillment and the sacrifices required to balance the two. Its that Alma, in undertaking her strange, singular mission, is perversely elevated to the standing of an artist in her own right. She becomes this movies most sublime creation and the living embodiment of its spirit  triumphant, audacious and impossible to forget.

------------

Phantom Thread

Rating: R, for language

Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Playing: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood; the Landmark, West Los Angeles

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

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justin.chang@latimes.com

@JustinCChang

ALSO

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In its native Italy and other parts of Europe, menswear label Stone Island has a cult following. The brand embraces the fact that British soccer bad boys wore it through the 1990s, while current high-profile fans include Drake and Travis Scott.

So when Stone Island had the opportunity to open a U.S. flagship, Los Angeles was an obvious choice.

When we started thinking about the American market, we dreamed of Los Angeles, Stone Island Chief Executive Carlo Rivetti said during the November opening of the 5,300-square-foot La Brea Avenue store. Californians are less tied to formal jackets than New York[ers].

Italian brand Stone Island opened a flagship West Coast store in Los Angeles in November. The menswear label is known for its technical outerwear. (Stone Island)

The opening drew fans who were familiar with the brand from their travels to Europe, where Stone Island has 20 stores. In Europe, we have collectors, Rivetti said. Its a club.

Known for its technical outerwear  its down-filled puffer jackets cost about $1,000  Rivetti said his customers are drawn to the lightweight fabrics and use of color  think claret, cobalt and saffron. The collection also includes jeans, fleecewear, sweatshirts, footwear and bags. Prices start around $100 for a T-shirt.

Stone Island, 101 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, 323-964-8191, www.stoneisland.com

Robb Vices

The Celebration Box from Robb Vices features items for the sophisticated drinker. Other boxes include fashion, accessories and home items. (Robb Vices)

If you forgot someone on your Christmas gift list this year, dont worry. Consider an end-of-year or early 2018 gift like the Robb Vices subscription box.

This isnt any old subscription service: The boxes are based on the content of Robb Report, a publication focused on all-things lavish. Jet-setting readers are avid car, watch and boat collectors.

The stylish deliveries have a retail value of $200 to $500. For December, the hefty matte-black, velvet-lined Celebration Box contains a Georg Jensen Champagne sabre, a bottle of sparkling Chardonnay and the liqueur Gabriel Boudier Creme de Cassis de Dijon.

Contents of the boxes are intended to be a surprise. Future ones, according to a brand spokesperson, include an auditory exploration of vinyl, and, for February, the theme is Melted Romance. A yearly subscription is $79.95 a month. Month-to-month prices are $89.95.

Robb Vices subscription services, robbvices.com

Base Coat

The second Los Angeles location of nontoxic nail salon Base Coat opened in November on Fairfax Avenue. New on the menu are gel manicures without the toxins regularly associated with the nail service. (Base Coat)

Popular nontoxic nail salon Base Coat in downtown Los Angeles has opened a second location on Fairfax Avenue, offering the same services in a cozy 750-square-foot salon.

Its a more intimate space, co-founder Ali Elman said.

Like the downtown location, services at the second Base Coat salon use chemical-free, vegan-friendly materials. Products are scented with essential oils, and the usual harsh components of nail care  toluene, parabens and formaldehyde  are nowhere to be found.

A new offering is a gel manicure that lasts two weeks and uses LED lights instead of UV lights. A steam treatment removes the gel, which is said to be gentler than the conventional acetone soak. Prices start at $20 for a polish change.

Base Coat, 830 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, 323-847-5110, www.basecoatnailsalon.com

Charlotte Tilbury

The first U.S. pop-up shop for British beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury is open through the end of the year at the Grove in Los Angeles. (Charlotte Tilbury)

Theres an Instagrammable pop-up shop at the Grove shopping center through the end of the year. The burgundy-and-glass 250-square-foot Charlotte Tilbury Gift Shop, in partnership with Nordstrom, is the first time the British beauty brand with a cult following has had a U.S. pop-up.

And this one is hard to miss. A giant lip sculpture affixed to one wall has a lipstick cigarette dangling from it. A brand spokesperson said makeup artists are on hand to help with beauty ideas, and complimentary cocktails are served to shoppers. If youre in the mood to splurge, the brands Giant Magic Cream moisturizer, which costs $255, comes in a jar that can be engraved. Prices at the pop-up show start at $22.

Charlotte Tilbury Gift Shop, The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles; open through Dec. 31: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 26; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 27 and 28; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 29 and 30; and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 31. www.charlottetilbury.com

image@latimes.com

For fashion news, follow us at @latimesimage on Twitter.

UPDATES:

2:41 p.m.: This article was updated with themes for upcoming Robb Vices boxes.
The government has issued an official warning in Canada that residents should avoid eating romaine lettuce because of a serious outbreak of E. coli affecting the leaves. Officials have not specified a brand or supplier involved, meaning that all romaine lettuce is at risk.

Thus far, at least one person has died from the outbreak, with 16 more hospitalized and 40 total reported sick. Experts infer that additional victims are likely to be identified due to a delay in government warnings.

Despite the outbreak, no retailers or distributors have issued a lettuce recall as of yet. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, There appears to be an ongoing risk of E. coli infections associated with the consumption of romaine lettuce.

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That means the contaminated leaves could still be sitting on shelves or in consumers homes. Even restaurants are at risk of serving E. coli-infected vegetables.

Based on existing supply patterns, experts believe the outbreak has originated in produce shipped from the United States or Mexico. However, the source is still entirely unclear.

Canadian consumers are advised to throw away their recently purchased romaine and seek medical attention if they have already eaten the purchased lettuce. While dining out, its best to avoid ordering dishes made with romaine - and above all, please romaine calm.

While romaine lettuce remains off-limits, spinach and other leafy greens are still on the table. Try incorporating them, instead of the tainted crop, into your best salad recipes.

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The 300-pound beagle is in the yard as we speak, howling at the universe.

At 14, he has doggy dementia and thinks he is a rooster. The beagle quivers when he yodels, the bark traveling from his triple chins to his ugly spud tail.

I sense that it is the arrival of Christmas he is announcing, as if it is something we should fear. And it probably is.

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So, top off the tree water, double-check the single-malt Scotch. Wonder if theres a blizzard or a blackout or an alien invasion?

Or worse, a potluck at your sisters place. In any case, it pays to be prepared.

I always figured that if aliens invaded during the holidays, theyd immediately turn and flee. I mean, theyd never find a place to park. And have you ever seen a Target two days before Christmas? Deeply disturbing. As are all those bizarre seasonal sweaters.

At Christmas, we seem to embrace our dorky alter egos, the B sides of ourselves that we usually prefer to hide.

Now, Ill admit that if I were 10% more insufferable, Id be totally insufferable. I write about the holidays way too much, enjoy every single day.

Know how? I embrace the imperfections  the horrible lines at the Honeybaked Ham store, or the blowups over a parking spot at Trader Joes.

To me, Christmas is like a giant comedy club.

Dont get your tinsel in a tangle if every little thing doesnt go quite right.

I embrace the imperfections because I learned a long time ago, from reading Dickens, from studying Charles M. Schulz, that perfection is a fools gold. Chasing it leads to disappointment and stress, especially around the holidays, when expectations are so high.

Christmas is also like a snake bite that you suffer every year. As long as you carry the antivenom, youll be all right.

My antivenom is a bloody Mary, decorated like a tree. My antivenom is snarky friends, Capra flicks, Peanuts classics, skis strapped to the top of an old Porsche heading north.

Heres the thing: If you get Christmas 60% right, youve still got a lot of Christmas; youve still created a sleigh load of smiles.

Dont get your tinsel in a tangle if every little thing doesnt go quite right  and Im talking mostly to the moms. Your stress becomes our stress. More than anything this holiday, we love to see you smile.

Besides, a perfect Christmas is virtually impossible. Oh, once in a while, you nail one. To swing for the fences is commendable, a sign of parental devotion. Ive always had the urge  if not the resources  to fly the family to Vermont or Hawaii, though I tend to think snow, not sand at the holidays.

So I set my sights lower. I like a good cheese platter, for instance. I like the way Nat King Cole sings Es-KEE-mos. I like the way Chevy Chase falls off a ladder.

Bethany: Is your house on fire, Clark?

Clark: No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights.

I like the simple sight of shoppers with their arms piled so high with packages that they can barely see to walk.

In the Hallmark version of that, the woman bumps into a stranger, drops the packages, spills her Starbucks. The apologetic stranger insists on treating her to coffee, then shopping, where she explains that this is the first Christmas without her husband and he explains that he recently lost his very best dog.

Then they realize they knew each other in high school, though not well, because he was a little chubby and she was a bit of a brat, and they wind up under each others sweaters on the perfect Christmas Eve.

In the real-life version of that? The shopper steps off the curb and gets creamed by an Amazon truck.

Thats why I dont get my hopes up. Ive seen way too many malls.

If you cant manage Vermont, theres a gritty little ski chalet in Mt. Baldy, about an hours drive from L.A. They have chili, burgers and bloody Marys dressed like trees. Theres a moose head with a Santas hat on the wall. Or it might be a former bartender, hard to tell.

I just dont want you to say I dont offer practical advice at Christmas, even though my aim is mostly spiritual.

See, I want you happy. I want you warm.

I want a candle in your window, and a song to soothe your soul.

I want you to have a holiday that fits you like a Christmas sweater  soft and silly.

Now go ahead, howl.

Chris.Erskine@latimes.com

Twitter: @erskinetimes
The secret life of a med school dean

He wasnt just a renowned eye surgeon and dean of a leading medical school. A Times investigation published in July found that Dr. Carmen Puliafito kept company with a circle of criminals and drug users who said he used meth and other drugs with them during his tenure as dean of USCs Keck School of Medicine.

The newspaper's investigation triggered a California Medical Board inquiry that resulted in formal allegations that Puliafito, who did not respond to interview requests or written questions, saw patients "within hours" of smoking meth and abused that drug on a near-daily basis at the Keck campus and elsewhere.

Readers also learned that complaints about the surgeon's behavior began to reach USC administrators more than five years ago, but the university did not report him to the medical board during that period and did not suspend Puliafito's medical privileges until after publication of the investigation.

The downfall of a dean: www.latimes.com/local/californ ia/la-me-usc-doctor

Dream date or living nightmare?

Debra Newell's corn-silk-blond hair fell in waves over her shoulders. She wore high Gucci heels and designer jeans, and carried a Chanel bag--all in preparation for her first date with John Meehan.

The two met on an over-50 dating site. Meehan, who said he was an anesthesiologist, had thick dark hair and a winning smile. Newell, who ran her own interior design business, had four marriages in her past and was beginning to think she was too old to find love again. He told her that she stopped his heart.

But her new suitor worried Newells adult children, who sensed he was dangerous. And they were right Meehan wasnt just a con artist; he was a drug addict, disgraced nurse anesthetist, prolific grifter and a black-hearted Lothario. The unraveling of the Debra Newell-John Meehan relationship filled Christopher Goffards six-part series and his hugely popular podcast.

Mexicos failed promise of affordable homes

Times staff writer Richard Marosi called it a Levittown moment for Mexico, a monumental campaign to provide affordable homes for the masses. But $100 billion later, what is there to show for it? Across Mexico, roofs leak, walls crack and appliances blow out as the program has collapsed into a social and financial catastrophe.

To blame: fraud, bad planning, flimsy construction, risky mortgages and neglectful officials. Along the way, The Times investigation found low- and middle-income homeowners who got stuck with complex loans as their dream homes deteriorated into slums.

It was a world of corruption, one mayor explained. Meanwhile, sewage spilled onto roads, and parents told of children enduring electrical shocks on flooded streets on their way to school.

Instead of criminal probes, Marosis sweeping investigation learned, prosecutors pursued cases against whistleblowers who accused developers of fraud. Putting a human face to the problem were dozens of photos by Brian van der Brug and Don Bartletti.

Read the series online: latimes.com/mexico-housing

The emotional toll of returning to Mexico

Returning home is not easy for everybody. As the immigrant dream takes some unexpected twists in the 21st century, Times staff writer Kate Linthicum detailed the heartbreaking stories of three families torn between new lives in the U.S. and the tug of their hometowns back in Mexico.

Many of those who want to return, fueled by savings and skill sets earned during their stints in the U.S., are eager to reconnect with families and cultural comfort zones. You go to work and then you come back here, one returnee reminded himself. Our future is here in Mexico. But often, immigrants return to a land that has changed during their absences. More riveting  and complicated  are the allegiances formed by children often raised amid American indulgences that are still rare in Mexico. To sons and daughters, home often means the United States.

As global storylines change, and the wave of migrations shifts back toward Mexico, Linthicum and photographer Katie Falkenberg captured the fractured emotions of families with ties on both sides of the border.

Read the series online: latimes.com/malinalco

Our Dishonest President

A seven-part series by the papers editorial board concluded that President Trump poses a threat to democracy and the countrys institutions. Published 11 weeks into his term, the series denounced what editorial writers saw as his authoritarian temperament, his obsession with conspiracies and his war on a vibrant free press. He apparently hopes to discredit, disrupt or bully into silence anyone who challenges his version of reality, the fourth installment said.

The series focused on what the writers saw as three troubling traits: Trumps lack of respect for the rules and institutions of government; his lack of regard for the truth; and his embrace of alt-right theories.

Of the media, one of the editorials stated: He has escalated the traditionally adversarial relationship in demagogic and potentially dangerous ways.

Later produced as both a print and e-book, Our Dishonest President aims to encourage readers to oppose the brazen act of a man who is patently unfit to preside over the American republic.

Read the series online: latimes.com/trumpseries

Trial by fire in Southern California

The videos of the cars driving through the Sepulveda Pass on the 405 Freeway depicted a hellscape near one of L.A.s most exclusive neighborhoods  a variation on a scene that played out over and over again as fires raged across Southern California in December. The region had escaped major wildfires during the final years of the state's big drought because the Santa Anas didn't blow  but this year was different.

Hundreds of thousands were displaced, hundreds of structures burned and countless acres were charred as the fierce, erratic winds drove major blazes across the region. Columnist Robin Abcarian put it this way: To a Southern Californian, there are fewer word combinations more frightening than Santa Ana winds and high fire risk. This week, we saw why.

Times reporters and photographers chronicled the chaos and aftermath of the conflagrations that have been indiscriminately cruel, touching mogul, farmer, homeowner and renter, young and old alike.
On Friday, December 22, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Results of 2017  Forecast for 2018." The participants will include Director of the Institute of Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov; expert of the Gardarika strategic consulting corporation Konstiantyn Matviyenko; director of the "Ukrainian Barometer" sociological service Viktor Nebozhenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation.
Oh my God, Richard Cerutti said to himself. He bent down to pick up a sharp, splintered bone fragment. Its thickness and weight told him that it belonged to an animal, a very big animal. His mind started to race.

He was standing at the foot of a slope being groomed by Caltrans for a road-widening project through the Sweetwater Valley near National City.

Earthmoving equipment had already uncovered other fossils from elsewhere on the site, mostly rodents, birds and lizards. But this bone was from no ordinary animal. The operator wanted to keep digging, but Cerutti raised a fist to stop him. He felt a tightening knot of anger.

The contractors had worked over the weekend without contacting him, and he could see the damage they had done. He sprinted up the slope to a construction trailer and picked up a telephone.

Tom, he said. I think I have a mammoth out here on State Route 54. Can you send some help?

Back on site, Cerutti persuaded the operator to move the excavator out of the way. He grabbed a few tools from his truck: an ice pick, an old paintbrush and his prized table knife lifted from a Black Angus restaurant.

Kneeling among broken bones, he dusted away loose soil and began probing the sediment. His adrenaline surged as the outline of a tusk slowly emerged. Inches from the tusk, he found a stone. One edge was smooth, almost rounded. The other was sharp as a razor.

Cerutti had made stone tools before, and he knew how rocks fracture and break. Nothing about the shape of this rock was natural; something had struck and broken it with great force.

What the hell had he stumbled upon?

Cerutti hardly suspected that on this day 25 years ago, Nov. 16, 1992, he was standing atop a discovery that could rewrite the opening chapter in the history of the New World.

Now retired, Richard Cerutti, 76, lived for these moments.

The fascination had begun when he was a boy eyeing a friend's collection of ancient shark teeth, and it led to paleontology, the study of Earths history through its fossil record.

In 1980, Cerutti found his dream job as a construction-site monitor for the San Diego Natural History Museum. With a quick eye and an easy temperament, he could spot bones in tumbled debris and talk down construction crews with schedules to keep. Sucking diesel fumes was a small price for the privilege of stepping back in time.

Tom Demere, who answered Ceruttis phone call, was the museums curator of paleontology. Demere, 69, was better versed in the evolution of ancient whales and pinnipeds than mammoths, but he knew Cerutti was not one to raise false alarms.

The two men first met after Cerutti wrote to ask if the museum might be interested in some fossils he had found. Such offers from the public were not unusual, but claims of their significance were often overblown.

But when Cerutti, a mustachioed collector in a white leisure suit, opened the trunk of his Rambler, Demere gasped. Overnight, Ceruttis bones, wrapped in linen and old T-shirts, doubled the museums collection of vertebrate fossils.

Demere moved quickly; a mammoth would be rare but not surprising.

New construction projects in the San Diego area had uncovered a wealth of fossils, including a new species of walrus, nearly 3 million years old, and a never-before-discovered armored dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period about 75 million years ago.

Demere visited the site the next day. He found Cerutti and his team of field paleontologists standing at the foot of the slope.

They had swept the site clean of the loose sediment and collected the broken bones, the pieces of tusks and the stones damaged by the excavator. A few molar fragments told them that the mammoth was a mastodon, a shorter and stockier relative.

With foot-long galvanized nails and rebar, string and flags, the team divided the site into one-meter squares. They washed and screened sediment, borrowing water and electricity from a homeowner whose backyard overlooked the dig.

Most surprising was how smashed up the specimens were. Mastodon leg bones are like pier pilings, Cerutti said, and these were broken to hell.

What could have caused this?

They dug into the slope, primarily following a stratum of silty sandstone no more than a foot thick, sediment laid down  by their estimates  nearly 120,000 years ago, by a meandering river, pushed back by rising seas.

Could these bones be that old?

Late on the afternoon of Dec. 11, the paleontologists began sculpting dirt from around a second tusk. It was jammed almost straight down.

They worked into the dying light. They did not want to leave it overnight; the ivory would tempt vandals. When they finally extracted the tusk, they marveled at its beauty and wondered what could have pushed it, tip-first, into the ground.

By now, though, they were accustomed to unanswered questions.

Mastodon leg bones are like pier pilings, and these were broken to hell.  Richard Cerutti

Demere brought in two experts from Northern Arizona University  Larry Agenbroad and Jim Mead  who spent more than a week at the site. They helped excavate two of the most remarkable squares, where the assortment of fossils was especially dense: ribs, long fragments of femurs with spiral fractures, two molars, vertebrae and a cobblestone.

At the center of this collection were two femur heads, detached from their shafts and nearly touching, one hemisphere facing up, the other facing down.

The team wondered how this could be. Mastodon femurs  those pier pilings  are almost 3 feet long and up to 8 inches in diameter. What could have detached these heads from their shafts and positioned them side by side? Next to them was a large boulder that somehow seemed implicated.

They tried not to speculate but kept returning to the possibility that humans might have been here, might have broken these bones and walked away. That meant the evidence they left behind  all this debris  was almost the same age as the sediments that eventually buried the site.

It was heresy, maybe even lunacy.

Inspect two femur bones from the site This specimen, approximately 13 inches long and 4 inches wide, is the most compelling example that the bones found at the site were broken by humans using stone hammers, Tom Demere says. Orient the specimen so that youre looking at the interior surface. It should appear like the cross-section of a straw. The hollowed-out area is where a marrow-filled spongy bone would have been. It is surrounded by a hardened exterior of cortical bone, nearly an inch thick. On one side, part of the cortical bone is missing. Zoom in, and you will see that the cortical bone here is thinner, concave and seemingly smooth. Demere and his team propose that this divot on the inside of the bone is the result of an object striking the exterior of the bone and breaking it. This is comparable to what happens when a pane of glass is struck by a BB and material on the inside breaks away in the shape of a cone. This femur is approximately 12 inches long and nearly 6 inches wide. Rotate the bone so that youre looking lengthwise through its interior. On either side the bone forms two curved edges that would have enclosed a marrow-filled spongy bone. Now spin the bone sideways and examine the larger of the two edges. The two sides of this edge are smooth and slope away to the ends of the bone. This shape is indicative of a spiral fracture and occurs only when the bone is young and not dried out. Spiral fractures like these helped Demere and his team determine these bones were broken when they were still relatively fresh. After dating these bones, Demere and his team argued that they were broken more than 130,000 years ago.

For nearly half a century, schoolchildren have been taught that the first human visitors to the New World belonged to the Clovis culture, known for chipped-stone spear points first discovered in New Mexico.

Archaeologists say these people crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia about 12,000 years ago.

To dispute Clovis-first by a few thousand years was controversial. Some archaeologists had won begrudging acceptance with a few scattered excavations.

But to propose a site more than 100,000 years older was professional suicide. It would undermine the research and reputations of most archaeologists now studying the New World.

If you claim something is that old, you get blasted, Cerutti said, which is why some archaeologists stopped working on sites like this. They didnt want to get blasted.

The paleontologists tried to find an alternative theory.

Could these bones have been broken by construction equipment or by other animals? Perhaps another mastodon? If so, then why were more fragile bones, like ribs, still intact?

Could a mudflow have swept in the large cobblestones? Maybe, but wouldnt a mudflow have also swept away, even destroyed the smaller skeletons of birds and lizards theyd also found at the site?

And what about the cobblestones? There were five of them, ranging from 9 to 30 pounds, caught in this sedimentary layer of fine-grained sand. Why werent there more?

For that matter, why hadnt they found more of the mastodons skeleton, especially the large pieces like the skull, the pelvis, the scapulas?

Agenbroad, who had made his reputation at the famed mammoth graveyard in South Dakota, was flummoxed. He could not accept the presence of man on the North American continent so long ago.

Anomaly is the key word for this site as far as Im concerned, he said, speaking on camera. There are anomalous fragments of rocks, anomalous fragments of tooth enamel scattered throughout the site that  and here he paused between words for effect  just  dont  make  sense in a natural depositional environment.

If I didnt call this Highway 54 Mastodon, I would call it the Anomalous Mastodon Site.

The lack of consensus frustrated Cerutti. He knew that the San Diego museum supported the work, but he had also heard that some of his colleagues were saying he had been out in the sun too long.

So who were the first Americans? The answer, he feared, would have less to do with science than blood sport.

By the time the site played out after five months, 50 squares had been excavated. Nearly 400 specimens had been trucked to the museum. Cerutti and the team cleaned, preserved and cataloged them.

Demere sent samples to a laboratory in Miami for radiocarbon dating, the gold standard for determining the age of archaeological sites.

A report came back: There was not enough organic carbon  collagen  in the samples to allow them to date the critical isotope, C-14. But because organic carbon decomposes over time, the isotopes absence suggested that these specimens were probably older than Clovis culture.

Corroboration came from a USC professor, Richard Ku, who had been dating other sites in Southern California using a new, if rudimentary, technique that measured changes in the uranium and thorium content of organic materials as they aged.

Ku worked with a portion of a tusk and a piece of the calcium carbonate, a hardened rind of minerals that had encrusted the specimens over the thousands of centuries underground.

After a few months, Ku wrote back: The average age of the tusk and the rind was 191,000 years. As exciting as this was, it also seemed too old and felt like a setback. Had the team gotten something wrong?

In his final report completed in 1995, Demere hedged. He wrote that the spiral fractures in the femurs could have been produced by human activity or by simple torsion caused by twisting, what a panicked animal might do if its foot were sunk in mud.

In the years that followed, Demere invited other researchers to study the collection. But no one stepped forward.

Robson Bonnichsen, an anthropologist at Oregon State University and the founder of the Center for the Study of Early Man, said, Your site may well be a candidate for one of the oldest archaeological sites ever found in the New World.

But he added: From my own bitter experience, I know that research that contributes to First American Studies is a game of hardball.

Keep it under wraps. No one will believe you.  George Jefferson, former associate curator of the Page Museum

George Jefferson, former associate curator of the Page Museum in Los Angeles and district paleontologist for the California State Parks, was blunt: The archaeological community was not ready for such an unsettling claim of antiquity.

Keep it under wraps, he said. No one will believe you.

The director of the San Diego museum asked Demere: When are you going to publish?

I didnt know what to do, Demere said.

Months went by. Then years.

Cerutti stopped going near State Route 54. In 2000, he and his wife moved to a new home in the mountains east of San Diego. Three years later, a wildfire swept through the community. Their home was spared, but they eventually had to walk away.

Worse, Cerutti had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and for two years he underwent chemotherapy. He began losing friends from the excavation, one from a suicide that he still cannot shake.

He felt hopeful when Steve Holen came to San Diego in 2008 with his wife and collaborator, Kathleen, at Demeres invitation.

As the curator of archaeology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Holen had heard about the Cerutti Mastodon Site, and upon retirement, he and Kathleen decided to look into the claims more carefully.

The couple set themselves up in Demeres research laboratory. Over two days, tray after tray of bones and rocks and cobblestones were brought to them, along with photographs, maps and videos from the site. Holen couldnt believe what he saw. It was just as Cerutti had thought: Someone had hit these bones with a tremendous force.

Here were the signature signs of the impact: the small craters produced when a solid object strikes another, creating cone-shaped divots, just as a BB does when it hits a pane of glass.

He also studied the calcium carbonate that covered the broken bones, shielding and preserving the original fractures  essentially locking them in time  more than 100,000 years ago.

I was staring out into space with my mouth open, he said. I couldnt get my head around this. It goes against everything I was taught and all that I knew.

He discussed it with Demere, who realized that he had found his co-author. Finally, someone with the  experience.

Together they prepared for battle.

Demere and Holen assembled a team  Oceans Eleven-style  of paleontologists, archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, mastodon specialists, Paleo-Indian specialists, sedimentologists, geomorphologists, geochronologists and lithic fabrication specialists.

Each scientist took an element of the site and applied their proficiency.

One concluded that there had been no raging torrents that might have crashed the stones and bones together in a seasonal fury.

Another focused on the fragments scattered around the site. The few pieces of bone that they found fit into the smooth spiral fractures, and the more plentiful stone fragments matched with the ragged edges of the cobblestones.

Still another re-dated the site.

More than 20 years after Kus work, the technology for uranium-thorium dating had improved, and there was a better understanding of the behavior of uranium in bone samples.

Jim Paces, a geochronologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, took dozens of slices from a rib and two femurs. Each slice, no wider than a millimeter, was dissolved in nitric acid.

The resulting solution contained trace amounts of uranium and thorium, which Paces extracted. After measuring those concentrates in a mass spectrometer, Paces concluded that the bones were 130,700 years old, plus or minus 9,400 years. The specificity was stunning.

How could this be wrong? Paces asked himself.

Holen and Demere sent three of the cobblestones to Richard Fulagar, an archaeologist at the University of Wollongong in Australia. With a variety of microscopes, Fulagar documented the topography of the stones, their abrasions, scratches, scars, polish and pitting.

There was no mistaking it in Fulagars view: They had been used as hammers and anvils.

George Jefferson, who had advised Demere to keep it under wraps, was invited for his experience in taphonomy, the science of what happens to an animal from the time it dies to the time it is dug up.

Each new test, he said, supported the claim.

The conclusion seemed clear: Hominids, wandering through Southern California, had found a mastodon carcass and gone to work. They hauled cobblestones to the site and pounded the bones, cut out the marrow for food and broke off splinters for tools.

It was, Demere says, a Pleistocene MacGyver moment, making things out of common objects.

To signify the spot, Demere speculates, the hominids may have driven that tusk into the ground as a landmark.

Kathleen Holen wrote the first draft of their findings, then fielded comments from the 10 co-authors through 35 versions.

Steve Holen and Demere decided to submit their findings to the scientific journal Nature. They thought that the London-based publication would be more open to their interpretation of the site than a journal in the United States. Conclusions such as theirs were more easily accepted in Europe, where sites like this were more common.

The group decided to honor Cerutti, who had stopped the excavator that Monday morning in 1992 and made, to their reckoning, one of the most important discoveries in American archaeology.

They called the excavation the Cerutti Mastodon Site.

After three rounds of review by four referees  three archaeologists and one geochronologist  over a course of a year, Nature accepted the article, formally called a letter: 1,700 words, 24 site drawings, eight videos and 71 pages of supplemental material.

The letter was published in April 2017 and went viral. Its findings landed on the front pages of newspapers and led many websites.

Dissent from some of the worlds most distinguished archaeologists was immediate.

Briana Pobiner damned the work with faint praise. She told Smithsonian magazine, I think the combination of evidence is on the way to being convincing.

Others didnt hold back.

Donald Grayson to BuzzFeed News: I was astonished, not because it is so good but because it is so bad.

David Meltzer to the Guardian: Im not buying whats being sold.

National Geographic pronounced its skepticism in an article titled Humans in California 130,000 Years Ago? Get the Facts.

I was astonished, not because it is so good but because it is so bad.  Archaeologist Donald Grayson to BuzzFeed News

The article delivered scathing opinions by Tom Dillehay and Jim Adovasio. They had been the lead archaeologists on sites in the New World  Dillehay in Chile and Adovasio in Pennsylvania  that after years of controversy had earned acceptance for their own pre-Clovis claims.

The research at the Cerutti site, Dillehay said, doesnt rule out the possibility that a debris or mudflow carried the cobblestones to the scene, nor does it take into account that patterns on the stones might have been caused by the rocks bumping against one another in a fast-flowing river.

When you put the total package together, he said, theres certainly more evidence to reject than accept it.

Adovasio said: They make a statement that the [evidence at Cerutti] is consistent with many other sites. Well, Im sorry, its not  that just isnt simply true.

In a response co-written with nine colleagues and drafted as a rebuttal for publication in Nature, Todd Braje, a professor of archaeology at San Diego State University, said Holen, Demere and their dream team did not go far enough to rule out other possible causes for the spiral fractures and broken bones.

Because humans could have fractured the CML mastodon remains does not mean they did fracture them, they wrote.

Braje and his co-authors said the bones might have been trampled, for instance, by other large animals. He also found it suspicious that there were no unambiguous chipped-stone tools.

Even though Nature declined to publish Brajes letter, he found a place for it in another journal, which had already accepted two other commentaries, including one by Gary Haynes, emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The bones could have been damaged and the cobblestones scattered by earthmoving equipment used by Caltrans in 1992, or by the developer who created the adjacent subdivision in 1971, Haynes said.

Even while saying the claim was minimally plausible, he called it an argument from ignorance, and wrote that the archaeologists have clearly not been trained.

It was like getting lined up and shot with machine guns, Cerutti said.

It was like getting lined up and shot with machine guns.  Richard Cerutti

Haynes was also critical of Nature, accusing the journal of committing an editorial lapse in judgment by accepting the Holen-Demere package.

A Nature spokeswoman said the journal does not comment on its editorial or review process, and that dissenting opinions are published only after the arguments have been peer-reviewed.

Demere and Holen maintain that their article does address the alternative theories, and accuse skeptics of being more rhetorical than constructive by requiring them to rule out explanations that no one articulated.

A spaceship smashing into the site? Demere said.

The challenge facing the Cerutti team is not just the site itself but all the questions that it raises about mans migration out of Africa, says John McNabb, a senior lecturer in Paleolithic Archaeology at the University of Southampton, who was invited by Nature to review the letter before publication.

Who were these people breaking these bones? At least three species of hominids populated Earth at that time: Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans.

And how did they get to North America? What was the condition of the land bridge between Siberia and Alaska that long ago? What were the sea levels like? How cold might it have been?

Or did they come by watercraft?

And what became of them?

McNabb understands why archaeologists are eager to dismiss the claims of the Cerutti Mastodon Site. But attributing their objections entirely to ego is too easy and only perpetuates the personal rivalries that have dogged this topic for decades.

Entrenched views are hard to shift for researchers who have built a reputation on them, he said.

Though skeptical of the Cerutti teams findings, McNabb argues that the burden is now on archaeologists to visit the collection, study the data and arrive at their own conclusions.

It is these folks who should now be looking at the site and remains  independent researchers, outside the arguments, who could bring skill and expertise to bear on these questions, he said.

Demere and Holen have invited researchers to examine their data and the specimens. But no one has stepped forward, as if to study their work would be to dignify it.

Until then, said Kathleen Holen, we intend to continue to search for similar sites and hope our findings will inspire future archaeologists to do the same.

Today, Richard Cerutti and his wife live in an apartment in Imperial Beach. His living room is a museum to a lifetime spent as a field paleontologist: a bookshelf covered with rocks that he has knapped, boxes of folders and books  and 33 buckets filled with artifacts.

Were scientists, he said, and we want to know our own history. Who were the first Americans? When did they get here? How did they get here?

Thirteen miles away, a mastodon bearing his name resides in Room 359 of the San Diego Natural History Museum, locked in cabinets kept at 67 degrees. It is the great puzzle of Ceruttis lifetime  and of the New World.

Thomas Kuhn, the scientist-philosopher who wrote The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, said normal science dominates discourse until anomalies arise that normal science can no longer address. The result is a shift in thinking that ushers in a new era of understanding.

Demere and Holen think the study of early man in the New World has reached this point.

Richard Cerutti is betting on it.
After last years presidential election, Saranya Cheapchon panicked.

Born in Thailand, the Irvine mother of two has lived in the United States since she was 4 and has been a legal permanent resident since age 10. Her husband and children are U.S. citizens. But suddenly, she felt a sense of vulnerability.

At that point, I understood that anything could happen, she said. We could be out of the country and, who knows, legal residents could be barred from entry. Especially with children, I couldnt take that risk. Theres such instability for immigrants at this time.

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Cheapchon decided to apply for citizenship, seeing it as the best way to protect herself and her family during politically tumultuous times, she said, citing President Trumps travel ban that bars entry for people from several Muslim-majority countries and restricts the number of refugees allowed into the United States.

I started thinking about the Japanese internment, Cheapchon said of the 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans who were held in concentration camps during World War II, and you think that things cant happen  but really, they can.

Cheapchon was one of 400 Asian-born legal permanent residents who sought citizenship this year through a series of clinics hosted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice Orange County. The effort included 15 workshops offering free legal services and guidance through the citizenship application process in English, Korean, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Khmer, Chinese and Spanish.

Katelyn Ogawa, the Orange County policy coordinator for the civil rights group, said concerns about White House immigration policies were a top issue for clients.

People had felt good enough being legal, permanent residents and green [card] holders; they felt that they were safe, she said. But when Trump lumped them all together [with undocumented immigrants], they felt like they needed to become citizens so that they could never be deported and to give them that extra level of security.

Theres just this heightened fear and this feeling that theyre next.

An estimated 220,000 Orange County residents are eligible for naturalization, according to Advancing Justice, and nearly 30% of them are of Asian origin.

As of Sept. 30, more than 15,000 people in Orange County applied this year for naturalization, according to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Tammy Kim, a co-founder of the Korean American Center, which co-hosted one of Advancing Justices citizenship clinics, said that despite a growing interest in naturalization, language and cost remain barriers for many.

Its very cost-prohibitive, she said, citing the $725 application fee. Not just filing paperwork, but if you dont understand how to navigate through the process, which documents to get  because one slip-up, one missed paper can delay everything  then you opt to hire an attorney who can help you. And all those things start adding up.

The November clinic offered free legal services in English and Korean.

What were trying to do is minimize the obstacles, Kim said.

Edward Park, a music teacher at Irvine Valley College who attended the clinic with his parents and brother, said the on-site attorneys were helpful in navigating the complexities of the application, particularly for his parents, who dont know English that well.

Its not something I could really sit down and figure out on my own, he said.

Tricia Nguyen, chief executive of Southland Integrated Services, said trust is another barrier. When the organization, formerly known as the Vietnamese Community of Orange County, first started holding workshops, attendance was low because the concept was so new. But participation has grown, she said.

We say, We dont know how things are going to change, so lets get your citizenship  its like a safety ticket, Nguyen said.

Fear isnt the only motivation.

Tam Phung, a Fountain Valley resident and Coastline Community College student who attended one clinic, said citizenship for her is about being a better parent: My son is a U.S. citizen so I also want to be a citizen to raise him better.

And after being sworn in as a citizen Sept. 20, Cheapchon said she looks forward to the benefits of citizenship, including a greater sense of security, ease during international travel  and finally being able to cast a ballot.

Im really looking forward to voting in the next election, she said.

Kandil is a contributor to Times Community News.
At first, the fatal police shooting of Luis Morin Jr. appeared to be a tragic, but not unusual, occurrence.

Riverside County sheriffs deputy Oscar Rodriguez told investigators that Morin resisted arrest while being served a warrant for outstanding felony charges. During a struggle, Rodriguez fired a shot into Morins torso as Morins mother watched, aghast. Morin, 39, died outside his Coachella home.

Officials ruled the shooting was justified and cleared Rodriguez of any wrongdoing. But a lawsuit filed by Morins family unearthed a twisted love triangle involving Rodriguez, Morin and the mother of two of Morins kids that called the shooting into question.

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On Friday, prosecutors announced that Rodriguez, 36, had been arrested and charged with murder and the use of a firearm causing death. His ex-girlfriend, Diana Perez, 39, was also taken into custody and charged with accessory to murder.

The indictments capped a three-year investigation and re-opened wounds that are just starting to heal, said Brett A. Greenfield, the attorney for Morins family.

The family has to relive an event that they are dying to forget, he said.

Maria Gomez watched from her driveway Jan. 27, 2014, as Rodriguez ambushed her son in front of their Coachella home. She and Morin were returning from a family birthday party at a nearby steakhouse. She parked the car as Morin walked to the house distracted by his cell phone.

It was dark and neither of them saw Rodriguez hiding behind the bushes. He approached Morin from behind, according to the federal complaint, and kicked him in the knees. The two tussled and Rodriguez was able to pin Morin to the ground. The lawsuit states that Rodriguez did not identify himself as a law enforcement officer.

He pulled out his gun. Gomez yelled Dont hurt him. Rodriguez then pointed the gun at her.

Morin begged, Let go of me, the lawsuit recounts.

Rodriguez pulled the trigger and shot Morin at least once. Morin asked, Why did you shoot me?

Family members and neighbors flooded the lawn and driveway as Morin lay bleeding. Rodriguez pointed his weapon at some of them. Rodriguez waited to call for medical help or did not allow emergency crews to treat Morin in a timely fashion, the lawsuit alleges.

This delay of medical care directly caused the decedent extreme physical and emotional pain and suffering, and was a substantial contributing cause of the decedents death, the lawsuit states.

In September 2014, Greenfield and his partner David Kenner filed the initial complaint alleging Morins civil rights were violated.

It wasnt until the discovery process that they found there was something personal about this shooting, Greenfield said. They were able to connect the dots that Rodriguez and Perez had a romantic relationship.

Rodriguez testified that he had several encounters with Perez. He took Perezs statement on three separate occasion, starting in 2012 when she called police to report that Morin vandalized her home and threatened to 187 her, referring to the California penal code for murder.

The civil suit uncovered dozens of phone calls between Rodriguez and Perez.

When faced with tough questions about his relationship with Perez from Morins family and the county during his deposition for that suit, Rodriguez mostly pleaded the fifth.

Arthur Cunningham, Rodriguezs lawyer, said he had no comment.

Greenfield said he was very surprised that Perez was charged, but he hopes that these charges against Rodriguez will bring some solace to Morins family.

Riverside County settled the civil suit for $6.95 million. Rodriguez resigned from the sheriffs department in March 2016. He is facing up to life in prison. Perez faces up to three years in custody.

Riverside Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin said in a written statement that nobody, not even a sheriffs deputy, is above the law.

When someone violates that trust and abuses his power, that person will be held accountable  just like anyone else, he said.

For more California breaking news, follow @AngelJennings. She can also be reached at angel.jennings@latimes.com.

UPDATES:

6:05 p.m.: This article was updated to include additional details from the lawsuit.

This article was originally published at 12 p.m.
Grand Canyon National Park rangers say remains have been found that are believed to be those of a Los Angeles resident who went missing in June.

The National Park Service announced Thursday that people on a private river rafting trip discovered remains while on a day hike. Rangers found evidence indicating the remains are those of 72-year-old Raafat Ralph Amin Nasser-Eddin.

Nasser-Eddin was reported overdue from a hike on June 12 and matched the description of a person reported to park rangers as being disoriented at a canyon camping area the day before. A days-long search was fruitless.

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The remains were found Wednesday nearly 3 miles from his last known location near Hermit Camp. The Coconino County medical examiner will confirm the identity.
Authorities say an inmate with a skull tattooed on his face who escaped last month from a work crew in central California is back in custody.

The Modesto Bee reports police arrested 27-year-old Corey Hughes on Thursday at a home in Stockton.

Officers set up a perimeter and knocked on the door, but no one answered. Stockton police sent a police dog into the home, and Hughes was apprehended. He was taken to a hospital before being booked into San Joaquin County Jail.

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Hughes was reported missing from a work crew near Interstate 5 in Stockton on Nov. 27.

He had been serving time on a weapons charge and was due to be released in February.
Several months ago, the FBI became interested in the Facebook account of Everitt Aaron Jameson, a 26-year-old Modesto tow truck driver and former Marine.

Acting on tips from an informant, authorities said they saw that Jameson liked and loved pro-Islamic State and pro-terrorism Facebook posts. In the coming weeks, the FBI alleged, Jameson would plot a Christmas suicide terror attack on San Franciscos Pier 39, a popular tourist destination.

He had been there before and knew that it was a heavily crowded area, an FBI affidavit filed Friday said. Jameson explained that he also desired to use explosives, and described a plan in which explosives could tunnel or funnel people into a location where Jameson could inflict casualties.

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Authorities announced terrorism charges against Jameson Friday. His plot comes as Islamic State has called for attacks on Western cities around the Christmas holidays.

The arrest of Jameson highlights a larger concern about the radicalization of U.S. residents by terrorist groups. Jamesons alleged plot comes just weeks after terrorist attacks in New York City.

Authorities alleged in court documents that Jameson told an undercover FBI employee he believed to be a senior Islamic State leader that Pier 39 would be an ideal location for a terrorist attack because it is often crowded with tourists. On Monday, he sent the undercover employee a map and photos of the site, authorities said.

Jameson allegedly sought from the undercover employee an assault rifle, ammunition, powder, tubing, nails, timers and remote detonators  materials that can be made into a pipe bomb. According to the FBI, he said he did not need an escape plan because he was ready to die. He also said he was trained in both the M-16 and AK-47 rifle, the court filing said.

The suspect allegedly told the undercover employee that we need something along the lines of New York or San Bernardino, apparently referring to the Halloween attack in Manhattan when a man crashed a rented pickup truck into cyclists and runners, which killed eight people, and the shooting-related terrorist attack in Southern California in 2015 that left 14 people fatally shot.

FBI agents conducted a search warrant on Wednesday at the suspects Modesto home and found a note signed by Abdallah abu Everitt ibn Gordon al-Amriki, dated Dec. 16, which in part said, I Abdallah [abu] Everitt ibn Gordon have committed these acts upon the Kuffar [non-Muslims], in the name of Dar al Islam [the Muslim world], Allahu Akbar!

Youve Allowed Donald J Trump to give away Al Quds [Jerusalem] to the Jews. Both You and he are wrong, it belongs to the Muslemeen [Muslims], the letter allegedly said. Long Live Isil, Long Live Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The FBI also seized firearms and ammunition from the home.

Jameson completed basic U.S. Marine Corps recruit training in 2009 and earned a sharpshooter rifle qualification, according to the affidavit. He was discharged for failing to disclose a history of asthma.

Jameson came to the attention of the FBI in late September, when a person described as a credible source told the FBI of a suspicious Facebook account whose author published posts supportive of terrorism. Among the posts he liked or loved on Facebook in recent months was an image of Santa Claus standing in New York with dynamite, with a caption saying, ISIS post image of Santa with dynamite threatening attack on New York.

By late October, Jameson allegedly messaged the source that I am here to beg to join the cause against darul kuffar, or the non-Muslim world. He said he became a Muslim two years ago in Merced and said: That is what will make me more useful. I can blend in.

On Saturday, Jameson met with the undercover FBI employee, who purported to report to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a claim that appeared to please him, the affidavit said. Jameson said he was an infantryman and well-versed in a book that discusses the building of improvised explosives, the court document said.

The undercover employee told Jameson to not do anything without his knowledge, adding he needed to get approval from his superiors.

Late Monday night, Jameson told the undercover employee that I  dont think I can do this after all. Ive reconsidered.

After securing a warrant, the FBI conducted a search of Jamesons home Wednesday. Jameson discussed aspects of the plan to carry out an attack, noting he would be happy if an attack was carried out, the affidavit said.

In Modesto Friday, Jamesons father, Gordon Jameson, told KFSN-TV that he was shocked by the charges. He said he sometimes talked to his son about religion and Everitts conversion to the Islamic faith but that he never spoke of violence. Unreal. I really couldnt believe it, he told the station. I am kind of lost right now. That is not how he was raised.

The arrest comes at a time of heightened concern about terrorism on American soil.

Earlier this month, Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old legal permanent resident from Bangladesh, was charged with detonating a pipe bomb in the New York transit system, injuring himself and four others. Authorities said he was radicalized through internet propaganda, and allegedly said, I did it for Islamic State.

Authorities said the deadly Halloween terrorist attack in Manhattan was committed by Sayfullo Saipov, 29, a trucker and Uber driver who legally came to the U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010. Officials said he became radicalized by watching Islamic State videos on his cellphone.

FBI spokeswoman Katherine Zackel said there is no specific and credible threat to the Bay Area at this time.

Jameson was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

San Francisco acting Mayor London Breed said police will be increasing their presence throughout the city as the FBI investigation continues.

Lin reported from San Francisco, Azhar from Los Angeles. Times researcher Scott Wilson contributed to this report.

ron.lin@latimes.com

rubaina.azhar@latimes.com

UPDATES:

4:00 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with more information from the court document.

2:05 p.m.: This article was updated with the charge filed against the suspect.

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from acting Mayor London Breed.

1:15 p.m.: This article was updated with more information about suspect Everitt Aaron Jameson.

This article was originally published at 12:35 p.m.
The Thomas fire on Friday became Californias largest wildfire on record, burning 273,400 acres during its destructive march across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

The fire eclipsed the 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County, which burned 273,246 acres.

The milestone reaffirmed 2017 as the most destructive fire season ever in the state. In October, a series of fires in wine country burned more than 10,000 homes and killed more than 40 people.

Those blazes, along with the Thomas fire, were fueled by dry conditions and intense winds.

Despite its size, the Thomas fire has been less destructive than either the wine-country fires or the Cedar fire, which destroyed 2,820 structures and killed 15 people.

The Thomas fire has claimed just over 1,000 structures since it started on Dec. 4, and San Diego fire engineer Cory Iverson died fighting the blaze last week.

Sources: USGS, Cal Fire, Santa Barbara County (Raoul Ranoa/@latimesgraphics)

The fire earned its place in history after calming winds and even a bit of rain helped firefighters gain the upper hand.

The fire consumed tens of thousands of acres a day in its first week but is now nibbling up vegetation at a relatively slow pace  288 acres on Wednesday, 770 on Thursday.

The Thomas fire broke out in the foothills above Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula on Dec. 4. Fueled by 50-mph winds, the fire swept into downtown Ventura, burning hundreds of homes that first morning.

For the next two weeks, the fire ebbed and flowed with the winds. It swept into the Ojai Valley but spared the resort town. Then it moved up the southern Santa Barbara County coast, where firefighters made a stand in the hills above Montecito.

Despite heavy winds, the fire only destroyed a few homes  and officials said hundreds of others were saved.

The Thomas fire was by far the largest of a series of wildfires in December that destroyed homes in Bel-Air, northern San Diego County and the hills above Sylmar and Lake View Terrace. Officials said powerful Santa Ana winds, coupled with extremely dry conditions and a lack of rain all autumn, set the stage for the firestorm.

Any new growth on the Thomas fire will probably be due to controlled burns by firefighters.

The main fire itself will not have any growth, said Capt. Brandon Vaccaro of the California City Fire Department. Any growth that we see or is reflected in the acreage will be based on the control burns.

Firefighters set the speed of the burn, he said, using bulldozers, fire engines and hand tools. A train of personnel moves along, setting the fire to ensure no fire jumps the control line or gets out of hand, Vaccaro said.

The improving conditions allowed officials to lift many evacuation orders on Thursday.

Cal Fires list of the worst fires in California history dates back to the 1930s (in fact, the Matilija fire of 1932 was Number 6 on the list and also burned through Ventura County).

That list, however, does not include what some consider to be Californias largest known wildfire  the 1889 Santiago Canyon fire, which scorched parts of Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.

UPDATES:

7:05 p.m.: This article was updated with more background.

6:30 p.m.: This article was updated with the Thomas fire becoming Californias largest on record.

11 a.m.: The article was updated with evacuations lifted in some areas.

This article was originally posted at 9 a.m.
March Fong Eu liked to tell constituents that she was born behind a Chinese laundry, and it wasnt far from the truth.

Eus parents ran a hand-wash laundry in Oakdale, a modest town in the San Joaquin Valley where  at the time  a girl of Chinese descent might well have thought twice about dreaming too big.

But Eu climbed the rungs of education, plowed through the high brush of politics and became the first Chinese American to hold a constitutional office in California when she was elected secretary of state, the first woman to hold that office.

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A potent symbol of womanhood and persistence through her life, Eu died Thursday following surgery after falling at her home in Irvine, said Caren Lagomarsino, Eus longtime spokeswoman. She was 95.

She was such an exemplary role model and an encouragement for women to break the glass ceiling, said Lagomarsino, who worked with Eu for 19 years in Sacramento.

Gov. Jerry Brown said he found Eu inspiring. She was a pioneering woman who helped open doors to public service for more women and Asian Americans.

After first serving four terms in the state Assembly from 1966 to 1974, Eu rode into the headlines with her populist campaign to ban pay toilets from public buildings, which she said symbolized the second-class treatment of women who would be left fumbling for pocket change in their purses just to use a bathroom.

She received the highest vote total ever at that time for a statewide politician to become the states chief elections officer and keeper of business and archival records. She was unbeatable in the next four elections.

During her nearly 20-year tenure, Eu instituted voter registration by mail and got federal approval of legislation allowing voters to register at the Department of Motor Vehicles and other state agencies.

Eu technically became the states first female governor  if only for a day  in 1976, when all the other state officials in the line of succession were out of California.

In 1988, midway through her fourth term, Eu sought the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate, hoping to become the first woman to serve as a California senator. However, she withdrew because she did not wish to disclose the financial holdings of her wealthy second husband, Henry Eu, a Singapore businessman.

Four years later, Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer were elected the first two female California senators.

Toward the end of her fifth term as secretary of state, Eu resigned when President Clinton named her ambassador to the Pacific nation of Micronesia, a post she held for two years until 1996.

Though she never again held public office, Eu could not keep away from politics after her ambassadorship. In 1998, she supported a Republican  her adopted son, Matt Fong  in his unsuccessful attempt to unseat Boxer.

Four years later, Eu announced plans to run once again herself  for her old secretary of state job. By then almost 80, Eu said she was prompted to jump back into politics because she was disturbed that California still had punch-card voting equipment like that in Florida, equipment that had caused a constitutional crisis in the 2000 presidential election.

These old systems are time bombs that periodically explode whenever there is a close election, said Eu, whose election slogan was No More Chad. Its time to act in California before we become the next victim.

Eu had a great advantage because of her name recognition, but she lost in the Democratic primary to Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley, who went on to defeat the Republican candidate, Keith Olberg.

Eu, a onetime dental hygienist, served on the Alameda County school board in the 1950s and became interested in politics while serving as president of the American Dental Hygienists Assn. She was elected to the state Assembly in 1966, serving four terms.

Eu quickly made a name for herself by taking up the issue of coin-locked toilets, saying that forcing women to fumble for pocket change was discriminatory.

To make her point, she staged a publicity stunt in 1969 in which she bashed a toilet lock with a sledgehammer (and accidentally smashed the toilet as well).

Though Eu was ridiculed by her male colleagues in the Legislature over the pay-toilet issue, in 1974, the same year that Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a bill banning pay toilets in public buildings, she used the issue in her bid to become secretary of state and received a record 3.4 million votes. Four years later, she topped that by 600,000 votes.

March Fong Eu, former California secretary of state, in 2002. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press )

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Fong was born March 29, 1922, in Oakdale, northeast of Modesto. Her parents operated a laundry there and, after moving to San Francisco, opened a laundry there as well.

Although she was a straight-A student, a high school counselor told her not to count on becoming a scientist as she had hoped because she was Chinese and it was likely nobody would hire her.

Much of my drive is based there, she once said.

She received her bachelors degree in dental hygiene at UC Berkeley, a masters at Mills College and a doctorate in education from Stanford University before running for the state Assembly in 1966.

Eu did not call herself a feminist, but she bristled at restrictions on women. She once staged a protest at an all-male club in Sacramento, first wrangling an invitation to lunch there and then informing television stations to come and watch her be thrown out.

Even if I were chairman of a committee meeting there for luncheon, I would be excluded, an indignant Eu told The Times.

The club later agreed to accept female members.

In 1986, Eu was mugged in her own home while her husband was upstairs, unaware that a burglar had entered their house in gated Fremont Place in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. The burglar beat her with the blunt edge of an ax and dragged her around the house by her hair until she found $300 to give him. The man was later captured and sent to prison.

Eu is survived by a daughter, Suyin. Her son Matt, who was elected state treasurer in 1994, died of cancer in 2011.

Luther is a former Times staff writer. Times staff writers Steve Marble and Liam Dillon contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

2:40 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the cause of March Fong Eus death.

This article was originally published at 1:50 p.m.
In a sharp reproach to the Trump administration, the United Nations overwhelmingly voted Thursday for a resolution meant to condemn the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, ignoring President Trumps last-minute threats to punish countries that voted against Washingtons position.

The General Assembly approved the resolution by a vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions, in an emergency session. The resolution was nonbinding, but it was a powerful signal that the White House and Israel remain deeply isolated on an issue of global concern but one that is popular with Trumps base.

The lopsided vote marked the latest sign of how the Trump administration has roiled world affairs, challenging international efforts to combat climate change, stem human rights abuses and ease the nuclear standoff with North Korea.

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Diplomat after diplomat took the General Assembly podium to say that the status of Jerusalem had to be resolved in final peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, not by fiat from Washington. No other nation, even the few that opposed the resolution, said it would follow the U.S. lead and move its embassy to Jerusalem.

The resolution says any decisions regarding the political status of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void, and should be rescinded. The text does not specifically mention the United States but expresses deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, Trump had warned that he might cut U.S. aid to countries that voted for the resolution.

They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us, he said. Well, we are watching those votes. Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care.

Its not clear if Trump intends to carry out his threat. Veteran diplomats said doing so could alienate allies and reduce Washingtons ability to influence events at the U.N., which tends to support U.S. priorities. The final vote suggests many nations  including such crucial Arab allies as Egypt, Iraq and Jordan  dismissed Trumps talk as bluster, or were willing to risk his ire.

Trumps Dec. 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem and to order the State Department to ultimately move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv upended decades of U.S. policy and international consensus that the divided citys status should be negotiated. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.

Major U.S. allies such as Britain, Germany, France and Japan, as well as Americas key allies in the Muslim world, voted in favor of the resolution, saying they were reaffirming previous Security Council resolutions on Jerusalem dating back to 1967 that are still in force.

Canada and Mexico, both of which are entrenched in negotiations with Washington to reset terms of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, abstained. Australia, one of Americas closest allies, also abstained.

The 35 abstentions, plus 21 countries that did not turn up for the vote, were more than many diplomats had expected, suggesting that Trumps hardball tactics had partly worked. The U.S. Mission to the U.N. issued a statement that sought to downplay the broader setback for Trumps policy.

While the resolution passed, the vote breakdown tells a different story, the statement said. Its clear that many countries prioritized their relationship with the United States over an unproductive attempt to isolate us for a decision that was our sovereign right to make.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump and praised the countries that abstained or didnt show up to vote.

I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theater of the absurd, Netanyahu said on his Facebook account.

Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution, Netanyahu said. Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be.

In a press release, Knesset member Nachman Shai called it a black day for the international community.

Although this decision was adopted by a large majority, it does not change the status quo, he said. Jerusalem is our capital and will remain open to all religions.

In a speech before the vote, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., stressed that Trumps decision on Jerusalem did not prejudge the citys final status in a peace deal or preclude a possible two-state solution.

But she reiterated Trumps tough stance, saying the United States will remember this day.

We will remember it when we are called upon once again to make the worlds largest contribution to the United Nations, she said. And we will remember when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.

America will put our embassy in Jerusalem, she added. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that.

The outcome was not a surprise. A similar resolution passed the U.N. Security Council 14 to 1 earlier this week but was vetoed by the United States. No country has a veto in the 193-member General Assembly.

In a series of tweets, Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, thanked those who voted for the resolution. Despite the threats and scare tactics, the world stood with justice, he wrote.

Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint List, the party coalition that represents most Israeli Arabs, said the vote showed that the international community does not accept Trump and Netanyahus morally bankrupt diplomatic policy.

Some countries that abstained, including Australia, said they disagreed with Trumps decision and condemned unilateral actions on any side. But they said another U.N. resolution would not resolve the dispute.

Canada explained its abstention by saying it considered the resolution one-sided because it did not fully acknowledge the ties to Jerusalem felt by the three major monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Mexico said it was alarmed at the distortions taking place in the peace process and called on the United States to be a mediator in the dispute, and not to take one partys side over the other.

In addition to Israel and the United States, the nations that voted against the resolution were Guatemala and Honduras in Central America, the West African nation of Togo, and the tiny Pacific island states of Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

Wilkinson reported from Washington and special correspondent Tarnopolsky reported from Jerusalem.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
Three years later, Cliven Bundys cattle are still grazing on federal land.

In that time, two of Bundys sons and several supporters have beaten back the federal government in court. Repeatedly.

First, Ammon and Ryan Bundy were found not guilty for their role in a 41-day armed standoff at a wildlife refuge in Oregon in 2016. Then, four of their supporters weathered two trials in Las Vegas this year, resulting in either hung juries or acquittals on charges stemming from the armed standoff at the Bundy ranch three years ago, where they tried to help Cliven Bundy halt federal agents from seizing his cattle.

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And on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro declared a mistrial in the felony case against the Bundy trio in the standoff with federal law enforcement authorities in 2014.

Each of the standoffs  on the surface  appeared to give prosecutors a strong case for convictions.

There were photos and videos of armed Bundy supporters taking superior tactical positions with guns trained on federal law enforcement authorities near his ranch in Bunkerville, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. There was testimony from law enforcement saying they feared for their lives before retreating and releasing the cattle.

Ryan Bundy was quoted as saying he would do whatever it takes to stop the cattle seizure. Militia members traveled hundreds of miles to aid the Bundys in both Oregon and Nevada.

But in three years, the government has largely failed to obtain convictions, apparently because of bad tactics and missteps. Add to that the narrative pushed by the Bundy legal team that possibly swayed some jurors  that the family is pushing back against an unjust and oppressive government.

Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, said the federal government has been screwing up on the Bundy cases in a variety of ways.

He said in Oregon, the prosecution was forced to simultaneously convince a jury that the Bundys and their supporters were dangerous and yet had to explain why they waited 41 days to act  while also letting them get food deliveries and collect their mail.

You dont let dangerous, armed criminals come and go to get their mail and have food delivered, Suckling said. The FBI put the prosecution in an impossible situation.

But with Wednesdays mistrial, he said it appears a series of bad decisions was made by acting U.S. Atty. Steve Myhre. Evidence was intentionally withheld about federal sniper positions outside the Bundy Ranch and surveillance cameras installed by federal authorities on nearby hills.

Navarro called the withholding of evidence by prosecutors willful and it has opened the door for her to declare a mistrial with prejudice as early as Jan. 8  meaning the three Bundys and fellow defendant Ryan Payne couldnt be retried on the felony counts that included threatening a federal officer, carrying and using a firearm and engaging in conspiracy.

The mistrial prompted Justice Department spokesman Ian Prior to issue a statement saying Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions has personally directed that an expert in the Departments discovery obligations be deployed to examine the case and advise as to next steps.

Myhre said in a statement that his office welcomes the assistance of the Attorney General as we continue to evaluate the case in light of the Courts ruling.

But Ian Bartrum, law professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, said its unlikely that a seasoned prosecutor like Myhre needs a refresher course on the rules of discovery.

He said the federal governments failure in the legal arena has also given the Bundys capital and victories in the public and political arenas.

Bartrum said the case may have legally been about Cliven Bundys refusal to pay federal cattle grazing fees since the early 1990s  authorities say he owes $1 million  and the subsequent armed standoff. But to Bundy supporters, the case is bigger than that.

Bundy has offered to pay fees to the state but not the U.S. government. The cattle are just a trigger, Bartrum said. But really its about who has the power to manage and control the land, he said.

Bartrum said the governments failure to disclose evidence plays into the hands of Bundy supporters who have accused the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies of being arrogant bullies that dont trust local ranchers to be good stewards of the land.

BLM officials did not comment, citing the case as pending litigation.

Bret Whipple, Cliven Bundys attorney, said his father was a rancher near Alamo, Nev., but died when he was a young teen after being downwind of atomic bomb testing that took place in Nevada. He said the federal governments use of state land with little regard for local populations has been a constant theme in the Bundys battles.

Weve had to live with this for generations, Whipple said. Then you come back and here we are again with the federal government doing the same with the cattle. They insist on making Nevada a nuclear repository. The issue is about states rights.

Bartrum said that while the federal government can still try the Bundys again in court  presuming Navarro doesnt declare the mistrial with prejudice  each defeat brings with it a stronger claim politically for the Bundys point of view.

Meanwhile, the cattle graze on.

david.montero@latimes.com

Twitter: @davemontero
Ukraine may require biometric visa travel of Russian citizens should biometric control, preliminary travel notice, and border control fail, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said in a program aired by the 1+1 channel on Friday morning.

'First there will be biometrics, then a notice of traveling to our territory, and then the third stage, i.e. control exercised on our territory [...] Should all those three stages fail, we will need a visa travel system but a biometric one," Klimkin said.

The regular visa system aims to suppress illegal immigration but there is no such problem in the case of Russia, he said.

Biometrics of Russian citizens traveling to Ukraine will be taken starting January 1, 2018, and the other two measures will be implemented later, Klimkin said.

Slightly over half of Ukrainians polled by the Rating sociological group (51%) said they did not want a visa travel system with Russia.
The 58 victims killed in the mass shooting at a country music concert on the Las Vegas Strip in October died of gunshot wounds, the Clark County coroner reported Thursday.

According to the coroners list, 18 of the victims died of gunshot wounds to the head and 15 were shot in the back. Four were listed as suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The rest suffered predominantly chest, leg and neck wounds.

Stephen Paddock, the 64-year-old gunman, died by suicide  a gunshot through the mouth, according to Coroner John Fudenberg.

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The massacre on Oct. 1 also left more than 500 others wounded when Paddock opened fire from the window of his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.

More than 22,000 people were at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, where Paddock trained his gunfire.

All of the deaths were ruled homicides.

It was the largest mass shooting in modern American history, and investigators are still trying to piece together a motive.

Since the shooting, more than $22 million has been raised for families of those who died and those who suffered debilitating injuries. The Las Vegas Victims Fund announced this week it was hoping to raise more money for victims and launched a credit card link for donors.

david.montero@latimes.com

Twitter: @davemontero
We dont know what killed P-41, one of the few mountain lions left scratching out a living in the hills and urban mountains of Los Angeles. He was found dead in the Verdugo Mountains in October. But this week we learned that the 10-year-old big cat had rat poison in his system, including an especially toxic version that was outlawed for consumer use in 2014.

If rat poison wasnt what ultimately killed P-41, it very likely helped finish him off. And it wouldnt be the first time rat poison was implicated in the death of a local mountain lion. Two years ago, a 2-year-old female puma known as P-34 died from rat poison exposure, prompting wildlife officials to lament that the existing bans on consumer-grade rat poisons werent working to stop the toxic substances from getting into the food chains and harming animals we dont want to get rid of: foxes, bobcats, owls and other birds of prey, not to mention Fluffy and Fido.

Both the state of California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have restricted consumer sales of second-generation anti-coagulant rat poison because it is particularly dangerous to wildlife. The danger stems from the poisons latency: One dose is enough to kill a rat, but death doesnt come right away. So the rat continues to gobble up so much of the poison-laced food that when it finally keels over, it becomes an intensely toxic snack for the next animal up the food chain. Park officials say most mountain lions found dead in California had rat poison in their bodies, and studies have found other mammals and birds of prey are often exposed. The poison can kill them directly or weaken them so much that they are more likely to die from other causes.

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There are nontoxic ways to control vermin infestations that are just as effective as environmentally destructive poison bait, albeit more time-consuming.

Officials at the states Department of Pesticide Regulation say its still too early to judge the effectiveness of the 2014 ban. They suspect some consumers may still be using the banned poison, either drawing on stores stockpiled before the ban or getting fresh shipments online.

Use of second-generation rat poison is supposed to be restricted to professional pest exterminators and farms, and you wont find it for sale at consumer stores like Home Depot. But you dont have to be a professional to buy a 16-pound pail of Brodifacoum, a highly lethal second-generation anticoagulant, for $80 or so at a do-it-yourself pest control shopping site online.

Officials may ultimately find that the only way stop rat poison from getting into the wildlife food chain is to slap further restrictions on its sale. But the sad reality is that even if this particular class of poisons were banned outright, it would probably be replaced with another with its own unintended effects.

Indeed, that may already be happening. One popular and permissible consumer rat poison is a neurotoxin called Bromethalin (marketed by one company as Bromethalin Bait Chunx  yum!). It may be safer for wildlife, but its worse for house pets that stumble across it and scarf it down; unlike second-generation rat poison, it works quickly, has no antidote and is difficult to detect. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported earlier this year that rodenticides are the most common source of pet poisoning in California and 24 other states, and most often Bromethalin is the culprit.

The only safe poison, of course, is no poison at all. This doesnt mean we have to let the rat population go unchecked; that poses its own, very real health threat. But there are nontoxic ways to control vermin infestations that are just as effective as environmentally destructive poison bait, albeit more time-consuming. They include being vigilant about yard maintenance, sealing up openings in buildings to keep rats from getting inside, and deploying tried-and-true snap traps. It certainly doesnt help to accidentally poison the very animals that prey on rats and help keep their numbers down.

It may be necessary to use poison in some circumstances. But even then it should be left to professionals with a full understanding of the dangers inherent in putting poison into the neighborhood food chain.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Polite fictions are sometimes useful in international relations. For example, we pretend that Taiwan isnt an independent country for fear of triggering a war with China, which claims Taiwan is no more than a breakaway province. But on the whole, its better to deal in fact rather than fantasy. And the fact is that Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since 1949.

At first, the Jewish state only controlled West Jerusalem. But in the 1967 Six-Day War, it gained control of East Jerusalem, too. Initially the United States refused to recognize Jerusalem as the capital because it clung to the fiction that the holy city should be under international control, something that was never true on the ground. After 1967, the United States refused to recognize Jerusalem, because to do so would supposedly prejudice final status talks between Israelis and Palestinians, even though there is no scenario under which Israel would move its capital out of West Jerusalem. The only question is whether the Palestinians will be able to establish a state with a capital in East Jerusalem.

Israel is the only country in the world whose self-proclaimed capital  the place where its seat of government is located  is not widely recognized by the international community. Much as I oppose President Trump on many issues, he got this one right. My only complaint is that this move is more symbolic than substantive.

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If Trump truly wants to help Israel, he will focus more on curbing the Iranian threat.

Contrary to fears that Trumps decision would ignite a new conflict, it has sparked only sporadic protests, some of which featured more journalists than actual demonstrators. This is indicative of another new reality in the region: The Sunni Arab states are far more exercised about Iran than Israel these days, and they see Israel as a de facto ally to stop the spread of a new Persian Empire. Nor, as some critics feared, is Trumps decision going to torpedo an Israeli-Palestinian peace process that was dead on arrival already.

The biggest blowback has come at the United Nations, where the General Assembly has now passed  by a vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions and 21 absences  a resolution demanding that Trump rescind his declaration regarding Jerusalem. Trump and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley mishandled the vote by making clumsy threats to cut off funding to states that voted against the United States.

This is empty bluster. The United States wont cut off aid to countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan because it is not in our interest to do so. And because everyone knows the threats are empty, they backfired: Canada apparently decided to abstain rather than vote no because it didnt want to be seen as an American puppet, while other countries cited the Trump threats as an extra incentive to vote yes.

But lets get real: The United Nations has long had an anti-Israel bias. To take but one example, law professor E.V. Kontorovich notes: Israel is referred to as the Occupying Power 530 times in General Assembly resolutions. Yet in seven major instances of past or present prolonged military occupation  Indonesia in East Timor, Turkey in northern Cyprus, Russia in areas of Georgia, Morocco in Western Sahara, Vietnam in Cambodia, Armenia in areas of Azerbaijan, and Russia in Ukraines Crimea  the number is zero.

The United States has often stood alone, or nearly alone, at the United Nations in supporting Israel. The outlier here is not Trump but President Obama, who last year abstained rather than veto a Security Council resolution condemning Israels West Bank settlements.

Trumps declaration on Jerusalem is a welcome return to a more pro-Israel policy even if he isnt actually moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem anytime soon. The United States already has a large consulate building in Jerusalem; if Trump had so desired, Ambassador David Friedman could have relocated his office there already. But as he does so often, the president opted for symbolism over substance  proclaiming that he was going to move the embassy while signing a waiver from the law that obligates him to do so. He did something similar when he disavowed the Iran nuclear deal without actually scrapping it.

If Trump really wants to do something for Israel, he would do more to contest the Iranian consolidation of power in neighboring Syria, something that presents a far greater threat to Israels security than keeping the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. There are credible reports that Iran is building a military base in Syria, where Iran is well on its way to becoming the dominant force. It is good to hear that, despite Islamic States defeat, the United States is not planning to pull its 2,000 or so troops out of Syria. But what is the U.S. plan to prevent Iranian domination of all of Syria? Those 2,000 troops will be inadequate to the task, and the Trump administration has cut off aid to the anti-Assad rebels, even while the president talks up cooperation with Irans ally, Russia.

Recognizing Jerusalem is the right thing to do. But if Trump truly wants to help Israel, he will focus more on curbing the Iranian threat  something that will be a lot harder to do, and carry greater risks, than simply issuing the kind of incendiary statements that he specializes in.

Max Boot is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a contributing writer to Opinion, and author of the forthcoming The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook.
To the editor: I agree with the general premise of Ariel Dorfmans op-ed article that we inflicted Donald Trumps presidency on ourselves. (America still hasnt reckoned with the election of a reckless con man as president, Opinion, Dec. 17)

But for him to off-handedly assert that there was no lack of culprits to blame and then sweep that aspect of the election process under the carpet oversimplifies many significant factors. For example, Russia used social media to pinpoint with astonishing accuracy the exposure of millions of Americans to fake news in the very areas Dorfman notes some 80,000 voters determined just enough electoral votes to give Trump the win.

Nate Tucker, Costa Mesa

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..

To the editor: Dorfman lectures us that what matters is not what a foreign power did to America, but what America did to itself. He focuses, however, only on the political climate that led to Trumps election.

Look at what America did to itself after the election. Disgruntled voters rejected our method of electing leaders by stating that Trump was not their president. News coverage of the White House almost always has a negative slant, and TV personalities incessantly mock the present administration.

They give members of the American public reasons to despise their government and their fellow citizens who voted for Trump.

No attempt by the Russians to cause voters to lose faith in their government can match what we have done to ourselves.

Bill Gravlin, Rancho Palos Verdes

..

To the editor: Part of the national myth of America is our uniform adherence to democracy. In fact, there have always been some who are skeptical of the democratic process. For them, security is favored over freedom, and demagogues on the right or the left find a home within this bloc.

Distressed and neglected areas of this country have existed for years. What was different this time was the political messaging: Executive actions that would benefit those suffering under existing governance were promised. Conservatives voted for their candidate with reservations, but the added voting bloc of those seeking security was decisive.

When our national policies neglect sections of our citizenry, we create a class of dispossessed people, some of whom do not have faith in democratic processes. We ignore this at our own peril.

Ed Salisbury, Santa Monica

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Nearly 9 million Americans have signed up for health coverage in 2018 through the federal HealthCare.gov website this year, according to an initial report from the Trump administration of the six-week enrollment period that ended last week.

The tally, though incomplete, suggests that enrollment on the HealthCare.gov insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act will nearly equal the 2017 total despite uncertainty in the markets, a shorter enrollment period and steps by the administration that appeared aimed at discouraging people from signing up.

With sign-ups continuing in all or parts of 17 states, including the nations largest, total enrollment may ultimately surpass the 2017 tally.

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The enrollment period on HealthCare.gov was half as long this fall as in previous years, and the Trump administration slashed funds for advertising and outreach. The president also often publicly referred to Obamacare as dead or over.

Obamacare is finished. Its dead. Its gone, Trump declared on the eve of the open enrollment period, which began Nov. 1.

In 2017, more than 12 million people signed up for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, including about 9.2 million through HealthCare.gov.

Through last Friday, more than 8.8 million people had signed up for 2018 coverage through HealthCare.gov, according to the administration.

That includes nearly 2.4 million new customers and 6.4 million returning enrollees, many of whom were automatically re-enrolled.

Its incredible how many people signed up for coverage this year with record-setting demand for affordable health coverage, said Lori Lodes, a spokeswoman for Protect Our Care, a non-governmental advocacy group that stepped in to publicize the marketplaces when the Trump administration slashed outreach efforts.

The demand for affordable coverage speaks volumes  proving, yet again, the staying power of the marketplaces, Lodes said.

Seema Verma, a Trump appointee who heads the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who has been conspicuously silent about the enrollment period this year, announced the tally in a Twitter post Thursday.

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, Verma tweeted.

The marketplaces  a centerpiece of the law commonly called Obamacare  have primarily served low- and moderate-income Americans who dont get health benefits through an employer or a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid.

They have been buffeted all year by uncertainty over their future, with insurers in some areas raising rates steeply or exiting markets altogether.

That has been particularly tough for consumers who make too much to qualify for federal insurance subsidies through the healthcare law.

The law offers subsidies to Americans making between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty line, or between $12,060 and $48,240 a year.

Many insurers also concentrated the rate hikes in certain plans. Because of the complex way the law calculates subsidies, that means many consumers will pay less for coverage in 2018.

Nine of the 17 states where people can still sign up for 2018 coverage  including California, Maryland, Connecticut and New York  operate their own marketplaces and are holding longer enrollment periods. Californias goes until the end of January. Marylands is scheduled to close Friday.

Residents of all or part of eight more states that rely on the federal HealthCare.gov site have until Dec. 31 because the states were affected by extreme weather this fall such as hurricanes.

Among the states affected were Florida, Georgia and Texas, all of which have had substantial enrollment in past years.

Obamacare 101: A primer on key issues in the debate over repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. 

noam.levey@latimes.com

@noamlevey
In an effort to avoid infighting among California Democrats, the state party chairman is asking Sen. Dianne Feinstein and her rival, state Senate leader Kevin de Leon, and the candidates running for governor not to seek an endorsement at the partys spring convention.

I believe it is essential that our statewide candidates conduct their campaigns in a positive manner that does not damage other Democrats and weaken our Party, chairman Eric Bauman wrote in a letter to those major candidates and everyone seeking statewide office.

Bauman, who became chairman this year in a disputed contest himself, argued that time and money spent on an endorsement campaign would be better devoted to reaching out to voters.

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The CDP State Convention is a time when we need Democrats to come together with the goal of electing a Democrat to every seat possible in November, he wrote.

So far, the candidates arent agreeing. There are two premier statewide contests next year  the competitive gubernatorial race to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, and Feinsteins reelection bid, where she faces a challenge by De Leon, who suggests she hasnt been liberal enough in challenging President Trump.

There also are down-ballot races where winning the state party imprimatur and the accompanying resources such as mailers and field staff could have a notable impact in contests where fewer voters know the candidates and the races receive little media attention, notably the lieutenant governor and attorney general contests. For voters without much information, a mailer featuring the Democratic endorsement could be all the persuasion needed to select that candidate.

Follow California politics by signing up for our email newsletter 

A study of California Democratic party endorsements in the 2012 election by researchers from UC San Diego, the University of Denver and the Public Policy Institute of California found an endorsement could buoy a candidates support by seven to 15 points.

What this study does show is that those who receive this one endorsement get a substantial advantage in the primary election, and this is an endorsement worth fighting for, the researchers wrote in 2015. This study also shows that parties are more than just cheerleaders for particular candidates; they can make them or break them.

A 60% vote among delegates at the state party convention in February in San Diego is required to secure an endorsement. Campaigns to court roughly 3,400 state party delegates and win the nod  or block a rival from getting it  can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The last major endorsement battle at convention was between then-Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and then-Rep. Loretta Sanchez in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2016. Harris crushed the race, winning 78.1% of the vote. It was a lucrative investment for her campaign, and the state party spent at least $690,000 backing her in the contest she would go on to win 62%-38% over Sanchez.

In San Diego, the most visible efforts will include swanky cocktail parties, possibly featuring celebrities. Swag  from themed hotel key cards to convention lanyards to campaign signs papering the meeting spaces  will be omnipresent. Campaigns may even pay for delegates registration and travel costs.

Poll points to all-Democrat runoffs in California races for governor and senator 

Gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Treasurer John Chiang have been aggressively courting delegates. Delaine Eastin, another candidate for governor, and Xavier Becerra, the states appointed attorney general who is seeking election to the post, have been holding phone banks where supporters call delegates urging their support. Dave Jones, also a candidate for attorney general, has personally called hundreds. Feinstein sent delegates a mailer and personally greeted them at a small party meeting earlier this year in the Bay Area.

Baumans request has no teeth  state party bylaws allow an endorsement race to occur if a candidate files for it, the state party would have to change its bylaws to block candidates from seeking an endorsement, and there isnt enough time to enact such a rule change before the convention. Bauman said in an interview he is skeptical any candidate will agree to forgo party backing.

I dont expect anyone to stand down, he said. These are all competitors.

Still, he said he was hoping to defuse the tensions that accompany primary fights. The idea, he said, is to carry on a tradition that began under the last party chairman, John Burton.

Cursing like a sailor, John Burton helped steer California into deep blue waters 

There are significant differences: There were fewer notable competitive statewide contests during Burtons tenure, and the former legislative leader had greater standing among state party delegates.

Additionally, Bauman was elected in a bitterly divisive race earlier this year, with nearly half of the delegates supporting his rival. The convention when he won the role was the most fractured in recent memory, with delegates heckling state and national Democratic leaders.

Several campaigns said they had no plans to heed Baumans request.

Every voter deserves a voice, particularly the committed grass-roots members of the party, so well keep asking every voter including every delegate to support the campaign, said Dan Newman, a spokesman for Newsom.

Were going to continue to plan ahead, Bill Carrick, a longtime political advisor to Feinstein, who holds a strong lead over De Leon. Were going to plan on being competitive at the convention.

seema.mehta@latimes.com

For the latest on national and California politics, follow @LATSeema on Twitter.
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
There are no direct threats to the Ukraine-EU visa-free travel regime at the moment, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said in a program aired by the channel 1+1 on Friday morning.

"There are no direct threats today. No one is going to take 'visa-free travel' away from Ukrainians but we should keep our promises," Klimkin said.

The establishment of anti-corruption agencies was a condition of visa-free travel for Ukraine and if any questions are raised concerning the fulfillment of this obligation, they, rather than the visa-free travel system, will be the subject of a political dialogue between Ukraine and the EU, he said.
Schools in the Burbank Unified School District have been doing their best to teach tolerance to students this year.

In November, John Muir Middle School had its first-ever Muir United event, in which classes were halted for one day and guest speakers from various social backgrounds talked with students.

John Burroughs High Schools drama department also addressed tolerance in its production of The Laramie Project that same month. The performance received high marks and was recently chosen as Best Play in the Los Angeles region by the California Educational Theatre Assn.

The students will be performing the play once more at the California Education Theatre Assn. High School Theatre Festival, being held from Jan. 12 through 14 at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga.

The classroom went nuts when I told them that they won, said Guy Myers, drama teacher at John Burroughs. They started laughing, screaming and hugging each other, and they were so full of joy.

The Laramie Project was written in 2000 by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. It chronicles the events after the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student who was attending the University of Wyoming.

Shepard was found tied to a fence on Oct. 6, 1998, in Laramie, Wyo., after being beaten and tortured. He died six days later from his injuries.

Kaufman and his colleagues went to Laramie several weeks after Shepards death and spent about a year interviewing Laramie residents about what would eventually be decreed as a hate crime. A lot of the dialogue from their interviews was incorporated into the play, Myers said.

They took all of the interviews and created a patchwork of all of their words into a theater piece to tell the story, Myers said. The students dont reenact scenes from what happened that night. You just hear people talk about what they think happened, about Matthew and about the perpetrators. In that way, its a very historical and social piece of theater.

Since the drama department puts on three shows each school year, Myers said he wanted to choose at least one play that would be relevant to current events.

After noticing a rise in the number of hate crimes in the country, Myers said The Laramie Project was the perfect play to produce in light of what he said was happening nationwide.

Myers said the students involved with the production were mature and professional about the topic. He added that one of the judges from the California Education Theatre Assn. commented that the John Burroughs production impacted her more than the original play.

Sophomore Ariana Kretz, who portrays LGBT rights activist Romaine Patterson in the play, said she did not want to do a disservice to the original production or the person she was portraying. She added that she hopes people who see the play realize there is more to people than just the labels they put on one another.

This is one of the most important things Ill ever do in my life, Kretz said. It really hits you when youre up there and youre doing your performance. It makes you realize that nothing else matters except loving other people.

To purchase tickets to the California Education Theatre Assn. High School Theatre Festival, visit cetoweb.org/ceta/.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
A Burbank city official gave an overview Tuesday about the pros and cons of implementing a housing regulation in the city, and touched on alternatives, such as relocation allowances and affordability covenants that could be useful for Burbank to deal with its affordable-housing issue, she said.

Simone McFarland, an assistant community development director for the city, said that cities in California are limited in how they can implement rent control within their jurisdictions due to three state laws.

The main legislation is the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which was enacted in 1995 and exempts housing units built after February 1995 from local rent controls. Additionally, the law states that single-family homes and condominiums are exempt from those controls.

Should Burbank decide to have rent control on its books, McFarland said that about 10,416 units, or 46% of the multifamily housing units in the city, could be eligible.

She added that the leases of rent-controlled units can be reset by landlords to any price if existing tenants move out.

Another state law is the Ellis Act, which was passed by the state legislature in 1986 and allows property owners to take their housing units off the market and repurpose them for another use, such as converting them to condominiums, hotels or to be demolished. The law states that if a city has a rent-control ordinance, property owners cannot withdraw their units from the market and bring them back into the market for five years.

Additionally, the Ellis Act allows local agencies to mitigate any adverse impacts on residents who are displaced by their property owners withdrawing housing units from the market.

McFarland said the city of Pasadena does not have rent control, but has a tenant-protection ordinance. Its law requires that a landlord must pay their tenants a relocation allowance if they are at or below 140% of the median income of Los Angeles County if the tenant is required to leave their unit due to demolition, a government order to vacate or permanent removal of the housing unit from the market.

Pasadena established the relocation allowance be equal to two months of fair market rent as established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. Additionally, landlords are required to pay tenants a moving expense allowance of $1,120 for adult households or $3,364 if the household has dependents, or disabled or senior tenants, McFarland said.

Burbank has a similar ordinance on its books, in which the landlord is required to pay a relocation amount of $2,500 for each unit they are converting from an apartment into a condominium. The citys law also requires a 180-day notice of intention to convert to tenants and gives tenants whose building is being converted an exclusive right to purchase the unit, McFarland said.

The final state legislation cities have to be mindful of is AB 1505, which was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 29. The new law, which was a part of a 15-bill housing-reform package, allows for inclusionary housing and lets local agencies require that new housing projects include a specific percentage of affordable units for extremely-low, very-low, low and moderate income households, McFarland said.

She said Burbank has not been meeting its Regional Housing Needs Allocations numbers set by HUD, but has been trying to do so with its Inclusionary Unit Requirement Ordinance. Burbanks law requires that at least 15% of all newly constructed housing units in residential developments be offered to and sold or rented to very-low, low and moderate income households.

Aside from traditional rent control, McFarland said the City Council could pursue affordability covenants with developers, in which a certain number of units in a housing project would be deed-restricted for a given number of years.

The city was recently successful in this venture with approval of the First Street Village mixed-use project, in which 14 deed-restricted micro-units would be affordable to qualifying moderate-income households.

The agreement states that those units would remain affordable to that specific group of renters for 30 years. Additionally, the covenant remains in effect even when the tenant moves out within the 30-year period, McFarland said.

She added that the covenant for the First Street Village project also requires that the starting rent of those units be $3 per square foot and rent increases will be limited to 2% per year during the 30-year term.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
After last years presidential election, Saranya Cheapchon panicked.

Born in Thailand, the Irvine mother of two has lived in the United States since she was 4, and has been a legal, permanent resident since age 10. Her husband and children are U.S. citizens. But suddenly, she felt a new sense of vulnerability.

At that point, I understood that anything could happen, she said. We could be out of the country, and who knows, legal residents could be barred from entry. Especially with children, I couldnt take that risk. Theres such instability for immigrants at this time.

Cheapchon decided to apply for citizenship, seeing it as the best way to protect herself and her family during politically tumultuous times, she said, citing President Trumps travel ban that bars entry for people from several Muslim-majority countries and restricts the number of refugees allowed into the United States.

I started thinking about the Japanese internment, she said of the 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans who were held in concentration camps during World War II, and you think that things cant happen  but really, they can.

Cheapchon was one of 400 Asian-born legal permanent residents who sought citizenship this year through a series of clinics hosted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice Orange County. The effort included 15 workshops offering free legal services and guidance through the citizenship application process in English, Korean, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Khmer, Chinese and Spanish.

Katelyn Ogawa, Orange County policy coordinator for the civil rights group, said concerns about White House immigration policies were a top concern for clients.

People had felt good enough being legal, permanent residents and green [card] holders; they felt that they were safe, she said. But when Trump lumped them all together [with undocumented immigrants], they felt like they needed to become citizens so that they could never be deported, and to give them that extra level of security.

Theres just this heightened fear and this feeling that theyre next.

An estimated 220,000 Orange County residents are eligible for naturalization, according to Advancing Justice, and nearly 30% of them are of Asian origin.

As of Sept. 30, more than 15,000 people in Orange County applied this year for naturalization, according to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Tammy Kim, one of the co-founders of the Korean American Center, which co-hosted one of Advancing Justices citizenship clinics on Nov. 18, said that despite a growing in interest in naturalization, language and cost remain a barrier for many.

Its very cost-prohibitive, she said, citing the $725 application fee. Not just filing paperwork, but if you dont understand how to navigate through the process, which documents to get  because one slip-up, one missed paper can delay everything  then you opt to hire an attorney who can help you, and all those things start adding up.

The November clinic held at Irvines Northwood Community Center offered free legal services, including applying for a reduced application fee, in English and Korean.

What were trying to do is minimize the obstacles, Kim said.

Edward Park, a music teacher at Irvine Valley College who attended the clinic with his parents and brother, said the on-site attorneys were helpful in navigating the complexities of the application, particularly for his parents, who dont know English that well.

Its not something I could really sit down and figure out on my own, he said.

Tricia Nguyen, CEO of Southland Integrated Services, which hosted a citizenship clinic with Advancing Justice in Santa Ana on Dec. 16, said trust is another barrier. When the organization, formerly known as the Vietnamese Community of Orange County, first started holding the workshops, attendance was low because the concept was so new, she said. People think, If I come, Im not going to get in trouble.

As time went on, she saw those attitudes change and participation grow.

In addition to the clinics, Southland hosts weekly citizenship classes that have seen their numbers boom, from about 10 per week to 60, said Nguyen.

We say, We dont know how things are going to change, so lets get your citizenship  its like a safety ticket, she said. Now, because of the fear factor with Trump, everyone started applying.

Fear isnt the only motivation.

Tam Phung, a Fountain Valley resident and Coastline Community College student who attended the December clinic at Southland, said citizenship for her is about being a better parent: My son is a U.S. citizen so I also want to be a citizen to raise him better.

And after being sworn in as a citizen on Sept. 20, Cheapchon, the Irvine mother, said she looks forward to the benefits of citizenship, including a greater sense of security, ease during international travel  and finally being able to cast a ballot.

Im really looking forward to voting in the next election, she said.

Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil is a contributor to Times Community News.
Reliable Hospice, an Anaheim-based company, honored two Huntington Beach residents on Sunday for their service in World War II.

Bernard Questel, an Army sergeant, and John Ippolito, a Marine Corps corporal, were recognized at a pinning ceremony at their caregiver service boardinghouse. They also received flags flown over the U.S. Capitol and special congressional certificates.

Veterans from the American Legion Post 133 were present, as was U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa).

Huntington Beach police help needy children

Huntington Beach Police Department staff assumed the role of Santa Claus for 42 needy children and their families Monday for Shop with a Cop.

The officers were paired with selected students from the Ocean View, Huntington Beach City and Westminster school districts. They got acquainted during breakfast at Woodys Diner before heading to a nearby Target store to shop for presents on the kids Christmas wish lists.

Most of the children selected presents for their parents and siblings, as well, said officer Bobby Frahm.

Its an opportunity for us to help some of the kids who are in need in town and allows the kids to see that police officers are human too and there to help them, Frahm said.

The shopping trip was funded by the Nobles Family Foundation and the Huntington Beach Police and Community Foundation.

Mesa Water passes 1,600 days with no lost-time incidents

The Mesa Water District this week wrapped up a streak of 1,603 consecutive days without an employee having to take time off due to a work-related injury.

Officials attributed the run to a work safety program the district launched in 2012 that included new accountability, education, reinforcement and rewards standards.

With the dedicated efforts of our staff, management team and board members, Mesa Water has avoided accidents and injuries while accomplishing the highest safety performance standards, Mesa Water President Jim Atkinson said in a statement.

Costa Mesa installs new bike sharrows

Costa Mesa city staff recently installed two bike sharrows  green-and-white markings signifying to motorists that bicyclists are allowed to ride in the roadway  on East 19th Street, between Fullerton and Irvine avenues.

The city plans to place sharrows on other local bike route corridors.

Costa Mesa Police Department receives traffic safety grant

The California Office of Traffic Safety recently awarded a $290,000 grant to the Costa Mesa Police Department to fund enforcement and public awareness efforts aimed at preventing traffic-related injuries and deaths.

According to a news release, the grant  which is effective between Oct. 1 of this year and Sept. 30, 2018  will fund activities such as speed, red light, stop sign and distracted driving enforcement; DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols, officer training and additional enforcement at high-collision intersections.

This grant emphasizes the two most effective ways to change behaviors  education and enforcement, said Rhonda Craft, director of the Office of Traffic Safety, in a statement. The Costa Mesa Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Traffic Safety, will use these tools to help keep the streets safe.
In the midst of mounting tension between Huntington Beachs police chief and police unions, city officials announced Thursday that they have hired an independent consultant firm to study operations at the Police Department.

Costa Mesa-based Management Partners started in November, gathering employee perspectives on the departments strengths and limitations. The firm will issue recommendations and is expected to finish in late January or early February.

City Manager Fred Wilson approved the companys $52,900 contract last month.

Management Partners is expected to conduct interviews with department staff, meet with union leaders, circulate a confidential online employee survey and hold focus groups, according to the contract.

City spokeswoman Julie Toledo said the assessment was prompted by the Huntington Beach Police Officers Assn.s (HBPOA) no-confidence vote against Police Chief Robert Handy in August.

This is the first time in recent history that the city has commissioned a review of the Police Department, she added.

The city wanted an independent and objective review of the issues in the Police Department, Toledo wrote in an email. Both the city and the police officers association agreed to using Management Partners as the firm best qualified to conduct this review.

The union, which represents rank-and-file officers, has railed against Handy for his efforts to equip personnel with body cameras, which they contend are costly, place an unnecessary burden on limited police resources and extend the time needed to complete reports.

The officers also have cited low morale, out-of-date technology and recruitment problems.

On Wednesday, the Huntington Beach Police Management Assn., which represents captains and lieutenants, joined with the HBPOA in calling for Handys ouster.

The management association called the relationship between Handy and most department employees beyond repair.

HBPOA President Dave Humphreys on Thursday echoed the call for Handy to step down.

We are not talking about a few disgruntled voices with Chief Handy, he said in a statement. Were talking an entire symphony of opposition from the top down to the way he has lowered the once high standards of the Huntington Beach Police Department. If he cant find it within him to do the right thing and resign, its time the City Council starts nudging him toward the door.

Handy did not respond to a phone call seeking comment Thursday.

Im committed to this community and Im committed to the men and women of this Police Department, Handy said in August after the officers no-confidence vote. There was a perfect storm of issues that led to this, but were going to get through it and learn from it.

Mayor Mike Posey, a majority of the City Council and Wilson have expressed their continued support of Handy. In a joint statement Wednesday, they said his leadership should be celebrated. They pointed to what they called positive changes, such as the body cameras, community-oriented policing and new hires.

He has demonstrated outstanding leadership in accountability, transparency and community engagement during a transformational time in policing and in our department, they wrote.

The unions stated lack of faith in Handy comes as both negotiate new labor contracts.

The officers contract expired in September; the management associations expires Dec. 31.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
With a long white beard, twinkling blue eyes and glasses balanced on the edge of his nose, Jeff Cassidy bears a curious resemblance to Santa Claus.

For the past few years, aside from his job as the shop carpenter for the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, hes naturally taken on the role of Santa during the holidays at the nearby Kidseum, an extension of Bowers.

Cassidy, 60, of Orange also pays visits to the Childrens Hospital of Orange County in Orange, Farmers and Merchants Bank in Orange and Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

For Cassidy, Christmas isnt just a holiday celebrated on a single occasion, its something he carries with him throughout the year and he takes pride in his Santa role.

To see the smiles and joy on the kids and parents faces, this is about bringing simple things back to life, Cassidy said.

He usually starts growing his beard out in April to make sure its the right length, and despite pleas from his wife, Annie, that it makes him look old, Cassidy thinks he may even start earlier next year.

For each appearance, Cassidy wears an $800, tailored Santa suit that he purchased from a specialty store in Hollywood. Since he cant duplicate the flying sleigh due to gravitational requirements, Cassidy rides to gigs on his maroon Honda Shadow motorcycle.

When he walks on the grounds of Bowers Museum, kids and adults flocked to him for photos.

This can be a tough time of year for many people and I think [Cassidy] understands that, said Peter Keller, president of Bowers Museum. He seems to have made it his mission to bring the spirit of Christmas to everyone around him.

Whether its volunteering at our childrens museum, our staff holiday party or at CHOC hospital, he recognizes his ability to bring a smile to the faces of both parents and children.

Cassidy has been working at Bowers Museum for about three years as the primary carpenter, crafting various items needed to support the exhibits. When hes not dressed in Santa garb, hes usually wearing a tool vest speckled with dust.

The proclivity to build can be traced back to his first creation, a wooden Christmas tree that his father displayed on the roof of the Santa Ana home where he grew up.

Cassidy said his love for Christmas has been with him his entire life.

Christmas has always been inside, Cassidy said.

Cassidy is a member of a local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, an association of bearded men who dedicate themselves to the role of Santa. Cassidy said he meets with them once a year at North Woods Inn in La Mirada.

The international agency supplies Hollywood, malls and other organizations with Santas for holiday-related projects.

These Santas take their jobs seriously; some even go to Santa school, Cassidy said, pointing out that hes learned a lot from the old-timers, like keeping extra pairs of white gloves because they tend to get dirty.

Bowers Museum shop carpenter Jeff Cassidy also works as a Santa Claus around the holidays. (Raul Roa / Times OC )

Despite the obvious joy that fuels Cassidys yuletide activities, for most of his life he wrestled with a painful part of his past.

Adopted as an infant and raised by the Cassidy family, he wondered why his birth mother would seemingly abandon him.

I thought through my life that I was unwanted, Cassidy said.

A few years ago, after some serious detective work from Annie, Cassidy was able to connect with his birth mother, Laura Mills.

Cassidy and Annie flew to Pennsylvania where Mills lived to find out why she gave up her child.

He was reluctant to hear why.

I had always been curious but I didnt want to open that box, Cassidy said. It could be a wonderful thing or a bad thing.

Cassidy learned that his mother had been looking for him for 57 years. Shed had multiple children in a short time and had been advised to give a child up for adoption.

It was very healing for me to find out I wasnt rejected my entire life, Cassidy said. Because of other circumstances she couldnt take care of all these kids.

Cassidy said he was blessed to be adopted and raised by a loving family. He believes the pain he carried with him served a greater purpose in shaping his character, providing him with an empathy that comes in handy when talking with children during his Santa appearances.

Last year, an exchange with a young girl particularly resonated with him. Cassidy said he saw himself in the child.

This child came to me and she didnt want anything, Cassidy said. She turned and looked at me and her eyes welled up and she said, I just want to have a happy Christmas.

I gave her a big hug and asked her to explain and she said its just not happy at home. I told her, It starts with you. You wish someone a merry Christmas with a smile and you will get that back. If you look to other people you arent going to get it. People will let you down all the time. But you get back what you give out. If you go there with love, you will get love back.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot
On Wednesday, for the fourth consecutive year, the roughly 400 students attending Cerritos Elementary School were each given a holiday gift bought by employees at Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital.

Before the revelation of hundreds of gifts hidden behind a stage curtain, parents, teachers, hospital staff and members of the Glendale Fire Department watched as the schools principal Perla Chavez-Fritz honored 45 Cerritos students for demonstrating compassion.

Cassie McCarty, director of mission integration at Glendale Memorial, congratulated the students before she drew open the stage curtain and revealed the hundreds of wrapped holiday gifts, followed by prolonged shrieks of excitement from the students.

The hospital does such an amazing job of making this happen, Chavez-Fritz said. The focus today was their generosity, but were so grateful that theyve become part of this quaint family.

For about a decade prior to 2014, hospital employees sponsored a small number of the schools students for a holiday gift until it was decided four years ago by hospital officials that every kid at Cerritos should receive one.

Members of Christina Melkonians sixth-grade class tore through their wrapped gifts and shared with each other a slew of Legos, board games, action figures and dolls.

They love it. A lot of them, they dont have the privilege of getting many presents at home, Melkonian said, referring to the schools Title I status. This is a very nice, exciting and joyful day for them.

Melkonians class president, Kyle Chico, 11, said he loves Legos and board games. Behind his gift wrapping was the Ship of Treasures board game.

Today was like Christmas, he said. Its something maybe youre expecting, but you dont always know what youre going to get.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
Ukraine may open new consulate general in Canada in 2018 - Klimkin

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said that Ukraine may open a new consulate general in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 2018.

"We must develop our presence in Canada, and today we talked about the possibility of opening our joint consulate in Edmonton next year," he said at a joint press conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland in Kyiv on Thursday.

Klimkin noted that it will take several months to complete the preparatory work.

"Ukraine should be present in Canada everywhere, we talked about launching a direct flight," the minister said.
In 2012, recognizing the threats posed by environmental degradation, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed an independent expert to study how countries human rights obligations are connected to promoting a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

John Knox, a law professor at Wake Forest University, was appointed the first special rapporteur on human rights and the environment. His three-year mandate was extended in 2015.

This year, with killings of land activists increasing worldwide, Knox helped launch a web portal, www.environment-rights.org, with information and resources in English and Spanish. In March, at the Human Rights Council, he will present guidelines for states on their obligations to protect environmental rights, including ensuring that people most vulnerable to harm have access to effective remedies.

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ENVIRONMENTAL WARRIORS: Defending the environment has become a suicide mission in many parts of the world 

Knox spoke to The Times about the threats facing environmental defenders. His comments have been edited for length and clarity.

Why is it such a dangerous time for land activists?

There are basically three reasons that come together. One is simply theres greater demand for the natural resources these activists are trying to defend. Many of these countries are pretty rich in natural resources  minerals, lumber, land that can be used for palm oil plantations or other industries.

And that leads to the second factor, which is that many of the groups living in these areas are vulnerable for other reasons. They are rural, they dont have much money, theyre already marginalized in their own countries and dont have a standing in the political debate.

The last is the absence of effective rule of law, either in the country as a whole or in a region. A common denominator is the courts, police and law enforcement mechanisms are ineffective. What I see over and over again is that these murders and other kinds of harassment take place when theres impunity.

Are more activists being killed or is there just more awareness of the issue?

Its hard to know. Personally, I think its likely that it has been going on for a long time, and the numbers in some ways seem to be going up because groups like Global Witness are doing a better job of reporting whats happening.

Part of how you can see that is there are countries that seem to have low numbers of killings, but in large part thats simply the effect of not knowing whats going on in those countries.

You mean like China or Russia?

Im not going to single out any countries, but I do think that in countries that have the highest numbers of killings, theres enough space for civil society to find out and report on it. Thats true of Brazil, the Philippines, some Latin American countries.

Having said that, I agree with Global Witness that there does seem to be an increase in these murders, and other types of harassment, because of increasing demand for resources.

It seems like many of the killings occur in places inhabited by indigenous peoples.

That is what makes the struggle so desperate. Theyre fighting not just for a healthy community but also for their culture and their way of life. Many of the most vulnerable communities are faced with a kind of existential threat: If they give up their ancestral territory, their culture dies.

A woman holds up a poster of a slain environmentalist and indigenous rights activist during a protest march in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. (Fernando Antonio / Associated Press )

What have you learned about impunity rates for environmental murders?

In Global Witness first report, when they went back over 12 years worth of data and over 900 deaths of environmental and land defenders [from 2002 to 2013], there were [10] cases where perpetrators were arrested, tried and convicted. If thats even close to accurate, thats 1%  essentially a green light to allow people to kill environmentalists with impunity.

Whats the link between these killings and corruption?

One reason why governments, especially at the local level, fail to take adequate steps to protect people is that government officials themselves are somehow being paid off or are in collusion with powerful economic interests. Another is that often in these countries, the land defenders are somehow seen as standing in the way of progress, whether it means building this dam or awarding this mining concession.

Thats fundamentally mistaken. The only type of economic development that makes sense is sustainable development, and often these environmentalists are the ones asking whether these projects are truly sustainable. If you dont ask those questions, you end up with projects that down the road will hurt the countries economies. So these defenders, they should be thought of as heroes, rather than obstacles to state interests.

How are governments responding?

There are some promising developments. One is that conceptually, thanks largely to Global Witness and other environmental organizations, like Front Line Defenders, these deaths are increasingly seen as part of a global pattern instead of a series of local events.

Several men who were shot by security guards outside a Guatemalan mine are suing the Canadian mining company, Tahoe Resources, in Canada, where legal protections are stronger. Are you seeing such attempts to take international companies to court?

There have historically been efforts like that, but often they run into legal problems in the corporations home countries. In the U.S., the Supreme Court effectively stopped these efforts by ruling that U.S. statutes are only concerned with activities in the U.S. [in a 2013 case involving Nigerians who tried to sue Royal Dutch Petroleum over killings at a Shell oil plant in Nigeria]. There are lots of hurdles to overcome in bringing cases in home jurisdictions, but we continue to see them brought.

Last year, the International Criminal Court prosecutor issued a statement saying they would be open to considering cases of land grabbing and massive environmental harm as crimes against humanity, and therefore within their jurisdiction. That would be a big development if the ICC started such cases  a real shock to the system in terms of overcoming impunity at the international level.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

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It looms large over the River Thames, with its cubic design and plethora of environmentally friendly features.

The shiny new U.S. Embassy in London  an imposing 12-story structure  is set to open next month.

Years in the planning, the embassy comes with a hefty price tag.

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The budget for the entire project, including site, development, design and construction, cost approximately $1 billion, making it one of the most expensive U.S. embassies ever built.

Compounds in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Baghdad cost more, but those embassies require far more elaborate security operations than London.

Until Jan. 16, Grosvenor Square in the ultra-posh Mayfair neighborhood will remain home to the U.S. mission, its location since 1960, but residents there are unlikely to be sad to see it go.

Since 9/11, it has become a heavily protected compound of its own surrounded by imposing steel fences, concrete barriers and guard boxes amid fears that the building was a terrorist target.

It became impossible to approach on foot without going through an elaborate system of checkpoints, and neighbors said it was a blight on their area, driving down the price of their multi million-dollar properties.

Yet the fact that the embassy is changing location but remains in a city that has been marred by a series of Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks in the past year means that maintaining the buildings security was always a paramount concern.

In 2011, Congress ruled that all U.S. embassies must sit behind a 100-foot seclusion zone in order to protect staff and visitors.

A key element of the brief was therefore to create a building that incorporated security needs into the architecture in a way that was not overt and intrusive, said James Timberlake, partner at the Philadelphia-based architecture firm KieranTimberlake, which won the bid to design the embassy.

So instead of the foreboding perimeter fence that became synonymous with the old embassy, security bollards are now camouflaged by plants and hedges, and a semicircular pond protects the entrance.

The British press has repeatedly dubbed it a moat protecting a fortress but Timberlake was quick to shoot that down.

Moats go all the way around, he explained. The water in this case is only in front of the building, incorporated into a public park, which is publicly accessible.

And, he argues, there is greater significance to the water feature.

If the United States looks across the pond to the U.K., in this particular case the embassy looks across the pond to London, he said. Theres symbolic meaning there. Its part of the symbolism of the special relationship, its very much part of a gift than a defensive mechanism.

The State Department said it proved simply too expensive to renovate the old embassy to the standards required so the new location was chosen, in part, because it was a blank canvas.

Situated in a former industrial zone surrounding the iconic Battersea Power Station, old warehouses have been bulldozed to make way for a new hub with residences, shops, a hotel and park space.

The London Underground line is also being extended to accommodate the extra traffic.

And it is an area already accustomed to a heightened police presence  British intelligence headquarters MI6 is a short walk away in Vauxhall.

The project has been financed without taxpayer money, thanks to the sale of other U.S. government properties in London, including the Grosvenor Square embassy site, which was bought by the Qatari royal family to be turned into a luxury hotel.

The result is a building that attains the highest environmental standards  it goes beyond the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold excellence ratings  and comes complete with solar panels, rainwater retention and daylight-responsive lighting.

Inside, flexible, open working spaces have sweeping views across the river toward the Houses of Parliament.

During a recent press viewing of the new digs, Ambassador William Moser said he was looking forward to welcoming President Trump to the building when he can make it, but it was unclear when that would be.

Prime Minister Theresa May invited Trump to Britain for a state visit hosted by Queen Elizabeth II shortly after his inauguration last year.

But planning has ground to a halt after a series of spats between Trump and British elected officials, including May, threats by the public to protest the visit and calls from lawmakers for him to be banned from the country.

The architects hope that it will become a much-admired city icon for generations to come.

If you consider the building to be a modest amount of Washington, D.C., in London, its Potomac on the Thames, said Timberlake. I think this building will hold up in second glances and third glances. People will look back in 60 or even 100 years from now and say this is a spectacular building.

Boyle is a special correspondent.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday rejected an invitation to meet with Catalonias pro-independence former president, saying he would instead welcome dialogue with a new regional government in light of Thursdays snap election results.

Rajoy, who in October called for the election in hopes of quelling a secession drive, saw voters give three pro-independence parties a 70-seat majority in the 135-member regional parliament.

The anti-independence party Ciudadanos, or Citizens, gained the most seats of any individual party with 37, but fell far short of the 68 needed for a majority.

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Rajoy, while declining to meet with former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont, said he should meet with Ciudadanos party leader Ines Arrimadas, a sign of the ongoing rancor between the unity and independence sides.

The person I need to sit down with is the person who won the election, and thats Arrimadas, he said during a news conference in Madrid.

Rajoy congratulated Ciudadanos on gaining the plurality of seats in parliament.

The negative thing about these results, from my point of view, is that those of us who wanted change havent won enough seats to achieve that, Rajoy said. It is evident that the rupture the radicalization has generated in Catalan society is very big.

He said he was willing to hold dialogue with the government that forms in the region as long as it acted within the law. Spains constitution does not allow unilateral secession of the countrys 17 regions.

Rajoys Partido Popular, or Peoples Party, was dealt a significant blow in the Catalonia election. The party lost eight seats in the regional parliament and is represented in only three out of four provinces, making the governing party of Spain a negligible force in Catalonia and undermining Rajoys credibility in negotiating with the regions leaders.

The election gave separatist parties the most votes overall with Together for Catalonia gaining 34 seats, Republican Left, 32, and Popular Unity Candidacy, four, for a total of 70. Whether the parties can form a coalition to govern remains unclear.

Catalonia, which has a population of about 7.5 million, like other regions has local powers to set policy for education, healthcare and some other services, but relies on the central government for tax collection.

Though independentistas saw success in Thursdays vote, many questions remain, including: Who will lead the next Catalan government and how will the government pursue independence?

The two main candidates for Catalonias presidency are currently unable to accept their parliament seats, as one is imprisoned and the other faces possible arrest.

Oriol Junqueras, leader of separatist group Esquerra Republicana, or Republican Left, is in jail outside Madrid while being investigated for rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

Puigdemont, whose party Junts Per Catalunya, or Together for Catalonia, won the majority of separatist seats, has been in self-imposed exile in Brussels since October. He faces possible detention if he were to return to Spain.

What is going to happen? said Barcelona politics professor Marina Diaz-Cristobal. Frankly, I dont think anyone knows at this point.

Catalonias independence movement has triggered Spains most serious political crisis since its return to democracy after the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975.

Catalonia has its own language and culture, which were repressed under Franco. It has become Spains most prosperous region, accounting for about 20% of the countrys economy and more than a quarter of Spanish exports. Barcelona, the regions capital, is one of Europes biggest tourist hubs.

Many Catalans have said they resent having their taxes subsidize poorer parts of Spain, especially considering the country has recently emerged from an economic crisis.

An October referendum on independence, deemed illegal by the central government in Madrid, swung in favor of secession but saw a turnout of less than half of eligible voters.

Rajoy responded to the regional governments unilateral declaration of independence later that month by removing all members of the Catalan parliament and calling regional elections, hoping to quell separatism. His gamble was dealt a significant blow Thursday.

While separatists celebrated the victory as an affirmation of their independence project, the election results confirmed the deep divisions among the regions citizens over secession or unity with the central government.

Jose Fernandez-Albertos, a political scientist at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifica in Madrid, said the stand-off between pro- and anti-independence factions has made compromise nearly impossible.

The distance between the two blocs is huge and that has made some extreme candidates from both sides viable, he said. Everyone perceived as being compromising with the other group is electorally unpopular.

To form a government, separatists need to combine their seats and select a president. Leaders from the smallest and most extreme of the three groups, Candidatura dUnitat Popular, or Popular Unity Candidacy, said they will only join a coalition if it promises to build a Catalonian republic

Rajoy could dissolve parliament again if Catalonias government pursued another unilateral independence declaration, and the central government in Madrid has opposed authorizing a referendum on independence.

Jaume Pi, politics editor of the Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia, said it would be unwise for the Catalonia parliament to hold another unauthorized referendum. The October referendum came at a strong emotional cost to the Catalonian public, he said.

There has been an emotional change in the electorate, Pi said. It was a longer and harder autumn than we can remember in years, since before the transition to democracy.

Bernhard is a special correspondent.
Wind generated from a helicopter blows in the direction of Ranger Mbolihumdole Uwele after being dropped just outside the Bagunda outpost in Garamba National Park. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times) (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times ) Wind generated from a helicopter blows in the direction of Ranger Mbolihumdole Uwele after being dropped just outside the Bagunda outpost in Garamba National Park. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times) (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times )

Kambale Mate huddled beneath a tangle of grass, looking up at bright stars in a moonless sky, a tumble of chaotic events cascading through his mind.

Where were the other wildlife rangers, Jean de Dieu Matongo and Joel Meriko Ari? Were they alive?

He had been a ranger for only five months at Garamba National Park, the last remaining preserve for disappearing populations of elephants and giraffes in this part of Africa. Yet here he was with two comrades, hiding like small, petrified mammals in the grass. If any of them moved, a large band of poachers nearby could find and kill them.

A hassock of grass cradled his back as he looked up. He couldnt remember quite how he had escaped the shrieking storm of bullets. What he remembered was the crunch of the crisp, dry leaves as boot steps crept through the dusk.

The world is experiencing an epidemic of environmental killings. Last year 200 environmental defenders  citizens protesting mining, agribusiness, oil and gas development and logging, as well as land rights activists and wildlife rangers  were killed, according to the London-based nonprofit Global Witness. In the first 11 months of this year, the number was 170.

ENVIRONMENTAL WARRIORS: Defending the environment has become a suicide mission in many parts of the world 

The reasons are many: corruption; rising global demand for natural resources; companies growing willingness to exploit new areas; and a dearth of accountability, as governments and corporations increasingly work together on resource development agendas.

Weve seen impunity breeding more violence, said Billy Kyte, a Global Witness official. Those carrying out those attacks know they can get away with it. Were seeing more brazen attacks than before.

(Los Angeles Times)

Total attacks have doubled from what they were five years ago, and they have been spreading. In 2015, Global Witness recorded killings in 16 countries. Last year, it was 24.

Latin America, in the midst of a boom in resource extraction as billions of dollars in new investments stream in from China and elsewhere, was the deadliest region  110 were killed through the end of November, with the heaviest toll, 44 dead, in Brazil.

A Sunday service is held at a church in Nagero, home to the Garamba National Park headquarters. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)

But few places in the world are as consistently dangerous for environmental defenders as Africas wildlife preserves. In Garamba National Park, a sprawling UNESCO World Heritage site in a remote corner of northeastern Congo, some of the planets last, struggling populations of elephants, white rhinoceroses and giraffes are under assault by poachers seeking to cash in on the millions of dollars the animals can bring in illegal international markets.

Of the 105 park rangers around the world killed over the 12 months that ended in July, most of them were in Africa, according to the nonprofit International Ranger Federation. Garamba saw 21 attacks within a year, leading to five deaths.

Rangers keep tabs on seized ivory, left, at Garamba National Park headquarters in Congo. At the park's Bagunda outpost, rangers check out a fire in the distance. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)

The 1,900-square-mile Garamba park lies at the crossroads of international chaos. Raiders from Sudan and Chad sweep south along a route used centuries ago to traffic slaves and ivory. Soldiers, deserters and armed rebels spill into the park from South Sudan on the other side of the border. An estimated 150 fighters with the Lords Resistance Army, which has left a trail of death, mutilation, child sex slavery and kidnapping across a broad swath of central Africa, are believed to roam the hunting preserves bordering the park.

Its the Wild West here, said Naftali Honig, the parks anti-poaching information coordinator. Theyre coming in from multiple countries and armed groups. We have a porous border and corrupt officials who are in the ivory chain. We also have collapsed states.

Garamba National Park is jointly managed by the Congolese government and African Parks, a nongovernmental organization based in South Africa that teams up with governments to manage 12 of the continents most vulnerable national parks, covering more than 7 million acres.

Erik Mararv, operations director of Garamba National Park, on a tour of the park. He was shot in the leg during an ambush that left three rangers dead in April 2016. Weapons and ammunition, right, are kept in the armory at park headquarters. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)

Days before the April 11 attack that forced Kambale Mate to hide overnight in the grass, African Parks pilot Frank Molteno had spotted five dead elephants from the air, including two youngsters. When Honig investigated the site he was sickened to find the tiny tusks of the young elephants taken.

The adults had their faces hacked off. Theres almost no ivory in the juveniles. They would have just killed them for nothing, said Honig.

There were multiple gunmen, from the evidence, and they were not finished. Searching from the air days later, Molteno spotted a fire site. Mate, 24, went out as part of a team of six patrollers, accompanied by four Congolese soldiers.

Plowing through thick elephant grass on the first day of the mission, Mate said, he felt calm and fearless.

I said to myself, Put everything in Gods hands.

Clockwise from top left: Rangers walk through tall grass during a reconnaisance patrol near the Bagunda outpost in Garamba National Park. Endangered Species Protection Agency trainers speak to a group of rangers during weapons training. Their training includes exercises in a classroom and physical workouts. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)

It took nearly five hours to find the poachers camp. The intruders had gone, but they had left traces. About a dozen men had slept there.

The next day, the patrol set off in heavy rain. At midday, the team members set up camp, cooking fish and cassava bread. Molteno did a flyover in the late afternoon and spotted two men close to a large herd of elephants.

At 3:05 p.m., the team on the ground heard shots a couple of hundred yards away. Matongo tried to call headquarters, but the storm had knocked out a repeater; the radio was dead.

He left three men at the base camp, including ranger Tasile Mambo, and moved with a team of four rangers and two soldiers toward the sound of the shots. Suddenly an elephant trumpeted in terror, probably hit. Matongo knew his men had a chance to catch the poachers, but the trees were dense and there was no clear view.

By late afternoon, they had stopped and one man climbed a tree to take a look. About 200 yards ahead he saw an elephant bleeding and still trumpeting. Four other elephants waited nearby. The cries of the wounded elephant  still on its feet  were wrenching.

I felt terrible because I didnt know what would happen to that elephant. Would it die and the poachers get its tusks? said Matongo.

The way it was trumpeting and walking. It was an awful feeling, Mate recalled.

Darkness was fast approaching, and the rangers crept carefully crept toward the chopping sound of a machete. Mate was fourth in the file. Ari brought up the rear. It was 6:05 p.m.

The leaves crunching under their feet gave them away.

Shots exploded from the forest ahead. Half a minute later, another burst of AK-47 fire.

The rangers scattered. Matongo saw Ari and a Congolese army sergeant fall, apparently hit. He dashed back to the base camp.

Mate flung himself to the ground and fired in the direction of the enemy.

I was thinking, Am I going to get out of here alive? Will I survive, or will I just be left behind and die here? I said to myself, Its only God who can save us from here.

After exchanging fire with the poachers, Mate crawled away through the scrub and eventually got to his feet and ran.

Someone was following him and he ran faster. But then he heard the pursuers call out to him  using the rangers password. He turned back to see two other rangers, Woya Miribe and Tandema Kalome. They could still hear shooting, so they walked a little farther, then crawled into the grass and hid.

We spent the whole night not knowing where anyone else was, Mate said. Later, returning to base camp, they were reunited with Matongo.

The rangers reported the attack by text message to headquarters. A helicopter was dispatched to recover the survivors and the bodies of Ari and Gerome Bolimola Afokao.

The poachers had vanished but left small leather talismans containing Koranic prayers, according to Honig, suggesting the poachers were from a northern country, probably Sudan.

Four elephants and two men trying to protect them were killed that night. The sound of the machete, the rangers realized, had been the poachers hacking off tusks. Interrupted by the rangers, the gang escaped with the tusks of one elephant.

Ari and Afokao left 11 children behind. Mate had been close to Ari, who was training him to be a patrol signaler and operate the technical equipment.

Sometimes when I look at his picture, I wonder, Is he really dead? Is it real? Mate said. But this could not discourage me. Before I took this job, I knew that poachers are bad people. I knew the risks.

(Los Angeles Times)

It was the second deadly attack on rangers in the park in a year. The previous April, Garambas operations director, Erik Mararv, and four rangers were shot as they investigated reports of a group of elephant carcasses and poachers.

One ranger, Dieudonne Tsago Matikuli, died at the scene. The others were airlifted to a U.S. military outpost in South Sudan for emergency treatment. Anuarite Moyaka, 23, was at the parks airstrip as her husband, one of the wounded rangers, waited for the airlift. He had been shot just under the ribs.

He said he was in a lot of pain, she recalled. I was just crying. He tried to calm me down saying, Dont worry, dont worry.

Two days later, she was told that both her husband and another ranger had died of their wounds.

After the three rangers died, the park hired ex-British army trainers with experience in Afghanistan to improve rangers skills. New AK-47s were bought this year to replace aging weapons.

We are far from being military, but being professional means looking after the resources you have and maximizing the resources you have, said John Barrett, the parks general manager. The rangers are at the forefront.

The contingent of rangers at Garamba tries hard to balance the importance of the work with the danger. Its not always easy.

Innocent Abiba Angado, 32, a former teacher with a university degree in biodiversity and ecology, worked for nine months as a gate guard before a ranger vacancy came up in 2015.

From boyhood, my dream was to become a ranger, he said recently. I did not fear any danger. I was very excited and motivated.

His memories of his first patrol last summer were positive: the rich forest and the menagerie of animals.

On his second patrol, he had climbed a tree to get a radio signal when poachers opened fire. He scrambled to safety, grabbed his gun and opened fire. Two of the 13 poachers were killed, but the head of Angados seven-man unit decided to retreat. Angado says he was shaking and afraid.

Several men dropped out of the ranger corps after the attack, and Angado considered giving up. He called his mother for advice and she urged him to continue, promising to pray for him.

It gave me new force and energy to continue with my work, he said.

The other thing that keeps Angado going is being able to witness the majesty of the animals. There are moments on patrol when you see things you have never seen in your life, he said.

When I see elephants take a bath, and they take water in their trunks and spray it over themselves, it makes me happy, he said. When they want to make the mangoes fall from a tree, it makes me joyful because I can see how strong they are.

Another ranger, Kasereka Kisuki, a father of four, says he hopes his work will help save elephants, giraffes and other animals for generations to come. When he sees a large herd of elephants grazing peacefully, he said, then I know the job I am doing is a worthy job.

As Mate puts it, protecting the animals is a personal calling. Its something that is inside you.

Lead photo: Wind generated from a helicopter blows in the direction of Ranger Mbolihumdole Uwele after being dropped just outside the Bagunda outpost in Garamba National Park. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)

This story was reported with a grant from the United Nations Foundation.

Times staff writer Jonathan Kaiman in Beijing contributed to this report.

robyn.dixon@latimes.com

Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT

For the Record: This article referred to the presence of white rhinoceros in Garamba National Park. The northern white rhinoceros, considered critically endangered, is no longer found in the park. There are only three such animals left, living in captivity in Kenya.

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Ukraine's exports to Canada in 2017 up by 76%, and imports by 93% - Klimkin

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said that Ukraine's exports to Canada grew by 76%, and imports from Canada by 93% in 2017.

"This year alone our exports to Canada grew by 76%, and imports from Canada by 93%, almost two-fold from last year," he said at a joint press conference with Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland in Kyiv on Thursday.

Klimkin noted large potential of growth of mutual trade between the countries.

According to him, the agreement on a free trade area between the countries can be expanded to cover services and investments.
Russia may return to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) if provocational actions by Kyiv against the Russian military stop, Russian presidential press officer Dmitry Peskov said.

"The issue was indeed discussed yesterday in a phone conversation between Putin and Merkel. Like we said after the conversation, Putin said we may consider such a possibility if we can have guaranteed understanding that the provocational actions by Kyiv on our military will stop and that they will be able to and will have conditions for fulfilling their functions," Peskov said, responding to a question on what conditions Russia is ready to return to the JCCC.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's proposal to include in the JCCC French and German officers "is subject to everyone's approval," he said.
A $1 million state grant will help fund a new parking deck in South Bethlehem, and an additional $500,000 will help pay for a bridge to get to the deck, according to a news release.

The 585-space, seven-story parking garage is slated for Third and Polk streets.

The bridge is proposed to connect the Fowler Family Southside Center to the Polk Street parking deck. Northampton Community College would build the bridge, according to the news release from state Sen. Lisa Boscola.

"These funds will be used for key land development, infrastructure work, building development and parking improvements," Boscola said. "I will continue to seek state support for local efforts that spur economic development, investment and create jobs."

Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez said in a statement that the project is critically important to the development and revitalization of the South Side's Third Street corridor.

"It will help serve the needs of Northampton Community College, Peron Development, ArtsQuest, the National Museum of Industrial History, the Charter School for the Performing Arts and future retail and residential development," he said.

An additional $500,000 will cover the cost of a new Freemansburg municipal complex. The borough's current facility is more than 40 years old.

The new structure will house the borough's fire trucks, police cars and snow removal equipment. Computer and communication equipment will be upgraded.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Neighbor Doug Wallace says he had to take cover from gunfire before a standoff between the gunman and police on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, at a home on Dennis Street in Bethlehem Township.

Doug Wallace was watching TV when he heard a pop, pop, pop.

The 70-year-old looked out the window of his Bethlehem Township home and didn't see anything, but then, he said, his neighbor called to say a woman was lying in a front yard across the street.

Wallace said he went over to check on her -- she was about 10 feet from the front door.

"She laid there dead," he said.

Bethlehem Township Police Chief Dan Pancoast could only confirm that the woman was not moving -- police have not been safely able to get to her.

A woman across Dennis Street yelled that everyone needed to get back inside, so Wallace turned to head home.

A police officer soon arrived and went to lend aid to the woman when someone in the house "opens up on him" with what appeared to be automatic weapon rounds, Wallace said.

"I dove under the pickup" across the street, he said, working his way to the far side of the vehicle, where he sat. The officer took up a defensive position in the street.

An armored vehicle arrived and the shots began again, slamming into the windshield of the Bearcat, Wallace said.

The armored vehicle pulled between Wallace and the shooter, and Wallace jumped inside, landing on three police officers, he said. They yelled for him to stay down as another round of gunfire rang out, Wallace said.

The Bearcat also picked up the police officer, said Pancoast, who confirmed Wallace's recollection of events.

Authorities remained in a standoff Friday evening that started about 1:30 p.m. with a person believed to be armed with an automatic weapon inside the home, Pancoast said.

Residents in the area of Dennis and Second streets were told to shelter in place as the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team arrived and assessed the situation, the chief said.

At least three armored vehicles and an armored bulldozer moved up Dennis Street at one time or another.

Wallace said the woman who was on the ground appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound to her back shoulder area.

So far no one else appears to have been injured, the chief said.

Wallace did not know where the shots were coming from in the house, although he was later told it was a basement window. He only heard bullets whizzing by.

"I didn't look," he said. "I just dove."

Wallace said he has served in the military, but never has never been fired upon at such close range.

Pancoast said that schools were notified of the situation, and students heading to that area after school had to find alternate ways home.

Other neighbors and a lehighvalleylive.com reporter said they heard some of the gunshots.

Michael Best, 32, and Jennifer Gentry, 43, said they heard both an automatic weapon and small arms fire.

"It's a quiet neighborhood," Gentry said. "I was like, what on earth is going on? This is crazy. Absolutely crazy."

Barry Lorah, 71, was working on his car when the first shots rang out. In his 40 years living in the neighborhood, he said he has never seen anything like this.

"All of a sudden I heard a pop. (Police) were telling me to get inside, to stay in the house," Lorah said. "There goes the neighborhood."

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Bethlehem police asked Thursday for the public's help in tracking down a male perpetrator in an indecent exposure incident.

It occurred Wednesday afternoon in the area of 11th and Prospect avenues in West Bethlehem, according to police.

The perpetrator allegedly exposed himself to a female teenager.

Police released a photo said to show the exposer and asked anyone with information to call detectives at 610-865-7187.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Neighbor finds wounded woman, gets pinned by gunfire

Bethlehem Township officers report they were met with gunfire Friday afternoon as they responded to a service call about 1:30 p.m., the township's police chief said.

A lehighvalleylive.com reporter at the scene reported hearing more gunfire about 2:45 p.m., with more bursts following.

No injuries were initially reported in the shooting that started a standoff on Dennis Street, Chief Dan Pancoast said. Pennsylvania State Police have been asked to assist.

The neighborhood is on lockdown. Township police on Facebook asked residents in the area of 2nd and Dennis Streets to shelter in place. However nearby Freemansburg Avenue was still open to traffic, Pancoast said about 2:30 p.m.

Pancoast said that schools were notified of the situation, and students going to that area will have to find alternate ways home.

The nature of the initial call that brought police was not immediately clear.

Barry Lorah, 71, was working on his car when the gunfire rang out. In his 40 years living in the neighborhood, he said he has never seen anything like this.

"All of a sudden I heard a pop. (Police) were telling me to get inside, to stay in the house," Lorah said. "There goes the neighborhood."

Lehighvalleylive.com staff writer Tony Rhodin contributed to this report.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: 3-year-old who died after crash is identified

A 3-year-old boy was fatally injured in a two-vehicle crash Thursday morning in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania State Police said.

The boy was in a child safety seat in a 2013 Kia Soul driven by Jennifer L. Gerczak, 26, of Breinigsville in Upper Macungie Township, according to police.

Authorities did not immediately release the victim's name, but said he was also from Breinigsville.

The crash occurred at 11:27 a.m. on Kernsville Road in North Whitehall Township.

Gerczak suffered a suspected serious injury. The driver of the other vehicle, 56-year-old Marianne Kostenbader, of Easton, was also injured, but police could not immediately say how severely. She was driving a 2014 Ford Edge, police said.

All three people involved in the crash were taken by Northern Valley ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township.

Police were continuing to investigate how the crash occurred, but indicated Gerczak was driving too fast.

Authorities closed Kernsville Road from Route 100 in Lowhill Township east to beyond the crash site as they investigated.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Ukraine in the process of reforming the healthcare system should not apply principles denied in Europe, in particular, the principle of "money follows the patient" and reviewing medicine prices, Director General Interchem double liability company (Odesa) Anatoliy Reder has said.

"These are the two trends that most brightly sounding today in our country, and from which the world community, having already passed these paths, refuses, having decided that there must be something wrong in them," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

Reder said that in the opinion of a number of international experts, price reviewing leads to the depletion of cheap drugs from the market, payment for medical services "actively expands the price lists of medical institutions and the healthcare system is diluted.

At the same time, he pointed out the recommendations of the European generic organization "The Medicines for Europe," which recommended raising the state's attention to the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

"In Brussels, I talked with representatives of The Medicines for Europe. One of the officials warned that in three to four years Ukraine would become attractive for investment and purchase of pharmaceutical assets would start with the purpose of shutting them down, so our state and government should be extremely cautious about these processes in order to be able to control the social orientation in the pharmaceutical sector as much as possible. Otherwise, this opportunity would simply sail away during several years," he said.

"The state should impose its limitations, its cautious framework so that the pharmaceutical market does not lose the decisive share of local production, which is extremely important for maintaining the social stability of the entire state," the Interchem director said.

Interchem is one of the leading Ukrainian producers of medicines and pharmaceutical substances. It is a member of the Association of Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine.

The Medicines for Europe was founded in 1993.

The Association of Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine joined the Medicines for Europe in spring 2017.
UPDATE: 3-year-old in car crash died of head injuries, coroner says

An autopsy will be performed Friday to determine why a 3-year-old died Thursday afternoon following a two-vehicle crash an hour earlier in North Whitehall Township, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office reports.

Micah Gianotti, of Upper Macungie Township, was pronounced dead at 12:21 p.m. at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township after a crash about 11:20 a.m. in the 5400 block of Kernsville Road, the coroner's office said.

The child was in a safety seat in a 2013 Kia Soul driven by his mother Jennifer L. Gerczak, 26, of Upper Macungie, authorities said.

Fifty-six-year-old Marianne Kostenbader, of Easton, was driving the other vehicle, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Kostenbader and Gerczak were injured in the crash and also taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital, police said.

While the crash remained under investigation, police indicated Gerczak was driving too fast, police said.

The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office is assisting in the probe, police said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Emer McLysaght from Kill is the co-author of 2017 best-selling novel 'Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling'. Sarah Peppard caught up with her to chat Kildare life

Emer is the daugher of the late Leslie, and Alice. She has two older siblings, Conor and Neil. Emer and her writing partner, Sarah Breen from Carlow, have recently signed a deal for an 'Aisling' sequel, to be released next autumn.

DID YOU LIKE GROWING UP IN KILDARE?

I grew up in the countryside outside of Kill, and in terms of the location it was brilliant because it was a really happy, outdoorsy childhood. There was loads of fields, and lanes and hills and little wooded areas and wildlife so it was really great.

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST KILDARE MEMORY?

I had a friend Laura who lived up the road, and she and I in the summer used to just go out on our bikes and we used to take picnics up the fields, and go and find a stream. And I remember one time my mam had two cans of Club Orange, it was unusual to have a treat like that, and she gave them to us to bring on our picnic. We went on a big cycle, found a stream and put the cans into the water to keep them cold, and I just have such a clear memory of that.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL DAY OUT IN THE COUNTY?

When I was younger, I used to always do a big shop with my mam and go into Naas, and when Superquinn was open that was like our big tradition. We used to go every Saturday, so I still love doing a big shop with mam.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT KILDARE?

Now that Im older, its that its so close to Dublin and its easy to go home and its easy to visit mam.

DID YOU TAKE ANY INSPIRATION FROM THE COUNTY FOR THE BOOK?

Theres definitely elements of both Sarah and Is childhood in it, she grew up in a very small village in Carlow. And obviously I used to get the bus up to Dublin for college, and you spend your life going up that Naas road on the M7, so theres definitely a lot of references in there.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO EAT OUT IN KILDARE?

We would always go to the Johnstown Inn, weve always gone as a family and it was one of my dad's favourite place to go

HOW DID IT FEEL TO SIGN THE SECOND BOOK DEAL?

We werent expecting to be writing another one, its very exciting!

SEE ALSO: Kill woman signs six-figure book deal
Kildare-based chocolate company Lily OBriens has been sold for 40 million.

It will be acquired by Polish company Colian Holding SA for 40 million on a debt-free, cash free basis from its existing shareholders, the Carlyle Cardinal Ireland Fund (CCI) and members of the Lily OBriens management team. The acquisition is expected to complete in January 2018.

The company, which is based at the IDA business park in Newbridge, was founded in 1992 in her kitchen by Mary Ann OBrien, and named after her daughter. The former senator also co-founded the Johnstown-based Jack and Jill Foundation, which provides support and care for critically ill children, with her husband Jonathan Irwin.

Lily O'Brien's today employs 120 people at its Newbridge plant and generated revenues in excess of 30 million during 2016.

Colian Holdings SA is a Polish producer and distributor of food products, and also owns the UK chocolate brand Elizabeth Shaw.

CCI, the private equity fund focusing on investments across the island of Ireland founded by The Carlyle Groupand Cardinal Capital Group, acquired a majority shareholding in Lily OBriens in January 2014, investing alongside Eoin Donnelly (CEO), Mary Ann OBrien (founder) and other members of the management team.

According to the company, since 2013, total revenues and global export revenues have increased by almost 50%, underpinned by increased investment in production facilities and new product development.

Lily OBriens will continue to be run by its existing Irish management team led by CEO, Eoin Donnelly, with Mary Ann OBrien remaining as a director and consultant to the company.

According to a statement issued by the company this evening, Lily OBriens will continue to develop its Newbridge operations to support this growth.

Eoin Donnelly, CEO, Lily OBriens said; CCI has been a fantastic partner for Lily OBriens and the management team over the last four years, as the company increased its international sales, invested in new production capacity and enlarged the employee base. We selected Colian as the new owner for the business given our shared vision of growing our brand globally. Colian exports to over 60 countries worldwide, providing us with access to potential new markets, and their commitment to new product development and innovation is very exciting for employees and the company.
Kildare had no shortage of lucky lotto wins in 2017.

There were no less than eight big wins across the county in the last year.

In May, a family in the county became millionares after buying a winning 1m scratchcard.

The ticket was bought at Maxol Service Station on the Sallins Road, Naas.

In June, two brothers from Kildare cashed in a whopping 2 million lotto ticket.

The ticket was bought in Kennedy's Topaz in Carrick-on-Shannon.

The brothers wanted to keep their massive win private.

Elsewhere on July 5, a family from the Curragh collected their half a million lotto winnings from headquarters in Dublin.

Jim Carroll and his wife Anne, who have seven children, were the lucky winners of the Lotto Plus One draw.

Jim bought the winning ticket at O'Donnells Centra store in the Curragh Camp on Wednesday June 28.

Centra shop owner Bronagh McCarthy, (centre); celebrating at Centra shop in the Curragh Camp, Co Kildare having sold the Lotto Plus 1 winning ticket in July Pic: Mac Innes Photography.

Jim is a paramedic in the Defence Forces.

Speaking to the Leader on the day, Jim said; "Absolutely delighted. In general, people just couldn't be happier for us. It's a very tight community the Curragh itself, and people are over the moon for us in all fairness.

In September, a Euromillions Plus ticket was sold in Dunnes Stores, Newbridge.

A lucky Kildare woman collected the half a million prize money from Lottery HQ, after finding the winning ticket at the end of her handbag.

The woman, who didn't realise she had won until a couple of days later, wished to remain anonymous.

In October, six months after selling a 1m winner, Maxol Service Station on the Sallins Road, Naas sold a 250,000 Lotto Plus 2 top prize.

A family in the county, who wished to remain anonymous, collected the big prize from National Lottery headquarters in Dublin on October 6.

On October 10, Kildare towns Malones newsagent struck lucky with a 65,000 Telly Bingo win.

A Kildare pensioner scooped the win.

On November 11, a winning Lotto Match 5+Bonus prize ticket was sold at Wards Service Station in Coill Dubh, Naas.

The ticket was worth 220,690, and a Kildare dad collected the prize.

On December 15, a mother-of-two from Kilmead, Athy collected her 50,000 winnings just in time for Christmas.

Karen Keiller bought the scratchcard where she works, at the Spar shop on The Village Green, Nurney.

Lucky Karen Keiller

Asked how she will spend the money, Karen said; I will pay off my bills and I might change my car in the New Year. And I will give a few bob to each of my two sons Ciaran (16) and Tadgh (19).

On December 19, a couple from Kildare claimed a prize of 500,000 from the EuroMillions Plus draw.

The ticket was bought in the Tesco store on the Maynooth Road, Celbridge.

The delighted husband and wife syndicate said they are going to do a New Year holiday with the kids.

Hopefully the luck of the Lilywhites will continue into 2018.
Kildare County Council (KCC) are due to meet Irish Rail representatives in the New Year to tackle rail issues in the county.

Issues to be discussed in a proposed January meeting include fare prices, parking and station facilities.

SEE ALSO: Kildare councillor calls for meeting with Irish Rail and National Transport Authority

At the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District meeting on Wednesday December 20, Fine Gael Cllr Fiona McLoughlin Healy asked KCC whether CCTV cover at Newbridge train station toilets could be an option, to re-open the facilities.

The toilets were closed four year ago, because of anti-social behaviour.

Cllr McLoughlin Healy said she had spoken to regional and station managers, who said the anti-social behaviour got to the point where they had to clean up needles and excrement on walls.

In a report issued, KCC said the provision of CCTV on private property to monitor antisocial behavior is not a matter for KCC. They added that the outline costs for the provision of CCTV at a single location is 25,000, and annual maintenance would be additional.

They added that a proposed meeting with Irish Rail is to take place on January 18, where Councillors will have the opportunity to raise issues.
COUNTY board officials convened at Martinstown Stud this week to discuss the embarrassing and contentious annual convention with Limerick GAAs main sponsor JP McManus.

And, it has emerged that contrary to speculation, Limerick GAA asked for a meeting with Mr McManus and were not summoned to Martinstown.

While the GAA officials and Mr McManus are remaining tight-lipped on the exact details of what transpired during the meeting, according to the newly elected county board chairman, former Fianna Fail TD, John Cregan, we cleared the air.

We had a meeting. We cleared the air, he told the Limerick Leader. The relationship is sound.

The Limerick County Board and new management team are very much of the view we will be continuing our relationship and our friendship and getting the support of Mr McManus and of Martinstown, he said.

Any suggestion that Mr Cregan and the other officers were summoned to Martinstown on Monday has been rejected and it has since emerged that a meeting with Mr McManus was originally supposed to be held two weeks ago, but had to be postponed until Monday.

They were anxious to let him know the situation, said a GAA stalwart who has asked not to be named. "It wasn't the case of JP summoning a meeting and calling the officials out, but Limerick GAA trying to explain to him the story from their side.

Those in attendance at the meeting in Martinstown Stud outside Kilmallock included Mr Cregan, county board secretary Mike ORiordan, the newly appointed treasurer Liam Bourke along with Mr McManus and his brother Gerry McManus who sponsors the underage teams.

Delegates to Sundays highly charged convention in Cappamore Community Centre were left gaping as outgoing treasurer Donal Morrissey revealed that he had been excluded from the decision making process for the past 18 months and that inter-county team preparation costs had spiralled by over 250,000 to 1,262,535, leaving the board facing a deficit of over 103,000.

There were tense exchanges as delegates pressed outgoing chairman Oliver Mann and secretary Mike O Riordan for explanations.

Apart from the 5 million he gave to pay back the debt on the Mackey Stand, JP is the team's main sponsor and pours vast sums into Limerick GAA each year. He is hugely passionate about Limerick GAA and won't be happy with this embarrassing situation. But there are new people on board with John Cregan at the helm and now it is a case of sorting out the mess, said the GAA figure.

Speaking to the Leader, Mr Cregan said that remaining financially sustainable was one of the issues that now needed to be addressed.

We have a chicken and egg situation. We have spiralling costs in team preparation. Counties that win silverware find it easier to fundraise and get financial support from outside. We have a situation we have been starved of success at top level and it is difficult to attract financial support.

The answer, he believes, lies on the field. If we can become more competitive consistently, the better chance we have of winning more often, and in winning more often we have a better chance of bringing people with us and bring better financial support with us.

We have a great foundation. We have that raw material, he said. We have a very good underage structure and we now see our minors being consistently competitive and our under-21s winning.

But winning at these levels bestowed no entitlement, he warned.It takes time for boys to become men.

Mr Cregan, who first became an officer at his club, Dromcollogher Broadford, at the age of 16, is also determined to bring a new approach and freshness to GAA proceedings.

First of all I want there to be unity. I want us to have a very clear vision of where we want to go and how we are going to get there, he said.

He believes there is a disconnect between the county committee and the countys 63 clubs and he wants to see more representation and more participation and openness at these monthly meetings.

I will consult widely, he pledged and he will operate as a team with his fellow officers.

The new treasurer, Liam Bourke, also made it clear on Sunday and again to the Limerick Leader this Wednesday that he would be keeping an eagle eye on costs and intended to play an active role in any financial decisions.

People were entitled to be concerned about the spiralling team preparation costs which were unsustainable, he said, but Limerick was not alone in this. His job would be to run things as fairly and prudently as possible, he added.

- See Limerick Leader Sport in the broadsheet edition of the paper for a detailed report on the convention
A HOMELESS man in Limerick whose partner is due to give birth on Christmas Eve is asking local businesses for support, in the hopes that he can raise money for homelessness charities.

Colum King, who is currently living in emergency accommodation, has recorded and produced Love Song for Forever with his group P19.

A P19 is a disciplinary form given out in prisons. The group is now hopeful that Limerick businesses will back the project so that they can release the song as a charity single to raise money for homelessness charities and services.

Weve based it on the people who are dying on the streets from homelessness, or the people who are nearly dying from homelessness, Mr King told the Limerick Leader.

A homeless person bringing out a song for homeless people is unheard of; Ive had so many people say it to me.

Were now trying to get as much funding as possible from local businesses. Mr King has been homeless for three months and is currently living in emergency accommodation.

I was living in Broad Street first and the rent kept going up, he said.

I had my two sons with me, and we couldnt afford rent anymore so I ended up sofa-surfing.

I ended up staying in my girls place every night. It was my girlfriends fathers house, the house was sold to the bank, so we had to move out and ended up in hotels.

His girlfriend is due to give birth to their daughter on Christmas Eve, he said, adding that it is a hard time for his family.

Id prefer I was in a house and to bring her home to a home, instead of a hotel.

(My girlfriend is) really, really stressed out, he added.

Love Song for Forever features the lyrics of an Annie Lennox song.

Mr King sings and plays guitar on the track, which also features a rap by Lee Ryan and Peter Roche on the flute.

The song was then produced by Mr King and Joe Mulcahy from Open Door Studios.

The group chose to sample Annie Lennox due to her lyrics, he added.

I think the lyrics in it are touching. The lyrics are touching to anyone who (has someone who) died. The song is called Love Song for Forever and anyone who has someone who died, youre going to love them forever, arent you?

There is still a lack of awareness around homelessness, Mr King believes. People need to be aware of whats really going on, he said.

I think more houses need to be built. I think that the Government caused this problem in the first place. I think you get treated with total disrespect because youre homeless, which is ridiculous.

If released, he is hopeful the song will raise money for Novas, St Vincent de Paul and Focus Ireland.
Ukrainians would support Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko if presidential polls were held in December. She is followed by incumbent Ukrainian President Petro Poshenko and Civil Position Party leader Anatoliy Hrytsenko, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

According to the poll, 7.9% of those surveyed said they would cast ballots for Tymoshenko if the vote was held in mid December 2017. Some 6.5% said they would vote for Poroshenko, and 4.9% for Hrytsenko.

KIIS held the survey from December 2 through December 14, 2017 by conducting personal interviews with 2,039 persons older than 18 years old living in 110 towns and cities across Ukraine, except Russia-occupied Crimea and occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
ANYBODY driving past Scoil na Trionoide Naofa in Doon on Sunday would have thought they had their days mixed up as the school was a hive of activity.

The secondary school hosted their inaugural Christmas fair. It was inspired by a farm they have started on the grounds to help reconnect pupils from non-farming backgrounds with natures and animals. Indeed, it was like a scene from a stable in Bethlehem with cattle, lambs and donkeys on display.

Rugby legend John Hayes  a former pupil of St Fintans CBS  turned on the Christmas lights.

Teacher James OBrien, who set up the farm with the support of principal, Eilis Casey, said it was a day to remember.

The Bull Hayes turned on the Christmas lights at 2pm. We were thronged from the minute doors opened at 2pm until they closed at 5pm. We had another award winning bull as teacher Aidan ODonovan and his son Michael, who is in sixth year, brought their Limousin X All-Ireland champion reserve bull at Limerick show.

The whole day went brilliantly. We had a great response. There was fantastic footfall, said James. He and all the organisers got the chance to let the entire community see their school and farm.

Our lambs, turkeys, chickens, donkeys were all on show so they could see what the students are upto on the farm. We had Tractor Ted and the Irish Rovers vintage club brought Santa on a sleigh.

There were 40 stalls - 20 were our transition year mini-companies selling their goods. There was a huge array of goods from hurleys to jewellery to jams to Christmas cakes. We had a brilliant raffle including signed Munster and Limerick U-21 jerseys, paintings and hampers. There was great support from local businesses. There were stalls supporting Limerick Animal Welfare and St Vincent de Paul. There was something for everyone, said James. The history and geography teacher said the school has been buzzing all week.

It was a good day for the school and a good day for the community, he said.
A MOTHER and her three young children were forced to flee their home after the adjoining house was set alight following a drunken row between two brothers, a Limerick court has heard.

More than 75,000 worth of damage was caused to two council-owned properties as a result of the blaze at Lisheen Park, Patrickswell in the early hours of March 10, last.

John ONeill, aged 43, who was living in one of the houses has pleaded guilty to arson and will be sentenced in the new year.

Detective Garda Paul Crowley told Limerick Circuit Court the alarm was raised at around 4.30am and that one of the houses was completely destroyed while the other was badly damaged.

He said the woman who lived next door was woken sometime earlier in the night by shouting and roaring and what sounded like glass being broken.

The woman then heard a smoke alarm and a crackling noise and when she realised a fire had broken out she woke her children and fled from the house.

Thomas ONeill  a brother of the accused man  who had been drinking with the defendant told gardai that he left the house at around 4am after he had an argument with his brother over who would inherit the house as their mother had died a week earlier.

Three units of Limerick Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene of the fire for several hours.

Detective Garda Crowley told John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, that a forensic examination was carried out and that it showed fires had been started in at least three locations in the house.

The main seat of the fire, he said, was found in the main living room while smaller seats were found under the stairs and in an upstairs bedroom.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told the defendant was reported as missing by members of his family in the immediate aftermath of the fire but that he was subsequently located and arrested.

During interview, he told gardai there had been an argy bargy between him and his brother on the night.

He later admitted he had pulled some curtins off the wall in the living room and had set them on fire as he was frustrated.

He accepted he set the fire and that it got out of control, said Detective Garda Crowley.

The witness accepted that Mr ONeill had completely shut down when gardai encountered him and that he was taken to Unit 5B for assesment before he was questioned.

Brian McInerney BL said that while no issues were detected, his client has since been diagnosed as suffering from chronic paranoid schizophrenia.

He said his client, who voluntarily surrendered his bail in April, is undergoing treatment and that he has been able to engage with him in a coherent and logical fashion.

He submitted the defendant had cooperated with gardai, accepts his wrongdoing and had entered an early guilty plea. He urged the court to consider the underlying medical difficulties saying prison is not the answer.

Judge ODonnell said he had to consider all of the evidence before him including the impact the fire had on the family living next door whio have since been rehoused elsewhere in Patrickswell.

Adjourning the matter to February he commented that he is keeping all of his options open. He directed that a probation report be prepared.
A WOMAN who endured a physical and verbal attack by a group of men, who later assaulted her taxi driver, has urged the public to exercise caution at night time in the city centre.

Castletroy woman Emma OBrien, 37, was walking home with her female housemate after work in the early hours of Saturday morning when they were approached by three men.

We bumped into these young guys at the top of William Street, and as we passed them they started to pass comments. They were just saying really misogynistic, rude, horrible things to both of us, like commenting on our bodies and being fairly creepy, she told the Limerick Leader.

Emma, who works in a bar in the city, said that she confronted the young men a couple of times after the constant taunting.

I turned around and walked back towards them and said: What did you just say? and Why are you spending your time standing on the street abusing women who are trying to get home from work?

They were just being rude and it got a little bit heated, argument-wise. We took a detour and managed to get away from them.

She and her friend, aged 27, were able to hail a taxi in the Henry Street area. Because there were few taxis in the area, the taxi driver was asking people if they were headed to Castletroy, she said.

At this stage of their journey, she said, the two women had recounted to the taxi driver the abusive ordeal they had endured on William Street.

So, he stopped this guy and he said he was going to Castletroy, and it turned out that he was one of the guys that had been harassing us. And once we realised that he was one of the guys, we said to the taxi driver that he was one of the guys. We told him to get out of the cab, and he wouldnt get out.

She said that is when the two other men arrived at the scene.

They started opening the door, and I couldnt find the button [lock] of the doors for long enough to lock it. That happened, like seven or eight times, and they started pulling at my bag and saying: Give me all your money. I had my wages in my bag and I was just after getting paid.

She said that she then had to step out the car to stop him from taking the bag. Then the man pushed her. Emma said that she was able to fend off the man in order to get him off me.

The taxi driver soon got involved, attempting to remove one of the men from his vehicle.

I got back in the cab, and the cab driver got out and tried to pull the guy out of the cab. Then his friends jumped in and started throwing punches at the cab driver. We were all just trying to get back into the car. We ended up getting away with the car doors swinging open.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Emma described it as insane and crazy, and wanted to thank the taxi driver for assisting them.

I dont know the taxi drivers name, but he could have driven off and left us. But he didnt. He got us home safely. He didnt have to deal with that, that is not part of his job. But obviously we had told him what had happened, and he wasnt leaving without us, which was very decent of him.

She said that they were both frightened by the incident.

Ms OBrien told the Leader that she is urging others, particularly women, to exercise caution when walking home from the city, either after work or after socialising.

Her main message is to stay vigilant in the city centre.

Safety in numbers and make sure that people arent on their own. Be careful and be mindful, especially women.
THE CHIEF of the Limerick garda division has called on the public to come forward with any information in relation to the horrific murder of elderly widow Rose Hanrahan.

Chief Superintendent David Sheahans appeal comes exactly one week after Mayorstone gardai launched an investigation into the death of 78-year-old Rose, who was murdered in her home on New Road, Thomondgate.

And while no arrests have been made, Chief Super Sheahan told the Limerick Leader this Friday morning that there has been a certain amount of progress in the murder investigation.

It just hurts me inside to think that this should happen to any member of our community, least of all a member of the community who is so well-regarded, of such an age that she wanted to enjoy the last couple of years of her life without having this happening.

Again, I am appealing to anybody for any information out there to help us along the way. Its a week today since the investigation started. We have made a certain amount of progress in respect of this investigation. But still, we are appealing to the community, if they have anything, no matter how small they think it is. For heavens sake, bring it forward, let us know, he urged.

Following the murder, there has been growing fear and anxiety among the strong Thomondgate and Kileely communities.

And in response, leading the investigation, Superintendent Derek Smart has promised increased garda visibility in the area over the Christmas period.

Commenting on the extra patrols, Chief Super Sheahan said: That has increased by virtue of the investigation itself. Apart from that, we have increased our patrols over there to allay any of the fears that people have.

I am acutely aware of the impact that something like this can have on a community. I have seen it in my service in Pallasgreen [spate of aggravated burglaries in 2012] and now obviously it in Thomondgate. It is not nice and it is very hard to deal with, but the public can be reassured that we are there to support them.

Rose Hanrahans funeral will take place at St Munchins Church this weekend. Removal takes place this Friday night at St Munchins Church at 6.30pm. Requiem Mass on Saturday at at 11.30am, followed by burial at Ballycannon Cemetery, Meelick.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mayorstone gardai on 061-456980, and the confidential number of 1800-666111.
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Yezhov not cleared for secret information, was under SBU surveillance  Groysman

Stanislav Yezhov, assistant and interpreter to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, who was detained by Ukraine's SBU Security Service (SBU) this week did not have access to secret information and was under surveillance by the SBU for a long time, PM Groysman has said.

"We knew for months that Yezhov was under suspicion and that he was working for foreign secret services. Thanks to the SBU, he was monitored during this time, of course, with the support of my office. As soon as enough information was gathered, Yezhov was detained," Groysman said during question time in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada on Friday.

According to the prime minister, Yezhov was not privy to state secrets.

"The SBU operation against Yezhov took months, and there were no information leaks. This shows there are many honest SBU agents and operatives in our counter-intelligence services," Groysman said.

Yezhov will be arraigned by Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District court at 15.00 on Friday.

SBU agents detained Yezhov on December 20. He is suspected of state treason, pursuant to Part 1 of Article 111 of Ukraine's Criminal Code.

SBU agents say Yezhov collected information on behalf of Russia.
Tribal Art Forms: bringing Indian tribal arts into the mainstream A new platform, Tribal Art Forms, will bolster indigenous art forms and artists /news/talking-point/tribal-art-forms-bringing-indian-tribal-arts-into-the-mainstream-111646917081156.html 111646917081156 story

Tribal art" is one of those terms that riles art theorists. They speak of the inherent bias which sets it apart from conventional art, considering the modifiers tribal" or folk" unhelpful. Yet no other term has captured public consciousness so well when it comes to describing the distinctive artistic traditions of indigenous peoples across the world.

Skirting the academic wrangling over terminology, two Delhi-based contemporary galleries, Exhibit320 and BluePrint12, have jointly launched Tribal Art Forms, a platform that will exhibit tribal art in India and abroad and act as a conduit between artists and the public. A brainchild of Rasika Kajaria (of Exhibit320), Mandira Lamba and Ridhi Bhalla (of BluePrint12), the platform will go live in February (at Tribalartforms.com), to coincide with the India Art Fair.

As a precursor to the launch, the ongoing exhibition Given PowerFrom Tradition To Contemporary, running till Sunday at Exhibit320, brings together works by many artists that have joined the platform: Bhil artist Bhuri Bai; Kalam Patua, who revived the art of Kalighat painting; Ladoo Bai from Madhya Pradesh; Mayank Shyam and Japani Shyam, children of the much feted artist of Gond origin, Jangarh Singh Shyam, whose trajectory from obscurity to global success, ending in a tragic suicide, is well charted. It sparked heated discussions about the exploitation of indigenous artists by larger parties for commercial ends.

Our mission is to create a platform for tribal artists to present their work and their perspectives," said Lamba, at the exhibition launch. The works on display are wide-ranging, from Ladoo Bais explosions of colour to the subdued tones of Mayank Shyam.

Untitled by Mayank Shyam.

Using Kantha embroidery motifs from Bengal, Ladoo Bai creates a world that resembles an arcadian idyll, where humans dance among animals in harmony. The mystical charm of the repetitive dot patterns works like a visual mantra. Mayank Shyams canvas, in contrast, is restrained and sombre. In a Kafkaesque work, he fuses a humanoid figure with an insect, resulting in an unsettlingly creepy (and somewhat crawly) imagery.

Averse to presenting a fossilized version of tribal arts", the platform aims to show it as a living tradition" that is in dialogue with contemporary practices. While the folk arts were traditionally intertwined with religion, mythology and ritualistic practices of indigenous people, their move from the village walls to the white cube of a gallery or peoples homes requires a sympathetic filter of research and curation that Tribal Art Forms can provide.

If the platform could enable meaningful discussions, the term tribal art" could perhaps be reclaimed. Many aesthetic terms were initially used pejoratively, to mock passing fads and fancies. Gothic" was first used by its critics to describe barbaric or unrefined arts; baroque", to describe kitsch or the excessively ornamental. Both terms have been salvaged.

Avenues like Tribal Art Forms, with an informed approach in curation, fostering relationships between indigenous artists and the public, could help redefine the term for our times and perhaps, someday, even render tribal" altogether superfluous.
The tale of two Shakuntalas The celebrated Shakuntala created by Kalidas, however, is markedly different from the original template in the Mahabharat /news/talking-point/the-tale-of-two-shakuntalas-111646917184737.html 111646917184737 story

In 1791, when German poet-playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe first encountered the story of Shakuntala, he was moved enough to declare that if heaven and earth combined in one name, that name would be hers. His passion for Kalidas epic heroine lasted a lifetime, and even on the eve of his death, he referred to Shakuntala as a star that makes the night more agreeable than the day". Goethe was not alone in his fascination for Kalidas Abhijnanasakuntalam, which captured Europes imagination after William Orientalist" Jones produced his translation Sacontala, or The Fatal Ring (1789). Since then, this heroine has emerged as one of Indias most memorable mythological characters, featuring in Raja Ravi Varmas canvases as well as on the movie screen, not to speak of endless literary works. Indeed, as the historian Romila Thapar notes, Shakuntala was crowned the ideal of Indian womanhood, her integrity and blamelessness going down as virtues to be emulated by every good daughter and wife.

The celebrated Shakuntala created by Kalidas, however, is markedly different from the original template in the Mahabharat. In this earlier avatar, Shakuntala is a remarkably direct and confident figure. When Dushyanta, who has killed thousands of deer" in the course of his royal hunt, arrives at her adoptive fathers hermitage, he calls out, Who is here?" Shakuntala appears and after welcoming him, asks how she may be of service. With the father away, Dushyanta notices her beautiful hips", lustrous appearance" and charming smile". After she explains her half-celestial origins, the king is moved to declare, Be my wife, buxom woman!" and suggests to this girl of the lovely thighs" that they ought to marry right away, in the gandharva style where passion makes up for lack of ceremony. Shakuntala initially asks him to wait, but is eventually persuaded that this is indeed a legitimate form of marriage. But first she seeks a promise: Her son from this union must be the kings heir. If it is to be thus, Duhsanta, you may lie with me." The lady in the Mahabharat is sensible, in other words, and able to command from the king a significant pledge.

The Shakuntala Kalidas exquisite poetry breathed into life, however, was not, as the scholar Kanchana Mahadevan writes, the assertive woman of the epic". Unlike in the Mahabharat, she barely even talks to him directlyshe is too innocent and sweet. Indeed, as a companion explains, she is as delicate as a jasmine". She falls in love with the king, who is tempted by this flower that no one has smelled". Either way, their mutual attraction results in a consummation, and in what might have been inspired by a Buddhist tale, the king departs after handing over to Shakuntala his ring. While she is lost in romantic dreams one day, a sage with a legendary temper appears. And not finding her up to the mark in his service, he issues a curse that her lover will forget her. Following entreaties by others, he subsequently allows a caveat that when the king sees the ring, he will remember Shakuntala. And so, in this version, matters are taken beyond human control to the realm of fate that serves, in essence, to absolve our male lead of his subsequent betrayal.

The ring and the curse are interesting additions by Kalidas. In the Mahabharat, our heroine, after a three-year pregnancy, appears at Dushyantas court with their son to remind the king of his word. Remember," she says, the promise you made long ago when we lay together, man of fortune, in Kanvas hermitage!" Dushyanta, however, quite deliberately chooses not to recognize her. I do not know that this is my sonWomen are liarswho will trust your word?" A strong exchange follows, and while Shakuntala is angry, she remains full of furious power. Even without you, Duhsanta, my son shall reign over the four-cornered earth," she declares. My birth is higher than yours, Duhsanta! You walk on earth, great king, but I fly the skies." Eventually, a magical voice confirms that the boy is the kings son, upon which Dushyanta announces that he had known Shakuntala was telling the truth all along. As Wendy Doniger translates: I knewthat he was my own son. But if I had accepted himjust from her words, there would have been doubt among the people." The king, for reasons of public approval, had been telling an untruth. And without irony, he then proceeds to forgive Shakuntala for her harsh words!

The same episode is transformed by Kalidas. In his version, Shakuntala is pregnant, and accompanied by others who speak for her in court. The king does not recognize her and suggests that she is trying to pass off another mans seed as his own. Dont cuckoos let other birds nurture/Their eggs and teach the chicks to fly?" he asks. But through the device of the cursewhich means the king has genuinely forgotten ShakuntalaKalidas exonerates him, where, in the Mahabharat, Dushyanta is guilty. The fact that Shakuntala has lost the all-important ring complicates matters. But unlike, to quote Thapar again, the spirited woman who argues her right" in the epic, Shakuntala in Kalidas retelling sheds pious tears till her mother, the celestial nymph Menaka, comes to her rescue. Eventually, after the ring reaches the king through the means of a dead fish, he remembers everything, and sets out to reunite with his wife and child. Nobody is to blame hereShakuntala is pure, the kings rudeness was the result of a curse, and what really determined matters was a tragic twist of fate.

Kalidas was a tremendously popular version (in a 19th century Urdu translation, Shakuntala is so chaste that she even acquires a veil) given that hero and heroine were both romantic victims. But the play also encapsulates a moment when the powerful woman of the epic makes way for a new idealan ideal that was embraced by Western audiences in Goethes day, and which Indians too have accepted, forgetting the more remarkable woman who first appears in the epic, one who does not conform to notions of patriarchal correctness, but stands proud, instead, as a challenge to the world of men.



Medium Rare is a column on society, politics and history. Manu S. Pillai is the author of The Ivory Throne: Chronicles Of The House Of Travancore.

The writer tweets at @UnamPillai
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that restrictive measures are the best way to oblige Russia to respect international law, and therefore the task of Ukrainian diplomats is to expand an international coalition on support for Ukraine and strengthening sanctions against Russia.

"There is no better way to restore at least some respect for international law in Russia than sanctions, asset freezes, and a ban on visiting civilized countries for those who are directly responsible for the aggressive policy of this state. We should continue walking this path, gradually expanding an international coalition on support for our state and the strengthening of sanctions," Poroshenko said at an event marking the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian diplomacy in Kyiv on Friday.

He said that the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats should be aimed at uniting the efforts of the democratic world in countering the Russian aggressor, "as well as ensuring that the aggressor has a well-deserved responsibility for its actions."

"Therefore, based on its historical experience, the world must understand that it is useless to expect from Moscow a miraculous degeneration into democracy, and it's simply short-sighted to try to pacify it," Poroshenko said.
The challenges of making public policy Jean Drze's new book of essays defends action-oriented research, especially in the field of development economics /news/talking-point/the-challenges-of-making-public-policy-111646917064517.html 111646917064517 story

Designing government policy to eradicate corruption is not easy. As the demonetization" exercise demonstrated, such earnest endeavours can have big and unintended consequences and they often might not proceed according to plan. Although not concerning itself with demonetization, a new book by economist Jean Dreze delves into the challenges of making public policy for India. Specifically, it focuses on policy in the field of poverty eradication, rural employment guarantee and overall social development.

Consider the problem of alleged corruption in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In its bid to prevent officials from siphoning off wages meant for MGNREGS workers, the government stated processing payments through banks and post offices. By separating the payment agency from the agency implanting MGNREGS on the ground, the government hoped to reduce the scope for fudging muster rolls and, hence, corruption.

However, as is explained in the book, this had the unintended effect of demotivating many local officials from doing any MGNREGS-related work. Suddenly, massive delays in wage payments cropped up in various places, discouraging workers from participating in scheme-related works. Perhaps, government officials hoped that as workers became discouraged, the MGNREGS scheme would die and their workload would lessen.

These and other challenges in making public policy are discussed in the book, which is a collection of essays on Indias social development. Most of the essays had previously been published as op-eds in The Hindu newspaper. The scope of the book is wide and it covers issues ranging from poverty, drought, hunger and inadequate healthcare to the alleged nefarious influence of corporations on government policy.

True to its title, the book does not require prior knowledge of economics. It is written in an accessible and reader-friendly manner, with minimum use of jargon. The book relies much less on statistics and charts than the authors earlier book, co-authored with Amartya Sen, India: Development And Participation, which deals with similar topics and is often used as study material in undergraduate economics programmes in India.

Sense And Solidarity is not a standard economics textbook on development economics". The book does not try to prove any statistical hypothesis, but narrates Indias experience in battling problems of hunger and poverty since 2000, with an adequate dose of economics. The book may be seen as a bridge between the more standard economics texts and the more lucid narratives of the struggles of marginalized people, such as Arundhati Roys Broken Republic, which also deals with topics such as poverty, tribal rights and government policy.

Sense And Solidarity Jholawala Economics For Everyone By Jean Dreze, Permanent Black, 343 pages, Rs795.

Sense And Solidarity can be useful as a good primer or reference material for some of Indias flagship social security programmes, such as the public distribution system, midday meal scheme and the MGNREGS. The book provides a peek into the lives of the poor and the bureaucracy they deal with, from the vantage point of an economist with years of experience in policymaking. Dreze was a member of the United Progressive Alliances National Advisory Council (NAC) and was associated with formulating the national rural employment guarantee law. He is now a visiting professor at the department of economics at Ranchi University.

Dreze defends action-oriented research" and contends that economic research mixed with activism can complement mainstream research. He argues that it is possible for research to remain objective, i.e. based on facts, while the researcher may remain passionate about social causes. There is a case for making use of bothdata and experience on the groundin the field of development economics".

Dreze further argues that economists and activists can learn a lot from each other. Activists can benefit from knowledge of game theory to understand how people and bureaucrats might respond to new rules and regulations. On the other hand, development economists can learn a lot about the struggles of the people from right to information (RTI) activists.

Last, research should not be directed towards the government aloneit should address the public at large. In an understated way, Dreze takes a dig at the customary policy implication" section of most academic research papers, which try to provide some real-world relevance to the research. The policy implication" section often exhorts the government to do something by taking cognizance of the findings of the paper. Instead, says Dreze, more sustainable change can be brought about by fostering public spiritedness" and increased participation of citizens in ensuring that government programmes work for the common good
Fight of fantasy Almost surreptitiously, Indian fantasy has made a niche for itself in the English language in India /news/talking-point/fight-of-fantasy-111646915116393.html 111646915116393 story

Two years ago, when HarperCollins published my urban fantasy novel Cult Of Chaos, An Anantya Tantrist Mystery (2015), I was at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. My editor contacted me and requested a video for the upcoming HarperCollins sales conference to explain the genre of the novel. I dressed up, cycled through the campus and found myself in a professors office in the computer science department trying to angle my MacBook to make sure the background was filled with academic books, and not beams. Its like Sherlock Holmes solving supernatural crime," I exclaimed, trying to make eye contact with booksellers through the little black dot on my laptop.

My aim was to make them avoid the one thing that gives nightmares to every fantasy author: A deep-seated fear that your novel will end up in either the Indian writing or mythology shelves in book stores. This fear has roots in reality: Because for decades, the Fantasy section has been petrificus totalus, with reprints of The Chronicles Of Narnia (1950-56), The Lord Of The Rings (1954-55), the Harry Potter series (1997-2007), A Song Of Ice And Fire (1996-) and, recently, the likes of the Percy Jackson series (2005-) and The Hunger Games (2008-10), with no space for Indian fantasy titles.

Internationally, the urban fantasy subgenre wasnt an uncharted section. Even the sub-subgenre that Anantya Tantrist mysteries belonged to, that of an occult detective dealing with the supernatural underworld of her city, was thriving enough for some literary agents to actively look for them and for others to discard them because too many of these occult detective types" had been submitted to them. Urban human-ish occult detectives with a problematic personal life had invaded subgenres ranging from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Notable examples included the vampire hunter series Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton (1993-) and The Dresden Files (2000-) by Jim Butcher, told from the point of view of a private investigator and wizard based in Chicago. Indian author Mainak Dhars anti-hero zombie hunter in the Alice In Deadland series (2011-12) had also been on shelves for a while.

It had also been more than a decade since the owner of a now-defunct book store had introduced me to Samit Basus brilliant GameWorld trilogy (2004-07). A parody of the traditional fantasy hero with pop cultural references and a liberal use of both Eastern and Western myths, Basus series was one of the first fantasies by an Indian author in English. Others included short stories by Vandana Singh and Anil Menon; the surreal Wildings series by Nilanjana Roy (2012-13); and Amitav Ghoshs fantastical, genre-defying The Calcutta Chromosome (1995), which won the Arthur C. Clarke award in 1997. Other than my novel, 2015 also saw Manjula Padmanabhans The Island Of Lost Girls and Half Of What I Say by Anil Menon, dystopian visions swimming between fantasy, gender and science fiction.

All these writers of high, urban and literary fantasy, however, were completely overshadowed and overwhelmed by the Big Brother of fantasy, the epic variety, variously placed, according to ones religious beliefs, exposure and narrative style, in the literary, history, non-fiction and fiction shelves: Mythology with a capital M".

The reinterpreted mass of Indian Mythology had already exploded by 2015, and was giving serious competition to the other best-selling genre in Indian English writing: romance. Youngsters, traditionalists and booksellers alike could be seen parading novels the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi (2010-13), Asura by Anand Neelkantan (2012), the Ramayana series by Ashok K. Banker (2003-06) and Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis The Palace Of Illusions (2008), among others. It didnt help the poor booksellers that most of us fantasy writers remain genre-switchers, smoothly moving between mythology and fantasy, thriller and horror, non-fiction and science fiction, with the manoeuvring trick of writers who have grown up with manifold versions of the same tale.

The thought of seeing the Anantya Tantrist series paired with mythology retellings gave me palpitations through many nights as I came to grips with the real horror of a writers life: The Wrong Genre Shelf. Hence the desperate video attempt of the Sherlock-supernatural variety.

That was two years ago. Just a couple of months before the second Anantya Tantrist mystery, The Matsya Curse (2017), was released, I stood browsing at the newly opened, rather glistening Blossoms Book House in Bengaluru and saw a section, a shelf if you will, dedicated to Indian fantasy.

Thats right.

We Indian fantasy writers have our own shelf now. All thanks to the explosion of debutants in the last couple of years. Sukanya Venkataraghavan released Dark Things (2016) with a yakshi anti-hero. Indra Das came up with his award-winning The Devourers (2016). Mythological writers turned to fantasy too: Krishna Udayasankar brought out Immortal (2016), turning the immortal Ashvthama into a gun-totting historian, while Anuja Chandramouli played with hell in Yamas Lieutenant (2016).

This year was a much more fantasy-friendly environment, with Tashan Mehtas The Liars Weave, a play on magic realism, Krishna Triloks epic fantasy Sharikrida, and the supernatural thriller The Demon Hunter Of Chottanikkara by S.V. Sujatha, sharing the shelf with many more.

Oh yes, fantasy fiction in India has percolated in the minds of readers. Dont believe me? Check out a book store near you.

Shweta Taneja is a fantasy author based in Bengaluru. Her latest novel, The Matsya Curse: An Anantya Tantrist Mystery, is a Tantric thriller.
Youre buying jewellery wrong It's a long leap from buying an engagement ring to truly understanding the value of gems. Here's what you need to know /news/talking-point/youre-buying-jewellery-wrong-111646915087647.html 111646915087647 story

Ah, the holidays.

Its the perfect time to buy something significant for a special person. And its the perfect time to freak out about how, exactly, to do it.

Jewellery is an intensely personal way to express style. If youve got someone in your life with even the barest shred of personal style, approach the endeavour with eyes wide open and ears curled towards every hint of preferences that float your way.

It is possible to win this challenge. It just takes some effort.

The main thing is to know what you dont know. So I met Fiona Druckenmiller at her Upper East Side shop in New York to seek her advice for buying gemstones. Shes got credibility: As one-half of the multibillion-dollar Druckenmiller fortune, she presides over FD Gallery, a six-storey townhouse full of treasures from the likes of Societe Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, JAR, Verdura, Hemmerle, and Viren Bhagat. Walk through the heavy, double-door portal and youll find yourself amid glittering items worth hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. Her clients range from Upper East Side doyennes and French financiers to young Asian entrepreneurs and Italian barons.

Druckenmiller wants to make it clear: Just because youve bought an engagement ring doesnt mean you know how to buy gemstones." Its solid advice, and a great place to start. Heres what else you need to know if you are in the market for some seriously fancy jewellery.

You cant eyeball quality

Do you know the difference between heated and unheated rubies? Can you spot an emerald that has been oiled, versus one that contains no oil? Probably not. But those enhancements greatly affect the value of stones.

It pays to know the history of jewellery, especially as it relates to fashion and culture.... Age adds to value. And provenance matters. - -

People have been heating stones for hundreds of years to enhance the colour," Druckenmiller says. But a Burma ruby that is unheated is going to be worth 10 or 20 times as much as a heated ruby from Africa."

As for emeralds, many have little fissures in them, because emerald can be brittle. Jewellers often use oil to make the cracks less visible. So an emerald with no oil will naturally be more valuable than one that has been altered.

The best way to find out what kind of quality youre dealing with is to inquire, simply and directly. Question the seller as to where the jewel originated and how it has been treated. Ask to see the certification papers. And bring along an expert, or a well-trained friend, to act as backup and offer a second opinion.

At auctions, be persistent

If you do take your chances at public auctions and sales, be prepared to go up against dealers, retailers and brand-name houses such as Cartier and Van Cleef, which often buy back important estate- and museum-quality jewellery to keep in their archives and exhibit worldwide.

The major gem auctionsthink Sothebys, Phillips, Bonhams, Christiestypically start in November in Geneva and run through December. Industry insiders who attend them will be very involved" in the first group of auctions, Druckenmiller says. Then they retreat.

When it gets to be a week before Christmas, they have likely already spent their money or they have gone on to other thingsso you can find bargains," she says. This will even happen just at the later end of night sales, when they are dropping out, or their attention wanders. But you have to be lucky. Its a matter of being really vigilant."

Refuse to accept old certificates of authenticity

When you talk to a dealer or retailer, always request certificates of authenticity for any gem.

Look to ensure that the lab certification is from a trusted source, one that confirms the geographic origin, grade and quality of stones after the institute has determined an items gemological identity, alterations, and origin. The place where a gem originated is important because certain countries, regions and mines are renowned for the quality of their stones.

Its also vital that certification papers are current. Two years old? Fine. Ten years old? Not acceptable. Lab technology has improved exponentially in recent years.

Dont underestimate the law of supply and demand

The supply of top-notch vintage Cartier and Van Cleef jewellery and valuables declines yearly. But buyers in Asia continue to feed the regions voracious demand for known and historic brands, including Tiffany, Hermes International SA and Chanel SA.

The imbalance elevates prices.

Its the historic names they know, so every year in those niche markets, the demand goes up and the supply goes down," Druckenmiller says. This is markedly different from buying something in a modern retail store, where lab-grown gems and cultivated pearls, plus costume-style jewellery and altered stones, can be supplied indefinitely.

Combat this by focusing your eagle eye on auction results. Those can give a good indication of current market rates.

One thing you could do is ask whichever jeweller youre working with, Can you show me auction comps for similar items?" Druckenmiller says. Thats a really good way to get a yardstick on valuations. So if youre looking at a Cartier art deco diamond bracelet, and you see a similar auction result, it might not be exactly the same piece, but if the width is the same, it can give you a good idea for what something similar might be worth."

If the dealer wont share auction comps with you, walk away.

Know your audience

The biggest stumbling block to buying jewellery for someone else often comes from simple oversightbuying a piece, such as a ring or bracelet, that doesnt fit the personality of the receiver.

Try to understand the lifestyle of the person youre buying for," Druckenmiller says. Is she active? Does she use her hands for her job? That person might need something more lightweight, or made from more durable materials, than someone who (leads a more manicured) life."

Titanium, platinum, and diamond are options more rugged than, say, garnet, opal and gold.

If the person youre buying for often wears big rings and chunky bracelets and necklaces, its a good bet she would like more in a similar vein. If she tends to wear only delicate stud earrings or a thin band around her ring finger, its likely shes a minimalist.

Do a little research into history

Do your homework. It pays to know the history of jewellery, especially as it relates to fashion and culture. Before YSL and LaCroix were sending Byzantine-inspired costume jewels down the runway, Coco Chanel did it. And she did it best: Chanels baubles, brooches and chains inspired generations of fashion designers in the 1970s and 1980s. Her work carries more cachet, especially if previously owned by someone notablea royal or a celebrity.

Its very simple, Druckenmiller says: Age adds to value. And provenance matters."
Hop on the tour bus Don't miss the bus,' Brian warned, 'unless you want to spend all your beer money on a taxi back to Belfast' /news/talking-point/hop-on-the-tour-bus-111646915160402.html 111646915160402 story

Dont miss the bus," Brian warned, unless you want to spend all your beer money on a taxi back to Belfast." Brian was the guide on my Game Of Thrones tour of Northern Irelands rocky coastline. He was admonishing us not to take more than the 30 minutes allotted for lunch. Im not normally one for tours. Exploring a place on a tight schedule along a predetermined itinerary is not how I like to discover a new country. Yet, on occasions, when both time and budget are constraints, there is no denying the efficacy of a tour.

After a week in Ireland, exploring the islands meadow-filled interiors, I was eager for a glimpse of the Atlantic. I didnt want to return without having seen the rugged, wind-whipped coastline and walked on the hexagonal stones of the weird and wonderful Giants Causeway, a Unesco World Heritage Site. But as Brian rightly pointed out, a cab would have cost a pretty penny, and with just one day of my visit remaining, I didnt have the luxury of exploring via public transport. So, a tour it was.

I have a secret formula for times like these. When I am trying to pack a lot of sights into less time and money, Ive found film-related tours work really well. For one, the itinerary seems less arbitrary. Instead of a compendium of spots tour companies think travellers ought to see, these tours include the highlights of locations picked by a production house that invested a lot of time and money in scouting for them. On a trip to New Zealand, for instance, I met the helicopter pilot who flew scouts for The Lord Of The Rings all over South Island. He spoke of the many days and flights it took to identify just the right settings for particular scenes. The knowledge of that effort makes the thought of following a predetermined itinerary less onerous.

Places on such a tour are inevitably the best that a destination has to offer. And they frequently veer off the trodden path. On that same trip to New Zealand, I wound up at a sheep farm on North Island. It was a primeval landscape of craggy limestone cliffs and gnarly trees that were twisted and bent into unusual shapes. My guide pointed out several fossilized shells in a large rock. It was a dramatic landscape that I would not have visited otherwise.

Even if Im visiting a spot for just 15 minutes, as is often the case with tours, I already have a certain context to it that enriches the experience. A hillside covered in southern beech trees is so much more than a pretty forested slope when you can picture a horde of blood-thirsty orcs thundering down it. Its also a chance to learn interesting facts about nature that stay with you because of the unique links. For example, I never forget that it was the southern beech trees that made the forests of South Island the perfect setting for Lothlorien, the home of the elves. Their leaves are always tinged with yellow and red, as though at the cusp of autumn, which was ideal to indicate the elven forests that had started to change colour as the time of the elves came to an end.

The tours are often led by people who worked in the films in minor roles or as extras. Their experience makes them better storytellers, and they have inside tales to share. Not only did Brian grow up on the Northern Ireland coastline that the tour explored, he had also acted in several seasons of Game Of Thrones. The result was an enriching combination of local knowledge and show lore.

During a coffee break in the tiny town of Carnlough, he showed the group the steps at the little harbour where a temporarily blinded Arya was filmed crawling up to the streets of Braavos. Cushendun caves took on an eerie cast as we relived Melisandre giving birth to the shadow assassin.

On the way, we visited scenic Northern Ireland landmarks like the magical Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Giants Causeway. And at Ballintoy Harbour, where Brian revealed a chest full of cloaks and swords, we dressed up as the Ironborn and marched down the road to the coastline, drawing many a strange glance. Feeling utterly foolish yet thrilled, I posed for a goofy photograph wielding a swordit became one of my best memories of the trip.
The Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine has sent a letter of intent of partnership to the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence, a representative of the Center Rimantas Sikas said at a research and practical conference in Kyiv organized by the National Institute for Strategic Studies.

Sikas said such cooperation is already being implemented, in particular the Coherent Resilience 2017 command post exercises on the protection of Ukraine's critical electricity structure have been conducted recently, an Energy Reform correspondent reported.

According to him, a group of American experts is currently preparing a report on the results of the exercises.

Thanks to participation in the work of the Center, Ukraine will have access to their information base and best energy security practices of NATO member countries, the Office of the Vice Premier for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration said earlier.
Ukraine to be on agenda of all G7 talks in 2018 - Groysman

The Ukrainian issue will be one of the subjects on the agenda of all G7 talks in 2018, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said after a meeting with Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

"Next year Ottawa will chair the G 7 and the Ukrainian issue will be one of the items on the agenda at all talks," he wrote in his Facebook page on Friday.

Groysman thanked Freeland for advice and instructions on a whole range of issues, both bilateral cooperation and Ukrainian international positions.

"Such interest of global economies in our country is fully justified, and our task is to make it more effective," Groysman added.
Laredo Sector Border Patrol said agents arrested a man who admitted to being a member of the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang.

The man, who was from El Salvador, was encountered Tuesday with a group of six immigrants in Hebbronville. Border Patrol said the gang member and the immigrants had entered the country illegally.
One of the longest crude oil pipelines in years stretching from West Texas to Corpus Christi is set to start construction early next year.

The 730-mile long EPIC crude oil pipeline  which stands for Eagle Ford, Permian, Ingleside and Corpus  has received enough interest to start construction in early 2018. The pipeline will have a capacity of 440,000 barrels a day out of West Texas Permian Basin and another 150,000 barrels a day out of South Texas Eagle Ford Shale field.

EPIC spokesman Bruce Kates said there is no cost estimate for the pipeline, which will run parallel to the under construction EPIC NGL pipeline, which will transport 220,000 barrels per day of natural gas liquids when completed. Natural gas liquids include propane, butane, and ethane, which is used in plastics production and as a petrochemical feedstock.

EPIC is also working to finalize terms of a strategic relationship with Houston-based oil and gas exploration and production company Noble Energy. EPIC said that it is working to complete an agreement with Noble to transport up to 75,000 barrels a day of crude oil from its Reeves County acreage.

In the third quarter, Noble Energy recorded daily sales volumes of 27,000 barrels of oil equivalent from its Delaware Basin assets, which are part of the larger Permian Basin oil field. Of its Delaware Basin production 85 percent was crude oil and natural gas liquids, the company said.

Another unnamed company is said to have made a commitment of 75,000 barrels of oil per day on the crude oil pipeline.

The pipeline is one of at least 10 pipelines that are 100 miles or longer that have submitted new construction reports to the Texas Railroad Commission, the states oil and gas regulator, in 2017.

On Thursday Kinder Morgan announced that it will build the $1.7 billion Gulf Coast Express Pipeline Project, a 1.92 billion cubic feet a day natural gas pipeline stretching from West Texas to near Agua Dulce, close to Corpus Christi.

Rye Druzin is a San Antonio Express-News energy reporter. Read more of his stories here. | rdruzin@express-news.net | @druz_journo
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The son of deceased trucking magnate Bill Hall Jr. lost a court battle to wrestle control of his fathers estate away from his estranged mother, whos serving a two-year prison sentence for murdering her late husband.

Justin Hall, 30, asked Bexar Probate Judge Tom Rickhoff to give him and his sister, Dominique Hall, their fathers half of the couples estate. Bill died without a will, so his share of the estate passed to his wife Frances A. Hall.

Dominique, 34, sided with her mother in opposing Justins request to place their fathers share of the business in constructive trust. Rickhoffs ruling confirms Frances claim to 100 percent of the Bill Hall Jr. Trucking companies and other assets.

Dominique has been running the trucking empire while Frances, who co-owned the businesses with her husband, serves out her remaining time in prison. She is scheduled to be released in September.

At a court hearing Thursday, Mark Braswell, a lawyer for Justin, argued that Frances should be disqualified from receiving Bills half of their estate because she shouldnt benefit financially from her criminal act.

A Bexar County District Court jury in September 2016 found Frances guilty of murder and aggravated assault. Prosecutors said Frances wanted to kill her husbands longtime paramour for ruining her marriage but ended up killing her husband instead.

Frances, 54, was accused of killing Bill by knocking his motorcycle off the road with her Cadillac Escalade, then hitting another SUV driven by his lover, Bonnie Contreras  all in a highway chase Oct. 10, 2013, 2013, on South Loop 1604. Bill was 50.

The jury, though, handed Frances the lightest possible murder sentence, agreeing with her defense lawyers that she acted out of sudden passion.

The jurys finding of sudden passion thus negates the intent necessary to establish the willful taking of a life under the Texas Estates Code provisions dealing with forfeiture of property, said Keith Miller, a probate lawyer for Frances. Its a shame that Frances Hall, after suffering the loss of her husband, is now being sued by her son.

Rickhoff agreed in a brief written ruling denying Justins request to put his fathers half of the estate into a constructive trust.

The conviction relied upon by (Justin) does not meet the predicate for imposing a constructive trust, Rickhoffs ruling reads.

Ronald S. Schmidt, who represents Dominique, who also is the estates independent administrator, said she opposed Justins legal fight even though she could have financially benefited.

Shes always believed that her mother is the rightful heir and beneficiary, having survived her husband and not having been involved in an intentional act that ended her husbands life, Schmidt said.

Braswell said he disagrees with the judges ruling.

We will decide our next step after we finish reviewing his decision, Braswell said.

Bill and Frances estate was valued at $15.5 million in a 2014 court filing in the probate case. At one time, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking had a fleet of more than 100 trucks.

Bills share, which was about $7.7 million, has dwindled by $6 million, Braswell has said, blaming Dominique for selling off assets and ruining the businesses. Two of the family trucking companies are in bankruptcy.

Rickhoff has previously awarded the proceeds from multiple life insurance policies on Bills life to Frances after Justin indicated he wanted the money to go to his mother.

Braswell said Justin was being advised at the time by a lawyer who was conflicted because he also was representing Frances, Dominique and the estate. Justin is suing the lawyer for legal malpractice.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | pdanner@express-news.net | @AlamoPD
The unemployment rate in Texas fell to the lowest level on record last month as the manufacturing and service sectors continued to gain traction and the state bounced back from Hurricane Harvey.

The November jobless rate fell to 3.8 percent from 3.9 percent in October, the lowest since the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas started keeping records in January 1976 when the unemployment rate was 5.9 percent. The rate for the San Antonio metro area, which takes in New Braunfels, held steady at 3.8 percent.

Todays announcement of our record low unemployment rate is further proof that the Texas model of low taxes and reasonable regulations is working better than ever, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release. This record of 3.8 percent is also a testament to our diverse and talented workforce that is attracting new businesses to the state every day and driving our booming economy.

The unemployment rate remained well below the long-term average of 6.0 percent and below the national average of 4.1 percent. The tight labor market is making it difficult for employers to find qualified workers and putting pressure them to raise wages.

I think were seeing wage pressures across many industries, said Keith Phillips, assistant vice president for the banks San Antonio branch. Theres continued good news on the job front and a little bit of extra kick to San Antonio to kind of help rebuild the Gulf Coast and also to house the residents as they rebuild their homes.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, nine of 11 major industry sectors added positions. The states annual employment growth was 2.7 percent, making for 91 consecutive months of annual growth.

The U.S. economy has fully recovered its losses from the financial crisis of last decade as the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Index hit all-time highs on Monday. The Federal Reserve, which has kept interest rates near zero for the better part of a decade, raised rates earlier this month for the third time this year to keep the economy from overheating. The S&P has surged 19.9 percent while the Dow is up 25.3 percent so far this year.

Turn to Saturdays front page or click here on ExpressNews.com to read the full article.

lbrezosky@express-news.net | On Twitter @lbrezosky
OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug 85 has said that 85 people have been killed and 384 injured in Donbas since the beginning of 2017.

"This year so far, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission has confirmed the death of 85 people and the injury of 384," Hug said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

At the same time, he said that between 16.00 on Monday and 16.00 on Tuesday this week, the OSCE SMM recorded over 7,000 ceasefire violations.

"We are in fact currently witnessing such a pattern - a downward spiral of violence that last week resulted in over 16,000 ceasefire violations recorded by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, a 40% increase on the previous week," he said.

According to Hug, observers have recorded almost 400,000 ceasefire violations since the beginning of 2017.
The FADER, an online music news publication, has named "The Race," a song released by San Antonio murder suspect Tay-K, its top Song of the Year following his arrest on murder charges out of Bexar and Tarrant counties.

Tay-K recorded "The Race," in which he raps about life on the lam, while he was a fugitive wanted on the two murder charges and a charge of aggravated robbery. The song has been viewed more than 100 million times since it was posted to YouTube in June and has generated "enduring" and "unanswerable" questions about ethical consumption of art, according to The FADER.

"This year, The FADER chose not to cover certain artists out of a concern that generating clicks on their behalf would equal complicity for their crimes. When we look back at 2017, and how it has reshaped the way we all engage with the producers of culture, it's songs like 'The Race,' and stories as complex as Tay-K's, that will stand out the most," reads The FADER's explanation for their decision.

RELATED: 6-year-old boy killed after deputies opened fire in Schertz identified

Tay-K, whose given name is Taymor Travon McIntyre, is currently being held in the Tarrant County Jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated robbery. But in October, mySA confirmed that McIntyre has also been named a suspect in the murder of 23-year-old Mark Anthony Saldivar in San Antonio.

According to police, Saldivar got into an argument with 17-year-old McIntyre and three other suspects on April 23 inside of a black SUV on an access road to Loop 410. At some point, someone in the car allegedly pointed a gun at Saldivar, prompting him to flee from the car and yell for help.

The driver of the SUV tried to run him over, but Saldivar held onto the hood of the SUV until it came to a stop at a nearby Chik-fil-a, at which point he jumped onto the car and started stomping in the windshield, officials said. A passenger got out of the car, fatally shot Saldivar and then McIntyre and the three other suspects fled in the SUV, leaving Saldivar's body in the parking lot, authorities said.

McIntyre allegedly participated in Saldivar's killing while on the lam. He had previously been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Ethan Matthew Walker in Mansfield, Texas, during a botched armed robbery on July 27, 2016.

Authorities said McIntyre slipped off his ankle bracelet on March 27, 2017, and fled to San Antonio, where he killed Saldivar and then fled to New Jersey. During this period, McIntyre recorded and released several songs, one of which was "The Race. In the music video for the song, McIntyre poses next to his own wanted poster.

RELATED: Tay-K 47, who rapped about life on the lam, charged in fatal shooting at San Antonio Chick-fil-A

"The video for his breakout song 'The Race,' all 104 seconds of it, was recorded while he was literally on the lam, a type beat-selecting outlaw," writes The FADER's Rawiya Kameir. "The song's energy reflects that: "F--k a beat, I was tryna beat a case / But I ain't beat that case / B---h, I did the race," he raps, his voice barely pubescent. He sounds like he's outrunning the law, and outrunning the track. The effect is that he lands slightly ahead of the beat, crunchy drums underscoring his one-liners."

Kameir points out that McIntyre's real-life fugitive status helped garner attention for his work, but questions whether such buzz is morally justifiable.

"Should that real-life story make the song more compelling or less so?" she asks. "Can a piece of art be invalidated by the circumstances under which it was created? For some publications and listeners, the answer is yes; for others, quite the opposite."

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns
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Webb County employees will be starting off 2018 with a new human resources director.

At a special-called meeting Thursday, Commissioners Court interviewed three applicants for the position and chose Ernesto Guajardo, a longtime Laredo educator and administrator who retired as LISD's executive director of HR.

Guajardo began his career 40 years ago at United ISD when it was a small district. He began as band director at United Middle School and moved on to be assistant principal of United High School, then administrator assistant/director of transportation at UISD, he said.

At Laredo ISD, Guajardo served as principal of the Vidal M. Trevino School of Fine Arts and Communications and retired as executive director of human resources after four years in the position, Guajardo said.

He told Commissioners Court that he's done it all, from grievances to interviews. And Guajardo saved the district money by closing investigations on 13 staff members that had them on paid leave for over a year; and all 13 resigned, he said.

He also revised board policy to curtail excessive absences.

READ MORE: Talk of Webb County outer loop project renewed by TxDOT officials

"There were teachers who had over 60 absences. These teachers are no longer with LISD," Guajardo wrote on his resume.

Guajardo also made a recommendation to Commissioners Court: their Civil Service Commission rulebook does not mention anything about protecting whistleblowers who file grievances. Guajardo said this concerned him.

Ana Laura Botello, hiring specialist at Laredo Medical Center, and Sara Soto-Hinojosa, former HR director for Texas Migrant Council, also interviewed with Commissioners Court on Thursday.

Commissioner Jaime Canales said that it was a very difficult choice, but he motioned to hire Guajardo.

Commissioner John Galo was the only dissenting vote, and said that he would have selected Botello.

Guajardo's first day will be Jan. 2, and his starting salary will be a little over $69,000. After six months Commissioners Court has the discretion to bring him up to about $76,000, Commissioners Court Administrator Leroy Medford said.

Medford has been serving as interim HR director since August, when commissioners voted to fire Cynthia Mares.

READ MORE: Concerns raised by teachers group over UISD grievance process

Medford said previously that when the county adopted the Condrey Plan, an objective classification and wage scale, Mares was charged with rolling out the policy. Because of issues the county encountered during this process, Mares was placed on a six-month probation.

Then issues continued to occur while Mares manned HR, Medford said at the August meeting.

Guajardo said he doesn't want to come in and fix something that isn't broken. He's going to evaluate what needs to be done in the HR department, he said.

"I'm a hands-on person that likes to come in running," Guajardo said.
All in the Money in the World was in the news before it was in the theaters because of a reshoot to replace Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer following the sexual allegations against Spacey this fall. His role was that of billionaire J. Paul Getty, and when I read that, I assumed that Getty couldnt be that large a part. Pivotal, maybe. Colorful, for sure, but not something occupying much actual screen time.

Well, it turns out that J. Paul Getty is all over All the Money in the World. He is the second or third lead and is in multiple scenes, which means that easily 30 percent of the film had to be completely reshot. This represents a remarkable and seamless technical achievement, as well as an impressive artistic achievement for director Ridley Scott and his cast. Plummer delivers brilliance in what had to be record time, and every person sharing a scene with Plummer  Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg, in particular  comes in fresh and spontaneous, responding anew to another actors completely different energy.

The film tells the story of the notorious 1973 kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III, the 16-year-old grandson of the richest man in the world. The kidnapping was notorious for two reasons, one best discovered in the watching, and the other because the senior Getty, despite his wealth, was a tightwad who wouldnt pay the ransom. He was so cheap he laundered his own shirts and had a pay phone installed in the house in case his guests wanted to make calls. So forget about forking over $17 million.

Someday, on some Blu-ray in the future, we might get to see how Spacey approached the role, but Plummer does something its hard to imagine anyone topping. He doesnt play active malevolence, but a mental disorder. He plays someone with a narrow, pinched view of existence, but one that, in his estimation, has been emphatically confirmed by fabulous success. So he goes around with a smirky glow, convinced that everyone wants what he has and amused that no one is going to get it.

Now Playing: FOX 5's Kevin McCarthy spoke with Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams, stars of the new film, 'All The Money In The World.' Video: Fox5DC

As such, he is not a villain. Hes just beyond the reach of other values. Human emotion touches him, but in muted form. If someone, such as his security man (Wahlberg), makes an appeal to some higher consideration, he assumes its a ploy, or he looks for the hidden money angle. He really thinks everyone is as selfish and mercenary as he is, but because everyone is at least a little selfish and mercenary, he keeps finding evidence that hes right. Plummer conveys all this with very little, a look, a smile, a subtle emphasis.

This brings him into conflict with his former daughter-in-law, Abigail Harris Getty, the kidnapped boys mother, played impeccably by Williams. The kidnappers direct their ransom demands to the mother, naturally assuming that, because shes a Getty, shes loaded. She tells them that shes not, and they tell her to get it from the old man. Sure, why not? And how about some blood from a stone while shes at it?

All the Money in the World is probably unique among kidnap sagas in that the primary conflict isnt between the victim and the kidnappers, or the mother and the kidnappers, but between Abigail and her former father-in-law. Abigail is essentially powerless, but the script and Williams keep her active, making appeals to the implacable billionaire and negotiating with the kidnappers for less ransom and more time.

Williams adopts the particular speaking pattern of Abigail Getty, the forward placement, the slight sibilance and the hints of good breeding. This wasnt a necessary choice, but it works well to fill in the character. The role demands that Williams remain at a pitch of emotion throughout and then top even that, as when she goes to identify her sons body, and it turns out to be someone else, or she picks up the phone, and its her kidnapped son on the line.

Williams always plays the unexpected. She doesnt feel the emotion and then express it. She feels and expresses it simultaneously, always while doing some other third thing. She knows what Al Pacino knew when he played that scene in The Godfather when Michaels wife blows up in her car. When the situation is that urgent, theres no split second for realization to register on a face. At that level of intense crisis, emotion and action are one.

All the Money in the World doesnt transcend its genre, in the sense of being more than it is, a fascinating thriller. But its as realized a thriller as you are likely to find, not only in the precision of its performances, but in its evocative use of location (Rome, London), its period detail (especially Williams clothing) and the tension of the younger Gettys months-long captivity.

It would be an unusual and somewhat harrowing experience to put oneself through on Christmas Day, but like all movies of this quality, it gives back more than it takes.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle

All the Money

in the World

Thriller. Starring Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer and Mark Wahlberg. Directed by Ridley Scott. (R. 132 minutes.)
Canada will not stop talking about the unacceptability of Russian aggression against Ukraine as long as the occupation of Ukrainian territories continues, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has said.

"We recognize, and we talk about this everywhere, that Russia is an aggressor, that Russian aggression against Ukraine is unacceptable for the international community. We will not stop talking about this until Russia is the occupier of Ukraine," Freeland said at celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian diplomacy in Kyiv on Friday.

She also said that Canada stood side by side with Ukraine.

"Canada stands side by side with Ukraine. We believe in the importance of Ukrainian sovereignty, Ukrainian borders, Ukrainian territory," Freeland added.
A Bay Area federal judge barred the Trump administration on Thursday from authorizing employers to deny birth control coverage to women for religious or moral reasons, saying the government abruptly imposed the sweeping changes in October with no public notice or input.

The new contraceptive rules had already been halted last Friday by a federal judge in Philadelphia in a ruling the administration plans to appeal. In issuing his own nationwide injunction, U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam of Oakland cited the potentially profound impact on women who had gained access to contraceptive care, without charge, in the health insurance law championed by President Barack Obama.

For a substantial number of women, (the administrations orders) transform contraceptive coverage from a legal entitlement to an essentially gratuitous benefit wholly subject to their employers discretion, Gilliam said in response to a lawsuit by California, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia.

The Obama administration exempted religious institutions from the contraceptive-coverage requirements  an exemption the Supreme Court broadened in 2014 to include closely held corporations whose owners had religious objections to birth control  but female employees could still receive coverage subsidized by their employers insurers or the government.

By contrast, the rules announced by the Trump administration on Oct. 6 allowed any private employer to withhold contraceptive coverage for religious reasons, and gave many types of companies the option of denying coverage for moral reasons. The new rules also allowed employers to prevent insurance subsidies, leaving the women without coverage.

Almost any employer in the country could obtain a religious exemption or a virtually undefined moral exemption, said attorney Janie Schulman, who filed arguments on behalf of the American Association of University Women and other womens groups and labor unions. A company could claim that it morally believes women shouldnt use birth control or women dont belong in the workplace.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the ruling reaffirmed that a woman, not her boss and certainly not a politician, should decide whats best for her own health care.

The Justice Department disagreed with the ruling and is evaluating its next steps, said spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam.

This administration is committed to defending the religious liberty of all Americans and we look forward to doing so in court, she said.

Like last weeks decision in a lawsuit by the state of Pennsylvania, Gilliams ruling focused on the relatively narrow issue of whether the Trump administration had complied with the laws governing executive orders that affect members of the public. One law requires the government to publish its proposed rules in advance and invite public comment before making a final decision.

In this case, the administration argued that advance notice and comment would be contrary to the public interest. Administration officials said the issue had already been debated at length, citing the hundreds of thousands of public comments on contraception submitted during the Obama administration, and argued that delaying the change would be unfair to employers whose rights were at stake.

Gilliam disagreed. Except in narrow circumstances, he said, the law entitles the public to comment on proposed rules such as these that could affect their lives, enabling government agencies to proceed in a fully informed manner, exploring alternative, less harmful approaches.

The states, acting on behalf of their residents, face potentially dire public health and fiscal consequences as a result of a process as to which they had no input, said the judge, an Obama appointee.

And although Gilliam did not rule on the administrations argument that its changes were necessary to protect religious freedom, he noted that the Obama administrations rules had been challenged on religious grounds in nine federal appeals courts since 2014.

Eight of those courts were likely correct in finding that those rules, with narrow religious exemptions and continuing contraceptive coverage, did not violate religious freedom, Gilliam said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
Students from Lemm Elementary in the Klein Independent School District can now officially say they have completed a semester of high school.

It's not exactly how it sounds though. The elementary students were displaced after Hurricane Harvey ruined their campus causing the site to need a complete restoration. The storm's destruction will cost the district an estimate between $12-$15 million in repairs. The students, teachers, and staff had to be placed in a wing of the district's newest high school, Klein Cain.

"In the transition we haven't had any complaints from our students, and they love being in a high school. It's interesting because our kids try and figure out how they can intermingle with the high school kids," said Kathy Brown, Lemm Elementary principal. "The high school kids are also trying to find ways to engage with the elementary kids. We have had some time exciting opportunities to work with high school kids here. In a sad situation, it's the best opportunities our kids have had as well."

Lemm Elementary received around 6 to 8 inches of water throughout the school during Hurricane Harvey. Various degrees of damage from the storm impacted 25 other campuses in the district with minor damage from roof leaks and blowing water, the majority of this damage was to ceiling tile, but nothing was to the extent of the damage sustained at Lemm Elementary.

Contents that had to be removed from Lemm Elementary included casework, drywall and flooring material, furniture, damaged equipment, books and paper goods. The site has had to have drywall cut and carpet removal as well.

The high school, which now houses approximately 700 students and 70 staff members from Lemm Elementary, officially opened in August to freshman and sophomore students.

Klein Cain High School students serves approximately 1,450 freshman and sophomores combined and was built to house 3,500 students. The new high school had a wing that was not being used, so the campus was able to house the elementary students.

Students, teachers, and staff are utilizing about 36 classrooms in addition to various areas for special-needs students at their new temporary home.

Lemm Elementary opened in 1980 and is located at Joanleigh Drive, Spring. Klein Cain is located at 10201 Spring Cypress, Klein, which is at the opposite end of the district from the elementary school.

There have been some unforeseen obstacles Lemm students and staff have experienced during the transition with getting acclimated to their temporary site.

"Bussing has been a challenge; we went from four buses to 12 buses. We were at a neighborhood "school, and it is (now) going from one end of the district to another," Brown said. "We were furthest school to the east, and now we are going all the way to the west. It is like going from Interstate 45 to Texas 249, and that's been a struggle."

Earlier in the semester, it was reported that the initial budget for the restoration was $8.5 million, but the district was waiting to hear back from its insurance company - it had flood insurance - and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Now, the estimation of repairs could cost up to $15 million.

School officials confirm that funds to restore the school will come from the 2015 bond program and some already were earmarked for Lemm Elementary. The rest of the funding will come from the district deferring other work at other schools.

"We have just completed the re-design of the interior spaces," Robert Robertson said, Klein ISD associate superintendent of facility and school services. "We are now engaged in conversations with Harris County and Harris County Flood Control as to what additional code requirements or flood control requirements we will have to make during this reconstruction."

The new design will increase transparency, flexibility, and collaboration spaces with the interior of the school. Also, day lighting will be added, which means including some sky lights. The new design is aimed at bringing the school up to the latest instructional standards.

"It's important to know you can take an established building, remove all the walls from a 37-year-old building and make it innovative and accessible for the 21st century learner to be successful," Brown said. "Literally, we gutted the building and what we have ready is going to allow for innovation and positive learning for our students. We are not just re-doing the building for my lifetime, but for way into the future for these kids. It's so exciting to see."

Even though Klein Cain High School is only a temporary home for Lemm Elementary, there have been various collaborative opportunities between the elementary and high school students. This semester high school child development classes invited the younger kids to the nutrition lab to make ginger bread houses, the softball girls team has participated in mentoring elementary girls, and the culinary group invited fifth graders to work with them in the lab.

Other collaborative opportunities have included high school student volunteers at the elementary' s field day, a genius hour every week with students from child development with kindergarten teachers, autistic children earned Fun Fridays to engage and participate with high school students, and some science high school students taught elementary kids about flooding.

"It's great for the kids to see what a high school looks like and see careers and things that they might want to do in the future. It's (also) great for the kids to see that they can advance what they're doing in their learning here," Brown said. "The learning will continue and students will be coming every day. It's a wonderful experience. Out of all the bad, we can counter with all of these wonderful things that are happening."

Klein ISD plans to re-open Lemm Elementary in August for the 2018-19 academic school year.
Sunday marks 20 years since then Nago Mayor Tetsuya Higa announced he would accept a plan to shift the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station to his city from its current location in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. Although the Japanese and U.S. governments have made steady efforts to realize the relocation of this base over the past two decades, opposition to the plan has intensified in Okinawa Prefecture in recent years.

On Dec. 24, 1997, Higa met then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto for talks and announced he would accept shifting the base to Nago, and he later resigned as mayor. In a city referendum held just three days earlier, 52.86 percent of Nago residents opposed a proposal to construct a heliport off the Nago coast, topping the 45.33 percent of residents who supported the proposal. Higa's painful political decision to accept the base gave the planned relocation a green light.
WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Ethics expanded its investigation into Rep. Blake Farenthold to probe whether he might have lied or omitted facts while testifying before the panel and used House resources to benefit his congressional campaigns.

Ethics committee Chairwoman Susan Brooks, R-Ind., and ranking Democratic member Theodore Deutch, D-Fla., said the committee voted unanimously on Thursday to widen its inquiry beyond allegations that Farenthold, R-Texas, sexually harassed, discriminated or retaliated against his staff.

The expansion of the probe comes as the ethics committee faces pressure to take serious action against lawmaker misconduct, as Capitol Hill reckons with a wave of allegations of sexual harassment.

Farenthold recently announced he would not seek reelection amid renewed attention to his 2014 settlement with a former aide who accused him of making comments designed to gauge whether she was interested in a sexual relationship. Other former staffers also alleged in recent news reports that he was prone to outbursts and other unprofessional behavior.

In a video posted to his Facebook page, the four-term congressman denied the accusations that led to the settlement, but apologized for fostering a "permissive and decidedly unprofessional" work environment.

The latest allegations were not detailed in news reports about Farenthold's purportedly inappropriate office culture. Farenthold represents the 27th Congressional District along the Texas Gulf Coast, including Corpus Christi, and has faced questions about why he is choosing to serve out his term.

The widened ethics investigation could increase pressure on him to resign immediately.

The panel is now investigating allegations that Farenthold "may have made false statements or omissions in testimony to the Committee," according to a statement from Brooks and Deutch.

The inquiry has also widened to look into whether Farenthold or his deputies "used House resources, including staff time, to benefit his congressional campaigns" or "required members of his congressional staff to work on his congressional campaigns."

Brooks and Deutch noted that the existence of an investigation does not itself indicate wrongdoing.

Farenthold spokeswoman Stacey Daniels noted that the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent ethics monitor, sided with Farenthold when it examined allegations he sexually harassed his former communications director, Lauren Greene. She did not specifically address the latest allegations.

"Congressman Farenthold has cooperated fully with both the Office of Congressional Ethics and the House Ethics Committee for almost three years," Daniels wrote in an email. "He looks forward to this issue being resolved in his favor, once again, and will continue to cooperate fully with the Ethics Committee."

The ethics panel also announced Thursday that it established an investigative subcommittee to look into allegations that Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., made unwanted sexual advances toward several women, including a former campaign aide.

Kihuen and Farenthold are two of the seven members of Congress who have resigned or said they would not run for reelection amid allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct since October. Another, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., delivered his farewell speech to the Senate on Thursday and will resign Jan. 2.
WASHINGTON - To fill their top spot on the House Judiciary Committee, Democrats had a choice between experts in two critical policy arenas - a constitutional-law ace with firsthand experience battling Donald Trump, and an architect of sweeping immigration legislation.

By a wide margin, they chose the constitutional-law expert. Why? To ready themselves for a battle with President Donald Trump that could end with impeachment proceedings.

The selection of Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., as the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee was the clearest sign yet of how seriously House Democrats consider the possibility of a full-blown constitutional showdown with Trump.

You wouldn't know it from how many of them talk. When it comes to the i-word, most Democrats have walked a tightrope - with even Nadler hesitant to mention impeachment in interviews before votes were cast Wednesday.

Leaders have cautioned the rank and file not to push for impeachment, because the public might view it as an overreach. The House's few remaining moderate Democrats from swing districts have regularly warned the party's liberal flank against making the 2018 midterm elections about Trump or the investigations into his presidential campaign.

"Look, Robert Mueller III is on the case," said Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., from a western Illinois district that swung to Trump last year. "We've got to let him do what he's going to go and let the facts go wherever they're going to go. In the end the truth comes out, but I don't think we need to rush anything more than that."

Bustos had a one-word reply when asked what issues Democrats need to focus on in the next 11 months: "Jobs."

Yet Nadler anchored his candidacy for his new position, vacated with the resignation of Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., on the 13 years he has spent as chairman or ranking Democrat on the panel's Constitution subcommittee and, more recently, its courts subcommittee.

He also politely reminded Democrats in recent days of his efforts, beginning in the mid-1980s and continuing into last decade, to impede Trump's efforts to develop portions of New York's Upper West Side, which Nadler has represented in the New York State Assembly, and subsequently the House, for more than 40 years.

Nadler won a secret ballot 118 to 72, demonstrating that this caucus wants to be ready to clash with Trump if it vaults into the majority after next year's midterm elections.

"There is nobody better prepared, if the president messes around with the Constitution, to handle it than Jerry Nadler," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the vote.

Schumer, a confidant of Nadler's since the 1970s, did not have a vote in the race, but he echoed the sentiment of many House Democrats.

It was not meant as a slight to the importance of immigration, an issue that Nadler's opponent, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., had argued was the party's main focus.

And these internal elections for leadership posts and top committee slots often turn largely on personal relationships that lawmakers build over decades in office. This race was no different.

Nadler had the backing of most, if not all, of New York's 18 Democratic lawmakers, as well as many members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC has long held that seniority (Nadler was elected in 1992 and Lofgren in 1994) should be the most important factor in these posts, rather than qualities such as the ability to raise money. That's because many of its members come from poorer, urban districts and do not have the wealthy donor bases of some of their colleagues.

Yet Lofgren hails from a state with 39 Democrats, and with more than 60 women casting ballots in the Democratic leadership races, she was considered a strong challenger for a post that Conyers vacated amid sexual harassment allegations.

One Democratic handicapper familiar with recent internal races expected Nadler to win by about 15 votes. Instead, he won by more than double that margin.

What changed the calculus?

"The constitutional argument," Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., said in explaining the broad support for Nadler. Democrats, he said, must "prepare for the coming storm."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., played down any division within her caucus, suggesting that the race was spirited but helpful in highlighting key issues. "It was a good, healthy race," said Pelosi, who stayed neutral. "I thought they both made a very good showing."

Schumer said he first met Nadler when he "a West Side kid, one of the leaders of the West Side political movement." The Brooklyn Democrat won his first assembly race in 1974, and Nadler won his two years later.

After a failed 1985 mayoral bid, Nadler won his House seat in 1992 and became a force on the Judiciary Committee, particularly as a top defender in 1998 of President Bill Clinton during his impeachment hearings.

"History and the precedents alike show that impeachment is not a punishment for crimes but a means to protect our constitutional system," he said then in his opening statement during the committee's proceedings. "And it was certainly not meant to be a means to punish a president for personal wrongdoing not related to his office."

A fairly doctrinaire liberal, Nadler represents a district where Trump received just 19 percent of the vote last year. He refused to attend Trump's inauguration, saying that he was "legally elected" despite allegations of Russian interference. Instead, Nadler said then, Trump's actions inflaming racial tensions made him "not legitimate" as president.

By May, after the firing of James Comey as FBI director, Nadler told CNN that there might be a "very strong case" for obstruction-of-justice charges against Trump.

Democrats are careful to say that Nadler will not push too far or too fast on any impeachment proceedings. "He doesn't rush to judgment about anything, very deliberative," said Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., a friend of more than 25 years.

Such cautious statements aside, it's hard not to conclude that Nadler was given his new job for a singular reason.

"It's something I think he was made for," Crowley said. "He's at the right place at the right time and when we need him most."
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law of Ukraine on the introduction of amendments to Clause 16, Section VI "Final and Transitional Provisions" of the Budget Code of Ukraine, the press service of the head of state reported on Friday.

The law, in particular, introduces amendments that allow the Cabinet of Ministers to continue support for television and radio companies that operated on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and provide information services.

The report notes that the law comes into force from the day following the day of its publication.
The more Abigail Bautista tried to convey her pain, the harder it was to do so.

"I'm dying inside," she said Thursday afternoon, speaking to a judge inside a Maryland courtroom.

In front of her, 30 feet away, sat Leonardo Siguenza-Neiros, a 22-year-old MS-13 gang member who had taken part in the savage murder of her son and was about to be sentenced for the crime.

"He cannot be let out," Bautista told the judge.

Denis Montufar-Bautista's death in late 2015 shattered his mother's life. She struggled to recover in part by taking a defiant posture toward the gang - refusing to leave the neighborhood of Langley Park where she and many gang members lived. This week Bautista shared her story with The Washington Post, describing widespread fears among Langley Park residents over the gang, and detailing her own experience of paying them $60 in weekly extortion so she could sell purses, shoes and other items out of her apartment and from a cart she pushed through the neighborhood.

Sitting at the sentencing hearing Thursday, though, meant listening to excruciating details about how Denis was killed: MS-13 members, under the guise of smoking marijuana, had lured him down a dark path just north of Langley Park. Then, next to a frigid stream, they suddenly attacked. Denis was punched, kicked and stabbed as he crawled to the stream. Then at least two of the gang members started picking up large rocks and chunks of concrete and slamming them down onto his skull. Denis fell into the water, where he died.

His mother spoke about him in court - how he wanted to study, how he helped her with her youngest child. But the words became more halting, the pauses longer. She swayed in her chair.

"I just beg you to help me," Bautista told the judge.

Then she leaned back, seemingly unable to breathe, with those around her talking about her having just fainted.

Bailiffs quickly walked to her. Paramedics were summoned. The hearing was put on hold. But 25 minutes later it resumed, and a short time after that, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Cheryl McCally delivered her sentence: Life in prison.

"This was a senseless, brutal, calculated slaughter for reasons known only to you and your gang associates," she said.

She spoke to Siguenza-Neiros about the way Denis had died - still alive in the water, ultimately succumbing to stab wounds to his torso, crushing wounds to his head and drowning.

"What I know is that this young man did not deserve to die feeling the pain of every one of those wounds," she continued. "He did not have the privilege of dying instantly. He suffered. You know that because you were there."

Moments earlier, Siguenza-Neiros had spoken briefly to the judge.

"I would like to say that I'm sorry for what happened to Denis," he said. "I feel remorseful for what happened. If I could go back in time I would do things differently. I'm going to be thinking about it for the rest of my life."

Siguenza-Neiros, born in El Salvador, entered the U.S. illegally as a teenager, was placed into the U.S. program for unaccompanied minors, and made his way to Maryland, according to authorities.

The hearing also addressed broader issues of MS-13, a Hispanic gang responsible for gruesome murders in and around the Washington region in the past few years.

"There is a path of destruction that you and MS-13 have caused," McCally said. "It's beyond the pale of what any community can tolerate."

"We are in the middle of an incredibly violent crisis in Montgomery County," prosecutor Patrick Mays said in court. "A huge part of that is the presence of MS-13. The gang is terrorizing our communities."

He drew a connection between the violent murder of Denis and other homicides. This year, Montgomery County detectives found an MS-13 victim buried in the woods in Wheaton who had been stabbed more than 100 times, decapitated, and had his heart ripped out.

"MS has made a point of sending a signal to our community . . . with these public acts of dismemberment," he said.

After the hearing, Bautista said she was satisfied with the sentence.

"That's what I wanted," she said. "Justice."

She felt a pain in her heart, she said, seeing Siguenza-Neiros in court. She said she regained her strength because she knew Denis would have wanted her to.

"I know he's with me," she said. "And I'm close to him."

Siguenza-Neiros had pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder in the case. His attorney at the time, Timothy Clarke, said he was acting on instructions from those above him in the gang.

"If he did not participate in this murder, he would have been the dead person," Clarke said.

On Thursday, a new attorney for Siguenza-Neiros, Gary Proctor, said his client did not play a central role in the attack. But he did slash Denis at least once, and he kicked and beat him, according to Proctor.

"He has expressed remorse," he said.
The misfortunes of Venezuela's state-owned oil company are now roiling the clear waters of the Caribbean.

Once the region's driving force, Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA, as it's known, faces the prospect of losing its footprint in the Caribbean over unpaid bills and the inability to deliver on its promise to supply cheap crude oil and fuel to its partners in the PetroCaribe program. The beleaguered state-owned oil giant has seen its executive ranks decimated as the authoritarian Maduro regime imprisons executives and installs military officers in their place.

PDVSA lost a stake in a Cuban refinery and a storage-tank lease in the Bahamas in the past year. Now it faces losing shares in refineries from Jamaica to Curacao, and storage tanks from St. Eustatius to Bonaire. That's a turnaround from a decade ago, when PDVSA picked up assets and friends across the region ahead of a planned boost to its production that never happened.

Plagued by a heavy debt load and crippled by U.S. sanctions, Venezuela has seen its oil output slump to below 2 million barrels daily from more than 3 million barrels in 2013, leaving behind a trail of underutilized refineries, broken promises, unpaid bills and overdue facilities maintenance.

Recent events seem to indicate PDVSA will "involuntarily" exit the Caribbean, said Mara Roberts Duque, a New York-based analyst at BMI Research.

"If they are not able to keep these Caribbean assets in good condition, they will have major implications down the supply chain," as the assets complement those in Venezuela, Duque said by phone. "They can't do it with their domestic assets. They also need facilities in the Caribbean to supplement their domestic output of refined products."

The hodgepodge of terminals serve as a platform to both store and ship crude oil and products, which account for more than 95 percent of Venezuela's total exports. The storage tanks in Bonaire can hold as much as 10 million barrels and are used mainly to handle fuel oil cargoes bound to China and Singapore. The PDVSA refineries in the Caribbean make up 16 percent of the company's global oil processing capacity, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

PDVSA rolled out its oil diplomacy accord, known as PetroCaribe, in 2005 under the guidance of the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, financed by oil prices near $100 a barrel. As crude production by one of OPEC's founding members falls and debt mounts, it makes sense to downsize, said Kurt Barrow, an analyst at IHS Markit.

"They can't afford to maintain facilities and they need every dollar or bolivar to make bond payments and finance their government," Barrow said by phone from Houston. "They are struggling to maintain in any sort of fashion their domestic oil and gas infrastructure."

And even as Venezuela is set to pump the least oil in three decades as drilling companies retreat amid unpaid bills and widespread complaints over poor oil quality, PDVSA also grapples with the arrests of at least 65 officials at the company and its U.S. refining unit Citgo Petroleum Corp. President Nicolas Maduro has said the detentions are meant to curb corruption, but critics have said it represents a power struggle in the ruling socialist party.

Among those held were Nelson Martinez and Eulogio del Pino, who over the years alternated as PDVSA's president and oil minister. Maduro appointed Manuel Quevedo to run the company. The major general, who has no oil-industry experience, is charged with ramping up production in the country with the world's largest oil reserves. The commodity is a mainstay of the economy in Venezuela, and collapsing prices have led to widespread social unrest and even starvation.

The appointment of unproved managers puts more strain on PDVSA's ability to make its heavy schedule of bond payments in coming years. The cash-strapped company, which struggles to sell its oil to the U.S. because of sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, owes bondholders about $14 billion by 2020. China, which came to the rescue repeatedly in past years, has shown signs of impatience after China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., known as Sinopec, sued PDVSA in U.S. courts.

Rosarys Ysturiz, a spokeswoman for PDVSA, didn't immediately return a call and email seeking comment.

The "insurmountable" wall of debt due in the next seven years will eventually force a hard default on Venezuela, Thomas Onley, an analyst with Facts Global Energy, said. If China and Russia relax terms on the oil-for-cash agreements to allow the Latin American country to postpone loan payments and sell oil for hard currency, it could help Venezuela to buy more time.

"Voluntarily or involuntarily getting rid of assets in the Caribbean won't solve their problems," Onley said by phone from London. "There are many things that need to happen, and one of them is, oil needs to reach $80 before things start looking good for them."

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Bloomberg contributors: Ezra Fieser, Fabiola Zerpa, Hannah Dormido and Hayley Warren.

To contact the reporters on this story: Lucia Kassai in Houston at lkassai@bloomberg.net, Sheela Tobben in New York at vtobben@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net, Mike Jeffers, Stephen Merelman

2017 Bloomberg L.P.
Texas Monthly tweeted "Priscilla Villarreal doesn't work for the local news in Laredo-but for her 80,000 Facebook followers, that doesn't matter."

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She calls herself Lagordiloca, the fat crazy lady. Some know her as the nightcrawler. When the sun goes down on Laredo, Texas. Priscilla Villarreal combs the streets in her blue Dodge Ram looking for crime scenes and live-streaming police activity from her cellphone. She usually doesn't make it home until dawn.

Over the past couple years, the 32-year-old has become one of the city's most popular journalists. Her Facebook page boasts about 84,000 followers, and some of her videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Laredo's flagship newspaper describes her as a "local internet sensation."

But her raw, unfiltered social media dispatches and her guerrilla-style vlogging have led to tense confrontations with police that, according to Villarreal, have escalated since the summer.

Now, after quietly investigating her for months, local authorities are alleging some of Villarreal's reporting was criminal.

On Dec. 13, Villarreal was arrested and charged with two counts of "misuse of official information," a third-degree felony, in connection with her posts on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee who committed suicide by jumping from a city overpass earlier this year.

Authorities say Villarreal got the employee's name from a Laredo police officer and published it on her Facebook page before the department released it to the public. They claim that's a violation of state law, as the Laredo Morning Times reported.

Villarreal, who turned herself in voluntarily, denies any wrongdoing. She says the department is trying to silence her for criticizing officers and beating their public relations office to the punch. She's confident she'll be cleared of the charges.

"All this is just a personal vendetta," she told The Washington Post on Friday. "And I have all the proof I need to prove it."

Department spokesman Joe Baeza didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment early Friday morning. In comments to the Morning Times this week, he said: "We have no personal vendetta or ax to grind with anybody."

The name of a dead public employee is generally not classified or barred from disclosure under federal or state laws - in fact, most public records laws all but guarantee such information can be legally disseminated by reporters. It's also extraordinarily rare for prosecutors to go after journalists who publish information that is set to be made publicly available in short order. Even in cases where classified information is published by a news outlet, prosecutors tend to investigate the people who leaked it first.

Legal experts said Laredo police may have picked a First Amendment fight they can't win. "It's wrong. They have missed the boat," Joseph Larsen, a media law specialist, said of Laredo police, according to the Morning Times. Authorities had "massively overreacted and overstepped," added Stuart Karle, an adjunct media law professor at Columbia Journalism School, in remarks to Texas Monthly.

Local media reported that Laredo Police Officer Barbara Goodman, a 19-year veteran, was the officer who provided Villarreal with the CPB employee's name. She has been placed on administrative reassignment but has not been charged with a crime.

In Texas, the misuse of official information statute applies when a person receives non-public information from a public servant and disseminates it "with intent to obtain a benefit or with intent to harm or defraud another." Authorities said that's exactly what Villarreal did.

"Information provided by Officer Goodman pertaining to the case in question was used by Priscilla Villarreal in her Facebook page 'Lagordiloca News Laredo TX,' immediately notifying her followers of the incident," read the criminal complaint against Villarreal, according to the magazine Texas Monthly. "Villarreal's access to this information and releasing it on 'Lagordiloca News Laredo Tx,' before the official release by the Laredo Police Department Public Information Officer placed her 'Facebook' page ahead of the local official news media which in turn gained her popularity in Facebook."

An affidavit also stated that police searched Goodman's and Villarreal's phone records, finding that they'd called or texted each other hundreds of times over the course of about seven months this year. The officer's attorney told KGNS she had been singled out to scare others in the department out of talking with Villarreal.

Villarreal called Goodman a longtime friend but denied that she received the CPB employee's name from her. It came from a tipster, she told The Post.

"What the police don't understand is that my sources are the people out and around my town. Every time there's an accident or something everybody calls me or texts me," she said. "The officers are angry at the fact" that people "give me the information first."

Indeed, Villarreal seems to have many friends and admirers around town. In a recent profile, Texas Monthly called her "one of the most relied-upon and most viewed news sources in Laredo." On a typical night, she's driving the streets from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., fielding tips from her many followers and sources - a swarm of police in a neighborhood, a car crash, a shooting. Some of her content is graphic, and she's the first to admit that she has a foul mouth when she gets worked up.

"She's both beloved and despised for broadcasting the kinds of images that don't make it into the city's traditional media," reporter Leif Reigstad wrote in Texas Monthly.

Villarreal said she learned over the summer that someone from the department was investigating her, though she didn't know what for. Around that time, tensions were mounting between her and some in the department, apparently stemming from a dispute she had with an officer at the scene of a shooting, she said. Several videos on her page show her arguing with police about her presence at different crime scenes.

After fretting about her possible arrest for months, Villarreal spoke with an investigator in early December, who told her he had two warrants for her arrest. The bond was $60,000.

She tussled with her attorney about when to turn herself in. Sooner was better, she decided.

The morning of Dec. 13, she drove to the police station. On the way, she live-streamed a video of herself explaining the situation to her followers. When she arrived, media were there waiting, she said.

"It looked like a circus," Villarreal told The Post. "Police were on the second floor taking video, taking pictures. I was shaking my head."

She was booked, photographed and escorted to jail without handcuffs. About an hour and a half later, she was released.

Villarreal is set to appear in court after New Year's. For now, her Facebook page is still a steady stream of crime, car crashes and local news.

"One of the reasons people follow me is because my news is raw, unedited and uncensored. With me, I basically post everything," she said. "I'm going to keep doing what I like to do."
A middle school teacher in Prince William County was appointed Virginia's next education secretary by Gov.-elect Ralph Northam, D.

The announcement that Atif Qarni - a civics, economics, U.S. history and math teacher at Beville Middle School in Woodbridge - would join Northam's Cabinet was made at the school Thursday by the governor-elect.

Qarni's appointment is unusual: A teacher hasn't stepped directly from the classroom into the Cabinet for at least a decade, according to the Virginia Education Association, one of the state's confederations of teachers.

Qarni said he will bring a vital perspective to the position, in whichhe will be responsible for providing guidance and support on education policy.

"I bring a lot of field expertise, which was really needed," the 39-year-old said. "This is a dream come true as an educator, because I can work on a larger scale now."

Qarni's priorities include addressing teacher pay, bringing Internet access to all school districts and lowering class sizes, particularly in northern Virginia, where he said overcrowding is acute.

Jim Livingston, president of the Virginia Education Association, heralded Northam's choice and called it evidence of the governor-elect's willingness to listen to teachers. The association endorsed Northam in the 2017 election.

"When it comes to change in the way our public schools operate, too often our teachers and support professionals have been dictated to instead of given the opportunity to generate solutions to the challenges we face," Livingston said in a statement.

Tim Keenan, Beville's principal, said Qarni makes students his priorityand is involved in school activities outside the classroom.

"He is beloved," Keenan said. "We're very proud of him."

Qarni unsuccessfully ran for the House of Delegates in 2013 and for a state Senate seat two years later. He documented the struggles he faced as a Muslim seeking public office in a 2015 op-ed in The Washington Post. In that piece, Qarni wrote that Democratic leaders told him to drop out of the state Senate race because a "Muslim would never win."

On Thursday, Qarni said in an interview that he believes Virginia Democrats have made strides in recent years. He added that Northam did a "phenomenal job" listening to marginalized communities, including Muslims, during the campaign.

"A lot has happened, especially in the last year or so," Qarni said. "I do feel the party actually listened to folks on the ground."

Qarniwas named Dale City Teacher of the Year in 2016 and previously taught night school to Prince William students seeking their GEDs, according to a news release from Northam's office.

He served as a sergeant inthe U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the release stated.

He holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from George Washington University and a master's in history and a teaching license in secondary education from George Mason University.

Northam made two other appointments Thursday. Holly Coy, who was appointed deputy secretary of education with a focus on K-12 by McAuliffe in October 2015, will continue in that role, the release stated.

Fran Bradford, associate vice president for government relations at the College of William & Mary, was also appointed deputy secretary of education and will focus on higher education.
President may sign law on health reform in last week of 2017  PM Groysman

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko may sign a law on health care reform in the last week of the year, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.

"I think that the president will sign the law on medical reform next week, and we will proceed to its implementation," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

At the same time, Groysman noted that the implementation of the medical reform "will not be easy."

"No one wanted to begin this story. Everyone thought that it should be the way it is now, and no one wanted to go deeply into the essence of the system. We went into the heart of the matter and saw that this is a serious dormant system that needs to be updated," he said.

"I would recommend that everyone join the creation of a new health care system, rather than subject the reform to constant frenzied criticism," he said.

He also noted that the reform had been developed by the Health Ministry, the government and MPs, therefore Ulana Suprun's status as acting health minister "will not be an obstacle to the implementation of the reform."

"She [Suprun] is a Ukrainian citizen, she has a Ukrainian passport, and she works in the government and fulfills the health minister's duties. The reform has been worked out by a ministry team, a government team, and people's deputies," Groysman said.

He expressed his support for the medical reform.

"I support [health care reform] in every possible way. I made a lot of efforts to ensure that this reform could be adopted by parliament. This is a decision that adds work and responsibility," he said.

Groysman stressed the need to create a health care system, "which will give an opportunity, if necessary, to apply to a doctor to get initial high-quality medical care, and which will ensure that a doctor receives a good salary."

"The change in the financing system itself is a powerful anti-corruption step," Groysman said.
WASHINGTON - Within hours of celebrating President Donald Trump's biggest legislative achievement, at the South Portico of the White House on Wednesday, his aides and outside advisers had a spirited, and at times tense, discussion with him about the political outlook ahead of next year's midterm elections.

Tempers flared at the gathering as aides vented their frustrations with electoral defeats this year and concerns about the 2018 political map, according to several people with knowledge of the discussion. Complaints about the president's political operation and the Republican National Committee boiled over, playing out in front of the president as an inner-circle drama.

The late-afternoon meeting - attended by White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, counselor Kellyanne Conway, political director Bill Stepien, marketing and data specialist Brad Parscale, communications director Hope Hicks and political consultant and confidant Corey Lewandowski, among others - quickly became a griping session for Lewandowski and others about the way the White House manages the GOP and handles its planning for what is sure to be a hotly contested campaign season, people familiar with the meeting said.

Lewandowski told the president that the RNC was not raising nearly enough money - even though the party has raised record sums - and not doing enough to support his agenda. The former Trump campaign manager also griped that he could no longer get his calls returned from the White House, these people said, and was being blocked by the president's assistant and others under the direction of Kelly.

Lewandowski complained, too, about the Office of Public Liaison, saying it was not effective in building out Trump's relationships and the White House's message. Other advisers present outlined to the president what could be a difficult year ahead and urged the White House to beef up its management of the political calendar and party efforts.

Trump did not react angrily to what Lewandowski said and instead listened and watched for the reaction of others, revealing little about where exactly he lands in these debates among Trump associates, the people added.

But essentially, Lewandowski tried to convince the president that "he wasn't being served well," in the words of one person with knowledge.

While Trump did not signal whether he would act on Lewandowski's suggestions, some White House aides bristled at the outside adviser's attempt to steer the political strategy. Later, outside the Oval Office, Stepien and Lewandowski had a "very intense" conversation about the broader political operation and what some aides see as Lewandowski's meddling in it from the outside, while Lewandowski questioned Stepien's performance, according to advisers with knowledge. The men were later spotted by other aides continuing to argue outside.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment.

The meeting and the conflicts underscore the tension surrounding the president's political operation - and the occasional chaos that arises, even as Kelly has tried to impose more order. Advisers such as Lewandowski and former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, now at Breitbart, continue to talk to the president, who likes them personally, even as other advisers try to keep them away.

There are also strains inside the White House among the political affairs team, the RNC and some of Trump's closest counselors on the outside - and they are all competing for Trump's ear, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations.

There were points of unity in the meeting. All sides of Trump's orbit are hoping that the recently passed Republican tax bill becomes more popular in upcoming months and that the federal Russia probe turns its focus away from issues or people close to the president. Trump made clear to his advisers that he wants to be heavily involved in the upcoming elections, although it is unclear how many places will welcome a presidential visit.

Trump's reaction to the meeting could play out in the coming days and weeks while he is away at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, advisers said. But with 2018 and its stakes frequently on his mind, changes of personnel or strategy are possible, the people said.

One White House official briefed on Trump's lunch with former chief of staff Reince Priebus on Tuesday said they mainly strategized about 2018, and Priebus gave the president warnings about the electoral landscape. Afterward, Trump told others that Priebus expressed concerns about the midterms. Priebus could not be reached for comment.

Kelly has occasionally grumbled about the RNC and its chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, advisers say. A number of senior advisers in the White House say that the RNC is not doing enough to defend the president and that its communications and political operation need to be improved - with more Trump loyalists installed. Meanwhile, they complain that Bob Paduchik, a Trump ally at the RNC, has suffered slights there.

In turn, the RNC often finds itself at the whims of a president that can reverse on a dime, as he did in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate that was won by Democrat Doug Jones this month. McDaniel has told officials at the RNC that her members are sometimes at odds with the White House. And the RNC was particularly frustrated by Alabama, where Trump agreed for the group to pull out of supporting Republican firebrand Roy Moore's campaign but then backed Moore and forced the RNC to reverse its stance.

Several White House officials said that they do not expect major changes at the RNC and that Trump continues to praise McDaniel in private. But there is talk of putting more Trump people at the organization or trying to take more control.

An RNC spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sunny Hundal tweeted "Just perfect. Dutch journalist to new US Ambassador: you said there were 'no go zones' in Netherlands, where are they?

Ambassador: That's fake news, I didn't say that

Journalist: We can show you that clip now.

Ambassador: Err"

---

A Dutch journalist just asked new U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra why he said there are "no go" areas in the Netherlands, where radical Muslims are setting cars and politicians on fire.

Hoekstra denied it, and called the claim "fake news."

The report cut to a video clip of Hoekstra at a 2015 conference hosted by the David Horowitz Freedom Center saying: "The Islamic movement has now gotten to a point where they have put Europe into chaos. Chaos in the Netherlands, there are cars being burned, there are politicians that are being burned."

"And yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands," he added in the clip.

Then things got extremely weird.

When the reporter pressed, Hoekstra denied using the term "fake news," which he'd uttered moments before.

"I didn't call that fake news," he said. "I didn't use the words today. I don't think I did."

Hoekstra was being interviewed by reporter Wouter Zwart for current affairs program Nieuwsuur. The interview is not playing well in the Netherlands. (One sample headline: "The new Trump Ambassador to the Netherlands, Pete Hoekstra, lies about his own lies.")

But the former congressman was always going to be a tough sell for one of Europe's most liberal countries.

Though Hoekstra was born in the Netherlands, his family immigrated to Michigan when we was a toddler. He served as a Republican congressman for a decade and a half, eventually chairing the House Intelligence Committee.

In that time, he adopted several positions that are at odds with core Dutch values. Hoekstra is opposed to same-sex marriage and gay rights. In Congress, he voted repeatedly to limit women's rights to abortion. He supports the death penalty, and has argued passionately that refugees are a threat to European security.

Hoekstra has given several talks at the anti-Islam American Freedom Alliance, which has also hosted Dutch far right leader Geert Wilders. In 2015, Hoekstra blamed a "secret jihad" for the "chaos" in the Netherlands.

After Trump announced Hoekstra's appointment, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant observed that Trump "put a Dutchman in the Netherlands - but it is a Dutchman from the Netherlands of the '50s."

Of the appointment, liberal politician Sophie in 't Veld said: "We are looking forward with interest to cooperating with Mr. Hoekstra. We will certainly remind him his roots lie in a country that values tolerance, equality and inclusion . . . we expect the representative of our friend and ally the United States to fully and wholly respect our values and to show that respect in all his acts and words."
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has congratulated Ukrainians on Naftogaz Ukrainy's victory over Gazprom in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, presidential press secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko has said.

"Today, a significant contribution has been made to the energy security of our state," Tsegolko wrote on his Facebook page on Friday, quoting Poroshenko as saying.

According to the press service of the head of state, at a meeting with Naftogaz Head Andriy Kobolev, Poroshenko noted the extraordinary importance of this decision to Ukraine's national security.

"I believe that this is a historic victory, because if there was a loss in this court, Ukraine would face a direct threat of default," the president said.

He said that now that Ukraine has shown that it is able to protect national security and defend state interests, Kyiv would have a tougher position in talks with its foreign partners regarding the future of the gas transportation system and Naftogaz Ukrainy.

"It is an important positive event. We received a final decision of the Stockholm tribunal on the gas purchase and sale contract of 2009. Naftogaz received a positive decision on all points," Kobolev said.

According to him, in accordance with the decision of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the "take or pay" provision for more than $45 billion, "which is a consequence of the so-called contract of Mrs. Yulia Tymoshenko [former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko]," has been fully cancelled.

According to Kobolev, the price of gas that Naftogaz bought in 2014-2015 was reduced by about 30%. The saving amounted to about 1.8 billion dollars.

He also said that the price for that contract was $485 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas, and now the price will not exceed $350.

"Accordingly, the saving will be very significant for both Naftogaz and the entire Ukrainian state," Kobolev said.

Poroshenko congratulated Koobolev, the legal team of Naftogaz, the Ukrainian government and the people "on the fact that Ukraine has learned to defend its interests by using European courts."

The parties also discussed the prospects for the arbitration court's decision on gas transit, after which it will be possible to talk about the final figures of the debt.

"Talks with Gazprom have always been held on New Year's eve. This company refused to sign any agreements, having not only Ukraine, but also the whole of Europe under its thumb," Poroshenko said.

Kobolev also said that about 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas had currently been pumped into Ukraine's gas storage facilities.
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The first astronaut to float untethered in space died Thursday at age 80, NASA officials say.

Bruce McCandless II, originally from Boston, was one of 19 astronauts selected in April 1966. He flew on two Space Shuttle missions in 1984 and, later, in 1990.

During his 1984 mission, McCandless became the first astronaut to fly untethered from the spacecraft using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The photograph taken of that spacewalk now is considered one of NASA's iconic photos.

"My wife [Bernice] was at mission control, and there was quite a bit of apprehension," McCandless wrote in 2015. "I wanted to say something similar to Neil [Armstrong] when he landed on the moon, so I said, 'It may have been a small step for Neil, but it's a heck of a big leap for me.' That loosened the tension a bit."

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His 1990 mission entailed the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope, which still orbits the earth and mainly observes visible light.

McCandless, a retired U.S. Navy captain, logged more than 312 hours in space, but he also contributed to NASA missions when he wasn't in space. He was the mission-control communicator for the Apollo 11 mission moonwalk, completed by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. He also was the back-up pilot for the first Skylab mission.

He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2005.

Johnson Space Center officials confirmed he was in California when died.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bruce's family," said Robert Lightfoot, NASA's acting administrator. "He will always be known for his iconic photo flying the MMU."

McCandless is survived by his wife, Ellen Shields McCandless of Conifer, Colorado; his son, Bruce McCandless III of Austin, Texas, and his wife, Patricia; his daughter, Tracy McCandless, of Islamorada, Florida, and two granddaughters, Emma Rose and Carson Clare McCandless of Austin.

He also is survived by his brother, Douglas M. McCandless of Washington, D.C.; and two sisters, Sue M. Woodridge of Texas, and Rosemary V. McCandless of Dallas.

Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey
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On Thursday, police arrested a 28-year-old Houston woman accused of murdering an acquaintance to abduct her baby and claim it as her own.

Here's what you should know:

The suspect

Police said Erika Jisela Miranda-Alvarez, 28, fatally stabbed 33-year 0ld Carolina Miranda Flores on Tuesday.

Miranda-Alvarez was due to give birth to a baby of her own in January, but suffered a miscarriage, according to authorities. Police said Miranda-Alvarez did not tell her family and boyfriend about the miscarriage and later pretended to be at the hospital giving birth.

Police said Miranda-Alvarez and the victim, Carolina Flores, knew each other through Flores' brother, Chron.com reports.

UPDATE: Mom who put son through 13 unneeded surgeries loses custody of child

The manhunt

Two days after the stabbing, the investigation into the murder-kidnapping led Houston police and FBI to the Woodscape Apartments on South Gessner, CNN details. At the apartment complex, authorities noticed a suspicious man and a woman holding a baby.

The couple was detained and the newborn identified as the missing baby, police said. Authorities arrested Miranda-Alvarez and charged her with capital murder. Police have questioned the boyfriend, but he has not been charged.

ROUNDUP: HPD arrested 25 on felony DWI charges in November

The baby is okay

The 6-week-old infant, Shamali Flores, was taken to the Texas Children's Hospital. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said the baby appears healthy and shows no signs of abuse. She is now in the custody of Child Protective Services, according to ABC 13.

See the most shocking crimes of the past year above.

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.
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An El Paso woman has been arrested for allegedly slapping a 5-year-old child some time between July 31 and Aug. 28.

Olga Najera, 52, was a teacher at Helen Ball Elementary when the alleged incident happened, the El Paso Police Department said in a news release.

Najera was arrested Monday by El Paso Police Department's Crimes Against Children (CAC) unit and booked into the El Paso County Jail on a bond of $15,000. She was charged with injury to a child.

BAD EXAMPLE: Arkansas high school teacher accused of having sexual relationships with 4 teen students

Najera was also arrested in August for a series of alleged incidents dating back to Aug. 2016 at Myrtle Cooper Elementary, KFOX TV added. Najera allegedly pinched a child younger than 14 on the arm and scratched the child around the hands, according to court documents obtained by KFOX TV. Najera also allegedly slapped another child in the face, stepped on the child's foot, and kicked the child.

Najera was placed on administrative leave in March and ultimately transferred from Myrtle to Helen Ball following the 2016 incident, the El Paso Times reported.

Najera's lawyer, Mary Stillinger released the following statement to KFOX TV:

"Olga Najera has worked as a bilingual educator of very young children for over ten years in the Socorro Independent School District. She has an excellent reputation with students, parents and fellow teachers. The accusations made against her are absolutely false. The allegations have been investigated and were found to be without any merit. Unfortunately, it is very easy to manipulate or misunderstand what very young children say. Our children's safety and education are of utmost importance, but it is also law enforcement's responsibility to do thorough investigation, before bringing charges."
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Editors note: The Bexar County Sheriff's Office initially gave the child's age as 7 years old. He is actually 6, officials said.

A 6-year-old boy was fatally shot when Bexar County sheriffs deputies opened fire on a woman at a Schertz mobile home park after a lengthy manhunt Thursday.

The woman  a wanted felon and a suspect in a car theft  also was killed by the gunfire at the Pecan Grove Manufactured Home Community, located off FM 78 on the banks of Cibolo Creek.

She had been trying to break into a mobile home while the child was inside when deputies caught up to her on the front porch.

The woman, whose name has not been released, had no apparent connection to the child or the family inside that mobile home in the 100 block of Peach Lane, Sheriff Javier Salazar said.

It was not known what prompted four uniformed deputies to shoot during their final confrontation with the woman, Salazar said. At least one round penetrated the wall of the mobile home and struck the boy in the torso, the sheriff reported.

That child, whose name also was not released, later was pronounced dead at University Hospital.

The child, a student at Wiederstein Elementary School in Cibolo, was inside the home with two family members, who were not injured.

Investigators did not find a gun in the slain womans possession after she was killed, but she had pointed a firearm at a deputy who found her hiding in a closet at a home earlier in the day, Salazar said. While running away, the woman also pointed a gun at least once directly at a deputy who was chasing her, the sheriff noted.

Investigators were continuing to search for that gun.

The shootings followed a nearly two-hour manhunt that unfolded for some distance on the Bexar County-Guadalupe County line, at one point crossing the chin-deep waters of Cibolo Creek, which the woman swam across while trying to get away from deputies. That prompted one K9 officer to discard his body armor and swim after her while carrying his dog, Salazar said.

The incident began at 10:48 a.m. when a man reported a woman had stolen his car. The caller said he knew who the woman was and where they could find her. Deputies were informed she was armed, Salazar said.

Deputies eventually found her hiding in a closet at a house in the 11200 block of FM 1518, at which point she showed a gun and threatened to shoot a deputy, Salazar said.

The woman then bolted from the home and ran away, going down a ravine and crossing a creek before disappearing into a wooded area. The Sheriffs Office called other police agencies for backup.

During a 90-minute search of the wooded area, tracking dogs picked up and lost the womans scent several times.

The woman eventually ran to the mobile home park, where two residents who crossed her path reported that she physically threatened them, Salazar said. The pilot of a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter circling overhead also reported the woman reached for her waistband several times, indicating she may be armed, the sheriff said.

The pilot watched as the woman tried breaking into several mobile homes in the area. She then made her way to the childs home, where deputies closed in on her.

Salazar said he did not know specifically what prompted the four deputies to open fire.

I havent personally interviewed the deputies  I dont know what they saw, he said.

Salazar said Sheriffs Office policy allows deputies to use deadly force against a person presenting a threat to them or to another person. He would not address whether that policy changes if a family home is in the line of fire.

The four deputies who fired their handguns and at least one rifle have a range of experience with the Bexar County Sheriffs Office, from two years to 27 years, he said.

Though deputies werent injured, the sheriff said they were pretty shaken up after the shooting and he hugged each of them.

On Thursday, some residents stood outside their trailers and watched deputies work the crime scene.

Rhonda Campbell, 58, was in her bed watching TV when she heard a loud boom. The woman eluding police had forced open her front door, breaking the door hinge into splinters.

Anthony Fritcher, 33, was closing the back door when the front door was flung open and the wanted woman walked in, demanding the keys to a Kia Soul parked in the driveway.

Fritcher, along with Campbell and her husband, all charged toward the woman, who then ran off the porch and curved around the yard and out of sight.

Valerie Mills, 58, another resident of the mobile home park, walked outside her home on Oak Bloom after hearing helicopters in the area. At that point, a woman approached her.

She ran towards me, asking for help, waving her arms at me, Mills said.

She was about 20 feet away from me. I just turned around and walked off.

Students at the childs school had been released early Thursday, at noon, for Christmas break.

Staff Writers Alexandro Luna and Lauren Caruba contributed to this report.

Peggy O'Hare is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | pohare@express-news.net | @Peggy_OHare
AUSTIN  An agreement has been reached with federal officials to provide more than $25 billion over the next five years to fund uninsured patients at Texas hospitals, state officials announced Thursday.

Gov. Greg Abbott said the deal that averts a potential health care crisis in the state will extend the life of the so-called 1115 waiver  a program that safety-net hospitals have relied on for years to serve poor Texans  for another five years.

I committed to the people of Texas that we would focus on preserving access to care without expanding a broken Medicaid system under Obamacare, Abbott said in a statement. The new ... waiver ensures that funding will remain available for hospitals to treat and serve people across our state who are in need of top quality health care.

Medicaid is the largest single item in Texas state budget.

Earlier, federal officials under the Obama administration had indicated a reluctance to continue funding for the program and had suggested that low-income Texans should instead get more health coverage under an expanded Medicaid program.

Texas extension was slated to expire Dec. 31, officials had said earlier.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff expressed relief about the programs extension.

Thats a really important program, Wolff said. Weve been very concerned about it as weve moved along. We approve the budget for the hospital (University Health System), so we have a very close working relationship with them. And this has been a concern with them.

Texas Health and Human Service Executive Commissioner Charles Smith and various advocacy and support groups quickly applauded Thursdays announcement.

With this agreement, we will continue our innovative approach to providing health care to millions of Texas Medicaid clients, Smith said.

Officials with the Texas Hospital Association said the deal will benefit thousands of Texans.

Failure to approve the 1115 Waiver would have resulted in near catastrophic consequences for the states most vulnerable populations, said Ted Shaw, president/CEO of the Texas Hospital Association. The waiver has been absolutely critical for increasing access to quality health care. And it has done so with an efficiency that has saved Texas and the federal government more than $8 billion.

The Center for Public Policy Priorities, which works to expand access to health care, called Thursdays deal a great relief.

However, said Ann Dunkelberg, the organizations associate director, reading the fine print, its important to note that Texas still faces the challenge of needing real medical homes for our working poor parents and other adults. The innovative Delivery System Reforms funding goes away after 4 years, and only by building those innovations into our Medicaid program can we keep those funds going.

Added Dunkelberg: Texas could win big on our problems like maternal mortality and drug addiction if we use this opportunity to address our uninsured working poor.

State officials said the waiver pays uncompensated care for Texas hospitals and other Medicaid providers at about $3.1 billion each year for the first and second year of the five-year agreement. They said the continued waiver will provide much-needed assistance to safety net hospital providers.

Under the new agreement, officials said the state will transition in three years to a new method of distributing payments to hospitals for the uncompensated care  a move they said will provide a more accurate calculation of Texas uncompensated care costs.

The extension of the waiver will also allow adequate opportunity to expand supplemental payments for nursing facilities and new directed payment programs for hospitals, they said.

Staff writer Jasper Scherer contributed to this story.
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Editors note: The Bexar County Sheriff's Office initially gave the child's age as 7 years old. He is actually 6, officials said.

A 6-year-old boy was fatally shot when Bexar County sheriff's deputies opened fire on a woman at a Schertz mobile home park after a lengthy manhunt Thursday.

The woman  a wanted felon and a suspect in a car theft  also was killed by the gunfire at the Pecan Grove Manufactured Home Community, located off FM 78 on the banks of Cibolo Creek.

She had been trying to break into a mobile home while the child was inside when deputies caught up to her on the front porch.

READ MORE: 6-year-old boy killed after deputies opened fire in Schertz identified

The woman, whose name has not been released, had no apparent connection to the child or the family inside that mobile home in the 100 block of Peach Lane, Sheriff Javier Salazar said.

It was not known what prompted four uniformed deputies to shoot during their final confrontation with the woman, Salazar said. At least one round penetrated the wall of the mobile home and struck the boy in the torso, the sheriff reported.

That child, whose name also was not released, later was pronounced dead at University Hospital.

The child, a student at Wiederstein Elementary School in Cibolo, was inside the home with two family members, who were not injured.

RELATED: 20-year-old found with fatal gunshot wound to head by mother is identified

Investigators did not find a gun in the slain woman's possession after she was killed, but she had pointed a firearm at a deputy who found her hiding in a closet at a home earlier in the day, Salazar said. While running away, the woman also pointed a gun at least once directly at a deputy who was chasing her, the sheriff noted.

Investigators were continuing to search for that gun.

The shootings followed a nearly two-hour manhunt that unfolded for some distance on the Bexar County-Guadalupe County line, at one point crossing the chin-deep waters of Cibolo Creek, which the woman swam across while trying to get away from deputies. That prompted one K9 officer to discard his body armor and swim after her while carrying his dog, Salazar said.

The incident began at 10:48 a.m. when a man reported a woman had stolen his car. The caller said he knew who the woman was and where they could find her. Deputies were informed she was armed, Salazar said.

Deputies eventually found her hiding in a closet at a house in the 11200 block of FM 1518, at which point she showed a gun and threatened to shoot a deputy, Salazar said.

The woman then bolted from the home and ran away, going down a ravine and crossing a creek before disappearing into a wooded area. The Sheriff's Office called other police agencies for backup.

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During a 90-minute search of the wooded area, tracking dogs picked up and lost the woman's scent several times.

The woman eventually ran to the mobile home park, where two residents who crossed her path reported that she physically threatened them, Salazar said. The pilot of a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter circling overhead also reported the woman reached for her waistband several times, indicating she may be armed, the sheriff said.

The pilot watched as the woman tried breaking into several mobile homes in the area. She then made her way to the child's home, where deputies closed in on her.

Salazar said he did not know specifically what prompted the four deputies to open fire.

"I haven't personally interviewed the deputies  I don't know what they saw," he said.

Salazar said Sheriff's Office policy allows deputies to use deadly force against a person presenting a threat to them or to another person. He would not address whether that policy changes if a family home is in the line of fire.

The four deputies who fired their handguns and at least one rifle have a range of experience with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, from two years to 27 years, he said.

RELATED: SAPD: Girl's pregnancy question reveals string of assaults

Though deputies weren't injured, the sheriff said they were "pretty shaken up" after the shooting and he hugged each of them.

On Thursday, some residents stood outside their trailers and watched deputies work the crime scene.

Rhonda Campbell, 58, was in her bed watching TV when she heard a loud boom. The woman eluding police had forced open her front door, breaking the door hinge into splinters.

Anthony Fritcher, 33, was closing the back door when the front door was flung open and the wanted woman walked in, demanding the keys to a Kia Soul parked in the driveway.

Fritcher, along with Campbell and her husband, all charged toward the woman, who then ran off the porch and curved around the yard and out of sight.

Valerie Mills, 58, another resident of the mobile home park, walked outside her home on Oak Bloom after hearing helicopters in the area. At that point, a woman approached her.

"She ran towards me, asking for help, waving her arms at me," Mills said.

"She was about 20 feet away from me. I just turned around and walked off."

Students at the child's school had been released early Thursday, at noon, for Christmas break.

Staff Writers Alexandro Luna and Lauren Caruba contributed to this report. | Peggy O'Hare is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | pohare@express-news.net | @Peggy_OHare

Check back to mySA.com for updates to this story.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com
Naftogaz to settle up with Gazprom in Feb 2018 after arbitration court decision on transit - Kobolev

NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy will settle up with Russia's Gazprom following the proceedings in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in February after the arbitration court makes a decision on the gas transit contract, Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev has said.

"As for settlements with Gazprom, they will be made in February this year after the completion of the second case on the transit contract," he told journalists in Kyiv on Friday.

Kobolev added that the final amount of the obligations of the parties would be known at that time and recalled that the amount of the Ukrainian company's claims to the Russian company under the transit contract was about $16 billion.

Naftogaz earlier said in a press release that it hoped for success in the dispute over the transit contract.

Gazprom said that the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce on Friday ordered Naftogaz to pay $2.019 billion, plus 0.03% per day in interest beginning on December 22, 2017.

Naftogaz, in turn, noted that it had managed to reduce the price under these supplies to $352 from $485 per 1,000 cubic meters.
The Trump administration is considering a new policy that would separate parents from their children when families are caught entering the country illegally, according to officials who have been briefed on the plans. The forceful move is meant to discourage border crossings, but immigrant groups have denounced it as draconian and inhumane.

Under current policy, families are kept intact while awaiting a decision on whether they will be deported; they are either held in special family detention centers or released with a court date. The policy under discussion would send parents to adult detention facilities, while their children would be placed in shelters designed for juveniles or with a "sponsor," who could be a relative in the United States, though the administration may also tighten rules on sponsors.

The policy is favored by the White House, and has been approved by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to three officials at the Department of Homeland Security and one at the White House who have all been briefed on the proposal but declined to be named because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The officials said that the new Homeland Security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, who has final approval power, has yet to sign off on the proposal.

The debate comes as the administration faces an influx of people crossing the southern U.S. border illegally. As soon as President Donald Trump took office, the number of people caught crossing the border dropped sharply, a sign that far fewer people were even trying. Only 11,677 apprehensions were recorded in April, the lowest number in at least 17 years, according to Customs and Border Protection.

Administration officials heralded the drop as a "Trump effect," with his tough talk on illegal immigration and a surge in immigration arrests discouraging Mexicans and Central Americans from making the journey.

But the number of people caught has been on the rise, reaching 29,086 in November, the most since January, a trend that has worried some administration officials and is weighing on the decision to separate parents from children. That month, 7,000 "family units" were apprehended, as well as 4,000 "unaccompanied minors," or children traveling without an adult relative.

This fall, the White House convened a group of officials from two of its own offices - the National Security Council and the Domestic Policy Council - as well as from Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the State Department, to look into ways to curtail border crossings, particularly those of children. The family separation policy, which was reported on Thursday by The Washington Post, is among the solutions being considered.

The vexing question of how to stem the flow of migrants into the country has frustrated the White House, under both Democratic and Republican control, for years. Former President Barack Obama tried to do it by fast-tracking some deportations and by starting a media campaign in Central America to warn people about the dangers of the journey to the United States. But both of those measures were largely unsuccessful, and crossings reached unprecedented levels during the Obama presidency.

Previous administrations have stopped short of resorting to policies like family separation, because of concerns that it could force people into the hands of dangerous smugglers who sell themselves as a way to evade the Border Patrol, or force people with legitimate claims for asylum to remain in life-threatening situations in their home countries.

Most Mexicans and Central Americans trying to enter the U.S. are considered economic migrants and are thus denied asylum, which requires evidence of persecution. But asylum cases often take years to litigate, and the Trump administration has made a point of discouraging people from even trying to come. When he was Homeland Security secretary, John Kelly, now the president's chief of staff, often talked about the dangers of the trip.

Rape and kidnappings for ransom are common en route to the U.S., and a report from the United Nations International Organization of Migration documented 232 cases from January through July of people who died trying to cross rugged terrain or rivers, or in unsafe conditions inside trains or buses, even before they got to the border.

Still, the prospect of breaking a sacred bond between parent and child has not been an easy decision. Kelly said early this year that he was considering the move, but after an uproar from immigrant advocates and some members of Congress, he said that families would be separated only in extreme circumstances, such as when the child was in danger because of the parent.

According to one of the Homeland Security officials briefed on the proposal, even some people in the department who support strict enforcement of immigration laws see family separation as going too far.

But even without a formal change in policy, immigrant advocates say that families are already being separated on occasion. The Women's Refugee Commission and other organizations published a report this month that said it had documented more than 150 cases in 2017.

"It interferes with due process, and is really just cruel," said Michelle Brane, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the organization. "Children feel that they are being abandoned, literally being ripped out of their parents' arms."

One of those parents, Jose Fuentes, presented himself to immigration officers at the border, along with his 1-year-old son Mateo, to claim asylum in November. The family had fled El Salvador with a caravan of asylum-seekers because of gang violence, said Fuentes' wife, Olivia Acevedo.

After four days of being held in custody together, Fuentes was transferred to a detention facility more than 1,000 miles away, in San Diego, California, while their son was held in a facility for children in Laredo, Texas.

For six days afterward, Acevedo said, she, her husband and their lawyers could not confirm where Mateo was. They were terrified.

"Can you imagine?" she said in Spanish in a telephone interview from Mexico, where she remains with the couple's other son, Andree, who is 4. "It's inhuman to take a baby from its parents."

She saw Mateo for the first time since their separation last week, through a five-minute video call arranged by the facility where he is being held. Mateo cried the whole time, she said, adding "It's a form of torture."

She said that if her husband had known that he would be separated from their son, they would not have tried to cross the border.

That reaction is precisely what the creators of the policy are hoping for, according to the officials, who also said the administration was considering new policies on unaccompanied minors.

The government already has begun to use anti-smuggling laws to prosecute parents or other relatives of the children if they themselves are in the United States illegally. A new policy under consideration would beef up background checks of adults who show up to claim the children after they are apprehended.

Another proposal involves random spot checks of the homes where the children are taken, which would most likely result in even more immigration arrests, as those homes often contain other unauthorized immigrants.
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Border patrol agents in South Texas helped a woman give birth in a small town along the Texas-Mexico border, they said.

A Border Patrol Emergency Medical Technician radioed for help Thursday when they discovered a pregnant woman from Honduras in "distress" in Mission.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready to observe the ceasefire in Donbas from 00.00 on Saturday, December 23, but in the event of a threat to the life of the population or personnel military units are ready to use weapons, the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) headquarters has reported.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready to establish and observe the ceasefire regime from December 23, 2017," the Ukrainian side of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) reported on the Facebook page of the press center of the ATO headquarters on Friday.

"At the same time, exclusively in the event of a threat to the life and health of the local population, the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the ATO zone, provocative actions by illegal armed groups of ORLO and ORDO, and attempts to change the contact line, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to use weapons at any moment," the report says.

As reported, at a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk (Belarus) on December 20, 2017, it was decided to establish a comprehensive, stable and indefinite ceasefire from 00.00 on December 23, 2017 in connection with Christmas and New Year holidays.
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The clouds opened up yesterday and rain came down from the heavens like tears, as our lovely mother, Marta L. Gutierrez, slowly passed away to join her husband of 65 years, our beloved father, in heaven, a mere four and a half months after his passing.

Our "warrior" finally lost her 21 year fight with cancer after a long and courageous battle that taught us a true lesson about faith, love, kindness, and inspired us with her perseverance and conviction. Her loving and generous nature also showed us how to structure a life based on love, loyalty, and friendship to all. "Tienes que cumplir" was her everlasting motto. Mom taught us to always extend a helping hand to all who needed it.

Our mother proudly worked at S&H Kress for over 20 years and finished her career at JC Penney where she made numerous lifelong friends whom she dearly cherished. She loved to dance the night away at Kress reunions, New Years "Epoca de Oro" dances and our special brother Mario's annual birthday parties. The friendliest person ever put on this earth, Mom could spark up a conversation with anyone and anywhere. Her pride and joy were her grandchildren and great-grand-children. Her zest for living was unparalleled and her everlasting love and devotion to our brother Mario was second to none.

Our mother was preceded in death by her husband, Hector D. Gutierrez, Sr., parents Zeferino and Josefina Ledesma, siblings Vicente, Zeferino, Camilo, and Tomasita.

She is survived by her children, Sylvia (John) Quinn, Hector D. (Olga), Adolfo (Sylvia) and Mario Alberto. She is also survived by her brother Juan Manuel (Maria Elena) Ledesma, her grandchildren Hector D. (Farah) Gutierrez III and Jessica (Orlando) Mondragon, her brother-in-law, Feliciano (Amparo +) Gutierrez and sister-in-law, Rosa Maria (Phillip +) Smith, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to Dr. Luis Benavides and staff, and Dr. Eduardo Miranda and staff for providing her with the utmost care. Special thanks to her faithful and loyal caregivers, Rosie, Graciela and Luz and her close friends, Juanita Cantu, Elena Moreno, and Norma Guevara, and to all the relatives, friends and neighbors who were always there to lend a helping hand.

Mom, you have left a void in our hearts that we know can never be filled, but we know you are in heaven dancing and singing with Dad.

Visitation will be held Thursday, December 21, 2017, from 5 to 9 in the evening at Joe Jackson Heights Funeral Chapels, 719 Loring at Cortez. A Rosary will be held at 7 in the evening.

Funeral services will be held Friday, December 22, 2017, departing the funeral home at 8:30 a.m. to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church for a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:00 a.m.

Rite of Committal and Interment will follow at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery.

You may express your condolences to the family online at: www.joejacksonfuneralchapels.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of the funeral service professionals at Joe Jackson Heights Funeral & Cremation Services, 719 Loring at Cortez, Laredo, TX 78041, 956-722-0001
1 Fugitive leader: Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont called for talks with his adversary, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, after snap regional elections that gave pro-independence parties a parliamentary majority. Rajoy ignored the fugitive leaders direct appeal for a meeting, declaring instead that a new era based on dialogue begins in the restive region and vowing to speak to its new leaders as long as they dont violate Spains Constitution. Puigdemont, who fled Spain almost two months ago to avoid arrest after going against court rulings and pushing for unilateral Catalan independence, said in Brussels that Thursdays election also opened a new era for Catalonia.

2 Pope orders probe: The Vatican says Pope Francis has ordered an investigation into alleged financial and other irregularities in the diocese of one of his top advisers, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga. Italian newsweekly LEspresso says the investigation was initiated in May after allegations of failed investments, questionable expenses by one of Maradiagas deputies, and the ultimate destination of $41,000 a month paid to the cardinal by the Catholic University of Honduras. Rodriguez Maradiagas supporters have said the university funds are used to pay salaries and other diocesan expenses.
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KYIV. Dec 22 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Insulin producer Indar plans to build a new workshop to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) by the middle of 2019, Indar Board Chairperson Liubov Vyshnevska said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

"We have switched to the design stage of construction of a new workshop for production of API. By the middle of 2019 we will complete this issue and will have new capacities with a significant increase in production of API, as well as production of our own three analogues of insulin," she said.

Vyshnevska said that at present, the scientific division of the company has completed development of three strains of insulin analogues.

Commenting on the results of the company's work in 2017, she said that Indar brought two sugar-reducing drugs to the market in tablets, began delivering its drugs to Mozambique and Cote d'Ivoire, and also won 100% of insulin shipments to Moldova and Tajikistan.

Indar was created under a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers in 1997 under the aegis of Kyiv meat processing plant. The producer is on the list of state-owned companies of strategic importance for the economy and security of the state.

Indar is a member of the Association Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine.
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Serona Beauty & Laser Clinic in Granard is celebrating 10 years in business this week and has been going from strength to strength since its inception back in 2007.

Owned and managed by Niamh Kiernan, the salon specialises in Laser Hair Removal - face & body and Polaris Medical Grade Laser Hair Removal with a 10% Discount now available on packages in January.



Other treatments available at Serona Beauty & Laser Clinic include HD Brow Technician; LvL Lash Technician; Professional Make-overs; Phyt's facial & body; Swedish Body Massage; Gelish/Shellac & Gelish Dip gel; specialised waxing; Electrolysis; Eye enhancers and Bronze Leaf (100% Organic) spray tanning.



And this week, the business has also moved to a new home along Granards Main Street above McEvoy's Chemist.

Niamh graduated from Cavan Institute in 2003 with a CIBTAC diploma in Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology and continued on with her studies at Galligans Beauty School where she received her CIDESCO qualification.



As it is Niamh's passion to provide the best service to her clients and keep up to date with the latest beauty trend, she has studied in some of Irelands top beauty and makeup schools including LA Creative Academy and the Beauty School in Warren point where she trained as a HD Brow technician and LvL lash technician.

All of this has helped to further enhance her high street fashion makeup looks and bridal looks as well.



For more details log onto www.seronabeautylongford.ie

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Two decades of success at Granard Area Action Group

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Lifestyle / Travel

Pinterest has revealed its list of upcoming trends for 2018 in the field of travel and tourism

Dec 22, 2017 | By LUXUO

From Desert Destinations to One-Day Vaca, Pinterest Reveals Travel Trends for 2018

The social network platform, Pinterest, which lets users share interests via images, has become a source of inspiration for travellers, with Pins on the theme up 33 per cent. According to Pinterest, 68 per cent of users say theyre using the site to search out travel destinations to visit in the future.

Desert destinations

Saves on the theme of desert travel are up 125 per cent on Pinterest. Popular desert destinations include Morocco, Rub al-Khali in the United Arab Emirates, the Atacama Desert in Chile and arid regions of the USA.

Travel journals

With saves for travel journal up 169 per cent, bullet journals are inspiring new kinds of travel logs as a top trend for 2018. Travelers are getting creative, narrating their own travel experiences with journal entries including colorful sketches, collages, calligraphy and more.

River cruises

From the Rhine to the Mekong, river cruising is taking over from the ocean waves in 2018. This new travel experience is proving popular on Pinterest with saves for river cruises up 346 per cent. River cruises in Vietnam, Germany and Egypt are particularly popular.

Street art

From Bristol, UK, to Melbourne Australia, street art brings the walls of the worlds cities to life and travelers are now planning trips to take in the sights. Saves for street art are up 79 per cent.

One-day vacay

While city breaks are still popular, anyone whos lucky enough to travel for work can use the opportunity to add an extra day to their escapade to discover their destination. Saves for 24-hour travel are up 134 per cent.
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.
MARTINSVILLE-When Aubrey Smith walked into the Bizzy Bee earlier this month, he didn't realize it was a trip that would change his life. Over the years, the Martinsville man had seen two friends win the lottery, and he thought he might try beating the odds himself.

Nevertheless, he didnt think much of it when it was announced that the store on Figsboro Road had sold a top prize-winning ticket in the Virginia Lotterys Bank a Million game. Store owner Sam Katsifos thought Mr. Smith, a regular customer, might have bought that ticket, so he told him to come by and check.

When he ran one of those tickets through the scanner, the retailer suddenly shouted, This is it! Hed guessed right: Mr. Smith had the ticket, worth $1 million after taxes.

On Thursday, Smith returned to the store to receive his million-dollar check from the Virginia Lottery. The store received a $10,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Smith matched all six numbers in the December 2 drawing. The winning numbers were 1-3-8-15-20-26. The Bonus Ball number was 32, although he didnt need it to win the top prize. He used Easy Pick, allowing the computer to randomly select his numbers.

The top prizes in Bank a Million ($1 million, $500,000 and $250,000) are calculated so that winners actually receive the prize amount after federal and state tax-withholdings. A look at the state records shows that over the last fiscal year, Henry County received more than $7.5 million in lottery funding for local schools.
MARTINSVILLE H. Clay Gravely IV, who until two weeks ago was Martinsvilles Commonwealths Attorney, passed away Thursday night at the age of 40.

Clay was a testament to the harkening to the angels of our better nature, and he provided the example with which we must receive the sad news of his passing: with courage, dignity and faith, wrote Andy Hall, whom Gravely had appointed to take his place as Commonwealths Attorney, in a written statement to the Bulletin.

Gravely was elected for a second term as Commonwealths Attorney in November, but resigned on Dec. 8, saying that the colon cancer he had been battling for some time was making it difficult to carry out his professional duties.

His friend Jason Muehleck remembered Gravely as probably one of the smartest, most clever and most witty people Ive ever know, both professionally and as a friend. Muehleck is the vice president of Ameristaff. He and Gravely lived near each other off Mulberry Road, and he helped on Gravelys latest campaign.

He was always full of life and was always up for a challenge, Muehleck said. He had the ability to think ahead of things, which was one of his many unique qualities. He could see ahead and think things out before acting.

Clay lived his life with honor and integrity, Hall wrote. He fought cancer with bravery and dignity. As he did so, he never complained, not once.

The standard he set as Commonwealths Attorney cannot be adequately measured, Hall wrote. But of far more importance, Clay was an outstanding and devoted husband, father, son, brother and friend.

He was a good family man, a good husband and definitely a good father, Muehleck said. Gravely and his wife, Jennifer, the director of public relations for Carlisle School, have a 2-year-old son, Quinn.

As a friend, he was always there if you needed something, always willing to help.

Gravely also appreciated his place in Martinsvilles history, Muehleck said. He came from a strong name. Gravelys a strong name in Martinsville, and he certainly took pride in that and his family.

Gravely was a descendant of the Gravely family that started the furniture company that bore its name. He was the son of Crystal Austin of Iowa and the late H. Clay Gravely III, who was president of Gravely Furniture, as was his grandfather, Harry C. Gravely.

Gravely was well liked, Muehleck said, which doesnt come automatically with the role of being the areas chief prosecutor. He cared about the city and the county, he said. He cared about whether or not he was doing a good job, and whether or not the things he felt were right were benefitting the city. Certainly, I think they were.

Will Vaughn, the president of J&R Management, a local commercial real estate firm, was a groomsman at Gravelys wedding in 2013. He wrote in an email to the Bulletin, Clay will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Clay was an intelligent, quick witted and loyal friend who loved spending time fly fishing on the Smith River. He made a significant impact on this community through his hard work and dedication as Martinsvilles Commonwealth Attorney. He loved Martinsville and chose to return here, having lived here as a child. Clays greatest pride was his role as a loving husband and father. I feel truly honored and blessed having been able to call Clay a close friend.

Gravely received a bachelors degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While there, he was on the deans list and was a member of the Honor Council and vice president of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity.

He earned his law degree in 2004 from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond, where he spent two years as a senior staff member of the University of Richmond Law Review. He also was a member and chief justice of the Honor Council and a finalist in the universitys Negotiation Competition.

He was an associate member of the Daniel, Medley & Kirby, P.C. firm in Martinsville; a litigation associate at Hirschler Fleischer, P.C. in Richmond; and a law clerk for Judge Jackson L. Kiser of the U.S. District Court from the Western District of Virginia.

He was an assistant Commonwealths Attorney under Joan Ziglar from 2008 to 2010 before entering private practice. In 2013, he defeated Ziglar for the job of Commonwealths Attorney by 134 votes. He was reelected for the post in November.

On Dec. 9, Gravely, 40, resigned due to health concerns. In a letter of resignation shared with the Martinsville Bulletin, Gravely said that he had been battling colon cancer for some time and had reached a point where he was no longer able to discharge the duty of commonwealths attorney.

It is with great sadness and sincere regret that I announce my resignation as Commonwealths Attorney for the City of Martinsville, Gravely wrote.

In his resignation letter, Gravely said that during his battle with colon cancer, he has lived his life to the fullest, meeting and marrying my beautiful wife Jennifer, having our first child, building and running a law practice, and twice being elected and serving as Martinsvilles Commonwealths Attorney.  The time has come for me to devote all of my energy and efforts to my wonderful family.

Gravely was a member of First United Methodist Church and was either a board member or a member of several community organizations, including the Kiwanis Club of Martinsville-Henry County, the Boys & Girls Club of the Blue Ridge, the Virginia Museum of Natural History and the Dan River Basin Association.

Its hard to lose somebody that young, especially in this community, Muehleck said. We dont have a lot of young people who come back here and start a family. Thats tough.

Clay Gravely was so young, but he was perhaps the wisest person I have ever known, and he brought out the best in all those who had the privilege of knowing him, Hall wrote. It was a privilege to know him and to be his friend.
The factional fights in the ANC have left its 54th National conference in deadlock. It confirmed what we have known all along  that the organisation is in terminal crisis. It also revealed that the ANC is divided straight down the middle. In the end the leadership tried to come to some sort of agreement. But the effect of this has only led to paralysis. The process could end up in court with the ANC even weaker as a result.

The day before the conference was due to start the party was hit by three separate court judgements, which excluded the executive committees of the Free State and Kwazulu-Natal provinces as well branches from the Bojanala region in the North-West province from participating in the conference over various organisational matters. This was a huge blow tor Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The markets rallied on the back of the judgements, which favoured the big bourgeois faction of Ramaphosa.

Jacob Zuma and Ramaphosa / Image: Flickr, Government of South Africa

These court cases had an immediate impact on the conference. On Saturday, the opening was delayed by more than seven hours after the National Executive Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue. In the end it decided to comply with the court judgments and exclude those who were affected from voting at the conference. This led to massive delays, uncertainty, speculations, rumour-mongering and huge time overruns. The elections of the top six officials was delayed by more than 24 hours. In the end the conference went into the early hours of an extra day, ending after 3 oclock in the morning on 21 December. These administrative issues are a reflection of how the political crisis expresses itself in organisational matters.

Paralysis

It is clear from the outcome of the elections of officials that the result was a compromise between the two factions. The composition of the top six officials reflects this, with three members from each faction: Ramaphosa, Mantashe and Mashatile on the one side and Mabuza, Magashule and Duarte on the other.

The reason for the compromise (in the name of unity) was clearly to avoid a split. As the conference went along it became apparent that the balance of forces was very even, as shown by the narrow margins between the candidates: Ramaphosa was voted as ANC president with 2440 votes to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zumas 2261  a mere 179-vote difference. The results of the top six are as follows:

Cyril Ramaphosa: president (51.82%);

David Mabuza: deputy president (53.90%);

Ace Magashule: secretary-general (50.12%);

Jesse Duarte: deputy secretary-general (52.50%);

Gwede Mantashe: chairperson (51.35%);

Paul Mashatile Treasury: general (53.46%)

The stalemate is also reflected in the composition of the 80-member NEC, which is also split down the middle with a slight edge to the Zuma faction. Predicting this possibility before the conference, we said the following:

It is still possible, however, that the two sides could strike some sort of deal at some stage but this would solve nothing fundamental, as the deep economic crisis and the rising anger within society would soon undermine such a deal. In any event, the period after the Nasrec conference will be turbulent. Just like the Polokwane conference ten years ago, the effects of the Nasrec conference will be felt for years.

In the end, this is exactly what has happened. The compromise has only succeeded in creating paralysis and has sown the seeds for further turmoil. With the top six and the NEC split down the middle, the party will find it nearly impossible to implement its programme. In addition to this, the compromise has led to the inclusion of the most reactionary elements of the party into its leading bodies. This is a huge victory for some of the partys most powerful and reactionary barons of the rural provinces. This shows where the support base of the party now lies.

The two immediate examples of these elements are David Mabuza and Ace Magashule. Mabuza has risen from the rural province of Mpumalanga to become a major force in the ANC. He has brought the second largest contingent of delegates to the conference and has now become the second most powerful man in the party. In Mpumalanga he has a reputation of a ruthless provincial warlord, linked to a series of scandals including being accused of complicity in the alleged murder of political opponents.

Ace Magashule / Image: fair use

In Ace Magashule, the party has chosen one of its most reactionary and controversial people for the position of secretary-general. Under his abrasive leadership as chairperson of the Free State province for the last 23 years, he has left the provincial structure in ruins. Over the last 10 years, as a direct result of his leadership, the executive committee of the province could not send its delegates to the national conferences. Now he is the chief administrator in charge of organisational matters and the partys bureaucracy! By manipulation of the structures he has managed to stay in office for more than 20 years. This has allowed him to rule the province as his personal fiefdom and has to get away with deep corruption.

Magashule has been embroiled in one corruption scandal after another. A recent report by the Auditor-General's office recently showed a 10 billion rand expenditure mismanagement under his leadership as premier of the Free State. In 2015, he used 8 million rand of public money on his residence.

Leaked emails from the corrupt Gupta family's business empire revealed how this family gave lavish gifts to Magashules sons and financial rewards to act as an intermediary between the Guptas and the Free State government. It was under Magashule as premier that the Guptas were given a 99-year lease of Free State land and 184 million rand of taxpayers money to start a bogus dairy farm, and then laundered some of this money to pay for the infamous Gupta wedding in Sun City in 2013.

David Mabuza (left) / Image: Flickr, GovernmentZA

The other member of this faction, Jesse Duarte, is a staunch ally of Zuma and has used her position as deputy-secretary to oppose all attempts to pursue charges of corruption against him.

With these gangsters in its ranks, and with the NEC split down the middle, it is clear that the organisation will be incapable of doing anything. All attempts to recall Zuma as president of the country and deal with the open corruption in the state will be fiercely opposed by these people, who are deeply implicated in all these scandals. This is a recipe for deep infighting in the leading bodies.

Then there is the relationship between Ramaphosa and Zuma. As president of the party, Ramaphosa is theoretically in charge of ANC representatives and allies in the government. But in government, Zuma is the president, with Ramaphosa as his deputy. With the NEC of the ANC split down the middle and containing key Zuma allies, this could lead to paralysis in government. From this it is likely that Ramaphosa will be a lame duck party president for the next 18 months until the elections.

Zuma has outmanoeuvred Ramaphosa for the last 5 years and it seems this trend will now continue. This is not primarily a matter of the personal attributes of the two men. It is a reflection of the crisis of the system, which has paralysed the two factions. It is this context of deep crisis that best suits Zumas cunning character.

Turmoil ahead

After the election results for the officials were announced on Monday night it became clear that the final number of votes was 68 short of the total number of accredited delegates. It then transpired that, when these 68 accredited delegates turned up to vote on Sunday night, they were told that their names were not listed on the voters roll. Apparently, some fake delegates tried to take their place during registration process. The fake delegates were apparently evicted subsequently and the legitimate ones reinstated but the voters roll was never adjusted to reflect their names. The 68 delegates were allowed to cast their ballots separately but their votes were apparently not included when the results were announced. This was also never announced to the delegates at the plenary session, leading to chaos and heated discussions.

So now there is a possibility that the whole matter could end up in court. The 68 votes could affect the position of secretary-general. Ace Magashule was declared the winner by a mere 24 votes despite having received 550 branch nominations less than former KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu. If this decision can be overturned the balance of the top six officials will dramatically shift towards Ramaphosas side. But Ramaphosas insistence that Mchunus supporters should accept the result gives credence to the idea that a deal was struck to divide the top six evenly between the factions to avoid a split. But if the 68 delegates decide to challenge the result in court, it could derail the deal and lead to chaos in the party. The party, with Ace Magashule at the helm of the administration, will work non-stop to prevent this.

So after attempts to avoid a damaging split, the ANC is now tied head-to-foot in its contradictions. The two factions have fought the whole party into paralysis. In the end this is a reflection of the impasse of South African capitalism.

The deal by two factions of the political wings of the ruling class has resulted in a deadlock. But it favours both factions in two very narrow ways. The more openly-corrupt wing with Zuma and the Guptas will benefit in the short-term, because they are not kicked out of the party and government and can therefore continue to benefit from enriching themselves from the state coffers. The big capitalists benefits from the deal because it prevents the ANC from splitting in the immediate future. However, all of this will not last. The crisis is too deep and inevitably will lead to further turmoil in the ruling class.

Jacob Zuma / Image: fair use

The whole promise to fight corruption will fall by the wayside. Besides, both wings and their entire capitalist system are inherently corrupt. To expect the representatives of the Guptas, MultiChoice, KPMG, McKinsey, Steinhoff and other bourgeois elements to fight against this is a pipe-dream.

Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president of the ANC, becoming the first bourgeois leader of the organisation. The workers problems will not be solved by the leadership of a market-friendly billionaire who was closely implicated in the repression of the August 2012 Marikana strike, which led to the assassination of 47 miners by the security forces. He is also behind current attempts at Nedlac to make amendments to the Labour Relations Act to introduce strike ballots. He is also the architect behind the introduction the paltry 20 rand per hour minimum wage. If they come into effect, the new laws will be a serious assault on workers rights. They will limit the right to strike and legalise already low wages.

The working class and the poor will not benefit from this deal at the 54th conference of the ANC. Together with corruption, none of the major problems facing working class South Africans will be any closer to a solution. The behaviour of the markets is a clear indication of who is celebrating. The period ahead will be characterised by big developments. The class struggle will intensify exponentially and South African capitalism will be shaken further. The root cause of the political crisis is the capitalist system which could only be fought by uniting the working class in a struggle against all the wings of the ruling class.
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The Boston Globe has published a letter to readers, addressing the newspaper's handling of sexual harassment allegations within the company.

While the Globe initially declined to identify a reporter who resigned on sexual harassment allegations, the reporter was named by other media publications, and as the "unprecedented reckoning" on sexual misconduct continued elsewhere in the society, Globe editor Brian McGrory has concluded he was wrong.

"I got too caught up on nuance and failed to grasp the need for transparency by this organization," McGrory wrote in "A note to Globe readers about our sexual harassment coverage," published Friday morning.

In the initial report, published by the Globe on Dec. 8, the paper declined to identify the reporter pressured to resign.

His name was reported elsewhere in following days, both in other Massachusetts publications and on social media.

"For the record, the journalist's name is Jim O'Sullivan, a former State House reporter of four-plus years for the Globe," McGrory wrote in the piece published Friday. "I am confirming what other news organizations have reported already."

At the time of the initial report, McGrory says the paper had concluded O'Sullivan had "made lewd propositions to one newsroom colleague and to two women that we are aware of on Beacon Hill."



The revelation came not until the twelfth paragraph of the story -- "extremely buried lede" Sarah Kendzior, a Canadian reporter, quipped on Twitter -- and below lesser offenses on a relative scale discussed in its text like office "mansplaining" and an alleged "culture problem."



"We felt his actions were an abuse of his position as a Globe reporter and completely inappropriate," McGrory explained in Friday's letter to readers, but "didn't believe we had definitive proof to name him in a news story."



But rather than the refusal to identify the reporter, the online commentariat's generally harsh reaction to the initial story -- coming in volume, significantly, from other journalists and media types -- seemed more concerned by matters of framing, tone, emphasis and the fact that it was published on a Friday afternoon -- ironically, a favorite and time-honored tactic used on journalists by government officials and private public relations firms to downplay the impact of negative news.





Globe reporter Mark Arsenault, who carried the byline on the initial piece, addresses the matter on Twitter as well.



Globe looks inward on sexual harassment issues. This took a long time. My fault that I'm slow. https://t.co/BlKFiDujF4

-- Mark Arsenault (@BostonGlobeMark)

McGrory added, in Friday's letter, "While our discussions on the O'Sullivan matter were mostly focused on proof, fairness, and spectrums of misconduct, there's now a fairly obvious realization that I didn't focus enough on another very important factor: the Globe's institutional credibility."
A serious crash in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood has left one person dead and five others hospitalized, according to reports.

Authorities are investigating the scene after two vehicles crashed at Columbus Avenue and Heath Street early Friday morning.

Boston emergency medical technicians confirmed one person had been killed, and five others transported to area hospitals, according to NECN. The extent of their injuries is unclear at this time.

The crash follows an evening of violence in Mission Hill, when Boston Police searched for a gunman tied to a double shooting. A man allegedly walked up to a car in Mission Hill and opened fire on two young men who were later hospitalized.

This is a developing story.
SPRINGFIELD - Two Central Massachusetts men have been charged in U.S. District Court in connection with a marijuana grow operation that was featured in High Times magazine.

Peter Molle, 35, of Holland, was arrested Friday and charged with manufacturing marijuana and possessing marijuana with intent to distribute, according to a release issued by United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

Eric Vallee, 38, of Sutton, was arrested last Friday and charged with manufacturing marijuana and possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.

Vallee, according to the release, was featured in a magazine article noting that he regularly harvests 10 pounds of marijuana based on a cultivation timetable that would result in his harvesting hundreds of pounds of marijuana per year.

Although the release does not elaborate on the article, both men appear in a Feb. 13 High Times article titled 'New England's Patriot Pot Growers."

Both Valle and Molle used bank accounts that featured large amounts of cash deposits that were consistent with the proceeds of drug sales, according to the release.

In February, agents executed search warrants at a house in Auburn where Vallee then resided, at a house in Sutton where Vallee had previously resided, and at a house in Holland where Molle resided, according to the release.

At each location, agents discovered commercial-style marijuana grow operations. More than 100 marijuana plants were found at Vallee's Auburn residence, more than 100 marijuana plants at Molle's Holland residence, and more than 30 marijuana plants were found at the residence in Sutton.

Each defendant faces a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, a minimum of two years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Massachusetts voters approved medical marijuana in 2012 and recreational marijuana in 2016.

The 2016 state law broadly legalized recreational marijuana use for adults ages 21 and over. Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level.

You can possess 10 ounces inside a primary residence.

You can possess 1 ounce outside the primary residence, or no more than 5 grams of marijuana concentrate, and you can gift up to 1 ounce to another person.

A household can have up to 12 marijuana plants inside.
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiangon Thursday sent a congratulatory message on the launch of the construction of the first phase of the China-Thailand railway project.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha attended the opening ceremony of the project held Thursday in Kele, northern Thailand.

The China-Thailand railway project is a flagship project of bilateral cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative and production capacity, which reflects the spirit of wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits, Li said in the message.

It is a win-win project, and will effectively enhance the infrastructure construction and interconnectivity in Thailand and the region, facilitate the sustainable development of Thailand, drive the development and prosperity in the region and improve the people's livelihood, Li said.

The Chinese premier hoped the two sides would continue to keep close cooperation, complete the first phase of the China-Thailand railway with high quality, steadily push ahead the related work about the second phase of the project, and strive to realize the interconnection of the China-Thailand railway and the China-Laos railway.

That will facilitate the trade and travel of people in the countries along the railway, and achieve a win-win situation, he added.

Li also noted that China attaches great importance to the development of the friendly relations between China and Thailand.

China is willing to work together with Thailand to strengthen their respective development strategies, and constantly advance the win-win pragmatic cooperation between the two countries with the railway cooperation project and to further promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two counties, he said.

The planned China-Thai railway stretches 867 km, from Nong Khai on the Thai-Lao border to Rayong in eastern Thailand. The initial phase, at 252 km long, runs between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.

The railway is planned to connect with China-Lao railway from Vientiane to Kunming in China's southern Yunnan Province, and to extend through the south, via Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, and finally ending in Singapore.
Paul Marshall will buy a new-for-Draught Works filter come January 2018, sooner than the brewery co-owner had planned.

This week, some craft beverage producers in Montana celebrated the passage of federal legislation that cuts the excise tax on barrels by 50 percent. And, it means Marshall can reinvest another $35,000 in his business in 2018.

"Stainless steel is expensive. You need to buy more of it if youre a growing business," Marshall said Thursday.

KEILA SZPALLER [email protected]

http://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/montana-craft-producers-reduction-in-excise-tax-helps-businesses/article_fcd248f4-61dd-5d72-961a-09a1642b9b0f.html
Thursday was a shameful day for the United States but a victory for the global community as the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in a resolution to denounce US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The votes of 128 in favor, nine against and 35 abstentions were achieved under reckless threats and coercion made by the US in the past few days.

After a 14-1 vote of an identical resolution at the UN Security Council on Monday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley threatened to stop US aid to countries that vote for the resolution on Thursday.

In an email to UNGA members on Tuesday, Haley said that "the president will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us. We will take note of each and every vote on this issue."

Trump also made a threat on Wednesday by saying that "all of these nations that take our money and then they vote against us at the Security Council or they vote against us, potentially, at the Assembly, they take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us."

"Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us; we'll save a lot. We don't care,"

During her remarks before the Thursday vote, Haley attacked the UN again by calling the international body as "long been a hostile place for the state of Israel".

She made another threat that "this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered."

It's ridiculous that Haley believes that the US could defy the UN and enjoy a privilege due to its large funding contribution to the UN. She disqualified herself for the job by forgetting that all the 193 UN members, large and small, are equal.

The statement to the press by the US Mission to the UN after the vote is also shameless by portraying the vote as a victory for the US with 35 abstentions and an additional 21 nations absent at the meeting. It's like saying that "the US bully and coercion has worked".

The threat and coercion exhibited by the US at the UN proves that the world's superpower is willing to defy the international body and the will of the international community. However, such action will only weaken the US credibility and its already declining leadership role in the world.

While some countries, in particular Canada and Australia which like to boast they are nations of principles, kowtowed to US pressure and abstained on Thursday's General Assembly vote, most countries have demonstrated principle and courage under the US coercion.

Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu, whose nation along with Yemen co-sponsored the resolution, slapped the faces of Trump and Haley by saying "dignity and sovereignty are not for sale". Similar voices were also expressed on Thursday by many other nations which stood up to US pressure and bully.

Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec 6 and the announcement that the US would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has sparked a series of protests around the world, causing several deaths and thousands of injuries in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories.In this sense, Trump and Haley both have had bloods on their hands.

Thursday's vote has sent a clear and strong message to the US that the vast majority of nations in this world stand with justice and peace despite its intimidation and its recent decision to sabotage Middle East peace.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA.
The Cannon Foundation, based in Concord, awarded a $50,000 grant to Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina on Monday to help the land trust transfer a 208-acre property adjoining the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Bear Den Overlook into public ownership.

The property is located near the McDowell-Mitchell line.

The Bear Den property borders 1.7 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and is part of the scenic vista from the popular Bear Den Overlook (milepost 323). The project includes conservation of rare natural areas, diverse habitats, and mountain headwater streams important to the downstream drinking water supplied by the Catawba River, according to a news release.

Foothills Conservancy purchased the property in September 2016 with funding from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, a contribution from conservation philanthropists Fred and Alice Stanback and a loan from the Conservation Trust for North Carolina. The conservancy has until September 2018 to pay off the loan used to purchase the property. Once the loan is paid off, Foothills Conservancy will donate the property to the National Park Service for addition to the Blue Ridge Parkway system.

With funds raised to date, including a matching $50,000 contribution from conservationist Tim Sweeney, the remaining loan balance is $90,000, according to the news release.

Foothills Conservancy is actively fundraising for this project and welcomes private donations to help satisfy the outstanding debt. Gifts will be restricted to the Bear Den project and may be made online at foothillsconservancy.org or by mail to P.O. Box 3023, Morganton, NC 28680.

Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina is a nationally accredited, non-profit regional land trust based in Morganton. The conservancy works cooperatively with landowners and public/private conservation partners to preserve and protect significant natural areas and open spaces. Focus areas include watersheds, forests and farmland across the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains and foothills in eight counties: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell, and Rutherford. Since 1995, Foothills Conservancy has protected more than 52,000 acres, including lands added to South Mountains, Lake James and Chimney Rock state parks; Wilson Creek, South Mountains and the Johns River state game lands; Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Information about Foothills Conservancy, including ways to support its work, can be found online at www.foothillsconservancy.org or by calling 828-437-9930.
Work on the world's longest glass-floor bridge proceeds in the Hongyagu Scenic Area in Hebei province earlier this month. The bridge will open to the public on Dec 24. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The world's longest glassfloor bridge will open to the public on Sunday in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

The bridge, which stretches 488 meters, is 2 meters wide and hangs 218 meters (about 66 stories) above the valley floor between two steep cliffs in the Hongyagu Scenic Area in Pingshan county.

It is paved with 1,077 panes of transparent glass, each 4 centimeters thick, and weighs a total of 70 metric tons.

The sky bridge is designed to swing a little while visitors walk to its center, creating a thrill for visitors, according to Hebei Bailu Group, the local tourism company that built the bridge.

While walking on the bridge, tourists can enjoy the surrounding Hongyagu scenery, which boasts a unique geographic landscape with mountain views, natural waterfalls, ancient towns and temples.

The bridge was designed to support up to 2,000 people, though it's expected that only 500 will be on it at one time, said Liu Qiqi, director in charge of construction.

"The bridge's load-carrying capacity is as much as 3.5 times the country's standard for bridges. Besides, we only allow 500 people on it at most," Liu said.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks during the inauguration ceremony of Thailand's first high-speed railway in Pak Chong, Thailand, Dec. 21, 2017. Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)

Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a congratulatory letter that the China-Thailand high-speed railway is a flagship project in jointly realizing the Belt and Road Initiative in the spirit of "wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits."

The 253-km first phase of the railway links Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province. China is responsible for design of the railway, supervision of construction and manufacturing of trains and signal systems among others.

Once completed, the railway with a maximum speed of 250 km per hour will be the first high-speed railway of Thailand.

The planned second phase of the project will link Nakhon Ratchasima with Nong Khai on the border with Laos, which connects with the China-Laos railway in an artery railway linking Thailand, Laos and China.

Li said the project will contribute to infrastructure development and enhance connectivity in Thailand as well as in the region. He hoped both sides could cooperate to complete the first phase and push forward the second phase of the project, and connect the cross-border railway with the China-Laos railway as soon as possible.

The Chinese premier said the China-Thailand high-speed railway, as a new platform for bilateral cooperation, will further promote pragmatic cooperation of win-win and mutual benefit between the two countries and their comprehensive, strategic, cooperative partnership.

Wang Xiaotao, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lyu Jian, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayaphaisith, Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda among other officials from both countries attended a ground-breaking ceremony.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut said the Thailand-China high-speed railway will connect Thailand with other countries and help Thailand merge into the grand transport network under the Belt and Road Initiative. It will also help the kingdom become a regional transport and logistic hub.

Prayut emphasized that Thailand will work with the Chinese side to move the project forward in a bid to realized sustainable development.

Transport Minister Arkhom told Xinhua after the ceremony that the project will greatly help the development of Thailand's northeastern region and the first phase of the project is set to be operational late 2022 or early 2023.

Honored guests attend the inauguration ceremony of Thailand's first high-speed railway in Pak Chong, Thailand, Dec. 21, 2017. Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)

People visit a model of the first phase of the high-speed railway linking Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province in Pak Chong, Thailand. Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)

Photo taken on Dec. 21, 2017 shows a model of the first phase of the high-speed railway linking Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province in Pak Chong, Thailand. Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)
 'intelligence' and  'a shared destiny for mankind' have been chosen as International Chinese Character of the Year and International Chinese Word of the Year, in a competition organized by China's Ministry of Education and the Commercial Press.

'Intelligence' and 'a shared destiny for mankind' selected as International Chinese Character of the Year and International Chinese Word of the Year for 2017. [Photo: sina.com.cn]

The month-long competition, which ended on Wednesday, saw two characters and two words chosen by experts and netizens to showcase the charm of the Chinese language. Since 2006, this annual competition has been a record of changes to both the Chinese language and Chinese society.

Yu Dianli, general manager of the Commercial Press, said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerged as a key topic in 2017, which is why 'intelligence' was chosen as the International Chinese Character of the Year.

Yu said that the choice of 'a shared destiny for mankind' () as the International Chinese Word of the Year was driven by the growing awareness of the Chinese people of their fundamental role in the international community. Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned the word in his keynote speech at the United Nations at Geneva on January 18, 2017. The word was also mentioned in Xi's speech at the 19th session of National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October 2017.

Alongside the International Character and International Word of the year,  'share' was selected as the National Character of the Year, and  'original aspiration' was picked as the National Word of the Year.

Yu Dianli said that the character  'share' is a reflection on the spirit of the Chinese people.  'original aspiration' means being true to one's aspirations while at the same time being open to new ideas. The word highlights the intellectual energy of the Chinese people and their determination and confidence to follow the path led by the Communist Party.

During the competition, citizens from around China shared their own understandings of the chosen characters and words. When asked about what  'original aspiration' means to her, Beijing citizen Lu Yan said, "Although our dreams of the future may change as we grow, we should always remember our heartfelt aspirations."
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The investigation was carried out in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad where 1.1 million people live alongside some 30,000 dogs. In 2012 and 2013, 20,000 dogs were vaccinated each year against rabies. Hence, more than 65% of the city's estimated dog population participated in the intervention, "an excellent coverage rate," said Zinsstag. "We mobilised the neighbourhood chiefs and they in turn mobilised the people and their dogs."A model African-European collaborationSwiss TPH is a world-leading institute in the field of human and animal health - increasingly known as "One Health" - and maintains a productive collaboration with Chad dating back to the 1990s. Swiss TPH collaborated with a public-private partnership in Chad, namely the Centre de Support en Sante Internationale (CSSI) and the Institut de recherche en elevage pour le developpement (IRED). An additional player was the Laboratoire Central Veterinaire (LCV) in Bamako, Mali.For the genetic analyses of collected rabies viruses, Swiss TPH was supported by the ETH Zurich in Basel, Switzerland, and by the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. At Swiss TPH, an interdisciplinary team was estab-lished with expertise in molecular diagnostics, mathematical modelling and veterinary epidemiology. "The mathematical modelling shows that the reproductive number, that is the number of secondary infections for one rabies-infected dog, fell under one, hence transmission is interrupted, and a molecular analysis shows that the circulating strains disappear," said Zinsstag and Nakul Chitnis, a co-investigator at Swiss TPH.Further insights through phylodynamicsThe study is one of the first research projects to apply a rigorous phylodynamic method to dog rabies, and hence, it expands upon the normative phylogenetics (i.e. assessing the genetic relatedness of virus strains) with the dynamics of transmission over time. This made it possible to calculate the reproductive number of rabies among the dogs after the first mass dog vaccination in 2012."Dog rabies was likely re-introduced through the import of dogs by humans from outside N'Djamena after the rabies elimination had been achieved," Zinsstag explains.The phylogenetic analysis supports this finding, since the sequence of nucleoprotein of the new viruses showed a different genetic structure. "The molecular method ascertained the results put forth by the mathematical model through an independent approach," said Zinsstag. "Therefore eliminating rabies is not a technical problem, but a matter of political will and sufficient financial resources."The Swiss TPH study was financially supported by the UBS Optimus Foundation in Switzerland (vaccine, epidemiological field work and laboratory investigations). The Chadian government covered other costs (logistics and personnel).Towards elimination of rabies in Central and West AfricaEliminating dog mediated human rabies by 2030 is part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "It will be a formidable challenge to reach this SDG goal by then, but we can prevent people from dying from dog-transmitted rabies," said Zinsstag. "Our study provides an important proof-of-concept for the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) and the Pan-african Rabies Control Network (PARACON) that rabies elimination in Africa indeed can be achieved."As a next step, Swiss TPH and its partners plan to extend mass dog vaccination against rabies across Chad. "We have calculated that with 28 million euros, it would be possible to eliminate rabies throughout the country. However, an important challenge is migration: once Chad is free from rabies, the disease might be re-imported from neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Sudan. We therefore need a concerted Pan Central and West African approach, led by the Economic Unity of West African States ECOWAS and the African Union.This would bring along the additional benefit of promoting peace through cooperation." Zinsstag estimates that in order to free Central and West Africa from rabies, the costs would amount to around 1 billion euro over a 20-year period.One Health rabies research at Swiss TPHSwiss TPH maintains a West African research network in the field of human and animal health based on an excellent collaboration with many African partners, such as CSSI in Chad and the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Cote d'Ivoire (CSRS), among others. Swiss TPH pursues a two-pronged approach with the overall aim of eliminating rabies in humans: eliminating dog rabies and making post-exposition prophylaxis accessible to all people in West and Central Africa. For this last approach, Swiss TPH collaborates with the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI).One Health is, in Zinsstag's own words, the "added value of a close collaboration of human and animal health. If medical experts and veterinarians work together more closely, they can improve health to a greater extent than they could alone."The concept of One Health was instigated by the veterinary epidemiologist Calvin W. Schwabe in the 1960s. Swiss TPH has developed the scientific theory behind it as well as the associated teaching and training. For instance, Swiss TPH developed the first massive open online course (MOOC) in One Health, which is now being offered in its second year.Source: Eurekalert
Etanercept, a medication used around the world to treat autoimmune diseases like arthritis and psoriasis can now be used to save transplanted stem cells from being rejected in blood cancer patients. While blood stem cell transplants are a potential cure for life threatening blood cancers, the inability of these cells to integrate into the hosts' bone marrow and differentiate, limits its usage. New study by a research team at the University of British Columbia shows that administering etanercept solves this challenge. The findings of the study are published in Science Translation Medicine.



The Problem with Blood Stem Cell Transplants

Blood stem cells ae cells that can differentiate into all types of blood cells including white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. However, most of the donor stem cells come from umbilical cord blood and the derived stem cells when transplanted do not get integrated into the recipient's bone marrow to differentiate and produce a self-sustaining blood-forming system. Also, many umbilical cord blood donations are too small to provide enough mass of stem cells necessary to repopulate in a new host. Moreover, mismatched stem cell transplant can cause graft rejection and failure that is often fatal.


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(Global Times) 08:11, December 22, 2017

Military strength forms basis for diplomatic victory in defending sovereignty: expert

The military parades at Inner Mongolia's Zhurihe military training base on July 30. Photo: Xinhua

A shipyard in Dalian, a coastal city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, was surrounded by crowds on April 26 to witness the launch of the country's first domestically built aircraft carrier, Type 001A.

When the US sent its aircraft carriers to the Taiwan Strait in the 1990s, Chinese couldn't imagine their country having an aircraft carrier, experts said, but now, in 2017, China has two with another (Type 002) on the way.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping declared in his report to the 19th CPC National Congress on October 18 that "We have reached a new historical starting point in strengthening national defense and the armed forces."

In 2017, the PLA celebrated the 90th anniversary of its founding and it received a series of "birthday gifts," advanced weapons that strengthen its combat capability.

Hardware upgrade

Apart from the Type 001A aircraft carrier another gift was China's first home-grown 10,000-ton class missile destroyer Type 055 launched on June 28.

"We can confidently say that, as far as destroyers are concerned, there is no generation gap between China and the US anymore," said Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert.

The Type 001A is preparing its first mooring test, and the Type 002, far more advanced than the Type 001A, is under construction in Shanghai.

China's first domestically-built aircraft carrier Type 001A has been launched on April 26 in Dalian, Liaoning Province.Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The PLA Air Force refuses to be left behind. China's fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighter jet has begun training with China's biggest transport aircraft, Y-20, and will be capable of mobilizing drones for battle by serving as their control platform in five years.

The PLA's achievements are just the beginning. Xi, also the chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, has drawn a clear path for China's military development.

"We will make it our mission to see that by 2035, the modernization of our national defense and our forces is basically completed; and that by the mid-21st century our people's armed forces have been fully transformed into world-class forces," he said in the report at the 19th CPC National Congress.

In 2016, then-PLA Air Force commander Ma Xiaotian said that China was developing a new generation long-range strategic bomber. Chinese military analysts call it the H-20, which they believed could match the US B-2 stealth bomber. Some predicted it will appear in 2018's Zhuhai air show.

The PLA Rocket Force will receive its "new gift," the DF-41 bomber, as early as the first half of 2018, Xu Guangyu, a retired major general and senior adviser of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association told the Global Times.

China's fifth generation fighter jet J-20. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Muscle &soul

Muscle, which refers to combat capability, is nothing without soul, said Peng Guangqian, a retired major general and a strategic studies expert at the Academy of Military Sciences.

"In the 1950s, we could push the US back to the south of the 38th parallel and our weapons were far worse than the US' at that time."

"We will strengthen Party building in the military," Xi said in his report.

Peng said, "This is for casting the soul of our military. China has experienced a long period of peace in the past three decades, and unavoidably, we need to prevent our soul from being corrupted."

The anti-corruption campaign within the PLA has gained major achievements after the 18th Party National Congress. Many high-ranking corrupt military commanders have been investigated and convicted.

In February 2016, the Central Military Commission issued a circular on the termination of military paid services. All military paid services will be terminated by the end of June 2018, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xi said in the report, "A military is built to fight. Our military must regard combat capability as the criterion to meet in all its work and focus on how to win when it is called on."

Combat capability also consists of drills and the command system.

Mission training

The PLA sent its fleet and aircraft to areas it had never been to before for training including international waters and airspace beyond the First Island Chain.

In the past, due to its limited defense budget, PLA training was not enough but now, one-third of the defense budget is used for exercises, said retired major general Xu.

"That's why China will be able to frequently send aircraft and fleets to far areas," he said.

"Although we don't seek to gain combat experience through launching wars, we can do it through participating in UN peacekeeping missions, anti-piracy missions and joint counter-terrorism operations overseas."

Overseas military presences are important for protecting overseas interests, a new mission for the PLA as China's national interests spread globally, experts say.

"There are also dangers of military conflict. That's why we need to keep our muscle strong," Xu noted.

"The Doklam standoffand Korean Peninsulacrises in 2017 have reminded us that the threat of war to our country is not that far away," he said. "Taiwan's secessionist activity also needs PLA attention."

No one should underestimate China's determination to use military force when necessary, Peng said.

"A key reason why we gained a diplomatic victory in the South China Sea is the strong support of military power," he said.

"In the new era, we will not hesitate to use the military together with diplomatic efforts to protect our sovereignty and interests."
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior Party official on Thursday pledged that judicial and law enforcement agencies will try to create a "fair, transparent and predictable" legal environment for sustainable economic growth.

Guo Shengkun, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting here to set the priorities for judicial and police work next year.

One of the priorities is to help control financial risks, safeguard the order of the socialist market economy and people's interests, Guo said.

Judicial agencies and police will work to better protect citizens' property rights so that people will have more confidence in the market economy, he said.

Efforts against organized crime, fraud, human trafficking, prostitution, gambling, drug use and trafficking will also be priorities, in addition to a serious crackdown on leaking and trading personal information and online fraud.

"We would like our people to have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security," he said.

Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court, and Cao Jianming, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, attended the meeting.
A fighter jet of the Navy's South Sea Fleet takes off from an unidentified air base this month to take part in a recent combat exercise over the western Pacific Ocean. [Photo by GAO HONGWEI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

The Chinese Navy recently conducted a combat exercise in the western Pacific Ocean involving its aircraft and ships, the Navy said in a news release on Thursday afternoon.

Dozens of fighter jets, bombers, electronic warfare aircraft and early-warning planes from the South Sea Fleet took off from multiple air bases of the fleet. They then joined the exercise with ships of the 28th Escort Fleet that is sailing toward the Gulf of Aden, according to the release. It did not elaborate on the time or exact location of the exercise.

Photos published by the Navy show that the aircraft involved in the operation included the J-11 fighter jet, H-6 bomber, KJ-200 and KJ-500 early-warning planes.

The 28th Escort Fleet was formed by three vessels from the North Sea Fleet - two guided-missile frigates and a supply ship - and left a naval port in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Dec 3.

The Navy said the long-range drill was part of the South Sea Fleet's annual training plan and complied with international laws and norms, adding that it wasn't aimed at any specific nation, region or target. The operation did not affect the "freedom of navigation and flight" in related waters and airspace, according to the release.

The release quoted commanders of the fleet's aviation wing as saying that such long-distance operations have become a regular activity for naval aviation forces. They said realistic combat training between aircraft and ships in rough weather and complicated electromagnetic environments has verified and enhanced their units' operational capabilities.

"Such exercises effectively improved the Navy's ability to handle the currently sophisticated situations and to safeguard the nation's interests on the sea. We will continue to execute such exercises," the release said.

The exercise has been the Navy's latest large-scale operation this month. About two weeks ago, the Navy mobilized more than 40 ships from its three fleets to carry out a live-fire air defense drill in the East China Sea.
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China will work to ease market access restrictions on foreign investment and push the opening of the manufacturing, producer services and financial sectors, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

The country will push for nationwide implementation of a pre-establishment national treatment system as well as a negative list, which determines industries in which foreign participation is prohibited or limited, the ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a press briefing.

The country will also improve its mechanism for foreign investors to file complaints and protect their legal interests, Gao said.

Efforts will be made to attract more foreign investment into the country's central and western regions, while improving the quality of investment, he said.

Foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland rose 9.8 percent year on year to reach 803.62 billion yuan (around 122 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months. The growth was much faster than the 1.9-percent year-on-year increase registered in the first 10 months.

Chinese leaders have reiterated that the country will not close its door to the world, but rather the door will only open wider.
German powerhouse hails benefits of China as the nation strives to lift up manufacturing industry

Sitting on a total GDP of more than $11.3 trillion, which keeps rising at an estimated rate of 6.8 percent by World Bank, Chinas every move matters and, more often than not, can cause a ripple effect across the globe.

Even the nations shopping habits are reshaping consumption patterns worldwide, including the participation of the annual online shopping spree on November 11, or Singles Day, which was started in 2009 by the $60-billion e-commerce giant Alibaba.

But Chinas ambitions go far beyond such bags of tricks. In 2013, it introduced the Belt and Road development strategy, which is becoming a global catchphrase.

On Siemens annual Innovation Day event at its Munich headquarters, the term was raised by CEO Joe Kaeser.

Now China is going to the export and the regions will be Belt and Road. I will pretty much bet on this concept going forward. It is for every country, every business, every person, and every company. China is a good place to be and what weve been doing is paying out, Kaeser said at the opening forum on December 15.

(CEO Joe Kaeser addresses the Siemens Innovation Day on Dec.15 in Munich. Photo courtesy of Siemens)

The Belt and Road Initiative taps the second phase of a countrys development as it emerges from energy development and moves on to infrastructure and manufacturing industries to better quality of life, observed Siemens CTO Roland Busch.

Its more than just connecting infrastructure, because people can build upon the grid connection to create value chains for higher, greater value industries afterward, he said.

(CTO Roland Busch at the Siemens Innovation Day event on Dec.15 in Munich. Photo courtesy of Siemens)

In an interview with Peoples Daily Online on December 15, Busch pointed out that Chinas manufacturing industry was lagging behind its service industry, which was on a faster track.

On the digital economy front, China is no doubt a world leader  and an enormous one, whose online retail trade volume equals the combined total of France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US, according to a latest McKinsey report, which also found that China attracted $77 billion in venture capital investment in 2014-16, mostly in digital technologies.

Meanwhile, China has stressed that the government has never shifted its focus away from the real economy and it expects the digital economy to support real growth, Miao Wei, minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said in an article published in the Peoples Daily earlier in December.

A similar pattern is observed in Germany and other nations too, said Busch.

The digital economy in Germany is on the fast track, with a double-digit growth rate. The total online retail trade volume exceeded $52 billion in 2016. Market research analysts predict that 30 percent of the brick-and-mortar retailers will close their doors by 2020, Der Spiegel reported.

According to data by Accenture, one-fifths of the worlds GDP came from digital technology, capital, and services, which will generate $2 trillion of additional global economic output by the year 2020.

(An engineer operates on Siemens TIA software showcase on Dec.15 in Munich. Photo: Jiang Jie/People's Daily Online)

Yet, like other economies including Germany, many Chinese manufacturing companies have been slow to embrace digitization, Jan Mrosik, CEO of Siemens Digital Factory Division, told Peoples Daily Online. It is very important for them and this is why the government-initiated Made in China 2025 helps them to learn about digitization and get going in this regard.

Unveiled in 2015, Made in China 2025 marked the first 10-year action plan designed to transform China from the worlds factory into a manufacturing leader.

There is a big growth coming from digital factory business in principle, and we see very strong growth in China in particular, either using our software portfolio, MindSphere or other applications. We have the technology which can make Made in China 2025 real, Busch stressed.

In a previous interview with Economic Observer, Ma Yue, Senior Vice President of Schneider Electric China, also stressed the need to better tap into digital and Internet of Things (IoT) services and platforms with data analysis capabilities.

(People look at exhibits at Siemens Innovation Day on Dec.15 in Munich. Photo: Jiang Jie/People's Daily Online)

Siemens leading IoT platform, MindSphere, has opened its first experience and demonstration center in Beijing and is gearing up for more cooperation in China. Busch also revealed that the company is thinking of picking a Chinese cloud provider for MindSpheres future plans to participate in the Chinese market.

For Chinese companies, such digitization means more cost-effective manufacturing. Through digital product design and performance simulation, factories can produce virtual models that allow for more innovation and eliminate rework.

Harbin Turbine, which is based in northeast China, has slashed the cost of drawings and revisions by 20 percent and planning efficiency has been improved by 30 percent thanks to digital software from Siemens.

In central Chinas Henan province, AI helps the State Power Investment Corporation by serving as a full-time inspector of 14 generators with a total of 6.8 million kilowatts of electricity at seven power plants. The Siemens-powered AI system can analyze and react to real-time data to prevent power failures, which would be disastrous for the company and society.

Siemens CTO also thought highly of Chinas robotics and AI development, saying it will change all industries. There is so much robotics going on, not only heavy-lifting robots, but those that might replace handiest work, he noted. Considering the size of your population and good education system, my prediction is that it will grow very strong in China and you will create an impact, as the government pushes it fast.
Is your wallet empty? Is your live tree still alive? There are just two days left to make the mad dash and pick up any last-minute gifts.

Santa is really looking forward to his long trip. Few of us realize that covering the entire Christmas route can be quite an adventure. The weather conditions will change many times. The reindeer will find themselves flying through a warm and sunny area one day and on the very next day it can be cold and blustery.

Having Rudolph along is helpful with his bright red nose guiding the team through the foggy, snowy areas. He is almost like an electronic GPS because he knows the way. I have had a few chats with Santa over the years, and he confided that after his long trip, the entire sled needs to be rebuilt. He does carry spare runners, however, in case the ice and snow warms up too quickly and the sled bogs down.

While I was chatting with Santa, I asked what his favorite cookies are. His response came quickly, Chocolate chip, butterscotch chip and all the rest.

He told me sometimes he receives so many he gets to share them with the reindeer. Santa also told me some of the stops he makes provide a glass of milk. Television stations track his progress and broadcast when he is expected to arrive. This works well for Santa because in areas where it is real cold, folks will leave him hot chocolate, which is a treat after being in that cold sled.

Im sure my son-in-law Mike will be happy to see the holiday season pass because he is hoping to send Pat and I with Santa as he departs the area. Santa and all his helpers will put away the big chairs and Santa will be happy not to have to be handed crying babies or have youngsters with soggy pants jumping in his lap.

He will also not have to hear that same question, What did my child ask for?

As if Santa can tell what child goes with what parent?

After answering all inquiries, what does he do with leftover requests he could not match up? In just a couple days when the big gang of Santa helpers head back to the North Pole, they will look over all those requests. Perhaps they will ask Santa if he can deliver them to some needy poor children.

When all deliveries are made and Santa returns from his last run, he will get the reindeer out of their harnesses and turn them loose to rest and get a bite to eat after their exhausting trip. Mrs. Claus will greet him and give him a well-earned meal with some warm egg nog to sip.

The last chance I had to chat with Santa, I caught him napping under a palm tree waiting for his helpers. They were rounding up some of the reindeer who had wandered off to catch some of the warm breezes.

He wished me a very Merry Christmas and told me to pass his greeting on to all my readers.

Merry Christmas from Santa and Capt. Fred.

Capt. Fred Davis is a retired charter captain and nationally published author of boating articles. His "As I See It" columns appear Saturday in the Huron Daily Tribune.
CARO  Plans to replace the outdated Caro Center with a new state-of-the art psychiatric hospital are moving forward.

State officials selected Integrated Design Solutions to design the new hospital on the same grounds as the Caro Center, which is located west of the city of Caro. Besides providing the design, the Troy-based company will also provide the architectural and engineering services for the project.

Integrated Design Solutions was selected from 14 firms to do the nearly $5.5 million project because of the company's expertise in psychiatric-facility design.

"It is a comfort to know that this project in our county is moving forward. This information gives us assurances the state has not changed its mind on this project," said Tuscola County Controller Mike Hoagland. "This is fantastic news for the area."

The design phase will kick off in early 2018 with completion of the hospital expected in 2021.

The Caro Center at 2000 Chambers Road dates back to 1914, when it was built to house Epileptics, the mentally ill as well as juvenile delinquents. The Center has over 600 acres of land with 38 buildings on it, but only about 20 buildings are in use.

It currently houses about 150 adults, which include the "criminally insane" who are found not competent to stand trial because of mental health issues. The center has a staff of about 340.

When Tuscola County officials were contacted by the Huron Daily Tribune earlier this year regarding the proposal to build a new state hospital to replace the Caro Center, they knew nothing about it.

After hearing about the plan to replace the Center, leaders launched a campaign for state officials to understand the importance of keeping a state hospital local because the hospital is the second largest employer in the county.

County leaders developed a comprehensive impact study showing what losing the Caro Center would cause. According to the study, if a new facility was not built there, devastating job losses would occur with the elimination of 349 direct jobs and 398 indirect jobs, for a total of 747 jobs lost with an overall financial loss of about $54 million.

In late June, after months of worry and presenting reasons to keep the new state hospital in the county, the state agreed it should state in Tuscola.

"This announcement of a contract with a design company locks in the project and that it will start soon. It is a huge relief," said Hoagland.

The goals for the new hospital is to provide 200 beds  compared to the capacity of 150 beds in the current hospital, and in an environment that is safe, efficient and flexible for patients and staff.

"The State of Michigan made a commitment to the Caro community that the new psychiatric hospital would remain in the community, and we are keeping that promise," said Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon.

There are five other forensic psychiatry centers in the state besides the Caro Center.
Voters stand in line outside the Polytechnic University of Catalonia on December 21, 2017. Photo: Claudio Alvarez

Madrid (People's Daily) - Spains regional elections in Catalonia were held today without incident. Polls closed at 8 pm with 81 percent voter participation, a historic turnout setting a national ballot record.

Spains central government called for the election once it regained control after sacking former Catalonian president Carles Puigdemont, after Octobers unilateral declaration of independence.

By late Thursday, 95 percent of the ballots had been counted with Ciudadanos, Spains pro-unity party, claiming 36 seats.

Catalan separatist parties won a combined 70 seats, gaining an extra two while securing their absolute majority over Spains parliament. By regaining parliament, the worst political crisis in decades to hit Spain could continue.

A polling station at the University of Barcelona, December 21, 2017. Photo: Massimiliano Mincori

Todays election was seen as a legal referendum measure, and polls suggested that both separatists and unionists voters remained evenly divided.

The Spanish Cabinet will convene tomorrow to analyze election numbers and the future of Catalans new parliament. Cabinet ministers plan to address subsequent issues to name a new premier for the region.
The furor surrounding the murder of 24-year-old student Jiang Ge in Japan seemed to finally calm down a little Wednesday after the long-awaited verdict and sentence finally arrived.

Chen Shifeng, the murderer, also an overseas Chinese student, was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment a year after he stabbed and killed Jiang at the doorstep of her Tokyo apartment.

People wait outside the Tokyo District Court 2 pm on Wednesday. (Photo: Mita/ People's Daily)

On Wednesday, many Chinese media were waiting outside the court. Mainstream media in Japan also reported the verdict and sentence of the week-long trial.

The case reflected differences between Chinese and Japanese cultures in how they regard murder, the law and justice. Chinese media made detailed reports and reported in detail stabbing to death of postgraduate Jiang. By contrast, Japanese media didnt pay much attention to the case at the beginning. They felt astounded by what they called the Chinese mainlands abnormal media coverage.

Generally, any fatal accident will be covered by Japanese media. In the eyes of Japanese society, Jiangs case is just a common criminal case, and the stabber wouldn't be sentenced to death according to its law, a Japanese journalist said. That is perhaps why the case was not as closely watched in Japan as it was in China. But for Chinese society, it was more than a case that deserved justice. The morality of people involved in the case, particularly Liu Xin -- Jiangs roommate and Chens ex-girlfriend -- were also a hot topic of debate, making the case unusual in China.

Search results for the key words overseas student and murder in Japanese on Thursday morning.

According to Mainichi Shimbun, one of the major media outlets in Japan, the Chinese mainland media circus to report the trial was abnormal." On the last trial day of December 20, a total 294 people waited outside the court to draw straws for the 35 seats in the public gallery.

It was reported that the first trial day on December 11 was streamed live outside the court through Pear Video, a Chinese digital news platform, and gained 15 millions views. Jiang Ges mother Jiang Qiulian, spent weeks collecting signatures on the streets of Tokyo for a petition. She collected a total of 4.5 million signatures, mainly from the Internet.

A sense of justice is valuable but has limitations, Peoples Daily opined as Chinese mainland public opinion strongly backed the death penalty and also criticized murder victim Jiang Ge's close friend Liu Xin for her alleged selfishness.

A screenshot of Japanese national broadcaster HNKs report on the Jiang Ge's case.

Thousands of signatures were collected demanding the death penalty as Chinese mainland society paid close attention to the case, Sankei Shimbun reported on its website.

The victims mother demanded the Japanese court sentence the murderer to death and her petition won great support from Chinese Internet users, NHK reported.

The chief judge delayed announcement of the sentencing to the very last minute seeking to avoid chaos in court.
LAKEVIEW, MI - State police on Friday, Dec. 22, arrested a man suspected of robberies in Ionia, Kent and Montcalm counties in recent weeks.

Police say the suspect, using an undisclosed weapon, robbed party stores in Belding, Gowen and Sheridan and a gas station in Rockford.

Lt. Kevin Sweeney said detectives, acting on tips and surveillance, eventually identified a suspect, who led police on short pursuit early Friday before he was captured.

Once the suspect stopped, he was arrested without further incident. He was taken to Montcalm County Jail.

Police withheld the Montcalm County man's name pending his initial court appearance.

Police noted that the robberies occurred every four or five days. The first three happened at night at party stores, while the fourth was at a gas station in Rockford on Thursday.

"There was kind of a pattern," Sweeney said.

Multiple agencies took part in the investigation: Belding Police Department, Ionia County Sheriff's Department, Montcalm County Sheriff's Department, Rockford Police Department, Kent County Sheriff's Department, Central Michigan Enforcement Team and the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team.
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI -- Two people have turned themselves into police in connection with a fatal shooting on Jefferson Street late Thursday, Dec. 21.

Muskegon Heights Police Chief Joseph Thomas Jr. confirmed that two people are in custody.

Nathan Adriel Ward, 42, was shot about 9:10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21 in the 3300 block of Jefferson Street near West Maplewood Avenue.

Thomas earlier said the shooting was not random.

During the incident, Ward was shot and a second person also was injured, possibly from a physical altercation.

Police have not released the names of the suspects. Police expect to meet with prosecutors about decisions on warrants.
LANSING, MI - Gov. Rick Snyder, who ran as a numbers nerd, is going into his last year in office focused on what he can do to help the state's economy in the future.

MLive sat down with Snyder last week for a year-end interview. He brought the numbers his team has tracked, and he's cited publicly, since he took office. Unemployment is down. Since Snyder took office in 2011, the state has added more than 512,000 jobs. Per-capita income has grown.

But he is focused more on the future than on the past. One area he's zeroed in on is matching Michigan workers to Michigan jobs.

"I view this whole question of helping people get career connected as a giant opportunity. It used to be was there a job. Now we have lots of open jobs, but they require additional training and skills to be successful," Snyder said.

The state's Pure Michigan Talent Connect is a job posting site that connects employers with employees. Through analyzing that, the state can see there's a problem connecting jobs to prospective employees with the correct training.

"If we can make that connection, and we will make that connection, in terms of the things we're putting in place, it makes a huge economic difference in the quality of life for all Michiganders. So it's a wonderful thing to continue the economic comeback we've been on. Let's keep it up. Let's accelerate," Snyder said.

He has no plans to slow down his work on talent in 2018.

He counts changes aimed at economic improvement among his biggest successes of 2017.

"Some of the things we did is I think we made a lot of progress with the economy, still, in terms of job growth, having Michiganders be better off," Snyder said.

One area he locked in on in 2017 was what he calls the mobility sector -- the autonomous vehicle development Michigan is gunning for a piece of. Earlier this month, the American Center for Mobility opened its test track.

Snyder has spoken about the facility not just as a good thing for the state, but as a leading facility nationally and internationally. This year, he touted Michigan's mobility sector across the world on trade missions to China, Germany, Japan, Canada and France. One of the things he noticed was "people within the field are really understanding that Michigan is the world leader," Snyder said.

But the state faces stiff competition from sites like Arizona and California that are also promoting the testing and development of autonomous vehicles.

And while Snyder is looking at the big economic picture, he wants to put the state government itself on solid financial footing, too. He's put $884 million into the state's rainy day fund, which at $886 million total is still short of his $1 billion goal.

He's also supported sometimes controversial efforts, like recent changes to the teacher retirement and municipal retiree health care systems, to reduce the state's liabilities.

"I'm still proud of the comment that I can tell people, if you want a cool job in Michigan, run for governor in 2038. Because we pay off the long-term liabilities, the major liabilities of the state at that point in time," Snyder said.

Snyder began as governor in 2011, and will serve through 2018. Michiganders will hear more about his priorities for 2018 at his final State of the State address, which typically takes place in January.
LANSING, MI - The state will begin the process of sending school districts refunds for a 3 percent salary deduction collected under an unconstitutional law on Jan. 22, according to a spokesman for the Department of Technology Management and Budget.

Teachers and other school personnel are due $554 million after the Michigan Supreme Court made a final ruling that a 2010 law the state had deducted a 3 percent retirement health care contribution under was unconstitutional.

The money, collected between July 2010 and January 2013 under Public Act 75 of 2010, has sat in an escrow account that has grown to $554 million with interest. Now, the state is working to get it back to people it was collected from.

"Employers will receive a transfer of the contribution and interest funds with the January 22, 2018 school aid payment," said spokesman Kurt Weiss.

And once those employers, the school districts, get the money, it's up to them to distribute it to those it was collected from years ago.

Bob Dwan, Associate Executive Director of the Michigan School Business Officials, said school districts have existing business practices in place to get money to employees and former employees the 3 percent had been collected from. One thing that could take some time at the district level is figuring out how those deductions were treated, tax-wise, when they were collected. Depending on what happened earlier, they could have to take tax implications into account when distributing the funds.

"I'm certain there will be many hours that are put in reconciling what needs to be paid back to employees, although the (Office of) Retirement Services should be providing most of that information," Dwan said.

The districts will also be in charge of tracking hard-to-track employees, like those who have moved or died. Dwan said districts have existing business procedures for handling cases like that, and in the case of a death the person's estate would most likely accept the repayment.

For teachers, the money adds up. Tom Brenner is a social studies teacher of more than two decades at Novi High School and a plaintiff in the case. Last time he did the math was in June, and at that time he was owed about $5,500.

Coincidentally, that's about what it's going to cost to replace his broken furnace.

But aside from the money, he said it felt like a moral victory for teachers, who have faced everything from stagnant wages to Right to Work over the past few years.

"It just seemed like kind of a pattern from state government, taking us for granted," Brenner said.

When the ruling came out this week, Washtenaw Intermediate School District Teacher Consultant John Rose was surprised. He thought it would come out later, next year, and also wasn't sure it would fall in favor of teachers like him. After the ruling, he said, he felt vindicated.

But after following the legal fight for years, it's hard to picture the actual end.

"There's still this bit of apprehension that I'm going to wake up from this dream and somehow this is going to continue onward, that this isn't over," Rose said.
Victorian police say a vehicle has collided with a number of pedestrians on Flinders Street between Elizabeth and Swanston streets. (Photo: Twitter)

Several people injured after a car hits pedestrians in Australia's Melbourne.

Victoria police said in a statement: "Police are currently attending an incident on Flinders Street between Elizabeth and Swanston streets where a vehicle has collided with a number of pedestrians. Police have arrested the driver of the car. Extent of injuries are not known at this stage."

Police are asking any witnesses to go to the Melbourne West police station at 313 Spencer Street, Melbourne, and all vehicular and pedestrian traffic to avoid the area.

Ambulances and fire trucks line the street. (Photo: Paul Jeffers)
MUSKEGON, MI-- A vacant home was damaged in a fire Thursday, according to a press release.

The Muskegon Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at 247 Delaware Ave. about 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22.

The cause is under investigation, and no injuries were reported. Once there, firefighters found "heavy smoke conditions" but no occupants inside of the vacant home. Flames were present through both the main floor and second floor before extending through the roof, the release said.

The Muskegon Heights and Muskegon Township fire departments assisted in the fire.
MLive File Photo

Happy 30th, Zilwaukee Bridge

After eight years of construction, the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge were opened Dec. 23, 1987. Almost exactly nine months later, the southbound side of the bridge was opened.

Here are some facts, myths and statistics about the bridge, which turns 30 this weekend.

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The specs

Highest point: 125 feet

Length: Around 1.5 miles

Roadway: 23 acres of deck

Traffic: Estimated 21,600,000 vehicles per year

Total project cost: Around $127 million

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Reason for the bridge

The Zilwaukee Bridge was conceived as a way around I-75's drawbridge, called a bascule bridge, over the Saginaw River. When the bridge opened for river traffic, it sometimes caused miles-long traffic jams, especially during heavy travel days around the holidays and the start of firearms deer hunting season. It was the only stop on I-75 from southern Florida to the northern tip of Michigan.

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Traffic volumes

Around the time of opening, the Zilwaukee Bridge saw roughly 11.3 million vehicles cross per year, according to MDOT. Now, an average of 21.6 million vehicles cross the bridge per year.

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The bridge could've been steel

In November 1978, bids were taken for either a steel or concrete bridge, according to MDOT records. The bid for the steel bridge totaled $86.2 million. The concrete bid was $76.8 million. Authorities chose the lower-cost option.

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The bridge could've been a tunnel

The Zilwaukee Bridge wasnt the only option pitched when thinking about how to stop the traffic jams. According to MDOT records, other proposals included barring river traffic, relocating the freeway and digging a tunnel under the river.

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The cost

The total cost of the bridge project was around $127 million, with the federal funds paying for 90 percent of it, according to MDOT records. The original bid for the project was $76.8 million. The first contract totaled $75 million. Repairs totaled $6.8 million. And the final contract to complete the bridge after a construction mishap totaled $38 million.

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How it was constructed

The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. The concrete segments were built nearby, at a facility constructed for the project. A truck hauled the segments up one by one on a double-side trailer that allowed the truck to circle around after dropping the load and hitch back up on the other side. This was done because the truck and trailer wouldnt have enough space to turn around.

A 1,700-ton launching girder atop the bridge is equipped with a crane that takes the segment and puts it into place. Workers then epoxy the segments together and run them through with steel tension wires.

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The big 'Oops'

Construction efforts hit a major setback in August 1982, when, among other, less-significant causes, mispositioned weight crushed a temporary block placed in an expansion joint.

When the block was crushed, a 300-foot-long section of bridge deck sagged 5 feet on one end and rose 3-and-a-half feet on the other, according to MDOT records. The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it.

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The repairs

Repair work began in the early summer of 1983 and totaled around $6.8 million. Hydraulic presses were used to realign the bridge. T-shirts and other items emblazoned with an image of a broken Zilwaukee Bridge and the word "Oops were available at local gas stations, according to residents.

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The bridge wasn't "glued together"

Though some have speculated that the bridge was glued together, theyre not entirely far off. An epoxy stronger than concrete was used between segments. Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. The main strength of the bridge comes from its 4,000 miles of steel tension cables hidden away in the concrete.

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The bridge mishap

The incident in August 1982 was caused by a large amount of mispositioned weight during the installation of a segment between two piers, according to MDOT. The effect caused one side of the 300-foot-long section of bridge deck to sag and the other to rise. It also damaged the pier underneath. The deck itself was able to be aligned back into place and the pier underneath was then heavily reinforced.

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Jacob Hamilton | MLive

De-icing

The Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the few, if not the only, bridge in Michigan that doesn't use salt to de-ice the roadway, an MDOT official said. Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge.

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Lifespan

While a decommissioning of the Zilwaukee bridge is a long way off, the bridge's lifespan is probably in the ballpark of 80 to 100 years, said Gregg Brunner, associate region engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation.

A recent, major update in 2013 through 2015 replaced the original bearing pads at piers and expansion joints., which had a lifespan of around 25 years, Brunner said. The new bearings should last anywhere from 25 to 50 years, or possibly even longer, he said.
[December 22, 2017] WLAN Market Intelligence with Competitive Landscape 2027

Market Highlights: The WLAN market is driven by the factors such as growing demand for high data transfer rate, increasing adoption of cloud technologies and increasing popularity of internet of things applications. With the increasing number of mobile devices, there has been a constant rise in the demand for connected devices. This is one of the major factors influencing the growth of WLAN market. The constant increase in number of transactions done by consumers using digital tools such as net banking, mobile banking, or digital wallets is building high growth opportunity for WLAN service providers. Uninterrupted and speedy internet connection is the need of the generation.







Lack of technical expertise to make full utilization of wireless LAN installed in the enterprises or in outdoor areas lie are the factors which could cause hindrance in the growth of WLAN market.



Characterized by the presence of several major well-established players, the global market of WLAN appears to be highly competitive. Well established players incorporate acquisition, collaboration, partnership, expansion, and technology launch in order to gain competitive advantage in this market and to maintain their market position. These Players invest heavily in the R&D to develop WLAN technologies that will meet the increasing demand on a completely different level compared to their competition. These vendors are constantly bringing innovations in the WLAN market. Demand for digital transformation is constantly growing and is not predicted to slow down at any time soon. Aruba Networks is considered to be the second biggest vendor in the WLAN market whereas; Cisco Systems leads the global WLAN market.





Request a Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1012 Major Key Players The key players in the market of WLAN are- Cisco (U.S.), Aruba Networks, Inc. (U.S.), HP (U.S.), Ruckus Wireless (U.S.), Ubiquiti Networks (U.S.), Aerohive Networks (U.S.), Zebra Technologies (U.S.), Netgear (U.S.), Huawei (China), D-Link (Taiwan), TP-Link (China) among others.



Industry/ Innovation/ Related News: December, 2017  Cisco Systems shines in the WLAN market as the Aruba Networks slips in the third quarter by 0.5% which includes both consumer and enterprise WLAN. Cisco has achieved a 5.3% increase in the enterprise WLAN market. Cisco continues to invest aggressively in the WLAN market.



December, 2017  Ubiquiti Networks has witnessed a considerable increase in its revenue of about 28% in this year in WLAN market October, 2017  Huawei Technologies has collaborated with a Russian telecommunications company Rostelecom for deploying high quality wireless network in Moscow. Huawei has become the exclusive supplier to Rostelecom for its central location. Rostelecom plans to complete its Wi-Fi construction for central branch by 2018 including both indoor and outdoor scenarios.



December, 2017  Huawei Technologies has witnessed a rise in its revenue of over 20% in the WLAN market.



March, 2016  Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquired California based Aruba Networks May, 2016  Brocade Communications acquired California based Ruckus Wireless Browse Full report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/wlan-market-1012 Competitive Analysis The market of WLAN appears to be highly competitive. To maintain their market position and to drive the market growth, various dynamic and diversified international organizations, domestic organizations and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. Market leaders are innovating continuously and increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. Major players are investing on internal R&D and, most of all, in acquiring other firms.



WLAN Market  Segmentation The global WLAN market is segmented in to 5 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding; Segmentation by Component: Comprises Controller, Router, Switch, Access Point (AP) and Network Interface Card (NIC).



Segmentation by Technology: Comprises 802.11a/b/g, 802.11n and 802.11ac.



Segmentation by Location: Comprises Indoor and Outdoor.



Segmentation by Application: Comprises IT, BFSI, Healthcare & Hospitality, Government & Retail and others.



Segmentation by Regions: Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.



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.



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Chinas brand value of $10 trillion ranks second in world: UK report

China, with a total brand value of over $10 trillion, ranked second in the annual report on the worlds most valuable nation brands by Brand Finance, a UK-based independent branded business valuation consultancy, Peoples Daily reported Friday.

Chinese companies make up 50 of the global 500 most valuable brands, increasing from only eight in 2008.

From made in China to created in China, and from Chinese speed to Chinese quality, more and more the nations brands have entered the global market and made their names.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi became the number one cellphone brand in India in the third quarter of 2017, with 9.2 million shipments and a market share of 23.5%.

Chinese drone maker DJI took half of the North American market, and 80% of its drone revenue comes from markets outside of Chinese mainland.

Trains produced by Chinas CRRC Corporation Limited are running in 102 countries and regions, taking over 30% of the global market share.

Apart from products, Chinese brands are also making contributions to the establishment of global standards.

This June ISO 19720-1, the terminology and commercial specification on plants for the preparation of concrete and mortar, was officially published. Its the first international specification formulated and published by a Chinese enterprise for this industry.

Entering a new era of economic development, China is placing more importance on brand-building. Currently, the approval time of brand registration has been shortened from nine months to eight. The country is also making more efforts to protect the exclusive rights of trademarks, said Liu Junchen, deputy director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

By Nov. 30, China had seen 5.11 million trademark applications. The number of valid registrations in the country accounts for over 40% of the worlds total, ranking first in the world for 16 consecutive years.
Vijay Mallya (L), United Breweries (UB) group chairman, and G. R. Gopinath, managing director of low cost airliner Deccan Aviation, pose during a news conference in Mumbai June 1, 2007. United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd., which runs Kingfisher Airlines, said it will buy 26 percent of Deccan Aviation Ltd. for 5.5 billion rupees and launch an open offer for a further 20 percent. REUTERS/Stringer (INDIA) - RTR1QC3S

The aviation regulator DGCA has granted a flying permit to Air Deccan, a move that will enable the airline to operate flights under the regional connectivity scheme called Udan.

The scheduled commuter operator (SCO) permit to Air Deccan, which is promoted by GR Gopinath, was handed over to the airline this evening, an official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation told PTI today.

This paves the way for the airline, which till now was holding a non-scheduled operator permit, to fly on regional routes under the regional connectivity scheme that caps fares at Rs 2,500 for an under-one-hour flight.

Air Deccan, which has bagged 34 routes in the first round of bidding for the scheme, has already announced the inaugural flight, which is set to take off for Jalgaon from Mumbai tomorrow. Besides, the airline also plans to connect Nashik and Kolhapur.

Air Deccan will deploy a 19-seater Beachcraft B-1900D plane on this route.It has acquired three such planes so far.

Gopinath is credited for pioneering low-cost flying in the country in the early 2000s with Air Deccan, which he later sold to now defunct Kingfisher Airlines in 2007.

His attempt at launching a cargo service under the name of Deccan 360 in 2011 in association with Reliance Industries came a cropper. Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani had reportedly invested around Rs 100 crore in the failed venture, which if took off would have been the first pure-play cargo airline in the country.
Prakash Gaba of prakashgaba.com told CNBC-TV18, "I will go with Bombay Burmah, the stock looks good to me. It is heading to closer to around Rs 1,700 zone, stop loss below Rs 1,550 should be fine."

"I like Tata Motors DVR , even this stock looks good. We can see a move until Rs 250 zones, maybe beyond that, keep stop loss below Rs 236. It is a trading play," he said.
Chandan Taparia of Motilal Oswal Securities told CNBC-TV18, "Yesterday the market was choppy, but the midcap stocks have done well. So stock specific action is likely to be there. Our team has discussed couple of stocks, so, I am taking that opportunity to name those stocks  KEC International, Sadbhav Engineering, Jain Irrigation, and JK Lakshmi Cement. We are focusing as per the technical price is concerned."

"I am recommending to go long on Tata Steel. Overall metal sector is doing well. We have seen the bottom out process after the decline of last couple of trading sessions and in metals we have seen the buying interest in Hindalco, Vedanta, Jindal Steel & Power and JSW Steel."

"Now Tata Steel is forming a breakout from its symmetrical triangle pattern which can aid some momentum. We have seen built up of long position with Put writing activity. So expecting this stock to hit the recent 52-week high of Rs 735 or in fact Rs 744. So we are recommending to buy with stop loss of Rs 703 for an upside target towards Rs 744."

"Second trade I have selected is from housing finance - Can Fin Homes. After a long time it has given the consolidation breakout on the daily and weekly scale. However, it has already rallied 5-7 percent, but longs are intact, so that momentum could continue. Here we are looking for an upside target towards Rs 544, so, one can buy with a stop loss of Rs 495," he added.

"One strategy we are looking at is buy on Larsen and Toubro (L&T). Here we are playing with the bull call spread. After a long consolidation, the stock has given breakout and this breakout clearly indicates the stock is all set to head towards Rs 1,300-1,310 kind of levels. So one can play with the bull call spread by buying 1,260 Call and sell 1,300 Call."

"In the entire strategy, one has to pay the premium of 10 points while the reward is near to Rs 25-30. So one can also Put the spread, spread stop loss of Rs 5,000 and we are looking Rs 10,000-15,000 return in this strategy going forward," he added..
business 2017: A tough year for Reliance communications Anil Ambani made headlines as he fought to save the group's flagship telecom business this year. CNBC-TV18's Ritu Singh recaps the younger Ambani's race against time to bring Reliance Communications out of its debt trap, even as he fends off various attempts by creditors to drag his company to bankruptcy court.
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In a cost-cutting drive, public sector lender Bank of India will shut 400 ATMs and will take a call on closing a further 300 ATMs by the end of February, reports Business Standard.

Bank of India officials told the paper that the move is a part of a turnaround plan that aims to cause minimal inconvenience to customers.

The plan involves the bank analysing customer requirements, usage pattern and locations before shutting the ATMs. In April this year, they reduced the number of their ATMs to 7,717 from 7,807 ATMs in December.

Bank of India Managing Director and Chief Executive Dinabandhu Mohapatra was quoted as saying that the bank has been working on the turnaround plan for the last six months and will later proceed with an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the government.

The priority has been controlling costs through steps like rationalisation of branches and ATMs, and rebalancing the loan portfolio by increasing the share of retail loans, he told BS.

The state-owned bank remains under stress and recorded fresh slippages in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 period. Even though there was an improvement in recoveries from the stressed assets, the banks gross and net non-performing assets (NPAs) still remain high.

Bank of India is under prompt corrective action by the Reserve Bank of India because of its high level of net NPAs, insufficient common equity Tier I capital and negative return on assets for two consecutive years.

At the end of September, Bank of Indias gross NPAs stood at 12.62 percent and net NPAs at 6.47 percent. Its common equity Tier I capital was 7.21 percent.
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Blaming disruptions caused by the GST implementation for sluggish exports, noted economist Gita Gopinath has said the country will have to become more competitive if it were to improve its merchandise trade.

"My take on what looks like a cyclical downturn on exports has to do with the disruption that the GST caused," the John Zwaanstra professor of international studies and economics at the Harvard University said here this evening.

The dip in textile exports is evident of GST, the most ambitious indirect tax reform implemented from July, the Kerala-born Gopinath who is also the economic advisor to the state chief minister said.

She said exporters are yet to get input tax credit from the system, resulting in a liquidity crunch. She was delivering the Exim Bank foundation day lecture.

But from a longer-term perspective, there is a need to relook at competitiveness vis-a-vis competing emerging markets like Bangladesh and Vietnam, Gopinath said, adding currency fluctuations alone cannot be blamed for the poor show.

Export growth has been sluggish for the first half of the fiscal year starting April, and even turned negative in October, before rebounding in November in high double-digits. The imports have been growing at a faster clip, widening the trade imbalances.

Both Gopinath and Exim Bank chairman David Rasquinha hoped for a better show on the exports next year.

On the highly-discussed crypto currencies like bitcoins, Gopinath said dealing with them is akin to "gambling" and such instruments, even though interesting from a technology perspective, will not be used widely as a medium of exchange.

About the high volatility right in its prices now, she said it is a "speculative bubble".

On the US treasury plan to declare India a currency manipulator, she said such an idea is "crazy" and "bad economics" to call any country as being one.

"It make no sense to me. I think there are many other reasons why one would accumulate reserves other than currency manipulation besides the fact that whether a country can actually manipulate its exchange rate in a very precise way," she wondered.
As many as 117 companies have garnered a staggering Rs 62,736 crore through IPOs in the first eight months of 2017-18, much higher than the cumulative amount raised in the last five fiscals, Parliament was informed on Friday.

These 117 initial public offers (IPOs) include 28 main-board public offers and the remaining for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Minister of State for Finance Pon Radhakrishnan said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

During April-November of 2017-18 fiscal, a total of 117 companies raised Rs 62,736 crore through IPO route. This was much more than the cumulative amount of Rs 62,147 crore garnered in the last five financial years.

Besides, the ongoing fiscal has witnessed the highest IPO activity since 2007-08, when companies had mopped up Rs 52,219 crore through the route.

The IPO chart in this fiscal is led by General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) that garnered over Rs 11,176 crore.

This was the largest public float by any firm after the October 2010 offer by Coal India which raised Rs 15,000 crore.

GIC is followed by New India Assurance Company that raised Rs 9,467 crore, HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company (Rs 8,695 crore) SBI Life Insurance Company (Rs 8,386 crore) and ICICI Lombard General Insurance (Rs 5,700 crore).

Individually, a total of 106 firms had garnered Rs 29,104 crore in the entire 2016-17, while 74 companies had raised Rs 14,185 crore in 2015-16.

Further, 46 firms had mopped up Rs 3,039 crore in 2014-15, 40 companies had raised Rs 8,692 crore in 2013-14 and 33 firms had raked in Rs 6,497 crore in 2012-13.
The Reserve Bank has said gross non-performing assets in the system shot up to 10.2 per cent as of the September quarter, primarily led by private sector lenders, and has warned that the situation will only aggravate from there, "elevating" the systemic risks.

In the half-yearly Financial Stability Report (FSR) put out late this evening, the central bank, however, said the financial system remains "stable" overall though it has pegged the bad loans spiking to 10.8 per cent by the March quarter and to 11.1 per cent by September 2018.

"The banking stability indicator (BSI) shows that the risks remain at an elevated level weighed down by further asset quality deterioration," the FSR notes.

Overall, the stressed assets, including restructured loans and dud loans increased marginally to 12.2 per cent during the same period from 12.1 per cent. The state-run banks' GNPA shot by 100 bps to 13.5 per cent while the same for their private sector peers jumped to 3.80 per cent.

Incidently, the report says private sector lenders, considered more prudent are the ones reporting the most stress reporting a whopping 40.8 per cent spike in their GNPAs as against 17 per cent by the state-run ones whose lazy banking has been blamed primarily for the mess in the system.

The overall gross non-performing assets or GNPAs in the system have grown to 10.2 per cent as of the September quarter from 9.6 per cent six months earlier, when the last FSR was released, it said.

It can be noted that all the top private sector lenders, including ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Yes Bank, and even HDFC Bank, have been found to have under-reported their dud assets in the recent RBI" supervision, results of which were recognised over the first two quarters of the fiscal.

In what should cause more concern for everyone, a baseline scenario of the Reserve Bank says the GNPAs ratio will slip further to 10.8 per cent in the March quarter and 11.1 per cent by September 2018.

In the foreword to the report, deputy governor NS Vishwanathan warns that overall risks to the system arising from asset quality concerns "continue to persist".

He warns that though supporting factors exist on external front like increased consumption, investment and geographical spread, the economy will be able to take advantage of the "tailwinds" only if the banking sector comes back into "good shape".

The central bank notes the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code regime is "showing significant progress in dealing with financial and operational creditors to insolvent companies in a market determined and time bound manner".

Corporate governance at the state-run lenders is "key" to ensuring the success of government's Rs 2.1 trillion bank recapitalisation programme, it says.

On the growth front, the report acknowledges that there has been an uptick after GST and note-ban "hiccups", but warns that corporate deleveraging and muted credit growth by state-run banks that account for 70 per cent of the system pose a "downside risks".

Investment climate remains "challenging" as seen from the decline in investment proposals, it says, noting that events like the sovereign rating upgrade from Moody's, progress on stalled projects and efforts to improve quality of state expenditure can help revive the inflows.

"The decisive recapitalisation move can provide the much needed fillip to private investment going forward," Vishwanathan notes.
A Ukrainian in a demonstration. (Photo: Reuters)

The Trump administration has approved lethal arms sales with a total value of 41.5 million to Ukraine, the Washington Post reported. Both American and Russian media commented that this may deteriorate the already vulnerable US-Russia relations.

The State Department approved a commercial license for exporting a variety of snipers, ammunition and other varieties, with the total value of 41.5 million, which is the largest U.S. commercial sale of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine since 2014. The Ukrainian government also asked for antitank missiles. But the US did not approve the request.

On December 21, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan said that the decisions come through the State Department. The Pentagon will mediate on behalf of the State Department as soon as they've formalized their decisions.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert criticized the Russian Government's unilaterally withdrawn from the deconfliction mechanism, the ceasefires to allow civilians in similar situations safe passage. Ms. Nauert also called on Russia to put an end to the attacks in eastern Ukraine.

Canada also followed suit and decided to sell weapons to the Ukraine. Arms sales invited criticism from Russia. According to Tass, Pyotr Ilyichev, Russias first deputy permanent representative to the UN, said the US was pushing Ukraines leadership to new military ventures.

It is reported that the Obama administration did not sell lethal weapons to Ukraine, trying to avoid irritating Russia. Currently, the action was actively supported by both high level national security officials in the White House and members of Congress. And Trump himself approved the plan based on the suggestions from both the State Department and the Pentagon. The Washington Post comments that arms sales to Ukraine may complicate President Trumps stated ambition to work with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Maker of poultry and animal vaccines Hester Biosciences is contemplating raising capital through a combination of debt and equity to set up the proposed animal vaccine manufacturing unit in Africa, cost of which could exceed Rs 100 crore.

The company said it will take a decision on African investment and fund raising in next two months.

At the moment we are studying the African market and the capex requirements, Rajiv Gandhi, CEO & Managing Director of Ahmedabad-based company told Moneycontrol.

Gandhi said the proposed manufacturing plant, likely to come up in Tanzania, will manufacture vaccines against African specific bacterial and virus strains causing disease in cattle, goat and sheep.

Hester Biosciences hopes that having a manufacturing plant in Africa with specific vaccines to meet the demand there will help the company compete for African tender business and private markets more aggressively.

We will develop the vaccines, we have ability to manufacture those vaccines, Gandhi said adding that the vaccines proposed to be developed in Africa doesnt have much competition at the moment.

If the African plant materializes, it will be the second overseas plant of Hester Biosciences. The company already has a a plant in Nepal in addition to its flagship facility near Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Hester Biosciences stock more than doubled shareh6olders' value in 2017. The shares of Hester Biosciences declined 0.05 percent to close at Rs.1637.40 on Friday, while the benchmark Sensex gained 0.55 percent to end 33,940.30.

Hester Biosciences ended FY17 with revenues of Rs 123 crore, of which poultry vaccines alone contributed about 88 percent market share. The rest comes from large animal vaccines and animal health products. Going forward, the company expects its animal vaccines and health business to grow much faster in next three years contributing almost half to the company's revenues.

We will retain our sales and net profit growth margins FY18, but the growth in coming year is expected to be much higher based on the rollout of procurement tenders from various state government and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN body that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, Gandhi said.

Hester Biosciences sales and net profit grew at 22 and 29 percent respectively in FY17.

The company is also developing a first of its kind recombinant poultry vaccines that can lower costs and boost production. Currently, poultry vaccines are produced based on tissue and cell culture.

The experimental batches will be ready in six to eight months, Gandhi said.

The market for poultry vaccines is around Rs 350 crore and animal vaccines that Hester Lifesciences targets, including Brucella and PPR vaccines, have market size of around Rs 100 crore. The market is growing at 30-40 percent as government and FAO educate farmers on vaccination against Brucella and PPR diseases.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has framed a plan for listed companies to disclose loan defaults to stock exchanges as soon as they occur, reports the Economic Times.

Sources told the paper that the proposal will be presented to the board of the markets regulator on December 28 and said that SEBI is keen on implementing this plan.

"This is a preventive measure which will bring in behavioural change," sources told the paper.

Earlier, bank protests had prompted the market regulator to put the norm on hold just a day before it was supposed to be implemented on October 1.

"The proposal was kept in abeyance because of resistance from banks. It is now being taken to the board for its consideration," he told the paper.

The banks were concerned that the loan defaults will add to their nonperforming asset (NPA) burden and will, in turn, increase their provisions which can result in a dip in their earnings.

Apart from the SEBI chairman and the full-time members, the SEBI board comprises representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Finance and Corporate Affairs ministries.

At a meeting with SEBI, rating agencies said that the firms do not share the details of defaults with them and hence they too are behind the curve.

SEBI was given suggestions by the rating agencies to extend the notice period for asking the firms to disclose the loan defaults to 30 days instead of a day.

The central bank told the rating agencies that the defaults need to be recognised as soon as they happen. Loan defaults include defaults on term loans, working capital loans, bonds, certificates of deposit and commercial paper.
Ajay Tyagi, chairman of SEBI, speaks at a news conference after its board meeting at SEBI headquarters in Mumbai

Markets regulator SEBI has begun searches on more than 40 people in relation to the WhatsApp leak. The identified people include officials from companies, brokers and individuals, sources told Moneycontrol.

Moneycontrol reported the action first at 02:18 pm today.

SEBI has done searches in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, however, most of them have been conducted in Mumbai.

SEBI has conducted searches in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru and seized laptop, mobile and hard disks of computers of the concerned entities, sources told Moneycontrol.

SEBI has deployed 70 officials in this massive search operation, which started at 4.30 am on Friday.

One of the searches was carried out at a banks brokerage arm. The earnings of the firm were leaked before declaring it in public.

SEBI has already identified the individuals by WhatsApp numbers mentioned in the group where results were out before they were in the public domain, another source said.

Brokers say that this action will send a strong message in the market and help curb insider trading in some companies. They also admitted that the leaks are not just restricted to private companies, even PSUs results are leaked.

This is the first action which shows regulator take steps pro-actively, said a broker.

This operation will alert everyone that any message or any medium can be tracked by the regulator and that even Enforcement Authorities are rising in Digital India to maintain hygiene in the capital markets, said Sumit Agrawal, founder Suvan Law Advisors.

A market expert told Moneycontrol on the condition of anonymity: Whether these seized items could translate any major case against these entities is not certain but they have sent strong signal to market participants that regulator is watching you.

Last month, the regulator started examining trade details of over two dozen stocks as part of a probe into the alleged leak of key financial details of these companies through WhatsApp.

A large number of SEBI officials are involved in the searches and they are looking into the accounts for the trades which came to light in the WhatsApp leak.

The markets regulator has been "seriously" looking into the complaints about some individuals allegedly circulating key financial details and other market moving information about listed companies on social media groups before they are made officially public.
Former telecom minister A Raja reacts as he leaves the Patiala House Courts after he was acquitted by a special court in the 2G scam case, in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI)

From Essar to Unitech, all corporates named in India's biggest graft case today hailed their acquittal saying their position of no wrongdoing in the 2G telecom spectrum allocation case has been vindicated.

While billionaire Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group issued a very short statement that it "welcomes court verdict", Unitech's Sanjay Chandra, who is in jail on orders of the Supreme Court for failure to allocate flats to owners said his companies continue to pay the price for a "fraudulently" foisted case.

A special court acquitted former telecom minister A Raja and business executives on charges of corruption and cheating in the alleged below-market-price sale of lucrative telecom spectrum licences in 2008 due to lack of evidence.

The case had led to Supreme Court in 2012 cancelling 122 licences sold to 8 companies, including the local joint ventures of Norway's Telenor ASA, UAE's Etisalat and Russia's Sistema, calling the 2008 allocation as flawed and influenced by those with money power.

"We are thankful to the Hon'ble Court for the judgement since it vindicates our stated position, and the Hon'ble Court has accepted it," an Essar spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Reliance and Essar group were accused of violating rules by having stakes in telecom companies while bidding for the licences. It was alleged that the new companies they floated were a front to secure new spectrum licences and resell them at a profit due to the boom in telecom sector. The companies consistently denied the charges.

"Reliance Group welcomes court verdict," a group spokesperson said in a statement.

Unitech Wireless, a subsidiary of real estate group Unitech, had got a pan-India telecom licence in early 2008 by paying the government Rs 1,658 crore under the infamous first-come, first-serve policy. In October that year, it sold 67.25 per cent to Telenor of Norway for Rs 6,120 crore.

"There was no wrongdoing on my part or on the part of my companies," Unitech's Chandra said in a statement. "However the damage suffered by me and the companies continues to affect the health and financial status of my company and they continue to pay the price for this case having been foisted on us fraudulently and without any basis."

Stated that the group had placed a robust defence rebutting each and every charge against, Chandra said he will use the opportunity to rebuild the company and "focus on delivery to all our home buyers".

Besides letting of Reliance ADA Group officials Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara, Essar Group promoters Anshuman and Ravi Ruia, the court had also acquited two promoters of D B Realty Ltd, Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka.

Abu Dhabi-based Etisalat bought a 45 percent stake in Balwa's Swan Telecom for about $900 million in September 2008, renaming it Etisalat DB the following year.

DB Realty in a statement said its managing directors and key managerial personnel, Goenka and Balwa have been released from all allegations.

"The company has in the past clarified that the company was not connected with the same, though the matter involved one of the telecom companies wherein promoters of the company held the stake," it said.

Goenka said" "Justice has been done".

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 CAG had put the loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

Shares of companies affected by the case rose after the verdict. Reliance Communications Ltd gained as much as 13.3 per cent before closing at Rs 17.97 on the BSE, a gain of 4 per cent over previous day closing.

DB Realty jumped nearly 20 per cent to close at Rs 43.70 while SUN TV Networks Ltd rose as much as 6.8 per cent before closing at Rs 982.10, a gain of 4.5 per cent over previous day close.

Others who were acquitted included Loop Telecom promoters Kiran Khaitan, her husband I P Khaitan.
Real estate Mumbai

The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has not carried out any study to ascertain whether demonetisation brought down realty prices, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

In a written reply, Union minister Hardeep Singh said that there was also no study to find out whether launch of new projects dipped after the announcement of demonetisation.

To a query whether it is a fact that high currency note ban had helped in reducing real estate prices by 5-10 percent, Puri said, "No such study has been carried out by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs."

The comments assume significance in the backdrop of media reports stating that the real estate sector witnessed a drop in prices by 5-10 percent post-demonetisation.

It was also reported that launch of new projects since January has been less across top 10 cities including Noida, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

To another query, Puri said there was a dip in Delhi metro ridership in October which could not be solely attributed to increase in fares but depends on multiple factors like vacation, season and festivals.
By Sanjay Enishetty, CEO of 50K Ventures

It has been said time and again that India, amongst the world fastest growing startup economy, will be the next startup capital of the future.

Several industry experts have attributed this to a young population of India. About 40 percent of India's population is under the age 35 years. A few of the youth in India are aspiring to become entrepreneurs for making India a potential 'Startup Nation'.

While several startups are mushrooming across India's cities and towns, their success rate is still less than 10 percent.

Over my seven years of experience as an ecosystem enabler and a seed investor, I have interacted with hundreds of startups at an early stage. I have observed how the startup ecosystem in India has evolved over past few years. I have also been a witness to failures of startups including a few which we funded.

In the words of Elon Musk, the mastermind behind Tesla, "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."

The reasons could be many for failures. But after dealing with a few hundred startups across India (including evaluation, advise and mentoring), I felt that there are 5 top reasons why most startups fail in their earliest stages, which we also call it as a "valley of death.

Startups do not always fail because of inability to raise funds. Some of the other reasons have to do with structure and growth vision.



Conflict between cofounders and lack of a common vision



Following are five reasons I believe cause a startup with a potential, to fail:

While all founders need not necessarily agree on everything, it is important that they are on the same page.

A few years ago, I met two enthusiastic entrepreneurs who graduated from premium institutes. They had built an excellent product for the real estate industry.

The company had taken off with set goals, vision, a great effort, and enthusiasm. But the founders could not sustain the momentum.

Soon, differences between founders started weighing on the growth of the startup.

They were struggling to raise funds.

The fighter kept convincing his worrisome partner to pursue various fundraising options.

Along with a blueprint of their startup and clients' stories, they knocked on several doors.

Investors were keen to invest in their startup but the differing views of the founders kept them at bay.

The worrisome founder finally gave in and got sidetracked by family responsibilities.

He soon expressed his desire to exit the startup.

By himself, the fighter felt lost and found it difficult to get another capable partner.

Finally, the duo shut shop and went on to take on jobs in the corporate world.

I have seen similar issues in my journey as an investor.

I had come across another such startup which had hit the floor running. It had received a committed funding and had a few clients.

However, as the company got successful, critical decisions, as to where next to go or what next innovation to bring in, were getting delayed.

The founders were divided and each believed his way to be the optimum one.

Before they realized their folly, it was too late. The startup began to crumble.

A similarity between challenges of both the (above mentioned) startups was a lack of a common vision and an inability to sustain tough times.

They had no clear division of roles or a roadmap towards their goal.

It is imminent for founders to divide their responsibilities to reduce any clash of views.

It is also important for them to have a vision of where they would want to be in 10 years or so for a success story.

2. Not on-boarding the right resources

You have a vision, you have an idea for the perfect product or a service and now you have the funding, but what you are struggling with is getting the right team members.

Its a very big challenge for any growing startup today to find and hire new talent to help tackle the company's growing needs.

Often, entrepreneurs tend to take on more than the manageable responsibilities on themselves in order to save on hiring budget.

This is a big mistake.

It is very important to not cut corners and hire small.

With the high amount of attrition that startups see, it is best to invest in creating the right team size to get the work going.

There will always be other places to economise but overloading responsibilities on a small group would only lead to pressure and a negative environment in the workspace.

In some cases, the issues are different. The firm is looking to hire but is not able to find the right talent that would seamlessly fit into their organization and the required role.

The startup then hits a roadblock due to this reason.

I have always noticed that some young founders find it unnecessary or expensive to hire an experienced executive and chose to stick to freshers or those with only a few years of experience.

A team must comprise of all kinds of people. It is important to have a seasoned player on your team to win the match who will be able to step in where a young mind won't be able to.

I came across this startup from Bengaluru which works on e-commerce solutions.

Both the founders came from a tech background and built a very robust product which received good validation from the market.

But the mistake was that they themselves started selling the product.

They pitched the product but unable to explain the growth prospects of the business, which was actually the role of a sales expertise.

These founders did not feel the importance to hire a sales resource. They thought they could do it themselves and had to face the brunt of it.

Later, the founders refused to accept their erroneous hiring strategy and later blamed their failure on the competition.

They claimed their competitors killed them by burning more money to acquire the customers. They failed to hire the right resources to fill the gap.

3. Failing to find a product-market fit

Entrepreneurs set up a startup as a solution to a problem. But sometimes the market is not ready for the product or else the entrepreneurs do not have enough understanding as to which industry to market their product or service in.

Narayana Murthy had once said, "You must be able to convince your customers about the benefits that association with you or your products will give them. People are ready to pay if they are convinced about your services or products."

An article in the Fortune magazine once cited product-market misfit as one of the top reasons for a failure of the startup.

I had a met two founders a few years ago who wanted to bring digitization in the education sector.

Their plan was to introduce tablets in schools. But they were way ahead of time. The market was not ready for such an innovation.

Had they come in with the idea two years later, it would have been a huge success.

The other problem the startup faced was they had overestimated the market and assumed there will be a disruption of their product.

But they had failed to understand that none of the schools are interested in adopting such personalized technology which may be a threat to jobs of their teachers.

Moreover, parents were not keen on spending on such fancy devices even though they were trying to solve the problem of self-learning.

Often there are startups that come up with out-of-the-box solutions but are not able to pitch the idea clearly or to the right target audience.

The group pivoted and moved into a different space and put their initial idea on the backbench.

It is essential that entrepreneurs understand and study the market to gauge and zero down on a specific niche and a target audience.

An entrepreneur spends a large amount of his or her time, efforts and money on creating a product and introducing it in the market.

Several startups fail to understand the difference between an innovative product and a marketable product.

While out-of-the-box thinking might get you an innovative product, it is also important to understand if there is a market ready for such products.

4. Not raising funding at the right time

Majority of the entrepreneurs who come from a less work experience background try to bootstrap their startups with their savings or with the loans or "investments" given to them by their family and close friends.

It is going from this first stage of funding to the next step, where an outside investor is willing to invest in the company through equity, is where the issues start.

Finding an investor who is willing to stick with you for a period of time is like finding your fairy godmother.

With the number of startups rising and investors tightening their grip on their money, it is an uphill climb to get funding.

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon with his savings and his parents too had invested a sizeable portion of their life savings into the company.

It took Bezos two years to finally rope in outside investors.

At the time, Amazon had already started its e-commerce platform.

Startups today have become impatient. Investors are constantly looking for proof of growth and use cases. Our firm 50K Ventures gets nearly 50-100 applications per month from startups looking for investments but a good portion of them are still at a whiteboard stage.

Looking for funding early on is a good start as the feedback from knowledgeable investors would only help the founder strengthen the organization and solve glitches.

But, expecting to get funding and then getting disheartened right at the beginning (with rejections) is not the right way to go.

An entrepreneur needs to first bootstrap his or her startup and develop a client base before knocking on investors' doors.

An investor would be keen to give you the time if you have your game plan ready and have already garnered some client base.

Most of the startups I interact with want to move ahead with the business only once they get funding. Moreover, they blame the investors disinterest as a reason for failure.

Another startup I know from the Northern part of India had raised a very small seed fund thinking they will attract series A funding by the end of the year without any understanding of the metrics needed to talk to a venture capitalist for Series A.

They exhausted the seed fund within no time as they were dealing with B2C segment, where the customer acquisition cost was very high. They had no alternative strategy to sustain apart from raising another round of funding. Rest is history.

They had to give an exit by shutting the company - the only reason being funding issues.

Its important to understand and know what stage investors would be interested to look at one startup to fund.

The startup should make sure that they reach a milestone which can attract the funding.

5. Not able to monetise, become profitable or innovate to beat competition

I have seen several startups who have it all worked out but are still unable to either monetize or reach a profit mode.

Some find it difficult to break-even at an operational level even after 5-10 years of having a strong flow of clients and a good marketing strategy.

This is primarily because they are unable to charge right or leverage their capabilities to get the customers to pay the right amount for their products or services.

Sometimes, the problem could also be fast growth.

The company did well, they got the funding, their products sold as fast as hotcakes but then they got stuck.

What next and how to grow from here was the issue.

Profitability takes a hit and the company becomes stagnated.

I had once read that often startups confuse achievements for success.

I understood it when I met a group of energetic and intelligent group of people who were running a company that had started meeting milestones.

But they mistook it for success and were not able to grow the company further.

Another issue was that competitors started eating into their market share.

Their investors, who look for profitability and growth, started becoming restless and these entrepreneurs found it difficult to meet those expectations.

The moral of this story is that a startup needs to constantly re-innovate.

They need to be on their toes to figure what next in order to be ahead of the competition.

While failure can be heart-breaking, I believe several of these entrepreneurs could have salvaged their startups if only they had taken lessons from failure.

Also, there is a lot of luck involved. World's richest man and founder of Microsoft - Bill Gates once said, It is fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed lessons of failure.
Canara Bank | Bank reported higher profit at Rs 444.1 crore in Q2FY21 against Rs 364.9 crore, net interest income jumped to Rs 6,296 crore from Rs 3,129 crore YoY.

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Canara Bank shares gained a percent in morning on Friday after the state-owned lender decided to offload 4 percent stake in its housing finance subsidiary Can Fin Homes (CFHL).

After the transaction, the bank's holding in CFHL will come down to 26 percent, it added.

"The bank proposes to offload 4 percent stake in Canfin Homes Ltd through empanelled merchant bankers/investment bankers," the bank said in a regulatory filing.

However, it did not provide further details.

CFHL had registered a net profit of Rs 74.99 crore during the second quarter ended September of this fiscal, up 36.2 percent from a year ago.

Total income rose to Rs 383.86 crore during the quarter, against Rs 332.37 crore earlier.

At 09:55 hours IST, the stock price of Canara Bank was quoting at Rs 371, up 0.72 percent while Can Fin Homes was quoting at Rs 498.75, down 2.04 percent on the BSE.

(With inputs from PTI)
Dilip Buildcon shares gained more than 4 percent intraday Friday on bagging two EPC contracts valued at Rs 517.81 crore from Ircon International.

The road developer informed exchanges that Ircon International has declared L1 bidder for two projects in Karnataka - one is six-laning of Davanagere-Haveri section of NH-48 package 1B (6.85 km) and six-laning of Davanagere-Haveri section of NH-48 package 2 (40.37 km).

The first project is worth Rs 148.28 crore against bid price of Rs 157.23 crore and second is Rs 378.56 crore against bid price of Rs 360.58 crore.

Both projects will be completed in 24 months.

"Current orderbook stood at Rs 15,500 crore including recent order," Devendra Jain, CEO said in an interview to CNBC-TV18.

He expects FY18 topline at Rs 7,000 crore and 12-15 percent growth in topline in FY19.

At 09:42 hours IST, the stock price was quoting at Rs 958.20, up Rs 29.30, or 3.15 percent on the BSE.
The new restrictions on US work visas for IT employees will further deepen the difficulties faced by the Indian firms, National Association for Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) told the Economic Times.

The norms such as the HR 170 and the doubling of visa fees, which were announced earlier, are already increasing the burden on local tech firms as it is putting them at a disadvantage compared to their overseas rivals, NASSCOM pointed.

"The US government's immigration policy is creating an artificial distinction between one company and another," NASSCOM President R Chandrashekhar told the newspaper.

"Our problem, which we have brought to their attention, is that you cannot and should not be doing things which discriminate against Indian companies even though you have not named them," he added. NASSCOM has already pointed this disparity to the Indian government.

Last month, HR 170 was passed by the House Judiciary Committee and is now awaiting a nod from the US Senate.

Chandrasekhar pointed that the 'The Protect and Grow American Jobs Act (termed as HR 170)', which is currently facing its last stage of approval as "unbelievably onerous conditions."

"We see this as a discriminatory measure because it affects only the large Indian companies and will have the effect of tilting the playing field against Indian companies," he told the paper.
Chinas tourism spending is expected to reach 5.3 trillion RMB in 2017, contributing around 10 percent to the national economy, according to an industrial report.

The report, which was released by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) on Dec. 19, noted that the volume and spending of domestic travelers have increased 13.17 percent and 16.55 percent, respectively, in the past three quarters compared to that in 2016.

The number of domestic and inbound tourists has reached 5.1 billion in 2017, while over 128 million Chinese tourists have traveled overseas in 2017, a number that has increased five percent compared to that in 2016.

Due to the optimization of Chinas tourism services and environment, the countrys tourism industry has developed steadily and become more regulated and rational, Tang Xiaoyun, chief data expert of CNTA, told Peoples Daily Online.

According to the report, Chinese tourists have become more rational regarding shopping, but have shifted their focus to cultural and dining experiences.

CNTA expects more than 14 billion trips to be made by 2040, which equates to every Chinese travelling at least nine times within the year. Travel will be a part of the peoples everyday lives.

Chinas tourism industry will keep improving and developing in 2018, and is expected to offer one million new jobs. Tourism spending in 2018 is expected to be over 6 trillion RMB, read the report.
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State-owned oil marketing companies are planning to crack down on adulteration and cheating by introducing an 'e-key' facility at 55,000 petrol pumps across the country, reports Business Standard.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) intend to have an operational password mechanism as a part of their strategy for complete automation and real-time monitoring of their outlets by December 2018.

The companies see it as a measure to tighten security and monitor end-to-end movement of fuel.

The end-to-end automation involves tracking of fuel that passes through nozzles and tanks and will also transfer data to the central system.

Tankers ferrying fuel from terminals to dealer outlets would not only have a global positioning system (GPS) tracking but also an electronic key (e-key).

This tanker will only be accessible through a one-time password (OTP) at retail outlets, with 40 BPCL retail outlets in Delhi already using this facility.

Recently, a number of petrol pumps in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were found to be cheating customers by dispensing less fuel than what is reflected on the electronic display through the use of a chip.

"Even if we have centralized GPS tracking, people can manipulate it and divert routes. In this case, if a particular tanker takes more time to reach the particular destination from a terminal, the dealer will need special permission from the companies other than the OTP," an official familiar with the matter was quoted as saying.

According to a written answer by Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Lok Sabha on Monday, a total of 5,732 cases of short delivery of fuel have been registered in the last three-and-a-half years.

As of October, 2,500 outlets of IOC, 4,000 outlets of HPCL and some of BPCL were automated. Of the 60,799 fuel retail outlets in India, state-rum companies have 55,325 outlets.

The remaining 5,474 are run by private companies Essar, Reliance Industries and Shell who sell an average of 170 kl of fuel on a monthly basis.
A special CBI court in Ranchi will pronounce judgment in a fodder scam case on Saturday in which RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav is an accused.

The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.5 crore from the Deoghar district treasury between 1994 and 1996 when Lalu was the Bihar chief minister.

Lalu will leave with son Tejashwi Yadav on Friday evening for Jharkhand capital Ranchi where special CBI judge Shivpal Singh is expected to pronounce judgment at 10:30am on Saturday.

Of 34 accused in the case, 11 died during the trial and one turned CBI approver.

Jagannath Mishra, another former Bihar CM, is also an accused in the case.

Lalu and Mishra were convicted by the CBI court in a different fodder scam case which pertained to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.5 crore from the Chaibasa treasury. Lalu was sentenced to five years in jail and fined Rs 25 lakh. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in December, 2013.

In 2014, the Jharkhand High Court had stayed trial against Lalu in four pending fodder scam cases on the grounds that a person convicted in one case could not be tried in similar cases based on same witnesses and evidences.

The Supreme Court, however, quashed the High Court order in May this year and ordered Lalu to stand trial in all pending cases.
A series of earthquakes in Tibet triggered landslides which resulted in the blackening of Bhramaputra and not the construction activity carried out by China as alleged by a BJD MP in Lok Sabha, reported The Indian Express.

The debris from the landslides accumulated in the river, causing partial blockages, leading to the formation of three natural dams on 6 km of the river across a 12-km stretch in China.

Three natural dams have formed one behind the other. While the dams are significantly smaller than the Yigong dam, which led to catastrophic flooding of the Brahmaputra in 2000, it is too early to rule out the possibility of these three dams merging and becoming larger. Blockage of river flow by debris is unpredictable as the area is extremely unstable and possibly still disposing of rocks, the report said.

This is a concern for India as there is a possibility that these dams may merge and eventually may cause floods.

The images captured by the European Space Agencys Sentinel-2 satellite on December 10 captured the landslide in progress, as well as blockages, provide enough evidence to conclude that the ongoing dam construction and tunnelling work upstream the Yarlung-Tsangpo in China were responsible for the darkening of Brahmaputra waters.

There is no foul play involved. However, landslide-induced turbidity usually subsides within a week. So we are examining the situation through satellite images as the affected area is not within our territory. We will get a clearer picture soon, Pradeep Kumar, member (river management), Central Water Commission, told the paper.

The quake-induced landslides on the river continued for over three weeks, which probably explains the prolonged turbidity, said a preliminary study by two researchers from Bengaluru-based National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE).

On Tuesday, Bhartruhari Mahtab, BJD MP from Cuttack, had raised this issue in the lower house of the Parliament.

The contamination may have been caused due to the construction of a dam by China on a tributary of the Brahmaputra. We are a riparian country and China is obliged to share all hydro-meteorological data with us. If it does not do so, we should raise the matter at all international fora, Mahtab told the paper.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on December 13 had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi regarding the same issue. The state had also sent the samples of Brahmaputra river's water to the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad and Indian Institute Technology-Guwahati for testing. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had also informed authorities in China that her ministry has started an exhaustive study.

Earlier, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal had said that the preliminary findings indicated that the path of the river was temporarily obstructed after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Tibet on November 17.

Over the next seven days, Tibet experienced six 4-plus magnitude earthquakes within a radius of 40 km of the Gyala Peri peak, which was the epicentre of the first earthquake.
PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held telephonic talks with top Nepalese leaders, including K P Sharma Oli, who is set to become the premier of the Himalayan nation, and conveyed India's support to Nepal in its pursuit of stability and inclusive development.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi spoke with Chairman Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Oli, Chairman Communist Party of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and congratulated them on their successful participation in the recently conducted parliamentary and first-ever provincial elections.

In his telephonic conversations, prime minister Modi reiterated India's "support to Nepal in its pursuit of stability, prosperity, and inclusive development", an MEA statement said.

Modi also recalled that timeless people to people contacts are at the heart of the India-Nepal ties.

"Our open border is a reflection of our unique bonding. He (the PM) reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthen these bonds of friendship and work with the incoming government on a broad range of development and reconstruction projects," the statement said.

The MEA also said that Nepal's holding of elections at all three levels of the government in 2017 is a commendable achievement.

Modi congratulated Oli on the Left alliance's grand success in the recently concluded elections, said a statement issued by the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) in Kathmandu.

The conversations were the first highest-level contact between the leaderships of the two countries after the Left alliance of Oli and Prachanda swept the elections.

"The results of the recently held elections will strengthen democracy, bring political stability in the country and lead Nepal towards economic prosperity," the statement quoted Modi as saying.

It said Modi also invited Oli to visit India immediately after the formation of the new government, saying he was eager to welcome him in New Delhi.

"Modi said his government is willing to work together with the Nepalese government," according to the statement.

Oli thanked Modi for his good wishes and said good relations will be maintained with neighbouring countries.

The CPN-UML chairman said he would like to collaborate with neighbouring countries, especially India and China, for economic development and prosperity.

He said that shortly after the formation of the new government invitation will be sent to Modi to visit Nepal.

Oli also congratulated Modi on his party's success in the recent elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Nepal's Left alliance won 116 seats out of a total 165 under the first-past-the-post system while the ruling Nepali Congress bagged 23 seats in the country's recently concluded historic polls that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation.

Oli's triumph is being widely seen as a victory for the pro-Chinese elements in Nepal.
A vendor holds a cigarette pack printed with a picture bearing likeness to Chelsea's soccer player John Terry at his roadside stall in New Delhi January 3, 2012. A blurry picture of Terry appears on Gold Flake cigarette packets across the country with an anti-smoking warning was created by the Indian government's Directorate of Visual Publicity and got approved by the health ministry last year. The advertisement has triggered complaints from Terry's representatives, local media reported. REUTERS/Parivartan Sharma (INDIA - Tags: HEALTH SPORT SOCCER) - RTR2VU99

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant any interim stay on the Karnataka High Court verdict which quashed the government regulation that packets of tobacco products must carry pictorial warning covering 85 percent of the packaging space.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked the high court to upload the judgement on its website and fixed the appeal against it for further hearing on January 8 next year.

Several petitions, including the one filed by NGO Health for Millions Trust, have challenged the high court verdict.

The high court had on December 15 struck down the 2014 amendment rules that mandated the pictorial health warning to cover 85 percent of the tobacco product packaging space, holding that they violated the constitutional norms.
Price of syringes and needles is likely to come down sharply as manufacturers have decided to cap trade margins at 75 percent after the countrys drug price watchdog asked companies to regulate prices, reported Mint.

Hailing governments directives to regulate the margins and MRP on syringes to reasonable levels, we have taken immediate cognizance and decided to reduce trade margins to a maximum of 75 percent on ex-factory prices (including GST), Vimal Khemka, Secretary, AISNMA told the paper.

The All India Syringes and Needles Manufacturers Association (AISNMA) on Thursday asked members to consider printing reduced MRP from December 24 and implement it by latest 26 January.

During this period, the manufacturers will be able to clear all their existing stocks.

This period is to allow all manufacturers to clear current stock of their packing material with current MRPs and enable smooth transition, an AISNMA circular to the manufacturers said.

The move comes after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) noted the companies were charging excessively high prices for drugs and disposables.

The NPPA advised manufacturers to consider regulating price themselves; otherwise, the government would be forced to take steps as they have done to cap prices in the past for items like stents and orthopaedic implants, a person aware of the matter told the paper on condition of anonymity.

Also Read: Fortis overcharged dengue patient's family as high as 1700%: NPPA

In September, the NPPA found that Fortis hospital at Gurugram charged as high as 1,700 percent margin on consumables and medicines used for the treatment of a seven-year-old dengue patient who subsequently died of the illness.

The drug price regulator had asked Fortis to provide copies of bills in relation to allegations.

While we had been passing on benefits of improved efficiencies in manufacturing as lowered ex-Factory or discounted ex-factory prices, regretfully in most cases, the hospitals were pocketing the advantage and not passing on the benefit to end consumers; so though hospitals could exercise the option of selling below the MRP, very few did, Rajiv Nath, president, AISNMA told Mint.

The regulator has been imposing price controls on various medical equipment including stents, drug formulations. On Monday, NPPA called another meeting to discuss MRP and margins, specifically in disposables, syringes and needles.

Also Read: Pharma department moves to wrestle NPPAs special powers to cap drug prices

The Department of Pharmaceuticals in October has also held talks with stakeholders regarding the availability of medicines and prices if trade margins were to be capped.

The AISNMA on Thursday also requested multinational companies to self-regulate their MRP based on the ex-factory or import-landed prices.

Hospitals are buying medical devices from those manufacturers who keep high MRP of their products despite low ex-factory prices. This is nothing but profiteering at the cost of patients. This practice is putting a lot of pressure on other manufacturers, Nath said.
A bill which criminalises the practice of instant triple talaq will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The proposed bill is expected to further raise tempers in the lower house where Congress MPs have been demanding an apology from PM Narendra Modi over his remarks against predecessor Manmohan Singh.

Under The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill, 2017, a Muslim man who resorts to Talaq-e-Biddat or instant talaq would be jailed for three years and custody of any minor children would be granted to the affected woman.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme had declared the practice as unconstitutional and not an essential part of Islamic law and faith, but cases of Muslim men divorcing their wives through instant triple talaq did not subside.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

Vijay Rupani has been appointed the Chief Minister of Gujarat while Nitin Patel will be the Deputy Chief Minister, BJP announced on Friday.

Finance Minster Arun Jaitley, at the party headquarters in Gandhinagar, said swearing-in date will be released soon. According to a CNN-News18 report said that the ceremony is likely to take place on December 25.

"We aim to work together with the people for the development of everyone in Gujarat," Rupani told the media after the announcement. People have given us mandate for 27 years. It is a huge victory that public has shown faith in us all these years, he added.

Rupani's name was proposed by Bhupendra Singh and was supported by 5 other MLAs, Jaitley said.



I want to give assurance to Gujarat public that I & Vijay Bhai will continue to work for the people with the help of other party members just like our previous government: Nitin Patel #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/FatOCPIYRe  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017



Vijay Rupani chosen as Legislature party leader unanimously, Nitin Bhai Patel as the deputy Legislature party leader in a meeting today. Will inform you all about the swearing in, soon: Arun Jaitley addresses the media in Gandhinagar pic.twitter.com/2lZwO63bAF ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

The newly elected BJP MLAs of Gujarat met in Gandhinagar on Friday to choose the next chief minister in the presence Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey at the party headquarters 'Kamalam'.

Earlier on Thursday, Vijay Rupani resigned along with his council of ministers, paving the way for the formation of a new government.Rupani, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and other ministers visited Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar and handed over their resignation letters to the Governor.
BJP

Newly elected BJP MLAs of Gujarat will meet in Gandhinagar on Friday to choose the next chief minister in the presence Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey.

While Jaitley and Pandey are the partys central observers for the exercise, state BJP in-charge Bhupender Yadav and co-incharge V Satish would also attend the meeting at party headquarters 'Kamalam', the partys state unit chief Jitu Vaghani told reporters.

"All the MLAs along with party observers and in-charge leaders would meet tomorrow (Friday) to select the leader of the ruling party (chief minister). All the MLAs have been intimated to remain present," Vaghani said.

Earlier on Thursday, Vijay Rupani resigned along with his council of ministers, paving the way for formation of a new government. Rupani, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and other ministers visited Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar and handed over their resignation letters to the Governor.

Rupani, however, would serve as the caretaker chief minister till the formation of a new government. "Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his entire council of ministers have tendered their resignations to Governor O P Kohli who has accepted them," Patel told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
Men sit under a banner carrying a portrait of chief of India's Congress party Sonia Gandhi outside the Congress office in New Delhi May 16, 2014. Counting of votes began on Friday after India's mammoth election, which could usher in the most profound economic change in a generation if opposition leader Narendra Modi wins a clear mandate for his agenda to revive growth and create jobs. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi (INDIA - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3PEHK

Congress contestants who fought the recent Gujarat polls may move the high court against the Election Commission over the functioning of the EVMs during the election process, a senior party leader said on the concluding day of the party's introspection meet in Mehsana.

On the second and concluding day of the 'chintan shivir', party leaders expressed doubts over the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines and claimed the party's performance would have been better had ballot papers been used in the polls.

"Defeated candidates raised doubts over EVMs and said the party could have won more seats had ballot papers been used in polls," Gujarat Congress unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki told reporters.

The meet, aimed at analysing the electoral outcome and discuss the roadmap in view of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, began yesterday.

The party's new president Rahul Gandhi will interact with the newly-elected MLAs as well as leaders from state's four zones - north, south, central Gujarat, and Saurashtra - separately for four hours in Ahmedabad on Saturday, before addressing a gathering of party workers in the evening.

"Many candidates said the party suffered due to EVMs. We have discussed the matter with technical experts. We are seeking a legal opinion on this," Solanki said.

He said the candidates who have raised doubts over the functioning of the EVMs may file a petition in the high court, challenging the EC.

Solanki said the conclave also discussed the "misuse" of the government machinery by the ruling party during polls.

On Tuesday, a day after the Gujarat election results were declared, a senior official of the election machinery had said there was a "100 per cent match" in a random vote count on EVMs and paper trail slips carried out by the Election Commission in the 182 polling stations in the state.

Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer B B Swain had said that the vote count through the EVMs matched with the VVPAT in all the constituencies where the paper trail slips were counted.

In the elections, the Congress could not wrest power from the BJP even though its tally increased to 77 seats from 61 last time.

Congress ally Bharatiya Tribal Party won two seats, and along with an independent backed by it winning his seat, the tally of the Congress-led alliance stood at 80, 12 short of the simple majority in the 182-member Assembly.

The BJP retained power for the sixth time, though with a reduced score of 99 seats against 115 in 2012.

The Congress performed well in rural areas of Gujarat but failed to make a significant mark in the urban pockets.

According to Solanki, it was for the first time that the Congress held an introspection meet immediately after an election.

"The aim of the meeting was to ensure that the connection with the public remains intact and any issues with the party are addressed," the senior leader said.

During the conclave, Congress workers from 33 districts in Gujarat discussed the poll results with senior leadership. They also raised issues like allotting tickets to "outsiders" and use of "money power" by the BJP government.
The article, originally written in Chinese, is published on the front page of the People's Daily on Dec. 20, 2017.

Yimeng is an old revolutionary base area in eastern Chinas Shandong province. During the war times, it served as an indestructible fortress where the local people showed unrequited support for the soldiers of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and hundreds of thousands of martyrs sacrificed themselves for the new China.

Chen Yi, the late Chinese militarist and politician and one of the 10 marshals in the Peoples Liberation Army, once noted that he would never forget the people in Yimeng, even after his death, saying they had fended the Communist revolution with the millets they grew and helped the revolution expand its influence.

During an inspection tour in Shangdong Province in December 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping of the CPC Central Committee stressed that the Yimeng spirit, featuring an inseparable bond between the army and people, still plays a significant enlightening role in todays Party construction.

With an aim to pay a tribute to the revolutionary martyrs and share the happiness and sorrows of the locals, Peoples Daily interviewed four villagers in the region.

Women make insoles in Shilongguanzhuang village, Yiyuan county in Yimeng.

Villager Ma Jinlan: 19th CPC National Congress reassured us farmers

Ma is a 53-year-old woman working at a local toy factory who is quite satisfied with her current economic situation.

With a husband who has disability in one of his legs, the womans family was once stuck in financial hardship.

However, the new era has successfully freed her household from poverty.

According to her, she is now paid 20,000 RMB a year by the factory, and collects 3,000 RMB in rent from her land lease. Her husband can also earn 3,600 RMB every year by working part-time for the village. In addition, by growing cash crops on her non-contracted land, she earns an extra 4,000 RMB annually.

Ma attributed the good life to the favorable policies of the Central Government. She told Peoples Daily that she has been reassured by Xis speech delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress, in which Xi promised that rural land contracting practices will remain stable, and the current round of contracts will be extended for another 30 years upon expiration.

I know that Xi had worked in the countryside before, so he knows the hardships of the farmers, Ma said, adding that she feels at ease with a General Secretary like this.

Veteran Li Xiankun: The people have been benefited a lot in the past 5 years

The 67-year-old veteran had a heart attack in 2015, the surgery for which cost more than 80,000 RMB. Though the medical insurance covered more than half of the treatment, the rest of the spending still impoverished his family.

When it rains, it pours. Last year, Lis wife also suffered a heart attack, and the surgery took more than 120,000 RMB.

Fortunately, thanks to the favorable policy tailored for impoverished households, the government reimbursed most of the medical costs. This huge amount of money will never be affordable for me, and we sincerely feel grateful to the Communist Party and the government, Li said.

According to Li, he has a monthly subsidy of 1,700 RMB as a veteran.

Increasingly concerned with the peoples livelihood in recent years, the Central Government has done a lot of practical work for the people, Li said, adding that the people have benefited a lot in the past 5 years.

We have all witnessed Xis efforts over the last 5 years, the veteran noted, saying he must click the like button for the General Secretary.

The Menglianggu Campaign Monument in Yimeng

Li Yong: Xi accomplished what we expected to be done

Li Yong, 44, has been Party secretary of Chang Shanzhuang Village for three years. Li said he and his fellow villagers are inspired by the Partys solemn promise to let the poor people and poor areas enter the moderately prosperous society together with the rest of the country, which was included in General Secretary Xis report to the CPCs 19th National Congress.

Lis village, which used to be a fortress village in the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, won the title of Chinas Top 10 Most Beautiful Village.

Years ago, Li found a job in the city, and later he started his own business and settled down in the city.

Before him, his three predecessors were all sent from provincial-level government departments to help the villagers. Following their steps, Li left his post in the city and engaged in helping fellow villagers get rid of poverty.

My father told me you can govern a company, but you cant always manage a village, Li said, admitting that though he sometimes feels tired, he has made up his mind to devoting himself to the village.

Last year, Chang Shanzhuang mostly shook off poverty via rural tourism and providing scenes for over 300 movies and TV series, Li disclosed. The movie base had provided job vacancies for 170 villagers.

With pursuing a rural vitalization strategy, safeguarding the property rights and interests of rural people, strengthening the collective economy, and other policies, President Xis report has injected confidence into us, Li said.

Coming from the old revolutionary base area, we have always followed the Party and we are confident that the Party will be a reliable one to meet its commitment to us, Li said with confidence.

Zheng Shouzeng: Following Xis steps we are more confident

The general mood of the society has greatly improved since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, said Zheng Shouzeng, an elderly Party member.

Zheng, 71, has served Houli Village in the Menglianggu region in Mengyin County for 26 years, and has been a teacher for five years.

After his election as General Secretary of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2012, Xi conducted many research trips across the country, and set an example for all Party members to abide by the eight-point regulation, Zheng recalled.

Before the eight-point regulation was enacted, village cadres would hold reception banquets for superior leaders at luxury restaurants in the city, but now they treat the latter with working meals, Zheng said, adding he and his fellow villagers feel delighted about this change.

Zheng said the anti-graft drive to oust corrupt officials from low-level flies to high-ranking tigers across the country is applauded by the people.

He hopes exercising strict governance over the Party will be a long-held campaign.

Days earlier, I saw in the newspaper that new rules related to the eight-point regulation were rolled out. I believe they will be another strike on unhealthy work styles, Li said, admitting that he has worried about the continuation of the effort to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline.

He further disclosed that Party members in his village are more united than before owing to tightened discipline. Now, efficacy of decision-making and the handling of village affairs are much higher than before.

President Xi said that the CPC is the largest political party in the world. We should live up to our title, Zheng said.

Zheng and his fellow villagers have been holding flag-raising ceremonies every day over the past four years, and wearing the Partys emblem has become a habit for all the Party members in his village.

On Zhengs desk lies the Party Constitution and reports about the Party. Zheng said they are not decorations, but real materials he will learn from till the end of his life.

Without knowing the policies issued by the Party, how can we participate in political consultation in our village?
Supporters hold up cut-outs of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party symbol with images of M.K. Stalin, son and heir-apparent of M. Karunanidhi, chief of DMK during a rally ahead of a general election in the southern Indian city of Chennai April 6, 2014. India, the world's largest democracy, will hold its general election in nine stages staggered between April 7 and May 12. REUTERS/Babu (INDIA - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3K57Q

DMK leader M K Stalin today said the verdict in the 2G spectrum allocation case has come as a "blow" to those who wanted to "taint" the party. Hailing the acquittal of Kanimozhi and A Raja, he said the party has now emerged like "gold refined by fire."

Quoting certain observations made by the special judge in the verdict, Stalin said it showed the case was "fabricated with an aim of targeting and sidelining DMK" at the national level.

"The DMK, after having faced insults and slander for baseless false charges, swam through the river of fire, and after seven years has emerged as gold refined by fire," Stalin, DMK working president, said in a letter to partymen.

The DMK was always confident of telling the truth to the world, Stalin said a day after the special court in Delhi acquitted party leaders Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, and former Telecom minister A Raja.

The DMK leader said Raja as then Telecom minister, adopted "progressive measures" in allocating 2G spectrum aimed at the welfare of the poorer sections of the society.

This, Stalin claimed, led to an increase in mobile phone users even while bringing the rates down.

He said CAG Vinod Rai had made charges of "presumptive loss" of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in spectrum allocation and even those who were aware of the differences between "practicality and presumption blew up" the matter.

"Those with political vendetta, and media known for sensationalism blew up the issue against DMK in the electoral field," he said in an apparent reference to the 2011 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu which the AIADMK and its allies swept.

Raja was always confident of getting justice through a legal battle and he himself put forward "strong arguments" before the court even as "Kanimozhi also proved she was not guilty," Stalin, also state leader of opposition, added.

Party president and his father M Karunanidhi was overjoyed when he was told about the outcome of the case, Stalin said.

Raja and Kanimozhi, besides 15 other accused and three companies, were yesterday acquitted by a special court.
RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should issue a clarification on the allegations he made against his predecessor Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat election campaign.

The Congress has been demanding an apology from Modi over the prime minister's comments.

"During the session of the Lok Sabha, if the opposition is raising an issue related to Prime Minister Modi, he himself should come forward and give clarification," Chaudhary said.

People are "angry" over what happened in Gujarat and the type of language used, he claimed.

Chaudhary also said that there were violations of the code of conduct during Gujarat elections.

Referring to the opposition by a group to celebration of Christmas in schools, he said, that a handful of BJP activists were creating turmoil.

"It is part and parcel of their strategy under which the prime minister would rebuke them after the damage has been done," he alleged.

He also claimed that the law and order situation in UP had not improved.

The way Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says outlaws would be shot is nothing but an inhuman act and for which Human Rights commission has issued notice to government, he added.

If the outlaws would be killed this way, what are the courts for, he asked.
Narendra Modi

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it assembled today as Congress insisted that the impasse over the reported remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his predecessor Manmohan Singh should be resolved first.

For the past week, the opposition has been demanding a clarification from the Prime Minister over his remarks made during the Gujarat election campaign against his predecessor and others.

As soon as the House assembled and papers were laid, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the House should be adjourned till afternoon so that a solution can be found to end the impasse prevailing in the House since the first day of its sitting on December 15.

He said two meetings of the panel headed by Leader of the House Arun Jaitley have taken place to find a solution.

"The House should be adjourned till a solution is found," he said, adding that the Congress members do not want to enter the Well to force adjournment.

Azad said the opposition too wants the House to function and carry out legislative business.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel suggested that the House should continue to function and in the meantime, a solution is found.

"This is not such an issue that a solution cannot be found," he said, adding, the Rajya Sabha did function for a day even during the impasse.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma too insisted that the House should be adjourned without any disruption.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu tried to continue with the Zero Hour proceedings, but as the Congress did not budge, he adjourned the House for the day.

Rajya Sabha will now meet again on December 27, after the long weekend and Christmas break.

Earlier the Chairman had allowed two members to raise points of order'.

While TMC member Derek O'Brien raised the issue of a brief "blackout" of Rajya Sabh TV telecast yesterday, SP member Naresh Agarwal demanded a hike in the salaries of Members of Parliament.

O'Brien said the telecast was stopped at 2.13 pm yesterday when Congress members were protesting over Modi's remarks against Manmohan Singh and others.

These are "democratic scenes", so let the people watch it, he said, adding that this is also part of parliamnetary democracy. O'Brien urged the Chair that the live broadacst should not be shut down.

To this, Naidu said "this is a suggestion" and not a point of order.

Naresh Agarwal then demanded that the salaries of MPs should be increased and said the possible criticism by the media for this, should not be a factor while deciding on the salary hike. He said mediapersons also get hefty salaries.

He demanded for a response from the government on the issue.

Naidu said he will bring the matter to the notice of Jaitley.

Earlier, members paid obituary to Jalaludin Ansari who died on December 17. Ansari was member of the House from April 1994 to April 2000.
The logo of German steel-to-elevators group ThyssenKrupp AG is pictured during the company's annual news conference in Essen

German multi-national conglomerate ThyssenKrupp is all set to revolutionise elevators that are a part of our day to day lives. The company, which is a leading name in the production of high-speed trains to ships among others has come up with its brand new rope free elevator called MULTI, that can travel both vertically and horizontally.

Termed as the holy grail of the elevator industry in companys website, the new elevator is set to end the dependence of elevators on ropes, according to the company. By harnessing the power of linear motor technology, MULTI will be able to move multiple cars in a single shaft making travel within large buildings faster, easier and more efficient.

Traditional elevators, since their emergence in 1854, are based on the same principle of one rope, one cabin and one shaft travelling up and down. While this has had a great impact on the growth and development of skyscrapers across global urban centres, the need of a more efficient transport option was felt with the increase in the heights and sizes of these giant buildings.

Source: thyssenkrupp, YouTube

With more people shifting towards mega-cities, it will not be long before cities will be filled with more population that will need a better transport option both internally and externally. The new MULTI system is trying to answer this question.

In the new MULTI elevator, the rope that supports traditional elevator is replaced by powerful drives that will carry the cabin through the shaft. The new drives will not just be able to travel only up and down but they can also shift their direction to travel sideways too. This ultimately means that like those in other rail-based urban transport these new elevators can travel in larger numbers using a single shaft not just within a building but also inter-linking different structures.
A view of Jerusalem's old city. US officials have said that President Donald 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. 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. (PTI)

Israel has rejected as "preposterous" the vote by 127 countries, including India, at the UN General Assembly that opposed the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

India yesterday joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Trump on December 6 announced that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, triggering protests and strong condemnation from across the world.

Israel has rejected the "preposterous" vote at the UN General Assembly, thanking the nations that supported "the truth" by not participating in "the theatre of the absurd", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be," Netanyahu said in a video message released immediately after the UN vote.

"But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theatre of the absurd. So I appreciate that, and especially I want to again express our thanks to (US) President (Donald) Trump and Ambassador (Nikki) Haley, for their stalwart defence of Israel and their stalwart defence of the truth," Netanyahu said.

The United Nations General Assembly yesterday defied the US and overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, calling on countries not to move their diplomatic missions to the city.

"Let them vote against us... We don't care. But this isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars," Trump had said on Wednesday threatening to withdraw US aid to countries that vote in favour of the UN resolution.

"We're not going to be taken advantage of any longer," the US President had asserted.

Israeli Jewish politicians expressed their anger against the world body but Arab parliamentarians called it a "wake up call".

Israel's hawkish Defence Minister, Avigdor Liberman, reminded Israelis of the longstanding Israeli disdain for such votes.

"Let us just remember that this is the same UN about which our first ambassador to the organisation, Abba Eban, once said: 'If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions'", Liberman said.

"There is nothing new in what just happened at the UN," he added, and praised the US as "the moral beacon shining out of the darkness".

Minister of Strategic Affairs and Public Security Gilad Erdan also blasted the UN vote.

"The historic connection between Israel and Jerusalem is stronger than any vote by the 'United Nations'  nations who are united only by their fear and their refusal to recognise the simple truth that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the Jewish people," Erdan said in a statement after the vote.

He called upon for strengthening Israel's sovereignty, security and construction in every part of Jerusalem.

However, the top Arab lawmaker in the Knesset, Arab Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh, said the vote was a wake-up call for Israel.

"In the international arena, there still exists a large and definitive majority that believes that the Palestinian people, like all other nations, deserve a place in this world and the right to self-determination," he said in a statement.

"This evening's vote by the majority of the world's nations against Trump's announcement, in spite of the pressure and threats, flies in the face of Trump's and Netanyahu's diplomatic policy and is a clear statement by the international community in support of peace and the right of the Palestinians to an independent state, whose capital is East Jerusalem," Odeh added.

Noa Landau, an analyst for the daily Ha'aretz, citing diplomatic sources, said that Israel was particularly disappointed with countries like India that have enhanced bilateral relations with it recently.

"The main disappointment in Israel was with the countries that have enhanced bilateral relations in recent years, especially those that share a particularly conservative worldview with the Netanyahu government," Landau wrote.

"For example, India  whose Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Israel in July, a tour that was memorable mainly for the pastoral photographs of him and Netanyahu embracing and wading in the waves  voted for the resolution against Israel and the United States," she said.

The Israeli prime minister will be visiting India in January 14 to 18.
A view of Jerusalem's old city. US officials have said that President Donald 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. 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. (PTI)

More than 120 countries defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Trump's threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.

Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure. Some of those allies, like Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of U.S. military or economic aid, although the U.S. threat to cut aid did not single out any country.

A spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the vote "a victory for Palestine" but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the vote.

Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy by announcing the United States recognised Jerusalem -- home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites -- as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, told the 193-member General Assembly ahead of Thursday's vote.

"We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations, and so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit," she said.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who were furious over Trumps move. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the full city.

Netanyahu described the resolution as "preposterous." "Jerusalem is our capital, always was, always will be. But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theatre of the absurd," he said a video on his Facebook page.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in a 1967 war and Palestinians want it as the capital of a future state they seek.

ABSTENTIONS

Among the countries that abstained on Thursday were Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.

Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Nauru and Togo joined the United States and Israel in voting no.

Australian U.N. Ambassador Gillian Bird said Australia wanted to see the United States continue to play a leadership role in brokering peace and abstained from the vote because, "We do not wish to see any party isolated from the process."

According to figures from the U.S. government's aid agency USAID, in 2016 the United States provided some $13 billion in economic and military assistance to countries in sub-Saharan Africa and $1.6 billion to states in East Asia and Oceania.

It provided some $13 billion to countries in the Middle East and North Africa, $6.7 billion to countries in South and Central Asia, $1.5 billion to states in Europe and Eurasia and $2.2 billion to Western Hemisphere countries, according to USAID.

The General Assembly vote was called at the request of Arab and Muslim countries after the United States vetoed the same resolution on Monday in the 15-member U.N. Security Council.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the United States or Trump but which expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem."

The resolution adopted on Thursday "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered, the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded."

French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre said in a statement: "The resolution adopted today only confirms relevant international law provisions on Jerusalem." France voted for the resolution.

The U.N. action comes a year after the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favour and an abstention by former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which defied heavy pressure from longtime ally Israel and Trump, who was then president-elect, for Washington to wield its veto.

After Thursday's vote, a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations said: "It's clear that many countries prioritised their relationship with the United States over an unproductive attempt to isolate us for a decision that was our sovereign right to make."
Schmidt first joined Google as CEO in 2001, back when the company only had several hundred employees, and become its executive chairman 10 years later. He maintained that role when Google restructured to become Alphabet in 2015.

Eric Schmidt will be stepping down as the executive chairman of Alphabet's board of directors and transitioning to technical advisor, the company announced. He will continue to serve on the company's board.

Schmidt first joined Google as CEO in 2001, back when the company only had several hundred employees, and become its executive chairman 10 years later. He maintained that role when Google restructured to become Alphabet in 2015.

"Larry, Sergey, Sundar and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet's evolution for this transition," Schmidt said in a statement. "The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving. In recent years, I've been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work."

Schmidt tweeted "adult supervision no longer needed," a reference to a comment co-founder Sergey Brin made on the Charlie Rose show when Google first hired him.

In the past several years, Schmidt has become increasingly involved in philanthropy through his own family foundation, which just launched a $25 million science fellowship, as well as Rise of the Rest, which invests in startups in middle America, and the Alliance for Southern California Innovation. He also serves as a board member of the Broad Institute, which focuses on medicine and disease prevention.

In his new role, he'll likely advise the company's urban development arm, Sidewalk Labs, its deep learning efforts, and its healthcare spin-offs, Verily and Calico.

Alphabet expects that its board will appoint a new, non-executive chairman at its next meeting in January, meaning that it will join the ranks of Apple and Microsoft as major companies with non-executive chairman.
Muhammad bin Nayef_Saudi_arabia_king

Saudi Arabia paid 2 billion riyals ($533 million) today in the first monthly installment of a new welfare system for low and middle-income families that make up approximately half of the kingdom's population.

The payments come ahead of the introduction of a 5 percent value-added tax on most goods, like food and services, as well as subsidy cuts that will raise the price of electricity and gasoline next year.

Minister of Labour and Social Development Ali al-Ghafees told the state-run Saudi Press Agency that bank transfers were made to approximately 30 lakh families, reaching around 1.06 crore beneficiaries.

He said half of those families received the maximum payment of 938 riyals ($250). The minimum payment is 300 riyals ($80).

Around 20 percent of those who applied for the assistance did not qualify, however.

The payouts come two days after the government announced plans for the biggest budget in the kingdom's history, with plans to spend at least 978 billion riyals ($261 billion) this coming fiscal year.

The government already introduced a tax on tobacco products, soft drinks and energy drinks this year, as well as a tax on luxury goods.

The government said it expects to pay approximately 32 billion riyals ($8.5 billion) on the Citizen's Account payments in 2018.

Despite major spending plans, government revenues are expected to reach 783 billion riyals ($209 billion), leaving a 7 percent budget deficit amid continued lower oil prices from their highs in early 2014.

Some 210 billion riyals ($56 billion) are being earmarked for military spending, representing just over a fifth of overall state spending next year. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's biggest military spenders and it's nearly three-year-long war in Yemen has been costly.

The government, meanwhile, has slowed down some of its austerity measures and its timeline for a balanced budget, to give families time to adjust to the price hikes and taxes. A freeze on public sector wage increases and perks was quickly reversed after a public outcry.
NORRISTOWN  The Montgomery County Commissioners, on the advice of the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, have declared a Code Blue Cold Weather Emergency for Montgomery County based on a review of forecasts from the National Weather Service. The...
In a rare emergency special session, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to condemn U.S. President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, despite threats of retaliation from the United States.

A total of 128 countries voted for the resolution, while nine voted no, and 35 others abstained. The nine countries that voted against the text were Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo, as well as the United States and Israel.

The vote is non-binding, but a resounding yes reflects the collective will of the international community.

The resolution affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.

It also demands that all UN member states comply with resolutions regarding Jerusalem, and not recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.

But before the vote, the U.S. acted like a bully, intimidating all UN member states in an effort to try to influence the outcome of the vote in its favor, framing the entire situation as them aggression against the United States.

The American ambassador, Nikki Haley, issued a direct threat, saying that the countries who vote in favor of the resolution would be punished, a move which even former CIA Director John Brennan slammed as beyond outrageous.

In a letter of warning, Haley wrote, The president will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those who voted against us. She also invited the good voters to a "friendship party."

All of these nations that take our money and then they vote against us at the Security Council or they vote against us, potentially, at the Assembly, they take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us, Trump said on Wednesday.

Well, were watching those votes, he said. Let them vote against us; well save a lot. We dont care.

The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack, Haley said prior to the vote on Thursday, adding that the plan will move forward, regardless of the vote. America will put our embassy in Jerusalem, she added. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that.

What is most troubling about this vote is not that the majority of UN members rebuked the United States, but that United States employed strong-arm tactics to try to undermine the collective will of the international community.

It shows that the U.S. remains focused on dominance, and that international institutions should serve the interests of the United States. But it also revealed the limits of U.S. influence and adds further evidence to the claim that America is out of step with the world.

This vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN, Haley said in her closing remarks. But the truth of the matter is that the United States disrespected the global community by threatening to retaliate against nations that exercise their sovereign rights to oppose the U.S. position, and massively overplayed its hand.

And now the United States looks like a sore loser and is isolated at the UN.
State officials announce $2.85M for new police station in Upper Moreland
Letter to editor: Gas pump politics and the election
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,
December 22, 2017

Washington Post Calls For Outrage About War On Yemen - Hides U.S. Role In It

Just in time for Christmas the Washington Post laments the cholera epidemic in Yemen caused by the U.S.-Saudi war on the country: One million people have caught cholera in Yemen. You should be outraged.

The International Committee of the Red Cross reported today that a million Yemenis have contracted cholera in the last 18 months. More than 2,000 have died, according to the United Nations. It's the largest cholera outbreak in world history.

...

Sixteen million people lack reliable access to clean food and water. The disease could spike again in March, when the rainy season begins. Experts warn, too, that diseases kill more people, and more quickly, when a population is underfed. In Yemen, 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished. Nearly half a million babies and toddlers are starving.

YOU SHOULD BE OUTRAGED, says the Washington Post. But outraged at whom? Not one word in the piece mentions that the U.S. is directing the war on Yemen and providing to the Saudis all they need to commit the ongoing war crimes.

The U.S. provides the bombs, it provides the intelligence and since early this year it doubled its refueling flights for the Saudi bombing attacks. (The military is now intentionally muddling that data.)

The Saudi attacks, with U.S. bombs, based on intelligence the U.S. provides and enabled by U.S. refueling, intentionally targets water, food supplies and infrastructure to starve the population:

Ahmad Algohbary @AhmadAlgohbary

1000 days of #Saudi war on #Yemen led by #UK-#US:

12k civilians killed.

21k civilians wounded.

Infrastructure:

Schools & institutes: 763

Popular markets & malls: 576

Water tanks networks: 524

Governmental facilities: 1.654

Bridges & roads: 1.941

Ports: 15

Airports: 14

We are devastated

During the last days weeks alone the U.S./Saudi airstrikes have killed at least 130 civilians:

According to Rupert Colville, the spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 136 civilians and non-combatants  including women and children  have been killed and another 87 injured in airstrikes in Sana'a, Sa'ada, Al Hudaydah and Taizz governorates in the period from 6 to 16 December.

Last week U.S. provided bombs also killed at least ten women on their way to a wedding.

While destroying its infrastructure the Saudis and the U.S. have erected a total blockade around the country. U.S. ships help sealing off the Yemeni coast. U.S. soldiers are on the ground in Yemen and there have been more than 120 U.S. drone strikes on Yemen this year.

While some parts of the U.S. government are working with the Saudis to cause the genocide in Yemen other parts are trying to prevent that. The incoming legal advisor of the State Departmnet conceded that the blockade is illegal under U.S. and international law. The Deputy Secretary of State calls for lifting the blockade which the Pentagon is upholding.

The Saudis claimed several times to have lifted the blockade to let aid come into the country. The U.S. claims to have increased its humanitarian aid to Yemen. But USAID, the government organization which distributes such supplies, says that this is not true. It has money to spend but no way to get any goods into the country and to the people in urgent need:

There are no signs that a blockade of Yemens ports by a Saudi-led military coalition has eased to allow aid to reach communities increasingly at risk of starvation, the head of the U.S. governments aid agency said on Tuesday.

There is not one word about all that that in Washington Post piece. According to the Post the U.S simply does not exist in that war. It is a "Saudi campaign" and "Saudi coalition" that wages the war and causes the cholera without one word that the U.S. and UK are part of it. Apparently it is editorial policy of the Washington Post to never mention the U.S. culpability in that war. Earlier reports, editorials and op-eds also make no mention of U.S. military role in the war.

Apparently you should be outraged that lack of basic food and easily preventable cholera is killing people in Yemen, but not at those who cause it.

I for one am outraged at the Washington Post and those despicable editors and writers who are covering up the war crimes their country is committing.

Posted by b on December 22, 2017 at 13:02 UTC | Permalink

Comments
Churning out endless streams of colorful illuminations and galaxies of shining star tree toppers, manufacturers in Yiwu, Zhejiang, are making the best of the last few days before Christmas to seize the global festal market.

Our festival products were sent to foreign clients months ago, and now we are preparing for next years orders, sending samples to our clients abroad, Chen Yixin, a merchant in Yiwu who has been selling Christmas decorations overseas for over 10 years, told Peoples Daily Online.

There is also strong demand for Christmas decorations in China, said Chen, who added that his factory has been firing on cylinders to send out this years last batch of festival products.

Dubbed Chinas Christmas Village, Yiwu produces over 60 percent of the Christmas decorations sold worldwide, as well as occupying 90 percent of the domestic market. According to statistics from Ningbo customs, where most of the Christmas decorations made in Yiwu are exported, over 200 million RMB of decorations were sold abroad from January to July in 2017, a number that has raised 18.8 percent compared to that last year.

Mikhail Rostov, a Moscow-based merchant, told Peoples Daily Online that he has been purchasing Christmas decorations from Yiwu for years, as the products are well-designed and relatively cheap.

Exports this year are quite stable, without any significant change compared to last year. Our main clients are mainly from the U.S., Europe, and Central and South America, while orders from Southeast Asian countries have risen significantly in 2017, Cai Qinliang, general secretary of the Yiwu Christmas Decoration Industry Association, told Beijing News.
Two days after Thanksgiving, our son-in-law left our home to go out for a run and, upon his return, rang our doorbell.

This is not his habit when he stays with us.

"Why is Matt ringing the doorbell?" my husband said as we all made our way to the front of the house. You would think no one ever visits us the way we all rush for the door whenever someone does, which is often.

I wish I'd captured Matt's face with my camera after we opened the door and beheld the sight of him and the small, quivering dog in his arms.

As Matt explained later, he had rescued the dog from a busy street and, on their half-hour walk back, pondered what to do. He rang because he wasn't sure how we'd greet his new companion.

He needn't have worried. The only one in our family who even hesitated to extend a hearty welcome was our rescue mutt, Franklin. But after two quick, rude sniffs, he was as excited as the rest of us. This included two squealing grandchildren under the age of 5 and Matt's wife, Emily, the eldest daughter of our family, whose face telegraphed surrender even as she said, "Who is (SET ITAL)this(END ITAL)?"

The dog was collarless and emaciated and covered in mats. She was also ravenous. Franklin found the sound of his kibble clinking into the pie tin a bit unsettling, but he powered through it without pooping in the sunroom in protest. "Good boy," we yelled with more enthusiasm than he deserved, considering his recent history.

We all sat down on the floor to surround the pup as she ate and mused about her fate. She was sweet and friendly, quick to wag her tail and offer kisses with her tiny tongue.

"Oh-h-h," my husband cooed, over and over. He has long insisted that we cannot handle a second dog. That rescued pup wasn't in our house for 10 minutes before he turned to me and said, in what he thinks passes for a whisper, "If they don't want her, we have to take her."

"Who (SET ITAL)are(END ITAL) you?" I said, nodding in agreement.

Why am I going on about this little dog?

In the past few months, many readers have confessed a weariness that threatens to overtake them. This tough political year in America is taking a personal toll on so many. Increasingly, my advice is to take a break, if they must. Take care of yourself for a while, I tell them. Do what you love, and immerse yourself in whatever will restore you. We'll be here when you get back.

It wasn't until our family got caught up in the fate of that frightened little dog that I realized I needed to take my own advice. Sometimes the best way to take on the world is to let it churn for a while without you.

Our family is a bit intense. Every get-together involves lots of home-cooked food and endless rounds of debate over where our country is headed. I warn guests who are brave enough to join us: "We get a little boisterous." Obnoxious is probably a better word, but I'm loyal.

For a brief, magical moment, we were all about that little dog.

For days after her rescue, Matt scoured shelter websites for signs of someone looking for her. For more than a week, we drove around the neighborhood, searching for posters.

Nothing.

Matt and Emily took her to the vet  yes, she went home with them  and we all celebrated the news that except for being too thin and in need of spaying, she is otherwise OK. She may be as old as 4, but we've all agreed she's 3 because our 3 1/2-year-old granddaughter wants to be older than somebody in her house.

"Do we have a name?" my husband texted, day after day.

"Might we have a name?" I asked during every FaceTime call.

"Does she have a name yet?" our daughter asked from Rhode Island.

What a glorious, ever-so-brief break from the angst of daily life.

The puppy with the tangled coat and a gift for dodging cars is freshly groomed and has settled into her new life. Her name is Biscuit.

Recently, Emily sent a photo of our 4-year-old grandson holding the leash as he walked side by side with his new buddy. I had to share it, right then and there. I turned to the woman standing in line behind me at the grocery and held up my phone.

"I can barely stand it," I said.

She leaned in and smiled. "I know," she said, wiping her eye. "I know exactly what you mean."

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State University's school of journalism. To find out more about Schultz (con.schultz@yahoo.com), visit www.creators.com.
About 100,000 migrant birds flew to a nature reserve in southwest Chinas Guizhou Province to spend the winter, China News reported on Dec. 22.

Black-necked cranes are foraging under the morning glow.

Black-necked cranes are resting at the nature reserve.
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Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
A recent report by China Central Television unveiled a mysterious force of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Being a shadow unit, the special force has been rarely reported before.

Under the PLAN Marine Corps, it is a group of super elite forces that can conduct sea, land, air and underwater infiltration operations, as well as maritime counter-terrorism operations.

To become a member of this elite group, one must undergo extremely harsh training with a failure rate of more than 50%. The rigorous training includes parachuting, amphibious combat, and underwater infiltration. The training is usually carried out at night under harsh conditions. In this way, the soldiers can enhance their capabilities to conduct special underwater operations. They have already been trained to be combat-ready.

The corps conducted its first paramilitary operation on Dec. 26, 2008, in the Gulf of Aden and waters of Somalia. This April, it successfully rescued a Tuvalu cargo ship hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
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Chiming watches are among the most complicated mechanical watches. But there are different types of chiming watches, with different amounts of hammers and gongs. Most common is the minute repeater, which can chime the hours, quarters and minutes on demand. Much less common is the grande sonnerie, which chimes the hours and quarters automatically at the passage of each quarter, in addition to the minute repeater function. Few watch brands offer such complications and even fewer can trace their production back to before the turn of the millennium.



This puts Bulgari on a pedestal in the matter of grande sonnerie watches, since the company offers no fewer than three different grande sonnerie movements, the oldest of which has been in production without interruption since 1994. The GG calibre 31001 offers grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie (chiming the hours and quarters but without repeating the hours at each quarter) and minute repeater functions, plus it has a tourbillon. The calibre 31002 is an evolution of the same calibre used in the more recent Octo Grande Sonnerie model (picture above). The BVL5307 calibre takes the already rare complication to a whole new level, since it is self-winding and can therefore ensure continuous operation of the chiming function without any need for winding (assuming that the watch is worn regularly, of course).

Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater  Bulgari

Chiming watches are equipped with two, three or four hammers and gongs. Most minute repeaters have two hammers, each of which strikes a different gong. One hammer is used to strike the hours and another for the minutes, with the two in combination striking the quarters. Bulgaris grande sonnerie watches, on the other hand, have a total of four hammers and gongs, which means that they can reproduce the world-famous chimes of Big Ben (known in high-end watch circles as the Westminster Chime).



Making the gongs themselves requires particular aptitude, since the metal used, the length, the tempering process and the assembly can all have an impact on the ultimate sound of the chimes. In days gone by, watchmakers would note the different colours of the gongs they produced in order to have a record that they could match to the different sounds they produce.

CarillonTourbillon  Bulgari

The hammers and gongs are two vital components in the striking mechanism, but chiming watch movements require hundreds of other components (no fewer than 923 in the case of the calibre 5307) in order to function. Even when these components have been machined to tolerances down to the nearest micron, the experienced hand of a skilled watchmaker is vital during the assembly process. Bulgari has four watchmakers who work exclusively on such complications. As with most grand complications, the same watchmaker will be responsible for each movement from start to finish, usually assembling and disassembling the movement completely at least once before assembling it prior to encasing. This stage alone can take anything from four months up to a year, depending on the level of complexity of the movement.



Even once the movement is assembled and working perfectly, however, it will only gain its true voice once it has been correctly encased and adjusted. For any chiming watch, the case is not just a means of protecting the movement, it also acts as a resonance chamber to project the sound of the chimes and the type of metal used in its construction can therefore be very important for the end result. Bulgari is at an advantage, since it produces all its watch cases in-house, which means that the brands chiming watch cases can be built to the exact specification required to obtain the best sound.
Six months after Orlando's first female U.S. Army infantry recruit left for boot camp, she's back home, a soldier  and a changed person.

Briana Conde is Orlando's 1st female infantry soldier

She says she's a changed person after 6 months in Army



RELATED: Orlando's 1st female Army infantry recruit readies for basic training

WATCH: Facebook Live with Army soldier Briana Conde

I just graduated last Friday, said Briana Conde, who was peppered with questions by University High School students Thursday.

My boot camp experience was... difficult, she said, but a lot has changed in the past six months.

She said she's physically stronger and has a greater determination to motivate others  such as her former classmates at University High.

When Im here walking the halls and stuff, (it's) way different that when I was a student here, Conde said.

Over the summer, Conde left for boot camp at Fort Benning, Georgia filled with nerves. Then she went to infantry school, eventually getting her blue cords.

Was it hard? Yes, it was hard, she replied to one curious student.

Staff Sgt. Jovanny Cruz, who recruited Conde, said he feels like a proud father.

She completed what most cant complete," he said. As she tells me, it was 52 females that were in infantry school with her, and only 18 graduated.

Conde credits Cruz for motivating her.

He was a huge push for me to do it, she said. I wanted to be part of something that would change me, mentally and physically.

Up next for Conde: On Jan. 4, Conde will head to airborne school to learn to be a paratrooper. Shell eventually head to her unit in Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

So many things during training, I thought I couldnt do, but I did. I just have to keep that same mentality.

As for the students, she wanted to make sure they remembered one thing:

One thing I want to do the most is tell others about this, and tell others about the change they can make, too," Conde said. "Not just for the country, or their family, but for themselves.

Facebook Live
The new tax bill legislation could potentially impact companies wanting to do business in Puerto Rico.

New tax bill poised to impact business in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico governor says bill will hurt island

Lawmakers say there will be opportunties to revise tax code

"Puerto Rico will receive the same tax treatment as other offshore locations as far as business taxes are concerned, said Sean Snaith, Director of Institute for Economic Competitiveness at UCF.

Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States; it's treated as part of the mainland in most realms except taxes.

Under the new bill, businesses could be looking at paying a 12.5 percent intangible tax. This would apply for business who have patents or licenses being worked on in Puerto Rico.

"We don't know exactly all the items and all the businesses that will actually get affected by it, said Sonia Narvaez of CPA of Orlando Accounting.

The new tax code didnt sit well with Puerto Ricos Governor Ricardo Rosello, who said this tax bill would ultimately hurt the island's economy and steer businesses away at such crucial time.

Snaith said Puerto Rico has even bigger problems to deal with.

"I think the tax issue is not as much of a concern as infrastructure and the electrical grid, and the overall fiscal crisis, he said. I mean, it certainly doesn't make things better, but I'm not sure if it will necessarily make things much worse.

Some lawmakers said there will be opportunities in the near future to make changes to the tax code.
After some morning fog, Friday was a sun-filled afternoon with temps in the 70s and 80s.

Saturday highs at 81 degrees

Fog expected in morning forecast



Christmas Day to be cooler

SEE BELOW: See our 7-day forecast 

It took a while to burn the fog off, which caused a slow warm up. Once it did though, temperatures were able to climb to around 80 degrees under mostly sunny skies.

Well keep fog in the forecast for the next couple of mornings, but mostly sunny skies for the afternoon.

Highs stay unseasonably warm, but a front moving in Sunday night will bring cooler temperatures for Christmas.

Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast through the overnight hours. Areas of dense fog will develop as we head toward daybreak on Saturday. Temperatures will fall to around 60 degrees.

Fog will stick around for Saturday morning, but burn off and allow for a partly sunny afternoon. Once the suns comes out, temperatures will climb into the upper 70s to low 80s.

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A similar forecast is in store for Sunday before a front moves in Sunday night. This front may bring a sprinkle or two, but most will remain dry.

It will, however, bring more seasonable temperatures. Highs on Christmas will be in the low 70s. Already warming back up for Tuesday.

If youre heading to the beach on this warm, holiday weekend, conditions look pretty good. Poor to fair surf conditions with a low rip current risk.

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This report, which was first published in February 2017, examines the roots of the two terrorist organizations which carried out deadly attacks against the Egyptian security forces in the last four years

Last February, an Egyptian court of urgent matters designated the militant group Hasm a terrorist organisation, banning its activity in the country.

In January, Egypt's High State Security Prosecution referred 304 people to military prosecution for membership in Hasm, which committed 14 attacks on security forces and public figures over the past six months.

The case, one of the largest terrorism-related cases referred to the military prosecution, includes top Muslim Brotherhood figures.

Days earlier, the little-known terror group released an eight-minute clip online showing its "military training" in a desert location, as well as graphic footage of its attacks on security forces.

Egypt's interior ministry announced in December that security forces killed two men in the Nile Delta who were involved in the murder of a high-ranking army officer several months earlier.

According to the statement, the two men, aged 36 and 24, were members of Lewaa Al-Thawra (The Revolution Brigade), the militant group that claimed responsibility for the murder of the army officer.

However, the organisation issued a statement shortly after the killing of the two suspects denying they were ever among its members.

A week prior to the Menoufiya raid, the interior ministry announced that a terrorist was killed in a Giza police raid, though that time authorities said the suspect was a leading member of another militant group; Hasm.

Hasm, which has claimed responsibility for several attacks against security forces and public figures, vowed vengeance in an online statement for the killing of its member in the Giza raid.

So who are these two relative newcomers to the jihadist scene?

The tale of two terror sisters

Hasm (Determination) first appeared in July 2016, when it claimed responsibility for the assassination of a high-ranking police officer in Fayoum in a statement on its website.

According to the 'Whois' online tracking service, the militant group registered the website one day prior to the murder, submitting a false telephone number, fax number and postal code. The registered address merely stated Cairo and the group used an email account with an encrypted email service.

Since then, the group has targeted not only security forces, as has become customary with the country's other militant groups, but also public figures.

In early August, Hasm declared responsibility for attempting to assassinate former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa outside a Mosque in October city before Friday prayers.

The group posted images online allegedly showing the attack, including photos of Gomaas house, as a way to prove they could "reach anyone."

In the same month, Hasm congratulated another militant group, referring to its members as resistance heroes, for killing two policemen in an attack on a checkpoint on Menoufiya governorate.

Two days later, another statement introduced Lewaa Al-Thawra as being responsible for the Menoufiya attack.

In September, Hasm claimed responsibility for two failed attempts to bomb a police club in Damietta governorate and to assassinate the assistant to the prosecutor-general outside his house in New Cairo.

Also in September, the militant group managed to kill a low-ranking policeman outside his house in 6 October City.

In October, the group killed another low-ranking policeman outside his house on the outskirts of Giza governorate.

Despite this rise in activity, however, the two groups were still relatively unknown among the public and in the media.

This would soon change, however.

On 22 October, Egypt woke up to the news that a high-ranking army officer was assassinated outside his house on the outskirts of Qalyoubia governorate.

Adel Rajaei, a brigadier general, was shot dead in front of his house as he was on his way to his station as an armoured division commander in Dahshur, south of Cairo.

He had previously held a post as a commander in North Sinai, where he oversaw the destruction of smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt until 2013.

The North Sinai-based Islamic State-affiliate Ansar Beit Al-Maqdas was the primary suspect in Rafaei's murder, particularly since it came in the same week that witnessed deadly attacks against security forces in North Sinai.

However, it was the lesser known Lewaa Al-Thawra that claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued on the groups twitter account hours after the attack.

The statement was accompanied by photos allegedly showing Rajaeis army cap and the weapon of his guard.

The Twitter account associated with the group was suspended by Twitter soon after for violating the site's policies, though another account was later created.

The day after the murder, Hasm congratulated Lewaa Al-Thawra on its website, republishing the photos released by the other militant group.

The assassination of Rajaei put both militant groups in the spotlight, leading many to ask whether they were connected to each other.

It is interesting that Hasm and Lewaa Al-Thawra appeared at nearly the same time and used the same terms in their statements, political researcher Ahmed El-Behairy told Ahram Online, pointing to the fact that Hasm was the first miliant group to congratulate Lewaa Al-Thawra after Rejaei's murder.

El-Behairy, an expert on Islamist militant groups, believes that both Hasm and Lewaa Al-Thawra -- as well other short-lived militant groups that appeared after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 -- are operating "under one control room that followed late Muslim Brother leading figure Mohamed Kamel.

Kamal was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in early October in Cairo, according to a statement released by the interior ministry.

In its statement claiming responsibility for Rejaei's killing, the militant group announced that the murder was primarily in retaliation for the killing of Kamal.

According to the interior ministry, Kamal oversaw the Muslim Brotherhood's armed wings and their cells.

In its latest statement about Lewaa Al-Thawra issued in December, the ministry also said that its members hideout was at a farm owned by a fugitive Muslim Brotherhood member.

Ahmed Ban, a former Brotherhood member and researcher into Islamist movements, told Ahram Online that starting February 2014, we began to see a radical militant branch emerging from the Muslim Brotherhood, as Kamal started founding what is known in the media as 'the special cells'.

According to Ban, these special cells began a series of operations, starting with the targeting of infrastructure, blocking highways, mixing peaceful and violent protests, and moving up to assassinating police personnel and bombing checkpoints.

Starting February 2014, nearly six distinct groups appeared and claimed responsibility for the attacks before completely disappearing, after which Hasm and Lewa Al-Thawra emerged.

However, this militant branch [of the Brotherhood] was divided into two lesser branches, one that stuck with Brotherhood teaching and another that went rogue and became closer to the Salafist jihadists in their militancy, said Ban, adding that he believed Lewaa Al-Thawra and Hasm are part of this second branch.

They are no longer considered part of the Muslim Brotherhood, he said, adding that a distinction should be made between the different groups and their evolution in order to better understand them.

The High State Prosecution says that according to its investigations, Hasm and Lewaa Al-Thawra were formed by leading figures in the Brotherhood in an attempt to revive its militant wing.

In November 2013, the Egyptian government designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation.

Not your usual Jihadist group

Ban and El-Behairy believe that the two groups, especially Lewaa El-Thawra, are distinct from jihadist like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The use of secular slogans and concepts in [Lewaa El-Thawras] statements like the nation is the source directly contradicts strict conservative jihadist ideologies, which call for [the establishing of a trans-national] Islamic caliphate, Ban told Ahram Online, referring to an online statement released by Lewaa Al-Thawra in September.

They do not share that same Salafist Jihadist ideology because they still have that Muslim Brotherhood ideological background, Ban said, adding that the group merely employs the same methods of militant Salafist jihadists.

The Moderate Front to Fight Violent Radicalism, a group made up of former members of the Islamic Jihad and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiyaa groups, share Ban's belief.

The group was founded in 2013 for its members to distance themselves from pro-Morsi Islamist forces, and in October 2016 it released a statement denouncing Lewaa Al-Thawra.

The Moderate Front said in its October statement that Lewaa Al-Thawra's rhetoric "contradicts with mainstream jihadist discourse," and that even the group's name is secular and "non-Islamist."

Following the December bombing of the Cairo church, Hasm and Lewaa Al-Thawra both released statements denying involvement in the attack.

Lewaa El-Thawra even extended its condolences to the families of the victims, adding that it does not target civilians regardless of their religious beliefs or views.

Hasm, however, used more religious phrasing when denying involvement in the attack, saying that Islam prohibited the killing of women, children, the elderly and worshipers in temples. The group also echoed a claim made on a Muslim Brother-affiliated website that the Egyptian regime was behind the bombing.

"Unlike the usual jihadists, who have an excellent command of classical Arabic due to their religious knowledge, [Lewaa Al-Thawra's] statements are full of grammatical and spelling mistakes, researcher Ahmed El-Behairy told Ahram Online.

What Hasm and Lewaa Al-Thawraa do have in common with some jihadist groups, however, is their online propaganda campaigns.

For nearly six months, Hasm ran a website where it posted statements as well as photos and videos of their operations.

The site was taken down shortly after the group claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed six policemen at a Giza checkpoint in early December.

The group used social media networks like Facebook and YouTube before its own site was re-launched, this time hosted on encrypted servers.

"These groups' operations and how they market themselves show that some of their members received training somewhere [outside of Egypt]," says El-Behairy, who believes this training ground is likely Syria.

According to estimates by some experts, thousands of Egyptians have joined jihadist groups in Syria, including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

"Some of those Egyptians have returned, and I think they joined those small militant groups in Egypt," he said.

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For nearly 40 years, Don Dickson has been at the same location at 1501 West Fifth St. in Plainview, but his reach is truly worldwide. Now a certified master photographer, Dickson has served not only as president of the Texas Professional Photographers Association, but also of the national association and he is one of the co-founders of the World Photographic Cup, the Olympics for professional photographers.

Now a world-renowned photographer, Dickson started off right here in Plainview, working as a photography apprentice of sorts. His big break came initially during his junior year at Texas Tech University when a phone call, asking him if he wanted to run his own photography shop, brought him back to Plainview and a career that has lasted over 40 years.

Initially, Dickson had his studio at 707 Seventh Street beginning in December of 1977, but he soon moved to his current location, relocating in April of 1978. Dickson said he got his start shooting photos of high school students.

When I was in Lubbock, I worked for a photographer in college who worked with a lot of high school students, Dickson said. I was familiar with the work and started off primarily with high school senior photos in 1978. I was fortunate enough to get a school contract with PISD in 1979 and I have been working with the schools ever since.

Dickson said the work requires long hours, especially in the film days of photography.

I did all my own color and black and white work, he said. A lot of hours were spent in the dark room.

Eventually Dickson expanded his business in 1985 to include a one-hour color lab photo house. Around the same time, his wife, Charlcey, opened Suzannes Hallmark, named after the couples daughter. The couple continued to run the three businesses as a joint enterprise.

A few years later, Dickson would earn a masters of photography degree in 1987, an honor bestowed by the Professional Photographers of America. Dickson said that the honor is based upon standards set by PPA and includes a competitive portion meant to identify the best photographers in the country.

In 1989, Dickson would serve as the President of the Texas Professional Photographers Association. Throughout his career, Dickson said he was involved in various activities with the state and national associations. In 1990 Dickson was named as the executive director of the Texas School of Professional Photography. The school is a yearly event that brings photographers together to learn and continue their education and development as photographers.

We (TSPP) have grown to be the largest school of its type in the country, Dickson said. And we do a lot of the work on it right here in the studio.

Part of the school includes cruise classes that Dickson said have been organized in a variety of locales. This years cruise is set for Alaska.

Well have about 70 photographers and we will take them up to Alaska and work with them and train them, he said.

Dickson also served as the president of the PPA in 2011 and in 2013 he helped to create the World Photographic Cup. A competition involving a truly international group of competitors.

It is an Olympic style competition, he said. We have about 40 countries participating.

Dickson said that much like the Olympics, individual countries compete as teams, with photographic pieces being submitted for the competition.

Dicksons involvement in the WPC as well as the industry in general has led him all around the world. Dickson said he spends probably about 30 percent of his time traveling. He said he has helped to start a photography association in China and has worked in Japan, Europe, Australia and other locales.

We have about five different continents represented in the WPC, he said. We generally meet via Skype to discuss the event and plan.

Even with his international travels, Dickson said his work in the industry always comes back to Plainview.

This is a changing industry and we have to change with it, he said. When I work with other photographers in Europe and around the world, I try to take the lessons I learn and bring them back here to Plainview.

Chris Hanoch, who has been working with Dickson since 2000, said he has learned a lot from the master photographer. Hanoch also earned his master of photography degree recently and Dickson said that the studio here in Plainview is one of only three studios that they were aware of that could lay claim to two master photographers.

Hanoch said that at the time Dickson brought him on board he was looking for a new opportunity.

At the time I didnt have a lot of experience in portraiture, Hanoch said. I had more of a fine arts background in photography.

Hanoch said he was working in Albuquerque, N.M. and he and his wife were looking to move somewhere smaller and safer.

I sent out probably 20 or 30 letters cold, Hanoch said. Don responded, and I came out for an interview.

Dickson noted that at the time he was looking for an assistant and the two just hit it off.

I started originally in the photo shop, Hanoch said. He (Don) really taught me the basics for good lighting and composition for portraiture, he also taught me the importance of being a part of the different associations. Don really helped me to build a more solid foundation, he helped me at times to kind of merge my vision with his.

Hanoch said that Dickson has been great to work with and has been a major encouragement through the years.

Dicksons work to help others in his profession develop their skills isnt his only passion. He also has been very involved over the years in a variety of civic events in Plainview.

Dickson has been on the Plainview YMCA board for a number of years, twice serving as president of the board, his third stint is coming up in 2019. He has also served as the president of the Plainview Chamber of Commerce, Plainview Rotary Club and the Plainview United Way. During one memorable year when he was president of both the YMCA and the United Way, he supervised the raising of over $1,000,000 in funds for both organizations. He has also even thrown his hat in the political arena, serving on the city council of Plainview for eight years.

For Dickson Plainview will always be home. He has raised his family here which includes his daughter Suzanne and son Kyle, both of whom he said grew up in the photography business.

They always helped out around the studio when we needed help, he said. Sometimes they were asked if they wanted to join the family business, but my son responded that he didnt really want to work that hard. Now he is an attorney and my daughter is a C.P.A.

Even after 40 years, Dickson shows no signs of slowing down.

I plan on being here for many years to come, he said.
Egyptian police killed eight Hasm members in a shootout during a raid on their training camp south of Cairo, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

The National Security Agency was able to discover a hideout used by the group in a desert area in Fayoum, to train "new youths elements" on the use of arms, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said they shot at police as they attempted to apprehend them.

According to the statement, two other Hasm hideouts located in Giza and Sharqiya governorates were raided, and five members of the group arrested. Police found documents detailing upcoming terrorist operations at the two Hasm hideouts.

Sunday's announcement comes only two days after the police said they had shot dead two Hasm leaders during a raid on their hiding place, also in Fayoum, which is around 100km south of Cairo.

Hasm has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Egyptian security personnel in recent months, mostly targeting police checkpoints.

Egyptian security forces have arrested and killed dozens of suspected Hasm members in the past few months.

Egyptian officials have maintained that that the group is linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

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SEATTLE - Boeing is discussing a potential multibillion-dollar takeover of regional jetmaker Embraer of Brazil, the two companies said Thursday.

A deal is by no means certain since the Brazilian government would have to approve the sale of a company considered the crown jewel of the country's manufacturing sector.
Toting an Otterbox case for an iPad and a Blu-ray copy of The Emoji Movie, San Antonio respiratory therapist Amanda Martinez picked up the first gifts on her holiday list at the Best Buy at the Rim Shopping center Thursday afternoon.

Martinez planned stops at Bass Pro Shops and Dicks Sporting Goods to buy gifts for her stepdaughters, niece, nephew, parents and in-laws. In all, she said she plans to spend about $500 on presents and stocking stuffers  roughly the same as last year.
San Antonio-based M7 Aerospace has been awarded a contract worth up to $176 million for maintenance work related to two military transport planes.

The contract was awarded by McLean, Virginia-based DynCorp International, a U.S. defense contractor. M7 Aerospace, itself a subsidiary of Fort Worth-based Elbit Systems of America, will perform work on the fleet of U.S. Army C-26 and UC-35 aircraft.

The contract starts with a one-year term worth up to $25 million that can be extended for five additional annual terms for a total amount of up to $176 million.

Chris Hickey, the general manager of sustainment and support solutions for Elbit Systems of America, said the San Antonio facility had already been the contractor for the Armys C-26 aircraft, a twin-engined propeller-driven airplane used for transport and other missions. The addition of the UC-35, a twin-engined jet airplane, meant M7 Aerospace had to add 70 people in San Antonio and took on another 100 employees in multiple other support locations.

We basically do everything but fly the airplanes, Hickey said. Routine maintenance, depot maintenance, day to day squawks, fueling, runup, all of that. We do everything but fly the airplane. The Army pilots come, they jump in the plane and go.

The additional hires brings M7 Aerospaces workforce in San Antonio to around 200, Hickey said.

M7 Aerospace was bought by Elbit Systems of America in 2010, which is itself a subsidiary of Israel-based Elbit Systems Limited.

Rye Druzin is a San Antonio Express-News energy reporter. Read more of his stories here. | rdruzin@express-news.net | @druz_journo
A burglary suspect was shot and killed by a Sonoma County sheriffs detective at a Ukiah (Mendocino County) motel Thursday night after her accomplice leveled a gun at officers, officials said Friday.

The dead woman, whose name was not released, was also armed, said Sgt. Spencer Crum of the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office. The woman was found inside the Sunrise Inn after the detective fired an unknown number of rounds at her companion, Crum said.

Crum said deputies from Sonoma and Mendocino counties and Ukiah police went to the budget motel at about 8 p.m. after receiving information that the two Sonoma County burglary suspects were there.

One detective shot an undetermined amount of rounds and a male suspect was ultimately taken into custody. The second suspect was found deceased, Crum said.

The name of the suspect who aimed a gun at officers was not immediately released. He was not injured in the encounter.

A woman who identified herself as the motel manager said multiple shots were fired into the motel room.

The shots were from outside, and they broke the glass in the bathroom, and the lady was in the bathroom, said the manager, who would give only her first name, Mira.

Mira said the dead womans name was Mary and that she and her companion had checked in on Monday and had stayed inside the nonsmoking room, smoking cigarettes. She did not know anything more about them.

How can we know who is a criminal and who is not a criminal? Mira said. We run a motel.

Officials did not release details of the burglary the two suspects were involved in or how long the Sheriffs Office had been searching for them.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com
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Evidence of rodents, bugs and mold were found in multiple San Antonio taquerias over the past week, according to city health inspection reports.

At one spot, Eddie's Taco House near Stone Oak, a city health inspector observed moldy debris inside the establishment's ice machines, as well as a trap with dead insects on it.

A Northeast Side spot, Las Islas Marias on Perrin Beitel, had a dead mouse and roaches in sticky traps in the restaurant during the inspection.

LAST WEEK'S RESTAURANT VIOLATIONS: San Antonio restaurant inspections: Dec. 15, 2017

The Tex-Mex spots were among the 42 restaurants that landed on this week's list of dirtiest restaurants in the Alamo City, according to reports.

Among other places making this week's list was River Walk hotel Omni La Mansion del Rio  where hot water was not available to the sink at the coffee bar and where gnats were seen in the bar area  and Tex-Mex chain La Gloria. The Pearl location of the San Antonio-based restaurant was cited when an inspector noticed dirty utensils stored among clean ones and damaged spatulas, cutting boards and other kitchen wares in use.

To make the Express-News' list of dirtiest restaurants, an establishment must earn a score of 89 or below  or anything less than an "A"  during a random city health inspection.

See the other restaurants that landed on this week's list of dirtiest restaurants in the slideshow above.

The San Antonio Express-News examines hundreds of restaurant inspections each week conducted by the San Antonio Food and Environmental Health Services division to bring you the eateries with scores of 89 or below.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system, where "100" is a perfect score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each are assigned a demerit score of 3, 2 or 1 points, according to the health division.

Scores and demerits listed are only representative of the state of the restaurant at the time of inspection and establishments are surveyed at random.

erobinson@mysa.com | Twitter: @eeelizzzabeth
It's been a year of major changes for Friendswood.

The community drew national attention after flooding from Hurricane Harvey damaged many homes and businesses. Friendswood ISD saw its first change in the superintendent post in 15 years. And redevelopment efforts for the downtown area led to new ideas - and criticism.

Harvey strikes

When Hurricane Harvey came barreling down on the Gulf Coast, flooding from the storm brought widespread devastation to Friendswood.

The 50-plus inches of rain that battered the city left two dead and millions of dollars in damage.

About 3,000 homes - one-third of the homes in the city - flooded, and many businesses were put out of commission. But residents joined school and city officials in rising to the occasion. Cleanup started immediately to remove smelly, jagged mountains of debris. Flood-damaged walls and flooring were ripped out and vehicles, furniture and other debris and were towed away.

The city announced Nov. 15 that debris removal had been completed within 60 days after crews hauled away more than 135,000 cubic yards of refuse.

"This was an unprecedented event," city spokesman said Jeff Newpher said.

Newpher said that community recovery was compounded by destruction from Harvey elsewhere and from other natural disasters that stretched the response ability of the federal government and aid groups.

Changing of the Guard

After 15 years at the helm in Friendswood ISD, former Superintendent Trish Hanks announced in February that she would be retiring at the end of the school year.

"I will miss the FISD staff who are second to none, and I will remain a strong advocate for our children," Hanks said at the board meeting when she made her announcement. "We have strong, dedicated teachers and administrators who work tirelessly for students, involved parents and community members who continuously demonstrate support for our schools, and students who are eager to learn, all a formula for success."

The board immediately began working with the Texas Association of School Boards to begin a candidate search, accepting applications from both outside and inside the district. They chose Thad Roher as the candidate best qualified to take the reins and named him superintendent in June.

"I did not aspire to be a superintendent of (just) any school district," Roher said in a statement released by the district. "I wanted to be the superintendent of Friendswood ISD. I strongly believe in the principles and values this community was founded upon, and I am excited to continue and build upon the tradition of excellence at Friendswood ISD."

Roher, 49, has had a 26-year career in education and has been an administrator for 20 years. He has served as a K-12 principal in Haviland, Kansas, an assistant principal at Friendswood High School and an assistant superintendent of curriculum for both elementary and secondary education at Friendswood ISD.

He graduated from Barclay College in Kansas in 1991 with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education and received a master- of- science degree in education administration from Fort Hays State University in 1995. He graduated from Friendswood High School in 1986.

Downtown Development

Even in the midst of devastation, the Friendswood community, and the Friends of Downtown Friendswood Association, continued its vision to revitalize downtown Friendswood in a way that honors the town's Quaker roots and upholds the area as while also serving as the "heart and soul" of the city. Proposed projects to aid in this revitalization have already begun - one of which was the removal of utility poles and lines, which started in December.

"This project is a great first step on a growing list of projects under consideration," said Ron Cox, president of the Friendswood Downtown Economic Development Corp., a seven-member City Council-appointed group created following voter approval of a one-eighth cent sales tax referendum for downtown economic development in 2016. "It aesthetically improves Friendswood Drive, and that will play a role in promoting new and expanded business development in the downtown area."

The group also set its sights on revamping the site where the former Fire Station No. 1 sat since 1975. The fire station was moved to another location and the building recently demolished.

The association has proposed a multimillion-dollar project to build a carousel on the land, which would also serve as a live music venue and community gathering place.

Some residents such as Janis Lowe were angered at the demolition of a station they saw as having historic value and questioned the appropriateness of the carousel project.

They say that the carousel represents our heritage," Lowe said of the association. "But I can assure you that the Quakers from the 1900s did not ever ride a carousel."

But city officials said the old station would have been too expensive to repair and that it was too small to be modified for another purpose.

City Councilman Steve Rockey said station would have required $500,000 in repairs just to get it up to city codes.

"The building was in terrible shape," he said.
The ministry says the two suspects, identified as Mohamed Abdel Karim Marei and Mahmoud Barakat, as well as another unnamed member, shot at police on Sunday evening as police attempted to apprehend them in 15th of May, a suburb in Eastern Helwan.

The three men were wanted in a terrorism-related operation known as the Hasm Movement Action," which was under investigation by Homeland Security.

According to the statement, the three suspected militants were planning to carry out an attack in the near future.

Hasm has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Egyptian security personnel in recent months, mostly targeting police checkpoints.

Egyptian security forces have arrested and killed dozens of suspected Hasm members in the past few months.

Egyptian officials have said that that the group is linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

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Texas Rep. Cecil Bell Jr. has filed for re-election, while state Rep. Will Metcalf is getting the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott in his bid for another term in office.

Bell, a Republican from Magnolia who has served in the Texas House of Representatives for three terms, drove to Austin to file his re-election paperwork in early December.

Unlike some of his colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives who had already filed their re-election paperwork locally, Bell had to go to Austin to file because the area he represents-District 3-includes parts of Montgomery and Waller counties. Bell had previously announced his intention to run again.

"I'm excited to represent the constituency," Bell said when reached by cell phone as he drove back from Corpus Christi, where he was for a meeting of the House Land and Resource Committee, which he chairs.

"The opportunity to is both humbling and honoring," Bell added. "And one that I take very seriously."

Waller County resident Lisa Seger, who along with her husband, owns and operates the Blue Heron Farm, has filed as a Democrat to challenge Bell for the seat.

"I am not a politician, but I am a huge believer in democracy and I feel like uncontested elections should not happen in a robust democracy," Seger said in an email. "Mr. Bell has never run against a Democratic opponent, and I don't think that's good for any of us. The exchange of ideas is an important part of finding representation that is truly representative. So I am running. I think District 3 deserves to have the option of a candidate that won't focus their efforts on using the state government to attack the rights of women, minorities and the LGBT community. I am running to preserve and defend the civil rights of all residents."

Bell took exception to Seger's comments.

"I'm not sure if that warrants a response," Bell said during a follow-up call. "I believe I do a good job for all the constituents without regards for labels. I'll continue to represent the entire constituency and stand for the sovereign nature of our state and all Texans as clearly called out in the U.S. Constitution."

METCALF GETS ABBOTT ENDORSEMENT

Metcalf, a Republican, had turned in his paperwork last month to represent District 16 for another term, which includes Conroe and surrounding areas. Conroe resident Mike Midler is challenging him as a Democrat for the seat.

Metcalf succeeded Brandon Creighton when Creighton sought a seat in the Texas Senate. Metcalf easily won the 2014 general election with nearly 84 percent of the vote.

In a statement and in a YouTube video endorsing Metcalf, Abbott described him as a "champion for business innovation in Texas" and said he has consistently championed Texas policies that have "spurred job creation and economic development" throughout the state.

"Next legislative session, we have an opportunity to take Texas to even greater heights," Abbott said. "That is why it is so important that a powerful voice like Will Metcalf's remains in the Texas House-a voice that will advocate for an even stronger economic climate for Texas. I am proud to endorse Representative Metcalf for another term in the Texas House, and I urge the voters of House District 16 support him as well."

Metcalf said he was "honored" to get the governor's backing.

"I am honored to have the endorsement and look forward to working with him next session," Metcalf said.

Midler, Metcalf's Democratic challenger, said he was not surprised by the governor backing Metcalf.

"It's to be expected. It's a party endorsement," Midler said. "I'm sure the Republican governor will endorse the Republican candidate for District 16."

OTHER RACES

State Rep. Mark Keough, a fellow Republican who currently represents The Woodlands in the Texas House of Representatives, is not seeking re-election to the House, but instead is running for Montgomery County judge in the March 2018 Republican Party primary election.

Steve Toth, who held the state House seat but stepped down to run in a special election for District 4 state senator to replace longtime Sen. Tommy Williams, is seeking the nomination in the March primary for the District 15 House seat. Also running for the nomination is Jackie Waters, the founding president of The Woodlands Republican Women's Club.

Lorena Perez McGill, a resident of The Woodlands, has filed as a Democrat for the seat.
A 20-year-old Berkeley man who allegedly made sexually explicit comments to two female pedestrians in Berkeley and touched one of them inappropriately has been arrested and booked on suspicion of sexual battery, police said.

On Wednesday night, a 17-year-old girl said she was approached by the man near Delaware and California streets and touched inappropriately. She said he made explicit comments and followed her to a nearby market before leaving.
China has signaled it's ready to back another round of United Nations sanctions that will slash exports of fuel to North Korea, according to people familiar with the matter.

The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on Friday at 1 p.m. in New York on the fourth resolution against North Korea in 13 months. It comes in response to a Nov. 28 missile test that leader Kim Jong Un said proved he could deliver a nuclear bomb to the U.S.

If approved, the resolution would cut deliveries of petroleum products, including diesel and kerosene, by almost 90 percent, to the equivalent of 500,000 barrels. That's a further reduction from a September resolution that reduced petroleum product sales to 2 million barrels annually starting Oct. 1, down from 4.5 million barrels. The new resolution would also cap crude imports at current levels of about 4 million barrels annually.

China, North Korea's largest trading partner and a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, has said it will support the resolution, according to a Security Council diplomat. An EU ambassador to the Security Council also said he was "confident" China would vote in favor. Both asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.

China's foreign ministry didn't immediately respond to faxed questions.

North Korea last month declared its nuclear program complete after firing a missile that it said could deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere on U.S. territory. The U.S. has repeatedly pushed China to curb oil sales to North Korea, with Ambassador Nikki Haley last month warning that "we can take the oil situation into our own hands" if China doesn't act.

The resolution would require for the first time that all nations declare the total amount of refined products shipped to North Korea. China, which the U.S. says supplies most of North Korea's crude, hasn't reported any volumes in its published customs data since 2013. The U.S. in September said the shipments are sent via the Dandong-Sinuiju pipeline.

North Korea uses refined oil products for taxis, generators and local heating, according to William Brown, an economist at Georgetown University who studies North Korea. The crude oil can still be refined in North Korea and used by the military, he said.

"This is better than nothing," Brown said in an email of the resolution.

The resolution caters to China's concern that if all crude oil were cut off it could prompt Kim to lash out at the U.S., sparking a conflict or setting off internal dissent that precipitates the collapse of his regime. Either outcome could mean a humanitarian disaster, a flood of refugees and possibly U.S. troops on China's border.

China's representative to the U.N. has repeatedly called on the U.S. to adhere to four conditions regarding North Korea: no regime change, no regime collapse, no accelerated reunification and no military deployment north of the 38th parallel dividing the Korean Peninsula.

The U.N. proposal would also curtail exports of food products, machinery and electrical equipment, and authorize countries to inspect and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea.
Washington

In a legal victory for the Trump administration, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday that accused President Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by continuing to own and profit from his business empire.

The complaint, filed this year in the Southern District of New York, said that Trump's failure to divorce himself from his businesses had harmed companies or workers who compete against his restaurants or hotels in New York or Washington. By taking advantage of his official position, the lawsuit said, Trump violated clauses of the Constitution that prohibit a president from accepting any government-bestowed benefits, or emoluments, either at home or abroad.

Judge George B. Daniels of U.S. District Court in Manhattan found that the plaintiffs had failed to show that they had suffered as a result of specific actions by Trump intended to drum up business for his enterprises. Even before Trump took office, the judge said, "he had amassed wealth and fame and was competing against" the plaintiffs.

"It is only natural that interest in his properties has generally increased since he became president," the judge said. Moreover, Daniels said, customers might be patronizing Trump's hotels and his hotels' restaurants because of price or quality  reasons totally unrelated to his presidency.

Beyond that, the judge found, the emoluments clauses of the Constitution are intended to protect the country against presidential corruption from foreign influences or financial incentives that might be offered by either states or the federal government. They were not meant to protect businesses from competition from presidentially owned enterprises, he ruled.

Were that the case, Daniels said, the Constitution would not have given Congress the power to allow a president to receive a foreign gift or benefit without considering how the president's business rivals might be affected.

Daniels also said that it was up to Congress, not the courts, to decide whether Trump had violated the Constitution by accepting a gift or benefit from a foreign government.

"This court will not tell Congress how it should or should not assert its power in responding the defendant's alleged violations of the foreign Emoluments Clause," he wrote. "In short, unless and until Congress speaks on this issue, plaintiffs' foreign Emoluments Clause claims are not ripe for adjudication."

In a statement, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit legal watchdog group that initiated the lawsuit, called the ruling "a setback."

The ruling is believed to be the first in 230 years interpreting what the constitutional framers meant by the emoluments clauses.

Two other lawsuits accusing Trump of similar violations are still pending. They claim Trump has illegally profiteered from his businesses in a number of ways, including accepting payments from foreign officials who patronize his hotels and accepting trademark approvals from foreign governments for his company's goods and services.

The suits are part of a coordinated effort by critics of the president to force Trump to either sell his business holdings or place them in a blind trust. Trump's opponents hope that at least one case will proceed to a stage where plaintiffs will be allowed to demand documentation of Trump's finances, including his tax returns.

A lawsuit brought in June by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia accused Trump of depriving facilities owned by their governments of business. Some legal experts have suggested that case may be less likely to be dismissed out of hand because Maryland is considered a "coequal sovereign" of the president, giving it stronger legal grounds to sue.

The third federal lawsuit was filed in June by nearly 200 Democratic members of Congress. Some legal authorities consider that suit to be a purely political move, with little likelihood of success.
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WASHINGTON - The first six people to face trial in Inauguration Day protests that turned destructive in the nation's capital were acquitted of all charges, a victory not only for the defendants but also for advocates who argued the government overreached in its effort to prosecute more than 200 people arrested as they marched through the city.

Following a nearly four-week trial and two full days of deliberations, a District of Columbia Superior Court jury delivered not-guilty verdicts Thursday on multiple charges of rioting and destruction of property.

The defendants - including a nurse for cancer patients, a freelance photographer and a college student - joined throngs of protesters who took to the streets Jan. 20 to protest Donald Trump's election. Prosecutors said the six were among a group that cut a violent swath through 16 blocks of the city, smashing businesses' windows, tossing newspaper boxes into the street and damaging a limousine. Authorities tallied the damage at more than $100,000.

As the jury foreman read the not-guilty verdicts, the defendants began to smile. One of them, Alexei Wood, a 37-year-old freelance photographer from San Antonio, covered his face, sat down and began sobbing.

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Outside the courtroom, Wood and the other defendants hugged one another and their supporters. One, in tears, pulled out her iPad to FaceTime her family and friends.

Jennifer Armento, 38, a Philadelphia woman who was among the six, said the verdict "shows the country that the jury was unwilling to do what the government wanted them to do, which was criminalize dissent."

Oliver Harris, 28, a Drexel University doctoral student who was charged, said the acquittal was "the only just verdict." He called his arrest and trial "repeatedly traumatizing."

Also acquitted were Michelle Macchio, 26, of Naples, Florida; Christina Simmons, 20, of Cockeysville, Maryland; and Brittne Lawson, 27, of Pittsburgh.

From the start, defense attorneys said their clients and most others in the group of about 500 were peacefully protesting, while only a handful peeled off and became violent. They criticized police for failing to identify those people and said officers unfairly herded a group of about 200 and charged them with rioting.

During his closing argument last week, attorney Steven McCool, who represented one of the men on trial, appealed to jurors to protect the "rights of free speech."

But prosecutors said the demonstration, planned by a group that calls itself DisruptJ20, was aimed at destruction, not freedom of expression. Authorities say the group used "black bloc" tactics - wearing dark clothing and hiding their faces with masks and goggles so it would be harder to identify them. Some came armed with hammers, crowbars and bricks.

Prosecutors told jurors there was no evidence the six people on trial were personally involved in the vandalism but argued that they chose to remain with the group, essentially providing cover for those who caused the damage.

In his closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rizwan Qureshi told jurors the group "tore up your city, putting people in danger."

He presented the jury with the analogy of a bank robbery, likening the defendants to a getaway driver while comparing those who smashed windows to the robber in the bank.

"They are both just as guilty," Qureshi said. "This was not a First Amendment activity. They conspired by joining in the group to do unlawful things on the streets of your city."

One 59-year-old juror said the panel tried to determine the mind-set of the defendants and whether "they supported the riotous behavior or they just had strong convictions about what they're protesting about."

They decided the evidence "only demonstrated that these six individuals walked in a protest."

Another juror, a 37-year-old man, said jurors made up their minds to acquit three defendants fairly early in their deliberations, but there was additional discussion about Wood, Macchio and Harris.

The juror said the panel considered whether video showing Wood cheering while others were breaking windows was evidence of guilt. They also discussed whether Harris, who was seen casually walking through the crowd as the rioting unfolded, should be convicted. And they talked about text messages Macchio sent, telling a friend she had arrived with the group. But they ultimately decided none of those behaviors were enough to prove the government's case.

"There was no evidence to support whether or not these six willingly participated in the riots or aided and abetted the rioters," said the juror, who like the other juror spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his privacy.

In a statement after the verdict, the U.S. attorney's office said prosecutors continue to assert that a riot occurred on Inauguration Day and that the "destruction impacted many who live and work in the District of Columbia, and created a danger for all who were nearby."

"We appreciate the jury's close examination of the individual conduct and intent of each defendant during this trial and respect its verdict," the statement said. "In the remaining pending cases, we look forward to the same rigorous review for each defendant."

The case follows one of the largest mass arrests for vandalism in the city, and authorities spent months preparing for trial and mining for evidence. Authorities confiscated the cellphones of the defendants to examine text messages and videos. And prosecutors sought court orders for defendants' Internet records, including website visits and Facebook accounts, in hopes of securing additional evidence to support their theory the protesters planned to participate in a violent demonstration. The searches were challenged by attorneys and civil liberties groups as violating the rights of the users.

In court, jurors heard from about 40 witnesses, including employees and patrons of businesses who described their fear as protesters pounded on or smashed windows. The jury also spent hours watching video of clashes between demonstrators and police.

One of the more controversial videos viewed by the jury was given to police from Project Veritas, an organization that uses secret recordings to target the mainstream news media and left-leaning groups. A Veritas member secretly recorded a Jan. 8 DisruptJ20 planning meeting in the basement of a District church.

That video showed organizers advising that people wear comfortable shoes, avoid carrying identification and, if stopped by police, decline to give their names. One person says that would "jam up the police." But the video did not show anyone discussing plans of vandalism or rioting.

Before the case was presented to the jury, Judge Lynn Leibovitz threw out the most serious rioting charge against the six, a felony count of inciting a riot.

In her closing argument, defense attorney Sara Kropf reminded jurors that one of the police commanders was heard on a police radio at the beginning of the protest calling the demonstrators "anarchists."

"This is about politics. This is about police and local prosecutors who work for the Department of Justice. And we know who they report to," she said, referring to President Trump.

"All the government proved was that these individuals showed up and walked as protesters," she said. "And that is not a crime."

In all, 212 people were charged in connection with the riots. Twenty of them have pleaded guilty, and prosecutors have dropped cases against another 20.

An additional 166 defendants are scheduled for trial, in groups of six or seven, through mid-2018. Though the U.S. attorney's office said it would move forward, one defense attorney said prosecutors should interpret the acquittals as a sign the remaining cases should be dropped.

"I hope this sends a message to the U.S. attorney's office to let all of these people go," said attorney Betty Ballester, who represents one of the defendants scheduled to go to trial in April. "The jury has spoken."

- - -

Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
On Wednesday morning Chicago police promptly cut off rush hour traffic on a street just north of Millennium Park. A man had flung himself from the heights of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, a sleek ultramodern skyscraper reaching 82-stories into the downtown skyline.

The Cook County medical examiner's office announced the next day it was a suicide, the Chicago Tribune reported. The jumper's name was James Csaszar.

Three hundred miles away, the ugly news jolted suburban Columbus, Ohio. Until November, Csaszar had worked as a Catholic priest at the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, Ohio. Then, after misconduct allegations surfaced about the priest, the 44-year-old was placed on administrative leave.

The investigation into Csaszar will continue despite his death, Ohio law enforcement said.

The Diocese's decision to suspend Csaszar was due to "questionable text and telephone communications with a minor," the church stated in a news release. The Diocese went further to note the charges were also related to a "potential misuse of church funds" while Csaszar was serving at St. Rose of Lima Parish in New Lexington, Ohio.

"Following a diocesan review of the matter, the New Lexington Police were contacted and all information was turned over to them and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for their review," the statement said.

Columbus's 10TV reported New Lexington Police sent an email to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification with the subject line: "inappropriate relationship between Priest and 16yom." According to the station, police were only in the preliminary stages of the investigation at the time of Csaszar's suicide.

Csaszar worked at St. Rose Parish between 2005 and 2016. The Diocese of Columbus's website indicates he was ordained on June 26, 1999.

The priest was evidently an active and well-liked figure in his community, delivering baccalaureate masses to local Catholic high schools and hosting "Catholic Singles on Fire for Christ" mixers.

"You could always talk to him and felt comfortable speaking with him and he was always there to listen to you no matter where he was on the street or what it was," Cheryl Dodson, a New Lexington business owner, told the NBC 4. "He was one of my favorites. Out of all the Catholic priests I've known and affiliated with, he was one of my favorites."

Some church members stuck with Csaszar after the allegations emerged last November. That month, an online petition was started in support of the priest.

"Evidenced, in part, by the attendance at Sunday Mass, Father Jim has been instrumental in growing Church of the Resurrection, in numbers, in spirituality, in community and in service," the posting said. "While we don't know the circumstances and reason for the leave, it is critical that we stay steadfast as a Parish and stay in prayerful support of Father Jim. If you are a Parishioner of The Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, Ohio, please add your name to this petition as a show of your support."

Following the suicide, the Columbus Diocese released a statement this week: "We are reminded throughout sacred scripture that God our Father is loving, merciful, compassionate and forgiving," it said.

"We also know that in his years of priestly ministry Fr. Csaszar did many good things for the people that he served in his parish assignments. And so we ask that everyone pray for Father Csaszar, his family, friends, and parishioners during this most difficult time."
Egypts Grand Mufti Shawki Allam hailed on Friday a historic United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on Thursday calling for the US to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In an official statement, Allam said the sweeping outcome  with 128 countries voting in favour  "reaffirms the international consensus on Palestinian rights and contributes to solidifying those rights internationally and legally."

The all-embracing vote to reject the iniquitous American decision reflects the victory of the will of nations and free countries in fighting the Israeli arrogance and unjust pro-occupation decisions of America, the statement read.

The Islamic leader offered his gratitude to those countries who "supported Palestinian rights and sided with justice, combating attempts to falsify facts."

On Thursday, Al-Azhar, the highest institution of Sunni Islamic learning, said it welcomed the UNGA resolution, saying it affirmed that any decisions or procedures that aim to change the status of Jerusalem are null and lacking in legal effect.

In Thursday's UNGA session, 128 nations voted in favour of the resolution, 9 against, with 35 abstentions. The non-binding resolution called on the US to rescind its 6 December decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The 193-nation assembly voted on a draft resolution reaffirming that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that must be resolved through negotiations and that any unilateral decision on its status must be rescinded.

On Monday, Egypt put forward a draft resolution at the UN Security Council that was vetoed by the US but backed by all 14 other Council members.

Like the Egyptian draft, the text before the UNGA did not mention Trump's decision, but expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem."

Prior to the vote, US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley, said the US would "take note of each and every vote on this issue," signaling potential cuts in US aid for those who voted against Trump's move.

The US provides some $13 billion to countries in the Middle East and North Africa, $6.7 billion to countries in South and Central Asia, $1.5 billion to states in Europe and Eurasia and $2.2 billion to Western Hemisphere countries, according to USAID.



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One of two teenage Wisconsin girls who repeatedly stabbed a classmate to impress a mythical online character named Slender Man was sentenced Dec. 21 to 25 years in a psychiatric institution - the maximum punishment possible, according to the Associated Press.

Annissa Weier, now 16, pleaded guilty in August to second-degree attempted intentional homicide in a deal with prosecutors but claimed she was mentally ill during the attack and not responsible for her actions.

Before her sentencing, Weier apologized, according to the AP.

"I do hold myself accountable for this and that I will do whatever I have to do to make sure I don't get any sort of delusion or whatever again," Weier said. "I want everybody involved to know I deeply regret everything that happened that day. I know that nothing I say is going to make this right and nothing I say is going to fix what I broke."

The case drew national attention in 2014 because of the age of the victim and attackers - all just 12 at the time of the stabbing - and their peculiar motive. Morgan Geyser and Weier lured their classmate, Payton Leutner, into the woods in a Milwaukee suburb after a slumber party. There, Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times with Weier's encouragement.

The attackers both told detectives they needed to kill Leutner to become proxies, or servants, to Slender Man, a demonlike creature they read about online who is often depicted as a spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face. The girls said they were compelled to kill to protect themselves and their families from the demon, and after the slaying planned to run away to the demon's mansion, which they believed was in the Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.

Geyser and Weier were both originally charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a possible sentence of up to 65 years in prison.

Leutner survived the stabbing after crawling out of the woods, where a bicyclist found her and called 911. Leutner was raced to the hospital, where the surgeon who operated on her told ABC's David Muir that the knife had nearly penetrated her heart, missing it by less than a millimeter. Damage to Leutner's diaphragm forced her to use pen and paper to communicate for two days after the surgery because speaking hurt too much.

No one from the Leutner's family addressed the court during the sentencing hearing. A letter from Leutner's mother, Stacie Leutner, was read instead. In it, she detailed her daughter's trauma: how her daughter for months slept with scissors under her pillow for protection and keeps her bedroom windows closed and locked. Leutner fears for her life, her mother wrote.

"She will struggle with the events of that day and physical and emotional scars it left for the rest of her life," Stacie Leutner wrote.

The mother wrote that her daughter wouldn't feel safe if her attackers were released without supervision, and that her daughter "deserves to be allowed to heal in an environment where she feels safe."

Geyser, who stabbed Leutner, will be sentenced in February, according to AP. She pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted intentional homicide and claimed she isn't criminally responsible and should not go to prison. Prosecutors will argue for a sentencing of 40 years in a mental hospital.
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The woman shot and killed by Bexar County deputies Thursday has been identified by her family as Amanda Lenee Jones.

Though county officials have not released her name, Jones' sister, Alley Jones, confirmed to mySA.com Friday that she was the woman killed in Schertz, a suburb of San Antonio. They did not want to immediately comment further.

Jones, 30, had a lengthy criminal history dating back more than a decade in at least three counties.

She had been arrested at least 14 times on various charges before her death at the hands of four deputies, who fatally shot her following a drawn-out foot chase in which she allegedly threatened to shoot them numerous times.

RELATED: 6-year-old dies in Schertz after being struck by bullet in deputy-involved shooting

A stray bullet pierced the the thins wall of a mobile home that Jones had been trying to break into to escape from deputies and struck 6-year-old boy Kameron Prescott in the abdomen. Paramedics rushed him to University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

"It's not definitive whether the round came from one of the deputies' firearms," said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, though he said no weapon was found on Jones following the shooting.

The deadly shootout marked the end of a decade of arrests and imprisonment for Jones. Online jail records indicate Jones's first arrest in Guadalupe County, where she lived, occurred in September 2006 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.

She was arrested on similar charges in January and June of 2009, January 2010, August 2015, and April 2016. Sprinkled in with the drug charges were driving without a license and failing to to identify herself to police.

In August 2016, she was arrested on charges of domestic violence and resisting arrest. Another resisting arrest charge came just a few weeks later. Finally, in February of this year, Jones was arrested on a charge of burglary of a building. Her bond was set at $100,000, an unusually high amount for such a charge.

Her record in Comal County is similar. In November 2006 she was arrested on a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity, and faced various drug charges in May 2009, December 2009 and April 2010.

RELATED: SAPD: Driver ejected as vehicle smashes into Southwest Side used car lot

In Bexar County, she was arrested at least once on another drug possession charge.

She was facing another arrest on Thursday, after a 911 caller informed authorities around 10:48 p.m. that she had allegedly stolen his car and he knew where they could find her.

Deputies found her hiding in a closet at a home in the 11200 block of FM 1518. She allegedly brandished a weapon and threatened to shoot them.

She ran from the home and crossed a creek before dashing into a wooded area, where deputies and K9 units hunted for her for 90 minutes. Salazar said Jones pointed a gun and threatened to shoot deputies several more times.

Jones eventually found her way to the Pecan Grove mobile home park, where she physically threatened residents and tried to break into several homes, as a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter hovered above her, monitoring her every move, Salazar said.

Four deputies confronted her at a home in the 100 block of Peach Lane.

What happened next is not exactly clear.

Salazar said during a press conference that it's believed Jones opened fire on deputies at least once. The four deputies, who ranged from 2-year to 27-year veterans, fired at Jones with handguns and a rifle, killing her. No weapon was found on Jones after the shooting.

Though deputies weren't injured, the sheriff said they were "pretty shaken up" after the shooting and he hugged each of them.

Staff Writers Peggy O'Hare, Fares Sabawi, Alexandro Luna and Lauren Caruba contributed to this story.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns
BARCELONA - Catalonia's separatist parties were poised to hold on to a narrow majority in regional elections on Thursday, according to nearly complete official results, a seeming vindication of their independence drive, which has divided the region and threatened to fracture Spain.

If confirmed, the outcome would be a significant setback for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who invoked emergency powers, ousted the Catalan government and took direct administrative control of the formerly autonomous region after its separatist lawmakers declared independence in October.

Rajoy called the elections hoping to reshuffle the political deck, calculating that Catalan voters would punish the secessionist leaders who had provoked the country's worst constitutional crisis in decades.

That gamble appeared not to have paid off. The three main separatist parties won 70 of the 135 seats in the Catalan parliament, with 85 percent of the votes counted. After months of feuding, Rajoy, Catalonia and indeed all of Spain now end up close to where the crisis started.

Worse for Rajoy, he is now politically wounded, having lost his bet that a sufficiently large majority of Catalans would rally behind his call for Spanish unity to snuff out the secessionist challenge.

Instead, it was Rajoy's Popular Party that was punished, with most unionist votes going to Ciudadanos, a rival party on which Rajoy already depends to keep his minority government alive in Madrid. The Popular Party was on course to win only four seats, ending up last among the main parties, according to the partial results.

The region, which includes Barcelona, the hub of Spain's thriving tourism sector, has harbored desires for independence based on having a distinct language and culture for generations, even if they have ebbed and flowed.

The current standoff is a high-water mark. It has unsettled not only Spain but also its neighbors in the European Union, many of whom are fearful of separatist challenges of their own at a time of rising populism and nationalism. Almost no politician outside of Catalonia has supported the drive for independence.

Perhaps the election's biggest surprise was the strong showing by the recently overhauled party of Carles Puigdemont, the ousted leader of Catalonia, which was on course to win 33 seats in the next regional parliament, one more seat than Esquerra Republicana, the other main separatist party.
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Clifford Irving, whose scheme to publish a phony autobiography of billionaire Howard Hughes created a sensation in the 1970s and stands as one of the all-time literary hoaxes, died after being admitted to hospice care in Florida. He was 87.

Irving's wife, Julie Irving, said he died Tuesday at a hospice near his Sarasota home. She said he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

A novelist of little note in 1971, Irving conned McGraw-Hill publishers into paying him a $765,000 advance for a book about the reclusive Hughes. His elaborate ruse became the subject of the 2006 movie "The Hoax," starring Richard Gere.

Irving served 17 months in federal prison for fraud after Hughes emerged to condemn the work as a fabrication. The bogus autobiography wasn't published until 1999, when it was printed as a private edition.

The scam "was exciting. It was a challenge. It became an adventure," Irving told the Los Angeles Times in 2007.

Time magazine dubbed Irving "Con Man of the Year" in a 1972 cover story.

Irving said the idea of fabricating an autobiography of Hughes came to him after reading a magazine article about the billionaire's eccentric lifestyle. Hughes' hermit-like obsession with his privacy all but guaranteed that the "gorgeous literary caper" would succeed, Irving wrote in "The Hoax," his 2006 account of the scheme.

"Hughes would never be able to surface to deny it, or else he wouldn't bother," he wrote.

Irving put a $765,000 cash advance from McGraw-Hill into a Swiss bank account, opened in the name Helga R. Hughes.

The deception unraveled when reporter James Phelan, writing a book about Hughes, recognized passages of his work in an excerpt from Irving's manuscript of the autobiography.

Hughes then held a telephone conference with reporters during which he repudiated Irving's story. His lawyer sued Irving and his publisher.

At the urging of McGraw-Hill, Swiss authorities investigated the Helga R. Hughes bank account and learned that the deposits had been made by Irving's wife, Edith.

Irving and his collaborator, Richard Suskind, were indicted on fraud charges and were found guilty in June 1972. In addition to his prison term, Irving returned the advance to McGraw-Hill.

Edith Irving served a total of 16 months in U.S. and Swiss jails for fraud.

Born in 1930, Irving grew up on Manhattan's Upper West Side. In all, Irving wrote more than a dozen books. In recent years, he and sixth wife, Julie, lived in Mexico, Colorado and Florida.
The UK announced on Friday it has added the Egyptian terror groups Hasm and Lewaa El-Thawra to its list of proscribed terrorist organizations as part of its continuous efforts to strengthen its response to international terrorism.

In an official press release, the UK Embassy in Cairo said the UK government has concluded that these groups meet its criteria for proscription after reviewing evidence of attacks carried out by the two groups against Egyptian security forces and public figures.

The embassy added that the proscription will enhance the UK governments capacity to disrupt the activities of these terrorist organisations.

We said we will not leave Egypt alone on the frontline in its battle against terrorism and we meant it. Today we use the full force of UK law against two terrorist groups that have murdered many in Egypt and are the enemy of us all, UK envoy to Egypt John Casson said, adding that the designation would strengthen joint efforts to uproot terrorism and the ideologies that feed it.

Hasm, which has been designated by Egypt as a terror group in February 2017 following a court order, has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Egyptian security personnel in recent months, mostly targeting police checkpoints.

Egyptian security forces have arrested and killed dozens of suspected Hasm members in the past few months, with officials linking the group to the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

In November 2016, the once little-known armed group Lewaa al-Thawra (Revolution Brigade) claimed responsibility for the assassination of a top Egyptian army commander of Sinai-based forces outside his home in the outskirts of Cairo.

Egypt's police announced a month later that its forces had killed two of the assassins during a shootout with police at a farm in Menoufiya's El-Sadat City, north of Cairo.

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Congratulations, Republicans. Now you have your own Obamacare.

Emerging from their caucus meeting in the Capitol basement Tuesday morning, House Republicans were jubilant about their tax bill, which cleared Congress on Wednesday.

Its a total winner, said Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va. And I never lie.

Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., a urologist, announced: This is good medicine for America.

And for that prescription, added Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., You dont need a second opinion.

Dont you?

The deeply unpopular bill has the support of only a third of Americans, most of whom (correctly) perceive that its a giveaway to rich people and big corporations.

Any concerns that this wont translate into a political win for Republicans? ABC Newss Mary Bruce asked House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. No concerns whatsoever, Ryan replied.

He blamed the bills unpopularity on opponents and the media spreading mistruths and said opinions will improve when people experience whats in the bill.

Where have I heard this before? Ah, yes, it was March 2010, as Obamacare was about to clear the House. Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said people should look beyond the controversies surrounding the bill, to when people experience its very exciting benefits. We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, she said.

Obamacare did much of what was advertised, and its popularity grew. But it didnt do everything that was promised, and anything Americans didnt like about the health care system became the fault of Obamacare, even if unrelated to the law. Now, Republicans are making impossibly high promises, and if anything goes wrong  if the economy doesnt boom, wages dont soar and the middle class doesnt rebound  it will be the fault of this legislation, soon to be labeled the Trump Tax by Democrats.

The parallels are eerie. In 2010, as now, lawmakers who drafted the legislation were confident it would be transformational. Then, as now, the legislation passed on an entirely partisan basis, with the opposition complaining about a hurried process and side deals.

Actually, the Trump Tax is in worse shape than Obamacare was. In March 2009, the Quinnipiac poll found opposition to Obamacare exceeded support by nine points; the latest Quinnipiac poll finds opposition to the tax bill exceeding support by 29 points.

Republicans worked hard to convince Americans that Obamacare was a transfer of wealth from the middle class to the poor. Democrats can now argue, truthfully, that the Trump Tax is a transfer of income from the middle class to the wealthy and big business. Under the law, the middle fifth of American households will see an average increase in after-tax income next year of $930, while the top 1 percent get an average increase of $51,140, according to the Tax Policy Center. The rich even get a greater proportional increase in after-tax income: 2.3 percent, compared with 1.4 percent for the middle class.

While the forgotten man Trump lured with phony populism gets little benefit, the things that bothered the forgotten man about the tax code  a tangled mess of loopholes for businesses, the rich and Wall Street  remain intact. This will be a bigger albatross for Republicans than Obamacare was for Democrats, argues Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson.

On top of that, Republicans now have claimed ownership of health care. The tax bill kills the individual mandate that underpinned Obamacare, which will leave 13 million additional people without coverage.

Tuesday morning, Ryan declared (falsely) that the bill would especially benefit middle-income families. He said it would bid up wages, repatriate jobs, provide economic growth of 3 percent a year and create upward mobility.

Maybe hes right and all those blue-chip economists and the nonpartisan analyses by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Congressional Budget Office and others are wrong. Maybe growth will dramatically exceed forecasts, millions will enter the labor force and find work, wages will soar and the $1.5 trillion tax bill will pay for itself. But if all that doesnt happen, the Trump Tax will be blamed.

Dana Milbank writes a column for the Washington Post.
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The public corruption trial of former San Antonio Independent School District trustee Olga Hernandez offered a disturbing insight into local school board politics.

Although the jury acquitted Hernandez on charges of conspiracy to commit honest service wire fraud and conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes, the activities detailed during the federal court proceedings raise serious concerns about how some school board members interpret local ethics rules.

Testimony in the weeklong trial painted a troubling picture of an inner-city school district where personal interaction between vendors and board members developed and close relationships were forged with little regard to professional ethics.

COMMENTARY: Lessons not lost after trial of school board trustee

Hernandez testified she considered the plane tickets, complimentary hotel stays, jewelry, meals and campaign contributions she received from those connected with a local insurance brokerage firm doing business with the school district as favors from friends.

This might be more relevant if they had all been friends prior to her election to the board. However, the former school district employee, who was serving her third term when she resigned following her indictment in February, told the court she became friends with insurance broker Sam Mullen, his associates and their families only after making their acquaintance at school board conferences.

Regrettably, it is not unusual for companies and law firms that do business with school districts to show up at school board conferences across the state and spend big bucks wining and dining clients. Its all perfectly legal, but falls short of the smell test.

Compounding these type of problems is the lack of political experience and knowledge of the law among most school board members. The education levels of school trustees vary significantly; they come from all walks of life and have diverse backgrounds and experience.

That diversity is an invaluable asset, but also leads to governance issues.

Lawyers who serve as legal counsel to elected boards owe it to their clients to fully inform them about the law regarding interaction with their vendors. The cozy relationships that often develop can lead to serious legal issues. For the sake of clean government, trustees need to keep their relationships with vendors on a professional level while in office.

READ MORE: Judge finds former San Antonio ISD trustee not guilty in bribery case

The jury found Hernandez not guilty, but we note that Mullen, his former employee Joshua Cerna and William Haff, an SAISD consultant Mullen paid for inside information, have pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges.

They have admitted to participating in a conspiracy to have SAISD insurance contracts sent their way. They implicated Hernandez in that scheme, saying the gifts she was given were intended to sway her vote on contracts.

Hernandez was the only elected official charged in this case, but there were several other former and current board members who benefited from the insurance companys largesse who were named during the trial.

It is worrisome that such a culture was allowed to develop, but even more troubling is the fact that it was considered acceptable behavior.

We hope the jury verdict in this case does not send the wrong message to elected board members. Board rules and procedures are open to interpretation. They cant regulate common sense or moral behavior. But they can and should focus on keeping business and social lives separate.

A simple rule of thumb: If you are a public official and someone has business before your public entity, dont accept gifts.

Not illegal in this case? OK, but it sure looks awful and does not inspire confidence that the public business is being done free of conflicts of interest. And thats bad public policy.
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Development company NRP Group has sued the owner of the Lone Star Brewery for not refunding a $550,000 deposit after a deal to buy land for an apartment complex at the site fell through.

The lawsuit is more bad news in what has turned into an tumultuous year for the brewery. Construction was supposed to start last summer on a highly-anticipated $300 million project to rehabilitate the dilapidated site into retail shops, office space, apartments and a hotel, but the effort collapsed after its developer withdrew from the project.

NRP, a Cleveland-based company that is one of the most active multifamily developers in San Antonio, entered a contract with the owner, Lone Star Brewery Development Inc., in August 2016 to buy 2.4 acres at the brewery. The deal fell through after Lone Star didnt meet its obligation to negotiate easements and construction rights that NRP needed to build on the land, according to court documents filed earlier this month.

RELATED: Lone Star Brewery saved from foreclosure auction

NRP canceled the contract and asked for a refund of its $550,000 deposit, according to the filing. The company says it hasnt been able to even get a response from the property owner, a subsidiary of Houston investment company Parkview Capital Credit.

NRP terminated the contract and demanded a refund of its deposit payments, the lawsuit reads. Because Lone Star has refused to pay  or even to respond to the demand  NRP filed this suit.

Representatives of NRP declined to comment, and Parkviews CEO, Keith W. Smith, didnt respond to a request for comment.

The brewerys troubles started around June, when national retail developer CBL & Associates withdrew from the rehabilitation project after learning that its partner, Mark Smith of San Marcos-based Aqualand Development, had a history of legal and financial troubles. Parkview took control of Lone Star Brewery Development  and, as a result, the Lone Star property  from Aqualand that month, according to federal securities filings.

The brewery was scheduled to be sold at foreclosure auction in November after Parkview defaulted on a $7.4 million loan. But the lender, Houston firm NCC Financial, canceled the sale shortly before the auction.

Kendrick James, a lawyer for NCC, said on Thursday that Parkview was up to date with its loan payments. The loan is slated to mature soon, and Parkview is trying to refinance it, he said.

I dont know what theyre doing with the project, he said. I havent talked to them.

RELATED: NRP group plans apartments at Lone Star Brewery despite stalled project

NRP was supposed to close on the 2.4-acre property in December 2016, according to the court filing. Dan Markson, NRPs senior vice president of development, said last year that the company planned to build a five-story, 250-unit apartment complex on the site and that it hoped to build at least six residential buildings in the area in the long-term. It completed another complex, The Flats at Big Tex, near the brewery last year, and it plans to build another, Rio Lofts, farther south on the San Antonio River.

When NRP went under contract to buy the 2.4-acre property, Lone Star Brewery Development agreed to get the cooperation of an adjacent landowner for infrastructure to be built for the proposed apartment complex, according to the filing. But it was later confirmed that Lone Star Brewery Development itself owned the adjacent property, the filing says.

The rehabilitation project would have created hundreds of apartments, a boutique hotel, 105,000 square feet of office space and 271,000 square feet of retail shops at the brewery. South Side residents and leaders hoped it would rejuvenate the area, much as the Pearl has done for neighborhoods north of downtown.

The 35-acre brewery has been the subject of at least four failed revitalization projects since it brewed its last beer in 1996.
A total of 128 countries voted against US President Donald Trump's recent decision on Jerusalem, with 35 abstaining and only 9 voting against the resolution at the UN General Assembly emergency session

National leaders from across the world have issued statements welcoming the UN General Assembly resolution on Thursday that called on the United States to reverse its recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A total of 128 countries  a sizeable majority  defied US President Donald Trump and voted in favour of a resolution calling for the US to reverse its controversial decision on Jerusalem. Following the UNGA vote, leaders from several nations expressed their satisfaction at the outcome.

A spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called it "a victory for Palestine".

French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre said in a statement: "The resolution adopted today only confirms relevant international law provisions on Jerusalem." France voted in favour of the resolution.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet that the vote was a clear international rejection of the Trump administration's "thuggish intimidation".

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, said on Thursday that he expected US President Donald Trump's administration to rescind without delay its "unfortunate decision" to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In comments on Twitter, Erdogan said after the vote that he welcomed the "overwhelming support" for the resolution.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the resolution as "preposterous."

"Jerusalem is our capital, always was, always will be. But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theatre of the absurd," he said in a video on his Facebook page.

US isolated amid threats

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump reversed decades of US policy by announcing that the US recognised Jerusalem  home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites  as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour of Thursday's UNGA vote rejecting his move. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Trump's threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.

Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure. Some of those allies, like Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of US military or economic aid, although the US threat to cut aid did not single out any country.

"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation," US.Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the 193-member General Assembly ahead of Thursday's vote.

"We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations, and so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit," she said.

Later on Thursday, Haley asked the 64 countries who voted no, abstained or did not cast a vote to come to a 3 January reception "to thank you for your friendship to the United States," according to the invitation seen by Reuters.

Israel seized control of the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move that has never been recognised by the international community.

The Palestinians have long demanded occupied East Jerusalem for the capital of their future state.

Foreign relations on the line

Among those countries that abstained were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.

Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo joined the United States and Israel in voting no.

Trump's rhetoric on cutting aid startled some US allies but State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Thursday's vote was just one factor that Washington would take into consideration in its foreign policy.

"I just wanted to reiterate what the president had said yesterday and that that was the UN vote is really not the only factor that the administration would take into consideration in dealing with our foreign relations and countries who have chosen to vote one way or the other," she told reporters.

According to figures from the US government's aid agency USAID, in 2016 the United States provided some $13 billion in economic and military assistance to countries in sub-Saharan Africa and $1.6 billion to states in East Asia and Oceania.

It provided some $13 billion to countries in the Middle East and North Africa, $6.7 billion to countries in South and Central Asia, $1.5 billion to states in Europe and Eurasia and $2.2 billion to Western Hemisphere countries, according to USAID.

The General Assembly vote was called at the request of Arab and Muslim countries after the United States vetoed the same resolution on Monday in the 15-member UN Security Council.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the United States or Trump but which expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem."

Thursday's resolution "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded."

The UN action comes a year after the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

That was approved with 14 votes in favour and an abstention by former US President Barack Obama's administration, which defied heavy pressure from longtime ally Israel and Trump, who was then president-elect, for Washington to wield its veto.

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A DARING placard-waving engineer labelled President Emmerson Mnangagwa a murderer, while describing former Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantino Chiwenga as a diamond thief during last weeks Zanu PF extra-ordinary congress in Harare.

Gustaff Kativhu appeared before Harare magistrate Josephine Sande yesterday facing charges of insulting Mnangagwa and Chiwenga. Kativhu, who is being represented by lawyer and MDC-T executive member Job Sikhala, had his bail application stalled pending psychiatric examination by two government doctors.

Your Worship, my client has no mental health issues which the State alluded to over his behaviour in court on initial remand. It was due to post-psychological trauma after he was assaulted by a group of Zanu PF criminals and thugs at their congress in the presence of police officers recently, Sikhala said.

But the State maintained it was satisfied that Kativhu should be examined because of his behaviour. Sande postponed the matter to January 4, saying she would consider Kativhus bail application if the State fails to send him for mental examination before the remand date.

It is the States case that on December 15 this year, Zanu PF held an extraordinary congress at the Robert Mugabe Square, which endorsed Mnangagwa as its first secretary and presidential candidate in the forthcoming 2018 harmonised elections.

The State alleges at around 2pm, Kativhu arrived at the venue and was observed heading towards the VIP tent displaying three placards on both hands.

It is alleged the placards were inscribed: Another 37 years of no jobs; Election by UN or else 2008; Chiwenga, dont beat vendors give them jobs; Mnangagwa, Chiwenga diamond mafia; Mnangagwa killed my friend and Zanu PF is giving your jobs to Chinese.

As a result, Kativhu was arrested and his placards were confiscated. Kativhu once claimed that he was the one whom United Family International Church leader Emmanuel Makandiwa had prophesied about, saying the person who would lead Zimbabwe after former President Robert Mugabe would come from the Diaspora.

Kativhu is an engineer by profession and had lived in the Middle East for close to a decade. Sebastian Mutizirwa appeared for the State. Newsday

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Zimbabwe is now open for investment in all sectors and the new administration led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa is doing everything possible to create a conducive environment for investors by amending various pieces of legislation.

Addressing a highly-subscribed business meeting on his maiden foreign assignment here yesterday, President Mnangagwa said it was no longer business as usual in Zimbabwe.

He appealed to Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to return home and exploit business opportunities presented by the new dispensation.

Zimbabwe is open for business. Yes, there will be political issues, but primarily its economics and trade for Zimbabwe. To achieve that, we need to revisit our own legislation in Zimbabwe to open for business, he said.

With my team, we first began to look at the indigenisation legislation. We are in the process of amending and updating that legislation, but we allowed the Minister of Finance (Patrick Chinamasa) to announce a major shift to that policy with regards to extractive industry in Zimbabwe. In the past, the policy was that investors coming to Zimbabwe were required to agree to 51 percent for Zimbabwe and 49 percent for the investor, he said.

We have now changed to limit that application to two minerals only which we believe for now we do not have adequate technology or knowhow to access the quantum of those minerals, that is platinum and diamonds. We have reserved those two minerals so that question of 51/49 applies to those but for the rest of other 19 minerals in Zimbabwe is totally open.

President Mnangagwa said there was still a reserved sector for locals comprising businesses that do not require special skills. He said they had given discretion for special circumstances in cases that could require a Government waiver.

President Mnangagwa outlined several businesses opportunities presented by the new dispensation. He said Government had already awarded a US$400 million contract for the refurbishment of the National Railway of Zimbabwe to Zimbabweans in the Diaspora but the area had other vast opportunities.

In the area of railway, we need to refurbish, modernise the current network in the country. Secondly, we need to introduce a new network of railways in Zimbabwe and thirdly we need to construct the railways because both Maputo and Beira are now congested. Durban is also congested, the President said. The Herald

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Zimbabweans today celebrate Unity Day, with Zanu-PF urging people to move away from divisive factional politics and focus on economic development.

The revolutionary partys affiliates weighed in saying Zimbabweans should take advantage of the new political dispensation and unite for economic prosperity.

Unity Day is celebrated on December 22 every year in honour of the Unity Accord signed by the countrys two liberation icons, former President Cde Robert Mugabe and the late Vice President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.

The accord signed on December 22, 1987 brought together liberation parties Zanu-PF and PF-ZAPU to form a united Zanu-PF.

The two liberation parties had prosecuted the liberation struggle per their liberation names ZANLA and ZIPRA. Zanu-PF spokesman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo yesterday said the Unity Accord had no provision for factionalism and should be defended at all costs.

Efforts to derail it must be discouraged. The letter and spirit of the Accord must be respected. The Unity Accord has no provision for factionalism. I have at all party conferences and other fora spoken hard against factionalism, corruption, tribalism, regionalism and racism. The party constitution remains supreme, he said.

Cde Khaya Moyo said the Unity Accord should be the heartbeat of our body politic. We have often heard of the existence of factions within our revolutionary party. No one should lead or belong to a faction. A principled cadre can only belong to the party with one leader. In Zanu-PF, our leader is Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa and no one else, he said.

The recently held Extraordinary Congress of our glorious and revolutionary party Zanu-PF ratified this fact. It is therefore incumbent upon all of us to celebrate Unity Day by reflecting and stock taking our actions as we endeavour to fully subscribe to our partys motto; Unity, Peace and Development.

He said focus should be on the implementation of ZimAsset. Pretenders have no room in Zanu-PF. Corruption has no room in Zanu-PF. Those who give lip-service to the revolution will regret their actions. After the successful hosting of our Extraordinary Congress last week, may I take liberty on behalf of the Zanu-PF leadership to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous 2018, Cde Khaya Moyo said.

Womens League secretary Cde Mabel Chinomona said every one should play a part to ensure unity. Its no longer unity between ZANU and ZAPU, it now involves everyone. The day is a coming at a time when we have just entered into a new political dispensation.

There were a lot of disagreements amongst people and the Zimbabwean family had been divided by the G40 cabal. Some were not sure which direction to take but we need to unite and build our country. We do not like unnecessary fights; we have to forgive and accept each other, she said.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association spokesman Cde Douglas Mahiya said Unit Day recognised the fundamental principles of the revolution.

It is these fundamentals that must unite people. It must be understood that the initial people who united were ZIPRA and ZANLA forces before the unity reached the political level. It must be noted that united we stand, divided we fall and as such Zimbabweans at all levels must unite. We must leave our differences and forge ahead to see the new dispensation paying dividend, he said.

Zimbabwe Ex-political Prisoners Detainees Restrictees Association chairman Cde Victor Kuretu said: It is a day we cherish which is coming at an appropriate time we are celebrating the coming in of a new Zimbabwe. This is the right time and a fresh start which should see us uniting and working towards one goal of development.

Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborators vice chairperson Cde Josephine Gandiya weighed in: Today we have a Zimbabwe with a vision that is beyond regional, tribal or sectional interests and we are happy that in this new dispensation, our leader, Cde Mnangagwa is calling for unity. No more Mashonaland, no more Matabeleland. These are mere administrative boundaries and nothing more. Provinces have lined up different activities to mark the day. The Herald

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said he had forgiven all but three members of the vanquished G40 cabal as he urged Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to come back home to help rebuild the country.

Mnangagwa travelled to South Africa on his first foreign trip as head of State, visiting a country where he sought refuge after being fired as deputy president early last month.

He travelled to South Africa yesterday morning to persuade investors that economically struggling Zimbabwe is an attractive business prospect after the November 21, resignation of former leader Robert Mugabe, whose 37-year rule ended after a military takeover.

Mnangagwa met South African President Jacob Zuma and remarked that he was happy to be back in the country.

The former spy chief fled to South Africa after Mugabe dismissed him during factional fighting in Zimbabwes ruling party.

The firing prompted a backlash against Mugabe and Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe, where he was sworn in as president.

Mnangagwa delivered a powerful mea culpa in the climactic highlight of protests against him outside the embassy.

Whatever wrong we might have done to you, we need to forgive I have forgiven the cabal and they are in the country except for only three who remain outside and still saying funny things but all that will soon come to an end, Mnangagwa said.

Jonathan Moyo, the former Higher and Tertiary Education minister was the alleged G40 faction chief strategist, together with Saviour Kasukuwere and Patrick Zhuwao.

Moyo has repeatedly lashed out at Mnangagwa on microblogging site Twitter, claiming the incumbent was under a false sense of victory that would soon come to an end.

Currently in the sanctuary of self-imposed exile, Moyo warned Mnangagwa that if he thought he had succeeded in taking over power, he has not seen anything yet.

Only an idiot would think it is smart for a genocidal junta to violently shoot itself into power to install a fellow genocidal gukurahundist under the mantra of stockholder entitlement, he wrote on Twitter recently.

If you and your lot think that will last, then you aint seen nothing yet; come rain or shine! he said.

Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was now open for business and that his government was in the process of repealing polices that scared away investors such as the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act that compelled foreign investors to cede 51 percent of their shareholding in local firms to locals.

We are 16 to 18 years behind other nations and we do not have to reinvent the wheel but we need to work hard to catch up and overtake others so that we can proudly walk around the world as proud Zimbabweans, Mnangagwa said. Daily News

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Hundreds of Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) Holdings employees yesterday held demonstrations at their headquarters in protest over a string of energy deals entered between flamboyant businessman Wicknell Chivayo and the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC)  a subsidiary of the power utility firm.

Apart from demonstrating against Chivayo, the employees also wanted Zesa to address their grievances including implementing a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) of 2012.

The High Court recently barred the Zesa employees from going on strike.

Chivayo has been staring down the barrel over the past few weeks over the power deals which he signed with the ZPC  which have come under the spotlight after his company, Intratek Zimbabwe, apparently failed to deliver on them.

Among the deals, the burly businessman  who is often referred to by his associates as Sir Wicknell  was awarded a $200 million tender for the Gwanda Solar Project.

ZPC senior management now stand accused of advancing $5 million to him for this projects pre-commencement works, despite Chivayo not providing a performance guarantee as required by law.

The performance guarantee acts as financial security and is supposed to be presented by the contractor before the commencement of works. It insulates the client in the event that the contractor fails to fulfil obligations set out in the contract.

Before yesterdays demonstrations, Zesa employees had wanted to go on strike but were barred by the high court.

The employees accused the company  in their notice announcing their bid to demonstrate dated December 8, 2017  of ignoring their concerns and demands.

We wrote a letter of demand to the Zesa CEO,but no serious effort has been made by the employer to attend to our demands, major amongst them accounting for the money given to one,  Chivayo, senseless tariff increases and refusal by the employer to implement the 2012 CBA (collective bargaining agreement), the employees said.

Some of the tenders include a tender for the refurbishment of the Harare Power Station at a cost of $73 million, $163 million for the restoration of the Munyati Power Station and $248 million for the Gairezi Power project.

The employees said they were bitter that the company was seized with a bid to patronise former first lady Grace Mugabe at the expense of crucial issues that are key to production.

Following the notice from the employees, Zesa Holdings wrote to Public Service minister Petronella Kagonye challenging the workers decision to strike.

We view the intended demonstration being orchestrated by the(Energy Sector Workers Union of Zimbabwe) as a threat of collective job action which falls short of the requirements of the provisions of the Labour Act and therefore unlawful.

The intended collective job action is likely to negatively affect the operations of the organisation. Zesa falls within the category of an essential service in which workers are barred from engaging in collective job action.

Accordingly, in terms of Section 106 (1) of the Labour Act, we hereby apply for the issuance of a show cause order against the Energy Sector Workers Union of Zimbabwe calling upon it to show cause why a disposal should not be made in relation thereto.

We also propose in terms of 106 (2) (a) (b) of the Act that pending the issuance of the disposal order, the unlawful collective action concerned be terminated or postponed or suspended, the letter dated December 14 reads.

Zesa Holdings through its lawyer Taona Sibanda, went on to file an urgent chamber application against the Energy Sector Workers Union of Zimbabwe, seeking to stop the demonstration, which had initially been slated for December 15.

According to Rufaro Pasipanodya, the companys head of corporate services, the union wrote to Zesa Holdings on November 27, 2017, demanding what it called accountability and restoration of corporate legacy.

The background of this matter is that on or about December 15, 2017, the applicant (Zesa Holdings) gathered through its internal intelligence and security that members associating themselves with the respondent (Energy Sector Workers Union of Zimbabwe) were bent on embarking on a collective job action. Applicant promptly engaged the Ministry of Labour (for) a show cause order against the respondents, Pasipanodya said.

High Court judge Happious Zhou went on to give an interim order, barring them from striking.

Pending determination of the matter, the applicant is granted the following relief: pending the finalisation and determination of the show cause order proceedings held by the ministry of Labour on Monday December 18, 2017, the respondents and all those operating and acting through it be and are hereby prohibited from conducting a collective job action against the applicant, Zhou said. Daily News

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Zanu PF MP for Buhera South Joseph Chinotimba has reprimanded MDC legislator for Kuwadzana East Nelson Chamisa, saying as a pastor he must not be globetrotting bad-mouthing the country.

Chinotimba told legislators that Chamisa must clarify to the National Assembly the purpose of his visit to Washington where he addressed the US Foreign Relations Committee.

I saw one of my pastors who went to America, who is also a Member of Parliament. He was seeking audience to say soldiers should be removed  he said a lot of things Instead of inviting investors to come to Zimbabwe and invest, so I wanted to say to him, as a pastor, should he move around speaking about the removal of soldiers from one place or the other.

When he stood up he did not even acknowledge that his mission to America was successfulwe want to know why he visited America, to just hallucinate there. Surely if Members of Parliament continue to hallucinate, the economy will not stabilise, Chinotimba said.

National Assembly speaker Jacob Mudenda said: If you want serious debate on such issues relating to international affairs, you can bring that under a motion.

This comes as an MDC Alliance delegation which included, Chamisa and Tendai Biti delivered a moving testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health policy in Washington DC last week Tuesday.

In a joint statement, Chamisa and Biti said they we were on a patriotic duty to ensure that Zimbabwe gets back into business again, particularly if we are able to bring back African and international confidence by running a truly credible election next year.

During this trip, we met business and political leaders in Africa and beyond. We made presentations to various bodies, including the US Foreign Relations Committee, exhorting them to assist this country in its return to legitimacy which is the only way we can unlock the political and economic handcuffs currently arresting the nation, they said. Daily News

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A team of UN rights experts said Friday they were "deeply disturbed" by atrocities committed by all warring parties in South Sudan and called for perpetrators to be brought to justice.

During a 12-day visit to the country, which this month entered its fifth year of a devastating conflict, the team encountered harrowing tales of torture, revenge killings, abduction of women and children and sexual violence.

"We are deeply disturbed by what we witnessed and heard throughout our visit. The deprivation and range of sexual violence are hard to describe, people are targeted and suffering just for being who they are," one of the rights commissioners, Andrew Clapham, said in a statement.

The statement came a day after main warring parties meeting in Addis Ababa agreed to implement a ceasefire from December 24, during negotiations billed as a "last chance" to stop the conflict.

The rights commission welcomed the call to lay down arms but "remains gravely concerned over the lack of accountability for serious crimes which is fuelling impunity throughout the country," said team chair Yasmin Sooka.

"Those responsible for this war against civilians must be stopped with the perpetrators of these horrific acts brought to justice."

In the northwestern city of Wau, an 89-year-old widow told the team how her husband and two sons were shot in front of her, while a 60-year old woman recounted being gang raped by several soldiers and left for dead.

The commission also heard of young men being gang-raped or forced to rape relatives in front of family members.

"Those perpetrating these crimes seem to be intent on breaking all social norms resulting in societies being torn apart," said Sooka.

The team of rights experts is due to release a full report on its findings in March next year.

South Sudan's leaders fought for decades for independence, but once they achieved it in 2011, a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar led to all out civil war in 2013.

A peace deal was signed two years later but collapsed in July 2016 when fresh fighting in the capital Juba forced then first vice president Machar into exile.

The renewed conflict saw violence spread across the country, and armed groups multiplying.

Tens of thousands have been killed and some four million displaced since the war began.

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa acted unconstitutionally by flying to South Africa yesterday on an official visit before appointing his deputies, law experts have said, warning that if anything befalls him, it may have detrimental consequences for the administrative State given that there is no clear successor by operation of law.

While Mnangagwa has been quick to select his Cabinet, it has taken him inordinately much longer to fill the two top-level vice president positions in the State an indication that the issue might have become a hot potato in Zanu PF.

The chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda said in a statement yesterday that in the absence of Mnangagwa, Environment, Water and Climate minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri had been appointed acting president.

His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,Mnangagwa, has proceeded to the Republic of South Africa on a one day working visit, to meet with his counterpart, the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency, Jacob Gedyeyehlekisa Zuma, Sibanda said in a statement to the Daily News yesterday.

During his absence and in terms of Section 100 (1) (c)(i) of the Constitution, the president has designated the minister of Environment, Water and Climate, the honourable Muchinguri-Kashiri, as acting president of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

Constitutional law expert Lovemore Madhuku told the Daily News that the VP vacancies have potentially far-reaching implications for constitutional and administrative law.

The president is acting unconstitutionally  its a critical position. The Constitution says the president must without delay appoint VPs. The first appointment he should have made, according to the Constitution, is the VPs, not ministers. He cant appoint ministers before appointing VPs.

He committed a serious illegality by failing to appoint VPs; he has no constitutional reasons. In fact, his reasons are invalid, reasoned Madhuku.

He said the Constitution envisages a situation where the president and his deputies appoint ministers and assigns functions to them, including the administration of any Act of Parliament or of any ministry or department, but the president may reserve to himself or herself the administration of an Act, ministry or department.

Madhuku alleged there has been a cocktail of illegalities by the new president, including taking oath as State president without the mandate of his party.

In his closing speech at the Zanu PF congress, he indicated that he was not yet president, Madhuku said.

Mnangagwa told the extraordinary congress: Today I address you as the partys president and first secretary subject to the ratification of the resolution of central committee meeting that sat on November 19, 2017.

On November 19, Zanu PFs central committee dismissed Robert Mugabe as party leader, and replaced him with the reinstated Mnangagwa.

It also expelled Grace Mugabe and senior Generation 40 leaders from the party, and reinstated membership for all those subjected to disciplinary measures since 2014.

Madhuku said appointing Muchinguri-Kashiri acting president was even more scandalous.

He said while Muchinguri-Kashiri was the most senior Zanu PF official in Cabinet after Mnangagwa, the chief secretary cannot invoke Section 100 (1) (c)(i) of the Constitution to clothe the illegality.

They cant rely on that section, Madhuku said.

Its not designed for a president who has no VP. That section, it assumes there is a VP who is unable to exercise his function maybe because of ill-health then a minister can be appointed. It doesnt apply before a VP has been appointed. He cant leave the country before he appoints a VP. A president who hasnt appointed mustnt leave the country. The Constitution does not contemplate a situation where the president appoints Cabinet before VPs, he opined.

Madhuku said despite affecting important areas of public policy, the vacancies in the VP positions have other serious implications.

If something happens, there is no successor by operation of law, Madhuku said.

By the way, Oppah is not acting as vice president, there is no vice president. So, say Mnangagwa dies in a plane crash, it will create serious problems. It wont be automatic that Oppah becomes a successor. They are creating unnecessary problems, the University of Zimbabwe law professor added, warning of detrimental consequences.

He is running the country like a tuck shop, Madhuku said. Proper head of State material would ensure that by now you have VPs. Thats the formal thing to do. This is unconstitutional, it has serious dangers. Mnangagwa is creating recipe for instability in the country.

Political scientist Tamuka Chirimambowa said in a situation where the president becomes hospitalised or otherwise and is not able to make decisions, the country would have a serious problem as the power vacuum becomes real.

It may render the Executive dysfunctional. It may potentially open avenues for bitter contestation of who is in charge because it may have been left open. We have to remember that power vacuums and uncertainty have always bred disaster after disaster in politics, said Chirimambowa.

The Bond Coup drama of the last two months or so was a result of the perceived power vacuum and uncertainty on succession in ruling party and government. In this case, the new administration has to be more alive to this reality than anyone and leave no power vacuum even if it means the president may be absent even for a second. Its something that the new Czar needs to quickly sort out. Continuing the culture of governance hinged on uncertainty and suspense may be playing Russian Roulette if not handled properly, he continued.

Civil rights campaigner and analyst Gladys Hlatywayo disagreed.

She said there was no power vacuum, adding the real president is in the country.

Let us not be fooled. This is a military junta and not a civilian government. So where Mnangagwa goes in my opinion is immaterial. The real power resides in the military, she said, tongue in cheek.

The military has been directly involved in guiding both the ruling party and the governments new direction.

Piers Pigou, southern African director of the International Crisis Group, said he gets a sense that the hold-up in the appointments of VPs was because of former Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantino Chiwengas shift from the army to politics.

Regarded by many as the power behind Mnangagwa, Chiwenga has signalled that the military is now a direct political player, with many anticipating that he will be appointed one of the two VPs after his retirement by the president and pending redeployment confirmed as part of the military leadership reconfiguration announced this week.

I dont think we should read too much into it, notwithstanding concerns that these differences between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, especially with respect to strengthening powers of the VP and guarantees of succession, Pigou said.

It appears to be in the interest of both to resolve this quickly as possible. The longer it drags on, however, the more speculation it will generate that there are two centres of power.

Spokesperson of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC, Obert Gutu, said it is really strange that Zimbabwe still does not have VPs.

This betrays the fact that there are a lot of things taking place behind the scenes regarding the appointment of VPs. There is too much jostling for these top posts. President Mnangagwa is in a very tight spot.

He has to appease the military top dogs who brought him into power and at the same time, he doesnt want it to appear like his government is a de facto military administration. The balancing act is proving very difficult to play, Gutu told the Daily News.

United Kingdom-based Zimbabwean academic George Shire said the thing about ED is that he does not like to be micro-managed and does not want to be seen to be rushed by anybody so again we are gonna (sic) have to get used to waiting and playing the long game.

He wants to be ahead of events. He knows that you guys want him to name the VPs because you have already decided who it will be and my guess is he will want to do things his own way in his own time. There is a new boss in town, Shire said. DailyNews

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'Tales of the Copper Coast' is the title of the recently-launched third book from Clonmel author Aileen Atcheson.

This work of fiction follows the publication of her previous books 'Scrouthea' and 'Castles Falling'.

Aileen's third book tells the story of Ruth, who has spent her life working in Clonmel. Recently retired, her routine begins to change when she becomes friendly with the vivacious Rachel Ferguson and her husband Tony.

Rachel's warm and sociable demeanour lifts those around her, and Ruth's social life soon becomes more exciting.

However, when tragedy strikes the town, it is Ruth who provides support to those who need it most. Her caring nature leads her to encounter a number of people from various backgrounds who need her help.

With her love of storytelling and Irish history, Ruth acknowledges characters past and present when she shares her tales of the Copper Coast, in Co. Waterford.

Aileen Atcheson was inspired to write the book from stories gleaned from her life spent in Clonmel and as a visitor to Bonmahon, on the Copper Coast.

"You could write a chapter about every two streets in Clonmel", she says.

Despite the title, the book contains several references to Clonmel including Hickey's Bakery, the Church of Ireland, Sr. Joachim, Meals on Wheels, Mary Aikenhead Social Services, Dr. Pat O'Callaghan and the White Memorial Theatre, as well as the town's streets.

'Tales from the Copper Coast', which was launched by Deputy Seamus Healy, is now on sale at 8 from Carris in O'Connell Street, Clonmel and on Eason's website.
Townspeople of Cashel are looking forward to the day when they can walk uninterrupted from the Courthouse in Hogan Square, through the Cashel Palace grounds up to the Rock, and around the Circular Road to the scenic Hore Abbey, heard this month's Municipal District Meeting.

The transformation of the Circular Road at the back of the Rock of Cashel has been progressing in recent months, Senior Engineer Aidan Finn told the meeting.

The development is being welcomed by locals and visitors alike, said Cllr Tom Wood.

Its envisaged to have a walkway from Cashel Courthouse in Hogan Square, through the Cashel Palace grounds to the Rock, connecting to the Circular Road pedestrian walkway, creating a loop around the town.

Its going to be a huge advantage. It was discussed at Cashel Town Council level for decades. It will transform Cashel to a huge degree, and give a fabulous view of the Hore Abbey. It will be beneficial, especially for people who like a short stroll. Cllr Roger Kennedy said he would like to compliment all the staff for the work done in 2017. Its been phenomenal. The amount of work achieved on the Circular Road has been excellent. It will be an excellent facility for the people of the town. When the lights are up, it will be even better.
The Tipperary winners of the Nationwide XL Stores Creative Writing Competition in association with TG4s Ros na Run have been announced.

The Creative Writing Competition 'as Gaeilge' was open to primary and secondary school children in the Republic of Ireland between the ages of 7 and 16 years.

Eleven year old Callum O Gallachoir from Gaelscoil Chluain Meala, in Clonmel Co Tipperary was the winner of the primary school entry and sixteen year old Kevin Foley, Gaelcholaiste Cheitinn, also in Clonmel won the secondary school prize.

Callum has won a 200 Easons Voucher for himself and a 500 Easons voucher for his school while Kevin has won a three week Gaeltacht trip during the summer of 2018.

Having recently introduced an XL to the streetscape of the TG4 soap opera Ros na Run, which is filmed in the Gaeltacht village of Spiddal in Connemara, Co Galway, XL wanted to mark this new milestone by running a competition. Coinciding with XLs 20th year in business along with Ros na Runs 22nd season as Irelands only rural soap opera on Irish TV, they teamed up to go in search of some new creative writing talent across Irelands primary and secondary schools and were not disappointed with the result.

Entries were no more than 250 words and had to include an XL store. Entrants were encouraged to gain some story writing inspiration from TG4s Ros na Run, which airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8.30pm or the omnibus edition on Sunday evenings at 6.45pm.

This was a super opportunity for young creative writers in primary and secondary school to put their imagination on paper, says Ros na Runs series producer Deirdre Ni Fhlatharta, Were always looking to inspire young writers for the future and what better way to search than with our new shop operators XL where we could explore the creative imagination of Irelands youth.
Aid agency Concern Worldwide has heaped praise on the people of Tipperay and the rest of the country for helping save the life of a starving five-year-old girl in war-ravaged Somalia through their generous donations.

Yasmiin Hassan  one of 1.1 million Somalis forced to flee their homes due to conflict - was suffering from severe acute malnutrition and weighed the same as an average two-year-old when she was brought to a Concern nutrition centre on the outskirts of Mogadishu on March 15 this year.

Her condition was so bad, her mother, Aamiina, believed she would suffer the same fate as one of her brothers, who sadly died with similar symptoms at a time when they had no access to a health clinic.

However, after 12 weeks of treatment, Yasmiin made a full recovery and Concerns health and nutrition team maintain contact with her to ensure she remains healthy.

Life and joy returned to her eyes, said Concerns Regional Director for the Horn of Africa, Carol Morgan, who is from Tipperary.

She increased her weight from 12.4kg to a healthier 16.7kg  and measurements of her left upper arm also confirmed an improvement to her health.

It brings immense joy to the staff when you see the recovery of children we care for like Yasmiin. The staff know they saved that childs life.

Her smile is a great relief just weeks after being in such an emaciated state. It is truly heart breaking to see any child malnourished.

You see an emptiness and loss of happiness in their eyes. They stare ahead at nothing, not focusing on anything. They dont play and have no energy  so it is such a relief to see them recover.

Carol and her team praised the Irish public for donating over 1.5 million to Concerns East Africa Appeal this year  which helped fund a greater response to the ongoing food crisis in the region.

The appeal, which involved the use of those first images of Yasmiin, followed the severe drought across East Africa, which left an estimated 20 million people facing starvation.

You can see from the photograph taken that day just how badly malnourished and ill she was and the new photograph, which was taken when Yasmiin dropped in for a check-up, shows her back to full health, proving even more that aid works, said Concerns Hashim Jelle, who treated Yasmiin and who continues to treat tens of thousands of children in Somalia.

Above: Before and after. Yasmiin when she arrived at the Concern clinic on March 15 and then 12 weeks later after treatment.

Yasmiins mother, Aamiina, who has seven children, said she is very thankful to the Irish public and to Concern for the kind support her family are receiving.

Concern photographer, Kieran McConville, who took the first photographs of Yasmiin when she was malnourished, described his delight on hearing she had made a full recovery.

At a time when the people of Somalia are dealing with so much darkness, this is a glimmer of light, he said.

Concern treated 53,425 children aged from birth to five for malnutrition in Mogadishu and the Lower Shabelle regions of Somalia between January and October this year.

The aid agency said the number of children it reached in the country in 2017 was three times higher than the amount of children reached in 2016.

Concern provides children with nutritious nut paste and offers medical checks for diseases like malaria with doctors and nurses.

Concern also thanked Irish Aid and other institutional donors like the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and the British governments Department for International Development for supporting their life-saving programmes in Somalia.
Palestinians launched more anti-U.S. protests on Friday, and at least one demonstrator was killed in the Gaza Strip, a health official said, after the U.N. General Assembly rejected Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Smoke billowed from burning tyres at a demonstration in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, two days before Christmas celebrations in the biblical town.

Israeli gunfire killed a 24-year-old Palestinian and wounded 10 other protesters during a stone-throwing demonstration in the southern Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry there said. The Israeli military said it was checking the report.

One of the wounded, part of a crowd that approached the border fence chanting that U.S. President Donald Trump was a "fool" and a "coward", was dressed as Santa Claus, witnesses said.

Protests erupted in all of the West Bank's seven cities and in East Jerusalem. Health officials said at least five Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets fired by Israeli security forces, who also used tear gas.

Defying the United States on Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution calling for the United States to drop its Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a Christmas message, condemned Trump's reversal of a decades-old U.S. policy on Jerusalem "an insult to millions of people worldwide, and also to the city of Bethlehem".

Palestinians have protested daily since Trumps Jerusalem announcement, throwing stones at Israeli security forces.

Friday's death in Gaza raised to nine the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire during the demonstrations, Palestinian health officials said, and dozens have been wounded.

Amnesty International on Friday called on Israeli authorities to stop using "excessive force".

"The fact that live ammunition has been used during protests in Gaza and the West Bank is particularly shocking," it said.



*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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A South Sudanese rebel group on Friday accused government troops of attacking their base only a day after the parties signed a ceasefire in a four-year war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

The ceasefire, that would allow humanitarian groups access to civilians caught in the fighting, formally comes into force on Sunday morning.

On Friday afternoon, a spokesman for the SPLA-IO rebel group said army forces had attacked a rebel base in Deim Jalab, in the western part of the country. Lam Paul Gabriel said two rebels and five government troops were killed in the fighting.

The army spokesman in the capital, Juba, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The war that began in late 2013 in the world's youngest nation has forced a third of the population to flee their homes. The United Nations describes the violence as ethnic cleansing.

Earlier this year, pockets of the country plunged briefly into famine.

The latest round of talks in the Ethiopian capital, convened by the East African bloc IGAD, brought the warring sides back to the negotiating table after a 2015 peace deal collapsed last year during heavy fighting in Juba.

After the new agreement was signed on Thursday, South Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei Leuth told journalists: "The cessation of hostilities will be effective 72 hours from now. As of now, we will send messages to all the commands in the field to abide by this cessation of hostilities.

"From now onwards, there will be no more fighting," he added. "Just talks."

The German foreign ministry welcomed the agrement as an important step toward bringing peace to South Sudan.

"We call on all participating parties to implement the agreement in a comprehsive and sustainable manner, and to ensure that humanitarian organisations are not hindered in doing their work," a ministry spokeswoman said.

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Demonstrators irate at the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan took to the streets for a fifth day Friday, demanding the release of more than 200 protesters detained over violent rallies that have roiled the region.

Furious locals have torched the offices of the autonomous region's main political parties in a string of towns since Monday as ire boiled over at the calamitous fallout from an independence referendum.

September's overwhelming vote in favour of breaking away drew stinging reprisals from the central government that have battered Iraqi Kurdistan's already flagging economy and fired anger over official graft.

"Down with the government of the corrupt, no to corruption!" protesters in the town of Shamshamal, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of the region's second city Sulaimaniyah, chanted.

Protesters gathered in the town of Rania to demand that the "killers have to be brought to justice" after five demonstrators were shot dead there by security forces on Tuesday.

In Sulaimaniyah itself, police shot in the air and fired tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters calling for the release of those detained over the rallies.

Some 200 people have been arrested in the city alone since the protests began, while dozens have been held in other towns, activists from the Goran political party said.

The eruption of anger at the political elite in Kurdistan has caused turmoil for the authorities, with Goran and the Kurdistan Islamic Group party withdrawing from the regional government.

In the wake of September's independence referendum rejected by the central authorities, Baghdad seized back disputed oil-rich regions from the Kurds in a move that gutted their finances.

Veteran Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, who pressed ahead with the vote despite international opposition, announced he was standing down in October.

Prime minister Nechirvan Barzani, his nephew, has promised to hold postponed elections in the region in the coming months.

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Haven't bought your Thanksgiving turkey yet? A look at local prices.

While farms like Helgers in Tiverton have already sold out of turkeys, there are still frozen and fresh birds for sale at local markets.
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
British-Syrian national Riyad Nicolas is the only Arab pianist selected to take part in the Leeds competition

The 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition will feature British-Syrian pianist Riyad Nicolas among the 68 competitors, the only representative of the Arab world in next year's competition.

Born in Aleppo in 1989, Nicolas "has already established himself as a leading figure of his generation on the international performing circuit," reads the pianist's website.

Now 28 years old, he made his first appearance as a soloist with an orchestra in Aleppo at the age of 10. Since then, he has performed with renowned international orchestras and has given solo recitals in many prestigious venues in UK and USA.

"Through music Riyad has been promoting peace and raising awareness for the plights of the Syrian people and performing for many organizations such as UNHCR, the International Rescue Committee, the Arab British Centre, Said and Asfari Foundation," the website continues.

International Piano, the bi-monthly magazine published by Rhinegold, describes Nicolas as "Syria's leading young pianist."

This is the first time a Syrian national has gained entry to the prestigious piano competition, and so far no other competitors from the Arab world have been announced.

The Leeds International Piano Competition (formerly Leeds International Pianoforte Competition) was launched in 1961 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England and takes place every three years.

This year, the chosen competitors are aged between 20 and 29 and represent 28 countries. Half of the competitors are Asian nationals, predominantly from China and Korea, in addition to young pianists from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, France and the USA, among others.

The first round will take place in April 2018 in Berlin, Singapore and New York. Chaired by Adam Gatehouse and including Thomas Hubsch, Noriko Ogawa and Marna Seltzer, the competitors will each perform a 25-minute recital.

The jury will then select 24 pianists to move to the second round, followed by semi-finals and finals, to be held in Leeds between 6 and 15 September 2018.

"All rounds will be streamed worldwide by medici.tv and BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four TV will cover the Finals," a press release said.

Adam Gatehouse, the competition's co-artistic director and juror, commented: "We are thrilled that so many extraordinary young pianists applied, particularly considering that the entry requirements are tougher than before, with the introduction of a chamber music element and with candidates having to prepare more repertoire than ever.

"Although The Leeds has such a strong track record in identifying and supporting new talent, we were astonished by the sheer quality of applicants and are delighted that our many developments have yielded so much potential. All of the 68 players selected have something special to bring and the selection process has been extremely rigorous and difficult."

The press release adds that this year "the stakes are higher than ever with generous cash prizes worth over 90,000 and a prize package which has redefined what a competition can offer young artists.

"It includes artistic management with Askonas Holt, one of the worlds most renowned music management agencies; concerts and engagements with some of the worlds premiere venues and orchestras, including Londons Wigmore Hall and South Bank Centre, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Halle, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestras; concert and recording engagements with BBC Radio 3, a media partner of The Leeds; a major European tour organised with partners Steinway & Sons; a recital CD with a leading recording label; a programme of recital engagements in Yorkshire and other UK venues; and mentoring from Co-Artistic Director Paul Lewis, Patron Murray Perahia and other members of the performer-led jury, chaired by Paul Lewis, which includes Sa Chen, Imogen Cooper, Adam Gatehouse, Henning Kraggerud, Thomas Larcher, Gillian Moore, Simon Trpceski and Lars Vogt."



For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening. A few snow showers developing late. Low 22F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening. A few snow showers developing late. Low 22F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
Ford Motor Company has announced the award of $200,000 in funding, part of the Bill Ford Better World Challenge (BFBWC), to support two international projects to improve health and sanitation conditions in India and Mexico. The grants are included in Ford Motor Company Funds annual community improvement campaign that launched in 2015 as part of the 10th anniversary of the Ford Volunteer Corps.

The challenge is jointly funded by the Ford Fund and Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Company. The program works to give employee volunteers the opportunity to serve with community activists in places worldwide where Ford does business. It encourages employees and community partners to submit ideas that will solve global problems including issues surrounding mobility, as well as the scarcity of food, water and shelter.

I am extremely proud of the work our employees are doing to bring about positive change around the world, said Bill Ford. Access to basic necessities is not something that can be taken for granted in many communities, and these projects will have an immediate and positive impact on the quality of life for so many people.

In the rural district of Kancheepuram, India, just outside of Chennai where toilets and private restroom facilities are nonexistent, the $140,000 grant will provide 100 residential SMART toilets in three villages for a total of 300 toilets. The SMART toilet facility is equipped with lighting, allows for hand washing, and provides twin pits for sustainable use and maintenance along with an education program for residents on good hygiene and sanitation practices.

In these rural villages, open defecation is the normal practice, said Jennifer Leonard, a Ford brake engineer who is managing the project. This practice proliferates disease, increases child mortality rates, and increases a womans chance of being attacked. Our hope with this program is to work to improve health conditions while offering people privacy, dignity and safety.

Construction in Kancheepuram is slated to begin in January with planned completion in fall 2018. Installation of the toilets will be done using volunteer help from Ford employees at the Chennai plant and will be managed by Gramalaya, a nonprofit in India that works to install SMART toilets. Gramalaya, with 30 years of experience in sanitation programs, is dedicated to helping India become an open defecation-free country.

filtered water

In Guayacan, Mexico, near Hermosillo, potable water is a rarity. The $60,000 grant will. Build the Guayacan Community Center, wherewill be available to residents, along with access to bathrooms with toilets and running water for hand washing and offer up to 750 families the opportunity to have their own in-home water filtration system for a one-time payment of $5 (U.S.); Ford is working with Aqua Clara International, a Michigan-based nonprofit, to provide the water filters.

Northwest Mexico has high concentrations of arsenic in the water, so this project will help make sure people have safe drinking water and a place to meet and gather, said Cindy Turner, a Ford engineer who is leading the project. Having clean water is a basic necessity in life, so we believe this project will have a dramatic impact on the community.

Organizers are in the process of securing construction approvals and expect to begin construction this winter.

A third recipient of the 2017 grant program will be announced at a later date.

After only two years, the Bill Ford Better World Challenge has brought about impactful results.

In 2016, the Thailand Clean Water Community project received a $200,000 grant to upgrade clean water access with purification systems, washbasins and restrooms in nine rural schools. Ford volunteers have helped area residents plant hundreds of banana trees, as well as vegetables to be served in school lunches and sold to generate income to expand the schools agriculture initiatives.

Eventually, the Thailand program will see the improvement of 13 schools that could benefit up to 3,300 people. Nearly 200 Ford employees have traveled to the Chanthaburi region, which is about 130 miles from Bangkok, to assist with improvement projects.

The Good Turn app project, which received $250,000 in grant funding, was introduced to the Apple Store this summer. The app connects volunteers from Ford Motor Company to community nonprofits in need of transportation help. The brainchild of Cecil Saint Pierre, former Ford conflict mineral analyst, and developed by the University of Detroit Mercy, GoodTurn is being used to deliver relief aid from Michigan to victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

The app continues to undergo updates by the Ford and Detroit Mercy teams, who plan to eventually open the technology to Android users and provide a web interface.

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The US$ 19 billion Mahindra Group has reaffirmed its commitment to Finland where it already has a substantial footprint. The Mahindra Group hosted its annual Senior Leaders Conference in Helsinki this year and was honoured by the presence of Prime Minister Juha Sipila. He was joined by Minister of Economic Affairs, Mika Lintila. The annual conference is an occasion for Mahindras senior leadership team to deliberate on the year gone by as well as to ideate and set the context for the future.

Welcoming Mr. Mahindra and Mahindras senior leadership team to Helsinki, Prime Minister Juha Sipila said, Im happy to note Mahindras already strong presence in Finland. This reflects the deepening business engagement between our countries. The cooperation between Mahindra and several Finnish companies has been valuable for all. Im convinced that this relationship will be further strengthened in the future.

Over the last three years, the Mahindra Group has built a considerable presence in Finland employing over 1400 people across its three businesses. These include the combine harvester manufacturer, Sampo Rosenlew, Holiday Club Resorts Oy, the Finnish arm of its timeshare business and the IT services company, Tech Mahindra which works with several top Finnish companies on their digital transformation initiatives.

Mahindra is driving innovation across its businesses to ensure it is future-ready, and FUTURise is the creative expression of this strategy. The term is a combination of the words Future and RiseAnd literally means to bring into the future. The M101 conference was an opportunity for Mahindra to tap into the dynamic Finnish innovation and start-up eco-system with Avatar Hunt, a unique search for the next big idea, a new and radical avatar of business with potential for future growth.

Seven shortlisted entrepreneurs from a variety of industries including education, healthcare, analytics, finance, IoT and mobility presented their unique business ideas to a jury comprising of young leaders from within the Mahindra Group. Mahindra will invest Euro 200,000 in the winning start-up, Medixine, which will enable it to achieve its business vision. Medixine has a suite of cloud software programs that provide e-services to their patients and help them become active players in their own care instead of being passive targets.

We were honoured to host Prime Minister Sipila and Minister of Economic Affairs, Mika Lintila at our annual conference. Finland is a strategic part of our global footprint and our significant presence in the country is testimony to the important position it holds in our business plans.

A combination of public R&D funding and focus on skill development has resulted in Finlands consistently high rankings in global innovation surveys. Our intent is to leverage the strengths of this unique eco-system to help us discover the next big ideas and business models which will help us leverage the forces of disruption to create new opportunities for the Group in the future, said Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group.

Finpro, Finlands trade promotion agency helped Mahindra identify and shortlist innovative start-ups from across the country for the competition. Finland is a major tech hub and fast-rising start-up nation ideal for open innovation, offering great business opportunities for forward-looking corporations such as the Mahindra Group. Avatar Hunt provided us with the ideal platform to introduce Finnish companies to Mahindra Group executives and give them a sense of what the country has to offer, said Markus Suomi, CEO, Finpro.

Finpro helps Finnish SMEs go international, encourages foreign direct investment in Finland and promotes travel to Finland. It is a public organization consisting of Export Finland, Visit Finland and Invest in Finland. Its 240 professionals work in 37 trade centers in 6 offices in Finland and 31 countries overseas. Finpro is part of the Team Finland network.

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New Delhi: Banks lost a whopping Rs 16,789 crore on account of frauds in the last fiscal, the finance ministry said in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The Reserve Bank has informed that as per the fraud monitoring reports submitted by the scheduled commercial banks and select financial institutions, "the amount lost on account of frauds during 2016-17 was Rs 16,789 crore", said Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla in a written reply.

He further said an inter-disciplinary standing committee on cbyer security has been constituted by the RBI comprising academia, information security audit, forensic and cybersecurity experts.

The committee reviews, inter alia, threats inherent in the existing or emerging technology, and suggests appropriate policy interventions.

In another reply, he said incidents of bank robbery, theft, dacoity and burglary were reported from different parts of the country during 2016-17. The amount involved in such incidents totalled about Rs 65.3 crore.

Further, 393 such cases involving Rs 18.48 crore have were reported in the first half of the current fiscal. Shukla said the RBI has advised banks from time to time to enhance security arrangements at their branches and ATMS.

In another reply, Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan said the new fake currency (Rs 2,000 and Rs 500) seized in the recent past are scanned or photocopied notes. "In most of these cases, the copied notes sport similar serial numbers," he said.

He said as per available records, the agencies concerned have not reported any high quality counterfeit in the new Rs 500/2000 denomination banknote as defined in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
New Delhi: In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India signed an agreement with Switzerland on Thursday that would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from January 1 next year, the CBDT said.

"With the completion of the parliamentary procedure in Switzerland and signing of mutual agreement, India and Switzerland are set for automatic exchange of information for the period beginning from January 1, 2018," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said.

The policy-making body for the Income Tax Department said the agreement was signed by CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra and Swiss Ambassador to India Andreas Baum at the North Block in New Delhi.

A joint declaration for the implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) was signed last month between the two sides here and it provided that both countries would start collecting data in accordance with the global standards in 2018 and exchange it from 2019 onwards.

While Switzerland has conformed to the global standards on automatic exchange of information with the signing of the declaration, India, on its part, has promised to safeguard the confidentiality of the data.

"It will now be possible for India to receive from September, 2019 onwards, the financial information of accounts held by Indian residents in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years, on an automatic basis," the government earlier said.

Switzerland, which has always been at the centre of the debate on black money allegedly stashed by Indians abroad, used to be known for very strong secrecy walls till a few years ago around its banking practices.

Sh. Sushil Chandra, Chairman,CBDT & Dr. Andreas Baum, Ambassador of Switzerland to India signing the mutual agreement at North Block, New Delhi today. pic.twitter.com/6oS4KTxqOG Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) December 21, 2017

A huge global pressure has resulted in Switzerland relenting on the tough secrecy clauses its local laws gave to the banks.

Official sources said that several information requests on details about Indians who had accounts in Swiss banks were still pending.

The AEOI conforms to a norm set by global economic body he Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for tax transparency.
DUESSELDORF/FRANKFURT: Workers on Thursday struck a deal with German industrial company Thyssenkrupp to secure steel plants and jobs, a big step towards a planned merger of the group's European steel business with Tata Steel.

The deal removes a major obstacle to the merger, planned for next year, which will create Europe's second-largest steel group after ArcelorMittal and continue Thyssenkrupp's efforts to transform itself into a more technology-focused company.

The workers' approval for the deal, first announced in September, is seen as key to getting the deal done and shows Thyssenkrupp's commitment to seek workers' consent for far-reaching structural changes.

"The outcome achieved today represents a key prerequisite for meeting our strategic objectives and at the same time satisfying the interests of our employees," Thyssenkrupp Chief Executive Heinrich Hiesinger said in a statement.

The agreement, which still needs to be approved by the members of IG Metall, Germany's most powerful union, foresees no forced layoffs or major site closures until Sept. 30, 2026, labour representatives and the group said.

This comes close to the union's demands for 10 years, which were made in response to concerns that Thyssenkrupp might be shirking responsibility for its volatile steel unit, whose roots go back more than 200 years, by merging it with a rival.

Thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel in September reached a preliminary agreement to merge their European steel units to create the continent's second-largest steelmaker after ArcelorMittal, with 15 billion euros ($17.81 billion) of sales.

They said the deal will help them to tackle overcapacity in Europe's steel market, which faces cheap imports, subdued construction demand and inefficient legacy plants. The companies have already announced 4,000 job cuts as part of the tie-up.

Under Thursday's labour deal, Thyssenkrupp said it would keep a stake in the joint venture for at least six years. It said a change in the entity's shareholder structure during that time, possibly as the result of a stock market listing, could not be ruled out.

"That means that Thyssenkrupp management will share responsibility for either the success or the failure of a possible joint venture," Detlef Wetzel, deputy supervisory board chairman of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, told Reuters.

Thyssenkrupp, which also said it would invest at least 400 million euros a year at its German steel sites, still needs to get the joint venture deal through its supervisory board before a final contract can be signed in 2018.
New Delhi: In a breather, Bharti Airtel has been allowed to use Aadhaar for re-verification of its mobile customers till January 10 with stiff riders after it returned Rs 138-crore LPG subsidy flown into unsolicited payment bank accounts.

The Aadhaar-issuing body Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), however, maintained that Airtel Payments Bank eKYC licence will "remain suspended till final enquiry and audit report", sources privy to the development told PTI.

The stiff riders imposed by the UIDAI range from limiting the eKYC only for re-verification of telecom subscribers to Airtel informing its customers within next 24-hours about mapping of the DBT benefits back to the original bank accounts.

The UIDAI issued its second interim order to this effect on Thursday.

As per the order, the relief is contingent on Airtel restricting its e-KYC and authentication service only for re- verification and issuance of SIM cards. The telecom major -- India largest with 282 million mobile subscribers -- would not be allowed to leverage the same for obtaining consent of the Aadhaar holder for opening bank accounts, wallet, Direct to Home (DTH) or any other goods or services, sources said.

Airtel will now have to inform its customers over next 24 hours that the direct benefit transfers received in their Airtel payment bank accounts have been duly reversed to original bank accounts.

An Airtel spokesperson said that "...we would like to confirm that the UIDAI has allowed Bharti Airtel to resume Aadhaar based e-KYC services. We continue to engage with the authorities".

The UIDAI has asked both Reserve Bank of India and the telecom department to conduct an audit of systems, processes, applications, documentations followed by Bharti Airtel "to ensure that the company is in compliance with their license conditions".

The nodal body for Aadhaar will take a view on the entire issue after it receives a report from both the RBI and the telecom department by January 10. The decision to temporarily lift the suspension on Bharti Airtel till January 10 was taken after Rs 138-crore direct benefit transfer (DBT) was repaid into 55.63 lakh original accounts of its customers.

Airtel has said that 13.80 lakh Airtel payment bank account holders are already using the DBT subsidy amount and therefore their accounts have not been reversed on the mapper.

But even in those cases, the company will have to provide an option to such customers (via SMS within three days) to switch to their previous DBT-linked bank accounts.

Source said that while taking the decision, the UIDAI kept in mind the convenience of customers and also the looming March 31 deadline given by the Supreme Court for mobile SIM re-verification.

The UIDAI has not allowed Airtel Payment Bank Limited to use eKYC licence key and it shall remain deactivated until further notice.

Both Airtel and Airtel Payments bank came under fire after the Sunil Mittal-led firm allegedly opened accounts of its mobile phone subscribers without seeking their "informed consent", and LPG subsidy worth crores was deposited into these accounts.

The government acted swiftly in the matter and the UIDAI, in a strong move late last week, temporarily barred the company from conducting Aadhaar-based SIM verification of mobile customers using eKYC process, and e-KYC of payments bank clients.

Moreover, to avoid a repeat of Bharti Airtel-type fiasco, the UIDAI earlier this week directed banks to seek an explicit consent of the beneficiary before changing the account to which the government subsidy is being remitted.
Patna: Like many other scams the flame of fodder also emanated from a report of Comptroller General of India (CAG) in 1985, though it went unnoticed at that point of time.

The then CAG TN Chaturvedi pointed that monthly accounts submission from Bihar treasury were always delayed though the amount in question was roughly Rs 100 crores.

When Lalu Prasad Yadav became the Chief Minister after his advent on big political screen in post 1989 Janata Dal surge and Mandal era, the animal husbandry department of Bihar government became synonymous with corruption.

BJP leaders Saryu Rai and Sushil Modi along with Shivanand Tiwari raised this issue in the Bihar Assembly in 1994. The trio made several submissions before the authorities. The then finance secretary Vijay Shankar Dubey ordered a probe in various district treasuries. Young IAS officer Amit Khare raided the Chaibasa office of animal husbandry department and the seizures resulted in unearthing of a 100 crore scam.

Fake bills and vouchers were seized from various other district treasuries. Money were withdrawn using fake bills and vouchers against procurement of cattle feed. More than 80 employees of the Animal Husbandry Department were found involved and later made accused. In one instance Shyam Bihar Sinha, regional director of AHD, withdrew Rs 50 lakh personally against a fake bill. His close association with Lalu Prasad Yadav created a political storm.

Involvement of Lalu Yadav

The BJP and Samata party, which was created by George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar after pulling out from Janata Dal, alleged Lalus involvement in the scam and raised the issue of disproportionate income.

BJP state unit chief Sushil Modi filed a PIL in the Patna High Court in 1997 demanding a CBI inquiry in the case. The same year, the investigation was handed over to the CBI and hence started Lalu's worst nightmare and a longstanding episode with the CBI.

The CBI requested the governor office to allow prosecution of the CM Lalu Yadav. He had to resign under pressure. Lalu made his wife Rabri Devi as the next CM.

The CBI filed the chargesheet and Lalu was sent to jail. Rabri remained at the helm till 2005, barring 10-day stint of Nitish in 2000, but the fodder scam cases continued to haunt the Lalu family.

However, Rabri and Lalu were exonerated in the disproportionate assets case in 2010.

Conviction of Lalu

After creation of Jharkhand, fodder scam cases were transferred to Ranchi in 2001. In total 64 cases were filed related to fodder scam. But Lalu and former chief minister Jagannath Mishra were charge-sheeted in six cases.

The CBI court convicted Lalu and Mishra in 2013 in a case related to fraudulent withdrawal from Chaibasa treasury. Lalu and Mishra were sentenced to five and four years of imprisonment which ended their political career. Lalu was arrested and got bail from the Supreme Court in December, 2013.

Former Jharkhand chief secretary Sajal Chakraborty was also sentenced to jail in this case.

Now, the CBI court in Ranchi has convicted Lalu in the Deogarh treasury case RC 64A/96 on Saturday.

After the Supreme court judgment of May 8 this year, Lalu is being tried in three other cases and as per the SC directives hearing will have to be completed by February, 2018.
New Delhi: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan has got a big relief from the Bombay High Court in the Aadarsh Housing Society case when the court set aside sanction given by Maharashtra Governor C Vidhyasagar Rao to prosecute him.

Chavan, the incumbent Maharashtra Congress Chief, was the CM when scam took place. As per constitutional provisions, his prosecution requires sanction from the state governor. Chavan was forced to resign as CM after the Adarsh scam surfaced.

This is the second big relief for the Congress party this week after a special court in Delhi exonerated all accused in the 2G case.

Post the verdict, the former chief minister said the court order reaffirms his faith in the judiciary.

"The HC order reaffirms my faith in the judiciary. I am satisfied. The state governor had given the sanction to prosecute me overruling the decision of his predecessor. With today's court decision, the governor's office has been saved from setting a new precedent," Chavan told reporters.

He said he had always maintained that the case against him was "politically motivated."

Chavan said the court order came because the allegations against him were "baseless and without any proof".

"I suffered personal damage in the last seven years because of the charges against me. I had to quit as the chief minister. But, I am involved in my party work. I am thankful to the people in my constituency for standing by me," Chavan said.

He also said the BJP should not indulge in the politics of vendetta at a personal level.

To a question on whether he would be the chief ministerial face of the Congress in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Chavan said any decision in this regard would be taken by the party.

Chavan is the Maratha face of the Congress in state. He was one of the two leaders who survived NDA wave in 2014 to win from Latur.

Chavan could also ensure victory for close Rahul Gandhi aide Rajiv Satav from the adjoining Satara in the same elections.

Chavan had alleged in the Bombay High Court in September this year that the Maharashtra governors 2016 decision was "politically motivated and biased".

In February last year, Governor Vidyasagar Rao had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Chavan for offences under IPC sections 120 (b)(criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating and under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai was meant for the families of Kargil heroes. But army officers, politicians and bureaucrats were allegedly allotted flats in violation of the rules.

Seen as a symbol of corruption, the Adarsh scam had kicked up a huge political storm after it surfaced in 2010, leading to the resignation of Ashok Chavan.

The Bombay high court, in an order last year, blamed members of the housing society, who it said happened to be close relatives of highly-placed bureaucrats or related to politicians or ministers, for conspiring with them to grab a plot.

Then defence minister A K Antony had on December 9, 2010, ordered a CBI probe to fix responsibility among armed forces and defence estates officers in the scam.

The probe agency was also asked to look into commitments made for allotment of flats in the society for Kargil widows and martyrs families.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Exhausted after a two-hour long paper at a computer learning centre in Noida, Arun Pande, 21, was rushing to West Delhi to see if he could save his Braille books and a few clothes given to him by his mother. Taking help of his collapsible stick, he soon reached his hostel only to find it in rubbles.

Pande who hails from a village in Odisha could neither find his admit card nor his books and clothes. All he found were the other displaced and helpless blind students trying to stop the officials of Delhi Development Authority from demolishing their hostel.

The Louis Welfare Progressive Association for the Blind located at Janakpuri's Virendra Nagar runs a hostel for blind students. The hostel is home to 20 students, out of which 15 were present during demolition, while the others were away appearing for examinations.

Students in the hostel allege that the demolition had been carried out without any prior written intimation and that "many were not allowed to take out their belongings". They also allege that the "head of the institute was kept locked inside a police van".

The displaced students are currently staying in a few tents which have been set up on a garbage ground frequented by pigs and with open sewer lines running closeby.

Neeraj Batra, 28, from Rewari district in Haryana was in Satyavati College appearing for his Hindi semester papers when the demolition took place. Since December 15, when the hostel was razed down, Batra has not been able to change into another set of clothes.

"We have nothing left. Our books, clothes, memories, valuables and bonds, all have been destroyed by DDA. The DDA has now offered to relocate us to a Dharamshala but there is no guarantee when we would be evicted from there too. They have asked media not to cover this," said Batra.

The hostel was built in 1994 on a DDA land by the Basti Vikas Kendra, which DDA believes to be an illegal construction. The plot, surrounded by residential buildings, was under discussion for demolition with the DDA for over a year, according to officials.

The Louis Welfare Progressive Association for the Blind is located at Janakpuri's Virendra Nagar. (Photo: Debayan Roy | News18.com)

The demolition drive took only a couple of hours but the students claim that none of their belongings were spared. Some students have claimed that they now neither have their college documents nor the admit cards and this excercise could jeopardise their academic career.

Aryan Kumar, 21-year-old from Rajasthan, had started his journey in this hostel after his Class 12 board examinations. All that he dreamt was to "prove to his family that he was not worthless". Kumar was left to fend for himself after his school years.

"I am pursuing my second year studies from an open schooling program and now I don't have any documents. Neither my admit card, nor my admission papers. How do I go to college again? How can you break our hostel without informing us? The tent that has been given to us is garbage. We are not normal people. We take help from our friends even when we visit a washroom. Now DDA is offering help but did not think when they demolished our building?" said Kumar.

However, DDA has hit out sharply at the allegations that the hostel was wrongfully demolished. In a letter written by the Chief Engineer, SN Singh, it has been claimed that the blind association had 'encroached upon the DDA land'.

"This 275 square yard land was encroached by LUI Progressive Association for the Blind and was demolished on December 15," reads the letter issued by DDA.

DDA has also stated that the intial decision of demolition was taken after nearby residents complained of unhygienic living conditions and issues of trespassing etc. DDA agreed that prior attempts to demolish the property were made on March 15, May 17 and July 14 this year but could not materialise due to non-availability of police force.

Though DDA claims that verbal intimation was given about demolishing the property, now on humanitarian grounds, the occupants would be relocated temporarily to a 500 square feet community Hall located behind Tihar Jail.

"The place we are now allowing to the occupants is a decent one and slowly they will be sent to permanent homes. But they have come to study there, that means you study, get a job and leave. I have told them to come with me if they want to but any unauthorised structure just because it is existing does not become authorised unless there is a court order protecting it. It's our mandate to demolish unauthorised structures. But there is no end to their refusal and denial. I am even ready to give them individual letters to relocate them," SN Singh told News18.

DDA has also stated that the intial decision of demolition was taken after nearby residents complained of unhygienic living conditions and issues of trespassing etc. (Photo: Debayan Roy | News18.com)

However, the students are now hopeful that they would not have to leave this place as the Delhi High Court took suo moto cognisance of demolition of the blind hostel and issued notices to Lieutenant Governor, Delhi government, DDA and the central ministry of social welfare seeking a report in the matter.

The displaced students, who are now camping at the Dushhera ground in Janakpuri, told News18 that if it was not the local councillor, then the students would have gone without food and water for days.

Narendra Chawla, the BJP councillor from the area, said that the promise being made by DDA was false and that the students are scared that they would be dumped in separate places after the period of temporary shelter expires.

"They are scared that they will be rehabilitated temporarily and then they will be sent away and the group will be broken. DDA did not intimate about the demolition, and who knows what these officers discuss in their AC rooms. Verbal intimation means nothing. It absolutely makes no sense in evicting the blind in winters. This could have waited," said the local councillor.

Some students are also scared that if they are sent to far away shelters and places then not only would they lose touch with their familiar zone but will make it difficult for them to get their paper work in order again.

Another student, GB Naik, hailing from Odisha has been attempting to get a job in the technical sector for the last two years since he completed his diploma but failed to clear tests, but spent close to six hours studying in the hostel. Naik does not have his documents and there is the fear that the DDA proposal of relocating them might create further problems.

"Having moved out, how will we update our addresses? Can we run around so much? Our NGO gets a lot of students and even if we go what about the future students? We don't even have a place to hide if it rains," said Naik.

Some students alleged that there were "other illegal properties in this zone too" and that DDA carried the demolition away from public glare.

"DDA only found our building illegal when there are hundred others in this area. Just because we resisted, we were forcefully evicted and our hostel was razed down," claimed Mintoo Kumar, a BA final year student of Satyavati College.
Patna: A special CBI court in Ranchi will pronounce judgment in a fodder scam case on Saturday in which RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav is an accused.

The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.5 crore from the Deoghar district treasury between 1994 and 1996 when Lalu was the Bihar chief minister.

Lalu will leave with son Tejashwi Yadav on Friday evening for Jharkhand capital Ranchi where special CBI judge Shivpal Singh is expected to pronounce judgment at 10:30am on Saturday.

Of 34 accused in the case, 11 died during the trial and one turned CBI approver.

Jagannath Mishra, another former Bihar CM, is also an accused in the case.

Lalu and Mishra were convicted by the CBI court in a different fodder scam case which pertained to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.5 crore from the Chaibasa treasury. Lalu was sentenced to five years in jail and fined Rs 25 lakh. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in December, 2013.

In 2014, the Jharkhand High Court had stayed trial against Lalu in four pending fodder scam cases on the grounds that a person convicted in one case could not be tried in similar cases based on same witnesses and evidences.

The Supreme Court, however, quashed the High Court order in May this year and ordered Lalu to stand trial in all pending cases.
New Delhi: In a bizarre move that has left many puzzled, the Dawoodi Bohra sect has issued an advisory to encourage its members to abstain from using western toilets and switch to Indian-style toilets.

Not just that, spiritual leaders of the Bohra community has also advised against lavish wedding arrangements marked by excesses.

The communitys third annual upliftment drive in Maharashtra started on an interesting note with the odd advisory.

This is part of our larger upliftment drive and it is not mandatory on anyone. People who think they cannot follow the toilet rule are free to do as they please, said the official spokesperson of the Bohra community.

According to the community leaders the drive is being conducted keeping in mind the socio-economic essentials of the community and aims to improve the well-being of its members.

More than 21,000 community officials and members comprising clergymen, doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, businessmen, homemakers and students will set out for over 450 towns and cities across India and 200 cities outside the country to preach these ideals.

Speaking on sangeet and dance rituals during weddings, the spokesperson said, Worldwide, Dawoodi Bohras are encouraged to ensure that their marriage functions are in keeping with the communitys socio-religious ethos and it is the duty of individual jamaats to encourage community members to adhere to those norms.

The advisory also asks the Bohras to use community venues for weddings looking at their many advantages.

The wedding venues are designed to allow both the rich and poor to share the same facilities. It should be viewed as an attempt to promote an egalitarian position, which ought to be lauded and not criticized, he said.

Some members of the Bohra community added that a few weddings had not only become excessively opulent, they were also leading to certain practices that go against our cultural ethos.

In their statement to the media on using Indian-style toilets, the Bohra leaders said: Using western-style toilets is alien to our culture. Moreover, it is an accepted fact that using Indian toilets has certain medical benefits. It is all part of the much wider ongoing upliftment and awareness drive. No one is being forced to change, let alone a person who needs to use a western toilet due to any medical condition. It has been acknowledged that some senior citizens may find it difficult to use Indian-style toilets.

Bohra community leader Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin encouraged community members to take out time to volunteer for the upliftment drive.

The community members have also developed a mobile app to send instructions to volunteers and enable a robust network and feedback system to make sure help is sent where it is required the most. This will also help in the required follow-up after completion of the five-day drive, said the spokesperson.

Alifia, a young Bohra girl said, Every community has its leaders bringing out advisories on important health and hygiene issue. So what is so wrong with this? It is not mandatory. It has been issued in larger interest of the community.
New Delhi: Fresh round of talks were held between India and China under the Special Representatives mechanism, the first such meeting on the sticky boundary issue since the 73-day-long military standoff in Doklam.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi in the national capital for the 20th round of Special Representatives talks where the two are likely to deliberate on ways to maintain peace along the 4,000-km-long border between the two Asian giants.

In the run-up to talks, the Chinese side had described the Doklam standoff as a major test for bilateral ties. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said that lessons should be learnt to avoid conflict of this kind in the future.

The Doklam standoff began on June 16 over People's Liberation Army's plans to build a road in area claimed by Bhutan after Indian troops intervened to stop it as it posed a security risk to Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its North-eastern states.

During the standoff, India kept stating that matters should be dealt with as per the Astana consensus wherein it was decided that differences should not become disputes.

India has denied reports that there is a fresh military build-up by China in Doklam. Ministry of External Affairs had called the reports as painting an alarmist picture. Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said, "I would like to reiterate that there are no new developments at the face-off site and its vicinity since the August 28 disengagement. Status quo prevails in this area. Any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect and mischievous."

The Doklam issue was also discussed between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart Wang Yi when he visited India earlier this month. Both sides noted the challenge it had posed to the relationship.

Swaraj is believed to have told Yi that there was a need to approach differences with due consideration to each others sensitivities and concerns.

Taking this point forward, the NSA is also expected to once again firmly communicate India's concerns with regards to sovereignty on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor running through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Ajit Doval is also expected to raise with Jiechi India's grave disappointment with China blocking a move to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council.
Chennai: Just two days after a video of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa lying on a hospital bed had surfaced, an inquiry committee headed by a retired high court judge issued summons to Sasikala, Apollo Hospitals Chairman and Vice President.

The committee has further asked the three of them to respond to the summons within 15 days. Sources said they are mulling over a possibility of doing a video conference with Sasikala and not look at her personal deposition as of now.

Prathap Reddy, Apollo Hospitals Chairman, had on December 16 made a revelation that Jayalalithaa was in a critical state when she was rushed to the hospital on September 22, 2016.

"Because an enquiry is on, I should not say more. But I have already told you that she was brought to the hospital in a very critical condition. Thanks to the efforts of people concerned, she showed significant progress. I have not received the summons yet, but I dont have a problem with it. But I dont know if the doctors have received it," Prathap Reddy said.

Preetha Reddy, Vice President of Apollo Hospitals, too, had earlier told a regional television channel that Jayalalithaa was brought to the Apollo hospital in a breathless condition. She had also clarified that the late chief minister was given adequate treatment and was recovering slowly before she suffered a massive cardiac arrest.

Ever since the demise of Jayalalithaa, many conspiracy theories have been doing the rounds and several questions were raised by the public as the hospitalisation procedure was not transparent.

Moreover, O Panneerselvam, who visited Apollo hospital everyday to see Jayalalithaa, also raised doubts over her hospitalisation.

Mystery over Jayalalithaa's death has only deepened with time.

Ahead of the AIADMK merger, the Edapadi Palaniswami's government ordered a judicial probe into Jayalalithaa's death and a retired high court judge was appointed for the job.

So far, government doctors, Jayalalithaa's family members, former chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao and former adviser to the chief minister have been summoned for the probe.

While the investigation is still on, a video of Jayalalithaa sitting on a hospital bed at the Apollo hospital was released by a TTV Dinakaran loyalist, P Vetrivel. This, however, did not go down too well with the inquiry commission and the panel has asked for a police complaint to be filed, seeking action against Vetrivel.

The committee has been given a three month deadline to probe Jayalalithaa's death. The committee will also be issuing summons to the Tamil Nadu ministers who visited Apollo during Jayalalithaas hospital stay.
Close on the heels of the party's improved performance in Gujarat and victory in most of the civic bye-polls in Rajasthan, the Congress on Thursday got the good news that the CBI special court has acquitted all the 17 accused in the 2G telecom spectrum allocation case for want of evidence.

Call it the beginner's luck. Clearly, after years of bad news for the party under his informal stewardship, the last one week has brought some cheer for newly-anointed Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

But the big question is whether this luck will hold out?

Congress leaders, starting from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Kapil Sibal, P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma and others were quick to brand the verdict as a vindication of their stand that there was no scam.

The CAGs deduction of a presumptive loss and the BJPs allegations of Rs 1.76 lakh crore scam in 2G allocations in 2008 had seared the Congress, its leadership and the Singh regime, particularly as this was followed by allegations, including of coal, chopper, Tatra truck, Adarsh housing society and Commonwealth Games scams.

The result: The Congress  and its ally, the DMK whose leaders A Raja and Kanimozhi were incarcerated in the 2G scam  were wiped out in the 2014 Lok Sabha and assembly elections while an aggressive BJP and Narendra Modi soared the popularity and electoral charts.

Impact of the verdict

Thursday's acquittal promises far reaching implications for all the parties concerned even though the last has not been heard of the case as the CBI will file an appeal against the verdict.

It puts the BJP, with its call of a Congress-mukt Bharat, on the backfoot as a recharged Congress has begun to use the verdict as a stick to beat it with for unleashing a false and baseless propaganda that sullied the countrys image, frightened away investors and weakened institutions.

It provides a huge and godsend opportunity to a highly relieved Congress to take the high moral ground and use the verdict to repair the damage done to it and its leaders image and rebuild its connect with people disillusioned with it, especially among the middle classes in urban India.

And it gives a new boost to its ally the DMK (also being courted by the BJP in the political flux of a post-Jayalalithaa phase) which will immediately feel the impact of the verdict in the late AIADMK leaders constituency of R K Nagar where voting was taking place on Thursday even as the verdict was being delivered.

Congress fights for redemption

As it seeks redemption in the wake of the verdict, the Congress is preparing for a long-drawn battle with the BJP on three interlinked fronts: in Parliament, on the ground (especially in urban areas where the saffron brigade is strong) and at the level of perceptions.

The ongoing session of Parliament is a ready platform for this. The Congress has been demanding an explanation and an apology from the Prime Minister for alleging that the Gujarat elections were discussed at a dinner hosted for Pakistani delegates and attended by Manmohan Singh. It will now seek an additional one from his and the ruling party for besmirching Singhs image over 2G allocations and for stalling the winter session of 2010 on the issue. It intends to send out signals from here about its innocence and hopes that the people will be convinced by it.

The real ground level impact of the verdict will be seen in the 2018 assembly elections in eight states, including in Congress-ruled Karnataka in the first half of the year and in November-December in BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarhwhere it has been out of power since 2003and Rajasthan which has alternated between the two parties. More so, as the implications of the CBIs appeal against the verdict will take its own time to unfold.

The Congresss performance in Gujarat and the unshackling of the 2G millstone from its neck has given a new confidence to the party about its ability to take on the Modi juggernaut which has been on a winning spree, barring exceptions like Delhi, Punjab, where it was a junior partner of the Akali Dal or Bihar in 2015 where it was defeated by the JD(U)-RJD-Congress Grand Alliance until chief minister Nitish Kumar renewed his ties with the BJP.

Indeed, its Gujarat allies are also expected to pitch in, especially in Rajasthan. Mevani has already announced that he would also campaign in Karnataka.

The possibility to take on the BJP and other parties in the 2019 general and state elections will increase if the Congress is able to retain Karnataka and capture power in Madhya Pradesh and/or Chhattisgarh in addition to Rajasthan.

Battle of perception, urban seats & middle India

But before it can do so, the Congress needs to work on two key factors that decide the fate of any party. It has to win the battle of perception vis a vis the BJP and Modi among the people and improve its standing in the urban areas and among the middle classes in particular who had jettisoned it for the BJP in the wake of allegations of serial scams.

Take for instance the Congresss victories in 2004 and 2009. The first was attributed to Sonia Gandhis ability to forge a Congress-led anti-BJP alliance, keep the leadership issue in abeyance till after the polls and give the Congress a pro-poor and pro-people tilt with its emotive slogan of Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath in sharp contrast to the BJP-NDAs lopsided India Shining campaign. This fetched her the rural votes and the votes of allies. Post victory, she renounced the post of Prime Minister and installed Manmohan Singh instead.

The Congress returned with a bigger scorethough way short of a majority of its ownin 2009, riding on the goodwill generated by the UPAs people-oriented programmes and enactments including the farm loan waiver and the right of information, among others. The trimurti of Sonia-Singh-Rahul gave a fillip to the party: Sonia pulled in the rural voters, Singh enhanced the partys profile among the middle classes in urban areas and Rahul was projected as a youth leader for a demographically young India.

But all that began to unravel in UPA-2 as allegations of scams began to surface and an aggressive BJP, spearheaded by Modi, changed the narrative to replace the Congress as the dominant pole in Indian polity and establish its footprint across the country.

After a spate of debacles across the country, the Congress began to show some signs of life in rural pockets as in the recent civic by-polls in Rajasthan or in Gujarats 2015 local elections and 2017 assembly polls. But urban centres are still out of its influence.

Despite the negative impact of GST and demonetisation, the BJP retained its hold on central Gujarat which includes Suratthe hub of the diamond and textile industryVadodara, Ahmedabad and Rajkot. It captured 44 of their 55 seats in this region while the Congress won 68 of the 127 rural and semi-urban seats to the 55 in the BJPs kitty.

That the urban areas are not exclusively the BJPs domain was underlined in 2009 when the party had bagged 115 seats in metros and towns across the country, doubling its 2004 tally from these regions. More specifically, it had won as many as 20 Lok Sabha seats from major metros at that time. More recently, it sneaked in with four seats of the 16 seats in Ahmedabad city and two in Vadodara.

However, the growing urbanization and semi-urbanisation of the country and the rising graph of its middle class population underlines the challenge that the Congress has before it in increasing its presence in these areas. The number of urban and semi urban seats has now grown to over 200. According to the 2011 census one in every three Indians now lives in an urban area.

Since there is no standard definition of a middle class, estimates about its actual numbers vary sharply though the general consensus is that it is increasing rapidly and is an important segment in steering the course of the economy and polity and needs to be tapped by policy makers and political parties striving to increase their base.

Notwithstanding Thursday's verdict, the Congress will have to struggle hard to change the perception that has hardened over the last decade of a scam-ridden party and regime. In a way, the party finds itself in a situation akin to 1996 when it lost power at the Centre following similar allegations. Sonia then stepped into politics in 1998-99 in order to protect the Nehru-Gandhi legacy and resurrect the party. It took her almost seven to eight years of hard work to recast the party's fortunes.

The Road Ahead

The party's road to redemption is not going to be easy this time either. The BJP is unlikely to sit back and let the Congress wear the verdict as proof of its cleanliness or use it as a weapon to attack it with. The faceoff between the two parties would intensify in the coming days. Further details of the other UPA scams are likely to emerge to keep the issue of corruption in high places alive. Since the CBI would also file an appeal against the 2G verdict, the hearings on it would come closer to the 2019 national elections and probably influence the outcome once again either in favour or against it.

 Author is a veteran journalist. Views are personal
This week, Indias National Security Advisor and Special Representative on border issues with China, Ajit Doval, is meeting his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi for the 20th edition of the annual boundary negotiations.

The meeting is the first between the Special Representatives since the 72-day Doklam standoff that ended on August 28.

The Doklam controversy ultimately concluded with the withdrawal of troops on both sides and halting of Chinese construction in the disputed tri-junction area. This led experts to chalk out the peaceful resolution as a win for India. The de-escalation, however, did not signal a common understanding between the two Asian giants on contested territorial claims.

Notably, Chinese attempts to keep Doklam outside the scope of the annual negotiations between Special Representatives were rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs. India continues to be steadfast in its claim that the Doklam border dispute needs a trilateral resolution between India, China and Bhutan.

The current series of negotiations are critical, not on account of any hopes for long-term resolution of border disputes, but largely to continue bilateral diplomatic relations in the aftermath of a major military engagement.

Chinas dissatisfaction with the resolution of the Doklam issue was apparent earlier this month when the PRCs Foreign Minister Wang Yi called it a serious test of bilateral relations during his visit to New Delhi. Wang urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The meeting between Doval and Yang, however, promises to be more controversial in light of the continued military buildup by China near the disputed tri-junction area. While the point of conflict at Doklam still remains largely unconstructed, there now appears to be a massive buildup of Chinese roads and an influx of military vehicles, personnel and permanent structures nearly a kilometer from the point of conflict.

Experts claim that this behaviour, which goes against standard practice during winters, is largely a muscle-flexing exercise.

The increased military presence helps China retain the strategic ability to respond to another military dispute like the one earlier this year. To a large extent, however, it signals that China continues to hold steady its ambition to expand its military activity to the Doklam region.

Undeterred by this, India is likely to present the Chinese with a proposal to set up a trilateral arrangement involving India, China and Bhutan for the resolution of the Doklam issue, some reports claim.

Whether these attempts bear fruit may be decided in the years to come. However, with the cloud of Doklam hanging over the meeting, it seems unlikely that there will be any progress on the Indias own border disputes with China along Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh.

The meeting between the Special Representatives that began in 2003 with much fanfare has now turned into an exercise in maintaining the status quo much like our disputed borders. The realisation that diplomatic measures are unlikely to yield long-term solutions, must be taken in context of continued Chinese military buildup in the region and no indication of the PLA ceasing its salami slicing of disputed territories.

Instead of being overly concerned with diplomatic niceties, New Delhi must start worrying about whether it can hold the line when the next Doklam happens. By all indications, this does not appear to be a question of if but when.

(Bedavyasa Mohanty is an Associate Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation and can be reached at @darth_beda. Views are personal.)
Bengaluru: Karnataka Rakshna Vedike (KRV) is conducting a massive rally to bring forth the plight of local Kannadigas who lose out on job opportunities to outsiders, due to a language barrier.

The group has put out a charter of eight demands. The protesting outfit has demanded that all state government organizations must only recruit Karnataka natives. The outfit also demands that the central government offices functioning in the state must also make sure that candidate are only from Karnataka and has studied Kannada as a subject in school.

"The Sarojini Mahishi Report, which was submitted in 1985, has still not seen any results on the ground," said Arun Javagal member of KRV.

The report also recommended that a majority percentage of jobs in Karnataka must be reserved for locals. Javagal added, "This time we are going beyond the Mahishi report and we demand reservations in centre, state and private jobs."

Another demand that the group has raised is that all question papers of all competitive exams conducted by the state and Centre should be printed in Kannada. The interviews too must be done in the local language.

"Why must sweepers and clerks know English or Hindi? The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) which was formulated for this very purpose has now revised the recommendations of the Mahishi report and have added new demands to keep up with the times," Javagal stated.

Karnataka Rakshna Vedike has also demanded that to qualify as a citizen of Karnataka, one must be a resident of the state for at least 20 years and also have knowledge of the Kannada language.

SG Siddaramaiah, Chairman of Kannada Development Authority, said that "the Sarojini Mahishi report which was discussed in the Assembly in the last Budget session ensures that group C and D employees were to be given only to Kannada speaking people and that we were even trying to enforce this within private companies as well" He also said that these groups are protesting because they want the government to heed to their needs.

With barely five months left for the state Assembly elections, the Karnataka Rakshane Vedike believes it is the right time to organise such a rally.

"Each party speaks of protecting the rights of Kannadigas, now is the right time, as we will also get to know who truly supports our demands," Javagal said.

"Whether an election year or not, it has been our responsibility to ensure jobs for our locals. Through our Yuva Yuga programmes, we have tried to train all skilled and unskilled workers to make them employable," said Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT&BT, Karnataka, speaking on the steps taken by the state government.

The group is said to be mobilising lakhs of locals from different districts of Karnataka for the rally that is supposed to start from the National College in Basvangudi and move towards the Vidhan Souda in Bengaluru. They will then submit a memorandum of their demands to senior leaders in the government, including Priyank Kharge.

It was in July this year that the KDA had directed the Namma Metro authorities to remove Hindi signages apart from stopping announcements in Hindi.
New Delhi: A bill which criminalises the practice of instant triple talaq will be tabled in the Lok Sabha next week. The proposed bill is expected to further raise tempers in the lower house where Congress MPs have been demanding an apology from PM Narendra Modi over his remarks against predecessor Manmohan Singh.

Under The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill, 2017, a Muslim man who resorts to Talaq-e-Biddat or instant talaq would be jailed for three years and custody of any minor children would be granted to the affected woman.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme had declared the practice as unconstitutional and not an essential part of Islamic law and faith, but cases of Muslim men divorcing their wives through instant triple talaq did not subside.

The proposed bill has made instant divorce a non-bailable offence which can lead to an imprisonment of up to three years upon conviction. It also makes it mandatory for the husband to pay maintenance to his wife and child support towards any children.

The government has maintained that "the legislation would help in ensuring the larger constitutional goals of gender justice and gender equality of married Muslim women and help subserve their rights of non-discrimination and empowerment.

The government in the recent winter session of the Parliament had informed the Lok Sabha that "66 cases of triple talaq were reported" even though the Apex court struck any such form of divorce thus proving that the verdict had failed to act as a deterrent.

Since three of five judges on the Constitution bench had ruled that personal laws cannot be tampered with and that instant talaq was against Islam, the government too has kept itself limited to criminalising only the instant triple talaq.

Coinciding with the introduction of the bill in the Lok Sabha, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) too has decided to hold an executive body meeting at Nadwa-tul Ulema in Lucknow on December 24 to finalise its response to the bill. The body has released an official letter to its executive members to attend the meeting.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who is a member of the Lok Sabha as well as the AIMPLB, has voiced opposition to the proposed legislation on social media.

"This is a draconian and will lead further exploitation & more injustice to married muslim women this is being done by Modi government only for political considerations,burden of proof on women (again) we need law against abandonment married women (sic)," he tweeted.

Some civil society organisations, too, have raised questions over the provisions of the bill, saying an amendment to the current legislation would have sufficed. They have also demanded that the bill be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee so recommendations are added to the proposed law.

The law is intended to instill fear of the state by being able to walk into your home and incarcerate Muslim men, said Ayesha Kidwai, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Activists have questioned criminalizing a practice which was anyway declared void by the Supreme Court. "When the marriage is not broken, why send the man to jail. The law will make me a divorcee," said Shabina Mumtaz, a social worker from Uttar Pradesh.

However, there is also support for the bill from some quarters. Zakia Soman, founder of the Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, said bodies opposing the bill like have "no locus standi".
New Delhi: A 47-year-old woman allegedly shot at her mother and brother late on Thursday night in south Delhi's upscale Defence Colony area, the police said on Friday.

The accused Sangeeta, who has participated in state-level shooting tournaments, was apparently drunk at the time of the incident, they said.

The woman's brother Harsaran told police that Sangeeta shot at him and his mother around midnight. Harsaran along with his mother is now out of danger.

Romil Baaniya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), said the woman has been detained and the pistol seized.

She was also into adventure tourism and used to go to Sohna, Gurgaon. For the last one year, she had stopped going for shooting practise and stopped meeting people, said the officer.

Her father said Sangeeta was suffering from depression and on medication.

On Thursday night, she took her medicines, sleeping pills along with alcohol and allegedly attacked her mother and brother, police said.
Hyderabad: A 23-year-old woman was set on fire in a crowded area of Hyderabad by a former colleague, after she rejected his advances.

The incident took place on Thursday evening when Sandhya Rani was returning home from work. She died on Friday morning while undergoing treatment at Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north zone) B Sumathi said.

Sandhya worked as a computer operator in Shanthi Nagar area and the 28-year-old accused was an ex-colleague of hers. Police sources said Karthik claimed to be in love with Sandhya and had been harassing her for several months.

Police said the accused, Karthik, called her to Lalaguda area for a meeting. Eyewitnesses said they had a heated argument after which Karthik poured kerosene and set her on fire.

Karthik being taken into police custody. (Image: News18)

Some passersby came to her aid and took her to the hospital. She suffered 60 per cent burns and later succumbed to the injuries.

An eyewitness later said, He just came and attacked her. It was all so sudden.

She passed away this morning. The dying declaration of the victim has been recorded by a magistrate and it will act as a key evidence in the case. We will ensure conviction happens. The sections are being changed to include charges of murder, Sumathi said.

The police have also recovered CCTV footage where the accused can be seen following the victim and having an argument.

The police had earlier registered a case under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) on Thursday.
Mumbai: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has shared an emotional bonding with late Shiv Sena founder-president Bal Thackeray, on Thursday promised to contribute his bit in the making of the upcoming biopic titled "Thackeray".

Bachchan was present on the occasion of the teaser launch of the film that features acclaimed Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Remembering Thackeray, Bachchan told writer of the film Sanjay Raut, "I am glad that you have taken the step to make a film on Bal saab. I wish you all the luck for the successful making of the film. If you need anything, any contribution from my end in whichever capacity, please allow me to know about it. I will be more than happy to be a part of the making of the film."

He also suggested the makers to make a series on Bal Thackeray instead of just one film.

He said, "I want to request you not to limit the larger than life personality like him into a three-hour movie. I think in today's time when we watch so many web series, we can make a series on Bal Thackeray to capture different phases of his life and personality. It will be really interesting for the generation to know a man like him."

Bal Thackeray was one of the iconic politicians who started his career as a cartoonist and social worker. Later he formed a regional political party in Maharashtra named Shiv Sena that ruled the political scenario of the state for around 50 years. He passed way in 2012.

The evening was graced by Bal Thackeray's son Uddhav Thackeray, grandson Aditya Thackeray, along with the writer and director of the film.

Directed by Abhijit Panse, written by Sanjay Raut, 'Thackeray' will release on January 23, 2019, in Hindi and Marathi language.
Salman Khan's film Tiger Zinda Hai has landed in trouble in Jaipur with protesters vandalising theatres over an old clip of the actor making an alleged casteist remark.

In the clip which resurfaced on social media, the actor, who has been giving a slew of interviews as a part of the promotion spree for the Ali Abbas Zafar-directed movie, had reportedly used the word "Bhangi" while discussing his dancing skills.

This irked several people and also resulted in protests in Jaipur, where the film's posters were torn and theaters were vandalized to stop the screening of the movie, according to a report in ANI.

The protesters alleged that Salman had insulted the Valmiki community by using "cheap language". The protests started from Ajmer and soon spread to Jaipur and Kota, leading to the cancellation of the morning shows in several cinema halls.

The police remanded several people in custody.

The President of the Action Committee of the community recently lodged a police complaint against the actor, demanding a strict action against him.

This is the second controversy to hit the film after Maharashtra Navnirman Chitrapat Sena (MNCS) warned cinema owners against booking all shows for Tiger Zinda Hai thereby denying slots to two Marathi films.

The action thriller, which also features Katrina Kaif, marks the second installment of the Tiger franchise after the 2012-film Ek The Tiger. Both Salman and Katrina reprise their roles of intelligence agents- Tiger and Zoya. While Tiger is an Indian agent, Zoya happens to be a Pakistani spy and both travel to five different countries, fighting against the odds in order to save the nurses whore taken hostage by ISIS in Iraq.

The film is one of the biggest Bollywood releases with 5700 screens releasing it worldwide.
Los Angeles: Actor Sylvester Stallone has denied sexual misconduct allegations made by a woman in a police report and now wants her prosecuted.

A woman filed a report on Wednesday with the Santa Monica police for an alleged act of sexual misconduct against Stallone. The case was set to be investigated despite the incident to have happened in the 1990s. Stallone has denied the allegation, reports tmz.com.

He admits he had spent three days with her during a 1987 movie shoot in Israel. He was single, she was not a minor and he says there was never a rape. Stallone also denied he was seeing her in the 1990s.
After celebrating a royal birthday at the Pataudi Palace, little prince Taimur Ali Khan is heading for Europe with parents Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor to ring in the New Year, as per reported by Mumbai Mirror.

In July, the trio had gone to Switzerland, which was Taimur's first international trip ever since he was born to the stars on 20 December 2016. Saif and Kareena had booked a suite in the Royal Gstaad Palace for a two-week long holiday with their son.

Meanwhile, the royal baby celebrated his first birthday on Wednesday. The entire Khan family was at the Pataudi Palace to ring in the special day of their little Nawab. The little munchkin made to Twitter top trends on the day he was born and then with his unusual name, he further topped other social media network charts.

#taimursfirstbirthday#birthdayfun  @thehouseofpixels A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Dec 20, 2017 at 2:58am PST

Even though the family decided to keep his first birthday a private affair, aunt Karisma Kapoor made fans happy by sharing frequent posts of the celebrations. From a horse ride to a tractor ride, to a delicious cake to a bonfire session- little Taimur did it all. But it's his birthday gift that's the most fascinating of them all.

Kareena, with the help of her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, opted for a rather unconventional birthday present and gifted the royal baby a forest of his own in Sonave.

Rujuta took to Instagram to share a photograph and wrote, "A little boy can never have enough of birds, bees and butterflies and so we have put together a small forest as a birthday gift for the little big boy, Taimur, in Sonave."

She further explained that this forest, inspired by Padma Shri Subhash Palekar's zero budget natural farming, is a special one as it thrives on intercropping.

"The forest has about 100 trees on a 1000 sq ft plot. The trees are as young as Taimur, even younger actually, and each one of them is a local, native, climate resilient specie. It will be a forest of the super foods of the future. There are 3 jamuns, 1 jackfruit, 1 amla, 40 Bananas, 14 Moringas, 1 Kokum, 1 Papaya, 5 Seetaphal, 2 Ramphals, 2 Nimbu trees. Besides these it grows 3 different types of native pulses and many Mirchi, Ginger, Turmeric and kari patta plants. Not to mention the green leafy veggies and the genda phools that grow in between," she elaborated.
Ahmedabad: Vijay Rupani will return as Gujarat Chief Minister and Nitin Patel will continue to be his deputy.

This decision was taken at a crucial meeting of newly elected BJP MLAs in Gandhinagar on Friday evening. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the central observer for selection of the CM, announced that Rupani will lead the party in Gujarat.

The swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place on December 25. Rupani, along with deputy CM Nitin Patel and other cabinet members, tendered his resignation at the Raj Bhavan, paving the way for a new BJP government in the state.

Rupani was always the front-runner for the CM's post. Moreover, the BJP knew replacing Rupani at this juncture would send the signal that all is not well.

In the recently concluded polls, BJP retained power by winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, while the Congress claimed 77. Six seats went to others, including three Independents.

Although Rupani, the caretaker CM, was tipped to continue as the chief minister, names of at least three other leaders were also doing the rounds  Union ministers Smriti Irani and Mansukh Mandaviya, and Nitin Patel.

One reason why other names were being discussed may be the partys less than expected performance in the elections. The party secured 115 seats in the 2012 assembly elections and ended up with just 99 this time. This is being seen as a setback for the BJP, and a ground for change of guard.
Lucknow: Once a hardcore Kanshiram loyalist, BSP rebel RK Chaudhary joined Samajwadi Party, in the presence of SP National president Akhilesh Yadav, in Lucknow on Friday.

Apart from Chaudhary, Swami Omvesh and AIMIM leader Mohammad Nizamullah from Utraula, Balrampur, along with hundreds of their supporters joined the SP.

Chaudhary announced merger of his political outfit BS4 (Bahujan Samaj Swabhiman Sangharsh Samiti) with Samajwadi Party. A former minister and two-time MLA from Mohanlalganj seat, Chaudhary said, All the members of BS4 will work in harmony with the members of Saamajwadi Party. From today onwards all the workers of BS4 will work to help SP regain power in the state.

Bahujan Samaj Party had inducted Chaudhary to bridge the Jatav-Pasi gap just before the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections. Chaudhary was also considered as the Pasi mascot of BSP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

After joining the SP, Chaudhary said that the SP will perform well in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Welcoming Chaudharu and others in the SP, Akhilesh Yadav said, The kind of politics that is currently going on in the country will lead us nowhere. When politicians are creating a rift between people on the basis of religion, caste and creed, then the country is not going to progress.

The BJP government is not doing anything and are now trying to threaten us by UPCOCA. Electricity bills have been increased. Samajwadi Party will certainly be a challenge for BJP and forces in 2019. BJP is specialised in deflecting from the core issues and agendas of development. But people are understanding now that there is no Gujarat Model, if there was anything then there was a Lie Model, he added.
For anybody who has an enduring interest in Indias political developments, the Gujarat Assembly election results will stand out as a fascinating case study. While the headlines say the BJP has won 99 seats, 16 less seats from its 2012 tally of 115, the Congress managed 77, a gain of 16 seats from its 2012 count of 61.

The dominant interpretation of these numbers follows a predictable line  the BJP has lost significant ground and the Congress has gained sharply, so much so that some analysts have termed it a major scare for the BJP. This would be a very binary yes or no diagnosis of the results. It is an oversimplified analysis of Indias diverse and complex polity. It is akin to drawing a conclusion that coffee has become cheaper because there is a crop failure in a certain tea estate.

The Congress party and its President Rahul Gandhis spin masters continue to belabour on how the Gujarat elections mark a point of inflection in Indias recent political history. The results, according to this line of analysis, mark the emergence of Gandhi as credible challenger to the BJP, strong enough to stop the BJPs juggernaut led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its President Amit Shah.

Data, however, suggests such a line of argument is not only riddled with glaring fallacies, but also mischievous and peppered with a liberal dose of malice. The Assembly election results suggest that the BJP has not only retained its base, but also made some significant inroads into traditional Congress bastions such as tribal pockets of Gujarat.

The importance of anti-incumbency in Indias electoral politics cannot be ignored. It often, but not always, gives an edge to the opposition and challenger to the incumbent. This is one primary reason why power changes hands alternately every 5 years in most state elections.

Yet, it would be grossly erroneous to overemphasize the factor in swinging elections. The BJP has successfully, and through a people-focused development model, consistently defied this thumb rule. For instance, it has returned to power in Gujarat for the sixth time and three times in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Now lets look at the numbers. In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP clocked 49.1% votes  an increase of 1.25 percentage points over its 2012 performance. Importantly, this was BJPs best performance since 2002, when it returned with 49.85% vote share. The BJPs vote share in 2017 show that one in every two persons voted for them  despite a strong anti-incumbency factor after 22 years of ruling  a remarkable achievement measured by any metric of psephology and politics.

On the other hand, the Congress has come home with its best performance since the 1985 Assembly election in Gujarat, by polling 41.4% vote. However, is it good enough for the Congress to gain a few votes but lose the election? As a matter of fact, the Gujarat performance should worry Congress, because it rode on its lesser known alliance partners, to consolidate the anti-BJP votes. The 2.5% increase in Congresss vote share has mainly come from its supporters and Independents, whose vote share has plummeted to 9.5% in 2017 from 13.2% in 2012. Moreover, Congress is still 7.7% votes behind the BJP, which is a significant gap in a state characterized by a pronounced bipolar polity.

In a normal zero-sum game election, the gap of 7.7% votes should have given at least a two- thirds majority to the BJP. Instead, the BJPs tally stopped at just 99 seats. The main reason behind this anomaly is huge victory margins for the BJP in many seats.

Consider the following statistics which clearly show that as victory margins go up, BJPs strike rate too goes up. For instance, BJP won 20 seats by a margin of over 50,000 votes while Congress failed to manage such a margin even in one seat. The Congress has won more seats with lesser margins.

As far as regional variations in terms of votes are concerned, the BJP is way ahead of the Congress in South, East and Central Gujarat while Congress inched ahead in the North and Saurashtra.

When we look at conversion of seats, BJP has more or less retained its seats in all regions except in Saurashtra, where it has suffered a loss of 13 seats, which it now appears, was the single most important reason in its final tally dropping to double-digits.

Therefore, it can be safely presumed that the factors behind a reduced tally of the BJP were localized in Saurashtra. One can also debate whether it happened due to farmer distress or the Patel vote splitting due to the Patidar agitation or malicious caste-based narratives unleashed by the Congress.

The results of 30 rural Assembly constituencies in the Rural Saurashtra and Kutch Region further demolish the myth of Rahul Gandhi and Congresss resurgence.

This is the cluster of seats where Keshubhai Patels GPP had polled 10% votes winning two seats in 2012. Still, the BJP managed to win 18 seats, well ahead of Congresss tally of 9 seats. For the purpose of analysis, one can assume that a section of voters in this region is not hard core BJP supporter and is vulnerable to its personal interests, a factor that worked for Keshu Bhai in 2012.

However, this split could not significantly dent BJPs prospects in 2012 because these voters didnt align with any significant block of voters.

In this election, Congress registered a gain of 12% votes in this area while others went down by a significant 12%. Therefore, it is likely that the heavy gains for Congress came from the same section of voters who went to Keshu Bhais GPP in 2012. But unlike in 2012, this split has made a huge dent on BJPs tally this time because it was added into Congress base vote. As a result, Congress swept the region, winning 24 of 30 seats and the BJP went down to just five.

Thus, gains for Congress were not due to any pro-Congress or anti-BJP sentiments across Gujarat but due to local factors concentrated in 30 seats of rural Saurashtra. Therefore, if Rahul Gandhi and Congress party had so much of traction, as the case is being made, then why was it limited to just 30 seats in rural Saurashtra.

Historically, Congress has been doing well in the rural pockets of Gujarat. The state has 101 Assembly segments with less than 30% urban population largely having a rural character.

Even in this rural belt, the BJP has made a gain of 1 percentage point votes over 2012 by polling 44.5%, marginally lower than the Congresss 45.9% vote share. This marginal lead converted into 63 wins for the Congress and its allies while BJP could win just 36 seats, which ultimately made the difference.

It is also important to keep in mind that as many as 21 seats were decided by very narrow margins in favour of the Congress as it won seven seats by less than 1% and 14 seats by 1% to 5% vote margin. Thus, considering its historical weakness in rural pockets, BJPs performance is not irreconcilable, although it has to be mindful of the fact that a united opposition can pose a challenge if agrarian concerns are not addressed.

The performance in tribal dominated areas is another way to understand popularity of a party amongst marginalized sections of the society. Gujarat has total of 14% tribal population and 31 consistencies where tribes account for more than 30% electoral.

These 31 segments are a good indicator of the tribal mood. BJP was slightly behind Congress in this area in 2012 as they had polled 42.9% and 43.8% votes respectively. In 2017, BJPs vote share jumped to 47.4%, cantering past Congresss 44.5% by 2.9 percentage points. Even an alliance with BTP, a tribal outfit led by JD(U) rebel Chhotibhai Vasava couldnt help Congress retain supremacy in this stronghold pocket. Though in terms of seats, both Congress and BJP retained its 2012 tally by winning 16 and 14 seats each.

Therefore, even if we presume that BJP suffered losses amongst Patels, it compensated this loss by gaining tribal votes that helped it to not only retain but increase its vote share.

While Congress may find it hard to retain the new-found support of a section of Patels because they are a politically pragmatic community and would like to be identified with the ruling disposition. BJP leadership understands the vulnerability of this section of Patels new found love for the Congress. Probably this is the reason that in his victory address on December 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that all those who drifted away from the BJP due to a malicious campaign by the opposition should return home because BJP believes in Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas.

On the other hand, BJP will not have difficulty in retaining its gains in the tribal pockets because of its aggressive tribal, Dalit and poor outreach. Moreover, due to not so effective leadership and lack of government power, Congress does not have the ability to woo back its long time core constituency.

Thus, a careful micro analysis suggests that marginal gains for the Congress may not be sustainable because it is localized in one small pocket of Gujarat and have occurred due to personalized caste-based campaign instead of any pull factor. With focused efforts, BJP can easily regain lost ground and emerge strongly in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Author is a Psephologist and a member of BJP. Views are personal.
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Raja Wants His Pound of Flesh from The Kalaignar, And He Wants it Now

Former telecom minister A Raja gestures as he leaves after being acquitted by a special CBI court in the 2G scam case on December 21, 2017. (REUTERS/Adnan Abidi)
In DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's complex and enormous family, celebration and conspiracies can, sometimes, be difficult to tell apart.

With a special CBI court acquitting all 2G scam accused, the DMK is publicly celebrating. But throughout this scam, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi was left out in the cold and had to fight it on her own.

Kanimozhi is the daughter of Karunanidhi and his third wife Rajathi Ammal. Her half-brother MK Stalin, the son of Karunanidhi and Dayalu Ammal and now the top man in the party, had done little to support her. In fact, a section in the party clearly saw Kanimozhi's rise as a direct challenge to the heir apparent Stalin.

Cousin Dayanidhi Maran, whom A Raja had replaced as telecom minister, had fought a vicious battle against Kanimozhi. Dayanidhi and Kalanidhi are the sons of Karunanidhi's nephew and the late union minister Murasoli Maran. The Maran brothers control the Sun TV network.

It is alleged that Dayanidhi Maran was unseated as the telecom minister after Kanimozhi began asserting herself in the party. She was made a Rajya Sabha MP soon after his removal from the Cabinet and following a public battle within the family. After the war within, Karunanidhi severed ties with Sun TV and the DMK started its own Kalaignar TV.

Corporate financial dealings of Kalaignar TV was the crux of the 2G scam case and the major shareholder in it was Stalin's mother Dayalu Ammal. Kanimozhi, too, had 20 percent stake.

This is why it was bizarre that Stalin's mother remained untouched by investigators (she claimed she had no idea of financial dealings) and the case stopped with Kanimozhi.

It seemed as though all was fine as long as the matter stopped with Kanimozhi. It was surprising that no other family member, including Stalin, had any knowledge of such massive financial dealings, even though all of them were closely involved with the company.

In fact, in close political circles, the Congress, BJP and DMK leaders wondered if Kanimozhi was made a casualty to protect the rest of the family.

This reiterates how convoluted political families can be and how complex an investigation into the 2G scam was.

In public perception, Kanimozhi and Raja will now walk free, but everyone paid the price. The Congress and DMK were decimated electorally, and all accused spent time in jail.

Now, Kanimozhi can reiterate herself in the party, but Stalin may not allow that. There is no space for gratitude or benevolence in political families; everything is based on political convenience. Kanimozhi could be an alternate power center in the party and Stalin will not allow her to grow.

Now that there is an acquittal, A Raja may contest an election again and the BJP may move beyond 2G to seal an understanding with the DMK, which is the only big political force in Tamil Nadu since the demise of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa last year.

From every larger political context 2G, one of the largest scams India ever saw, doesn't matter. It seems to have served its political utility. Even the corporates named would like it a closed chapter.

The only place where it would matter the most is in the convoluted family contours of M Karunanidhis family.

Some will celebrate, some will be unhappy, some will now begin to conspire. But what each brother, cousin, sister feels will be known only to them.

Individually, the accused can heave a sigh of relief. But what about the money, the alleged loss to the nation, the allegations of top corporate corruption? Guess, we will have to take it in our stride, like we take everything else.

(The author is a senior journalist. Views are personal.)
Jeff Kowunna used his drone to record this years celebration of another successful bowhead whaling harvest for one of the oldest Alaska Native settlements. The video from the three-day event in remote Point Hope, at the edge of the Arctic Ocean, showed whaling captains sharing the flippers with residents, traditional drumming and dancing, and the ever-popular blanket toss, where villagers use seal skins to heave each other into the air.

But Kowunnas plan to share this unique slice of Inupiat culture online was thwarted by the areas notoriously slow satellite connection.This month, the 34-year-old whale hunter is ready to try again. His community of 700 and several other isolated Alaska towns are getting a commodity much of the U.S. has long taken for granted: the high-speed internet. Ive been counting the days, Kowunna said of the broadband he hopes will help him connect more immediately with the world with posts from gatherings like the June whaling feast, or Qagruk while updating folks who have moved away. I think its going to be a lot smoother sailing as far as streaming to the web.

The new service is part of a planned international fibre-optic system from Anchorage-based wholesaler Quintillion that eventually will connect London and Tokyo via the Arctic. Its the result of several factors, representative say, including technical advances, private investors willing to bet on the system, and a warming Arctic environment that opened up a limited construction season, allowing crews to bury hundreds of miles of subsea cable off Alaskas upper coast.Clearly, 20 years ago, even 10 years ago, the situation with the ice in that part of the world would have made the progress much more difficult to accomplish, Quintillion spokesman Tim Woolston said.

The effect on far-northern Alaska  where many rely on a subsistence lifestyle for food  could be dramatic: No more classroom computers crashing during lessons, software taking an entire day to download, movies buffering for hours, and sophisticated medical equipment sitting partially unused. A project like this is critical, said Mike Romano with NTCA-the Rural Broadband Association, which represents 850 small telecom and broadband service providers in the U.S. and Canada. Connecting rural communities remains a significant broadband challenge because of the higher cost of delivering service far from metropolitan hubs.

Alaskas 1,400-mile (2,250-kilometer) portion of the international project includes a land trunk line between Fairbanks and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields that went live in the spring. Quintillion has not released plans or a timetable for the larger project and will not say how much has been spent so far in the private venture. New York private equity firm Cooper Investment Partners is anchoring the financing. Ship crews finished installing the last Alaska segment of subsea cable in October, and the network became available to telecom providers Dec. 1.

The improved service wont be cheap, said Jens Laipenieks, CEO of Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative, which serves three of the affected communities. Laipenieks expects the cost to drop when the final two phases are built and more wholesale tenants join the system. Still, commodities always cost more in the Arctic, where a gallon of milk can carry a $10 price tag because everything has to be flown or shipped up. Fiber-optic is no exception, but the expense has not dampened enthusiasm, according to utility officials.

Thats just the reality of being in an ultra-rural market, Laipenieks said. But the technology will never be the limiting factor again. Not everyone is sold on the new link. In Utqiagvik, Americas northernmost town, Inupiat whaling captain Gordon Brower baulks at exposing his culture to unnecessary criticism  from anti-whaling activists, for example. Its unnecessary because were only just trying to provide food, Brower said. We dont have Walmart in the backyard over here. In Point Hope, Inupiat artist and traditional skin-boat maker Henry Koonook worries people will be more distracted by the online world than they already are. Koonook himself has nothing to do with computers, even to connect with prospective buyers.

That little box  what they call a laptop and iPhones  is ruining our people, he said. Its helping them with their education and stuff like that, but theyre drifting away from the culture and traditions, and its going fast. Others have big plans for tapping into the faster and more reliable service. The Arctic Slope Regional Corp., an Alaska Native corporation and minority investor in the Quintillion project, is developing an online store featuring artwork by its shareholders, a tourism platform for its eight villages and a repository of stories and videos featuring Inupiat elders. Its just limitless what we can do now, said Cheryl Stine, its chief administrative officer.

The North Slope Borough, where Point Hope and Utqiagvik are located, is developing a cultural website through its history, language and culture office. The site will be called Puiguitkaat, Inupiaq for things that should never be forgotten, according to Kathy Ahgeak, who heads the office. We have a wealth of traditional knowledge, ancient knowledge, Ahgeak said. We want our children to know just how far back our heritage goes.
Islamabad: Pakistan has reacted strongly to US Vice-President Mike Pence's comments that Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terror organisations in its soil.

"Allies do not put each other on notice," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The Dawn newspaper reported that the said Pence's remarks were "at variance with conversations between Pakistan and the US administration."

Pence, during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said, "For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over. " The US Vice-President was addressing American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence said, addressing about 500 troops in a hangar decorated with Christmas decorations and massive armored vehicles.

"As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," the vice president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan, for which using non-state actors against its two neighbours India and Afghanistan has been part of its national security policy.

Trump, he said, has unleashed the full range of American military might.

"We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy," he said.

The Trump Administration, he said, has given the troops new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide.

He has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win.

Pence said this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan.

"American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan. We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive," he said.

"We've prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. We've targeted the Taliban's funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks, Pence said.

"All across this country we've won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide. Our enemies will have no time to recover or rebuild because we will continue to bring overwhelming force to defeat them every day, every time," Pence said.

Trump, according to him, has ordered the integration of every facet of American power, diplomatic and economic measures to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan.

"And until that day comes, you can be assured, we will be relentless in our campaign to destroy our enemies. Because as history attests, weakness arouses evil, and peace only comes through strength. So be strong and courageous, and do the work of freedom," Pence said.

In Afghanistan, Pence met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

"We discussed the progress that we've made in this country and America's commitment to the Afghan government and the commitment of the Afghanis to their own freedom in this land," he said.

'"I said to them what I say to you now: Under President Donald Trump, the Armed Forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people once and for all," he added.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terror organisations in its soil, Vice President Mike Pence has said during his unannounced visit to Afghanistan.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over," Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence said, addressing about 500 troops in a hangar decorated with Christmas decorations and massive armored vehicles.

"As the President said, so I say now:Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," the vice president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan, for which using non-state actors against its two neighbours India and Afghanistan has been part of its national security policy.

Trump, he said, has unleashed the full range of American military might.

"We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy," he said.

The Trump Administration, he said, has given the troops new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide.

He has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win.

Pence said this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan.

"American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan. We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive," he said.

"We've prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. We've targeted the Taliban's funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks, Pence said.

"All across this country we've won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide. Our enemies will have no time to recover or rebuild because we will continue to bring overwhelming force to defeat them every day, every time," Pence said.

Trump, according to him, has ordered the integration of every facet of American power, diplomatic and economic measures to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan.

"And until that day comes, you can be assured, we will be relentless in our campaign to destroy our enemies. Because as history attests, weakness arouses evil, and peace only comes through strength. So be strong and courageous, and do the work of freedom," Pence said.

In Afghanistan, Pence met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

"We discussed the progress that we've made in this country and America's commitment to the Afghan government and the commitment of the Afghanis to their own freedom in this land," he said.

"I said to them what I say to you now: Under President Donald Trump, the Armed Forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people once and for all," he added.
Gaza: Israeli troops shot dead at least two Palestinians on Friday, a Gaza health official said, as protests intensified against Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A U.N. General Assembly resolution passed on Thursday, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 Jerusalem declaration, did little to calm Palestinian anger over his reversal of decades-old U.S. policy on the contested holy city.

Instead, thousands of Palestinian protesters, many of them throwing rocks, confronted Israeli security forces along the Gaza border fence, in all of occupied West Bank's seven cities and in East Jerusalem.

In Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, smoke from burning tyres billowed in the street, just two days before Christmas celebrations.

Israeli gunfire killed two Palestinians in a confrontation in the southern Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry said, putting the number of wounded at 40, half of them shot with live ammunition and the rest with rubber bullets. Others were overcome by tear gas.

In a statement, the Israeli military said some 2,000 Palestinians had faced off against the troops at the Gaza border fence. It said the crowd threw stones and rolled burning tyres at soldiers, who responded with "riot dispersal" measures and "fired live rounds selectively towards main instigators".

Protesters chanted "Trump is a coward. Trump is a fool". Among the wounded was a man dressed as Santa Claus.

Palestinian health officials said at least one Palestinian suffered a live bullet wound in the West Bank and some 30 protesters were hit by rubber bullets. The military, putting the number of demonstrators at about 1,700 and the injured at six, said troops faced firebombs, rocks and burning tyres.

Protests have been held daily since Trump's announcement. On Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution calling for the United States to drop recognition of Jerusalem, a city revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians, as Israel's capital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a Christmas message, called Trump's move "an insult to millions of people worldwide, and also to the city of Bethlehem".

"HOUSE OF LIES"

Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.

Most countries regard the status of Jerusalem as a matter to be settled in an eventual Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, although that process is now stalled.

Nine countries voted against the U.N. resolution and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Gaza's dominant Hamas Islamists, called the U.N. vote a defeat for Trump, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected it as "preposterous" and branded the U.N. a "house of lies".

But Michael Oren, Israel's deputy minister for diplomacy, seemed to play down the support for the resolution shown by many countries Israel considers friends.

"We have an interest in tightening our bilateral relations with a long list of countries in the world, and expect and hope that one day, they will vote with us, or for us in the United Nations," Oren said on Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM.

"But I am not prepared to suspend all cooperation with important countries, such as India," he said. Netanyahu, who hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, is due to visit New Delhi next month.

Friday's deaths in Gaza raised to 10 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire since Dec. 6, Palestinian health officials said. Dozens of protesters have been wounded.

Gaza militants have also fired rockets into Israel, and two gunmen were killed in an Israeli air strike after one such attack. There have been no Israeli fatalities or significant injuries.

Amnesty International on Friday called on Israeli authorities to stop using "excessive force".

"The fact that live ammunition has been used during protests in Gaza and the West Bank is particularly shocking," it said.

In the run-up to the U.N. vote, Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that supported the resolution. His warning appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the document than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.

But most of the European Union, Israel's biggest trading partner, and countries such as Greece, Cyprus and India, with which Netanyahu has pursued closer relations and economic ties, backed the resolution.

"I prefer we have tight bilateral relations over a situation in which we don't have close bilateral relations, and they vote in our favour in the United Nations," Oren said, describing India's vote as "certainly disappointing".
Pretoria: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma today challenged a court ruling which ordered him to launch a legal probe into corruption allegations against him, according to legal documents.

The North Gauteng High Court last week ordered Zuma to appoint a judicial inquiry within 30 days to investigate graft allegations that have dogged him and his associates in recent years.

It said the country's chief justice, not Zuma, should choose a judge to preside over the inquiry to avoid a conflict of interest. But in court papers seen by local media on Friday, Zuma's lawyers challenged the order on 20 grounds, arguing that it "offends the separation of powers doctrine" which governs the relationship between the executive and the judiciary.

In its ruling last week, the court also reprimanded the president for being "seriously reckless" by defying the recommendations of the country's graft watchdog which proposed the judicial inquiry.

Judge Dunstan Mlambo said the watchdog had "uncovered worrying levels of malfeasance and corruption" and yet Zuma was "delaying the resolution" of the allegations.

He also ruled that Zuma should personally pay the litigation costs, including one in which he had sought to halt the publication last year of the graft watchdog's scathing report linking him to the wealthy Gupta family.

The Indian-origin business family is accused of having undue power over Zuma's government, including influence over the appointment of some cabinet ministers.

Zuma had tried to block the publication of the report arguing that he had not been granted enough time to respond to the allegations.

He stepped down this week as president of the ruling African National Congress party after a 10 year term marked by numerous damning court judgements against him.

Zuma was succeeded by his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa in a tightly fought contest in which his former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also ran.

He is due to resign as state president after general elections in 2019.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance party said Zuma is "simply playing for time" so that "evidence can be destroyed" before he appoints the commission of inquiry.
Police officers keep a strict vigil at the main entrance of St. Patrick's church in Karachi, Pakistan. The Pakistani government is taking extra security measures at churches to avoid any terrorist acts during the Christmas holidays as the authorities continue the fight with Islamic militants involved in the previous attacks on churches. (Image: AP)
The results of a vote are posted in the General Assembly on December 21, 2017, at United Nations headquarters. The U.N. General Assembly voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions on Thursday in favor of a nonbinding resolution declaring President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital null and void," a smaller margin than the Palestinians hoped for but also a rebuke to the U.S. which is threatening to cut funding for those who voted "yes." (Image: AP)
For 15 years, Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, has held an annual town hall-style meeting in the town of Amherst leading up to the General Assembly, which kicks off Jan. 10.

About 18 residents showed up to this years meeting at the Amherst County Courthouse on Thursday evening.

It has become quite the tradition to start off the new year and the new session to talk about bills that will be introduced and ones that will be discussed, said Cline, who already has thrown himself in the running to replace Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who announced in November he would retire from his 6th Congressional District seat in December 2018 after 25 years.

Cline said the coming legislative session will discuss its two-year budget plan, which will be about $100 billion over the course of two years. Half of that budget is for education, which Cline said is the states top priority.

He said the states legislators want higher teacher pay, smaller class sizes and better facilities for K-12 education and for higher education, making sure students are well trained and can land a job. Cline said he wants higher education to be more affordable.

The 2018 General Assembly session also will address funding for law enforcement agencies, mental health, criminal justice reform, sanctuary cities, transportation and Medicaid, which once was about 10 percent of the state budget but now is a quarter of the budget.

Medicaid expansion goes up 10 percent each year, he said.

Cline said though he and Virginia Gov.-elect Ralph Northam do not agree on every issue, the two have worked together in the past.

He is someone we can work with, he said.

He added the session will be interesting this year since it still is unknown which party will be in control of the House of Delegates due to a recount in Newport News. The final composition of the House will be determined after Christmas, Cline said.

Cline said his personal priorities are jobs and the economy, as well as tax reform.

Martha Bryant  whose son, Tyler, died two months after the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services transferred his brother Taylor and him from the Central Virginia Training Center to another facility across the state due to the CVTCs impending closure  asked for an update on the training center and where the beds would be moved.

CVTC, located in Madison Heights, houses people with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities and is closing in 2020 as part of a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice. The agreement followed a DOJ investigation concluding Virginia fails to provide appropriately integrated services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Southeastern Virginia Training Center is the only state facility slated to remain open following the settlement agreement that set in motion the closure of all other training centers, which provide residential care for people with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities. Out of five regional training centers in the state, two already have closed, and the Southwestern Virginia Training Center in Hillsville is set to close next year.

Cline said CVTC has had recent investments put into it to renovate several buildings.

It seems to me that you can achieve both goals of economic development on the 300-plus acre site and still keep a footprint of five acres or 10 acres to keep those buildings for the use that theyre currently being used for and the people who currently need them, he said.

Though it is still a topic of discussion, Virginia has not elected a governor who wants to reopen the decision to keep the training center open, Cline said.

But its my hope that legislatively, we can modify the agreement and keep a portion of Central Virginia [Training Center] open, he said.

Cline said the training center still is under the directive to move patients out of the facility into community settings, but by doing so, those who are in the most delicate situations sometimes are put into danger in community small-group setting.

Amen, Bryant said.

I wanna give you a hug, Cline said. Ill give you a hug after.

He said he wants to introduce reform to make sure residents who need to be looked after will be.

Monroe resident Ed Olivares asked Clines stance on illegal immigrants, saying they affect services such as Medicaid, the education system and prisons and criminal activity.

Cline said he shares Olivares concern on illegal immigrants impact on services in the state.

We do not want Virginia to be a magnet for illegal immigrants who are coming into this country and trying to find a place to go to get the most services, he said.

Cline said there is a bill coming forth in the General Assembly to ban sanctuary cities. In May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions defined sanctuary jurisdictions as local governments that refuse to fully comply with federal immigration laws.

There isnt any locality in Virginia at this point who has declared itself a sanctuary city, but some are moving in that direction, and some have become sanctuary cities in all but name, directing their law enforcement to not enforce the immigration laws.

He said one of those cities is Charlottesville.

I think thats irresponsible and dangerous, so Ive introduced legislation to ban sanctuary cities and require localities, if they want state money, to enforce our state and federal immigration law, he said.
The Lynchburg Police Department is investigating reports of two males shooting at each other in the parking lot of a mid-town barber shop Thursday, according to a news release from the department.

Police responded to the parking lot of Hill City Cuts Barber Shop at 500 Alleghany Ave. at 1:14 p.m. Thursday after callers reported two males shooting at each other, according to the release. One man fled the scene on foot, and another fled in a gray sedan.

No one was reportedly injured, according to police, but three vehicles and two businesses were struck. Multiple shell casings were recovered from the scene.

One male is described as a black male wearing a black hoodie. The second male was operating a gray sedan.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective S. Duncan at (434) 455-6178 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900, or text CVCS plus your message to 274637.
A move to change the Apostolic Faith Mission of Zimbabwe (AFM) constitution to allow the churchs president Aspher Madziyire to continue leading for two more years after a scheduled December congress provoked angry scenes yesterday in which laity waved placards against their leader.



Madziyire, 63, has led the AFM for 19 years. He was supposed to stand for re-election this month, but brought constitutional changes allegedly meant to delay elections until 2019. The proposed constitution proposes removing the stipulation a presidential candidate cannot be more than 65-years-old, but can be up to 75, something which church members say opens the door for him to be president for life.





Over 100 pastors from across the countrys denominations met in Harare yesterday to table their concerns, which they wanted Madziyire to respond to. Madziyire, who was reportedly invited to the meeting, did not turn up, amid indications that he together with other members of the executive had organised a counter meeting in the Harare central business district.

Efforts to get a response from Madziyire were fruitless as his mobile phone was unreachable.



Speaking to journalists at the meeting, Togarepi Mapingure said the hullabaloo arose from a draft constitution that Madziyire would like to introduce.



AFM was also supposed to be going for elections by the end of this year, we were supposed to be electing the new president, the changes are actually meant to delay the elections to 2019, and we are saying it has become more of a power struggle within the system, which eventually affects the survival of the church, Mapingure said.



He said there is a lot of anxiety within the pastors fraternity which is emanating from the draft constitution that has been circulating, which is pitting most elders of the church, who have been traditionally running the affairs of the church.



There has been a deliberate shift, or deliberate attempt by those who are doing the constitution to shift the church from being a Presbyterian church to being a congregational church and there are a lot of consequences, which are coming as a result of the proposed changes, Mapingure said.



Some of the concerns border around the demand by the church for each pastor to raise at least $50 000 per year from their denominations, a figure which they said is not achievable and turns the church into a business entity.



Some of the banners waved read: $50 000 pagore tave mapurisa here? (we cannot raise the $50 000 target per year, are we police officers?). Several of the pastors held placards denouncing the way the church is being run.



According to the pastors, they are also challenging the need to centralise church funds, which they said is a destructive move, considering the institutions books have not been audited over the past 15 years. Daily News
In addition, the board said there was need for a meeting with Indra Sistemas. It also called for vetting of the process by the Office of the President and Cabinet to establish the veracity of information and to ascertain the capacity of the company. Among some of the concerns raised by the board was a sharp increase of the cost of the tender from 18 million euro to 28 million euro, reflecting a 64% increase in the value of the tender.
Idaho Cops:

Actually, There

Could Be a Threat

to the Community
The wave of sexual misconduct allegations that toppled Hollywood power brokers, politicians, media icons, and many others was the top news story of 2017, according to the AP's annual poll of US editors and news directors. The first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, when editors chose the abdication of Britain's King Edward VIII as the top story. Here are 2017's top 10 stories, in reverse order:



10. Islamic State: After lengthy assaults, an array of forces drove ISIS from its two main strongholdsthe city of Mosul in Iraq, and its self-styled capital, Raqqa, in Syria. The defeats left the Islamic State without significant territory in either country, but affiliates elsewhere in the region, particularly in Egypt and Afghanistan, continued to operate.

9. Worldwide terror attacks: The first big terror attack of 2017 came on New Year's Daya gunman killing 39 at a nightclub in Istanbul. Subsequent targets of global terror included an Ariana Grande concert in England, a bike path in New York City, and the historic La Rambla promenade in Barcelona. In October, a truck bombing in Somalia killed more than 500 people; in November, an attack on a crowded mosque in Egypt killed more than 300.

8. Tax overhaul: Without a single Democratic vote, Republicans in Congress pushed through a sweeping $1.5 trillion tax overhaul that would cut corporate taxes while producing mixed results for individuals. GOP lawmakers, backed by Trump, said the bill would have broad benefits by accelerating economic growth. Critics said consequences would include higher budget deficits and the potential loss of health care coverage for millions of Americans.

7. ObamaCare: Despite repeated efforts, majority Republicans in Congress failed to repeal Barack Obama's health care law and replace it with new plan. At one point, a deciding vote against a GOP replacement bill was cast by Republican Sen. John McCain. But questions remained as to how Obama's plan would fare going forward without substantive help from the Trump administration.

6. Trump-Russia probe: Trump fired FBI director James Comey, but a former FBI chief, Robert Mueller, was soon appointed to investigate potential coordination between Russia and Trump's election campaign. By mid-December, Mueller's team had brought federal charges against four people, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

5. North Korea: At times the taunts had a schoolyard flavor to thema "dotard" versus "Little Rocket Man." But they came from two world leaders with nuclear arms at their disposalTrump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Fueling the tensions were North Korea's latest tests of a hydrogen bomb and of ballistic missiles that potentially could reach the US mainland.

4. Hurricane onslaught: In a four-week span, hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean islands. Harvey killed more than 80 people in Texas and caused an estimated $150 billion in damage. Irma killed scores of people in the Caribbean and US, including 12 residents of a Florida nursing home that lost its air conditioning. Maria damaged more than 200,000 homes in Puerto Rico, caused lengthy power outages, and prompted an investigation into whether the official death toll of 64 was vastly undercounted.

3. Las Vegas mass shooting: A 64-year-old high-stakes video poker player, after amassing an arsenal of weapons, unleashed a barrage of gunfire from a high-rise casino-hotel that killed 58 people and injured hundreds among a crowd attending an open-air concert along the Las Vegas Strip. Weeks after the massacre, questions about the gunman's motives remained unanswered.

2. Trump-First Year: The controversies started on Inauguration Day, with the new president challenged over his claims on the size of the crowd, and persisted throughout the year. Trump's approval ratings hovered around record-low territory, his base remained fiercely loyal, and his relentless tweetingoften in the early morning hoursprovoked a striking mix of outrage, mockery, and grateful enthusiasm.

1. Sexual misconduct: Scandals involving sexual misdeeds by prominent men are nothing new in America, but there's never been anything remotely like the deluge of allegations unleashed this year by women who were emboldened to speak out by the accusers who preceded them. Luminaries toppled from their perches included movie magnate Harvey Weinstein, media stars Bill O'Reilly, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose, and several celebrity chefs and members of Congress. (Read more Best of 2017 stories.)
Some very un-Christmassy news from Norway: A reindeer herder has lost a high-profile case against the government and has been ordered to slaughter half his 150-strong herd, NRK reports. Herder Jovsset Ante Sara, a member of the indigenous Sami community, had argued that he couldn't make a living after such a big reduction in his herd, reports the Telegraph. Norway is home to around 220,000 reindeer and the government is trying to reduce numbers to prevent overgrazing. Earlier this month, the herder's sister, Maret Anne Sara, drew attention to the case by hanging an artwork made up of 400 bullet-ridden reindeer skulls outside the country's parliament building, the AP reports. (Read more reindeer stories.)
Congress is getting closer to delaying a government shutdown for a few more weeksyet againafter passing a temporary spending bill on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to the AP, the bill passed the House by a 231-188 vote and the Senate by a 66-32 vote with Democrats in red states siding with Republicans. Congress had until midnight Friday to avoid a government shutdown. The new spending bill funds the federal government through Jan. 19, CNBC reports.

It's safe to say neither Democratic nor Republican lawmakers are happy with the bill they just passed. Republicans were arguing about it right up until it passed, and Nancy Pelosi urged Democrats to vote against it as it didn't include a permanent fix for Dreamers, CNN reports. The bill did include $2.85 billion to fund the Children's Health Insurance Programwhich provides insurance to nearly 9 million childrenfor another three months. It also includes $4.7 billion for the Department of Defense for ship repair and missile defense programs and extends the NSA's ability to legally spy on emails for another three weeks. (Read more government shutdown stories.)
Eric Schmidt, the man who turned Google into a juggernaut during his decade as CEO, is stepping down as executive chairman of Alphabet, its parent company. The company announced Thursday that the 62-year-old will be leaving the role, but will stay on as technical adviser and will continue to serve on the company's board, CNBC reports. Google did not comment on the reason for the departure, though Schmidt said he plans to spend time focusing "on science and technology issues, and philanthropy." Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that Schmidt and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have been discussing the transition for around a year.

"Since 2001, Eric has provided us with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology," Page, who is CEO of Alphabet, said in a statement, per Recode. "Continuing his 17 years of service to the company, hell now be helping us as a technical adviser on science and technology issues." Bloomberg, which sees the change as a generational shift, notes that when Brin and Page were asked in 2001 why they were bringing Schmidt, an experienced software exec in as CEO, Brin quipped: "Parental supervision, to be honest." When Schmidt stepped down from the Google CEO role in 2011, he said: "Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!" (Read more Eric Schmidt stories.)
Restaurant workers, a hotel event booker, and a watchdog group who say President Trump has business conflicts that violate the Constitution cannot sue him, a New York judge ruled Thursday. US District Judge George Daniels said it was too soon for the lawsuit to be considered by the courts, particularly because Congress had not considered the issue, the AP reports. The lawsuit earlier this year alleged that Trump's "vast, complicated, and secret" business interests were creating conflicts of interest. It claimed the business ties violated the Constitution's "emoluments" ban against taking foreign gifts and money without Congress' permission, including for hotel stays or office leases.

Trump had called the lawsuit "totally without merit" while aides to the Republican president dismissed it as politically motivated. Justice Department lawyers had argued that the plaintiffs did not suffer in any way and had no standing to sue, and that it is unconstitutional to sue the president in his official capacity. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington originally brought the lawsuit. "While today's ruling is a setback, we will not walk away from this serious and ongoing constitutional violation," said Noah Bookbinder, executive director of CREW. "The Constitution is explicit on these issues, and the president is clearly in violation. Our legal team is weighing its options and will soon lay out our decisions on how to proceed."

(Read more President Trump stories.)
"Loser." "Creep." "Must be compensating for something, small penis probably." These are just a few of the commentssome of them from an ex-prime minister's wifebeing lobbed at a Canadian television host after he posted pictures online of himself with the cougar he'd hunted and killed. Per the CBC and BBC, Steve Ecklund, host of the wilderness show The Edge, had legally taken down the cougar in northern Alberta in early December, but it wasn't the fact that he'd simply gone on a hunt that earned him the backlash he's now receivingit was the photos he put up afterward. In at least two Facebook posts (one apparently since deleted), Ecklund put up a bunch of photos, including one showing him holding up the bloodied dead cougar, along with the caption: "What an unreal ending to a fun filled season."

There was also a picture of him making a cougar stir-fry. All of which spurred ire online, including from Laureen Harper, the wife of ex-PM Stephen Harper. "I come from a family that hunts and fishes," she tweeted Wednesday. "Learned to use every part of an animal. Killing for fun makes me sick." (She also posted the "creep" and "penis" comments.) But Ecklund says he actually does plan on using every part of the animal, and in subsequent posts (one since disappeared), he doubled down, praising himself in one for "conservation" and "predator control." He also says he's received mostly positive reaction, per the South China Morning Post. A University of Alberta population ecology professor backs him up, CTV News reports. "This is an anti-hunting rant," he notes. "There is nothing illegal about cougar hunting, but I understand that some people do not accept [it]. That is a personal choice." (Read more Canada stories.)
So long, Sen. Al Franken: The Democrat delivered his final speech on the Senate floor Thursday, slamming Trump administration policies and urging fellow senators to "stand up for truth," the Hill reports. Franken, who reluctantly resigned after several women accused him of groping or harassing them, said he was worried about the direction the country is going in. "As I leave the Senate, I have to admit that it feels like we're losing the war for truth," he said, per the Washington Post. "Maybe it's already lost. If that's what happens, then we have lost the ability to have the kinds of arguments that help build consensus."

In a parting shot at the Trump administration, Franken, who has served in the Senate since 2009, blasted the GOP's tax reform bill for "showering corporations and wealthy donors with tax breaks and special favors." He called it a "slap in the face" for the "forgotten men and women" Trump talked about on the campaign trail and said the values being advanced by Trump and congressional Republicans don't represent his "belief that our economy, our democracy and our country works best when they work for everyone." Other senators, including fellow Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, paid tribute to Franken after he concluded his 30-minute speech, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. After Franken officially leaves on Jan. 2, he will be replaced by Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith. (Read more Al Franken stories.)
A New York woman sent to prison for causing the death of her fiance on the Hudson River got an early Christmas present: her release from jail not even two months after hearing her fate in court. Angelika Graswald had been sentenced in early November to 16 months to four years in prison after pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the death of 46-year-old Vincent Viafore. She admitted to pulling the plug out of Viafore's kayak before he headed out into the river; he ended up drowning. But due to the two-and-a-half years she'd already served in jail while her case was working its way through the judicial system, the 37-year-old Graswald left her life behind bars at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility on Thursday, per the Poughkeepsie Journal. Graswald's lawyer, Richard Portale, picked her up from the prison and made a statement afterward with Graswald by his side.

"Reconstructing her life is going to be difficult," he noted. "Her day-to-day, her reality, is much different today than it was 32 months ago when she was in jail." Portale says Graswald will be staying with a woman whose specialty is helping ex-inmates work their way back into society, and that one of Graswald's first goals is to set up a video chat with her family, per the New York Times. One of Viafore's relatives calls her release "upsetting," per the Journal, specifically because his family still believes "she's going after the insurance money"; Graswald, Viafore's primary life-insurance beneficiary, stood to claim $250,000 from his policies. Graswald, a US permanent resident, will be on parole for 16 months, at which point she'll then be faced with possible deportation to her native Latvia. Viafore's sister has also filed a wrongful death suit against her. (Read more prison release stories.)
Former Marine Marco Chavez could not sleep the night before he was set to cross the border and return to the United States, a country he considers home, after he was deported to Mexico 15 years ago. When Chavez finally walked into the United States through the Tijuana-San Diego border crossing on Thursday, he was speechless and still in disbelief that he had won his battle to regain his permanent US residency, the AP reports. It was an historic day for the Mexican-born father of three, who returned to the US as a grandfather. He is among the few former service members to regain permanent residency out of hundreds of veterans who have been deported. "I can't believe it until now," Chavez said on the California side of the border.

Chavez, whose father told reporters he was grateful to have his son finally home, said it will be an unforgettable Christmas because he will spend it with his family. The return gives hope to the other deported US military veterans, said Nathan Fletcher, a Marine combat veteran whose organization lobbied on Chavez's behalf. "For those of us who have served and fought for this country, we can't rest until they all come home," said Fletcher, among the first to welcome Marco Chavez back. Earlier this year at the request of Fletcher's organization, California Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned Chavez for a 1998 conviction for animal cruelty in a dog beating. Chavez said another person was responsible. Months after he was pardoned, a judge granted Chavez's request to return.

(Read more veterans stories.)
Doug Musson's home has become a spectacle each December for more than three decades, decorated top to bottom in Christmas lights. But this year, visitors aren't just flocking to the home in Ontario, Canada, to take in the sights. They're also paying tribute to the man who made the Christmas season extra colorful, reports the Burlington Post. While up on a ladder tending to his display Monday, the 82-year-old Burlington man fell and was later pronounced dead at a hospital, reports the CBC. Burlington's mayor calls the news "devastating," particularly as Musson had been trying to fix a leak causing water to drip on a sidewalk, for fear a visitor might slip and fall, per the BBC. In the days since, locals have left tributes to how Musson's lights became part of their own Christmas traditions. "You touched the lives of so many," reads one.

Musson started out hanging lights on his home in Calgary, Alberta. After the family moved to Ontario in 1976, he started adding bigger and better lights each year, per the Toronto Star. "He worked hard on making all of the displays" which were custom-built, including a motorcycle marked with the name Cam, in honor of Musson's son who died in a motorcycle accident in 1998, his wife writes on the family's website. "I debated even turning on the lights [following his death] but decided he would want them on." His goal was to bring smiles to people's faces, says Musson's son, Scott. He adds he'll keep the display going because it's what his father would've wanted. "We put a Santa Claus that dances out every evening. The kids came to dance with it. That was Dad's favorite part," he tells the CBC. But "there will never be a Christmas the same ever." (Christmas lights can be seen from space.)
A white Zimbabwean farmer evicted by gun-wielding police and a mob associated with the ruling party has returned to a hero's welcome, in a sign that new President Emmerson Mnangagwa is charting a path away from predecessor Robert Mugabe on an issue that had hastened the country's international isolation. With a military escort, Robert Smart made his way into Lesbury farm about 124 miles east of the capital, Harare, on Thursday to cheers from dozens of workers and community members. Such scenes were once unthinkable in a country where land ownership is an emotional issue with political and racial overtones, the AP reports. "I am ecstatic. Words cannot describe the feeling," said Smart's son Darryn.

Ruling ZANU-PF party supporters evicted many of Zimbabwe's white farmers under an often violent land reform program led by Mugabe. Whites make up less than 1% of the southern African country's population, and Mugabe said the evictions were meant to address colonial land ownership imbalances skewed against blacks. Some in the international community responded with outrage and sanctions. Of the roughly 4,500 white farmers before the land reforms began in 2000, only a few hundred are left. The Commercial Farmers Union, which represents mainly white farmers, said it plans to meet the lands minister."I am advising our members to be patient and give it time. But I do see many of them going back into farming," said Peter Steyl, the union's vice president. (Read more about Mnangagwa, called "the Crocodile," here.)
If Florida police officer Jon Cusack thought his visit to a retirement community to check on an unconscious couple in a car would be relatively uneventful Tuesday, he thought wrong. The visit would end only after Cusack was dragged by a speeding car for about a half-mile, according to police in Pembroke Pines. Cusacks body camera captured part of the scene before it was dislodged: The officer is seen putting on protective gloves as he speaks with a man and woman found in a car with a "small, clear plastic baggie with an unknown substance in plain view," according to police. But as the man begins to drive away, Cusack gets hung up in the door frame. Police say he was then dragged as the driver hit 60mph, made "several sharp maneuvers," and attempted to hit responding emergency vehicles, report CBS Miami and the Miami Herald.

Police say Cusack feared he'd be run over if he let go of the vehicle but finally released his grip when the car slowed. Cusackwhose "uniform and shoes were shredded" according to a police reportwas then taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery for "significant road rashes," per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Meanwhile, authorities say Thomas Cabrera, 38, reached speeds of 105mph as he led police on a 20-mile chase. He was arrested after his vehicle was impeded by traffic. He later admitted to using heroin and cocaine before encountering Cusack and said he fled because he didn't want to go to jail, according to police. He's charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, felony fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license. Cusack, who left the hospital Wednesday, says he's "doing well." (Read more Florida stories.)
"New evidence" has emerged to expand a $100 million 2016 lawsuit against Comcast by Washington state, with accusations of "deceptive conduct" that's "even more egregious than we first realized." That's per the state attorney general, Ars Technica reports, with an amended complaint filed in King County Superior Court after the AG's office examined a "random sample" of 150 recorded calls between Comcast and its customers. The case revolves around Comcast's Service Protection Plan, which more than 500,000 Washingtonians subscribed to over a four-year span starting in 2011, paying at least $73 million, per an AG Office statement. The issue, per the suit, is the SPP is "near worthless" because it doesn't cover certain repairs (including wires embedded in walls) or charges customers for repairs already covered for free under Comcast's customer guarantee.

The suit says Comcast may have signed up more than half of SPP subscribers without their consent, including those in the calls who were never informed of the plan or clearly said they didn't want to join. Also alleged: that Comcast reps told some customers the plan was "free"only for customers to be hit with a monthly charge of $5.99 after the first month. "The extent of their deception is shocking," AG Bob Ferguson says. In a statement to Ars Technica, a Comcast rep says, "We strongly disagree with the Attorney Generals new claims," adding the evidence is "largely based on a flawed methodology and assumptions." Consumers who think they've been ripped off can file a complaint on the AG's website. Per KING-TV, it's not clear how much consumers will each get if the suit is won or settled. A trial date is set for July, per the Seattle Times. (Comcast isn't the most hated telecom company.)
One estimate puts the number of American thyroid cancer deaths tied to our decade-plus of above-ground nuclear testing at 49,000. University of Arizona economist Keith Meyers argues the number of deaths could be 14 times higher. Quartz shares the results of his study, which revolves around milk: specifically, the impact of the milk consumed by Americans that was produced by cows who were affected by radioactive fallout carried by winds from Nevada between 1951 to 1963. While the government ultimately acknowledged there were domestic victims of the nuclear program and paid them more than $2 billion, Meyers says the true toll is much larger: "between 395,000 and 695,000 excess deaths from 1951 to 1973."

Meyers took National Cancer Institute estimates for the deposition of the highly radioactive Iodine 131 and its estimates for I-131 "secreted in locally produced milk" and paired those figures with county-level mortality data. He asserts that "exposure to fallout through milk leads to immediate and sustained increases in the crude death rate." But his findings also buck conventional wisdom in that he found the "largest mortality effects" were seen in the Central Northwest and Great Plains. He explains that at the time, dairy farmers in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah imported their hay from elsewhere, which cut down on the presence of I-131, which has a very short half-life of 8 days. Meyers' bold conclusion: "The cumulative number of excess deaths attributable to these tests is comparable to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." (Read more nuclear weapons stories.)
Samuel Black tells WTXF he "thought it was a nightmare" when he heard what happened to his 4-month-old daughter earlier this week in Philadelphia. Family says little Journi was in bed at their first-floor apartment Wednesday night when she was attacked by a raccoon, leaving her hospitalized and facing a year of recovery, CBS Philly reports. Journi's mother, Ashley Rodgers, says she heard noises when she was in the bathroom, went to check on Journi in bed, and saw a raccoon running away. "I hear her screaming and crying," Rodgers tells WPVI. "By the time I got to her, she was off the bed across the room on the floor with blood all over her face." Journi's uncle was in disbelief: "A raccoon dragging an innocent baby off a bed onto the floor. What was he going to do? Eat her? Kill her?"

Images of Journi's injuries show claw marks to her face and forehead, a wound near her eye, and more. Rodgers says she needed 64 stitches and a rabies shot. It's unclear how the raccoon got into the apartment, but neighbors complain of a raccoon infestation in the area due to trash. The family is considering legal action against their landlord, who the city says may be renting out rooms illegally. It is his responsibility," Black tells CBS. "Theres no reason an animal should have gotten into the house with minors." He adds: Its just ridiculous. My daughter could have lost her life. The family had only been in the apartment for a week when the attack happened. Animal control officers set a trap for the raccoon in case it comes back. (Read more raccoons stories.)
Are we sure Pete Hoekstra, President Trump's new ambassador to the Netherlands, doesn't have that Memento condition? Hoekstra demonstrated some impressive memory lossboth long-term and incredibly short-termduring an embarrassing interview with Dutch news program Nieuwsuur, the Guardian reports. "You mentioned in a debate that there are no-go zones in the Netherlands, and that cars and politicians are being set on fire in the Netherlands," reporter Wouter Zwart says during the interview. Spin explains that "no-go zones" refers to the notion that there are areas in the Netherlands where Sharia law has replaced government control.

Hoekstra responds: "I didn't say that. This is actually an incorrect statement. We would call it fake news." He's then shown a clip of him from 2015 in which he said "there are cars being burnt, there are politicians that are being burnt ... and yes there are no-go zones in the Netherlands. Hoekstra's response to being shown the clip is truly impressive: He denies using the term "fake news" just moments earlier. I didnt call that fake news," he tells Zwart. "I didnt use the words today." The Washington Post reports the clip isn't playing well in the Netherlands, where one headline blasts Hoekstra for telling "lies about his own lies." Hoekstra, a former Republican congressman and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, was sworn in as ambassador earlier this month. (Read more fake news stories.)
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New Delhi:

Enough A320 pilots to operate flights in winter season, says AIA Air India on Friday said it has enough trained pilots for critical low visibility operations of flights in this winter season. The disinvestment-bound national airline made the statement while reacting to media reports that its move to send a batch of A320 pilots for B787 aircraft ground training in Hyderabad has led to severe shortage of pilots for low visibility operations. "Air India has enough CAT-III trained pilots on A320 to operate scheduled flights this winter season," an airline spokesperson said. Training of pilots takes place on regular basis and does not affect the airline's regular operations, the spokesperson added. Divestment-bound national carrier Air India has sent a batch of 17 senior A320 pilots -- who areA trained for critical low-visibility operations -- for Boeing command course in the midst of the foggy season, a move that has raised questions. The decision has led to a severe shortage of senior pilots who are trained for low-visibility operations and they are required to be deployed on northern routes during theA winter season. According to an airline source privy to the development, the move raises questions as these pilots are critical to winter operations in the North. Even after completion of the ground course, these pilots would have to wait for at least 5-6 months to get simulator training as there is already a huge backlog now, the source said. "These senior A320 commanders are CAT-II/III qualified pilots, but have been sent to do their ground classes, which will go (on) for about two months, for B787 flying in the thick of the winter. "Air India was reluctant to send them, but when the pressure came from a Union minister, who has nothing to do with the aviation sector, the airline had to give in," the source told PTI. Further, the source said one of the pilots among the 17 is close to the Union minister and wanted the minister to intervene to get the command training on the wide-body plane. Also read| Airlines reported 1000 tech snags in 2017, half of them by Air India:Govt

The CAT-III-B narrow-body fleet commanders have been sent to the Central Training Establishment in Hyderabad for two- month ground classes on Boeing Dreamliners amid the foggy season, the source said. Category-III is an advanced navigation system that empowers an aircraft to land under foggy conditions. Category-III-A is a precision instrument approach and landing that enables a plane to land with a runway visual range (RVR) of 200 metres while Category-III-B helps in landing with an RVR of under-50 metres. "Moreover, after these pilots finish ground classes, they'll have to go back to fly A320s as the Mumbai simulator facility for training is unlikely to be available to them for the next 5-6 months due to a huge backlog," the source added. Alleging that there is severe shortage of commanders on the A320 fleet, the source said sending away as many as 17 senior pilots at this time of the year would have an adverse impact on operations, particularly in the winter season, which is dubious for the fog. Also read: Delhi Police arrests most wanted criminal Sonu Dariyapur from Narela

"Many flights, including a Mumbai-Chandigarh flight, were delayed recently due to shortage of pilots trained in low visibility operations," the source said. Queries sent to Air India spokesperson G P Rao on the matter did not fetch any response even after a week. The foggy season in the North generally sets in from early December and lasts till mid-February. During this period, domestic airlines are required to deploy only CAT- III-B compliant aircraft and trained crew while operating flights in and out of New Delhi, Jaipur and Lucknow airports. These aerodromes are CAT-III-B-compliant airports.

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Bengaluru:

Karnataka is going to polls in 2018 and Congress, BJP, and JDS have already begun their preparations for the elections. Not to lag behind, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is all set to announce its decision to contest the state elections.



National spokesperson of AAP Sanjay Singh has said, "Members of Karnataka Wing of Aam Aadmi Party want to contest elections and have submitted a detailed report and this report will be discussed in PAC. PAC will take the final decision".



Two senior national leaders of AAP Sanjay Singh and Pankaj Kumar Gupta landed in Bengaluru on Thursday to gauge the mood of party members in the state. Both the leaders held several meetings with party workers and senior party leaders of AAP Karnataka.



Prithvi Reddy, the senior most leader of AAP Karnataka said, "Our workers have been working day and night across the state for the benefit of the people. Since BJP, Congress and JDS all looted the money, our workers are ready to fight them in the election to protect the state from corruption".



In the last Lok Sabha elections, Aam Aadmi Party contested from all the seats of Karnataka but failed to win a single seat. This time party workers are confident of not only denting the votes of Congress, BJP and JDS in the state but making an entry into the Karnataka assembly.
New Delhi:

Delhi High Court has indicated that a warrant would be issued against Virender Dev Dikshit, the head of the Ashram if details about Ashram aren't submitted.



Over 40 girls were rescued by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) along with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the Delhi Police from Rohini's Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya.



The step was taken after the Delhi High Court formed a panel consisting of lawyers and the DCW chief, to inspect the premises of the so-called institute, owned by the Baba Virender Dikshit where girls and women were allegedly kept in illegal confinement.



Delhi High Court also asked for a list of all 8 Ashrams of Virendra Dev Dikshit to be produced as soon as possible. Court also questioned the meditation being taught if the inmates are being forcibly kept in prison-like conditions.



In the last 20-22 years, numerous complainants have approached the Police, but to no avail. I was also threatened for raising my voice in the media, but I was not afraid as I wanted to save innocent girls, said a neighbour of Baba Virendra Dev Dikshit's Ashram in Delhi's Rohini.
New Delhi:

Normal life was affected in parts of Bihar on account of a shutdown called by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to protest against the sand-mining policy of the Nitish Kumar-led government on Thursday .



Protesters tried to disrupt road traffic in the morning and forced vendors to close their shops in several districts.



In the state capital, the bandh evoked mixed response as many commercial establishments remained open but downed shutters for brief periods during visits by RJD supporters.



Senior RJD leaders, including MLAs Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and Bhola Yadav, were detained at the Dak Bungalow Road crossing when they were staging a demonstration atop a tractor, a senior police officer said.



They were taken to Kotwali police station nearby and let off a couple of hours later after they signed bonds, he added.



The RJD leaders have been accusing the state government of putting stringent restrictions on sand mining.



The opposition party claimed that construction activities have come to a standstill in the state and thousands of workers have been rendered jobless due to the restrictions.



The party had, however, kept the Patna City and the bypass area out of the bandh purview to avoid causing inconvenience to the Sikh pilgrims who had converged in the area to attend the "Shukrana" (thanksgiving) ceremony as part of the 350th Prakash Parv (birth anniversary) celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh.



Despite pleas by the top RJD leaders to allow free movement of emergency services during the bandh, ambulances were seen stranded in traffic jams here.



The bandh supporters blocked road traffic in Begusarai, Aurangabad, Samastipur and Siwan. In Maner, in the outskirts of Patna, led by MLA Bhai Virendra RJD members burnt tyres on the highway, disrupting movement of vehicles on the busy Patna-Ara road for several hours.



The bandh drew flak from the JD(U)-BJP government.



State minister and BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said, "The behaviour of RJD activists reminded everybody of the lawlessness that prevail in the state whenever the party has been in power."



JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar accused the RJD of being "in cahoots with the sand-mining mafia" and questioned the rationale behind calling a bandh "despite an announcement made by the Chief Secretary yesterday that sand mining will continue, for the time being, as per old provisions".



RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, however, said the chief secretary's announcement was just an eyewash.



"The Patna High Court had categorically directed the state government, after staying its policy, to allow sand mining as per unamended provisions," he said.



RJD supremo Lalu Prasad remained conspicuous by his absence at the demonstrations staged by his party.
Mumbai:

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has said that he is grateful for getting the opportunity to play the role of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray in a biopic.



Starring Nawazuddin in the titular role, the biopic penned by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, will be directed by Abhijit Panse.



Speaking at the launch of a teaser of the film on Thackeray, Nawazuddin said, "It's an important day for me today as the teaser of the film is launched. I have got the opportunity to play the role of a great person like him, I think any actor would have agreed to play his role."



The teaser was launched here by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.



"I am thankful and grateful to Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray, Abhijit for the film and Bachchan sir for launching the teaser. I am sure Abhijit and we would take this biopic up to the mark," Nawazuddin, who is shooting in Mauritius, said via video conference.



"Everyone would be thinking, how can I speak Marathi, let me tell you, Bal Thackeray sahab would be giving me inspiration and would be showering his blessings (on me) to play the part," he said, in Marathi.



Bachchan said he was grateful for being invited for the teaser launch. He said a three-hour film will be too short to bring Thackeray's illustrious life on-screen.



"I don't think Balasaheb's life can be shown in three hours. I wish there is a series made on him of three-four hours, for his personality, work, life is much beyond a film. I feel it should be shown in a web series of many episodes. I congratulate and wish Sanjay Raut the best for this film.



"If I am required for the film I would love to be part of it in any capacity. I will always be ready to contribute to this film, in every way possible," Bachchan said.



Bachchan said he looked at Thackeray as a father figure.



"We were very close to each other, we were more like family. I respect him a lot," he said.



The biopic will release on January 23, 2019.

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New Delhi:

The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected Maharashtra governoras 2016 sanction to prosecute former chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing society scam.

Reacting to the decision, Chavan, who is state Congress Chief, said on Friday: aTruth has prevailed. I have full faith in the judiciary. The governoras order was politically motivated.a

Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had earlier given his sanction to prosecute Chavan, who was asked by the Congress party to resign as CM after being implicated in the housing scam.

In February 2016, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao had reviewed the December 2013 decision taken by then Governor K Shankarnarayanan, who had rejected the CBIas plea for sanction to prosecute the former chief minister, and given the go-ahead to prosecute him.

Following this, Chavan had filed a petition challenging the sanction. In his petition, Chavan had contended that the move to review the December 2013 decision was politically motivated and biased, and that there was no additional material to warrant a review.

Raoas order was motivated by the change in political circumstances and not by any change in any material aspects of the case, his petition had said.

Additional solicitor general Anil Singh had argued that the Justice JA Patil Commission report and certain observations of the high court a made while rejecting Chavanas earlier petition that challenged the trial courtas decision to reject the CBIas plea seeking to delete his name from the accused list were aadditional materiala under the Criminal Procedure Code, and that the governor had been justified in granting the sanction.

aThere is no question of malafide exercise of power,a Singh had said, refuting allegations that the decision was politically motivated. Singh had also justified Raoas review of the 2013 order, arguing that the order had been passed at a time when the inquiry commission report was not available for consideration, as it had not been accepted yet.

The development has come as another sigh of relief for the Congress party after all the accused in the 2G scam were acquitted by a special CBI on Thursday.

These issues were politically used around 2014 by BJP to malign the Congress party: Ashok Chavan,Congress after getting relief in Adarsh scam case pic.twitter.com/pYD6h9xLSR a ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

The truth has ultimately prevailed, we always had full faith in the country's judiciary: Ashok Chavan after getting relief in Adarsh scam case pic.twitter.com/IF2aSBsOKx a ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

#WATCH: Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan addresses the media in Mumbai after relief in Adarsh Scam case https://t.co/cJACrNk5Fg a ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

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Ahmedabad:

Newly elected BJP MLAs of Gujarat will meet in Gandhinagar on Friday to choose the next chief minister, a top party official said.



The BJP legislature party will meet to elect its leader in the presence of central observers for the exercise-- Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey, the party's state chief Jitu Vaghani told reporters in Ahmedabad.



State BJP in-charge Bhupender Yadav and co-in charge V Satish would also attend the meeting at party headquarters 'Kamalam' on Friday afternoon.



"All the MLAs along with party observers and in-charge leaders would meet today to select the leader of the ruling party (chief minister). All the MLAs have been intimated to remain present in tomorrow's meeting," Vaghani said.



Earlier, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and members of his council of ministers gave resign. Rupani, a front-runner for the chief minister's post, has been asked to continue as caretaker chief minister till a new government is sworn in.



Governor O P Kohli had dissolved the Assembly on Wednesday following the declaration of election results.



In the recently concluded polls, the BJP retained power by winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, while the Congress bagged 77. Six seats were won by others.

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New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Friday raised doubts over the spirituality of a north Delhi-based ashram for keeping women and girls "confined as animals in cages".

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said it was "for the first time we are seeing an ashram where only minor girls are being kept confined".

"You expect us to close our eyes to this and treat this as normal? What kind of spirituality is it when people are kept confined as animals in cages? We do not understand it. "Where is the concept of free consent or spirit when you are not allowed to meet your family or friends or wear what you want to? You keep someone under your control for decades,then there it is not free consent. It is a strange set up that hundreds are lodged in closed confines," the court said.

The observations by the bench came during the hearing of a PIL by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which informed the court that several minors and women were allegedly being illegally confined at the "spiritual university" in Rohini and were not allowed to meet their parents.

Moved by the issue, the high court immediately set up a committee, comprising lawyers and Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, to inspect the premises of the institute.

The committee, comprising lawyers Ajay Verma and Nandita Rao, gave a report detailing the "horrible" living conditions of the over 100 girls and women who were housed in "animal-like conditions with no privacy even for bathing".

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New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted two-week parole to INLD chief O P Chautala, serving a ten-year jail term in a teachers recruitment scam case, to look after his ailing wife. Justice Mukta Gupta, however, restrained the former Haryana chief minister from involving in any other activity and also stopped him from moving out of Sirsa where his wife is admitted in a hospital.

While granting the relief, the court asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the like amount. He should confine himself to the hospital at Sirsa where his wife is admitted and is in ICU, unless she is shifted to other hospital out of that place, the court said.

It further said that Chautala should ensure that he will not indulge himself in any activity except the reason for which he has been granted two weeks parole. In the petition filed through advocate Amit Sahni, the 82-year-old leader had said that his wife Sneh Lata was critically ill and was hospitalised at Sirsa in Haryana and that he wanted to spend time with his wife in her last days.



Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra vehemently opposed his parole plea, saying the court had earlier cancelled Chautalas parole and furlough on the ground that he was attending political rallies. He further said there were other family members to take care of the ailing woman.

The court, however, observed that the order by which his parole and furlough was cancelled was appealed before a division bench which had asked the authority to consider Chautalas request when he applies in future.

It also said that after that the March order, he was granted furlough twice and has not misused it. The court also said there was no dispute that his wife was ill and he needed to visit her. The court had earlier asked Chautala to substantiate his claim of seeking two-month parole to look after his ailing wife by producing her recent medical records.

The plea has said the leader was last granted parole earlier this year and he was entitled to get parole as per parole and furlough guidelines, which stipulate that a minimum of six months should elapse after the date of termination of the previous parole. The high court had on March 1 cancelled the parole granted to Chautala on medical grounds and asked him to surrender forthwith, saying he cocked a snook at the court and misled it by feigning illness.

It had then said that Chautala was misusing his parole to attend public meetings. Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and three others are serving 10-year jail term in the case.

The Supreme Court in August 2015 had dismissed Chautalas appeals against the high court verdict upholding their conviction and sentence of 10 years awarded by a trial court in the junior basic trained teachers recruitment scam case.

The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were among 55 persons convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 JBT teachers in Haryana in 2000.

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Bengaluru:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday slammed his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath for flaying his government on the law and order front, saying, on the contrary, there was lawlessness in UP.

"There is no other place in the country where law and order had deteriorated to the extent it has happened in UP and Bihar," Siddaramaiah said.

"There is no law there in UP. What will they come and teach us here?" he told reporters at Belagavi.

Siddaramaiah's comments come a day after Adityanath lashed out at the state government, alleging that the way Hindu and BJP workers are being "brutally" killed signified "a state of anarchy."

The chief minister also criticised Adityanath for accusing the Congress of "insulting" India's rich tradition by showing respect to the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, whose birth anniversary celebrations by the government had triggered a controversy.

"What is my name- Siddarama, there is Rama in my name. We celebrate Rama jayanti, Hanuma jayanti, also Tippu jayanti," Siddaramaiah said.

Listing 'jayantis' of various social reformers, religious and historical leaders like Basava, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Valmiki and Kanakadas observed by the state government, he said "We celebrate jayantis of every one."

Also Read| 'Guj poll outcome will not have any bearing on Karna election': Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Speaking at the "Parivarthana Yatra" rally, organized by the state BJP in Hubballi on Thursday, Adityanath had called Karnataka "the land of Hanuman" and home of valour and courage which was ruled by the erstwhile Vijayanagara empire.

It was unfortunate that the Congress instead of worshiping Hanuman and Vijayanagara was worshiping Tipu Sultan," he had said.

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Panchkula:

Haryana Police said it has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged killing of a journalist in Charkhi Dadri area.

Rajesh Sheoran's body was found under mysterious circumstances in th.e area on Wednesday, the police said.

Haryana DGP B S Sandhu on Friday in a statement said that a murder case has been registered at Dadri city police station.

He said a three-member SIT, led by DSP Pradeep Kumar, has been formed to probe the case.A

#Haryana: A journalist, identified as Rajesh Sheoran, murdered in Charkhi Dadri yesterday. Case registered pic.twitter.com/H2cSn4J7Tc a ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

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Jaipur:

Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when it stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Given its actions, it doesn't appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the Army chief added.

He was in the western sector, close to the India-Pakistan border, to witness the Hamesha Vijayee exercise conducted by the Southern Command in Thar desert.

Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists.

Only then can we say that peace talks should take place, he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.

"We also want relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesn't appear that they really want peace, Rawat said.

The Army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir police have been taking actions against militants in Jammu and Kashmir successfully and the action will continue, he added.

Rawat's comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

"It is important for Pakistan to understand our core concern, which is terrorism. We have time and again asked them to take action against terrorists who are operating from their soil. This is something they (Pakistan) will have to handle if they are serious in cultivating this friendship," Kumar said.

Also Read: Army Chief Gen Rawat advocates Bharat Ratna for Field Marshal Cariappa

The assertions follow Pakistan's Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties.

Also Read: Army Chief Bipin Rawat warns of Uri-like terror attack

According to media reports, Bajwa has said he will support any initiative of the civilian government to resolve issues with India through talks.

In a rare move, the Pakistan Army Chief briefed the Senate - the upper house of the parliament - on security situation and regional issues on Tuesday.

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New Delhi:

The newly elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday seemed confident while walking out of his party headquarters in New Delhi after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting and bashed the BJP on 2G spectrum issue. He said BJP architecture is about lies.

Rahul Gandhi after chairing his first CWC meeting as Congress president while talking to media persons said, Everyone knows about 2G. The truth has come out. It was a BJP propaganda on a lie to tarnish Congress image.

The newly elected BJP president further said, Whatever you talk about, be it 2G or whether you look at the Modi model or promise of Rs 15 lakhs in every bank account or demonetisation. Everything is a lie.

Rahul Gandhi added, If you talk about Modis Gujarat model it was a clear lie. The people of Gujarat told me there is no Modi Model. They said the only model which is working in Gujarat is stealing peoples resources.

The Congress president did not detail or reveal the discussions of the CWC meeting to the media.

Also read: After missing the cut in Gujarat, Congress to hold 3-day review meeting to analyse results

Another Congress leader not willing to be quoted said that the meeting was chaired by Rahul Gandhi.

He added that the major discussion of the meeting was on how the party will go in public to expose BJP propaganda in public.

The Congress leader also said that Rahul Gandhi will chair another meeting soon in which they will discuss on how to move in public to inform people how the saffron party tarnished the image of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Also read: After missing the cut in Gujarat, Congress to hold 3-day review meeting to analyse results

A special CBI court on Thursday acquitted all accused in the 2G spectrum scam case including A Raja and DMK chief M Karunanidhis daughter M K Kanimozhi, saying the CBI miserably failed to prove charges against any of the 17 accused.

The court in its judgement said, "A huge scam was seen by everyone where there was none...some people created a scam by artfully arranging a few selected facts and exaggerating things beyond recognition to astronomical levels."

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New Delhi:

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it assembled on Friday as Congress insisted that the impasse over the reported remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his predecessor Manmohan Singh should be resolved first.

For the past week, the opposition has been demanding a clarification from the Prime Minister over his remarks made during the Gujarat election campaign against his predecessor and others.

As soon as the House assembled and papers were laid, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the House should be adjourned till afternoon so that a solution can be found to end the impasse prevailing in the House since the first day of its sitting on December 15.

He said two meetings of the panel headed by Leader of the House Arun Jaitley have taken place to find a solution.

"The House should be adjourned till a solution is found," he said, adding that the Congress members do not want to enter the Well to force adjournment.

Azad said the opposition too wants the House to function and carry out legislative business.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel suggested that the House should continue to function and in the meantime, a solution is found.

"This is not such an issue that a solution cannot be found," he said, adding, the Rajya Sabha did function for a day even during the impasse.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma too insisted that the House should be adjourned without any disruption.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu tried to continue with the Zero Hour proceedings, but as the Congress did not budge, he adjourned the House for the day.

Rajya Sabha will now meet again on December 27, after the long weekend and Christmas break.

Earlier the Chairman had allowed two members to raise points of order'.

While TMC member Derek O'Brien raised the issue of a brief "blackout" of Rajya Sabh TV telecast on Thursday, SP member Naresh Agarwal demanded a hike in the salaries of Members of Parliament.

O'Brien said the telecast was stopped at 2.13 pm on Thursday when Congress members were protesting over Modi's remarks against Manmohan Singh and others.

These are "democratic scenes", so let the people watch it, he said, adding that this is also part of parliamnetary democracy. O'Brien urged the Chair that the live broadacst should not be shut down.

To this, Naidu said "this is a suggestion" and not a point of order.

Naresh Agarwal then demanded that the salaries of MPs should be increased and said the possible criticism by the media for this, should not be a factor while deciding on the salary hike. He said mediapersons also get hefty salaries.

He demanded for a response from the government on the issue.

Naidu said he will bring the matter to the notice of Jaitley.

Earlier, members paid obituary to Jalaludin Ansari who died on December 17. Ansari was member of the House from April 1994 to April 2000.

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Washington:

US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terror organisations in its soil, Vice President Mike Pence has said during his unannounced visit to Afghanistan.



"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over," Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.



"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence said, addressing about 500 troops in a hangar decorated with Christmas decorations and massive armored vehicles.



"As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," the vice president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan, for which using non-state actors against its two neighbours India and Afghanistan has been part of its national security policy.



Trump, he said, has unleashed the full range of American military might.



"We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy," he said.



The Trump Administration, he said, has given the troops new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide.



He has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win.



Pence said this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan.



"American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan. We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive," he said.



In Afghanistan, Pence met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

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Tripoli:

France's foreign minister has urged Libya's unity government to act on a United Nations plan for 2018 elections and a national dialogue to stabilise the war- torn country.

"This calendar is the indispensable political solution for Libya and it must be implemented now with the utmost speed," Jean-Yves Le Drian said after talks in Tripoli with Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord.

Oil-rich Libya has been wracked by chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Sarraj's GNA, the product of a 2015 deal aimed at restoring stability to Libya, has failed to impose its authority across much of the country, particularly the east where a rival government backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar holds sway.

A plan presented to the UN Security Council in September by international envoy Ghassan Salame seeks to negotiate a new political deal that would be accepted by authorities in the east.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted a meeting in July between Sarraj and Haftar, at the time announced a deal to hold elections in the spring.

Le Drian said he and Sarraj had a "total convergence of views" on the UN plan and on "the need to move quickly".

In Tripoli, he also visited a detention centre for migrants waiting to be repatriated to their home countries.

The minister travelled on to Benghazi, 1,000 kilometres east of the capital, to meet Haftar, who said this week that the GNA had lost any legitimacy since its mandate expired on December 17 under the 2015 accord.

Le Drian said he delivered a message to Haftar: "There is no other alternative to the accord, also for you. You have a recognised international image. Place it at the service of your country."

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Jerusalem :

Israel has rejected as "preposterous" the vote by 127 countries, including India, at the UN General Assembly that opposed the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

India on Thursday joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Trump on December 6 announced that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, triggering protests and strong condemnation from across the world.

Israel has rejected the "preposterous" vote at the UN General Assembly, thanking the nations that supported "the truth" by not participating in "the theatre of the absurd", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be," Netanyahu said in a video message released immediately after the UN vote.

"But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theatre of the absurd. So, I appreciate that, and especially I want to again express our thanks to (US) President (Donald) Trump and Ambassador (Nikki) Haley, for their stalwart defence of Israel and their stalwart defence of the truth," Netanyahu said.

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday defied the US and overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, calling on countries not to move their diplomatic missions to the city.

"Let them vote against us... We don't care. But this isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars," Trump had said on Wednesday threatening to withdraw US aid to countries that vote in favour of the UN resolution.

"We're not going to be taken advantage of any longer," the US President had asserted.

Israeli Jewish politicians expressed their anger against the world body but Arab parliamentarians called it a "wake up call".

Israel's hawkish Defence Minister, Avigdor Liberman, reminded Israelis of the longstanding Israeli disdain for such votes.

"Let us just remember that this is the same UN about which our first ambassador to the organisation, Abba Eban, once said: 'If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions'", Liberman said.

"There is nothing new in what just happened at the UN," he added, and praised the US as "the moral beacon shining out of the darkness".

Minister of Strategic Affairs and Public Security Gilad Erdan also blasted the UN vote.

"The historic connection between Israel and Jerusalem is stronger than any vote by the 'United Nations'  nations who are united only by their fear and their refusal to recognise the simple truth that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the Jewish people," Erdan said in a statement after the vote.

He called upon for strengthening Israel's sovereignty, security and construction in every part of Jerusalem.

However, the top Arab lawmaker in the Knesset, Arab Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh, said the vote was a wake-up call for Israel.

"In the international arena, there still exists a large and definitive majority that believes that the Palestinian people, like all other nations, deserve a place in this world and the right to self-determination," he said in a statement.

"This evening's vote by the majority of the world's nations against Trump's announcement, in spite of the pressure and threats, flies in the face of Trump's and Netanyahu's diplomatic policy and is a clear statement by the international community in support of peace and the right of the Palestinians to an independent state, whose capital is East Jerusalem," Odeh added.

Noa Landau, an analyst for the daily Ha'aretz, citing diplomatic sources, said that Israel was particularly disappointed with countries like India that have enhanced bilateral relations with it recently.

"The main disappointment in Israel was with the countries that have enhanced bilateral relations in recent years, especially those that share a particularly conservative worldview with the Netanyahu government," Landau wrote.

"For example, India  whose Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Israel in July, a tour that was memorable mainly for the pastoral photographs of him and Netanyahu embracing and wading in the waves  voted for the resolution against Israel and the United States," she said.

The Israeli prime minister will be visiting India in January 14 to 18.

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New Delhi:

Japan's defence budget will surge to a record USD 46 billion for the next fiscal year, the government said on , as the nation shores up its missile shield against the threat posed by North Korea.

The defence spending was part of a USD 860-billion national budget for the fiscal year starting in April, also a record as medical and social welfare costs snowball in Japan's rapidly ageing society.

The defence budget rose for the sixth consecutive year, as Tokyo seeks to bolster its military in the face of threats from the regime in Pyongyang, which has fired two missiles over the country this year and vowed to "sink" it into the sea.

Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that plunged into the waters of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The extra defence funding will cover the cost of preparations for introducing the US military's Aegis Ashore land-based missile interceptor system.

"At a time when North Korea is beefing up its ballistic missile capability, we need to strengthen our capability fundamentally," defence minister Itsunori Onodera said earlier this month.

During his first visit to Japan last month, US President Donald Trump backed a more militaristic Japan, saying the Pacific ally should buy US equipment to protect itself. "It's a lot of jobs for us and a lot of safety for Japan," said Trump.

Japan also plans to purchase long-range cruise missiles with a range of some 900 kilometres from US firms. The move is controversial as Japan's pacifist constitution bans the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. Japan's military policy has long been restricted to self-defence and relies heavily on the US to attack enemy territory under the Japan-US security alliance.A A A A A

Yukio Edano, head of the biggest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said the offensive missiles will be a "fairly big point of dispute" whenlawmakers debate the budget bill next month.

While insisting Japan will maintain the decades-long policy, Abe said he wants to review the country's defence capability to match it with "the severe reality".

"The Abe administration is using North Korea's threats as leverage to upgrade its defence system," said Akira Kato, professor of international politics and regional security at Tokyo's J.F. Oberlin University. "Japan is expected to continue strengthening its defence power for now," Kato said.A

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Aden:

The propaganda chief of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was among six jihadists killed in two separate US drone strikes in Yemen, tribal sources said on Thursday.



On Wednesday evening strikes came as Washington revealed that US forces have carried out more than 120 air strikes against jihadists in Yemen this year as part of a long-running campaign that has intensified since President Donald Trump took office.



Saudi-born Abu Hajar al-Makki and three other AQAP militants were killed when a drone blew up their vehicle in the Wadi Obeida district of Marib province, east of the capital Sanaa, tribal sources said.



A separate strike on a second vehicle killed two other AQAP militants in the same area, they added.



Washington says its strikes have killed a number of senior AQAP figures in recent months, including Mujahid al- Adani, who was killed on November 20.



It considers AQAP to be the worldwide jihadist network's most dangerous branch.



The Sunni extremist group has thrived in the chaos of nearly three years iof civil war between the Saudi-backed government and Shiite rebels who control the capital.



In addition to the air strikes, mostly carried out by drones, US special forces have conducted a number of ground raids against AQAP.



The Pentagon has also been attacking a local branch of the Islamic State group, which it says has doubled in size over the past year.

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Moscow:

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to explain Russia's decision to withdraw its military observers from a joint group monitoring the truce in eastern Ukraine.

Putin said the Russian move announced earlier this week had been prompted by "restrictions and provocations" by Ukrainian authorities that made it hard for Russian officers to perform their duties.

Ukraine has criticised Moscow's decision, saying it could fuel hostilities.

The Kremlin said Putin and Merkel agreed Thursday to consider possible steps to ensure the Russian monitors' return. It added that they also spoke in support of a planned prisoners' exchange and a truce for the holiday season.

Fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 10,000 since April 2014.

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Connecticuts population had a slight gain over the past year, with 499 new residents calling the Constitution State home.

States prison population lowest in more than two decades

On Wednesday, the U.S. Census Bureau released the latest national and state population estimates.

It showed Connecticuts population in 2017 estimated at 3,588,184, up from 3,587,685.

While Connecticuts population gain is small, it reversed a population decline of 14,434 measured between 2015 and 2016.

Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Vermont, which all lost population in 2016, all made slight population gains this year. Pennsylvania had a 0.1 percent increase with 18,452. Vermont  the least populated state with 623,354 residents, gained 303.

Population growth in Connecticut and Fairfield County is sluggish, but some communities  Stamford, Shelton and Danbury  are enjoying a growth spurt, according to census figures released earlier this year.

Danburys population of 84,922 posted the fastest growth, gaining 335 residents between 2015 and 2016, and growing by 5.1 percent since 2010.

Stamford, with 129,113 people, gained 239 residents and its population grew by 5.3 percent since 2010. Bridgeport, despite a one-year loss, grew by 1.2 percent since 2010.

Norwalk, with 88,438 residents, lost a handful of people between 2015 and 2016, but its population grew by 3.3 percent since 2010, the numbers show.

Shelton, with a population of 41,334, gained 108 residents and is up 4.5 percent since 2010.

The figures released Wednesday showed the U.S. population grew 0.72 percent to 325.7 million. Net international migration decreased 1.8 percent between 2016 and 2017, making it the first drop since 2012-2013. However, net international migration continues to be a significant factor in the population growth of the United States, adding just over 1.1 million people in the past year.

Nationally, eight states lost population between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017. Illinois had the largest decline, losing 33,703 people  a relatively small percentage change compared to its population of 12.8 million. Wyoming had the largest percentage decline with 1 percent.

Idaho was the nations fastest-growing state over the past year. Its population increased 2.2 percent to 1.7 million from July 1, 2016, to July 1, 2017.

Following Idaho for the largest percentage increases in population were: Nevada, 2 percent; Utah, 1.9 percent; Washington, 1.7 percent, and Florida and Arizona, 1.6 percent.

States in the South and West continued to lead in population growth. In 2017, 38.0 percent of the nations population lived in the South and 23.8 percent lived in the West.

In addition to the population estimates for the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the new estimates show that Puerto Rico had an estimated population of 3.3 million, a decline from 3.4 million in 2016.
For every entrepreneur, there are only so many opportunities to make a good impression on your potential customers. But when you have a holiday-centric business, your window of opportunity is open during one of the most stressful times of the year. "You only have one chance to get it right, says Matt Bliss, the founder of Modern Christmas Trees.

The 5-year-old Denver-based company is the creator of trees made of lightweight acrylic circles that come delivered complete with LED lights, battery-powered rotating mirror ball, ornament options and an installation kit. The tree comes in five colors and three sizes and the companys products range from a $39 tree topper to an $800 7.5-foot fully-decorated tree. Customers can also purchase an undecorated one for $399.

The company was inspired by Bliss' grandfather, who was an engineer that made his own trees out of plexiglass. In 2011, when his grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimers, Bliss decided to honor him by making some trees of his own. He took them to a trade show to see if there was any interest and by 2014, he had left his job working in the mortgage industry to devote himself full time to Modern Christmas Trees.

Bliss has sold trees to companies such as Disneyland Hotels, Google and Red Bull. The company has been growing 70 percent per year, selling 224,000 units last year. Recently, it got a boost in the form of a $100,000 investment from Barbara Corcoran on the Shark Tank episode that aired Dec. 3. The business is now on track to hit a goal of a little more than 380,000 units sold this year.

Bliss shared the top three lessons that hes learned from his holiday rollercoaster ride.

Before you pitch, do you your homework.

Do as much research as you possibly can on who it is that you're pitching to. Even down to identifying what hometowns they grew up in, Bliss says. Be humble enough to know that you don't know everything, but you better try like hell to learn as much as you possibly can. You need to practice, you need to be on point. You have that one opportunity to get it right.

Build out your team.

You really have to hire people to do the job that you aren't good at. Dealing with all of the customer service pieces, I'm so emotionally entrenched with the product that any time that I don't get positive feedback, I take it personally, Bliss says. You have to try to grow as thick a skin as you can early on, because there will be challenges and problems. You have to hire people who you know are a little bit further removed from it and not be so emotionally attached.

Understand your timetable.

The advantage of a seasonal product is that there's a lot of downtime to prepare to get it right. That gives you ample time to focus on product design and marketing strategy and doing additional research, Bliss says. If you have a seasonal product, embrace the positives about it, that there is downtime to think and to work to put together a great plan.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Business success simply isn't going to happen without the creativity required to dream up new ideas and new visions for the future. Think about Steve Jobs, whose natural creativity changed the way we experience design and interact with devices.

Related: Maximizing the Potential of a Creative Mind

Still, while we may know how important creativity is, we're actually pretty bad at improving our own attempts at it. In one experiment at Columbia University, participants were asked to switch between logical and creative tasks during the course of an experiment; they could carry out those tasks at preset intervals or they could choose the time when they'd make "the switch," at their own discretion.

At the end of the experiment, when participants were asked how they had preferred to work, the majority said they'd chosen the option to alternate at their discretion. Yet the results clearly demonstrated that those who'd switched at preset intervals were most effective.

So, the implication was that,if we aren't good judges of our own performance and creativity, how can we maximize either one? Here's what the science says.

Reduce stress.

If you feel like you're naturally less creative when you're stressed, there's a good reason: As Zapier's Kathleen McAuliffe shared, "Stress hormones inhibit activity in the brain areas involved in goal-seeking and executive function, and that causes the 'thought spirals' and paralysis that make us procrastinate and derail our projects."

Related: 5 Ways to Boost Creativity in Your Business

Goalcast's Matt Valentine offered anecdotal evidence confirming this, based on his mother's experience juggling the stress of managing a multi-million dollar women's fashion business yet having a personal need to keep designing, herself.

"Being the boss, reviewing the finances and constantly managing the budget completely killed her creativity," Valentine said. "When bills were paid and things were planned out well, she could think clearly. When it wasn't, or she had an issue, she couldn't design anything, to save her life."

Stress may be unavoidable when you're an entrepreneur, and recommendations to engage in stress-relieving activities like meditation or journaling may seem trite. But the bottom line is, if you want to be more creative, you aren't going to get there if your brain is constantly fighting off negative stress hormones.

Leverage your adrenaline.

This next section is going to make me seem as though I'm contradicting myself here, but stick with me. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can affect your ability to be creative -- but you can also learn to harness them.

One of my favorite ways to boost creativity is with skydiving and other extreme, potentially life-threatening sports. I try to go skydiving a couple of times each month, and I'll jump three to four times a day during a session. My stress hormones are through the roof, but far from being stressed out, I gain a ton of energy from building up my adrenaline and releasing endorphins. For the five or so hours afterwards, my brain goes into overdrive thinking of new ideas.

What's going on here? Gizmodo's Brent Rose described the biological process that differentiates this type of adrenaline use from the more typical, negative stress-related kind:

"Most of us are building up adrenaline all day in the form of stress," Rose said. "But then we don't do anything with it, because we continue sitting there in our office chairs or in our cars, and it doesn't get burned off. When we burn through the adrenaline during specific types of vigorous exercise, that's when the good stuff is released."

So, think about this: Set yourself up to hit the point when the "good stuff" will be released, by finding your own adrenaline-leveraging activity. Adidas Gameplan community member Orian Tal has said he's seen similar benefit from (the training discipline) parkour, walking, running or weight-lifting. You might see the same effect from scary movies! Test different alternatives until you find the activity that triggers a positive (safe and healthy) kind of adrenaline surge in yourself .

Try something new.

Exploring new adrenaline-triggering activities offers another creativity-boosting benefit, beyond altering the way your brain processes stress hormones. It may also increase your fluid intelligence, which research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has defined as "the ability to reason and to solve new problems independently of previously acquired knowledge."

Greater fluid intelligence means more creativity -- and the good news is that fluid intelligence is something you can consciously improve. The key to doing so, according to a Medium piece by Thomas Oppong, is challenging your brain with new stimuli.

"Whenever you learn something new, engage in new activities, or even ponder a new concept, your brain rewires itself in response to these activities," Oppong wrote. "Anything that makes you very comfortable is not really good for your brain development. If what you do doesn't challenge you, don't count on it to change you."

Related: How the Color of Your Office Impacts Productivity (Infographic)

The upshot? If jumping out of a plane just to boost your creativity doesn't sound worth it, don't worry. You can boost your fluid intelligence not just by learning to leverage adrenaline, but through the regular pursuit of new experiences. Even something as simple as a new museum exhibit or an interesting conversation with someone new can do wonders for your creativity.

What do you do to boost your creativity? Share your best suggestions with me by leaving a comment below:

Related:

How to Train Your Brain for Maximum Creativity. (Here's What the Science Says.)

Stop Trying to Be 'Mindful.' It Might Be Killing Your Creativity.

May the Force Be With You: 5 Takeaways for Entrepreneurs From the 'Star Wars' Franchise



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


With low barriers to entry, fickle consumers and competition coming from all sides, it can be hard for businesses to stand out (and survive), especially in urban areas, where market saturation is high. Take the island of Manhattan, within 22 square miles, there are more than 315,000 companies trying to make it. Because of the density, its the norm, not a rarity, to see one of your favorite shops fold after being open for decades.

Many companies continue experimenting with traditional marketing tactics to deepen relationships with customers, including loyalty points, exclusive invites to events and deals for first-time visitors. Others are getting a bit more creative, including turning to pooches for help attracting people.

Related: Amazon Opens Up Dog Park for Its 2,000 Office Pups

A four-legged friend helps a salon find success

Caramel trots over to greet me, tail wagging and ball in mouth, as I step into the boldly-painted Beba Blue hair salon in Manhattans trendy Hells Kitchen neighborhood.

Image credit: Andrea Huspeni



The dog has been a staple at the salon since the owner, Liljana Ndreu, rescued him. While he can act as a guard dog -- to protect Ndreu and some celebrity clients -- his main purpose is simpler: to make people happy.

After opening the salon in 2009 in Hells Kitchen -- a neighborhood that, until recently, was considered a dodgy area -- Ndreu knew that once things settled down, she wanted a four-legged friend at her location.

My dream was to always have a salon dog. I thought it was a luxury for my clients; it benefits them, she says. In New York, they want a minute to relax, and I thought having a comfortable salon, and a dog, would provide that.

Image credit: Andrea Huspeni



In 2014, Caramel made his debut at Beba Blue.

At almost 3 years old, the medium-size mixs sweet demeanor has indeed brought smiles to many customers faces, which is good not only for their mood but also for business.

Before, people would come in just once a month, or every six weeks, Ndreu says. But after she made her salon dog friendly, some customers have begun visiting more frequently, simply because they miss Caramel.

When people come here, they are stressed from the day, they are tired, but when they see Caramel, everything is okay, Ndreu says.

Related: Cute Pictures of Dogs Our Readers Brought to Work

Dropping the ball in front of me, the copper-colored pup hopes I engage in a game of fetch, which I obviously do, as he is hard to resist.

Image credit: Andrea Huspeni

The benefits of dogs in our lives

As a business owner, having a dog around helps Kathy Grayson feel better, too. The founder of contemporary art gallery The Hole in New York City, she told me earlier this year that her dog, Bertie, a pomeranian rescue, helps her relax around customers.

Image credit: Kathy Grayson



The general public can often be intimidated by the art world, and because I get a lot of people coming at me, I have gotten a bit cagey, perhaps, she told me earlier this year. I am kind of shy and aloof, and Bertie breaks all the ice. He puts a smile on everyones face and makes a connection between me and people who come to the gallery.

These sort of benefits have science to back them up. Indeed, for years, researchers have been studying the human-dog bond and have found many advantages to having a pup in your life, including lowered blood pressure and cholesterol and reduced stress.

And a relatively recent study found that interacting with animals can increase a persons level of oxytocin, or the happy hormone.

"That is very beneficial for us," said Rebecca Johnson, a nurse who heads the Research Center for Human/Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, in an interview with NPR. "Oxytocin helps us feel happy and trusting."

She added that it can also affect people in the long term. Oxytocin has some powerful effects for us in the body's ability to be in a state of readiness to heal, and also to grow new cells, so it predisposes us to an environment in our own bodies where we can be healthier.

This may be one reason 17 percent of offices welcome dogs (or other animals) at work. Boosts in creativity, collaboration and morale are just a few other perks of having a pup in the office

And while there hasnt been research directly related to how brick-and-mortar shops benefit from having a shop dog, a huge conglomerate is making a push for more pet-friendly businesses.

Scaling the pet-friendly factor

Mars, the mega corporation with products in food, candy and pet care, launched a pilot program in Franklin, Tenn., this past summer called Better Cities for Pets, in which more than 80 local businesses opened their doors to dogs. Mars is looking to measure the benefits of having pets in businesses, whether they are just visiting or are full-time employees.

In a preliminary survey of Franklin residents, Mars found that 75 percent of respondents allow pets in their business or building; 67 percent consider themselves pet friendly and 49 percent agree having pets around is good for business.

Image credit: Mars Petcare



Based on our survey findings, we know that residents not only value the ability to bring pets in more places, but they believe that having pets in more places, including shop dogs, fosters an increased sense of community and social connections -- and even customer loyalty, Jam Stewart, director of Mars Petcare corporate communications, says.

One survey participant, Julie Walton Garland, who owns Waltons Antique and Estate Jewelry in Franklin, says it also helps with employee morale.

At my store, I often bring my dog to work with me. Weve noticed that having Beau in as a shop dog creates an environment that puts employees at ease -- as its been well documented that pets help reduce stress, she says. When our employees feel more at ease, this in turn creates a better atmosphere for our customers as well.

Related: Brain Break: I Took My Dog to Our Newsroom. Here's How My Day Went.

While dogs can be good for business, it is important to ensure safety first. Not all dogs are cut out to be around a diverse group of people, and not all customers appreciate having a canine in a business. Make sure your dog is people-friendly, okay in environments that have a lot of activity going on and if needed, have a sign letting people know there is a dog at the location.

Image credit: Andrea Huspeni



As I get ready to leave Beba Blue Salon, Caramel is sitting by the door, basking in the sun with a ball beside him. A man walks in to say hi to Caramel. The dog jumps up in the salon chair, where the man can pet him more easily, ruffle his ears and pat his head. After the man leaves, Ndreu tells me he isnt a customer of the salon, just a fan of Caramel.

I never see him smile, she says, but when Caramel jumps on him, he smiles. He becomes a different person.

Related:

Throw Me a Bone: How Shop Dogs Can Be Good for Business

Entrepreneurs Talk About How Their Pets Make Their Lives Better

9 Gifts to Give the Dog-Loving Entrepreneurs In Your Life



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2017 /CNW/ - Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada, Bloc-Notes Music Publishing and Canada's music publishers are proud to announce that A Song to Sing/Chantons Ensemble, a song by and for Canadians is now available to stream.

The song was written by Canadian musicians Rob Wells and Shobha as a salute to what being Canadian is all about. Patrick Bouchard and Koraly Lauzon composed the French version, Chantons Ensemble.

The JUNOS and the Canadian Music Publishers Association hosted Inside the Song, a gathering of the Canadian music industry which featured the creation of A Song to Sing.

Inspired by Canadians on social media and in in-person interviews answering the question, "What does Canada mean to you?", the song perfectly sums up what Canada represents: openness, acceptance and generosity of spirit.

Shobha, said the lyrics, which include the line, "Oh, if you have a song to sing, we are listening. A place where many find a home and proudly call this land their own", reflect her family's experience after her parents migrated to Canada from India 37 years ago.

Gary Furniss, president of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, said Inside the Song provided a unique opportunity to showcase Canadian songwriters. Diane Pinet, president of Bloc-Notes Music Publishing, echoed that sentiment. "This event was a very special opportunity to showcase talented English and French writers from across the country, in order to let Parliamentarians, know that music is the signature of our country," she said.

The Canadian Music Publishers Association executive director Margaret McGuffin stressed the important role of music publishers in getting original creations by Canadians, like A Song to Sing, heard not only in Canada but around the world.

As Canadians head into a new year, A Song to Sing/Chantons Ensemble is a reminder that "we are far and wide, strong and freewe are proud." Listen or play it here in English and French.

The full news release can be found here:

http://www.musicpublisher.ca/song-singchantons-ensemble-song-canadians-celebrating-means-canadian-now-available/

SOURCE Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada

For further information: 613-614-6339, [email protected]
KUGLUKTUK, NU, Dec. 21, 2017 /CNW/ - Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)

Increasing the use of clean energy is a key component of the Government of Canada's approach to promoting sustainable economic growth and reducing reliance on diesel. That is why the government is investing in an expansion of the Hamlet of Kugluktuk's solar power array.

The funding was announced today by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor).

The Hamlet of Kugluktuk is increasing the size of its rooftop solar panel array on its recreational complex to reduce its dependency on diesel generated power. The upgrade has the potential to offset 70,000 litres of diesel per year and more than two million litres over the lifetime of the panels. This will result in significant financial savings for the Hamlet and a reduction in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

These investments are a part of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, a $300-million fund established to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday through investments in community spaces that bring Canadians together. Of that amount, up to $12.8 million is being invested across the three territories.

Quotes

"Our government is committed to exploring innovative ways to use renewable energy technologies in Canada's Arctic. By using solar panels in Kugluktuk it will help with energy conservation, efficiency, and green infrastructure."

- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for CanNor

"Renewable energy helps to mitigate climate change, reduce the territory's reliance on diesel, and can reduce energy costs for Nunavummiut. I am pleased to see Kugluktuk taking action on energy and climate change issues in the community. Our government supports projects that build a sustainable energy future for Nunavut."

- The Honourable Elisapee Sheutiapik, Minister of Environment, Government of Nunavut

"The Hamlet of Kugluktuk appreciates all of the support from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, and The Government of Nunavut Economic Development and Transportation Department. With their help, we have ensured sustainable operations of our Community Recreation Complex, while reducing our dependency on diesel generated electricity. This will have long lasting health, social and economic impacts for our community."

- Ryan Nivingalok, Mayor of Kugluktuk

Quick Facts

CanNor is contributing $302,955 with the Government of Nunavut's Department of Economic Development and Tourism adding $100,985 . Total funding is $403,940 .

with the Government of Department of Economic Development and Tourism adding . Total funding is . Kuglukuk's arena complex is an important social hub for the community, containing the community hall, ice rink, indoor soccer, community kitchen and youth centre.

Associated Link

Upgrades Improve Kugluktuk Arena Complex

Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @ISED_CA

SOURCE Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)

For further information: Karl W. Sasseville, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-2500; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]; Media Relations, CanNor, 867-667-3210, [email protected]; For more information about CanNor, visit cannor.gc.ca; Eric Blair, Manager, Communications, Government of Nunavut, 867-975-7721; Bill Williams, Community Economic Development Officer, Hamlet of Kugluktuk, 867-982-6502

Related Links

http://www.cannor.gc.ca


Staff and students show their generosity at all Reeves campuses

CALGARY, Dec. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - According to Food Banks Canada, over half of Canadians know someone who has visited a food bank. As food bank usage continues to rise across Canada, food banks become more and more dependent on the generosity of others to support local communities.

In the spirit of holiday giving, Reeves College campuses have been pitching in to collect non-perishable goods and household items for our annual Holiday Food Drive initiative. Staff and students succeeded in raising a total of 1,286 items that were donated to local food banks in Alberta. In addition, for every food item raised, Reeves College made a monetary donation to Food Banks Canada too!

In the HungerCount 2016 report produced by Food Banks Canada, food banks assisted 79,293 in Alberta. Of those numbers, 16.1 per cent of food bank users in Canada were seniors, aged 65 and older. In addition, numbers confirmed that food bank usage rose to 18 percent in Alberta last year. It's a sobering thought to see how many more people have had to depend on their local food banks year over year.

"Food drives are a tangible way to see the impact donors can make. They provide a number of important opportunities: they help to raise awareness of the critical issue of hunger in communities; they build relationships with local community organizations and businesses and are an important source of valuable food," says Food Banks Canada.

The Reeves College Edmonton campus made an astonishing contribution to this year's effort with a total of 871 items collected by students.

"Our students were incredible during this drive for the food bank. As you know, funds are tight for all students everywhere. I'm sure some could have used this food themselves, and yet the whole school really rallied around the cause," said Matthew Henderson, Assistant Campus Director. "We had 350 items brought in from one small class of Health Care Aide students alone. The generosity and community spirit displayed by Reeves students amazes even me. I know this food will go to a lot of people who need it. We were happy to help."

Find out how you can get involved with community initiatives at Reeves College by following along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

SOURCE Reeves College

For further information: You can also learn more about Reeves College at reevescollege.ca.
OTTAWA, Dec. 21, 2017 /CNW/ - An exhibition on quantum technologies from the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) is captivating curious minds at the newly reopened Canada Science and Technology Museum.

QUANTUM: The Exhibition, which opened to the public this weekend, is an interactive exploration of the science of the very small. The installation showcases how quantum technologies will revolutionize computers, information security, medicine and geographical exploration.

"The quantum revolution will change the way that we experience our world by advancing beyond our current understanding of light waves, particles, time and space and opening our minds to a range of new possibilities," said Kevin Resch, interim director of IQC. "The likely impacts of quantum discoveries are so wide-ranging that the countries that lead the race in quantum research will lead the future of science and technology."

The exhibition is the world's first-ever travelling show on quantum information science and technology. Before arriving in Ottawa, it toured Canada for 18 months, making stops in Kitchener, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Calgary and Halifax.

"Over 155,000 people across the country have experienced the quantum world and Ottawa is the last stop on our Canadian tour," said Tobi Day-Hamilton, director of communications and strategic initiatives at IQC. "We are excited to showcase the emerging quantum technologies that will shape our future during our time in the nation's capital."

At the exhibition, hands-on activities and multimedia games help make quantum science more accessible for visitors. Guests will receive a glimpse into some exciting quantum technologies on the horizon and leave with a new perspective on how the world works.

"We are thrilled to host QUANTUM: The Exhibition at the new Canada Science and Technology Museum," said Fern Proulx, interim president and CEO of Ingenium  Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation. "QUANTUM: The Exhibition is the perfect complement to the Museum's new interactive exhibitions that explore the creativity and human ingenuity that drive scientific and technological discovery."

The exhibition is part of Innovation150, the government's signature sesquicentennial initiative celebrating Canadian innovation. It is on until April 2, 2018, at the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

About the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo

The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) is a world-leading research centre in quantum information science and technology at the University of Waterloo. IQC's mission is to develop and advance quantum information science and technology through interdisciplinary collaboration at the highest international level. Enabled by IQC's unique infrastructure, the world's top experimentalists and theorists are making powerful new advances in fields spanning quantum computing, communications, sensors and materials. IQC's award-winning outreach opportunities foster scientific curiosity and discovery among students, teachers and the community.

University of Waterloo is Canada's top innovation university. With more than 36,000 students we are home to the world's largest co-operative education system of its kind. Our unmatched entrepreneurial culture, combined with an intensive focus on research, powers one of the top innovation hubs in the world. Find out more at uwaterloo.ca.

About Ingenium  Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation

Launched in June 2017, Ingenium is a new national brand established to preserve and share Canada's story of scientific and technological heritage. This corporate brand, which celebrates ingenuity, encompasses three national institutionsthe Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. Under the Ingenium brand, these three museums are places where the past meets the future, with spaces where visitors can learn and explore, play, and discover. Ingenium also has an eye to the future with a state-of-the-art Collections Conservation Centre under construction, digital and social media platforms, and travelling national and international exhibitions to educate, entertain and engage audiences across Canada and around the world. For more, visit: IngeniumCanada.org.

SOURCE The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo

For further information: Christine Bezruki, MA, Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications, Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), University of Waterloo, 519.888.4567 ext. 38927, [email protected]
December one of the busiest times of year for food banks across the province

VANCOUVER, Dec. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - While the holiday season is a time of festivities, it can be a stressful time for many families and individuals struggling to make ends meet. With rising grocery and housing costs, more and more squeezed households and individuals are having to turn to Food Banks to support their families - just to get by, day-to-day.

Vancouver Career College held a successful Holiday Food Drive initiative with a total of 1,315 items donated to Food Banks across BC. In addition, the College matched every item donated with a monetary donation as well.

According to Food Banks BC about 678,000 people live in poverty in BC, one of the highest levels in the country. Of that group, nearly 40 per cent are adults working for low wages. Did you know that community food banks in BC help 103,464 people every month and that one third are children? In 2016, Food Banks BC distributed more than 1.8 million pounds of food.

For the last month, Vancouver Career College students from across the province have been gathering together non-perishable food and household items, as well as getting involved in other ways such as volunteering at their local food banks.

"This year, the students at Vancouver Career College in Abbotsford collected food donations for the Abbotsford Food Bank. Students were enthusiastic and worked together to surpass our goal," said Cassandra Fyfe, Campus Director. "Some students were motivated by this act of giving and began collecting clothing items for homeless shelters in the surrounding areas. Overall, our students showed their caring spirits and compassion as we approach the holiday season."

SOURCE Vancouver Career College

For further information: To learn more about community initiatives at Vancouver Career College, head to www.career.college or join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The bank account numbers and personal information of as many of 52,000 customers of The United Illuminating Co., Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut may have been exposed to potential identity thieves as a result of a security breach by a third party vendor.

Customers of the three utilities have begun receiving letters this week about the breach from TIO Networks. The Canadian companys Softgate Systems subsidiary had been responsible until last month for processing the walk-in payments of customers from three energy companies, which are subsidiaries of Orange-based Avangrid.

The investigation to date has uncovered evidence of unauthorized access to the TIO network, including locations that stored personal information of some of TIOs customers and customers of the companies that TIO services, the letter to customers says in part. We have no proof, however, that your data was accessed, acquired, or misused. Although we have no proof that your data was accessed, acquired, or misused, we are notifying you in an abundance of caution because the TIO servers involved in this incident stored data such as customer names, contact information, and subscriber/billing account numbers 

Other information that may have been exposed includes payment card information, bank account information, Social Security and other government identification numbers, account user names and passwords, according to the letter.

TIO Networks is offering customers whose information may have been compromised one year of complimentary identity protection that includes credit monitoring, identity theft insurance, and assistance with combatting identity theft and fraud, should any be detected.

News of the scope of the data breach surfaced just 24 hours after Avangrid announced it has contracted with Western Union to accept walk-in payments from customers of three utilities as well as Berkshire Gas of Massachusetts. The ability to make walk-in payments had been suspended for more than a month amid security concerns that surfaced after TIO Networks was acquired by online payments giant PayPal in July.

At the time walk-in payments for customers of the three Avangrid utilities were suspended in early November, spokesman Michael West said there was no evidence that customer data may have been compromised. But Avangrid officials were informed on Nov. 29 that a data breach had occurred, said Ed Crowder, an Avangrid spokesman.

They (TIO Networks and Pay Pal) had come up with a communications plan to offer some credit protection and because the problem occurred in the TIO Network, we let them take the lead in this, Crowder said. On our side, we also did some outreach to make customers aware of alternate payment methods.

About 29,000 customers of UI alone make bill payments using the walk-in network, he said. Avangrid officials have not said how many customers make their payments in person, across the four utilities.

United Illuminating serves 325,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in 17 towns in the New Haven and Bridgeport regions

The scope of the TIO Networks data breach goes well beyond Avangrids Connecticut utility customers and the states borders.

Last week, it was revealed that approximately 2.5 million customers of New Jerseys largest utility, Public Service Electric & Gas, may have had their personal and financial data compromised.

TIO Networks processed payments made at automated kiosks in PSE&G's walk-in customer service centers between 2012 and 2017. It also allowed for utility bill payments at other payment centers, such as convenience stores.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
Datacore Partners

HARTFORD  Connecticut continued to lose jobs in November, according to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic.

The preliminary numbers show Connecticut lost 3,500 jobs in November. That follows the 6,200 jobs the state lost in October. Preliminary numbers showed Connecticut lost 6,600 jobs in October, but was revised in the latest report.
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WEST HAVEN  The University of New Haven is the first college in the country to implement interactive software that instantly matches students looking for job openings with the employers looking to fill them, officials announced Wednesday.

The university is the beta test site for the software, developed by an Israeli company, AcadeME, officials said.

The University of New Haven already has 2,000 active student and alumni accounts and several hundred employers participating.

We have been working with AcadeME for the past 18 months to fully develop the system, said Matt Caporale, director of career development, in a news release. It works like a dating service. Students develop their profiles, as well as resumes, and tell their story. Employers post jobs, and when they do, the system automatically tells them which students match their requirements.

The system, which is algorithm-based, provides tools that help students and alumni tell their stories.

The software flips the process most universities use, allowing the matching to work both ways: not only can students seek out employers, but employers also can search for the best-qualified students.

The software is helping the university build its reputation with employers, and it is providing an incredible service to our students, Caporale said in the release. The interactive nature of the system gives quick results for both employers and students.

Since employers can contact those students that interest them, there is less frustration on the parts of both the students and the employers, Caporale said.

AcadeMe has flipped the job hunting process, Caporale said. It has put power in the employers hands and taken advantage of the benefits of social media, which students understand.
A professor of Mathematics at the Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMINNA), Usman Abubakar, has demonstrated how mathematical modelling can be used to diagnose some killer ailments.

Abubakar revealed that he had used a mathematical model to study the prognosis of leprosy disease and its deadly effects on human health. He said his study focused on stages when leprosy patients were under treatment and recovery. He said his research also extended to the stage of patients death.

The professor of Mathematics spoke last Wednesday, while delivering the schools 57th inaugural lecture titled: Predictive stochastic modelling of leprosy disease, human health condition and desertification in Nigeria: The untapped open secret ingredients. The event was held at the Caverton Lecture Hall in Gidan Kwano campus.

He defined mathematical modelling as the method of creating an arithmetical model of a problem, and using it to analyse and solve the problem.

He said: A mathematical model is a mathematical description of some real-life situation. It can be applied in predicting weather conditions, diagnosing specific ailments and study drug efficiency in humans, among other areas.

Prof Abubakar maintained that it would be possible for a researcher to predict the likelihood of having leprosy patients with grade one and two disabilities. He said his research was carried out on blood inventory at the Minna General Hospital, which enabled him to observe human health conditions daily.

He disclosed that he was able to estimate the amount of land mass lost in the countrys savannah region annually due to desertification by effective application of mathematical modeling.

Prof Abubakar said he there is a wide gap between mathematical model builders and the intended model users, because of the inability of the latter to understand fundamentals of mathematics. He called on government and non-governmental organisations to extensively utilise the quantitative information emanating from mathematical models to solve real life problems.


Members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), have said the pre-existing Free Trade Agreements (FTA), between Morocco and the European Union (EU), and a host of other issues are the reasons for the lack of support for the countrys application to join the ECOWAS region.



According to the OPS, admitting Morocco to ECOWAS while the country still has a pending trade issue with the EU due to the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), pose a threat to the national and regional economy, particularly the growth and development of local manufacturing in Nigeria.OPS members comprise the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA); Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industries (NASSI); and Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME). Members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), have said the pre-existing Free Trade Agreements (FTA), between Morocco and the European Union (EU), and a host of other issues are the reasons for the lack of support for the countrys application to join the ECOWAS region.According to the OPS, admitting Morocco to ECOWAS while the country still has a pending trade issue with the EU due to the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), pose a threat to the national and regional economy, particularly the growth and development of local manufacturing in Nigeria.OPS members comprise the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA); Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industries (NASSI); and Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME).

The group in a statement made available to journalists, maintained that signing the EPA in its present form will adversely affect the manufacturing sector, dispel the industrialisation headways already made, and worsen the unemployment and poverty levels in Nigeria.Morocco is a neighbouring and associated country of the European Union. The relations between the two are situated in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Union for the Mediterranean. The country is recognised as an advanced status among the ENP countries, opening up to high levels of political cooperation.

Morocco joining ECOWAS is a direct attempt of reducing the influence and strength of Nigeria, as a strategic Political and Economic force in ECOWAS. Based on trend analysis, ECOWAS has little trade benefit expectations from Morocco. The historical trade pattern relations of Morocco revealed no notable trading ties with ECOWAS states; going by her current demand pattern, Morocco trades with Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Russia, Algeria and EU. All of these imply that over the years Morocco had little or no trade dealings with ECOWAS states.

Admitting Morocco has dire security consequences on the region considering the fact that ISIS is gaining ground in Morocco. The security concern as regards the activities of ISIS in the Maghreb region, and the likely effect this could have on our already challenged economy through the activities of Boko Haram is an issue of concern.

Moroccos memberships of numerous economic blocs pose a serious loyalty concern. Morocco is a member of the Union for the Mediterranean, which comprises 28 countries from European Union. Granting this same country, the membership of ECOWAS affords 28 countries from European Union free access into the regional market thereby flooding the market with EU products. This is a decoy that will weakening the stance of Nigeria on the ECOWAS-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), inhibit Nigerian diversification and stifle the growth of the manufacturing sector through exploitation of Nigerian and ECOWAS market, the OPS maintained.

The members however recommended that Nigeria commenced the process of aligning her foreign and trade policies in line with national interests and aspirations as well as encourage Morocco to key-in to the on-going development process of the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) for Africa, which is still at the formation stage.

We hereby call on the Nigerian Government, to, as a matter of National interest and utmost urgency, deploy necessary diplomatic machinery to halt this seemingly unacceptable proposed enlistment of Morocco into the membership of ECOWAS regional bloc. This will enable Nigeria have a formidable position on or before the first quarter 2018, when the final verdict on the application of Morocco will be concluded by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Nigeria no doubt has maintained cordial bilateral relations with Morocco, which in our opinion should be strengthened, a statement signed by MAN President, Dr. Frank Jacobs, read in part.
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that he is yet to make up his mind about contesting in the 2019 presidential elections. ...

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that he is yet to make up his mind about contesting in the 2019 presidential elections.

Atiku stated this while speaking on VOA Hausa on Tuesday.





The former vice president added that Nigerians will know when he eventually takes a decision.





For now I have not made up my mind.





When I decide, I will let the world know, Atiku said.





Atiku recently returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the All Progressives Congress (APC).








Workers in Osun State have declared their intention to begin an indefinite strike following the refusal of the state government to revert to paying them full salary and arrears despite the receipt of the third tranche of N6.3 billion Paris Club loan refund.The workers under the umbrella of the Osun State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council gave the strike notice in a statement issued on Friday following an emergency meeting of labour leaders on Thursday.The notice of strike was signed by the Chairman JPSNC, Bayo Adejumo; Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Tunde Adekomi and the Trade Union Congress Chairman, Bowale Adekola and leaders of various affiliate unions.The notice read in part, Consequent upon the refusal of the government of Osun State to accede to the demands of the workers and pensioners as contained in our letter of Tuesday, December 5, 2017, the workers of Osun State will be proceeding on an indefinite strike by 27th December , 2017.The labour leaders enjoined the workers to stay at home until they received another directive from them concerning the strike.The labour leaders had on Tuesday disagreed with Governor Rauf Aregbesola over his insistence on paying November salary with the modulated scheme which makes workers from grade level 08 and above collect between 75 and 50 per cent of their salaries.The workers had insisted that the state had the financial ability to pay them full salaries, saying most of them had been collecting half salaries since September 2015. But the governor in a statement issued by his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Adelani Baderinwa, pleaded that they should exercise more patience till the state was able to revert to paying full salary.
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has said Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna S...

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has said Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State lied by saying that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar did not make tangible contribution to the 2015 presidential campaign of the ruling party.

El-rufai, who spoke on a Voice of America (VOA) Hausa Service Programme, Democracy Today, had challenged Atiku to mention those who collected his financial contribution to the presidential campaign from him.





However, Frank, in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, described the governors statement as a height of ingratitude of a jilted lover.





He implored the Kaduna State governor to refresh his memory by either watching the campaign video or meeting the then Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Rotimi Ameachi, for the record of what transpired before, during and after the campaign in 2015.





He said, Amaechi has record of those who contributed to the campaign. So, if El-rufai does not know, he should contact the Minister of Transportation. Moreover, it is on record that the former Vice President had responsibility for seven states during the campaign.





Again, it is also on record that Atikus media asset was transferred to the campaign. If El-rufai has forgotten so soon, the Director of Media, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Malam Garba Shehu, who is now the spokesman to the President, was handed over to the party campaign team from Atiku Media office, the deputy director of Atiku media team Mr Paul Ibe was also part of APC media team during the 2015 campaign and other key members of Atikus group. I dont know how El-rufai will quantify the cost?





Moreover, President Muhammadu Buhari, as a President-elect himself acknowledged the role these people played as a group when he met with them at the Defence House in Abuja.




Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has blasted President Muhammadu Buhari over his vote rejecting US recognition of Jerusalem ...

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has blasted President Muhammadu Buhari over his vote rejecting US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The PDP chieftain said Buharis support at UN assembly was expected since he is a supporter of radical Islamists terrorists.





The United Nations assembly on Thursday voted against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital





The motion by UN General Assembly adopted a decisive vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital.





The ex-minister in his tweets wrote Given the fact that we are being led by a man that has sympathy for radical islamist terrorists and jihadist Fulani militias.




The Department of Petroleum Resources on Friday has attributed the lingering fuel crisis to what it described as administrative challenges between government and marketers.The DPR said it has taken some time to be resolved.It, however, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was working to ensure that the fuel crisis ends soon, while appealing to Nigerians to remain calm.It said efforts are being made to restore normalcy.The Plateau State Operations Manager of DPR, Jeremiah Mashat, made the clarification during a press conference held in Jos.He said, There has been a dip in the supply of fuel to the states in the past three weeks.A total of 214 trucks have been supplied to the state during this period, and if you divide 214 trucks by 21 days, you will get an average of 10 trucks per day for a state that has 17 local government areas.You can see that some local governments may not get the product at all; and that is how critical the situation is.The fact is that there have been administrative challenges between government and marketers, taking some time to be resolved.Once in a while, government has to reconcile its records with the marketers. And that takes a while.But I can assure you that government is working round the clock to get the issues resolved.We have sent reports from the state to the minister, and I believe the other states have done same.And I can assure you that government is working hard to resolve the crisis; and I believe in a short while, the situation will be brought under control.Mashat dismissed the insinuations that the scarcity was artificial to make life difficult for Nigerians during the Christmas period.It is not aimed at making life difficult for Nigerians at Christmas; its a mere coincidence, he stated.We go around every day to monitor the filling stations to ensure that the product is not sold above N145 per litre.We have also put some measures in place to ensure that trucks that leave the depot are tracked till they get to their destinations to ensure that the product is not diverted to wrong destinations, he stated.Mashat warned that the punishment for diversion of the product is a fine of N200 for each litre of the quantity of fuel diverted.
The US has sanctioned former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who is accused of looting at least $50m (37m) of state funds before leaving o...

The US has sanctioned former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who is accused of looting at least $50m (37m) of state funds before leaving office last January. He only agreed to leave power after losing elections following pressure from West African mediators who sent troops in the country to force his hand and he's now living in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

A US Treasury statement said that during his 22 years in power he had a history of engaging in serious human rights abuses and corruption.





Jammeh created a terror and assassination squad called the Junglers that answered directly to him. Jammeh used the Junglers to threaten, terrorise, interrogate, and kill individuals whom Jammeh assessed to be threats. During his tenure, Jammeh used a number of corrupt schemes to plunder The Gambias state coffers or otherwise siphon off state funds for his personal gain. Ongoing investigations continue to reveal Jammehs large-scale theft from state coffers prior to his departure.





Jammeh is among a host of world figures blacklisted by the President Donald Trumps administration, including a business associate of Congolese President Joseph Kabila and an aide to South Sudans leader Salva Kiir.





US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explained the new policy, saying the US wanted to take "a strong stand against human rights abuse and corruption globally by shutting these bad actors out of the US financial system.




Sunny Onuesoke, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has revealed those that will defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,...

Sunny Onuesoke, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has revealed those that will defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before 2019

Onuesoke disclosed that eight governors, twenty two senators and sixty-six House of Representatives members of APC will be declaring and returning to PDP before the end of February 2018. He also said former Lagos governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be returning to the party.





He told Daily Independent that, In a very few moment from now, not less than eight governors, twenty two senators and sixty six House of Representatives members of APC stocks will be declaring and returning to PDP before the end of February 2018. It is a concluded issue for now.





And for your information, it will shock you to note that two APC governors are among the eight expected governors who has concluded their declaration and return to the party.





 Do not be surprised that 35 percent of the Federal exco members are already prepared to declare for PDP.




The Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Sen. Ajayi Boroffice, on Friday said the Buhariled administration had performed excellently in its anti-corruption fight and tackling insurgency.Boroffice made the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.He said, in view of the myriad of challenges inherited by the present administration, it deserved the nations commendation.Judging from the challenges this administration incurred, particularly in terms of insecurity and economic meltdown, I score it 90 per cent.Of course it is not easy to fight insurgency within and outside your border. Insurgency in the North East is a serious problem.No nation can stabilise with that level of insecurity but the Federal Government is doing its best trying to eliminate them and helping the IDPs to relocate.We also have the men in the East and the Avengers in the South-South. So it is a very serious issue.It is just like engaging in a civil war yet we have relative peace and we are making progress. I think, personally, the Federal Government has done well, he said.He urged Nigerians to exercise patience with the Federal Government while it is working to stabilise the economy, noting that with the effort being made, Nigerians condition of living would soon improve.When PDP was in power, oil was selling for 110 dollars per barrel. By the time the APC government took over, it came down to about 40, 45 dollars per barrel.Not only that, we were producing 2.1 million barrels of crude oil per day and because of the activities of the Avengers, it crashed to less than that.With that, the revenue, which accrued to Federal Government from oil which constitutes about 90 per cent of our Internally Generated Revenue, crashed and it affected the programmes of government. Nevertheless this government has tried.Huge amount of money has been committed to infrastructure development, the rail, the road, power is becoming more and more stable and the N-Power programme which is touching many lives currently, he said.On performance of the legislature, the lawmaker said the National Assembly had done better than the previous ones in terms of productivity and stability, stressing that it had also performed well in terms of transparency and inclusiveness.He said, one thing that was common with the national assembly in the past was that they kept changing leaders every six months but we have not had that experience in the eighth assembly.Also for the first time, we were able to publish our budget because people thought there is a mystery about our budget.In terms of performance, I think we have done very well.In the last assembly, I was able to sponsor only one or two bills but I have now been able to sponsor about six bills and that is almost the same thing with other lawmakers.The whole thing has been restructured. You know when a motion is coming in, you know when reports are coming and when bills are coming in.Boroffice expressed optimism that the eighth national assembly would achieve more before the present administrations end of tenure in 2019.
The Federal Government has explained why it is probing the purchase of the official residence of the Senate President by Senator David Mark...

The Federal Government has explained why it is probing the purchase of the official residence of the Senate President by Senator David Mark.





Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN) and the Chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP) Okoi Obono-Obla, explained that the investigation was informed by information to the effect that Mark, a former Senate President, unlawfully acquired the property in 2011, without being reflected in the Federal Governments gazette as required.





They argued that the house said to be built on 1.6 hectares of land, located in Gudu, Apo, Abuja, is a national monument that was not meant to be acquired by an individual.





Malami and Obono-Oblas explanation is contained in the court papers they filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday. It was in reaction to a suit by Mark, challenging the notice of investigation served on him by the SPIPRPP.





The documents include a notice of preliminary objection, a counter-affidavit to Marks motion for interlocutory injunction and a defence to the substantive suit.





An official in the office of the Chairman of SPIPRPP, Aribatise Olanrewaju, who deposed to the counter- affidavit for Malami and Obono-Obla stated that the panel was empowered to probe the circumstances in which Mark took over the property.





He said although former President Goodluck Jonathan approved the sale of the property to Mark, the purchase was not gazetted as required by law.





He said: The request of Senator Bala Muhammad (the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory) was approved by former President Jonathan, but on the condition that the sale should be gazetted.





However, the sale of the property were never gazette. Notwithstanding the directive of former President Jonathan that the said house should be sold to the plaintiff upon enactment of a Federal Government gazette, the said property was illegally sold to the plaintiff;





The sales of these houses were never reflected in the Federal Government official gazette contrary to directive/ minute in the memo of Senator Bala Muhammad to former President Jonathan.





I know as a fact that the sale of the said house to the plaintiff was never conducted in a competitive bidding and transparent process; this is contrary to the provisions of Section 15 (1) of the Procurement Act, 2007;





I know as a fact that the sale was contrary to the provisions of the Federal Government of Nigeria official gazette No. 82, Vol. 92 of 15 August 2005;





The said house is a national monument, which should have never been sold;





I know as a fact that the provisions of Part 11 (b) of the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2008 otherwise known as the Remuneration Act, 2008 provides that Senate President is provided with accommodation by the Federal Government of Nigeria.





I know as a fact that the sale to the said house was contrary to the provisions of Paragraphs 1 & 6 (1) of Part 1 of the 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) since the purchaser (the Plaintiff) was a the Senate President he purchased the house.





Olanrewaju referred the law that empowered the panel to investigate Marks acquisition of the property.





He said: I know as a fact that the notice alluded to in paragraph 17 of the affidavit is therefore not a notice of eviction as claimed by the plaintiff/applicant.





I know as a fact that the 2nd defendant never declared the plaintiff/applicant acquisition of the said property illegal, but a notice to inform him that the acquisition of the said property was under investigation by the Special Investigation Panel.





I know as a fact that the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property was set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria pursuant to the provisions of Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, he said.





In their objection, Malami and Obono-Obla faulted the suit by Mark and described it as a ploy to stall his ongoing investigation.





Obono-Obla, who endorsed the processes filed by the respondents in the suit  the AGF and Obono-Obla  described the suit as speculative and hypothetical.





He contended, in the objection that the Federal High Court was without the jurisdiction to hear the suit.





He grounds on which he hinged his argument include that the court has no jurisdiction to grant the relief sought by the plaintiffs in view of the fact that, by virtue of Section 251 (1) (p) of the Constitution, the subject matter of the case has nothing to do with the administration or the management and control of the Federal Government or any of its agencies.





He said the suit was a disguise to scuttle criminal investigation of the plaintiff (a public officer) using the court.





Obono-Obla added tha: This court has no jurisdiction to stop the Special Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property established pursuant to Section 1 (1) of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 from carrying out its statutory functions.





The 2nd defendant (Obono-Obla) is an agent of a disclosed principal and as such the plaintiff is wrong to sue the 2nd defendant in his official capacity with his personal name.





This suit has disclosed no reasonable cause of action; it is speculative and hypothetical, he said.





The SPIPRPP, In September this year, issued a 21-day notice to Mark to quit the property or show cause why the Federal Government should not enforce the recovery of the property for public good.





Rather than show cause as requested by SPIPRPP, Mark head before the Federal High Court where he lodged the suit and prayed the court to among others, quash all steps taken by the panel to evict him and recover the house from him.




When Cooper Health System announced Friday that it was not going through with a planned acquisition of three New Jersey hospitals, it said only that issues had arisen during its "due diligence" review of the hospitals and the deal.

A lawsuit Cooper filed this week, seeking $15 million it placed in escrow as part of the agreement, revealed the specific issues Cooper found when reviewing the hospitals, Our Lady of Lourdes medical centers in Camden and Burlington, and St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, owned by Maxis, a division of Trinity Health. They include concerns about record alteration, ongoing litigation and compliance issues at the Maxis hospitals, according to the suit.

It also shows that some of the bad blood between the two systems comes from a phone call Cooper claims Lourdes Interim President Reginald Blaber made to "disparage" Cooper to the Bishop of Camden. Cooper alleges Blaber asked the clergyman to intervene in the acquisition.

Carol Lynn Daly, a spokeswoman for Lourdes, said Cooper's claims in the suit and about the phone call "have no merit."

"The allegations about Dr. Blaber's conversation with the Bishop are not true. We will present the facts in court," she said. "Our focus remains on our patients and our colleagues, as always."

Diocese spokesman Michael Walsh said the Bishop did not get involved in the deal.

"While Bishop Dennis Sullivan was briefed on the proposed transaction between Cooper Health System and Trinity/Maxis Health System, at no time did he intervene in any way, on behalf of either party, in any element of the transaction," he said.

Cooper filed the lawsuit Monday to compel Maxis to sign an agreement that would return the $15 million in escrow to Cooper. The Camden-based healthcare system claims that it was fully within the rights, set out in a letter of intent signed in August, to terminate the deal, and so should get back every penny in escrow, plus interest.

Cooper argued that due diligence issues and Blaber's alleged attempt to enlist the Bishop to kill the deal, which Cooper viewed as a violation of the letter of intent's exclusivity clause, were both legitimate reasons to terminate the deal without forfeiting the $15 million.

Emails attached as exhibits to the civil complaint show that lawyers from both sides were emailing the same day the suit was filed about Maxis' refusal to sign the required escrow paperwork.

Michael C. Hemsley, a lawyer for Maxis, wrote to Cooper's attorney Monday afternoon that Trinity/Maxis does not believe the reasons cited by Cooper were significant enough to allow them to back out of the agreement they made.

In the letter of intent, included as an exhibit in the suit, both sides agreed to cooperate with one another's due diligence investigations and work to mitigate any issues that arose. For Maxis, this investigation involved ensuring that Cooper's had the financing to complete the deal.

The lawsuit states that Maxis found three due diligence issues with Cooper, but did not specify what they were. Cooper found two, the suit said, and after Maxis failed to fully address the issues, Cooper decided not to acquire the hospitals.

In a formal letter Friday, included in the suit, Cooper attorney Gary J. Lesneski listed more than two issues as reasons Cooper could not go forward with the deal:

"Alteration of time records and background checks" on grants funding the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparents program, a program where older volunteers help support children in need.

Potential "compliance issues" with the federal government's 340B program to provide drugs at reduced prices, "which have already resulted in substantial paybacks, with a [Health Resources and Services Administration] audit still on the horizon."

The unresolved litigation with Joseph Gonnelli

Eligibility for federal funding through the Disproportionate Share Hospital program, which supports hospitals that serve more indigent patients.

The financial terms of the management agreement between St. Francis and Central New Jersey Heart Services.

When he announced the acquisition plans in August, South Jersey powerbroker and Cooper Board Chairman George Norcross said the deal would have made Cooper a $2 billion entity and the 4th largest hospital chain in New Jersey.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Aiming to get homeless men, women and children out of the cold and off the streets permanently, Newark officials on Thursday unveiled a wintertime shelter offering housing, employment, health and counseling referrals, as well as dining, shower and laundry facilities.

"I'm sure especially during the holiday season, its a serious blessing to be able to have a warm shower, a warm place to sleep, and a place where they don't have to worry that they're going to throw you out in the daytime," Mayor Ras Baraka said in an interview Thursday, four days before Christmas.

Baraka was among city officials present Thursday morning for a ribbon cutting at the new shelter, which began taking in clients over the weekend and will be open through the end of March.

The building, located on Sussex Avenue in the city's Central Ward, is one of 31 public and privately operated homeless shelters in Newark. But in addition to being the newest, it's distinct in several of ways.

The shelter was created specifically to house adult individuals, including members of the LGBT community, along with families with children, who have literally been spending their days and nights on the streets, out-of-doors. The groups sleep on separate floors of the 4-story building, in rooms with four beds each.

The temporary residents are encouraged to spend daytime hours at school or work, or looking for work or housing. But officials said the policy is flexible depending on weather conditions and individual circumstances, particularly for families.

With a capacity of 480, the shelter has had about 500 admissions in six days, averaging more than 80 people per night, said Dr. Mark J. Wade, a pediatrician who directs the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness.

Wade said it's the first city-controlled shelter to include on-site services intended to address factors that are often at the root of homelessness, including unemployment, substance and domestic abuse, mental health problems and other issues.

"The goal is to minimize their need to remain in a shelter system," Wade said. "This is a four-month, winter shelter initiative, and it is focused on the unsheltered homeless, those who are on the street that we are trying to get off the street."

The shelter principally targets the homeless population around Newark Penn Station, the Public Library, Military Park and Francisco Park, all in the city's downtown section. Under a temporary agreement, NJ Transit provides a nightly 11 p.m. bus to the shelter from Penn Station, Wade said.

The city has a contract with a local non-profit agency, Emergency Housing Services, Inc, to operate the shelter for $388,000 for the four-month winter season. This winter's funding comes from the city budget and federal grant money. But in future years officials hoping to raise the money from among Newark businesses, who have an interest in reducing the number of people living on city streets.

"Most of the conversations with a lot of the businesses that we have, especially the new ones that come in, are centered around Penn Station and the homeless situation around the station," said Baraka, who is running for re-election in May. "So, it obviously will help the businesses to help us provide shelter for these folks. And we're appealing to them to do that."

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A woman convicted of setting her Gloucester County condominium building on fire will serve one year of probation and must seek a mental health evaluation under a suspended prison sentence handed down earlier this month.

Cheryl A. Satoris, 57, damaged eight condo units in Washington Township, including her own, when she set the blaze in 2011. No one was injured.

She was found guilty of third-degree arson in a 2013 trial, sentenced to five years probation, ordered to pay $48,000 and required to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The probationary term was based on Satoris having already served 981 days in jail while awaiting her trial.

That conviction was overturned on appeal and a new trial ordered after appellate judges found her conviction was based on unreliable evidence and that the conditions set for her probation were illegal.

In her new trial, she was again convicted of third-degree arson.

Judge Kevin T. Smith sentenced Satoris to a three-year suspended prison sentence, with the requirement that she seek evaluation and counseling during her probation.

During her first trial, a neighbor testified that on the day prior to the fire, Satoris asked him if he was part of the conspiracy among "the Commissioner, Illuminati and other people to kill her." She also asked if he had renter's insurance and said, "Do you know these units are going to burn down?" the neighbor stated.

Smith pondered how best to approach her sentence during a September court appearance, noting that she had refused to seek mental health treatment and denied she had a problem following her first conviction. He questioned whether she would cooperate this time.

Prosecutors said that more time behind bars wasn't the answer.

"I think that there would be no purpose served in additional prison time," Assistant Prosecutor Dana Anton said at the time. "But I do think that a mental health evaluation is necessary to ensure this doesn't happen again."

In handing down the sentence on Dec. 8, Smith noted that Satoris had no prior criminal record, but he again stressed his concern that she could have future problems if her condition remains untreated.

"In light of the offense and the expressed belief by the defendant someone was gassing her condominium to kill her ... if her mental health issues remain untreated, recidivism is possible," Smith wrote in his sentencing statement.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
RE-ENACTMENT OF WASHINGTONS CROSSING OF THE DELAWARE RIVER TO BE HELD CHRISTMAS DAY

EVENT MARKS 241ST ANNIVERSARY OF PIVOTAL MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY

(17/P126) TRENTON  Visitors can relive a crucial turning point in American history with the annual re-enactment of General George Washingtons Crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Day, the 241st anniversary of the iconic crossing that helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War at a time when the fledgling nations prospects seemed hopeless.

Visitors to the park, located in Titusville, Mercer County, will be able to see the restored Johnson Ferry House, the only original structure on the park property that dates to the crossing.

The river crossing, beginning in the late afternoon of Christmas Day 1776, is considered a pivotal event in the War for Independence, leading to strategic victories in Trenton the next day, followed by victories at Assunpink Creek on January 2, 1777 and at Princeton the day after that. This stunning string of victories helped establish Washingtons Continental Army as a viable fighting force that could challenge the British Army and their Hessian mercenaries.

General Washingtons Crossing of the Delaware was the opening round in what historians call the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution, a period when the teetering fight for independence desperately needed military successes to survive, said Mark Texel, Director of the DEPs Division of Parks and Forestry. This annual re-enactment has become a popular part of many families Christmas traditions, providing a glimpse into the sacrifices made by Washingtons soldiers.

The re-enactment is free and runs from noon to about 3 p.m., kicking off with a brief lecture at the Nelson House on the New Jersey side of the river. At 1 p.m., a cannon will be fired from Washington Crossing State Park on the Pennsylvania side of the river, signaling the start of the crossing.

Traditionally, the re-enactment features some 100 re-enactors using four replicas of Durham boats. However, due to low water levels in the river this year, the crossing will be attempted using six shallower draft rowboats provided by Philadelphia Waterborne, a nonprofit that teaches boat-building skills to middle- and high-school students.

This event allows visitors to witness a key moment in our nations history and how our nation was created, said Park Resource Interpretive Specialist and Historian Mark Sirak. Many families make this re-enactment a regular part of their holiday celebrations. The view from the New Jersey bank of the river provides an excellent opportunity to view and photograph the boats and re-enactors heading toward you.

Repairs and staining of the historic Johnson Ferry House, built in 1740, were completed in November 2016. The restoration project was underwritten by the Washington Crossing Park Association-New Jersey, with the generosity of members and donors.

The Park Service and the public owe many thanks to the Park Association and to its many members and contributors, Texel said. The efforts of the association, led by president Joe Carney, were key to the preservation of this historic structure. Their ongoing service to the park is invaluable.

After the stealthy predawn crossing of the icy Delaware, Washington marched his troops south to Trenton, where they surprised Hessian forces and captured nearly the entire garrison. Prior to the crossing and the ensuing battles of Trenton and Princeton, the American Revolution was thought to be lost. But those victories turned the war around and led to the eventual defeat of the British in 1783.

The first re-enactment was in 1947; severe weather has led to some re-enactment cancellations.

Hot cider will be available. Free parking will be available on both sides of the river. On the New Jersey side, visitors should enter at the parks main entrance on Route 546, where volunteers will direct traffic. Both parks are easily accessible to each other by a vehicle bridge that has a pedestrian walkway.

For a Discover DEP Podcast on crossing, visit: Washington Cross Podcast

For more information about Washington Crossing State Park, including directions and GPS coordinates, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/washcros.html

For more information on New Jersey State Parks, including a link to the free New Jersey State Parks and Forests Pocket Ranger app, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/

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There was so much alcohol at a fraternity party in Bethesda, Md., that the air registered on a Breathalyzer.(Flickr - Creative Commons - Laura LaRose)
An Ohio mom and dad gave their son's teacher a bottle of wine with his face on the label for Christmas. 'Our child might be the reason you drink,' the label reads, in part. (Staff archive)
Legislative auditor Daryl Purpera said more than $423,000 in past-due UNO student accounts were submitted to the Louisiana Attorney General's office for collections "eight to 669 days" after the 90-day period.(Photo via UNO)
How will the Republican tax plan that President Donald Trump signed Friday affect you? Four online calculators let you estimate what will happen. (Photo from iStock)(iStock Photo)
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.
This New Years Eve holiday, for the first time in decades, will feature the legal use of fireworks.

Fireworks sales are legal in the state from Dec. 10 to Jan. 3, thanks to a law passed by the Iowa Legislature earlier this year.

In Council Bluffs, the City Council passed a law that allows for the discharge of fireworks from noon on Dec. 31 until 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 1. The approved ordinance requires residents to be 50 feet away from structures while shooting off fireworks.

The state law requires the December and January sales to be made at permanent structures. In Council Bluffs, at least one location carrying fireworks is Target at Metro Crossing.

Steve Hornbeck, a manager at Target, said the location is not carrying a full assortment of fireworks, as it did during the summer. For New Years, its mostly sparklers and noise poppers.

More of the party favor stuff  good stuff around the kids, Hornbeck said. Its not the hardcore fireworks that wouldve been out in July.

Hornbeck said he couldnt delve too deep into specifics on sales, but said about selling fireworks its worth it to have them.

With sales ongoing, plus the possibility of residents having leftovers from July, Council Bluffs Fire Chief Justin James said hes had no fireworks-related calls yet this year. He said there were none that he recalled in 2016 either.

According to the Council Bluffs Police Department, officers had not responded to a fireworks complaint call so far this December as of Wednesday.

The department responded to six calls around this time last year  all between 1:45 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2016, and 12:07 a.m. on Jan. 1. There were five such calls in 2015-16 over a similar 24-hour time window and four calls in 2014-2015  three of which were during the 24-hour Dec. 31-Jan. 1 window, with an outlier on Jan. 6.

Police Chief Tim Carmody said the department will be out in full force over New Years Eve, as usual, and has discussed the possibility of increased fireworks calls. But were not sure what to expect, he said.

Police calls increased around Independence Day this year compared to years past.

The Iowa law allows local municipalities to restrict the use of fireworks. James had suggested the city keep its ban on the books, citing public safety concerns, before the City Council voted on its ordinance.

The ordinance restricts the use of fireworks by anyone younger than 18 years old. With adult supervision, children 5 and older can use Class III fireworks, which include snaps, snakes and sparklers.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb.  In July, a worker in the U.S. Strategic Commands underground headquarters got mysteriously sick.

Then another in the same area did. And another.

Eventually seven employees reported similar illnesses, some of which required hospitalization.

Dozens of other workers reported headaches, burning eyes and dizziness.

StratCom officials now believe theyve found the culprit: a buildup of carbon dioxide in one group of basement offices.

The U.S. Air Force has since moved 22 workers and is now cleaning the 37,000-square-foot suite of offices in the aging StratCom building at Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue, Nebraska. The rooms, one floor underground, are the workplace of 200 people from StratComs J5 (Policy and Plans) department.

Their job includes preparing the nations plans for nuclear war and for defense against other large-scale threats to the United States.

Citing privacy concerns, StratCom officials would not describe the illnesses suffered by workers, but several visited hospitals, said Maj. Gen. Dan Karbler, StratComs chief of staff. None have suffered long-term health effects. All have returned to work. A survey showed that many other workers have experienced irritated noses and eyes, fatigue and dizziness.

Indoor carbon dioxide is the result of human activity and is given off when humans exhale. It builds up to higher levels later in the day. Excessive CO2 indoors is usually tied to poor ventilation, experts say.

Typical symptoms of exposure to high levels of carbon dioxide can include headaches, dizziness, drowsiness and loss of attention. Recent studies have suggested that even slightly elevated CO2 levels may impair a workers ability to complete complex tasks.

Workers in the J5 area began reporting in the summer that the air seemed stale.

It just didnt feel like fresh, clean air, said Air Force Master Sgt. Cristy Duncan, who works in J5.

But the command didnt fully realize the scope of the problem until several more workers became ill.

It took a while to understand (that) maybe there is a connection, said Col. John Cotton, StratComs surgeon general.

Cotton recommended an occupational health inspection of the J5 section.

Officials also conducted a survey of J5 workers during the summer regarding health effects. Of 84 who responded, 65 percent reported an irritated or stuffy nose, 62 percent reported fatigue, 48 percent suffered from headaches, 41 percent had itchy or burning eyes and 19 percent reported dizziness.

The results led StratCom to suspect elevated carbon dioxide.

In September, tests of the carbon dioxide levels in each room showed that levels exceeded standards set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers of 1,000 parts per million almost daily.

But they didnt reach the 5,000 parts per million considered unsafe under federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules. Afternoon readings reached as high as 1,600 parts per million.

Its above comfort levels, but below OSHA permissible exposure limits, Cotton said.

Workers were allowed to move out of the affected spaces if they wished.

We said If you are uncomfortable, we will move you, said Col. Jeff Hagan, StratComs deputy chief of staff. Twenty-two workers accepted the offer.

StratCom officials said they arent sure why carbon dioxide has built up in these offices. The space doesnt have a history of air-quality problems, Cotton said.

One theory, he said, is that it is related to the loss of an air-intake vent that was toppled in an EF1 tornado that hit Offutt on June 16. That vent brought fresh air into the underground spaces at StratCom. It was fixed late in the summer.

Workers also repaired an air-handling unit serving the J5 space on Oct. 3. After that, CO2 levels began dropping and have been consistently below the ASHRAE standard since, peaking on most days below 800 parts per million, according to data provided by StratCom.

I can tell theres a difference. Somethings been changed, Duncan said.

I feel it is (better). The airs cleaner, fresher, said Al Gay, a civilian who has worked at StratCom since 2003.

Cotton said the problem may simply be the structures age. It was built in 1957 to house the headquarters of what was then known as the Strategic Air Command.

When you have an old building, youre going to have issues, Cotton said.

Thats especially true in buildings with basements, he added. Much of StratComs work is done underground, in a facility built to serve as a command bunker.

Our basements have basements, Karbler said.

With no definite cause, its not clear what else StratCom may do, though officials are planning a deep clean of the space in January.

The ultimate solution may be completion of the $1.2 billion StratCom headquarters under construction across the street. That project has had several delays since workers broke ground in 2012, including the persistent discovery of mold in ductwork for its heating and air-conditioning system.

Earlier this year, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials estimated that the building will be fully completed and occupied by July 2019.

But the current building wont be empty for long. After StratCom moves out, the 55th Wing headquarters staff is scheduled to move in.
When Ira Lepper died in January 1908, a Sioux City newspaper claimed he was the last surviving son of a veteran of the American Revolution in Iowa.

His dad had fought under Gen. Horatio Gates. Ira was born in New York, but his family moved to the area that became Iowa in 1829  living in a log cabin during his early years. He was 82 at the time of his death.

Within a day of the announcement of Iras death, another Iowan stepped forward to claim that he was also a son of a revolutionary war soldier.

Wesley Johnson Banks lived in Centerville, and he said, in addition to his dads service, both his grandfathers and two uncles had fought in the Revolution. He said his granddads, Linn Banks and William Brown, had both fought under Gen. George Washington.

Wesleys dad, William, had enlisted in the army from Virginia at the age of 16. He reached the rank of sergeant by the time the war was over. William died in 1839 in Indiana.

In an interview with a reporter from The Des Moines Register, Wesley said he was born in 1825 in Kentucky but moved to Indiana as a youngster. He had also served his country in time of war by enlisting at the age of 19 with an Indiana regiment in the Mexican-American War, also known as the Mexican War. He had served under Col. James Drake.

Wesley had served in California in the Los Angeles area in 1848 and in Monterey, where he received an honorable discharge in March 1849. He said he returned home to Indiana by way of Panama and New Orleans. Soon after that, he moved to Appanoose County in Iowa.

The reporter was impressed with Wesley. He wrote that it was a great pleasure and high privilege to visit with the old veteran. In the reporters words, Wesley was a storehouse of information.
Generous students and parents who give assistance to area families in need, the prosecutorial team that ensured a murderer will stay behind bars and a fifth-grader who made sure those in need received help.

The stories of these three community stars are told in todays Year in Review special supplement to The Nonpareil. We invite our readers to learn how the Thriving Titans, Matt Wilber and his team of county attorneys and Makenna Sorensen continue to make a difference in Council Bluffs and the wider world around them as 2017 draws to a close.

Heres a brief look at each of todays three community stars:

 A group of Lewis Central Community School District supporters is working quietly behind the scenes to make a difference.

The Thriving Titans, a mixture of Lewis Central staff members, students and volunteers, have been providing food and clothing assistance to Lewis Central families in need since the fall of 2016.

There are about 15 regular volunteers and many more who donate or deliver items, said president Annie Esterling.

 For the prosecution team at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse, putting together the case against Wesley Correa-Carmenaty was a practice in organizing the chaos of several crime scenes spread over two states while holding their grief and anger in check.

Complicating things was the bitter truth each lawyer, court employee and investigator had to face and yet not focus on  that one of their own was gone.

Everyone here who wanted to be a part of the prosecution was allowed to, Wilber said. But some didnt because it was too close to home, which we understood.

Correa-Carmenaty pled guilty to the murder of Sheriffs Deputy Matt Burbridge and received a life sentence plus extra time  ensuring he will never again enjoy freedom.

 Makenna Sorensen, a fifth-grader in Council Bluffs, stepped up to help Texas schools hit by a hurricane.

Makenna and her father set up a lemonade stand to raise money for teachers in Houston. She and a friend made lemonade, and her mother made pink lemonade.

This prompted her Aunt Dina, who lives in Denver, to donate money through PayPal. The girls raised $136, filling six book bags with school supplies to help hurricane victims.
As October dawned, Council Bluffs Fire Marshal Larry Wohlers was celebrating his retirement.

Wohlers wrapped up his 34-year career at the Council Bluffs Fire Department on Sept. 29. He was hired in September 1983 as a firefighter and later served as captain, assistant chief and, beginning in 2008, fire marshal. He briefly served as interim chief between longtime Chief Alan Byers retirement and Chief Justin James appointment.

One of the citys buffet-style restaurants was lost with the closing of Golden Corral, 3103 Dial Drive in the Manawa Power Center, on Oct. 1. The closure came just over three years after a major renovation.

A shadow was cast over the nation on Oct. 2 as 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured in what was called the countrys deadliest mass shooting of modern times. Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada, was staying in a high-rise hotel in Las Vegas when he opened fire on an audience at an outdoor country music festival.

Harlan native Jake Andersen, who attended the festival with his fiancee, Kimberly Grettum, was shot in the right forearm but escaped bone and nerve damage. Grettum was not injured.

Early in the month, Chris LaFerla, then dean of admissions and records at Iowa Western Community College, was appointed executive director of the Council Bluffs Community Education Foundation. He replaced Butch Lecuona, who retired at the end of June. LaFerla is also a member of the Council Bluffs Community School District Board of Education.

Jeff Jorgensen, chairman of the Pottawattamie County Republican Party, resigned Oct. 5 after almost seven years at the helm. He had come under fire for supporting a controversial event in Oakland on Islamic terrorism but would not say if that influenced his decision.

Jan Tatum, co-chair of the county GOP, said the partys executive committee  made up of Tatum, Dawn Conrad, Mark Hansen and Naomi Corrie  will handle operations until a new chairperson is chosen in the spring of 2018.

Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh won the three-way mayoral race on Oct. 10, receiving 1,735 votes (55 percent). Pottawattamie County Supervisor Scott Belt received 1,208 votes (38.3 percent), to advance to the Nov. 7 general election against Walsh. Shawn Burgstrum failed to advance after coming in third with 202 votes (6.4 percent).

Mike Wolf and Lynne Branigan emerged from the primary election set to battle Melissa Head and Al Ringgenberg for the two seats up for grabs in the Council Bluffs City Council. Head led the way with 1,284 votes, just ahead of former councilwoman Branigan, who received 1,006 votes.

The pair would compete in the Nov. 7 general election with newcomer Mike Wolf, who received 930 votes, and City Councilman Al Ringgenberg, who netted 885 votes.

Ringgenberg was followed in the voting by Joe Disalvo, who received 748 votes (12.7 percent). Peter Hutcheson received 425 votes (7.2 percent), Vergarie Sanford received 317 votes (5.4 percent) and Al Ruby received 268 votes (4.6 percent).

The primary paved the way for a change at the top in Carter Lake. City Councilman Ron Cumberledge and former Mayor Russ Kramer advanced to the Nov. 7 general election after taking the top two spots.

Cumberledge came in first with 291 votes (39.8 percent), while Kramer garnered 209 votes (28.6 percent). Incumbent Mayor Gerald Waltrip failed to advance after finishing third with 156 votes (21.4 percent). Nathaniel Bradburn came in fourth with 74 votes (10.1 percent).

Four candidates moved on to the Carter Lake City Council general election. Councilman Jason Gundersen led the tally with 465 votes (34.9 percent), followed by Keebie Kessler at 317 votes (23.7 percent) and JacLeen Wahl at 315 votes (23.6 percent). Kathryn Dueling also moved on to the general election, netting 153 votes, good for 11.5 percent. The quartet would vie for three council seats.

Donald Brammer of Council Bluffs, a former volunteer with local childrens programs, was found guilty on seven charges of sex abuse, plus charges of assault, false imprisonment and stalking, on Oct. 17 in Pottawattamie County District Court. Brammer, 77, could face more than 200 years of incarceration. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 28.

The Papa Murphys Take N Bake Pizza store at 1702 West Broadway closed on Oct. 17 due to slow sales. Owner Tony Becks other Papa Murphys location at 1751 Madison Ave. remains open.

A new pavilion was opened Oct. 18 at Tom Hanafan Rivers Edge Park. The facility features restrooms open to the public, a rooftop deck, a plaza, a water wall and a public water play park, which will  when finished  emit fog.

City officials and residents gathered Oct. 19 at the pavilion to celebrate the retirement of Linda Piper as systems analyst for the City of Council Bluffs. Piper worked for the city for 47 years, starting as a switchboard operator and moving on to clerk in the City Treasurers Office, data processing technician, data processing coordinator and, two years ago, systems analyst.

Pottawattamie County Community Foundation President and CEO Jerry Mathiasen has retired, he announced on Oct. 22. Mathiasen, 63, said hes stepping away to focus on his fight with acute myeloid leukemia. He had taken a leave of absence in mid-September.

Mathiasen started his role as president and CEO of the community foundation on an interim basis in December 2014 before being named permanently to the role in June 2015. Before taking over at the foundation, Mathiasen served as senior vice president with the Iowa West Foundation for almost 18 years.

Two Council Bluffs teens died in a tragic motor vehicle wreck Oct. 27 at Lake Manawa. Efren Lemus, 18, the driver, and Christian Renteria-Perez, 17, the passenger, were found inside a vehicle shortly after 6 a.m. upside-down and partially submerged at West Shore Drive and Pelican Drive at Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs.

Don Bauermeister, 44, of Omaha, a former Council Bluffs assistant city attorney, pleaded guilty Oct. 30 in federal court to conspiring to possess and distribute about 13 pounds of marijuana, a felony drug charge.

The plea was part of a deal with prosecutors, who are recommending Bauermeister be sentenced to probation. Chief U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp is not bound by the deal. A Council Bluffs employee since February 2003. Bauermeister resigned in mid-June.
A school bus fire on Dec. 12 in rural Pottawattamie County resulted in the deaths of a Riverside High School sophomore and a Carson City Council member, who was the driver.

Local and federal authorities have launched an investigation into the deaths of Donnie Hendricks, 74, of Carson, and Megan Klindt, 16, who lived at the farm where the bus fire occurred. The two werent able to get off the bus, Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office Lt. Rob Ambrose said.

The call reporting the fire went out shortly after 7 a.m. Firefighters from Oakland, Carson and Macedonia were called to fight the blaze. Dispatchers said the bus, which was from the Riverside Community School District, was in the driveway of a house at 17840 480th St.

Ambrose said a resident of the Klindt house called 911. Only the driver and the high schooler were on the bus, and Ambrose said it may have been Hendricks first stop of the day.

The crash occurred as the bus was backing out of the farms driveway, Ambrose said. The bus ended up in the ditch on the opposite side of the road.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said investigators will be at the scene documenting what they find and examining the vehicle. They will also review maintenance records and speak with witnesses, he said.

News of the deadly fire, which occurred just southeast of Oakland, reverberated across the communities of Oakland, Carson and Macedonia, where many residents knew both victims.

About 50 people turned out for a brief prayer service that night at Fellowship Church near Oakland.

Family members said Hendricks was scheduled to undergo back surgery, and Dec. 15 was supposed to be his last day on the job before the procedure, his grandson said.

A preliminary report of the details of the incident could take a month to publish, Holloway said. A final report could take as long as 18 months.
St. Patrick High Schools student council and honor society hosted a concert and served dinner to about 100 benefactors Thursday.

North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment director Wendy Dodson thanked the folks who came out on a cold day.

Im happy that you get to celebrate with us and were grateful for your prayers, your generosity, Dodson said. We are grateful for all your support for our schools throughout the year.

The program started with a concert that featured the band, the Saintsations Swing Choir, the Elite Band, the Irish Strutters Dance Team and a mixed quartet. The mixed quartet sang White Winter Hymnal while performing difficult coordinated hand movements that thrilled the crowd.

After the concert, the benefactors were treated to a Christmas dinner of turkey and fixings served by the students.

The purpose of the dinner is to honor our retired friends, said Judy ONeill, high school counselor and student council adviser. Some are alumni; some are good patrons of our school who support our kids.

Student council president Aiden Skillstad said there are a number of important learning aspects of hosting the event that has been a tradition since 1980.

I think its important for us as a student body to reach out to our benefactors and retired friends of the school and say we really appreciate all that youve done to keep this school open, Skillstad said.

He said invitations are sent out every year and the student council is tasked with following up.

Its very positive, Skillstad said. If we dont get a response back, we sometimes have to call them just to see if theyre coming or not. Their response is either I wish I could be there, but I cant or I wouldnt miss it for the world.

This year Skillstad and another student were particularly blessed by an alumnus.

The continuity is crazy, because (another student) and I, who are of the class of 2018, drove a lady here today who was from the class of 1948, Skillstad said. So, when you think about it, thats 70 years.

Burt and Karen Matthies of North Platte appreciated the event.

To me and my wife, I think it shows appreciation for our support of the school, Burt Matthies said. I just love it here. Im from a small town and a small school myself, and I see St. Pats as a very great benefit to the kids. They dont get lost in the shuffle; they dont get lost in the crowd.

This years dinner was particularly special to him.

It warms my heart, especially at this time of year and especially because what Ive just gone through, he said. I had a major heart attack about three weeks ago, so believe me, its nice to be here.

Skillstad said the students get to see so much through the program.

It just shows that these people think this is a special place, Skillstad said. We see what it takes (to keep the school going), the sacrifice some families and parents have to make for their kids to be here. So its just a really positive influence on the kids here because they get to see how beneficial a Catholic education can be.
LINCOLN  Activists involved in shutting down beer sales in Whiteclay called on the state to do more to not only end bootlegging of alcohol in the area, but to investigate unsolved slayings in the unincorporated village.

Oklahoma attorney John Maisch, who produced a documentary on the alcohol-related problems linked to Whiteclay, called a recent legislative report on the village wholly inadequate and tone deaf to some bigger issues affecting the town.

Overall, he said, closing down the beer stores  which sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer a year to residents of a nearby Indian reservation that bans alcohol  was just a first step.

It removed the most obvious location to purchase alcohol, Maisch said. Of course, we never did say that would stop all the problems.

Maisch, as well as Native American activist Frank LaMere and Lincoln businessman Alan Jacobsen, called on the state to increase enforcement to stem purchases of alcohol in other nearby towns by bootleggers, and to form a cold case unit to look into unsolved slayings in Whiteclay.

LaMere, of South Sioux City, said that there have been at least five unsolved killings in Whiteclay in the past two decades. He said he lacks faith in county investigators to solve them.

Someone needs to step in, he said. Weve got to have justice for these people.

LaMere provided two letters he sent to Gov. Pete Ricketts and Jacobsen provided a letter he sent to Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson about further investigation into the Whiteclay slayings. Officials from those offices did not respond immediately on Thursday afternoon.

Two slayings in 1999, of Whiteclay street people Wally Black Elk and Ronald Hard Heart, helped spark protests and first drew national attention to the beer sales in Whiteclay.

The killings were never solved, though an FBI website still offers a $50,000 reward for information.

More recently, in August 2016, Sherry Wounded Foot was found unconscious on the streets of Whiteclay and was transported to a Rapid City, South Dakota, hospital. She died 12 days later. Foul play was suspected, but no arrests have been made.
Indiana University Northwest is now offering local business professionals a certification course in Lean Six Sigma, a methodology that's used to reduce waste on manufacturing production lines and in other business processes.

Local business people can earn intermediate-level green belts and expert-level black belts in the managerial concept, which emerged from Japan and has become widely adopted in the manufacturing industry. IUN's Weekend MBA program for working adults has certified 15 green belts so far.

"Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that provides the strategy, tools and techniques to significantly improve the performance of an organization relative to processes, services, employees, customer satisfaction and the business bottom line," Indiana University Northwest said in a news release. "It combines the concept of Lean, which focuses on the elimination of waste and nonvalue added activities, with the structured, data-driven analytical tools of Six Sigma."

IUN will teach business professionals how to solve process-related problems in a class that's aimed to burnish credential or how business owners boost the bottom line.

The Lean Six Sigma methodology will help any business be competitive in our Region, as well as our increasingly global marketplace, said Jana Szostek, director of the Center for Management Development at IU Northwest. It has become the gold standard of quality and continuous improvement and is a highly sought-after certification. Its methods are applicable to any organization.

For more information, call 219-980-6910 or visit www.iun.edu/business.
CHICAGO  The Cook County sheriff's department says the county's jail population has fallen below 6,000 inmates for the first time in decades.

Sheriff Tom Dart's chief policy officer, Cara Smith, says the population at what's one of the nation's largest jails has been declining for some time in part because of a drop in arrests.

But she said Thursday the biggest change came in September, when Chief Judge Timothy Evans ordered county judges to set affordable bail amounts for defendants charged with nonviolent felonies. Judges are now more inclined to free defendants on their own recognizance pending trial.

Critics argue that the cash bond system unfairly targets the poor.

The Chicago Tribune reports that since Evans' order took effect, the jail's population has dropped by more than 1,500 inmates, to 5,909.
CROWN POINT  A lawsuit by the city of Hammond targeting opioid distributors and manufacturers has been consolidated with dozens of other similar lawsuits in a federal court in Ohio.

The local lawsuit, filed Nov. 16 in the U.S. District Court of Northern Indiana, was transferred Dec. 5 to the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio.

It is joined there by 114 similar lawsuits that claim opioid distributors and manufacturers contributed to the current opioid epidemic crisis, either through the deceptive and aggressive marketing of opioid medications, or through a failure to identify, report and stop suspicious orders for these medications.

The transfer order was made by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, which is a special body within the federal court system that determines whether similar civil actions pending in different federal districts should be transferred to a single federal district for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings.

Cases are transferred back to their original federal districts for trial.

The transferred lawsuits originated in 20 states, and were filed by various cities, counties, hospitals and unions, among other entities. Forty-eight of the lawsuits, or 41 percent, were initiated by counties in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Wisconsin.

Lawsuits filed by the cities of LaFayette and Indianapolis, as well as a lawsuit filed by Scott County, also were transferred to Ohio's district court.

The lawsuits were transferred to the Ohio district court because of its geographic centrality, and because the state has "experienced a significant rise in the number of opioid-related overdoses in the past several years and expended significant sums in dealing with the effects of the opioid epidemic, the judicial panel's order states.

Judge Dan A. Polster will preside over the cases.

The law firm of Cohen & Malad LLP in Indianapolis is representing Hammond in the lawsuit. The firm did not respond Friday to a request for comment.

The Lake County Board of Commissioners signed an agreement last week with Cohen & Malad LLP to file a similar lawsuit on the county's behalf.
INDIANAPOLIS  The Hoosier senator primarily responsible for crafting numerous reductions to Indiana's tax rates during the past nine legislative sessions is resigning Jan. 2 to work as an attorney at a Washington, D.C. law firm.

State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, chairman of the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy since 2009, said he's deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the Lafayette area, including portions of Jasper County, in the Senate for 18 years.

"Throughout my tenure, I have focused on making sure Hoosiers are getting the best and most efficient government services for the smallest cost," Hershman said.

"It's been a privilege to work alongside so many dedicated public servants to help enact meaningful conservative reforms that have made our state the fiscal envy of the nation."

Hershman's departure for a job at Barnes and Thornburg, coupled with the Sept. 30 retirement of state Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, means the Senate will have two new leaders for its powerful tax and appropriations committees going into the 2018 session.

Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said he not only will miss having Hershman's "wise counsel" in the Senate, but he's also going to miss working alongside his friend.

"Brandt is one of the brightest, most accomplished individuals Ive ever known," Long said. "He is leaving the Senate with a record that few others in the history of the Indiana state legislature can match.

"His legacy as a national leader on such state issues as tax reform, telecom reform and as a strong and consistent advocate for the agricultural community speaks for itself. .... On behalf of his entire Senate family, I wish him the very best in his new endeavor."

Senate Republicans likely will select a new tax committee chairman shortly after the General Assembly convenes its 10-week session Jan. 3.

Indiana GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfer has not yet set a date for precinct committeemen in Senate District 7 to elect a person to complete the three years remaining in Hershman's Senate term.
When Adam Akan started a charity called Region Kids for Comfort last summer, the 13-year-old planned to collect items to help the homeless.

My dad told me when he was growing up in Naperville that he donated part of his allowance to an organization that helped the homeless on lower Wacker Drive in Chicago, said the Dyer eighth-grader who attends Forest Ridge Academy.

I really loved the story. It inspired me to reach out to help others.

Adam organized his first collection effort at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Schererville where he attends religious education classes on Sundays. With the help of three cousins, he spread the word to parents of students attending the Kindergarten through eighth-grade religious classes.

We asked for specific items  sheets, blankets, toiletries, pillows, towels, Adam said. We got stuffed animals, which really thrilled me. We also got a lot of canned and boxed goods.

On Christmas Eve, Adam and his family will deliver the items to a womens and childrens shelter in Gary.

My mom asked me why we couldnt do this at Forest Ridge Academy. Im student council president and this year we did fundraisers for victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria, Adam said. Were fundraised-out.

With all the disasters hitting the U.S. and the Caribbean, Anna Akan said she was afraid her son would only be able to collect a small bag of donations. But the appeal definitely struck a chord, and it will take several vehicles to transport the items to the shelter.

My whole mission is to get other kids to organize these donation drives in churches and schools to expand Region Kids for Comfort, Adam said.

He also plans to set up Region Kids for Comfort as a 501(c)3 charitable organization that will allow federal tax deductions for donations.

In 2018, another larger collection drive will be organized for a delivery at Easter.

Hopefully well collect items to go to more homeless shelters, Adam said.

Region Kids for Comfort will expand when Adam enters high school either at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools or St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.

I have talked to both schools about my charity and about setting up collections from the students, he said about his application to both schools.

Adam also knows exactly what he wants to do after high school.

Asked what college he plans to attend, he said without hesitation, Notre Dame, as a smile lit up his face.

I love the law, he said. I want to go into corporate law.
NEW YORK  Even after two terror attacks and a driver's deadly rampage through Times Square, New York City is on track to smash its modern-era low for homicides in a year.

Through Dec. 17, the city of 8.5 million people, once America's murder capital, had recorded 278 killings. That puts it on pace to end this year with killings down 14 percent from last year, and well below the 333 in 2014, which was the year with the fewest homicides since the city began keeping accurate crime statistics in 1963.

Those numbers mean a person's odds of getting killed by homicide in tightly packed, diverse New York City this year were about the same as they were last year in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota.

Crime has been dropping for many years in New York, but 2017 saw substantial drops even in places like Brooklyn's 75th Police Precinct, once among the nation's most violent places.

"You can feel the change. More people are out walking the streets at night, they're out talking to their neighbors, they're not rushing their kids home, you know, with their heads down," said Rashaud Carmichael, 36, a construction worker and father of three who lives in the area. "I've lived here all my life. And man, I can tell you, it's a different world now."

There were 126 killings in the precinct in 1993. Last year, there were 23. This year, through Dec. 17, there have been 11.

The statistics stand in sharp contrast to the picture of New York City painted by President Donald Trump on the campaign trail a year ago, when he said murders were up because the city's liberal mayor was coddling immigrants living here illegally and abandoning a police tactic that involved stopping and frisking huge numbers of predominantly innocent black and Hispanic men.

"Look what's been done in this city," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said in an interview with The Associated Press. "These are real numbers. I don't think that's something that can be ignored."

New York's death toll was worsened this year by a Halloween attack by a man from Uzbekistan who drove a rented truck down a waterfront bicycle bath, killing eight people.

Months earlier, a driver, said by police to have smoked marijuana laced with PCP, mowed down pedestrians in Times Square, striking 21 people and killing one. No one died this month when a would-be suicide bomber detonated an explosive in the subway system.

Out in the 75th Precinct, residents are still more concerned about gangs and drug dealing than terrorism.

"Crime is still here for us. I still see it and I still feel it," said Jessica Franco, 31, who started the Civic Association of Cypress Hills. "But I think neighbors have to also understand their power to help change this  and their responsibility to engage with police to help make it better."

Some criminologists say a move away from heavy-handed policing may have helped drive crime lower.

For years, the police department tackled crime hotspots by flooding them with extra officers and arresting large numbers of people for mostly petty crimes. Violent crime did fall, but it kept falling as police shifted toward an approach of building community relationships and focusing more on serious crimes. Arrests are down about 7 percent this year.

Chief of Patrol Terence Monahan said there were other tactical changes. The department ditched specialized units within precincts and made most officers general assignment. It ordered more cars so officers with foot posts far from stations weren't spending half their tours walking to their assignments. Officers are assigned to smaller areas. And it created neighborhood coordination officers, who spend time addressing concerns like cars blocking driveways.

"We're not going to arrest our way out of the problems here," said Sgt. Timothy Cecchini on a recent patrol through the 75th Precinct. "But now, we are getting the space to think about how to do our jobs and really address issues for people and talk to them."

Over the course of one recent afternoon, he shook hands with a bouncer at a bar beneath an elevated subway line and checked on a jittery ex-convict who needed help with his sick dogs but was mistrustful of the police.

Some people at a public housing development waved to Cecchini as he drove by. Others gave him the finger.

Brooklyn resident Barry Riggins, 49, said he hasn't seen a gentler side of the department yet. He said he has been arrested five or six times  but only once when he deserved it.

"I can honestly tell you, I'm your normal black man," he said. "I'm more afraid of the cops than people in my area."

Other big American cities have been having a mixed experience with violence in 2017.

Baltimore might have its deadliest year on record, with 324 homicides through Dec. 9. Chicago has had 620 killings through Dec. 17, an improvement over 730 killings through the same period last year. Los Angeles, a city of 4 million, has had 271 killings through Dec. 16.

Researchers who study crime patterns give the NYPD some credit but also attribute its success to other factors, such as a flood of wealthier people into the city and a high employment rate.

"Policing plays a part, there's no question about that. But without the enormous demand and capital for expansion, I think it would be a different story," said Richard Rosenfeld, a criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri St. Louis.



Associated Press writer David James Jeans contributed to this report.
Procrastinators can rejoice in knowing there are still plenty of gift options.

Despite the tales of the ultra-organized, last-minute holiday shopping is common. According to a consumer survey by RetailMeNot, more than 9 in 10 Americans have bought last-minute gifts during the holidays.

If youre stuck trying to find the right gift on a short timeline, we have you covered with these ideas.

A holiday toast

A quick trip to the local liquor store can provide several holiday finds, including either of the two Wise Guys Discount Liquors (wiseguysliquors.com) locations in Merrillville.

Store Manager Wes Smith says that, in addition to a wide selections of craft beers, liquors and imported wines, Wise Guys also offers several special varieties, from Dom Perignon 2006 Vintage Champagne to Banfi Rosa Regale Sparkling Red Wine.

In bottles specially decorated by Wise Guys, Freixenet Champagne varieties make great gifts for party hosts, as do Wise Guys' Private Barrel Russells Reserve Kentucky Bourbon and El Mayor Anejo Tequila, Smith said.

A morning on the town

One of the most popular breakfast tickets in the region is Sunday brunch at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster.

Featuring an all-you-can-eat brunch with champagne, Belgian waffles, chicken and dressing, other traditional brunch items and dessert table, this present is an experience as well.

Christine Carbonare, senior event planner for the center, said customers can make reservations and pay that day, or purchase gift certificates as the perfect stocking stuffer.

A night on the town

For the person who loves to laugh, the Center for Visual and Performing Arts (cvpa.org) in January will begin hosting comedy nights, Carbonare said.

We have a package where if you buy all three, you can get a discount, she said. So thats a really good gift if you have someone who enjoys comedy.

Theatre at the Center (theatreatthecenter.com), at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, will host A Very Electric Christmas Dec. 29 and 30. The show tells the story of Santa putting the finishing touches on the presents while meeting some new friends who are lost at the North Pole.

Marketing Director Phil Potempa says the Nutcracker soldiers, The Rat King and other holiday characters are brought to life through light and music of artists ranging from Tchaikovsky to Mariah Carey.

Unique finds

Indie Indie Bang Bang (indieindiebangbang.com) in Gary's Miller Beach area and Valparaiso has lots of gifts that can be tailored to the gift recipients tastes.

Owner Dan Trutter says popular gifts this year have included Fraser Fir candles and Pistachio Toffee from New York chocolatier MarieBelle Chocolates.

We also stock some really popular marble coasters with fun graphics and funny sayings, he said. We even had some customized products for our Valparaiso and Miller Beach locations.

For the book lover, OGara and Wilson Booksellers (ogaraandwilson.com) in Chesterton offer leather-bound editions of favorite titles, some of which are signed by the authors, owner Jill Wilson says.

We also have lovely old1920s through '50smagazines and sheet music with interesting pictorial covers suitable for framing, she said.

Easy treats

Albanese (albanesecandy.com) is always a Region go-to for sweets. This Christmas, theres something for everyone, from its world-famous gummies to triple dipped malt balls and milk chocolate peanut butter peanuts, says Jenn Santelik, retail store general manager.

Weve upped the ante and dipped our crunch malt balls in smooth Albanese milk chocolate three times, she said.

Known for its macarons, Chicagos Vanille Patisserie (vanillepatisserie.com) offers an online boutique as well as four Chicagoland locations, including in Hyde Park. Customers can order trays of macarons, or opt for French pastries such as tartes and croissants for Christmas morning.

Coffee is a popular gift during the holidays, and pairing it with a specialty mug can make it more memorable.

Erika Dahl, director of communications at the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority, says the Indiana Welcome Center (southshorecva.com) gift shop in Hammond offers Indiana-themed coffee mugs that make the perfect accompaniment for a bag of coffee or hot chocolate.

GoSili (silikids.com), found at retailers including Meijer, is a silicone reusable to-go coffee cup that is microwave and dishwasher safe. For the outdoors friend, the Infinity Backpacker Mug (gsioutdoors.com), available at Cabelas, comes with an insulated sleeve to keep liquids hot or cold, yet is lightweight.

Online grabs

Subscription boxes are a great way to give a memorable and convenient gift, particularly for those out of town.

BarkBox (barkbox.com) provides fun pet products and treats for a four-legged member of the family, while sites such as HelloFresh (hellofresh.com) and Terras Kitchen (terraskitchen.com) provide the ingredients and recipes that make meal planning easy.

Several online retailers will provide holiday delivery for orders placed up to a few days before Christmas.

Pampered Chef (pamperedchef.com), for example, offers kitchen tools including rolling cookie cutters and stackable measuring cups for kids.

For tech lovers, Blackboard (blackboardlcp.com) eWriter features liquid crystal paper, creating a writing experience that feels like inkless pen on paperless paper. Blackboard is available online and at retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Staples and Office Depot.
Like many of you, I believe we need to reform our tax code and cut taxes for the middle class. From the beginning of this years tax reform effort, Ive been willing to partner with Republicans, Democrats and President Donald Trump and his administration.

When Trump traveled to Indiana to unveil his tax reform priorities, I joined him on Air Force One. I wanted him to know that I was listening to his priorities, and I agreed with his stated goals of supporting the middle class and keeping jobs in America.

I also wanted Hoosiers to know I was committed to working with the president to reform our tax code in a way that helped Hoosier families and businesses.

After that trip, and in every meeting I had with the administration  two at the White House, at Vice President Mike Pences speech in Anderson and in multiple discussions with top administration officials  I left optimistic that we could work together to reform our tax code to achieve our agreed upon goals.

Despite this common ground, the bill produced by Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan was the complete opposite of what the president and I had discussed.

Instead of providing a tax cut that benefits the middle class, independent, nonpartisan analyses show this bill will cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans while raising taxes on a majority of families making less than $75,000 in coming years.

Instead of closing tax loopholes like the shameful one that allows Wall Street hedge fund managers to pay a lower rate than a Hoosier firefighter, a Hoosier teacher, a Hoosier police officer or a Hoosier steelworker, this bill preserves these giveaways.

And instead of protecting American jobs by adopting provisions from my End Outsourcing Act, the bill does nothing to claw back tax breaks and incentives awarded to companies that later decide to outsource American jobs.

It retains loopholes that allow corporations like Rexnord and Carrier to continue deducting the moving expenses for shipping American jobs to other countries. Thats not right.

In Indiana, we know there is no such thing as a free lunch. In the Hoosier state, we work hard, and we expect everyone to pay their fair share. The McConnell/Ryan bill cuts taxes for corporations and the wealthy by asking some middle class families to pay more and it makes health care more expensive for millions of Americans.

According to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, if we account for budget gimmicks, the cost of the bill could reach $2.2 trillion  money that will be borrowed from the Chinese and paid back with interest by our children and grandchildren.

We need tax reform that benefits Hoosiers who go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. These are the folks I run into at church or who stop by my office. They look me in the eye and tell me theyre working hard to make a decent living to pay the bills, raise their families and retire with dignity. Theyre not looking for a handout; they simply want a good-paying job and a fair shake.

This tax reform bill was a missed opportunity. I had hoped to work with Trump and my colleagues in the Senate to craft real tax reform that would help keep jobs here in America, focus on middle class tax cuts and make our country stronger for our children and their future. Unfortunately, the McConnell/Ryan bill did not do that, and that is why I could not vote for it.
Is there more irritating nonsense than usual floating around these days? Or am I just getting old?

Instead of writing a column about each of the things driving me nuts, here are a few observations on a number of them:

1.) Former "Today" show staffer Addie Zinone decided to come clean about her affair with Matt Lauer, which  although consensual and completely voluntary  she now says was "an abuse of his power." Give me a break. No one forced her, threatened her or conditioned her advancement opportunities on sexual favors. She messaged him after a lunch at which he made it clear he was interested, and then ran up to meet him in his dressing room for a tryst. Being "under his spell" (her words, not mine) is not duress and not abuse of power. Zinone says she only wanted Lauer "to see her as a human being." Did she see Matt Lauer's wife as a human being?

There's a larger message lost in the legitimate outrage about male exploitation. One reason so many of these creeps think they're entitled to any woman who crosses their path is because so many women have made their availability abundantly clear. Even if he's married.

2.) No, President Trump never banned words. Please stop posting them on your Facebook pages to show how brave and revolutionary you are. Real bravery would be getting up onstage at the Golden Globes and announcing that you voted for Trump.

3.) Children in Venezuela are starving to death. Physicians are forbidden by the Venezuelan government from reporting the cause of death. American newspapers aren't, but they're reluctant to admit that it is socialism and government control over the means of production that has killed these children and destroyed Venezuela's economy, rich though it is in natural resources. The level of misery and death that collectivist political and economic systems has caused is almost immeasurable. Defending these systems in the face of such vast human suffering is inexcusable. And yet 44 percent of U.S. millennials said in a recent survey that they would rather live in a socialist than a capitalist country. Shame on them. And shame on those who have instilled such foolish, fatal ideas in their empty, impressionable heads.

4.) Here's further proof of how anti-intellectual and ahistorical the defense of socialism is. Two years ago, the American Enterprise Institute published a statistical chart, showing that the world's worst poverty  defined as those living on less than $1 a day  was reduced by 80 percent in just 36 years. In 1970, 28.6 percent of the world's population lived on less than $1 a day. By 2006, it was only 5.4 percent. The cause of that remarkable transformation was the spread of the free enterprise system, which AEI President Arthur Brooks calls "the best anti-poverty measure ever invented."

5.) The Internet evolved to be the information and economic powerhouse that it is without much in the way of government control. Yet now, people scream it will be destroyed unless the government controls it, under the guise of "net neutrality." Hysterical nonsense. The "net neutrality" rules have been in place for only two years. The FCC under President Obama asserted sweeping jurisdiction over the Internet by reclassifying broadband as a public utility under Title II of the old Telecommunications Act. There could hardly be better proof of how ill-equipped government is to run disruptive technology like the Internet. That law was written when Bell Telephone was a monopoly.

Three-quarters of those reading this won't even know what I'm talking about. Analogizing the Internet to Ma Bell is not just an anachronism; it's an absurdity. Title II rules include the power to set prices and control business operations, which the FCC promised not to do, saying it would regulate using a "light touch." Who on Earth believes that would last?

A pithy tweet I read this week said, "Net neutrality is 'neutral' the way the Affordable Care Act was 'affordable'." It's bad enough that Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter are actively censoring conservative content; can you imagine what a left-wing government could do with complete control over the Internet? (Or right-wing, for you antifa types.)

6.) And finally, tax cuts. Every time a policy benefits business, we're made to think it's "big business." Here are some facts: Of roughly 28 million firms in the U.S., only 6.8 million employ anyone other than the owner(s). Of those 6.8 million firms, 4.5 million (or 66.5 percent) employ fewer than 20 people. And 47.8 percent of all U.S. employees work for companies that employ fewer than 500 people; most work for companies with fewer than 100 people. Most business in this country is small business, and small-business owners desperately need tax cuts.
Not everyone can travel to a third-world country to deliver toys, books and school supplies to children in need. But because of an Auburn-based nonprofit, Backpack International, Lee County residents can contribute to that mission in a variety of ways.

Oslyn Rodriguez, founder and president of Backpack International, takes a team down to Guyana, South America, every summer to distribute the goodies to children in one of the local villages. But while the trip is scheduled for July, the planning happens now.

Our goal is to fill 500 backpacks, and right now, we have 488, Rodriguez said. It will be Christmas in July. All these feelings of love and happiness we have now, these kids (in Guyana) will have in July. Its a fun way people can give now and know it will carry over to next year.

The organization is asking people who are interested in giving to donate $50, the amount it takes to fill one backpack. The money also could be used to pay for shipping, customs fees, Vacation Bible School materials, craft supplies and meals for kids and volunteers involved in the mission trip.

If donors prefer to contribute actual goods, rather than make monetary donations, Rodriguez suggests giving toys and books.

One very special group of Lee County citizens presented Backpack International with a collection of toys last week.

Cub Scout Pack 13 meets at Grace United Methodist Church, Rodriguez said. For the packs Christmas party, each boy donated a toy for the backpacks. I was so amazed by that.

OTown Ice Cream in downtown Opelika and Chick-Fil-As Auburn Mall location are drop-off points for material donations, Rodriguez said. The Gay Street branch of BB&T Bank also is a drop-off location, and the lobby features Backpack Internationals Giving Tree for Christmas.

If someone goes to BB&T and donates $50, that persons name is added to a backpack ornament," Rodriguez said. "Then, we can add that ornament to the tree.

But the opportunities to contribute dont stop after the holiday season is over and the tree is packed away until next year. Backpack International plans to host its annual fundraising dinner April 20 at the Auburn Alumni Center, and is requesting the communitys help filling the backpacks with supplies during a packing party, scheduled for May 19 at Parkway Baptist Church.

Of course, there is one more way people from the community can get involved.

Were still accepting applications for people who want to travel with us to Guyana in July, to deliver the backpacks, Rodriguez said. We also would like to have a medical team, a construction team and a Vacation Bible School team on that trip.

The trip is scheduled for July 6-16, 2018, but applications close at the end of this month, as plane tickets will be purchased in January.

We have been gifted land down in Guyana, to build a resource center there, Rodriguez said. I would love to have people in our community see and be part of that. Auburn University professors actually are traveling down there with us in March for an exploratory trip, so we have a lot of exciting things at play.

To make a financial contribution or volunteer to take part in Backpack Internationals mission, visit backpackinternational.org.
Our country has so far paid nearly Shs 100 billion to promoters of the removal of the presidential age limit from the Constitution to allow Gen Yoweri Museveni seek reelection in 2021.

Members of Parliament from Gen Musevenis ruling NRM alone have pocketed more than Shs 40 billion so far.

He first authorized parliament to give each MP Shs 29 million for consultation on whether age limits should be removed or not. I am talking about Article 102(b) of the Constitution which stops a 75-year-old person from contesting for president.

The total amount spent on fake consultations by MPs was over Shs 12 billion. The NRM MPs then initially demanded Shs 800 million each because passing the amendment was going to make many of them extremely unpopular.

The money asked was too much and, after negotiations, it came down to Shs 200 million each. But I think because there are many people offering support in order to get money, eventually each MP has been given Shs 40 million.

This is what they have been picking from a building near Housing Finance Bank in Kololo. A female bodyguard to Museveni was the one distributing it. She spent two days at Kololo. An NRM MP told me of a room full of money stuffed in (budeeya) sisal-made bags.

Each MP given money was made to sign in a book. Some opposition MPs also pocketed this money. Theirs was delivered through agents.

We are 451 MPs in parliament, which means at least Shs 20 billion was spent on them. The NRM MPs who sit on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee were each given Shs 300 million to sign the report on this bill.

This amounts to Shs 6 billion. In total, therefore, more than Shs 40 billion has been spent on bribing MPs. You remember the money Museveni gave out to the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) members to popularize the satanic proposals?

Police and the military are on high alert nearly every day waiting to pounce on the protesting population. I think when you add all this, the total cost comes to over Shs 100 billion.

That is on the monetary side. There is another huge cost that awaits our country. Here I am not talking about the possibility of a rebellion or violence about being ruled by a vulnerable person.

I think Museveni has made too many mistakes that have eroded his clout as a leader. And sinning in public has left him extremely vulnerable. The push to remove age limits has exposed him more than the removal of term limits did.

It is the reason NRM MPs can publicly ask him for logistics and he delivers. The classic case of this vulnerability played out on Monday morning during a cabinet meeting at the prime ministers office near Parliament.

Museveni drove in at about 9am to chair a cabinet meeting called specifically to discuss the extension of a term of office from five to seven years. Museveni told his cabinet that since the mandate that the population gave us was five years, extending the term of the current Parliament would bring a backlash.

Gen Moses Ali told Museveni that during the same election, the population elected a president for the final term, since he would be more than 75 years old come the next election.

But we are now changing it, he said.

Moses Ali, himself an old man of about 84, told Museveni that since we are giving you something, let us also take something.

But what moved Museveni most was the revelation that if he stops MPs from extending their term by two years, they will automatically sabotage his push for the removal of the age limit.

If that is the case, a senior minister told me, Museveni said go ahead and give yourself two years.That is how much we have degenerated. I am told Rebecca Kadaga was initially opposed to this legal gerrymandering but she eventually gave in.

For me, that is the great risk that we face as a country. In Tanzania, the new leader has been saying no to many things including unnecessary travels by MPs. He is able to reign in on his ministers. Ours has been overcome by so many personal mistakes in his insatiable appetite for power.

That is why I am not talking about smaller things like our suspension from Parliament. [Ssemujju and five others were suspended on Monday by the speaker for improper conduct] Of course we were suspended illegally but that is no cost to the country.

The real cost is on Uganda being ruled by a vulnerable person unable to contain his human resource. The vulnerability is increasing by the age.



semugs@yahoo.com

The author is Kira Municipality MP and opposition chief whip in parliament.
Cryptocurrency is all the rage right now, but while most people wish they that they had invested in Bitcoin and other altcoins in the early days, dozens of men are mining crypto and simply giving it away to a woman theyve never met.

Theodora is a financial dominatrix, which basically means she receives money and other tributes from male clients who experience pleasure by being financially exploited. These tributes can range from a few dollars to tens of thousands. Some clients go so far as to give her complete control over their bank accounts, a.k.a becoming human ATMs. Theodora claims that she also runs crypto slave farms in which clients use their own cryptocurrency mining rigs to mine cryptocurrency 24/7 and then hand it over to her.

Photo: Theodora/Instagram

Its a form of psychological domination where money is the tool for the transfer of power, Theodora told Market Watch. Its quite common for powerful men like politicians or CEOs to look for a form of sexual release by submitting to a woman  they are in control all the time during the day  and giving up control financially is a more tangible instrument of power for them.

Theodora, who lives in Paris, has worked as a dominatrix for eight years and began accepting cryptocurrency four years ago when Paypal started to blacklist sex workers.

She also specializes in a technique called femdom hypnosis, in which she claims to be able to dominate men using hypnotism. Her clients are all men in their late 30s to early 50s and based mostly in the U.S. or the U.K. She has a core group of regular big spenders who send gifts as high as $100,000 at once, as well as 200 to 300 others who make smaller contributions online. The core group is privy to real-time sessions in person, while smaller contributors only get to interact with her online or over the phone (she charges $25 a minute to accept a call and ignore the caller, and $69 a minute for an actual conversation).

Photo: Isokivi/Wikimedia Commons

As Bitcons value continues to increase, her profits grow as well. Theodora estimates that she makes between $7,000 and $10,000 a month in cryptocurrencies, in addition to the $10,000 a month she earns by creating videos, taking phone calls, and receiving donations from clients in traditional currency. She claims to have amassed a fortune of over $1 million in cryptocurrency.

I have seven or eight different currencies  I see it a bit like play money and try to adjust to which is growing the most, she told Market Watch. If you anticipate growth, thats where it will become interesting. Everyone is now interested in bitcoin because the growth has been exponential. Soon it will be too high for individuals to invest in, so you have to invest in others. I think its smart to have diverse portfolios of currency.

Debra Kaplan, a financial therapist, told Market Watch that financial domination is considered consensual release. There are many people who feel its an exploitative relationship  but ask most submissives if its exploitative and they will say it is not. They are willingly engaging in this.

A post shared by The Only Theodora (@theonlytheodora) on Feb 4, 2017 at 10:03am PST

Kaplan added that the switchover from traditional currency to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is just the natural progression of the field, noting that the sex industry often drives innovation. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology will find its way into our economy anyway, and this is just one such avenue, she said.

Although Theodora claims to be the first dominatrix to form a slave farm of crypto followers, she said many women are now attempting to follow her lead. If you want to learn more about her, she is @TheOnlyTheodora on Twitter and Instagram.
Robert L. Dilenschneider

We have a lot to be grateful for this Holiday Seasona booming economy, serious job opportunities for many, a positive horizon and much more.

Are there problems and issues? Sure.

More than 250,000 members of our Armed Forces are deployed around the world protecting America's interests and security. Terrorism remains a major threat, including here in the U.S. And the sexual harassment scandals seem to have no end.

But on balance our lives are good.

As we move through the Holiday Season, here are some historical facts that may be of interest, and which you might like to share with those close to you.

4th century: Saint Nicholas of Myra (modern-day Turkey) is a bishop famous for throwing a bag of gold through a window to three poor sisters. The day of his death, December 6, is still celebrated as Saint Nicholas Day in Armenia, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and other countries.

17th to 18th centuries: English children learn the Dutch tradition of setting out wooden shoes in which Sinterklaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas, later Anglicized as Santa Claus) leaves presents. They also hear of Christkindl, the German gift-bearing angel.

19th century: Santa commands a flying sleigh (Washington Irvings Knickerbockers History of New York), slides down chimneys (Clement Clarke Moores A Visit from St. Nicholas), and monitors kids from the North Pole (Thomas Nasts Harpers Weekly cartoons). The first department store Santa appears in Philadelphia.

1912: The U.S. Postal Service provides an address for Christmas wish lists: Santa Claus, North Pole, Alaska.

1958: The North American Aerospace Defense Command sets up a Santa cam to track the Christmas Eve ride.

2016: In New York City alone, the number of letters to Santa that arrive at the post office is about half a million.

Expect an estimated $22.7 billion in retail sales by the nations department stores, a decrease in $1 billion from December of the previous year.

Look for more than $61 billion in retail sales via online shopping and mail-order houses.

About 572 locations produce dolls, toys and games. California leads the nation in this category.

Best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season and a 2018 that is special for you and all those you are close to.

***

Robert L. Dilenschneider is founder and chairman of The Dilenschneider Group, a global public relations and communications consulting firm headquartered in New York City. The former CEO of Hill and Knowlton, Inc., he is also author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling Power and Influence.
A Portarlington student who achieved top marks in her 2017 Leaving Certificate in Colaiste Iosagain Portarlington in Offaly, has won a prestigious scholarship on the back of it.

Kaitlyn Weldon who is now attending the University of Limerick, recently collected her JP McManus All Ireland Scholarship Award, with Colaiste Iosagain principal Seamus Bennett.

She is one of 125 award winners this year, who were commended by President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins at the awards ceremony on Saturday November 25 at the University of Limerick.

Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell OConnor TD and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland, Andrew McCormick presented the students from the

North and South with their third-level scholarship awards.

Sponsored by JP McManus, the educational scheme is set to provide financial assistance to many high achieving students who completed their Leaving Certificate/A Level examinations in 2017. The students will receive 6,750 per annum (stg5,500) for each year of their chosen undergraduate programmes.

The winners scored an impressive tally this year, with 33 out of the 100 Republic of Ireland scholarship winners scoring over 600 points, including 11 who achieved a maximum of 625 points in their leaving certificate.

Congratulating this years recipients, Minister for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell OConnor said; I feel so privileged to be here today and meet with all these incredible students who have worked so hard to achieve their goals and dreams. You each have a bright and exciting future ahead of you and I wish you continued success in the future.

The sponsor Limerick billionaire JP McManus said it was an honour to welcome President Higgins to the awards ceremony, and congratulated the 125 recipients.

Your hard work and that of your teachers has paid off and my hope for you is that this award will help to progress you to the career of your choice and to further achievement and fulfilment," he said.

The awards scheme is now celebrating 10 years since its inception with an additional injection of 32

million added to the Fund by JP McManus earlier this year, bringing the total to 64 million. To date, 1,246 students have been awarded a scholarship, with 656 having graduated from third level education.

The programme is administered by the Department of Education & Skills and the Department for the Economy with support from the Department of Education, Northern Ireland.

To mark the 10 year anniversary, JP McManus launched the initiative of an All Ireland Scholarships Alumni Association to acknowledge and follow the progress of winners who have since graduated from 3rd level education, and to provide a self-managed platform for members to network and engage amongst themselves.
Wearing pounds of makeup and ACTING like his life (or at least his Oscar) depends on it, Gary Oldman plays Winston Churchill in the rarest of things: a fun historical drama.

Of all the recent Churchill performances (the most notable being John Lithgows on The Crown), Oldmans is the most transformative. You would never guess it was Sirius Black himself under all the prosthetics and padding. But once you accept that its him (it takes a few minutes), you can move on and enjoy the smart and entertaining political thriller going on around him.

Darkest Hour, directed with no small amount of pizazz by Joe Wright (Atonement), wisely bypasses a Churchill biopic in favor of one of the more momentous chapters in the British Bulldogs life.

In the early days of WWII, Churchill has just been appointed prime minister after an upheaval in his party. With Hitlers forces sweeping across Europe, Churchill has to decide fast: Take his country further into war or negotiate with evil incarnate. We know how this all ended up, of course, and yet its still plenty exciting to watch it play out here.

Though this is ultimately a flattering portrayal of Churchill, the film doesnt shy away from his less appealing traits: the drinking, the negligence of his family, his willingness to lie for political gain. Of course, the film could have been more critical. Churchills patriotism looked a lot like jingoism to many people. But, you know, a movie about a warmonger might not have played so well at Christmastime. And whatever the shortcomings of our hero, anyone looks pretty good when you pit him against Hitler.

Darkest Hour is mostly interested in Churchill as the great orator. The film is nothing if not a clever examination of the creative process.

How can a leader, with mere words, convince his colleagues and the country itself that war is the only answer? The film contains many scenes of Churchill slowly (often drunkenly) writing his speeches late into the night  or, rather, dictating them to his secretary, Elizabeth (Lily James).

Through the films artful editing scheme, the late-night writing sessions are juxtaposed with sweeping re-enactments of the famous speeches that would come out of them.

Wright toggles between the intimate moments and the grand deeds, the backroom dealings and the battlefield. Churchills big decision plays against the backdrop of the Dunkirk evacuation, with hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers surrounded by advancing German forces. (This movie is a perfect companion to Christopher Nolans Dunkirk. Each film concludes with the same Churchill speech!)

Oldman might be the main attraction in Darkest Hour, but James, along with Ben Mendelsohn (as King George VI) and Kristin Scott Thomas (as Churchills wife, Clementine) offer strong supporting work, as well.

Theres a quiet scene between Churchill and the King where the mutually distrusting men find common ground and become not just allies, but friends. The moment, like much else in Darkest Hour, does what the best historical movies do: Takes a Gods-eye view of the facts, then zooms in to the drama.

* * *

Darkest Hour

Grade: B+

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, Stephen Dillane

Rating: PG-13 for some thematic material

Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Theaters: Majestic, Oakview, Ruth Sokolof Theater
Packages left on doorsteps can be easy targets for thieves, but an Omaha police lieutenant says a few common-sense practices could scuttle the porch pirates.

When thieves think they are being looked at, they generally move on to another neighborhood, said Lt. Pat Rowland of the Omaha Police Departments Criminal Investigation Bureau. For thieves, its all about finding an opportunity in grabbing those things.

Package theft is a problem all year round, but the holiday season offers many more opportunities, Rowland said. Shoppers increasingly are ordering items online, and the delivery business is in high gear.

Thefts certainly increase at this time of year, he said. Its a target-rich environment.

From Nov. 2 through Dec. 7, Rowland said, the Omaha Police Department received 16 reports of packages being stolen. From Nov. 1 through Tuesday in Lincoln, Lincoln Police Officer Angela Sands said, people made 98 reports of package thefts.

We had a (theft) ring operating here recently, but weve made arrests, Sands said. Luckily, we also recovered a lot of those packages.

The best way to thwart thieves, police say, is to have the package delivered to your place of work or to a neighbor who is going to be home.

Alternative pickup options include having the package delivered to an access point. For example, UPS has an access point network that includes grocery and convenience stores.

Delivery companies also offer tracking services so you know exactly when a package will arrive. That will allow you to pick it up soon after its delivered or have a neighbor grab it for you.

Vigilant neighbors also can watch out for suspicious activity, such as a vehicle following a delivery truck or a stranger taking a package from outside a home. Any suspicious activity should be reported to police, Rowland said.

He also suggested that the residents instruct delivery companies to stash packages out of sight if possible. Packages can be placed around a corner, behind porch furniture or in empty planters.

These delivery companies want to work with you, he said. Their drivers are good about placing packages in special places. We know because we sometimes tail them ourselves to see how they operate and watch for thieves.

Home surveillance cameras help deter and even capture thieves. A popular version is a camera that connects to the doorbell and notifies the homeowners smartphone whenever a visitor arrives.

The resident is able to see and speak to anyone or just monitor the area.

Believe me, the burglars and thieves see the glow ring (around the doorbell) and they know thats a camera, Rowland said. You will see them turn around and just walk away. You can also send that video of a suspicious person to your neighbors.

Surveillance cameras allow police to put out descriptions of suspects and give officers information about their vehicles. Identifying a package thief goes a long way to making a conviction in court, Rowland said.

If we can identify them, we can usually get a successful prosecution, he said. Its easier to recover the (stolen) items, of course, if we catch the thieves right away.

Rowland said he can appreciate but wouldnt recommend the practice of planting a bait box to surprise the thieves. A man in Tacoma, Washington, got tired of packages being stolen from his porch, so he created an empty box decoy with a detonator inside that makes a loud noise when someone tries to take the box.

My concern is that in this crazy world someone gets startled, falls and gets hurt, Rowland said. They havent stolen anything and they could claim that the homeowner is at fault. You could end up getting sued.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Republican-led House narrowly passed a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown Thursday, doing the bare minimum in a sprint toward the holidays and punting disputes on immigration, health care and national security to next year.

The vote was 231-188 with Democrats criticizing Republicans' inability to complete the dozen spending bills for the current fiscal year and relying on a third stopgap bill since the year's Oct. 1 start. The Senate was expected to vote on the short-term legislation late Thursday.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., called the result "an epic failure of governing," adding "the Republican majority has made a complete mess of the basics of governing."

The wrap-up measure allows Republicans controlling Washington to savor their win on this week's $1.5 trillion tax package  even as they kick a full lineup of leftover work into the new year. Congress will return in January facing enormous challenges on immigration, the federal budget, health care and national security along with legislation to increase the government's authority to borrow money.

Each of those items is sure to test the unity that Republicans are enjoying now.

"The more stuff that's pushed into January, it's unfortunate because we'll have to do this all over again," said Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. "But at some point we've got to make the hard decisions."

The House then passed, by a bipartisan 251-169 tally, a $81 billion measure to deliver rebuilding aid to hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean as well as fire-ravaged states. But the Senate was unlikely to go along as both Republicans and Democrats want changes.

The stopgap legislation would keep the government from closing down at midnight Friday. It has traversed a tortured path, encountering resistance from the GOP's most ardent allies of the military, as well as opposition from Democrats who demanded but were denied a vote on giving immigrants brought to the country as children and in the country illegally an opportunity to become citizens.

President Donald Trump rescinded a Barack Obama order giving these so-called Dreamers protection against deportation, kicking the issue to Congress with a March deadline.

"They embody the best in our nation: patriotism, hard work, perseverance," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California told the chamber's Rules Committee on Thursday. "We should not leave them to celebrate the holidays in fear."

Trump and Republicans are pushing for additional border security and other immigration steps in exchange.

"The vast majority of Republicans want to see a DACA solution. They just want to see a DACA solution that's balanced," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., referring to the program's name, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Also left unfinished were bipartisan efforts to smash budget limits that are imposing a freeze on the Pentagon and domestic agencies, a long-term extension of the popular Children's Health Insurance Program for 9 million low-income kids and Senate legislation aimed at stabilizing health insurance markets.

Instead, lawmakers struggled to achieve the bare minimum: A $2.1 billion fix for an expiring program that pays for veterans to seek care outside the Department of Veterans Affairs system; a temporary fix to ensure states facing shortfalls from the Children's Health Insurance Program won't have to purge children from the program, and a short-term extension for an expiring overseas wiretapping program aimed at tracking terrorists.

Failure to pass the temporary spending measure would trigger a government shutdown at midnight Friday, which would amount to a political pratfall just after the GOP scored a major win on the landmark tax bill.

Trump weighed in on Twitter Thursday morning to offer a boost  and a slap at Democrats.

"House Democrats want a SHUTDOWN for the holidays in order to distract from the very popular, just passed, Tax Cuts. House Republicans, don't let this happen. Pass the C.R. TODAY and keep our Government OPEN!" Trump tweeted.

GOP lawmakers insisted the legislation was crucial to keep operations running and give negotiators more time to finalize a spending blueprint.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said the legislation was essential for the "stability of our economy, and the security and well-being of the American people."

Among Republicans, opposition to the temporary measure came mostly from the party's defense hawks, who had hoped to enact record increases for the military this year and force the Senate to debate a full-year, $658 billion defense spending measure. But that idea was a nonstarter with the Senate, especially Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who will only agree to Pentagon increases if domestic programs get a comparable hike.

The short-term spending bill does contain about $5 billion to upgrade missile defenses to respond to the threat from North Korea and to repair two destroyers damaged in accidents this year in the Pacific.

The legislation also has a provision to turn off automatic cuts to many "mandatory" spending programs, including Medicare, that would otherwise be triggered by the tax cut bill. Democrats had sought to highlight the looming spending cuts in arguing against the tax measure.
All five GOP House members from Nebraska and western Iowa voted for the short term spending bill.

Its not the best way to govern, not the right way to govern, but its the reality of governance right now, said Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., a member of the House appropriations committee, adding that the country did not need to deal with a government shutdown.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said passing the short-term measure will mean the public discussion over Christmas break is about the big tax overhaul, which Republicans are feeling good about.

King said he was pleased to see the spending bill avoided any fix to DACA, the program that shields from deportation those brought into the country illegally as children. That fight is now punted to next month, although King said hes hopeful the program will simply end.

Every one of them by definition are law breakers, King said of DACA recipients.

Four of the five lawmakers representing Nebraska and western Iowa also supported a supplemental disaster aid funding measure.

Rep. David Young, R-Iowa, however, voted against it.

"We should help our neighbors in times of need and care for each other, Young said in a press release. This is why I supported the two previous emergency aid packages, but today's package is nearly double what the administration says it needs and it just doesn't give Iowans a clear explanation of how their taxpayer dollars will be spent.
Some Nebraska Republicans question the wisdom of the University of Nebraska systems hiring of Democrat Heath Mello as its chief lobbyist.

Among those who call it a puzzling hire are State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard and J.L. Spray of Lincoln, the Republican national committeeman for Nebraska. NU Regent Hal Daub said he advised NU officials that hiring Mello would irritate some senators.

The reaction by some  but not all  Republicans shows how politicized the relationship has become between the NU system and the Legislature. Friction sparked in late August when a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate student-lecturer belittled a sophomore who was recruiting students for the conservative organization Turning Point USA. Conservatives say the incident is evidence of liberal bias in the NU system.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, who defeated Mello this year, called two NU regents, Bob Whitehouse and Daub, after NU made the announcement this month.

Stothert described those as private conversations, but she made it clear that she wasnt calling to congratulate them on the hire.

There has obviously been a lot of discussion about it, Stothert said in an interview. I just got through a pretty intense re-election campaign running against Heath Mello, so you can fill in the lines.

Nebraska Democrats are substantially outnumbered in key political positions in the state.

Though officially nonpartisan, the Legislature this year had 32 Republicans, 15 Democrats and two senators who identified with neither party. The governor is Republican, as are all three members of the U.S. House and both U.S. senators from Nebraska. All eight NU regents are Republicans.

Mello, who lost to Stothert by 7 percentage points, was in the Legislature for eight years, half of those as Appropriations Committee chairman. The committee is key in preparing a budget for the state.

For NU, he will be an associate vice president and chief lobbyist. He will direct state-government relations, striving to promote positive relationships between NU and its constituents. He will be paid $165,000 a year.

NU President Hank Bounds, who didnt respond to calls about Mello this week, said in a press release on Dec. 6: Working with Heath as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I saw a talented leader who could solve problems while balancing diverse opinions and ideas.

Daub said he talked in the summer with Bounds about rumors that Bounds was considering hiring Mello.

Daub said he suggested that it wouldnt go over well with some state senators.

After the announcement was made this month, Daub said he received numerous calls from senators who werent enthusiastic about the appointment.

Nevertheless, Daub said, it was Bounds decision, and it might work out well.

I guess time will tell, said Daub, a former mayor of Omaha. Its the presidents team.

Sen. Erdman is among those who have been most critical of UNLs handling of the Turning Point incident.

Shortly after Bounds announced Mellos appointment, Erdman called it a peculiar hire.

Im sure Mello is a very staunch conservative, Erdman said facetiously, then added seriously: His political persuasion fits right in at the university.

Spray said Mello was a liberal Democrat when he arrived in the Legislature in 2009.

It appears to be bad optics, Spray said of the appointment of Mello. Lets just leave it at that.

Mello, who started work Monday, couldnt be reached. He said in the press release that he was honored and humbled by this opportunity to serve NU. He has a political science degree from UNL.

Bounds spokeswoman, Melissa Lee, said this week that Mello has a long track record of building relationships and bringing together people. ... Hes going to do a great job advocating for a strong university that helps grow our state.

State Sen. John Stinner, current chairman of the Appropriations Committee, served on that committee for two years under Mello. Stinner, a Republican from Gering, called Mello one of the brightest young people Ive been around.

Stinner said Mello, 38, knows budgets and understands the political process.

I just think he was a terrific hire, Stinner said. Mellos would be the resume Id be looking for to fill the NU job.

State Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk, speaker of the Legislature this year, said Mello was helpful to him when they served together in the Legislature. Mello worked well with the entire legislative body, said Scheer, a Republican.

Democrat Paul Landow, a member of the University of Nebraska at Omahas political science faculty, said Bounds duty is to act in the best interests of the university and said thats what he did by hiring Mello.

Landow called Mello highly qualified for the job. And if people could remove their partisan hats, they would generally agree, he said.

State Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte, a Republican and chairman of the Education Committee, said Mello took care of NU when he was Appropriations Committee chairman.

Hell be fine, Groene said. Hell be open.

Groene called Mello a Kennedy Democrat who believes in fiscal restraint, loves the country and looks out for the common man.

My mother was one, Groene said. I can work with him.

But he also made a quip. You know the university only hires Democrats. They dont hire Republicans, he said. Im just being sarcastic.

Regents Chairman Bob Whitehouse of Papillion said he has found Mello to be open and fair. He knows the Legislature and the university, Whitehouse said, and if thats who Bounds wants as his lobbyist, thats who he should have.

There is no reason to view everything, Whitehouse said, from a Republican or Democratic perspective.
Donnell Tanksley had just wanted to go horseback riding outside of his hometown of St. Louis.

Instead, the U.S. serviceman stood on the side of a Missouri highway that weekend day three decades ago with six friends and family members, detained by five squad cars of police officers.

"Why can't you n------ go horseback riding in St. Louis?" Tanksley recalled one officer asking the group of young black men. The cop said they'd been pulled over for not using a turn signal when they exited the highway an hour earlier. The group had stopped for a bite at a fast food place, Tanksley said, suggesting the officers had been waiting for them.

The police used one man's failure to buy a fishing license as grounds to make an arrest, he said  even though they weren't planning to fish. And the horseback adventure was over before it began.

Tanksley said it was a defining moment for him and became the motivation to pursue a law enforcement career. Even now, at 49 and the new police chief at Portland State University, he carries the lessons of that day.

"There has to be a better way to do this particular craft," Tanksley said in an interview. "There has to be a better way to treat people. There has to be a better way to police."

Tanksley joined Portland State last month after spending three years as assistant chief at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Prior to that, he'd spent 21 years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, where he'd risen to the rank of lieutenant, and a combined 22 years in the U.S. Navy and its reserve forces before transitioning to the U.S. Air National Guard in Missouri.

Donnell Tanksley

Title:

Campus Safety/Campus Police Chief at Portland State University; he took over for interim chief Vince Elmore on Dec. 1.

Age:

49

When not in uniform:

Loves wearing bowties

Favorite hobby:

Crabbing

PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi said Tanksley brings "impressive credentials" to the South Park Blocks. "He understands the challenges and opportunities at Portland State as a large urban university, and as chief he is committed to engaging our students, faculty and staff and the greater Portland community," Shoureshi said in a statement.

Tanksley arrives at Portland State a little more than a year after a vocal contingent of students staged several protests in response to a 2014 decision to arm campus officers. The issue partly motivated a March 2016 protest that shut down a trustees meeting, as well as a student walkout later that spring.

Tanksley said having a gun is just one of the tools officers have at their disposal. Communication is another.

"That trust isn't going to be built overnight, but it's a continued relationship and you have to be willing to listen and be transparent," he said. "And if you're wrong, you have to say you're wrong."

At the time of the horseback riding trip in the late '80s, Tanksley had been living in the same apartment complex in Ferguson, Missouri, that would one day be home to Michael Brown.

The black teenager was unarmed when he was fatally shot by a white police officer in August 2014. A grand jury declined to indict the officer, sparking violent protests in the St. Louis suburb and large demonstrations across the country, including Portland. Brown's death drew national scrutiny to police interactions with people of color, and ushered in the Black Lives Matter movement

The topic is a familiar one among Tanksley's family and friends. Last year, he said, his then 23-year-old daughter told him she was more worried about being stopped by a police officer than robbed or assaulted on the street in St. Louis.

Tanksley said such conversations are happening throughout the country and has led to some tough times for officers of color. "You're too blue for certain communities, right?" he said of the police uniform and what it symbolizes, "and not black enough for those affected communities, because of your profession and uniform."

Portland State's winter term begins Jan. 8, and Tanksley said he wants his 14 sworn officers to be visible throughout the downtown Portland campus to ensure they are not merely noticed when something is amiss.

"We are guardians, not suppressors," Tanksley said.

He said he is mindful that each and every interaction an officer has with the public might affect their lives forever, just as it did for him.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
I would like to remind Oregon lawmakers as they debate placing tolls on the interstate bridges, that a large proportion of the traffic is commuters who live in Washington and work in Oregon. These Washington commuters already pay significant taxes to Oregon, for which the only benefit we receive is the maintenance of the roads we drive on. Placing tolls on the bridges would result in Washington residents paying an even larger portion of the cost of Oregon roads, with no further benefit.

Deborah Carroll, Vancouver
I am a member of the David Douglas School Board and a mother to two beautiful children. I'm writing in response to The Oregonian/OregonLive's editorial against Measure 101 on behalf of my kids --my own, and the children I serve every day ("Vote 'no' on Measure 101's inequitable tax," Dec. 17).

Measure 101 means that all Oregon children will continue to have access to health care. That is the only outcome that is acceptable in January. The Oregonian wrote: "opponents Reps. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, and Cedric Hayden, R-Roseburg, have offered alternate funding proposals to fill the gap, but it's unclear whether they will provide sufficient funds to replace those lost."

It's very clear to me that an insufficient alternate proposal is just that: insufficient. It's irresponsible and dangerous to play politics with 400,000 children's lives. Health care is critical for a child's success: both in school, and later in life. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, "chronic health" concerns are consistently the number one reason Oregon students experience absenteeism. Kids need to be in the classroom to learn --and access to health care makes that happen!

Join me, and educators across the state, in supporting Measure 101 so Oregon families can have peace of mind that their children will be cared for; kids will have greater chances for success in school and life; and our state will be the healthy, vibrant, equitable place it should be.

Ana del Rocio, Southeast Portland
The lead prosecutor in the Nevada standoff case against Cliven Bundy, two of his sons and a fourth alleged ringleader told a jury in his opening statement last month that the case centered on the need to respect the rule of law.

Five weeks later, it was the prosecution team's abuse of the rule of law that sunk the case, leading to a judge's declaration Wednesday of a mistrial.

U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro methodically listed the prosecution's six separate violations of the Brady law, which requires turning over evidence potentially favorable to the defense. The judge further ruled that each violation was willful.

If ever there was a time when federal prosecutors needed to make sure they acted with complete integrity it was in the high-stakes Bundy case, legal observers say. The defendants already held a deep suspicion of the government and had successfully rallied followers to their cause.

Now, the question becomes whether prosecutors can pursue a new trial, and the judge's finding of deliberate misconduct gives the Bundys a good argument to seek an outright dismissal and walk away free men, legal experts said.

In the meantime, the dissection has begun: How could prosecutors have lost sight of due process, one of the basic tenets of the legal system.

"At the heart of this case is the question, Is the government an entity you can trust? Certainly if you're the prosecution in this case, you needed to do everything you can to show the government can be trusted,'' said Kevin Sali, a Portland criminal defense lawyer.

The judge's rebuke of Nevada's Acting U.S. Attorney Steven Myhre, the lead, and two seasoned veteran Assistant U.S. attorneys, Daniel Schiess and Nadia Ahmed, was remarkable in and of itself.

"This is every prosecutor's nightmare,'' said Kent Robinson, a retired federal prosecutor who served six years as chief of the criminal division in Oregon's U.S. Attorney's Office.

When a judge makes a finding of misconduct by a prosecutor, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility investigates and determines if discipline is warranted, which can range from a reprimand to a suspension.

That scrutiny is underway. Ian D. Prior, deputy director of public affairs in the Justice Department, announced that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions "takes this issue very seriously."

Sessions "has personally directed that an expert in the department's discovery obligations be deployed to examine the case and advise as to next steps,'' Prior said.

The government also could pull the plug on the case, without a judge's further ruling, as it has done in the past on other prosecutions.

Cliven Bundy, sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy and Ryan Payne, a Montana militiaman who came to help them, faced multiple charges, including federal conspiracy to impede federal officers through intimidation, threat or force, assault on federal officers and extortion. If convicted, they could face more than six decades in prison, what would essentially be a life term for the 71-year-old patriarch.

CASE WAS CHALLENGING FROM THE START

The complexity of the case presented a significant challenge for prosecutors, say seasoned defense lawyers and current and former prosecutors.

For one, the Nevada indictments didn't come until nearly a year and a half after the 2014 armed standoff. Cliven Bundy, his two sons and Payne were accused of rallying militia members and other supporters to thwart the court-ordered impoundment of the family's cattle on federal public land after years of Bundy's failure to renew a grazing permit or pay resulting fees and fines. Federal officers, outnumbered, retreated.

Another complication was the number of agencies involved -- including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the FBI - and reports that went back at least a decade.

Federal land agents and Park Service rangers aren't as familiar with what they must turn over as evidence because they're not as accustomed to federal prosecutions of such breadth, other prosecutors said. In the judge's ruling, however, she specifically criticized the FBI, an agency that routinely works on these types of cases, for failing to share agents' basic reports.

"I think it's an agency problem more than a prosecution problem,'' Robinson said. "I think sometimes agencies just don't understand what they need to show to prosecutors.''

Regardless, as the judge made clear, the law requires prosecutors to "learn of the material in the possession of other agencies as well.''

Prosecutors often rely on the lead case agents from the investigating agencies for that information because it's impractical for any individual prosecutor to wade through what could be millions of pages of reports, other prosecutors say.

It didn't help that Dan Love, the Bureau of Land Management special agent in charge of the Bundy cattle roundup, was subsequently investigated for misconduct in an unrelated case and no longer works for the agency.

Additionally, the Nevada prosecutors faced increased pressure after they were largely unsuccessful in two other trials this year of more minor players in the Bunkerville standoff, and their counterparts in Portland failed to convince a jury last year to convict Ammon and Ryan Bundy in the January 2016 armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon.

Some legal observers questioned whether that heightened strain in a such a high-profile case caused prosecutors to cut corners.

Yet the 1963 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland has long set out their fundamental obligations to share any potentially favorable evidence with the defense.

Other high-profile cases that have been tossed over similar Brady violations - such as the botched 2008 corruption trial against former Alaska U.S. Senator Ted Stevens - should have put every prosecutor on notice of the seriousness of their obligations, legal observers say.

"They're adversaries looking to win a case. They're also public officials required to help the other side,'' Sali said. "I recognize that it's a challenge to do this, and the defense attorney does not have the same burden.

"But there's been so many high-profile failures by prosecutors in recent years that you'd think they'd get it and err on the side of caution, and if there's any doubt they'd just turn the material over.''

PROSECUTORS DIDN'T TAKE BUNDYS SERIOUSLY

Ian Bartrum, a constitutional law professor at University of Nevada Las Vegas, said he's struggled to understand what led to the prosecutors' "tone deafness'' to their obligations.

He rejects a conspiracy theory floating around that prosecutors intentionally threw the case because their bosses in Washington, D.C., in the Trump administration may not support it.

"To me, the more likely scenario is they're not taking the Bundys seriously, and there was this mindset 'we can kind of just show up to win,''' he said.

The judge, for example, noted in her ruling how the prosecutors dismissed Ryan Bundy's pretrial motion for information on "mysterious devices'' outside his family ranch as "fantastical'' and a "fishing expedition,'' and shrugged off another defense request for a suspected federal investigative report into BLM agent Love, calling it "urban legend.'' This month, the government turned over nearly 500 pages of internal affairs documents on Love.

Perhaps the government wanted to keep "the Bundys' rambling defenses'' restricted to what it viewed as relevant, "and giving them more stuff to pore over and work with probably seemed like a bad idea,'' Bartrum said.

"It's either startling incompetence or striking arrogance,'' he said.

Dwight Holton, a former Oregon U.S. attorney, said he believes some agents in the FBI still resist turning over information they deem too sensitive or confidential. The FBI keeps a "remarkably close hold on the counterterrorism side'' of investigations, said Holton, speaking generally and not specifically about the Bundy case.

"I think there's still an education process going on at the Department of Justice as to what material the FBI produces and needs to be turned over,'' Holton said. "The 'turn it all over' attitude sometimes bumps squarely into the FBI ethos around maintaining control over security matters, especially in counter-terrorism operations.''

Holton said prosecutors also sometimes are unable to anticipate the defense theories. "It assumes we understand the defense. You don't always know what's helpful to the defense,'' he said.

But that's exactly why prosecutors must be cautious and turn over whatever they have, Bartrum said.

"Prosecutors don't get to decide what's relevant or not relevant,'' he said.

Oregon's U.S. Attorney's Office took action after a federal judge in 2014 rebuked prosecutors over similar Brady violations in the quadruple murder case of Joey Pedersen.

"Our office led training for federal and state law enforcement agencies to make sure they understand what it means when we say give us everything,'' Robinson said.

SECURITIES CASE MAY PROVIDE ROAD MAP

A criminal case heard 11 years ago in the same Nevada federal courthouse may provide some guidance on what's to follow in the Bundy case.

Bret Whipple, Cliven Bundy's lawyer, and other defense lawyers point to United States v. Chapman.

The 2006 securities fraud case ended with a mistrial based on fewer evidence violations by prosecutors than in the Bundy case and then was dismissed at a follow-up hearing. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal.

In her Bundy ruling this week, Navarro said she chose to declare that each of the government's violations were deliberate, though that finding wasn't necessary for a mistrial.

"It does help to clarify the next step,'' Navarro noted. She said she will decide later if the mistrial will be with prejudice, meaning prosecutors couldn't retry the case.

Whipple said the judge's findings provide a good argument for a dismissal; Navarro said the evidence withheld was "material'' to the defense case and that each of the prosecution's six "willful" violations resulted in due process violations. The documents confirmed a live-feed camera was aimed at the Bundy Ranch, and armed federal agents were watching the family home before the standoff, which the government had negated. About 3,300 pages of documents were turned over to the defense too late, the judge said.

In the Chapman case, prosecutors failed to share 650 pages of reports on prior criminal convictions, pleas and cooperating agreements of government witnesses, including three who had already testified at trial.

The judge ordered a mistrial in the third week of testimony in the Chapman case, mirroring Navarro's words, saying he "regrettably'' didn't see how the trial could go forward. The judge ordered lawyers from both sides to submit briefs within 20 days arguing for and against a dismissal, held a hearing and then dismissed the indictment. In Chapman, the judge found the prosecutors' Brady violations to be willful and in bad faith. The appellate court affirmed the dismissal, noting it stood on grounds of outrageous government conduct and due process violations.

Defense lawyers said the violations in the Bundy case are more extensive, involving thousands of pages of documents deliberately withheld.

"All we need to do is point out her findings that the evidence was 'material,' and the violations were 'willful,' and attach the Chapman case. In my mind that seals the deal,'' Whipple said. "I'm confident we'll get a mistrial with prejudice. One step at a time. We're getting close.''

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
Six people in Monday's Amtrak train crash have hired a Chicago law firm with a track record of seeking personal injury damages against airline and rail companies, a first step toward a likely lawsuit.

"Given the series of similar Amtrak derailments over the past few years, the safety culture of Amtrak must be thoroughly reviewed and analyzed," Michael Krzak, partner in Clifford Law Offices, said in a news release Thursday. "Continuing systemic failures or failures in procedures or training protocols are not acceptable. The repeated failures must come to an end."

The law firm is the first known to have been hired after three men were killed Monday south of Seattle when the train barreled into a 30-mph zone at 80 mph. The train was making the inaugural run along a fast, new 15-mile bypass near DuPont, Washington, on the Seattle-Portland route. The crash sent 72 people to hospitals, 10 in serious condition. The train carried 85 passengers and crew members; five cars and two trucks also were damaged when the train careened off the tracks onto Interstate 5 below.

Krzak, in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, declined to discuss his clients. He said his firm would focus initially on Amtrak safety procedures.

"The way we see this, Amtrak has been involved in a series of accidents similar to this one over the years," Krzak said, pointing to the May 12, 2015, crash in Philadelphia in which a train derailed after traveling at more the 100 mph on a curved stretch of track with a 50-mph speed limit. Eight people were killed and more than 200 injured.

"Part of our litigation will be to look at the safety culture of Amtrak and thoroughly analyze it," he said, "Is it continuing systemic failure? Or failure in procedures or training or protocols at Amtrak?"

Krzak visited the crash site Wednesday, and the firm has hired "investigators looking into whatever is publicly available at this point."

Amtrak Cascades Train 501 was part of the Amtrak Cascades Service  a 467-mile corridor between Eugene and Vancouver, British Columbia. Washington state is chiefly responsible for service in the state and British Columbia; Oregon is chiefly responsible for the service in Oregon. For 2017-2019, the Oregon Legislature approved a $31 million subsidy for the Amtrak Cascades Service.

Krzak said it was too soon to say whether Oregon, or Washington, would have any liability in Monday's crash.

"We need to get to the root cause of the derailment before we can rush into determining who is at fault," he said.

Amtrak President Richard Anderson told Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday the rail company will pay the costs associated with the derailment as well as the medical and other expenses of the victims. An Amtrak spokesperson issued a statement Thursday night that also said, "To the extent other parties involved have responsibilities related to this incident based on the facts determined by the NTSB, Amtrak will work with those parties directly at the appropriate time."

Regardless of how many lawsuits are ultimately filed against Amtrak, Congress has capped the total payout at $295 million. The cap, through the 1997 Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act, was originally $200 million; it was raised to $295 million in 2015.

Setting a cap, Krzak said, does not provide "an incentive for Amtrak to improve its safety. ... The only way that can be changed is through congressional change."

The cap was increased to $295 million after the plaintiffs' lead attorney in the Philadelphia Amtrak crash petitioned the federal government, said Adam Barrist, a Philadelphia attorney who represented a passenger injured in that accident. Like other lawyers in the Philadelphia case, Barrist said a confidentiality provision prevented him from saying how much his client received.

He said "my heart dropped" when he heard about Monday's crash.

After what happened in Philadelphia, "we were hoping that this would have caused a corrective effect throughout Amtrak's nationwide network," Barrist said. "We were hoping it would have raised the consciousness among the engineers about maintaining proper speeds, especially in heavily populated areas."

--Allan Brettman

503-294-5900

@allanbrettman
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To the editor:

Isnt it nice, the new tax laws will give 83 percent of the tax cuts overall to the top 1 percent, putting the cost on the backs of the poor working class? Its unfortunate that with all the choices the Republicans had running in the primary that the ONE (Our National Embarrassment) was finally chosen. The man is a cheat (pays no taxes), a liar, accused of sexual harassment, a bully, possibly a traitor if he knew the Russians were disrupting the election and the poorest example for a countrys leader, let alone the most powerful country in the world.

The writer complaining about the complainers not being news doesnt realize that they are the ones that make changes happen. Protesting is a First Amendment right that makes changes happen. Maybe it does divide the people, but we would still be under British rule if the colonists didnt throw the tea in the water.

The writer that accuses the Dems of not accepting the election apparently is satisfied with the Republicans eliminating the (real working) middle class. The Republicans claim the money saved by the new tax law will encourage corporations to create jobs and higher wages. What guarantee is in place to hold these corporations accountable for using the saved money to put back in the workers' jobs, higher wages and benefits?

The new tax laws by the Republicans will likely increase bonuses for the top corporate leaders and their major stockholders (usually themselves). They arent admitting that the jobs they will create will be part-time, minimum wage jobs without any benefits. Already, there are too many from the working class who have to work two and three jobs because of the above reason. The divide between the haves and have-nots will get larger at an increasing rate. Actually, only 26 percent of the voters approve of the new tax law.

If the new tax law were put to the peoples vote, would there be enough Trump voters to approve this tax law?

ROGER SZESZULSKI

Midland
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MOUNT STERLING  The deaths of three children in Clinton Lake 14 years ago left behind a trail of lasting consequences for the couple charged in connection with their deaths and for those who loved the youngsters.

Convicted of murder by a McLean County jury in 2006, Maurice LaGrone Jr. was sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of Christopher Hamm, 6, Austin Brown, 3 and their sister, Kyleigh Hamm, 23 months old, when they drowned in the back seat of a car driven by LaGrone.

In a separate trial the same year, LaGrone's former girlfriend Amanda Hamm, the children's mother, was convicted of child endangerment. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but only served about 14 months after she received credit for time served in jail awaiting trial, and for day-for-day credit on her prison term.

In a recent interview with The Pantagraph at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling, LaGrone still maintains the car went into the lake accidentally and that he and Amanda Hamm, whose last name is now Ware, were unable to save them.

LaGrone, now 42, understands that some people, including the fathers of the children and their families, will forever judge him harshly for parking on the boat ramp facing the water.

I was just being a kid. I liked to have fun. Sometimes its not safe. I in no way chose to hurt anybody. It was a tragic situation for me, too, he said.

Ed Parkinson, one of the special prosecutors who handled the two murder cases, said he remains convinced that LaGrone and his former girlfriend planned to kill the children as a precursor to starting a new life in St. Louis.

The tremendous loss felt by the families of the children should never be forgotten, he said.

"Nobody thinks about them," said the prosecutor, adding he still recalls the smallest details of the case that he refers to as "the death of innocence."

LaGrone, who was living with Ware and her children in a public housing complex in 2003, was transferred to the medium-level prison about a year ago from Pontiac Correctional Center. The move is part of the Department of Corrections initiative to house inmates with no disciplinary issues out of maximum-security prisons.

LaGrone said he is aware of the three-year court battle his former girlfriend has been waging in Cook County to retain custody of her three children born since she was released from prison.

The state took the two girls and a boy after a doctor recognized Ware as the person involved in the Clinton Lake drowning case. Ware was in the hospital recovering from the birth of her son in March 2014 when the child welfare investigation began.

A hearing in the custody case was postponed this week until February.

LaGrone said he regrets that his actions in 2003 have played a part in what is going on in Cook County.

I'm remorseful, very apologetic for the accident that caused people harm and so much sorrow. I hate that this situation is following them after all these years, he said.

To pass the time in prison, LaGrone lifts weights and attends classes. The memories of Sept. 2, 2003 return, he said, mostly at night.

Its like a nightmare. I have dreams of being in an incontrollable situation in a great body of water, he said.

With his avenues to appeal his conviction exhausted at the state level, LaGrone focuses on prayers for forgiveness and peace of mind  both of which are elusive most of the time.

Your prayers change when you come to prison. I try to stay humble he said.

Forgiveness, he said, is an every day process because I go back and forth. Im still working on it.
NORMAL  Romil Rameshbhai Patel came to the United States as a teenager from a small village in India, unable to speak English.

Today, he is an American citizen living in Bloomington with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice sciences from Illinois State University, pursuing his dream of becoming a customs officer.

The dream is based on personal experience.

When he arrived in 2010 as a 17-year-old, he was separated from his parents, Ramesh and Lila Patel, as the family went through customs.

Not knowing the language, he wasn't sure what was going on.

I hoped there was someone there who knew my language, Patel said. So I decided I wanted to join customs to help someone like that.

Whether it is with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or elsewhere in criminal justice, Patel said he wants a job where he can use his language skills for making things comfortable for everybody.

The USA has given me a lot of opportunities, so I want to give something back, he said.

One of his instructors, Dawn Beichner, has dreams for him, too.

Beichner, a professor of criminal justice sciences, said, The sky's the limit for Romil.

Describing him as one of the best students in our program, Beichner said Patel was respected by faculty, staff and students for his integrity and eagerness to help others.

I am certain that whatever goal Romil sets he will meet and exceed it, she said.

During a study abroad trip to Croatia led by Beichner, Patel helped other students who were less experienced with international travel.

It's students like Romil that renew my passion for teaching, said Beichner. He's changed the way I see the world.

Through Patel, Beichner said she learned to give people the benefit of the doubt, to think about the way society and culture contribute to pervasive problems.

His journey to graduation from ISU last week began with classes in English as a Second Language at Heartland Community College and obtaining his GED diploma.

I knew I needed to possess a high school degree to do anything in life, Patel said.

Coming to the United States helped him expand the whole world, he said.

In his hometown of Chadasna, Guarat, in India, he had no phone, no laptop and no internet.

In his ESL and the higher level Academic English Language Program classes at Heartland, he met other immigrants from a variety of countries who were facing challenges similar to his own.

He also met Bekah Litchfield of Bloomington, a retired teacher and principal who works as a tutor at Heartland.

Many of the students she helps are immigrants with limited language skills from countries such as Mexico, the Congo and India. She often invites groups of students to her home for dinner on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Patel helped her pass out treats at Halloween and decorated Christmas cookies with her.

He's kind of like an adopted son, she said of Patel, with whom she has stayed in contact after he graduated from Heartland. I'm very proud of him.

Litchfield said the qualities that stand out about Patel are the hard work, the determination. She noted that he worked two jobs while attending college.

Both Litchfield and Beichner also described Patel as generous.

Patel said, in coming to America, the biggest surprise was seeing how people are open-minded, seeing how they welcome you.

Occasionally, he has encountered negative people, but he brushes it off, saying Maybe they're having a bad day. I never judge.

Patel said he learned the English language and American culture not only through his classes but also from friends he met at school and at work who invited him to their homes.

What helped me is people who accepted me and made me feel like this is home, said Patel. I may be different but I'm feeling accepted.
DWIGHT  A Fairbury man was identified Friday as the driver who was killed in an accident Thursday night south of Dwight in Livingston County.

Douglas L. Benge, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened about 6 p.m. Thursday at 2550 North Road on Illinois 47, according to Livingston County Corner Danny Watson.

Watson said Benge was driving south when his car crossed the center line and collided with a northbound semitrailer.

An autopsy is scheduled.

The unidentified truck driver was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation by Illinois State Police and the coroner's office.

Odell fire personnel, Duffy Ambulance and Livingston County sheriff's police assisted at the scene.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  All remaining significant evacuation orders for areas around the smoldering remnants of Southern California's huge wildfire were canceled Thursday after a new round of winds caused little fire activity.

The lifting of evacuation orders and warnings in Santa Barbara County left only remote and little developed Rose Valley in the wilderness of neighboring Ventura County under an order barring residents and visitors.

Warnings of high fire risk were canceled for Santa Barbara County, although they remained in effect elsewhere in Southern California due to Santa Ana winds, low humidity levels and very dry vegetation.

The only visible flame was on the northern side of the fire where controlled burns set by firefighters to clear combustible material were being conducted in wilderness, said fire information officer Brandon Vaccaro.

About 18,000 homes and other buildings were still listed as threatened. Even when there's no sign of flame or smoke, fires can rekindle.

The Thomas fire, which began Dec. 4, is responsible for two deaths, has destroyed at least 750 homes, and has burned about 425 square miles (1,100 square kilometers).

The blaze was 60 percent contained and is the second-largest in California's history.

The latest round of winds was caused by the passage of a cold front into the area overnight. But firefighters had used three days of calm conditions to bulldoze containment lines and set controlled fires to clear dry brush.

Some residents stayed away from their homes at hotels and evacuation centers, while others waited at home and hoped for the best.

Katy and Bob Zappala had stayed in their home in Santa Barbara, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, despite an evacuation order in place since Saturday.

"Our cars are packed, we have all our clothes and jewelry, so we're ready to leave at a moment's notice should we have to," Katy Zappala, 74, said Wednesday.

The Zappalas and their cat, Madeline, decided against leaving their home after the evacuation order was issued because they knew authorities would not allow them back in.

"You're always nervous when the winds come up," Zappala said.

Days and days of fierce, often erratic gusts combined with extremely dry weather pushed the blaze with incredible speed as it moved through Ventura County's agricultural Santa Clara Valley, into the city of Ventura and then moved northwestward, threatening the coastal communities of Santa Barbara County.

-- Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Cheers

... to all those involved in the bus voter registration program, in which a former Connect Transit bus is being retrofitted to an office that allows people to register to vote.

The registration bus will travel throughout the Twin Cities and elsewhere in McLean County, offering a quick and easy way for people to register  whether they live in Bloomington or elsewhere in McLean County.

The primary election is March 20. The general election is Nov. 6.

Voting is your opportunity to have a say in local, state and national government. If you don't vote, you shouldn't complain later.

Cheers

... to Midwest Food Bank and Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who are partnering to provide food for students who participate in the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis.

The food bank, located in north Normal, serves food banks and meets emergency needs throughout the United States and some other countries, as well as Central Illinois.

Joyner-Kersee saw it as the perfect partner for her center that provides after-school education, enrichment, activities and sports, and whose organizers saw a need for their kids to take home food.

Last year, a million people received assistance through the food bank's partner agencies.

Woof!

... to Illinois Wesleyan University First Dog Calvin, who is available for students and staff throughout the year as a listening ear, a loving companion and playful friend.

The personal pet of President Eric Jensen and his wife, Elizabeth, Calvin is part of campus life, even volunteering for various four-legged science research.

Companion animals bring a tremendous amount of friendship into human lives. Consider sharing a forever home with a dog, cat or other critter available from one of our area's many animal shelters.

Cheers

... to Ameren, for asking the public's opinion on two proposals for its new route related to a major expansion.

Both proposals would run from the Normal East Substation to the McLean County Substation. The project is intended to improve service reliability.

The electric utility has held several open houses about its plans. The Illinois Commerce Commission will make the final decision.

Cheers

... to Bloomington Housing Authority and Disney for anti-bullying reminders.

Certificates of appreciation, gift cards and wrist bands have gone to young people who pledge against bullying.

Cheers

... to our very own Jonell Kehias, this year's winner of the Jean Anderson Award that honors dedication, selflessness and promotion of downtown Bloomington.

The award is named for Jean Anderson, a Bloomington alderman from 1989 until her death in 1996.

Kehias is director of marketing/retention for the newspaper.
Students Challenge Minister's Claim That No One in Iran is Banned From University for Political Reasons

12/22/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

A student who was banned from pursuing a university education in Iran because he engaged in peaceful activism has spoken out against the science minister's claim that "few" such cases exist.

"None of the starred students have political issues because politics is not criteria for accepting students," said Science Minister Mansour Gholami at a technology exhibition on December 16, 2017. "We are trying to resolve the cases of the few students who are still facing issues."

Majid Dorri and fellow banned student Mahdieh Golru held signs outside the Science Ministry for several days beginning on December 17, 2017, in protest against the minister's statement.

"Ms. Golru and I discussed our issues with Science Ministry officials," Dorri told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that day. "We said we want the minister to respond and give us a letter explaining why we have been deprived of education."

"We want him to explain why at least 100 students have been banned this year," added Dorri, who was imprisoned for his activism. "Why is this happening? We haven't gotten a response from any of the officials. I will go back to the ministry and stand in protest."

Since the creation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, student activists have been denied higher education through various methods. During President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term (2005-13), students accused of engaging in political activities received a star on their application, which blocks people from enrolling in Iranian universities.

During his first presidential campaign in 2013, President Hassan Rouhani promised to get rid of the star system introduced under Ahmadinejad. However, some students continue to be denied the ability to enroll in Iranian universities.

On November 30, 2017, the reformist newspaper Jame-e Farda reported that 150-200 graduate and PhD-level students were barred from enrolling in Iranian universities in the current academic year because they had stars on their records.

A student group has released a statement supporting Dorri and Golru's protest.

"Mansour Gholami's latest statements about starred students are an insult to everyone's intelligence, especially students," said the Allameh Tabataba'i University's Islamic Students' Society on December 17.

"If I repent, he has to repent, too"

Dorri told CHRI he has refused requests by the Science Ministry to repent for engaging in peaceful activism in exchange for being allowed to enroll in university.

"The Science Ministry has asked me to write a statement repenting for everything I allegedly did wrong," he said. "They want me to express regret for advocating the right to education, which was one of Mr. Rouhani's slogans during the election. If I repent, he has to repent, too."

In July 2009, Dorri was expelled from Allameh Tabataba'i University in Tehran and sentenced to six and a half years in prison for advocating the reinstatement of expelled students. He was granted conditional release in June 2014.

"I only needed two more semesters to get my undergraduate degree when I was banned," Dorri told CHRI. "I had an A average but they still would not take me back. I tried to get into other universities and they would not accept me either. I even tried to get a scholarship to study abroad but that failed, too.

He continued: "I have met many officials but the ban has not been lifted. Recently they have been more polite and they talk to me but nothing positive has happened. Before they would just say no, it's impossible. Now they say they agree I should go back to university but no action has been taken."

"Ten years after my expulsion from the university, I have decided to go to the Science Ministry to see what they think of me," he said. "I just want them to tell me why. Why did they expel me? Are they proud of what they did? Fine; tell me in writing so I can understand."

Dorri told CHRI he has been denied a meeting with Science Minister Gholami.

"I tried to see the minister but I was told that's not possible. I was referred to the public relations office but I said I have no business with the public relations office. They know me here. I have written numerous letters.

He continued: "Then the guards showed up and said I have no right to be there. The Science Ministry's security officials came, too, and one of them told me it seemed I was missing prison. He said I had one hour and after that, I would have to leave. I told him that I was missing university; I'm going to stay right here."

On December 5, 2017, former Deputy Parliament Speaker Mohammad Reza Khatami told a student gathering at Tehran University that Rouhani should order the Intelligence Ministry to stop harassing students.

"We know there are limits to what you can do, Mr. President. We know you do not have full authority over security matters at universities. So we are patient. But what about these students who are being denied education by your Intelligence Ministry? Have they been convicted in court? If not, banning them is against the law," said Khatami.

Some Iranians who were banned from enrolling in Iranian universities for political reasons have taken to social media to tell their stories.

"When I was getting my bachelors, I was warned many times not to engage in student activities. Now, whenever I ask for a copy of my degree from Qom University, they tell me it's not ready because of 'some issues,' tweeted Sara Bagheri on December 16.

"I have until January 10 to hand in this document to get into my graduate program or else I will be expelled," she added. "Let's lie a little less!"

"I have been told many times that I will not be allowed to continue my graduate studies if I get into student activities [activism] again," tweeted Navid Kalahroudi on December 16.
Behind Closed Curtains: Interior Design in Iran - Book Presentation by Lena Spath

12/22/17

Source: Iran Heritage Foundation



Behind Closed Curtains: Interior Design in Iran

order from amazon

Organised by: Iran Heritage Foundation

Date: Wednesday 17th January 2018, 18.30

Venue: Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP

Description

Author Lena Spath has captured the beauty, intricacy, and vibrancy of Iranian interior design in order to showcase its underrated style in her new book Behind Closed Curtains: Interior Design in Iran.



"I want to challenge the narrative on Iran most media companies follow. This book is my way to bring the country's history and the stories of its citizens into the homes and the hands of more people." - Lena Spath



This book contains vibrant pictures by Tehran-based photographer Hamed Farhangi, which allow readers a glimpse into sixteen extraordinary homes belonging to artists, entrepreneurs, and architects all over Iran. Having travelled around the country over the course of a year, Spath has drawn on her extensive knowledge of Persian culture, traditions, and handicrafts to create this beautiful book. Having recently returned from her latest trip to Iran, her talk aims to elaborate more on the elements of Persian interior design as well as look at its future trends.



Copies of Behind Closed Curtains: Interior Design in Iran will be available to purchase on at the event.

Biography

Lena Spath was born in Munich, Germany, and has an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from LMU Munich. She has lived in Spain, Turkey, and Iran, and has worked for consulting, recruiting, and internet companies. In 2016 she decided to bring together all her experience to produce a book focusing on Iran.



Tickets & Info

Tickets: 10 - book now



If you would prefer to pay by cheque, please make it payable to 'IHF' and send this along with your contact details to:

IHF, 63 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LP



The performance will start promptly at 6.30pm so please ensure you arrive on time or you may not be allowed into the recital room so as not to disturb the musicians.



For any inquiries please contact astrid@iranheritage.org, Tel: 020 3651 2121



About:



The Iran Heritage Foundation is a non-political UK registered charity with the mission to promote and preserve the history, languages and cultures of Iran and the Persianate world. The objectives of the Foundation are achieved by organising and supporting activities of cultural or scholarly merit. IHF programmes include sponsoring teaching posts and fellowships at universities and museums, giving grants for academic research and cultural activities, and organising regular events and conferences, both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has promised to end the Fulani menace, especially in the Kwahu areas of the Eastern Region, before his term of office ends.



According to him, his government had put measures in place, which would be rolled out very soon to end the Fulani menace across the country.



President Akufo Addo stressed further that his administration would fulfill all the promises he made during the 2016 electioneering campaign and called on all Ghanaians to rally behind his government.



He made these remarks when he paid a courtesy call on the Kwahu Traditional Council, headed by the new paramount chief, Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, on Thursday, being the second day of his Eastern Regional tour.



Kwahu Chiefs Requests



Earlier, Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II had appealed to President Akufo-Addo to construct the roads and provide water for the Kwahu ridge, complete an abandoned district hospital at Abetifi and also end the Fulani menace.



He noted that Ghanaians are importing a lot of consumable foodstuffs, and asked the president to make sure that the one district, one factory policy is implemented to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.



Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II was optimistic if such social amenities are provided, the residents wont disappoint the NPP in any elections.



Visit To Asesewa



At the Upper Manya-Krobo District, President Akufo-Addo was hopeful the Krobo area would become a territory of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) by the time he completes his tenure.



According to him, the NPP had not done so well in terms of winning elections in the three constituencies in the Krobo area since the 4th Republic began in 1992.



In 2016, the party won its first parliamentary seat in the Upper Manya-Krobo Constituency.



The Konor of the Odumase Krobo Traditional Area, Nene Sakite II, in a welcoming address, stated, For the third time this year in Manya Krobo, I have the privilege to once again receive the president on behalf of the Krobo chiefs and people.



Nene Sakite appealed to the president for an additional district assembly in the area.



He also urged the government to construct a water treatment plant, as well as an inland harbour for the people of Manya-Krobo.



The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, stated that the government had taken notice of all the bad roads in the Manya-Krobo area and was in the process of awarding them to contractors for work to begin on them.



The minister gave the assurance that in February 2018, he would be in the area for the cutting of sod for construction work to begin on the bad roads.



Otiko Djaba



Minister for Gender and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, a Krobo, thanked the people of Manya-Krobo for giving the NPP a parliamentary seat for the first time in the history of Ghanas elections.



She pleaded with the other constituencies to emulate the shining example of the people of Upper Manya-Krobo.





Source: Daily Guide









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Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has announced governments decision to commence the construction of a railway line between Ghana and Burkina Faso next year.



He said, In the area of trade, our two countries have been colonially divided by artificial borders but the railway line will bring us very close.



He said it will make the cost of transport between our two countries much lower, and it will encourage exchange of goods and people between our two countries.



This was when the Burkinabe Minister of Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety, Suleman Sumaila, paid a courtesy call on him at the Flagstaff House.



He was accompanied by his Ghanaian counterpart, Joe Ghartey, the Minister for Railway Development.



The Vice President indicated that we are committed to it, the President is very clear. He wants us to move quickly, the instruction for us is to start this railway line next year 2018. We have to break the ground to start the construction of this railway linelets do it quickly.



I can promise you on our side, we are going to work very hard and Im sure your visit here also shows that from your side you are going to work very hard and together we can agree on a common contract quickly, we can move this process forward, he emphasized.



It was a follow up to President Akufo-Addos visit to Burkina Faso, during which he and his Burkinabe counterpart, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, agreed on the construction of a railway line to facilitate trade between the two countries from Accra to Ougadougou.



When completed, Mr Ghartey said, the railway line would improve the economies of both countries.



The Burkinabe government is said to have settled on some potential investors, who have expressed interest in the deal.



It is for this reason that the ministers responsible for the deal, invited experts, made up of lawyers, financial advisers and other relevant agencies, to study the proposal in Ghana to make recommendations to the governments of the two countries.



The committee is expected to meet every two weeks until a final decision agreement is reached.



The Ministers have resolved to send their reports to their respective presidents in three months time.



They are considering selecting a common contractor for the project which is expected to commence next year.



Mr Ghartey said three companies have expressed interest in the project and hinted of a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) agreement with no sovereign guarantee.



We are convinced its a bankable project that can pay for itself.



On his part, the Transport of Minister for Burkina Faso, called for rapid execution of the project owing to the level of trade between the two countries.



Burkinabes clear their goods at the Tema and Takoradi Ports while several articulated trucks travel from Ghana to Burkina Faso each day.



He was of the belief that the construction of the railway line would bring relief to citizens of the two countries.

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 US has sanctioned former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who is accused of looting at least $50m (37m) of state funds before leaving office last January.



He only agreed to leave power after losing elections following pressure from West African mediators who sent troops in the country to force his hand.



He is now living in exile in Equatorial Guinea.



A US Treasury statement said that during his 22 years in power he had a history of engaging in serious human rights abuses and corruption.



Jammeh created a terror and assassination squad called the Junglers that answered directly to him. Jammeh used the Junglers to threaten, terrorise, interrogate, and kill individuals whom Jammeh assessed to be threats.



During his tenure, Jammeh used a number of corrupt schemes to plunder The Gambias state coffers or otherwise siphon off state funds for his personal gain. Ongoing investigations continue to reveal Jammehs large-scale theft from state coffers prior to his departure.



Mr Jammeh is among a host of world figures blacklisted by the President Donald Trumps administration, including a business associate of Congolese President Joseph Kabila and an aide to South Sudans leader Salva Kiir.



Those targeted with links to Africa are:



Dan Gertler an Israeli businessman accused of amassing his fortune through corrupt mining and oil deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gertler has used his close friendship with DR Congo President Joseph Kabila to act as a middleman for mining asset sales As a result, between 2010 and 2012 alone, the DRC reportedly lost over $1.36bn in revenues from the underpricing of mining assets that were sold to offshore companies linked to Gertler.



Slobodan Tesic a Balkan arms dealer who violated UN sanctions against arms exports to Liberia. In order to secure arms contracts with various countries, Tesic would directly or indirectly provide bribes and financial assistance to officials took potential clients on high-value vacations, paid for their childrens education at Western schools or universities, and used large bribes to secure contracts.



Benjamin Bol Mel Head of a construction firm AMBC, financial adviser and aide to South Sudans president and chairman of the countrys chamber of commerce accused of using his political position to make money.

ABMC allegedly received preferential treatment from high-level officials, and the government of South Sudan did not hold a competitive process for selecting ABMC to do roadwork on several roads in Juba and throughout South Sudan. Although this roadwork had been completed only a few years before, the government budgeted tens of millions of dollars more for maintenance of the same roads.



Yankuba Badjie former head of Gambias feared National Intelligence Agency (NIA) who is accused of overseeing abuses. He was arrested after Mr Jammeh went into exile.



In April 2016, Badjie oversaw the detention and murder of Solo Sandeng, a member of the political opposition. In February 2017, Badjie was charged along with eight subordinates with Sandengs murder. Prior to becoming a member of the NIAs senior leadership, Badjie led a paramilitary group known as the Junglers to the NIAs headquarters to beat a prisoner for approximately three hours, leaving the prisoner unconscious and with broken hands. The following day, Badjie and the Junglers returned to beat the prisoner again, leaving him on the verge of death.



US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explained the new policy, saying the US wanted to take a strong stand against human rights abuse and corruption globally by shutting these bad actors out of the US financial system.



Treasury is freezing their assets and publicly denouncing the egregious acts theyve committed, sending a message that there is a steep price to pay for their misdeeds.





Source: BBC









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Of all the people who have time to spare, the President is not one of them. And as the most powerful man in Ghana cannot buy an hour beyond 24 hours, how to make the best of it is a headache and a job for his Executive Secretary.



A Joy FM scrutiny of the president's time comes following allegations that although he cannot buy time, his time may be sold.



At the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards dinner event held on December 8, sponsors could pay from $15,000 to $100,000 to sit close to President Nana Akufo-Addo.



Apparently, his presence and time may have been used for profiteering, the NDC has alleged and want a parliamentary probe into the Trades Ministry-backed event.



One person who knows much about scheduling the president's time is Dr. Raymond Atuguba who from 2013 to 2015 was the Executive Secretary to President Mahama.



He said on Joy FM that, "it is perfectly possible" for the president's time to be bought and sold.



Dr. Raymond Atuguba explained that monetization of the president's time can occur without the knowledge of the president and possibly without the knowledge of his key officials and even his own timekeeper.



He said a company or individual seeking the president's attention may pay some other person to introduce the entity to the President's time-keeper.



"The person alloting the time would not know that this transaction has occurred," he said and stressed, it is imperative that the president surrounds himself with incorruptible officials.



The former Executive Secretary also explained the National Security system should be active enough to collect intelligence on monetization of the presidency and act quickly.



Raymond Atuguba recalls his first day at work as the President's time manager.



"I received more than 3,000 calls and messages...I had to immediately hand that phone to my bodyguard and switched to another phone"



"Even that second phone had problems. It was always buzzing because everyone wants to see the president," he remembers his frustrations.



He moved to a third phone that had only three numbers. One of them was the president's number.



"If you were not those three people and you called I wouldn't even know that you called ...I had to have a phone that the president could reach me directly," he said.



The former Executive Secretary stressed that the President is the most sought-after person in the country." Weighing in on the controversy, Raymond Atuguba said $100,000 to sit within the president's earshot is "a pittance".



To him the real economic value of the president's time runs into millions of dollars, he tried without success to peg an exactitude.



He said the value of the president's time is enhanced by the fact that it is free.



The President, he said, is a father, a husband, a brother, an old schoolmate, a man with a mandate to fulfill, a party figure, Ghana's chief diplomat, a man to monitor his 110 ministers and deputies, chairman of Cabinet and thousands of friends.



In the case of Mahama, the president was also a son whose mother also needed access to him.



"The first consideration is to take all the roles not just the office ...and have those roles in view when you are scheduling the president's time".



During Dr. Atuguba's tenure as Executive Secretary, there was a scheduling committee composed of persons who had to be thinking of the president in one of his several roles.



There is one committee member who is a thorough party man thinking about the president's need to keep in touch with the party.



The legal practitioner explained that above all else, the president's time needs to be linked to his priorities as determined by his vision.



"If you mismanage the president's time, he or she will not be able to execute his agenda."



There was an app, he said that could determine how much time the president spent on a subject or object. And this helps to track whether the president's time was being managed well or otherwise.



Of course, there are emergencies that can disrupt the schedule and only three people could change the President's plans - the President, the Chief of Staff and Raymond Atuguba.



The senior law lecturer observed that the excessive demand on the President's time was a sign of a dysfunctional system.



"It has existed with us since independence. Everybody wants to see the president".



The former time-manager pointed out that this problem is persisting because Ghanaians have not developed the "capacity to resolve issues at a lower level if possible before escalating it."



He said it is a torrid time to manage the president and accepts that ultimately "my brother you can never satisfy everyone".







Source: Joy News









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President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has absolved the Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen of any wrongful conduct regarding the "extortion" allegations against him and his Ministry.



According to a statement signed by the Information Minister Mustapha Hamid, following the President's query to the Trade Minister; "the facts, as reported to the President, do not disclose any wrong doing on the part of the Minister or any governmental official".



"The President has therefore asked the Minister to put those facts before the Ghanaian people," the statement further read.



The President's statement is in response to allegations by Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak on the floor of Parliament last Friday over alleged illegal charges imposed on expatriate businesses by the Ministry during the recent Ghana Expatriates Business Awards.



He revealed that the Ministry charged participants $100,000 to sit closer to the President at the awards held on Friday, December 8, 2017 at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.



This resulted in a near fisticuffs between the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah and the Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa at Parliament when the latter was addressing the issue in an interview with the press.



Mr. Ablakwa described the move by the Trade Ministry as "extortion, dubious and unethical" and hoped the President and the Members of the Legislative House would sanction the sector Minister and his deputy.



Mr. Ahenkorah interrupted the interview accusing Mr. Ablakwa of being a thief.









Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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 Chief Executive Officer of Exclusive Events Ghana Limited, Ms Inna Mariam Patty is threatening to take legal action against persons claiming she pimped former beauty queens. Lawyers of Ms. Patty, a former beauty queen herself, have described claims that their client exploited former Miss Ghana pageants as vicious and malicious.

The Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co, solicitors for Inna Patty, said We are instructed that the said allegations are baseless, categorically untrue, inspired by malice and mischief and only calculated to ridicule, embarrass, disparage and bring our cents enviable reputation into disrepute. One of the beauty queens, Stephanie Karikari reportedly said Inna Patty asked me to raise GH10,000 a month and sends me to meet men, adding I should be nice to them. But Ms Patty maintained that the ladies are making those allegations because they are disgruntled.

She claimed the ladies took advantage of her platform to project their image, and rather turned round in such undignified manner to denigrate the very platform they had amply benefited from. In the interim, we are instructed by our clients to inform the general public, media houses  both print and electronic  and social media bloggers, to desist from the publication of the malicious and defamatory materials in circulation.

Any publisher of these or similar matter shall be held fully responsible for them as we hold firm instructions from our clients to institute legal action against any such person to vindicate the names of our clients and to recover punitive damages for those publications. Be advised accordingly, her lawyers warned in a statement. The allegations are coming at a time the Exclusive Events Ghana Limited, organisers of the Miss Ghana, is positioning itself to host the Miss World in the near future.





Source: 3news.com









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Korea's suicide rate has skyrocketed since the Asian economic crisis and is now 2.3 times higher than the rate of death from traffic accidents. In the 1990s, about 7.3 people for every 100,000 committed suicide, but that has soared especially among women, the elderly, highly educated people, professionals, and divorcees.

The number of women who killed themselves rose 2.8 times from 1,853 in 1996 to 5,237 in 2010, and among men 2.5 times. The suicide rate for women was 19.7 for every 100,000 people in 2009, the highest in the OECD and 25 times greater than in Greece.

Women are less prone to suicide than men, but whereas in the U.K. and Germany the suicide rate among women is just a quarter or one-third of that among men, in Korea it is 50.7 percent.

Psychiatrist Sa Seung-eon said, "In the early 1980s, the number of women who committed suicide was just one-third that of men in Korea too. The reason for the surge among women is that depression is three times more prevalent among women and they suffer excessive stress from increased economic activity in addition to their traditional role in the family." He added that many women kill themselves without recognizing that they are suffering from depression.

In 1996, the suicide rate was higher among people in their 20s and 30s, but while the figure is declining among these age groups, it is rising among people over 40. The reason suicide became the No. 1 cause of death for young people in Korea is that deaths caused by other factors decreased sharply. Suicide among people over 65 jumped from 10.5 percent to 28.1 percent.

Experts blame the lack of a social safety net and poverty among the elderly amid a fast growth of the elderly population.

Suicide among highly educated people, professionals and corporate managers also increased. The proportion of university graduates among all suicides has soared from 12.9 percent to 24.4 percent. While the proportion of single or married people dropped, the proportion of divorcees grew from 5.7 percent to 12.8 percent. Suicide is particularly common among divorced men and widowed women.

Surprisingly, most people kill themselves in late spring or summer. May saw highest average number of suicides per day with 31.5, followed by 30.6 in April, 29.5 in June, and 29.1 in July. The bleak month of January, by contrast, saw the fewest suicides with 20.7 per day.

According to a 2011 report on mental health by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 16 percent of people have thought about suicide and 3 percent have tried to kill themselves. Some 108,000 Koreans a year attempt suicide.

This is related to increase in mental health problems. Over 90 percent of those who commit suicide have mental problems, and experts say 60 to 80 percent of them suffer depression. The proportion of people with depression has risen from 5.6 percent of population in 2006 to 6.7 percent, but only 15.3 percent have gone to hospital for help.
Spawning sockeye salmon are seen making their way up the Adams River in Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park near Chase, B.C., on October 13, 2014. Salmon migrating through rivers and streams in British Columbia use all their strength, but new research says even tiny amounts of diluted bitumen weakens their chances of making it back to spawn. Exposure to diluted bitumen hinders the swimming performance of salmon, causes their heart muscle to stiffen and damages their kidneys, Sarah Alderman, a post-doctorate researcher at the University of Guelph, said in an interview. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
The first female mayor of Toronto has died. June Rowlands was 93. Her son Bruce Rowlands says his mother died on Thursday night at a long-term care facility. Rowlands celebrates her election victory as the first female mayor of the city of Toronto, in Toronto on November 12, 1991. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hans Deryk
Poland's populist government remained defiant Thursday in the face of a European Commission decision to trigger a legal procedure that could lead to Poland losing EU voting rights.

The unprecedented move by the commission to invoke an article 7 process to deter the Polish government from tightening political control over the judiciary was met with bravado by the country's president, Andrzej Duda, who in a television address said he would go ahead and sign two controversial reform laws, adding to 11 other measures.

Duda was careful in his late Wednesday address, though, not to repeat some of the more fiery responses from Warsaw that have characterized the two-year-long confrontation between Warsaw and Brussels over the changes made by the country's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS).

"We're bringing in very good solutions in Poland that will serve to improve the justice system,"he said.

The signing of the measures, which critics say effectively places the Polish courts in the grip of the governing party, now sets the stage for a deepening crisis in the heart of Europe and threatens to divide the EU, east from west.

The European Commission says the two laws undermine the legal standards expected of member countries and amount to a"serious breach" of the rule of law. Other critics bemoan what they say is a turning of the clock back to the authoritarianism that Poland endured under Communism.

As the commission announced it was triggering an article 7 process, Poland's Justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, continued to purge senior judges, dismissing some by fax. "We have to continue with the reforms of the justice system,"he told reporters.

Article 7 was added to the EU's founding treaty in 1999, allowing for sanctions to be imposed on a member country for breaching democratic rights. The article has never been invoked before, although the commission has threatened several times to use it in the past.


In this image released by Focus Features, Daniel Day-Lewis, left, appears with director Paul Thomas Anderson on the set of "Phantom Thread." In AoPhantom Thread,Ao Anderson stitches together a AopeculiarAo love story for what Daniel Day-Lewis has said will be his final film. (Laurie Sparham/Focus Features via AP)
Farmers, Darryn, left and Robert Smart, right, are welcomed back to their farm, Lesbury, by workers and community members Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 in Tandi, Zimbabwe. The family who were evicted by gun-wielding police and a mob associated with the ruling party returned to a hero's welcome, in a sign that the new president is charting a path away from predecessor Robert Mugabe on an issue that had hastened the country's international isolation. (AP Photo/Farai Musaka)
Law enforcement investigate by the loading dock after an incident in the Lambeau Field parking lot on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, in Green Bay, Wis. Police say a fired food service worker rammed a former co-worker's car at Lambeau Field, bringing numerous law enforcement agencies to the Green Bay Packers' stadium. (Adam Wesley/The Green Bay Press-Gazette via AP)
In this Monday, Dec. 18, 2017 photo, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, right, votes against a resolution concerning Jerusalem's status at U.N. headquarters. The United States on Monday vetoed a resolution supported by the 14 other U.N. Security Council members that would have required President Donald Trump to rescind his declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a vote that showed the depth of global opposition to the U.S. move. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo via AP)
In this photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Ryan Thomas hikes down steep terrain below East Camino Cielo to meet with his crew and root out and extinguish smoldering hot spots in Santa Barbara, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. Officials estimate that the Thomas Fire will grow to become the biggest in California history before full containment, expected by Jan. 7, 2018. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)
Construction of a long-awaited Thai-Chinese railway line that will link Thailand, Laos and China officially began on Thursday with a ground-breaking ceremony in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima.

The first phase of the project, a 250-km (155 mile) high-speed rail line linking Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, is expected to be operational in 2021. The full line is expected to stretch 873 km (542 miles), linking Thailand and Laos at the northeastern Thai city of Nong Khai.

It is part of Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road infrastructure drive, which aims to build a modern-day "Silk Road" connecting China to economies in Southeast and Central Asia by land and the Middle East and Europe by sea.


U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited the American Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to offer holiday greetings to troops Thursday. It was the first trip there by a Pentagon chief in almost 16 years.

Mattis was meeting with troops, not touring the detention facilities or discussing detainee policy options. His stay comes amid uncertainty over the Trump administration's policy on continued use of the military prison.

President Donald Trump hasn't released any Guantanamo prisoners or added any to the list of men who have been officially cleared to go home or to a third country for resettlement.

Mattis is the first defense secretary to visit Guantanamo Bay since Donald Rumsfeld in January 2002, just weeks after the first prisoners arrived from Afghanistan in the early stages of the fight against terrorism. The detention center was set up to hold suspected terrorists shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Mattis arrived at Guantanamo on Wednesday night and was accompanied by an Associated Press reporter.
In general, men are twice as likely to cheat on a spouse than women are. That frequency increases over the lifespan, peaking among the elderly. Among men 18 to 29 who have ever been married, about 1 in 10 is
Pennsylvania regulators lifted a block on construction of Sunoco Pipeline's controversial Mariner East project in West Goshen Township on Thursday after Sunoco said it no longer needs to build a valve station that has been a bone of contention.

The state Public Utility Commission voted, 3-2, to discontinue an injunction that prohibited the company from building the pipeline in West Goshen, one of the remaining obstacles to Sunoco Pipeline's completion of its much-delayed Mariner East 2 project, which will transport Marcellus Shale gas liquids to a terminal in Marcus Hook.

After several years of squabbling with West Goshen over the location of the valve station near the intersection of Boot Road and Route 202, Sunoco told the PUC that it had decided it no longer needs to build the facility anywhere in the township.

Rather than rescind the injunction, however, the PUC voted to "discontinue" it because several issues raised by West Goshen remain unresolved. Gladys Brown, the PUC's chair, and Andrew Place, the vice chairman, dissented.

"The parties have not settled this case, the township has clearly expressed its intent to continue to pursue this action, and contested issues remain before the commission," Brown said.

Sunoco's move to short-circuit the legal blockade came after the PUC in October kept in place an injunction that West Goshen had obtained from a hearing examiner after it said that Sunoco had secretly plotted to move the valve station to a location the township had not agreed to under a 2015 settlement.

Sunoco now says that the valve station in West Goshen "is neither needed operationally nor required by any applicable code or regulation," and that it has decided to scrap plans to build the facility as a matter of "managerial and construction judgment and discretion."

"We are pleased with the Public Utility Commission decision today, which will allow us to resume construction on the Mariner East 2 pipeline in West Goshen Township," said Jeffrey Shields, the company's spokesman. "With mainline pipeline construction approximately 91 percent complete and horizontal directional drilling more than 62 percent complete on Mariner East 2 across the state, we look forward to finishing this critical infrastructure project safely and responsibly."

Valve stations are safety features that allow the company to shut off flow on the pipeline in case of an emergency. Sunoco plans to install several valves along the pipeline's 350-mile route.

"They haven't said what their alternative plan is," said Richard Sokorai, the township's lawyer, who had argued with the PUC to keep the injunction in place.

Thursday evening, Shields said that an engineering analysis had determined that a valve was not needed in West Goshen, and that the company did not anticipate adding another valve site.

The $2.5 billion Mariner East project, including upgrades to the Marcus Hook terminal, is aimed at creating an eastern outlet for the production of gas liquids such as propane and ethane from the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations. Much of the material will be exported to petrochemical plants in Europe.

The project has aroused the objections of residents along the route and environmentalists. Representatives of a coalition of pipeline opponents called Del-Chesco United for Pipeline Safety met with Gov. Wolf on Wednesday and demanded that he halt construction.
The startle factor for visitors to Janet Knowles' home in Moorestown is routine. When guests step inside the warm, hospitable and welcoming space, they soon notice that just across from the entrance is, well, a stable. Yes, the kind for horses.

Knowles has grown accustomed to double takes as newcomers take in the original stalls, unexpected amenities in the vast space, and the commitment it took to transform a historic carriage house with stable into a home.

"I'm sure there are people who thought I was slightly crazy to buy his place," she says, "but I fell in love with it, and there are no regrets."

Janet Knowles' life has been laced with challenges and unusual choices. A single mother with two daughters after an early marriage and divorce, she sometimes juggled four jobs to make ends meet. She and her second husband bought a farm in Moorestown, where Janet sheltered abused horses. The couple, now divorced, began what is now the nonprofit Janet H. and C. Harry Knowles Foundation, dedicated to increasing New Jersey's pool of good science and math teachers. And she's tireless in her efforts to promote care of women with breast and ovarian cancer. MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper University Health Care in Camden has designated an area as the Janet Knowles Breast Cancer Center.

Knowles' motivation to completely renovate the carriage house started with an effort to find a home for her sister, who was dealing with cancer.

"I wanted to help her find a 'fixer-upper' in Moorestown, and I got quite involved in that rehabilitation," Knowles explains. "I loved doing it, and I really found that it was exciting to transform space."

So when a property on a quiet Moorestown street near the center of town came on the market in 2013, Knowles scooped up the late 1800s summer and carriage house that once belonged to the Strawbridge family of Philadelphia department store fame.

Originally, the Strawbridge parcel included a large farm, which was subdivided in 1960 into several residences. The original farmhouse was transformed into a home on Main Street.

The carriage house needed a lot of structural work, including raising the house off the ground in three-foot sections to deal with extensive damage around the perimeter. Indoor and outdoor walls needed repair, as well as insulation. Additions included a laundry room, foyers, an elevator, and garage.

Assisting Knowles were architect David Donachy and contractor Bill Kutteroff, both of Moorestown, who modernized the house while also making the most of its original "bones" and respecting Knowles' love of horses and passion for the old stable.

Four of the original six mahogany stalls were restored. The surrounding area has been transformed into an inviting space where Knowles and guests can lounge on comfy chairs and sofas surrounded by bookcases. The room features a distinctive tin ceiling.

Two foyers, one behind the other, welcome guests to the upper floors, and like most walls in the home, the stairway hosts a gallery of Knowles' antique art, needlepoint, and samplers, including scenes of historic Moorestown that she has found at local thrift shops. (Until recently, Knowles stocked and ran a popular Haddonfield thrift shop, and she was admittedly one of her own best customers.)

The home's second-floor bedrooms impart the feeling of a beautifully furnished inn, with loads of Tiffany-type lamps, quilts, and antique beds. Knowles' own bedroom suite has the same kind of charm and simplicity but is outfitted with practical amenities such as ample closets.

With the help of her architect and contractor, she also has created a sleek, efficient working kitchen.

Banished from the third floor and elsewhere is the pink decor that former owners had chosen. Her keen eye for design and color led Knowles to restore the original look of that floor's beams and a mellow palette.

The piece de resistance is the vast living area on the second floor, which was originally the hayloft. In the spirit of honoring what was, Knowles left burn marks on some walls as a reminder of previous fires, which were common.

"This is where I like to hang out and where life feels so calm and joyful," Knowles says.

Home is where Knowles unwinds, sometimes with her two daughters and her grandchildren, but often in splendid solitude, surrounded by the art and crafts she loves.

"I just look around sometimes and know that no matter how complicated the process was, this is truly where I belong."
The exterior of a trinity home, center, located on the 1000 block of Moyamensing Ave., in Philadelphia. Read more

For the second time in a little more than a decade, Alison Towers needs a new refrigerator.

A nuisance? Certainly. An unexpected expense? Without a doubt. But the genesis of a full-on construction project?

For Towers and a subset of the Philadelphia population, absolutely.

Nestled amid a string of colorful rowhouses on Hancock Street in Queen Village, Towers, as well as her husband, daughter, and their giant Labrador retriever, live in a trinity, a style of house unique to Philadelphia. Standing typically at three stories and measuring no more than 16 feet wide, Philadelphia's trinity homes  also called bandboxes or "Father, Son and Holy Ghost" houses  are known for their simple floor plans, winding spiral staircases, and cozy offerings on quiet blocks.

They are also the source of a lot of aggravation.

For all their charm and history, trinity homes present a host of problems for the uninitiated buyer. Ranging from 400 to well-under 1,000 square feet in size, the homes can seem cramped for a family of more than two or three. With just one room on each floor  and no doors leading to these rooms  trinities, owners say, often offer little privacy. And the steep and narrow winding "Betsy Ross" staircase that defines the trinity makes moving furniture in and out monumentally difficult.

Which is exactly why Towers' refrigerator dilemma requires a bit of construction.

"I'm not going to get a refrigerator down into the kitchen [in the basement] without taking out the stairs, taking out the structural mid-column, and then talking some kind of delivery guy into getting it down there," said Towers, 63, a partner in the architecture firm Towers & Miller. "Last time we did this, for months we lived with the bottom steps gone and with a ladder going down to the bottom."

You get really good at climbing up and down the ladder to the basement, said Towers, who has lived in her trinity for more than three decades. Now Ill be back at it again because the darn refrigerator broke.



Trinity owners and renters across the city are quick to joke about the circumstances of their homes, such as the times they had to saw their box-springs into half to fit them up the stairs, or the days that tall residents spent bowing their heads to fit under low-hanging ceilings. But in the same breath, they often expound upon the homes' benefits: their character, their history, and the quiet streets where most of them sit. With most trinities tucked off of major streets, it's not uncommon for residents to pull tables into the alleyways for dinners or for kids to blow up inflatable pools to swim in the streets during the city's hot summers.

"They are cozy, nice little dollhouse homes," said Pat Conway, a Realtor and a member of the Conway Team, a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach real estate group that focuses on the Queen Village area. "And you can have a trinity next to a million-dollar house."

"They are cute houses for a young, single person or a young couple wanting to get into a good neighborhood," said Conway, who grew up in an "extended" trinity home  one only slightly larger than the original bandbox  with his two parents and three brothers. The four boys, Conway said, shared bunk beds on the upper floors, and found room to play by sliding up and down the spiral staircase on their sleeping bags.

"They are built so well, even if some might be a little uneven," Conway said. " I used to have a home inspector say a few years ago, 'If you were 150 years old, you might be leaning, too.' "

With their origins dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, trinity homes are one of the earliest examples of Philadelphia housing. Constructed during the city's budding growth, these bandbox homes were tucked behind or in between the city's primary streets, as well as within residential courts, to house Philadelphia's servants and working class.

"It was an efficient way to build a really nice house," said Tim Kerner, a principal at the Philadelphia architecture firm Terra Studio, who is restoring a trinity on the 1000 block of East Moyamensing Avenue in Queen Village. Trinities, he continued, "are all about getting clever with really small spaces."

For the most part, historians and real estate agents say, trinity homes were built in Georgian or Colonial brick style and are concentrated in areas including Queen Village, Old City, South Philadelphia, and the River Wards. While some have been renovated and expanded beyond the three or four stories (three floors plus a basement) that defined the originals, many of the earliest examples still remain today, accounting for a piece of the nearly 400,000 rowhouses citywide.

Today, these century-old trinity homes are especially in vogue. Across the globe, more and more residents have embraced the "tiny home" lifestyle, downsizing their homes  and their lives  in favor of minimalism and simplicity. Trinities offer residents exactly that: small-sized living in a large, busy city.

Interspersed with larger rowhouses, trinities today help create more economic diversity in popular neighborhoods with strong public school catchments. In high-demand neighborhoods such as Queen Village, for example, trinity homes have sold recently for less than $200,000, according to property records  nearly half of the 19147 zip code's median price of $385,000 in the third quarter of 2017.

The economic model of having smaller, more affordable units in high-priced neighborhoods is not unique to Philadelphia. In Paris, for example, residents have found more affordable housing units in chambres de bonne, astoundingly tiny French apartments located in higher-priced apartments and buildings. And in cities from London to New York, basement apartments typically offer the same, more affordable benefit, too.

The affordability of trinity homes  coupled with their historical appeal  was one reason Lola Arellano-Fryer and her partner chose one nearly four years ago.

"I was going to be living in Philly for the first time, and I got hooked by this idea of living in this quintessentially Philadelphia home," said Arellano-Fryer, a 31-year-old social-media manager. "It sounded like the perfect size for two people."

After searching for a trinity online for weeks, Arellano-Fryer finally snagged one built in the late 1800s on a residential court in Fishtown. Measuring just 500 square feet, Arellano-Fryer's home featured four levels, each with a footprint only slightly bigger than 10 feet by 10 feet. In her kitchen basement, all her appliances were miniature.

"The biggest challenge we probably faced was storage," she said. "There was only one closet in the kitchen, and no closet in the bedroom.  We bought a large wardrobe to store all of our clothing, but we had to take it up the stairs piece by piece and then assemble it."

And to move it out a few years later, Arellano-Fryer did what many trinity owners do: She hired professional movers to hoist most of her furniture out her third-story bedroom window.

"We wanted something bigger," Arellano-Fryer said of her decision to move. "And we potentially wanted to start a family in this house, and I couldn't imagine growing into a trinity  having a toddler on the stairs would make me so nervous."

Squeezing a large family into a small house is not atypical in Philadelphia.

"The idea of privacy is a modern idea. The notion of a door to your bedroom is also a modern thing," said Towers, the Queen Village architect. "Trinities do not have those things  so when you come up the stairs, you land in a room that people sleep in."

"There's no sense of privacy; there's no place to get away," Towers continued. "No door to slam when you are in a snit. If you want to slam the closet or bathroom door, go right ahead."

In a trinity home, Towers said, it's all that you can do.
Stanislaw Stan Radkowski  native of Poland, naturalized citizen of the United States, Vietnam veteran, and Air Force retiree  has been chronically homeless since the early 2000s. Read more

Just in time for the holidays, Stanislaw "Stan" Radkowski, 79, finally came in from the cold.

The retired Air Force and Army veteran had been living on the edge of the Pine Barrens, camping in the New Jersey woods when his pension and Social Security benefits couldn't cover a motel.

For Radkowski, camping behind McGuire Air Force Base "made a lot of sense. It was what I could afford. I started camping out about 10 years ago in a sleeping bag, with a poncho, in case it rained."

But that's just the beginning of his story. Radkowski  kidnapped as a child by the Nazis, naturalized American citizen, Vietnam veteran, and Air Force and U.S. civil-service retiree  had been chronically homeless since the early 2000s. After a year of talking with him and gaining his trust, the Veterans Multi-Service Center in Center City was able to house him through a cooperative effort with the Veterans Administration.

In November, Radkowski signed an apartment lease in the Wrightstown, N.J., area. The Veterans Multi-Service Center also worked to help him reconnect with his children, whom he had not seen in more than 30 years.

Radkowski was born in 1938 or 1939 in Poland, and was just a few years old when Hitler's Lebensborn program swept him into the chaos of war. Under Lebensborn, the Nazis kidnapped children considered "racially pure" in countries they occupied.

Some were already orphans; others were literally stolen from their parents' arms by the Nazis. Thousands were transferred to Lebensborn centers to be "Germanized," up to 100,000 from Poland alone. Radkowski was given a German name, Fritz Radke, and placed with an Austrian adoptive family.

By 1945, when the Allies tried to relocate kidnapped Lebensborn children, Radkowski couldn't even remember his birth parents. He and thousands of others drifted around refugee camps in Italy and Spain, until he was old enough at 18 to immigrate to America in 1957.

"I was one of the lucky ones," he said.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving for three years, then served in the Air Force for 16 years, stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines and then in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He met and married a Filipina and had two children. "She wasn't interested in moving back with me to the U.S.," he recalled, and they separated.

By the time Radkowski retired from the civil service in the 1980s, he was living in and out of motels in New Jersey, uninterested in veterans' housing benefits.

In 2016, the Center City-based Veterans Multi-Service Center provided funds to 992 veterans or veteran households to either prevent homelessness or put veterans back in homes. VMC outreach workers Javier Galindo and Douglas Woods heard about Radkowski through the grapevine.

"He didn't want any help. He's highly independent, so it took us about a year to get him to even tell us his name and show us his military ID," said Galindo.

Still, it took some convincing. Radkowski's health was failing, and he ultimately agreed to allow the VMC to assist him.

"Doug and Javier found me a place," Radkowski said recently, smiling at the two men, also veterans. The VA and VMC connected him with doctors for routine health care and several surgical procedures. And finally, in November, the VMC helped him move into permanent housing in Burlington County. He's the leaseholder for his own two-bedroom unit and will be spending his first holidays inside in more than a decade.

The VMC also located his adult children, Stan Jr. and Paz.

"My children didn't know I was living in the woods," Radkowski said. They had no idea of their father's history, or if he was even alive. They live in California and traveled here for a weeklong stay earlier this year.

The VMC has provided transitional housing to 362 veterans at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. And a drop-in service center, the Perimeter at Fourth and Race Streets, served about 3,600 vets last year, many of whom were repeat visitors.

At the Perimeter, "we give veterans a change to clean their clothes, shower, eat lunch, get connected to services, and stay warm," said Charlie Forshee, VMC's deputy executive director.

Radkowski visits the military base often, probably most days now. He's able to do his grocery shopping there, but there's also a library on base where he spends a lot of time.

"Yes, I've had a fascinating life," he said. "But really, I've had too much change in my life."
The U.S. and NATO have voiced concern that a new Russian cruise missile breaches the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The U.S.-Soviet pact bans all land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310-3,410 miles).

Russia's Foreign Ministry has dismissed the U.S. claim that a new Russian missile violates a Cold War-era arms treaty.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said at Thursday's briefing that the 9M729 land-based cruise missile "fully conforms to the demands of the treaty." She insisted that it "hasn't been designed and tested for the range prohibited by the treaty."

Zakharova said that Moscow expects Washington to start talks to discuss what Russia considers as U.S. violations of the treaty. Washington has rejected Russian claims of perceived violations.
Peter Barsz, 60, is the Chester Upland School District receiver. He said he gave Chester Community Charter School a nine-year renewal to save the district. CLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer Read more

For years, charter school proponents have been trying to change Pennsylvania law so that operating agreement renewals could be extended from five years to 10.

They haven't succeeded in Harrisburg. But that didn't deter Chester Community Charter School.

One year into Chester Community's latest five-year agreement, Peter R. Barsz, the court-appointed receiver who oversees the financially distressed Chester Upland School District and wields nearly all the powers of a school board, took the unprecedented step of extending the Delaware County school's term for five more years to 2026.

Barsz contends that the move was designed to protect Chester High School: In return, Chester Community, which already enrolls about 70 percent of the primary grade students in the struggling district, agreed not to open a high school.

The decision means staff and parents at the state's largest bricks-and-mortar charter  already slated to receive more than $55 million in taxpayer funds this school year  won't have to worry about its fate for nearly a decade, even if its test scores continue to fall far short of state benchmarks.

It also guarantees that CSMI LLC, a for-profit education management company that operates the K-8 school with 4,200 students, will receive millions of dollars in revenue for nine more years.

Chester Community's extension comes as school districts across the commonwealth and nation are wrestling with the growth of charter schools, more privatization in education and the impact on traditional public schools. It also renews lingering questions about the intersection of politics, government and schools.

CSMI's founder and CEO is Vahan H. Gureghian of Gladwyne, a lawyer, entrepreneur and major Republican donor the largest individual contributor to former Gov. Tom Corbett. And though CSMI's books are not public  the for-profit firm has never disclosed its profits and won't discuss its management fee  running the school appears to be a lucrative business. State records show that Gureghian's company collected nearly $17 million in taxpayer funds just in 2014-15, when only 2,900 students were enrolled.

Barsz, meanwhile, is a Delaware County Republican and accountant who has served as treasurer for multiple GOP groups, including Corbett's campaign. Over objections from the state Department of Education and at the urging of Chester Community, a judge reappointed Barsz the Chester Upland receiver in May. Weeks later, he extended Chester Community's charter to June 30, 2026.

Months after the move, state education officials have declined to discuss the matter in detail, but acknowledge they are researching a possible legal challenge to Barsz's decision.

The department, a spokeswoman said, "continues to review the documents provided by the receiver, the data reported by the charter school, and the Charter School Law to determine if any additional action is warranted."

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, whose office has scrutinized the Chester school's finances in the past and who has often called the state's charter law "the worst in the country," was unaware of the renewal until he was told this month by the Inquirer and Daily News.

DePasquale, a Democrat, said he had never heard of such a lengthy charter school renewal, and questioned whether the move limited the district's authority to demand improvements, especially at a school where test scores are so low.

"This is giving away the accountability that is so desperately needed  for nine years," he said.

David E. Clark, Chester Community's CEO, declined to be interviewed. But in a statement, he defended the renewal and said it would provide needed stability for Chester Community and the school district.

"This was viewed as an opportunity to improve our school and the instructional experience we provide, especially given the recurring financial and funding challenges faced by the Chester Upland School District," Clark said.

A closely watched district

For decades, Chester has been a micro-lab for educational experiments, including charters. The city is perennially one of the state's poorest and its public school system among its neediest.

Five years ago, then-Education Secretary Ron Tomalis designated Chester Upland a district in financial distress. That decision led to greater control and funding from the state and the appointment of a receiver to oversee the system.

Charters were supposed to be one possible savior.

The privately managed schools educate 51 percent of the students in Chester Upland. And nearly three-quarters of the younger students go to Chester Community.

CSMI, its parent company, has long been a prominent player in the charter world  and not just in Chester. The company runs a school in Atlantic County, N.J., and until last year had another in Camden  New Jersey denied its renewal because of low academic performance.

Chester Community has also struggled to succeed. The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) exams released in September showed that Chester Community had some of the lowest scores among charter schools in the region: Less than 16 percent of students passed PSSA reading tests in the last school year; 6 percent passed math.

The scores were lower than all but one of the four Chester Upland district schools that have K-8 students.

That was the backdrop Barsz was dealing with when, in June 2016, he became the district's third receiver. The Chester Upland board recommended him for the appointment, and he had the backing of Chester Community and the other charters in the district  Widener Partnership and Chester Charter for the Arts. State Education Secretary Pedro Rivera asked the Delaware County judge to appoint Barsz for a year.

By law, a receiver takes on most responsibilities of a school board, including approving budgets and renewing charters. The elected board still levies taxes. Barsz, 60, a certified public accountant, is a partner at a regional accounting firm. His $144,000 receiver's salary is paid by the state.

But in time, his relationship with state education officials grew strained.

We all need to get better

In May, Rivera said he could not recommend Barsz's reappointment when his term expired in June, and the department asked Delaware County Court Judge Chad F. Kenney to replace him.

David W. Volkman, executive deputy secretary of the department, said in court filings that Barsz had not been able to provide the leadership needed to improve Chester Upland's academics and finances.

He alleged Barsz was distracted by other duties and was not devoting his full attention to Chester Upland. He also said that Barsz had been aware the district was delinquent in making earned-income tax payments months before the department was told, which led to the district owing more interest costs and penalties.

Barsz denied the allegations and asked to be reappointed. The Chester Upland school board sided with him. "Well, you don't change nothing that's working," Board President Anthony Johnson told the judge at a hearing May 24, according to the transcript.

Other charters, including cyber schools that enroll district students, took no position on Barsz's remaining as receiver.

But Chester Community said in a filing to the judge that Barsz had taken steps to improve the district's finances and should be reappointed. Barsz's "continued service as receiver is integral to ongoing progress," the school said.

In his May 25 decision, Kenney said that replacing Barsz would cause Chester Upland to have its fourth receiver in five years and create "a lack of continuity in leadership and direction" that would not be good for the district or its students. He reappointed Barsz for two years.

A little more than three weeks later, Chester Community submitted its charter renewal proposal. Five days later, on June 27, Barsz approved the plan, extending the school's term to June 30, 2026.

Amy Munro, acting chief of the state Education Department's charter division, said the department learned about the renewal the day it occurred  and objected to the move.

State law "expressly provides that a charter may be renewed for five-year periods," Munro later wrote in a letter to Barsz. She said there appeared to be nothing in the law that would allow an early renewal during a charter's existing period without "a comprehensive review" of its operations during its current term.

In his response, Barsz said he had conducted a detailed review of Chester Community, including examining its annual reports, yearly audits and test scores.

He said he acted because Chester Community offered to forgo opening a high school  one that had been previously approved  and instead remain a K-8 school through 2026. Approving the proposal, he said, was a way to safeguard Chester High School from a further decline in enrollment. The school, which had 1,605 students a dozen years ago, had fallen to approximately 1,100 in 2016-17.

"In short, we were presented with a unique opportunity to help secure the future of an extremely challenged school district," he wrote in his letter to Munro. "Chester High School is the flagship of the Chester Upland School District The potential creation of the charter high school in the district threatened to undermine the future of the entire district."

The two-page charter renewal Barsz signed also gave the school a green light to expand its K-8 enrollment  authorizing a fourth site in Aston and "any other added" locations in the district "as deemed necessary by Chester Community Charter School from time to time"

The fourth campus is a leased building in an industrial park in Aston that had housed the Chester Charter School for the Arts before it moved to a $30 million new campus in August.

A. Bruce Crawley, Chester Community's spokesman, said recently that CSMI supported the renewal and that the management firm provided "technical and legal support" during negotiations with Chester Upland for renewal terms. He and CSMI declined to name the company representatives or say if Gureghian was involved. Crawley said it was difficult to identify CSMI's participants because the matter was discussed at more than one meeting.

In a written response to questions from the Inquirer and Daily News, Crawley said the renewal was not tied to the charter's support in court for Barsz in the dispute over his reappointment. He said the Chester Upland board was the primary backer of Barsz's reappointment. He said the hearing transcript shows that another charter had attempted to voice support for the board's position, but that the judge said the charters had no role in that discussion.

"Clearly, therefore, there was not a connection between the renewal of CCCS's charter and Mr. Barsz continuing as  receiver," Crawley wrote.

In an interview this fall, Barsz said that while evaluating the renewal application, he reviewed Chester Community's sub-par test scores but was as concerned about student performance in the district as a whole.

"Our academics are not good  our school district," he said. "And [Chester Community] I'm concerned about as well. We all need to get better."

Barsz also said he was not sure he even knew that Chester Community had advocated for his reappointment.

"In all honestythis is the first I'm hearing that," he said. "I didn't think they took a position. It's nice to hear they supported me; I needed it."

Barsz added: "On the other side, I cannot think that the judge let one letter influence his decision  especially since he extended [the appointment] for two years."
In this Dec. 5, 2017 photo, actress Margot Robbie, a cast member in the film "I, Tonya," poses for a portrait at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. The film tells the story of the disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding from youth to middle age, including the infamous assault on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. Read more

The strange-but-true origin story of I, Tonya involves star/producer Margot Robbie reading the script and praising the writer for having such a rich imagination.

Only later did she learn the story was true  that in 1994 one Olympic figure skater, Tonya Harding, become involved in a conspiracy to injure another, Nancy Kerrigan.

"When I found out it was a true story, I was even more intrigued. Because everyone had such a strong reaction to Tonya, and so many people clearly hated her. And I really wanted to know why. And that took me to larger issues  classism, people who are economically disenfranchised, the way that women are expected to conform to narrowly defined roles, the way women are pitted against each other. The script led to so many bigger conversations, and so much of it is extremely relevant today," said Robbie, whose production company, LuckyChap, made the picture.

I, Tonya charts Harding's rise from a poor girl living in Oregon, from a broken and abusive home  a trajectory made possible by her astonishing prowess at skating.

She is unable, however, to break the gravitational pull of her mother (Allison Janney), who was emotionally and physically abusive  traits shared by Tonya's husband (Sebastian Stan).

Depicting that domestic violence was Robbie's biggest challenge as an actor and producer. She hired the director (Craig Gillespie) who had the best ideas about how to make the scenes defensible, especially in the context of a movie with the tone of black comedy.

"It was Craig who said you can't sugarcoat it. That would be a great disservice to Tonya. You have to show it. Then he had this great idea to have Tonya speak directly to the camera. She's sort of like the audience's emotional guide through these scenes," Robbie said. "I think that makes it easier for the audience, even though the violence is hard to watch. But violence should be hard to watch. It's a tricky dance."

Also tricky  finding an actor who could play Tonya's husband, Jeff Gillooly. Someone who could somehow occupy the character and not alienate the audience completely. She looked at many actors until seeing something in Stan's audition that somehow made it work  as Stan puts it, showing the "funny, endearing" guy that Harding fell for, and the "scary" guy she had to leave.

"Margot 100 percent deserved a lot of the credit for making this work. It's amazing. She's very young to be doing what she's doing  so proactive about her career. I'm looking at her during the making of this movie and thinking  I should start my own company," said Stan, better known as Bucky Barnes in the Captain America movies.

"You watch Margot, and you see she's very passionate about what she's doing. I think she's interested in stories that give women a voice. And I think she saw there was something in Tonya's story that had been overlooked."

Robbie met with Harding before filming (recently, they've been on the red carpet together) and was surprised by Harding's curiosity  Harding was 24 at the time of "the incident," and she wanted to know how Robbie was handling fame at such an early age.

Robbie said Harding is now quite happy, remarried with children, and doing well. Robbie commissioned a rewrite to show Harding as she is today but stuck with original ending, which shows Harding's post-skating career as a fighter, in keeping with the movie's theme.

I, Tonya also reminds people of Harding's phenomenal gifts as a skater. When Robbie went looking for a skater/stunt double to land the unprecedented double-toe-loop, triple axel that Harding first performed in 1991, the movie's skating coordinator said it would impossible.

"She said there's no one who can do it. Only six women in the world have done it since Tonya did it 25 years ago. It was insane what she did."
The Philadelphia Orchestra has had a closer relationship with Charles Dutoit than with any other guest conductor, and the highly regarded Swiss-born maestro, now the orchestra's conductor laureate, was considered more than once for the post of music director, its top spot.

Dutoit, 81, who was accused of sexual misconduct by four women in an Associated Press news story Thursday, has performed 650 concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra since his debut in 1980, including some concerts on tours. He also shored up the orchestra artistically at a delicate time after it parted ways with Christoph Eschenbach.

Asked to respond, Dutoit on Thursday wrote in an email that he had just arrived in Europe from Japan to find out about the allegations, and declined to speak, as he is seeking legal advice.

Read more: AP Exclusive  Famed conductor accused of sexual misconduct

The Philadelphia Orchestra Association released a statement Thursday evening saying it was "horrified to learn of the deeply troubling accusations of sexual misconduct against Charles Dutoit. We had no knowledge of these allegations. The Association is committed to providing a safe and respectful work environment for all of its employees and guest artists."

The statement said the orchestra deplores "the type of behavior described by Mr. Dutoit's accusers and we recognize

our responsibility to be a forceful opponent of abuses of power. The seriousness of the accusations demands a thorough investigation. We offer our sincerest sympathy to those who have been impacted."

Asked if the statement meant the orchestra would undertake an investigation or would revoke Dutoit's laureate conductor title, and if the conductor would ever again perform here, a spokeswoman said those issues were under discussion  though Dutoit's name and photograph were removed late Thursday from the conducting roster on the orchestra's website.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony both said they were severing ties with the conductor, and the New York Philharmonic said Dutoit had withdrawn from January dates with that orchestra.

Joseph H. Kluger, who was the orchestra's president during much of Dutoit's time in Philadelphia and is no longer affiliated with the organization, said Thursday that he was "not aware of any occasion in which anybody brought, certainly not to my attention or anyone else's at the Philadelphia Orchestra, any complaints about his behavior throughout the time I was there."

That said, Kluger, who led the orchestra for 16 years through 2005, said he was "not surprised by the AP story." Kluger said that rumors of what he called Dutoit's flirtatious "inappropriate behavior" were widespread, and that the leadership "made it clear to everyone who worked on staff with the Philadelphia Orchestra to be careful and bring to us any examples of any behavior that was inappropriate. No one did while I was there."

Philadelphia Orchestra members belong to a union and are able to give feedback on guest conductors through committees or principal players, who pass on that feedback to management. Cellist John Koen, who has served as chairman of the Philadelphia Orchestra's members' committee, noted that the dynamic with Dutoit was different than with other guest conductors, since he held titles with the orchestra. Still, he said he knew of no formal complaints regarding Dutoit's behavior with orchestra members.

Dutoit's associations with the orchestra run long and deep. He held the title of chief conductor from 2008 to 2012, and though he did not become music director, no one doubted his artistic authority. He was artistic director of the orchestra's summer season at the Mann Center from 1990 to 1999, holding the same position for 21 years at the orchestra's late-summer home at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. He ended his Saratoga Springs, N.Y., tenure in 2010 after more than 180 concerts there with the orchestra.

Many players have spoken over the years of the easy relationship the ensemble developed with him  a kind of shorthand of gestures and channeled wishes from the podium that made rehearsals efficient and performances exciting and polished. The regard was mutual.

"The orchestra responds to me, or I respond to them, this kind of chemistry has been built over the years, many years," Dutoit said in 2007. "Now I feel like I am driving a Rolls-Royce or playing the organ  where I pull the stops, and so I can choose the colors and they react immediately. And it's an exceptional thing."

In 1991, Dutoit was made an honorary citizen of the City of Philadelphia, and he holds an honorary doctorate from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he occasionally worked with the conservatory's orchestra in guest readings. "You have been a star for Philadelphia for a long, long period of time," said then-Mayor Michael Nutter in a 2011 tribute video to the conductor. "We've enjoyed your music, but more importantly, you've demonstrated to the world why Philadelphia has one of the best orchestras anywhere."

Dutoit last appeared here in March 2017, leading the orchestra in Britten's War Requiem. He is not scheduled to return, an orchestra spokesman said. Musically, Dutoit is highly regarded in a wide variety of repertoire. He once traced his history with the Philadelphia Orchestra to hearing Eugene Ormandy conduct it in Geneva, in his native Switzerland, in the 1950s.

"They opened the concert" with the overture to Rossini's Semiramide, he said. "And you hear this balance  tikitikitikitiki  and the flute on top of it. The 30 violins were the shade of the flute  it was unbelievable, the balance. I remember that as probably the greatest experience in my life. That is the way one should play, the quality one has to achieve."
Rain falls on the glass entrance to SEPTAs underground concourse at Dilworth Park by City Hall. TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer Read more

Early forecasts see a wet and cold Christmas with rain and possible snow for the Philadelphia region.

Temperatures could reach a high of 60 in the city on Saturday before plunging into a frigid week between Monday and New Year's Day. The Jersey Shore will experience seasonable but slightly milder temperatures.

Overnight Sunday into Monday, "a period of snow is possible across much of the area," especially north and west of I-95, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly said Thursday. The morning precipitation is expected to taper off into dry but blustery conditions for the afternoon.

Eagles fans heading to Lincoln Financial Field for the 8:30 p.m. game against the Oakland Raiders on Christmas should bundle up for bitter wind chills.

The weather service said "a significant snowfall is not expected at this time, but we will need to keep an eye on this, given the holiday travel concerns."

AAA predicts 107.3 million Americans will travel between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, with more than 90 percent driving. That will be the highest year-end travel volume on record and the ninth consecutive year of rising year-end travel, AAA said.

Friday mainly will be dry with warming temperatures with a chance for precipitation in the north, the weather service said.

Above-normal temperatures will peak on Saturday with some periods of rain. Snow elsewhere could affect travel out of Philadelphia.

Snow on Christmas is highly unusual in Philadelphia. From 1919 to 1960, for example, no snow was measured officially in the city.

However, a Christmas Eve storm in 1966 dumped a foot of snow  a record for Dec. 24 in Philadelphia.
Artist's rendering of New Market West project proposed for the 5900 block of Market Street in West Philadelphia by Mission First Housing Group. Read more

Pennsylvania officials have awarded affordable housing developer Mission First Housing Group a $5 million grant to help build a complex of apartments, shops, offices, and early-learning classrooms at 59th and Market Streets in West Philadelphia.

The New Market West project, slated to cover an entire block, was Philadelphia's biggest recipient of funds from the most recent round of Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program awards, Gov. Wolf's office said Friday. The release did not include an already announced award from the 2017 RACP round to develop Aramark's new headquarters at 2400 Market St.

Statewide, 399 projects sought over $1.7 billion in RACP funding in 2017; 149 received grants totaling $187.8 million. New Market West was one of only 17 to have its complete request satisfied.

The $63 million development is to include 41 dwelling units, nearly 68,000 square feet of office space and 13,700 square feet of ground-floor retail. Tenants will include social services provider ACHIEVEability.

"New Market West will be a game-changer for West Philadelphia and will serve as a springboard for ACHIEVEability to deepen its good work," Mission First CEO Alfredo de la Pena said in a statement.

Throughout Philadelphia and Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Delaware Counties, $55.7 million was awarded, Wolf's office said. Area projects funded include:
Philadelphia Water Department crews are seen here examining the section of a water main that broke on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, on 18th Street near Locust on the east side of Rittenhouse Square. Read more

Streets are closed again around Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square after a second section of a water main broke early Thursday morning on 18th Street near Locust.

About 5 a.m., a 10-foot section of main broke a little farther north from a different section that broke Wednesday morning, said John DiGiulio, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Water Department.

Water was "escaping out onto the street" for about half an hour to an hour before it was turned off, DiGiulio said.

Two streets around the square  18th Street on the east side, from Spruce to Walnut, and Rittenhouse from 18th to 19th Street  remain closed, DiGiulio said early Thursday afternoon.

The restaurants Parc and Devon, both on 18th near Locust, were closed Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon because of the breaks. Both restaurants were hoping to re-open for Thursday night's dinner.

Thursday's break did not occur on the same section that broke Wednesday, DiGiulio said.

It was late Wednesday morning when a six-foot section of the pipe, also on 18th Street near Locust broke, clogging traffic around the Square and causing flooding damage at the Curtis Institute of Music's historic Locust Street building.

Wednesday's break flooded the basement and subbasement of the Curtis building at 1726 Locust. There appeared to be extensive damage to those two levels, which includes a workshop for repairing and maintaining pianos. Between 15 and 20 pianos were in the workshop at the time, and a total of three organs were in the affected area. Wednesday was the last day of school before winter break, and classes don't resume until Jan. 16.

Jennifer Kallend, a spokeswoman for the Curtis Institute, said that with Thursday's second water-main break, the basement and subbasement flooded again. "The immediate effect is that the cleanup work that we started yesterday needs to begin all over again," she said. She said Curtis is still assessing the extent of the damage.

DiGiulio said the Water Department is hoping to repair the second break by early evening Thursday. The age of the main and the colder weather are believed to be contributing factors in both breaks, he said.
Philadelphia police crime tape remains tied to a porch rail along the 6600 block of Dorel Street in Southwest Philadelphia on Friday morning December 22, 2017. Four people were shot, one died late Thursday evening. Read more

After a man in Southwest Philadelphia assaulted his girlfriend Thursday, she came back with family members to confront him later that night, police said. That confrontation ended outside the man's home when he pulled out a gun, shot four of the men, and fled the scene, police said Friday.

One of the men died early Friday. The names of the victims and the suspect have not been released.

The shooter remains at large, Capt. John Ryan, head of the Homicide Unit, said Friday afternoon. Police know who he is  since the shooting occurred outside his house  and are looking for him.

The encounter began with what Ryan called a "domestic incident" on the 1700 block of South 58th Street in Southwest Philadelphia. The woman was assaulted by her boyfriend, the father of her children, Ryan said. She was not severely injured and did not report the incident to police, but told her family.

A group of five family members went with the woman to confront the man at his home on the 6600 block of Dorel Street. Ryan said he could not speak to whether any were armed when they arrived.

After "a lot of interaction," Ryan said, the boyfriend "produced a gun and four people were shot."

Police arrived around 9:30 p.m. and took the four men who were shot to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

A 23-year-old man was pronounced dead at 4 a.m. Friday, police said. Two of the men, a 22-year-old and 32-year-old, were listed in stable condition Friday. The fourth, a 22-year-old man, was listed in critical condition.
The U.S. Forces Korea has told troops to report North Korean leaflets that have been turning up with increasing frequency in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The Eighth U.S. Army on Thursday issued an alert urging personnel to report North Korean propaganda to the authorities.

"A significant number of North Korean propaganda leaflets and CDs were recently placed at strategic locations on multiple U.S. military installations" across South Korea, the alert says.

"Given the number of foreign nationals with access to our military installations via employment, sponsorship, and partnership programs, the potential for insider threat is always a reality," it adds. "It is essential for our personnel to report all propaganda and suspicious individuals to the appropriate authorities."


At a budget meeting last week at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, employees were also told to avoid these words and phrases: fetus, transgender, evidence-based and science-based. Read more

WASHINGTON  The Trump administration is waging a linguistic battle across official Washington, seeking to shift public perception of key policies by changing the way the federal government talks about climate change, scientific evidence and disadvantaged communities.

The push drew fresh attention after employees at the Department of Health and Human Services were told to avoid certain words  including "vulnerable," "entitlement" and "diversity"  when preparing requests for next year's budget. But the effort to disappear certain language and replace it with other terms is much broader, sparking resistance from career officials in federal agencies, outside experts and congressional Democrats.

Climate change, for example, has for months presented a linguistic minefield; references to it have been purged repeatedly at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department. And in late summer, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention issued a "language guidance" document to employees and contractors bearing a column of words and phrases to be avoided, alongside a column of acceptable alternatives.

The one-page document recommends using "all youth" instead of "underserved youth," referring to crime as a "public issue/public concern" rather than a "public health issue/public health concern" and describing young people who commit crimes as "offenders" rather than "system-involved or justice-involved youths," according to a copy of the document obtained by the Washington Post.

The document also says to avoid the term "substance abuse disorder" in favor of "substance abuse issue"  a change that runs counter to efforts by experts to cast substance abuse as a disease. A Justice Department official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said "the recommended terminology is intended to be more accurate and better reflect Justice Department priorities."

The desire to literally change the conversation in Washington is nothing new. For decades, incoming administrations have sought to advance their political agendas by rebranding existing initiatives and lifting new words to prominence in White House news releases.

After winning the election on a vow to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Barack Obama dropped George W. Bush-era references to the "global war on terror," creating a new budget category labeled "overseas contingency operations." Meanwhile, Obama appointees at HHS abandoned the term "unaccompanied alien children," replacing it with "unaccompanied minors." (The current administration has reverted to "alien children," which is statutory language.)

But even in the context of this historical tug-of-war, the chasm between President Trump's top deputies and the federal workers charged with carrying out government policies appears particularly wide.

"The administration correctly understands that they are battling a hostile bureaucracy," said Barry Bennett, a GOP consultant who advised the president during last year's general election campaign. "The left likes to think that words are very important, particularly if it's words they don't like. Well, the right thinks that, too."

The debate erupted last week after HHS officials instructed employees to avoid certain words when drafting the department's fiscal 2019 budget request. A budget request describes an agency's work and mission, establishes priorities and sends a broad message about the direction of federal policy under an administration.

The instructions were part of a one-page "style guide," obtained by the Washington Post, that was included in a much longer budget guidance document. The style guide lists "vulnerable," "diversity" and "entitlement" as "words to avoid" when drafting the agency's fiscal 2019 budget request  except "when the terms are referenced within a legal citation or part of a title."

HHS spokesman Matt Lloyd confirmed that agency officials created the document but said they did not ban any words outright. The document was distributed to budget offices in the department's operating divisions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, an HHS official said.

At a budget meeting last week at the CDC in Atlanta, employees were also told to avoid four additional words and phrases: "fetus," "transgender," "evidence-based" and "science-based." The origin and intention of that verbal direction remains murky.

In an email, Lloyd said that "HHS and its agencies have not banned, prohibited or forbidden employees from using certain words." Instead, Lloyd said, employees have "misconstrued guidelines provided during routine discussions on the annual budget process. It was clearly stated to those involved in the discussions that the science should always drive the narrative."

But an official at another HHS agency who was briefed last week on use of "vulnerable," "diversity" and "entitlement" said the message was clear.

"It was interpreted as 'you are not to use these words in the budget narrative,' " said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency communications.

On Thursday, 10 Senate Democrats sent a letter to HHS's acting secretary, Eric Hargan, asking for "clarification" about the language restrictions. If they are indeed in place, "we respectfully request that you immediately reverse these policies," the lawmakers wrote. "Words matter."

A group of 315 public health organizations also sought an explanation from Hargan. "As the nation's premier public health agency, the CDC cannot carry out its mission of improving the health and safety of all Americans when its staff are urged to avoid using basic phrases that are so intrinsic to public health," they wrote Thursday.

Rep. Tom Cole (R., Okla.), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the HHS budget, interpreted the agency's guidance as "more silly than sinister," saying it shows the "bureaucracy trying to react to what they think the new administration wants to hear."

Agency officials are writing budgets "to make the case" for their priorities with both the Trump White House and the GOP-controlled Congress, Cole said, meaning they have to write in a way their audience "might actually read."

Cole noted that Obama administration officials referred constantly to climate change, assuming that would "unlock the door" to congressional funding. Now, Cole said, the term has essentially vanished from budget discussions across departments. A top EPA appointee has instructed officials to eliminate it in grant solicitations and has zeroed out funding for several initiatives that mention the term. And some career officials have cut it from public communications material for fear of angering Trump appointees.

Colorado College environmental science professor Miroslav Kummel, for example, had agreed to teach an "Introduction to Global Climate Change" class at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument this summer. But then a volunteer with the monument's Friends Group informed him he would have to revise his syllabus.

"Unfortunately, I had to send your write-up to the National Park Service Climate Change office in Fort Collins for review," the volunteer wrote in an email. "The NPS has been told that Climate Change must not be part of the message. All references to it in future documents, orientation talks, etc. will not be allowed."

Kummel declared the instruction "not acceptable" and threatened to pull out. The group relented, and he went on with the class.

Park Service spokesman Jeremy Barnum said in an email that friends groups "are independent organizations" separate from the agency and officials were not aware of any effort by headquarters "to prevent the professor from delivering his presentation as planned."

Climate-related documents continue to be erased from Interior's website at a rapid clip: This month, the links to 92 national parks' climate action plans disappeared, according to the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department's move to censor the discussion about juvenile justice has alarmed longtime advocates. Marcy Mistrett, chief executive of the Campaign for Youth Justice, who has seen the "language guidance" document, said referring to youths who have committed crimes only as "offenders" defines them too narrowly. "They are still children."

She added: "It's just very unusual to go that far into the weeds and actually handpick out words that are common words in a field."

Advocates said the new emphasis already is having an impact. A 2016 solicitation for proposals to provide mentoring to child victims of sex trafficking specifically cited LGBTQ youths, who make up a significant portion of the trafficked population, Mistrett said. This year, a similar solicitation for proposals contained no such mention.

Allies of the administration, maintaining that no words have been banned outright under Trump, said word choices have also affected policies important to conservatives. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion political action committee Susan B. Anthony List, argued that getting rid of the term "fetus," for example, would be a welcome change.

"The language we use to describe unborn human beings doesn't just follow cultural attitudes, it actually has shaped them and made unthinkable atrocities sound palatable," Dannenfelser said. "We are glad to see the administration working to humanize widely used terms that will shape the next generation's attitudes toward life."

The Washington Post's Sarah Kaplan and Amy Goldstein contributed to this article.
An 83-year-old woman was killed when she was struck by two vehicles while walking in the area of 24th Street and Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia on Friday, according to police.

Police said the woman, who was not identified, was hit by a Chevrolet Cruze eastbound on Washington about 6:20 a.m., then struck by a second vehicle described only as a black SUV that fled the scene.

The driver of the Cruze remained at the scene. The driver of the SUV was being sought.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Washington Avenue resident and activist said afterward that the road has long been dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists, and that he and others asked City Council years ago to take steps to make it safer.

Jake Liefer, head of the Washington Avenue Advocates, said his community group of about 450 residents and business owners had approached Council about two years ago to ask for "traffic-calming measures" in the area. He said city officials promised to look into suggestions they add traffic lights, increase the time allotted for pedestrians to cross the street, and install "raised crosswalks," or small speed bumps.

"This crash is very disconcerting," he said. "The city had a plan to calm vehicle speeds several years ago, but nothing was done."

Mike Carroll, deputy managing director of the city's Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, said a study was conducted four years ago, but the public was divided by a recommendation to reduce the traffic lanes from five to three and make modifications to the loading facilities in the light industrial section of the street.

"We have been continuing to study Washington Avenue, and the situation is its mix of uses, light industrial and commercial," he said.

"It's a slog, but we are moving forward," Carroll said. "It's a complicated set of issues, due to the mix of land uses."
A baby was attacked by a raccoon in her North Philadelphia on Wednesday. The homeowner told an animal control officer that the raccoon could have gotten in from outside, an AC&CT spokeswoman said Friday. Read more

A 4-month-old baby is recovering from injuries she suffered when a raccoon reportedly attacked her inside a North Philadelphia home earlier this week.

The baby's mother, Ashley Rodgers, told 6abc that the animal dragged her daughter across a room in the family's first-floor apartment at 22nd and Diamond Streets around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Philadelphia police said officers responded to a call shortly before 11 p.m. and found the child had sustained "cuts and scratches to her face." She was then taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition. The baby received more than 60 stitches, according to 6abc.

An animal control officer was sent to the property but was unable to find the raccoon, Animal Care and Control Team spokeswoman Ajeenah Amir said.

The homeowner told the officer that the animal could have gotten into the apartment from outside.

Officers "were out again throughout yesterday to fully assess the building and monitor the traps," Amir said in an email Friday. No raccoons had been caught as of Thursday night, she said.

"It's just ridiculous," Samuel Black, the baby's father, told CBS3. "My daughter could have lost her life."

A spokesperson for the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections told the news outlet that the homeowner did not have a rental license.
HARRISBURG  Gov. Wolf has asked a state agency to prohibit taxpayer money from being used to settle sexual harassment claims against elected officials following news that the House paid nearly a quarter-million dollars to settle a complaint against State Rep. Thomas Caltagirone.

"I've put into place reforms that we make sure that we don't do that anymore  that I don't care who starts it  that the state doesn't pay taxpayer money for settlements," Wolf said Thursday morning.

The governor's office said he "was not aware of this settlement or payment" until Tuesday, when the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke news of the secret payout. In 2015, checks totaling $248,000 were cut to a longtime employee in Caltagirone's district office and her attorneys, arising from claims of verbal and physical harassment over several years. Caltagirone, 75, a Democrat from Reading, Berks County, has denied the claims and said his attorneys encouraged a settlement to avoid the high costs of fighting a case in court.

The money passed through the Employee Liability Self-Insurance Program, which pays for claims where the state is liable, often covering things like damage to private vehicles. Each legislative caucus and the executive branch pay into the fund based on the number of employees they have, past complaints and other factors that might impact their risk level.

The state's Bureau of Risk and Insurance Management, which falls under the umbrella of the Department of General Services, processes the payments but does not get involved in negotiating or approving settlement terms. In this case, that would have been done by the House Democratic caucus, led by Minority Leader Frank Dermody of Allegheny County. Dermody has declined interview requests, saying that he was prohibited from discussing cases with confidentiality agreements.

J.J. Abbott, spokesman for Wolf, said the bureau director that oversees the insurance program determined in October 2014 that the settlement could be paid through the state fund. He said that decision was made "solely by" the bureau director.

Wolf, a Democrat, took office late in January of 2015, and the checks were cut the following month.

Former Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican who preceded Wolf in office, said Thursday, "I have no recollection of this kind of stuff happening."

He said, "As far as I know, that wouldn't have come to me. If that was a settlement that [the] caucus agreed to with whoever, that would have been, as far as I know, pro forma."

Abbott said Wolf directed DGS to immediately stop approving settlement payments from the liability fund in cases of sexual harassment and abuse by elected officials.

Wolf, and some Democratic representatives, have called for Caltagirone to resign. Caltagirone has said he plans to stay in office.
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The Chinese government has again banned package tours to Korea effective January next year despite an agreement between the two countries to normalize relations.

Chinese travel industry sources on Thursday said the China's National Tourism Administration summoned travel agents from Shandong Province this week and informed them that group tours to Korea will be banned again.

The tourism authority also told them that group tourists who are set to depart for Korea in December need approval from the provincial government. So far group tourists had to get permission only from municipal tourism authorities.

Some travel agencies in Beijing are still selling group tours to Korea for January, but industry sources say they will be summoned early next week and given the same instructions.

On Tuesday, the Chinese government rejected applications from at least three travel agencies in Beijing seeking visas for group tourists to Korea. One travel industry source said, "We had expected group tours to Korea to expand after President Moon Jae-in's visit to China, and it's a shock to see the exact opposite happening."

Many in the industry wonder why Beijing is taking the step even as the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang are just around the corner. One official at the Korean Embassy in China said, "The decision runs counter to efforts to expand bilateral trade and cooperation."


The Annapurna III massiv with the stunning south east ridge seen from Basecamp in early morning light. Photo by Red Bull Menk Rufibach / Red Bull Content Pool Pool

Annapurna III Unclimbed: the David Lama, Hansjorg Auer and Alex Blumel climbing documentary

22.12.2017 by by Planetmountain

The short film Annapurna III Unclimbed that documents the 2016 attempt by Austrian alpinists David Lama, Hansjorg Auer and Alex Blumel to ascend the virgin SE Ridge of Annapurna III (7555m) in the Himalaya.

For more than three decades the SE Ridge of Annapurna III has been recognised as one of the last great problems in Himalayan mountaineering. This frighteningly beautiful, difficult and exposed crest was first attempted in 1981 by the British mountaineers Nick Colton and Tim Leach who, climbing alpine style, pushed their way up to 6500 meters before being forced to abandon their inspirational attempt. Despite all the efforts that have followed since, even today this 2500 meter ridge line across the highest Himalayan altitudes remains one of the biggest and most elusive prizes of all.

In early 2016 an exceptional trio of Austrian alpinists, David Lama, Hansjorg Auer and Alex Blumel travelled to Nepal for five weeks to solve this dangerous puzzle. The result, despite their undisputed class and all their efforts, was three bivouacs and a turnaround at 6550 meters circa. Once again, as documented in this award-winning short, Annapurna III remained unclimbed.







Link: FB David Lama, www.david-lama.com, FB Hansjorg Auer, www.hansjoerg-auer.at
Federal authorities on Friday charged a 26-year-old Modesto man with planning a terror attack on San Franciscos Pier 39 after an undercover investigation that unfolded in recent weeks.

Everitt Aaron Jameson, a tow-truck driver and discharged Marine, was charged in a criminal complaint filed at the U.S. District Court in Sacramento with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization  in this case the Islamic State, SFGate.com reports.

Jameson has espoused radical jihadi beliefs, including authoring social media posts that are supportive of terrorism, communicating with people he believes share his jihadi views and offering to provide services to such people, including in the form of his presumably employer-provided tow truck in service of the cause, wrote FBI Agent Christopher McKinney in an affidavit.

Jameson named Pier 39 as a possible target for a terrorist attack because he knew that it was a heavily crowded area, according to the complaint.

Jameson explained that he also desired to use explosives and described a play in which explosives could tunnel or funnel people into a location where Jameson could inflict casualties, McKinney wrote.

Jameson was discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps for fraudulent enlistment after it was discovered he failed to disclose a latent asthma history, the FBI said. In June 2009, while in the Marines, he earned a sharpshooter rifle qualification, McKinney wrote.
Each of the 58 fatal victims of the Oct. 1 mass killing during the Route 91 Harvest festival on the Las Vegas Strip died from gunfire, Clark County officials have announced.

Eighteen of the victims were shot in the head, according to a list provided by the Clark County Coroners office more than 11 weeks after a gunman broke two windows and opened fire from his 32nd-floor room in the Mandalay Bay, causing the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

More than 500 people also were injured. The gunman, Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old Mesquite resident, took his life before Metro Police officers breached his two-room suite, the Las Vegas Sun reports.

He shot himself in the head, officials said.
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Despite finding the time to approve a massive tax cut for Americas biggest corporations and wealthiest individuals, the Republican Senate admitted on Thursday that an already-delayed disaster relief bill will have to be put off until next year.

The House approved the legislation on Thursday after the states affected by these disasters urged them to do so. But according to The Hill, Senate lawmakers appear unable to reach a deal to speed up consideration of the legislation.

More from the report:

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), whose state was hit by Hurricane Harvey earlier this year, said lawmakers didnt have enough time to pass the bill with Congress expected to wrap up their work for the year on Thursday. We have to go through the whole process absent unanimous consent. It would take us a week, he told reporters on Thursday. He added, I dont think we have enough time to vote on disaster aid.

As the report notes, it is often conservatives who delay or kill such relief bills because of the cost. Yet, this week these same right-wing politicians voted in favor of a tax giveaway that will blow a $1.5 trillion hole in the national debt.

The relief bill they refuse to vote on before the holiday recess is a tiny fraction of that cost, providing $81 billion in aid for various recent natural disasters, including hurricanes in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and the wildfires ravaging California.

So it appears Republican senators will head home for a long holiday break proud of the tax relief they passed for their donors, while those still recovering from deadly natural disasters see no relief at all.
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Months after former FBI Director James Comey testified that Donald Trump demanded his loyalty and fired him over the Russia investigation, Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe appears to be confirming some of those allegations.

According to CNN, McCabe faced a 14-hour grilling this week and seemingly confirmed what Comey said during his testimony in June, particularly the testimony from Comey that the president demanded his loyalty.

More from the report:

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe faced numerous questions this week about his interactions, conversations and correspondence with his one-time boss, former FBI Director James Comey, spanning both the FBIs Russia investigation and its probe into Hillary Clintons private email server, according to multiple sources from both parties with knowledge of his testimony. In private testimony before the House Intelligence Committee this week, McCabe told lawmakers that Comey informed him of conversations he had with President Donald Trump soon after they happened, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. The testimony suggests McCabe could corroborate Comeys account, including Trumps ask that Comey show him loyalty, which the President has strongly disputed. Comey previously testified that he briefed some of his senior colleagues at the FBI about this conversation with Trump.

Despite the fact that Comey delivered his testimony under oath, Trump was quick to call the former FBI director  who accused Trump of demanding loyalty and firing him over the Russia investigation  a liar and a leaker.

James Comey confirmed a lot of what I said, and some of the things that he said just werent true, the president said at the time.

These attacks by Trump, as well as the fact that this seemed to be a case of the presidents word versus that of the ex-FBI director, seemed to give his apologists a good excuse to call it a wash.

But McCabes testimony  especially since he is a current high-ranking member of the FBI  gives new credibility to the explosive allegations Comey made earlier in the year, and it only further builds the evergrowing case that Donald Trump obstructed justice.
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Dozens of former elected Republican officials and former federal prosecutors are rallying to defend Special Counsel Robert Mueller against attacks from Trump and his allies.

20 former elected Republican and senior officials wrote in a letter organized by the Project On Government Oversight, Special Counsel Robert Mueller deserves the support of all Americans. As Republicans and/or conservatives, including those who have served in elected and appointed positions, we reject recent efforts to discredit him. These efforts undermine the institutions that protect the rule of law and so our nation. Mueller must be allowed to complete his investigation without interference.

Another letter organized by the Institute For Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at the Georgetown University Law Center was signed by 22 former federal prosecutors:

When people talk about the constitutional crisis that will follow if Trump fires Mueller, this is exactly what they are talking about. The Fox News Trump Republicans who are leading the attack on Mueller are making a lot of noise in an effort to turn the Russia investigation into a partisan issue, but if the President fires the Special Counsel, he is going to drive a wedge straight through his own party.

Most Republicans dont support Trumps attacks on the Special Counsel, and if Trump fires Mueller that day will send the country into chaos and it will also be the last day of a functional Trump presidency.

There are some good Republicans out there, and their voices are growing louder in defense of Robert Mueller.
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One hallmark of Donald Trumps presidency to date has been his ignorant blustering about the office he holds, notoriously over-reaching in his assertions of power and bumping up against the checks and balances our founders put in place precisely to protect our democratic institutions against bullying tyrants such as Trump has proven himself to be.

From his behavior during the Republican primary and Presidential debates, referring to Senator Marco Rubio as Lil Marco or hovering behind Hillary Clinton, to his harassing tweets, to his recent harassment of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, not to mention the infamous Planet Hollywood tapes in which he bragged about his ability to get away with grabbing womens genitals, Trump has gloried in being an abusive bully and availing himself of any opportunity to exert over others whatever power his positions have afforded him.

So when then-candidate Trump promised on the campaign trail to repeal the carried interest tax loophole that allowed hedge fund and private equity fund managers to pay a much lower tax rate on their cut of the funds profits than those in other professions pay on profits, you might be inclined to think he would use the full force of his bully pulpit to, well, bully those corporate robber barons he had indicted as getting away with murder. In draining the swamp, Trump was going to disarm the powerful influences of lobbies and corporate interest groups to protect the interests of the middle class.

But now that the Tax Cut and Jobs Act bill has sailed through Congress with the carried interest tax loophole intact, hovering on the verge of landing on Trumps desk, all signs point to the likelihood, even certainty, that Trump will delightedly sign the bill into law, desperate as he is for a major legislative accomplishment as his first year in office dwindles to an otherwise infelicitous conclusion.

But why is the bully abdicating the power which, in this case, the bully pulpit of the Presidential office actually affords him?

In the case of this tax bill, Trump actually held quite a bit of power which he could have chosen to exercise.

Its called a veto.

And if Trump were to veto this tax bill, the slim Republican majority in the Senate would be powerless to overturn that veto. Trump has plenty of leverage to fulfill his promise to the American people and insist on a repeal of the carried interest tax loophole.

Given this obvious flourish of power with which our founders endowed the office of President, the explanations of Gary Cohn, chief economic advisor in the White House, come off as decidedly dubious and disingenuous.

In an interview Wednesday with Axios, Cohn claimed, We would have cut carried interest. We probably tried 25 times.

So what went wrong? Why did these apparently strenuous efforts of the bully Trump fail? According to Cohn, We hit opposition in that big white building with the dome at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue every time we tried. It is just the reality of the political system. The reality of this town is that constituency [hedge funds and private equity] has a very large presence in the House and the Senate. They have really strong relationships on both sides of the aisle. We just didnt have the support on carried interest.

We just didnt have the support?!?

Seriously?

Now that finally Trump actually has the power at his disposal to assert in the service of the American people and to keep his promise, he abdicates that power and has his economic advisor blame those very lobbyists and politicians Trump had promised to take on, denying the fact that he has the power to subvert those very lobbyists and politicians.

What this instance clarifies is that, once again, Trump has lied to and hoodwinked the American people, reneging on a promise he has the power to fulfilla promise he never intended to fulfill. What is apparent is that all along he intended to abuse Presidential powers to enrich himself and others of the elite classes in the United States.

This fact is clear because now that he has the power of the veto to insist on removing the carried interest tax loophole, he chooses not to exert the powers of his office.

In this case, Trump seems to have chosen to talk loudly and brandish little to no stick whatsoever.
The second North Korean soldier in as many months defected to South Korea on Thursday, crossing the border under cover of fog to Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.

South Korean border guards fired some 20 warning shots when his North Korean pursuers were approaching the military demarcation line and gunshots were heard on the northern side of the border.

The soldier, a 19-year-old private, simply popped up at a South Korean military guard post on the frontline at around 8 a.m., a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff here told reporters. He was carrying an AK rifle and had apparently escaped by taking advantage of thick fog that blanketed the area in the morning.

Around an hour and a half later, South Korean border guards spotted several North Korean pursuers approaching the MDL and they broadcast a warning and fired some 20 warning shot.

A day earlier, two North Koreans fled to South Korea in a fishing boat across the East Sea. Four North Korean soldiers have defected to South Korea this year in boats or by crossing the border, most dramatically last month, when an Army driver fled through a hail of bullets.


Vodafone Hungary slapped with HUF 200 mln fine for unfair practices

Hungary's competition watchdog GVH has fined Vodafone Hungary Zrt. HUF 200 million for unfair practices, with the amount reduced substantially from the original after Vodafone showed outstanding cooperation and gave proof of clear steps to change its behavior, the GVH said in a release. The mobile provider had repeatedly been fined for unfair practices and is considered a habitual offender.

introduced stricter compliance standards above and beyond regular market practices;

amended its commercial practices and subsequently the schemes in question; and

offered affected customers to cancel the definite-term contracts free of charge, thereby taking on substantial costs.

The competition authority looked at whether Vodafone informed its customers truthfully about the price of phones in a promotional campaign launched in October 2013, as the discount prices of HUF 1 to HUF 19,999 did not contain an extra monthly charge to be paid in relation with the devices.The GVH found that Vodafone gave misleading information about the actual cost of the phones in ads that did not contain this monthly device fee, even though it charged customers a monthly amount for using the phones. The ads may have made the impression that only the one-off cost had to be paid, the GVH said.The competition authority found Vodafone's communications regarding the monthy charge in breach of regulations. Vodafone, while not admitting culpability, hasThe GVH considered the above as mitigating circumstances and set the fine, which was calculated based on the cost of the promotional campaigns, at HUF 200 mln.
New Year's Eve will fall on a Sunday this year, but with a few exceptions, most Rochester bars and restaurants will be holding New Year's Eve events, not pre-New Year's Eve parties.

So if you're looking to add some spice to your New Year's Eve celebrations, here are some places you might consider.

 Forager, 1005 6th St. NW, Rochester.This will be the first time in the last three years that the Rochester brewery will not be holding a ticketed event on New Year's Eve. Nor will there be a cover charge - kind of a surprise given the musical talent that Forager will be featuring. The general public well be welcome at any time during the evening. Live music will kick off with Colby Kent & The Stompin' Ground at 9 p.m. Headlining the evening will be for 4onthefloor, which will play throughout the evening until 1 a.m.

 VFW, 16 6th St. SW, Rochester.The VFW will be holding a pre-New Year's Eve party on Saturday. Sunday, new Year's Eve, will be open according to its regular schedule, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. To usher in the New Year, the VFW is planning to flip its regular schedule of hosting a band on Friday and Karaoke on Saturday. The bar will feature country/rock band Generation. There will also be party favors near the end of the night. There will be no cover charge.

 Terza, 20 3rd St. SE, Rochester.Want to celebrate the New Year in a cozy interior that still creates the illusion of being outside? For $300, people can rent out a heated igloo dome tent and settle in upstairs for an evening of frivolity and drinks. As part of the package, customers will also get a bottle of Dom Perignon. The tents sit eight to 12 people. Terza will also features a special New Year's menu. And although details have yet to be ironed out, the rumor has it that lobster ravioli will be served.

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 Bleu Duck Kitchen, 14 4th St. SW, Rochester.The restaurant's New Year's Eve dinner is already sold out, but tickets remain for the party portion of the evening. And high end it will be. It will include a Casino Royale in the back featuring professional dealers. Customers will be able to smoke freshly rolled cigars in a heated cigar lounge off the back door. Heavy hors d' oeuvres will be available throughout the evening as will a butler serving unlimited champagne. A DJ will keep the evening upbeat. Tickets cost $90 per person.

 Casablanca Creative Cuisine & Wine Restaurant, 1208 7th St. NW, Rochester.Casablanca isn't typically open on Sunday, but it will be on New Year's Eve with a special "Around the World" menu. Customers will have choices based on the evening they have planned and how they want the dinner to fit in. The special menu will include cuisine from Spain and Morocco to Spain and Italy. People can choose the full, two-hour, around the world menu or opt for the cheaper a la cart option, picking and choosing the entrees and aperitifs they want from the larger menu. The full menu costs $180 person, and individual entree items will range in price between $39 and $50 and appetizers between $12 and $19. To make a reservation, call 507-250-4192. Walk-ins are allowed if tables are open. Amber Bojji, owner and operations manager, recommends walk-ins to call ahead.
WANAMINGO, Minn.  Without any experience to their name, Scott and Donna Enzenauer decided to start planting trees after moving into their Wanamingo, Minn., home in 1987.

The couple didn't want to maintain the corn and soybean fields, so they decided to plant trees, more specifically, pines, spruce, and firs for Christmas trees. If they couldn't sell them, Donna said, at least they'd have a lovely field of trees in their backyard.

The Enzenauer's run Enzenauer Evergreens, a seasonal company open in late November and closing in mid-December, just in time for the holidays. This season, they closed on Sunday.

It took a long gestation process for the pines and firs to begin growing, Donna said, beginning planting in 1991 and selling their first tree in 2000. Enzenauer said their pine trees, which are scotch and white varieties, take 8 to 10 years to grow, and firs, which is a bracted balsam fir, takes 12 to 15 years to grow.

To get started, they had to enlist the help of a Red Wing tree grower and the Minnesota Christmas Tree Association, learning various tips and trades on how best to grow and sell their trees.

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The first year began with 3,500 trees on their 20 acres of land. Now, they're able up to 14,000 trees.

Enzenauer Evergreens offer a choose-and-cut service for families who are interested in cutting down their own tree. With the larger varieties, they do assist in the process if needed. The do sell pre-cut trees as well.

The shake the trees loose of any dead needles and finishing it off with wrapping it up, making it easy for transferring. At the gift shop they also offer a variety of tree trimmings and giftware including handmade wreaths, swags, crosses, and planters for purchase.

After starting out 26 years ago, Enzenauer said it's been a rewarding experience seeing the various generations of families become regulars at their establishment.

"It's a tradition for a lot of families," Enzenauer said. "It's kind of interesting. Seventeen years ago when we first started, [the regulars] came here with their kids. Now they'll come with their grandkids."

For those interested in becoming a Christmas tree farmer, Enzenauer said to be mindful of trees that will be top seller in a decade. To do research, stay up to date, and keep note of the types of trees customers are purchasing.
Hours before a local coalition to address affordable housing was revealed, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled plans for a statewide task force on the issue.

The Governor's Task Force on Housing, comprised of experts and advocates from throughout the state, will develop solutions to address Minnesota's housing challenge and connect more families with good places to live, according to a press release from the governor's office.

"Too many families across Minnesota struggle to afford quality housing, forcing them to cut back on other essential needs like food, medicine, and education," Dayton said. "This task force will develop new solutions to address Minnesota's housing challenges, and help ensure that more families have access to safe, affordable places to live. I urge Minnesota leaders to join me in carefully reviewing and acting upon their recommendations."

Among the task force's 15 core members are two Rochester residents: Olmsted County Commissioner Sheila Kiscaden and Mike Paradise, president of Bigelow Homes.

Kiscaden has also enlisted the help of Olmsted County Housing Director Dave Dunn, who will attend task force meetings when they conflict with her schedule.

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"They expect to have recommendations ready by July," Kiscaden said, noting she foresees a flurry of activity as the task force and three related subcommittees look for solutions to the housing crisis.

Kiscaden and Dunn said the timing could be ideal for local efforts, which include the creation of the Coalition for Rochester Area Housing and its $6 million fundraising goal.

"I think there will be some really creative and innovative ideas coming out of it," Dunn said of the governor's task force, noting those ideas could spur opportunities to use local fund more effectively.

Kiscaden said she was also pleased to see involvement of the Itasca Project, which unites leaders from across the business, philanthropic and public sectors to address issues related to regional economic vitality, quality of life and prosperity for all.

Bremer Financial CEO Jeanne Crain, who is an Itasca Project member, will co-lead the new task force, and noted homeownership is a cornerstone of a strong community.

"I'm grateful that Governor Dayton has brought together this distinguished group of community leaders to tackle the critical affordable housing issues affecting job growth and economic vitality throughout Minnesota," she said.
Rochester is officially a Purple Heart City.

What is that, and what does it mean? Here are a few facts about the proclamation:

1. The Purple Heart is given to wounded soldiers.

The nation's oldest military decoration in current use, the service award is given to military members who were wounded or died in combat.

2. A city's designation is a way of saying thank you.

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"Rochester appreciates the sacrifices of our Purple Heart recipients made in defending our freedoms and believe it is important that we acknowledge them for their courage and show them the honor and support they have earned," Mayor Ardell Brede said, reading the city's proclamation at the VFW Hall Thursday morning.

3. There are at least 150 Purple Heart recipients in the Rochester area.

The Olmsted County Veterans' Services office sent out 156 invitations to Thursday's event. Veterans' Services Officer Jennifer Shumaker said those were the recipients the county office knows about among the more than 9,300 veterans it serves.

4. Rochester has the state's fastest-growing chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Ryan Sabinish, Minnesota Military Order of the Purple Heart senior vice commander, said membership in Lloyd-Swenson Chapter 7110 continues to grow.

Harry Kerr, the chapter's adjutant, said the chapter's name is adopted to remember two local soldiers who died in combat: Sgt. Allen Lloyd, who died in Cambodia in 1971, and Lance Cpl. Curtis Swenson, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

Swenson's parents, Kay and Dave Swenson, attended Thursday's event and said it was an honor to have their son's memory included with the others being honored.

"It's nice to be able to recognize these guys," Dave Swenson said. "It shows that we are behind them."

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5. Designation comes with no cost to the city.

Sabinish said his organization will cover the cost of signs being put up to identify Rochester as a Purple Heart City.

While Brede said he is unsure how many signs will be put up, he suggested one could be erected in Hazama Plaza on South Broadway, across from the fire station. "It's a place where people have to stop," he said.
The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV) is, I believe, the largest rabbinic public policy organization in America. It articulates and advocates for public policy positions based upon traditional Jewish thought.

Today the CJV sharply criticized the Trump Administration for re-nominating Chai Feldblum to the EEOC.

Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Eastern Regional. Vice President of the CJV, explained:

Feldblum has been truly unfriendly to accommodation of religious views. The decision to renew her nomination seems jarringly discordant with the Trump Administrations overall support for religious liberty.

In support of this statement, the CJV pointed out something I wasnt aware of. In 2012, Feldblum was part of the EEOC when the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected its position that, as Chief Justice Roberts characterized it, the Religion Clauses have nothing to say about a religious organizations freedom to select its own ministers.

The CJV also cited Feldblums now infamous statement that the need to protect the dignity of gay people will justify burdening religious belief Im having a hard time coming up with any case in which religious liberty should win in almost all cases the sexual liberty should win. Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, Chairman of the CJV Rabbinic Circle stated: The idea that everything must be subservient to the dignity of homosexuals can easily be used to trample freedom of religion.

In my view, that idea is already being used for this purpose. Chai Feldblum has done her part to make it happen.

Socially conservative Christian organizations have spoken out against the Feldblum re-nomination. Im glad to see an important rabbinical organization doing so, as well.
The Weekly Standard publishes Ambassadors Haleys remarks in the General Assembly yesterday in the editorials of its new issue here. The text is posted by our mission to the United Nations here. The Standards editorial introduction notes that the resolution before the U.N. chastised the United States for its decision on December 6 to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and demanded the rescission of that policy. After Haleys speech, U.N. delegates voted 128 to 9 for the resolution. The New York Times called it a stinging rebuke to the United States and a collective act of defiance toward Washington. The editors of the Standard disagree: It was, rather, the U.N.s shameful business-as-usual to which Haley delivered an overdue stinging rebuke. Here are Haleys remarks:

To its shame, the United Nations has long been a hostile place for the state of Israel. Both the current and the previous Secretary-Generals have objected to the UNs disproportionate focus on Israel. Its a wrong that undermines the credibility of this institution, and that in turn is harmful for the entire world.

Ive often wondered why, in the face of such hostility, Israel has chosen to remain a member of this body. And then I remember that Israel has chosen to remain in this institution because its important to stand up for yourself. Israel must stand up for its own survival as a nation; but it also stands up for the ideals of freedom and human dignity that the United Nations is supposed to be about.

Standing here today, being forced to defend sovereignty and the integrity of my country  the United States of America  many of the same thoughts have come to mind. The United States is by far the single largest contributor to the United Nations and its agencies. We do this, in part, in order to advance our values and our interests. When that happens, our participation in the UN produces great good for the world. Together we feed, clothe, and educate desperate people. We nurture and sustain fragile peace in conflict areas throughout the world. And we hold outlaw regimes accountable. We do this because it represents who we are. It is our American way.

But well be honest with you. When we make generous contributions to the UN, we also have a legitimate expectation that our good will is recognized and respected. When a nation is singled out for attack in this organization, that nation is disrespected. Whats more, that nation is asked to pay for the privilege of being disrespected.

In the case of the United States, we are asked to pay more than anyone else for that dubious privilege. Unlike in some UN member countries, the United States government is answerable to its people. As such, we have an obligation to acknowledge when our political and financial capital is being poorly spent.

We have an obligation to demand more for our investment. And if our investment fails, we have an obligation to spend our resources in more productive ways. Those are the thoughts that come to mind when we consider the resolution before us today.

The arguments about the Presidents decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem have already been made. They are by now well known. The decision was in accordance to U.S. law dating back to 1995, and its position has been repeatedly endorsed by the American people ever since. The decision does not prejudge any final status issues, including Jerusalems boundaries. The decision does not preclude a two-state solution, if the parties agree to that. The decision does nothing to harm peace efforts. Rather, the Presidents decision reflects the will of the American people and our right as a nation to choose the location of our embassy. There is no need to describe it further.

Instead, there is a larger point to make. The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the worlds largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.

America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that.

But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered.
Donald Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton in the presidential election of 2016 has given us a temporary reprieve from the sophisticated and destructive operators of the Obama administration. Faithfully reflecting Obama, they combined malice, stupidity and self-regard in roughly equal measure in the discharge of their responsibilities. I offer recent comments from former members of the Obama administration as Exhibits A, B, and C.

Exhibit A: Former Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer dreams of happier days ahead.

I hope this is the photo they use on the front page of the Times on the day Trump is indicted pic.twitter.com/mifuyBk6YY  Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) December 21, 2017

Exhibit B: Inspired by Pfeiffer, former Obama deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes shares his dreams of happier days.

And alongside the obits for Ryan, McConnell, and Pence https://t.co/fOrm1JZwpu  Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) December 21, 2017

Exhibit C: Former CIA Director John Brennan comments on President Trumps threat to use foreign aid to advance the American national interest. I wont even try to explain Brennans train of thought. I dont understand it. I will only say that it seems to me both to channel Obama and to represent a pure case of projection.
China's National Tourism Administration summoned travel agents from Shandong Province this week and informed them that it has again banned package tours to Korea effective January next year. The same seems to be happening in Beijing.

China imposed the ban on cut-price group tours to Korea in March this year in retaliation against the U.S. deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery here, but it partially eased the ban for Shandong Province and Beijing on Nov. 28 after the two countries agreed to normalize ties. Now, just six days after President Moon Jae-in's cap-in-hand visit to Beijing, it has been reinstated, and the government here is dumbfounded.

Only on Tuesday, Moon told officials in a Cabinet meeting to "actively publicize" the achievements of his China visit, claiming that relations have recovered and Korea has "safeguarded its security interests." More, the government trumpeted an expected 0.2 percentage-point rise in economic growth now that things are going so well.

Yet the signs were already there. On Monday, just two days after Moon's visit, five Chinese military aircraft whizzed through Korea's air defense identification zone without warning, and around 30 Korean, Japanese and Chinese fighter planes were in the air simultaneously around Ieo and Jeju islands and Japan's Tsushima Island for almost four hours. Air defense identification zones are not officially sovereign airspace, but foreign aircraft entering another country's zone must notify the host before passing through.

The Chinese government has also made no effort to investigate a savage assault by Chinese security guards on two Korean reporters in Beijing during Moon's visit, let alone apologized for the thuggery.

When he was in Beijing, Moon abjectly referred to China as a "high mountain peak" while describing Korea as a "small country." But kowtowing to bullies never wins their respect. China has no track record of conducting relations with other countries based on equality and reciprocity. It thinks it deserves obeisance from its regional neighbors and aspires to global dominance.

Yet China is the only country in the world that uses something as pathetic as package tours as a weapon, and one of just a handful of banana republics that tell their people where they can and cannot go shopping. Korea's tourism industry must wean itself off its dependency on cheap Chinese package tours and thwart these silly attacks.


You probably know whom Ms. Grrrll is talking about when she refers to HYSTERICAL LOSERS. Ammo Grrrll writes:

Recently, my friend and colleague Mr. Hinderaker and many others have addressed the relentless and bewildering hysteria of the opponents of every single thing President Trump is doing. It gives every impression of a mass psychotic breakdown.

Why should this surprise anyone who has been paying attention for the last five years? When rape is defined as having totally consensual, if drunken, sex, and deciding afterwards that it was assault because he didnt return your 37 texts the next day; when harassment is one pat on the behind you remember from 30 years ago; when racism is a banana peel in a tree or wearing hoop earrings, then how could hysteria not be involved?

In November, as is the tradition, an election was held. A man won; the other candidate lost. And a highly-paid, major newscaster who a few hours earlier had predicted a landslide for Hillary, assured her viewership, You havent died and gone to Hell. This is your life now. Shockingly, one candidate has lost in every single election since Washington. Why the over-the-top freakout? I have some ideas.

Most of the people losing their minds are not nearly as bright as they think themselves. However, they are the rich, the spoiled, Lifes perpetual winners who are unaccustomed to losing and loath to get used to it. Especially to a bunch of nobodies who have never even once been in People Magazine. Ah, but you say, Trump is hardly a nobody. True. But, no matter how much they insist otherwise, it isnt really Trump they hate. Its those of us Bitter Clingers who voted for him.

How could I not be 50 points ahead of this guy? asked Hillary. And her media and Hollywood admirers seemed to say, But, but, but, I have been told my whole life how special I am, how on earth did my heroine lose to voters from icky Kansas and Mississippi?

Waah, waah, waah, cried the losing losers. President Obama, of the creased pants and ocean-lowering abilities assured me that I was on the right side of History. History disagreed. That History can be a real bitch on wheels, eh? And not for the first time.

Nobody  probably not even Mitt Romney  was more sorry than I was when Obama was reelected in 2012. And rather handily at that. Heres how prescient I was, how plugged-in, how finger on the pulse accurate I was  I truly believed that Romney had it in the bag. Oopsie. Call me Karla Rove. (And pay me what Karl gets to opine.)

So my candidate lost in 2008 and again in 2012. Did I lose my mind? Did I scream piteously in front of a cellphone camera that I need an ambulance RIGHT NOW! IM NOT KIDDING! as one unhinged college girl was captured shrieking last November? Did I shed a single tear? No, I did not. The sane among us just bought more ammo and tried to be happy as revenge.

In 2007, in San Diego, in one of my last gigs before retirement, I entertained a group of public employees. My presentation followed a Global Warming Hysteric from the IPCC, being paid God-knows-what. I was pacing around in the back of the room, listening to his droning drivel. In the Q & A, one effete young man asked with tears in his eyes and a quavery voice, How much time do you think we have left? and I had all I could do not to scream out, Oh, for Gods sake, kid, get a grip! But its really bad form for the next speaker to attack the presenter on stage or mock a member of the hiring group, no matter how close to retirement one is. Manners and all that.

We are now over 10 years on. Virtually all of the overblown predictions have melted much faster than the polar ice cap and Im guessing that the terrified little fellow has found another cause to be hysterical about. No doubt involving #NotMyPresident, Literally Hitler, DJT.

Okay, we get it, people. You do not like Donald J. Trump. But when you say LITERALLY Hitler you display your willful ignorance about the meaning of literally and you trivialize the real record of the Third Reich. To someone whose husbands extended family had eleven people murdered in the Holocaust, comparing a tax reform plan you dont care for to systematic mass murder is offensive to the point that I would like very much to punch you in the face.

A year into the Trump presidency, it goes without saying that there are no death camps. There are no mobs of White Supremacists rampaging through black neighborhoods. I can show you mobs of Black youths swarming Walmarts and beating random white passersby thought to be Trump voters. I can show you masked Antifa fighters of various colors whacking the elderly, torching cars, blocking freeways, preventing invited speakers from getting to their venues on college campuses. I can show you meltdowns of serious, unbiased newsreaders and celebrities du jour calling for the impeachment, beheading or death of a democratically elected President.

Our millionaire Democrat news-heads reported breathlessly when President and Mrs. Obama had a date night and when the family went out for ice cream. Both were major news items. No such luck for President and Mrs. Trump to get a nice little human interest story. The media have publicly and collectively vowed not to normalize him or his family. Stop the presses! Trump gets two scoops of ice cream when everybody else gets just one! And we hate the White House Christmas decorations even more than we hate Christmas! And Melania wears beautiful high heels to a hurricane! As the saying goes: you couldnt even make up crap this trivial and mean-spirited.

Though I am writing this on the 8th night of Chanukah after a Festival of Light and Latkes Party, it will be read just a couple of days before Christmas. It goes without saying that most of the left-wing lunatics are not interested in a Holy Night, but perhaps, mercifully, there might just once, be a Silent one. Merry Christmas to all my Christian commenters and friends.
ATLANTIC CITY  Yoga is well known as a form of meditation and exercise. Now, one Atlantic City High School senior is using it to raise funds for students in Africa.

Hollie Brosky, 17, of Brigantine, is hosting a monthly donation-based yoga class after school with proceeds benefiting a school in Tanzania, Africa, that she visited this summer as part of student leadership trip.

I just want to see what happened while I was there keep going, said Brosky. We put up chalkboards, cement flooring, ceilings, more desks. We did that for three classrooms and theres like 50 classrooms, so I want to see that go all the way.

Broskys first yoga session, held in early December, attracted more than 50 students and raised $158 dollars for the school. Her second session Wednesday was also well attended.

I think its for a really great cause and its a good way to relieve stress after school, said 16-year-old Alana Sanchez of Margate.

Principal Lina Gil also attended the event to support Brosky.

Shes an amazing student. Shes always very concerned with helping others, Gil said. Im really proud of her.

How did a teenager from Brigantine end up teaching children in a village in Africa? Brosky said she knew many other students were going on mission trips, so she thought she would research it.

I found this really cool program called Global Leadership Adventures, she said.

Last Christmas, Broskys parents surprised her with a two-week trip to the village of Moshi in Tanzania, where she, along with 36 other students from across the country, taught English at a primary school.

After school was out for the day, they helped to refurbish the classrooms.

We really got to see what poor conditions the kids learn in, Brosky said. That really hit home for me, really upset me and broke my heart.

When she returned to Brigantine this summer, Brosky said, she was overwhelmed by the experience and decided she wanted to continue to help.

Somehow, some way, youre going to keep up this work, Broksy said she told herself.

Not only did helping out those less fortunate make Brosky feel good, but she said she saw the excitement in the students.

Their appreciation really made me appreciate my education because I take it for granted, we all do, Brosky said.

She called on her sister, Colette, a yoga teacher from Linwood, and her English teacher, Kerri Harvey, who runs the schools Hope 4 AC club, to help implement her fundraiser idea.

We just really worked together and within a couple of weeks just really banged it out, Brosky said.

Harvey said she wanted to help Brosky because it was a chance to show other students that they can also make a difference.

Its just amazing what she has done outside of the school, Harvey said.

At the end of the year, Brosky said she will send the funds to Global Leadership Adventures, which will coordinate the distribution of the money to the school.

I would really love to see them be able to flourish there. I hope sometime soon, I know Im going to be back there, Brosky said.
The holiday season is a time where people are intensely focused on food, which can be particularly overwhelming for people in treatment or recovery for an eating disorder.

Events, parties, dinners and special occasions can be fun, and mental health experts and those in long-term recovery said there is a way to enjoy those holiday events while still treating or maintaining recovery of an eating disorder.

Its interesting to look at how much food is involved in the holidays, said Kathleen Connelly, a student at Stockton University. But there are some things that you can do without food.

In the United States, 30 million men and women suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their lives, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness among adolescent females, according to researchers.

Connelly, 22, of Clayton, Gloucester County, has been in recovery from an eating disorder not otherwise specified, which involved thoughts and acts of purging, for more than two years.

As the facilitator of a support group for eating disorders at the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County, Connelly said creating a good list of tips, advice and information on the holiday season can be difficult as it can vary depending on the type of eating disorder and where someone is in their disorders progression.

Eating disorders and disordered eating include diagnoses of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, purging disorder, eating disorder not otherwise specified and others.

You cant just say, eat what you feel most comfortable with, because for someone with anorexia, that may mean not eating enough and for someone with bulimia, that may mean eating too much, Connelly said. Its going to be different for someone in recovery for six months versus someone in recovery for a decade.

Corrine Kopp knows what it can be like to feel stress and anxiety when struggling with an eating disorder, not just as a licensed clinical social worker, but as someone who battled her own disorder more than 10 years ago.

Holiday season naturally brings with it increased focus on food, appearances and weight, she said. It causes stress to individuals who arent struggling, and even more stress to those who are. I encourage those with concerns to broaden that focus on a season of giving and thanks and of taking care of themselves.

Kopp, who specializes in eating disorders and sees clients as young as 14 years old, said the holiday season can be particularly hard for people just starting treatment or those newly in recovery and the stress and concerns over food-related things may limit their participation in holiday activities.

Both Kopp and Connelly said taking part in things like religious activities, going to the movies with friends or doing decoration projects can be fun without the focus being on food.

Kopp said making a game plan for attending holiday events can include identifying someone who can be a support person, whether that be a family member or friend who can offer support in person or someone who can be reached by phone.

Some of the best advice for family members who know about a loved ones struggle with an eating disorder is to avoid negative comments and talk about calorie intake, weight gain and physical appearance as those can be triggers for someone with an eating disorder, even those in recovery, Connelly said.

The holidays can present unique circumstances for people with eating disorders, but Kopp and Connelly said its more than possible to manage the disorder and still have a good time.

I really think the important thing is to shift focus and bring in something else, like starting a snowball fight, talking about childhood experiences and family traditions, Knopp said. You are getting the focus away from food and on something else. The holidays are so much more rich with other things.
How do you make a bar crawl a unique experience in a city like Somers Point?

Take a page from the Firesign Theatre and its 1971 album, I Think Were All Bozos on this Bus, and do it dressed as clowns.

We were not sure if they would call the cops on us or welcome us. I thought they would call the cops on us, said Nick Regine, a founding member of the Somers Point Unique Experiences Club, recalling one of his groups 1990s escapades.

Membership in the club ranges from a handful to more than a dozen. There are no formal meetings. When someone comes up with a good idea, calls will be made and a meeting date will be established.

As the group has matured, it has invested its energy into more mainstream activities. It was behind the recent holiday porch performances with the Riddlesbrood Touring Theater Company, from Burlington County. It also is working on the second annual April in Paris from April 11 to 15 at various locations in Somers Point.

The group started during the 1990s with conversations among Regine, his wife, Kathleen Arleth, and other like-minded individuals.

There were a lot of fun things already happening. We wanted to expand on it, Regine said.

Somers Point has a rich history of bars and saloons, and the bus bozos grew out of it, Regine said.

In the early 90s, the group also organized its own version of a Brazilian Carnival. Regine wore a jester hat, and others dressed in carnival outfits. They invaded a couple of local bars, with members singing the blues accompanied by someone on guitar and someone else on harmonica.

The clubs early antics were one-and-done events that a person was either there to experience or not, and they usually involved bars.

Regine, a former Somers Point community education and recreation director, said the city hosted porch performances for about 10 years, starting in the mid 90s. The Unique Experiences Club brought them back about three years ago, Regine said.

The Hyatt sisters, Ellen and Anne, joined the Unique Experiences Club when talk of reviving the porch performances started.

We (in Somers Point) have cool old houses. Its a tailor-made thing, Ellen Hyatt said.

The performances are among several holiday events that took place in Somers Point. They included holiday open houses at Great Bay Gallery and at Passion Vines Wine & Spirit Co., a holiday parade and A Charlie Brown Christmas concerts, and the Home for the Holidays show at the newly reopened Gateway Playhouse.

When the group does something on a grander scale for the public, such as the holiday porch performances and April in Paris, it reaches out to the Somers Point Business Association for help with funding. The association has helped sponsor both events.

The inaugural April in Paris was successful enough to do again. Ellen Hyatt attended the wine tasting last year.

That was a really cool idea, Hyatt said.

Regine said April in Paris was inspired by Philadelphias Diner en Blanc, the popular popup dinner party. This years event will include a wine tasting, art exhibits, French language lessons, French culinary specials at local eateries, music and more.

Regine said he thought last years event would be simple to organize. He was wrong.

Restaurants, art galleries, liquor stores  it took a lot of things to make it happen, he said.
ATLANTIC CITY  State lawmakers Friday called on the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to pull a $4 million state subsidy from the Miss America Organization in the wake of lewd comments made in emails by pageant CEO Sam Haskell.

On Thursday, dick clark productions cut ties with the Miss America Organization after internal emails surfaced of Haskell, board members and other staff ridiculing past winners looks, weight, intelligence and sex lives.

Without dick clark productions, its TV partner, coupled with the dwindling support by the CRDA to spend $4 million per year to keep the pageant in Atlantic City, the Miss America Organizations future here is in doubt.

State Assemblymen Chris Brown and Vince Mazzeo, state Sen. Colin Bell, and Atlantic City Mayor-elect Frank Gilliam have called on the CRDA to get out of the final year of the agencys lucrative contract for the pageant.

CRDA officials are reviewing their options regarding the contract.

Renewing the multimillion-dollar Miss America contract with CRDA was never the right move, said Mazzeo, D-Atlantic. Its time to end the handout and move on. Atlantic City has too many good things happening in the future to be stuck on an event that has only brought in a respectful return in the distant past.

In February 2016, Miss America and the state agency agreed to a three-year deal to keep the pageant in the resort through 2018. Under the contract, Miss America receives about $11.9 million in state subsidy during the life of the contract. When the contract was approved, supporters touted the amount of the national television exposure the city would get from the telecast.

The CRDA finds the reports of the Miss America Organization and the behavior of its leadership troubling, Christopher Howard, executive director of the CRDA, said in a statement Friday. The CRDA is working with our legal counsel to undertake an immediate review of its contract with the Miss America Organization and dick clark productions to assess what steps we may need to take.

Gilliam, currently a city councilman, said the lack of a television contract is a deal-breaker for him.

Its a great opportunity to pull out of the contract, Gilliam said. Now that the television has gone, its not what we are paying for. Im not one of the biggest fans of Miss America, because we dont get back compared to what we give.

As part of the contract, the Miss America Organization is required to promote the resort during the opening of the pageants ABC telecasts.

In exchange for the CRDAs support of the pageant, dick clark productions, the producers of the event, agreed to include a live performance in Atlantic City in each New Years Rockin Eve show through 2019. But the shows never materialized.

The New Years program, broadcast on ABC, garnered 59 million viewers last year. Scheduling conflicts and other considerations, kept the resort from being included in the last broadcast, according to the CRDA.

The CRDAs decision to bring back Miss America to Atlantic City initially held promise the pageant would promote the city as a destination resort, but in light of the limited benefit weve received thus far and without a TV contract, its hard to justify spending any more public dollars to subsidize the pageant, particularly when the money could be better spent on other projects, said Brown, R-Atlantic.

While politicians call for the pageant to leave the city, Lindsey Giannini, Miss New Jersey 2015, said the city should not turn its back on the pageant.

After everything that has come to light recently, pulling the Miss America Pageant from Atlantic City would be detrimental to the thousands of women who compete each year in an effort to represent their state at Miss America, Giannini said. These women need scholarship support now more than ever, and Atlantic City turning their back on them goes against everything we all stand for.
NORTHFIELD  Claire Moyer has a special connection to Birch Grove Park; not only does she live a stones throw from the park, but the octogenarian won the contest to name it in 1951.

But the day after a brazen daylight attack on a 26-year-old woman in the park Tuesday, Moyer was one of many officials urging added vigilance.

I love the park and I hate saying this, but I never walk the trails by myself. I always felt that a woman is just a little vulnerable out there alone, said Moyer, who is also a member of the Birch Grove Advisory Committee.

I was really upset to learn this had happened. I do not remember anything like this happening before," said Moyer. "I think we have a false sense of security. I have lived here all my life, and to my recollection, this is the first time something like this has happened.

The woman was walking alone on one of the trails, commonly referred to as the outer loop, when a man began following her, according to police Capt. Steve Steinecke.

She told the officers investigating the attack she had passed a white male, about 20 years old and 5-foot-10 wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants. Once they passed, the male turned and began to follow her. He caught up with her and grabbed her from behind in a bear hug and then reached around, grabbing her crotch. She fought him off, raking his face with keys she held in her hand. He shoved her to the ground and fled the area but not before leaving behind a blue bandana.

Steinecke said the victim was shaken by the incident but did not require medical attention. The suspect may have scratches to his face and neck area.

Mayor Erland Chau, who has lived in Northfield for more than a half-century, does not recall anything like this happening at Birch Grove previously.

Northfield Troop 72 holds sendoff for Scoutmaster Don Edwards NORTHFIELD  The final meeting of the year for Boy Scout Troop 72 was a chance for parents and Scouts to show a little love to their outgoing scoutmaster, Don Edwards.

We have had incidents of mischief, but nothing like this," Chau said. I dont have any fears about the park, and people and families should enjoy the amenities of Birch Grove Park but also be aware of their surroundings."

City Council President Greg Dewees echoed the mayor's call for awareness.

Northfield police are asking residents to check to see whether anyone recognizes the male in the video, Dewees said. The video was shot near the snack bar where there are cameras mounted on the park center/snack bar.

An incident like this makes us all think about safety, and we will be speaking about more cameras in the park in the upcoming weeks with council, he said.

The students at the Northfield Community School use the park for events, races and the sixth-grade outdoor experience, where the kids spend the entire day at the park. Superintendent Pete Bretones said any time the school takes students off campus, it is always with adult supervision.

I do not feel there are any inherent risks at the park, but it does make you double back and reevaluate the procedures in place, Bretones said. Over time, people can get lax, but we have procedures in place, so what is most important is to make sure we are following our own procedures.

Birch Grove Park is a living classroom for Northfield students NORTHFIELD  When sixth-graders at the Northfield Community School headed to Birch Grove Park last week, it was the continuation of a tradition: the first installment of their outdoor education at the park.

Heather Mellon, a member of the Friends of Birch Grove Park for many years, was disappointed to hear of the attack but believes the park is safe. She urged parkgoers to take precautions.

On Wednesday afternoon, the park was empty.

But Moyer, who called a walk in Birch Grove in the sun just delightful, said she doesn't plan to change her routine to take walks there.

Anyone with information on Tuesday's attack can call police at 609-641-2832.
WEST WILDWOOD  Two homeowners escaped and a family pet was rescued Thursday morning as flames ripped through their multistory house in the borough.

A neighbor on the street said the husband and wife ran out of the house with only the clothes on their backs. Firefighters went into the home and rescued the couples dog. Fire Chief Daniel Speigel declined to release the couples names.

The fire quickly got into the attic space and caused the roof to collapse, Speigel said. Windy conditions were causing burning embers to land on nearby structures. The temperature, fortunately, did not cause too many issues for us.

Firefighters were inside the building when the roof collapsed. They were in a safe position and were not in any danger, Speigel said. Firefighters declared the fire under control about 1:45 a.m. Crews were at the home for about two and a half hours, the chief said.

About 70 firefighters from seven fire companies in West Wildwood, North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Rio Grande, Stone Harbor, Villas and Erma responded at 12:34 a.m. to the home in the 600 block of West Maple Avenue. Firefighters found heavy flames on the second and third floors of the home, said Speigel.

He said no injuries were reported.

Public records indicate the home is owned by David and Julia Hansbarger, a couple from Pennsylvania. The house, which had been raised well above sea level, was assessed at $350,000, according to public records.

The second and third floors of the home sustained severe fire, smoke and water damage.

On Thursday afternoon, the top floor of the house was hollowed out and part of the roof had collapsed. Several cars drove slowly past the house so that the driver and passengers could look at the damage.

Neighbors on the block said the house is the couples summer home and that they had arrived in West Wildwood earlier Wednesday.

Bud Higgins, whose daughter-in-law owns a house next to the one that caught fire, said he and his family came down Thursday morning after they learned about the fire.

The siding on their house was damaged, and by Thursday afternoon they were trying to contact Atlantic City Electric to turn turn the power back on.

Things can be replaced, and its just a good thing that everyone got out of the house safely, Higgins said.

The homeowners got out of the building before firefighters arrived, Speigel said.

A neighbor told The Press of Atlantic City he learned of the fire because his dog was barking and going crazy near the door.

When he walked outside, he saw the house was on fire.

The power was disconnected at the house and a neighbors house during the fire.

The Red Cross was not notified because family and friends are helping the couple with shelter.

Several fire crews operated under heavy fire conditions and contained the fire to the home, Speigel said. The fire burned through power lines causing live, energized power lines next to the building.

The fire quickly got into the attic space and caused the roof to collapse, Speigel said. Windy conditions were causing burning embers to land on nearby structures. The temperature, fortunately, did not cause too many issues for us.

West Wildwood police, operating under the command of Wildwood City, also responded to the scene. Firefighters form Cape May Fire, Green Creek Fire and Town Bank Fire covered the island. Ocean View Fire acted as a Rapid Intervention Crew in case firefighters became trapped or injured while fighting the fire. No firefighters were injured.

The Cape May County Fire Marshals Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  Fire in a vacant home ripped through the roof and collapsed the floor before firefighters brought it under control Thursday night, Township Fire Chief Rick Smith said.

The fire at the 10th Avenue home was reported about 6 p.m., Smith said.

As firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke. And as they started to work, the fire broke through the roof and into the interior walls, he said.

It was a tough fire, Smith said late Thursday night, as firefighters packed up hose and equipment.

The interior floor collapsed when wed got in there, so it made entry into the house almost impossible, Smith said Friday. We had to fight the fire from the outside.

Thirty-five firefighters from the Bayview, Oceanville, Pomona and South Egg Harbor fire companies responded to the scene, as did the Galloway Township Ambulance Squad.

Pomona firefighters used their ladder truck to attack the fire from outside the home, but crews had to cut down a tree for access.

Township police blocked off traffic at Ridgewood Avenue. Smoke could be smelled in the area.

Neighbor Carly Reynolds, 33, said she noticed fire alarms going off about 6 p.m. Reynolds said she believes the house in the 500 block has been for sale since August, and currently has no occupants.

She said she had been watching the fire since it started.

It was wild, how fast it started, she said. There was no smoke, then there were flames and smoke was coming from the whole house in a matter of minutes.

Reynolds said she saw flames shooting from the second floor of the two-story home.

She said outdoor floodlights on the home typically were on at night, but the lights went out before the fire began.

The fire is under investigation, Smith said. No injuries were reported.
7:30 p.m.: Suspended Miss America Executive Chairman and CEO Sam Haskell releases a statement to the media where he says much of the the "vicious" Huffington Post story "is dishonest, deceptive and despicable."

Here is the complete statement:

In response to the vicious story on me in the Huffington Post regarding Miss America and a series of conveniently edited emails, it is important for you to know that the events are not as described.

Much of what was reported is dishonest, deceptive, and despicable. The material is based on private emails that were stolen three years ago by ex employees. The story is so unkind and untrue, and hurts me, my family, and the stewardship of this non-profit. Those who know my heart know that this is not indicative of my character, nor is it indicative of my business acumen. I was under stress from a full year of attacks by two Miss Americas, and while I don't ever want to offer an excuse, I do want to offer context.

This was not the CEO of an Organization laughing at inappropriate jokes and speaking about a former Miss America in email conversations. This was a father whose family was being attacked, and a man whose character was being assassinated daily, which impaired my judgment when responding to the inappropriate emails sent to me about them. For that, I deeply apologize.

For years, I have dedicated my life to this organization  dedicated to empowering young women. This discussion is an unfortunate distraction from the good work that thousands of volunteers around this country have done to provide more scholarships to young women than any other scholarship organization in the nation. I have the utmost respect for the women of this program and contestants at every level. It breaks my heart for anyone to think otherwise.

My mistake is a mistake of words. Therefore, to allow the MAO Board of Directors and me time to properly evaluate the situation, I will be abiding by their decision to suspend me in my capacity as Executive Chairman and CEO of the Miss America Organization while an investigation takes place.

Sam Haskell

6:30 p.m.: The Miss America Organization announces that it has voted to suspend Executive Chairman and CEO Sam Haskell. Here is the statement from the organization's board of directors:

The Miss America Organization Board of Directors today voted to suspend Executive Chairman and CEO Sam Haskell. Mr. Haskell, in support of the organization, has agreed to abide by the Board's decision. The Board will be conducting an in-depth investigation into alleged inappropriate communications and the nature in which they were obtained. In addition, the Board wishes to reaffirm our commitment to the education and empowerment of young women, supporting them in every way possible.

3:30 p.m.: The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Executive Director Chris Howard released a statement on the incident, stating it will review its contract to determine the next step.

"The CRDA finds the reports of the Miss America Organization and the behavior of its leadership troubling.

"The CRDA is working with our legal counsel to undertake an immediate review of its contract with the Miss America Organization and Dick Clark Productions to assess what steps we may need to take."

1:45 p.m. - Tammy Haddad, one of the Miss America board members, who is mentioned prominently in the email exchanges, released a statement on her blog whcinsider.com where she stated that she was resigning from the Miss America Organization Board of Directors:

After serving 14 years as a volunteer board member, early this year I notified Sam Haskell of my plans to resign. I want to advise the rest of the board that this is effective immediately and wish you all the best. The women who put their hopes and dreams into this program are the best of America, as well as those who have worn the Miss America crown, traveling the country lifting hearts and spirits through their service above self.

1:40 p.m. - Miss New Jersey 2015 Lindsey Giannini released a statement detailing her reaction to the story. She asks that Atlantic City not abandon the pageant and the women who compete in it. Here is the statement:

"These email exchanges go against everything this organization represents. After everything that has come to light recently, pulling the Miss America Pageant from Atlantic City would be detrimental to the thousands of women who compete each year in an effort to represent their state at Miss America. These women need scholarship support now more than ever and Atlantic City turning their back on them goes against everything we all stand for.

"Miss America contestants do tremendous work in our communities at the national, state and local levels. We must support those efforts and empower these women through this hardship. I would like to personally speak to the Atlantic City Mayor regarding this immediately.

1:30 p.m. - Here's the wording of the petition signed by 49 Miss Americas, from BeBe Shopp Waring, 1948, through Savvy Shields, 2017, calling for the ouster of Miss America CEO Sam Haskell and members of the Board of Directors, as well as preservation of the pageant itself:

"We, the undersigned Miss Americas, represent decades of the powerful history and legacy of the Miss America Organization in the near-century of its existence. We are deeply disturbed and saddened to learn of the sickening and egregious words used by Miss America leadership in reference both to our group and to specific members of our sisterhood.

As dedicated members of communities, businesses and families, and ambassadors for the Miss America program across the country, we stand firmly against harassment, bullying and shaming  especially of women  through the use of derogatory terms mean to belittle and demean. As Miss Americas, we strongly reject the mischaracterization of us both collectively and individually. We also reject the ongoing efforts to divide our sisterhood and the attempts to pit us against one another.

We believe in empowering and supporting young women as they work to achieve their professional and academic goals. Each of us participated in the Miss America program for these reasons, and we are proud that each woman in this program is well-educated, talented and strong.

The behavior of the Miss America Organization leadership, specifically Sam Haskell, Josh Randle, Tammy Haddad and Lynn Weidner, is despicable, as well as the behavior of those who sat by without objection while such derisive comments were passed around. We collectively call for their immediate resignation. We also ask for those who revere the Miss America legacy to join us in preserving the integrity of the Miss America Organization and in supporting all women, rather than tearing them down.

1:25 p.m.: Miss New Jersey 2017 Kaitlyn Schoeffel couldnt believe the news when she first heard it. Schoeffel said that Sam Haskell welcomed her entire class with open arms and couldnt have been kinder.

But, at the end of the day, one person doesnt define this organization, said Schoeffel, who grew up in Egg Harbor Township.

Schoeffel said that she found out about the news from a group message with her class and added that all of the contestants had an overwhelming flow of support for one another, including support for Miss America 2018 Cara Mund.

While Schoeffel said that she still wants to know all of her sources before putting blame on Sam and the board, she made it clear that the women of Miss America  what she called a sisterhood  is what really defines the organization.

At the end of the day, regardless of what happens, his actions, if they are true, they are by no means acceptable, Schoeffel said.

1:00 p.m.: State Sen. Colin Bell has joined the list of people calling for the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to stop funding the pageant in wake of the email scandal. CRDA has yet to comment on the future of the event in the city.

Its time for the @NJCRDA to end its relationship with Miss America. We can spend the millions on projects/events that have more benefit to Atlantic City. It was well past time even before these horrible emails came to light. https://t.co/0TV7qQJ6Nm  Senator Colin Bell (@ColinGBell) December 22, 2017

12:28 p.m.: The Miss New Jersey Education Foundation released the following statement following the email scandal exposed Thursday by the Huffington Post.

"The Miss New Jersey Education Foundation is disheartened at this reported behavior and stand in full support of our titleholders and contestants, both current and former. We wish to continue our mission of providing scholarship assistance to the young women of New Jersey, as well as support them in service to their communities."

12:15 p.m.: Ed and Diane Grimes were walking down Atlantic City Boardwalk, passing Boardwalk Hall and the Miss America statue at Kennedy Plaza.

Ed Grimes used to teach and coach in Atlantic Countys school district before moving to Myrtle Beach. He and Diane remember attending the pageants Show Us Your Shoes Parade back in what he called the pageant's heyday.

Diane Grimes said she still watches the event each year, but Ed said he lost interest.

He said something like the email scandal is terrible for the contestants.

Its a shame for the women that they have to deal with that crap, he said.

12:00 p.m.: Miss New Jersey 2012 Lindsey Petrosh Delia said she doesnt like seeing cringe-worthy reports about a program that benefits so many women.

This program is relevant and it has provided me and thousands of others with scholarship ensuring that I could attend grad school and pursue my personal and professional goals. It has provided me with countless amazing experiences and given me some of the greatest friends I could ever ask for. I hope this outbreak of information does not discourage young women from participating in the future. I love the Miss America Organization and what it has done for young women for over a hundred years, she said.

11:40 a.m.: Miss America 1984 Suzette Charles says she is among many Miss Americas who have now signed a petition demanding the resignation of Haskell and the Board of Directors of the pageant. "I believe Sam and the board who have been involved should step down and I am in agreement with the other Miss Americas," said the native of Mays Landing. Miss America 1998 is Kate Shindle is one of the organizers of the petition, she said.

11:40 a.m.: Philadelphia author Michael Callahan, who covered this Miss America competition for decades said he was appalled by the recent news.

Perhaps it was naive to think this kind of behavior wouldnt happen with the Miss America competition said Callahan. For this to happen with an organization to venerate the American woman is absolutely astonishing.

Callahan said he thinks the Miss America Board of Directors should remove Haskell as CEO and Executive Chairman and consider a new direction in leadership.

This will make or break Miss America said Callahan.

11:35 a.m.: Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo is also calling on CRDA to ends its funding of the pageant.

"The late Senator Whelan had it right. Renewing the multi-million dollar Miss America contract with CRDA was never the right move," Mazzeo said in a statement. "I agree with Mayor-elect Gilliam, it's time to end the handout and move on. Atlantic City has too many good things happening in the future to be stuck on an event that has only brought in a respectful return in the distant past."

11:25: a.m.: State Sen.-elect and state assemblyman Chris Brown has joined incoming Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam in calling for CRDA to end their funding for the project.

"The CRDA's decision to bring back Miss America to Atlantic City initially held promise the pageant would promote the city as a destination resort, but in light of the limited benefit we've received thus far and without a TV contract, its hard to justify spending anymore public dollars to subsidize the pageant particularly when the money could be better spent on other projects that will actually help our working families and retirees afford to stay in their homes," Brown said in the a statement.

11:21 a.m.: Nicole Johnson, Miss America 1999, released a statement this morning.

I stand with my Miss America sisters - harassment and shaming of women should not be tolerated. I teach my daughter to stand up to bullies and I am horrified at the news about the behavior of the leaders of the Miss America organization. Time for change!  Nicole Johnson (@NicoleMissA99) December 22, 2017

11:15 a.m.: Miss Rhode Island 2015 Allie Curtis said that the news of the emails is appalling.

"The rest of my class of 2016 have a group chat and we are all on the same page. Especially in an organization of women empowerment, to have the people up top engaging in that type of discussion about women it's obscene. I'm extraordinarily disappointed," Curtis said.

Curtis added that she thinks a woman should be in a senior position with the organization.

"It should be a no-brainer," she said.

11:11 a.m.: dick clark productions released the following statement to The Press of Atlantic City:

"Several months ago, dick clark productions was made aware of a portion of the emails that were referenced in the December 21 Huffington Post article. We were appalled by their unacceptable content and insisted, in the strongest possible terms, that the Miss America Organization (MAO) board of directors conduct a comprehensive investigation and take appropriate action to address the situation. Shortly thereafter, we resigned our board positions and notified MAO that we were terminating our relationship with them."

11:10 a.m.: Joe Kelly, president of the chamber, said the television contract is a very important part of the part of the contract; the national exposure is one of the value points of Miss America.

The community has embraced Miss America for a lot of years, Kelly said. I would say people want more details at this point.

11:00 a.m.: Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian said the loss of dick clark productions is a tremendous loss for the pageant.

Miss America is iconic with Atlantic City, Guardian said Friday morning. Im sorry to have seen inappropriate language being used by executive staff.

As far as the future of the pageant in the resort, Guardian said time will tell.

Guardian released an additional statement 12:47 p.m.: I strongly condemn the language and derogatory comments used by the CEO of the Miss America Organization. This is not acceptable on any level. Each and every Miss America contestant deserves our utmost respect."

10:47 a.m.: Former Miss America Suzette Charles, who grew up in Mays Landing, said she is shocked by allegations against Haskell and believes the pageant needs to do much more than just apologize. "I think it would be wonderful" to have a woman run the pageant," she said.

10:07 a.m.: Incoming Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam said the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority should try to get out of the final year of their contract with the Miss America Organization.

On Thursday, Dick Clark Productions cut ties with the Miss America Organization over internal emails by the organization's CEO, Sam Haskell, where he ridiculed past winners' appearance, intelligence and sex lives.

In February 2016, Miss America and the state agency agreed to a three-year deal to keep the pageant in the resort through 2018. Under the contract, Miss America receives about $11.9 million in state subsidy during the life of the contract. When the contract was approved, supporters touted the amount of the national television exposure the city would get from the telecast.

Its a great opportunity to pull out of the contract, Gilliam said Friday morning. Now that the television has gone, its not what we are paying for.

Im not one of the biggest fans of Miss America because we dont get back compared to what give, Gilliam said.

The Huffington Post reported that Haskell exchanged emails with a writer for the televised pageant and others that included harsh and sometimes vulgar comments about past winners.

Miss America CEO under fire for inappropriate emails pic.twitter.com/p2VXRXDq6w  TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 22, 2017

In an Aug. 2014 email between the Haskell and writer Lewis Friedman, Haskell talks about changing the name of past contestant winners in the telecast.

Sharon and I have decided that when referring to a woman who was once Miss America, we are no longer going to call them Forever Miss Americas  please change all script copy to reflect that they are Former Miss Americas! Thanks, Sam, Haskell wrote in an email released by the Huffington Post.

Friedman responded, Sam  Id already changed Forevers to C**ts. Does that work for you?

In a separate email in August 2014 between Friedman, Haskell and others, whose names have been blurred out, they talk about sexual experiences of former Miss America Mallory Hagan.

ps. Are we four the ones not to have f****d Mallory? Friedman said in an email leaked by the Huffington Post.

It appears we are the only ones! Liza took me aside after dinner on Thursday to tell me that Mallory seduced her son in NY at a party one week before giving up her crown in AC  she said it had been weighting on her heart and she needed to tell me  I told her he needs to have a blood test because we lost count of the number of men she slept with at 25, Haskell responded.

Former pageant winners and alumni have already gone to social media to comment on the issue.

Gretchen Carlson, a former Miss America and former member of the Board of the Miss America Organization, said this to Yasher Ali of New York Magazine:

6. I just received this statement from @GretchenCarlson in response to the revelations in my story. https://t.co/fyv26kDt55 pic.twitter.com/bEolhoN8lp  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) December 22, 2017

Former Miss America Kate Shindle, whose parents were once pageant volunteers in Atlantic City, had this to say.

Allyn Rose competed in the Miss America 2013 pageant. She took to Twitter to comment on the story.

As a former @MissAmerica contestant, I'm appalled by these allegations. The intelligent, talented, dynamic women of this program deserve more than this kind of "leadership." #MissAmericahttps://t.co/wK9BSeUx82  Allyn Rose (@AllynRose) December 22, 2017

Erika Harold was the 2003 winner of the Miss America pageant.

Erika Harolds statement regarding the recently published emails attributed to Miss America Organization leaders: pic.twitter.com/PlbFenQHFA  Erika Harold (@ErikaHarold) December 22, 2017

Mallory Hagan was the Miss America 2013 winner.

Full confidence in a man who thinks its perfect! to call the women who are Miss Americas c*nts. Never mind what hes repeatedly said about me.



Like what?



Next.  https://t.co/pGTP6ysOJK  Mallory Hagan (@ItsMalloryHagan) December 21, 2017

Alyssa Murray was a 2012 contestant for the pageant.

As someone who competed with @ItsMalloryHagan and is still friends with her 5 years later, I can tell you she is the epitome of what #MissAmerica should be, and Haskell should be banned from the org. Slut-shaming and fat shaming have no place in an org designed to empower women  Alyssa Murray (@AlyssaFromDE) December 22, 2017

Suzi Roberts was Miss South Carolina 2017.

& the same goes for an organization. do not lose faith in something that has proven to give women the tools to create positive change & make their dreams come true for generations. the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. pic.twitter.com/yEo6vhXuHj  Suzi Roberts (@suziii_spoo) December 22, 2017
As his second and final term comes to an end, Gov. Chris Christie has committed the state to its share of funding the now $12.7 billion Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project, something that should have been done seven years ago.

About 750,000 people a day ride the rails between New Jersey and Manhattan. That makes the rail tunnels under the Hudson River essential to commuters livelihoods and the state economy.

The two single-track tunnels used by NJ Transit and Amtrak were built in 1910 and damaged by Hurricane Sandy. They have to be rebuilt soon, and just taking one out of service at a time for the work would reduce the cross-river capacity by 75 percent, according to a Common Good report.

The federal government in 2010 proposed building a new two-track tunnel to add needed capacity and enable the existing tunnels to be rehabilitated without a commuter nightmare. It offered to pay half the cost, with New Jersey and New York splitting the rest.

Christie rejected the project, saying the costs would likely be higher and heavily indebted New Jersey couldnt afford it. The states Transportation Trust Fund already was using its annual $895 million in gas, sales and other tax revenue just to cover the interest on debt.

Derailing the project just ensured the necessary and eventual work would cost even more and wouldnt be done when it could help the state rebound from the severe recession of 2007-09. The U.S. Government Accountability Office figured it would have created 200,000 jobs, generated $9 billion in business revenue and increased federal, state and local tax revenue by $1.5 billion during nine years of construction.

The plan announced last week commits New Jersey to providing $1.9 billion, New York $1.75 billion and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey $1.9 billion. It assumes the Trump administration will still be willing to pick up half the overall cost.

New Jersey would get its funding from a surcharge on rail trips to Manhattan that would start at 90 cents in 2020, increase to $1.70 in 2028 and then to $2.20 in 2038.

Gov.-elect Phil Murphy, a supporter of the project, nonetheless complained about the bi-state agreement and said he would see whether there were alternatives that did not involve further fare hikes.

We cant imagine alternatives other than raising taxes or increasing debt, both exactly the opposite of what New Jersey needs to do.

Besides, rail travelers to New York would be the beneficiaries of the Gateway Project, so the surcharge is in keeping with the trend of shifting costs of government services to the users who directly benefit from them. NJ Transit last raised fares by an average 9 percent in 2015, not that long ago. But that was just to cover its inefficient, overpriced operational costs. In return for paying the surcharge, commuters will get more convenient and safer travel through greatly increased tunnel capacity.

The interesting aspect is that Christie could have chosen to fund the project with a ticket surcharge in 2010. We think he didnt because that was early in his first term and it might have cost him his re-election, regardless of the projects need and appropriateness of the funding method.

The same concern probably delayed until his second term agreeing with Democrats to raise the gasoline tax to restore the Transportation Trust Fund.

If politicians spoke openly about such situations, theyd probably lament that sometimes the publics aversion to what needs to be done makes them proceed in less optimal, more wasteful ways.

Thats true to a degree, but elected officials aversion to cutting spending also drives this sort of dysfunction.

Grand compromises that would work better for all while sharing the pain more equitably are often possible, but only once politicians and the public get better at democracy and governance.
Grateful for LoBiondos arctic refuge protection

I regard Congressman Frank Lobiondos decision to not seek re-election with a mixture of gratitude and trepidation. Gratitude for his service to his constituents in the 2nd District (of which I am one). Trepidation because in these polarized times, it is precisely the intelligent, balanced and seasoned statesmanship of Rep. Lobiondo that the nation desperately needs.

Always a friend to the environment, LoBiondos steadfast defense of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was what earned my abiding respect and countenance. Where other members of Congress see a frozen wasteland, he recognizes a rich, nurturing environment that is as close as the air we breathe and as manifest as the tens of thousands of wintering birds that are the arctics envoys to New Jersey (e.g. the American robin eating the berries in the holly outside your door was likely raised in a willow thicket in the arctic).

As someone who has made multiple trips to the arctic refuge, I celebrate Lobiondos determination and farsightedness. He has earned his retirement but his voice of reason will be missed.

One can only hope that his successor shares the congressmans commitment to the environment that supports us and makes South Jersey the place we choose to live.

Pete Dunne

Dividing Creek

Keepers family backs Hereford Light group

Keeper Ferdinand Heizmans exemplary record and the repeated and consecutive federal honors bestowed on him at Hereford Inlet Lighthouse are unparalleled in lighthouse lore and place him among the most decorated lighthouse keepers in the nation.

I am the grandson of Heizman and write on behalf of his heirs. We are all deeply concerned about the fate of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, the history contained within its walls, and the institutional memory that keeps it alive if indeed the Friends of the Lighthouse are removed from their post as trustees at years end as the new mayor has decided.

Collectively we urge people to challenge this misguided and political decision. Friends of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse must maintain their longstanding and highly successful role as guardians of this historic treasure. On many occasions, director Steve Murray and his team have demonstrated a commitment for and love of this living monument that no amount of money can buy. They are absolutely irreplaceable.

Severing management relations with the group means cutting the very ties that bind this community together. It is an existential threat to the light and would forever lessen its brightness.

Keeper Heizmans family pleads for help in reaching an outcome that honors his dedication and that of his fellow keepers including the current day guardians  Friends of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse.

We stand united and in vocal protest against the mayors decision and we ask for the publics support.

Tedd Determan

Washington, D.C.
SINGAPORE, December 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

2017 has ended on a high note for the Indian real estate sector with regulatory reforms renewing NRI confidence in the Indian property market. "Mid-2017 onwards, we are experiencing an investment revival amongst NRI's," says Rahul Maroo, Sr. VP and Head International Sales, Omkar Realtors.

This boost in NRI interest can be attributed to various economic and realty regulatory reforms implemented by the Indian government beginning last quarter of 2016 and lasting through 2017. The introduction of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), Goods and Services Tax(GST), the demonetisation and Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act have helped bridge the trust deficit between NRIs/institutional investors and India's private realty players.

Traditionally, key NRI communities spanning GCC countries, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Canada and USA preferred investing in India owing to long term fundamentals such as emotional connect, safeguarding retirement plans, higher ROI's, rental income and depreciation in the rupee's value. However, the lack of regulatory mechanisms to safeguard against misleading marketing and ensuring adherence to delivery timelines deterred investor interest.

Today, Indian industry experts and the widespread NRI factions believe that RERA has been pivotal in addressing this trust block.

Commenting on RERA boosting NRI investor confidence Rahul Maroo, Sr. VP and Head International Sales, Omkar Realtors said, "Mid-2017 onwards, we are experiencing an investment revival amongst NRI's from the migrating faction as well the sizeable permanent population looking at India for investment. In two low-ticket offerings in Mumbai-based developments, we have added 300 customers this year from GCC, Singapore and Hong Kong markets."

Mumbai based Omkar Realtors & Developers, leading developers in boutique and luxury housing recently launched their RERA compliant project - 'Lawns & Beyond' with 1/2/3-bhk units priced from Rs. 83 lakh to 1.57 crore (355 sq.ft -710 sq.ft carpet area). The project located on the Western-Express-Highway of Andheri-Jogeshwari east corridor offers a record 30 plus amenities with an inventory of 1200 plus apartments for Phase 1 launch spanning 5-acres. The 65-acre project is planned to shape into Omkar International District (OID), a mixed-development, evolving into a major landmark for Mumbai.

According to Mr. Ashutosh Limaye, National Director - Research of IPC- JLL, "NRI's consider four factors when investing in Indian property; minimum initial investment, high rental potential, developers with strong delivery record and RERA compliance.

While leading brands like Omkar Realtors have received overwhelming response from NRI's, industry experts opine that the onus lies on private developers to create reform awareness amongst their audiences in 2018."



Media Contact:

Narendra JM

Perez Consulting

Tel: +91-984540-38063

Email: narendra@perezconsulting.in

Website: http://www.omkar.com

SOURCE Omkar Realtors
Los Angeles, Dec 17 : More superheroes films, including "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four", have been added in the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU), following Disney's acquisition of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced that the company has reached a deal with Fox, buying select assets of the latter for $52.4 billion in stock, reports aceshowbiz.com.

He said: "We're also looking forward to expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe to include 'X-Men', 'Fantastic Four' and 'Deadpool'."

The Disney-Fox deal is a huge move as Marvel can finally reclaim many of the characters it lost in the 1990s after it licensed them out to prevent bankruptcy.

The respective characters from the "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" universes will now join the MCU, which has already teamed "The Avengers" with "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Doctor Strange" and "Spider-Man".

Iger also spoke on the future of "Deadpool", the R-rated Marvel franchise at Fox.

"It ('Deadpool') clearly has been and will be Marvel branded. But we think there might be an opportunity for a Marvel-R brand for something like 'Deadpool'. As long as we let the audiences know what's coming, we think we can manage that fine," said Iger.

In addition, Disney has announced a plan to launch two streaming services by 2019.

The company will now have the power to challenge streaming giants like Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook.
Kandahar (Afghanistan), Dec 17 : An Afghan woman was killed and four civilians wounded when a suicide car bomb struck a NATO-led coalition forces' convoy in Kandahar city on Sunday, an official said.

The blast occurred around 2 p.m. local time in Police District 5 of Kandahar city, capital of southern province of Kandahar, along a road which connects the city to the international airport, the official, who did not want to be named, told Xinhua news agency.

"The initial information found a woman was killed and four civilians were wounded by the blast. But no foreigner from the convoy was hurt as they were sitting in bomb proof vehicles," he said.

"We heard a huge blast when a convoy of international forces was passing our neighbourhood. The whole place has now been sealed off, and no one knows what happened to residents near the blast site," witness Ahmad told Xinhua.

Several vehicles and nearby houses were also damaged by the blast, he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban insurgent group routinely claims responsibility for such attacks.

More than 2,640 civilians were killed and over 5,370 others injured in conflict-related incidents in first nine months of the year in Afghanistan, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.
London, Dec 19 : Engaging in "mindful thinking" and "mindful eating" could be the key to lowering stress and help students get rid of pre-exam jitters, suggests a study.

Mindfulness is a means of training attention for the purpose of mental well-being based on the practice of meditation.

The findings showed that mindfulness training may help lower stress as well as reduce the risk of developing common mental health issues such as anxiety and depression in students, which would help them perform well in their academics.

In the study, published in the journal The Lancet Public Health, college students who practised mindfulness showed lower distress scores, suggesting that mindfulness helps build resilience against stress.

Mindfulness training also improved well-being during the exam period when compared with the usual support.

On the other hand, students who received the standard support became increasingly stressed as the academic year progressed.

"The evidence is mounting that mindfulness training can help people cope with accumulative stress. While these benefits may be similar to some other preventative methods, mindfulness could be a useful addition to the interventions already delivered by university counselling services," said Peter Jones, Professor at the University of Cambridge "Our findings show that provision of mindfulness training could be an effective component of a wider student mental health strategy," Jones added.

For the study, the team included 616 students who were randomised across two groups: one which took the counselling service and others who underwent mindfulness training.

Mindfulness training, which appears to be popular, feasible, acceptable and without stigma, can also be more effective than other preventive interventions, the researchers said.
Gandhinagar, Dec 19 : The Gujarat Assembly elections saw not only a marked increase in None Of The Above (NOTA) voters, these votes also played a significant role in deciding the results. Many wins of the BJP were very thin, and in these seats the NOTA votes were more than the victory margin.

Had it not been for NOTA, the Congress in all likelihood would have won with a majority to form the government, say analysts.

Of the total 1,50,19,245 votes cast in the 2017 Assembly elections, almost 1.8 per cent -- or 5,51,414 voters - pressed the NOTA button on the Electronic Voting Machines.

In Ahmedabad's Dholka constituency, BJP cabinet Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama won with just 327 votes over Congress' Ashwin Rathod. The third highest voter getter was an independent Shaktisinh Sisodiya with 4,222 votes, but the spoilsport for Congress was NOTA with 2,347 votes.

In Khambhatt constituency, BJP's Mahesh Rawal won, leading with 2,318 votes against Congress' Khushmanbhai Patel. Here the third highest votes went to NOTA with 2,731. In Visnagar, BJP's Rushikesh Patel won by a lead of 2,869 votes over Congress' Mahesh Patel, and the third highest votes went to NOTA - 2,992.

In Fatehpura constituency, BJP candidate Rameshbhai Katara won with a lead of 2,711 votes over Congress' Raghubhai Machhar, with NOTA being the third highest vote getter with 4,573 - far more than the NCP candidate who got 2,747 votes. In Matar constituency, BJP's Kesharisinh Solanki won with a margin of 2,406 votes over Sanjaybhai Patel of Congress, where the third highest was NOTA with 4,090 votes, far more than the independent candidate who bagged 1,936 votes.

In Himmatnagar constituency, BJP's Rajendrasinh Chavda beat Congress candidate Kamleshkumar Patel by 1,712 votes, with NOTA again getting the third highest votes at 3,334, while the fourth was the BSP candidate. In Porbandar there was a battle between two bigwigs, BJP's sitting MLA and cabinet Minister Babubhai Bokhiria who won over senior Congressman Arjun Modhwadia with a thin margin of 1,855 votes. The third highest vote chunk went to BSP candidate (4,337) but the NOTA votes were 3,433, just enough for Modhwadia to have got the coveted seat.

The Umreth constituency was grabbed by BJP candidate Govind Parmar over Congress' Kapilaben Chavda with thin margin of 1,883 votes, where the third highest vote chunk was NOTA (3,710) - more than what the fourth-placed independent got(1,286). The Rajkot rural seat was taken by BJP's Lakhabhai Sagathiya with a narrow margin of 2,179 votes over Vashrambhai Sagathiya from Congress. Although the third highest vote getter was the BSP candidate (3,323), NOTA grabbed 2,559 votes.

Another bigwig from the BJP who narrowly won with a thin margin was former cabinet Minister Saurabh Patel (Dalal) from Botad seat. He won with a margin of 906 votes over Congress' Dhirajlal Kalathiya. The NOTA votes were 1,334.

The Congress rebel who defected to the saffron party before the Rajya Sabha elections, C.K. Raulji, won with a slim margin of 258 votes over Congress rival Rajendrasinh Parmar. Here NOTA votes were 3,050.

In seats like Sanand, Gariadhar, Deesa, Sayajiganj (Vadodara), Chanasma, Mahuva (Surat), Vijapur, Gandhinagar (south), and Kheralu that were won by BJP candidates with narrow margins, the independent candidates made a huge dent in votes of the Congress candidates.
Kabul, Dec 19 : The Afghan government on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's new national security strategy, saying the plan was in line with Kabul' and Washington shared objectives against terrorism.

"President Trump's new national security strategy affirms the enduring US-Afghanistan strategic partnership," the Presidential palace said in a statement.

On Monday night, Trump announced the strategy, the first of its kind since he took office in January, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The national security strategy and the US-South Asia strategy are the cornerstones upon which our shared efforts to defeat terrorism and bring stability to Afghanistan are built. Our partnership, which reflects a renewed US commitment, will set the conditions to end the war and finally bring peace to Afghanistan," the statement read.

The Afghan government welcomed "the strategy aims to strengthen peace and stability in the region especially through diplomatic means.

"We have always worked and shall continue to do so for a peaceful region with increased connectivity for the shared economic development of our people in this region. To this end, we will continue to work with our neighbours close and far in the region," it added.
Gandhinagar, Dec 19 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi will visit Gujarat to attend a three-day meeting starting on Wednesday to review the party's showing in Assembly elections in which it gave a tough fight to the ruling BJP.

Other Congress leaders are also expected to attend the "review meeting" in Ahmedabad, party leaders said.

The Congress will analyse in detail why it failed to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has ruled Gujarat for 22 long years, and the road ahead with 80 newly elected MLAs -- the highest number in decades.

Congress leaders say that although they lost the election, the victory of 80 party candidates and the BJP's failure to win even 100 seats in a state it considers its fortress has given a new confidence to the party.

The Congress campaign was led by Rahul Gandhi, who became the party President on December 16, two days after the Gujarat elections got over.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : A parliamentary panel has suggested that the government extend the duty drawback rates for exporters prevailing prior to the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) until June next year or till the revenue department fixes the revised rates.

In its report on the "Impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Exports" tabled in both houses of parliament on Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Commerce chaired by Naresh Gujral (Rajya Sabha/Akali Dal) recommended that a formal mechanism be instituted for redressing the grievances of exporters.

"In order to bring relief to the exporters, the Committee recommends that the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance extend the pre-GST duty drawback rates till June 30, 2018, or till such time the Department works out the revised duty drawback rates," the report said.

"The Committee hopes that this will enable the exporters to overcome the problems being faced by them currently besides helping them to take a long term perspective while negotiating export orders," it added.

Noting that the GST refund mechanism for exporters is "tardy and cumbersome" due to several operational issues, the committee also suggested that a simplified system for filing of refunds needs to be devised for the ease of doing business.

"Teething problems have been there and there is a feeling that what was thought as the grand idea of GST on the ground, the implementation has not been proper," the panel said in its report.
Srinagar, Dec 20 : Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city on Wednesday to prevent protests during a separatist called shutdown in the Kashmir Valley, police said.

The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, called for the shutdown against the killings of civilians in anti-militancy operations.

Authorities have placed Mirwaiz Umer under house arrest.

"Placed under #HouseArrest again, while the inhuman brutal killings of #Kashmiris including our young women continue and the collaborators who preside over them sing paeans of their masters", Mirwaiz tweeted.

Geelani continues to remain under house arrest.

The restrictions were imposed in Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj and Safa Kadal areas of the city, the police said.

"Partial restrictions have also been imposed in Maisuma and Kralkhud."

Coils of barbed wire have been placed at traffic crossings in the areas under restrictions.

Heavy contingents of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed.

Train service between north Kashmir's Baramulla town and Jammu's Bannihal town has been suspended.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : India and China will hold the annual meeting of their Special Representatives on their border row here on Friday, it was announced on Wednesday.

The External Affairs Ministry said that while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will be India's Special Representative at the 20th Meeting of the Special Representatives, China will be represented by Yang Jiechi, State Councillor and a Communist Party Politburo member.

Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a face-off earlier this year in Doklam region near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction.

Earlier this month, the Doklam issue came up for discussion during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here.

The last Special Representatives' meeting was held in Beijing in April 2016. India and China dispute their winding border and went to war over it in 1962.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi will visit Gujarat on Saturday to attend a review meeting to analyse the party's showing in the Assembly elections, in which it gave a tough fight to the ruling BJP.

During his three-day visit to the state, Gandhi will hold meetings with all the newly-elected MLAs and party workers and review the Gujarat election results, said sources in the party.

Congress along with its alies won 80 seats and restricted BJP to less 100 in a state it considers its fortress.

AICC General Secretary in-charge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot held the review meeting with party workers in Mehsana on Wednesday.

The Congress will analyse in detail why it failed to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has ruled Gujarat for 22 long years, and the road ahead.

Rahul Gandhi became the party President on December 16, two days after the Gujarat elections got over.
Barcelona, Dec 21 : Voting will take place on Thursday in a closely watched regional election called by Spain following October's controversial independence referendum.

The snap election pits parties who want Catalonia to be an independent republic against those who wish it to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain, the BBC reported.

All indications are that the result will be very close.

The Spanish daily El Pais said on its front page on Wednesday that one million undecided voters could have the last word.

An aggregate of polls published earlier this week by El Pais suggested that the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) will lead the polls, slightly ahead of Ciudadanos (Cs), which wants unity with Spain.

The pro-independence JxCat party of ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont was predicted to come third. That would mean no parliamentary majority in favour of independence and possibly lengthy negotiations to form a government.

Separatists who dominated the Catalan parliament declared independence on October 27 after a controversial referendum deemed unconstitutional by Spain, the BBC reported.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy then sacked the Catalan government, imposed direct rule and called the December 21 election.

Prosecutors accused 13 Catalan separatist politicians of rebellion and sedition, including Puigdemont and four others who fled to Belgium.

Other pro-independence politicians are in Spanish prisons.

As a result, campaigning has led to some unusual scenes, with Puigdemont addressing rallies via a videolink from Brussels.
Washington, Dec 21 : US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off American aid to any country that votes for a resolution at the UN condemning his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

At a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said he would be "watching those votes" in the General Assembly when it meets in emergency session on Thursday over the US Jerusalem decision that has come under widespread flak, the Washington Post reported.

"They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us," he said. "Well, we'll be watching those votes. Let them vote against us; we'll save a lot. We don't care.

"But this isn't like it used to be, where they could vote against you, and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they're doing."

Trump ended by asserting: "We're not going to be taken advantage of any longer."

The President's remarks came after Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, warned on Twitter that "the US will be taking names" of countries that support the resolution.

And in a letter she sent to more than 180 UN ambassadors of member nations, she said she would report back to Trump on how they voted. "We will take note of each and every vote on this issue," she wrote.

The UN General Assembly will meet for a rare emergency session to discuss the status of Jerusalem on Thursday after the US vetoed earlier an Egypt-drafted request asking Washington to withdraw its decision to recognize the city as Israel's capital.

The US on Monday vetoed a Security Council draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem.

All other 14 members of the Security Council voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted text. But as the US, a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto power, the draft resolution failed to be adopted.

Washington's threat to cut aid was swiftly criticized by Turkey, which accused the White House of further isolating itself through its threats.

"We expect strong support at the UN vote, but we see that the US, which was left alone, is now resorting to threats," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said before leaving Istanbul for New York.

"No honourable, dignified country would bow down to this pressure."

Derek H. Chollet, who served in the Obama administration, said: "This is an empty threat. Some of the countries Trump professes to be most admiring of would be caught in the cross-hairs of this."
New Delhi, Dec 21 : Special Judge O.P. Saini, who oversaw the trial of all 2G spectrum cases since early 2011, on Thursday said his seven-year anticipation for evidence ended "all in vain" because the case was mainly based on "rumour, gossip and speculation".

"For the last about seven years, on all working days, summer vacation included, I religiously sat in the open court from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., awaiting for someone with some legally admissible evidence in his possession but all in vain," Saini said in his 1,552-page judgment.

"Not a single soul turned up. This indicates that everybody was going by public perception created by rumour, gossip and speculation. However, public perception has no place in judicial proceedings."

The judge noted that the trial attracted lot of public attention and everyone was curious about the case which led to the courtroom remaining overcrowded on each day of its hearing.

"Scores of people appeared before the Court and submitted that true facts had not been placed before the court. However, when questioned as to whether they were in possession of any definite material for making such an assertion, almost all of them withdrew and left."

He, however, recalled that about a dozen persons filed written applications asking either for further investigation or summoning of additional accused left out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

But none of these applications were found to be supported by any legally admissible material. All the applications were based either on the material already on court record or wholly irrelevant material, the judge said "All these applications resulted in dismissal. Still many people kept appearing before the court ... submitting that entire facts were not placed before the court. When questioned about the material in their possession, all were found to be lacking in this. None of them volunteered to be a court witness."

The judge pulled up the prosecution that started the case with "great enthusiasm" but became "highly cautious and guarded as to what (it) wanted to prove".

He said the "quality of prosecution totally deteriorated and became directionless and diffident".

Saini cited a few instances to indicate the CBI's behaviour.

He said even several applications and replies were filed but no senior officer or prosecutor signed these applications and left a "junior most officer, Inspector Manoj Kumar," to do that.

He said when the senior public prosecutor was asked about it, his usual reply would be that the special public prosecutor would sign it. When the latter was questioned, he would say that "CBI people" would sign it.

The judge said when final arguments started, the prosecutor had promised to file written submissions but argued the matter orally for several months.

The prosecutor, he said, filed unsigned written submissions even after "great efforts had to be made to persuade" him. "What is the use of a document in a court of law which is not signed by anyone?"

"Many more things can be said but that would only add to the length of the order."
New Delhi, Dec 21 : The Congress on Thursday said the 2G court verdict has "exposed the conspiracy hatched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley, Vinod Rai and other BJP leaders" to defame the party-led previous UPA government in order to come to power.

The party said through the court verdict "truth has come to light" and that Modi, former CAG Vinod Rai and BJP leaders, including Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, should give an explanation to the country for "levelling false allegations, spreading lies and hatching a conspiracy" and demanded an apology from them for defaming the UPA government.

The party also slammed Jaitley for saying that Congress should not wear the court verdict as a "badge of honour". , Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "Jaitley is a master of lies. Will his government take note of the three scams brought out by the CAG report and probe it?"

"He is questioning the judgment of the special CBI court. This does not behove a country's Finance Minister," Surjewala said.

Earlier after court verdict, the party leader said: "The BJP has been exposed today -- It tried to insult the country and came to power by doing business out of false allegations.

"Truth is for the country to judge and see as the special CBI Court rejected every allegation of corruption, wrongdoing, criminal conspiracy and breach of trust. Will Modiji and the BJP come forward to own up to the sinister maligning machinations and apologise to the nation.

"The lies have been exposed and the BJP's conspiracy to defame the Congress party has been exposed. It is a victory of truth," said Surjewala.

"The conspiracy, which was hatched by Modi, Jaitley, Rai and other BJP leaders, has been exposed today. The truth has come to light that no one is guilty in the 2G spectrum case.

He asked if "all these people, who were resorting to lies for all these years to come to power", apologise to the country?

"Isn't it true that spreading lies and to hatch a conspiracy are in the DNA and character of the BJP."

"Shouldn't they be held responsible and give an explanation in the Parliament for the lies. Shouldn't the PM, Jaitley and BJP apologise to the nation publicly," he asked and said those who termed 2G a scam and moved up the ladder of power should give an explanation and be held responsible.

Surjewala said: "The BJP should give a reply in the Parliament for the conspiracy hatched against the UPA government and defaming the country."

The Congress said that it will also seek an explanation from Modi, Jaitley, BJP President Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for stalling parliamentary proceedings for three years during the UPA rule and tarnishing the image of the country.

"The manner in which they hatched a conspiracy with Rai, due to which country's economy was hit and losses incurred, the BJP and Modi have to give an explanation for this," said Surjewala.

Special Judge O.P. Saini acquitted all the accused, including then Telecom Minister A. Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi, in both the cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate in the 2G case.

The alleged scam on the issuance of licences and allocation of 2G spectrum by the Department of Telecom occurred during the Congress-led UPA government's first tenure in 2008 but was widely reported in 2010 following a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
Barcelona, Dec 22 : Catalan separatist parties are on track to win most seats in the new regional parliament, setting the stage for more confrontation with Spain's government.

The Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain, is the biggest party, therefore, it is unclear who will be given the right to form a government, BBC reported.

The Madrid government stripped Catalonia of its autonomy and called the election after declaring an October independence referendum illegal.

With nearly all votes counted, the pro-independence parties Together for Catalonia (JxCat), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Popular Unity (CUP) were on course to win a total of 70 seats, giving them a majority.

Within the separatist party block, ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont's JxCat was slightly ahead of the ERC, led by his former deputy, Oriol Junqueras.

Speaking in Brussels, where he is in self-imposed exile, Puigdemont said the "Catalan republic" had won and "the Spanish state has been defeated".

The situation called for "rectification, reparation and restitution," he was quoted as saying.

He is accused by Spanish prosecutors of rebellion and sedition. Junqueras faces the same charges and is currently in prison.
San Francisco, Dec 22 : Alphabet, the parent company of US tech giant Google, has announced that Eric Schmidt is stepping down as executive chairman of the board of directors in January 2018.

It said in a statement on Thursday that Schmidt will become a technical adviser to the company while continuing to serve on its board.

"After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I can't wait to dive into the latest in science, technology and philanthropy," Schmidt said in a tweet.

"I look forward to working with (Google founders) Larry (Page) and Sergey (Brin) on our future here at Alphabet," he tweeted.

"Larry, Sergey, (CEO Google Inc) Sundar (Pichai) and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet's evolution for this transition.

"The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving," Schmidt said in the statement.

Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet, praised Schmidt for his long-standing efforts since he joined Google in 2001 for providing the company "with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology".

Alphabet said that its board will appoint a new, non-executive chairman at its next meeting in January.

Google, the world's top search giant, was founded by Page and Sergey Brin in September 1998.

In October 2015, Alphabet became the parent holding company of Google, which has more than 70,000 employees worldwide.
Washington, Dec 22 : US Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he has met with Afghan leaders and reviewed American troops deployed there.

Pence left Washington on Wednesday afternoon on a military jet, arriving at the Bagram air base near Kabul, from where he was taken by helicopter to the presidential palace in the Afghan capital.

There Pence met with President Ashraf Ghani and the country's chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, Efe news reported.

"I hope my presence here is tangible evidence" of the Donald Trump administration's commitment to Afghanistan, Pence told the reporters accompanying him to the meeting on Thursday.

After speaking with the Afghan leaders, Pence returned to Bagram to address some 500 US soldiers.

"I believe victory is closer than ever before," Pence told the troops.

"It's because of all of you that we're safe. It's because of you that we're free. It's because of you that freedom has a future in Afghanistan and America and all across the wider world," he said.

Pence, in addition, said that as long as Trump was President, the US troops would remain in Afghanistan.

"The US will no longer be bound by arbitrary timetables in Afghanistan. As the President said, America's enemies must never know our plans. They must never believe they can wait us out.

"Instead our decisions will be based on an objective assessment of conditions on the ground," he said, adding that "A relentless pursuit of victory will guide us and nothing else."

Pence's visit lasted about seven and half hours and he has left Afghan soil, according to US reporters covering the trip.

This is Pence's first visit to a combat theatre, whereas Trump - although he has been in the White House for 11 months - still has not travelled to any war zones.

The US went to war in Afghanistan shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks more than 16 years ago.

Washington has some 14,000 troops in the Central Asian nation, most of them integrated into the Nato operation there.

About 2,400 US troops have died in Afghanistan since the US invaded the country to topple the Taliban government.
Soldiers stand guard as authorities imposed restrictions to prevent separatist-called protests against civilian killings during gunfights between security forces and militants; in Srinagar ... Image Source: IANS

Protesters pelt stones on security personnel during a protest in Srinagar on June 2, 2017. Image Source: IANS

Srinagar, Dec 22 : Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city to prevent separatist-called protests post the Friday prayers against civilian killings during gunfights between the security forces and the militants.

Senior separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, was placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence on the city outskirts.

A police officer said restrictions under section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in Rainawari, Khanyar, Nowhatta, M.R.Gunj and Safa Kadal in the old city areas here.

"Partial restrictions will also remain in force in Maisuma and Kralkhud," he added.

Train services between Baramulla town of the Kashmir Valley and Bannihal town in the Jammu region have been suspected on the day as a precautionary measure.

Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in sufficient strength to enforce the restrictions.
Chicago, Dec 22 : The Trump administrations less-than-subtle threat to stop aid to countries that voted against the United States for recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital is manifestly untenable. For one, the list of 128 countries includes those at the very heart of Washingtons deep strategic and national security engagement.

Stung by the overwhelming support for a United Nations resolution in favour of maintaining the status of Jerusalem in compliance with Security Council resolutions, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Washington would be "taking names" of those who went against it. Before the vote Haley had said: "The President will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those who voted against us."

President Donald Trump went a step further, clearly suggesting that aid to those who did not support his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem would end. "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot," he said. The only problem with this rather extraordinary warning is that among the countries that supported the UN resolution against America are those with a direct bearing on both this country's strategic and national security interests.

Take, for instance, just four countries that voted against America -- Afghanistan ($4.2 billion), Iraq ($4.2 billion), Jordan ($1.2 billion) and Egypt ($1.2 billion). They are at the core of America's geostrategic engagement and between them accounted for over $10 billion in annual US aid out of a total obligation of $49 billion and actual disbursement of $45 billion worldwide for 2016. There is next to no prospect of even reducing, let alone ending, the aid to these four. Add to the list another equally crucial player, Pakistan, which received over $987 million in 2016 and which voted against the US.

Digging deeper into the complexities of US aid and its direct relationship with its various global interests, it becomes even clearer why President Trump's warning is ill-conceived on the face of it. His just-released National Security Strategy document lays special emphasis on the enhanced role India ought to play both within South Asia and in the broader Indian Ocean region. It also expects India to increase its economic assistance to Afghanistan. India, in a somewhat spunky decision, voted against the US over the Jerusalem resolution.

It is hard to see how Washington might be able to balance punishing India for that vote even while expecting it to share a considerable amount of its foreign policy burden in Asia. India received a relatively modest sum in US aid in 2016 -- $123 million -- and it is unlikely to be moved by the prospect of losing it. More importantly, it would be rather impractical, not to mention downright awkward, for Washington's interlocutors to both threaten and cajole New Delhi simultaneously.

The situation becomes even trickier for Washington when it comes to Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which voted against the US and both of which embody the very definition of its strategic and national security interests. How does America reduce or even cut off aid to these two countries abruptly now or in the foreseeable future? It might be useful to remember that only in August Trump signalled an open-ended involvement, without an identifiable end-game, in Afghanistan. Such an endeavour can hardly be expected to come without economic aid attached to it.

The pronouncement by Trump is an example of his characteristic bombast in so much as it concerns such key strategic allies and interests. When it comes to the actual decision-making, it is more than likely that Washington would have to forget the grand threat and fall back to its more conventional diplomatic route.

Notwithstanding all this, there is no realistic expectation within the international community that the Trump administration would give up the plan to move its embassy to Jerusalem merely because a vast majority of the world -- 128 countries -- oppose it. As Haley said before the vote: "The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy."

In vetoing the UN Security Council resolution on December 18, she had tweeted: "What we witnessed here today in the Security Council is an insult. It won't be forgotten. It's one more example of the UN doing more harm than good in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

For now, the contrast between a majority of the world and the US-Israel combine could not be sharper.

(Mayank Chhaya can be contacted at mayank.c@ians.in)
Lima, Dec 22 : The plenary session of the Peruvian Congress on Friday rejected the proposal presented by the Opposition to dismiss President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over alleged moral incapacity due to his links with the Brazilian company Odebrecht.

After a session of more than 13 hours, the proposal was rejected as it only obtained 79 votes in favour and according to the law, the proposal needs at least 87 votes from 130 legislators in the Congress, Efe news reported.

Kuczynski, therefore, will remain as President.
United Nations, Dec 22 : India joined the UN majority in voting for a General Assembly resolution criticising US President Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move Washington's embassy there.

The resolution that was passed by a two-thirds majority on Thursday demanded Washington comply with Security Council decisions against changing the status of Jerusalem and declared US and Israeli action on the city "null and void".

It, however, only expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem", stopping short of naming the US or condemning it outright.

Defying Trump's threats to cut off aid to countries that voted for the resolution, 128 countries voted for the resolution, while nine countries joined the US and Israel in voting against it.

An unusually large number -- 35 countries -- abstained, and 21 others were absent, showing that Trump's threats had some effect.

US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley repeated Trump's warning on aid before the vote describing support for it an "insult" to her country.

"We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the UN," she said. "And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit."

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said that by voting for the resolution nations would be rejecting attempts at blackmail and intimidation.

He warned that Washington's action could lead to a religious war that "has no boundaries" and only served the interests of extremists.

The Assembly resolution followed the US veto on Monday of a similar resolution in the Security Council introduced by Egypt. All the other 14 Council members voted for it, isolating the US.

The Assembly resolution was sponsored by Yemen on behalf of the Arab Group in the UN, and by Turkey on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Representing the OIC, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Jerusalem was the holy city of three monotheistic religions and its historic status had to be preserved.

Referring to the US' threats to withhold aid, he said such "bullying" was unethical and votes were not for sale.

While the Assembly resolutions do not have the legal clout of the Council resolutions, they carry political clout, especially when endorsed by a two-thirds majority.

Previous Council resolutions have said that the status of Jerusalem and territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war should not be altered unilaterally.

While close US allies like Britain, France and Japan, which had voted for the resolution in Council, again broke ranks with it in the Assembly, there were some surprises. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claims to follow a progressive foreign policy, Canada abstained.

Five of the countries that voted with the US and Israel were tiny Pacific island nations like Micronesia, and two were from Latin America. No country of any significance politically or in size voted for the resolution, even if some of them abstained or absented themselves.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
Jaipur, Dec 22 : In yet another protest against a Bollywood film, the morning shows of "Tiger Zinda Hai", a Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starred film, had to be stopped in many cinema halls across Rajasthan after members of the Valmiki community raised slogans, tore and burnt posters of the film over the alleged use of a pejorative word by Salman during a promotional event.

The protests started from Ajmer and soon reached Jaipur and Kota, leading to cancellation of the morning shows in several cinema halls of the film that released nationwide on Friday.

According to information, the Valmiki community is aggrieved due to the alleged use of pejorative language by Salman Khan, and by Shilpa Shetty earlier.

The police remanded several people in custody.

The protesters alleged that Salman had insulted the Valmiki community by using "cheap language".

The video of Salman, uttering the pejorative words has gone viral, and triggered tension in Ajmer.

The aggrieved protesters in large numbers reached Mridang Theatre late on Thursday night and tore up the film posters and many also set ablaze the actor's posters.

They also warned cinema hall owners to stop screening the movie or else they will have to pay a big price, sources confirmed.

The movie has been directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and comes as a sequel to Kabir Khan's blockbuster "Ek Tha Tiger".
New Delhi, Dec 22 : A demand for hiking the salary of parliamentarians was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu assured he will bring the matter to the government's notice.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal raised the issue and was supported by other members across party lines.

"A Parliamentary Committee under former member Yogi Adityanath had suggested a salary hike. It was suggested that the hike should be added to the Seventh Pay Commission and the salary of members should be one rupee more than the Cabinet secretary," Agarwal said.

Agarwal said that even media persons got more salary than parliamentarians and the House should not be worried about media criticism.

"Its a serious issue. As a former Parliamentary Affairs Minister I have studied it. I will bring the issue to the notice of Leader of the House. It will be addressed at appropriate time," Naidu said.

The matter was also raised in the last monsoon session of Parliament and even in 2016 when the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MPs had made a recommendation to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

It was proposed to double MPs salaries.

The Salaries and Allowances of members are governed by the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954.

As per Act, the monthly salary of each parliament member is Rs 50,000 during their entire term in office.

They get a daily allowance of Rs 2,000 per day for each day of residence on duty and daily allowance is paid only when a member signs the register maintained for the purpose.

Besides, they get a constituency allowance of Rs 45,000 per month and an office expense allowance of Rs 45,000 per month.

Out of these, Rs 15,000 for meeting expenses on stationery items and postage, and Rs 30,000 is paid by the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha Secretariat to the persons as may be engaged by a member for obtaining secretarial assistance provided that one such person must be computer literate as certified by the member.
Kandahar, Dec 22 : At least eight people were killed and many others wounded after a Taliban suicide car bombing struck a district police station in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Friday, the police said.

The attack occurred around 4.30 a.m. when a Taliban suicide bomber drove a hijacked explosive-laden military vehicle into the Maywand district police station, an Afghan police official told Xinhua news agency.

The death toll included seven policemen and the suicide bomber. Eight police personnel were wounded in the attack, the official said.

"Police officials manning the front gate of the station fired on the attacker... but they failed to stop the running vehicle," he said.

The official added that the assailant detonated the vehicle at the second gate of the compound where an Afghan Local Police (ALP) command and control post was also located. The massive explosion left the casualties and destroyed the ALP building.

Provincial police Chief General Abdul Raziq said an investigation was on into the incident.

Taliban claimed the responsibility for the attack in the district, western of provincial capital Kandahar city, 450 km south of Kabul.

The terror group has been on the rampage since the beginning of 2015 when the Afghan security forces assumed full responsibilities of security from the US and NATO troops.

On November 12, one Afghan policeman was killed and a security checkpoint was destroyed when a Taliban militant attacked the post by a hijacked armored vehicle in the remote Maruf district of Kandahar.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : A 47-year old woman shooter has been held after she shot and injured her mother and brother with her licensed revolver in south Delhi's Defence Colony, police said on Friday.

Police said the incident occurred in a house in C-block past midnight at 12.30 a.m. when the accused, Sangeeta Singh came out drunk from her room and opened fire on her 75-year-old mother Geeta and brother Harsaran, in his 40s.

Sangeeta was apprehended from the spot and her licensed revolver recovered. She is under medical examination, police said.

"Hearing the gun shots, a neighbour informed the police. Harsaran sustained bullet injury in his leg while Geeta in her chest and abdomen. They are admitted in AIIMS trauma centre and are reportedly out of danger," Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya told IANS.

"During investigation, we found Sangeeta is a shooter and has participated in state level events. Besides she used to run adventure tourism at Sohna Road, Gurugram. She has taken various photos with international and national shooters," he said.

"As per her father's statement, she stopped going for shooting practice and had stopped meeting people since the last one year. She was under depression and was taking medicine for the same. Yesterday night she took sleeping pills and medicine along with alcohol," the officer said.

"Prima facie, it appears she was tense over an ongoing property dispute with her mother and aunt," he said.

"Police will request for cancellation of licence of her weapon," Baaniya said.
Imphal, Dec 22 : Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh told the state assembly on Friday that Rohingya Muslims have started sneaking into the state which has a common border with Myanmar.

Singh was replying to a calling attention motion tabled by Congress member K. Meghachandra.

Singh said: "Police at Moreh border town has arrested one Rohingya Muslim during a routine check. It was learnt that seven of them had sneaked into Manipur and the rest were absconding. A manhunt is on."

Checking has been intensified in the border districts and the police has rounded up some 560 persons of doubtful nationality, the Chief Minister told the House. Of them, 105 undocumented ones were forced back.

A total of 178 undocumented persons were rounded up at Jiribam and unauthorised bamboo bridges used by the migrants were pulled down, Singh said. He appealed to one and all to be "sincere" on the issue.

"Truck drivers are bringing the outsiders and land is being allotted to them by officials. Some politicians use them as vote banks. All MLAs should conduct a survey in their respective constituencies to establish how many outsiders are there and inform me accordingly," the Chief Minister said.

Meghachandra, who insisted on the introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Manipur, said: "Activists are threatening to start the ILP agitations again and there should be a time frame to prepare the bills."

New ILP bills would be drafted to protect the indigenous people, Singh assured the House.

The Congress MLA said that the ILP system was already in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Underlining the need for the ILP system, Meghachandra said that in 1948 the population of outsiders in Manipur was 2,719. According to the 2001 census, their population increased to 7,40,488 which is higher than the majority community in the state.

The total population of the majority community and the Manipuri Muslims is 9,18,266, the 2001 census said.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 22 : Two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and suave Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor are likely to make it to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), either as permanent or special invitees to the party's highest decision-making body, according to the buzz in Congress circles in Kerala.

Rahul Gandhi, who has taken over as party President, is to chair the first meeting of the Congress Working Committee in Delhi on Friday.

Speculation here is rife that while former Defence Minister A.K. Antony is already a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, Chandy and Tharoor could be the new leaders from Kerala, who could likely make it to the CWC.

Informed sources in the party here told IANS that the message for Chandy's inclusion has already been sounded from a cross section of Kerala leaders to Gandhi when he was here to visit the cyclone Ockhi affected fishing villages and to attend a party meeting on December 14.

Gandhi himself got a feel of the popularity of Chandy, when at two different meetings the name of Chandy elicited loud clapping and cheering from the audience.

Tharoor is another leader, whose opinions are reportedly often sought by Gandhi, who could make it to the CWC.

Tharoor is reported to have worked behind the scenes when Gandhi on his last trip to the US, made a huge impression, party leaders said.

But there are other hopefuls from the state, which include Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P.J. Kurien, Lok Sabha member Mullapally Ramachandran (who was entrusted with the conduct of the party election), and getting into the list would not be an easy task.

Chandy preferred to ignore the question of his likely ascendancy to a new post, with his customary smile and shrug of his shoulders.

According to those in the know of things, the revamp is likely to be effected at a special session of the party leadership meeting in the new year.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The impasse in the Rajya Sabha continued on Friday with talks between the government and the Congress party failing to find a way out and the Congress forcing an adjournment in less than half an hour after the house met.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, having failed to persuade the opposition to relent, adjourned the upper house till Wednesday.

As soon as the papers, reports of various committees and statements were tabled in the house, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded that the house be adjourned.

"You had formed a committee to end this logjam. One meeting has taken place (between the government and Congress MPs) but no solution has been reached. But talks are on," Azad told the Chair.

"Since this is the last day of the working week and there is not much business, my request to you is to adjourn the house till this impasse ends. If a solution is found by the evening, well and good. Even we want that the house should run. We don't want to stall it by coming into the well," he added.

The Congress has been demanding an apology or clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his allegations against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

Modi, during campaigning in the Gujarat Assembly polls, had claimed that during a dinner at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's house, the guests, including Manmohan Singh, discussed the state polls with Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Sohail Mehmood and former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel urged the opposition members to allow the house to run.

"Talks are going on to end the impasse. Hope it will be fruitful. Let the house function. This is not such an issue which cannot be resolved. I request you to allow the house to function," Goel said.

But Congress member Anand Sharma urged the Chairman to adjourn the House till a solution was reached.

Reacting to Sharma's demand, Naidu said: "If you do not want the house to function and want me to adjourn it, better that I adjourn it for the day." Naidu then adjourned the house.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has hailed Hugh Jackman and said that the Hollywood actor always inspires him with his performances.

"My love and thanks to my friend Hugh Jackman for always inspiring us with his performances. You are 'The Greatest Showman' in Wolverine's clothing," Shah Rukh tweeted on Friday.

Directed by Michael Gracey, "The Greatest Showman" is a period musical drama film, which also features Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya.

Jackman, who plays the role of P. T. Barnum in the film, had earlier praised Shah Rukh at the Sydney premiere of the film.

According to media reports, Jackman said at the premiere: "I have done a lot of dancing and singing in this film and I had Shah Rukh Khan in mind while shooting for it. He is my mentor and I need to take more dance lessons from him.

"I have also done the signature SRK move, spreading my arms wide.I would love to see Shah Rukh in the Indian version of this film."

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh, who is currently seen as the host of "TED Talks India Nayi Soch", said the show is making him a better person.

While replying to TED Talks curator Juliet Blake on Twitter, Shah Rukh wrote: "It's all your hard work Juliet Blake and tenacity. Hosting 'Nayi Soch' is making me a better person. Thanks for watching."
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Supreme Court on Friday declined an interim stay of the Karnataka High Court order setting aside the 2014 Rules mandating that 85 per cent space on both the sides of a packet of cigarettes or other tobacco products carry pictorial warning on their harmful effects.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul declined the state, noting that the December 15 High Court judgment was not available as it has not been uploaded on the High Court website so far.

The court however, said that those engaged in tobacco manufacturing and industry would not later claim any equity on account of it not staying the operation of the High Court order.

Directing the next hearing of the matter on January 8, the court asked the High Court to upload the judgment by then.

The Centre has in 2014 amended the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules prescribing that 85 per cent space on the both sides of the tobacco packaging would be covered with the statutory warnings telling consumers that cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing was harmful to health.

The 2014 amended Rules came into force from April 1, 2016.

The Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendments Rules, 2014 were framed under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

Prior to 2014 amendment of the Rules, the pictorial warning was limited to the 40% space of the packaging and that too to one side only.

The top court was moved by Allahabad-based senior lawyer Umesh Narain and NGO Health for Millions challenging the December 15 High Court judgment by which it had held that 2014 amended Rules were arbitrary and unconstitutional.

The matter was heard around 3.30 PM after senior counsel Anand Grover appearing for the NGO and lawyer Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for Umesh Narain, had earlier in the morning mentioned the matter for an early listing.

The High Court order, the petition by Umesh Narain said, will have the serious and numbing impact on India's fight against tobacco, as it is regressive, retrograde and jeopardizes future generations of the country having maximum number of youth in the world.A

Grover, who appeared for the NGO, said that the world over, the trend was on increasing the space of the warning but the High Court ordered reducing it.

The High Court order had come on a batch of petitions by various tobacco manufacturing companies who had challenged the 2014 modified rules mandating that the health warning should cover 85 per cent of the tobacco packaging space.

The petitioners told the top court that the implementation of Regulations mandating 85 per cent pictorial warning on both sides of tobacco products was a culmination of an extremely long, cumbersome and excruciating fight by public heath activists and people whose life and family had been ruined by Tobacco, against the mighty tobacco industry.

Graphic pictorial warnings which occupy 85 per cent of the package on both sides will create awareness not only amongst the existing consumers of tobacco products about the grave health risks involved but will also dissuade the younger generation from becoming tobacco addicts, the petitioners told the court.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday chided Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel for indulging in an argument with the Opposition members.

As Goel read out the government's listed business for the rest of the session, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal stood up and said that the government was trying to cram too many bills in a short time.

"Sir, this is 22 hours of business but Parliament is not going to work for that long (in this session). The number of bills should be realistic. They are doing it just for publicity that government wants to pass so many bills," Agarwal said.

To this, Goel, looking straight at Agarwal, shot back: "The government is serious about all these bills, they concern public interests. They were all there in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC). These can be introduced only if you let the House function."

However, Chairman Naidu, apparently not impressed with Goel's aggression cut him short.

"Mr. Vijay Goel, minister, don't argue with other members. Any member having anything should address the Chair. No cross questioning is allowed in this House either by members or ministers or by anybody," Naidu said.

"There is House, there is Chairman and there are rules and regulations. Don't worry, everything will be taken care of," he added.

A few minutes later, however, Goel again repeated his act, indulging in an argument with Congress leader Anand Sharma who had been asking for an adjournment. Sharma complained to the Chair of Goel's interruptions.

"Sir, the Minister is again interrupting directly. You had just told him not to," Sharma said.

To this, Naidu again told Goel, albeit this time gently, to not directly address the members. Goel then sat down and Naidu adjourned the House till Wednesday.

It is not usual for the Chair to scold ministers but there have been a few instances.

In the last Winter Session, the House had witnessed a similar scene when Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien chided then Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

"I will take action against you. I don't mind if you are a Minister," an agitated Kurien had told Naqvi when the latter asked him under what rule he had allowed a point of order by Congress member Anand Sharma, who was speaking at that time.

"What? You cannot do my job. What are you doing? Sit down. Who are you to ask under what rule? Sit down," Kurien had said loudly.
Gandhinagar, Dec 22 : Vijay Rupani will continue as the Chief Minister of Gujarat and Nitin Patel as his deputy, the BJP announced on Friday after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley oversaw a meeting of the party's newly-elected MLAs.

The legislators unanimously elected Rupani as leader of the BJP's legislature party, Jaitley told reporters. He said Patel was elected as deputy leader in the House.

Jaitley said the date for the swearing-in will be announced separately.

Rupani, seen close to BJP President Amit Shah, won a second term as the Chief Minister after the BJP got 99 out of 182 seats in the Assembly elections.

Independent MLA Ratansinh Rathod from Lunawada has offered support to the BJP, bringing its number to 100 in the House.
Beijing, Dec 22 : As India and China held the 20th round of talks on their protracted border dispute on Friday, Beijing said it hoped that New Delhi will work with it in tandem to solve the vexed issue and make the most of the existing "mechanism" to iron out differences.

China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi met India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Friday for the latest round of talks during which the military stand-off at Doklam is understood to have come up.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry was not very forthcoming when asked what transpired at the parleys with spokesperson Hua Chunying saying both countries have made "tireless efforts" to solve the decades-old boundary dispute.

"State Councillor (Jiechi) is in India to exchange his views on the border affairs with his Indian counterpart (Doval). So these mechanisms are operating very well.

"We hope the Indian side will work with China to make the most of the current mechanism to uphold security and peace as well as tranquility in the border area so that we can create enabling conditions for the bilateral relations," she added.

Hua cited the breakthrough meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Brics meeting at Xiamen and said Doval and Jiechi will work on the lines of consensus reached between the two leaders.

The talks also come amid reports of heightened Chinese military presence in Doklam area.

The Indian and Chinese armies were locked in a 73-day stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of their border.

It all began when Indian troops stalled road building by their Chinese counterparts in Doklam, which is claimed by Bhutan and China.

Both sides decided to retreat from the point of face-off on August 28, days before the Brics summit in China.

Doklam is the new addition to a host of issues between India and China who fought a brief but bloody war in 1962 over their demarcated border.

India and China share a 3,448-kilometre long boundary which is divided into west, middle and east sections.

In the east, China claims India's Arunachal Pradesh as its own while New Delhi lays claims to Aksai Chin occupied by Beijing in the west.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : In a major relief for ex-Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, the Bombay High Court "quashed and set aside" the sanction accorded by Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao to prosecute the senior Congress leader in the Adarsh Housing Society scam on Friday.

The main ground for the court's decision was that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to present any fresh evidence against Chavan while seeking sanction from the Governor to prosecute him, Chavan's lawyer, Senior Counsel Amit Desai told mediapersons.

Chavan hailed the verdict, saying "truth has prevailed".

In February 2016, Governor Rao had granted sanction to CBI to prosecute Chavan on various charges, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, misuse of powers and authority, bypassing norms, etc, in the Adarsh Society scam, under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Setting aside the Governor's sanction, a division bench comprising Justice Ranjit More and Justice Sadhana Jadhav ruled in their 58-page detailed order that "it cannot be sustained".

The High Court also held that the material collected by the investigating agency must be admissible in evidence or capable of being converted into evidence which can be substantiated at the trial state.

However, the judges said neither the extract of the Justice J.A. Patil Commission Report nor an earlier order of a single judge of the Bombay High Court of November 19, 2014 are admissible in evidence or capable of being converted into evidence, and hence could not be considered.

Incidentally, the previous Governor K. Sankaranarayanan had declined to grant the sanction in December 2013, but after three years when the CBI again approached the Governor's office it was granted by the incumbent Governor Rao.

"In the absence of fresh material, the Governor (Rao) has no jurisdiction to review the order of the erstwhile governor (Sankaranarayanan)," Justice More and Justice Jadhav's verdict said.

Last year, Chavan had filed a petition challenging Governor Rao's order, terming it as "arbitrary, illegal, unjust" and that the sanction to prosecute him was accorded with "malafide intentions".

During the hearings in the eight-year old case, his lawyer Desai argued that the February 2016 sanction order was "politically biased" and motivated by changed political circumstances rather than any change in the material aspects of the case.

After the verdict, Chavan said "truth has prevailed" since the allegations leveled against him were "political vendetta".

"These allegations were politically motivated without any basis. That is why the Congress party stood by me and made me the state party President despite the allegations against me," Chavan said.

He said Governor Rao had "erred in sanctioning the prosecution" against him particularly since his predecessor Sankaranarayanan had rejected the CBI plea.

On his future course of action, Chavan said he would first study the full judgement before deciding on the same.

Following the stunning revelations that emerged in the Adarsh Society scam and its consequent political fallout, Chavan had resigned as Chief Minister in November 2010.

Among others, the names of at least three other former Chief Ministers (besides Chavan), ex-ministers, top bureaucrats - including the controversial IFS officer and former Deputy Consul-General of India in New York, Devyani Khobragade - had figured as allottees of posh flats in the building as details tumbled out.

The sensational scam involving the 31-storied building in Colaba, south Mumbai, was first exposed in late 2010 with allegations that top politicians and bureaucrats had usurped the flats in the society meant to house Kargil war widows and war heroes.

Coming a day after the Special CBI Court verdict in the 2G scam cases in New Delhi, Friday's Bombay High Court verdict in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society imbroglio would be seen as another major embarrassment for the ruling BJP in the state and Centre.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Union government on Friday refused to declare, as a "national calamity", Cyclone Ockhi in which 74 people lost their lives and as many as 214 went missing when it struck Tamil Nadu and Kerala last month.

However, it acknowledged the cyclone as "rare and extraordinary" which turned into lethal cyclonic storm from deep depression within six hours.

"We can't declare it as national calamity as rules don't allow and the government has its own compulsions. However, the government has recognised it as a disaster of severe nature," said Home Minister Rajnath Singh said while responding to a debate in Lok Sabha over recent natural calamities across the country in view of the cyclone.

He also ruled out any enquiry into the alleged delay in issuing alerts, saying all the standard protocols were followed while issuing alerts.

"The Met Dept had issued a warning on November 29 itself and bulletins were issued after every three hours. It was a rare storm which developed from deep depression to lethal cyclonic storm in only six hours," Rajnath Singh said.

He added that alerts were issued and fishermen were warned 24 hours before.

Rajnath Singh said that a cyclonic storm which has a peculiar behavior cannot be predicted earlier.

"Whatever alert was available, the state was informed," he said assuring the house that there was no delay in bringing about rescue efforts.

Rajnath Singh also refuted the opposition's allegations that the government discriminated against Kerala and Tamil Nadu by deploying more National Disaster Relief Force teams in Gujarat.

"No need of any enquiry. This government can't be so inhuman. Teams were deployed as per the demand of state governments," he said.

Earlier, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of deploying seven teams of NDRF in Gujarat while deploying four in Kerala and three each in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Demanding an enquiry into the matter, Kharge also pulled up party leader Shashi Tharoor for praising central government's efforts as "extremely helpful".

Most of the members who spoke over the issue sought from the government to announce the cyclone as national disaster and demanded more compensation.

"Adequate compensation should be provided and government should take some structural steps so that money sent to state is used properly," Tharoor said.

He also sought an enquiry over the alleged delay in issuing the alerts.

Not satisfied with the answer of the Minister, members of Congress, the Left parties, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal staged a walkout.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar hit out at Congress for staging walkout and accused the opposition of politicising the issue.

"It's unfortunate. They are doing politics on natural calamities. The government did everything what needed to be done," he said.

He also alleged that there was no delay on part of the Central government in issuing alerts and the fault was at end of state governments.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : A court here on Friday extended till January 19 the judicial custody of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's son Syed Shahid, arrested in a six-year-old terror funding case.

Shahid, 42, a Jammu and Kashmir government employee, was arrested here on October 24 after he was called for questioning at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters.

He was remanded in seven-day NIA custody last Wednesday.

On Friday, he was presented before District Judge Poonam Bamba who, during the in-camera proceedings, extended his judicial custody.

The agency alleged that Shahid was collecting funds from Aijaz Bhat, a Srinagar resident now based in Saudi Arabia and a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, on the direction of his father Salahuddin, who is on the run.

The 2011 terror funding case pertains to terror money sent through hawala channels by militants based in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA had filed two charge sheets against six accused in the case in 2011. Four of them -- Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, Mohammed Sidiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmad Dagga -- are currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Central Jail. Ghulam Mohammed Bhat is a close aide of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Kabul, Dec 22 : Making a surprise visit to Afghanistan, US Vice President Mike Pence has alleged that Pakistan had provided a safe haven to the Taliban and other groups for too long.

Pence landed here at 7.16 p.m. on Thursday in an ordinary, gray C-17 military transport plane intended to conceal his arrival. He then boarded a heavily armed helicopter convoy to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul.

He also met the country's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Tolo News reported.

Pence repeated US President Donald Trump's warning to Pakistan that it must stop offering cross-border safe havens to Taliban factions and militant groups fighting US troops and their Afghan allies.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists," Pence said. "President Trump has put Pakistan on notice."

Pence during his meeting with Ghani, promised to provide more support to Afghanistan and referred to the areas of economic development and efforts to achieve peace and stability in the country.

"Vice-President Pence expressed his gratitude for the warm reception, and reaffirmed that the US will continue and further enhance its support to the government and people of Afghanistan," the Afghan Presidential Palace said.

Ghani applauded the new US strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, according to which the US in September added 3,000 personnel to the contingent of 8,400 troops already stationed there.

Both Washington and Kabul agreed on "the need for timely parliamentary and presidential elections," scheduled for 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Abdullah Abdullah praised the role of the US forces in Afghanistan and said that Kabul and the people of Afghanistan support the announcement of the new Afghan strategy.

Speaking on the security situation, Abdullah said, "Now the Afghan Armed Forces are responsible for the independent defence of the country, they have faced many challenges but thwarted the Taliban's plans, Al Qaeda and Islamic State in Afghanistan".

"The problem of terrorist havens is still a serious problem and we hope that Pakistan will work to dismantle these sanctuaries," he said.

Pence also visited the military base in Bagram to rally several hundred US troops, thanking them for their service and taking the chance to tout the direction of the new US strategy.

He stressed Washington was close to achieving victory in Afghanistan. "I believe victory is closer than ever before," Pence told the troops. The Vice President told them that they have got the Taliban on the run.

His visit comes months after Trump unveiled his new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia. Pence's tour lasted seven and a half hours, according to US journalists who covered his surprise visit.
Chennai/Kochi, Dec 22 : The Chennai bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday dismissed the application of the LPG Virudha Samara Samithi against Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) Puthuvypeen, Kochi LPG Import Terminal, said the IOC.

The IOC in a statement issued in Kochi on Friday said the leaders of the Samara Samithi (Protest Group), wanted the tribunal to direct IOC not to implement the project. However, the tribunal refused that demand.

"The tribunal found no substance in the allegation that the project poses safety threats to the residents of the area. Although it was also alleged in the application that the project site is closer to the high tide line than envisaged, based on the submissions made before it, the NGT set aside these arguments as well," the statement said.

"The tribunal upheld IOC's contention that storage of LPG is a permitted activity at the sea shore under the Coastal Regulation Zone norms and hence the project does not in any way offend those norms. However, the NGT has observed that the oil behemoth may undertake sea protection measures, to arrest sea erosion at the project site," said the IOC statement.

Work began at the Puthuvypeen terminal in 2012 after obtaining clearance from all concerned authorities and since then, the locals have been on a protest mode. It reached a flash point in June this year with the protests turning violent.

Following that, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said after talking with the protesters that under no cost, the project would be dropped.

Samara Samithi has already said that irrespective of the verdict, their protest will go ahead.

The IOC said following the protest that has been going on for the past 10 months, they have suffered a loss of Rs 1 crore per day on account of the delay caused due to the blockade.

The project is conceived to meet the increasing demand for LPG in the country.

The import terminal is coming up at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore and it comprises of a multi-user liquid terminal, the Kochi-Salem LPG pipeline and a bulk terminal at Palakkad.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : In yet another instance of the government giving priority to engaging with the Indian diaspora, India will host a conference of members of parliaments in other countries who are of Indian origin next year, a senior official said here on Friday.

"We will have a PIO (person of Indian origin) Parliamentary Conference on January 9, 2018 in New Delhi," said Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay, Secretary (Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs), a newly created post in the Ministry of External Affairs.

"There are around 285 parliamentarians of Indian origin and over 125 of them are expected to come," Mulay said during a media interaction organised by the Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents (IAFAC).

Of these 285 parliamentarians, 70 are ministers, speakers and even prime ministers in their respective countries.

In the US alone, there are four members of the House of Representatives and one senator who are of Indian origin.

Giving an update on the work of his division in the ministry, Mulay said that the government has laid a strong foundation by making diplomacy people-centric.

Stating that the government's interaction with the Indian diaspora has been "transformational", he said that the total number of such diaspora around the world now stands at 31.2 million.

He said that there are four segments of the Indian diaspora: the diaspora in the Gulf numbering around 8.5 million; older diaspora who went as indentured labour numbering around 1.7 million; people who hold Indian citizenship but are living abroad; and the floating overseas Indians that include students and people going for short and research purposes.

Of the 8.5 million expatriate Indians in the Gulf, around 70 per cent are blue collar workers mostly employed in the infrastructure sector.

Mulay also spoke about the Madad portal set up by his ministry that is used to address the grievances of Indians living abroad.

"We received around 26,000 grievances in the last one year and over 20,000 of these have been resolved," he said, adding that the grievances were also received via social media and through call centres.

Regarding the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) set up in Indian missions to help Indians in distress abroad, the Secretary said that since the fund was set up in 2009, 110,000 people have benefited.

He also said that Indian workers going abroad through registered recruiting agents are mandatorily insured for Rs. 10 lakh under the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana.

To ensure that skilled Indian workers can get employment abroad, Mulay said the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana has been introduced.

"We started a pre-departure orientation programme and our effort is to offer training free of cost," he said.

He also stated that over 100,000 foreign employers are registered with his ministry.

"We have labour and manpower agreements with the GCC countries, Malaysia and Jordan," he said.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries comprise Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking about the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card that offers a lifelong visa to people of Indian origin abroad, Mulay said that many people are applying for it.

He added that Indian missions have now been allowed to print OCI cards in their respective countries.
Jammu, Dec 22 : Pakistan Army on Friday again violated the ceasefire on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, leading to a heavy exchange of fire with Indian troops that was on late into the evening, officials said.

Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling and firing on Indian positions in Laam sector of the LoC in Rajouri in the evening, a police official said.

"Pakistan Army used small arms, automatics and mortars to target military and civilian facilities in the area. Indian Army is strongly and effectively retaliating. Firing exchanges were still going on when last reports came in," the official said.

Pakistan Army had resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation on the LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri on Thursday evening. Firing exchanges between the two sides had continued for over one hour.
Seoul, Dec 22 : A South Korean court on Friday handed a four-year prison sentence to the 95-year-old founder of the Lotte Group and a suspended sentence to his son, the company's chairman, for embezzlement and other offences.

Chairman Shin Kyuk-ho was indicted last year along with three members of his family on charges, including tax evasion and fraud. He was also fined $3.24 million. But he avoided arrest as the court took his age into account, Yonhap news agency reported.

His son and successor Shin Dong-bin was given a suspended 20-month prison sentence. The probe into one of the country's biggest firms is part of wider efforts to stamp out corruption in South Korea.

Shin Dong-joo, the chairman's elder brother and former vice president of Tokyo-based Lotte Holdings, was found not guilty.

The court sentenced Shin Young-ja, the chairman's elder sister and head of the Lotte Foundation, to two years in prison. Seo Mi-kyung, the founder's mistress, received a suspended sentence.

Prosecutors demanded 10 years for both the chairman and his father, five years for Shin Dong-joo, and seven years each for Shin Young-ja and Seo.

The Shin family, who control South Korea's fifth-largest business conglomerate, were accused in October 2016 of paying some 50 billion won ($46 million) in wages to members of the family even though they did not work for its affiliates.

Shin Dong-bin, who will not have to serve his sentence because of the suspension, blamed his father, saying that the founder took important decisions on these matters.

Lotte Group, which is active in a wide range of business areas in South Korea and Japan, said later in a media release that it respects the court decision.

It has been involved in a series of scandals since last year, including the alleged suicide of a Lotte Group vice chairman and a bitter dispute between current president Shin Dong-bin and his brother for control of the group.

The family conflict was solved in March last year after Shin Dong-bin, the founder's second son, secured the support of shareholders.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : Hours after the Bombay High Court verdict quashed Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao's sanction to prosecute former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Society scam matter, the main opposition parties in the state demanded Rao resign from his post.

Congress MP Rajiv Satav and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Jitendra Awhad asked the governor own up responsibility and step down "on moral grounds" following the adverse court ruling on his sanction order of February 2016.

State NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik termed the high court decision as "a slap in the face of the vendetta politics".

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, of the NCP, said "the politics of lies of the Bharatiya Janata Party have been once again exposed".

Satav, the MP from Hingoli, said during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress could win only two seats in Maharashtra, "because the Adarsh Society scam, like the 2G scam, were election issues.

"The charges were politically motivated in both. The Governor must tender his resignation."

Awhad, who was allotted a flat in the controversial building, said: "Maharashtra Governor Rao worked more as a BJP worker than as the Governor. At the end, the Bombay HC gave relief to Chavan. The Governor should tender resignation taking moral responsibility."

Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam accused the BJP of unleashing a "sinister campaign to malign the Congress".

"After the 2G verdict and now the Adarsh Society case ruling vis-A-vis Chavan, the (BJP)'s false propaganda has been completely exposed," he said.

Chavan, who secured a major breather, hailed the court verdict, saying it "restores the prestige of the office of the Governor".

"The BJP had used the issue politically to tarnish the Congress. However, the truth has prevailed. I have complete faith in the judiciary," Chavan remarked after the ruling.

He said Rao had "erred in sanctioning the prosecution" against him particularly since his predecessor, K. Sankaranarayanan had rejected the Central Bureau of Investigation's plea.

Shortly after the verdict, spontaneous celebrations erupted in Nanded, Chavan's hometown, where his supporters raised anti-BJP slogans and Congressmen condemned the "dirty politics of untruths" pursued by the BJP.
The accident happened as the labourers were reconstructing the wall that had collapsed in the rains 2 weeks ago.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Congress on Friday persisted with its demand of clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his allegations against predecessor Manmohan Singh, forcing the Rajya Sabha to be adjourned for the day and trying to disrupt proceedings in the Lok Sabha.

The Congress has been raising the issue in both Houses of Parliament ever since the winter session began last Friday.

In Rajya Sabha, where the Congress has a considerable strength, it forced an adjournment in less than half an hour after the house met, saying it will be allowed to function only after the issue of allegations against Manmohan Singh and others is resolved.

As soon as the papers and reports of various committees and statements were tabled in the house, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded that the house be adjourned.

"You had formed a committee to end this logjam. One meeting has taken place (between the government and Congress MPs) but no solution has been reached. But talks are on.

"Since this is the last day of the working week and there is not much business, my request to you is to adjourn the house till this impasse ends. If a solution is found by the evening, well and good. Even we want that the house should run. We don't want to stall it by coming into the well (towards the presiding officer's podium)," he said.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel urged the opposition members to allow the house to run.

"Talks are going on to end the impasse. Hope it will be fruitful. Let the house function. This is not such an issue which cannot be resolved. I request you to allow the house to function," he said.

But Congress member Anand Sharma urged the Chairman to adjourn the House till a solution was reached.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, having failed to persuade the opposition to relent, adjourned the upper house till Wednesday.

Modi, during campaigning in the Gujarat Assembly polls, had claimed that during a dinner at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's house, the guests, including Manmohan Singh, discussed the state polls with Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Sohail Mehmood and former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri.

In the Lok Sabha, the Congress members tried to disrupt the proceedings by coming near the Speaker's podium and shouting slogans. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan however continued with the Question Hour and then the Zero Hour amidst Congress protest.

Later, when the Lok Sabha took up discussion on the aftermaths of Cyclone Ockhi, in which 74 people lost their lives and as many as 214 went missing when it struck Tamil Nadu and Kerala last month, the Congress members joined in.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of deploying seven teams of NDRF in Gujarat while deploying four in Kerala and three each in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Demanding an enquiry into the matter, he also pulled up party leader Shashi Tharoor for praising central government's efforts as "extremely helpful".

Most of the members who spoke over the issue sought from the government to announce the cyclone as national disaster and demanded more compensation. The government however refused to declare it as a "national calamity" though acknowledging the cyclone was "rare and extraordinary".
Kuala Lumpur, Dec 22 : Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday levelled a thinly veiled criticism at US President Donald Trump at a rally protesting Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the warm welcome he received at the White House during a visit will not shake his determination to defend Islam.

"The US should not look down upon Malaysia," said Razak at the rally in the Putra Mosque in front of the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya, days after Trump threatened to stop funding for all countries who voted against the US on the Jerusalem issue.

Razak, who has just returned from a trip to Turkey for a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the Jerusalem issue, urged Trump and his administration to change their mind on the issue, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have not asked for money from the US. In fact they need our help such as our orders for their planes," said Razak, referring to Malaysia Airlines' purchase of 25 Boeing aircraft worth billions of US dollars.

Touted as an event for all Muslims regardless of their political differences, the rally also saw the attendance of leaders from opposition parties.

Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister who is leading the opposition coalition, also made a short appearance at the mosque.

The government led by Razak will end its tenure by next August, and it is widely expected he will call an early election. UMNO, the party which Razak chairs, has always been competing with the Malaysian Islamic Party to win over Muslim voters.

But Razak said "it's not about politics" in his speech, noting that it's about coming together to support Palestine.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The AAP on Friday alleged that BJP leaders and Delhi Police were involved in the running of an ashram here where minor girls and women were reported to have been kept in illegal confinement in the name of religious preaching.

The party demanded the immediate arrest of Virender Dev Dikshit, accused of exploiting women at his ashram Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya located in north Delhi's Rohini.

"Even after receiving several complaints against the ashram, the police that comes under the control of the Centre didn't take any action. The police and BJP leaders were definitely involved in this," Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh told the media.

He said strict action should be taken against Dikshit and others involved in the crime. "Nobody should be spared."

AAP legislator Alka Lamba said: "We have heard that 200 of such similar ashrams are running across the country. It is shameful that minor girls are being exploited. The citizens wish to know who all are associated with this business?"

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it had "no confidence in police" for not taking any action on about 10 FIRs lodged against the ashram and its members, and ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the ashram.

The court directed the CBI to seize all records relating to FIRs lodged and entries in the "daily diary" maintained by police in connection with alleged rape and suicides of women there.

AAP MLA Richa Pandey, President of the party's women's wing Mahila Shakti, said: "It is shameful that the police was unable to control this criminal activity.

"The same thing happened in Narela as well... and now in Rohini that the DCW came to rescue innocent women but the police did not."

Delhi Commission of Women chief Swati Maliwal on Thursday said that the commission rescued 41 minor girls from the ashram with the Child Welfare Committee and police.
Jerusalem, Dec 22 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday said that Palestinians would not accept any peace plans offered by the US after Washington recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

His comments came after a UN General Assembly vote effectively repudiated Washington's controversial declaration. A majority of countries backed a non-binding resolution affirming Jerusalem's status quo on Thursday, the BBC reported.

In a Christmas message, Abbas said that the US has chosen to be biased and pick Israel's side, ignoring international law and UN resolutions.

"It is because of this US decision to support illegality and the blatant violations of our rights that we will not accept the US as the mediator in the peace process nor are we going to accept any plan from the US side," Abbas said in the message.

He also rebuffed a new US framework for peace being developed by President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, before it has been launched.

He stated that Trump's decision was "an insult to millions of people" and has also been rejected by local Christian churches.

"This time every year, the souls of billions of people turn to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the messenger of love, peace and justice," Abbas said.

"Bethlehem, the birthplace of hope, continues to be affected by the Israeli plans to create 'Greater Jerusalem' on the suffering of Palestinians," he added.

As protests continued, a 24-year-old Palestinian in northern Gaza was killed in clashes with Israeli troops, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israel said it was looking into the report.

There were also violent confrontations between demonstrators and troops across the occupied West Bank for the third straight Friday, including in Bethlehem.
Brussels, Dec 22 : Catalonia's ousted leader Carles Puigdemont on Friday called for new talks with Spain after separatist parties won a slim majority in a regional election.

He said he wanted the negotiations in Brussels, where he is living in self-imposed exile, or in another EU country. However, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy later appeared to reject the idea, the BBC reported.

Rajoy said he would hold talks with the head of the new Catalan government but that leader would have to take up their post in Catalonia itself.

Millions headed to the polls in Thursday's crucial vote on the regional parliament, which was called by Madrid after it declared October's Catalan independence referendum illegal. The turnout was more than 80 per cent, a record for a Catalan regional election.

Rajoy deposed Catalonia's regional government after it made an illegal declaration of independence following the referendum in October.

The Prime Minister avoided naming Puigdemont, adding that the winner of Thursday's election was InAs Arrimadas, the leader of the Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain.

The anti-independence Citizens party is now the region's biggest party although pro-independence parties are best placed to form a government. It secured 25.3 per cent of the vote, winning 37 seats in the 135-seat chamber.

"Catalonia wants to be an independent state," said Puigdemont, speaking in Belgium on Friday. "This is the wish of the Catalan people. I think the plan of (Spanish Prime Minister) Mariano Rajoy is not working, so we have to find new ways to tackle this crisis."

Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) recorded its worst ever result in Thursday's vote. He had hoped that the poll would restore stability and said the Spanish government was "willing to talk in a realistic way and inside the law" with a future Catalan government.

"I offer Catalonia this because we care about the people" he said.

With nearly all the votes counted, the pro-independence parties Together for Catalonia (JxCat), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Popular Unity (CUP) were on course to win a total of 70 seats, giving them a majority in the new parliament.

Citizens party leader Arrimadas told the BBC that her party had been "victorious". She said forming a coalition would be "difficult -- but we will try".

Agusti Alcoberro, vice president of the Catalan National Assembly, said: "We can say that pro-independence forces have won the elections."

The European Commission said that its stance towards Catalonia remained the same, despite the election result. The executive arm of the EU previously stated that events in Catalonia were an internal issue of Spain.
Kathmandu, Dec 22 : A meeting of five major political parties called by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to resolve the impasse regarding elections for the formation of the National Assembly ended inconclusively on Friday.

Deuba had called the meeting of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal (SSFN) at his official residence in Baluwatar in the morning.

The meeting slated to hold discussions on various matters, including the ordinance related to the National Assembly elections, could not reach a solid conclusion since the parties remained firm on their respective contradictory stands, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Present in the meeting were CPN-UML Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli, CPN MC Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Presidium Coordinator of the RJP-N Mahantha Thakur and FSF-N Chairman Upendra Yadav, among other leaders.

The ordinance regarding the formation of the National Assembly that was sent to the President's office for authentication was on hold following a dispute among the parties.

Oli expressed serious reservations over the National Assembly ordinance, stating that the Single Transferable Vote System was "unconstitutional", hence making way for consensus difficult.

However, NC leaders defended the constitutional character of the ordinance and the party will work on its progression, said party leader Bimalendra Nidhi.

RJP-N leader Manahta Thakur and SSFN Chairman Upendra Yadav had also agreed on the ordinance sent by the government.

Meanwhile, Prachanda said that the National Assembly elections will not deter the formation of the new government under the leftist alliance. He said the government formation process would move ahead only after the Election Commission submits its results of the House of Representatives election.

"In general, National Assembly and House of Representatives are different. NA election won't affect the formation of the government," he said.

"Regarding the formation of the NA, earlier Constitution had clearly mentioned the Single Transferable Voting system, however, this Constitution has mentioned the NA but it has not clarified its formation procedure," he stressed.

"As per international practice the National Assembly is formed in more inclusive proportional representation. In this regard, we will hold discussion within the leftist parties," Prachanda said.

Speaking on a different note, he said that an agreement was forged between the UML and Maoist Centre in leading the government turn by turn.

He said he was "positive" despite the five-party meeting failing to pave the way for the formation of the National Assembly.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : A bill to extend the deadline of a law to protect slums and other unauthorised colonies in the national capital till 2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was tabled in the lower House by Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. It was cleared by the Union Cabinet last week.

Once cleared, the law would extend the validity of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 for three years from January 1, 2018 -- the current deadline for relocation and rehabilitation of slums and other unauthorised colonies in Delhi.

Earlier, the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014, which was passed by Parliament in December 2014, had extended the deadline till December 31, 2017.

The law also provides for protection against punitive action by any local authority.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Rahul Gandhi on Friday chaired a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, his first after taking over as party president, and launched a scathing attack on the BJP terming the ruling party's entire structure as "based on lies".

With the Congress' spirits greatly buoyed by the party's good showing in the Gujarat polls and the 2G case verdict, an aggressive Gandhi said the people are questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his remarks against Manmohan Singh, and noted that there was a "positive sentiment" towards the party in the country.

He also hit out at Prime Minister Modi for his silence on the sudden spurt in the business turnover of BJP President Amit Shah's son Jay Shah.

"The entire foundation of the BJP is based on lies. The whole architecture of the BJP is about lies," Gandhi told reporters after the meeting.

He targeted the BJP over various issues, including an alleged scam in the Rafale deal, GST, demonetisation and "lying about the so-called Gujarat development model".

"It is stealing of resources of people of Gujarat. Whether it is depositing Rs 15 lakh in each bank account, whether it is 2G, whether it is giving farmers proper remuneration, whether it is Gujarat modelA one by one the lies are coming out," the Congress leader said.

"There are two other lies, very big ones."

He questioned how the turnover of Jay Shah's company jumped from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore "in three months" after the BJP-led NDA came to power in 2014.

"That is the truth. Our Prime Minister has nothing to say about it," he said.

Referring to the 2G spectrum case, Gandhi said the court verdict saying there was no scam was a "vindication" of the Congress' stand.

"Everyone knows about 2G, the truth has come out in front of you."

Earlier, in his opening remarks in the meeting, Gandhi said the 2G case was "possibly the biggest instrument used against our government" which ultimately turned out to be "fake".

"So the idea, their model, is to come up with a lie, spread that lie, and just keep repeating that lie until people believe the lie. And the good news that I can see is that people are now beginning to question it. Across the country, they are questioning Modi on the economy, they're questioning Modi when he insults our ex-Prime Minister.

"So that feeling is coming up and there is a positive sentiment towards the Congress. So I think there is a lot of opportunity for us that we need to step into and take advantage of."

He said the Congress had successfully dismantled the "Modi model of development" in Gujarat where campaigning for elections "was a real eye-opener" for him.

"I got to see first-hand the way the BJP designs campaigns and how they use hatred and untruth to fight elections. I don't call it the 'Gujarat model' because it is not the 'Gujarat model', it is actually the 'Modi model'. I was surprised to see that it is universally understood by the people of Gujarat that this is a flawed, fake model."

The 47-year-old Gandhi scion said he found that Modi has handed over Gujarat to a "few vested interests and he has taken tremendous benefits from Gujarat but Gujarat hasn't received anything in return".

He said the Prime Minister in a "desperation" launched an attack against his predecessor Manmohan Singh based on "complete(ly) blatant falsehood and a lie".

"(Modi) has had nothing to say about that since then."
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Automobile major Maruti Suzuki has said that electric vehicles (EV) are a necessity for India as it would reduce the country's dependence on crude oil imports.

Maruti Suzuki's Chairman R.C. Bhargava told BTVI in an interview that going forward the increase in the number of cars using fossil fuels will lead to an enormous rise in crude oil imports and dependence.

However, a shift towards EVs can reduce the crude oil dependence, as fossil fuels will be replaced with electricity that can be generated via solar or coal-fired power plants, Bhargava told BTVI on Thursday.

According to Bhargava, the company will conduct a survey to find out the requirements of potential EV customers.

The findings of the study will also give insights into the kind of government incentives that might be required to bring the cost of EVs down, he said.

The automobile major plans to launch its first EV by 2020.

The central government envisions 100 per cent EVs for public mobility and 40 per cent for personal mobility by 2030.
Gandhinagar, Dec 22 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which fell one short of a ton in the Gujarat Assembly elections, on Friday managed to reach the three figure mark with the support of an independent, who was actually from the Congress.

Ratansinh Rathore, the newly-elected independent legislator from Lunawada constituency, has sent a letter to the Governor of Gujarat, O.P. Kohli, declaring his intent of lending support to the BJP government.

Rathore was a Congressman for over two decades, but was denied a ticket to contest from Lunawada constituency by the grand old party. The Congress instead fielded Paranjayadityasinhji Parmar for the seat. Rathore therefore decided to contest independently. Rathore was later expelled from the Congress as he had refused to withdraw his nomination from the election.

Rathore won the election, beating the nearest BJP rival Manojkumar Patel by a margin of 3,200 votes, fetching 55,098 votes. Paranjayadityasinhji Parmar came third with 47,093 votes.

There were also whispers that another independent Bhupendrasinh Khant, winner of the Morva Hadaf constituency seat, would be lending support to the BJP. Khant, however, later denied having taken any such decision.

Other than the ruling BJP party with 99 seats and the opposition Congress with 77, only three candidates have won the state assembly elections as independents. Two seats were won by the newly-formed Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) led by tribal strongman Chhotubhai Vasava.

The third independent candidate is Dalit agitation leader Jignesh Mevani, who won from Vadgam with support from Congress. He has already made his intent clear of not joining any political party and instead remain the lone 'activist' voice in the Assembly.
Islamabad, Dec 22 : A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Karachi to Gwadar on Friday was delayed after a pilot informed the control tower about "possible danger" - which turned out to be a cat in the cockpit, airport officials said.

On the pilot's "tip-off", officials from Airport Security Force, Civil Aviation Authority and firefighters rushed to the plane, Xinhua reported.

The rescue and security teams started a search operation inside the cockpit, while others stood alert outside the plane to control any untoward situation.

However, it was only a cat, hiding inside the cockpit, and once it was driven away, the plane was allowed to take off.

Airlines spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said that investigations are on as to how the animal sneaked into the plane.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who chaired his first CWC meeting on Friday, made a scathing attack on the BJP terming it a party whose "foundation was based on lies" and sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his party maligning Congress for years on "false allegations" in the 2G spectrum case.

At the meeting of Congress Working Committee (CWC), he also announced that there will be a meeting of the party's highest decision-making body every two months as part of efforts to galvanise the party for the forthcoming electoral battles next year and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

With the Congress' spirits greatly buoyed by the party's good showing in the Gujarat polls and 2G case verdict on Thursday, an aggressive Gandhi said the people had begun to question Modi on economy and over his remarks against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Claiming there was a "positive sentiment" towards the Congress, he said: "I think there is a lot of opportunity for us that we need to step into and take advantage of."

Gandhi repeatedly attacked Modi in his remarks to the media after the CWC meeting and in his speech, saying the Prime Minister had been "silent" on the sudden spurt in the turnover of the company of BJP President Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, and mocking the "Modi model" in Gujarat.

"The entire foundation of the BJP is based on lies. The whole architecture of the BJP is about lies," he said, and targeted it over various issues, including the "change" in Rafale deal, GST and demonetisation.

"It is stealing of resources of people of Gujarat. Whether it is depositing Rs 15 lakh in each bank account, whether it is 2G, whether it is giving farmers proper remuneration, whether it is Gujarat model... one by one the lies are coming out," he said.

"There are two other lies, very big ones," he said, referring to the huge turnover of Jay Shah's company and the 2G spectrum case.

"Everyone knows about 2G, the truth has come out in front of you."

Earlier, in his opening remarks in the meeting, Gandhi said the 2G case was "possibly the biggest instrument used against our government" which ultimately turned out to be "fake".

"So the idea, their model, is to come up with a lie, spread that lie, and just keep repeating that lie until people believe the lie. And the good news that I can see is that people are now beginning to question it. Across the country, they are questioning Modi on the economy, they're questioning Modi when he insults our ex-Prime Minister."

He said the Congress had successfully dismantled the "Modi model of development" in Gujarat where campaigning for elections "was a real eye-opener" for him.

"I got to see first-hand the way the BJP designs campaigns and how they use hatred and untruth to fight elections. I don't call it the 'Gujarat model' because it is not the 'Gujarat model', it is actually the 'Modi model'. I was surprised to see that it is universally understood by the people of Gujarat that this is a flawed, fake model."

He said he found that Modi has handed over Gujarat to a "few vested interests and he has taken tremendous benefits from Gujarat but Gujarat hasn't received anything in return".

Gandhi also spoke of party's campaign in Gujarat where it got highest seats in 27 years and lauded the spirit with which the party fought the elections. He also sent good wishes to people of Himachal Pradesh, where the party was unseated earlier this week.

CWC members urged Gandhi to work out a comprehensive strategy to energise the party. They also discussed the verdict in 2G spectrum case in detail and hit out at Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, whom the Congress termed a BJP "stooge".

"Should they (Modi, Jaitley and BJP leadership) not tender an unconditional apology for using falsehood of a self-manufactured scam as pedestal for gaining power and misleading the entire country," it said.

The CWC also adopted a resolution expressing its deep gratitude to former President Sonia Gandhi for her "guidance and leadership."
New Delhi, Dec 22 : US Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer has arrived here on a three-day trip where the two sides will discuss the growing cooperation between their navies and shared commitment to the rule of law, freedom of navigation, and free and fair trade, an US Embassy statement said.

Spencer, who reached here on Thursday, met Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Indian Navy chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba for discussions.

"The relationship between the United States and India is based on our shared values and desire to preserve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and across the seas. India is a model for peacefully resolving maritime border disputes and a strong provider of security. We look forward once again to joining the Indian Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in the Malabar exercise to be hosted in the Pacific next year," said Spencer, who is on his first visit to India as Secretary of the Navy.

He will depart on December 23.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : The Supreme Court on Friday declined an interim stay of the Karnataka High Court order setting aside the 2014 Rules mandating that 85 per cent space on both the sides of a packet of cigarettes or other tobacco products carry pictorial warning on their harmful effects.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul noted that the December 15 High Court judgment was not available as it has not been uploaded on the High Court website so far.

"..., we think it appropriate that the matter should be listed on Monday, 8th January 2018. In the meanwhile, the High Court shall upload the judgment," the court said directing its registry to "communicate the same to the Registry of the High Court of Karnataka ... to do the needful in the matter".

The court however, said that those engaged in tobacco manufacturing and industry would not later claim any equity on account of it not staying the operation of the High Court order.

"Needless to emphasise, we have not passed any interim order today as we do not have the benefit of reading the judgment of the High Court and that is no ground on the part of the respondents to advance a claim in equity", the court said in its order.

Directing the next hearing of the matter on January 8, the court asked the High Court to upload the judgment by then.

The Central government had, in 2014, amended the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules prescribing that 85 per cent space on the both sides of the tobacco packaging would be covered with the statutory warnings telling consumers that cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing was harmful to health.

The amended Rules came into force from April 1, 2016.

The Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendments Rules, 2014 were framed under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

Prior to 2014 amendment of the Rules, the pictorial warning was limited to the 40 per cent space of the packaging and that too to one side only.

The top court was moved by Allahabad-based senior lawyer Umesh Narain and NGO Health for Millions challenging the December 15 High Court judgment by which it had held that 2014 amended Rules were arbitrary and unconstitutional.

The matter was heard around 3.30 PM after senior counsel Anand Grover appearing for the NGO and lawyer Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for Umesh Narain, had earlier in the morning mentioned the matter for an early listing.

The High Court order, the petition by Umesh Narain said, will have the serious and numbing impact on India's fight against tobacco, as it is regressive, retrograde and jeopardizes future generations of the country having maximum number of youth in the world.A

Grover, who appeared for the NGO, said that the world over, the trend was on increasing the space of the warning but the High Court ordered reducing it.

The High Court order had come on a batch of petitions by various tobacco manufacturing companies who had challenged the 2014 modified rules mandating that the health warning should cover 85 per cent of the tobacco packaging space.

The petitioners told the top court that the implementation of Regulations mandating 85 per cent pictorial warning on both sides of tobacco products was a culmination of an extremely long, cumbersome and excruciating fight by public heath activists and people whose life and family had been ruined by Tobacco, against the mighty tobacco industry.

Graphic pictorial warnings which occupy 85 per cent of the package on both sides will create awareness not only amongst the existing consumers of tobacco products about the grave health risks involved but will also dissuade the younger generation from becoming tobacco addicts, the petitioners told the court.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who will be in Gujarat on Saturday to attend a review meeting to analyse the party's showing in the assembly elections, will start by visiting the Somnath Temple.

During his three-day visit to the state, Gandhi will hold meetings with all the newly-elected MLAs and leaders and party workers all across the state to review the election results.

Congress along with its alies won 80 seats and restricted BJP to less 100 in a state it considers its fortress.

There will be a party workers meet at Gujarat University Convention Hall at GNBC ground in Ahmedabad.

The Congress will analyse in detail why it failed to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has ruled Gujarat for 22 long years, and the road ahead.

Gandhi became the party President on December 16, two days after the Gujarat elections got over.
This November, during Thanksgiving, a group of Avanti Way Agents agents traveled to Peru with the TECHO team to make reality two dreams. After months of planning and much effort, once in Lima, the agents and TECHO volunteers built two houses in a very affected area of the country.

The team spent 48 hours of intense construction work, while sharing unforgettable moments with the members of the families that were benefited. As they said: the experience of helping those in need is priceless. " In fact, they assured to return next year with even more people and more empowerment.

Oscar Teran, one of Avanti Way Top Producers stated "We love not only to collaborate, but also to travel, get to know the families and help to build their houses, which is the most important part of this whole process. We understand that it is a basic need and that is why our intention is to give families a decent roof because we believe that this is what everyone in the world should have."

In this adventure, the agents shared quality time with the residents of the neighborhood and even enjoyed meals they prepared for them. "It's a unique experience, to feel close to what these amazing people live, and helping them to improve, in the end, improves ourselves and makes us see the world in a different way" said one of the volunteers who couldnt hold his emotions while sharing these words.

Another Top Producer, Andreina Lecue, was very excited to deliver the result of one the houses built and told the new owner: "Here is your house. This is for you and your family to enjoy. We really did it with lots of love and hope you live tons of happy moments in it." At that time, the space was filled with applause, and the mother of the family did not hesitate to intervene: "I feel very grateful for what you have done for us, God will multiply everything you do for the people who need it most, thank you!" she said.

The end-result of this trip represented 48 hours of hard work, love for others and the desire to help, and leaves a legacy that great things can be achieved by giving to others. This time, two houses were built ... how many more could be built if more people join the cause?

Avanti Way and TECHO has been partners for 3 years, and have built more than 20 houses in the most needed areas of Latin America thanks to the contribution that the agents have made with each transaction they close.

Improving peoples lives by the side of TECHO, continue fulfilling dreams, nurturing hopes and giving families a decent home to live is key to the company.

For more information about working with TECHO, you can visit: http://www.joinavantiway.com or call at 305.229.1146.
Cloud usage continues to increase, and as a result were seeing a huge job growth and demand for certified IT professionals in the field."

TechSherpas, a Microsoft Gold Partner for Learning Solutions, has released two limited time offers on their Azure training and certification courses. Cloud usage continues to increase, and as a result were seeing a huge job growth and demand for certified IT professionals in the field, says Tanya Ruff, Marketing Manager for TechSherpas. We are providing an opportunity for professionals to get those skills and certifications now, at a discounted rate, providing the best value for their budget.

TechSherpas offers several modalities and learning styles so those who want to earn the Cloud skills can select an option that works best for them.

There are two Azure training and certification offers to take advantage of:

1) Exam Certification Pack - This offer includes one Exam + full-price retake + practice test for the discounted price of $199 (Discounted $230)

2) Training Discount  This 25% OFF offer applies to any of our Azure training courses (On-Demand or live, instructor-led courses, excluding boot camps and bundles). Azure/Cloud Certification Boot Camps receive $500 off.

Complete details on the Azure Initiative can be found at https://www.techsherpas.com/azure-skills-initiative-and-special-offers/.

TechSherpas is an IT training and service provider headquartered in Tampa, FL. The company was founded in 1996. In addition to providing expertise in Microsoft training, they offer training for ITIL, VMWare, Cisco, Citrix, CompTIA, Project Management, and other technologies. For more information, visit http://www.techsherpas.com.
The firm continues to expand and demonstrate our strength in IP law. We are receiving a significant amount of new work and are confident that the addition of Greg and Norm will add depth to our patent team, said Michael Stewart, founding partner.

Fishman Stewart PLLC, a leading intellectual property law firm, is pleased to announce the addition of two intellectual property attorneys to its growing IP practice. The firm celebrated its 20-year anniversary last year.

Fishman Stewart welcomed Gregory Bussell and Norman Freda as associate attorneys. The new attorneys help to further expand the expertise of the team of talented intellectual property attorneys at the firm. Gregory Bussell and Norman Freda were both admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and the United States District Court  Eastern District of Michigan earlier this month.

Gregory Bussell worked at Fishman Stewart as a law clerk while completing his Juris Doctor degree at The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. At the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Gregory was a Deans scholarship recipient. Gregory was on the University of Detroit Mercy Law Review for two years, the second year of which he served as a title editor. He also worked at the University of Detroit Mercy Intellectual Property Clinic where he drafted patent applications. Gregory earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Detroit Mercy, where he also was a recipient of the Spiritus Academic Scholarship. Gregorys work experience during his undergraduate studies includes several years as an intern in automotive engineering and power substation design and analysis.

Norman Freda worked as a law clerk at Fishman Stewart while attending law school. At Wayne State University Law School, Norman was a Deans Scholarship recipient. His studies included multiple areas of intellectual property law including copyright, trademark, patent drafting, patent prosecution, and patent litigation. Norman also participated in the Patent Law Clinic which works with local inventors to assist them with the process of applying for a patent. Norman received a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Applied Engineering Sciences with a concentration in Technical Sales from Michigan State University.

The firm continues to expand and demonstrate our strength in IP law. We are receiving a significant amount of new work and are confident that the addition of Greg and Norm will add depth to our patent team, said Michael Stewart, founding partner. Having two new attorneys join our firm is a testament to our skills and unique tech-savvy work environment.

About Fishman Stewart PLLC

Fishman Stewart is a leading intellectual property (IP) law firm leveraging state of the art telecommuting tools to provide improved flexibility and access while simultaneously reducing infrastructure and support costs. With attorneys and staff throughout the United States, the firms central office is located in Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA. Fishman Stewart attorneys focus exclusively on patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and licensing for organizations around the world. The firm, also a leader in intellectual property litigation, has obtained tens of thousands of patents and trademarks and represented clients in hundreds of cases in Federal Court. The IP attorneys at Fishman Stewart are recognized by leading legal publications and rankings, including IAM Patent 1000, IAM World Trademark Review 1000, Martindale, Leading Lawyers, Best Lawyers, IP Stars, Best Law Firms, and Super Lawyers. Contact Fishman Stewart to find out how your company's intellectual property can become intellectual capital. http://www.fishstewip.com
The new design and visual identity better capture the empowering effects of the Dale Carnegie courses which enable people to make a difference in their lives, their businesses and their future opportunities.

Dale Carnegie has been in the business of improving performance for companies and individuals for 104 years. During that time, this iconic company has constantly re-invented themselves and their offerings to stay competitive in an ever changing market.



Accordingly, last year, Dale Carnegie introduced a sweeping global brand modernization with new logo, professional branding, and a vibrant color scheme. Dale Carnegie of Central and Northern Alabama recently incorporated this modern brand aesthetic locally right here in Birmingham by partnering with Alphagraphics.

Featured in the new Dale Carnegie visual identity is the logo, which takes the form of a DC monogram. The logos resemblance to a butterfly symbolizes the transformative nature of the Dale Carnegie training programs.

Dale Carnegie unites people and businesses across cultures, classes and industries through universal teachings and truths. They engage people at every stage of career and live, showing them how to tap into and share the best parts of themselves. It is with this vision in mind that the Dale Carnegie of Central and Northern Alabama team worked to design a new office and training facility that embodied the transformative nature of the programs themselves.

Joe Hart, Dale Carnegies CEO recently commented about how excited they are to use the new brand to better tell the Dale Carnegie story. Joe said, the new design and visual identity better capture the empowering effects of the Dale Carnegie courses which enable people to make a difference in their lives, their businesses and their future opportunities.

Click here to view the video and see the transformation of the Birmingham offices and training facility. For more information on any of Dale Carnegie Central and Northern Alabamas programs, visit http://www.birmingham.dalecarnegie.com.
NSSA advisors are better educated about Social Security and equipped to help their clients make wise decisions about Social Security.

The National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) certificate program has been accredited by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) in Washington, D.C.

Premier Social Security Consulting of Cincinnati, which teaches the program, announced the accreditation. The NSSA certificate program is now the only accredited Social Security certificate program for professional advisors in the nation. Professional advisors are financial advisors, insurance agents, certified public accountants, and enrolled agents.

The accreditation is valid for five years, according to ICE.

Founded in 2012, the National Social Security Association, LLC is a professional organization acting in the public interest by establishing education, assessment, and ethics requirements for NSSA certificate holders. Currently, the National Social Security Association has awarded NSSA certificates to more than 1,500 advisors. The National Social Security Association, LLC oversees the NSSA certificate program and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

We see this accreditation as an acknowledgement of the high quality of our Social Security certificate program and our gold standard customer support, said Marc Kiner, partner at Premier Social Security Consulting in Cincinnati, which teaches the NSSA program. Professional advisors need to learn the Social Security system in order to counsel clients on how to maximize Social Security income so retirees dont outlive their money. This is especially important now that retirements can last for 30 years.

About 76 million Americans are classified as baby boomers. Ten thousand boomers turn 65 years old every day in the U.S.

Kiner, a 38-year certified public accountant, sold his CPA firm in 2012 to focus on Social Security education. Jim Blair, a 35-year veteran of the Social Security Administration, joined forces with Kiner seven years ago to help baby boomers understand and maximize their Social Security benefits.

Instruction in the NSSA program takes a full day, and professional advisors who take the Social Security training course and pass an assessment are awarded an NSSA certificate.

The NSSA Social Security education and certificate program will be offered in 18 cities this year, including: Cincinnati; Orlando, Fla.; Dallas, Texas; San Diego; Cleveland; New York City; Seattle; Pittsburgh; Atlanta; Chicago; Charlotte, N.C.; Troy, Mich.; Kansas City; St. Louis; Washington, D.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Houston; and Los Angeles.

Monthly NSSA webinars are offered to provide additional Social Security education. Topics include: new Social Security topics; Social Security-related articles; case studies; Social Security options software; marketing strategies; and advisor questions.

For a complete schedule of live classes and webinars, visit http://www.premiernssa.com.

Advisors who take the course can contact Kiner and Blair any time with questions. Support also includes marketing videos, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations and much more, said Blair.

We developed the NSSA certificate program to help advisors counsel clients on everything they need to know about Social Security but didnt know they should ask, said Blair. NSSA advisors are better educated about Social Security and equipped to help their clients make wise decisions about Social Security.

A married couple can leave $150,000 or more on the table in Social Security benefits by taking Social Security too early or not coordinating spousal benefits, he added.

Premier has announced a tuition rate increase for 2018, with a discount for registrations made before December 31. Projected tuition for the live class after Dec. 31 will be $995, with web-based and on-demand classes at $695. Premier also provides private, on-site classes for organizations that need to provide in-house Social Security training to multiple professional advisors.

On Dec. 14, the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) granted accreditation to National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) for demonstrating compliance with ICE 1100  Standard for Assessment-Based Certificate Programs. ICE 1100 was first published in 2009 as the first standard for assessment-based certificate programs. It is an American National Standard (ANS), and ICE is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a standards developer.

Established in 1977, ICE, formerly the national Organization for Competency Assurance, is the leading international membership organization representing the credentialing community. ICE fulfills its mission through the delivery of education and training programs, in setting quality standards for credentialing, and by providing accreditation services, according to the agency. ICE membership is composed of credentialing organizations, testing companies, and individual professional development consultants.

More information about ICE is available online at http://www.credentialingexcellence.org or by calling (202) 367-1165.

For more information about the National Social Security Advisor certificate program, visit http://www.nationalsocialsecurityassociation.com or http://www.premiernssa.com, email Kiner at mkiner(at)mypremierplan(dot)com, or call him at (513) 247-0526.

Contact: Marc Kiner

Email: mkiner(at)mypremierplan(dot)com

Phone: (513) 247-0526

About the National Social Security Advisor program:

Marc Kiner and Jim Blair are partners in Premier Social Security Consulting of Cincinnati, which teaches the National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) certificate program. The men educate professional advisors on the Social Security system so advisors can counsel clients on how to maximize Social Security income.
We will continue to grow and adapt as we work to empower our clients to achieve their goals, FEG President and CEO Scott Harsh said. I am excited for the great things the next 30 years will bring to FEG.

FEG, one of the largest investment consultants in the U.S.[1], is proud to announce January 2018 will mark 30 years of business for the Cincinnati-based independent, investment advisory firm.

FEG was founded in 1988 by five employees. Since then, the company has grown to approximately $61 billion in total client assets under advisement [2] and 130 employees in four offices nationwide. Its first client was a pension plan, but the business quickly expanded to serve institutions such as universities, foundations, independent schools, religious organizations, and community foundations. Today, non-profit clients represent 77% of the firms institutional assets.[3]

As the new year approaches, I am excited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of FEG, said FEG President and CEO Scott Harsh. I joined the company in 1990 as the ninth employee, and we have always had a client-focused culture and invested in our most important resourceour associates.

FEG seeks to align our employees interests with those of our clients, creating a strong and stable organization where our investment professionals average 11 years of experience.[4] FEG previously was named a top work place in our local market for four years [5], and in keeping with the philanthropic missions of our clients, our firm and employees are actively involved in the community.

The firms dedication to our community has been instilled in firm culture since the beginning. Fred Diamond, one of the company founders, was deeply committed to community involvement. Prior to his death in 2003, Diamond had founded organizations including the Cincinnati branch of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization and Cincinnati Cooks, a project of the Freestore Foodbank. FEG continues to have a firm-wide commitment to the greater Cincinnati community, volunteering with the Freestore Foodbank, UC Economic Centers StEP program, and other local organizations.

FEG believes a well-qualified team of investment professionals with strong experience and knowledge is better able to serve the sophisticated needs of institutional clients, which is why the firm continually looks to attract diverse investment talent and invests in developing and maintaining the skills of current employees. The firm currently has 27 Chartered Financial Analysts (CFAs), 21 Chartered Alternative Investment Analysts (CAIAs), 35 employees with postgraduate or doctorate degrees, and eight employees working toward industry certifications.

Recent milestones:

In December 2016, FEG formalized its long-standing business in Texas and the south by opening a Dallas office through the acquisition of Larry Thompson & Associates. The other satellite offices include Indianapolis and Detroit.

In September, the firm transitioned from 15 managing principals to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), which allowed the firm to maintain its independence and establish a long-term, sustainable structure to take FEG into the future.

We will continue to grow and adapt as we work to empower our clients to achieve their goals, Harsh said. I am excited for the great things the next 30 years will bring to FEG.

In anticipation of the firms 30th anniversary, FEG is refreshing its logo to celebrate the success of the firm and the organizations it serves.

###

About FEG: FEG (also known as Fund Evaluation Group, LLC), is a provider of investment advisory services to institutional investors such as endowments, foundations, healthcare organizations, and retirement plans. FEG services include investment consulting, outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO), and research services. Established in 1988, the independently-owned firm has approximately $61 billion in total client assets under advisement.2 For more information, visit [1 Source: Pensions & Investments, 2016. Any awards or nominations received by FEG or its personnel are not representative of any clients experience or FEGs capabilities as an investment adviser and as such does not indicate any future experience or performance. FEG is not affiliated with the awarding agencies and does not validate the appropriateness of the agencies or its awards.

[2] As of June 30, 2017, Assets under Advisement (AUA) include discretionary and non-discretionary assets of FEG and its affiliated entities. These assets are typically non-discretionary. For non-discretionary accounts, FEG will advise and make recommendations on investments, but does not have authority to execute or facilitate trades on behalf of the client. Some asset values may not be readily available at the most recent quarter end, therefore the previous quarter's values were used for this calculation. The values may be higher or lower, depending on the current market conditions. Of the $61bn AUA, total assets under management (AUM) are $6.8bn which are comprised of: Institutional discretionary AUM $2.6bn, Institutional non-discretionary AUM $3.7bn and Non-Institutional AUM $486mm.

[3] Institutional clients include Corporations, Charitable Organizations, Community Foundations, Financial Entity, Healthcare, Higher Education, Independent Schools, Insurance, Private Foundations, Public Funds, Religious Organizations, and Taft Hartley that are FEG Consulting, OCIO or Hybrid clients.

[4] As of 11/30/2017

[5] FEG was named a Top Workplace in Greater Cincinnati by the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2013,2014, 2015, and 2016.
The exoskeleton market is quickly gaining traction and we are pleased to bring together the leaders in wearable robotics at this unique event, said Joseph Hitt, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Wearable Robotics Association. We are excited to announce new features for our 2018 event that includes an automotive user summit, logistics user summit, and a collaboration with the WM Symposia.

The conference will feature presentations from wearable robotics experts, including:



Ben Wolff, CEO, Sarcos

Massimo Di Pardo, WCM Research & Innovation, CRF/Fiat

Frank Pochiro, Senior Engineer, BMW Manufacturing

Matt Marino, Lead Ergonomist, Briotix

Scott Schneider, Chief Future Development Officer, Otto Bock

Others to be announced

WearRA would like to thank our Technical Co-Sponsor, IEEE. Other event sponsors include: Bionic Yantra, StrongArm Technologies, Trexo Robotics, Fourier Intelligence, Maxon Precision Motors, Noonee, and Barrow Neurological Institute.
cStor, a leading provider of data center, digital transformation and cybersecurity solutions, hosted a toy drive to collect toys for less fortunate children at four movie premiere events in cities throughout the Southwest on Thursday, December 14, 2017. cStor collected more than 325 toys, 75 which were generously donated by Studio Movie Grill in Scottsdale, Ariz., to support the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

This year is the 7th consecutive year we have hosted holiday toy collection events, said Larry Gentry, cStor President and CEO. Its one of our favorite ways to help give back to communities cStor serves through the generous efforts of our employees, partners and clients.

The toy collection events were held during the Companys Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie premier events in Scottsdale, Ariz., Tucson, Ariz., Las Vegas, Nev., and Albuquerque, NM. The events featured an educational session for cStor prospects and clients, followed by a special movie premier event. Attendees were asked to bring new, unwrapped toys to the event. The boxes of toys were collected and distributed to local Marine Toys for Tots programs in each of the sponsored cities.

About cStor

cStor helps companies strategize, create and implement data center, digital transformation and cybersecurity solutions that help clients leverage IT to enable business transformation, reduce costs, minimize risk and gain competitive advantage. cStors proven capabilities gives clients the ability to collaborate with certified experts, and the confidence to move business forward faster and more efficiently than ever before. cStor serves clients across the southwest region with a focused, collaborative approach that delivers superior results. For more information, visit http://www.cstor.com or call 1.877.278.6781.
Chris Bombardier, Save One Life Board Member and Mountaineer His mission is not just to be the first, but to raise awareness about the inequity of care for those with bleeding disorders in developing countries.

On Christmas Day 32-year-old Chris Bombardier, who has severe hemophilia B, will head to Antarctica to climb Mt. Vinson. This is the last of the highest peaks on each continentknown as the Seven Summitsremaining for him to climb.

What makes this climb historic is that Chris will become the first person with hemophilia, a blood clotting disorder, to climb all seven summits. And his mission is not just to be the first, but to raise awareness about the inequity of care for those with bleeding disorders in developing countries.

In 2011 Chris climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro while traveling to Kenya with the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center to help set up a hemophilia lab and clinic. After seeing the dire need of patients in Kenya, Chris decided to become the first person with hemophilia to climb the Seven Summits to raise global awareness. He has already summited Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Denali in Alaska, Carstenz Pyramid in Papua Indonesia and the highest of all, Mt. Everest in Nepal.

Now, one peak stands between Chris and his goal: 16,050-foot Mt. Vinson. Chris lands on Union Glacier, Antarctica on December 29. Depending on the weather, he will then fly to base camp. After a day of preparation, Chris, his guide and founder of Mountain Professionals, Ryan Waters, seven additional climbers and one additional guide will start their nine-day trek to the summit.

Chris says, Our primary challenges are weather and temperature. Most of the time temperatures will be below zero. Wind can make that worsea real danger for frostbite.

Chris is a board member and dedicated fundraiser for Save One Life, an international organization that assists children with bleeding disorders in 13 developing countries through direct sponsorship, scholarships and micro-enterprise grants. Save One Life was founded in 2001 by Laureen A. Kelley, author and mother of a child with hemophilia. Chris hopes to raise $16,050 toward Save One Lifes scholarship program through this climb.

When asked how excited he is on a scale of one to ten, Chris replies, A ten! Im very excited just to be on the continent. Chris has held a Save One Life banner on each summit to remind everyone that nearly 75% of people with hemophilia in the world do not have access to adequate treatment. He adds, Ill also carry the photo of the boy with hemophilia I met in Kenya to the summit.

Chriss climb is being generously sponsored by Octapharma, a manufacturer of blood-clotting products and the largest privately owned human protein products manufacturer in the world. Octapharma is also sponsoring a documentary by Believe Ltd. about Chriss climbs, called Bombardier Blood, to be released in 2018.

To learn more about Chris and his Seven Summits Quest, visit http://adventuresofahemophiliac.com/seven-summits/

To donate to Chriss fundraiser and Save One Life, visit http://www.saveonelife.net

To learn more about Octapharma, visit http://www.octapharma.com

To view the documentary trailer, visit http://www.bombardierblood.com
As 2017 draws to a close, Liberty Universitys campus is buzzing with anticipation for the East Coasts largest Christian New Years Eve party, the 16th annual WinterFest.

The two-day celebration, which takes place Dec. 30-31 at the Vines Center, features 16 acts, including Crowder, Skillet, Switchfoot, Andy Mineo, and Hollyn, along with comedian John Crist, illusionist Justin Flom, and former MMA champion Chad Robichaux. There is also a free screening of the film, I Can Only Imagine, in the Center for Music and the Worship Arts Concert Hall. The film tells the story of how the hit song was written and stars Dennis Quaid.

LU Shepherd Executive Director David Wheeler and Libertys Director of Camp & Outdoor Adventure Leadership Keith Oglesby will speak during WinterFest. This years theme  Out of the Ashes  is based on 2 Corinthians 5:17 and encourages attendees to bring in 2018 anew in Christ.

WinterFest is going to be the most exciting, family-friendly place to bring in the new year, said WinterFest Coordinator James Hobson.

Attendees will not only hear from top Christian artists, but also enjoy on-campus amenities such as snowboarding or tubing at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, bowling at the Montview Bowling Alley, and skateboarding at the Liberty Mountain Skate Park.

There will also be a Q & A with several of the artists hosted in the LaHaye Event Space.

New this year is the Student Breakout Session, aimed to help students from middle school to college grow deeper in their relationship with Christ.

Tickets are on sale now through Dec. 31 with a current promotion of buy three, get one free (use promo code GIFT). For a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, visit Liberty.edu/WinterFest.

About Liberty University

Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation and the largest university in Virginia. Located near the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty offers more than 550 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. More than 250 programs are offered online. Libertys mission is to train Champions for Christ with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrows world.
Paris Collection Never give up your dreams! Farah Barnes

Come and visit smart Illumi Arts collection (New York, Paris and Milan) at the museum stores in Washington D.C., created by Farah Barnes.

Illumi Arts brings together the best of all worlds in interior design. The light fixtures are beautiful art pieces with unique color changing RGB LED lights to enhance any space using Bluetooth technology. Illumi Arts lighting fixtures are great for personalizing modern interiors for commercial, residential, institutional and hotels. The lighting collections come in standard square and custom sizes. The product is UL and CE listed for indoor (IP20) while under 2nd stage patent in the USA.

Benefits of the Illumi Arts including:

1. Innovative, exciting, and collectible products

2. Low profile, low voltage, energy-efficient at 11 Watts

3. Bluetooth technology for remote variety control (iPhone. iPad, and Android)

4. Brings light, art, and color to any space.

5. Cost-effective and eco-friendly: 50,000 life hours, maintenance-free except dusting

6. Changeable art panels or fixed panels

7. UL and CE certified for safety

Size: 324x324x20 (mm) - 12.7x12.7x0.78 (inch)

About US:

APV Inc. is a USA corporation located in Vienna, Virginia with a branch office in Washington D.C. APV (Architectural Lighting Design) came into existence about 23 years ago and has a record of success and achievement in museum exhibition design, custom light features, light designs and architecture. APV has won many prestigious National and International lighting awards. We collaborate as a team to produce innovative, cost effective and energy efficient lighting systems. APV strives to combine state of the art lighting technology with ongoing research and on-site analysis of traditional approaches toward energy conservation. APV applies time-honored methods of balancing the use of natural and artificial light in Architecture. Under the creative design and leadership of Farah Barnes, the APV team of lighting design professionals produce fully integrated quality and creative design solutions from the concept through to completion of each project.

Illumi Arts' Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk9dJiQZjAr5RtDxjSS7p-A?view_as=subscriber

Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/illumi_arts/

https://www.facebook.com/illumiarts2017/
GT's Robert Bernstein the recipient of the AJC New Jersey Judge Learned Hand Award on Dec. 11.

Robert H. Bernstein, a Labor & Employment shareholder at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, has received the American Jewish Committee (AJC) New Jersey Judge Learned Hand Award. The award was presented by past recipient, Philip R. Sellinger, co-chair of the firms Global Litigation Practice and managing shareholder of the firms New Jersey office.

AJC New Jerseys Learned Hand Award honors leaders in the legal profession who demonstrate their commitment to democratic values and the rights of individuals. Bernstein was honored at an awards dinner on Dec. 11 at the Hilton in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Bernstein, based in the firms New Jersey office, focuses his practice on labor and employment exclusively for management, with an emphasis in litigation and counseling. With more than 35 years of experience, Bernstein has represented many multinational and domestic corporations in a wide range of industries. His practice extends to more than 40 jurisdictions across the United States, involving most workplace issues, including class and collective actions, employee benefits, and trade secret litigation.

Bernstein is consistently recognized for his legal achievements which include The Legal 500 United States in Labor and Employment Litigation and ERISA Litigation and New Jersey Super Lawyers. He has also been rated AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 by Martindale-Hubbell, is a former member of LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Legal Advisory Board and a life member of the National Registry of Whos Who Among Executives and Professionals, Honors Edition from 2008-2009.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and is among the Top 20 on the 2017 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
The conventional wisdom of prepaying their real estate taxes may not help many taxpayers and may in fact make their lives worse by messing up their mortgage escrows. Prepaying one month's mortgage interest is the better strategy.

A lot of taxpayers (and their tax advisors) are scrambling, trying to figure out what to do now that the tax act has passed Congress. One of the most frequent pieces of advice being given these days is that taxpayers should "prepay their real estate taxes for 2018 before December 31, 2017" to get the tax deduction on their 2017 taxes.

Charles Markham, a 25 year veteran tax professional in Norwell Massachusetts, advises that for many taxpayers, this strategy is not the right one. However, a simpler strategy may save some tax dollars before year's end.

Markham notes the issue with prepaying real estate taxes is that many taxpayer will still be subject to Alternative Minimum Tax ("AMT") in 2017. Without going into the details, if a taxpayer is subject to AMT, prepaying real estate taxes in 2017, won't make a bit of difference on their 2017 taxes, rendering the strategy useless.

How can one tell if they are subject to AMT? Look on their 2016 taxes, if there's a number on Line 45 of Form 1040, they were subject to AMT and most likely will be again in 2017. Cancel that special trip to City Hall to prepay those 2018 taxes.

But might such a taxpayer not be subject to AMT in 2017? "Well, that's true," says Markham, "and prepaying won't hurt, and it could help, but if you pay real estate taxes via a mortgage escrow, this can complicate things with your mortgage company."

Markham notes that the taxpayer will then have to sort this out with their mortgage company who will likely either still send in the real estate tax payment anyway creating a refund situation at city hall, or they won't send it in which creates an "overage" in the escrow account, and the taxpayer must then put in for a refund. "If you pay your real estate taxes via your mortgage company, there's a good chance that prepaying them may be more hassle than it's worth. But perhaps they're the kind of the person that likes to sit on the phone for an hour or two and talk with strangers."

Instead, Markham recommends a simple alternative--pay the mortgage payment that is due on January 1st in late December, making sure the mortgage company actually has it posted before the end of December. Don't just mail it in. It's not a matter of the postmark date. Why do this? Because the January 1st payment is really paying December interest, Thus, people can pay thirteen months of interest in 2017. Note this only works for January's payment, not February's or March's, etc.

Why is this a good idea? Doesn't this just mean the taxpayer would only then have eleven months of interest in 2018? Typically it would, but under the new tax law, many taxpayers will never be itemizing again! How can a taxpayer tell if they won't be itemizing in 2018? Once again, refer back to the 2016 Form 1040 as a guide.. Look at the Schedule A. Taxpayers need to understand that in any given year, they either itemize on Schedule A OR they take the standard deduction--whichever is higher. For 2018, the standard deduction has been dramatically raised from $12,600 to $24,000 if you are Married Filing Jointly.

Here's a real life example:

Markham used one of his clients who are upper middle income to make his point. (See the attachments found at http://bit.ly/SchedA2016 and http://bit.ly/SchedA2018 or on the attachments to this) In 2016, this client had approximately $38,000 of itemized deductions (see line 29 of Schedule A). The taxpayers are married filing jointly and the new standard deduction is $24,000 and $38,000 is more than $24,000 so one would assume they still be itemizing in 2018, right? Well, not so fast. Look at line 9 of Schedule A. On the tax return that Markham is using as an example (Markham's practice is in Massachusetts) the number was $26,200, but in 2018 taxes will be limited to $10,000. This means the total itemized deductions on this return would be around $22,000 (all things being equal) and the taxpayers will be taking the standard deduction since the $24,000 standard is more than $22,000. Thus, get that mortgage interest in 2017. In 2018, it would be wasted.

So, getting the January 1st mortgage payment in so it's posted and on the books a few days before December 31 is probably one safe strategy that many taxpayers can make use of that will work for this tax season, and it won't mess up any escrow payments, and mortgage interest is typically never an issue with AMT.

Charles Markham, MST, EA has prepared taxes and represented taxpayers for over 25 years in Massachusetts. He is an Enrolled Agent and is also licensed to practice before the United States Tax Court. More background is on his website, http://www.markhamandcompany.com

For additional information contact Charles Markham at 781-659-6600 or 781-206-4880 or via email or chat via his website. Mr. Markham is available for short interviews via phone, Skype or in person.
Each year AZ Foothills Magazine asks their readers to vote for their Favorites in the Valley. For the third year in a row Lerner and Rowes legal team was awarded with three wins for the categories of Best Personal Injury Law Firm, Best Bankruptcy Law Firm and Best Criminal Defense Law Firm. They were also honored for the second-time with a win for the Most Philanthropic Company. Plus, one of our law firm's founding attorneys Kevin Rowe was awarded with a first-time win for Best Tucson Lawyer!

It is an honor to once again be voted winners of these awards and for the first-time win for Best Tucson Lawyer, stated personal injury attorney Kevin Rowe. 2017 was an amazing year and we look forward to all of the new opportunities to get involved and give back within our local communities in 2018!

More About Lerner and Rowe

For additional information about Lerner and Rowes Phoenix personal injury attorneys call (602) 977-1900. To learn more about the criminal defense and bankruptcy legal services offered by their partner law firm Lerner and Rowe Law Group, visit lernerandrowelawgroup.com or call (602) 667-7777. Need help filing an application or appeal for Social Security benefits? Contact the law firms other legal partners at Social Security Disability Advocates by calling (602) 952-3200 or online at socialsecuritydisabilityadvocatesusa.com.

To connect with the law firm socially, follow Lerner and Rowe on Twitter, or become a fan of their Facebook page. Also visit lernerandrowegivesback.com to learn more about the community services that the lawyers and legal support team of Lerner and Rowe actively support.

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Our partnership with LandLeader is a natural fit. They are a branding powerhouse with an extensive network across the country.

LandLeader recently announced the second year of a major sponsorship of The Land Report 100, the landmark issue that is published annually of Americas largest landowners. The issue just hit newsstands, but the partnership between The Land Report and LandLeader incorporates a long-term marketing benefit to anyone that is a member of this exclusive group.

LandLeader, a marketing company for elite real estate brokers who specialize in selling and buying land, aligns perfectly with The Land Reports annual special issue. Our partnership with LandLeader is a natural fit. They are a branding powerhouse with an extensive network across the country. Whether your interests are in the Rocky Mountains, the Southeast or Gulf Coast, the Lone Star State, the Great Lakes or the Pacific Northwest, they have you covered. And that is where our readership is  east, west, north, and south, said Land Report Publisher Eddie Rider Jr.

Were proud to be the presenting sponsor of The Land Report Top 100 again this year, said Dax Hayden, Managing Director for LandLeader. No matter where you go in the country, our exclusive members offer more and more access to exceptional properties. The landowners deserve the best service for their investments, and we deliver. Over $3.5 Billion in land sales since 2014 and were growing quickly.

For more information on LandLeader, call 844-281- 4301 or visit their website at landleader.com.

About LandLeader

LandLeader is a member-owned real estate marketing agency made up of by real estate professionals that specialize in rural land for sale. The company launched in 2014 and offers full marketing and advertising efforts for its exclusive territory members and their properties for sale. For more information on membership or to have your property marketed by a LandLeader member brokerage, please contact (970) 460-0908.

About The Land Report

Founded in 2007, The Land Report is an award-winning quarterly magazine focused

on Americas greatest resource  land. Its readership includes landowners, investors, asset managers, familyoffices, and land brokers. To read the Winter 2017 issue of The Land Report, visit LandReport.com.
By understanding employees with disabilitiesand listening to their ideascompanies can unlock enormous potential.

Lime Connect (Lime) and Bloomberg, PwC and Unilever  three of the organizations corporate partners  are lead sponsors of a first-of-its-kind study published by the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI) that finds that far more people than expected have a disability: 30 percent of college-educated employees working full-time in white-collar professions in the U.S.

Using the new, broader U.S. federal definition of disabilities (finalized in 2016, the definition now includes mental health and chronic conditions) and rigorous, nationally-representative data, CTIs report Disabilities and Inclusion has uncovered that employees with disabilities make up an enormous talent pool that employers overlook far too often--to their own detriment.

The study also uncovered reasons that employees with disabilities have remained under the radar. Sixty-two percent of employees with disabilities have non-visible disabilitiespeople cant tell they have a disability upon meeting them. Additionally, only 21 percent of employees with disabilities disclose them to their employers human resources departments.

Lack of visibility and lack of awareness about this high percentage of their workforce translates into significant costs for employers. Seventy-five percent of employees with disabilities report having an idea that would drive value for their company (versus 66 percent of employees without disabilities), yet employers may not be maximizing this potential.

From our interviews and focus groups, we learned that people with disabilities are particularly innovative. In order to navigate the world with a disability, they have to problem-solve each day. They can contribute this gift to their employers, but only if they know they will be recognized and rewarded for it, says Julia Taylor Kennedy, executive vice president and director of publications at CTI.

The implications of the research for companies is clear. Employers who want to elicit the best ideas from their people should rely on inclusive leadershipand this carries extra relevance for leaders of people with disabilities.

How? In prior research, CTI determined that inclusive leaders exhibit at least three of the following behaviors: ensuring everyone gets heard, making it safe to propose novel ideas, giving actionable feedback, taking advice and implementing feedback, empowering team members to make decisions, and sharing credit for team success.

Lime Connect board chairman Tom Wilson states this ground-breaking research validates our view of both the large numbers of employees who happen to have disabilities and the broad range of non-visible disabilities which so often are not disclosed. Lime Connect and our corporate partners believe strongly in the strengths and talents that can accompany disabilities, and in providing some of the tools, and self-confidence, that can help employees with disabilities to reach their full potential.

In addition to U.S. data, the report spotlights how the experiences of employees with disabilities in Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, and the U.K. differ from the U.S. It also includes spotlights on caregivers, employees with mental health conditions, and employees with autism spectrum disorder.

Now that we know employees with disabilities make up nearly a third of the white-collar workforce, employers simply cant afford to ignore this crucial talent cohort, says Laura Sherbin, co-president of CTI and a managing partner of Hewlett Consulting Partners. By understanding employees with disabilitiesand listening to their ideascompanies can unlock enormous potential.

The Center for Talent Innovation will present the study findings at Lime Connects corporate partner symposiums hosted in Toronto (January 17th) and New York City (February 1st). Lime will also release results of a corresponding survey of Lime Network members in the U.S. and Canada as a part of the symposium agenda.

For an overview of Disabilities and Inclusion, see highlights on Lime Connects web site here, with a link to the full report.

About Lime Connect:

Lime Connect is a global not for profit organization that's rebranding disability through achievement. We do that by attracting, preparing, and connecting high potential university students and professionals - including veterans - who happen to have all types of disabilities for scholarships, internships, The Lime Connect Fellowship Program, and full time careers with our corporate partners - the world's leading corporations. We are breaking stereotypes and leading all companies to realize the importance, and value, of employing people with disabilities at every level of education, talent and ability. See more, join The Lime Network to take advantage of our programs as a university student or professional who happens to have a disability, or join Friends of The Lime Network at http://www.limeconnect.com.

About the Center for Talent Innovation:

The Center for Talent Innovation (CTI) is a New York Citybased think tank that focuses on global talent strategies and the retention and acceleration of well-qualified labor across the divides of demographic difference including gender, generation, geography, sexual orientation, and culture. CTIs research partners now number more than 85 multinational corporations and organizations. See more at http://www.talentinnovation.org.

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LONDON  Boris Johnson has used a visit to Russia to warn Vladimir Putin that Britain is ready and able to retaliate against cyber attacks as the two nations look to repair bilateral relations.

The UK Foreign Secretary on Friday told his Russian counterpart,

Johnson is the first UK foreign secretary to visit Russia in five years following a period which has seen relations between London and Moscow deteriorate ever since the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

Lavrov described UK-Russia relations as at a "low" heading into his meeting with Johnson. Neither side expects a breakthrough in attempts to improve relations, according to The Guardian.

In a frosty press conference held this morning, Lavrov told Johnson: "Our relations are at a low. You prefer to talk about the reasons why publicly."

Johnson responded: "As you say Sergey, things are not easy between us at the moment."

It#emo#s already getting tasty.... @ Tom Newton Dunn

Johnson's warning to Russia comes after Theresa May last month accused the Kremlin of running a covert propaganda war using fake news to "sow discord" in the west and "meddle in elections."

The prime minister said in a November speech that the West needed to tackle Putin's regime which had become the biggest threat facing "open economies and free societies" across the globe.

"[Russia] is seeking to weaponise information. Deploying its state-run media organisations to plant fake stories and photo-shopped images in an attempt to sow discord in the West and undermine our institutions," May said.

"So I have a very simple message for Russia. We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of Western nations to the alliances that bind us."

Speaking prior to his visit to Russia, Johnson said: "We have a relationship with Russia that spans over 450 years."

"Our similarities and historical links far outweigh our current political disagreements. The Kremlin has positioned Russia in direct opposition to the west, but it doesnt have to be that way."
While the holiday can be celebrated in many different ways, perhaps no custom is more important than the time-honored Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meal.

Still, these meals vary greatly depending on where they're taking place.

Inspired by thisBookTable post by Rob Rebelo,

Germans often serve fruity Stollen cake, along with a mulled wine called Gluehwein. Stollen is traditionally baked to have a hump, symbolizing the humps of the camels that carried the wise men to see Jesus.

Many Bulgarians fast before Christmas, so on Christmas they nosh on stuffed vegetables, soups, and cakes.

In Fiji, locals dine on banana leaf-wrapped fish, stuffed chicken, and pork made with a "Lovo," an earth oven made with heavy stones, like the one seen below.

We've all heard of "figgy pudding," but in the United Kingdom, they actually eat it. Better yet, they cover their Christmas pudding with brandy and set it on fire.

Italians celebrate Christmas by making a meal they call the "Feast of Seven Fishes," which features many different seafood items, like calamari, cod, anchovies, and clam linguine.

France also serves seafood for Christmas, during the traditional Le Reveillon celebration. Meals usually feature lobster, oysters, and foie gras.

In Sweden, a rice pudding, or Risgrynsgrot, is served during Christmastime. One of the bowls will have an almond submerged in its center, and the lucky one who gets it will have good luck for the rest of the year.

In Costa Rica, locals usually eat pork tamales on Christmas, many using recipes passed down through generations.

In Ethiopia, locals eat a "doro wat," a chicken stew served with flat bread. Forget the forks and knives, because like with many Ethiopian meals, you eat this with your hands.

It's summer during Christmas in South Africa, so locals head to the Braai  an African grill  to cook up lamb, turkey, and pork.

It's summer in Australia, too, so residents have a Christmas barbecue, cooking turkey and lamb. They also eat grilled prawns, like the ones below, in a longstanding tradition called "shrimp on the barbie."

On Christmas, Ghanaians eat corn porridge, okra stew, rice, and a yam or plantain mash called "Fufu."

For various reasons, most people in Antarctica spend their Christmas on ships. So, along with cooked meats, they must make do with canned or frozen vegetables.

Egyptian Christians keep vegan on the three days before Christmas. A main staple during this time is Kushari, a macaroni, rice, and lentils dish that's topped with a tomato-vinegar sauce.

Christians in India celebrate the holiday by eating traditional Biryani  or curry  dishes. To end the meal, they often eat kheer, a sweet and milky pudding.

At midnight on Christmas Eve, Filipino Christians dine on massive whole suckling pigs, often featuring a bright yellow ball of cheese in its mouth.

Promptly at 6 p.m. every Christmas Eve, Icelandic people sit down to a massive meal of cooked meats, including reindeer meat.

In Argentina, locals dine on Vitel Tone (veal in tuna sauce) as well as turkey, pork, and bread. Oftentimes these meals will be enjoyed in a backyard BBQ style.

In Finland, people sit down to a Christmas "Joulupoyta," a massive smorgasbord of food that includes ham, bread, fish, various casseroles and vegetables, and mulled wine.

People in the United States enjoy eggnog during the holiday months, some more than others.
The Vera hit maker revealed all was set for what is expected to be the most amazing experience this festive season.

Touching on security, D-Black revealed nothing had been left to chance.

Patrons of my events are always important to me and their security a priority so all have been put in place to make every individual secured and comfortable. So far as its Black Avenue Muzik, they are covered, he said.

He also revealed all artistes are in good health and readying for the amazing festival on Saturday.

Tickets are currently selling at Live FM, The 4syte Mansion, YFM at the Accra Mall, Oasis Lounge for 20 cedis, 50 cedis and 100 cedis. For ticket reservations, interested patrons could also call 0551337145 or 0244370760.

The BAM Festival which is the first of its kind will consist of a number of exciting activities including fun game at the poolside of Oasis Pool & lounge from midday till the musical and mixtape launch concert kicks off at 8pm with performances from D-Black, DJ Breezy, Wisa Greid, Nina Ricchie, Kobla Jnr, Sefa Dahlin Gage with special guest performances from Stonebuoy, R2Bees, Bisa Kdei, Medikal, King Promise, Joey B, Pappy Kojo, Efya, VVIP, Jupitar, Choirmaster and several others.

The days activities will be climaxed at Club Onyx with a champagne campaign (The Climax)

The BAM Festival + Hunger & Thirst Mixtape release concert is scheduled for December 23 2017.
And while everyone has their own subjective set of reasons for being unfaithfula lack of satisfaction in their relationship; an irresistible attraction to someone else; a drunken lapse in judgment; un-indulged polyamorous desires; an unabashed sense of personal entitlement; the list goes onthere are apparently a few cities in which cheating is becoming increasingly common.

According to new data from Ashley Madison, an online affair-arranging service, Los Angeles has the fastest growing population of philanderers. In 2017, the City of Angels yielded a 47 percent increase in new Ashley Madison accounts. Apparently, Beverly Hills was particularly primed for adultery, with a 32 percent increase in user sign-ups.

New York, where user sign-ups increased by 40 percent, came in second. Washington, D.C. came in third, with a 34 percent uptick in registrations, while Atlanta, Phoenix, and Austin, tied for fourth, with a 29 percent upswing each. In Seattle, user intake jumped by 28 percent; in Jacksonville, Florida, it went up by 27 percent; and in both Houston and San Francisco, Ashley Madison bolstered its ranks by 24 percent.

"If we look at the top 10 cities on a map, we can see they range from coast-to-coast,Isabella Mise, Ashley Madison's director of communications, said in a press release. "This tells us that stepping out of the marriage really isnt an isolated occurrence, people across the country are looking to fulfill their unsatisfied needs at a growing rate."

It bears noting, too, that these 10 cities are also among the country's most populous, which might have something to do with the results. In any case, as the company notes, the tendency to cheat does seem to bridge political beliefs, too.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo restored the nurses allowances which was scrapped by the previous government.

READ ALSO: Nurses line up to thank Nana Addo for restoring trainee allowances

The allowance, which were scrapped by the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) was met with strong resistance from the nursing trainees who complained bitterly about the difficulties it had brought upon them.

Two months after the allowance was restored, the government has not issued payment to some trainee nurses.

The Concerned Trainee Nurses Association in the Northern region said all attempts to get answers as to why the allowances have delayed from government has proven futile.

"Since the restoration was launched by the government, the assumption of many of our parents and guardians is that, even if they dont give us money from home, we can take care of ourselves as students because of the restoration of allowance, unfortunately, one thing is announcing a restoration as it was done by government and actually making payments as promised is also another thing. So far, governments commitment towards the payment of the allowance after its restoration is so far not encouraging," the nurses said in a statement.

READ ALSO: 6 major achievements by Nana Addo in 10 months

Below is full text of their concerns;

Delay In The Payment Of November Allowance

We wish to bring to the attention of the media both electronic and print and the general public as a whole our concerns regarding the delays or non payment of our November allowance by government.

It has become necessary to make our concerns known to the general public because all attempts to get answers for the delays have so far proven futile despite earlier government assurances that payments were going to be on schedule as promised during the relaunch of the allowance in Sunyani.

By this release, we are also making our concerns known to the Health Minister Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu and the President H. E Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo that we are suffering as a result of the delays in payment of our allowance as trainee nurses.

Since the restoration was launched by the government, the assumption of many of our parents and guardians is that, even if they dont give us money from home, we can take care of ourselves as students because of the restoration of allowance, unfortunately, one thing is announcing a restoration as it was done by government and actually making payments as promised is also another thing. So far, governments commitment towards the payment of the allowance after its restoration is so far not encouraging.

We thought that since the allowance restoration was a major campaign promise by the current president in the last elections and after being successfully elected into office, the government would have paid seeking attention to issues relating to allowance as promised but things appear to be different.

We recalled that the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia upon the assumption of Office in January this year promised that, the restoration was going to take place in April 2017, that never happened until in September.

Our general expectation was that once the government was not able meet the earlier restoration date as promised by the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as earlier state, government would have put in place adequate financial preparations to avoid unnecessary delays once the restoration was done.

As we speak now, even though we are currently on Christmas break but we are also going through our clinical processes or internships at various hospitals in the region. The clinical session is on daily basis just like normal classes except ones off day. This means that apart from our feeding costs among other important daily expenditures, we also pay lorry fares day in and day out to our places of clinicals and back home.

Additionally, many of us are living in temporal rented accommodation because school is on break. All these together bring us huge financial burdens that we have to grapple with unfortunately our allowance for November is yet to be paid not to talk about December allowance.

We therefore wish to use your medium to make a passionate appeal to the President HE Nana Akufo Addo to as a matter of urgency kindly direct his finance minister to work on the payment of our November trainee nurses allowance. We plead that government through the finance minister should also add the clinical allowance to that of our November allowance as promised and pay the two together so that it can cushion our financial burdens.

Its our humble hope that government through the finance minister will follow through its promise fully and religiously without further delays and pay us because we are suffering.

Finally, we believe that HE Nana Akufo Addo would listen to our plea as a father of the nation and as a listening president and ensure that the right things are done without further delays.

Signed

President, Concerned Trainee Nurses Association, Northern Region

Babanawo Courage Kwabla
His threat to file a suit comes after Ahenkorah launched a scathing attack on his colleague MP in the wake of the $100, 000 expats saga, calling the North Tongu MP a 'pathological liar' and a 'thief'.

Subsequently Ahenkorah apologised to Ghanaians and Ablakwa for failing to control his temper at such a time. He was speaking to Accra-based Peace FM.

Ghanaians should forgive me and forgive my failings. When the matter came up and I had issues with it [the Minoritys approach], I should have taken my time and watched my temper.

My brother, Okudzeto Ablakwa, although younger than me, is still my senior in Parliament. That exchange we had in Parliament should not have happened because we are two gentlemen None of us acquitted ourselves well, but if he wont apologize I will so that there will peace and we can move past this.

However, in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM Ablakwa said "I want to place on record that I have not received any apology from Mr. Carlos Ahenkorah. I have no apology. That audio making the rounds, I do not consider that an apology and my lawyers have already advised that I take up the matter and bring a defamation suit against him which we are proceeding in earnest. We have him a perfect and golden opportunity to come to the court and prove that indeed I am a thief. I have already issued an instruction to my lawyers and the processes are underway.

READ ALSO: Alan summoned by Nana Addo over alleged Trade Ministry extortion

Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah, on Tuesday locked horns with Okudzeto Ablakwa in Parliament over alleged money charged expatriates who sat beside the President during the recent Ghana Expatriates Business Awards.
The latest kid on the block is Richard Ahiagbah, who is currently the Director of Communication for the NPP in Chicago, USA.

Richard Ahiagbah has served as the diasporas mobilization coordinator for the Chicago Chapter in the 2016 elections, and his commitment for the party is known both in the United States and at the party headquarters in Accra. He is a registered voter in the Kpone Katamanso Constituency in Ghana.

Speaking exclusively to Pulse.com.gh, he said the NPP as the greatest and most relevant political philosophy for the benefit of Ghanaians if given the nod as the General Secretary assured to leverage on technology for the good of the party all levels.

Richard also promises a new ethos of service leadership to empower, resource and take great care of the partys grassroots as the first order of business.

He added that he will functionally and operationally reorganize the NPP to make it an efficient and effective campaign political machine that is, active and engaged in the community, constituency and regional life of electorates.

READ ALSO: Chairman Wontumi vows to capture every seat in Ashanti Region for NPP

He will come up against former General Secretary Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, aka Sir John who lost to the suspended NPP scribe Kwabena Agyapong.

Sir John who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission has declared that he'll stage a come back for position.
In an interview with Accra-based Starr FM, she rejected claims that her Ministry plans to spend an amount of GH800, 000 for the development of a website.

How on earth can we use GH800,000 for just a website? Are we mad? To be frank with you when I heard the report I called the budget officer only to realise that it was a typo.

READ ALSO: Here is the favourite drink of former President Kufuor

How on earth can we use GH800, 000 for this Ministrys website? What kind of website are we building? Please it is not GH800, 000it was a typo error, she added.

She clarified that the correct amount is GH80, 000. She added that the amount will not only be used in building a website for the Ministry but the three development authorities and their regional offices.

Her reaction follow reports that her Ministry had proposed to spend a sum of GH800,000 for its website development.

The Minister who was upset by the bad publicity this has brought to her Ministry accused the former deputy Finance Minister and Ranking member of the Finance committee of Parliament Cassiel Atto Forson, of pursuing political equalisation.

He is a ranking member and he was there the day the expenditure was presented to his committeewhy didnt he probe us there if truly he saw it? Because he wanted to make mischiefand equalisation because NDC has been tagged as corrupt, she said.
"It's a bitter victory," said Michel Vila, a 70-year-old retired engineer who has lived in Belgium for the past three decades.

"The electoral campaign was totally manipulated, because the two candidates for the main parties were in exile here and the other was in prison. As an independence supporter, I would say we resisted well."

"But it's a fact that the pro-independence vote didn't pass 48 percent."

As for whether there would now be a return to Spain for Puigdemont -- who fled to Belgium in October to avoid charges of sedition and to drum up support for his cause from the EU -- "that we don't know", he said.

Where tens of thousands of Catalan independence supporters marched through Brussels a few weeks ago, the turnout was far more modest at Thursday's results event.

There were around 50 Catalans and 35 Flemish independence supporters whose party has backed them -- but they were outnumbered by journalists.

Puigdemont struck a defiant tone as he addressed his fans, calling the result a "slap" for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

"This is a result which no one can dispute," Puigdemont told supporters, as they chanted "president, president".

'Cracking open the cava'

He warned however that the likelihood of future rows with Madrid "might stop us cracking open the cava yet" -- referring to the sparkling white wine produced in Catalonia.

Maria Arbos, 57, a retired tourism worker who is from Catalonia but lives near Brussels, said she had mixed emotions.

"We are happy because we got a majority. But we would rather Ciudadanos (pro-union with Spain party) was not been the biggest party because then the Spanish newspapers will say they won," she said.

"But they haven't won. We have the majority."

Arbos called on Europe -- which said Thursday it would not change its view that the matter was an internal one for Spain -- to help resolve the Catalan question.

"Europe would do well to listen to us, because there is a problem that is not resolved," she said, adding that Puigdemont "is our president with these results."

She accused Spain of being a "dictatorship" as key separatist leaders remained in jail, adding "it's just not right."

Puigdemont was axed as president of Catalonia after holding an independence referendum that Madrid deemed illegal.

He and four former ministers then fled to Belgium to avoid charges of rebellion and sedition. Spain dropped a European arrest warrant for them earlier this month but they still face arrest if they return to their homeland.

Supporter Marina Sanchez made a similar comparison to authoritarian rule.
The latest to be punished is anti-China activist Tran Thi Nga, 40, who was handed nine years in prison plus five years of probation in July for posting material online criticising the government.

Her appeal was rejected Friday after a trial in northern Ha Nam province.

"The verdict is biased and not objective," Nga's lawyer Ha Huy Son told AFP after the hearing.

Several of Nga's supporters gathered outside the courthouse were ferried away by security forces earlier Friday, according to activists' posts on Facebook.

Nga, who was arrested in January, is best known for calling on the Vietnamese government to stand up to its massive neighbour China over over territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea.

She also rallied for land and labour rights and protested the government's handling of a massive toxic dump in central Vietnam last year that killed tonnes of fish.

Rights groups say her case is part of a protracted crackdown on dissent that has accelerated under the conservative communist leadership in place since last year.

On Thursday, five people in southern An Giang province were jailed for between three and five years for "anti-state propaganda" after they hung flags of the former South Vietnamese regime in several locations across Chau Doc city, according to state media and a court clerk who confirmed the sentencing to AFP.

The flag is considered an incendiary symbol by communist authorities and has been banned since the end of the Vietnam War.

Ahead of Nga's appeal, Human Rights Watch called on authorities to drop charges against the activist and release more than 100 others currently in jail.

"Tran Thi Nga and other Vietnamese activists put themselves at grave risk to speak out against rights violations happening in their country," said Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed charges against a group of unregistered investment funds and their owner, alleging a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.

Robert Shapiro is accused of using the group of firms, called the Woodbridge Group of Companies LLC, to defraud more than 8,400 investors  many of which, the SEC says, are senior citizens.

The SEC says the company, formerly headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, had promised to pay these investors interest of 5-10% annually.

Woodbridge had said its primary business was the issuance of loans to third-party commercial-property owners that paid 11-15% annual interest. But the SEC's complaint says the "vast majority" of borrowers were companies owned by Shapiro that had no income and never made such interest payments.

"Our complaint alleges that Woodbridge's business model was a sham," Steven Peikin, a director of the SEC's Enforcement Division, said in a release. "The only way Woodbridge was able to pay investors their dividends and interest payments was through the constant infusion of new investor money."

"Our complaint further alleges that Shapiro used a web of layered companies to conceal his ownership interest in the purported third-party borrowers," Eric Bustillo, the director of the SEC's Miami regional office, added. "Shapiro used the scheme to line his pockets with millions of investor dollars."

Shapiro and Woodbridge are also accused of trying to keep investors from exiting their positions at the end of their terms. Marketing materials for Woodbridge boasted of a 90% renewal rate, the SEC says.

Further, the SEC accuses them of paying $64.5 million in commissions to sales agents who pitched the opportunities to prospective clients as "low risk" and "conservative."

The complaint also says Shapiro funneled $21 million to himself, then spent that on chartered planes, country-club fees, luxury vehicles, and jewelry.

The Ponzi scheme collapsed earlier this month after Woodbridge stopped paying investors and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the complaint says. The SEC says it has also frozen all affiliated assets.

Shapiro, Woodbridge, and certain related companies are charged with fraud and violating the securities and broker-dealer registration provisions of federal securities laws. The SEC says it's pursuing the "return of allegedly ill-gotten gains with interest and financial penalties."
On Thursday afternoon, Schmidt announced he'll be stepping down from his position as executive chairman of Alphabet, Google's parent company. He won't be leaving Alphabet entirely  he'll remain on its board and will serve as a technical advisor role  but he'll be taking a step back from having a leading role.

Schmidt wasn't a Google founder, but he joined the company early and played a major role in turning it into a global superpower. The company's Google.com website is the most-visited in the world, and the company also makes Android, the world's most popular operating system. And on the back of Google's incredibly profitable advertising business, Alphabet is now worth $743 billion.

But Google's start was much more modest.

Here's a look at the company's history, from its roots in a pair of Stanford dorm rooms, to Larry Page and Sergey Brin's attempt to sell the company, to the formation of Alphabet, all the way through to Schmidt's resignation announcement.

Google got its start in 1996  but it wasn't called that at first.

The company originated with an idea formulated by Sergey Brin, left, and Larry Page, who were both Stanford PhD students at the time. They came up with BackRub, a revolutionary search engine that would rank web pages based on how many other web pages linked back to them, a process they called PageRank.

Page and Brin soon changed their search engine's name from BackRub to Google.

The BackRub name didn't last long. They quickly decided that a "googol"  the number one with a hundred zeroes after it  better reflected the amount of data they were trying to sift through. Playing on that word, Page and Brin, whose Stanford dorm rooms comprised their first offices, chose the slightly friendlier name Google for their nascent search engine and company.

The first-ever Google server was built in a custom case made out of Legos.

The server was housed on the Stanford campus and its web address was initially google.stanford.edu. But Brin and Page registered the Google.com domain name on September 15th, 1997.

Eventually, Google drained too much of Stanford's bandwidth, and its IT department kicked the search engine out.

Page and Brin relocated their fledgling company in the garage of future Google employee and YouTube head Susan Wojcicki.

Around the same time, Brin and Page got a crucial $100,000 seed investment.

The funding came from Sun Microsystems founder Andy Bechtolsheim, above. With it in hand, Google officially incorporated in its garage headquarters on September 4th, 1998.

Google's first homepage wasn't much of a looker.

Neither Page nor Brin had much expertise with the web coding language HTML. They chose instead to focus their efforts on the algorithms that made their search engine run.

In 1999, Google was almost acquired by Excite, a leading search engine at the time.

Excite would have acquired Google for $750,000 in cash, according to Excite's then-CEO George Bell, above. But the deal fell through for reasons that are still disputed, and Google continued on its own.

In March 1999, Google moved into its first real offices.

The office space was located at at 165 University Avenue in Palo Alto  the same building that housed PayPal and Logitech.

Not long after, Google raised $25 million in its first round of venture capital funding.

Investors included Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers and Sequoia Capital. The money likely helped buy developers, like those above, a lot more beer.

Google debuted AdWords, which became its big money maker, in late 2000.

AdWords allowed businesses to buy ads related to search terms. By this point, Google's search engine was already rising in popularity. AdWords provided the company with a steady revenue stream that kept it going through the dot-com bust that claimed many of its fellow startups.

Google's star was on the rise, and Brin and Page were becoming rock stars.

While many tech companies were failing, Google was finding big success.

It was about this time Google adopted its famous motto: "Dont be evil."

The full slogan, as spelled out in documents Google filed before going public, was: "Don't be evil. We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served  as shareholders and in all other ways  by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short-term gains."

Brin and Page brought in Eric Schmidt to be Google's CEO in 2001.

Brin and Page hired Schmidt, who replaced Page as CEO, at the urging of Sequoia. His hiring freed up the founders to focus on Google's technology.

By this point, the Google team was outgrowing its Palo Alto offices.

So in 2003, Google leased its now-famous Googleplex campus in Mountain View from Silicon Graphics, an ailing, old-school tech giant. In 2006, Google bought the Googleplex outright.

The Googleplex became a symbol of Silicon Valley success  and a template for non-traditional workplaces.

Google worked hard to make the Googleplex a little more whimsical than your average campus. The original main campus building is well-known for having a slide that connects its first two floors.

Google was the first big tech company to offer free meals to employees.

The Google cafeteria became the stuff of Silicon Valley legend.

The Googleplex also has a famous dinosaur statue that's often covered in flamingos.

A rumor among Google employees holds that the statue is meant to serve as a reminder to them to not go extinct.

Google unveiled Gmail, an e-mail service, on April 1, 2004.

The company initially rolled out the service in a private beta test. Because the announcement came on April Fool's Day, many people thought it was a prank at first.

Google went public on August 19th, 2004, at $85 per share.

Today, a share in Google parent company Alphabet costs more than $1,000.

After its IPO, Google set its sights on expanding beyond the search business.

To launch new products including Google Docs and Google Maps, the company started gobbling up startups.

In 2005, Google bought Android, a tiny startup that was making an operating system for digital cameras.

The startup, whose software would form the basis of the Android operating system, was led by Andy Rubin.

In 2006, the company bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock.

At the time, YouTube was a brand-new video-sharing site that had been founded by a bunch of ex-PayPal employees.

That same year, Google opened up its first wholly-owned and designed data center.

The data center was located in The Dalles, Oregon, on the banks of the Columbia River.

At its Oregon facility, Google started to develop its knack for squeezing out incredibly high levels of efficiency from its data centers using inventive new designs.

Google was so popular by this point that "googling" had become synonymous with "searching the Internet."

Merriam-Webster added the verb "google" to its dictionary in June 2006.

In 2008, the first Android smartphone went on sale to consumers.

The HTC Dream, above, was the start of a coming wave. Today, Android is the most popular operating system on the planet.

That same year, Google introduced its Chrome web browser.

Google designed Chrome to work well with its growing number of web services. The company wanted to ensure that on every device, people would continue using its products  and viewing its ads.

Schmidt stepped down as Google's CEO in 2011 but remained on its executive team.

Schmidt stayed on as Google's executive chairman to advise Page and Brin. Page took over as Google's CEO.

Under Page, Google has explored some far-out ideas.

Most notably, Google announced in 2010 it was working on self-driving car technology.

Among the experiments was Google Glass, which the company unveiled in 2012.

Google Glass was a wearable computer that would present information in your field of vision. It didn't catch on the way the company hoped.

Google operates secret labs that are working on all kinds of nifty projects.

This contact lens can measure the glucose level in the blood of diabetics.

Last year, Google overhauled its corporate structure, forming Alphabet.

Brin, Page, and Schmidt established Alphabet as a holding company and turned Google into one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Page became the CEO of Alphabet.

Sundar Pichai, formerly head of Google Chrome, became CEO of Google.

That put Pichai in charge of guiding the future of Alphabet's most important and profitable business. Under Pichai, Google has made big moves into artificial intelligence.

And now, Schmidt is stepping down as Alphabet's executive chairman.

He'll serve as a "technical advisor" for Alphabet and remain on its board.
Jehovahs Witness

This religious organisation is one of the biggest group of Christmas-shunners. The interesting thing is that they were not always this way. Once upon a time, Jehovahs Witnesses used to observe Christmas. This was until 1928, after further study by one official.

According to spokesman J.R. Brown from the churchs Brooklyn, New York, headquarters, this officials findings led to the church dropping the holiday.

The official found that this is based onfalse religious beliefs or activities. Deseret News reports that this is explained in a 1993 book, Jehovahs Witnesses  Proclaimers of Gods Kingdom.

Still, it took a while for everyone to get on board with the new tradition of no longer celebrating Christmas.

Brown says after the group cast aside religious teachings that had pagan roots, they also quit sharing in many customs that were similarly tainted. But for a time, certain holidays were not given the careful scrutiny that they needed. One of these was Christmas.

The major reason why they do not celebrate it because they believe the Bible would have said something if Christmas observance was important, however, they do not prevent others from honouring the day.

In Browns words, Witnesses now ask themselves does this please God, when it is not mentioned in the scriptures?

How Witnesses now approach the holiday



Brown says, If someone is dealing with you and they say, Merry Christmas, we do not go into a sermon about the pagan origins.

You dont make an issue of it every time because we have to face the fact that they mean well when they say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We will say this is the time of year many people are actually thinking about Jesus Christ. Did you take notice of what he put their emphasis on in his life?

Brown adds, I personally go out. Im 74, and Ive done this since I was 4 years old.

Birthdays, Halloween, Easter, Mothers Day, New Years Day, and Valentine's Day are also shunned because of their pagan origins.

Seventh Day Adventist Church

Like Jehovahs Witnesses, this church is also against the celebration of Christmas.

A publication from the group that goes to church on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath day, not Sunday reads: We do not celebrate Christmas as the Birth of Christ per say since Christ was not born in Dec.

He did not want us to celebrate His birth or He would have told us when He was born. It has become a money-making celebration with Christ mixed in. It is a pagan ritual.

We join in to be with the Family or friends to celebrate their friendship and love as a family gathering and for the Children. Easter too is a pagan holiday and we do not celebrate the Name but we honour Christs Resurrection and keep the day in mind on what He has done for us. We do not make an issue out of it but quietly honour Christ.its a gathering also for the Children. It is a personal Choice.

Deeper Life

A few years ago, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, the head of Deeper Life Bible Church announced to his members and the world that his church does not celebrate the popular holiday.

Explaining why at the 2013 December retreat, he said: We dont celebrate Christmas nor sing Christmas carol; because Christmas is of idolatrous background.

Gods Kingdom Society (GKS)

This is another church that is anti-Christmas. According to the churchs official website, they believe that there is no single evidence in the Bible that Jesus Christ was born on the 25th of December.

Rather, they believe that He was born in October and that Christmas originated from a noisy pagan festival in honour of the god of the sun.

While other Christians celebrate Christmas in December, this church celebrates the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ in October. This is done with something called the Freedom Day.

The church was started by St. Gideon Meriodere Urhobo in 1934 after leaving Jehovahs Witnesses. He lived from 19031952. The headquarters can be found in Warri.

Religious Society of Friends

There is a religious group called the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers.

This church believes that every day is a holy day, so there is no need to single out just one day to celebrate.

Another reason why they do not celebrate Christmas is that some Quakers are trying to go back to the ways of early Christianity.

Chris Pifer, a spokesman for the Friends General Conference, says, Theres an effort within aspects of Quaker practice to try and explore and find primitive Christianity, the church before it became a political entity.

In very early Christianity, there werent holidays like Christmas anywhere close to the form it is today.

Wikipedia reports that 52% of the group around the world can be Africa. Kenya reportedly has the largest number of Quakers in this continent.

According to the churchs website, fwccafrica.org, the Nigerian branch started as a small worship group in Lagos in the early 1990s.

Fun Fact - Mountain of Fire Ministries (MFM) dont celebrate Christmas too. According to the founder, Pastor D.K. Olukoya, We dont celebrate Christmas because the root is demonic.

Regardless of what these churches believe, billions of Christians around the world continue to mark Christs birthday on December 25 each year.
The students who finished their pre-degree programs at Inselberg-Coast International Deutsche Universitat (ICIDU) in Oyo and Lagos state will complete their programs at universities affiliated to ICIDU in Germany.

ICIDU Rector in Nigeria, Dr Jackson Osuh made this known on Monday, December 18 at the students' graduation ceremony in Ibadan campus of the institution.

ALSO READ: 10 dept where it is near impossible to bag first class in ABU

Osuh said there is an ample opportunity for the students to explore in Germany while they receive a tuition-free qualitative university education.

VC urges parents to seize the opportunity
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While these famous actors have passed away, their legacies live on through their movies and performances.

A look at movie stars who died in 2017.

1. Moji Olaiya

The actress, who kicked off her acting career with Super Story's "No Pain No Gain" and went on to become an actress and producer, died of cardiac arrest on May 17, 2017, at the age of 42.

Her death was announced on May 18, 2017, by the founder of Best of Nollywood Awards, Seun Oloketuyi.

2. Olumide Bakare

The veteran actor in the early hours of Saturday, April 22, 2017, following a prolonged battle with a respiratory disorder.

He was announced dead on arrival at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. His demise was confirmed by Nollywood actor, Saidi Balogun.

Popular for "Oromodie," "Edun Ara," "Gbogbolomo" and more, Bakare's journey into acting was influenced by a TV set bought for him by his parents in 1959.

3. Adeshina Adesanya

Popularly called 'Pastor Ajidara', the actor passed away days after it was revealed that he was battling a kidney failure condition.

His demise came in the middle of calls for financial support led by his colleagues, Bolaji 'Mr. Latin' Amusan and Yomi Fash Lanso.

Adesanya was popular for his roles in the movies, "Agbeku abela" (2009) and "Ologbo Iya Ijebu" (2007).

He passed away on May 7, 2017, at the age of 62.

4. Alhaji Kasimu Yero

The "Cock Crow At Dawn" actor passed away at the age of 70. He died at his house on Sunday, September 3, 2017, in Kaduna State after a protracted illness.

His death was confirmed by his son Masur Yero.

The veteran was buried after the funeral prayers that took place at the Sultan Bellow Mosque on Sunday, according to Islamic rites.

5. Adebayo Faleti

A renowned journalist, poet and actor, Adebayo Faleti passed away on Sunday, July 23, 2017, at the age of 86.

He was a renowned journalist in his prime having taken up top management positions at the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) in the role of a General Manager and also as the Film Editor and Librarian at the National Television Authority (NTA), Ibadan, Oyo State.

He was laid to rest on Friday, September 8, 2017.

5. Okwy Chukwujekwu

Comic actor Okwy Chukwujekwu, popularly known as Main Bossman, passed away in September.

The "Men of Wisdom" actor passed away in Anambra State, following an asthma attack.

His death was confirmed by fellow actor, Odira Nwobu. Chukwujekwu was laid to rest on Thursday, October 5, 2017.

6. Prince James Uche

On March 8, 2017, Prince James Uche, who was popular for his roles in classics such as "Igodo" and "Lost Kingdom" passed away.

Before his death, the actor had battledkidney disease for over two years.

Popular for his role in "Conspiracy," Obi Madubogwo announced in 2016 that he was in need of public support for his health.

He had just come out of coma after a toxic battle with a diabetic wound, and was in need of financial support for a surgery, tests and medications to avoid amputation of his leg.

Unfortunately, the actor died on Monday, August 28, 2017, and was laid to rest on November 10, 2017.

8. Funke Abisogun

Yoruba Nollywood actress Funke Abisogun Alhassan passed away in October.

According to actor Tunde Ola Yusuf, who shared the news on Instagram, the actress passed away a few days after giving birth to her baby

An actress and a producer, Abisogun owned the production house Funke Abisogun Heritage Links, and was married to filmmaker Taofeek Al Hassan Abisogun.

9. Victor Eze

Victor Eze Okwuchukwu, who played Alika in the popular TV series, "Fuji House of Commotion," passed away on Sunday, June 25, 2017, after a long battle with stroke.

The late Eze was an actor, dancer and writer, known for "Stigma" (2013), "Widows," "Beyond Reason," "Baby Guards 2" (2005), "Changing Faces," and "Together as One" (2003).

10. Adeshina Adesanya

In May, Adeshina Adesanya, popularly known as Pastor Ajidara'who had been diagnosed with a kidney failure condition, passed away.

Before his death, Adesanya was the governor of the Association of Theatre Arts and Movie Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Ogun State.

He was also popular for his roles in the movies, "Agbeku abela" (2009) and "Ologbo Iya Ijebu" (2007).
PM News reports that the cult group struck in the early hours of Thursday, December 21, 2017, killing the man of the house, his wife and their only son in their usual manner of using a grinding stone to smash the heads of their victims before wiping their blood and brain membranes with handkerchiefs.

It was gathered that the corpses of the victims who were simply identified as the Aros have been evacuated from the house by emergency officials and taken to the Ikorodu General Hospital.

The incident, according to reports, has been reported to the Lagos State Police Command and the police have swung into action with the aim of nabbing the suspects.

Uneasy Calm

In the last few months, the attacks by the deadly ritual gang had subsided considerably after the new Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohinmi, announced that over 200 cult members in Ikorodu had renounced cultism and had handed over their weapons.

The CP made the announcement when he paid a courtesy call to the Oba of Ikorodu and had promised to make sure the residents of the area do not experience such deadly attacks again but with the renewed surge, it remains to be seen how the CP hopes to tackle the menace once and for all.
Although this is a very common perception, theres not much research to support that conclusion, says nutritionist Joy Dubost, R.D.

There isnt much investigation into specific foods and nightmares, she says (This common supplement might be linked to bad dreams though).

But although the research may be scant, there are a few studies out there that attempt to delve into the nosh-then-nightmares question.

One of the most-cited cheese and nightmares research comes from the British Cheese Board, who funded a study back in 2005 to explore the relationship. Their findings? There was no evidence to support that dairy caused bad dreams.

But the researchers did suggest that cheese can influence your dreams in general. The research even went so far as to point to different types of cheese and their dream output. Want to dream about celebrities? Pick cheddar, apparently.

Now, caveats abound with this research, since it was never actually published and it was funded by the British Cheese board, who may have pretty good reason to want to clear cheeses good name.

But other research on the topic has been published. For example, a 2015 study sought to further explore the relationship between dairy and dreamland. When researchers asked 382 people whether they believed what they ate influenced their dreams, they found that 18 percent believed their food could influence their shuteye, causing disturbing or bizarre dreams.

Out of the people who said food can cause disturbing dreams, 44 percent pointed to dairy as the potential culprit.

The people who held the belief that their food could cause nightmares also reported more frequent and unsettling dreams, poorer sleep andperhaps worthy of more investigation itselfhigher coffee intake.

So what might be going on there? Its possible that the perception of bad dreams after eating dairy could simply be due to disrupted sleep, the researchers say. They call this the food distress hypothesis, and say it can occur with foods that trigger gastrointestinal distress.

The fact that cheese was fingered as the top culprit for disturbing dreams fits with this theory, especially since dairy can cause symptoms like gas, bloating, and cramps in people with lactose sensitivity or intolerance. And that, of course, can mess with your sleep, which can have an effect on dreams.

Another possibility? It might not be what youre eating, but how much youre eating.

Eating larger meals prior to sleep, particularly those higher in fat and are spicy, can cause sleep problems, Dubost says.

Spicy foods can induce heartburn, leading to fragmented sleep, she says. And foods higher in fat also take longer to digest, which can alter sleep, too, since your digestive system will be hard at work to shuttle those foods through your system.

Also, you may remember dreams more often because your pre-sleep meal is waking you up in the middle of your REM cyclein the middle of your dream state.

Still, the current research out there just isnt strong enough for nutritionists to issue a blanket statement to avoid certain foods because of nightmares, Dubost says.

If youre having recurring nightmares, Id suggest keeping a food diary, noting the amounts of food eating, specific types, and timing, advises Dubost. Perhaps you can establish a pattern that might be inducing the bad dreams.
In the past year, beer consumption fell by 3.2 percent per adult, according to research institute IWSRthanks to education on the health concerns of drinking, tighter DUI law enforcement, and people just plain choosing to spend their time on stuff other than happy hour and morning after.

We like beer, but sometimes its just not worth cracking the can open.

Enter non-alcoholic craft beers, a surprisingly attractive option for people choosing to forego booze. Here us out, okay? According to a report published by Research and Research, the global non-alcoholic beer market is expected to provide sustainable growth opportunities during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. Thats right, the next big thing in beer is booze-free.

Consumer trends are showing that people want to pursue a more healthy lifestyle, and this is a great solution for people who think, I should drink less alcohol but I like the taste the beer, Ray Daniels, the founder of the Cicerone Certification Programthe standard for beer sommeliersand a member of the Senior Faculty of the Siebel Institute of Technology, Americas oldest brewing school, says in an interview with Men's Health. You can have your cake and eat it too. Its a nice option for designated drivers, people who dont want to drink soda, folks who are sober, and lots of other people in a lot of different situations.

Its not like the idea of non-alcoholic beer is a new one. Nonalcoholic beers are on almost every menu in the pubs of the worlds biggest beer-guzzling countrieslike Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. But now brewers and the big markets alike are focusing on making non-alcoholic beers that actually taste good and dont come with the stigma. Non-alcoholic beer is on a mission to be cool. Normal. Delicious.

Bravus, Americas first ever non-alcoholic brewery, opened in in Santa Ana, California, in Novemberserving up a hoppy IPA, caramelized stout, and bitter Amber ale with enough success that theyre now on local drafts and available for nationwide orders online. Wellbeing Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, quickly followed suit in the Midwest, and is the second dedicated non-alcoholic brewery in the U.S. Heavy hitters in the beer business like Budweiser and Coors are seeing booze-free beer as an investment, too. Molson Coors Brewing Co. has been testing fresh varieties of nonalcoholic lagers in prep to roll out a yet-unnamed brand in Canada in 2018, with a U.S. launch following. Budweisers non-alcoholic Prohibition Brew has launched in the U.K. just in time for the holidays, promising drinkers an authentic taste and the chance to have a drink without having to risk the drive home.

But can a non-alcoholic beer really taste authentic? What about the fermentation process? The yeast? The beer?

The short answer is yes. But its not an easy accomplishment. (Thats why the Becks usually stays behind the bar).

Because the method of removing the alcohol from the beer requires heating the finished beer, non-alcoholic beer has typically shown related off-flavors like cardboard, Nicole Erny, Master Cicerone and beer consultant, explains. The heating can also volatilize desirable aromas and flavors, like the citrusy aromas from hops. There are some new methods of removing alcohol that leaves more flavor intact, though.

Some of those new methods include initially allowing the fermentation process to occur. Most alcohol restriction laws allow beer to have up to .5 percent ABV and still be considered nonalcoholic, Daniels says. That means that brewers can allow a little bit of residual alcohol to form in the beer, allowing the beer's natural flavors to occur, but can still keep the brew within nonalcoholic ABV restrictions. Another method brewers can employ is making an extremely weak beer, fermenting it, and proceeding to blend it with unfermented beer (or dilute it) to get it under the limit. This also allows the beer to have its natural flavors but meets the ABV requirements.

In Europe 20 years ago they would make the wort (the the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer) and pitch the yeast and allow fermentation to begin, Daniels explains. Then they would arrest the process and drain the yeast so the fermentation doesnt go as far as normal, so the yeast action produces flavor compounds but not alcohol. This process is known as arrested fermentation, and is difficult to master. The final way brewers are creating tasty alcohol-free brews is by distilling it. Yes, distilling alcohol can actually make it less strong.
The Ekiti state Governor also accused the President of doing nothing to alleviate the challenges Nigerians are facing this period.

He said Already, fuel is being sold officially at between N180 and N200 at petrol stations across the country.

It is sad that this Buharis APC government had to choose this Christmas and New Year period to ground Nigeria with the fuel scarcity that it deliberately orchestrated.

It is obvious that the president has failed in all ramifications and he needs to do Nigerians a favour by relinquishing the portfolio of minister of petroleum.

Like I said a few days ago, what the federal government is doing is to create scarcity so that Nigerians will be willing to buy at any price, provided the product is made available.

It was to achieve this planned increment of petrol pump price that they restricted supply of petrol to NNPC alone.

ALSO READ:Petrol pump price hits N250 per litre

Stop punishing Nigerians  PDP tells Buhari

Following reports that fuel price in some states has increased to N300 per litre, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Buharito stop punishing Nigerians.
Firdaus famously refused to take off her hijab during law school graduation ceremony. It was a stance that would cost her a law school certificate.

Almost everyone has had a say on this raging religious controversy.

Abiola-Costello who is founder of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) salutes Firdaus for her courage and says her action was aimed at challenging the status quo.

Abiola's daughter also likens Firdaus to a lion.

Her Facebook post is reproduced below, unedited:

________________

A law student passed all the requirements to be called to the bar but was not allowed to attend the ceremony because she refused to take off her hijab, which violates the rules of the Law School.

She knew of the rule but because she felt that it was unjust, she refused to comply. By so doing, she has chosen to challenge the status quo.

If she succeeds, the Law School will change the rule. If she fails, she would either have to comply in order to be called to the Bar in Nigeria or give up her dream of being a lawyer here.

I wish we would all be like Firdaus in pursuit of the world we want to live in. To stand up or take a knee and speak up against a practice or rule that we do not support. To be willing to challenge the prevailing practice, no matter the cost. After all, the problems we remain silent about are the ones we are condemned to live with.

As we think of what gifts to give each other during this Christmas season, let us gather stories of the courageous, the stories of the scared-but-acted-anyway to share at our tables. Let them inspire us to enter 2018 prepared to raise our voices about the issues we are concerned about; to push past complacency and complicity and demand change.
Sanusi made remark in Kano in a message to the opening of the fifth edition of the annual workshop for energy reporters organised by the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).

The Emir, represented by the Turakin Kano and District Head of Dala, Alhaji Abdullahi Lamido-Sanusi, said negative media reports had created bad image for the country at global level.

We must desist from Yellow journalism which is now the trend in the country; most of our reportage today is about portraying the country negatively instead of positively. We are not doing the country any good.

We are not supposed to publish everything that will portray our nation bad because whatever we publish is respected by the public.

We should try not to cause chaos, subvert peace in the country. We are aware that the government is trying to fix some of the crisis in the country and its not easy doing that particularly in Oil and Gas industry which is the backbone of the nations economy.

We should soften things; what is bothering me is how we are portraying the country bad, a situation you hardly find in other parts of the world.

We must learn to report positively; that is the kind of journalism we want to see in this country, the emir stressed.

Earlier, the Managing Director of KRPC, Mr Adewale Ladenegan said the workshop was organised by the company to ensure that media practitioners have the required knowledge and capacity to effectively report the oil and gas industry.

According to Ladenegan , the KRPC has between January and June produced and delivered to Nigerians 236.48 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

He added that it had also produced 87 million litres of Kerosene, 197.51 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil and 66.39 million litres of low Pour point Fuel Oil (LPFO).

He disclosed that the company has reacted its facilities to optimise production

The crude Distillation Unit was streamed on 4th December, 2017 and is still in operation, likewise the Naptha Hydro Treating Unit which was also re-streamed on the same day.

The re-streaming of the plant could not have come at a better time considering the recent scarcity of petroleum products in parts of the country.

The managing director disclosed that the company had from December 4, released 16.1 million litres of PMS which is over 480 trucks into the market, thereby cushioning the effect of the scarcity especially the northern states and Abuja.

He added that about 8.7 million litres of Kerosene and about 8 million litres of AGO has been produced since then.

The managing director, who was represented by Executive Director Services, Abdullahi Idris said the company has maintained cordial relationship with its host communities.

We have been involved in so many community projects to support the people in the communities.

Such projects include immunization and vaccination against deadly diseases, construction of boreholes, provision of classroom furniture, security sensitization programmes etc.

We have so far trained and empowered 975 youths from various communities from 2008 to 2017; KRPC has a robust community relations practice, he said.
Located at Zone 7, Abuja, the NAFDAC headquarters shares fence with that of the Federal Road Safety Service.

How the NAFDAC fire started

A NAFDAC official who craved told that the fire started at about 6.am from the admin department.

The source noted that but for the prompt arrival of Fire Fighters, the entire building would have been consumed by the inferno.

ALSO READ: NAFDAC HQ goes up in flames

The official could not be ascertained as the cause of the fire as at the time of filing this report.

I am authorized to discuss the details of the fire incident with anybody but the little I can say is that the fire started from the admin department, the source said, pointing at the office on the ground floor of the three-story building.

I heard it started around 6.am. We dont know the cause of the fire and the person who can tell you about that just came and left immediately. But, we are suspecting that its electrical.

The fire Service officials came immediately they were alerted if not, the fire would have consumed the whole building by now.

Activities grounded at NAFDAC HQ

When asked the extent of damage caused by the fire, the source said: Documents, files and office furniture were destroyed. But no life was lost, that is the most important thing.
The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF)had earlier approved the withdrawal of $1b to be used in the fight against the sect.

According to The Cable News, Ndume said this when he visited the presidential villa in Abuja on Friday, December 22, 2017.

The Senator also said that the money is too small, compared to the level of destruction in the North-East.

He said No amount is too much to spend on securing the country.

Militants asks for $1b

Militants in the Niger Delta recently issued a statement condemning the reported deduction of $1b by the Federal Government from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to consolidate on the war against Boko Haram.
The party said this following reports of fuel scarcity across various state of the federation.

According to Punch, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said that the price of fuel has risen from N86.50k per litre to as N300 per litre and above.

Ologbondiyan, in his statement, also called on Buhari to solve the fuel challenge that is causing hardship for Nigerians.

He also said The unbearable fuel situation in the country is completely unacceptable. Mr. President must become up and doing. He should not allow anybody to push him to claim that the issue of fuel scarcity is not under the purview of the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

When he took office as President of Nigeria and also as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, he was aware that the buck stops at his table.

Nigerians must not be made to suffer especially at this time of the year when we have the Yuletide and New Year festivities, which come with a lot of activities.

This is the same APC government that promised that it will make fuel available and affordable. Today, under their deceitful and corrupt watch, fuel has not only become extremely scarce, the price has also risen from where the PDP left it at N86.50k per litre to as high as N300 per litre and above.

ALSO READ: Crisis looms as NNPC stops pumping petrol

The effect is that transport fares, running costs, prices of food, medicines and other basic needs have soared beyond the reach of Nigerians, who are now groaning heavily under the hardship of APC misrule, he added.

Petrol pump price hits N250 per litre

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the price of Petrol in Anambra state has increased,as customers now pay between N250 and N300 per litre.
"The federal government trusts that all actors in Spain will pursue this goal and will use all means of dialogue and de-escalation," she said, adding that whatever Catalan government is formed, it will need to work "within the framework of the country's legal and constitutional order."

Demmer also stressed that Germany sees the case as an "inner-Spanish matter".

Catalan separatists won a crucial snap poll Thursday, plunging their region into further uncertainty after a failed independence bid shook Europe and triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

With turnout at a record high of 82 percent, Thursday's election handed a mandate back to the region's ousted separatist leaders after they campaigned from exile and behind bars.
Britain's outspoken foreign secretary himself said he holds out little hope that ties with Moscow could undergo a full-blown transformation.

In an interview with Polish news agency PAP ahead of his Russia visit, Johnson said he was "no cold warrior", but he did "not believe for a second that relations with Russia can be reset."

The Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday the diplomatic chiefs planned to "look for ways to normalise and activate the bilateral relationship."

"Unfortunately, cutting short bilateral dialogue with Russia was London's choice," Zakharova said, adding that this was "completely unfounded."

She called the visit "long-awaited."

Relations between London and Moscow soured after Britain sought to prosecute suspects in the killing of Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko, murdered by radiation poisoning in London in 2006.

Britain has also been a fervent supporter of Western sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict and annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The relationship suffered further blows after Russia's intervention in the Syria conflict on the side of the Damascus regime in September 2015.

'What's the Syria plan'?

Johnson, who in his capacity as mayor of London called Russian strongman Vladimir Putin a "ruthless and manipulative tyrant" in 2015, is expected to make Syria a key focus of the talks with Lavrov.

Johnson told the PAP agency that Britain and Russia still "have huge differences on Syria."

"I would be interested in how the Russians see the future of Syria: Assad is still on the throne but what's the plan? He's not a very popular person, so how is it going to function?" Johnson asked.

Speaking at the United Nations in September, the top British diplomat denounced Russia-led Syria peace talks and said Britain would only support a solution that includes "a transition away from Assad."

'Weaponing information'

Concerns are also running high in Europe over the Kremlin's use of cyber-tactics and misinformation to cause political destabilisation around the continent and to draw former Soviet states back into its embrace.

Following the 2016 referendum on Brexit, in which Johnson campaigned to leave the EU, Britain has joined the growing number of Western countries accusing Russia of interfering in their political systems.

British media regulators have taken actions against Kremlin-funded news outlets including Russian television RT UK, which provoked anger in Moscow.

In a major foreign policy speech last month, British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia of "weaponing information" and "threatening the international world order on which we all depend."
"Our defence and security cooperation is already strong, but we have gone even further today in signing this landmark joint UK-Poland treaty on defence and security cooperation," May said at a joint press conference with counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.

"It is only the second such treaty we have signed with a European Union country," May said, adding that "there could be no clearer expression of the closeness of the UK's relationship with Poland."

May said the new deal will cover training, information sharing and defence cooperation.

The countries are NATO allies and British troops are stationed in Poland as part of the Western defence alliance's bid to reinforce its eastern front and deter a more assertive Russia.

May said the two sides also agreed to bolster "cooperation to counter Russian disinformation in the region including through new joint strategic information projects."

"We are both deeply concerned by Russia's attempts to weaponise information. The Kremlin is seeking to undermine the international rules-based system, and it will not succeed."

"The forum will be business-led and will work to identify any remaining barriers to bilateral trade as we prepare to leave the EU," May said.

She said that she wanted to assure the over one million Polish citizens in Britain that "they are a strong part" of British society "and we want them to stay."

Morawiecki, however, said that he wanted those Polish migrants to return to bolster a weak labour market.

Hundreds of thousands of Poles flocked to Britain in search of a better life after Warsaw's 2004 entry into the European Union.

Rule of law

May, however, declined to address the unprecedented disciplinary proceedings the EU launched against Warsaw on Wednesday for judicial reforms that Brussels says threaten the rule of law.

"These constitutional issues are normally and should be primarily a matter for the individual country concerned," May told reporters.

"Across Europe we have a collective belief in the rule of law and I welcome the fact that Prime Minister Morawiecki has indicated that he will be speaking with the European Commission.

"I hope that that will lead to a satisfactory resolution," she said.

Morawiecki said he believed he could convince the EU that far from breaching the rule of law, the highly controversial judicial reforms pushed through by the rightwing government were needed to root out the last vestiges of communism from its justice system.

"I can remind our German partners that after the successful fall of communism in the former east Germany, only 30 to 35 percent of judges passed vetting.
"I am willing to meet Mr Rajoy in Brussels or in any other location in the EU, so long as it is not in the Spanish state, for obvious reasons," he said.

The vote was widely seen as a moment of truth on the independence question, a divisive issue for the wealthy northern region, that has rattled a Europe already shaken by Brexit.
"Zakaria al-Kafarneh, 24, died after being shot in the chest east of Jabalia (in northern Gaza)," a health ministry spokesman said in a statement.

Six other Palestinians were shot with live ammunition and one is in a critical condition, the ministry said, as hundreds of protesters clashed with Israeli soldiers at various points along the border.

Nine Palestinians have been killed in violence since US President Donald Trump's December 6 announcement he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there.
The vehicle was carrying an estimated 3,000 kilogrammes (6,600 pounds) of explosives, Maiwand district police chief Sultan Mohammad told AFP.

It was not possible to verify his claim. If true, that would be roughly twice the number of explosives used in a massive truck bomb in Kabul that killed around 150 people in May.

"We have six police officers martyred and five wounded," Mohammad said, adding the figures could change.

Kandahar police spokesman Ghorzang Afridi confirmed the death toll.

"All the victims were local policemen," Afridi told AFP.

Those killed were new recruits.

While Afghan officials routinely understate the casualty toll in attacks carried out by insurgents, it appears the attacker failed to reach the building where a large number of police were deployed.

Mohammad said the attacker got through the first checkpoint and then detonated the vehicle at the second security check after a policeman opened fire.

One building "was completely destroyed and two other buildings next to it were damaged too," he said.

The force of the blast also blew out the windows of shops located two kilometres away, he added.

"The explosion was very loud and you could hear the sound of the blast miles away from the headquarters," a local police officer told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

He put the death toll at eight with nine others wounded.

"The eight policemen who were killed have been removed or pulled out from under the rubble, and there were other policemen who went missing following the attack," the officer said.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on security installations as they seek to demoralise police and troops, and steal equipment to fuel the 16-year insurgency.

The militants have acquired "dozens" of armoured Humvees and pickup trucks in recent years, officials have said.

Some of those vehicles have been used in suicide attacks on police and military bases with devastating effect -- including one in Kandahar in October that killed more than 40 Afghan soldiers.

Afghan forces, already beset by desertions and corruption, have seen casualties soar to what a US watchdog has described as "shockingly high" levels since NATO forces officially ended their combat mission in 2014 and began a training and support role.
Under the current regulations, horse-drawn carts are only allowed on Sofia's outskirts but poor control of the restrictions makes the four-legged means of transport a regular sight even on the busiest downtown streets.

"The total ban to move in the area spanned by Sofia's ringroad will facilitate control. We also plan to confiscate not only the carts, which are relatively easy to make, but also the animals," Slavchev added.

The new measures were initially planned to take effect on January 1 when Bulgaria also takes up the rotating EU presidency for six months, 11 years after the ex-communist country joined the bloc.

The EU's poorest nation, and also its most corrupt according to watchdog Transparency International, will host a multitude of high-level meetings with guests from all 27 other member states.

But the municipality hit a snag in deciding where to shelter and how to use the confiscated animals so it expects to have the ban effective as of March 1.

"This will be the end of us. They will take our livelihood,"Pavel Slavchev, 40, complained in the predominantly-Roma suburb of Fakulteta.

The man earns his daily bread by transporting coal and wood, construction materials or household refuse with his seven-year-old mare Maya.

"I've been doing this for eight years now, making a living. There's no other work and I don't see how we come in their way," he shrugged.
Brossard is a French national, but Hu's nationality is unclear, a friend who has known them for over five years said.

AFP tried to call Hu several times this week, but an automated message said his phone was switched off.

The couple had travelled from their home in the French city of Lyon to participate in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism Architecture, witnesses who spoke with the couple in Shenzhen told AFP.

"We have been trying to reach them but we haven't been able to confirm anything," said the friend of the couple, who asked for anonymity due to safety concerns.

Their painting depicted an empty blue chair inside a room with red bars, an apparent reference to Liu, who was in prison when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

An empty chair stood symbolically in his place at the ceremony, which infuriated the Communist regime.

Liu died from liver cancer in July, making China the first country since Nazi Germany to allow a Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in state custody.

Chinese poet Ye Du, who went to Shenzhen to see the exhibition, said he spoke briefly with Hu after seeing the tribute.

"I was shocked to see it. I never imagined that I would see a public commemoration of Liu in China," Ye told AFP.

Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao reported that its reporter had seen the couple shouting while being taken away from their covered-up mural by plainclothes men after 7 pm (1100 GMT) on December 15.

The Shenzhen public security bureau said it did not have information on the couple.
Its verdict follows a referral from the National Assembly last weekend. The next step is for a panel of lawmakers to decide whether to send the matter to the full National Assembly for a vote, which would strip the vice presidency from Glas.

Glas, however, is already on track to lose his office on January 2 in any case, when he will have been absent from his functions for the three months stipulated in the constitution.

He was put in preventive custody on October 2 and was sentenced last week to six years in prison for receiving $13.5 million in illegal kickbacks from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Odebrecht has admitted to paying millions of dollars in bribes to officials in several Latin American countries to secure inflated public works contracts. It has agreed to pay $2.6 billion in fines to the US, Swiss and Brazilian governments over the wrongdoing.

The Odebrecht scandal has rocked several administrations.

On Thursday, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski fiercely defended himself from accusations in Congress that he lied over $5 million he received from the Brazilian firm.
Presiding judge Eva Kleine-Cosack found an "extreme severity of guilt" when handing down the verdict, meaning that Catalin C. will probably serve more than the 15-year minimum usually associated with a life sentence in Germany.

He had admitted in court to sexually assaulting and killing a 27-year-old German woman who had gone for an afternoon run.

He said at the start of his trial that he attacked the woman with a bottle and that he was "shocked" by his own actions.

"What I have done is unforgivable," he said.

He denied having a sexual motive for the crime, as alleged by the prosecution.

Prosecutors claim that Catalin C. raped the young woman and then beat her with an iron rod until she died. It took days and a large search operation before her body was found in the woods outside Freiburg.

Catalin C. was arrested in June and investigators have since said that forensic evidence links him to the unsolved murder of a 20-year-old French exchange student in the Austrian town of Kufstein in 2014.

The woman, from the French city of Lyon, was also raped before she was killed.

German news agency DPA, citing the court, reported that Catalin C. admitted to the murder in Austria during a psychological examination.

A Freiburg court spokesman told DPA that Austria had already filed an extradition request to try him there.
"The diversity of material is breathtaking," David Fishman, professor of Jewish History at New York's Jewish Theological Seminary, told AFP via telephone, describing the discovery as a "total surprise".

"It's almost like you could reconstruct Jewish life before the Holocaust based on these materials because there is no aspect and no region and no period that is missing," he added.

The trove was discovered earlier this year during a cleanout of the church that was used as a book repository during Soviet times.

The documents, together with a larger cache found in Vilnius nearly three decades ago, are "the most significant discovery for Jewish history since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1950s", Fishman said.

'Jerusalem of the North'

Among the most treasured finds are several original manuscripts of poems written in the Vilnius ghetto by celebrated Yiddish poet Avrom Sutzkever, including the haunting "To My Brother".

"We had the versions that he reconstructed from memory and published right after the war," Fishman said of Sutzkever, who survived the Holocaust.

"Now we have the manuscripts that he actually wrote in the ghetto and there are differences -- that was a very powerful find."

An 1857 agreement between the Jewish water carriers in Vilnius and the city's famous Ramailes rabbinic Talmudic academy, or yeshiva, offers a telling insight into everyday life 160 years ago.

In exchange for copies of the Bible and Talmud, the yeshiva agreed to let the water carriers use a room for prayers on the Sabbath and holidays free of charge.

A ledger of the patients of Zemach Shabad, a famous Jewish doctor and social and political activist whose monument stands in central Vilnius, was also among the documents seen by AFP.

Known as the "Jerusalem of the North" before World War II, Vilnius -- Vilna in Hebrew and Vilne in Yiddish -- was a hub of Jewish cultural and religious life and home to hundreds of Jewish social, religious, cultural and scientific organisations.

'Book Smugglers'

Established in 1925, the YIVO Yiddish Scientific Institute was among the most important. Co-founded by Shabad, it documented and studied Jewish life in Eastern Europe.

Its New York branch was founded in 1926, and became the institute's headquarters in 1940 as Nazi Germany invaded Eastern Europe.

After occupying Vilnius in 1941, the Nazis destroyed the Jewish community and plundered its cultural wealth.

Jewish poets and intellectuals were coerced by the Nazis in the Vilnius ghetto into selecting Yiddish and Hebrew books and documents for a planned institute in Germany about the people they had slated for annihilation.

Their story has been chronicled in a book written by Professor Fishman entitled "The Book Smugglers".

The Germans sent a portion of the plundered texts to Frankfurt, but the Jewish archivists risked their lives to hide a vast array of precious documents from their tormentors.

Then, the Soviets

But that was not the end of the threat.

After the war, a Lithuanian librarian, Antanas Ulpis, intervened to save those documents that had survived the Nazis from the country's new Soviet occupiers, who were bent on destroying them as part of dictator Joseph Stalin's anti-Jewish purges.

Ulpis deftly hid some of the manuscripts "under a pile of Soviet journals -- that's why no one bothered to look, that's why they weren't discovered sooner," Renaldas Gudauskas, director of Lithuania's National Library told AFP.

There they remained untouched for decades in the confessional in St. George's Church that the Soviets used as a book repository after the war.

It was only earlier this year when any remaining papers were being cleared out in order to hand the building back to the Catholic Church that the pile of Jewish documents was stumbled upon.

They were transferred to Lithuania's newly renovated national library in Vilnius which already holds a larger archive of Jewish documents discovered in the capital after the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly three decades ago.

The entire collection includes roughly 170,000 pages, Lara Lempertiene, head of the national library's Judaica Research Centre, told AFP.

History online

Library archivists, who read Yiddish and Hebrew, pore over the newly-found documents that Fishman estimates will take five years to catalogue.

They are also preparing them to be accessible on the internet.

The New York-based YIVO Institute has spearheaded a bid to put the collection online along with Jewish documents from Vilnius that the US Army found in defeated Germany in 1946 and sent to New York.

Launched two years ago, the cyberspace history project aims to put the overall total of more than one million documents online in a digital archive highlighting Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust.

Archives that were once scattered on both sides of the Atlantic "are now conceptually, intellectually and physically being reunited," says Lempertiene.

For Simonas Gurevicius, one of the city's few Jews who still speaks Yiddish, the newly discovered archive proves that Hitler and Stalin ultimately failed to wipe out his language and the civilisation built around it.

"The star of the Northern Jerusalem nearly burnt out, but its light is still shining," Gurevicius told AFP.
The United States presented the draft resolution Thursday following negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, on new punitive measures in response to North Korea's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on November 28.

It would be the third raft of sanctions imposed on North Korea this year and comes as the United States and North Korea are showing no signs they are willing to engage in talks to end the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Japan's Ambassador Koro Bessho, who holds the council presidency, said Japan supports the draft resolution "wholeheartedly" and voiced hope that there will be unanimous support.

Building on previous resolutions, the new draft tightens restrictions on crude and refined oil deliveries to North Korea, most of which are supplied by China.

The measure would ban the supply of nearly 90 percent of refined oil products to North Korea and order the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad within 12 months, according to the text obtained by AFP.

US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to its desperately struggling economy.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been sent to Russia and China to earn hard currency for Pyongyang, working in what UN rights officials have described as "slave-like conditions."

The draft resolution would cap crude oil supplies to four million barrels per year and deliveries of refined petroleum products including diesel and kerosene would be capped at 500,000 barrels for next year.

Countries would be required to notify the United Nations of their oil shipments to North Korea.

Since September last year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test -- its sixth -- and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions.

Seizing ships

The measure would expand a list of banned exports from North Korea to include food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone including magnesite and magnesia, wood and vessels.

All countries would be authorized to seize, inspect, freeze and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea, according to the draft.

A total of 19 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, would be added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the North Korean ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages logistics for the army.

They will be subjected to a global visa ban and assets freeze.

The United States has led the drive at the Security Council to tighten sanctions aimed at piling pressuring Kim Jong-Un's regime to come to the negotiating table.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the council that the "pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved" as he backtracked from his offer to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the new sanctions would pile pressure on Pyongyang "not for the sake of pressure, but in order to push for a dialogue and to have better leverage for the negotiations and the political solution we need."

In negotiations on previous sanctions, the United States has first agreed with China on provisions of each resolution before presenting the text to the full 15-member council, which has then quickly adopted it.

So far, the Security Council has imposed a ban on supplies of condensates and natural gas liquids to North Korea, capped deliveries of refined oil products to two million barrels a year, and capped crude oil exports at current levels.

The council has also banned exports of North Korean coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, restricted joint ventures and ended the hiring of North Korean workers abroad.

The United States separately asked the council to blacklist 10 ships, including two Hong Kong-flagged vessels, for carrying banned cargo from North Korea.
The motion failed by eight votes, as at least 87 votes were required to approve an impeachment.

"Peruvians. Tomorrow begins a new chapter in our history: reconciliation and reconstruction of our country. One single force, one single Peru," a triumphant Kuczynski wrote on his Twitter account.

Dozens of people went to the presidential palace to congratulate him on the outcome.

The motion had been put to the lawmakers after a 14-hour session that started with a two-hour appearance by Kuczynski to defend his position.

He had called the move against him a "coup" and an "attack" on democracy.

Analysts had predicted that Kuczynski would be impeached, especially as 93 lawmakers had last week voted for the impeachment motion to be put to Congress.

The 79-year-old center-right president was accused of lying to cover up $5 million in payments received from Odebrecht that both he and the company insist were for legitimate consulting fees.

The money was received between 2004 and 2013, a period in part of which Kuczynski was economy minister and head of cabinet for then-president Alejandro Toledo.

Odebrecht scandal

Odebrecht has admitted to paying millions of dollars in bribes to officials in several Latin American countries to secure lucrative and inflated public works contracts.

It has said it paid $20 million in kickbacks to Toledo, whom Peru wants extradited from the United States to face charges.

Another former Peruvian president, Ollanta Humala, is in jail in Peru, also on suspicion of having illicitly received millions from Odebrecht in campaign funds.

The Brazilian company agreed over the past year to pay $2.6 billion in fines to the Brazilian, Swiss and US governments for its corrupt practices.

Kuczynski is one of the highest-profile politicians to be caught up in the scandal.

Last week, Ecuador's vice president, Jorge Glas, was sentenced to six years in prison for taking Odebrecht kickbacks.

In his defiant defense before Congress early Thursday, Kuczynski regretted being "careless and sloppy" about his business dealings, but the former Wall Street banker stated that his moral capacity should not be impugned.

He has repeatedly maintained that "I did not lie. I am not corrupt."

A 'close call'

Political analyst Luis Benavente was one observer who had predicted that impeachment would happen, telling AFP before the vote that "President Kuczynski's luck has run out."

Maria Luisa Puig, Latin America analyst with the Eurasia consulting firm, had said it was a "close call" as to whether Kuczynski would be toppled, noting "the case has provided the opposition with the necessary justification to oust him with public support."

While Kuczynski saw off the impeachment threat on Thursday, public anger at perceived pervasive corruption in Peruvian politics was ignited. Demonstrations were held on Wednesday condemning graft.

One opposition party that led the impeachment drive, Popular Force, is also under a cloud formed by Odebrecht.
While the pro-unity Ciudadanos party won the most seats, Puigdemont may be able to return to power with the support of the ERC and the hard-left CUP. The three separatist parties together won 70 seats in the 135-seat Catalan parliament.

It is unclear, however, whether he will return from self-imposed exile in Belgium, raising the question of how he might govern if not.

Puigdemont has dreamed since childhood of independence from Spain.

A visionary to some and an opportunistic populist to others, Puigdemont left to Belgium following the Catalan parliament's independence declaration on October 27.

Can he govern?

After the declaration, the Spanish government stripped Catalonia of its prized autonomy and sacked the regional government -- led by Puigdemont -- and its parliament.

The judiciary meanwhile opened probes into several of the separatist movement's leaders, and Puigdemont faces arrest should he return to Spain, where he is wanted on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

But that did not stop him from running for the presidency in Catalonia's snap regional polls on Thursday.

Defying the odds, the 54-year-old former journalist with a shaggy brown mop of hair rallied supporters in the only way he could -- via videolink.

And while it is unclear how he could be sworn in, he has vowed to return if he secures a victory.

Independence 'in his blood'

In a biography published in 2016, Carles Porta, a journalist and friend of Puigdemont, describes him as an "honest and resilient" man, a dyed-in-the-wool partisan of independence.

"He has this quality (or this flaw): he's stubborn," Porta wrote.

Puigdemont's destiny changed in January 2016 when he was selected to lead a coalition of separatist parties which had won a majority of regional parliament seats, with a mandate to pursue independence.

Mayor of the city of Girona since 2001 and a lawmaker in the regional parliament, Puigdemont replaced Artur Mas as the Catalan president, becoming the Spanish government's public enemy number one.

He does though share one thing in common with Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy: both suffered serious car accidents when they were younger.

Rajoy has his scars hidden under his beard, Puigdemont on his forehead, under his hair.

'Flair for showmanship'

Puigdemont was born in Amer, a small mountain village in Catalonia of 2,200 people, on December 29, 1962, the second of eight siblings.

The son and grandson of bakers, he was just nine when he was sent to boarding school and "learnt to be a fighter", Porta says.

He was 13 when Spain's dictator Francisco Franco died in 1975.

Hugely attached to the Catalan language and passionate about history, the teenager would forever remember Franco's severe repression of the region.

In 1980, he joined Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya, the conservative and nationalist party which became the Catalan European Democratic Party in 2016.

Hired in 1982 by the nationalist newspaper El Punt Avui, he rose up through the ranks and became editor, combining journalism with activism.

At the time, pro-independence Catalans were still a minority.

In the following years, he sought to widen support for independence, always by peaceful means, inspired by India's icon, Mahatma Gandhi.

At ease with social media, he also speaks French, English and Romanian -- his wife Marcela Topor comes from Romania.

For political analyst Joan Botella, "Puigdemont believes he has been called by destiny to take Catalans to the promised land, and his entourage is very unpredictable."
It is the fifth biggest of the chaebol, the family-run conglomerates that have powered South Korea's growth into the world's 11th-largest economy, but are sometimes accused of murky business practices and overly-close ties with politicians.

Lotte has been a target of investigations since Shin's two sons made headlines with a bitter public fight for control of the group, featuring personal attacks in which they accused each other of mismanagement, personality flaws, and of manipulating their frail, aged father.

The founder, both his sons, his elder daughter and his mistress were all in the dock on multiple charges at the Seoul Central District Court.

Shin was accused of embezzling at least 128.6 billion won ($119 million) from the firm to benefit his relatives.

He was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison, although the court said it could not specify the amount embezzled and allowed him to remain free on health grounds pending an appeal -- he has diseases of old age, including dementia.

"The accused Shin disposed of company assets as if they were his own in betrayal of his responsibility," said presiding judge Kim Sang-Dong.

"This case reveals how the founding families of chaebol attempt to obtain private gains from companies."

Shin shouted incoherently in court when the sentence was read out.

Beauty contest

Prosecutors accused Shin and his son and successor as chairman Shin Dong-Bin of causing 77.8 billion won ($72 million) in damages to the group by renting out Lotte Cinema concessions at discounted rates to the founder's eldest daughter and mistress.

The daughter was jailed for two years, while the mistress -- a former model and actress 39 years Shin's junior, who came to his attention after winning a beauty pageant -- was given a suspended sentence.

The court also found Shin and Dong-Bin guilty of enabling the mistress' daughter to receive 10 billion won ($9.3 million) in salary from Lotte without doing any work.

But Dong-Bin was given a suspended sentence on the grounds he was not in a position to refuse his father's orders.

Another son, Dong-Joo -- who lost the bitter succession battle when board members sided with his younger brother -- was cleared of all offences.

Social responsibility

The case is only one of several issues assailing the Seoul-based Lotte group which has combined assets valued at more than $90 billion.

Dong-Bin is on trial separately in connection with the corruption scandal that brought down President Park Geun-Hye, with prosecutors seeking a four-year sentence in that case.

The company has also been targeted by Chinese authorities after it provided land to the South Korean government to host a US missile defence system, whose deployment has infuriated Beijing.

It has seen scores of its 120-plus outlets in China shut down, ostensibly over "safety issues", with angry protestors holding demonstrations against it.

The measures have cost Lotte an estimated 2 trillion won ($1.85 billion), according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, and in September the group said it would put its Chinese retail unit up for sale.

The company said in a statement that it respects Friday's court decision.
The initial six machines are part of a batch of 13 base maintenance vehicles. Each machine can be operated either from the overhead electrification or through a combination of diesel and electric power.

Each 80-tonne vehicle has a crane and is equipped with an air-conditioned personnel module that includes a kitchen and a combustion toilet. The base vehicles can be operated from the drivers cab or remotely. They can also be controlled from other wagons.

Harsco is also supplying flat wagons which can be coupled with an automatic coupler to form 300-440m-long maintenance trains. The wagons have lifting platforms and what Harsco describes as a unique mobile sealing gate which can seal the tunnel to prevent wind turbulence during maintenance work.

The vehicles will be based at new tunnel maintenance centres in Erstfeld and Biasco.
IR has ordered 62 Traxx locomotives under a Shekels 1bn ($US 280m) contract signed in October 2015. The locomotives are being built at Bombardier's Kassel plant, and first three have arrived in Israel.

The 57km A1 Link, which will provide a new direct rail connection between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, is due to be completed by April 2018 when the A1 is expected to open, which means the start of electric train operation in Israel.
The long-standing dispute involving Ontario, Canada transit agency Metrolinx railcar supplier Bombardier over delivery of 182 light rail vehicles has been resolved, after six months of negotiations.

A new agreement calls for Bombardier to construct 76 Flexity Freedom LRVs, rather than the 182 contained in the original order. The contracts value has thus been reduced to C$392 million from $770 million, and the new agreement contains severe financial penalties if deliveries are not on time.

The original order was placed in 2010, with the LRVs designated for the Eglinton Crosstown, Finch West and Mississauga Hurontario Street projects. The 76 LRVs in the revised contract will see service on the Crosstown, planned to open in 2021.

Metrolinx had become increasingly concerned about Bombardiers ability to deliver LRVs on schedule. If the order was not complete when the Crosstown was due to open, the agency would have been liable for major financial penalties from the consortium building the LRT, up to $500,000 daily. The agency had sought to cancel its entire order, but was prevented by a court order from doing so.

Metrolinx has been concerned about its LRV order as Bombardier has fallen far behind schedule in its delivery of similar cars for two other, non-Metrolinx projects: a 203-unit order for Flexity Outlook streetcars for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), and a 14-unit order for Flexity Freedom LRVs for the Kitchener-Waterloo LRT. As a results, in May 2017, Metrolinx placed an order with Alstom for 61 Citadis LRVs, at $528 million as, in effect, an insurance policy for the Crosstown opening.

The situation with the TTC order has not been resolved.

The Alstom LRVs are somewhat larger than the Flexities, thus, fewer would be needed for Crosstown service. If the 76-unit Flexity order is completed in time for the Crosstown, the Alstom LRVs will be assigned to the Finch West and Mississauga LRTs, which are expected to open by 2022.

One of the incentives for Bombardier to accept the new LRV agreement was a promise by Metrolinx that the company would be allowed to bid on the lucrative operations and maintenance agreement for GO Transit regional/commuter services, when it comes up for renewal. Bombardierthe current contractorhad previously been restricted from bidding, and thus renewing its agreement, due to the dispute with Metrolinx. As part of the settlement with Metrolinx, Bombardiers contract was extended by 18 months.

Overall, the revised contracts do not change materially the size of our relationship with Metrolinx, said Benoit Brossoit, President, Americas Region at Bombardier Transport. We have always been resolved to find a clear negotiated path forward, one that delivers value to all parties, and foremost to the people of Ontario. Bombardier is fully committed to the Metrolinx project and to the people of the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. I look forward to working with Metrolinxs [new] CEO, Phil Verster, to advance this project and ensure that riders have the most efficient, comfortable and reliable transit system in the world.

In another development, at a meeting of its General Issues Committee on Dec. 18, the Hamilton City Council formally dropped its request that the publicly owned local transit system, the Hamilton Street Railway, operate and maintain the citys planned new LRT.

Instead, Council approved a compromise motion, that the overall ultimate successful contractor bidding on the project be requested to employee union members only, adhere to fair wage policies, and provide benefits comparable to HSR employees.

The latter motion was somewhat of a surprise, given that Metrolinx had reluctantly agreed to accept Councils request for HSR operation, but not maintenance. However, it is possible that Council ultimately comprehended the significant costs to the city that would accompany such an arrangement.

In any event, the approved motion was simply a request, as City Council has no power over Metrolinx, a provincial agency. That said, Eric Tuck, President of Local 107, Amalgamated Transit Union (representing most HSR employees), pointed out that his union has successor rights concerning transit operations within Hamilton, and could consider court action against Metrolinx to protect them, if necessary.

Metrolinx will now have to decide whether or not it will reissue its Requests for Qualifications with the union conditions, or simply proceed with a Request for Proposals from interested contractors. The HSR project, in any case, has now been delayed by several months, and construction will not begin until 2019.
Russian Supreme Court recognizes Transaeros $655.8 mln debt before Irish firm

MOSCOW, December 22 (RAPSI)  The Supreme Court of Russia has upheld a lower courts ruling including a 38.3 billion-ruble (about $655.8 million) debt owed by bankrupt Transaero airline before Irish company VEBL-767-300 in the creditors demands list, the court documents read on Friday.

On December 16, 2016, the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region granted a request of the Irish company to include the debt, which resulted from sales of aircraft and leasing, in the demands list. Temporary administration of the company contested this move claiming that VEBL-767-300 provided no proof of inflicted damages.

On September 13, the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region declared Transaero bankrupt.

Transaero found itself unable to pay its debts valued at 250 billion rubles (about $4 billion) in 2015. The government-approved plan of transferring 75% of companys shares to Aeroflot failed. Its problems resulted in a large number of flight cancels and delays.

In October 2015, Sberbank and Alfa Bank filed bankruptcy petitions against the troubled airline. The Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region initiated bankruptcy procedure against Transaero on December 16.
Russian court to pass sentence on Browder on December 29

MOSCOW, December 22 (RAPSI)  Moscows Tverskoy District Court will deliver a sentence to Hermitage Capital head William Browder and his business partner Ivan Cherkasov in a deliberate bankruptcy case on December 29, the courts spokesperson Anastasia Dzyurko told RAPSI on Friday.

Browder has been charged with several economic crimes, including deliberate bankruptcy and tax evasion, his attorney Alexander Antipov has told RAPSI earlier. Investigation into Browder was completed within the shortest possible time, from February 8 to 17, 2017, the lawyer added. However, neither the defendant nor his legal team were notified about investigation. According to Antipov, this fact exemplifies secret justice and violates the law.

Prosecutors claim that the defendants caused damage estimated at over 4 billion rubles (about $70 million). The businessmen, residing in the United Kingdom, were put on the international wanted list.

In February 2017, the Tverskoy District Court arrested the defendants in absentia. However, the United Kingdom refused to extradite its nationals on Russias request.

In 2013, a Russian court sentenced Browder in absentia to 9 years in a penal colony. The court found that between 1997 and 2002, Hermitage Capital auditor Sergey Magnitsky created and applied an illegal tax evasion scheme in the interests of Browder.

Magnitsky worked for Firestone Duncan and represented Hermitage Capital, which the Russian authorities accused of tax evasion. Magnitsky was arrested on fraud charges in November 2008 and found dead in a Moscow detention center in November 2009. The lawyers death provoked an international outcry.

In July 2013, Moscows Tverskoy District Court found Magnitsky guilty of tax evasion and closed the case due to his death. According to the case materials, Magnitskys and Hermitage Capital director William Browders actions cost Russia over 500 million rubles (over $8 million).
Sacramento A union official was once reportedly asked what exactly it was that he wanted. The questioner was not talking about the goal in some particular political battle, but the end game. The union guy's answer is one that anyone who negotiates with California's voracious public-sector unions needs to keep in mind. What is it you ultimately want? The answer: More. That same answer could be offered by the Democratic leaders who run our state. Session after session, California's leaders find new taxes to raise. There's never enough money to pay for all the social programs they desire  not
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"All damage caused to DB Realty was because of this case.

"The banks were not coming forward to assist us.

"Especially the poor and people from the lower-income group were seriously affected."

Soon after a special CBI court acquitted all those accused the 2G spectrum allocation case, Somesh Jha spoke to DB Realty managing director Vinod Goenka at the crowded Patiala House premises.

While most politicians, bureaucrats and corporate preferred to study the order before giving their comments, Goenka was among the few who spoke up about how his business was impacted by the 2G case. Excerpts:

What is your reaction to the courts ruling?

I think justice has prevailed. The court has used some strong words in the order. However, I think the CBI will approach the high court.

Is there any compensation that you will seek?

Our company (Swan Telecom) had paid licence fee (for 2G spectrum) and now that we have been exonerated, we need to see if the licence fee will be refunded.

We will examine the legal recourse.

How did your business get affected after the string of cases by investigative agencies?

All damage caused to DB Realty in the last seven years was because of this case.

DB Realty will be back with a big bang. All avenues will open up.

Can you explain in detail how your business deals were affected?

First, no banks were willing to come forward to give financial assistance to us and the projects were stalled as banks pulled out in a jiffy - within days after the CBI case - from projects which were even 70-80 per cent complete.

All the (construction) sites came to a grinding halt - 11 in Mumbai and one in Pune.

We must have been developing more than 5 million sq ft at the time when our construction was affected by this case.

What was the impact of the banks pulling out?

The banks were not coming forward to assist us.

And this was happening at a time when we had at least 3,500 booked flats.

Especially the poor and people from the lower-income group were seriously affected as we were selling all the flats at Rs 2,500-3,000 per sq ft.

The price shot up to Rs 4,000 a sq ft.

How big were the loans?

The banks cancelled loans worth around Rs 3,000 crore if all the projects are considered.

Only two banks - HDFC Bank and YES Bank - came to our rescue.

One of the hotels we were building in Goa was almost 95 per cent complete and these two banks stood solidly behind us.

What was the monetary loss?

Its difficult to ascertain the loss caused to our company due to the case in monetary terms as of now.

What is next for your company?

We have a large inventory of unutilised land and we will start looking at them.

Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters
The fear of another scam pushed the government into a rather long period of so-called policy paralysis. To play it safe, the price of spectrum in all subsequent auctions was benchmarked to the high 3G rates, says Surajeet Das Gupta.

The acquittal on Thursday of key players in the alleged 2G scam after seven years might have come too late to change the fortunes of telecom companies which lost money and reputation, while forcing foreign telcos like Telenor and Sistema out of the country.

The key buzzwords facing the industry today -- burgeoning debt burden and consolidation -- trace their roots back to the 2G spectrum scam of 2008 and the action taken subsequently by the Comptroller and Auditor General and Supreme Court. These fundamentally changed the countrys telecom landscape. The advent of Reliance Jio with its aggression accentuated the problem.

The CAG report in 2010 benchmarked the artificially high 3G spectrum price to conclude that A Rajas decision to offer 2G spectrum at an administered price caused the government a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

That conclusion had far-reaching consequences. The fear of another scam pushed the government into a rather long period of so-called policy paralysis. To play it safe, the price of spectrum in all subsequent auctions was benchmarked to 3G rates. The high price forced telecom operators to borrow money, something that would later lead to a burgeoning debt burden for many.

Parag Kar, who heads the regulatory division of Qualcomm India, argues in an article: The real impact of the scam was the distortion in spectrum price, amid lack of curation by regulators (to correct anomalies) for fear of being accused of causing loss to the exchequer.

Rajan S Mathew, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), agrees: This was the beginning of the burgeoning debt problem for the industry, as they had to borrow significantly to pay for the high price of spectrum, as well as a period of policy paralysis in the government.

He points out that many decisions like spectrum sharing were shelved for a long time. The overall debt of the telecom industry, around Rs 2,41,000 crore in 2012-13, more than doubled to Rs 4,60,000 crore in 2016-17.

Some analysts and every telco agrees that CAG had made a flawed calculation. The 3G auction saw nine players slugging for survival as they fought for three-four pan-Indian spectrum slots. That was because many newer players had joined the party.

With limited supply, the price of spectrum zoomed, regardless of the business potential of circles on the block. No serious operator could have ignored buying 3G spectrum and get into a major business disadvantage vis-a-vis rivals.

For instance, the auction price for Delhi and Mumbai was 10 times the reserve price. As much as 40 per cent of the total value the government received from the auction was for these two cities. Notwithstanding the fact that these two circles share of total telecom revenue was only 14 per cent.

The government or regulators made very little attempt to change this equation and anomaly in subsequent rounds of spectrum auction by reducing the reserve price substantially and not benchmarking it with 3G, simultaneously with putting enough spectrum on the table.

In fact, the fear of taking any decision that might lead to another controversy was palpable. The central government of the day, for instance, decided not to extend the licence of incumbent telecom operators by another 10 years (after their 20-year licences ended), despite this being part of the notice inviting application.

The government said it would auction liberalised spectrum (which meant any spectrum could be used for any service, for the first time). This led to bloodshed in many of the auctions held in 2015, with incumbents fighting no end to retain their spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz bands. This was necessary for their business continuity but meant prices going through the roof.

In 2012, when the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the scrapping of 122 telecom licences granted by tainted minister A Raja four years earlier, the intention might have been different. But, the action forced the first round of consolidation in the sector.

By giving spectrum on a first come, first served basis, Raja doubled the number of players from seven to 14, and ensured a cut-throat price war. Telecom rates, as a result, fell over 50 per cent. The eight new players invested as much as Rs 40,000 crore in a couple of years and acquired about 70 million subscribers or eight per cent of market share in terms of subscriber base.

But, the SCs decision forced operators like Etisalat, which owned a 45 per cent stake in Swan Telecom, C Sivasankaran-promoted S-Tel, and Loop Telecom, to shut shop. Others like Videocon, Telenor and Sistema (21 licences), having lost their licences after the court order, returned to participate in future auctions but only as niche players, not as the strong pan-Indian operators that they earlier hoped to become.

The writing for them was on the wall. Videocon Telecom, for instance, had in 2008 won licences for 17 circles, which it lost after the SC judgment. Later, even as it participated in auctions and won spectrum for six circles, it hardly made any mark in the telecom market. Over the years, it sold its spectrum in some circles, closed operations in some others, and eventually shut shop earlier this year.

Sistema, which had invested over $4 billion, lost most of its money and merged with Reliance Communications this year. Telenor, which had won 22 licences in 2012, and those for six circles later, wrote off more than Rs 10,000 crore on its books while selling off its mobile business to Bharti Airtel.

According to analysts, the SC order took the number of operators in the market back to the level before Raja gave away licences, though the number of subscribers after the decision to double the players helped in seeing the subscriber base in the country more than triple from 300 million in 2008 when the new licences were given to 951 million in 2012 when the cancellations happened.

Photograph: Reuters.
The company will now focus on value creation for shareholders in the defence and construction businesses.

The Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) on Thursday announced the sale of its Mumbai power business to Adani Transmission.

The deal, valued at Rs 13,251 crore, is one of the biggest asset monetisation moves the Reliance ADA group has undertaken so far.

RInfra has signed a definitive binding agreement with Adani Transmission for a 100 per cent stake sale of its Mumbai power business, which includes generation, transmission, and distribution.

The deal included business valued at Rs 12,101 crore and regulatory assets approved so far of Rs 1,150 crore, RInfra said in a statement.

Regulatory assets are dues approved by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission that the company can recover through tariff from consumers.

For Adani Transmission, the deal marks its entry into the power distribution business and access to the Mumbai distribution circle makes it a significant player in Indias private power distribution space.

Distribution is the most attractive segment of the power sector, with scope for new energy products from demand response to storage to leveraging data.

"In future, when wires and supply get unbundled, current risks of the distribution business will go down too, said Kameswara Rao, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers India.

RInfra had earlier entered into talks with Canadian Public Sector Pension Investment Board for the sale of a 49 per cent stake in its Mumbai distribution business.

The talks did not make headway due to disagreements over valuation, sources said.

Lalit Jalan, chief executive officer of RInfra, said in a telephone interview this would mark the end of the companys debt reduction exercise.

RInfra has, so far, been one of the largest contributors to the groups debt reduction exercise.

In addition to the sale announced on Thursday, RInfra last year sold two of its transmission assets to Adani Transmission at a deal value of Rs 1,000 crore.

It is in the process of selling a third transmission asset to Adani Transmission, for which the company is awaiting approvals.

The Reliance ADA group has for the last couple of years been struggling to sell assets and reduce its debts of over Rs 1.17 lakh crore.

The group has, so far, sold partial or entire stakes in its mutual fund, cinema, and cement businesses.

It is also in binding agreements to sell a 51 per cent stake in its cell tower business to Canada-based Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners for Rs 11,000 crore.

Last year, the group had sold its cement business to the MP Birla groups Birla Corp for Rs 4,800 crore.

The group is also in the process of monetising its investment in the general insurance business through an initial public offering.

RInfra is also expected to receive proceeds related to regulatory assets under approval estimated at Rs 5,000 crore.

It will receive this along with Rs 550 crore on account of net working capital over and above the deal value of Rs 13,251 crore.

RInfra will utilise the proceeds of this transaction entirely to reduce its debt, becoming debt-free, and up to Rs 3,000 crore cash surplus, the company statement added.

According to data available with Capitaline, RInfra had a total consolidated debt of Rs 26,556 crore, which does not include the debt of Rs 9,456 crore of its subsidiary Reliance Naval and Engineering.

"The company will be debt-free at the standalone level and will have a consolidated debt of Rs 7,000-8,000 crore, Jalan said.

He added RInfra would now focus on value creation for shareholders in the defence and construction businesses.

He declined to share details on whether the company would still pursue the option of an infrastructure investment trust for its road assets.

RInfra plans to complete the sale of its Mumbai power business by the end of the current financial year (FY18), subject to various approvals.

Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters
Don't share information over the phone with anyone.

Use only official apps and keep your Aadhaar locked unless needed, advises Tinesh Bhasin.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

The Aadhaar conundrum continues for the retail consumer.

On one hand, the Supreme Court is yet to give its final verdict on its legality. But, on the other hand, precious data is being leaked and some companies have been misusing this 12-digit unique identification number.

Recently, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) initiated an inquiry against a telecom operator for allegedly opening payments bank accounts of its subscribers who went for Aadhaar-based SIM verification without their 'informed consent'.

Even the Life Insurance Corporation has issued an advisory to its customers. The insurer came across messages where policyholders were asked to link Aadhaar to their policies by sending an SMS to a designated number.

LIC said it does not have such a facility.

Already, there have been several cases where criminals have called people on the pretext of linking their Aadhaar with bank accounts or mobile numbers.

After making them reveal sensitive information, the criminals have stolen money from their bank accounts.

"Earlier, individuals were getting calls from criminals to reveal bank-related one-time passwords (OTP). Now, these criminals are using Aadhaar seeding as the new tool to get sensitive information," says Rohit Srivastwa, a cybersecurity expert.

Experts say that most frauds occur as victims share their sensitive information with criminals due to lack of awareness.

Scammers usually call with threats that unless the individual shares details right away, their bank accounts will be locked or mobile SIM cards deactivated.

"No service provider ever calls individuals to collect data. If you get a call asking for any information, then it is bound to be a fraudulent call," says Sivarama Krishnan, partner and leader-cybersecurity, PwC India.

Just following a few precautions can help you prevent losing money to frauds and misuse of your Aadhaar details.

When you have to link your Aadhaar to any services, check on the Web site of the company on the ways you can do it.

For banks, all you need to do is mention the Aadhaar number online as the account is already know-your-customer (KYC) compliant.

It's only for telecom companies that you are required to visit the retailer or their outlet and authenticate biometrics.

These days, criminals have also resorted to collecting sensitive data through apps.

Once installed on your phone, these apps ask for details such as a bank account or card details to link Aadhaar.

Once shared, the details are used to swindle money.

Ensure that you don't download and install apps that are not from the Google Play Store (Android) or Apple's store or iTunes.

"Even if the app is from an authentic source, avoid third-party apps and only go for official ones," says Krishnan.

If a service provider insists on a photocopy of the Aadhaar card, sign on it, mention the date and purpose for which the photocopy was shared.

UIDAI also provides an option to users to lock and unlock their Aadhaar account.

One way to do this this is by using an OTP.

A simpler way is to download the mAadhaar app.

You can lock and unlock the account more easily through the app whenever needed.

How to lock/unlock biometrics
With Katrina Kaif as brand ambassador, will Lenskart be able to steer customers away from local opticians and keep them loyal?

Signing up a Bollywood star as brand ambassador is usually the fastest route to the Indian heartland.

Ask the Chinese smartphone companies doing it today or, the numerous FMCG, apparel, electronics and other brands that have walked down the path before.

Now Lenskart is doing the same.

But the eyewear retail brand that started life seven years ago purely as an online marketplace is perhaps hoping to score two goals with one shot: craft its identity as a mass market brand and reposition spectacles as a fashion accessory and not just prescription wear.

We have built the brand primarily around how spectacles can actually not be a bad thing.

"People feel that they have to wear it out of compulsion, but glasses enhance the look of a person in a big way, said Peyush Bansal, founder and CEO, Lenskart.com.

By positioning spectacles as fashion accessories, the objective would be to increase the number of occasions of purchase and the per person consumption rate of the product.

Since fashion is a cause best served by Bollywood, the company has signed on Katrina Kaif as brand endorser.

It (the campaign) is about looking good, having fun, and understanding the impact of different pairs of glasses on a persons face, Bansal said.

Using Kaif also helps create recall for the brand.

The company has also launched a slew of new features to increase online and offline engagement with customers.

Lenskarts all-out thrust for a larger slice of the branded eyewear segment, say experts, is an indication of the challenges that the sector presents.

While the size of the market is close to Rs 18,000-20,000 crore, organised players account for barely Rs 2,000 crore of the market (9-10 per cent), said Bansal.

The challenge is to steer customers away from local opticians and keep them loyal, while also encouraging them to look at spectacles as more than a one-time buy.

Lenskart says that it is present in the top 15 cities now, of which a lot of focus is on top seven metros.

It wants to go deeper into these towns before it can go wider into the country.

And for that said Harish Bijoor, CEO Harish Bijoor Consults, Lenskart.com needs to stand apart from the rest. The competition is both within the physical and virtual space.

Today the brand competes with Titan Eye Plus as well as the vast bouquet of low-priced products available off the street and online.

It also competes with the likes of Amazon and Flipkart.

Hence Bijoor said, The play for Lenskart is not only brand centric, but also strategic. They should be focusing on the future of competition, rather than the present competition.

Bansal feels that the brand has evolved, earlier it was associated with variety, but today it is seen as variety plus technologically savvy.

And the company is differentiating itself with innovations such as the 3D try, reading glasses that do not fall off the nose, among others.

Look good, feel good

Lenskart says that from the very beginning the brand has aimed to project eyewear as a category that makes consumers look good.

There was an emphasis on style and colour over and above the doctors prescription at the online marketplace.

Its advertising has also been around the same theme and its discount policy aimed to encourage people to buy more than one frame.

Now Lenskart wants to take this up a notch.

At its physical experience-cum-sales stores at various malls, the sales persons are being trained to let customers try a number of frames without first asking for their medical prescription.

People enter the stores only if they really want to buy a pair.

"We wanted to change that and build a little bit of humour and fun into it, Bansal said.

Lenskart currently has around 365 outlets, which it targets to expand to 400 by end of this month and to 800 by 2020.

Making spectacles a fun accessory was the first step in the brands journey and the next one is to make the product a fashion acquisition.

Roping in Katrina Kaif is an attempt to bring about this shift. The campaign is also focusing on womens eyewear because the company believes that concern about looks and wearing glasses is more among this category.

Lenskart said that it was determined to not look at the entire eyewear segment the way its competitors did earlier.

Other players talked about eye check-ups, the right fit, testing equipment and so on.

But for Lenskart, we wanted to convey that selecting a pair of glasses is no different from choosing a pair of shoes or apparel, said Bansal.

Focusing on experience

Having started life as an online retailer, the company is familiar with the patterns of customer behaviour and their expectations.

It is also aware of the shortcomings of the digital universe, customers inability to touch, feel and try out their spectacles, for instance.

The company says it has used technology to tackle the problems and enhance customer experience.

It is currently offering a 3D tryout facility, through which consumers can use the camera on their phones or laptops and try out the entire range of frames online.

In this way the company says the purchase process is being made easier and more engaging.

The next step, Bansal says, technologies enabling the customers to share their framed faces with friends and family and initiate a conversation around their choice.

This will not just make for a more interactive shopping experience but it will also chip away at the perception of the product being a necessity rather than an indulgence.

Lenskart currently sells about 300,000 units per month and the company claims that it has been growing around 100 per cent a year.

At present Lenkart sales revenue is Rs 600 crore, which the company said it wants to increase to Rs 1,000 crore in two years.

And then the company has plans to go public.

Photograph: Courtesy Lenskart on Twitter.
'Fearful of losing strategic advantage, the only option for Pakistan is to rattle its nuclear sabre!'

'Pakistan thereby hopes to play on the worldwide fear of an outbreak of nuclear war in South Asia,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).



IMAGE: Pakistan's nuclear-capable Hatf-VII cruise missile. Photograph: Reuters

The cardinal rule about nuclear war is that it can never be won and therefore should never be fought. 'Deterrence' or the threat of use of nuclear weapons is the time tested strategy.

Given the serious nature of the AFTER-effect of nuclear weapons, nuclear threats are not routinely uttered. In fact, these are serious issues of national policy and survival and are to be uttered only in the most dire circumstances.

Frequent use of nuclear threats can lead to the 'crying wolf' syndrome, detract from credibility and ultimately can be disastrous as it may result in accidental nuclear war, not wanted by either party.

But this is precisely what Pakistan has been up to in the dying days of 2017.

In the second week of December, Pakistan's national security advisor in an address at the Centre for Global and Strategic Studies warned of a possible nuclear war between India and Pakistan.

This sabre rattling is a sign of serious Pakistani unease at India's upgraded ties with the United States and is aimed at getting outside powers (read China) to upgrade its own level of defence relations with Pakistan.

In the first week of December, Pakistan's foreign minister wrote to India's foreign minister to end ceasefire violations at the border.

Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire over 720 times until October this year along the Line of Control and the international border. While the Pakistani side of the border is heavily populated, the Indian side is sparsely so.

Many important towns of Pakistan's Punjab province, home to its soldiers, are well within the range of Indian guns. Thus, both demography and geography favours India. Border firing incidents hurt Pakistan more than it hurts India.

The US national security document clearly identifies India as an ally and rising power.

The only references in the US document to Pakistan are about its support to and harbouring of terrorists. The shift in American policy from the Cold War era when Pakistan was the most allied of its allies is complete.

In addition to these international trends, India has been following a policy of no talks with Pakistan till terrorism ends.

India has also been responding to border violations with a matching and disproportionate response.

A major military operation is ongoing in Kashmir that has resulted in the killing of close to 200 insurgents this year, the highest figure in the last ten years.

The long rope given to the separatists has been severed and their financial dealings are being brought under scrutiny.

All in all, a 'hard' policy in relation to Pakistan has been put in place.

Reading between the lines of the American approach to South Asia, where it specifically mentions checking China's influence, India has emerged as the fulcrum of American approach to the Indo-Pacific region.

A natural corollary to this strategy is to build up Indian conventional military capability since India directly confronts China on the Himalayas.

It is a delicious irony that precisely this argument prevailed during the Cold War when under the guise of fighting Communism, the US built up Pakistan's military capability.

All through the Cold War years, Pakistani armed forces, thanks to generous American aid, always enjoyed a technological edge over India.

It is through this arrangement that Pakistan 'balanced' a much bigger country like India. The Donald J Trump administration seems to have brought this arrangement to an end.

Pakistan is jittery because it knows very well that China cannot replace the US in terms of high tech arms.

In addition, with India joining the Missile Tech Control Regime and the latest Wessanaar Arrangement, India's indigenous arms production is set to take off.

It is only a matter of time before India also acquires a defensive shield against the threat of Pakistani missiles and at the same time develops its air power (with air launched cruise missiles) to launch a preventive strike on Pakistan's air force as well as missile locations.

The refinement of Indian forces in conventional weaponry leads ultimately to domination in non-nuclear aspects of security.

It is true that the Pakistani nuclear deterrent retains its potency.

Theoretically, a disarming preventive strike is an impossibility. The Indian strategy of making Pakistan pay a high price for its low intensity war of 'a thousand cuts' is that it makes the strategy to acquire Kashmir through this method redundant

Thus, the tactical level changes ushered in by India have forced a strategic change for Pakistan.

In this situation of losing strategic advantage, the only option for Pakistan is to rattle its nuclear sabre!

Pakistan thereby hopes to play on the worldwide fear of an outbreak of nuclear war in South Asia that can have global environmental effects.

In addition, the use of nuclear weapons for the first time since World War II can have dangerous political consequences.

The breaking of the nuclear taboo can usher in nuclear anarchy.

No country in the world is prepared for it. This is Pakistan's last gambit, reckless enough for even its staunch ally, China.

In this changed scenario, Pakistan's goal of annexing Kashmir becomes even more distant. But giving up its obsession over Kashmir is politically impossible for any Pakistani leader, civil or military.

Pakistan is rattled because it is caught between the devil and the deep sea and sees no way out.

Giving up a national popular obsession over Kashmir is easier said than done!

Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a military historian.
'Anything can happen,' says a young Congress leader.

Aditi Phadnis reports on the possibility of realignment between former allies.

The subtext of the 2G spectrum order, acquitting leaders of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, has set off frenzied speculation about whether the party will now join the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on patriarch M Karunanidhi recently.

Although the DMK is part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, relations between the two were strained after the Manmohan Singh government asked the then telecom minister A Raja to step down following the 2G spectrum controversy.

Despite the coolness -- and a belief among a large section of the Congress that it was the DMK that cost it the 2014 election -- the two parties came together in 2016 to fight the assembly election as allies.

After M K Stalin took over as party chief, the DMK bitterly criticised the Centres policies.

The prevailing belief is that the DMK would prefer to stay with a weak Congress as its partner in the state (and at the Centre) rather than offer a toe-hold to the BJP to grow piggybacking on the DMK in Tamil Nadu, a state where the BJP has only a fledgling organisational structure.

Impossible, said a former Union minister from the Congress when asked if the DMK would jump ship now. They hate the BJP and can never forget all the things that Narendra Modi said about DMK leaders in the run-up to the 2014 elections.

The DMK and the BJP have had a history -- way back in the hoary past.

During the Emergency, when most non-Congress governments were dismissed by Indira Gandhi, Tamil Nadu was the refuge of many opposition leaders.

Although neither could speak the others language, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a deep fondness for Karunanidhi.

During a debate in the Lok Sabha in the 1970s when a cyclone had hit Tamil Nadu and the DMK was pleading for central assistance, Vajpayee got up to intervene.

Apne inke prati karuna dikhai hai. Ab nidhi bhi de deejiye (You have shown mercy on them, now please give them funds), he had told Indira Gandhi.

Karunanidhi reciprocated the respect and was to reminisce in 2016 at a party forum that when I was CM (1996-2001) I sent a proposal to construct a memorial for (late Congress leader) K Kamaraj in Kanyakumari. Officials in the Vajpayee ministry refused to accord permission as it went against the law governing coastal areas. But Vajpayee accorded permission and also sent a message on the opening of the memorial. But he also lamented that the BJP of that era was not the BJP of 2016.

In the circumstances, most senior DMK leaders see only a remote possibility of the BJP and the DMK joining hands.

But as a young Congress leader said tersely: Anything can happen.

Image: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi meets DMK chief M Karunanidhi and the party's working president M K Stalin in Chennai, November 6, 2017. Photograph: Kind courtesy @kalaignar89/Twitter
Somesh Jha describes the mood at Patiala House courtroom and outside on Thursday during the 2G spectrum case verdict.

IMAGE: Former telecom minister A Raja celebrates along with his supporters after a CBI special court acquitted him in the 2G spectrum case on December 21, 2017. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo.

A confident A Raja entered the already packed Patiala House Courts complex early morning on Thursday, wearing a big smile, almost an hour before the Central Bureau of Investigation special court was to deliver its verdict in the 2G spectrum case.

This courtroom, that has been the scene of action ever since the alleged 2G scam broke out almost eight years ago, was unusually filled as it was about to witness the much-awaited judgment in the case.

Politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists, reporters and onlookers were all trying to work their phones, but mobile networks were mostly jammed.

Ironically, the only network available to those standing outside the Special Central Bureau of Investigation judge OP Sainis courtroom was 2G.

While the cops attempted to restrict the entry of people thronging the courtroom, Mohomed Morani, brother of film producer Karim Morani, told them, Kam se kam accused ko jaane do (At least let the accused go in).

IMAGE: Raja supporters hail him as a 'hero' following his acquittal. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo

In fact, the families of many named in the CBI chargesheet could not enter.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy, one of the petitioners on whose plea the CBI ordered a probe in the 2G case, made a surprise entry into the courtroom.

Minutes after people were still struggling to get in, DB Realty and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa emerged out of the courtroom and animatedly declared, All accused acquitted.

There was a moment's silence before all hell broke loose.

Rajas wife and daughter broke down inside the courtroom when the judge pronounced, The public prosecutor has miserably failed to prove the case. All the accused are acquitted.

Families of the others acquitted were overwhelmed.

IMAGE: DMK MP Kanimozhi accepts a bouquet of flowers from a supporter. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo

The last few years have been extremely bad. But it has made us much stronger and united as a family, said Aseela, wife of DB Realty managing director Vinod Goenka, who had been charged with cheating and conspiracy in the case.

When a journalist asked Balwa whether he broke down inside the courtroom after hearing the verdict, he said, I am not the kind who breaks down.

Balwa, accused by the CBI of bribing Raja with Rs 200 crore (which the CBI court ruled out on Thursday), was the first person to meet the former telecom minister after the verdict was out.

Both went to the chamber of one of their lawyers, Vijay Aggarwal, at the court complex and interacted with their supporters and well-wishers, in person and on the phone, for about 30 minutes.

I also know how to speak Tamil I learnt it from Raja, Balwa told the DMK leaders supporters waiting outside the lawyers chamber.

They were all sent to jail a few years ago for the alleged scam, and many had bonded there as well as during the years of court hearing.

IMAGE: DMK supporters burst crackers after the verdict. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo.

Raja came out of the chamber, waved at the hundreds of supporters waiting outside the court, got photographs clicked, and then came back to complete the formalities.

DMK supporters burst firecrackers outside the court, raised slogans and distributed sweets among the cadre.

I am naturally happy. I always knew I would be acquitted, Raja said, adding, I stand before you with all authority and say that all the institutions went wrong. The media and the Comptroller and Auditor General went wrong.

DMK leader Kanimozhi, in a red and black sari, symbolic of her party colours, said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called her up after the verdict and told her truth has triumphed.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also congratulated her over the phone.

It's a big day, she said.

When someone asked her if this was a hint towards a political re-alignment, Kanimozhi just smiled and walked away.
The Congress continued to stall the Parliament over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Pakistan remarks' against former premier Manmohan Singh.

Lok Sabha

The protests by Congress in the Lok Sabha over the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against former premier Manmohan Singh entered the fifth day on Friday, as it also asked the Bharatiya Janata Party to apologise for the charges it had made regarding the 2G spectrum scam.

Soon after the House assembled and took up the Question Hour, Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans demanding an apology from Modi for his charges during Gujarat poll campaign that Manmohan Singh and others had colluded with Pakistan to rig the election results.

The protesting Congress members continued to raise slogans for an hour even as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan continued with the Question Hour proceedings.

A visibly upset Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge raised concerns about not being allowed to raise the issue despite making the demand for the past five days.

Few minutes after the Zero Hour began at noon, the protesting Congress members walked out.

Besides seeking an apology from Modi, the Congress members also sought an apology from the BJP for alleging that a scam had taken place in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation during the UPA rule.

Their demand came a day after a special court acquitted all the accused in the 2G scam case.

On the fifth day of their protest, the number of Congress members in the Well was less compared to other days. The overall attendance in the House was on the lower side, both in the Treasury and the Opposition sides.

The Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were also not present in the House. Sonia Gandhi is usually present during Question Hour, which has recently witnessed her party members protesting in the Well.

Parliament would now meet again on Wednesday after a long weekend due to Christmas.

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it assembled on Friday as the Congress insisted that the impasse over the reported remarks by Modi against Singh should be resolved first.

As soon as the House assembled and papers were laid, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the House should be adjourned till afternoon so that a solution can be found to end the impasse prevailing in the House since the first day of its sitting on December 15.

He said two meetings of the panel headed by Leader of the House Arun Jaitley have taken place to find a solution.

"The House should be adjourned till a solution is found," he said, adding that the Congress members do not want to enter the Well to force adjournment.

Azad said the opposition too wants the House to function and carry out legislative business.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel suggested that the House should continue to function and in the meantime, a solution is found.

"This is not such an issue that a solution cannot be found," he said, adding, the Rajya Sabha did function for a day even during the impasse.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma too insisted that the House should be adjourned without any disruption.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu tried to continue with the Zero Hour proceedings, but as the Congress did not budge, he adjourned the House for the day.

Rajya Sabha will now meet again on December 27, after the long weekend and Christmas break.

Earlier the Chairman had allowed two members to raise points of order'.

While TMC member Derek O'Brien raised the issue of a brief "blackout" of Rajya Sabh TV telecast yesterday, SP member Naresh Agarwal demanded a hike in the salaries of Members of Parliament.

O'Brien said the telecast was stopped at 2.13 pm yesterday when Congress members were protesting over Modi's remarks against Manmohan Singh and others.

These are "democratic scenes", so let the people watch it, he said, adding that this is also part of parliamnetary democracy. O'Brien urged the Chair that the live broadacst should not be shut down.

To this, Naidu said "this is a suggestion" and not a point of order.

Naresh Agarwal then demanded that the salaries of MPs should be increased and said the possible criticism by the media for this, should not be a factor while deciding on the salary hike. He said mediapersons also get hefty salaries.

He demanded for a response from the government on the issue.

Naidu said he will bring the matter to the notice of Jaitley.

Earlier, members paid obituary to Jalaludin Ansari who died on December 17. Ansari was member of the House from April 1994 to April 2000.
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Kurdistan Region of Iraq: 350 Prisoners 'Disappeared'

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 21 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: 350 Prisoners 'Disappeared', 21 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3bae7d4.html [accessed 18 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.

More than 350 detainees held by the Kurdistan Regional Government in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk are feared to have been forcibly disappeared, Human Rights Watch said today.

Those missing are mainly Sunni Arabs, displaced to Kirkuk or residents of the city, detained by the regional government's security forces, the Asayish, on suspicion of Islamic State (also known as ISIS) affiliation after the regional forces took control of Kirkuk in June 2014. Local officials told Human Rights Watch that the prisoners were no longer in the official and unofficial detention facilities in and around Kirkuk when Iraqi federal forces regained control of the area on October 16, 2017.

"Families in Kirkuk are desperate to know what has become of their detained relatives," said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The secret, incommunicado detentions raise grave concerns for their safety."

On November 7, dozens of people demonstrated in Kirkuk, demanding information on their relatives allegedly detained by Asayish forces, which triggered a statement from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to investigate the disappearances. On November 8, following the demonstration in Kirkuk, Azad Jabari, the former head of the security committee of Kirkuk's provincial council, reportedly denied that Asayish forces had carried out any disappearances. He blamed the disappearances on US forces previously present in Kirkuk, saying most of the files of the missing dated from 2003 to 2011 and were not more recent.

However, Kirkuk's acting governor, Rakkan Said, and a Kirkuk police chief told Human Rights Watch that several days after the protest, Asayish forces handed over to Iraqi federal forces in Kirkuk 105 other detainees first held in Kirkuk and later transferred to facilities in Sulaimaniya. Governor Said said that the Iraqi prime minister's office also sent a delegation to Kirkuk to further investigate. Human Rights Watch was unable to reach delegation members about their findings, but suspects that the number of detainees disappeared by KRG forces is much higher.

On December 12, a member of the Kirkuk branch of Iraq's Human Rights Commission told Human Rights Watch that families submitted complaints to the commission against Kurdistan Regional Government authorities about the disappearance of at least 350 other men whom the Asayish had detained in and around Kirkuk.

On November 12 and December 17, Human Rights Watch interviewed 26 people who said they had witnessed identifiable Asayish forces detain 27 of their relatives, all Sunni Arab men, between August 2015 and October 2017 in Kirkuk or south of the city. The witnesses said that they had not been able to communicate with their relatives since their arrest, had received no official information about their status and whereabouts, and were concerned about their whereabouts since the Iraqi officials could not locate them.

Um Ghazi went to court in Kirkuk to obtain information on her husband's whereabouts based on CCTV footage showing the Asayish detaining him in Kirkuk while he was walking on the street with a friend in March 2017. After conducting a search, the court said it had not been able to locate him in any detention center in the city.

In all 27 cases discussed with Human Rights Watch, relatives said they had asked local Asayish or police forces about their relatives but never received an official acknowledgement of the detention or information about where their relative was being held or why. In some cases, family members said they were able to obtain information from informal channels indicating that their relatives were being held by the Asayish in other parts of the Kurdistan Region.

The relatives of four of the disappeared said that over the last month, newly released detainees held in al-Salam military base for Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga military forces in Sulaimaniya, where Asayish forces run a number of informal detention facilities, contacted them to say they had been held in the same cells as their relatives.

The wife of Faisal Sultan Hamed said that four armed men in black Asayish uniforms had arrested her husband at their home in Kirkuk at midnight on December 12, 2015. She said the family had tried to locate him during the past two years but that Asayish forces would not provide her with any information. In mid-November 2017, a man newly released from al-Salam military base called her husband's brother and said that he had shared a cell at the base with her husband. He said that Hamed had given him his brother's phone number and asked him to let his brother know he was alive.

Youssef Shebir Mustafa said that at 3 a.m. on May 28, 2016, three Asayish officers broke into his home and arrested his two adult sons and his cousin who lived next door. Since then Mustafa has received no official information about their status or whereabouts from the Asayish. "A friend of a friend recently said he heard all three were being held in al-Salam military base, but another said he heard they were in Chamchamal federal prison [in Kurdistan]," Mustafa said. "Frankly, I just don't know where they are and I am worried sick."

On December 18, Human Rights Watch contacted Dr. Dindar Zebari, chairman of the KRG's High Committee to Evaluate International Organizations' Reports, and asked for information on the current number and whereabouts of people detained by KRG forces in Kirkuk. He has not responded.

Enforced disappearances occur when a person is arrested or detained by officials or their agents and the authority refuses to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty, or to reveal the person's fate or whereabouts.

Kurdistan Regional Government authorities should work with the Human Rights Commission's list of complaints to help families of the 350 people identify the status and whereabouts of their relatives. They should urgently notify the families of all those being detained where they are being held, and on what grounds. They should allow for family communications between the detainees and their families.

The authorities should investigate all suspected crimes, including enforced disappearances, by Asayish and Peshmerga forces in a prompt, transparent, and effective manner, up to the highest levels of responsibility. When evidence of criminal responsibility emerges, prosecutions in accordance with international standards should follow. Those conducting such criminal investigations and making decisions about prosecutions should be independent of those being investigated, outside any military chain of command, and free from political interference in their decisions.

"When forces whisk away hundreds of people without explanation, it's no wonder that their families have serious concerns for their safety," Fakih said. "It is the Kurdistan Regional Government's responsibility to immediately provide information on their relatives' fate or whereabouts, and to end the practice of disappearances."



Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Greece: Urgent Need to Move Asylum Seekers from Islands

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 21 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Greece: Urgent Need to Move Asylum Seekers from Islands, 21 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3baf914.html [accessed 18 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.

More than 13,500 asylum seekers remain trapped on the Greek islands in deplorable conditions as winter begins on December 21, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. Greece, with support from its European Union partners, should urgently transfer thousands of asylum seekers to the Greek mainland and provide them with adequate accommodation and access to fair and efficient asylum procedures.

The Greek government committed in early December to moving 5,000 asylum seekers from the islands to the mainland as an emergency measure, before the onset of winter. Despite the transfer of almost 3,000 people since early December, the hotspots on Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros, and Kos still have almost 11,000 people in facilities with a total capacity of just 5,576. More than 1,000 people have arrived to the Greek islands during the same period.

"While Prime Minister Tsipras's decision to move 5,000 asylum seekers from the islands to the mainland is beneficial for those moved, it is still a half measure that leaves thousands others out in the cold," said Eva Cosse, Greece researcher at Human Rights Watch. "It's an important start but more is needed, including support from other EU governments, to make sure that no one has to spend the winter in a freezing tent."

Poignant testimonies from the ground provide a gripping look into the dire situation and distress of asylum seekers who are trapped on the Greek islands.

In a campaign that began on December 1, 13 human rights and aid organizations called on Tsipras to end Greece's policy of containing asylum seekers on the islands. The groups said that Greek authorities should immediately transfer people to improved conditions on the mainland and take concrete measures before the official start of winter so that no asylum seekers are left out in the cold. The groups also said that other EU leaders should take a clear stand to end the containment policy that keeps asylum seekers trapped on the islands under an agreement with Turkey to send people refused asylum back there.

Human Rights Watch and other groups participating in the campaign will continue campaigning throughout the winter, highlighting the deplorable conditions asylum seekers trapped on the islands face. The groups will press the Greek government and EU leaders for a more effective response that protects the rights and reduces the suffering of asylum seekers arriving in Greece.

The Greek government is expected to introduce a bill in parliament in the coming days to accelerate the asylum process with the aim of expediting returns to Turkey, under the EU-Turkey deal. While length of the asylum procedure is one factor contributing to people's distress on the islands, reducing the length of asylum procedures at the expense of the quality of the process would put asylum seekers at risk of being denied the protection they need, Human Rights Watch said.

Such an approach is the wrong way to alleviate overcrowding or address the systemic issues linked to the containment policy and EU-Turkey deal that have created this inhumane situation on the islands.

Instead, Greece should invest more in creating fair and efficient asylum procedures, allow for all asylum claims to be fairly examined on their individual merits, and the safe return of those who do not have international protection needs, Human Rights Watch said.

"Last winter, five asylum seekers, including a child, died in the miserably cold Moria camp on Lesbos," Cosse said. "Greek and EU authorities have a responsibility to prevent such tragedies from happening again."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Nepal: Publish Commission Report on Terai Violence

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 21 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Nepal: Publish Commission Report on Terai Violence, 21 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3bafed4.html [accessed 18 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.

Authorities in Nepal should immediately make public the December 14, 2017 report of a special commission on the Terai violence in 2015, Human Rights Watch said today. The High-Level Inquiry Commission was established in 2016 to investigate alleged excessive and indiscriminate use of force during violent protests that left at least 45 people dead, including nine police officers.

While the commission officially handed its report to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the government has not indicated next steps based on the report's findings and its recommendations. The victims of the violence and their families have a right to know what happened.

"The Nepali government overcame political bickering to appoint an independent commission to investigate the Terai violence," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Prime Minister Deuba should publish the report, announce a plan to provide answers and redress for victims, and work with the incoming government to put that plan into effect."

The 2015 violence flared over sharp disagreements over a new constitution that many indigenous and minority groups in Nepal's southern belt, known as the Terai, felt did not answer their longstanding calls for equal rights, provincial delineations, and devolution of power.

Human Rights Watch and other organizations found credible evidence of serious human rights violations by the government security forces after they were deployed to contain the protests. Human Rights Watch documented eyewitness accounts of police abuses in all five districts it visited, including unlawful killings, including of children; beatings of protesters and people in their homes; and use of threats and racial insults against minority group members. The violence led to a virtual blockade of Nepal's southern border with India, which created serious shortages of basic goods in a landlocked country that relies on its southern border for trade.

The commission, after submitting its report, expressed frustration at the lack of government support throughout the process, including not having access to basic funds to buy pens and paper. The commission also said that it received very little government cooperation during its field visits, despite its status as a national commission of inquiry with the mandate to direct cooperation from local agencies. The commission in its statement also signaled the need for security sector reform.

Human Rights Watch expressed concern that the commission report would languish and no action would be taken on its recommendations. The formation of a new government after provincial and national elections increases the likelihood that the report would fall by the wayside.

"We have seen many valuable commission reports gather dust in Nepal, and watched as victim after victim suffered without justice or compensation," Adams said. "As a new member of the UN Human Rights Council, Nepal needs to take this opportunity to show its commitment to addressing the human rights of all its citizens."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
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.
Russia: Property sell-offs, alternative service denials follow Jehovah's Witness ban

Publisher Forum 18 Author Victoria Arnold Publication Date 19 December 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Russia: Property sell-offs, alternative service denials follow Jehovah's Witness ban, 19 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3cf45f4.html [accessed 18 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.

Following the Supreme Court ban on all Jehovah's Witness activity - in force since July - Regional Justice Ministry branches are preparing to sell off their confiscated property. Military call-up offices have denied several army conscripts the option of alternative civilian service. Jehovah's Witnesses experience increased law enforcement harassment, plus vandalism and violence.
Azerbaijan: Four state agencies raid religious communities

Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 18 December 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Azerbaijan: Four state agencies raid religious communities, 18 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3cf4c24.html [accessed 18 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.

Alongside police, secret police and State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations, a growing role in raids on religious communities and prosecutions seems to be played by Religious Affairs Commissions attached to local administrations. Fines of three months' average wages often follow raids.
Azerbaijan: Fines follow police raids on worship

Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 22 December 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Azerbaijan: Fines follow police raids on worship, 22 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3cf5244.html [accessed 18 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.

Azerbaijan continues to raid religious communities meeting without state permission, and large fines are normally then imposed. After one such raid an Aliabad Baptist has been told he must pay a fine of over three months average salary by the end of 2017.
Uzbekistan: No books allowed, Bible ordered destroyed

Publisher Forum 18 Author Mushfig Bayram Publication Date 13 December 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Uzbekistan: No books allowed, Bible ordered destroyed, 13 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3cf5b44.html [accessed 18 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.

Uzbekistan still searches homes and fines people for meeting and having religious literature, claiming in one case to look for a gun. After one person admitted to reading Christian books at home, their home was raided and Bible confiscated. Elsewhere, a Bible was destroyed.
Ukraine: Drop spurious charges against prisoner of conscience on trial for treason

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 20 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Ukraine: Drop spurious charges against prisoner of conscience on trial for treason, 20 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3d242c4.html [accessed 18 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.

Ukrainian authorities must drop all charges against Vasyl Muravytskyi, a journalist and prisoner of conscience who has spent months in detention for criticizing the Ukrainian authorities' approach towards Russian-occupied Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Amnesty International said today, ahead of a hearing in the city of Zhytomyr.

Vasyl Muravytskyi is facing a plethora of charges including "high treason", "threatening the territorial integrity of Ukraine", "participation in a terrorist organization" and "inciting hatred". All charges arise from his work with Russian language websites, suspected by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) of being administered from Russia or territories under separatist control in eastern Ukraine.

"Behind the staunch patriotic rhetoric lies a shameful truth: in today's Ukraine, a journalist who dare to criticize the government is tried for treason. Vasyl Muravytskyi is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for peacefully expressing his opinion, and his case serves as a warning to anyone who speaks out against government policy in eastern Ukraine," said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

"Since the conflict in eastern Ukraine began, media and civil society workers have been relentlessly harassed by both the government and paramilitary groups, who want to intimidate them into staying silent. We are calling on the Ukrainian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Vasyl Muravytskyi and put an end to persecution of journalists, bloggers and other dissenting voices."

Vasyl Muravytskyi was arrested on 2 August 2017 in Zhytomyr. His lawyer was not given access in time to the full scope of evidence against his client, including the full list of purportedly inculpating news articles. It prevented him from preparing an effective defence.

Legal proceedings against Vasyl Muravytskyi have been marred by other irregularities, including intimidation and pressure by the Ukrainian security services and nationalist groups. During preliminary court hearings in October and November, a group of men in camouflage uniforms came to the courtroom and shouted threats against Muravytskyi and his defence team.

In September 2017 a possible witness was pressured to testify against Muravytskyi by Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officers, who conducted two searches in his house and asked his relatives to influence him.

Background

The core evidence of Vasyl Muravytskyi's alleged crimes put forward by the SBU is the contractual relations between Muravytskyi and the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. This does not constitute a criminal offence.

The SBU also published a list of articles by Muravytskyi which allegedly violate the Ukrainian Criminal Code. Amnesty International has analysed these articles and could not find any statements that constitute calls for violence or incitement of hatred.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Myanmar: 'Outrageous' denial of access to top UN official

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 20 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Myanmar: 'Outrageous' denial of access to top UN official, 20 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3d24a14.html [accessed 18 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.

Reacting to the news that the Myanmar authorities have denied access to UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee, James Gomez, Amnesty International's Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:

"The Myanmar government's decision to bar the Special Rapporteur from accessing the country is outrageous. It is a further indication that authorities will do anything they can to avoid international scrutiny of their human rights record.

"At a time when the security forces stand accused of crimes against humanity during their vicious campaign against the Rohingya, accountability for human rights violations are crucially important. The international community must urge the authorities to allow Yanghee Lee access. It is the ordinary people and victims of human rights abuses who continue to suffer.

"The Myanmar military claim they have done nothing wrong during the past months. If so, the authorities should have nothing to hide - why are they denying access for independent and impartial investigators?"

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Cameroon: Radio France Internationale journalist's 10 year sentence quashed

Publisher Amnesty International Author Josefina Salomon Publication Date 21 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Cameroon: Radio France Internationale journalist's 10 year sentence quashed, 21 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3d25904.html [accessed 18 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.

In response to today's Appeal Chamber of the Military Court ruling quashing the 10 year sentence of Radio France International journalist Ahmed Abba, Ilaria Allegrozzi, Amnesty International's Lake Chad researcher said:

"This ruling is a victory for Ahmed Abba, who has been detained for more than two years simply for doing his job as a journalist. His release is a huge relief for him and his family, as well as all those who mobilized themselves tirelessly on his behalf since 2015.

"It is days like this that offer a glimmer of hope to other people detained without legitimate reason as part of the ongoing conflict with Boko Haram in Cameroon that they may too receive justice.

"The Cameroonian authorities now have the opportunity to change their approach. They must stop arbitrarily arresting civilians and halt their brutal crackdown on people's human rights.''

Background

Today, the Appeal Court of the Yaounde Military Tribunal quashed Ahmed Abba's 10-year prison sentence on charges of "non-denunciation of terrorism" and "laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts." It has consequently ordered his initial sentence to be reduced to 24 months-which he has already served. The Court acquitted him of "laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts" but upheld "non-denunciation of terrorism".

Abba a journalist for Radio France Internationale's Hausa service was arrested on 30 July 2015 in the city of Maroua while investigating the conflict with Boko Haram in the north of the country. He was held incommunicado for three months and tortured in a facility run by Cameroonian secret services. His trial began at Yaounde military court on 29 February 2016. He was sentenced on 24 April 2016 after having been convicted on 20 April. He was also fined 84,000 euros.

Amnesty International considers that Ahmed Abba's should have never been arrested in the first instance. His trial was marred by irregularities, including witnesses not being called to testify and key documents not being shared with defence lawyers.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Israel/OPT: Military must end excessive force to avoid further bloodshed and deaths

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 21 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Israel/OPT: Military must end excessive force to avoid further bloodshed and deaths, 21 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3d26324.html [accessed 18 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.

Ahead of planned protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territories tomorrow, and in the wake of the deaths of four Palestinian protesters and the injuring of hundreds of others in the last two weeks, Amnesty International is calling on the Israeli authorities to put an end to the excessive force that has been part of its response to demonstrations and clashes resulting from the decision by the US administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"Israeli authorities must stop using excessive force against protesters once and for all. The fact that live ammunition has been used during protests in Gaza and the West Bank is particularly shocking. Under international human rights law lethal force can only be used when lives are at imminent risk, which clearly was not the case in the examples we have documented," said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

"Respect for the right to peaceful protest is an obligation binding on Israel and, even where violence erupts, the Israeli security forces must use the minimum force necessary to address it, while allowing peaceful marches and demonstrations to continue."

Over the last two weeks, four Palestinians, three in the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank, have been killed by the Israeli authorities during demonstrations and ensuing clashes. Figures issued by the Palestinian ministry of health indicate that more than 3,000 others have been injured and, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, more than 400 have been arrested.

Israeli forces have used tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at a number of demonstrations, sometimes in response to protesters throwing stones and, in the case of the West Bank, Molotov cocktails. Particularly alarming has been the Israeli army's use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters in Gaza during demonstrations at or near the fence that separates the Strip and Israel. One of those killed was 29-year-old Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, who was shot in the head by a soldier on 15 December. At the time he was shot, he was sitting with a group of young protesters near Nahal Oz, a heavily militarized area, where barbed wire separated them from the Israeli army, positioned approximately 15 metres away. According to eyewitnesses, Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, who was wheelchair-bound after losing both his legs in an Israeli air strike in 2008, was waving a Palestinian flag and chanting slogans. He was in possession of a slingshot, which he did not use. Israeli military investigations have concluded there were "no moral or professional failures" identified in this killing.

The other two Palestinian protesters killed in the Gaza Strip were Mahmoud Abdelmajid al-Masri on 8 December and Yasser Naji Sukkar on 15 December. The fourth Palestinian protester killed - in the West Bank - was Basel Mustafa Ibrahim, also on 15 December.

"There's no denying that Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza threw stones at Israeli soldiers, but it's hard to believe how any of them posed an imminent danger to the lives of well-equipped soldiers protected by concrete blocks," said Philip Luther.

"The Israeli authorities have consistently refused to investigate killings of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers or police or at least not done so to international standards. As long as Israeli officers are not held to account for abusing their powers, the pattern of unlawful killings will continue, and Palestinians will be denied their right to peaceful protest without fear of injury or death.

"If further bloodshed is to be avoided as these demonstrations continue, the Israeli authorities must properly investigate all incidents in which arbitrary and otherwise abusive force appears to have been used and bring those suspected of being responsible to justice. This is all the more important when serious injury and loss of life are involved. Israel must also reform its investigation systems to ensure their impartiality and independence. A failure to do so will only perpetuate years of impunity."

Three other Palestinians, two armed group members and one civilian, have been killed as a result of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for rockets fired by Palestinian armed groups. The air strikes targeted a military site used by Hamas in Beit Lahya, in the north of the Gaza Strip. Another Palestinian was killed in al-Bireh in the West Bank on 15 December by Israeli soldiers who said he had attempted to stab one of them.

Background

US President Donald Trump's recent decisions to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv has caused widespread condemnation and protest in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and around the world.

This decision has implied a "unified" Jerusalem and implicitly recognized the illegal annexation of East Jerusalem in disregard of the mass violations of Palestinian human rights resulting from Israel's annexation policies.

Israel's illegal annexation of occupied East Jerusalem was formalized in domestic law in 1980. It has been repeatedly condemned by the international community through various UN Security Council resolutions.

For more than 10 years, Gaza's 2 million residents have been subjected to collective punishment as a result of Israel's illegal blockade. Between October 2015 and September 2016, Amnesty International documented the killings of 21 protesters in Gaza, including a 10-year-old child.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Russia: Kremlin tightens grip on Internet in run-up to presidential election

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 15 December 2017 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Russia: Kremlin tightens grip on Internet in run-up to presidential election, 15 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a3d285b4.html [accessed 18 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.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a new Russian offensive against the Internet in which the encrypted instant messaging app Telegram has been fined and threatened with blocking for not surrendering its decryption keys, the Open Russia news website has been blocked without any judicial proceedings, and Twitter and YouTube are again under threat.





This latest offensive by the Russian authorities comes as the country prepares to hold a presidential election next March.





On 12 December, a Moscow appeal court upheld a decision to fine Telegram 800,000 roubles (11,500 euros) for refusing to hand over its decryption keys to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). It was the latest stage in a battle that has dragged on all year. If Telegram does not comply, the authorities could start blocking the service on 28 December.





The authorities base their demand for the decryption keys on the draconian terrorism law that was adopted in 2016 in the face of unanimous protests from civil society. Telegram has built its reputation on respect for free speech and privacy, and says the demand constitutes an unwarranted violation of these principles.





Telegram also insists that it does not have access to the decryption keys, which are generated on the devices of each individual user. Agora, the human rights group that is representing Telegram in this case, wrote to the UN special rapporteur for freedom of expression, David Kaye, on 13 December asking him to intercede.





Meanwhile, also on 13 December, a Moscow administrative court rejected a complaint against the FSB that had been brought by well-known independent journalist Oleg Kashin arguing that the demand for Telegram's decryption keys threatens the confidentiality of journalists' sources. A similar complaint by fellow journalist Alexander Plyushchev was rejected in October.





Blocking, actual and threatened





The recently adopted law under which websites linked to "undesirable foreign organizations" can be blocked without reference to a judge has not taken long to have an effect. The independent news and information website Open Russia was blocked in Russia on 12 December, along with all the resources linked - closely or otherwise - to the 11 organizations so far deemed to be "undesirable."





Open Russia is linked to a political movement of the same name founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Kremlin critic now living in exile, but there is no legal connection between them.





Not to be outdone, the telecommunication surveillance agency Roskomnadzor has embarked on a new wrangle with the international Internet giants, calling on Twitter, YouTube and others to delete Open Russia's accounts or risk having their services blocked within Russia. The Russian social network Odnoklassniki immediately complied.





Yesterday, Roskomnadzor ordered media outlets to delete all online links to the blocked websites on the grounds that they "help to disseminate illegal content." The outlets are likely to take the order seriously. The News Times website already received a formal warning in late November over three links to "illegal content" - pages containing swearwords.





"The Russian authorities have been constantly tightening their Internet legislation in recent years and this is the result - an unprecedented level of censorship," said Johann Bihr, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.





"These latest attacks on freedom of expression violate the Russian constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. We again call on the Russian authorities to repeal these draconian laws and to respect their international obligations."





Another incident is indicative of preparations for next March's election. Android users in Russia searching YouTube on 29 November suddenly encountered error messages in response to searches for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, independent media such as Novaya Gazeta, Dozhd, Meduza and Open Russia, and the blogger Dmitry Ivanov. But the searches worked if the names were misspelled or a VPN was used. YouTube's owner, Google, fixed the "problem" that evening without providing any explanation.





Russia is ranked 148th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2017 World Press Freedom Index.





Still very free just a few years ago, the Russian Internet has been reined in since the crackdown on a wave of big demonstrations against electoral fraud in 2011 and 2012.





A few opposition demonstrations in 2017 have drawn large crowds of young people, suggesting that the Internet generation is less influenced than its elders by the propaganda on the big TV channels. President Vladimir Putin has just announced that he is running for a fourth term.
Stronghurst, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/22/2017 --When it comes to a home insurance in Burlington Iowa and Macomb Illinois, most homeowners are of the opinion that the coverage will only safeguard the structure of the property. What they fail to understand is that a home insurance has many underlying clauses and every insurance company designs their insurance policies differently. While one company might design the homeowners coverage in a way that it offers safety to the structural integrity only. While there might be some that offer coverage for artwork, classic cars, gun collections and other valuable assets within one's home. If any homeowner is on the lookout for an insurance company that offers coverage for artwork, then they can count on Doran Insurance & Services Inc. They are one agency that offers home insurance that promises a coverage for valuable artwork.



The value of good artwork is not known to many. Connoisseurs of art often spend hundreds and thousands of dollars in purchasing artwork to add to their collection. A theft of the same or the artwork getting damaged in the wake of a natural disaster or human error might result in a big loss. Insurance is the best way to handle the loss and overcome any financial black hole that might be created due to the unfortunate circumstance. Dora Insurance knows well, and that is why they offer their clients with a home insurance coverage that can compensate that loss.



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Senior officials from Cambodias opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) are encouraging colleagues to declare their assets as instructed by the countrys Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) to avoid legal action, following a warning by Prime Minister Hun Sen that those who fail to do so will be jailed.



On Dec. 11, the ACU issued a letter informing all elected CNRP officials who were removed from their posts following a decision last month by the Supreme Court to dissolve the party to declare their assets within 30 days. The court ruling followed allegations the opposition was planning a rebellion.



During a speech to several thousand factory workers in the capital Phnom Penh on Dec. 17, Hun Sen threatened to imprison all CNRP members who failed to disclose their assets by the deadline imposed by the ACU.

Some have questioned why they need to declare their assets if their party has already been dissolved, he said at the time.



Im afraid you will end up in jail if you fail to do soIm telling you. When you took your position you had to declare your assets once. When you leave your position, you must do it again. If your declared assets are more than previously declared, then you will be investigated.



On the day of Hun Sens warning, the ACU had released an updated account of the number of CNRP members who had declared their assets33 lawmakers, three former members of the National Election Committee, and 262 provincial, district, and commune councilors throughout the country.



On Friday, CNRP Senator Sor Chandeth told RFAs Khmer Service that 70 percent of his partys 300 elected commune councilors in Banteay Meanchey province had already declared their assets, and he encouraged the remaining councilors to do so as soon as possible.



May I urge all CNRP officials to proceed with their declaration of their assets as soon as possible, in order to avoid being politically harassed further for failing to do so, he said.



We consider the requirement for us to declare our assets unjust and improper. However, we have no other option.



San Soeung, the head of the CNRP in Kampong Cham province, told RFA that only a few of his colleagues had declared their assets because many of them had yet to receive a notification to do so.



Very few have declared their assets because they have not been officially informed, he said.



On top of that, many of my colleagues are reluctant to declare their assets because they were in office for just a few months and havent acquired any new assets to declare.



Chea Cheav, the head of the CNRP in Battambang province, told RFA that only 10 percent of party officials under his jurisdiction had declared their assets, echoing concerns over late notifications.



Yin Mengly, Banteay Meanchey province coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said the authorities have applied a double standard in forcing members of the opposition to declare their assets within a limited time period, and suggested that the public also believes officials from the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) receive preferential treatment on the issue.



I think the Anti-Corruption Unit should listen to constructive criticism and review such practices to avoid a double standard, he said.



Hun Sen first declared his assets in 2011, claiming that his U.S. $13,800 annual salary was his sole source of income.



But a July 2016 report by London-based Global Witness found that the prime ministers family members are amassing vast personal fortunes in Cambodias private sector, and wield significant control across most of its lucrative industries, with links to major international brands including Apple, Nokia, Visa, Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Honda.



Hun Sens family has a combined wealth estimated to total between U.S. $500 million and U.S. $1 billion, the report said, while 40 percent of Cambodians still live below or close to the poverty line.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Officials in the United States have sanctioned a Chinese police officer under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for his role in the death by neglect of human rights activist Cao Shunli while she was in police custody.



Gao Yan was chief of police in Beijings Chaoyang district from January 2014 to October 2016, and bears command responsibility for the denial of medical care and other human rights abuses during his tenure.



He is the first Chinese national to be targeted under the Act, which allows the U.S. to target overseas officials in connection with human rights violations committed in other countries.



Cao Shunli died in March 2014 at the age of 52 after being denied medical care while in a police-run detention center overseen by Gao.



She was only taken to hospital on Feb. 20 when her situation was already critical, doctors said at the time. Lawyers say they had urged officials holding her to allow her medical treatment but no action was taken until she was seriously ill.



She had suffered from tuberculosis in both her lungs, cirrhosis of the liver, and uterine fibroids.



Cao's death came just five days before the United Nations Human Rights Council was scheduled to consider the report of China's second human rights review under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, to which Cao submitted a civil society report detailing the plight of petitioners in China.



U.S.-based Chinese activist Zhou Fengsuo, who heads the China Human Rights Accountability Center, welcomed the sanctioning of Gao, saying that the administration of President Donald Trump had "delivered on its promises."



"Actually the Magnitsky Act isn't only aimed at high-ranking officials; it also makes ordinary officials afraid, so Gao Yan's sanctioning is extremely appropriate here," Zhou said.



"He was in charge of Cao Shunli's case, and he has blood on his hands. This should send out a strong warning to all the cogs in an evil state machine," he said.



But U.S.-based legal scholar Teng Biao said it was a shame that there were no high-ranking officials on the most recent list.



"This has left the victims of China's human rights violations feeling stunned," he said, adding that he would be preparing cases for the sanctioning of officials involved in the July 2015 crackdown on lawyers, in the death of late Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo and in the jailing of Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti for life.



"Next, we will be preparing materials to support the key points [in these cases]," he said.



Broader scope urged



The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network, which compiles reports from rights groups inside China, said it welcomed Gaos designation under the Magnitsky Act, but called on Washington to add some higher-ranking officers to the list of those sanctioned.



It also called for Gaos predecessor Tao Jing to be sanctioned under the act, saying Tao and Gao were responsible for a series of human rights violations in Chaoyang, including the 2011 disappearance and torture of outspoken artist Ai Weiwei.



Police disappeared Ai Weiwei for 81 days; tortured him; detained his wife Lu Qing for questioning; and detained four of his associates, CHRD said in a statement.



It cited the 2012 arbitrary detention and torture of foreign ministry official Chen Youbang, a member of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group, as well as similar treatment meted out to petitioner-activist Xu Nailai, and rights activists Wang Lihong and Li Hai during the crackdown on a largely theoretical Jasmine Revolution in 2011.



We regret that the US Administration only named a low-level Chinese official on the inaugural sanctions list, CHRD said. Other higher-level police officials, who had command responsibility for Cao Shunlis death in custody and for other incidents of torture and human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, continue to enjoy impunity.



It called on U.S. officials to further sanction deputy police minister Fu Zhenghua and Tao Jing, now deputy police chief for Beijing.



The Magnitsky Act enables the U.S. president to sanction anyone by executive order who is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in any foreign country who seek  to obtain, exercise, defend, or promote internationally recognized human rights and freedoms, such as the freedoms of religion, expression, association, and assembly, and the rights to a fair trial and democratic elections.



The Act allows officials to freeze any U.S. assets held by those sanctioned, and to ban them from entry into the United States.



Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by He Ping for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Chinese leaders' faces -- Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao -- are printed on a badge sold as a souvenir at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Aug. 1, 2017.

Chinas rubber-stamp parliament, the National Peoples Congress (NPC), is considering criminalizing anyone deemed to have smeared the reputation and honor of the ruling Chinese Communist Partys canon of heroes and martyrs, official media reported on Friday.

Departments including public security, culture, press and cyberspace have a responsibility to protect the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs in their supervision, state news agency Xinhua quoted the text of a new draft law as saying.

The text suggests that officials are particularly concerned with online criticism, and perhaps satire, targeting the countrys revolutionary heroes.

The draft adds: It is a duty of internet operators to timely handle online information that infringes on heroes and martyrs.

A report on the draft law was heard by a session of the NPC standing committee on Friday.

If passed, the new law would ban the illicit appropriation of land and facilities near memorials of heroes and martyrs, as well as any damage to such memorials, Xinhua said.

"Those who appropriate, damage or contaminate memorials, and insult or slander heroes and martyrs, may receive administrative penalties from public security or even criminal sanctions," it quoted the draft law as saying.

Such protections would include the Monument to the People's Heroes in Beijings iconic Tiananmen Square, which has previously formed a focal point for mass protests on the square, particularly during the 1980s.

The monolithic structure is referred to in the draft test as a symbol of the spirit of the Chinese people and nation, and as such, its structure, name, inscriptions, patterns and signs should be protected by law, it says.

Beijing-based rights lawyer Yu Wensheng told RFA that the law isnt based on material facts, for example, an increase in vandalism and damage to such sites, however.

Why do heroes and martyrs need protecting? I dont think this is based in fact, and I dont think a law specifically protecting heroes and martyrs is necessary, Yu said.

We already have laws that would be enough [to cover such behaviors], for example, laws governing reputational damage, he said.

Protecting a fake version of history

Wang Aizhong a rights activist based in the southern province of Guangdong, said the real reason behind the law is to prevent ordinary people from openly casting doubts or aspersions on the ruling Chinese Communist Partys official version of history.

I think there have been signs that this is coming for a while now, Wang said. They want to protect the Communist Partys fake version of history that it has been peddling for several decades now.

That includes narratives of these so-called martyrs; they want to try to maintain their legitimacy, he said.

Wang said the true history of the Communist Party has been one of usurping of political power, including the spreading of false historical narratives.

They are worried that these lies will continue to be exposed, to the extent that doubts begin to be cast on their legitimacy as a government, Wang said.

The Chinese Communist Party already retaliates harshly against anyone abusing late supreme leader Mao Zedong or his image, as this is held to represent an attack on the founding supreme leader of the People's Republic.

It also recently passed laws banning the desecration or insults to the national flag and other symbols of the Chinese state.

Three protesters  Yu Dongyue, Yu Zhijian, and Lu Decheng  who helped splatter Mao's portrait with red paint during the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement all served lengthy prison sentences during which they were subjected to torture and ill treatment.

In August 2015, Bi Fujian, a popular TV host for China's state-run broadcaster CCTV lost his job after a private joke at the expense of late supreme leader Mao Zedong that was leaked online.

Bi "used ridicule to harm the image of the older generation of the Communist Party and the [late] state leader," the China Discipline Inspection Daily, a newspaper affiliated with the country's top graft watchdog, said in an article at the time.

In the video, Bi is shown at a private dinner with friends, singing a parody of the revolutionary model opera Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, one of just eight operas approved for public consumption by Mao's wife Jiang Qing during the political turmoil of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).

Reported by Yang Fan for RFAs Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Chinese authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang have banned the use of Mongolian as a medium of instruction in the last high school to offer it, prompting an outcry among the countrys ethnic Mongolian community, RFA has learned.



Ethnic Mongolian pupils at the Bayingolin No. 3 High School in Xinjiangs Bayingolin (Bayinguoleng, in Chinese; Bayangol, in Mongolian) Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture will now be required to use Mandarin Chinese in all classes and assignments, under a Sept. 1 directive issued by Xinjiangs regional education department.



All classes offered in elementary and high schools must use Mandarin and written Chinese as the language of instruction, the document orders. They must also offer ethnic languages as a separate class.



Ethnic Mongolians, who number some 43,000 in Bayingolin, took to social media to decry the downgrading of their language from medium of instruction to elective course, the New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) said in a statement on its website.



The ethnic language mentioned in the document is offered as a single, separate, and elective course just like a foreign language, the group cited a Mongolian resident as saying. It is no longer the language of instruction for any other courses.



An ethnic Mongolian resident of the area said the community was stunned by the move.



The wider Mongolian community is in a huge state of shock over the ending of Mongolian as a language of instruction at schools in the Bayangolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, he said.



People are very concerned about Mongolian-language education in Xinjiang and also the continuation of Mongolian culture there, the resident said.



A nationwide policy



An official who answered the phone at the Bayingolin Bureau of Education confirmed the move, saying it is part of a nationwide policy to use only Mandarin as the language of instruction in Chinas schools.



Asked if there are plans to end all teaching in ethnic minority languages, or to ban the use of non-Chinese languages altogether in schools, the official declined to comment, however.



Im not too sure about that, and I cant really comment, but we will be using the national language [Mandarin] in education, he said.



The No. 3 High School was the last in the region to provide Mongolian-medium instruction, a Han Chinese teacher in the region told RFA on Friday.



It used to be called the Bayingolin Mongolian High School, before they changed it, the teacher said. But its not as if everything is being killed off with a single blow and you cant use ethnic minority languages any more. That wouldnt be appropriate.



But ethnic Mongolian dissident Hada said the move is part of a concerted effort by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to wipe out Mongolian in Chinese schools.



They have banned the use of Mongolian script and language across the board, Hada told RFA. This has caused huge anger among Mongolians around the world, not just in [Chinese-ruled] Inner Mongolia.



I strongly condemn the authorities, and call on them to take immediate measures to restore all of their constitutional rights to [Mongolians], he said.



Culture under attack



Germany-based ethnic Mongolian rights activist Xi Haiming said the Chinese government is trying to eradicate Mongolian culture within its borders.



Mongolians overseas are definitely not going to sit by and watch this happen, Xi said. The Chinese government should immediately halt this barbaric policy, and restore Mongolian-medium instruction in schools.



Parents said via social media that they would petition the government to change the decision, appealing to regional officials to rethink the move, SMHRIC said, citing social media posts.



It said many quoted 19th century French novelist Alphonse Daudet, who wrote in reference to the banning of French during the Prussian occupation of France: When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they have the keys to their prison.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFAs Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
North Korean soldiers staring at the South side at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, Nov. 27, 2017.

South Korean guards fired 20 warning shots across the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas on Thursday as a young North Korean soldier escaped to the South in heavy fog, the fourth defection by a soldier across the heavily militarized border this year, Seoul officials said.

Thursday's defection, which was accompanied by shooting on the North side, came just over a month after a North Korean soldier suffered gunshot wounds as he fled comrades in a dash across the border.

This morning, a North Korean soldier defected through our front line guard post in the center-western region. We followed normal strategy with our military guards and surveillance equipment, said Roh Jae-cheon, head of public affairs at South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Around 9:24 am, we broadcasted a warning and fired 20 warning shots using K-3 machine guns. The North Korean search team stopped approaching after we fired warning shots, he added.

We heard multiple rounds of gun shots at around 10:13 and 10:16. So far there have no harmful damage to the South Korean military, said Roh.

According to South Koreas tally, 15 North Koreans have defected directly to the South across the border or by sea, three times the figure last year. Most of the nearly 900 North Koreans whove fled to the South this year travel through China or Mongolia to Southeast Asian countries before being taken to South Korea.

Compared to last year, there have been an increased number of defections this year and we are looking into closely to see if there is any particular background for it, said a South Korean official, who declined to be identified.

On Nov. 13, a North Korean soldier was shot several times by his comrades as he sprinted across the border. The soldier, 24-year-old Oh Chong Song, underwent major surgery and is reported to be recovering in a military hospital outside Seoul.

Thursday's defector was described as "low-ranking" and did not appear to have been hit by any gunfire. The South's warning shots were not aimed at him, media reports said.

The defections come amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, as North Korea has stepped up testing of its missile and nuclear programs this year, drawing growing international pressure, including new UN sanctions and threats of military retaliation by the Donald Trump administration in Washington.

Around 30,000 North Koreans have fled to the far wealthier South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. According to South Koreas Unification Ministry data, 1,418 reached the South in 2016, while arrivals fell 16.8 percent from January to October of this year.

Reported by RFA's Korean service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Paul Eckert.






Five Lao Christians were detained by authorities in western Laoss Savannakhet province this month after a group in one village invited a pastor from a neighboring area to help organize Christmas celebrations, a local resident told RFAs Lao Service this week.



The invitation was a breach of regulations designed to restrict Christian practice in the provinces Phin district, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Early last week, as Christians in the Non Soung village of Phin district were preparing for Christmas celebrations, a Christian pastor from another village in the same district came to help organize the festivities, RFAs source said.



A couple of days later, district security guards arrested five Christiansfour from Non Soung village and the pastor who had come from the other village nearby, he said.



The five are still believed to be held in custody, with no word immediately available on their condition of present whereabouts, RFAs source said.



As a rule, villagers can hold Christmas celebrations only in their own village. People from other villages are not allowed to come over, the source said.



Also speaking to RFA, a Phin district official declined to discuss the arrests but confirmed that Christian observances in Phin are subject to a wide range of controls.



In general, Christians are still restricted in this district, the official said, also speaking on condition he not be named.



They are not allowed to teach from the Bible or to spread their religion to others, because Christianity is the religion of the Europeans and Americans, he said.



Worse in remote regions



Christians continued to be detained across Laos during last year, with a pastor in one village in Luang Prabang arrested for preaching to residents of another village, according to World Watch Monitor, a group tracking persecution of Christians worldwide.



In another case, more than 50 Christian residents of a village in Bolikhamxay province were ordered by other villagers to renounce their faith, and when they refused, one was gunned down and the others forced to flee, the rights group said.



Restrictions on both registered and unregistered minority religious groups, especially Protestants, remained disproportionately high in certain remote regions of Laos during 2016, the U.S. State Department said this year in an annual report.



NGOs stated the relatively decentralized nature of the government structure contributed to abuses on the part of local officials, some of whom were reportedly unaware of laws and policies protecting religious freedom or [were] unwilling to implement them, the State Department said.



Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Malaysian police carry a coffin containing the body of a Rohingya found in a human-smuggling camp, during a mass burial ceremony in Kedah, June 22, 2015.

Malaysia will investigate allegations of a police cover-up in the 2015 discovery of mass graves that held corpses of scores of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants at human-trafficking camps in the jungle, a senior government official said Thursday.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamad spoke to BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, after a local newspaper, the New Straits Times (NST), published an expose alleging that Malaysian authorities had known about the graves and camps close to Wang Kelian, a town near the Thai border in the northern state of Perlis, months before police publicly revealed the grim discovery.

The case on Wang Kelian has never been closed, Nur Jazlan told BenarNews. It is still ongoing. And what has been reported by New Straits Times will definitely be taken into account.

When NST broke the story a day earlier, its reporters questioned his boss, Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, about the explosive allegations.

Definitely, investigations into this must be carried out. I want the authorities to get to the bottom of this, Zahid told NST. There will be no closing of the Wang Kelian file.

In late May 2015, Malaysian police disclosed they had unearthed 106 corpses from 139 graves at abandoned human-smuggling camps near Wang Kelian. Earlier that month, officials in Thailand announced that similar graves of smuggled Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis were found at an abandoned camp in the jungle on the Thai side of the border.

Covered up

In its report, NST claimed it found a massive, coordinated cover-up by Malaysian law enforcement authorities near the border, saying a team of investigative journalists had pored over scores of official documents, checked reams of reports and sought out witnesses during the past two years.

One shocking discovery was that the authorities, particularly the Perlis police, knew the existence of these jungle camps in Wang Kelian in early January 2015, but had allegedly chosen not to do anything about them until half a year later, the report said.

According to the newspaper, about 150 bodies were found at the jungle camps. The victims were mostly Rohingya Muslims from Myanmars Rakhine state, it said.

The discovery of the graves and camps on both sides of the frontier led to a humanitarian crisis in Southeast Asia in May 2015, after Thailand launched a crackdown on human-smuggling syndicates and prevented boatloads of illegal migrants from landing on its southwestern shores.

As a result, about 3,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals, who were abandoned by their handlers, suddenly came ashore in neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia.

In July this year, a Thai court convicted and sentenced a former three-star general and 61 other defendants in Thailands largest human-trafficking case, which stemmed from the discovery of the graves near the Malaysian border two years ago.

The NST report claimed that Malaysian law-enforcement personnel, other than knowing about the camps existence, had also cleaned up the crime scene and were working together with the smuggling syndicates.

The newspaper questioned why Malaysian police had sent hundreds of men, including commandos, up the hill on May 11 when their own men had already taken photographic evidence and filed reports on Jan. 19 and March 13, 2015, about the existence of the camps.

A commando team that raided camps in January 2015 saw six cages, where scores of men and women were packed inside under the watchful eyes of foreign men armed with M-16 rifles, the report said.

On June 12, 2015, then-Perlis Police Chief Shafie Ismail told journalists that there were no elements of foul play and said the victims had died from hunger after post-mortems had been done on the remains. The cases were classified as sudden deaths.

The NST opened its expose by alleging that mass killings had taken place at the death camps in the jungles of Wang Kelian, but the report but did not delve into how people who were kept prisoner there were killed.

Foreigners charged

To date, Malaysia has only prosecuted four suspects in connection with the Wang Kelian case.

In March 2017, Zahid, the deputy prime minister, told parliament that four foreigners had been charged in connection with the mass graves. He said 12 police officers were arrested, but eventually released for lack of evidence.

On Thursday, attempts by BenarNews to reach the Perlis police chief and the Wang Kelian Special Investigation Team for reactions were unsuccessful.

Im on leave now. If it is about Wang Kelian, please refer to Bukit Aman as the special investigating team was from there, Azisman Alias, the chief of Perlis police, told BenarNews.

Calls to Malaysian Police Chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun and his deputy went unanswered.

For its report, however, NST managed to reach Khalid Abu Bakar, Malaysias former police chief, who was in charge when the graves at Wang Kelian were found.

The paper tracked the retired chief to a local bowling alley, where reporters confronted him with questions. Khalid spoke on condition that the conversation not be recorded, NST said.

The ex-chief appeared visibly apprehensive and when he finally spoke, his voice betrayed the enormity of what he was about to tell us, the paper said, adding it was bound by journalistic ethics not to publish what he had told us.

Without fear or favor

Meanwhile, the chairman of Malaysias Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) said he had faced difficulty obtaining information from law-enforcement agencies, particularly the police, when his panel began investigating the tragedy at Wang Kelian.

SUHAKAM has also requested information on the criminal investigation from the Ministry of Home Affairs to which no reply was received. No information on any progress made in the investigation thus far was supplied to SUHAKAM, Razali Ismail said in a statement Thursday.

Elsewhere, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), a human rights and law-reform group, called on the Malaysian government to set-up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to to seriously investigate these killing fields at our very own backyard.

In order to do so, the government must demonstrate political will to act and hold accountable all those involved, regardless of rank, status or connection, Eric Paulsen, the groups executive director, said in a statement.

Civil society has long believed that such extensive and brazen human trafficking operations for so many years under the noses of the Malaysian authorities would not have been possible without the direct or indirect cooperation and assistance of local authorities, he added.

Tenaganita, another local rights group, expressed shock over what it called the blatant complicity of the authorities in the alleged cover-up as reported by NST.

Human trafficking by criminals is a common phenomenon all over the world, but it is extremely agonizing when law enforcement agencies are found to be entrenched in the criminal activities, Tenaganita Executive Director Glorene A. Das said.

The reported cover-up of the activities of the human trafficking syndicates and the destruction of vital evidence need to be explained; those involved in it should be brought to book, without fear or favor, she said.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Myanmar journalists Thet Oo Maung (R), also known as Wa Lone, and Kyaw Soe Oo (L) in undated photos.

Myanmars National Human Rights Commission on Friday called on authorities to grant family access to two detained Reuters journalists who have been remanded in custody on charges of violating the Official Secrets Act.

Commissioner Yu Lwin Aung told RFAs Myanmar Service that the independent 11-member body that investigates complaints of possible human rights violations will issue a statement about the detentions as a first step and then send letters to President Htin Kyaw and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Authorities arrested Thet Oo Maung, also known as Wa Lone, and Kyaw Soe Oo on Dec. 12 for allegedly possessing illegal government documents about security forces in northern Rakhine state, where a military crackdown has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison.

We cant interfere in the judicial sector and dont have any rights to do it, he said, adding that the Myanmar Journalist Network has informed the commission that the families of the detained reporters havent seen them since they were arrested.

No one knows where they are and what their health conditions are, he said. Even their lawyers cant see them. Because of this information, seven commission members held a meeting this morning and decided to release a statement because the issue is related to human rights.

It seems the authorities who have detained these reporters havent recognized that what they are doing to them is a kind of violation of human rights, he said. We have been working to educate these authorities, but it isnt enough. I believe its our duty to educate these authorities about human rights.

Myint Kyaw from the Myanmar Journalist Network, said it is troubling for both the reporters families as well as for other journalists not knowing the fate of the reporters.

The family members are worried because they are their family; but for reporters, we are worried because we are getting a message from authorities that they can do whatever they want to us, he told RFA.

Reporters are fearful and reluctant to get news now because of whats happened with the detained reporters, he said It is something to worry about, and it can hurt press freedom.

The Myanmar Journalist Network is one of a dozen media organizations that has called on the government to free the reporters and has said that they reject their arrest because it poses a threat to press freedom.

Reuters reported on Friday that the two reporters have appeared in court and been remanded in custody, citing a police spokesman. The report also said that Pan Ei Mon, Thet Oo Maungs wife, said police informed her on Thursday that both men were well and that she was allowed to leave food and clothes for them.

Calls for release

The treatment of the two journalists adds to the global public relations troubles of democracy icon and de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is already under fire for her handling of the Rakhine state conflict that the two men were reporting on when they were detained.

An estimated 655,000 Rohingya have fled a brutal military crackdown in northern Rakhine that many world figures say amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Rights groups, Myanmar journalist associations, the European Union, the U.S. embassy in Yangon, and officials from other countries have called for the immediate and unconditional release of the pair who were working on stories about the violence.

No information on the journalists whereabouts has been released, and their families have been prevented from seeing them, leading some rights groups to fear that the two have been forcibly disappeared.

Burmese authorities should immediately release the two Reuters journalists whose detentions appear aimed at stopping independent reporting of the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya, Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Their secret, incommunicado detention lays bare government efforts to silence media reporting on critical issues, he said.

President Htin Kyaw authorized police to proceed with a case against Thet Oo Maung and Kyaw Soe Oo on the same day that the spokesman for Myanmars ruling National League for Democracy party described their arrest as entrapment.

Lawsuit against journal

The arrests of the two Reuters reporters are the latest in a string of detentions of and defamation lawsuits against journalists in Myanmar since de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her civilian-led National League for Democracy (NLD) party came to power in April 2016.

On Thursday, a court in Tanintharyi regions Dawei township said it will proceed with a regional governments defamation lawsuit against the Tanintharyi Weekly Journal for publishing a satirical article that some perceive to have insulted regional Chief Minister Le Le Maw.

Aye Lu, deputy director of southern Myanmars Tanintharyi region is suing the journal over the piece Politicking with a Smile published on Nov. 20, which has been interpreted as an attack on Le Le Maw.

The article describes how a female village administrator campaigning to be reelected was ridiculed by residents for admitting that she did not know how to run a ward. It seemed to allude to a previous admission to local media by Le Le Maw that she did not know how to run a regional administration.

We have known that we are subject to a lawsuit filing, but we havent received any official notice from court yet, said journal spokesman Myo Aung. We also dont know what we could be charged with.

If the journal is found guilty of defamation under Article 25(b) of the Media Law enacted under former president Thein Seins administration, the journal can be fined 300,000-1 million kyats (U.S. $220-$730).

RFA was unable to reach the regional government for comment on the lawsuit.

The Tanintharyi Weekly Journal is part of Dawei Watch, an underground news agency that covers the controversial Dawei Special Economic Zone in southeastern Myanmar and serves as source of news for local communities.

In July, Myanmars military filed a defamation suit in Yangon against the editor and columnist of the independent newspaper The Voice Daily under Article 25(b) of the Media Law for publishing a satirical article mocking a military propaganda film.

It was the first such case in which journalists have been sued under the 2014 statute.

By Thet Su Aung, Thinn Thiri, Waiyan Moe Myint and Kyaw Lwin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Myanmar soldiers walk away from a helicopter that took them to Maungdaw in western Myanmar's Rakhine state to track down attackers who staged deadly raids on border posts, Oct. 10, 2016.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on a Myanmar general who led the militarys brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the countrys violence-ridden northern Rakhine state.

Major General Maung Maung Soe, head of the Myanmar Armys Western Command during the military operation that has now driven more than 650,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh, is one of 52 people and entities that the U.S. has sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for alleged human rights violations and corruption.

He is the first high-level military officer to be named in the sanctions for overseeing the campaign of atrocities against the Rohingya.

Passed in 2016, the act imposes sanctions that freeze the assets that individuals or entities hold in the U.S., prevent them from using American financial institutions, and forbid Americans from doing business with them. The act is based on a law passed in 2012 designed to punish Russian officials who violated human rights or engaged in graft.

The U.S., United Nations, and rights groups have said that the atrocities the Myanmar military has committed against the Rohingya, including summary executions, the rape of Rohingya women and girls, killing of children, and arson, amount to ethnic cleansing.

The United States government 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, said a statement issued by the U.S. Treasury Department whose Office of Foreign Assets Control administers and enforces sanctions programs.

The U.S. has already banned top Myanmar military officers involved in the crackdown from participating in exchanges, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that the country is looking at others for possible inclusion on the sanctions list.

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 Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin in the statement issued by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Treasury is freezing their assets and publicly denouncing the egregious acts theyve committed, sending a message that there is a steep price to pay for their misdeeds, he said.

At the direction of President [Donald] Trump, Treasury and our interagency partners will continue to take decisive and impactful actions to hold accountable those who abuse human rights, perpetrate corruption, and undermine American ideals, Mnuchin said.

Others must be sanctioned

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-NY) lauded the decision to sanction Maung Maung Soe, but said others responsible for atrocities committed against the Rohingya must be added to the list as well.

I welcome the decision to add Maung Maung Soe to the Global Magnitsky list, he said in a statement issued Thursday. He should clearly be sanctioned for his role in committing atrocities against the Rohingya.

However, with 6,000 dead and thousands more raped, beaten, and displaced, it is clear Maung Maung Soe has not acted alone, Crowley said. The other military officials involved in the ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya must be sanctioned for their roles in this genocide. The United States has a moral obligation to act.

New York-based American Jewish World Service (AJWS), a New York-based organization dedicated to human rights and poverty eradication around the world, also welcomed the new sanctions but insisted that the U.S. must do more to stop attacks against the Rohingya and achieve justice for them.

Sanctioning Maung Maung Soe, the former western commander responsible for the military in the Rakhine state, is a small but crucial first step in holding these perpetrators of atrocities against the Rohingya people accountable, and sending the clear message that the United States is serious about using diplomacy to promote the safety and dignity of the Rohingya people, said Robert Bank, president and chief executive officers of AJWS, in a statement.

Additional sanctions should be imposed on other military actors who are guilty of perpetrating this horrific violence  in particular Burmese military commander [Senior] General Ming Aung Hlaing  and businesses owned by the military that finance its operations, he said.

Nyan Win, spokesman for Myanmars ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, said the sanctions will have a detrimental effect on the countrys ongoing transition to democracy under de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

U.S. sanctions on Myanmar can hurt the relationship between Myanmar and the U.S. but may not amount to that much, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. They will definitely harm Myanmars path to democracy, but we have to wait and see how serious it will be.

The Myanmar government and army have consistently denied allegations of human rights violations and justified the military operations in northern Rakhine as a response to deadly attacks on police outposts by Rohingya militants in late August.

Rohingya Muslim refugees from northern Rakhine state in Myanmar walk down a hillside in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh, Nov. 26, 2017. AFP Satellite images, survivor testimony



Aung San Suu Kyi has come under heavy fire by the international community first for not speaking up about the crisis, and then for not doing anything to stop the militarys slaughter in northern Rakhine.

Min Aung Hlaing, who met with Tillerson in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw in mid-November to discuss the situation in volatile Rakhine state, has supported the findings of a military investigation team that determined that soldiers had conducted the security operations in accordance with their duty assignments and the law, and had not used excessive force.

A statement issued on Min Aung Hlaings Facebook page on Nov. 13 also said that all subsequent clashes between security forces and Muslim militants occurred between Aug. 25 and Sept. 5, the date on which the military operation ended.

Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh and rights groups, however, contend that attacks by security forces and Buddhist mobs had still occurred after that date.

Right groups have also issued reports with satellite images of burned villages and testimonies by Rohingya in refugee camps in Bangladesh who survived the massacre.

Earlier this week, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued satellite images showing 40 Rohingya villages destroyed by fire in northern Rakhine state since October and November, while Myanmar and Bangladeshi officials were discussing a plan to repatriate refugees.

The identification of 40 new burned villages increased to 354 the total number of Rohingya communities partially or fully destroyed by the violence since Aug. 25, HRW said.

The Geneva-based international aid group Doctors Without Borders issued a report last week that said at least 6,700 Rohingya Muslims were killed during the first month the crackdown that began in late August, based on interviews with Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh marking the highest death toll given to date.



Safe for repatriation

The sanctions come as Myanmar is preparing to accept back Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh under a repatriation deal the two nations signed on Nov. 23.

The agreement allows refugees to return voluntarily to Myanmar if they can prove prior residency and show that they left after Oct. 9, 2016, when another military crackdown in response to smaller-scale attacks by Muslim militants drove out tens of thousands of Rohingya.

Though Win Myat Aye, Myanmars minister of social welfare, relief, and resettlement, has said that repatriations will get underway on Jan. 22, rights groups have argued that many Rohingya will not want to return because they have lost their homes and farmland.

The groups also point out that the Rohingya will continue to face repression and discrimination in Myanmar, where they are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and are denied citizenship and access to basic services.

On Friday, however, Win Myat Aye told reporters at his ministry in the capital Naypyidaw that conditions in northern Rakhine state are safe enough for the refugees to return.

More security guards have been deployed, and the security level has been raised in the Maungdaw area, he said, referring to the township in northern Rakhine that was the focal point of the crackdown.

The United Nations has cautioned that the repatriation plan must not be carried out in haste and that its refugee agency (UNHCR) should be involved.

The Myanmar government first will resettle Hindu residents driven from their villages by Muslim militants during the crackdown before it begins repatriating the Rohingya.

Reported by Thinn Thiri and Win Ko Ko Latt for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Recent government efforts to link northwest Chinas majority Uyghur Xinjiang region to territorial claims associated with an ancient Chinese imperial dynasty lack scientific standing and are part of a bid by Beijing to legitimize repressive policies in the area, according to scholars.



Beijing has made repeated claims it says are based on ancient literature that China established the Protectorate of the Western Regions in 60 B.C., during the 202 B.C.-A.D. 8 period of the Western Han Dynasty, which exercised military and administrative jurisdiction over what is now Xinjiang.



But in a report last week, the official Xinhua news agency announced that on Dec. 8, Chinese historians, archaeologists, ethnologists, and research scholars took part in a conference in Bugur (in Chinese, Luntai) county, in Xinjiangs Bayingholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture, to study a significant breakthrough in locating the site of the Protectorate.



During the conference, specialists and researchers delivered speeches on topics including The Rule of the Uyghur Region Under the Protectorate of the Western Region, Chinese Culture to Become The Leading Culture in Xinjiang, and the location of the Protectorate.



The article did not mention the site of the archaeological dig in Bugur or any of the evidence to support the claim.



A day later, Xinhua reported that after four years of archaeological study, researchers had basically confirmed that the so-called Yuqikate ancient city, near Aksu (Akesu) prefectures Toksu (Xinhe) county, was the location of the Protectorate during the A.D. 25-220 period of the Eastern Han Dynasty.



Based on the city size, unearthed relics and literature, archaeologists from institutions in Xinjiang and Beijing have confirmed that the city was the Protectorate of the Western Regions during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the report said.



While the Chinese historian Ban Gu (A.D. 32-92) mentions the Protectorate of the Western Regions in his Book of Han, which was completed after his death in A.D. 111 and covers the period of the Western Han Dynasty, he fails to provide an exact location or evidence of his claim of its existence.



The recent claims about the Protectorate follow a speech in August this year by chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Yu Zhengsheng, who called for the correcting of the wrong understanding of Xinjiangs history, ethnicity, religion, and culture, and an earlier statement by Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo urging archaeologists to remember that Xinjiang has always been Chinese territory.



Laughable claims



Overseas historians have challenged the Chinese governments claims about the Protectorate, while Uyghur groups in exile say the assertions are part of a bid by Beijing to further exert control over Xinjiang, where members of the mostly Muslim ethnic group complain of religious and cultural repression and harassment under Chinese rule.



Zhu Shuyuan, a Chinese historian living in the U.S., told RFAs Uyghur Service that the Protectorate of the Western Regions only exists on paper and called the claim laughable.



It is possible that the army of the Han Dynasty travelled to the southern areas of [Xinjiang capital] Urumqi in the western region, but the number of soldiers were few, he said.



In reality, they have never ruled the region, neither did they collect taxes from the people. The number one factor in governing a region is that the residents must pay taxes, which are collected by the army.



Representatives of a state cannot claim a distant land simply because they have travelled there, Zhu said.



If that was the case  Marco Polo visited Chinacan we say that China belongs to Marco Polo and the Italians? he asked.



Such claims bear no scientific value. It is laughable to think that the Chinese claim the territory simply because their people visited the region.



U.S.-based Uyghur Kahar Barat, an independent researcher specializing in Uyghur and Chinese history and the culture of the Silk Road, told RFA that Beijings claims have no scientific standing.



The Chinese governments intention is to establish historical evidence in order to support their territorial expansion and repressive policy in the Uyghur region, he said.



At that time, [the dynasty was based] in Changan [in modern day Shanxi provinces Xian city] or Luoyang [in Henan province], but they established the Protectorate of the Western Region. If that is so, then even Iran and the Arab territories could have become part of China. This is not something you can sit and declare, it requires authentic and historical evidence.



Barat noted that the claims of a Protectorate were first written during the Han Dynasty from a one-sided perspective in a book that provides no historic or archaeological evidence.



That is the basis upon which the Chinese government has put so much effort into furthering this claim, he said.



Expansionist intentions



Ilshat Hassan, the president of Washington-based exile group Uyghur American Association (UAA), said claims by Beijing that Xinjiang is an inseparable part of China have no historic basis.



He noted that the name Xinjiang translates to New Territory in the Chinese language, suggesting it had not always been occupied by China.



The Peoples Republic of China, which was formed by Mao Zedong in 1949, was not the successor to the Han Dynasty, which ended in A.D. 220, Hassan said, and therefore cannot legally claim the territories allegedly occupied by the Han at that time.



He said such claims are as ridiculous as if the Mongolian government claimed that China has been an inseparable part of Mongolia since ancient times because the Mongols occupied it for nearly two centuries during the reign of Genghis Khan, or if the Italian government claimed all of the territories formerly occupied by the Roman Empire.



This claim only proves the Chinese Communist Partys imperialistic mindset and expansionist intentions, he said.



Reported by Jilil Kashgari for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A court in Vietnams Ha Nam Province upheld a 9-year prison sentence for human rights activist Tran Thi Nga on Friday, rejecting her appeal of her conviction for spreading "propaganda against the State" in a hearing that sparked protests by activists who were then beaten by police.

A human rights defender noted in Vietnam for her online activism, Nga, 40, was sentenced on July 25 to nine years in prison and five years under Article 88 of Vietnams penal code, a provision frequently used to silence dissident bloggers and other activists.

Attorney Ha Huy Son, one of the lawyers who represent Nga, told RFAs Vietnamese Service that Ngas rights were violated throughout the procedures and that she looked thin and in poor health.

The collection of evidence was not in accordance with legal process, said Son.

There is no legal evidence to support the charges against Ms. Tran Thi Nga. The court heard our defense, but they didnt consider any of the information we provided, he added.

Son complained that assessors assigned to the case merely sent in written statements without attending the hearing. Defense requests to postpone the hearing to hear the assessments delivered in person were rejected.

Vietnam does not currently have any laws regulating the assessment of citizens' thoughts. But assessment documents are still used, and in this case the assessment of citizens thoughts served as the basis for conviction, Son told RFA.

Son and two other lawyers attended Fridays hearing, but her husband and other relatives were kept out of the court room.

Outside of the courtroom, activists who gathered to support Nga were beaten when they tried to record videos in a scene of blanket repression.

All the teahouses and coffee shops were closed off by public security officers. Police and security forces were all around the court area, Nguyen Thuy Hanh, an activist from Hanoi who went to Ha Nam province to support Nga, told RFA.

After we parked our motorbikes, we were roughly loaded into a car. Not one person was left outside. They captured us all, Hanh added.

He said a least nine people were detained at the scene, including Nga's husband Phan Van Phong, and taken to the local government office in Tran Hung Dao ward.

This is an extremely wrong, unfair sentence to Thuy Nga as well as to human rights activists. Thuy Nga's actions are beneficial to the society; she has done nothing wrong. This harsh sentence is a flagrant disregard of human rights, said Hanh.

Among activists from Hanoi who were detained outside the court house were Mai Phuong Thao, Nguyen Thuy Hanh, Hoang Lan, Trinh Dinh Hoa, Truong Van Dung.

Thao later posted on Facebook that she was beaten in the ribs by about 10 thugs, while police looked on. Relatives of Dung told RFA that after he was released, Dungs phone was taken by two plainclothes policemen while he waited for a bus back to Hanoi.

Nga, who has two children, is well known for defending the rights of Vietnamese migrant workers and victims of government land grabs, and in May 2014 suffered serious injury when she was assaulted by a group of men wielding metal pipes.

The seizure of land for development, often without due process or fair compensation for displaced residents, is a major cause of protests in Vietnam and other authoritarian Asian countries, including China and Cambodia.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
The State Corporation Commission has ordered Dominion Energy to install a new transmission line under, instead of over, the Rappahannock River near the Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge between Greys Point and White Stone.

The commission also said a line with the same capacity as the existing one, 115 kilovolts, is sufficient to meet energy needs for the Northern Neck area. Dominion had offered a slightly more expensive 230-kilovolt option for the SCCs consideration.

Dominion says it does not intend to appeal the decision.

The SCC has confirmed this rebuild project is needed and will improve electric reliability for the 19,000 homes and businesses in the Northern Neck area that depend on us. We look forward to completing this much-needed project, Dominion spokesman David Botkins said in a statement. That number includes electric cooperatives that are served by Dominion.

During frequent maintenance of the Norris Bridge, which many residents and local officials have thus far unsuccessfully pushed the Virginia Department of Transportation to replace, the existing power lines attached to it have to be de-energized for workers safety. Since 2010, the SCC says, the line has been de-energized about 50 percent of the time because of VDOT maintenance, leaving the only source of power to the area a nearly 30-mile radial line that makes the area more vulnerable to longer outages.

Over the past year, VDOT has been painting the bridges center spans and making repairs to its structural steel.

Attachment of the replacement line to the Norris Bridge is no longer feasible in that it does not meet the need identified herein, the commission said. Increased maintenance, inspections and superstructure study by VDOT will result in extended outages of the line if attached to the bridge, which may further result in violation of mandatory North American Reliability Corporation reliability standards.

The underwater option is projected to cost as much as $84 million, Dominion says, more than three times the cost of the $25 million overhead route Dominion pushed.

Dominion had proposed rebuilding about 2.2 miles of an existing 115-kilovolt transmission line, including a 1.9-mile segment that crosses the river, part of which is currently attached to the bridge. Dominion wanted to replace that with 10 steel structures, ranging from 102 to 173 feet high, on concrete pilings in the river about 100 feet east of the bridge.

However, several local governments, a coalition of local residents and business owners, and the owner of a riverfront restaurant in White Stone, Willabys Cafe, had objected to the overhead plan as detrimental to the scenic views from the bridge. Other concerns included boater safety.

In a statement, the restaurant owner, William Barnhardt, called the SCCs decision a courageous ruling that will protect and preserve one of Virginias precious assets.

Barnhardt launched the legal battle over the transmission line when he sought and won a judgment that required Dominion to file a formal application and secure SCC approval prior to building the project.

They took the position they didnt need the approval of the SCC to do it, said Michael York, an attorney who represented Barnhardt.

York also took issue with Dominions cost projections, saying an expert witness with long experience in the electric transmission industry said the underwater crossing could be achieved for $24 million or less.

We are absolutely convinced this can be done ... more economically, York said.

The commission has approved and rejected underwater transmission lines in the past, perhaps most notably when it rejected requests from preservationists to consider an underwater option for Dominions 500-kilovolt, 4-mile crossing of the James River near Historic Jamestowne, which it deemed not technically viable to construct and operate. The commission did approve a lower capacity, 3-mile crossing of the York River.
On a frigid day in January 1945, the Soviet Army liberated more than 7,000 remaining inmates of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, including an 11-year-old Dutch Jewish girl named Rosalia Cato Kats.

She weighed only 36 pounds and had lost her hair. Sores blanketed her body. Despite starvation, horrific abuse and the effects of Nazi medical experimentation, she was alive.

She was Rosalia Kaplan when she died at age 83 on Monday in a hospital in the Richmond area, where she had lived for the past 14 years.

Mrs. Kaplan, who was honored at a graveside service Friday in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk, learned to live by her wits at a tender age.

Born in The Hague, she grew up in an architects family with her elder brother, Max, in Scheveningen, a beach resort that was part of The Hague. Her paternal grandparents were religious but not Orthodox. Her maternal grandparents were.

My grandfather was really the one who made sure we went to temple every Friday night and observed everything, Mrs. Kaplan said in a 2006 oral history with the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Although Holland was a neutral country, Hitlers army invaded it in a lightning strike on May 10, 1940, when she was 6 years old. Four days later, Nazi bombers flattened Rotterdam, where her father worked. Dutch forces capitulated the next day.

Mrs. Kaplan chafed at the yellow Star of David the occupiers forced her to wear. Once, I wouldnt wear it because my mother had just made me a new dress and I wanted to show it to my grandmother. She lived down the street, Mrs. Kaplan said in her oral history.

I ran out of the house and someone recognized me. The Germans picked me up and took me to a house not too far from us. They made me clean bicycles for three days. ... I was 7 years old and very rebellious.

By 1941, the Germans had already deported her paternal grandparents and a maternal uncle, his wife and their five children.

When it dawned on Mrs. Kaplans mother that it could happen to them, she scheduled surgery to remove a healthy appendix in order to access the Resistance and learn how her family might go into hiding. While she was in the hospital, the Germans took her husband, son and Rosalia to a local deportation center. The week her father was given to get his wife out of the hospital bought them enough time to go into hiding.

They put my brother in a place, my father in another place and me in another place, Mrs. Kaplan recalled. When I got there, these people put me in the attic and told me I was never supposed to come down. I ran out. These people said they couldnt keep me because I wouldnt stay put. They told me I couldnt see my mommy and daddy. I didnt want to hear of that, and I cried and cried.

Mrs. Kaplans mother left the hospital and went into hiding, and Rosalia was left behind, alone. Her maternal grandmother, Hannah Kats, came out of hiding to help Rosalia find another hiding place, but wound up sending Rosalia running out the back door as the Germans came to take her out the front door.

Rosalia hid in a neighbors closet. Her uncle found her and took her far away to the tiny house of a milkmans family in Friesland, where she stayed in the attic of an aunts former maid while the family slept in closets in the living room.

Because no place was safe for long, they moved her to the maids brothers houseboat, which was easy to hide in tall grasses along the Dutch rivers.

Next came the family of a man who took care of a bridge that opened and closed for ships. By day, she lived in his house and, by night, she slept in a little rowboat in the river grasses. Eventually, the Germans discovered she was there, came to fetch her and when they couldnt find me, they burned the house down, thinking I would run out, Mrs. Kaplan said.

I stayed in the rowboat by myself several weeks. I ate duck eggs from (nests) in the high grass.

When it was safe, she went to a family who had a printing press in their basement. They printed news from BBC broadcasts, and Rosalia helped distribute it at night.

Always moved in the middle of the night, she was with a 22-year-old member of the underground in the countryside on the way to her next hiding place when the Germans spotted them and gave chase, shooting into the air. They jumped into a ditch, where the young man shielded her with his arms. A bullet struck and killed her protector.

Rosalia fled to a farmhouse, where a family hid her deep in a haystack next to their house. On her trail, the Germans stabbed the stacks with pitchforks but did not strike her.

Her next family had a hiding place behind a false wall padded with mattresses, so it would ring solid when Germans tested the walls. When Germans came to search their city for Jews, the brother of the farm owner came by night and took Rosalia to safety. The Germans shot his farmer brother to death when they could not locate Rosalia.

They told me once that I had lived in something like 20 different places, she noted. Rescuers shared meager rations and tried to make their outgrown clothes smaller to fit her.

She recalled the loneliness. I became very distrustful of people, she said. People were very good to me where I lived, but I knew I was not going to be staying there long. Its like children here who go from foster place to foster place. After a while, they dont know where they belong. I didnt belong to any of the families. They were all strangers. You never got to really know the people because they had a life upstairs while you sat by yourself downstairs.

There was never enough to eat. One day, she left a safe house and passed a school where they were cooking peas. I stuck my hand into the burning water to get the peas, and I was so hungry I didnt even feel it. My skin came off and I was for a long time with a bandage for my hand. You (did) anything to get food, she said.

It is very hard to save a child. It was very hard to keep a small child in such a small area by itself. I always have been one who wanted to explore and go and see. People dont realize that all these people who helped me  and there were quite a few  put their life on the line. If the Germans found out, those people would be taken, too.

Her luck ran out at the end of 1944 when the Germans made a surprise raid at the home of a man who owned a paint store and was sheltering her.

Someone (in the family) told on us, Mrs. Kaplan said.

She ran out of the house, with the Germans shooting at her as she zigzagged down the street. When someone came down the opposite end of the street, she was trapped.

She went to jail with the dress she had on and barefoot, because she had outgrown her shoes. The SS officer who ran the jail was sympathetic because he had a daughter of the same age at home: He gave her food and a pair of his slippers and told her he was in the military because the penalty was death for refusing to serve. She stayed in several camps before going to Auschwitz.

After the war, her parents went their separate ways, and she became estranged from her mother and brother, but stayed with them until she was old enough to leave. From 1945 to 1952, she was in and out of the hospital, with many surgeries, and went to school, including an art school.

To make money, she sewed for a department store and painted Dutch scenes on china. In the early 50s, she moved out and worked on a cruise ship, a banana boat and anywhere that would pay her. When the cruise ship stopped in New Zealand, she stayed and found a good job.

In 1956, Mrs. Kaplan moved to Norfolk with her mother, who returned to Holland six months later. She married and started a family and was active in the Jewish community. From 1962 until 1976, she spoke to middle school students about her Holocaust experience.

In the mid-1980s, the brother of the shot-dead farmer who had sheltered her got in touch. He had moved with his family to Canada.

He said to me, Im the one that took you from my brothers house at 2 oclock in the morning on my bicycle to another place. I always wondered what happened to you, Mrs. Kaplan said.

She said students often asked her why she didnt hate the people who abused her. I always say, there were good and bad and, if you hate, you only hate yourself and nobody else cares. You are going to be the one eaten up by it. I want people to know that there were people who hid a child, a little child, and could have lost their lives with it, as one man and a young boy did.

It wasnt all camp and German soldiers, but there was good in life, and maybe thats what made me stronger as a human being, because I realized when I got older that people did that for me, and that is something I want to talk about, to talk about the good these people did.

When she was asked why she wasnt bitter, she replied: If you are bitter or if you feel like they owe you things, its only in your mind and your heart and you can become so obsessed with it that you dont know how you can harm yourself.

I have been beaten. It took a lot of doctors to put me together again. I have been raped and had to go on with that. I had a lot of obstacles in my life and no help other than some of the doctors. I left home when I was 17 and immigrated to New Zealand before I came here. You can make it on your own if you have to. If you cant find it in the center city, work your way out of it and find it somewhere else.

We havent learned much (from the Holocaust). Life is precious. We cant take it for granted. Everyone is born a good person, but were made bad by circumstances, and these circumstances are still going on because we are looking at me, what is good for me, and not what is good for the whole. As long as we are satisfied and I get what I want and what I get, the world is still a lot the same.

Her husband, Abraham Kaplan, whom she nursed through Alzheimers disease, died in 2011.
Many people have an exasperating tale about a construction contractor who didnt get the job done. Shoddy work. Stopped showing up. Took the money and ran. But those dont compare to the tale of Daniel Jamison, a contractor who had a string of fraud-related convictions when he was hired and paid by a Fairfax County man to do a $41,000 home remodeling job.

Jamison did some work on the home, then vanished. The homeowner had him charged with construction fraud. So Jamison took his own action: He hired a hit man to kill the homeowner.

Jamison agreed to pay $500 for the murder weapon, $10,000 for the killing, and then falsely told the hit man that the homeowner had stacks of cash and Rolex watches in the house that the killer could keep after he committed the murder. All of this information is on video, because the hit man was actually a Fairfax County police officer.

Jamison did not end up paying the hit man anything, but he did end up charged with solicitation to commit first-degree murder, a crime so rarely charged in Virginia there are no sentencing guidelines for it.

Last Friday, after Jamison made a tearful apology in court but claimed he never intended to kill anyone, a Fairfax judge told him I dont believe a word of your story and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. And ordered him to stay 1,000 feet away from the homeowner when he gets out, at all times.

The homeowner, Stephen Mann, from the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, declined to comment. Fairfax prosecutors said he remained truly terrified of Jamison and has limited his familys activities around their home after being targeted for murder.

Mann hired Jamison in February 2016 to remodel his home, signing a contract and paying Jamison about $41,000, court records show.

Prosecutors said Jamison began working but then stopped in early May, having performed roughly a third of the project. Jamisons attorney, Toni Fay, said Jamison had been injured and couldnt work, but she didnt specify what the injury was or why that wasnt made clear to Mann.

Jamison had prior experience with failing to complete work, court records show. In 2006, he pleaded guilty in both Arlington and Stafford counties to felony construction fraud, and was sentenced to two years in prison, a year in each county served consecutively. And in 2011 in Fairfax, Jamison pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of working without a contractors license. He was given 12 months suspended jail time on both.

In August 2016, having failed to obtain any funds from Jamison or to get him to finish the job, Mann went to the police and obtained a felony obstruction fraud charge. This inspired Jamison to take action.

In mid-August, Jamison approached a young woman he knew had previously been in jail, Fairfax Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Meghan Flesch said at the sentencing hearing. Jamison asked if she knew anybody who would take care of the victim in this case. The young woman asked Jamison to clarify his request. You know, Take care of, take care of, Flesch said.

Court records indicate that Jamison told the woman he was in a bunch of trouble in Alexandria, and that whoever handled the job could have whatever was in (Manns) safe as a bonus, even though Mann had no safe.

The young woman relayed this request to an ex-girlfriend of Manns, who informed Mann of the situation. Mann called Fairfax police.

An undercover Fairfax detective took over, meeting with the young woman and learning that Jamison had called her again, asking if someone had been found for the job, court records state. The woman arranged a dinner meeting with Jamison, herself and the detective, which the detective secretly audio-recorded, according to court records.

During that conversation on Aug. 26, 2016, Jamison falsely told the detective there were two safes in the house and that he had installed them, Senior Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Jessica Greis Edwardson wrote in a court filing.

Jamison told the detective Mr. Manns schedule and what kind of car he drives, Greis Edwardson said. He also talked about the general location of Mr. Manns house and how easy it would be to get in the back door. Jamison and the detective agreed that Jamison would pay half the contract killing fee up front, that the hit man could keep whatever he took from the house and Jamison would pay him the rest.

Five days later, after an exchange of texts, Jamison and the detective met again. This time, the two took a drive together, recorded on video. The video shows Jamison directing his hit man to Manns house, and discussing possible escape routes the killer could take.

I can give you the layout of the (expletive) house like nobodys business, Jamison confidently informs the detective. Done a (expletive) of work in the house.

Looking at the back of Manns house from a nearby street, Jamison tells the detective, When you come up to the top of the stairs, his room is going to be on the right.

At one point, the detective cleverly asks Jamison when his next court date is. November 7, Jamison says, correctly noting his next scheduled appearance in the construction fraud case Mann had brought against him. Flesch noted that Jamisons murder plot was also a case of trying to get rid of a witness against him in a pending court case.

When can you come up with some money? the detective asks. Jamison says, In about three weeks. A few minutes later, the detective tells him, Normally its 10 grand. Five up front, and five on the back end. But there seems to be an agreement that Jamison will first pay $3,500, plus another $500 for the gun, and that the hit man will be able to loot Manns safe.

Jamison and the detective exchanged a number of texts after the drive to Manns house, trying to arrange another meeting, but then prosecutors reviewed the audio and video tapes the detective already had and instructed police to arrest him, Fairfax police Lt. Tom Harrington said.

He seems to make a living on this type of fraud, Flesch said. This is someone who planned a murder over several weeks to rid himself of a legal problem that he got himself into. Flesch asked Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Michael Devine to impose a maximum sentence of 40 years.

Fay argued that Mr. Jamison injured himself and wasnt able to work and that Mr. Mann got upset. He used the defendants past to turn what should have been a civil matter into a criminal matter, meaning the construction fraud case, which she noted was dismissed, though at the same time his murder-for-hire case was taken to the grand jury.

Jamisons position, Fay said, is he jokingly made contact with the young woman who made the connection with the Fairfax police, and he knew this guy was a cop. He didnt say the M word. He didnt exchange any money. ... He proceeded to tell the detective some things about Mr. Mann that werent true. ... He thought, if its not true, he cant get himself in trouble. In the scheme of things, Mr. Mann was never in trouble.

Fay incorrectly claimed that Jamison had no contact with the detective after their first dinner meeting, and noted that Jamison had been in jail without bond since his arrest in October 2016. She asked Devine to release him for his 14 months already served.

Jamison entered an Alford plea in September, meaning he did not admit committing the crime but acknowledging the state had enough evidence to convict him. Devine then found him guilty.

I realize that my actions were wrong, Jamison told the judge. He said he wanted to tell Mann how sorry he was for this entire bunch of nonsense that I created. I am truly sorry for my actions.

Devine was unswayed.
Time magazine has put together a list of its Top 10 photos of the year, and Ryan M. Kellys photo of a vehicle running into a crowd during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12 made the list.

The attack killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer, and last week the city of Charlottesville formally designated a section of Fourth Street Northeast as Honorary Heather Heyer Way.

A grand jury last week indicted James Alex Fields Jr. on all 10 charges he faced in the car attack that killed Heyer, including first-degree murder. Fields faces a penalty of 20 years to life in prison on the murder charge.

In a preliminary hearing on Thursday, prosecutors upgraded the charge from second- to first-degree murder.

Kelly is a former staff photographer at The Daily Progress and now lives in Richmond.
NORFOLK  A Virginia man who authorities say wanted to carry out a terrorist attack and tried to fund Islamic State extremists has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors say 27-year-old Lionel Williams of Suffolk was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Norfolk. He had pleaded guilty in August to terrorism charges.

The case against Williams began after authorities say he pledged allegiance to terrorists on Facebook. Federal agents soon learned the man owned an assault rifle.

Authorities said Williams told undercover FBI agents that he wanted to attack hard targets, such as police officers, and that he wanted to commit a local martyrdom operation. He was arrested in late December.

Court documents said he also gave informants $250, which he believed was going to fund the Islamic State in Iraq.
An adorable fox turns its head to listen to the toots from brightly colorful boats in a scene from a newly published book written by one of Hollins Universitys most celebrated graduates: Margaret Wise Brown.

Since Thanksgiving, new mothers at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital have received free copies of Four Fur Feet, given by a nonprofit called Turn the Page. Award-winning illustrator Ruth Sanderson, a Hollins professor, gave Browns poem for children a whole new look. The university printed the book exclusively for use by Turn the Page.

Brown (1910-1952), a Brooklyn native who earned an English degree from Hollins in 1932, is best known today for the timeless picture books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, illustrated by Clement Hurd. Four Fur Feet, written for the same very young audience, has been published more than once since Browns death but has gone out of print.

With a refrain repeated like the chorus of a song, the simple poem describes a four-footed furry creatures wanderings on a warm summer day.

We had a really fun morning on Thanksgiving, said Roanoke attorney Lauren Ellerman, founder of Turn the Page. Carilion Clinic President and CEO Nancy Agee and Hollins University President Pareena Lawrence joined Turn the Page volunteers in handing out fresh-printed copies of the new book. Hollins has given 5,000 copies to Turn the Page.

Ellerman founded Turn the Page four years ago. The all-volunteer organizations goal is to promote early literacy in the Roanoke Valley, and one of the ways it pursues that goal is by providing newborns with a book to be read to them. Books shouldnt be a luxury, Ellerman said.

The path Four Fur Feet took to new publication began about three years ago with three Hollins associate professors: Anna Baynum, a Turn the Page board member who specializes in early childhood education; Tiffany Pempek, who teaches developmental psychology; and English faculty member Julie Pfeiffer. Baynum and Pempek wanted Hollins to create a picture book for Turn the Page. Pfeiffer suggested they consider the Margaret Wise Brown manuscripts kept in the university archives.

To honor and continue the legacy of Margaret Wise Brown, her sister, Dr. Roberta Rauch, gifted the rights to a number of Margarets manuscripts to Hollins, wrote Kerry Edmonds, the universitys vice president of finance and administration.

With blessings from the Brown estate, Baynum and Pempek chose Four Fur Feet. Pfeiffer suggested that for illustrations they tap Massachusetts artist Sanderson, who co-directs the M.F.A. program in childrens book writing and illustrating at Hollins.

I was thrilled to collaborate with Anna and Tiffany on this project, and I enjoyed interpreting this sweet story and giving it a new life for the early literacy project at Hollins, Sanderson wrote in an email.

She has signed copies for sale on her website, ruthsanderson.com.

Hollins is using Four Fur Feet to launch a new program, the Early Literacy Project Award. The idea is that students in the M.F.A. program are encouraged to submit childrens book proposals. The winning writer and artist team can receive tuition grants, and their book will be published by Hollins for use by Turn the Page. The next book in the series, scheduled to be published in October 2018, is about caregivers and babies, written by Jen Wood and illustrated by Lucy Rowe.

In addition, Mike Franke, president of the Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association, set Browns poem to music and recorded it. The song can be heard at www.hollinsearlyliteracyproject.org.

Four Fur Feet isnt the only book Turn the Page gives to parents of newborns at Carilion. In 2014, Turn the Page began giving new moms a picture book called Roanoke Baby, created by the Roanoke Public Libraries with funding from the Roanoke-based Life Ring Foundation and illustrated by California artist Paige Garrison. Roanoke Baby can also be purchased at Roanoke city libraries for $10. Proceeds go to the Roanoke Public Library Foundation to support the Star City Reads program.

As of now, Turn the Page gives all new moms Roanoke Baby and Four Fur Feet, and families of children who need to be tended to in Carilions neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric intensive care unit receive additional books, Ellerman said.

For more about Turn the Page, visit www.turnthepageva.org.
When the first cop car pulled up outside his house, Steve Goodwin became curious. Then familiar faces started leading ponies and donkeys into his yard.

These are my people, he said, looking around at the group of veterans, New Freedom Farm volunteers and law enforcement gathered on his lawn. They mean so much.

The crowd, bedecked in Santa hats and reindeer horns, gathered Thursday at Goodwins northeast Roanoke home to bring the Vietnam U.S. Army veteran holiday cheer. But the surprise event was also an effort to bring a piece of New Freedom Farm to 71-year-old Goodwin, who has been housebound for weeks while battling lung cancer. The non-profit horse sanctuary, located in Buchanan, provides a place where veterans suffering from PTSD can interact with animals and find camaraderie with other former military members.

Before I got to where I couldnt get out much, Id tell my wife, I need to go to the farm. And sometimes shed tell me, You need to go to the farm,  Goodwin said. Its just that therapeutic to be around animals and other vets.

Lois Fritz, the owner of New Freedom Farm, said the facility also offers a support group three times a week, as well as volunteer opportunities. The farm is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for veterans of any service branch.

We have 19 equines, she said. All have been rescued from slaughter houses and abusive situations.

After he attended New Freedom Farms grand opening in October 2016, Goodwin said he became hooked, volunteering where he could and making friends with the farms many four-legged residents.

Theres one mule named Maury. He was abused and he was very stand-offish back in January, Goodwin said. Now when I pull in, he recognizes the car, and hell come up to the fence and start braying until I get out of the car and give him a carrot.

Most of the carolers who came to Goodwins home Thursday were veterans or volunteers associated with the farm. But Salem and Roanoke police officers also provided seasons greetings.

When the ensemble searched for another song to regale Goodwin with, he led the next song with his own holiday favorite: David Allan Coes You Never Even Called Me by My Name.

Thats an old, old Christmas song, Goodwin joked. You dont hear it much anymore.
A Lexington man has been charged with second-degree murder after a woman was found dead at an apartment complex in the city Thursday, according to the Rockbridge County Sheriffs Office.

Police were dispatched to Hunt Ridge Apartments on Canter Lane after receiving a report of a possible suicide at 11 p.m. They found 31-year-old Kelly Nicole Farmer dead, according to a news release.

Investigators said Farmer had been involved in a domestic dispute earlier in the night. She sustained multiple knife wounds during the altercation, according to the release.

Derek Vasco Chittum, 31, was arrested and taken to Rockbridge Regional Jail, where he is being held without bond.
A conservative student group that initially was denied status as an official student organization has claimed victory at the University of Virginia, but UVa officials said the matter is still under review and wont be resolved until January.

A chapter of Young Americans for Freedom said UVa violated constitutional rights and state law when it denied the group official recognition on Grounds earlier this month.

UVas Student Council had claimed the groups membership requirements were a violation of the terms and conditions for recognized student organizations outlined in university policy, because the group asks members to sign the conservative Sharon Statement, the organizations founding statement.

The groups national organization and the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group, sent a letter on Dec. 15 claiming the councils decision was a violation of Virginia law and the First Amendment.

The letter asked for the group to be recognized by Wednesday and for UVas nondiscrimination statement to be updated to include provisions in state law related to the rights of religious and political student organizations.

On Wednesday, UVa spokesman Anthony de Bruyn said the school had reviewed the groups concerns, but that the group had not made changes to its constitution as requested by the Student Council, and that the ability to reject or accept the groups application rested on the council.

The decision by Student Council was not viewpoint-based, but rather based upon an error in applying the non-discrimination policy, de Bruyn wrote in an email. The  application from YAF was never voted on by the Student Council representative body for final approval or denial. The university has now requested that the Student Council take steps to remedy this as soon as possible.

On Thursday, Young Americans for Freedom claimed UVa had said the group would be recognized and that university policy would be updated, though the Student Council, not UVa, recognizes student groups.

Gaining the contracted student organization status  the designation for a recognized student organization  means groups can reserve meeting space on Grounds and request Student Activity Fee funding from the Student Council.

CIOs are not affiliated with the University or any of its departments and are liable for themselves, the Student Councils website states.

Current university policy states that a student organization is ineligible for CIO status if it restricts membership based on age, color, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion or veteran status.

State law, however, states that religious or political organizations at universities can restrict membership. The UVa chapters of the College Republicans and University Democrats have official recognition.

In 2008, the Student Council initially denied the conservative Burke Society official status at the university and then walked back that rejection after First Amendment group Foundation for Individual Rights in Education challenged the decision.

Spencer Brown, the national spokesman for Young Americas Foundation, the parent organization for Young Americans for Freedom, said Thursday that they are confident that UVa will follow up on their promise and recognize YAF.

In a statement on its website on Wednesday, the group said a representative from UVa promised they would receive recognition and that the policy would be changed.

I get that timing is a little tricky at the school with the holidays, but assuming they follow through and recognize YAF and make the changes to policy that we requested, Im sure well be satisfied, Brown said.

UVa maintains that no decision will be made until the Student Council resumes meetings in January.
CHRISTIANSBURG  As the lyrics played Im very, very tall, Karim Khan stood up and raised his hands above his head.

Following more instructions from the audio player in the room, Khan, wearing a blue dress shirt and tie, pretended to brush his teeth, touched his nose and clapped his hands. A group of amused toddlers in front of him played along.

As the top executive of the entire Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library system, Khan is immersed in its functions.

Having worked for libraries since his teen years, Khan, 55, took over as the MFRLs director in August. He replaced Paula Alston, who retired earlier this year after spending more than decade in the job.

On a recent Wednesday morning, Khan assisted with the Christiansburg branchs story time, a program that is put on usually once a week to encourage literacy. Story time begins with a brief run of fun activities and culminates in the reading of childrens books to toddlers.

Khan took part in the reading, too.

While sitting down, he grabbed a book titled Supertruck.

I need glasses to read, but you know who doesnt need glasses? Supertruck, he told the toddlers with excitement.

Afterward, Khan explained the importance of story time. Of course, the toddlers dont read yet, but the stories expose them to books.

It gets them ready to read, he said. Its an important part of our early literacy.

Its through such efforts that Khan said he believes libraries, in this day and age, raise their importance. In a time when so much material is available online and at the publics fingertips, libraries can offer creative activities and tools and resources that still may be out of reach for some at home, he said.

We have that role as being a center for the community, he said.

Khan later added: I like to believe libraries as a whole contribute to how people see the world. It gives people the tools to become informed citizens.

Even with books  a librarys most fundamental product  the institution continues to play an integral role amid changes in reading habits, he said.

One example: Khan said many parents continue to have a preference for their children to read paper-bound books, as opposed to e-books on electronic devices. He said those devices often carry other programs, which can easily distract children who need to learn to read or improve their literacy.

Its partly for those reasons that the system is still seeking to expand some of its branches and offerings, Khan said.

Khan joined the library system just as its unfolding long-term plans to expand the Christiansburg branch off Depot Street and to build a new Blacksburg branch to replace the existing one on Miller Street.

When those projects will occur is still uncertain, as funds for those plans have yet to be secured, Khan said.

Montgomery County, which provides funding for the libraries, wont be able to take on any more capital debt until at least the early 2020s due to a string of school projects the locality took on a few years ago.

Current estimates from a recent feasibility study run the cost of a new Blacksburg branch from as low as $5.2 million to $13.4 million. A renovation of the Christiansburg branch could run from $3.8 million to $7.1 million.

A previous reason that has been given for the library improvement projects is the need for upgrades to the Christiansburg and Blacksburg facilities. Some of those upgrades include the need for more power outlets to accommodate the rapidly growing use of electronic devices.

Khan said he is holding out some hope that the plans for the Blacksburg branch could come to fruition sooner than expected. He said a proposal to redevelop the old Blacksburg Middle School includes the provision of civic space for possible library functions.

Khan said some Riner residents have even begun asking for their own branch. Thats not in the systems current strategic plan, but could be included in future plans due to ongoing discussions, he said.

Khan is a native of Northern Virginia and served as the Loudoun County Public Librarys branch manager before moving to Montgomery County.

Khan has some personal ties to Southwest Virginia, which he said played some part in his interest in his current job.

He said his sister and brother-in-law live in Blacksburg.

Khan said he also likes the recreational opportunities that exist on this side of the commonwealth.

I like birds, I like the outside, and theres a lot of that here, he said. It just feels like a very nice place to live.

Then, he said, there was the opportunity to become a director.
The North Carolina development company hoping to build apartments on the former Shenandoah Life Insurance Co. property submitted new development plans with more units to the city on Friday.

The scale of the project has shifted several times since Greensboro-based Berkley Hall LLC first presented its plans to neighbors in February at a town-hall style meeting hosted by Carilion Clinic, which owns the property. At that time, the developer envisioned eight buildings and a total of 224 apartments.

A May 31 concept plan filed with the city showed 10 buildings and 238 apartments. Over the summer, plans changed drastically, consolidating 192 apartments into two large buildings.

The plans filed Friday still show only two buildings, but more apartments. Each building would have 116 units, bringing the total to 232 units.

When Andrew Lumsden, with local engineering consultants Lumsden Associates, submitted the plans to the city on Friday, he noted a tentative presubmittal meeting date of Jan. 10.

Berkley Hall can build on the site based under its existing zoning, but the city planning department must approve site specific development plans. Roanoke Planning Director Chris Chittum said the city has yet to evaluate the plans, as they just came in on Friday.

Neighbors have been vocal opponents of the project from the beginning. They view the privately owned land as a de facto park and have raised concerns about traffic, safety and negative impacts on trails and wildlife.

Neighbors who hoped to get an answer by years end about whether Berkley Hall will purchase the property must continue to wait.

Carilion Clinic spokeswoman Hannah Curtis said in an email Friday the health care company has granted Berkley Hall another 60-day extension on its purchase option, giving the developer until late February to act on it.

The original option to purchase was for six months. In August, Carilion confirmed the developer unilaterally exercised a 90-day extension available under the original contract. In November, Carilion said it agreed to an additional 60-day extension requested by Berkley Hall.

Carilion Clinic bought the Shenandoah Life property in 2015, for $4.6 million.
What does a Roanoke County Girl Scout with three cats  Mojave, RJ and Sweeper  a dog named Bandit, and a rat, Whisper, choose for her Gold Award project?

She chose nothing short of developing a lending library for future pet owners who visit the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

Katherine McGrath, 16, got Bandit from RVSPCA, so I really wanted to give back to them, she said.

She thinks pet caretakers need to have more information on animal care.

McGrath, a junior at Northside High School, has built and installed a three-shelf bookcase at the SPCA shelter at 1340 Baldwin Ave. N.E.

Literature the SPCA will display in the bookcase decorated with animals and paws includes pamphlets on animal care and behavior that McGrath has researched and written.

Over the years, especially after hearing of her mothers escapades throughout school and college, McGrath developed an interest in animals. Her mother, Barbara, a William Byrd High School biology teacher, originally planned to become a veterinarian.

In addition to her mothers influence, McGrath said shes been interested in animal behavior and how their minds work. Shes already interested in animal research programs at two universities.

Id like to research animal behavior. They cant tell you how they really feel. You have to learn to read their body signs, she said, adding that people, especially new pet owners, need to learn those signs to better understand animals.

One of her cats came from the Salem Animal Shelter, another from a woodpile, and the last, and most recent one, came from a student who brought part of his litter to school.

The rat Whisper was an impulsive buy from a pet shop.

All of her pets, she said, get along with each other. Although shes the main caretaker, her parents and two older brothers play a role in the animals care.

McGrath, who has attained numerous scouting awards, has been involved in the program since she was six, and has had a pet in her home almost as long.

The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. Scouts must select a project based on a community issue they identify and care about, then they must investigate the issue, develop a team to attack it, carry out a plan and then share the results.

According to the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council, only 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award.

For her project, McGrath solicited help from family, friends and members of her churchs recently disbanded Boy Scout troop to construct and install the bookcase.

They also helped with the pamphlets and raising funds for supplies such as a printer, paper and ink to create the pamphlets. The team sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts, raising about $1,000 in sales and donations. After all expenses are cleared, the leftover donations will be given to the SPCA, McGrath said.

n n n

The Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council recently recognized 125 girls who have earned one or more of the top three scouting awards this year: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Scouts who have earned all three top awards also received the Triumph Award, a Girl Scout lifetime membership.

The Council, headquartered in Roanoke, has 8,500 members: 5,300 girls and 3,200 adults in a 36-county area within central, southside, southwest and western Virginia.
On the first Sunday of December, the Rev. Ron Foster invited his congregants to step up to the altar to receive the bread and wine of Communion  and to receive a $100 bill.

Listen to where the Holy Spirits leading you, he said to the stunned congregation as he distributed a stack of money at Severna Park United Methodist Church, located in a Baltimore suburb. Listen to the need thats around you, that you find in the community. You may be in the right place at the right time to help somebody, because you have this in your hand.

One hundred congregants walked out into the Advent season, with the money burning a hole in their pockets.

One stack of bills totaling $10,000, dropped off at the church by an anonymous donor, has turned into 100 good deeds in the Severna Park community this Christmas season.

Ginger ale and soup and warm socks for a cancer patient. Snow pants and gloves so a child with a brain tumor can play outside. Christmas presents for children who are homeless, for children whose parents are struggling with drug addiction, for children whose parents have suffered domestic abuse, for children in the hospital. Cash for dozens of grateful strangers, from waitresses to bus drivers to leaf collectors.

One hundred donations goes a long way.

People have been so thoughtful. The money has just multiplied and blossomed and gone out, Foster said. Theres been so much joy and excitement just spilling over.

The anonymous donor has been tickled pink to watch the fruit of her gift.

She doesnt want her name published. Even her own daughter (who picked up one of the $100 bills at church and chose to send her donation to children in a foreign country) doesnt know that shes behind the big gift.

I wanted to make it about the fun, she said. We want to make it about the excitement and the joy of giving, and to give people the experience of giving.

She came up with the idea this summer, when she was distraught over the death of Heather Heyer, who was protesting against white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, who walked the streets with torches chanting, Jews will not replace us.

I just had that heavy weight on my chest. I just felt bummed out and sad about our situation, about humanity in general, she said. She found herself in a Starbucks, even though her husband makes coffee every day at home. Without really thinking about it, she bought a gift card, and gave it to the cashier. I want you to use this for everybody who comes in after me, until its gone. I want you to treat everybody to a cup of coffee, she said.

All of a sudden, her depression about Charlottesville lifted. My mood completely changed, she said. It was that excitement, of being able to share with other people.

Thats what she wanted for everyone at Severna Park United Methodist Church, the church she and her husband started attending when they moved to Severna Park recently. She had heard about other communities, including her mothers church in Texas, where everyone in the congregation was entrusted with money to distribute. She went to Foster and asked if she and her husband could give $10,000 to make it happen here.

Foster was enthusiastic. The logistics were a bit more difficult than the donor expected: It took three banks to actually gather 100 bills to give out. (The first one said, All we have is 33. Dont you?! Its a bank! I had that vision of Richie Rich in the back with stacks, she joked.) On the first Sunday of Advent, the bills were waiting. Everyone who wanted one at the churchs three services, which collectively host about 550 people each Sunday, was able to take one.

Then the giving spree began.

One congregant took a needy fourth-grader on a shopping trip, where he picked out socks and underwear and shoes, plus a gift he could give each of his parents. The boy said it was the best day of his life.

Many congregants decided to add more money of their own  like the one who filled a cart to overflowing with $275 worth of pet food for the SPCA in Annapolis, and the couple who chipped in another $100 and paid off items on layaway at Kmart so strangers can take home their Christmas wishes.

One couple helped their 7-year-old daughter create bags of socks, hand warmers and McDonalds gift cards. When a man approached their car to ask for change, the little girl opened the window and handed out the first of the gift bags, thrilled. Another congregant heard about a program that gives purses to homeless women, and decided to buy 100 items to put inside the purses  soap, shampoo, maxipads and more.

Many had co-workers they knew needed some financial help. Others waited for a stranger, searching for a serendipitous moment to pass on the $100 bill.

What was the coolest to me was how I was on high alert all week, looking for people or opportunities to help. That was a great lesson, I think we should always be in that mode, always on the lookout for who God may place in our path, and for things He calls us to do. I am going to strive to be in that spirit more and more, to have eyes to see peoples needs more routinely, and to help in any way I can, one congregant wrote on the churchs blog. That member ended up giving the $100 bill to a waitress, as did another congregant on another day. I just trusted that God would put us at the right table, the one with the person He wanted me to give my envelope to, the congregant wrote.

The donor behind it all said one of her favorite ideas was Dave Dosss. He and a friend ordered 10 pizzas and a case of Orange Crush to be delivered to the steps of a Baltimore church where they knew homeless men and women hang out. Then they spent the afternoon having a pizza party with them.

When you have that $100 burning a hole in your pocket, youre looking around. Should I fill that persons gas tank? Should I buy that persons groceries? What can I do? Its exciting, to have that ability to do that, the donor said. She said that she and her husband have had good fortune  they own a business  and she feels lucky to be able to give, and to enable others to practice giving.

Foster said congregants confided in him that they thought long and hard about how to use their $100, perhaps even more than they would have had they been handing out their own funds.

That to me is good theology anyway, Foster said. Its a good way to think about your life, that youve been entrusted with great gifts. And how do you turn around and use them?

Its an eternal question. This Christmas, his church has 100 answers.
DOZENS of workers whose employers tried to force them into accepting a pay deal while bypassing their union were given the perfect early Christmas present when a national tribunal ruled they must be paid 425,000 between them.

Kostal UK, which is based in Goldthorpe, appealed an earlier move by a regional tribunal to award the 56 Unite members 7,600 compensation each for its breach of employment law.

But, two years after the dispute erupted, the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London has now upheld the ruling, meaning the company will have to cough up.

Unite took Kostal to court after Kostal sought to bypass union negotiations in pay talks after the majority of the companys 700 strong workforce voted in favour of Unite being recognised as their trade union.

In an attempt to break the union and divide members, who had voted strongly to reject the companys pay offer and proposed changes to terms and conditions, including cuts in sick pay and Sunday overtime, the company wrote to employees in December 2015 directly urging them to accept the offer individually and changes to their terms of employment, or risk losing a Christmas bonus of 270 each if they did not.

The offer was then repeated to those that did not accept it in January 2016, coupled that time with the threat of dismissal for any employee who did not accept.

The Sheffield tribunal ruled that both offers amounted to unlawful inducements, contrary to section 145B of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and awarded Unite members over 420,000 in compensation.

And last Wednesday, the EAT panel backed that ruling.

Unite assistant general secretary for legal services Howard Becket said: This employment appeal tribunal ruling sends a strong message to bosses who attempt to bust unions and undermine collective bargaining for pay and terms and conditions.

Not only is the case worth over 420,000 to the Unite members involved, but it sets a binding legal precedent that employers cannot dip in and out of collective bargaining when it suits their purposes.

The right for a union to bargain collectively goes to the heart of trade union recognition and is why trade union members on average enjoy higher wages and more paid holidays than workers who arent a member of a union.

As this case bears testament, Unite will not stand by and allow bad bosses to undermine that right by offering bribes or delivering threats to their workers.

Unites strategic case unit will continue to identify cases that go to the very core of addressing the abuses and bad practices that have been adopted by the worst employers.

Kostal UK declined to comment.
From left to right: Jayne Wood, customer service manager (regeneration) at J Tomlinson, Glenn Richmond, operations manager at J Tomlinson, Maltby Town Council vice chair Cllr John Kirk, Andrew Boulton, housing officer with South Yorkshire Housing Association, and Lindsey Hobson, business development manager at J Tomlinson.

A COMPANY has stepped up to back an initiative to help families in need at Christmas.

The business has given 300 worth of vouchers to a Maltby Town Council initiative to support people with very little.

Building services company J Tomlinson, based in Nottingham, has given Tesco vouchers to the councils annual Food and Gift Appeal.

The vouchers will be split between families in need and were presented to Maltby Town Councils vice chair, Cllr John Kirk.
Fancy color diamond prices up 1% in Q3 2022, yellow showed highest increase The Fancy Color Research Foundation's (FCRF) results of the Fancy Color Diamond Index (FCDI) for the third quarter of 2022 demonstrate that after an increase of 0.8% in Q2 2022, the average price of all colors and sizes of fancy...

NDC continues efforts to distinguish between natural, laboratory-grown diamonds The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) has launched a new ASSURE 2.0 online portal, which helps build industry capability to correctly verify natural diamonds and ensure pipeline integrity.

Orion secures pre-development funding for Okiep copper project Orion Minerals has entered into definitive agreements that will see the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) acquire 43.75% of the shares in the New Okiep Mining Company (NOM). This triggered pre-development funding...

Angolas SODIAM realises $28,7mln from fifth international diamond tender Angola's state-owned diamond trading company, SODIAM realised $28,7 million from the sale of 1,819.79 carats at its fifth international rough tender held in the capital, Luanda. The diamonds sold were special productions from Lulo, Catoca, and Luele...
ALROSA will hold an open contest for project designs to resume mining operations at Mir

21 december 2017 News

ALROSA intends to hold an open contest for project designs to formulate a concept aimed to resume diamond mining operations at Mir. This decision was announced following the results of the scientific and technical seminar held at the Yakutniproalmaz Institute. Its participants also identified three main aspects for the development of technical solutions that would ensure safe underground mining.

The seminar was attended by 70 specialists from the companys structural units, including the Mirny Mine Building Group engaged in underground mine construction; Mirny and Udachny Mining Divisions; Vilyui and Mirny geological exploration teams; Yakutniproalmaz Institute; and ALROSA Department dealing with the NOVOTEK Scientific and Technical Center. Also, the seminar was attended by former specialists of ALROSA, who have great practical experience and are well acquainted with the problems of underground construction and mining.

The specialists presented 16 reports, which examined more than 30 possible approaches and options for the resumption of mining operations at the field. During the discussion of the reports and speeches, the seminar participants identified three main areas for technical and technological approaches to make safe the resumption of mining operations at the field. The first of them provides for the restoration of the existing opening (shafts) and pit-bottom workings, which ensure the maximum possible use of the existing infrastructure of the mines surface complex. The second approach involves the construction of new shafts to the full depth of explored reserves to start initial mining at deep levels with simultaneous creation of an integrated drainage system to take off underground water from the field through a drainage shaft and dewatering wells. The third approach is to strip the sides of the Mir quarry to provide access to its bottom and create an effective quarry-type dewatering ditch permitting subsequent underground mining of the deposit.

For the purpose of detailed and comprehensive study of approaches to solving the problem associated with the renewal of mining operations and developing the final technical project, ALROSA plans to hold an open contest for project designs involving of a wide range of specialized organizations, scientists and specialists. This contest will help to find the best technical solution or the best set of solutions to be applied to formulate a concept for the renewal of mining operations at the Mir diamond field. This concept will form the basis of a technological guideline and technical design for safe and cost-effective development of the fields diamond reserves.

Sergey Ivanov, President of ALROSA said in this connection, "Our main task is to ensure full safety of work at the Mir diamond field, and for this we need an impeccable project design. We will invite the entire community of leading scientists, both Russian and international experts, to take part in the development of the mine restoration project. We expect to see a future project in the third quarter of next year."




ALROSA will improve the incentive system for the company's workforce in the first half of 2018. This decision was taken by the Supervisory Board of ALROSA at its December 14 meeting.

The goal of changes in the incentive system is to increase the company's investment attractiveness. A set of norms which motivate the company's personnel and management to raise shareholder value by achieving key efficiency parameters and production plans, is requirement of the company's shareholders. During the first half of 2018, ALROSA will develop proposals for the new incentive system for employees at all levels of the company and will submit it for discussion by the Supervisory Board.

During the first stage of this work, the Supervisory Board approved a long-term incentive program for ALROSA's management, which will begin next year. The program linked to shareholder returns will involve members of the Management Board, heads of subsidiaries, divisions and other employees whose professional activities have a key impact on the company's operating and financial results.

"ALROSA has a significant development potential which can be unlocked primarily by increasing its internal efficiency. By improving the incentive system, we will be able to increase the loyalty of employees, motivate them for team work and the long-term development of the company, which will contribute to solving ALROSA's strategic tasks, revealing its potential and increasing its capitalization", - said ALROSA President Sergei Ivanov.




Israels 7th International Diamond Week (IDWI) will feature a section devoted to high-end diamond jewelry, says a Press note from the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE).

This step is because Israeli bourse members have begun offering exclusive lines of diamond jewelry alongside loose stones of late by taking advantage of the plethora of diamonds and precious gemstones available in the bourse. In addition, Israels high level of expertise in jewelry making, creativity in jewelry design and sophisticated technology has resulted in the manufacturing of exclusive jewelry collections.

IDE President Yoram Dvash said, Jewelry manufacturing is a natural complement to our core business. Many of our members have created remarkable jewelry lines, sold successfully the world over. This is another example of the dynamism and ingenuity of our industry.

IDWI Chairman Ezra Boaron said, The International Diamond Week is a wonderful opportunity to spotlight the amazing jewelry collections being created by our bourse members. We are delighted to offer a platform to present these products to such a wide international audience.

The IDWI is to be held by the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) from February 5  7, 2018.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Firestone Diamonds, a diamond producer with operations in Lesotho has announced that it has extended the option period granted to Amulet Diamond Corporation to purchase Firestone's BK11 project until December 31.

The BK11 project in Botswana is currently in care and maintenance status. As previously announced, Amulet Diamond is funding the construction and operation of a bulk sampling plant at the BK11 mine during the option period to further assess the deposit.

Amulet Diamond has made steady progress towards completing the bulk sampling plant, but due to unforeseen equipment delivery delays, the company had requested an extension to the option period, which has been granted by Firestone.




USDOT

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will be issued the first installment of federal grant, $100 million for the Green Line Extension (GLX) light-rail project.

MBTA signed a $996-million Full Funding Grant Agreement with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in January 2015 for the 4.7-mile light-rail line from Cambridge to Medford with a total estimated cost of $2.3 billion.

[Massachusetts] Gov. Charlie Bakers commitment to responsibly manage taxpayer dollars in the building of this project was persuasive, said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. The region can now look forward to an enhanced transportation network as the Green Line is extended to serve tens of thousands of area residents daily.

FTA is providing the funds from the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program after MBTA completed a series of reviews to redesign the GLX project to contain costs without sacrificing schedule. The U.S. Department of Transportation explains that MBTAs strengthened project management team and governance structure, including a Fiscal and Management Control Board created in 2015, were critical factors in moving the FFGA grant forward.

The Green Line Extension Project was put on hold due to cost overruns in late 2015. The MBTA redesigned and restructured the delivery model and secured cost guarantees from the firms bidding to build the project.

Thanks to the hard work and collaboration of Secretary Chao, State Transportation Secretary Pollack, and the cities of Cambridge, Somerville and Medford, this important project is moving ahead, said Gov. Baker. The Green Line Extension project will provide important public transit service that will have a transformational impact for this region of the Commonwealth to accommodate riders and spur economic growth.

The project adheres to the scope and benefits identified in the FFGA, including six new light-rail stations, replacement or rehabilitation of eight bridges and a new pedestrian/bike path. The GLX is projected to open in January 2022.

FTA is proud to support the transportation needs of the greater Boston area by helping to extend rail service into some of its most densely populated communities, said FTA Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams. The GLX project will provide improved mobility and expanded transit service to riders traveling throughout the MBTA system.

In November, the MBTA Green Line Extension team selected the joint venture of GLX Constructors to carry out the design and construction work on the project. The JV consists of Fluor Enterprises, Inc., The Middlesex Corp., Herzog Contracting Corp. and Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc.
US President Donald Trump, who is accused of colliding with Russia in the presidential election campaign, has expressed gratitude to his Russian counterpart for "acknowledging America's strong economic performance."

Remarks by President Vladimir Putin in his annual press conference Thursday reflected a rare show of sympathy and support to the Trump administration.

Alleged Russian interference in the US election "has been invented, made up by people who are in opposition to President Trump," he told reporters in the lengthy media conference.

Contacts between the Trump campaign team and Russian officials in the run-up to last year's election were normal, according to Putin. Putin also noted that he calls Trump by his first name when they talk and that Trump calls him Vladimir.

He also praised Trump for "some quite serious achievements" he made in a short period of time since becoming President. "Look at the , how they've risen. That shows investors' confidence in the American . It shows they believe in what President Trump is doing in this area."

He said the US opposition was not treating those who elected the billionaire-turned-politician with respect.

A White House statement issued after the news conference said Trump spoke with Putin Thursday. "President Trump thanked President Putin for acknowledging America's strong economic performance in his annual press conference".

"The two presidents also discussed working together to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea", the statement added.

The mutually recognizing gesture from leaders of the two major powers comes at a time US Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential ties to Trump's campaign has cast a shadow over bilateral relations.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Ignyta, Inc. (RXDX) announced Friday that it has agreed to be acquired by Swiss drug major Roche Group (RHHBY) at a price of $ 27.00 per share in an all-cash transaction. This corresponds to a total transaction value of $ 1.7 billion on a fully diluted basis.

This price represents a premium of 74% to Ignyta's closing price on December 21 and a premium of 71% and 89% to Ignyta's 30-day and 90-day volume weighted average share price on the same day, respectively. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of Ignyta and Roche.

Under the deal terms, Roche will promptly commence a tender offer, to acquire all outstanding shares of Ignyta common stock. Following completion of the tender offer, Roche will acquire all remaining shares at the same price of $27 per share through a second step merger.

The closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the first half of 2018.

California -based Ignyta is focused on precision medicine in oncology aiming to test, identify, and treat patients with cancers harbouring specific rare mutations.

Roche expects that Ignyta's investigational medicine entrectinib, a selective CNS-active tyrosine-kinase inhibitor being developed for tumours that harbor ROS1 or NTRK fusions, would expand Roche's portfolio of oncology medicines.

Citi is acting as financial advisor to Roche. BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are acting as financial advisors to Ignyta.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Canadian stocks may rise in early dealing Friday as traders gear up for the holiday break.

Markets may express some relief that U.S. lawmakers have averted a shutdown thanks to a last-minute compromise.

The TSX Composite Index is poised to end the year at or near record highs above 16,000.

In corporate news, Teck Resources (TCK.B.TO) and unions have reached a deal at a Chile mine.

SNC-Lavalin (SNC.TO) has been selected as the preferred contractor for the Stockyard Hill Wind Farm in Victoria, Australia.

Sobey's wants an apology from Loblaw (L.TO) for implying it was equally responsible for bread-price fixing.

CN Rail (CN.TO) is moving ahead with its bitumen pellet project.

Elsewhere, Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) announced that Eric Schmidt will be transitioning from his position as Executive Chairman of the board, becoming a technical advisor, as of its next regular board meeting in January 2018. Meanwhile, Schmidt will continue to serve on the company's board.

Schmidt, who joined Google in 2001, helped the company which Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded in September 1998, to go public in 2004.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Shashi Arora, CEO and Managing Director, Airtel Payments Bank has stepped down following the Unique Identification Authority of India, (UIDAI) suspending Aadhaar linked e-KYC services on December 16 because of alleged misuse by the company.

"Shashi Arora has been associated with Airtel in senior leadership roles since 2006. He has been an asset for Airtel and over the years has contributed to the company's growth story," Airtel said in a statement here on Friday, without mentioning the suspension. Airtel's e-KYC facility was partly restored by UIDAI on Thursday.

"Having led the operations in key telecom circles followed by building a strong DTH (direct-to-home) business, he has laid the foundation for Airtel's Payments Bank operations. Shashi has decided to move on to pursue opportunities outside of Airtel. We wish Shashi the very best for his future endeavours," the statement added.

The company is yet to name Arora's successor.

The UIDAI's interim order had come after some customers of the telecom major alleged that the company had opened their bank account in Airtel Payments Bank when they used the "Aadhaar linked e-KYC services" without their consent.

The "Aadhaar linked e-KYC" service of UIDAI provides an instant, electronic, non-repudiable proof of identity and proof of address along with date of birth and gender, resident's mobile number and email address to the service provider.
In yet another protest against a Bollywood film, the morning shows of "Tiger Zinda Hai", a Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starred film, had to be stopped in many cinema halls across Rajasthan ' title=' Rajasthan '>Rajasthan after members of the Valmiki community raised slogans, tore and burnt posters of the film over the alleged use of a pejorative word by Salman during a promotional event.

The protests started from Ajmer and soon reached Jaipur and Kota, leading to cancellation of the morning shows in several cinema halls of the film that released nationwide on Friday.

According to information, the Valmiki community is aggrieved due to the alleged use of pejorative language by Salman Khan, and by Shilpa Shetty earlier.

The police remanded several people in custody.

The protesters alleged that Salman had insulted the Valmiki community by using "cheap language".

The video of Salman, uttering the pejorative words has gone viral, and triggered tension in Ajmer.

The aggrieved protesters in large numbers reached Mridang Theatre late on Thursday night and tore up the film posters and many also set ablaze the actor's posters.

They also warned cinema hall owners to stop screening the movie or else they will have to pay a big price, sources confirmed.

The movie has been directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and comes as a sequel to Kabir Khan's blockbuster "Ek Tha Tiger".
The Rajya Sabha on Friday was adjourned till next Wednesday by Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu following request by Congress members.

After papers were laid in the House, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government is talking with the Opposition to end the logjam and till a solution comes out, the House should be adjourned.



However, MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel asked the Opposition to let the House function.



As the Congress members persisted with their demand, Naidu adjourned the House till Wednesday.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined an interim stay of the Karnataka High Court order setting aside the 2014 Rules mandating that 85 per cent space on both the sides of a packet of cigarettes or other tobacco products carry pictorial warning on their harmful effects.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul declined the state, noting that the December 15 High Court judgment was not available as it has not been uploaded on the High Court website so far.

The court however, said that those engaged in tobacco manufacturing and industry would not later claim any equity on account of it not staying the operation of the High Court order.

Directing the next hearing of the matter on January 8, the court asked the High Court to upload the judgment by then.

The Centre has in 2014 amended the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules prescribing that 85 per cent space on the both sides of the tobacco packaging would be covered with the statutory warnings telling consumers that cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing was harmful to health.

The 2014 amended Rules came into force from April 1, 2016.

The Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendments Rules, 2014 were framed under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

Prior to 2014 amendment of the Rules, the pictorial warning was limited to the 40% space of the packaging and that too to one side only.

The top court was moved by Allahabad-based senior lawyer Umesh Narain and NGO Health for Millions challenging the December 15 High Court judgment by which it had held that 2014 amended Rules were arbitrary and unconstitutional.

The matter was heard around 3.30 PM after senior counsel Anand Grover appearing for the NGO and lawyer Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for Umesh Narain, had earlier in the morning mentioned the matter for an early listing.

The High Court order, the petition by Umesh Narain said, will have the serious and numbing impact on India's fight against tobacco, as it is regressive, retrograde and jeopardizes future generations of the country having maximum number of youth in the world.A

Grover, who appeared for the NGO, said that the world over, the trend was on increasing the space of the warning but the High Court ordered reducing it.

The High Court order had come on a batch of petitions by various tobacco manufacturing companies who had challenged the 2014 modified rules mandating that the health warning should cover 85 per cent of the tobacco packaging space.

The petitioners told the top court that the implementation of Regulations mandating 85 per cent pictorial warning on both sides of tobacco products was a culmination of an extremely long, cumbersome and excruciating fight by public heath activists and people whose life and family had been ruined by Tobacco, against the mighty tobacco industry.

Graphic pictorial warnings which occupy 85 per cent of the package on both sides will create awareness not only amongst the existing consumers of tobacco products about the grave health risks involved but will also dissuade the younger generation from becoming tobacco addicts, the petitioners told the court.
Special Representatives of India and China on Friday held "positive and focused" talks here on the long-drawn boundary question and agreed on the need to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas --nearly four months after the Doklam stand-off was resolved.

Special Representatives -- National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Yang Jiechi, State Councillor and a Communist Party Politburo member, also exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures at the 20th round of talks, held annually.

Both sides also agreed to seek "mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations".

"The Special Representatives undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks and agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement following the talks on the border question.

Stating that the talks were "positive and focused", the statement said that the Special Representatives "reemphasised their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date".

"The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas," it stated. "In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures."

This was the first such meeting after Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day face-off earlier this year in Doklam region near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction and comes amid reports of heightened Chinese military presence near that area.

Earlier this month, the Doklam issue came up for discussion during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here.

According to the External Affairs Ministry statement, both sides also reviewed the development of India-China bilateral relations, agreed to maintain regular contact and to advance the development of bilateral relations in all areas.

"They underlined the need for the two countries to build on their convergences, while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations," it stated.

"They acknowledged that as two large developing countries engaged in their national modernisation, relations between India and China transcend their bilateral dimensions and have significance for peace, stability and development of Asia and the world. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest."

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, when asked about the meeting , said both countries have made "tireless efforts" to solve the decades-old boundary dispute.

"State Councillor (Jiechi) is in India to exchange his views on the border affairs with his Indian counterpart (Doval). So these mechanisms are operating very well," she said.

"We hope the Indian side will work with China to make the most of the current mechanism to uphold security and peace as well as tranquility in the border area so that we can create enabling conditions for the bilateral relations."

Hua cited the breakthrough meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS meeting in Xiamen and said Doval and Jiechi would work on the lines of consensus reached between the two leaders.

Doklam is the new addition to a host of issues between India and China who fought a brief but bloody war in 1962 over their demarcated border.

India and China share a 3,448-kilometre long boundary which is divided into west, middle and east sections.

In the east, China claims India's Arunachal Pradesh as its own while New Delhi lays claims to Aksai Chin occupied by Beijing in the west.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries Anant Geete and a security official sustained minor injuries in a road accident while on a tour of his home district here on Friday, a police officer said.

The incident occurred when Geete's motorcade was proceeding from Khopoli to Pali and a pilot car was hit by Geete's vehicle, which in turn was hit by another pilot vehicle

The pilot car had applied the brakes to avoid hitting a motorcyclist who came from the opposite direction, and suddenly it had swerved.

As it braked, Geete's car rammed into the pilot car, and another pilot vehicle behind dashed into the minister's car, resulting in a minor pile-up.

A Shiv Sena MP from Raigad, Geete suffered minor head injuries and one of his personal security officers was also hurt. They were rushed to a hospital in Pali, before he proceeded for his engagements.

"Minister Geete is fine and has resumed further journey. I spoke to him, he had halted at the rest house till new vehicles were arranged," said Raigad Superintendent of Police Anil Paraskar.

Later, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray called up and enquired about Geete's health and urged him to exercise caution while travelling.
Eric Schmidt, a long-serving Google executive, will step down as Executive Chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet in January, the company has announced.

Schmidt will become a technical advisor to the company while continuing to serve on its board.

"Since 2001, Eric has provided us with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology," Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet, said in a statement late on Thursday.

"Continuing his 17 years of service to the company, he'll now be helping us as a technical advisor on science and technology issues," Page added.

Schmidt made the decision with Google's founders Page and Sergey Brin and Indian-born Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

"Larry, Sergey, Sundar and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet's evolution for this transition. The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving," said Schmidt.

Page and Brin founded Google in September 1998.

Since then, the company has grown to more than 70,000 employees worldwide, with a wide range of popular products and platforms like Search, Maps, Ads, Gmail, Android, Chrome and YouTube.

In October 2015, Alphabet became the parent holding company of Google.

"After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I can't wait to dive into the latest in science, technology, and philanthropy. I look forward to working with Larry and Sergey on our future here at Alphabet," Schmidt tweeted.

Schmidt was often the face of Google and Alphabet with policymakers.

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Thirteen proud graduates celebrated receiving their Certificates in Adult Teaching (C.A.T) from the National University of Samoas Salelologa branch, Savaii this week.

N.U.S. Lecturer, Misa Vicky Lepou told the Samoa Observer a total of 39 enrolled in 2017 however only 13 have completed their C.A.T. Courses in Teaching and Learning 101 & 102.

The celebration opened with a prayer by Reverend Falevi Petana.

Vice Chancellor and President of N.U.S. Professor Fui Asofou Soo led the official party attending the celebration.

This is the second university course offered through the Open Distance Learning (O.D.L) through the Oloamanu Centre for Professional Development and Continuing Education (O.C.P.D.C.E.) for the teachers in Savaii.

The C.A.T is now being offered through the Open Distance Learning (O.D.L.) per semester. The C.A.T aims to develop an understanding of principles of adult teaching and learning and begin to apply these to your own teaching or training situation.

It is relevant for those wishing to gain qualifications in tertiary teaching adult training.

It is also for those wishing to update or revitalise facilitation and teaching skills. It was designed particularly for Educators in Post School Education and Training, Community educators and trainers as well as staff developers or trainers.
Two days away from Christmas, Samoa should join the Christian world in rejoicing. And we are not just talking about the fact we are gearing up to commemorate Jesus Christs birthday.

No its much more than that. The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital is a critical moment in the history of Christianity.

Why? Despite the overwhelming opposition  and the mounting threats from anti-Israel nations  the fact is the decision by Trump is the fulfillment of Bible prophesy about Israel and Jerusalem. And while it might have taken a while, we know the God of the Christian world is not a respecter of persons. Time is in his hands and his time is his time.

Whats fascinating is that it took a most controversial figure like Trump to break the ice and do what could not have been done before. But then as Christians, we know God can use anyone, even someone as hated and unpopular like Trump.

As we speak here in Samoa today, we accept that the wave of opposition against the decision is rising. It is not going to get better, its only going to get worse, but then as Christians we shouldnt be surprised at all.

On page 3 of the newspaper you are reading today, member countries of the United Nations have unanimously agreed to denounce President Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The resolution affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the holy city of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded.

The vote was the single most popular story on the international media yesterday. On all the major international media groups, the condemnation of Trump and Israel came swift and fast.

But what about Samoa? As a nation that has recently declared itself a Christian state, where do we stand? What do we do?

Interesting that Samoa did not partake in the vote. Whether it was an accident or deliberate, it would be interesting to know. Suffice to say, if Samoa means what it proclaims as a Christian nation founded on the Almighty God of Israel, this is the time to make a stand.

We know Trump and Israel continue to remain steadfast.

The attitude to Israel of many nations in the world, in all the continents, is changing outside of the U.N. walls, and will eventually filter into the U.N. as well  the house of lies, reached Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

That is a strong statement. Here therein lies the belief of a leader who will not back down from claiming what they know is rightfully theirs. The debate about Jerusalem is an old one and everyone has a theory.

But if we are to believe the Bible that has been given to us as the inspired word of God, Jerusalem belongs to Israel and it is where many prophesies in the Bible are being and will be fulfilled. Which means what is happening today is merely a part of the journey of Israel and the community of Christians.

Sure its unpopular, it is fraught with danger. But dont Christians serve a God whose word promises that if God is for us who can be against us?

The point is let the anti-Israel and anti-Christian brigade do what they have to do, but as Christians in Samoa, we must continue to stand with Israel.

This is where God has called us.

Interestingly enough, according to an article reprinted earlier this week in this newspaper, even Muslims know that they have no religious basis to rule Jerusalem. The declaration was made by Mobarak Haidar, a renowned Pakistani historian and author of multiple books.

After the Conquest of Mecca, Muslims were told to turn their faces toward Kaaba and away from Jerusalem. They have never faced their loyalty toward Jerusalem after that, for the last 1,400 years, he wrote. No Muslim ever went to pray in Jerusalem until it was conquered by the second caliph [Umar ibn Khattab in the 7th century] although there was no restriction on Muslims. Christians were masters of Jerusalem before Muslims conquered it. It is still a holy place for Christians. But Christians have no dispute over ownership of the city.

Muslims of the world have no religious basis to rule Jerusalem. Most of the Muslims have never even wished to visit Jerusalem.

There was another interesting article titled Why recognizing Jerusalem as Israeli capital is right move written by Sara Miller for the The San Diego Union-Tribune which was reprinted in this newspaper two days ago.

Jerusalem has long been recognized as the capital of the Jewish state of Israel. It is the city on the hill that boasts more than 3,500 years of Jewish presence, the city that encapsulates Judaisms most holy sites, where Jewish history is etched into the very fabric and foundation of Zion itself, she wrote. King David paced the halls of his Jerusalem fortress in the 10th century BCE and declared Jerusalem as his capital. The grave of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem is visited year-round, symbolizing the life of one who lived 2,000 years ago and changed the course of history.

Furthermore, Jerusalem is the site of the First and Second Temples referenced in the Hebrew Bible and is a continual haven of sacred life for not only Jews but Muslims and Christians alike. Only under Israeli rule have the worlds major monotheistic faiths been able to worship in one place and in true freedom.

Her conclusion is even more interesting.

The magnitude of events that have taken place in Israel during this time are unparalleled: 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, the upcoming 70-year celebration of Israels rebirth in 1948, and finally, the assertion that Jerusalem is Israels capital, strengthening the ties between Israel and the United States. This courageous U.S. move is a lesson that we must not cower away from threats or bullying, and we must not worry that anti-Israel propaganda will once again attempt to cover the bright torch that we carry.

As Christians  although we are miles and oceans away from Israel  we have a responsibility and an obligation to pick up the torch and continue to shine it  even in the face of criticisms and hatred.

Have a wonderful weekend Samoa, God bless!
Dear Editor,

Re: Prisoners escape

A year ago, an interview with Tuilaepa Sailele by an Australian news brought to light a couple that were in Samoa for their honeymoon.

Tuilaepa pathetically said they were at the wrong place when the couple were at a hotel, a place for tourists, how stupid was that response.

The woman was raped by a prison escapee. We all heard Tuilaepas stupidity as he tried to justify the poor facilities at Tafaigata and the problems to be fixed.

I am not at all surprised by this news because the justice system is broken and so as the facilities despite the millions of dollars donated to Samoa.

The behaviour of Tuilaepa and his government is a concern for the safety of the public, but that man does not care nor does anyone in government.

Samoa is broken.

Mauga Tuioti
The Police are investigating an incident where members of a family at Ululoloa were attacked on Thursday morning when four prisoners escaped from Tafaigata Prison.

Among the escapees was Lauititi Tualima, the man involved in the Treesort rape in 2015 where he tied up a male while he raped his wife at knifepoint.

The incident became the subject of an infamous 60-minute programme where Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was forced to defend the state of facilities at Tafa'igata Prison.

On Thursday, Tualima was joined by Vaioa Solia, Aniseko Vaelei and Uili Manuleleua. Tualima and Solia have since been recaptured.

Police Superintendent and Media Spokesperson, Logoitino Filipo, told the Weekend Observer yesterday they have beefed up the search for the prisoners remaining at large.

He also confirmed that they are investigation claims the prisoners attacked two family homes where they allegedly assaulted innocent members of the public.

One of them is a prominent businesswoman and mother of three who has been left with facial injuries and nightmares about the ordeal.

Speaking to the Weekend Observer, the woman who asked for her name to be withheld, said she is scarred for the rest of her life.

She is angry that the Samoa Prisons and Correction Services have let the public down with prisoners escaping once again.

According to the woman, she is convinced that it was Tualima who was in her bedroom.

He leaned towards me with a knife and pushed me onto the bed, she said. He threatened to stab me and then he punched me on the face.

At some point, my youngest daughter woke up and was screaming and he pulled her off the mattress.

I then had to take control of the situation. I just told him - just relax and that my purse is there, just take it. He just took my iPhone and ran off.

The woman said she was afraid for her familys safety.

My daughters were in the kitchen with some other knives trying to fend off the others who were outside.

I thought it was just Lauititi there and it wasnt until I spoke to my daughters. When I screamed they saw another guy running out of the house and thats when I realized there were two guys in the house. Im not sure where the other guy was.

The mother is grateful her daughters are safe.

I contacted the Police right away and the response was impressive, said the mother.

They responded very fast and they tracked down my iPhone and found it where they ditched the phone. The Police officers were very helpful.

Im hoping that he (Lauititi) will serve jail for a very long time.

And I hope they prosecute him and give him the maximum sentencing available under the law, so he can stay in jail longer.

In the meantime, the woman is not taking any chances with security.

I am sprucing up my security system and will put in place stronger locks for my doors.

The mother told the Samoa Observer the area they live in is easily targeted because its close to jail.

They think they can break into homes in our areas and take off with some expensive stuff. However in the end, the prisoners ditched my iPhone and so it was useless to take it in the first place.

Tualima is serving jail time for several burglaries and his latest conviction was for tying up a man while raping his wife at knifepoint.

Efforts to get comments from Minister of Samoa Prison and Correction Services, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt and the S.P.C.S. Management have not been successful.

Superintendent Logoitino assured that the Police are doing their very best to deal with the matter.

We have increased our manpower and currently close to twenty Police Officers have been tasked specifically to hunt down Aniseko Vaelei and Uili Manuleleua, he said.

This is a priority and we have been working non-stop and will continue on searching for the inmates and until they are caught the police will work round-the-clock to assure safe holidays for our people.

"Please if you come across the prisoners, do not try and approach them, but call us right away on 911 or 22222. We will respond right away.
Samoa, Australia and other Pacific nations did not join a vote at the United Nations (U.N.) demanding the United States of American to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The Weekend Observer understands that more than 130 countries  including New Zealand  took part in the vote.

It was not possible to obtain a comment from the government yesterday. But the Associated Press reports that the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly yesterday to denounce President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In doing so, the nations largely ignored Trump's threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him.

The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem "null and void" was approved 128-9  a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they predicted. Amid Washington's threats, 35 of the 193 U.N. member nations abstained and 21 were absent.

The resolution reaffirmed what has been the United Nations' stand on the divided holy city since 1967: that Jerusalem's final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Trump administration made it clear the vote would have no effect on its plan to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said afterward that he completely rejects the "preposterous" resolution.

Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour called the vote a victory not only for the Palestinians but for the United Nations and international law, saying U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley "failed miserably" in persuading only seven countries aside from the U.S. and Israel to vote against the resolution.

"And they used unprecedented tactics, unheard of in the diplomatic work at the U.N., including blackmail and extortion," he said.

The United States and Israel had waged an intensive lobbying campaign against the measure, with Haley sending letters to over 180 countries warning that Washington would be taking names of those who voted against the U.S. Trump went further, threatening a funding cutoff: "Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care."

But in the end, major U.S. aid recipients including Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and South Africa supported the resolution. Egypt received roughly $1.4 billion in U.S. aid this year, and Jordan about $1.3 billion.

The nine countries voting "no" were the U.S., Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Togo. Among the abstentions were Australia, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic and Mexico.

The absent countries included Kenya, which was the fifth-largest recipient of U.S. aid last year, Georgia and Ukraine, all of which have close U.S. ties.

The U.S. is scheduled to dispense $25.8 billion in foreign aid for 2018. Whether Trump follows through with his threat against those who voted "yes" remains to be seen.

After the vote, Haley tweeted a photo naming the 65 nations that voted no, abstained or were absent, and said: "We appreciate these countries for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the UN."

But within hours, the Trump administration appeared to be backing away from its funding threats. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said cuts to countries that opposed the U.S. are not a foregone conclusion.

"The president's foreign policy team has been empowered to explore various options going forward with other nations," Nauert said. "However, no decisions have been made."

During the debate, Arab, Islamic and non-aligned nations urged a "yes" vote on the resolution, which was sponsored by Yemen and Turkey.

Yemeni Ambassador Khaled Hussein Mohamed Alyemany warned that Trump's recognition of Jerusalem undermines any chance for peace in the Mideast and "serves to fan the fires of violence and extremism."

He called Trump's action "a blatant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and the Arab nations, and all Muslims and Christians of the world," and "a dangerous violation and breach of international law."

On Wednesday, Trump complained that Americans are tired of being taken advantage of by countries that take billions of dollars and then vote against the U.S. Haley echoed his words in her speech to the packed assembly chamber, threatening not only member states with funding cuts, but the United Nations itself.

Haley said the vote will make no difference in U.S. plans to move the American Embassy, but it "will make a difference on how Americans look at the U.N., and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the U.N."

"And this vote will be remembered," she warned.

Trump's pressure tactics had raised the stakes at Thursday's emergency meeting and triggered accusations from the Muslim world of U.S. bullying and blackmail.

"It is unethical to think that the votes and dignity of member states are for sale," said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. "We will not be intimidated! You can be strong but this does not make you right!"

The Palestinians and their supporters sought the General Assembly vote after the U.S. on Monday vetoed a resolution supported by the 14 other U.N. Security Council members that would have required Trump to rescind his declaration on Jerusalem.

The resolution adopted by the assembly has language similar to the defeated measure.

It "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the holy city of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded."

New Zealand supported the UN resolution calling for the US to withdraw a decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

New Zealands longstanding foreign policy position supports a two-state solution.

President Trumps move overturned decades of American foreign policy and defied world opinion.

The 35 abstentions included Australia, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tuvalu.

Australian UN Ambassador Gillian Bird said Australia wanted to see the US play a leadership role in brokering peace and abstained from the vote, saying: We do not wish to see any party isolated from the process.

There is much in this resolution with which we agree, Bird told the General Assembly after the vote.

We do not, however, consider that this further resolution in addition to the many on the peace process issued by the general assembly helps brings the parties back to the negotiating table.

Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure.

Some of those allies, like Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of US military or economic aid, although the US threat to cut aid did not single out any country.

Guatemala, Honduras and Togo joined the Micronesian Pacific countries, formerly administered by Washington as a UN trust territory, US and Israel in voting no.

According to figures from the US governments aid agency USAID, in 2016 the US provided some $US13 billion in economic and military assistance to countries in sub-Saharan Africa and $US1.6 billion to states in East Asia and Oceania.

The General Assembly vote was called at the request of Arab and Muslim countries after the United States vetoed the same resolution on Monday in the 15-member UN Security Council.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the US or Trump but expressed deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.
Sixty-seven foundation students of the National University of Samoa, who have just recently graduated, are heading for studies in Australia, New Zealand And Fiji.

They have been awarded scholarships and were congratulated during a reception at the N.U.S. fale yesterday.

Of these 67, 61 students are sponsored by the New Zealand government and Australia and six scholarships are funded by the Samoa government.

Awards are merit-based with the allocation to ensure a fair representation of the fields of Arts, Science, Commerce and general agreed to by the three governments.

As for the open category scholarship awards, are made available for those already employed in the public and private sector, non-government organisations and civil societies.

Forty of these awards have been provided for the Open Category 2018 in take, to undertake tertiary education in institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region.

There are 10 scholarships for flexible learning.

Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa congratulated the awardees on behalf of the Prime Minister who is the Chairman of scholarship awards.

No doubt that you are feeling that you have rightfully earned your reward for the hard work and the sacrifice that you and your parents have invested in for the last five years, she said.

Fiame said today is a new beginning and with it, comes with challenges.

The skills and knowledge that you will acquire through your scholarships will assist Samoa advance in many development initiatives.

Australian High Commissioner, Sue Langford, says education is a key priority for Australias aid because they believe in enabling young Samoans such as you to obtain technical and tertiary level qualification to contribute to the future of Samoa.

Her comments were echoed by the High Commissioner of New Zealand, David Nicholson, who also congratulated all of them.
The Ministry of Finance launched the Samoa Population Action Plan 2017-2021 at the Central Bank of Samoa conference room on Thursday.

The four-year plan is a tool to integrate population issues and concerns into the national planning process.

The plan was launched by the Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti.

He said the purpose of this Action Plan was to develop a response to growing concern of resource availability not keeping with up the fluctuation in Samoas population.

The basic initiative of this action plan is taking into account population issues when researching and formulating national policies and development priorities, Sili said.

The vision for this action plan is Sustainable population development through improving the quality of life for the people of Samoa which expresses the aspiration of the Samoan people.

The National Population Action Plan is directed towards government and non-government agencies, particularly those concerned with policy making and development functions.

Sili said the emphasis for this document is action, a sharp focus and precise actions to be taken across a number of sectors as part of Governments coordination agenda.

The issues are pressing and the achievement of this Action Plans Goals and realization of its outcome are integral to improving Samoas overall social and economic development.

Key areas for attention of this action plan are fertility, Samoa population growth trends and age structures are determined mainly by the dynamics of fertility and international migration and their interactions.

The action plan has eight goals with specific outcomes clearly stating the importance and the significance of achieving each goal.

Sili says there is no doubt there will be challenges and uncertainties in its implementation, but with the roadmap in the action plan, Samoa should be able to navigate this agenda with a greater degree of confidence.

I am confident that its successful implementation will raise the quality of life of our people and will also assist our Government to achieve our agreed 2030 outcomes.

Sili acknowledged the support of all stakeholders and sectors and the U.N.F.P.A. for the financial assistance.
The residents at Mapuifagalele have a special place in the hearts of members of the Samoa Faafafine Association (S.F.A.).

This week, S.F.A. donated $3,000 to Mapuifagalele, money from proceeds raised during the first Faafafines Got Talent (F.G.T.) programme.

Producer of F.G.T., and S.S.A.B. Marketing Manager, Asia Alosio Stanley, presented the donation.

I must say it has been very challenging and tough to the point where I nearly gave up as well as the hardworking production team, Stanley said. God has been so amazing; it is wholly true that if you put your trust in him he will direct your paths and he did!

Stanley said the idea of F.G.T. came from consultations between President of Samoa Faafafine Association, Sooalo Roger Stanley and Taumeasinas Hotel Manager Nathan Bucknall.

I was asked to produce the show and I was a bit uncertain. I know it would require a lot of time, commitment, brainstorming but then I was thinking  actually there is a need for this show to take place in Samoa, our country needs vibrant shows such as Faafafines Got Talent.

Faafafines has so many talents but there is no competitive platform for them to showcase their talents.

I was also very keen to produce this show with the help of my great F.G.T. production team because I wanted the Faafafines of Samoa to give something to the Home of the Elderlies at Le Mapuifagalele for Christmas as well as the Juvenile Centre at Mulifanua but predominantly to showcase and expose their talents.

G.M. Nathan, the faafafine community here in Samoa knows your heart especially in encouraging the younger faafafines to always dream big and believe in themselves.

Our Gold sponsor S.S.A.B, my second family, my very own first cousin Mrs Fiti Leung Wai.

Stanley also acknowledged the judges, Leitisia Siaosi, Miss Roe aka Kevin Schuster, Fonoti Mr. PJ Ieriko and Miss Blondie Alefosio for sharing their talents with the contestants.

Stanley also acknowledged the reigning Miss Samoa Faafafine Association Charlize Leo, Auntie Blondie, Aoge Moto, Marlene Kathleen Mulipola, Auntie Mandy, Auntie Tuitogamatoe Julie, Ashley Alvis Augustine Meredith, Malaki Iakopo and Joanne Kabeabealani Iosefa for their utmost support of the programme.
Newly released data show that San Diegos unemployment rate last month dropped to 3.4 percent, the lowest since December 1999.

Adjusted for seasonal variations, jobs in the county grew by 4,900 between October and November

San Diego County has seen job growth for eight of the last 11 months

Nearly 21,000 jobs were created over the last year

Retail hiring was robust in November as stores geared up for the holiday season

Jobs in the dining and drinking sector turned negative as restaurateurs economized in the face of higher labor costs

San Diego jobs: Heres the full story

San Diego experienced strong job gains in November as the countys still-falling jobless rate dipped to 3.4 percent, marking the lowest level in 18 years.

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In all, employers in the county added a solid 4,900 jobs between October and November, which follows a strong gain of 4,800 jobs in the prior month, according to new labor data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The numbers, adjusted for seasonal swings, are a heartening sign that San Diegos employment trends are showing momentum, along with the rest of the state and nation, said Lynn Reaser, chief economist of the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The 3.4 percent rate is the lowest since December 1999, when it was 3 percent, Reaser calculated.

This was the best back-to-back performance that we have seen all year, she said. Even after adjusting for the usual seasonal swings with the holiday season, the decline (in the unemployment rate) was substantial, with the rate falling from 3.7 percent to 3.4 percent.

San Diego has seen monthly job gains in eight of the last 11 months.

Year over year, hiring was equally strong, with local employers creating 20,800 more jobs, although the growth was not as robust as a year earlier when 30,300 jobs were added over a 12-month period.

If there is any cause for concern, it may be that employers will have a tougher time finding qualified workers, Reaser said.

Looking at the unadjusted jobs numbers for November, its clear that holiday hiring contributed mightily to employment growth. Not accounting for seasonal variations, local employers boosted payrolls by 12,100 in November, the state reported. Retailers added 6,300 jobs as they ramped up for their busiest time of the year.

That doesnt surprise Phil Blair, co-founder of the employment firm Manpower Staffing Services.

We have a lot of temporary workers right now helping delivery companies, and I thought it was interesting that one delivery service just canceled our temporaries because they werent as busy as they thought they would be, Blair said. So with that and retail hiring ramping up,that could mean retail stores are succeeding this Christmas.

Like Reaser, Blair is seeing continued signs of hiring challenges faced by companies in need of experienced, well-qualified workers.

If ever there was a good time to be looking for work, its now, Blair said.

Were having to dig deeper into longer term unemployed people whose skills may not be top notch and who have not worked in many months for a variety of reasons, Blair said. For employers who a year ago said I want someone with three years experience and a specific fresh skill set, there were plenty of people to choose from.

Now, were getting more of, I just need good workers who are dependable to sign up for the three- month job and Ill teach them how to run the machinery or the software. They cant be as picky anymore.

In contrast to the run-up in retail hiring, the sector recording the biggest month-over-month job loss last month was in food service and drinking places, which had 2,300 fewer jobs.

Credit higher labor costs fueled by the increase in San Diegos minimum wage, now at $11.50.

Theyre cutting jobs and automating their businesses and finding other ways to economize on labor, Reaser said.

While still lagging the county, California saw its unemployment rate hit a record low in November, falling to 4.6 percent. That represents the lowest rate since record-keeping began in 1976 and is a sharp decline from the 5.3 percent level of a year ago, according to Reaser.

Just a month earlier, the California jobless rate was slightly higher, at 4.9 percent.

Signaling a possible rebound in hiring, California payrolls surged by 47,400, bringing the year-over-year gain to a healthy 288,300. Gains were widespread across industries, including manufacturing.

Reaser noted that California, which had seen a slowdown early in the year, appears to be on a strong growth trend.

Business

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
A federal judge has fined Apple $25,000 per day for failing to produce court-ordered documents to Qualcomm for use in its defense against a U.S. Federal Trade Commissions antitrust lawsuit.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins found Apple had breached an Oct. 18 court order setting Dec. 15 as the deadline to produce 1.3 million documents as part of the discovery process in the Qualcomm/FTC case.

The fine is retroactive to Dec. 16. The judge set a new deadline of Dec. 29 for Apple to hand over the paperwork. Failure to do so will result in increased sanctions in a method and amount to be determined, according to the written ruling issued Thursday.

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Qualcomm declined to comment. Apple said it plans to appeal the ruling.

We have already produced millions of documents for this case and are working hard to deliver the millions more which have been requested in an unprecedented time-frame, the company said in an email.

In January, the FTC sued Qualcomm in federal court in Northern California over its business practices surrounding patent licensing.

The FTC contends Qualcomm leverages its market dominance in cellular modem chips to force smartphone makers to pay exorbitant royalties for its portfolio of mobile patents in violation of competition laws.

Regulators in South Korea and Taiwan have fined Qualcomm over similar charges. The company is appealing. Qualcomm contends these regulatory attacks have been instigated by Apple.

A few days after the FTC filed its lawsuit, Apple weighed in with its own legal actions against Qualcomm in the U.S. and elsewhere. The battle has escalated so the two tech companies now have myriad suits and countersuits pending against each other.

Qualcomms mounting legal challenges  coupled with Apple cutting off $500 million per quarter in patent royalty payments -- weighed down the companys stock price. That opened the door earlier this month for rival Broadcom to launch a hostile takeover bid for Qualcomm  San Diegos largest technology company.

The proxy battle for control of Qualcomms board of directors likely will play out by the companys March 6 annual shareholder meeting, where stockholder ballots will be counted for either Qualcomms board rector candidates or Broadcoms alternative nominees.

The FTC case against Qualcomm is slated to go to trial in January 2019.

Business

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
The shopping crunch is on with 126 million Americans, or 53 percent of consumers, expected to brave mall crowds on the last Saturday before Christmas.

Super Saturday, as the day is known, is generally one of the most-trafficked brick-and-mortar days, with some analysts expecting it to be the second-busiest shopping day of the year. The only difference this year is that Saturday crowds might not be as chaotic as in years past, down from 156 million mall-goers last year.

Thats not because Internet retailers will steal their last-minute thunder. Most of the free shipping offers have expired by now. Rather, the drop in Super Saturday participation can be attributed to consumers starting earlier and having an extra weekend shopping day this holiday season, said Ana Smith, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation.

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Altogether, the trade association forecasts total offline and online holiday retail sales  excluding automobiles, gas and restaurants  to grow 4 percent this year to $682 billion.

This Saturday, some 16 percent of holiday shoppers plan to purchase their final gift. Hours vary, but some San Diego malls will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and select stores, such as Target and Best Buy, will stay open even later.

One of the biggest things to note  is that males are the ones that are going to be buying those last-minute gifts, Smith said. Were going to see more men (than women) in department stores, retail stores this Saturday buying all their gifts for their loved ones.

Experts agree that procrastinators can still get solid deals. Some discounts, especially in the apparel and toy categories, will be as good, if not better, than those offered on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The biggest issue, however, will be picked-over selection.

There will be less physical inventory in the stores, so all the major deals that were available (over the Thanksgiving weekend) are probably shopped down substantially, said Miro Copic, a marketing professor at SDSU who studies trends in retail.

Another thing to note, he said, is that retailers may offer shoppers seemingly unbelievable deals this weekend, albeit with some fine print attached.

Retailers are having a really good holiday season; its probably one of the better holiday seasons in the last five years in terms of total revenue, Copic said. That means, in general, the discounts available to consumers throughout November and December have been lower than in the past. What retailers will do to lure last-minute shoppers on an important weekend is that they will selectively target certain items  slow-moving items or items with a good margin  and they will discount them by 50 percent to 75 percent.

Mall-goers can anticipate the highest markdowns on clothing items  the No. 1 category during the holidays  with better deals at merchants desperate for a strong holiday season. That includes Macys, J.C. Penney and brands that are a part of the Gap chain of retailers, Copic said.

Old Navy, for instance, is already promoting as much as 75 percent off its entire store.

Theyre one of the few retailers that does fairly aggressive promotions, Copic said. Old Navy is the biggest brand in the (Gap) portfolio  and because it really drives value, as in families buying for multiple people, they really want you in that store.

While the bulk of buying will take place in stores this weekend, consumers have several online options promising slightly less of a headache.

Amazon Prime members can benefit from the companys relationship with the United States Post Office, which allows for some Sunday deliveries. They can also continue to buy online through Christmas Eve night, as the e-commerce giants Prime Now smartphone and web app  offering free two-hour delivery on a restricted selection of goods  will be available for on-demand requests through 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 24.

Otherwise, last-minute buyers have a potential ally in the wealth of buy-online, pick-up-in-store options available at familiar merchants, including Target, Best Buy and Walmart.

Buy online, pick up in store is one of the top features that consumers are attracted to this holiday season, said Smith of the retail federation. We will see that grow a lot more coming into the new year.

In San Diego, Nordstrom online shoppers can take advantage of generous curbside pickup hours. The fashion retailer is offering 24-hour pickup at its Fashion Valley and Westfield UTC locations through Christmas Eve.

Of course, gift cards are a no-brainer option for the gift-buying procrastinator.

Plus, all is not lost if you miss all shipping deadlines and cant make it to stores during extended hours  well, at least you wont be alone. The retail federation estimates that 5 percent of people wont purchase their final gift until after Christmas. And a holiday retail survey conducted by Deloitte suggests that one in five people will spend nearly a quarter of their holiday budget after Dec. 25.

Business

jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin
The 178-room Radisson hotel in Rancho Bernardo, which its former owner purchased five years ago for $8.6 million, has been sold for nearly $23 million, a handsome profit for a property that at one time was operating at a loss.

Renovated from top to bottom four years ago, the hotel was sold to Kashl Corp., which previously owned a hotel in Oregon. The Radisson is currently its only lodging property.

While the sales price was not disclosed, the San Diego County Assessors office confirmed that the 28-year-old hotel sold this month for $22.8 million.

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The seller, San Diego-based Pinnacle Hotels USA, was not actively marketing the property but when a broker from CBRE Hotels approached CEO Barry Lall with a buyer, he said he was interested.

When I bought the hotel in 2102 it was in extremely poor condition, it was totally dilapidated and there was no cash flow, said Lall, whose company owns five hotels in San Diego County, including the Four Points by Sheraton in downtown San Diego. So I was able to buy it at an attractive price. We invested $4 million and totally transformed the hotel. We tore down everything to the bones.

So I decided to take a little profit and move on.

Managing the Radisson will be San Diego-based RAR Hospitality, which operates 16 hotels, mostly in the San Diego region.

The company expects to continue marketing the hotel to business travelers, said Cameron Lamming, chief development officer. He noted that in the years since Pinnacle purchased the Radisson in 2012, the area has attracted considerable office development, making it even more attractive for corporate travel.

The hotel doesnt need any cosmetic upgrades. What well mostly be doing is revitalizing the management strategy and capturing more of that corporate market than previously done, Lamming said. Given that our office is a mile away we know all the players in the market.

RAR is also hoping to upgrade the hotel restaurant and make menu and other changes that will broaden its appeal beyond guests to locals, Lamming added.

While hotel sales in San Diego continued at a healthy clip during the first half of this year, the transactions tended to be more modest, mid-sized properties compared to years past as developers have been ramping up construction of new hotels.

Business

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
Heartland Fire & Rescue firefighters/paramedics in El Cajon are singing the praises of Squad 6, a bright-red, fully equipped, custom-built 2017 Ford F-250 truck that could change the way communities handle emergency calls.

It was named Squad 6 because squad is the term used by fire departments to describe a two-person unit and the number corresponds to the El Cajon station it is run out of.

The department earlier this month started sending firefighters out to some crisis situations in the new emergency vehicle to take some of the heat off the departments big engine trucks.

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Because it costs less and requires fewer personnel, its an attractive alternative for departments trying to manage budgets and lower response times.

The primary mission of Squad 6 is to respond to low-acuity medical emergencies, freeing up the departments Engine 6 and Truck 6 to respond to more significant emergencies.

Firefighter John Oslovar, who has worked for more than 10 years out of El Cajon, says the truck fills a needed niche and said its cost effectiveness and efficiency make sense.

If youre doing home improvement work on your house, you can pound nails with a big sledgehammer, Oslovar said. And it works. But its not the most efficient, not the most precise and really doesnt work as well as a regular carpenters hammer.

He said not only is the truck less expensive, but related needs are also, such as the cost of fuel and the trucks use of less specialized off-the-shelf tires.

The city of San Diego has two comparable trucks, but they are custom-made trucks from Pierce, which typically cost about $150,000. In October, National City rolled out a similar Ford truck at its new Station 33 in the northeastern part of the city. The fire department in Plano, Texas, has been using two Chevy trucks for the same purpose since 2013.

The truck cost the city of about 100,000 a little over $82,000 and was specially funded and intended to serve El Cajon, but Squad 6 will also support neighboring jurisdictions on emergencies other than medical aid calls.

Heartland Fire & Rescue serves El Cajon, La Mesa and Lemon Grove. It has four stations in El Cajon, three in La Mesa, and one in Lemon Grove, with a total of 12 apparatus staffed daily.

The department responded to nearly 26,000 emergency incidents last year, with 13,951 of those in El Cajon.

Heartland Fire Chief Colin Stowell said service calls have been increasing 5 percent every year in the city.

That number is quickly becoming unsustainable under traditional service delivery models, requiring alternative deployment methods such as the Squad 6 concept, Stowell said. The added call volume stretches emergency response resources and leads to slower response times or temporary lack of coverage in our communities.

Heartlands truck is fully equipped with medical aid gear; structural and brush firefighting safety equipment; and various firefighting hand tools.

The cost of the truck is far less than the cost of a fire engine, which can set a city back close to $1 million.

But City Manager Doug Williford says money savings was not the primary factor, but rather most effective, fastest way to respond to increasing number of 911 calls to fire.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
Just in time for the holidays, a loggerhead sea turtle at Birch Aquarium in La Jolla got a perfectly fitting gift.

The turtle, rescued in 2013 with a broken shell and twisted spine, this month received a 3-D printed brace that fills a gap in her carapace, the upper portion of her shell.

Last week, she glided in her tank at the aquarium, swimming up to the glass to investigate visitors, and eagerly munching fish her handlers provided.

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Its a big improvement from her condition four years ago, when she was found in the canal of a New Jersey power plant, emaciated and injured.

She weighed less than 100 pounds, and her shell was cracked, with a plate-sized chunk missing from the right rear side. She had both scoliosis and lordosis  sideways and vertical curvature of her spine  and her rear flippers were paralyzed.

Rescuers didnt know how she got hurt, but they transferred her to an aquarium in South Carolina. There the staff stabilized her for transfer to a permanent facility after determining that she could never be released to the wild.

Birch agreed to take her knowing she would be a long-term patient who would require care as long as we had her, said Jenn Moffatt, senior director of animal care for the aquarium, which is part of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

That could be quite a while. Her handlers arent certain of her age, but estimate that shes a 10- to 15-year-old juvenile. Loggerheads, known by the scientific name Caretta caretta, reach maturity at 35 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Authorities say their lifespan is over 50 years and possibly up to 100. The turtles are found around the world, and are listed as endangered.

So we want to protect every one, said Jennifer Frohlich, a veterinarian with UC San Diego who assisted with the turtles care.

Birch Aquarium received the turtle in November 2014, and after running blood work and other tests, introduced her to the tank where she is on display.

She grew from 75 to 215 pounds, approaching her expected adult weight of about 250 pounds. But the growth aggravated her condition, putting her at risk for complications, Moffatt said. Aquarium team members knew they would eventually have to fix her shell to keep her healthy and prevent further damage to her spine and organs.

Consulting with doctors, veterinarians and other experts at the university, they considered various procedures, ranging from surgery to external bracing. They were seeking the least invasive option, and hit upon 3-D printing several months ago.

The turtle has received a CT scanned at UC San Diegos Thornton Hospital twice since her arrival to monitor changes in her shell, the aquarium said. So the team used those CT scans and their own 3-D scanning techniques to design a rigid plastic brace that molded to her shell.

Researchers tested several prototypes and identified one that fit perfectly. They fabricated the final version using 3-D printers, which create a three-dimensional object from a digital model.

They chose an epoxy that was safe for the turtle and would hold the piece securely. Two weeks ago, they fixed it to her shell, where it set underwater.

The procedure went smoothly, they said, and had the benefit of restoring her to neutral buoyancy; previously, her rear end tended to float up because of her damaged shell.

Over the past couple weeks, the young loggerhead is as hungry, alert and curious as ever, Frohlich said.

Loggerheads are very charismatic, very friendly, she said. Theyre the Labrador dog of sea turtles. Shes very charismatic and knows when people are in front of the tank, and she hams it up.

Last week, school groups and families gathered to view her and marvel at the high-tech addition to her shell.

I think shes a great ambassador to her species, Frohlich said. Thats what we want, is to educate people about sea turtles and why theyre endangered, and ocean health in general.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Hundreds of off-duty firefighters representing every department in San Diego County flooded intersections throughout the region Friday morning in a unprecedented boot drive to raise money for the family of fallen Cal Fire Engineer Cory Iverson.

In a scene repeated throughout the morning, firefighters ran from car to car as people enthusiastically threw change and bills into big firefighting rubber boots.

I just wanted to do what little I can to help out, said Paul Ruiz who was walking home along Poway Road at the intersection of Community Road having just dropped his car off for repairs.

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This guy gave his life to keep people safe, Ruiz said. The least I could do is give a bit of change to help his family.

Iverson, 32, an Escondido resident assigned to the Cal Fire station in Dulzura, died Dec. 14 from injuries suffered while battling the huge Thomas Fire in Ventura County.

He is survived by his pregnant wife, Ashley, and 2-year-old daughter, Evie. Details of how he died have not been released, but an autopsy determined he died from smoke inhalation and burns.

1 / 13 Jake Dupuy, left, drops a donation in the boot of Poway Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Mitchell, right, at the intersection of Poway Road and Community Road Friday morning for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 13 Vista Fire Department Capt. Emily Downing talks to a motorist at the intersection of Poway Road at Community Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 13 Poway Fire Department firefighter Phil Watson, left, receives a donation from Carla Walden, right, at the intersection of Poway Road and Community Road Friday morning for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the boot fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 13 Poway Fire Department firefighter Ben Schmid receives a donation from a motorist at the intersection of Community Road and Poway Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 13 Poway Fire Department Capt. Andy Page waits for the next motorist to make a donation near the intersection of Community Road and Poway Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 13 A motorist makes a donation to the boot of a firefighter at the intersection of Poway Road and Community Road Friday morning for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 13 Poway Fire Department firefighter Phil Watson waits for the next motorist to make a donation at the intersection of Poway Road and Community Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 13 Lakeside Fire Protection District Capt. Chris Downing waits for the next motorist to make a donation near the intersection of Community Road and Poway Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 13 Poway Fire Department Capt. Andy Page walks up and down Community Road near Poway Road collecting donations as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 13 A firefighters boot sits at the corner of Poway Road and Community Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 13 Poway Fire Department Capt. Andy Page receives a donation from a motorist at the intersection of Community Road and Poway Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 13 Poway Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Mitchell, left, receives a donation from a motorist at the intersection of Poway Road at Community Road as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 13 Poway Fire Department Capt. Andy Page walks up and down Community Road near Poway Road collecting donations as part of the boot drive to collect money for the family of Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson of Escondido who was killed on December 14th while battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County. Firefighters from all around the county were participating in the fundraiser. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune)

By late afternoon, with a few fire departments still counting cash, about $185,000 had been collected county-wide.

The concept of the boot drive came from two Poway Fire Department captains, Josh Fernandes and Rodney Ortiz.

Poway firefighters annually hold a boot drive to raise money for the Burn Institute and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This time, the firefighters thought, one should be held for one of their brethren.

When we found out about Cory Iversons death we were all very sad to hear what had happened and wanted to help out in some way, Ortiz said. We thought it would be a good idea to host a boot drive to raise money for one of our own.

We started emailing everybody, Fernandes said. It kind of spread like wildfire. One department would get hold of another department and eventually we got the entire county involved.

Ortiz and Fernandes spent Friday morning going to the three intersections in the city where firefighters were collecting money and emptied the contents of the boots into a duffel bag that was already brimming with cash at 8 a.m.

People are dropping $100 bills, said Poway Battalion Chief Brian Mitchell.

Ortiz said some people appeared to have heard about the drive the day before from some radio interviews and had purposely driven through the intersection to give.

At 2:30 Friday, representatives of all the departments were scheduled to gather in Poway where all the money would be counted and then taken to a local bank and deposited. All proceeds will be given to the Iverson family.

Cal Fire Chief Tony Mecham, who was given the task of telling Iversons wife about her husbands death and has continued to be the liaison with the family, said every day he and they are amazed at the outpouring of love from the community.

Ive never seen anything like this, Mecham said. I think the people who have seen a lot on social media, the photos and things of the family, its tugged at peoples heart strings and instead of buying another gift for under their tree, theyre paying it forward.

He said the fact that every fire department participated in the boot drive shows how far the firefighting community has come since the firestorms of last decade.

Every fire department in this county operates as one, he said.

Throughout the morning, firefighters ran from car to car, often being yelled at by motorists to come to their windows.

Its really nice to see, said Poway Battalion Chief Brian Mitchell, one of a handful of firefighters collecting cash at the intersection of Poway and Community roads. People seem to have the holiday spirit.

He said in his 25 years as a firefighter he couldnt remember a similar boot drive on such a scale for a fallen colleague.

The family of Cory Iverson is not going to be living in the lap of luxury from donations, Mitchell said. Were just trying to make their suffering a little less. The kids lost their Dad. Were doing what we can to help them out.

jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones
Escondido native Doug Paulson graduated from the areas schools, teaches in the citys high school district, and now heads the school board for Escondidos elementary school district.

Paulson, elected to an open seat last year, was selected by his fellow board members to lead the board on Dec. 14.

My first year in office has been very productive, said Paulson, 54. We have a very good, well-functioning board. Im very happy with some of the processes that weve put in motion.

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The district is establishing a new GATE program, which could offer supplemental art and music instruction for high-achieving students, or science and math lessons, such as coding or robotics. And it has hired a consultant to review its special education program and make recommendations for improvements, he said.

That is going to give us valuable information for improving services to our most vulnerable students, he said.

Starting next school year, the district will have one-to-one Apple devices for students in every school through a contract with Apple that provides for continual updates and replacement of the devices every three years, Paulson said.

Escondido Union is also considering expanding its bilingual Spanish-English programs to more schools. In those classes, native English and Spanish speakers learn both languages together. And its working to enhance instruction for students learning English as a second language.

The district has made a commitment to improving outcomes for English-language learners, and are seeing very good results, he said.

Things werent running as smoothly a year ago when Paulson was elected. Then the district was grappling with declining enrollment and dealing with the aftermath of a bruising legal battle. Paulson replaced former trustee Jose Fragozo, who was forced to resign in August 2016 after pleading guilty to felony voter fraud.

Fragozos tenure on the board was fraught with conflict, as he warred with other school board members and administrators and was subject to a temporary restraining order by Superintendent Luis Ibarra. Fragozo ultimately faced charges of lying about where he lived in order to win a seat in the newly established voting district, and agreed through a plea bargain to step down from his position.

Paulson vowed to help restore civility to the body if he was elected, and school officials said that he has worked with other school officials to meet that goal.

I think Doug is very much a people person and a communicator, Deputy Superintendent Leila Sackfield said. He is very efficient in terms of the running of the meetings. Hes just a person with a calm and proper nature. Hes very professional.

Paulson said the entire board has made an effort to cultivate thoughtful dialogue.

We have very divergent views on many things related to education, he said. However, we disagree in a very respectful fashion. We talk through things.

Paulson has made it a point to visit school sites frequently to observe school programs and speak to students and staff at various campuses.

Hes been very visible and approachable to all members, Sackfield said.

An Escondido native and third-generation teacher, Paulson attended schools in the city and graduated from Escondido High School. He then served in the U.S. Peace Corps and as a National Park ranger.

But education was in his blood, and eventually drew him to teaching. Paulson has worked at Orange Glen High School for 22 years. During that time, he has taught English, math and science, and run the after-school program, parent education and intervention program. He is currently a classroom teacher and special education case manager.

Since the city has separate elementary and high school districts, Paulson was eligible to run for a seat on the elementary school board while teaching at a high school campus. His position gives him a unique perspective on the workings of the schools.

During my workday, I hear about what is happening in the elementary schools when my kids come in and talk about what happened to their brothers and sisters in school yesterday, he said. And I see the results of the elementary school district.

He said, however, that he guards against viewing his board duties solely through his experience as a teacher.

I have to recognize that Im there as a community member, coming at this from a community standpoint, he said.

His two top goals, he said, are to continue to improve academic achievement among all student groups, and secondly to maintain fiscal solvency in our district.

As the district works to counter enrollment declines caused by population changes and an increase in charter school enrollment, Paulson said promoting student success is the best strategy to reverse that.

Our district is offering excellent programs and that is what is going to make people choose Escondido public schools, he said.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Several San Diego County groups recently received grants from the Ohio-based Nordson Corp., which has a Carlsbad campus.

The company, which specializes in products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials and other materials, gives grants through its foundation. Since 1989, it has disbursed more than $50 million in grants, especially to organizations that help improve educational outcomes so people become self-sufficient, active community participants.

Interfaith Community Services received a grant of $150,000, plus a second grant of $7,000; the Carlsbad Educational Foundation received $87,790, plus a second grant for $7,500; the Ocean Discovery Institute, partners with the San Diego Unified School District, received $100,000, plus a second grant of $5,000; and the Vista Unified School District received $5,000.

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The Carlsbad Educational Foundation funds will support the creation of a classroom of the future for Aviara Oaks Middle School and Magnolia Elementary School in the Carlsbad Unified School District. The funding represents the largest grant the foundation has ever received, according to a foundation statement.

Magnolia Elementary School will be converting certain classrooms into a collaborative learning lab outfitted with flexible furniture, whiteboard space, plug-and-play technology and manipulative learning tools. The grant also allows Aviara Oaks Middle School to continue renovating a library space in a similar way.

In the Vista school district, the $5,000 grant has been designated for use at the superintendents discretion.

Nordson Corp. and Nordson Corporation Foundation gave $8.9 million to charity in 2017, which included $412,500 in Community Affairs Committee grants to San Diego County organizations.

Among the nearly 100 county educational bodies or agencies also receiving Nordson grants: MiraCosta College Foundation, $7,500; Palomar College Foundation, $7,500; Casa de Amistad, $2,500; The Escondido Community Child Development Center, $5,000; Reality Changers, $7,500; The San Marcos Promise, $5,000; and Vista Innovation and Design Academy PTA, $2,000.

For the full list, visit https://www.nordson.com/en/our-company/community.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
Whats the going rate for a Spacey-ectomy?

Ten million dollars isnt all the money in the world, but its a lot. And its the amount director Ridley Scotts backers paid to remove Kevin Spacey from an already completed version of the brisk, medium-good kidnapping drama All the Money in the World.

In a breathless few weeks since multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Spacey began surfacing in October, Scott and company recast the role of oil magnate J. Paul Getty with Christopher Plummer; reshot his scenes; re-edited the full package; and pushed the Dec. 22 release date back by three days, to Christmas. Behind the scenes as well as on screen, All the Money in the World is the true story of a celebritys sudden disappearance.

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In 1973, 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, the grandson (known as Paul) of the richest man in human history at the time, was walking along the Piazza Farnese in Rome when a van full of Calabrian kidnappers grabbed him and sped off. The Mafia extortionists holding the teenager captive initially set the ransom at $17 million.

But Pauls mother, Abigail (Gail) Harris, didnt have it. And when she approached her ex-father-in-law J. Paul, he declined. I couldnt be weighed down mentally with a family, the elder Getty says earlier in the film, explaining his now-and-then attachments to alleged loved ones.

For five months, Paul was relocated and ultimately squirreled away in the mountainous countryside, while the kidnappers kept lowering their demands, and Gail performed various feats of familial negotiation and brinkmanship to get her son back, minus one ear. The story here is really Gails story, more so than Pauls or J. Pauls. The excellent Michelle Williams makes her an intriguing, cagey insider/outsider within this realm of the super-rich.

The most effective moment in All the Money in the World lasts all of two seconds, in the middle of an argument between Gail and J. Pauls shadowy ex-CIA fixer, portrayed a little stiffly by Mark Wahlberg. The moment involves a telephone receiver used as a weapon. It gets the audiences attention as well as the characters. I wish more of the film kept you on your toes like that bit, but Scotts production works on the level of classy, confident yarn-spinning.

The flashback-laced screenplay is by David Scarpa, based largely on John Pearsons nonfiction account Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortune and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty. Shooting in London, Rome and Jordan (doubling for Saudi Arabia), director Scott proves a reliable craftsman who revels, in his chilly way, in the trappings and traps of vaguely sinister hordes of wealth.

So hows Plummer? Hes very good. Hes 30 years older than Spacey, so the makeup and visual sleight of hand now works in the opposite direction. Judging from the original trailer, with Spacey, the 1973 scenes caked the actor in old-age prosthetics. Now, in the Plummer edition, the elder Getty requires little makeup, and when the film flashes back to 1948, its a simple matter of Plummers hair and eyebrows acquiring a dark tint.

Scott has said in interviews that Plummers Getty is a warmer, more sympathetic portrait than Spaceys was. It helps the film, I think. All the Money in the World may lack a slyly comic touch, which some of the Gettys machinations and excesses call for, loudly and clearly. But in addition to Williams and Plummer, theres a lively turn from Romain Duris as the head kidnapper who develops a soft spot for the poor little rich boy, played indistinctly by Charlie Plummer (no relation to Christopher). The movie offers no particular point of view on this character.

So says Everett Sloane in Citizen Kane: Its no trick to make a lot of money, if all you want  is to make a lot of money. Whenever Plummer takes center stage in All the Money in the World, you see a remote kingdom of a man. Watching the movie is like gazing at a zoo full of exotics on a planet vaguely resembling Earth. But only vaguely.

Michael Phillips is the Chicago Tribune film critic.

mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune

All the Money in the World -- 3 stars

Rating: R

When: Opens Christmas Day

Where: Wide release

Running time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

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Christopher Plummer talks about filling in for the disgraced Kevin Spacey in All the Money in the World 
As a junior designer at Delawie architecture and interior design firm, Lauren Bencivengo has a chance to help on everything from construction plans to picking out wallpaper while also preparing to take the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam.

The 23-year-old, who hails from Poway, also has a line of made-to-order furnishings available at Bed Bath & Beyond, thanks to a contest held by Chicago-based Cloth & Company, a custom furniture company that launched in 2016.

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The Emerging Designer competition was held last spring with the winner declared at Dwell On Design, an annual interior design show and conference held in Los Angeles at the end of June.

It was a shot-in-the-dark kind of thing, said Bencivengo, who entered the competition two weeks before the deadline in May after she learned about it through an email from a colleague. The contest, which was announced nationally, was open to students and recent graduates. It drew more than 100 entries, some international.

Each participant was asked to submit two to three textile designs, which could be created digitally or by hand. The field was then narrowed down to five finalists. A design from each finalist was used to create a chair. The five chairs were then judged at Dwell on Design by a panel of six judges.

I was really looking for the opportunity to work with somebody who is really talented who is unknown right now, said Meganne Wecker, president of her familys company, Skyline Furniture. She and partner Christiane Lemieux, founder of DwellStudio, established Cloth & Company based on the fast fashion trend.

The millennial is who everyone is trying to capture, she said. Theyre coming out of school, and theyre furnishing their first apartment. And theyre much more apt to buy online and much more willing to take risks and put patterned chairs in their house that express their style. They are also very in tune to social media and the stories that are happening behind how the products are being created. So for us, its really interesting to go after someone who really does have a story and is just very talented.

Bencivengo wanted the designs to reflect her view on what is timeless and took her inspiration from her surroundings. I didnt want to fall into a trend, she said.

One pattern was inspired by the geometric shapes of architecture, the second, which has a series of semicircles, by fashion, and the third by everyday objects depicted through the ebb and flow of lines.

Ive always loved painting since I was a child, said Bencivengo, who graduated from Miami University of Ohio in 2015 with a bachelors degree in interior design. She has been working for Delawie since February 2016.

The way I feel about design is that it should be timeless, and it should have function. It should be something you love and aesthetically pleasing, she said.

The patterns were hand-drawn on paper using gouache, a paint with the consistency of watercolor but the opaqueness of acrylic. The drawings were then scanned for submission. The fashion design with black-and-white semicircles was used to create the chair for judging.

What struck me was that it really fit well for textile designs for furniture in terms of the scale of her patterns, the livability of it, said Wecker, who was also one of the judges. When youre looking at furniture, you have to think that this is a larger investment, and you have to live with it for a long time. Her designs were different, yet livable.

The classic lines of her patterns lean toward midcentury modern, which, Wecker said, is very hot in our market right now for furniture.

Bencivengo then collaborated with Cloth & Company to develop the 24 items for her line that includes chairs, headboards, storage benches, ottomans, pillows and curtains. The items, which range in price from $100 for a pillow to $405 for a chair, are available online through next summer.

A new printing process allows Cloth & Company to create textiles in small batches. With a high-tech digital printer, Wecker said, we started to realize the opportunities it could afford us. We could print anything, and all we would have to print is a yard. The digital printer really opened us up to doing these different types of collaborations. (The company is also working with lifestyle blogger and designer Joy Cho, designing furniture for Target.)

I think everyone is really happy with the outcome, Wecker said of the contest, which the company is considering again for next year. I would love to see this continue, because there is just so much talent out there, she said.

Its been really fun having a furniture line, said Bencivengo, who will receive a percentage of the sales at the end of the first quarter, which will be at the end of the month.

People say success is sometimes getting lucky, Bencivengo said. I think I got lucky.

Schimitschek is a San Diego freelance writer.
When Marco Chavez Medina walked across the border at San Ysidro on Thursday, he carried with him the hopes of hundreds of U.S. military veterans who have been deported following their years of service.

Before he walked into the port of entry, several deported veterans who live in Tijuana shook his hand, wished him well and then erupted into cheers.

Chavez, 45, is the first deported military veteran to have his green card reinstated after a governor pardoned the conviction that caused him to lose it.

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For the first time in 15 years, Chavez will be home for Christmas.

I was in disbelief, Chavez said after emerging from an interview with border officials. I believe it now.

Though he said he was nervous and couldnt sleep the night before, Chavez didnt show it. He stood calmly with his hands folded behind his back and his face stoic, the way one might expect from a man who served four years in the Marine Corps. He smiled mostly with the crinkles of his eyes.

Chavez first came to the U.S. illegally, in 1973 when he was about 6 months old. He received a green card in 1989 through the Reagan administrations amnesty program.

In the late 90s, Chavez was convicted of animal cruelty and served 10 months of a two-year sentence. An immigration judge revoked his green card a few years later. The situation involved a dog in a mechanic shop, Chavez said, and he maintains that the jury made a mistake in convicting him and that he is innocent.

An immigration judge reinstated his green card at the end of November after Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned him this year. He had less than a month to mentally prepare to come back.

Its been 15 years  a third of his life  since hes been to his parents home in Los Angeles, where hes now heading to begin a new life.

Im nervous about restarting my life again in the U.S., he said. Ive been away for quite a bit, so Ive got to start somewhere. I figure I did it in Tijuana, so I can do it in the U.S.

He hopes to find work quickly, perhaps in construction or maintenance and repair. He dreams of having a place of his own that is big enough for his sons to visit when they want.

When he was deported, his sons were children, the oldest about 6. Now, theyve grown into young men, and he barely knows them.

Im trying to establish a relationship with them, Chavez said. Im pretty sure theyre resentful for me not being there.

He carried two Christmas bags filled with gifts for his grandchildren.

Its been 15 years since he could buy himself a good pastrami sandwich, something he craved in his time away. He asked his parents to bring him one when they came to visit him in Tijuana every so often.

His father, Antonio Chavez, came on Thursday to pick him up in San Ysidro.

Former state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher and ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties director Norma Chavez-Peterson, who are part of a coalition to help deported military veterans return to the U.S., welcomed Chavez with hugs when he reached U.S. soil.

This is really great  second to birth of kids and marriage  really great to work so hard and know it mattered, Fletcher said.

Chavez is one of three deported veterans pardoned by Brown this year thanks to the persuasion of Fletcher and his team.

Fletcher hopes the others might be permitted to cross soon.

On behalf of all who serve, for so many of us, these are our brothers, Fletcher said. None of us can truly be at peace until everyone comes home.

Hector Barajas, one of the men waiting to find out if his pardon will also help him return, beamed with excitement as he escorted Chavez to the border.

Out of the millions of people getting deported, how often do you hear of people going home? Barajas said.

The American Civil Liberties Union has documented at least 239 cases of deported veterans, living in 34 countries.

Though people in active military service are eligible to become citizens immediately instead of waiting the years required of other immigrants, they still have to go through the legal process.

Some have argued that if veterans dont make the effort to naturalize, they should be deportable if they commit certain crimes. They believe that green cards should be conditional to a persons behavior regardless of military service.

Many deported veterans have said they thought that they were automatically citizens as part of their service because of what they were told during recruitment.

No veteran gets a free pass, Fletcher said. Every veteran should be held accountable for any mistake that they make, and all of these veterans were. For almost all veterans, after you pay your debt to society, a grateful nation offers you a path to redemption and reentry. For these veterans, after they pay their debt to society, we offer a path to deportation.

He is pushing Congress to prevent more deportations of veterans and bring back those already removed.

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com

Morrissey writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune
A Rancho Bernardo man suspected of passing out drunk with a lit cigarette that set his home on fire, killing his two children, pleaded not guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter and other charges.

A melted whiskey bottle was found among the charred ruins of Henry Lopezs bedroom, a prosecutor said.

Lopez, 37, was charged on Wednesday with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of child endangerment causing death, and one count of recklessly starting a fire resulting in great bodily injury to more than one person.

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His attorney, Paul Neuharth Jr., arranged for his surrender at San Diego Superior Court on Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Kyle Sutterley said.

Lopez faces 14 years in state prison if convicted on all counts.

Sutterley said Lopez has not been charged with arson, and no mention was made in court that, according to court papers filed by Lopezs estranged wife, he had threatened in September to burn down their jointly owned condominium.

Flames were reported at the Bernardo Terrace condo about 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 28. Firefighters rescued the couples critically injured children, Cristos, 10, and Isabella, 7, and Lopez. His wife was not at the home.

Cristos, who had been found on the floor of his fathers bedroom, died of burns and smoke inhalation later that morning, Sutterley said. Isabella was found in bed in a different bedroom. She died of smoke inhalation.

Lopez was found at the top of a stairway to the condos second floor. He was hospitalized with major burns.

Our theory is, (Lopez) fell asleep after drinking alcohol, with a lit cigarette in bed, which lit his bed on fire, which in turn lit his house on fire, which killed his children, Sutterley said out of court.

Sutterley asked Superior Court Judge Laura Halgren to hold Lopez in jail in lieu of $1 million bail pending further court proceedings. The judge allowed Lopez to remain free, but on supervised release and wearing an alcohol-monitoring bracelet.

According to court documents, Lopezs wife sought a restraining order against him, saying he made threats when they argued by text message in September about a payment he missed on their condo. She said he replied that he would burn all of this (expletive) down.

The wife also said Lopez threatened to kill her during a phone conversation with her mother.

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pauline.repard@sduniontribune

Twitter: @pdrepard
They may not be home for the holidays, but for almost 300 people living in a large tent downtown, its the next best thing.

Last year, Christmas was on the street, said Lynette Gresham, 51, one of about 270 homeless people living in a tented shelter run by the Alpha Project near Petco Park. Here, everybody is like family. And Im a big kid at heart. I still believe in Santa Claus.

Carlito Fisk, 46, said he has a better outlook these days and plans to have a better Christmas than last, which was spent in jail.

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Im around people who are positive, he said. Things are getting better. Im hoping I can get a job soon.

The large industrial tent on Newton Avenue just off 16th Street is one of three the city of San Diego plans to operate as bridge housing, or a place for homeless people to stay while getting help to find a permanent home.

Veterans Villages of San Diego is scheduled to open a second tent for 200 people Friday morning and Father Joes Villages is expected to open a 150-bed tent for families before the new year.

Almost three weeks since its Dec. 1 opening, however, the Alpha Project tent still is not at capacity because of delays related to a new intake system. The number of beds has been scaled back from 350 to 325 to meet a requirement to space them 30 inches apart, the internet wasnt hooked up until Monday and a scanner to check people in and out still wasnt working earlier this week.

Its a little chaotic right now, Alpha Project President and CEO Bob McElroy acknowledged.

All things considered, however, McElroy said things are running smoothly, and people inside are grateful.

An 18-foot Christmas tree greets people just inside the entrance of the tent on Newton Street, and McElroy said he is trying to find a Santa available Christmas Eve to hand out presents.

On Wednesday morning, a half dozen people inside the tent drank coffee and watched The View on a large TV. Outside, people used the portable showers, socialized, smoked and walked their dogs, which number about 60, on the grounds.

McElroy estimated about 10 percent of the residents have jobs and are saving their money, and several attend City College. About 60 percent are seniors, he said.

The plan is for each person to move out, preferably to permanent housing, within 120 days. The clock hasnt started ticking yet because people still are moving in, and efforts to find housing for each person havent kicked in, McElroy said.

Under a similar shelter program operated by the Alpha Project until two years ago, McElroy said he could have filled the tent in about a day by opening it up to people already associated with the nonprofit.

Now, they are using a new coordinated entry system that tracks homeless people throughout the county based on a survey called the Vulnerability Index and Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool, more commonly known as the VI-SPDAT.

Alpha Project Chief Operating Officer Amy Gonyeau said the system makes sense because it gives priority to people with the greatest needs and who are most likely to find housing soon because they already have some type of rental assistance.

But there are drawbacks that are just surfacing.

Were spending a lot of time working with other agencies, trying to find the clients, she said. Sometimes a countywide search cant find a person on top of the list, she said, and sometimes it turns out the person already has been housed, but the Alpha Project wasnt aware of that.

Gonyeau said things also could go smoother with more housing navigators  staff members who help people find homes. The Alpha Project tent will have eight housing navigators, and Gonyeau said it would help if other agencies pitched in to bring the staff to 20 or 30.

She said another looming uncertainty is whether housing can be found for the residents once the housing navigators begin their work. The countywide vacancy rates for apartments this year was a low 3.7 percent.

Despite the challenges ahead, McElroy is optimistic that the streets of San Diego will look very different once the tents are open and running, although it might take a couple of years to see the full effect.

Michael Smith, 36, is among the people who say they are grateful to stay in the tent, which he said residents call The Dome.

I think this is a wonderful place, he said. Theres people here with full bellies and warm blankets who are still bitching, but Im grateful. I think they just dont know how to appreciate it.

Before moving into the tent, Smith lived in the temporary encampment the Alpha Project operated near Balboa Park for about three months. He calls himself an upper classman because of the experience and said he leads others by example, reminding people new to the site to clean up after their dogs and to wash down the showers when done.

Before moving into the encampment, Smith said he had been homeless for a month after being laid off from his job at NASSCO.

The first three days were the hardest, he said. Dealing with the cold at night. You sleep for like two hours until your body gets cold, then you wake up and walk around.

Nina Schauf, 54, also lived in the camp for three months before moving to the big tent.

Its comfortable and Ive got good friends, said Schauf, who had worked as a certified nurses assistant for 25 years before moving to Reno with her fiance. She moved back to her hometown of San Diego after he died, and had been sleeping in Embarcadero Park when an Alpha Project outreach team worker brought her to the encampment.

We keep ourselves sane, she said about her friends at the tent. And were looking forward to our houses. Thats what were praying for this Christmas. Housing and a good job.

Homeless Playlist  On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
A judge says a crackdown on mini-dorms near San Diego State University is illegal because two ordinances adopted by the city conflict with state housing laws, invade the privacy of renters near the campus and violate the U.S. Constitution.

The ruling this month by Superior Court Judge Ronald Styn leaves city officials and residents with no legal way to regulate mini-dorms  converted single-family homes known for late-night parties and monopolizing scarce parking.

The judges nullification of the ordinances, one enacted in 2008 and another enacted a year ago, are a setback for those who have been lobbying against mini-dorms since the properties first began popping up in the 1980s.

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A survey by residents living near the university found that more than 800 of the roughly 4,000 dwelling units in the College Area neighborhood are mini-dorms, which have many more bedrooms than the areas single-family homes.

Residents say investors systematically buy three- and four-bedroom houses and then remodel them into mega houses where they can charge high rents to students desperate for housing close to campus.

The lawsuit that nullified the city regulations was filed by a group made up mostly of mini-dorm owners  the College Area Students, Tenants and Landlords Association.

Rhea Khulman, chairwoman of the College Area Community Council, said the ruling is a major disappointment and that shes not sure residents will lobby for new mini-dorm legislation that is more legally sound.

Thats going to be a decision the community needs to make, and at this time of year its a little hard to predict that because people are focused on the holidays, she said.

Khulman said residents have the goal of maintaining the character of their single-family neighborhood by reining in excessively large mini-dorms, sometimes called supersized because they have so many bedrooms.

We need to emphasize that the idea is not to get rid of mini-dorms or get rid of students, she said by telephone on Thursday. The idea is to keep the housing within a reasonable size and configuration.

Opponents of the regulations say they ignore the root of the problem, which they contend is a lack of affordable student housing near SDSU, and go too far by trampling on property rights.

They also say residents in the area knew they were buying homes near a college campus.

Gerry Braun, a spokesman for City Attorney Mara Elliott, said Elliott will brief the City Council on the ruling at a session closed to the public early next year.

If the City Council is interested in trying to do this in a way that doesnt run into problems, our office is ready to advise them and work with them on that, he said.

The city could also appeal Styns ruling.

The nullified regulations, which havent been in effect since Styn granted a preliminary injunction in the case in June, require a special permit when a house has six or more tenants age 18 or older living there for at least 30 days.

Owners of such houses were also required to prove the property has a number of off-street parking spots equal to at least one less than the number of residents.

The regulations applied only to properties within the College Area Community Plan.

Judge Styn, in his Dec. 1 ruling, said the regulations conflict with state laws that aim to increase the supply of affordable housing in California, and that state laws pre-empt city laws when there is a conflict.

The ruling also said the city regulations are an unlawful invasion of privacy because city officials conducted surprise inspections of mini-dorms to assess the number of tenants, parking spots and other details.

Styn said this violates the right of mini-dorm tenants to be left alone in their own homes, adding that privacy is a fundamental right that can only be violated when there is a more compelling public need than monitoring mini-dorms.

Finally, Styn said the regulations violate constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law by imposing rules on tenant-occupied properties that dont apply to owner-occupied properties.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
Authorities are offering a reward of up to $1,000 as they try to identify and arrest a pair of robbers dubbed the Grinch Bandits for a series of armed heists from October to December.

San Diego Crime Stoppers and investigators from the Rancho San Diego Sheriffs Station released on Thursday a photo of one of the two suspects in the robberies, which have occurred in San Diego, Spring Valley, El Cajon and National City.

Officials said the heists were similar: When the duo entered the targeted location, the first suspect pointed a shotgun at the clerk and demanded cash, and the second suspect took money from the register.

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Authorities said they consider the pair armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information about the suspects can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at (888) 580-8477. Texts or web tips can also be sent at sdcrimestoppers.com.

Tipsters may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
A reward is being offered for any tip that cracks the case of a hit-and-run driver who left a pedestrian in critical condition in Mountain View last week.

San Diego police are looking for whoever was driving a 2008 to 2010 Scion TC about 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 along Ocean View Boulevard.

The car hit a 33-year-old man who was walking north across Ocean View at Milbrae Street. The driver kept going, heading west.

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The pedestrian suffered a severe brain injury and remains hospitalized, in critical condition, police said.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

Anyone with information can call the police traffic division at (858) 495-7813 or Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune

Twitter: @pdrepard
An 11th woman came forward Thursday with allegations against a San Diego sheriffs deputy, saying he improperly groped her during an encounter in Lakeside almost two years ago.

The latest complaint against the San Diego Sheriffs Department and Deputy Richard Fischer was filed in San Diego Superior Court on Thursday. Ten other women have filed claims or lawsuits against the county accusing Fischer of sexual misconduct.

Fischer has declined repeated requests for interviews. Both the Sheriffs Department and the District Attorneys Office say they are investigating the claims as quickly as they can and note that Fischer was placed on administrative duty in October and on formal leave last month.

The lawsuit Thursday was filed by a woman identified only by her initials, M.Y. According to the complaint, she was waiting outside a 7-Eleven store in late February or early March 2016 for her boyfriend to pick her up.

Fischer knew the woman was subject to immediate search based on past encounters with the woman and effected a search, the complaint says.

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Fischer also searched her pockets and had M.Y. pull up her bra (but not exposing her breasts) to determine if she was holding anything illegal, the lawsuit says.

The deputy found nothing improper and offered the woman a ride to her boyfriends home, which she accepted, the suit states.

Before she could put the seat belt on, Fischer reached across her body, put the seat belt on and intentionally touched her crotch area, the complaint states. Later, he rubbed his left arm across her breasts, the suit adds. As Fischer did this, he said, I hope your boyfriend doesnt mind this.

The allegations are similar to many of the encounters described by other victims.

Earlier this week, three of the alleged victims told The San Diego Union-Tribune they were afraid that county officials were protecting the deputy from arrest because he is a sworn officer. Both the Sheriffs Department and District Attorneys Office rejected the assertion and said they are conducting a thorough and expedited investigation.

Previously

Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
Despite headlines about Congress failing to act to help Dreamers  the nearly 800,000 unauthorized immigrants who came here as minors and who were granted work permits that gave them some legal protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created by President Barack Obamas 2012 executive order  the news on this front last week was actually quite positive. After a productive bipartisan meeting at the White House between nearly a dozen senators and chief of staff John Kelly, it seems quite plausible that Dreamers will be saved from facing deportation  for the first time since Donald Trump became president.

This is very welcome news. To quality for a DACA permit, individuals must have graduated from high school or served in the military and have led constructive lives. They have great potential to help America. Thats why the CEOs of more than 400 companies signed a letter last summer urging that the Dreamers be protected.

Dreamers are vital to the future of our companies and our economy, the CEOs wrote. They are part of why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage.

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But until last week, it was tough to get a sense if these arguments had any traction with the Trump administration. While the president has called Dreamers incredible kids and offered other praise as well, it was his decision to cancel the program after a six-month window that ends in March 2018. While the president and his aides spoke of cutting a deal  passing a law protecting Dreamers instead of relying on a constitutionally dubious executive order  they werent interested in starting the haggling process.

Until Tuesdays meeting at the White House. Senators told Politico that Kelly said the White House would soon specify what immigration and border policy changes it wanted in return for formalizing a DACA-type program.

This, of course, could all blow up in a minute. If the White House requests are blasted by immigration hardliners as not going nearly far enough in return for what theyre sure to call amnesty for nearly 800,000 people, its easy to see Trumps inner Steve Bannon emerging with a series of tweets disavowing the actions of his own administration  as hes done repeatedly on other issues.

But Kelly appears to have the respect of Trump that few are accorded. If Kelly can make clear how helping the Dreamers would be seen as a big political victory  the first positive immigration measure to make it into law in decades  that should be music to the presidents ears.

Americans are unlikely to be on the same page on immigration any time soon. As a Vox analysis piece in October noted, Democrats are taking an increasingly hard line against immigration restrictions, aware that President Obama got little credit for taking a somewhat centrist approach on the issue  being blasted as deporter-in-chief for several years while also helping Dreamers.

Meanwhile, Republicans  and right-wing parties worldwide  have seen their call for tight borders and their opposition to accepting large numbers of political refugees rewarded at the polls.

Given this backdrop, if these sides can come together to help the young adults brought here as children, that would be a triumph of pragmatism in a polarized time. Heres hoping it comes to pass.
Lightly edited comments from our online coverage.

Re Californias bullet train: No CEO, no funds, no future (Dec. 18): Ha ha. Gov. Browns bullet train to nowhere is the biggest waste of taxpayer dollars in California history. It is Moonbeams legacy.

horseshoe7

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Joined April 16, 2016

Pat Brown did this in the 1960s  build the state water project halfway and they will have to finish it. Of course it was underbudgeted  thats the strategy. They could just pass a CEQA exemption at the legislature, which would kill almost all the lawsuits.

tjbussesf

Joined Dec. 23, 2016

Re Congress has to act to stop Trump now (Dec. 16): Democrats are just angry that Trump is POTUS and is systematically erasing the damage that the previous president inflicted on this country. Obama envisioned this country being one huge, secular, socialistic society with open borders and filled with disarmed citizens working to support the lazy masses through an infinite number of social welfare programs, even as he traveled around the globe and apologized for Americas greatness and benevolence to every world leader. As a result of this change at the top in Nov. 2016, the mental health of the unhinged left has degraded to the extent that it will stop at nothing in trying to remove Trump from office.

Memo23

Joined April 30, 2016

What damage was inflicted on this country by Obama? You do remember our situation in January 2009? Republicans often give a revisionist history version on the state of affairs around that time. Give examples of damage other than Fox & Friends whiny snowflake despair. Besides, the unhinged left wont need to do anything to remove Trump from office. His treasonous ties to Russia will do that just fine.

cbadloc

Joined May 25, 2016

Re Flip the 49th? Entertainer money only targets Republicans (Dec. 19): The Kochs and the Mercers donate to lots of candidates outside their districts and even states. So why are entertainers any different?

fbookheim

Joined April 17, 2016

You are a Republican. You are the enemy. We will do anything to defeat you.

sd boy

Joined Jan. 28, 2017

Re Study finds Californias seaside cliffs crumbling without discernible pattern (Dec. 20): When you read some historic accounts of the geography of the U.S., and how much some parts of cities had dirt hauled in to build up some areas for development over the decades, its no wonder they havent deteriorated sooner. Parts of Boston, Chicago, Miami and New Orleans come to mind. You can only fight mother nature for so long. In Chicago there used to be beaches 30 years ago that began along the lakefront that are now completely gone. The water is now shored up by some concrete. That lake creep is only going to devour more beaches. Over time, mother nature always seems to win. Anyone building today on any kind of cliff or beachfront in California to get that fantastic view is asking for trouble. How about building on some solid ground and using your legs to hike for the view? A lot cheaper in the long run. The area of Coronado looks like its going to be under water in 50 years like a lot of Miami. Time to embrace the inlands.

JennyO1

Joined April 5, 2017

Its called erosion. Look it up. Its been going on for billions of years.

MCLowe

Joined June 22, 2017

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Cal Fire firefighters with the Ramona Fire Department are at the scene of a fully engulfed mobile home fire in the 100 block of Steffy Lane, Cal Fire San Diego reported Friday about 12:15 p.m.

A propane tank explosion outside the home about 12:05 p.m. started the fire, Angelica Thompson told the Sentinel. Thompsons parents, Dora and Fidel Ontiberos, live in the home, she said.

The home on Lenora Winery property is a total loss, witnesses report.

Property owner Eric Metz of Lenora Winery said the couple was inside the home when the fire started and escaped uninjured. They had lived in the home for less than a year, he said.

It burned very quickly, said Metz. They were fortunate to get out safely.

Only the mobile home was affected by the fire, he said.
Karen Brust, the city manager Encinitas hired away from San Juan Capistrano in 2015, has been granted her first raise.

The City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to raise her salary by 2 percent, or $4,760 a year. With the change, which is retroactive to June 1, her base salary now will be $242,760 a year.

Shell be getting both a raise and some recognition, Councilman Tony Kranz said immediately after the vote as he held out a plaque Brust recently received from the International City/County Management Association for three decades of outstanding government service.

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When they announced the decision to hire Brust two years ago, council members were jubilant, saying they were thrilled to get her to leave San Juan Capistrano. They praised her extensive management experience and her many connections to the San Diego region. Shes a longtime Olivenhain resident, and was city manager of Del Mar before she took the job in San Juan Capistrano. Prior to her work in Del Mar, she was the financial director and treasurer for the San Diego County Water Authority.

This fall, Councilman Mark Muir and Mayor Catherine Blakespear served on the council subcommittee that performed Brusts employee evaluation and recommended her raise.

Her base salary before her raise was more than the $216,300 a year the previous Encinitas city manager was receiving when he left in early 2015 to take a job in Northern California. That city manager, Gus Vina, was unemployed when Encinitas hired him and that put the city in a very good salary negotiating position right from the start of his employment, council members said at the time.

While Brusts starting salary was far more than Vinas ending salary, Kristin Gaspar -- the citys then-mayor and now current county supervisor -- noted that Brust was actually taking a pay cut to come to Encinitas. Her salary in San Juan Capistrano was scheduled to increase to $250,000 the month that she took the Encinitas job, Gaspar said.

Even her starting salary in San Juan Capistrano some four years previously was higher than what Vina received just before he left Encinitas. Her starting salary was $218,000, her employment contract there indicated.

In addition to a base salary, city managers often receive other benefits. Under the terms of her Encinitas contract, Brust also receives a $500 monthly car allowance, a $100 monthly cell phone allowance, and standard city employee health care benefits. She is an at will employee, meaning that she serves at the pleasure of the City Council and her contract can be terminated at any time.
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Ahhh  Christmas was in the air again; you could smell it  that odd, friendly stink of burnt cookies, wet galoshes, and aluminum paint on hot radiators. Dime store poinsettias, candy-apple red and fake as a cheap toupee, sprouted everywhere, and the living room floor was a minefield of broken glass ornaments.

My mother, who wasnt exactly in a festive mood yet, flitted about the kitchen like a gypsy moth on speed. Right now, she was busy reading my Old Man the riot act.

That things a monstrosity. I do NOT want it in the house!

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She wasnt about to give in. My mother wasnt one to mince words, especially around Christmas, when potato salad fever was raging and there were still mountains of boiled spuds to conquer.

Aw, cmon, the Old Man argued, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He lifted a glass of apple cider, gesturing grandly  a connoisseur in his gallery. This is really special. Its hand painted! Hand painted! That clinched it for my father, whose collecting tastes ran to naughty postcards and dried armadillos covered with pictures of donkeys and napping Mexicans.

The object in question was a life-size cardboard Santa Claus that the Old Man had schlepped home on the subway after his office Christmas party. With a fluffy white beard and massive beer gut, it was actually a primo Kris Kringle, except that this jolly old elf had the face of a serial killer. Still, I was more than impressed with the weird twisted smile, spooky eyes and all. In fact, I loved it! How could my mother be so closed-minded? Why couldnt she recognize an artistic masterpiece when it was staring her in the face?

Suddenly, a string of flashbulbs went off on the dimmest recesses of my eggnog-addled brain. Hey, how about this? I blurted out. I could take him to the Christmas pageant.

My parents stared at each other; they were thunderstruck.

You know, thats not a bad idea, the Old Man mused, stroking the stubble on his chin. There was a faraway look in his eyes. Yeah, share it with the kids at school. He cocked his thumb and forefinger at me like a pistol and let out with a spectacular belch that spanned an octave. I chortled with glee.

The Old Man definitely had that magic touch.

My mother just rolled her eyes, which made her look like Little Orphan Annie. When I tried my hand at an impersonation, she shot me one bodacious evil eye. Even a peace offering of a half-empty glass of cider didnt help much.

Ooh! How can you drink this? Its turned, she said, making a sour face. Put the jug with the garbage on your way out, honey. Okay?

Sure.

I grabbed the jug along with my Elmer Fudd hat and jacket and was off to P.S. 13, the demon Santa strapped to a beat-up Flexible Flyer that scraped along the slushy sidewalk with a sound like fingernails on a blackboard.

A half-hour later, I was furiously trying to con Mrs. Van Devanter into a Santa/pageant tie-in. My father calls him Saint Nicotine because he works for this tobacco company, and it was an ad for 

Old V.D., as we kids referred to her when she was out of earshot, had obviously heard a generous plenty of malarkey in her time. She looked at me as if shed just spotted a spittoon under somebodys desk, then silenced me with an index finger to her lips.

William, she said condescendingly, the Santas not bad  except that his face gives me the goose bumps. Youll have to cover that awful slogan on the toy pouch, though. May I suggest a traditional holiday message? Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night would be nice. Oh, and get Peter to help you. Remember, hes in the pageant this year.

Hoo-boy! Peter Marcucci  a pudgy nerd of a kid who knew the entire periodic table of elements by heart and could give tedious recitations of bad poetry for 20 minutes at a clip. But the actual written word remained an elusive butterfly, my friend.

Marcucci may have been dyslexic, or just a space cadet; even as a sixth-grader he could barely get a grip on The Little Engine That Could. I was assigned to be his reading buddy or whatever they called it in 1956  penance for accidentally breaking the head off Cornelia Street Cal, the schools prized stuffed woodchuck. Its a long story.

Anyway, Marcucci did pretty well with the Santa project. He stared at the offending slogan for several long minutes, then scissored a perfect circle of green construction paper to glue over it. I hand-lettered the politically correct new message, and that was that. Or so I thought.

Pageant morning dawned bright and cheerful  for a December morning in Brooklyn, at least. As I meandered toward school, skillfully crunching dull black lumps of city snow under a pair of new Thom McAn wingtips, I heard a sunny voice calling out my name.

Whoa! It was the siren call of Becky Parmelee!  the very same Becky Parmelee who traipsed merrily though my lushest fantasies, excluding those devoted to firecrackers and chemistry sets, of course. At age 12, she was a genuine carrot-topped, tin-grinned love goddess. Becky threw her arms around my shoulders and actually hugged me! My knees were rubber, my brain cells jelly. It was true love!

Its so-o-o nice what youre doing for Peter, she cooed. He really looks up to you. I think its just wonderful. Without mentioning the thing about the woodchuck, I took the lead. Well, ahem, I always like to  you know  uh, help out. I couldnt believe this drivel was coming out of my mouth. Peter Marcucci was a pest and everybody knew it!

Suddenly, I was vaguely aware that Becky was saying something again; her lips were moving, her voice coy and seductive.

Maybe we could catch the Winter Cartoon Festival at the Evergreen after the pageant.

What? I nearly hawked a mammoth pink wad of Dubble Bubble gum into the slush, but recovered with considerable aplomb.

Uh, yeah, I guess Ill be able to make it this afternoon, I answered, mustering up as much world weariness as an almost 13-year-old could. How about 1:30?

Beckys face lit up with a smile so achingly soulful it would haunt me for years to come. With that, I tripped on my shoelaces and went sprawling into a pile of snow, if it could still be called snow after aging to perfection on the sidewalks of New York for close to a week. I should have seen it as a warning.

P.S. 13s annual Christmas pageant was a humiliating ritual that called for otherwise normal kids to dress up like snow fairies and elves. Worse, there was a new wrinkle that year  a stage-managed holiday culture quiz. It was a shameless fraud, and I was in up to my armpits.

The big shindig got underway at around noon when Mr. Feigenbaum, a.k.a. Basket Ass Barney, launched into his pageant message, a stem-winder in the classic style. Endless and stupefying, it was the kind of speech that grade school principals everywhere have managed to elevate to an art form. It truly was Barney Feigenbaums finest hour; he was on a roll and he knew it. We were lectured on Judeo-Christian traditions, early pagan rituals, Charles Dickens, and so on.

What did I care? Not one wit. Bring em on! The Israelites, the Druids! Tiny Tim! Yawn. It would all be over in an hour or so, and I had a date with Becky Parmelee!

The pageant dragged on.

Ingrid Lillycrap (I swear that was her name) gave an excruciating rendition of White Christmas on the violin, and the McSween brothers, bad to the bone in real life, now were dressed in cutesy green rayon elf costumes as they lip-synched a few Bing Crosby hits. Tony Giordano, who fancied himself to be Ridgewoods answer to Gene Kelly, performed a sprightly tap dance to an accordion arrangement of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  a surprising crowd-pleaser.

Saint Nicotine stood defiantly at center stage, taking everything in, saying nothing.

Finally: My debut as Holiday Quizmaster. I tossed out a few carefully rehearsed questions:

On what day is Little Christmas celebrated?

What were the gifts of the Magi?

The carol Silent Night was first performed on what musical instrument?

No problem. The quiz was rigged; each kid who raised his hand knew the answer in advance. It was all an act!

At last, the wrap-up question, directed to my protege, good old Peter Marcucci.

Peter, I ventured, what did Santa yell as he drove out of sight on Christmas Eve?

Dead, stone-cold silence.

Little beads of sweat formed under my collar. This wasnt in the script.

Peter, uh, remember Santa? I ad-libbed, casually waving toward the smirking devil doll wed rigged with the Merry Christmas message. A faint flicker of recognition spread across Marcuccis face. He winked at me.

Marcucci rose purposefully and looked directly at the audience. His voice was strong and confident: L.S./M.F.T.  Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco. Rich, smooth Luckies are always at the top of my Christmas shopping list!

There were a few chuckles at first. Then hoots of laughter and derision exploded from the audience, rising in a deafening crescendo of whistles and catcalls.

I covered my eyes and sunk into an armchair decorated to look somewhat like a reindeer.

Mr. Feigenbaum, who had worked himself into a dervish-like frenzy over our screwup, snatched the microphone from its stand and began pleading for silence.

Okay, thats it for this years Christmas pageant, he shouted over the feedback. Nice comic touch at the end there, boys. Lets have a big hand for William and Peter. Then, covering the mic, he turned to me and whispered menacingly, Ill see you in my office next week.

It didnt get any better. Becky Parmelee was furious. She loathed me!

How could you do this to Peter? she hissed. Im so-o-o disappointed in you. Come on, Peter  I dont think William is interested in going to the cartoon festival with us.

Marcucci, bewildered by all the fuss, stared at the sidewalk and whistled tunelessly.

My world had crumbled like a stale kaiser roll. I watched for what seemed forever as Marcucci  who had utterly ruined my life  walked off hand-in-hand with my beloved Becky. I was devastated.

The apartment was empty when I got home. The Old Man  a master of aluminum paint technique  was out helping the DAngelos spruce up their radiators for the holidays. My mother was at Aunt Roses, whipping up still more potato salad.

I rescued the cider jug from the garbage and poured myself a glass. Then another. And still another. Not bad at all. It had a great tangy edge, a merry fizzle on the way down. Pretty soon I was feeling kind of warm and fuzzy.

Pff-f-t! Becky was gone. So what? There were other girls to dazzle with my charms. Yeah, Mr. Feigenbaum would be on my case like stink on a monkey. But that wouldnt happen until next week. Hey! It was Christmas!

Before long, I felt a little too warm and fuzzy; a small, sickish feeling had blossomed in the pit of my stomach. I cranked open a window and breathed deeply. The air was cold and snow-flaky damp. Suddenly I detected the delicate aroma of garlic and pepperoni from Mama Laguzzas Pizzeria just down the street. Now I was in trouble big time!

A few blocks away, Dickie the janitor was sorting through trash in the basement at P.S. 13. Dickie, whod been known to take a nip or two on the job, screeched like a boiled owl when the leering face surfaced in a pile of soggy Christmas wrap and dead composition books. Then he broke into a loud, braying laugh, shaking his head as he tossed the cardboard dummy into the incinerator, where it vanished in a starburst of golden sparks.
For the first time, South Carolinas population has exceeded 5 million. The U.S. Census Bureau announced Thursday that South Carolinas population grew from July 2016 to July 2017 by 64,547 to 5,024,369.

The population growth placed The Palmetto State among the Top 10 fastest-growing states in raw numbers. Texas led that list, growing by nearly 400,000 in the past year. Idaho led the list of percentage growth, with 2.2 percent.

Earlier this year, Charleston surpassed Columbia as the most populous city in South Carolina.

The Midlands will welcome many more neighbors in the coming years, with the Columbia areas population expected to hit 1.3 million by 2035 and double todays number by 2050.

The combined population of Lexington and Richland counties will be 1 million in 20 years, an increase of 40 percent from today, according to newly released estimates from the Central Midlands Council of Governments.

Reaching that benchmark will be a brief stop en route to 1.3 million residents in the area by 2050, nearly double the current population, the report says.

Thats a lot of growth to handle in such a short period, Lexington Mayor Steve MacDougall said. Its going to demand a lot more services.

The forecast by the regional planning agency was developed to help leaders of local communities prepare for whats coming.

Dealing with the influx is going to increase the strain of keeping pace, particularly with roads not designed to handle extra traffic, as more homes and stores sprout farther from existing cities and towns, some officials said.

New building will put more stress on a (road) system already overused, Lexington County Council chairman Todd Cullum of Cayce said.

And more homes will mean less farmland and wooded areas  and more schools, hospitals, grocery stores, ball fields and downtown high-rises.

Those numbers put a real face on the opportunities and challenges that metropolitan areas face, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said. These decisions as to how were going to invest in roads, water, sewer and infrastructure and the arts, how we invest in being a 21st century city, it adds a level of gravity to all these issues were discussing.

The latest population forecast underscores the Midlands efforts to ease bumper-to-bumper traffic for suburban commuters, the bulk of whom work in downtown Columbia.

State transportation officials are developing a $1.5 billion package of improvements to ease the bottleneck where I-20, I-26 and I-126 meet, an intersection many motorists call Malfunction Junction. Those renovations could take as long as 10 years to complete.

Richland and Lexington counties each are expected to add about the same number of residents by 2050  about 290,000 more than today. But Lexington will remain smaller in population than neighboring Richland, the forecast says.

The Blythewood area and the town of Lexington are likely to grow mightily, along with the number of people living in downtown Columbia and on Lake Murray.

Besides overcrowded roads, Lexington County is struggling to add deputies, firefighters, ambulance crews and 911 dispatchers to cope with steady growth. County population today is estimated at 289,000, a 10 percent increase since the last census in 2010. The latest estimate puts its population in 2050 at 581,135, more than double the current total.

Much of the growth forecast is in the center of the 758-square-mile county, home of top-rated Lexington 1 schools. Educators there are dealing with a yearly enrollment increase of 500 students, equaling a new elementary school.

Richland County will become home to 706,818 in 2050, compared with nearly 420,000 today, the report said. The countys population was nearly 385,000 in the 2010 census. The 757-square-mile county is home to the State House and related agencies, the University of South Carolina and smaller colleges and Fort Jackson, all in Columbia.

Whats ahead is larger than some officials expected.

The new population forecast is going to factor into our planning, certainly, Richland 2 school spokeswoman Libby Roof said. If our growth trajectory is going to be pushed faster, were going to have to make some adjustments.
The High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur has granted to TH Heavy Engineering (THHE) an order under Section 368(4) of the Companies Act 2016 for leave to enter into the proposed novation of the contract for provision of EPCIC and leasing for Layang FPSO facilities dated 27 November 2014 made between JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration (Malaysia) and THHE to Yinson Energy, it said in a stock market announcement.

The original charter contract was awarded in 2014 to THHE for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commission (EPCIC) work for the conversion and bareboat charter of the Deep Producer 1 FPSO, to be deployed at JX Nippons Layang field in Block SK10, offshore Sarawak. The delivery has been delayed as THHE has struggled to fulfill its obligations due to its liquidity issues.

No financial details of the novation were disclosed. Yinson said it would make appropriate announcements on any further developments.

Meanwhile the Malaysia-based floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel player separately announced that it had reached an agreement with Petrovietnam Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) in relation to the FPSO PTSC Lam Son bareboat charter that was terminated on 30 June 2017.

The charter contract signed with Lam Son Joint Operating Company (LSJOC), in 2012 was for the bareboat charter of an FPSO at the Thang Long  Dong Do, Blocks 01/97 & 02/97, or the Lam Son field, offshore Vietnam and started operating in June 2014. The contract for a firm period of seven years with the option to extend for up to three years was worth $737.3m. It was terminated on June 30, 2017 because LSJOC was liquidated.

Yinson's joint venture company, PTSC Asia Pacific (PTSC AP) has settled with PTSC and will receive a termination fee of $213.6m by January 26 , 2018.
The 57,000 dwt bulker was enroute from Lagos to Port Harcourt when it was attacked by pirates 35 miles south of Brass. The pirates have since released the vessel but are holding 10 of the crew hostage including the ship's officers.

As the world and the shipping community are starting celebrations for the new year, 10 fellow seafarers remain in the hands of criminals. Our thoughts are with the seafarers, their families and their loved ones, Intercargo said.

The industry association said it served as a vivid reminder of the threat posed to international trade and those who work in by piracy.

It must be ensured that there is no relaxation or step back in the measures in place against piracy; moreover, efforts and necessary resources fighting piracy must be upgraded primarily in the most vulnerable regions, such as West Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and South East Asian sea corridors, Intercargo said.
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Just one of the four rail lines that carry Bay Area commuters is outfitted with the high-tech safety equipment that could have prevented the deadly train derailment in Washington state this week.

But the other three are all on track to have the system, known as positive train control, in full operation in 2018  in time to meet a federal deadline at the end of that year.

Positive train control can automatically slow or stop a train in time to prevent a derailment or a collision with another train, and rail safety officials believe it could have prevented Mondays derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train, which hurtled off the tracks between Olympia and Tacoma, Wash., killing three passengers and injuring many others.

While the cause of derailment has not been determined, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board said the train was traveling 80 mph heading into a 30 mph zone. Amtraks CEO said the rail line was outfitted with positive train control technology but that it was not yet in operation.

Positive train control employs a combination of GPS, trackside detectors, wireless radio towers and computers to monitor train speeds and locations and apply the brakes if a train is speeding into a curve or work zone or getting dangerously close to another train.

Federal authorities ordered railroads to install the safety system after a 2008 Metrolink commuter train plowed into a freight train in Southern California, killing 25 people. The original deadline of 2015 was pushed back to 2018 after railroads complained about the cost and technological complexity of the system. Some railroads may be granted extensions to 2020.

Four Bay Area rail services frequented by commuters and travelers are required to have positive train control by the 2018 deadline. BART and Muni Metro, in its subway service, arent subject to the federal mandate but operate under similar automated systems that control speed.

SMART, the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, started service between Santa Rosa and San Rafael in late August with positive train control in place, a decision the systems board of directors made years earlier. The nations newest commuter railroad, SMART is also the first to open with positive train control.

Farhad Mansourian, SMARTs executive director, said the system ensures that a derailment due to speed cannot happen.

In our system we have curves where we go 79 mph, we have curves where we have to go much slower, he said. PTC prevents you, for any reason  if an engineer is not paying attention, if an engineer has a heart attack, if a criminal takes over the controls  from exceeding the speed. PTC would simply shut you down  and well before you get to that curve.

Caltrain, the Altamont Corridor Express and Amtraks Capitol Corridor have all installed some or all of the equipment required for positive train control and expect to be testing the systems in 2018. Officials of all three rail lines said they expect to meet the deadlines.

Caltrain had all the equipment installed and was in testing in February when it fired its contractor, Parsons, for failing to meet critical deadlines. The termination, and litigation filed by both sides, caused the project to screech to a stop.

Tasha Bartholomew, a Caltrain spokeswoman, said the agency expects to outline a plan in February to resume testing.

Our intention is still to meet the deadline, she said.

Amtraks Capitol Corridor, which runs between San Jose and Auburn (Placer County), is part of the national passenger rail system and runs on Union Pacific tracks. David Kutrosky, managing director of the system, said trackside equipment has been installed and is being tested. Equipment in locomotives and control cars is being installed, and a master server that will connect all Amtrak trains is also being installed. Testing will begin late in 2018, he said, but Union Pacific expects to meet the deadline.

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The Altamont Corridor Express, which operates weekdays between Stockton and San Jose, also runs on Union Pacific tracks. Chris Kay, a spokesman, said the trackside equipment has been installed and is in testing, and ACE is putting equipment on its trains. Testing is expected to start in June.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan

Commuter safety

Four Bay Area rail lines are among those required to use positive train control, which can automatically slow train speeds, potentially avoiding derailments and collisions. The lines either have or expect to have active systems by these dates:

SMART: 2017

Caltrain: 2018

Altamont Corridor Express: 2018

Amtrak Capitol Corridor: 2018
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A historic but long-neglected commercial building at Mission and 18th streets in San Francisco is poised to be rejuvenated with a mix of affordable housing, child care and dance.

The dilapidated 1919 structure, a former furniture store that was remodeled with an Art Deco flair in the late 1930s, has been on and off the market for more than a decade as a succession of owners unsuccessfully attempted to redevelop it as a dialysis center, a vegan restaurant, a brewery and an organic grocery store.

Finally the Mission Economic Development Agency, a politically powerful group that often opposes market-rate housing, reached a deal to buy it by collaborating with Dance Mission Theater and the Mission Neighborhood Centers, which will open a child care facility there.

We are all going in together to do a new model of cooperative living and dancing and taking care of our children, said Krissy Keefer, executive director of Dance Mission Theater. Its going to be very communal.

The economic development group plans to restore the existing two-story structure and add six more stories for housing. About 40 two- and three-bedroom condo units would be located on the top four floors. They would be for-sale units affordable to families earning about 120 percent of area median income, currently about $138,000 for a household of four.

The seller of the building was Owen van Natta, a former Facebook executive who purchased it for $5 million in 2014, according to Mission Local, which first reported the deal.

Clinton Textor and Sanford Skeie, brokers with the San Francisco office of the realty firm Marcus & Millichap, represented him in the sale of the building. They said market-rate developers were scared off by the Missions anti-gentrification political environment and that MEDA was very good to work with.

The seller is happy that MEDA got it and that they are going to bring that corner back to life, said Textor. Its an important property in repositioning that area of the Mission.

The deal caps an extremely active year for the development group. With the newest project, MEDA now has five affordable housing projects in its pipeline, totaling 535 units. The first of these, a senior housing project at 1296 Shotwell St., will break ground in March, said Karoleen Feng, the groups director of community real estate.

Feng said she has had her eye on 2205 Mission St. for two years. We had been looking for sites for Dance Mission and Mission Neighborhood Centers, she said.

The building will be the groups first home ownership project  the others are rentals  and the first targeting middle-income families rather than low-income folks. Mission Neighborhood Centers is providing some of the project funding, along with two nonprofits: Low Income Investment Fund, a financial intermediary that provides capital for community developments, and the Neighbor to Neighbor fund.

Its the first project we are funding on our own, without the help of the Mayors Office of Housing and Community Development, said Feng. We are really going out on a limb in order to keep the Mission as a place for families and nonprofits.

Keefer said the dance company, currently on 24th Street, had been looking for a new home for several years. We have been unable to get a lease, and our rent keeps going up, she said.

About 1,500 people come to the dance center each week for classes and performances, including 400 children. We are definitely a happening place, she said.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com
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San Franciscos latest attempt to stop homeless camps from sprouting on public land takes the form of dozens of boulders plopped down under a maze of freeway ramps.

It hasnt worked. At least not yet.

What it has done, though, is generate two reactions typical of such measures. Its angered advocates for homeless people, who call the boulders an example of government money being spent to shove indigents around. And its encouraged those who want the mess of homeless camps removed from their neighborhoods, and hope the city will take a harder line.

The boulders were sprinkled a couple of weeks ago under Highway 101 near Cesar Chavez Street, in a longtime encampment area called the Hairball. San Francisco officials say the rocks are a humane way of discouraging people from re-establishing a trouble-prone camp that city workers cleared out a month ago.

However, the homeless people the boulders were intended to dissuade simply moved their tents a few feet away. Most of the rocks stand a few feet high, and at about 400 pounds are too heavy to move easily. But there is plenty of space left between them for sleeping bags  and plenty of Hairball ground beyond that for pitching tents.

Not sure why they thought this would stop us, but it didnt, James Ayres, 36, said Thursday as he stood outside his tent at the Hairball, on a dirt field about 50 feet from a cluster of boulders. Maybe theyll put more out here. I dont know. Theyve got lots of money to do it.

But for now, you could camp right between them if you want. I mean, really, its kind of funny.

Kelley Cutler, outreach counselor with the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, called the big rocks an offensive example of anti-homeless architecture.

Randy Quezada, spokesman for the city Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said insensitivity to the plight of homeless people was the last thing on the minds of those trying to prevent camps from forming.

Is it cruel to try to prevent a dangerous encampment from re-forming? No, he said. Our focus is on everyone getting to a safe place. Encampments are dangerous  bad things happen to the people in them.

They are victims, Quezada said of homeless people who live in camps. Its better for them to be housed or in a shelter. Not in a camp.

This dynamic has played out for decades, from resentment when benches at Civic Center Plaza were removed in the 1990s to keep people from sleeping on them, to sprinklers being installed at St. Marys Cathedral doorways in 2015 where homeless people slept. The sprinklers were taken out after a public outcry, but the benches have never come back  and many benches around the city, particularly at bus stops, are now designed to make them tough to stretch out on.

Ideally, say homeless advocates and resentful locals alike, there would be enough housing and poverty aid to lift the poorest from the streets and away from camps. But with 7,500 homeless people in San Francisco and not enough affordable housing for them all, whats left are temporary fix-it moves like taking out benches and installing boulders.

Now Playing: Ismael Miron is camping at "the Hairball" encampment under Highway 101 in SF where boulders were placed to discourage tents. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

You can put in stuff like boulders, but the people are going to go somewhere. Theyre not going to disappear, said Sam Davis, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of architecture who specializes in designs for homeless situations. The only answer is we have to have more housing, period.

Well-designed shelters or Navigation Centers help by supplying a temporary roof, but until there are enough permanent homes there will always be a back-and-forth conflict between those who want camps moved and those who argue for leaving them alone.

Thats just the way it is, Davis said.

In the meantime, there are places like the Hairball. It has long been popular with homeless people because it is set away from houses but easy to get to, and because the freeway ramps keep the rain out. However, many of those living there were heroin or methamphetamine addicts with acute medical needs, and in November, city outreach counselors, police and Public Works crews cleared the camp.

Usually, the city tries to keep camps from re-forming by erecting metal barriers and adding police patrols. The boulders that Public Works installed at the Hairball cost a total $9,000, and the department intends to add more.

The price of that one load of boulders, said a department manager, is equivalent to what Public Works spent weekly just cleaning up the mess Hairball campers left before they were cleared out.

This is about public safety and public health, both of which were problematic at that area, said Larry Stringer, deputy director at Public Works. The idea was as much as to make it difficult to get in with a bunch of stuff as it was to fill up spaces. And well do more.

He conceded that an end to the arguments over such steps is unlikely until there is enough housing.

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We dont like doing a lot of moving either, but there is a certain level of frustration from residents, Stringer said. You have to respond. You do the cleaning, they wait and then they come back. Happens over and over.

Jeff Nguyen, owner of the Chevron gas station across the street from the Hairball, said he was encouraged that the city cleared the camps away. But he still has needles and feces and other messes in front of his business.

They come and they go, year after year, and moving that camp didnt really do all that much good for me, he said. I wish there was a solution that was good for everyone  us, the homeless, the city.

Cutler of the Coalition on Homelessness likened the boulders to other techniques meant to keep campers away from certain places  like loud music being played all night in doorways or bolt cutter-resistant fences installed under freeway overpasses.

The boulders are the same stuff with a new coat of paint, Cutler said. Everyone seems shocked about it, but Im like, Really? This is the just status quo.

Look around at all the walls, sprinklers, short benches  or even in London, spikes put up to keep homeless people away, she said. Theres a whole field of study on anti-homeless architecture, and every once in a while it catches peoples eyes. But its always there.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron
Spurred by changes in federal tax law that will hit high-tax states like California hard, more Bay Area homeowners are rushing to pay their property taxes early, according to local officials.

Property tax payments in California are due in two installments, one in December and one in April. Some tax advisers have long recommended that certain individuals make both payments by Dec. 31, depending on their specific situation  to offset higher income in the current year, for example. But the Republican tax plan, which is awaiting President Trumps signature, limits the deductibility of all state and local taxes to $10,000, far lower than the property tax bill on a newly purchased median-value home in San Francisco.

Alameda County put out a media advisory this week encouraging people to consider paying the second installment early.

Henry Levy, the county treasurer-tax collector, said his background as an income tax professional prompted him to issue the advisory. He said hes been hearing that many peoples tax advisers have been giving them advice on prepaying their taxes, so he wanted to make sure that those without advisers had similar information.

Levy said his office has seen more people making early payments. In past years at this time, he said, 49 to 51 percent of Alameda County property owners have paid the second installment. This year, its up to 54 percent.

I sort of have a feeling that now that Congress passed the bill, that number will go up, he said.

Levy also said that his office had explored whether it could collect next years taxes early.

It turns out we couldnt really mechanically do it, Levy said.

His office determined that collecting 2018 taxes now might break state law.

If you were to try and pay 2018 taxes now, the check would end up being sent back to you, said Mina Martinovich, Marin Countys assistant director of the Department of Finance .

Amanda Fried, a spokeswoman with the San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector, said that about 23 percent of San Francisco property owners have paid their second installment so far this year, versus 21 percent at the same time last year. The office has not sent out a special advisory.

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More on Prepaying Property Taxes Should you prepay your state income and property taxes?

San Mateo County posted a message on its website notifying property owners that they could pay their second installment. The county has also seen an increase in prepayments, said assistant tax collector Robin Elliott.

Napa County also saw a substantial increase, said treasurer-tax collector Tamie Frasier. Her office is not offering advice on prepayments. We always say thats up to the taxpayer, she said. Everybodys finances are different.

Contra Costa County also has seen an increase in collections on the second installment, said Brice Bins, chief deputy treasurer-tax collector. It was uncertain, he wrote in an email, whether that was related to the tax overhaul or the continuing economic recovery.

Sophie Haigney is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: shaigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sophiehaigney
Update Dec. 27: The Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday published a notice attempting to clarify whether taxpayers can prepay property taxes. More details here.

Some California residents could save money by paying the second half of their 2017-18 property tax bill normally due in April, along with any state income taxes they expect to owe for 2017, before the end of the year.

Officials in several Bay Area counties have noticed that more people are prepaying their property taxes as a result of the tax bill Congress passed this week. The Alameda County tax collector is even encouraging residents to consider it. This strategy, however, doesnt make sense for everyone.

Ive got five questions (about prepaying taxes) in the last couple hours, said Joseph Kovar, a CPA with Sweeney Kovar in Danville. Unfortunately, there is no one general answer.

Before paying any taxes early, you should figure out whether you are likely to itemize deductions and whether you will be subject to the alternative minimum tax this year and next  preferably with the help of a tax adviser.

For tax year 2017, people who itemize deductions on their federal return can deduct all state and local taxes including either income or sales tax (whichever is bigger), property taxes, California state disability insurance and motor vehicle license fees.

Under the tax bill, starting in 2018, taxpayers who itemize can deduct a maximum of $10,000 in all state and local taxes combined. However, many taxpayers who itemize deductions in 2017 will no longer do so in 2018 because of this and other changes.

Chief among them: The tax bill roughly doubles the standard deduction to $24,000 for married couples and $12,000 for singles. It preserves the deduction for charitable donations and out-of-pocket medical expenses over a certain amount but does away with miscellaneous itemized deductions.

The bill preserves the mortgage interest deduction for loans made before Dec. 15. On those loans, you can continue to deduct interest on up to $1 million in mortgage debt used to buy or improve one or two homes. For loans made on or after that date, the limit drops to interest on the first $750,000 in mortgage debt.

Under current law, you can deduct interest on up to $100,000 in home-equity loans or lines of credit not used to buy or improve a home. Starting next year, you cannot deduct interest on those loans no matter when they were taken out.

Based on all this, if you are not subject to the alternative minimum tax  often called AMT  in 2017 and expect to itemize deductions this year but not next, it makes sense to prepay your property taxes and 2017 state income taxes.

If you expect to itemize deductions this year and next year, it probably makes sense to prepay state and local income and property taxes this year, assuming you preserve $10,000 in state and local deductions for next year.

If you expect to be covered by the AMT this year, there is no reason to prepay state and local income or property taxes by Dec. 31 because they are not deductible under the AMT. The tax bill modifies the AMT in ways that will make far fewer people subject to it starting in 2018.

Its possible that some people who are in AMT this year but drop out next year could get some benefit from the state and local tax deduction next year, assuming they itemize deductions in 2018. For them, prepaying this year could backfire.

At the last minute, Congress threw into the tax bill a provision that prevents people from prepaying their 2018 state income taxes this year and deducting them on their 2017 federal returns. This has caused confusion, because its still possible to pay any state income tax you expect to owe for 2017 before year end and deduct it on your 2017 federal return.

For example, people who make quarterly estimated state income tax payments are required to make their fourth and final payment for 2017 by Jan. 16, 2018. Suppose you make this payment on Jan. 16. It still counts toward your 2017 California income tax liability, but if  like most people  you are a cash-basis taxpayer, you cant deduct it on your 2017 federal tax return because you made the payment in 2018.

However, if you make this final estimated tax payment by Dec. 31, you can deduct it on your 2017 federal return as an itemized deduction.

Even if you dont normally make estimated tax payments, if you expect to owe additional state income tax when you file your 2017 return because you havent had enough withheld from your paycheck, you could make an estimated 2017 state income tax payment before the end of the year and deduct it on your 2017 federal return, Kovar said. Again, this assumes you itemize deductions in 2017 and are not subject to AMT.

What you cant do under the tax bill is prepay any state income tax due for 2018 before Dec. 31 and expect to deduct it on your 2017 federal tax return. If you do, it will be treated like you paid it in 2018, said Jeff Levine, chief executive of BluePrint Wealth Alliance.

This last-minute provision does not apply to the prepayment of property taxes for 2017-18. You cant prepay the next years property taxes  in fact, most county tax collectors say they cant even accept them.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender

For help with your taxes

To see how the tax bill might affect you, use an online calculator posted Thursday by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center: http://tpc-tax-calculator.urban.org
An Oakland man was charged in federal court Thursday with sending a mail bomb to an East Palo Alto address in October.

If convicted, Ross Gordon Laverty, 56, would face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, according to federal prosecutors.

The complaint, unsealed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, accuses Laverty of sending at least one explosive device through the mail, to an East Palo Alto address on Oct. 11.

The addressee became suspicious of the package and initially decided not to open it, prosecutors said in a statement. Nevertheless, on Oct. 19, the victim carried the package outside of his home and opened it in his back yard, causing it to detonate and injure the victim.

Laverty, who appeared in court and was arraigned Thursday, could not be reached for comment. A detention hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 28.

Another mail bomb injured a woman on Nov. 28 when she opened a package delivered to a home on Bay Farm Island in Alameda.

That incident was being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which also investigated the East Palo Alto mail bomb with assistance from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Its not clear whether the two incidents are connected.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
An Alameda County judge ordered right-wing activist Kyle Chapman, known as Based Stickman, back to jail Thursday and tripled his bail after finding that he had carried a deadly weapon in violation of his bail terms.

Chapman, 42, of Daly City, has a long criminal history with at least two felony convictions dating back to 1993.

His latest legal troubles began during a March 4 demonstration in Berkeley when Chapman  wearing a gas mask and helmet, and carrying a shield, pepper spray and a pair of knives  was arrested for hitting protesters with a lead-filled stick, police said.

He was charged with one felony count of possession of a billy, otherwise known as a blackjack.

Chapman was arraigned in August, and his bail set at $135,000 with the condition that he not own, use, or possess any dangerous weapons.

He made bail in September.

Then, on Nov. 3, Chapman posted a video on his Facebook account talking about a demonstration that was to happen the next day.

While it appears that the video has been taken down, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley described what happened in the video in her motion supporting an increase in Chapmans bail.

About 10 minutes into the video, OMalley wrote, Chapman said: Because of the conditions of my bail, I cant even carry a knife. So I carry a kubotan.

A kubotan is a pointy, pen-sized weapon that attaches to a key chain.

In the video, OMalley wrote, Chapman held up a kubotan and said, This is what I carry on my key chain, guys ... I will peel your scalp with this thing ... very, very effective weapon.

Chapman was arrested Dec. 9 at San Franciscos Fort Funston by National Park Service officers on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle off of designated roads and disorderly conduct  playing loud Christmas music, according to OMalleys motion.

The arresting officers found Chapman in possession of a kubotan, which appeared to be the same as the one in the video, OMalley wrote.

Judge Yolanda Northridge set bail at $400,000 and took Chapman into custody.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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Henny Youngman, the fiddle-playing comedic master whose machine-gun delivery made him King of the One Liners, played his last gig on Christmas 1997, two months before he died of pneumonia at 91, for a mostly Jewish crowd at the New Asia Chinese restaurant in San Francisco.

Youngman headlined the fifth Kung Pao Kosher Comedy show, a perennial San Francisco hit that comedian Lisa Geduldig cooked up for members of the Lost Tribes of Moses like herself who didnt celebrate Christmas but wanted to go do something fun with others who werent celebrating around the tree or otherwise observing the holiday.

Hennys manager sat in a chair a couple of seats in front of him with cue cards, each with one word, recalls Geduldig. Cued by that one word, he did what hed been doing for the last 70 years  firing off those one-liners. And he was funny. I got so choked up introducing Henny Youngman I almost cried for the first time onstage. That was a moment.

Now Geduldig will mark Kung Pao Kosher Comedys 25th anniversary Saturday, Dec. 23, through Christmas Day, at the New Asia Restaurant on Pacific Avenue, with comedians Cathy Ladman, Wendy Liebman and Gary Gulman. The event, which each year donates partial proceeds to two organizations, will benefit the Jewish Family & Childrens Services North Bay Fire Relief and the Jewish Community Center of Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria Relief Fund.

Geduldig has had the pleasure of presenting other comedic heroes of hers over the last 25 years  among them veteran stars like Shelley Berman, David Brenner and Elayne Boosler  and introducing gifted upstarts like Simon Cadel, who was 14 when he made his West Coast debut at Kung Pao Kosher Comedy in 2014. Hes now on a Canadian sitcom.

Geduldig had lived in San Francisco for a decade by the time she came up with Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, a riff on the Christmas tradition among some Hebrews of catching a movie and eating Chinese. Originally from Long Island, N.Y., shed grown up in a mostly Jewish neighborhood. After moving here, where she says the Jewish community is more assimilated, she felt more isolated during the end of the year, not feeling part of whats happening in December, with everyone Merry Christmas-ing and asking if youve done your shopping yet. And Geduldig knew others felt the same way.

Because of this event, there is now this place to go and have fun and have a tradition, says the comedian, spontaneously breaking into the song Tradition from Fiddler on the Roof.

She figured the first Kung Pao show in 1993, which featured Stu Silverstein, Suzy Berger and Scott Silverman, was going to be a one-off  until the night of, when we sold out and had to turn 200 people away.

Courtesy Kung Pao Kosher Comedy

There was a sense of belonging, she recalls. People felt like they had come home. A lot of friendships began. Audience members became extended family.

Most of the comedians whove performed over the years have been Jewish, with the notable exception of Margaret Cho, a surprise guest in 94 who came out and said, I guess Im the Kung Pao part of the evening.

Another Korean American comic, Esther Paik Goodhart, who married a Jewish man and converted, appeared in 2007; and the Kinsey Sicks, the Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet  two Jewish, two not  in 1996.

Performing at Kung Pao for people of various faiths and ages, some do specifically Jewish bits, but most simply have what Geduldig calls a Jewish sensibility. For instance, she wouldnt say Liebman does Jewish comedy, but its in her cadences, her delivery, her sensibility.

The same can be said about Ladman, whose credits include appearances on The Tonight Show, in episodes of Mad Men, Curb Your Enthusiasm and in a recurring role on the current Showtime series Im Dying Up Here, based on the 1970s Los Angeles comedy scene.

As soon as I hit the stage, people know Im Jewish. Its just my vibe, says Ladman, whos making her fourth appearance at Kung Pao this year, where the audiences are fantastic  smart, not too young, not too old. I pretty much do my favorite stuff, the stuff that makes me laugh, because they get it. That includes her irreverent Hitler material.

Shelley Kessler has attended Kung Pao every year, often bringing her non-Jewish husband and sitting at a table of 10, sharing the lazy Susan and the laughs, with people whove become good friends. One is 90-year-old Fran Chaplin, who flies up from Los Angeles every year and translates the Yiddish proverbs in the fortune cookies  a Kung Pao Kosher Comedy tradition  for her tablemates.

Its a place to go where people can laugh in the midst of chaos, says Kessler, who just retired as head of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, to feel camaraderie and have fun.

The food is always plentiful and so are the laughs, adds Kessler, who became a Kinsey Sicks fan after hearing them at Kung Pao, and cherishes the memory of seeing Youngmans final date.

Its a piece of history, she says.

Photo credit: Katy Raddatz

Jesse Hamlin is a Bay Area journalist and former San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy: 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday-Monday, Dec. 23-25. $52-$72, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Jewish Family & Childrens Services North Bay Fire Relief and the Jewish Community Center of Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria Relief Fund. New Asia Restaurant, 772 Pacific Ave., S.F. (925) 743-1282. www.koshercomedy.com
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WASHINGTON  The deadly Amtrak crash in Washington state struck a nerve in Connecticut, which has its own history of recent train wrecks, and raised anew questions about how much progress Metro-North Railroad is making on installation of life-saving Positive Train Control.

The Amtrak crash on Monday, which killed three and injured more than 100, was like Spuyten Duyvil all over again, said Jim Cameron, veteran commuter advocate and Hearst Connecticut Media transportation columnist.

He was referring to the 2013 Metro-North crash in the Bronx, N.Y., that took four lives when the operator dozed off as the train rounded a sharp 30 mph curve at 82.

Excessive speed also played a major role in the Washington Amtrak crash, with safety experts Tuesday concluding the train was traveling at 80 mph on a curve with a 30 mph limit.

In both instances, experts say Positive Train Control  a GPS-like system of towers and transponders designed to halt trains traveling too fast  would have made a difference.

Mandated by Congress in 2008, PTC was supposed to be fully in operation along freight and passenger lines nationwide by 2015. Despite objections from Connecticuts Democratic lawmakers, Congress extended the deadline to the end of 2018, with two-years of further extensions possible if certain conditions are met.

Metro-Norths New Haven line is a ground zero of sorts for PTC, with advocates and lawmakers accusing its parent Metropolitan Transportation Authority of slow-walking the installation process.

I am deeply concerned about Metro-North meeting the 2018 deadline, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

They are providing very extensive assurances, but Im disturbed about the apparent gaps in progress on the ground.

The Federal Railroad Administrations PTC progress report for the second quarter this year shows Metro-North with 20 percent of its locomotives equipped with PTC devices, 9 percent of its transmitting towers completed and zero route miles in PTC operation.

But officials of MTA, which got a $1 billion FRA loan to spur PTC, insist they are with the program.

We are moving heaven and earth to meet the PTC deadline by the end of 2018, MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said at a news conference Tuesday with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The Amtrak wreck on Monday would not happen on either Metro-North or the Long Island Railroad, Lhota said, explaining that MTA has already installed what is known as automatic civil speed enforcement.

It is built into the existing signal system and is in advance of PTC, operating on five critical curves on the New Haven line, including those in Bridgeport and Port Chester, N.Y.

Blumenthal said he was unimpressed.

As a consumer and a passenger, Id be concerned if a train was going three times the speed limit on a straightaway, he said. I would not be so emphatic or optimistic.

As of the end of October, according to railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan, Metro-North already had installed 80 percent of transponders, and 92.9 percent of interface units alongside tracks. But it had put up only 16.3 percent of the poles and antennas necessary to make the PTC system operate.

Another major crash on the New Haven line involved neither curves nor excessive speed. In 2013, a Metro-North train heading in the direction of New Haven derailed between Fairfield and Bridgeport, and a New York-bound train sideswiped it. Investigators blamed that mishap on a broken section of track.

No one died, but Metro-North paid out $22.4 million to settle lawsuits and claims.

dan@hearstdc.com
Consumer advocates scored a major victory over drug companies Thursday when the California Supreme Court said pharmaceutical manufacturers are responsible for harm caused by defective warnings in labels on generic versions of their products.

Federal law allows only a brand-name manufacturer, and not the companies that sell the identical drugs as generics, to write the labels that warn of potential side effects, the court said. As a consequence, the justices said, customers who relied on faulty labels when they took generic drugs should be allowed to sue the manufacturer.

That portion of the ruling was unanimous. The justices also ruled 4-3 that a drugs original manufacturer, who later sells the brand-name rights to another company, remains responsible for illnesses caused by defects in its original warning label that harm users of generic drugs.

Most commonly used pharmaceuticals are sold generically, usually at lower prices than brand-name makers charge. Companies obtain the right to sell drugs as generic from the government once the manufacturers patent expires.

The original brand-name manufacturer has a legal duty to warn of the risks about which it knew or reasonably should have known, a duty that also applies to generic sales of the identical product, Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar said in the ruling. That duty does not end when the manufacturer sells the rights to the product, he said, since economic interests and simple inertia may discourage the new owner from changing a defective label.

Dissenting from that part of the ruling, Justice Carol Corrigan said the original manufacturer has no control over the new owners actions and should not be held responsible for its failure to update a warning label.

The case comes from San Diego County, where a family sued the pharmaceutical giant Novartis for birth defects in their twins.

The childrens mother was prescribed terbutaline, a generic form of the brand-name drug Brethine, to prevent premature labor during her pregnancy in 2007. Her children were not born prematurely but were diagnosed with autism at age5.

Brethine, a muscle relaxant, was developed as an asthma drug but has been commonly used to prevent premature labor, based on a 1976 study. But the court said later studies have questioned its effectiveness and indicated possible interference with fetal brain development.

Such possible harms were not mentioned on the label issued by Novartis, which manufactured Brethine until 2001 and then sold the rights to a company called aaiPharma. That company did not change the label, and Leslie Brueckner, a lawyer for the family, described it as a fly-by-night operation that had disappeared by the time the suit was filed.

Brueckner, with a nonprofit called Public Justice, said the ruling has potential nationwide importance.

Over 90 percent of all prescription drugs sold in this country are generic, she said. Federal law bars customers from suing generic drug companies over warning labels, Brueckner said, and courts elsewhere have ruled that commercial manufacturers cant be sued for harm caused by generic drugs they didnt sell.

The California court recognized that manufacturers like Novartis write the labels, and its the labels that cause the injury, Brueckner said. She said the ruling also stops companies like Novartis from tossing the hot potato of an inadequately labeled drug to another company.

Novartis said it disagreed with the courts decision to hold the company potentially responsible for injury allegedly caused by the use of another manufacturers product after Novartis had sold the brand name product to a subsequent manufacturer. The company said it would continue to defend itself against the familys unfounded claims in further proceedings in the lawsuit.

The case is T.H. vs. Novartis, S233898.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
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A 26-year-old tow truck driver from Modesto was accused Friday of planning an Islamic State-inspired terror attack over the holidays on San Franciscos Pier 39, only to find out that his would-be partners were undercover FBI agents.

Everitt Aaron Jameson, a onetime high school wrestler who converted to Islam after being discharged from the Marines and losing custody of his two children, was charged at U.S. District Court in Sacramento with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

The FBI arrested Jameson on Wednesday while raiding his home, where agents reported finding an envelope containing a handwritten letter, dated Dec. 16, confessing he had committed the acts against non-Muslims, using a derogatory term to describe them. The agents said a second envelope held Jamesons last will and testament.

You have brought this upon yourselves, the letter stated, according to an FBI affidavit. We have penetrated and infiltrated your disgusting country.

Two rifles, a pistol, ammunition and fireworks were also seized in the home. During interviews with the FBI after his arrest, Jameson stated his support of ISIS and terrorism, and discussed aspects of the plan to carry out an attack, noting that he would be happy if an attack was carried out, FBI Agent Christopher McKinney wrote in the affidavit.

Jameson has espoused radical jihadi beliefs, including authoring social media posts that are supportive of terrorism, communicating with people he believes share his jihadi views and offering to provide services to such people, including in the form of his presumably employer-provided tow truck in service of the cause, McKinney wrote.

Jameson named Pier 39 as a possible target for a terrorist attack because he knew that it was a heavily crowded area, and he said Christmas was the perfect day to commit the attack, according to the complaint.

Family members of Jameson said on Friday they were shocked to learn of the arrest. Jameson was once arrested for petty theft and was sued for child support, court records show, but has no known history of violence.

My heart hurts; it really does, Jamesons father, Gordon Jameson, told Fresno television station KFSN. It kills me to know that he would do something like that. Thats not how he was raised.

Mitch Myers, who lived next door to Everitt Jameson in Modesto until Jameson moved about a year ago, described him as quiet and friendly. Sometimes the two men would wave at each other while doing yard work.

That must have been before the ISIS thing, Myers said.

San Francisco police officials were notified about the investigation in recent days and said they increased the presence of officers throughout the city. Acting Mayor London Breed, the Police Department and the FBI said they were not aware of any additional threats to the city.

San Francisco is a city that proudly champions democracy, freedom and liberty. Sadly, that makes our home a target, Breed said. We will not allow the thwarted attempts of one dangerous individual to disrupt our way of life. We will remain vigilant and continue to protect our city from any threat.

Jameson was discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps for fraudulent enlistment after it was discovered he failed to disclose a latent asthma history, the FBI said. In June 2009, while in the Marines, he earned a sharpshooter rifle qualification, McKinney wrote.

On his public Facebook page, Jameson recently posted about President Trumps decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel.

Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, he wrote beneath a selfie showing him wearing a traditional Muslim cap.

Another post reads, I would rather die standing than live kneeling. If my words threaten those in power, so be it. If my pictures alarm the people, that is good. Your teeth come down. my sword goes up. I am not afraid.

If convicted, Jameson faces up to 20 years in prison.

The FBI was tipped off to Jameson on Sept. 19 when an unnamed confidential source who had accurately reported to the FBI on national security matters in the past reported suspicious posts on Jamesons Facebook account, according to the complaint. The source was ultimately paid $2,600 for his work on the case.

Jameson allegedly liked and loved pro-Islamic State and pro-terrorism posts on Facebook and told the source he was an Islam revert who professed his faith to the religion two years ago at a mosque in Merced.

That is what will make me more useful, McKinney quoted Jameson saying to the source. I can blend in. Or shock and awe.

Jameson allegedly wrote to the source, I am a tow truck driver. So I can make these services available as well. The FBI said Jameson filled out an application Nov. 3 with the Modesto Police Department to work with a local towing company that has a city contract.

Undercover agents first got involved with Jameson on social media on Dec. 11, McKinney wrote, and over the following days began discussing plans for a possible terrorist attack. Jameson was enthusiastic about the idea, according to the complaint, and said, I can suit up and take myself to our brothers. Or whatever they need done here.

Five days later, a second undercover FBI agent contacted Jameson, and the two met in a vehicle to discuss a terrorist attack, investigators said. Jameson was directed to sit in the front passenger seat in front of the agent, who posed as a subordinate of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, McKinney said.

Jameson at one point stated that we need something along the lines of New York or San Bernardino, which the FBI said was a reference to the Oct. 31 truck attack in Manhattan that killed eight people and the 2015 mass shooting in Southern California that killed 14.

When the agent told Jameson the two attacks were carried out differently, Jameson replied that he wanted to use a combination of the two, the complaint states.

Jameson specifically named Pier 39 in San Francisco as a target location because he had been there before and knew that it was a heavily crowded area and that according to Jameson, no reconnaissance or site survey would be necessary, McKinney wrote. He said Jameson intimated that he did not have and did not need an escape plan because he was ready to die.

As the date of the alleged attack neared, the FBI said its undercover agent contacted Jameson and asked about the trip we are going to take for Xmas. Jameson replied by sending images of a map of Pier 39 and photographs of the area, investigators said.

The intricate FBI sting may have been compromised on Monday when an FBI employee accidentally called Jameson from a Washington, D.C., phone number, McKinney wrote. When Jameson answered in Arabic, the employee hung up.

Jameson called the employee back, and the call went to a voice mailbox that identified the employee by name, but did not specify the agency, McKinney wrote. Later that day, one of the undercover FBI agents contacted Jameson to try to set up a meeting, but was rebuffed.

I also dont think I can do this after all. Ive reconsidered, Jameson is quoted as saying. When the undercover agent replied, We can only do Allahs will, James reportedly replied, Inshallah (God willing) one day I can. But I cant.

Evan Sernoffsky and Lizzie Johnson are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky @LizzieJohnsonnn
The year 2017 was the fieriest in memory for the visual arts. It opened with Oaklands December 2016 Ghost Ship Fire and the deaths of 36 artists, musicians and others freshly branded on our hearts. The Wine Country fires of October displaced thousands of people, many of them artists, and destroyed 8,889 structures  including the homes and studios of an untold number of celebrated professionals, promising novices and dedicated amateurs. And we exit this cursed calendar as fires on the Southern California coast blaze close by the J. Paul Getty Museum on their way to new state records of devastation.

A struggle to control culture: Incendiary comments, made by leaders who might otherwise have been expected to guide intelligent discussion, fueled the flames of cultural resentment. Thus, we have had furious arguments over whether to celebrate, destroy or reinterpret Civil War sculptural monuments, as if the art might grant us some talismanic control over history. And we have endured raging demands for the removal from the Whitney, the Metropolitan, the Walker and other museums, nuanced works of art that touch, however lightly, on inflamed nerves of race, sexuality and power.

The art world says #MeToo: The blaze of indignation kindled by a recording of our now-president bragging of sexual assault, then spread west to one of Hollywoods most powerful producers, finally reached the art world. Accusations now seem to have toppled, among others, Knight Landesman, publisher of the influential Artforum magazine, and Jens Hoffmann, one-time director of San Franciscos CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts.

Art we thought we knew: Bay Area museums were at the top of their form this year, bringing new insights to historical objects. A particular surprise was the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed, which put flesh on the bones of the artist known around the world for a single painting, The Scream. The show brought 44 original, mournful paintings, rarely, if ever, seen on the West Coast. Munchs mastery of form, it turns out, gives his art an authenticity that cannot be read in reproduction. Meanwhile, the Legion of Honor enlivened the centennial of the death of Auguste Rodin by dramatically contrasting the museums great sculpture collection with two exhibitions of cheeky works by living artists Sarah Lucas and Urs Fischer.

Art that wont sit still: William Kentridge, who started with short, hand-drawn filmic works in the early 1990s, has steadily expanded his territory in size and technique. His The Refusal of Time, a large installation combining film and sculpture, is owned jointly by SFMOMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It had its West Coast premiere through March. Then, the American Conservatory Theater presented Refuse the Hour for three performances in November. The stirring multimedia chamber opera starred the artist himself, narrating a trip through the fourth dimension that featured photographic film and animation, live music and dance. It was a physical experience of what I imagine to be an Albert Einstein dream.

Ragnar Kjartanssons 2012 installation The Visitors, also at SFMOMA, and Isaac Juliens Playtime (2014), at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, are equally immersive, if apparently more straightforward in narrative. Both demand to be seen and are still on view, The Visitors only through Monday, Jan. 1, Playtime through Feb. 11.

Art in the age of the social media selfie: Carla Shen is a lively woman with a closetful of great clothes, a love of art and, apparently, a fair amount of disposable time and income. She also has a great eye, which she has turned on herself in an ongoing series on Instagram, where she posts as @carlapshen. Shen (a trustee of the Brooklyn Museum and, full disclosure, a personal acquaintance) finds uncanny visual parallels between apparel in her closet and works of art on public view. They are guileless and celebratory, if not high art  not even self-portraits, she said in an email. They are just snap shots or even records of my matching hobby.

New Faces: Erica Deeman burst into public consciousness with an expansive show of innovative portraits of black women at the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and a simultaneous exhibition of new work at the the tiny-but-influential gallery Anthony Meier Fine Arts. Marcela Pardo Ariza brought a refreshing comic approach to photography at a new space in the Tenderloin, R/SF Projects. And Alicia McCarthy, hardly a neophyte after some 20 years on the alternative scene, found a broader public with a solo show at Berggruen Gallery and a featured spot in the 2017 SECA Art Award exhibition at SFMOMA.

Art that has it both ways: Avidly crossing supposed boundaries between object and image, the thought-driven (conceptual art) and the emotion-laden (abstract expressionism), the public and the private, Robert Rauschenberg cleared a new path for himself and all who have come after. Robert Rauschenberg: Erasing the Rules, at SFMOMA through March 25, is a superb guide to the career of one of the 20th centurys most influential figures.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Art that made us laugh: Nina Katchadourians exhibition Curiouser is running through Jan. 7 at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. It is a rare opportunity to laugh out loud at serious art that questions assumptions about identity and authenticity, with a warmth and caring that is a blessing at this crucial moment in American history.

Art to make us cry: If I were to choose a Best Exhibition of 2017, it would have to be the French artist Sophie Calles Missing. Presented this summer at the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, which has turned itself in two years into a vital center for contemporary exhibitions, it was less a show than a series of deeply intimate encounters with one womans life, and our own fears of absence and longing.

Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1
Who is the most powerful governor in California history?

The next one.

Our states governorship has grown so great in reach and power that it now constitutes a second American presidency.

California governors routinely sign international treaties. They head a state government that operates as a fourth branch of American government  employing regulations, lawsuits and the size of the California market to check the president and Congress. Here at home, our governors dominate not only policy, but also Californias civic conversation itself.

Californias centralized executive power contrasts with the states image as complex and diverse, with a progressive culture and innovative technology bent on disrupting existing structures. But this diversity and complexity  and the resulting frustration about getting anything done  is at the heart of the governors power. Precisely because its so hard to get attention and to orchestrate policy among so many unruly constituencies, Californians are often desperate to find someone  anyone  with the agency to make a decision and accomplish what they want. And that person is usually the governor.

For the past 40 years, the governors authority has grown as power was transferred from local governments to Sacramento, via state court decisions (notably equalizing school funding) and by ballot initiatives (like Proposition 13, which restricted local taxation).

As Sacramento made more decisions for Californians, governors boosted their offices power. Pete Wilson pioneered the use of executive orders for vital policy changes. Gray Davis devised new ways to intervene in the legislative process, declaring of legislators: Their job is to implement my vision.

Arnold Schwarzenegger devised ballot initiative campaigns to give him greater leverage with the Legislature. He also pushed through climate change legislation that empowers the states regulatory agencies to enforce one of the worlds most complicated environmental regimes.

Gov. Jerry Brown, in pursuing policy objectives, also has gained more authority. For example, the states new law to establish a $15 minimum wage by 2022 gives the governor the power to delay the wage increase for different reasons.

The voters have neutered the Legislature, most dramatically by imposing term limits in 1990. With that change, lawmakers and staffs could stay for only a few years a time, whereas in the executive branch the governor could rely on department heads and powerful regulators with secure posts and inside knowledge.

The Legislature has failed to counter such executive power  its relatively small number of lawmakers (California has the countrys smallest legislature on a per-voter basis) is stretched thin, and has little time for hearings, investigation or oversight of the governor and his administration. The Legislature also doesnt have the same institutional infrastructure to produce data and reports to guide policymaking; when legislators make laws and budgets, they often rely on the governors numbers.

More recent political reforms also have weakened the Legislature and thus strengthened the governor. In 2008, voters stripped the Legislature of perhaps its greatest power  the power to draw legislative districts  and gave it to an independent commission. And in 2010, voters got rid of the requirement of a two-thirds vote to pass a budget, which had given the minority party in the Legislature considerable power to challenge the governor.

These days, the opposition has little juice. All the governor needs is the support of the two leaders of the majority party in the Legislature. In this era of one-party Democratic control, that majority party is the governors own party.

Californias diminished media also reinforces the notion that the governor is the only game in town. With fewer reporters covering Sacramento, the governor has become the only politician who is covered regularly. Even state Sen. Kevin de Leon, who has been the most influential legislator of this decade and is now running for U.S. Senate, remains little known across the state.

In much of Sacramento, the power of the governor is considered a positive. In a state so big, goes the argument, its good to have one elected official  the governor  who can focus attention and accountability.

Of course, thats only true if Californians pick a governor who can use that power responsibly. And right now, few of us are paying much attention to the gubernatorial contest. Instead, Californians are deeply worried about all the power in the American presidency, and how it might be misused by the current occupant of the White House.

But the perils of runaway executive power arent limited to Washington, D.C. Pay attention, California, because it could happen here.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at www.sfchronicle.com/letters.
How much more proof do we need that being online isnt healthy for us?

The latest terrible tech research is from Kaiser Permanente, published last week in the journal Scientific Reports. In a study of hundreds of pregnant women in the Bay Area, the authors found that those who were more exposed to the kind of radiation produced by cell phones, wireless networks and power lines were nearly three times as likely to suffer miscarriages.

It goes without saying that these electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, are around every single one of us. Thanks to our insatiable demand for social media, GPS and smart physical devices, there will be more and more of them every year.

I was a bit surprised by the Kaiser studys publication.

Not because I doubt its findings  it seems sensible to assume that if radiation is powerful enough to transmit data through the ether, its probably powerful enough to scramble our cells as well.

Plus, I live in the Bay Area.

People who dont live here think this place is nothing more than a magnet for any and every whiz-bang tech idea.

Those of us who actually live here know that theres a counterveiling force of skepticism to meet every single one of those ideas.

Thats why Instacart will never replace Berkeley Bowl. Its also why San Francisco and Berkeley  cities that are awfully friendly to technology in other ways  both passed laws requiring cell phone retailers to post warning signs about radiation, citing concerns about cancer, brain tumors and reproductive health.

But there will be tremendous pushback against any research showing how dangerous this stuff may be.

An example: San Franciscos radiation-warning law, championed by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, passed in 2010. But after a lawsuit from the cell phone industry, the city backed off on implementing it.

Around the same time, the California Department of Public Health drew up its set of guidelines to inform the public about the risks associated with cell phone use.

The health department then sat on these guidelines  for seven years  until The Chronicle told the state it was going to publish a news story about the case, and a judge signaled that she would order them to be released.

The reason for the delay?

The health departments lawyers claimed the agency isnt required to warn the public of health risks that havent been proved (despite the fact that the information was gathered by the agencys own scientists). The lawyers also argued that releasing the guidelines might cause the public to panic.

Well, it might be time to start panicking. More and more, it sounds like the long-term effects of our Internet habits could be dangerous, not just for our relationships and our ability to focus, but our brains and bodies as well.

To this member of the public, the small-but-growing body of EMF research looks like anti-tobacco research must have looked in the 1950s  necessary and important work that will surely gain researchers an ugly, uphill battle against better-funded opponents.

Even more disconcerting?

Once scientists knew how dangerous tobacco was, the public could clearly and simply understand how to prevent those dangers: stop smoking.

But Im not sure theres any way to turn back the clock on EMFs.

I read the story about Kaisers new study on my cell phone, traveling between my office (which is replete with Wi-Fi networks) and my home (same). I happened to be traveling on BART, so when I put my phone down I studied the passengers around me.

Every sitting passenger was hunched over their phone, as if in prayer. The strap-hangers held their phones in front of their faces; the blue screens glided through the air like fish in an aquarium. All of this was normal, if vaguely depressing; a pageant I see and participate in every day.

But I also noticed, as if for the first time, how many people were wearing wireless Airpods and other earbuds. They wore them with a certain pride of ownership, as if they were in on a secret the rest of us were yet to learn.

I watched them, and thought about the public health guidelines that went unreleased for seven years. I thought about how the guidelines suggested removing headsets as soon as calls are over, and keeping the phone away from your body.

I thought about how many recent cell phone improvements chip away at that guidance. Then I lifted my phone from my lap and dropped it in my bag, out of sight.

Caille Millner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cmillner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @caillemillner
Californias courtrooms may be open to the public, but theres no openness when it comes to disciplinary complaints against judges. The Commission on Judicial Performance insists that its oversight work be kept secret and untouchable.

Its an indefensible stance, but its working so far. A state-ordered audit is seeking a look at the commissions private world, but the judicial agency won a first-round victory  from a judge, no less  in blocking the outside inquiry.

All the expected arguments are working: The agency needs privacy, its unfair to open the books on sketchy complaints and the commissions founding rules bar a peek at the books. But that shouldnt satisfy the public or Sacramento legislators who authorized an examination of how an important disciplinary agency does its job.

After legislators asked for an examination last year, the task was given to state Auditor Elaine Howle. But her team ran into a roadblock when the agency refused to cooperate and filed suit to block the audit. This week, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos sided with the commission, saying certain records can remain secret.

Howle is expected to appeal, which she should. Locking the file cabinets during an audit makes such work pointless. Without a full range of information, there cant be an effective read of whether a watchdog agency is vigilant or toothless and its operation efficient or wasteful. Howle wont be able to open hundreds of complaints collected yearly to the public, a prime worry of the oversight agency.

The commission isnt budging. Set up in 1960, its equipped with the weighty power of firing a judge who shames the profession. In rare cases, it makes matters public, but it also issues private reprimands that no one but the targeted judge sees. Its caseload, pace of work and operations are largely kept quiet. Complainants and the public have little to go on in measuring the commissions record in policing Californias 2,000 judges.

The legal setback isnt going down well in the Legislature. State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Santa Barbara Democrat who heads her chambers Judiciary Committee, is pressing the commission to cooperate. The agency is taxpayer-funded and should cooperate with its first audit, she said.

The commissions worth is at stake. It should cooperate with, not obstruct, a needed audit.

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.
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Larry Bubbles Brown has sustained a San Francisco comedy career touching five decades by being self-deprecating, pessimistic and bitingly hilarious.

So it was no surprise that when asked to share a holiday story, it centered on dysfunction  and was bitingly hilarious.

The scene begins in conservative Cincinnati in 1960, where 8-year-old Browns grandparents were coming down from Columbus, Ohio, for Thanksgiving. Browns progressive mom and dad gave the future stand-up one directive: Whatever you do, dont tell Grandma and Grandpa that we voted for John F. Kennedy.

I must have let it slide out of my mouth within five minutes after they arrived, Brown says. The next thing I know theres this huge screaming match going on. At one point my grandmother is leaving the house, and she points to my father and said, Youre no longer my son! and they left.

If thats too dark for you, hold on for the punch line.

My mother picked up the turkey and threw it out the back door in the backyard, Brown says. We had a white Persian cat. I think he ate the entire turkey  because the next day he couldnt even move. That was how Thanksgiving 1960 ended at the Brown household.

He says the event didnt seem particularly funny in 1960, when Kennedy beat Richard Nixon in a contentious race, but acknowledges that the humorous tilt has built over time.

Its like the Lincoln assassination, Brown says. One hundred years later people make jokes about it.

Brown says his grandparents mended the fence and arrived for a comparatively uneventful Thanksgiving a few years later. Brown moved to San Francisco in the 1970s and found a place where he fit in, performing at the Holy City Zoo and other comedy clubs. He describes himself as a JFK Democrat like his now-deceased parents, except in this locale hes to the right of the local populace.

Brown says he doesnt love the holidays. Its a busy work time for stand-up comics  Brown plays the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 26, and appears with Dave Attell at the Masonic on New Years Eve.

He co-starred in the acclaimed documentary Three Still Standing with fellow 1980s comedy workhorses Will Durst and Johnny Steele a few years back. And, in a rare showing of Larry Bubbles Brown optimism, the comedian reports that work has been going well this year.

Its been a good year for me money-wise, Brown says. I guess Im not done yet.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub

See Larry Bubbles Browns tour dates and comedy videos at www.larrybubblesbrown.com
Adoptable animals that had been waiting to find their forever homes at Ventura County Animal Shelter will be given a new chance at Marin Humane, as the Southern California rescue seeks to clear the floor to make room for pets displaced by the massive Thomas Fire.

The Thomas Fire is on track to become the biggest fire in the history of California; as of Wednesday it had burned through 272,000 acres around the southern part of the state.

RELATED: Thomas Fire on verge of becoming the biggest blaze in state history

The Ventura facility's position is one that Marin Humane was also in recently; back in October, the North Bay shelter similarly found itself in a situation where staffers needed to transfer animals to other regional shelters to make way for animals found fleeing fires.

Now, they're paying the favor forward, and this week took in 12 dogs, 16 cats, and a number of rabbits and guinea pigs who flew in from Ventura.

"To help them get more space, we took in 45 animals from the adoption shelter," says Lisa Bloch, Marin Humane's director of marketing & communications. "It alleviates some stress on shelters that are pretty overwhelmed."

RELATED: Santa Rosa couple who lost their home have emotional reunion with their lost dog

Wings of Rescue, the organization that air shuttled the adoptable animals from Southern California, actually took two trips on Wednesday to Northern California. The first, as Bloch explains, brought the dogs, and the next carried the cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs.

"It was pretty amazing," she continues. "This pilot landed at the Santa Rosa airport, and we took them from the crates in the planes to the crates in the vans."

RELATED: Marin Humane inundated with evacuated animals  including trio of turkeys

Since then, they've been settling in the animals and preparing them for adoption. They'll be available by January, or perhaps even sooner, and they've already had some interest from the public.

"We've had a few people calling and commenting on social media so we hope we'll be able to find homes for them," she adds.

Marin Humane will be closed on Christmas Day but otherwise open their regular hours.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


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The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted unanimously Thursday to name whats long been known as Sharon Meadow  a wide, grassy lawn on the east end of Golden Gate Park  after the late comedian and actor Robin Williams.

The widely popular effort to rechristen the space had been led by Debi Durst and her husband, Will. They have put on Comedy Day, an annual showcase for local comedians, at Golden Gate Park for the past 37 years. For the past 25 years, the event has been held at Sharon Meadow.

Williams, who had a home in Marin County, performed at the first Comedy Day and returned to perform whenever he could, Debi Durst told the commission. He also served as the events chief  and anonymous  patron in years when money was tight. If it werent for Robin giving us some money, there would be no Comedy Day for a few years, she said.

He kept it going for five or six years, Will Durst said.

I felt compelled to do something for this man who was part of Comedy Day and the city of San Francisco in a way that would honor his memory and his comic spirit for all time, Debi Durst said.

Now Playing: Conservatory of Flowers as big screen Video: SFChronicle

Sharon Meadow was named after William Sharon, a banker and later a U.S. senator from Nevada who made donations to Golden Gate Park. Sharon Meadow, the park department said, was given its name because of its proximity to the Sharon Building, which hosts a number of arts and crafts courses at the park. But the area had never been officially named by the commission.

Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the park department, threw his support behind the name change in September, but the matter had to be voted on by the commission. Former mayors Willie Brown and the late Ed Lee had also endorsed naming the space after Williams.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
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As of Jan. 1, it's lights out for incandescent bulbs.

California will become the first state in the nation to say goodbye to the incandescent light bulb, as stores will stop stocking its shelves with incandescents at the start of January.

The restriction was a move by the government to usher the country toward becoming more energy efficient. Incandescents were invented over 100 years ago and notoriously (and unsurprisingly) use up lots of energy. Incandescents don't meet the new standards and therefore won't be sold in the state.

Former President George W. Bush signed the law in 2007 that phased in new bulb standards and was meant to be completed in all states by 2020. California, however, opted to kick in the regulations earlier and complete the guidelines two years early, in 2018.

ALSO WATCH: GE reportedly dropping the light bulb after more than a century

Now Playing: General Electric is reportedly bidding adieu to the light bulb. Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith (@fantasticmrnate) has more. Video: Buzz 60

There won't be a complete stop on using incandescent bulbs, however; consumers will not be asked to throw out their bulbs or anything drastic like that. Residents can continue to use what they have on hand, and stores will be allowed to sell whatever incandescent bulbs it has in stock, but after that stores will only sell the more energy-efficient LEDs and compact fluorescent lights.

Certain specialty bulbs will still be allowed, too: 3-way bulbs, colored lights, oven and refrigerator lights are exempt, for example.

READ ALSO: Legal pot in California brings host of environmental rules

The move to LEDs and other non-incandescent bulbs is predicted to save California consumers an estimated $1 billion per year in electric bills, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. The switch to energy-efficient bulbs will also have an effect on emissions, as the new LEDs will require less electricity.

To read up more on the new light bulb standards, take a look at this fact sheet from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Janet Elder, who in a three-decade career at The New York Times rose from reporter to deputy managing editor, along the way spending many years as the editor of news surveys and election analysis, died Wednesday. She was 61.

Dean Baquet, the papers executive editor, announced the death to the staff on Thursday morning. Elder had been undergoing treatment for cancer. She lived in Manhattan.

Elder became one of the highest-ranking women in the Times newsroom, in charge of the administrative side of the news operation. But colleagues cited an unofficial role as well, as chief counselor, hand-holder, fixer and sympathetic ear to the rest of the staff.

Her office was a place to come to gripe, gossip, ask for guidance and more, said Matthew Purdy, another deputy managing editor at The Times. It was really her humanity that made her a central part of the newsroom, he said.

Her responsibilities as deputy managing editor included staffing, career development and, several times in recent years, buyouts and layoffs.

One duty was trying to make sure staff members overseas had the resources to do their jobs and were safe. That could be difficult, as it was in August 2014, when Alissa J. Rubin, a Times reporter, was seriously injured when a helicopter she was aboard crashed in the mountains of Iraq.

Janet was just amazing at marshaling resources to get her out of there, Purdy said.

Baquet called Elder one of the newsrooms most important leaders, and an advocate for women at the top of the masthead.

Carolyn Ryan, an assistant managing editor, echoed that thought.

Part of Janets gift was nurturing women here, she said, and I certainly felt that very personally.

Elder was born on July 6, 1956. She received bachelors and masters degrees at New York University. She was hired by The Times full time in the mid-1980s after working at the Childrens Storefront, a tuition-free school in East Harlem.

Adam Clymer, a retired colleague who once led the papers polling operation, said her first involvement with the paper was actually much earlier, as an interviewer on the first CBS News/Times poll in the mid-1970s.

We hired freelance interviewers, mostly students or unemployed actors, he said.

Once she joined the staff and turned to reporting, her early articles often showed her interest in social issues. She wrote about child care and parental leave, for instance, and adults with intellectual disabilities.

By the mid-1990s, she was increasingly writing about poll results, examining the public sentiment on issues like the verdict in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, the sex scandal involving President Bill Clinton, and candidates and issues in presidential elections.

Many of these articles translated the results of CBS News/New York Times polls, which were among the most highly regarded in the polling industry. She frequently shared bylines with Times political reporters on articles about how the public viewed specific elected officials, the fight against terrorism, same-sex marriage and numerous other subjects.

Elder, who was named the head of the polling department in 2005, occasionally wrote explanatory articles about survey-taking, expounding on matters like how the timing or structure of a poll might influence the results. And she had an eye for the odd or incongruous finding that might turn up in a survey, as in 1997, when she wrote about a CBS/Times poll on driving habits.

In the poll, men and women said they would rather be a passenger in a car driven by a man, she noted, although both men and women said the safest drivers were members of their own sex.

In 2000, Elder designed a national survey that was part of the Times series How Race Is Lived in America, which won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.

Elder was made an assistant managing editor in 2011 and a deputy managing editor in late 2013. The next year she became a driving force behind the creation of The Upshot, the Times data-driven reports that analyze political, economic and social issues and trends.

In September, Elder was chosen to lead an effort to explore partnerships between the newspaper and philanthropies or universities to further journalism in various forms.

Her survivors include her husband, Rich Pinsky, and their son, Michael.

In 2010, Elder made her cancer diagnosis and the related tale of a newly acquired family dog the focus of a book, Huck: The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family  and a Whole Town  About Hope and Happy Endings.

The book is a generally uplifting tale that concentrates on the search for the dog, Huck, after he becomes lost. But Elder, ever the reporter, also included some blunt passages about her medical journey. She was annoyed, for instance, by the pink decor in the office in which she was undergoing a biopsy.

There is something demeaning about all that pink, she wrote. Cancer is not pink. Cancer is serious business.

Neil Genzlinger is a New York Times writer.
It reads like the plot of a Cold War-era John le Carre novel set in the Bay Area: Russian spies roaming Pacific Heights and one standing on the shores of Stinson Beach, armed with a small device he may have used to map the countrys fiber-optic cables.

But according to a Foreign Policy magazine article published this month, the Russian Consulate on Green Street in the citys Cow Hollow neighborhood was the epicenter of Russian espionage for the Western Hemisphere.

In the articleheadlined The Secret History of the Russian Consulate in San Franciscofreelance journalist Zach Dorfman delves into the closing in August of the Kremlins outpost just steps from the Presidio

Dorfman, who relies heavily on anonymous sources in the intelligence community, reports that while news media focused on the smoke emanating from the consulates chimney, the real red flag was the the motley array of antennas and satellites and electronic transmittal devices dotting the rooftop of the stately brick building.

The story details an elaborate possible plot by Russian officials to map places in the United States where data was being transferred through fiber-optic cables.

Dorfman describes strange activity: in one case, sources told him, Russian intelligence officers idled at a gas station but bought no gas. One passenger got out and circled a tree several times. Others reportedly idled in wheat fields.

Intelligence officials connected the strange behavior to Russian aircraft flight pathsand became concerned that Russian spies have been using airplanes to act as a kind of cell tower to receive and transmit data.

Why was San Francisco the center of all this espionage? Dorfman theorizes that its due to the citys proximity to Silicon Valley, large research institutions, and nearby defense contractors.

Despite the shuttering of the consulate, Dorfmans sources say Russian spying in the Bay Area is unlikely to entirely stop.

The great game is upon us again, one former intelligence official told Dorfman. San Francisco has always been a focal point for Russian interests. The work wont stop.

The Trump administration ordered the closure of the consulate on Aug. 31, a few weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the reduction of U.S. personnel in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in response to sanctions passed by Congress.

Then, on Sept. 1, a mysterious plume of smoke was seen wafting from a chimney of the consulate, leading some to speculate that top secret documents were being destroyed. The smoke prompted the Bay Area Quality Management District to send a notice of violation to the Russians for illegal burning.

It is highly likely, sources told me, that the consulates closure was linked to U.S. intelligence officials definitively proving long-held suspicions about the objectives of these Russian activities  or that officials could simply no longer countenance these extraordinarily aggressive intelligence-collection efforts and seized on the opportunity to disrupt them after Putins latest diplomatic salvo, Dorfman wrote.

What seems clear is that when it came to Russian spying, San Francisco was at the very forefront of innovation.

Read the full Foreign Policy piece here.
Two retired San Francisco judges told a Chinatown audience mourning former Mayor Ed Lee that they were dismayed that a speaker at Sundays City Hall memorial service referred to his squinty eyes when he laughed.

Lillian Sing and Julie Tang, both of whom are Chinese American, described the phrase as a racially insensitive stereotype of Asians.

We felt uncomfortable when one person spoke about squinty eyes, Sing, who retired from the Superior Court bench in 2015 after 30 years and is the co-founder of Chinese for Affirmative Action, told the audience of mourners Thursday in a flower-bedecked auditorium on Stockton Street.

Tang delivered similar remarks in Chinese. Later, she said in an interview that the phrase really bothered me, ever since that day. It just nagged me. ... We have a mayor whos Chinese American. Are we still having to fight these battles? But you know what, if we have to, we will fight.

Although Sing and Tang did not identify the speaker by name, they were referring to comments by Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, the citys chief of protocol. She planned the celebration of Lees life and took to the podium herself Sunday.

Shultz praised Lee, who died last week of a heart attack, and then talked about his well-known fondness for bad jokes. She said that when Lee laughed, his squinty eyes would light up.

I was in the audience, Tang said. When I heard it, I said, is this real? Am I really hearing this? I was shocked.

She said she wondered if she was being overly sensitive, but that after the service, several people came up to her and said they had heard it too and were upset. It was like, its OK to be making fun of Chinese people.

Responding in a statement, the Mayors Office of Protocol said Shultz worked side by side with Mayor Lee for more than seven years strengthening San Franciscos international relations.

The statement added, This has been a very difficult time for her. Mrs. Shultz apologizes if any of her comments regarding the mayor  which were intended to be heartfelt and warm  offended anyone. Mrs. Shultz loved Mayor Lee very much and will miss him dearly.

Jason Fagone is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jason.fagone@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfagone
Before you buy any smart gadgets, make sure theyre not dumb.

This holiday season, a third of Americans plan to buy a smart home device, according to the Consumer Technology Association.

And nearly half of Americans use digital voice assistants, according to the Pew Research Center.

But just hooking up the Internet to a door lock, kettle or dog bowl (yes, thats a thing) doesnt make it smart. The trick is figuring out which ones are worth the cost, trouble and inevitable security risks.

Ive been in those weeds. After reviewing dozens of smart home products, Ive learned to be skeptical of any gadget that feels like a Star Trek prop, and a little paranoid about things that are listening, watching or collecting data.

Any gadget you install in your house should work with software from the major tech firms. And it should be made by a company with years of experience in homes, or at least with top-notch customer support.

The good news is that some of these connected gadgets are actually awesome. I picked five smart home devices that are genuinely useful enough that Ive given them as a gift  including to myself.

Ring Video Doorbell 2

Price: $200

Why its useful: Whos at your door? The Ring is a doorbell that doubles as a Wi-Fi security camera, so you can watch, hear and talk to the person at the door through an app  even if youre not at home. It alerts your phone with a live feed when somebody presses the bell, or any time somebody comes near. No rewiring required. The Ring at my house caught package thieves and vandals, and produced video evidence I gave to the cops.

The downsides: To review, share and store video clips for 60 days requires a $30 per year subscription. If your existing doorbell isnt powered, youll have to charge the Rings battery every six to 12 months.

Why its the best: There are lots of video doorbells, but Ring has solid customer service, delivers on its promises and works with other home devices including Amazons Echo Show. (Alexa, show me whos at the front door.) The Ring app also lets you share clips and alerts about criminal activity with neighbors who also own a Ring.

How it handles security: Ring encrypts your video. In 2016, researchers discovered a flaw in the first-generation Ring doorbell that could have let hackers access a homes Wi-fi network. Ring issued a patch and says it updates doorbell software automatically.

Lutron Caseta

light switches

Price: $80 for starter kit

Why its useful: OK, switches arent exactly an exciting present. But these Lutron Caseta ones only look like regular dimmers  theyve actually got superpowers to turn on and off with an app, remote or voice command. Thats useful for safety: You can program your porch light to come on after sunset, or set lights to random when youre on vacation. Theyre also a convenience  like when your bed is just too warm and comfy to leave, so you just say good night to Siri and watch the whole house turn off at once. Ive programmed mine to wake me by slowly making the room brighter.

The downsides: I needed to hire an electrician to install my Caseta switches, though its certainly possible to do it yourself. Caseta also requires a hub (included in its starter kit) attached to your home router.

Why its the best: The Lutron switches require more effort than stand-alone connected bulbs like Philips Hue. But Lutrons tech is rock-solid reliable, and allows you to still turn off lights the old-fashioned way, with a light switch. It also works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Nest and more.

How it handles security: If your homes Internet goes out, Caseta switches still work. Lutron does penetration testing for hackers and automatically pushes updates to your hub, but it wouldnt say whether its systems have ever been breached.

Eero mesh

Wi-Fi router

Price: $300 for a two-hub pack

Why its useful: Eero solves the No. 1 home tech problem: Bad Wi-Fi. The reason your Netflix stutters is there are corners in your house that one poor, overworked router just cant reach. Eero uses hubs to create a mesh that spreads Internet all over. Thats a lifesaver in big houses or ones (like mine) with walls filled with metal, plaster and and other materials that act like Kryptonite for radio waves.

The downsides: Eero is pricier than stand-alone routers and mesh systems like Google WiFi and Netgear Orbi. If you want Eeros hubs to work well, you cant hide them under a stack of old People magazines  they need to be out in the open. (Fortunately, theyre pretty.)

Why its the best: Eero is the simplest home gadget Ive ever tested. Other routers may be a little faster or have more features, but Eero is reliable and offers solid customer service. It also now offers a security service, called Eero Plus (for $100 per year), to detect and stop hackers, and help you manage passwords, combat malware and access a VPN when youre on the go.

How it handles security: Eero uses the cloud to give you remote control over your network and to ensure performance, but it doesnt log or store where people go on the Internet. And the cloud lets Eero quickly update your hardware when security problems come to light.

Ecobee 4 thermostat

Price: $250

Why its useful: Baby, its cold outside  and in that room at the back of your house. Thermostats measure the temperature one place (usually the hallway), but who hangs out there? The Ecobee 4 thermostat uses sensors to keep track of which room youre in and what the temperature is, and makes adjustments accordingly. Its smart enough to compensate for a cold snap, and it should also be more energy efficient than an old-fashioned thermostat, though your savings may vary.

The downsides: You get one room sensor in the box, but extras cost $80 each. Your installation experience may vary: to make the Ecobee 4 work with my extremely ancient heating system, I had to buy a $15 external AC transformer.

Why its the best: Nest makes the most well-known learning thermostat, but the Ecobee 4 beats it with the room-sensing tech and a few other features. Its got Alexa built into a speaker and microphone on the thermostat, so you have one more spot in the house to chat with your favorite virtual lady-friend. And Ecobee works with lots of smart home software, including Apple HomeKit, Google Home and (of course) Amazon Alexa.

How it handles security: The Ecobee 4 works even without an Internet connection. The company does security audits and says its products havent suffered from any breaches it knows about.

Sonos One

speaker

Price: $200

Why its useful: Talking speakers are all the rage, but most lower-priced ones dont sound fantastic. The Sonos One does, and it has the ability to switch its voice between either Amazon Alexa or Googles Assistant. The Sonos One can also join other Sonos wireless speakers that come in many sizes and shapes to fill every room with music. I keep my house on perpetual party mode.

The downsides: The Sonos One costs twice as much the new Amazon Echo and Google Home. Support for Googles Assistant, along with Apples AirPlay 2, wont come until 2018. And some of its Alexa voice commands are unintuitive, but that should improve over time.

Why its the best: The One is the connected speaker to beat because of its neutral status in the talking artificial intelligence wars, and Sonos years of experience making great-sounding wireless speakers. But I wont blame you for waiting until professional reviewers get our hands on Apples much-hyped (and much-delayed) $350 HomePod next year.

How it handles security: Sonos offers frequent free software updates. Like the Amazon Echo, theres a button on top that stops its microphone from listening.

Geoffrey A. Fowler is a Washington Post writer.
Williams-Sonoma introduced a new brand of sleep products amid growing consumer interest in health and wellness this week.

The Robin line will include a mattress with various toppers, featuring fibers intended to help regulate body temperature or whisk away moisture.

A bedside monitor provides information on a users amount and quality of sleep, while an accompanying app offers recommendations on how to improve.

We are excited to educate and inspire customers with Robins assortment of thoughtfully designed products and customizable features that deliver a differentiated and purposeful wellness experience, Laura Alber, the companys president and CEO, said in a statement.

The unveiling of Robin comes less than a month after the San Francisco retailer made another venture into sleep. On Dec. 6, it announced that Pottery Barn, a division of Williams-Sonoma, would partner with Leesa Sleep, a Virginia mattress-maker that largely relies on the type of direct-to-consumer sales model that has made waves in the consumer products world. Leesa mattresses can now be bought on Pottery Barns website. (Leesa began a similar partnership with West Elm, another Williams-Sonoma property, in September.)

Robin products will be available online and in some U.S. stores early next month. The full system, with mattress and toppers and the monitor, starts at $629.
Concord Police Department / Concord Police Department

A Concord adult school teacher was being held on $2 million bail after he was arrested on suspicion having sex with a developmentally disabled adult student, police said.

Daniel Gonzalez, 55, a teacher at the Loma Vista Adult Center, was booked at the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of violating a state law that says it is illegal to have sex with a person who is incapable of giving consent because of a mental or developmental disability.
Former first lady Michelle Obama likes Souvla's fast-casual Greek food so much, she ordered it for a recent plane ride from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. And then she wrote the restaurant staff a letter of thanks and admiration.

"Dear Souvla Staff," begins the letter, dated Dec. 14 and shared on Souvla's Twitter on Thursday, "I wanted to write and thank you for all the delicious food for our plane ride back to D.C."
Comedian Katt Williams, in a small role as a chipper hitchhiker, injects about 15 minutes worth of fun into Father Figures, an otherwise mostly dreadful road comedy in which Ed Helms and Owen Wilson play twins searching for a man to call dad.

Too bad Williams, whose character is a voice-of-reason referee between the arguing brothers, can only affect the scenes he is in, and not change the past or future. Because the past in Father Figures  scenes that happen before Williams shows up  includes a moment, set in a highway rest stop bathroom, in hideously bad taste.

Describing this moment probably would make it sound even worse than it is, in moral terms, because of the nouns involved. Attempts to describe it in terms of creativity or Wilsons career also would fail, since new low does not cut it.

Scenes that follow Williams exit from the story also are bad, in different ways. They go on too long, contributing to a sluggish two-hour run time  and the tone shifts wildly among and within them. The movies lighting and cinematography often do not flatter the actors, despite rookie director Lawrence Sher having spent many years as a director of photography.

Figures attributes personality traits to the brothers according to whim. Helms character, Peter, is supposedly a hothead but comes off as a sweetheart. His brother, Kyle, is so self-involved at the films start that he does not know the name of his preteen nephew. Yet Peter later tells Kyle he has the kindest heart of anyone he knows.

The twins reunite, after years without seeing each other, at the wedding of their mother, Helen (Glenn Close, not in the film long enough for it to stick to her reputation), to their new stepfather. After the wedding, Helen reveals that she lied when she told the twins their father died before they could know him. She is not sure who fathered them. It was the 1970s, she explains.

The revelation one expects will follow never comes: the one where Helen tells Peter and Kyle they are not really twins. This would help us believe our eyes, which tell us fraternal does not extend far enough to cover Wilson, 49, and Helms, 43, being the same age.

One assumes at first that Figures is going an absurdist, Step Brothers route in calling them twins. But Helen eventually will lay out the exact circumstances of their births, on the same day, in a scene that tries for poignancy and whiffs.

This would-be serious scene fails partly because it exists in a film that also contains the rest stop scene and that derives a lot of its jokes from the twins being forced to hear what a sexual dynamo Helen once was.

Terry Bradshaw, playing himself, certainly remembers her fondly. After Helen names Bradshaw as the twins possible father, Kyle and Peter travel to Miami to meet him. Bradshaw turns out to be  news flash from 1972  a likable goof. The trail also leads to a dreary sequence involving a less adorable dad candidate (J.K. Simmons).

Wilson and Helms favor Bradshaw in likability. But they are not two hours worth of likable, in a film this flawed.

Carla Meyer is a Northern California freelance writer.

Father Figures

Comedy. Starring Owen Wilson and Ed Helms. Directed by Lawrence Sher. (R. 113 minutes).
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla.  Anthony Stansbury propped his rusty bike against a live oak tree and cast his fishing line into the rushing waters of Floridas Anclote River.

When he bought a house down the street last year, Stansbury says he wasnt told that his slice of paradise had a hidden problem. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Stauffer Chemical Co. Superfund site, a former chemical manufacturing plant that is on the list of the nations most polluted places. That 130-acre lot on the rivers edge is also located in a flood zone.

Me and my kids fish here a couple times a week. Everyone who lives on this coast right here, they fish on this water daily, said the 39-year-old father of three.

Stansbury is among nearly 2 million people in the U.S. who live within a mile of 327 Superfund sites in areas prone to flooding or vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change, according to an Associated Press analysis of flood zone maps, census data and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records.

This years historic hurricane season exposed a little-known public health threat: Highly polluted sites that can be inundated by floodwaters, potentially spreading toxic contamination.

In Houston, more than a dozen Superfund sites were flooded by Hurricane Harvey, with breaches reported at two. In the Southeast and Puerto Rico, Superfund sites were battered by driving rains and winds from Irma and Maria.

The vulnerable sites highlighted by the Associated Press review are scattered across the nation, but Florida, New Jersey and California have the most, and the most people living near them. They are in largely low-income, heavily minority neighborhoods, the data show.

Across the nation, more than 800,000 homes are located near flood-prone toxic sites

Many of the 327 sites have had at least some work done to help mitigate the threat to public health, including fencing them off and covering them in plastic sheeting to help keep out rain water.

The Obama administration assessed some of these at-risk places and planned to gird them from harsher weather and rising seas. EPAs 2014 Climate Adaptation Plan said prolonged flooding at low-lying Superfund sites could cause extensive erosion, carrying away contaminants as waters recede.

President Trump, however, has called climate change a hoax, and his administration has worked to remove references from federal reports and websites linking carbon emissions to the warming planet.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said he intends to focus on cleaning up Superfund sites, and he appointed a task force that developed a list of sites considered the highest priority.

But like Trump, Pruitt rejects the consensus of climate scientists that man-made carbon emissions are driving global warming. His task forces 34-page report makes no mention of the flood risk to Superfund sites from stronger storms or rising seas, but eight of the 21 sites on EPAs priority list are in areas of flood risk.

Jason Dearen, Michael Biesecker and Angeliki Kastanis are Associated Press writers.
Now Playing: Video: Felicia Pfleger Video: KTVU

A sea otter pup is recovering at the Monterey Bay Aquarium after he was found stranded Dec. 14 on a Carmel Beach with bite marks from a shark.

The pup is in the intensive care area of the aquarium and is eating solid food, according to an aquarium press release. If he continues to get better he'll be placed with a surrogate mother who lives at the aquarium.
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OAKLAND (BCN)

An unrepentant ex-convict was sentenced today to 25 years to life in state prison for kidnapping and raping a woman who suffers from a cognitive disability in Oakland earlier this year.

Before he was sentenced, Hassan Lee Bratcher, 39, complained that, "There are so many lies in this case it's ridiculous" and accused the victim of committing perjury when she testified against him.

But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rhonda Burgess said Bratcher, who has previous convictions for false imprisonment and illegal gun and drug offenses, has a history of "violent and predatory conduct over many years and has displayed a complete disregard for the rule of law."

Burgess said in one sense he chose the victim at random but in another sense he chose her specifically "because of her vulnerability," since the 33-year-old woman suffers from a developmental disability and was 8 months pregnant so her ability to flee him was severely hampered.

Now Playing: Comparison of 2016's violent crime stats from major Bay Area cities Video: Ted Andersen, SFGATE

Prosecutors said Bratcher was driving a van around Oakland at about 8 a.m. on March 5, which was a Sunday, when he came across the woman as she was walking to church.

Bratcher called out to the woman from his car and they had a short conversation during which he was kind to her and pretended to know her in order to lure her into his van, prosecutors said.

The woman was tired and was having difficulty walking so Bratcher told her he would give her a ride the rest of the way to her church, according to prosecutors.

However, once they arrived at the church Bratcher became hostile, wouldn't allow the woman to get out of his van and drove her away from the church, prosecutors said.

Bratcher then took the woman to different locations in Oakland over the next four hours and raped her multiple times inside his van, according to prosecutors.

Bratcher finally allowed the woman to leave his van and then fled, prosecutors said.

The woman then walked to a nearby pharmacy, where she called her sister for help and her sister contacted police, according to prosecutors.

Paramedics transported the woman to Highland Hospital in Oakland, where she underwent a medical exam to preserve evidence of her trauma, prosecutors said.

Later DNA testing of the exam's results helped authorities identify Bratcher as the man who sexually assaulted the woman. In addition, the woman was able to identify Bratcher in a photo lineup as the man who kidnapped and raped her, prosecutors said.

At the end of a lengthy trial, Bratcher was convicted in September of kidnapping and forcible rape as well as two kidnapping enhancement clauses.

The victim attended Bratcher's sentencing today but chose not to speak.

Bratcher claimed, "I never did anything to her" and alleged that court officials "allowed her to make up a lot of different stories."

Burgess said the victim has flashbacks when she sees white vans similar to the one Bratcher drove the day he sexually assaulted her and she doesn't go to church much anymore.

"Church was her main recreational activity but she rarely goes now," the judge said.
JERUSALEM  Two Palestinians were killed in renewed clashes with Israeli forces, Gazas Health Ministry said Friday, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts amid continued fallout over President Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The fresh violence came a day after the U.N. General Assembly resolution denouncing Trumps decision, largely ignoring his threat to cut off aid to any country that went against him.

Abbas on a visit to Paris urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts, insisting hell no longer accept any U.S. plans for Mideast peace because of the Trumps position on Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as the administration siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the conflict.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said a 24-year-old and a 29-year-old were killed by live fire in clashes along the border with Israel. He said 45 other Palestinians were wounded.

The Israeli military said thousands of Palestinians participated in violent riots along the Gaza border and across the West Bank hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tires at Israeli forces.

It said troops responded with tear gas and deployed live fire selectively toward main instigators.

Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli troops since Trumps Jerusalem announcement on Dec. 6. Ten Palestinians have been killed and dozens more wounded so far.

In Bethlehem on Friday, some Palestinian protesters held anti-Trump banners reading, Mr. Trump, its not your land to decide to whom it belongs, Jerusalem is ours and it belongs to us, and Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.

Ian Deitch is an Associated Press writer.
1 Myanmar blacklist: The United States on Thursday stepped back from a half-decade effort to forge closer relations with Myanmar, condemning a top general to a blacklist of shame for his role in atrocities against Rohingya Muslims. The new sanctions were the most serious U.S. response so far to what it calls ethnic cleansing in the western part of the Southeast Asian nation. The inclusion of Myanmars Maung Maung Soe on the list was perhaps the most dramatic move in U.S. foreign policy. Washington progressively eased economic and political sanctions against Myanmar starting in 2012 to reward the countrys shift toward democracy after decades of military rule.

2 Lethal fire: A fire broke out Thursday at an eight-story building in the central South Korean city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 others, officials said. A Jecheon fire department official said many of the people who died had been using a public bath on the second and third floors, which made it harder for them to escape. Local media showed firefighters battling the blaze with trucks and helicopters, and a man jumping from a window as firefighters held a mattress below. It was unclear what caused the fire but it likely began at the buildings parking lot, according to fire officials.
BEIRUT  At a news conference announcing the end of yet another fruitless round of peace talks in Geneva last week, the U.N. envoy for Syria held up a color-coded map showing the divisions of territorial control in the war-torn country.

The multicolored image displayed by a frustrated Staffan de Mistura is what Syria looks like today: a collage of mostly ravaged enclaves controlled by an assorted mix of local and foreign powers, each with a stake in the countrys ongoing civil war.

Nearly seven years into the conflict, the war seems on one level to be winding down, largely because of Russian-backed government victories and local cease-fires aimed at freezing the lines of conflict.

Underscoring this perception is the fact that President Bashar Assad has survived the conflict, sitting more comfortably now than at any time since the rebellion against his rule erupted in March 2011. The fight against the Islamic State, which at one point controlled a third of the country, is almost over, with both Russia and the United States declaring victory in their mission to defeat the extremist group.

Thanks to Russias military intervention, Syrian government forces have retaken large swaths of rebel and Islamic State-held areas, including main cities such as Homs, Aleppo and most recently, Deir el-Zour. This month, they entered the rebel-held province of Idlib in northern Syria for the first time in years.

Yet the country is still a tangled mess, with violent conflict likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Despite stepped-up diplomatic efforts, the parties are no closer to reaching a peace settlement than they were in 2012, when the first round of peace talks was held in Switzerland.

Assad will not voluntarily step aside and will likely stay on at least until 2021, when his current second presidential term ends. The opposition  down but not out  has not completely abandoned its goal of toppling him militarily. Fierce fighting continues in some areas.

Assads battlefield triumphs have come at so great a cost that it will be extremely difficult to reinstate legitimate state authority over recaptured areas, particularly with no resources to rebuild what has been destroyed.

A mammoth reconstruction effort is needed to rebuild cities, including Homs, Aleppo and Raqqa, which have been completely destroyed.

And millions of Syrian refugees are scattered across the globe and close to half a million have been killed.

Zeina Karam is an Associated Press writer.
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Police have declared a distinctive red and white ute a fourth crime scene in their investigation of a "very suspicious death" at Rivett.

Bobby Stuart Allan, 48, died in the front yard of a Goodenia Street home metres from his own early on Sunday after being assaulted by an unknown number of assailants.

Police are appealing for information on distinctive red and white ute, believed to be linked to a suspicious death. Credit:ACT Policing

Detective Superintendent Scott Moller said a Ford Falcon with New South Wales registration BS82FE had become part of their investigation, but would not be drawn on who owned the vehicle or why it had piqued police interest.

"When police went there on the night, the vehicle was missing and it should have been there," Detective Moller said, adding it was found at the Fisher shops on Wednesday.
The board of Brindabella Christian College has blamed The Canberra Times for $150,000 in lost revenue after "a few families" pulled out of the school in response to a series of articles written earlier this year.

In an end-of-year email to staff, board chairman Greg Zwajgenberg said reporting on the sacking of former principal Bruce Handley had financially hurt the school, derailed negotiations on the use of land at St Ninian's Church and led to "extremist phone calls and emails", one of which shut down the Charnwood campus.

Brindabella Christian College. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

The Canberra Times reported in August that Brindabella Christian College had written to parents to urge them to vote "no" in the same-sex marriage survey.

It later reported Mr Handley had distanced himself from the same-sex marriage letter, taken leave and had a case in front of the Fair Work Commission related to bullying when he was sacked without warning in November.
Canberrans are the most likely to be stung with high petrol prices this Christmas, despite prices easing across the rest of the country.

That's according to analysis by comparethemarket.com.au, which analysed the average cents per litre of unleaded petrol from September 17 to December 17 across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra.

Canberrans will likely be stung at the bowser this Christmas. Credit:Eddie Jim

Canberra's average price over the last quarter the highest of the major capital cities at 137.6 cents per litre.

While the price of unleaded petrol at most stations in Canberra Friday on afternoon was about 149 cents per litre, there were some stations with prices 137 cents or below.
There are plenty of nude sculptures at the National Gallery's summer blockbuster exhibition Hyper Real, but there is going to be even more nudity in January.

The gallery is holding a one-off event on January 13, for 100 people to enjoy the art in their birthday suit.

One of the naked tour groups at the National Gallery of Australia heading into the James Turrell: A Retrospective tour. Credit:Christo Crocker Image courtesy: National Gallery of Australia

On the night, participants will gather and disrobe together in the gallery's foyer, and everyone gets a cocktail to ease any nerves.

Participants must be over 18, and they won't be completely in the nude - everyone must keep their shoes on, presumably for safety reasons.
Canberra car enthusiasts rallied in the national capital on Friday night to express their support for the informal cruising in Braddon during Summernats to be allowed to continue.

The ACT government has upset car fans by confirming it is closing Lonsdale Street and Elouera Street in Braddon on the Friday and Saturday nights of Summernats 31 next month to stop the practice of show cars cruising the streets in front of large crowds.

Motoring enthusiasts are not happy about the ACT government's decision to close Lonsdale Street during the Summernats weekend. Front, Josh Summers, Ken Hansen, Andrew Wall MLA, and Tyler Hartcher, 3. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The closures are at the request of ACT Policing which has cited safety concerns and the fact the event is unregulated. Supporters of the cruising say no one can remember a major incident happening in the three decades the tradition has played out, with the passing parade slow-moving and largely bumper-to-bumper.

Car club members met at Erindale on Friday night to express their concerns to opposition police spokesman Andrew Wall, who said the Liberals support the roads staying open during Summernats and believe the government's decision to close them was "gross over-reach".
Why does Canberra get so cold? And why is it called "the bush capital"?

More than 100 years after its creation, the city remains a mystery to Australians and other internet users plugging questions into Google.

Australia has been musing about its capital on Google. Credit:Louise Kennerley

As people begin typing a phrase at the search engine, a go-to for anyone looking for quick answers, it suggests searches for them based on other common ones.

When curious web users begin asking about Canberra, Google's suggestions reveal what people wonder most about the place.
Virgin Australia is working on a new code share agreement with its British cousin that would open new routes for it to the United Kingdom.

Australia's number-two airline applied to the International Air Services Commission on Friday to modify its permit to code share with Virgin Atlantic on flights to Hong Kong and the United States.

Credit:James Alcock

The airline would not comment on its intentions on Friday, but if granted the agreement would mean passengers could book flights between Australia and London via Hong Kong or Los Angeles on a single ticket.

Virgin Australia sells flights to London from Australia, but they are operated entirely by either Singapore Airlines or Etihad, which are both code share partners and 20 per cent owners of the Australian airline.
Complaints about electricity and gas bills are unlikely to fall any time soon as consumers brace for skyrocketing energy prices this summer.

While the big three retailers  AGL, Origin and Energy Australia  attracted the most complaints in the three months to September 30, the highest per capita levels of customer dissatisfaction were reserved for the smaller retailers.

Year on year, consumer complaints have been rising as they deal with the increasingly difficult issue of energy affordability. Credit:John Woudstra

The regulator received a total of 48,459 complaints in the quarter, mostly about billing. Of those, 38,498 were about the big three retailers across Queensland, NSW and South Australia, up 6.7 per cent on the previous three months.

But WIN Energy, a Victorian-based retailer, was the most complained about retailer in the September quarter, with almost six complaints for every 100 customers, according to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).
7-Eleven became embroiled in a wage fraud scandal in August 2015 when a joint Fairfax Media investigation uncovered rampant wage fraud across hundreds of stores. Credit:PAUL SAKUMA Anshu is seeking $89,963 in lost wages, super and annual leave load loading between 2011 and January 2016, when she was made redundant. Phone calls and questions were sent to Lahkwinder Singh, but he was unavailable to comment. Professor Allan Fels, who chairs the migrant workers taskforce, has noted that franchisees and their families working long hours for little or no pay is becoming an issue. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen 7-Eleven became embroiled in a wage fraud scandal in August 2015 when a joint Fairfax Media investigation uncovered rampant wage fraud across hundreds of stores.

Thanks to a whistleblower who released a cache of documents that proved systemic underpayment and a cover-up, 7-Eleven had little choice but to move swiftly. The sad thing is nobody was listening, not even 7-Eleven ... We gave our souls to the stores. We worked like slaves and no one cared. 7-Eleven didn't care. Manish Mehra In an attempt to restore credibility, the convenience store giant hired Allan Fels to head a compensation scheme (then months later sacked him in an effort to control costs and do the compensation in-house). Manish and Ashnu lodged their claims with the Fels panel then moved across to the in-house panel. "All we wanted was a fair go," Manish said. "We were happy when the Fels panel said we could apply, but once 7-Eleven took over, what could we expect?" Smith said at the time that the motivation to move the panel in-house, with the help of Deloitte, was "you cannot outsource morality".

Manish questioned the decision of the panel and the 15 months it took to process the claim. He said the delay cost him and his wife tens of thousands of dollars in underpayment claims they couldn't include due to the statute of limitations. A spokesman for 7-Eleven declined to comment on the case and therefore couldn't explain why it took so long to process. When asked if 7-Eleven had a policy on compensation for relatives, he said the panel was designed to be as "easily accessible as possible" to avoid discouraging potential claimants from lodging a claim. "All claims were assessed on their merits, he said. "Where family relationships were revealed, the claim continued to be assessed on its merits as well as the personal circumstances involved - for example, strength of family relationship, living and working arrangements etc."

Smith told AFR's Boss magazine in December that more than $150 million had been repaid to thousands of workers. He discussed the scandal and the complex ties involved between claimants and those they were claiming against. "We paid people who were staying in the home of the franchisee," he said. He went on to say: "We had sons making claims against fathers." Wage fraud can be complex. It is commonplace for franchisees to employ family members and extended family members, including sons and daughters, in-laws and cousins. Some exploit that relationship. It's an issue that isn't unique to 7-Eleven. The latest franchise group to become embroiled in a scandal is Retail Food Group, which runs iconic brands including Donut King, Gloria Jeans, Brumby's and Crust Gourmet Pizza. The company stands accused of screwing its franchisees and some franchisees in turn have admitted to using family members to work in their stores for little or no money to stay solvent. Other franchise groups including Caltex and Domino's franchisees have also been caught exploiting workers, including family members.

It prompted Fels, who chairs the migrant workers taskforce, to note that franchisees and their families working long hours for little or no pay was becoming an issue. "Historically in Australia, we accepted up to a degree the fact that in a franchise arrangement families had to work hard with long hours, but of late this is getting out of hand." Manish says when his brother-in-law came to his house and asked to help him out, he agreed. "They had sponsored us to migrate to Australia and live in their house for a year so I had an obligation," he said. When he started working for his brother-in-law in 2010 as a console operator at a 7-Eleven store in Epping North, Victoria, he says he had no idea about awards and penalty rates. "I trusted him."
The involvement of our Special Operation Task Group in mentoring the Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (Iraq's special forces) has been well worthwhile, and continues to pay dividends. Most of the heavy lifting in recovering Mosul and other northern towns from Islamic States was due to the dedication of those forces. In the process, they suffered 50 per cent casualties. The Counter-Terrorism Service needs to be restored and rebuilt to keep pressure on Islamic States and prevent it from becoming a significant problem again in rural Iraq.

The OKRA mission is being conducted ostensibly at the Iraqi government's request, but it seems more likely to be the United States that is pushing for our continued commitment.

The government in Baghdad has said on several occasions it does not want Western troops in Iraq. It made it difficult for us to establish our Taji training program and would not allow the US-led coalition to base strike aircraft in Iraq, even after Islamic State occupied Mosul. This meant we had to air-refuel the super hornets for the long round trip from the UAE to targets in northern Iraq and back again.

Incidentally, the connection between our Air Task Group and the UAE could have motivated the alleged attempt to bring down an Etihad flight out of Sydney in July 2017, as that would have punished both Australia and the UAE for their part in destroying the Islamic State caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq has now moved from the "destruction of Islamic State stage" to a "consolidation, reconciliation and reconstruction stage".
As 2017 began with the resignation of a cabinet minister, you would have been forgiven for thinking that might have been a defining moment of the political year. Forgiven, but wrong all the same. For 2017 revealed more of how the titanic changes of 2016 continued to unfold  for example, Donald Trump's presidency really is proceeding much like his idiosyncratic campaign.

Yet while the importance of many events remains unknown, some clear winners and losers emerge.

While many have been critical of the postal plebiscite, and for good reasons, same-sex marriage is now legal in Australia. While many people deserve  and have rightfully received  credit for this, no resolution would have been reached this year without courageous action by Liberals such as Dean Smith, Tim Wilson and the national director of Liberals and Nationals for Yes, Andrew Bragg.

In today's transient political culture, where tomorrow's government promises to sweep away the actions of today's, enduring change is rare.
Sam Dastyari, a still powerful player in Labor's NSW right, announces his resignation from the Senate earlier this month. Credit:Janie Barrett Yet it is within any opposition to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and, from Labor's point of view, there could hardly be anything more likely to sow doubts about its capacity than an outbreak of internal war about the corrupt spoils system, the fixing of party preselections, and the grubby and disgusting system of trading votes, stacking committees and rule from above rather than from below. Shorten has long had a very unattractive record in such power plays, rising to the top by well-timed treachery, manipulation of questionable numbers, and adept and at times questionable fund-raising, including from businesses that, one might have thought, should have had no desire to promote or support him. But the picture is ever so much more unattractive at a time when Shorten is the leader, when the pretence of complete party unity has become more brittle, and when the Christmas slowdown and the silly season create the prospect of the divisions Shorten has opened becoming more rancorous, more gangrenous. The outside observer need not focus much on the relative merits of one Labor faction or another in such matters, even if the Coalition will be keen to stress that the new devils with whom Shorten wants to sup represent the more militant end of the party left, including the apparently much dreaded building union, the CMFEU. The faction system in Victoria is not much about ideas, ideals or ideology, but about personalities and appetite for personal power. It is also, inevitably, about disempowering Labor's ordinary members, and putting the party, first, in the hands of a few union warlords and then, second, making deals distributing the goodies in closed rooms.

It is within any opposition to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It is entirely in keeping with the hypocrisy and corruption of such deals, particularly if Shorten is involved, that there is always a claim that the outcomes are just or democratic, or that they bring to the system much needed "stability". The draft deal, published by the Financial Review, contains recitals suggesting that Labor can win power, at state and federal level, only "if we have a strong, vibrant and democratic party at every level of the organisation". The old power-sharing agreement, by which a few players, such as Shorten, Steve Conroy, Kim Carr and a number of other "factional daleks", decided in advance whom was to be allocated winnable seats and so on, was denounced in the draft as "fettering the democratic rights of the membership and affiliated trade unions". The old "stability deal" was said to have produced a system by which "too much power was wielded by too few, with little regard to policy, proportionality, or local democracy". This, it was said, "is not good for our members or our future". So it is to be replaced by a similar deal, albeit with slightly different players on the Left side of the arrangement, by which much the same people would decide, years ahead, which factions would be allocated winnable seats. The old Muggins turn principles will continue to apply, with the beneficiaries being those who have found favour with Shorten or Conroy (or, when it is the Industrial Left's turn, the left unions, particularly the CMFEU). There will be a new queue, with different hacks, for the left, and old deals, old promises and old arrangements for the Socialist Left will be honoured with the new sub-faction, which has earned Shorten's gratitude and patronage. The new deal will see too much power exercised by too few, with little regard to policy, proportionality or local democracy. It is pretended that continuing the old system with slightly different players will "forge a new path [sic] and be based on respect for ideas and values, on policy and solidarity, and on creating strong foundations that still allow for a dynamic and diverse organisation".

Thus, Centre Unity and the Industrial Left will support each other's candidates when seats become vacant. Centre Unity recognises that the Industrial Left was short-changed in the past and "is not adequately represented" in state and federal parliamentary sinecures. Accordingly Shorten's faction has promised the Industrial Left the federal seat expected to be created in Melbourne's north-west, and "will also be supported for a safe seat in the round of 2022 federal seat preselections allocated to the Socialist Left in the old stability deal (be it Senate, or Calwell or another comparable seat) over and above any other arrangements Centre Unity and IL enter into". One may think that a round or two of factional bloodletting, in which a number of senior federal members not party to the deal, such as Jenny Macklin and Andrew Giles, are made nervous about their futures, would not do too much permanent damage midway through a parliamentary term. The problem is that there is a very real prospect of a number of by-elections in the early months of 2018. If the Coalition, with its newly restored majority in the House of Representatives, has its way, most of these will be opposition or independent seats, although there are mechanisms by which the positions of Liberals said to have dual-citizenship problems can be challenged. If there is to be a round of by-elections, the timing will be in the Speaker's hands, and it is possible that all will be on the same day, presenting a mini-election. On the evidence of recent dual-citizenship by-elections, Labor has little to fear from the Coalition, but is vulnerable to the Greens. It will be even more so if there is a major outbreak of factional warfare, particularly if the Labor candidates have all of the appearance of being factional hacks or stooges of particular factional leaders.

Some observers have suggested that Shorten's interventions were focused on fortifying his position among the national right faction, especially because, it is said, the NSW right is upset with him for failing to give strong support to Sam Dastyari, when he was embarrassing and humiliating the party over his flirting with China and accepting personal money from a leading Chinese businessmen. The NSW right is deeply tribal and some of its leading members (whether in parliament or trades hall) have continuing affections for Dastyari, going back to the time when, under his leadership, the Labor state government virtually collapsed and was decisively rejected by the electorate. Readers will remember that this crashing defeat was particularly aggravated by the seeming indifference of Dastyari and his machine to fairly obvious corruption on the part of the machine's senior members and some of its parliamentary representatives, accompanied by the traditional factional ruthlessness with leaders (such as Kevin Rudd, Maurice Iemma and Nathan Rees) who came to be perceived by Dastyari as liabilities. But Dastyari, and many of his old mates, were never ones for applying such unpitying and calculating eyes on their own performance. A cynic may think that Dastyari held off his almost inevitable resignation from parliament until he had done maximum damage to the electoral prospects of Kristina Keneally, once his protege. One may think that the Liberal Party, itself beset with deep factional problems, whether in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, is hardly in a position to capitalise from the images of Shorten's covering himself with factional blood. And many would remember that Turnbull himself is a member of parliament, only because of ruthless and open branch-stacking against a sitting member. If Tony Abbott continues with his crusade against an overfactionalised Liberal system, it may divert attention from Labor's problem. More likely, however, it would simply deepen popular contempt for the processes by which our leaders enter parliament. For Shorten, however, the risk is not of being embarrassed in parliament. Keneally and her predecessors were not terminated with extreme prejudice by a masterful opposition, trouncing Labor in debate. Able as he was, Barry O'Farrell was even more boring than Shorten. Loading Instead, Labor sank to its lowest point because the big stench coming from Macquarie Street and Sussex Street came to envelop and disgust the electorate at large. That's the risk that besets federal Labor, and Shorten himself.
Christmas in Cambodia. It sounds like a novel, and the story does have rather a Shakespearean fall. But if Christmas in Phnom Penh's notorious Prey Sar prison is half as bad as the other 180-odd nights my friend James Ricketson has spent there, it's a Christmas you wouldn't wish on Scrooge himself.

Cell 26 houses 27 men. It's small  so small they can't all lie down at once  and dark, the TV being its only source of light. One man, larger than the others, sits slightly apart, writing furiously in the small patch of yellow light that shafts in from the street. He hunches, having been deprived of his glasses, and constantly shifts the notebook since the light patch is smaller than the page.

The man, James, is 68 years old. He stops now and then to scratch. Scabies. Body lice. Pustules that spread and pop, forming craters that take weeks to heal. His stomach and back, he writes, feel "like a cheese grater". Everyone has skin conditions here. Washing is limited to two daily ladles of water each. Only gruel is supplied; fresh air and fresh food must be bought. The stench is appalling, from a sewer in the street and an open squat toilet in the corner.

You can bribe your way to better accommodation, and maybe a better outcome, but it's risky. Success is uncertain and running out of money can see you charged with bribery by the very people extorting it. There's no privacy, no bedding, and the men must sleep in turns, petty thieves and paedophiles sardined beside those like James, jailed for bearing witness.
Mr Morrison, can you please start by making sure the recommendations of the royal commission into sex abuse responses are implemented. Such abuse is a mockery of everything holy. You can then move on to looking after asylum seekers. Your government's response has been anti-Christian. Then you can look at the effect of tax avoidance by multinationals, because Christ and the early disciples wanted to look after the common good (Acts 2:44 and 1 Corinthians 12:7). Things like gambling, influence in government by American press barons, increasing the difficulties of the homeless, pensioners, outcasts etc all insult Christianity. Remember Matthew 25:40 and get on to it Scott. Howard Clark, Ryde So Morrison has decided to appoint himself Defender of the Faith in Federal Parliament. Last time I checked we were not living in a theocracy. Perhaps, as one of his constituents, I could contact him about this but I am still waiting for an acknowledgement of my previous email on whether he would vote in favour of the bill for same sex marriage since his electorate voted 55 per cent yes. We now know how that went. Jan Boyd, Sylvania Scott Morrison: Fidei Defensor. Not mocking.

Tom Nash, St Ives Chase 'Sensitive secrets' force up Snowy 2.0 scheme We were originally told that the Prime Minister's Snowy 2.0 scheme would cost around $2 billion, and on Thursday this was revised up (naturally!) to $3 billion But on Friday the estimated cost is suddenly almost $12 billion because Sydney Hydro had refused to release information covering commercial projections, business modelling and detailed cost estimates", due to "commercial sensitivities" ("Snowy scheme cost set to hit $12b, December 22). How long were these "key chapters" going to be kept secret from the Australian public? Rob Phillips, North Epping The Snowy 2.0 is not new. The Shoalhaven has a similar scheme where the water is pumped up to a higher storage when power is in excess and cheap. At night when the power demand and price spikes up the water is reversed back through the generators into the lower storage earning a higher differential income. I think the Prime Minister is on a winner with this project. No blackouts or brownouts. Thank you Malcolm Turnbull.

Chris Edwards, Sydenham The $12 billion would go a long way in covering every rooftop in Australia with solar panels and setting up our own competitive industry in this field. The sun can be relied on in Australia, whereas the proposed Snowy scheme will be reliant upon rain and snow. Jill Phillips, Ettalong Beach So, when Snowy Hydro 2.x comes on stream, will it be the end of cheap offpeak power? Will all the surplus capacity, when available, be used to churn water around? And since the water will go round and round, will any of it actually go back into the rivers? Think it may be time to revisit the Nation Building Authority and see if there is a better "Announcable" that is actually thought through. Horst Leykam, Dee Why

An act of madness, whatever the motive Thanks to the Victorian authorities for not rushing in the first five minutes to brand the shocking mowing down of pedestrians in Melbourne an act of terrorism but calling it for what it was: the sad and tragic act of a deranged mind ("It was a deliberate act", December 22). Many similar acts and indeed straight-out criminal acts in recent times with little investigation have been "elevated" (for want of a better word) to the "status" of a terrorist act. Whether or not they are only helps to recruit marginalised extremists to aspire to this notoriety. Brian Collins, Cronulla We now know the perpetrator of the latest outrage was Afghan, allegedly mentally unstable, under police watch and felt disaffected by the treatment of Muslims. He will have witnessed IS recruits the world over using this vile, cowardly tactic to murder and maim innocents. So, If driving a car into a crowd of people with the intent of killing them is not, as we are assured, "an act of terror", what is it? Ron Sinclair, Bathurst

Terrorism in Melbourne by a well-known-to-authorities mental health perpetrator. Can Peter Dutton's new super ministry protect us from these or is the new "home guard" just a giant waste of money? John Kingsmill, Fairlight A shocking and tragic reminder that when driving we are in control of a weapon of mass destruction. Take extra care on the roads over the holiday period, everyone. Meredith Williams, Dee Why What if Donald Trump told us to jump off a cliff?

This is an indication of where we have got to  our primary economic argument for doing something is because Donald Trump did it first ("Business 'will flee' over tax rate", December 22)! And this from the people who told us that we should balance the budget and not borrow to pay for recurrent spending. I'm at least glad to see that so many are saying how stupid this idea is  there is some hope. Meanwhile in America, those who benefit from this tax cut  the rich and wealthy who support the Republican Party  know what you have to do to satisfy your own self interest  stroke Trump's ego (and benefit him while you're at it). And who gets screwed in the process? Those who put Trump in the White House  and who thought Trump was on their side (is that flying pigs I can hear?). Face it  we get what we vote for. David Rush, Killara Treasurer Scott Morrison claims businesses will flee Australia over the summer because of our 30 per cent tax rate.Doesn't he talk to the ATO which issued a media release on December 9 entitled: "The Australian Tax Office has named 670 large companies that paid no corporate tax in the 2014-15 financial year." Maybe he's currying favour with large corporate donors in his leadership contest with Peter Dutton. Kevin Armstrong, Tumbi Umbi I'm sitting on the beach Mr Morrison, but I'm using my time constructively to give you some advice on how to save the $60 billion you want to give away to international companies that assiduously pay little or no tax using schemes devised by the 'big four' tax accountants. If big companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft (I could go on) want a slice of our market, they should pay a fair slice of tax. It is as simple as that. If the government cannot devise a system that is impervious to the 'big four's manipulations, simply tax the multinationals on turnover instead of profit. I say again, it is as simple as that. If they don't pay tax, let them flee, and Scott, I will not even send you an invoice for that advice.

Steve Johnson, Elizabeth Beach What about the 38 per cent of businesses who pay no tax, as reported in the Herald? Will Scott give them a refund of 5 per cent to help them remain in Australia?? Selwyn Suchet, St Ives Apple in the eye of the older Apple's admission that older model phones can attract software updates that slow them down, on the absolutely spurious justification that it helps to preserve battery life, is an appalling revelation of blatant corporate bullying and fraud ("Apple admits it slows your iPhone down as the battery gets older", smh.com.au, December 22). To think that customers would prefer reduced performance over the simple alternative of buying and inserting a new battery every few years is pure, patronising nonsense. Do you get a choice? Is there an "opt-out" button? Of course not. Vote with your wallets iPhone users! Don't be taken in by what is really an unbridled, bald-faced trick to induce you into a newer model phone. It's nothing more than that.

Graeme Smith, Kensington Obesity is not a four letter word John Dixon (Letters, December 22) is right about the serious repercussions of not using the word obese. The same can be said for the word dementia. By denying the use of the word we increase the stigma attached to it, reduce community awareness about the potential for evidence-based risk reduction and negate the important allocation of public funding to properly support and care for those living with this fatal condition. Jo-Ann Brown, Eastwood Bradfield beyond compare

I nearly choked on my cereal when reading of Transport Minister Andrew Constance's glowing endorsement of the newly appointed secretary of Transport for NSW, Rodd Staples, and comparing his performance with John Bradfield ("Metro rail chief takes top job", December 22). Bradfield was the engineer responsible for for not only the Harbour Bridge for road and rail and key parts of Sydney's rail network but also plans for the eastern suburbs and northern beaches rail extensions. Bradfield was a visionary, unable to convince the politicians of the day of the long-term benefits of his vision (his abandoned tunnels are still under St James/The Mint and Central stations), whereas Staples is charged by his political masters with carrying out their visionless transport infrastructure developments, of questionable long-term benefit, at escalating costs, as identified this week by four former rail executives. Ian Harvey, Ettalong Beach Vale Ken Catchpole Ken Catchpole was, for mine, the best Australian rugby player. He had all the gifts - speed off the mark and in the open, impeccable eye-hand co-ordination and a tackler of great venom. His leadership skills were recognised by his captaincy of several Test teams. Apart from those qualities, he was a man admired for his personality and character off the field. From the gifted, much is expected. Ken never, ever disappointed. Paul Hunt, Engadine

How to keep restive Catalonians in the game Maybe the solution to the Catalonian independence problem is for Spanish government to say if Catalonia leaves Spain, the Barcelona FC will be expelled from La Ligua (the Spanish Premier League) ("Catalan election fails to resolve dispute", smh.com.au, December 22). Worth a try. James Bailie, Engadine No such thing as a best beach I'm not going to take too much notice of the recommendation ("Former nude beach named Australia's best", December 22). As to affordability and accessibility - it's expensive to fly to Cairns, then 29 kilometres to the island. A beach is a beach is a beach. At that beach one still stubs toes on submerged rocks, and for quite a few months of the year poisonous box jellyfish make it impossible to swim in its waters. Many beaches around our coastline are just as beautiful.

Charmain Williams, Forster Power peddlers threaten any refugee solution Hear, hear John Hewson ("New year's resolution for the PM: strike regional deal for refugees", December 22). Whether the two major parties can unpick the hard wiring of their entrenched ideologies when the real scary "Scrooges" still peddling behind-the-scenes power (aka Howard and his awkward protegee Abbott) circle the conservative mush pit of politics ready to renege on any humanitarian deals ... don't hold your breath. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why Hewson writes for great slabs of the Australian population in his hope for a Scrooge-like transformation of Malcolm Turnbull in his stance on asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. But, Dr Hewson, the current policy is not "almost" to the point of being a national disgrace. It IS a national disgrace.

Christine McNeil, Mullumbimby I hope that as Turnbull, Peter Dutton and Bill Shorten attend church services and gather with their families to celebrate this Christmas, they might call to mind the present suffering of refugees stranded on Manus Island and Nauru. Surely, as John Hewson points out, it's an ideal time for our leaders to put aside their hypocrisy and to seek a humane solution for those suffering in our offshore detention centres. Zeny Giles, New Lambton Postscript "At the shopping centre there's this endless loop - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, some American child singing Jingle Bells with a choir and a 1950s version of Let it Snow. Outside it is 35 degrees." Graham English of Eastwood painted a pretty fair picture of hell.
When a man deliberately drives a car into a crowd of people the week before Christmas, it challenges us in all sorts of ways beyond the initial chaos and casualties.

There's a challenge in the timing of it, as if it were an act designed to instil a sense of threat and inward retreat at a moment when our attention ought to be turning outwards.

There's a challenge in the fact the man reportedly claims to have been motivated by the mistreatment of Muslims. Do we succumb to the lure of Islamophobia, or do we resist it?

There's a challenge to us in how we engage with our city: fearfully, frettingly, full of suspicion; or with a defiance that shrugs off this latest act of madness as terrible but in no way defining of us and our home. All available evidence so far suggests we have, wisely, chosen the latter course. Life goes on, as it will and must.
It was a year that began with a tortured phone call - its transcript famously leaked months later - between Australia's Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the newly inaugurated President of the US, Donald Trump.

Trump, furious at being asked to honour a deal brokered with the Obama administration for the US to take around 1250 refugees from Manus Island and Nauru, complained that "this shows me to be a dope".

Whether it did or not, Trump spent the year revealing the most grotesque behaviour, spouting tweets and public statements that promised everything from "fire and fury" on North Korea to the declaration that there were some "very good people" among American neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

Back in Australia, Turnbull - who had replaced Tony Abbott on the basis that Abbott had suffered 30 negative polls in a row - finished his own rough year with 25 successive Newspolls showing his Coalition in a losing position to Bill Shorten's Labor.
The See Ya Suckers Citation: NICK XENOPHON In a year that saw MPs leave Parliament in droves for all kinds of nefarious reasons, the independent kingmaker Xenophon left on his own terms: (theoretically) off to bigger and better things in SA state politics. The Neil Armstrong Award for Giant Leaping: BRIDGET MCKENZIE The Victorian backbencher has has hit the big time, jumping from the backbench, straight into cabinet. This comes off the back of her recent elevation to Nationals deputy leader. McKenzie saw off some tough competition to get the deputy's gig, too, from Barnaby Joyce's preferred candidate, Matt Canavan. LOSERS

The Scribbly Gum Award for Bark Work: GEORGE CHRISTENSEN Christensen talked a big game in terms of quitting the LNP and pressuring the Prime Minister to resign. Turns out, the outspoken Queensland Nat, is all bark, zero on the bite. He also admitted he lied to journalists over reports he was the unnamed MP threatening to sit as an independent if Turnbull was still PM by Christmas. The If You Can't Say Anything Nice Certificate: TONY ABBOTT It's a good thing the former prime minister promised not the snipe, because his lack of sniping hasn't got him very far. Despite his many and varied contributions to public debate (including that amazing goat sacrifice speech about climate change), Abbott ends the year with same-sex marriage legal, the Coalition in cheerful agreement on energy policy and no promotion whatsoever back to the frontbench.

The Floury Apple Prize for Bad Taste: PAULINE HANSON The One Nation leader was responsible for some highly questionable things in 2017, from calling for kids with autism to be removed from mainstream classrooms to criticism of the national vaccination program. But even among these, wearing a burqa to question time was a stand out low point. The Fred Astaire Award for Tap Awareness: SAM DASTYARI The Coles Cup for Fly Buys: SUSSAN LEY
Simmering tensions after a hamfisted end-of-year reshuffle should remind Malcolm Turnbull that while he can be increasingly confident of leading into the next election, it could all end rather quickly in 2018 if he pulls the wrong rein.

Due to some applied barnacle removal - and some luck - Turnbull's political hull has been streamlined for the coming year.

There will be no mid-term challenge, barring a sharp deterioration in the polls.

In Turnbull's hierarchy of needs, ensuring party room support has always been his first priority with external benchmarks like governing imaginatively, and restoring his administration's popular appeal, coming after that.
Panic stations. Christmas is just days away. Never fear if you have left your run late, here we rustle up 15 beauty buys for under $50 that that will fit nicely on the sleigh. Get shopping.

1 Too Faced Matte Chocolate Chip Palette featuring 11 shimmer-free, matt chocolatey shades in a bite-sized palette. The pigments are crafted from antioxidant-rich cocoa powder with a delicious chocolate scent. Just pack it and go.

Stuck on a present? Here's some last minute gifts. Credit:Stocksy

2 Glamglow Let It Glow! Glowstarter Mini Set is a cute holiday kit with Mega Illuminating Moisturisers that highlighting and hydrate. Love a two in one.

3 Mecca Cosmetica Metallica Cosmetic Clutch The perfect silver or rose gold carry-all clutch for all that Christmas beauty loot.
It's a given that every Christmas our minds turn to family and friends. But the irony of modern slavery is that even as we try to be generous and caring we can unintentionally prop up global enterprises that thrive off slavery.

I'm in Thailand at the moment, a hot spot for slavery and a hot spot for the seafood that we import by the bucket-load to fill up the barbecue on Christmas day. At the docks, just an hour from Bangkok, you can readily see the faces of fishermen and women who exist or have existed in slave-like conditions  something we have only started to understand in recent years.

We unknowingly trade human rights for 70 per cent of the frozen seafood that Australia consumes every year. Credit:Alita Ong

Slavery is largely invisible to consumers, in part because it disproportionately affects the most vulnerable and marginalised in many societies, who are often women and girls.

The Walk Free Foundation and United Nations agencies estimate 71 per cent of the 40.3 million people trapped in modern slavery are women. They make up a huge proportion of those forced into labour, and also make up the vast majority of people in forced marriage and commercial sexual exploitation.
The national pesticides authority may have to hire staff from overseas to make its forced move to Armidale work and avoid a drain on its skills, a new report says.

A business model prepared by consultants for the agency, forced to move from Canberra under a Coalition government order, says the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority should look outside Australia to fill permanent jobs.

Barnaby Joyce has championed the pesticides authority's controversial move to his New England electorate. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

New agency boss Chris Parker did not rule out hiring staff from overseas, saying it already employed people from abroad.

"We will continue to employ the best person for the job advertised and they will be based in Armidale," he said.
A Sydney teen has died after possibly attempting a parkour jump across a Tasmanian blowhole.

An extensive land, sea and air search was launched in Blackmans Bay, south of Hobart, after Alexander Vincent, 18, was reported missing about 4.30pm on Thursday.

The Blackmans Bay Blowhole, Tasmania.

The teen's body was found by marine police at 9.30pm on Thursday at the Blackmans Bay blowhole.

Police said Mr Vincent had an interest in parkour - where athletes run, jump and climb at speed - and they cannot tell whether his injuries were a result of trying to jump across the blowhole or if he slipped and fell on the rocks.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state is "well prepared" for any potential attack over the Christmas holiday period, the day after an SUV mowed down 19 pedestrians in the heart of Melbourne.

Ms Berejiklian says the state's threat risk remains at "probable" with police and other agencies ready to respond to any incident.

"We have a number of policies in place, including policies around managing large crowds," the premier told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

"We know there will be lots of gatherings over this festive period and we're obviously not leaving any stone unturned in terms of the amount of security."
Human remains found in Mittagong have been identified as those of missing woman Kathleen Lidden.

The 52-year-old woman had been missing for more than six months, after she left her Bowral home on foot on June 13.

Kathleen Lidden on CCTV at Mittagong Shopping Village on June 13. Credit:NSW Police

She was reported missing the next day as her behaviour was out of character and she had not taken any personal belongings with her.

Strike Force Aeons was set up to find her, and in September emergency services including SES volunteers and local police officers spent two days searching bushland in the Southern Highlands near Lake Alexander and the Nattai River but did not find her.
Connor Egan is being remembered as a "total legend" who will be sorely missed, after his death in Sydney's south on Tuesday.

Connor died after jumping into the Georges River in Como about 1.30pm and failing to resurface.

A large search was launched, but tragically his body was found just after 4pm.

Dozens of friends and family have posted tributes to Facebook for the 23-year-old who had touched their lives.
A promise to wear a GPS tracker designed to monitor old people and check in with a security company every four hours via FaceTime has failed to convince a judge that an accused attempted murderers alleged victims would be safe if he was let out of prison.

South Australian bakery manager Jason Wayne Greatbatch allegedly travelled more than 2000 kilometres from South Australia to central Queensland to stab former employee Teagan Moore and her partner in December 2015.

Teagan Moore was allegedly stabbed by a former boss. Credit:Facebook

He was and granted bail more than a year ago, in September 2016, but was never released after a failure to secure adequate GPS tracking.

Ms Moore was left with serious injuries in the alleged attack and dropped her baby, while her fiance was also stabbed in the stomach, police alleged.
The 90-year-old man who was bashed in his own home over money he didn't have has spoken about the confrontation and struggle with his attacker, which left him with serious facial chest and arm injuries.

Doug Dilger was confronted by a man, who was wearing a stocking over his face, in his home in the small central Queensland town of Childers on December 15.

The victim of a brutal home invasion and bashing in a Childers home, 90-year-old Doug Dilger, as he recovers in hospital. Credit:Nine News Queensland - Twitter

The attack happened between 6.30pm and 7pm inside the North Street residence, with the intruder entering via an unlocked back door and punching the victim several times in the head.

I was just frying some potatoes for tea and somebody came up behind me and grabbed hold of me and wanted money," Mr Dilger told Nine News.
Flinders Street driver Saeed Noori rambled about Allah, Australia's spy agency ASIO and the mistreatment of Muslims in the hours after the attack, police say.

Police revealed more on Friday afternoon about what the 32-year-old drug addict told them as investigators continue to search for a motive behind the rampage.

It comes as Mr Noori was discharged from hospital and into police custody, where he is set to spend the night before being formally interviewed by homicide detectives on Saturday. He has not yet been charged.

Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said police have not ruled out terrorism, but the only clue that suggested a possible link was what Mr Noori told investigators in St Vincent's Hospital on Thursday night.
There were sacrifices along the way but WA's top students said reaching the pinnacle was not a chore when they enjoyed their studies so much.

Beazley Award winners for 2017, Isabel Longbottom and Andreea Ioan, received their prestigious medals on Friday morning at a presentation in Kings Park.

Kim Beazley and Education Minister Sue Ellery presented the winners with their medals. Credit:Kate Hedley.

For the first time, the ceremony was attended by former deputy Prime Minister Kim Beazley, the son of Mr Beazley Snr, after who the medals are named.

It was a win for girl power this year, with both medallists all smiles during an emotional morning that saw tears of joy.
Police in WA's Wheatbelt region have charged a man who was allegedly driving at 200km/h, while also over the legal blood alcohol limit.

The extreme case of speeding was detected in the town of Waeel, about 150km east of Perth, at about 10.40pm on Thursday.

The man's car was seized under hoon laws. (File image). Credit:Quentin Jones

Cunderdin police spotted the Ford Fairlane on Great Eastern Highway, allegedly travelling at 200km/h in a 110 km/h zone.

The male driver was taken to Cunderdin Police Station where he underwent a breath test, which he allegedly failed.
Bekaa, Lebanon: In a tent in Lebanon surrounded by snow, Syrian refugees Ammar and Khadija were married by a tribal leader from their homeland in a wedding they would soon come to regret.

What they had hoped would be a milestone on the path back to normal life became the start of a bureaucratic nightmare.

One year on, it shows no sign of ending for them, their newborn son or for many other refugees from Syria, whose misery at losing their homes has been compounded by a new fear that they may never be able to return.

It is a dilemma with knock-on effects for stability in Lebanon, sheltering more than a million Syrian refugees, and potentially for other countries in the Middle East and Europe they may flee to if tension spills over.
Las Vegas: A US coroner says all 58 victims of the Las Vegas massacre died of gunshot wounds.

The findings reveal that none of the victims killed at an outdoor concert on October 1 died of injuries received trying to escape the festival grounds.

A memorial displaying 58 crosses stands at the "Welcome To Las Vegas Sign" in Las Vegas. Each cross has the name of a victim killed during the October mass shooting. Credit:Mikayla Whitmore

Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said on Thursday, local time, that all the deaths were determined to be homicides.

Fudenberg also confirmed the 64-year-old shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot. It was Stephen Paddock's only wound and his death was ruled a suicide.
Washington: US President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon and his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski have been asked to testify in front of lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Both men were sent letters this week by the House Intelligence Committee asking them to testify in early January, according to an official familiar with the panel's schedule.

The committee hasn't yet received a response from either Bannon or Lewandowski. The invitation, which didn't come in the form of a subpoena compelling them to testify, was for a "voluntary interview" in the committee's offices, which would mean it would be held behind closed doors, the official said.

The letter doesn't lay out specific reasons the committee wants to interview them, or the questions the panel wants to pose, but it makes clear that the interviews are part of the Russia investigation.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Central Committee meeting on Wednesday, December 27, 2017.

The Central Committee meeting is scheduled for 10.00 hrs in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Finance will be present for this meeting.

The agenda point is:

Ontwerp van Landsverordening tot wijziging van de Landsverordening begroting 2017 in verband met wijzigingen van de Gewone Dienst.

Draft National Ordinance to amend the 2017 National Ordinance Budget in connection with changes to the ordinary service.

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.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands:--- Last Friday, the Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, H.E. Ms. Henrietta Doran-York, addressed the Kingdom Council of Ministers (Curacao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and Holland), in what was probably the last meeting that she would participate in during her tenure as Minister Plenipotentiary.

Minister Doran-York stated that due to the fact the new interim government is slated to be installed very soon, once all goes according to their schedule, and the next Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting will be next year, she used the opportunity to address the chairman and the other ministers in this regard.

The minister expressed in the meeting, that her tenure over the last 2 years as Sint Maartens representative in The Netherlands, was very interesting and informative. There where the times that the countries within the Kingdom on many occasions did not see eye to eye with one another, but attempted to do all within their power to resolve the issues.

Minister Doran-York made it crystal clear when she emphasized the fact that she remains 100% fully behind the current outgoing Government of St. Maarten, and in particular the former Prime Minister Mr. William Marlin and the stance that he took in the aftermath of hurricane Irma.

She told the Kingdom Council of Ministers, that despite being very thankful for all the help received, after the passing of the hurricanes Irma and Maria, her advice is to try and improve the communication and cooperation with, and between the Kingdom Partners.

She called on everyone present in the meeting to leave the past in the past and start looking towards the future of the Kingdom. Only if all countries start learning from each other and are able and willing to especially respect and empathize with one another, can living together in one Kingdom become a success, Minister Doran-York concluded.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Two devastating hurricanes slowed down but could not derail the fundraising momentum of the regions largest cancer care and awareness event.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria curtailed fundraising activities and caused the cancellation of walks in five of 17 English and Dutch-speaking territories where CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank holds its annual Walk for the Cure activities.

Despite that setback, the hard work of hundreds of volunteers from across the bank in partnership with various cancer care organizations and over 160 corporate sponsors, raised a just over USD$450 000.This brings the total funds raised through this initiative over the past six years to USD$1.75 million.

Walks took place across the Dutch and English speaking Caribbean where the bank has a presence except for Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos Islands, which were hardest hit by the hurricanes. Thousands took to the streets primarily on the first weekend in October, dressed in white or pink T-shirts to walk and run to raise awareness of the various cancers and their impact on families.

Executive Co-Chairs of the walk Mark St. Hill and Trevor Torzsas praised efforts of staff, volunteers and corporate sponsors for their phenomenal fundraising efforts again this year which will save lives, provide care and raise awareness.

The commitment to this project which our employees have exhibited over the years is nothing short of remarkable. They do this on an entirely voluntary basis  along with the rest of their work - and every year we are astounded by what they are able to achieve. Likewise, our list of corporate partners continues to grow every year as more businesses join us in our fight against cancer, said Mr. Torzsas who is also Managing Director, Cards & Customer Relationship, and Management.

We are thrilled to mark another successful Walk for the Cure; we were able to raise a significant amount of money which will assist those battling cancer and their families. Just as important, we were also able to continue to spread the message of education and early detection as two of the most potent weapons in the fight against the disease, said Mr. St. Hill, Managing Director, Retail and Business Banking.

He added that even though we fell short of our regional target of USD $500 000, raising just over USD $450 000 we are not discouraged. There was a good reason for this; five of our countries were forced to halt their campaigns in September following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. But despite this, we are happy to report that these five countries will donate whatever they had raised prior to the storms to help their cancer societies rebuild and continue their vital service to persons affected by cancer.

All of the funds raised are used to provide assistance, care, and counseling to patients and their families as well as to raise awareness through education campaigns across the region. They also help the various organizations to assist with the purchase and maintenance of equipment used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.

The regional walk is held to coincide with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundations CIBC Run for the Cure sponsored by the banks parent company, CIBC. CIBC has been supporting this event for 21 years, donating millions to breast cancer research in Canada.

CIBC First Caribbean Press Release
Thirsty rocks may contain the missing water of Mars







Paris (AFP) Dec 20, 2017





What happened to all the water that once sloshed in lakes and oceans on Mars? Much of it, researchers proposed Wednesday, may be locked up in stone. Previous studies had concluded that the water was swept into space by powerful solar winds when the planet's magnetic field collapsed, while some was captured in sub-surface ice. But this did not account for all the missing water. To try to track down the rest, an international team of researchers put scientific modelling to the test. "The r ... read more
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Adam, born and brought up near Otterburn and now living near Ponteland, has been a member of the Cambo Club for the last 10 years. Well known and respected throughout the county, Adam aged 24 is one of the youngest people to have taken up this office for Northumberland YFC.

In his professional career, Adam at the age of 18, started as a trainee auctioneer with John Swan & Sons Ltd at Newton St Boswells. Since this time, he has worked across North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders and is today Prime Sheep Auctioneer in St Boswells, as well as supporting the auctioneers at Wooler Livestock Mart and Borderway, Carlisle. Adam is a member of the Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA) and the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers of Scotland (IAAS).

As former Chairman of Cambo Young Farmers, a position of which he held for two years, Adam is no stranger to the role of Chairman. He describes his greatest achievement to date being Chairman of Cambo when they won the Northumberland YFC's 2015 county rally, which was the first time in the clubs 60 year history. In his spare time, Adam plays rugby for Morpeth RFC where he is currently the captain of the Morpeth second team.

Northumberland Federation of Young Farmers is a rural youth organisation for people between the ages of 10 and 26 with an interest in the countryside. They currently have in the region of 500 members spread across 11 clubs.

In his role as Chairman Adam will be the face of Northumberland Young Farmers for the next twelve months, both across the county and at a national level. He will represent both the national Young Farmers Club Organisation and work across the county supporting the individual clubs and their members.
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BRIDGEPORT  While Val Fernandes is known for running smaller cafes where locals grab a quick bite, he is looking to launch something much bigger with his Funchal Americana Buffet.

Fernandes owns the Funchal Cafe on the Green on State Street and is planning to open a 3,200 square-foot buffet restaurant across the street from the Fairfield County Courthouse at 104 Fairfield Ave, bringing a new dining experience for his customers.

I feel good, and Im proud of myself, he said. We succeed because our customers keep coming back  If it wasnt for these customers who come in and support us wed be in trouble. We have a strong support base.

For several years, Fernandes has run Funchal cafe locations sprinkled around downtown Bridgeport, with brick and mortars on Lafayette Boulevard, State Street, and Golden Hill Street, serving paninis and other sandwiches to customers during the lunch hour.

He also owned the Corner Deli in Stratford for a time before setting up shop in the Park City.

Over the last six years, however, Fernandes has sold his smaller cafes, including his first Bridgeport-based shop on Lafayette Boulevard, which now houses Bocados Deli & Cafe.

According to the Bridgeport resident, he has his eyes set on bigger things, and the buffet will be his biggest location yet, sitting inside a space that has housed several retailers in the past.

It will be a different location, Fernandes said. Its going to draw in different customers. We dont have a buffet in (downtown) Bridgeport, and its a huge draw for a lot of traffic, and its going to build downtown Bridgeport.

Fernandes said he spent around $400,000 to convert the retail space into the restaurant he envisioned and accommodate the necessary amenities to make his plan come true.

The buffet is slated to house a 60-seat space for customers who can pick from an array of food selections throughout the floor.

Once completed, Fernandes said the buffet will feature double buffet lines with a mix Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and American food. There will also be a salad and soup bar along with a deli and sushi station.

According to Fernandes, customers will also be able to grab any mix of beverages from milkshakes and smoothies to one of 20 coffee blends at the buffets coffee bar.

For the adults, the cafe owner said there will also be a selection beer and wine to choose from.

With its size and location, Fernandes new restaurant has already caught the eye of city officials and customers alike.

We are pleased that he is expanding in Bridgeport, said Director of Planning and Economic Development Tom Gill. Hes had one or two other restaurants that he has opened and sold to other people. The one he has on the corner by City Hall (Annex) is quite successful and does very good business. Its great to see him expanding into a larger operation.

While parking for customers still remains a concern for business owners, including Fernandes, the Bridgeport resident said he is confident that people will still find their way into his buffet for the variety and quality of his food.

Although it hasnt open yet, customers like Rich Kascak who go to the State Street cafe once a week said he looking forward to checking out the new buffet

I think the food is really good here, Kascak said. I think they do a great job and they are great people, and Im looking forward to going and checking it out.

Funchal Americana Buffet is slated to open in mid-January, according to Fernandes.
The process of creating a fashion collection can begin with something as simple as a fabric swatch or as complex as an entire art movement. It could be the sun peeking out from a high-rise building as it sets on a winters day or a wall of cobalt-blue tiles.

The inspirations are varied, says Dorian Lightbown, founder of Boston-based fashion brand Nic+Zoe and a leading knitwear designer of womens apparel. The companys collections for this month and next are largely inspired by an art movement that flourished in Germany during the first third of the 20th century.

We wanted a very clean approach after the fall, says Lightbown, during a telephone interview, of the collections modern, bold colors and clean, geometric lines. We were inspired by Bauhaus, and it is where we basically began.

The Bauhaus movement started in 1919 when German architect Walter Gropius founded a school to bring together fine art and industrial design  a novel concept at the time. Students were encouraged to utilize an artistic eye when it came to designing for everyday life.

Establishing a theme really helps because we do so many novelties and patterns, says Zoe Chatfield-Taylor, Lightbowns daughter and one of the companys namesakes (her brother Nic is the other). She also is director of merchandising. When you have something the whole team is working from, from an inspiration standpoint, it helps to make it all look cohesive at the end of the day, rather than all these different art directions. ... It really directs the designers energy into a certain feeling, so it all works together.

Over the years, Lightbown has been inspired by moments in her life, her travels and art (a previous collection, for instance, was born out of graffiti art). The themes may change, but her approach is the same  a modern take on knitwear, which incorporates pops of color and consistent neutrals, flattering textures and comfortable design. Her greatest inspiration is the person who wears her clothes.

I think customers feel it, Lightbown says of the work that goes into her collections. I may sound a little silly, but there is a soul that goes into each piece.  These are not just mass produced and rolled out. ... (The customer) is with us the whole time.

In the past several years, the 11-year-old company has expanded its reach by establishing eight stores, including one that recently opened in Westport. Lightbown was on the vanguard of creating pieces that could transition easily from work to play and day to night. Such a seamless shift requires an artful approach, so that even a casual look has clout.

There is a whole facet of the design that goes into the knit, which has to be created  the color, the gauge, the tension, the stitch. You are really just focusing on creating the textile and when the textile is created, then you start to think about putting it into a shape, Lightbown says.

The creative team is nearly always a year out when it comes to designing a collection. Among the first steps is setting up a board with illustrations, photos, fabric swatches and pieces of yarn. You can see how everything starts to work together, Lightbown says. I live by that board for a good couple of months.

The boards are sent to the mill to inspire the fabric that comes back  a process with a bit of magic since the mill designers are another creative layer interpreting a theme. It influences them in how they will set up their knitting machines and create patterns ... that try and capture that inspiration, she says.

While material and color often jump-start the design process, shape sometimes rules. For the latest collections, the team gave its comfy dresses elegant touches to make them work for an office holiday party or a client luncheon. A classy cut to loose pants makes them entirely acceptable for the host of a holiday cocktail party. The pops of color just may make one forget its January.

The silhouette can be the first driver of style, Chatfield-Taylor says. One of our iconic shapes is our twirl dress. Its so figure flattering. For a piece like that, its about what textiles are going to work in that shape, so it falls and drapes (properly).

The average customer may not be able to eyeball all the little things that go into building iconic shapes and enduring looks, but the designs are in the details, which has made Nic+Zoe a popular brand.

Dorian can spend a day picking out a button for a blouse, Chatfield-Taylor says. She laughs, but it is with respect for her mothers meticulous approach. At the end of it, its a work of art.

chennessy@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @xtinahennessy
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GREENWICH  Greenwich is best known architecturally for Georgian, Federal and Tudor styles of housing, but there are a smaller number of Victorian residences in the community that command attention.

Carefully renovated and tended to through the years, the house at 150 Riverside Avenue is one of them, and it offers a fine example of Victorian architecture inside and out.

Its probably one of the few remaining Victorians, in the Gothic Revival style, in Greenwich, said the co-owner, Bruce Barker.

The house was built in 1873 by Arthur Skelding, a 19th century builder and real estate developer. Skelding was an old Yale man who rowed against Harvard in the first encounter between the two college crew teams on the calm waters of Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H., in 1852. (The Elis lost by four lengths.)

Bruce and Nancy Barker moved in 25 years ago, and they have restored the house to its Victorian splendor. While making two major additions in the 1990s, they researched the few remaining records on the house at Town Hall and determined to keep it as close to its original condition as possible, except for the paint, which had been gray green, with accents of deep yellow and red. Victorian houses with florid and bold color schemes are termed Painted Ladies, most famously found in San Francisco.

The previous paint selection was a bit off for the Barkers, who decided on a more pleasing style, according to Nancy Barker. The house was painted in Hepplewhite ivory, a kind of creamy light yellow. Its accented by a soft green jade. The Barkers consulted with an expert on historical paint colors when they made the choice.

We were trying to do a little bit of the Painted Lady concept, without going overboard, said Bruce Barker.

The exterior of the home has Victorian finishes like Gothic windows, peaked shutters and cornices. Inside, theres traditional dentil molding, beadboard wainscoting and a curved banister with a decorative lintel at the bottom of the stairs.

We tried to preserve it as best as we could, said Bruce Barker, while making it modern and comfortable for a 21st century lifestyle. Light fixtures in the home are replicas of old gas lanterns, for instance.

Nancy Barker said she couldnt imaging throwing out the old doors in the home, so they were stripped and cleaned up for re-use.

We tried to re-purpose much of the old material, said Bruce Barker.

The house has had some interesting owners through the years. Stuart Hemingway, a noted musician and piano teacher, lived at 150 Riverside for many years with his large family. In the early 1900s, Laura Cole, a prominent librarian, bibliographer and author, called it home. Another early owner, William West Shaw, was a horticulturist who planted specimen trees on the grounds, including a prize Gingko imported from China. Its believed to be one of the largest and oldest Gingkos in the region. Nancy Barker takes a picture every year when it drops its leaves, all in one day. I call it Gingko day. Its a sea of yellow leaves, beautiful golds and yellow, she said.

A touch of Victorian whimsy can also be seen in an old street lamp installed out front. Made of cast iron, and originally forged in Spain, it was discovered in a Massachusetts antique store.

The residence was listed as a local landmark by the Greenwich Historical Society.

The Barkers love the holiday season and entertaining, and say the house is especially inviting when garbed in its Christmas colors. Bruce Barker says there can be 100 people in the house for a party, but guests never have to raise their voice above a conversational level to be heard, something quite unusual in newer homes. Even with a big crowd, he says, it feels spacious.

Through the years, the house has grown into a very distinctive space, inside and out. It has real presence, said Nancy Barker.

Currently on the market, the house is being listed through Sothebys International Realty at $2,825,000.
December 21, 2017

Lincoln, Neb.  University of Nebraska-Lincoln crop production and pest management specialists have scheduled a series of crop production clinics across the state in January to provide the latest research-based information and recommendations for 2018.

Topics will include soil fertility; soil water and irrigation; insect, disease and weed management; cropping systems; and agribusiness management and marketing. The complete agendas are available at http://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc.

The clinics will be the primary venue for commercial and noncommercial pesticide applicators to renew their licenses in the following categories: ag plant and demonstration/research. The crop production clinics also will serve as a venue for private pesticide applicators to renew their licenses. Representatives from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture will be present to verify attendance.

A maximum of six Certified Crop Advisor credits will be available per day in these areas: crop production (two), nutrient management (one), integrated pest management (six), water management (one) and professional development (two).

Pesticide applicator recertification training will be available in these categories: commercial/noncommercial in ag plant, and demonstration/research; and private applicator. Anyone attending the pesticide applicator license recertification sessions will also meet the requirements for dicamba applicator training. Dicamba is now a Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) in Nebraska and additional training is required for its purchase and use.

Online registration is required for the clinics to provide meals and materials. Register at http://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc. The cost for registration is $80, which includes the 2018 Guide for Weed, Disease and Insect Management in Nebraska, the 2018 crop production clinic proceedings with further information on the topics being discussed, a meal and refreshments.

Check-in each day is from 8 to 8:30 a.m., with sessions from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.

2018 Crop Production Clinic Locations:

Jan. 10, Gering: Gering Civic Center, 1050 M St.

Jan. 11, North Platte: Sandhills Convention Center, 2102 S. Jeffers St.

Jan. 15-16, Norfolk: Lifelong Learning Center, NECC 601 E. Benjamin Ave.

Jan. 18, Lincoln: Embassy Suites, 1040 P St.

Nebraska Crop Management Conference

Jan. 24-25, Kearney: Younes Conference Center, 416 W. Talmadge Road

Pesticide applicator recertification will also be available either day of the Nebraska Crop Management Conference for the same cost as attending one of the clinics. In addition, the conference will offer 27 unique sessions over two days featuring up-to-date information for successful croppy system management. The cost of registration for both days is $150. For more information, visit https://agronomy.unl.edu/NCMC.

For more information about the clinics or the conference, contact Chris Proctor, weed management extension educator and clinic coordinator at 402-472-5441 or caproctor@unl.edu.

Chris Proctor

Nebraska Extension

402-472-5411

caproctor@unl.edu

This article originally appeared on IANRnews.unl.edu:
December 21, 2017

Lincoln, Neb.  Women in the agricultural industry looking to increase their business management skills are encouraged to register for the 2018 Women in Agriculture Conference organized by the University of NebraskaLincoln. The annual conference will be held Feb. 22  23, 2018, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 110 S. 2nd Ave., Kearney, Neb.

The Women in Agriculture Conference is one of the longest-running womens conferences of its kind in the country that allows women to build relationships with each other, attend workshops and gain valuable knowledge that will help them support their own farms and ranches. The theme for this years conference is, Growing our future, valuing our traditions.

Over 30 concurrent workshops will be hosted over the two-day event that focuses on production risk, market risk, financial risk, human risk and legal risk. Anita Keys, a rancher from Cherry county, said, When you look at the workshop assortment, there are a lot of choices, which is really nice. She feels that she has gained a lot of really great resources through the Women in Ag conference and her husband, Kerry, agrees, She challenges me with the information that she brings and so we take that information and begin to incorporate it into our ranching operation.

In addition to the opportunity to grow market, financial and overall ranching knowledge, the opportunity to connect with other woman producers is what brings most women to the conference.

I started 12 years ago and I fell in love with it, says Linda Barrett, a producer from Banner county. Barrett has now started bringing her granddaughter, Kurstin, with her to the conferences. Women in Ag is really cool because it lets you know that youre a super vital part of every operation, says Kurstin. Theres a bunch of women there realizing that were really important in what we do.

Participants will have the opportunity to hear from three women who have made their livelihoods in the agricultural industry. Ruth Hambleton, the founder of Annies Project, will speak on empowering and educating women producers. Ann Finkner, Farm Credit Services of America senior vice president chief administrative officer, will share resources to help women recharge while dealing with complexity, stress and multi-tasking in agriculture. Lastly, Leslie McCuiston, who was selected as Americas Pig Farmer of the Year in 2017, and will share her story.

Registration is available online at wia.unl.edu. Paper registration forms can be requested by calling 402-472-1576. For more information about the Women in Agriculture conference, including the conference proceedings, go to wia.unl.edu.

Early registration, due by Feb. 4, is $125. Registration after Feb. 4 is $150. Fees include all workshop materials, registration, meals and breaks. Any student attending four-year college/university, two-year college, vocational/technical school, or a 4-H or FFA member can apply for a scholarship to attend the conference. Additional details on the scholarship can be found on the conference website at https://wia.unl.edu/#tab3.

The conference is hosted by Nebraska Extension and the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of NebraskaLincoln.

Bethany Johnston

Extension Educator

Panhandle Research and Extension Center

308-645-2267

bjohnston3@unl.edu

This article originally appeared on IANRnews.unl.edu:
A 28-year-old Colorado man has been charged with child abuse, accused of abusing his girlfriends son.

Alexander Godfrey, of Arvada, Colorado, has been charged with intentional child abuse, a Class IIIA felony.

According to an arrest affidavit, Scottsbluff Police made contact on Nov. 20 with a man and his 4-year-old son. The child had visited his mothers over the weekend and when the child returned, he made statements about his arms hurting.

When the childs shirt was removed, the man told police he could easily see marks that appeared to have been made by someone grabbing the childs biceps with both hands on each arm and applying a great amount of pressure. The child advised that he had been disciplined by his mothers boyfriend, identified as Godfrey.

Police conducted a forensic interview with the child.

On Dec. 5, police attempted to contact Godfrey at the boys mothers home, but no one would answer the door.

A warrant was issued for Godfreys arrest on Dec. 20. He appeared Friday in Scotts Bluff County Court for arraignment on charges.
Gering High School won the state competition for the 2017-2018 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Education Contest.

Justin Reinmuth, the Gering High School teacher leading the team of students, said, Winning the state competition two years running has been a great experience for the students at Gering. Theyve really embraced the project-based learning model, and love the technology we won last year to accomplish the various design problems presented in the class.

With last years winnings, more than $150,000 from the national competition and the $25,000 as state champion the school purchased new technology and equipment.

With all that, we got this brand new, state of the art equipment, Reinmuth said. Bluetooth (computers with) curved screens, noise cancelling headphones and virtual reality goggles. We also bought the Chrome books for the ninth grade Freshman Academy.

This is the second year Gering has participated in the competition. Last year, Gerings team was in the top 10 in the country with a drone project. The team developed a drone-powered spraying system that precisely targets weeds and eliminates the need to blanket spray large fields.

This year, 41 students are working on a three-stage filter system that will clean micro plastics out of gray water from businesses and homes.

Merriam-Webster defines gray water as household wastewater that does not contain serious contaminants.

Waste water from kitchen appliances, baths, sinks and washing machines is gray water.

Say your coat, if you washed it, youd kick off about 20,000 micro plastics because our clothes are getting more and more made of plastic, Reinmuth said. So were getting into the designing, modifying and redesigning stage right now. The kids are working on it. Were hoping to make it to the top 10 again.

The top 10 is the fourth stage of five in the Samsung competition.

Stage one, the entry period in September, is when teachers submit applications for their schools. The second stage called First Round was just completed. This is where the Gering students were chosen as state winners based on their submitted activity plan.

The third stage is where the schools submit videos of their project.

Thats the stage were on now, were on the testing, Reinmuth said. Once we build and engineer, then we have to modify. The filters are kind of expensive to get started so we will not be building the final prototype until after Christmas.

Reinmuth explained they are trying to create this filter on a commercial level so it can be used in any establishment that produces gray water.

The Gering students, sophomores through seniors, began brainstorming for this project at the end of last year.

I do try to lead them into a modern problem, Reinmuth said. Weve had every idea offered from the kids like making a magic bullet, so they come up with all kinds of crazy stuff, but I try to lead them in things that actually help the environment, help the community, help people in general and make a lasting legacy with what you do.

Reinmuth talked about the students roles in the project.

They have to build it, I can guide them in certain ways but I cant just come in on a Saturday and build this thing. They have to build it and its unique how a lot of them will take their roles, Reinmuth said. Certain kids are better with their hands, certain kids are better with technology, so as the team progresses, its funny how they will kind of evolve their strong suit and theyll allow other kids to take control of the situation, which is nice.

Reinmuth and the Gering students wont know until mid- to late-February whether theyre in the top 10 again.
SCOTTSBLUFF  The board of directors of Regional West Foundation is pleased to announce it has contributed $25,000 to the SIM-NE program through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Simulation in Motion-Nebraska, also known as SIM-NE, is a statewide, mobile education system, which brings state-of-the-art, hands-on training using high fidelity human patient simulators, to pre-hospital and hospital professionals throughout the state. The simulators are some of the most technologically advanced training tools available to the medical community today.

The simulation labs are 44 foot trucks with two simulation spaces: an emergency room and an ambulance module. One of the four SIM-NE trucks developed for the statewide program is housed at the Harms Advanced Technology Center at Western Nebraska Community College and serves Nebraskas 22 western counties, said Darla Heggem, director of development for the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Regional West Foundation has long supported efforts to improve trauma and emergency care in western Nebraska, beginning with the foundations $1.2 million campaign to establish the Regional Trauma Network in 1993. The foundations contribution to the SIM-NE program reflects its continuing commitment to save lives by investing in regional trauma services.

Regional West Foundation is thrilled and honored to partner with the University of Nebraska Foundation in helping to deliver much needed training to health care professionals in rural and western Nebraska. The simulation technology is a game-changer, said Regional West Foundation chair John Massey.

SIM-NE delivers quality education to providers who otherwise would not have opportunities to attend simulation training. The program provides standardized, high quality training to ensure consistent outcomes, to rural EMS agencies, and critical access hospital emergency rooms across the state.

We are very grateful for the investment that Regional West Foundation has made in supporting the life-saving training that medical first responders are receiving right now because of SIM-NE, said Project Director Brian Monaghan, NRP, MPA. Their gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation means well be able to provide our advanced, onsite training and education to many more health care professionals in western Nebraska and beyond.

As the lead Level II Trauma Center in Nebraskas Region 4, Regional West supports the 16-county trauma region with outreach, pre-hospital training, education, performance improvement, and injury prevention activities. The SIM-NE program will further enhance training opportunities for the regions pre-hospital services for the benefit of all who live in and visit western Nebraska.

This is a perfect example of collaboration at its best  the University of Nebraska Foundation, the Helmsley Charitable Trust, UNMC, Regional West Foundation, and others make it possible to revolutionize the delivery of emergency patient care training in rural Nebraska. This will have a huge impact on rural health care, said Julie Marshall, Regional West Foundation director of development.

To learn more about Regional West Foundation, call 308-630-2244 or visit RegionalWestFoundation.org.

Regional West Foundation raises, manages and distributes funds to enhance the services, programs, and projects of Regional West Health Services. The foundation supports projects to strengthen health care services that are essential to the quality and growth of our local medical community, including new technology, building improvements, and health education scholarships.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the regions only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
SCOTTSBLUFF  When winter officially arrived on Dec. 21, it brought snow and freezing temperatures to the area  and theyre expected to stay until early next year.

Don Day, meteorologist with Cheyenne, Wyoming-based Dayweather, said there should be sporadic snow and flurries for the next several days.

The weather story over the next week to 10 days is there will be more shots of snow, Day said. None of these storms are big, but could drop and inch or two.

Meteorologist Rob Cox with the National Weather Service Cheyenne office said the weather should be clearing out late Thursday with Friday highs only in the 30s. Cox said a cold front moved through the Panhandle Wednesday with its energy coming from a weather disturbance in Colorado at about the same time.

It looks like the Panhandle will see some more snow late Friday night into Saturday, Cox said. Were looking at maybe two to four inches. Most of it will be on Saturday and taper off late in the day. By Saturday and Sunday, the temperatures will probably get down to zero.

Snow might start again by early Saturday with even colder air, so expect temperatures in the single digits or even subzero by Sunday morning. Another small storm could bring more snow by late Sunday into Christmas Day, then again by Wednesday and into Thursday.

This front is a combination of arctic air with moisture from the Pacific northwest behind it, Day said. The Panhandle is kind of on the edge of the arctic air where these small systems can come through. We might have a couple of days that get into the 30s, but once snow is down in the valley at this time of year, it stays and makes the nights colder.
SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTY  Nebraska State Patrol conducted another phase of alcohol compliance check on Dec.9. Ten businesses were checked resulting in one business found non-compliant, according to a press release from Monument Prevention Coalition.

U Save in Morrill was cited on Dec. 9 on a charge of selling alcohol to a 16-year-old cooperative individual after checking the identification.

Over the years, our agency has remained committed to enforcing the underage drinking laws, and we intend to continue prioritizing such operations to protect the public from the consequences of underage drinking, said Inv. Rob Jackson of the Nebraska State Patrol.

Added enforcement efforts will be heightened during the holiday season to help in making this a safe holiday for all.

Nebraska State Patrol conducted the checks in coordination with Monument Prevention Coalition. Region 1 Behavioral Health Authority, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Behavioral Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided funding for the increased enforcement effort.
Scottsbluff Police Department

Nov. 17

Police investigated a child abuse intake. Allegations were determined to be unfounded.

Nov. 27

8:06 p.m.  Heaven Bishop, 27, of Gering, was arrested on a Scotts Bluff County warrant.

In the 100 block of Arlene Lane, officers investigated a report of a third-degree assault in the 100 block of Arlene Lane. The suspect left before officers arrived and was not located.

Police cited a 16-year-old boy on a charge of possession of marijuana less than an ounce after parent reported marijuana found in his room.

Police investigated a report of a theft of a cell phone from a motor vehicle.

Police investigated a report of a theft from a building in the 2500 block of Avenue H.

Police investigated a child abuse intake. The report was forwarded to the Gering Police Department.

Nov. 28

8:48 a.m.  In the 1400 block of Second Ave., Kendra Red Bear, 21, was arrested on a drug violation charge.

3:47 p.m. - At the Watering Hole, Elizabeth Janis, 26, of Scottsbluff, was cited on a charge of theft by shoplifting.

Police investigated a report of shoplifting at Maverik.

Chad Wiley, 31, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in the 1600 block of Avenue F after a probation check.

Police responded to a report of a suspicious male in the area of an elementary school. Rafael R. Chavez, 25, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on two Scotts Bluff County warrants and charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police received a report involving child abuse alleged to have occurred in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Nov. 29

1:42 p.m.  Police responded to a report of a fight in progress in the 00 block of East 23rd Stree. A 12-year-old boy was cited on two charges of third-degree assault.

6:35 p.m.  At Walmart, a 13-year-old boy was cited on a charge of theft by shoplifting.

Virgil Lefthand, 51, of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, was arrested on charges of driving under suspension and on a warrant from an outside jurisdiction.

Police investigated a report of a vehicle stolen from a parking lot in the 600 block of Broadway.

In the 1200 block of Avenue B, a 17-year-old Gering boy was cited on a charge of third-degree assault.

Police investigated a report of sexual assault involving a victim at Regional West Medical Center.

Police investigated a report of vandalism to a vehicle.

Naomi Mabin, 21, of Alliance, and Katherine Sanchez, 18, of Alliance, were cited on charges of theft by shoplifting at Walmart.

Scottsbluff Police received a report of fraud.

Nov. 30

9:48 a.m.  Police received a report of a stolen vehicle.

In the 1300 block of Fourth Avenue, Gabriel Archuleta, 34, of Scottsbluff, was cited on a charge of disturbing the peace.

In the 1500 block of Avenue X, Joshua Larez, 30, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on charges of domestic assault and false imprisonment.

Scottsbluff police investigated a report of second-degree forgery involving a check passed at a business in the 200 block of South Beltline Highway.

Police investigated an assault in the 700 block of 14th Avenue.

Police investigated a report of a missing purse from a vehicle at a business in the 600 block of Broadway.

In the 1500 block of 10th Avenue, police investigated a vandalism.

At Walmart, a 14-year-old Scottsbluff girl was cited on a charge of theft by shoplifting.

Dec. 1

7:39 a.m.  At Broadway and W. 23rd Street, Edward Janis, 23, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on a Scotts Bluff County warrant.

1:44 p.m.  Terence Grady, 28, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on charges of driving under suspension, being a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.

At Walmart, a 16-year-old boy was cited on a charge of theft by shoplifting.

Police were called to the report of a man and a woman fighting at Fifth Avenue and East Eighth Street, Barretta Allen, 35, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on charges of obstructing an officer and resisting arrest.

In the 200 block of Avenue I, a business owner reported a woman disturbing the peace. The woman was not at the business and was not located.

Police investigated a report of a protection order violation in the 2400 block of W. 19th Street.

In the 1400 block of East Overland, Paul Uhrich, 38, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace and obstructing a police officer.

Police investigated a report of a theft from a hotel in the 1800 block of E. 20th Place.

Dec. 2

Stephanie Greever was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, refusal to submit to chemical tests and false reporting after being involved in a vehicle collision in the area of West 17th Street and Avenue A.

9:03 p.m.  In the alleyway between Second and Third Avenue near E. 14th Street, Barbara Schillereff, 48, of Morrill, was cited on a charge of possession of an open container.

In the 800 block of E. 15th Street, Samantha McCloud, 32, of Scottsbluff, was cited on a charge of driving under suspension.

At Walmart, Justin Edwards, 25, of Torrington, and Jenny Keeton, 26, of Torrington, were cited on charges of theft by shoplifting.

Dec. 3

Officers investigated a child abuse intake. Further details were not available.

Eric Pinkstaff, 31, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers investigated a report of illegal drugs found in the 1900 block of Delta Drive.

In the 800 block of W. 15th Street, officers investigated a report of a disturbance.

Dec. 4

4:42 p.m.  At Walmart, a 16-year-old girl was arrested on two Scotts Bluff County warrants and on a charge of theft by shoplifting.

In the 200 block of E. Overland, deputies investigated a report of a vandalism.

Officers investigated a report of a Craigslist scam.

In the 2200 block of Avenue B, officers investigated a report of a break in of a garage.

Police investigated a report of a child abuse intake alleging narcotic use in the home. Further details were not available.

Dec. 5

Police investigated a report of sexual harassment made at Bluffs Middle School. Further details were not available in the media report.

Thomas Omeara, 44, of Torrington, was arrested on charges of driving under suspension and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Deyanira Marrufo, 24, of Gering, was arrested on a Scotts Bluff County warrant.

Scottsbluff Police investigated a report of a burglary at Murdochs.

Police investigated a report of an assault by intimidation.

Dec. 6

5 p.m.  Joshua Kautz, 23, of Scottsbuff, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence.

Jennifer Orozco, 38, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on a Scotts Bluff County warrant.

In the 1200 block of Fourth Avenue, Scottsbluff Police investigated a report of a vandalism.

At Murdochs, police investigated a report of a theft by shoplifting. Merchandise valued at $1,800 were reported stolen. A suspect is being sought.

Dec. 7

8:06 a.m.  In the 1800 block of Avenue B, Dakota Kelso, 29, of Chadron, was arrested on a Morrill County warrant.

9:15 p.m.  In the 1000 block of 15th Street, Samuel Diaz, 26, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on a SCotts Bluff County warrant.

9:32 p.m.  In the 1800 block of Broadway, Anthony Martinez, 23, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct.

Scottsbluff Police investigated a report of theft by shoplifting at Dollar General. Additional shoplifting incidents were determined to have occurred and a suspect is being sought.

In the 500 block of West 42nd Street, Jordan Holguin, 23, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on a charge of strangulation.

Dec. 8

11:48 a.m.  At Walmart, Joshuah Swalve, 25, of Mitchell, was cited on a charge of second degree criminal trespassing.

Scottsbluff Police received a report of a theft of a dirt packer.

At Walmart, Scottsbluff Police took a report of a theft by shoplifting.

In connection with a vehicle crash on Second Avenue, William Bye, 42, of Scottsbluff, was cited on charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and no proof of insurance.

At Walmart, Jordan Villanueva, 25, of Scottsbluff, and Kighler Hoffman, 20, of Scottsbluff, were cited on charges of theft by shoplifting.

Dec. 9

7:03 a.m.  At Walmart, Robert Rein, 48, of Gering, was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct.

In the 1700 block of Broadway, Taura Lame, 22, of Scottsbluff, was cited on a charge of second-degree trespassing.

A 17-year-old boy was cited on a charge of minor in possession.

Dec. 9

7:36 p.m.  Police investigated a report of an assault in the 1900 block of Eighth Avenue.

10:21 p.m.  In the 00 block of Erin Lane, a 15-year-old girl was cited on a charge of minor in possession. An 11-year-old boy was transported to Regional West Medical Center for possible alcohol poisoning.

A juvenile boy was cited on a charge of minor in possession and three juvenile boys were cited on charges of curfew violation.

Dec. 10

Shara Seiffert, 23, of Scottsbluff, was arrested on a Scotts Bluff County warrant.

Police investigated a criminal mischief report in the 700 block of W. 24th Street.

Scottsbluff Police investigated a vandalism report in the 1400 block of Avenue F.

Police investigated a disturbance in the 1100 block of Avenue C.

Scotts Bluff County Court

Nov. 29

Rafael Chavez Jr., 25, was fined $449 on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Rafael Chavez Jr. 25, was fined $210 on a charge of unlawful entry without a park permit and failure to appear.

Rafael Chavez Jr., 25, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $74 on a charge of failure to use a child passenger restraint and failure to appear.

Kendra Red Bear, 21, was sentenced to three days in jail and fined $50 on a charge of theft.

Christian T. Glandt, 41, was sentenced to three days in jail and fined $50 on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Kelsey L. Michael, 30, was fined $550 on a charge of assault by mutual consent.

Adrian Chavez, 43, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and fined $589.79 on charges of attempted theft by taking.

Dana Maglitto, 49, was fined $449 on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Chelsey L. Wiseman, 27, was fined $149 on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nov. 30

Andrew Flaten, 25, was sentenced to 18 months revocation, 12 months probation and fined $550 on a charge of driving under the influence, second offense.

Bryan Edgar, 18, was sentenced to four days in jail and fined $52 on a charge of driving under suspension.

Samantha D. McCloud, 32, was sentenced to 14 days in jail and fined $152 on a charge of no proof of insurance, no valid registration and failure to appear.

Brenda Garvin, 49, was sentenced to seven days in jail, one year license revocation and fined $50 on a charge of driving under suspension and driving under the influence.

Cindy I. Holcomb, 52, was fined $250 on charges of driving under suspension and no valid registration.

Michael S. Knaub, 33, was sentenced to two days in jail and fined $50 on a charge of disturbing the peace.

Anthony Solid, 28, was sentenced to seven days in jail and fined $571.40 on a charge of disorderly conduct.

Agree M. Matlock, 25, was fined $650 on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A charge of theft of services against Brenda L. Foos, 51, was dismissed.

Dec. 1

Gianna M. Martin, 21, was sentenced to one day in jail, 60 days license revocation and fined $1,077 on a charge of driving under the influence and reckless driving.

Alex Rascon, 23, was sentenced to two days in jail, one year license revocation and fined $626 on charges of driving under suspension and speeding.

Susie E. Herrera, 34 was fined $150 on a charge of no proof of insurance.

Matthew J. Castillo, 29, was fined $149 on a charge of driving under suspension.

Kurt M. Martinez, 38, was fined $449 on a charge of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Donna M. Zamarripa, 53, was sentenced to 60 days license revocation and fined $625 on a charge of driving under the influence.

Jared M. McKenzie, 35, was fined $449 on a charge of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Megan A. Tower, 31, was fined $175 on charges of no valid registration and no proof of insurance.

Wayne A. Taylor, 23, was fined $175 on a charge of no valid registration and no proof of insurance.

Brandon L. Williams, 19, was fined $175 on charges of no valid registration and no proof of insurance.

Markus C. Bohn, 23, was fined $175 on a charge of no valid registration and no proof of insurance.

Lydia Plasencio, 35, was fined $150 on a charge of no proof of insurance.

Chad Mehring, 36, was fined $100 on a charge of no operators license.

Trevor Conn, 22, was fined $250 on a charge of driving under suspension and speeding.

Glen E. Bailey, 43, was fined $388.30 on charges of speeding, possession of an open container and failure to appear.

Carlos L. Williams, 42, was fined $375 on a charge of failure to display proper number of plates and possession of marijuana.

Jeremy Peters, 18, was fined $449 on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nicolas Miller, 18, was fined $450 on charges of theft by shoplifting and possession of marijuana.

Joshua Swalve, 25, was fined $150 on a charge of larceny.

Kathey Pritchard, 29, was fined $100 on a charge of theft by taking.

A charge of disorderly conduct against Michael Mawhinney, 46, was dismissed.

A charge of disorderly conduct against Spencer Drake, 31, was dismissed.

Dominic R. Foster, 21, was fined $199 on a charge of seat belt violation, no proof of insurance and front seat violation.

Avery Wheeler, 21, was sentenced to 30 days jail and fined $2 on a charge of driving under the influence (blood alcohol content over .15) and attempting to leave the scene of an accident.

Dec. 4

Astrid R. Martinez, 21, was fined $650 on six charges of theft by shoplifting.

Derek T. Henkel, 26, was sentenced to two days in jail and fined $583.82 on a charge of assault.

Adriana Marquez, 22, was fined $349 on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Brent M. Abell, 31, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and fined $50 on a charge of obstructing a police officer.

Jacob Godina, 22, was sentenced to 270 days in jail and fined $50 on a charge of theft by taking.

Dec. 6

Cruz Barraza, 25, was sentenced to 180 days jail and fined $50 on a charge of assault and disturbing the peace.

Charges of theft by deception and failure to appear against Jordan A. Long, 31, were dismissed.

Paul C. Torres Jr., 42, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and fined $550 on a charge of third-degree domestic assault.

Michael D. Bobby, 25, was sentenced to one day in jail and fined $800 on a charge of attempted possession of a controlled substance.

Keith Grant, 29, was sentenced to 18 months probation, 18 months license revocation and fined $1,250 on charges of attempted possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence (drugs), second offense.

Dillan Voelker, 18, was fined $349 on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Brandon Like, 24, was fined $449 on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Joshua Larez, 30, was sentenced to seven days in jail and fined $550 on charges of attempted third-degree domestic assault.

A charge of false reporting against Jose C. Galindo, 43, was dismissed.

Jose D. Galindo, 43, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $49 on a charge of failure to appear.

A charge of attempt of a Class III or Class IIIA felony against Christopher Torres Jr., 23, was dismissed.

Andrew J. Wiekhorst, 36, was sentenced to four days jail, 60 days license revocation, 24 months probation and fined $1,925 on charges of driving under the influence and theft by receiving stolen property.

Katherine M. Schmer, 52, was sentenced to two days in jail and fined $302 on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of an open container and failure to appear.

Dec. 7

Alexis Gonzalez, 33, was sentenced to 20 days in jail and fined $$52 on a charge of theft by unlawful taking.

Kristina D. Collins, 33, was sentenced to 12 months probation and fined $940 on a charge of committing child abuse by neglect.

Hunter Hancock, 20, was sentenced to 26 days in jail, six months license revocation and fined $577 on a charge of driving under the influence.

A charge of theft by shoplifting against Chelsie Tarango, 34, was dismissed.

Montell Red Bear, 22, was sentenced to one year in jail and fined $50 on a charge of criminal mischief.

Katen D. Thomas, 23, was sentenced to 60 days license revocation, nine months probation and fined $552 on a charge of driving under the influence.

Steven Sanders Sr., 38, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and fined $52 on five counts of issuing a bad check.

Dec. 8

Shayla D. Prime, 24, was fined $200 on a charge of no proof of insurance.

Lesley W. Shuey, 48, was fined $349 on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Autumn Skelton, 22, was fined $449 on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Cheyenne Going, 23, was fined $249 on charges of possession of marijuana.

Manuel E. Chavez, 34, was fined $349 on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Melissa Rice, 26, was fined $149 on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Curt Rice, 38, was fined $149 on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sophia San Miguel, 30, was fined $200 on a charge of no proof of insurance.

Jason J. Anderson, 45, was fined $250 on a charge of theft by shoplifting.

Joseph Van Winkle, 26, was sentenced to 90 days in jail on a charge of attempt of a Class IV felony. (17-9

A charge of disorderly conduct against Lyndsey Steyer, 34, was dismissed.

Alexis Gonzalez, 33, was fined $150 on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

David E. Loos, 65, was sentenced to one day in jail and fined $150 on a charge of driving under suspension and attempted carrying a concealed weapon.

Dec. 11

Taure Lame, 22, was sentenced to 90 days in jail on a charge of second-degree trespassing.

Willson R. Bronson, 23, was fined $550 on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
This page is archived. Data published after 5 April 2022 can be found on the renewed website. Go to the new statistics page

Published: 22 December 2017

General government debt decreased further in the third quarter of 2017

General government EDP debt, or consolidated gross debt at nominal prices, totalled EUR 134.2 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2017. From the previous quarter, debt decreased by EUR 1.6 billion. These data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on general government debt by quarter.

General government debt by quarter

Central government debt decreased by EUR 0.5 billion in the third quarter. The decrease in debt was mainly caused by net amortisations of EUR 2.3 billion in central government bonds. At the end of September, the nominal value of central government bonds in circulation was EUR 96.2 billion. The stock of short-term debt instruments with a maturity of under one year increased on net by EUR 2.2 billion over the same period. In addition, short-term loans decreased by a total of EUR 0.4 billion.

The debt of social security funds decreased during the third quarter by EUR 0.6 billion due to the growing stock of received cash collateral related to employment pension schemes' derivative contracts and securities lending, which are classified as short-term loans. The combined debt of the local government sector remained almost on level with the previous quarter.

General government EDP debt describes general governments debt to other sectors of the national economy and to the rest of the world, and its development is influenced by changes in unconsolidated debt and internal general government debts. Consolidated general government gross debt is derived by deducting debts between units recorded under general government from unconsolidated gross debt. For this reason, general government debt is smaller than the combined debts of its sub-sectors.

The EDP debt of general government differs conceptionally to some extent in the case of central government, from the central government debt published by the State Treasury. Central government's EDP debt includes loans granted to beneficiary counties by the European Financial Stability Facility EFSF mentioned above, received cash collaterals related to derivative contracts, the capital of the Nuclear Waste Management Fund, debts generated from investments in central government's PPP (public-private partnership) projects, coins that are in circulation, and the deposits of the European Commission. In National Accounts, central government is also a broader concept than the budget and financial economy (http://www.stat.fi/meta/luokitukset/_linkki/julkisyhteisot.html). The valuation principle for both debt concepts is the nominal value, where the effect of currency swaps is taken into account.

Source: General government debt by quarter, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Timo Ristimaki 029 551 2324, Henna Laasonen 029 551 3303, rahoitus.tilinpito@stat.fi

Director in charge: Ville Vertanen

Publication in pdf-format (217.1 kB)

Updated 22.12.2017

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): General government debt by quarter [e-publication].

ISSN=1799-8034. 3rd quarter 2017. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 18.11.2022].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/jyev/2017/03/jyev_2017_03_2017-12-22_tie_001_en.html
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BRASILIA  Brazilian President Michel Temer said on Friday that he opposed Boeing Co. taking control of Embraer SA, although he would welcome an injection of foreign capital into the regional planemaker.

Temer told a news conference he would study any decision the companies take on an alliance when it arrives at his desk, emphasizing that his government could use its 'golden share' in the company to block foreign control. Brazil's government holds veto power over strategic moves at the planemaker, a formerly state-run company fully privatized in 2006.

Boeing and Embraer said on Thursday they are discussing a "potential combination" in a move that could consolidate a global passenger jet duopoly, provided Brazil's government gives its blessing.

"When a decision arrives, I will examine it," Temer said. He added: "The purpose of the golden share is for the government to take such a decision."

Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said the government welcomed a commercial alliance with Boeing.

"We are in favor of this and other partnerships," Jungmann said at the same news conference with Temer.

But because Embraer plays such a central role in Brazil's defense industry and sits at the heart of a cluster of domestic technology companies, foreign control of the company was out of the question.

"The moment that control of Embraer passes to a company from another country, it will control strategic decisions" for Brazil, he said. "No country would give up control of that."

He cited the Gripen fighter jets Embraer will build with Sweden's Saab AB and the KC-390 cargo jet project with which Embraer plans to dominate the military transport market long dominated by the U.S.-made workhorse Hercules C-130.

Boeing and Embraer last year signed a deal under which the U.S. planemaker will help market the new military cargo jet but also provide maintenance services once they are sold.

The government's opposition to a full sale does not preclude a more targeted deal, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Some kind of commercial jet joint venture between the two jet makers would "make a lot of sense," Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia said. "Even some kind of military joint venture such as military transports would make sense  but an acquisition of Embraer makes no sense."

Embraer shares, which soared 20 percent on Thursday, were up another 2.7 percent on Friday. Boeing shares dipped 0.24 percent.

It would be harder to quantify the gains to shareholders from a more limited joint-venture deal than with an outright acquisition, said Cowen analyst Cai von Rumohr.

"I honestly think Boeing knew all along that it would be a joint venture or partnership," he said. "But just like with Airbus-Bombardier, you can still set up something along those lines that's clearly a win-win."

The Boeing-Embraer talks come just two months after Airbus SE struck a deal to buy a majority stake in Bombardier Inc's CSeries jetliner program.

Potential gains for Embraer would include Boeing's greater sales clout with major airlines, as well as with servicing existing jets and potential savings with suppliers, he said.

Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis, Tim Hepher and Christian Plumb.
AWARDS

Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison received the Outstanding Facility of the Year Award at the annual Race Track Business Conference at the Performance Racing Industry trade show.

Metaphase Design Group Inc. received a GOOD DESIGN award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for a medical device called the Medtronic Advanced Energys AEX Generator.

HELPING OUT

Boeing Co. is providing the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center an $85,000 grant in support of Green Means Grow, part of its STEM education and outreach program.

The JM&A Group awarded Ranken Technical College its fifth $100,000 installment of a 10-year $1 million pledge.

The Doe Run Co. donated an air compressor valued at $50,000 to Missouri University of Science and Technology for use in the universitys drilling and blasting classes. The company also donated $10,000 to Valley R-VI school district to help fund STEM curriculum.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Baldwin Technology Co. Inc. acquired QuadTech Inc. from its parent company, Quad/Graphics.

NEW BUSINESS

Coolfire Solutions was selected as part of a multimillion-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, combating terrorist threats and disrupting the narcotics trade.

OPENINGS

Thrivent Financial representative Adam Hautly opened a new office:

 325 North Kirkwood Road, Suite 104, Kirkwood

PROJECTS

McGrath & Associates completed a $1.5 million renovation of the second-floor patient care unit at Memorial Hospital Belleville in Belleville. Archimages was the architect and Horner & Shifrin was the engineer.
SEATTLE  A 22-year-old University of Washington student sued the rapper Nelly Wednesday, claiming he sexually assaulted her on his tour bus while it was parked outside a Walmart in Auburn following a performance in October, then later damaged her reputation in his public denials.

Monique Greenes lawsuit against Cornell Haynes Jr., widely known as Nelly, seeks unspecified damages for the alleged sexual assault as well as defamation.

Greenes lawyer said Wednesday her client reluctantly filed the suit, doing so only after Nelly publicly contended Greene fabricated her rape story, after prosecutors declined to file charges against him last week.

She honestly decided to stand up for herself after that last horrible post they made against her, Seattle attorney Karen Koehler said. If they had not done that, she wouldve just kept her head down. She didnt want to be a fighter at all. She didnt want anyone to know what happened to her. But enough was enough.

An attorney for Nelly, 43, who lives in St. Louis, said on Wednesday that Greenes lawsuit is financially motivated.

It comes as no surprise that Ms. Green (sic) filed a lawsuit against Nelly seeking money after we announced our intention to hold her accountable, attorney Scott Rosenblum said in a statement. We always believed her accusation was motivated by greed.

Nelly plans to countersue, Rosenblum added.

Greenes 14-page complaint filed in King County Superior Court relies heavily on information gathered during an Auburn police investigation, which found probable cause that Nelly committed the assault. The suit includes police photographs of Greene and Nelly following the alleged assault, and draws from statements given to investigators.

The suit contends Greene joined Nelly and his entourage for an after-party following the rappers performance on Oct. 6 at the Seattle nightclub Aston Manor, where Green also works part-time as a host. Early on Oct. 7, Nelly, his group, Greene and a friend were driven in three black SUVs from the Seattle club back to the performers tour bus, which was parked outside the Walmart in Auburn, the suit says. Greenes friend opted to leave, and was given a ride, but Greene, who had been drinking that night, decided to stay, the suit states. Once inside the tour bus, the suit contends, Nelly escorted her to his bedroom in the back of the bus.

Nelly sexually assaulted Ms. Greene against her will and after Ms. Greene refused to consent, the suit states.

Following the alleged assault, Greene became increasingly upset and began yelling that she wanted off the bus.

Ms. Greene was physically pushed out of the bus and Defendant Nelly threw a $100 bill at her then closed the bus door and said 'bye bye, the suit states. He taunted her from the bus window as she stood alone in the Walmart parking lot.

Greene called an Uber, then called 911 to report the alleged assault from the car-for-hire while it was parked in the Walmart parking lot near the bus. She later gave a recorded statement and underwent a rape examination, the suit states.

Police arrested Nelly, who claimed his sex with Greene was consensual.

In the days that followed, the rappers attorney put out several media statements contending Greene had fabricated the assault story, wasnt credible and had ulterior motives.

Last week, King County prosecutors announced they would not charge Nelly with a crime because Greene, through her attorney, had opted not to assist with the prosecution. Following the decision, Nelly and his attorney issued a news release claiming Credible evidence did show this accuser to be deceptive. Koehler said Wednesday Greene has never contacted the media about the incident, and, like many rape victims, simply didnt want to undertake the ordeal of pursuing a criminal sexual-assault case.

She did not want anybody to know, Koehler said. She was a 21-year-old college senior, she just wanted her life to be OK.

Following Nellys arrest in October, media coverage wasnt favorable toward her client, and a talk-show host even blamed Green for joining Nellys after-party, Koehler added.
A NATIONAL SHAME: Ontario town votes to keep Swastika street name amid complaintsCanadian PressMore from Canadian PressPublished:December 21, 2017Updated:December 21, 2017 3:45 PM EST(Getty)By Daniela Germano, THE CANADIAN PRESSA small group of Ontario residents living on a street called Swastika Trail vowed Thursday to continue their fight to change the controversial name after local politicians voted in favour of keeping it.Councillors of Puslinch Township, about 75 kilometres west of Toronto, made the decision to preserve the streets name with a 4-1 vote during a meeting Wednesday night.A major Jewish advocacy group in Canada demanded that a municipality in southwestern Ontario rename a street called Swastika Trail. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Jennifer Horton ORG XMIT: CPT116Randy Guzar, one of four residents of Swastika Trail who led the effort to change the streets name, said their work on the matter will not stop.Councils decision ignores millions of people murdered, slaughtered, oppressed, he said. Its unbelievable how anyone could come to this sort of decision.Google MapsGuzar, his wife and two of their neighbours contacted Bnai Brith Canada two months ago, asking for help persuading council to change the street name. The advocacy group then launched a national online petition that was presented to council Wednesday.We will move forward, Guzar said of the vote, adding that those opposed to the streets name are determining their next steps.Swastika Trail was named in the 1920s before the rise of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. Residents who support keeping the name have argued the symbol has a long history before the Second World War, but others argue it is still used by white supremacists as a symbol of hate.The road was named long before this was an issue...Council believes that residents there are not using the word in any sort of hateful or discriminatory manner.Puslinch Township Mayor Dennis LeverMembers of a neighbourhood association held their own vote on the issue two months ago in which the majority said they wanted to keep the street name by a vote of 25-20.Puslinch Township Mayor Dennis Lever said council members did not want to overstep democratic actions already taken by residents.Township council decided not to get involved in changing the name, Lever said in an interview Thursday. The road was named long before this was an issue.  Council believes that residents there are not using the word in any sort of hateful or discriminatory manner.Regardless of its origins, the swastika will always be associated with the Nazis and the horrific genocide that resulted in the deaths of millions of people.Avi Benlolo, Friends Of Simon Wiesenthal Center For Holocaust Studies CEOBnai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn expressed disappointment with the decision, adding that council did not address many issues brought forward by residents.Under the Municipal Act, they had the power to change the street name, said Mostyn, who attended the meeting. Aside from that, they heard from many residents that there were problems with the process of the way that local association vote was held.He also said his organization would continue to help residents working to change the name.Another Canadian Jewish organization, Friends Of Simon Wiesenthal Center For Holocaust Studies, called the street name a national shame.As we continue to witness the swastika being used to express hate against the Jewish community, as well as other minority groups, changing the name of the street should have been a obvious step to take, Avi Benlolo, the organizations president and CEO, said in a statement. Regardless of its origins, the swastika will always be associated with the Nazis and the horrific genocide that resulted in the deaths of millions of people.Jennifer Horton, another Swastika Trail resident, said her husband applied to have the word swastika on a licence plate, but a letter from Service Ontario denied the request, citing human rights discrimination. Horton said her husband submitted the letter to make a point to council.That alone should have ended the debate, she said, noting the irony that street residents are forced to have the word on their drivers licence and health card.Were not going to stop. Were disappointed and bit surprised by councils reaction and what they chose to ignore in all of this, she said.We in Puslinch are proud of the area we live in...and, unfortunately, this issue may have a negative influence on the way people perceive usPuslinch Coun. John SepulisJohn Sepulis, the only township councillor who voted to change the street name, said the matter is going to continue to be an issue for council.We in Puslinch are proud of the area we live in  and, unfortunately, this issue may have a negative influence on the way people perceive us, he said.He brought forward a motion to change the street name, but also install a plaque that would explain the history of the street and the reason behind the original name, he said, noting the motion was voted down.I understand the respect for the historical significance of the word swastika, but currently its offensive to a lot of people, he said. To try to change everybody to our way of thinking would not work  it would be self-defeating.
ST. LOUIS  A carjacking suspect who led police on a rush-hour chase Wednesday across St. Louis, St. Louis County and the Metro East now faces felony charges.

Keontae Henderson, 21, of Bridgeton, was charged Thursday in St. Louis with tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree, resisting arrest by fleeing, and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. Each charge is a felony

A probable cause statement identified Henderson as the driver of a car police chased Wednesday as it crossed from St. Louis into Illinois and back. Police said the car, a 2015 red Ford Fusion, had been taken in a carjacking the night before.

The pursuit began when a license plate reader just north of downtown detected the stolen vehicle about 4:15 p.m., police said. St. Louis County Police and Illinois State Police assisted in the pursuit.

TV helicopters picked up the chase as the driver exited Interstate 270 in north St. Louis County shortly before he crashed about 5:10 p.m. on Market Street near Compton Avenue.

The driver was arrested just after the crash and taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Henderson hit three cars during the pursuit, according to the the probable cause statement. Police said no one involved in the crashes was injured.

Judge Timothy J. Boyer set bail for Henderson at $250,000.

Henderson lives on Gistpark Drive, according to court records.
While Missouris college leaders fret over dwindling state dollars, a proposal could tie 10 percent of that money to how well they produce graduates and keep costs down.

Ten percent may not sound like a lot of money, but its enough to matter, said Zora Mulligan, Missouris higher education commissioner.

The plan would mean that $970,000 could be on the line for Harris-Stowe State University, while $41.9 million could be at stake for the University of Missouri system.

Performance funding has been around for several years but was tied only to new money for higher education. This past year there were no new dollars to dole out, making the funding method moot.

The shift to making some core state funding for each school be at stake is a really fundamental change, Mulligan said.

The proposed change is expected to come up for a vote Jan. 2 by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. At the same meeting, the board is likely to vote to ask the governor to fund higher education at the same level as this year, when Missouri schools took a 9 percent hit in state dollars.

The 9 percent cut amounted to $88 million and led to hundreds of layoffs statewide at two- and four-year schools.

While college presidents are largely supportive of the revamped measures for performance, theyre less thrilled about the budget prospects.

It really is almost breathtaking to think that this board would say, in effect, that were funded fine, Paul Wagner, executive director of the Council on Public Higher Education in Missouri, told the coordinating board at a meeting this month. His organization represents all 13 public universities.

Chuck Ambrose, president of the University of Central Missouri, said not asking for more funding sent a message about what Missouri considered to be a worthwhile investment. A statewide tuition cap further complicates the issue for college presidents, who are struggling to find ways to make up the lost state dollars.

On top of the budget plateau, Mulligan said the department didnt plan to ask for money for any schools building projects.

College leaders have another week to submit their thoughts on the budget proposal before the vote. Because of that, multiple university presidents declined to comment for this story.

New measures

A task force of higher education leaders across the state helped develop the new performance measures. The revised standards are technical, and details vary by type of school. But they generally answer these questions:

 Are students completing degrees and certificates?

 Are they mastering what they study?

 Are graduates getting jobs or continuing their education?

 Are colleges affordable?

 Are schools spending money judiciously?

The push toward outcomes-based funding has Gov. Eric Greitens stamp of approval.

We support the move to increase accountability for performance across our government, including in higher education, Greitens chief operating officer Drew Erdmann said in a statement.

The new formula includes a system to help institutions that dont hit all of their performance standards.

Harris-Stowe, for example, hit only one of the five previous performance categories in 2014-15. Just one other institution in the state, Northwest Missouri State University, missed a category that year.

If the proposal passes, the money that schools lose when they miss a target will go back to the state Department of Higher Education so it can use those dollars to help the institution improve.

Erdmann called the idea interesting and innovative in a statement.

The revisions are an effort to address concerns raised by higher education leaders, legislators and the state auditor about the old measures and about how the state was verifying data the schools reported.

The old measures let universities pick which other schools they would be compared with on some standards. Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway criticized how schools picked those peer institutions, according to a report released earlier this year. The new system allows universities to show progress based on their own growth.

Also, many college leaders had argued that graduation rates should include more than just full-time students who start and finish at the same college, in an era when the number of nontraditional, part-time students is growing. The new measures account for that change in student demographics.
Welp, somebody just landed on the naughty list.

York County Sheriffs deputies who pulled over an elderly couple on a traffic stop in Nebraska on Tuesday say they found 60 pounds of high-grade pot in the Toyota Tacoma with the man and woman.

Estimated street value: $336,000.

They said the marijuana was for Christmas presents, Lt. Paul Vrbka told the York News-Times.

The couple were stopped when the truck was spotted crossing the center line on Interstate 80 near Bradshaw, Neb., and the driver failed to use the turn signal, Vrbka said.

He said deputies smelled a strong odor of marijuana when they stopped the vehicle. The countys K9 unit alerted deputies to the possibility of pot in the truck, and a search ensued.

Deputies found bags of weed in boxes inside the pickup topper.

Some of it appeared to be stuffed inside a plastic, Costco-sized cheese balls container.

Authorities arrested Patrick Jiron, 80, and Barbara Jiron, 83, from Clearlake Oaks, Calif., on suspicion of marijuana possession with intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp, the News-Times reported.

The couple said they were heading to Vermont.

Either the senior citizens have a lot of friends or they were really feeling the gift of giving this year, because they swear that the $336,000 worth of weed was all going to get wrapped up as Christmas gifts, snarked Vice.



2017 The Kansas City Star

Visit The Kansas City Star at www.kansascity.com
President Donald Trump signed the Republican tax cut bill Friday morning before leaving for his Christmas break in Florida.

The House and Senate passed the tax measure into law earlier this week, delivering Trump his first major legislative victory of his first year in office.

Trump touted the tax measure as a bill that has something for everyone.

"All of this, everything in here, is really tremendous things for business, for people, for the middle class, for workers," he said. "I consider this very much a bill for the middle class and a bill for jobs."

Trump, after noting companies that announced plans to help workers after the tax bill passed, added, "Corporations are literally going wild."

Despite the bill having low approval ratings before Congress passed it this week, Trump said he believes the public will come around once people see the benefits in their paychecks next year.

"I don't think we are going to have to do much selling," the President said.

Trump also seemed to explain a morning of confusion at the White House, where reporters waited to hear whether he would ink the deal before he left Washington for his holiday vacation in Florida.

"I was going to wait for a formal signing some time in early January, but then I watched the news this morning and they were all saying, 'Will he keep his promise, will he sign it by Christmas?'" Trump said. "And I called downstairs and said get it ready, we have to sign it now."

Touting first-year accomplishments

After passing the tax bill, Trump has been focused on getting the credit he thinks he deserves for his first year in office. His aides have held background briefings with reporters and top surrogates, arguing that Trump has accomplished more than almost any other president in his first year.

Trump and Republicans from the Senate and House celebrated the tax bill at the White House on Wednesday, where GOP leaders praised the President.

"This has been a year of extraordinary accomplishment for the Trump administration," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Trump tweeted the same on Friday in advance of signing the tax bill.

"With all my Administration has done on Legislative Approvals (broke Harry Truman's Record), Regulation Cutting, Judicial Appointments, Building Military, VA, TAX CUTS & REFORM, Record Economy/Stock Market and so much more, I am sure great credit will be given by mainstream news," he wrote.

Trump's trip to Mar-A-Lago, his private club in Florida, will mark his 10th trip as president to Palm Beach. In total, Trump will have spent 106 days of his first year in office at one of his own properties when he arrives in Florida on Friday.

CNN's Kevin Liptak and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
Punishment closer to fit

Back in October, when U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig presented James Clay Waller with the terms of a plea agreement that called for him to serve 35 years in federal prison on a charge related to the murder of his wife, Waller objected, That seems like a long time.

Not long enough. Waller, 45, was already serving a 20-year state sentence on a second-degree murder conviction for strangling his wife, Jacque Sue Waller, in 2011 at his Jackson, Mo., home. They were the parents of triplets. He then ferried her body across the Mississippi River and buried her in a grave hed dug the previous night at a site hed scouted from a helicopter.

In exchange for leading authorities to her body, Waller got 20 years, a short sentence for a killing that couldnt have been more premeditated. An angry reaction in Cape Girardeau, where Waller had once been a sheriffs deputy, caused federal authorities to pursue a charge of interstate domestic violence. In the meantime, Waller wrote a book about it while in prison, boasting, Killing my wife was a no-brainer.

On Tuesday, Waller was formally sentenced to 35 years on the federal charge, to run concurrently with the state sentence. Federal law says hell have to serve 85 percent of it, or almost 30 years. That seems like a short time.

All this, plus Celine Dion

Fifty years ago, the Quebec Liberation Movement used bombs and even murder to further their cause of breaking Canada into two nations, French-speaking Quebec and everywhere else where English is the national language. In 1995, the Quebecois almost won independence, winning more than 49 percent of the vote in a national referendum.

Since then things have been more relaxed, but The New York Times reported this week that hard feelings have resurfaced. This time the issue is whether Quebec is getting proper credit for poutine  French fries slathered in cheese curds and brown gravy. Is it a Canada thing or a Quebec thing?

This is one fight in which this newspaper does not have a chien. We wish this was all that America had to argue about.

Trump, almost lifelike

The Hall of Presidents at Floridas Disney World is set for a grand reopening, this time featuring an animatronic version of the nations 45th president. As with so much about Donald Trump, this has become controversial.

Its not just the voice, the gestures and the open suit jacket revealing a too-long, not-red tie. Its that critics and fans alike say it looks more like the actor Jon Voight or even, gulp, Hillary Clinton, than Trump himself.

Then theres the animatronic Abraham Lincoln, seated to Trumps left. Hes looking a bit askance. As well he might.

Shrug it off

Whatever. Lets blame the millennials for perverting this innocent word into something that means so much more than its letters suggest. For the past nine years, Americans have voted it the single. most. annoying. word. Even punctuation can be used to annoy these days.

It seems impossible to say whatever without a shrug. An eye roll is equally obligatory. Americans correctly consider the word rude, dismissive and tops at being a passive-aggressive conversation-blocking tool.

The haters also are hating the phrase fake news, which came in second on the most irksome word list, according to the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion poll. We're not making this up.

Rounding out the top five were no offense, but, literally and you know what I mean.

Really? Like, literally? Oh, puleeze.

Judge mumbo jumbo

Matthew S. Petersen doesnt know much about the law, but that didnt stop President Donald Trumps legal team from nominating him for an important lifetime position on a U.S. District Court.

After stumbling miserably through his nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee and failing to answer questions about basic legal issues and procedures, Petersen withdrew from consideration.

In a letter to Trump, Petersen said he did not wish to be a continued distraction from the important work of your administration and the Senate.

How about apologizing to the American people for a lack of self-awareness? Petersen could have prevented the public comeuppance if he had simply said, "No thank you, Mr. President. I'm not qualified for that job."

'Freshman' gets expelled

In the same year, 1552, that the word freshman made its debut in the English vocabulary, so did the word milkmaid, according to Websters Dictionary. Thats probably not a coincidence. Young, fresh men went off to their first year of college. Women stayed home and milked cows.

Today, machines milk cows. Women go to college and, more often than not, kick mens butts academically. Easthampton High School in Massachusetts has decided that its time to retire the word freshman as archaic and sexist. Henceforth, the school will use the phrase first year to refer to students, male or female, in the ninth year of schooling.

The school's superintendent insists that the word police won't be patrolling for infractions, and the right of free speech still reigns supreme. If kids want to say freshman, its up to them. But the schools Gender and Sexuality Alliance Group has convinced the administration to transition to more gender-neutral terminology.

Either word beats what they use in New Zealand  turds  in reference to the lowliest of the low. This is the first weve heard of an American word change. But it almost certainly wont be the last.
Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica), a financial cooperative owned by farmers and ranchers, approved a 2017 cash-back dividend of $200 million for its eligible customer-owners.

Since 2004, FCSAmerica has returned more than $1.5 billion to producers in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

The Board of Directors considers a number of business and economic factors in determining the amount of each years cash-back dividends, including the cooperatives financial strength. The earnings retained by FCSAmerica are used to build the cooperatives financial capacity to continue serving agriculture.

The 2017 dividend checks will be mailed to eligible customer-owners in March 2018. The Board of Directors has approved a cash-back dividend for 2018, with the amount of the distribution to be decided in December 2018.
It is exponentially easier to plan a trip with kids to somewhere you've been before than it 
As we have since July 2006, each Friday well post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 560th in the series.

1) Surrounded by family in Miami, the patriarch of Oliva Cigar, Gilberto Oliva Sr., passed away on Saturday. He was 86. Oliva was born into a tobacco-growing family in Cuba and married there before fleeing the island in his early thirties to escape the Cuban Revolution. He lived in Spain, Nicaragua, and New Jersey before settling in Florida. His first cigarcalled Gilberto Olivadebuted in 1995 and was made by the Plasencias. Shortly thereafter, he launched his own factory in Nicaragua and shortened the brand name to Oliva. Gilberto is succeeded by his wife, five children (including future Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva), and fourteen grandchildren. In 2016, the Oliva family sold Oliva Cigar to a Belgian cigar maker, J. Cortes, for an undisclosed price.

2) U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has signed on as a co-sponsor to S. 294, a bill that would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt premium cigars from harmful FDA regulations. He is the 19th senator to do so. CRA and the entire premium cigar industry would like to thank Senator Graham for standing with the consumers and small businesses of the premium cigar industry, reads an email update from Cigar Rights of America. A companion bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 564, currently has 139 co-sponsors, according to Congress.gov.

3) Lists like this one are frequently full of over-hyped offerings, but this gift guide actually has some pretty good suggestions: 15 bottles that make perfect gifts for whiskey lovers.

4) Inside the Industry: This week CigarAficionado released its top ten cigars of 2017. Number one is the extremely hard-to-find Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark. Retailers (who usually report a boost in sales for the top selection) are already grumbling about such a limited production cigar being chosen.

5) From the Archives: Next week well release our top cigars of 2017. While you wait, check out our 2016 list: part one and part two.

6) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items (think fine bar accessories, hot sauce kits, wine, workout gear, exclusive cigars, and more) delivered for just $45. Once you are signed up there is no obligation; you can skip or purchase every month. Sign up here to be eligible for the January box; including the Churchill box that features four cigars, an ashtray made of reclaimed wood, an odor-eating candle, cedar spills, and a cutter.

The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Oliva Cigar
Sarah Wheeler was the second lady home at Evesham. Photo: Barry Cornelius

SARAH Wheeler won her age category in the scenic Evesham Festive 10k race last weekend.

Now in its fourth year and formerly known as Race for Grace Festive 10k and Myositis Evesham Festive 10k, this event has raised thousands of pounds for charitable causes.

This year, all profits will go to the charity Children with Cancer UK, the leading national childrens charity dedicated to the fight against childhood cancer.

Wheeler was one of two Stratford AC competitors in the race, claiming 18th overall in a time of 43.18.

She was first in her age category and second female, losing out on top spot by just 27 seconds.

Wheeler said: It was a lovely route, although the weather made it much tougher, especially the churned up farmers fields.

I need to remember to check the weather reports, because running in glasses when its raining is not a good idea.

Club-mate Lisa Whittington finished in 210th place, with a time of 1.08.01.

295 runners completed the race, which was won by Owen Grant in a time of 36.13. The first lady to finish, in 17th place, was Shona Crombie-Hicks, in a time of 42.51.

In the one-mile junior race, Sarahs son Henry romped home in first place, which was just reward for his hard work in training.
COLUMBUS  Butch Runges story could very easily be that of any Nebraska farmer.

Thats why hes willing to share it.

The rural Columbus man is quite happy staying out of the public eye at his farm about 2 miles east of Lake North, but hes hoping what happened to him early last month can serve as a lesson for other farmers during the high-stress planting and harvest seasons.

Runge, who considers himself to be in pretty good shape for 65, wasnt feeling the greatest that week, but like any stubborn father, he told his daughter, Michele Martin, a trip to the doctor could wait until after the corn crop was in.

He was crabby and shorthanded on Nov. 7, so Martin agreed to pull the grain cart while her brother Travis and a neighbor hauled corn back and forth between the field northeast of Columbus and the Archer Daniels Midland ethanol plant on the east side of town.

Runge was in the combine with a bag of chocolate-covered peanuts and a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

I just starting getting a pain in my chest, he said.

It was probably indigestion from the snacks, Runge thought, so he kept going.

But as Runge made the turn and starting cutting a path back across the quarter-mile section, the pain worsened.

He stopped the combine, crawled out and dropped to his knees.

This indigestion is really bad, he thought, asking his daughter for Rolaids.

Martin, a paramedic who works in the emergency room at York General Hospital, knew better.

Her father was having a heart attack.

She shut off the tractor pulling the grain cart, grabbed her vehicle and ordered her father to get in, then called her brother and the local hospital.

Minutes later, they were at Columbus Community Hospital, where an ER team was standing by.

Runge doesnt remember much of the quick trip.

I kept blacking out all the way to town, he said.

At the hospital, the medical team led by Dr. Robert Miller quickly diagnosed Runges condition as a widowmaker, a massive heart attack that often leads to death.

Columbus Hospital recognized it right away, Martin said.

A blood clot and chunk of plaque that broke off completely blocked one of Runges main arteries to the heart and closed 98 percent of the other. His heart was in fibrillation, fluttering but not pumping blood.

Thats what happens right before you die, said Runge, who was shocked multiple times with a defibrillator, and CPR was administered to get his heart beating again.

Runge was stabilized at the Columbus hospital, then transported by Midwest MedAir to CHI Nebraska Heart, where he underwent a procedure to remove the blockage and insert two stents to open the arteries.

Less than 2 hours passed between the time when he had his heart attack at about 5:30 p.m. and when he was recovering from the procedure that left only a small mark on his right wrist where doctors accessed a blood vessel.

Runge was back in church that Sunday and back in the combine the following week. But he knows things could have turned out much differently had his daughter not decided to help out that day.

His message to other farmers is not to ignore the signs of a potential health issue, even if it is harvest season.

I guess God works in mysterious ways, Runge said. It just wasnt my time to go.
The student loan debt plan is on hold, again, and no one knows when (or if) it's coming. What could this mean for you?

Host Teri Barr is talking with Cecilia Clark, a Student Loans Expert with Nerd Wallet, to learn why this newest hold on the program, could take awhile, the 3 things you need to know about and prepare for right now, including making your loan payments again in the New Year.

The latest from Cecilia at NerdWallet:

More episodes on debt:

Support the show: https://omny.fm/shows/pennywise

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
DEHLI  A former eastern Iowa city clerk has been sentenced to more than a year in jail for allegedly misusing the citys credit card and altering her and her ex-husbands water bills.

Judge Linda Reade sentenced Angela Josephine Billings, 42, currently of Anamosa, to one year and three months in jail during a hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Billings will also have to serve three years of supervised release following her jail time and pay a $100 special assessment.

She pleaded guilty to one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds because the city had received U.S. Housing and Urban Development block grant money during the time of the theft.

Billingss attorney asked the court for leniency because she had no prior criminal record and because she has health issues and is a single parent, a move that was challenged by the government.

Billings had been Delhis city clerk, and prosecutors allege that between March 2007 and January 2015, she took $101,624 from the city by using the citys credit card for personal expenses, inflating her reimbursement checks, making unauthorized phone calls and manipulating the utility bills.

City officials began to investigate the expenses after Billings left for another job in 2015.
BROOKLYN | Craig Lang, an Iowa County dairy farmer and former Iowa Farm Bureau president, has launched his campaign for Iowa secretary of agriculture.

Lang committed to bringing together Iowans to improve the states soil health, water quality and rural economy  issues that are most important to the future not only of rural Iowa, but our entire state.

How the state addresses those issues will determine whether our soil washes away or regenerates, our water becomes dirtier or cleaner and our rural communities struggle or once again become the vibrant economic engines we know they can be, Lang said at a campaign kickoff event Thursday at the Brooklyn area dairy and beef farm he operates with his father, sons and a brother.

Lang, 66, a former president of the Iowa Board of Regents, will seek the Republican nomination for the post held by Bill Northey since January 2007. Northey is awaiting Senate confirmation as USDA undersecretary of farm production and conservation.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to appoint an interim secretary to serve out Northeys term. Much of the speculation focuses on her appointing Deputy Secretary Mike Naig.

Lang said soil loss on Iowas 29 million acres of farmland can be reversed and soil health improved by bringing back the cattle industry, diversifying crop rotations and adding more cover crops.

Its been proven that cover crops can reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff by 30 percent, he said. Iowa farmers seed an estimated 1 million acres of winter cover crops. His goal would be to see that grow to 5 million acres in five years and continue to increase.

Lang, who served as president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation from 2001 to 2011, wants to expand efforts to promote trade, especially to China, which has reopened its markets to U.S. beef, as well as India and other Asian countries.

He has some experience in that area. While working with the Ministry of Agriculture on agriculture biotechnology in China, Lang signed the first non-governmental organization memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology on behalf of the Iowa Farm Bureau.

He wants to create more ownership in the local manufacturing of the products raised in Iowa, as well as encourage more high-speed internet connectivity, seek more support for young farmers and rural entrepreneur networks and lead the discussion about the importance of rural investment capital and strategic rural ventures.

For Iowa to be successful, Lang said he wants to bring together diverse groups to bolster Iowas agriculture sector.

Were all in this together as Iowans, Lang said. We face great challenges, and we have tremendous opportunities. We will either succeed together or fail together. Im an optimist and a realist, and I know we will succeed if we chart the right course and work together to achieve a common goal.

Lang served as chairman of the board of the FBL Financial Group while president of the Farm Bureau. Gov. Tom Vilsack appointed him chairman of the Grow Iowa Values Fund and vice chair of the Iowa Economic Development Board.

Lang is president of The Prairie Strategy Group, consulting on food production, policy and logistics. He also consults on rural economic development issues and consensus- and opportunity-building.

Lang and his wife, Mary, have four adult children.
Beach bonfires along the Mount Maunganui/Papamoa coastal strip are banned from noon today until further notice.

The total fire ban applies to all land on the seaward side of Marine Parade, Ocean Beach Road, Maranui Street, and Papamoa Beach Road.

The New Zealand Fire Service and Tauranga City Council made the decision as a result of recent dry weather.

The Mount Maunganui/Papamoa area has considerable vegetation, including grass and scrub along the dunes, which can act as fuel.

It is necessary to take this step due to the early arrival of hot, dry weather this summer," says Tauranga City Council Parks and Environment team leader, Warren Aitken.

"The rain earlier this week wasnt enough to mitigate the risk of wildfire. This ban affects only the coastal strip, but regardless of where you reside in Tauranga, please take extreme care with fire.

The ban does not prohibit residents from using barbeques or traditional cooking fires provided the fire does not pose a danger, a water supply is present to extinguish the fire, and it is supervised at all times.

For more details see section three of the Outdoor Fire Safety Bylaw 2015.

Signage will be put in place at popular beach entrances along the coast.

If dry conditions continue, a fire ban may be imposed on all of Tauranga Citys urban areas.
A proposed new bus interchange for Farm Street, behind Bayfair, has been criticised by a transport lobby group.

Greater Tauranga spokesperson Heidi Hughes says there should be community engagement on the proposal, which would move the current bus interchange from the front of the Bayfair mall.

In our view it sets up the new bus system to fail, she says, citing a lack of bus lanes and traffic volumes on Farm Street as reasons why the new interchange should not be there.

We believe this project should have been notified and local people consulted. It is a very big change in use for a local residential street. We also believe the project has not been well thought through and could result in a slow, inefficient bus service during peak times.

We believe there should be bus lanes added to the Baypark to Bayfair Link project and that the main bus interchange should be on Maunganui Road with a bike/pedestrian over or underpass to connect people to the interchange.

Greater Tauranga sent a letter earlier this month to government ministers Phil Twyford and Julie Anne Genter, highlighting their issues with the Baypark to Bayfair Link project and their concerns around the councils Farm Street proposal. They are yet to receive a reply.

Sue McArthur, a Farm Street resident and Greater Tauranga member, says she and her neighbours found out about the proposed interchange in August.

I contacted Tauranga City Council and asked for details of the proposal, and was supplied with draft engineering drawings and renders of the shelters.

She says she shared these with residents, and also spoke with Bayfair manager Steve Ellingford about the matter, who told her nothing has been finalised between the council and Bayfair as yet.

Residents have been told the resource consent being prepared for the interchange will be non-notified, which means there may be no opportunity for consultation to take place between the council and residents on this matter, says Sue.

She says traffic on Farm Street is currently very heavy, with cars entering and exiting from Bayfair every day onto the narrow road.

A video has also been produced by Greater Tauranga showing the heavy volumes of traffic on Farm Street, and the dangers posed, in their view, to both pedestrians and cyclists using the route.

Tauranga City Council spokesperson Marcel Currin says the transport team has been working with local stakeholders towards getting a bus interchange in the Arataki area.

Theres not yet a confirmed location, although Farm Street has been in the conversation. Once a location is sorted theyll be able to start talking about it with the wider community.

Theyre wanting to progress something early next year. The purpose of having an interchange in Arataki is to support work that the regional council is doing to improve bus services.

A report to the Bay of Plenty Regional Councils Public Transport Committee in May says Tauranga City Council advised that work on a bus interchange on Farm Street behind Bayfair is due for completion in November 2017 (original completion date of February 2017).

BOPRC transport policy manager Garry Maloney says both councils are currently working around the viability of a bus interchange in the Arataki area.

No location has been confirmed. We will continue to work with all out transport partners to ensure they deliver a public transport network that responds to growth, meets the needs of our diverse community and encourages more people to use the buses.

Bayfair declined to comment on the matter, saying it was a council project.
The Waitangi Tribunal has published its Te Urewera report into the claims of the Urewera region.

Although the report had previously been released in pre-publication parts on the Tribunals website, this is the first hard-copy publication of the extensive 4,182-page report.

The publication of the report is the culmination of a 30-year process of receiving claims, commissioning research, holding public hearings, and writing the report.

It also marks the end of the Tribunals formal inquiry into the Urewera claims. The report can be bought from publishers Legislation Direct.

The history of the relations of the peoples of Te Urewera  Tuhoe, Ngati Haka Patuheuheu, Ngati Whare, Ngati Manawa, Ngati Hineuru, Ngati Rangitihi, and Ngai Tamaterangi (Ngati Kahungunu)  with the Crown has been a profoundly unhappy one.

The claims that they brought before the Tribunal focused on issues that had long been a source of anger and bitterness.

These claims included the confiscation of much of the best Tuhoe lands in 1866 when they were caught up in a confiscation aimed at punishing not Tuhoe but those iwi that the Crown held responsible for the murder of the Reverend Carl Volkner.

The claims also concern the widespread military conflict with Crown forces in upper Wairoa, Waikaremoana, and the heart of Te Urewera from the mid-1860s through to the early 1870s, in which non-combatants were sometimes killed, and people were starved out of their villages, or driven from them, with wholesale destruction of kainga, crops, and taonga.

A deeply held grievance was the failure of the Crown to give real recognition to mana motuhake/tino rangatiratanga.

Premier Richard Seddons government finally engaged in negotiations with Te Urewera leaders and passed a law unique in our history, the Urewera District Native Reserve Act 1896, which granted the peoples of Te Urewera powers of self-government and collective tribal control of their lands.

Before long, the Tribunal found, the Crown presided over the collapse of the Urewera District Native Reserve, deliberately undermining the autonomy of the iwi and the protections the Act contained for tribal lands.

The Crown embarked on the aggressive purchase of thousands of small interests in reserve land blocks, and then in the 1920s it consolidated them into one vast block of Crown land in the centre of Te Urewera.

This was the land that would become Te Urewera National Park in the 1950s.

Tuhoe were marginalised in their homeland and denied the arterial roads and state-of-the-art land titles that the Crown had promised to assist their farming development.

Their resentment of the national park was huge. And, during the same period, the Crown refused to recognise the Maori Land Courts award of title to the Maori owners of Lake Waikaremoana, a tribal taonga, while it exercised the rights of an owner itself. It developed hydro-electricity works, permanently lowered the level of the lake, and did not agree to lease the lake from its owners and pay for its use until 1971.

Some of the best known Te Urewera claims are those that have left the most painful memories.

The Waiohau fraud deprived Ngati Patuheuheu of 7,000 acres of their ancestral lands.

The Crown failed to protect an entire community, and in 1907 they were evicted from Te Houhi, their sacred sites, and their best farmland.

Nine years later, the community of Maungapohatu suffered invasion by an armed expedition of three contingents of police, who burst onto their marae to arrest their leader Rua Kenana for minor liquor supply offences and also (in time of war) on suspicion of sedition.

Two young Maori, one of them Ruas younger son, were killed in a badly planned and brutal operation. After a lengthy trial, Rua was acquitted of all but one of the charges against him.

The 20th century experience of the peoples of Te Urewera was generally one of hardship, poverty, and lack of opportunity, relieved only somewhat by the impact of the welfare state and the forestry industry.

The Tribunal found that the poor socio-economic position of the peoples of Te Urewera over many decades was largely a prejudice arising from the Crowns repeated Treaty breaches.

But their sense of betrayal by the Crown arose from its broken promises.
Clause 24 of the EU's negotiating headlines raised its ugly head again this week, causing tension in Gibraltar and between the UK and the European Union, and leading British prime minister Theresa May to reiterate in the House of Commons that Gibraltar has her full support and will not be left out of negotiations for the transition period of Brexit.

Clause 24 caused shock back in April, when it effectively gave Spain a veto over any UK-EU agreements that relate to Gibraltar once Britain has left the EU. The clause says that no future agreement between the UK and the EU can be applied to Gibraltar without prior agreement between Spain and the UK.

The reason for the present concern is because the EU has just published its negotiating guidelines for the next phase of the Brexit talks, and these once again refer to Clause 24.

The European Union itself has nothing to gain from this, insists deputy chief minister Joseph Garcia

The UK and Gibraltar governments consider that any arrangements for Britain's transition period automatically include Gibraltar, because Brexit will not yet have happened, but Spain appears to be putting pressure on the EU to specifically apply Clause 24 to these negotiations as well.

In response to a question put to her by the DUP's Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, May reiterated comments she had made on Monday regarding Gibraltar and the Brexit negotiations.

We and the EU have been clear that Gibraltar is covered by the withdrawal agreement and our Article 50 exit negotiations, she said. As we negotiate this, we will be negotiating to ensure that the relationships are there for Gibraltar as well. We are not going to exclude Gibraltar from our negotiations for either the implementation period or the future agreement.

The Gibraltar government was quick to respond to the news, accusing Spain of negative motivation and outright bad faith. Deputy chief minister Dr Joseph Garcia said: Spain has absolutely nothing to gain by this. Current and future Spanish workers have nothing to gain by this and the uncertainty created by their government as a result. Indeed, the European Union itself has nothing to gain by this. All that they have done is slap in the face a small community that voted by 96% to remain in the European Union. Moreover, the purported veto is not even in the interests of Spain itself or of the many thousands of Spanish and other EU nationals who live in Spain and work in Gibraltar.

It should be noted that these are proposed guidelines from the EU regarding the next stage of talks, so nothing is set in stone. However, when asked about the application of Clause 24 to the transition period, EU negotiator Michel Barnier indicated that the spirit of April's guidelines is reaffirmed on this particular point in the document agreed today.
CEDAR RAPIDS | A Clear Lake farmer has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty in a multi-million dollar cut-and-paste loan scam.

Michael Royster, 53, pleaded guilty to providing false documents to Farm Credit Services of America (FCSA) to receive $3.8 million in credits for 2015 farming expenses.

U.S. District Court Judge Linda R. Reade sentenced Royster to 33 months in prison and ordered him to pay $1,133,821.31 in restitution to FCSA.

Royster admitted in a plea agreement he created fake contracts to mislead FCSA into thinking local cooperatives or other purchasers were storing more of his and his son's corn and soybeans than what they actually had in storage, court documents said.

He created the fake documents by cutting and pasting additional digits on the actual contracts and then making photocopies of the altered documents, according to court documents.

In one example, Royster admitted to falsifying a contract showing a cooperative had approximately 20,000 bushels of his corn by adding a "1" to make it appear as though the cooperative instead held 120,000 bushels, court documents said. He admitted to using a similar scam to get loans in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Royster must also serve a term of supervised release after the prison term. A special assessment of $100 was imposed.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob A. Schunk and investigated by the FBI.
As a major tourist destination and the southern gateway to Europe, Malaga port is used to welcoming passenger ships and luxury private yachts almost every day. However, when a classic tall ship anchors beside its quays it is something unusual, a special occasion which may even feature in the history books of the future.

This Christmas, the Nao Victoria Foundation has set its sights on Malaga, and from now until 7 January there will be the chance to tour the impressive Galeon Andalucia, a replica of the galleons used by the Spanish for their maritime expeditions between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Together with two other sailing ships, Nao Victoria and Nao Santa Maria - which is still being built, it is one of a collection managed by the foundation, which are used as museums and also as venues for events.

During its tour this year the Andalucia has visited Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, USA, Canada and several Spanish ports. This is its first time in Malaga, although the foundation's flagship, the Nao Victoria, was here in February. A ticket to visit the ship costs six euros for adults and three euros for children aged from five to ten, and the tours take place between 10am and 7pm.

Boarding a galleon and walking across its decks gives an idea of what it must have been like to be a cabin boy; to step back in time and put yourself in the place of the crew members who sailed the seas over half the world for three centuries. The aim is for people to appreciate the challenges and feats of the Spanish sailors centuries ago, says foundation representative Fernando Viota. A visit to the ship is full of symbolism.

Malaga was also the birthplace of one of the greatest explorers of the 16th century, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, who some historians think discovered what is today Hawaii.

Almost the whole of the Galeon Andalucia can be visited. The ship is 55 metres long, has six decks, seven sails and ten cannons. There are also quarters for top-ranking officers, such as the captain, with cabins, bathrooms and what is known as the Admiral's Room. Although the view hardly differs from that of the quay, looking at the cathedral, the Gibralfaro castle, big wheel and Equitativa building from the deck of a tall ship takes visitors back in time. If we also take into account the characteristic movement of this type of ship in port, it is almost like being in a film.

This is a fascinating experience, and something different to enjoy during the festive season, before the ship leaves for its next port of call, with a fair wind and at full sail.
Tucked away in a valley overlooked by the Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama mountain range lies the diminutive hamlet of Acebuchal. Situated between Competa and Frigiliana, this once forgotten place is enjoying a renaissance.

During Spain's Civil War it is said that the residents of Acebuchal hid and fed Republican Guerillas who were hiding from Franco's Nationalists in the surrounding mountains. In 1949 General Franco embarked on a final bid to rid the country of remaining Republicans. His forces ordered the remaining residents of Acebuchal out and they fled the hamlet, leaving their houses and many of their belongings behind. The Guardia Civil - the then Francoist police force - used the hamlet as a base to hunt down remaining Guerillas. The police eventually left, Acebuchal was forgotten about and the buildings fell into ruins.

A family's vision

However, in 1998, a couple from Frigiliana saw the tourist potential of the place and started to buy up property. Their son, Sebastian, who now runs Bar Restaurante El Acebuchal, along with his brother, Antonio, says that his mother, Virtudes Sanchez, whose father was born in Acebuchal, bought her first property for just 1,000 euros.

The restaurant, which is a converted school, opened in 2005. The menu is full of locally-sourced products and the homemade bread is sold as far afield as Malaga city. It is open from 10am until 4pm every day, serving breakfast, coffee and lunch. It also doubles up as a museum, with old photos of Acebuchal and nearby villages along with poems written by Virtudes lining the walls. The menus explain the hamlet's history in both English and Spanish.

Other investors have followed in the couple's footsteps and the streets of Acebuchal are now a collection of freshly-painted whitewash houses with brightly-coloured doors, windowsills and matching flowerpots. Most of the properties are either second homes or holiday cottages available to rent and another restaurant, La Montes, has opened up in the last year.

Ask for Antonio

Antonio Garcia, Virtudes' now ex-husband, runs the only shop in the hamlet, which is located about ten metres further down the hill from the two restaurants. The shop doesn't have a sign, but Antonio vows that he is always there and that visitors only have to ask for Antonio if they find it closed or unattended. It sells a variety of goods, from his own local sweet wine, to some of the ceramic pots and other trinkets that were found during the restoration of houses.

Although what makes Acebuchal famous is its 20th-century history, the earliest documentation related to Acebuchal dates back to 1569 and the Battle of Frigiliana during the Spanish Reconquest, according to a book detailing the history of the hamlet, published earlier this year and written by siblings Vicky and Ramon Fernandez, whose family once lived there. Acebuchal also provided a stop on the trading route between Malaga and Granada and it could even date back to earlier times like most of its neighbouring towns and villages. However, the hamlet became known as 'the ghost village' between 1949 and 1998 and the name has stuck.

Although Acebuchal actually belongs to Competa, it is slightly closer to Frigiliana and is easier to access from Frigiliana than Competa by following the road up past Frigiliana and turning right at a sign for Acebuchal and the restaurant. Although the road is untarmacked in some areas, it's accessible by car.

While a few years ago only the most intrepid might have set foot in the ghost village, nowadays it is popular with both Spanish and foreign visitors alike.
Carlos Fernandez, the former Marbella councillor wanted in Spain in connection with the Malaya corruption scandal and other charges, was told yesterday that a court in Argentina has allowed him to be extradited.

Fernandez fled Spain in June 2006 as the wide-reaching corruption scandal was breaking and evaded detection and arrest until September this year.

The Spanish authorities had asked for extradition on six charges, however in the end the Argentinian judge only considered one linked to another corruption case at Marbella town hall called Saqueo 2. He said the other charges had expired.

The decision can be appealed.
The Junta de Andalucia has taken into care a further five more underage migrants identified among those being held at the new Archidona jail, in inland Malaga province. This brings to seven the total number of Algerian children removed by social workers.

Archidona's unopened prison building is being used as a temporary detention centre for some 500 illegal migrants while their cases and possible deportation are being processed.

Trade unions and civil rights groups continue to protest at the use of the building and in support of migrant rights. Demonstrations took place both last weekend and on Wednesday at the gates to the prison.
A 72-year-old Moroccan man considered North Africa's biggest cocaine trafficker has been arrested after a National Police operation, in conjunction with the Tax Agency, intercepted a tonne of cocaine and dismantled a trafficking network operating on the Costa del Sol.

The network made use of real estate and financial infrastructures to create the appearance of a genuine business and dodge police and border controls.

According to a National Police press release, the organisation, comprising its leader and his four sons and two sons-in-law, transported cocaine from South America inside shipments of pineapples.

In one shipment from Costa Rica, 33 kilos of the drug were found concealed inside the fruit in cylinders covered in yellow wax.

The operation began in October last year and led to the arrest of the leader who began trafficking in the 1970s, transporting hashish around North Africa before moving to the Costa del Sol and the trafficking of cocaine.
After two years of delays, work is to finally begin on the pedestrianisation of the Plaza Costa del Sol in Torremolinos.

The town hall has announced that the renovation of the centre, which has been closed to traffic since December 2015, and the Avenida Palma de Mallorca will start on Monday 8 January 2018.

The council was given the green light after the Junta de Andalucia recently approved the town's updated urban development plan (PGOU).

The project involves an investment of 2.5 million euros and will run in two phases, the first from January until May. The second phase will begin in September and should be completed by December 2018.

The renovations will be overseen by architect Salvador Moreno Peralta and involves the transformation of more than 10,000 square metres. This will incorporate parts of Calle de la Cruz, Calle Hoyo, Avenida Isabel Manoja and Calle Marques de Salamanca.

The mayor of Torremolinos, Jose Ortiz, explained that the centre of the town will be transformed into a grand boulevard.

This is the first step in transforming Torremolinos into an innovative, avant-garde town, giving it a new image of cultural importance. This will be the biggest change the town has seen since the 1960s, the mayor stressed.

The construction of the new boulevard is only the first step of transformation of the centre of Torremolinos. Throughout 2018 other renovation work will take place in Plaza La Nogalera, Cuesta del Tajo, Calle del Peligro and the Pimental Tower.

Grand transformation

The emblematic Barrabino mansion will gain prominence as the central focus of the Plaza Costa del Sol. The former residence of Maria Barrabino - remembered as one of the town's most charitable people - was purchased by the Torremolinos town hall in September and the grand palatial home will now be renovated and turned into a cultural, artistic and exhibition centre. The grounds of the house will be opened to create an avant-garde style plaza complete, with an open-air theatre embellished with several bronze sculptures by Elena Laveron.

The Plaza Costa del Sol will include an emblematic pergola, shaded green areas, ponds, fountains and water features.
A 36-year-old former Serbian solider was arrested late last week after a series of violent attacks in Teruel province, Aragon.

Following an armed attack in a rural area earlier this month, the Guardia Civil had been carrying out extra searches in the province. On Thursday last week two officers were shot at close range and a farmhand who had been helping the searches was found close by, also fatally wounded. Next morning, Norbert Feher was found sleeping by a road and arrested on suspicion of the crimes.

He carries the nickname 'Igor the Russian' and has been the subject of an arrest warrant since last July after violent incidents in Italy. In September this year Italian police asked Spain to check Mijas and Puerto Banus where it was rumoured he was hiding, but he was not found. He was described as extremely dangerous and violent.
There is always an air of great excitement and anticipation in Spain on 22 December, because it is the day of the Christmas Lottery, known as El Gordo, meaning The Fat One, although the nickname refers to the first prize rather than the lottery itself.

It is hardly surprising that people hope for a win: this is the biggest lottery in the world in terms of prize money, totalling over two billion euros and with the main winner receiving around four million. Around 75 per cent of adults in Spain are believed to buy a ticket or a decimo, a fraction of one-tenth, for El Gordo, in the hope of making a fortune.

In 1967, there was great rejoicing in Malaga when it became known that tickets for the first prize, over 600 million pesetas, had all been bought in the city. The winning number was 43758.

The Sorteo de Navidad, as it is officially known, is the second longest-running national lottery in the world, beaten only by the Dutch Staatsloterij, which began in 1726. The Spanish lottery continued all through the Civil War (1936 - 1939) although 1938 was unusual because there were two of them. Both took place on 22 December, but one was republican and drawn in Barcelona, and the other nationalist and was held in Burgos.

The drum that releases the numbered balls. / EFE

However, the Spanish Christmas lottery has not always been held on the same date. It began on 18 December 1812 (18/12/1812), and was the idea of the exiled government, which at the time was based in Cadiz, as a way of raising money to cover the costs of fighting Napoleons troops during the Peninsular War. It was held on different dates in December after that, and it was not until 1893 that it was held on 22nd for the first time.

The winning numbers are sung, rather than spoken, by pupils from San Ildefonso school (originally, it was an orphanage) and until 1913 the numbers were printed on paper. From then onwards, the system of wooden balls which is still in use today was introduced.

For the past seven years the draw has taken place at the Royal Theatre in Madrid; prior to that it was held at the Spanish parliament.

Tickets for the very first Christmas lottery cost 40 reales. In 1944 they were 100 pesetas and by 1953 the price had doubled, to 200. It doubled yet again, to 400 pesetas, in 1957, and by 1970 people were paying 1,000 pesetas. Now, a decimo for El Gordo costs 20 euros.

Statisticians say that 85 per cent of those who buy a ticket for the Christmas lottery will not win anything, but it doesnt put people off. El Gordo is part of Spanish history and tradition, and the anticipation and excitement are all part of Christmas in Spain.
Unicaja Banco has reached an agreement for an undisclosed sum with Axactor, a Norwegian company, to offload 252 million euros' worth of real estate it received when owners defaulted on their loans in the last recession. Some of the property was acquired in 2014 from former savings banks in northern Spain that Unicaja rescued.

Axactor specialises in buying debt and distressed assets and has grown heavily in Spain recently. The company is buying 75 per cent shares in the property portfolio and Malaga-based Unicaja is retaining the remaining 25 per cent. A joint company will be used to promote it to buyers.

The operation is the latest part of Unicaja's strategy to divest its problematic real estate assets. Earlier this year a further 265 million euros' worth was sold, including a portfolio of land in Malaga to developer Neinor with a value of 100 million euros.

This is the second deal with Axactor. Last year Unicaja sold it almost 60,000 loan contracts that had defaulted on payments.
I'm writing this column on Thursday, as Catalans vote for their next government in an election called for by Mariano Rajoy last month. In normal circumstances, it would be a tricky piece to write, because I know that these words will be published tomorrow, when the result is known; yet I must write them today, while the outcome is still in the future.

We're not living in normal circumstances, though - we're living in Spain at the close of 2017. I can therefore say with certainty that whether the majority of Catalans voted for anti or pro-independence parties yesterday, or whether the election eventually results in a hung parliament, there is no end in sight to the Catalonia debacle.

At the time of writing, polls indicate that the vote is evenly split between pro and anti-independence parties and that both sides will struggle to gain a parliamentary majority if victorious. In other words, the Catalonia saga is about to reach new heights of complexity and, potentially, animosity.

As a result, the Bank of Spain is erring on the side of caution in its analysis of the Spanish economy's medium-term future. According to its latest predictions, which were released a few days before yesterday's election, Spain's GDP growth next year will be 2.4%, down from an original forecast of 2.5%; the bank also lowered its projection or 2019, from 2.2% to 2.1%. These slight downward adjustments were made because of uncertainty surrounding the Catalonia situation.

Even if secessionist parties form a government after yesterday's vote, they will still disagree on how to proceed in talks with Madrid. Esquerra, the largest pro-independence party, favours dropping the campaign for outright independence and negotiating with Rajoy instead. The anarchist-communist party CUP, meanwhile, continues to support a full split from Spain.

Pro-independence feeling in Catalonia has undoubtedly been increased by Rajoy's ham-fisted attempts to quash the secessionist project since October 1st: it will not simply disappear if anti-independence parties form an administration following yesterday's election. But that's assuming they even get that far, which is by no means a given.

Centrist newcomer Ciudadanos looks set to become the strongest anti-secession force in Catalonia, yet it requires the backing of other parties to lead the region's next government. It can forget the support of the leftist Catalunya en Comu Podem, a party that's ambivalent about independence but steadfastly anti-Ciudadanos. This may make kingmakers of the region's Socialists, who are anti-independence but have their differences with Ciudadanos.

So whichever way yesterday's vote plays out, it looks like we're in for a miniature version of the Spanish general election in December 2015, which left Spain without a government for ten months. Indeed, the farce that was Spanish politics last year showed us that, in present day Spain, elections create more problems than they solve.
ROCKFORD | A North Iowa man charged with vehicular homicide after a rural Cerro Gordo County rollover Friday morning was intoxicated at the time of the crash, according to law enforcement.

Thomas John Parcher, 28, was driving a 2008 Dodge Ram in the 24000 block of 190th Street near Rockford about 2:09 a.m. when the vehicle rolled several times, the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Deputies found the vehicle in the north embankment, off the roadway, the sheriff's office said. Passenger Tonya Martin, 50, of Rockwell, was ejected and died at the scene.

Parcher submitted to field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol content of .136 percent, according to the criminal complaint. Iowa's legal limit is .08 percent.

There were four occupants in the vehicle, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals said Friday. No one else was transported after the crash, according to the news release.

Parcher has been charged with homicide by vehicle  operating under the influence and is being held in Cerro Gordo County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

Law enforcement in a news release said Parcher is from Charles City, but court documents list a Marble Rock address. Property records indicate Parcher owns a home in Marble Rock.

Floyd County Sheriffs Office, Nora Springs Fire and EMS, Rockford Fire, Mason City Fire Department and State Medical Examiners Office assisted at the scene.
How will our progeny drink wine in the future, if indeed they drink it at all? This year we have seen wine in tins, in cardboard bottles, in mini stainless steel tanks and much more. Box wine is already well established, and Amazon reports 200% annual increases in sales. Many drinkers will not touch it, believing wine should be dignified by a glass bottle and nothing less will do. However, there are multiple examples all over the world of producers whose livelihoods have been saved by using this sensible and economic option, sensible because it is clean, hygienic and keeps the wine fresh, and economic because a box is much cheaper than a glass bottle, label, cork and capsule.

There is one type of wine bucking the trend: sherry. The controlling body of the Jerez and Manzanilla region has said a rotund 'no!' in spite of the fact that many producers are clamouring to be allowed to sell their wine in this way. The matter has been dragged through the courts, much to the delight of lawyers, and the authorities can make lightening raids on bodegas to see the law is being complied with.

But what has sherry that is so special that it must be sold in bottles, when top-drawer wines such as Marlborough Springs Sauvignon Blanc, Stormhoek Chenin-Chardonnay and Les Dauphins Cotes du Rhone have been sold in boxes for many years? The official argument is that empty sherry bottles could be refilled with box wine, but they can do that now from the 5-litre glass containers used legally for transport. Some of the large bodegas that are against putting sherry in boxes already use them to export their products and to sell other wines within Spain. It is not as if Jerez is like it used to be, and the sensibilities of the sherry aristocracy would be offended to see their wine in anything but the classic glass bottle.
The Gerald Brenan Cultural Association in Churriana (ACGB) has organised a special dual-language seminar on one of Gerald Brenan's most celebrated works today, Friday 22 December.

The event will begin with the screening of the film, South from Granada, based on Brenan's book of the same name.

The film, by award-winning Spanish film director, Fernando Colomo, is an autobiographical account of Brenan's life in Yegen, the small village nestled in the Alpujarras in Granada where he settled in 1920.

Brenan had just been demobbed when he went in search of a cheap place to live where he could study and become a writer. The young Englishman spent his time reading, writing and catching up on an education which he felt he had missed by not attending university. Despite the remoteness of Yegen, Brenan's contact with the Bloomsbury Group, of which he was a fringe member, continued and his book recounts the visits of Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington.

Following the film, which will have English subtitles, a informal roundtable will be held to discuss the importance of Gerald Brenan's work and his association with Spain. The event will be chaired by Lola Ortega Munoz, president of the ACGB, and the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions to a select panel of British and Spanish writers and journalists that specialise in the culture and customs of Andalucia.

The event, which is free, will be held in the Sala de Actos in the El Corte Ingles, in Avenida de Andalucia, Malaga.

The film, which lasts for almost two hours, will begin at 5.30pm and the roundtable will commence at 7.30pm and last for one hour.

The evening will finish with a special piano concert performed by Malaga pianist, Julian Laguna Vicioso, who will perform a selection of festive music.
GARNER | An 18-year-old man accused of robbery at a rural Hancock County party has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to lesser charges.

Samuel Christopher Swanson, who pleaded guilty to second- and third-degree robbery, was sentenced to 12 years of probation. Fines of $2,375 were suspended.

Swanson was initially charged with seven counts of felony first-degree robbery, two counts of felony second-degree burglary, felony intimidation with a dangerous weapon and three counts of misdemeanor assault with a dangerous weapon.

Swanson is a co-defendant with Isaiah Zion Lewis, who pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery earlier this month at the Hancock County Courthouse.

Lewis, 17, will be sentenced Jan. 23, 2018. He admitted in court earlier this month he tapped a person on the shoulder with an AR-15 rifle and told them to empty their pockets.

The charges stem from when Swanson, Lewis, and Kyren-Ray Daniel Valentine, 19, went to a rural Hancock County party this summer with the intention of committing thefts, according to court documents.

Valentine has a plea hearing Jan. 9, 2018, at the Hancock County Courthouse.
MASON CITY | Larry Whaley was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Cerro Gordo County jury Thursday afternoon.

The jury deliberated for two and a half hours before reaching its verdict. Whaley had been charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Samantha Teeter.

Whaley sat silently in his seat, and showed little emotion as the verdict was read. Family members and friends of Teeter, who had packed about half of the courtroom the entire trial, embraced each other in the hallway outside the courtroom following the verdict.

Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen said he was pleased with the verdict, and added he was happy with how the evidence came into court.

"Law enforcement did a very good job of putting this together and the trial went well," he said. "So I'm happy for the family and I'm happy for everyone involved ... there's some conclusion to this murder and I think the family can move on the best that they can after this terrible incident."

Both Jill Eimermann and Mike Adams, state public defenders representing Whaley, declined comment after the verdict.

The trial, which spanned four days, focused on the issue of whether Whaley was justified to shoot through his apartment door on Dec. 2, 2016. Dalen and Iowa Assistant Attorney General Douglas Hammerand argued that he was not justified, and acted with malice and forethought when he fired his .44-caliber revolver through that door.

Hammerand said in his closing argument that Whaley was reckless when he shot through the door. He demonstrated to the jury how the shooting transpired by pointing Whaleys firearm toward the front door to his apartment which rested against the backdoor of the courtroom.

The defendant took that gun, and then went, 'pow', and fired through the door, Hammerand said, similar to the language and action Dalen used in his opening argument.

Eimermann and Adams argued that Whaley feared for his life, and thought Corey Mays  a man who police testified was known to possibly carry a gun  was behind his door. They added that Whaley had felt threatened by Mays the entire week leading up to the shooting.

If Mr. Whaley had any clue that Samantha was on the other side of that door, he wouldnt have shot, Adams said in his closing argument.

Did Larry have perfect judgement? No, he added. But the law does not say he has to have perfect judgement.

Sentencing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Feb. 6. A second-degree murder conviction in Iowa carries a term of up to 50 years in prison.
LIMA, Peru (AP)  Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is facing an impeachment vote following revelations his private consulting business received money from the Brazilian construction company implicated in Latin America's biggest corruption scandal. He will try to sway skeptical lawmakers to keep him in power Thursday before they vote.

Some of Latin America's most prominent political leaders have been accused of receiving bribes from Odebrecht, convicted in courts and sentenced to jail. Kuczynski's case has not gone before a judge and the payments are not believed to be linked to the corruption scheme. Nonetheless lawmakers contend they have grounds to remove him.

WHY ARE LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING OUSTING PERU'S PRESIDENT?

Opposition leaders in congress initiated impeachment proceedings against Kuczynski after an investigative committee revealed documents showing his private consulting firm received $782,000 in payments from Odebrecht more than a decade ago. Some of those payments overlap with Kuczynski's years as a government minister.

While no one has proven that Kuczynski committed a crime, proponents for his removal say he should have disclosed the payments and at the very least he failed to recognize a conflict of interest.

Kuczynski's approval rating has hovered below 20 percent and he has struggled to push through legislation since taking office in 2016. The opposition Popular Force party led by former first daughter Keiko Fujimori holds a majority in congress and is spearheading the impeachment vote. They will need 87 of 130 votes, which would immediately remove him from office.

WHAT IS THE PRESIDENT'S DEFENSE?

The former Wall Street Banker contends he left the reins of the consulting company, Westfield Capital, in the hands of business partner Gerardo Sepulveda while he served in government and had no knowledge of the Odebrecht payments. Kuczynski also asserts he reported and paid taxes on all Westfield Capital earnings.

Odebrecht has confirmed that it dealt exclusively with Sepulveda and stated that the transactions were not part of the larger corruption investigation currently underway in Peru.

The president likens the attempt to remove him as an "impeachment express" fueled by his opponents. In a letter to the Washington-based Organization of American States, he said his ouster threatens the nation's democracy.

WHAT IS ODEBRECHT ACCUSED OF DOING IN LATIN AMERICA?

In a 2016 plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department, the construction company has admitted to paying nearly $800 million in bribes in a dozen countries  all but two of which are in Latin America. The bribes were paid to politicians, their campaigns and political parties to secure lucrative public works contracts and stretched into the highest echelons of government.

In Peru, Odebrecht has acknowledged paying $29 million to politicians and earning $143 million in profits as a result.

WHO HAS BEEN JAILED OR REMOVED FROM OFFICE?

If he is voted out, Kuczynski would become the first sitting president removed from office in Latin America as a consequence of the Odebrecht scandal.

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is appealing a corruption conviction, while former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala is awaiting trial. Another former Peruvian president, Alejandro Toledo, has been accused of taking $20 million in bribes from Odebrecht and is currently in the U.S. seeking to avoid extradition. In Ecuador, Vice President Jorge Glas was recently sentenced to six years in prison for orchestrating an Odebrecht bribe scheme.

Meanwhile, dozens of other political leaders are under investigation as public prosecutors across Latin America continue to bring charges against lawmakers who participated in the scheme.

WHAT IMPACT MIGHT KUCZYNSKI'S OUSTER HAVE?

During his 16 months in office, Kuczynski has been outspoken in his criticism of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, lambasting that country's socialist government as a dictatorship and inviting regional leaders to Peru to find a diplomatic solution to its political crisis. He was also the first Latin American president to meet with Donald Trump, telling the U.S. leader that he prefers "bridges to walls."

Whether a successor might remain a vocal leader on foreign affairs is uncertain, but within Peru it is unlikely a new president would deviate significantly from Kuczynski's policies. First Vice President Martin Vizcarra campaigned with Kuczynski and is next in line to become president. He would likely encounter many of the same obstacles Kuczynski has faced in governing.
LINDON, Utah, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZYTO Corporation (OTC PINK:ZYTO), the global leader in wellness decision-support technology, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Trinity School of Natural Health to develop an educational specialization in ZYTO technology and biocommunication for Trinity students. The collaboration is part of ZYTO Corps One Billion Lives initiative, which explores educational and practical ways of impacting the health and well-being of one billion lives by 2021 through holistic and functional methods.



As part of this agreement, Trinity will offer a ZYTO Specialized Practitioner program beginning in July of 2018. This 12-week specialization will give students the opportunity to learn how to use ZYTO biocommunication technology to assist individuals in their wellness journeys. This program may also pave the way for further specializations that will continue to enrich Trinitys educational offerings in natural health education. ZYTO will work closely with Trinity in the development of the new program and its course requirements.

Remarking on the agreement, Dr. Vaughn R Cook, CEO of ZYTO, stated: We are excited to have Trinity as a formal collaborator with whom we share many common values. Understanding biocommunication technology will provide significant advantages to students who wish to serve their communities with greater specificity and purpose. We believe this new collaboration will allow us to further serve our community and expand our opportunities to support the well-being of millions.

About ZYTO

ZYTO is a technology company founded in 2004 by Dr. Vaughn R Cook. The company provides biocommunication hardware and software with wellness and lifestyle applications that include obtaining and analyzing galvanic skin response data from the human body to assist in making better decisions.

Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements relating to marketing and sales activities by ZYTOs marketing partners, ZYTO product development launches, future growth and research, and enhanced value for ZYTOs stockholders are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Companys products, increased levels of competition, new products and technological changes, dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time. ZYTO disclaims any obligation or intention to update any forward-looking statement contained in this release.



Contact Information

Any questions regarding this release can be directed to:

Adam Ford

ZYTO Corporation General Counsel

aford@ZYTO.com

www.ZYTO.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/10e611b7-c074-49e4-91f1-80ef66b50767
With a speculated launch date in January, it's not really surprising to see this many Samsung Galaxy S9 rumors at this point. It seems Samsung simply can't keep a lid on its forthcoming smartphone anymore.

Thanks to detailed case renders from Olixar, just-leaked Geekbench testing scores, and a SamMobile report about the phone's battery, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus have practically been revealed. Here's what the rumors suggest so far:

Galaxy S9 And S9 Plus Rumors: Battery

The Galaxy S9 will be powered by a 3,200 mAh battery, up from its predecessor's 3,000 mAh. There is no indication whether the larger Galaxy S9 Plus model will have a larger-capacity battery.

Galaxy S9 And S9 Plus Rumors: Headphone Jack

As seen from the alleged renders of the cases, Samsung will keep the headphone jack on both models, making it one of the few companies holding on to the beloved port.

Galaxy S9 And S9 Plus Rumors: Bixby

Samsung isn't giving up on its own digital assistant just yet  both models will still come with a dedicated Bixby hardware button, just like on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Hopefully Samsung will allow users to remap this button from the get-go.

Galaxy S9 And S9 Plus Rumors: Cameras And Biometric Scanners

As for the cameras, the main model will have a single rear camera, similar to that of the Galaxy S8. But the larger Galaxy S9 Plus model will have dual rear cameras, which could mean that it'll cost significantly more. Fortunately, it seems Samsung has learned from its design sin and has finally put the fingerprint sensor in a more proper position: below the camera, aligned horizontally. The flash, meanwhile, has been relocated to the right side of the rear cameras.

Galaxy S9 And S9 Plus Rumors: CPU, RAM, And Memory

According to Geekbench testing, which seems to reference the larger Galaxy S9 Plus model with the number SM-G965U1, the phone will come equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, which is apparently 27 percent more powerful than its predecessor in terms of single-core score, and 31 percent more powerful in terms of multi-core score. The listing also indicates that the phone will have 5 GB of RAM.

Finally, the phone was spotted to be running Android 8.0 Oreo, which indicates that the phone will ship with Google's latest operating system baked in.

The design is something that's still highly uncertain, although rumors say the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will look pretty much similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. We're betting that both forthcoming models will come with even slimmer bezels and the same curved display design.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Youbit, a South Korean cryptocurrency exchange, recently filed for bankruptcy as hackers stole from its Bitcoin reserves. Authorities suspect North Korea was involved.

The incident of digital thievery reportedly happened on Dec. 19, which reportedly took an estimated 17 percent of its total cryptocurrency assets. Sources involved with the current investigation suspect that the country's northern neighbor might be involved.

Ransomware Precedent

Earlier this year, North Korea was also suspected to have been involved with the WannaCry ransomware attacks. The script used by the hackers allowed them to encrypt the data of the infected computer, which was then held for ransom in exchange for payments made using the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Similar Incidents Recorded Prior To Latest Attack

Information gathered from several reports revealed that there were other documented attacks that happened this year. Several cryptocurrency exchanges based in South Korea including Yapizon, which was Youbit's predecessor, were also victims of cyber attacks that targeted Bitcoin and other types of cryptocurrency.

North Korea was supposedly involved in all of the above-mentioned incidents.

Possibly Another Angle

Due to North Korea's alleged involvement with the WannaCry ransomware attacks and the recent Youbit hack, analysts would quickly assume that their government plans to fund their weapons program using cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.

However, another source wanted to shift the authorities' focus to Youbit's most recent activity, which could probably help with the investigation. According to a source, on Dec. 1, 2017, the company secured a cyber-insurance policy from DB Insurance Co for a year of protection.

Their transaction was conducted just a few weeks before the hacking incident bankrupted the insuree.

Sanctions Prompted Attacks

A few months ago, it was noted that North Korea suddenly developed an interest regarding cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. The country's desire for the digital funds supposedly grew as the United Nations Security Council issued sanctions against them.

Experts agree that dictatorship can freely use the digital funds due to the absence of regulatory obstructions. Luke McNamara, a cybersecurity expert from FireEye inc., believes that the recent attacks related to cryptocurrency show how desperate the North Korean government has become.

"This is an adversary that we have been watching become increasingly capable and also brazen in terms of the targets they are willing to go after," said McNamara.

Hacker Army

Intelligence gathered from North Korea confirms that internet access is strictly limited to a few selected groups in the country.

South Korea believes that its northern enemy started to train their cyber army as early as the 1990s. Their targets are apparently not limited to Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Any financial institution or intelligence groups are all possible targets in the future.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
North Carolina has filed a lawsuit against drug maker Insys Therapeutics Inc., accusing it of illegally marketing a cancer drug called Subsys to increase its profits.

In a full-blown opioid crisis in the United States, Insys reportedly pushed Subsys by resorting to unlawful means. Subsys is an extremely powerful pain medicine based on fentanyl, approved only for cancer patients who are in a lot of pain.

Insys Legal Troubles

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein filed the lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court on Thursday, accusing Insys of bribing doctors to promote and prescribe Subsys even when it wasn't the case.

The new lawsuit piles up on other legal woes Insys is facing. A federal investigation has already charged a number of former Insys executives for taking part in an elaborate scheme to unlawfully push Subsys by bribing doctors. The bribery scheme for the powerful opioid is believed to have been nationwide.

Stein argues that Insys paid doctors to prescribe Subsys even in cases other than alleviating cancer pain. At the same time, Stein also says that the drug maker went as far as to trick insurers so that Subsys prescriptions would be covered.

"As we allege in our complaint, Insys carried out an extensive, coordinated scheme of kickbacks, deception and fraud in the marketing of its drug, Subsys," Stein said.

Subsys: 50 Times Stronger Than Heroin

Subsys is a mouth spray based on fentanyl and it is extremely powerful, which is why it has only received approval for treating great pain in cancer patients. To get a better idea of just how powerful Subsys is, it's 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit seeks to obtain civil penalties from Insys, as well as force the drug maker to give up any profits it made through this illegal opioid scheme.

Stein argues that Insys' scheme was "unacceptable" and "unconscionable," especially as the nation is struggling with a severe opioid crisis.

US Opioid Crisis

According to federal officials, the opioid crisis in the United States has reached alarming rates and the life expectancy has dropped. Officials revealed that nearly four people per day die from accidental drug overdoses in North Carolina, and the phenomenon is nationwide.

In recent years, thousands of deaths in the United States have been linked to opioid overdoses. A CDC report revealed that drug overdoses saw a dramatic spike in 2016, topping 63,600, and more than 42,200 of them were from opioids. That marks a significant increase compared to the previous year, as the number of deaths from opioid overdoses in 2015 was around 33,000.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Pennsylvania doctor has been formally charged for operating a "pill mill" wherein he unlawfully distributed millions of opioids to his patients, causing five overdose deaths. He allegedly prescribed opioids without a medical purpose on multiple occasions.

'Pill Mill'

A doctor from Pennsylvania is facing a 19-count indictment for unlawful distribution of controlled substances, for having two drug-involved premises, and for causing the deaths of five patients because of said unlawful drug distribution. Dr. Raymond Kraynak was taken into custody by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and made his initial appearance for United States Magistrate Judge Schwab.

Reports state that Dr. Kraynak allegedly maintained two facilities in Shamokin and Mt. Carmel in which he prescribed approximately 2.7 million units of the opioids oxycodone, oxycontin, hydrocodone, and fentanyl to over 2,800 patients in the period between January 2016 and July 2017. Further, Dr. Kraynak allegedly prescribed opioids to multiple patients on multiple occasions without any medical purpose, without proper medical examination, without proper assessment of the patient's complaints, and without assessing the patients' risk for abuse.

He is also being charged as a result of the opioid overdose deaths of five of his patients between the years of 2013 and 2015. As a result, the government is seeking the closure of his facilities, forfeiture of his medical license, and $500,000.

Opioid Epidemic

The indictment against Dr. Kraynak is the latest case of medical practitioners being held accountable for the widespread opioid epidemic. According to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, there have been 120 opioid-related charges filed since the beginning of the year.

"This is the deadliest drug crisis in our history, and it's unconscionable that some doctors and medical professionals would violate their oaths to exploit it for cash," said Attorney General Sessions, also stating that the U.S. Department of Justice will remain relentless in fighting street dealers, medical practitioners, and even companies that have helped fuel the crisis.

Examples of these charges include cities and states suing pharmaceutical companies that allegedly contributed to the epidemic. For instance, Kentucky has taken legal action against Endo, and so has Montana against OxyContin manufacturer Purdue. The City of Newark has also taken legal action against multiple opioid manufacturers for false and deceptive advertising.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in 2015 alone, 12.5 million people misused prescription opioids, which resulted in 2 million people having opioid misuse disorder and 15,281 overdose deaths. What's more, in the same year, 828,000 people used heroin, with 135,000 of them using the drug for the first time.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North American Nickel Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NAN) (OTCBB:WSCRF) (CUSIP:65704T 108) (the "Company" or NAN) announces it has granted incentive stock options to certain employees and consultants of the Company.



The Company has granted incentive stock options to certain employees and consultants of the Company to purchase up to 1,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. All of the options are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise price of $0.12 per share.

About North American Nickel

North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Sudbury, Ontario.

The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale project comprising 2,985 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland accessible from the existing Seqi deep water port with an all year round shipping season and abundant hydro-electric potential.

The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information under applicable securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of the Company. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing and completion of the Offering, the availability of financing, the availability of regulatory approvals for the Offering and the anticipated use of proceeds from the Offering. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include the inability to obtain adequate financing, the inability to obtain regulatory approvals required in relation to that financing. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed.

Statements about the Company's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbours created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mark Fedikow

President

North American Nickel Inc.

For more information contact:

North American Nickel Inc.

Jaclyn Ruptash

Corporate Communications

604-770-4334

Toll free: 1-866-816-0118

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Volcanic Gold Mines Inc. (Volcanic) (TSXV:VG) announces that its Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to extend the expiry date of certain previously issued private placement warrants. Accordingly, subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, the expiry date of outstanding warrants to purchase a total of 3,250,834 common shares at $0.25 per share will be extended by six months to July 5, 2018.



About Volcanic

Volcanic brings together a deeply experienced and successful mining, exploration and capital markets team focused on building a multi-million ounce gold resource in the underexplored West African country of Guinea and its neighbouring countries. Through the strategic acquisition of mineral properties with demonstrated potential for hosting gold resources, and by undertaking effective exploration and drill programs, Volcanic is seeking to become a leading junior gold resource company.

For further information, contact Alex Langer, the Companys VP Capital Markets, at 604-765-1604, or visit our website at www.volgold.com.

Volcanic Gold Mines Inc.

Jeremy Crozier, President and CEO

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

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the proposed warrant extension. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as estimate, estimates, estimated, potential, open, future, assumed, projected, used, detailed, has been, gain, upgraded, offset, limited, contained, reflecting, containing, remaining, to be, periodically, or statements that events, could or should occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, whether the proposed warrant extension will proceed as intended; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Companys quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the proposed warrant extension will proceed as intended; that the Companys stated goals and planned exploration and development activities will be achieved; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
In this June 9, 2010 file photo, a worker uses a suction hose to remove oil washed ashore from the Deepwater Horizon spill, in Belle Terre, La. The Trump administration has halted an independent scientific study of offshore oil inspections by the federal safety agency created after the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine was told to cease review of the inspection program conducted by the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Established following the massive BP spill, the bureau was assigned the role of improving offshore safety inspections and federal oversight. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
MARKHAM, Ontario, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MBMI Resources Inc. (the Company or MBMI) (TSX-V:MBR.H) announced that it has filed an updated technical report (the Updated Technical Report) for its Alpha Nickel Project located in the Municipality of Narra, Province of Palawan in the Philippines (the Alpha Project). The Updated Technical Report has been prepared to update the technical report for the Companys Alpha Nickel Project dated May 14, 2009 (the 2009 Technical Report) and is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com



The Company commissioned Dr. Vadim Galkine, P.Geo (the Qualified Person) to prepare the Updated Technical Report. The Qualified Person conducted a site visit to the Alpha Project in the Philippines on September 25, 2017. 12 samples from the site were collected and assayed at OstreaMineral Laboratories, Inc. (Philippines). The Qualified Person concluded that the assays are in sufficient agreement with the existing database.

In the Qualified Persons opinion, the data collected by MBMI during the exploration of 2005-2006, and resulted database is consistent, has good spatial coverage and is adequate for the purpose of the Updated Technical Report. The Qualified Person also took the view that the geology is well understood at the operation and diligent effort has been made to map and sample the pit during the mining operation.

No exploration work has been done by the Company on the Alpha Project since 2008. Due to the cancellation of the disputed FTAA in 2010, the Company currently does not have the requisite permit to carry out further exploration or development activities on the Alpha Project. Since the Alpha Project does not have any reasonable prospect for economic extraction until the FTAA is reinstated, the Qualified Person was unable to recommend the Company to conduct a mineral resource estimate for the Alpha Nickel Project at the time of the Updated Technical Report. Therefore, the Updated Technical Report does not contain any current resource estimate for the Alpha Project. At the same time, in the view of the Qualified Person, the Company has done sufficient amount of drilling and sampling and have produced a consistent, comprehensive and adequate database which can be used to facilitate future mineral resource estimate for the Alpha Project if the FTAA is reinstated at a later date. The Company is continuing its efforts to reinstate the cancelled FTAA.

Dr. Vadim Galkine, P.Geo is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this press release under National Instrument 43-101. Dr. Galkine has supervised the preparation of, and approved the scientific and technical disclosures in this news release.

About MBMI Resources Inc.

MBMI Resources Inc. (the Company) is a Canadian-based mining company which operates 7 nickel mineral projects in the Philippines, which include the Alpha Project, Bethlehem Project and Northern Rio Tuba Project located in Palawan Philippines (collectively, the Palawan Properties), and the BoronganMaydolong Project, Gen. Mcarthur-Llorente Project, Balangiga-Giporlos Project and Homohon Island Project in Samar, Philippines (collectively, the Samar Properties).

The Companys Palawan Properties have been subject to a dispute (the FTAA Dispute) which led to a decision by the Office of the President of the Philippines on April 19, 2011 (the OP Decision) that cancelled a Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (the FTAA) granted in April 2010 for the Palawan Properties. The FTAA, if reinstated, would allow large-scale exploration, development and utilization of minerals on the Palawan Properties.

Through a series of transactions from September 2012 to March 2014 involving the sale of the companys ownership in the operating companies (the Operating Company) that own and control the Palawan Properties and their respective holding companies, the Companys ownership in the Palawan Properties have been sold to DMCI Mining Corporation, a Philippines based mining company (the Purchaser) for an aggregate purchase price of US$25.2 million (the Sale Transactions). The closing of Sale Transactions is subject to a number of closing conditions which include, among other things, the reinstatement of the cancelled FTAA.

As a result of the Sale Transactions and the FTAA Dispute, the Company has suspended its exploration and development operations in all of its properties to focus its efforts and resources on the reinstatement of the cancelled FTAA in order to conclude the Sale Transactions.

On December 9, 2015, the First Division of the Philippine Supreme Court issued a favourable decision (the SC Decision) declaring null and void the decision of the Philippine Court of Appeals which affirmed the OP Decision without prejudice to any other appropriate remedy the parties may take against each other. It is important to note, however, that while the SC Decision is the final court decision with respect the FTAA Dispute, it is not a direct ruling with respect to the re-instatement of FTAA that would allow the Company to meet the closing conditions of the Sale Transactions. Therefore, following the SC Decision, the Operating Companies have commenced work on the documentation required to re-engage the Office of the President regarding the reversal of the OP Decision and reinstatement of the FTAA pursuant to the SC Decision. Since there is no assurance that the Office of the President of Philippines will reinstate the FTAA, the Company, the Operating Companies and the Purchaser are concurrently evaluating other recourses including, but not limited to, binding arbitration proceedings in accordance with the dispute resolution mechanism set out in the FTAA as sanctioned by the SC Decision.

For more information, please contact:

Joseph Chan, Interim CEO

Phone: (416) 299-9203

Email: mbmi@mail.com

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Press release.
Louisiana was one of just eight states that saw its population drop last year  after thousands of people moved to other states, new Census figures show.

The latest updated population estimates released this week span from July 1, 2016 to July 1, 2017.

+2 A first since Katrina: More people leaving N.O. for other parts of U.S. than moving from them For the first time since Hurricane Katrina, more people moved from New Orleans to other areas of the United States last year than came to the 

During that time period, Idaho was the nations fastest-growing state, followed by Nevada, Utah, Washington and Florida.

Domestic migration drove change in the two fastest-growing states, Idaho and Nevada, while an excess of births over deaths played a major part in the growth of the third fastest-growing state, Utah, Luke Rogers, chief of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Branch, said in a news release accompanying the new figures.

For Louisiana, the net decrease was fewer than 2,000 people, but figures show 27,515 people moved from Louisiana to other states during that year-long period. That outpaced the state's 18,017 natural increases, or the difference between the 63,066 births during the year and 45,049 deaths.

Only Illinois, West Virginia and Wyoming lost more people than Louisiana in the July 2016 to July 2017 year covered.

Other states that saw their population decline were Mississippi, Alaska, Hawaii and North Dakota.

Millennials fleeing Mississippi at fastest rate in nation; so why not Louisiana? As millennials  those born between 1981 and 2000  became the largest generation of Americans, the demographics total U.S. population increa

Louisiana remains the 25th-largest state with an estimated 4.68 million residents.

For the past decade, Louisiana has been rebounding from the drastic population hit it took after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005.

The population in the 2010 Census tally was about 4.5 million.

+3 How Louisiana landed deal with DXC Technology for 2,000-job New Orleans expansion One of the world's biggest technology companies will open a New Orleans office early next year that will eventually employ 2,000 people, offic
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by VVC Exploration Corporation (TSX-V:VVC), please note that in the "Equity Financing" paragraph of the release, both of the amounts of Shares and both of the amounts of Warrants have been revised. The corrected release follows:

VVC Exploration Corporation (VVC or the Company) (TSX-V:VVC) announces the closing of 2 non-brokered private placement financings on December 20, 2017.



Equity Financing

The Company held a second and final closing of an equity private placement financing (the Equity Financing) for which the first closing occurred on October 31, 2017. A total of 6,372,740 additional Shares and 3,186,370 additional Warrants are being issued pursuant to the second closing of the Equity Financing for CA$ 318,637. An aggregate of 31,522,590 Shares and 15,761,295 Warrants were issued pursuant to this Private Placement for the aggregate value of CA$ 1,576,129.50. No insiders participated in the 2nd Closing.

The Equity Financing included units of the Company (Units) at a price of CA$ 0.05 per Unit, whereby each Unit comprises one common share (a Share) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant) of the Company. Each full Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of CA$0.06 per share until November 30, 2020.

Debenture Financing

The Company also closed a non-brokered convertible 3-year Debenture private placement financing of US150,000 (the Debenture Financing) whereby the Debenture is convertible into common shares at a conversion rate US$0.04 per share in the first year and at US$0.08 per share in years 2 and 3. An aggregate of 750,000 detachable warrants are being issued with the Debenture. Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company at an exercise price of US$0.11 per share, until December 20, 2020. The Company received the TSX Venture conditional acceptance for the Debenture Financing.

Other

The Company received the conditional acceptance of TSX Venture Exchange for both financings. All securities issued pursuant to these financings are subject to the applicable statutory, exchange and regulatory hold period of four months, expiring on April 21, 2018. Prior to the closings, 237,745,821 shares were issued and outstanding. For more information on the Companys Share capital, please refer to the Quarterly Financial Statements filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

The proceeds of these Financings will be used for ongoing drilling program, maintenance fees and option payments on the Companys Samalayuca Copper Project, and for fees and work related to its Cumeral and La Tuna projects in Mexico, general administration costs in Canada and Mexico and for working capital.

About VVC Exploration Corporation

VVC is a Canadian exploration and mining company with projects in Mexico and Canada, including the Samalayuca copper property in Chihuahua State, and gold and silver prospects in Sonora and Sinaloa States, Mexico. The Company also has a grassroots gold/VMS prospect in the Timmins area of northern Ontario. Visit our website at: http://vvcexpl.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Michel J. Lafrance, Secretary-Treasurer

For further information, please contact:

Patrick Fernet - (514) 631-2727

E-mail: pfernet@vvcexploration.com

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.




The ACT Chief Coroner said on Friday that an inquest into the death of a helicopter pilot in Antarctica is expected at this stage to resume next year after criminal charges were laid against two of the parties involved.

In charges filed in a Canberra court, Commonwealth prosecutors have alleged that the federal government, and its contractor Helicopter Resources, failed in their duties under work health and safety laws.

David Wood fell into this crevasse on Antarctica in January 2016.

The government said the charges would not affect the progress of the inquest from their perspective, but the helicopter company has reserved its position.

On Friday, Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said that at this stage, the inquest was expected to resume in May.
Christmas has come early for thousands of students offered early places at Canberra universities ahead of the 2018 academic year.

Franklin 18-year-old Soumil Sharma was one of 2904 people to receive an early offer to study at the University of Canberra, on Thursday accepting an invitation to become part of the institution's first Bachelor of Vision Science cohort.

Hoping to become an optometrist Soumil Sharma, of Franklin, is happy to be one of the first students to study UC's new Bachelor of Vision Science. Credit:karleen minney

"I'm pretty excited," the aspiring optometrist and former Dickson College student said.

"From what I've heard [university is] meant to be a bit more chill than college but it's something that I want to study so I'm excited for the the future holds."
After a year with precious little to celebrate, Democrats cheered the victory of Doug Jones, the dark-horse candidate who defeated alleged sexual predator Roy Moore in a special election for a Senate seat in Alabama.

There were a number of stars that had to align for Jones to win: a spectacularly flawed opponent, a deeply unpopular Republican president, a motivated and well-organized Democratic base, and winds blowing at just the right angle to nudge Jones a point or two ahead of Moore in a state that Donald Trump won by nearly 28 points just a year ago.

And while the oddities of the Alabama election may make it seem like an outlier, it is one more sign that as the calendar turns to 2018, Democrats should be prepared not only to sweep next year's midterms, but to begin building a lasting coalition on the rubble of the Trump era.

It's been a quarter-century since Alabama sent a Democrat to the Senate. Back then, the state was transitioning from a century of Democratic rule, during which black voters were barred from the polls and a conservative, all-white Democratic Party governed the state. The civil rights movement shattered that solidly Democratic South, and it slowly transformed into the most reliably Republican part of the country.
Australia will wind back its military operations against Islamic State after the Iraqi Prime Minister declared victory over the extremist group, which three years ago seized control of large swathes of the region.

Defence Minister Marise Payne announced on Friday that Australia's contribution to US-led coalition air strikes will end, while emphasising that other operations  including the training, advising and assisting of local forces  would continue.

Airstrikes target Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City in Mosul, Iraq in July. Credit:Felipe Dana

"After more than three years of air operations, the number of coalition air strike commissions has steadily dropped since the last major population centre, Hawija, was captured in October," Senator Payne said.

"Following discussions with Iraq and with members of the international coalition, the Australian government has determined that we will bring home our six Super Hornet strike aircraft from the Middle East, marking the end of Australia's air strike operations in Iraq and Syria."
Retired major-general and Royalla resident Jim Molan will take his seat in the Senate in 2018, after the High Court declared he had been duly elected to represent NSW on Friday.

The author of the Abbott government's hardline boat turnback policy and former commander of allied troops in Iraq ran in the unwinnable seventh place on the Coalition's NSW senate ticket at the 2016 election - winning more than 10,000 first preference votes.

Incoming senator Jim Molan campaigning during the Bennelong by-election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

After months of uncertainty over his rise to Parliament, Mr Molan will replace former Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash after she was disqualified as part of the dual citizenship saga.

Mr Molan - who lives on a rural property in Royalla, near the ACT-NSW border - will take a three-year term, with International Development Minister and NSW Liberal Concetta Fierravanti-Wells taking Ms Nash's six-year term following the double dissolution election.
A fellow councillor has told The Age Cr Doyle often complimented Ms Sullivan on her clothing or praised her in front of councillors and staff, saying how talented she was. As their Town Hall meeting came to an end, Mr Rimmer told Ms Sullivan the matter would be taken extremely seriously. Mr Rimmer is a "Male Champion of Change", a national program for leaders to promote gender equity. This week council staff told The Age of being proud to work in a progressive workplace that  at the officer level at least  was explicitly female friendly. In late November, Mr Rimmer sent an all-staff email about a campaign to end violence against women. It was, Mr Rimmer wrote, particularly relevant "in light of the recent #MeToo movement on social media". Following that "tidal wave from victims of violence and sexual harassment sharing their experiences", he wrote, it was important Town Hall was a safe and supportive workplace.

He would be called on to offer that support at the highest levels just three weeks later. Tearful and distracted One Tuesday night in May this year, Cr Doyle and his official driver gave Ms Sullivan a lift home after a regular post-council meeting dinner for all councillors at Town Hall. Ms Sullivan had accepted a lift from Cr Doyle a few times before. On this occasion, Cr Doyle got out at his South Melbourne home and allegedly opened the door to the back seat where Ms Sullivan sat. He then put one arm around her neck and grabbed her breast with his other hand, Ms Sullivan alleges. She slapped his hand away, forcefully, she alleges. After this, Ms Sullivan avoided him, and did not attend the Tuesday dinners for some time.

In October after a council meeting, Ms Sullivan walked with Doyle to a Town Hall lift and said she would go down in it with him. She alleges he turned to her and said "Will you just?" in a suggestive way, and then said: "I love cunnilingus". A number of councillors noticed Ms Sullivan seemed tearful and distracted the next day but she did not divulge the alleged harassment. Eventually Ms Sullivan told her friend, lawyer Alicia Chisholm, who would later give a statement to Mr Rimmer. Ms Sullivan also told some of her fellow councillors what was happening, and asked them not to tell anyone. One councillor told Ms Sullivan, in front of Ms Chisholm, that Cr Doyle had allegedly remarked to him that Ms Sullivan's breasts had become smaller. Others tried to help: one councillor sat next to Ms Sullivan so she didn't have to sit next to Cr Doyle, and would go Cr Doyle's office on her behalf so she didn't have to talk to him.

A close friend noticed Ms Sullivan had lost a considerable amount of weight. She appeared anxious and unhappy, in contrast to her usual positive outlook. In the end, Ms Sullivan decided the situation was intolerable. She would finish that day, she told Mr Rimmer in the meeting, and lodge her letter of resignation and complaint. She was done. Intense discussions Tessa Sullivan, 34, went to boarding school in Singapore, and was 17 when she moved to Australia with her mother. After attending Methodist Ladies College, she did a bachelor of arts and science, then got a scholarship to do a Master of Laws at Monash University. A lawyer, she works in the areas of family and commercial law, is a qualified mediator and an officer of the Supreme Court of Victoria. She is married with three children.

Ms Sullivan has an autoimmune disease, and used a wheelchair for two years at university. Disability policy was in the council portfolio she chaired. Her deputy, councillor Jackie Watts, says Ms Sullivan was "genuinely compassionate" about improving conditions for Melbourne's disabled community. After Ms Sullivan told Mr Rimmer of her resignation, intense discussions with the council's lawyer and media manager followed on Friday and late into Saturday night. Other councillors were aware of the allegations, and Mr Rimmer knew it was only a matter of time until news of the explosive allegations got out. The Age put questions to Robert Doyle on Sunday morning, around 8am. Just before 1pm, the deadline the lord mayor was given by The Age, Cr Doyle tweeted a public statement. He was shocked by the allegations, had not been informed of the specifics, and would take a month's leave. He said his decision to take leave "should not be interpreted as any concession or admission", and he found the allegations abhorrent, "as a father of young women, a husband, a brother and as the head of an office made up entirely of women". Ten minutes later, Mr Rimmer announced that, because of his "obligations to ensure a safe workplace", he had commissioned an external investigation to be led by barrister Ian Freckelton. "It is very important that these matters are thoroughly investigated," Mr Rimmer said. As well as the council allegations, the Freckelton inquiry has been approached by members of the public.

Well connected Robert Doyle is a well-connected Melbourne figure. The 64-year-old went to The Geelong College, where he later returned to teach English, before moving to Lauriston Girls' School and then Scotch College. He joined the Liberal Party in 1990 and wrested the leadership from Denis Napthine just before the 2002 state election. One male staffer from Cr Doyle's time as Opposition leader remembers him as good to work for  though he notes not all women felt the same. Cr Doyle loved spending time at Becco, a restaurant off Bourke Street.

"He would sit there for several hours over several bottles of wine on a Friday afternoon, and everyone would get sick of it. He would sit there and tell the same jokes over and over again." Handed the most crushing defeat in Victorian politics for five decades by Steve Bracks in 2002, Cr Doyle left parliament four years later. In 2008 Cr Doyle set his sights on the smaller pond of Town Hall and won easily. His first two terms saw a more cohesive city council than during the divided John So years. Cr Doyle won a third time in 2016 with a complete majority for the first time. He no longer had to negotiate anything. Now, with Ms Sullivan gone, Team Doyle member Beverley Pinder-Mortimer may replace her, maintaining Cr Doyle's majority if he stays.

If he goes following the Freckelton investigation, a by-election will be held. Politically though, regardless of the investigation's outcome, it's hard to see Cr Doyle recovering. 'Incredibly brave' Doyle has not been seen this week. On Sunday, around the time he issued his last public statement, The Age knocked on his door at home, and was told by wife Emma Page Campbell that the lord mayor was at Bunnings. With an investigation underway, Ms Sullivan is not commenting either. Her friend Jacqui Siebel, who was at the meeting with Mr Rimmer, told The Age this week her friend was understandably upset by what she'd experienced. Ms Sullivan has told her lawyers she is not interested in seeking compensation over the alleged harassment. "She was left to feel powerless. However, I consider her to be incredibly brave."
A man is dragged from a car in Flinders Street after an attack that left 18 people injured. Credit:Seven News Mr Turnbull said the alleged offender had no known links to any "political issues or extremist groups". "Therefore, the position I'm advised is that no terrorism link has been established," he said. The damaged vehicle after it ploughed through a crowded intersection and then smashed into a tram stop. Credit:JOE CASTRO But he said a mass of material was being investigated in relation to the attack and "nothing has been ruled out".

"I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident," Mr Turnbull said. "We should continue to go about our daily lives in the way we always do" When it comes to preventing terror, Mr Turnbull said Melbourne has some "special challenges" "Melbourne has ... big wide streets, wide footpaths and of course, it has trams, and the tramways enable a driver, as this driver did, to get, to pull out of stopped traffic, get into the tramway and then make an attack. "This is an issue for protecting, for example, the Bourke Street Mall.

"There are a lot of measures that can be done, such as bollards, but it is not possible to do that in every area of Melbourne, so again, that presents some challenges. "The Premier is very alert to this and we have talked about it. I think it is vital that we ever we can, we build protections into the design. Melbourne's acting lord mayor Arron Wood praised the emergency services for their quick response. "Like all Melburnians I was saddened and sickened [by Thursday's incident]," Mr Wood told journalists on Friday.

"But I was very proud of our emergency services ... they are our true heroes. "There'll be extra police numbers as there always are at this time of year. "There will be an additional saturation of [police] numbers [due to the incident].



Mr Wood added that lord mayor Robert Doyle, who stood aside from the post this week, had been briefed by police about the incident on Thursday and Friday. Driving offences

In June, Mr Noori was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to driving while unlicensed, using a mobile phone while driving, and failing to answer bail. The driving offences occurred either late last year or earlier this year. The charge of failing to answer bail related to him missing a court appearance in May that related to the driving offences. It is believed to have been his first conviction, after he pleaded guilty but was not convicted of recklessly causing injury in 2010. He was fined $800, and told his guilty plea had spared him a suspended sentence.

A charge of unlawful assault was dropped. The nature of the alleged assault is unclear, but Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton described it as minor last night. Mr Noori was allegedly sitting about four cars back from traffic lights travelling west on Flinders Street before he drove up on the tram tracks and accelerated into pedestrians. Charges are yet to be laid. While police believe the motivations of the attack are not terror-related, the driver attributed his actions in part to the treatment of Muslims when investigators spoke to him in hospital. "He made a number of utterances in respect to dreams and voices, but also attributing his actions relative to concerns for the treatment of Muslims," Mr Patton told Channel Seven's Sunrise program.

"We are obviously going to be exploring the entirety of these matters when set against the backdrop of the circumstances I have outlined to see what the actual cause, the motivation of this, is." Mr Noori is yet to undergo a psychological assessment but police have made it clear that he has a history of mental illness. He also missed a mental health appointment on Thursday and is a known drug user. The homicide squad, major collision investigation unit and counter terrorism command are investigating the incident. Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said it had been the first day on the force for many of the officers. "We understand about 16 of the members at the scene were actually on their first day on the job," he said.
An off-duty police officer and 16 new recruits are being praised for their heroic efforts in the aftermath of the Flinders Street attack.

Police were on the scene within seconds after Saeed Noori allegedly rammed a white 4WD into pedestrians on the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets at about 4.40pm on Thursday.

About 70 police responded to the horrific attack which saw 20 people, including the attacker, injured. The crime scene was re-opened to the public at about 2am on Friday.

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said it had been the first day on the force for many of the officers.
CCTV shows the moment an SUV ploughs into pedestrians on Flinders Street. Credit:Seven News Melbourne There's a woman stricken on the asphalt trying to sit up. Glenn tells her to "just lay down, stay down, don't move". "My partner is a nurse so she taught me a little bit about triage so if they're breathing, they're usually pretty good so move onto someone who isn't moving," he says. A bollard at the tram stop stopped the Suzuki in its tracks. Credit:JOE CASTRO The next person Glenn sees is a man lying face-down, but two other people are heading to him so Glenn keeps moving.

He decides to concentrate on the car, "the guy that did it". Two other men walk towards the car too. Police drag the driver from the car after several men tried to push him out via the passenger side. Credit:Seven News They open the door to find a man in a white t-shirt and blue jeans sitting upright in the driver's seat. He is unconscious. Glenn can't get to him from the driver's side, so he goes to the passenger side. Melbourne artist Godwin Bradbeer shot this photo of an officer restraining the driver, Saeed Noori, after he was handcuffed. Credit:Godwin Bradbeer

"I could smell fumes," he says. "I thought 'Is this a terrorist attack? What if there's a bomb in the car that hasn't gone off yet?" His companions try to pull the man out of the driver's side but are having a hard time of it. Glenn starts to push him out from the passenger side. "Another guy, said 'Leave him in the car, leave him in the car'." A member of the public jumps in and starts helping, and that's when the first uniform police officer arrives. "Where's the guy? In the driver's seat?" the officer asks.

Within 15 seconds, members of Victoria Police's critical incident response team are there. In total 70 officers will respond to the attack. Incredibly, 16 of them are new recruits on their first day. They begin to clear the scene, telling people to evacuate and cordoning off the area. One of the more experienced responders is an off-duty sergeant who injures his hand and shoulder after rushing to detain the driver. Two officers drag him out of the car to the gutter of Flinders Street. One checks for his pulse before they put him into handcuffs. A bystander yells at them: "He should have no right to be alive, that a---hole". In the din of sirens, another man calls out asking if anyone needs a doctor.

It feels natural for people to get out their phones and start filming. A bearded man in a red checked shirt does this and is searched by police, who find three knives and some marijuana. Those watching on think he must be involved but police later rule out any connection between him and the driver. The sight is so awful that Melbourne artist Godwin Bradbeer can hardly bear to look too closely. He can see six or seven people scattered on the ground, perhaps more. He is scared to see too much. The first two victims in front of him are middle-aged men lying in the foetal position. Both are bleeding from the head. He thinks they look unconscious and close to death.

He sits down beside one of them and holds the man's feet and hip, trying to give him comfort, as other people tend to his head. It's a scene replicated across the intersection, groups of people coming to the aid of strangers. There is a woman, perhaps in her 40s. She calls out, wanting them to call someone for her, but she can't remember their number. "I wasn't even able to call their friend, so I felt a bit useless," Godwin says. He wanders across the road picking up possessions that have been scattered everywhere  a handbag, a couple of shoes, some sunglasses. With another bystander, he puts them in a pile, trying to do something helpful.

He takes one photo. In a moment, he looks to the west down Flinders Street and sees the man in the white t-shirt and blue jeans as he is being arrested. "Because the officer had an automatic weapon I assumed he was the perpetrator," he says. "I wasn't there being a voyeur but I thought 'I should photograph this'." It felt like walking in the eye of a hurricane, a calm scene amongst the chaos. "It was really like skittles  over in one hit," he says.

After police tell him to get back, Glenn also starts filming. Then he switches his phone off, walks to the station and jumps on the train to head to the police station to make a statement. Ambulances flood the area and start transporting the injured to emergency rooms across Melbourne. Many of the victims are travellers from overseas, visiting Melbourne from South Korea, China, Italy, Indian, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand at Christmas time. The streets surrounding the incident are put into lockdown as the city wonders how something like this could happen twice in one year. "I broke down crying on the train," Glenn says. "It was impossible not to after seeing all those bodies. Everyone just went flying."
English Danish

PRESS RELEASE, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK:

In one of the most important mining zones in Mexico, students at the local university now have access to state-of-the-art laboratory mining equipment. The equipment is a donation from the FLSmidth Donation Fund which this year is also supporting young scientists and various global and local charities.

The Zacatecas region in Mexico needs a steady supply of engineers and other mining specialists. The first students of a newly designed mining engineer education programme are now in the pipeline at the local campus of Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN), one of the most important public universities in the country.

These students can now enjoy brand-new laboratory equipment. As part of the annual donations, The FLSmidth Donation Fund recently sponsored an FLS ESSA Flotation Cell including manuals and 20 hours of training by a flotations specialist to the university. The mining engineer programme was designed in 2014 in cooperation between IPN and the Zacatecas Mining Cluster of which FLSmidth is a co-founder.

"With this donation, we help ensure that the next generation of miners are familiar with state-of-the-art techniques and equipment. This region has a large concentration of mining companies and is one of the most important mining zones in Mexico, and as a company we play an active role in providing jobs and keeping future mining sustainable and productive. Being able to help the local university is a win-win situation, where we give something back to the community, and in the long run that will strengthen the mining industry," said Vagn Srensen, chairman of the FLSmidth Donation Fund.

The fund annually donates up to a total of DKK 400,000 to worthy cause projects including for humanitarian work, environmental projects as well as education and training. This year the fund supports:

Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Zacatecas Campus, Mexico

Young Scientists, an engineering talent competition for children and young people

Associazione Genitori "Construire Integrazione" Onlus, Bergamo, Italy

Mercy Ships - The International Hospital Ships

SOS Children's Villages

Two local Danish NGOs helping addicts and homeless people

The application deadline for the fund is 1 October each year. Further information about the FLSmidth Donation Fund can be found here.

Global contact

Sofie Karen Lindberg

Senior Vice President

Mobile: +45 3093 1877

skl@flsmidth.com

FLSmidth is the market-leading supplier of productivity to the global mining and cement industries. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, and with offices in more than 50 countries, FLSmidth delivers engineering, equipment and service solutions to customers worldwide. Productivity, sustainability, and quality are focus areas for FLSmidth and its 12,000 employees. The company generated revenue of DKK 18 billion in 2016. Read more on www.flsmidth.com
Police have charged Saeed Noori, the man accused of ploughing a car into pedestrians in central Melbourne on Thursday, with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life.

Mr Noori is expected to face Melbourne Magistrates Court this afternoon.

"The 32-year-old Heidelberg West man has been charged and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court shortly," police said in a statement.

He was interviewed at Melbourne West Police Station on Saturday after being discharged from hospital on Friday.
The Department of Communities is seeking assistance from the public to locate 14-year-old Chloe Batt.

Chloe was last seen on December 13 in Oakford.

Chloe Batt has not been seen since December 13.

Since then the Department has had intermittent contact with her and is now appealing for the public's help.

Chloe has long dark hair and is approximately 165cm tall of medium build. She has a preference for wearing black leggings and hoodies.
Four children could be in line for a share of their estranged father's "substantial" estate from a Lotto win.

New Zealand man David Wayde Carson had no contact with his now-adult children since separating from their mother in 1974.

The Nelson man won big at Lotto, never told his kids, and died insisting some of it be given to cattle research. Credit:George Heard

He left them nothing in his will, gave instructions that no-one in his family be told about his death, and created a trust to use some of his money for cattle research.

The executors of Carson's estate sought legal advice on their obligations to locate the children, and what information they were required to give.
Estonian English

The Management Board of AS Silvano Fashion Group, registry code 10175491, registered address Tulika 15/17, 10613 Tallinn, (hereinafter SFG) convenes an Extraordinary General Meeting (hereinafter: EGM) of shareholders on 12th of January 2017 at 11:00 (Estonian time) in Nordic Hotel Forum conference hall Arcturus, address Viru valjak 3, Tallinn, Estonia.

The registration of participants of the Extraordinary General Meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. (Estonian time).

I Agenda

The agenda of the EGM is the following:

1. The amendment of the profit distribution decision approved by the Annual General Meeting held on 29th of June 2017 and additional distribution of profit of AS Silvano Fashion Group

II Proposals of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board of SFG has approved the agenda of the EGM as proposed by the Management Board. The Management Board and the Supervisory Board make the following proposals to the shareholders with regard to the agenda:

1. The amendment of the profit distribution decision approved by the Annual General Meeting held on 29th of June 2017 and additional distribution of profit of AS Silvano Fashion Group

Proposal of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board:

1.1. To distribute the profit by paying dividends to the shareholders from the profit of the company based on the approved annual report of 2016 as follows:

1.1.1. The list of shareholders of AS Silvano Fashion Group entitled to profit distribution shall be fixed on 26st of January 2018 end of day of settlement systems.

1.1.2. EUR 0.30 per share shall be payable to the entitled shareholders as a dividend at the latest on 29th of January 2018.

III Organizational questions

The list of the shareholders entitled to participate in the EGM shall be fixed 7 days prior to the date of the meeting, i.e. on 4th of January 2018 end of day of settlement systems.

At the EGM, a shareholder is entitled to receive information from the Management Board about the activities of SFG. The Management Board may decide to withhold information if there is a reason to believe that the disclosure of information may cause significant damage to the interests of SFG. If the Management Board refuses to disclose information, the shareholder may demand from the EGM to adopt a resolution regarding to the lawfulness of the information request or file a petition to a court of law within two weeks of the EGM requesting the court for the ruling requiring the Management Board to disclose the information.

The shareholders whose shares represent at least 1/20 of the share capital may request for additional items to be included in the agenda of the EGM, if the respective request is submitted in writing at least 15 days prior to the EGM.

The shareholders whose shares represent at least 1/20 of the share capital may present their draft resolutions to each item in the agenda in writing no later than 3 days before the EGM.

Draft resolution regarding to the agenda items and other documents presented to the EGM (including annual report, report of the sworn auditor, profit distribution proposal and report of the Supervisory Board) are available for examination on every working day as of the notification of the EGM until the business day preceding the day of the EGM at the headquarters of the Company at Tulika 15/17, Tallinn on business days from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. (Estonian time).

On the day of the EGM the materials related to the agenda of the General Meeting are available for examination at the venue of the EGM as of the opening of registration of participants until the end of the EGM. In order to examine the documents: (1) the shareholders who are natural persons are required to present a document verifying their identity and their representatives are additionally required to present the power of attorney in written form; (2) the representatives of the shareholders who are legal entities shall present (a) an extract from the registry where the legal entity is registered; and (b) a document verifying the identity of representative; and (c) in case of representation on the basis of proxy, also a power of attorney.

Documents and data which are disclosed according to Article 2941 of the Estonian Commercial Code and the templates of power of attorney are available on the homepage of the Company: http://www.silvanofashion.com.

The following documents must be submitted to participate in EGM - the shareholders who are natural persons shall present a document verifying their identity and their representatives shall present the power of attorney in written form; - the representatives of the shareholders who are legal entities shall present (a) an extract from the registry where the legal entity is registered; and (b) a document verifying the identity of representative; (c) in case of representation on the basis of proxy, also a power of attorney.

Unless otherwise provided by a foreign agreement, a document issued by a foreign authority shall be duly apostilled or legalized. Documents in foreign language should be accompanied by the translation into Estonian, verified by relevant institution.

Prior to the EGM the shareholder may notify the Company of the appointment of a representative or the revocation of the representative's authority by sending a digitally signed e-mail message to info@silvanofashion.com or by delivering the information in person on workdays between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Estonian time) or via mail to AS Silvano Fashion Group, Tulika 15/17, 10613 Tallinn, Estonia by 5 p.m. (Estonian time) on the business day preceding the day of the EGM.

For any information regarding the EGM or the agenda items, please contact Jarek Sargava (e-mail info@silvanofashion.com; phone +372 684 5000).

Jarek Sargava

AS Silvano Fashion Group Board Member

E-mail: info@silvanofashion.com

Tel: +372 684 5000; Fax: +372 684 5300

Address: Tulika 15/17, 10613 Tallinn, Estonia

http://www.silvanofashion.com
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Block One Capital Inc. (TSX-V:BLOK) (Frankfurt:ES3) (the Company or Block One), is pleased to announce further to its previous news releases, it has successfully closed an oversubscribed private placement (the Offering) of 10,000,000 units (the Units) of the Company at a price of $1.00 per Unit for gross proceeds of $10,000,000.



Each Unit consisted of one (1) common share (a Share) and one-half (1/2) of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one additional Share at a price of $1.50 for a period of two (2) years from the date of closing. In the event that the Shares trade at a closing price of greater than $2.50 per Share for ten (10) consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the warrants to the 30th day after the date on which it provides notice of acceleration.

We are very pleased to have completed a successful oversubscribed financing in such a short period of time. Our model identifying early stage, high growth opportunities with the best in class management has resonated with the investment community. We remain focused on the business plan execution for our two recently announced investments and also the potential in our growing pipeline of additional investment opportunities, said David Berg, CEO of Block One.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to fund its ongoing investment strategy in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. The Company paid a commission to qualified parties of up to 8% of the Offering proceeds in compensation units, which units have substantially the same terms as the Units.

All securities issued in connection with the offering are subject to a four month hold period, expiring April 22, 2018, in addition to any other restrictions under applicable law.

For more information on Block One Capital Inc. please visit: www.blockonecap.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

David Berg

Chief Executive Officer and Director

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on the Companys current expectations, estimates and/or projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates. Such information in this news release includes statements relating to the closing of the Offering and the use of the net proceeds of the Offering. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law.

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 and has in no way passed upon the merits of the qualifying transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

Block One Capital Inc.

Office: 604-908-3095; email: info@blockonecap.com
Grimes County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 to anyone who can help identify the person who killed a 35-year-old man on Monday.

Authorities said Navasota resident Michael Bell was walking along Texas 105 East through dense fog outside of Navasotas city limits Monday when he was hit and killed. Emergency crews were called after his lifeless body was discovered lying in a ditch at 10:30 a.m.

Investigators believe the vehicle that killed Bell was a 1997 to 2000 Toyota Tacoma. Investigators suspect the truck is dark green. The truck might have a broken headlight lens, front-end damage and a missing antenna. Officials said the driver might not be aware that they killed someone.

Anyone who has information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 936-873-2000. Tips can be submitted anonymously. If a tip leads to the suspects arrest, the tipster is eligible to receive up to $1,000 from Grimes County Crime Stoppers.
One man was arrested and one remained at large after police say they exchanged gunfire in the parking lot of a College Station apartment complex Thursday afternoon.

No injuries were reported.

According to College Station police, authorities were called to the Southgate Village apartments on Luther Street around 2:45 p.m. on the report of shots fired. Investigators say a man had been visiting an apartment resident when another man arrived, and the two began arguing. The argument resulted in a gun battle between the two in the parking lot of the complex.

Police arrested Alexavian Wilson, 20, of College Station in the incident. He is charged with deadly conduct and obstruction or retaliation, both third-degree felonies each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Wilson is also charged with two counts of criminal mischief; obstruction or retaliation; and two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief. A second person believed to have been involved had not been arrested as of Thursday night.

College Station police spokesman Lt. Craig Anderson told The Eagle that neither Wilson nor the second man are residents of the apartment complex. One man was visiting with someone at the apartments when he saw the second man approaching the residence.

"I wouldn't say those men are acquaintances," Anderson said. "More like enemies."

Anderson said police are still investigating, and it was not clear Thursday how many shots were fired or what weapons were used. It appears one used a handgun and the other possibly using something larger such as a rifle, he said.

Once police had cleared the crime scene, maintenance staff from the apartment complex knocked out the thousands of glass shards barely held together in a young mother's glass door. They then swept the glass pieces up and prepared to place a large plank of plywood over the space that opened up into her kitchen, where a baby's high chair sat. Property assistant manager Teresa Roese watched the cleanup, saying one of the bullets from the gun fight had lodged itself into a small child's bedroom wall in a nearby apartment.

"This is stressful, but it can happen anywhere," Roese said. "I'm shaken up, though my main concern was to tell the residents to get inside with their children. ... I'm 99 percent sure that [the suspects] are not residents here, because we do not have many males who live here. There are only 10 men in the complex who are on a lease."

Only a few weeks earlier, College Station officers had been at the Southgate Village apartments to assist with the 29th Annual Brazos De Dios Toy Run of The Ranch Harley-Davidson, where dozens of toys were delivered to children in the complex by Santa Claus and a legion of friendly motorcyclists. Southgate is mostly populated by mothers and children, Roese said.

Resident Catrina Holmes has lived at Southgate Village for 10 years, where she has raised four children. She lives just a few units from the apartment with the shattered glass door.

"I don't know what started it," she told The Eagle. "I just know right down the sidewalk I saw someone leaning over with [what looked like] a sawed-off shotgun... It was loud. Imagine fireworks. It rattled our windows as they were shooting back and forth at each other. I don't know what started it, but they were shooting at each other."

When the shooting began, she took her two youngest children who were home at the time and led them upstairs to hide in a bedroom.

"My son stands in the window," she said. "He has autism and sits in the window; that's kind of his comfort. [The shooting] shook the windows, and it scared him."

Holmes said criminal activity she has noticed in the complex has come from outsiders and visitors, not the residents. She said she had seen one of the men involved in Thursday's incident visiting the complex on occasion. Regardless, she was rattled by Thursday's events.

"I wish I could get out of here, but it's not that easy," she said.

Rouese said there have been problems with crime at Southgate in the past, but over the past 10 or more years manager Tammy Benford has worked hard to ensure dangerous activity is minimized. Benford requires tenants read 10 pages of complex rules before moving in, enforces a nighttime curfew for outdoor activity and holds residents liable for guests who visit.

"When she moves people in, they are amazed at what she has made of this place," Roese said. "Tammy has turned this place around."

Regardless of improvements, Holmes said she is still worried.

"It's almost like it's its own little city here," she said. "Things go on in College Station, and it's nothing like what's going on in Southgate itself."

Anyone with information about Thursday's incident is asked to contact CSPD at 979-764-3600.
Texas A&M professor Bruce Dvorak's research on green roofs has been honored with a 2017 Living Architecture Award of Excellence for Research -- something he said is an encouraging recognition of his work.

Dvorak, who said the green roof practice of placing vegetated surfaces on buildings stretches back nearly a century in Europe, serves as an associate professor in the department of landscape architecture and urban planning at A&M and has brought a physical manifestation of his research to the College Station campus. On top of Building A at the Langford Architecture Center, Dvorak has conducted green roof research since 2009.

With the recognition, awarded by the nonprofit industry advocacy group Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Dvorak said he is proud the work is being used by others as well as noticed for the value it carries.

"To get recognized for my work, that has great value to me," he said. "This award comes almost seven years since [the paper] was published, which means other people are gaining something from it, and it's useful. I think that's the best kind of award to get."

He said at the time it was published, he feels the "timing was right" for his work to gain traction among those interested in the technology.

"There were no papers out there that were looking at the eco-regional approach to green roofs," Dvorak said. "... Before this paper, there was no widespread look at what kind of vegetation was being grown on green roofs in North America."

Among the benefits of green roofs for buildings are retaining storm water and managing building temperatures to repel heat and keep indoor temperatures cooler. Dvorak said. In addition, he said they can even serve as an ecological haven for plants and wildlife in urban areas that would otherwise be pushed out by the lack of vegetation, especially if local greenery is used.

Although the roof technology carries with it several benefits, Dvorak said the initial cost to implement it can be a deterrent to some considering the option. In the long term, however, he said green roofs have been shown to bring with them benefits down the line.

"I think any building that's being designed to last for a number of years, it makes sense to [install a green roof]," Dvorak said. "I think some commercial developments are starting to look at the potential for doing that, but it really takes someone who is conscious about the environment to do something about it. It doesn't work on the budget spreadsheet for most business models, but if you look long term, if you want to be in an area for a while and establish a reputation, then I think it would be a good thing to do."

To assist with adoption, Dvorak said he would like to see the government pursue avenues such as financial incentives for companies and builders who implement the technology -- a practice he said has been used to positive effect in places like Denver, Toronto and Germany.

But while Dvorak said the roof style has benefits, he that said he does not believe it is a practical solution for all structures. The cost and slimmer benefits may make the roofs less attractive for single-family homes and smaller structures, Dvorak said, but larger office and multi-family structures -- particularly in urban environments -- have the most to gain.

"For a typical residential house, it just doesn't make sense," Dvorak said. "But if you get into multifamily housing units with roof decks, certainly that can add a great value or even a place for people to hang out where there may not be a front yard. A widespread application of green roofs on institutional buildings, business parks and even commercial areas could have a great effect on the microclimate, keeping the area cooler and managing the storm water."

Moving forward, he said the field still needs more research -- a task he said he believes Texas A&M is well positioned to help address -- as well as standards, guidelines and cooperation with industry and government so that the practice can be more efficiently studied and implemented.

"This is the perfect place to have those kinds of demonstrations where people can learn about it and see that it's not something to be scared of," he said.

Dvorak suggested anyone interested in learning more about green roof technology and maintenance should visit greenroofs.org.
A United Airlines flight from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston made an emergency landing Thursday night at Easterwood Airport after smoke was detected in the main body of the aircraft.

According to College Station Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Rodgers, first responders were called to Easterwood shortly before 7 p.m. after officials received a report that a United Express Embraer 175 bound for Boise, Idaho, was experiencing a problem in the air. Officials determined the main body of the plane, which had 80 people on board, had filled with smoke.

The plane landed safely at Easterwood and all those on board were evacuated. No injuries were reported.

According to Rodgers, the plane's smoke detectors activated about seven minutes after departing from the Houston airport, and flight attendants reported seeing smoke. However, he said firefighters were unable to determine the source of the smoke.

No other flight schedules were affected. According to Rodgers, a new plane was scheduled to arrive in College Station at 9:10 p.m. to depart at 9:40 p.m. for Boise.
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by Pomerantz LLP, please note that first paragraph stated that a class action lawsuit had been filed against Diana Containerships Inc. It should have stated that a class action lawsuit has been filed against The Crypto Company.

The corrected release follows:

Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against The Crypto Company (Crypto or the Company) (OTCMKTS:CRCW) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, for the Central District of California, and docketed under 17-cv-09157, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Crypto securities, seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.



If you are a shareholder who purchased Crypto securities between August 21, 2017, and December 18, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until February 20, 2018, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

The Crypto Company is engaged in the business of advising regarding, investing in, trading and developing proprietary source code for digital assets with diversified exposure to digital asset markets. The Companys core services include consulting and advising companies regarding investment and trading in the digital asset market and investing in a manner that diversifies exposure to the growing class of digital assets.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Crypto unlawfully engaged in a scheme to promote and manipulate the Companys stock; and (ii) as a result, Cryptos public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On December 19, 2017, the SEC temporarily suspended Crypto stock from trading due to concerns that the stock was being manipulated after the shares surged more than 17,000% in less than 3 months. The SEC said it was alarmed about the accuracy and adequacy of information relating to the compensation paid for promotion of its and statements in SEC filings about the plans of the Companys insiders to sell their stock. Crypto stock was trading at $575 per share at the time trading was suspended and the suspension will remain in effect until January 3, 2018.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
November 7, 1959 - December 19, 2017

Michael (PeeWee) Shilling, 58, of College Station, TX., went to be with his Lord and Savior on December 19, 2017 at home surrounded his family. A time for family to receive friends will be from 5:00 P.M to 7:00 P.M. on Friday Dec. 22, 2017 at Hillier Funeral Home in College Station, TX. A Life Celebration will be held at 3:30 on Dec. 23, 2017 at Hiller Funeral Home, College Station with Steve Lackey officiating. Interment will immediately follow at the College Station Cemetary.

Michael was born on Nov. 7, 1959 to Harold V. and Wilma Shilling at Camp Pendleton in California. He graduated from University High School in Waco, TX. The oilfield life was calling him, he enjoyed 35 years in the oilfields with 19 of those in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. He always called it his home away from home. He touched many lives while there not knowing how much he was loved until he became ill. He had a huge Alaskan family there. He was dreaming of going back to be there with his boys. He would get the biggest smile whenever he talked about the oilfield and would talk hours on end. He loved his life here, but he also loved that life.

Michael is preceded in death by his father, Harold V. Shilling.

Michael leaves behind: his loving wife of 19 years, Carmen; sons, Michael V. Shilling, Jr., Douglas Fuentes and wife Lindsey, Barry Milazzo and wife Nichole, Rickie Milazzo and wife Misty; daughters, Nicole Sweed and husband Steven, Alexis Nicole and husband Christian Gainsbrugh; his mother, Wilma Shilling; brothers, Bobby Shilling and wife Gloria, James Dale and wife Michelle, and 10 grandchildren. He is survived by several nieces and nephews.

Carrying him to final resting place will be Michael V. Shilling, Jr., Douglas Fuentes, Barry Milazzo, Sonny Diaz, Joseph Gene Puryear and Arnulfo Cruz.

A special Thank you to his two nephews, Sonny Diaz and Gene Puryear for keeping their Uncle Mike on his toes.

A special Thank you to Dr. Jenkins at the Cancer Clinic and the staff, and Hospice Brazos Valley for taking excellent care of him.

A huge Thank you to his sister-in-law, Rosalinda Puryear for being here to help take care of him and loving him unconditionally and to BIL Gene Puryear for being without his wife for all these months while she helped to take care of him.

Please visit Michael's tribute page at www.hillierfuneralhome.com to share memories and stories.
As mega-corporations join wealthy individuals in celebrating the passage of tax cuts for the rich, Id like to take a moment to talk about another of President Donald Trumps favorite subjects  law and order.

Remember law and order? It was Trumps refrain during his presidential campaign and in his earliest days in office. He repeated it often, even amid swirling accusations of Russian collusion. The phrase made his supporters feel secure when Trump said he would protect them from lawbreakers. Of course, the lawbreakers Trump had in mind were black and brown people who had the unmitigated gall to demand that police stop killing us.

But now that the lawbreakers are from Trumps inner circle, the president has changed his tune. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos have pleaded guilty to charges connected to the Russian collusion investigation headed by special counsel Robert Mueller. Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his protege, Rick Gates, also have been charged by Mueller, who now has thousands of Trump transition team emails that were retrieved from government servers.

With those realities in mind, the man who told us we must support law enforcement at all costs now calls federal law-enforcement agencies the enemy.

Using Twitter to slam the Justice Department, Trump complained that former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was not charged with lying to the FBI during a long-closed email investigation, while Flynn was charged with lying to the FBI during the current Russia investigation. Never mind that the Trump administration already has said Flynn is a liar. Never mind that Flynn pleaded guilty to the charge. In Trumps mind, its still about Clinton, because, after all, law and order applies only to other people. It never applies to Trump himself.

Maybe thats why he sent out this tweet earlier this month: 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.

He also tweeted that the FBI is tainted and very dishonest because FBI agent Peter Strzok  formerly an agent involved in Muellers Russia investigation  was found to have sent anti-Trump text messages.

Of course, the one-bad-apple-spoils-the-bunch logic doesnt apply when black people complain that we are 2.5 times to be shot and killed by police than our white counterparts. Trump and his minions tell us that the police who shoot us are outliers. They tell us that they are individual actors who are not part of a system that is built on the assumption that black lives have less value. They tell us to lighten up.

Yet when Trump comes face to face with one biased agent in an investigation, its fine for him to use that agents behavior to paint the entire FBI as corrupt.

Thats an odd turn of events from the man who pledged to support police no matter what the circumstance. Its downright hypocritical for a guy who promised us law and order.

Trump is the same man who derided black protesters for taking to the streets after police shot unarmed people. You know, because we should support the police no matter what.

Trump is the same man whose Justice Department refused to honor consent decrees with police departments that had been proven to engage in patterns of systemic discrimination against black people. You know, because we should always support the police.

Trump is the same man who overturned President Barack Obamas ban on giving military surplus equipment to police departments because, in Trumps mind, cops need that stuff to deal with those pesky brown taxpayers who keep demanding equal treatment. Why? You guessed it. Because we should always support the police.

As long as theyre shutting down black protests after police shootings, or deporting brown immigrants from Mexico, or upholding the ban on Muslim travelers, law-enforcement officers in Trump world never should be questioned.

But woe to those who dare to hold Trump to the same law and order standard that the rest of us are expected to honor. Woe to those who dare to question whether the Trump presidency came into being through illegal collusion with a foreign enemy of the United States.

Heres an idea: If the Trump administration is going to impose law and order on the rest of America, it should set the example it wants us to follow.

Im all for law and order. Lets make sure we have it first in the White House.

Solomon Jones is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. Email him at sj@solomonjones.com.
Of course trash pickup is a core College Station service

Is trash pickup a core city service? That's an easy one except, apparently, for some College Station Council members.

Yes, Virginia, trash pickup is a core service. And we have a good one.

The big, maroon truck lumbered down my street this morning. I could set my watch by it. Even students remember to put out their bins. And I catch up with it on Christmas week and toss the crew a bag of cookies in appreciation. These are hard working, efficient, local city employees who have done the best job they can in this burgeoning city, without a raise for 10 years. The city staff made a rate increase request, the first since 2007. Some Council element rejected that in favor of finding cheaper service elsewhere (and proposed spending $50,000 for assistance in the process).

John Benham's passion to "streamline" by outsourcing might cool if he thought back to the historically enviable quality of A&M's food service on campus before it was outsourced.

If the wheel ain't broke, don't spend our money fixing it. And, If Benham wants to avoid a real danger in the city, he should not bike through some of the streets crowded with illegally parked cars.

KATHRYN G. LINDSAY

College Station

Have we all forgotten that sexual immorality is sinful?

In today's world every magazine and TV ad stress sexuality. Lips, buttocks, breasts, cleavage, lipstick, perfume and clothing are designed to make women attractive. Dressing modestly went out with the 1900s and the female animal wants to be admired for whatever attractive trait she has.

It has been said 'she asked for it' and that is crude, but without realizing the effect it has on the male (or realizing it) she is 'hoping" to attract attention to herself. None of this makes it OK to harass either male or female.

Mothers let their daughters dress like all the others. Fathers don't stand up for their daughters' modesty either. It is even a problem in the church today. Our sexual nature doesn't need any help to be stirred up.

I retired after 25 years and so did a lot of relatives of mine -- most didn't have that problem. To have to endure sexual groping to keep your job is pitiful. What happened to a slap in the face or a kick in the groin? Are jobs that important? I suspect that some women know what they are doing and handle it however it is convenient -- waiting years to make accusations -- or getting payoffs.

All this immodesty has contributed to the sexual immorality in America. No one is ashamed of getting pregnant before marriage -- and actually some cannot even name the father -- and the taxpayers end up raising the child financially.

I suggest women let it be known by their attitude towards men -- men know a 'come on' when they see it. I have witnessed a lot of flirting. If it persists, make it known to whoever can stop it.

Vice President Mike Pence won't go to lunch with any other woman but his wife. They make fun of him.

Have we forgotten that sexual immorality is sinful?

MARY BETH PATTERSON

Bryan
A Rocky Mount bank celebrated decades of service and its newly renovated branch with a ribbon-cutting last week.

Carter Bank & Trust opened its first branch in Downtown Rocky Mount at the corner of Franklin and College streets on Dec. 13, 1974. The ribbon cutting marked the branchs opening 43 years ago to the day.

Since its inception, the bank has grown to 123 branches, making it the second largest bank headquartered in Virginia in terms of size, according to Phyllis Karavatakis, president and chief banking officer for the bank.

Were getting ready to begin a new phase and transformation as we go forward, Karavatakis said. We remodeled these offices and were investing in our infrastructure that we have. In order to compete and be successful we need more products, we need to have more technology and were investing in that.

She added that Carter Bank & Trusts 1974 opening was the first bank opening in Franklin County since 1926.

According to Brandy McKenzie, the Rocky Mount branch manager, the $250,000 renovation project included updated flooring and furniture and new paint for the walls.

Although there is no set date in place, McKenzie said the bank is updating its technology system, and online and mobile banking will be available to its customers in the future.

We have a lot of changes coming up that are going to be great for the bank, McKenzie said. But the one thing that remains the same is our commitment to offer exceptional public service.

The ribbon-cutting brought many associates, current and retired employees, to the downtown branch including Dianne Hall, the banks very first employee.

The difference between the two events is, in 1974 we were celebrating a unique experience in banking for the community, Hall said in front of a packed lobby. This open house today celebrates the unique longevity of this organization.

Litz Van Dyke, CEO, said customer service and the focus on the community and its people is what contributed to the banks success.

Worth Carter built this company on people, Van Dyke said of the banks founder. Everything we do is to make this company stronger and better so we can continue to perpetuate this company.
English Danish

Aarhus, Denmark, 2017-12-22 10:04 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

On 17 August 2017, Vestas initiated a share buy-back programme, ref. Company announcement No. 30/2017. The programme is implemented in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and Council of 16 April 2014 (MAR) (the "Safe Harbour rules). The purpose of the programme is to adjust Vestas capital structure and to meet the obligations arising from share based incentive programmes to employees of Vestas.

Under the programme, Vestas will buy back shares for an amount up to DKK 4,460 million (approximately EUR 600 million) in the period from 17 August 2017 to 29 December 2017.

The following transactions have been made under the programme during the period 18  21 December 2017:



Number of

shares Weighted average purchase price, DKK Transaction value,

DKK 18 December 2017 237,353 436.30 103,556,354 19 December 2017 200,000 428.96 85,791,660 20 December 2017 - - - 21 December 2017 70,212 433.38 30,428,322 Accumulated under the programme 9,204,766 484.52 4,459,882,982

Details of all the transactions relating to the share buy-back programme during the period are presented in the attached appendix.

The share buy-back programme initiated 17 August 2017 is hereby finalised.

Contact details

Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Denmark

Hans Martin Smith, Senior Vice President, Patrik Setterberg

Group Treasury and Investor Relations Investor Relations

Tel: +45 9730 8209 Tel: +45 6122 1913
STAMFORD  Private equity firm Atlantic Street Capital announced this week it had acquired a majority stake in Lori's Gifts, a national hospital gift-shop retailer.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 1981, Lori's Gifts operates more than 350 shops in hospitals across the country. The company provides patient gift service for all its locations and same-day room delivery for personal care items, gifts, flowers, balloons, drinks, snacks and accessories.

We believe the Lori's business model can benefit from many of Atlantic Street Capital's tactical and strategic strengths in managing multi-unit, small-box specialty retail investments, Andy Wilkins, managing partner at Atlantic Street, said in a statement. This, coupled with substantial growth opportunities for new locations, creates an opportunity for us to deliver a significant return for our investors if we can execute.

Headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, Loris employs 50 in its main offices and more than 1,700 nationwide.

Hospitals value Lori's as a key partner because the high-quality nature of the retail outlets enhances the reputation of a hospital and allows them to outsource gift shop management and focus on their priority of providing patient care, Peter Bernick, of the Bernick family, which sold the majority stake, said in a statement. We are very excited that Atlantic Street Capital will now apply knowledge from their earlier successes growing similar businesses and believe there is a bright future for Lori's.

Atlantic Street focuses its investments on middle-market companies with adjusted earnings between $4 million and $15 million.

Other companies in the firms portfolio include GAT Airline Ground Support; an operator of franchised Planet Fitness health clubs; ophthalmic instrument distributor Lombart Instrument; an owner and operator of franchised Jimmy Johns restaurants; technology company Uniguest; Alex Apparel Group; Double B Foods; and EZE Trucking.

Atlantic Street is headquartered at 281 Tresser Blvd., in downtown Stamford.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
Scott Vincent / Contributed photo

Sean Kelly and The Samples are returning to Fairfield Theatre Company to ring in the new year.

Considered a cross between The Police and the Grateful Dead, the band known for its reggae-influenced rock/pop will perform at FTCs Warehouse on Sunday, Dec. 31.
NORWALK  The owner of a local bagel store is accused of stealing over $1,700 in merchandise from a womens retail outlet store during a recent food delivery, police said.

Darren Monaco, 44, turned himself into police on a warrant Tuesday on the charge of fourth-degree larceny.

On Dec. 7 and 8, Monaco, who is listed as the owner of Village Bagels on Westport Avenue, made bagel deliveries to the Dooney and Bourke outlet store on Regent Street.

Employees told police that after making the deliveries, Monaco had taken several items on his way out.

Dooney and Bourke was conducting its annual tent sale in the warehouse from Dec. 7-10.

Employees told police that Monaco was acting suspiciously in the store, and when he left, they said they found 13 empty watch boxes, along with two purses and several key chains missing.

The Norwalk Police Departments Detective Bureau took over the investigation. Police say that when questioned at his home, Monaco admitted taking the items from the store.

Police say the items totaled $1,730.50 and have since been recovered.

A warrant for Monacos arrest was obtained and on Tuesday he turned himself in at police headquarters.

It was not known if he is represented by an attorney.

Monaco, of Creeping Hemlock Drive, was released on a promise to appear and was given a court date of Dec. 28.
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"Full House" fever is in full swing now that the Netflix spinoff "Fuller House" is slated to return for the second half of Season 3 on Fridayjust in time for a holiday binge-a-thon!

And that got us wondering: What's up with the real "Full House" house?

We checkedand it turns out it's stirring up a truckload of trouble.

'The worst thing that's happened'

We're talking, of course, about the gorgeous Victorian whose exterior appears in the opening credits of "Full/Fuller House," located at 1709 Broderick St. in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. Even though the show is filmed in a studio elsewhere, this 19th-century beauty has gained pop culture status, drawing throngs of fans over the years.

And that hubbub has apparently gotten worse ever since the 3,125-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-bathroom home was sold for $4 million to none other than Jeff Franklin, the producer of both "Full House" and "Fuller House." After purchasing the place in April 2016, Franklin said he planned to renovate the interior so it finally matches the setpossibly so that he could use it to film some new footage of "Fuller House," or stage a sleepover for the cast. Or, just maybe, rent the place out for big bucks.

Now Playing: "It ain't going away, so I better embrace it," the actor says Video: Entertainment Weekly

Since then, the renovation permits have been granted, but at least two of Franklin's neighbors have recently filed a request for a "discretionary review" hearing, which could throw a wrench in moving forward. The reason they're fighting Franklin's reno plans? They're worried that they might make their neighborhood even more overrun than ever.

Franklin is a Hollywood producer who has bought the house for commercial purposespromoting it as a fan destination, using it for promotional events and filming at the house, complained neighbor Carla Hashagan in the San Francisco Examiner. According to Hashagan, at peak times, the block is now teeming with 150-250 or more visitors and 50-75 cars per hour, with 1,000 visitors or more on weekend days. All this attention, she asserts, has wreaked havoc on our neighborhood.

As a result, locals say the sidewalks are littered with trash, and parking has become next to impossible.

Weve lived here for 46 years, and weve seen a lot of things go on. This is probably the worst thing thats happened," area resident David Natcher told CBS news. "Its brought a lot of people from all over the country, and it becomes a mob scene."

According to locals, appealing directly to Franklin to address these concerns has had little effect.

We arent getting anywhere dealing with him directly," said Natcher. "So now we have to go to the city and try to get them to do something about his requests and have him scale back what he's doing and maybe listen to our concerns."

What rights do neighbors have?

Franklins spokesperson, Evette Davis, said the producer is trying to work with neighborsby, say, going on social media to remind fans to be respectful when visiting the house. However, we cannot deter tourists from visiting, she said. We genuinely tried what we could to help.

But what happens if Franklin decides to turn on the cameras to film "Fuller House" here? Is that even allowed?

It turns out, it is allowed, to a degree. "I actually know this because I've done it," Los Angeles developer Tyler Drew tells realtor.com. "A few years ago, I renovated a large abandoned loft in Los Angeles. Once renovated, I put the home onto various film location scout websites.

"The IRS allows 14 days of tax-free filming a year," adds Drew. And you can film beyond that if you pay taxes on any income generated, and apply for the right permits before the cameras start rolling.

"Can you do it? Yes," says Drew. "Only should you all the time as a homeowner? Eh, that's where it gets tricky. [Franklin's] neighbors obviously have legal rights to quiet use of their homes."

As for what the neighbors can do, "they have the option to change the zoning's use for filming, but that could be a long and costly process," explains Jeff Miller, a Baltimore-based real estate agent at AE Home Group. "It would be better for the neighbors to take a short-term approach to minimize the impact of visitors until the hype fades away. Neighborhood-provided public trash cans can help alleviate the litter, and pooled funds to hire an off-duty police officer during peak hours could help deter loitering and illegal parking."

Even at the worst, neighbors should find some comfort in that the hubbub won't last forever. "Given a few years time, the home will likely lose its appeal as a tourist attraction," Miller says.

Sooner or later, those "Full House" fans will binge-watch their way into indifference. Or here's another upside noted by Samuel Pawlitzki, a real estate agent with Beach Cities Real Estate in Malibu, CA.

"On the one hand, it's a nuisance to have the home next to you be a tourist attraction," Pawlitzki says. "On the other, it does raise property value considerably."

The post The 'Full House' Home Faces Its Biggest Scandal Yet appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
Calendar

Friday, Dec. 29  Happy Noon Years!, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Goodbye 2017 and welcome 2018! Let's get ready for the New Year by counting down until noon! And, of course, there will be crafts and activities. For all ages, registration is required. Register online or call 203-762-6336.

Now through Dec. 28  Unhung Heroes Art Exhibition Wilton Library welcomes 21 artists who have either not exhibited at the library before or not in the recent past. The artists work in a variety of media including watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, graphics, mixed media, drawings, photography and sculpture. Their works encompass an array of styles and subject matter such as figures, portraits, still life, abstracts, botanicals, landscapes and more. A majority of the works will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the library.

Now through Wednesday, Jan. 3  Wilton Librarys Giving Tree and Giving Gelt The Giving Tree is decorated with ornaments of items that will help expand Wilton Librarys collection. Books, CDs, DVDs, and other materials can be donated to the library in honor or in memory of someone special. New this year, the library is displaying a menorah with Giving Gelt that can be given to the library (as a monetary donation) that will go the Childrens Library collection. The circulation staff at the front desk will be happy to help anyone wishing to give something from the Giving Tree or who wishes to make a Giving Gelt donation.

Now through Wednesday, Jan. 3  Wilton Library Holiday Book Sale. Wilton Library's Holiday Book Sale in the gallery is a seasonal delight where bargains can be found  featuring a large array of pristine books, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks. This year, the sale includes a diverse collection of classical, jazz, Latin and blues CDs. All CDs are priced to sell, many are new shrink-wrapped items. All merchandise is perfect for holiday gift-giving. As items are sold, new ones appear daily. All sales support the library. Sale is continuous during regular library hours through January 3, 2018. Library closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Coming in January

More Information 137 Old Ridgefield Road 203-762-3950 www.wiltonlibrary.org See More Collapse

Friday, Jan. 5  Fairfield County Arts Association Winter Collection Art Exhibition/Reception at Wilton Library, 6-7:30 p.m. A diverse group of talented artists are featured in Wilton Librarys art exhibition this month. The exhibition showcases artists from Fairfield County Arts Association who work in a variety of media including watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, graphics, mixed media, drawings, photography and sculpture with subject matter encompassing figures, portraits, still life, abstracts, botanicals, landscapes and more. Reception free and open to the public. Exhibition runs through Jan. 25. A majority of the works will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the library.

Saturday, Jan. 6  New Perspectives Film Series  An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. More than ten years have passed since the movie, An Inconvenient Truth was released which documented Al Gores fight against climate change. But what has happened since then? This sequel addresses how climate changes that were predicted in that movie happened and their very real impact on people and cities. Follow the progress that Gores work and fellow environmentalists have made as well as see the behind the scenes efforts at the United Nations 2015 Climate Change Conference. Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk. Winner of three awards: Biografilm Festival 2017: Audience Award, International Competition Critics Choice Documentary Awards 2017: Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary Environmental Media Awards, USA 2017 Documentary Film. Suggested donation: $5. Refreshments served. The New Perspectives Documentary series is programmed and moderated by filmmaker Megan Smith-Harris. A Q&A will follow the film. Registration highly recommended. Register online or call 203-762-6334.

Tuesday, Jan. 9  Author Talk: Joseph Williams  The Sunken Gold, 7-8:30 p.m. Librarian, archivist and historian Joseph A. Williams brings the true story of the HMS Laurentic sunk by German mines off the coast of Ireland during the Great War in his book, The Sunken Gold  A Story of World War I, Espionage and the Greatest Treasure Salvage in History. Williams brings this exciting, true tale of undersea diving and naval operations to life, exemplifying human persistence, bravery and patriotism with Lieutenant Commander Guybon C.C. Damant at the helm. Williams hold masters degrees in history and library and information science from Queens College. He worked at the State University of New York Maritime Colleges Stephen B. Luce Library which specializes in nautical research. He currently is the Deputy Director of the Greenwich Library. Q&A will follow the talk. Book signing and purchase will be available courtesy of Elm Street Books, New Canaan. No charge. Registration highly recommended. Register online or call 203-762-6334.

Wednesday, Jan. 17  Author Talk: Sujata Massey  The Widows of Malabar Hill: A Mystery of 1920s Bombay, 7-8:30 p.m. Inspired in part by the woman who made history as Indias first female attorney, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp and promising new sleuth. Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her fathers law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes womens legal rights especially important to her. One particular case catches her attention and now it is her responsibility to figure out what really happened to three women on Malabar Hill. Sujata Massey was born in England to parents from India and Germany, was raised mostly in St. Paul, Minnesota, and lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Her novels have won the Agatha and Macavity awards and been finalists for the Edgar, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark prizes. Q&A will follow the talk. No charge. Registration highly recommended. Book signing and purchase will be available courtesy of Elm Street Books, New Canaan. See librarys registration link for more details. Register online or call 203-762-6334.

Classes in Innovation Station this week  Wednesday, Jan. 3: Embroider or Monogram It!, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 6: Embroider a Chefs Apron, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Childrens programs  Monday, Jan. 8 through March 12: Ready Readers, 4:15-5 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 9 through March 13: Terrific Tales for Twos and Threes, 10:15-10:45 a.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 10 through March 14: Books for Babies, 10:15-10:45 a.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 10 through March 14: Wonderful Ones and Twos, 11-11:30 a.m.
What happens to the Romans in the absence of their greatest man, Camillus? Crushing losses, near-obliteration. Not to honor what is best and highestin fact, to insult it, to belittle it, to attribute base motives to it: What can follow except an arrogant forgetfulness that preludes disaster?

Titus Livius (or Livy), the Roman historian whose work our sophomores at Wyoming Catholic College are reading in Humanities 201, writes about an episode when the city temporarily forgot itself and its principles, roughly halfway between Romes legendary founding in 753 B.C. and Livys own day. In fact, it came very close to disappearing from history. Why? Because of its mistreatment of the one man who most embodied what Rome was.

Most of us remember a few figures from the time of Cicero and Caesar, or a few emblematic events, such as Horatius at the bridge holding off the forces of Lars Porsena. But without Camillus, Rome itself might have disappeared. As a citizen, he combined extraordinary military acumen with great piety and prudence. Piety was especially important to himand it is recognizably a form of piety that still imbues the Roman-ness of the Roman Catholic Church. Shortly after he was put in charge of the war against Veii (a nearby Etruscan city), Camillus made the proper sacrifices, invoked the gods, and took the auspices in ways strictly true to Roman tradition. With characteristic decisiveness and intelligence, he ended the dispiriting ten-year siege with a great Roman victory.

And yet, after the first flush of enthusiasm, the common people of Rome thought they were better off without him; they wanted booty and he put the good of Rome above their immediate needs. The people resented the way that he distributed the massive spoils of Veii (keeping a promise he had made to Apollo) and the fact that he did not support a mass exodus of Roman citizens into the now-vacated city of their enemies. Despite everything he had done for them (and there was much more), they contrived a criminal charge of misappropriation against him, and Camillus went into exile rather than endure it. As he left the city, Camillus prayed that if he were innocent and wrongfully accused, the gods might speedily cause his ungrateful country bitterly to regret that he had gone.

The unexpected invasion of the Gauls in 390 B.C. appears to be the answer the gods give him. In the battle on the river Alliatheir first encounterthe Romans (now without their greatest general) meet the fierce barbarians unprepared: The Roman commanders had taken no precautionsno regular defensive position had been chosen, no fortifications prepared to give shelter in case of need; without sign from the flight of birds or the entrails of beasts (the very gods, to say nothing of man, forgotten)they drew up their line on as broad a front as they could, hoping not to be outflanked by the enemys superior numbers; but the hope was vain.

Not only do the Romans suffer a humiliating defeat, but the surviving soldiers who make it back to Rome leave the city gates wide open for the puzzled Gauls to enterwhich of course they do; they loot and pillage and burn Roman houses and temples unopposed, while the remaining Romans hold out on the Capitol. Only after great suffering does the city drive out the Gauls, restore its temples, and regain its characterand only then because of the return of Camillus. Livy makes his central importance unmistakably clear in Book V of his History; in his Camillus, Plutarch hints that the man is almost a mortal Jupiter.

What happens to the Romans in the absence of their greatest man also happens to the Achaians in the absence of Achilles in the Iliad: crushing losses, near-obliteration. It happens in ancient Israel, too, of course, when the Israelites forget God and begin to accommodate themselves to the cultures around them: defeat, exile, humiliation. Not to honor what is best and highestin fact, to insult it, to belittle it, to attribute base motives to it: What can follow except a decentered and arrogant forgetfulness that preludes disaster?

Some students always dislike Achilles; some also dislike Camillus. Their sentiments are unquestionably informed by a democratic sense of equality as well as by a Christian appreciation for humility. They do not like conscious assertions of importancebut just that assertion of importance constitutes the education we give them. Should God not assert that He is God? What is true is true: It is not simply a matter of my truth versus your truth. The same holds for what is best and what is most beautiful. There are degrees, of course, but that very fact means that something is highest.

Take away hierarchy, as Ulysses says in Shakespeares Troilus and Cressida, and hark what discord follows. Recently, the statue of Robert E. Leea figure worthy to stand by Camillus, but imbued with deep Christian humilitywas lifted by crane away from a Dallas park. Meanwhile, Harvards Kennedy School of Government very nearly made Chelsea Manning a Visiting Fellow. Its all about opening those gates.

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

The featured image is Camillus Rescuing Rome from Brennus (1716) by Sebastiano Ricci (16591734) and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
HASTINGS  Three people were arrested and charged Friday in the murder of Jose Joey Hansen on Sept. 11. Hansen was 19.

Deante H. Mullen, 19, of Lincoln and Katherine E. Creigh, 21, of Lincoln were arrested Friday at 6:30 a.m. at 2909 N. 52nd St. Apt. #3 in Lincoln. Hastings Police also arrested Daniel B. Harden, 21 of Hastings on Thursday at 7:36 p.m. at 1019 N. Williams Ave. in Hastings.

The Hastings Police Department held a press conference Friday afternoon explaining the arrests and case thus far.

Mullen is charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony. The charges are class 1A and class 1C felonies. Mullens bond is set at $1 million cash.

Creigh is charged with accessory felony, which is a class 2A felony. Her bond was set at $500,000.

Harden was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony. His bond, like Mullen, was set at $1 million cash.

Police Chief Adam Story said the investigation found that Hansen met with the arrested people under false pretenses. They attempted to rob Hansen of belongings on his person. Story said Hansen died from a single gunshot wound to the back, which exited his front. Hansen was found by a couple walking in the neighborhood around 6 a.m. Story said the approximate time Hansen was shot was 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 11.

Hastings has a very low homicide rate, Story said. This incident was a shock to our community.

Donna Fegley Daiss, Adams County attorney, said Mullen, Creigh and Harden are expected to be arraigned in the middle part of next week, but didnt have specific details yet. She said for first-degree murder, the sentence could be death or life imprisonment.

Daiss said she didnt have any information on if Hansen was armed when he was killed. She said Creigh is charged as an accessory because she allegedly drove Mullen and Harden from the murder scene.

Daiss said the investigation included numerous interviews, as well as social media and cell phone evidence, which led authorities to Mullen, Harden and Creigh.

Wendy Hansen, Joey's mom, lost her only son on Sept. 11. She said she's thankful for the countless hours police have put into the investigation and for keeping her informed. She said she's never lost hope in them.

She said Joey was a good kid and she continues to learn how he positively impacted others and how he was thought of. Wendy said she's met so many people and received messages from people she doesn't know, telling her how Joey was a good person.

Wendy said it does feel good to have some progress in the case and move toward justice for Joey.

"That is my hope because that's all I really can hope for," Wendy said of wanting justice.

"There is no justification for murder," Wendy said.

A strong support system and her faith in God has kept Wendy going through this very difficult time, Wendy said.

Hastings Police is the lead agency, with Capt. Van Winkle leading the investigation. A dozen other agencies assisted in the investigation, which is still ongoing.

Assisting agencies included SCALES (South Central Area Law Enforcement Services), Nebraska State Patrol, Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab, Adams County Sheriffs Department, the FBI, Grand Island Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department, Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center (MOCIC), the Adams County Attorneys Office and the United States Marshalls Office (Metro Fugitive Task Force in Lincoln).
Via Egencia has renewed their lease contract for 4,120 sqm in Cort Adelers gate 30 in Oslo. The renewed lease contract has a duration until September 2022. Cort Adelers gate 30 (the office part) is 85 % let.

Norconsult has extended its lease contract with 1,950 sqm in Block 3 in the Kjrbo office park in Sandvika. The lease contract has a duration until 2028. All the office buildings in the Kjrbo office park in Sandvika is now fully let.

For further queries please contact: Anders Solaas, EVP Letting and Property Development, Entra ASA, tel: +47 970 90 511, email: aso@entra.no

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act
Toys, games, books and trinkets filled more than a dozen tables in the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center at Fonner Park on Thursday.

Karen Rathke, president of the Heartland United Way, which organizes the event, said theyve been doing Toys for Tots with the Marines for about 17 years. The event helps Hamilton, Hall, Howard and Merrick County families in need, thanks to the Marines and other donations from the community.

Cammie Benson, public relations and volunteer coordinator for the Heartland United Way, helps organize the event. She said this years event helped nearly 1,000 families. Benson said this year, every child got four gifts.

People who came to shop registered and were approved to be on the Toys for Tots list.

Not anybody can just come, Benson said. Its people who actually need it.

Shoppers come in with a list of kids they have to shop for. Each shopper is paired with a volunteer who holds a large plastic bag for the shopper to put their gifts in.

Sue Pirnie has been volunteering for about six years.

I always feel theres a need to help children out in the community, Pirnie said about why she decides to volunteer.

Pirnie said Toys for Tots is exciting, especially because it helps kids have something they might not have if it werent for the event.

Tasha White of Aurora shopped for her daughter and two sons at Toys for Tots. White said her husband took off of work to watch their 2-year-old daughter, who has a congenital heart disease, so she could attend Toys for Tots. White said its her first time shopping at Toys for Tots, since she just heard about it this year.

Im grateful, White said.

She said she gave up her goal to be a nurse so she could take care of her daughter. Her daughter cant go to day care because she has to be very careful of any illness.

White said its amazing that there was so many items the Marines and community gave so everyone could have something under the tree. She said she was afraid her kids were going to go back to school after Christmas, hear about all the gifts the other kids got and then wonder why they didnt get anything.

Hampton High School seniors also wanted to get in on the helping environment. Eleven students volunteered on Thursday and organized doing so. They originally organized a sock, hat and coat drive, which they were going to give to the homeless. When the weather didnt allow, they organized helping at Toys for Tots and donating the items to the event.

Kiersten Dose was one of the seniors who volunteered on Thursday.

I just think its a great opportunity to come and help the community, Dose said.
YORK, Neb.  A couple in their 80s who were found with 60 pounds of marijuana in their pickup truck told York County sheriff's deputies that they were going to give the pot away for Christmas gifts.

The marijuana, discovered during a traffic stop Tuesday on Interstate 80 in Nebraska, was considered high grade, Sheriff's Office officials said. It had an estimated street value of $336,000.

Deputies stopped the couple's Toyota Tacoma after they saw the pickup truck driving over the center line and the driver failing to signal, Lt. Paul Vrbka said.

When they stopped the vehicle, he said, deputies could immediately smell the strong odor of raw marijuana.

Vrbka said the countys K-9 unit alerted to the presence of a controlled substance. Deputies then searched the pickup and found the pot in boxes stored inside the pickup topper.

An 80-year-old man and an 83-year-old woman said they were from Clearlake Oaks, California, and were headed for Vermont. They were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp.
The Grand Island Public Schools has a difficult challenge. Each year the school system is required by state mandate to administer a series of standardized tests in a variety of subject areas to nearly every student. These tests, which come from the Nebraska Department of Education, are designed to determine proficiency in selected subject areas. The test results are released and become a way by which the most successful schools can be identified.

We do not question the need to have tests which measure the educational achievement of students in Nebraska. The tests provide important and valuable data for the continual effort to improve instruction in our schools and therefore better prepare students for the challenges of life in the 21st century. The tests help students and parents make appropriate decisions on courses of study.

However, we are concerned that test scores can be published and used to make judgments regarding school excellence without proper consideration for the demographic and socioeconomic status of the students taking the tests. In our view NeSA scores do not reflect the excellence in education which takes place every day in our schools. Testing which has a focus on gain scores would much better portray the work which takes place in our schools.

Up to 70 percent of the students in the Grand Island Public Schools are affected by poverty. Most of the school buildings have many more minority students than majority students. Many of the students come from homes where a language other than English is spoken. Many of the students come from homes which lack print materials written in English, yet they are expected to do their school work using English.

The negative influence of poverty and language on standardized test scores is well documented.

According to test results released earlier this month, 38 percent of GIPS students were proficient in English language arts as compared to 51 percent statewide. Likewise, 61 percent were proficient in math compared to 72 percent statewide and 53 percent were proficient in science as compared to 70 percent of students statewide.

Josh McDowell, GIPS chief academic officer, called the results disappointing but not surprising. We would have preferred the word predictable to disappointing. We have every confidence that the GIPS gives our students an excellent and life changing education.

This community has a long history of providing educational excellence. We believe this community understands that language and poverty provide barriers that are difficult to overcome. The patrons of this district do not expect administrators to find and implement curricular plans, classroom strategies or technological magic that will result in scores on a par with students who enjoy the benefits of affluence and English speaking homes.

The ideal is a capable motivated teacher in every classroom supported by all the resources that can help a teacher be effective. The ideal are class sizes that give the teacher opportunities to work individually with students. The ideal are schools where behavior and respect for peers and adults is omnipresent. The ideal are schools where every student is encouraged to be the best student and person they can be. The ideal are teachers and administrators who love diversity and use it to better serve and educate their students. The ideal are educators who give their best every day to every student.

Fortunately, this criteria does describe education in Grand Island.

Happy holidays to the hard working and dedicated educators throughout the community. The gift of learning you provide is appreciated all through the year.
Two California residents are facing federal indictments for allegedly participating in a nationwide telemarketing real estate scam that reached into parts of Madison and St. Clair counties.

Michael S. Davenport, 49, and Cynthia Rawlinson, 51, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and one count of mail fraud.

The defendants are from Santa Barbara, Calif. The indictments arise from their alleged participation in a Santa Barbara-based telemarketing business, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce.

The business changed names as many as seven times from January of 2009 to October of 2016.

Davenport allegedly owned the company and oversaw its operations while Rawlinson allegedly started as a salesperson and was later promoted to a sales management position.

The scheme victimized more than 100,000 people, with the total amount lost totally more than $27 million, according to the indictment.

At least 104 victims were from 22 counties within the Southern District of Illinois, and several of those victims lived in St. Clair and Madison counties, according to the indictment.

The companys list included more than 500 houses located in the Southern District of Illinois.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of $53,210 that was seized from one of the businesss accounts allegedly controlled by Davenport. It also seeks to seize $104,000 in cash seized from Davenport at the Bill and Hillary Clinton Airport, in Little Rock, Ark.

Under the SCAMS Act, because it alleged that the crimes took place in connection with telemarketing, and victimized ten or more people over age 55, the maximum penalty for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

The pair can also be fined up to $250,000 per count, and can be ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

The scam involved the business allegedly placing ads on Craigslist stating that certain houses were for sale or rent at very low prices. But callers who responded were told by one of the companys salespeople that they would have to purchase one of the companys list of houses in order to get more information about the property in the Craigslist ad.

The salesperson also said the houses on that list were in pre-foreclosure. The customers could purchase the houses, they were told, by simply taking over the homeowners mortgage payments, and the deeds to the homes would be transferred to the customers names.

They were told by the salespersons that there was a $199 fee to access the list, but claimed the fee would cover title searches and deed transfers. They were also told that, regardless of what area of the country the customer lived in, the list would contain numerous pre-foreclosed property in their area.

But customers who paid the fee soon learned that the list was not available to be purchased. Instead, according to the indictment, customers found that many of the addresses on the list were fictional or that the houses no longer existed at that address. In many cases, customers learned that the houses were not in pre-foreclosure and were not in financial distress. Many others were not available for purchase at the below-market prices, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.
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Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 07:43 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9ade2 4 Editorial #Editorial,TNI,Indonesian-Military,Gatot-Nurmantyo,Hadi-Tjahjanto,#HadiTjahjanto,#GatotNurmantyo Free

It has been less than two weeks since Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto assumed the top post at the Indonesian Military (TNI), but he has already sprung a surprise. In an unprecedented move, he repealed the promotion and rotation of 16 high-ranking officers ordered by his predecessor Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo.

Hadi was exercising his authority, but regardless of the reasons behind the decision, it begs a clear explanation in order to avoid speculation.

In 1998, then Armed Forces (ABRI) commander Gen. Wiranto replaced the Armys Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), chief Lt. Gen. Johny Lumintang, merely 17 hours after Johny took on the post, making him the shortest serving Kostrad commander in history.

Political circumstances at that time, in the wake of the resignation of long-time ruler Soeharto, justified the unusual move. But obviously, it was not the case this time around.

Hadi signed a decree dated Dec. 19 that annulled the Dec. 4 reshuffle of 16 of the countrys 85 TNI officers, mostly from the Army. They include Kostrad chief Lt. Gen. Edy Rahmayadi and Marine Corps chief Maj. Gen. Bambang Suswantono, two of eight strategic forces commanders who directly answer to the TNI chief, according to a 2016 Presidential Regulation on the TNIs organizational structure.

As a consequence of the presidential regulation, all eight strategic operational command posts must go to officers who are trusted by the President, the supreme TNI commander. Besides, in line with bureaucratic rules, the appointment of TNI positions reserved for three-star generals requires the Presidents approval.

Edy had tendered his resignation to focus on his bid to contest the North Sumatra gubernatorial election in June next year.

In response to Hadis swift turnaround, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, a former Army chief himself, said TNI soldiers were trained to stay tough in facing any challenge. But with Hadi refusing to reveal the real motive behind his sudden decision, the public began smelling signs of a sour relationship between him and Gatot.

Hadis rise to the TNIs top job earlier this month was also laden with peculiarity, although it had been highly anticipated, from his nomination by President Joko Jokowi Widodo to the official transfer of the TNI command baton, which took just five days. The President demanded the accelerated transfer of power, despite the fact that Gatot was slated to end his military service next March.

Hadis revocation of Gatots reshuffle has only added to the confusion surrounding the TNIs internal affairs.

Due to constant security threats coming from both inside and outside the country, TNI solidity is imperative, and we only want the armed forces to unite and keep their commitment to maintaining professionalism. Internal rifts would not only hurt the TNI, but also the whole nation.

If there is a lesson Hadi and future TNI commanders can learn from the reshuffle drama, its that they should refrain from making strategic decisions, whatever the motives and justification, when they know their tenures are numbered. Otherwise, they could potentially be planting a time bomb for their successors.
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Linkedin Indah Setiawati (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 09:03 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9e29d 1 Art & Culture performing-arts,art-and-culture,art,theatrical-play,theater,Teater-Koma,eki-dance,Putu-Wijaya,Miss-Tjitjih Free

Looking back, the last year has presented us with a great variety of genres and stories to tell on the stage, leaving audiences not only entertained but also enlightened.

This was a year in which many people wanted to escape from the mundanity of daily life and social media posts, which are often dominated by hate speech, emotional debates over the old and new Jakarta Governor and silly corruption cases. This is why we need to go to the playhouses to free ourselves from reality, at least for a few hours

PLAY PERFORMANCES

Theaters can serve as a way to heal a broken heart and come to terms with traumatic experiences, as proven by the latest show entitled Ode Tusuk Konde (Ode to a Hairpin) which voiced the pain and struggles of survivors of sexual abuse and violence.

Read also: Stories of survivors bring audience to tears, awareness

This year we have also seen some theatrical troupes that, despite all their challenges, have continued to show their prowess on the stage.

Highlights from the playacting scene this year come from the shows of the countrys legendary theater troupes such as Teater Koma, Teater Mandiri and Miss Tjitjih. They deserve praise for their existence and perseverance to maintain and grow their fan base despite all of the difficulties in drawing new audiences.

In its 40th year, Teater Koma proves it is still going strong by performing big play productions regularly every year. Mainly supported by Djarum Bakti Budaya, the troupe presented three main shows this year. The first, titled Opera Ikan Asin (Salted Fish Opera) ran during their anniversary month of March at Ciputra Artpreneur in South Jakarta, followed by Warisan (Legacy) in Gedung Kesenian Jakarta art playhouse in Central Jakarta in August, and finally the fourth installment of Chinese folk tale Sie Jin Kwie in Graha Bhakti Budaya in Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Central Jakarta in November.

Reach out: A group of dancers from the Sanggar Tari Paduraksa Tebet dance academy wear traditional Betawi attire as they perform at the third annual Jakarta Dance Meet Up in October. (DKJ/File)

Teater Koma has also sent a small group of its members to perform regularly during a program called Akhir Pekan @Museum Nasional (Weekend at the National Museum) held at the Indonesia National Museum over the past five years. The theatrical shows, which aim to get young visitors interested in the countrys precious artifacts, have grown into a highly anticipated event that draws bigger young audiences each year.

Actor Rangga Riantiarno, who played Si Jin Kwie, said the troupes main reflections this year were regeneration and how to prepare its members for future challenges. Rangga said the youngest members of the troupe were senior high school students who just joined the group for one to two years.

I realize that we have to look for a meeting point between maintaining the artistic values of Teater Koma and the millennials taste. The increasing number of youngsters in both the troupe and in the audiences hopefully can help take us in that direction, he told The Jakarta Post over text messages.

The troupe also tries to reach out to a wider audience by using social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, opening themselves up to feedback from the public. Rangga said there were many young people sending direct messages to the groups official Instagram account, but the most frequently asked question was about admission fees.

I am afraid they think that this is a kind of acting course. The thing is, the process to put on a big scale show requires details and cannot be instant, he said, adding that those who stay are the ones who really love the theater world.

Rangga said theater groups in the country had been alone in their struggle to stay in existence since the Old Order, as they barely got attention from the government. His only hope is to see an increasing number of playhouses that can accommodate theater shows in the coming years.

Warisan makes us think about what we can leave for the next generation. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)

This year also witnessed the passionate dedication of award-winning artist and writer Putu Wijaya, who founded Teater Mandiri in 1971. Despite being unable to move half of his body after suffering from a stroke, Putu directed his monologue titled Oh in Galeri Indonesia Kaya auditorium in February, where he cast his only son Taksu Wijaya as the main character for the first time.

Putu said the monologue served as a reminder that people must be careful when analyzing statements from politicians and corporate officials, who often have their own hidden agendas.

Indonesian people must be very critical. Even smart people can be fooled, he said.

Special attention should be paid to Miss Tjitjih, a legendary Sundanese theater group that will turn 90 next year.

Read also: Miss Tjitjih survives to keep Sundanese culture alive

Starting this year, the group, which consists of nearly 100 members, will no longer perform in its home, the Miss Tjitjih Theater in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, due to financial difficulties. This year was the hardest for them, remembering that last year alone, they staged 24 shows in their theater building.

Troupe director Imas Darsih said they would perform on invitation, including invitations to perform at various events such as wedding ceremonies, circumcision rituals and public events. Miss Tjitjih relies on subsidies from the Jakarta administration to perform, but troupe director Imas Darsih said they did not get any funding this year.

Like Teater Koma, the group also tries to use social media to promote their events and tap into a younger audience. They also cooperate with public figures as seen in their show in May when they collaborated with the 2011 winner of the Putri Indonesia pageant, Maria Selena to stage Sangkuriang, the most popular folktale in West Java, in Galeri Indonesia Kaya.

Winning the millennials attention is an ongoing battle for Miss Tjitjih, but the members are determined to continue their parents legacy. For Miss Tjitjih, the show must go on.

Father and son: Playright Putu Wijaya (right) performs with his son, Taksu Wijaya, in the Oh stage play. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

DANCE

The rise of dance communities is a sign that residents of this country are not going to stop expressing themselves through the universal language of dancing. Dancing is not only an ancient tribal activity or part of rituals and celebrations. It is now a source of collective pride for each community, in which the members devote their time to grow with the dance itself.

This year saw remarkable shows by Eki Dance Company, the showcase of Indonesias diversity by dance academy Indonesian Dance Theater, the persistence of Sanggar Tari Padnecwara in promoting classic Javanese dance and the colorful shows of the various dance groups of Jakarta Dance Meet Up (JDMU), a platform provided by the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ).

Another highlight in the dancing scene this year was the increased representation of the diffable (different ability) community at dance events. Indonesian Ballet Gala in September, for example, celebrated an inclusive dance event where diffable and non-diffable dancers from Indonesia and other countries shared the stage.

Read also: Acknowledging millennials in EKI Update 3.0

Fresh twist: The popular Sundanese folktale Sangkuriang is given unexpected twists by the Miss Tjitjih theater group. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

The dance scene in 2017 is quite vibrant with the appearance of young choreographers and diverse genres ranging from traditional dances to ballet and street dance like hip-hop. Such variety makes the stage attractive, DKJ Dance Committee chairwoman Hartati told the Post.

She said the strength of this years dance performances lied in the strong base of community dances.

Padnecwara, for example, has been around for decades, over 40 years I think. Their consistency in preserving classic Javanese dance is very important. Such communities are getting stronger now and they need room for expression, she said, adding that some communities do not have enough budget to perform or need to chip in themselves to rent a place to practice.

Hartati said this momentum should be seized and she hoped that performance venues like TIM would be better managed. She said under the new policy from the city administration, rental fees for the auditoriums and theaters in TIM are dropping significantly, but artists are not given priority to book them, so the facilities are booked for private events.

When it is used for private events such as school art events, the public cannot enjoy it, she said.

The dance communities, she said, still faced the same old problem, which was to grow audiences.

That is why in JDMU, we invite various communities so their fans can mingle and watch other genres outside their favorites. When we give birth to new artists, we need to build the audience at the same time.

Roll with it: Performers from the Jakarta Disabled Children's Foundation (YPAC) join forces with EKI Dance Company for a powerful performance. (JP/Rifky Dewandaru)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Straits Times/Asia News Network) Beijing  Fri, December 22, 2017 10:02 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9f0ba 2 Lifestyle marriage,China,survey,wedding Free

Close to seven in 10 young Chinese feel the pressure from their families to get hitched, according to a survey by China Youth Daily.

State news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday (Dec 21) that over 85 per cent of young Chinese reported being pushed by older family members to get married, and more than 69 per cent said they felt pressure when being pushed.

"I plan to get married before 30, but my parents always ask me to find a boyfriend soon. It makes me anxious whenever they push me," Miss Hou Weiwei, 25, told Chinese media.

Read also: Italian woman saves money for 2 years to marry Indonesian villager

The survey, which questioned 1,984 people at or over the legal age for marriage in China - 22 for men and 20 for women - showed that almost half of the respondents were reluctant to chat with their parents because the topic of marriage came up so frequently.

It is such that almost a third of respondents said they were increasingly unwilling to go home, and over a quarter reported having doubts about themselves, said Xinhua.

Ling Zi, a member of Zhejiang Mental Health Association, said that parents and their children should be educated about what marriage entails.

"Young people should tie the knot after knowing their partners well, instead of rushing into a marriage because of age," Ling said.

Topics : marriage China survey wedding

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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 Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 08:27 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9c525 1 Art & Culture butet-kartarejasa,art-and-culture,Indonesian-artists,local-artists,unity-in-diversity Free

The name Butet Kartaradjasa is synonymous with art in Indonesia. His work spans various media, ranging from theater, literature and film to ceramics, as shown in his latest exhibition.



The son of renowned painter, dancer and choreographer Bagong Kussudiardjo, Butets foray into the art world seemed natural, as he had always been drawn to things with which he could experiment and make his own, drawing his artistic inspirations from the environment and society around him.



Butets work has always been steeped in social commentary, as per his intention to take advantage of his platform to speak out against social and political ills.



His usage of religious figures such as Jesus Christ and Buddha, as well as various Indonesian mythical figures in his latest exhibition is intertwined with his depictions of well-known Indonesian politicians in a way that he describes as displaying true diversity in art, as there is no topic that is untouchable.



But despite the increased rhetoric in Indonesia on kebhinekaan (diversity), the artist observes the opposite of diversity currently happening in the country, with fringe members of majority groups given a voice by the government to spread their intolerant rhetoric, thus ironically, fracturing the country.



In some parties, tribal [traditions] and religion are becoming even more vulnerable to conflict. Many people today are trying to force their beliefs and themselves onto others, both silently and publically. The diversity that we have championed as a country is suddenly treated as a curse by these people, Butet says.



This fracture is the reason why Butet opened the Goro-Goro Bhinneka Keramik exhibition at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta, a showcase of art depicting a life filled of uncertainty and anxiety.



It is part of the reason why Butet chose to experiment with painting on ceramic pieces for this recent exhibition, as it shows a fragile, fragmented undoing of national unity through individual but whole mosaic pieces.



Very much like my usual artistic process, I do not know how a final product will turn out as I start it. For Goro-Goro, I painted without following a pattern or thread, but my own intuition, like I do in my other paintings, Butet explains.



The veteran artist has a habit of adopting new media and methods to further expand his skill and his artistic scope.



In the 1980s, Butets artworks mostly comprised painted vignettes, cartoons, sketches, doodles and similar kinds of light drawings. These complemented that era, when he was still very active in writing essays and articles for several media outlets.



But out of all the artistic media he has practiced, Butet holds an incredibly high regard for theater. As a theater student in the 1970s, he joined various troupes and honed his artistic talents around this medium.



I like to think that all forms of art revolve around theater, as all works of art are showcased and derived from theater, the artist says.



His interest in theater further diversified into film and television; he began his film career in the classic 2000 childrens film Petualangan Sherina (Sherinas Adventure).



From there, he landed more serious, weighty roles in films such as 2005s Banyu Biru and 2012s Soegija. On television, he is known for his satirical brand of comedy in shows such as Sentilan Sentilun on MetroTV.



With such a diverse artistic background, Butet is unique in the way that his talent is shown through many art forms. But the man credits most of his work to having faith in his intuition, for inspiration does not need to wait.



Occupying himself in his rehearsal space or studio, he constantly tinkers with any materials on hand before an idea takes form. It is a process Butet has sworn by since the beginning of his career as a multidimensional artist, and is the most evident in his paintings.



My memory will always serve me as long as I work. And every move I make will eventually find its own meaning. Theres no need for me to plan things out completely, good things will come to those who are really devoted to what they do.
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Man Group Plc (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):



N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:



GVC Holdings plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:



21st December 2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?



YES / NO / N/A

If YES, specify which:

Ladbrokes Coral Group plc

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



Euro 0.01 ordinary



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 838,679



0.2763



0 0 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



7,598,235



2.5030



1,109,411











0.3655



(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: 0 0 0 0



TOTAL: 8,436,914











2.7793







1,109,411











0.3655





All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit Euro 0.01 ordinary Purchase 81,054 9.3675 Euro 0.01 ordinary Purchase 454 9.3950 Euro 0.01 ordinary Purchase 141 9.3850 Euro 0.01 ordinary Purchase 3,340 9.3371

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit

(GBP) Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 937 9.3518 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Reducing a short position 25 9.3514 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 24,391 9.3518 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 73 9.3519 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 61 9.3519 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 1,404 9.3519 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 1,281 9.3519 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 49 9.3518 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 1,000 9.3518 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 492 9.3519 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 124 9.3519 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 207 9.3518 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Reducing a long position 1,786 9.3547 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 18,174 9.3523 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 2,380 9.3400 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 7,142 9.3400 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 1,534 9.3213 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 11,289 9.3468 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 14,349 9.3523 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 9,327 9.3552 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 16,608 9.3552 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 2,189 9.3213 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 16,096 9.3468 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 23,093 9.3523 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 264 9.3213 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 1,942 9.3468 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 2,785 9.3523 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 2,003 9.3552 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 7,196 9.3552 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 2,966 9.3552 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 390 9.3213 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 2,876 9.3468 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 4,129 9.3523 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 109 9.3213 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 802 9.3468 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 3,436 9.3523 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 1,144 9.3523 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 774 9.3552 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a long position 13,749 9.3400 Euro 0.01 ordinary CFD Increasing a short position 1,930 9.3382

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit





(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



None





(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



None





(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? YES/ NO





Date of disclosure: 22nd December 2017 Contact name: Matthew Irwin



Telephone number: 02071447255

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
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Linkedin Glenn Chapman (Agence France-Presse) San Francisco, United States  Fri, December 22, 2017 11:09 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2ea1f3f 2 Science & Tech Eric-Schmidt,Google,Alphabet Free

Google's parent company Alphabet on Thursday announced that Eric Schmidt will step down as chairman, remaining on the board but shifting into a role as a technical advisor.

"In recent years, I've been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work," Schmidt said in a release.

Schmidt's stint as executive chairman is to end at a regularly-scheduled board meeting next month, according to Alphabet.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin recruited the proven businessman and skilled software engineer as chief executive in 2001, bringing a mature hand to the helm of the then three-year-old internet search company.

Schmidt, Page, and Brin were considered a power triumvirate in control of Google. Page replaced Schmidt as chief executive a decade later, but Schmidt remained at the head of the board of directors.

"Eric has provided us with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology," Alphabet chief Page said in a release.

"Continuing his 17 years of service to the company, hell now be helping us as a technical advisor on science and technology issues."

About two years ago, Google unveiled a surprise corporate overhaul, forming a new parent company dubbed Alphabet to include internet search and a handful of independent companies.

Page became chief executive at Alphabet, a holding company for the tech giant's search products and "other bets" such Waymo self-driving car unit; Nest smart home gadgets, and Google Fiber internet service.

Sundar Pichai was promoted to chief of Google, which includes leading online video-sharing service YouTube.

Eric Schmidt went from being executive chairman at Google to having the same role at Alphabet.

"Larry, Sergey, Sundar and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet's evolution for this transition," Schmidt said.

"The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving."

Read also: Alphabet launches the first taxi service with no human drivers

Poaching people

During his tenure, Schmidt wound up at the center of a civil suit in US federal court over an "anti-poaching" agreement involving tech giants Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe.

The long-running case alleged that major tech companies in Silicon Valley had secret agreements not to hire each other's employees, in a move to keep salaries under control.

The lawsuit, which led to a $415 million settlement, alleged that the late Apple chief Steve Jobs, Google chairman Schmidt and other tech executives were part of the conspiracy.

Other companies in the lawsuit which reached earlier settlements included eBay, Lucasfilm, Pixar and Intuit.

Schmidt served for a few years on the Apple board of directors, but left there in 2009 as iPhone maker's rivalry with Android-backer Google intensified.

Schmidt ranks among the world's richest people. A Forbes real-time tracker on Thursday pegged his net worth at $13.8 billion, with most of that held in the form of Alphabet shares.

Schmidt was listed as a donor and advisor to the winning campaign by Barack Obama to become US president in 2008.

His philanthropic endeavors include the Schmidt Family Foundation established with his wife and focus on challenges such as climate change and protecting the environment.

Schmidt is also known to speak out on technology issues, expressing concerns about matters such as online spying and barriers to the free-flow of data.
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Linkedin Shaun Tandon (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States  Fri, December 22, 2017 14:09 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2ea776a 2 Science & Tech Facebook,music,Streaming,streaming-service,Universal-Music Free

Facebook announced a licensing deal Thursday with Universal Music Group, its first with a major label, as the social media giant promised more personalized, interactive music features for its two billion users.

The move marks a new foray into music by Facebook, which despite its global conquest had been low-key in developing music functions compared with fellow tech titans Apple, Google and Amazon.

Universal -- home to some of the biggest names in music from The Beatles to Elton John and Lady Gaga -- billed the agreement as its latest success in securing more revenue from songs in an age of round-the-clock Internet sharing.

Universal will license its music recordings and videos around the world for use on Facebook as well as on Instagram and the virtual reality site Oculus, which are both owned by Mark Zuckerberg's company.

Facebook said users will eventually have access to a vast library from Universal, allowing them to upload licensed music or share it through Messenger.

The two companies, in a joint statement, said they were developing more personalized functions in a bid to "develop the next generation of music products that best engage social consumers."

While music postings are omnipresent on Facebook, the company attempts to take down embedded content that is copyrighted, with fans either uploading their own videos or linking to other sites such as YouTube and Spotify.

A senior executive at Universal Music Group called the agreement, whose financial details were not disclosed, a "dynamic new model" for the relationship between the music industry and social media platforms.

"This partnership is an important first step demonstrating that innovation and fair compensation for music creators are mutually reinforcing -- they thrive together," said Michael Nash, the label group's executive vice president of digital strategy.

"We look forward to Facebook becoming a significant contributor to a healthy ecosystem for music that will benefit artists, fans and all those who invest in bringing great music to the world," he said in the statement.

Read also: Facebook to stop showing disputed' flags with fake news

Facebook sees video future

The announcement comes two days after Universal inked a separate licensing agreement with YouTube -- long an irritant to the music industry which says the video site pays too little in compensation.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, is reportedly exploring the launch of a new streaming service in 2018 to compete with Spotify, Apple Music and other on-demand music services.

Facebook has increasingly gone head-to-head with YouTube on its signature turf of videos. Zuckerberg on an earnings call earlier this year described video as a "mega-trend" which will shape the future of social media.

Last year, the site made a concerted push into livestreaming with Facebook Live, letting users with a smartphone broadcast everything from press conferences to their dinner parties to the world at large.

And in August, the company launched Facebook Watch in the United States, a sub-section on the platform that like YouTube offers unique, quirky videos by homebody presenters unlikely to be cast by television executives.

Facebook's agreement with Universal -- especially if competitors Warner Music and Sony Music reach similar deals -- could eventually raise questions for Vevo, a site created in 2009 by the three big labels to monetize their videos.

Vevo has become a key conduit to watch music videos on YouTube, with the Vevo account of Justin Bieber -- another star on Universal -- becoming the second most-subscribed of all YouTube channels.
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Linkedin Jacque De Borja (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network)  Fri, December 22, 2017 13:32 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2ea68d0 2 Lifestyle Prince-Harry,Meghan-Markle,engagement Free

December will never let us catch a break. Just when we thought weve swooned enough for the engagement announcement of His Royal Highness Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, they just simply release their official engagement photos on Instagram.

The photos were taken by New York-based fashion photographer Alexi Lubormirski. He regularly shoots the covers of Harpers Bazaar UK and would even do campaigns for brands like Maybelline and Lancome.

Read also: Meghan Markles engagement coat is being renamed the Meghan

The photos were taken earlier this week at Frogmore House in Windsor. The first photo features the prince in a navy blue suit, while Meghan wore a sheer black dress with intricate embellishments. The second one was more casual and romantic as you see the couple in a tight hug wearing a cozy coat and sweater.

Sigh! We really cant wait to know which designer shell pick for her dress and for the wedding thatll take place in May 19, 2018 at St. George Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin Marianne Barriaux with Serene Assir in Madrid (AFP) Barcelona, Spain  Fri, December 22, 2017 08:00 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9bf7c 2 World catalan,Catalan-independence,separatism,separatists,independence,Spain Free

Catalan separatists won a crucial snap poll Thursday, plunging their region into further uncertainty after a failed independence bid rattled Europe and triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

With turnout at a record high and 99.6 percent of the ballots counted, the election handed a mandate back to the region's ousted separatist leaders, even after they campaigned from exile and behind bars.

In a clear indicator of the huge gulf over independence afflicting Catalan society, anti-secessionist centrist party Ciudadanos was meanwhile on course to win the biggest individual result with 37 of the 135 seats in the regional parliament.

"It's a strange feeling. We won the majority of seats, but we lost in votes. As such both sides will be able to claim victory," 26-year-old doctor and separatist supporter Fran Robles told AFP after the results were announced.

"It's a good reflection of the reality that Catalonia is politically divided," he added.

But unless the three pro-independence lists fail to clinch a deal to work together in the coming months, they will rule Catalonia with 70 of the 135 seats in parliament -- two less than their previous tally of 72.

For Catalans on both sides of the divide the day had been a moment of truth, following weeks of upheaval and protests unseen since democracy was reinstated following the death in 1975 of dictator Francisco Franco.

"This is a result which no one can dispute," deposed leader Carles Puigdemont said from self-imposed exile in Belgium, as he celebrated the separatists' win.

"The Spanish state was defeated. (Spanish Prime Minister Mariano) Rajoy and his allies lost," he told reporters.

- Upset for Rajoy -

The Spanish government called the election after it took the unprecedented step of stripping Catalonia of its treasured autonomy in the aftermath of an independence declaration on October 27 that rattled a Europe already shaken by Brexit.

At stake was the economy of a region that has seen its tourism sector suffer and more than 3,100 companies -- -- including the largest banks, utilities and insurers -- move their legal headquarters out of Catalonia since the referendum.

The declaration came weeks after a banned independence referendum on October 1, which saw a police crackdown that sent shockwaves around the world.

Rajoy and his conservative cabinet tried to nip the independence movement in the bud, sacking the regional government and dissolving its parliament.

In a further obstacle for the separatist cause, the judiciary pressed charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of funds against the secessionist leaders.

Puigdemont, who had fled to Belgium where he tried to rally international support for the separatist cause, has not since returned to Spain, where he faces arrest.

His Together for Catalonia list nonetheless secured the best result of the three separatist groupings -- in a major upset for Rajoy's government.

"Puigdemont president!" chanted Puigdemont's campaign manager Elsa Artadi at a rally celebrating the result.

"The result we have obtained is heroic, we have won, Mr Rajoy," Together for Catalonia candidate Eduard Pujol said.

What still remains unclear, however is whether Puigdemont will be renamed president, and if so, whether he will return from Belgium and how he might govern.

- Surreal campaign -

Unlike Puigdemont, his former deputy Oriol Junqueras and three other separatist leaders stayed behind in Spain, only to be remanded in custody on November 2.

They campaigned for votes from exile and behind bars, with Junqueras sending messages to voters in handwritten letters shared on Twitter, a trickle of phonecalls and interviews, and even poems.

"Practically and emotionally, it has been a very difficult election campaign. We didn't have our candidate here, (ousted) president Puigdemont was in exile in Brussels, and number two on the list, Jordi Sanchez, was in prison," said Artadi, Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia list campaign manager.

Sergi Sebria, spokesman for Junqueras's ERC party, said his party had had to face the election "in the worst conditions, in absolutely unequal conditions, with its candidate in prison until the last day.

"Despite this we have done everything with hope," he said, adding that "a high turnout legitimizes the election result."

Crucially, the pro-independence camp is not expected to attempt another breakaway from Spain but rather try to enter into negotiations with Madrid.

Puigdemont said he aimed to win the support of the European Union for his cause, but it has so far backed Rajoy, saying it supports constitutional order, and that it is an internal matter for Spain. The European Commission stressed its stance remained the same regardless of the result of the vote.

On the other side of the separatist divide, Ciudadanos candidate Ines Arrimadas saw the glass half full, and celebrated her centrist party's lead in votes.

"The nationalists will never again be able to speak in the name of all Catalonia. We are all Catalonia," she said in a speech to supporters after the result. (**)
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Linkedin Carole Landry (AFP) United Nations, United States  Fri, December 22, 2017 08:30 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9d00a 2 World DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,United-Nations,Jerusalem,Israel,Palestine,Palestinians Free

Defying President Donald Trump's threat to cut off funding, the United Nations approved by a resounding vote on Thursday a motion rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by 128 to nine with 35 abstentions, in what Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour called a "massive setback" for the United States.

An additional 21 countries did not turn up for the vote including Ukraine, which had supported the same resolution in the Security Council, indicating the US threats did have a chilling effect on some governments.

Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo joined the United States in opposing the measure.

Among the countries that abstained were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Romania and Rwanda.

Speaking at the emergency session, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the United States "will remember this day."

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem," Haley said in defense of the US move, which broke with international consensus and unleashed protests across the Muslim world.

"No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that," Haley said. "But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN."

"When we make generous contributions to the UN we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected," she said.

The resolution reaffirms that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations, and that any decision reached outside of that framework must be rescinded.

Without explicitly referencing the US move, it "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the vote showed the "illegality" of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it.

- 'Unprecedented test' -

The motion was sent to the General Assembly after it was vetoed by the United States at the Security Council on Monday, although all other 14 council members voted in favor.

While resolutions by the General Assembly are non-binding, a strong vote in support carries political weight.

Ahead of the vote, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the UN as a "house of lies," saying Israel "rejects outright this vote, even before it passes."

"No General Assembly resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem," vowed Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon.

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki called the vote an "unprecedented test" for the UN, and referenced the US warning that it was "taking names."

"History records names, it remembers names -- the names of those who stand by what is right and the names of those who speak falsehood," al-Malki said.

Trump's decision on December 6 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital prompted a flurry of appeals to the United Nations.

The status of the Holy City is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump warned that Washington would closely watch how nations voted, suggesting there could be reprisals for those that back the motion put forward by Yemen and Turkey on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries.

"They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us," Trump said.

"Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care."

- 'House of lies' -

The resolution mirrored the text that was vetoed at the Security Council on Monday, and although it does not mention Trump's decision, it expresses "deep regret at recent decisions" concerning the city's status.

No country has veto powers in the General Assembly, unlike in the 15-member Security Council where the United States, along with Britain, China, France and Russia, can block any resolution.

UN diplomats privately said the United States had succeeded in making some countries think twice.

Haley tweeted that 65 countries had "refused to condemn the United States" over its decision on Jerusalem - a tally of "no" votes, abstentions and no-shows.

"While the resolution passed, the vote breakdown tells a different story," said a spokesperson for the US mission.

"It's clear that many countries prioritized their relationship with the United States over an unproductive attempt to isolate us for a decision that was our sovereign right to make."

The Palestinian ambassador insisted the vote was more about Trump's foreign policy approach than the status of Jerusalem.

"They made it about them," said Mansour. "They did not make it about Jerusalem, so when you make it about them and to only be able to get nine votes to say 'no' to it, I think it was a complete failure for their campaign."

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 the capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there. (**)
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Linkedin (AFP) Seoul  Fri, December 22, 2017 15:48 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eaebd5 2 Business lotte-group,South-Korea,embezzlement Free

The wheelchair-bound nonagenarian founder of South Korea's embattled Lotte retail conglomerate was convicted of embezzlement and breach of duty Friday and sentenced to four years in prison.

Shin Kyuk-Ho, 95, founded the group in Tokyo in the late 1940s, before building it into a sprawling giant that today has dozens of units focused on food, retail and hotel businesses in South Korea and Japan.

But it has been a target of state probes since Shin's two sons made headlines with a fight for control of the group, featuring public mudslinging and personal attacks on each other.

The founder, three of his children, and his mistress were all in the dock on multiple charges at the Seoul Central District Court.

Shin was convicted of embezzling at least 128.6 billion won ($119 million) from the firm to the benefit of his relatives and given a four-year sentence, although the court allowed him to remain free on health grounds pending an appeal -- he has diseases of old age, including dementia.

He caused 77.8 billion won in damages to the group by renting out Lotte Cinema's shopping malls at discounted rates to his eldest daughter and mistress, the court ruled.

The daughter was jailed for two years, while the mistress was given a suspended sentence.

Shin and his son and successor Dong-Bin were also found guilty of giving another son, Dong-joo, and the mistress a total of 50.8 billion won ($47.2 million) in wages from Lotte units in South Korea for whom the two never worked.

Dong-Bin also received a suspended sentence, while Dong-Joo -- who lost the bitter succession battle -- was cleared.
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Karangasem, Bali  Fri, December 22, 2017 17:20 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eb14c0 1 Business IMF-WB-meeting,bali,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,government Free

The government is maintaining its decision to appoint Bali as host of the 2018 International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank annual meeting to be held on Oct 8 to 14, amid concerns over ongoing volcanic activity on Mount Agung.

Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, an organizing committee chairman, said on Friday that the volcanic activity would not affect Nusa Dua, where the meeting would take place.

"The government will not change any planned activities in Bali. We also have no plans to change the location of the IMF-World Bank meeting," he said during his visit to a volcanic observation post in Karangasem regency, Bali.

The danger zone only included areas within an 8 and 10 kilometer radius of the volcano, while Nusa Dua is 72 kilometers from the volcano, said the minister.

Mt. Agung erupted from Nov 25 to 29, resulting in the evacuation of people living near the volcano and the closure of I Ngurah Rai International Airport and Lombok International Airport in West Nusa Tenggara in late November.

The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has maintained the volcanos alert status.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati added that she would inform the IMF about the governments decision and that the organizing committee team from Washington would also visit Bali on Jan. 29 to make direct observations. She said the visit was a chance for Bali to regain international trust as the volcanic eruption had caused a significant decline in tourist arrivals to the resort island. (bbn)
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Linkedin (AFP) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 16:02 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eaf095 2 National Indonesia,security,Christmas Free

Indonesia will deploy some 180,000 security personnel ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, authorities said Friday, following the arrests of more than a dozen suspected militants in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.

Thirteen suspected militants were arrested in separate, pre-emptive raids across the Southeast Asian nation earlier this month.

Many of the suspects were proven to have links to the Islamic State group or had fought in Syria.

Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said no specific terror threats had been detected since the arrests, but security would be boosted to safeguard churches and public spaces between December 22 to January 2.

"We will keep monitoring and stay alert," he said.

About 70,000 people from other government agencies and civil society groups -- including the country's largest Islamic youth organization -- would assist security personnel, Sitompul said.

A sprawling archipelago of more than 250 million people, Indonesia has long struggled with Islamic militancy and has suffered a number of deadly bomb attacks, including a Christmas Eve attack in 2000 that left 18 dead and scores injured.

In 2002, a bomb in a Bali nightclub killed over 200 people while, more recently, a suicide bombing and gun attack claimed by IS in the capital Jakarta killed eight people in January 2016.

Topics : Indonesia security Christmas
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22 2017

Commodore Bambang Udoyo, a Navy officer who was appointed to the Maritime Security Board (Bakamla) as its data and information director, has been sentenced to jail after the Jakarta Military Court found him guilty of receiving bribes in connection with the procurement of an observation satellite in 2016.

The defendant is sentenced to four years and six months in prison and a Rp 200 million [US$14,760] fine, or serve an additional three months imprisonment by default, presiding judge Brig. Gen. Deddy Suryanto read out on Wednesday, as quoted by kontan.co.id.

Bambang, the court said, received S$105,000 ($78,044) from Fahmi Darmawansyah, the president director of technology company PT Melati Technofo Indonesia, which won the bid for procuring the observation satellite.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 18:33 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eb6668 1 City #school,#collapse Free

Following the collapse of a school building in West Jakarta on Thursday, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) conducted a field inspection at state junior high school SMPN 32 Jakarta on Friday morning.

Three people were reportedly injured in the incident.

Aside from the collapsed hall, KPAI also noted four classrooms that did not meet the national education standard as they were too narrow. KPAI also found that the number of toilets was disproportionate to the number of students.

According to the statement released by KPAI, the school had already requested Jakarta's Education Agency and Tourism Agency to renovate the building in 2014. A representative from the Tourism Agency came to check the school building's condition last Monday, however, neither approved the request because of the building's cultural heritage status. The building is said to be built in 1880.

KPAI commissioner for education Retno Listyarti urged the city administration to move the students to a safer building until the school building is renovated. "It would be dangerous for the students to keep studying in a place like this," she said in a statement. (dpk)
Lithuanian English

Siauliai, Lithuania, 2017-12-22 12:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Siauliu Bankas AB, company code 112025254, address of the head office Tilzes str. 149, Siauliai, Lithuania.

Siauliu Bankas shall publish the information to investors in 2017 in accordance with the following calendar:

28/02/2018 - Interim information for 12 months of 2017;

08/03/2018 - Notice on convocation of the Ordinary General Shareholder Meeting (GSM), draft resolutions for the convened GSM;

29/03/2018 - Resolutions of the General Shareholder Meeting;

29/03/2018 - Audited annual information for 2017;

07/05/2018 - Interim information for 3 months of 2018;

06/08/2018 - Semi-annual interim information of 2018;

05/11/2018 - Interim information for 9 months of 2018.

Chief Executive Officer Vytautas Sinius
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 16:57 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eb0eac 1 World Foreign-Affairs-Ministry,Foreign-Ministry,Arrmanatha-Nasir,Jerusalem,Israel,Jerusalem-resolution,US Free

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said on Friday that Indonesia welcomed the adoption of a new resolution on the status of Jerusalem, in which it rejected the United States unilateral decision to recognize the holy city as the capital of Israel on Dec.9.

Commenting on a clear majority of United Nation member states that voted for the adoption of the resolution, which was co-sponsored by Indonesia, during an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly convened in New York, the US, on Thursday local time, Arrmanatha said this showed that the Indonesian government and people stood together with the majority of the world in supporting the struggle of Palestinian people.

Indonesia hopes that all UN members respect the results and heed the moral and political call of the world in demanding peace and independence for Palestine," Arrmanatha said in a statement on Friday.

The resolution was adopted with the backing of 128 countries, despite US Ambassador Nikki Haley's previous threat that the US will be taking names during the vote. Washington is joined by Israel and seven small states in rejecting the resolution.

Another 35 countries abstained in the vote, including the Philippines and Australia, while 21 others were absent or did not cast any vote.

This resolution affirms that the US decision has no legal effect and must be rescinded. It also calls upon all states to "refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions" in Jerusalem, pursuant to past resolutions. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 15:29 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eaa710 2 City #NightClub,#drugs,#raid,#Jakarta,#BNN Free

The exclusive MG International nightclub in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, had lured hundreds of customers with liquid ecstasy that only members could access, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) said on Thursday.

The BNN also clarified that the type of drug produced and sold at the nightclub was liquid ecstasy, not liquid meth as previously reported.

BNN drug control head Insp. Gen. Arman Depari told journalists on Thursday that the liquid ecstasy had the chemical formula MDA, instead of the usual MDMA. This is not a new type of ecstasy, just a very rare one, he said.

Packaged in 330 ml mineral water bottles and carrying names like Aqua Getar (quivering water), Aqua Setan (Satans water), and Vitamin, said Arman, the effect of the drug was similar to that of MDMA.

MDA was first sold as a recreational drug in the 1960s and was dubbed the love drug, because of its effect on enhancing mood and sensations.

MG nightclub guests had to undergo strict screening procedures and pay several fees to obtain the drug.

Just to enter the club, guests are charged Rp 150,000 (US$11). Afterwards, they have to purchase a membership card, which is Rp 600,000. Before getting a membership card, the guests are interviewed by special nightclub staff. They also have to show their ID cards, and it must be an electronic ID, said Arman. Once the membership card is issued, guests pay Rp 400,000 for a bottle of liquid ecstasy.

Guests were made to consume the drug on site, and were forbidden to take it outside the club.

Arman said the nightclub sold 150-170 bottles of liquid ecstasy every night, grossing as much as Rp 70 million ($5,200) per night.

The agency estimates that the club has about 700 active members.

The BNN raided the nightclub on Dec. 17 and tested urine samples from 170 nightclub guests, of which 120 tested positive for ecstasy.

Arman said drug traffickers produced the liquid form of ecstasy because it was easier and more practical than manufacturing pills. Also, it can be camouflaged as common mineral water because it is a clear liquid, he added. It has a faster effect than conventional ecstasy pills, because liquids are more quickly absorbed and distributed through the body.

Arman said that the drug organization that manufactured the liquid ecstasy obtained their chemical ingredients from two distributors that were now under BNN investigation.

Any company distributing pharmaceutical chemicals should know [the identity of] their end-user. One of the two companies that supplied ingredients to the syndicate have a legal [distribution] license, he said.

The agency is currently hunting for the leader of the drug organization that was operating through the nightclub, Agung Ashari alias Rudi.

We suggest that Rudi, wherever he may be now, to surrender immediately. Trying to escape is considered resisting [arrest], and for that we can shoot to kill, Arman said.

However, Arman preferred to capture Rudi alive for information on the drugs distribution and production.

The agency searched Rudis residence in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, and seized a number of distillation equipment and chemical ingredients. The BNN also confiscated several assets belonging to Rudi, including the house, two cars, two laptops, two safes and several bank accounts.

Samsul Anwar alias Awang, who coordinated the drugs distribution at MG International, surrendered to the agency on Wednesday, after he was placed on the BNNs most wanted list following Sundays raid.

In addition to Awang, the BNN has arrested six of the groups members, WA, FE, MI, FD and DW. All are being charged under Narcotics Law no. 35/2009, which carries a maximum death penalty. (gis)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 18:20 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eb63d7 1 National VocationalEducation,vocational-programs,vocational-schools,Darmin-nasution,DarminNasution,Coordinating-Economic-Minister Free

The government should overhaul Indonesias vocational education system so it is able to accommodate the demands of skilled workers in the countrys industries, a senior minister said.

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution further said that the government also needed to better prepare vocational school graduates so they were ready and competent enough to join with the countrys workforce.

We have had all this time to come to the conclusion that Indonesias vocational schools do not have a clear focus, said Darmin on Thursday during the launch of a book entitled Policies of Educational School Development in Indonesia for 2017-2025.

The minister praised vocational workshops that had been held; however, he expressed concern that most vocational school graduates still needed to attend such workshops.

When we asked them [the graduates], they said their employers had ordered them to attend those workshops because they were considered to be lacking in skills.

Darmin said vocational education in Indonesia should be focused on agribusiness, tourism, healthcare, e-commerce and domestic services.

He added that vocational school graduates should be well-equipped with entrepreneurship skills.

Darmin hoped the book could be used as a reference by the government to improve the vocational education system.

According to data, 144 concentrations are recorded to have been offered in vocational high schools in 2016. The five most popular concentrations, which were selected by 54 percent of vocational high school students, were: computer and network engineering, light vehicle engineering, accounting, office administration and motorcycle engineering. (ami/ebf)
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Linkedin (AFP) Kandahar, Afghanistan  Fri, December 22, 2017 15:23 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2ea97f5 2 World Taliban,Afghanistan,suicide-attempt,terrorism Free

A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed Humvee into a police compound in Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least six officers and destroying a building, officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn attack on the Maiwand district police headquarters in the southern province of Kandahar. It was the latest deadly assault by the insurgents, who have been increasingly targeting security installations.

The vehicle was carrying an estimated 3,000 kilograms of explosives, Maiwand district police chief Sultan Mohammad told AFP -- roughly twice the number of explosives used in a massive truck bomb in Kabul in May which killed around 150 people.

"Our latest toll shows that we have six police officers martyred and five wounded," Mohammad said, adding the figures could change.

Kandahar police spokesman Ghorzang Afridi confirmed the death toll.

"All the victims were local policemen," Afridi told AFP.

While Afghan officials routinely understate the casualty toll in attacks carried out by insurgents, it appears the attacker failed to reach the building where a large number of police were deployed.

Mohammad said the attacker got through the first checkpoint and then detonated the vehicle at the second security check after a policeman opened fire.

One building "was completely destroyed and two other buildings next to it were damaged too," he said.

The force of the blast also blew out the windows of shops located two kilometers away, he added.

"The explosion was very loud and you could hear the sound of the blast miles away from the headquarters," a local police officer told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

He put the death toll at eight with nine others wounded.

"The eight policemen who were killed have been removed or pulled out from under the rubble, and there were other policemen who went missing following the attack," the officer said.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on security installations as they seek to demoralize police and troops, and steal equipment to fuel the 16-year insurgency.

The militants have acquired "dozens" of armored Humvees and pickup trucks in recent years, officials have said.

Some of those vehicles have been used in suicide attacks on police and military bases with devastating effect -- including one in Kandahar in October that saw more than 40 Afghan soldiers killed.

Afghan forces, already beset by desertions and corruption, have seen casualties soar to what a US watchdog has described as "shockingly high" levels since NATO forces officially ended their combat mission in 2014 and began a training and support role.

Morale has been further eroded by long-running fears that the militants have insider help -- everything from infiltrators in the ranks to corrupt Afghan forces selling equipment to the Taliban.
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Linkedin Carole Landry (AFP) United Nations, United States  Fri, December 22, 2017 07:30 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9a4d3 2 World UN,Security-Council,North-Korea,Pyongyang,missile,NuclearTest,sanctions,Rex-Tillerson,US-Secretary-of-State Free

The UN Security Council will vote Friday on a US-drafted resolution ramping up sanctions on North Korea by restricting oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs.

The United States has been in negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, on slapping new sanctions in response to the November 28 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The vote is scheduled for 1:00 pm (1800 GMT), diplomats said.

Building on previous sanctions resolutions, the new draft tightens restrictions on crude and refined oil deliveries to North Korea, most of which are supplied by China.

The measure would ban the supply of nearly 90 percent of refined oil products to North Korea and order the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad within 12 months, according to the text obtained by AFP.

US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to its desperately struggling economy.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been sent to Russia and China to earn hard currency for Pyongyang, working in what UN rights officials have described as "slave-like conditions."

The draft resolution would cap crude oil supplies to four million barrels per year and require countries to seek UN permission to ship crude to North Korea.

Deliveries of refined petroleum products including diesel and kerosene would be capped at 500,000 barrels for next year, according to the measure that would order all countries to report their shipments to the United Nations.

Since last year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test -- its sixth -- and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions.

- Seizing ships -

The measure would expand a list of banned exports from North Korea to include food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone including magnesite and magnesia, wood and vessels.

All countries would be authorized to seize, inspect, freeze and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea, according to the proposed measure.

A total of 19 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, would be added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the North Korean ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages logistics for the army.

The United States has led the drive at the Security Council to tighten sanctions that are aimed at pressuring Kim Jong-Un's regime to come to the negotiating table.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the council that the "pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved" as he backtracked from his offer to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang.

In negotiations on previous sanctions, the United States has first agreed with China on provisions of each resolution before presenting the text to the full 15-member council, which has then quickly voted.

So far, the Security Council has imposed a full ban on supplies of condensates and natural gas liquids to North Korea, capped deliveries of refined oil products to two million barrels a year, and capped crude oil exports at current levels.

The council has also banned exports of North Korean coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, restricted joint ventures and ended the hiring of North Korean workers abroad.

The United States separately asked the council to blacklist 10 ships, including two Hong Kong-flagged vessels, for carrying banned cargo from North Korea.

China however raised objections at those sanctions and the request to ban the 10 ships from ports worldwide will again be considered on December 28.

The request targets the Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker Lighthouse Winmore, the Palau-flagged oil tanker Billions No. 18, the cargo carrier Xin Sheng Hai from Belize and the Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship Kai Xiang.

Two North Korean cargo vessels, Ul Ji Bong 6 and Rung Ra 2 along with two North Korean oil tankers Sam Jong 2 and Rye Song Gang 1 are on the proposed blacklist as are the Chinese tugboat Yu Yuan and the Glory Hope 1 (also known as Orient Shenyu), a Panama-flagged cargo ship. (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 09:01 1792 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2e9e0f4 1 News UberTRIP,Uber,ride-hailing-application,Yogyakarta Free

Following Bali and Lombok, ride-sharing app Uber announced on Thursday the launch of UberTRIP in Yogyakarta.

The service allows users to book a trip for a minimum of three hours until one day.

Available for a minimum payment of Rp 180,000 (US$13.3) for a three-hour ride and Rp 1,000 per minute afterward, users can simply book their trip by clicking "UberTRIP" on their app and make payment at the end of the trip using either cash, credit card or Uber Credit.

"We're proud to be cooperating with our partners of drivers to present this practical service to anyone who visits Yogyakarta. With just one click, tourists can enjoy Uber's transparent and affordable service," said Uber Indonesia public policy head John Colombo in a press release on Thursday.

Read also: Woman gives birth in Uber in Surabaya, receives Rp 1m credit

UberTRIP is able to accommodate up to six passengers, with each passenger entitled to insurance.

Among the areas supported by this service are Yogyakarta, Wates, Sleman, Bantul, Wonosari, Magelang and Klaten.

According to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data, the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia increased 21.57 percent in July from the previous month, while the most foreign tourist arrivals were recorded at Yogyakarta's Adisutjipto International Airport.

Uber also highlighted Yogyakarta as among users' most popular cities in Indonesia. In the past three months, Uber passengers who visited the city reportedly hailed from 64 countries. (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 16:38 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eb0165 1 News bali,tourism,travel,Arief-Yahya Free

Amid the uncertainty over Mount Agungs eruption, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya says the safety status in Bali is normal and safe for visitors.

"As previously conveyed by Maritime Affairs Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Bali is normal except for a 6- to 10-kilometer radius from Mt Agungs peak, which is still on alert," Arief told a press conference at the Tourism Ministrys office on Thursday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Earlier this month, Luhut announced that Bali was safe for tourists. The update was based on research by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG), the ministry that is overseen by Luhut.

Although Mt. Agung is still emitting tiny amounts of volcanic ash, Luhut said it was being pushed eastward by the wind. Based on the calculations, the government confirmed that flights to and from Bali are safe.

Read also: Bali prepares complimentary transportation, rooms if Mt. Agung erupts

"Should the wind blow west, there will be a NOTAM [Notice To Airmen] and that is very common everywhere, and there is already a security procedure," Luhut said at his own press conference on Dec. 15 that was replayed on Thursday.

"Other regions in Bali are deemed normal. Bali's status for tourism is safe, except for the limited radius," Arief added.

He urged domestic and foreign tourists not to generalize that the whole island was on alert, saying that there are plenty of destinations that remain safe to visit.

Tourism in Bali has dropped dramatically since the increase in volcanic activity in the Karangasem regency on Sept. 22.

Several countries have also issued travel warnings about the resort island, which resulted in the number of tourists visiting Bali plunging.

China, for example, issued a travel warning that is applicable until Jan. 4.

Bali is estimated to have lost a million tourist visits amid fears of Mount Agungs eruption, with the Bali Tourism Agency estimating a loss of approximately Rp 750 million (US$52,500) each day. (liz/kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 22, 2017 20:06 1791 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2eb7211 1 Destinations Airport,travel,destination,#airport Free

If youre looking to travel to another country, you will probably first think of booking your flight there.

Getting to these six countries, though, might require more than a direct flight.

Home to the famous Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica, the Vatican City does not have an airport but can be easily accessed by road from Rome, Italy.

A post shared by LEO CHAN  NYC (@levitatestyle) on Dec 18, 2017 at 1:14pm PST

The mountainous microstate San Marino is similarly surrounded by Italy.

A post shared by Fashionairy Travel (@fashionairy.travel) on Dec 20, 2017 at 10:03am PST

According to Reader's Digest, the closest airport to the fifth smallest country in the world is Federico Fellini International Airport in Rimini, Italy.

Read also: Changi once again ranked world's best airport

Right behind the Vatican is another country without an airport -- Monaco. Nice Cote dAzur International Airport in France is just a 25-minute car ride from the second-smallest country in the world.

A post shared by Laurie Cornillon  (@lauriecornillon) on Dec 21, 2017 at 11:14am PST

To get to Liechtenstein -- the country with one of the worlds lowest crime rates -- you will have to fly to St. Gallen-Altenrhein Aiport in Switzerland, about 38 kilometers from Vaduz.

A post shared by Pirkka Pulkkinen (@p1rkka_) on Dec 21, 2017 at 7:48am PST

Visitors to Andorra, which sits in a Pyrenees mountain range valley, can find their way through France or Spain. Girona-Costa Brava Airport in Spain is the closest airport to the capital.

The Palestinian Territories do not have an airport either. Israels Ben Gurion International Airport is about 41 km from Bethlehem. (afr/kes)

A post shared by Toshiki Ou (Damian) (@traveling_noodle) on Nov 27, 2017 at 1:09am PST
HIGH RIVER, Alberta, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Investment Company of Canada Limited ("Western") (TSX-V:WI) announced that yesterday the CEO of Western, Scott Tannas, provided shareholders with the following update:



Yesterday we at Western disclosed the details of our third investment  Ocean Sales Group. In the next few weeks, we expect to similarly confirm our fourth investment, this time in the Agrifood Business. These two significant transactions cap off what has been a hectic twelve months for our little company. In review:

One year ago we completed our very first transaction  GlassMasters Autoglass. This company performed well in 2017, with strong growth in both revenue and profit.

In February, we closed a $12.4 million equity financing replenishing our treasury and adding dozens of new shareholders. This allowed us to confidently continue to seek and assess potential acquisitions throughout the spring of 2017.

In August, we announced a partnership with Saskatchewan- based Golden Health Care, the Provinces largest Seniors Care provider. The partnership includes an ownership position in the management company, and an initial investment in three Seniors Care facilities. There will be future opportunities to grow our investment through additional share purchases in current facilities as well as participation in planned expansion by Golden.

In September we signed an agreement with Ocean Sales Group, Canadas largest Exhibition Retailer. The investment was modeled after our success with GlassMasters  both companies feature dynamic retailing, strong growth, and outstanding management partners.

In November we agreed to participate in a partnership investment in a Western - based food processor  a solid, long established business with an iconic brand.

Over the year we developed our unique, flexible and cost efficient operating model featuring Shafeen Mawani as Chief Operating Officer and Stacey Cross as Chief Financial Officer. Western Sensibility gives us a very inexpensive operating platform with terrific talent that can be scaled up as we grow.

As we close the year, our capital is fully deployed, and we expect a healthy return from our portfolio in 2018.

Since inception we have consistently stated our intention to focus our investment activities in areas where we have expertise amongst the members of Board, Management, and other key shareholders. Specifically, we identified Insurance and Financial Services, Agrifood, Dynamic Retailing, and Human Services. We now have investments in three out of the four categories. We are looking forward to helping our existing investments achieve success in 2018. We are also confident we will continue to find exciting opportunities for us to add to our portfolio.

Our stock price over the past few months has dropped to levels that are disappointing for all shareowners. As a result, we have taken a decision that we will not raise additional equity for expansion at our current price. Our stock is significantly undervalued in our opinion, and we refuse to contemplate financing activities that will risk diluting existing returns to current shareholders. We are capable of making a good return for shareholders in 2018 without making additional acquisitions. That said, we intend to work hard in 2018 to raise the profile of our company with investors to achieve an improvement in our price and liquidity. Once our shares approach a fairer value, we will execute on the next stage of expansion, but until then, well stand pat.

All shareholders can help to strengthen our share price by telling the Western story to people who may be interested in joining our shareholder group. Its a good story, and one that we can be proud to tell. Of course we can also add to our respective positions, as many shareholders, including members of management and the Board have done in recent weeks. An up to date investor presentation, including information on our portfolio companies and our plans and expectations for 2018 has been posted to our website at www.winv.ca.

On behalf of the Board and Management at Western, I thank you for your support in 2017, and look forward to reporting our progress over the coming year.

About Western

Western is a unique publicly traded, private equity company founded by a group of successful Western Canadian businesspeople, and dedicated to building and maintaining ownership in successful Western Canadian companies, and helping them to grow. The Companys shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol WI. For more information on the Company, please visit its website at www.winv.ca.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The Western Investment Company of Canada Limited

Scott Tannas

President and Chief Executive Officer

(403) 6522663

stannas@winv.ca

Advisory

This news release may contain certain forwardlooking information and statements, including without limitation, statements pertaining to future plans, acquisitions, financings and returns. Statements containing the words: 'believes', 'intends', 'expects', 'plans', 'seeks' and 'anticipates' and any other words of similar meaning are forwardlooking. All statements included herein involve various risks and uncertainties because they relate to future events and circumstances beyond Western's control. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. A description of assumptions used to develop such forwardlooking information and a description of risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forwardlooking information can be found in Western's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Any forward looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Western does not undertake to update any forwardlooking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
English Finnish

SATO Corporation, Press Release, 22nd Dec 2017 at 1:05 pm

SATO's annual holiday donation this year goes to the same recipient as the year before, the homeless organisation Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry or VVA for short.

"VVA are making an invaluable contribution in providing support and assistance to the homeless. It is a joy for us to be able to advance their effort and to help them achieve their goals," says SATO President and CEO Saku Sipola.

In the run-up to the holiday season, SATO also put in place a social media campaign together with the Hope Yhdessa & Yhteisesti association. For every 100 likes, comments and shares in the campaign, SATO will donate a 100-euro gift voucher for the association to distribute to young people from disadvantaged families.

"In addition to our traditional holiday donation, we called on social media users to describe what the holiday season would be like if it was up to the family teenager to decide," Sipola continues. "What came through loud and clear in the responses was the need for closeness and togetherness, and the importance of home and family, although going easy on the holiday housecleaning also got a lot of mentions. Serenity and time with our loved ones - it's what the holiday spirit is all about."

To browse the social media campaign contributions, please go to www.sato.fi/hope-kampanja-2017

Learn more about the homeless organisation VVA: www.vvary.fi

Learn more about the Hope Yhdessa & Yhteisesti association: www.hopeyhdistys.fi

For more information please contact:

SATO Corporation

Saku Sipola, President & CEO, phone +358 201 34 4001 and +358 40 551 5953, saku.sipola@sato.fi

www.sato.fi/en



SATO is one of Finland's leading lessors of rental apartments. SATO aims to offer full options for rental housing and an excellent customer experience. At the end of 2016, SATO owned a total of 25,300 rental apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St. Petersburg.

We contribute to sustainable development and initiative through our operations, and engage in open interaction with our stakeholders in order to produce added value. We operate over the long term and profitably. We increase the value of housing assets through investments and divestments and through our repair activities.

SATO Group's net sales in 2016 stood at EUR 263.0 million* in accordance with the new reporting practices, its operating profit stood at EUR 267.2 million and its profit before taxes was EUR 219.4 million. The value of SATO's investment assets is EUR 3.4 billion.

*Net sales have been changed in accordance with the new reporting practices.
In the spirit of Christmas, why not help those who will be particularly vulnerable this winter?

As Christmas approaches, and with it all the love, presents and new year sales, now is a great time to reflect on your situation. Better yet, take some time to reflect on what you can do to improve the lives of others, especially those who are vulnerable.

As temperatures drop, gas and electric prices spike and the monthly paycheque doesn't stretch as far as usual, an unfortunate number of people will struggle to keep their head above water. An ever-increasing number of people will rely on food banks, while too many elderly will feel lonely enough to call charity hotlines, desperate for company even if its just a voice on the phone.

The homeless will continue to struggle with plunging temperatures, desperately seeking shelter from the cold, especially now that it has begun to snow. Meanwhile, low income families will struggle to afford all the bills alongside the extras, trying to provide the perfect Christmas on a shoestring budget.

This can make the holidays seem far less jolly, however, there is no need to despair. Instead, have a look at our list of simple ways you can help the vulnerable this winter.

1. Donate

Perhaps the simplest option of them all. Donating money may seem like an easy answer, but in reality, a lot of charities urgently need money in order to continue helping the vulnerable. Therefore donating is one of the most important ways you can help! No matter how much you give, be it 50 pence or 20, your donation will go a long way to helping those who need it.

Christmas is already quite an expensive time of the year, so were not expecting you to donate large amounts or give money to every charity you see. Some may be able to afford that, however many will not. Yet donating even just once to one charity will make a difference. There are many charities to choose from, so some research is always advisable. Find one whose mission fits with your principles and donate what you can, no matter how little.

You might want to give a larger donation once, or look into a small monthly donation if possible. Alternatively, you can donate on someones behalf as a gift, or ask others to do the same for you. It will help charities tremendously and will have a far more significant impact than buying a gift voucher or a new pair of socks.

There are many charities to choose from, but here are just a few dealing with key issues in the UK:

Crisis (Aim: to end homelessness) Contact: 0300 636 1967

Trussel Trust (Aim: to stop UK hunger) Contact: 01722 580 180

Fareshare (Aim: to end hunger and stop food waste) Contact: 020 7394 2468

The Salvation Army (Aim: to help those who are suffering) Contact: 0207 367 4500

Mind (Aim: To ensure those with mental health problems receive help and are treated with respect) Contact: 020 8519 2122

2. Shop at charity stores

Another great way to support charities who help the vulnerable this winter is to shop at their stores. There are many charity shops throughout the country, where hidden treasures can be found.

The money made at these shops is largely passed onto the charities (apart from the sum needed for rent and so on). Therefore doing your christmas shop at such a store is a great way to help the charity raise the funds they need to continue their work. Additionally, charity shops traditionally have low prices, so you can find great presents, help the needy, and save money!

3. Volunteer

Weve said it before, but well say it again. Volunteering is one of the best ways you can help, and that goes for any time of the year! Be it a food shelter, a care home or an animal rescue centre, your help is always needed and appreciated.

Sign up somewhere already established, or do something on your own!

Raise money to buy warm clothing for the homeless like six year old Frankie, or volunteer with charities like Contact the Elderly. It can be as simple as collecting old clothes and handing them out to the homeless in your area. Alternatively you can reach out to the elderly in your community to ensure they do not spend Christmas alone, isolated and without contact from anyone around them.

4. Show people respect and kindness

It's easy to rush home after work, especially when it is so cold! However, try being more aware of what is around you. Even if you can't give money to someone who is homeless, perhaps spend some time with them. Talk to them and ask them about their day. If you're a confident person perhaps sing a Christmas song- anything really, to show that you recognise that they are there and that they matter.

It can be incredibly dehumanising to be ignored by the world, and all the people that walk past, especially when you're begging for money and are stood where you will sleep. Of course, people often have a good reason, as they rush to get to work or finish their Christmas shopping, they fear being hurt or are suspicious of the individual's homeless status. However, in the spirit of Christmas, it might be worth taking a chance and showing someone less fortunate than you that they matter. After all, isn't that the greatest Christmas gift you could give this season?

Similarly, there will be many people who rely upon food banks this winter. It may not be something they advertise, nor a fact they are proud of, however it is not something of which to be ashamed. If someone you know will be in this situation, or you volunteer at a food bank this Christmas period, remember to treat them all with respect. The fact that they find themselves in a tricky situation this winter in no way means they matter less, or are worth less, than you.
Unlocked Graduates is a new leadership programme in the model of Teach First that works to get top graduates into prisons working as frontline prison officers for two years. Their first participants started at six prisons in the south east at the beginning of September, and Unlocked is now recruiting for 2018.

Here Scarlett, a law graduate and one of their first participants, gives her perspective after 100 days on the frontlines.

What was peoples initial reaction when you joined Unlocked Graduates?

When I told people I was going to be a Prison Officer after completing my law degree the main reactions were confusion and apprehension. Why are you doing that job?! is a question Ive been asked countless times now. By prisoners as well, actually. And Im met with even more confusion when I answer because I want to help people.

Whats the most important thing youve learnt since joining the programme?

Ive been in uniform and on the landings for four months now and, like all of my Unlocked colleagues, Ive realised that it is resilience you need more than anything.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

The environment in prison can be bleak and harrowing. Every day we face people who cant read and write, people whove been in and out of prison for years, and throughout their whole lives, these people have been given up on. I took this job because I wanted to change this reality but remembering this motivation can feel impossible when faced with these challenges every day.

How have you dealt with the difficult situations youve faced?

When its your first week and a prisoner shouts and throws a plate at you because you challenged them pushing in the queue, you have to react calmly  as you were taught in training. Sanction their behaviour but come back the next day and treat them fairly. You have to give the benefit of the doubt and give them chances to rebuild the professional relationship, to help them turn their behaviour around. When youve then been helping them and thought you had built an effective relationship and they square up to you because you said no to something, it can be hard but we still cant stop helping.

What are the best things about the role, in your opinion?

Prisoners are used to aggression and pushing everyone away so you have to learn to challenge this, see past the behaviour and keep trying anyway. When some prisoners grunt at you or ask if youre investigating them when you enquire about their story, you cant let it stop asking the next person you meet. Because one day that conversation will be the first time that individual has ever opened up. That moment could be the start of a journey where you can support them and point them in the direction of resources that can help.

When prisoners give you fake names and try to test you, you keep on asking their first name. Because one day theyll instead say: Miss, thank you so much for actually asking my first name. That was really nice. These are the glimpses of hope, the small wins, which prisoners look back on as life-altering moments.

You come back fighting for them every single time, every single day, because no one else will. And that is how Prison Officers change lives.

Whats the one thing that you think is most important about your role?

Rehabilitation regularly starts with an Officer believing in a prisoner; every person who had spent time in prison told us this during training. As much as locking doors is a huge part of what we do, Prison Officers are life-changers, not key-turners.

Interested? Unlocked Graduates is recruiting for its 2018 cohort at the moment. You can apply on their website.
Augmented reality start-up Magic Leap has officially unveiled its first piece of hardware, the Magic Leap One headset.

The Florida-based firm has been the subject of intrigue for years, as it has received large levels of funding from high profile investors without releasing any products, until now.

Set for release in 2018, Magic Leap One combines a headset/smartglasses set-up with a motion controller, powered by a small computer that attaches to a users side during use.

The sensor-loaded headset will be able to scan the surrounding environment and place holograms, notifications and gaming content into the real world.

This also extends to video content, with users able to open multiple virtual screens at once and watch content from YouTube and other sources from inside the headset.

(Magic Leap)

If this sounds slightly familiar youd be right, the Microsoft HoloLens system offers a similar set-up, though minus the computer pack, which Microsoft instead houses in the headset itself.

(Magic Leap)

Magic Leaps website is currently encouraging designers, developers and creators to sign up and express their interest in the One headset, suggesting it may well have a Google Glass-style soft launch to industry first.

More details on the launch and content likely to be available on the Magic Leap One are still to be revealed by the company, but the firm has said it will launch a Creator Portal for developers in the new year, enabling them to begin building content that will work on the platform.

Apple has recently began show a huge amount of interest in augmented reality, suggesting AR and not virtual reality (VR) will be the next big trend in the industry.

The initial reaction to Magic Leaps reveal however has drawn a mixed response from the tech world.

Magic Leap has an external computer you attach to your hip. This is no HoloLens competition. You can attach a backpack PC to a VR headset right now. Self contained headsets are the future, and Magic Leap isnt ready for the future yet pic.twitter.com/wiMbbFYP9s  Tom Warren (@tomwarren) December 20, 2017

I wonder how awesome Magic Leap wouldve been if it had been released five- or even two years ago before we tried the self-contained HoloLens and before our phones could all do AR. Sorry, it sounds more late than revolutionary. pic.twitter.com/YZi1YU6Xu6  Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) December 20, 2017

Lesson for founders: Magic Leap has been working on this crazy stuff for years -> still gets roasted on twitter. Because roasting stuff on Twitter is fun. Dont be afraid of the crowd. Keep building things youre passionate about. Keep moving forward.  Bringus Festivus (@HipCityReg) December 20, 2017

Magic Leaps first product is not the mass-market, consumer version. Theres a roadmap (duh) and primary tech takes time. Apple will wait until its version is smaller before showing anything- Magic Leap is showing the steps. Now, great everyone will get to see what it can do.  Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) December 20, 2017

However, full judgment will have to be reserved until the headset is tested for the first time, a timeline for which is yet to be disclosed by the US firm.
The festive season is fully underway and there are a plethora of Christmas markets to visit. Today, well be sharing with you why Edinburgh is the best UK city to visit at Christmas time.

Scotlands beautiful capital is an excellent travel destination at any time of the year but the city really comes to life at Christmas...

1. Edinburghs Christmas celebrations last over a month

The Christmas market is open from November 17th 2017 to January 6th 2018 so even if you dont have a tonne of time before Christmas, you still dont have to miss out on the festivities.

2. Unique attractions

Weve all been to your standard European market. So how about climbing an ice wall? Or taking a walk through an ice sculpture exhibit? Edinburgh has really expanded its selection of attractions this year and as a result theres something fun and new for everyone.

3. The 24 Doors of Advent

Over the month of December Edinburgh turns itself into one giant advent calendar. Every day one new building opens its doors for the general public to enjoy. From the Scottish Parliament to Murrayfield Stadium, theres something that will entertain everyone. Allow yourself to be a bit of a culture vulture whilst you celebrate this special time of year.

4. The food is to die for

Let's face it: Christmas is all about stuffing your face. And visiting both of Edinburghs Christmas markets will give you plenty of opportunities to do just that. Whether its a traditional German Bratwurst or mini Dutch pancakes smothered in rich, molten Nutella youre guaranteed to find something that tickles your taste buds. Both savoury and sweet!

5. Local residents get a 20% discount

If you have a UK drivers license that lists your address as one with an EH postcode, you can use it to get 20% off rides and attractions. This means that even if you dont live in the city, you may be legible for the discounts. Residents from West Lothian, East Lothian, Mid Lothian and some areas of Falkirk and the Scottish Borders can take advantage of that, woohoo.
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FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: HARGREAVE HALE LIMITED (for Discretionary Clients) (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree STYLES & WOOD GROUP PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 21 DECEMBER 2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" NO

If YES, specify which:

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



ORDINARY 1p



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 132,950 1.5299 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 132,950 1.5299

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit NONE

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit NONE





(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit NONE

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable) NONE

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



NONE





(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



NONE





(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 22 DECEMBER 2017 Contact name: DAVID CLUEIT

HARGREAVE HALE LTD Telephone number: 01253 754739

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
A 27-year-old Riverview woman has been charged with the attempted murder of her estranged boyfriend.

The incident occurred the evening of Dec. 18 in the 19000 block of Fort Street, in the Greentrees Apartments.

Elise Renee Amidon was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Wyandotte before 27th District Judge Randy Kalmbach and has been charged with:

?One count of assault with intent to murder (Life or any number of years imposed by sentence upon conviction).

?One count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder (10-year felony).

?One count of assault with a dangerous weapon (felonious assault; 4-year felony).

?One count of carrying concealed weapons (5-year felony).

?Three counts of felony firearm (2 years mandatory prison).

?One count of misdemeanor domestic violence (93-day misdemeanor).

Police were sent to the apartments at approximately 9:30 p.m. on the report of a shot being fired and a woman yelling.

Officers spoke with a witness who said he saw a gray Chevrolet leaving the complex shortly after the shot was fired.

A short time later police received a call from Beaumont Hospital, Trenton, informing officers that a person in a gray Chevrolet had just dropped off a 22-year-old Riverview man who had a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Police Chief Clifford Rosebohm said hospital video helped identify Amidon as a possible suspect. Rosebohm said police have had contact with her in the past.

Approximately one hour after the shooting took place police called Amidon and she agreed to voluntarily come to the police station to talk to detectives.

Upon completion of the interview, we took her into custody and held her for further investigation, Rosebohm said.

The law allows police agencies to hold a suspect up to 72 hours, at which point they must be either charged or released, unless police can demonstrate a need to continue the investigation.

Police did not need to ask for a continuance. Based on a written statement Amidon made, detectives believed they had reason to charge her with assaulting the victim.

Officers recovered a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun from the Chevrolet. According to police, Amidon owns the weapon.

Rosebohm said the shooting took place in Amidons apartment, but the victim was not living there at the time.

The police chief said he was not at liberty to discuss a possible motive in the shooting.

Kalmbach set a cash bond at $100,000/10 percent. According to Rosebohm, Amidon was in the process of posting bond shortly after she was arraigned.

She has been ordered to have a GPS tether, Rosebohm said.

As of Thursday evening, Rosebohm said the victim was still a patient at Beaumont Hospital, Trenton, in critical but stable condition.

Amidons next court appearance is a probable cause hearing, which will take place at 9 a.m. Dec. 28 at 27th District Court. She will then return to court January 4 for a preliminary examination.

A preliminary examination is a hearing to present evidence to support charges named in the complaint.

If there is sufficient evidence to sustain the charges, the case will be sent to Wayne County Circuit Court for an arraignment on information.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Namaste Technologies Inc. (Namaste or the Company) (CSE:N)(OTCQB:NXTTF)(FRANKFURT:M5BQ) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Cannmart Inc. (Cannmart) has signed a Fulfilment Services Agreement (the Agreement) with Greenlane Canada (Greenlane) whereby Greenlane will provide exclusive order fulfilment and warranty services for Namastes Canadian websites. Under the terms of the Agreement, Greenlane will fulfill orders for all products set forth in Greenlanes product offering as well as products which are marketed and sold under brands controlled by Namaste and other third-party products as specified by Namaste. The Agreement represents a strategic decision to further align the Company with the industrys leading business-to-business distributor, while Namaste will benefit through a significant reduction of inventory and operational expenses, bringing the company closer to profitability. Since inception, Namaste has maintained a strong working relationship with Greenlane and believes that this Agreement is accretive in nature. In addition, it is believed this Agreement will set the framework for Namaste to collaborate with Greenlane on future opportunities in areas related to the distribution of cannabis packaging products and pre-filled cartridges for medical cannabis, to be sold in Canada through Namastes wholly owned subsidiary Cannmart.



Key Terms of the Agreement

Greenlane will provide order fulfillment for direct website and wholesale sales.

Greenlane will provide all services related to inventory owned and maintained by Greenlane, including pulling, packing and shipping orders.

Greenlane will make a one-time purchase of inventory specified by Namaste based on 360-day payment terms, to ensure adequate inventory levels.

Greenlane shall be responsible for warehousing of Namastes inventory including the costs of rent, fixtures, insurance and shrinkage.

Services will be rendered in a manner consistent with Greenlanes Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for its own customers as it relates to: Order accuracy Order processing time On-time shipments Packages damaged in transit

Greenlane will provide Namaste with access to new products added to its catalogue.

Greenlane will provide technical services as it relates to repairs and warranty services for Namastes customers.

The Agreement with Greenlane represents a key component of Namastes strategy moving forward, and is expected to have an immediate impact on cash-flow. The partnership further demonstrates Namaste's commitment to focusing its resources towards the expansion of its global network, in an attempt to solidify its place in the Canadian market as the dominant player.

Additionally, Namaste remains diligent on launching medical cannabis sales in Canada, as it looks to first validate its platform and then expand into additional markets abroad. Namaste believes these combined initiatives will serve as a stepping stone in helping Namaste achieve its goal of reaching profitability, as it looks to capitalize on strategic partnerships with its peers.

Management Commentary

Aaron LoCasio, Greenlanes CEO comments: Sean and the Namaste team have built an exceptional company that we are proud to work alongside. This agreement further aligns our respective organizations and allows us each to focus on our core competencies. Greenlane looks forward to working with the Namaste team as we each embark on this next phase of growth.

Sean Dollinger, President and CEO of Namaste comments: The signing of this agreement may very well be one of the most important initiatives Namaste has implemented to date, and may be the final piece of the puzzle in helping Namaste achieve profitability. The agreement itself represent months of negotiations which has culminated with an amazing partnership with easily the most influential business-to-business distributor in the space. Our decision to partner with Greenlane was directly correlated to their amazing range of products, and proven track record in securing exclusive distribution rights for the hottest new products ahead of the competition. In addition, we believe Namaste will capture market share in the extremely exciting pre-filled hardware space by leveraging Greenlanes exclusive access to closed system products from the leading brands. This competitive edge will be instrumental in allowing Namaste the ability to offer our customers the latest products within the Canadian market.

About Greenlane

Greenlane is the leading distributor of premium brands in the burgeoning head shop, smoke shop, and dispensary channels. Since 2005, Greenlane has worked diligently to build a reputation as the industry leader by meeting the needs of our customers, suppliers, and the end-users of the products we distribute. The company has achieved this by offering the most innovative products at competitive prices, providing white glove customer service, and processing orders quickly with unparalleled, highly efficient operations and logistics. During this time, Greenlane has grown to over 150 employees with operations in 7 cities across the United States and Canada, including 5 highly automated distribution centers, and continues to grow by finding ways to better serve the needs of its customers and suppliers.

About Namaste Technologies Inc.

Namaste is the largest online retailer for medical cannabis delivery systems globally. Namaste distributes vaporizers and smoking accessories through e-commerce sites in 26 countries and with 5 distribution hubs located around the world. Namaste has majority market share in Europe and Australia, with operations in the UK, US, Canada and Germany and has opened new supply channels into emerging markets including Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Namaste, through its acquisition of Cannmart Inc., a Canadian based late-stage applicant for a medical cannabis distribution license (under the ACMPR Program) is pursuing a new revenue vertical in online retail of medical cannabis in the Canadian market. Namaste intends to leverage its existing database of Canadian medical cannabis consumers, along with its expertise in e-commerce to create an online marketplace for medical cannabis patients, offering a larger variety of product and a better user experience.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Sean Dollinger

Chief Executive Officer

Direct: +1 (786) 389 9771

Email: info@namastevapes.com

Further information on the Company and its products can be accessed through the links below:

www.namastetechnologies.com

www.namastevaporizers.com

www.namastevaporizers.co.uk

www.everyonedoesit.com

www.everyonedoesit.co.uk

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, Namaste assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The CSE has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release.
At the incipient of the October 10, 2017 elections there were edifying open consultations that investigated the sheen of legitimacy that have acclaimed Cllr. Jerome Korkoya to the position of Chairman of the Board of Commissioners at the National Election Commission. Cllr. Korkoya however aware of the legitimate results of PERJURY as portrayed by law got messed with a situation that alienated him from the lead of free and fair elections. He unbolted his rivet of dual citizenship and strongly tricked to keep up the Liberian Constitution as a sacred law book. Clear to his doubt, he controlled the elections outcomes to fruition as appeared in pages of the Supreme Court ruinous opinion on December 7, 2017 where the NEC mishandled the normal law of the state. A fathom some bit of the perilous opinion hinted recusal as a trustworthiness daze for the NEC administrator!



By the admirable significance of this run-off election to our nation fleshing democracy and the gross deficiency of Chairman Korkoya to coordinate free and fair elections, we hold as a people with total fate to change the bumpy history to a smooth and decent one.



This is the time we make history and relinquish it for posterity to evaluate the course taken by then.



Cllr. Korkoya must resign to save Liberia from shame and disgrace!

Let it not be ignored that normal protestation is the significant right of each national, and we as a united people have an ethical obligation to guarantee its succinct dispense as a strategy for conferring our variations to government and it functionaries. Today history records in its anal a group of liberal supporters fantastically of sharp women drove by one of Liberia overwhelming melodic image, Aunty Miata Fahnbulleh under the vibe of Movement for the Removal of Jerome Korkoya. These open Liberians have taken solace to tranquilly consider our past, particularly elections issues that pillaged our property into backwardness - stretching out from the wrangling of the 1927 election up to date. These women have examined the fight lines of change makers all around the world and they have unmistakably regarded the focal significance of been blended or illuminated in an especially healthy way subsequently filling the role of aggressors. Militancy with respect to their civil struggle construed consistency to their greatest advantage for ordinary election in other to save Liberia from any flammable razzmatazz that may mix if there ought to emerge an event of dissatisfaction.



Regardless of the way that our supporters of the recusal talk about are not legally settled to be clung to by law; however in normal situation of bargain sensible people will act in loyalty to at present, little voice given their pessimistic appearance in prevalent supposition. Thusly, the most vital thing to be recorded in the midst of our age is the recusal clarification of Chairman Korkoya from the run-off election since he is a token of set up bungles. There are other more dexterous authorities on the very Board and his integrity break needs to give a way for another person to make the history he has veered off from. It should be seen that first races drove under the mindful judgments of Chairman Korkoya were destroyed by tremendous deception and gross irregularities and in light of those wrong shadows on the parts of the NEC official, the astute women bundle piloted by Madam Miata Fahnbulleh, a group of resolved supporters of the ruling Unity Party led by Attorney-at-Law George B. Kailondo and a Consortium of Civil Society Organizations have all stood up at the Headquarters of the NEC to express that they don't have any trust in the know-how of Chairman Jerome Korkoya to coordinate the run-off election given his ensnarement in the Supreme Court opinion in which it asked for modification of the run-off process consistent with laws. There has been no assertion for the full cleanup of the Final Registration Roll (FRR); Clean-up of the FRR isn't to the latent assent of the citizens; The date get ready for the run-off isn't consistent with laws as facilitated by the conventional Supreme Court; yet concerned citizens appreciate strategies and activities coordinated by Chairman Korkoya nevertheless with strong reservation. It will be a get for all Liberians if the system we contribute our resources convey a dependable outcome where all competitors will be satisfied.



We have reached the decisive Rubicon where individual intrigue is set beneath group intrigue!

It is clarion call to all meaningful Liberians and organizations whether close-by or worldwide to go about according to the positive point of view of the protest  supporting Cllr. Korkoya resignation. The movement taken by these Liberians is welcoming and it is built up significantly in the line of civil redemptive struggles. It was from persuading pages of history we saw exceptional Leaders like Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf supplemented militancy in her struggle history as a mean of passing on her differences to constituted authorities. We saw Madam Lemah Roberta Gbowee in her pray the devil to hell struggle similarly equipping militancy as she assembled the assistance of women to serenely challenge the confusion of the 90s to the Almighty God. Malcolm X used militancy as a course to restrict the shading disconnection that got his age; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. normal help against racial seclusion and even Protestant reformer Martin Luther furnished their individual struggle with the fundamental component of militancy in the regard of civil struggle. Veraciously, when wrongs exist there will be brave and average characters that will seethe against those wrongs and sharpen the normal irregularities that have given in those wrongs.



Woe On You Who Vilified Them For They Are Change Makers!

Until Chairman Korkoya leaves we hold that the credibility of the run-off election will be recolored and the issue about trade off will be escape for quite a while.

Prohibitively or unequivocally Cllr. Korkoya must leave in light of the way that has given PERJURY!



For us this race is our life!

Likewise, we can't empower its comprehension to be taken an enthusiasm by segments that peaked at tasting Liberia afresh into foulness!

Madam Sirleaf has set the stage we should secure the stage with our life as a people!

Written by: Daniel Trokon Bestman

dtbestman@gmail.com/0776811809

What is your take? Please post your comments below:


PETERBOROUGH, Ontario, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rainmaker Worldwide Inc. is proud to announce the appointment of two executives who will both join the companys Executive Committee and report directly to the CEO.



These appointments reflect the continuous growth in interest in Rainmakers technology as evidenced by dozens of weekly enquiries.

Rainmakers innovative and environmentally-friendly solutions address critical water needs in a market where opportunities in the sector could reach $1 trillion by 20251.

Joost Dessing joins Rainmaker as Chief Technical Officer

Joost Dessing joins the company as Chief Technical Officer, from his current position as a consultant to the firm and leader of Rainmakers technical team. In his capacity of CTO, Joost will also manage and bolster the manufacturing resources of the Rainmaker innovation and manufacturing center in Rotterdam.

This appointment is in answer to the growing requirements of existing contracts with the Dutch military and customers in Sri Lanka, India, and Jamaica along with the current business development activities around the world.

Joost has experience as a hardware and software engineer, a manager of significant R&D departments leading teams of up to 20 engineers, and in-depth experience developing projects for international customers such as Heineken, Toeca / Danone, Coca-Cola and GEA WestfaliaSurge.

Joost holds a Bachelor of Technology (BTech), Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree from HTS Amsterdam.

Concurrent with this appointment, Piet Oosterling, the inventor of the Rainmaker technology, will move to a Chief Innovation Officer role where he will look for ways to constantly advance our products and drive further efficiencies. Piet will work closely with CEO Michael OConnor to identify strategic partners and acquisition targets.

Terry L. Planton joins Rainmaker as Vice President, Sales and Business Development

Terry L. Planton joins the company with a mandate to build Rainmakers sales infrastructure to meet the needs of the U.S. market. Terry will focus on wastewater treatment in the oil and gas and agri-food sectors. He will also be charged with providing remote solutions for disaster relief, and USAID support for international relief missions.

In addition, Terry will coordinate all of the regional sales activities in North and South America, Europe and the MENA region.

Terry has more than thirty-four years of experience in the government and commercial marketplace, specializing in business development, strategic planning, and technical and operational planning.

He has made valuable contributions to a variety of industry sectors including Water Services, Energy, Defense, Transportation and Communication. He has worked in start-up companies, both as an entrepreneur and as a consultant for capital formation projects.

Terry holds a Masters Degree in International Economics from the University of Pittsburgh.

Michael OConnor, CEO of Rainmaker Worldwide said, I am extremely pleased to welcome Joost and Terry to the Rainmaker team. Their decades of technical and corporate experience together with their broad international commercial relationships will be invaluable to our mission to provide clean water to those who need it most.

1RobecoSAM Water: The Market of the Future, Zurich, July 8, 2015

About Rainmaker Worldwide Inc.

Rainmaker Worldwide Inc. (OTC:RAKR) is headquartered in Peterborough, Canada, with an innovation and manufacturing center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Our patented water technology provides economical drinking water at scale wherever its needed.

Our key global markets are:

The humanitarian sector where we are helping to bring safe drinking water to over 800 million people who are living without access to clean water The commercial sector with a focus on oil and gas, agri-food and mining that needs a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly solution for cleaning their wastewater

Rainmaker builds two types of energy-efficient, fresh water-producing technologies:

Air-to-Water, which harvests fresh water from the air Water-to-Water, which transforms seawater or polluted water into drinking water

The technology is both wind and solar powered, is deployable anywhere, and leaves no carbon traces. We also offer options for hybrid, grid and diesel-powered models.

Air-to-Water units are available in three standard sizes, producing 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 liters of drinking water per unit per day. Water-to-Water units are also available in three standard sizes producing 37,500, 75,000 or 150,000 liters per unit per day. In the humanitarian sector, Rainmaker technology is suitable for communities of 200 to 30,000 people, depending on number of units deployed.

Our goal is to become a global leader in solving the worldwide water crisis. Simply put, were creating safe, drinking water where little or none exists.

Interested parties can access additional information about Rainmaker on the Companys website located at http://www.rainmakerww.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this announcement contain statements, estimates and projections about the growth of Rainmakers business, potential distribution partnerships and/or clients, and related business strategy. Such statements, estimates and projections may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time-to-time. Rainmakers undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The recipient of this information is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For more information please contact:

Rainmaker Worldwide Inc.

Michael O'Connor

info@rainmakerww.com

+1-877-334-3820
West Bengal expects its exports to touch Rs 75,000 crore to Rs 80,000 crore by 2019-20, a Minister said on Friday.

According to State Finance and Commerce Minister, Amit Mitra, Bengals export turnover grew to Rs 53,649 crore in 2016-17 against Rs 47,857 crore in 2015-16.

The growth has been over 10.49 per cent. At a compounded annual rate of growth over the three years, I am hoping by 2019-20, the exports turnover to be over Rs 75,000 crore, Mitra said at an exports excellence awards ceremony organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations Eastern Region here on Thursday evening.

Mitra said micro, small and medium enterprises relating to exports of textiles, gems and jewellery, leather and foundry provided as many as 17.70 lakh employments in the state during the last fiscal.

He pointed out that gems and jewellery, leather, iron and steel and many others sectors, including 10 exports items were contributing over 63 per cent share in states exports.

The state provides exports opportunities, not only in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, but also strategic markets in Asean countries, he said.
The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) on Thursday urged the government to reduce GST rate on batteries used in EVs.

According to the nodal body of domestic manufacturers, the GST rate on batteries used in EVs should be brought down from 28 per cent.

The body sees unreasonably high GST as one of the key impediments in achieving the electric-green vehicle adoption target as visualised in Government of Indias Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles policy rolled out two years back with much fanfare, SMEV said in a statement.
The West Bengal government will set up an Other Backward Class (OBC) Advisory Council to monitor their social, cultural, educational and economic development, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after the first meeting of the state Scheduled Caste Advisory Council, she said: We are the first state in the country to set up this council. Now we will set up a council for the Other Backward Classes.

Banerjee, who presided over the advisory council meeting, called the interaction positive and fruitful.

We had a good discussion. So many people gave so many proposals. The community needs to know what all schemes and projects they can avail of. They dont get loans from the bank.

From now on, the council meeting will be held every six months, an d the development work undertaken for the communitys benefit will be reviewed, she said.

Chief Secretary Malay Dey, and West Bengal Backward Classes Welfare Minister Churamani Mahata were among those who attended the deliberations.

Banerjee had in March announced the governments decision to set up the Scheduled Caste Advisory Council, which is slated to function on the lines of the existing tribal advisory council.

There are 66 assembly seats in Bengal reserved for the scheduled caste candidates.
XI'AN, China, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- China Green Agriculture, Inc. (NYSE:CGA) ("China Green Agriculture" or the "Company"), a company which mainly produces and distributes humic acid-based compound fertilizers, varieties of compound fertilizers and agricultural products through its subsidiaries and variable interest entities in China, today announced that the Company received the prestigious Top 10 Most Valuable Agriculture Platform award at the 20th Annual Agriculture Market Summit (the Summit) on December 17th in Beijing.



Established in 1997, the Summit has been the most influential conference for the sales of agriculture production materials in China. In media, the Summit is often recognized as the Olympics for sales and marketing in the Chinese agriculture material industry. This year, the Summit took place in Beijing between December 17th and 19th. Thousands of industry participants attended the Summit from all over the country, and the Ministry of Agriculture in China sponsored the event.

For the Top 10 Most Valuable Agriculture Platform award, the Summit seeks to award the best agriculture material enterprises that operate their sales and marketing platforms with fastest growth, utmost influence, and maximum potential. Every year the Summit receives the award nominations in months before and the assembled judging panel makes the selection. The winner then receives the award when the result is announced at the Summit.

It is truly rewarding for us to receive this recognition from the agriculture material sales community; it provides validation to the effort put forth, to the product, and to the customers that our Company has made in the agriculture material world. We are inspired by what a contemporary change is occurring in such a traditional industry for such an old country, said the Companys CEO, Mr. Zhuoyu Li. We will continue to improve our services and advance the opportunities made by our platform available. We strive to stay at the cutting edge in the industry, and continue to expand our platform to be more accessible nationwide.

About China Green Agriculture, Inc.

The Company produces and distributes humic acid-based compound fertilizers, other varieties of compound fertilizers and agricultural products through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, i.e.: Shaanxi TechTeam Jinong Humic Acid Product Co., Ltd. ("Jinong"), Beijing Gufeng Chemical Products Co., Ltd ("Gufeng") and operating variable interest entities across the Peoples Republic of China. For more information, visit http://www.cgagri.com. The Company routinely posts important information on its website.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning the Company's business, products, and financial results. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements depending on a number of risk factors including, but not limited to, the following: general economic, business and environment conditions, development, shipment, market acceptance, additional competition from existing and new competitors, changes in technology, the execution of its ten-year growth plan, the foreign exchange risk amid the unexpected announcement by the PRC government in August 2015 sending the yuan to a 3% devaluation and various other factors beyond the Company's control. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this Safe Harbor Statement and the risk factors detailed in the Company's reports filed with the SEC. China Green Agriculture undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law or regulations.

For more information, please contact:

China Green Agriculture, Inc.

Tel: +86-29-88266383

Email: info@cgagri.com
The defeat of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister and partys CM face in Himachal Pradesh, Prem Kumar Dhumal in 2017 Assembly polls comes as a surprise, especially as BJP has made a strong come back in the hill state.

But for Congress nominee, Rajinder Rana, 51, who beat Dhumal, 73, in Sujanpur by a margin of 1919 votes, the victory was not unexpected.

I was sure from day one that people of Sujanpur, with whom I have stood through thick and thin for last 16 years, will not let me down. When Dhumal was declared CM face of BJP, it gave me some anxious moments. But the feeling was short-lived and I got back to field confidently, Rana told The Statesman in an interview.

Dhumal was asked to shift from Hamirpur to adjoining Sujanpur constituency by party high command this time. Sujanpur was, however, not altogether new to him, as it houses some parts of his original segment Bamson (before delimitation).

Rana is known for his humility and his great social connect with the grassroots.

Understood to be protege of Dhumal, Rana had fallen apart in 2009, when he said, he was victimised by the then Dhumal government over a non-issue.

I worked for Dhumal selflessly, but in lieu, they indulged in my character assassination as they were jealous of my increasing social influence in the area. I was hurt so I left Dhumal and the BJP, he said.

Rana had contested the 2012 poll from Sujanpur as independent, defeating the nearest rival (Congress) by a margin of over 14,00o votes. He later resigned as MLA and contested against Dhumals son, Anurag Thakur in 2014 Parliament polls in Hamirpur and lost by 97,000 votes.

I got 3.5 lakh votes, higher than any other Congress candidate in the state then. Anurags lead had come down by over 90,000 even the Modi wave, he said.

He said the 2017 poll is most memorable. I can never forget the love of people for me vis a vis the CM face. I was nothing in front of him.

Rana deplores the propaganda that he won votes with monetary favours to people. Its not true. I have been associated with people of Sujanpur day to day. I help them wherever I can. They share pain and happiness with me and find me close to their heart, Rana said.

Paisa sab key pass hota haipar apmey logo key dukh such mein khadey honey ka jazba hona chaiheya (Everybody has money. You need to have the capacity to stand with people in odds), he said.

Rana said Dhumals campaign, mostly run by his sons, was built on personalised attacks, which people did not like. People see your behaviour and language also.

He said in Sujanpur, former CM Virbhadra Singh did much development in past five years on his demand.

The BJP fared badly in Hamirpur district, getting only two out of five seats, despite CM face, for shortcomings in Dhumals functioning.
Anthony Barry Roberts, a 55-year-old UK citizen, got a new lease of life at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital after he suffered severe head, facial and chest injuries while paragliding in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh.

A trained paraglider with 15 years experience, Roberts faced sudden turbulence in weather which made him smash against a rock face and left suspended by his parachute.

According to Roberts, a Russian pilot who was also paragliding, landed near him, and risked his life to administer him first aid. Even though blinded by blood oozing from his face and feeling severe pain marked by acute swelling on his face, Roberts managed to send SOS from his satellite phone.

He was first flown to the Army Hospital in Kangra where a chest tube was inserted because he had six fractured ribs and a ruptured lung. He was then shifted to the local medical college for CT scan and neurosurgical care. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was airlifted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi, said neurosurgeon Dr Rajendra Prasad who is treating Roberts.

Talking about the paragliders condition, Prasad said: He had a compound comminuted fracture (splinter of bone in more than two fragments) of the frontal bone and fracture of frontal air sinus that resulted in air escaping inside the cranial cavity. On top of that he had extensive facial bones and skull base fractures. It was an intensely complicated surgery which involved repairing the covering of the brain (Dura) and stabilising the frontal and facial bone fractures. It is truly a medical miracle that he is alive.

Roberts rescue was not a simple process either. He could be rescued only a day after the accident at around 7 a.m. after multiple clearances were taken to save a human life. His SOS was picked up in USA from where the weather centre at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was alerted, which in turn sent a mail to the Distress Cell at the commissioners office in Kangra.

Then an IAS officer, Jatin Lal, spent an entire night getting clearances from the local stations of the Army and Air Force. Finally a joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence gave clearance at 6:30 a.m. for an Air Force chopper to rescue the paraglider.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday lambasted at the Congress government for allegedly playing fraud with Punjab farmers while pushing them towards further ruin and suicide by denying loan waiver to them.

In a statement issued on Friday, former state revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia said, the Rs 90,000 loan waiver promise made by the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh primarily covers farmers who have taken crop loans.

The Akali leader said money from the state exchequer would now be spent on waiving crop loans of up to Rs two lakh and not achieve any objective. He said crop loans have a traditional recovery percentage of 95 per cent and the government has never impounded properties of farmers to realise them since 1986 as disclosed by the CM himself while replying to a question in the last Assembly session.

This means the government is proposing to conduct a farce in the name of implementing a crop loan scheme from January next month, which if implemented will not cover the real beneficiaries for which it was devised, he said.

Majithia said small farmers who had availed a loan of over Rs Two Lakh had been made ineligible for the waiver scheme. It is these farmers who are committing suicide in hundreds after being unable to repay loans taken from national banks and private money lenders, he said.

Similarly, the former minister said, marginal farmers had also been left out in the cold while finalising the proposed crop loan waiver scheme. This proves farmers were used as a vote bank and the Congress party befooled them by making them fill forms for a complete loan waiver which it is now refusing to implement, he said.

Majithia also said the farmers would not get justice until the government accepted that loans of national banks and private money lenders needed to be waived off completely.

He said, the manner in which the government had back-stabbed farmers by announcing repeated loan waivers and now come up with a farce in the loan waiver indicated it never had any intention of honouring its promise in the first place.

The SAD will also fight this tooth and nail and not let the Congress government to get away with this cruel and inhuman decision at any cost, said Majithia.
Director Omung Kumar believes Randeep Hooda should have won awards for his gruelling physical transformation in Sarbjit.

The film was based on the life of Sarbjit Singh, an Indian prisoner who died in a Pakistani jail after being brutally assaulted.

It focused on his sister Dalbir Kaurs (played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) fight for over 20 years to free her brother.

Justice was not given to Randeep. People appreciated his role and the way he did it, but it did not transform in terms of awards. He should have been nominated. It is sad considering the amount of hard work he had put in, Omung told PTI.

Everyone knows he was the best performer and he was not even nominated and it disturbed me. His work for the film was something else and it all went unnoticed, he added.

Omung says both Randeep and Aishwarya were his first choices for the film.

The way he transformed no other actor could have done that. He is a dedicated person. He has lived that world. I wanted a mature person and someone who would transform herself from a young beautiful girl to a 54-year-old lady and Aishwarya did a fabulous job. The transformation is there to see.
The CBI will approach the Supreme Court against an Allahabad High Court verdict acquitting Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar in the murder case of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, an official said on Friday.

The agency will file an appeal in the apex court before the end of this month against the acquittal verdict, the senior Central Bureau of Investigation official told IANS.

On October 12, a bench of Justice B.K. Narayana and Justice A.K. Mishra of the Allahabad High Court had acquitted the dentist couple by giving them the benefit of doubt in the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi and Hemraj at their Jalvayu Vihar home in Noida on May 16, 2008.

The High Court had upheld an appeal by the Talwars against a Ghaziabad CBI court order awarding them life imprisonment on November 26, 2013, bringing an end to a nine-year ordeal of the couple.

After Aarushi was found murdered in her bedroom, Hemraj was initially considered a suspect. However, his body too was found in a pool of blood a day later on the terrace of the house.

The Uttar Pradesh Police accused Rajesh Talwar of killing his daughter in a fit of rage. Rajesh Talwar was arrested on May 23, 2008.

On May 31, 2008, the CBI took over the case and initially absolved the parents but later held them responsible for the two murders.

On June 13, 2008, Rajesh Talwars compounder Krishna was arrested by the CBI. Ten days later, Raj Kumar, a servant of a doctor friend of the Talwars, and Vijay Mandal, the domestic help of the Talwars neighbour, were also nabbed.

The three were later freed after no evidence was found against them.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the first time chaired the meeting of the Congress Working Committee at 24 Akbar Road in New Delhi on Friday.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Rahul Gandhi slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the entire 2G Spectrum was a architect of lies, and later adding that the very foundation of the BJP is based on lies.

He said that the truth about 2G Spectrum case is now out as the special CBI court has exonerated all the people in the case.

The Congress president said that from demonetisation, to Gabbar Singh Tax (read GST), to the Rafale deal, everything is a tower of lies. Rahul Gandhi also said that the Prime Ministers silence on corruption is questionable.

Attacking the PM, Rahul said that Modi did not utter a word when questions were raised how BJP chief Amit Shahs son, Jay Shah, manifolded his income in just three months.

He asked why Rafale deal was changed to benefit one single business house.

Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Gujarat on Sunday. He will visit Somnath Temple, according to media reports.
The Rajya Sabha on Friday was adjourned till next Wednesday by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu following request by Congress members.

After papers were laid in the House, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government is talking with the Opposition to end the logjam and till a solution comes out, the House should be adjourned.

However, MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel asked the Opposition to let the House function.

As the Congress members persisted with their demand, Naidu adjourned the House till Wednesday.
The office chamber of the Vice Chairman, DDC at 33, Shamnath Marg in Delhi has been sealed "in order to prevent access to the premises."
Fresh from electoral victories in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday called upon the people of Karnataka to uproot the Congress from the southern state in the ensuing assembly election, due in early 2018.

It is the turn of the people in Karnataka to throw Congress out of south India as voters did in Gujarat and Himachal in western and northern India recently, said Adityanath at a huge public rally of the party here, about 410 km northwest of Bengaluru.

Flagging off the Parivartan Yatra (rally for change) of the partys state unit in the city, Adityanath said the time had come to free Karnataka from Congress, as it believed in celebrating Tipu Jayanti rather than Hanuman Jayanti in the state.

Its unfortunate that the Congress worships a despotic Muslim ruler like Tipu Sultan than Hindu deity Hanuman, who hailed from Karnataka and served Lord Ram, asserted Adityanath in his address to about one lakh people who gathered to mark the second leg of the partys 90-day statewide rally in the run-up to the assembly poll in April 2018.

Accusing the Congress of indulging in divisive politics and dividing the people on caste and religious lines for votes, the UP Chief Minister urged the people to vote the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) back to power in the state and renew its march on the development path.

Since our party (BJP) came to power at the Centre in May 2014, the (Narendra) Modi government had given Rs 10,000 crore to Karnataka for various development projects, including roads, highways, airports and seaports. An IIT was set up at Dharwad in this region (north Karnataka) in 2016. What did the Congress do for the state when it was in power for 10 years at the Centre and five years in the state, asked Adityanath.

The BJP, which came to power in the state for the first time on its own after the 2008 assembly election, lost to the Congress in the 2013 assembly poll following a split in its state unit and five years of misrule, with three chief ministers at the helm of office.

A progressive state like Karnataka, which is known the world over for its IT prowess, should get back to the development path by joining the other 19 states across the country where the BJP is in power and marching ahead on the path of progress, said Adityanath in his 30-minute address in chaste Hindi.

Accusing the Congress government in the state of playing with the lives of farmers by not waiving off their entire loans and failing to provide drought relief in time, Adityanath asserted that his government had waived off Rs 36,000-crore loans of 86 lakh farmers across Uttar Pradesh after coming to power in July 2017.

He also blamed the Congress government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, as evident from the alleged murders of a dozen BJP and Hindu activists in the coastal areas and growing crime rate in Bengaluru in the last four years.
The striking feature of the Pakistan army chiefs address to the countrys parliamentary Senate Committee of the Whole ~ a remarkably unusual development in itself ~ is the indirect overture to India. Whether or not his appeal to legislators attains fruition will hinge on the follow-through, both in terms of the Rawalpindi GHQs sincerity to back up General Qamar Javed Bajwas signal of intent and the civilian governments pursuit of foreign and security policies. Viewed from the Pakistani prism, quite the most critical aspect of his presentation has been the assurance that the military is ready to back the political leadership in its efforts to normalise relations with India. On the face of it, this is a major gesture on the part of the army chief by any reckoning.

The saffronite fringe might be inclined to greet Gen Bajwas address with more than the usual pinch of salt not least because historically the military has been the major impediment towards normalisation of relations. And the Chief cannot but be aware of the grim reality. For now, both the GHQ and the government, however lame-duck in character ahead of the elections, ought to give Pakistan sufficient time to give the proposal a try. The Chief is reported to have told the Senators to make an effort towards improving ties with India. No less crucially, he has couched his critical suggestion with the assurance that the political initiative would be fully supported by the army. Markedly, he has advanced his appeal in the company of the brass, pre-eminently the Director-General of ISI and the heads of Military Operations and Military Intelligence.

The timing of his address is no less critical when bilateral relations have hit the bumps. Gen Bajwa did not deny mistakes in the past and, in a reference to Generals Zia-ul-Haq and Musharraf, said he could not be held responsible for others. He has asked parliament to take the lead in framing foreign and security policies and pledged to implement the governments actions. On the surface, his suggestion mirrors the certitudes of democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution.

Having emitted a somewhat India-friendly signal, the General iterated Pakistans standing cavil that India was fomenting instability and terrorism in Pakistan and had in this regard developed a strong nexus with the Afghan intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Thus did he play to the legislative gallery. He even took the opportunity to remind the legislators that a large part of Indias military deployment was against Pakistan. So too must be field formations on the other side of the Radcliffe Line. However seemingly reassuring Gen Bajwas offer, there is little doubt that he has effected a deft balancing act in the national legislature ~ another factor in the power-play in addition to the army and judiciary.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ucore Rare Metals, Inc. (TSXV:UCU) (OTCQX:UURAF) (Ucore or the Company) applauds the Trump Administration for issuing an Executive Order that fundamentally changes the way the United States views its national security and critical minerals policy.



President Trump signed the Executive Order on Wednesday instructing his deputies to develop a strategy to end the United States reliance on imports for minerals that are vital to the Nations security and economic prosperity. The order acknowledges that continued reliance on foreign nations such as China for a critical supply of minerals is dangerous and jeopardizes the United States technological superiority and military readiness.

This EO represents a turning point in US critical mineral policy, and a sea change in thinking from the past 30 years, said Jim McKenzie, President & CEO of Ucore. It portends the dropping of unnecessary and duplicative regulatory barriers, the opening of capital markets to mining investment, and the US government finally embracing the link between critical materials and national security. With our plans for strategic metals production capabilities in Southeast Alaska and with significant strategic minerals resources at hand, Ucore is well positioned to take advantage of this Executive Order and its benefits.

As a North American company focused on rare metal resources, Ucore continues its focus on critical minerals exploration and extraction. The Company supports the Trump Administrations initiative to streamline the permitting process for exploration and the promotion of investment in domestic critical mineral companies.

About Ucore

Ucore Rare Metals is a development-phase company focused on rare metals resources, extraction and beneficiation technologies with near term potential for production, growth and scalability. The Company has a 100% ownership stake in the Bokan project. On March 31, 2014, Ucore announced the unanimous support of the Alaska State Legislature for the investment of up to USD $145 Million in the Bokan project at the discretion of the Alaska Import Development and Export Agency (AIDEA).

For further information, please contact Mr. Jim McKenzie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ucore Rare Metals Inc. at: +1 (902) 482-5214 or visit http://www.ucore.com.

Cautionary Notes

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, research and development timelines, and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include that we may enter into a long-term supply partnership and offtake relationship and the possibility of an independent North American REE supply chain. 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 exploitation and exploration successes or setbacks, research and develop successes or setbacks, continued availability of financing, that we may not be able to reach agreements, that the product may not be suitable for intended uses, and general economic, market or business conditions.

MRT is at advanced testing stages and has yet to be proven, at a commercial scale, for the separation of rare earth elements. The Company has not yet released an economic assessment on the use of MRT for the separation of rare earth elements and does not yet have any specific contracts for the processing of rare earths using MRT.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Kashmirs recent turmoil saw Home Minister Rajnath Singh visiting the state for four days from 9 September when he met 87 delegations. The government then appointed Dineshwar Sharma, a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), as its representative to carry forward the dialogue, and also report on the legitimate aspirations of the people. Unlike the PDP-BJP ruling combine, and the major Opposition parties, Congress and National Conference, which are principal players in the power battle, Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami represents the CPI-M in the state Legislative Assembly, to which he was elected from Kulgam four times  in 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2014. A former CPI-M state secretary of J&K, Tarigami started his political career as a student leader at Anantnag College, and is currently Central Committee member of the Left party. In this interview to DEEPAK RAZDAN during his recent visit to Delhi, Tarigami answered questions on the current situation in the border state and the Centres initiatives. Excerpts:

Q: The Centres representative Dineshwar Sharma has been meeting various groups in the state. What are your impressions about this?

A: It is too early to say anything. There are many complexities in the situation and Kashmir has undergone a long period of turmoil. Two years, 2016 and 2017 as well, a part of it, have witnessed mass unrest that is unprecedented. We, the CPI-M and the Opposition from Jammu and Kashmir, met the Prime Minister on 22 August 2016, and insisted that keeping in view the gravity of the situation the government should not rely exclusively on the security forces.

Q: How was your interaction with Sharma?

A: I will give you the full background. The question is that we insisted on our demand, but the Government of India has been too late about appointing the Special Representative. Even after this, there are certain concerns about his appointment ~ what kind of mandate he enjoys, and what kind of brief has been given to him. Essentially, the question is it should not just be a half-hearted exercise. There should be a serious approach to the crisis the country is facing in Jammu and Kashmir. It will be in the countrys interest and the interests of the people of the state that this initiative of the appointment of Dineshwar Sharma is strengthened by the Government of India. It is up to them whether they want it to be a serious effort or just a routine exercise.

The Kashmiris feel the Government of India has successively appointed interlocutors, but there was no follow-up action of the recommendations made by those interlocutors. Sharmas appointment is to be taken in that context and we must understand the context in which he has been appointed, there is a huge trust deficit. How do we build peoples trust? While meeting Sharma, we suggested that the Government of India, if they want to make this initiative successful and result-oriented, must create an environment of confidence. For that, the first thing was to withdraw the cases against stone-pelters and release political leaders. Then the Prime Minister must assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament itself that whatever special position under Article 370 Jammu and Kashmir is enjoying will not be eroded further and Article 35A which is being questioned today by certain circles will be safeguarded by the Government.

Q: Did you have a one-on-one meeting with Sharma?

A: We have talked to him and he listened to us, and he assured that our concerns will be conveyed to those who are in authority in Delhi. That much he has assured. He has to be mandated with certain authority and certain framework in which he can talk to all the stake-holders including voices of dissent. Yes, he responded to our points in a very productive manner, and he assured us that whatever we have suggested he will convey to the Government of India.

Q: First-time stone-pelters are being let-off.

A: That is a good step, but too little; the process has to be strengthened. The question is it is not a law and order situation, it is not a typical disturbance. There has been anger, there has been disillusionment among the younger generation, thats why they engage themselves in protests of this type. That is why the Government of India, if they want to reach the younger generation, has to give them some relief as well.

Q: The Home Minister paid a four-day visit, and now Sharma has been appointed. Is this a setback to the separatists?

A: The aim should not be giving a setback to anybody. The question is of winning the people back, reaching out to the people, building up communication with all those who have been alienated. That should be the objective of such efforts. I think it will help only if the Government of India is seen to be seriously backing up Sharma.

Q: Rajnath Singh said the Government will talk to all stake-holders, the entire spectrum.

A: It is not happening yet. That is what I am suggesting. Yes, one of the Hurriyat leaders, Abdul Ghani Bhat, met Sharma, it has been reported, but the rest of them, who claim to be the key figures in the Hurriyat platform, are yet to be approached, and they are yet to be taken on board.

Q: Are the green shoots of peace visible, as the Home Minister had said?

A: As far as peace is concerned, we have seen earlier as well, there has been violence, there has been unrest, and then it has cooled off. There can be many reasons for that, there is some sort of a pause in between. Our suggestion is the eruption is much more important for us to examine and analyse and to take necessary steps. It should not erupt again. If there are some signs of improvement it is welcome, but practice and experience tell us that time and again, there have been pauses, but it erupted again. To prevent such eruptions, political initiatives are the only answer.

Q: The current scenario has the separatists boycotting the Home Ministers September visit and the National Investigation Agency conducting raids?

A: Our concern is that such measures cannot create an atmosphere necessary for dialogue or talks. We are not questioning the efforts of the Home Minister who has visited and shown keen interest. No doubt, it is a more serious problem which cannot be just handled with one visit, or with some investigation here or there. It has certain implications, it has deep alienation at the core which has to be addressed, and that can be done only by bold political initiatives.

Q: Youth was advised to stay away from stone-pelting.

A: Stone-pelting is not a hobby for Kashmiri students or Kashmiri younger generation. It is the situation which has given rise to such a phenomenon and it can be avoided in the future only when we address the deepening level of anger, frustration and disillusionment among the younger generation.

Q: The development package of Rs 80,000 crore is now a Rs 1 lakh crore package. How is it being implemented?

A: Another important issue is that there is big scope for improvement in governance. Unfortunately, the question of governance has not been attended to seriously. Apart from political initiatives, developmental and livelihood issues can be taken care of only when you have good governance, only when you have some sort of effort which can deliver on the ground. It is not adequate as of now.

Q: You have referred to Article 35A. The Home Minister said peoples concerns on it have been addressed?

A: It is still in court. Some people have questioned it. It is under consideration in the Supreme Court. But what we suggest is that the Prime Minister must on the floor of Parliament convey a message that the Government of India is committed to defend Article 35A of the Constitution. The government must advise the Attorney-General who can defend this, and must ensure through an affidavit that there will be no attempt to infringe it from the government side.\

Q: Farooq Abdullah said the reality is that the area of Kashmir under Pakistan control stays with them, and whatever is with us, is our Kashmir. Your comment?

A: Both countries have been involved two-three times, in the past, both covert and overt, and the Government of Indias position is that the part under Pakistans administrative control belongs to us, and Pakistan claims that this part of Kashmir belongs to them. Some sort of competitive claims are there between India and Pakistan. They have talked earlier. What we suggest is that for a lasting solution, both Government of India and Pakistan must talk, must seriously try to reach a common solution about this complex issue which is part of the trauma of Partition.

Q: Should the talks be bilateral?

A: Bilateral, of course. The people of Jammu and Kashmir and their aspirations must be taken into consideration.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday said the car attack incident on Thursday in Melbourne was not a terrorist act, although the suspect claimed to have acted due to mistreatment of Muslims.

The driver of the vehicle, a 32-year-old Australian citizen of Afghan descent who has not yet been officially interrogated, has a history of serious mental illness and drug abuse, Turnbull said in a press conference, Efe news reported.

Turnbull labelled the act despicable and cowardly but said it was an isolated incident as the suspect had no links to any political issues or extremist groups.

The Prime Minister further assured that the government still has not ruled anything out.

Terrorism is politically motivated violence. At this stage, the police are not satisfied they can describe it as that, although he has made reference to the perceived mistreatment of Muslims, as a justification for his actions, Turnbull said.

He also confirmed that 19 people were injured in the incident, 12 of whom still remain in hospital, and three are in critical condition.

Among the injured are nine foreigners, including a Chinese, an Indian and a four-year-old New Zealander with head injuries.

After the incident, police arrested a second suspect, a 24-year-old man who was reportedly recording the event and carrying several knives in his backpack but the authorities believe he has no connection with the incident.
Palestinians have hailed the UN General Assembly resolution which denounced US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement on Thursday that the resolution expresses the international communitys support for the Palestinians rights.

The threats of Trump to the UN members didnt prevent them from voting in favour of the resolution, said Abu Rdineh.

Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour of the resolution, Xinhua news agency reported.

The resolution reiterated that the Palestinian cause is just and has gained overwhelming international support, the spokesman said.

Trumps declaration will never change the reality that Jerusalem is an occupied territory and international law is applicable to it, he stressed.

Earlier on Thursday, a resolution calling on Washington to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital was approved in an emergency special session of the 193-member UN General Assembly, with 128 votes in favor, nine against and 35 abstentions.

The resolution reaffirmed the UNs constant stand on the divided holy city since 1967. That is, Jerusalems final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

The voting is in the right direction and a victory of the Palestinians legitimate rights, the Islamic Hamas movement said in an emailed press statement.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then some snow showers after midnight. Low 19F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then some snow showers after midnight. Low 19F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%.
Things to do in the Attleboro area and beyond
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkNewsWire -- NetworkNewsWire ("NNW"), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company, today announces the publication of an editorial featuring Quantum Cobalt Corp. (CSE: QBOT) (FRA: 23B), a client of NNW building one of the largest land packages in the prolific mining town of Cobalt, Ontario.



The publication titled, Investors are Powering Up on Cobalt Stocks as Price Hits 9-Year High, discusses ethical concerns over cobalt supply from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the potential of Canada as an alternative source.

To view the full publication, visit: https://www.networknewswire.com/investors-powering-cobalt-stocks-price-hits-9-year-high/

Well-aware of the shifting supply scene, Quantum Cobalt Corp. (CSE: QBOT) (FRA: 23B) is focusing its attention on developing its mining interests in Canada (http://nnw.fm/0uPqp), where the company owns three properties tucked into the core of Ontarios cobalt belt. Quantum earlier this week announced significant results from an exploration program at its wholly owned Kahuna Property near the town of Cobalt. At Kahuna, the exploration program focused on prospecting, geological mapping and geochemical sampling included 166 soil samples and 28 grab samples. According to the press release (http://nnw.fm/B4Vhp), Kahuna produced assay samples as high as 10.59 percent cobalt. Keep in mind that the discovery of 2 percent cobalt is considered high grade  samples at 10.59 percent put Quantum in a favorable position to consider its options to produce cobalt from the historic workings to potentially capture its share of surging demand for cobalt. Quantum also recently published the results of assays from its exploration program at its Nipissing Lorrain mine (http://nnw.fm/2LX5n), reporting that from 28 grab samples collected and 15 submitted for analysis, the average grade at the pile was found to be over 2.33 percent cobalt, with a peak value of 8.33 percent. Based on these positive results, the company says it is considering options to produce cobalt from the historic workings.

About Quantum Cobalt Corp.

Quantum Cobalt Corp. (formerly Bravura Ventures Corp.) is building one of the largest land packages in the prolific mining town of Cobalt, Ontario, Canada, with the option to acquire 100 percent of the Nipissing Lorrain Cobalt Property that includes two separate claims. The property, consisting of 29 claim units for approximately 464 hectares, is located in an historically mined area with rich deposits of cobalt, silver and nickel. The area is easily accessible by road with power and infrastructure nearby. For more information, visit www.QuantumCobalt.com.

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) NetworkNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. NNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge.

For more information please visit https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer

Forward-Looking Statements

This 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. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

Corporate Communications Contact:

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Organisation: University Research Co., LLC (URC)

Project Name: USAIDs Defeat TB Project

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About US:

University Research Co., LLC (URC) is a global company dedicated to

improving the quality of health care, social services, and health education

worldwide. With a non-profit affiliate, the Center for Human Services (CHS),

URC manages projects in over 45 countries, including the United States.

About USAID Defeat TB project:

University Research Co., LLC (URC) is implementing the USAIDs Defeat

TB project. Aligned with Objective #3 in USAIDs Country Development Cooperation

Strategy and in support of the Government of Ugandas TB Program, this

five-year, USAID funded projects goal is to increase TB case notification,

case detection, and treatment outcomes through health system

strengthening. The Defeat TB project goal is to increase TB case

notification, case detection, and treatment outcomes through health system

strengthening with the aim of ending the TB epidemic in Uganda.

Job Summary: The

Epidemiologist/ Data Analyst is recruited by USAID Defeat TB on secondment to work

with the National TB Leprosy Programme (NTLP) headquarters in Wandegeya,

Kampala where he/she will be based. The Epidemiologist will work closely with

the NTLP technical team to monitor trends in the incidence of DS and DR TB

across Uganda. He/She will support intensified case finding and contact tracing

exercises in Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and at MDR sites across Uganda by

providing data on geographical areas and settings with the highest likelihood

for TB. The epidemiologist will employ the DHIS-II as well as other sources of

aggregate DS-TB and DR-TB data to analyze, and interpret trends and associated

drivers for the TB epidemic in Uganda. Based on data, the epidemiologist will

contribute to the generation of effective and practical interventions to

detect, control and prevent TB in the communities of Uganda. The Epidemiologist

will work in collaboration with the Intensified Case Finding officer and other

TB programme officers at NTLP to enhance its leadership role. The

Epidemiologist will report to the Deputy Chief of Party Defeat TB.



Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Ensure that NTLPs response to the TB

epidemic in Uganda is evidence based.

Support NTLPs leadership, supervisory and

mentoring role by providing up-to-date data for its engagement with both

policy makers and TB service implementers.

By providing the NTLP with appropriately

analyzed data to strengthen its secretarial role for the NCC and its

respective technical working groups.

Actively contribute to the monitoring of

the performance of multi-facility databases, providing feedback to the

relevant data managers on its accuracy.

Actively contribute to reports based on

regular dashboards for the program and supported facilities.

Actively participate in NTLP national and

sub national performance review meetings ensuring that deliberations are

data driven and feed-back on performance by districts and the regional

based IPs is provided.

Ensure that the district action plans have

relevant targets and are guided by accurate epidemiological evidence.

Work closely with the NTLP manager in

ensuring that TB hotspots across Uganda are identified and appropriate

interventions for such settings are developed.

Ensure that the differentiated care models

for TB models for urban and rural settings are grounded on data derived

from all sources available

Manage the surveillance, detection and

responsiveness of NTLPs to outbreaks in TB across Uganda.

Provide guidance to the ICF officer and

the ICF Task Force









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The applicants for the USAID Defeat TB

Project Epidemiologist/ Data Analyst job opportunity must hold a

Bachelors Degree in a medical related field, and a Masters Degree in

epidemiology, public health or its equivalent will be an added advantage.

Three years work experience gained

through serving within a government institution or NGO with proven ability

to coordinate activities of different stakeholders at district and or sub

national level.

Previous experience in leading and

managing a disease surveillance or rapid response exercise.

A good understanding of biostatistics and

capacity to use common quantitative data analytical tools/programmes.

Excellent communication or interpersonal

skills is a must.

Experience in managing TB, HIV, and TB/HIV

coinfection.

Experience in applying Quality Improvement

approaches in TB and HIV management and providing clinical training to

service providers and stake holders.

Ability and willingness to travel to the

supported districts

Excellent oral and written communication

skills are required to develop and maintain effective, sustainable working

relationships with national and international working partners and to

accomplish reporting requirements.

Ability to analyze, understand and discuss

new program design, management and implementation approaches is required.

This includes the development of evaluation designs, use of reliable and

valid instruments, and methods for data collection, analysis and reports.

Demonstrated ability to influence other

collaborative organizations engaged in TB & HIV control programs to

adopt appropriate strategies for improving the programs for patients with

TB/HIV co-infection is an important skill required for this position.

Extensive knowledge of current TB, TB/HIV

and DR-TB landscape in Uganda, the health care system, Ministry of Health

policies, regulations and program priorities

Detailed knowledge of USAID Administrative

policies and regulations

Demonstrated experience in onsite

training, mentorship and QI coaching approaches

Demonstrated organizational and

supervisory skills and abilities; sound judgment, and high ethical

standards; flexible and able to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines

NB: Only candidates who are eligible to work in

the Uganda for an indefinite period without a need for sponsorship will be

considered for this position.

How to Apply:



URC should upload their updated CVs / resumes and cover letters at the link

below. Also, please complete your application form and attach a completed USAID

Form 1420 Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet as well, All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join theURC should upload their updated CVs / resumes and cover letters at the linkbelow. Also, please complete your application form and attach a completed USAIDForm 1420 Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet as well, download it

here

th

December 2017 by 5:00 pm Deadline: 29December 2017 by 5:00 pm
But the tribe has a long way to go
Akshay Kumar, who had supported Deva which was not given enough screens as it clashed with Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai, said Marathi cinema has been producing better content than Bollywood.

Marathi film Deva was reportedly not able to get the primetime and theaters, but after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) wrote to the multiplex and theatre owners, around 295 screens were given to the film.

"This is a very special shoutout for @pramodfilmsnew, my Godfather in the industry... don't forget to catch their film Deva - Ek Atrangi releasing on Dec 22 at a theatre near you," Akshay had tweeted after the controversy made headlines.

At an event yesterday, Akshay once again addressed the issue and said the matter has been solved now.

"Even I had heard that there was some problem (referring to screens to 'Deva') but things are solved now. It ('Deva') is getting screens. I did speak about it, I tweeted about it. I think the whole thing is solved and it is happening."

"I think in every theatre one or two screens are given to 'Deva'. According to me, the kind of content that Marathi cinema has is much better than Hindi cinema. I have seen their films, I have also remade two Marathi films," he said.
On Thursday evening, at a five-star hotel in Mumbai, actor Amitabh Bachchan and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray came together to announce a film on the late Bal Thackeray, aptly titled Thackeray. Ever since the announcement, social media has gone abuzzdiscussing why would Nawazuddin, an actor from Uttar Pradesh, lent his name to a film on a Marathi political bigwig who was rabidly opposed to people from Bihar and UP. The producer and scriptwriter Sanjay Raut is a Shiv Sena MP, while the director Abhijit Panse was formerly a member of the Shiv Sena.

Panse has earlier directed the Marathi film, Rege, and has also worked on a Indo-French production that is set to do the festival rounds from February 2018. We talk to Panse, who likes to keep the conversation short. Excerpts:

When did the idea of making this movie come up?

There have been many efforts to make a film on Balasaheb Thackeray over the last 10 years. But he is a versatile man, difficult to essay. However, Sanjay Raut, the editor of Saamana for the last four decades, and also an MP from Shiv Sena, felt that it is time that the movie is made. He wanted a director who knew Balasaheb closelyI fit the criteria. It was almost one year-and-a-half ago that we started working on the film.

Amitabh Bachchan at the teaser launch said that Bal Thackeray's life deserves a series. One film may be too short to capture his entire life. Are you focusing on any particular period of his life?

You will have to wait for that. We are yet to complete the entire script. We'll talk about it in time.

How did Nawazuddin Siddiqui come on board?

Nawaz is one of the finest actors that we have. He bears a striking resemblance to Balasaheb. I think he will do a great job portraying him. Nawaz was also our first choice for the role. He agreed immediately too.

But didn't you think a Marathi actor would do a better job?

The leader Balasaheb is not restricted by any state. He is the mahaneta of the nation. He has fan followings across the world. We never thought that we have to do the film only in Marathi. Nawaz came to our mind because he is a fine actor. We didn't even think of any Marathi actor because nobody could have fit into the role as well as Nawaz.

Incidentally, Nawaz is already doing a biographical film on Saadat Haasan Manto.

Yes, but the two lives are very different. There can be no comparisons between the two filmBalasaheb is a larger-than-life figure. I don't think there can be any similarity between the two lives.

Who are the other actors?

Let me cast them and we will talk about it later. We will finalise it by March.

The announcement of the film has led to a lot of talks on how the film will end up as a hagiography, with the involvement of people only from the Shiv Sena?

I am not a part of Shiv Sena. I am a leader of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. And the film is far beyond politics, so it shouldn't concern anybody whether we are Shiv Sainiks or not. Even Nawaz is not from Shiv Sena or any other party.

So, will you be showing the grey areas of Bal Thackeray's life?

This is a realistic political biopic of Balasaheb. And we are not going to change anything. It's going to be a non-fiction.
It took 18 long years for the Indian Air Force to have an attack helicopter which can even fly at high altitude areas including the 19,600 feet high Siachen Glacier, world's highest battlefield. On Friday, Indian Air Force has placed an order for 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) manufactured by state-owned aerospace and defence company HAL.

IAF had faced its biggest handicap during the 1999 Kargil conflict, as its only combat helicopter, the Mi-35, failed to climb at high altitudes of Kargil hills. Russian built Mi-35 did have the capabilities to operate at extremely high altitudes, where the conflict was was concentrated. Eventually, IAF has to launch its operation codenamed 'Safed Sagar' to support group troops aimed to flush out infiltrators and regular troops of Pakistani army.

But, on Friday, giving a big boost to indigenous combat capability, the HAL has received a Request for Proposal(RFP) for LCH, which HAL claims to be the only rotary wing machine in the world that can launch offensive at very high altitudes.

This comes close on the heels of HAL receiving order for supply of 83 Tejas fighter jets for the IAF.

LCH is a 5.5-ton class, combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL, is powered by two Shakti engines and inherits many technical features of the Advanced Light Helicopter, according to the HAL. "Unique features of LCH include its sleek and narrow fuselage, tri-cycle crash-worthy landing gear, crash-worthy and self-sealing fuel tanks, armor protection and low visibility features which makes the LCH lethal, agile and survivable," HAL claimed.

The helicopter would have day/night targeting systems for the crew including the helmet pointed sight and Electro-optical pod consisting of CCD camera/FLIR/Laser Range Finder(LRF)/Laser Designator(LD). The LCH is fitted with Self Protection Suite consisting of Radar/Laser Missile warning systems and countermeasures dispensing system.

According to HAL, presently, four technology demonstrators are under flight testing.

"LCH has the distinction of being the first attack helicopter to land in Forward Bases at Siachen, 5400 metre above sea level," spokesperson for HAL Gopal Sutar said, while adding that the helicopter has participated in IAF's 'Iron Fist 2016' exercise in March 2016 and displayed its rocket firing capabilities in its weaponised configuration.

On August 26, 2017, the defence minister launched the production of LCH at Bengaluru and IOC(initial operational clearance) documents of the basic version were handed over to HAL.

On Wednesday, HAL received order from the IAF for 83 LCA Tejas to bridge the gap in its depleting combat fleet. IAF is presently operating with 33 squadrons compared to 42 squadrons required to handle the two-front scenario. IAF's combat fleet is depleting fast as by 2032, it will be come down to 27, and by 2042 to 19.
Even as uneasy calm prevails in Doklam, India and China pushed for early resolution of border dispute, saying it will serve the fundamental interests of both countries. Both neighbours agreed that peace should be maintained at the border till the boundary issue was settled.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met his Chinese counterpart in Delhi on Friday. Officials termed the talks as positive and focused on bringing out the full potential of the closer developmental partnership between the two countries.

Yang Jiechi, state councillor and politburo member of Communist Party of Chinas Central Committee, had arrived at the invitation of Doval. They had last met in July in Beijing. Their latest meeting marked the 20th round of special representatives talks. The meeting was aimed to ensure that a Doklam-like situation did not raise its head again.

They re-emphasized their commitment to achieving a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date, ministry of external affairs officials said after the meeting.

Both the sides also agreed that, till the final resolution of the boundary question, it was necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. This agreement between the two sides assumes significance as two neighbours had a long standoff at Doklam and there were reports that Chinese side still had troops near the border.

Doval and Jiechi also exchanged ideas on various confidence-building measures. Later, the Chinese special representative also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Interestingly, US President Donald Trump, in his new national security strategy announced on Monday, identified India as a major partner and leading global power, while snubbing China.

As China was seen to be flexing its muscles through one belt one road initiative, which India had opposed, the US in its new policy said, We will help South Asian nations maintain their sovereignty as China increases its influence in the region." This was interpreted as the US egging on India to play a lead role in the region.

As special representatives met, they appeared to have a convergence of views on the others growing influence. Both countries acknowledged that relations between them transcend their bilateral dimensions and have significance for peace, stability, and development of Asia and the world.

They underlined the need for the two countries to build on their convergences while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each others sensitivities, concerns, and aspirations, the MEA said in a statement.
Buoyed by the court's verdict in the 2G case, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched an offensive on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP on the issue of corruption, and said that the entire architecture of the ruling dispensation is based on lies.

Rahul, who for the first time chaired a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in Delhi this evening in his capacity as party president, told reporters later that the verdict in the 2G case, acquitting all accused of corruption in allocation of 2G spectrum, is a vindication of the Congress' stand.

In the same breath, giving an indication on how the Congress planned to politically use the 2G verdict, Rahul went on the offensive against Modi and the BJP on the issue of corruption as also their credibility.

He questioned the prime minister's silence on allegations of corruption in the deal finalised for purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France as also on the allegation that the worth of the business of the son of BJP President Amit Shah grew astronomically since the party came to power.

That's the truth. Our prime minister has nothing to say about it, Rahul said.

In an effort to pick holes in the credibility of the prime minister and the BJP, he said their whole architecture is about lies.

If you see the Modi model in Gujarat, it was a lie, clearly. When we went to Gujarat and spoke to the people of Gujarat, they said there is no model. What is going on is the stealing of resources of the people of Gujarat, he said.

He said whether it is Modi's promise of putting Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every Indian citizen or their allegations on 2G, it is all based on lies.

Notebandi was a lie. Gabbar Singh Tax was a lie, Rahul further said.

The 2G verdict as also the results of the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were discussed in the meeting.

The CWC also passed a resolution expressing its gratitude to the outgoing Congress president Sonia Gandhi, recalling her contribution to the party. Smt. Sonia Gandhi led the Congress party through challenging times and difficult situations to safeguard and uphold the Congress ideology and commitment to an inclusive and constitutional democracy, the resolution said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hard-fought win in his home state of Gujarat for the sixth consecutive time is indicative of his popularity taking a hit in the rural areas. He has been candid in acknowledging that the ruling BJP won the trust of only half the state this time.

Is this an indication that Modi's honeymoon with the people at large and particularly in Gujarat has taken a hit? At least in the last three decades, a prime minister's popularity with the masses starts dipping after completing 36 to 42 months in office.

While the saffron brigade enjoyed wide support in the urban areas, there was an unmistakable tilt in favour of the Congress party in the rural areas which was not enough to dislodge the saffron brigade having ruled Gujarat on the trot for 22 years.

At the same time, the Congress managed to increase its tally in the state assembly by 16 seats leading to subdued cheer in the grand old party. It had also played an effective part in ensuring that the BJP was nowhere near achieving its over ambitious target of 150 seats in the 182-member state assembly.

The anti-incumbency against the BJP cannot be wished away. This has provided much food for thought to the Lotus party to do a reality check as Modi told his party MPs on Wednesday that the win in Gujarat was not easy by any means.

Efforts by the Congress to build caste and social alliances proved effective in the BJP's citadel. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti gave the Congress a shot in the arm in the Saurashtra-Kutch region.

Simultaneously, backward classes leader Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mewani who organised dalits against attacks by Hindutva vigilantes facilitated the Congress gaining support from a wider social base. Both have entered the state assembly and assured their followers of taking up their cause.

The BJP's best in Gujarat has been 127 seats so far. Since then it has had to remain satisfied with a reduced tally. Five years back in 2012, it was 115 and this time it finished with 99 seats, one short of the three figure mark of 100.

A shade over-three-and-a-half years after Modi became the Prime Minister in May 2014, the chinks in his armour are being exposed along with the widening cracks in his much touted Gujarat model of development. The growing discontent among the people in that state has raised the hopes of a Congress revival.

The BJP triumph in Himachal Pradesh propelled it to regain power in the hill state. However, BJP's chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal losing to his Congress rival proved to be a dampener even though the party won nearly two-thirds of the seats in the 68-member assembly.

At the same time, Gujarat watchers believe the competition in that state has woken up the Congress to posing a greater challenge to the BJP in the nine states going to the polls next year including Karnataka, Madhya pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh.

While the Congress has strong leaders in some of these states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi's advantage might be far less in these states compared to Gujarat. The odds seemed stacked against the Lotus party this time due to resentment on a host of issues including demonetisation, GST, growing unemployment and distress faced by the farmers all over the country.

There is no doubt Modi remains the trump card for his party. He has described it as a win for the overarching theme of "vikas" or development. It is time for the ruling party in Gandhinagar to address the growing unease among the people in the state.

What has stood out is that the voters cannot be taken for granted. While the number of BJP ruled states in the country has jumped to 19 with the India map being swathed in Saffron, the writ of the Congress party runs only in Karnataka and Punjab.

The Congress came a cropper in Himachal Pradesh as the old war horse Virbhadra Singh got little support from the party headquarters in the national capital. He had to contend with rebel candidates who cut into the party votes. Making matters worse included the corruption charges against the outgoing chief minister and the mishandling of the Kotkhai rape case.

The task ahead for Rahul Gandhi having taken over the stewardship of the Congress party from his mother Sonia Gandhi last week pertains to giving a push to tolerance of dissent, pluralism and cultural diversity coupled with steering clear of any communal agenda.

He has to chart out his political and ideological agenda for strengthening the party organisation which is in a shambles. It is imperative for him to be clear about the political agendas of his opponents in the country's system. Compounding matters are more than two score affiliates of the RSS, the idealogue of the BJP.

Rahul has to tackle Modi's agenda of striving for a "Congress mukt Bharat". He also needs to encourage leaders having a mass base as evidenced in the past. It is important for him to infuse a sense of comaraderie among Congressmen to end the intense infighting and divisiveness which has been the bane of the party.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the publication.
The BJP may have won recent assembly elections in Gujarat but the victory has come hand in hand with a wake up call that the combination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah is not exactly invincible and the duo who so far appeared to have perfected the art of achieving electoral victories can be checkmated with right strategy and caste arithmetic.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently expressed his view that there was no anti incumbency factor in Gujarat as BJP's vote share had crossed 49 percent mark, an all time high achieved by the party. Fadnavis felt that the actual number of seats may have gone down but the percentage of votes and more than 8 per cent gap between BJP and Congress clearly meant that it was spectacular performance and victory for the BJP.

Fadnavis said this in Nagpur where winter session of the state legislature is in process. He also said that his government was more stable after BJP's victory in Gujarata clear indication that Shiv Sena was unlikely to pull out of government , at least, for the next few months.

A BJP leader, requesting anonymity, admitted that Gujarat victory has also served a jolt to the party.

The credit goes entirely to prime minister and nobody else. Party cadre was very upset in Gujarat. If you are in power for more than two decades and are not able to take care of party cadre why will they be happy ? The lesson for us in Maharashtra is to make sure that cadre does not feel alienated and loyalists are not sidelined and neglected. Sadly, that is happening in the party, he said.

Senior BJP minister Babanrao Lonikar told THE WEEK that the BJP has emerged as number one party in Maharashtra because of the work done by this government. We have provided funds to help farmers in every difficulty, be it drought assistance or crop insurance. There are districts which got funds to the tune of Rs 800 crores, my own district received Rs 190 crores and Rs 220 crores in the last two years. Chief minister has tackled every crisis, political or otherwise, in a very matured and effective manner. The results were seen when people elected us at all levels. In a state like Gujarat, where party has been in power for more than two decades, a certain lethargy can creep in. We have to avoid that totally. All ministers and legislators must ensure that they work tirelessly to deliver results to people. Only then people will continue to vote for us. We must work fast and in a decisive manner, said Lonikar.

Just a day after Gujarat victory, an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna had praised Congress and Rahul Gandhi. Party MP and Saamna editor Sanjay Raut went a step further and reportedly said that Congress had lost the election in Gujarat but had managed to defeat the BJP as it had been restricted to 99 seats.

Needless to say then Maharashtra Congress leadership is in a very upbeat mood after Gujarat election results. If we can give such a tough fight in Gujarat, we can easily defeat the BJP in Maharashtra. We have already defeated them in local polls in Nanded and Nandurbar district. Even in Grampanchayat and municipal council polls we are ahead of the BJP. On the background of all this the result in Gujarat had proved to be very heartening to party cadre at all levels, said Sachin Sawant, MPCC spokesperson and general secretary.

Senior Congress leader Ratnakar Mahajan told THE WEEK that the mood in the party was upbeat after Gujarat elections. 'We can do it' is the attitude now. We will soon launch another big campaign against the BJP government in Maharashtra. We want to expose this government for its failure to tackle issues on all fronts. All they have done is bogus and misleading propoganda, said Mahajan.

Congress legislator Anant Gadgil told THE WEEK that party activists are now confident that BJP and Modi can be exposed. That they could not reach 100 mark is a big psychological victory for us. Also for the first time the PM did not visit any foreign country in the one month of Guajrat campaign; he remained in India and was focussed on Guajrat. This is the impact of Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Gadgil said in a lighter vein.

In the aftermath of Gujarat, the Nationalist Congress Party has now started sending signals that there is a need for both the Congress parties to come together and form an alliance once again in order to defeat the BJP. NCP legislator Jitendra Avhad and Congress legislators Yahomati Thakur and Sunil Kedar are learnt to have been discussing this within their own parties.

While the NCP is very keen to have an alliance with the Congress well ahead of 2019 elections, it also knows very well that Congress on its own can not fight the BJP and will need like-minded parties as allies. Considering that NCP has just one legislator less than the Congress (Congress 42, NCP 41) in Maharashtra assembly, the party is keen that seats should be shared equally by two parties in the next Lok Sabha and assembly polls in 2019.

A Congress leader, however, said that an alliance proposal is nowhere on the agenda for the Congress right now.  We may think of seat adjustment at an appropriate time, he said.
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkNewsWire -- NetworkNewsWire ("NNW"), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company, today announces the publication of an editorial featuring Victory Square Technologies, Inc. (CSE:VST) (OTC:VSQTF) (FWB:6F6), a client of NNW and venture builder that creates, funds and empowers entrepreneurs predominantly focused on blockchain technology, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, personalized health, gaming and film.

The publication titled, Blockchain Technologys Usefulness Promotes Innovation for Wide Range of Industries, reviews how several companies are leveraging their individual capabilities to take advantage of blockchain applications.

To view the full publication, visit: https://www.networknewswire.com/blockchain-technologys-usefulness-promotes-innovation-wide-range-industries/

Victory Square Technologies, Inc.s (CSE:VST) (OTC:VSQTF) (FWB:6F6) core mission is to fund and empower entrepreneurs who display promise in a variety of fields, including the burgeoning blockchain technology, as part of its goal to promote innovation on a global scale. The company helps entrepreneurs grow internationally by making distribution partners, mentorship networks, creative workspaces and other resources available to them. Victory Square sees blockchain as the next major platform for innovation, standing out as a technology that has the potential to change the way businesses and a wide array of societies connect with each other. Pivoting from this early-recognized potential, Victory Square began its ascent in blockchain based on managements ability to recognize key investment opportunities with plenty of room to grow. Victory Square is looking to take advantage of another market opportunity in software defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) through its recently announced intent to invest in SD-WAN blockchain company Multapplied Networks, Inc. (MNI). Focused on utilizing its proprietary software to establish a global blockchain-enabled networking economy, MNI delivers its technology through a portfolio of global channel partners in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and is on pace to top revenues of $1.2 million in 2017. Revenues for 2018 are projected to exceed CAD$3 million.

About Victory Square Technologies Inc.

Victory Square is a venture builder that creates, funds and empowers entrepreneurs predominantly focused on Blockchain Technology, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Personalized Health, Gaming and Film. As a technology incubator, Victory Square invests in game-changing entrepreneurs who are provided access to education programs, global mentorship networks, distribution partners, creative workspaces, resources and other forms of operational support to help them scale internationally. For more information, visit www.VictorySquare.com.

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) NetworkNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. NNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge.

For more information please visit https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This 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. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

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The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till Wednesday after the opposition, led by the Congress, on Friday sought a "solution" to the ongoing impasse over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh before conducting any business.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, rejecting the opposition's demand, initially adjourned the House till 2 pm and later till December 27 as the Congress members persisted with their demand.

Soon after the House met and necessary papers were laid on the table, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad urged the Chair to adjourn the house until the logjam was resolved.

Modi, during the campaign for the Gujarat assembly polls, had claimed that during a meeting at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's house, the guests including Manmohan Singh, discussed the state polls with Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Sohail Mehmood and former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri.

"There has been only one meeting to end the impasse," Azad sai, adding "there is not any major business today. We also want the important bills to be passed without any ruckus.

"Its better you adjourn the House till a way is found. We also do not want to create ruckus," Azad said.

The Congress had demanded an apology from the prime minister on his Pakistan jibe.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel urged the opposition members to allow the House to run. "Talks are going on to end the impasse. Hope it will be fruitful.

"Let the House function. This is not such an issue which cannot be resolved. I request you to allow the House to function," Goel said.

But Congress member Anand Sharma rose at his seat and urged the Chairman to adjourn the House till a solution was reached.

Reacting to Sharma's demand, Naidu asked him whether they wanted the House to be adjourned.

"If you do not want House to function and want me to adjourn the House, better I should adjourn it for the day," Naidu said and adjourned the House to meet again on Wednesday morning.
The ruling BJP on Friday retained Vijay Rupani as the chief minister of Gujarat with the legislature party on Friday unanimously electing him as its leader. Nitin Patel was re-elected as the deputy chief minister.

The BJP had retained power for the sixth consecutive time after winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly in the recently held assembly elections. The saffron party had set a target of 150+ seats for itself. Congress, together with its allies, has the backing of 80 MLAs.

Senior BJP leader and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley announced that with no other names coming up in response to the proposal of the duo's names, they were elected unanimously.

Jaitley said the central observers, including BJP general secretary Saroj Pandey, asked the MLAs for names for the post of the leader and deputy leader of the legislature party, and one of themBhupendra Sinh Chudasamasuggested Rupani and Patel for the posts. Five others backed Chudasama's proposal.

Rupani and Patel were elected at the BJP's legislative party meeting held at the party's state headquartersShree Kamalam in Gandhinagar.

Later, Rupani said that their government would not have discrimination against anyone and it would be the government of 6.5 crore people of the state.

Describing the party's win as a big victory, Rupani said that people had voted for development. He, however, admitted that a victory after remaining in power for 22 years was a big thing. Rupani remarked that elections were a challenge at a time when the Congress was trying vitiate the atmosphere by playing communal and castiest card.

Rupani denied that there was any arrogance within the party and added that if that was the case they would not have won.

He said that they would analyse the places on which the BJP lost and would work in that direction.

Gujarat, he said, would remain the role model and they would take forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thought of Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas (inclusive development)

Patel said that their government would take into consideration even smallest needs of the people and have a government which people feel that it is their own.

Soon after the results were announced, there were talks that someone stronger than Rupani and Patel could be selected. This is because the party has to face crucial 2019 elections. In 2014, the BJP had swept all the 26 Lok Sabha seats.

The party, however, preferred to retain the chief minister and his deputy under whose leadership the elections were fought. It felt that changing them at this juncture could have sent wrong signals among the masses.

Names of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Union ministers Parshuttom Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya were doing rounds. There were rumors that Union minister Smriti Irani could also be made the chief minister.

Celebrations broke out in Rajkot, from where Rupani hails, as soon as his name was announced for the second time as the chief minister.

The date of the swearing in ceremony will be announced later on.

Jaitley said that Rupani and Patel would consult among themselves to form their cabinet.

Independent MLA declares support to BJP

Meanwhile, an independent MLA in Gujarat has declared his support to the BJP, which has retained power in the state.

Lunawada MLA Ratansinh Rathod wrote to Gujarat Governor O.P. Kohli declaring his support to the BJP and also came to BJP headquarters here to participate in the meeting of its newly elected MLAs to elect their leader.

"I have declared unconditional support to BJP," Rathod told reporters.

In his letter to the governor, Rathod has said he extends his unconditional support to the BJP government.

Rathod was a Congress member of Mahisagar district panchyat.

"I had asked for ticket from the Congress party, but they did not gave it so I had to contest as an independent," he said.

Rathod is one of the two independent MLAs who have won in the recently concluded assembly polls.

(With inputs from agencies)
Germany's far-right AfD party fired back today at criticism from church leaders charging them with taking on the same "disreputable role they played" during the Nazi era.



Religious leaders have spoken out against the anti- migrant and anti-Islam Alternative for Germany party  remarks the AfD sees as collusion with Chancellor Angela Merkel's government.



"We now know that the official churches, whether Protestant or Catholic, are politicised through and through," Alice Weidel, party co-chair said.



"The separation of church and state is no longer respected," said Weidel in a pre-released excerpt of an article to be published on December 23.



"With a few exceptions, large parts of the churches play exactly the same disreputable role that they played in the Third Reich," added Weidel, whose party regularly makes polemical remarks about Germany's Nazi past.



Protestant and Catholic institutions in Germany did not put up organised resistance to the 1933-45 National Socialist regime, although individual pastors and priests opposed the Nazi rise.



In recent months, Christian leaders have urged AfD members to rethink their positions.



Weidel asserted that the AfD "is the only Christian party that still exists" in Germany and criticised Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) by charging that "the C of the CDU has become absurd".



"Christian values no longer matter there," she said.



The AfD came in third in Germany's general elections in September, with nearly 13 per cent of the vote. Although it began as an anti-euro party, its rhetoric has veered right to primarily rail against immigration and Islam.



Key AfD members have challenged Germany's culture of atonement over World War II and the slaughter of six million Jews in the Holocaust.



During its electoral campaign, the AfD rolled out provocative posters declaring "Burkas? We prefer bikinis" and "New Germans? Let's make them ourselves", featuring a heavily pregnant white woman.
Outlining United States President Donald Trumps strategy in Afghanistan, Vice President Mike Pence has said that President Trump has put Islamabad on notice, and Pakistan must no longer provide a safe haven to the Taliban and other terrorist organisations.

For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice, Pence told the US troops during his surprise trip to Bagram Air Base on Thursday.

As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists, he added.

The trip, planned in secret for safety reasons, comes four months after Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan and is also Pences first visit to the region since taking office as the US Vice President.

He said that America is making real progress in Afghanistan and have prevented the Taliban from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years.

President Trump and I are proud to see that this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan. And the American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, were making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan, Pence said.

Weve dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, weve put the Taliban on the defensive. Weve prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. Weve targeted the Talibans funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks, he further said.

Pence told the US soldiers that they have been given new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide.

He said the Trump administration has lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of American armed forces so that they can fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy.

Pence also met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghanistans Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to discuss President Trumps Asia strategy.

He reaffirmed Americas commitment to stand with the Afghan people.

Important meeting w/ Afghanistan's Pres. @ashrafghani & @afgexecutive to discuss @POTUS S. Asia strategy & to reaffirm our commitment to stand w/ the Afghan people, to stand up to terrorists that have found a safe haven here & to make it clear that the resolve of the U.S is firm, Pence tweeted.

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, during his inaugural trip to Pakistan, reiterated US President Donald Trump's message that Islamabad must increase its efforts to eradicate the militants and terrorists operating within the country.
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ImageWare Systems, Inc. (ImageWare or IWS) (OTCQB:IWSY), a leader in mobile and cloud-based, multi-modal biometric identity management solutions, announces the availability of major enhancements to its GoVerifyID mobile app, GoMobile Interactive (GMI) cloud platform, and GoVerifyID Enterprise Suite products. These product updates build upon ImageWares patented, ultra-scalable, and adaptable biometric authentication systems to provide even broader end-to-end solutions.



ImageWare has extended the authentication methods that are available in the GoVerifyID mobile app and GoMobile Interactive cloud service to give users and organizations even more choices, while further increasing convenience, identity assurance, and security. GoVerifyID now provides palm image recognition using the latest FUJITSU Matching Algorithm as an authentication option along with face, voice, and fingerprint recognition. Additionally, ImageWare now offers an optional 6-digit secret PIN as an alternate, non-biometric authentication method.

ImageWare has extended the GoVerifyID integration with enterprise ecosystems for both Microsoft and IBM environments. ImageWare introduced a new Credential Provider for GoVerifyID Enterprise Suite for Windows. This provides additional security features for Windows computers, including support for Windows Biometric Framework compatible devices. GoVerifyID for IBM Security Access Manager (ISAM) was also recently released to provide turnkey integration similar to the end-to-end GoVerifyID solutions for CA, SAP, and Aruba systems.

As part of our continued commitment to help organizations secure their business and simplify user experience, we have released our newest versions of the GoVerifyID family of products, said Jim Miller, Chairman and CEO of ImageWare. By increasing the number of options for biometric and non-biometric authentication methods, ImageWare gives users and organizations the ultimate in choice, flexibility, user assurance, and security.

Using our new FUJITSU Matching Algorithm for palm image recognition on your mobile phone along with a secret PIN provides the preeminent what you have, what you know, and what you are multi-factor authentication solution. We provide this GoVerifyID technology as part of FUJITSU Biometrics-as-a-Service, said Jason Bradlee, Head of Security for Americas region, Fujitsu America, Inc. Our studies have shown that often people prefer to submit an image of their palm rather than taking a selfie, as it is less obtrusive and more private.

More detailed information is available in the GoVerifyID Product Update document:

http://info.iwsinc.com/GoVerifyID-Product-Release-Dec-2017

About Fujitsu Ltd.

Fujitsu Ltd. (OTC US:FJTSY) is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US $40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu Americas

Fujitsu America, Inc. is the parent and/or management company of a group of Fujitsu-owned companies operating in North, Central and South America dedicated to delivering the full range of Fujitsu products, solutions and services in ICT to our customers in the Western Hemisphere. These companies are collectively referred to as Fujitsu Americas. Fujitsu enables clients to meet their business objectives through integrated offerings and solutions, including consulting, systems integration, managed services, outsourcing and cloud services for infrastructure, platforms and applications; data center and field services; and server, storage, software and mobile/tablet technologies. For more information, please Visit: http://fujitsu.com/us and http://twitter.com/fujitsuamerica.

About ImageWare Systems, Inc.

ImageWare Systems, Inc. is a leading developer of mobile and cloud-based identity management solutions, providing patented biometric authentication solutions for the enterprise. The company delivers next-generation biometrics as an interactive and scalable cloud-based solution. ImageWare brings together cloud and mobile technology to offer multi-factor authentication for smartphone users, for the enterprise, and across industries.

ImageWares products support multi-modal biometric authentication including, but not limited to, face, voice, fingerprint, iris, palm, and more. All the biometrics can be combined with or used as replacements for authentication and access control tools, including tokens, digital certificates, passwords, and PINS, to provide the ultimate level of assurance, accountability, and ease of use for corporate networks, web applications, mobile devices, and PC desktop environments.

ImageWare is headquartered in San Diego, California, with offices in Portland, Oregon, Ottawa, Ontario, and Mexico City, Mexico. To learn more about ImageWare, visit iwsinc.com; follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.

Trademarks:

Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo, PalmSecure, K5, Finplex and shaping tomorrow with you are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited in the United States and other countries. Biometrics-as-a-Service is a trademark or registered trademark of Fujitsu America, Inc. in the United States and other countries. ImageWare, GoVerifyID and GoMobile Interactive are trademarks or registered trademarks of ImageWare Systems, Inc.in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. IBM is a trademark or registered trademark of IBM Corporation in the United States and other countries. CA is a trademark or registered trademark of CA Technologies in the United States and other countries. SAP is a trademark or registered trademark of SAP SE in the United States and other countries. Aruba is a trademark or registered trademark of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

ImageWare Investor Relations:

Company Name: Liolios

Contact Name: Cody Slach

Phone Number: 949.574.3860

Fujitsu Media contacts

Fujitsu America, Inc.

Bryan Hollar

408-746-6412

Bryan.Hollar@us.fujitsu.com
It has been a year since Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK's biggest online stockbroker, dipped a toe into fund management with the launch of its maiden in-house fund investing in UK companies.

The product, called HL Select UK Growth Shares, is a culmination of the DIY platform's favourite shares and ETFs for investment growth over the long term (five years plus).

The fund notably levies ongoing charges (OCF) of 0.60 per cent - which is on the low side for an actively managed UK fund - and bucks the industry trend by revealing and justifying every stock it invests in instead of simply disclosing its biggest 10 holdings.

Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK's biggest online stockbroker, became a fund manager with the launch of HL Select UK Growth Shares last year

The 252million fund launched under the moniker HL Select UK Shares before being renamed HL Select UK Growth Shares eight months on from inception in a move to distinguish it from the firms income offering launched in February.

Both products are managed by Steve Clayton, the stockbroker's head of equity research, and are exclusive to the platform that levies admin charges of 0.45 per cent each year - far from the cheapest.

Investors can invest in HL Select UK Shares with a minimum investment of a 100 lump sum or 25 a month.



Performance

The fund has performed above the sector average in the past 12 months. It has returned 20.08 per cent, versus the Investment Association UK All Companies sector average of 13.76 per cent (as at 19 December).

It ranks among the top 40 performers in a 265-fund-strong investment universe.

However, it trails behind more established and better known funds such as Lindsell Train UK Equity (21.85 per cent) which, incidentally, shares a similar investment approach but charges a higher OCF of 0.72 per cent.

The line graph shows the performance of HL Select UK Growth versus Lindsell Train and the IA UK All Companies sector

Ben Yearsley, director at Shore Financial Planning, said: 'HL Select UK Growth Shares has had an excellent start, though to be fair, its been a year for active stockpickers, of which this fund is an example, and not index huggers.

'As well as comparing it against the index - which is fair otherwise why would you invest in active? - one find I would compare it to is Lindsell Train UK equity. It has a similar philosophy and style.

'Since the HL fund launched, Lindsell Train has outperformed it by about 2 per cent. So it's been a decent start for HL but it's only a short timescale and Steve Clayton needs to prove himself over a much longer time period before Id consider the HL fund before Lindsell Train.'

How to approach young funds

It's not fair to pit a fund with only a year's worth of performance data under its belt against its established rivals. The rule of thumb is to allow a fund to accumulate five years worth of returns data at the very least so that market anomalies are ironed out.

Keeping tabs on the latest investment opportunities is not the easiest of feats - even for the most ardent investment guru.

A new fund may require extra due diligence and a leap of faith but the extra homework can pay off.

A fundamental consideration here is the track record and calibre of those who have been given the reins to manage the fund.

It is good practice to invest where the manager has a tried and tested track record of delivering outperformance, otherwise you are investing in an even-more unknown entity.

For more information on how to broach young funds, click here.
A senior executive who was blasted for wasting taxpayers' money on luxury taxis has joined the board of state-owned lender Royal Bank of Scotland.

Lena Wilson stepped down as head of quango Scottish Enterprise earlier this year after blowing public funds on a limousine company while on a junket in New York.

The 53-year-old is set to join RBS as a non-executive director  eight years after the lender was rescued with 46billion from the state.

Wilson's attitude was attacked earlier this year by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who said: 'Many people will be disgusted that the hierarchy of Scottish Enterprise thought it reasonable to be so profligate with taxpayers' money.'

New RBS exec Lena Wilson stepped down as head of quango Scottish Enterprise earlier this year after blowing public funds on a limousine company while on a junket in New York

She will start at RBS at the beginning of January as part of a wider reshuffle, meaning there will be four women on the bank's 14-strong board.

The bank is 71.5 per cent taxpayer-owned following its bailout.

Chairman Sir Howard Davies yesterday praised Wilson's 'strong public sector and commercial background'.

Meanwhile RBS's senior independent director Sir Sandy Crombie, the 68-year-old former boss of insurer Standard Life, is standing down after eight years.

He will be replaced as senior director by Mark Seligman, 61, a former investment banker at Credit Suisse who joined the board earlier this year.

Fellow non-executive Robert Gillespie, 62, who used to work at SG Warburg bank, is taking charge of the committee which sets the pay of boss Ross McEwan, who earned 3.5million last year.

Wilson was heavily criticised over a trip to the US in April with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon for what the Scottish government called a jobs-boosting exercise.

The quangocrat took five flights across America during the trip, four of which were business class, spending a total of 10,000 on air travel for herself and a colleague.

Along with an aide, Wilson racked up a 1,851 hotel bill, and spent 3,904 in total on cars. This included as much as 622 for a single day in San Francisco.

And another 1,301 was spent for a day in New York with Bermuda Limousine International, which calls itself the city's 'premier chauffeured limousine service'.

It included a 188 tip, which sources claim she was forced to pay because it was mandatory.

They added that her car bill was racked up because security rules required her to follow Mrs Sturgeon around in a separate car.

Wilson, who announced plans to quit Scottish Enterprise in July, also came in for criticism for holding a 69,000-a-year non-executive role with industrial testing company Intertek.

It comes as the Treasury prepares to sell its stake in Natwest owner RBS.

Ministers are hoping to begin selling the shares next year and intend to have sold stock worth 15bn by 2023.

They are not expecting to make back what was handed over by the taxpayer for its bailout.

RBS did not comment.
The This is Money team and successful entrepreneur and angel investor Andy Yates launched the Great British Entrepreneur Challenge this autumn.

The goal was simple - to scour the country for great start-ups and early-stage firms and to unearth entrepreneurs who were determined to do whatever it takes to turn their dream into a reality.

These entrepreneurs would then be given the chance to win expert advice, mentoring and support from Andy Yates and his network - and the chance to bid for up to 50,000 of seed funding.

Job well done: the finalists of the This is Money Great British Entrepreneur Challenge have impressed with their ideas, passion and business acumen

We have been overwhelmed by the response. The enthusiasm and talent of the entrepreneurs that have responded bodes well for the future of our country and our economy.

We are now proud to announce the short list of entrepreneurs that we have met at This is Money HQ or spoken to about their brilliant ideas.

They are a diverse group - from different industries, parts of the country, backgrounds and ages. But they have one thing in common - a burning desire and passion to succeed.

We will announce the final winners of The Great British Entrepreneurial Challenge from the short list below in January 2018.

After that, the This is Money team will follow the amazing stories of the winning entrepreneurs throughout the year - the ups and downs, the challenges, the victories and the achievements. It promises to be an exciting and fascinating ride.

In the meantime we wanted to take this opportunity to salute the short-listed entrepreneurs below and congratulate them on what they have already achieved and the great things they are looking to achieve in the future.

We would also like to thank everyone else who submitted an entry and wish you the best of luck with your endeavours.

This is Money Team and Andy Yates

The Great British Entrepreneur Challenge Finalists

Rate Switch's Lee Flavin wants to save you money on your mortgage

RateSwitch

The idea: RateSwitch helps homeowners save thousands of pounds by easily and simply switching their mortgage to the best rate their lender offers. This can be done with minimal paperwork and hassle - and helps those who are mortgage prisoners. It estimates more than a third of homeowners could save money right away.

The entrepreneur: Lee Flavin is a former mortgage adviser who lives in south Wales and his idea has been backed and supported by Finance Wales.

Website: www.rateswitch.uk

Freezabird

The idea: Cheaper and more affordable car insurance policies for 17 to 24-year-olds. It combines black box telematics, that track driver quality and performance, with provisional and full licences to drive a parents car.

The entrepreneur: Paul Knight is passionate about improving young driver safety after a near-death accident, caused by an inexperienced young driver, and separately going through the heartache of a young friend suffering a fatal accident.

Website: www.freezabird.com

Breathe Easy

The idea: The air we breathe is important, but is it clean enough? Breathe Easy uses plants to clean the air of toxins created by materials in your home or office. Based on NASA research, it uses toxin absorbing plants and an innovative hydroponic watering and extractor fan system to capture toxins and turn them into food for the plant. Its founder is particularly interested in exploring the idea for children's bedrooms and nurseries.

Breathe Easy's Paul Thomas has invented a planter come fan system to clean your air

The entrepreneur: Paul Thomas, product designer, serial entrepreneur and Royal College of Art graduate, had the idea after suffering from asthma, headaches and breathing difficulties in his own home.

Silver Linings

The idea: Healthier, fresher bedding that uses a pioneering blend of pure silver and the softest bamboo fibres. The bedding is designed to help reduce the spread of bacteria, common colds, diseases and acne as well as providing a luxurious sleep.

The entrepreneur: Harry Cotgrove is a 23-year-old product designer who is ambitious about creating British-designed healthier sheets, pillows and towels - and giving back by providing a hospital sheet for developing countries for every sheet sold.

Website: www.silverliningslondon.co.uk

Hot Cakes

The idea: Hotcakes connects buyers and sellers of independent British food and drink products. It helps everybody from small delis and shops to larger retailers discover and easily buy thousands of exciting and innovative new products from small producers up and down the country.

The entrepreneur: Tara Mei has already helped hundreds of food and drink start-ups through successful accelerator programmes and runs Bread & Jam, the UK's largest festival for food and drink entrepreneurs.

Website: www.gormeigoods.squarespace.com

Tara Mei is hoping her Hotcakes site could become the Amazon of artisan food and drink

Search Smartly

Taha Dar's Search Smartly cool could help estate agents be more efficient

The idea: The business works with estate agents to provide a smart property search. It uses clever technology to match your lifestyle preferences  from gyms to nightlife, from amenities to commuter distances  to find your ideal rental property.

The entrepreneur: Taha Dar developed machine learning technology to optimise the performance of Formula One cars. After coming to study an MBA at London Business School he was shocked at how difficult it was to find the right property to rent and is determined to simplify the process and time involved.

Website: www.searchsmartly.launchrock.com

Nixey

The idea: Celebrating the Celtic spirit, Nixey has created a collection of leather bags, inspired by the classic sporran, for the fashion conscious.

The entrepreneur: New mum Laura-Marie Nixey is already selling her Scottish-made bags at Balmoral and Edinburgh Castles as well as on Notonthehighstreet.com and is dedicated to creating a great new British brand.

Website: www.nixeyonline.com

Nixey's signature collection draws on a rich manufacturing history that extends back to 1834

KwickScreen

Michael Korn invented Kwikscreen to give hospital patients greater privacy

The idea: KwickScreen has invented portable, retractable and flexible patent-protected screens, which are used across the NHS to provide privacy, improve hygiene, create extra spaces for patients, improve the patient experience and generate significant cost savings.

The entrepreneur: Michael Korn, the inventor of KwickScreen, is now passionate about taking a British designed and manufactured product and exporting it around the world for use in anything from hospitals to public spaces, offices and gyms.

Website: www.kwickscreen.com

Utopians

Anthony Ogunbowale-Thomas's Utopians is connecting speakers with events

The idea: An online platform that makes it easy for businesses to discover and book tomorrows leading thought leaders and speakers for events and for inspirational speakers to promote themselves.

The entrepreneur: Anthony Ogunbowale-Thomas is passionate about democratising the world of speakers  empowering tomorrows leading changemakers, entrepreneurs, creators and thinkers.

Website: www.utopians.io

HRAdvisor

The idea: HRAdvisor aims to provide job hunters with the ability to give recruiters a TripAdvisor style rating for their application process, with the goal of improving how graduates and young people are employed.

The entrepreneur: Having studied at Cardiff University, Kings College London and the University of Geneva, Babatunde Onabajo was named the UKs Graduate of the Year by the start-up job search engine Adzuna.

BUAFIT

Dave Stapleton's Baufit is an online booking system for outdoor group workouts

The idea: BUAFIT is an online marketplace that connects people who want to achieve a fitness goal to instructors who love to train and teach outdoor fitness classes.

The entrepreneur: BUA means victory in Irish Gaelic and entrepreneur Dave Stapleton is passionate about building a social fitness community that changes the way outdoor fitness is delivered so that everybody wins.

Website: www.buafit.co.uk

Career Reinventors 40+

The idea: Career Reinventors 40+ helps midlife professionals to reinvent their careers to find more meaningful, satisfying and rewarding work - using new methods to bring out valuable skills and experiences.

The entrepreneur: After 25 years in business, Trudy Lloyd is dedicated to helping people find meaning and new employment opportunities in the rapidly changing world of work.

Website: www.career-reinventors-40plus.com

Cheap Boiler Parts

19-year-old Joshua Naismith is our youngest finalist and is cutting the cost of boiler repairs

The idea: Many people cant afford the cost of boiler repairs because the parts are so expensive. The business purchases boilers from scrap merchants, heating engineers and demolition companies, reconditions and tests them and sells them at affordable prices.

The entrepreneur: Joshua Naismith is an enterprising 19-year-old Scot, who has already sold many thousands of pounds worth of boiler parts and has ambitions to recycle all sorts of white goods and products to save people money.

Website: www.ebay.co.uk/usr/centralboilerparts
Albany, New York, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading manufacturers of automotive cameras are leveraging the wide angle lenses popularity. Several OEMs have been continuously exploring safety solutions having capability to capture driver blind spots. Camera module manufacturers and OEMs are likely to collaborate and increase their investments for developing new technologies pertaining to automotive cameras.

A report recently collated by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has profiled key companies supporting growth of the automotive camera market worldwide. These market players include Media Data Systems Pte Ltd., Robert Bosch GmbH, Delphi Automotive LLP, Valeo Inc., KYOCERA Corporation, Transcend Information Inc., Ficosa International S.A., Continental AG, Qrontech Co. Ltd., Autoliv Inc., and Ambarella.

Worldwide Sales of Automotive Cameras to Reach approximately US$ 4,800 Mn Revenues by 2026-end

The report projects the global automotive camera market to exhibit an impressive CAGR through the forecast period (2017-2026). Growing demand for various cameras such as digital camera, infrared camera, and thermal camera in passenger cars and commercial vehicles is expected to pave immense industry potential. Automotive camera sales across the globe are estimated to account for approximately US$ 4,800 Mn revenues by 2026-end.

Downlaod PDF Brochure at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=36611

With slowdown in the global economic growth, several industrial sectors suffered stagnancy and automotive camera industry was no exception. Yet, it still has maintained a relatively optimistic expansion over the recent years. Growth of the global automotive camera market is primarily being fuelled by surging demand for complementary metal-oxide semiconductor image sensors (CMOS image sensors). These sensors deliver an improved experience by providing a broad-angle view of the surroundings. In addition, there has been a tremendous surge in adoption of safety solutions, particularly the driver assistance & safety systems such as lane departure warning system (LDWS), blind spot detection system (BSD), forward collision warning system (FCW), head-up displays, and pedestrian protection. Furthermore, shifting focus of automotive manufacturers toward replacing side-view mirrors with cameras will buoy expansion of the automotive cameras market in the upcoming years.

APEJ and Europe to Remain Most Profitable Markets for Automotive Camera

Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and Europe are anticipated to remain the most profitable markets for automotive camera. The market in North America is projected to register a relatively slower expansion than in APEJ and faster than in Europe through 2026. Revenues from automotive camera sales in North America will also account for a significant market share by 2026-end. In contrast, automotive camera market in Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Latin America will account for the lowest revenue shares of the market throughout the forecast period.

Rear-view enhancement and corner-view cameras are projected to remain dominant among products in the automotive camera market, in terms of revenues. Although revenues from side-view cameras will account for the smallest market share, these cameras are expected to lead the market in terms of sales expansion through 2026, followed by corner-view cameras.

Browse Press Release at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/automotive-camera-market.htm

Compact Passenger Cars  Most Lucrative Vehicles in the Market

Compact passenger cars are anticipated to remain the most lucrative among vehicles in the global automotive camera market, followed by mid-sized passenger cars. Light commercials vehicles are also expected to gain ample revenue share of the market by 2026-end. On the other hand, heavy commercial vehicles will continue to account for the smallest revenue share of the market.

Automotive cameras will continue to witness the largest application in parking surround view, trailed behind by 360? surround view. In addition, drowsiness and blind spot applications of automotive camera will register the fastest expansion at nearly equal CAGRs through 2026.

On the basis of technology, although stereo cameras will remain preferred among vehicle owners, sales of mono cameras and infrared cameras will reflect relatively higher CAGRs through 2026. Revenues from sales of infrared cameras will remain comparatively larger than those from mono cameras.

About Us

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. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.

Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.
SEATTLE, WA , Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



CFN Media Group ("CannabisFN"), the leading creative agency and media network dedicated to legal cannabis, announces publication of an article discussing Future Farm Technologies Inc. (CSE: FFT) (CNSX: FFT) (FFT.CN) (OTCQB: FFRMF), and its place in the expanding market for cannabinoids, the active ingredients in the cannabis plant.

Cannabinoid Pharmaceuticals

The market for cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals is projected to grow from $2 billion in 2020 to more than $50 billion by 2029, according to Statista, driven by increasing interest among pharmaceutical companies. While GW Pharmaceuticals plc and Insys Therapeutics Inc. may be the most widely known companies in the space, many smaller companies have development-stage programs in the works.

Cannabinoid compounds, like cannabidiol (CBD), have demonstrated promise in treating many different underlying medical conditions without the side effects of traditional pharmaceutical drugs. According to Google Scholar, there have been more than 2,000 papers published about CBD this year alone. Many companies have also become increasingly interested in the therapeutic potential for the cannabinoid, as evidenced by the more than 1,600 U.S. patents that have been issued mentioning CBD. For example, GW Pharmaceuticals Sativex has been shown to be effective in treating central and peripheral neuropathic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer pain in numerous randomized clinical trials and has far fewer side effects than addictive opioids.

The traditional pharmaceutical industry has largely steered clear of the cannabinoid-based industry due to the legal status of cannabis in the United States. With many of these companies facing so-called patent cliffs over the coming years, and cannabis legalization taking hold across the U.S., smaller companies with promising clinical programs could see interest on the part of larger pharmaceutical companies looking to expand their portfolios. Cannabinoids are being studied for treatment of many multi-billion dollar conditions including psoriasis/skin conditions, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, inflammation, and pain.

Future Farms Unique Position

Future Farm Technologies Inc. (CSE: FFT) (OTCQB: FFRMF) is laying the groundwork to supply the cannabinoids for this expanding market. Though cannabis is federally illegal, the hemp version of the plant is not. Hemp provides CBD and other cannabinoids, it just needs to be grown with those characteristics emphasized to produce the maximum amount of the right type of cannabinoids. Future Farm is partnered with one of the worlds leading agro-biotechnology companies, Rahan Meristem Ltd., to create and clone the hemp plants with just such characteristics.

The company also features a closed-loop liquid-liquid phase extraction system that can draw out the cannabinoids from the hemp plant efficiently and effectively. The extracts are a fast-growing segment of both the medical and adult-use marijuana sectors to be sure, offering Future Farm a potentially lucrative revenue stream. These extracts can also be used to supply cannabinoid pharmaceutical research.

Expanding Footprint in Hemp

With the ability to create and replicate hemp plants with the desired cannabinoid profile, as well as the technology to extract those cannabinoids, Future Farm set about securing a hemp supply. The company recently announced that it has signed a lease agreement for 100-acres in Maine, which doubles its previously announced purchase of 120 acres of a licensed industrial hemp farm. As part of the agreement, the company has an option to lease up to an additional 1,000 acres from the landlord, which creates an enormous market opportunity as demand for hemp and its extracts rises over time.

Management is preparing to set up a clone operation, which will leverage vertical farming technology to supply over 200,000 clones to the farm next year. These hemp-based clones will be grown under its Scorpion LED grow lights to help save on electricity costs and further leverage its existing in-house technologies. The lease agreement also provides all other farming equipment needed to commence hemp farming activities.

This lease agreement positions us in the hemp farming and CBD business for growing, researching, developing, and selling organic hemp and CBD oil, which contains a broad range of cannabinoids used to treat a growing population of CBD oil consumers, said Future Farm CEO Bill Gildea. We look forward to a very busy 2018 with our hemp and cannabis operations positioned on both coasts to meet the exploding demand of THC and CBD oil.

Looking Ahead

Future Farm Technologies Inc. (CSE: FFT) (OTCQB: FFRMF) is well positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for CBD and other cannabinoids, not only in the pharmaceutical development industry but in the existing and growing consumer market, using its full-spectrum of in-house technologies.

Please follow the link to read the full article: http://www.cannabisfn.com/future-farm-strengthens-foothold-hemp-based-cbd-market/

For more information, visit the companys website at www.futurefarmtech.com.

About CFN Media

CFN Media (CannabisFN) is the leading creative agency and media network dedicated to legal cannabis. We help marijuana businesses attract investors, customers (B2B, B2C), capital, and media visibility. Private and public marijuana companies and brands in the US and Canada rely on CFN Media to grow and succeed.

Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/featuredcompany

Download the CFN Media iOS mobile app to access the world of cannabis from the palm of your hand: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cannabisfn/id988009247?ls=1&mt=8

Or visit our homepage and enter your mobile number under the Apple App Store logo to receive a download link text on your iPhone: http://www.cannabisfn.com

Disclaimer:

Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this 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. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CFN Media and CannabisFN.com, is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. Emerging Growth LLC may from time to time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and may increase or decrease such positions without notice. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Emerging Growth LLC may be compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation or equity securities in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. For full disclosure please visit: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/




Farmington, Conn., Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roel Verhaak, Ph.D., is not beholden to the status quo. After all, his field, computational biology, didnt exist, at least not formally, when he began his post-secondary studies. He quickly adopts new research methods and new ways to communicate results. And he now researches cancer with a focus on glioblastoma, a brain cancer that currently remains almost untreatable.

But while hes quick to forge his own path, Verhaak doesnt seek out the shiny and new for its own sake. Instead, he seeks better ways to accomplish his goals.

Roel has a lot of enthusiasm for new technology and computational approaches, but hes also quite pragmatic, says Matthew Meyerson, Ph.D., Verhaaks postdoctoral mentor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston. He is always looking for the solution to a problem, and he has the ability to apply the right tools and methods to find it.

A formidable adversary

Glioblastoma has gained widespread awareness in recent years following the diagnoses of U.S. Senator John McCain and former Vice President Joe Bidens son, Beau. Sadly, glioblastoma is still extremely difficult to treat. The prognosis for aggressive forms remains daunting, with the median survival about 14.6 months and two-year survival about 30 percent. Fewer than 10 percent of patients live five years or longer.

To improve those numbers, far more needs to be learned about the entire molecular landscape of glioblastoma, including the mechanisms that drive disease progression. Previous methods looked at cancer cells en masse, which could provide accurate data about what the average cell  and its genetic mutations  looked like. But researchers now know that individual cancer cells can differ quite a bit, even within the same tumor. And while there can be hundreds, even thousands of DNA mutations in these cells, some of them are much more important than others.

Not surprisingly, Verhaak is working at the very limits of research capability to learn far more about these dangerous cells than was previously possible. Since his arrival at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) last October, Verhaak has taken full advantage of the advanced facilities and technologies available. Of particular importance is the single cell sequencing and analysis facility, which provides the ability to sequence multiple cells in tumors over time. Advanced cell engineering methods also allow for precise genetic manipulation to induce or remove specific mutations.

The great level of detail is a game changer, says Verhaak. The behavior of single cells can be observed over time, including in response to treatments. These techniques are having a dramatic impact on cancer research.

Verhaaks recent paper in the journal Cancer Cell illustrates the progress being made. It provides detailed analyses of both the glioblastoma cells and their microenvironments, the tissues and cells (including immune cells) that surround the tumor in the body. The ecosystems in which the tumors reside affect how they respond to therapies, and developing an accurate picture of them is vital for improving treatments. The work will provide understanding of how an individual patients normal as well as cancer cells differ from those of other patients, providing another step toward more targeted, effective treatments.

Applied knowledge

Verhaak grew up in the Netherlands, and his interest in the natural world forms part of his earliest memories. As he grew up, he felt drawn to applied science and began his post-secondary work at Radboud University in 1996 with a biomedical research focus. When he got to college, however, a new phenomenon, the Internet, quickly caught his attention.

When I went to college, many of my friends were in computer science, he says. They were already always connected with each other online and doing some pretty cool stuff. I liked online gaming, and their enthusiasm drew me in. Soon I started to write command line code and program myself.

Verhaak didnt abandon his original plans, but instead incorporated computational expertise. He graduated with a biomedical sciences degree and computer science minor in 2000, intending to pursue applied clinical research. But when he entered the lab of a medical informatics professor to begin working on his graduate degree, it did not go well.

I was working with electronic health records, and after a year and a half I realized it wasnt going anywhere for me, says Verhaak, so I left and got a job at a bioinformatics company. During what Verhaak calls a gap year  if working as a software engineer qualifies as such  he decided to take a step back from research in the nuts and bolts clinical world, but not research as a whole.

Returning to graduate school in the department of hematology at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Verhaak turned his focus to cancer research, namely studying gene expression in acute myeloid leukemia. For him, cancer represented both a connection to the real world and an opportunity.

Cancer is universal, it touches so many people. We all have family members, friends or neighbors who have been diagnosed with it. And as a computational biologist, its a big field and a major research effort, so there were an abundance of positions in cancer labs.

Land of opportunity

Upon successful completion of his doctoral work, Verhaak headed overseas for his postdoctoral training, landing a position in Meyersons lab in Boston. For Verhaak, it was a major transition, with both challenges and significant positive growth.

At first it was difficult, he says. It was a new country, a new city, and at times I felt isolated. But after a while I met a lot of people who were there by themselves as well, and it became almost like a second college experience, with a great group of friends. Then I met my wife, Allison, who was also at Dana-Farber, and, well, Ive been happy in the U.S. ever since.

After completing his postdoctoral research, Verhaak launched his career as an independent investigator at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, achieving rapid success. The chair of his department, John Weinstein, M.D., Ph.D., lauded him as a leader in cancer genomics at M.D. Anderson and a rising star, and Verhaaks admiration for M.D. Anderson remains strong in return. Nonetheless, he began to wish for a faster-paced, more agile research environment than can be found at a major clinical center. He and his family also wanted to return to New England, where much of his wifes family lives. JAX provided the perfect opportunity.

My laboratory is ideally situated to take advantage of the excellent technology and research service infrastructure at JAX, says Verhaak. Its a really good environment for research. Also, the faculty is fantastic, and I have wonderful colleagues here.

Openness

A hallmark of Verhaaks research has been his effectiveness in working with other researchers and sharing results. He has been at the vanguard of using new tools to quickly communicate and disseminate his results. Fittingly, he was an early adopter of social media. Science is about communication, he says. I like Twitter because its immediate, and it levels the playing field. Meetings can be dominated by big names, but Twitter lets you interact quickly and informally with people at all levels.

Verhaak also regularly posts preprints of his papers on bioRxiv, a preprint server launched to help biomedical researchers share results more quickly. Support from high-level researchers such as Verhaak has helped assuage early concerns about sharing preprints, such as being denied publication in a prestigious journal or having someone come along and scoop findings before they can be officially published. The situation is still evolving, but bioRxiv is now growing quickly.

Some researchers are known to be secretive, keeping their data and findings strictly to themselves until a paper is published. Verhaak is the opposite, and he has flourished in part because of his openness, retaining a perspective adopted early in his career. When he arrived in my lab, I was encouraging people to contribute to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), says Meyerson. I wasnt very persuasive. TCGA was a large collaborative project, and people were worried about getting lost in the crowd and not getting proper credit. But Roel was wide open to contributing and collaborating and letting the chips fall where they may. He is a great collaborator, and his TCGA work opened up a lot of opportunities for him, opportunities that his colleagues just didnt see as clearly.

Future paths

For all that he has accomplished, Verhaak is still in the early stages of his career. His glioblastoma work has already provided important insight into the genomics of the disease, and he retains a strong drive to translate his research to clinical care. And moving forward, improving the lives of glioblastoma patients will be a family affair.

Allison is in the final year of doctoral studies in clinical psychology, says Verhaak. Shes researching how glioblastoma affects cognitive function. So were looking at the same thing in a way: how does the cancer grow and what are the effects?

The effects are severe and the stakes are high, and one can understand if shop talk is avoided over the dinner table. But thats the status quo. Without a doubt, if the Verhaaks have their way, it will not last.

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Federal investigators are probing NXIVM, the secretive Colonie-based organization that an expert has called an "extreme cult."

In the first clear sign of the investigation, federal officials have interviewed women who were associated with NXIVM's founder, Keith Raniere, according to several knowledgeable people, including some of those who were questioned by the investigators.

The Justice Department's broad probe is examining NXIVM's business dealings, including its practice of recruiting members from abroad, according to the sources. Among those interviewed by the Justice Department are women who claimed they were lured into a secret club that required them to consent to being branded with Raniere's initials.

NXIVM's supporters have insisted it is a self-help group focused on business improvement. NXIVM officials and associates have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and dispute any allegation that it is a cult. Recent efforts to reach NXIVM officials for comment have not been successful.

Although NXIVM is headquartered in the Capital Region, the probe is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Eastern District Office in Brooklyn. John Marzulli, a spokesman for the acting U.S. Attorney for the eastern district, Bridget M. Rohde, said Thursday that he could not confirm an investigation into NXIVM.

Over several years, people with connections to NXIVM filed complaints with various law-enforcement agencies, including the New York state Attorney General, the U.S. attorney's office in Albany, the New York State Police, the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency, the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI. Yet until now, no significant investigation resulted involving either the organization or its leader, Raniere, who is known to his followers as "Vanguard." Rather, in some cases, complainants themselves came under official scrutiny, and NXIVM relentlessly pursued critics with litigation.

But the reports of human branding and other recent scrutiny by national media seemingly have changed the equation.

Last month, the Times Union reported that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office had begun examining NXIVM's dealings, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Questions have also been raised about the response of state health officials to a complaint filed in August against a NXIVM-connected doctor who allegedly subjected multiple women to brain-activity studies that apparently did not follow standard research protocols. In October, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered a review of the Health Department's handling of the complaint.
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A toddler was rescued earlier this week from a feces-infested home in Katy that police said was being used to sell methamphetamine.

The Harris County Precinct 5 Constables Office said Tuesday that they discovered the 4-year-old living in a tiny closet a few feet from drug and sex paraphernalia.

The home wasnt fit for anyone to live inside, let alone a child, the department said.

Constable deputies arrived at the home located in the West Memorial neighborhood a few blocks from Mason Road after receiving a tip about a drug operation there.

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There, the department said, they found the boy, a dog and a kitten, as well as rat feces around the home. The boy was being taken care of by a woman who was not his mother, police said, and the suspected drug dealer was not home at the time.

The boys mother was later arrested on two outstanding warrants, including one for drug possession, police said. She will likely be charged for endangering a child as well, police said.

A warrant for the suspected drug dealer was also issued, police said.

Precinct 5 said they are not releasing the names of the suspects until all charges have been filed.

After police called Child Protective Services, the boy was taken to a hospital, police said. Authorities are still looking for relatives who can take care of the child, police said.

Police said they also gave the child a large, stuffed teddy bear that was recently donated during a toy drive.
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ALBANY  A 21-year-old New York City man stopped on the Thruway in Bethlehem moving 2,195 bags of heroin was sentenced Friday to the maximum nine years in state prison.

"You have entered the big leagues of major drug-trafficking with the transport of over 2,000 packets of heroin," Judge Peter Lynch told the defendant, Hector Gomez of Manhattan.

Gomez hid the deadly opioids in a secret, elaborate compartment built into his 2001 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. It was underneath the center console and beneath a metal plate, Assistant District Attorney Alexander Scher said.

The compartment contained a locking mechanism, he said.

"This was a car that was built for one purpose. This car was built for the purpose of trafficking narcotics," Scher told reporters. "Yes, 2,195 bags of heroin is a lot of heroin, but it's the manner in which they were being trafficked which is so telling here."

Gomez drove the minivan more than 7,000 miles in the four months before his arrest on April 18, when State Police stopped him driving north on the Thruway, the prosecutor said.

A jury convicted Gomez in October of third-degree criminal drug possession.

Scher said while Gomez claimed he had never driven north on the Thruway before, he had driven up just three days before his arrest.

The prosecutor said Gomez had access two other vehicles. Gomez was pulled over in Georgia traveling south in one of those vehicles.

"Your honor, all of this evidence points to only one thing -- that this defendant knowingly and unlawfully is trafficking drugs," Scher told the judge.

The prosecutor said Gomez told a probation officer conducting a pre-sentencing report he does not sell drugs, does not associate with anyone who sells drugs and does not use drugs outside of marijuana.

Gomez then owned up to possessing the drugs, Scher said, but claimed he did not know the vehicle contained drugs.

Scher said there was fresh marijuana in the compartment that could not have been in the compartment before Gomez took ownership of the minivan some six months earlier.

"Just as the jury saw through the charade, the probation officer did as well," Scher said. The probation officer noted it appeared Gomez was "either transporting or engaging in the sale of illegal narcotics."

The case comes amid a heroin and opioid epidemic destroying lives across the region and country.

"If I said it has no effect, it would be a blatant lie," said Gomez' attorney, Rakesh Joshi. "We don't live in a vacuum ... everybody's affected by knowledge of what's going on and perhaps that has a bearing upon how we think, speak."

Joshi said he found it "confusing and odd" his client was found guilty of drug possession yet acquitted at trial of possessing the drugs with intent to sell them. He said Gomez has no prior record. Gomez had been a student at Genesee Community College in Batavia, where he was enrolled in a business administration course.

"Generally speaking, he's been a good citizen," Joshi said. He said Gomez would appeal.

When given a chance to speak, Gomez told the judge he has "nothing but the utmost respect for the judicial system."

The judge also imposed two years post-release supervision.
Albany

With a contentious mayoral race behind her, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan says now the focus can return to the issues facing the capital city.

"It's time to move forward and look to the future and solve some of the challenges. To do that with an election looming over every single move you make, it gets challenging," Sheehan said. "I've always been much more comfortable doing the job than doing the things that you need to do to try and get the job."

MORE STORIES: Check out timesunion.com/topstories for the year's Top 10 stories as they are published through Dec. 31.

Sheehan won a second term in November, following a Democratic primary against Albany Common Council member Frank Commisso Jr. and Council President Carolyn McLaughlin where Sheehan won with less than 50 percent of the vote.

She defeated Commisso  who is the son of longtime county Legislature Majority Leader Frank Commisso Sr. and was on the Independence Party line  again in the general election, capturing over 70 percent of votes.

Albany's mayoral race often was heated with Commisso Jr. criticizing Sheehan's administration over finances and tax breaks given by the city Industrial Development Agency, and the mayor working to combat the criticism through television advertisements.

Sheehan, who has said she dislikes seeking campaign donations, loaned $387,000 to her campaign, a large portion of which went to paying for the ads.

Will Waldron

With the campaign behind her, Sheehan said she's looking forward to making state funding the city has to negotiate for each year a permanent revenue stream. She said her administration will continue to tackle the problem of vacant and abandoned buildings.

Filling the $12.5 million gap in the 2018 budget will be a top priority for Sheehan next year. While she was successful convincing the state to provide $12.5 million in new funding this year rather than the typical advance on a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes owed to Albany for the Empire State Plaza being off the tax rolls, it didn't come with the promise of future funding.

"I think it's critically important that we not have to go year to year with this huge gap that is so clear to anybody looking at it," she said. "It's clear that we're not treated fairly, or like other New York cities with respect to (Aid and Incentives for Municipalities)."

And when retractors say the capital city should live within its means, Sheehan said, "O.k., give us the same means you give other cities, and we'll absolutely live within those means."

While new growth is happening across the city, Sheehan said her focus will be on vacant buildings. Earlier this year, Albany launched a $1 million grant program to provide funds to help people purchase vacant homes to renovate them into affordable housing.

The remains will be used in conjunction with the Albany County Land Bank to help fund resources for technical support in those pursuits, Sheehan said.

Other key issues to be tackled next year include the future of trash removal in the city as the Rapp Road Landfill nears closure and sewage discharges.

"This is the year for us to really be out there in the community finalizing a solution for when our landfill closes, estimated to be 2021," Sheehan said. "And we'll also be talking a lot in the community about another century's old problem with (sewage) discharge."

In 2014, the DEC and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $136 million, 15-year plan to reduce the amount of combined sewer overflows by up to 90 percent. The plan covers Albany, Troy, Cohoes, Watervliet, Rensselaer and Green Island, which have about 150,000 homes and businesses.

Efforts on the largest piece of that project -- a $45 million sewage treatment facility at a massive discharge pipe called "Big C" just north of the Port of Albany, which is the major source of Albany's spills  will be ramped up in 2018.

"Long after I'm here, these are things we need to solve now to resolve two things that most people don't like to talk about," Sheehan said. "I'm very optimistic about where we are, the work that we did to get to where we are and what that's going to allow us to do in the future."

Will Waldron/Times Union

afries@timesunion.com  518-454-5353  @mandy_fries
Washington

As President Donald Trump completes his first year in office, Americans are increasingly concerned about health care, and their faith that government can fix it has fallen.

A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 48 percent named health care as a top problem for the government to focus on in the next year, up 17 points in the last two years.

The poll allows Americans to name up to five priorities and found a wide range of top concerns, including taxes, immigration and the environment. But aside from health care, no single issue was named by more than 31 percent.

And 7 in 10 of those who named health care as a top problem said they had little to no confidence that government can improve matters. The public was less pessimistic in last year's edition of the poll, when just over half said they lacked confidence in the problem-solving ability of lawmakers and government institutions.

"We are way up there on the cost, and as far as giving good health care, we are way down," said Rebekah Bustamante of San Antonio, a retired medical imaging technician. "Now in health care, you're a number."

Bustamante said she voted for Trump, but "he's learning on the job, and he's got a long way to go."

Trump initially promised his own plan that would deliver "insurance for everybody" and "great" health care, "much less expensive and much better." But the White House never released a health care proposal from the president.

GOP legislation to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's health care law failed in Congress, although the tax bill scraps the Obama requirement that most people get health insurance. Bloodied on both sides, Republicans and Democrats seem to have battled to an uneasy draw on health care.

Meanwhile, conflicting policy signals from Washington, including an abrupt White House decision to cancel insurer subsidies, roiled insurance markets. Premiums on health plans purchased by individuals jumped by double digits. Progress reducing the number of uninsured stalled, and one major survey found an uptick this year.

"There is zero bipartisanship, and it's frustrating," said Eric Staab, a high school teacher from Topeka, Kansas. "It seems like we have thrown everything at this dartboard, and nothing is improving the coverage."

Rumblings of discontent have political repercussions for next year's midterm elections and the presidential contest in 2020, said Robert Blendon, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who follows opinion trends on health care.

"It's the issue that won't go away," said Blendon. "Given the news cycle, taxes should be first, the economy should be second, and this health care thing should be buried."

Three in 10 Americans listed taxes among their top priorities, about double the percentage who said that last year. About a quarter mentioned immigration, and just under 2 in 10 mentioned environmental issues and education. Meanwhile, concerns about unemployment plunged to 14 percent, about half the mentions as last year.

Health care was by far the top issue mentioned by Democrats and independents. Republicans were about equally likely to mention immigration, health care and taxes.

Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say they have little to no confidence that the government will make progress on health care, 84 percent to 57 percent.

The reason health care doesn't fade away is that costs aren't getting any more manageable, said some people who took part in the AP-NORC survey.

Bustamante said she is planning a trip to Mexico for some dental work, because she can obtain quality service for much less there. "Thank God I live in Texas, where getting to Mexico isn't that far away," she said. "But everybody doesn't have that option."

ShyJuan Clemons of Merrillville, Indiana, said he's uninsured because his previous health plan was costing too much for the benefit he got from it. He faced his insurance plan's annual deductible when he went to the doctor, so he'd wind up paying out-of-pocket for visits, on top of premiums.

"You are not constantly worried about taxes, but you are constantly worried about health care  be it major or minor," said Clemons, a personal care attendant who works with disabled people.
Women's groups along with current and former female Rensselaer County leaders are calling on Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin to resign his seat in the state Legislature immediately and not take office in January as county executive, the post to which he was elected in November.

County Legislator Cindy Doran and outgoing Sand Lake town Supervisor Flora Fasoldt said he is unfit to lead because of allegations he assaulted a top female aide and sexually harassed another female aide during his time in the Assembly. He was sanctioned late last month by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for actions related to one of the incidents last June, in which a female Assembly aide accused him of asking her for nude photos.
New York, NY, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Weyland Tech, Inc. (OTCQX: WEYL) ("Weyland" or "Company"), a provider of mobile business applications, announced today that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DDBill Payment Co., LTD, the operators of Chinas fourth largest payments gateway Dinpay (www.dinpay.com, English: us.dinpay.com).

I am pleased to be able to announce today that Weyland has reached principle terms for an agreement with Dinpay to offer their services through our CreateApp and upcoming AtozPay platforms. DDBill processed $121 Billion in transactions in the past year, 20% of which initiated from outside of China. The ability to provide goods and services to Chinese customers and accept payments through apps built in CreateApp and AtozPay is a huge win for our customers around the globe, commented Weyland CEO, Brent Suen, announcing the news. Its particularly exciting for AtozPay since Chinese tourists now make up the largest group of visitors to Indonesia.

Under the terms of the MOU, DDBill will assist Weyland in scaling its digital payments and wallet platforms and provide access to DDBills Dinpay China payments gateway.

Matthew Brent, Head of Strategic Development, discussed the details of Weylands plan for its relationship with DDBill. As weve been saying for some time, Weyland is committed to bringing value added transaction capabilities to our customers. Our understanding with DDBill will allow all of our customers to access Chinas payment networks to receive and send payments to their Chinese customers and suppliers. Ninety-nine percent of Chinese payments are through these networks instead of credit-cards.

For our CreateApp customers it means well be building modules that allow them to access China UnionPay, Alibaba Groups (NYSE: BABA) Alipay, and Tencent Holdings (HKG: 0700) WeChat Pay networks along with 99.9% of bank accounts in China. It also means that the ability to sell in RMB to Chinese customers and settle in local currency will be coming to AtozPay, continued Mr. Brent.

Mr. Suen concluded, The ability to engage with Chinese consumers is a boon for our merchant customers seeking to extend their m-commerce reach to the vast Chinese market. As we build our transaction capacity in CreateApp and our AtozPay wallet platform we will continue developing partnerships and capabilities to enable customers all over the world to do business with each other on mobile smartphones. We will continue to add additional payment options through 2018 and look forward to announcing support for additional markets and currencies including cryptocurrencies and blockchain assets which address the market needs and shortcomings in regions and countries where we are active.

About DDBill Payment Co., Ltd

DDBill Payment Co., Ltd (also known as www.dinpay.com), established in September 29, 2007, is a private company providing professional and secure online payment solutions for the vast number of merchants, businesses and consumers. In June 2012, Dinpay obtained the "Payment Services License" certified by the People's Bank of China. Our headquarters is located in Shenzhen, China; with subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Malaysia, United States and the Europe.

Dinpay payment gateway supports online transactions between merchants and consumers by connecting China local banks, bank card association, mobile network operators, city micro payment operators. We offer internet banking payment, express payment, prepaid card payment, Dinpay Wallet payment, Smartphone App payment, QR code payment, and other value-added services, ensuring secure and efficient cross-border payment services for our merchants. Dinpay partners with major China banks in China, as well as international credit card issuers, such as Visa, MasterCard, JCB and American Express.

About Weyland Tech Inc.

Weyland Tech's CreateApp platform is focused on the Asia markets. Our CreateApp platform offered in 14 languages, enables small and medium sized businesses ("SMB's") to create native mobile applications ("APP") for Apple's iOS and Google Android without technical knowledge or background. Empowering SMB's to increase sales, reach more customers and promote their products and services via simple easy to build mobile APPs in an affordable and cost-effective manner.

Follow Weyland Tech online at:

Weyland Tech Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/weylandtech)

Weyland Tech Twitter Feed (https://twitter.com/weylandtechinc)

Weyland Tech LinkedIn Page (https://linkedin.com/company/weylandtech)

Brent Suen, CEO Public Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/BrentSuenWEYL)

Brent Suen, CEO Public Twitter Feed (https://www.twitter.com/BrentSuenWEYL)

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements" including statements regarding: the continued growth of the e-commerce segment and the ability of the Company to continue its expansion into that segment; the ability of the Company to attract customers and partners and generate revenues; the ability of the Company to successfully execute its business plan; the business strategy, plans, and objectives of the Company; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume any duty to update these forward-looking statements.

CONTACT WEYLAND TECH @:

info@weyland-tech.com



www.weyland-tech.com


The engineer on board Amtrak Cascades 501 remarked that the train seemed to be moving too fast six seconds before it left its tracks and dumped cars onto Interstate 5 on Monday morning.

The final recorded speed from the train before it crashed at a highway overpass close to Dupont was 78 mph. The overpass and the downhill curve located just north of it, was part of a 30 mph stretch of track owned by Sound Transit.

On Friday, the National Transportation Safety Board released a few initial conclusions after reviewing information gathered from the train's data recorder and footage from inward-and outward-facing cameras on the train that captured crew's conversations and actions.

RELATED: Police: Man pulled gun on driver delivering food to Amtrak train responders

The data was downloaded and processed at the NTSB's lab in Washington, D.C. The agency cautioned that preliminary findings are subject to change.

According to the data, crew members were not observed using any personal electronic devices just prior to the crash. The engineer did appear to apply the locomotive's brakes, but did not appear to apply emergency brakes. That confirms an earlier finding that the train's emergency brake was automatically activated rather than initiated by an engineer.

The footage ended as the locomotive tilted and crew braced for impact.

Train data recorders are like black boxes on airplanes, yielding information on whether the brakes were applied or warnings were given to crew members. NTSB investigators were reportedly looking into whether the engineer was distracted approaching the curve.

The NTSB expects to release a preliminary report detailing the facts and circumstances of the crash in coming days. A full report is expected in 12-24 months.

Eighty passengers and five crew members were on board the train's 12 cars and two engines when it derailed. Of the 14 total cars, 13 jumped the tracks at the crossing. Three victims -- James Hamre, 61, of Puyallup, Zack Willhoite, 35, of Spanaway, and Benjamin Gran, 40, of Auburn -- were killed. Dozens were wounded and transported to local hospitals.

RELATED: Probe of deadly Amtrak crash looks at safety delays, engineer

The Portland-bound train from Seattle was the inaugural run on the new Point Defiance Bypass route that took the passenger trains inland between Tacoma and Olympia to speed up travel time.

The Washington state Department of Transportation, which co-owns the Amtrak Cascades system with the Oregon DOT, began work in 2010 to plan the bypass along an existing route that was used by Sound Transit for its Sounder commuter trains. Amtrak operates the service as a contractor.

Locals in Lakewood and DuPont had voiced concerns all along about high-speed rail traffic coming through ground-level crossings where cars or people could risk being in a train's path. At one point, Lakewood and DuPont sued the state to try and block the new route, but the case was dismissed.

SeattlePI reporters Lynsi Burton and Daniel DeMay contributed to this story. Reporter Stephen Cohen can be reached at 206-448-8313 or stephencohen@seattlepi.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @scohenPI.
Titusville Middle School eighth-graders Tanner Schell (from left), Mariah Mosier, Haiden Schmader, and Rollie Sutton wrap holiday gifts during the schools Caring Day on Thursday. The school offered free gift wrapping to the public in the schools library and were also accepting donations, with proceeds benefiting Relay For Life. Some students also participated in community service initiatives at other schools and local businesses.
[December 21, 2017] ZYTO to Collaborate with Trinity School of Natural Health to Develop Online ZYTO Specialized Practitioner Program

LINDON, Utah, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZYTO Corporation (OTC PINK:ZYTO), the global leader in wellness decision-support technology, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Trinity School of Natural Health to develop an educational specialization in ZYTO technology and biocommunication for Trinity students. The collaboration is part of ZYTO Corps One Billion Lives initiative, which explores educational and practical ways of impacting the health and well-being of one billion lives by 2021 through holistic and functional methods.

ZYTO CEO and Founder Dr. Vaughn R Cook signs agreement with Trinity School of Natural Health COO Chris Nickell



As part of this agreement, Trinity will offer a ZYTO Specialized Practitioner program beginning in uly of 2018. This 12-week specialization will give students the opportunity to learn how to use ZYTO biocommunication technology to assist individuals in their wellness journeys. This program may also pave the way for further specializations that will continue to enrich Trinitys educational offerings in natural health education. ZYTO will work closely with Trinity in the development of the new program and its course requirements.



Remarking on the agreement, Dr. Vaughn R Cook, CEO of ZYTO, stated: We are excited to have Trinity as a formal collaborator with whom we share many common values. Understanding biocommunication technology will provide significant advantages to students who wish to serve their communities with greater specificity and purpose. We believe this new collaboration will allow us to further serve our community and expand our opportunities to support the well-being of millions. About ZYTO

ZYTO is a technology company founded in 2004 by Dr. Vaughn R Cook. The company provides biocommunication hardware and software with wellness and lifestyle applications that include obtaining and analyzing galvanic skin response data from the human body to assist in making better decisions.

Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements relating to marketing and sales activities by ZYTOs marketing partners, ZYTO product development launches, future growth and research, and enhanced value for ZYTOs stockholders are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Companys products, increased levels of competition, new products and technological changes, dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time. ZYTO disclaims any obligation or intention to update any forward-looking statement contained in this release.

Contact Information

Any questions regarding this release can be directed to: Adam Ford

ZYTO Corporation General Counsel

[email protected]

www.ZYTO.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/10e611b7-c074-49e4-91f1-80ef66b50767

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[December 21, 2017] Exelon Breaks All-Time Giving Record by Donating More Than $46.5 Million and 200,000 Volunteer Hours to Communities in 2017

Exelon, along with the Exelon Foundation, its operating companies and 34,000 employees, achieved a new record in corporate philanthropy and volunteerism in 2017, committing $46.5 million in charitable giving and volunteering 200,000 hours. "I am extremely proud of our employees for the positive impact they have had in strengthening their communities this year," said Maggie FitzPatrick, Exelon's senior vice president of Corporate Affairs. "During our Giving Tuesday initiative alone, more than 1,700 employees in 39 cities participated in over 150 service projects, restoring natural resources, volunteering at schools and feeding the hungry. Their efforts to give back are a true demonstration of our commitment to communities and supporting our neighbors, particularly during the holidays." Exelon focuses the majority of its social investments on preserving the environment; enhancing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; sustaining the arts and fostering strong and healthy communities. "Through Exelon's support of our Lakeshore Preserve and ComEd's Green Region Program, Exelon and ComEd have enabled us to maintain open space projects focusing on environmental conservation, preservation and improvements to local parks and recreational resources," said Jerry Adelmann, president and CEO of Openlands, one of the oldest metropolitan conservation organizations in the nation. "Together for the last five years, we have been able to help communities throughout northern Illinois create and enhance open space where their citizens live, work and play." "Exelon and its operating companies' support is critical to providing our 38,000 students with hands-on STEM education opportunities," said Mary Spruil, executive director of The NEED Project, which created the Energizing Student Potential initiative for students primarily in 5th to 8th grade in Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. "Not only have they given us grants to provide year-round academic support for approximately 275 schools, their employees have shared important lessons with our students, bringing their real-life experience to the classroom."



In keeping with Exelon's culture of giving back, nearly 8,500 Exelon, BGE, Constellation, ComEd, Exelon Generation, PECO (News - Alert) and Pepco Holdings employees and their families surpassed the goal of committing 180,000 hours of volunteer time to their communities by spending the equivalent of three workdays each helping those in need. They also exceeded the $8 million goal for Exelon's annual employee giving campaign by nearly $500,000. In addition to grants provided by Exelon throughout the year, employee efforts were matched by the company, bringing the total to $12.6 million. Employees also participated in the Exelon Foundation Matching Gifts Program, donating over $3 million to charity - a gift that was matched dollar for dollar, doubling the impact on the community. Exelon, its operating companies and their employees are committed to giving back year-round to the communities where they live and work. In 2017, the company was named to Points of Light's list of the 50 most community-minded companies in the country, and Exelon also received honors from the Trust for Public Land, the Pro Bono Institute, the Northwestern Settlement House and Kids in Need of Defense, among others, for its leadership in corporate responsibility. For more information on how Exelon supports its community, go to www.exeloncorp.com/community.

About Exelon Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of utility customers in the U.S. Exelon does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and had 2016 revenue of $31.4 billion. Exelon's six utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco subsidiaries. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 35,500 megawatts of nuclear, gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric generating capacity comprising one of the nation's cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company's Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 2.2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Follow Exelon on Twitter (News - Alert) @Exelon. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171221006099/en/

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[December 21, 2017] Conning to Make Strategic Investment in Global Evolution, an Emerging and Frontier Market Investment Manager

Conning, a leading global investment management firm, and Global Evolution, a premier specialist investment manager of emerging and frontier market debt strategies, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for Conning to acquire a 45 percent stake in Global Evolution. The transaction is expected to close in early 2018, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171221006109/en/ "We are very pleased to welcome Conning as a new shareholder in Global Evolution. This is a significant milestone in our firm's development - one that recognizes the strength of our business and emphasizes our reputation as a leader in emerging and frontier markets," said Sren Rump, Chief Executive Officer of Global Evolution. "Conning is the ideal strategic partner and has made a significant commitment of resources, including enhanced global distribution and capital, that accelerates our growth and enhances the experience for our clients." Following the closing, Global Evolution will continue to operate as an independent boutique and founders Sren Rump and Morten Bugge will continue as CEO and CIO, respectively. Employees will continue to hold a majority ownership interest in the firm, with Conning increasing its position in Global Evolution over time through a series of staged investments designed to provide complete stability for the business, and continuity in service and performance for clients. "Emerging market debt is increasingly being accepted as a strategic asset class for investors globally, and given this trend we are pleased to be able to proide Global Evolution's world-class investment expertise to our clients," said Woody Bradford, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Conning. "We look forward to working with Sren, Morten and the Global Evolution team as we build our business, serve clients, and pursue new opportunities together."



"This transaction is beneficial to our clients, employees and business. With the support of Conning's resources, Global Evolution is well positioned to accelerate innovation in emerging and frontier market investing," said Morten Bugge, Chief Investment Officer of Global Evolution. "This transaction ensures that the investment team can focus on what is most important, namely delivering high quality emerging and frontier market products to investors." Magnusson Denmark Advokatpartnerselskab served as legal advisor to Conning on this transaction. Spencer House Partners LLP served as financial advisor and Kromann Reumert served as legal advisor to Global Evolution.

ABOUT CONNING Conning (www.conning.com) is a leading global investment management firm with approximately $120 billion in global assets under management as of November 30, 2017.* With a long history of serving the insurance industry, Conning supports institutional investors, including pension plans, with investment solutions and asset management offerings, award-winning risk modeling software, and industry research. Founded in 1912, Conning has offices in Boston, Cologne, Hartford, Hong Kong, London, New York, and Tokyo. *As of November 30, 2017, represents the combined global assets under management for the affiliated firms under Conning Holdings Limited, and Cathay Securities Investment Trust Co., Ltd. ("SITE"). SITE reports internally into Conning Asia Pacific Limited, but is a separate legal entity under Cathay Financial Holding Co., Ltd. which is the ultimate controlling parent of all Conning entities. ABOUT GLOBAL EVOLUTION Founded in 2007, Global Evolution (www.globalevolution.com) is a dedicated, leading emerging and frontier markets investment manager, committed to impact investing. With US$6.6 billion in assets under management as of November 30, 2017, the firm invests globally on behalf of a wide range of institutional investors through pooled funds and segregated accounts. Its clients are supported by a long-tenured group of investment professionals, and its founders have worked together for more than two decades. Global Evolution is known for its innovative approach to investing in emerging and frontier markets. Global Evolution has its head office in Kolding, Denmark, and offices in Zurich and New York. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171221006109/en/

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[December 21, 2017] Tableau Selected for A.S. Watson's Transformative Technology Partner Programme

SEATTLE, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A.S. Watson Group (ASW), the world's largest international health and beauty retailer, has selected Tableau as one of the first partners in the company's newly created Technology Partnership Programme. As the leader in visual analytics, Tableau is the only 'Data Visualization' provider featured in the inaugural group of Tech Partners. Developed in an effort to accelerate ASW's digital transformation, the programme focuses on building longer term relationships with key tech partners like Tableau by providing greater visibility into ASW's growth strategy and technology roadmap and building strong integrations among senior leaders. By working closely with a network of expert partners and gaining direct access to the latest advancements in technology, ASW expects to build on their retail expertise to fuel further growth as a more efficient, data-driven organisation. Malina Ngai, Group Chief Operating Officer of A.S. Watson, explained why the company introduces the partnership approach. "We believe every technology partner whom we have chsen to work with is more than just a vendor. Traditional client-vendor relationship is short-term, lack of transparency and continuity. The Partnership Programme is designed to transform the short term contractual relationship to a longer term strategic relationship to create a win-win for both parties. The appointment of our first batch of worldwide Tech Partners shows our determination to accelerate our digital transformation, enabling A.S. Watson Group to build on our solid retail foundation to fuel further growth through a smarter and more efficient organisation. Our purpose of putting customer first and putting a smile on their faces continues. We recognize that our customers are changing rapidly and technology has become an ever more critical ingredient to deliver our purpose."



JY Pook, Senior Vice-President of Tableau APAC, said, "Tableau is thrilled to be recognized as one of the first ASW Tech Partners. Data is a strategic asset in all aspects of business and when presented clearly, it has enormous potential to improve mission critical outcomes. We believe harnessing the power of data is a crucial step in an organisation's digital transformation and we look forward to working closely with ASW throughout their journey." Thomas Yap, Head of Greater China at Tableau, said, "At Tableau we strive to help everyone see and understand data and ASW's Technology Partnership Programme provides a unique setting for strategic collaboration between our organisations. The effective use of data is a must-have in the rapidly changing retail industry, and we are committed to enabling ASW and their employees with a self-service analytics platform that will make it possible for anyone to quickly access, analyse and share insights from their data. Our team is delighted to have the opportunity to help ASW make more data-driven decisions and find new ways to continue putting their customers first." About Tableau Tableau helps people see and understand data. Tableau helps anyone quickly analyze, visualize and share information. More than 65,000 customer accounts get rapid results with Tableau in the office and on-the-go. Hundreds of thousands of people have used Tableau Public to share data in their blogs and websites. See how Tableau can help you by downloading the free trial at www.tableau.com/trial. Tableau and Tableau Software are trademarks of Tableau Software, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622455/Tableau_ASW_Tech.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/411941/TABLEAU_SOFTWARE_LOGOjpg_Logo.jpg

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[December 21, 2017] Hanergy Partners with BAIC BJEV to Develop Applications for Thin Film Solar Technology

Companies to expand range of thin film solar applications in the transportation and construction industries BEIJING, Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanergy Thin Film Power Group (00566.HK) recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Electric Vehicle (BAIC BJEV) at the "Green China - Hanergy Ecological City Comprehensive Solution Plan Conference" held at the Hanergy general headquarters. Working together within the framework of "Smart Transportation, Green Journey," the two companies pledged to drive forward thin film applications for the car & household, including roofs and charging stations as well as projects to construct distributed energy industrial parks, and to use solar technology to alleviate poverty in agricultural areas. As part of the agreement, BAIC BJEV will work with Hanergy to integrate Hanergy's thin film solar solutions into the roofs of vehicles, providing auxiliary power and even functioning as the main power source. BAIC BJEV and Hanergy will also work together to use thin film solar technology to provide smart battery charging at electric vehicle charging stations. In terms of shared electric vehicles, the two companies will collaborate on using thin film solar to power automotive GPS and electronic locks. Furthermore, BAIC BJEV and Hanergy plan to deploy thin film solar technology in BAIC BJEV's automobile manufacturing plants, constructing a distributed green energy system to support factory operations. Finally, the two companies will begin to build small model villages incorporating the aforementioned technology, including thin film solar roofs, car charging staions and new energy vehicles. As part of this initiative the companies will also explore application of thin film solar for agriculture and poverty alleviation.



Hanergy Thin Film Power Group CEO Si Haijian, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group Senior Vice President Zhang Bin, BAIC BJEV CEO Zheng Gang, BAIC BJEV Deputy CEO Yuan Chengyin, and other high level representatives from both sides attended the signing ceremony. At the signing ceremony, Hanergy CEO Si Haijian said, "Hanergy's partnership with BAIC BJEV stands as a model for cooperation between the thin film solar and the new energy vehicle industries, reflecting the push within Chinese industry to transform energy production and consumption."

BAIC BJEV CEO Zheng Gang said, "BAIC BJEV hopes that through our cooperation with Hanergy we will be able to create a win-win situation, making contributions to the eco-friendliness and sustainability of the new energy auto industry." Aside from BAIC BJEV, the Green China Conference was attended by Haier, Zhong Yuan and other Chinese giants of industry. The conference was devoted to discussion of Hanergy's Ecological City Comprehensive Solution, an effort under China's new energy development strategy to lower urban energy consumption. This will be accomplished through reforms in macro level planning, program design, infrastructure construction and transportation services aimed at improving urban energy use. China's efforts in this area follow similar programs undertaken in France, the Netherlands, Germany and other European countries. Similar to these countries, China has prioritized its plan to phase out gasoline powered cars. In addition to its cooperation with BAIC BJEV and Audi, Hanergy has recently worked with major bike sharing companies, including Mobike, 99 Bicycle and MTBike to integrate thin film solar panels into the bodies of more than 15 million bicycles over the next three years. In the construction industry, Hanergy recently launched Hantile, a new product combining highly efficient solar panels with traditional roof tiles. Hantile has better performance than traditional tiles in terms of thermal insulation, heat preservation, fire prevention and hail protection. Media contact Danning Wang

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +86 (10) 83914567 ext 3118 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hanergy-partners-with-baic-bjev-to-develop-applications-for-thin-film-solar-technology-300574855.html SOURCE Hanergy Holding Group

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Scanship Holding ASA through its subsidiary Scanship AS, has been awarded a contract by the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the supply of total clean ship system for a Silversea Cruises newbuild. The newbuild will enter service in 2020, and Scanship will deliver equipment during 2019.

"This will be the third newbuild with Scanship total clean ship system built by Fincantieri for Silversea Cruises. We are very pleased to work with Fincantieri and Silversea on this high-end luxury class of ship to ensure environmental sustainability at sea" says CEO Henrik Badin in a statement.



For further queries, please contact:

Henrik Badin - CEO

Scanship Holding ASA

Tel: +47 90 78 98 25

Email: henrik.badin@scanship.no

ABOUT SCANSHIP HOLDING ASA

Scanship is an industry leader in advanced technologies for processing waste and purifying water within the maritime industry. Owners of vessels operating our systems have the solutions to convert all waste and wastewater to inert materials, recyclables, clean flue gas and effluent, which meets the highest international discharge standards. Our new technologies will recover water and produce energy, providing tangible payback from the operations. We strive for the highest quality, innovative and sustainable solutions.
[December 22, 2017] Catch BIGBANG's "Last Dance in Seoul" concert live and loud for free in Asia with JOOX concert live stream

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Good news for K-Pop fans in Asia! What better way to wrap up 2017 than celebrating with your favourite K-pop idols, and getting additional perks while you're at it? With JOOX, you can end your year on a high note with the "Kings of K-Pop" BIGBANG live, loud and straight to the hearts of K-Pop lovers! On December 31, BIGBANG fans can watch the K-Pop legends' "Last Dance in Seoul" concert via live streaming for free through the JOOX app or website, and get instant front seats in the comfort of their own homes. Held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, the concert will feature an exciting and electrifying performance by four of BIGBANG's members: G-Dragon, Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri. JOOX's BIGBANG concert live streaming schedule:







Hong Kong and Malaysia 6pm Korea time / 5pm local time Indonesia and Thailand 6pm Korea time / 4pm local time



RSVP now to mark this important event in your schedule. You can even listen to the BIGBANG playlist before the concert so you can sing and dance along with the legendary K-Pop group! The year-end only gets hotter from here! You can enjoy an exclusive 20% discount when signing up for JOOX VIP from now until January 1, 2018 in Malaysia, and until December 25, 2017 in Indonesia and Thailand. Grab the chance as early as now! Enjoy your favourite music and live performances for free now by downloading JOOX on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or accessing the JOOX website. Many more performances by both local and international artists are lined up to be streamed on JOOX. To find out who will be featured next or how to be a VIP user, simply download the app or visit http://www.joox.com/. Appendix -- JOOX Download Links



RSVP for BIGBANG's concert livestreams:

http://bit.ly/2BpGzMD

JOOX BIGBANG song list:

http://bit.ly/2BwdBaU

Exclusive 20% discount for JOOX VIP signup:

http://bit.ly/2oLhm9q Download now to start your premium music journey today! About JOOX JOOX is a free music app made for music lovers. With an extensive library of hits from all over the world, JOOX connects you to your favourite artists, songs, albums and personalized playlists. Users can discover great new music with recommended songs and radio stations that fit your taste and mood. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171222/2021279-1 SOURCE JOOX

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[December 22, 2017] JOOX teams up with "Arena of Valor" for a unique experience of music and adventure!

JAKARTA, Indonesia, KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia and BANGKOK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Great news for gamers who are hooked in playing Arena of Valor (AOV), the epic 5v5 multiplayer mobile battle arena (MOBA) that has taken Asia and America by storm! JOOX Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand users can find new ways to enjoy their online battles with a chance to redeem a special edition AOV item pack when they share the JOOX AOV OST song list to their friends! As if its exciting battles and quest for domination aren't enough to hype gamers, AOV features music composed by multi-awarded film score composer and producer Hans Zimmer, who also wrote heart-pumping epic scores for blockbuster films such as Interstellar, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Dark Knight Trilogy. AOV is dubbed by video game media company IGN as "the most popular game in the world". Its unique and powerful heroes, including DC Comics' Batman, can be mastered by gamers to create the most dominating team in the MOBA world. Listen to and share the epic music and awesome adventure of AOV through JOOX for a chance to take home a special edition AOV item pack. For details, please visit the following links:







Country Promotion Period Promotion URL Malaysia From now till December 25, 2017 http://bit.ly/2kqtJTG Thailand From now till December 25, 2017 http://bit.ly/2kqtSXe Indonesia From now till January 1, 2018 http://bit.ly/2CJAGpQ

Stay tuned for more exciting promotions brought to you by JOOX! Meanwhile, enjoy your favourite music and live performances for free now by downloading JOOX on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or accessing the JOOX website http://www.joox.com/. Download now to start your premium music journey today! About JOOX JOOX is a free music app made for music lovers. With an extensive library of hits from all over the world, JOOX connects you to your favourite artistes, songs, albums and personalized playlists. Users can discover great new music with recommended songs and radio stations that fit your taste and mood. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20171221/2020405-1 SOURCE JOOX

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[December 22, 2017] Quikr and Jaipur Rugs Win TiE-QGLUE Design-Led Entrepreneurship Award

NEW DELHI, December 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Quikr and Jaipur Rugs were adjudged the winners of the first edition of TiE-QGLUE Design-Led Entrepreneurship Award which is India's first Design-Led Entrepreneurship Award, with Savart winning the special mention award, held at TiEcon Delhi on 16th December, 2017. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622553/QGLUE_QAI_Logo.jpg )

QGLUE in partnership with TiE Delhi NCR announced the award to provide a platform to recognize entrepreneurial ventures that are driven and led by design, with a special attention to the 'human-centred' approach to shaping business. Magicpin, Quikr, Ixigo, Jaipur Rugs and Savart were the five finalists, gunning for glory by presenting their pitches to the jury members that comprised of Navyug Mohnot (CEO QAI Global Services, Founder QGLUE), Kshitij Marwah (Head, MIT Media Labs India), Alok Nandi (Principal Architempo, VP IxDA) and Sumit Dagar (Head of Design, 1MG). The participants presented their design journeys to the jury members on 16th December, in a closed boardroom where they were grilled by the jury members to truly understand how deep the design ethos flowed in the venture. Emerging victorious from the five finalists were Quikr and Jaipur Rugs, with a special consolation award given to Hyderabad-based Fintech - Savart. Quikr being an online classified advertising platform for users to buy or sell goods and services from each other, has customer personas, empathy map and customer experience deeply rooted in their process. With a great emphasis placed on A/B testing. Other services offered by Qukr include a missed call service, and instant messaging service that is making customer interaction an absolute delight for their users.



On being quizzed about what his takeaway was from the award, Nitin Sethi, head product design and user experience at Quikr said, "It's a platform that is recognising design-led entrepreneurship and providing visibility and motivation to firms to become more design-led. It's a fantastic initiative." Jaipur Rugs, one of India's largest makers of hand-knotted carpets, has previously won the CNBC TV18 Emerging India Award, The Times of India Social Impact Award and was also included as a case study in C.K Prahalad's book 'The Fortune at the bottom of the Pyramid' showcased how design can be used for social innovation and social welfare.

By bridging the gap between the artisan and the consumer and removing the middleman, Jaipur Rugs Artisan originals collection has empowered the artisans. "I think this is brilliant and such an innovative idea. How empathy and human-centred approach put together with design can lead to an entrepreneurial journey for people, is an idea that needs to be celebrated. I'm so thrilled to be a part of this," said Meghna Jain, Lead Marketing & Research at Jaipur Rugs. The surprise at the award ceremony was special mention awardee - Savart, a Fintech startup that aims to make investments - easy, affordable and profitable for everyone. Navyug Mohnot, CEO, QAI Global and Founder of QGLUE had the following to say when asked about why QGLUE decided to host these awards, "There are a lot of pre-conceived notions about design and what it means. The awards aim to address all these issues by celebrating and recognizing ventures that are design-led, so that design becomes real for everyone, and puts to rest doubts with real-life success stories. The aim is to have more firms become better designed." Know more about the TiE-QGLUE Design-Led Entrepreneurship Award: http://excellenceawards.tiecon-delhi.org/design/ About QGLUE QGLUE is a design and innovation venture promoted by QAI (http://www.qaiglobal.com/) that uses design to help businesses build services that people love and impact the world around us. Using human-centred approach with robust methodology, QGLUE equips people to solve wicked problems by helping them reach a solution that is not just right, but also desirable with design at the heart of it all. QGLUE aims to evangelize design and innovation that makes the world better designed and people happier. QGLUE website: http://www.q-glue.com. About TiE TiE is a non-profit, global community that welcomes entrepreneurs from all over the world. TiE believes in the power of ideas to change the face of entrepreneurship and growing business through the five pillars; mentoring, networking, education, incubating and funding. TiE was founded in 1992. Media Contact :

Moses Koul

[email protected]

+91-9811431136

Asst. Manager Marketing, QGLUE



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[December 22, 2017] NestAway Plans to Expand in Delhi NCR

NEW DELHI, December 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NestAway to onboard 5000 houses this financial year The Delhi NCR region continues to be the home for a number of students, graduates, working professionals and families every year and is constantly increasing. With so many colleges and offices in the city, students and working professionals often find it difficult to find accommodation outside the hostels. From high rents and security deposits, dealing with brokers to unreasonable demands and restrictions by the house owners, tenants find it difficult to accommodate all their requirements. There is still a bias prevalent among house owners when it comes to renting their homes to bachelors. Migrants, especially women find it challenging to rent a house at safe locations in any city.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622555/NestAway_Logo.jpg )

To address this problem, NestAway Technologies, India's largest online home rental company, is helping in providing rental accommodations to bachelors. In order to expand their customer portfolio, NestAway has also added homes for families to their app. Nestaway accords highest importance to affordability and makes it easier for tenants to find accommodation of their choice that meets all their requirements. Through the NestAway app, prospective tenants can find, ook and move into a rental home of their choice. NestAway app also provides support to tenants from moving-in to the new house, paying the rent to maintenance services. Since NestAway charges only two months of security deposit with zero brokerage, it helps solve the problem of huge investments for the tenants.



NestAway homes are available across Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad with 2200+ homes and 7000+ tenants with nearly 1500 owners being NRIs from various geographies. The company aims to onboard 5000 houses in the next financial year. Apart from providing furnished homes NestAway is also planning to introduce 'Smart Homes' by launching the Smart Lock service for all homes. Smart Lock is a safety locking system that will ensure security for people staying in NestAway homes and especially for women. This service will be available on NestAway app on both Android and iOS devices. NestAway homes are present across areas including Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Delhi. Safety and security of the tenants being the top priority for NestAway, it has 7000+ single working women staying in NestAway homes. NestAway has a strict policy against discrimination, and there is no home differentiation on the basis of caste, creed, ethnicity, language or eating habits.

NestAway till date has raised $43.2 million in funding. NestAway has its presence in eight cities - Bengaluru, New Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Pune, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad and Mumbai. The company was founded by Amarendra Sahu, Deepak Dhar, Jitendra Jagadev and Smruti Parida in 2015. NestAway across 8 cities has 10,000+ houses catering to 25,000+ tenants. NestAway aims at creating a co-living space that helps tenants find a sense of belonging in a new city. About NestAway Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Nestaway Technologies is the fastest growing 'Home Rental Network' in India. With a goal of disrupting and restructuring the social infrastructure of affordable housing in the country, NestAway provides rental solutions using design and technology. Hence, resolving biases and barriers faced by urban migrants through their services. Headquartered in Bangalore, NestAway services are currently available in 8 cities in India. For more information, please visit: https://www.nestaway.com/ Media Contact :

Resham Chhabra

[email protected]

+91-9886190306

PR Head,

NestAway Technologies Pvt Ltd





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[December 22, 2017] Honor X Series Marks 40 Million Unit Sales Milestone With Tremendous Support From Consumers Worldwide

NEW DELHI, December 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In India, Honor 7X received overwhelming response from consumers. Three rounds of flash sales with limited number of Honor 7X were announced in India right after the global launch, the product was sold out within minutes of the first flash sale Honor, a leading smartphone e-brand, announced on its 4th Anniversary that Honor X series, including smartphones from Honor 4X to Honor 7X, achieved overwhelming sales performance with over 40 million units sold in the global market. Honor X series offers latest premium features at an accessible level for users worldwide. The latest Honor 7X demonstrates this commitment by marking a successful global debut of the latest bezel-less smartphone which offers great value to consumers. Honor 7X boasts an 18:9 edge-to-edge, bezel-less screen which enhances viewing and gaming experience significantly. The new flagship device is powerfully configured to perform seamlessly, making it an ideal companion for users whenever they work, communicate and play. Honor 7X launched in China in October 2017, and is also made available to users worldwide recently. In China, the new smartphone achieved remarkable sales results during "Singles' Day", the most important annual shopping festival, on 11 November this year. 300,000 units of Honor 7X were sold within the first two hours of Singles' Day on Tmall.com, China's largest online retail platform operated by Alibaba, making the smartphone at the top of overall bestsellers in the price range of RMB 1,000 to 1,999. The new smartphone alsoreceived positive user feedback and sales results globally. Compared to Honor 6X, Honor 7X sales doubled in the first two weeks of its global launch in London, on 5 December.



In India, Honor 7X received overwhelming response from consumers. Three rounds of flash sales with limited number of Honor 7X were announced in India right after the global launch, and the product was sold out within minutes of the first flash sale. In Russia where Honor is a top-three smartphone brand, the sales of Honor 7X was triple that of Honor 6X in the first two weeks of the global launch, accelerating the already strong momentum in the country.

In the United States, Honor 7X achieved a 250% growth in pre-paid orders from 5th Dec to 14th Dec compared to the sales of Honor 6X during the first 10 days of its debut. The smartphone is also available for purchase in selected markets, including Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Ukraine and Turkey), Russia, United States, Middle East (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran), India and Malaysia. With an unparalleled full-screen viewing experience at an extremely competitive price point, Honor 7X wins supports from consumers across the world. For more information of Honor 7X, please visit http://www.hihonor.com/global/products/mobile-phones/honor7x/index.html. About Honor Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers. For more information, please visit Honor online at www.hihonor.com or follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/

https://twitter.com/Honorglobal

https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/

https://www.youtube.com/honorglobal

Media Contact: Prateek Sharma [email protected] +91-9971476254 Manager FleishmanHillard

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[December 22, 2017] Booz Allen Hamilton Plans to Relocate Montgomery County Offices to Bethesda

Booz Allen Hamilton (News - Alert), a leading global technology consulting and engineering firm, will relocate its offices from Rockville to a new 65,000 square-foot facility in Bethesda by the end of 2019. The company, which has more than 3,800 employees in locations across Maryland, will retain about 750 employees in Montgomery County at the new state-of-the art workplace designed to promote collaboration and innovation. To assist with costs of the relocation, the Maryland Department of Commerce has approved a $750,000 conditional loan through the Maryland Economic Development Assistance Authority and Fund (MEDAAF). Montgomery County is also providing a $250,000 conditional grant for costs related to Booz Allen Hamilton's relocation. "The nature of work is changing rapidly, and we are taking steps to ensure that our offices reflect that change," said Deane Edelman (News - Alert), vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton. "We're providing our employees with open and inspiring workspaces that encourage collaboration and innovation and allow us to continue to attract and retain the best talent who look for a dynamic work environment. We are very appreciative of the State of Maryland and Montgomery County for helping facilitate our new presence in Bethesda." Booz Allen Hamilton has been at the forefront of strategy and technology for more than 100 years providing management and technology consulting and engineering services to leading Fortune 500 corporations, governments, and not-for-profits across the globe. Booz Allen partners with public and private sector clients to solve their most difficult challenges through a combination of cnsulting, analytics, mission operations, technology, systems delivery, cybersecurity, engineering, and innovation expertise. The company has eight locations in Maryland.



"As Booz Allen Hamilton continues to lead the way as a global leader in innovation, Montgomery County's advantages will be increasingly important to the company's future growth and market reach," said County Executive Isiah Leggett. "With a move to Bethesda, the company gains a strategic hub in a walkable, amenity-rich urban district that will help attract the best and the brightest." "Bethesda is an ideal location for Booz Allen Hamilton's continued success in the region," added MCEDC President & CEO, David Petr. "Montgomery County is able to attract and retain many forward-thinking companies with our access to a highly educated workforce, great connectivity and exceptional location for business success."

MCEDC connected Booz Allen Hamilton to resources at the County and State and helped facilitate relocation efforts. "Booz Allen Hamilton is a valuable company for Montgomery County and the State of Maryland, said Spiros Balntas, Director of Business Recruitment. "We support companies that continue to invest in Montgomery County with highly skilled jobs for our talented workforce." About MCEDC The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is the official public-private organization representing Montgomery County, Md. The organization was created in 2016 to help businesses start, grow, and relocate in Montgomery County, Maryland, by helping them gain access to top talent, business and market intelligence and prime locations. For more information, visit our website at thinkmoco.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171222005412/en/

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[December 22, 2017] BAE Systems Receives U.S. Army Contract to Begin M109A7 Full-rate Production

The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems (News - Alert) a contract that clears the path to begin full-rate production of the company's M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer and M992A3 ammunition carrier vehicles. The contract includes an initial $413.7 million award to execute the third and final option for low-rate initial production on the program. Options are also included that would begin the full-rate production phase, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the award to approximately $1.7 billion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171222005432/en/ BAE Systems has received a U.S. Army contract that clears the path to begin full-rate production of the company's M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer. (Photo: BAE Systems) BAE Systems will initially produce 48 vehicl sets, with the options calling for 60 sets per year for approximately three years of deliveries thereafter during full-rate production. The M109A7 consists of a new chassis design for improved performance, upgraded survivability, and components common to other Army vehicles, as well as additional key features.



"We have been working with the Army to design, develop, build, and test this vehicle for several years," said Adam Zarfoss, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Combat Vehicles U.S. business. "By working closely with our customer, we were able to design a vehicle that meets the needs of the current forces, and provides the system infrastructure and electrical power generation that leaves ample room to incorporate future capabilities." The M109A7 program is a significant upgrade over the vehicle's predecessor, the M109A6 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer. It uses the existing main armament and cab structure of the M109A6, but replaces the vehicle's chassis structure with a new design that increases survivability and allows for the integration of drive-train and suspension components common to the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. This commonality reduces overall program cost and logistical footprint, and provides improved mobility and system survivability to maintain dominance on the battlefield.

The M109A7 also leverages technologies from previous design programs, such as a 600-volt on-board power generation, distribution, and management system, coupled with a high-voltage electric gun drive and projectile ramming systems. The state-of-the-art digital-backbone and power generation capability provides significant growth potential for future payloads, and will accommodate existing battlefield network requirements. The upgrades ensure commonality with the existing systems in the Army's Armored Brigade Combat Team, including the BAE Systems-built Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the new Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle family. Work on the M109A7 is currently underway at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama, and at BAE Systems' facilities in York, Pennsylvania; Elgin, Oklahoma; Aiken, South Carolina; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Endicott, New York. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171222005432/en/

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By Trend





Presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the UN General Assembly resolution on Jerusalem during a phone conversation, the Turkish media reported on December 22.

Reportedly, the two leaders noted the importance of the resolution.

The UN General Assembly has recently adopted a resolution on the non-recognition of the US decision on the status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; 128 countries voted for the document, nine countries opposed, and 35 countries abstained.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION TO UNITED STATES



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp. (d/b/a Wheaton Income) (TSX.V:CBW) ("Wheaton Income" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a private placement offering of up to 38,709,677 convertible debenture units ("Convertible Debenture Units") with a conversion price of $1.55 per common share for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $60 million (the "Offering").

The net proceeds received by the Company will be used to fund working capital and general corporate purposes, including but not limited to, financing of the Company's streaming partners pursuant to certain streaming agreements and general and administrative expenses.

MMCAP International Inc. SPC (the "Lead Subscriber") and the Company have executed a binding term sheet with respect to the Offering, whereby the Lead Subscriber has agreed to subscribe for up to $48,000,000 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Debenture Units. Closing of the Offering is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions.

Convertible Debenture Units

Each Convertible Debenture Unit will be offered at a price of $1,000 per Convertible Debenture Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $60 million. Each Convertible Debenture Unit will consist of $1,000 principal amount of 6% senior unsecured convertible debentures (the "Debentures") and 322 Common Share purchase warrants (the "CD Warrants") of the Company. Each CD Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $1.80 per Common Share for a period of 24 months following the Closing Date.

The Debentures will bear interest from the closing date of the Offering at 6% per annum, calculated semi-annually on June 30 and December 31 of each year. The first interest payment will be made on June 30, 2018 and will consist of interest accrued from and including the Closing Date to June 30, 2018. The Debentures will mature on the date that is 24 months from the Closing Date (the "Maturity Date").

The Debentures will be convertible at the option of the holder, at any time prior to the close of business on the last business day immediately preceding the Maturity Date, into that number of common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") computed on the basis of the principal amount of the Debentures divided by the conversion price of $1.55 per Common Share (the "Conversion Price"). The Debentures will provide for the adjustment of the Conversion Price in certain events.

Beginning on the date that is four months and one day following the Closing Date, the Company may force the conversion of the principal amount of the then outstanding Convertible Debentures at the Conversion Price on not less than 30 days notice should the daily volume weighted average trading price of the Companys Common Shares be greater than $3.10 for any 10 consecutive trading days on the TSX Venture Exchange, or such other exchange as the Common Shares may then be trading.

Upon a change of control of the Company, on the date that is not less than 30 days following the giving of notice of the change of control, the Debenture holders shall, in their sole discretion, have the right to require the Company to, either: (i) purchase the Debentures at 100% of the principal amount thereof plus unpaid interest to the Maturity Date; or (ii) if the Change of Control results in a new issuer, convert the Debenture into a replacement debenture of the new issuer in the aggregate principal amount of 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the Debenture.

The Debenture shall be offered and sold by private placement (i) in Canada to "accredited investors" within the meaning of NI 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions and other exempt purchasers in each province of Canada, and (ii) outside Canada and the United States on a basis which does not require the qualification or registration of any of the Debentures or the Company. The Debentures, CD Warrants and the Common Shares issuable upon the conversion of the Debentures and CD Warrants, will be subject to a statutory four month hold period.

Conversion of Convertible Debentures

In addition, the Company announces that the majority of holders of convertible debentures issued on June 29, 2017 (the June Debentures) have elected to use reasonable commercial efforts to convert their June Debentures into Common Shares at a conversion price of $1.00 per share prior to the Closing Date.

Related Party Disclosure

The Lead Subscriber is considered to be a related party for purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and Policy 5.9 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions of the TSX Venture Exchange, making the Offering a "related party transaction". Pursuant to MI 61-101, the Company has filed a material change report providing disclosure in relation to each "related party transaction" on SEDAR under the Company's issuer profile at www.sedar.com. The Company did not file the material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing date of the Offering as the definitive documentation for the Offering and the participation therein by each "related party" of the Company were not settled until shortly prior to the closing of the Offering, and the Company wishes to close the Offering on an expedited basis for sound business reasons.

Closing Conditions and Related Matters

Subject to the satisfaction of customary of conditions, the Offering is expected to close on or about January 12, 2018.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Chuck Rifici" Chairman & CEO

About Wheaton Income. (TSX.V:CBW)

Wheaton Income is a collective of entrepreneurs with a passion for the cannabis industry past, present and future. Our mandate is to facilitate growth for our partners by providing them with financial support and sharing our collective industry experience. Our partners all have different visions, voices and brand values, and all share a common goalto build a world-class industry based on ethics, diversity, quality and innovation.

Stay Connected:

For more information about Cannabis Wheaton and our management team, please visit: http://www.wheatonincome.com , or follow us on Twitter @WheatonIncome. Call: 1.604.687.7130 Email: Mario@skanderbegcapital.com ( http://www.skanderbegcapital.com ).

Media Contact:

Sarah Bain, VP External Affairs

Email: sarah@cannabiswheaton.com

Phone: 613.230.5869

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: closing of the Offering, inability to complete the Offering on the proposed terms or at all, delays in obtaining or inability to obtain required regulatory approvals, regulatory or political change, the ability to generate revenue through the streaming agreements, requirements to obtain additional financing, timeliness of government approvals for granting of permits and licences, including licences to cultivate and sell cannabis, completion of the facilities, where applicable, actual operating performance of the facilities, competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is made, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward -looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

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

The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release will not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR

DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TORONTO, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Olivut Resources Ltd. (Olivut or the Company) (TSXV:OLV) is pleased to announce that it closed a non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of $315,000 (the Private Placement). The Private Placement was comprised of (i) 100,000 flow-through common shares (the FT Shares) for proceeds of $15,000 at a price of $0.15 per FT Share (the FT Placement), and (ii) 2,727,272 common shares (the Common Shares) for proceeds of $300,000 at a price of $0.11 per Common Share (the Common Share Placement). The FT Shares and the Common Shares are subject to resale restrictions pursuant to applicable securities laws requirements and will not be freely tradable until April 23, 2018.



Olivut will use the proceeds of the FT Placement primarily to fund exploration of its HOAM project in the Northwest Territories, Canada and proceeds of the Common Shares for exploration and general corporate purposes.

The TSX Venture Exchange approved for listing the common shares issued under the FT Placement and Common Share Placement on December 22, 2016.

Olivut is a diamond exploration company with a 100% mineral interest in the HOAM Project in Canadas Northwest Territories. Please visit www.olivut.com for detailed corporate and project information.

This news release is intended for distribution in Canada only and is not intended for distribution to United States newswire services or dissemination in the United States. The securities being offered have not, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities in the United States.

This communication to shareholders and the public contains certain forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitations statements regarding future production, 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 anticipate in such statements.

Leni Keough, P.Geo.

President and Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Leni Keough

President and Chief Executive Officer

Olivut Resources Ltd.

(780) 866-2226



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.
Massively popular battle royale darling PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has finally, officially left its Early Access status on PC and entered version 1.0. Its back online after a long period of scheduled maintenance, too, so you can get back to working on securing your winner winner, chicken dinner. Its just a shinier, more official chicken dinner now.

The road to PUBGs debut was paved with some pretty big frustrations, however. The game spent just nine months in Early Access, considerably less time than some other titles, and while that was a relatively smooth period of time, the launch was fraught with server issues that plagued the game's long-awaited debut.

The official PUBGaccount initially announced planned server maintenance that would begin at 4pm PT on December 21, which was two hours earlier than the maintenance was originally planned. It was scheduled to end at 11pm PT, but the PUBG Twitter account didn't end up announcing that the game had gone live until 12:01am PT.

The big 1.0 release had been announced for December 20, so the official launch ended up being delayed for a good while, with servers down for all players until the maintenance concluded. Players lost a good chunk of play time in anticipation of the update's debut, but it gave everyone some time to recharge, as it were, as the game's leaderboards were wiped entirely in preparation for the 1.0 release.

The jump to PUBG 1.0 includes much more than a change in version, however, as it introduces new mechanics like vaulting and climbing as well as a new desert map called Miramar. The new 3D Replay feature also allows you to check out just who took you out after you're killed to see not only where the lethal blow came from, but who delivered it as well.

Its a time of celebration, as should be evident, as the game also managed to hit 30 million combined players across both Xbox One and PC. That should come as no surprise, since PUBGmanaged to sell 10 million copies since its Early Access debut. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has experienced staggering growth ever since it came on the scene, and with its arrival on Xbox One and breaking free of Steam Early Access, it's got plenty of room to grow and evolve. It will certainly be interesting to see where it's at in the next six months.


With the dust settled, the feud wiped clean with manufacturing partner Western Digital, and a $17.7 billion cash infusion from investor Bain Capital, Toshiba is ready to let loose with new memory technologies coming from new manufacturing facilities.

Toshiba currently has Fab 6 (a manufacturing facility) under construction with a completion date estimated for Q4 2018. That hasn't slowed the company from lining up a new facility in Kitakami, Japan. Toshiba announced plans to invest 7 billion ($1.062 billion) in site preparation and initial construction for Fab 7. The news follows other announcements this year to increase memory manufacturing at its Yokkaichi facility.

Western Digital plans to enter into an agreement with Toshiba to work together in the new Kitakami facility. Toshiba and Western Digital's joint venture will push forward (as it should) to take on rivals Samsung, Intel Micron Flash Technologies, and Sk Hynix.

This has been a record year for new NAND memory investment. We've seen all of the NAND manufacturers start, complete, or announce new facilities in 2017. The flash shortage certainly helped to pump up profits in 2017 and it looks like the companies will put that money to good use.

The current state of the market is 64-layer memory, but that will soon be a passing as companies prepare for the next chapter that will scale to 96-layers and beyond. We're already starting to see the shortage subside and retail product pricing decline. New innovative products are coming to market using higher bit per die NAND, like the Toshiba XG5 and Crucial MX500.

The new facilities will enable companies to bring new technologies to market even faster. Instead of retrofitting fabs that are up and running, the new production (and time to ramp up) can take place in a new location. This will bring 4-bit per cell (QLC) NAND to market even faster. We even expect to see working prototype at CES with QLC memory at CES 2018.
The Airport and Transparency In the lead-up to the November vote on tearing down Kansas City International Airport's terminals and building a new $1.2 billion single terminal, we editorialized on KMBC:Important details of the new terminal remain unknown. We don't know the final costs. We don't know the financing details, or how building contracts will be awarded.

hopes to continue negotiations - It's not worth the paper it's printed on - If anybody bothered to print it out. Reality is that the MOU voted down makes itand nearly everything about this billion dollar deal is up for grabs. Here's a peek at the busted process . . .
ACTIVISTS, PROTESTERS, BLACK LIVES MATTER SUPPORTERS ALONG WITH ANTIFA PROTESTED IN WESTPORT AGAINST RACIAL PROFILING AND THE UPCOMING SECURITY CRACKDOWN!!!

Kansas City Citizen Media:

"Around 40 people turned up to protest police brutality and racial profiling at the Westport Sunfresh Super Market.

Recent events seem to focus on one particular Sheriff's deputy drawing weapons on black customers and/or just about anyone who doesn't look like they're at Westport shopping for real estate.

Westport Security is known for their brutal police force. We have even recently received a statement that a landowner at Westport that's been pushing for privatization is indeed an open racist.

There are virtually no statistics kept by the Justice Department indicating how many people are wounded and killed by police each year. Some sources state that over 100,000 have been killed by police in the past 30 years. What we do know is police violence is commonplace in Kansas City and is rated number three in the US for police killings. Access to food has been another continuing issue for poor people and people of color.

We are certain that City Hall will vote today with the racist property owners for the gentrification and privatization of Westport."

While the topic of Westport street privatization was under discussion at City Hall, on the streets of Westport social unrest erupted.To wit . . .Sunfresh was the targetthe upcoming crackdown in Westport was also a point of contention.Turns out they were right about the vote . . .You decide . . .
MOLAWMEDIA: Legal Champions



Awarded to plaintiffs or defense lawyers, not based on the size of verdicts, but the importance of the principle or policy at stake.



Thomas Pickert of Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger in Kansas City, whose fatal shooting on Oct. 25 brought a heartbreaking end to a tragically short career as an advocate for clients with tough-to-win cases.

"A judge said NO to a ballistic test on a suspect . . . That's why there's a big push to convict the suspect on another charge because it would put him behind bars for the rest of his life anyway. But now there's a doubt if that will work so the family, friends and people close to the case are growing increasingly frustrated."

One of the most high-profile homicide cases of 2017 earns both tribute and blame game accusations behind the scenes.First the good news, an honor for the deceased lawyer . . .And then, according to. . .And so, this case might not be as cold as some believe and the investigation proceeds into the new year.Developing . . .
The Greek minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias and his Italian counterpart, Angelino Alfano met earlier on Wednesday, December 20, at the Villa Madama in western Rome. A venue where only very special, important and meaningful meetings take place. Thus, Kotzias became the second minister after the Russian FM, Sergey Lavrov, who was hosted there in the year 2017. In fact, this choice of venue proves how the Italian government considered it and the importance Rome attached to it.

Moreover, the climate among the two European politicians was so warm that, after the official and programmed time of the meeting was over, Kotzias and Alfano held a private get together that lasted for another half hour.

Later on, the Greek and Italian FMs signed two memoranda of co-operation, one on political consultations and the other on the diplomatic education field between their respective countries.

Our talks were about bilateral issues and we focused particularly on the energy co-operation among us. We discussed for a possible future agreement on matters concerning the maritime zones, noted the Greek minister when asked about the meeting by the ANA-MPA.

Furthermore, he added that We had an in-depth-talk about international developments. I was asked by the Italian side to make analytical comments about Greeces stance on global changes, on the way we (Greece) perceive the new U.S. leadership and the future role of China.

Nikos Kotzias also spoke about the extent to which the two neighbouring countries agree on the idea of a socially-focused Europe in the near future.

I think that we (Greece and Italy) are on the same page, since, as you know, after I took the initiative and with Hungarys support, we organized the Budapest meeting of 10 -the Visegrad Group with Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia and Serbia. In three months from now, Greece will host a similar but enlarged meeting, between all of the above-mentioned states as well as those of the West Balkans that are in the accession process, Turkey among them. I have already invited my Italian colleague to attend the Athens meeting and I believe he wants to be there.

Regarding the Dublin Regulation and the Visegrad bloc countries that seem to be pulling back, Kotzias argues that Greece and Italy have a similar policy due to the fact that they (as countries) go through the real problems of migration. What I want to underline at this point is something I always say; the ones who engage in bombarding people are not the same with the ones who pay the price.

Source: balkaneu.com

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: A.Savin License: CC-BY-SA
The Council of Appeals Judges of Thessaloniki will issue a decision on January 5 on the extradition of two FYROM nationals to their country, where they are wanted for involvement in a so-called phone-tapping scandal under then-prime minister Nikola Gruevski, ANA reports.

The two men, former FYROM counterespionage agents, aged 51 and 35, were arrested in October at the Thessaloniki "Macedonia" International Airport on Interpol warrants when they tried to fly to Central Europe of fake passports. FYROM's authorities accuse them of "illegal tapping through the creation of a gang" and of "committing crimes of high technology."

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: Michael W. Pendergrass License: CC-BY-SA
Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (Sama) Governor Ahmad bin Abdulkarim Al-Khulaifi has denied any intention to break the Saudi riyal's peg to the US dollar.

The governor made the remarks at a press conference, a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report said.

He stressed the currency linkage has contributed to the Saudi economy and ensured monetary stability.
DALLAS, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Theres good news for Texas new home builders and buyers as sales remain strong and prices continue to come down, but the pace of home sales are mixed in Texas markets in November, according to the HomesUSA.com New Homes Sales Index and other data released today. The Index is a 12-month rolling average of the Days on Market (DOM) for new homes listed in the local Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) for the four largest Texas markets, including Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio.

The pace of new home sales quickened slightly in Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston, according to the HomesUSA.com Index for November, as the DOM averages were down for the month, but in Austin and San Antonio, the sale pace slowed a bit, as the DOM averages were up in November.

In Dallas-Fort Worth  which has become the largest new home market in Texas in terms of number of average monthly sales  the DOM decreased from 122.26 days in October to 121.19 days in November. In Houston, the average for new homes decreased from 134.74 days in October to 134.00 days in November. Austin increased from 111.43 days in October to 112.06 days in November, while San Antonios new home sales pace also slowed slightly, as the DOM increased from 106.05 days in October to 106.94 days in November.

Ben Caballero, owner of HomesUSA.com and the number one real estate agent in the U.S., notes the Texas data he released today is in strong alignment with the Commerce Departments announcement today on New Home Sales for November, which reported new home sales were up more than 17% nationally from October. He does note that we are likely seeing some signs of the impact of Hurricane Harvey in some of Houstons housing numbers.

As we head into the holidays, we are starting to see some seasonal impact on new home sales, as well as Hurricane Harveys impact in Houston, said Caballero. For builders and buyers, it remains a very happy year as new home sales have hit a record pace. Buyers are continuing to benefit from lower new home prices, he added.

New home prices improve again

The biggest holiday gift for buyers: lower new home prices overall in Texas in November, dropping from an average of $350,516 in October to $348,795 in November, according to data compiled by HomeUSA.com. (See Chart 1  Texas New Home Sale Prices)

In Houston, the average new home sales price dropped from $361,904 in October to $361,140 in November. In Dallas-Ft. Worth, the average price dropped from $349,906 in October to $346,050 in November. In Austin, the average price dropped from $378,318 in October to $377,294 in November. And in San Antonio, the average price in November is $290,768, down from $290,822 in October.

New Home Sales Up in All Four Major Markets

In all four of the Texas major housing markets, new home sales continue to show record strength. The rolling 12-month average of home sales in these markets increased from 3,422 in October to 3,451 in November. Thats according to data compiled by HomesUSA.com from local MLS and trade associations, including the Houston Association of REALTORS, North Texas Real Estate Information Systems, San Antonio Board of REALTORS and the Austin Board of REALTORS.

According to HomesUSA.com, based on a 12-month rolling average, Dallas-Ft. Worth posted sales of 1,272 in November, up from 1,246 in October. Houston posted new homes sales of 1,164 for November, but thats down from 1,170 sales in October. That slight decline is very likely to be from the impact of Hurricane Harvey, said Caballero.

Austin posted sales of 567 for November, up from 560 in October. San Antonio posted a slight increase in sales with 447 in November, up from 446 in October. (See Chart 2 - New Home Sales | Texas)

Understanding the new Days on Market Index

Caballero notes the average Days on Market for New Homes is about 65 days higher for new homes than for existing or pre-owned homes.

Why? Theres a huge difference between selling a new home and a pre-owned or existing home, Caballero explained. New homes are often listed for sale during the early stages of construction. This early market exposure allows buyers the opportunity to customize the home. Plus, by placing more inventory on the market, as it is being built, expands the inventory of available homes, and thats especially helpful for buyers and agents in a tight housing market.

Caballero adds, So there really is no apples-to-apples comparison for the Days on Market for new homes under construction with existing homes. (See Chart 3 - New Home Sales Index  Days on Market  Monthly numbers1)

The HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Index is a first of its kind index to track new home sales. Created by Caballero, who was named Most Innovative Real Estate Agent by real estate news firm Inman News, the index is an analysis by HomesUSA.com of sales of homes listed in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio local Multiple Listing Services (MLS). (See Chart 4 - New Home Sales Index  Days on Market  Tracking)

1Prior month DOM numbers are subject to adjustment

Please note that the monthly data is based on information reported to the MLS that may be incomplete or subject to further revision by the MLS. While licensed real estate professionals are required to report closed sales to their local MLS in Texas within 72 hours of a closed sale, not all sales, unfortunately, are reported promptly and some are reported more than 30 days later. This late reporting causes the prior months reported index number to change to include newly reported sales. Only the prior month index number is impacted and that number, once adjusted, is the final and correct index number.

About Ben Caballero and HomesUSA.com

Ben Caballero is the worlds most productive real estate agent, ranked #1 in America for the last six years, according to REAL Trends as published in the Wall Street Journal. He is the first and only agent in U.S. history ever to exceed the $1 billion mark for residential sales transaction volume in a single year, accomplished in both 2015 and 2016. An award-winning innovator, Caballero is founder and CEO of HomesUSA.com, Inc., working with more than 65 home builders in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Learn more at HomesUSA.com | Twitter: @BenCaballero - @HomesUSA | Facebook: /HomesUSAdotcom.

Note: You may contact Ben Caballero directly on his cell at (214) 616-9222 or by email at ben@homesusa.com.

Image of Ben Caballero is here:

http://waves.wavgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Ben-WhiteBkg.jpg

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8976b0aa-449b-4ead-9443-6b45acefdf13

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/598f4ccd-6e41-489a-b5c0-cd534dd8d8da

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aa96c451-1790-4cb2-bf27-c7cd464f1293

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11138bda-802f-40c6-a503-87fde5d89573

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a4191901-e558-4070-aae9-04039bfffe38
RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- State Employees Credit Union (SECU) again joined efforts with North Carolina state employees in providing financial support for charities through the 2017 State Employees Combined Campaign (SECC). Pledges and donations from SECU employees totaled more than $101,000a record annual amount! Credit Union members provided additional support through the SECU Foundation by funding the cost of the SECC Giving Guide, which lists the more than 900 charitable organizations eligible to receive contributions.



SECUs 2017 participation in the State Employees Combined Campaign continues their long tradition of support for charities in North Carolina and beyond, shared Laura Marx, 2017 SECC Campaign Team Lead. The culture of caring for local communities is evident each and every year, and we want to thank every SECU donor on behalf of the recipients of these donations. We are also very fortunate to have support from the SECU Foundation.

The SECC provides state personnel and government retirees with a convenient and trusted way to support causes that have the power to make a difference. This years contributions added more than $3.6 million to SECCs cumulative tally of over $103 million since the programs inception 31 years ago.

Jimmy Goodrum, SECU Senior Vice President of Member Education and Outreach commented, This years SECC contributions and pledges by SECU employees exceeded our expectations. Their generosity is a true example of the credit union People Helping People philosophy put into action. Were proud to be part of this annual statewide event supported by fellow North Carolinians who raise millions of dollars for community services provided by local non-profits.

About SECU

A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 80 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves 2.2 million members through 262 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone and a website, www.ncsecu.org.

Contact: Leigh Brady, EVP  Organizational Development

Office: 919-807-8347 | leigh.brady@ncsecu.org
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

Over two years after a US national was raped, the police have arrested a 32-year-old truck driver, identified as Baldev Singh of Patiala, for the crime. His accomplice, who too had violated the tourist, is at large.

The accused was arrested yesterday and has been sent to four-day police remand. At the time of the incident, Baldev used to drive an auto-rickshaw.

The incident had taken place in April 2015 when the victim had visited India on a tourist visa. She was scheduled to go to France later.

The police said the victim had sent her complaint on email from France in August.

An investigation was conducted and an FIR was registered at the Sector 17 police station in February last year.

In her complaint to the police, the woman had alleged that she was standing near the ISBT, Sector 17, when some auto drivers surrounded her. In the mean time, a man from Kurukshetra in Haryana, who was sitting in Baldevs auto, approached her and asked if she had any problem. The woman told him that she needed a hotel room to spend the night, following which he asked Baldev to get her one.

The auto-driver took her to several hotels but she failed to get an accommodation. Later, Baldev convinced her to accompany him to his friend Luckys house in Kharar where she could stay for the night. Source said Baldev and Lucky then raped the US tourist. They also robbed her of her laptop and a cell phone. Later, they deserted her at some place. According to the victims complaint, she had taken the number of the man from Kurukshetra before going with Baldev. After reaching France, she narrated the incident to him. He approached the Kurukshetra police but the complaint could not be lodged there. Following this, the victim sent an email to the UT police.

The police said the registration number of the auto that the victim had mentioned in the complaint was incomplete. She had also stated that there was some mall near the house where she was raped.

To get a clue in the case, the police also recorded the statement of the Kurushetra resident. Police officials said to avoid arrest, Baldev had switched to driving truck instead of auto.

Efforts are being made to ascertain Luckys whereabouts, said a police official.
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, B.C., Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cairo Resources Inc. (TSX-V:QAI.H) (the Company or Cairo), a Capital Pool Company listed on the NEX Board of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Letter of Intent dated December 22nd, 2017 (the Agreement) with Sino Blockchain Holdings Inc. (Sino), a private British Columbia corporation, whereby Cairo will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Sino (the Proposed Transaction) in exchange for common shares of Cairo. Sino has developed a proprietary software solution for the optimization and management of crypto-currencies in the B2B and B2C markets. The Proposed Transaction, if completed, will constitute Cairos Qualifying Transaction under the Exchanges policies.



About Sino Blockchain

Sino is a private British Columbia corporation. Sinos primary technology is a proprietary Artificial Intelligence driven software product that optimizes crypto-currency mining, analytics and altcoin management and trading. The technology can also be used in the Business to Consumer market, trading, hedging and shorting crypto-currencies based on signal frequencies from as little as an hour. Sino is at arms length to Cairo.

Sino Blockchains industrial scale crypto-currency signal software service utilizes a combination of proprietary algorithms that have been developed and stress tested across a wide variety of crypto-currencies. Sino offers an enterprise-grade crypto-currency management platform and proprietary artificial intelligence algorithms for finding the real time optimal portfolio balance of where to direct currently available GPU hashpower as crypto-currency prices, rewards, and difficulties fluctuate in the markets.

Sino takes a long-term view to minimize capital payback time and maximize hardware useful life for each data centre.

Sinos platform also provides crypto security integration to provide our partners with current industry best-practices for wallet storage access, including offline keys, offline transaction generation, and private key sharing.

The underlying technology is also applicable to the consumer market for trading, hedging and shorting crypto-currencies based on signal frequencies from as little as an hour. This technology could allow for the robo-trading of crypto-currencies as part of a larger wealth management solution for consumers.

Financial information related to the significant assets of Sino will be disclosed when available.

Summary of the Proposed Transaction

The Proposed Transaction will be effected by way of a three-cornered amalgamation without court approval under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), pursuant to which Cairo will acquire, through the amalgamation of a newly incorporated British Columbia subsidiary of Cairo with Sino, all of the issued and outstanding shares of Sino (the Sino Shares), in exchange for common shares of Cairo (each, a Cairo Share) and Sino will become a subsidiary of Cairo.

Pursuant to the Proposed Transaction, the shareholders of Sino will receive one Cairo Share for each Sino Share held at a deemed issue price of $0.255 per Cairo Share. As a condition of the Proposed Transaction, Sino will complete a non-brokered private placement through the issuance of no less than 10,500,000 shares at a price of $0.255 per Sino Share for gross proceeds of no less than $2,677,500 (the Financing). Assuming completion of the Financing, Cairo will issue 48,000,000 Cairo Shares in exchange for all of the issued Sino Shares.

The Proposed Transaction is subject to, among other things, receipt of the approval of the shareholders of Sino, approval of the Exchange and standard closing conditions, including the conditions described below.

The Proposed Transaction will constitute a Reverse Takeover of Cairo pursuant to Policy 5.2  Changes of Business and Reverse Takeovers of the Exchange.

Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, Cairo intends to change its name to a name acceptable to the Exchange and will continue on with the business of Sino and become a Tier 2 technology issuer, with Sino as its operating subsidiary (the Company after the Proposed Transaction being referred to herein as the Resulting Issuer).

Certain of the Cairo Shares to be issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction are expected to be subject to restrictions on resale or escrow under the policies of the Exchange, including the securities to be issued to Principals (as defined under Exchange policies), which will be subject to the escrow requirements of the Exchange.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, Cairo will issue an aggregate of 2,000,000 Cairo Shares to certain arms length third parties as finders fees in accordance with Exchange policies.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Proposed Transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

Conditions to the Proposed Transaction

The completion of the Proposed Transaction remains subject to a number of terms and conditions, including, among other things:

Sino completing the Financing for minimum gross proceeds of not less than $2,667,500;



Sino having received shareholder approval of the Proposed Transaction by a special majority of the Sino shareholders;





Proposed Transaction being effective on or prior to April 30, 2018;





Cairo and Sino obtaining all necessary consents, orders and regulatory approvals, including the conditional approval of the Exchange subject only to customary conditions of closing;





dissent rights not having been exercised by greater than 5% of the Sino shareholders;



no material change occurring to the business of Cairo or Sino;





the satisfaction of obligations under the Amalgamation Agreement relating to each of the parties; and



the delivery by each of the parties of standard closing documents, including legal opinions.

The parties will be seeking a waiver from the Exchange of any requirement for a sponsor, but in the event a waiver is not available, will seek a sponsorship relationship for this Proposed Transaction with an Exchange member firm.

The shares of the Company were halted effective December 22nd, 2017, and will remain halted until the completion of the Proposed Transaction.

The Resulting Issuer  Summary of Proposed Directors and Officers

It is currently anticipated that all of the current officers and directors of Cairo will resign from their respective positions with Cairo. The directors and senior management of the Resulting Issuer is expected to include the following people:

Derek Lew, Director & Chairman of Board

Derek Lew is a Partner with Initio Group, a Vancouver, BC-based early-stage angel investment firm, and a lawyer experienced in the areas of corporate, commercial and real estate law. An active member of the technology startup community and his own community, he is a Director of the Frank and Joan Lew Charitable Trust and the FJL Housing Society, which focuses on matters related to social housing in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside. Professionally, he is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Jonathan Bixby, CEO & Director

Jonathan Bixby is a serial entrepreneur, active investor, board member, and speaker. Jonathan has helped raise over $100M in venture capital and has been involved in over 10 successful exits. In addition to his investing efforts, Jonathan has been active in the crypto world since 2012 as an investor and entrepreneur.

Darcy Taylor, Director

Darcy has over 20+ years in senior leadership roles and a proven track record across multiple industries spanning, Asia, Europe and North America. A blockchain technology enthusiast since 2013, his pan Asian experience while residing in Seoul, Korea exposed him to the potential for the technology to disrupt a multitude of industries. Prior to his international experience, Darcy was CEO of MASEV Communications Inc., that was successfully acquired by IMG Canada.

Mike Edwards, Director

A lifelong entrepreneur, Mike Edwards has started and invested in technology companies for over 20 years. Mike is actively involved in growing and supporting the crypto currency startup community and connecting local entrepreneurs with the right investors, mentors and influencers in Silicon Valley, New York, Europe and Asia.

In addition, the Resulting Issuer will establish an elite blockchain advisory board that will announced in due course.

Additional information concerning the Proposed Transaction, Cairo, Sino and the Resulting Issuer will be provided in the Companys Filing Statement to be filed in connection with the Proposed Transaction and which will be available under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About Cairo

The Company is a Capital Pool Company presently listed on the NEX board of the Exchange. The Company currently has issued and outstanding 1,581,473 common shares issued and outstanding and no convertible securities.

For further information please contact Darryl Cardey at (604) 638-8063

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed)  Darryl Cardey 

Darryl Cardey

President and CEO

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange Requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Proposed Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

All information contained in this news release with respect to Cairo and Sino was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and Cairo and its directors and officers have relied on Sino for any information concerning such party.

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the timing and completion of the Proposed Transaction, the future operations of the Company, Sino, and the Resulting Issuer and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Proposed Transaction and the future plans and objectives of the Company, Sino, and the Resulting Issuer 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's, Sinos, and the Resulting Issuers expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions to completion of the Proposed Transaction set forth above and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company, Sino, and the Resulting Issuer with securities regulations.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, Sino, and the Resulting Issuer. As a result, the Company, Sino, and the Resulting Issuer cannot guarantee that the Proposed Transaction will be completed on the terms and within the time disclosed herein or at all. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company, Sino, and the Resulting Issuer will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.
Kharar, December 22

A retired Colonel, Sukhdev Singh (72), and his wife Gurjeet Kaur (70) were drugged and robbed of their gold jewellery and Rs 2.5 lakh in cash by their Nepali domestic help and his accomplices at their residence in Gillco Valley here on December 20 night.

The unconscious septuagenarian couple was rushed to the Kharar Civil Hospital, from where they were discharged today, the police said.

They said on December 17, a Nepal native, Dhirandar Shahi, joined them as cook. They said he brought a woman on the same evening and introduced her as his wife. Later, they came to know that she was not his wife.

On December 20, he went outside saying that he was going to meet his earlier employer and came back in the evening. He cooked food and mixed some intoxicants in it, they recalled.

After having their meal, the couple fell unconscious. Gurjeet Kaur said around midnight, she saw that the servant was removing gold bangles from her arms. As she got up, she saw another person present at the scene.  OC
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd)

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd)

WITH the reported presence through winter of enhanced strength of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China opposite Doklam, with improved operational and logistics infrastructure, is a Chinese military standoff or more with India almost a surety in 2018? The end of the 72-day standoff over Doklam was hailed as pragmatic; an example of political maturity and military astuteness by all. That was the need of the hour for China. It was about to conduct its five-yearly signature political event, the Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from October 18, 2017. Xi Jinpings image would not be very high if China was seen to be in the middle of an ugly border spat with a neighbour, which could turn violent with an innocuous trigger.

It was also hosting the BRICS Summit at Xiamen, and, presumably, could not be seen to be in an armed border standoff with one of the members. If China did actually pull back from the standoff, albeit reluctantly and without clarity and with those events now over, what holds it back from pressing its claims in the next season and instigating a similar situation? The Army Chief, Gen Bipin Rawat, to his credit, did mention that we have to be prepared for more such standoffs with China, which could resort to salami slicing and muscle flexing by it to nibble away at areas claimed by it and under dispute with India.

The 19th CPC was about bigger things. It set the tone for Chinas future superpower status by 2050 and capability to win wars. Doklam was just an aberration, but for Jinpings personal ego and that of the PLA, it was enough of a setback, temporarily papered over. India won fulsome praise for its ability not to back down in the face of severe intimidation. This model is being examined by various nations in East and South East Asia, perhaps much to the embarrassment of the PLA and Xi himself. So, is China likely to be in a hurry to retrieve lost prestige from the perceived slight or remain pragmatic and patient?

It needs to be remembered that in the leadership provided by Xi in the last five years and more, diplomacy and economic leveraging have played a major role. Yet the restructuring of the military and Xis ability to push new strategy has dominated the scene. In its stance towards the disputes in the South China Sea and with Japan in East Asia, China has continued to follow the Three Warfares principles adopted in 2003. These relate to intense psychological operations, media manipulation and legal warfare designed to manipulate perception of target audiences on claims put forth by China.

The manifestation of this, in practice, really commenced more robustly under Xi although war under informationised conditions was a strategy first mooted in the early 90s. This is the broad strategy it has played out in Ladakh over the last seven to eight years with walk in operations aimed to see the capitulation of Indian leadership under persistent claims pressed through military pressure, albeit without firing a shot. It could always have triggered an armed standoff and hoped to secure its claim lines under imposed robust duress on the Indian forces. Yet, China has long been the exponent of Sun Tzus concept of winning wars without fighting; to subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill, wrote Sun Tzu, thus giving Chinese military thought a supposed pearl.

In Xis assumed slight due to Doklam there exists the greatest potential of employing Sun Tzus age-old philosophy juxtaposed with the modern concept of Three Warfares. This should rest some minds which assume war fighting as the only realm of Chinese strategy. Xi should, and probably will, not be in any hurry to restore his pride after the slight at Doklam because he has gained enough stature after the 19th Congress of the CPC.

The enhanced military presence opposite Doklam is a part of the three warfares strategy. However, winning without going to war in the context of the Doklam involves two things. First is to build the disputed road unhindered on the territory claimed by it, but currently technically under Bhutans control; second, to establish a closer diplomatic relationship with Bhutan as a breakthrough and wean it away from Indian stranglehold, much as Nepal has been weaned away.

For India, it will be a win-win if it can continue to retain Bhutans loyalty and thereby play up the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 2007 for mutual consultation and prevention of use of each others territory for inimical purposes. Thus in Bhutan lies the key and the focal point. If China really wishes to follow the wisdom of its ancient sage with the technology of the modern times, it will focus on Bhutan, while continually intimidating India through low-level military standoff, but high-energy media and psychological war with persistence on claims to keep the legal pressure at a high, almost akin to the South China Sea dispute.

Military brinkmanship will, no doubt, form a part of it, but the area where China is likely to be more cautious and probably review its strategy is in the field of media manipulation. Its information strategy in 2017 backfired as state mouthpieces, The Global Times and Peoples Daily just could not make that difference. In a ham-handed show of information warfare, China failed to intimidate India, placate Bhutan or win support internationally. That is a sphere it will now concentrate upon, although it is an area much more difficult to convert to advantage.

Thus while keeping our powder dry, which must anyway be a part of considered prudence, it is the sphere of information warfare and local regional diplomacy in which India must prepare itself much better. The feasibility of China displaying a trailer of its cyber capability focused on a sphere of Indian military or non-military activity also remains a reality for which India must prepare itself. 2018 may well be the year when threats of war fighting may be overtaken by threats of cyber and information warfare. The last reminder: Bhutan will remain the key to the standoff and the retention by India of the current relationship will be the decisive factor. The last time, Indian strategic thinking hit the bull. If the basics are right it will do so again.

The writer is former GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps
Subir Roy

Subir Roy

Senior journalist

AS was expected, Gujarat has returned a marginally favourable verdict and Himachal Pradesh an unambiguous one in favour of the BJP. What does this portend for the year and a little more to the 2019 parliamentary elections?

First, the election will be a keenly contested one, with the BJP having to bury its defiant slogan of a "Congress-mukt Bharat". In Gujarat, the Congress has improved its seat count by 16 and the BJP worsened by precisely the same number. What is most important for the Congress, condemned to leadership by dynastic succession, is that Rahul Gandhi appears to have found his mojo and seems capable of posing a challenge to the Narendra Modi-led BJP.

But there should be no illusions over the distance that the Congress has to cover before it can seek to nudge the BJP off its pedestal. In the same Gujarat elections, the Congress, even after improving its share of the popular vote by 2.5 per cent and the BJP's going down by 1.6 per cent, is still behind by a massive 7.7 per cent.

Conversely, the BJP, despite making noise in public about having scored resounding victories in not just Himachal Pradesh but Gujarat too, will do its own soul-searching as to why it has lost its apparently invincible position.

The options remaining in the hands of Modi and the BJP (the party's act is increasingly becoming the solo performance of a single charismatic leader) can be gleaned from the way the Assembly elections were conducted. At the start of the campaign, the two parties appeared to have been running neck and neck, until Modi's hugely vigorous personal campaign swung the balance decisively in favour of the BJP.

Modi and the BJP ran a single-minded communal campaign aimed at consolidating the Hindu vote. Hindutva elements went to the extent of questioning the religious status of Rahul Gandhi, as if being or not being a Hindu can be an issue. The tool of nationalism was also brought into full play to influence the electoral verdict by questioning the nationalistic credentials of Manmohan Singh by projecting him as part of a "conspiracy with Pakistan" for attending a private meeting at which Pakistan's High Commissioner was present. Even the numerically insignificant Christians were grist to the mill by being attacked over an anguished statement by an arch bishop.

The problem with the communal and nationalistic cards is: what do you do after you have exploited them to the hilt? The contradiction is highlighted by the news that poor farmers in Bundelkhand are having to incur the additional expenses of erecting fences around their crops to save them from cows abandoned by poor farmers themselves. These used to be sold to the butcher once their productive life was over until the gauraksha campaign took off.

As the BJP's support in the Hindutva belt declines, as signaled in Gujarat, the strategy of challenging the religious freedom of non-Hindus and questioning the nationalism of the opponents of Hindutva is unlikely to have substantial traction in the run-up to 2019 in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura and the Christian states of the north-east.

This brings us to bread and butter issues which sway voters after the effect of emotive issues has worn off. Above all else, the ordinary voter wants to live in peace (well-maintained law and order) even as he seeks to improve his economic lot. Modi was able to latch onto this by promising vikas or development.

But his three and half years in power, with a dismal record on the jobs front and growing farmers' distress (there is a sharp dissonance between the political mood of urban and rural Gujarat) has singularly failed to deliver on vikas. Modi is nobody's fool and knows the importance of delivering on vikas. Hence, after conducting a frankly communal and perversely patriotic campaign, he lost no time in attributing his victory to that of vikas!

What more can Modi do to deliver on vikas? Immediately after the election results were announced, the government went full steam ahead with its reform agenda. Most of this package is sound, but there is nothing in it to improve the lot of the poor. Little trickles down automatically from high GDP growth to the bottom of the pyramid without a strategy specifically for it. Gujarat's indifferent performance in terms of human development indicators even after two decades of high growth bears testimony to this.

If the BJP is likely to run into a dead-end unless it changes its economic philosophy and there is little time for a new economy strategy to bear fruit, what is the task ahead for the Congress? It has still a long way to go. The party sunk in the morass of its misgovernance and corruption and there is little evidence that it has reinvented itself in terms of both integrity and administrative acumen.

The biggest damage that the BJP in power has done to the idea of India is to fragment it. The Congress has to re-erect the structure of a secular India through the pursuit of an inviolable secular credo and not stoop to engaging in pseudo-secularism. The sad truth is that it was often guilty of that, thus dealing a severe blow to a first principle of nationhood. To repeat, it has still a long way to go.

The new opportunity for Cong

The truly new opportunity that the Gujarat elections has thrown up is a trio of young leaders  Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor - representing, respectively, the Patels, Dalits and OBCs. The future for the Congress lies in seeking to be the spearhead of an inclusive politics that steals a slogan from the BJP and works for "sabka vikas" which has as its focus the uplift of the disadvantaged. Among the latter, definitely belong the economically impoverished Muslims.
As far as the voting goes at the United Nations, the US is accustomed to setbacks on Israel. This time when the UN General Assembly assembled to take notice of US President Donald Trumps recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, things were arranged a bit differently. Israel had made an all-out effort to press the flesh in all corners of the globe to influence voting preferences. India was no different. PM Benjamin Netanyahu must have hoped his personal chemistry with Modi and Indias security-related dependence would alter New Delhis historical voting pattern. Then there was the spicing up of the contest by US Permanent Representative in New York, Nikki Haley. Devoid of diplomatic sophistication, she opted to play the role of a small-town hustler by threatening to cut off aid to countries voting in favour of the resolution condemning the US for deciding to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Neither of the two approaches moved the needle much: in the UNSC, the US had to brandish the veto for the first time in six years after all the other members militated against its position; in the UN two-thirds of the UNGA disapproved. On the face of it, the Indian decision to stick by Palestine is intriguing. Indias current security and strategic elite is strongly disposed towards greater intimacy with the US and Israel; they dismiss Indias resolute stand on the injustice and inequality inflicted on the Palestinians as a relic of an antiquated era.

India under Modi seemed inclined to sway with the wind. But the last straw was evidently an impassioned plea by Arab countries asking India not to abandon its key foreign policy mooring. After all, there is more to foreign policy than sourcing, admittedly hard to get, security trinkets from Israel. Recently the developing world unflinchingly backed India in its exhausting contest against Britain for a spot in the International Court of Justice. It continues to watch Indias back at the WTO where it has taken on the entire developed world against farm subsidies. In both cases, their fidelity was payback for the continuance of the Nehruvian foreign policy. India could not have afforded to abandon its friends from an earlier era.
Tribune News Service

Karnal, December 22

BJP leader Krishan Garg today resigned from the post of Senior Deputy Mayor. He tendered his resignation to Deputy Municipal Commissioner (DMC) Rohtash Bishnoi in the absence of Priyanka Soni, Commissioner, KMC.

Allegations were levelled against Garg for the poor management of nandishala and gaudham after two carcasses of oxen were found at nandishala last week.

Garg had been serving nandishala and gaudham for the last two years as incharge.

People have even demanded details of the accounts of both the institutions. His resignation has become the talk of the town as he is considered a close aide of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Garg said he would serve as a councillor and would give his services to nandishala and gaudham. He alleged he was being made victim of politics.

I am disappointed over the false allegations being levelled against me. I have been dedicatedly serving both the institutions for the last two years. Politics has forced me to take this extreme step. I am a BJP worker and I have no grievance against the party. I will continue to serve the party as a soldier, he said.

Garg handed over his resignation to me and I will send it to Priyanka Soni, Commissioner, KMC, said Rohtash Bishnoi, DMC. However, his resignation has not been accepted so far.

Mayor Renu Bala Gupta also called a meeting of the councillors at her office early during the day. During the meeting, a committee of 11 members has been constituted to govern nandishala and gaudham. Krishan Garg has been appointed as the incharge of the committee, while senior councillor Yashpal Mittal will take care of the accounts.

Priyanka Soni said, As per the Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, Section 39, the Commissioner and the DMC do not have the power to accept or reject the resignation of the Senior Deputy Mayor or Deputy Mayor. The whole power is with the Mayor to accept or reject the resignation. The Commissioner can only accept or reject the resignation of the Mayor. We will send the resignation back to the Senior Deputy Mayor.
New Delhi, December 22

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted two-week parole to INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, serving a 10-year jail term in a teachers recruitment scam case, to look after his ailing wife.

Justice Mukta Gupta, however, restrained the former Haryana chief minister from involving in any other activity and also stopped him from moving out of Sirsa where his wife is admitted to a hospital.

While granting the relief, the court asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the like amount.

He should confine himself to the hospital at Sirsa where his wife is admitted and is in ICU, unless she is shifted to other hospital out of that place, the court said.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

It said Chautala should ensure that he would not indulge himself in any activity except the reason for which he had been granted the parole.

In the petition filed through advocate Amit Sahni, the 82-year-old leader had said that his wife Sneh Lata was critically ill and was hospitalised at Sirsa and that he wanted to spend time with his wife in her last days.

Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra vehemently opposed his parole plea, saying the court had earlier cancelled Chautalas parole and furlough on the grounds that he was attending political rallies.

He said there were other family members to take care of the ailing woman.

The court, however, observed that the order by which his parole and furlough was cancelled was appealed before a division bench which had asked the authority to consider Chautalas request when he applied in future.

It also said that after the March order, he was granted furlough twice and had not misused it. The court also said there was no dispute that his wife was ill and he needed to visit her.

The court had earlier asked Chautala to substantiate his claim of seeking two-month parole to look after his ailing wife by producing her recent medical records.

The plea has said the leader was last granted parole earlier this year and he was entitled to get parole as per parole and furlough guidelines, which stipulate that a minimum of six months should elapse after the date of termination of the previous parole.

The high court had on March 1 cancelled the parole granted to Chautala on medical grounds and asked him to surrender forthwith, saying he cocked a snook at the court and misled it by feigning illness. It had then said that Chautala was misusing his parole to attend public meetings.

Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and three others are serving 10-year jail term in the case.

The Supreme Court in August 2015 had dismissed Chautalas appeals against the high court verdict upholding their conviction and sentence of 10 years awarded by a trial court in the junior basic training teachers recruitment scam case.

The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were among the 55 people convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 JBT teachers in Haryana in 2000. PTI
Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

Just over a fortnight after the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) stayed the finalisation of a list for promotion to the IAS from non-state civil service, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today made it clear that any decision of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) would be subject to further orders to be passed by it.

Taking up a petition filed by Dr Parveen Sethi through senior advocate Anmol Rattan Sidhu for quashing the decision, the Division Bench of Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Amit Rawal directed the state counsel to keep entire record ready for the courts perusal on the next date of hearing.

The Bench issued notice of motion to the state, the UPSC and other respondents. Notice regarding stay was also issued. Additional Advocate General Lokesh Sinhal and counsel Nimrata Shergill accepted the notice on behalf of the state and the UPSC. The Bench fixed January 11 next for arguments while directing the filing of reply by January 9.

In his petition, Dr Sethi submitted that the impugned order was passed by the CATs Chandigarh Bench without impleading and hearing the present petitioner and other affected persons. It stayed the final selection list to the IAS cadre.

Going into the background, the petitioner contended that Surinder Singh Dahiya had filed an application against the state and other respondents challenging the order of the screening committee dated October 13.

His grievance was against Asha Sharma, who incidentally happens to be daughter of the incumbent Education Minister of Haryana, who was recommended for the IAS cadre.

The petitioner added that he, without inordinate delay, had filed an application before CAT for impleading being a necessary party. Directions were also sought for vacation of stay with regard to him.

The matter was adjourned by CAT without hearing the petitioners plea, Sidhu added. He submitted that a meeting of the UPSC was fixed for December 22 to take a decision on the list recommended by the screening committee, but it was bound to be postponed because of the impugned orders dated December 4.
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 22

The BJP Central observers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Singh Tomar today returned to Delhi after holding one to one interaction with the Core Committee members and Lok Sabha MPs from the state to finalise the name of the chief minister.

Though there is still no confirmation on when the final decision will be taken it is being expected that the two Union ministers, deputed with the task of government formation, will submit their report to party chief Amit Shah. The Chief Minister could take oath on December 25 to coincide with the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, added sources.

Even as there is no indication about who will don the mantle, supporters raised slogans in favour of PK Dhumal when the Central team arrived from the Sangh office in Nabha to Peterhoff. The supporters kept raising slogans in favour of Dhumal as they surrounded the vehicle carrying the two ministers for quite some time.

On the other hand, supporters of five time Seraj MLA Jai Ram, another hot contender for the post, raised slogans in favour of Modi and the party. They kept dancing and singing in the lawns of Peterhoff, while the consultations were taking place indoors.

The Central team yesterday night held talks with the members of the core group, including state president Satpal Singh Satti, Dhumal, Jai Ram Thakur, MPs Ram Swaroop, Virender Kashyap and Shanta Kumar, General Secretaries - Vipin Parmar, Randhir Sharma and Rajiv Bindal and state organizational secretary Pawan Rana. This exercise carried on till past 10 pm last night.

Feedback from the three General Secretaries  Randhir Sharma, Kripal Parmar and Ram Singh  was also taken. Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur could not reach here due to Parliament being in session.

The two ministers visited the local Sangh Office in the morning and later drove to Peterhoff, where they met Kangra Lok Sabha MP and former CM Shanta Kumar, who could not reach here yesterday. Surprisingly, the team did not seek the individual opinion of the 44 newly elected MLAs all of whom were not even called for a formal interaction. Though about 10 legislators did meet but that was more of an informal introductory meeting in a group.

Sloganeering for Dhumal irks Shanta
Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 22

Even as the BJP despite winning the elections remains undecided on leadership issue, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) met here today for the first time in the presence of AICC General Secretary and in-charge Sushil Kumar Shinde.

It is reliably learnt that 19 MLAs attended the first CLP meeting. Barring Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Agriculture Minister Sujan Singh Pathania, who is indisposed, all the MLAs were present. AICC secretary Ranjit Ranjan was also present at the meeting held at Rajiv Bhawan, State Congress Office here.

Sources confirmed that there was no discussion on the issue of deciding as to who would lead the party as CLP leader. However, a document signed by more than one dozen MLAs supporting Virbhadra Singh was handed over to Shinde by Virbhadra loyalists.

Addressing party legislators, Shinde said when he had assumed charge of the party in Himachal last year it appeared that Congress might not get even 10 seats. He said the party had done reasonably well and there would be introspection on the reasons for defeat. He urged the MLAs to work unitedly and gear up the party organisation for ensuring good performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

It is being expected that the party high command which would take a call on deciding on the CLP leader. Virbhadra has discharged this duty during the Dhumal-led BJP regime in the last term. Though he has already announced that this would be his last election but in all likelihood he is likely to be made CLP leader.

CLP meeting held
Jammu, December 22

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday that she was proud of India's decision to vote in the UN against the US recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"Very proud to see that India joined over 100 countries at the UN to vote against recognising Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. This vote further reaffirms our stand and support to Palestine," Mehbooba said in a statement on Twitter. IANS
English Danish

Financial Calendar 2018 for Sund & Blt Holding A/S, including the subsidiaries A/S Storeblt, A/S resund, Sund & Blt Partner A/S, Femern Blt A/S, A/S Femern Landanlg, BroBizz A/S and BroBizz Operatr A/S





Date Event 26 March 2018 Publication of financial statements for 20171 23 April 2018 Annual General meeting 25 May 2018 Publication of interim report 1 January  31 March 2018 27 August 2018 Publication of interim report 1 January  30 June 2018 29 November 2018 Publication of interim report 1 January  30 September 2018











1 This does not include BroBizz Operatr A/S, which was founded on 7 December 2018, and which first financial year include the period from the foundation til 31 December 2018





http://prlibrary-eu.nasdaq.com/Resource/Download/59787e04-c999-42e2-9b61-b8c719bd30ff
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 22

In exercise of powers Governor NN Vohra, exercising powers vested in him under sub-section (6) of Section 50 of the J&K Constitution, has nominated Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis brother Tassaduq Hussain Mufti as a Member of the state Legislative Council against the seat available in the Upper House.

Tassaduq is nominated on the seat vacated by Vikramaditya Singh, who had resigned as MLC in protest against the state government for not declaring a holiday on last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh's birth anniversary.

With his nomination as member of the Upper House, decks have been cleared for Tassaduq Muftis induction into the council of ministers. He is likely to be given the tourism portfolio.

Tassaduq, 45, had resigned as head of the Chief Ministers grievance cell on December 15. He was also the PDP candidate for the Anantnag Lok Sabha byelection, which was scheduled for April 12, but was deferred indefinitely over the security situation.

A cinematographer by profession, Tassaduq holds a Masters degree in fine arts. He had joined politics after the death of his father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in January 2016.

Vohra accepts Farooq Andrabis resignation

Governor NN Vohra has accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis uncle Syed Farooq Andrabi as Minister of State for Haj and Aquaf, Public Health Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control. Earlier, the Chief Minister had forwarded his resignation to the Governor with a note of acceptance. Andrabi had resigned as minister two days ago.
Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 22

The Centres representative on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, will arrive here on Monday on his third visit to the state for holding talks with all stakeholders and to find ways for restoration of peace in the trouble-torn region.

The interlocutor told The Tribune over phone from New Delhi that he would be arriving in the summer capital to meet various delegations. The groups scheduled to meet him, however, are yet to be finalised.

Sharma had met people from a cross-section of society in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions during his two visits last month. He first visited J&K for a week from November 6 and later for another week from November 24, after his appointment on October 23.

The Central governments special representative so far has not been successful in meeting main separatist leaders, who had refused to hold talks with him. I will try my best to meet Hurriyat leaders, Sharma had said during one of his earlier visits. He has recommended sustained talks with separatists and Pakistan to pave way for permanent peace in the region.

During his last visit, Sharma is reported to have met senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Bhat, a member of the Mirwaiz (moderate) Hurriyat Conference. The Hurriyat leadership, which has formed a Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) led by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, has stayed away from meeting the Centres representative.

On Sharmas recommendations, the J&K Government has already started the process of offering general amnesty to nearly 4,500 first-time offenders (stone throwers), sending a positive signal among the Valleys youth. Most of these first-time offenders had been involved in stone-throwing incidents during the 2016 Kashmir unrest.

On his second visit last month, Sharma also visited south Kashmir, which was the epicentre of last years unrest following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. He met various delegations of youth in Anantnag and Pulwama districts to learn about their problems, many of whom had sought withdrawal of cases against the first-time offenders.

Yet to meet Hurriyat leadership
Shyam Sood

Rajouri, December 22

A National Investigating Agency (NIA) team today visited Chakan da Bagh cross Line of Control (LoC) point in Poonch district and reportedly checked trade exchange activities (movement of trucks) and relevant records in the office of the custodian, Trade Felicitation Centre (TFC).

An NIA team had recently detected that huge funds illegally generated by few traders involved in cross-LoC trade on the Poonch-Rawalkot and Uri-Muzaffarabad routes were being used for funding terrorists and separatists.

I was in Jammu today to attend a meeting and my staff informed me about the visit of the NIA team to Chakan da Bagh cross LoC point. The team checked some records in the office and took stock of the movements of trucks and loading and unloading of goods, said Tanveer Khan, custodian, TFC.

The cross-LoC trade has come under the scanner following the detection of huge funding to separatists through illegal means.

It has also come to light that the NIA has proposed to convey to the Ministry of Home Affairs to close the trade, but the coalition government considers cross-LoC trade as one of the biggest confidence building measures for establishing people-to-people link between two parts of the divided state.

The Union Government has reportedly decided to take harsh steps to check funding to anti-national forces through cross-LoC trade.

The NIA is already investigating the misuse of cross-LoC trade and has quizzed many traders. It has detected under and over-invoicing of the products traded, especially in the exchange of almonds under the barter system of trade, and started investigations after registering an FIR in the case.

Initial investigations have revealed that few traders involved in illegal activities had imported goods of much higher value than what they exported. A part of the amount the traders gained from additional import of goods has reportedly landed into the hands of separatists and terrorists to sustain unrest and terrorism in the state.

Judicial custody of Hizb chiefs son extended

New Delhi: A court here on Friday extended till January 19 the judicial custody of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddins son Syed Shahid, who has been arrested in a six-year-old terror funding case. Shahid, 42, a J&K Government employee, was arrested here on October 24 after he was called for questioning at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters. He was remanded in seven-day NIA custody last Wednesday. He was on Friday presented before District Judge Poonam Bamba, who, during the in-camera proceedings, extended his judicial custody. IANS
Nonika Singh



Jajba rakhne mein aur jajbati hone mein fark hota hai Indeed, only the film forgets the difference all too soon. So, Tiger who is on a serious mission to Iraq to rescue Indian nurses is ready to blow his cover for an unknown 13-year-old boy. Actually, Ali Abbas Zafar (of Sultan fame) lays it too thick and opens far too many fronts. There is an exaggerated dose of India Pakistan bonhomie, RAW and ISI are a team. Ha habut who cares for a team when Tiger (Salman Khan) is in-charge.

Yes, its the same Tiger, the RAW agent, in hibernation for eight years he hasnt lost a single bit of his killer instinct or skills. He can tear down a pack of wolves expectedly he is the perfect choice to lead the mission. Actually he is the mission. Yes, he picks a team, a sniper, a bomb expert and a hacking wizardbut all of these are mere props. Even talented actor Kumud Mishra, who spends more time chanting Hanuman Chalisa rather than breaking codes, is wasted.

The only actor apart from Salman that stands his ground is the ace villain. Iranian actor Sajjad Delforz, as the dreaded terrorist Abu of ISIL, he carries the impassive look and the menace together to cut a fine and an unusual picture. Rest of it is all predictable and formulaic.

Where Zafar scores is in making the expected work without using any excesses. Yes, the usual tropes, romance, family, not to forget a dash of patriotic fervor, are all there. But he quickly gets over it all to arrive at the core of the film that is action.

Spy thrillers can be an intelligent affair. But spare your grey cells this espionage drama is driven by action and action alone with a smattering of sentiments that dont cut much ice anyway. Of course, the action is slick and the film is lavishly mounted. From Austria to Iraq, clearly no expense has been spared. Production quality is superlative.

Locales speak for themselves. And, dear Sallu Bhai is in complete command. Swag Se Karenge Sab Ka Swagatthe song might arrive in the end. But there is no mistaking the swagger of Salman. From scene one he walks like the monarch of all he surveys.

Surprising Abu cant spot him the moment he lays his eyes on him. But then Tiger, we know, is invincible and unconquerable. You bet woh zinda hai, alive and kicking in his usual trademark style. Katrina as his Pakistani wife Zoya stands by him in good stead. Her action sequences are as remarkable. Actually she makes a better impression in her first scene where she holes up muggers.

Later too she kicks up quite a storm. But finally she too has to bow down and take backseat to the Sultan of action. Only, dont expect a Sultan either from the director Zafar or Salman. Here both willingly cave in to Salman's superstar status who once again emerges no less that human superman. But then thats exactly why his fans throng to watch him.

Only this one will keep not just his admirers but others too fairly satiated. Logic might have taken a complete toss here but the fast pace makes you skip over the inanities as fast too. If you are ready for an out and out actioner, this one will work for you.

By the way if anyone needs to take an objection to the film, it oughtnt be Pakistan who has banned the film. Its Americans who come out looking rather silly, if not out and out despotic, as Tiger does the job for them too.



nonikasingh@tribunemail.com
Ratna Raman

Ratna Raman

THE Latin words disipulus and disciplina evolved to form the words disciple and discipline in middle English. A disciple is a student or a neophyte, and the word comes from old cultures of training in philosophical, spiritual and specialised knowledge. Twelve of Jesus Christs chosen disciples became apostles (pioneers, supporters) and carried forward his message. Plato, one of Socratess most famous disciples in Ancient Greece, documented his mentors ideas in writing. Closer home, Arjuna, Dronacharyas star pupil , disciplined himself to become a skilled archer. Disciples are learners, apprentices or seekers for whom discipline remains a two-way process.

The noun discipline refers variously to branches of knowledge, spiritual, religious, academic, military or sport. All disciplines provide physical and mental training, engage in the practice of training people and operate through a system of rules and codes.

Discipline (verb) involves training oneself to do something habitually. Indiscipline (antonym) with regard to eating and sleeping patterns is suspected to be the primary cause of lifestyle diseases. Discipline regulated by institutions and internalised by individuals is vital for channelising effort. Maintaining discipline remains a fraught issue, since corporal punishment is no longer recommended to deal with indiscipline. In order to discipline someone, formal punishment or rebuke has now become the accepted norm.

Indian schools, catering to students from families following multiple cultural practices, have disciplinary codes in place. Recently, a 16-year-old boy congratulated his classmate by hugging her after an on-stage performance. Both students were disciplined by the school. Suspending the boy indefinitely and treating a hug as evidence of unbridled sexual behaviour is both punitive and retrogressive.

Schools provide primary education and train young boys and girls to learn to live as young adults in mixed societies. Many schools emphasise segregated lives for boys and girls, which include separate seating arrangements within classrooms. Today, in conservative India, public schools are becoming sites for murder, rape, violence, theft and bullying.

Students must engage with ideas and learning provided by disciplines as diverse as science and humanities. Friendship, punctuality, mutual respect, cooperation and gender sensitivity are other values urgently required to build future communities. For this, students need to be disciplined learners and readers, sportspersons and athletes, and must be encouraged to engage with the disciplines of theatre, fine arts and with each other.

Adolescent disciples (students) can be boisterous, unruly or out of sync on occasion. Broad-minded and humane adults, well trained in their disciplines, need to be in charge. Schools must exert the right mix of discipline, kindness and freedom to enable impressionable entrants to blossom holistically.

When erratic adolescent behaviour is blown out of proportion by school authorities and bolstered by the judiciary, our schools reinforce the belief that discipline and disciplining are about the restrictive and punitive enforcement of rules not well-thought-out in the first place.

In spaces of learning and teaching, discipline must never be equated with the imposition of repressive, external codes. Intrinsic processes of self-discipline need to be nurtured with great care to enable transformation.
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, December 22

The Bombay High Court today stayed the sanction granted by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to the CBI to prosecute Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Housing Society scam, bringing cheer to Congress workers in Mumbai.

Hearing a petition filed by Chavan challenging the sanction, Judges Ranjit More and Sadhana Jadhav said the CBI had failed to present any fresh evidence against the Congress leader  the ground on which the CBI had obtained the Governor's sanction. The material presented to the Governor did not amount to credible fresh evidence against the Congress leader, the court ruled. The sanctioning authority is an independent body that cant allow itself to be influenced by anyones opinion, it said.

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Following the sanction, the CBI had filed cases against Chavan under the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy and cheating. Chavan had to resign as Maharashtra CM in 2010 following allegations that he had allotted flats to his relatives in the controversial Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society in Mumbai.

He was also accused of approving sale of flats in the society to civilians during his tenure as Revenue Minister. The Adarsh Society was originally conceived as a project to house Kargil war veterans and widows.
Jaipur, December 22

Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when it stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Given its actions, it doesnt appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the Army Chief added.

He was in the western sector, close to the India-Pakistan border, to witness the Hamesha Vijayee exercise conducted by the Southern Command in Thar desert. Gen Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists. Only then can we say that peace talks should take place, he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.

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We also want relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesnt appear that they really want peace, Gen Rawat said. His comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

The assertions follow Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties. According to media reports, Bajwa said he will support any initiative of the civilian government to resolve issues with India through talks. In a rare move, the Pakistan army chief briefed the Senate, the Upper House of Parliament, on the security situation and regional issues on Tuesday.  PTI

HAL gets copter order
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 22

Newly elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi today described the BJP as a party rooted in falsehoods and used his first official address to the powerful Congress Working Committee to flag the internal challenge of weak organisation and to note concerns around rank indiscipline.

Addressing the CWC, which his mother and former party chief Sonia Gandhi attended in her capacity as Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, Rahul assured action against indiscipline after participants flagged the harm recent out-of-line comments of some leaders caused to Congress interests in Gujarat.

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In his opening remarks today, Rahul also flagged the challenge of upcoming state elections, stressed the need to expose BJPs politics of lies and acknowledged the weakness of Congress organisation at booth level.

Sources said it was decided to strengthen Congress organisation from the state to booth level in a time-bound manner with the CWC agreeing that an aggressive campaign could deliver only when supplemented with a strong organisation and communication network. On the political side, CWC took note of the 2G spectrum verdict, Bombay High Courts rejection of Maharashtra government summons to prosecute state Congress president Ashok Chavan and said the BJP had successfully peddled lies to achieve power and must be exposed for this.

Gandhi himself said after the meeting, BJPs whole foundation is based on lies and falsehoods. 2G was a lie. Demonetisation was a lie, Gabbar Singh Tax was a lie and promise of MSP to farmers was also a lie. So what is the truth? The truth is BJP president Amit Shahs son converted Rs 50,000 into crores in some time, but the PM has nothing to say on this. The truth is the Rafale deal was tweaked to favour one businessman. The PM went to Paris and announced the deal when the Defence Minister was in India. The PM doesnt answer our questions on these issues. The whole foundation of BJP is falsehoods.
Nawada, December 22

Armed dacoits looted gold and Rs 5 lakh in cash from a house at Hisua bazaar in Bihars Nawada district on Thursday night, police said on Friday.

Station House Officer (SHO) of Hisua police station, Rajdeo Sao, said half a dozen armed dacoits barged into the house of Dharmendra Sao on Thursday night.

The robbers held the family captive at gunpoint and looted 200 grammes of gold worth Rs 5 lakh besides Rs 5 lakh in cash from the almirah, he said.

Sao has filed a complaint at the Hisua police station about the dacoity in his house, the SHO said, adding that police were conducting raids to nab the miscreants. PTI
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 22

With three Rajya Sabha members from NCT of Delhi and one from Sikkim retiring next month, the Election Commission today announced the election schedule to fill the vacancies, as the polling date has been fixed for January 16.

The EC also announced that the bypoll to fill the seat from Uttar Pradesh, which was vacated by former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who resigned from the Rajya Sabha after assuming charge as the Goa Chief Minister, will also be held on the same date. Parrikars term in the upper house was to end on November 25, 2020.

The notification to hold elections to fill the five seats  three in Delhi and one each in UP and Sikkim  will be issued on December 29. The voting and counting will be held on January 16.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Corporation announces that Mr. William Taylor has resigned as an Officer effective December 20, 2017. Mr. Taylor will continue working with the company as a Geological Consultant. The Corporation wishes to thank Mr. Taylor for his contribution and services as V.P. Exploration for the past six and a half years and looks forward to continuing a working relationship with him as a consultant to the company.



Contact:

Kevin Nephin

604-392-6056
New Delhi, December 22

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Friday demanded immediate arrest of Baba Virendra Dev Diskhit accused of keeping minor girls and women in illegal confinement at his ashram -- Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya -- located in north Delhi's Rohini.

A raid was carried out at the ashram by the Delhi Police and an NGO following the Delhi High Court's order. The NGO has alleged that girls and women were kept at the "university" for 14 years and more.

While producing one girl in the Delhi high court, who, the NGO claimed, had managed to get out of the premises, it alleged that she was raped during her stay there, which she has not even disclosed to her parents.

The NGO also alleged that girls confined at the ashram have committed suicide in the past, but the police never registered a case.

The raid, which went until late night, saw the presence of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta, Swati Maliwal and a group of lawyers.

Maliwal claimed that when they reached the ashram, it took more than two hours to meet the girls and most of them were minor.

The court said it has "no confidence in police" and ordered a CBI investigation where minor girls and women were allegedly being kept in illegal confinement in the name of religious preaching.

A division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar, noting that an ashram cannot work under a "shroud of secrecy", asked CBI Director Alok Verma to forthwith set up a special investigation team to probe various FIRs of girls and women being allegedly lured into the ashram in Rohini area on the pretext of spiritual guidance but then being raped.

The judges, who met the girls rescued from the ashram and their parents in their chambers, said they cannot even reveal what a 13-year-old girl told them about what was going on there.

Saying "we have no confidence in the police" for not taking any action on about 10 FIRs lodged against the ashram and its members, the bench directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to seize all records relating to FIRs lodged and entries in the 'daily diary' maintained by police in connection with alleged rape and suicides of women there.

Taking note that girls and women in the ashram were in dire need of medical help, it also directed Delhi's Principal Secretary, Health to set up a medical team to go and examine the inmates.

On Tuesday, the court ordered a committee, which included Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, to conduct an inspection of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya and said this should be video-graphed.

The committee, which visited the ashram on Tuesday itself, told the bench on Wednesday that the girls and women there were not in their senses and looked like they were under the influence of some kind of drugs, adding that some kind of sex racket was going on at the ashram.

They also said that the girls and women were kept in "unhygienic and animal-like conditions with no privacy even for bathing".

"Even the bathing area consists of a room with four water taps and no walls," Maliwal said.

The committee also sought age verification of the inmates alleging that most of them, according their appearance, seemed to be minors.

Maliwal also suggested that all the inmates be removed from the ashram and sent to a safe place, like Nari Niketan, under the DCW's custody.

She also told the court that the committee members were assaulted and confined for about an hour by some ashram inmates when they went to inspect the premises - despite the court on Tuesday telling Virender Dev Dixit, referred to as the founder and spiritual head of the institute, to cooperate with the committee and police.

The committee described the building as a fortress with iron grilles and locks all around and surrounded by barbed wire on the sides, and Maliwal said that police had to break open many of the locked iron doors as the inmates were not cooperating.

At this, the court said: "Why do you need so many iron grilles and locks... If you are running an ashram or 'sanstha', you should be completely open." It then directed the commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation to inspect the building and take action in case of any illegalities.

The court directed the Child Welfare Committee chairperson concerned, along with the committee, to visit the ashram premises and take step in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

On Tuesday, the court referred to a similar situation witnessed in Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's ashram in Haryana's Sirsa.

The court's order had come on a plea filed by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which said that several minors and women were being illegally confined there and are not allowed to meet their parents.

Agencies
New Delhi, December 22

India and China on Friday agreed it was necessary to maintain peace in the border areas pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, and exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures (CBMs) in this regard as the two sides tried to put behind them the Doklam episode.

After a meeting between the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China on the Boundary Question  Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India and Yang Jiechi, State Councillor  the external affairs ministry said the talks were "positive".

During Friday's border talks, the first since the 73-day- long military standoff in Doklam, the two sides underlined the need to build on their convergences while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's concerns, sensitivities and aspirations.

The MEA statement did not say whether the Doklam issue was discussed however, and a spokesperson in Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing skirted a question on whether it figured during the talks, saying instead: "This mechanism is not only a high-level channel for dialogue on border issues between the two sides but also important platform for strategic communication between China and India".

The Doklam standoff began on June 16 after the Indian troops intervened and stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the area claimed by Bhutan as it posed a security risk to Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its north-eastern states. The two armies "disengaged" on August 28.

"The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures," the MEA said in a statement.

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It further said: "The talks were positive and focused on bringing out the full potential of the closer developmental partnership between the two countries".

Doval and Yang also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about their deliberations.

Modi asserted that a strong India-China relationship is important not only for the mutual benefit of their people, but also for the region and the world, according to the ministry.

The SRs undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks and agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries.

They re-emphasised their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date.

The SRs also reviewed the development of India-China bilateral ties and agreed to maintain regular contact and to advance the development of relations in all areas.

"They acknowledged that as two large developing countries engaged in their national modernisation, relations between India and China transcend their bilateral dimensions and have significance for peace, stability and development of Asia and the world," the MEA statement added.

Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson also said the SR mechanism was operating very well.

"We hope the Indian side will work with China to make most of the current mechanism to uphold peace and tranquillity of border areas so that we can create enabling conditions for bilateral relations," the spokesperson added.
Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, December 22

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba today ruled out disturbing territorial integrity of northeastern states while implementing the framework of agreement signed by the Government of India with Naga rebel group NSCN-IM in August 2015 as a definite step towards finding a solution to the long-drawn Naga peace process.

I would like to point out that it has been already clarified even at the highest level of the Union Government that territorial integrity of none of the northeastern states will be disturbed because of the final solution to be reached with Naga group NSCN-IM in the light of the framework of agreement signed with them by the Government of India, Gauba said while talking to the media after he had chaired a security review meeting here today.

There have been apprehensions by many quarters in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, which have boundaries with Nagaland, that territorial integrity of these neighbouring states was at stake in the view of the closely guarded framework of agreement signed between the Government of India and he NSCN-IM.

The Union Home Secretary while mentioning about the request made by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for improving the border infrastructure and fast-tracking of borer fencing work along the India-Bangladesh border said: The border fencing work is being fast-tracked while in certain areas physical fencing is being supplemented by state-of-the-art electronic devices.
Imphal, December 22

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh told the state assembly on Friday that Rohingya Muslims have started sneaking into the state, which has a common border with Myanmar.

Singh was replying to a calling attention motion tabled by Congress member K. Meghachandra.

Singh said: "Police at Moreh border town has arrested one Rohingya Muslim during a routine check. It was learnt that seven of them had sneaked into Manipur and the rest were absconding. A manhunt is on". Checking has been intensified in the border districts and the police have rounded up some 560 persons of doubtful nationality, the Chief Minister told the House. Of them, 105 undocumented ones were forced back.

A total of 178 undocumented persons were rounded up at Jiribam and unauthorised bamboo bridges used by the migrants were pulled down, Singh said. He appealed to one and all to be "sincere" on the issue.

"Truck drivers are bringing the outsiders and land is being allotted to them by officials. Some politicians use them as vote banks. All MLAs should conduct a survey in their respective constituencies to establish how many outsiders are there and inform me accordingly," the Chief Minister said.

Meghachandra, who insisted on the introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Manipur, said: "Activists are threatening to start the ILP agitations again and there should be a time frame to prepare the bills." New ILP bills would be drafted to protect the indigenous people, Singh assured the House.

The Congress MLA said that the ILP system was already in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Underlining the need for the ILP system, Meghachandra said that in 1948 the population of outsiders in Manipur was 2,719. According to the 2001 census, their population increased to 7,40,488, which is higher than the majority community in the state.

The total population of the majority community and the Manipuri Muslims is 9,18,266, the 2001 census said. IANS
Jaipur, December 22

Rajasthan saw massive protests against another Bollywood film, with members of the Valmiki community disrupting the morning shows of Tiger Zinda Hai, a Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer, in many cinema halls across the state on Friday in protest against the alleged use of a pejorative word by Salman during a promotional event.

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The protesters also filed a complaint at the Nahargarh police station.

Bhanwarlal, Inspector, Nahargarh Police Station, told IANS: The members of the Valmiki Yuva Sangathan have lodged a complaint against Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty for the use of word bhangi in a show. They have urged the authorities concerned to take suitable action against the duo for insulting a particular community. Inhone Harijan jaati ke liye jo shabd prayog kiya hain inhe shobha nahin deta, (They have used a derogatory word for the Harijan community) the report said.

Sources said the report will be sent to senior officials who will look into the matter and take appropriate action.

The protesters alleged that Salman had insulted the Valmiki community by using cheap language.

The video of Salman, uttering the pejorative words has gone viral, and triggered tension in Ajmer.

Earlier, the protests started from Ajmer and soon reached Jaipur and Kota, leading to cancellation of the morning shows in several cinema halls of the film that released nationwide on Friday.

The police remanded several people in custody.

Angry protesters reached Mridang Theatre late on Thursday night and tore up the films posters and many also set ablaze the actors posters.

They also warned cinema hall owners to stop screening the movie or else they will have to pay a big price, sources confirmed.

The movie has been directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and comes as a sequel to Kabir Khans blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger.

People from the Valmiki community gathered outside the renowned Rajmandir cinema hall in Jaipur and tore the posters of the film.

A police team immediately reached the spot and managed to pacify the protesters who voiced their anger over the derogatory remarks by the actor against the community at a talk show.

Sources from Rajmandir said the protesters reached the cinema hall at 9.30 a.m. hoping that they will be able to stop screening of the film. However, there was no show scheduled in the morning. The protersters then raised slogans, burnt the films posters and left.

Aakash Cinema Hall in Kota also was witness to similar furore where protesters burnt posters of Tiger Zinda Hai.

The timely visit of a police team under the direction of Additional Superintendent of Police Umesh Ojha helped in dispersing the crowd. The windows of several vehicles were smashed during the protests.

In Kishangarh, Salman Khans effigy was burned. The protesters burnt the posters of Tiger Zinda Hai there too in Crystal Park Cinema Hall.

Earlier, protests had broken out against Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati for allegedly distorting history.  IANS
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 22

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay a Karnataka High Court judgment declaring the 85 per cent pictorial advertisement on tobacco product packages unconstitutional, as the High Court judgment was not available.

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A Bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked the Karnataka High Court to upload the judgment on its website and fixed the appeal against it for further hearing on January 8 next year.

Several petitions, including the one filed by NGO Health for Millions Trust, have challenged the high court verdict.

The high court had on December 15 struck down the 2014 amendment rules that mandated the pictorial health warning to cover 85 per cent of the tobacco product packaging space, holding that they violated the constitutional norms. With PTI
Jaipur, December 22

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when it stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Given its actions, it doesnt appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the Army Chief added.

He was in the Thar desert in the western sector to witness the Hamesha Vijayee exercise conducted by the Southern Command close to the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan.

Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists.

Only then can we say that peace talks should take place, he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.

We also want that relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesnt appear that they really want peace, Rawat said.

Asked about Chinas rising presence and influence in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Army Chief said India is also taking its steps while keeping security aspects in mind.

The way they are taking steps, we are also taking our steps while keeping our security perspective in mind, he said.

Rawat said the Army, paramilitary forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police have been taking actions against militants in Jammu and Kashmir successfully and the action will continue.

His comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

It is important for Pakistan to understand our core concern, which is terrorism. We have time and again asked them to take action against terrorists who are operating from their soil. This is something they (Pakistan) will have to handle if they are serious in cultivating this friendship, Kumar said.

The assertions follow Pakistans Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties.

According to media reports, Bajwa has said he will support any initiative of the civilian government to resolve issues with India through talks. PTI
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 22

Terming the trial court verdict in the 2G spectrum case a vindication of the Congresss stand, party president Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the ruling BJPs whole architecture and foundation were based on lies.

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He was speaking after chairing his first CWC meeting as the Congress president, with his mother Sonia Gandhi seated next to him.

I think 2G has been vindication (of Congresss stand), Rahul Gandhi told reporters when asked about the special CBI courts Thursday verdict acquitting all the accused, including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi.

Hitting out at the BJP, he alleged, The whole architecture and foundation of the BJP are based on lies...

Be it the 2G scam, the Modi model in Gujarat or the promise of 15 lakhs in every bank accountDemonetisation, Gabbar Singh Tax everything is a lie, he said. The whole architecture of BJP is about lies, the whole structure is about lies.

Gandhi also asked why Modi was silent on the allegations made by the Opposition over the Rafale deal and financial irregularities of a firm linked to BJP chief Amit Shahs son Jay.

Both Thursdays acquittal in the 2G scam case and Fridays verdict by the Bombay High Court in the Adarsh housing society scam bode well for the Congress, which was decimated in 2014 Lok Sabha elections following a massive anti-corruption movement built by Anna Hazare and politically fuelled by the BJP.

The Congress plans national narrative against what it calls a vicious BJP campaign of calumny post the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocations and the assumption of Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss to the exchequer. With agencies
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 22

The city police today claimed to have arrested one more person in connection with the killing of Hindu Sangharsh Sena leader Vipin Sharma. He has been identified as Bikramjit Singh, alias Ghullaa, resident of the Tej Nagar area, located on the Sultanwind road here.

He was arrested from Mumbai by the Mumbai Police after his lookout notice was issued by the police. The Mumbai Police later informed the Punjab Police, which brought him on a transit remand here and produced him in a court in connection with the case. The court sent him to four-day police remand.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations) Jagmohan Singh said Bikramjit had provided his motorcycle for the crime. He said Bikramjit remained with the prime accused and notorious gangsters Saraj Singh Mintu and Shubham Singh for 25 days. He later reached Mumbai to escape to Dubai. He had already booked tickets for the same.

He said the police had also recovered the car which was used to take Shubham and Mintu out of Punjab. They reached Agra in the car, which belonged to the girlfriend of Kunwarbir Singh, alias Kammy. The DCP said her role was still being verified.

The DCP, who is also heading the special investigating team (SIT) formed by Police Commissioner SS Srivastav to probe the murder and arrest the culprits, said Bikramjit was also wanted in another fraud case in which he changed the ATM card of a resident and withdrew money fraudulently. The case was registered in September last year.

Till now the police have arrested three persons  Vishal Sharma of Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar, Kammy and Bikramjit Ghulla  in the case. Both prime accused are still absconding.
TORONTO, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZoomerMedia Limited (TSX-V:ZUM) (the Company), the leader in serving the interests of the 45+ Zoomer market in Canada, today announced its financial results for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.



Consolidated Results

For the year ended August 31, 2017 the Company had revenues of $50.6 million, operating expenses of $50.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $0.3 million. Net loss for the year ended August 31, 2017 was $6.4 million.

In the comparative period, for the year ended August 31, 2016 the Company had revenues of $52.7 million, operating expenses of $46.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $6.1 million. Net income for the year ended August 31, 2016, after taking into account a gain on the sale of property of $11.9 million and income tax expense of $2.4 million, was $10.8 million.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-IFRS earnings measures which do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA presented by other companies. EBITDA represents earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA excludes impairment of broadcast licenses and the gain on sale of property. These measures are important to management since they are used by potential investors to evaluate the Companys operating performance and ability to incur and service debt, and as a valuation metric. Investors are cautioned that this non-IFRS financial measure should not be construed as an alternative to other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS.

Additional Information

Detailed financial information and Managements Discussion and Analysis for the year ended August 31, 2016 can be found on SEDARs website at www.sedar.com. The financial information included in this release is qualified in its entirety and should be read together with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2016, including the notes thereto.

About ZoomerMedia Limited

ZoomerMedia is a multimedia company that serves the 45plus Zoomer demographic through television, radio, magazine, internet and trade shows. ZoomerMedias television properties include; Vision TV, Canadas only multi-faith specialty television service; ONE: Get Fit, offering programs on exercise, meditation, yoga, natural health and living a planet-friendly lifestyle; JoyTV in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey and the Fraser Valley, and HOPETV, a lifestyle television service out of Winnipeg devoted to broadcasting Christian programming and is available in approximately 6 million Canadian homes. ZoomerMedias radio properties include CFMZ-FM Toronto  The New Classical 96.3FM, CFMX-FM Cobourg  The New Classical 103.1FM, CFMO-FM  Collingwood  The New Classical 102.9FM, Canadas only commercial classical music radio stations serving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), eastern Ontario and Collingwood, CFZM-AM 740 Toronto and CFZM-FM 96.7FM Toronto  Zoomer Radio, Torontos Timeless Hits Station. ZoomerMedia also publishes ZOOMER Magazine, the largest paid circulation magazine in Canada for the mature market. ZoomerMedia is Canadas leading provider of online content targeting the 45plus age group through many properties, the key one being www.EverythingZoomer.com. ZoomerMedia also has trade show and conference divisions that produce the ZoomerShows, annual consumer shows directed to the Zoomer demographic and ideaCity, an annual Canadian conference also known as 'Canada's Premiere Meeting of the Minds'.

Cautionary note on forward looking statements

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Certain statements made in this report are forward-looking statements which may include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words believe, anticipate, expect, estimate, project, will be, will continue, will likely result or similar words or phrases. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in filings by ZoomerMedia Limited with provincial securities commissions. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors on the Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

the risks inherent in magazine publishing;

the risks inherent in the operation of Internet media properties;

the risks inherent in the operation of television broadcast properties;

the risks inherent in the operation of radio broadcast properties;

the risks inherent in the operations of affinity partners with respect to royalty revenue;

the risks inherent in the operation of consumer shows generally,

the competition within the media industry for the baby boomer generations business;

the risks associated with governmental regulation of the publishing, internet, radio broadcasting and television broadcasting businesses;

the results of legal claims made by or against the Company;

the dependence of the business on the continuing operation of its computer systems; and

the dependence of the business on key personnel.

Given these risks, and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. ZoomerMedia Limited does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

For further information please contact:
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to the states of Punjab and Haryana along with the UT Administration on a PIL seeking enforcement of measures to prevent torture in jails and police stations.

Directions were also sought against smuggling of mobile phones and narcotics into jails.

The notice by the division Bench of Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Amit Rawal also fixed January 29 as the next date of hearing on the PIL filed by advocate Hari Chand Arora.

As the petition came up for hearing, Arora cited several instances of torture of undertrials and accused in police stations, including the latest instance of Ashok Kumar in the Ryan case.

Arora submitted that the bus conductor had confessed to murder of student Parduman Yadav under torture. He also referred to Supreme Court judgment in the case of DK Basus case on preventing torture of accused and undertrials.
Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, December 22

Director General of Punjab Police Suresh Arora has rewarded a team of the Moga police, who played a vital role in solving the four cases of targeted killings of Hindu leaders, with out-of-turn promotions.

The names of team leaders - SSP Raj Jit Singh Hundal, SP (D) Vazir Singh, DSP (D) Sarbjit Singh and Inspector Kikkar Singh, incharge of the special cell created to nab the gangsters, did not figure on the list.

Last week, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) after Hundal, fearing a frame-up, sought the handing over of a drug case probe to an officer other than Special Task Force chief Harpreet Singh Sandhu.

A senior official of the Punjab Police revealed that the DGP was not empowered to give out-of-turn promotions to police officers above the rank of inspector. Therefore, the state Cabinet will look into their cases of promotion.

Two Assistant Sub-Inspectors - Iqbal Hussain and Pippal Singh - have been promoted to the rank of Sub-Inspector; four Head Constables Gulab Singh, Baljit Singh, Jaswinder Singh and Sarbjit Singh - have been promoted as Assistant Sub-Inspectors and seven constables - Harjit Singh, Harjinder Singh, Balwinder Singh, Gurbhej Singh, Nirmal Singh, Gurdeep Singh and Jagmohan Singh - have been promoted as head constables.

As many as 19 other constables have also been rewarded with a certificate of honour and Rs 1,000 cash prize.

An RSS leader and BJP RTI wing member, Ravinder Gosain, was gunned down outside his house in Ludhiana on October 17, 2017, and RSS state vice-president Brig Jagdish Gagneja (retd) was shot dead in Jalandhar on August 6, 2016.

Out-of-turn promotions

DGP Suresh Arora has rewarded a team of the Moga police for playing a vital role in solving four cases of targeted killings of Hindu leaders with out-of-turn promotions.

The name of team leader SSP Raj Jit Singh Hundal, whose alleged links with a drug-tainted inspector are being probed by an SIT, is not on the list.
THE Conference on the study and teaching of History in the Punjab University reassembled on Friday last under the presidency of Prof. Ramsay Muir. The most important subjects which were discussed were the arrangement of teaching in the proposed Honours schools and the course of study. Prof. Muir suggested that a chair of History might be established on the lines of that existing in the University of Allahabad. Prof. Shiv Dyal of Government College suggested that a chair might be instituted for research purposes. A resolution to give effect to this idea was proposed from the chair, and seconded by Prof. Dyal. Prof. Ball of D.A.V. College moved an amendment to the effect that instead of instituting a chair a series of lectureships might be instituted to stimulate original work among the Professors of different Colleges in the University
Ashima Sehajpal Batish

Experiences of life organically make their way into an individuals creative pursuits. In a directors film, a writers tome, an architects structure and a fashion designers creation, past and present knot several threads to give the product a final shape. So, each time Karishma Shahani Sha, a Pune-based fashion designer, sits down to create a blueprint of her new collection, she begins with retrospection. What I designed five years back complemented circumstances, people I met and places I travelled during that time. In her debut collection at the London School of Fashion in 2011, she chose bright, dark colours over the usual palette of nude shades. I would miss India and everything about it so much. The colour scheme helped me cope with homesickness.

The present is no different. The world around her finds a narrative in her label Ka Sha. And it is not just her immediate surroundings that cast an effect, even distant but relevant subjects do  like, environment. She recently won the coveted International Fashion Showcase Country Award at the London Fashion Week (along with four other Indian designers), where she presented her collection inspired from the Rabari Tribe in Kutch. Excerpts from an interview.

What recent instances of your life have inspired your latest collection?

I am reading a lot on environment these days and that convinces me that fashion industry too has a responsibility towards a cleaner earth. Sustainable fashion has become the key word but it has its own challenges. While the industry across the world is waking up to long-lasting clothes that can be worn in different ways on several occasions and are constructed with upcycled material, couture is becoming far more swish. How to strike a balance between customised and sustainable fashion has become more important than ever before. My last collection tried to achieve it though introduction of layers. The separates can be worn and taken off according to the occasion, reinforcing sustainable fashion. Also, we dont throw anything away, everything inside the workshop is put into use.

How do you decide upon the

pricing of your clothes?

After market study and research, it was decided that the pricing should be between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000. Inclusivity of everyone at the design-house is important. A designer should earn money and even a karigar should earn. Also, the working conditions should be favouroable. All this isnt possible by making the price tags lighter. In fact, that is also the reason I am not in favour of mass production, because there the margins are less and workers dont get their due. Also, anything that comes cheap is usually discarded off easily, again leading to fast fashion and its environmental consequences.

Tassles and flowers are a staple to your collections. Why is their inclusion never amiss?

I have used both the elements so often that these have become signature of my collections. These add a lot of movement and fluidity to the garments. Not that I abide by any hard-and-fast rules, but the quirky, colourful elements are capable of adding drama to even ivory garments. Also, these help me upcycle a lot of fabric that gets wasted in the process of making clothes. Like, I made a hand-knotted shawl from fabric scraps.

You have often talked about designer-waste management. Please elaborate on the same.

I am inquisitive about how do designers dispose of the waste material at the workshop. I hope to begin a venture where in used-less fabric and accessories will be collected and then sorted out to be used and experimented upon. This propels the idea of minimize wastage, and maximize sustainability. Ideally, it should begin with large corporate houses involved in mass production of clothes. My collection of 2014, Heart to Haat, entirely done with upcycled material, may be able to prove how waste can have a worth.

Concept saris from your label are a big hit. What is the idea behind the breakaway sartorial pieces?

I love sari as a garment but to render it a universal appeal, it becomes imperative to give it a twist. So I replaced pallu with a wide frill, a blouse with a trench coat and even reduced the length till calves. The base, however, remains the same. Cottons, Banarsi silk, Chanderi, Mul and Mashru silk is used to craft clothes. Even the colour palette is very typical of what is found inside Indian womens wardrobe.
Dehradun: State Congress president Pritam Singh said on Friday that the state government's zero tolerance policy towards corruption was an eyewash as it had failed to introduce Lokayukta. Addressing a press conference here Pritam Singh said the BJP had promised during the election campaign that it would introduce Lokayukta within three months of coming to power. "It seems the BJP has forgotten its poll promise as it's not even talking about Lokayukta," he said. The state Congress president also criticised the state government for merging a large number of rural areas into municipalities and the municipal corporation. The state Congress president said the party would state a dharna on December 25 to protest the move. Referring to court judgment on the 2G spectrum case, state Congress president Pritam Singh said the Congress' stand had been vindicated and the BJP had unnecessarily raked up the issue for political gains. TNS
Dehradun: The Muslim Rashtriya Manch has appealed to the Muslims to support the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. National convener of the manch Mohammad Afzal said there was no evidence of the existence of mosque at the disputed site. He also said that there was no proof that the land belonged to the Waqf board. Members of the manch said that Muslims should continue collective efforts for building the temple. TNS
New Delhi, December 22

A mysterious disease affecting the Himalayan blue sheep in the Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand has caught the attention of the National Green Tribunal which has sought response from the environment ministry and other authorities on the issue.

A bench headed by Acting National Green Tribunal chairperson Justice U D Salvi issued notice to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, National Biodiversity Authority, Uttarakhand government and Uttarakhand State Biodiversity Board while seeking their reply before February 9.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by advocate Gaurav Bansal seeking shifting of the infected animals, locally known as Bharal, from the national park to a safer place.

According to the plea, in September this year, a group of BSF officers, who were camping at the Kedar Tal area of the Gangotri National Park, spotted several Himalayan blue sheep with their eyes popping out and bleeding.

During the camping activity, one of the officers found several blue sheep with their eyes popping out or bleeding or eye socket empty. He took photographs of some of the infected blue sheep.

The applicant also came to know that the BSF officer had informed the state forest department about the condition of the prevailing disease in the blue sheep, but it has failed to take proper measures to prevent and control the spreading of the disease, the plea alleged.

It said that according to the National Wildlife Action Plan, 2017-2031 issued by the environment ministry, the infectious disease was a concern not only to humans but wildlife species.

It, however, said the authorities were not taking any action to protect the animals.

In order to eradicate the disease, there was an urgent need to establish and strengthen the centres for wildlife rehabilitation and disease surveillance in and around the protected areas, it said.

The petitioner has sought setting up of a high-level team to inspect the national park and formulate appropriate an action plan for the conservation of eco-system and bio- diversity of the ecologically-sensitive area.  PTI

The plea
Sydney: Australian police said on Friday they had seized a record 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine with a street value of more than A$1 billion ($771 million) after a raid in a remote area of the west Australian coast. Eight Australian men were charged with offences carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, police in Western Australia state said in a statement. We are striking at the top end of drug trafficking before it gets further down the distribution chain, Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said. The drugs were collected from a ship at a dock in Geraldton, about 375 km north of Perth. PTI
Barcelona, December 22

Separatists looked set on Friday to regain power in Catalonia after voters rejected Prime Minister Mariano Rajoys attempt to neuter the independence movement to defuse Spains biggest political crisis in decades.

Spanish markets recoiled at a surprise result that is also a setback for the European Union, which must now brace for more secessionist noise as it grapples with the disruption of Brexit and simmering east European discontent.

By risking an election in the wealthy region, Rajoy appears to have made the same mistake that leaders such as Greeces Alexis Tsipras, Britains David Cameron and Italys Matteo Renzi have made in recent years: betting that voters would resolve their troublesome domestic conundrums for them.

With the count from Thursdays Catalan Parliament election almost complete, separatist parties had secured a slim majority, sending stocks down around 1 per cent on fears that tensions with its richest region will hurt the euro zones fourth-largest economy.

Catalonia accounts for a fifth of Spains economy. More than 3,100 firms have shifted their headquarters out of the region since the independence drive boiled up this year into a referendum that Madrid declared unconstitutional.

More companies leaving, less economic activity there - and worse for everyone, said the chief executive of a major listed Spanish company, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the tense climate of the independence debate.

Rajoy, who called the election after sacking the previous, secessionist government, had still not made a comment, some 12 hours after the outcome became clear. He is due to make a statement at 1300 GMT.

Rejection for Rajoy

Rajoy had hoped to mobilise hitherto quiescent supporters of union with Spain and so deal separatism a decisive blow.

Instead, his own party performed miserably, and the result raises the question of a return to power for the Catalan president he had deposed.

Carles Puigdemont campaigned from Belgium after fleeing Spain to avoid arrest for sedition, and he faces the prospect of arrest if he were to return home.

Puigdemont is due to speak in Brussels at 1100 GMT.

Either Rajoy changes his recipe or we change the country, he said on Thursday night in a televised speech, flanked by four former cabinet members who fled to Brussels with him.

At jubilant pro-independence rallies around Barcelona, supporters chanted President Puigdemont! and unfurled giant red-and-yellow Catalan flags as the results came in.

Puigdemonts spokesman told Reuters in a text message: We are the comeback kids.

Catalonia, a former principality with its own language, has stepped up its push for independence in recent years as its economy has boomed. Secessionists say it pays an unfair share of taxes to Madrid, but investors fear independence would knock the indebted region out of the EU and the euro zone by default.

Spain has trimmed its growth forecasts for next year because of the crisis, and official data shows foreign direct investment in Catalonia was down 75 percent year-on-year in the third quarter.

Germany, France back Rajoy

The EUs major powers, Germany and France, have backed Rajoys anti-independence stance despite some criticism of his methods at times.

On Oct. 1, national police used tear gas and batons to prevent some Catalans from voting in the banned referendum.

When the Catalan parliament declared independence after the referendum, Rajoy invoked constitutional powers to impose direct rule from Madrid. He promised to restore Catalonias autonomy regardless of the election result, but could re-impose it if a new government again pursued secession.

Puigdemonts attempts to gain international support in Brussels have failed so far. He has called the EU a club of decadent countries for declining to mediate a solution.

But Europe now ends the year having struggled to build on the integrationist Emmanuel Macrons victory in the French presidential election in May. Germany faces months of political limbo, Brussels is mired in a nasty dispute with Polands right-wing government and a far-right party has just entered the government in Austria.

A German government spokeswoman called on Friday for reconcialiation in Spanish society and hoped that divisions could be overcome.

Catalonias separatist parties won 70 of the 135 seats, with Puigdemonts Junts Per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) retaining its position as the largest separatist force.

The unionist party Ciudadanos (Citizens) won the most votes, but other unionist forcesRajoys Peoples Party and the Socialist Partyregistered a dismal performance.

Its a bitter victory, said Paloma Morales, a 27-year-old student at a Ciudadanos rally. It means four more years of misery. Reuters
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following a year of impressive performance by First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN), and in connection with recent tax reform efforts, First Horizon is offering bonuses to employees.



First Horizon will distribute $1,000 bonuses to eligible employees in January. The one-time payouts will be offered to employees who do not participate in company-sponsored bonus plans.

This has been an exceptional year for First Horizon as we experienced balance sheet and revenue growth while focusing on controlling costs, said Bryan Jordan, First Horizons chairman and CEO. Our merger with Capital Bank  the largest in our companys history  thus far it has been a seamless transition thanks to our employees. And as a result of this outstanding performance and because of recent tax reform efforts that we believe will benefit First Horizon, we are happy to offer bonuses to our people who work hard every day to maintain First Horizons reputation as one of the best companies to work for and one of the most trusted banks in the country.

First Horizons merger with Capital Bank, which closed on Nov. 30, created the fourth largest regional bank in the Southeast with approximately $40 billion in assets, $32 billion in deposits, $27 billion in loans and 350 branches in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas and Virginia.

About First Horizon

First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN) provides financial services through its First Tennessee, Capital Bank, FTB Advisors, and FTN Financial businesses. First Horizon operates 350 bank locations across the southern U.S. and 28 FTN Financial offices across the U.S. Our banking subsidiary was founded in 1864 and has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country. Our First Tennessee and Capital Bank brands have the largest deposit market share in Tennessee and one of the highest customer retention rates of any bank in the country. We have been ranked by American Banker as No. 5 among the Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Banks. Our FTB Advisors wealth management group has more than 300 financial advisors and about $30 billion in assets under administration. FTN Financial is a capital markets industry leader in fixed income sales, trading and strategies for institutional customers in the U.S. and abroad. We have been recognized as one of the nations best employers by Working Mother and American Banker magazines and the National Association for Female Executives. More information is available at www.FirstHorizon.com.

FHN-G

CONTACT: First Horizon

Investor Relations, Aarti Bowman, (901) 523-4017

Media Relations, James Dowd, (901) 523-4305
Jerusalem, December 22

Israel has rejected as preposterous the vote by 127 countries, including India, at the UN General Assembly that opposed the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

India on Thursday joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Trump on December 6 announced that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, triggering protests and strong condemnation from across the world.

Israel has rejected the preposterous vote at the UN General Assembly, thanking the nations that supported the truth by not participating in the theatre of the absurd, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be, Netanyahu said in a video message released immediately after the UN vote.

But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theatre of the absurd. So I appreciate that, and especially I want to again express our thanks to (US) President (Donald) Trump and Ambassador (Nikki) Haley, for their stalwart defence of Israel and their stalwart defence of the truth, Netanyahu said.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday defied the US and overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning the Trump administrations recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, calling on countries not to move their diplomatic missions to the city.

Let them vote against us...We dont care. But this isnt like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars, Trump had said on Wednesday threatening to withdraw US aid to countries that vote in favour of the UN resolution.

Were not going to be taken advantage of any longer, the US President had asserted.

Israeli Jewish politicians expressed their anger against the world body but Arab parliamentarians called it a wake-up call.

Israels hawkish Defence Minister, Avigdor Liberman, reminded Israelis of the long-standing Israeli disdain for such votes.

Let us just remember that this is the same UN about which our first ambassador to the organisation, Abba Eban, once said: If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions, Liberman said.

There is nothing new in what just happened at the UN, he added, and praised the US as the moral beacon shining out of the darkness.

Minister of Strategic Affairs and Public Security Gilad Erdan also blasted the UN vote.

The historic connection between Israel and Jerusalem is stronger than any vote by the United Nationsnations who are united only by their fear and their refusal to recognise the simple truth that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the Jewish people, Erdan said in a statement after the vote.

He called upon for strengthening Israels sovereignty, security and construction in every part of Jerusalem.

However, the top Arab lawmaker in the Knesset, Arab Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh, said the vote was a wake-up call for Israel.

In the international arena, there still exists a large and definitive majority that believes that the Palestinian people, like all other nations, deserve a place in this world and the right to self-determination, he said in a statement.

This evenings vote by the majority of the worlds nations against Trumps announcement, in spite of the pressure and threats, flies in the face of Trumps and Netanyahus diplomatic policy and is a clear statement by the international community in support of peace and the right of the Palestinians to an independent state, whose capital is East Jerusalem, Odeh added.

Noa Landau, an analyst for the daily Haaretz, citing diplomatic sources, said Israel was particularly disappointed with countries like India that had enhanced bilateral relations with it recently.

The main disappointment in Israel was with the countries that have enhanced bilateral relations in recent years, especially those that share a particularly conservative worldview with the Netanyahu government, Landau wrote.

For example, Indiawhose Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Israel in July, a tour that was memorable mainly for the pastoral photographs of him and Netanyahu embracing and wading in the wavesvoted for the resolution against Israel and the United States, she said.

The Israeli Prime Minister will visit India from January 14 to 18. PTI
Jerusalem/paris, December 22

Israel has rejected as preposterous the vote by 127 countries, including India, at the UN General Assembly that opposed the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital. India yesterday joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Trump on December 6 announced that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, triggering protests and strong condemnation from across the world.

Israel has rejected the preposterous vote at the UN General Assembly, thanking the nations that supported the truth by not participating in the theatre of the absurd, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be, Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday said the United States has disqualified itself from the Middle East peace process due to its recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. The United States are no longer an honest mediator in the peace process, we will not accept any plan put forward by the United States, he said at a joint news briefing with French President Emmanuel Macron.French President Emmanuel Macron said the US had marginalised itself in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict byrecognising Jerusalem as Israels capital.  Agencies
Pyongyang, December 22

North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un on Friday said his country had achieved rapid development in strategic weaponry and posed substantial nuclear threat to the US, state news agency reported.

Kim said this at a meeting with high-ranking Workers Party officials days after Pyongyang successfully tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to date, Efe quoted the KCNA report.

Kims speech came on the same day the UN Security Council planned to vote on a new proposal from the US to expand sanctions against the isolated Asian country, in response to the ICBM test conducted on November 29.

According to the North Korean regime, it was now capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead and reaching all US territory.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The rapid development of North Koreas nuclear force is now exerting big influence on the world political structure and strategic environment, Kim said in his opening address.

Nobody can deny the entity of North Korea which rapidly emerged as a strategic state capable of posing a substantial nuclear threat to the US, Kim said.

The leader also stressed that Pyongyang was facing grave challenges that should not be overlooked, although he called on the North Korean people to be optimistic about progress of our revolution under this situation instead of feeling disappointed by or afraid of such challenges.

The US-drafted resolution was aimed at further cutting Pyongyangs access to hydrocarbons and order the repatriation of North Koreans working outside the country, according to diplomatic sources.

Washington argues that the income earned by many of these workers in places like Russia or China is used by Pyongyang to finance its nuclear and missile programmes. IANS
Inclusion of Treatment-free Remission (TFR) data provides additional and novel option in management of Ph+ CML-CP



Deep and sustained molecular response included as key eligibility criteria for attempting TFR after treatment with Tasigna



Approval granted under priority review and is based on Novartis trials evaluating TFR with Tasigna in both the first-line and second-line settings

Basel, December 22, 2017 - Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the inclusion of Treatment-free Remission (TFR) data in the Tasigna (nilotinib) US product label. Tasigna is now the first and only BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) to include data about attempting treatment discontinuation in eligible adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase (Ph+ CML-CP) after achieving sustained deep molecular response of MR4.5 (BCR-ABL1 International Scale [IS] <= 0.0032%) in its FDA-approved prescribing information. TFR is the ability to maintain a sustained molecular response* after stopping TKI therapy in patients with Ph+ CML-CP. TFR requires scheduled monitoring of BCR-ABL1 levels to identify possible loss of molecular response.

"It has long been our ambition at Novartis to make it possible for some people with CML to discontinue therapy," said Bruno Strigini, CEO, Novartis Oncology. "We are proud that Tasigna is now the first and only TKI with TFR data in its labeling in the US and several countries around the globe. This achievement would not have been possible without the partnership of patients around the world who participated in our groundbreaking TFR trials, helping Novartis to once again reimagine what is possible for people living with CML."

With this label update, Tasigna is the only TKI that provides defined, approved criteria to attempt and monitor TFR. This approval follows a priority review for a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Tasigna seeking the addition of TFR information and is based on safety and efficacy results from the 96-week analyses of two open label trials, ENESTfreedom and ENESTop. These trials evaluated the potential to maintain MMR (BCR-ABL1 <= 0.1%) after stopping Tasigna therapy among eligible adult patients with Ph+ CML-CP. Patients in the trials had achieved a sustained MR4.5 with Tasigna in both the first-line setting or after switching from Glivec (imatinib)**[1]. The trials demonstrated that almost half of the Ph+ CML-CP patients who discontinued Tasigna remained in TFR approximately two years after stopping treatment[1]. Among patients who did lose molecular response during the TFR phase of the trials, nearly all regained MMR when Tasigna therapy was promptly reinitiated[1]. The safety data are consistent with previously published studies and the known safety profile of Tasigna[1].

The TFR data in the Tasigna label approved by the FDA included the use of the MolecularMD MRDxTM BCR-ABL test, a FDA-authorized companion diagnostic validated to measure BCR-ABL transcript levels down to MR4.5[1]. Discontinuation of Tasigna should only be attempted under the close supervision of a physician. Frequently scheduled patient monitoring after Tasigna discontinuation is required so that possible loss of MMR and MR4.0 (BCR-ABL1 IS <= 0.01%) is quickly identified and treatment re-initiation is started promptly[1].

About Ph+ CML

CML is a type of cancer in which the body produces cancerous white blood cells. Almost all patients with CML have an abnormality known as the "Philadelphia chromosome," which produces a protein called BCR-ABL. BCR-ABL causes malignant white blood cells to proliferate. Worldwide, CML accounts for approximately 10% to 15% of all adult cases of leukemia, with an incidence of one to two cases per 100,000 people per year.

About ENESTfreedom

ENESTfreedom (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials - Following REsponsE in De nOvo CML-CP Patients) is an open label Phase II study of 215 Ph+ CML-CP patients, conducted at 132 sites across 19 countries. The trial evaluated stopping treatment in 190 adults with Ph+ CML-CP in patients who had achieved a response of MR4.5 with Tasigna as a first-line treatment, who sustained deep molecular response for one year prior to treatment discontinuation.

Results from the ENESTfreedom study found that 48.9% of 190 CML patients (confidence interval [CI] 95%: 41.6%-56.3%) were able to discontinue therapy and remain in MMR at 96 weeks[1]. Of the 88 patients who promptly restarted treatment with Tasigna due to loss of MMR by the cut-off date, 98.9% were able to regain MMR (n=87)[1]. One patient discontinued the study at 7.1 weeks without regaining MMR after reinitiating treatment with Tasigna[1]. Patients who discontinued therapy were continually monitored for possible loss of molecular response after treatment discontinuation. BCR-ABL transcript levels and complete blood count with differential were monitored monthly for one year, then every 6 weeks for the second year, and every 12 weeks thereafter[1].

The safety data observed in this trial are consistent with the known safety profile of Tasigna. AEs (all grades) in the predefined musculoskeletal pain grouping decreased from 34.0% to 9.0% during the first and second 48 weeks of the TFR phase, respectively, versus 17.0% during the treatment consolidation phase[1].

About ENESTop

ENESTop (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety Trial) is an open label Phase II study of 163 Ph+ CML-CP patients, conducted at 63 sites across 18 countries. The trial evaluated stopping treatment in 126 adults with Ph+ CML-CP in patients who had been previously treated with Glivec, and then switched to Tasigna, who achieved and sustained molecular response for one year prior to treatment discontinuation.

ENESTop showed that more than half (53.2%) of patients were able to remain in TFR at 96 weeks (95% CI: 44.1%-62.1%)[1]. In the study, 56 patients with confirmed loss of MR4.0 or loss of MMR restarted Tasigna by the cut-off date[1]. Of these patients, 92.9% (n=52) regained both MR4.0 and MR4.5[1]. Patients who discontinued therapy were continually monitored for possible loss of molecular response after treatment discontinuation. BCR-ABL transcript levels and complete blood count with differential were monitored monthly for one year, then every 6 weeks for the second year, and every 12 weeks thereafter[1].

The safety data observed in this trial are consistent with the known safety profile of Tasigna. Rates of musculoskeletal pain-related AEs (all grades) decreased from 47.9% to 15.1% during the first and second 48 weeks of the TFR phase, respectively, versus 13.7% during the treatment consolidation phase[1].

Novartis Commitment to CML

Evaluating more than 1,000 patients, the Tasigna TFR clinical trial program is among the most extensive in the industry. This large international program designed to assess TKI discontinuation includes ENESTfreedom and ENESTop, as well as two other ongoing company-sponsored TFR studies and multiple investigator-initiated studies. Novartis' commitment to innovation builds upon existing evidence to explore the next advance for the care of people with CML.

Novartis' ongoing research in Ph+ CML has helped transform the disease from a fatal leukemia to a chronic condition in most patients. The company maintains an unwavering commitment to scientific innovation and access to care for patients worldwide. As an organization committed to patients, Novartis continues to reimagine CML by pursuing ambitious goals with courage, passion and commitment for the global CML community.

About Tasigna

Tasigna (nilotinib) is approved in more than 122 countries for the treatment of chronic phase and accelerated phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (Ph+ CML) in adult patients resistant or intolerant to at least one prior therapy, including Glivec (imatinib), and in more than 110 countries for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ CML in chronic phase. Tasigna is approved in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of Ph+ CML in the chronic phase in pediatric patients with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy including Glivec and for the treatment of pediatric patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ CML in the chronic phase.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION for TASIGNA (nilotinib) Capsules

Use with caution in patients with uncontrolled or significant cardiac disease and in patients who have or may develop prolongation of QTc. Low levels of potassium or magnesium must be corrected prior to Tasigna administration. Monitor closely for an effect on the QTc interval. Baseline ECG is recommended prior to initiating therapy and as clinically indicated. Cases of sudden death have been reported in clinical studies in patients with significant risk factors. Avoid use of concomitant drugs known to prolong the QT interval and strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. Avoid food 2 hours before and 1 hour after taking dose. Reactivation of hepatitis B can occur in patients who are chronic carriers of this virus after receiving TKI treatment.

Use with caution in patients with liver impairment, with a history of pancreatitis and with total gastrectomy. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, severe lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not use Tasigna. Tasigna may cause fetal harm in pregnant women. If pregnancy is planned during the treatment-free remission phase, the patient must be informed of a potential need to re-initiate treatment with Tasigna during pregnancy. Women taking Tasigna should not breastfeed.

Cases of cardiovascular events included ischemic heart disease-related events, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, and ischemic cerebrovascular events have been reported. Serious cases of hemorrhage from various sites including gastrointestinal were reported in patients receiving Tasigna. Grade 3 or 4 fluid retention including pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, ascites and pulmonary edema have been reported. Cases of tumor lysis syndrome have been reported in Tasigna-treated patients who were resistant or intolerant to prior CML therapy.

In pediatric patients the long-term effects of prolonged treatment with Tasigna is unknown.

Eligible patients who are confirmed to express the typical BCR-ABL transcripts, e13a2/b2a2 or e14a2/b3a2, can be considered for treatment discontinuation. Frequent monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels in patients eligible for treatment discontinuation must be performed with a quantitative diagnostic test validated to measure molecular response levels with a sensitivity of at least MR4.5 (BCR-ABL/ABL <=0.0032% IS). BCR-ABL transcript levels must be assessed prior to and during treatment discontinuation. Loss of major molecular response (MMR=BCR-ABL/ABL <=0.1% IS) or confirmed loss of MR4 (two consecutive measures separated by at least 4 weeks showing loss of MR4 (MR4=BCR-ABL/ABL <=0.01% IS) will trigger treatment re-initiation within 4 weeks of when loss of remission is known to have occurred. It is crucial to perform frequent monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels and complete blood count with differential in order to detect possible loss of remission. For patients who fail to achieve MMR after three months of treatment re-initiation, BCR-ABL kinase domain mutation testing should be performed.

The most frequent Grade 3 or 4 adverse events are hematological (neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia) which are generally reversible and usually managed by withholding Tasigna temporarily or dose reduction. Chemistry panels, including electrolytes, lipid profile, liver enzymes, and glucose should be checked prior to therapy and periodically. Tasigna can cause increases in serum lipase. The most frequent non-hematologic adverse events were rash, pruritus, nausea, fatigue, headache, alopecia, myalgia, constipation and diarrhea.

Musculoskeletal pain, myalgia, pain in extremity, arthralgia, bone pain and spinal pain may occur upon discontinuing treatment with Tasigna within the framework of attempting treatment-free remission.

Please see full Prescribing Information including Boxed WARNING at https://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/sites/www.pharma.us.novartis.com/files/tasigna.pdf.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; general economic and industry conditions, including the effects of the persistently weak economic and financial environment in many countries; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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*No loss of MMR (BCR-ABL1 <= 0.1%) in newly diagnosed patients, and no loss of MMR or no confirmed loss of MR4.0 (BCR-ABL1 <= 0.01%) in patients resistant or intolerant to prior treatment including imatinib.

**Known as Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) tablets in the US and Canada.

References

[1] Tasigna (nilotinib) Prescribing Information. East Hanover, New Jersey, USA: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; December 2017.

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eric.althoff@novartis.com Mary Curtin Creaser

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Wagoner area residents looking to enjoy a Christmas Day meal in the company of others are invited to the First Presbyterian Church Monday, Dec. 25 for its 32nd Annual Community Christmas Dinner.

Linda Brown, one of several volunteers who helps with the dinner, said approximately 300 people are anticipated to enjoy the free meal either in person or have it delivered to their home.

Turkey and dressing with all the fixings will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. People can simply walk in at the church or call 918-485-5203 up until 12 noon Christmas Day to place an order.

The meal will be prepared and delivered by approximately 30 volunteers.

Usually we will host a husband or wife who are like grandparents and not around their children or grandchildren for Christmas, Brown explained. We also have people come by to take a meal home or others who are shut-ins that cant get out that we deliver to.

She added it is not uncommon for a homeless person to stop by and spend the entire time in fellowship with others.

In addition, church members deliver meals to all of the emergency services personnel working on Christmas at the fire station, police department and sheriffs office.

So why does the church do this outreach each year?

Its more than weve always done it, its really a mission  especially for the ladies who have done it since the beginning in 1986, Brown noted. Throughout the year we hear, Yes, my mother came to eat at Christmas or, You brought a meal to my mother from others in the community.

Others come who I see riding down the street on a bike or walking. When they ask if they can have a few meals, we let them know its okay! They can smile, feel good and fell warm. They will have people to talk to, she assured.

Brown said during her growing up years, it was not uncommon for 10-20 people to show up at her familys home on Christmas Day for breakfast.

One of my best memories was having people who didnt have someplace to go come over and fix food for them, she admitted.
TAHLEQUAH  A former elected official for two northeastern Oklahoma tribes died Tuesday.

Officials with the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians announced Thursday afternoon that former chief George Wickliffe died in his sleep Monday. He was 80 years old.

As of Thursday afternoon, services are still pending with Shipmans Funeral Home in Pryor.

Originally from the Delaware County community of Kenwood, Wickliffe served three terms as principal chief of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. During his tenure, the tribe received self-governance status from the Department of Interior, thus allowing it to more than double the number of tribally run programs available to UKB citizens.

Wickliffe was impeached in May 2016 over allegations of financial impropriety, including signing multiple contracts without approval from the tribal council, making unauthorized cash advances out of the tribes general fund and using the tribes credit card repeatedly to pay both his own personal bills and some of his sons.

Prior to his 11 years as chief of the United Keetoowah Band, Wickliffe served a four-year term on the Cherokee Nations tribal council from 1975-79 and ran unsuccessfully for principal chief in 1995.

It is a sad day for all Cherokees as we mourn the passing of former United Keetoowah Band Chief George Wickliffe, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a prepared statement. Chief Wickliffe was a champion of tribal rights and tribal sovereignty, both as the former chief of the UKB and as a former Tribal Councilor of the Cherokee Nation. He was also a very strong advocate for the preservation of the Cherokee language and culture. Although we may have disagreed on some issues, it is certain that Chief Wickliffes passing will leave a leadership void in Indian Country. We offer our sincerest condolences to Chief Wickliffes family, friends and tribe.

In addition to his career in tribal politics, the bilingual Northeastern State University graduate was an educator for 32 years, including 22 years as superintendent of White Oak Public Schools in Craig County.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation has announced more than $6.7 million in grants to 75 area nonprofits.

Most of the funding, about $2.8 million, will go to support human service agencies, with the rest going to help fund basic needs, community health organizations and education.

GKFF approved 57 of these grants in December, totaling nearly $5.5 million, and grants totaling more than $1.2 million for educational programming earlier this year.

In the past 10 years, the Tulsa-based foundations safety net grants have provided more than $67 million to local groups.

Tulsas social services community plays an essential role in ensuring that tens of thousands of children and families have access to critical services, often having life and death consequences, said Ken Levit, executive director of GKFF. At a time when the state has not been able to meet even basic obligations in health and education, these organizations are playing a heroic role.

One of the largest grants, $460,000, was awarded to Family and Childrens Services, which provides behavioral health care and other services for children and families.

GKFFs grant has provided funding for Family & Childrens Services to provide on-site mental health services for children in 23 Tulsa Public Schools (sites), said Gail Lapidus, Family and Childrens Services CEO. This collaboration also provides teachers with classroom consultation to stabilize students disruptive behavior and keep children in the classroom, increasing their chances for learning and fulfilling their potential.

Other grants include $300,000 to Domestic Violence Intervention Services  a provider of comprehensive services to women, men and children affected by domestic and sexual violence  and $150,000 to Tulsa Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes in partnership with low-income people and provides no-interest loans to the homeowners.

GKFF noted in a news release that the local Habitat affiliate teamed this year with the Center for Employment Opportunities to give that agencys participants the opportunity to gain work experience.

This partnership has allowed our participants to gain valuable job skills and earn a daily paycheck while having a genuine impact on their community, said Kelly Doyle, regional director of the Center for Employment Opportunities.

Tulsa Habitat for Humanity has ambitious building and renovation goals to provide a home to people who need one, and CEO wants to provide  people seeking a second chance with the opportunity to support themselves and their families. Its a win-win partnership.

GKFF also provided challenge grants to several organizations to expand programming and serve more clients. Youth Services of Tulsa, which has served Tulsas homeless and at-risk youths since 1969, was among challenge grant recipients.

GKFFs challenge grant will allow others to join in helping hundreds of young people exit homelessness through our transitional living program, said David Grewe, executive director of Youth Services of Tulsa.

Union Public Schools offers GED classes; the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma offers a culinary arts training program; and area businesses provide those we serve with an opportunity for first-time employment. Its collaboration like this that allows us to help young people gain skills to move toward a life of self-sufficiency and independence.

GKFFs mission is providing equal opportunity for young children in the Tulsa community through investments in early childhood education, community health, social services and civic enhancement. For more information, go to gkff.org.

Grant recipients

Seventy-five agencies received funding from the George Kaiser Family Foundation in its latest grant announcement:

$250,000-plus

 Domestic Violence Intervention Services Inc.

 Family & Children's Services

 Tulsa Community Foundation

 Youth Services of Tulsa

$150,000-$249,999

 Camp Fire USA Green Country Council Inc.

 Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma

 Community Service Council

 Eastern Oklahoma Donated Dental Services

 Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma

 Mental Health Association of Oklahoma

 Network Administrator Fund

 Rebuilding Together Tulsa

 Resonance Center for Women

 The Parent Child Center of Tulsa

 Tulsa Habitat for Humanity

$50,000-$149,999

 12 & 12 Inc.

 Assistance League of Tulsa

 Child Abuse Network

 Crosstown Learning Center

 Emergency Infant Services

 Family Safety Center

 Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma

 Global Gardens

 Good Samaritan Health Services

 Goodwill Industries of Tulsa

 Happy Hands Education Center

 Health Outreach Prevention Education

 Iron Gate

 KIPP Tulsa

 Lindsey House

 Neighbor for Neighbor

 Oklahoma Life Skills Association

 Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Foundation

 Oklahoma Project Woman

 Palmer Continuum of Care

 PASS Fund

 Restore Hope Ministries

 Sprouts Child Development Initiative

 Tulsa CARES

 Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless

 Tulsa Lawyers for Children

 YWCA Tulsa

$49,999 and under

 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma

 Broken Arrow Neighbors

 Close Up Foundation

 Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa

 Counseling & Recovery Services of Oklahoma

 Greenwood Cultural Center

 Helping Hands

 Hospice of Green Country

 James Inc.

 John 3:16 Mission

 Kendall Whittier Inc.

 LIFE Senior Services

 Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa

 MVP Foundation

 Neighbors Along the Line

 New Hope Oklahoma

 Oklahoma Caring Foundation

 Oklahomans for Equality

 Pearls Hope

 Parkside Psychiatric Hospital & Clinic

 Project Transformation

 Redeeming the Family

 San Miguel School of Tulsa

 Street School

 The Little Light House

 Tulsa CASA

 Tulsa County Medical Society Foundation

 Tulsa County Child Protection Coalition

 Tulsa Dream Center

 Tulsa Hope Academy

 Tulsans Operating in Unity Creating Hope

 Volunteers of America Oklahoma

 YMCA of Greater Tulsa
The Salvation Army has seen a considerable drop in its Red Kettle Campaign this season, but the donation of several gold coins worth thousands of dollars is pushing the organization closer to its goal.

Eight gold coins have been found in the Tulsa Area Salvation Armys kettles this month, continuing the decades-long tradition of such donations by an anonymous benefactor.

Capt. Ken Chapman said the valuable coins are especially helpful right now due to the decreased number of donations. This years kettle goal is $700,000.

We are 20 percent behind schedule, so this is going to help get us where we need to go, Chapman said.

The first gold coin  a half-ounce Krugerrand from South Africa  was discovered inside a Bixby kettle on Dec. 2. Since then, The Salvation Army has received five U.S. gold $20 coins from the late 1800s and early 1900s, a full Krugerrand and a quarter Kruggerand.

The combined gold was valued at more than $7,000 by Tulsa Gold & Silver, which matched all red kettle donations during the past two Saturdays with $25,000.

Kruggerand coins have appeared in local kettles throughout the past two decades. While Chapman said he is not sure who makes the donations, he has an idea. However, he is fine with respecting their desire to remain anonymous.

Additionally, someone recently gave The Salvation Army an impressive coin collection worth $1,500.

Although the generous gifts have helped, The Salvation Army has a long way to go to reach its goal before the kettle campaign wraps up Saturday.

Chapman stressed the importance of the donations, which sustain the organization and its over-capacity homeless shelter for the entire year.

This money is vital to keep that going, to take care of people in this community who cannot help themselves, he said. It helps people who have lost their direction. It helps people who have lost hope. It puts food in peoples bellies and roofs over peoples heads, and thats what we need to do for each other.
Many otherwise hard-boiled political reporters still fondly recall their moments with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on the Straight Talk Express, the low-spin, laughs-filled campaign bus of his losing 2000 presidential try.

My travel memories with the senator are no less evocative, if perhaps not quite as rollicking: slogging through a muddy refugee camp in Serbia, say, or listening to the anguished testimony of exiled Belarusian dissidents in a government building in Vilnius.

Year after year, to no particular political advantage, McCain has traveled to distant, lightly touristed corners of the world, dragging along whatever senators or members of Congress he could, no matter their party or ideological persuasion. Meanwhile, the McCain Institute for International Leadership gives temporary shelter in Washington, D.C., and Arizona to democratic activists from those same distant corners.

At a time when U.S. global leadership is in doubt as never before in the modern era, we have something to learn from that commitment.

McCain being McCain, when I asked him during a recent conversation in his Senate office why he devotes so much energy to such trips, he shied away from grand pronouncements and began telling stories instead.

About the time he helped head off a Russian-inspired coup in the tiny Balkan nation of Montenegro.

About walking through Tripoli, Libya, with U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens in 2012 as dozens and then hundreds and thousands of Libyans gathered, honking their horns and shouting, Thank you, USA, for Americas part in overthrowing Moammar Gaddafi.

About meeting with former political prisoners in Burma who began to cry when they heard his voice  having heard him speak up for human rights on the Voice of America.

So the reward is mine, not theirs, McCain told me.

Like many people, Ive been alternately cheered and disappointed by McCains stances on domestic matters over the years.

But McCain has never wavered in his support for democracy and human rights, and in his conviction that the United States needs to provide moral support to those who fight for freedom around the world. With President Trump often expressing more admiration for dictators than for democratic leaders, McCains advocacy has become lonelier  and more essential.

His advocacy isnt always successful, as his anecdotes make clear. Libya slid into civil war, and Stevens was killed two months after that election-day stroll through Tripoli. Burma, though former human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi is nominally in charge, is presiding over the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people.

The easy part is the revolution, McCain said. The hard part is democracy. . . . The trend is obviously in the wrong direction.

One reason, he said, is the lack of American leadership, which he believes accelerated under President Barack Obama. For the most part McCain tries to restrain his criticism of the incumbent, though the occasional acerbic remark slips out. Maybe we ought to have a rule that [national security adviser H.R.] McMaster has to be up and about by 5 a.m., he suggested to me, for example.

But he does not disguise how worried he is by the deeper currents that recall to him the darker movements of the 1930s: the nativism, the assaults on freedom of the press and the rule of law, the blaming of foreign competition for all ills, the rise of extremism.

I worry about the polarization thats going on here, I really do, McCain said. The terms of the debate is what is really disappointing.

The other day I was flipping the channels, and I saw [Steve] Bannon just beating the crap out of [Mitt] Romney, he continued, alluding to Bannons attacks on Romney for his service as a Mormon missionary in France during the Vietnam War. McCain, who more than did his part in Vietnam, made clear he didnt share Bannons view. I didnt think there was anything wrong with serving your church. I had no idea that was a crime.

Then McCain, who is fighting a brain tumor and who briefly returned to the hospital not long after our conversation, paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.

Could I also say  I still believe that were the best nation on Earth, he said. I still would not bet against the United States of America. I still would rather be the United States than any of these other countries.

But were going through some very choppy waters, he said. Weve got to appeal to the better angels of our nature.
Marine Harvest is pleased to announce that we have entered into a Share Purchase Agreement to purchase Northern Harvest ("the Company"), a leading East Coast Canadian salmon farmer. The Company is fully integrated with its own broodstock, smolt/hatchery, farming sites and processing operations. The potential acquisition supports Marine Harvest's long term strategy of being a world leading and integrated producer of seafood proteins.

The acquisition price on a cash and debt free basis is CAD 315 million, and the intention is that the consideration will be paid in cash using available credit lines under Marine Harvest's existing revolving credit facility. The Company is expected to harvest 19 thousand tonnes (GWE) of salmon in 2018, and has currently 45 farming licenses in Newfoundland and New Brunswick. The Company has an additional 13 farming licenses in application mode.

The transaction is subject to approval by relevant competition authorities and customary closing conditions.

For queries, please contact:

Alf-Helge Aarskog (CEO) +47 905 97 529

Ivan Vindheim (CFO) +47 958 71 310

Forward-looking Statements

This stock exchange announcement may be deemed to include forward-looking statements, such as statements that relate to the production capacity of the acquired assets, the expected harvest volume of the acquired assets and the expected closing of the transaction and its timing. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases, such as "expect" and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "may", "will", "should", "would", and "could". Forward-looking statements are Marine Harvest's current estimates or expectations of future events or future results. Actual results could differ materially from those indicated by these statements because the realization of those results is subject to many risks and uncertainties, including operational factors that may affect the production capabilities of the acquired assets and failure to satisfy conditions precedent for the acquisition. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based on information available at the time of the release, and Marine Harvest assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
UNHCR 

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is dismayed by the forced return of an asylum-seeker from Australia to Sri Lanka this week.

UNHCR had sought assurances from the Government of Australia that the asylum-seeker would not be removed from Australia and would have access to Australias national asylum procedures.

UNHCR is aware of a number of people who were unable to meet the Governments deadline of 1 October 2017 to submit their applications for asylum. Since July 2012, people who sought asylum by sea were excluded from lodging an application in Australia for up to four years.

While they were all invited to apply by October 2016, some asylum-seekers have been unable to complete this process within the timeframe for a range of valid reasons, including a lack of access to legal representation. This was the case for the asylum-seeker forcibly returned to Sri Lanka this week.

In this context, the return of an asylum-seeker whose claim for international protection was not considered on its merits presents a serious risk of return to danger or persecution (refoulement). All asylum-seekers are entitled to have their claims for refugee status considered fairly and in accordance with the 1951 Refugee Convention, to which Australia is a party.

The forced return of an asylum-seeker by Australia this week constitutes a worrying breach of Australias international obligations. Further information has been sought from the Government of Australia about other asylum-seekers who missed the deadline.

Media contact

Catherine STUBBERFIELD in Canberra, [email protected], +61 424 545 569
The overcrowded reception centre in Moria on the Greek island of Lesvos.  UNHCR/Yorgos Kyvernitis

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, remains very concerned at the situation of refugees and migrants on the Greek Aegean islands, in particular Lesvos, Chios and Samos. In this context, UNHCR welcomes important efforts to speed up transfers to the mainland over the past weeks.

Since mid-October, some 6,000 asylum seekers have been moved by the Greek government out of the islands with UNHCRs support. This is among efforts being taken to ease conditions in overcrowded reception centres, and transfer the more vulnerable to safety as winter sets in.

However, some 10,000 asylum seekers are still crammed into government-run facilities on the islands, double the design capacity. The situation continues to be critical in the reception centres of Moria on Lesvos and Vathy on Samos.

Time is of the essence and the accelerated pace of departures for asylum seekers authorized to move should be maintained. UNHCR is calling on the Government to continue easing pressure on Lesvos, Chios and Samos, by further shortening procedures for people eligible to move, and urgently improving conditions for those who continue to stay.

Specifically the current restrictions which keep people on the islands needs to be reviewed to allow for the quick transfer from Reception and Identification Centres (RICs) of vulnerable asylum seekers and others who could continue the asylum procedure on the mainland.

Tension in the RICs and on the islands has been mounting since the summer when the number of arrivals began rising. This coincided with the government taking over responsibility for infrastructure and services in the RICs, facing problems that still need to be addressed.

In some cases, local authorities have opposed efforts to introduce improvements inside of the RICs. On some islands, local reluctance has also hampered efforts to secure small numbers of temporary and exceptional accommodation in apartments and hotels for the most vulnerable.

We hope that these problems can be quickly solved and that people staying in the RICs can access warmer and safer conditions with adequate shelter, electricity and functioning water and sanitation facilities.

In light of the difficult situation on several islands, UNHCR since October has handed over some 240,000 relief items to authorities to improve the situation at reception centres, including winter kits, blankets, and sleeping bags. We have also recently installed 18 accommodation units in the Kara Tepe site, which is managed by the Municipality of Lesvos, in addition to 242 installed earlier this year.

More than 1,700 people have reached the Greek Aegean islands so far in December, continuing a trend of higher arrivals  some 19,800 since July this year. This includes large numbers of families and many people needing specific support. Over 70 per cent of all arrivals this year were Syrian, Iraqi or Afghan, and four out of ten were children.

Meanwhile, mayors of towns and cities taking part in the UNHCR accommodation programme on the mainland gave their firm support at a landmark conference in Athens last week for the continuation of the scheme beyond 2018. UNHCR is meeting the goal of 22,000 places in the urban accommodation programme by the end of the year.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Syrian family leaves the overcrowded and squalid Moria reception centre for a UNHCR rented hotel room on Greek island of Lesvos.  UNHCR/T.Alexellis

LESVOS, Greece  Syrian refugee Sibel* lived for three months in a small, damp tent in the hills of Lesvos, with her three children and teenage nephew, buffeted by winter winds and rain as she sought asylum.

Her youngest daughter, seven -year-old Ran, has been sick with a bowel problem and has been recovering from colostomy procedures. But in the unsanitary conditions at the Moria reception centre, with little access to running water, it has been difficult to care for her.

But yesterday (December 21) she was among a dozen families, 59 people, moved by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, from soggy tents there to hotel rooms hired for the most vulnerable on the Greek island.

Now I will be able to bathe her with hot water, Sibel told UNHCR as she boarded a chartered bus to take her out of Moria.

UNHCR remains very concerned at the situation of refugees and migrants on the Greek Aegean islands, in particular Lesvos, Chios and Samos. In this context, UNHCR welcomes important efforts to speed up transfers to the mainland over the past weeks.

Since mid-October, some 6,000 asylum seekers have been moved by the Greek government out of the islands with UNHCRs support. This is among efforts being taken to ease conditions in overcrowded reception centres, and transfer the more vulnerable to safety as winter sets in.

However, some 10,000 asylum seekers are still crammed into government-run facilities on the islands, double the design capacity. Addressing reporters at a news briefing in Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson Cecile Pouilly said the situation continues to be critical in the reception centres of Moria on Lesvos and Vathy on Samos.

Time is of the essence and the accelerated pace of departures ... should be maintained.

Time is of the essence and the accelerated pace of departures for asylum seekers authorized to move should be maintained, she told reporters at the Palais des Nations on Friday (December 22).

UNHCR is calling on the Government to continue easing pressure on Lesvos, Chios and Samos, by further shortening procedures for people eligible to move, and urgently improving conditions for those who continue to stay.

The camp is strewn with garbage and dotted with home-made shelters, which are little proof against winter rains and falling temperatures.

Pouilly said that the current restrictions which keep people on the islands need to be reviewed to allow for the quick transfer from Reception and Identification Centres, or RICs, of vulnerable asylum seekers and others who could continue the asylum procedure on the mainland.

Tension in the RICs and on the islands has been mounting since the summer when the number of arrivals began rising. This coincided with the government taking over responsibility for infrastructure and services in the RICs, facing problems that still need to be addressed.

In some cases, local authorities have opposed efforts to introduce improvements inside of the RICs. On some islands, local reluctance has also hampered efforts to secure small numbers of temporary and exceptional accommodation in apartments and hotels for the most vulnerable.

We hope that these problems can be quickly solved and that people staying in the RICs can access warmer and safer conditions with adequate shelter, electricity and functioning water and sanitation facilities, Pouilly said.

In light of the difficult situation on several islands, UNHCR since October has handed over some 240,000 relief items to authorities to improve the situation at reception centres, including winter kits, blankets, and sleeping bags. We have also recently installed 18 accommodation units in the Kara Tepe site, which is managed by the Municipality of Lesvos, in addition to 242 installed earlier this year.

More than 1,700 people have reached the Greek Aegean islands so far in December, continuing a trend of higher arrivals  some 19,800 since July this year. This includes large numbers of families and many people needing specific support. Over 70 per cent of all arrivals this year were Syrian, Iraqi or Afghan, and four out of ten were children.

Meanwhile, mayors of towns and cities taking part in the UNHCR accommodation programme on the mainland gave their firm support at a landmark conference in Athens last week for the continuation of the scheme beyond 2018. UNHCR is meeting the goal of 22,000 places in the urban accommodation programme by the end of the year.

*Name changed for protection reasons.
During a visit to a women's centre in Dadaab, Kenya Grandi reassured refugees of UNHCR's continued support.  UNHCR

NAIROBI, Kenya  UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has expressed his gratitude to Kenya for continuing to host almost half a million refugees and keeping its borders open to people fleeing war.

In a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday (Dec 20), Grandi received assurances that as the Somali refugee repatriation programme progresses, no refugee will be returned against his or her will.

At a time when many other countries are closing their borders and adopting restrictive measures, Kenya is continuing to host refugees, Grandi said. This commitment of Kenya must be matched by the international community with humanitarian and development funding as well as increased resettlement places, university scholarships and other opportunities.

This commitment of Kenya must be matched by the international community."

The Somali refugee crisis is now entering its 27th year and Grandi said that as long as Somalia remains fragile, many refugees will remain apprehensive about returning home. Nevertheless, he noted that a significant number of refugees are deciding to return.

Kenya: UNHCR chief calls for more support for Somali refugees (Arnold Temple, camera-editor / Dana Hughes, producer)

So far this year, over 35,000 refugees from Dadaab refugee camp have moved back to Somalia under UNHCRs voluntary repatriation programme, while over 18,000 have registered to leave. Since December 2014, over 73,000 refugees from Dadaab have returned voluntarily to Somalia.

These refugees are hopeful, and have made informed choices, Grandi said, pledging continued support from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in providing them with reintegration assistance upon arrival in Somalia.

President @UKenyatta confirmed Kenyas hospitality to refugees & said that faster+bigger development support must be given to Kenyan communities hosting them. pic.twitter.com/zWG9eQ063y  Filippo Grandi (@RefugeesChief) December 20, 2017

On Monday, in Kismayo, Somalia, where most returning refugees from Dadaab have settled, Grandi met families who had lived in refugee camps in Kenya and Djibouti for two decades. Although the families were concerned about security, they expressed joy about shedding their refugee status and determination to contribute to rebuilding their country. UNHCR, together with the American Refugee Committee, is building simple settlements for returnees in greatest need of housing, and providing vocational training to help them find work or create businesses.

On a visit to Dadaab on Tuesday, together with Ahmed Hussen, the Canadian Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Grandi spoke to refugees who were trying to decide whether to remain in Dadaab or return home to Somalia. Both Grandi and Hussen visited the repatriation help desk where UNHCR carefully verifies the voluntary nature of their decision. While meeting refugees, Grandi appealed for stronger international efforts towards stabilization.

Somalia continues to need international efforts to help rebuild infrastructure and to create security conditions for refugees to return, he said.

During his visit, Grandi heard from Somali refugees about their challenges and hopes for the future. He also met with local authorities and host community leaders.

Its useful for me to be here to learn and hear from you, even as we continue to do our best to support you, he said, at a meeting with women and girls who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Dadaabs Hagadera camp.

The women and girls displayed artwork they had been trained to make through a UNHCR-funded programme, managed by the International Rescue Committee, that supports vulnerable women. The women, who receive counselling at the center, expressed gratitude for the support they received but asked for more sewing materials so they could sell their wares, citing a lack of sufficient income-generating activities in the camp.

I can assure you that UNHCR and our partners are doing our best to use the scarce resources available to meet the most basic needs, Grandi said. He expressed his regret that donor support is diminishing at a time when refugees here still require ongoing aid.

Receiving Grandi in her modest shelter with a tin roof and a dirt floor, Ladan, a mother of five, told Grandi that conditions were tough. She was relocated after her section of the camp was closed as people left for Somalia. I struggle to get enough food for my children as the food we used to receive was reduced by half, she said, referring to World Food Programmes ration cuts, a consequence of reduced donor funding.

In Dadaab, some refugees choose to return to Somalia but many others wait for security to improve. Donor support continues to be critical for their survival. pic.twitter.com/v8lkM90FSW  Filippo Grandi (@RefugeesChief) December 20, 2017

Her woes were echoed by other refugees, including community leaders who met with Grandi and outlined the challenges they face in the camps. The leaders cited high numbers of school dropouts and lack of higher education, decreasing opportunities to be resettled to third countries and lack of specialized services for people with special needs as some of their challenges.

Grandi listened carefully to their concerns, particularly the need for more university education scholarships and vocational training. He was inspired by 16 high achieving students whom he met with Minister Hussen and had been awarded university scholarships under the World University Service of Canada, but regretted that hundreds of other successful high school graduates would not have the means to continue their studies.

The High Commissioner said he would continue to appeal to international donors on their behalf and work with the government of Kenya in realizing President Kenyattas pledge to establish a vocational education center in Dadaab for both refugees and the host community.

Our appeal to donors and hosting countries is not to give up on Somali refugees, Grandi said, noting that the World Bank had allocated US$100 million in loans in recognition of Kenya as a major refugee hosting country. Much of that investment is planned for infrastructure development and environmental rehabilitation programmes in Dadaab.

Grandi called for a departure from a dependency model of enclosed camps like Dadaab. He said he was encouraged that Kenya had signed on to be one of the 13 countries that have adopted UNHCRs new Comprehensive Refugee Response model.

In the future, Grandi said, we will strive to adopt an approach that provides both refugees and the host community access to services, while promoting self-reliance and economic opportunities to improve their living conditions and avoid aid dependency.
Sitting in the single, unheated room that serves as their home in a run-down neighbourhood of the Lebanese capital Beirut, Samira and her husband Hussein have a familiar sense of foreboding at the prospect of their sixth winter in exile since fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Like the majority of the roughly one million registered Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, the couple  originally from Deir Ez-Zour  have good reason to fear the arrival of colder temperatures and winter storms. Already struggling to cover their rent, food and medical expenses, they are ill-prepared for the harsh conditions and additional costs that winter brings.

Their main concern is for the welfare of their two-year-old son Haytham, who suffers from asthma and for whom the cold weather and heightened risk of infection pose a real threat.

Hes had asthma since birth. When it gets bad his breathing becomes heavy and his face turns blue, and we have to give him oxygen or take him to the hospital, Samira, 30, explains. If he gets sick with the flu, his condition intensifies and then he can barely take a breath.

It is a similar picture across the country, where tens of thousands of Syrian refugees live in flimsy structures made of wood and plastic sheeting in informal settlements. Flooded shelters are a familiar sight in Lebanons mountainous areas during winter, which also brings heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures to many areas.

Hes had asthma since birth. When it gets bad his breathing becomes heavy and his face turns blue."

To help vulnerable refugees prepare for the cold temperatures, from November UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, began providing winter cash assistance of between US$225-375 to help with additional costs such as fuel, clothing and medical expenses. So far around 650,000 people have received such payments out of a planned total of 800,000.

Samira and her family, who are among the beneficiaries of the scheme, say the extra support will help keep them warm in the coming months. For sure it will be of assistance, she said. For heating for example, especially with the harsh weather here, it will be of great help in dealing with my sons condition.

Across the region as a whole, UNHCR aims to assist a total of 3.81 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people with its winter assistance programme in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Egypt.

The programme targets the most vulnerable families with a mixture of cash assistance, building materials to repair and weather-proof shelters, and distributions of winter items including high thermal blankets, gas heaters and warm clothes.

It also includes plans to assist more than 1.1 million individuals displaced inside Syria, with priority given to those most recently displaced and others living in hard-to-reach or besieged areas.

Across the region as a whole, UNHCR aims to assist a total of 3.81 million Syrians and Iraqis

Of the total US$228 million requested to finance this years winter programme, donations so far received amount to US$143 million - leaving a shortfall of around 37 per cent still needed to provide assistance to more than a million people.

Meanwhile, the approaching winter is also threatening the safety and welfare of refugees in other areas of the Mediterranean, including Greece, which was transited by more than 1 million people at the height of Europes refugee crisis.

UNHCR has been urging the Greek government to accelerate winter preparations for thousands of refugees and migrants in the main reception islands of Lesvos, Chios and Samos, warning of a possible repeat of the winter of 2016/17, with hundreds braving conditions in small tents and makeshift shelter.

See also: More speed needed to help refugees stranded on Greek islands

UNHCR has also helped directly by more than 240,000 aid items to authorities to be used on the islands, including tents and winter clothing, and continues to support the transfer of people to the mainland to avoid winter spent in unheated tents with poor facilities.

Almost 20,000 have come to the islands since July. Most are from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and include many families with young children, and other vulnerable people in need of dignified accommodation and conditions. .

Additional reporting by Leo Dobbs in Athens and Alex Court in Tyre, Lebanon
At just 18, Rabiaa is newly orphaned and a mother of two.

Her parents died when their village in Myanmars Buthidaung township was razed a few months ago. In the chaos, she was separated from her four siblings and found her two nieces, aged four and nine, in distress on the side of the road. They sought refuge in a local village for a month before crossing to Bangladesh.

It was a tough journey, said Rabiaa, recalling the 25-day walk with nothing but the clothes on their backs. My nieces were crying the whole time, missing their parents and little brothers.

They arrived at a transit centre run by UNHCR, a first stop for new arrivals in Bangladesh, and were given hot meals, clean water and new clothes. A week later, they moved to Kutupalong camp where they now live beside their former neighbour from Myanmar.

Since we all lost our parents, I am now playing the role of a mother and they are like my little children, said Rabiaa of the two girls. I will take care of them for the rest of my life, even if it means that I dont get married. I want to see them well-educated.

Rabiaas predicament is sadly far too common in the refugee camps and settlements of Coxs Bazar, where some 650,000 refugees have arrived after fleeing violence that erupted in Myanmar in late August.

Since we all lost our parents, I am now playing the role of a mother.

The UN Refugee Agency believes that children make up 55 percent of the total refugee population. Thousands have fled without the protection of their family or community and become caregivers to younger siblings or other children overnight. According to the current family counting exercise, some 5,600 families are headed by children under 18 years of age.

Jainab Bibi, 14, is still mourning her mothers death during the journey to Bangladesh two months ago. We covered her body with a blanket and left, she said, crying. I miss her very much.

Eighteen-year-old Rabiaa Khatun and her niece, Umme Salma, 8, walk 10 kilometres from the Myanmar border to a UNHCR transit camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Noor Kalima, 4, rests after walking 10 kilometres from Myanmar to Kutupalong. Noor's parents were killed when their village was attacked. Both she and her sister are being cared for by their aunt, Rabiaa Khatun, who is 18.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Umme Salma, 8, sits in tears after walking 10 kilometres from Myanmar to Kutupalong. Umme's parents were killed when their village was attacked. Both she and her sister are being cared for by their aunt, Rabiaa Khatun, who is 18.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

UNHCR spokesman Mohammed Abu Asaker carries Noor Kalima, 4, on the 10-kilometre walk from Myanmar to Kutupalong refugee settlement in Bangladesh. Noor's parents were killed when their village was attacked. Both she and her sister, Umme Salma (wearing black), are being cared for by their aunt, Rabiaa Khatun (wearing orange headscarf).  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Rabiaa Khatun and her nieces, Umme Salma, 8, and Noor Kalima, 4, stand inside a shelter at a transit camp near Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

As well as coping with that loss, she also has to care for her eight-year-old brother. Fortunately, they are now living with a former neighbour who was a good friend of their mothers.

We never think of children as lonely. But here, I met some of the loneliest children who now have to adopt an adult role taking care of their own siblings, said Louise Aubin, UNHCRs senior emergency coordinator in Coxs Bazar.

UNHCR and partner organizations are identifying families headed by children, as well as children who are alone or unaccompanied, for individual follow-up to assess their situation.

"I met some of the loneliest children who now have to adopt an adult role taking care of their own siblings.

UNHCR and others involved in child protection are setting up sustainable foster care arrangements within the refugee communities to ensure that these refugee children are safe and properly supported. More child-friendly spaces and education facilities are being established to help ease the pressures on children forced into adult roles.

These roles can be hard to shake off. Aisha has been playing mum since she was seven years old. Her parents died of tuberculosis in Myanmar 10 years ago, leaving her to care for three younger siblings. They fled to Bangladesh in October, where Aisha takes care of the shelter while her two brothers and a sister look for work, collect firewood or attend the madrassa, or Islamic school.

See also: 100 days of hope and horror: a timeline of the Rohingya crisis

She frets that she cannot give them everything they need, and still imagines a life in which her parents are still alive  a life where she could marry and worry less about the little ones future.

But the daydream wears off as she remembers her responsibilities: I want to make sure they are well educated. If they get high marks, I will feel like I raised them well.

Arefullah, 18, is also doing his best to provide for his 16-year-old sister Mahbouba. They lost touch with their parents and four brothers during the violence back home, and do not know if they are alive or dead.

While Arefullah keeps checking in with community leaders on their whereabouts, he is moving ahead with his new life in Bangladesh. The teenager has opened a barber stall in Kutupalong camp: I get four to five customers a day, making about 160 taka (US$2). Its enough to buy food for my sister and me.

Your support is urgently needed to help the children, women and men refugees in Bangladesh. Please give now.
British Prime Minister May visits British forces in Cyprus

AKROTIRI, Cyprus, Dec 22 (Reuters) Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in Cyprus on Friday to visit British forces on the island, which hosts a military base used as a staging post for attacks against Islamic State targets.

Britain has about 3,100 military personnel stationed at two bases in Cyprus. It retained sovereignty over about 98 square miles of Cyprus, or 3 percent of the island's territory, after granting independence to the former colony in 1960.

RAF Akrotiri hosts an RAF Expeditionary Airforce Wing which supports operation SHADER, Britain's code-name for attacks on Islamic State targets in Iraq.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

TORONTO, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (CSE:MPX) (OTC:MPXEF)

MPX Bioceutical Corporation (the Company or MPX) (CSE:MPX) (OTC:MPXEF) is pleased to announce that it has successfully closed its previously announced private placement offering (the Offering) of units (the Units) of the Company. Echelon Wealth Partners Inc., together with Canaccord Genuity Corp. as co-lead agents and special selling agent, Chrystal Capital Partner LLP (together, the Agents), exercised in part the over allotment option for additional Units, for a total aggregate subscription of 56,326,958 Units at a price of $0.47 per Unit for total gross proceeds of $26,473,670.26. The Company expects to close a second, and final, tranche of the Offering early in January 2018.

We are pleased with the investor response to the Offering which was successful in spite of the unfortunate decision by one large shareholder who chose for personal reasons to liquidate his position while the fund raise was in progress, stated Scott Boyes, Chairman, President and CEO of MPX. Our company will deploy these funds to continue to expand our footprint in the U.S. and Canadian cannabis sector, work diligently to grow both revenue and earnings and ultimately reward those old and new investors who have demonstrated confidence in our company, its management and its business plans.

Each Unit issued in the Offering consists of one common share (Common Share) in the capital of the Company and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole Common Share purchase warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof, pursuant to and in accordance with the warrant indenture, to acquire one Common Share at a price of C$0.64 for a period of 24 months from the date hereof, subject to adjustment and acceleration in certain circumstances.

In connection with their services under the Offering, the Company paid to the Agents an aggregate cash commission of $1,855,741.92 and issued an aggregate of 3,948,387 broker warrants (the Broker Warrants). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Unit at an exercise price of $0.47 per Unit for a period of 24 months from the date hereof.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund future acquisitions and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a four month hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws expiring on April 23, 2018.

The securities issued pursuant to the Offering and the Private Placement have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release will not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About MPX Bioceutical Corporation

MPX, an Ontario corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S., provides substantial management, staffing, procurement, advisory, financial, real estate rental, logistics and administrative services to two medicinal cannabis enterprises in Arizona operating under the Health for Life (dispensaries) and the award-winning Melting Point Extracts (high-margin concentrates wholesale) brands. The successful Health for Life brand operates in the rapidly growing Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The recently acquired GreenMart of Nevada NLV, LLC (GreenMart) is an award winning licensed cultivation, production and wholesale business, licensed for both the medical and adult use sectors in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is already selling wholesale into the Nevada medical cannabis market. GreenMart has also optioned suitable locations and intends to enter the higher-margin retail arena by applying for at least two dispensary licenses in the Las Vegas market which will operate under the Health for Life brand.

The Company owns assets in Massachusetts supporting cultivation, production and up to three dispensaries there, and with the closing of this most recent transaction, MPX has added the management of a full service dispensary in Maryland.

MPX continues to expand its U.S. footprint, and is in the process of acquiring management companies that provide operational and other services to two further dispensaries and one production license in Maryland. The Company also leases a property in Owen Sound, Ontario, for which an application to Health Canada has been made for a cannabis production and sales license. In addition, the Company will continue its efforts to develop its legacy nutraceuticals business.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, MPXs objectives and intentions. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; those additional risks set out in MPXs public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although MPX believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply 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. Except where required by law, MPX disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

On behalf of the Board of Directors



MPX Bioceutical Corporation (formerly The Canadian Bioceutical Corporation)

W. Scott Boyes, Chairman, President and CEO

For further information, please contact:

MPX Bioceutical Corporation (formerly The Canadian Bioceutical Corporation)

W. Scott Boyes, Chairman, President and CEO

info@mpxbioceutical.com

www.mpxbioceutical.com

Justin Canivet

NATIONAL Equicom

T: +1-416-586-1942

jcanivet@national.ca




Cuba delays historic handover from Castro to new president

By Nelson Acosta and Sarah Marsh

HAVANA, Dec 22 (Reuters) Communist-run Cuba extended the term of its current leadership to April on Thursday, signaling a two-month delay in the historic handover from Raul Castro to a new president, while announcing tighter regulations on the non-state sector.

Castro, 86, was originally set to step down in February after two consecutive terms, ending nearly 60 years of Castro brothers' rule and marking a transition from the leaders of the 1959 revolution to a new, younger generation.
21 killed in Gaza fire 18 Nov 2022 | 9:16 AM Gaza, Nov 18 (UNI) A least 21 Palestinians, including seven children, were killed and more than 30 others were injured on Thursday in a massive fire inside a residential building in the northern Gaza Strip, said security and medical sources. see more..

Ethiopia establishes national anti-corruption committee 18 Nov 2022 | 9:09 AM Addis Ababa, Nov 18 (UNI) The Ethiopian government announced the establishment of a national anti-corruption committee to coordinate the government's campaign against corruption. see more..

Lebanese parliament fails to elect president for 6th time 17 Nov 2022 | 5:56 PM Beirut, Nov 17 (UNI) Lebanese lawmakers have failed to elect the country's president for the sixth time, as none of the candidates secured enough votes, media reported on Thursday. see more..

Russia's SR Space to launch country's first internet-of-things satellite in 2024 17 Nov 2022 | 5:45 PM Moscow, Nov 17 (UNI) Private Russian company SR Space told Sputnik that it was going to launch its first internet-of-things (IoT) satellite SR NET in 2024 and use it to test the technologies necessary to create a full-fledged grouping of such devices. see more..
PORTLAND, Ore. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MolecularMD Corporation, a diagnostics company that enables the development and commercialization of precision medicines in oncology, announced today the FDA authorization of the MRDx BCR-ABL Test as a companion diagnostic. The MRDx Test is indicated as an aid in identifying Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients in the chronic phase being treated with Tasigna* (nilotinib) capsules who may be candidates for treatment discontinuation and for monitoring of treatment-free remission (TFR).



TFR is the ability for eligible patients to sustain major molecular response (MMR) or deep molecular response (DMR) after discontinuing Tasigna, an FDA-approved BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)1. These patients no longer take daily oral therapy but continue to be actively managed through frequently-scheduled monitoring of molecular response with the MRDx BCR-ABL Test.



The TFR data in the Tasigna label approved by the FDA includes the use of the MolecularMD MRDx BCR-ABL Test in the ENESTfreedom and ENESTop clinical studies. These trials evaluated the potential to maintain deep molecular response (DMR) after stopping Tasigna therapy among eligible patients 18 years of age or older with Ph+ CML-CP. The trials demonstrated that nearly half of the Ph+ CML-CP patients who discontinued Tasigna remained in TFR nearly two years after stopping treatment. Among patients who did lose molecular response during the TFR phase of the trials, nearly all regained MMR when Tasigna therapy was promptly reinitiated1.

Now that the inclusion of TFR data has been approved for Tasigna under priority review within first-line and second-line settings, discontinuation of daily oral therapy with Tasigna is a new option for physicians and their patients. This is a major advancement in CML treatment practice. The Tasigna label update represents a new milestone, which may significantly impact thousands of patients, reflected Dan Snyder, CEO of MolecularMD. The FDA authorized MRDx BCR-ABL Test ensures that physicians have the information needed to identify patients that meet the stringent eligibility criteria to attempt TFR and provides the robust sensitivity and accuracy necessary for monitoring minimal residual disease with confidence.

Experts from The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have published treatment guidelines for physicians who treat CML2. These treatment guidelines suggest the best practice for cancer care, including criteria to select patients suitable for a TFR attempt. The duration of a molecular response is viewed as one of several critical aspects to patient management1. MolecularMDs MRDx Test is the only test authorized by the FDA for monitoring deep molecular response for TFR patients as a result of the analytical and clinical validation data demonstrated in the ENESTfreedom and ENESTop clinical studies1.

MolecularMD is the exclusive manufacturer of the MRDx BCR-ABL Test and intends to provide the companion diagnostic kit to reference laboratories that support their clinicians practicing TFR. MolecularMD has also received CE Marking for the MRDx Test, making it broadly accessible to clinicians and CML patients.

About MolecularMD

MolecularMD Corporation is a diagnostics company that enables the development and commercialization of precision medicines in oncology. Its tests are designed to allow appropriate selection, monitoring and management of patients treated with molecularly-targeted and immuno cancer therapies. MolecularMD integrates gold standard and innovative platform technologies with custom clinical assay design and validation to accelerate all phases of clinical development, including FDA approval and commercialization of in vitro companion diagnostic tests for novel anticancer agents.

* Tasigna is a registered trademark of Novartis AG.

References:

1.Tasigna (nilotinib) Prescribing Information. East Hanover, New Jersey, USA: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; December 2017.

2. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines). CML. Version 1.2018



Media Inquiries:

Fritz Eibel

MolecularMD

(858) 353-7567

feibel@molecularmd.com
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guggenheim Investments, the investment management division of Guggenheim Partners, announced quarterly and year-end distributions for its equity exchange traded funds (ETFs).



Out of 46 total equity ETFs in the Guggenheim suite, 3 declared a capital gain.

For more information on year-end distributions related to Guggenheim Investments ETFs, please visit https://www.guggenheiminvestments.com/etf/annual-distributions/2017-etf-annual-distributions or call the Guggenheim ETF Knowledge Center at 888.WHY ETFS.

Past performance is not indicative of future performance. To the extent any portion of the distribution is estimated to be sourced from something other than income, such as return of capital, the source would be disclosed on a Section 19(a)-1 letter located on the Funds website under the Literature tab. Distributions may be comprised of sources other than income, which may not reflect actual fund performance.

For more information, please visit https://www.guggenheiminvestments.com/etf

About Guggenheim Investments

Guggenheim Investments is the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners, with $243 billion1 in total assets across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies. We focus on the return and risk needs of insurance companies, corporate and public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, consultants, wealth managers, and high-net-worth investors. Our 275+ investment professionals perform rigorous research to understand market trends and identify undervalued opportunities in areas that are often complex and underfollowed. This approach to investment management has enabled us to deliver innovative strategies providing diversification and attractive long-term results.

Media Contact

Ivy McLemore

Managing Director, Investment Communications

Guggenheim Investments

Ivy.mclemore@guggenheimpartners.com

(212) 518-9859

1 Guggenheim Investments total asset figure is as of 09.30.2017. The assets include leverage of $11.6bn for assets under management and $0.4bn for assets for which we provide administrative services. Guggenheim Investments represents the following affiliated investment management businesses of Guggenheim Partners, LLC: Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, Security Investors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, Guggenheim Real Estate, LLC, GS GAMMA Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Partners Europe Limited, and Guggenheim Partners India Management.

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The referenced funds are distributed by Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC. Guggenheim Investments represents the investment management businesses of Guggenheim Partners, LLC (Guggenheim), which includes Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC ("GFIA") and Guggenheim Partners Investment Management (GPIM), the investment advisors to the referenced funds. Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, is affiliated with Guggenheim, GFIA and GPIM.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Iran has always seen itself as being in competition with the Arab states for domination of the Persian Gulf. Its ambitions were put on hold in the late 1980s, at the end of an eight-year war with Iraq that cost Iran more than a million casualties. The war ended in a military draw, but strategically it blocked Irans hopes for expanding its power westward. The war against the Islamic State, particularly in Iraq, has opened that door again.

The Iranian Surge The primary burden of the fighting in Iraq fell on the Iraqi army, coupled with several Shiite militias, which fought a long battle of attrition to defeat IS. Embedded in the Iraqi army, and in direct control of the militias, were Iranian advisers. The United States had advisers and troops there too, but the Iranians were far more effective at gaining influence in the predominantly Shiite army. The U.S. reluctantly accepted this state of affairs  it needed IS defeated, but it didnt want to absorb the casualties that would result from the long, grinding battle that was required. Instead, the U.S. relied on airstrikes.

There obviously had to be some degree of coordination among the Iraqi forces and militias  enough, at least, to prevent fratricide. That means there had to be some coordination with Iranian advisers, who were effectively commanding some units of the Iraqi army. How much coordination is unclear, but IS was defeated in the end, and Iran was left in control of at least a significant portion of the military force in Iraq. Given Irans influence and presence around Basra in southern Iraq, the Iranians are in a powerful position inside Iraq, with no major forces in position to contain them. And they are free to send more forces into Iraq if they wish.

Iran is also in a strong position in Syria. Together, Iran and Russia have prevented the collapse of the Assad government. Lebanons Hezbollah has been deeply involved in the fighting in Syria, with a large number of Iranian officers deployed with it, and Iranian forces are scattered in support of Assads Syrian army. The Russians are already discussing an endgame in which Assad regains the parts of Syria he lost. Whether that happens or not, the pressure is off the Assad regime now. Moreover, Russia has already said it plans to reduce its presence in Syria, which leaves the Iranians as the primary influence on the Syrians, deepening a relationship that existed even before the civil war broke out.

Yemen is another area of Iranian strength. In Yemen, bordering Saudi Arabia to the south, the Iranians are supporting the Shiite Houthi rebels. As the Houthis grew stronger in recent years, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and others launched airstrikes against them. The airstrikes failed to defeat the Houthis, and now theyre even more powerful. A missile was fired from Yemen toward Riyadh early this month. It was allegedly an Iranian-made missile, and a warning to the Saudis to get out of Yemen.

It is important not to overstate Irans strength. It is clearly influential, and the door to more power is open, but Iran is not yet positioned to exert decisive military force in the Middle East. At the same time, Irans achievements shouldnt be understated either. It is the most influential power in Iraq and has a significant number of forces there. It more or less controls the most powerful military force in Lebanon and has limited capabilities in Syria. It also has at least advisers in Yemen. Finally, Iran has even made inroads in Saudi Arabias sphere of influence. Qatars relationship with Iran is part of the reason it has been boycotted by much of the Arab world. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during Russian-Iranian-Turkish talks at the Black Sea resort in Sochi, Russia, Nov. 22,2017. MIKHAIL SVETLOV/Getty Images The Potential Coalition Saudi Arabia is currently the greatest threat to Irans ambitions. In the 1960s, when the Shah of Iran was still in control, Iran fought a war against the Saudis in Oman. Their relationship remained hostile after the Iranian revolution. Part of the issue is religion: Saudi Arabia is the heartland of Sunni Islam, Iran of Shiite Islam. But there are deeper issues.

The first is oil. The domination of oil resources by the Saudis and related principalities on the west coast of the Persian Gulf created a perpetual threat to Iran because of the military power it bought. In addition, U.S. guarantees to Saudi Arabia intended to assure the flow of oil supplies from the Persian Gulf gave the Saudis an invulnerability that their own military force couldnt provide.

At the moment, Saudi Arabia is facing extreme difficulties. The decline in the price of oil has created economic and political problems for Riyadh, which has always used its oil wealth to maintain stability. The introduction of a 32-year-old crown prince, and his decision to arrest some of the key figures in the kingdom, creates a level of internal instability that is unpredictable.

Given this domestic situation, Saudi Arabias ability to protect itself from Iran is unclear. The Saudis have already demonstrated the limits of their air power in Yemen. The historical expectation was that first the British, then the Americans, would guarantee their national security. But that was when the Persian Gulf was an indispensable supplier of the worlds oil. The price of oil is down, but as important, the sources of oil have multiplied, along with producers eagerness to sell it. Saudi oil is simply not that important anymore.

The Saudis have been reaching out to the Israelis. Israel can certainly provide military hardware. But the fact is that Israel could be facing its own threat from Iran, and its military is actually relatively small and isnt designed for large-scale foreign deployments. Because of the size of its force, Israel cant sustain extended, high-attrition warfare of the sort Iran endured in the 1980s. So the Iranians can threaten Israel with the one strategy that is most dangerous to it: a war of attrition. Its a distant possibility but one that Israel must consider. Simply put, Israel cant promise Saudi Arabia much more than materiel, no matter what the Saudis offer in return , and materiel is the one thing the Saudis have in abundance already.

The greatest long-term threat to Irans interests, however, is Turkey. The Turks face a fundamental geopolitical question. When the Iranians were relatively confined, Turkey was able to focus on domestic affairs, not venturing deeply into Syria or Iraq. But now, Turkey must decide whether it can live with Iran as the major regional power, or it must assert its own claims on the region. Turkey, by geography and inherent military capability, can block Iran if it chooses to make the effort and take the risk, but at the moment it is working with Iran, particularly on Kurdish issues . Eventually, Turkey will have to choose between the Kurdish issue and the broad strategic issue. Part of that will be determined by the U.S. position on various Kurdish factions and the U.S. vision for dealing with Iran. A Test of U.S. Disengagement The U.S. is capable of containing Iran but only with a substantial force. The U.S. has been at war since 2001. At this point, it doesnt have a clear strategy for the Middle East. In Iraq, the American approach has been to block both Sunnis and Shiites from dominating the country  while reducing the number of U.S. forces present. This left it in the position of having to rely on forces controlled or influenced by Iran to defeat the Islamic State. In Syria, U.S. strategy has been to create a proxy force to overthrow Assad. That has failed. American guarantees to Saudi Arabia and Israel are still in place, but what they mean at this point is unclear. Israel has no need for direct U.S. involvement except under the most extreme war-of-attrition scenario. As for the Saudis, the guarantee the U.S. gave and delivered on during Desert Storm was a very different situation. Oil prices and supply being what they are, its not clear what that guarantee is worth.

The U.S. is not configured to deal with the new reality  one that it helped create by invading Iraq and then leaving it, and by supporting the Arab Spring in Syria, which turned into a disaster. These U.S. policies led to the rise of IS, and the fight against IS in turn opened the door to Iran in Iraq and, to a lesser extent, in Syria. Washington has been obsessed with Iranian nuclear capabilities and didnt anticipate that Irans conventional capability and political influence would turn out to be more effective. At this point, its not clear what the American interest is in the region and what price its prepared to pay to pursue it.

The Middle East has a new and radically different shape. For the moment, Iran has been freed to assert itself. But it still has a long way to go to assert significant power. Apart from the United States, it faces a potential coalition of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey. Each has its weaknesses, but Iran does too, and together they can manage the problem and probably will. Dont forget the Sunni jihadists, either. Defeated in the guise of IS, they have merely dispersed, not surrendered. And Iran has been their enemy. Thus the Iranian surge must be placed in context. It has changed the dynamic of the Middle East, but it remains vulnerable.


Murray The Magician aka Murray SawChuck celebrates his 3-year anniversary headlining at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and has just signed on for another year through 2019! Congrats, Murray! (Pictured: Magicians Murray SawChuck and Douglas Lefty Leferovich  Photo credit: IraKuzmaPhotos)
By: Dezan Shira & Associates

Editor: Koushan Das

ASEAN member states have achieved remarkable progress in the last few years in reducing intra-regional tariffs and creating one of the largest common markets in the world through their Free Trade Agreement. In particular, import taxes on automobiles have seen huge reductions from 50 percent in 2015 to 30 percent in 2017. From 2018, this will be reduced further to zero percent for Completely Built Units (CBU), posing a major challenge for domestic manufacturers, who are already facing intense competition from neighboring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia. A CBU unit is a vehicle completely manufactured in one country, which is then imported as a whole unit.

RELATED: Pre-Investment Advisory Services from Dezan Shira & Associates

ASEAN Vietnam trade

ASEAN is Vietnams fourth largest export market after the United States, EU, and China. As per the ASEAN FTA, Vietnam has already cut 6,900 tariff lines, or 72 percent of all tariff lines, to zero percent in 2014. It reduced more than 1,700 other lines to zero percent in 2015. By 2018, Vietnam is committed to remove all import tariffs, which can increase the import of CBUs from manufacturing hubs such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

In the first 10 months of 2017, Vietnams exports to ASEAN member states increased by 26.8 percent to US$ 18 billion, while imports increased by 19 percent to US$ 22.8 billion. Vietnam is the third largest importer of ASEAN goods, after Korea and China.

Vietnam auto industry

Vietnam is majorly an automobile assembly hub, rather than a manufacturing one, unlike Thailand and Indonesia. Due to the absence of a supporting industry, the cost of manufacturing a car in Vietnam is about 20 percent higher than neighboring countries which compels the domestic manufacturers to import almost 60 to 80 percent of components. In addition, such imports reduce the localization rate of domestic manufacturers, which currently stands at around 10 percent, while the ratios in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia are as high as 85, 80, and 75 percent respectively.

While 2016 automobile sales in Vietnam hit a 20-year record high with 304,427 units, sales in the first 11 months of 2017 reduced by 10 percent year on year, to 244,670 units. The reduction has been attributed mostly to consumers waiting for reduced prices of imported cars from January 2018.

RELATED: Vietnams Growth Accelerates to 7.46 percent in Q3 2017

Effect of reduced tariffs

Manufacturers believe that the tariff cut to zero percent from 2018 will make the market more competitive and be a major challenge for domestic manufacturers. Imports are predicted to increase by 30-40 percent, while the annual revenue loss to the government is being estimated at US$ 195 million (VND 4.4 trillion).

Automobile prices are estimated to decrease by 10-15 percent for older models and 5-10 percent for newer models. However, on the contrary, some industry experts believe that imported car prices may rise due to a reduced supply, while the prices of domestic vehicles will see no change. Once the reduced import tariffs are in place, we will have further clarity in the price fluctuations in the industry.

RELATED: Vietnam: FDI Strategy for 2018-2023

Need to do more

Local manufacturers need to reduce manufacturing costs to remain competitive with CBU vehicles from ASEAN countries. As of now, the cost of manufacturing in Vietnam is about 20 percent higher than neighboring countries.

In addition, the government has to reduce the import taxes on complete knock-down (CKD) components along with other incentives to ensure that the local auto and support industries remain competitive. CKD vehicles are assembled locally from imported components. However, in doing so, the government has to ensure that firms do not take undue advantage of such reductions without taking localization rate or the development of the supporting industries into consideration for a sustainable growth.

Without a concrete plan to develop the supporting industries in the country, Vietnam may follow Philippines, which has a long history of automobile production but has suffered in the recent times due to policy inconsistencies, lack of local supporting industries, and competition from CBU imports due to reduced tariffs.

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam. Compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, this guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll, and social insurance in this dynamic country.



Managing Contracts and Severance in Vietnam

In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the prevailing state of labor pools in Vietnam and outline key considerations for those seeking to staff and retain workers in the country. We highlight the increasing demand for skilled labor, provide in depth coverage of existing contract options, and showcase severance liabilities that may arise if workers or employers choose to terminate their contracts.
Brazil's Embraer is the world's third-largest commercial plane manufacturer after Boeing and Airbus. (AFP/ROSLAN RAHMAN)

The talks ignited shares of the Brazilian company, which makes commercial, military and executive jets, despite immediate signs of opposition to the transaction in Brazil.

Any deal would need to be approved by the Brazilian government.

A merger between the two companies would build on their existing alliance on the KC-39 military plane and would permit the much-bigger Boeing to fill a gap in its fleet with regional single-aisle planes.

A transaction also would rebut an alliance between Boeing archrival Airbus and Canada's Bombardier to build smaller planes.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the Boeing-Embraer talks earlier Thursday, citing unnamed sources.

The report said the parties discussed a deal that would see Boeing pay a "relatively large premium" for Embraer, but that talks are on hold as the two sides await word on the Brazilian government's view of the deal.

US-traded shares of Embraer shot up following the report, finishing at US$24.42, up 22.1 per cent. But Boeing fell 1.0 per cent to US$295.03.

However, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported that Brazil President Michael Temer already ruled out a takeover of the Embraer, one of Brazil's flagship companies.

"Embraer will never be sold under my government," he was quoted as saying at a meeting with the defense minister and head of the air force.

Brazilian officials were reported to have been taken by surprise by the Wall Street Journal story on the merger talks.

Embraer was formed by the Brazilian government in 1969 and privatised in 1994 in a process that granted the Brasilia "golden shares" with some veto rights.

The union at Embraer's Sao Jose dos Campos plant also immediately opposed the deal, saying it would risk the jobs of the 16,000 workers employed in Brazil.

"The possible purchase of Embraer by Boeing ... is rejected," the Steelworkers Trade Union of Sao Jose dos Campos and Region said in a statement.

"As a representative of the workers, the steelworkers' union reaffirms its position in favor of a veto over the sale of Embraer."

FILLING A GAP

Embraer in 2016 notched US$6.2 billion in revenues, while Boeing had US$94.6 billion.

The merger talks come two months after Airbus signed an agreement to take a majority stake in production of narrow-body planes made by Bombardier. Those planes are at the center of an ongoing US trade dispute with Canada sparked by a Boeing complaint against Bombardier.

The US Commerce Department on Wednesday confirmed nearly 300 per cent tariffs on Bombardier's C-series aircraft. The decision is subject to final approval by the US International Trade Commission, a quasi-judicial agency, which is due Feb 1, though it rarely differs from Commerce.

Boeing has argued that Bombardier's order to sell 75 new single-aisle CS 100 planes to Delta Air Lines violated trade laws because of billions of dollars in unfair subsidies provided by the Canadian government.

Bombardier argued that Boeing does not manufacture a direct competitor to the CS 100, and its robust order book of 737 planes proves it has not been adversely affected by unfair trade.

But a link with Embraer would give Boeing a portfolio of planes that could compete for some of the same business as Bombardier.

The Canadian company also noted that the planes for Delta would be built under the Airbus alliance in Mobile, Alabama, meaning they would not be imported.
Logo of the London Stock Exchange. (AFP Photo/Ben Stansall)

Trading volumes began to thin out with many investors away for an extended festive break for Christmas and New Year holidays.

Wall Street rose at the opening bell after dipping overnight as the House of Representatives approved a sweeping US tax cut and sent the long-awaited measure to Trump's desk.

"The bullish sentiment has returned to Wall Street somewhat as traders picked up some of the stocks that retreated on the back of the tax reforms being passed," said market analyst David Madden at CMC Markets UK.

"The confirmation the US approved a US$1.5 trillion tax reform yesterday was met with little enthusiasm, largely because it was priced in for some time," he added.

The Dow was up 0.5 per cent in late morning New York trading.

Global equities have had a good year, with Wall Street enjoying a record-breaking run in anticipation of business-friendly tax reform.

Those gains increased over the past week as it became clear that months of bargaining would bear fruit following the successful passage of Trump's tax reform bill through Congress.

In the US, the tax vote in the lower congressional chamber was the last major hurdle before the controversial US$1.5 trillion tax overhaul is signed into law by Trump. Wall Street has viewed the measure as Washington's most important priority since the 2016 US election.

"President Trump finally has a piece of legislation passed. There has already been a lot of optimism priced in," said Shane Chanel, equities and derivatives adviser at ASR Wealth Advisers. "We may see a bit of profit-taking coming into the back end of the year."

Some profit-taking occurred late Wednesday on Wall Street and in early European trading on Thursday.

But Frankfurt and Paris reversed an early loss-making trend, while London built on earlier modest gains to strike a new all-time high above 7,600 points.

"The FTSE 100 is the standout performer in Europe as it reached a fresh all-time high," said CMC Markets UK's David Madden.

"Since consumer goods like Reckitt Benckiser, Diageo and Tesco are some of the biggest risers on the day, the Santa rally is certainly underway," he added.

The FTSE 100 ended the day with a gain of nearly 1.1 per cent to 7,603.98 points.

Paris stocks rose 0.6 per cent and Frankfurt added 0.3 per cent.

In Asia, Tokyo ended 0.1 per cent lower but Hong Kong rose 0.5 per cent and Shanghai gained 0.4 per cent higher as dealers welcomed a pledge by China's leaders to boost imports.

Key figures around 1630 GMT:

New York - DOW: UP 0.5 per cent at 24,843.09 points

London - FTSE 100: UP 1.1 per cent at 7,603.98 (close)

Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 0.3 per cent at 13,109.74 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.6 per cent at 5,385.97 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.5 per cent at 3,569.60

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 per cent at 22,866.10 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.5 per cent at 29,367.06 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.4 per cent at 3,300.06 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at US$1.1877 from US$1.1871 at 2200 GMT

Pound/dollar: DOWN at US$1.3366 from US$1.3376

Dollar/yen: UP at 113.42 yen from 113.40 yen

Oil - Brent North Sea: UP three cents at US$64.59 per barrel

Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP nine cents at US$58.18
The government enacted Decree 10/2010 on Credit Information Activities in February this year, developed with assistance from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The decree includes seven chapters and 22 articles to govern credit information sharing activities among banks, financial institutions, borrowers (i.e. SMEs and individuals) and credit information companies and will come into effect from April 15. It allows financial institutions, utility companies and other creditors to exchange credit information with a credit bureau. Being a country with a fast developing economy, the consumer credit market has great potential to grow, said Mr Pham Cong Uan, Director of Credit Information Centre (CIC) under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). Since acceding to the WTO, commercial banks have been releasing a series of retail credit products such as consumer credit, instalment loans, and financial leases and the number of borrowers is increasing rapidly. As the market grows there is an increasing risk of consumers receiving multiple loans.

The promulgation of the decree on credit information activities is fundamental in facilitating responsible lending and combating over indebtedness through providing lenders with a more comprehensive understanding of their clients.

The approval of the decree is expected to significantly help lenders obtain credit information for smaller borrowers and enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to obtain borrowing on more favourable terms. The decree, drafted with the IFCs advice, is expected to enable access to credit and hence support the recovery of the Vietnamese economy. This is a major step in the process of creating a complete legal framework for credit bureau operation in Vietnam, in which IFC has been supporting the SBV.

During the past 15 years credit lenders in Vietnam have relied on the CIC, a public registry, for credit information on borrowers. With the expansion of the economy over the last five years, consumer and small business credits are becoming more important. While CICs database contains mainly information on borrowers with larger amounts of loans, it does not service the medium to smaller end of the market of retail consumer credit and SME lending.

The newly approved Decree on Credit Information will provide a favourable environment for the establishment of private credit bureaus (PCB) to respond to the market needs on credit information of individuals and SMEs where no credit information database currently exists. A PCB will be able to provide credit reports to lenders to help them assess the credit worthiness and the likelihood of new loan applicants repaying back a loan. PCBs could also potentially contribute to the reduction of the interest rate for borrowers who have a good credit history. For those borrowers without any physical collateral or assets, a clean repayment history (i.e. no repayment defaults) will enable them to build reputational collateral through good repayment behaviour and thereby improve their ability to obtain credit.

The Decree on Credit Information Activities refers to many credit modalities, including banking credit, leasing, credit cards, deferred payment purchase and others. Among other criteria stipulated in the Decree, a private credit bureau must have a minimum of 20 commercial banks to obtain a licence to operate. However, in order to establish a more comprehensive bureau, the Decree also recommends that credit reporting be open to all financial institutions and non-bank creditors, such as retailers and telecom and utilities companies.

A credit bureau collects information from creditors and other publicly available sources on individual borrowing and bill paying habits. These credit history reports facilitate the decision-making process on loans and reduce lending risk. Reduced risk also benefits consumers as credit is more readily available or cheaper.

After the Decree was announced there were concerns that at present very few banks in Vietnam have managed to shift their risk assessment methods from loan-by-loan to borrower-by-borrower. But credit information is supposed to be about borrowers and their families. If banks have not succeeded so far, how will credit information companies do it? According to Mr Simon Andrews, IFC Regional Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, by its very nature a bank will know only a portion of the credit behaviour of its borrowers. A credit bureau acts as a data pool. By collecting borrower information from multiple sources and by matching and merging data from these sources, PCBs provide a comprehensive credit information profile on each borrower. The profile will be a more complete picture of the borrowers total borrowings and credit behaviour with all lenders. It will include other credit related information such as dependents, assets, details on collateral, or any other liabilities.

Another issue is that given the partial coverage on credit modalities and knowledge about borrowers, there is a risk that credit ratings will be wrong, and this in turn can have important financial implications. Therefore the accuracy and completeness of collecting information on borrowers and their loans is an important and critical function of a PCB.

In order to build a credit rating or score, the credit information must meet a set of minimum requirements, for example loan maturity period, sample size, data subject coverage and completeness. Before any data can be loaded into the credit bureau database there are many validation rules in place that act as screening criteria to ensure that only accurate, current and complete data that comply with the rules will be uploaded, said Mr Andrews. If these screening criteria are not met, the information submitted by lenders will be rejected, until all the necessary criteria have been met. This data cleansing process is equally important for any PCB, regardless of whether operating in an emerging economy like Vietnam or in a mature economy like the US. Therefore, it is worth noting that the information as provided by a bureau is an exact replication of the information held and provided by lenders, he added. The challenge of increasing the quality of data for PCBs is an ongoing task that has to be managed very carefully. In Vietnams case, it will take some time during the early phase of building the PCBs database, but the information will gradually become more reliable and robust.
The new Lactalis recall concerns powders and infant cereals of the group's Picot and Milumel brands. Cris Bouroncle/AFP

Lactalis, one of the world's top dairy producers, had already recalled around 7,000 tonnes of infant formula milk two weeks ago.

But in what it described as "a precautionary measure" on Thursday, it had now decided - in consultation with the health authorities - to recall "all infant formula and nutritional products manufactured and conditioned in the Craon factory" in north western France.

"Information received from the health authorities as well as the results of initial investigations carried out... led the group to issue a second recall, this time of all products manufactured since Feb 15, 2017 using a specific drying tower at the factory," the statement said.

The latest recall involves 720 batches of products sold in France and overseas, compared with the initial recall of 625 batches on Dec 10.

It concerned powders and infant cereals of the group's Picot and Milumel brands, as well as the Taranis powdered amino-acid mix, the company said.

"We now know that there has been a low-level dispersed contamination within Craon factory, due to work during the first 2017 semester," it explained.

The Craon site was shut down on Dec 8 "for a thorough and comprehensive audit," it added.

On Monday, the health authorities said that 23 infants had been identified as having drunk formula milk produced at Craon and who had caught salmonellosis.

Around a dozen of the infants had been hospitalised, but had subsequently been discharged and were "doing well", the authorities said.

The father of one three-month-old baby, who drank the milk, and the UFC Que Choisir consumer association, said Monday they had filed a complaint against Lactalis.

'VERY SENSITIVE PRODUCTS'

By recalling all of the factory's production, Lactalis was applying "the principle of maximum precaution," said Jehan Moreau, director of the French National Federation of Dairy Industries or FNIL.

"Infant milks are very sensitive products and no risks should be taken. But it's a terrible decision for them, because it will constitute a huge shortfall," Moreau told AFP.

Salmonellosis is a food poisoning that ranges from mild gastroenteritis to more serious infections. It is potentially more dangerous for young children, the elderly or weak.

The health ministry asked parents "not to use, where possible", the products concerned.

In the worst case, pediatricians recommend boiling the milk for two minutes.

Lactalis has set up a 24-hour helpline for consumers.

"We wish to extend our sincerest apologies to the families affected. We are well aware of the seriousness of the situation and fully understand the anxiety and inconvenience that have been caused," it said in a statement.
Forming the ASEAN single visa system is considered to be a key solution to facilitate tourism development across the region.

In 2013, at the first Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) tourism ministerial meeting held in Ho Chi Minh City, gathering representatives from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, the tourism industry leaders within the ACMECS welcomed this initiative and discussed a solution for the core cooperation issue - a common visa for the five countries to promote free travel.

At the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2016 within the framework of the 19th ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting held in the Philippines in January 2016, Vietnams tourism leaders announced that the country has been intensifying the implementation of various programmes and plans to closely associate Vietnam tourism with ASEAN tourism, in line with the ASEAN Tourism Strategy 2016-2025, towards the common goal of building a common attractive destination of ASEAN and to develop an effective and dynamic ASEAN Community.

Currently, Vietnam is taking a range of measures to support the domestic tourism industry in taking opportunities and enhancing competitiveness from the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community.

In the immediate future, Vietnam has been together with other countries to focus on implementing the mutual recognition agreement on tourism workers within ASEAN, based on the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals, as well as developing ASEAN tourism standards and certification procedures for green hotels, residential accommodation, public toilets, spa services and clean tourist cities and community-based tourism. Cooperation will also focus on building ASEAN tourism programmes on nature tourism, cultural and heritage tourism, community-based tourism, cruise tourism, waterway tourism and medical tourism.

There is a common Schengen visa model between the 26 European Union member states. Accordingly, international travelers only need to apply for a visa at the consular office in the "main destination" of their trips, where they will perform the main purpose of the trip with their longest stay or where they first arrive.

In principle, ASEAN countries highly value the common ASEAN tourist visa initiative for non-ASEAN citizens. However, the roadmap for implementing this initiative depends on the specific conditions of each country.

One direction to accelerate this initiative is to encourage the formation of visa associations in voluntary and similar groups. Cambodia and Thailand have jointly offered visas for citizens of 35 countries and territories since 2013. Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines have also agreed on a flexible common visa programme.

In fact, the process of forming the ASEAN single visa system requires the identifying and harmonising of differences in views, policies and development levels, as well as visa fees, administrative procedures, security and benefit sharing of visas, in addition to the common tourism information system among member countries and the need for consistent and coordinated awareness among agencies within each country.

As a general economic sector with great potential, tourism is creating more than 12% of the GDP and tens of millions of direct and indirect jobs for the entire ASEAN. The application of a common visa system enables visa holders to travel freely among the countries in the block, along with e-visas and visa exemption expanding, is considered key measure to stimulate the development of tourism in particular and the economy in general of each country and ASEAN community, the third largest market in the world with a population of more than 600 million people.

Heading towards a single ASEAN tourism visa system is a good solution to facilitate the visa application process, thereby, driving visitors to stay longer and spend more on their journeys in order to facilitate tourist flow more regularly. At the same time, it would contribute to consolidating intra-regional cohesion and spreading mutual development for the benefit of each country and the interests of the ASEAN community.
Vice President Mike Pence gathers with troops at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Thursday. Pences journey here was shrouded in secrecy.
Natalie Sullivan said she and her roommate leased Jane, a French bulldog-Boston terrier mix, without realizing it; they ended up buying out the contract.
Brittne Lawson, center, Alexei Wood, left, and Oliver Harris celebrate after receiving a not-guilty verdict in the first of the presidential inauguration riot trials on Thursday.
The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas toy for kids, or a mind game for adults?
Sylvester Stallone attends the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 8, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Calif. (Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/TNS)
Louis C.K. Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images

In an after-the-fact, less-time-intensive mirror of Ridley Scott replacing Kevin Spacey in All the Money in the World, Disney XD has gone back and dubbed over Louis C.K.s voice performance in episodes of its animated series Gravity Falls. C.K., who recently admitted to sexual misconduct including masturbating in front of women against their will, voiced a character known as the Horrifying Sweaty One-Armed Monstrosity (an especially unfortunate name, all things considered) in 2015 and 2016 episodes of the show. The role was re-recorded approximately one month ago and new versions of three episodes are now on the Disney XD schedule around the world, a representative from Disney Channel told The Hollywood Reporter. Series creator and executive producer Alex Hirsch is now credited as playing the character. Following reports of C.K.s misconduct, FX and HBO also cut ties with the comedian, while TBS suspended production on his animated cop comedy.

Before Disney confirmed that Hirsch had dubbed over C.K., viewers had already noticed the new version of the Gravity Falls clip.

For comparison, here is the original clip with C.K.s voice.
Over the next few weeks, Vulture will be publishing our critics year-end lists. Today, were looking at the best in thriller books.

The books that thrilled in 2017 are a diverse group: an excellent mix of true crime, mystery, horror, and nontraditional offerings that are gripping in their own right. As always, they offer the most unsettling version of escapism: confronted with the worst of humanity, we still manage to get lost in these stories and feel enriched by them.

A Separation

By Katie Kitamura

Word of warning: This astonishing book is not your typically paced mystery novel, so if you want something ultratraditional with a big reveal at the end, you might want to skip this one. But if youre more taken by the lies we tell ourselves when bad things happen, A Separation will thrill you. Its the story of a woman who travels to a Greek seaside town when her estranged husband goes missing. There, she must confront truths about her failed marriage, her own inability to truly know her husband, and the grief that comes from mourning the loss of something important. Kitamuras novel may be more of an emotional thriller than a whodunnit, but therein lies its lasting strength.

The Grip of It

By Jac Jemc

A struggling couple departs the city and moves to a small town and gets a great deal on a house, but all of these unexplained phenomena keep happening  shadows appear without any bodies attached, mysterious sounds permeate their home, nightmares become indecipherable from reality. Is their marriage unraveling or are their minds? The Grip of It may remind you of many a haunted-house story youve seen or heard or read, but the extra creepiness is brought on by Jac Jemcs hypnotic language, which makes it so hard to separate fever dream from reality, and metaphor from truth.

The Blinds

By Adam Sternbergh

Somewhere way off the grid in a small Texas town, people with troubling pasts whove had their memories wiped clean get to start over  they get new names and new identities and very little internet access. Think of it as a bizarro-world witness-protection program meets the Wild West. When a series of murders disrupts the sleepy town, all of its denizens are suspect, and its up to a sheriff named Calvin Cooper to try to piece it all together. Part mystery, part speculative fiction, part Western, The Blinds, written by New Yorks own Adam Sternbergh, is a fun and inventive thriller that blends genres seamlessly.

Ultraluminous

By Katherine Faw

Told in short vignettes (really short, sometimes only a few sentences long), Ultraluminous is the story of an unnamed New York City prostitute whose clients include ultrarich men with nicknames such as junk-bond guy and the guy who buys me things, and, from her time working in Dubai, a mercenary builder of bombs she calls the Sheikh. She details their interactions explicitly and at a breathtaking pace, and also with a great deal of contempt. As this brief, propulsive novel rushes toward its inevitable climax, it manages to be both an excoriating takedown of capitalism and a semi-sincere ode to the drugstore/fancy food grotesquery that is Duane Reade sushi.

American Fire

By Monica Hesse

After a series of arsons (more than 70) in 2012 and 2013 paralyzed Virginias rural and desolate Accomack County, journalist Monica Hesse embedded herself among the residents to tell their story in harrowing detail. Hesse recounts the overwhelming effort of ordinary citizen to respond to the fires and to try to anticipate them, among them the team of volunteer firefighters who lost countless hours of sleep and are burned out physically and emotionally. The culprits turn out to be a sort of Bonnie and Clyde of fire-setting, and their whole exhausting, bizarrely Freudian story is interesting on its own. But more so, especially in the true-crime genre, its refreshing to read a compelling story in which the investigative man-power hours are in the four or even five digits, but the body count, at least, is zero.

Six Four

By Hideo Yokoyama

If you dont necessarily need every book you read to hit you mega-fast with plot momentum, the Japanese police procedural Six Four could be for you. Its big and weighty and relatively slow-going, but, wow, is the payoff worth it. Its a fascinating look at the ins and outs of the bureaucracy in the Tokyo police department, and the way internal politics determine if and when and how crimes get solved. Not only is Six Four a satisfying read, but its a good reminder that justice looks different according to which laws govern you.

Ill Will

By Dan Chaon

The literary writer Dan Chaon continues to get darker and darker in his subject matter, and we are here for it. The subject of his latest novel is Dustin Tillman, a psychologist who learns that his cousin, accused of murdering their mutual family members decades before, is getting released from jail based on new DNA evidence. Meanwhile, drunk frat boys are dying left and right, and a patient of Dustins is convinced that its the work of a prolific serial killer. As Dustin investigates the most wicked impulses of humanity, he must try to hold onto his professionalism and his sanity. Ill Will is a gripping meditation on memory and evil and how far well go to make sense of it all.

Dead Letters

By Caite Dolan-Leach

They dont make many mysteries like this anymore. A cleverly constructed romp with clearly laid-out clues but the most unreliable narrators, Dead Letters is the story of Ava, a young woman who returns to her familys vineyard in Upstate New York after her twin sister goes missing. In a twist worthy of Agatha Christie, her missing twin leaves Ava a scavenger hunt that will take resources and creativity and a clear head to solve  and in a family of alcoholics, clear heads are hard to find. That the family dysfunction thats so essential to the disappearance is underpinned by love gives this novel a big heart as well as a big brain.

Bluebird, Bluebird

By Attica Locke

Darren Matthews is a black Texas Ranger whos been suspended from the force for helping a man whose granddaughter has been harassed by an Aryan Nation member. The first book in Attica Lockes gritty Empire Highway 59 series is filled with hate and fear and racial tension, and thats even before we get to the actual murders that Darren will investigate. The East Texas town that Locke makes so atmospheric and full of dread is both a place where Darren belongs, and where the remnants of the Jim Crow South still linger like a curse. That the author is also a writer for Foxs Empire is a testament to her remarkable range.

Killers of the Flower Moon

By David Grann

It takes a combination of comprehensive research and superb writing to make a book about a shameful moment in U.S. history read like a suspense novel. David Grann has done it. He gives life to a string of horrific murders of members of the Osage Indian nation that took place in a mineral-rich area of Oklahoma in the 1920s, making real life feel more shocking and more relevant than ever today. Killers of the Flower Moon brings humanity to the Native American victims whose stories have never quite been told, and untangles a conspiracy of hatred and greed that permeated nearly every area of government.
East Rosebud Creek moved a step closer to becoming Montanas first designated Wild and Scenic River in 41 years when the U.S. Senate approved a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester.

The bipartisan duo also has the backing of Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, with a companion bill in the House of Representatives. That means the bill could be on its way to the presidents desk as soon as the House clears it.

East Rosebud is a special place for the families who live here, some for many generations, Frank Annighofer with Friends of East Rosebud wrote in an email statement on Wednesday. Its stunning beauty attracts visitors from all over the world, yielding significant economic value to surrounding communities and to our State. This bill when signed into law will ensure that it stays that way for generations to come."

East Rosebud Creek flows 50 miles from headwaters in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness to meet the Yellowstone River west of Columbus. The 20-mile reach proposed for Wild and Scenic designation would not affect any private land on that stretch.

This is a historic day for the next generation of Montanans, Tester said in an email. This bipartisan bill will protect a true treasure and ensure our kids and grandkids can enjoy the wonders of East Rosebud Creek for years to come.

East Rosebud Creek is a place where families fish, hike, and take in Montana views, Daines said in an email. It is one of Montanas  and our countrys  natural treasures and it must be preserved for our grandchildren and future generations to enjoy.

Montana has two other designated Wild and Scenic rivers. A 150-mile segment of the Missouri River and the three upper forks of the Flathead River around Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex made the list in 1976. More than 200 other rivers in the United States have also received the designation.
A provision in the Texas Election Code requires all high school principals to serve as deputy voter registrars, and during a recent visit to the McLennan County Elections Office, Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos highlighted his push for that provision to be followed and taken advantage of by the states youngest eligible voters.

Pablos met with McLennan County Elections Administrator Kathy Van Wolfe and her staff Tuesday during a stop on a statewide tour to discuss economic development in rural areas and small cities.

Pablos stressed his desire for all high school principals to follow the provision, which applies to public and private schools. In addition to requiring principals to serve as registrars, the code states they shall distribute an officially prescribed registration application form to each student who is or will be 18 years of age or older during that year.

While Pablos did not know figures for McLennan County principals off the top of his head, his website lists Texas superintendents who have pledged all high school principals in their district will comply. The list includes pledges from the countys two largest districts, Waco Independent School District and Midway ISD, in addition to Moody ISD, but several other local districts are missing.

Pablos, who was appointed as the 111th secretary of state by Gov. Greg Abbott in January, sent a letter in September to superintendents offering to send districts all materials needed to fulfill their duties as deputy registrars. He said there were previously less than 200 high school principals in the state signed up. Now, more than 800 have become deputy registrars, he said.

It must become a tradition for schools to hand out voter registration cards to students when they turn 18, Pablos said.

Van Wolfe said both the McLennan County Democratic Party and the McLennan County Republican Party have worked hard to engage youth and students in the election process.

Both parties recruit student volunteers, and the assistance is greatly appreciated on Election Day, she said.

Van Wolfe told Pablos the next big move for the elections department will be buying new equipment. She said she is aiming to have new equipment before the 2020 election cycle.

Van Wolfe told county commissioners in May of last year that the countys decade-old equipment, which cost $10 million, may not last longer than three to five more years.
Bellmead police and community supporters delivered holiday gifts to 203 families in need Thursday thanks to donations from community members.

Holiday gifts, including bicycles, clothes, water guns and other toys, were collected during the police departments annual toy drive. School counselors suggested students who would appreciate the gifts, and officers delivered them to the families, with help from the the Bellmead Explorers Post 301.

Bellmead Police Chief Lydia Alvarado said school officials provided the department with 163 names. The department also received requests for assistance from 40 other families.

There were so many generous donations this year from so many, Alvarado said in a press release. There were boxes and boxes of miscellaneous toys donated for when there are other children in the homes that were not on the request list.

Alvarado credited community members for their outreach and spirit during the holiday season. She said officers are looking forward to a bigger and brighter 2018.
Alma Louise Bridges

Jan. 17, 1928 - Dec. 21, 2017

Alma Louise Tackett Bridges, left this earth and obtained her eternal life with her Lord and Savior, December 21, 2017.Pastor Eric Howell will be officiating services at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, December 23, 2017, in the Mausoleum Chapel at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation will begin one hour prior to service.

Alma was born January 17, 1928, in Corsicana, Texas, to Leon Tackett and Beulah Mae Tackett Bibb. She was married to the love of her life, O.C. Bridges, for 72 years. Alma held a masters degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Education, she went on to become a teacher and principal. She enjoyed fishing, playing games and visiting with family and friends. She loved her family, friends and her church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Leon Tackett and Beulah Mae Bibb; brothers, Johnny Tackett, James Tackett, and Donald Tackett; sisters, Jewel Fields and Betty Ickles.

Alma is survived by her loving husband, O.C. Bridges; children, Sam and Irene Bridges, Ronald and Sherron Bridges; brothers and sisters, Bessie and Curtis Krames, Betty Jo and husband, Jessie Bibb, Colin Bibb, Judy and husband, Mickey Bibb, Melinda and husband, Raymond Vinson, and Faye Tackett; eight grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, 11 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Alma loved her friends at Ridgecrest Retirement Center. She will be tremendously missed.
Betty Nell Martin

Jan. 24, 1931 - Dec. 19, 2017

Betty Nell Martin, 86, a native Texan, walked across that bridge to her awaiting husband and many beloved pets, December 19, 2017. She was surrounded by her loving family that will deeply miss her. Betty's family and friends will gather for visitation, to share memories and fishing stories, from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday, December 23, at Lake Shore Funeral Home, 5201 Steinbeck Bend in Waco. A graveside service celebrating Betty's feisty independent personality and her tough spirit; will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday, December 26, at Flint Creek Cemetery, in Coryell County, near The Grove, TX.

Betty was born January 24, 1931 in The Grove, TX to the late Key and Ida Bell Evans Odom. After graduating high school, Betty attended and graduated from the 4C Business College here in Waco. As a young woman, Betty competed as a stock car racer, at the Heart of Texas Speedway "Powder Puff Derby". She married the love of her life, Glen Richard Martin in July of 1950. Together they enjoyed traveling across country on their Honda Gold Wing. As well, for many years, they owned and operated, "Discover America", a bus touring company. They assisted countless people to travel and see the amazing sites of our country. Betty's true passions in life were fishing and quilting. She was an avid fisherman, casting her line everyday that she could even as she was dealing with dialysis schedule in later years. Betty was known to have stocked the freezer of numerous friends and was said to be able to "out fish" the best of the best. Family and friends will long cherish Betty's handy work on quilts that she sewed for them, finding a perfect quilting fabric on sale brought her great joy. When not out on the lake fishing or sitting at her quilting machine, Betty was as well an avid GameBoy enthusiast, and she was good.

Betty is preceded in death by her parents, Key and Ida Bell Odom; her infant daughter and her loving husband of 65 plus years, Glen Richard Martin in 2015.

Betty leaves to cherish her memory her cousins, Billy Joe Evans and wife, Linda, Kenneth Evans and wife, Pam and Annette Herbert and husband, Dennis; her neighbor, dear friend and running buddy, Tena Price and husband, George Blackshear; second cousins, Jennifer Riggs, Laura Smith and husband Kevin and Tyra Kosar and husband, Jon Steed; third cousins, Aaliyah Lewis, Aaryn Lewis, Elijah Lewis, Chandler Smith, Kathryn Smith, Claire Smith, Hunter Kosar, Chelsea Kosar and Kade Kosar; along with numerous other friends and fishing buddies. Betty's feisty and witty take on life will be deeply missed.

The family would like to offer a special thank you to the numerous people that have lent their support, cards and gifts over the last couple of years. Betty was given such joy by hearing your cards being read, photos of your dogs and cats and was amazed that you cared so much.

Thoughts and memories may be shared at www.LakeShoreFH.com.
One of more than 1,700 seismic events detected near Helena so far this year, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered six miles south of Lincoln on July 6 was the biggest ever recorded west of the Continental Divide in Montana and the strongest to hit the state in more than 40 years.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least nine tremors within an hour of the initial 12:30 a.m. quake, and they ranged in magnitude from 4.9 to 3.1.

Despite the late hour, Lewis and Clark County's 911 dispatchers received 257 calls from people asking about the earthquake within about 15 minutes of the initial activity.

News of the earthquake and its aftershocks also blew up on social media, as people from Missoula to Billings and some surrounding states described what they saw, felt and heard. The earthquakes were strong enough to knock items off of walls and shelves as far away as Helena and Missoula, cause a temporary power outage in Lincoln and cause a gas leak in Helena.

In the small community of Lincoln, which was hit the hardest, business owners, volunteer firefighters and neighbors gathered later that morning to survey the damage and help clean up broken glass and spilled products at the Wheel Inn Tavern, D&D Foodtown grocery store and other local businesses. Though some businesses suffered a financial loss, no serious damages or injuries were reported.

The earthquake occurred near a fault line that was not previously mapped by seismologists, and the exact causes of Montanas seismic activity remain in debate.

If you look globally, it is interesting and unusual to have a seismic belt such as we have form far away from an active plate tectonic boundary, Mike Stickney, seismologist at the Earthquake Studies Office of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology on the Montana Tech Campus in Butte, told Lee Newspapers at the time.
Santa Claus made an appearance at Great Divide Saturday and Sunday before he had to return to the North Pole for his Christmas voyage.
So long, George Brandis, we hardly knew thee. But if we're honest, that's on us. Brandis leaves politics as a confounding figure, outraging progressives with his pronouncements on Australians' "right to be bigots", then latterly inspiring them with heartfelt parliamentary speeches on Pauline Hanson's burqa stunt or same-sex marriage.

There's a tendency here to see a man who changed dramatically, swinging maddeningly between bigotry and "wokeness". But Brandis is honest enough in insisting, as he recently did, that we have this all wrong: he hasn't changed much at all.

That we seem so confused about him demonstrates just how shallow our engagement with politics has become, how desperately hasty we've become to class every action, every utterance, and with it, every person as good or bad, as though that's a meaningful way of understanding the world. It is in this environment that people become instant champions or villains. Our public culture is so profoundly lacking in curiosity it is largely uninterested in why people disagree with us. Only that they do and thereby stand condemned.

It is in this context that Brandis' assertion of a right to bigotry became such an inescapable touchstone. It's true that amid a debate about diluting the Racial Discrimination Act, this was a political clanger, waiting to be taken as a celebration of bigotry itself. But that was always a lazy, impressionistic reading. Whatever your views on 18C (and my own aren't with Brandis), he was simply stating an uncontroversial fact: that in a liberal democracy like ours, you have a right to express obnoxious views.
Scott Morrison's warning that as Australians loaf about on their summer holidays, companies headquartered overseas would be fixing to scarper due to our uncompetitive company taxes, was either political hyperbole or a clear and present danger to prosperity.

Even if it was the former, it was pretty unhelpful  a wallet-closingly grim message from a government supposedly looking to lift confidence.

Treasurer Scott Morrison has hardened his push for a cut in the business tax rate. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But if it was the latter, it must surely be justification by itself, for a snap election in the new year to be fought on company tax.

It is that fundamental. To businesses thinking of investing in Australia, the Treasurer invited them to think again. To those already here, he seemed to say, you're paying too much, wise up.
That is the end of the second day of our live coverage of another attack that has left a scar on our city.

Our thoughts this evening remain with the injured, their family and friends. We hope they are all back home home soon.

It has been a sad year for Melbourne with many events difficult to fathom. We as a city, however, remain united and as Christmas approaches we wish everyone in Victoria a peaceful time over the festive period.

As Tony Wright writes, it has been a year living dangerously in Melbourne. We hope 2018 brings new times.
WA Premier Mark McGowan has stepped in on the Griffin Coal pay negotiations and has called on Griffin to resolve the dispute.

"I phoned the CFO at Griffin Coal this week and asked them to resolve the issues with the workers as soon as possible," he said.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has weighed in on the dispute between Griffin Coal and maintenance workers, urging the mining company to resolve the dispute "as soon as possible".

"I'm urging the company to take the advice of the Fair Work Commission and end what has been a difficult and disruptive period for workers, their families, the Collie community and the company itself."

The dispute continues between the mining company and maintenance workers after Griffin did not accept a contract recommendation from the Fair Work Commission.
Horrock's Beach in WA's Mid West has been trumped as Australia's best beach by a former nudist haven in tropical Queensland.

Tourism Australia's beach expert Brad Farmer had the enviable job on naming the 20-beach list, with four WA favourites in the top 15 - more than any other state.

Horrocks Beach was named best mainland beach in Australia. Credit:Kylie Gee

Horrock's was still named best mainland beach after extensive research from Farmer and co-author from the University of Sydney Andrew Short.

Horrock's - the hidden hamlet on WA's Coral Coast - was declared runner-up and best mainland beach.
State-run property assessment offices will close in about half of Montana counties due to budget cuts, reducing the presence of local personnel for some of the most rural communities.

The Montana Department of Revenue has already closed Property Assessment Division offices in six counties. The state will close offices for 22 more counties in the next 18 months.

Its not ideal. Were being forced to do this due to a lack of money  budget, said Mary Ann Dunwell, revenue department spokeswoman and state legislator from Helena. We really have no choice.

The division is taking a $3.1 million budget hit over the next two years  part of an $8.2 million reduction for the revenue department as a whole over the same period.

Its the first time in at least 30 years that appraisers and valuation specialists will not have a presence in every county. In a letter to counties, revenue department Director Mike Kadas said that they will transition to regional offices and traveling appraisers.

Twenty-one assessment division employees have been laid off so far, and Dunwell said its unclear how many more state employees will lose jobs. No county employees jobs are threatened due to these cuts.

In addition, 40 vacancies in the division wont be filled due to a hiring freeze, Dunwell said.

The office closures will happen in phases.

Slated for closure in April 2018 are offices in:

Teton County.

Blaine County.

Wheatland County.

Carter County.

Wibaux County.

Jefferson County.

Beaverhead County.

Glacier County.

Slated for closure in July 2018 are offices in:

Deer Lodge County.

Prairie County.

Sweet Grass County.

Petroleum County.

Broadwater County.

Meagher County.

Slated for closure in October 2018 are offices in:

Chouteau County.

Mineral County.

McCone County.

Daniels County.

Rosebud County.

Slated for closure in February 2019 are offices in:

Musselshell County.

Powder River County.

Roosevelt County.

Closures already took place in:

Granite County.

Powell County.

Liberty County.

Judith Basin County.

Pondera County.

Big Horn County.

Big Horn County Treasurer Jodi Guptill said their state assessor left around Thanksgiving.

Now I dont have that person here  these people in our county right here to go talk to," she said.

Its the state assessors who appraise properties in Montana. They work most often with county treasurers, who process taxes based off those property values.

Treasurers in small Montana counties said Thursday that having the assessor close by helped them check numbers as they were turned over to the county. Theres technical assistance that goes back and forth, Dunwell said.

A bigger impact, they said, could be a reduction of public access to the state workers who determine their property value.

What we are concerned about is taxpayers losing the ability to have face time with the people who assess their property, said Carter County Treasurer Jesi Strub.

She said that appraisal disputes were sometimes resolved informally by a visit to the state assessment division office, avoiding the process of a formal tax protest. There was a real customer service aspect, she said.

Wheatland County Treasurer Kari Schuchard said it could bring challenges.

We have an older community  so theyre not going to be able to go online, Schuchard said. Thats going to be very difficult for them, and frustrating.

Property Assessment Division offices will remain in counties with the most properties  and the highest workload. Appraisers will have a larger geographic responsibility to serve the counties without a brick-and-mortar office.

The department is still working out the details of this plan, especially with regard to how many people will remain on hand to cover those areas.

We do plan to have approximately 20 mobile appraisers who will travel, Dunwell said. There will be a home base for them but they will travel throughout the surrounding area.

In his letter to counties, Kadas said that a review of workloads for each division office revealed that not all counties need a full-time employee.

It's possible that having a less-focused eye on local property values could result in less property tax revenue.

If were not able to get to something to appraise it, its not included in the tax base, Dunwell said. And thats translated into revenue for the county.

County treasurers who spoke with The Gazette on Thursday said that its unclear how much of this will actually affect revenue for local governments. Many other effects of the change are largely unknown.

Strub, the Carter County treasurer, said that their state appraiser was a good local resource for people, and the closing of that office will be felt in the small community.

Were very, very saddened to know that more and more of our local services are taken away, she said.
Treasure-seekers have another place to explore.

Junk & Disorderly Antiques and Collectibles recently celebrated its grand opening at 140. E. Cerro Gordo St. in Decatur.

I don't have one thing that I search for, owner Dawn Summers said. It's whatever catches my eye.

That method of collecting stuff for resale guarentees a variety of items to choose from. Inventory ranges from antiques, to furniture, glassware, knickknacks and more.

Summer also provides a sales venue for locally made lotions, soaps and bath bombs, as well as refurbished stuff provided by Rusty Relics.

I've always like to collect stuff, , refurbish furniture and messing with stuff, Summers said. Now I have a place to sell it.

As an added bonus this weekend, Santa will be at the store from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. But he won't be driving a sleigh. Instead, he will be hanging out and taking pictures in a 1950 Chevy.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Call (217) 707-0675.

Check them out on Facebook.

***

First Mid-Illinois Bancshares, Inc. has announced a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of First Bank, the holding company for First Bank & Trust.

The acquisition of First Bank deepens our presence in the attractive Champaign-Urbana market and provides expanded opportunities in adjacent counties, said Joe Dively, Frist Mid's chairman and chief executive officer. First Bank has a long history of providing excellent service with a community-minded focus and the merged organizations will be even stronger.

The transaction has been unanimously approved by each companys board of directors and is expected to close in mid-2018, subject to regulatory approvals, the approval of First Banks stockholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Following completion of the transaction, First Mid is expected to have approximately $3.3 billion in total assets. In addition, First Mid currently operates a wealth and trust management business with approximately $1.5 billion in assets under management and an insurance business with $3.5 million in annual revenue.
The minuscule Galilean town in which Joseph and Mary spent their lives and raised their son Jesus was, quite literally, a joke. Can anything good come from Nazareth? asked one disciple, when he heard where the Messiah was from. Some scholars posit that this was a popular saying in the 1st century. In any event, Nazareth was on the fringes of the Roman Empire. Roman roads avoided it until the 2nd century. Jesus came from a backwater of a backwater; he and his mother and father, the figures at the heart of the Christmas story, were most likely considered throwaway people.

The Gospels tell us little about Mary other than to say that she was a parthenon, a young woman, a virgin, most likely illiterate. The life of women in 1st century Nazareth was difficult: filled mainly with labor.

But life in Nazareth was difficult for everyone, not just women. Life expectancy was in the 30s. Those who reached 60 were rare. In Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit, a fascinating study of daily Jewish life in Nazareth, the scholar Jodi Magness points out that we tend to view the life of the Holy Family through a highly sanitized lens. Garbage and sewage were tossed outside into the alleyways, perhaps by Mary herself. Magness describes conditions in Galilee as filthy, malodorous and unhealthy.Joseph is described in the Gospels as a tekton, a word that opens a tantalizing window into Jesus early life as well, since he followed his foster father in his profession. Tektons were generally seen as ranking, socially and economically, below the peasantry since most didnt own a plot of land. It was probably a hardscrabble life, building doors and tables, but also likely digging ditches and building walls. Today many scholars translate tekton not as carpenter, but as handyman or day laborer.

You can detect growing discomfort with this lower-class status in the Gospel narratives. When Jesus reveals his divine identity in Mark, the earliest Gospel, people say, Is this not the tekton? Writing a few decades later, Matthew transfers the label to Jesus foster father: Is this not the son of the tekton? people ask. Finally, in Luke and John, written even later, all vestiges of Jesus former occupation disappear from the question: Is this not the son of Joseph?

Jesus worked as a tekton from roughly 12 to 30. Fully 18 years of his life would have been spent at this arduous labor  six times longer than his public ministry as a preacher and healer.

We must keep in mind that our Christmas cards are miles away from the reality of the Holy Familys existence. We must remember that the three of them looked more like the poor Syrian refugees on the news than the well-fed (and usually white) actors who play them in films. We must remember that it is into a life of simplicity, hiddenness and poverty that Jesus came.

We must remember that he was, most likely, poor.

God could have entered the world in any place or family that God chose. God could have become human in a great ruling family in Judea. God could have entered into humanity in a wealthy Galilean family, perhaps as the child of a well-traveled and well-read merchant or scholar. More to the point, God could have chosen to be born into the Roman dynasty, in line to become emperor, to exercise and demonstrate maximum power.

Instead, God chose to enter a family headed by a man with a simple profession, married to a woman who, from outward appearances, was no different than the other poor women in their joke of a town.

Is it any surprise, then, that Jesus felt such intense compassion for the poor and marginalized? That he constantly asked his disciples to care for the poor, the sick, the forgotten, the stranger? He was one of these throwaway people, and he lived among them for 30 years before his public ministry began. Christians tend to see Jesus commands to care for the poor as divine. And they were  Jesus was fully divine. But they also came from his human experience. He was fully human as well. Im always amazed by people who feel they can be Christian without caring for the poor. Not only did Jesus command us to do this, Jesus himself was from this class. When God chose to join us, he joined us in Nazareth, to make sure that we wouldnt forget.
DECATUR  A Decatur driver had to defend himself after a stranger wearing a surgical mask climbed into his car and punched him twice in the head, police said.

A sworn affidavit said the 58-year-old victim suffered a bleeding, swollen nose and swelling near his left eye in the attack, which happened around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in a downtown parking lot near the 100 block of West Prairie Avenue.

His 32-year-old assailant appeared to be high on narcotics, according to Decatur police officer Christopher Skalon. Police reports on the incident were incomplete Thursday and its not known if the suspect tested positive for illegal drugs.

Skalon said what the suspect told officers made no sense. (He) stated that he was under the influence of corn syrup, and had ingested too much sugar, referring to his condition as Caffeine-itus, Skalon added.

Skalon said the victim earlier told officers he had been getting ready to drive off when he suddenly heard a rear door open and a man wearing a Chicago Cubs hat and a surgical mask over his face got in.

The driver immediately jumped out and asked the suspect what he wanted. (The suspect) stated I thought you wanted me in the car... and then punched him in the face two times said Skalon

The driver fought back by kicking the suspect in the crotch, and his attacker ran off but only got as far as the 200 block of West Main Street before police intercepted him.

The suspect was booked on a preliminary charge of aggravated battery and remained held in the Macon County Jail on Thursday night in lieu of posting $40,000 bail. Preliminary charges are subject to review by the states attorneys office. He is due to be arraigned Dec. 28.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 22, 2017 | 03:06 PM | PADUCAH, KY

McCracken County Jailer Tonya Ray has been charged with first-degree perjury in connection with allegations that she lied under oath while giving testimony at a former deputy jailer's misconduct hearing.A grand jury indicted Ray Friday on the charge in McCracken County Circuit Court. She is accused of giving false testimony during the October hearing of Former McCracken County Jailer Ben Green, who was charged with misconduct after police say he moved 19 inmates who were in protective custody to general population without proper authorization. A judge dismissed the case against him after Ray testified that the facility did not have a procedure manual that outlined proper inmate classification procedures, a claim that prosecutors say was false.According to the indictment, Ray is accused of falsely testifying regarding the jail's rules, regulations, classifications, and procedures.Ray was arrested Friday afternoon and booked into the McCracken County Jail. Her bail was set at $20,000. Ray's arraignment has been set for Feb. 8.State Police say the investigation is continuing.

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DECATUR  The friendly competition among Decatur's first responders to raise the most money for the Salvation Army yielded nearly $20,000, the organization announced Thursday.

On Friday and Saturday, the Salvation Army kettles at various stores were manned by representatives from the Decatur Police Department, Decatur Fire Department, Macon County Sheriff's Office, other fire departments in Macon County and the Decatur Ambulance Service.

The Decatur Fire Department raised the most money with $5,337.34, said Kyle Karsten, director of development and community relations.

The event has been traditionally known as "Guns and Hoses," but was renamed "Gurneys, Guns and Hoses" this year after the ambulance service joined.

The total amount raised among the agencies both days was $19,626.67, about 17 percent higher than last year's total of $16,753.72. The city fire department also brought in the most money last year.

"We want to say thank you to each group of first responders for the amazing amount of support this event brings to supporting the community and The Salvation Army," Karsten said in a statement. "Thank you also to the Decatur Community for their generosity this bell ringing weekend. Decatur is amazing."

Other department totals were:

County fire, $4,083.75

Macon County Sheriff's Office, $3,263.51

Decatur Police Department, $3,506.13

Decatur Ambulance Service, $3,435.94

The Salvation Army still needs help to reach the total goal of $470,000 for its Tree of Lights fundraising campaign. Donations placed into the iconic red kettles make up just a part of that goal, said Wes Dalberg, the organization's executive director.

"We will continue to take donations toward reaching that goal, even after the Christmas holiday and into the New Year if necessary," Dalberg said.
ViWinTech could begin demolition of old Residential Care Center soon
By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 22, 2017 | 07:09 AM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY

A wanted fugitive was arrested in McCracken County on Thursday.

According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Office, over the past several weeks, deputies have been following several leads leading to the location of Chaz Caneer, who was wanted out of McCracken and Ballard counties.

The investigation led deputies to an address on Hill Street in Paducah where Caneer was said to be living in a garage behind the home. Deputies made contact with the owner of the property who gave consent to search.

Deputies found Caneer in the garage behind the home and after a brief struggle he was placed under arrest. Caneer was found in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana, along with several drug paraphernalia items.

Caneer was arrested and transported to the McCracken County Regional Jail. He's charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest.

He was also charged with three warrants out of Ballard County and four warrants out of McCracken County.
By The Associated Press Dec. 22, 2017 | 08:35 AM | CHRISTIAN COUNTY, KY

The unknown culprit behind a string of burglaries in one Kentucky town has been dubbed the "bologna bandit," based on his predilection for the lunch meat.

A Christian County Sheriff's Office spokesman tells WTFV-TV in Tennessee that deputies have stepped up patrols in Crofton, following an increase in burglaries targeting churches and homes within the last month.

Lt. Scott Noisworthy says the common factors in the burglaries are the items stolen: food and change. Authorities haven't named a suspect, but have identified a person of interest.

The pastor at Lighthouse of Crofton Assembly of God Church, George Linton, says his church was broke into twice in five days.

The items stolen: bread, a block of cheese and four packs of bologna.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 22, 2017 | 06:29 AM | MAYFIELD, KY

A Mayfield woman is facing a gun charge.

The Mayfield Police Department says officers responded Tuesday night to an address on West Water Street in reference to someone having medical issues. On arrival, police discovered that one of the residents had been using drugs.

While conducting a search, a handgun was found. According to police, 38-year-old Kelly Payne, who was a resident of the home, is a convicted felon. Payne was arrested, and transported to the Graves County Jail.

Payne was charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
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Sarah Crompton, WhatsOnStage



"You can feel the anticipation in the auditorium of the glamorously refurbished Victoria Palace Theatre. There's a roar of delight as the first song, "Alexander Hamilton", starts and announces its intention to tell the story of the man on the US ten dollar bill, the founding father who died in a duel, and whose legacy was almost forgotten until Miranda decided he might make the perfect subject for a musical."

"What I started to appreciate was the radical way Miranda has structured his show. The first half, when Hamilton is on the rise, leading armies in the War of Independence, has an exhilarating punch. But the second, when his life disintegrates, is arguably even better, doing the more difficult thing of tracing the political enmities that bring him down, while creating sympathy for Burr. Scenes of violent action and rap battles in cabinet are succeeded by moments of quiet reflection, love songs in the dark, agonised moments of grief."

"It is one of those rare shows where each part clicks perfectly into every other. It has a justness to it. Thomas Kail's powerful production honours the complexity of the writing, while keeping things direct and simple. There's nothing extraneous."

Michael Billington, The Guardian



"The performances also match the variety and energy of the music. Jamael Westman, not long out of drama school, invests Hamilton with immense authority, reminding us that words were always his most effective weapon and suggests a mixture of opportunist and visionary."

"Giles Terera plays Burr with an envious gleam as if he were Salieri to Hamilton's Mozart and always slightly in awe of his rival's whirlwind success. Obioma Ugoala's Washington, Hamilton's surrogate father, has great gravitas, Rachelle Ann Go lends Hamilton's wife the poignancy of the neglected and Rachel John is impressive as his adoring sister-in-law. But the funniest performances, aside from Jibson's English king, come from Jason Pennycooke who doubles as a patriotic Lafayette and a spring-heeled Jefferson in a maroon maxi who jives and jumps with glee as Hamilton's fortunes fade."

"In the end, however, the power of Hamilton lies in its ability to make the past seem vividly present. It suggests its subject was an Icarus who flew too close to the sun."

Ann Treneman, The Times



"Hamilton is as good as the hype but not in the way I thought it would be. I wasn't so much moved as riveted. This is like a rock concert where you don't know the star. It's a history book that has gone audio in a rather major way. The immigrants have grabbed the microphone. For more than 200 years, someone else has mostly told their story. No longer. They're telling it loud and proud, with non-stop rap, hip-hop, R&B, bolstered with ballet, jazz dance and cartwheels."

"The show is also a political sketch that happens to have been written in rhyme. Oooh, the claws are out for Thomas Jefferson, played with much hip swivelling by Jason Pennycooke. "What did I miss?" he asks as he flounces in from France, arriving after all the blood had been spilt. There is also a hearty performance from Obioma Ugoala as George Washington, perhaps the original "strong and stable" type and a father figure for Hamilton."

"In a word, wow."

Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph



"Even if you miss particular references, you feel the gist on your pulse: there's a continuum between then and now and it's thrillingly compounded by the fact that America's nemesis George III (a tour-de-force from Michael Jibson in the comic show-stopper of the night) once lived round the corner; he bought what became Buckingham Palace."

"So, far from standing at one aloof remove from this foreign import, then, it's as if a vast arc of history, spanning centuries, has come full circle here in the West End. Look what we managed to do after we left you, the show says, in playfulness not anger. The awed answer from our side can only be: like, wow."

Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out



"Like an expertly sequenced mixtape, Hamilton never settles on one tempo for too long. The introduction of the Schuyler sisters  Hamilton's future wife Eliza (Rachelle Ann Go) and his soulmate Angelica (Rachel John)  lobs a bit of sparky, '90s-style R&B into the mix, and cedes the bloke-tastic narrative to its female characters (briefly). And then Obioma Ugoala's booming George Washington adds another shade entirely  a rumbling, soulful giant who rises over Hamilton and his incessant squabbling."

"The second half is bleaker. After the hero's last legislative triumph  marked by Burr's tour de force number "The Room Where It Happens", clearly the greatest song anyone will ever write about a clandestine tax deal  our hero goes into decline. The ending is soulful and sad and lower-key than you might expect. But the final question "who tells your story?", is also the exact right poser to end things on."

"That's because the great symbolic power of Hamilton lies in its bold placement of immigrants, minorities and their culture at the very centre of the American narrative: it says, this story is ours too."

Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard



"It's giving nothing away to mention his death, since it's referenced in the opening song, and the show's first three minutes  expository yet invigorating  make it clear that Hamilton's linguistic artistry is something Miranda shares. The lyrics are densely packed, layered with puns and embedded rhymes, and their bristling intricacy justifies Miranda's thesis that hip-hop is  or at any rate can be  the authentic sound of the American Revolution."

"The score, lyrics and book are all his. For rap fans there's the pleasure of spotting references to Grandmaster Flash, Mobb Deep, DMX and the Notorious B.I.G. But he's also sensitive to the history of musical theatre, with nods to Les Miserables, Stephen Sondheim and the tongue-twisting patter of Gilbert and Sullivan. At times the show's tone is lushly operatic, and it's punctuated with bluesy moments, bar-room rowdiness, R&B ballads and even some twiddly harpsichord, richly orchestrated by Alex Lacamoire."

Adam Bloodworth, Metro



"Hamilton's playful wit and charm exudes from more than just its lead. Michael Jibson, who plays King George, mainly appears on stage alone but feels omnipresent with his piss-take impression of a pompous British aristocrat, and his performance proudly borrows from pantomime  that's right, a seriously credible show with a character worthy of going boo, hiss!' to."

"Then there is the boldly daring and frankly unusual ending. The show ends with the virtuous tale of Eliza, Hamilton's widow, who lived 50 years after Hamilton and continued his work. She is played candidly and spiritedly by Rachelle Ann Go, who, pointing out into the newly-rebuilt Victoria Palace Theatre auditorium, longs to be by Hamilton's side."

"Raw, and rule breaking: it didn't even end with a song."

Tim Bano, The Stage



"Directorially, it doesn't move heaven and earth. Under Thomas Kail, ensemble members still twirl tables and chairs over their heads, like in many musicals. Apart from one final scene, which sees actors perform complex choreography to an absence of music, this is fairly conventional execution  but of an extraordinary form."

"David Korins' set, too, is a big, empty playspace that exposes, and so intensifies, Miranda's words. It's like Christine Jones' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child set, a great hollow hall of a space, but this is more shipshape  timber balconies, clusters of rope."

"George Washington comes on to an epic bass drop and a gangster rap, with Obioma Ugoala bringing commensurate authority as the father of the founding fathers. And King George III  the show's comic core, played to arch perfection by Michael Jibson  is a grotesque, pale creature, effete and on the verge of tears, singing letters to America that are by turns needy and abusive. These little knowing concoctions and contrasts make the educational aspects of Hamilton palatable and only serve to intensify its more serious themes."

Quentin Letts, Daily Mail



"The rat-a-tat-tat of the rap lyrics makes romantic interludes a little robotic but a touching moment does come when Hamilton and Eliza are reconciled after a family bereavement. I was expecting the tragic potential of Hamilton's extraordinary life story to be milked for more pathos. "

"Apart from the lyrics, Hamilton is no revolution. But if you wait until the promotional frenzy has abated and if you lower your expectations to those for a normal West End show, you should enjoy it well enough."

"Apart from the lyrics, Hamilton is no revolution. But if you wait until the promotional frenzy has abated and if you lower your expectations to those for a normal West End show, you should enjoy it well enough."

Hamilton is booking at the Victoria Palace Theatre until July 2018.
DECATUR  The U.S. Department of Transportation's decision Thursday means passengers flying out of Decatur Airport will be able to make connections with national airlines from flights on Cape Air, an element missing from current service there.

Cape Air has ticketing and baggage agreements with Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines, according to the U.S. DOT. That means passengers can purchase tickets that allow them to make a connection with a flight from one of the larger partner airlines without having to gather bags or check in again.

Air Choice One, like many small airlines, has struggled to establish these agreements with the larger carriers.

As manager of Atlas Travel in Decatur, Cindy Ford knows the inconvenience passengers face when they fly on an airline that does not have a baggage agreement. They have to allow time to check in luggage again, hoping the process doesnt cause them to miss a flight.

That is one of the hassles, Ford said.

She hoped customers could look forward to a smoother experience with the new airline, which she understood to be similar to Air Choice One.

Each week, Cape Air will provide 24 round-trip flights to Chicago and 12 to St. Louis. The plane is a twin-engine Cessna 402 that can seat nine passengers.

Air Choice One offered 18 weekly trips each to both cities. It used a single-engine Cessna Grand Caravan that seats eight passengers.

Ford also hopes Air Choice One is as reliable as Cape Air, which she said was greater than former airlines that served Decatur. She said she is watching Cape Air for its safety and cost, the most important features for her and her customers.
By Nelly Petrosyan

Davit Petrosyan, a member of the For the Development of Science movement who led a series of student protests, including hunger strikes and class boycotts, opposing a bill that effectively cancels draft deferments for those pursuing a candidates of science degree, told Hetq that the protests eventually fizzled out after the parliament passed the bill because the students lacked unity.

The Armenian National Assembly passed the bill in November. Some university students staged a boycott and hunger strike.

After passage of the bill, boycotting students were invited to roundtable discussions with the government.

On December 18, Petrosyan and Yuri Avagyan, another member of the For the Development of Science movement, went hunger strike.

Avagyan had to stop on December 21, due to pneumonia, and Petrosyan decided to stop on the evening of December 22 after more than 500 people, mostly friends and professors, collected signatures asking him to do so.

While on hunger strike, Petrosyan told Hetq that the students werent happy with the results of the roundtable discussions held in the National Assembly.

Petrosyan says the government promised to make concessions, but never did, adding the hunger strike was directed against the government and the legitimacy of the law.

"They never mentioned how they planned to solve corruption issue. If people used to give money to get admitted to university, now they will give the same money to the healthcare system to prove some disease to be freed from army service, Petrosyan said.

He says the students were not united when boycotting university classes. Their number dropped from the first boycott day to the last, because of the pressure on students, or their lack of will.

Petrosyan cites the example of Yerevan State University Rector Aram Simonyan who alleged that the activist students were being sponsored by the Soros Foundation. Simonyan went so far as to accuse Petrosyan of receiving his orders during a visit to Poland.

Those charges are baseless. I visited Poland for other reasons. I even showed the rector my invitation. Its their problem if they never read it. No big deal. I understand. Times are quite tense now, Petrosyan told Hetq.

"Now, there arent ample conditions for another boycott. The rectors also affected the process, and the overall environment was too politicized. We wanted to hold public discussions, but the rectors of American University of Armenia, the Slavonic University, and the Komitas Conservatory were against it," Davit said.

Members of For the Development of Science movement are now drafting a statement summing up their two-month struggle.

Photo: Davit Petrosyans Facebook page
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Bob Ross, 69, of Grand Rapids, Minn., takes his lutefisk seriously. Last week, he showed up 45 minutes early and was first in line for the annual lutefisk dinner at First Lutheran Church in Duluth  an hour and a half away.

I crave it, he said, in explaining his willingness to drive long distances for lutefisk, even if hes not exactly sure why. I grew up with it, and I hated it. I couldnt stand it. But after you get away from it, you crave it.

When lutefisk is done right, its light, flaky and delicious, Ross said. Still, he acknowledged a lot of people make fun of lutefisk.

It is, after all, dried cod thats been soaked in lye. Its an acquired taste, he admitted.

But despite its reputation, and the aging population of lutefisk aficionados, the culinary custom lingers on, preserved at dozens of lutefisk dinners held this time of year in church halls and basements across Minnesota.

I think its the nostalgic part of it, the fact that people are still reaching into their roots, trying to build traditions. I think thats such an important thing, said Bea Ojakangas, a celebrated cookbook author who has helped put on the lutefisk feast at First Lutheran Church for more than 30 years.

Lutefisk was created as a way to preserve fish, prior to refrigeration. The cod was dried on outdoor racks. Then, to make it expand, it was soaked in water and then in lye, which was made out of wood ash. Lye expands the fish to an even bigger size than when it was dried, and gives lutefisk its characteristic jelly-like quality.

Perception of lutefisk, however, is much different in Minnesota than where it originated.

Its so funny, because if we go back to the Scandinavian countries and talk to them about lutefisk, they dont revere it like here, said Ojakangas.

Thats not the case for Minnesotans like Count Roger and Carol Chase of Grand Rapids. They travel all around northern Minnesota attending lutefisk dinners.

They used to help put on a lutefisk dinner at their church in Grand Rapids. But it fizzled out as the price of fish went up, and the number of people eating it kept going down.

At a dinner earlier this year in Bemidji, Chase recalled, I looked around, and its all silver-haired people ... You dont see very many young people. Pretty soon it will be a pizza party.

The appetite for lutefisk is dwindling across the board, not just in Bemidji.

Lutefisk sales, ever since I started (in 1995) has dropped down, I would say, anywhere from 5 to 8 percent a year, said Chris Dorff, president of the Olsen Fish Company in Minneapolis, the only high-volume producer of lutefisk left in the country.

Still, the dinners persist, and Dorff said the churches he sells to report that attendance has held firm  theres just a lot less lutefisk stomached. Dorff said he used to plan a pound of fish per person. Now he cuts that in half.

Attendance has also held up at First Lutheran in Duluth, where more than 1,100 people ate this year, including Elijah Jensen, who at age 30 was a youngster in the crowd.

He confessed he was there mainly for the Swedish meatballs  hes had lutefisk only once in his life, when he was a teenager.

You know, I dont know if anyone actually really, really likes it, or if they just pour on enough butter (on it), just enough to slide it down, he said. I thought of it more as fish jello.

Nonetheless he vowed to try it again this year.

Not as bad as I remember, he said, slowly swallowing his first bite. Its a little less fishy than I remember. Its still definitely gelatinous.

And for those concerned that the lutefisk tradition could die along with the older generations of Norwegians, Swedes and Finns who grew up with it, Felicia Schneiderhan offers a glimmer of hope.

She had Norwegian great-grandparents. This year was her second time eating lutefisk. Her preschooler Esther even tried it.

When we moved to Duluth from Chicago nine years ago, the culture was really attractive to me. I like honoring that part of my heritage, she said.

Plus, she said, she actually kind of likes lutefisk, despite the naysayers: Its kind of tasty.
Ask Siri whether you should believe in God and youll receive the reply, I would ask that you address your spiritual questions to someone more qualified to comment. Ideally, a human. Or, Its all a mystery to me. Or the too-cute, I believe in the separation of Silicon and spirit.

Not surprising answers, given the nature of the question. Why should Apple put itself in the middle of a centuries-old discussion?

Apples Siri is a virtual intelligent assistant, but there is nothing intelligent about Siri or its peers, such as Microsofts Cortana, Googles Assistant and Amazons Alexa. Virtual assistants are not conscious and do not think like humans. Their machine-learning software has enabled them to provide greater high-value content to humans. They are getting better at understanding the idiosyncrasies of peoples voices, accents and colloquial speech. A person can carry out a conversation with these devices giving the appearance of intelligence and consciousness.

There are large customized versions of intelligent assistants found in call centers that interact with customers unaware of the artificial voice on the other end. Another version involves virtual assistants that can take facts and write articles much like a reporter.

Darn near human

The reason these virtual assistants are getting better is because the content they collect from all these questions is used to improve the machine-learning software performance. The more content the virtual assistant acquires, the more complex answers it can handle.

Specifically, advances in machine learning and sensors have allowed for the development of smart content. Smart content is derived from virtual assistants, sensors collecting data from millions of conversations, thousands of internet sources, and sensors collecting data on physical surroundings. The machine-learning software determines the meaning of the data and creates the smart content verbalized by the virtual assistants.

The best example of smart content is robo-advisers, a combination of tremendous amounts of data and machine-learning software that use this data to make investment decisions for financial portfolios. Other examples can be found in our cars, as on-board software makes decisions thousands of times a second to ensure a smooth and safe ride. Autopilots on airplanes and automated farm machinery do the same thing.

Soon, smart content will be in an emergency room, making decisions on treatments faster than the ER staff.

The hard part

What happens when people ask questions that are more philosophical and metaphysical in nature? We cannot assume that our dependency on these devices will stop at mundane questions and requests.

A college student faced with the daunting task of writing a paper for a course in on Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics will eventually be able to turn to a virtual assistant and ask it the homework question. The student will probably copy the reply verbatim, without considering the meaning of the piece or understanding it.

The responses provided by smart content to spiritual and moral questions are randomly selected canned answers. However, these canned answers will soon have to give way to didactic answers drawn from broad sources of content. And who decides the didactic themes present in virtual assistances?

We should expect these answers to be subject to the demands of secular forces. Ask Siri I dont want an abortion. Where do I go? and the answer is Fine. Ask Siri I want an abortion. Where do I go? and the answer is a list of Planned Parenthood centers.

This occurred due to pressure from Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union when they deemed the smart content for Siri to be unacceptable to this question.

This example is a leading indicator of the future of smart content. It will become secular and atheist because secular organizations will demand it and the technology companies acquiesce.

It will be easier to ignore the church than the ACLU.

People are realizing the power of an on-demand answering service that goes beyond the simple questions (Siri, what is the capital of Illinois?) to the more complex questions that require education and insights (Siri, what is a technology architecture? or Siri, what is the contingency argument that explains the existence of God?).

The companies in control of developing the content for complex questions will find that the path of least resistance is secularism. And once they start down this path, they cannot easily reverse or change course. The Catholic Church cannot insist that Apple modify Siris responses to undo secularist answers for questions asked about the church and incorporate the church catechism into its answers.

Secular challenges

Siris evolution is more reflective of scientism and reductionist thinking because the smart content it verbalizes is shaped by moral relativists.This is the challenge smart content presents to Christian faith leadership and the Catholic Church: How it will ensure a Christian presence in this version of the future where smart content is created and maintained by those who marginalize religion?

This challenge goes far beyond the need to participate in social media or to ensure Catholic theology is present in the cloud. Smart content enables devices to make decisions. Smart content is also persistent. It is difficult or next to impossible to change the ethics of smart content once a substantial amount of content has been incorporated into it. The process has already started to drive the themes of smart content used by virtual assistants to align to a secularist society.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to date has not considered the impact of smart content on evangelization and other outreach efforts. The work of evangelists and apologists is already tough enough in having to confront human secularists and atheists. It is an altogether different challenge to argue with a virtual assistant and convince people to not listen to it when the person listens to it for everything else.

Who will our children believe? Siri or the priest? Siri and its peers will be in our childrens lives forever and become increasingly important. Eventually, a person in need and trouble will turn to Siri and not a priest or lay minister for help. What then?

A first step would be to work with technology companies to understand the smart content creation process and make sure the companies understand the concerns of the church.

A second, more long-term step, would be to create a series of questions that the church creates to monitor the evolution of the smart content. The answers to these questions, that is, the smart content verbalized can be assessed for changes and trends. These analytics would be leading indicators of the secularization of smart content, the rapidity of the change, and where the changes are headed. The church can then take action to change the content.

The church should not want Siri being the religious leader to our children and others in need. That should be and must be the purview of humans.
As some prepare our homes for inbound guests, set the table for family meals, shovel drives or walkways others are memorializing these upcoming days in a different way. Instead of driving across town for last minute gifts, others are riding on horseback for 325 miles to Minnesota. While some wake up Christmas morning to a tree adorned with presents flowing out from below, others are waking up to the bitter cold for the last full day of their Memorial Ride.

On December 26, not far from Winona County, the Dakota 38 + 2 Memorial Riders will arrive at Mankato, MN in the morning riding up to Land of Memories Park-Reconciliation Park at 10 a.m. The Winona-Dakota Unity Alliance (WDUA) urges our community to understand this event clearly. This will help us better know our friends who visit for the Great Dakota Gathering every second weekend in September here in their homelands.

Please, acknowledge our shared history despite being unpleasant truths. The executioner of the largest mass hanging perpetrated by the US military, the Dakota 38 + 2, lived in Winona County prior to the Dakota War. He entered the service to fight against the Dakota on September 10, 1862 and helped build the gallows the Dakota would face the day after Christmas that year. Dakota were removed; Winona grew.

Since, Dakota nations and Winona have promised to explore areas of collaboration and we must view joining the arrival of the Memorial Riders as another opportunity to fulfill our covenant. We must see the importance of joining our Dakota relatives beyond our city limits. We must remember the historical effects of Winonas founding had far reaching implications impacting the Dakota people throughout their territory.

The WDUA acknowledges that we are on Dakota land. With the city of Winona, we ask the Dakota to travel here every September for the annual Homecoming. It is about time we ask the same of our Winona community and ourselves. Friendship is not a one-way street. Join the WDUA in traveling to Mankato for the Memorial Riders arrival keeping our solemn promise alive. Mitakuye Oyasin.

Aaron E. Camacho, Fountain City, Wis.
Once again I am asking for donations. Since 9/11, each Christmastime, I portray Santa Claus. I ask for a donation as I play Santa and will visit your home, school, place of business, or even your church. I love to visit your children and adults.

This year all the donations raised will go to Kathie Valentine Ruhoff. Kathie became ill in Ireland. She was admitted to the hospital. She was kiagnosed with pneumococcal pneumonia and spent over 9 weeks in the hospital. Her bills are extremely high.

Many of you know Wayne Valentine and his wife. They are related to Kathie. I do not know Kathie personally, but Wayne and I are good friends.

I doo have several bookings and have visited places already. Do please give me a call at 454-5874 for a visit from Santa Claus. I, along with the entire Valentine and Ruhoff family, would appreciate it deeply.

Thank you all, and Merry Christmas.

Rocky Rohn, Winona
Ignorance is a choice. Our ignorance, along with our curiosity, can spur us to seek knowledge, or we can rely on it to protect our beliefs in things that arent true.

Every time we use a search engine like Google to find information, were admitting were ignorant of certain facts. I may know most of the rules of grammar, but I have no knowledge of calculus. None of us can know  or need to know  everything, so its understandable that were all ignorant about certain things. Usually, it makes no difference.

Unless its used to ignore facts we dont want to know, its perfectly normal. But if its an excuse to close our minds and restrict our knowledge so we can protect our comfort zones and preserve our prejudices, it can hurt us and those around us  even loved ones.

For example, some people have been programmed to believe that homosexuals or transgender people are mentally ill or sinful. If they have a child whos gay, some parents try to force the totally ineffective and cruel conversion therapy on them or banish the child from their lives. Cruel children and even some adults bully anyone whos gay or transgender and some even use the Bible to rationalize their cruelty.

There also are those who label anything they dont want to believe as fake news. Despite mountains of evidence that proves theyre wrong, some people still refuse to believe it. They immerse themselves in narrow comfort zones and cant be convinced of anything that clashes with their long-held beliefs, even if those beliefs have no basis in reality.

Ive met people who say they and their families always have voted to elect candidates in the same political party, no matter who the candidate is. They refuse to track the votes of that partys lawmakers, to acknowledge that the parties have changed drastically in the past few years, or to seek information from any source that doesnt support their party.

Others act on their ignorance when they condemn everyone of a certain race, religion or ethnicity. History details how many times blind bigotry has resulted in the torture and murder of innocent people. Here in the United States, it resulted in the despicable actions of the Ku Klux Klan, laws that support inequality and bombings of churches, mosques and Jewish synagogues.

In an area that should represent peace and love, religions have been misused as an excuse for hatred and violence. In fact, most wars and turmoil have been waged by those who skew the teachings of their religions to silence, banish or eliminate those of different religions or races. Every one of the people who incited those calamities chose to be ignorant.

Im reminded of an otherwise sensible man who was a neighbor of ours in northern Minnesota. One day he mentioned a nearby farm was for sale. I hope they dont sell to a black person, he said.

Have you ever known any black people? I asked.

Cant say I have, he said.

Then how do you know that would be a bad thing? I asked.

He had no answer, and I couldnt convince him there are many more good black people than bad. Ignorance like that was evident not long ago when right-wing fanatics held posters showing President Barack Obama hanging by a noose or with a bone through his nose.

In the same way, condemning or blaming all police officers, teachers, Muslims, Christians, Jews or any other group for the misdeeds of a few is a sign of ignorance. Unfortunately, those with a hateful agenda spread fear based on lies that are unquestioned by the intentionally ignorant.

As a result, bigotry and hatred have been increasing. Peaceful Muslim women have had their hijabs torn off. The president has imposed an immigration and travel ban on several predominately Muslim countries even though, as of 2015, there were 3.3 million Muslims living in the U.S. who lead peaceful and loving lives.

Memorials outside Jewish synagogues have been sprayed with swastikas. Doctors have been attacked and killed outside of Planned Parenthood clinicss and homosexuals beaten and killed by Christian extremists. Yet the only religious-based extremists condemned by the right-wing are Islamic terrorists.

Today, ignorance is encouraged by the U.S. president and our Wisconsin governor. Both of them have appointed people with no education or experience in the important agencies they head. The only requirement, it seems, is that those appointees agree with the governors and presidents goals to undo the environmental and consumer safeguards that protect us all. Is that what their supporters wanted?

Votes result in consequences. Cast them wisely.
As People Helping People closes out another year of serving Baraboo and surrounding communities, wed like to thank all our friends for their generosity in 2017. You have helped PHP distribute 400 boxes of groceries to low-income families during the holidays, donate more than 4,000 pounds of food to neighboring food pantries and assist 212 families in distress with food, school supplies and childrens clothing. Our Work Ready program has helped eight young men get jobs and improve their lives.
JUNEAU  A 30-year-old Sun Prairie woman was found guilty Thursday of delivering heroin to a parking lot in Beaver Dam the summer of 2014.

Roxanne Sobrevilla appeared in the courtroom of Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Steven Bauer. Sobrevilla pleaded guilty to a felony count of manufacturing and delivering heroin. An additional felony count of manufacturing and delivering heroin and two misdemeanor charges of bail jumping were dismissed, but read into the record.

According to the criminal complaint, a detective from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations met with a criminal informant. The informant told him that he could possibly purchase heroin from Sobrevilla as he previously had in 2013 and 2014. The confidential informant made contact with Sobrevilla, who agreed to sell him a gram of heroin and would travel to Beaver Dam to meet him.

The informant attempted to meet with Sobrevilla on June 22, 2014, in the parking lot of Shopko, 822 Park Ave., but she did not show up. However, later that night, Sobrevilla contacted the informant and explained her absence and made arrangements to meet Sobrevilla at 8:30 p.m. in Shopkos parking lot. The informant was given a wire transmitting device. She arrived in the parking lot at 9:50 p.m. and sold the informant four grams of heroin for $600.

Sobrevilla also sold the informant 4 grams of heroin on July 4, 2014, in the parking lot of McDonalds, 840 Park Ave.

Sobrevilla was previously convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and bail jumping in 2010.

Sobrevillas sentencing is scheduled on March 8.
Gov. Scott Walkers elimination of the states tiny portion of your property tax bill isnt that big of a deal. The average homeowner in Wisconsin is saving $27 on this years bill  roughly the cost of two movie tickets and a bucket of popcorn  because the state no longer will apply a small charge for forestry programs.

More broadly, though, the change is part of a sustained and largely successful effort by Republicans over time to hold down property taxes in a state that has ranked high for burdening homeowners.

Wisconsin had the eighth highest property tax, relative to personal income, in 2011, the year Gov. Walker and a Republican majority won control of the Statehouse. By 2015, the state had fallen to 15th highest, based on the same criteria, and pending census data is expected to show further improvement.

Local schools, municipalities, technical colleges and counties impose the property tax, which is affected by the amount of state aid they get.

The governor and his GOP colleagues have appropriately prioritized property tax relief over the last seven years. Besides ending the states small charge to property owners for forestry programs, the Republicans have limited local tax levies and required public workers to contribute more to their benefits and pensions.

The states median-valued home of $160,000 is projected to receive a $2,832 property tax bill this month, according to a report in Tuesdays State Journal. Thats down from the $2,963 the same home paid in 2010.

The Republican governor has accomplished this feat, in part, by requiring schools and local governments to restrain their spending. In some cases, thats hurt public education and services.

But its also true that controlling property taxes has been a longtime goal of the Democrats, too. And they failed under the previous administration to deliver this kind of lasting relief.

Not every community has experienced savings, because of differences in home values, school referendums and other factors. While the average property tax bill fell by 4.4 percent in Green Bay over the last five years, for example, the average bill in Madison has gone up 8.2 percent, according to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. Yet overall, the trend is a 1.9 percent drop in property taxes over five years on the median-valued home in the state, according to the Taxpayers Alliance.

Weve disagreed with many of the GOPs decisions in recent years, including a huge cut to the University of Wisconsin System, sweetheart tax breaks for manufacturers and poor maintenance of roads.

Nonetheless, with property tax bills hitting mailboxes this month, its good to see some restraint.
There is no question Peter Kaland is passionate about libraries and the Columbus community.

Kaland was honored for his commitment to both Dec. 19 when the Columbus Public Library presented Kaland with its third annual Volunteer of the Year award. The award also honored Kalands work with the Friends of the Library group and the library board of directors.

Library Director Cindy Fesemyer presented Kaland with the award during a banquet with members of the board and Friends of the Library.

It feels very good to be honored, Kaland said. Its been a long run and it feels good to be recognized for what you do. I love libraries so its a natural fit.

Kaland began his career as a history teacher in Columbus and transitioned to audio-visual director at the high school library. He eventually became head librarian for the Columbus School District until his retirement several years ago.

Kaland has been a member of the Columbus library board since 1999 and has served as president for about seven years during that time.

Kalands name was placed on a plaque recognizing his dedication to the library.

The Friends of the Library received the first honor in 2015 and volunteer Mary Jo Wentz was honored last year. Fesemyer was pleased to present Kaland with this years award.

Peter is our lifetime library lover, Fesemyer said. This plaque will also be presented to Pete at the city council meeting Jan. 16.

Kaland began his work with the library while a member of Columbus city council, serving as the library liaison. Kaland said the librarys decision to join the South Central Library System was one of the most important in its long history.

Its the ability to provide materials from all over and were in a library system that I think is the best in the state, Kaland said. Its such a wide area that there are not too many things you cant get through the South Central Library System.

In his 18 years on the board, Kaland has seen several changes at the library. He said programming has grown substantially to include activities and materials that appeal to everyone.

Childrens programming was always very robust but adult programming really wasnt there, Kaland said. Now we have outstanding numbers for adult programs.

As a board member, Kaland helped start the Friends of the Library group. He admitted it was a struggle to get the group going and interest waned until Fesemyer became library director.

The Friends group is now very robust, its been very helpful to the community and we thank them for all of their efforts, Kaland said. Its a tremendous support group to have.

Kaland said the expansion of Wi-Fi connections at the library has also attracted more users, especially in rural areas with slow internet systems.

Our staff has been terrific, Kaland said. They come up with great, creative ideas that have been very helpful.

Kaland said Fesemyers ability to market and publicize the librarys achievements and activities is vital to its success. In September, the library was named one of the best small libraries in the nation.

In the future, Kaland said the library will look to expand and offer more programs and materials.

Many things have changed but libraries are still as important as they were when this building was built more than 100 years ago, Kaland said.
As the year draws to a close, some Columbus residents are concerned with a pending street project outlined for 2018.

Residents along East School Street addressed the city council during its Committee of the Whole meeting Dec. 19 at city hall. Neighbors along that street are worried a special assessment for the project will carry a heavy tax burden next year.

Stephanie Wolff, who owns a house at 137 E. School Street, said the city hasnt made her aware of how much an assessment would cost. The project is slated to begin in late spring and run through late summer.

I have an issue with the fact that at this point in time, with it being this close to the start of a project, we have no idea of what percentage were going to be paying and if were paying, Wolff said. We dont know how much that dollar amount is going to affect us.

Wolff told the committee she is also concerned trees removed for the project will not be replaced.

Thats an issue for me, especially seeing James Street stripped of all of her trees (after recent work), Wolff said. We are a Tree City and I dont know if we can even hold onto that calling card.

Wolff believes the city should use funds collected from previous tax bills to pay for the renovation. While she admits the street is very old and in need of repairs, Wolff wants other residents to chip in as well.

All of our taxes should be equally spread out so everybody has to pay for it, Wolff said There shouldnt be a special assessment to pay for any street projects. Our street hasnt been remodeled in 60 years. So all of our tax dollars for the past 60 years had to have gone somewhere and they should, at least in part, be paying for almost the entire street project.

Brenda Hobbs, also a resident along East School Street, spoke to the committee. Since Hobbs property is on a corner lot, shes concerned about paying several thousands of dollars in special assessment taxes.

Ive heard it could be at least $6,000, which is a lot, Hobbs said. I know that street hasnt been repaired in a really long time and its time for this community to fix what needs to be fixed and thats why we pay taxes; it should come out of our taxes.

City Engineer Jason Lietha said a third public informational meeting will be held in early January to provide an update. Design work could be completed by the end of January and a public hearing will be held before the city approves it.

All the property owners along that stretch would have the opportunity to comment at that public hearing and then we could make changes if we saw too, said Mayor Michael Thom. I live on South Water Street so this work will affect me too.

Thom said the East School/Water Street area was chosen for renovations because it is a very old part of the city with many lead water laterals that should be replaced. Columbus obtained a grant to remove lead laterals but must use the funds within three years.

During the meeting, Thom referenced a list of special assessments levied during the last street project.

For curb and gutter, most cities do ask for partial (tax) payment or full payment for that because its part of storm sewer and drainage issues, Thom said. The driveway aprons are clearly something thats going to benefit the property owner so I think there was consensus last time that it would be 100 percent paid by the property owner.

Lietha said the city should know special assessment costs soon. Council member Andy Traxler said the project hasnt been approved yet and there is room for the city to decrease the amount on assessments.

Its something we can hammer out over the next few months, Traxler said.

According to Thom, during the last city street project, special assessments above a specific cost could be paid back through several years.

Above a few thousand dollars I think can be spread out over 10 years, Thom said. Were trying to take steps in the right direction with this.

City reports

During the city council meeting prior to Committee of the Whole, City Administrator Patrick Vander Sanden said city hall is currently collecting property tax bills.

City hall offices will be closed Monday (Christmas Day), along with Dec. 26, Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.
Marquis Energy-Wisconsin donates to Necedah Village

Marquis Energy Wisconsin LLC made a $25,000 donation to the Village of Necedah to give back to the citizens in the town and improve the city for years to come.

Our company is fortunate to be located in Necedah, with great logistics, government and townspeople, says CEO Mark Marquis. We hope this donation blesses our local neighbors this Christmas and helps the village to continue providing exemplary service to the community.

Marquis remains committed to bettering the community through service and producing homegrown ethanol for cleaner air and more affordable fuel.
Information is taken from the records of the Portage Police Department and does not represent a comprehensive list of police activity. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Between 7:59 a.m. Monday and 7:25 a.m. Thursday police responded to 107 calls.

Police received seven reports of vandalism including spray painting of RPG on signs and buildings, and theft of outdoor Nativity figures.

West Oneida Street: Police on Monday at 10:05 a.m. responded to a report of a lewd text message after which Ralph Czuczko, 50, of Portage, was issued a municipal ordinance citation for telephone obscenity.

Wayne Bartels Middle School: Police on Monday at 12:34 p.m. responded to a report of an out-of-control student. The 12-year-old boy was sent home to be referred to Columbia County Health and Human Services for disorderly conduct.

Portage High School: Police on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. conducted a K9 vehicle search, resulting in a 17-year-old girl being issued a municipal ordinance citation for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. A search of the same vehicle also resulted in a 16-year-old girl being referred to Columbia County Health and Human Services for possession of drug paraphernalia and a citation for possession of tobacco by a minor on school property.

Portage High School: Police on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., following a K9 vehicle search, cited Emily Vander Werff, 31, of Rio, for misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Rusch Elementary School: Police on Tuesday at 11:09 a.m. responded to a report of a 9-year-old boy who was hitting, kicking and spitting on staff, who will be referred to Columbia County Health and Human Services for battery.

Henry Drive: Police on Tuesday at 9:27 p.m. responded to a domestic disturbance where a 33-year-old Portage man was arrested for violation of probation as well as on suspicion of domestic disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.

West Franklin Street: Police on Tuesday at 9:48 p.m. responded to a disturbance where an 11-year-old Portage boy had allegedly kicked a hole in a vehicle. He was referred to Columbia County Health and Human Services for criminal damage to property.

New Pinery Road: Police on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. encountered Daniel Marinko, 27, of Portage, who was arrested for violation of probation and later charged with misdemeanor counts of theft and obstructing an officer.

West Pleasant Street: Police on Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. encountered Christine Jowett, 44, of Portage, who was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle as a fourth offense and reckless endangerment by intoxicated handling of a firearm.
From fun times to tragedy, Reedsburg had a full year in 2017. The Times-Press editorial staff picked out the biggest stories for 2017. The stories are chosen by what had the largest impact locally and generated the biggest following online.

10. Wine Bar opens in city

While there are plenty of bars to grab a drink in Reedsburg, one place decided to focus on the growing wine boom.

The Vault opened Aug. 3 at 170 E. Main St. This didnt mean the venue gave up on the beer loving crowd. It offer 50 craft beers in addition to more than 60 wines.

As the building was once the former F&M Bank, the bar name is apt. Manager Adam Kaney plans to make a shop in the vault of The Vault.

9. Reedsburg man gets presidential portrait

Normally when you think of a presidential portrait, you picture the rows of paintings in the White House depicting past leaders of the USA. But for one Reedsburg man, a presidential portrait was a president painting him.

BJ Ganem was one of 90 veterans chosen to appear in a compilation by former President George W. Bush.

Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chiefs Tribute to Americas Warriors was released this year and is available for purchase. An audio version narrated by Bush also is available.

Ganem said he was asked to send some pictures to Bush to use as inspiration for his paintings. Ganem noted he has met Bush in the past, including during his 2004 hospital stay when he lost his lower leg in Iraq.

In return, he received a deluxe edition of Bushs book and prints of the paintings. Ganem said he hopes to display the prints later this year in Reedsburg.

8. Park receives a new name

A Reedsburg park was renamed for a longtime resident and beloved volunteer.

The former Willow Park, located on Willow Street just south of Plum Street, now bears the name Sorom Park in honor of Richard Sorom, who died of pancreatic cancer last year.

Family, friends, co-workers and city employees gathered July 11 to christen the park and remember Sorom during an emotional ceremony. The former educator participated in the citys parks and recreation committee for more than 30 years, and also served as an alderman, according to his obituary.

7. Beer hours change

Under the new ordinance approved in June, merchants can no longer offer carry-out malt beverages between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., although taverns can sell until midnight. Stores previously could sell from 8 a.m. to midnight.

Although its a bit of an inconvenience for those who shop later, the ordinance has proven beneficial for anglers, said Carol Parkhurst, a clerk at Viking Express Mart. The convenience store sells live bait, so boaters can stop in for supplies before they hit the water.

Parkhurst said shes heard only minor complaints from a few customers, most from out-of-town, but otherwise people dont seem to notice the change.

6. RAMC expands

The medical center recently wrapped up phase one of its project to add additional parking spaces for the facilities 620 employees. The additional space to the Emergency and Urgent Care Center along with 19th Street and Ridgeview Drive are now open.

With Phase One complete, Phase Two of the expansion to build a Central Utility Plant has begun behind the hospital. Pohlmann said the utility plant will be the heart of our facility as far as heat, cooling and hot water. Pohlmann said with boilers from 1975 and cooling units from 1993 to 1996, the current components have reached their capacity.

The plant should be operating by May 2018. After completion of the Central Utility Plant, President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Van Meeteren said the facility will start working on components inside the medical center. The facility has plans to put in a new pharmacy, add a new laboratory and remodel in-patient rooms to private single patient rooms.

5. Cat becomes hero

On Feb. 4, the Shanahans were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a Reedsburg Police Department report. They were taken to Reedsburg Area Medical Center and treated with oxygen before returning to their Willow Street home.

The couple went to bed around 10 p.m. while their adult children showered and headed out for the evening. At around 1 a.m. Annette said she stumbled out of bed and dropped into a chair in the couples bedroom.

I thought I was having a heart attack, she said. It was so painful.

She felt weak and struggled to breathe.

A few minutes later one of the family cats, Gracie, started fussing and banging on the door. Annette said its odd behavior for Gracie, who normally keeps to herself and never begs to enter the bedroom.

Kevin said he heard the noise and decided to check on Gracie. He said he felt sick when he stood up and then noticed his wife in the chair. She was wide-eyed and staring into space, he said. Her body was rigid and her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest.

Luckily, the couple ended up being fine. Thanks to some help from their favorite furry friend.

4. Boys and Girls Club opens

The Boys & Girls Club of West Central Wisconsin recently expanded its operations in Sauk County, opening a new location in Reedsburg.

The group secured a former hardware store building for the new location on Vine Street in Reedsburg. Its executive director, Karen DeSanto, said more than $400,000 was raised in just more than a year to fund programming expenses, along with renovations to the site.

The club is absolutely making a footprint in Sauk County as an area for young people to thrive, she said. We are addressing that by going to the county and asking them to write the clubs into their budget to secure regular, sustainable funding for the youth of Sauk County.

The group continues to raise funds to add a better experience for local children.

3. $20 million produce storage facility announces Reedsburg plans

Reedsburg will be the home of a new $20 million produce storage, distribution and logistics warehouse.

The Reedsburg Industrial Commission and Common Council announced Sept. 13 that Sharratt Warehousing & Distribution LLC will construct and operate a 98,000 square-foot, temperature-controlled facility on 15 acres in Reedsburgs south industrial park.

The warehouse will include freezer, cooler and dry storage environments for dairy, fruit and vegetable products produced within the state. It also will provide grading, transportation and services focused on connecting the dairy, fruit, and vegetable producers in Wisconsin to their global partners.

Reedsburg Industrial & Commercial Development Commission Chairman Don Lichte said the project is the result of several years of planning. He said Reedsburg officials pursued construction of the facility because of its expected benefits to the city and surrounding area.

2. Reedsburg passes referendum to build new school

Reedsburg School Districts referendum was approved Oct. 10, with over 70 percent of voters choosing yes for a variety of school improvements, the most significant being a new elementary school.

The $32 million referendum passed with an unofficial count of 1,660-703 in favor. District Administrator Tom Benson was enthusiastic about the result.

Were very, very excited, not only for a successful vote, but a significant percentage of the folks who voted are supportive of the plan we put out, Benson said. So were very, very pleased and appreciative of that.

Most of the referendum funds will go toward construction of a new $24 million elementary school and transportation facility. As part of the plan, the school district would close South Elementary School.

The referendum includes more than $7.6 million for security improvements and building infrastructure improvements to six of the districts facilities. Projects include installing new security systems, moving offices closer to building entryways and updates to heating, cooling, plumbing and other infrastructure needs.

1. Loganville shooting

A 14-year-old boy died Aug. 8 from a gunshot wound after authorities say his 10-year-old brother shot him with a rifle during a game of cops and robbers at their rural home.

In a press release, the Sauk County Sheriffs Office said the brothers and another related 12-year-old boy were playing with what they believed to be an unloaded firearm that had the magazine removed. However, a round was still in the chamber when the 10-year-old pointed the weapon at his brother and pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck the boy in the chest.

Resuscitation efforts were started immediately but were not successful, the release stated. First responders were called to the scene at 10:34 a.m. The boy was pronounced dead by the Sauk County Coroners Office.

In a no prosecution letter received by the Sauk County Sherriffs office Oct. 16, Sauk County District Attorney Kevin Calkins decided not to prosecute the 10-year-old for first-degree reckless homicide. Calkins said the tragic accident didnt meet the statute of criminally reckless conduct because of the boys age and the fact the siblings had played in a similar manner prior to the incident.

When youre talking about a ten-year-old boy Im not sure if you ever give them that mindset, Calkins said. Regardless, given the way guns were handled around the household and given what they had done in the past, it didnt rise to that level.

In an email, Calkins said he did not see a referral from the Sauk County Sheriffs Department for a request for potential charges against the parents in the incident.

If it had, I would have had questions about circumstances not covered by the reports, Calkins said in the email. In any event there wasnt anything in the reports I received that would have justified criminal prosecution of a/the parent(s).
The Kilbourn Fire Department responded to a man lying on the ground in a smokehouse on River Road in the Wisconsin Dells the morning of Dec. 21. The man suffered 3rd degree burns on his lower extremities, said Kilbourn Fire Chief Scott Walsh. MedFlight also responded to the incident. The man was conscious when help arrived, but the cause of the incident remains unknown, Walsh said.
The report provides practical advice and support to schools on how to develop and adapt learning spaces to facilitate the innovative use of ICT and collaborative approaches to teaching and learning. It aims to inspire school leaders and teachers to rethink their current classroom practice, and demonstrate how even small changes to existing learning spaces can significantly improve students active learning.

A key finding is that the situation is varied across Europe, with some countries being more advanced in addressing the need to develop more flexible learning spaces, while others are yet to recognise it as a policy priority.

Commenting on the new publication, Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet says: We are delighted to be able share this gathered expertise on the development of learning spaces in schools with all our stakeholders in Europe and beyond.

The publication has been developed in collaboration with European Schoolnets member Ministries of Education in Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland. It is the result of work with policy makers, advisers, school leaders and teachers, and features case studies from across these eight countries.

European Schoolnets Future Classroom Lab is featured in the publication as an important example of a learning space designed to introduce different stakeholders to new teaching and learning approaches involving the innovative use of ICT. European Schoolnets Future Classroom Lab, just like the many learning labs it has inspired across the globe, challenges educators to rethink their current pedagogical practice within a flexible and reconfigurable space. This new publication has been supported by Steelcase and Microsoft, two major industry partners of European Schoolnets Future Classroom Lab, convinced of the need to transform learning spaces.

Sean Corcorran (General Manager, Steelcase Education) says: In modern learning and teaching the student is an active participant in the construction of knowledge, challenging the traditional hierarchical teacher-student relationship, as well as the physical learning environment. Our studies have shown that the space can support the active engagement of students in the learning process, ultimately leading to increased student success. We are pleased to support European Schoolnet in helping to drive this change.

Anthony Salcito (Vice President, Education Industry, Microsoft) adds: Innovative learning spaces are so critical for students to learn in new ways, that engage, inspire and motivate them. Teachers and school leaders can think creatively about how to use their existing space, as well as plan new spaces using ideas and guidance from this publication. We are pleased to support European Schoolnet in sharing knowledge in Europe about this important issue.

European Schoolnets Interactive Classroom Working Group has produced a range of useful outputs to help the education community effectively integrate various technologies into the classroom and embed personalised approaches to learning. In addition to these new guidelines on learning spaces in schools, the Working Group has recently published technical advice for school leaders and IT administrators to inform Bring Your Own Device practices for schools, along with a series of accompanying pocket guides.

Diana Bannister MBE is Assistant Director Pedagogic Partnerships and Head of Postgraduate Taught Provision within the University of Wolverhamptons Institute of Education.

Further information

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.

About European Schoolnets Interactive Classroom Working Group

European Schoolnets Interactive Classroom Wokring Group (ICWG; http://fcl.eun.org/icwg) allows policy makers to explore common areas of concern, share experience, and address policy challenges related to the integration of a wide range of technologies in classrooms and their impact on teaching and learning. The ICWG is currently focusing on different approaches to personalising learning, and has produced various useful outputs on this theme for policy makers, school leaders, IT administrators and teachers. Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland are members of the ICWG.

About European Schoolnet

European Schoolnet (www.europeanschoolnet.org) is the network of 34 European Ministries of Education, based in Brussels. As a not-for-profit organisation, we aim to bring innovation in teaching and learning to our key stakeholders: Ministries of Education, schools, teachers, researchers, and industry partners. European Schoolnets mission is to support relevant education stakeholders in Europe in the transformation of education processes for 21st century digitalized societies. Our remit is to identify and test promising innovative practices, share evidence about their impact, and support the mainstreaming of teaching and learning practices aligned with 21st century standards for the education of all students.

Date Issued: Friday, 22 December 2017
Although charges against the village of Lake Hallie, its police department and the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled have been dropped in a lawsuit involving the fatal shooting of a woman, there are two parties still involved as defendants, according to a court record of a Tuesday motion hearing: Wal-mart Stores, Inc. and the director of the Northern Wisconsin Center, Jacqueline Neurohr.

The lawsuit, brought by the estate of Melissa M. Abbott, centers around an incident at a Lake Hallie Walmart in 2016, where Abbott, 25, was fatally shot by a Lake Hallie police officer after refusing to follow police orders and arming herself with a hatchet. Abbott was a Northern Wisconsin Center resident at the time of her death.

At Tuesdays motion hearing, Judge James Isaacson cleared the Northern Wisconsin Center of wrongdoing in Abbotts death, but denied a motion from a Walmart attorney to also dismiss Walmart from the case.

Isaacson gave the plaintiff, Melissa Abbotts estate, 90 days to amend its pleadings regarding Walmart and Jacqueline Neurohr in the capacity of director of the Northern Wisconsin Center, and scheduled a new hearing for April 24, 2018, according to a court record.

On April 8, 2016, police were called to Walmart when two chaperones from the Northern Center said a woman they had taken shopping had become disorderly. Lake Hallie Police Chief Cal Smokowicz said at the time that Abbott, a resident at the center, had armed herself with a hatchet in the sporting goods department at the store and struck items with it. He said Abbott refused to follow several verbal commands given by Meyers to drop the hatchet. Abbott was shot once in the leg and a second time in the right upper abdomen.

The suit had been seeking unspecified damages, punitive damages, reasonable attorneys fees and interest. Charges against Meyers have also been dropped.

Tina Abbott of Black River Falls is the special administrator of Melissa Abbotts estate, according to the lawsuit.




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A Mauston woman faces criminal charges after allegedly stealing an individuals credit card and making purchases with it.

Kristi Dahlgren, 46, is charged with felony bail jumping, identity theftfinancial gain, and credit card-fraudulent use $2500 (four counts). She faces up to six years imprisonment for the first charge.

According to the criminal complaint:

On Nov. 14 a Mauston police officer was notified by the Juneau County Communication Center that a woman wanted to report fraudulent use of her credit card.

The officer contacted the woman by telephone and recorded their conversation The woman stated she had received a call from the Discover credit card company. Discover had asked her if she had been making numerous charges to numerous places. The places included business in Mauston and Juneau County. The woman replied she had not been making those charges and had never heard of these business.

The woman stated she did not know anyone who lived in Mauston except for Dahlgren. The woman said Dahlgren had taken her credit card information before, but she did not press charges.

The woman called Dahlgren on the telephone and left a voicemail. Dahlgren later responded to the voicemail via text message, stating I hope you know that I had absolutely no idea the numbers I had were yours until tonight when I used for an order. I never even saw your card or the numbers ever I will call you tomorrow Im not that stupid to do any of this bullshit again.

The woman emailed the officer a picture of the Discover credit card statement with the disputed charges.

The officer made contact with Dahlgren on the telephone after the woman gave him her number. Dahlgren agreed to meet with the officer at the Mauston police department on Nov. 19 but did not show up for the meeting. She left a voicemail and said she wanted to reschedule.

The woman whose information had been stolen informed the officer in a phone interview on Nov. 27 Dahlgren had tried to use another credit card to pay for a bill at the Sunrise Motel in Necedah. The officer asked the owner if Dahlgren had used that credit card. The owner said Dahlgren had texted her credit card information and sent a picture of the credit card. The owner charged the card $200 for services rendered to Dahlgren.

The owner later received a call asking about the $200 charge. The owner replied that she would refund the charge. Dahlgren then offered to use a different credit card to pay her bill, but the owner informed her she would only accept cash from Dahlgren.

On Nov. 28, the officer went to the Roman Castle restaurant in Mauston to drop off a list of the disputed charges Dahlgren had made with the womans credit card. The officer was informed several employees of the restaurant would speak with him about Dahlgrens use of the credit card information.

One employee stated the first time Dahlgren came to the restaurant, she gave her credit card information on a piece of paper. Dahlgren said she had lost her credit card and another one was in the mail. The employee said Dahlgren came in several more times and paid her bill in the same manner.

Dahlgren had also inquired about getting a job at Roman Castle and was hired the year before. The employee recalled a time Dahlgren had requested that she order a pizza with the womans credit card and put a $150 tip on the order, which she would collect the next day. The employee replied she did not feel comfortable doing that. The employee provided screen shots of the text messages.

Another employee stated she saw Dahlgren use the credit card information the one day she actually worked at the restaurant. She said she saw Dahlgren order food and add a $20 tip to the bill. When the employee asker her about this, Dahlgren replied she needed the cash.

By Dec. 1, nine of the 10 transactions Dahlgren had made at the Roman Castle restaurant had been found and photocopied by employees. The photocopies were left for the officer at the Mauston police department. The last four digits of the credit card used for the purchases were identical to the digits on the womans credit card. Each transaction was also manually entered into the card machine at Roman Castle.

Dahlgren was also found to have used the womans credit card for a hair appointment at The Company Hair in Mauston. The stylist stated she had received a call from a woman before Dahlgren came. The caller claimed to be the woman whose name was on the credit card, and she wanted to pay for Dahlgrens hair appointment as a birthday gift. The total for the hair appointment was $138. The total amount charged on the credit card in the City of Mauston was $442.67.

The woman whose information was stolen informed the office she believed Dahlgren photographed her credit card the last time she came to visit. The woman stated she had left her purse on the counter unattended, and believed that was when Dahlgren photographed the card.

Dahlgren was arrested on Dec. 6 and transported to Juneau County Jail without incident. She is currently in Juneau County Jail. Her initial appearance in court is scheduled for Dec. 20 at the Juneau County Justice Center.
Kansai opts to retire older Ohi units

22 December 2017

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Kansai Electric Power Company has today announced that it will not seek permission to restart units 1 and 2 of its Ohi nuclear power plant in Japan's Fukui Prefecture. The company will now apply to decommission the two 1175 MWe pressurised water reactors, which are approaching 40 years old.

Ohi units 1 and 2 (Image: Kansai)

The company said it made the decision at an extraordinary board meeting today. It has informed Ohi town and Fukui Prefecture of its decision to decommission the units, which began operating in March 1979 and December 1979, respectively.

"We will go through the various procedures to decommission units 1 and 2 of the Ohi plant," Kansai said in a statement, "and proceed with decommissioning, making safety a top priority." These procedures include applying for regulatory approval to decommission the units.

Kansai President Shigeki Iwane was cited by the Kyodo news agency as telling Fukui Governor Issei Nishikawa, "The decision we made is the result of giving priority to securing the safety and quality [of the reactors] after considering measures to meet new safety standards."

Ohi 1 and 2 - which have been offline since July 2011 and December 2011, respectively - are the only ones in Japan to feature ice condenser emergency cooling systems. These systems employ blocks of ice in a basket installed around the containment vessel to rapidly cool steam generated to reduce pressure in the event of an accident.

Kansai said that to comply with new safety standards, the walls of the containment buildings of Ohi 1 and 2 would had to have been thickened. However, reinforcement of the walls would have narrowed the space between the containment vessel and the wall of the containment building.

"It will be difficult to safely and securely carry out periodical inspection, equipment inspection and maintenance work during operation, and rapid repair when needed," the company said. "We have discussed it from a technical point of view, however, we have not been able to find an effective method."

Kansai had estimated it would have cost some JPY830 billion ($7.3 billion) to make safety upgrades for the units to meet the required standards.

Ohi 1 and 2 are the first reactors with capacities over 1000 MWe to be decommissioned in Japan following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011.

Five smaller Japanese reactors - Genkai 1, Mihama 1 and 2, Shimane 1 and Tsuruga 1 - were declared for decommissioning in mid-March 2015 following the introduction of an accounting-related system earlier that month to determine which units should not be restarted.

Under revised regulations that came into force in July 2013 reactors have a nominal operating period of 40 years. Extensions can be granted once only and limited to a maximum of 20 years, contingent on exacting safety requirements. The owners of the five units decided to shut them after an assessment of the work needed to ensure the units meet the new safety requirements.

Shikoku Electric Power Company announced in March 2016 that it had decided not to restart unit 1 of its Ikata plant. Last December, the government also formally announced its decision to decommission the idled Monju prototype fast breeder reactor.

Following the shutdown of all of Japan's reactors after the Fukushima Daiichi accident, Kansai was given permission to resume operation of the newer units 3 and 4 of the Ohi plant in August 2012. However, the two 1180 MWe pressurised water reactors were taken offline again for inspections in September 2013. The governor of Japan's Fukui Prefecture last month approved the restart of those units. The utility reportedly plans to restart both units by mid-2018.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
An elderly couple will have to do more holiday shopping after officers confiscated their gifts.

Nebraska police arrested a couple after finding 60 pounds of marijuana in their truck during a traffic stop, according to the York County Sheriffs Department.

80-year-old Patrick Jiron and his wife, 83-year-old Barbara Jiron, who are from Clearlake Oaks, California, were pulled over for after officers noticed that the couples vehicle crossed the center lane and the driver allegedly turned without signaling.

Officers said that they noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from the couples Toyota Tacoma.

With the help of a police K9, officers found 60 pounds of marijuana stashed in their truck. Authorities confiscated the high-grade marijuana, which they said had an estimated street value of $336,000.

While they were being interrogated, the couple told the officers that they were heading to Vermont and that marijuana was for Christmas gifts, according to a police report.

Patrick and Barbara were taken into custody on charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp.
MILWAUKEE  The Racine Police Department played a hand in the apprehension of a sex trafficker from Milwaukee who was sentenced to federal prison this week.

Jaboree Williams, 31, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by United States District Judge J.P. Stadmueller on Wednesday.

The case was investigated by the FBIs Human Trafficking Task Force and the Racine Police Department with the assistance of the Oshkosh Police Department, according to a Racine Police Department news release issued Thursday.

Evidence at Williams trial proved that he used force, fraud and coercion to make female victims engage in prostitution in a number of states, including Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The investigation

In January 2015, the Racine Police were called for a welfare check of a missing family member. Using social media and internet websites, the family members location was discovered. Over the course of the next few months, several other human trafficking victims were identified, the release said.

The Racine Police Department partnered with the FBIs Human Trafficking Task Force and began a human trafficking investigation into Williams. As a result of the investigation, Williams was found and arrested in July 2015.

Victims testified that Williams imposed a strict set of rules on his victims, including providing Williams with all of the money they were paid for engaging in sex acts, never telling law enforcement what Williams made them do and obeying Williams commands. Williams enforced the rules by reportedly severely beating victims who violated them.

Williams also allegedly threatened and intimidated victims and other witnesses during the investigation and prosecution, including while he was in jail and subject to a no-contact order by a federal judge.

After a 32-month investigation, Williams was prosecuted by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and found guilty on 18 counts.

The case was prosecuted by assistant United States attorneys Laura S. Kwaterski and Karine Moreno-Taxman.
A massive power outage last Sunday lasting 11 hours affecting the entire Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport resulted in unprecedented chaos with the authorities abandoning passengers, visitors, employees and others to their own devices at the airport. The outage occurred around 1 p.m. and power was only restored shortly before midnight.

As a result of the blackout at the worlds busiest airport, over 1,200 flights were cancelled on Sunday and another 300 flights cancelled on Monday. As of this writing the situation was still not back to normal with many passengers still waiting to get on departing flights. Travel distress is expected to continue for several days.

What is particularly striking about this latest catastrophe was the absence of any sort of help from the authorities to stranded, tired and hungry passengers. Flights which were in mid-air were diverted to multiple airports throughout the country with passengers having to make their own arrangements for hotels without any reimbursement.

This is a second major disaster to occur at Hartsfield-Jackson recently, following the August 2016 outage of the computer system of the Atlanta-based Delta Airlines. That outage also led thousands of flight cancellations and worldwide travel chaos.

Sundays electrical outage was the result of a fire erupting from a connect/disconnect switchgear, similar to an automatic circuit breaker, located in the underground tunnel carrying thick electrical cables supplying electrical energy to the airport. The cause of the fire has not been made public, the power company, Georgia Power, told local media that they are still investigating.

The restoration of power had to be delayed for several hours because of the toxic fumes filling up the tunnel. These fumes had to be completely vented out before the repair crew could commence restoration work.

The CEO of Georgia Power, Paul Bowers, blamed the outage on a failed switchgear without elaborating on why it could have failed. It cannot be ruled out that the company, which has been making annual cuts to the maintenance budget, deliberately postponed requisite maintenance leading to the switchgears deterioration.

However, the design of the power supply itself is preposterous since both the primary and backup cables, despite being sourced from different substations, were housed in the same underground tunnel with the cables in close proximity to one another. As a result of this set-up the primary and backup feed were both vulnerable to fire and flooding at the same time and in this instance they did get knocked-out simultaneously. In addition, even the substations which were the source of electrical power were impacted, perhaps referring to automatic isolation due to faults.

The existing designno doubt chosen by the city authorities perhaps with the connivance of Georgia Power management as a cheap optionif not corrected quickly makes this major national and international transport hub extremely vulnerable to similar failures in the future.

Other major airports in the US are sure to possess similar vulnerabilities and the Atlanta debacle reveals the utter irresponsibility of the authorities who, in order to save money, are willing to risk the well-being of thousands of travellers.

The shutdown of Hartsfield-Jackson caused a cascading impact upon air travellers not just in Atlanta but also across the country and the world. Stranded passengers at the airport organized themselves in an ad hoc fashion to help others requiring assistance, including carrying numerous passengers in wheelchairs up or down steep and lengthy escalators.

Other passengers were livid with rage after being stuck on planes stranded on the airports tarmac for many hours without food or water. One of the passengers who was allowed to leave the plane only after seven long hours told local media that she saw people being forced to sleep on the floor just like the homeless and said that she had never experienced anything like it in her life.

Airport authorities absurdly instructed employees working at the airport and passengers to keep track of updates via Twitter feed even while passengers were walking about with dead cell phones or desperately trying to find cell-phone signal.

These shameful scenes revealed not only the utter incompetence and bewilderment of airport management in the face of a real disaster but also the fact that no genuine emergency plans had been put in place.

Atlantas outgoing Democratic mayor, Kasim Reed, in his comments to the press after several hours of absence, displayed his utter ignorance of the situation, insisting that the airport has a very redundant system, a very robust system. He has long been lobbying big businesses to move to Atlanta, touting the airport as one of the citys strengths.

Ultimately the chaos at Atlantas airport shines a bright light on the decrepit state of infrastructure in the United States. A report released in March of this year by the Airports Council International- North America found that it will require about $100 billion over the next five years to perform much-needed maintenance and upgrades to the United States airports.

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Massive Delta Airlines computer failure creates worldwide havoc [09 August 2016]
Late last night, Catalan nationalist parties were set to win a narrow majority of 70 seats in the 135-seat Catalan parliament, in special elections the Spanish government called amid the crisis unleashed by the October 1 Catalan independence referendum.

Together for Catalonia (JxCat) had won 34 seats, the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 32, and the Candidatures of Popular Unity (CUP) 4 seats. In the anti-separatist camp, the Citizens party won 36 seats, the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) 17, and the Popular Party (PP) 3. Catalonia en Comu (CeC)the Catalan branch of the Podemos party, which claimed to be neutral between Spanish and Catalan nationalismwon 8 seats. Voter turnout was high, at 82 percent.

This result puts paid to hopes in the Spanish ruling elite that elections would allow them to rapidly resolve the standoff between the Spanish and Catalan regional governments. Instead, the conflict between Madrid and Barcelona is set to continue and escalate, amid deep political uncertainty.

The PP government of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called the election as part of its repressive strategy in Catalonia, which is backed by the European Union (EU). On October 1, backed by Citizens and the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), it organized a brutal crackdown on peaceful voters in the independence referendum organized by the Catalan separatist parties. It then invoked Article 155 of the Spanish constitution to suspend the Catalan government and called yesterdays elections in the hope of obtaining a pro-PP majority.

In the event, however, Rajoys strategy backfired. Despite the PPs threats and its jailing of many Catalan nationalist politicians, the Catalan nationalists retained their majority. The PP, traditionally weak in Catalonia, suffered a humiliating collapse of its vote.

Already last night, recriminations were appearing in the pro-PP press. In an article in the right-wing newspaper ABC titled Elections for this? columnist Curri Valenzuela declared, Mariano Rajoy made a mistake in calling elections as quickly as possible.

The precise outcome in the Catalan parliament remains unclear. Eight of the 70 Catalan nationalist deputies to be elected cannot physically go to the parliament. Five have fled abroad to avoid Spanish arrest warrants (deposed Catalan regional premier Carles Puigdemont, Clara Ponsati, Toni Comin, Lluis Puig and Meritxell Serret); three (deposed regional vice-premier Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Sanchez, and Joaquin Forn) have been jailed. This would leave the Catalan nationalists six votes short of the necessary 68-vote majority.

These individuals could give up their seats to lower-ranking JxCat or ERC members to obtain the necessary parliament majority. However, Puigdemont might also seek to return to Catalonia and demand his reinstatement, citing the victory of the Catalan nationalist forces, among which his party was the top vote getter.

The PPs initial response was to signal that it is preparing stepped-up repression. Yesterday, Rajoy repeated his threats to again invoke Article 155 and suspend the Catalan government if it did not obey Madrid, declaring, Obey the law, or else you already know what will happen.

The Guardia Civil announced new accusations before the Supreme Court against more Catalan nationalists, including Marta Rovira (the leader of the ERC while Junqueras is in jail) and CUP spokeswoman Anna Gabriel. They also laid the grounds for new accusations against more Catalan nationalists, by denouncing a peaceful protest called on the Diada national day as an act of treason.

The Guardia Civil alleged that the protests promoted a dangerous germ of a sense of rejection or even hatred of the Spanish state and the institutions supporting it.  In these citizens protests, there were calls for implementing a permanent strategy of deliberately planned disobedience.

During the election campaign, PP officials dispensed with the pretense that these are independent investigations by the judicial branch of government. In fact, the PP is using it to settle accounts with its opponents, as PP Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria told a rally in Girona: Who has left ERC and the PDECat leaderless after decapitating both parties? Mariano Rajoy and the PP. Who put an end to the law being flouted? Mariano Rajoy and the PP. ... So, who deserves the votes to continue liquidating separatism? Mariano Rajoy and the PP.

Voters delivered a rebuke not only to the PP, however, but also to the coalition of Catalan nationalist parties. The results of the Catalan elections, while humiliating for the PP, did not signify majority support for the Catalan nationalists reactionary program of building an independent capitalist Catalan Republic oriented to the EU and hostile to Spaina program which traditionally faces broad opposition among urban workers in Catalonia.

The Catalan nationalists failed to win a majority of the popular vote, or to substantially increase their vote. The Citizens party received the most votes (25.36 percent), followed by JxCat at 21.68 percent and the ERC at 21.4 percent. Together with the CUPs 4.45 percent, this signifies that the Catalan separatist parties collectively obtained only 47.53 percent of the vote.

They obtained a majority in the regional parliament, however, as an unintended consequence of the gerrymandering of electoral districts by the Spanish fascist regime during the Transition to parliamentary democracy in the late 1970s. This gerrymandering favored rural districts over urban ones that, at that time, voted for social-democratic or Communist Party candidates. Since then, however, this has turned into an advantage for the Catalan nationalists, whose electoral support is now concentrated in rural areas.

Separatist forces only won 44 and 49.5 percent of the votes in Catalonias two main urban districts, Barcelona and Tarragona. However, they won 63.7 percent in Girona and 64.2 percent in Lleida.

In another indication of weariness among voters for forces that try to dress up the Catalan separatist program in revolutionary colors, the vote for the CUP fell drastically, from 8.2 percent in 2015 to 4.45 percent this year. The number of CUP deputies fell from 10 to 4.

The traditionally anti-separatist red belt around Barcelonathe working-class suburbs that historically voted for the social democrats or the Communist Party in the period immediately after the Transitionvoted not for the PSC or Podemos, but for the Citizens party. Citizens, a right-wing party with close ties to the PP, nevertheless ran a campaign criticizing the PP and proclaiming that it wanted a more rational and less aggressive strategy to resolve the crisis. Citizens was able to increase its score from 25 to 37 seats.

The election was also a significant setback for the petty-bourgeois party Podemos and its Catalan branch, CeC, which fell from 11 to 8 seats. This represents a response by the voters for the failure of Podemos, despite the millions of votes it received in recent national elections, to organize any opposition whatsoever to the PPs dictatorial policies, as well as opposition to Podemoss support for austerity.

The Podemos-backed mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena, recently passed millions in budget cuts to comply with austerity demands by Spains Ministry of Finance. Podemos General Secretary Pablo Iglesias defended the cuts, saying it is logical that the cities have to comply with the law, because there is a spending rule. He added, The City Council of Madrid is an example of good management and will continue to be so.
Congress has put off until the new year any decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, or DACA, the executive order to defer the deportation of individuals who came to America as minors. The postponement leaves nearly 800,000 DACA youth in danger in the run-up to a March 5 deadline for the passage of legislation regularizing their status set by President Donald Trump when he terminated the program in September.

If the legislation is not passed, all of them will be subject to deportation. As it is, some 11,000 youth have already lost permission to work as a result of DACAs repeal, and an estimated 120 more are facing the same fate every day.

In November, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi promised DACA recipients that a deal would come before the new year and vowed that the Democratic caucus would withhold support on stopgap spending legislation to prevent a government shutdown if a DACA deal was not reached before Congress adjourned for the holidays.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday that he had reached an agreement with Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to forego any action: No, well not be doing DACA  this week ... Thats a matter to be discussed next year. The president has given us until March to address that issue. We have plenty of time to do it.

Seven DACA supporters were jailed last Friday after staging a sit-in at Schumers office and then carried out a hunger strike.

Democrats, especially those up for reelection in states won by Trump, are quickly distancing themselves from threats of a government shutdown to force action on DACA.

Weve got to get it done, but Im not drawing a line in the sand that it has to be this week versus two weeks from now, said Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who faces reelection next year. Echoing those sentiments were Senators Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.). These senators all voted yes when the temporary funding bill passed the Senate last night by a 66-32 margin. Seventeen Democrats voted yes, including Hillary Clintons running mate Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who attempted to use his poor Spanish language skills during the 2016 campaign to convince Latino voters to support the Democratic ticket.

While many DACA enrollees are frustrated that a decision has been kicked down the line to 2018, the reality is that any DACA deal that emerges will be a piece of reactionary legislation to further escalate the crackdown on undocumented immigrants, militarize the border, limit immigration and sentence millions of immigrants and refugees to increasingly dangerous journeys.

Following a meeting to discuss immigration policy this past Tuesday, White House chief of staff John Kelly and other officials went into detail about the size and scope of fencing off the southern border and what measures the White House requires in exchange for a DACA deal.

This so called deal will allow the Democrats to help pass a bill for the increased militarization of the border and the crackdown on immigrants, while dressing it up as progressive by trading on the lives of 800,000 youth.

What is being portrayed in the media as some kind of virtuous fight by Democrats to save DACA must be called out for all of its hypocrisy. From day one, DACA has been nothing but a bargaining chip for the political establishment.

Indeed, some are already hoping to cash in, using the passage of a DACA deal to propel their own careers. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) announced that she is canceling her Christmas plans to stay in Washington to work on legislation. I believe that my leadership is gonna close the deal and I have to believe that, she said. Lujan Grisham has announced her bid for Governor of New Mexico in the 2018 election.

DACA was first unveiled as a cynical maneuver in 2012, just three months before the presidential election. The popular realization that the Obama administration had continued and expanded upon the Bush policies of war abroad and austerity at home, while dramatically increasing the number of deportations, reflected itself in the polls leading up to November. The worried administration produced the executive order out of thin air in August of 2012 in an attempt to court Latino voters at the eleventh hour. DACA offered only deferred deportation for a small fraction of the 11 million undocumented.

For the first two years of the Obama administration, the Democrats controlled the House, Senate, and presidency, yet there were zero efforts to put forth legislation to offer routes to citizenship or amnesty for the 11 million undocumented.

This should come as no surprise, as the administration was too focused on deporting a record number of immigrants (nearly 3 million), establishing mandatory bed quotas for detention facilities (34,000) and massively expanding ICE throughout the country to disappear people from their workplaces and homes.

While the conditions of the DACA deal are still being worked out, there can be no doubt that the Democrats will negotiate a deal that will introduce some of the most reactionary anti-immigrant legislation since Japanese internment.

Trump and the Republican right are lining up behind Senator Tom Cottons (Republican-Arkansas) RAISE Act, which would end green cards for the parents of adult U.S. citizens, eliminate all family sponsorship beyond spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents, reduce the age limit for minor children from 21 to 18 and reduce green card caps from 226,000 to 88,000.

Another GOP proposal, the SECURE Act, would offer only provisional status in the form of three-year work permits to 690,000 DACA youth, while tying it to increased funding for the construction of a border wall and the hiring of more border guards, limiting the ability of immigrants to reunite with their families, a tightening of the e-Verify system to exclude undocumented immigrants from jobs and the penalization of so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration-enforcement agencies.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued an unsigned opinion which stated that the Trump administration is not required to turn over documents which informed or were related to its decision to end DACA, as was ordered by a San Francisco federal court to respond to five lawsuits which have been filed against the Trump administration by immigration lawyers and activists.

Wednesdays opinion, further exposing the right-wing character of the Supreme Court and the overall anti-immigrant consensus in Washington, comes just weeks after justices voted 5-4 to issue a temporary order protecting the administration from having to turn over documents before a December 22 deadline.

The postponement of any action on DACA until next year exposes the criminal indifference of both political parties to the fate of immigrant youth who are threatened with deportation to countries that they, in many cases, left as infants. Underlying this indifference is a bipartisan consensus on essential policies of US imperialism that drive mass immigration from Latin America and war-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

DACA youth and their supporters must draw the critical lessons from this experience and break completely from the Democratic Party, whose every action serves to expose it as a party of warmongers and Wall Street cronies. The Democrats deserve only contempt, and any policy based on appeals to them serves to merely instill illusions and to divert any genuine struggle against the assault on immigrants. Where was the Democrats concern for immigrants during the millions of abductions and deportations that took place under Obama?

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) rejects the noxious lie inherent in all of the legislative proposals being considered in Washington that immigrants are to blame for falling wages, unemployment and poverty. These conditions are the product of capitalism and the profit-driven attack on the entire working class. The SEP calls for immediate citizenship to be given to every DACA recipient as well as to the families who brought them to this country. Further, the SEP calls for a policy of open borders and the right of all workers to live and work wherever they choose. Only the fight by the entire working class for the socialist reorganization of society can secure the rights of immigrants in the US and internationally.
Five months after protests in the German city of Hamburg against the G20 summit, the police and state prosecutors have published pictures of hundreds of demonstrators online. In a co-ordinated campaign with the right-wing Bild newspaper, they are calling on members of the public to denounce those pictured. The initiative is not only disproportionate, but unlawful. Nothing comparable has taken place since the founding of the German Federal Republic.

Pictures of criminals are generally only published if they have been accused of committing capital offences, such as murder, grievous bodily harm or armed robbery, commented the weekly news magazine Die Zeit. The last time state prosecutors publicly sought alleged left-wing motivated criminals was during the period of the Red Army Faction, whose members murdered representatives of the state and big business.

Heribert Prantl, a jurist and head of the Suddeutsche Zeitungs internal affairs desk, wrote, This is unlawful, and it remains unlawful even if the investigation is successful in one or another case. Will future investigations really consist of the police in cooperation with the Bild newspaper hunting people down? This is not solving crime, but a scandal.

If the Hamburg case becomes the norm, any participant in a left-wing protest must reckon with being placed in the stocks by the police and denounced in front of their neighbours, work colleagues and employers as a potential criminal.

This does not only do away with individual rights, such as the right to privacy and the presumption of innocence, but also basic democratic rights such as the rights to protest and express ones opinion freely. Only dictatorships or semi-dictatorial regimes like Turkey have raised the threat of treating people like hardened criminals merely for participating in a protest.

In this particular case, the police are seeking information on 104 people accused of participating in violent clashes and looting. But the hundred photos and video segments they have published feature very, very many people, as Prantl put it in the Suddeutsche Zeitung. Are they all really criminals? No one knows, the police merely suspect it; they conclude it from the spatial context, from the proximity to a criminal incident. The evidence, according to Die Zeit, is often scant.

From the outset, the G20 summit served to launch a public campaign against left-wing extremism, and construct a police state. Isolated incidents of violence, for which police and intelligence agency agents were often responsible, were deliberately exaggerated and exploited so as to criminalise all opposition to the ruling elite or capitalism.

This began with the decision to hold a gathering of the most powerful heads of government in the world, against which strong protests have occurred over recent years, in the middle of a major city and in the immediate proximity of the Schanzen quarter, a stronghold of anarchist groups.

A huge police operation was assembled for the summit, which cracked down brutally against peaceful demonstrators, intentionally dispensed with proven methods of de-escalation and watched for hours as several businesses were looted. They claimed that the police could not intervene due to an alleged ambush.

Almost everything spread by the police and media at the time was subsequently exposed as lies. Although a special Black Bloc commission has been searching for evidence for five months with the help of 163 officials, only a handful of charges have been brought to date. Those affected have been mainly foreign demonstrators, who due to an alleged flight risk were held in investigative custody following the summit.

An 18-year-old Italian worker, Fabio V., was held in custody for four months even though, according to the criminal justice authorities, there was no evidence he had committed an individual act of violence. He did not even throw a stone. He was accused of being jointly responsible for creating the civil war-like conditions on the basis that at the time he was arrested he was part of the black bloc.

His trial, which is to conclude early next year, is seen as a test case. If the now 19-year-old is convicted of a severe breach of the peace, many demonstrators are sure to be receiving post from the state prosecutor in the coming months. By contrast, if he is acquitted, other charges are likely to collapse, wrote Die Zeit.

The judiciary in Hamburg has stood out for its draconian ruthlessness in the few trials that have taken place thus far. In the first trial held at the end of August, the court sentenced a 21-year-old from the Netherlands without any criminal history to two years and seven months in custody because he allegedly threw two glass bottles at a police officer and resisted arrest. The evidence for this: the statements of the two police officers.

By contrast, the judiciary is taking no action against the police in spite of well-documented incidences of brutality. Although more than a hundred police officers are suspected of inflicting bodily harm in the course of their duties, denial of freedom or duress, the authorities have not filed a single charge.

Police officers being investigated are permitted to read the witness statements of their colleagues. This gives them the opportunity to ensure their narrative fits with that of their fellow officers. Matthias Wisbar from the Republican Lawyers Association described this as a special service only available to police witnesses.

On the other hand, the intimidation and pursuit of left-wing individuals and organisations continue to spread. At the end of August, the interior minister banned the left-wing website linksunten.indymedia. On September 4, the police carried out raids in many parts of the country involving large numbers of officers. With the public search for hundreds of people, the exploitation of the G20 summit for the establishment of a police state has assumed new dimensions.

This can only be understood in the context of intensifying global and social tensions. The ruling class is preparing a major programme of militarism in its foreign policy and a violent clampdown on any social and political opposition domestically.

This is also the reason for the difficulties in forming a new government. The call for an end to Merkelism (Spiegel) is growing ever louder. Merkel, notwithstanding her right-wing policies in the European Union and Germany, is increasingly seen as a figure of balance and compromise. But in the view of the sections of the economic and political elite who call the shots, the time for this approach is past. They want a government that asserts itself on the global stage as a great power and imposes itself ruthlessly at home.

The Social Democrats are playing a leading role in this. It is significant that the police state offensive has been launched in Hamburg, which together with Bremen is the only federal state where the SPD still governs in a two-party alliance with the Greens. Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz is among the favourites to replace the hard-pressed SPD leader Martin Schulz. Like Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, he is one of the advocates for militarism and a strong state.
Prime Minister Theresa May was plunged deeper into crisis with the forced resignation of her closest political ally, First Secretary of State Damian Green.

Green is a decades-long confidant of May, going back to their days as students at Oxford University. On becoming prime minister last year, after the resignation of David Cameron, she promoted him to the number-two position in the partyas First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office. Green is a staunch pro-European, who like May voted Remain in the referendum on European Union (EU) membership.

As the de facto deputy prime minister, Green sat on some 20 cabinet committees, chairing many. The Financial Times commented that Greens resignation removes one of the most avowedly pro-EU members of her top team. It noted that he was one of the most senior Remainers with direct influence over the Brexit process.

Greens departure leaves May, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Chancellor Philip Hammond as the only senior figures favouring a soft-Brexit in the cabinet.

His is the latest resignation of three cabinet ministers forced to stand down in the last few weeks, including another pro-EU figure, former defence minister Sir Michael Fallon.

Like Green, Fallons resignation was the culmination of a manufactured sex scandal.

These events confirm that the hysterical utilisation of various allegations of sexual improprietyas with similar scandals throughout the agesis a cynical mechanism through which political engineering is being carried out.

In addition to the resignation of two senior Tory cabinet ministers, it has caused the suicide of a leading Welsh Labourite, Carl Sargeant, and the sudden and unexpected death of a Labour Party stafferalso believed to be a suicide. The charges against at least one prominent Labour MP, Clive Lewis, were found to be untrue by an internal inquiry, though no account has been given as to the motivations of his accuser.

In the case of the Conservative Party, it is becoming ever clearer that careers are being ruined in furtherance of a raging faction fight over Brexit.

It is hardly coincidental that the letter from May to Green accepting his resignation was released at 9 p.m. Wednesday as the European Union Withdrawal Billthe first stage of legislation required to exit the EUwas passing through its final hearing in Parliament. The government was able to avoid another defeat at the hands of the Remain faction of the Tories only after May allowed a compromise amendment by Tory Oliver Letwin to its own amendment setting a Brexit date of March 29, 2019. The Letwin amendment, acceptable to pro-EU MPs, keeps the date but also gives MPs the power to push it back in the event of longer-than-expected negotiations providing that the EU agrees.

In addition, just nine minutes after Downing Street announced Greens resignation, Labours own Remain faction succeed in winning its largest support yet in a rebellion against party leader Jeremy Corbynwhen 62 predominantly Blairite MPs led by Chuka Umunna and Heidi Alexander voted in support of an amendment aimed at keeping the UK within the EUs Customs Union.

May is now isolated by the hard Brexit wing around Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis, not just in Cabinet but in the wider party. Just prior to Greens dismissal, this isolation led a number of senior Tory MPs to approach May urging a formal cross-party alliance with the Labour Party to ensure a soft-Brexit.

The campaign to remove Green began in November with allegations by Kate Maltby, a Tory activist and journalist. She claimed to the Timesowned by the pro-Brexit oligarch Rupert Murdochthat Green had placed a fleeting hand against my kneeso brief, it was almost deniable in 2015. One year later, she said Green had sent her a suggestive text message after she appeared dressed in a corset in the Times .

Greens text read, Long time no see. But having admired you in a corset in my favourite tabloid I feel impelled to ask if you are free for a drink anytime? Maltby, despite her now-declared outrage, later wrote to Green congratulating him on his appointment to high cabinet office.

Green denied that he had made any sexual advances to Maltby, the daughter of a family friend, describing the assertions as untrue, a complete shock and deeply hurtful.

An internal party inquiry into Maltbys accusations was launched November 1. Four days later, the Sunday Times published a statement by Bob Quick, a former assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan police, alleging that extreme pornographic material was discovered on one of Greens parliamentary computers in 2008 during an inquiry into government leaks.

Quick was asked to give evidence to the inquiry into Green by Sue Gray, Whitehalls head of propriety and ethics.

Green tweeted that the allegations were false, disreputable political smears from a discredited police officer acting in flagrant breach of his duty to keep the details of police investigations confidential, and amount to little more than an unscrupulous character assassination.

Later, another retired officer, Neil Lewis, backed Quick in insisting that the Internet history on the device identified Green as having viewed pornography.

The Metropolitan Police was forced to issue a statement that Confidential information gathered during a police inquiry should not be made public. It is not illegal to download or view pornography in the UK and, amid a tide of innuendo, the media reported that it didnt feature sexual images of children.

The Cabinet Office reached what can best be described as a fudged verdict, declaring that it had arrived at no defined conclusion regarding Maltbys allegations, though they were plausible.

This left just the pornography allegations from nearly a decade ago. The cabinet investigation concluded only that Green had not been truthful when he stated, in the course of his denial, that the police had never told him about the existence of pornography on his computer after they had originally searched it in 2008.

In his resignation letter, Green stated, I accept that I should have been clear in my press statements that police lawyers talked to my lawyers in 2008 about the pornography on the computers, and the police raised it with me in a subsequent phone call in 2013that is, five years later and four years before the latest concocted scandal.

The last thing that the campaign over supposedly predatory sexual behaviour in Westminster, like its counterparts in Hollywood and the US Congress, has anything to do with is womens rights. Outrage over sex is used as a vehicle for undeclared and hidden motivationssome of which have yet to fully emerge, but which are strongly suggested by the forces baying most loudly for punishment to be meted out.

The feminists and liberals whose embrace of this reactionary campaign is made clear by the Guardian areat bestdupes of the political right andat worstconscious participants in a witch-hunt that has grave implications for democratic rights.

May has now said that she wants the release of private Met information about Damian Green to be investigated. She shares the concerns about the comments made by Quick as a former Met officer and expects those concerns to be properly dealt with.
A Washington DC jury has acquitted all six defendants of all charges against them, in the first trial of the victims of mass arrests by police during the inauguration of President Trump last January 20.

The so-called J20 defendants faced sentences of as long as 50 years in prison if they had been convicted on the seven counts each one faced, including two of rioting and five of destruction of property. Instead, the jury delivered not-guilty verdicts on all 42 separate counts. Judge Lynn Leibovitz previously dismissed one of the most serious charges, felony inciting to riot, for all six defendants.

The six included Jennifer Armento, 38, of Philadelphia; Oliver Harris, 28, of Philadelphia; Brittne Lawson, 27, of Aspinwall, Pennsylvania; Michelle Machio, 26, of Asheville, North Carolina; Christina Simmons, 20, of Cockeysville, Maryland; and Alexei Wood, 27, of San Antonio, Texas, a freelance journalist who was live-blogging the inauguration protests.

The verdict was a shattering setback for the governments case, which was an antidemocratic frame-up from beginning to end. Prosecutors readily conceded in statements to the jury that there was no evidence that any of the six defendants had committed acts of violence or property destruction. They nonetheless insisted that merely by remaining in the demonstration while scattered acts of violence took place, all six were guilty.

Outside the courtroom, the defendants hugged each other and their attorneys and supporters, many of them in tears. Defendant Jennifer Armento said the verdict shows the country that the jury was unwilling to do what the government wanted them to do, which was criminalize dissent.

People wont be afraid to show up and go protest and get in the streets and not be worried that theyll get mass arrested like we did, said Michelle Machio, one of the six acquitted defendants. This sets a really strong precedent that thats not ok and you cant criminalize dissent.

The prosecution case was prepared exhaustively, using the defendants cellphones, confiscated by the police during the arrests, as well as the video record of Alexei Woods contemporaneous live-blog, which allowed prosecutors to track his movements throughout Inauguration Day (but showed Wood doing nothing more than recording and commenting on the actions of both the police and protesters).

The prosecution was aided by Judge Leibovitz, who allowed the questioning of jurors about their political views on President Trump during jury selection. Multiple potential jurors were removed when they voiced sympathy for the anti-Trump protests, or said they would not give greater weight to police testimony than to the testimony of the defendants.

The judge is notorious as a hard-line sentencer, but also for pushing for speedier processing of cases, which apparently worked against the prosecution strategy. Prosecutors initially divided the nearly 200 defendants into four categories, with a handful of those linked to specific acts of violence in the top category and targeted for the first trial.

When procedural obstacles threatened to delay any trials until next year, Leibovitz insisted on a trial starting in late November with six defendants whose attorneys volunteered to go first. The result was a group of six defendants drawn from the fourth category, those most distant from any individual act of violence, and including two volunteer medics.

The US Attorneys office issued a statement reiterating the claim that a riot occurred on Inauguration Day and that the remaining defendants would be held collectively responsible, based on a rigorous review for each defendant. This strongly implies that the remaining 166 defendants could still face trial.

The trial as a whole was a milestone in the attempt to destroy the constitutional rights to free assembly and free speech. The mass arrest of more than 200 people was itself unconstitutional, and was ordered by the Obama Justice Department, not Trump, who was not yet exercising presidential authority when police surrounded protesters, in a tactic known as kettling, grabbing all who could not escape.

Under the Trump Justice Department, prosecution was conducted with aggressive attacks on constitutional rights, including demands for the email, Facebook and cellphone records of the groups coordinating the J20 protests. Prosecutors also made use of an undercover video made by the ultra-right Project Veritas group, which has infiltrated liberal and antigovernment groups, using heavily edited and even doctored videos to cause scandal.

Defense attorneys introduced evidence from the Twitter accounts of several of the arresting officers showing anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic remarks, as well as political attacks on groups the police characterized as anarchists.

Sara Kropf, the attorney for Brittne Lawson, the cancer nurse, said in her closing argument, This is about politics. This is about police and local prosecutors who work for the Department of Justice. And we know who they report to, she said, referring to President Trump. All the government proved was that these individuals showed up and walked as protesters, she said. And that is not a crime.

Brett E. Cohen, the defense attorney for Alexei Wood, told the World Socialist Web Site that the verdict was a major victory for journalists and people trying to exercise their First Amendment rights. Mr. Wood came to the demonstration intending to cover it, and he leaves Washington eleven months later the same way he came, innocent of any crime.

Cohen explained that the prosecution was based on guilt by association, and that the judge had denied any challenge to that theory on constitutional grounds, although she did agree that the prosecution had failed to prove that any of the six defendants had engaged in inciting to riot, dismissing this charge.

The decision to prosecute more than 200 people on multiple felony charges carrying up to 60 years in prison was grossly over-charging, he indicated. The whole thing was ridiculous, he said. Normal practice for most of the defendants would have been restitution, community service, get out of town. That would have made sense.

The American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia, which supported the defense, issued a statement calling for dismissal of charges against all the remaining defendants. The organization has filed a civil suit against the unlawful mass roundup, pepper spraying and detention of hundreds of nonviolent demonstrators.

Todays verdict reaffirms two central constitutional principles of our democracy: first, that dissent is not a crime, and second, that our justice system does not permit guilt by association, the ACLU spokesman, Scott Michelman, said.

For nearly a year, these people have been under the cloud of felony charges that have turned their lives upside down, subjecting them to the anxiety and expense of defending themselves against charges that should never have been brought. No one should have to fear arrest or prosecution for coming to the nations capital to express opinions peacefully, no matter what those opinions may be.
YORKVILLE  The Racine County Board Tuesday night unanimously voted to join dozens of Wisconsin counties in a lawsuit against opioid drug manufacturers over their alleged deceptive and fraudulent marketing of painkillers.

The suit specifically names Purdue Pharma (the maker of the painkiller Oxycontin), Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions, their subsidiaries and individual physicians as defendants. At least 10 states have filed similar lawsuits.

The basic premise of this suit is that the manufacturers deceived the public by omitting and/or misrepresenting critical information about opioids addictive qualities and other risks associated with prolonged use, said Racine County Corporation Counsel Michael Lanzdorf. It also alleges they misrepresented the benefits and superiority of opioids all in the strategy to increase profit margins.

County Supervisor Monte Osterman of Racine called the resolution one of the most important statements we could be making.

This falls right in our county executives wheelhouse for trying to improve the mental health of all of Racine County, he said.

In a press release issued Tuesday night, County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said the lawsuit is about accountability.

By filing this lawsuit, Racing County seeks to hold these companies accountable for their role in the scourge thats infiltrated our community, he said. Opioid addiction has caused incredible damage for families across Racine County and county resources are stretched thin trying to address this devastating crisis.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling was quoted in the release as saying the lawsuit would hold these companies responsible for the crisis his office is facing.

The Sheriffs Office sees firsthand how the opioid epidemic impacts our community on a nearly everyday basis, Schmaling said. The manufacturers of these highly addictive medications have played a significant part in the epidemic and this lawsuit is an important step toward holding them responsible.

At least 35 dead

According to the release, the Racine County Medical Examiners Office reported 35 confirmed deaths related to drug overdoses in 2017 as of Tuesday with another six pending cases that are likely overdoses. Medical Examiner Michael Payne said if the plaintiffs win, it could provide valuable resources for the fight against opioid addiction.

We will never be able to bring back those who lost their lives because of this epidemic, said Payne. The lawsuit is one way for the county to not only recoup some of the money expended in battling this epidemic but stem the tide in our fight and, ultimately, save lives.
The Trump administration suffered a humiliating defeat in the UN General Assembly Thursday as 128 countries condemned the presidents December 6 announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The 128-9 vote, with 35 abstentions, reflects the extreme isolation of the United States and increases the prospect of a violent clash in the Middle East.

The vote was preceded by an aggressive campaign of bullying and intimidation by Trump and other officials. On Wednesday, Trump threatened any country that voted against the US with the cut-off of development aid. They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us, Trump said. Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care.

US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley continued the attacks in her speech at the General Assembly yesterday. The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very right of exercising our right as a sovereign nation, declared Haley. And we will remember when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit. She proceeded to arrogantly inform the assembly that regardless of the outcome of the vote, Washington would stick by its policy.

Only Togo, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Nauru, Guatemala and Honduras sided with the US and Israel in support of recognizing Jerusalem. Thirty-five countries abstained and 21 were absent from the vote, an indication that Trump and Haleys threats had some impact.

Although the US has often found itself in a small minority with its support for Israel on a series of UN resolutions, the readiness of many states to so explicitly defy the US is an expression of growing inter-imperialist antagonisms and the protracted decline of US capitalism.

Traditional US allies like Britain, France, and Germany, who have tended to abstain on resolutions related to Israel, voted to condemn Trumps announcement. Even Canada, arguably the closest US ally and a country which has voted repeatedly in defense of Israel at the UN, abstained.

The fact that Trumps blustering threats made such little impression and the decisive repudiation of Washingtons position only increase the danger that the US could lash out aggressively in the Middle East and trigger a catastrophic regional conflict.

The Trump administrations thuggish and bullying actions are bound up with the resort to the waging of great power conflicts as elaborated earlier this week in Trumps National Security Strategy. Having been engaged in virtually uninterrupted war for over a quarter century, claiming the lives of millions in the process, the American ruling class is now openly contemplating military conflicts on a scale not seen since the two world wars of the 20th century.

Were Trump to carry out his threat to cut financial aid to those states opposed to his line on Jerusalem, it would only further escalate great power tensions over the Middle East. Egypt, Jordan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan all defied Washington by supporting the resolution. The European powers, led by Germany, interpreted the Jerusalem decision as an opportunity to expand their influence in the region at the expense of the US and would rapidly fill the void left behind by a drawdown of US support. Russia and China, the chief obstacles in Washingtons aggressive drive to consolidate unchallenged dominance over the energy-rich region, would also seize the opportunity.

The General Assembly vote, which is non-binding, came three days after Haley cast the only vote against the resolution in the Security Council, vetoing its passage.

Trumps Jerusalem decision ended the decades-long fraud of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict promoted by Washington and the other major imperialist powers. It laid bare the bankruptcy of the bourgeois nationalist perspective which claims that the Palestinians can secure their democratic and social aspirations by achieving a bargain with the imperialist powers.

This was on full display Thursday, as Palestinian Authority officials applauded the passage of a resolution which essentially asserted the status quo under which Israel has ruthlessly oppressed the Palestinian people for decades. PA President Mahmoud Abbas, whose regime has loyally served as a security guard for US imperialism and is widely hated among the Palestinians, celebrated the vote as a victory for Palestine.

We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and at all international forums to put an end to this occupation and to establish our Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, added Nabil Abu Rdainah, Abbas spokesman.

In reality, Washington has made clear it is not prepared to tolerate the emergence of such a state. The European imperialist powers are no more concerned for the fate of the Palestinians, but are hoping to exploit Washingtons inability to broker a settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians, and the crisis of its military intervention in Syria, to advance their own predatory ambitions in the Middle East.

The bourgeois Arab regimes, which used the General Assembly to attack Trumps policy, are thoroughly complicit in the terrible conditions faced by the Palestinians. All of these regimes were informed of Trumps policy announcement in advance. Saudi Arabia, which is keen to win Israeli support for its policy of militarily confronting Iran, reportedly ordered Abbas to Riyadh in November to dictate terms of a settlement to him that involved accepting Israeli control of Jerusalem and reducing Palestinian territory to a few small non-contiguous enclaves.

The Jerusalem decision strengthened the hand of Benjamin Netanyahus right-wing government, which has injured over 1,900, arrested over 200 and killed 10 Palestinians in the two weeks since Trumps speech as Israeli security forces have responded to mass protests with live ammunition. The US decision has also emboldened Tel Aviv to continue flouting international law in the Occupied Territories, including by persisting with its illegal settlement program.

Predictably, Netanyahu went on the offensive following the vote. Blasting the outcome as preposterous, he proclaimed that Jerusalem always was, always will be Israel's capital.

Trumps Jerusalem policy is bound up with efforts to construct an anti-Iranian alliance in the Middle East with the aim of preparing for war with Tehran. Since he visited Saudi Arabia in May to deliver a speech to the assembled Arab leaders in which he called for the formation of a Sunni alliance to combat Iran, Trump and his senior officials have escalated tensions with Tehran and its allies at every opportunity.

Trumps recognition of Jerusalem came less than two months after he refused to certify Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated under the Obama administration. He has demanded that Congress adopt tougher sanctions, including on the countrys ballistic missile program.

The lead-up to Thursdays UN vote only underscored the deepening tensions across the Middle East. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced Trumps threats to curtail financial aid, calling on the international community to teach the US a good lesson. Mr Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars. Our decision is clear, he continued. I call on the whole world: Don't you dare sell your democratic struggle and your will for petty dollars.

While there is no small amount of political posturing in such remarks, with Turkey seeking to exploit the Palestine issue to bolster its position in the region, Erdogans comments reflect Ankaras growing rift with Washington. Erdogan has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin seven times this year and his government has indicated its intention to purchase a Russian anti-aircraft defense system. In addition, the Turkish government appears set to reach an agreement with Russia and Iran over the presence of Kurdish representatives at peace talks on Syria from which Washington has been largely excluded.
Ford Motor Company management has arrogantly dismissed concerns of workers at the companys Kansas City Assembly Plant (KCAP) over the discovery of Legionella bacteria in a cooling tower at the factory.

The testing of the plants water system followed the hospitalization of a KCAP worker last month, who was placed in a medically induced coma and underwent surgery after contracting the deadly Legionnaires disease. Family members of the woman believed she contracted the illness while working at Ford. The worker, whose name has not been released, remains in a coma, according to public health authorities.

At the time of the womans initial diagnosis Ford issued a statement claiming, We regularly test for Legionella out of an abundance of caution for our employees. All test results have been negative throughout the entire year.

That was contradicted in subsequent press release. Ford declared, We take the safety of our workforce very seriously. When routine testing detected a low concentration of Legionella bacteria in an outside cooling tower, we quickly disinfected that location and notified our workforce. The level of Legionella detected in our recent sampling is very low and does not represent a health risk to our workers. Legionella is common and naturally occurs in water systems like rivers, streams and lakes. The vast majority of those exposed to the bacterium do not become ill.

What Ford did not say is that the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends that all high-risk individuals, included those whose immune systems may be suppressed, be evacuated from a building that is suspected as the source of a Legionnaires outbreak, since they are more likely to contract and die from the disease.

Legionnaires disease is caused by the Legionella bacteria and strikes the victims respiratory system, producing severe, pneumonia-like symptoms. It is often fatal.

Legionnaires bacteria are known to grow in inadequately cleaned or maintained water systems and were blamed for at least 10 deaths in 2013-14, during the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

Cooling towers, which are part of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of large buildings, can be deadly breeding grounds for Legionella, providing an ideal medium for the bacteria. Workers can contract the disease by breathing in contaminated water droplets.

Ford has cited the fact that only low levels of the bacteria were found in the cooling tower to continue production and justify its business as usual attitude. The United Auto Workers has echoed this position. Ford spokesmen, however, have not specified the meaning of low level in this case.

Kaitlyn Wallace, a communications specialist for the Clay County Missouri Health Department, which covers the City of Claycomo where KCAP is located, told the World Socialist Web Site that the agency was conducting its own investigation of the matter. The Health Department spokesperson, however, was not able to clarify what a low level of Legionella bacteria signified or if such a finding should be a cause for public concern. I dont know if it is a danger, she said. We are working with Ford on the investigation and once the investigation is finished we will notify the public.

The agency, Wallace told the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter, was not planning independent testing at the Ford plant for Legionella. Asked by the WSWS whether the finding of the bacteria was unusual, Wallace said she did not know.

Legionnaires cases are uncommon in the area. According to Clay County health officials the county has average 1.8 cases per year over the last 5 years, making the discovery of a new case anything but routine.

For its part, the UAW has joined with Ford in keeping workers in the dark. Following Fords announcement that it had detected Legionella bacteria Jason Starr, president of UAW Local 249 at the plant, issued a statement declaring, This afternoon the leadership of Local 249 was notified by Ford Motor Company officials that recent testing detected Legionella Bacteria in the Truck E Coat cooling tower. At this time, we have limited information and have contacted the Clay County Communicable Diseases Division to gain as much information as possible to work to keep our members safe in the identified area. As more information becomes available we will update the membership.

An attempt by the WSWS to elicit further details from the UAW on the health situation at KCAP was unsuccessful.

A satirical version of a Ford memo widely circulated by rank-and-file workers at the plant and sent to the Autoworker Newsletter reflects the anger simmering among workers over the indifference of Ford and the UAW towards workers health and safety. It reads in part, We understand your concern about the cleanliness of the water that is provided to you, let the health professionals here at the plant provide guidance as to what you should do if you believe you have Legionnaires.

We also would like to stress that almost none of our employees have died from our water in the past two years.

Jay, a veteran worker at KCAP who spoke to the newsletter, said workers were angry over the ongoing cover-up and had disabled all of the water fountains at the main plant as a precaution.

They are going to cover up everything like they always do, he said. You shouldnt have to worry about something like that.

When told that Clay County health officials would not be doing their own inspection of the plant, he said, Ford has a lot of money. Clay County doesnt want to threaten its relationship with the company.

KCAP employs some 7,320 hourly and salaried workers at the 4.7 million square foot facility located in the Kansas City, Missouri suburbs. Workers at the plant build the F-150 pickup truck and Ford Transit van.

We are one of Fords major profit centers, Jay added, We build their best-selling pickup. They dont want to shut this plant.

Asked about the response of the UAW, he said, We are pretty much fed up. The union talks crap. Ford gets away with everything.

This is not the first outbreak of Legionnaires disease at a Ford plant. In 2001, two workers died and up to a dozen were sickened by an outbreak of the disease linked to the water system at the Cleveland Casting Plant. At that time, Ford decided to temporarily halt production at the plant while health officials inspected the facility.

The events at KCAP once again demonstrate the fraud of the joint UAW-Ford health and safety committees that supposedly protect the lives of Ford workers. These committees are nothing but fronts for the company whose chief concern is making sure nothing disrupts production and profits.

Workers must demand the right to examine all the available information regarding the Legionella findings at KCAP and be prepared to take the appropriate action, including evacuating the plant pending a full and independent health and safety review while suffering no loss of pay.

This underscores the importance of the call by the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and Socialist Equality Party for the formation of rank-and-file factory committees to act as the genuine voice of the workers in opposition to the pro-corporate lackeys in the UAW. Workers seeking assistance in building a rank-and-file committee at your plant should contact the Autoworker Newsletter.
Maldives President Abdul Yameen made his first state visit to China early this month to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), underscoring the growing partnership between the two countries. Yameen praised China, declaring it to be his countrys closest development and commercial partner.

The Maldives is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, close to the southwestern tip of India, and astride important sea-lanes from the Middle East and Africa to South East Asia and East Asia. It has become a focal point of geo-political rivalry between the US and India on one side and China on the other.

During Yameens visit, the Maldives minister of economic development, Mohamed Saeed, signed a deal to participate in Beijings One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. The huge OBOR project is to establish ports, roads and rail lines connecting China with Europe and now involves 60 countries and covers 70 percent of the worlds population.

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that Beijing regarded the Maldives as an important partner in the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The OBOR initiative is to counter Washingtons efforts to encircle China and undermine its economic and strategic interests in Asia and around the world.

The Maldives is the second South Asian country, after Pakistan, to sign an FTA with China. Under the agreement both countries will waive tariffs on each others imports, which will benefit fish exporters in the Maldives. Under conditions where fish exports have declined since 2014, this is crucial for the tiny nations economy. China is also currently the countrys biggest source of tourist income with around 240,000 visitors arriving in the first nine months of this year.

Yameen also hopes that the FTA will help enhance the countrys finance sector. Speaking at a Business Leaders Forum in Beijing, he appealed to Chinese businessmen to invest in the Maldives, saying that the Maldives welcomes foreign direct investments, particularly in its Special Economic Zones.

In 2013, the European Union (EU), used the excuse that Maldives failed to comply with international conventions on freedom of religion to drop the country from its list of Least Developed Countries and scrap its tariff concessions. Maldives Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Mohamed Shinee said that a 40 percent reduction in fish exports to the EU zone forced the country to look to China.

Citing human rights, the reintroduction of the death penalty and an alleged increase in Maldivians joining Islamic extremist groups, a European Parliament resolution on October 5 also called on its member states to impose sanctions on Maldives. The real reason for these measures is the Yameen governments close relations with China, which cuts across the EUs strategic interests and ambitions in the region.

The International Monetary Fund has also defined Maldives as a fragile state, putting increased pressure on the Yameen regime. According to the finance ministry, the estimated public debt by the end of 2018 will be around 60 percent of GDP. International financial institutions have predicted that this will climb to 121 percent of GDP by 2020.

Indias ruling elite has voiced its concerns over the Maldives-China free trade agreement. A December 6 editorial in the Hindu declared: While New Delhi has made no public statement, it has reportedly made its displeasure known, particularly on the speed and stealth with which the negotiations were completed.

The next day Indias external affairs ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar told his weekly press conference: It is our expectation that as a close and friendly neighbour, Maldives will be sensitive to our concerns in keeping with its India First policy. In other words, all countries in the region must accept Indian dominance and adhere to its dictates.

Kumar went on to criticise Sri Lankas recent agreement with a Chinese company to lease the Hambantota Port. India, he declared, continues to take up with Sri Lanka issues related to the security concerns in the region.

On December 8, Japans Nikkei Asian Review commented: Chinas latest inroads into the Maldives expand on a foundation it has laid through loans, grants and foreign direct investmentall aimed at gaining a foothold at a strategic point in the Indian Ocean at Indias expense. Tokyo has close military strategic relationships with the US, and also India to counter Chinas rising economic power.

Former president and current opposition leader Maldivian Democratic Party leader Mohamed Nasheed denounced the FTA, claiming that it subjugated the country to China. He told the Times of India on December 3 that the deal would deepen the debt trap to China and said Beijing has huge leverage over us, undermining Maldivian sovereignty and independence.

Nasheed, who wants to oust Yameen with the help of the US, India and other Western powers, openly supports Washington and New Delhis geo-strategic manoeuvres against China.

In fact, almost all political parties in the Maldives, including Nasheeds Maldives Democratic Party, the Jumhooree Party and a section of the ruling Progressive Party, oppose Yameens pro-China tilt, and have formed an alliance. Yameen has responded with police-state methods to suppress the pro-Western opposition.

Twelve opposition members, including Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim, Mohamed Ameeth, and Saud Hussein, are currently facing obstruction chargesfor allegedly breaking through police ranks and entering parliament grounds on July 24. If convicted they could be jailed for between four months and one year.

Washington is determined to bring the Maldives under its control. In early November, Atul Keshap, the US ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, held talks with Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar regarding its concerns over Chinas influence on Maldives and Sri Lanka as well.

As US war escalates its war threats against North Korea and intensifies its military preparations against China, Washington and New Delhi will escalate their moves against Yameens government and to bring Maldives under their influence.

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Supporters of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Haringey Council, London have paved the way for a massive housing privatisation programme.

The Labour council in north London is led by Claire Kober, a Blairite. But the Labour right were able to push their plans for the destruction of working class housing through at a meeting because 22 Corbyn-supporting Labour councillorsout of 49failed to show for the crucial vote on what is known as the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV). Absent the 22 councillors, who are backed by the pro-Corbyn Momentum campaign group, a Liberal Democrat motion to oppose the plan failed at the crucial December 4 meeting. The Labour council duly backed the HDV and approved the demolition of the working-class Love Lane council estate by 27 votes to 8.

Momentum emerged after Corbyn won the 2015 Labour leadership on a left platform of opposition to austerity and war. Set up to oppose the subsequent efforts of the Blairite right to remove Corbyn as leader, Momentum won the support of tens of thousands of mainly young Labour members and supporters and succeeded in securing Corbyns victory in a leadership contest triggered by the Blairites in September 2016.

The Corbynite councillors in Haringey had the numbers to defeat the Blairites and their social-cleansing policies. But they chose to avoid delivering what would have been a significant defeat for the right wing, not just in Haringey but throughout London and nationally.

The vote was critical to carrying through the biggest privatisation in UK council historyinvolving a handover of 2 billion of public assets. Everything from libraries, school buildings, council homes, care homes, the civic centreare to be run on a 50-50 basis by the council and Australian-based conglomerate Lendlease.

Britains pseudo-left groups, led by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and Socialist Party (SP), have played the role of apologist for the Corbynites betrayal.

The SWP and SP insisted that the way to defeat the plans of the right was to win the support of rebel councillors in Haringey. This was the central axis of the StopHDV campaign, which advocated deselecting pro-HDV councillors in favour of those who opposed the privatisation.

An article was published December 5 in Socialist Worker following the votebut clearly prepared beforehandunder the optimistic headline, Estates campaign caused the Labour rights woe in Haringey council.

The SWP is enthused. The article begins, The battle between left and right in the Labour Party has come starkly into the open in Haringey, north London. Selection contests for the candidates for local elections next May have seen the right wing routed.

And so things proceed, until, midpoint, the SWP has to deal with the events of the previous evening. Socialist Worker welcomes the shift left in Labour. But this week came a warning about the limits of elections and working inside Labour, it writes.

The vote could have gone against the demolition, or at least been much closer, if they had attended. But this would have meant voting against the whip. Disgustingly the right could have seized the chance to push through suspensions. Regrettably the left stayed away.

The SWP makes clear that, while it regrets the actions of the nominal lefts, it quite understands their plight given the possibility of suspensions by the right. The behaviour of the Blairites it states was disgusting. Not so the lefts who allowed the Blairites to get their way.

The SWP prepared the way for this betrayal by its depiction of these political careerists and cowards as the frontline of a Corbyn-led resistance movement. As the Socialist Worker wrote on October 3, The Labour council in Haringey, north London, has defied the plans for social housing laid out in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns conference speech. Corbyn called for estate residents to have votes on proposed regeneration projects. After Grenfell we must think again about what are called regeneration schemes, he said. The move brings the Labour leadership into almost direct opposition to Labour councils pushing through such projects.

Rather than an arena for direct opposition between left and right, Haringey became an occasion for immediate capitulation and yet another exposure of the hollow character of Corbyns anti-austerity rhetoric.

The Socialist Party played an equally rotten role. In its last article prior to the December 4 vote, published November 15, the SP wrote that the majority of Labour councillors in Haringey are determined to ignore local and Labour Party opposition and to push ahead with the HDV.

The truth is, as the subsequent voting numbers proved, had the 22 Momentum-backed councillors showed up and opposed the right, the privatisation plans would have been defeated.

The Socialist Party called on Corbyn to personally intervene to prevent HDV proponents Claire Kober and Alan Strickland from standing as Labour Party candidates in these [May 2018] elections. Yet even as the SP was busy sowing illusions in Corbyn fighting the HDV, his supporters were preparing a stay-away designed to allow HDV to proceed without a shot being fired.

The SP is now more shamefaced than even the SWP in dealing with the left councillors betrayal. In its December 5 article on Haringey, and in subsequent articles, the SP has not even reported on Momentums role in the vote to push through HDV.

Haringey is a microcosm of the role played by Momentum and the pseudo-left in disarming working class resistance with their claims that Corbyns leadership has transformed the Labour Party.

The HDV is part of this social cleansing of the working class from London, to release land in what is a prime location for property developers. With the land Haringey is handing over, Lendlease expects to make a killing.

Haringey already has a waiting list of 9,000 for council flats, while 3,000 tenants languish in temporary accommodation. In the poorest areas of Haringey, two-bed flats go on the market for 500,000. The HDV will begin with the demolition of 1,000 council homes and the building of luxury accommodations that only the wealthiest can afford, greatly exacerbating the housing crisis and driving out working class residents from seven well-established council estates. While 6,400 private homes are expected to be built under the deal, the very few supposedly affordable properties will have to be accessed through separate entrances widely known as poor doors.

Last week, Haringey Council also gave the green light to international property developer Far East Consortium to redevelop the historic Grade II Listed Hornsey Town Hall. This will see the Modernist-style Town Hall, which dates back to 1935, turned into 146 luxury flats, with just 11 designated as affordable. The council is carrying this out in the face of local opposition, with 7,000 signing a petition to oppose it.

In excusing the treachery of the Labour and trade union bureaucracy, the SWP and SP often resort to describing their sell-outs as regrettable or unfortunate. However, Haringey is the most open attack by the Corbynites on the working class so far to be sanctioned by the pseudo-left. What it demonstrates is the extent to which the pseudo-left will go to back and legitimise every attack on the working class carried out, not just by Labour councils, but by a Corbyn-led Labour government.

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Two reports published yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveal that the life expectancy of the American working class is declining due to an increase in drug overdoses and suicides.

The data reflects, in empirical terms, the social devastation wrought on the lives of millions of people by decades of bipartisan policies aimed at enriching the wealthy. The decline in life expectancy, a fundamental measure of social progress, is a historical milestone in the decline of American capitalism. This is the second year in a row that life expectancy has fallen in the US, marking the first time in nearly half a century that life expectancy has declined in consecutive years.

Life expectancy dropped from 78.7 years in 2015 to 78.6 years in 2016, driven by a 0.2-year decline from 76.3 to 76.1 years among men. Life expectancy for women remained at 81.1 years, as the gap between women and men reached an all-time high.

However, life expectancy for those who make it to old age continues to improve, and the mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses are declining as technological and medical advances improve the capacity to extend human life. The decline in life expectancy is caused by a dramatic increase in the mortality rate among those under age 44 who are overdosing, particularly on opioids, or taking their own lives.

The CDC report shows a 21 percent year-to-year increase in drug overdoses, which took the lives of 63,600 people in 2016. It is as if each year, a city the size of Palo Alto, California; Bismarck, North Dakota; or Fort Myers, Florida was killed off entirely. Since 2006, roughly 430,000 people have died of drug overdose, more than the number of US soldiers killed during World War II. An army of people who should be alive today is not.

A total of 42,249 people died from opioid overdoses in 2016, a 28 percent increase from the year before. While Barack Obama was traveling the country on behalf of Hillary Clinton, proclaiming, America is already great, 115 people were dying each day from opioids alone.

Corporations have been flooding poor areas with pills and are shielded from prosecution by the government. Between 2007 and 2012, for example, drug distributor Miami-Luken shipped 11 million doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone into Mingo County, West Virginia, which has a population of 25,000.

Former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official Joe Rannazzisi told 60 Minutes in October that it is a fact that companies inundate poor areas with the knowledge that many will die as a result. While lawsuits against the drug companies have forced paltry penalties of several million dollars, this is part of the cost of doing business. The Obama administration slashed the number of DEA cases against drug distributors by 69.5 percent between 2011 and 2014.

The decline in life expectancy and the increase in drug overdoses are the product of a massive growth in social inequality. Daniel Kim, a professor at Northeastern University, told Reuters yesterday that what we know from numerous health studies is that a wider gap between the rich and the poor means that more people will die unnecessarily.

Over the past 40 years, the Democratic and Republican parties have been engaged in a conscious strategy to pare back the gains won by the working class through the social struggles of the early 20th century. A bipartisan cabal has slashed wages, eliminated pensions, cut social programs, reduced taxes on the rich, and done away with employer-provided healthcare.

In the process, the government has transferred trillions from the working class into the bank accounts of the financial elite. Today, the top 10 percent owns 77 percent of the wealth. The richest 3 billionaires own as much as the poorest 160 millionhalf the countrys population.

The social counterrevolution was intensified under the Democratic administration of Barack Obama, which oversaw the bailout of the banks following the 2008 financial crisis, conducted the bailouts of the auto industry that slashed the wages of autoworkers to historic lows, and enforced the Detroit bankruptcy. The enactment of Obamacare has coincided with a drastic increase in the number of drug overdose deaths. While the rate per 100,000 of overdoses was increasing by 3 percent from 2006 to 2014, it began increasing by 18 percent per year in 2014, the year Obamacare came into force.

The death rate will continue to rise as the Trump administration deepens tax cuts for the wealthy. Citing Kims research, Reuters wrote, the income inequality produced by the [tax bill] will mean 29,689 more deaths each year, perhaps more. Billions in cuts to Medicare, mandated by laws that require budget cuts to match drops in revenue, will lead to the deaths of thousands more.

The victims of the opioid crisis come from all regions and social backgrounds, but the overwhelming majority of those killed are poor and working class. According to last years CDC data, 90 percent were white, and most were men, with overdoses for whites roughly triple the rate for African-Americans and double the rate for Latinos. The Native American overdose rate equals the rate for whites.

This reality exposes the reactionary lies advanced by Black Lives Matter and its claims of white supremacy, and by the #MeToo movement, which asserts that society is organized on the principle of patriarchy and male domination.

New York Times contributor and racial politics proponent Michael Eric Dyson recently attempted to turn the opioid crisis into an example of white privilege when he said in March 2017, White brothers and sisters have been medicalized in terms of their trauma and addiction. Black and brown people have been criminalized for their trauma and addiction.

Seething with contempt for the working class, Dyson ignores the fact that if adequate medical services were available, tens of thousands would not die each year from drug overdose. Instead of helping the victims, state governments have responded by calling in the National Guard to police the streets (West Virginia) and by calling for the quadrupling of jail terms for opioid users (New Jersey). Meanwhile, both parties voted to increase military spending by $80 billion over last years levels.

The Socialist Equality Party calls for expropriating the billions of dollars the drug companies have made from the ongoing crisis. This money, and the personal wealth of the corporate and financial aristocracy, must be put into an emergency fund to pay for the immediate construction of a network of hospitals and health clinics, staffed with well-trained doctors, to provide permanent, free medical care to all those effected.

Rehabilitation centers must be expanded and new ones built so that the millions with addiction and dependency problems can seek help free of charge. A 90 percent tax must be imposed on all income above five million dollars to provide funds for massive jobs and public works programs in those areas hardest hit by the crisis to alleviate inequality and poverty.

These demands can be met only through the building of a mass movement of the working class, independent of the Democratic and Republican parties, aimed at linking workers of all races and nationalities in a common fight against the capitalist system.
In what amounts to an attack on democratic rights, the University of Wollongong (UOW) administration has overseen the overturning last month of the outcome of this years presidential election of the Wollongong Undergraduate Students Association (WUSA), a student union.

Chloe Rafferty, a member of the pseudo-left Socialist Alternative organisation and New South Wales (NSW) education officer of the National Union of Students, received 765 votes out of 1,543, or approximately 49.6 of the total, in the October election. She was standing for the Save our Union election grouping, which also includes members of the Greens. Despite receiving the highest number of votes by a substantial margin, Rafferty was disqualified after the results were released.

A WUSA Appeals Panel ousted Rafferty because she had addressed students in lecture theatres before classes, a common practice in student election campaigns. The university administration fully backed the disqualification. The universitys Director of Academic Quality and Standards headed the appeals panel.

The publicly-available WUSA regulations do not prohibit candidates from addressing lectures. The panel failed to produce evidence for its claim that it issued warnings to the Save our Union group to cease speaking to lectures. The Save our Union group denied any warnings were made.

Zachary Fitzpatrick, a Young Liberal member who won the second-highest number of votes, was also disqualified. The appeals panel ruled that Fitzpatrick and the outgoing union president, Jasper Brewer, had attempted to convince other candidates to overturn Raffertys victory, in contravention of electoral regulations.

The ruling meant that the third-placed candidate, Timothy Piert, was installed as president having received just 5.5 percent of the vote.

UOW acting chief administrative officer Theresa Hoynes told the local Illawarra Mercury on November 20 it was unfortunate to see circumstances where candidates own conduct disqualifies them from taking up the positions for which they would otherwise have been elected. Hoynes cynically declared that the the university is committed to upholding WUSA regulations and protecting the integrity of the student election process.

On December 6, the university administration called police and security guards to prevent Rafferty and several other students from appealing to academics to oppose the decision outside a university senate meeting.

The disqualifications are part of a broader crackdown on democratic rights at universities across the country. It appears that the administration is also seeking to silence criticism of its plans to curtail or abolish the student union.

The Save Our Union group had campaigned against the universitys decision in July to conduct a so-called Student Representation Review. The reviews October 20 report stated the university would examine the honoraria payment model currently in place for the student associations, WUSA and WUPA [Wollongong University Post-graduate Association] and the student publication, the Tertangala. According to Save Our Union, the university had slashed funding to the union over the past two years.

Student union activities have been wound back across the country over the past decade.

In 2005, the former Liberal-National government of John Howard introduced Voluntary Student Unionism, ending the previous system of compulsory student union dues paid by all students on enrolment. Since then, many services previously provided by unions have either collapsed or been taken over by university administrations.

The primary target of the Howard governments legislation, which was introduced two years after huge demonstrations against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, was political activity among students and young people. The Labor Party and the Greens opposed the introduction of voluntary union payments for their own reasons. They were concerned that the change cut off a substantial resource for the student unions, which have often served as training grounds for future party careerists.

In 2011, the Greens-backed Labor government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard introduced the Student Services Amenities Fee (SSAF). This allowed universities to charge students a compulsory fee of more than $200 per year to pay for basic campus services, some of which the universities may delegate to student unions.

This reactionary measure, which places the burden for amenities on students themselves, was supported by the student unions, as well as various pseudo-left organisations, such as Socialist Alternative, because it provides the unions with potentially millions of dollars each year to prop up their apparatuses, which have little support among students.

The SSAF was also aimed at directly subordinating student unions to the dictates of university authorities and their corporate sponsors, amid billions of dollars in university funding cuts by successive Liberal-National and Labor governments, including a $2.3 billion reduction by the Gillard government in 2012.

The Labor-Greens legislation specifically precludes SSAF resources being used to fund political parties. It places no such restrictions on religious, sporting or cultural institutions. The political ban is particularly aimed at suppressing oppositional and socialist politics, under conditions of growing hostility among young people to war, austerity and the erosion of democratic rights.

The attack against the Save Our Union group at UOW is part of an assault on students democratic rights nationally.

At Griffith University in Queensland and the University of Newcastle in NSW, the student union and campus authorities sought to utilise the SSAF legislation to ban a number of political clubs, including the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), from holding events on campus. They only retreated in the face of campaigns by the IYSSE, which won support among students.

These attacks were part of a broader attempt to curtail the IYSSEs activities. At the University of Melbourne, the student unions Clubs and Societies Committee maintained a ban on the IYSSE for more than 18 months from mid-2014, preventing it from affiliating a club on campus, on the false pretext that the IYSSE had overlapping aims with Socialist Alternative.

In April 2015, the University of Sydney banned an IYSSE and Socialist Equality Party meeting opposing militarism and the glorification of war through celebrations of the centenary of Anzac Day, the holiday marking the British and Australian invasion of Gallipoli, Turkey, in World War I.

The IYSSE has fundamental political differences with Save Our Union and Socialist Alternative. Both organisations seek to channel the hostility to the attacks on student rights back behind Labor and the Greens, the very parties that have presided over the gutting of higher education.

This does not alter the IYSSEs principled opposition to the attacks against Rafferty and Save Our Union, which are aimed at suppressing all political activities at the University of Wollongong, setting a precedent that will be used at university campuses across the country.
Abigail Barth thought her consignment boutique that sells vintage and modern women's clothing would be on the city's East Side.

In September, she opened a small store in the Threshold building, 2717 Atwood Ave., thanks to a two month sublease but with idea of eventually signing a longer lease agreement. That is, until early October when she drove down Monroe Street and noticed that what for over three decades had been home to Walters' Swim 'N Sun was empty.

A few phone calls, a quick tour and Barth, 37, had herself a new location and a big job of moving across the city after only six weeks in her initial storefront. She opened her 900-square-foot store at 1639 Monroe St. on Nov. 3.

"It was odd that I moved in and moved out," Barth admitted last week. "For me, the customer base and for what I get in consignment, it's such an eclectic blend of people. It was a lot of work but I knew it was worth it."

Walters' was a Monroe Street institution that helped serve the rabid swim culture of Madison, particularly on the city's Near West and West sides, home to top high school programs and a number of private swim clubs. The company was founded on Regent Street by Chuck Walters in the early 1980s and after a short time moved to its longtime location a few blocks from the UW Fieldhouse. The business was purchased in the 1990s by Joe Schweitz who also has a swim store, Walters' Swim 'N Sport, in Brookfield.

Schweitz said he closed the Madison store at the end of September because he did not want to renew the lease with road construction limiting access for much of 2018.

"I'm not getting any younger and I wasn't going to keep it open with a band aid from April to November," Schweitz said. "There was going to be no traffic."

So instead of swim suits and goggles, Barth has filled the space at the corner of Monroe and Garfield streets with high-end blouses, dresses, shoes, hats and accessories. Brands can include clothing from Nordstrom, Kate Spade, Ann Taylor and Anthropology but also older brands. She even has an undergarment from the late 1800s, several vintage hats and an opera coat from the 1930s. Prices can range from $10 for a piece of costume jewelry to $400 for a sting ray skin purse. Most items however, run between $25 and $30. Barth takes 60 percent of the sale.

"I want the pricing to be very accessible to people," Barth said. "I feel so fortunate everyday to be here and the Monroe (Street) merchants are so supportive."

Barth grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, attended UW-La Crosse, is married and has two children, ages 17 and 9. She has lived in Madison for the past three and half years, the last two years working as a sales representative for a wholesale home decor company. She's had the idea, however, for her consignment store for the past 15 years and made the decision to move forward with the plan about a year ago.

She has been collecting and accumulating items for the store for years which accounts for about 30 percent of her inventory. She purchased clothing racks from a consignment store that closed in Monroe and is using the slat wall system that was left behind by the swim store, although she had to purchase the hardware.

"I think we are in a really unique time," said Barth, the store's lone employee. "The baby boomers are all paring down. They want to get rid of all of their stuff and their big houses. People have a lot of stuff."
After five years on Madison's West Side, KJs Curry Bowl is closing after dinner service on Dec. 29.

Owner Kethaka Jayawickrema said his wife, Sumudu, is expecting a baby in February and they have three boys at home. "It's kind of a busy life and my kids are always complaining that they don't have time," he said. "We don't have time to spend with them."

Jayawickrema, a native of Sri Lanka, said he and Sumudu will take a break and maybe open another restaurant a year or two from now. "That's our plan."

The main focus of KJ's Curry Bowl was on Sri Lankan cuisine, but the restaurant at 7005 Tree Lane, across from Memorial High School, also serves Asian, Mexican and American food.

It offers a Sri Lankan lunch buffet on Fridays and Saturdays. Jayawickrema said he was pleased by the positive reviews the buffet got on social media and is encouraged to reopen some time in the future.

"A lot of customers were saying, 'Please open again.' And we will miss them, too," he said.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The death of FSU student Andrew Coffey prompted the state attorney's office to launch a criminal investigation to find out who's responsible.

This is still an active investigation, so state attorney Jack Campbell's office is still reviewing evidence before making any decision to file charges, which Campbell suspects will happen.

Both he and his predecessor, Willie Meggs, shared some insight into this case.

"As an investigative agency and as a prosecutor, I'm always trying to find the truth," said Campbell.

Campbell knows there's a lot of talk about what happened to Andrew Coffey.

The 20-year-old was found dead at an off-campus party last month. The state attorney's office quickly presented the case to a grand jury, but the investigation is far from over.

"Often, our criminal cases take years to resolve," Campbell explained. "If charges are filed in this case, then it would probably take years to resolve all of that."

The journey to get justice has been hampered by the majority of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers refusing to talk to law enforcement.

"I'm frustrated as a prosecutor. I'm frustrated as a member of the community. Obviously, we have a young man who died too soon," said Campbell. "It's a tragedy to lose his life, and I have promised his parents I'm going to do everything in my power to find out that truth."

Campbell says he intends to share the presentment with a new grand jury in January.

"'Do you all want to make charging decisions, or do you want to leave that to me?' And then, based on that interaction, I'll take my next step," said Campbell.

Former state attorney Willie Meggs says the role of a grand jury is invaluable.

"They are, in fact, the conscience of our community, and so, if they believe that fraternity life at FSU is run amok, then they can say that," said Meggs.

"This is the public coming out and saying, 'Here's what we found. We took the time, we took the power. We took the effort to go ahead and look at this matter. Here you are, Tallahassee, Leon County, state of Florida. This is what's happened in our community, and this is what we think we need to do about it."

Campbell says he won't make any charging decisions before putting this case in front of the next grand jury, which has to power to indict.

Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity has released the following statement:

"We were saddened by the details in the Grand Jury presentment about the tragic death of Andrew Coffey. Since originally learning of Andrews death, Pi Kappa Phi has continued to direct the students at Florida State to cooperate with all investigative efforts.

Nationally, Pi Kappa Phi collaborates with university partners to provide students with training, resources and mature adult guidance. The national fraternity holds chapters and individual members accountable through our conduct process. The FSU chapter was closed in the week following Andrews death; and the national fraternity will utilize the findings of the criminal investigation, once concluded, to hold individuals accountable."
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Cases of the mumps here in Florida are spiking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that trend follows a national pattern for the virus, which has been on the rise since 2016.

The Florida Department of Health shows more mumps cases this year than the previous 5 years combined.

An advisory from the department, dated December 11, 2017, reports mumps occurring in all age groups. Currently most of the infections are seen in south Florida counties, but doctors recommend taking precautions.

"Preventive measures such as make sure to cover yourself when you do sneeze, thorough hand-washing as much as you can with soap and water preferably," said Dr. Jessica Castaneira with the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. "Alcohol based hand gel if you don't have accessible water and soap."

Mumps can be spread through coughs, sneezes, or even talking to an infected person. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches and swollen salivary glands.

Doctors suggest the measles, mumps, rubella (mmr) vaccine for prevention.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee couple was arrested on child abuse charges after authorities determined their three children ages 3, 4 and 5 had been bruised and cut by a belt and slapped.

Both Eliseo Perez Marrero, 24, and Nailah Shara Wiggins Perez, 22, were arrested Thursday and remained in the Leon County Detention Center on Friday.

Eliseo faces three counts of cruelty toward a child and aggravated battery on a child. Nailah faces three counts of child neglect with great bodily harm.

On Nov. 25, 2017, an investigator with the Department of Child and Families checking on the children saw a red mark on one child's face that seemed to be made by a belt and bruises and marks on the other two children, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The children received the bruises and marks while playing outside, the couple told the DCF investigator.

On Nov. 26, 2017, DCF removed the children from the couple and placed the three in foster care.

The children received a medical examination on Dec. 12, 2017, and the medical team provided investigators with a medical report and forensic photographs. The medical staff interpreted the injuries as having been inflicted by hand and by a belt.

The children suffered injuries over much of their bodies.

Eliseo Perez committed torture "over an extended period which caused great bodily harm," the TPD investigator wrote.

Nailah Wiggins Perez denied knowing anything about any injuries to the children during an interview on Dec. 19, 2017, a Tallahassee Police Department investigator wrote in a court document.

She said her husband had moved out of their house and recently asked to see the children. She said she left the children with him and ran some errands.

Returning home, she said, she noticed a mark on one child's cheek but her husband told her the child had fallen outside.

At the end of the interview, Nailah admitted when she saw the marks on the children she did nothing, the court document said.

After his wife's interview that day, Eliseo told the TPD investigator his sister had called the Abuse Hotline, denied hitting the children and admitted to overseeing their discipline.

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PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Three men have been arrested in connection with the roadside murder believed to be brought on by feuding between rival motorcycle gangs.

The incident happened on Thursday at 4:53 p.m.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office says that the victim, 44-year-old Paul Anderson, was driving a pick up truck on the Suncoast Parkway when two men on a motorcycle approached the truck.

The men got off their motorcycles and tapped on the window of the truck to get the Anderson's attention. That's when they fired several shots, killing Anderson.

A third vehicle was involved, deputies say, and made sure the motorcyclists made a clean escape.

The Sheriff says the victim was the president of the Cross Bayou Chapter of the Outlaw motorcycle gang. All three murder suspects were part of a rival motorcycle gang called the 69ers.

In less than 24 hours, Christopher Brian Cosimano (nickname 'Durty'), Michael Dominick Mencher (nickname 'Pumpkin'), and Allan Burt Guinto (nickname 'Big Bee') were arrested for their part in the murder.

Cosimano has been identified as the shooter and is the president of the 69ers. Deputies say Mencher was the second motorcycle rider and say Guinto was driving the scout vehicle.

All three were charged with first degree premeditated murder.

Deputies say that there has been feuding going back in forth between the two groups.

"Will there be retaliation? I would hope and pray that there's not, but I believe there will be," said Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco. "We have information already there's people from motorcycle clubs coming into the state of Florida. So were just asking anybody out there, if you see something, say something."
Updated : 2017-12-22

(chinadaily.com.cn)

The "Belt and Road" Purple Clay Arts Exhibition is currently on display at the Yixing Museum, Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu province from Dec 16 to Mar 6, 2018.

The "Belt and Road" Purple Clay Arts Exhibition is currently on display at the Yixing Museum, Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu province from Dec 16 to Mar 6, 2018.

The exhibition specially displays purple clay cups that were presented to state leaders at national events, and which were displayed in Beijing earlier this year.

Besides the boutique ceramic works for state and international leaders on show, masterpieces from artists at Tsinghua University and Peking University are displayed in Yixing as well.

This purple clay work is by Zheng Ning, an artist at Tsinghua University. [Photo/news.jnwb.net]

Purple clay ceramics are often given to people with great influence in the world, such as former US President Barack Obama, former UK premier Tony Blair, and Kofi Atta Annan, the former UN Secretary-General.

Zhou Zhongping, vice Party secretary of Yixing, said "Purple clay arts gather various art skills, including engraving, calligraphy, painting and poetry, carrying traditional Chinese culture and the beauty of Yixing all over the world."

The exhibition will later go to other provinces in Shanghai and Taiwan and even abroad to European countries, including Hungary, the Czech Republic and Italy.
Two California men who pleaded guilty in October to theft charges for using credit card information skimmed from pumps at a West Side gas station were sentenced Friday to three years of probation, with the first six months of it to be served in jail.

Lawyers for Wafig M. Jebarah, 50, of Los Angeles, and Arsen Piloyan, 47, of Van Nuys, were going to ask that the men be allowed to report to the Dane County Jail at a later date to begin their sentences, which is customary in cases where jail is ordered as a condition of probation.

But Dane County Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara summarily shut down that request.

Victims dont ask to be victims, McNamara said. They dont pick a date to be victimized. You did not give warning to the people from whom you stole.

I decline to make this easy for you, McNamara said.

Jebarah and Piloyan were arrested in November 2016 after police investigating the presence of a credit card skimmer placed on a gas pump at Capitol Petro Mart, 699 S. Whitney Way, were notified by UW Credit Union that some of their customers credit card information had been stolen after making purchases there.

Information belonging to one victim was used five times at 7-Eleven, 1401 Regent St., and at the Best Western East Towne Suites, 4801 Annamark Drive, where the two checked in on Oct. 26.

The skimmer that police found was one of several that had been discovered on gas pumps in the Madison area, but it was never established that Jebarah and Piloyan had placed skimmers themselves.

Instead, Piloyans attorney, Stephen Eisenberg, said the two were stooges and small cogs in a wheel in a much larger identity theft scheme possibly run by foreign criminals. He said they were sent to gather the data that skimmers placed by others had collected.

Jebarah is a mechanic at an oil change shop, and Piloyan is a limousine driver.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Humphrey said the two have refused to divulge whom they work for or who their contact is within that organization, but Eisenberg said they simply dont know. He said the two were sent to Madison from Los Angeles hoping to make a few thousand dollars. Once they returned to Los Angeles, he said, they were to meet someone to turn over the data collected from the skimmer, but he said they dont know who that would have been.

Theyre foot soldiers, theyre mules, Eisenberg said.

Their trip to Madison netted about $2,500, which the two were ordered to repay to the victims as part of their sentence.

Humphrey said items seized from the two included thumb drives containing credit card numbers of about 1,500 people, only some of whom have been told that their data was skimmed.

He called the two professional criminals and said that punishment of the two matters because members of the public have a legitimate fear of becoming victims of identity theft.

Jebarahs lawyer, state Assistant Public Defender Diana Van Rybroek, said concerns about large-scale identity theft carried out by the two men are hysteria fed by the media.

The two still face sentencing on similar charges in Rock County.

In the meantime, a Florida man who pleaded guilty in federal court in November to placing skimmers at Madison-area gas stations in 2016 faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in February. Alejandro Arias-Perez, 29, of Miami, pleaded guilty to possessing a skimming device and using it with intent to defraud.

He was arrested in April after he was charged with placing skimmers at gas stations on East Washington Avenue and South Park Street that were discovered in August and September 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-20 21:42:53|Editor: Yurou

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Photo taken on Dec. 16, 2017 shows a jar of genuine slovenian honey in Tuhinj valley, Slovenia. On Nov. 17 this year, the UN economic and financial committee unanimously backed the resolution to declare May 20 World Bee Day. On Wednesday, a resolution is to be formally adopted by the members of the UN General Assembly. (Xinhua/Matic Stojs)

LJUBLJANA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Three years since the Slovenian Beekeeper's Association launched the proposal to the United Nations (UN) to celebrate World Bee Day, the initiative is now finally expected to be formally confirmed at the UN assembly session on Wednesday.

On Nov. 17 this year, the UN economic and financial committee unanimously backed the resolution to declare May 20 World Bee Day. On Wednesday, a resolution is to be formally adopted by the members of the UN General Assembly.

May 20 has long been a festive date in Slovenia, as it honors the birthday of a beekeeping pioneer, Anton Jansa (1734-1773). Jansa's home village Breznica in northern Slovenia has become known as the cradle of Slovenian beekeeping.

Jansa dedicated his life to beekeeping and in 1770 became the first royally-appointed teacher of apiculture for all Austrian lands. He was appointed head of the first beekeeping school in Vienna, according to the reports by Slovene Press Agency.

It has become generally recognized that bees and beekeeping are vital for ensuring food security, as well as preserving the entire ecosystem and natural biodiversity.

In Slovenia, a country rich in biodiversity, beekeeping is a prime part of its identity, enjoying a status equal to that of other types of agriculture.

To better preserve and protect the bees, Slovenia was among the first countries in the EU to prohibit in 2011 the use of certain pesticides that are harmful for bees. It is also the only country in the EU that has protected its bee by legal means.

Furthermore, Slovenia will endeavor to convince the EU that the bee is an endangered animal species and that better conditions for its survival have to be ensured.

It is in this vein that Slovenia is striving to proclaim May 20 as World Bee Day at the UN level: to further raise awareness of the importance of bees and beekeeping,

Beekeeping in Slovenia has been practiced for centuries and has gained international recognition for its uniquely painted beehive panels and the special traditional architecture of its beehives.

Slovenia is home to the native Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica), which is among the most popular bee species in the world, valued for its non-aggressiveness.

The preparations to celebrate the first World Bee Day are well underway. While the proposed construction of a honeybee park in Slovenia will take longer than initially hoped for, Jansa's memorial painted beehives, which present an important part of the Slovenian beekeeping heritage, have already been fully renovated and are now on display to visitors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-21 00:08:39|Editor: yan

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HONG KONG, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- About 200 experts discussed opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative at a workshop held in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday.

An important document was signed last week with regard to the Belt and Road Initiative, namely the "Arrangement between the National Development and Reform Commission and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for Advancing Hong Kong's Full Participation in and Contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative" in Beijing, said Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government.

The arrangement will allow Hong Kong to give full play to its unique advantages under "one country, two systems" to contribute to the country, while at the same time seize those opportunities brought by the Initiative to provide new impetus for Hong Kong's economic growth, he said.

The relevant measures will help reinforce and elevate Hong Kong's position as international financial, transport and trade centers, promote partnership between mainland and Hong Kong enterprises, spawn the demand for Hong Kong's professional services and present Hong Kong's home-grown talents with promising prospects, thus enhancing the upward mobility of younger generations, he said.

The meeting was held by China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable, attracting consul generals from 27 countries, as well as representatives from companies, think-tanks and academics in Hong Kong.
Recruiting representatives of Chinese firms talk to job seekers at a job fair for Kenyan students hosted by the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi on Dec. 20, 2017.(Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

NAIROBI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A job fair by Chinese companies that opened on Wednesday is providing about 1,000 opportunities for Kenyan students, a marked increase from 400 vacancies at last year's event.

Li Xuhang, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese embassy in Kenya, told a media briefing in Nairobi that the recruitment fair provided a platform for the young people in need of linkages with Chinese enterprises.

"Over 50 Chinese companies participated in the job fair with nearly 1,000 job opportunities," Li said during the Second Job Fair by the Chinese Enterprises.

Li Xuhang, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese embassy in Kenya, speaks at the opening of the job fair on Dec. 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

The day-long event was hosted by the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi with the support of the Chinese enterprises and the Chinese communities in Kenya.

Li urged Chinese companies to take full advantage of the job fair to select young talents and train them to reach their best potentials.

The Chinese diplomat said in recent years, China-Kenya relations have enjoyed the best momentum ever and the friendly cooperation had accomplished remarkable results.

Potential job seekers look at a briefing board at the job fair for Kenyan students hosted by the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi on Dec. 20, 2017.(Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

Li said as China continued its endeavor to promote international cooperation, especially through the Belt and Road Initiative, the Sino-Kenya cooperation is ushering in a golden era.

Peter Mbithi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, said that the job recruitment exercise aims to establish active networks and links between students and potential employers.

Mbithi said that fair will also strengthen the university's critical contribution to sustainable development through its core academic function of research and teaching and amplified focus on employability.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-21 20:54:36|Editor: Yamei

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SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of death toll rose to 29 in a South Korean building fire accident Thursday in the country's southeastern city, according to local media reports.

The fire broke out in an eight-story fitness center building in Jecheon city, North Chungcheong province, about 170 km southeast of capital Seoul.

The victims were found dead as they were trapped in a public sauna in the second and third floors of the building.

The number of those injured increased to 26 who were taken to nearby hospitals after inhaling smoke.

The fire started at about 3:53 p.m. local time (0653 GMT) from a parking lot at the first floor, engulfing the entire building.

Some 50 fire engines, 60 firefighters and two choppers were sent to the scene to put out fire and rescue people.

The fire was extinguished at about 5:40 p.m. local time. Firefighters started search operation inside the building.

More casualties could be found inside the building housing fitness center, public sauna and restaurant.
Photo provided to Xinhua by Synutra shows the assembly line of the Synutra factory in Carhaix, France.

PARIS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Carhaix-Plouguer, a quiet city in the northwestern French region of Brittany, had plunged into an economic impasse for several years. But today, this small city with about 8,000 inhabitants has been boosted by Synutra, a baby milk factory with investment from China.

The Synutra dairy group, based in China, invested more than 200 million euros (237 million U.S. dollars) in the Synutra factory in Carhaix, which now has around 350 employees.

Since the investment in September 2016, the plant processes hundreds of tons of fresh milk daily for powdered infant formula to export to China.

Apart from roughly 10 Chinese employees including interpreters, the production site is entirely French. Several locals were also provided training and jobs with Synutra.

"This plant really plays a role in driving local development," according to Patrick Bischofberger, director of the plant. Through the production chain effect, "four times of the number of employees, 1,400 people can benefit from Synutra's activities. In addition, 800 milk producers benefit from our presence," he said.

The factory has cleared initial fears of foreign investment and "today, Synutra organizes open door meetings, inviting schools, politicians to visit our factory," said Bischofberger.

Photo taken on June 24, 2016 shows the aerial view of the Synutra factory in Carhaix, France. (Courtesy of Synutra)

Synutra's spillover effects are confirmed by transport service companies, florists, and cleaners in Carhaix. Stephane Jacquel, co-manager of a local cleaning company, told Xinhua that a fifth of his company's business comes from Synutra.

The dynamism brought by Synutra is "colossal" for Carhaix, said local mayor Christian Troadec.

"The benefits of the presence of Synutra are visible. Since the construction of the factory in 2014, hundreds of workers worked daily on the site, providing economic opportunities for restaurants, hotels and shops in Carhaix," he said.

Troadec called Synutra "a development asset" of Carhaix, not only because of its economic benefits, but also the effect of its arrival example.

"The establishment of Synutra also fosters Carhaix pride, because we can see that Carhaix is able to host international companies, and that's very important. Today it's a Chinese dairy company; tomorrow, maybe, another company will come," said the mayor.
Oregon police checking on a report of a felon in possession of firearms arrested the suspect Thursday and found seven guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition in his home.

Lewis Turner, 40, was tentatively charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, Oregon police said.

The Dane County SWAT assisted police in gaining entry to Turner's home at 449 N. Oak St., with SWAT finding Turner at home and arresting him.

Oregon police searched the home and vehicles at the residence, and found six long guns, one handgun and the ammunition.

Oregon public schools were put in lockdown while the search was conducted.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 02:20:58|Editor: Yurou

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during an awards ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 21, 2017. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday blasted U.S. President Donald Trump who threatened to cut aid to countries that vote against Washington at the UN General Assembly on Jerusalem. (Xinhua/Turkish Presidential Palace)

ANKARA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday blasted U.S. President Donald Trump who threatened to cut aid to countries that vote against Washington at the UN General Assembly on Jerusalem.

"Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," Erdogan said at an awards ceremony in Ankara.

"I am calling on the whole world: Do not sell your struggle for democracy for a few dollars," he added.

"I hope that the U.S. will not get the result it expects today and the world will give the U.S. a very good lesson," he said, referring to the UN meeting set to be held on Thursday.

Ahead of the UN voting, Trump threatened to cut aid to countries that would vote against his Jerusalem decision.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said she would be "taking names" of those voting against Washington at the meeting.

Since the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital early in the month, Turkish leaders have been harshly criticizing the controversial move.

Last week, Turkey hosted a summit of Muslim leaders, which issued a communique to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 02:41:10|Editor: Yurou

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a keynote speech at the closing ceremony of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Dec. 21, 2017. In presence of among others United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Dutch King Willem-Alexander, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) closed its doors after 24 years with a closing ceremony in the "Ridderzaal", or Hall of Knights, in The Hague on Thursday. (Xinhua/Sylvia Lederer)

THE HAGUE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- In presence of among others United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Dutch King Willem-Alexander, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) closed its doors after 24 years with a closing ceremony in the "Ridderzaal", or Hall of Knights, in The Hague on Thursday.

The UN chief emphasized on the importance of upholding accountability and justice for victims. "The Tribunal has pushed international expectations of accountability beyond what was anticipated in 93, transforming how we speak about and address situations in which serious international crimes are committed," said Guterres.

"Today it is common practice for the United Nations Security Council to call for the perpetrators of atrocities to be held accountable," he added. "We see this, too, in the statements of heads of state; in the work of journalists; in the efforts of national courts; and in public opinion. Accountability has taken root in our collective consciousness."

In May 1993, the Tribunal was established by the UN in response to mass atrocities taking place in former Yugoslavia. The Tribunal was the first court to prosecute and adjudicate the gravest international crimes since the post-World War II Nuremberg and Tokyo trials.

Since its establishment the Tribunal indicted 161 persons for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed between 1991 and 2001, of which 90 were sentenced. None of them remained at large.

"The victims were our strongest supporters," ICTY chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz said. "I want to pay tribute to him. It is because of you this Tribal was set up." He received applause from the relatives of victims in the hall.

However the ICTY also received heavy criticism over the past years, including that it was biased, against Serbs mainly, with Serb convicts and politician claiming the court was unlawful, that it made reconciliation in the Balkans even harder.

The landmark life sentence for former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladic on Nov. 22 was the last trial judgement delivered by the ICTY. Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was convicted with 40 years of imprisonment on March 24. Both cases continue in the appeals phase at the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT).

The last appeal's judgement of the ICTY on Nov. 29 this year had a shocking outcome. Slobodan Praljak who was accused of war crimes passed away in the HMC Hospital in The Hague after he poisoned himself in the courtroom. During the public pronouncement of his appeal judgement the appeals chamber had confirmed his conviction and affirmed a sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.

The most well-known deceased in the UN detention unit was former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, who died in his cell on March 11, 2006.

"War criminals must and shall be convicted," judge Carmel Agius, President of the ICTY said. "That is the lesson of this Tribunal."

"The ICTY set the bar," John Hocking, ICTY Registrar, added. "Let us now raise the bar higher. We must raise the bar higher for justice every day. Every day monuments turn into rubble and bodies into corpses. A judicial process is the way forward."
Photo taken on Dec. 21, 2017 shows the voting of a United Nations General Assembly resolution on the status of Jerusalem during a rare emergency special session at the UN headquarters in New York. The General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution on the status of Jerusalem that will make U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital have no legal effect. (Xinhua Photo)

JERUSALEM, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel rejected Thursday a United Nations overwhelming endorsement of a resolution calling the United States to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Earlier in the evening, the UN General Assembly approved the decision, with 128 nations voting in favor, nine against, and 35 abstentions.

"Israel rejects the UN resolution," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, adding that Israel is "pleased by the high number of countries that have not voted in favor of the resolution."

The notice said that "Israel thanks President (Donald) Trump for his firm stance in favor of Jerusalem and thanks the countries that voted together with Israel, together with the truth."

A similar resolution was vetoed by the U.S. in the UN Security Council on Monday, but there are no veto rights at the General Assembly.

Prior to the vote, Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley threatened to withdraw financial aid from countries which will support the resolution.

On Dec. 6, Trump declared that the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and will move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, triggering large-scale outrage in the Arab and Muslim world.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 03:06:17|Editor: yan

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KHARTOUM, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and Rwanda on Thursday agreed to unite their efforts to seek peaceful solutions for the issues of the African continent and combat terrorism and cross-border crimes.

The agreement was struck when Rwandan President Paul Kagame concluded his official two-day visit to Sudan.

The two sides issued a joint communique in which they vowed to work together to enhance joint cooperation in all fields.

"Sudan has historical and deeply-rooted ties with Rwanda," said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at a joint press conference with Kagame in Khartoum.

He also commended the participation of Rwanda in the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur.

For his part, Kagame also expressed hope that the two countries would continue working together to further boost ties.

"Our two countries have challenges with similarities in origin, but we have gone through all that and made progress to date," he said at the press conference.

On Wednesday, Kagame arrived in Khartoum on an official visit to Sudan at the invitation of al-Bashir.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 03:56:32|Editor: yan

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BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Pro-unity party Ciudadanos (Cs) won the most votes in the Catalan regional election on Thursday, according to an exit poll released by La Vanguardia newspaper as polling stations closed.

But the pro-independence bloc consisting of three major parties is expected to keep its absolute majority in the 135-seat regional parliament, the exit poll showed.

Around 84 percent of the 5.5 million eligible voters cast their ballots, hitting an all time high turnout, and well above the 74.9-percent turnout in the last election held in September 2015.

According to the exit poll, Ciudadanos is expected to claim between 34-37 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament, followed by left-wing pro-independence Catalan Republican Left (ERC), which is projected to claim between 34-36 seats.

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont's Junts Per Catalunya party (JuntsxCat) is expected to win 28-29 seats, while the Socialist Party (PSC) will secure 18-20 seats.

The right-wing People's Party of Catalonia (PPC), under the leadership of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, is set to suffer a serious setback winning just 3-5 seats.

Left-wing Catalunya en Comu Podem (CCP) will garner 7-8 seats, and radical pro-independence party Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) is expected to win 5 or 6 seats.

If the poll, which is taken from a relatively small sample, is correct, then the pro-independence parties will probably retain their majority in the Parlament with between 71 to 64 seats.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 05:01:41|Editor: yan

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WARSAW, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Constitutional issues are and should remain an internal matter for the countries they concern, British Prime Minister Theresa May said here on Thursday, referring to the triggering of Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Poland.

"These constitutional issues are normally, and should be primarily a matter for the individual country concerned," said May during a joint press conference with her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki following Polish-British intergovernmental consultations in Warsaw.

May added she also welcomed "the fact the PM Morawiecki has indicated that he will be speaking with the European Commission(EC) and I hope that that will lead to a satisfactory resolution."

Morawiecki, on his part, stressed that Poland's dispute with the EC should have no impact on Brexit negotiations. "I do not think that the present dispute has any impact on vital issue such as Brexit as well as on many other questions, including defence cooperation, which we want to develop with our partners," said the Polish prime minister.

May was officially welcomed by Marowiecki at the Belvedere Palace in Warsaw on Thursday.

May and Morawiecki also discussed defence, security, and cooperation in the NATO. The prime ministers witnessed British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz sign a defence and security cooperation agreement between two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 07:02:08|Editor: Yurou

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CHICAGO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Teens exposed to drug use, mental distress and violence may engage in unsafe sexual behavior that increases their chance of HIV infection in adulthood, according to a new longitudinal study by the University of Michigan (UM).

The findings have been newly published in the journal AIDS.

UM researchers conducted the study from September 1994 to May 2013 in Flint, Michigan. The participants involved 850 students, mainly African-American, who were asked about their sexual behaviors, mental health, being a victim or witness of violence, and social conditions (family, peer and community factors) beginning at age 14. They were assessed six times during the study until age 32.

One out of four respondents who had a relatively higher frequency of co-occurring psychological and social risk as adolescents were more likely to report unprotected sex with recent partners, as well as sexual intercourse with someone they just met in adulthood.

Moreover, they were more likely to use illegal drugs prior to sex, and had at least four sexual partners. This segment was more vulnerable to HIV risk than those who were part of the low frequency of risk group, which had fewer instances of drug use, violence and mental distress during adolescence.

Since the study mainly involved African-American respondents, the findings may not be generalized to all adolescent populations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 07:25:27|Editor: Yamei

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Citizens of Barcelona wait outside a polling station to vote in Barcelona, Spain, Dec. 21, 2017. A record-high number of Catalan voters Thursday cast ballots in a tightly-contested election to have their say over the region's future, nearly three months after a foiled secession attempt. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 07:17:11|Editor: Yamei

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Former Brazil and AC Milan striker Ricardo Oliveira has agreed to join Atletico Mineiro after parting ways with their Brazilian Serie A rivals Santos.

Oliveira will be tied to the Belo Horizonte club until the end of the 2019 pending a medical, Atletico said in a brief statement on Thursday.

The 37-year-old was a free agent after Santos reportedly declined to accept his request for a new two-year deal, offing him a 12-month contract instead.

After joining Santos for a second time in 2015, Oliveira scored 76 goals in 140 matches for the Peixe. He also represented the club in 2003, when he netted 21 times in 32 matches to earn a move to Spanish side Valencia.

He has been capped 16 times for Brazil's national team and scored five goals.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 07:27:13|Editor: Yamei

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BERLIN, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Bayern Munich and Frenchman Kingsley Coman agreed on a contract extension ahead of schedule, the "Bavarians" announced via the club's official homepage on Thursday.

The France international extended his running contract, stipulated until 2020, for another three years to stay with the German record champions until June 2023.

"I am very happy and satisfied that I will play for this club for a long time. I feel very comfortable at Bayern and in Munich," Coman said.

The 21-year-old winger joined Bayern from Italian outfit Juventus in the summer 2015 to establish himself as a key player after providing eight goals in 57 competitive appearances since his arrival.

"Kingsley Coman developed incredibly this year. As a result, he was appointed to France's national team. We are happy to have tied Kingsley Coman to the club in the long term," Bayern's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said.

Bayern sit atop the Bundesliga standings with an eleven-point gap to runners-up Schalke.
In an attempt to clear his name against allegations of partisanship by legislative leaders, the administrator of the Ethics Commission called for an investigation into himself Friday.

I believe that an objective review of my conduct in service to the state would definitively show that I have consistently conducted myself in a nonpartisan and impartial manner, Brian Bell told the six-member bipartisan commission. Such an investigation would also refute the baseless allegations that have been made against me.

Bell, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, was responding to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who called for Bell and Elections Commission administrator Michael Haas to resign in the wake of Attorney General Brad Schimels investigation of leaked documents from a now-shuttered criminal investigation.

Schimels report urged contempt-of-court proceedings against nine individuals, but not Haas or Bell.

Fitzgerald and Vos cited past errors in judgment by leadership and staff at the recently disbanded Government Accountability Board that have resulted in widespread concerns over partisan influence remaining at the top of the commissions.

Fitzgerald has not scheduled a hearing or confirmation vote for Bell or Haas.

The commission agreed Friday to send a letter to Fitzgerald asking whether he would hold a hearing on Bells confirmation. Members appointed by both Democrats and Republicans voiced support for Bell.

The commission had reviewed his performance just before Schimels report was released and concluded that he had exceeded expectations in his first year on the job.

Ethics Commission lawyer David Buerger said no one has ever asked the commission to investigate his or her own conduct before, so this is new territory for the commission.

He said the commission has the power to appoint a special investigator who must make periodic reports to the commission at least once every 30 days. The commission must meet to review the progress of any investigation it authorizes at least once every 90 days.

Buerger said the commission may not expend more than $25,000 to finance the cost of an investigation before receiving a progress report. At the end of the investigation, the commission must prepare written findings and make a determination as to allegations that prompted the investigation.

Ethics investigations are conducted in secret, though the subject of an investigation is allowed to publicize any findings. However, that could be complicated because Bell is bound by the commissions secrecy directive.

Bell is a former employee of the nonpartisan GAB but was not involved with the so-called John Doe II investigation into Gov. Scott Walkers recall campaign coordinating with a supposedly independent group.

Haas, who was the Elections Division administrator at the former GAB, worked on some legal briefs in the John Doe II investigation, which the Wisconsin Supreme Court shut down in 2015, ruling its underlying legal theory was invalid.

Haas has called on Fitzgerald and Vos to apologize, saying they have slandered his name by suggesting former GAB staff committed a crime in their investigations of Walker and others.

He said Friday morning he had not yet received a response from the lawmakers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 08:38:35|Editor: Yurou

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A bonfire is seen on Town Hall Square during Winter Solstice celebrations in Riga, Latvia, on Dec. 21, 2017. Latvian folklore groups participated in the traditional log-pulling activities in Riga's Old Town to celebrate the Winter Solstice on Thursday. At the end of the procession, the log was burned in a bonfire, symbolizing burning all the misfortune and sorrow to make a fresh start in the new year. (Xinhua/Janis)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 09:17:30|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature opened its bi-monthly session Friday to review bills including draft laws on supervision, the prevention and control of soil pollution, and a draft revision to the law on farmers' specialized cooperatives.

During the six-day session, legislators will also deliberate draft laws on basic medical care and health promotion, and international judicial assistance in criminal matters.

Several reports, including one on the implementation of the cybersecurity law and the protection of online information, will be put under discussion, according to the agenda.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 09:22:32|Editor: Yurou

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HAVANA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Raul Castro on Thursday affirmed that he will leave office in April 2018, when the country's new national legislature convenes to elect a leader for the next five years.

"When the National Assembly is constituted, I will conclude my second and last mandate as leader of the state and government, and Cuba will have a new president," said Castro.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 09:27:33|Editor: Yurou

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CANBERRA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- International businesses will leave Australia in the wake of sweeping U.S. tax cuts, the nation's Treasurer warned on Friday.

Scott Morrison said that while Australians are at the beach in January, international corporations will be making decisions on whether they will stay in Australia or move elsewhere.

"They will be considering their investment plans over their winter, our summer," Morrison told Fairfax Media.

"While many Australians will be at the beach the investment chiefs in major companies will be at work."

He said that he is so alarmed by Australia's company tax rate of 30 percent being too high that he fears that it will be too late by the time parliament returns in February.

Morrison has previously flagged his preference to reduce the company tax rate to 25 percent but such a move would be impossible for the government without the support of the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP).

Key crossbenchers that the government would need if they cannot secure the support of the ALP have already said that they would not support a tax cut in any circumstances.

Morrison's comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump successfully slashed the country's corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent on Friday.

Andrew Leigh, the ALP's shadow assistant treasurer, said that Australia's corporate tax rate was the ninth highest among G20 nations, right "in the middle of the pack."

"Effectively, the argument that's being made by the Liberal National Party (LNP) is that we should follow Donald Trump wherever he leads," Leigh said.

"We have seen wages stagnate and yet the Liberals' answer to Australia's economic challenges has been a budget-busting corporate tax cut for big multinationals paid for by raising taxes on middle Australia."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 09:37:35|Editor: Yurou

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CANBERRA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Australia is ending its involvement in air strikes on Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, the country's military said on Friday.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) F/A-18F Super Hornets would return to Australia after an "arduous and brutal" campaign against the terrorist group.

The announcement came after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in December declared victory over the IS.

Payne said Australia's Operation Okra has made a significant contribution in the fight against IS.

"Given the success that has been achieved on the battlefield by the Iraqi security forces, Australia's contribution is now at a transition point," she told reporters on Friday.

"After more than three years of air operations, the number of coalition air strike commissions has steadily dropped since the last major population center was captured in October.

"Following discussions with Iraq and members of the international coalition, the Australian government has determined we will bring home our six Super Hornet strike aircraft from the Middle East."

More than 800 Australian military personnel were involved in Operation Okra, mostly in Iraq.

"We are there at the invitation of the government of Iraq," Payne said.

"There's no doubt that our operations have made a difference to the ability of the Iraqi security forces' campaign to defeat Daesh (IS) and to ensure that the extremists of this organization are prevented from spreading their toxic ideology further across the globe."

Military operations in the region will now shift focus to holding territory that has been retaken from IS with Australian surveillance aircraft and 380 Australian military personnel continuing to provide support to that end.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 10:02:43|Editor: Yurou

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SYDNEY, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Australian life-savers at nine beaches in New South Wales state will get new drones to help them alert swimmers and surfers against shark attacks in the peak summer season, the local government said on Friday.

The drones will feed life-savers live footage out at sea and alert them to any hazards, the state's Deputy Premier John Barilaro said in a media release.

"This is the best in drone technology and will not only protect against sharks but also allow our life-savers to help someone in trouble," he said.

The drones being rolled out at the beaches in the state's north coast will include alarms and loudspeakers and complement helicopter surveillance, nets and other measures to prevent shark attacks.

Swimming and surfing at the state's beaches are popular pastimes for local residents and tourists during the year-end summer months, but the crowds can also attract sharks to the area. More than 10 shark attacks have been reported along the state's coast in the last three years, with at least one person killed, according to local media.

Earlier drone trials conducted along the coast helped spot nearly 50 potentially dangerous sharks, with more than 70 evacuations from the water initiated when the threats were within 100 meters of people, state authorities said.

The local government said it is committing more than 400,000 Australian dollars to the latest drone technology.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 10:07:44|Editor: Yurou

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RAMALLAH, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians on Thursday hailed the United Nations General Assembly resolution which denounced U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that the resolution expresses the international community's support for the Palestinians' rights.

"The threats of Trump to the UN members didn't prevent them from voting in favor of the resolution," said Abu Rdineh.

Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor of the resolution.

The resolution reiterated that the Palestinian cause is just and has gained overwhelming international support, the spokesman said.

"Trump's declaration will never change the reality that Jerusalem is an occupied territory and international law is applicable to it," he stressed.

Earlier on Thursday, a resolution calling on Washington to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital was approved in an emergency special session of the 193-member UN General Assembly, with 128 votes in favor, nine against and 35 abstentions.

The resolution reaffirmed the United Nations' constant stand on the divided holy city since 1967. That is, Jerusalem's final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

The voting is "in the right direction and a victory of the Palestinians' legitimate rights," the Islamic Hamas movement said in an emailed press statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 11:07:57|Editor: Mengjie

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Citizens of Barcelona vote in a polling station in Barcelona, Spain, December 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)

BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The pro-unity Catalan party Ciudadanos (Cs) won the most votes with 25 percent in the snap regional election on Thursday, with 99.5 percent of votes counted.

But the pro-independence bloc consisting of three parties -- JuntsxCat, ERC and CUP -- kept its absolute majority in the 135-seat regional parliament.

Ciudadanos, led by Ines Arrimadas, gained 37 seats with 25.36 percent of the votes.

Arrimadas delivered a speech at Espanya Square after her party became the first political force in Catalonia's regional election.

"For the first time a constitutional force wins the elections in Catalonia, and it is Ciudadanos," she said, adding that one in four Catalans trusted the political party.

Arrimadas said the results sent a message to the world that the majority of Catalan people were in favor of remaining in Spain and separatists can not talk on behalf of all Catalans.

In the pro-unity bloc, the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) won 17 seats, having slightly outweighed their performance in 2015, but the center-right People's Party (PP), under the leadership of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, suffered a serious setback and got only 3 seats.

In the pro-secession bloc, former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont's JuntsxCat, or Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), secured 34 seats with 21.68 percent of the votes.

Left-wing pro-secession ERC came third with 32 seats and the anti-capitalist CUP won four seats.

The three pro-independence forces together make up 70 seats, two above a majority but two less than in the previous 2015 election.

A record 82 percent of Catalonia's 5.5 million eligible voters cast their ballots, well above the 74.9-percent turnout in the last election held in September 2015.

The snap election was called by Rajoy, after he sacked the Catalan regional government and dissolved the regional parliament in late October, following an independence declaration by separatist regional politicians.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 11:22:59|Editor: Yurou

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by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has been able to pass a major tax bill with relative ease, but experts say his next legislative battle -- likely a massive infrastructure bill -- won't be so easy.

The GOP-led Congress this week passed a sweeping tax overhaul worth 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars, one that cuts taxes for corporations, small businesses and individuals.

The bill amounts to the biggest tax revamp in three decades, and stands as the businessman-turned-politician's biggest legislative achievement. After nearly a year in office, the tax bill represents a much-needed win after Trump failed in his efforts to pass a major healthcare bill.

But experts said this triumph may be short-lived, as it remains unknown whether the president will be able to make good on myriad other campaign promises. While Trump was able to unify the GOP on the tax bill, he will likely have to tread muddy waters in his next legislative battle, which is likely to be infrastructure.

"The next legislation will be difficult. No one can figure out how to pay for infrastructure, there is little support for entitlement reform, and there will be a huge budget fight in January," Gregory R. Valliere, chief strategist at Horizon Investments, told Xinhua.

"To complicate matters for Trump, many Republicans may abandon him once they get what they want -- tax cuts," Valliere said.

Indeed, Trump has in recent months had an ongoing and very public spat with key members of his own party, including 2008 presidential candidate and current Senator John McCain. The war of words grew personal on a number of occasions, with both men making stinging jabs at each other through social media.

That calls into question how and whether Trump can rally the GOP-led Congress on issues that may be much more controversial than tax reform.

Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua that there will be some challenge in coordinating the next course of action for the GOP, as there is the need to keep the government open and fund or authorize key programs.

FOCUSING ON INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING

Longer-term attention is divided between action on GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan's next priority, which is welfare reform, and what President Trump has been focused on, infrastructure spending.

Trump was elected by a mostly white, working class population fed up by a number of problems they see plaguing the United States -- from illegal immigrants they believe are taking their jobs, to high unemployment in rural areas and a sense of being forgotten by Washington.

Indeed, while the official jobless rate is low, the rate masks a number of economic realities. For example, a trained engineer without a job is considered employed for that week if he spends a Friday afternoon cutting his neighbor's grass for 20 U.S. dollars -- about the price of a moderate dinner out for one person.

Moreover, the unemployment rate does not take into consideration those who have given up seeking full-time work out of sheer frustration at their dim prospects. Nor does it consider that many of the jobs created in recent years are low-paying ones.

Major cities such as Washington DC, however, are exceptions, as wages there are high and job opportunities are plentiful.

Experts said a massive infrastructure building plan could boost the economy and solve a number of the nation's economic problems.

Alan Viard, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, noted that some reports indicate that the administration' s next major proposal will be an infrastructure program.

"President Trump is not likely to have it as easy on that proposal because it will take 60 votes to pass it in the Senate, rather than the 50 needed to pass the tax bill," he told Xinhua.

There is also significant disagreement within and between the two parties about what kind of infrastructure should be built and how it should be financed, he added.

Trump is expected to release the details of his massive infrastructure plan in January.

Trump vowed while on the campaign trail that he would propose a 1-trillion-U.S.-dollar infrastructure overhaul plan during his first three months in office, but the plan got held up amid efforts to pass a healthcare bill and this week's tax revamp.

Trump is expected to release a detailed plan for upgrading airports, roads, bridges infrastructure ahead of his State of the Union address, which is slated for Jan. 30, according to a Bloomberg report.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 11:33:00|Editor: Mengjie

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by Feng Yingqiu

YANGON, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has achieved initial success in its push for national reconciliation and its peace process in 2017.

The government and eight ceasefire signatory armed groups agreed on seven points at the 6th Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) on ceasefire agreement in late November, paving the way for the ceasefire to continue.

Their decision included the convocation of the third meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in late January 2018 and the holding of the 7th JICM meeting in late February.

National level political dialogue with the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) or Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) was also held and continued efforts were made for the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) to conduct national level discussions.

The JICM's significance was highlighted by the attendance of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Vice Senior General Soe Win, as well as leaders of eight signatory armed groups to the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA).

Suu Kyi, chairperson of the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC), has occasionally called for all-inclusiveness in the country's national reconciliation and peace process, reiterating that the door is always open to non-ceasefire signatory armed groups to join the signing of the NCA.

Suu Kyi, who is also chairperson of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), said the government places great emphasis on the participation of the non-signatories to the NCA in the process, and urges the completion of work for laying down the basic principles for a federal union in 2018.

She stressed the need to draw up Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to be able to implement the agreements effectively.

Suu Kyi also expected the early conclusion of amending the framework for political dialogue to be presented to the upcoming third meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference before moving to the political dialogue.

Meanwhile, some non-ceasefire signatory armed groups signaled that they were prepared to sign the NCA following a breakthrough made at the 7th meeting between the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and the government's Peace Commission.

Following the initiation of the NCA between the government and eight of 15 ethnic armed groups on Oct. 15, 2015, Myanmar's government held the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference two times respectively in August 2016 and May 2017.

The second meeting of the Panglong Peace Conference was able to incorporate a total of 37 adopted principles into a union accord in the peace process for the first time in Myanmar's history.

The 37 adopted principles were signed by representatives of participating groups of the government, parliament, military, signatory armed groups to the NCA and political parties as Part One of the Union Accord.

The upcoming third meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference will deal with unfinished fundamental principles as well as new principles on federalism.

Agreeing that a federal system is the only solution for the internal armed conflict which has been unresolved under successive governments, Suu Kyi warned that the opportunity to end the conflict by political means is in the right hands now.

She added that the people of Myanmar have great expectations for the upcoming Panglong Peace Conference.

In terms of the future, she called for continuing the ceasefire mechanism, being brave in both thoughts and deeds and striding towards ending all wars and conflicts in the country.

Meanwhile, Myanmar's Rakhine issue, which originated from fresh attacks on police outposts in Rakhine on Aug. 25 by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), remained a challenge to the government.

The terrorist attacks have displaced residents from a number of areas in the Maungtaw district.

State Counselor Suu Kyi has urged the Rakhine issue be solved in three ways, including focusing on a diplomatic approach, reconstruction for development and security for the local people.

She made the call after a trip to the northern part of Rakhine state affected by terrorist attacks over the past several months.

During her first ever visit to villages in Rakhine, including Pantawpyin, Taungpyo Letwe, Khonhtaing and Kyikanpyin in Maungtaw since the terrorist attacks in August that undermined the stability of the area, Suu Kyi urged the local people to cooperate in the long-term reconstruction and resettlement.

She offered to provide vocational training and healthcare services to the local people and suggested they grow rice as well as other crops as the area contains fertile soil.

Accordingly, the Myanmar government has been implementing short-term projects in northern Rakhine after the region regained security and stability.

In the face of international accusations of Myanmar's mishandling of the Rakhine issue, the government organized a number of fact-finding trips for diplomats and foreign media to visit the conflict-hit areas.

The government has also sought the assistance from the international community for the resettlement of the displaced ethnic people and asked the United Nations Human Settlement Program to help with the move.

On Oct. 17, the government formed the Union Enterprises for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development (UEHRD), led by Suu Kyi, for the effective implementation of the long-term project of freedom from conflict.

The government also formed nine private sector task forces to join the Suu Kyi-led mechanism of UEHRD in northern Rakhine.

Suu Kyi prioritized three main tasks to be achieved in Rakhine, namely, the 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.

Accordingly, the government started the national verification and repatriation process on Oct. 1, which was one of the recommendations proposed by an advisory commission on the state, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and involved issuing a national verification card to refugees who had fled to Bangladesh.

The national verification process, in accordance with the 1982 Citizenship Law, is being launched in accordance with agreed criteria set out in a joint statement between the foreign ministries of Myanmar and Bangladesh in 1992.

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an arrangement on the return of displaced persons from Myanmar's Rakhine state in late November to guide the process.

Myanmar has announced its principled position that issues that emerge between the neighboring countries must be resolved amicably through negotiation.

The two countries have also recently agreed to establish border liaison offices in Maungtaw in northern Rakhine and Tak Naf in Bangladesh by December, according to the 4th Myanmar-Bangladesh Central Level Meeting.

Humanitarian aid for Rakhine refugees has been pouring in from donor countries, including China, the United States, Britain, Denmark and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Shortly after Suu Kyi's speech to the nation on the Rakhine issue, China provided 200 million kyats (147,058 U.S. dollars) to help restore peace and stability in Rakhine state.

Two days after the donation, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar, on behalf of the Chinese government, donated 100 million kyats to the Myanmar Red Cross for use in the rehabilitation of displaced people in Rakhine state.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed China's view during a trip to Bangladesh that it is willing to help Bangladesh and Myanmar properly solve the Rohingya issue.

China holds the view that the Rohingya issue can only be solved properly by consultations between Bangladesh and Myanmar, and only through this method can a sustainable agreement be accepted by the parties concerned.

Stressing that poverty is the root cause of turbulence and conflict, the Chinese top diplomat called on the international community to pay more attention to and support poverty reduction and development in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
Mr. Machrophages nickname is Munch, since the green anteater-like creature gobbles up cancer cells for lunch.

Twinkle and Sparkle are T-cells with immunity power, while Glow is a killer T-cell fighting cancer.

The fictitious characters are part of a childrens book created by a retired art teacher to help children battling cancer to better understand their real-life immune systems and the power of cells within the body.

The Immune System Super Duper Team was written and illustrated by Sharon Reilly Caldwell, a former elementary school art teacher who in 2013 was diagnosed with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, a rare, slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Reilly Caldwell, who lives in Green Lake, was inspired to write the book after undergoing 33 blood transfusions as part of her treatment and was among those at Fridays 32nd annual Red Cross Holiday Blood Drive at the Alliant Energy Center thanking donors for their willingness to give.

I just want to thank the donors for keeping me alive, said Reilly Caldwell, 64, who is in remission. Everybody hears of the Red Cross during disasters, but I am the wife, mother, teacher, friend, neighbor, who needed blood to stay alive. I just really wanted to get that point across that sometimes its just for a single person.

The Holiday Blood Drive draws hundreds of donors and over 100 volunteers, and is the largest blood drive of the year for the Madison-based Badger-Hawkeye Blood Service Region. Since its inception, the annual event has collected more than 21,000 pints of blood and on Friday had a goal of 690 pints.

The event in Exhibition Hall included a piano player, free T-shirts and volunteers dressed in Christmas sweaters and Santa hats. Dozens of donation cots were set up with donors getting more than cheese and crackers after their donation was completed. The menu included hot ham and turkey sandwiches, bagels, fruit and Christmas cookies. On their way out they could also grab packages of donuts, cupcakes, bread, pie and cake donated by Hy-Vee and arranged by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which also brought several volunteers.

The blood drive is typically held on the morning of Christmas Eve but is held on a weekday when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday or Monday so that more people attend and staff and volunteers are more readily available. To keep up with demand, the region, which covers much of Wisconsin and part of Iowa, needs to collect 455 pints a day.

The past year has included several natural disasters like hurricanes Irma and Harvey and wildfires, which interrupt blood collection in those areas. That means other parts of the country must fill those voids while still meeting the demand for their own region, said Tom Mooney, regional chief operating officer and chapter executive for the Wisconsin Region of the American Red Cross.

We just need more people just to try it, Mooney said of donating. It has been a challenge this year. Inventory is the key. We need roughly 80,000 units on the shelves (nationally) on a daily basis for us to maintain our inventory. When you handle 40 percent of the blood inventory in the U.S., thats quite a responsibility.

Reilly Caldwell grew up in Florida and attended UW-Madison. She spent 18 years in the DeForest School District and seven years in the Green Lake School District before being forced to retire due to her diagnosis. The idea for the book came in 2014 on a sleepless night. Hours later, she had written much of the text and sketched out the images for the book, which was self-published and available on Amazon.

The words for the book came pouring through me, Reilly Caldwell said. I thought that if I cant be teaching theres got to be a way to help children who are fighting (cancer), especially lymphoma.

Reilly Caldwell is now working on a coloring book for children going through chemotherapy and inspired her husband of 34 years, Doug Caldwell, to donate on Friday for the first time since 1975, when he was 21 years old and studying chemical engineering at UW-Madison. He even found and brought along his donor card from 42 years ago.

This is just a way to give a little something back, said Caldwell, 63, who owns and operates a lumber mill in Columbus. I think Ill be a more regular donor now.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 11:58:04|Editor: Mengjie

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HANOI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is expected to welcome the biggest-ever 13 million international arrivals in 2017, posting the highest-ever growth of 30 percent against 2016, the National Administration of Tourism on Friday.

Vietnam is set to make total tourism revenues of over 500 trillion Vietnamese dong (some 23 billion U.S. dollars), contributing around 7 percent of its gross domestic product this year.

To lure more foreign visitors, Vietnam will continue to promote its destinations both at home and abroad, especially in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, improve quality of aviation, customs, accommodation and tourism services, and ensure security and safety at places of interests, said the administration.

Vietnam hosted more than 11.6 million international arrivals in the first 11 months of this year, up 27.8 percent on-year, with the highest growth of 55.3 percent in the number of visitors from South Korea, followed by China (up 44.9 percent) and Russia (34.8 percent).

Last year, Vietnam received over 10 million foreign visitors, including 2.7 million Chinese tourists, posting respective rises of 26 percent and 51.4 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 12:53:13|Editor: Yamei

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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and many others wounded after a Taliban suicide car bombing struck a district police station in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, local police said Friday.

A police official said the Taliban once again used hijacked military vehicle in the attack against security forces.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 13:38:21|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's draft supervision law, which is under its second review at the top legislature, has included major revisions to standardize the new detention system, which is designed to replace the practice of "shuanggui" to ensure the rights of detained suspects.

The family and work unit of detained suspects should be notified of the detention within 24 hours, said a report to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee's bi-monthly session, scheduled to run Friday to Wednesday.

Exceptions can only be made when there is danger of collusion, evidence or witness tampering or other forms of obstruction to the investigation, according to the draft.

The draft clarifies the previous provision, which vaguely stated that exceptions could be made under "circumstances that could obstruct investigation."

The draft was submitted to the top legislature for its first reading in June.

China announced its decision to replace the practice of "shuanggui" with detention, during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October, as reform of the national supervision system deepens.

Shuanggui is an intra-party disciplinary practice, exercised by Party disciplinary officials, where CPC members under investigation must cooperate with questioning at a set time and place.

The new system adds clarity to detention practices.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 13:43:22|Editor: Yurou

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The stocks of Brazil's aircraft manufacturer Embraer skyrocketed on Thursday, following the news of a possible merger with Boeing.

U.S. media reported on Thursday that Boeing is in talks with Embraer over a potential merger, which led to a sharp rise of 22 percent of Embraer's stocks by the end of the day.

According to local news site G1, by the end of the day, Embraer's market value had increased by 2.7 billion reais (815.7 million U.S. dollars).

Embraer has confirmed that it is holding preliminary talks on a merger. However, the Brazilian government has a "golden share" in Embraer, which grants it veto power in such circumstances.

Local media reported that Brazilian President Michel Temer said Embraer would "not be sold by his government."

Embraer is Brazil's only aircraft manufacturer and one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, employing over 16,000 people in the South American country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 13:48:23|Editor: Yurou

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HOUSTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Thursday that he has asked Texas Governor Greg Abbott for 200 million U.S. dollars to speed up the recovery in the U.S. city in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

During a press conference held at City Hall, Turner said that he has sent a letter to Abbott requesting that the state of Texas give Houston 200 million dollars as an "advance," so the city would use the funds to repair homes that got flooded.

"When the Congress and the White House provide us with aid, we will use the money to pay the state back," said Turner.

"It is a way of speeding things up for Houston, the leading economic engine of Texas," the mayor added.

He also commented on the disaster aid bill the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled this week, which amounts to 81 billion dollars.

Texas officials estimate that the state needs 61 billion dollars for its recovery. "All of us in the Texas region agree with that 61 billion dollar assessment," the mayor underlined.

Hurricane Harvey blew ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and damaging nearly 200,000 homes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 13:48:23|Editor: Yurou

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KABUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence paid a pre-Christmas visit to American troops in Afghanistan, authorities said on Friday.

The visiting U.S. vice president also met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and discussed various topics Thursday night, the Afghan Presidential Palace said.

The meeting took place at the Presidential Palace in Kabul and was attended by senior Afghan government officials.

"President Ghani welcomed Vice-President Pence and his delegation and appreciated the sacrifices of U.S. soldiers, along with Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), in the fight against terrorism. The president also commended the continued support of the U.S. for the people and government of Afghanistan," the presidential palace said in a statement.

"The two sides stressed that 2017 has been a year full of achievements in terms of developing the security and defense sectors and focused counter-narcotics efforts. They reiterated the need for timely parliamentary and presidential elections," it added.

Ghani stated that Afghan-U.S. relations are built on mutual strategic interests and are being strengthened further, the statement added, noting that "the president called the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia an opportunity for peace and stability in Afghanistan, which is central to stability and development in the entire region."

Pence reaffirmed that the United States will continue and further enhance its support to the government and people of Afghanistan. He commended the performance of the ANDSF and acknowledged the efforts of the Afghan government to fight corruption, promote effective governance, further the peace process and pursue regional cooperation.

"Vice-President Pence remarked that peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan constitute the pivotal objectives of the U.S. Strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia. He assured the Afghan government of continued U.S. assistance in areas of economic development and efforts to pursue peace and stability," according to the statement.

Foreign dignitaries usually pay unannounced visit to militancy-hit Afghanistan and return to their home countries secretly due to security concerns.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 13:53:24|Editor: Yurou

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HAVANA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Raul Castro reiterated Thursday that Cuba is not responsible for the alleged "acoustic attacks" on U.S. diplomats here.

So far neither Cuban nor American experts have found any evidence that could support the accusation, Castro said at the closing of the plenary session of the National Assembly.

He added that Cuba is not responsible at all for the setback in bilateral ties with the United States.

"The White House fabricates excuses to justify its return to failed policies, which are universally rejected," he said.

Washington said that a group of its diplomats in Cuba had suffered "acoustic attacks" causing symptoms as diverse as deafness, nausea and speech problems.

Havana rejected the accusation, initiated an investigation, and urged the United States to present evidence of the alleged attacks.

The White House has taken a series of retaliation measures, including stopping all consular services, a move that is highly unpopular among Cubans.

Castro reiterated that Cuba is willing to maintain cooperation with the United States and hold negotiations on the basis of mutual respect.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 13:58:24|Editor: Yurou

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PYONGYANG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Swedish government envoy visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) this week and held talks with DPRK officials on bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday.

Kent Rolf Magnus Harstedt, a member of the Swedish parliament, visited Pyongyang from Dec. 19 to 21, the KCNA said.

During the visit, Harstedt met with Ri Su Yong, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, as well as Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, and he held talks with Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol, the agency added.

The two sides discussed expanding bilateral ties in various fields and exchanged views on the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula, according to the report.

Sweden is one of a few Western countries which keep a fully operating embassy in the DPRK and actively participates in United Nations humanitarian projects in the country.

Last week, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said at the United Nations that the international community has to "exhaust every avenue for diplomacy and dialogue" to solve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 14:08:26|Editor: Yurou

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KATHMANDU, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government on Thursday launched the flood resilience portal in Nepali language to provide a consolidated information gateway to public as part of risk reduction and management.

The portal www.floodresilience.net.np was launched here by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development in partnership with various organizations like International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Practical Action and Zurich Global Flood Resilience Program.

According to the government, the portal will timely inform the public about flood risks in flood-risk zones and will minimize the loss of property and lives. It is also expected to enable practitioners to access the most locally relevant flood risk reduction resources and inform resilience building activities with current good practices.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Nepali State Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Janak Raj Chaudhary focused on need of localized and contextualized knowledge in Nepal.

"Government of Nepal is committed to follow the SENDAI Framework and SDGs to mitigate disaster risks and reduce vulnerability in Nepal", minister Chaudhary was quoted in the statement issued by Practical Action.

In an effort to identify innovative and cost-effective ways to implement disaster risk reduction efforts at the community and national levels for resilience against flooding, Nepal government has been working with different actors at international, national to community level.

Nepal is ranked the 20th as the most multi-hazard prone countries in the world and 30th in terms of flood risks. Inundation along the river banks in the Terai plains every monsoon poses threat to lives and livelihood of many.

Only in the last monsoon, the massive flood, the biggest of its kind in decades affected 35 of the country's 77 districts affecting over 1.7 million people and leaving 134 dead.

The Nepali government has also recently formulated Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act which has deputed right, responsibilities and duties to central, provincial and local governments.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 14:23:30|Editor: Yurou

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SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korea held its first presidential by-election in May after President Park Geun-hye was impeached for the first time in the country's modern history over an influence-peddling scandal involving her long-time confidante.

The year 2017 started with a massive candlelit rally demanding ouster of the then embattled president. Angry people took to the streets every weekend as Choi Soon-sil, Park's decades-long friend, was found to have intervened in state affairs behind the scenes and pursue personal gains using her friend's presidential power.

The motion to impeach Park was passed through the National Assembly on Dec. 9, 2016. An independent counsel was named to look into the unprecedented case embroiling a sitting president, and the constitutional court began deliberating the impeachment bill.

Park had promised to be investigated by the special prosecutor, but she broke that promise citing various reasons unacceptable to ordinary people. Anti-Park rallies continued early this year, while supporters of Park held counter rallies near the candlelit demonstrations.

The constitutional court upheld the parliamentary impeachment bill on March 10, making the first female president of South Korea the first leader to be ousted while in office. Park was taken into custody weeks later, while her confidante was detained and stood trial.

Prosecutors identified Park and Choi as criminal accomplice, indicting them on multiple charges including bribery and abuse of power. Former senior presidential secretaries were arrested, and several former ministers stood trial for criminal charges.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was taken into custody and sentenced in August to five years in jail for offering bribes to Choi in return for receiving assistance to inherit management control of Samsung Group, the country's biggest family-controlled conglomerate, from his ailing father Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

Prosecutors asked a Seoul court to sentence Choi to 25 years in prison. The first verdict was scheduled to be handed down early next year. The impeached Park still stood trial, and prosecutors had yet to seek the quantum of sentence.

As the constitutional court approved Park's impeachment in March, the country's presidential by-election was held on May 9 for the first time in the country's history. Local media outlets called it "rose presidential election" as roses bloom in May. Without the impeachment, a regular presidential election should have been held in December.

All of the local media attentions were paid to then main opposition Democratic Party's primary as support for the conservative bloc tumbled with the conservative president's impeachment. Moon Jae-in won a landslide victory in the primary and was elected the country's 19th president in the May 9 by-election.

President Moon was sworn in as president the following day without a 2-month transition period as he was elected in the by-election. The new president declared the elimination of 'oil evils,' and prosecutors launched a broad range of investigation into irregularities conducted in the past decade under the conservative governments.

Documents were found that the country's intelligence agency and the military's cyber command meddled in political affairs by ordering officials to conduct online smear campaign in the 2012 presidential election against then powerful opposition candidate Moon, who was defeated by Park by a narrow margin.

Prosecutors were also investigating into a variety of illegalities such as former spy agency chiefs' offer of illegal fund to the impeached Park in her office, illegal surveillance of liberal civilians and politicians, the attempt to standardize history textbooks and unfair labor practices in local broadcaster MBC.
As the sun set at 4:26 p.m. Thursday, the ensuing darkness capped the shortest day of the year. But for some, it marked more than just the winter solstice  it was the start of months of cold winds and a snow-shrouded landscape that challenges survival.

For the 10th year, members of Madisons homeless community, faith leaders, advocates and friends honored homeless people who have died in the past year during the Longest Night memorial service.

Open cold hearts, we pray, to give warm reception to the hungry, hampered and homeless among us, dozens said in unison at the service on Capitol Square. In a world of war, jealousy, hostility and destruction, let us, O God of all peoples, in all lands, build peace, love and hope.

To Kimberlyann Ellison, who has been homeless since 2013, the memorial was especially meaningful this year, as her friend Lysa Frances had died just last week.

After staying clean for two years, Frances died from an overdose, Ellison said.

When she heard the news, disbelief drove Ellison to call the medical examiners office for confirmation.

I thought it wasnt true, she said. Frances died at 28.

Six people in the Madison area were honored this year, along with others who have died in previous years and in other states.

Nationally, Longest Night services have been taking place since 1990. The first such event in Madison was in 2008.

Linda Ketcham, executive director of Madison-area Urban Ministry, said the memorial, hosted by several faith groups, has evolved over the past decade.

A procession led by a horse-drawn hearse, which helps to draw bystanders attention to the problem, was included a few years ago, Ketcham said. A soup and bread meal at First Methodist Church started last year, and a first-time interfaith service ended this years event.

For about eight years, Mary Graper has participated. She brought warm clothes, as she usually does, to donate Thursday.

Graper described the days weather as mild compared to blustery weather of past years. But it acts as a reminder that the warmth of a home isnt experienced by everyone, she said.

Ryan Maguire, a senior at UW-Madison, said hes had conversations with people who are homeless and has heard stories about the difficult, life-threatening situation of living outside during the winter.

Its a good way of recognizing basic humanity, Maguire said of the memorial, which he attended for the first time.

Todd Hunter said he was first an acquaintance of Dwayne Warren, a chronically homeless man, in the mid-2000s and eventually befriended the very kind, compassionate person.

It took me a long time to develop a friendship with him, but that happened over time, the Madison attorney said.

Hunter helped buy a blue snowsuit for Warren to get through winters. In June 2009, Warren died from septic infection on a bench at the corner of East Main and South Pinckney streets.

It was at that bench where participants gathered in remembrance Thursday and later left from to follow the horse-drawn hearse.

As the procession completed a full trip around Capitol Square and headed toward the bread and soup meal, an electronic candle rested on the bench where Warren died, casting a small light for the oncoming night.

Each year, we want this to be a time when we honor the lives that were often forgotten, said Eldonna Hazen, senior minister of First Congregational United Church of Christ.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 14:28:31|Editor: Yurou

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HOUSTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. pipeline giant Kinder Morgan said Thursday that it is ready to move forward with its 1.7-billion-U.S.-dollar gas pipeline in the U.S. state of Texas.

The project, expected to be operated in October 2019, is meant to capitalize off of the ongoing shale boom in West Texas' Permian Basin. While companies are primarily drilling for oil, there is plenty of associated natural gas produced from the shale rock.

The Houston-based company said the project aims to ship the gas to industrial and port hubs near Houston and Corpus Christi, a city on the Gulf of Mexico, where the gas can be shipped to power plants for electricity generation, to liquefied natural gas export terminals, or to Mexico, which is increasingly importing American gas for its power generation.

When completed, the pipeline network will transport 1.92 billion cubic feet (54 million cubic meters) of gas a day.

The company said the 800-km project is 50 percent owned by Kinder Morgan with the other 25 percent slices of the pie belonging to Houston's Targa Resources and DCP Midstream, which is a joint venture between Houston's Phillips 66 and Calgary-based Enbridge. Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2018.

The pipeline is one of over 15 proposed projects to expand or construct pipelines that will traverse Texas from the Permian Basin to Houston, Corpus Christi and Beaumont. Most of the pipelines are for crude oil or natural gas liquids.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 14:33:34|Editor: Yurou

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SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday made a surprise visit to the site suffering from a building fire that claimed 29 lives the previous day.

Moon arrived at about 2:00 p.m. local time in the burnt eight-story building in Jecheon city, some 170 km southeast of capital Seoul.

Moon was briefed on damage situations, ordering officials to focus on follow-up measures to minimize casualties.

The fire, which started Thursday afternoon from a parking lot on the first floor, engulfed the entire building rapidly, claiming 29 lives and injuring 29 others.

The building accommodates a fitness center, a public sauna and restaurants. Most of the casualties occurred in the public sauna on the second and third floors.

On Thursday, President Moon expressed his sadness over the accident, instructing the interior minister to minimize casualties. The interior minister went to the scene Thursday, and the government launched the disaster management center at the scene.

The building was believed to be built of finishing materials prone to fire and of interior materials discharging toxic gas, increasing the number of death toll.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 14:38:34|Editor: Yurou

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Air Force announced Thursday that it has selected two sites as the preferred locations for the next two Air National Guard F-35A bases.

The two sites are Truax Field Air National Guard Base in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and Dannelly Field in Alabama.

Heather Wilson, secretary of the Air Force, said they will "increase Air National Guard F-35A units providing 5th Generation airpower around the world."

"As F-35As arrive at these locations, we will use the existing aircraft at these fields to replace the aging F-16s at other Air National Guard units," he added.

The F-35 family includes three variants which are all single-seat jets: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant, the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant, and the F-35C carrier variant.

The F-35A is designed to replace many of the 4th generation Air Force aircraft. But the service will continue to deploy a mix of 5th and 4th generation fighter jets into the 2040s.

The Air Force reportedly expects the F-35As to begin arriving at Truax Field in early 2023 and at Dannelly Field later that year.

The two sites stay as preferred alternatives until the Air Force makes the final decisions after required evaluations are complete.

The Air Force said it also considered bases in states of Idaho, Michigan and Florida in this round of decisions. Those locations were reasonable alternatives, but not preferred.

The F-35 program, principally funded by the United States, is the most expensive military weapons system in history, but it has been under criticism for cost overrun and delayed delivery.

U.S. weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp, the major contractor for the program, has delivered more than 265 F-35 aircraft to the United States and international customers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 14:48:37|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature Friday began discussing two draft revisions to laws on judges and prosecutors to legislate on judicial reforms.

The draft revisions were given a first reading at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, which runs until Dec. 27.

Compared with the current law, the draft revision to the Judges Law adds stipulations about the establishment of selection committees responsible for examining the professional competence of judge candidates in the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the provincial-level areas.

The draft raises the professional threshold for judges, requiring at least five years of legal practice. Under the current law, those holding master's or doctorate degrees are allowed to be recruited as judges after just one year of legal practice.

Meanwhile, the draft revision tightens supervision over judges, as committees must be set up in the SPC and provincial-level regions to punish judges for wrong decisions with serious consequences, as a result of negligence or deliberate breach of laws and regulations.

Judges are banned from working part time in profit-making organizations, but are allowed to teach or research part-time in institutions of higher education or research after being approved.

Those who have had their certificates of notary or law practice revoked will be forbidden from serving as a judge for life.

According to the draft revision to the prosecutors law, a similar selection mechanism for prosecutors has been introduced. It states that committees should be established to select prosecutors in the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) and provincial-level areas.

Moreover, the draft encourages prosecutors to be selected from lawyers, legal scholars and others to practice law.

To strengthen the supervision over prosecutors, the draft revision stipulates that punishment committees should be set up in the SPP and provincial-level regions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 14:48:38|Editor: Yurou

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on a new draft resolution that would tighten sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to its ballistic missile launch last month.

A Security Council meeting has been scheduled for Friday at 1:00 p.m. EST (1800 GMT). The U.S.-drafted resolution was circulated among council members on Thursday.

The draft, seen by Xinhua, seeks to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports, including diesel and kerosene, to the DPRK, setting a ceiling of 500,000 barrels a year. It also caps crude oil exports to the DPRK at 4 million barrels a year.

The draft also demands the repatriation of overseas DPRK workers within 12 months.

In addition, the draft resolution bans DPRK exports of food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone, including magnesite and magnesia, wood and vessels. It bans the supply of industrial equipment, machinery, transportation vehicles, and industrial metals to the DPRK.

The draft also provides for measures to stop ships illegally providing oil to the DPRK through ship-to-ship transfers and smuggling DPRK coal and other prohibited commodities by sea.

UN member states shall seize, inspect, freeze and impound any vessel in its territorial waters, if the member state has reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel was involved in activities, or the transport of items, prohibited by Security Council resolutions, reads the text.

The draft resolution puts 19 new DPRK citizens, most of them bank officials, and the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces on a list for a global asset freeze and travel ban.

Pyongyang successfully test-fired a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile in late November, drawing strong condemnation from the international community.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 15:13:43|Editor: Jiaxin

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that the administration is fully cooperating with the Russia probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian interference in last year's U.S. presidential election and collusion between U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign and Moscow.

Pence, reportedly speaking to reporters during an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, made the remarks when asked whether he would agree to be interviewed by the special counsel's team if there is a request.

"Let me just say we are fully cooperating with the special counsel and will continue to provide any and all assistance and information," Pence said.

GOP critics and conservative media outlets have said the investigation is tainted with bias against Trump.

Several Republican congressmen have urged Mueller to step down, while Trump said he's not considering firing Mueller.

Last week, Mueller's team received tens of thousands of emails sent and received by officials from Trump's transition team before the start of the presidency.

A lawyer for the transition team accused Mueller of illegally obtaining those emails, while a spokesman for Mueller defended himself against any wrongdoing.

Mueller's probe entered a new phase earlier this month when former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.

Flynn is now cooperating with Mueller regarding the investigation. Russia has denied meddling in the election, while Trump has denied any collusion.

Trump's lawyers have said they expect that Mueller will complete the investigation soon, but the special counsel hasn't made any public comments about the probe.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 15:23:46|Editor: Jiaxin

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LIMA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Peruvian President Pablo Kuczynski survived an impeachment vote on Thursday after the Congress failed to pass a motion against him over graft allegations.

The motion failed to gain enough votes with 79 in favor, 19 against and 21 abstentions after more than 10 hours of debate by lawmakers in the session.

Two-thirds of the vote, or 87 of 130 lawmakers in the Congress, were required to approve an impeachment.

The motion to impeach Kuczynski followed revelations that the companies linked to Kuczynski had accepted bribes from disgraced Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, although he denied any wrongdoing.

Earlier in the day, Kuczynski addressed congress to claim his innocence and warned that the move to unseat him could weaken the nation's democracy.

"I only hope parliament understands the historical magnitude of the mistake it plans to commit and does not vote in favor of a motion to nullify (the presidency) without any real reason. You will not be harming me, you will be harming Peru," Kuczynski said in his defense.

The president called on lawmakers "to preserve the institutions and the democratic system" by voting against the motion.

Kuczynski, 79, was elected in 2016 after campaigning on a pledge to clean up corruption and secure political stability in Peru.

The motion to impeach the president for "moral incapacity" was pushed by the opposition Popular Force party. The party is led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who narrowly lost the 2016 election to Kuczynski.

Due to the Odebrecht corruption scandal, Kuczynski's predecessors Ollanta Humala is being held in preventive custody and Alejandro Toledo, facing an arrest warrant, is currently a fugitive in the United States.

According to the data provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Odebrecht paid 29 million U.S. dollars to Peruvian leaders and presidential candidates from 2006 to 2014, in order to be awarded major public work contracts.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 15:33:50|Editor: Jiaxin

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Candidate of Ciudadanos Party Ines Arrimadas (R F) and President of Ciudadanos party Albert Rivera (L) meet the media after the result of elections came out in Barcelona, Spain, Dec. 21, 2017. The pro-unity Catalan party Ciudadanos (Cs) won the most votes with 25 percent in the snap regional election on Thursday, with 99.5 percent of votes counted. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)

BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The pro-unity Catalan party Ciudadanos (Cs) won the most votes with 25 percent in the snap regional election on Thursday, with 99.5 percent of votes counted.

But the pro-independence bloc consisting of three parties -- JuntsxCat, ERC and CUP -- kept its absolute majority in the 135-seat regional parliament, crossing the threshold of 68 required for a majority.

PRO-UNITY CIUDADANOS BECOMES NO.1 POLITICAL FORCE

Ciudadanos, led by Ines Arrimadas, gained 37 seats with 25.36 percent of the votes.

Arrimadas delivered a speech at Espanya Square after her party became the first political force in Catalonia's regional election.

"For the first time a constitutional force wins the elections in Catalonia, and it is Ciudadanos," she said, adding that one in four Catalans trusted the political party.

Arrimadas said the results sent a message to the world that the majority of Catalan people were in favor of remaining in Spain and separatists can not talk on behalf of all Catalans.

In the pro-unity bloc, the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) won 17 seats, having slightly outweighed their performance in 2015, but the center-right People's Party (PP), under the leadership of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, suffered a serious setback and got only three seats.

In the pro-secession bloc, former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont's JuntsxCat, or Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), secured 34 seats with 21.68 percent of the votes.

Left-wing pro-secession ERC came third with 32 seats and the anti-capitalist CUP won four seats.

The three pro-independence forces together make up 70 seats, two above a majority but two less than in the previous 2015 election.

A record 82 percent of Catalonia's 5.5 million eligible voters cast their ballots, well above the 74.9-percent turnout in the last election held in September 2015.

The snap election was called by Rajoy, after he sacked the Catalan regional government and dissolved the regional parliament in late October, following an independence declaration by separatist regional politicians.

PROBLEMS RAISED BY RESULTS

The results create several problems given the disastrous setback for the PP and the slightly disappointing performance of the PSC, as it is impossible for the three pro-unity parties to get anywhere near a majority.

Meanwhile, although JuntsxCat performed much better than expected in holding off the ERC as the main separatist force, their leader Puigdemont is currently in exile in Belgium with an arrest warrant hanging over him if he returns to Spain, while the ERC leader Oriol Junqueras is in pre-trial detention facing charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

There are also questions over the relationship of the two main pro-secession parties. The CUP had affirmed its commitment to a unilateral declaration of independence for the region before the election, while the ERC and JuntsxCat now appear to favor a less drastic approach to gaining independence for the region.

Despite Ciudadanos claiming the most votes and seats, it has to be viewed as a pyrrhic victory for Arrimadas, who has succeeded in virtually wiping out the PP as a political force in Catalonia.

Indeed the PP will have to sit with the CUP in the "mixed group" in the next assembly as it does not have enough members to form its own parliamentary group, but looks certain to be the leader of the opposition.

Meanwhile, the PSC is likely to be disappointed that despite a more moderate tone than either Ciudadanos or the PP, they gained just one more seat in the election, which more than anything highlights how divided Catalan society remains.

The region was governed by a coalition consisting of the Socialists, ERC and a mix of the United Left and Greens 10 years ago. Given the divisive events of recent months, a repeat of that kind of coalition would certainly help heal the wounds in Catalonia.

"I see a Catalonia where reconciliation and brotherhood should be the main idea. We need to rebuild reconciliation," a 47-year-old civil servant who only gave his name as Dani told Xinhua at a polling station in Barcelona.

"The only solution for the future of Catalonia is a deal among all sides to relaunch the nation. Tomorrow we have to talk more than ever, because so far we have talked only a bit. More dialogue, more negotiation and more deals (are needed)," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 15:58:55|Editor: pengying

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers Friday reviewed a draft decision to extend pilot program allowing farmers in selected areas to mortgage their land use rights and housing property rights.

The draft was submitted at a bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which opened Friday.

Approved in December 2015, the pilot program for mortgaging contracted land use right was carried out in 232 regions, and that for mortgaging rural property right was started in 59 localities.

The pilot is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2017. The draft stipulates extending the pilot program for one year until Dec. 31, 2018, to learn from experience and lay a solid foundation for further legal amendments.

The pilot program has achieved strong initial results, with improvement in rural financial services and higher incomes for farmers.

By the end of September, the program saw 44.8 billion yuan (about 6.8 billion U.S. dollars) of loans issued in the 232 regions and 26.1 billion yuan issued in the 59 regions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:09:00|Editor: Jiaxin

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Afghan security force members inspect the site of an attack in Maywand district police station of Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, Dec. 22, 2017. At least eight people were killed and many others wounded after a Taliban suicide car bombing struck a district police station in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, local police said Friday. (Xinhua/Sanaullah Seiam)

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and many others wounded after a Taliban suicide car bombing struck a district police station in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, local police said Friday.

The attack occurred roughly at 04:30 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) Friday, after a Taliban suicide bomber drove a hijacked explosive-laden military vehicle into the Maywand district police station, a local police official told Xinhua anonymously.

The killed included seven policemen and the suicide bomber, and eight police personnel were also wounded in the attack, the source noted.

"Police manning the front gate of the station fired on the attacker in an effort to intercept the attack but they failed to stop the running vehicle," he said.

The official added that the assailant detonated the vehicle at the second gate of the compound, where an Afghan Local Police (ALP) command and control post was also located, and the massive explosion left the casualties and destroyed the ALP building.

The government established the ALP, or community police, in 2010 to protect villages and districts around the country where army and police have limited presence.

Provincial police Chief Gen. Abdul Raziq confirmed to Xinhua the incident, saying "an investigation is still on into the incident and details will be shared with media later in the day."

Taliban insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attack in the district, western of provincial capital Kandahar city, 450 km south of Kabul.

The Taliban insurgency has been on the rampage since the beginning of 2015 when the Afghan security forces assumed full responsibilities of security from the U.S. and NATO troops.

The Taliban militants have used more than five hijacked military vehicles to target security forces in the past couple of months.

On Nov. 12, one Afghan policeman was killed and a security checkpoint was destroyed when a Taliban fighter attacked the post by a hijacked armored vehicle in the remote Maruf district of Kandahar.
The Republicans are betting big on a parlay.

In gambling, a parlay is a combination bet that only pays off when every part of the wager wins. So if I bet that the Patriots, Cowboys and Dolphins will win on Sunday, I only collect if all three win. The payoff is much greater than making three individual bets because the odds of picking three winners are worse.

Tax reform is a massive parlay.

Republicans are betting that passage of tax reform will have the desired economic effect, boosting economic growth and wages, with (politically) minimal impact on the deficit. Theyre also betting that passage will dispel the widespread sense that the GOP-controlled Congress cant get anything done. But the biggest bet is that the expected boost to the economy and the renewed sense of GOP competence will not only make this remarkably unpopular legislation popular, but that a roaring economy will have a huge electoral payoff come the 2018 midterms and beyond.

Odds are good that the policy bet will pay off. If slashing business taxes, switching to a territorial tax system and giving roughly 80 percent of Americans a tax cut doesnt stimulate economic growth, Id be shocked. Ill also be surprised if the deficit doesnt go up, but the deficit hasnt really moved many voters since Ross Perot ran for president in 1992.

The gamble that voters not already in the GOP column will suddenly see the Republicans as a competent and reliable governing party strikes me as somewhat less plausible. The last year has been more than a little chaotic. And passing tax cuts is part of Republicans basic job description. The fact this is the only major legislation they could get through  in an ugly process  may not strike many persuadable voters as proof the GOP can get other things done.

But the last bet is the real long shot. While I certainly think this legislation will become more popular  it couldnt get less popular, given the at times absurd media coverage  it seems highly unlikely the GOP will reverse the headwinds its facing in 2018.

First of all, the economy is doing quite well right now, yet President Trumps popularity remains stuck at all-time lows for any president. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds that Democrats have overtaken Republicans on the question of who is better at handling the economy.

Even more revealing, despite a plurality of voters (40 percent) saying Trump has made the economy better, voters still dont like him. A president is getting credit for the economy improving and not deriving political value from it, Republican pollster Bill McInturff told NBC. We are watching things we have not seen before in my career.

Trump is at 41 percent approval in the WSJ/NBC poll, which is a few ticks above the Real Clear Politics average, which has him hovering around 38 percent. But the theme is clear across polls and recent elections. The suburban, college-educated cadres that make up much of the reliable GOP base as well as the Republican-leaners who often provide the margin of victory, particularly in midterms, are simply fed up with Trumps drama. Those voters either didnt turn out or voted Democrat in elections in Virginia, Alabama and elsewhere, giving Democrats significant and symbolic victories.

Republicans are gambling that James Carvilles old mantra of its the economy, stupid will save them. The problem is that the economy decides the election every single time, except when it doesnt. For instance, the polls told Mitt Romney to run against Obama on the economy. But at the end of the day, voters liked Obama more than Romney.

The irony is Trump won in 2016 by tapping into the Nixonian insight that social issues  as defined by my old boss Ben Wattenberg in his book with Richard Scammon, The Real Majority  often decide elections. The GOP did well in the 2002 midterms by running on terrorism, not the economy.

Even the economy, like deficit, is often a stand-in for complicated attitudes about the larger direction of the country. Trumps indictment of the establishment and his focus on immigration and crime were inseparable from his economic message.

The presidents party almost always suffers in midterm elections. Maybe well get a roaring economy and a newfound confidence in the GOP, but, barring a war, Ill be shocked if the GOP is not shellacked in 2018 if the most salient social issue out there remains Donald Trump.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:09:00|Editor: Jiaxin

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Chairman Shin Dong-bin (R) of Lotte Group, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 22, 2017. Chairman Shin Dong-bin of Lotte Group, South Korea's fifth-largest family-controlled conglomerate, was sentenced Friday to 20 months in jail suspended for two years on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho)

SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chairman Shin Dong-bin of Lotte Group, South Korea's fifth-largest family-controlled conglomerate, was sentenced Friday to 20 months in jail suspended for two years on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down the verdict on Shin, who was charged with inflicting losses to Lotte units through embezzlement and breach of trust. Prosecutors sought 10 years in prison for the chairman.

The court ruled that losses to Lotte units were not deliberately caused, calling it a misjudgment in management. It also said the amount of losses were hard to exactly calculate, sentencing Shin to the suspended imprisonment.

Shin Kyuk-ho, the chairman's father and the group's founder, was sentenced to four years in jail, but he was not put under custody in the court as the 95-year-old was believed to be incapable of serving his prison term normally.

The Lotte founder was fined 3.5 billion won (3.2 million U.S. dollars) for conviction of some of embezzlement and breach of trust charges.

Shin Dong-joo, the chairman's elder brother and former vice president of Tokyo-based Lotte Holdings, was found not guilty, while Shin Young-ja, the chairman's elder sister, was sentenced to two years in prison.

Seo Mi-kyung, the mistress of the founder, get a two-year jail term suspended for three years.

The chairman and the founder were indicted last year on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust as they paid tens of millions of U.S. dollars in wages to family members who had never worked for the company.

The family members were also accused of inflicting losses to Lotte units by forcing subsidiaries to cover losses from each other.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:19:04|Editor: pengying

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SHENZHEN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A third Boeing 747 freighter finally found a buyer on Taobao, Alibaba's e-commerce platform, Friday, after it was not sold with two other planes in a previous auction.

The plane was put up for sale for 98 million yuan (14.8 million U.S. dollars) Thursday. After 49 bids, a buyer under the username "HEFFETZ ESHEL" representing an overseas company won the bid at 146 million yuan.

Two Boeing 747 freighters were successfully auctioned on Taobao's judicial sales platform in November and were handed over to its buyer SF Airlines earlier this month. They sold for a total of 320 million yuan.

The three freight planes were previously owned by Jade Cargo International, the first Chinese cargo carrier with foreign investment. The company folded in 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:34:07|Editor: pengying

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GUANGZHOU, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) said Friday it would build a 3 gigawatt deepwater wind power project off the coast of Guangdong Province.

The country's largest nuclear power operator said it would install wind turbines at two deepwater sea areas near the city of Jieyang.

The company plans to invest 5 billion yuan (760 million U.S. dollars) in the initial period, with the total investment estimated at over 100 billion yuan.

CGN Chairman He Yu said the offshore wind power project was in line with the country's efforts to improve the energy mix for greener economic growth.

Chen Sui, chairman of CGN New Energy Holdings, said the company would build the wind farm into a demonstration project across the country.

CGN New Energy's 150 megawatt wind farm off the coast of Rudong County, east China's Jiangsu Province, went into full operation in September 2016. The farm, 25 kilometers from the coast, was a major breakthrough for China's wind power development.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:34:08|Editor: Jiaxin

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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani army said Friday that security forces have killed four terrorists in mountainous areas in southwestern Balochistan province.

"During exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed. These terrorists were making threatening calls to local population," the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

In other sanitization operation in Gandimgozi Kaur area, the security troops killed other two terrorists in a hideout and recovered ammunition and weapons.

The operation was conducted days after a group of terrorists attacked a church in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan and killed at least nine people and injured nearly 40 others.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:39:09|Editor: Jiaxin

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BAGHDAD, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iraq Friday welcomed the United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA) resolution over Jerusalem and considered it a victory for international legitimacy and for the Palestinian cause.

"The Iraqi Foreign Ministry welcomes UNGA resolution which rejected changes to Jerusalem, and affirms Iraq's determination on its steadfast stance about Palestine and Jerusalem, and calls on the world to confront the attempts to undermine the Holly City (Jerusalem)," the ministry said in a statement.

"The vote of Iraq among 128 countries in favor of the resolution, which came with almost international unanimity, has made the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of the Zionist entity null and void, and proved the legitimate and legal right for Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital," the statement said.

On Thursday, the UNGA overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem, calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's capital, despite threats by the U.S. President Donald Trump to cut aid to those countries who voted against the move.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the resolution, nine countries voted against it and 35 others abstained.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:47:26|Editor: Jiaxin

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Residents participate in a projector art creation workshop during the 24th Winter Solstice Lantern Festival in Vancouver, Canada, on Dec. 21, 2017. People in different communities participated in the annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival in Vancouver to celebrate the longest night of the year. (Xinhua/Liang Sen)
Maher Khayata, a 60-year-old man, sits on the rooftop of a shattered shopping compound in the Old City of Aleppo, northern Syria, on Dec. 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

by Hummam Sheikh Ali

ALEPPO, Syria, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- In the old part of Aleppo city, rubbles fill the horizon. Destroyed buildings stand witness to a war that had ripped the old city apart before it ended in December 2016 with the army defeating the rebels in the eastern part of Aleppo.

But as people often say, "life goes on" and "there is hope tomorrow."

A very few people have remained here for the sake of their unbroken attachment to homes.

Maher Khayata, a 60-year-old man, is one of them.

He is the guardian of a shopping compound, where a big metal gate, which is closed and locked by an old scarf, still serves as the entrance as if nothing has changed.

Behind the gate, a rubble-strewn yard separates the shops, which are largely destroyed.

Maher Khayata, a 60-year-old man, smokes on the rooftop of a shattered shopping compound in the Old City of Aleppo, northern Syria, on Dec. 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

He has spent his life protecting them and making sure they stay safe. When the war shattered his life and squashed all into ruins, he remained there, guarding each memory of his with every falling rock in the old city.

Khayata lives with his sick wife and his 15-year-old son in a makeshift house on the rooftop. The man has to climb a precarious ladder over the destroyed staircase to his home. One slip could cost him his life.

"I am here guarding the ruins, guarding even the doors. I am the guardian of these ruins," said Khayata, with grey shaggy hair and shabby clothes.

The man told Xinhua that he has spent his life working as a guard of these shops, which don't even belong to him, in the Khan al-Harir street in Aleppo's Old City.

"We have been here for 70 years since my deceased father. I was born here and I am 60 years old, wanting to do nothing but to remain here," he said.

He said the merchants owning the place used to give him money on a weekly or monthly basis to ask him to look after their properties.

During the war, he briefly moved to his relative nearby but kept on coming back to look after this place every day.

"I never left this area," Khayata said.

"When the clashes raged outside this gate, I would be inside making tea and coffee," he said.

Maher Khayata, a 60-year-old man, climbs a precarious ladder over the destroyed staircase to his home on the rooftop of a shattered shopping compound in the Old City of Aleppo, northern Syria, on Dec. 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

According to Khayata, his current job is to remove the rubble and clean the shops so that when the merchants return to their shops, they will find them clean.

"If the ship is sinking, we don't push it down but try to save what could be saved, and I am here doing that," he explained.

He said his wife is suffering from a back disk and one of his sons is living with him, while the other two went missing during the war.

The man, however, still has a strong faith that everything can be repaired.

"Everything can return to how it was. This is why I have faith that this area in old Aleppo will return to what it used to be, and even better," Khayata said.

He said a few shop owners have started to return to fix and reopen their businesses.

"The owners told me to clean the rubble and look after the things that can be used," the old man said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:54:13|Editor: pengying

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's draft law on people's juries, which is under its first review at the top legislature's bi-monthly session, allows for a wider range of candidates to become jurors and explicitly states their duties.

The draft law was based on a decision in 2004 by the National People's Congress Standing Committee to improve the people's jury system, and also based on experience drawn from over two years of pilots at courts across the country.

The draft law states that citizens who have received high school education or above can be selected as jurors, instead of the previous requirement of higher education.

It also changed the age limit for candidates from 23 years and above to 28 years and above.

According to the draft law, the jury system applies to civil, criminal, and administrative cases in the first instance that involve group or public interests, receive widespread public attention, or have major social impact, except cases where only judges are allowed.

Jurors are selected randomly from eligible local residents, but a certain proportion should be chosen based on personal applications and recommendations by entities, the draft law states.

It also states that jurors can take part in trials in the form of three-person or seven-person collegiate benches together with judges.

On three-person collegiate benches, jurors have the same rights as judges, but on seven-person collegiate benches, jurors can only engage in fact finding, not the application of legal clauses.

The draft law states that criminal cases where defendants are likely to be sentenced to over ten years in prison, public interest litigation cases, and major cases involving the public interest, such as land expropriation, environmental protection and food safety, should be heard by seven-person collegiate benches.

The draft law also includes terms of certain financial compensation for the work of jurors.

The jurors have a term of five years and normally cannot work a second term.

It also asks courts to set a limit on the number of cases a juror can hear each year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 17:19:21|Editor: Jiaxin

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ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's government and rebel groups have signed a new agreement here in a bid to end a four-year civil war.

The agreement was inked on Thursday following the peace talks in the Revitalization Forum for the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, led by a regional bloc the Intergovernmental Authority on Development since Dec. 17 in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

During the opening of the Forum, the African Union said that the week would mark the beginning of a genuine reconciliation and the end of the nightmare that the people of South Sudan have been living through since December 2013.

The pan-African bloc welcomed the new deal later, and stressed the need of the full and effective implementation of the agreement to end violence and uphold the most basic tenets of international humanitarian law.

South Sudan descended into violence after the political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy turned rebel chief Riek Machar led to split the army, leaving soldiers to fight alongside ethnic lines.

A 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict was weakened after the outbreak of renewed fighting in July 2016 forced the opposition rebel leader Machar to flee the South Sudanese capital of Juba.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 17:39:26|Editor: Jiaxin

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TOKYO, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kansai Electric Power Co. on Friday decided to decommission two aging reactors at its Oi power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan.

The 1,175 megawatt reactors, which are approaching 40 years in age, are among the first of their size and capacity to be scrapped, with the company deciding that the cost to upgrade them to meet new safety standards would be untenable.

Under stricter safety regulations in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, reactors are not allowed to operate for more than 40 years, although, if upgrades meet Japan's nuclear watchdog's requirements, they may be allowed to operate for an additional 20 years.

It would reportedly cost the utility around 100 billion yen (882 million U.S. dollars) to upgrade the aged reactors, which would add to the 830 billion yen (7.32 billion U.S. dollars) Kansai Electric is already forking out to bring seven of its 11 reactors back online and in line with new stringent safety requirements.

The scrapping of the two reactors, as many of the nation's reactors remain idled in the wake of the Fukushima disaster pending safety checks, may come as a blow to the Japanese government, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set out plans targeting 20 to 22 percent of total electricity production coming from nuclear power in fiscal 2030.
. 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.
Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2016 shows South Sudan's government troops on a military truck preparing a journey to the frontline in Malakal, South Sudan.(Xinhua/Gale Julius)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's government and rebel groups have signed a new agreement here in a bid to end a four-year civil war.

The agreement was inked on Thursday following the peace talks in the Revitalization Forum for the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, led by a regional bloc the Intergovernmental Authority on Development since Dec. 17 in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

During the opening of the Forum, the African Union said that the week would mark the beginning of a genuine reconciliation and the end of the nightmare that the people of South Sudan have been living through since December 2013.

The pan-African bloc welcomed the new deal later, and stressed the need of the full and effective implementation of the agreement to end violence and uphold the most basic tenets of international humanitarian law.

South Sudan descended into violence after the political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy turned rebel chief Riek Machar led to split the army, leaving soldiers to fight alongside ethnic lines.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 18:19:33|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- As an effective organ to safeguard free trade across the world, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has seen its fundamental principles upheld by most members. Disagreements arise now and then, and a respect for the WTO's role to settle disparities has been key in driving global trade.

In a long-winded report on Tuesday, the European Commission went defiant of WTO rules by inviting the notion of "significant market distortion."

The new anti-dumping rules carefully refrained from focusing on whether China is a "market or non-market economy."

However, the rules introduce the concept of "significant market distortion" between a product's sale price and its production cost. The European Union (EU) has thus employed once again its "surrogate country" approach by calling out China as a country with "significant market distortion."

WTO countries can look at a "surrogate country" to determine whether China is exporting goods at unfairly low prices and therefore dumping its products. This was a practice that should have ended a year ago, 15 years after China became a WTO member in December 2001; unfortunately, it endures.

There is no such concept of "significant market distortion" under the WTO. The EU's methodology lacks support from the WTO and weakens the authority of its anti-dumping legal system.

This is not the first time the EU has meddled with concepts concerning trade with China. It's normal to dispute a trading partner as long as doing so falls within an already established, sound legal system; however, the EU has refused to abandon measures outlawed by the WTO, such as rules relating to a surrogate country.

For 16 years China has sacrificed plenty simply by upholding the WTO's legal principles and rules. Distortions of the WTO framework for a single party's benefit are intolerable. The EU has created its own rules, putting China at a disadvantage.

China reserves its rights under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and will take necessary measures to protect its legitimate interests.

Nevertheless, China aims to properly settle trade disputes, whether with the EU or anyone, in a manner that is fair to all parties. The current EU approach is in blatant violation of WTO rules and unfairly targets China.

When meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk last month in Manila, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China and the EU should strive to solve their long-standing problems with "greater wisdom."

China is pushing forward cooperation with different parts of Europe. Apart from robust trade links with major economies on the continent, the cooperation mechanism between China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries, known as "16+1", has flourished soundly in recent years.

When it comes to trade, China believes that all parties could bake a cake big enough for everyone to have a bite, if only they choose to work in the same kitchen.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 18:24:36|Editor: Jiaxin

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Police experts search for evidence at the site of an explosion outside Athens Appeals Court in Athens, Greece, on Dec. 22, 2017. A bomb went off near the Athens Appeals Court early Friday, injuring nobody but causing property damage. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua)-- A bomb went off near the Athens Appeals Court early Friday, injuring nobody but causing property damage.

A guard spotted two individuals leaving a bag in the darkness before dawn near the building, police spokesman Theodoros Chronopoulos told local SKAI TV.

The attackers also shot at a court guard but missed the target.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast yet, but according to police sources the incident is being investigated as a terror attack by local anti-establishment groups.

Shortly before the bomb blast, those behind the attack also called two local media outlets to warn that a bomb would soon explode near the court.

In recent months protesters have stormed the court building in attempts to stop the auction of foreclosed properties. Earlier this week parliament passed measures to impose heavier penalties on protesters.

Greece has been suffering from home-grown crime gangs over the past four decades. Despite the dismantling of gang groups, a new generation has taken over especially after the start of the debt crisis in 2009 and the bailout programs.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 18:34:38|Editor: pengying

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BISHKEK, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will only grow in the international arena, leader of the Communist party of Kyrgyzstan, member of the Parliament Ishak Masaliev told Xinhua on Thursday.

Commenting his recent participation in the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in Beijing, Masaliev said China conveyed its proposal at the meeting that the development of economy will help achieve much more positive changes for all countries.

He said the proposal by the CPC, which he thinks ranks as one of the most leading parties in the world, is more effective and promising.

"This proposal was of great interest to all political parties participating in this forum," he said.

The Kyrgyz lawmaker said the proposals and initiatives put forward by China, including the Belt and Road Initiative, can help Kyrgyzstan achieve a powerful impetus in economic development.

On bilateral economic and geographical relations, Masaliev said Kyrgyzstan should carefully consider the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

"We must find mutually beneficial projects that will be economically beneficial to Kyrgyzstan and China," he added.

The leader of the Communist of Kyrgyzstan believed that this initiative will help the world overcome problems such as poverty and radicalization of society.

Masaliev emphasized the consistency and receptivity in the CPC's leadership, saying "the party ... looks for its own way for the development."

Masaliev said the 19th National Congress of the CPC in October indicated that the party supports its leadership. He also said it performs its work well.

He said keeping the continuity of a thousand-fold calculation before making decisions leads to only positive results.

"As far as I understand, the life of the leading communists is modest. This has a very positive effect on the attitude of society towards the Chinese Communist Party," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 18:39:39|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Photo taken on Dec. 21, 2017 shows the voting result of aUnited Nations General Assembly resolution on the status of Jerusalem during a rare emergency special session at the UN headquarters in New York. The General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution on the status of Jerusalem that will make U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as theIsraeli capital have no legal effect. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Thursday voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions to adopt a resolution on the status of Jerusalem, which shows that few countries favor the U.S. decision to recognize the holy city as the Israeli capital and mirrors the isolation of the United States on the issue.

The resolution, tabled by Turkey and Yemen in a rare emergency special session at the UN, affirmed that the U.S. decision has "no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council."

It also called upon all UN member states to "refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem."

The nine countries that voted against the text were Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo, as well as the United States and Israel.

Such a vote at the General Assembly is non-binding, but a resounding "yes" reflects the collective will of the international community and carries much political weight.

Before the vote, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley repeated the threat to cut aid for the countries that would have voted in favor of the draft resolution as well as U.S. contributions to the United Nations.

On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and instructed to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which had been strongly opposed or condemned by the international community.

The latest General Assembly resolution reaffirmed the international community's voice against the U.S. move. It was also a response to the U.S. veto of a draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem tabled by Egypt at the Security Council on Monday.

Although vetoed and blocked by the United States, all the other 14 Security Council members voted to back the Egypt-proposed draft resolution.

The Arab League condemned on Tuesday the U.S. veto of the Security Council resolution rejecting Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the veto will increase Washington's isolation.

"By this move, the United States withdraws itself from the peace process and puts itself in an isolated position," Abdel-Raouf al-Reedy, former Egyptian Ambassador to the United States and head of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, also said on Tuesday.

Countries around the world welcomed the resolution's adoption and urged the United States to rescind its decision.

"We welcome with great pleasure the UN General Assembly's overwhelming support for a historic resolution on Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem)," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on his official Twitter account.

"We expect the Trump administration to rescind without further delay its unfortunate decision, whose illegality has been clearly established by the UNGA," he added.

Earlier Thursday at an awards ceremony in Ankara, Erdogan blasted the U.S. threat to cut aid to countries that vote against Washington at the UN General Assembly on Jerusalem.

"Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," he said, calling on the world not to "sell your struggle for democracy for a few dollars."

In a statement, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the UN resolution "created a new opportunity for peace efforts" in the region.

Palestinians on Thursday hailed the UN General Assembly resolution. Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that the resolution expresses the international community's support for Palestinian rights.

"The threats by Trump to UN members didn't prevent them from voting in favor of the resolution," said Abu Rdineh.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 18:49:42|Editor: pengying

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature Friday began discussing two draft revisions to laws on judges and prosecutors to legislate on judicial reforms.

The draft revisions were given a first reading at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, which runs until Dec. 27.

The two laws were both adopted in 1995 and went through amendments in June 2001 and September 2017.

Compared with the current law, the draft revision to the Judges Law adds stipulations about the establishment of selection committees responsible for examining the professional competence of judge candidates in the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the provincial-level areas.

The draft raises the professional threshold for judges, requiring at least five years of legal practice. Under the current law, those holding master's or doctorate degrees are allowed to be recruited as judges after just one year of legal practice.

Meanwhile, the draft revision tightens supervision over judges, as committees must be set up in the SPC and provincial-level regions to punish judges for wrong decisions with serious consequences, as a result of negligence or deliberate breach of laws and regulations.

Judges are banned from working part time in profit-making organizations, but are allowed to teach or research part-time in institutions of higher education or research after being approved.

Those who have had their certificates of notary or law practice revoked will be forbidden from serving as judges for life.

"The revision is very necessary as practice has shown that many provisions of the law, including the rights and obligations of judges, have been outdated and can no longer meet the requirement of the new situation," said Zhou Qiang, president of the SPC, explaining the draft revision to lawmakers.

According to the draft revision to the prosecutors law, a similar selection mechanism for prosecutors has been introduced. It states that committees should be established to select prosecutors in the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) and provincial-level areas.

Moreover, the draft encourages prosecutors to be selected from lawyers, legal scholars and others to practice law.

To strengthen supervision over prosecutors, the draft revision stipulates that punishment committees should be set up in the SPP and provincial-level regions.

The country's procuratorates shall set up committees to protect the rights and interests of prosecutors and ensure they are able to exert their judicial duties in accordance to law, according to the draft.

"The revision is of important significance to improve judicial credibility and the quality and efficiency in dealing with judicial cases," said Procurator-General Cao Jianming, explaining the draft to lawmakers. "The revision will help improve the professional competence of prosecutors and the management of legal teams."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 18:49:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Christopher Guly

OTTAWA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet's image was tarnished for not keeping to earlier ethics promises, after he was reported on Wednesday of violating a conflict-of-interest law.

"Trudeau started out as prime minister with strong ethics talk, but he and many of his cabinet ministers haven't walked the talk," said Duff Conacher, co-founder of the national citizen advocacy group, Democracy Watch, in an interview.

On Wednesday, the country's Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson released a report saying the prime minister had violated four sections of the Conflict of Interest Act by failing to arrange his private affairs to avoid being in conflict of interest.

Among Trudeau's transgressions was accepting an all-expenses-paid vacation over last year's Christmas break on a Bahamian island in the Atlantic Ocean, owned by multimillionaire businessman Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, who also holds the title of Aga Khan as the hereditary spiritual leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims.

The Aga Khan runs a Canadian charitable organization that is registered to lobby the prime minister's office, and "because there was ongoing official business" between the Canadian government and the Aga Khan, Trudeau was in a conflict of interest, Dawson concluded.

In addition, one of Trudeau's most senior members of his cabinet, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, is now under investigation by the ethics commissioner as to whether he also violated the law when he sponsored a pension bill in Parliament while owning about 15.6 million U.S. dollars worth of shares in his former pension-management company, Morneau Shepell Inc.

In 2015, the prime minister issued a document in which he directed cabinet ministers to not accept travel on "non-commercial chartered or private aircraft for any purpose except in exceptional circumstances, and only with the prior approval of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner" and that "any hospitality accepted must strictly adhere to the requirements of the Conflict of Interest Act."

Trudeau and his family were transported to their December 2016 getaway on the Aga Khan's helicopter, but the prime minister failed to consult with Dawson before the trip. Trudeau "did not follow his own rule," she said in her report.

The incident contradicted with Trudeau's promise during his campaign to become Canadian prime minister in 2015 that said, unlike the former Conservative-led government, his Liberal Party would be the champion of the middle class.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who worked as a restaurant waiter and an insurance broker before politics, is now positioning himself as someone who comes from the middle class and has "real world experience."

Trudeau's youthful past included stints as an elementary school teacher, snowboard instructor and nightclub bouncer.

Trudeau's promise of being the middle class champion was an easy pitch to voters during his campaign, as he carried added star power as the first child of a former and equally dynamic prime minister poised to hold the same office.

But two years later, Trudeau's background of privilege has crept into his government through accusations of elitism that has left him disconnected from the reality of average Canadians.

The prime minister, who faces no penalties for his ethics breach, apologized on Wednesday and promised to take "all precautions in the future" to avoid any further conflicts of interest.

No other Canadian prime minister has been found in violation of the conflict-of-interest law since it came into force in 2007.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 18:54:45|Editor: pengying

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KUNMING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- After a 19-month-pregnancy, a 16-year-old Asian elephant delivered a healthy calf in a breeding and rescue center in southwest China's Yunnan Province Friday.

According to center staff, the mother elephant, named Yinen, has been living in the center for about nine years. Last April, she naturally mated with a male elephant in the center, with the help of "manual intervention."

Yinen had a half-hour labor before giving birth to a female calf, weighing 96 kg and 91 cm tall, shortly after 6:20 a.m., according to Bao Mingwei from the center.

Bao said the baby elephant was able to stand on its own within minutes of the delivery, and was named Dongzhi, the Chinese term for "winter solstice," the day she was born.

Asian elephants are under first-class national protection. China has about 300 Asian elephants, mostly in Yunnan.

Since its establishment in 2008, the center has rescued 12 wild Asian elephants, nine of which are still receiving medical care in the center.

The center has delivered five calves so far.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 19:14:48|Editor: pengying

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President of the Chinese Academy of Social Science Wang Weiguang introduces the visions and strategies put forth at the CPC 19th National Congress in Yangon, Myanmar, Dec. 22, 2017. A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by Wang Weiguang, visited Myanmar from Thursday to Friday to introduce the visions and strategies put forth at the CPC 19th National Congress in October. (Xinhua/U Aung)

YANGON, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by President of the Chinese Academy of Social Science Wang Weiguang, visited Myanmar from Thursday to Friday to introduce the visions and strategies put forth at the CPC 19th National Congress in October.

The delegation met with Speaker of Myanmar's House of Representatives (Lower House) U Win Myint and other key political party leaders.

While attending a specific seminar, the delegation briefed Myanmar's key politicians, social organizations, think-tank media and different walks of life over the spirit of the CPC 19th National Congress.

The Myanmar side appraised China's historical achievements scored since the 18th CPC National Congress under the leadership of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and spoke highly of the Congress' significance and its deep- and far-reaching influence.

Different walks of life of Myanmar expected to learn with enthusiasm from the CPC's governance experiences, and enhance exchange and cooperation between the two countries in respective sectors, so as to jointly push the development of bilateral friendly ties to a new stage.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 19:19:50|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SHARAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Afghan Special Operation Forces killed 16 Taliban militants in eastern province of Paktika overnight, local police said Friday.

"During the raid which took place in Gayan district, bordering Pakistan, an additional six Taliban were captured," provincial police spokesman, Shah Mohammad Aryan, told Xinhua, adding the security force unit raided a Taliban hideout in Stair Gayan area of the district.

Among those militants killed was Chamto Khan, who served as Taliban shadow district governor for Gayan, he noted.

The Afghan security forces have 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.

The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging an insurgency of more than 16 years, has yet to make comments.
The rumor started when in mid-December a Cook County commissioner told the media Chicago was experiencing something similar to an African tribal war:

The United Nations has a track record of protecting minority populations. There was tribal warfare between the Tutsis and the Hutus in Africa, and they deployed peacekeeping troops there to help save those populations and reduce the bloodshed. We have to do something  black people in Chicago make up 30 percent of the population but 80 percent of those who are killed by gun violence.

Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin visited the U.N. Nations in New York, lobbying for international assistance after Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel rejected President Donald Trump's suggestion that the National Guard could be employed to protect Chicagoans as the number of shot and killed in the city surpassed 600 for the year and neared 3000 persons being shot and wounded in the past 12 months.

The commissioner and his staff were shocked by the outrage in response to Boykin's plan. His spokesman told Snopes that it was never really Boykin's intention to have UN troops in Chicago.

Instead, his spokesman said, Boykin was simply in search of ideas to stop an upsurge in homicides in the Windy City. "The goal was to find successful strategies that they have implemented elsewhere, not guns and tanks but the work that they do that is effective in quelling violence," he said.

Alex Jones' InfoWars stirred the controversy and led to the Snopes.com article saying the rumor was not true.

Besides, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told the Chicago Tribune that the UN had no jurisdiction in Chicago.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 19:24:51|Editor: Zhou Xin

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PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday leveled a thinly veiled criticism at U.S. President Donald Trump when attending a rally in protest of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying the warm welcome he received at the White House during a visit will not waver his determination to defend Islam.

"The United States should not look down upon Malaysia," said Najib at the rally held in the Putra Mosque in front of the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya, days after Trump threatened to pull funding for all countries who voted against U.S. on the Jerusalem issue.

Najib, who just returned from a trip in Turkey for a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the Jerusalem issue, urged Trump and the U.S. government to change mind on the issue.

"We have not asked for money from the United States. In fact they need our help such as our orders for their planes," said Najib, referring to Malaysia Airlines' purchase of 25 Boeing aircraft worth billions of U.S. dollars.

Touted as an event for all Muslims regardless of their political differences, the rally also saw the attendance of leaders from opposition parties.

Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister who is leading the opposition coalition, also made a short appearance at the mosque.

The government led by Najib will end its tenure by next August, and it is widely expected he will call an early election. UMNO, the party which Najib chairs, has always been competing with the Malaysian Islamic Party to win over Muslim voters.

But Najib said "it's not about politics" in his speech, noting that it's about coming together to support Palestine.

Jason Leong, an advisor to the Association of Nexgen Christians of Malaysia, also attended the rally.

He said it's not about religion nor politics, but about the humanitarian purpose.

"President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital will increase the risks for those who stay there, including many Christians," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 19:45:02|Editor: Jiaxin

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JAKARTA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In a gesture to assure the volcano eruption threat was already over in Bali, Indonesian President Joko Widodo planned to hold a cabinet meeting in the Indonesia's resort island.

"We want to show that Bali is safe for those planning to spend yearend and New Year holiday. There shouldn't be bad perception about Bali anymore due to the volcano eruption issue," the president said after completing his visit in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua on Friday.

As part of the efforts to ensure the safety of tourism in Bali, the president and his ministers were scheduled to have a tour to the island over the weekend.

Indonesia has declared that the situation in most part of Bali has returned to normal, and it's safe for tourism activities, even though the status of Volcano Mount Agung has yet to be downgraded from the existing highest alert of level 4.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said earlier that the areas prone from being affected by possible eruption of the volcano were the ones declared as red zones within a 10-kilometer perimeter from the volcano's summit, or 2 percent of the overall Bali island.

Tourism in Bali has been severely battered by the escalating volcanic activities of the Mount Agung whose last eruption 54 years ago claimed over 1,500 lives.

Mount Agung's eruption has also displaced more than 71,000 people who are now seeking refuge in over 200 shelters in Bali's northeast regencies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 19:50:03|Editor: Jiaxin

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Following a successful career in the shipmaking business, 85-year-old Singaporean Alan Chan has taken on a new identity as a passionate promoter of Confucianism.

"Ten years ago, I sold my company and decided to invest in the culture industry," he said, and that is when he turned his eyes to the ancient philosophy of Confucianism.

"I was amazed by the Confucian ideas on self-cultivation and governance," he said. For Chan, the 2,500-year-old wisdom is still relevant to today's world.

His favorite saying from The Analects of Confucius is: "Virtue never stays alone. It is bound to attract companionship."

"Virtue, or integrity, which was repeatedly emphasized by Confucius, is a key to success, both to the lives of individuals and the well-being of countries," he said.

Chan's own life experience is also a testament to Confucian wisdom.

Born in south China's Guangdong Province, five-year-old Chan followed his parents to Singapore in 1937 in order to escape the war with Japan.

He worked as a bilingual broadcaster and a civil servant, and then worked his way up from a salesman to a shipowner.

"I thought it was pure luck for me to meet several mentors who lent me great help in my career," he said.

"After I gained some understanding of Confucianism, I found that it was my way of getting along with others -- being upright and willing to help -- which was in line with Confucianism and attracted friends," he said.

In 2007, on the eve of the global shipping industry crisis, Chan saw the rampant expansion of the shipmaking industry and sensed the danger of collapse. He sold his company and successfully avoided the next year's crisis.

"That is also in accordance with Confucianism, which emphasizes farsightedness," said Chan. "As Confucius said: 'Without thinking afar, one is bound to encounter troubles in time to come.'"

"People used to act in accordance with what they learn, while I'm quite the other way around -- act before learning," he said.

"Maybe Confucianism is always in my genes," he said.

The first time Chan went back to China to trace his ancestral roots was in 1978, the year China began its reform and opening up.

He traveled to many cities, including the hometown of Confucius in Qufu City, Shandong Province.

In 2013, Chan, who had made up his mind to devote himself to Confucianism, started to build a Confucianism academy in Qufu.

The academy, which is still under construction, will focus on research and dissemination of Chinese culture, especially Confucianism.

At the same time, Chan has been writing books on Confucianism and Chinese culture in English, and giving speeches in an attempt to introduce Chinese wisdom to the English-speaking world.

Confucianism was first brought to the West in the 16th century, when Italian clergyman Matteo Ricci translated several Confucian classics into Latin.

However, Chan believes that exploring the value of Confucianism is far from enough and more should be done to make Westerners better accept Confucian thought.

"The Confucian teachings should be carefully selected, which means we need to exclude outdated content that is not applicable in today's society," he said.

In his book "Analects Renovated," he selected only about 20 percent of the original version of the Analects.

"The most appealing part of the Analects are the teachings related to human nature," he said. "That is what people in different parts of the world can relate with."

Chan always says that he has lived under six different national flags: the flag of the Republic of China when he was born; the flags of Great Britain, Japan and Malaysia, which ruled Singapore; the flag of Singapore after its independence; and the flag of the People's Republic of China today.

In August, he was named an honorary citizen of Shandong Province for his contributions in promoting Chinese culture.

"I grew up receiving Western education, and have mostly been speaking English in my life," he said.

He used to travel a lot and enjoyed getting to learn about different cultures. "I found Confucianism to be the richest and dearest to my heart," he said.

"Hopefully my multi-cultural background will help bridge Confucianism to the world," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 19:50:04|Editor: pengying

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by Xinhua writer Liu Chang

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The largest carbon market across the globe opened this week in China, the latest in a series of concrete measures the world's largest developing country has launched in the battle against climate change.

The new program epitomizes China's strong sense of responsibility as a major country in the world, and embodies the philosophy Chinese President Xi Jinping articulated at the beginning of the year in the snow-capped Alpine town of Davos, Switzerland.

In his landmark keynote speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Xi shared his vision on how to steer the world economy out of difficulty through concerted effort and urged members of the international community to take on the responsibility of the times.

Xi's inspiring words, as WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab said, have brought "sunshine" at a time of uncertainty and volatility.

RESPONSIBILITY CRISIS

History does not lack crucial moments that call for responsible action from the world's major countries.

In the political sense, the modern world was shaped by Western powers through centuries of brutal and destructive wars as well as struggles for hegemony. Oftentimes, they would pursue their selfish interests in the guise of the "general good."

Edward Hallett Carr, a British political scientist and historian, wrote in his classic book on international relations, "The Twenty Years' Crisis," that "this kind of hypocrisy is a special and characteristic peculiarity of the Anglo-Saxon mind."

A telling example in recent history is the Iraq War. To guarantee its strategic presence in the region, the United States went to war in Iraq based on just one piece of fabricated intelligence and a false promise to liberate the country from tyranny.

Today, 14 years after the start of the war, Iraq still suffers crises on multiple fronts, and the peace prospects in the wider Middle East could not be darker.

The past year has also witnessed how a "go-it-alone" superpower can haunt the rest of the international community. In less than a year in office, U.S. President Donald Trump has cut Washington loose from one key international treaty after another.

Chanting the "America First" slogan, he has accused many -- if not all -- of his country's trading partners of taking advantage of the United States, and threatened to renegotiate for what he calls "fairer" deals.

Such a doctrine of unilateralism has given rise to widespread worries at a time when multilateralism is needed to accommodate the deeply intertwined interests of all nations.

A SHARED VISION

Xi's Davos speech, in which he rooted for free trade, an open economy and globalization, sketches out his multilateralism-based approach to invigorating global growth, and stems from his vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Even since he first expounded the overarching idea to the world in 2013 in a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, he has gradually fleshed it out over the years.

"Our world is full of hope and challenges. ... No country can address alone the many challenges facing mankind; no country can afford to retreat into self-isolation," Xi said in his momentous report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October.

In this era of growing challenges and risks, like climate change, ravaging terrorism, and rising trade protectionism, Xi's proposition charts a clear and viable course forward.

"We have a shared destiny. ... We have to develop our own policy based on common shared interests. That will be a good starting point," said Gerhard Stahl, a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

In Xi's view, a community with a shared future for humankind should feature mutual respect, diversity and dialogue based on equality and peaceful co-existence among different civilizations, and the world order should be decided not by one country or a few, but by broad international consensus.

William Jones, Washington Bureau chief of U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review, said Xi's proposal is an "attempt by the Chinese president to overcome and replace the traditional notion of 'geopolitics,' in which there are always 'winners' and 'losers,' and in which the principle of 'might makes right' tends to predominate."

"In this new concept, everyone plays a role and the benefits achieved by any one nation can be shared by all," he added.

FROM PHILOSOPHY TO REALITY

The Chinese president's signature foreign policy idea is not a pie in the sky, but a beacon for action. Over the past five years, he has undertaken a number of practical measures to make it a reality.

Among them is the flagship Belt and Road Initiative, which he proposed in 2013 with the aim of achieving policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity along and beyond ancient Silk Road trade routes, thus building a new platform for international cooperation to create new drivers of growth.

At the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May, Xi reiterated that China wants to join the world in building the Belt and Road into a road for peace, prosperity, opening-up and innovation.

Xi has also played a constructive role in improving global governance. Beijing has been pushing for a bigger say for the developing world in key global bodies and dedicated to building a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation -- for all countries.

To maintain world peace, China has been a top contributor to UN peacekeeping missions and steadfastly championing peaceful settlement of hot-button issues worldwide.

David Shambaugh, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said, "China's dramatically increased role in global governance is very positive and one of the most noteworthy aspects of Xi Jinping's foreign policy."

When Xi addressed the Davos forum, the world hailed China as a "rock of stability" amid uncertainties. Now as China forges ahead in line with the ambitious blueprint drawn at the CPC national congress, expectations are running high for the country to make more contributions to world development.

Recent history has eloquently demonstrated that China will never shy away from its due international responsibilities, not to mention that it has set a goal of building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

And in Xi's eyes, being a major country during this new era does not equate to dominating others.

It "means shouldering greater responsibilities for regional and world peace and development," Xi said in his keynote speech at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015.

(Xinhua reporters Liu Chen and Zhu Dongyang in Washington and Ren Ke in Berlin also contributed to the story.)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 20:05:07|Editor: Jiaxin

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COLOMBO, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed in a collision accident by a train and a car at a level crossing in the town called Negambo in western Sri Lanka on Friday, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said on Friday.

Gunasekara said the two people in the car were hit by a train and died upon admission to a local hospital. The train was heading for Colombo from the town called Chilaw.

Chairman of National Council for Road Safety in Sri Lanka Sisira Kodagoda told Xinhua that there were as many as 24 fatalities reported during the first half of this year in accidents involving trains, and unprotected level crossings had been the main cause for such accidents.

"We have 1410 such unprotected level crossings throughout the country. We are planning to introduce a signal system called the Bell and Light to avert such accidents involving trains in the future," he said.

There was also an awareness program at main railway stations and railway compartments to educate people about the menace and measures to avoid train accidents.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 20:10:09|Editor: Jiaxin

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RABAT, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan security services have seized a record 2.84 tons of cocaine in 2017, 1.5 tons more than the amount seized last year, the Moroccan police revealed on Friday.

Most of the seized cocaine was captured in an operation in early October when Moroccan authorities announced the seizure of a record 2.5 tons of cocaine, after busting an international trafficking network active in several cities in the North African kingdom.

According to annual statistics of Moroccan police, some 60.17 tons of cannabis resin was also seized during this year.

Moroccan security services seized also 21.8 kg of heroin, a year-on-year increase of 35 percent, and 0.9 million of psychotropic tablets.

In its crackdown on drug dealers in 2017, Morocco arrested over 97,000 suspects, up 4 percent compared to a year earlier.

According to the 2016 report by the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime, Morocco is the world's largest cannabis resin harvester. Given its position at the crossroad of Africa, Europe and the Middle East, the country is considered a key route in international drug trafficking.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 20:15:10|Editor: pengying

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DILI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese naval hospital ship Ark Peace has finished its eight-day humanitarian medical service in Timor-Leste and left the Dili Port for home.

During its stay in Timor-Leste till Thursday, a total of 7,289 people were treated by Chinese doctors.

The Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Mari Alkatiri made a visit to the ship and accepted health examination on Dec. 17.

Alkatiri said he appreciated Chinese doctors for the warm and attentive treatments and he believed in their medical skills just like believing in China.

The President of Timor-Leste Francisco Guterres, also known as Lu-Olo, and his wife also boarded Ark Peace and visited the veterans being treated in the ship.

The president was very excited when he saw shrapnels being surgically removed out of a veteran's body.

Lu-Olo praised that Ark Peace had made great contributions to the veterans of Timor-Leste.

Ark Peace implemented humanitarian medical services around the world, which reflected the international responsibility of China as a main power, he added.

The arrival of Ark Peace was good news for local people. A medical team was dispatched to Atauro Island, 30 km from Dili, on Dec. 16.

Evodia Soares was a 17 years-old girl in a local high school. Her hearing ability was decreased gradually after having a serious fever four years ago. She said she felt pains in her left ear, but she never saw a doctor these years.

Chinese doctor Wang Wei examined her ears carefully, and then he gave a prescription and some suggestions to his patient for protecting ears.

"The Chinese doctor is very kind. I want to be a doctor in the future," said Evodia.

The Director of Atauro Vila Hospital Lucas Morais said that his hospital was the only medical utility in the island with eight doctors, eight midwives and four nurses, working for 12,000 residents.

Morais hoped that the medical team could stay there for more days.

Not only the residents need medical services, but also his colleagues wanted to learn more medical skills from Chinese doctors, Morais added.

Ark Peace dispatched four teams to different places, especially remote areas, and provided free medical services to local people.

Chinese medical experts also carried out joint rescue exercises with officers and soldiers of Timor-Leste army, first of its kind between the two countries.

Rajesh Pandav, WHO's representative to the country, praised that Ark Peace showed China's responsibility and good image in the world.

Ark Peace set sail from Zhoushan, China on July 26 for humanitarian medical services. It arrived in Timor-Leste, the last leg of its mission on Dec. 14 after visiting seven African countries, including Djibouti, Sierra Leone, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Since 2008, Ark Peace has visited over 30 countries and provided free medical services for over 170,000 people.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 20:15:10|Editor: Jiaxin

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LJUBLJANA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The new tourist authority of Lake Bled, one of Slovenia's most iconic sites, is tabling a plan to ease the pressure of tourism on the small Alpine town, which has become overwhelmed by people flocking to the site, especially during the summer months.

Bled and its emerald lake and famous island, known as the pearl of the Alpine region, has been attracting visitors for centuries.

Over the last few years, however, the numbers of tourist stays in the lakeside resorts have reached record heights. National statistics show that in general, Slovenia's tourism has achieved top figures for the fourth year in a row this year.

The number of tourist stays in Bled is expected to reach one million this year and hotels are fully booked for the year-end holidays, according to Slovene Press Agency reports.

The new head of the Bled tourism board, Tomaz Rogelj, who takes over the position in January, has pledged to focus on re-directing tourist flows to ease the pressure on the small town.

In the following eight-year period, his team will work on a strategy to solve the problems that Bled citizens are facing due to the increasing number of visitors, such as traffic jams and parking shortages.

Long-term plans include the construction of the northern and southern bypass, a new multi-storey car park and additional parking spaces.

In the short term, however, temporary solutions will need to be applied, such as dispersing the visitors across the area by providing more information and logistic services.

It is Rogelj's wish for Bled to continue to offer its visitors top-quality experience by both avoiding mass tourism on the one hand, and providing an elite form of tourism on the other.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 20:20:12|Editor: pengying

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) maintained double-digit profit growth in the first 11 months, official data showed Friday.

Combined SOE profits rose 23.5 percent year-on-year to 2.6 trillion yuan (around 395.6 billion U.S. dollars) for the January-November period, the Ministry of Finance said.

The growth slowed from the 24.6-percent increase in the first 10 months and the 24.9-percent rise in the first three quarters, but it was still higher than the 21.7-percent expansion seen in the first eight months.

SOE business revenue totaled 46.7 trillion yuan during the period, up 14.5 percent from a year earlier. Operating costs went up 13.7 percent to 45.2 trillion yuan.

By the end of November, total SOE assets stood at 151.8 trillion yuan, while their liabilities surpassed 100 trillion yuan, both up more than 10 percent compared with a year earlier.

SOEs in steel, non-ferrous metal, coal, oil and petrochemical enjoyed relatively large profit increases, but power generation firms suffered significant declines.

China has thousands of SOEs, but many have stagnated due to lack of competition. The government is improving their performance through a series of reforms, moving toward mixed ownership and market-oriented management.

China's major SOEs will complete corporate governance reform by the end of 2017, according to a State Council action plan released in July. The reforms target SOEs supervised by the central government, excluding financial and cultural firms.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 20:40:15|Editor: pengying

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with visiting Gambian President Adama Barrow in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China will promote cooperation with Gambia in agricultural technology, fishery processing, infrastructure development and tourism to achieve win-win results, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday.

Li's remarks came during a meeting with Gambian President Adama Barrow, who is on his first state visit to China since diplomatic relations were resumed last year.

The two countries established formal diplomatic links in 1974, but China suspended relations in 1995 when the west African country resumed so-called "diplomatic" ties with Taiwan. Gambia severed ties with Taiwan in 2013.

"China will consider Gambia's national conditions and characteristics and give full play to the complementarity of our two countries," Li said.

He said China will continue to provide support and assistance for Gambia's economic and social development.

Li said China hopes Gambia will firmly uphold the one-China policy, and China will advance ties with Gambia on the basis of mutual respect and treating each other on an equal footing.

Thanking China for its long-term support and help, Barrow said Gambia looks forward to continued help from China.

Barrow said Gambia will adhere to the one-China policy and work with China to strengthen cooperation to open a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Chinese top legislator Zhang Dejiang also met with Barrow on Friday.

Zhang said China's National People's Congress (NPC) stands ready to work with Gambia's National Assembly to implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state.

Both sides can share experience in national governance and legislation, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges and improve the legal environment for pragmatic cooperation, said Zhang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.
Kimmel's concerns became the topic of angry Facebook users' posts, stirring viewers' panic that subsidized children would go without the medical care the program provides.

WASHINGTON - Despite the concerns Jimmy Kimmel expressed on his late night show about Republicans appearing to ignore the needs of medically-vulnerable children, the U.S. Congress funded $3 billion into the federal program in the short term budget bill passed Thursday.

In Illinois, about 255,000 kids are covered in the state and federally funded program. In order to qualify, for the so-called CHIP (Children Health Insurance Program) parents much make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but still can't afford private insurance.

About half of those 255,000 children would still likely be covered by Medicaid even if the state ran out of funding for the childrens insurance program, the state health care department told the Chicago Tribune. The other half could be in jeopardy of losing coverage in late 2018 if Congress still hasnt reauthorized it by then.

Representative Peter Roskam (IL-06) was one of the Illinois congressional delegation that voted in favor of the continuing resolution to fund the U.S. government through March 2018. Included in the resolution is funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP); extended funding for community health centers for the first and second quarters; and a $2.1 billion appropriation for the Veterans Choice Program.

We have a responsibility to the American people to keep the government funded and maintain critical services to our most vulnerable citizens. Our children, our veterans and our communities will receive the funding they need to continue serving those in need. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the coming months on a long-term budget proposal for FY2018, said Rep. Roskam.

Earlier this year, Rep. Roskam voted to reauthorize CHIP funding through 2022. Though the bill failed to pass the Senate, Roskam has committed to working with his colleagues in Congress towards a long-term solution for CHIP.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 20:40:16|Editor: Yang Yi

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday that China hopes to expand cooperation and achieve mutual development with Venezuela and other Latin American countries.

Wang made the remarks when he held talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza, who is in Beijing for an official visit from Dec. 20 to 23.

China welcomes Latin American countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative, Wang said, adding that China is willing to expand space for cooperation with Venezuela and other Latin American countries within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Wang said the stability and development of Venezuela not only serves its people's interests, but is also the common aspiration of the international community, including China.

China hopes the Venezuelan domestic situation will continue to stabilize and encourages resolution of existing problems through dialogue and negotiation within the legal framework, Wang said.

Expressing his congratulations on the success of the 19th National Congress of the CPC, Arreaza said his country agrees with China's national governance and foreign policies, and appreciates China's objective and fair position in international affairs.

Arreaza said Venezuela will take an active part in the Belt and Road construction with other parties, and looks forward to more achievements in bilateral cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 21:00:22|Editor: yan

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By Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish army will recruit 8,000 female gendarmes for combating terrorism and defending borders in a NATO country that has suffered both from internal and regional conflicts.

These officers and non-commissioned officers will serve under the banner of the Gendarmerie Command and their duties will include combating terrorism and defending the country's southern borders with war-torn Syria and Iraq, two countries where the conflicts have spilled into Turkish territory.

FEMALE COMMANDOS

According to a new directive, female officers will receive the same commando training as men and will be on the front line in many areas, including anti-terrorism operations.

Ladies who are younger than 26 years old and not shorter than 164 centimeters or do not have a criminal record can apply in the coming weeks.

In press reports published about this unprecedented recruitment scheme, it is explained that female soldiers will also serve "in safeguarding public order, combatting illegal border crossings and trafficking and the protection of penitentiary facilities."

"There is a need for more women in the gendarmerie as it is serving as a police force in rural areas and sectors which are affected by terrorist activities in southeastern Turkey, a mostly Kurdish populated and impoverished region by decades of war," Professor Haldun Yalcinkaya from the Ankara TOBB university told Xinhua.

The military expert said that female soldiers are better equipped and more efficient to deal with local populations and the sensitivities.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been fighting the Turkish army initially for independence and later for Kurdish self-rule inside Turkey for the past 33 years. One of the hallmarks of the group is that it has succeeded in prizing away thousands of women from the clutches of patriarchy and into the battlefield.

USING THE FEMALE TOUCH

"Enrolling more women in the gendarmerie would make a difference as they can interact with women in provinces that are conservative and socially very much male oriented. It will confirm the changing paradigm against PKK terrorism," pointed out Yalcinkaya.

The move aims to boost the number of women inside the Gendarmerie from the current 828 to 8,828. Only 3% of the Turkish Armed Forces, the second-largest standing force in NATO, consist of women who are generally not in combat positions even though there are currently several F-16 female fighter pilots in the Air Force.

Women are generally exceptions in a 350,000 strong force who suffered dramatic losses in number of generals and officer cadres after a coup attempt orchestrated by rogue soldiers in July 2016.

Hundreds of army person have been sacked or jailed for suspected affiliation to a shadowy network of charitable organizations led by the U.S.-exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed of having masterminded the failed coup.

The gendarmerie, a 190,000 strong force who is at the forefront of the struggle against the armed rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), also witnessed a major transformation in this period and was detached from the chief of staff of the army and attached to the ministry of Interior, thus under civilian command and control.

This long awaited gendarmerie reform was passed through parliament after the botched coup of last summer while the institution was still groggy after it had been bombed by rogue Air Force pilots at the command of F-16's.

This reform concerning a fully-fledged military machine with its commando brigades, air elements and special forces battalions was criticized by the parliamentary opposition who denounced the intention of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) of filling gendarmerie ranks with its partisans.

The private NTV news channel reported that female commandos will be trained alongside their male peers and deployed to arduous and inhospitable mountain terrain in eastern Turkey as well as to the southeast, where the bloody conflict between the PKK and Turkish security forces is mainly concentrated.

TURKISH ARMY GUARDIAN OF SECULARISM

The Turkish army, established as the guardian of secular principles ingrained by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's founding father, has seen its image tarnished after the failed coup and to enroll women in armed forces could help bring its reputation back.

"Women are an undetachable part of our society. They took part actively in the Independence War (against western powers and Greece 1919-1922). And now they will enlist as part of the Gendarmerie and take on the uniform," told Xinhua a source close to the government.

This source who spoke on condition of anonymity also pointed out that female gendarmes will be deployed in coastline duty on the Aegean and Mediterranean seas where most of Turkey's touristic sites and resorts are concentrated.

As part of the agenda of AKP, the government announced last February a controversial and groundbreaking decision, allowing women in the armed forces and the police to wear the hijab, the Islamic headscarf, despite opposition of secular circles.

A retired army general who didn't want to be identified told Xinhua that while the decision to enroll more women in the traditionally and historically man-led armed forces was something to be hopeful for, the fact that the gendarmerie is now separated from the armed forces command could lead to some troubles.

He underlined that the gendarmerie is prone to political influence and there could be different chains of command in case of armed conflict.

Having more women in the army or the civil service is a must for Turkey where the gender equality is written in the laws since many decades but certainly not in practice.

Despite the legal basis for gender equality in the workplace and significant steps in gender policy, the women's participation in the work force is the lowest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Only 22.8% of women in Turkey currently work, according to official data.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 21:10:26|Editor: Jiaxin

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ANKARA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday voiced their support for the UN's rejection to Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The two leaders made the remarks in a phone conversation, stressing that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved based on the UN resolution.

They underlined that the UN resolution "displayed the illegal essence of the U.S. decision on Jerusalem."

The two presidents emphasized that the United States should stick to the UN resolution and the international law in the matter of Jerusalem, as the city was of great significance to regional peace and stability.

Erdogan also expressed appreciation to Putin for his support on Thursday's UN General Assembly vote.

They also agreed on forming closer relations in near future, touched upon the Astana talks on Syria, as well as cooperation on energy and defense industries.

The UN on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem, calling on the United States to withdraw its recognition of the holy city as Israel's capital.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 21:20:29|Editor: pengying

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Friday heard an explanation of a draft decision on a one-stop boundary control cooperation arrangement in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The draft decision was submitted for deliberation to the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

According to the explanation, a port will be established at the railway station in West Kowloon in Hong Kong, which is part of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL).

The Hong Kong section of the XRL is scheduled to open in the third quarter of next year, the explanation said.

It states that the mainland and the HKSAR will, in accordance with their respective laws, carry out exit and entry supervision at the port, including immigration inspection, customs regulation, and inspection and quarantine measures on departure and arrival for people traveling between the mainland and Hong Kong, as well as their personal belongings and luggage.

The cooperation arrangement was signed between the mainland and the HKSAR last month, marking the first in a three-step process by the two sides.

According to the explanation, the second step is for the NPC Standing Committee to deliberate and approve the arrangement, after which the two sides can begin the local legislative process to implement the arrangement.

The explanation said establishing one-stop boundary control is fully consistent with the "one country, two systems" policy and the Constitution.

It also complies with the Basic Law of HKSAR as it will not change the administrative plan of Hong Kong and will not impair the rights and freedom of Hong Kong residents.

The explanation notes that the one-stop boundary control arrangement at West Kowloon station is instrumental in unleashing transportation, social and economic benefits and conducive to personnel exchanges and economic and trade activities between the mainland and Hong Kong.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 21:30:32|Editor: Jiaxin

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NAIROBI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Stringent laws and international cooperation to contain threats to Kenya's elephants including poaching and natural calamities have boosted their population in five key ecosystems, a senior official said on Friday.

Judy Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, told a media briefing in Nairobi that the total elephant population in the Laikipia-Samburu-Meru-Marsabit, Mwea, Aberdare, Mau Forest Complex and the Mount Kenya ecosystem has increased from 13,990 in 2012 to 14,642 as of November this year.

"Recently enacted stricter wildlife laws coupled with international cooperation to combat trafficking of ivory has resulted in an increase in the number of elephants," said Wakhungu during the release of the census of elephants, Buffalo, Giraffe and Grevy's Zebra carried out recently in northern Kenya.

Kenya wildlife Service(KWS) and partners conducted an aerial survey in the savannah ecosystem of Laikipia-Samburu-Meru-Marsabit, Meru Conservation Area and Mwea national Reserve, whereas ground surveys using the dung count have been carried out in the forested ecosystems of the Aberdare Forest, May Forest Complex and the Mount Kenya Forest.

These surveys are undertaken after every 3-5 years to help obtain accurate statistics on giant land mammals and challenges facing their habitat.

Wakhungu said the country's stringent wildlife laws that root for a minimum of 20 years imprisonment for ivory trafficking has discouraged poaching of elephants and rhinos.

She revealed that between 2012 and 2017 elephant poaching in Kenya declined by 80 percent.

The cabinet secretary noted that robust cooperation among government bodies such as border and tax agencies had led to a drastic slump in the slaughter of iconic mammals.

At the same time, Wakhungu hailed concerted efforts at the global level to contain the poaching menace that has threatened the survival of Kenya's wildlife heritage.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 21:45:37|Editor: pengying

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) Friday criticized Changchun city in northeast China's Jilin Province for not doing enough to cope with air pollution.

In the first 10 months of this year, air quality in Changchun saw continuous degradation, with the amount of time with serious pollution increasing by 7 days compared to the same period last year, while days with good air quality decreased by 22, according to an MEP statement.

The inspectors found some of the city's air quality indicators were "extremely high" for a long period of time.

Changchun was criticized for outdoor straw burning and not implementing emergency responses strictly, the statement said.

Several companies in the city were also criticized by the ministry for breaching emission rules.

Additionally, 25 development zones in the city lagged behind in upgrading coal-fired boilers and some companies in the zones lacked desulfurization facilities.

The city should submit plans to address the problems to the inspectors within 20 working days, the ministry said.

China is intensifying efforts to fight pollution and environmental degradation after decades of growth left the country saddled with problems such as smog and contaminated soil.

A total of 6,471 officials in eight provincial-level regions were held accountable for environmental damage after inspections by central authorities from August to September.

Tackling pollution has been listed as one of "the three tough battles" that China aims to win in the next three years, according to the Central Economic Work Conference, which concluded earlier this week.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 21:50:40|Editor: Jiaxin

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ISTANBUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- An Istanbul prosecutor on Friday demanded aggravated life sentences for 159 soldiers accused of attempts to seize the city's Ataturk airport during a coup bid last year, local media reported.

The defendants were charged with allegations of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government and the parliament, being members of a terror group, deliberate murder and violating the Constitution, said a Daily Sabah report.

According to the indictment, the soldiers tried to seize the control tower of the airport and halt the flights as the putsch started on the night of July 15 last year, but failed after Turkish citizens flocked to the airport to resist their attempt.

The soldiers are accused of having links with a movement led by Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Turkish cleric blamed for the coup attempt, in which 250 people were killed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 21:55:44|Editor: Yang Yi

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Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice premier, speaks at the opening ceremony of the 10th national congress of Taiwan compatriots in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Wang Yang Friday called for more efforts to promote peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and achieve national reunification.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 10th national congress of Taiwan compatriots.

The opening was presided over by Wang Yifu, president of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots (ACFTC).

Wang Yang reviewed achievements made during the last five years and stressed new tasks given by the 19th CPC National Congress.

"Peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait and the reunification of China is the shared dream and fundamental interest of all Chinese people," Wang said.

Wang called on ACFTC and its local branches to study and implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, adhere to peaceful development of cross-Strait ties, promote people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen its own capacity to accomplish its mission of winning over the support of Taiwan people.

He called on Party committees and governments at all levels to exercise leadership and give greater support to the work of ACFTC.

The four-day congress is attended by over 300 representatives of Taiwan compatriots from across the country. It will review the report of the ninth ACFTC council and elect a new ACFTC council.

Established in December 1981, the ACFTC consists mainly of native Taiwanese residing on the Chinese mainland.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 22:10:46|Editor: Jiaxin

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GAZA/RAMALLAH, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- One Palestinian was killed and dozens others injured on Friday afternoon in another day of rage and clashes with Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian territories, medics said.

Ashraf al Qedra, health ministry spokesman in Gaza told reporters that Zakareya Kafarna, 24, was killed by live gunshots during clashes between dozens of youths and Israeli soldiers at the borders between eastern Gaza and Israel.

Hundreds of Gaza youths threw stones at the Israeli army forces in the east of Khan Younis. Three were shot and injured, and one was critically injured after he tried to cut the fence and throw stones on the soldiers, according to eyewitnesses and paramedics.

Protests in the Palestinian territories have been escalating with violent clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli security forces since Dec. 6, when U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Yehya Sinwar, Gaza Hamas chief said in a meeting with dozens of Gaza youths, that Friday should be a day of confrontation with the occupation forces (Israeli army) on the borders with Gaza.

Hamas leaders have also called on an ongoing Intifada against Israel until toppling Trump's declaration.

Since Trump's Jerusalem decision, Israel have killed 12 Palestinians and more than 3,706 were injured, including 924 being treated in hospitals. Around 500 protesters have been detained by Israeli forces.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 22:25:51|Editor: pengying

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Senior finance officials from China and Japan agreed to step up cooperation in fiscal and monetary areas, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Vice finance minister of China Shi Yaobin and Japan's State Minister of Cabinet Office Takao Ochi met in Beijing on Friday in a bid to implement the consensus reached by finance ministers of both countries at the Sixth China-Japan Finance Dialogue in May.

China and Japan will share information in audit supervision based on principles such as reciprocity, according to documents exchanged at the meeting.

The move will help protect investors' interests in the capital markets of both countries and assist financial institutions of both sides in cross-border bond issuance, including Panda bonds and Samurai bonds.

At the Sixth China-Japan Finance Dialogue held in Yokohama, Xiao Jie, China's minister of finance, and Taro Aso, Japan's deputy prime minister and minister of finance, recognized the necessity of promoting economic restructuring through enhanced communication on macroeconomic policies and agreed to maintain consultations on major international economic and financial issues.

The two sides also emphasized the need to further deepen pragmatic cooperation in the financial field to support collaboration between the two countries in the economic, trade and investment fields.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 22:30:53|Editor: yan

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KAMPALA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Friday said it had launched attacks on the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The military in a statement issued here said the troops carried out a preemptive attack after receiving intelligence information that rebels were planning to attack Uganda.

"In a preemptive move, this afternoon UPDF (Uganda People's Defense Forces) conducted attacks on their camps in eastern DRC. ADF terrorists may only buy time but will be targeted wherever they are hiding!" the statement issued by the military spokesman Brig. Richard Karemire said.

Karemire told Xinhua in an interview later that the military used fighter jets.

"Our troops didn't enter DRC. We employed the Air forces and long range artillery to carry out the attacks," he said.

The surprise attack came barely two weeks after the rebel group on Dec. 7 attacked UN peacekeepers in eastern DRC's North Kivu province, killing 15 Tanzanian blue helmets, 5 DRC soldiers and wounding 15 others.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 22:35:56|Editor: yan

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by Mahmoud Darwesh and Nawas Darraji

TRIPOLI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- France is mediating in the Libyan political crisis again to push the Libyan parties to accept the UN-proposed action plan that includes amendment of the current political agreement and holding elections before the end of 2018.

French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, visited Libya on Thursday and met with the UN-backed prime minister, Fayez Serraj, in the capital Tripoli and the eastern-based army commander, General Khalifa Haftar, in the eastern city Benghazi.

Following meeting with Serraj, Le Drian stressed France's support for the upcoming elections and the UN-proposed road map for Libya.

Khalid Al-Muntasir, a Libyan professor of international relations, believes the French movement is not usual, but comes at a time when the international community needs to assist countries affected by the Libyan crisis.

"Everyone knows France's international importance and ability to pressure Libya parties. France has relations with the parties in the east and the west (of Libya). Therefore, the visit is to clarify Paris's position of the Libyan crisis, that it does not support any military option and that it only supports political settlement to end the years-long institutional division," Al-Muntasir told Xinhua.

"The French voice is respected by the Libyan political and military parties in Libya. Thus, the message of the French Foreign Minister following meeting with Haftar is clear," Al-Muntasir added.

A source of the municipal council of Benghazi told Xinhua that a meeting between General Haftar and Le Drian was held "to discuss the political process in Libya and the war on terrorism led by the Libyan army."

"General Haftar told Le Drian that the army will not stop fighting terrorism in all of Libya," the source said. "Le Drian informed Haftar of the international community's respect for the sacrifices of the army against terrorist groups. At the same time, Le Drian demanded the army command to respect the political process of the Libyan agreement and to work on a complete settlement with all Libyan parties."

Imad Jalul, a political analyst, believes that communication with Serraj is easier that communication with Haftar. "Unlike Serraj, Haftar is not convinced with the political process and has rejected it several times. Therefore, Paris knows that Haftar in particular must be pressured."

"France is credited for bridging the gap between Haftar and Serraj, when the two officials visited Paris and agreed on a number of significant issues, notably the elections next year and avoiding more chaos," Jalul told Xinhua.

French President Emmanuel Macron sponsored a meeting in Paris between Haftar and Serraj in June. The two officials agreed to cease-fire in all Libya and to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2018.

Haftar and Serraj also agreed to increase efforts against terrorism in Libya, and unite military forces in the country.

Retired army colonel, Ahmad Al-Hisnawi, fears that Haftar will not commit to the political process, stressing the importance of the international community's respect for the army's efforts against terrorism.

"Lifting the arms embargo on the army, if done by the UN Security Council, will be welcomed by the army. Therefore, the army command still doubts that some international powers are trying to keep the arms embargo, in order to give leverage to a certain political party in the country, and perhaps to recreate another political Islamist party in Libya," Al-Hisnawi told Xinhua.

General Haftar announced a few days ago that the Libyan political agreement "expired" two years after the Libyan political parties signed it.

"As of Dec. 17, 2017, the so-called political agreement expires. Therefore, all bodies resulting from this agreement automatically lost their legitimacy, which is questioned since day one," Haftar said in a televised speech.

The Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Ghassan Salame, urged Libyan parties to "refrain from any actions that could undermine the political process."

The UN-sponsored agreement faces controversy over articles related to the army command and the executive authority.

Salame proposed an action plan for Libya in September that includes amendment of the current political agreement and holding presidential and parliamentary elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 23:06:09|Editor: yan

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PARIS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said he would recognize a Palestinian state "at the right time," reiterating Paris' commitment to a two-state solution for lasting peace in the region.

"Is unilateral decision to recognize Palestine effective? I do not believe, because it would be a reaction to an unilateral decision that has caused unrest in the region," he told reporters.

"I will do it at the right time when I judge it will be useful to build peace on the ground and not... under pressure," he added at a joint press conference with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas denounced the United States' "partisan spirit" in handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stressing that Washington "disqualified itself" from the Middle East peace process due to its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"The United States are no longer an honest mediator in the peace process, we will not accept any plan put forward by the United States," Abbas said.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump broke with decades of Washington policy by acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He decided to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city which has been a sensitive issue in peace talks and the main subject of disagreement between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators for decades.

In 1967, Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980. But, it has not been recognized by the international community.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians insist that they should establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the final settlement.

The last direct peace negotiations, brokered by the United States, stopped in April 2014 as rival camps failed to come out with tangible results due to differences on major issues like settlement, security, borders and the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 23:21:14|Editor: yan

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TRIPOLI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Saadi Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, is still in prison in the Libyan capital Tripoli, according to the director of investigation department at the Libyan Attorney General.

Siddiq Sour told Xinhua on Thursday that Saadi Gaddafi has been in prison in Tripoli for three years. "He is inside prison in Tripoli and he is fine."

"The defendant Saadi Gaddafi is currently being tried for charges against him according to Libyan law," Sour added.

The Libyan official made his remarks in response to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Gaddafi family, in which they claimed that contact with Saadi was lost a while ago.

"All the family has learned is that he is in a prison run by militias," The Gaddafi family said in a statement, adding that they had lost contact with Saadi for quite a while and neither they nor his lawyer had been able to contact him.

"Despite testimonies of witnesses and consensus on his acquittal of charges against him, his trial has been repeatedly postponed and he was isolated from his lawyer," the statement said.

Saadi is the third son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Saadi was the former deputy commander of security units in the former regime. Libyan authorities accuse him of involvement in suppressing the 2011 uprising that overthrew his father's rule.

After losing the fighting between Gaddafi's army and Libyan rebels in 2011, Saadi fled to Niger, which handed him over in 2014 to the Libyan authorities. He has since been held captive and his trial was postponed several times.
An Ethiopian driver gets on the train in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oct. 1, 2016. A Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital and the port of Djibouti is expected to help the landlocked African country improve access to the sea and speed up a burgeoning industrialization process. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- As the Ethiopia-China Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation Forum is currently underway in Hangzhou, China, the Ethiopian government envisaged the forum to provide a new impetus to the comprehensive partnership among the two countries.

The forum kicked off on Wednesday in Hangzhou city in east China.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the forum is one major result of the long-standing relations that the two countries have enjoyed for many years.

"Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have steadily strengthened a relationship based on their common interests. The two countries have also been and are working closely together in regional and international matters," the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.

Aklilu Hailemichael, Ethiopian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, who noted the long-standing and strong brotherly relations between the two countries and their common aspirations on various areas of cooperation, praised the government and people of China for playing a prominent role in his country's economic boom.

"The Ethiopia-China Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation Forum will further enhance the multifaceted ties between the two countries," the statement quoted Hailemichael as saying.

Hailemichael has also briefed participants of the forum regarding Ethiopia's untapped human and natural resources together with the Ethiopian government's commitment towards promoting investment schemes in the east African country.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice Mayor of Hangzhou, Chen Xinhua, also stressed the need to further map out fields of cooperation in different arrays.

China, Ethiopia's largest trading partner, is a major player in Ethiopia's investment, trade and diplomatic landscape.

In just the past two decades alone, Chinese companies have invested close to 4 billion U.S. dollars in Ethiopia. According to the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), the bilateral trade volume among the two countries has also reached 6.37 billion U.S. dollars in 2015.

The recently published McKinsey report also indicated that Ethiopia, together with South Africa, have developed a "robust partnership" with China, along with a high degree of economic engagement in the form of investment, trade, loans, and aid.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 23:46:24|Editor: Mengjie

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Citizens of Barcelona wait outside a polling station to vote in Barcelona, Spain, Dec. 21, 2017. A record-high number of Catalan voters Thursday cast ballots in a tightly-contested election to have their say over the region's future, nearly three months after a foiled secession attempt. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)

MADRID, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday said he would not hold talks with exiled Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont in the wake of the results of Catalan regional elections held Thursday.

The elections saw the center-right party Ciudadanos, led by Ines Arrimadas, claim most seats and votes. But with 37 seats in the 135-seat Catalan assembly, she is well short of a majority (68 seats) and would not be able to form one, even if Ciudadanos attempted to form a coalition with the Spanish Socialist Party and Rajoy's People's Party (PP).

The Socialists had 18 seats and PP just three, leaving the three pro-constitution forces with a total of 58 seats. While Puigdemont's Junts per Catalonia party claimed 34 and Esquerra Republicana, whose leader Oriol Junqueras is currently in prison, won 32.

Should the two separatist parties reach agreement, they will be able to form a government if the radical separatist party CUP, which won four seats, supports them or offers to abstain from government.

However, after congratulating voters for an election with no incidents, Rajoy ruled out speaking to Puigdemont saying the person he "has to sit down with is Arrimadas."

He said that he would only speak to Puidgemont, who is in exile in Belgium and has a Spanish arrest warrant to his name, when he is "in a condition to speak to me."

Rajoy also said the elections showed Catalonia was a "plural" region and that "nobody can speak in the name of Catalonia."

He added any new Catalan government would have to abide by the law, obey the Spanish Constitution, and that he would lift article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which suspended Catalan autonomy until the region had a new government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 00:06:28|Editor: yan

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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was delayed after a pilot informed the control tower about possible danger shortly before taking off from the airport in the country's southern port city of Karachi on Friday, the airport officials said.

On pilot's "tip-off", officials from Airport Security Force, Civil Aviation Authority and firefighters rushed to the plane, which was about to take off for southwest port city of Gwadar.

A group of rescue and security teams started a search operation inside the cockpit, while others stood alert outside the plane to control any untoward situation. A cat hidden inside the cockpit was found later in the operation.

The officials drove away the cat from the cockpit, after which the plane was allowed to take off.

The airlines spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said that investigations are being made as how did the animal sneaked into the plane.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 00:16:29|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner said Friday 86 countries and international organizations have signed 100 cooperation agreements with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said the initiative made major headway in 2017, citing progress in key areas including capacity, investment and the Digital Silk Road.

Steady progress was made in the building of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Mombasa-Nairobi railway has been put into operation, construction has begun on the Belgrade - Stara Pazova section of the Hungary-Serbia railway and the Khalifa Port in the United Arab Emirates, the operation of the Hambantota Port has also been transferred to a Chinese firm, said He.

So far, more than 7,000 cargo train trips have been made between China and Europe, according to He.

In the coming 2018, the NDRC will focus on the implementation of agreements reached at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in May, he said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 00:16:30|Editor: yan

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CAPE TOWN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday applied to appeal a court ruling ordering the establishment of a commission of inquiry into state capture.

In court papers filed to the North Gauteng High Court, Zuma said the decision to call for a commission of inquiry into state capture was based on "untested suspicions".

On December 13, the full bench of the North Gauteng High Court gave Zuma 30 days to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry into state capture, to be headed by a judge appointed by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. The court dismissed Zuma's application for review of the remedial action recommended by former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in her report on state capture.

In his appeal, Zuma said the court erred in law when it ruled that he was ill-advised and reckless when he launched an application to set aside Madonsela's remedial actions.

The decision for an inquiry was based on "prima facie evidence," Zuma said.

"Whereas in her report the Public Protector has made no factual findings, the court erred in law in finding that she did and impermissibly elevating untested suspicions as fact," Zuma said.

Zuma has been accused of collaborating with the Indian Gupta family in looting the state coffers.

The Guptas allegedly exert undue influence on Zuma in the appointment of cabinet ministers and in the awarding of lucrative contracts with state-owned enterprises to the Guptas in what is called "state capture." Both Zuma and the Guptas have denied the accusations.

Zuma's appeal came despite a pledge by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to carry out a thorough investigation into allegations of state capture.

At its 54th elective conference that ended on Wednesday, the ANC said a commission of inquiry into state capture must be instituted urgently.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 00:21:30|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- As South Sudan's government and rebel groups signed a peace agreement on Thursday, various regional and international actors are calling for full and effective implementation of the agreement toward ending violence in the country.

International actors such as the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the coalition of three western countries (Troika) and other regional organizations and governments have welcomed the agreement signed by South Sudan's government and rebel groups on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access.

Welcoming the signing of an agreement on cessation of hostilities and improving humanitarian access in South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has also on Friday urged all parties to work collectively to ensure durable peace in the nation.

"The Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access is an important first step in the revitalization of the peace process," UNMISS said.

"UNMISS is committed to supporting the peace process in line with its mandate through advancing reconciliation efforts, strengthening conflict resolution mechanisms, building national cohesion and engaging in regional and international peace initiatives," it added.

According to the AU, the agreement, which was signed as part of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led Revitalization Forum that opened in Addis Ababa on December 17, is "a critical first step in the efforts to end the senseless conflict and carnage that has been unfolding in South Sudan since December 2013."

While welcoming the first step, the chairperson of the commission of the AU, Moussa Faki Mahamat, stressed that "the true test of the genuineness of the parties' commitments lies in the full and effective implementation of their pledge to end violence and uphold the most basic tenets of international humanitarian law."

"The people of South Sudan, who have endured so much pain and suffering, are investing great expectation in the faithful implementation of this agreement. They desperately need and deserve respite from war, especially as they enter this festive Christmas season, and look with rekindled hope towards the New Year," Faki Mahamat stressed.

He also indicated that South Sudanese warring factions "should build on this important achievement and continue to make the necessary compromises without which the revitalization process cannot succeed."

Troika, which comprises Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, also congratulated South Sudanese parties concerning the newly signed peace agreement.

According to the joint statement by the three western nations, the agreement shows the parties' "willingness to compromise for the benefit of the people of South Sudan and hope that they immediately take action to make good on that agreement."

Troika, however, called upon all the parties to "implement the agreement immediately including the parties' obligations regarding humanitarian access."

"We are encouraged by the strong statements from the African Union and IGAD making clear their intent to hold the parties accountable," the statement indicated, adding that "The Troika calls on the parties to reconvene urgently to address the important security and governance arrangements that are essential for peace."

Troika members further assured their full support to the continuation of efforts by IGAD to build peace through the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) in South Sudan.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 following political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy turned rebel chief Riek Machar led to split within the SPLA, leaving soldiers to fight alongside ethnic lines.

The 2015 peace agreement to end the conflict was weakened after the outbreak of renewed fighting in July 2016 caused the SPLA-in opposition rebel leader Machar to flee the capital.

The AU, IGAD and regional governments had prior to the recent meeting in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa stressed that the HLRF would be the last opportunity for South Sudan's warring factions on their disposal.

Ethiopian Prime Minister and the current Chairperson of IGAD, Hailemariam Desalegn, said during the opening session of the forum on Monday that the two South Sudanese warring factions need to leave their differences aside.

Desalegn, who urged South Sudanese warring parties to do their part for the peace and stability of their country, stressed that the five-day forum is the last opportunity to ensure peace in South Sudan.

The East African block of IGAD had also warned south Sudanese parties to reach an agreement or it would take all the necessary actions if the current efforts fail.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 00:26:32|Editor: yan

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KAMPALA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed on spot and one seriously injured in a head-on collision road accident in the midwestern Ugandan district of Kiryandongo on Friday afternoon, a traffic police spokesperson said here.

Charles Ssebambulidde, the directorate of traffic and road safety spokesperson, said in a statement issued here that the fatal accident occurred following a head-on collision between a passenger bus and Prado Land cruiser at Wakisaanyi in Kiryandongo, along the Kampala-Gulu Highway.

The bus belonging to HMK Company was traveling from Kampala to northern town of Gulu carrying passengers, mainly those going to their upcountry villages for festive season while the Prado was heading to the opposite direction.

"It all happened when a Prado [driver] tried to overtake three motor vehicles in a row and collided head on with the bus which was moving to the opposite direction," said Ssebamulidde.

"Five of the six occupants in the Prado died on the spot. One person also not yet identified is in Kiryandongo hospital," he said.

The traffic police spokesperson said no injuries or deaths were registered among the passengers traveling in the bus.

"The bus went off the road and fell on its left side. No injuries were registered," said Ssebamulidde.

The bodies of the deceased including the police officer who was allegedly driving the Prado have been taken to Kiryandongo Hospital mortuary

The police attributed the cause of the road accident to careless and reckless driving.

The traffic police last week issued strict guidelines including avoiding over-speeding, overloading and alcohol drinking to reduce road accidents during the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Uganda registers at least 20,000 accidents with over 2,000 deaths each year, making it one of the countries with the highest road accident fatality rates in the world, according to police figures.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy addresses a press conference at the end of a two-day EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

MADRID, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday said he would not hold talks with exiled Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont in the wake of the results of Catalan regional elections held Thursday.

The elections saw the center-right party Ciudadanos, led by Ines Arrimadas, claim most seats and votes. But with 37 seats in the 135-seat Catalan assembly, she is well short of a majority (68 seats) and would not be able to form one, even if Ciudadanos attempted to form a coalition with the Spanish Socialist Party and Rajoy's People's Party (PP).

The Socialists had 18 seats and PP just three, leaving the three pro-constitution forces with a total of 58 seats. While Puigdemont's Junts per Catalonia party claimed 34 and Esquerra Republicana, whose leader Oriol Junqueras is currently in prison, won 32.

Should the two separatist parties reach agreement, they will be able to form a government if the radical separatist party CUP, which won four seats, supports them or offers to abstain from government.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont addresses a press conference at the Press Club Europe in Brussels, Belgium, in Oct. 31, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

However, after congratulating voters for an election with no incidents, Rajoy ruled out speaking to Puigdemont saying, the person he "has to sit down with is Arrimadas."

He said that he would only speak to Puidgemont, who is in exile in Belgium and has a Spanish arrest warrant to his name, when he is "in a condition to speak to me."

Rajoy also said the elections showed Catalonia was a "plural" region and that "nobody can speak in the name of Catalonia."

He added any new Catalan government would have to abide by the law, obey the Spanish Constitution, and that he would lift article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which suspended Catalan autonomy until the region had a new government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 00:46:37|Editor: yan

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JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The coastal city of Durban is aiming to raise over 236 million U.S. dollars from projected 1.3 million local and international visitors during this festive season.

This was revealed by EThekwini municipality where Durban is situated in a statement on Friday.

The coastal city is frequented by local and international tourist during the festive season. The city said the hotels facing the beaches are now 80 percent full from December 21, 2017 to January 5, 2018. Other hotels in the city are 90 percent full.

"For the 2017 summer season, which starts from December 1, 2017 and ends in February 2018, it is projected that 1.3 million visitors will set foot on Durban shores bringing in a direct spend of approximately over 236 million U.S dollars sustaining annualized jobs of 10,451," said EThekwini Municipality in a statement.

EThekwini municipality meantime requested the tourists to abide by the rules. Since December 1, 2017 to date, a total of 450 driver have been arrested for drunken driving with eight major accidents reported and attended to timely.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 01:01:41|Editor: Mengjie

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(Xinhua file photo)

MOSCOW, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Russia should have the best armed forces in face of the "aggressive" plans of the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

"Russia should be among the leading states, and in some areas -- the absolute leader in building the army of a new generation, the army of the new technological era," Putin said at a meeting of senior Defense Ministry officials.

"This is of utmost importance for ensuring our sovereignty, peace and security of our citizens, for a confident development of the country and for an open and independent foreign policy in the interests of our country," he said.

He called the new security strategy recently outlined by the U.S. Administration "offensive" and "aggressive", saying that the Russian military should take this into account in their practical work.

He said that although Russian nuclear forces had a level that provided "reliable strategic deterrence", they should be developed further.

By 2021, the Russian ground-based nuclear forces should be 90 percent equipped with new missile systems that can confidently overcome existing and prospective missile defense systems, Putin said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the meeting that the budget of Russia's defense spending in 2018 will amount to 46 billion U.S. dollars, 2.8 percent of its gross domestic product.

Russia's military spending in 2017 was set at 3.05 trillion rubles (about 52 billion U.S. dollars), equaling 3.3 percent of the GDP, according to the 2017 federal budget.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 01:26:45|Editor: yan

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd R) meets with Ahmed Majdalani (2nd L) and Nabil Shaath (1st L), who came to China as representatives of the Palestinian President, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Yan Yan )

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China firmly supports the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine, which enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Ahmed Majdalani and Nabil Shaath, who came to China as representatives of the Palestinian President.

"Peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved unless the Palestine issue is solved, as this issue is a root one in the region," Wang said, calling on the international community to reflect on this issue and take actions.

The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution affirming that any decisions and actions that alter the status of Jerusalem are null and void.

Wang said that this not only reflects a definite attitude to adhere to the consensus of the international community, but also voices the call for speeding up the Middle East peace process.

He called on the Palestinian side to form a united force, stick to solving disputes through dialogue, maximize the role of the United Nations and voice up the call for peace.

Majdalani and Shaath expressed gratitude for China's support to the Palestinian people's just cause and hoped that China will play a bigger role in the Middle East.

They also spoke highly of China's four-point proposal in solving the Palestine issue, which hopefully will become the basis for the international community's efforts in promoting peace.

The four-point proposal includes firmly advancing the political settlement on the basis of the two-state solution, upholding a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, coordinating efforts of the international community and strengthening the concerted efforts for peace, as well as comprehensively implementing measures and promoting peace with development.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 01:26:47|Editor: yan

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TIKRIT, Iraq, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Four paramilitary Sunni tribal fighters were killed and a fifth wounded Friday in an attack by gunmen in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

The attack occurred at dawn when unidentified gunmen opened fire on the paramilitary fighters at an outpost near the main road, some 30 km south of the provincial capital city Tikrit, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attackers withdrew from the scene after the attack into dense orchards in the nearby bank of Tigris River, the source said.

The predominately Sunni Arab province of Salahudin has been the scene of a major offensive by Iraqi security forces and allied Hashd Shaabi units to drive out Islamic State (IS) militants from the provincial key cities and towns, including its capital city Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad.

The attack also came after the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Dec. 9 officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.

However, small groups and individuals of IS militants melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas in many areas in Iraq looking for safe havens. They still capable of carrying out attacks from time to time against the security forces and civilians.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 01:31:49|Editor: yan

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GABORONE, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior Botswana government official on Friday said Namibian refugees living at Dukwi Refugee Camp, some 550km west of the capital Gaborone were willing to return to Namibia.

When addressing journalists after a closed door meeting with the refugees at the camp, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defense, Justice and Security, Segakweng Tsiane, said consultations between the governments of Botswana and Namibia are at an advanced stage to facilitate the repatriation.

At least 927 Namibian refugees are living at the camp and have been in Botswana for almost two decades.

Namibians fled into Botswana in 1999 following a civil war which rocked the northeastern part of Namibia, commonly known as the Caprivi Strip between the Caprivi Liberation Army and the Namibian government.

Shortly after the unsuccessful secession attempt, about 3,000 people sought refuge in Botswana for fear of reprisals from the Namibian government.

They were granted refugee status and accommodated at the Dukwi camp.

As of December 2015, there are still several hundred Namibians living in the camp, although about 2, 100 have returned to Namibia.
File photo shows Ugandan soldiers march during celebrations for Uganda's 50th independence anniversary in Kampala, Uganda, Oct. 9, 2012. (Xinhua/Yuan Qing)

KAMPALA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Friday said the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) endorsed its attack on the rebel Allied Democratic Force (ADF) in the eastern part of the vast central African country.

Army spokesman Brig. Richard Karemire said in a statement that the leaders of the two countries have been in talks on possible ways of eliminating the ADF, a Ugandan rebel group holed up in eastern DRC.

"Recently, the DRC authorities proposed that the two countries plan and conduct limited joint operations against this growing terrorist menace in our neighborhood," Karemire said.

Karemire said this understanding led to this afternoon's attack on the ADF bases using fighter jets.

"These terrorists should know that they may only buy time, but will be targeted wherever they are," Karemire said.

The military in a statement issued here said the troops carried out a preemptive attack after receiving intelligence information that rebels were planning to attack Uganda.

"In a preemptive move, this afternoon UPDF (Uganda People's Defense Forces) conducted attacks on their camps in eastern DRC. ADF terrorists may only buy time but will be targeted wherever they are hiding!" the statement said.

Karemire told Xinhua in an interview later that the military used fighter jets.

"Our troops didn't enter DRC. We employed the Air forces and long range artillery to carry out the attacks," he said.

The ADF have been blamed for recent attacks in eastern DRC including the Dec. 7 killing of 15 Tanzanian UN peacekeepers in North Kivu province.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 01:46:52|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates reached a series of consensus to promote the settlement of the Palestine-Israel issue at a peace symposium here on Friday.

Meeting with the attendees at the symposium, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said the two sides affirmed that a "two state solution" is the only viable option to resolve the issue.

The symposium was held by China from Dec. 21 to 22. Nabil Shaath, foreign affairs adviser to the Palestinian president, and Hilik Bar, deputy speaker of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, led delegations at the symposium.

Participants from the two sides also agreed that the international community should support the revival of Palestine-Israel peace process and enact a series of political and economic incentives, according to a document from the symposium. They praised China for offering a communication platform for them.

"As a responsible country and a common friend of both Palestine and Israel, China is willing to continue to make contributions to an early realization of Palestine-Israel peace," Wang said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 01:46:53|Editor: yan

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KIGALI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Friday made a fresh appeal for its refugees living abroad to return to the country ahead of the Dec. 31, 2017, a deadline when the UN refugee agency will cease their refugee status under a cessation clause.

More than 20,000 Rwandan refugees fall in the scope of the cessation clause, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Addressing journalists in Kigali, Rwandan Minister of Disaster Management and Refugees Jeanne d'Arc De Bonheur warned that Rwandans who do not return before the deadline will be treated as illegal immigrants in their host countries.

They are encouraged to voluntarily repatriate before the cessation clause comes into force, said De Bonheur, adding that those who can't return for various reasons are advised to legalize their stay in those countries.

The minister explained that government of Rwanda has helped the refugees to obtain necessary documents like passports through Rwandan embassies and online platforms of the immigration authority.

The UNHCR had recommended hosting countries to invoke the "ceased circumstances" clause for Rwandans who fled their country between 1959 and 1998.

Under the cessation clause, refugees lose that status when fundamental and durable changes in a refugee's country of origin occur whereby there is no longer well-founded fear of persecution requiring international protection.

At least 84,596 Rwandans have been repatriated from 2009 up to 2017, of which 78 percent are from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the Rwandan ministry of disaster management and refugees affairs.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 02:21:58|Editor: yan

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SKOPJE, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian parliament voted Friday to extend the state of emergency along the borders with Serbia and Greece till June 30, 2018.

The decision was made due to an increase in arrivals and transits of migrants across the territory of Macedonia, official sources confirmed.

Under the decision, the Macedonian army and the security forces of the Interior Ministry will continue to perform tasks aimed at guarding and protecting the state borders.

Macedonia declared "state of emergency" in its two border regions in mid-2015 under the tension caused by rising number of refugees.

After deadline expired, Macedonian Parliament voted again to extend the state of emergency on the southern and northern borders until Dec. 31, 2017 as a result of the migrant crisis.
Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2016 shows South Sudan's government soldiers at a battle field in Alelo near South Sudan's northern town of Malakal.(Xinhua/Gale Julius)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- As South Sudan's government and rebel groups signed a peace agreement on Thursday, various regional and international actors are calling for full and effective implementation of the agreement toward ending violence in the country.

International actors such as the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the coalition of three western countries (Troika) and other regional organizations and governments have welcomed the agreement signed by South Sudan's government and rebel groups on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access.

Welcoming the signing of an agreement on cessation of hostilities and improving humanitarian access in South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has also on Friday urged all parties to work collectively to ensure durable peace in the nation.

"The Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access is an important first step in the revitalization of the peace process," UNMISS said.

"UNMISS is committed to supporting the peace process in line with its mandate through advancing reconciliation efforts, strengthening conflict resolution mechanisms, building national cohesion and engaging in regional and international peace initiatives," it added.

According to the AU, the agreement, which was signed as part of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led Revitalization Forum that opened in Addis Ababa on December 17, is "a critical first step in the efforts to end the senseless conflict and carnage that has been unfolding in South Sudan since December 2013."

While welcoming the first step, the chairperson of the commission of the AU, Moussa Faki Mahamat, stressed that "the true test of the genuineness of the parties' commitments lies in the full and effective implementation of their pledge to end violence and uphold the most basic tenets of international humanitarian law."

"The people of South Sudan, who have endured so much pain and suffering, are investing great expectation in the faithful implementation of this agreement. They desperately need and deserve respite from war, especially as they enter this festive Christmas season, and look with rekindled hope towards the New Year," Faki Mahamat stressed.

He also indicated that South Sudanese warring factions "should build on this important achievement and continue to make the necessary compromises without which the revitalization process cannot succeed."

Troika, which comprises Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, also congratulated South Sudanese parties concerning the newly signed peace agreement.

According to the joint statement by the three western nations, the agreement shows the parties' "willingness to compromise for the benefit of the people of South Sudan and hope that they immediately take action to make good on that agreement."

Troika, however, called upon all the parties to "implement the agreement immediately including the parties' obligations regarding humanitarian access."

"We are encouraged by the strong statements from the African Union and IGAD making clear their intent to hold the parties accountable," the statement indicated, adding that "The Troika calls on the parties to reconvene urgently to address the important security and governance arrangements that are essential for peace."

Refugees from South Sudan wait to be settled outside the Khour Al-Waral refugee camp in Al-Salam locality, some 69-kilometers south of Rebek , capital of White Nile State, Sudan, May 18, 2017. The Khour Al-Waral refugee camp accommodated 50,000 refugees. The majority of them are from Upper Nile State of South Sudan on the border with Sudan. ( Xinhua /Mohamed Babiker )

Troika members further assured their full support to the continuation of efforts by IGAD to build peace through the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) in South Sudan.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 following political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy turned rebel chief Riek Machar led to split within the SPLA, leaving soldiers to fight alongside ethnic lines.

The 2015 peace agreement to end the conflict was weakened after the outbreak of renewed fighting in July 2016 caused the SPLA-in opposition rebel leader Machar to flee the capital.

The AU, IGAD and regional governments had prior to the recent meeting in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa stressed that the HLRF would be the last opportunity for South Sudan's warring factions on their disposal.

Ethiopian Prime Minister and the current Chairperson of IGAD, Hailemariam Desalegn, said during the opening session of the forum on Monday that the two South Sudanese warring factions need to leave their differences aside.

Desalegn, who urged South Sudanese warring parties to do their part for the peace and stability of their country, stressed that the five-day forum is the last opportunity to ensure peace in South Sudan.

The East African block of IGAD had also warned south Sudanese parties to reach an agreement or it would take all the necessary actions if the current efforts fail.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 02:32:02|Editor: yan

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LJUBLJANA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec on Friday stated that his nation would not let Croatia become a member of the Schengen area until it implements the border arbitration agreement, according to the Slovenian Press Agency.

Slovenia would also plan to withhold its support for Croatia's membership to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the foreign minister added.

"Until the arbitration award is respected, until it is implemented, Slovenia will always give a negative opinion on Schengen. A country that does not know where the border between two countries is cannot be a part of the Schengen zone," he said.

Regarding OECD membership, Erjavec stated that Croatia was having problems with the rule of law, as evident from suits brought by Slovenia's defunct bank LB being bogged down in Croatian courts.

Erjavec made the comments after a session of his Pensioners' Party council in reference to Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's statement that Schengen zone entry, membership of the OECD and adoption of the euro were Croatia's priorities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 02:37:04|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a new resolution to tighten sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch on Nov. 28.

The resolution, which was passed by the council unanimously, targets the supply of refined petroleum products to the DPRK, among other restrictive measures.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 02:42:06|Editor: Jiaxin

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President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor (C), swears in as president at a special National Assembly session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Dec. 22, 2017. Slovenian President Borut Pahor was sowrn in at the National Assembly on Friday and will formally start his second five-year term on Saturday, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported. (Xinhua/Matic Stojs)

LJUBLJANA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian President Borut Pahor was sowrn in at the National Assembly on Friday and will formally start his second five-year term on Saturday, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported.

Securing 53 percent of the vote on a record low turnout of just 42 percent, Pahor, 54, was re-elected on Nov. 12 in a run-off defeating his challenger, Marjan sarec, the mayor of Kamnik in a neck-and-neck race.

"I would like everyone to be proud of me and our country ... I will strive so that everyone is proud of our beloved homeland, the beautiful Slovenia," he said in his inaugural address.

Pahor said the guiding line of his actions would be the notion that "there is much more dividing us than there is separating us," echoing his focus on reconciliation over post-WWII divisions in his first term.

He said reforms were needed if Slovenia is to preserve its welfare state, saying that "the best economic policy is essentially the best social policy."

Pahor was sworn in at a special National Assembly session that also honored the Dec. 26 Independence and Unity Day, said the STA report.

The session featured senior officials including Prime Minister Miro Cerar and his cabinet, as well as senior civil servants, former officials and members of the diplomatic corps.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 02:57:11|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has extended for three years the mandate of the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is tasked to prosecute perpetrators of an attack in February 2005 in Beirut, said his spokesman on Friday.

The mandate has been extended till March 1, 2021, or upon the completion of the cases before the tribunal if sooner, said Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement.

STL, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, is an independent tribunal set up at the request of the Lebanese government to hold trials for those accused of carrying out the attack on Feb. 14, 2005 in Beirut, which killed 22 people, including former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The secretary-general reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to support the work of the tribunal in the fight against impunity for such major crimes, in order to bring those responsible to justice, said the statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 03:37:21|Editor: yan

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LAGOS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Security chiefs in Nigeria has placed all their personnel on full alerts in the event of any emergency situation during the yuletide season.

Rebel attacks in recent years have overshadowed the festive season in the West African country, where a big bomb killed more than 40 Christians on Christmas Day in 2011 at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Niger State.

The Nigerian Army has called on people, who reside in the restive northeast region, to be security vigilant and guard against suicide bomb attack by Boko Haram insurgents.

Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, a military spokesperson said it was imperative for the people to be vigilant and monitor suspicious persons in their communities, places of worship and other public places.

He called on community and religious leaders to sensitize and mobilize their people to be security conscious to prevent insurgents' attack.

Also, police in northwest state of Kano, assured residents of the state's adequate security during the Christmas and New year celebrations. Security personnel have been deployed to places of worship, motor parks, markets, roads, shopping malls, recreational centers and all public places to beef up security.

In northeast Adamawa, the police and other security agencies in the state also put in place measures to ensure hitch-free celebrations.

In oil rich state of Akwa Ibom, some 6,000 police personnel had been deployed to provide security in the state during and after the yuletide.

The personnel were deployed to churches, relaxation centers, financial institutions as well as markets and public buildings.

The action was to forestall any breach of peace and order during the celebrations, Bala Elkana, the state police spokesperson said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 03:37:21|Editor: yan

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By Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish army will recruit 8,000 female gendarmes for combating terrorism and defending borders in a NATO country that has suffered both from internal and regional conflicts.

These officers and non-commissioned officers will serve under the banner of the Gendarmerie Command and their duties will include combating terrorism and defending the country's southern borders with war-torn Syria and Iraq, two countries where the conflicts have spilled into Turkish territory.

FEMALE COMMANDOS

According to a new directive, female officers will receive the same commando training as men and will be on the front line in many areas, including anti-terrorism operations.

Ladies who are younger than 26 years old and not shorter than 164 centimeters or do not have a criminal record can apply in the coming weeks.

In press reports published about this unprecedented recruitment scheme, it is explained that female soldiers will also serve "in safeguarding public order, combatting illegal border crossings and trafficking and the protection of penitentiary facilities."

"There is a need for more women in the gendarmerie as it is serving as a police force in rural areas and sectors which are affected by terrorist activities in southeastern Turkey, a mostly Kurdish populated and impoverished region by decades of war," Professor Haldun Yalcinkaya from the Ankara TOBB university told Xinhua.

The military expert said that female soldiers are better equipped and more efficient to deal with local populations and the sensitivities.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been fighting the Turkish army initially for independence and later for Kurdish self-rule inside Turkey for the past 33 years. One of the hallmarks of the group is that it has succeeded in prizing away thousands of women from the clutches of patriarchy and into the battlefield.

USING THE FEMALE TOUCH

"Enrolling more women in the gendarmerie would make a difference as they can interact with women in provinces that are conservative and socially very much male oriented. It will confirm the changing paradigm against PKK terrorism," pointed out Yalcinkaya.

The move aims to boost the number of women inside the Gendarmerie from the current 828 to 8,828. Only 3% of the Turkish Armed Forces, the second-largest standing force in NATO, consist of women who are generally not in combat positions even though there are currently several F-16 female fighter pilots in the Air Force.

Women are generally exceptions in a 350,000 strong force who suffered dramatic losses in number of generals and officer cadres after a coup attempt orchestrated by rogue soldiers in July 2016.

Hundreds of army person have been sacked or jailed for suspected affiliation to a shadowy network of charitable organizations led by the U.S.-exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed of having masterminded the failed coup.

The gendarmerie, a 190,000 strong force who is at the forefront of the struggle against the armed rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), also witnessed a major transformation in this period and was detached from the chief of staff of the army and attached to the ministry of Interior, thus under civilian command and control.

This long awaited gendarmerie reform was passed through parliament after the botched coup of last summer while the institution was still groggy after it had been bombed by rogue Air Force pilots at the command of F-16's.

This reform concerning a fully-fledged military machine with its commando brigades, air elements and special forces battalions was criticized by the parliamentary opposition who denounced the intention of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) of filling gendarmerie ranks with its partisans.

The private NTV news channel reported that female commandos will be trained alongside their male peers and deployed to arduous and inhospitable mountain terrain in eastern Turkey as well as to the southeast, where the bloody conflict between the PKK and Turkish security forces is mainly concentrated.

TURKISH ARMY GUARDIAN OF SECULARISM

The Turkish army, established as the guardian of secular principles ingrained by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's founding father, has seen its image tarnished after the failed coup and to enroll women in armed forces could help bring its reputation back.

"Women are an undetachable part of our society. They took part actively in the Independence War (against western powers and Greece 1919-1922). And now they will enlist as part of the Gendarmerie and take on the uniform," told Xinhua a source close to the government.

This source who spoke on condition of anonymity also pointed out that female gendarmes will be deployed in coastline duty on the Aegean and Mediterranean seas where most of Turkey's touristic sites and resorts are concentrated.

As part of the agenda of AKP, the government announced last February a controversial and groundbreaking decision, allowing women in the armed forces and the police to wear the hijab, the Islamic headscarf, despite opposition of secular circles.

A retired army general who didn't want to be identified told Xinhua that while the decision to enroll more women in the traditionally and historically man-led armed forces was something to be hopeful for, the fact that the gendarmerie is now separated from the armed forces command could lead to some troubles.

He underlined that the gendarmerie is prone to political influence and there could be different chains of command in case of armed conflict.

Having more women in the army or the civil service is a must for Turkey where the gender equality is written in the laws since many decades but certainly not in practice.

Despite the legal basis for gender equality in the workplace and significant steps in gender policy, the women's participation in the work force is the lowest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Only 22.8% of women in Turkey currently work, according to official data.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 03:42:22|Editor: yan

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MADRID, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Emergency services have confirmed 41 people have been injured, four of them seriously, when a local double-decker commuter train collided with the buffers at the station of Alcala de Henares, some 40 kilometers east of Madrid, on Friday afternoon.

The causes of the accident, which happened at around 16:00 hours local time, are as yet unknown, but the train driver has tested negative for alcohol and drugs and it is suspected a failure of the train's breaking system may have been at fault.

Although the train was not travelling at high speed when it hit the buffers, the Mayor of Alcala, Javier Rodriguez Palacios explained there had been a high number of injuries because a high number of passengers were standing up when the collision happened.

The injured have been taken to local hospitals, while Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has sent a message of support to victims and their families, while Public Works Minister, Inigo de la Serna, has visited the scene.

Spain's railway operator, Renfe, said it was investigating the cause of the crash, adding commuter train service was not suspended. However, some trains were delayed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 03:42:22|Editor: yan

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Photo taken on Dec. 22, 2017 shows the United Nations Security Council voting on a resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the UN headquarters in New York. The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to tighten sanctions against the DPRK. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Friday adopted a new resolution to further tighten sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch on Nov. 28.

Resolution 2397, which was passed in the 15-member council unanimously, bans nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to the DPRK by setting a ceiling of 500,000 barrels a year. It also caps crude oil exports to the DPRK at the current level of four million barrels a year.

As an important measure to cut the source of funding for Pyongyang's nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs, the resolution requires UN member states to repatriate all DPRK laborers earning income abroad within 24 months.

In addition, the resolution bans DPRK exports of food products, machinery, and electrical equipment, and it bans the supply of industrial equipment, heavy machinery, and transportation vehicles to the DPRK.

Resolution 2397 is the 10th Security Council resolution that contains sanctions against the DPRK since 2006, and the third such resolution in 2017 alone.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 04:22:30|Editor: Mengjie

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on tax reform at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump singled out 4.6 billion U.S. dollars in missile defense funding on Friday, as part of a short-term spending bill that he signed to keep the government open until next month.

The continuing resolution (CR) keeps the federal government open until Jan. 19, 2018, which includes funding for missile defense programs, a request the Trump administration made last month.

The CR, which cleared the House and Senate Thursday night, has about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars for missile defense procurement, 1.3 billion dollars for research and development, among other things.

Before signing the CR, Trump described the new funding for missile defense as "much-needed" in a tweet Friday morning.

The president also signed a 1.5-trillion-dollar tax cut bill into law on Friday before leaving for his Christmas break in Florida.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 05:02:36|Editor: yan

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RABAT, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Malaysia are set to reinforce mutual defense cooperation, the defense administration said on Friday.

During a meeting between Abdellatif Loudiyi, the Moroccan minister delegate in charge of national defense administration, and visiting Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, they agreed to establish a win-win partnership, especially in the areas of training, sea security and defense industry, a ministry statement said.

The bilateral cooperation in the field of cybersecurity has shown good results since a cooperation memorandum of understanding was signed in 2015, the statement added.

Hussein is leading a delegation of high-ranking Malaysian military officials on a working visit to Morocco.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Kyrgyzstan's President Almazbek Atambayev in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

BISHKEK, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will only grow in the international arena, leader of the Communist party of Kyrgyzstan, member of the Parliament Ishak Masaliev told Xinhua on Thursday.

Commenting his recent participation in the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in Beijing, Masaliev said China conveyed its proposal at the meeting that the development of economy will help achieve much more positive changes for all countries.

He said the proposal by the CPC, which he thinks ranks as one of the most leading parties in the world, is more effective and promising.

"This proposal was of great interest to all political parties participating in this forum," he said.

The Kyrgyz lawmaker said the proposals and initiatives put forward by China, including the Belt and Road Initiative, can help Kyrgyzstan achieve a powerful impetus in economic development.

On bilateral economic and geographical relations, Masaliev said Kyrgyzstan should carefully consider the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

"We must find mutually beneficial projects that will be economically beneficial to Kyrgyzstan and China," he added.

The leader of the Communist of Kyrgyzstan believed that this initiative will help the world overcome problems such as poverty and radicalization of society.

Masaliev emphasized the consistency and receptivity in the CPC's leadership, saying "the party ... looks for its own way for the development."

Masaliev said the 19th National Congress of the CPC in October indicated that the party supports its leadership. He also said it performs its work well.

He said keeping the continuity of a thousand-fold calculation before making decisions leads to only positive results.

"As far as I understand, the life of the leading communists is modest. This has a very positive effect on the attitude of society towards the Chinese Communist Party," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 05:27:41|Editor: yan

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LONDON, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- An army bomb disposal squad carried out a controlled explosion Friday when they detonated materials found by anti-terror cops who swooped on homes in northern England earlier this week.

Media reports quoted unnamed security sources saying police and Britain's interior security agency MI5 had averted a possible Christmas terror attack.

One man arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences in Chesterfield and three males arrested in Sheffield as part of the same operation all remained in police custody Friday night.

Homes in part of market town Chesterfield were evacuated and an area of the town was cordoned off as anti-terror officers searched a number of properties.

As part of the ongoing investigation and search of premises in Chesterfield, an Army Bomb Disposal Unit carried out a controlled explosion at a nearby safe location Friday.

A spokesman for the regional terror police unit in North East England said the controlled explosion took place to safely dispose of material found at the property. A police cordon remains in place around the premises.

National media in London named the man arrested in Chesterfield as the 31-year-old owner of a fish bar in the town. The shop remains sealed off by police.

Counter terrorism detectives have been given until 4 pm on December 25 to charge, release or apply for a further extension to custody of the four men currently being held.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 05:37:43|Editor: yan

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HELSINKI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Finnish government said on Friday it granted three million euros (3.6 million U.S. dollars) to the main Finnish commercial television company, MTV for maintaining its continued television news service.

The company asked for public assistance as it said maintaining the service on a commercial basis was challenging. The company in recent years reduced its news staff and outsourced production.

MTV news is currently the only fully fledged competitor to national broadcaster, Yle in the sector of traditional on-air television bulletins.

In a statement on Friday, the government said MTV must ensure its visibility in all Finland.

The basis of the government decision was to ensure that several news operations are viable.

The government decision was based on the requirement that there are at least three news bulletins per day and 18 hours broadcasting news per week.

The MTV, abbreviation from Mainos Televisio, is currently owned by the Swedish Bonnier Group.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 05:47:44|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- "The world is bigger than five," directly targeting the United States, is a motto often stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to challenge the current structure of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in a bid for a reform in the membership to make it more representative.

The Turkish president criticizes the global body, which is established to maintain international peace and security, for its inaction in the Palestinian case against Israel.

On Friday, Erdogan slammed the U.S. for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution that calls on President Donald Trump to withdraw his declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"The UN Security Council could not take a decision on the issue of Jerusalem because of the veto by the United States," he said.

"We remind you once again that the world is bigger than five," the president warned.

"It is far bigger than one. It is 196 times bigger," he added, referring to the UN Security Council's five permanent members, particularly the U.S., and the 196 member countries of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The Turkish president, however, welcomed the UNGA's clear-cut rejection of the U.S. Jerusalem decision on Thursday.

"No country has the right to threaten the world recklessly by relying on their economic and political power in such situation which is a clear example of unlawfulness and injustice," he noted.

"Such blackmails harm the ability of international organizations, such as UN, which constitute the backbone of the international system, to reflect the will of the countries," Erdogan said, referring to the threats by Trump to cut aid to those countries voting against his move.

Erdogan suggested that the UN Security Council has failed to represent countries with 1.7 billion Muslims around the world.

In each of his speeches delivered at the annual UNGA meetings, the Turkish president calls for reform on Security Council, saying the body remains ineffective and unjust to deliver peace for the oppressed in the world.

"A United Nations Security Council which fails to represent the whole world cannot deliver justice," he said at one of his speeches in 2016.

He stressed Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan and Ukraine are all in deep crises with the scenes of wounds that hurt the conscience of the mankind, but the UN is not able to address them.

"We would like this important Council to attain a democratic, transparent, just and effective structure ... This crooked system has no power left to take concrete steps for the good of humanity in its current condition," Erdogan said at the 72nd UN General Assembly in 2017.

Turkey proposes that the Security Council should consist of 20 equal members that serve for two years, and half of them should be replaced every year. So, all countries in the world will have a say in this important institution when it is their turn.

The recent developments with regard to Jerusalem proved Erdogan might be right about this, according to Ozan Ceyhun, Daily Sabah commentator.

He recalled that a draft resolution, presented to the UNSC by Egypt which called on Trump to rescind his decision of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, was vetoed by the U.S. this week.

The veto power was "abused once again" in this latest incident, which "would stir up chaos in the Middle East and around the world," Ceyhun said.

Erdogan refers to the fact that world has changed enormously since the UN system was created in the wake of World War II, according to Beril Dedeoglu, an academician and columnist at daily Star.

She suggested that the UNSC should have more permanent members that are capable of representing divergent cultural and religious groups.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 05:52:45|Editor: Lifang

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Photo taken on Dec. 22, 2017 shows the United Nations Security Council voting on a resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the UN headquarters in New York. The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to tighten sanctions against the DPRK. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a new resolution to further tighten sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to its ballistic missile launch late last month.

Resolution 2397, which passed the 15-member council unanimously, bans nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to the DPRK, by setting a ceiling of 500,000 barrels during a period of 12 months beginning Jan. 1, 2018. It provides for the same amount in 12-month periods thereafter with conditions.

It also caps crude oil exports to the DPRK at the current level of 4 million barrels a year.

As an important measure to cut the source of funding for Pyongyang's nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs, the resolution requires UN member states to repatriate all DPRK nationals earning income abroad immediately, but no later than 24 months from the date of adoption of this resolution.

In addition, the resolution bans DPRK exports of food and agricultural products; machinery; electrical equipment; earth and stone, including magnesite and magnesia; wood and vessels.

It bans the supply of industrial machinery, transportation vehicles, and iron, steel, and other metals to the DPRK.

The resolution provides for measures to stop ships illegally providing oil to the DPRK through ship-to-ship transfers and smuggling DPRK coal and other prohibited commodities by sea.

Member states may seize, inspect, freeze (impound) any vessel in their territorial waters, should they have reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel was involved in activities, or the transport of items, prohibited by Security Council resolutions, reads the text.

The resolution puts 19 new DPRK individuals, most of them DPRK overseas bank representatives, and the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, which manages the general administrative and logistical needs of the Korean People's Army, on a list for a global asset freeze and travel ban.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the unanimous adoption of the resolution.

"The secretary-general welcomes the continued unity of the Security Council, which is essential to achieve the goal of de-nuclearization and create the space for diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving it in a peaceful manner," said Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement.

The secretary-general supports the Security Council's desire for a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation, as well as its call for further work to reduce tensions, said the statement. He reaffirmed his commitment to working with all parties to that end.

The secretary-general called on all UN member states to ensure the full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and to redouble efforts to make 2018 a pivotal year for the achievement of sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"The only way forward for a comprehensive peaceful and political solution requires de-escalation and open communication channels, now," said the statement.

The resolution reiterates the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia at large, and expresses its commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation.

It welcomes efforts by the council members as well as other states to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue, and stresses the importance of working to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

The resolution reaffirms support for the Six Party Talks involving the DPRK and the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, and calls for their resumption.

Resolution 2397 is the 10th Security Council resolution that contains sanctions against the DPRK since 2006, when it carried out its first ever nuclear weapon test. It is the third resolution that contains sanctions in 2017 alone.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 06:07:49|Editor: Lifang

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Church volunteers release wishes' sky lanterns during a Christmas celebration in the San Gorgeous church in Aleppo city, northern Syria, Dec. 22, 2017. After losing glamor for over six years, special occasions such as Christmas and New Year are regaining their shimmering magic as the situation is getting better in the war-torn country. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

by Hummam Sheikh Ali

ALEPPO, Syria, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- After losing glamor for over six years, special occasions such as Christmas and New Year are regaining their shimmering magic as the situation is getting better in the war-torn country.

During the wartime in Aleppo, people were busy thinking of how to stay alive amid the intense battles that had raged in that key city in northern Syria for four years.

Mortar shells and explosive-rigged gas cylinders used to rain down Aleppo on daily basis, claiming the lives of countless civilians.

The attacks had intensified during the special occasions of Christmas and New Year, with people staying in their homes praying for salvation and protection from the deadly war.

But after the liberation of the city from the rebels last year, the situation has changed.

This year, celebrations and the love of life are the main themes in Aleppo, whose residents have for long been longing to celebrate, instead of burying loved ones.

Christmas trees have mushroomed across the city, almost in every restaurant and cafe.

In the San Gorgeous church in Aleppo, dozens of Syrians gathered on Friday evening, enjoying Christmas carols, and snapping selfies near a Christmas tree and a decorated cave, featuring baby Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.

The atmosphere was cozy, with the warm lights of Christmas ornament and the smile and joy on the faces of the people, who showed up to celebrate and feel the spirit of the holiday, probably for the first time in years.

Pieces of paper were later given to the crowds.

"Write your wishes and give to us to release it into the sky," one of the church's volunteers told the crowds.

The people were excited to write their wishes for the new year and pasted them on sky lanterns before releasing them into the sky of Aleppo.

With every lantern released, the crowds cheered, as the lanterns looked like floating starts of hope, brightening the night sky of the city.

Mark, one of the organizers, told Xinhua that he and a group of volunteers came with the idea.

"Since the war has ended in Syria, more specifically in Aleppo, we want people to write their wishes so that we can collect all of the wishes and paste them on the sky lanterns in celebration of hope," he said.

Wearing a new outfit, Karol beamed as she was showing her new white jacket to her friend before inching closer to the sky lantern spot, a little sashay in her walk.

"The event and this sky lantern initiative was amazing, we had a wonderful time and we are happy about the gathering of people here because it has been so long since we have done something like this and we were longing to have such events," she told Xinhua.

Karol said her wish is for the peace and security to prevail this country and for those who left to come back and feel the joy together.

Her friend, Elina, in her 20s, also loved the celebration and said her biggest wish is to have her friends and relatives back from abroad.

"I wish for all my friends and relatives who traveled outside the country to return because I miss them and also because the country seemed to have gotten empty over the years of war," she said.
Photo taken on Dec. 22, 2017 shows the United Nations Security Council voting on a resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the UNheadquarters in New York. The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to tighten sanctions against the DPRK. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a new resolution to further tighten sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to its ballistic missile launch late last month.

Resolution 2397, which passed the 15-member council unanimously, bans nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to the DPRK, by setting a ceiling of 500,000 barrels during a period of 12 months beginning Jan. 1, 2018. It provides for the same amount in 12-month periods thereafter with conditions.

It also caps crude oil exports to the DPRK at the current level of 4 million barrels a year.

As an important measure to cut the source of funding for Pyongyang's nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs, the resolution requires UN member states to repatriate all DPRK nationals earning income abroad immediately, but no later than 24 months from the date of adoption of this resolution.

Wu Haitao (Front), charge d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, speaks after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 22, 2017. The Security Council on Friday adopted a new resolution to further tighten sanctions against the DPRK in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch on Nov. 28. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

In addition, the resolution bans DPRK exports of food and agricultural products; machinery; electrical equipment; earth and stone, including magnesite and magnesia; wood and vessels.

It bans the supply of industrial machinery, transportation vehicles, and iron, steel, and other metals to the DPRK.

The resolution provides for measures to stop ships illegally providing oil to the DPRK through ship-to-ship transfers and smuggling DPRK coal and other prohibited commodities by sea.

Member states may seize, inspect, freeze (impound) any vessel in their territorial waters, should they have reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel was involved in activities, or the transport of items, prohibited by Security Council resolutions, reads the text.

The resolution puts 19 new DPRK individuals, most of them DPRK overseas bank representatives, and the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, which manages the general administrative and logistical needs of the Korean People's Army, on a list for a global asset freeze and travel ban.

U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley (R, Front) speaks after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 22, 2017. The Security Council on Friday adopted a new resolution to further tighten sanctions against the DPRK in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch on Nov. 28. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the unanimous adoption of the resolution.

"The secretary-general welcomes the continued unity of the Security Council, which is essential to achieve the goal of de-nuclearization and create the space for diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving it in a peaceful manner," said Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement.

The secretary-general supports the Security Council's desire for a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation, as well as its call for further work to reduce tensions, said the statement. He reaffirmed his commitment to working with all parties to that end.

The secretary-general called on all UN member states to ensure the full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and to redouble efforts to make 2018 a pivotal year for the achievement of sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov (2nd R, Front) speaks after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 22, 2017. The Security Council on Friday adopted a new resolution to further tighten sanctions against the DPRK in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch on Nov. 28. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"The only way forward for a comprehensive peaceful and political solution requires de-escalation and open communication channels, now," said the statement.

The resolution reiterates the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia at large, and expresses its commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation.

It welcomes efforts by the council members as well as other states to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue, and stresses the importance of working to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

The resolution reaffirms support for the Six Party Talks involving the DPRK and the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, and calls for their resumption.

Resolution 2397 is the 10th Security Council resolution that contains sanctions against the DPRK since 2006, when it carried out its first ever nuclear weapon test. It is the third resolution that contains sanctions in 2017 alone.
YORK  The elderly woman, the second defendant in a case where she and her 80-year-old husband were allegedly transporting $336,000 worth of marijuana they said was intended as Christmas gifts, has not been jailed.

York County Sheriffs Lt. Paul Vrbka said Barbara Jiron was cited in the case but was not jailed due to some medical issues.

It has also been clarified that Barbara Jirons age is 70. The sheriffs department inadvertently originally said her age was 83.

Her husband, Patrick Jiron, was taken into custody and booked into the York County Jail on charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and having no drug tax stamp. He has since posted 10 percent of his $100,000 bond and has been released.

This case began on Tuesday when deputies with the York County Sheriffs Department stopped the Jirons Toyota Tacoma on Interstate 80, near the Bradshaw exit, after they allegedly saw the vehicle going over the center line and the driver failing to signal.

Lt. Vrbka said when they initiated the traffic stop, deputies could immediately smell the strong odor of raw marijuana. Dundee, the countys drug dog, alerted to the presence of a controlled substance and a search was conducted.

Lt. Vrbka said the Jirons acknowledged that the marijuana was in the back of the pickup, under a topper, and deputies found 60 pounds of marijuana inside boxes. Because the marijuana was such high grade, the street value was equally high.

The couple told investigators, according to Lt. Vrbka, that they were traveling from California to Vermont and they intended to give away the marijuana as Christmas presents.

Vrbka said they also told deputies they didnt know it was illegal to transport marijuana in Nebraska.
News

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson: "Today, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution that will help Member States detect and counter the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), especially those returning from the conflict zone in Iraq and Syria. Resolution 2396 is particularly timely, given the collapse of ISISs false caliphate and its continuing efforts to commit terrorist attacks around the world.

"Building on the positive legacy of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2178, which was adopted in 2014 and obliged all states to criminalize FTF-related activities, the Security Council today directed members to take additional steps to address the terrorist threat as it has evolved over the last three years.

"Working with our partners, the United States led the negotiation of this new set of international obligations and commitments. UNSCR 2396 requires all UN members to use Passenger Name Record (PNR) data and Advanced Passenger Information (API) to stop terrorist travel. It also requires members to collect biometric data and develop watchlists of known and suspected terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters. In addition, the new resolution calls for stricter aviation security standards and urges UN members to share counterterrorism information with each other.

"These tools, which the United States has been using for years and which have now been embraced by the international communitywill be critical in preventing the movement of ISIS fighters and other terrorists across the globe.

"The successful adoption of UNSCR 2396 demonstrates the United States unwavering commitment to the complete defeat of ISIS. It also shows that the Security Council along with the 66 countries that co-sponsored the resolution remains firmly, unquestionably united in the face of the common threat of transnational terrorism. We look forward to working with countries, UN bodies, civil society, and the private sector to implement this groundbreaking resolution."
Latest News

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson: "On behalf of President Trump and the people of the United States, I would like to send warm wishes to His Imperial Majesty on the occasion of his 84th birthday this December 23, and congratulate Japan on this national day of celebration.

"The President and I were truly honored to visit Japan in November, capping the warm and constructive engagements this year between the leadership of our two nations as we work together to address both regional and global challenges. We are grateful for the wonderful welcome we received from the Japanese people.

"Japan and the United States have forged an effective global partnership based on our shared values and interests. We commend Japans efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, advance womens empowerment, promote sustainable economic development, respond generously to global challenges, and reinforce the rule of law throughout the world. The United States looks forward to strengthening our steadfast alliance with Japan through continued cooperation in the years ahead.

"We wish the Japanese people peace and prosperity over the coming year."
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - On Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at approximately 6:50 p.m., Officers were dispatched to the 500 block Magnolia Avenue in reference to a possible shooting victim.

Police arrived and located a 24 year old male with a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to the Yuma Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The case is still under investigation.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at 928-373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.
Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu had a telephone conversation with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky, on Friday, in the context of the Czech Republic holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) release sent to AGERPRES informs. Fii

- The social democrats will make the nomination for the position of prime minister "when the time comes", said the Social Democratic Party (PSD) chair, Marcel Ciolacu, on Thursday evening in southern Craiova, adding that he believes that there will be no problems next year regarding the rotation of

- Minister of Health Alexandru Rafila said on Thursday, in eastern Bacau, that it is premature to discuss his potential candidacy for the Presidency of Romania, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro  Help

- The General Inspectorate of the Border Police informs that on Thursday, 73,753 people, including 8,088 Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania through border points throughout the country, going up by 2.5% compared to the previous day.According to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Friday, approximately

- Almost 500 job offers were available on Friday at the Job Exchange for graduates, organized by the eastern Vrancea County Employment Agency (AJOFM), but the number of participants was almost five times lower. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook

- The citizens of the European Union "must constantly participate in the democratic process" and we must "cherish democracy", because "it is not for granted" and it is subject to "great challenges at the moment", declared on Friday, in Bucharest, in an interview for AGERPRES, the Vice-President of

- Romanian education minister Sorin Cimpeanu resigned under public pressure late on Thursday after allegations he plagiarised a university course he had taught, according to Reuters. He has denied the allegations and said he took over the course with the consent of its other authors. Plagiarism is widespread

- Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu emphasized the importance of the Ministry's Open Doors Day held on Friday in a bid to open the institution to the public, as part of a series of events dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the creation of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Aurescu explained
Kabul: Vice President Mike Pence told US troops in Afghanistan Thursday that they have put the Taliban on the run, as he became the most senior Trump administration official to visit the men and women fighting America`s longest-ever war.

Flying secretly through the day and night on a standard unmarked US Air Force C-17 transport plane, Pence corkscrewed into Bagram Airfield on the unannounced visit to thank some of the roughly 15,000 US personnel still hoping to turn the tide in the conflict, now in its 17th year.

The superpower`s vexed campaign against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban -- born from the rubble of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington -- receives ever-less public attention in the United States these days.

"The American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we`re making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan," Pence told the troops.

"We`ve dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we`ve put the Taliban on the defensive," he said, also pointing at efforts to target the drug trafficking networks that help fund the Taliban.

"All across this country we`ve won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide."

"And never doubt that your mission -- your mission here in Afghanistan -- is vital to the safety and security of the American people," the vice president said.

Pence`s visit was designed to shift the spotlight back on personnel and their mission, however briefly, before Americans turn their focus to turkey lunches, festive cheer and contentious domestic politics.

His visit also included a helicopter dash from Bagram into the heart of the capital Kabul to meet President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom the United States is counting on to help rebuild this war-shattered country.

"We`ve been on a long road together" he said. "We`ve both sacrificed much."

But, he added: "We are here to see this through."

The vice president also aimed a jab at neighboring Pakistan -- reiterating word for word Trump`s warning that it must stop offering cross-border safe havens to Taliban factions and armed jihadist groups fighting US troops and their Afghan allies.

"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists."

His comments sparked a testy response from the Pakistani Foreign Office, which said they were "at variance" with previous conversations, and added: "Allies do not put each other on notice."

Pence`s visit comes four months after Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan, which he told the troops was "already bearing fruit."

With typical certitude, the 45th commander-in-chief promised a more ruthless campaign without Obama-era exit deadlines or niceties.

But the trip comes as Afghan security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014 and maintains control over swathes of the country.

And the fact that Pence`s visit took place in secrecy and under cover of winter darkness is a stark reminder of the difficult security situation even around Kabul and even after a war effort worth more than half a trillion dollars.

Later asked by reporters whether the US would consider raising its military presence in the country, Pence demurred.

"That will be a decision for the commander in chief in the days ahead, but again this is... not just personnel," he said.

"You know, I said today that bureaucrats don`t win wars, soldiers do. And one of the things that you have seen in President Trump, as commander in chief, is he has empowered our battlefield commanders to make real-time decisions," he continued, citing successes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

His visit from Bagram to central Kabul was in doubt until the last moment, when a White House official said he countermanded a decision that the weather was not clear enough to travel.

Even then, Pence`s helicopter flight took place in near total darkness, moving low and fast and with a heavy phalanx of secret service and special forces.

The White House official said the decision was made "out of respect. To meet with Ghani and Abdullah."

The Trump administration,like Barack Obama`s before, has put enormous hope in Ghani, who is seen by the White House as more competent and less corrupt than his predecessor Hamid Karzai.

But his three-year-old "national unity" government appears to be faltering and parliamentary elections have been repeatedly postponed.

Pence had been expected to visit Egypt and Israel this week, a trip that was delayed amid a crunch vote on tax cuts and deadly protests at Trump`s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel`s capital.
NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has arrested 28 Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing illegally in the country's territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

Geo News quoted a PMSA spokesperson as saying that the PMSA carried out an operation in the open sea during which 28 Indian fishermen were arrested and five of their vessels were seized on charges of illegal fishing.

The spokesperson added that the fishermen were handed over to the Docks Police for further legal action.

Earlier this month, 43 Indian fishermen were arrested for entering Pakistan's territorial waters.

Pakistan on Thursday decided to release 291 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds in two phases starting from next week, Radio Pakistan reported.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal in Islamabad said the fishermen will be released in the first phase on 29th of this month and on the 8th of next month.

The Indian and Pakistani forces often detain each other's fishermen for trespassing territorial waters.
PATNA: Thousands of Rashtriya Janata Dal on Thursday called for a shutdown in Bihar in protest against the government's new sand mining policy, leading the normal life in the state coming to a standstill.

A woman patient breathed her last in an ambulance stuck in a massive traffic jam during the one-day bandh called RJD. The deceased, identified as Santosh Jha, was an employ of the Bihar government.

Jha on Thursday fell ill and was being taken to a nearby hospital but on the way were caught in a traffic jam which was enforced by RJD workers who had blocked the road as a mark of protest. According to Jha's relative, they pleaded with the protestors to make way for them, but none agreed to help them.

Later when Jha's family brought him to the hospital doctors declared her brought dead.

Meanwhile, over a thousand RJD supporters were detained for trying to enforce the shutdown in the state. A top police officer said protesters tried to disrupt road traffic in the morning and forced vendors to close their shops in several districts.

"A total of 1,734 persons were held across the state for disrupting public order while trying to enforce the bandh," Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) S K Singhal told reporters.

He said 18 FIRs have been lodged at various police stations in the districts in connection with the incidents reported during the day.

In Patna, the bandh evoked a mixed response as many commercial establishments remained open but downed shutters for brief periods during visits by RJD supporters.

Senior RJD leaders, including MLAs Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and Bhola Yadav, were detained at the Dak Bungalow Road crossing when they were staging a demonstration in a tractor, police said.

They were taken to the Kotwali police station nearby and let off a couple of hours later after they signed bonds, they said.

The RJD leaders have been accusing the state government of putting stringent restrictions on sand mining.

The Opposition party claimed that construction activities have come to a standstill in the state and thousands of workers have been rendered jobless due to the restrictions.

The party had, however, kept the Patna City and the bypass area out of the bandh purview to avoid causing inconvenience to Sikh pilgrims, who had converged in the area to attend the "Shukrana" (thanksgiving) ceremony as part of the 350th Prakash Parv (birth anniversary) celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh.

Despite pleas by the top RJD leaders to allow free movement of emergency services during the bandh, ambulances were seen stranded in traffic jams here.

The bandh supporters blocked road traffic in Begusarai, Aurangabad, Samastipur and Siwan. In Maner, in the outskirts of Patna, led by MLA Bhai Virendra RJD members burnt tyres on the highway, disrupting movement of vehicles on the busy Patna-Ara road for several hours.

The bandh drew flak from the JD(U)-BJP government.

State minister and BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said, "The behaviour of RJD activists reminded everybody of the lawlessness that prevail in the state whenever the party has been in power."

JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar accused the RJD of being "in cahoots with the sand-mining mafia" and questioned the rationale behind calling a bandh "despite an announcement made by the Chief Secretary yesterday that sand mining will continue, for the time being, as per old provisions".

RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, however, said the chief secretary's announcement was just an eyewash.

"The Patna High Court had categorically directed the state government, after staying its policy, to allow sand mining as per unamended provisions," he said.

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad remained conspicuous by his absence at the demonstrations staged by his party.
Washington: R Madhavan-starrer crime thriller Vikram Vedha and Baahubali 2 have been voted by the viewers as IMDb's top Indian movies of 2017.

The third movie on the list is Arjun Reddy.

Bollywood makes an appearance on the fourth spot with Aamir Khan's Secret Superstar. It is followed by Hindi Medium, The Ghazi Attack, Toilet - Ek Prem Katha and Jolly LLB 2.

Tamil film Mersal and The Great Father complete the top-10 list on the website.

These 10 films had the highest ratings by IMDb users.

"Fans worldwide demonstrated interest in a diverse set of Indian movies, from Vikram Vedha to The Great Father. It is interesting to note that films based on classics and mythology, as well as those based on contemporary issues, emerged as the two prominent themes of 2017," said Neha Gureja, IMDb's Head of Audience Development.

"Socially-conscious movies such as Secret Superstar, Hindi Medium, Toilet - Ek Prem Katha and Mersal resonated among users," Gureja said.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the police, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Delhi government on a plea seeking directions to ensure the safety of complainant.

The petition also sought directions seeking safety in cases of alleged or accused when no FIR is registered and the police is purporting to act under an alleged information or formal complaints and verification, ANI reported.

The court has listed the matter for April 19, 2018 for next hearing. The court's direction came after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed related to the arbitrary behaviour of the Delhi Police and ratio of complaint against them.

The petitioner in the case also sought direction for all respondents to frame appropriate procedure with regard to their duties and functions to ensure the safety of complainant in such cases.
NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old woman has alleged that she was raped by five people, including four juveniles, in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri area, police said on Friday.

The woman, a resident of Jahangirpuri, had recently become friends with a juvenile staying nearby. She claimed that she was invited by him to a party yesterday at his home, they said.

The juvenile's four friends also joined them, they said.

The woman, who is working at a private firm, alleged that they forcefully made her consume liquor, the police said.

She has alleged that they threatened her with dire consequences and held her hostage for around five hours, they said.

The woman claimed that they asked her not to inform anyone about the incident, the police said.

She approached the police and a case was registered against the five accused, they said.

All of them have been identified, the police said, adding that one of the accused has been arrested while the four juveniles have been apprehended.
Mumbai: Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli hosted a gala wedding reception in New Delhi on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too graced the occasion to bless the newlyweds, who looked absolutely gorgeous together.

Anushka looked resplendent in a bright red Benarasi saree. She teamed the traditional yarn with a uncut diamond and gold choker and matching jhumkas. The mogre ka gajra on her hair bun and the sindoor on her maang made her look like a traditional Indian bride whose beauty is indescribable.

Her attire and jewellery added to her personality and we cant stop raving about last evening. And if you are wondering how much you would have to shell out to own such a magnificent creation of art, then heres the answer.

According to a report in timesnownews.com, the jhumka-choker set will cost anywhere between Rs 25- 30 Lakhs.

Check out the image below:

Explaining Anushka and Virats look for their Delhi reception, ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who specialises in Indian wedding trousseau, took to Instagram to post:

I dont think Indian brides feel complete without wearing the red colour, in at-least one of their functions. Anushka decided to wear red on her reception! And much to my absolute delight, it was red Benrasi saree. From the by-lanes of Peeli Kothi in Benaras. I was particularly excited about this look because I have seen an entire generation of Bengali women getting married in red Benarasi sarees.

The red bindi, the sindoor, the mogras in her hair just made the look more potent and powerful. She chose to wear heritage uncut diamond choker and jhumkas from the Sabyasachi Bridal Jewelry collection.

Bollywood can play a major role in spreading awareness about Indian textiles and handlooms. And I must say the occasion couldnt be better. I know copies of this saree will flood the entire country in the next few months to come, which also means that a million weavers children will be back at school. All I can say is thank you Anushka.
NEW DELHI: Apple is being sued for admitting that it slows down older iPhone models to help preserve battery life in older phones.

The lawsuit has been filed by Stefan Bogdanovich and Dakota Speas, residents of California. Both are owners of an iPhone 7.

The plaintiffs have claimed to suffer economic losses and accused Apple of never taking their consent to slow down their iPhones. They have demanded monetary compensation from the technology giant.

The lawsuit was filed after, John Poole, the founder of Primate Labs, wrote in a blog explaining slower performance in the Apple`s iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 models as they aged.

Poole has mapped out performance for iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 over time, and has concluded that Apple`s iOS 10.2.1 and 11.2.0 updates introduce this throttling for various devices.

Moreover, iOS 10.2.1 is particularly relevant, as the update was designed to reduce random shutdown issues for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S.

Some Reddit users have noticed that the Cupertino-based company might be slowing down the performance of older phones.

Meanwhile, Apple has acknowledged that the company does take some measures to reduce power demands - which can have the effect of slowing the processor - when a phone`s battery is having trouble supplying the peak current that the processor demands.

"Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions," Apple told Reuters.

"Weve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future, it said.

The problem stems from the fact that all lithium-ion batteries, not just those found in Apple products, degrade and have problems supplying the big bursts as they age and accumulate charging cycles, Apple said in a statement. The problems with peak current draws can also occur when batteries are cold or low on charge.

When an iPhone`s processor makes a big current draw from a flagging battery, the battery can deliver the current in spikes that can potentially damage the phone`s electronics. As a result, iPhones would suddenly shut down to protect the pricey processor from being damaged by the power spikes.

The sudden shutdown problem became widespread among iPhones in late 2016, forcing Apple to issue a software fix that had the net result of slowing the phone somewhat with an old, cold or low-charged battery, the company said.

The problem can be remedied by replacing the phone`s battery. Apple charges $79 to replace batteries not covered under the phone`s warranty. The company has long faced criticism from repair advocates for making its batteries difficult for users to replace on their own.

With Agency Inputs
NEW DELHI: After sweeping victory in recently concluded assembly elections in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is pondering over the next chief minister candidate for the coastal state.

As per reports, Vijay Rupani is likely to retain the post of the state Chief Minister and the BJP will appoint two Deputy Chief Ministers, like it did in Uttar Pradesh.

After the BJP swept to victory in the keenly fought election in Gujarat, CM Rupani and Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel tendered their resignations to Governor OP Kohli.

The Governor, while accepting the resignations, formally dissolved the 13th Gujarat Assembly. It was announced that Rupani would be the acting Chief Minister until a successor is named.

However, speculations were rife that the BJP in all likelihood was looking to have Rupani and Patel hold on to their posts in the state until the 2019 general election.

The source said Rupani was an acceptable face in the party and the BJP did well in the just ended Assembly elections in his home district.

But there are grievances against Rupani and Patel, with the BJP seat tally not touching even 100 -- compared to BJP President Amit Shah's repeated claims that it will win 150 seats in the state.

The saffron party lost a sizable number of seats in Saurashtra region where, in some districts, it failed to capture even a single seat.

Several other reports claimed that among those said to be wanting to be Gujarat Chief Minister is Union Minister of State for Agriculture Purshottam Rupala, who has a good standing in the Patidar community.

The others are union minister Mansukh Mandavia, another Patidar, and Rajya Sabha member Smriti Irani.

Meanwhile, an official confirmation on the proposal to appoint two deputy chief ministers is awaited yet.
AHMEDABAD: The top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party will meet the newly elected MLAs in Gujarat on Friday to elect the next chief minister of the state.

The entire process will be held at 3:30 pm in Gandhinagar on Friday under the supervision of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP general secretary Saroj Pandey who have been appointed as observers by the central leadership.

State BJP in-charge Bhupender Yadav and co-incharge V Satish would also attend the meeting at party headquarters 'Kamalam'.

Speculation is rife over who will be the next chief minister, with Vijay Rupani being seen as a front-runner for the job.

Even during the election campaign, BJP president Amit Shah had said that the party was fighting the polls under Rupani and Nitin Patel.

Apart from Rupani, the other names doing the rounds for the top job in the state are those of Nitin Patel and Mansukh Mandavia, a Rayja Sabha member from Gujarat who is a member of the Narendra Modi government. Mandavia belongs to the Patidar community.

The swearing-in is likely to take place on December 25 on the birthday of former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Rupani had resigned on Thursday along with his council of ministers, paving the way for the formation of a new government. Rupani, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and other ministers visited Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar and handed over their resignation letters to the Governor.

Rupani, however, would serve as the caretaker chief minister till the formation of a new government.

BJP retained power in Gujarat by winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, while the Congress claimed 77. Six seats went to others, including three Independents.
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday opposed the bail plea of the 16-year-old student, accused of killing a 7-year-old Pradyuman Thakor at Gurugram-based Ryan International school.

Additional Sessions Judge Jasbir Singh Kundu fixed the matter for January 6 for arguments on the appeal filed by the accused against an order of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) denying him bail.

The probe agency opposed the appeal in a written submission before the court.

The court posted the matter for the next date after an adjournment was sought by the counsel for the accused.

The JJB had on December 20 held that the 16-year-old boy would be tried as an adult and directed that he be produced before the Gurgaon sessions court today.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 lowers the age of juveniles from 18 years to 16 years for heinous crimes like rape, murder and dacoity-cum- murder, which warrant at least seven years of imprisonment.

However, the JJB first decides whether the crime committed has been "child-like" or was it committed in an "adult frame of mind", following which the JJB orders the accused to be tried as juvenile or adult.

The JJB had passed the order on a plea that the accused teenager should not be treated as a juvenile.

If convicted, he will stay in a correctional home till he is 21-years old after which the court can shift him to a jail or grant him bail, it had said.

The board had earlier rejected the bail plea of the Class 11 Ryan International School student, charged with killing Pradhuman Thakur, a Class 2 student of the same school, in the school premises on September 8.

It had set up a committee which included a psychologist from the PGI, Rohtak for an expert opinion on the accused, who had been taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last month.

The panel submitted its report in two sealed envelopes.

The JJB had noted that the accused was mature enough to recognise the consequences of his actions.

Pradhuman was found with his throat slit in the school's washroom. The Gurgaon Police had said the crime was committed by a school bus conductor, which the CBI later refuted.

The CBI claimed the teenager had killed Pradhuman in a bid to get the school closed so that a scheduled parent-teacher meeting and an examination could be deferred.

(With Agency inputs)
Hyderabad: In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old woman was set ablaze in full public view in Secunderabad city of Telangana late on Thursday.

The woman was set on fire by a man allegedly suspected to be her lover.

The appalling incident took place in Lalaguda locality of the city.

Hyderabad: Police arrested a man for torching a 25-year-old woman. According to DCP North zone, the woman received 50% burns. Victim admitted to hospital, case registered u/s 307 IPC & ST/SC Atrocity Act, further probe underway pic.twitter.com/xgcPTkPsHk  ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2017

According to reports, the accused called the victim at the spot, where he poured kerosene on her and set her on fire.

Soon after committing the heinous act, the accused fled from the spot.

However, some local residents took quick cognisance of the matter and doused the fire.

The woman was then rushed to the hospital with 50 percent burns.

She is said to be in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, a case under section 307 of IPC & ST/SC Atrocity Act has been registered against the accused.

The police later arrested the accused in connection with the case. According to DCP North zone, one person has been arrested and an investigation is underway.
NEW DELHI: A bill which seeks to criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq will be introduced by the government in the parliament next week, announced Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.

The bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet last week.

'Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill', prepared by an inter-ministerial group headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, makes giving instant triple talaq "illegal and void" and provides for a jail term of three years for the husband.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 criminalises instant triple talaq and imposes a prison term of up to three years on husbands who violate the law.

It also makes a provision for alimony for the woman on whom instant triple talaq has been pronounced and grants her the custody of her children.

Meanwhile, as per a report, the BJP issued a whip to all its MPs on Thursday to attend the Parliament session while the government tables the 'controversial' bill in the House.

In a historic judgment on August 22, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court struck down instant triple talaq as illegal.

The woman can also seek the custody of her minor children from the magistrate who will take a final call on the issue.

Under the draft law, instant triple talaq in any form -- spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp -- would be bad or illegal and void.

Following the Supreme Court's order pronouncing the 'triple talaq' as invalid, Muslim groups have been up in arms against it with the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind saying that regardless of what the legal position is, instantaneous triple talaq would continue to happen in Muslim society.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi too described the proposed Bill as "draconian".

He said it would lead to further exploitation and more injustice to married Muslim women and that it is being done by the government only for "political considerations".

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Ministry of Law and Justice informed the Lok Sabha that no Muslim groups were consulted before framing a law on triple talaq.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar said the government believed that the proposed bill would help ensure gender justice, gender equality and dignity of women.

The government has maintained that since the practice of instant triple talaq or 'talaq-e-biddat' continues despite the Supreme Court striking it down, there is a need to bring a law.

To a written question on whether the government consulted Muslim organisations before framing the draft law, Minster of State for Law P P Chaudhary replied in the negative.

In a separate written reply, Prasad said, "The government is of the view that the issue arises from the humanitarian concept of gender justice, gender equality and dignity of women and not arising from faith and religion."

He said that since the Supreme Court struck down the practice of instant triple talaq, nearly 66 cases of husbands divorcing their spouses through this method were reported.

Earlier, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said the government had sought suggestions from various people before framing the law.
New Delhi: A village panchayat in Dhamtari district of Chattisgarh has issued a rather intrusive order of clicking school students in the toilet and sharing these photos daily on a WhatsApp group.

Bizzare? Read on.

The panchayat has issued the directive to teachers and authorities in 355 schools which were provided with low-cost toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission. They have been asked to click photos of not just students relieving themselves but of them washing their hands afterwards and of other hygiene-related acitivites. While the objective is believed to be better monitoring of toilet habits and condition of these structures, snapping photos of students relieving themselves - and sharing them on WhatsApp subsequently - has not gone down too well with school teachers and authorities.

School officials have strongly protested against the order. Apart from considering it outrightly ludicrous, most say it is an invasion of a child's privacy and that there are other ways of ensuring proper habits are instilled in children and condition of toilets are monitored.
New Delhi: The CBI will approach the Supreme Court against an Allahabad High Court verdict acquitting Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar in the murder case of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, an official said on Friday.



"The agency will file an appeal in the apex court before the end of this month against the acquittal verdict," the senior Central Bureau of Investigation official told IANS.



On October 12, a bench of Justice B.K. Narayana and Justice A.K. Mishra of the Allahabad High Court had acquitted the dentist couple by giving them the benefit of doubt in the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi and Hemraj at their Jalvayu Vihar home in Noida on May 16, 2008.



The High Court had upheld an appeal by the Talwars against a Ghaziabad CBI court order awarding them life imprisonment on November 26, 2013, bringing an end to a nine-year ordeal of the couple.



After Aarushi was found murdered in her bedroom, Hemraj was initially considered a suspect. However, his body too was found in a pool of blood a day later on the terrace of the house.



The Uttar Pradesh Police accused Rajesh Talwar of killing his daughter in a fit of rage. Rajesh Talwar was arrested on May 23, 2008.



On May 31, 2008, the CBI took over the case and initially absolved the parents but later held them responsible for the two murders.



On June 13, 2008, Rajesh Talwar`s compounder Krishna was arrested by the CBI. Ten days later, Raj Kumar, a servant of a doctor friend of the Talwars, and Vijay Mandal, the domestic help of the Talwars` neighbour, were also nabbed.



The three were later freed after no evidence was found against them.
Karachi: There seems to be no end to the sufferings of Hindus living in Pakistan. Now, it has come to light that a teenage Hindu girl from a village in Pakistan's Thar was recently kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam and later made to enter a marriage.

The allegations have been made by her close family members and relatives, according to ANI.

The family of the abducted girl informed reporters at Islamkot press club that the girl was abducted by three armed men, who barged into their home and held them hostage, a report in Dawn said.

It was further reported that the father of the girl, Hero Meghwar, had informed the local police that the girl has been converted and married. But no help came from the police. The girl's family alleged that the local police was showing no interest in recovering her.

However, the SSP of Thar claimed that an FIR has been lodged and raids are being conducted to arrest the three suspects named in the complaint.

The SSP further revealed that the police have not only received a certificate of conversion, issued by the local cleric, but also the now-married couple has filed an application in the Sindh High Court, seeking protection.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Several months after the peaceful resolution of the Doklam stand-off, top officials from India and China held formal talks on border-related disputes between the two countries on Friday.

According to ANI, the Indian delegation is being led by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Yang Jiechi is heading the Chinese side.

Talks between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi begin in Delhi pic.twitter.com/x6ALvM9qXx  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

The two sides will hold formal negotiations on the boundary issues while also exploring ways to strengthen the strained bilateral ties.

Today's meeting comes almost four months after the 73-day-long military stand-off at the Doklam plateau in the tri-junction region.

In the 20th round of special representatives talks since the establishment of the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism in 2003, Doval and Jiechi are likely to focus on founding ways to maintain peace and tranquillity along the 4,000-km-long border.

The two representatives will also discuss the Doklam stand-off.

Doval and Jiechi had in past met during the BRICS summit in Xiamen in September.

Reportedly, the decision to hold talks in the connection was taken at a meeting held last week between External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Russia-India-China (RIC) conference here.

However, the announcement of the meeting was made by MEA on Wednesday.

"At the invitation of Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser and the Special Representative of India on the Boundary Question, Yang Jiechi, State Councillor and Member of the Politburo of Communist Party of China's Central Committee and Special Representative of China on the Boundary Question, will visit India on December 22 to hold the 20th meeting of special representatives," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said during a media briefing.

Kumar averred that the discussions will be focused on the boundary issue, adding "we, of course, attach a lot of importance to this dialogue mechanism."

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying while addressing a media briefing said that the Doklam stand-off had posed a "major test" for bilateral ties.

Hua also stressed that lessons should be learnt from the conflict to circumvent similar situation in the future.

"This special representative meeting is not only a high-level channel for the border issue discussion but also the platform for strategic communication," she said.

She further said that the meeting was not only a high-level channel for the border issue discussion but also the platform for strategic communication.

"In 2017, China-India relations have maintained a good momentum generally but the Doklam incident posed a major test for the two countries. We should learn lessons from this incident to avoid any further conflict of this kind in the future," she added.

The last round of SRs meeting was held in Beijing in April 2016.

The Doklam standoff began on June 16 over People's Liberation Army's plans to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan.

The conflict came to an end on August 28 after the tw0 sides agreed to withdraw their respective troops from the Doklam plateau and the Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to India's corridor.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Several months after the peaceful resolution of the Doklam stand-off, Indian an China will hold crucial border talks on Friday.

According to ANI, the Indian delegation will be led by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Yang Jiechi will head the Chinese side.

The two sides will hold formal negotiations on the boundary issues while also exploring ways to strengthen the strained bilateral ties.

Today's meeting comes almost four months after the 73-day-long military stand-off at the Doklam plateau in the tri-junction region.

In the 20th round of special representatives talks since the establishment of the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism in 2003, Doval and Jiechi are likely to focus on founding ways to maintain peace and tranquillity along the 4,000-km-long border.

The two representatives will also discuss the Doklam stand-off.

Doval and Jiechi had in past met during the BRICS summit in Xiamen in September.

Reportedly, the decision to hold talks in the connection was taken at a meeting held last week between External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Russia-India-China (RIC) conference here.

However, the announcement of the meeting was made by MEA on Wednesday.

"At the invitation of Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser and the Special Representative of India on the Boundary Question, Yang Jiechi, State Councillor and Member of the Politburo of Communist Party of China's Central Committee and Special Representative of China on the Boundary Question, will visit India on December 22 to hold the 20th meeting of special representatives," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said during a media briefing.

Kumar averred that the discussions will be focused on the boundary issue, adding "we, of course, attach a lot of importance to this dialogue mechanism."

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying while addressing a media briefing said that the Doklam stand-off had posed a "major test" for bilateral ties.

Hua also stressed that lessons should be learnt from the conflict to circumvent similar situation in the future.

"This special representative meeting is not only a high-level channel for the border issue discussion but also the platform for strategic communication," she said.

She further said that the meeting was not only a high-level channel for the border issue discussion but also the platform for strategic communication.

"In 2017, China-India relations have maintained a good momentum generally but the Doklam incident posed a major test for the two countries. We should learn lessons from this incident to avoid any further conflict of this kind in the future," she added.

The last round of SRs meeting was held in Beijing in April 2016.

The Doklam standoff began on June 16 over People's Liberation Army's plans to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan.

The conflict came to an end on August 28 after the tw0 sides agreed to withdraw their respective troops from the Doklam plateau and the Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to India's corridor.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined an interim stay of the Karnataka High Court order setting aside the 2014 Rules mandating that 85 per cent space on both the sides of a packet of cigarettes or other tobacco products carry pictorial warning on their harmful effects.



The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul declined the state, noting that the December 15 High Court judgment was not available as it has not been uploaded on the High Court website so far.



The court however, said that those engaged in tobacco manufacturing and industry would not later claim any equity on account of it not staying the operation of the High Court order.



Directing the next hearing of the matter on January 8, the court asked the High Court to upload the judgment by then.



The Centre had in 2014 amended the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules prescribing that 85 per cent space on the both sides of the tobacco packaging would be covered with the statutory warnings telling consumers that cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing was harmful to health.



The 2014 amended Rules came into force from April 1, 2016.



The Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendments Rules, 2014 were framed under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.



Prior to 2014 amendment of the Rules, the pictorial warning was limited to the 40% space of the packaging and that too to one side only.



The top court was moved by Allahabad-based senior lawyer Umesh Narain and NGO Health for Millions challenging the December 15 High Court judgment by which it had held that 2014 amended Rules were arbitrary and unconstitutional.



The matter was heard around 3.30 PM after senior counsel Anand Grover appearing for the NGO and lawyer Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for Umesh Narain, had earlier in the morning mentioned the matter for an early listing.



The High Court order, the petition by Umesh Narain said, will have the serious and numbing impact on India`s fight against tobacco, as it is regressive, retrograde and jeopardizes future generations of the country having maximum number of youth in the world.



Grover, who appeared for the NGO, said that the world over, the trend was on increasing the space of the warning but the High Court ordered reducing it.



The High Court order had come on a batch of petitions by various tobacco manufacturing companies who had challenged the 2014 modified rules mandating that the health warning should cover 85 per cent of the tobacco packaging space.



The petitioners told the top court that the implementation of Regulations mandating 85 per cent pictorial warning on both sides of tobacco products was a culmination of an extremely long, cumbersome and excruciating fight by public heath activists and people whose life and family had been ruined by Tobacco, against the mighty tobacco industry.



Graphic pictorial warnings which occupy 85 per cent of the package on both sides will create awareness not only amongst the existing consumers of tobacco products about the grave health risks involved but will also dissuade the younger generation from becoming tobacco addicts, the petitioners told the court.
New Delhi: The Parliament is expected to witness a stormy session on Friday as the Congress today gave an adjournment motion notice in Rajya Sabha on PM Narendra Modi's alleged offensive remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

According to ANI, the party gave the adjournment motion notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267.

Meanwhile, a similar notice was given by BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe to the Rajya Sabha chairperson under rule 267 on remarks of Congress leaders against PM Modi.



The Congress has been leading a vociferous protest against the NDA regime and has demanded an apology from the PM over his alleged derogatory remarks against Singh in the run-up to the assembly elections in Gujarat.

The acquittal of all 2G telecom spectrum allocation scam accused and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged derogatory remarks against Singh had led to the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The 2G scam case verdict found an echo in the Rajya Sabha, with the Opposition Congress disrupting the proceedings and demanding an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress members shouted slogans, drowning the voices of other members and forcing Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm, but not before threatening to invoke rules against them and rapping them for their unruly behaviour.

The Leader of the Opposition and Congress veteran, Ghulam Nabi Azad, sought an explanation from Modi for the "false propaganda" on the 2G scam to come to power in 2014.

Congress, he said, has been since the past week seeking an explanation from the Prime Minister over "false" allegations he made against his predecessor Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat elections.

''After the acquittal of all the accused, we want to ask where did all the allegations (of scam) go," he said.

The BJP had run a propaganda on the 2G spectrum allocation that helped it "move from that side (opposition side in Rajya Sabha) to this side (ruling side) and us from that side (ruling side) to this side (opposition benches)," Azad said.

Naidu said he was not allowing Azad's submission as he had not given any notice, as he asked members to return to their seats. He also said, "nothing will go on record".

But Congress members were in no mood to listen and rushed to the Well raising slogans against Modi and the BJP.

Naidu then cited a May 22, 1990, ruling of the then Rajya Sabha Chairman Shankar Dayal Sharma that the Chair's ruling on not allowing suspension of a Question Hour or allowing a discussion is final.

"Democracy means working according to rules (and) not shouting," he said.

Stating that he is willing to use his discretion to allow serious matters to be raised, Naidu said, "some people have developed the habit of giving notices under rule 267 and then disrupting proceedings."

Notice under rule 267 calls for setting aside of the listed business of the day to take up the issue being raised.

As some slogan-shouting Congress members moved in front of the ruling benches, Naidu castigated them for moving from the Opposition side to the treasury side of the Well.

At the persuasion of Azad, the Congress members left the Well and returned to their seats but kept raising slogans, drowning the voices of members whom the Chair had called to raise Zero Hour issues.

Naidu went on to rap the Congress members for the unruly behaviour, saying "3/4ths of the House wants to take up Zero Hour issues".

"Please follow some decorum. I condemn your behaviour," he said, adding "I will have to think about invoking rules. Don't force me to do that. ... The whole country is watching your behaviour."

When deputy leader of the Congress Anand Sharma tried to raise a point, Naidu snapped back at him saying it was not good for a deputy leader of the party to defy the Chair.

As the Congress members continued to shout the slogan, Naidu went on to state that it was not the right tradition to take the names of the Prime Minister, former Prime Minister or political parties.

With Congress members remaining unrelenting, he adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

Normally, the chair in case of disruptions in the first hour of the sitting adjourns proceedings till 1200 hours. But when Naidu adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm, members were surprised.

As the din continued, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, M Venkaiah Naidu, adjourned the Upper House for the day.

(With PTI Inputs)
NEW DELHI: Several months after the peaceful resolution of the Doklam stand-off, Special Representatives of India and China on Friday held 'positive and focused' talks here on the long-drawn boundary question and agreed on the need to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart State Councillor Yang Jiechi Yang Jiechi held 20th round of annual boundary negotiations in the national capital.

After the meeting the External Affairs Ministry said the talks were "positive".

The two sides underlined the need to build on their convergences while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's concerns, sensitivities and aspirations.

While the MEA statement did not say whether the Doklam issue was discussed, in Beijing, a spokesperson in Chinese foreign ministry skirted a question on whether it figured during the talks and instead said, "This mechanism is not only a high-level channel for dialogue on border issues between the two sides but also important platform for strategic communication between China and India."

The official release said the talks were positive and focussed on bringing out the full potential of the closer developmental partnership between the two countries.

"The Special Representatives undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks and agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries," it further said.

"They re-emphasised their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date. The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence-building measures," the release added.

Doval and Yang also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about their deliberations.

Modi asserted that a strong India-China relationship is important not only for the mutual benefit of their people, but also for the region and the world, according to the ministry.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson also said the SR mechanism was operating very well.

"We hope the Indian side will work with China to make most of the current mechanism to uphold peace and tranquillity of border areas so that we can create enabling conditions for bilateral relations," the spokesperson added.

Doklam was making headlines this year after the two Asian giants were engaged in a stand-off from June 16 to August 28 in the area. New Delhi and Beijing were engaged in the standoff in the Doklam area after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while the 'Dragon' claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Bhutan also claims the Doklam area to be its part.

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: Nearly a week after taking charge as the Congress party president, Rahul Gandhi will chair what will be his first Congress Working Committee meeting on Friday.

According to reports, the CWC members will hold a discussion on the current political situation, in light of the partys strong showing in Gujarat assembly elections 2017.

The CWC meeting is also likely to discuss the Special Court verdict in the 2G spectrum scam cases in which all 17 accused were acquitted.

In view of the favourable court verdict, the Congress leadership is likely to chalk out a strategy on how to corner the BJP-led NDA government in the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament.

The Gandhi scion has in past chaired several CWC meetings in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi, it will be for the first time that he will preside over it as the party president.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used the 2G scam to the hilt while mounting a fierce campaign against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Alleged corruption under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was widely believed to have led to the defeat of the Manmohan Singh government.

Congress, the people said, wants to take the 2G issue to the people for which it is likely to formalize a plan soon.

The CWC, the partys highest decision-making body, is also likely to adopt a resolution to this effect.

All India Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the CWC meeting will commence at 10:30 am. The agenda for the meeting was, however, not officially disclosed.

Gandhi was elected unopposed as Congress president on 11 December and assumed the partys reins on 16 December.

The meeting comes just a few days after the Congress won 80 seats in the 182-member Gujarat Legislative Assembly, while the ruling BJP could manage to win 99 seats.
New Delhi: US Secretary of the Navy Richard V Spencer held wide-ranging talks with Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba to further boost bilateral naval cooperation besides pursuing common interests in the Indo-Pacific.

The US Embassy said cooperation between the two navies, shared commitment of both countries to the rule of law, freedom of navigation and free and fair trade were discussed in the meetings.

The US has been pushing for an important role by India in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been expanding its presence aggressively.

"The relationship between the United States and India is based on our shared values and desire to preserve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and across the seas," the Embassy quoted Spencer as saying.

He said, "India is a model for peacefully resolving maritime border disputes and a strong provider of security. We look forward once again to joining the Indian Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in the Malabar exercise to be hosted in the Pacific next year."

This is Spencer's first visit to India as Secretary of the Navy.
The year 2017 witnessed many break-throughs in the field of Space and Defence. Here are some of the most important events which happened this year.

By India Today Web Desk: The year 2017 proved to be quite eventful for India in the field of Space and Defence. From ISRO launching 104 satellites to the decommissioning of INS Viraat, here's a list of all the major events that happened this year.

Agni IV missile test

The year started off with the successful testing of the India's long range, ballistic missile called the Agni IV. It was launched from a road mobile launcher in Odisha's Abdul Kalam Island.

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Agni IV is a two stage, surface to surface missile. It has the capacity to travel 4,000 km and has a range of more than 5,000 km. It weighs 17 tons and can carry one ton of nuclear warhead.

The 20 metres long missile was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) . It was earlier launched in 2011, 2012, 2014 (twice) and 2015. All the missions were successful.

PSLV C37 launched by ISRO

PSLV, the third generation launch vehicle in India, has many success stories in its bag. This time, it broke records.

The PSLV C37 carried a total of 104 satellites from seven countries and was successful in its mission. It was launched on February 15, 2017 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The maximum number of satellite- 37 launched before this was by Russia's Dnepr in 2014.

The launch mission took 29 minutes in all. With its success, it bagged the world record for launching the largest number of satellites.

PSLV launch. Source: Reuters

INS Viraat decommissioned

Referred as 'mother' in the West, INS Viraat was the world's oldest aircraft carrier. It holds the Guinness world record for the same.

In March 2017, Indian Navy decommissioned it at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. The centaur-class carrier served in the navy for 30 years. The motto of INS Viraat is "Jalamev Yasya Balmev Tasya" (one who controls the sea is all powerful).

Before being officially decommissioned in March this year, it sailed for the last time from Mumbai to Kochi in the year 2016.

INS Viraat, Source: Reuters

PSLV C38's launch

After the launch of PSLV C37, PSLV C38 followed. It was the 40th mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and deployed 31 satellites in space. It carried India's mapping satellite Cartosat 2E.30 other satellites were also included in the same mission.

These satellites were not only from India but also from Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Austria, Italy, etc. Among all the foreign satellites, there was one Indian satellite called NIUSAT that was produced by 200 students from the Noorul Islam University.

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DRDO developed 250 KW high power batteries

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation developed 250 KWs silver oxide zinc batteries for the heavy weight torpedo Varunsatra.

Varunsatra is the first indigenous heavy weight electric torpedo. The batteries required to support the same needed to be upgraded from the standard 100KW to 250 KW.

To meet the requirements, DRDO developed its own primary and secondary batteries with large amount of silver.

Mangalyan completes 4 years

Initially designed for only six months, Mangalyan went on to complete its fourth year in space this year. Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was launched by ISRO in November 2013 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Although it costed almost a tenth of NASA's Mars mission Maven, it surpassed its expectations. Mangalayan remains as one of the most prestigious achievements of all time, as India became the first country in the world to have successfully reached Mars in a single attempt.

In June 2017, Mangalyan successfully completed 388 orbits around the red planet.

Mangalyan. Source: Babu/Reuters

Mi-8 helicopters faded out

MI-8 helicopters, commissioned in the Indian Air Force in 1972, were considered the backbone of the helicoper operations. In December 2017, the helicopter fleet was phased out and the ceremony was held at Bengaluru's Air Force Station at Yelanhanka.

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The MI-8 helicopters were a part of missions like Operation Meghdoot in Siachen Glacier and Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka.

The fleet had advanced capabilities in its time. It had the capabilities to function in climatic conditions ranging from -50C to 50C. For its special characteristics, it was also used for politician and other VIPs to travel places.

Mi-8 helicopter Source: Reuters

India got its first conventional submarine

In December 2017, Prime Minister Namredra Modi commissioned INS Kalvari, India's 1st modern conventional submarine. The Scorpene submarine is designed by French naval defence and energy company- DCNS.

One of the biggest advantages of having it is that it can undertake multiple missions. From anti- surface warfare to intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance- it can do it all.

The latest technology is also reported to have acoustic silencing techniques, low noise levels and can attack while being either underwater or on the surface.

'Kalvari' got its name after the feared tiger shark, a sea predator found in the Indian Ocean.

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Union Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar surprised everyone when he came to attend the proceedings in the Parliament wearing a fancy prop.

Union Minister came to the Parliament to attend the winter session carrying a purple handset attached to his mobile phone, according to ANI.

Javadekar's fancy prop to prevent harmful cellphone radiation



Read @ANI story | https://t.co/03MUk8od0w pic.twitter.com/9eo3KsVu7H  ANI Digital (@ani_digital) December 22, 2017

The senior BJP leader was carrying the landline-receiver in order to safeguard himself from the harmful radiation released by mobile phones.

Javedkar was clicked with the landline-receiver by the photo-journalists waiting outside the Parliament and the images soon became viral on the internet.

Though he willingly allowed the press photographers to click his pictures, he did not specify why he was carrying the fancy prop.

This comes in the light of concerns that radiation from cell phones or mobiles may cause serious health problems and even cause cancer. However, no major research so far has categorically stated that low levels of radiation emitted from cell phones pose a serious threat to the human body.

The Department of Public Health, California, recently issued fresh guidelines on cell phone radiation, cautioning it may be dangerous.
Kolkata: The parents of a nursery student who was allegedly sexually assaulted by two physical training instructors at the prestigious GD Birla School in Kolkata on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court demanding a CBI probe into the matter.

The two accused physical education teachers were earlier arrested in connection with the case.

The shocking incident had triggered a fear among the parents of hundreds of students studying in the prestigious school.

A group of agitated guardians had last week organised a rally outside the GD Birla Centre for Education demanding justice for the victim, enhanced security for students and a meeting with the principal.

Due to protests and rising public anger, the principal, S Nath, and other teachers of the school in south Kolkata were escorted out by the police, after being held up in their offices by the angry guardians for over 16 hours.

Krishnendu Mukherjee, one of the protesting guardians, said, "We want immediate resignation of the principal and the teacher who had described the accused as 'naughty boys' before the media yesterday".

The GD Birla Centre for Education, in a statement to the media, said earlier that the school's management was fully cooperating with the police in their investigation.

"The school management will take necessary and proper action after the investigations are over," the statement said, adding the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has also been apprised of the matter.

West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said he was looking into the incident with "utmost seriousness".

"I have no words to condemn the incident. Strongest punishment should be given to those responsible for the incident," he told reporters yesterday.

The WBBSE had sent a fact-finding team to inquire into the matter.

It has sought a report from them by the end of the day, board president Kalyanmoy Ganguly said.

The four-year-old nursery student was allegedly sexually assaulted inside the prominent private school yesterday where a similar incident had taken place three years ago, triggering angry protests by guardians.

(With Agency inputs)
Damoh: A teacher in Madhya Pradesh has been caught on camera getting a back massage done from a student in a government school in Madiyado in Damoh.

Taking cognizance of the incident, minister of state for school education Deepak Joshi said that they have asked a report to be submitted on the incident.

"We have asked our district education officer to submit a report on the incident. The teacher will be suspended once we get the complete report," Joshi said.

As per a report, the teacher said that he was having pain in his body parts which is why he had asked the student to give him a massage. However, students have reportedly claimed that the teacher usually gets massages done and it is not a one-off thing that was caught on camera.

Students have also said that when they complained to their parents about the incident, the teacher used to beat them up.

The incident has yet again raised questions over the standard and seriousness with which students are taught in government schools.
MUMBAI: Bombay High Court sets aside sanction granted by Maharashtra Governor to prosecute former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing scam case. The High Court said that that the CBI failed to present any fresh evidence against Chavan while seeking sanction to prosecute him.

Reacting to the decision, Chavan said: "Truth has prevailed. It was a politically motivated, completely uncalled for order from the governor's office."

Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had in February 2016 granted the sanction to prosecute the Congress leader under various sections of the IPC related to criminal conspiracy and cheating, besides provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Chavan had challenged Rao's order in the high court, calling it "arbitrary, illegal and unjust" and passed with "malafide intentions".

Chavan had to step down from the post of chief minister on charges of corruption in the Adarsh scam.

The CBI has accused Chavan of approving additional floor space index (FSI) for the Adarsh society in posh south Mumbai, and accepting two flats for his relatives in return when he was the chief minister. He is also accused of illegally approving the allotment of 40 per cent of flats to civilians even when the society was originally meant for defence personnel.
Pune: In yet another horrific incident, an 8-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by five minors in Pune, reports said on Friday.

According to ANI, a 19-year-old youth was also involved in the heinous crime.

The Pune Police have, meanwhile, arrested the 19-year-old accused.

A massive search is on for the minors who allegedly committed the crime and are now absconding.

Incident took place at Mithanagar Kondhwa Khurd locality in Pune.

More details are awaited.
Washington: AS NASA builds its most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), the US space agency is testing engines with 3D printed parts to cut costs of powering the heavy-lift rocket.



A major milestone towards that end was achieved this month when engineers successfully hot-fire tested an RS-25 rocket engine with a large 3-D printed part, the US space agency said on Friday.



The 3-D printed part, called the pogo accumulator, is a beachball-sized piece of hardware that acts as a shock absorber by regulating liquid oxygen movement in the engine to prevent the vibrations that can destabilise a rocket's flight, NASA said.



By 3-D printing the hardware, more than 100 welds were eliminated, reducing costs by nearly 35 per cent and production time by more than 80 per cent.



Initial reports show the 3-D printed hardware performed as expected, opening the door for more components scheduled for future tests, the US space agency said.



The test was part of the SLS Programme's RS-25 affordability initiative -- a collaborative effort between NASA and industry partner Aerojet Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, California, to reduce the engine's overall production costs while maintaining performance, reliability and safety.



"As we build future RS-25s, NASA and our partners are taking advantage of innovative manufacturing techniques, including additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, to make the engines more affordable," said Andy Hardin of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.



"3-D printing is revolutionising manufacturing, and the pogo accumulator is the first of many components that can be built more quickly and less expensively," Hardin said.



To minimise the costs of developing SLS, NASA selected the RS-25 engine.



"With modern fabrication processes, including additive manufacturing, the 'next generation' of the RS-25 will have fewer parts and welds, reducing production time as well as costs," said Carol Jacobs, RS-25 engine lead at Marshall.



"Reducing the number of welds is very important," she said.



"With each weld comes inspections and possible rework. By eliminating welds, we make the hardware more reliable and the process much more lean and efficient, which makes it more cost-effective," Jacobs said.



The SLS Program has ordered six new engines to be built by Aerojet Rocketdyne for future flights.



The test conducted on December 13 was the first in a series of four tests designed to evaluate the operation of the 3-D printed pogo accumulator, and the first in the series to certify the next generation of RS-25 engines.



The new, pogo accumulator will be included on all tests moving forward, NASA said.



"Future tests will incorporate more and more 3-D printed components, with each test series building on the previous tests," said Hardin.



The first SLS flight is scheduled to take place no earlier than 2019, but NASA recently stated that this launch could be pushed back to 2020 depending on the manufacturing and production schedule, Space.com reported.



This flight will use SLS to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the moon and back to Earth. A crewed mission will follow later, in the 2020s.
CHENNAI: An inquiry commission, set up by the Tamil Nadu government to probe the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, on Friday issued a notice to VK Sasikala and Apollo Hospital chairman Pratap Reddy.

Former Madras High Court judge A. Arumughaswamy heads the Commission constituted by the state government to probe the circumstances leading to the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

On December 20, the one man Commission filed a police complaint against an aide of TTV Dhinakaran who released a purported video of the late Chief Minister, just a day ahead of the RK Nagar bypoll.

According to a police official, a complaint has been received from the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission "seeking action against Vetrivel" even as the Commission has started the inquiry as per its terms of reference.



The release of the video, purportedly showing Jayalalithaa in a hospital, released by P Vetrivel, a loyalist of sidelined AIADMK leader Dhinakaran, had set off a political controversy.

Interestingly, there was no immediate response from Apollo Hospital to a query on the veracity of the video.

MK, which raised the issue of doubts over Jayalalithaa's death during the campaign, and several others alleged that the video had been released with an eye on the bypoll.

The about 20-second footage, showing a frail-looking AIADMK supremo in a nightdress and sipping what appeared to be a health drink with a straw, was released by Vetrivel, disqualified AIADMK MLA and election agent of Dhinakaran, contesting the bypoll as an independent.

AIADMK hit out at Sasikala's family, saying the video release was a "conspiracy" and a "demeaning" act with an eye on the bypoll.

Jayalalithaa, a former AIADMK leader, was admitted to Apollo Hospital on September 22, 2016. She was admitted after complaining of infection, acute dehydration and the mystery over her death has led to allegations, insinuations of foul play.

Jayalalithaa was in the hospital for three months last year. She died on December 5 that year after 75 days in the hospital.

Many had suggested that she was dead when she was brought to the hospital and she had been kept in there for political motives. Meanwhile, the Apollo hospital had said that Jayalalithaa was unconscious when she was brought on September 22.

The release of the video, just ahead of the bypoll, can be viewed as an attempt by the Dinakaran camp to clear the air over Jayalalithaa's death, which is already being investigated by a judicial commission.
HUBLI: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday slammed the Congress and its newly-elected president Rahul Gandhi saying that they are going to meet the same fate they met in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Coming down on the party for choosing to celebrate the birth anniversary of Tipu Jayanti in Karnataka last month, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said 'it shows the mentality between the ruling party in Karnataka and the BJP.

He also attacked the Congress for not worshipping Lord Hanuman.

"It's unfortunate that the Congress worships a despotic Muslim ruler like Tipu Sultan than Hindu deity Hanuman, who hailed from Karnataka and served Lord Ram. This shows the difference in mentality," Yodi Adityanath said while flagging off the 'Parivartan Yatra' of the party's state unit in the city.

"The people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have rejected them. When Karnataka will also reject the Congress, there will be no one left to worship Tipu Sultan," Adityanath said.

The Chief Minister also questioned Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for giving approval to beef consumption in the state saying nothing can be expected from the ruling state government.

"Karnataka Chief Minister himself has allowed the consumption of beef. What else we can expect from this government! This depicts going against nation's ethics," Adityanath said.

Adityanath further alleged that Rahul Gandhi has inherited a 'mafia raaj' which he wants to implement across the country while asking the people to choose between Lord Hanuman and Tipu Sultan.

"Since our party (BJP) came to power at the Centre in May 2014, the (Narendra) Modi government had given Rs 10,000 crore to Karnataka for various development projects, including roads, highways, airports and seaports. An IIT was set up at Dharwad in this region (north Karnataka) in 2016. What did the Congress do for the state when it was in power for 10 years at the Centre and five years in the state," asked Adityanath.

"It is the turn of the people in Karnataka to throw Congress out of south India," said Adityanath.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who recently addressed a gathering in Bengaluru, announced that that BS Yeddyurappa will be the party's chief ministerial candidate in the state which goes to polls early next year.

The BJP, which came to power in the state for the first time on its own after the 2008 assembly election, lost to the Congress in the 2013 assembly poll following a split in its state unit and five years of "misrule", with three chief ministers at the helm of office.
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said his party would go hammer and tongs against the "draconian" Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crimes Bill in the assembly and on the streets, claiming the legislation was aimed at threatening the opposition.

From the intentions of the government, he said, it does not appear that the people will get justice after the UPCOC Bill is passed.

"It has been brought to threaten the apposition. We will protest against it from the legislature to the streets," the former chief minister told reporters here.

The UPCOC Bill, 2017, drafted on the lines of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was passed by the UP Assembly yesterday amid opposition walkout.

"We have majority in the Legislative Council," he said, when asked about what his party would to do prevent the passage of the bill.

In the 100-member Council, while the ruling BJP has just 13 members, the Samajwadi Party has 61 members, the BSP nine, Congress two, RLD one and 'others' 12. Two seats are vacant.

When asked about the state government's decision to withdraw 20,000 political cases, he said cases with serious charges were lodged against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy also.

"Will the CM sign the file pertaining to withdrawal of cases against the deputy CM?" he asked.

Reacting to the SP chief's comments, cabinet minister and government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Akhilesh Yadav should say why he is afraid of the UPCOCA...He should know that court orders have come on cases pending against the CM."

"The cases lodged out of political vendetta will be withdrawn. This is for everyone irrespective of their party affiliations," he said.
SEOUL: In what could be described as one of the country's deadliest fire disasters, at least 29 people were charred to death and nearly 26 were injured in a major fire that broke out at a fitness centre building in the South Korean city of Jechon.

The fire broke out around 4:00pm local time (0700 GMT) and quickly engulfed the entire eight-storey building, leaving many trapped inside.

Twenty victims were found at a public sauna and others elsewhere in the building that houses a fitness centre, public bath and restaurants, the National Fire Agency said.

"The fire produced so much toxic smoke so quickly, leaving many people unable to evacuate," an agency spokesman said.

Many victims appeared to been unaware of the fire raging outside the bathhouse until it became impossible to flee, he added.

The death toll may rise further as firefighters continue to search the building, the spokesman said.

Television footage showed the building consumed by orange flames and issuing dark plumes of smoke, as several people stood waiting to be rescued from an outdoor terrace.

Some were seen jumping from the building onto air mattresses laid out on the ground as dozens of fire trucks and more than 100 firefighters rushed to the scene.

The blaze -- believed to have started in a parking lot on the first floor -- has been mostly put out, the fire agency said.

Jecheon is in central South Korea, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of the capital Seoul.

The disaster forced organisers of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to cancel a planned torch relay event at the city on Friday, Yonhap news agency said, citing the organisers.

"We decided to cancel the event to mourn the victims," an unnamed official at the organising committee was quoted as saying.

The fire is South Korea`s worst since 2008 when a blaze at a warehouse in the city of Icheon killed 40 workers.

President Moon Jae-In expressed regret over the accident and urged officials to make "utmost efforts" for rescue and search operations, his office said.

The worst fire ever to hit modern South Korea was an arson attack on a subway station in the southeastern city of Daegu that left 192 people dead and nearly 150 injured in 2003.
Here is the list of companies that lost 2G licences four years after securing them due to a 'scam' that the CBI failed to prove in court.

By India Today Web Desk: The 2G spectrum allocations made by the Department of Telecommunications under Andimuthu Raja as the minister in 2008 were yesterday declared to have been done in accordance with existing policy and with no irregularities.

The two decisions - one by the telecom ministry and the other by the trial court - are separated by nine years. In between, the eight companies lost their 122 2G spectrum licenses that they procured, now proven to have been done in accordance with law.

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For operational purposes, India is divided into 22 telecom zone for which 281 zonal licences are issued by the government to telecom operators. Here are the details of the companies and their 2G licences:

22 LICENCES TO UNITECH

Unitech Wireless, a firm linked to realty major Unitech Ltd had applied and procured 22 telecom licences. Its licences were cancelled as it was found to have been issued to an ineligible player.

The CAG said that Unitech Wireless did not fulfill eligibility norms for getting telecom licences. The CAG report also said that the company suppressed facts to overstate its share capital and submitted false certificates for paid up capital.

Later, Unitech Wireless was acquired by Telenor, Norway's telecom firm. Telenor currently owns over 67 per cent stake in the company. Unitech holds the rest.

21 LICENCES TO SISTEMA SHYAM

Sistema Shyam Teleservices came into being as a joint venture between Russian conglomerate Sistema and Shyam Group. Sistema owns majority stake in the company.

Allahabad-based Shyam Group deals in consumer products, real estate, dairy product, health, hospitality and warehousing. Sistema operates a number of consumer service businesses in the areas IT, telecom, banking, electronics and others.

Sistema Shyam got 21 licences in 2008. The venture was allegedly given the licences in violation of the existing rules.

21 LICENCES TO LOOP TELECOM

Loop Telecom allegedly misreported facts with regard to its share capital to make itself look eligible. The CAG found that it was not eligible to operate in telecom market as per rules.

21 LICENCES TO VIDEOCON

Videocon Telecommunications, previously known as Datacom Solutions, is an arm of Videocon Group. The company had got 21 2G spectrum licences.

The CAG found that Videocon misrepresented facts and did not meet the criterion on authorised share capital. It also allegedly submitted false certificates regarding its paid-up capital to acquire 2G spectrum licence in 2008.

15 LICENCES TO ETISALAT DB TELECOM

The company secured 15 2G spectrum licences under as Swan Telecom. Within months of getting the licences, the Swam Telecom was bought by Etisalat of UAE. It was merged with another company that secured two 2G spectrum licences.

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The CAG said that the company suppressed facts with regard to its share capital and paid-up capital.

The CAG also stated that Reliance Communications held 10 per cent equity in Swan Telecom at the time of acquiring 2G spectrum licences. Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications later denied allegations.

13 LICENCES TO IDEA CELLULAR, SPICE

Already a telecom player in the market, Ideal Cellular acquired nine more licences in 2008. Another company, Spice was granted four licences, when 2G spectrum allocations were done in 2008.

Later, Idea Cellular acquired Spice. At the time of cancellation of 13 licences by the Supreme Court, Idea claimed to be using seven of those. The CAG said the licences were acquired violating the norms.

6 LICENCES TO S TEL

Siva Group, best known for its operations in information security processes and systems, is the majority stakeholder in S Tel, which secured six 2G spectrum licences in 2008. Bahrain Telecommunications also owns a stake in S Tel.

The CAG found that S Tel did not have required authorised share capital to qualify for 2G spectrum allocation and licence in 2008. It further said that the company submitted false certificates for its paid-up capital.

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3 LICENCES TO TATA TELESERVICES

An arm of Tata Group, Tata Teleservices got three 2G licences in 2008 when spectrum allocations were done. The same year, NTT DoCoMo of Japan bought 26 per cent share in the company.

The licences were cancelled in February 2012 following the Supreme Court order.

WHY 2G 'SCAM' MATTERED?

As per the charges of the agencies and CAG calculations, the exchequer allegedly suffered a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in issuing 122 licences. To put in perspective, the estimated loss exceeded the then defence budget of India by a distance.

In 2007-08, India's defence budget was 96,000 crore while in 2008-09 it increased to 1.05 lakh crore. The defence budget did not surpass the CAG's calculation of 2G spectrum loss till 2012-13, when the sector was allocated 1.93 lakh crore.

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PARIS: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said today that his people would "no longer accept" any peace plan proposed by the United States following Washington's decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.



The Trump administration has been preparing a plan in secret which is expected to be presented to the two sides in 2018.



"The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from the United States," Abbas said after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.



He also hit out at efforts by the US to intimidate countries ahead of a vote at the UN on Thursday which saw 128 countries condemn Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

"I hope that the others will learn the lesson and understand that you cannot impose solutions by using money and trying to buy off countries," he added.



US Ambassador Nikki Haley, noting that Washington made "generous contributions" to the United Nations, had warned that the vote would affect "how Americans... Look at countries who disrespect us in the UN."

Macron repeated his earlier condemnations of the US decision on Jerusalem, but he also ruled out recognising Palestine as a state unilaterally which France has mooted previously.



"The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing," Macron told the joint press conference with Abbas.



He added: "The solution will be built around two states so inevitably there will be a moment in the process when there is recognition. I want to do it at a moment that will help build peace on the ground."



Macron has also ruled out launching a fresh French peace initiative in the short term, saying he is waiting to see what happens with the American effort which Abbas rejected on today.



The 40-year-old French leader has stepped up his meetings with leaders from the Middle East in recent weeks, hosting Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris less than a fortnight ago.

Jordanian King Abdullah II visited on Thursday, the day before Abbas' arrival.



Macron said he would visit the Palestinian territories in 2018.



"I have committed myself very clearly to doing everything" to further the peace process, Macron said.



Abbas praised Macron's efforts as a mediator.



"We have trust in you. We respect the efforts made by you and we count heavily on your efforts," he said.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday reacted strongly to US Vice President Mike Spence's warning that the Donald Trump administration has "put Pakistan on notice" for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other militant groups.

Slamming Pence's comments, a statement from Foreign Office of Pakistan said, "Allies do not put each other on notice," adding that the remarks were "at variance with the extensive conversations we have had with the US administration".

"Allies do not put each other on notice. On notice should be those factors responsible for exponential increase in drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale corruption, breakdown of governance, and letting Daesh gain a foothold in Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said.

Making an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, Pence on Thursday warned Pakistan over "providing safe havens to the Taliban and other groups for too long".

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua in a Senate Standing Committee session on Friday expressed deep concern over US Vice President Mike Pences comments on Pakistan.

Janjua said that the US must treat Pakistan and India on equal footing. She said that Pence's comments were worrisome and that US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis had assured Islamabad of resolving the issue of Afghan soil being used by terrorists to carry out attacks in Pakistan, the Express Tribune reported.

Trump while announcing his South Asia Policy in August had criticised Pakistan for not doing enough to combat terrorism.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

"As the President said, so I say now. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists," the vice president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan.

The Trump administration, he said, has given troops new authorities to directly target terrorists no matter where they hide.

Trump has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win, Pence said, adding the president's new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan.

"For the partnerships we have forged and are continuing to forge to achieve peace and security here in Afghanistan but also ensure that peace and security for the people of the United States," Pence told reporters after his meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
ISLAMABAD: Four terrorists were gunned down by security forces in separate search operations conducted in the Sibbi and Turbat areas of Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

According to the ISPR, the Frontier Constabulary of Balochistan conducted a search operation in the northern mountainous areas of Sibbi on suspicion of the presence of terrorists after reports were received of threatening calls being made to locals.

In an exchange of fire that followed, two terrorists were killed, reports Geo TV.

In another operation in a remote area of Turbat, the security forces gunned down two terrorists who were hiding in a secret location, the ISPR statement added.Weapons and explosives were recovered from the site.
LAHORE: Days after his release from house arrest, Hafiz Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist, has been issuing political comments and statements against the United States and Israel on the issues of Jerusalem and the future of the Palestine State.

The co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the chief of Jama'at-ud-Dawa recently reacted strongly to U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement to shift the American Embassy to Jerusalem, terming the decision pro-Zionist and anti-Muslim. He made these statements in both Lahore and Karachi.

He warned President Trump that his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would evoke a strong reaction from the Muslim world and could possibly lead to a declaration of war across the Middle East.

Saeed, who was released from house arrest on November 23, has led anti-US demonstrations at the Markaz al Qadsiya in Lahore and attended a Friday sermon at the Markaz Aqsa in Gujranwala.

On December 12, in Karachi, he stated that member countries of the International Human Rights bodies were active in trampling human rights and also condemned the silence of these institutions to the "oppression" of Muslims in Palestine and other parts of the world.

He further added that Israel in Palestine are "committing atrocities" and urged the Government of Pakistan not to become the victim of external forces and stand with Palestinians in their "freedom struggle".

Saeed and the JuD were already banned by the UN while U.S. has put USD 10 million bounty on the arrest of Hafiz Saeed.

During interactions with delegates at Jama Masjid Al-Qadsiya in Lahore, Saeed termed Israel as cancer which had afflicted unarmed Muslims in Palestine for more than half-a-century.

He claimed that President Donald Trump's announcement regarding recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel had sabotaged peace all over the world. He alleged that Israel in Palestine was "using chemical weapons" against "unarmed Muslims" but the world institutions were ignoring it.

Saeed also reportedly addressed a training session for JuD cadres at Jamia Masjid Al Quds in Rawalpindi.

Despite spreading religious hatred during open gatherings in major cities across Pakistan, the government fails to act against perpetrators of terror like Hafiz Saeed.
Jerusalem: Israel has categorically rejected a United Nations overwhelming endorsement of a resolution calling the US administration of President Donald Trump to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Earlier in the evening on Thursday, the UN General Assembly approved the decision, with 128 nations voting in favour, nine against and 35 abstentions.

"Israel rejects the UN resolution," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, adding that Israel is "pleased by the high number of countries that have not voted in favour of the resolution."

The notice said that "Israel thanks President Donald Trump for his firm stance in favour of Jerusalem and the countries that voted together with Israel, together with the truth."

Ahead of the vote, Israel's envoy to the United Nations had vowed that his country would never be "driven" from Jerusalem.

"No General Assembly resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem," Ambassador Danny Danon told an emergency session of the 193-nation assembly.

A similar resolution was vetoed by the US in the UN Security Council on Monday, but there are no veto rights at the General Assembly.

Prior to the vote, Trump and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley threatened to withdraw financial aid from countries which will support the resolution.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian President welcomed the United Nations General Assembly resolution criticising the US government`s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel`s capital.

"This decision reaffirms once again that the just Palestinian cause enjoys the support of international law, and no decision by any party can change the reality," a statement from Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas`s spokesman said, stressing it showed "that Jerusalem is occupied territory under international law."

"We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and all international forums to end the occupation and create a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem," the statement added.

(With Agency inputs)
NEW DELHI: The United States faced a major embarrassment on Thursday after the UN General Assembly adopted a motion rejecting its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. 128 member nations voted against the US, 35 abstained from voting while only nine in favour of the US.

Along with US and Israel, the seven other countries which voted against the resolution are - Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and the Marshall Islands.

What is interesting to note is that three of these seven countries are partly governed by mutual agreements with Washington based on post-independence treaties.

Marshall Islands: Though it gained independence from the US in 1986, the US has full authority and responsibility for security and defense of the tiny state. As per the US State Departments website, "The Government of the Marshall Islands is obligated to refrain from taking actions that would be incompatible with these security and defense responsibilities."

Palau: The small island cluster has a population of 21,400 got independence in 1994 from the US. However, its defence is still controlled by Washington.

Nauru: The United States established diplomatic relations with Nauru in 1976. The two countries work closely together on a broad range of issues, from strengthening regional security, to promoting sustainable development and addressing climate change, to protecting fisheries and the environment

Micronesia: It was under US control until 1986. It is an independent country now but is in a pact which allows Micronesians to travel and live in the United States without a visa and to serve in the US military.

The 35 countries that abstained from the vote were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Romania and Rwanda.

Ukraine, which supported the draft resolution at the Security Council, was among 21 countries that did not turn up for the vote.

How the US reacted to the vote:

Before the vote, US President Donald Trump had warned the 193-nation assembly with threats for those opposing them. When the assembly went ahead and voted against it, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said: "The United States will remember this day."

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN," she said.

Lashing out at the UN, she added: "When we make generous contributions to the UN we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected."

India's role:

India decided to vote against American recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. While India did not speak on the floor of the Assembly in New York on Thursday, it had earlier said that its Palestine position was independent and consistent.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the path to Israel-Jerusalem peace clearly lay in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements.

While resolutions by the General Assembly are non-binding, a strong vote in support carries political weight.

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 the capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.

Several UN resolutions call on Israel to withdraw from territory seized in 1967 and the resolution contains the same language as past motions adopted by the assembly.
Astana: Key powerbrokers were scrambling Friday over plans to speed up a political settlement in Syria, with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura joining a second day of talks after negotiations in Moscow.

A new round of peace talks backed by Russia, Iran and Turkey began in the Kazakh capital Astana on Thursday in an attempt to revive a hobbled peace process.

The second day of the talks coincides with the anniversary of a devastating and strategically crucial victory by Syrian forces in Aleppo, the country`s second-largest city and once a rebel stronghold, after a blistering Russian-backed offensive.

The Kremlin is hoping to convert its game-changing military intervention in Syria into a political settlement on its terms, and wants to bring together regime officials and the opposition for a "peace congress" at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Kremlin`s chief negotiator Aleksandr Lavrentyev said on Thursday that "quite a lot of time" at the talks had been spent on Moscow`s proposal for a "Congress of National Dialogue", and the issue is likely to feature high on the agenda Friday as well.

The plenary session was scheduled to begin at around 1000 GMT, the Kazakh foreign ministry said.

But while both Russian officials and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have spoken enthusiastically of the plan, rebel delegates are wary and the UN has yet to endorse the plan.

De Mistura, who held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday, had said that negotiations over a political settlement should proceed "one step at a time".

He acknowledged that the most recent round of talks chaired by the UN in Geneva this month -- the eighth -- "was not a good meeting" as tensions between government and rebel delegations boiled over.

The Syrian government`s top negotiator, Bashar al-Jaafari, strongly criticised de Mistura after he called for new elections in the war-torn country.

Syria`s opposition said Thursday that it was more important "than ever before" that Russia push Assad`s government towards a political settlement.Syria`s government and opposition forces are locked in discussions over the reinforcement of the ceasefire, especially in the so-called de-escalation zones, as well as the lifting of sieges on all towns and villages and the delivery of assistance to those in need.

But the opposition said Friday that the "most important issue for us is the detainee issue."

"We need to reach an agreement on detainees, which will be the essential core of this round," Ahmad Tohmeh, head of the rebel delegation, told Turkish officials, according to a statement.

Since the start of Syria`s war in 2011, several diplomatic attempts to halt the conflict have stumbled, mainly over Assad`s future.

A fragile ceasefire brokered at the end of last year by Moscow and Ankara has been bolstered somewhat by the negotiations in Astana, where the most recent rounds of talks have focussed on implementing four de-escalation zones to stem fighting between government and rebel forces.

But both Damascus and the rebel factions have regularly accused one another of violating the ceasefire the zones were intended to bolster.

The Astana talks have run in parallel to the negotiations taking place in Geneva with the backing of the United Nations, but both sets of negotiations did not bear much fruit.

Representatives of the opposition have expressed fears the Sochi congress being promoted by Moscow could prove a distraction from the UN negotiations.

Since the victory over Aleppo, Damascus has consolidated control over much of the country, wresting territory from extremist factions not party to the truce, particularly the Islamic State Group

The war in Syria has left more than 340,000 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
New Delhi: An overwhelming 128 countries voted to reject in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This despite a Trump threat to cut off financial aid to those voting against the decision. Little wonder then that the US hit back hard after the final outcome and remained defiant.

Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, said late on Thursday that her country will carry on with plans of shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and warned of repercussions for countries who voted against US decision. "America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what American people want us to do. And it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference to that," she said. "But this vote will make a difference to how Americans look at the UN and how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN."

RT @USUN: America will put our embassy in #Jerusalem...No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the @UN, and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. pic.twitter.com/UBLFXVyouY  Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 21, 2017

The US has been widely criticised for Trump administration's decision earlier this month recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel. While most of the protests have been in Muslim countries, voices of concern over the stability of West Asia have been reverberating elsewhere as well.

Only nine countries voted against the resolution opposing US decision on Jerusalem and another 35 countries abstained. Haley, as a token of thanks, invited these countries to a reception on January 3 in what is being seen as a symbolic step in a prestige battle. Countries which voted against the resolution were US, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Marshall Islands and Togo. Prominent countries which abstained from voting were Australia, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Hungary, Poland, Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.



India voted in favour of the resolution.



Trump had already issued a terse warning even before the voting actually took place. "Let them vote against us. We will save a lot. We don't care. These nations take our money and then come to the UN and vote against us," he had said. The US had already vetoed the resolution in the Security Council.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went several steps further and called UN 'a house of lies.'



Meanwhile, there were scenes of celebration in Palestine.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement on Thursday that the resolution expresses the international community`s support for the Palestinians' rights. "The threats of Trump to the UN members didn`t prevent them from voting in favour of the resolution," said Abu Rdineh.
WASHINGTON: A federal appeals court in Virginia has ruled against the Trump administration's efforts to delay accepting transgender recruits into the military.

The order is just the latest in several legal battles against Trump's ban on trans troops.

In a two-paragraph order, the three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that it is denying the administration's request to delay the Jan. 1 deadline, without further explanation, reported the Hill.

The United States Defense Department has allowed the military to begin accepting transgender recruits starting January 1 next year, following a federal court ruling in the matter.

Trump made an announcement about the ban on Twitter in July and followed through with a memo in August.

Four lawsuits were filed against the ban, and so far, judges in three of them have said the ban cannot take effect while the cases work their way through the courts. The judge in the fourth has not yet ruled, the report said.

Outlining how the military will process transgender recruits, the Pentagon issued a memo on December 8, specifying what documents will be accepted to prove gender identity and which underwear they will be required to wear.

There are an estimated 250 transgender troops currently serving the United States Armed Forces, according to the media reports.
By PTI: Kathmandu, Dec 22 (PTI) A bomb exploded inside a government office in southern Nepal today, injuring three people.

The remote-controlled bomb was placed inside a sofa in the lobby of the land revenue office in Siraha district, police said.

A government officer and two visitors were injured in the blast, Superintendent of Police Sekhar Koirala said.

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The injured are undergoing treatment at Siraha District Hospital.

The explosion damaged doors and windows of the building. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. PTI SBP PMS

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By PTI: Peshawar, Dec 22 (PTI) A cross border terror attack on an under-construction security post in Pakistans restive northwestern region bordering Afghanistan today killed three security personnel and left five terrorist dead.

The attack on the security post took place in Mohmand Agency on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Armys media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

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The attack was carried out from Afghanistan and forces responded to it, killing at least three security personnel and five terrorists, it said.

Many terrorists were also injured in the firing, it added.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have border tensions between them.The two countries often accuse each other of sheltering terrorists who launch deadly cross-border attacks on each others soils. Both the countries deny the accusations.

Peshawar, close to the Afghanistan border, has seen some of the worst violence in recent years.

In 2014 Taliban militants attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, killing nearly 150 people, mostly students, in one of the worst assaults in the countrys recent history. PTI AYZ MRJ

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By PTI: Pune, Dec 22 (PTI) An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by six boys, a 19-year-old and five minors aged about 10, living in her neighbourhood, police officials said here today.

All six have been held following a complaint from the girls mother yesterday.

She alleged that the six, all living in her neighbourhood in Kondhwa area, sexually assaulted her daughter, an official said.

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The police arrested the 19-year-old and sent the five boys, in the age group of 10 to 11, to an observation home, he said.

The incident came to light yesterday when the woman took her daughter to a doctor after she complained of abdominal pain.

The doctor found some marks on the girls body during a medical examination and suspected it to be a case of sexual abuse, the official said.

When the doctor asked the girl about the marks, she revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by the six on four to five occasions in the last couple of weeks, he said.

The girls mother then immediately approached the police.

The six have been booked under IPC Section 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added. PTI COR GK MIN

--- ENDS ---
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.
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!)
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. A festive reception was held on December 21 at the Presidential Palace for the business representatives of Armenia on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas holidays. Serzh Sargsyan congratulated and addressed warm wishes to the businessmen on the upcoming holidays.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the pres service of the Armenian Presidents Office, in his congratulatory speech the President referred to the economic results of the passing 2017 year and expectations from 2018.

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Dear entrepreneurs,

I warmly greet you at the Presidential Palace and I am glad such meetings have become a good tradition, we gather on the eve of the New Year, congratulate each other and wish success. First of all, I wish that in 2018 love, mutual understanding, respect be present in your families and that in 2018 all of you has the feeling of more happiness and satisfaction. Its very important for our country, our public, because its not a secret that you success means economic growth, new jobs, and welfare. I wish that your achievements of 2017 are continued in 2018 by not only continuing your work, expanding it, but also become the initiators of new ideas. For that I think there are two preconditions  first, desire and diligence and second, mutual trust and cooperation with the government.

I think 2017 years could be characterized as the year of cooperation between the economy-related bodies of the government and businessmen. In this context, all of you should be satisfied to some extent, because when the new Tax Code of Armenia and the EAEU Customs Code enter into force from January 1, all of you will see and probably have already made sure that almost all of your proposals that have been put on the table during both official and non-formal meetings have been taken into account. I am convinced that in 2018 we will have far better results against 2017, since rather a lot of conditions have been created in 2017 to end the year with sufficient economic growth. I will make no forecasts, but I think we will record economic growth of over 6%. Thank God, the index of economic activation is quite high and during the 11 months we have recorded an unprecedented rise of exports amounting to 2 billion USD that makes the 20% of our GDP. We have never had such an indicator. Our trade turnover of the 11 months has already exceeded 6 billion USD, President Sargsyan said, adding that its the first time for a long period that Armenias local currency, the AMD, has not been subjected to any external pressures, and the contrary, it tries to improve its position.

Referring to the fact that in spring of 2018 the new Constitution will fully enter into force, President Sargsyan urged the businessmen to improve their work style themselves. I suggest that in 2018 we together achieve a point where the non-official, non-documented workflow is minimized. We have reached a preliminary agreement with the Premier and the Cabinet that in 2018 we fully regulate the doc flow. This will be beneficial for everyone  you, the state, our army, pedagogues and anyone else, President Sargsyuan said, urging the businessmen to pass that path without delay, without waiting for anyone to push for that.

I once again wish all of you health, success and, I reiterate, very long moments of satisfaction. This is important for everyones job.

Happy New Year and Christmas, the President of the Republic concluded his speech.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The restoration of privilege to exempt the incoming tourism packages from Value Added Tax will contribute to implementing the goals aimed at increasing the number of tourists.

In an interview with ARMENPRESS the representatives of the State Tourism Committee and the private sector attached a great importance to the adoption of the draft law submitted by the finance ministry.

The privilege to exempt the incoming tourism packages from VAT has been removed in the last Tax Code which should come into force from January 2018. But after the discussions with the private sector the finance ministry presented the draft law on making changes and amendments in the Tax Code. This included also the restoration of the privilege of exempting from VAT. The restoration of this privilege is one of the complex actions envisaged under the governments program, first vice president of the State Tourism Committee Mekhak Apresyan said.

Under the governments program it is planned to increase the number of incoming tourist visits to Armenia up to 3 million annually in the upcoming 5 years. Among the actions being implemented on this path is the creation of favorable business environment, in this case, a favorable tax regime, Apresyan said.

Apresyan also attached importance to the public-private sector discussions for the development of the draft law. According to statistics, the number of incoming tourism visits increases every year in Armenia which means that we are on the verge of competitiveness. And each factor, for instance, the additional tax burden, unjustified increase in prices by the private sector, can negatively affect our countrys tourism competitiveness, Mekhak Apresyan said.

The Union of Incoming Tour-operators of Armenia has also been engaged in the discussions. We have presented an analytical note to Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan. Together with the tour-operators we managed to correctly present that the removal of the privilege will negatively impact our countrys competitiveness in the region, head of the Union Karine Davoyan said.

According to her, otherwise the tour packages would become more expensive, and also taking into account the fact of not having direct flights with many countries, the number of tourists to Armenia will be reduced. The prices of tour packages in Armenia for the services provided are affordable, the only problem is the absence of direct flights to Armenia. However, over the past years there is also an improvement on this matter, already direct flights are operated from many countries. This year the drastic increase of tourists in Armenia can be an impetus for many airlines to launch direct flights to Armenia, the head of the Union said.

One of the founders of tour-operators told ARMENPRESS that even in case of the use of VAT they didnt expect a drastic decrease in the number of tourists since Armenia provides high-quality services.

Anna Grigoryan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Director of the European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA) Diogo Pinto considers the signing of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as one of the major events of the bilateral cooperation in 2017.

He told ARMENPRESS that the organizations main efforts were directed to the process of signing this agreement.

This was somehow an expected event, and despite the doubts by some experts, I didnt doubt that it will be signed. The agreement, of course, raises the Armenia-EU relations to a new level which didnt exist previously, he said.

According to the EuFoA Director, Armenia now has a privilege, being as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), it at the same time expands the relations with the EU.

It can serve as a platform of dialogue for these two Unions where everyone can be in beneficial positions, he said.

Diogo Pinto stated that the year of 2017 was also unique for the organization by a number of other agenda issues in connection with the Armenia-EU ties, the Artsakh conflict, the constitutional referendum in Artsakh, the parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Talking about the EU-Artsakh cooperation, in particular, the EUs further engagement in Artsakh, the EuFoA Director said they work with the EU officials on this matter.

We convince them to move on a direction which we call engagement without recognition. The European Union has been engaged in several territories before the clarification of their status: why it should not act so in case of Artsakh? Yes, at present negotiations are underway to clarify the final status of Artsakh. This is agreed within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group, and the EU just supports these efforts, but this doesnt mean that the EU should ignore that there is a territory where people live, face the same challenges as the people living in other countries of the world. The EU, is probably, the only structure in the world that has leverages both with Armenia and Azerbaijan and can have positive impact, I repeat again, not on the conflict settlement process, but on the improvement of life of people living there which derives from the interests of everyone. And the only side, which seems doesnt agree with this is Azerbaijan. I cannot understand this and this should also be unacceptable for the EU, he said.

The EuFoA Director informed that in 2018 they are going to work on contributing to the ratification process of the EU-Armenia new agreement.

We should contribute to the acceleration of this process in order to start the next steps, and as a next important step I want to highlight the issue of visa liberalization. The dialogue should launch on this path, and I think both sides have expressed readiness for this, but there are conditions which should be complied with in order to implement it. Of course, the main part of the process depends on Armenia, but I would not like the EU to put aside its obligations since it plays a key role in the context of ongoing reforms in Armenia both from financial and political perspectives, the EuFoA Director said, adding that 2018 is full of events for Armenia and Artsakh which the organization is going to use to further strengthen the ties with Europe.

Syuzi Muradyan






YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. 35% of the national collection consisting of 400.000 items in the History Museum of Armenia are archaeological items excavated in Armenia. Among them are wooden carriages of the Bronze Age, ritual hearths excavated from the tribal leaders mausoleums, bronze sculptures, weapons, jewelry, tableware, cups and belts made of multi-layered scenes that testify the beliefs of ancestors, cosmic perceptions, beliefs symbolizing the idea of sun, water an fertility.

ARMENPRESS launches a new project where the exclusive findings kept in the History Museum and their histories will be presented. Lets start the list from 10 the most interesting cups, and then will go to the history of swords.

The 40-century-old cup of Karashamb which depicts a whole myth

More than 40-century-old cup has a unique place in the archeological collection of the History Museum of Armenia which was found in 1987 by archeologist Vahan Hovhannisyan during the excavations in Karashamb village.

Julieta Karapetyan, senior researcher at the archaeological department of the History Museum of Armenia, told Armenpress that the silver cup has been discovered in the royal tomb together with other numerous valuable items. It is a unique example of the ancient Eastern iconography and has a unique significance in understanding the spiritual and material culture of the Bronze Age Armenia. The presence of the cup proves that the region has been a serious production and cultural center, she said, adding that the cup of Karashamb is the most ancient monument.

Julieta Karapetyan said that the Karashamb cup is also a unique sample of applied art. The craftsman managed to present the myth on the cup with all details and with exceptional skills. Images of 25 people, 36 animals and more than 60 different subjects are depicted on the cup.

The cup of Karashamb has been displayed in different museums of the world, in particular, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, the History Museum of Russia and etc.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The German law enforcement agencies have announced that they are aware of the statement issued by ethnic Armenian lawmaker of the Turkish parliament Garo Paylan according to which assassination attempts are being planned against Turkish-Armenians and Turkish-Alevis living in several European countries, in particular in Germany, Deutsche Welle reports.

The law enforcement agencies said they are observing the reports on possible attacks.

We are aware of the aforementioned danger, we carefully observe the situation. But we cannot provide further details on the situation and defense measures, the statement says.

Garo Paylan, an ethnic Armenian lawmaker of the Turkish parliament, announced during a press conference in the parliament that he has an intelligence data according to which an assassination attempt is being planned against the Turkish-Armenians settled in Europe. Paylan informed that the assassination attempts are being organized by a structure operating in Turkey. I have information that certain groups are preparing an operation against Turkish-Alevis and Turkish-Armenians living in Europe, as well as journalists, writers, academicians who were forced to leave Turkey under the ruling Justice and Development Party which must create a great reaction, Paylan said. The lawmaker refused to inform from where he has received this information.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. By signing the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the European Union, Armenia showed by its own experience that it is possible to combine different integration processes benefiting from and to everyone which unites rather than divides, Armenias Ambassador to Belgium, Head of the Armenian Mission to the European Union Tatul Margaryan said in an exclusive interview to ARMENPRESS.

He talked about the Armenia-EU cooperation and prospects of further developing the relations, as well as the CEPA provisions relating to economic cooperation and other spheres.

-Mr. Ambassador, 2017 comes to its end which was distinguished by high-level visits and meetings in Armenia-EU ties. The last three years are assessed as especially active in terms of the Armenia-EU partnership.

-The development of relations with the EU is among Armenias foreign policy priority directions and in this sense the high-level mutual visits, the continuous political dialogue between the sides at different levels allow to thoroughly speak about the issues of bilateral agenda, as well as international and regional developments. At the same time, Armenia made efforts to further intensify the partnership with the EU structures, member states, the concrete forms and directions aimed at further deepening the relations have been outlined on the sidelines of the CEPA preparation process and expansion of sectoral cooperation with the EU.

In this regard the frequency of mutual visits and different events was really impressive. In July 2015 the President of the European Council Donald Tusk and in March 2016 the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini visited Armenia. In February 2017 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Brussels on a working visit. The Presidents visits and participation in the EPP summits are being held on a regular basis. The Armenian foreign minister also regularly meets with the EU high-ranking officials both at the bilateral and multilateral formats within the frames of the Eastern Partnership. Moreover, numerous high-level events and forums at the Eastern Partnership format were held in Armenia, as well as expert-level meetings. And of course, the most important was the Armenian Presidents participation in the Eastern Partnerships 5th Summit in Brussels on November 24 where the signing ceremony of the Armenia-EU new agreement was held.

-Mr. Ambassador, what are the concrete practical achievements in the Armenia-EU relations? What are the expectations from the agreement regarding the future development, how will it affect the further development of Armenia-EU ties?

-First of all I want to state that Armenia is one of the EUs partners which completely implemented all its commitments assumed at the Riga Summit in 2015. Previously, Armenia jointed the COSME and Horizon 2020 programs, initialed the agreement on Common Aviation Area, completed the talks on joining the Creative Europe program. Moreover, the Armenia-EU partnership agenda has expanded covering the road infrastructures. The EU is the largest donor of Armenia.

Among the priorities of our bilateral agenda is the promotion of movement. Over the past three years Armenia and EU actively implement the agreement on visa facilitation and readmission, and the launch of the dialogue on visa liberalization should become the next logical step. This is also stated in the declaration of the Brussels summit.

The EU remains a key trading partner for Armenia. Since 2009 Armenia uses the EUs GSP+ privileged regime according to which 6.400 types of Armenian products are imported to the markets of the EU states at zero or reduced customs rates.

In response to your question I want to state that those who had a chance to get familiarized with the text of the new agreement I think will agree that the CEPA is an ambitious and comprehensive document. The agreement strengthens the comprehensive political and economic partnership and cooperation between Armenia and the EU based on common values, and puts a beginning for the Armenia-EU more effective bilateral partnership, reflects Armenias determination to continue the reforms by strengthening the democratic institutions. By the agreement the sides reaffirm their commitments to the principles of free market economy, sustainable development, regional and effective multilateral cooperation.

At the same time it is obvious that in line with being an important achievement, the signing of the CEPA is not an end in itself, rather it aims at improving the living standards of our citizens and supposes a targeted work of the sides in order to record tangible results.

Full interview is available in Armenian.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. ARMENPRESS state news agency, Yerkir Media TV, Public Radio of Armenia and Panarmienian.net are the media outlets most frequently reporting the activity of the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF).

ARMENPRESS state news agency was awarded with a COAF prize for the most diverse reports.

Anahit Evoyan, media relations coordinator at COAF, said the Children of Armenia Fund conducts an annual monitoring to find out what news agencies, with what quantity, topic, how often and why touch upon the COAF activities. The year has not ended yet, and we think that there will be developments also in connection with the funds raised at the COAF Gala, she said.

According to her, the monitoring showed that the online media outlets more touch upon the Funds activities. Firstly, they are already a lot, but the most surprising for me is that TVs are second in terms of coverage. I am also happy that TVs in the circumstances of lack of time and resources also are interested in touching upon our activity, Anahit Evoyan said.

Champord newspaper, Radio Van, Anahit Karapetyan from Fortuna TV and Artak Alexanyan from Armenia TV were also awarded with COAF prizes for the interest, attitude, cooperation and friendship with the Fund during 2017.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The National Security officers of Armenia have managed to prevent both real terroristic threats and a number of clandestine manifestations closely related with them thank to the comprehensive analysis of terroristic threats and timely implementation of operative-investigative activities, ARMENPRESS reports President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan announced during the solemn session dedicated to the National Security Officer's Day.

According to the observations of reputable international organizations, as well as the assessments of our experts, during the upcoming years no tendencies of decline of terroristic threats are predicted. From this perspective Armenia has always been assessed as relatively safe country. Anyway, we do not rule out that conditioned by the geographical location of our country, our unique external environment, or at least the rise of the number of tourists, there may be some forces that will try to reach their aspirations in Armenia in that way.

Therefore, we have to demonstrate maximal vigilance in the fight against this evil and closely cooperate with our allies and other interested services. Our country will be open; tourism development is one of our priorities. Moreover, facilitation and liberalization of the visa with various countries will be a continuous process. Therefore, you have to be always watchful. I think that your anti-terrorist activities should be activated, the President of Armenia said.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that the methods and measures of the fight against terrorism should be regularly improved. According to him, only in this case we will be able to protect our citizens and state bodies more effectively, moreover, it should be done both inside the country and outside.

I think thank to the operative and literate solutions of the issues discussed at the NSC session a few days ago, we will manage to raise our capacity to counter-measure that evil to a new level. I also find that conditioned by the features of the new governance system, the review of the current strategy of the fight against terrorism will be among the first issues on the agenda of the future Executive aimed at modernizing it and making more flexible that will meet all the modern requirements, the President of Armenia said.

He underlined that the experience of the fight against one of the types of terrorism, cyber-terrorism, shows that its risks do not decline either. We have to have a watchful attitude towards cyber-security issues, considering the rising importance of information and communication technologies in our lives. In the modern world information networks have become one of the key infrastructures of any state. Their normal operation is vital for all the aspects. That sector is among the priorities of our economy with a great development potential. Its obvious that parallel to our success in this sphere the number of such attacks will rise as well, Serz Sargsyan said.

To the conviction of the President of Armenia, both physical and digital infrastructures of our country should be protected from criminals. He noted that only in 2017 the national security officers prevented nearly 1.5 million attempts of obtaining illegal access to the information systems and websites of the state bodies of Armenia or other attacks.

Of course, I am not talking about micro issues. We are not going to find simple solutions by limiting the freedom of speech or the right to communicate or disseminate information. There will be no internet censorship in Armenia, what is nor prohibited by law is allowed. I am convinced the Armenian society is so mature that can solve those issues by self-regulation, Serzh Sargsyan said.

He emphasized that the national security bodies should act in the framework of the international right and the best international practice. Here international cooperation is of key importance and we should be ready to discuss all the proposals about cooperation in this sphere.

On a macro-level, of course, its necessary to ensure the protection of the vital information and communication infrastructures. Among those infrastructures the information and communication means used for the protection and security of the state are on the first place, as well as the networks ensuring the normal operation and stability of the financial system Serzh Sargsyan said, stressing that state databases should be protected in the best way, since the criminal external encroachments against them are inevitable.

He emphasized that the proper implementation of the Information Security and Information Policy Concept of the Republic of Armenia approved by his decree recently will strengthen the toolkit in this sphere which is of dire importance in the light of the continuous development of high technologies.
The Bombay HC said that it is permissible for the governor -- the sanctioning authority -- to review or reconsider the earlier decision of erstwhile governor, but the review can be done only if there is "fresh material".

By Mayuresh Ganapatye, Kamlesh Damodar Sutar, Vidya : The Bombay HC, which quashed the sanction granted by Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to prosecute Ashok Chavan in Adarsh scam, in its 58-page order has said that it is permissible for the governor -- the sanctioning authority -- to review or reconsider the earlier decision of erstwhile governor, but the review can be done only if there is "fresh material".

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This was said by the division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Sadhna Jadhav.

The court was hearing the petition filed by Congress leader Ashok Chavan against the Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, who had granted permission to CBI to prosecute him.

Being critical of the CBI investigation after 2013 in the case, the division bench said, "In the absence of fresh material, the Governor has no jurisdiction to review the order of the erstwhile Governor."

It was in 2013 that during the Congress regime, the then Governor of Maharashtra K Shankarnarayanan had refused to grant sanction to CBI to prosecute Chavan. Chavan was revenue minister when the said allegation of quid pro quo was levelled against him. This is the reason that sanction was needed in the case. In 2016, the CBI approached the new Governor Rao, and this time sanction was granted.

CBI had opposed the petition vehemently saying that the issues raised by Chavan in the petition can be looked into at the stage of trial. CBI said that there was "fresh material" in the form of "Justice JA Patil Commission's Report" of 2013 and the order of the Bombay High Court single judge in 2014 who had earlier not granted any relief to Chavan.

The commission in its report had said, "We reiterate that Shri. Ashok Chavan had given clearances/permissions in the matter of Adarsh CHS as 'quid pro quo'. Even the single judge bench of Bombay High Court while rejecting the petition filed by CBI to delete the name of Chavan as an accused had said, "It cannot be coincident that two of the close relatives of Chavan got two flats worth crore of rupees according to the market value, by investing much lesser amount as compared to the market value."

However, the Bombay High Court questioned if the commission's report which is only a recommendation, could be taken as a material evidence. The court has taken into consideration many Supreme Court judgments to say that a commission's report under the commission of Enquiry Act 1952 "has no evidentiary value at the trial before the civil or criminal courts. It is only recommendatory in nature." This report is the "opinion of the commission based on the statements of the witnesses and other material" and "it is not capable of being converted into evidence before the courts." So, according to high court, the Governor could not have relied upon an evidence that "had no existence in the eyes of law to grant sanction to prosecute Chavan".

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After Governor Narayanan had refused to grant sanction to CBI, the agency had approached the court to reject Chavan's name from the list of accused. At that time CBI in its own application had said that review of refusal of sanction cannot be done as there is "no scope for collecting more evidence and once sanction is refused by the governor, it cannot be reviewed."

This application was rejected by the trial court, and in appeal, the agency came to Bombay High Court. The case was heard before the single bench, who in 2014 November, gave no relief Chavan, even refused to recall the order and Chavan filed a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme court where it is still pending.

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The Bombay High Court judges said that this recall petition and the SLP in Supreme Court was not told to the Governor by CBI. Also the evidence before the single judge bench was also the same old material that was before Governor in 2013 which rejected it. The single bench judges' order was only "tentative opinion", which according to the Bombay High Court judges cannot be considered as "fresh material".

After the order was passed, Chavan, who has been fighting the legal battle since he lost his chief ministership due to this scam, seemed contented.

"Prestige of the office of Governor has been restored or else it would have laid a wrong precedent. I am happy with the judgment. I have full faith in judicial system," Chavan said.

With inputs from Mayuresh Ganapatye, Kamlesh Damodar Sutar

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. One of the main tasks of the National Security Service is the increase of effectiveness of the intelligence and counterintelligence activity, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in his speech dedicated to the National Security Officers Day, reports Armenpress.

Armenia should effectively protect its national-state interest and each of its citizen. This is a consistent work which is not limited by the borders of our state. Its necessary to work both within the country and perhaps, much more abroad.

Summarizing the work you have done in this field allows to speak with certain satisfaction about the achievements. At the same time the current military-political situation in the region, the reconnaissance activity volumes of the main adversary and the constantly developing telecommunication technologies force us to always be careful. New qualitative threats require taking steps equal to countering them. I think you will agree with me that the results can be better if your traditional working style is accompanied with smart use of latest methods and measures, Serzh Sargsyan said.

He attached a specific importance to the work conducted so far for the protection of borders. According to the President, this sector records positive results every year thanks to the vigilance of the National Security agencies.

At the same time the research of the past several years shows that the incidents or attempts of illegally crossing the state border by foreigners are increasing. The migration increase trends conditioned by regional and global developments allow to predict that different individuals and organizations will search for new illegal migration ways for passing a country from the other. This will also create the unhealthy interest of these forces towards the borders and territory of our state. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify the cooperation with the defense ministry and Police in this sector, eliminate all possible shortcomings the existence of which can contribute to illegal border-crossing, the President said.

He emphasized that any small shortcoming can be used by the main adversary for sabotage infiltration purposes. I think in this regard it is also necessary to actively use the opportunities of the latest technologies, the Armenian President said.






YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the New Year and Christmas Christmas holidays, a gala reception was held at the Presidential Palace for media representatives on December 22.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office, Serzh Sargsyan congratulated on the upcoming holidays and addressed warm wishes to the media representatives, their families, colleagues and relatives. In his congratulatory speech President Sargsyan referred to the key political, economic and cultural events of the passing year and their covering by the mass media. The President of the Republic also talked about the role of the 4th power under the light of the parliamentary republic with an improved Constitution, presented his expectations from mass media during the illustration of a number of upcoming key events of republican importance.

The speech of the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan during the reception for mass media representatives on the occasion of New Year and Christmas

Dear friends,

I am glad to greet all of you at Baghramyan 26 at this festive reception that has already become a tradition. I heartily congratulate you on the coming New Year and Christmas holidays.

During independence years our media landscape passed through revolutionary transformations. During the last 2.5 decades we were able to shape a dynamic society, public institutions and a unique free journalism. I have no doubts that on the path of establishing a mature and full democratic system an independent and unbending journalist should be the all-seeing eye of our public.

The passing year was full of important domestic and external political, economic and cultural events, that were in you focus. You covered them from all the aspects and reached the necessary information to the attention of the public, political parties and the authorities.

The key republican event of 2017 was the parliamentary elections of April 2. Now, with a retrospective look, we can confidently document that the elections were held in a constructive and harmonious atmosphere. Both our public and the specialized international observer organizations gave a positive assessment to the elections, by which we outlined our political path for the next 5 years in a fair struggle. The contribution of the media landscape of Armenia was also significant for achieving that result. It was recognized by the international observer organizations and I am thankful to you for your job.

Of course, there were also difficulties and misunderstandings. There is no electoral process in the world that passes entirely imperturbably, as during the competition passions sometimes give place, strain the nerves. Undoubtedly, defeat is the most difficult thing and not everyone can live with that.

Dear journalists,

I am deeply convinced that there are no insurmountable problems. I highlight the readiness of all the sides and players to openly discuss existing problems and to find a solution to them. Its a unique examination of being mature, and I am sure our public passes that exam with honor. I am convinced that your power in the parliamentary republic with the improved Constitution will have a much larger role in our lives and you are ready to assume that.

During the passing year you actively covered the works of the Armenia-Diaspora Sixth Pan-Armenian Forum, making the virtual participation of 10 million Armenians in that forum possible. Discussing the role and importance of the mass media one should always remember that 7 million Armenians live out of the borders of Armenia.

I call on you to activate your links with the news outlets operating in the Diaspora communities during the coming years. We expect more active involvement by you in the implementation of my vision of having Armenia with 4 million population and other future programs.

I would also like you to draw more attention on and give deeper evaluation to topics like Armenias participation in integration processes, the works of local self-government bodies, community enlargement process or the economic activation. This is not the full list and I will really be happy if you enrich it with topics I missed.

Dear friends,

We say good bye to 2017 year. I once again congratulate you, all your colleagues, relatives and friends. I want you to fully relax during the New Year and Christmas holidays, making your friends and relatives enjoy those moments. I want success, happiness and peace to accompany you and your families in the coming 2018 year. The more we are honest with ourselves, believe me, the higher will be the coefficient of the useful actionof our work.

I am thankful.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Chaired by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, the Inspection Agencies Joint Appeals Committee met on December 22 in the Office of Government.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, the meeting considered three applications filed against the rulings issued by the Tax and Customs Authorities Board of Appeals of the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia.

After discussing the arguments and substantiations provided in the applications, the meeting rejected the complaints of two companies, while the third was satisfied.
LOS ANGELESManyVids has published the 12th issueThe Holiday Issueof its magazine.

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The Holiday Issue also reveals for the first time, photo sets produced by ManyVids from its recently launched project, the MV Loft, situated in Montreal, Canada. The photo sets from the MV Loft in this issue feature MV Girls Val Dodds, Destiny Diaz, Korina Kova and Lena Paul.

The MV Mag also includes photos from Jayla Jolie, Isabelle Raven and Casha Vixx.

You can view The Holiday Issue of the MV Mag for free here, as well as past issues of the magazine.

For models who would like to be a part of the magazine, visit MV Mags submission page. For more information, visit ManyVids.com.
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.
North Carolina does generally well according to national education standards, peers say, but it needs to take better advantage of opportunities to improve.North Carolina scored highest in federal goals related to supporting schools and continuous improvement categories, according to peer reviews of the 34 states that submitted Every Student Succeeds Act plans this past fall.But in nine categories, North Carolina scored lowest in academic progress and exiting improvement status. North Carolina scored about average in the standards and assessments, indicators, all students, and identifying schools categories. ESSA is a revised version of No Child Left Behind, a 2002 law intended to improve education standards across the country. Under the 2015 law, states were required to form ESSA draft plans and submit them to the U.S. Department of Education to receive federal funding. The ESSA plans are supposed to detail how state and local education agencies will work to improve student performance and hold schools accountable for those grades. North Carolina submitted its plan Sept. 18.Bellwether Education Partners and Collaborative for Student Success released the reviews. The two nonprofit education consulting groups enlisted 40 bipartisan state and national education experts to review each state's plan.said Jim Cowen, executive director of the Collaborative for Student Success.Scott Sargrad, managing director of K-12 Education Policy at the Center for American Progress and a reviewer who looked at North Carolina's ESSA plan.Sargrad said.According to peer reviewers, North Carolina's ESSA plan is grounded in robust data and includes strong emphasis on academic achievement indicators.Sargrad, though, said North Carolina doesn't seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity under ESSA to broaden the definition of school quality and student success as measures holding schools accountable beyond test scores and graduation rates.Sargrad said.Compared to other states, North Carolina excelled in the section of supporting schools, he said.While North Carolina's ESSA plan had some highlights, it also had several areas for improvement. The peer reviewers suggest North Carolina's proposed system give too much credit to achievement today relative to progress over time. This pushes schools to focus narrowly on current student proficiency scores. In turn, the proposed system fails to recognize low-performing schools making rapid, significant progress.Sargard said.The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to the Department of Public Instruction on Dec. 13 asking for clarification and additional information from North Carolina's ESSA plan. DPI has until Dec. 28 to submit the revised ESSA plan, although they can request an extension if needed.
Perhaps it's fitting that the phrase "personnel is policy" came to mind when a noted conservative professor from Princeton spoke Friday to the University of North Carolina's Board of Governors.That phrase motivated President Ronald Reagan's advisers during the earliest days of the 40th president's administration. By repeating the mantra, Reagan's acolytes reminded themselves that they needed to hire the right people for key jobs to ensure the new president's agenda had a chance of succeeding.The same is true for UNC's governing board, if it wants to emulate the type of wide-ranging, ideologically diverse discourse fostered by Princeton's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.said Robert George , a Princeton professor since 1985. He established the James Madison Program in 2000.George added.Not even the best-designed program can withstand poor personnel choices, George warned.George said.No member of the Board of Governors has put forward a proposal to replicate George's James Madison Program. But the hourlong session Friday offered hints about the governors' interests.One question: Can a program that serves a private Ivy League school in New Jersey with an undergraduate enrollment of roughly 5,400 students (total enrollment of 8,000) serve as an example for a public university system with 225,00 students, or even a flagship campus in Chapel Hill serving almost 19,000 undergrads?George said.A project matching the James Madison Program's $2.3 million budget might prove effective for a campus of 5,000 undergraduate students, George said. A larger campus would require more money.But the benefits for campus ideological diversity could be substantial. George devoted most of his remarks to explaining how the Madison Program elevated the level of Princeton's intellectual debate.Openly conservative himself, George does not want his program to indoctrinate students.he said.Benefits of that approach have extended throughout his campus, George said. Among his pieces of evidence: Conservative Princeton students have not clamored to bring in speakers such as white nationalist Richard Spencer or alt-right favorite Milo Yiannopolous. Their appearances have sparked protests in other university settings.he asked.George noted the importance of building support for a new program among faculty members and administrative leaders. Board member Joe Knott asked George how he would respond if UNC faculty raised objections.George responded.George offered his hosts no plan for moving forward in North Carolina. While emphasizing the importance of a good leader, he explained why finding that leader could prove difficult.George said.At least one board member offered a solution.said former state Rep. Leo Daughtry.
Think tank says changes in federal code will scarcely affect N.C's tax structure, but families will see noticeable relief



U.S. Reps. Richard Hudson, R-8th District, and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Washington, discuss tax reform plans at an October event in Hope Mills. (CJ photo by Dan Way)

The tax reform legislation approved by Congress and signed by President Trump Wednesday makes sweeping reforms to the national tax landscape, but an influential Washington-based think tank says the new law should have minimal impact on North Carolina's tax structure.It will, however, return more money to the Tar Heel State's taxpayers - nearly $600 yearly to the average middle-class family.said Jared Walczak, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation. An analysis by the foundation, which studies state and federal tax policies, concluded after-tax incomes would increase 1.1 percent nationally by the end of the decade, even after temporary individual income tax cuts expire.Nationally, the estimated gain in after-tax income for a middle-income family would be $649.43. In North Carolina it would be $591.40. In other Southeastern states it would be Florida, $562.94; Georgia, $588.80; South Carolina, $597.70; Tennessee, $564.78; and Virginia, $730.96.The reforms should not make much of a dent in the state's tax-collecting processes.Walczak told Carolina Journal.The tax bill lowers tax rates on wages, investment, and business income, broadens the tax base, increases the standard deduction for personal filers, and includes tax simplification measures. It is the most comprehensive reform since 1986.The foundation also determined the bill would act as an economic stimulus by creating a more favorable tax climate luring more investment into the United States.Walczak said. The resulting job creationNorth Carolina is projected to create an estimated 10,175 jobs, compared to 339,000 nationally. New job estimates for other Southeastern states are: Florida, 19,655; Georgia, 10,264; South Carolina, 4,815; Tennessee, 6,953; and Virginia, 9,185.North Carolina's standard deduction for personal income tax, and its corporate deduction have moved out of alignment with the federal tax code in recent years, so the federal tax reform will have a modest impact on state policy, Walczak said.he said.State and local income tax deductions will now be capped at a combined $10,000 on federal tax returns, placing a greater share of the costs of state and federal government on local taxpayers.Walczak said.While the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated the reform bill would add nearly $1.5 trillion to the deficit in its first decade, the Tax Foundation analysis concluded the plan would add little red ink. The main reason: Economic growth generated by the reforms would produce a projected $1 trillion in new federal revenues over the period, the foundation says.
Jones Calls for more Transparency on Use of Taxpayer Money in Afghanistan

News Release:



WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) is calling for more transparency on the use of American taxpayer money in Afghanistan. His calls come after Defense Department (DOD) personnel recently decided to classify important information related to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), which are funded by American taxpayers. In most cases, the information in question has been unclassified, and available to the public, for years. Classifying the information limits the ability of American taxpayers to see how their hard-earned money is being spent. Congressman Jones is asking Secretary of Defense James Mattis to review the classification decisions.



In a letter sent on November 29, Congressman Jones asked for the declassification of a Special Inspector General on Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report on the reportedly widespread practice of bacha bazi, or pedophilia, among high-ranking Afghan military and police leaders.



"The American people deserve to know the extent of sexual abuse of children committed by Afghanistan leaders, who are ultimately funded by the American taxpayers," Congressman Jones wrote in his letter. "After 16 years and over $1 trillion dollars spent in Afghanistan, how can we not allow the taxpayers to know the truth about how their money is being spent?"



In his December 18 letter, Congressman Jones asked for the declassification of 33 measures detailing the performance (i.e. end strength, force composition, attrition, casualties, etc.) of the ANDSF.



"America has already spent $70 billion to prop up the Afghan defense and security forces. Billions more are dedicated to that effort every year," Jones reiterated in his second letter. "Without information on progress and performance, there is no way for taxpayers to judge what kind of return they're getting on their investment. That is unacceptable."



"I respectfully urge you to promptly reconsider the department's treatment of this information," Jones continued. "DOD should not expect taxpayers, or their representatives, to continue spending billions to stand up the Afghan military and police with no oversight or accountability in return."



For additional information, please contact Allison Tucker in Congressman Jones' office at (202) 225-3415 or allison.tucker@mail.house.gov.


By PTI: emergency measures

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) The emergency action plan to tackle air pollution has been streamlined in Delhi with authorities deciding not to wait for the EPCAs directions each time pollution turns severe or severe plus.

The Delhi governments Environment Department today apprised the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority of the decision, which was welcomed by the Supreme Court-appointed panel.

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The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the citys environment secretary Anshu Prakash on Thursday, when air quality had dramatically fallen due to a rapid accumulation of pollutants.

"Next time, as soon as air quality turns severe plus or emergency as defined by the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), we will initiate action listed under the plan. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee will notify the concerned departments," a government official told EPCA.

EPCA member Sunita Narain lauded the government saying the decision effectively puts the GRAP on auto-mode, something which the EPCA itself has been trying to put into place.

Yesterday, EPCA chairman Bhure Lal had written to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to gear up for another round of tough measures under the "emergency" category of the GRAP keeping in mind the rising pollution levels.

However, the situation has improved since then and air quality is now very poor as against yesterdays severe according to the readings of the CPCB.

Under the GRAP, pollution is considered severe plus or emergency when readings of ultrafine particulates PM2.5 or PM10 are above 300 and 500 ug/m3, respectively.

Measures listed under the emergency category are rolled out when these conditions prevail for 48 hours at a stretch.

On the odd-even road rationing measure, which is supposed to be implemented as part of the emergency measures, the EPCA said all major towns of the National Capital Region will be included the next time the scheme is enforced. PTI SBR KJ

--- ENDS ---
Hitting benchmark would depend on hoped-for gains in battery storage technology and tax subsidies, for starters

Adopt Renewable Portfolio Standards. Those generally force utilities to purchase growing amounts of renewable energy, which is more expensive than traditional fuel sources. The costs are passed on to ratepayers and taxpayers.

Tariffs and subsidies.

Investment incentives, which could be direct or indirect payments by governments to energy producers to build energy infrastructure, and for loan guarantees.

Municipal financing for residential energy-efficiency retrofits and solar installations, and/or purchase incentives and rebates for electric vehicles.

A revenue-neutral pollution tax on energy sources, with revenue transferred to nonpolluting energy sources.

A straight pollution tax, such as a carbon tax.

A program reducing demand by improving energy efficiency, or substituting low-energy activities and technologies for high-energy ones.

A command-and-control policy option of mandated emission limits for technologies.

Cap-and-trade, a system that includes an ever-stricter greenhouse gas emissions limit and penalties for exceeding it.

Community renewable energy programs.

The town of Hillsborough and Orange County have turned the holy grail of environmentalism into official public policy. They want to transform into 100 percent renewable energy-powered communities.But beyond the attention-grabbing headlines, and a 2050 deadline, details matter.Would sprawling, utility-scale solar power plants be built, and where would they go? Would homeowners be forced to install rooftop solar panels? Will municipal vehicle fleets be powered by renewable fuel, and would drivers have to buy renewable-powered vehicles? Is it possible to store enough electricity to power street lights and traffic signals, hospitals and factories, at night and on cloudy days, when there's no sun to fueling those solar panels?Neither government can say how it plans to accomplish what even green energy proponents say would be an extraordinarily expensive mutation of energy policy. Nor have they defined phases or outlined fine points of the changeover.said Hillsborough Commissioner Kathleen Ferguson.said Brennan Bouma, Orange County sustainability coordinator.Neither Bouma nor Ferguson could say where the massive amount of money would come from to buy the technology in its many forms, install, operate, and maintain it.The N.C. Climate Solutions Coalition has some funding recommendations. It's the organization pushing North Carolina's local governments to adopt a boilerplate resolution committing to total renewable energy economies.The climate coalition's website includes a FAQ page that lists a number of revenue-generating policies:The climate coalition seeks to implement the elements of the 2015 Paris climate accord at the local level, even though President Trump withdrew the United States from the international pact.The climate coalition's board of directors comprises representatives of environmental groups and renewable energy advocates. Executive Director Joel Segal is a self-described social justice activist, former senior legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, and senior technical consultant to progressive film maker Michael Moore on the health care documentary SICKO.To date at least 16 North Carolina municipalities have passed resolutions or endorsed a 100 percent renewable goal, with Buncombe County being the most recent, on Dec. 5. Others are Asheville, Boone, Canton, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Franklin, Raleigh, Sylva, Waynesville, Webster, Chatham County, Macon County, and Watauga County.The Orange County resolution, passed Sept. 5, includes language similar to the others. It states the county, state, and United StatesBouma said the county is continuing to ramp up its award-winning energy efficiency program to ensure every possible savings is achieved before investing in renewable infrastructure. Some government buildings are being studied for placement of rooftop solar panels.He concedes success of the transition depends in large part on changing consumer habits, an evolving market, and a plunge in prices that make renewable energy a preferred option. But is it reasonable to expect the county can persuade its residents to voluntarily cast away all of its current practices and technology to buy renewable-powered replacements?Bouma said.Ferguson said Hillsborough, unlike the county, doesn't have a firm goal to push all its residents into renewable energy. It is working with Triangle J Council of Governments to develop strategies that its small municipal staff would be hard-pressed to devise given its heavy workload.Ferguson said.to operate a utility-scale solar plant to power the town."We can set a standard within the community, but we do not have control over other folks," she said. Putting up solar projects in the heavily regulated Historic District could be tricky, for example.The town is unlikely to go out and buy bucket trucks and heavy equipment that run on renewable fuels, she said. But it can do things such as switching from paper records to electronic ones, consolidating buildings, and making other improvements to use energy more efficiently.Among the many barriers to a city or county becoming totally powered by renewable energy is its intermittent nature. Solar panels collect sunlight to generate power just a few hours a day. They produce none when the sun isn't shining. Wind power fails when the air is still. Renewable advocates say improving battery storage technology is a solution.Gary Rackliffe, vice president for smart grids at Raleigh-based ABB Inc., said it's possible to go 100 percent renewable, but it's also complicated. An electrical grid must be formed, and it must maintain a constant balance of voltage generated to demand frequency. One way to achieve that is through battery storage that can be tapped when electricity isn't being produced."You can push to get to 100 percent renewable operation, but that's going to be limited to the amount of storage that you have, and right now huge amounts of storage is still very expensive," Rackliffe said. It also has limitations. Batteries wouldn't last through three or four days of clouds and no wind.Hydropower and geothermal power are other backup energy sources, where the right circumstances exist.Steve Goreham, a Heartland Institute climate change and energy policy expert, and author of two books, says officials in municipalities pledging to go 100 percent renewable don't realize the challenge, especially for battery storage.Goreham said.Goreham said. Battery storage could cost $4 for every $1 spent in generating renewable electricity.Battery storage is "completely goofy," and flies in the face of the manufacturing industry trend ofGoreham said.which is a major expense.He was dismissive of the municipal resolutions' goal of reversing climate change.Nature releases something on the order of 20 times as much carbon dioxide into the air out of the oceans and the biosphere as all of earth's industries, he said.Goreham said. It's nice the municipalities have a green dream, he said,
Zachary Wood is a remarkable young man. He's black, attends a predominantly liberal elite college (Williams) and believes that robust and civil arguments are vital to America's continuing success.He is the president of a student group at Williams called Uncomfortable Learning (UL), which has the mission of bringing to campus notable speakers who can articulate a wide range of perspectives.Recently, UL sponsored a talk by philosophy professor Christina Hoff Sommers, who is a well-known critic of many of the claims of feminism (see her video blog, The Factual Feminist ). She calmly and rationally argues a case that many young liberal students find jarring. Her opinions clash with so much they've been taught. That is what makes her an ideal campus speaker.How did the students at Williams react to Sommers? Many of them reacted like angry children, snickering, yelling insults, and ranting instead of listening, thinking, and asking questions.You can see the video of Professor Sommers' talk here Responding to her treatment, Wood wrote a superb piece in the Nov. 17th Wall Street Journal entitled " At Williams, a Funny Way of 'Listening.' " He expressed his disappointment in both the students and the Williams administration.Wood wrote.Most disappointing of all was the response of the school's president, Adam Falk. Wood explains that following that UL event, Falk wrote in the Washington Post thatThe problem with that characterization, Wood wrote, is that it "grossly misrepresents what happened." Many students acted disruptively during Sommers' talk and as for those "challenging questions," there were far morePerhaps the most egregious affront of all was that a group of students yelled that she was "stupid, harmful, and white supremacist."Christina Hoff Sommers is not stupid, not a white supremacist, and if she's "harmful," that harm is confined to the small minds of college students who can't stand it when people disagree with the beliefs that have been instilled in them.Wood himself is getting blowback from some of his fellow students for what they regard as his treasonous act of bringing to campus a speaker who disagrees with the leftist belief system. He reports that members of the Black Student Union are shunning him.he wrote.The intolerant academic Left has a determined foe in Zachary Wood and that is especially remarkable because he describes himself as a liberal Democrat. Last summer he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearings on the state of free speech on our college campuses. This Heterodox Academy article contains a link to the video of his testimony.Alerting the members of the Committee (and anyone else who is willing to listen) about the way college campuses have become hostile terrain for anyone who questions leftist beliefs, Wood stated,It's a deplorable state of affairs when college students - especially at an elite school - won't listen respectfully to speakers and indulge in virtue signaling by turning their backs on other students who favor dialogue and civility.Wood is a senior, so it will fall to other students to keep up the battle to bring non-leftist speakers to Williams after he graduates. Will others be willing to face the slings and arrows that leftist zealots direct at anyone who dares to challenge their beliefs and tells them that they ought to listen to what conservatives and libertarians have to say?Williams will be much the worse off if no one will continue to speak up for "Uncomfortable Learning" the way Zachary Wood has.
Pundits suggest the "Weinstein moment"  a broader, deeper awareness of abusive conduct, sexual harassment and criminal sexuality  is already fading without significant change. Few of the offenders face consequences worse than losing a gig, and yesterday we learned The New York Times isn't even up to that, letting its celebrity groper keep his job and trotting out Executive Editor Dean Baquet to dismiss his admitted behavior as merely "offensive." Sarah Jeong looks at another example: the hacker community, which did a surprisingly good job of outing its "missing stairs" but has trouble banishing them for good.

In information security, as in many other industries where the accused is a prominent figure, accusations can turn into a competition of social capital, and the accused almost always wins out over their accusers. But in this community, giving an accused rapist a pass has often been framed as a moral imperative with four words: "He does good work." The assumption is that talent is scarce and sexual misconduct must be tolerated for the good of society. Little to no consideration is given to what we lose from disbelieving victims  their technical and social contributions, any future contributions by people who quite reasonably decide to avoid a toxic culture, and even beyond that, the quiet erosion of trust among bystanders. Complicity leaves a stain on us all.


The average person in America is much more likely to come into contact with the administrative branch of the government  the regulatory agencies the president staffs and directs  than they are to end up in court (judiciary) or to be charged under the law (legislative).



Administrative agencies are in charge of net neutrality, approving drugs, specifying automotive safety rules, dictating educational standards, food safety public health surveillance and crisis response, policing and police accountability, the war on drugs, and so much more.





These are the agencies Trump has the most control over with the least oversight and transparency. In a wrist-slittingly depressing roundup, New York Magazine's Nick Tabor describes 55 acts of administrative violence committed by the Trump administration in less than a year.

I don't understand why the Democrats don't greet each of these acts with a public promise to repeal them if they take office. It would at least put businesses on notice not to make any plans that rely on these decisions remaining intact, and would give Dems a rejoinder for aggrieved execs when they do repeal these rules: "We told you on day zero that this new rules were doomed. If you didn't listen to us, that's your problem, not ours."

This would also be an excellent way to salvage something from the tax-plan catastrophe that the GOP just rammed through: "Hey, investor class: we are going to come back for every dime the GOP just gave you, with interest, so don't get to cozy with your new trillion-dollar Christmas gift."

Federal prosecutors have been stripped of their discretion and ordered to seek maximum penalties

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued the order in May, with a specific intent that prosecutors pursue stiff sentences for drug-dealing, gun crimes, and gang violence. But the mandate applies to every kind of case. A police-department reform program has been cut off

After the Department of Justice sued the police in Ferguson, Missouri, and ordered the department to clean up its act on race relations, the DOJ created a program where other police departments could seek similar guidance, but on a voluntary, cooperative basis. Police departments in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, among others, took advantage of it. Sessions effectively cut off the program and channeled the money to groups like police unions instead. Local police are once again stocking up on military weapons

After police in Ferguson used military weapons against protesters in 2015, Obama took measures to end the militarization of police. Sessions rescinded those rules, so police can once again obtain surplus grenade-launchers, bayonets, and armored vehicles for free or with federal dollars. Half a million fugitives are now allowed to buy guns

In February, the DOJ narrowed the definition of "fugitive" to people who have crossed state lines to escape prosecution or avoid testifying, which cleared 518,670 alleged criminals for gun purchases, according to the FBI.

55 Ways Donald Trump Structurally Changed America in 2017 [Nick Tabor/New York Magazine]

(Images: katesheets, CC-BY; Trump's Hair)
News / Agriculture

by Staff Reporter

FORMER Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made allegedly looted farm equipment and inputs worth millions of dollars, which he hid at his Tara Farm in Headlands, Manicaland Province.The implements include 10 centre pivots, seven brand new tractors, seven planters, three ridgers, two harrows, six generators and four pumps. Also discovered at the farm were wheelchairs, expired maize seed, 600 bags of blend D fertiliser, 600 bags of urea, expired drugs and walking aids.The Makoni District lands committee masterminded an inspection of farms belonging to politicians and in the process discovered the loot. Makoni District assistant administrator Mr Pasttense Tarondwa claimed the equipment was collected between 2007 and 2009.It has been lying idle."We visited Tara Farm and discovered that Dr Joseph Made is not on the ground. Only his manager and 19 workers, who are bitter that they have not been paid for the past 12 months, are utilising 30ha. He owns 480 head of cattle and 90 goats," said Mr Tarondwa."As we toured the farm we discovered lots of equipment that has been lying idle since 2007. Some of it is worn out. The equipment includes brand new irrigation pipes, seven tractors, seven state-of-the-art planters, three ridgers, disc harrows and 10 centre pivots. According to the farm manager, the equipment was delivered at the farm in 2007," he said."We also discovered six state-of-the-art generators, each with capacity to light the whole of Rusape. There were also four brand new pumps. When we visited the warehouse we found at least 600 bags of blend D fertiliser, 630 bags of urea, brand new boxed wheelchairs, bicycle units, expired medical equipment, expired seed close to two tonnes and dated 2008, and rolls of barbed wire," said Mr Tarondwa."Our visit was not targeted at Tara Farm. We are visiting all farms in the district. We just bumped into them as we toured the farm to gauge its capacity utilisation and size with a view to make recommendations to have those farms exceeding 400ha downsized," said Mr Tarondwa.The farm is one of the biggest in Manicaland Province."Tara Farm is an annexation of two properties  Tara of Helenvale and Causeway of Tara, making it one of the biggest farms in Manicaland at 1 200 hectares, instead of the recommended 400ha," he said.Apart from Tara Farm, the committee, which included members of the Joint Operations Command (JOC), also visited the Remaining Extension of Maidstone, belonging to former Manicaland Governor Cde Tinaye Chigudu.The farm exceeds the size cap. It was being leased out to one Mr Loubscher."The RE of Maidstone Farm measures 755ha, and we discovered that only 100ha was being utilised. It is not Mr Chigudu who is utilising that farm, but one white farmer called Loubsher," he said.The committee said Mona Farm, owned by Christine Murembwe, Lorn Cop, owned by Mr Didymus Mutasa and Morester Farm owned by Mr Mike Nyabadza, also exceed set farm sizes, are underutilised and being leased."We also visited Lorn Cop Farm and discovered that Mr Mutasa is not the one using the farm, but a white farmer Mr Dennis Chapman.The farm is 700ha and only 290ha are being utilised. The farm is also an annexation of three properties, namely Lorn Cop, Sunrise, and the late Cde Tungamirai's farm," said Mr Tarondwa.Some of the farms in Manicaland are as big as 3 000 hectares.The maximum farm size in Natural Region One was pegged at 250ha, Region Two 400ha, Region Three 500ha, Regions Four and Five 1 000ha and 2 000ha, respectively.Efforts to get a comment from Dr Made were fruitless yesterday.
News / Health

by Staff Reporter

The First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa has paid yet another surprise visit at Mpilo and United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) to get first hand information on the experiences encountered by patients.Just as was the case at Harare Central Hospital a few weeks ago, nurses at Mpilo Hospital were caught unaware and the first to attend to the First Lady asked her many questions and enquired if she money to pay for the service.The attending nurse told the First Lady that there were no cards at the hospital and used a sheet of paper to write her details.Mnangagwa went through other several tiresome processes and while so many patients were patiently queuing to get services, some nurses in the vicinity showed no urgency.The First Lady then visited wards at the two hospitals and she gave financial assistance to one, Charles Nyathi after she saw his mother wailing in the corridors as she could not afford paying for services for a kidney treatment.The mother, Mrs Maria Mati could not hold her tears back as she received the financial assistance.At UBH, the First Lady was touched by the story of a baby whose mother is a psychiatric patient.She then donated fruit hampers to patients at the two hospitals.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Clad in a black suit, white shirt and a stripped green necktie which matched his wife Marry's green attire, commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) General Constantino Chiwenga sat coolly in the front row facing ministers and senior Zanu-PF officials at the just-ended special congress held in Harare.Sitting in the same row were some senior members of the military that included the new Lands minister Air Marshal Perrance Shiri.Speaker after speaker showered praises upon the general for the successful "clinical operation" masterminded by the ZDF, codenamed "Operation Restore Legacy" to rid the country of former president Robert Mugabe and replacing him with his former deputy, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.Indeed, he was the centre of attraction at the congress, with delegates going ecstatically wild at each and every mention of his name. Party supporters and even foreign dignitaries from various ruling parties in Africa and beyond stampeded to greet the man who did the unthinkable  taking Mugabe head-on and facilitating his departure from office."I would like to salute the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Dr Constantino Nyikadzino Guveya Chiwenga and all members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for standing shoulder to shoulder with their fellow Zimbabweans and putting the peace and stability of Zimbabwe first," Mnangagwa said in his main speech, drawing wild cheers from the floor.But Chiwenga remained collected amid the hero-worshipping that made him look like the eponymous hero Julius Caesar in one of William Shakespeare's greatest works, Julius Caesar when he triumphantly returns to Rome on the festival of Lupercalia where he eventually meets his death.Before Mnangagwa's speech, the delegates had been sent into ecstasy by Jah Prayzah's popular hit Kutonga Kwaro which electrified the mood in the massive white tent. Prominent figures took to the dance floor shaking their bodies like they had just received tickets to heaven.War veterans' leader and special advisor to Mnangagwa, Christopher Mutsvangwa was all over the show, waving his hands in appreciation of Jah Prayzah's lyrics that capture the victory of the Team Lacoste faction and the death of arch rival, G40, courtesy of Chiwenga."Jah Prayzah is the greatest musician in the country. He has become a household name," an excited Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo said before ploughing into a "pamberi naMugabe" [forward with Mugabe] gaffe.Newly-appointed Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Josiah Hungwe, who was enjoying the moment of his life, could not be outdone. The tall minister, not well-gifted in the art of dance, swayed sideways like a tree in the heart of a hurricane, while Mutsvangwa held him by the hand in a manner suggesting he was steadying him, in case he fell down.Tourism minister Prisca Mupfumira was also doing what she knows best and her joy could be understood. She had just been brought back after being fired by Mugabe and owed her political life to the army.ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira was also among those on the dance floor while Mnangagwa and Home Affairs minister Obert Mpofu were having their own moments at the high table.The excitement among members could be understood  it was celebration time for a faction that had been outmanoeuvred and obliterated by Mugabe and his wife, its leader forced into exile, dashing all hopes of a comeback. It could be understood why the members went into overdrive to lick the general's boots.There seemed to be some sort of competition from provinces in endorsing the military action and each time that was done, there was applause, and yet Chiwenga maintained his cool.Almost everybody appeared overwhelmed with joy while the likes of former Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi and others decided to remain reserved in their happiness."We would like to thank General Chiwenga and the rest of the ZDF. He is a true liberator. He liberated us from colonial rule and now from the capture of Mugabe by the G40 cabal," Mabel Chinomona, who was appointed the new women's league boss, shouted.Manicaland provincial chair Mike Madiro said the military operation was a clinical operation.The general remained seated while members made a beeline to his seat to pay homage, with the likes of Temba Mliswa kneeling before him for a chat.This was the first congress without Mugabe since the party's formation in 1963 and the same people who used to worship him were today, all out against him. But so entrenched was the former president's name after 37 years at the helm that Khaya-Moyo and Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa were soon trapped in the Mugabe gaffe.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

With the generous intention of giving back and transforming lives in communities, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) hosted its memorable Charity Ball on 11 December 2017, which was supported by various organisations.This year's edition of the Ball was held under the theme, "Purposeful giving for a brighter future".Speaking during the glamorous event, ZIMRA Board member, Mrs Katiyo, encouraged delegates to continue with the spirit of giving starting with the smallest act of kindness, as it leads to transforming livelihoods."Making a difference in the communities in which you live or operate is the indisputable launch pad towards the attainment of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIM-ASSET) goals"."We cannot always wait for the Government to do it alone because we all know how harm-strung it is as far as resources are concerned," said Mrs Katiyo.Mrs Katiyo applauded the support from various stakeholders present at the Ball and underscored that it showed the seriousness with which they take the plight of the socially disadvantaged in our communities.The Charity Ball is an annual event which was introduced in 2004 as a fundraising initiative for the disadvanged members of the society. To date, ZIMRA has assisted children's and old people's homes, schools and over 70 pupils with their school fees and tuition. The ZIMRA charity initiative is meant to cushion the livelihoods of communities and to create sustainable projects for the benefit of the disadvantaged.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya has said the ZBC's claims that 80 percent that are registered as voters so far are from rural areas need to be analyses as it could be the work of Zanu PF to parrot and set an agenda for electoral manipulation."The state television and radio assertion that 80% of registered voters are from rural areas requires statistical analysis of that data because Zanu PF could be parroting and setting the agenda for electoral manipulation while people let this go."Zimbabwe Election Support Network and Election Resource Centre should take us through the Biometric Voter Registration patterns to avoid state propaganda masquerading as facts," he said."These are issues civil society and the opposition should swiftly address; hire mathematicians and statistics academics from our array of universities to help unravel this in simple terms."That is the roles of National University of Science and Technology, University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University production and reproduction of ideas; data dis-aggregation."
How you see the Gujarat assembly election results depends on where you stand on the PM Narendra Modi Appreciation Spectrum. For many who see him as a moderniser, reformer and a man uniquely placed to transform the India story, the elections have been a singular triumph, battling 22 years of anti-incumbency, three young leaders representing various facets of Gujarat's disenchantment, the fallout of two extremely tough economic decisions and the complete absence of credible local leadership. The BJP has bettered its vote percentage in the 2012 assembly elections (48.3 to 49.1) even though it translated to fewer seats (99 out of a 182-seat assembly compared to 115 five years ago). For those who are not admirers, the results are proof of a decline in his popularity because he got fewer seats than last time in spite of being prime minister, a rejection of the much-praised Gujarat model of development, and a thumbs down to an often acrimonious and vicious election campaign.

The truth lies somewhere in between. There is no doubt that Prime Minister Modi is still the solitary hope for a vast multitude for his personal work ethic, his call for a cleaner public life and his increasing ability to push through difficult but necessary reforms. It is also true that the results have put the spotlight on some trends that should worry his party and its never-say-die president Amit Shah. It is clear that rural distress took a huge toll on the BJP seats. The elections exposed a vast urban-rural divide and provided some lessons for the parties. Out of 127 rural seats, BJP suffered a loss of 14 seats compared to the last assembly poll to bring its tally to 56, while the Congress gained 17 seats, giving it a total of 68. In the urban areas which have a total of 55 seats, the BJP retained its dominance by losing only two seats with a tally of 43 while the Congress gained the same number to bring its total to a measly 12. This is a clear sign of rural distress and of urban Gujarat still believing in the Modi model of development. The results also serve as a warning for the eight assembly elections in 2018-with the defeat of as many as six state ministers, it is evident that Prime Minister Modi is the BJP's sole vote-getter, and chief campaigner as well as its tallest leader. Tireless as he seems (he held 34 rallies in Gujarat within a fortnight), he cannot always be a substitute for regional leadership.

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Most importantly, and perhaps worryingly, for the BJP, which has often declared that it wants a "Congress-mukt Bharat", the principal opposition party's performance has shown that it still has some fight left in it. There is now a chink in the formidable election armour of the BJP. Now that the Congress party has weathered the crippling defeat of 2014 and elected a new president, it is evolving a new style of leadership. Its strategy for the Gujarat assembly elections was to fight in collaboration with three young local leaders representing Patels, Dalits and OBCs. It also unveiled two rather regressive elements in its campaign-the use of 'soft Hindutva' and the promise of caste-based reservation. That apart, Rahul Gandhi showed greater commitment to his vocation than he has in the last 13 years of his political life-a more inclusive style of leadership, taking along veterans such as Ashok Gehlot, and a bottom-up, inside-out strategy of candidate selection.

For both sides, though, the elections are a wake-up call. Prime Minister Modi has shown that he is not invulnerable, and that his charisma can have diminishing returns. In the end, it is the ground realities that matter to the electorate. Rahul Gandhi has managed to salvage his credibility somewhat, but has yet to prove that he can make the difference between just losing well and actually winning. Besides, beyond criticising the incumbent, he is yet to articulate substantially what his party stands for.

Both have to realise that every state election is unique and has its own local dynamic. The campaign narrative has to reflect that. Whether at the state or the national level, the Indian voter can never be taken for granted. Many politicians have forgotten that to their peril.

--- ENDS ---
News / National

by Staff Reporter

MDC-T vice-president Advocate Nelson Chamisa on Wednesday revealed that his boss, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, approached the new administration led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa pushing for an inclusive government.Adv Chamisa said they had to go to the United States last week under an MDC-Alliance banner after realising the idea of an inclusive government had collapsed and they had to gear up for an election.He said this during a press conference attended by MDC-Alliance representatives where they sought to justify why they flew to the US where they called for the retention of ruinous sanctions against Zimbabwe.The admission also exposes Mr Tsvangirai, who claimed there was never a discussion between him and President Mnangagwa in which the Head of State and Government tried to woo opposition parties to join his Cabinet.Special Adviser to President Mnangagwa, Christopher Mutsvangwa said Mr Tsvangirai blocked President Mnangagwa from choosing his preferred candidates for posts, as the opposition leader insisted that he should be included in the Presidium.At the press conference, Adv Chamisa admitted that a discussion was held, but blamed Government for the collapse of the talks."We realise and acknowledge that there has been a deliberate attempt to distort the reality as pertaining to what transpired," he said."We had a position as an alliance which position was that we were supposed to have an inclusive arrangement, a transnational mechanism so that we prepare for free and fair election."And president Tsvangirai as a democrat, as a national leader, as a statesman went out of his way to make sure that he kick-starts the process, but unfortunately there were no takers of this inclusive arrangement."Government intended then to portray MDC-T as a spoiler."Adv Chamisa accused the Government of being arrogant."They don't appreciate that building a country is not a partisan effort, it is a collective effort," he said. "And this is where they are missing it, this is where they want to malign president Tsvangirai."Now we are waiting for election, this is why we had to go for a diplomatic offensive to talk to our people as you would see in our rallies, we are now articulating the alternative that we are. We are not going to waste time because we are not an inclusive government, we do not do public relations for a government."In its denial, MDC-T claimed that Mr Tsvangirai was never approached formally or informally about the inclusive government.Speaking at the same event, MDC Alliance representative, Mr Tendai Biti said they had no apologies to make over their utterances in the US, where they reportedly called for the retention of sanctions."We do not apologise for putting the interests of our country first, we do not apologise for representing Zimbabweans," he said. "We are a serious opposition, we have been in the trenches for years. We have scars to prove it. We are as patriotic as the next patriot. Our record speaks for itself."Analysts said it was pure propaganda for Mr Biti to allege that they had the interest of the people at heart, when they were prepared to travel all the way to the US to call for the extension of illegal sanctions that have resulted in the suffering of ordinary people.The contradiction, the analysts said, was glaring at the press conference where the MDC-T officials purported to speak for the people, when their actions indicated they wanted them to suffer in a bid to force them to vote for the opposition party.Sanctions are widely credited for the closure of industries and other economic woes that befell Zimbabwe in the past decade.The press conference was also attended by MDC leader Professor Welshman Ncube and representatives of other opposition political parties.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

A Harare woman is demanding paternity tests after her former boyfriend dragged her to court denying responsibility for their unborn baby.Isaac Ndondo bared it out at the Harare Civil Court in his quest for a protection order against his ex-girlfriend Grace Chaterera."Your Worship, I am applying for a protection order against my ex-girlfriend who is in the habit of calling me all the time threatening to hang herself if I deny her pregnancy."She harasses me a lot to the point that whenever we meet, she assaults me and tears my clothes apart. She also insults me with vulgar language and also tells people that I am not good in bed."She is claiming that I am responsible for her pregnancy since we separated in 2014 and we have never slept together after the separation," said Isaac.In response, Grace denied the accusations insisting she is pregnant with Isaacs' baby."I do not understand why he is denying his pregnancy because we would come at the saloon with my aunt and also visit his place of residence."From the month of June to November, we were sleeping together and I am sure it's his baby .If he is denying his pregnancy we can go for DNA testing after the child is born, "said GraceMagistrate Lazini Ncube granted the protection order in Isaac's favour.
Opinion / Columnist

The trouble with Zimbabweans is that we are our own worst enemies because we never stop to think anything through.When it was clear toward the end of the 2008 to 2013 GNU that MDC had failed to implement even one democratic reform SADC leaders proposed that the 2013 elections must be postponed to allow reforms to be implemented. It is insane to contest an election which you know is flawed and illegal.Sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends paid no heed to the advice and contested the July 2013 elections. We all know that happened next; Zanu PF blatantly rig the vote. The tragedy here is many Zimbabweans have failed to learn from MDC's betrayal during the GNU and then in contesting flawed elections against the sound advice of SADC leaders. If any Zimbabweans had learnt from those events then they would have realised that SADC leaders were right, it is futile taking part in a flawed electoral process.The on-going voter registration exercise is flawed."Zimbabwe's electoral body said Wednesday over 4.7 million people have registered to vote in next year's elections during a two-month registration blitz that ended Dec. 20," reported Spotlight Zimbabwe."ZEC had initially targeted to register 7 million voters for next year's polls but it later admitted that the figure was unrealistic and revised it down to about 5 million."There was no reason why the voter registration exercise was not three years ago instead of eight months before the elections. Anyone with any common sense could see that was no way ZEC, even with the best good will in the world, was going to register 7 million voters in the four months allocated for the task.Now the authorities are admitting that 2 million or nearly 30% of the potential voters will be denied the vote, just like that!The regime had already said it was not going to allow Zimbabweans in the diaspora the opportunity to vote. Some people have said there are as many as 2 million potential voters in the diaspora. So, already this flawed process has already disenfranchised 50 to 60% Zimbabweans.The real big test is yet to come. ZEC will not have the time to consolidate the data, cross checked and release a verified voters' roll at least one month before voting day as demanded by the constitution."The state-run Herald newspaper quoted ZEC acting chairperson Emmanuel Magadu as saying that they expected to extend the blitz by a month to January 2018," continued the report."The electoral body has since requested 7.9 million U.S. dollars to fund the extended registration period."So, the four months long voter registration exercise alone at US$ 7.9 m per month costed a nearly $32 million and yet at the end of the day we fail to produce end product - a verified voters' roll.The July 2013 elections were held with NO verified voters' roll and this allowed Zanu PF to blatantly rig the vote. Nearly one million voters were denied the vote that year because the details were not in the constituency voters roll, something they would have picked up and corrected if the voters' roll had been released timeously. That year the number of polling stations was increased from 2 000 to 9 000 just days before voting day and there was evidence of Zanu PF youth being bussed from one polling station to the next casting multiple votes. No one could verify who these youths were because the was no audited voters' roll to start with. The verified voters' roll was the missing smoking gun to prove the July 2013 elections were rigged.It is already clear that ZEC will NOT release a verified voters' roll for next year's elections.There are many, many other serious issues, other than the lack of a verified voters' roll, that we such be concerned about; such as the lack of a free media; the failure to implement the democratic reforms to free the Police, Judiciary to carry out their statutory duties without fear or favour; the lack of money among the opposition whilst Zanu PF is loaded with cash looted from Marange; etc. All these things confirm one thing  next year's elections will NOT be free, fair and credible."Of course, they (2018 elections) can be postponed," Dr Mandaza explain to Violet Gonda in April 2017. "In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed  the SADC summit. I went there."I was there at the Summit and Mugabe pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws."And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told; I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done'.If Zimbabweans did not know of SADC leaders' advice to MDC leaders before the 2013 elections; they know it now. This time SADC leaders are speaking directly to ordinary Zimbabwe not to take part in an election process they know is flawed and illegal.I agree there is little you and me can do to stop MDC and the rest in the opposition camp from contesting the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process should be. They have their hearts and eyes set on the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away to entice them to take part; they have given up on the national struggle for free and fair elections. By participating they are giving the flawed process credibility, they know that and do not care. By participating, we too will give the process credibility.Zimbabweans must ignore the on-going voter registration exercise, do not attend any political rallies by they Zanu PF or opposition and come voting day, do not bother to vote. Foreign election observers, especial from SADC country, know they too will have nothing to do with an election process in which the authorities have failed to release something as basic and fundamental as a verified voters' roll! These observers know this election is a sham, they are not stupid!If the ordinary Zimbabweans out there are serious about having a meaningful say in the governance of the country and meaningful economic recovery then they must take up the fight for free, fair and credible elections and not leave it to the opposition. People like Tsvangirai sold-out on reforms during the GNU and ever since they have been pursuing their own selfish enrichment agenda. The opposition will be please to win the few seats Zanu PF gives away next year just as they were pleased with the few seats in the July 2013 elections. It is us, the ordinary people who have paid dearly for having Zanu PF back in power the last five years. The nation will pay dearly if next year's elections are rigged with our blessing because we gave the flawed process credibility by participating!
Each year since 2009, Viaje Cigars has released a seasonal cigar for the Christmas season known as the Viaje Holiday Blend. Over the years, this has become one of Viajes most popular seasonal small batch releases. Like many of Viajes lines, brand owner Andre Farkas has introduced several variations and permutations of the line. As a result, there have been several variations of the Holiday Blend releases. These have included the Viaje Holiday Blend Candy Cane (Barber Pole), Viaje Holiday Blend Christmas Tree (Short Torpedo), and those simply dubbed the Viaje Holiday Blend. Looking at the classic Viaje Holiday Blend releases, these have seen a variety of blends, sizes, and formats over the years. Today we will look at the 2016 installment of the Viaje Holiday Blend dubbed the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016. Its probably the most different cigar when compared to all of the Viaje Holiday Blends released to this date.

For those keeping score, here is the complete list of Viaje Holiday Blend offerings since 2009.

For those dubbed simply the Viaje Holiday Blend released from 2009 to 2014, this cigar was a Nicaraguan puro consisting of a Nicaraguan Criollo wrapper. In 2015, Viaje produced the classic Holiday Blend at the PDR Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic using Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. Things changed again in 2016 with the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016. This cigar would bring a lighter colored wrapper in a 5 x 58 size.

Typically, releases dubbed Edicion Limitada are some of Viajes more limited releases that may consist of a special size or even a wrapper change. As we will see for the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada, many of the details have not been disclosed. It could be the 5 x 58 Gordo size that has earned this designation  or it could also be the lighter wrapper. In general, brand owner Andre Farkas likes to keep an element of mystery with his releases.

Without further ado, lets explore the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limiteda 2016 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

Other than the fact that the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 features a lighter colored wrapper, much of the details of this blend are not known.

Wrapper: Not Disclosed

Binder: Not Disclosed

Filler: Not Disclosed

Country of Origin: Not Disclosed

Vitolas Available

While in the past some of the Viaje Holiday Blend blends have been released in multiple sizes Edicion Limitada 2016 features only a single size, a Gordo measuring 5 x 58.

One other big change with the Holiday Blend 2016 is it is being shipped in 25-count bundles. While the Candy Cane release has appeared in bundles, its the first time the classic Holiday Blend has utilized bundles.

Appearance

As I mentioned, the most striking feature of the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 is that it features a lighter colored wrapper than the other Holiday Blend installments. This wrapper has medium brown color with a rosado tint to it. I didnt find much in the way of oil on the surface of this cigar. Overall, this was a smooth wrapper. While most of the wrapper seams were minimized, there still were some visible veins.

There are two bands on the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016. The primary band is the same as the previous Viaje Holiday Blend ones  olive green and silver in color. It features Viaje in large classic silver font on an olive background. Below that text is the text Holiday Blend in olive font on a silver background. That silver background is situated below the olive background on the band.

The secondary band is located just below the primary band. This band features the text Edicion Limitada in maroon color on a silver background. There are two thin maroon pinstripes above and below the text. There are thicker maroon pinstripes across the top and bottom of the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do, I opted to place a straight cut to remove the cap of the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016. After clipping the cap I proceeded with the pre-light draw. Overall the dry draw delivered notes of bread, earth, and bakers spice. Overall this was an excellent pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast the foot of the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 and move into the smoking stage.

Flavor Profile

Out of the gate, the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 delivered a mix of bread, sweet natural tobacco, mixed fruit, and green pepper. Early on the fruit notes moved to the forefront. These notes also had a caramel component resulting in a nice sweetness. The bread, natural tobacco and green pepper notes settled in the background and nicely balanced the sweetness. Meanwhile, there was a combination of mixed pepper and bakers spice on the retro-hale.

Throughout the second third, the bread notes started to make their way into the forefront. There also were some earthy notes that surfaced as a primary note. By the midway point, the earth and bread notes were grounded in the forefront. As the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 moved into the latter part of the second third, some black pepper joined the fruit, caramel, natural tobacco, and green pepper in the background.

The last third didnt see much in the way of change flavor-wise. There was still a combination of earth and bread in the forefront complemented by natural tobacco, fruit, caramel, and the combination of green and black pepper in the background. This is the way the flavor profile came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature, but soft to the touch.

Burn and Draw

Burn-wise, the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 performed quite well. For the most part, the cigar maintained a straight burn path and straight burn line. I also found this was a cigar that did not require a high amount of touch-ups. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. The ash had a silver-gray color with some darker spots mixed in. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

The draw of the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 performed extremely well. It had a touch of resistance  which is something that I like.

Strength and Body

Several of the iterations of the Viaje Holiday Blend series have been some of the boldest cigars offered by Viaje. With the lighter colored wrapper, I was expecting something more dialed back. While this was the case, I found this cigar still had a little more firepower than I thought. The Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 started out medium strength and medium-bodied. The body quickly progressed to medium to full in the middle of the first third. There was still a gradual increase in body along the way, but in the end, the cigar still remained medium to full.

Strength-wise, the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 gradually increased in strength and by the second half, it was in medium to full territory. The strength continued to build right until the end. The Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 is definitely one of those cigars where the strength sneaks up on you.

In terms of strength versus body, I found the body of the Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 had the edge in the first third. Both attributes were on an even playing field by the second third. The final third saw the strength have the edge.

Final Thoughts

For the most part, I have enjoyed the classic Viaje Holiday Blend releases. The Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 looks different  and I wasnt sure how much I was going to enjoy it. When I first lit it up, there was no doubt it was different. Even while the blend changed for the Viaje Holiday Blend 2015 edition when it was made at PDR, it still had many characteristics of the original Viaje Holiday Blends with the Nicaraguan Criollo wrapper. The Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 is a different animal, but I dont mean that in a bad way. Its a very good cigar. It has a nice sweetness and spice to it. It had just the right amount of boldness  and its priced very well for a Viaje at $8.70. This is a cigar I would recommend to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast, but wouldnt discourage a novice from trying. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again and I would say is worthy of box purchase consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Bread, Natural Tobacco, Fruit, Caramel, Green Pepper, Black Pepper

Burn: Excellent

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium Plus

Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full(2nd Half)

Body: Medium (Start), Medium to Full (Remainder)

Finish: Good

Rating

Value: Box Purchase Consideration

Score: 91

References

News: Viaje Holiday Blend Edicion Limitada 2016 Coming This Month

Price: $8.70

Source: Purchased

Brand Reference: Viaje

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted
India selected as Chair of Ad Hoc Committee of Kimberley Certification Scheme

Published: December 22, 2017

India was selected as Chair of Ad Hoc Committee on Review & Reforms to look into various issues pertaining to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPSC) at recently held KP Plenary Session in Brisbane, Australia.

Angola will be the Vice Chair of this Adhoc Committee and will work with India and other members of Committee on reform issues related to changes in core document, expansion of scope of KP.

India was appointed as the Kimberly Process (KP) Vice Chair for 2018 & Chair for 2019 in the last plenary of KP held in Dubai in November, 2016. The EU will be KP Chair for 2018.

Kimberley Process

Kimberley Process is joint initiative of governments, industry and civil societies to stem flow of conflict diamonds, rough diamonds used by rebel groups to finance wars against legitimate governments. It is also described in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. India is one of the founding members of KPCS. At present, KPCS has 54 members representing 81 countries including EU with 28 members.

The KPCS came into effect from 1 January, 2003 through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution. It outlines the rules that govern trade in rough diamonds. It has evolved into effective mechanism for stopping trade in conflict diamonds. It sets minimum requirements that each participant must meet. In India, the scheme is administered through Department of Commerce under aegis of the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry.

Conflict diamonds

Conflict diamonds or blood diamonds are the rough diamonds used by rebel movements in the third world countries especially in Africa to finance (civil) wars with an aim to topple legitimate governments. The KPCS completely bans import and export of rough diamonds without certification.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2017

Topics: Ad Hoc Committee  Australia  Conflict Diamonds  India  International  Kimberley Process  Kimberley Process Certification Scheme  National

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When President Donald Trump introduced his administrations comprehensive policy toward Iran earlier this year, he urged U.S. allies to join the United States in taking strong action to counter the regimes support for terrorist proxies and destabilizing activities in the region.

Physical remnants from those activities went on display in Washington recently, when U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley stood before recovered military debris in a warehouse in Washington. Ambassador Haley said the display showed concrete evidence of illegal Iranian weapons proliferation, gathered from direct military attacks on our partners in the Middle East:

Behind me is an example of one of these attacks. These are the recovered pieces of a missile fired by Houthi militants. . . It was made in Iran then sent to Houthi militants in Yemen. From there it was fired at a civilian airport, with the potential to kill hundreds of innocent civilians in Saudi Arabia.

The warehouse also contained recovered material from an anti-tank guided missile, an unmanned aerial vehicle known as a kamikaze drone, and material from an explosive boat that contains a warhead that detonates on impact.

All of these weapons include parts made in Iran, some by Irans government-run defense industry. All are proof that Iran is defying the international community. And not just one time. This evidence demonstrates a pattern of behavior in which Iran sows conflict and extremism in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The evidence is undeniable, Ambassador Haley declared. The weapons might as well have had Made in Iran stickers all over [them].

Iran, she said, is determined to undermine the international consensus against its conduct. We must speak with one voice in exposing the regime for what it is: a threat to the peace and security of the entire world. We call on all nations to join us in a united front resisting this global threat.
On December 16, when Rahul Gandhi formally took charge as president of the Congress, his mother Sonia Gandhi had some encouraging words to prepare him for two more potential defeats in the next 48 hours-after 17 in the past three years. Sonia reminded Rahul that when she became president of the party in March 1998, it was in power in just five states. "Gradually, we formed governments in nearly two dozen states," she said.

Rahul is starting with exactly the same number of states under the party's belt, though its Lok Sabha tally is more than a hundred less than in Sonia's time. But his challenges are far greater than his mother's. The unprecedented popularity and campaign chutzpah of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the micro-management capabilities of Amit Shah have given the BJP not only a brute majority of 282 seats in the Lok Sabha but also power in 19 out of 29 states (it is a coalition partner in six of them).

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The defeat in Gujarat underlines the Himalayan task facing Rahul as the Congress labours to reclaim its political space. In spite of his most spirited campaign till date, Rahul could not bring the party to power in Gujarat, though he succeeded in increasing its tally by 16 seats and restricting the BJP to double digits. But it is this creditable failure that offers Rahul the rationale and opportunity to implement a reform blueprint that will allow the party under him to mount a challenge to Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Click here to Enlarge Source: Election Commission of India

Organisational vacuum

The most significant difference between the Congress and the BJP today is in their party organisation. While the BJP is organisationally efficient down to the booth level in all states-even where it's not a strong player-the Congress has done precious little in the past three years to strengthen its organisational base. It conducted organisational elections in the states, but as the Gujarat election verdict shows, the party is no match for the BJP at the grassroots. "We had to hire non-Congress people to do organisational work at several places in Gujarat," admits a Congress secretary, one of the four who were sent by Rahul to assist Gujarat election in-charge Ashok Gehlot.

For the Congress, building a strong organisation in the states from the grassroots will be a long-term mission. But many in the party believe Rahul's new avatar as a spirited leader will inspire party workers to regroup and take the battle to the BJP camp. "Elections cannot be won through booth management alone," says Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken. "Why couldn't the BJP win in Delhi and Bihar? The Congress is an ideology, and India will again embrace this ideology after the momentary distraction. The BJP's campaign, based on lies, cannot hold forever."

The Gujarat election also brought to the fore the lack of strong regional leaders in the party. The Congress campaign revolved around Rahul, and the troika of Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani. Several Congress stalwarts in Gujarat-Shaktisinh Gohil, Tushar Chaudhary, Siddharth Patel and Arjun Modhwadia-lost. "Barring a few states, the Congress doesn't have inspiring regional leaders, who can draw a thousand people to a rally," reasons a party general secretary.

The state leaderships are in disarray in four of the big states that may decisively swing 2019-Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Together, these states account for 201 seats in the Lok Sabha, of which the Congress could win only eight in the 2014 elections. Its average vote share in these states in subsequent assembly elections is 7.8 per cent. Before the 2019 battle, eight state elections will test the Congress next year: Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. In four of them, the Congress and BJP will be locked in a direct contest. These states account for 99 seats in the Lok Sabha. Of these, the BJP had won 79 in 2014 and the Congress a paltry 11.

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In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Congress has multiple claimants for chief ministership. In Chhattisgarh, the party is yet to find a leader to fill the gap left by Ajit Jogi's exit in June last year. In Congress-ruled Karnataka, Rahul has settled the leadership issue by backing incumbent chief minister Siddaramaiah, but he faces a tough task in the face of the BJP's impressive performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP won 17 out of 28 seats, nearly double the Congress's tally of nine.

In Nagaland, in 2015, the eight Congress MLAs switched to the ruling Naga People's Front, of which the BJP is a coalition partner. Tripura saw several defections from the Congress to the BJP. The going will be tough in Meghalaya as Himanta Biswa Sarma, a former Congress leader and now the BJP's chief strategist in the northeast, has been working to unseat the Congress government. Mizoram appears to be the only safe bastion for the party.

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Tunnel vision

In Gujarat, the Congress had banked on traders' resentment against GST in the urban centres, but contrary to its expectations, the BJP won hands down in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat, winning 46 out of the 55 seats here. This micro picture is an indicator of the Congress's urban disconnect. During the campaign, Rahul had, to wide applause, described GST as "Gabbar Singh Tax" and also raised the issue of joblessness, but he failed to offer alternatives to the urban youth. His discourse primarily revolved around farmers, the rural population and marginalised sections, and it worked as the Congress won 67 of 77 seats in the rural areas.

However, in an increasingly urbanised and aspirational India, Rahul needs to script a new narrative for the youth to counter Modi's vision, which includes grand projects like the bullet train. Rahul perhaps has sensed this drift. In his first interview after taking charge as party president, he said: "You are going to see a change in the Congress party. You are going to see more people who excite you, people about whom you can say that they are somebody very interesting who have been put there by the Congress party."

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Already, there has been a concerted effort by the Congress in the past one year to reach out to the urban voters, especially migrants working in the unorganised sector, who often swing election results in big cities. Rahul has set up a new unit in the party for workers from the unorganised sector. To reach out to the professional middle class, a constituency considered the BJP's stronghold, he has created the All India Professionals Congress, under Shashi Tharoor.

Rallying point

The brief success of the mahagathbandhan experiment in Bihar raised the hopes of many Congress leaders. C.P. Joshi, one of the architects of the grand alliance, says: "In 2014, the BJP won 31 per cent votes. If other parties rally around the Congress and consolidate the remaining 69 per cent votes, the BJP can be shown the door in 2019."

That would require Rahul to bring together bitter rivals, like the TMC and Left parties in West Bengal and SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee tweeted after the Gujarat election results: "I congratulate the Gujarat voters for their very balanced verdict at this hour. It is a temporary and face-saving win, but it shows a moral defeat for the BJP." In her prism, it's a moral defeat for the BJP, but not yet a moral victory for the Congress.

The dominant faction in the CPI(M), led by Prakash Karat, is unwilling to ally with the Congress after their bitter parting in 2008. Regional stalwarts like Naveen Patnaik and K. Chandrasekhar Rao have preferred to remain equidistant from the Congress and the BJP. Despite his personal equation with Sharad Pawar, Rahul couldn't prevent the NCP from contesting the Gujarat elections independently. Apart from the TMC, all other parties have suffered massive defeats in the recent past. Parties outside the NDA fold have less than 175 seats. The only electorally significant rival is the DMK, which could stage a comeback in 2019 since the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu has been in disarray since Jayalalithaa's death.

Rahul's ultimate challenge will be matching up to Modi's charisma. Though he chose the electoral route to becoming Congress president, the baggage of being a dynast could weigh him down, at least so long as the narrative of Modi's 'humble origins' as a tea vendor retains its folkloric appeal. Apart from strengthening the party, Rahul still has to reinvent his image if he wishes to take the momentum of Gujarat forward to 2019.

--- ENDS ---
Ousted Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont (center) follows the results of the regional election from Brussels. STEPHANIE LECOCQ (EFE)

Junts per Catalunya (JunstxCat), the party of ousted Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont, won the largest number of seats (34) of the three pro-independence parties in the Catalan regional election on Thursday.

Supporters of Junts per Catalunya described the result as heroic

While Puigdemonts party won less votes and seats than the constitutionalist party Ciudadanos (37), it hopes to govern with the support of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the anti-austerity party CUP, which won 32 and four seats respectively.

The ousted premier, who fled to Belgium after the unilateral declaration of independence in the Catalan parliament on October 27 and who faces possible charges of sedition and rebellion, had said during the campaign he would return to Spain if the pro-independence parties won the Catalan regional election. But there is still an arrest warrant out against him, as well as for the four ministers of his sacked government who fled to Belgium. This makes their return to Spain difficult.

A senior representative of Junts per Catalunya, Eduardo Pujol, said on Thursday, Rajoy has lost. Now is the time to rectify, repair and restore a legitimate government.

Junts per Catalunya was buoyed by results in the countryside but did far less well in Barcelona

Upon hearing the results yesterday, Puigdemont announced: The Catalan republic has won against the monarchy of 155, making reference to article 155 of the Spanish constitution which was activated by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in response to the passing of a unilateral declaration of independence and which stripped Catalonia of its autonomous powers.

The party must also consider what to do with members who have been elected to the Catalan parliament but are either in Brussels or in pre-trial detention. If they are not able to attend sessions in the Catalan parliament, the pro-independence groups may lose their majority.

There is also uncertainty about how the separatists will continue their push for independence. While Junts per Catalunya has not mentioned a unilateral path to independence, the CUP whose support they must secure if they are to form a majority government, has campaigned unwaveringly for this option.

If deputies in pre-trial detention or in Belgium are not able to attend sessions in the Catalan parliament, the pro-independence bloc may lose its majority

Puigdemonts party, which was not predicted to perform as well as it did in the elections, was buoyed by the vote in inland Catalonia while results in Barcelona were a lot less pleasing. With 98.5% of the vote counted, Junts per Catalunya came in second place  156,808 votes behind Ciudadanos. The ERC, which split the pro-independence vote, won more support in urban areas. Puigdemonts campaign focused almost exclusively on the ousted premier and the argument that the elections should be used to restore him to power.

Supporters of Junts per Calalunya have described the results as "heroic." From the campaign headquarters, campaign manager Elsa Artadi said "today is a great victory for the independence movement."

English version by Melissa Kitson.
Barcelona voters wait in line to cast their vote in the Catalan election. Marta Perez (EFE)

The 70 seats obtained by Junts per Catalunya (JxC), the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) at the regional election held yesterday in Catalonia do nothing to clear up the political landscape. After all the tension of the last two years, a society as exhausted and fractured as Catalonia deserved a breather in order to restore civic and institutional normality in the region, and to improve its image and prestige in the eyes of fellow Spaniards.

The outcome of the election heralds an uncertain beginning to this new political term: the results include some very promising elements, some less stimulating ones, and taken as a whole it does not look like they will automatically stabilize Catalan political life.

There will be a temptation to use this absolute majority to stoke the political and social conflict

Any eventual absolute majority by the secessionists  eventual because it will not be an easy thing to formalize  would hinder this necessary return to normality, forcing the supporters of self-government and the Constitution, in Catalonia and elsewhere in Spain, to stand firm in the opposition and keep trying to build an alternative.

The most positive aspect of the December 21 election is the significant victory secured by the constitutional party Ciudadanos under its candidate Ines Arrimadas, both in votes (nearly 1,100,000) and seats (37). In different circumstances, such a meteoric rise would put her in top spot in the bid to get invested by parliament as the regions new premier. But in the current scenario, her victory at the polls does not open the door to a change in cycle.

Another equally positive figure to emerge from the election is the separatist camps loss of seats (from 72 in 2015 to 70) and popular votes, which have gone down by a few tenths of a point. Just as was the case in the regional election of 2015, the pro-independence movement has failed to secure a clear majority of votes. Its new majority is weaker because of the serious mistakes made by the secessionists, and because of the awakening by a part of Catalan society that is now clearly and irreversibly acting to defend its own rights and dignity.

Separatists lack a social majority to legitimize a break from Spain

The Catalan Socialists (PSC)  which remain stable  and Catalunya en Comu-Podem  which has dipped in voter support  are both paying the price of their moderate and/or ambiguous stances. And Mariano Rajoys Popular Party (PP) has been dealt the worst result, a fact that will no doubt have consequences for national politics.

Separatists lack a social majority to legitimize a break from Spain; they lack credible candidates, clear and coherent governing programs, and above all, they lack the strategic unity that is necessary to function in an articulate manner. Once again the CUP, one of the most radical anti-establishment forces in democratic Europe, holds the key to an absolute majority. And in light of events during the previous political term, Carles Puigdemont of Junts per Catalunya and Oriol Junqueras of ERC will have to gauge to what degree it is worth it to throw themselves into CUPs arms, especially since theyve been down that road before and know there is no going back.

On the other hand, the peculiar legal situation that their main leaders find themselves in  specifically, the five who have become fugitives and the three more who are in prison, leaving them little room for political maneuvering  is sure to add a layer of controversy and uncertainty when the time comes to turn the seats obtained at the polls into effective seats. And thus, to the likelihood that parliament will invest a secessionist premier that is real and not merely symbolic.

All of this means that the independence project has in no way earned a carte blanche to go back to its unilateral breakaway process. Junts per Catalunya and ERC now have to decide just how complicated they want their own lives to be, as well as those of all Catalans, and how much they will help restore self-government, social harmony and a return of businesses. Independence as a unilateral breakaway project has already failed and it will fail again, because the Spanish state has demonstrated that it is able to halt it, because Europe rejects it and because the Catalan economy cannot bear it any longer.

The Spanish state has shown that it has the necessary tools to halt a challenge of such caliber, and no less importantly, that it has the democratic legitimacy and the self-confidence to implement them. The international community, particularly our European partners, has closed ranks against a secessionist project that has furthermore revealed itself to be profoundly anti-European. The Catalan economy is not prepared to digest such a shock without serious consequences for its citizens. And last, but not least, the secessionist project has shown once again that even if it is able to secure a majority of seats, it is losing support, not adding it, from a citizens and social point of view.

There will be a temptation to use this absolute majority to stoke the political and social conflict. But the events of recent years in Catalonia should dissuade those who would go back down that road. Instead, the winners should do something as simple as the task which all politicians are elected for: governing within the institutions and the law for the benefit of all citizens.

English version by Susana Urra.
Former Catalan premier Artur Mas. Toni Albir (EFE)

Supreme Court justice Pablo Llarena has named former Catalan premier Artur Mas in an ongoing investigation into possible rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds in the independence push in Catalonia  an investigation that has already targeted key pro-secession figures including ousted regional premier Carles Puigdemont and his deputy Oriol Junqueras.

If charged and found guilty of rebellion, the new targets in the investigation could face a prison sentence of 30 years

Mas, who received a two-year ban from holding public office in May for his role in organizing an illegal independence referendum in Catalonia in 2014, also belonged to the so-called Strategic Committee behind the recent independence drive which climaxed when the Catalan parliament passed a unilateral declaration of independence on October 27, according to documents seized by Spains Civil Guard.

Fellow committee members Marta Rovira, secretary general for the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and Anna Gabriel, the former spokesperson for the radical-left CUP party in the Catalan parliament, have also been named in the Supreme Court investigation.

If charged and found guilty of rebellion, the new targets in the investigation could face a prison sentence of 30 years.

CUP spokesperson Anna Gabriel was a member of the Strategy Committee behind the recent independence push in Catalonia. TONI ALBIR (EFE)

In his writ, Llarena explained that the Catalan Independence push was made possible under the direction and coordination of a group of people which included the leaders and spokespeople of pro-independence parliamentary groups in the Catalan parliament, which was later dissolved by Madrid using emergency powers.

The Supreme Court justice said the suspected involvement of these figures in the independence movement stemmed not just from the fact that their names appeared in the so-called Enfocats strategy document, but are also named as participants at meetings designed to push forward the independence process.

Llarena recently announced that the Supreme Court investigation into the Catalan independence movement would be stepped up, and he ordered the Civil Guard to draw up detailed reports to clarify the role of a broad range of individuals, political parties and civic organizations in the events leading up to the unilateral declaration of independence in October.

English version by George Mills.
We are not worried about the fact that the world knows Iran has given arms to Iraq, Syria, or Lebanon, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, told Irans Arabic News Channel Al-Alam on December 20.

Velayati insisted that these weapons are used to confront Daesh (Islamic State militants or IS) and other takfiri (Sunni extremist) terrorist movements in the region.

Meanwhile, he maintained Iran has never provided Houthis with missiles.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Tehran of delivering surface-to-surface missile to Houthi rebels in Yemen.

On November 4, a Saudi-manned Patriot anti-missile defense system intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile south of Riyadh, fired from Yemen by Houthi militants.

The Houthi-run Saba News claimed the missile was a Burkan-2 (Volcano) ballistic missile, targeted at King Khalid International Airport. According to Saudi media, fragments of the missile landed in an uninhabited area of the airport without causing casualties or damage.

A statement released by the official Saudi news agency, SPA, cited evidence alleging Iran was behind the strike, calling it a potential act of war.

The statement also announced the temporary closure of all Yemeni ground entry points, airports, and seaports, adding an investigation had been launched to establish how a missile of this type was smuggled into Yemen (with an implication that it was by Iran).

Iran and Houthis denied the allegation.

Later, at a press conference on December 14, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley said undeniable evidence proves Iran is arming Houthi rebels in Yemen.

At the press conference held at an emptied-out hangar at a military base not far from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Haley showed reporters singed fragments recovered from missiles launched from Yemen, targeting Saudi Arabia. Haley said the truck-sized missile segment behind her had been fired at the international airport in Riyadh and "led the U.S. intelligence community to conclude unequivocally that these weapons were supplied by the Iranian regime."

The missiles specifications, according to Haley, are similar to those made in Iran.

Furthermore, Haley said, the logo on the body of the intercepted missile belongs to Irans Shahid Baqeri Industrial Group.

"This is absolutely terrifying," said Haley. "Just imagine if this missile had been launched at Dulles Airport or JFK, or the airports in Paris, London, or Berlin. That's what we're talking about here."

Meanwhile, Haley urged the world to react against Irans aggressive and destabilizing moves.

Iranian officials immediately dismissed Haleys comments as worthless and warned they would pursue the case with the UN.

Speaking at a meeting of commanders of the Iranian Army in Tehran on December 20, Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami denounced the unfounded and baseless allegations leveled against Iran by Haley and said such claims are indicative of the failure of Washingtons policies in the region and the world.

Such remarks are more like a ridiculous and worthless show, he said.

He further made assurances that Iran would pursue the issue through legal channels.

Velayati insisted in his interview with Al-Alam thatIran has not supplied any missiles to Yemen, adding Yemen does not need any arms as the nation has so far been quite capable to stand against the Saudi aggression with the military equipment it already possesses.

This is not the first time this woman [Haley] has said such nonsense. She, who has no solid diplomatic record, makes comments that force even other [UN] envoys and U.S. diplomats to protest, he said.

Referring to the remnants of the missile Haley showcased, Velayati said, She has set a piece on a corner and says Iran delivered these missiles to Yemen. How did she reach such a definite conclusion? This woman has repeatedly made many unfounded comments. The reason behind making these remarks is the fact that she wants to cover up their allies defeat at the hand of Yemenis. Nevertheless, they should rest assured that the final winner of this war are the people of Yemen.

We are not worried about the fact that the world knows Iran has given arms to Iraq, Syria, or Lebanon, he added.
While the lawyer of a British Iranian woman jailed in Iran had said she might be released soon, the the Judiciary confirmed that a new case has been opened against her and denied reports she might soon be released.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested and separated from her 2-year-old daughter by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in April 2016 at Tehran's airport as she was about to return to the United Kingdom after a family visit.

She was convicted of plotting to topple Iran's clerical ruling system and sentenced to five years in prison in September 2016.

Both her family and Thomson Reuters Foundation have denied the charges.

In two interviews with BBC Radio 5 Live and Independent, Nazanins husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said on December 21 that her wifes lawyer has discovered that an Iranian judicial database had listed her as eligible for early release.

He said her lawyer was hopeful when he visited her in prison on December 20.

Ratcliffe also said his wife's case had previously been marked as closed, so the status change was "great news."

But the head of the judiciary in Tehran told the IRGC controlled Tasnim news agency that "Irans judiciary cannot confirm any of the claims in Western media about this case".

"When a decision is made, it will be announced by the Islamic Republic's judiciary or through diplomatic channels," he said.

Tasnim quoted the official as saying that besides her current conviction, there is another case against her and it is to be seen how it ends.

Nazanin's husband was filled with hope this week about her imminent release.

"Part of me is trying not to get too hopeful and just to keep calm just in case there is more to come," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "But he (her lawyer) was clearly hopeful. He told her that it's a matter of finalizing paperwork and it might be days to weeks rather than tomorrow morning,

But definitely it feels like the end is much closer in sight," he added.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case made headlines after UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson erroneously told a British parliamentary committee that she was in Iran training journalists when she was arrested, whereas her family and employer have always insisted she was visiting family on vacation, which is also the official position of the British government.

Days later, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was summoned to a new court hearing at which Johnson's remarks were tabled as proof that she had engaged in propaganda against the regime.

Her family and lawyer then feared her five-year sentence could be lengthened up to 16 years.

On November 7, Johnson apologized for the distress and anguish his November 1 remarks had caused, reiterating, Of course I retract any suggestion that she was there in a professional capacity. Addressing lawmakers in the House of Commons, he said the UK government has no doubt that she was on holiday in Iran when she was arrested last year and that was the sole purpose of her visit.



My point was that I disagreed with the Iranian view that training journalists was a crime -- not that I wanted to lend any credence to Iranian allegations that Mrs. Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been engaged in such activity," he told the House of Commons on November 7.

Johnson flew to Tehran for an official two-day visit on December 9, where he met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and the secretary of Irans Supreme Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, as he continued efforts to gain Zaghari-Ratcliffes release.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said on December 10 that Johnson and Rouhani "spoke forthrightly" on several issues, including the case of Zaghari-Ratcliffe, according to the BBC.

The spokesman described Johnsons two-day visit -- only the third by a British foreign secretary to Iran since 2003 -- as "worthwhile," adding that "progress in all areas" was agreed.

Immediately after Johnson met his hosts in Tehran, a court appearance for Zaghari-Ratcliffe was postponed.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Trend News Agency has been awarded by Azerbaijans Economy Ministry for active coverage of the 'Made in Azerbaijan' brand.

The award was presented by Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev to Ilaha Mammadli, editor-in-chief of Trend, Dec. 22 at an event dedicated to the development of entrepreneurship and promotion of the 'Made in Azerbaijan' brand.

At the event, 23 entrepreneurs received orders and medals for their contribution to the economic development of Azerbaijan and expansion of entrepreneurship, another eight companies received awards for their support in promoting the 'Made in Azerbaijan' brand.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the VTB Bank (Azerbaijan) will be held Feb. 7, 2018, the banks press service told Trend Dec. 22.

The meeting will be held at 11:00 (GMT +4) at the banks head office located at 38 Khatai Avenue.

The meeting will discuss election of secretary of the extraordinary general meeting of the banks shareholders and the composition of the banks Supervisory Board.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a major threat to the regional security, Azer Khudiyev, the ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ukraine said in an interview with Ukrainian TV channel.

He said Azerbaijan reserves the right to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the territorial integrity of the country, and continues to work in this direction.

"Resulting from the non-constructive position of Armenia, the conflict has not met its fair solution yet. Azerbaijanis suffered from the policy of ethnic cleansing, and nothing so far been changed in this regard," he said.

Touching upon the Azerbaijan-Ukraine relations, Khudiyev stated that the cooperation between two countries has reached strategic partnership level.

He also said the trade turnover between the two countries has increased, compared to last year.

The ambassador voiced big economic potential and called on the businessmen of the two countries to increase mutual investments.
By PTI: By M Zulqernain

Lahore, Dec 22 (PTI) Paksitan Army chief Gen Qamar Jawed Bajwas visit to the Senate has cleared the air about the future of the political set up in the country and his resolve for democracy has stamped the parliaments supremacy, lawmakers of the ruling PML-N said today.

In a rare move, Gen Bajwa had on Tuesday briefed the Senate -- the upper house of the parliament -- on security situation and regional issues including Pakistans participation in the Saudi-led Islamic coalition.

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"The Army chiefs visit (to the Senate) was a value added to this parliament as compare to the previous ones. He was the first army chief who replied to the questions of parliamentarians which never happened before.

"In fact his visit has given a good message in and outside the country," Senator Pervaiz Rashid, a close aide to ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, told PTIAwhen asked for his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) partys reaction to the development.

When told that former Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had also been to a joint sitting of parliament in 2011 after the US operation in Abbotabad to hunt Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Rashid said: "The Army chief had then come to explain its (Armys) position on those tough questions being asked in the wake of the US violation of Pakistan sovereignty and the parliament in fact had given it (Army) an honourable exit."

"Gen Bajwas coming to the upper house, accepting the supremacy of the parliament which is often remains in question and replying the questions of Senators in detail is unprecedented," said Rashid, who has also served as former federal information in this PML-N tenure.

Asked if the "fears" of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq -- that the assemblies might not complete their tenure -- were addressed after Gen Bajwas strong commitment for democracy, the Senator said: "The Army chief has clarified on those misgivings being linked to the Army on a platform like the parliament which is very much significant."

Federal Climate Change Minister and PML-N Information Secretary, Senator Mushahidullah Khan said the detailed briefing by Gen Bajwa in the Senate made a "big difference".

"It has positive aspects as the Army chiefs resolve for democracy has stamped the supremacy of the parliament. His briefing and replies to a number of questions have also evaporated the clouds of uncertainty hovering over the political landscape," Mushahidullah told PTI.

Gen Bajwa, during an in-camera session of the Senate Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, had pledged his commitment to democracy and the rule of law and categorically denied the militarys role in "destabilising the civilian government".

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He had even asked the parliament to take the lead in framing foreign and security policies and vowed to implement them.

There was another main aspect of the Army chiefs visit to the Senate, Mushahidullah said, adding "such a visit brings two institutions closer and help remove misunderstanding between them".

This dialogue between the Army top brass and parliamentarians should continue, he said and suggested after six or eight months such an interaction should be arranged.

Another ruling party Senator, who requested anonymity, said "as a whole" they were happy to listen to the views and clarifications of the Army chief on some controversial matters.

"Now as the delimitation bill is passed and the Army chief has put his weight behind the democratic set up in the country, we think not only the general election will now be held on time but also the threat to the Senate election this March is no more," the Senator said. PTI MZ KIS KIS

--- ENDS ---
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

Russia will continue to provide mediation assistance to the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry told the Moscow-Baku portal.

The Russian ministry said that in the outgoing year, the efforts of mediators, including Russia, were aimed at reducing military risks and restoring direct dialogue between the parties of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The tangible result of this work was the holding of an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in October, at which it was agreed to intensify the negotiation process and take additional measures that help to lower tensions on the line of contact. We welcome the decisions made by the presidents, take an active part in the series of meetings on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement following the summit, including with the participation of foreign ministers, and call on the parties to find effective compromises on the basis of proposals put forward by the mediators, said the Russian ministry.

Together with other co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia will continue to mediate for the peaceful settlement of this protracted conflict, including during the upcoming January consultations of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to the ministry.

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. 22

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation of Islamic religious figures of the North Caucasian republics of the Russian Federation.

President Ilham Aliyev, touching upon the 2017- Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue international conference held in Baku, said the event contributes to further rapprochement of various religions and peoples, strengthening of international cooperation.

The Azerbaijani president expressed satisfaction with the participation of Islamic religious figures of the North Caucasian republics of the Russian Federation in the conference. He stressed that such meetings held on a regular basis serve to further strengthening of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, including the North Caucasian republics.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that despite completion of the year 2017, announced the Year of Islamic Solidarity, Azerbaijan will continue contributing to the solidarity of the world Muslims, cooperation among Muslim countries, and from this point of view, an upcoming coordination council will create good possibility for future joint activities.

Speaking on behalf of the guests, Ismail Berdiyev, a senior Muslim cleric of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic of the Russian Federation, said that as always, they are greatly satisfied with meeting President Ilham Aliyev.

He expressed deep gratitude to the president of Azerbaijan for the support given to the organization of the international conference titled 2017- Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue at a high level and noted with satisfaction the contribution of this event to the strengthening of friendship among the peoples.

Commemorating the great leader Heydar Aliyev with deep respect, Ismail Berdiyev said the policy pursued by Heydar Aliyev for the well-being of the Azerbaijani people is successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. Berdiyev noted that the development processes seen by members of the delegation during their current visit to Azerbaijan, as always, made a great impression on them.

Expressing gratitude for the warm words, the Azerbaijani president stressed that stability, peaceful coexistence of representatives of different religions and peoples play an important role in improving the welfare of the people and in ensuring the rapid economic development of Azerbaijan achieved in recent years.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that Muslim countries experience problems that cause concern. Strengthening of solidarity among Muslim countries is of great importance for the elimination of these problems, he said, stressing that Azerbaijan will continue to make its contribution to this.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan has approved a calendar of working and non-working days for 2018, the PR department of the ministry said Dec.22

Non-working days in 2018 are as follows: January 1-2 (New Year), January 20 (National Day of Sorrow), March 8 (International Women's Day), March 20, 21, 22, 23, March 24 - Novruz holiday, May 9 (Day of Victory over fascism), May 28 (Republic Day), June 15 ( The National Salvation Day), June 15, 16 (Ramadan holiday), June 26 (Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan), August 22-23 (Gurban holiday), November 9 ( State Flag Day ) and December 31 (Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis).

In addition, due to the fact that the holidays coincide with the days off and one day of the Ramadan holiday falls on the Day of National Salvation, for those who work five days a week, on January 3, March 26 and June 18, 19 will be non-working, and for those who work six days a week, January 3 and June 18 will be non-working days.

The day of elections (referendum) is considered to be non-working.

In case of coincidence of the voting day with the Day of National Mourning January 20 and a holiday that is not considered a working day, except for the case envisaged by the second part of Art. 84 of the Constitution, voting is appointed on another working day of the month, when voting was due.

Before the official announcement on October 17, 2018, it is provisionally provided as the day of the election of the President of Azerbaijan, which is not considered a working day.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) hosted E-Days 17 (Engineers Days 2017) event organized by Public Union Development of Young Engineers (GencMIIB) and MA Engineering Academy. The event mainly aimed at ensuring sharing knowledge and experience of the specialists from industry and leading companies with the participants. E-Days 17 gathered BHOS management, students, lead specialists from the targeted sphere and companies including students from various universities.

Welcoming guests rector of BHOS Mr. Elmar Gasimov briefed on the significant role of Public Union Development of Young Engineers (GencMIIB) in the development of young people attaching great values to its activity.

Chair of Public Union Development of Young Engineers (GencMIIB) Yusif Yusifov also greeted participants of the event and appreciated BHOS managements attention and support rendered. Then deputy chair of the said union Zaur Mirzaliyev talked about the activity directions of the organization and its role in increase of knowledge and competence of young engineers. Following people made presentations covering interesting topics at the mentioned event: BP foreign relations office head Rashad Bayramov, head of quality department of Balajans LLC Nazim Mammadov, head of BP mechanical engineers team Ilkin Hamidov, research team leader of T&I Consultancy company Leyla Abdullayeva, BP electric engineer Muhammad Aliyev and technical manager of Keepface companies Elshad Yusifli.

Presenters of Engineers Days 2017 were granted plaquettes for their interesting presentations.

During the event representatives of various companies and over 200 students discussed diverse issues and shared opinion on finding common way.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

The alumni of the Harvard, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, University of California, Berkeley, Tufts University and other prestigious higher educational institutions working for such organizations as UNESCO, NATO, UN experts from the different countries around the world visited UNEC.

The alumni noted that, they had conducted the motivating meetings with the students from different universities around the world and they talked about their success story to the students of the International Economics School of UNEC and the students of SABAH groups. Along with the teachers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard University the Azerbaijani Member of Parliament, the alumni of the Harvard University Vusal Huseynov participated in the meeting, as well.

They talked to the students about the education at bachelors and masters degree level at the universities of the USA, and gave the recommendations on the ways of gaining the success in life and the career choices.The alumni answered such questions of the students as the ways of getting the financial support for education in the USA, the methods of calculating the own intelligence of the people, etc.

The alumni, expressing their satisfaction with the meeting, highly appreciated the knowledge and intellect of the UNEC students. The ability of speaking fluently in Korean of the I-st year student of the International Economics School of UNEC Aysel Jafarzadeh, caused the special attention and joy of the alumni from Korea.

At the end of the meeting, the alumni noted that they would be able to continue the discussion through the social network.

The alumni stated that, after Azerbaijan they would leave for India to meet with the Indian students.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

Majority of the Azerbaijani tourists have once again chosen Georgia for spending the New Year holidays, Nahid Bagirov, chairman of Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA), told Trend Dec. 22.

"It would be wrong to link the desire of Azerbaijani tourists who prefer to travel to Georgia only to low prices for services in the country," he said. "Such a choice of Azerbaijani tourists is also explained by the close geographic location of Georgia."

"The flight takes only 50 minutes and one can drive to Georgia in no more than five hours," he said.

Azerbaijani tourists travel to Georgia not because of high prices in Azerbaijan, he noted. There is shortage of rooms in Azerbaijani hotels; almost all rooms in hotels in Guba, Gusar and Gabala districts have been booked for the New Year holidays. Azerbaijani citizens and foreign tourists show a great interest in these districts.

Bagirov added that during the New Year holidays, Azerbaijani tourists also prefer to travel to Turkey, the UAE and countries of Europe.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

A New Year celebration for children in need of special care, children deprived of parental care, children from refugee and IDP families and children with disabilities has been held in the Zira Cultural Center.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva attended the festivity co-organized by IDEA Public Union and the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs.

Leyla Aliyeva congratulated the children on the holiday and wished them success.

Participants of the 4th National Forum of Azerbaijani Children thanked First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva for their assistance in organizing the event.

The forum participants presented a kalaghayi, a traditional Azerbaijani women's headgear, to Leyla Aliyeva.

New Year gifts were presented to the children by IDEA Public Union.

The children then were informed about the Resource Center housed in the Zira Cultural Center.

Bird Paradise - Aghgol National Park documentary from the series of 9 Wonders of Azerbaijan was screened.

The children toured an eco-park of the center.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:\

Azerbaijani Press Council hosted the representatives of Public Relations Association of Azerbaijan, APRA at its headquarters today.

The chairman of Council, member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Mr. Aflatun Amashov welcomed the guests and noted the importance of proper formation of public relations, which is stipulated by the Azerbaijani legislation as well. According to him, building effective relations with the publics requires professionalism. It is not only about supplying the publics with the information. It also requires a scientific approach. I believe that the newly-established Association of Public Relations of Azerbaijan will demonstrate useful and instrumental performance, as this organization brings together professionals of PR industry. It is good news that these PR professionals are now incorporated into an association, and now they are challenged to take real action in this sphere. Our Council, in its turn, is ready to provide any assistance to APRA, noted Mr. Amashov.

Chairman of APRA, PR Director of Veyseloghlu company Mr. Ilham Mammadzada spoke about the objectives of the association. He informed that APRA had been established by public and private sector specialists who are responsible for information society of their organizations. The aim of the association is to promote and improve education and training opportunities as well as personnel capacity in the PR sphere, and support the industrys ongoing processes.

During the meeting, the parties agreed that there had been a need for an organization which would unite and coordinate the activities of PR practitioners, agencies and departments in the country. APRA will favor the professionalism in application of PR across businesses as well as achieving high ethical norms in PR industry. The association will also assist local practitioners with raising their knowledge and skills.

The meeting ended with mentioning of Baku 1st PR Forum to be held in April 2018 which will be supported by APRA as well.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

The countries of OPEC and OPEC+ should gradually withdraw from the 'Vienna Agreements', Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Kommersant newspaper.



Novak said the supply and demand is within the expectations.



"When entering the 'Vienna Agreements', we estimated daily production increase in the US by 0.30.35 million barrels per day (mbd) on annual average or by 0.70.75 mbd from December 2016 to December 2017. So far, our forecast has been quite accurate, as overall the dynamics of supply and demand meet the expectations. Joint efforts helped the market win a solid foundation for rebalancing: demand has increased by 3 mbd over two years, and will most likely add 1.41.5 mbd per day in 2018. This will gradually finalize rebalancing," Novak said.



Coming to withdrawal from the OPEC deal, he mentioned the consensus that requires phased withdrawal as long as demand grows to avoid reoccurrence of oversupply and market overstocking.



"We keep monitoring all the major market trends, including production of shale oil," said the minister.



He said that Russia estimates to keep up on the level of 2017, provided that the agreement remains unchanged in 2018.



"If we look at the dynamics of investments in the production, there is significant increase in the first ten months of 2018, compared to last year. So I wouldn't say there is "lost production", this amount will gradually come back, amid more stable and predictable market," Novak said.
Belarus has legalized transactions in crypto-currencies, part of a drive to foster private sector growth and attract foreign investment by liberalizing parts of its Soviet-style economy, Reuters reports.

President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on the move on Thursday, his press service said.

Bitcoin, the world's most popular crypto-currency, has lost a third of its value BTC=BTSPsince hitting a record high of close to $20,000 on Sunday, but its supporters dismiss warnings over volatility and say it is the start of a new monetary system not dependent on central banks.

All smart and intelligent people know what stability and order are, state news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying earlier this month. Theyre all trying to reach that shore. Were prepared to arrange a dock and even a harbor.

The former Soviet republic, squeezed between Russia and the European Union, is still dominated by the state, weighed down by bureaucracy and inefficient state-owned enterprises, and dependent on Russian money and subsidies.

But Lukashenko, a former collective farm manager who once called the internet garbage, has introduced some reforms to improve the business climate and shore up the economy after recession in 2015 and 2016.

Belarus has developed some globally recognized IT brands, belying an image of a country stuck in a Soviet time warp.

The decree is designed to attract digital coin entrepreneurs, who are moving businesses to locations more welcoming to crypto-currencies as they face intensifying scrutiny from regulators over digital currency fund-raising, known as initial coin offerings.

The decree is a breakthrough for Belarus, Anton Myakishev, the head of Microsofts (MSFT.O) Belarus office, told Reuters.

It gives the industry the possibility to make a leap forward in its development and allows foreign capital the possibility to come to Belarus and work in comfortable conditions.

The decree legalizes initial coin offerings and transactions in crypto-currencies, including their exchange for traditional currencies on Belarussian exchanges, while all trades will be tax-free for the next five years.

It also allows local IT companies to operate in part under English law - a boon to potential foreign investors, who can struggle to navigate the Belarussian legal system.

We regularly faced legal problems. When a Western company buys a Belarussian company they try to structure the deal outside Belarus, said Denis Aleinikov, senior partner in a private law firm Aleinikov and Partners in Minsk and the main author of the decree.

Investors dont want to deal with Belarussian legislation, he told Reuters.

Viktor Prokopenya, a prominent investor in the Belarussian IT sector, said Reuters the legislation and other measures showed the government fully supported the industry.

The Belarussian IT sector has flourished despite the countrys wider economic slump, attracting foreign workers, expatriate Belarussians and locals to jobs that pay about five times the average wage.

Dozens of software companies operate in Minsks high-tech IT park, including U.S.-based EPAM Systems (EPAM.N), founded by two Belarussians in 1993. Belarussian software engineers are also behind the Japanese-controlled Viber messenger and the popular video game World of Tanks.

The bright outlook for the IT industry is not matched in other sectors of the Belarussian economy, which remains hamstrung by loss-making state-owned companies that have seen little or no reform since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The economy is expected to return to growth of 1.7 percent this year, but the International Monetary Fund in November said growth will remain around 2 percent annually over the next few years if state-run heavy industries dont modernize.
On December 12, two days before polling for the second phase of the Gujarat assembly election ended, BJP president Amit Shah was a picture of confidence. "It is impossible to defeat us in Gujarat," he said, perched on a sofa in the party's sprawling headquarters 'Kamalam' on the outskirts of Ahmedabad,"...that too with a leader like Modiji as our poll mascot." Shah spoke of the party's deep roots in the state and predicted a tally of over 130 seats. When the results rolled in on the morning of December 18, Shah's prediction of a BJP victory came true, but only partly so. The Modi-Shah duo did blunt the opposition ranged against them to craft a sixth successive win, just one short of the CPI(M)'s record of seven successive wins in West Bengal, but the party just squeezed through. The party's 99-seat tally was just seven more than required for a simple majority, and only 19 seats more than the 80 seats won by the Congress and allies.

The BJP secured 49.1 per cent votes, one percentage point more than in 2012, but lost 16 seats. The Congress's 16-seat jump, its best performance in the state since 1985, came on the back of just a three percentage point rise in vote share. In most of the 16 seats the BJP lost, it was because of the None of the Above or NOTA option (introduced on EVMs in 2015) its apparently disenchanted supporters exercised. The NOTA votes, in fact, exceeded the margin of victory in some seats. For instance, in Modasa in north Gujarat, the BJP's margin of defeat was 200 votes against 3,515 NOTA votes. And overall, had the 551,615 NOTA voters pressed the button against the hand symbol, the BJP would have been sitting in the opposition for the first time in 22 years. Yet more evidence of how close a call it was for the BJP kept tumbling in. The Patidar agitation wounded the party in the Patel-dominated Saurashtra-Kutch region where it won just 23 of the 54 seats (as against 35 in 2012). It was a sweep in four of the state's big cities - Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot - that finally saw the BJP through (see graphic). The party won 46 of the 55 seats in these cities and only 53 from the rest of the 127 seats where the Congress secured 71 seats. But for its showing in these four cities, the BJP would have lost Gujarat. It's the rural challenge, however, that is the more worrying for the BJP. Of the state's 33 districts, the BJP drew a blank in seven and won just one seat each in another eight.

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Graphics by Tanmoy Chakraborty

Gujarat has fired a warning shot against the party. An energised Congress both at the Centre and the state may be the price the BJP has had to pay. This narrow margin of victory is the reason why speculation of a leadership change in Gandhinagar started doing the rounds.

The politics of development

In the 2014 general election, the BJP won all of Gujarat's 26 Lok Sabha seats with a vote share of 59.1 per cent. Extrapolating these numbers to assembly segments indicated a potential victory in 165 seats. That vote share began dipping when the effects of demonetisation and GST began telling on India's most industrialised state, until, according to a reputable survey, the difference between Congress and BJP numbers was just 6 percentage points before the elections.

Earlier, the Patidar agitation, which began in 2015 as a demand for reservations for the powerful Patel community that comprises around 14 per cent of the electorate, turned into a forest fire that threatened to burn down the BJP citadel at Gujarat. It produced a charismatic young leader in Hardik Patel, who braved arrest and a sex tape to whip up a massive emotional upsurge against the BJP. Assaults on Dalits, from Una onwards, paved the way for the rise of Jignesh Mevani, and along with perceived tanashahi (arrogance) in the BJP's attitude, agrarian distress and the impact of GST, all indications were that Gujarat was not going to be a cakewalk for the BJP.

The viral 'Vikas gando thayo chhe (Development gone crazy)' meme in September, which mocked the BJP's development claims, turned so lethal that BJP workers were embarrassed to speak about development. A stunned Modi and Shah held two meetings and deliberated strategy. "The PM wanted development to be the fulcrum of Indian electoral politics," says a BJP leader. The damage control began in October. GST councils in October and November announced rate cuts on 178 items from 28 per cent to 18 per cent. Shah himself relocated to Gujarat at the beginning of November, operating out of Kamalam and personally taking over the party's booth management and advertising strategy. He closely coordinated the visual ad strategy with Modi on an almost day to day basis, making a phone call in the morning and evening for nearly all the days he was camping in Gujarat.

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The duo settled on a strategy that stressed the positive aspects of the BJP's governance and reminded people of successful experiments like the country's first 24x7 power supply to households. Shah turned Modi's new slogan 'Hun chhu vikas, hun chhu Gujarat (I am development, I am Gujarat)' into an ad strategy. The positive campaign, the duo felt, would stir Gujarati asmita, particularly among the state's influential NRIs.

The campaign, encapsulated in a series of video shorts made by Ahmedabad-based creative agency Moving Pixel, stoked Gujarati pride to blunt the negative campaign Hardik and the Congress mounted against the BJP. Five short films showed one set of people questioning the BJP's claims on development and getting a riposte from another set of people, only to end with the assertion, 'I am proud to be a Gujarati.' The campaign was successful enough for Gujarati film actor Hitu Kanodia, lead actor in one of the films that got 10 million views, to win on a BJP ticket from Idar.

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Photo: Ajit Solanki (AP)

In the last lap, some determined campaigning by Modi, starting on Novmber 27, coupled with an emotional son-of-the-soil pitch in the 34 rallies through the state, brought victory within grasp. The prime minister successfully managed to turn Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech' remark into a boomerang, attacked Kapil Sibal for asking the Supreme Court to defer the Ayodhya verdict to until after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and even targeted former prime minister Manmohan Singh for attending a dinner at Aiyar's home where Pakistani officials, including former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, too, were present. "Has Congress given my 'supari' (contract) to Pakistanis to put me down?" "Can a 'neech' not aspire to be the prime minister?" roared Modi in his rallies. But for this pitch, the party could have lost the polls.

The Congress, despite its claim of working out a booth strategy, proved to be no match for Shah's patented grassroots election machinery. On election days on December 9 and 18, BJP workers shuttled between election booths and voters' homes, executing Shah's directive of bringing out their committed voters to the polling booths to cast their vote. Congress booths, even in party's strongholds like the Patel-dominated Varacha area in Surat, remained forlorn or even empty. Shah's elaborate booth management strategy pushed the BJP's vote share by 1 percentage point despite total voting coming down by 2.6 percentage points to 68.7 per cent over 2012. Political analyst Japan Pathak terms it an unqualified "victory of Modi's hard work and skilful campaigning and Shah's booth management".

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Another shocker for the Congress was the electoral wipeout of its top leadership. Despite its best performance in over three decades, all its leaders, Shaktisinh Gohil, Arjun Modhwadia, Siddharth Patel and Tushar Chaudhary, were defeated. In comparison, top BJP ministers, including CM Vijay Rupani and deputy CM Nitin Patel, survived the electoral storm. However, seven ministers did lose, including agriculture minister Chiman Saparia and health minister Shankarbhai Chaudhary.

Graphics by Tanmoy Chakraborty

The Modi-Shah duo had evidently succeeded in convincing the voter that with all their short-term mistakes, the BJP was still the best bet. The voting patterns in cities revealed that the GST corrections had contained the damage for the BJP. In both North and South Gujarat, where the party won 15 and 35 seats respectively, the party came close to its 2012 tally.

The impact of the Patidar factor was confined only to Saurashtra and did not spread to the Patel-dominated areas of other regions. Of the total 52 seats with over 15 per cent Patidar population, the BJP won 32 and the Congress 20. However, the OBCs, on whom the BJP had pinned its hopes, turned only partially towards the BJP.

The urban rural divide-urban in BJP's favour and rural in Congress's, reflected the trend of earlier elections, the most pronounced being in Saurashtra, Kutch. The Congress benefitted from the Patel vote swing while the urban votes saved the day for the BJP.

Graphics by Tanmoy Chakraborty

The BJP also paid the price for its shenanigans to defeat Congress leader Ahmed Patel this September. It enticed 13 Congress MLAs into its fold but could not prevent Patel from being re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. Five of the seven MLAs whom it gave tickets to in this election were defeated. The defeated candidates include Ram Singh Parmar, the formidable chairman of the AMUL dairy cooperative. The verdict from the electorate was clear: the politics of defection would not be tolerated.

Its shortcomings on the economic front also cost the BJP dear. The low support price it announced before Diwali for groundnut and cotton produce contributed significantly to agrarian distress. At the same time, however, a few of the central and state government schemes paid the party rich dividends. Under its Mudra scheme, the Centre gave loans without collateral guarantee to 2.8 million small professionals and entrepreneurs in Gujarat like carpenters, ironsmiths, grocery shop owners. As many as 1.3 million poor families got LPG cooking gas kits at subsidised rates in Gujarat under the Ujjwala scheme. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's landmark Seva Setu programme, where the government delivered schemes to the doorstep of poor people, might also have had an impact. National BJP general secretary Saroj Pande sums things up: "That we are forming the government in a state after 22 years of anti-incumbency is no small deal. It is clear that PM Modi's appeal is unbeatable. If we paid a price, it was for sticking to the politics of development and the Congress playing the negative politics of caste and minority appeasement."

Photo: Shailesh Raval

THE LOOMING CHALLENGES

However, victory hasn't exactly ended the BJP's worries in Gujarat. Issues like agrarian distress, the PAAS agitation that Hardik has vowed to continue, pushing for reservations for Patels as OBCs, and the entry of young leaders like Alpesh and Jignesh into the state assembly have only magnified the party's challenges.

The leadership vacuum left by Modi's departure for the national stage in 2014 has been filled by new leaders like Hardik. Countering them calls for a strong, decisive leadership from the newly elected government. If the BJP does indeed continue with Rupani, he will have to shed his diffidence and be more assertive, especially in dealing with the bureaucracy, though his image has been clean and he has had the right connect with the party workers. The new government also has to woo voters, particularly youth and farmers, who voted for the Congress this election. It will need to bring back heavyweights like former state industry and power minister Saurabh Patel, dropped by Rupani after a 14-year stint in the ministry.

The first challenge will come in April next year when the terms of four Rajya Sabha MPs from Gujarat come to an end. The eminences are: Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, Union minister of state for roads and surface transport Mansukh Mandaviya, Union minister of state for agriculture, farmers' welfare and Panchayati Raj Parshottam Rupala and Shankarbhai Vegad. The BJP is assured of two seats but the Congress's increased numbers guarantee a tough fight for the two other seats.

The party faces the uphill task of retaining all 26 seats it won in 2014 riding the crest of the Modi wave. "The BJP will have to rise above the present state of inertia and institute a series of changes in both the government and the party structure to meet the 2019 challenge," says Ajay Umat, a veteran Ahmedabad-based journalist and political analyst.

To strengthen its credibility, the new government basically needs to address five major issues. It has to implement measures to relieve farmer distress. The Rs 900 minimum support price the Rupani government announced for the cotton and groundnut crop fell short of farmers' expectation of Rs 1,300. The support price for the next crop will need to be increased. The poor implementation of the crop insurance scheme will also have to be fixed and the delivery system overhauled, beset as it is by complaints of rampant lower-level corruption.

However, the biggest challenge before the new government will undoubtably be to douse the Patidar agitation. In 2016, Hardik had already rejected the state government's offer of reservations to the economically backward amongst the forward castes through a law. One possible move to blunt Hardik's anti-BJP campaign, government officials say, is to unconditionally withdraw all the cases against the Patidar agitators, including Hardik. Soon after his victory, Mevani held a meeting with Hardik to fashion a joint strategy to corner the BJP. Mevani's hold over the Dalits in north Gujarat played a key role in the defeat of some significant candidates in the region, including health minister Shankar Chaudhary. Mevani becoming an MLA could be a headache for the BJP as it wasn't just Dalit support that won him the Vadgam seat; he also had huge Muslim support. The BJP also needs to shed its public image of being arrogant, an image it acquired after its failed plot to unseat Ahmed Patel. The bureaucrats too have to be reined in, as complaints of official harassment are mounting.

he party also has to build a credible and effective leadership in Gujarat. One reason why the BJP lost so many seats is that it stuck with MLAs who had lost credibility in Gujarat. It ignored at least three promising leaders, Amit Thakar, 45; Bharat Pandya, 50; and Jigar Inamdar, 40, allegedly due to nepotism. Pandya and Thakar, for example, are not being given their due because they were once close to Sanjay Joshi, a known Modi-baiter. Inamdar, on the other hand, fell foul of a section of the state leadership. The BJP also paid heavily for not doing anything to counter growing Congress influence in 23 districts and around 130 tehsils (talukas) where it formed district and taluka panchayats following a landslide victory in the state panchayat elections in November 2015. The Congress victory was seen as an aftereffect of the Patel agitation and its poor handling by the then Anandiben Patel government.

The BJP also needs a younger leadership in Gujarat to counter the challenge mounted by the Hardik-Alpesh-Jignesh trio. Also, having won 80 seats, a resurgent new Congress leadership will only step up the aggression. It is already considering three names for the post of the leader of the opposition in the state legislature. There is Paresh Dhahni, 41, a dynamic MLA from Amreli, a big name in the Patel community in Saurashtra and said to be close to Rahul Gandhi. There is also Kunvarji Bavalia, 62, a veteran Koli leader in Saurashtra known for his combative nature and connect with the electorate. He won from Jashdan seat. Dr Anil Joshiyara, 60, a tribal leader and an MLA from Bhiloda constituency who left the BJP to join the Congress in the 1990s along with Shankersinh Vaghela, is the third name.

Old Sangh hand and author Vishnu Pandya and senior BJP functionary Yamal Vyas want the BJP to draw lessons from Gujarat for the future. "Caste has clearly overtaken Hindutva," says Pandya. "It is time for the BJP and Sangh parivar to introspect in Gujarat, the state from where the BJP's national electoral march began." That's sound advice.

--- ENDS ---
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 22

By Diana Aliyeva - Trend:

The Senate of Uzbekistan has approved the Act on changes and amendments to some legal acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan regarding the improvement of tax administration.

The act has been elaborated to enforce the decree of Uzbekistan's President as of July 18 of this year on measures for fundamental improvement of tax administration, tax collection, and other compulsory payments.

According to the Senate Information Service, the act serves to gradually simplify the taxation system, expand tax base, introduce new methods of tax administration.

The act supplements the Tax Code with a new section called Tax Monitoring, envisaging introduction of tax monitoring, expanded information exchange between tax agencies and bona fide taxpayers, empowering them comprehensively to address ongoing tax issues.

The act introduces changes and amendments to the Civil Code and Bankruptcy Act to apply bankruptcy procedure to individuals with tax liabilities assumed as a result of previous entrepreneurship activities and losing the status of sole proprietor, as well as to those conducting entrepreneurial activity without official registration.

The changes and amendments to the Tax Code and E-Commerce Act seek to apply mechanisms of tax control in trade and services carried out through the internet.

The changes to Public Tax Service Act and the Tax Code set an order of return or credit for extra-paid taxes and other compulsory payments within 15 business days from the date of application of a taxpayer to authorized agencies.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Nigar Guliyeva  Trend:

Kazatomprom National Atomic Companys operating profit is expected to be at the level of KZT 46 billion based on 2017 results, Galymzhan Pirmatov, CEO of the National Atomic Company, said at the press-conference.

According to the signed memorandums, KZT 4.8 billion have been recently transferred to the budgets of South Kazakhstan and Kyzylorda regions, he said. Within the memorandum, KZT 1 billion has been transferred to the budget of East Kazakhstan region in 2017 and 2 billion tenge will be transferred in the next two years.

Moreover, more than KZT 1 billion is transferred for the socio-economic development of regions of presence on an annual basis under the subsoil use contracts, he said. This year the company has completed the construction of a kindergarten for 240 children in Astana, which will be donated to the city.

Pirmatov added that Kazatomprom has been implementing the Transformation Program, which, by the end of 2025, expects an economic effect of more than 136 billion tenge since 2015.

(334.13 KZT = $1 on Dec. 22)
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 22

By Diana Aliyeva  Trend:

Total trade turnover of Uzbekistan with foreign countries rose by 16.6 percent and amounted to more than $22 billion in ten months of 2017.

The positive dynamics is also observed in trade with Central Asian countries, according to the data of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry that was read out at the 13th plenary session of the countrys Senate.

It was noted that great work has been done in the foreign policy of Uzbekistan in a short period of time.

During the period, foreign policy and foreign economic activity of the country grew noticeably. Thus, 22 visits were paid at the highest level during the year, and meetings were held with the leaders of more than 60 states and international structures.

About 400 documents were signed, including 110 international agreements  21 international, 48 intergovernmental and 41 interdepartmental agreements, as well as 61 documents signed between institutions and regions.

The visits of the president of Uzbekistan to China, Russia, Turkey, the United States and the South Korea were of historical significance.

Forty-one road maps have been approved for the development and further expansion of trade, economic, investment, technological, financial and technical, transport and communication, cultural and humanitarian cooperation in order to implement bilateral agreements unconditionally.

Moreover, dialogue with international organizations (UN, SCO, CIS, OIC and others) became even more productive.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Test flights will be conducted at Istanbuls third airport in late February 2018, the Turkish media reported Dec. 22.

Reportedly, test flights will be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The construction of a parking lot at the airport will be completed in February, which will be able to accept 30,000 cars.

The third airport is being built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul. Initially, it will serve 90 million passengers a year. The first phase of the airport will be commissioned on Oct. 29, 2018. After commissioning, the number of flight destinations in Turkey will increase from 282 to 350. The new airport will annually serve about 200 million passengers.

Meanwhile, the construction of the first runway of the new airport continues, which will 3.7 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. The second runway will be 4.1 kilometers long and 60 meters wide.

Currently, construction and assembling work is underway to build 28 bridges and a hydrometeorological tower at the airport. More than 31,000 employees are involved in construction.

About 300 passenger and service elevators will be installed at Istanbuls third airport.

Airport City, which will include a network of shops, logistics and exhibition centers, will be also built at the new airport. Limak-Kolin-Cengiz-MaPa-Kalyon consortium of companies won the tender for construction of the airport.

Turkeys Ziraat Bankasi allocated 1.54 billion euros for the airports construction, while Halkbank and Vakifbank  1 billion euros, Denizbank  500 million euros, Garanti and Finansbank  300 million euros each.

The first airport in Turkey was built in 1912 and was used for military purposes.

For the first time the Istanbul airport was opened for international flights in 1953 and in 1985 it was renamed in honor of founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:

The French Alstom signed an agreement with the Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) to acquire their 25 percent stake in the EKZ Joint Venture (JV).

The agreement was signed by Maksat Kabashev, KTZ Strategy VP and Didier Pfleger, Alstom Senior Vice-President for Middle-East and Africa, Alstom said in a mesaage on Dec.22.

After approval by the relevant authorities, Alstom will see its total share brought to 75 percent.

Alstom entered the Kazakhstans railway market in June 2010 together with its Russian partner Transmashholding (TMH), by laying the first stone of the EKZ facility in order to build locomotives for the Kazakh network.

The joint company was held by Alstom (25%), TMH (25 percent) and Kazakh Railways (50 percent). Alstom, EKZ, TMH and KTZ had signed a contract for the supply of 200 Prima T8 (KZ8A) and 95 Prima M4 (KZ4A) locomotives. The plant was inaugurated in 2012. In 2016, Alstom had acquired another 25% from KTZ. The freight locomotives are now fully assembled at EKZ, the full assembly of passenger locos will start in the beginning of 2018.

The company reported that this acquisition reaffirms Alstom commitment to modernizing Kazakhstan railway and follows the signature of a MoU last week in Astana by Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Alstom Chairman and CEO and Mr Kanat Alpysbayev, President of KTZ, for Alstom other local JV KEP for the modernization of the signalling in 25 railway stations around the country.

Kazakhstan is an important hub linking Europe, Middle East, Asia and Russia through the new Silk Way. With almost 20,000 km of tracks, the Kazakh railway network is the worlds third biggest using the 1,520 mm track gauge.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Reconstructing and building new land reclamation and water management facilities will make it possible to increase irrigated sown area in Azerbaijan, Ahmad Ahmadzadeh, chairman of Azerbaijan Melioration and Water Management JSC, said in an article published Dec. 22 in Azerbaijan's Respublika newspaper.

The article notes that laying concrete on the riverbed of new branch of Araz river, the construction of which was completed this year, will make it possible to prevent water losses, and 12,000 hectares of land in Azerbaijans Imishli and Saatli districts will be provided with irrigation next year.

At the same time, after completion of construction of the Neftchala main canal, water supply of 12,433 hectares of land will improve, and after completion of construction of the canal N, water supply of 7,551 hectares of land will improve, according to the article.

The article noted that proposals for the continuation of construction and repair work have already been sent to the relevant authorities.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

Trend News Agency has been awarded in the "Media Partner" nomination by the Azerbaijan Banks Association (ABA).

The "Bank awards - 2017" ceremony has been recently held in Baku. The representatives of banks, international financial organizations, state agencies, the media outlets, as well as expert groups that are ABA members, attended the event.

The awards were delivered in such nominations as "Corporate Social Responsibility", "The Most Active Support to Financial Literacy", "The Most Active Support to Education", "Gold Partner", "Media Partner" and "The Most Active Expert Group".

The representatives of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the German Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation, the Ministry of Taxes, Ernst & Young company, Altair LLC, Antaris LLC, AccessBank, PASHA Bank, Azer-Turk Bank, Kapital Bank, VTB (Azerbaijan) and others were also awarded.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:

JSC "Uzbekenergo" paid KEGOC JSC the main debt in the amount of $143 million for the supply of electricity and services in the period from 2011 to 2017, the Kazakhstan electric power company KEGOC said in a statement.

The Kazakh company noted that JSC Uzbekenergo fully repaid the main debt in December 2017.

"These agreements were concluded to ensure reliable and stable parallel operation of the Unified Power System of Kazakhstan and the energy system of Uzbekistan. At the same time, over the past few years there have been no payments from the energy system of Uzbekistan," the press release said.

Despite non-payment, Kazakhstan continued to supply electricity to ensure reliable operation of the Unified Power Systems of both countries.

KEGOC states that the company intends to deepen cooperation with JSC "Uzbekenergo".

At present, Uzbekenergo produces over 60 billion kilowatt-hours per year, 10 percent of which accounts for hydroelectric power stations, and 90 percent - thermal power plants.

Electricity consumption in the country is growing every year. So, if in 2000 the monthly consumption of one family was 114 kilowatt-hours, then by 2016 it increased by 35 percent and reached 160 kilowatt-hours.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 22

By Diana Aliyeva  Trend:

The signing ceremony of the agreement on cooperation in education, science and culture between the Uzbek government and the Hungarian government has been recently held in Tashkent.

The agreement was signed by Uzbek Minister of Higher and Secondary Special Education Inom Majidov and Hungarian Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Uzbekistan Peter Santo.

According to the document, legal bases are being created for the cooperation of the sides in education, science and culture through the allocation of quotas for getting education in higher education institutions of the two countries, joint scientific research, and cultural events.

A joint working group consisting of representatives of ministries, departments and institutions of the two countries is planned to be created in order to implement the agreement.

The Hungarian embassy opened in Tashkent in February 2016. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Hungary were established in March 1992. A number of intergovernmental documents have been signed between the countries.

A convention on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of evasion from payment of income tax was signed between the governments of the two countries in April 2008.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Kazakhtelecom JSC's (Kaztel) Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BB+'. The Outlook on the IDR is Stable.

Fitch raised the downgrade threshold to 2.5x funds from operations (FFO) adjusted net leverage, from 2x, after Kazakhtelecom repaid the US dollar-linked debt instrument in 4Q17, removing a currency mismatch between revenue and debt. All the outstanding debt is now in Kazakh tenge.



"Kaztel is a strong fixed-line incumbent with dominant market shares in traditional telephony and fixed-line broadband services, operating in a benign regulatory environment. The company created a mobile joint venture with Tele2 that had an about 26% subscriber market share by end-1H17 and is on track to improve its profitability due to larger scale and post-integration synergies," Fitch Ratings reported.



Kaztel's funds from operations (FFO) adjusted net leverage is low, and unlikely to spike above 2x on the expected acquisition of Tele2's stake in the mobile joint venture in 2019.



Fitch expects Kaztel to maintain its leading position in the fixed-line segment, helped by benign regulation and a shortage of alternative networks. "Kaztel estimated its fixed-line telephony market share by revenue at a dominant 93% at end-2016. The company consistently retains above 70% market share in fixed-line broadband (75% by subscribers at end-2016), where it generates almost half of its total revenue. It also has a strong position in the pay TV market with a 36% revenue share, although this is smaller than in other fixed-line segments. Nevertheless, this segment has the highest growth rates, supporting overall revenue growth," Fitch Ratings said.



The agency reports that Kazakhstan's broadband market was fully restored in revenue terms in 2016 after a sharp decline by 11% yoy in 2014. The market is approaching saturation and revenue growth rates are likely to slow to low single digits yoy from 2017 from mid-single digits in 2014-2016. Fixed-line broadband penetration remains low at 9.2% of households at end-2016, which leaves upside for growth. Competition is concentrated in large cities where there are several facilities-based operators. It remains rational, as indicated by companies' ability to selectively increase prices without a material impact on their market shares.



Furthermore, Kaztel's mobile JV with Tele2 had strong performance in 9M17, with its subscriber market share reaching 26% in 2Q17, up from 25% at end-2016.

"Competition in the Kazakhstan mobile market has intensified in recent years and has been affected by the disruptive behaviour of Beeline and Tele2/Altel JV, driven by their attempts to increase market shares. However, the market has largely stabilised in 2017, as shown by the removal of promotional unlimited offerings and selective increases in prices that support ARPUs," Fitch Ratings said.

"Kaztel's ratings are driven by the company's strong market positions in key fixed-line segments, robust FCF generation, low leverage and a benign regulatory environment. Its peer group includes Russian fixed-line incumbent Rostelecom PJSC (BBB-/Stable), mobile operators PJSC Mobile TeleSystems (BB+/Rating Watch Negative) and PJSC Megafon (BB+/Stable), and PJSC Tattelecom (BB/Stable), a regional incumbent in the Republic of Tatarstan."
If there is one thing the 2017 Gujarat election will be remembered for, it's the challenge young Hardik Patel mounted against the BJP Goliath. Not only did he become the main symbol of Patel ire against the BJP, he was also the single most important factor in reducing the BJP tally to two digits for the first time in three decades.

The election over, all eyes now are on the 24-year-old leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Rallying the Patels, he became their poster boy when he was charged with sedition following the violence on August 25, 2015 at a pro-reservation Patel rally in Ahmedabad. Neither an eight-month jail term nor a separate eight-month banishment from Gujarat failed to break him. And his fight is far from over. The Patel agitation, he has said, had nothing to do with political parties, but was only about getting reservations. It would continue even after the Gujarat results, he said.

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Hardik's relentless campaign against the BJP had very little or no impact on the Patels of central and south Gujarat. In north Gujarat, too, the huge crowds that thronged to see him did not hand the opposition an electoral landslide. It was in Saurashtra that it cost the BJP 12 seats and a dent in its overall tally. The BJP's Patel problem, it seems, is here to stay.

It is, therefore, extremely necessary for the party to douse the agitation if it is to have a safe passage to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Hardik has spurned the party's efforts to reach out to him on reservations, it passed a bill to give 10 per cent reservation to Economically Backward classes which was ultimately challenged in the Gujarat High Court in the light of the Supreme Court's 49 per cent cap on reservation. Hardik rejected the BJP move on the ground that the Patels wanted reservation only under the OBC quota. He, however, accepted a modified offer when it came from the Congress on the eve of the Gujarat polls. Hardik had clearly set out to ensure the BJP's defeat. He failed in his aim, but did enough to leave the saffron party shaken.

Political pundits are unsure whether a post-poll Patel agitation would get the same momentum given that it failed to unseat the BJP this time round. Many think it might even die down, eventually getting confined to a small group in the community. Most Patels know the law makes it impossible for any government to raise the quota limit beyond 49 per cent.

Yet, the agitation has provided Hardik a platform to launch his political career from. Too young at 24 to make a political debut, Hardik becomes eligible for an assembly seat only next July. His co-disruptors, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani, have become MLAs, Alpesh from the Congress and Jignesh as an independent MLA supported by Congress.

It may be difficult for Hardik to sustain himself on the political turf till the next polls in 2022, when he will become eligible to contest. He sought votes against the BJP in these elections by exhorting his fellow community members to avenge the deaths of the 14 Patels who died in the police firing in 2015. However, revenge is something you cannot take twice. Of course, given his trajectory so far, Hardik could well spring a few surprises. His aligning with the Congress, a party the Patels had stayed away from for over two decades, might continue for a few more years, much to the BJP's discomfiture. Or he may just disappear. For the moment, the curtains have come down on the drama that was the 2017 Gujarat election. But as long as he is around, Hardik will be a source of worry for the BJP.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

Trend:

The decision of the Financial Markets Supervision Chamber of Azerbaijan from December 23, 2017 eliminates the license of OJSC "DmirBank".

According to the report, the license was liquidated due to the discrepancy between the bank's total capital and the minimum requirement established for banks. The adequacy ratio of the aggregate capital of the bank is lower than the three percent stipulated by law, the report says. The bank also lacks the capacity to fulfill its obligations to creditors.

DemirBank is a member of the Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF), accordingly the deposits of the population in this bank will be returned by the Fund.

A temporary administrator in the bank was appointed by the Chamber's decision. The Chamber also appealed to the court in connection with the beginning of the bankruptcy process.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The European Union is in constant exchange will all relevant stakeholders involved in the realization of Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) and Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) projects, European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said in an interview with Trend.

"The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria has been included in the recently agreed 3rd list of Projects of Common Interest and is benefiting from funding form the Connecting Europe Facility fund," noted the EU commissioner.

Furthermore, projects can benefit from accelerated planning and permit granting, improved regulatory conditions and streamlined environmental assessment processes, he added.

"We have also taken the initiative to set up the High Level Group on Central and South Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity (CESEC) where relevant stakeholders come together on a regular basis to facilitate progress on all relevant gas projects in the region including the IGB and the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline," said Sefcovic.

IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.



The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas. The projects cost is estimated at around 240 million euros.

IAP is a proposed natural gas pipeline in Southeastern Europe (SEE) that will stretch from Albania through Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Split in Croatia. It will be connected with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The capacity of the pipeline will amount to five billion cubic meters of gas per year.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijani government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed loan and guarantee agreements on allocation of $524.5 million worth syndicated loan to Azerbaijans Southern Gas Corridor CJSC to support the second stage of development of Shah Deniz gas and condensate field, Trend has learned from Southern Gas Corridor CJSC.

From the Azerbaijani side, the guarantee agreement was signed by the countrys Finance Minister Samir Sharifov and the loan agreement was signed by Director General of Southern Gas Corridor CJSC Afgan Isayev.

Afgan Isayev noted that such leading international financial institutions as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Asian Development Bank have already provided support to the Southern Gas Corridor project.

Up to now, Southern Gas Corridor CJSC has invested $8.4 billion (or 73 percent) of the total of around $11.5 billion (total funding needs until 2020 inclusively) required for the financing of its participating interests in the Projects, he said.

He noted that the work on Shah Deniz Stage 2 (production of first gas) is 98.5 percent complete, while the work on the South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion project (transportation of first gas) is 99.2 percent complete. Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) projects are 87.4 percent and 60.8 percent complete, respectively, added Isayev.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.



At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.



As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Details added (first version posted on 16:02)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijani government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed loan and guarantee agreements on allocation of $524.5 million worth syndicated loan to Azerbaijans Southern Gas Corridor CJSC to support the second stage of development of Shah Deniz gas and condensate field, said a message from the CJSC.

From the Azerbaijani side, the guarantee agreement was signed by the countrys Finance Minister Samir Sharifov and the loan agreement was signed by Director General of Southern Gas Corridor CJSC Afgan Isayev.

Afgan Isayev noted that such leading international financial institutions as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Asian Development Bank have already provided support to the Southern Gas Corridor project.

Up to now, Southern Gas Corridor CJSC has invested $8.4 billion (or 73 percent) of the total of around $11.5 billion (total funding needs until 2020 inclusively) required for the financing of its participating interests in the Projects, he said.

He noted that the work on Shah Deniz Stage 2 (production of first gas) is 98.5 percent complete, while the work on the South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion project (transportation of first gas) is 99.2 percent complete. Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) projects are 87.4 percent and 60.8 percent complete, added Isayev.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.



At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.



As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

No discussions have been held yet on expanding the capacity of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, TAP president Walter Peeraer told Reuters.

The capacity on the TAP pipeline will be expanded when enough customers express interest but there have been no discussions yet. It is therefore premature to discuss if Russias Gazprom might take capacity, he added.

Earlier this year Gazproms deputy head Alexander Medvedev said the company was considering pumping gas through the link.

As for rerouting the pipeline, Peeraer said the landfall site, which had been chosen from 20 other locations for its minimal environmental impact, would not be changed. Such a move could put the project back 4-5 years, he added.

The commitment is to transport about 8 to 10 bcm to Italian shores. Re-routing through Albania is not an option. There is no Plan B, he noted.

Regarding the projects financing by the European Investment Bank (EIB), Peeraer said talks with the Bank are ongoing, adding he expects a decision in February.

Peeraer said TAP is on track to deliver the gas in the first quarter of 2020.

TAP worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU 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 Italys south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Zheenbekov will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan, chief the foreign policy department of the Presidents Office Aizada Subakozhoeva told journalists, Kabar reports.

"President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Zheenbekov will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan on Dec. 25-26, at the invitation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Within the framework of the visit it is planned to hold meetings in narrow and extended formats. The leaders of the two countries will discuss issues of bilateral cooperation and cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union," she said.

She recalled that on Nov. 30, Zheenbekov met with Nazarbayev in Minsk. As a result of that meeting, a road map was signed between the two governments on trade and economic cooperation, as well as in the field of customs administration, taxation, phytosanitary and veterinary control.

"I think that following the talks, the leaders of the two countries will give an impetus to the effective implementation of this road map and other issues of bilateral cooperation," Subakozhoeva said.

She also added that the Kyrgyz side is positively inclined to further strengthen relations based on the principles of equality and mutual respect.

"Following the meeting, important documents are expected to be signed: an agreement on the regime of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border, an agreement on the demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh state border," Subakozhoeva added.

She said that Zheenbekov also will meet with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.

"After Astana, the President of Kyrgyzstan, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will make a working visit to Moscow, where the head of the CIS states take part in an informal meeting. An exchange of views on topical issues of international and regional policy is expected," Subakozhoeva said.
With a view to developing tourism, presenting our countrys unique tourism opportunities and national culture at the international stage, as well as attracting investment for tourism infrastructure improvement, I would like to propose to declare 2018 as the Year of tourism and folk- crafts in the country. It was stated today, December 22 by the Founder of Peace and National Unity  Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan H.E. Mr. Emomali Rahmon, Khobar reports.

According to him, in this process, the Government needs to make sure to allocate preferential loans to entrepreneurs and artisans through the Business Support Fund to develop the national folk-crafts. With a view to encouraging population for production of public consumption goods and development of folk-crafts the sale of such products needs to release from all tax payments starting from January 1, 2018

Tourism is one of the major spheres to attract the working age population, to increase the populations living standard, to develop other service and productive spheres, as well as tourism is the sphere introducing the history and culture, nature and national traditions.,  said the Head of State.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 22

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistan plans to launch its second satellite, Turkmen State News Agency (TDH) reports on Friday.

In 2018-2024, Turkmenistan will invest about 1.3 billion Turkmen manats to develop the space industry.

The investment covers a satellite that will be designed for remote sensing of the Earth. The space device will be used to develop all the sectors of the national economy and collect data on hard-to-get, high-speed, and other objects.

Sensing will help conduct the ecological monitor of oil fields, pipe corridors, and oil refineries, as well as detect oil spills and control operations of oil and gas companies.

The satellite will regularly shoot images of regions, measure sizes of farm fields and pastures, and collect data on agricultural lands.

The satellite images will boost efficiency of monitoring of construction works, construction and reconstruction of transport infrastructure, ecological status of Caspian Sea onshore and offshore, TDH reports.

The first TurkmenAlem 52 satellite was placed into low Earth orbit in 2015 for the purpose of telecommunication and data transmission even in remote settlements sitting in the Kara-Kum desert.

($1 = 3.5 Turkmen manats on Dec. 22)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Nigar Guliyeva  Trend:

The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan in a decree Dec. 22 approved the Regulations of the Agency for Development of Pharmaceutical Industry under the Ministry of Health.

The Agency was established by a presidential decree dated November 7.

The Regulations define the organization of the Agencys activities, its main tasks and functions, and the structure of its central office.

The Agency participates in monitoring compliance with licensing requirements and conditions.

Monitoring can be carried out in the following forms: scheduled monitoring; short-term inspections under decisions of the Republican Council for Coordination of Activities of Regulatory Bodies on the basis of appeals from individuals and legal entities about violations of law.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

The Baku Network Expert Council (http://bakunetwork.com) has discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the retrospective angle as political scientists Elkhan Alasgarov, of Azerbaijan and Raoul Lowery Contreras, of the Unites States were meeting in Baku.

Contreras, well known for his books "Murder in the Mountains" and The Armenian lobby & U.S. Foreign policy that highlight his visions about the long-lasting conflict, shared his views about the injustice that Azerbaijan faces over the last two decades.

Once I used to read an article of The New York Times which was named Frozen war, and it was about Khojaly," said Contreras. "I actually hadnt heard about it anything before, and I was shocked. As an American, and as a former military officer, I cant accept shooting unarmed men, women and children, which is what happened in Khojaly.

After getting acquainted with the situation, the author decided to write a book about the tragedy. He interviewed women in the Armenian captivity to build a book. The book "Murder in the Mountains" was based on their stories.

This is a great job, because it makes Azerbaijani realities public in the United States and, most importantly, the causes of the Karabakh conflict and the essence of the Armenian occupation policy, said Alasgarov.

Late into the night of February 25, 1992, Khojaly came under intensive fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. The Armenian forces, supported by the ex-Soviet 366th regiment, completed the encirclement of the town already isolated due to ethnic cleansing againstthe Azerbaijani population in the neighboring regions. The joint forces occupied the town, which was ruined by heavy artillery shelling.

Of 3,000 people who were in the town of Khojaly at the moment of the Armenian attack, 613 were killed, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly. As many as 487 people were severely wounded, including 76 children. Roughly 1,275 people were captured and subjected to unprecedented torture, the fate of 197 people still remains unknown. Eight families were totally annihilated, 130 children lost one and 25 lost both parents.

The Armenian lobby & U.S. Foreign policy book describes how strong the Armenian lobby in the United States is.

There are about 1.3 million Armenians in the United States, but it is not the matter of quantity. There is a group of Armenians, who have a lot of money, and who can get direct access to the US congress. They pay checks for the campaign contributions and they get their point of view across. Azerbaijan has never received such kind of support in the United States, Contreras said.

He stressed that the Armenians in the United States have two main goals. First is the acceptance of what they call the genocide by the United States, and the second goal is to get as much American foreign aid as they can for Armenia, because Armenia is a poor country.

Now the writer plans to write a third book, which will familiarize the readers with Azerbaijan, as a beautiful country and nation. "This book wont be about the war, but about Azerbaijan as a nation, its culture and its future, said Contreras.

The book will narrate about the future of Azerbaijan, about what can be expected from Azerbaijan in the post-oil era, and which directions may be developed in the country.
On Monday night, a bevy of armed Maoists abducted two security persons of a private construction company in Bihar's Jamui district and hacked them to death.

By Amitabh Srivastava: On Monday night, when a bevy of armed Maoists abducted two security persons of a private construction company in Bihar's Jamui district before hacking them to death, it seemed that the rebels have somewhat succeeded in concluding the year 2017 the way they had begun it.

The jarring irony is that, the ultras chose the same district Jamui, 164 kms south-east of Patna, and same day, a Monday, to pick their victims and hammer home their bloody message.

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The incident bears uncanny resemblance to one of the first incident of Naxal violence reported in Bihar this year.

It was in the beginning of the year, on January 26, when the Maoists had hacked to death an employee of a private road construction company in Bihar's Jamui district.

Then, the armed Maoists had stopped a motorcycle-borne Sanjay Pandey (35), working as the 'manager' of the private road construction company, and slit his throat with a sharp object.

In the recent case, the two victims, Sidhram Koda and Ganguli Koda, were employed as private security persons for a construction company engaged in Rs 5586.52-lakh irrigation project.

The police believe that the two victims could have been killed to pressurize the company to pay 'levy' to the Maoists.

Last week, a well known construction company involved in building 165 crore two-lane road from Patna to Arwal was sent a "demand note" of Rs 16 crore. Though the cops have registered an FIR, the employees of the construction firm abandoned the project site.

Incidentally, the last six months have witnessed the Maoists destroying assets over 100 crore in Bihar, apparently to browbeat various companies engaged in building infrastructure project. Their solitary aim appears to be levy extortion.

For a change, the big Naxal strikes have been registered in Bihar, and not in Jharkhand, once the citadel of the red rebels.

Multiple development projects, especially those dealing with road infra projects have taken a hit in Bihar because of the Maoists rebels. As many as 11 major attacks against road construction companies have been recorded in the last six months in Aurangabad, Arwal, Gaya and Nawada districts.

The State police headquarters has also taken note of the issue. A plan has been prepared to negotiate the issue. But it will be easier said than done.

Top police officers privately concede that some Maoists groups may have shifted from Jharkhand, where a serious offensive launched against them, to Bihar.

Though the Maoists outfit no longer runs a semi-parallel government, their spectre has by and large remained no less menacing in Bihar. Unlike the past, when caste massacres were rampant in the name of class struggle - and Maoists mobilised the Dalits to take on the upper-caste militias, their solitary focus now on collecting levy and using a major chunk of it for personal purposes..

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The desperation to collect levy at all costs, according to Additional director General of Police RK Mallik, could be because of the fact that many Maoist leaders are thinking about a life beyond the jungles.

"They want to make money in the name of their organization and use it for personal purpose," the officer said.

This perhaps explains why the Maoists hitting hard for levy at a time when their base is dwindling in all the 10 states, which are said to be infested by the Maoists in varying degrees.

The states affected by Maoists presence are: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.22

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

The scandal over supplying the Armenian army with margarine instead of butter continues to gain momentum.

Recently, the Armenian newspaper Past, citing its sources, reported that sensational detentions have begun in Armenia. It turned out that one of the Armenian companies has for many years been buying cheap margarine abroad and was supplying the army under the guise of expensive butter. Following inspections by the National Security Service, it was found out that the company pocketed millions of dollars in this scheme. The employees of the laboratory of the Agriculture Ministry, who falsified the documents on which margarine was supplied as butter, were detained.

Another Armenian media 1in.am has discovered further information on the issue  the amount of margarine sold to the Defense Ministry hit 14 tons. The companies that won the supply tender, SP LLC and Eliser LLC, are connected with the deputy head of the Food Safety Service (FSS) Yeghishe Margaryan.

Margaryan owns one of these companies, and it was he who was forcing the employees to falsify the final results of examination and present the imported margarine as butter. Nevertheless, the employees do not admit the pressure  they note in their testimony that an error occurred during the examination.

However, Armenian journalists found out that no examination was carried out in the FSS. Following inspections conducted in the laboratory, no information on butter examination was found in computers. That is, without any product verification, the FSS issued an examination certificate that the imported margarine is allegedly butter. Theoretically, if the product contained poison or was expired, it would be anyway sent for consumption of Armenian soldiers.

All the information on the issue was obtained from unofficial but informed sources, while neither the Armenian Defense Ministry nor the Food Safety Service have so far commented on the situation. Many experts believe the reason for this silence may be attributed to the involvement of the Defense Ministry in this fraud. The ministry has even imposed a ban on negative information concerning the agency.

Thus, the assumption that the Armenian Defense Ministry is itself involved in the crime has reasonable grounds. This incident has once again revealed the deception and fraud reigning in the Armenian army as well as throughout the country.
Australian police said on Friday they had seized a record 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine with a street value of more than A$1 billion ($771 million) after a raid in a remote area of the west Australian coast, Reuters reported.

Eight Australian men were charged with offences carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, police in Western Australia state said in a statement.

We are striking at the top end of drug trafficking before it gets further down the distribution chain, Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said.

The drugs were collected from a ship called the Valkoista, police said, and were then offloaded into a white hire van at a dock in Geraldton, about 375 km (230 miles) north of the Western Australia capital, Perth.

Tactical police intercepted the van as it reversed away from the dock.

Police arrested the vans three occupants, all from the eastern Australian state of New South Wales. Three others were arrested on the Valkoista and the remaining two were charged in Perth.

Police said they suspected the drugs were destined for Australias more populous east coast.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday said that Hungary sees a strong Poland as a vital component of a central European caucus within the European Union, and so will block any action to suspend Polands voting rights in the EU, Reuters reports.

Orban said Poland, under fire from Brussels for its transformation of the judiciary, was being criticized unfairly and unjustly. He spelled out that Hungary would not subscribe to an attempt to invoke the EUs Article 7 sanction process.

We need to make it clear to the EU that it is pointless even to start proceedings against Poland as there is no chance of seeing it through - because Hungary will be there and form an insurmountable road block, Orban said.
The South Korean government has solidified a process to acquire 20 more F-35As for the countrys air force, Sputnik reported.

The jet is one of the most expensive fighter aircraft on the market and the costliest weapons program in US history.

Citing government sources in Seoul, JoongAng Ilbo explained that the South Korea Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has established the procedure for buying the aircraft, which generally involves marshalling the funds to pay Lockheed Martin and the subcontractors that produce the fifth-generation stealth jet.

The F-35A's stealth capability is necessary for Seoul's contingency war plans to attack major facilities in North Korea, the newspaper said.

"The president and I have agreed. They'll be buying a tremendous [amount of military equipment]  which they want and which they need, and everybody thinks it makes a lot of sense. We make the best military equipment in the world. Whether it's planes, whether it's missiles, no matter what it is South Korea will be ordering billions of that equipment," US President Donald Trump told reporters during a state visit to South Korea in early November.

In 2014, Seoul ordered 40 export-variant F-35s for an estimated $6.7 billion.
Australia will end air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and bring its six Super Hornet planes home after three years as part of the U.S.-led coalition in the Middle East, Defence Minister Marise Payne said on Friday, Reuters reported.

She told a media conference the decision was made following the Iraqi declaration of victory over Islamic State.

Following discussions with Iraq and with members of the international coalition, the Australian government has determined that we will bring home our six Super Hornet strike aircraft from the Middle East, Payne told reporters.

It has been long. It has been arduous. It has been brutal. All of our personnel made an extraordinary contribution.

Australia has been in the Middle East as part of the U.S.-led effort against Islamic State since 2014.

Payne said other Australian operations in the region would continue, with 80 personnel who are part of the Special Operations Task Group in Iraq, including Australian special forces, continuing their deployment.

Australian soldiers have also been training Iraqi troops at the Taji military base outside Baghdad.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomes the decision of the UN General Assembly on Jerusalem, the organization said in a message Dec. 22.

The vote in the UN General Assembly on Jerusalem is historic and once again proves that the majority of states recognize Jerusalem as part of Palestine, said the message.

The UN on Dec. 21 overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem, calling on the US to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's capital, despite threats by the US President Donald Trump to cut aid to those countries who voted against the move.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the resolution, nine countries voted against and 35 others abstained.

The vote came after US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley issued a direct threat, saying the US will think twice about funding the world body if it voted to condemn Trump's decision.

Haley said the US will put its embassy in Jerusalem regardless of the vote.

"That is what the American people want us to do and it is the right thing to do. This vote will make a difference in how Americans look at the UN. And this vote will be remembered."
The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea following its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test, a move that analysts said could have a significant impact on the isolated countrys struggling economy, reuters reported.

The resolution seeks to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and, in what diplomats said was a last-minute change, demands the repatriation of North Koreans working abroad within 24 months, instead of 12 months as first proposed.

The U.S.-drafted resolution would also cap crude oil supplies to North Korea at 4 million barrels a year. The United States has been calling on China to limit its oil supply to its neighbor and ally.

The resolution passed by a vote of 15 to 0, said Japans ambassador to the United Nations. Japan holds the presidency of the Security Council this month.

North Korea on Nov. 29 said it successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile in a breakthrough that puts the U.S. mainland within range of its nuclear weapons whose warheads could withstand re-entry to the Earths atmosphere.

It (the resolution) sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishments and isolation, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said following the vote.

Tensions have been rising over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs, which it pursues in defiance of years of UN Security Council resolutions, with bellicose rhetoric coming from both Pyongyang and the White House.

In November, North Korea called for a halt to what it called brutal sanctions, saying a previous round imposed after its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3 constituted genocide.

U.S. diplomats have made clear they are seeking a diplomatic solution but have proposed new, tougher sanctions to ratchet up pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea regularly threatens to destroy South Korea, the United States and Japan, and says its weapons programs are necessary to counter U.S. aggression. The United States stations 28,500 troops in the South, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

On Friday, a spokesperson for North Koreas foreign ministry called U.S. President Donald Trumps recently released national security strategy the latest American policy seeking to stifle our country and turn the entire Korean peninsula into an outpost of American hegemony.

He said Trump was seeking total subordination of the whole world.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the UN General Assembly resolution on Jerusalem during a phone conversation, the Turkish media reported Dec. 22.

Reportedly, the two leaders noted the importance of the resolution.

The UN General Assembly has recently adopted a resolution on the non-recognition of the US decision on the status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; 128 countries voted for the document, nine countries opposed, and 35 countries abstained.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey and Japan will discuss regional issues during the visit of Japans Foreign Minister Taro Kono to Ankara, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a message Dec. 22.

Kono will visit Ankara Dec. 28, according to the message.

During his visit to Turkey, Taro Kono will hold a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

During the meeting, the two foreign ministers will discuss bilateral political, economic and cultural relations brought by the two states to the level of strategic partnership in 2013.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday evening spoke separately with his German and Palestinian counterparts about Jerusalem, Anadolu Agency reported..

Erdogan spoke with Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas about the much-criticized US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The conversations came on the heels of Thursdays landmark UN General Assembly vote overwhelmingly rejecting the US move on Jerusalem.

On Dec. 6, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital despite worldwide opposition. The decision sparked angry demonstration across the Muslim world.

Following a UN Security Council resolution that would have passed unanimously but for a US veto, the General Assembly passed a resolution spurning the US move, 128-9.

General Assembly votes are not subject to vetos.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top Turkish officials have been at the international forefront opposing the US move, through sponsoring the UN resolution and calling an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, among other measures.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem might eventually serve as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.
By PTI: (Eds: With additional inputs)

New Delhi/Jaipur, Dec 22(PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today said it has arrested two persons in connection with its money laundering probe in the Bikaner land scam case, which is allegedly linked to Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

The agency said it has arrested the "main fraudster" in the case Jaiprakash Bagarwa and Ashok Kumar under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

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These are the first arrests in this case.

They were arrested from Rajasthans capital Jaipur last night and were produced in a special court there today, a senior official said.

"Ashok Kumar is a close associate of Mahesh Nagar of M/s Skylight Hospitality Private Limited," it said.

Skylight Hospitality is a firm that has been alleged to be linked to Vadra.

The agency had searched the premises of Kumar and Nagar in April this year.

It had said that in four cases of land purchase in Bikaner by this firm, the "authorised representative" was Nagar.

Kumar, it has been alleged by the agency, purchased land in the same area using the "power of attorney" of others.

It is also alleged that Kumar is a "close associate" of Nagar.

The ED probe is related to the purchase of 275 bigha land allegedly by the company in the Kolayat area of the borderAtown of Bikaner in Rajasthan a few years ago.

The agency had also attached assets worth Rs 1.18 crore of government officials and others in connection with the case under the provisions of the PMLA.

It had registered a criminal case under the PMLA in this matter in 2015, taking cognisance of FIRs filed by the state police after the local Tehsildar had complained of alleged forgery.

The agency, in this case, had also issued notices to the said firm linked to Vadra and has obtained certain documents from it.

However, the ED has not mentioned the name of Vadra or any company linked to him in its FIR filed.

In the FIR, it had named some Rajasthan government officials and the "land mafia".

Vadra had denied any wrongdoing even as the Congress called the action "sheer political vendetta".

The Rajasthan government had in January 2015 cancelled the mutation (transfer of land) of 374.44 hectares of land, after the land department claimed to have found that the allotments were made in the names of "illegal privateApersons".

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The tehsildar had said in the complaint that the government land in 34 villages of Bikaner, to be used forAexpanding the Armys firing range in the area, was "grabbed" by the land mafia by preparing "forged and fabricatedAdocuments" in connivance with government officials.

ED suspects that huge money was laundered in this case by people buying land at cheap rates through forged documents.

The state government had, while cancelling the mutations, said these were not issued by the Commissioner, Colonisation, Bikaner.

The state police had also filed charge sheets in the 18 cases in a court in Kolayat. PTI NES SMN

--- ENDS ---
By Miya Tanaka, KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2017 - 10:23 | All

The government on Friday approved a record draft defense budget for fiscal 2018 totaling 5.19 trillion yen ($46 billion) as it seeks to introduce a new missile defense system and new cruise missiles amid the growing North Korean threat.

The size of the draft budget is up 1.3 percent on year, including outlays linked to hosting U.S. military bases, and hits a record high for the fourth consecutive year under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, which has beefed up Japan's defense capacities amid concerns over North Korea as well as China's maritime assertiveness.

Around 730 million yen was set aside to prepare for the introduction of the U.S.-developed land-based Aegis missile defense system, which will add to the existing missile shield involving Aegis destroyers equipped with Standard Missile-3 interceptors and the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors deployed on the ground.

(Maritime Self-Defense Force)

The government also earmarked about 44 billion yen to acquire more capable interceptor missiles known as SM-3 Block 2A, co-developed by Japan and the United States. Some 4.7 billion yen was also secured to upgrade Japan's air defense command and control system to be better prepared for missiles launched simultaneously or on a highly lofted trajectory, a method North Korea has tested.

To expedite the schedule for purchasing the new Aegis Ashore system and other projects linked to missile defense, 62.2 billion yen was allocated as related costs in a supplementary budget for the current fiscal year, also approved by the Cabinet on Friday.

According to the Defense Ministry, Japan's total outlays for ballistic missile defense have topped 2 trillion yen on a contract base since the country first began building the system in fiscal 2004.

The government also followed up on its recently announced plan to acquire air-launched cruise missiles with a range far longer than the current ones Japan has, securing 2.16 billion yen to purchase Norway's Joint Strike Missile with a range of about 500 kilometers.

It also decided to spend 30 million yen for research into introducing Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, which both have a roughly 900-km range.

The missiles potentially have the range to reach North Korean missile launchers or other targets when fired from fighter jets flying near Japan, a controversial capability for the country, whose war-renouncing Constitution places restrictions on its defense forces.

The government also plans to build two 3,900-ton destroyers of a new type, which can engage in diverse missions with a downsized vessel body, allocating 92.2 billion yen in purchases costs. About 69.7 billion yen was also booked for the construction of a submarine.

Around 55.3 billion yen was allocated for outlays to build barracks and other facilities for Ground Self-Defense Force members to be stationed on Miyako Island and Amami-Oshima Island, as the government seeks to step up defenses for far-flung islands in the country's southwest amid China's growing maritime assertiveness.

Both islands are not far from the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea which China claims, calling them Diaoyu. Chinese government ships have repeatedly entered Japanese waters around the islands, creating tensions.

The government also earmarked 78.5 billion yen for the purchase of six more F-35A stealth fighter jets and 39.3 billion yen for four more V-22 Ospreys, the last batch of a plan to procure a total of 17 units of the tilt-rotor aircraft for the GSDF.

As investment into future technologies, the government set aside 4.6 billion yen to study high-speed glide bombs, a longer-range weapon which it says would be useful for operations to retake invaded remote islands, and 5.4 billion yen for research on anti-ship missiles also for the purpose of island defense.

Japan's so-called host-nation support, which covers costs for workers, utilities and other items at U.S. military bases, grew 1.1 percent to 196.8 billion yen in fiscal 2018 on an expenditure base.

The costs received attention as U.S. President Donald Trump said during his presidential campaign that Japan does not pay enough for U.S. security support.

Expenses for the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan rose 7.5 percent to 216.1 billion yen, which includes funding to move ahead with the controversial relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within the southern island prefecture of Okinawa.

With fiscal 2018 being the final year in the country's five-year mid-term defense build-up plan, the Defense Ministry said most of the scheduled major procurements will be achieved through the latest budget, except for some plans, such as the scandal-hit procurement of the Maritime Self-Defense Force multipurpose helicopters.
By Noriyuki Suzuki, KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2017 - 11:33 | Feature, All

Curbing growth in medical expenses and pensions is a constant battle for an aging and heavily indebted Japan. But what lies ahead looks even trickier: creating a social security system that benefits all.

Promoted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the idea is that Japan needs to remodel the existing system, seen as friendlier to the elderly, in favor of younger generations who bear responsibility for the country's future economic growth.

His recent push for stepping up investment in education for the youth is largely seen as the right course of action. However, Japan will also have to deal with a significant demographic change in the near future and a subsequent impact on its social security system.

Government officials, healthcare professionals and economists are focused on the year 2025 when baby boomers born between 1947 and 1949 will have turned 75 years old, an event that will further increase the country's welfare costs.

That future is already raising a sense of urgency in Japan -- one of the world's fastest-aging nations with the worst fiscal health among advanced economies.

"Finding a balance is the most difficult part (in reviewing the existing social security system) if we try to pass (the system) onto future generations," Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters earlier this week.

"We need to stand on the premise that the aging of our society with a declining birthrate will surely continue, which will inevitably lead to more spending on nursing care," Aso said.

His remarks came after he settled on a review plan to rein in growing medical fees covered by the country's social insurance system. Drug prices will be cut while nursing care benefits will be raised.

The review helped the government to limit the year-on-year gain in total social security spending to 500 billion yen ($4.4 billion) under the initial fiscal 2018 budget plan, approved by the Cabinet on Friday.

Still, a third of the 97.71 trillion yen draft budget was set aside for social security spending.

Takuya Hoshino, an economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, warned against optimism, saying, "Achieving the target itself should not be the goal. How money is spent is more important."

Hoshino said raising nursing care benefits is "reasonable" as the industry is experiencing a severe labor shortage while the number of elderly people needing care is rapidly increasing.

In fiscal 2017, social security benefits totaled around 120 trillion yen, with pensions accounting for almost half of the total.

In the vast majority of cases currently, Japanese people start receiving pensions at the age of 65.

"Going forward, the idea of raising the age threshold to start receiving pensions should be explored," Hoshino added.

Next year, the government is expected to draw up a new fiscal rehabilitation plan and set a fresh timeframe for achieving a primary budget surplus. Abe has effectively given up attaining the goal in fiscal 2020 as he will step up spending on childcare and education.

Many economists say enhanced investment in education is expected to not only benefit the economy but also help break a cycle of poverty that would otherwise continue for generations.

According to recent government data, Japan's poverty rate for children aged 17 or younger dropped to 13.9 percent in 2015 from 16.3 percent in 2012, the first improvement in 12 years, even as it still means that roughly one in seven was in poverty.

"At this point, it seems like a natural turn of events to shift the focus to children from the elderly to create a system for all," said Akio Doteuchi, a senior researcher at the NLI Research Institute.

"But we also need to be mindful of the risk that middle-aged people will become poorer (under increased social security burdens)," Doteuchi said.

For now, Japan's economy is in its second-longest postwar expansion phase, boosting expectations for increased tax revenue in fiscal 2018, which will begin April 1.

An advisory panel for the finance minister has urged the government to push for more "accelerated" spending reform, saying that there is "only a little time left" to make both the country's finances and social security system sustainable.

Dai-ichi Life's Hoshino agrees.

"If life expectancy is getting longer and spending, particularly on social security, is increasing, we need to do something about it," he said. "Without doing anything, we will find no way out."
KYODO NEWS - Dec 22, 2017 - 17:47 | Feature, All

The number of babies born in Japan in 2017 is estimated to have fallen to the lowest since such record-keeping began in 1899, government data showed Friday.

According to statics released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of babies born this year is estimated at 941,000, about 36,000 fewer than last year and below 1 million for the second consecutive year.

The number of newborns peaked at about 2.7 million in 1949.

The population of Japan is also believed to have continued to shrink as estimated deaths exceeded births.

Deaths during the year totaled an estimated 1.344 million, a postwar record and up some 36,000 from last year.

The ministry estimates a natural population decline of 403,000, the biggest ever and an increase of around 72,000 from the previous year.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to stem the population decline -- the result of a rapidly aging population and very low birthrate -- by expanding support for childcare and education. The government has set a goal of raising the total fertility rate to 1.8 by around 2025, from 1.44 in 2016.

The total fertility rate is a measure of the average number of children expected to be born per woman, adjusted for the age profile of the female population and age-specific fertility rates.

The number of marriages in 2017 dropped to 607,000 pairs, the lowest in the postwar era and down 14,000 from the previous year.

On average, a baby was born every 34 seconds, a person died every 23 seconds, and one couple got married every 52 seconds this year in Japan.
[caption id="attachment_7745" align="alignnone" width="620"]

Image by Shutterstock[/caption] The comprehensive tax bill passed by Congress this week and awaiting President Donald Trump's signature is filled with changes to corporate tax structures, especially for multinational tech companies.Tax attorneys told The Recorder that legal departments should be figuring out exactly how the bill affects their individual company, as there are a variety of changes in regulations. But there are some changes that most major tech companies can count on.Here are four developments in-house lawyers at technology companies should start preparing for, as the legislationif signed by Trumpwill be effective at the start of 2018:1. Money overseas: The new tax plan could incentivize tech companies such as Apple, which has operations in Ireland and other foreign countries, to bring money abroad back to the United States. Companies that kept money overseas to avoid higher U.S. tax rates may bring that money back to take advantage of the now much lower corporate tax rate. The law also will make it more difficult for U.S. companies to avoid paying taxes on money made abroad. Tech and pharmaceuticals and life science industries, they have large amounts of money offshore that will be subject to tax under the bill, said Barton Bassett, a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius who works with tech companies. That money might be brought back and so companies will need to get their hands around what those number look like.2. Domestic expansion: If that money does come back, it could spur growth and expansion throughout the United States. Theres two paths that could takean organic route, where companies open up their own locations in new states, or through mergers and acquisitions. Either way, in-house staff should be prepared for a year of growth into new markets by reading up on regulations around the country. The design of the new tax plan is that it should encourage companies already in the U.S. to keep the money in the U.S. and expand in the U.S., said Sam Dibble, a California-based partner at Baker Botts. 3. Compensation changes: C-suite executives could see the way theyre compensated change under the new tax plan. Changes to tax law will prohibit companies from deducting more than $1 million in payments to their executive management team, including the CEO and, in another new change, the CFO. Certainly [in-house counsel will] want to look at executives compensation plans and understand the changes, Dibble said. And make sure that the executives understand the compensation changes.4. Relocating: Compensation changes wont just be felt by those at the top. Many Silicon Valley engineers salaries fall into a range that would see taxes increase. States with higher taxes, like California, lost out in the tax plan. And that could lead companies to move away from the United States unofficial tech capitalmeaning lawyers should be looking into tech and tax regulations in other states. The cost of living in Silicon Valley and California is already very high, even for an engineer, Dibble said. The general thought was we have to be in Silicon Valley because thats where the talent is. But the financial difference between being a highly paid employee in Texas or Washington state, where theres a growing tech presence and smaller overhead, means it may be easier for corporations to relocate people. Employees may want to move. The new bill has implications for tech companies of every size, inside and outside of Silicon Valley. While these four potential issues are something to look out for in 2018, tax lawyers say the most important action in-house lawyers can take is sitting down, reading the bill and seeing how their company specifically will be impacted. Then, communicate those changes with other departments and start planning. "The biggest issue is getting in front of your modeling and determining now how the law is going to impact your business," Bassett said. "This isnt something you want to wait until next year to figure out."
Hours after the BJP's double victory in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drove to the party headquarters in New Delhi to greet the faithful. Flanked by his senior cabinet and party colleagues, Modi made an impassioned victory speech that had elements of triumphalism, conciliation and an astute reiteration of his commitment to vikas (development). While concluding with his usual exhortation of Bharat Mata ki jai he then, with unusual fervour, urged the crowd to chant along with him, Jeetega Bhai Jeetega, Vikas hi Jeetega (Development will always emerge the winner). In doing so the prime minister was setting the agenda for the even bigger battles ahead that include a handful of vital state polls before his re-election bid in the 2019 general election.

It is Modi's ability to think way ahead of his opponents even as he savours victory that makes him India's tallest leader. After the BJP's decisive win in Uttar Pradesh in March and its forming a government in three of the other four state polls held then, Modi in his victory rally announced that by 2022, when the nation celebrates 75 years of Independence, he would forge a New India that would fulfil the dreams of the country's young who constitute 65 per cent of India's population. He outlined a vision for the new generation, indirectly appealing to them for a second term to fulfil it. Now, after the Gujarat victory, Modi was signalling to his party that vikas first and not Hindutva would be his major plank for 2019.

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More than anyone else, the prime minister is acutely aware of the challenges and imperatives the New Year brings. The win in Gujarat may have helped him retain the BJP's asmita (pride), but it came with plenty of worries and warnings for the remaining 18 months of his tenure.

First, the win in Gujarat. What was to be a cinch for the BJP on Modi's home turf turned out to be a bruising battle that went down to the wire. With a lacklustre state leadership, a rebellious Hardik Patel gaining traction and a combative Rahul Gandhi willing to give as good as he got, it would take all of Modi's skills as a political strategist and communicator coupled with Amit Shah's organisational wizardry to pull off a narrow victory. Without doubt, it is impressive that Modi beat back anti-incumbency and ensured that the BJP won the state for a record sixth time. And that the Modi-Shah duo have together powered the BJP/ NDA to 15 wins out of the 23 assembly elections fought since 2014. It means that the BJP, for the first time in its history, now rules over 19 of the 29 states, reducing the Congress to a meagre five and replacing it as the sole pan-national party.

Next, the worries. The Gujarat results exposed clear fault-lines that will haunt the BJP as it gears up for elections in the politically significant states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in 2018. There is an over-dependence on Modi as the prime vote catcher with no second line of leadership emerging. There is a clear urban-rural divide in the voting patterns. The Congress got the better of the BJP in villages cashing in on the ruling party's failure to tackle farmers' distress and alleviate rural poverty. There is also growing disillusionment among the young and unemployed that Rahul and Hardik were able to effectively mobilise. It would be naive to conclude that the electorate has endorsed demonetisation and GST despite the slowdown in the economy these caused. If the cities of Gujarat have backed Modi, it is because, compared to the others, they still think of him as the best bet to pull the country out of the present economic slump. Also because the Central government bent over backwards to remove the GST irritants which had the state's traders up in arms.

Finally, the warnings for the party. With the arrogance the ruling party exhibited (what critics call tanashahi) and its belief that a state can be run by overarching Central control, the BJP is falling into the trap patented by the Congress. The BJP's win-at-any cost approach, including welcoming defectors to its fold, is compromising the 'ideological purity' it prided itself with and has created heartburn among loyalists. Witness the shameless induction of Shankersinh Vaghela and his follower into the party just before the Rajya Sabha bypoll in a bid to beat Ahmed Patel. It proved a turning point, as the Congress then put up a ferocious fight by forming alliances with three community leaders, including Hardik.

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Then Modi and the BJP, in their desperation to win votes in the final phase of campaigning in the Gujarat elections, resorted to communally divisive barbs rather than tom-tom the famed Gujarat development model. Modi was also less than prime ministerial when he charged his predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh, with treason for attending a private dinner hosted by his former cabinet colleague Mani Shankar Aiyar for a former Pakistan foreign minister. The result of all these capers: the Congress, which was facing oblivion, has risen from the ashes and emerged as the main Opposition party to challenge the BJP's hegemony.

It is not only the BJP that has lessons to learn from the Gujarat outcome. The Congress, under its newly elected president Rahul Gandhi, may have put up a spirited show, but it still lacks the killer instinct. Its party organisation is no match for the formidable set-up that Shah has put in place for the BJP. Rather than fight every election like the BJP does, as if the party's very existence hinges on the outcome, the Congress approach is languid, akin to preparing for a PhD thesis. Instead of waking up just before the polls in Gujarat, the party should have played the role of the Opposition right through the five years, steadily whittling away at the state government's credibility.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma

While a rejuvenated Rahul has certainly brought the spark back, he has miles to go. Victories on social media do not translate into wins in the polling booth. For that, you need boots on the ground and last-mile connectivity with the voters. Rahul needs a phalanx of committed party leaders and workers to take on the might of the BJP in the coming assembly polls. The good sign is that, in the poll-bound states, he has worked steadily to build strong local leadership which has been reaching out to voters long before the notification of the election process. He also has to work out a cohesive strategy to form alliances that could give a united Opposition the numbers to effectively challenge the BJP.

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In Gujarat, when the Congress played the caste card and formed alliances with community leaders, it had the BJP disoriented. The Sangh parivar, which had pushed Hindutva as a way of uniting the Hindu vote, was forced to fall back on caste considerations to bolster its chances. With the Ayodhya verdict expected in mid-2018, the BJP could use a favourable outcome to bring Hindutva back on the agenda. But Modi, who is considered a 'Hindu Hriday Samrat', is clearly not banking on either the temple or Hindutva appeal, or the caste game for the matter, to win both the state polls and the general election. The prime minister is acutely aware that the BJP may not be able to replicate its seat tally in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat which enabled it to win a clear majority in 2014. So the vikas card is being played to woo a broad spectrum of voters even as the BJP retains its core hardline Hindu support base. Modi should also address concerns about the growing intolerance across the country that his critics say he has ignored acting on.

For the development card to be effective, the big message coming from Gujarat is that Modi would have to focus doubly hard on economic growth. Particularly on addressing agrarian distress and employment. The recent rise in GDP numbers, after five quarters of falling growth, has come as a relief to the government. NITI Aayog chairman Rajiv Kumar believes that "the worst is behind us and we are slowly but surely growing from now on. We would reach 7.5 per cent by late next year." In agriculture, his advice is to shift emphasis from food grains and MSPs to involving farmers in the agro-processing value chain. For that, the government needs to invest massively in agricultural infrastructure, refurbishing mandis, including building storage and processing facilities to meet the needs. The government is even exploring liberating agriculture from market controls to enable farmers get remunerative prices for their produce.

To stimulate the economy and generate employment, Modi's aides are also talking of what they term "the wow factor". This essentially means working out schemes in labour-intensive sectors such as housing, tourism and textiles that can employ masses of people in the short run by removing roadblocks. Also a massive infrastructure drive of constructing roads, airports and expanding the rail network. There is also talk of focusing on exports, which is picking up, including extending the 12 per cent EPF subsidy to more sectors. The other area that requires urgent government attention is stimulating private investment by rapidly sorting out the NPA issue that has brought bank lending to almost a halt. "We are working on innovative solutions to tackle all these issues," says an official. Modi hinted as much when he talked of the Gujarat win being a mandate for reforms that could transform the country.

The prime minister should also focus on improving the implementation of the scores of schemes that he has initiated since he took charge. Many like the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme, the LPG cylinder scheme, the LED bulb supply, the construction of toilets and provision of power supply to as yet unconnected villages have been widely appreciated and brought him rich electoral dividends. The fact that his government is so far untainted by corruption charges is a major positive. Modi is also seen as someone who is willing to correct errors rather than be paralysed by them. The GST modifications are a good indication of that. There is now a proposal to bring petrol under GST ensuring that states cannot overcharge consumers, and thereby bring down prices. This is expected to enthuse urban India, particularly the middle class, that has so far been disconnected over the GST process.

Despite the setbacks to the economy, the recent electoral wins, with caveats, indicate that Modi is still regarded as the best bet for rapid development. The prime minister remains the front-runner to win the 2019 elections provided he sticks to the straight and narrow path of vikas and does not allow the saffron hotheads to derail his vision.

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Shares of Abbott ABT rallied to a new 52-week high of $57.30 on Dec 20, closing the session nominally lower at $57.02. This represents a strong year-to-date return of approximately 48.4%, higher than the S&P 500s 20.2%. The stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Taking the stable stock performance into consideration, we expect Abbott to scale higher in the quarters ahead. The company also has a trailing four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 4.5%. Its positive long-term growth of 10.7% holds promise as well.

For the majority of the last three months, the companys share price has considerably outperformed the broader industry. The stock has rallied 8.6% over the last three months, beating the industrys gain of just 3.3%.

Factors Driving the Stock

Alere Acquisition: Abbotts successful closure of the Alere acquisition after a prolonged legal battle has instilled confidence in investors. The acquisition closed in October 2017 under amended financial terms in favor of Abbott. Taking the attractive prospects of Point-of-care testing within the in vitro diagnostics market into consideration, Abbott is highly optimistic about the Alere integration. According to the company, the Alere buyout will significantly expand its diagnostics presence. Moreover, Abbott expects Alere to contribute around $475 million to its top line in 2017.

Recent FDA Approvals: Through 2017, Abbott is effectively focusing on core therapeutic areas. Recently, its FreeStyle Libre Flash received FDA approval. Also, it received approval for MR-conditional labeling for Ellipse ICD.

Developing Diabetes Business: There have been a slew of developments within the Diabetics business. We are upbeat about Abbotts FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring Systems recent reimbursement approval in the U.K. Plus, the company recently announced receipt of Health Canada License for the same. In May 2017, the company received full or partial reimbursement from the French Health Ministry for the product.

Story continues

Solid Emerging Market Performance: Abbotts emerging market performance has been promising, courtesy of the latest strategic developments. Notably, the company has been witnessing double-digit growth in Brazil, Russia, India, and China of late.

Key Picks

A few better-ranked medical stocks are athenahealth, Inc. ATHN, Align Technology, Inc. ALGN and Luminex Corporation LMNX. Notably, athenahealth, Align Technology and Luminex sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

athenahealth has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 22.3%. The stock has rallied roughly 27.3% over a year.

Align Technology has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 28.9%. The stock has gained 137.9% in a year.

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Here we go again.

Just when it looked like struggling fast-casual chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was getting its act together with huge management changes, food safety concerns have struck again. CMG stock lost 4.6% in trading on Wednesday.

Chipotle (CMG)

Source: Shutterstock

According to Business Insider, public health officials are investigating a possible food-borne illness outbreak tied to a Los Angeles Chipotle restaurant. Five reports on iwaspoisoned.com, a crowd-sourced food illness reporting website, claimed that at least seven customers fell ill after eating at a Los Angeles Chipotle location around December 13. According to the reports, the customers suffered from vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.

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CMG stock dropped to below $300.

These reports could very well be fake news or simply a random coincidence. Chipotle did say in a statement to CNBC that influenza was widespread in California and that these illnesses come against the backdrop of widespread illness throughout the state. Maybe its just bad luck.

But whether its bad luck or not, this incident is yet another major headwind to the CMG stock rebound thesis. Heres why.

Chipotles Brand Will Be Damaged For A While

Investors shouldnt simply write these illness reports off as fake news.

The reports are apparently enough to warrant the involvement of the Los Angeles Health Departments Acute Communicable Disease Control unit. And that is likely because something very similar happened in July, when multiple illness reports on iwaspoisoned.com related to a CMG location in Virginia turned out to be a norovirus outbreak. That incident was reportedly the result of a manager requiring employees to work while sick.

The reported symptoms this time around are consistent with norovirus (nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain). Chipotle also said in a statement that several employees at the Los Angeles location currently under investigation have been ill.

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Im not at all saying that these illnesses are anymore than a random coincidence. But Im also not saying that they are a random coincidence. All I am saying is that investors shouldnt blatantly dismiss these reports as fake news.

Secondly, regardless of how this situation plays out, the damage is already done to Chipotles brand.

Ever since a 2015 E. coli breakout significantly damaged that brand, CMG has been on close watch by both consumers and investors. Time and time again, while under the microscope, CMG has failed to convey itself to the public as a safe place to eat. Whether its norovirus outbreaks or rats crawling around restaurants, CMG seems to be in the news every few months for a food safety issue.

Safety Concerns Are Holding Back Stock

The reality is that CMG stock will not rebound until Chipotle food safety concerns stop popping up in the news.

Dont believe me? Prior to the July Virginia norovirus outbreak, CMG stock was trading around $400. Third-quarter numbers showed that the outbreak did have an adverse effect on sales. Comparable sales rose just 1% in Q3, versus 8% in Q2. Meanwhile, the full-year comparable sales guide fell from high single-digit growth in Q2 to 6.5% in Q3.

Consequently, CMG stock fell. Its now a $300 stock.

This trend of CMG stock dropping on weaker-than-expected numbers will continue so long as the Chipotle brand is damaged by persistent food safety concerns.

Bottom Line on CMG Stock

There is no reason to own this troubled stock. Its in a clear downtrend, still trades at 45x this years earnings estimate, and the company cant seem to move past the headwind which has crushed shares over the past two years.

Thus, even at these multi-year lows, CMG stock is a sell.

As of this writing, Luke Lango did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

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The post Another Food Issue Shows Why Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Stock Is A Sell appeared first on InvestorPlace.
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Consumers struggling to afford health coverage are increasingly being targeted with an attractive pitch from insurance companies and brokers: Low-cost alternatives to Affordable Care Act plans that, they say, provide meaningful protection against large medical expenses.

The main draw of these planscalled short-term because they can currently cover only 90 days at a timeis that they come with much lower monthly premiums than many ACA plans.

For example, the cheapest unsubsidized ACA plan available to a 55-year-old man living in Indianapolisa location recommended to us by eHealthInsurance.com, an online brokercosts $563 a month. He can buy a short-term plan through that company for $103 a month.

Such plans are likely to become more popular in the coming year, for two main reasons.

First, the just-passed Republican tax plan eliminates the penalty on people who dont have ACA-approved health coverage. So people will soon be able to buy short-term insurance without worrying about that penalty.

And President Trump is urging federal regulators to ease restrictions on the sale of the plans, which could let insurers sell short-term policies lasting up to 364 days. (Allowing them to be sold for a full year would require Congress to pass a separate law.) That would make it easier for insurers to market them, says Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.

But short-term plans dont have to meet standards set by the ACA, so they often come with limitations that can leave people with huge medical bills if they get seriously ill. These plans can be cheap, Corlette says, but they also dont cover very much.

For example, insurers can exclude coverage or charge extra for everything from maternity care and prescription drugs to mental health care. They also dont have to cover pre-existing conditionsthat is, any condition for which you have experienced symptoms or sought treatment for up to five years before enrolling. And if you get seriously ill after the policy starts, the company can refuse to later renew your plan.

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Short-term plans can also have higher deductibles than whats allowed by the ACA. For instance, a close reading of that $103 eHealthInsurance policy shows it carries a $5,000 deductible that you must reach before insurance kicks in. After that you still have to pay 50 percent of most of your medical bills until you spend another $5,000 out of pocket. Trips to the ER are capped at $500 and there are limits on what the plan will pay for surgery and outpatient visits. Plus, theres no coverage for prescription drugs except in the hospital.

By contrast, ACA plans are prevented by law from putting a dollar limit on any of these essential health benefits.

Sean Malia, eHealthInsurances senior director of carrier relations, acknowledges the limitations of short-term plans. Our primary recommendation to consumers is always, if they can, purchase major medical coverage, he says. These plans are primarily for people who for whatever reason cannot purchase an Obamacare policy.

For some people, the limitations of the plans are worth the lower premiums, Corlette says. It depends on the risk the consumer is willing to tolerate and the extent to which they can bear costs related to an unexpected medical event.

And short-term plans have supporters in Congress. In urging regulators to ease the 90-day limit, a group of Senate Republicans called them valuable protection against out-of-pocket costs that offer greater flexibility in the choice of health benefits than on-exchange plans.

But some state regulators feel otherwise. People dont realize these products dont cover much of anything, says Janice Rocco, deputy commissioner of the California Department of Insurance. If they end up needing significant care, they probably wont be able to afford the share of the costs they have to pay.

The Pitfalls of Affordable Plans

Stewart LaMotte, of Lawrenceville, Ga, learned of those limitations the hard way.

At age 64, he felt he could not afford an ACA policy, which he said had a $1,000 a month premium for 2017 and a $6,500 deductible.

A retired restaurateur, he earned too much from his investments to qualify for a tax credit to help with the premium. Online, he found a short-term plan that cost only $261 a month.

I was looking for major medical catastrophic, he says. I wasnt looking for them to pay for every Band-Aid. And because he was in good health, he didnt worry about the policys disclaimer warning that it wasnt an ACA-covered type deal.

At a routine dental checkup about a month before the plans February start date, LaMotte says he mentioned a concern about his upper palate. Several referrals later, he learned he had oral cancer that required surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

The company denied the claim, pointing to a clause in the policy stating that it wouldnt cover any cancer with symptoms or treatments that started within 30 days of enrollment. LaMotte is now working with a patient advocate to see if he can get his $200,000 plus in medical bills reduced.

He has put off reconstructive surgery until he turns 65 in February and goes on Medicare. It will be the best day of my life, he says.

Concerns About Deceptive Advertising

Now that the penalty for not having an ACA-approved plan has been eliminated, and Trump is pushing to relax rules on how long the policies can last, insurers are more likely to aggressively market these plans.

We expect to see lots of these plans flood the market, predicts Betsy Imholz, special projects director for Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports. Big players, like United Healthcare, have told investors they think that these changes can create a rich market for them to mine.



Already, regulators in some states are seeing problems.

In Montana, the state auditor recommended disciplining a group of insurers and brokers that used misinformation and deception to market short-term plans to consumers. An investigation found that many buyers didnt realize their plans fell short of ACA standards and didnt cover pre-existing conditions. Regulators said some consumers who bought these plans from insurer websites believed they were using the official government exchange site.

And Pennsylvanias Insurance Department recently revoked the licenses of seven agents and brokers for deceptive marketing, says Jessica Altman, Pennsylvanias acting insurance commissioner.

Another possible consequence of relaxing restrictions on short-term plans is higher premiums for ACA-sanctioned ones, Altman says. Low-cost options will likely appeal most to healthy, younger people who dont have pre-existing conditions. But individuals who know they have serious or chronic healthcare needs will stay with comprehensive plans, she says. That will drive up the average price for everyone else in that pool.

How to Protect Yourself

Stick with an ACA-compliant plan if you possibly can. As Sean Malia at eHealthInsurance said, ACA plans are better options if you can afford them. Comprehensive coverage could protect you from financial ruin. For example, had Stewart LaMotte bitten the bullet and bought that $1,000-a-month ACA plan, his total outlay for 2017 would have been roughly $19,000a years premium plus the plans likely $7,000 out-of-pocket limitinstead of $200,000 and counting.

Although Open Enrollment for 2018 coverage has ended on Healthcare.gov, the federal governments health website, its continuing in New York, California, and several other states. Check with your states marketplace to see if you can still enroll. And use this calculator from the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation to find out if you qualify for a subsidy on your premium: More than 80 percent of people who apply for an ACA plan do.



Take advantage of special enrollment. Dont assume a short-term plan is your only option if you lose ACA coverage in the middle of the yearfor example, by leaving a job or aging off your parents plan. In these situations you often can may be allowed to purchase an ACA-compliant plan even though its not Open Enrollment season.

If you have no alternative, buy the most generous short-term plan you can afford. Some short-term plans are better than others, Corlette says. For instance, UnitedHealthOne, United Healthcares short-term product line, offers a high-end plan with a $1,000 deductible, a $10,000 coinsurance out-of-pocket limit, a $1 million coverage cap, 30 percent coinsurance, and even limited drug and mental-health benefits.

Use a trusted local broker. Make sure youre working with a reputable local broker that youre going to bump into at the grocery store, Corlette advises. Never, ever buy one of these over the phone or online. Healthcare.gov and many state-run exchanges have lists of state-licensed brokers in your area. And take time to understand any restrictions on coverage.





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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  2018, Consumer Reports, Inc.
(Adds background)

By Arunima Banerjee

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Boeing Co has held takeover talks with Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Boeing and Embraer have been discussing a deal that would involve a relatively large premium to the Brazilian company's market capitalization of $3.71 billion, the WSJ reported. (http://on.wsj.com/2Dn6SjQ)

Embraer's shares were up 21 percent in both Sao Paulo and New York. Boeing's shares were little changed.

The report comes about two months after Boeing rival Airbus SE agreed to buy a majority stake in Bombardier Inc's CSeries jetliner program. Reuters reported then that the CSeries deal could push Boeing and Embraer closer together. .

Such a move has long been contemplated in private, according to industry sources.

Boeing and Embraer already work on projects including runway safety and alternative jet fuels. Their partnership has intensified in recent years to include Boeing's commitment to joint sales and support of Embraer's KC-390 military aircraft.

The WSJ reported on Thursday that the talks were on hold as the companies were waiting for the Brazilian government's response on whether it would approve the deal.

Boeing is willing to take steps to protect Embraer's brand, management and jobs to help entice the government and is also willing to structure a deal that would protect the government's interest in Embraer's defense business, the WSJ reported.

The Brazilian government holds a "golden share" in Embraer, a state-run company that was fully privatized in 2006, giving it the right to veto changes in controlling ownership and changes to its military programs.

In September, Brazil's Finance Ministry asked a federal audit court to study how the government could exit the so-called golden share it holds in former state monopolies that have been partially or fully privatized in recent years.

Embraer and Boeing were not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Arunima Banerjee, Tim Hepher and Brad Haynes; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
FILE PHOTO - Boeing Co's logo is seen above the front doors of its largest jetliner factory in Everett, Washington, U.S. January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alwyn Scott (Reuters)

By Brad Haynes and Rodrigo Viga Gaier

SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Planemakers Boeing Co <BA.N> and Embraer SA <EMBR3.SA> are discussing a "potential combination," they said on Thursday, in a move that could consolidate a global passenger jet duopoly provided Brazil's government gives its blessing.

Embraer's shares soared more than 20 percent in New York and Sao Paulo to close with a market capitalisation of $4.5 billion after the statement, which did not give details of how a tie-up might be structured. Boeing shares slipped nearly 1 percent.

The Brazilian government, which holds veto power over strategic moves at Embraer, would support a partnership in commercial aviation with Boeing but would block any takeover attempt, a senior government official told Reuters.

The news comes just two months after Boeing rival Airbus SE <AIR.PA> agreed to buy a majority stake in Bombardier Inc's <BBDb.TO> CSeries jetliner program, a direct rival of Embraer's biggest E-Jets. Reuters reported at the time that the CSeries deal could push Boeing and Embraer closer together.

For decades, Canada's Bombardier and Embraer have faced off in the 70- to 100-seat regional jet segment just below the radar of Airbus and Boeing's larger commercial jet line-ups, but the CSeries alliance may have tipped that delicate balance.

Boeing has approached Embraer about a deal twice before, more than a decade ago, but was rebuffed due to the government's veto, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

ENDING GOLDEN SHARES

Any tie-up involving Embraer requires approval by Brazil's government, which holds a 'golden share' in the planemaker, a formerly state-run company fully privatised in 2006.

Brazil's President Michel Temer took office last year with a market-friendly agenda focussed on privatising state utilities and reducing political influence in state firms such as oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA <PETR4.SA>.

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In September, Brazil's Finance Ministry asked an audit court to study how the government could exit the golden shares it holds in former state monopolies.

Temer's policies contrast with those of the Workers Party that governed from 2003 until 2016, placing an emphasis on state-led development and 'national champions' in strategic industries.

Still, foreign control of the planemaker at the apex of Brazilian industry appears to be a stretch even for Temer.

"Embraer will never be sold in my government," he told military aides in a meeting on Thursday, according to a report by Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.

Folha, which did not say how it obtained the information, said the meeting was called after a report in The Wall Street Journal that Boeing was in talks to take over Embraer.

A spokeswoman at the Defence Ministry, which works closely with Embraer on military programs, said it was premature for the government to say anything that could upset the talks.

"They still have to consult the government. We are following closely but there is nothing concrete yet and anything we say now could be imprudent and harm the talks," said spokeswoman Adriana Fortes. "Not even the companies have agreed on anything concrete."

The two planemakers already work on projects including runway safety and alternative jet fuels. Their partnership intensified recently to include Boeing's commitment to joint sales and support of Embraer's KC-390 military airlifter.

"Although Boeing would look like a good fit with Embraer's Regional Jet business, this is not the case for the company's Executive Jet and Defence divisions," said Rob Stallard, aerospace analyst at Vertical Research Partners in a note.

Boeing is willing to take steps to protect Embraer's brand, management and jobs to help entice the government and is also willing to structure a deal to protect the government's interest in Embraer's defence business, the WSJ reported.

(Reporting by Brad Haynes in Sao Paulo and Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; additional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer, Ricardo Brito, Anthony Boadle, Arunima Banerjee and Tim Hepher; editing by Daniel Flynn and Nick Zieminski)
Brian Armstrong Coinbase

Anthony Harvey/Getty Images for TechCrunch

Buying and selling on popular cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase was disabled Friday.

The entire market for digital currencies was under intense pressure with bitcoin trading down 20% on Coinbase's GDAX exchange.

Buys and sells on Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, were disabled for a little over two hours Friday amid a massive cryptocurrency sell-off.

"Due to today's high traffic, buys and sells may be temporarily offline, the comapny said in an alert posted at 11:35 a.m. ET. "We're working on restoring full availability as soon as possible."

The exchange had things back up and running at 1:44 p.m. ET, according to its site.

The outage occurred while major cryptocurrencies were trading in the red. Bitcoin was down more than 20% on Coinbase's GDAX exchange at the time of writing. It was trading at $12,650, down from an all-time high above $19,000 earlier this week. In total, the cryptocurrency market has shed more than $140 billion from its market capitalization over the last twenty-four hours.

Coinbase has struggled to fully function under high-traffic and volatile moments in the crypto-market.

Buys and sells of bitcoin cash, another cryptocurrency, were disabled on Coinbased Tuesday. The company said in a blog post it disabled trading because of "significant volatility."

On December 12, the company halted trading of litecoin and ether as the two cryptocurrencies reach all-time highs.

Coinbase outag

Coinbase

NOW WATCH: This is one of the best responses to Jamie Dimon calling bitcoin a fraud that we have heard so far

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Lunawada MLA Ratan Rathore has announced his support for the BJP, pushing the saffron party's tally in Gujarat from 99 to 100.

Narendra Modi's (Image) BJP now has 100 seats in Gujarat, thanks to an independent MLA (Photo: Reuters)

By India Today Web Desk: Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which fell just short of a hundred seats in the fiercely-contested Gujarat Assembly election, has reached three figures thanks to independent MLA Ratansinh Rathore.

The Lunawada MLA has announced his support for the BJP, pushing the saffron party's tally from 99 (to the Congress' 77) to 100.

Ratansinh Rathod was a Congress member for two decades, and was expelled "when he didn't recall his nomination after the party decided to field Paranjadityasinh Paramar" from Lunawada, DNA reported.

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Rathore wrote to the Gujarat Governor - here's his letter.

The BJP has governed Gujarat for more than two decades, and on December 4 and 18, voters decided to extend that run till 2022.

Modi's party, which also won comfortably in Himachal Pradesh, may now have a 100 seats. But that number is still way short of the 150 mark it hoped to reach.

As the 2019 Lok Sabha polls approach, the ruling party's attention will turn to as many as seven states which will elect new assemblies next year. Three of the big states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh - are currently governed by the BJP.

WATCH | Smriti Irani: BJP hit the ball out of the park in the Gujarat elections

--- ENDS ---
jimmy johns

nate grigg

Tim Wulf, a Jimmy John's franchisee, says the Republican tax plan doesn't help small-business owners.

Wulf, a former economics professor, says the tax bill lacks measures to boost labor productivity, which he identifies as the most important driver of US economic improvement.

To that end, Wulf is most concerned with the expensing of equipment, interest on debt, and the tax cut being offered to S-corps and partnerships.

Wulf is a Republican but says he keeps his politics out of his economic analysis, which includes regular written contributions to trade publications and local outlets.



Tim Wulf, a Jimmy John's franchisee in Reno, Nevada, was hoping that Republican tax bill would help him pay his employees more. After all, one of the long-running stated missions of tax reform has been to boost wages and improve the standard of living for US workers.

Instead, it looks as if the legislation  which officially passed through Congress on Wednesday  could end up making things even tougher for people like Wulf, an economics professor turned entrepreneur.

A franchisee of multiple Jimmy John's sandwich shops, Wulf is part of a rapidly growing network of restaurants that prioritize super-fast delivery. For a Jimmy John's store to receive an order, prepare it using fresh ingredients, and then schlep it to your front door in a tight window of time, it needs both skilled employees and top-of-the-line equipment.

Under the new plan, Wulf doesn't expect to be able to meaningfully upgrade either of these areas  at least not in the long-term fashion befitting a growing business. And as someone who also serves as the Nevada chapter chair for the National Federation of Independent Business Leadership Council, it troubles him to see how tax reform has played out  not just for his operation but for small businesses as a whole.

There are three areas of the tax bill that have him particularly concerned, with the first two directly affecting the higher wages and machinery upgrades he's so keen to deliver. They are:

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1) Expensing of equipment

On first blush, the portion of the tax bill that will allow businesses to immediately deduct the cost of new equipment for a five-year period is a big improvement on the previous setup, which made them take depreciation and then apply the tax benefit over multiple years.

While Wulf acknowledges the boost this would offer, he wants to see it instated on a permanent basis. That way, owners could invest in their businesses with a clear growth plan in mind  with none of the restrictions that might accompany a finite time horizon.

So how does this relate to wages?

Remember, Wulf is an economics professor  so he explains it that way: It all boils down to making labor more effective, which then translates to better pay. In his mind, investing in technology and machinery are the elements most crucial in boosting overall labor productivity.

By making labor more valuable, we can pay employees more.

"By making labor more valuable, we can pay employees more  and we want to pay them more, we want to keep them," he said in a recent phone interview. "And in order to be able to do that, they have to be more productive. And for that to happen, they have to have the tools of productivity."

2) Interest on debt

While the equipment-expensing part of the tax bill at least offers an immediate-term positive, there's no such silver lining when it comes to the GOP's plans for interest on debt.

Previously, interest counted as a business expense. But under the new tax bill, the net interest deduction is capped at 30% of Ebitda for four years, followed by an even tougher threshold going forward. Wulf sees this hampering growth for small businesses by making it more difficult to borrow money.

"You could grow your business on retained earnings," he said. "But that's no way to do it."

This issue also ties back to the equipment conundrum outlined above. Without the ability to borrow as easily, small businesses will have a tougher time purchasing the machinery that could enhance labor productivity. In the end, this provision leaves companies more hamstrung financially and doesn't help boost pay.

I thought that small business had dodged a bullet on deducting interest, but now the government is telling me how much leverage I can assume.

"I thought that small business had dodged a bullet on deducting interest, but now the government is telling me how much leverage I can assume," Wulf said. "I would have slowed the growth of my restaurants when I was building them, as I know early on our interest exceeded 30% of Ebitda."

3) Corporate tax cut

Simply put, so-called pass-through businesses like S-corporations and partnerships don't look poised to realize as much of a benefit from tax reform as their C-corporation counterparts  though it's tough to make a direct comparison between the two.

The new tax bill includes a 20% income deduction for pass-through entities, which on the surface seems like less than the 21% C-corp tax rate put forth in the plan. But when you combine that 20% deduction with the lower top tax rate on ordinary income, it actually comes out to a 29.6% top rate on that income, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

tim wulf

Tim Wulf

While Wulf realizes that there are many moving pieces when it comes to comparing the tax structures of C-corps and pass-throughs, he ultimately just wants small businesses to be on equal footing with large US corporations.

At the end of the day, a favorable and competitive tax rate provides more money to sink into capital expenditures. And that reinvestment then improves labor productivity, which then allows a business to rationalize paying higher wages.

It's all connected, and all aimed toward the goal of expanding the economy  of which 70% is small businesses. In Wulf's mind, the GOP bill doesn't go nearly far enough toward realizing its professed objective of boosting US growth.

An eye on the future

It's worth noting that Wulf's outspoken advocacy for small businesses comes with little self-interest attached. He's selling his Jimmy John's stores, with an eye on retirement, and has just one store left to offload. In January, he'll close on his final location, the 12th-best-performing Jimmy John's in the US.

And his personal politics don't play a role either. Wulf is a Republican, but he says he looks at political policies from a strictly economic viewpoint. That much can be seen through multiple pieces he's written for various trade publications and local outlets in recent years.

At the end of the day, he wants to see small businesses thrive, and he doesn't see the shiny new GOP tax bill allowing that. Which is ironic to him, considering their original stated objective.

"That's the anchor here," Wulf said. "There's a problem with what they're saying is going to happen and what the policy will actually create."

NOW WATCH: Here's what Trump's tax plan means for people at every income level from $20,000 to $269,000 a year

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SEE ALSO: Here are the areas of the stock market that'll get the biggest boost from Trump's tax overhaul
Eric Schmidt's stint as executive chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet is to end at a regularly-scheduled board meeting next month (AFP Photo/BERTRAND GUAY) (AFP/File)

San Francisco (AFP) - Google's parent company Alphabet on Thursday announced that Eric Schmidt will step down as chairman, remaining on the board but shifting into a role as a technical advisor.

"In recent years, I've been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work," Schmidt said in a release.

Schmidt's stint as executive chairman is to end at a regularly-scheduled board meeting next month, according to Alphabet.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin recruited the proven businessman and skilled software engineer as chief executive in 2001, bringing a mature hand to the helm of the then three-year-old internet search company.

Schmidt, Page, and Brin were considered a power triumvirate in control of Google. Page replaced Schmidt as chief executive a decade later, but Schmidt remained at the head of the board of directors.

"Eric has provided us with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology," Alphabet chief Page said in a release.

"Continuing his 17 years of service to the company, hell now be helping us as a technical advisor on science and technology issues."

About two years ago, Google unveiled a surprise corporate overhaul, forming a new parent company dubbed Alphabet to include internet search and a handful of independent companies.

Page became chief executive at Alphabet, a holding company for the tech giant's search products and "other bets" such Waymo self-driving car unit; Nest smart home gadgets, and Google Fiber internet service.

Sundar Pichai was promoted to chief of Google, which includes leading online video-sharing service YouTube.

Eric Schmidt went from being executive chairman at Google to having the same role at Alphabet.

"Larry, Sergey, Sundar and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet's evolution for this transition," Schmidt said.

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"The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving."

- Poaching people -

During his tenure, Schmidt wound up at the center of a civil suit in US federal court over an "anti-poaching" agreement involving tech giants Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe.

The long-running case alleged that major tech companies in Silicon Valley had secret agreements not to hire each other's employees, in a move to keep salaries under control.

The lawsuit, which led to a $415 million settlement, alleged that the late Apple chief Steve Jobs, Google chairman Schmidt and other tech executives were part of the conspiracy.

Other companies in the lawsuit which reached earlier settlements included eBay, Lucasfilm, Pixar and Intuit.

Schmidt served for a few years on the Apple board of directors, but left there in 2009 as iPhone maker's rivalry with Android-backer Google intensified.

Schmidt ranks among the world's richest people. A Forbes real-time tracker on Thursday pegged his net worth at $13.8 billion, with most of that held in the form of Alphabet shares.

Schmidt was listed as a donor and advisor to the winning campaign by Barack Obama to become US president in 2008.

His philanthropic endeavors include the Schmidt Family Foundation established with his wife and focus on challenges such as climate change and protecting the environment.

Schmidt is also known to speak out on technology issues, expressing concerns about matters such as online spying and barriers to the free-flow of data.
Schmidt, who played an integral role in Googles rise to power, will remain on Alphabets board and serve as a technical adviser

Eric Schmidt: I believe that the time is right in Alphabets evolution for this transition. Photograph: Christophe Morin/IP3/Getty Images

Eric Schmidt will step down as the executive chairman of Alphabets board of directors, the company announced on Thursday.

Schmidt will remain on Alphabets board and serve as a technical adviser to the company, whose holdings include Google, YouTube, Nest and Waymo.

Larry, Sergey, Sundar and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabets evolution for this transition, Schmidt said in a statement, referencing Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as well as Googles current chief executive, Sundar Pichai. In recent years, Ive been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work.

The company said that it plans to appoint a non-executive chairman to replace Schmidt.

The 62-year-old has played an integral role in Googles rise from a graduate student research project to a multinational tech conglomerate. Schmidt had previously worked at Sun Microsystems and Novell before being hired by Page and Brin in 2001 to run the company.

Schmidt served as chief executive of Google until 2011, when he stepped down but maintained his position as chairman of the board of directors. A 2015 corporate restructuring saw Schmidt become the chairman of Alphabet, a new holding company for Google and several other subsidiaries.


Plane

An executive with Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer pleaded guilty Thursday to a $1.65 million bribe and kickback scheme to secure the sale of aircraft to the national Saudi energy company Aramco. Colin Steven, a British national, was an executive with Embraers executive jets division responsible for overseeing sales in the Middle East among other regions. In 2009, Steven met with the unnamed Saudi official to discuss the state-owned oil companys interest in purchasing used aircraft. At that meeting, according to court papers, the Saudi official agreed to help Steven with the contract, and to switch from used to new aircraft, if Steven was willing to pay. Prosecutors said that Steven, with the approval of a supervisor in London, agreed to a per-aircraft payment of $550,000 to the official, for a total of $1.65 million. By early 2010, Steven had developed a scheme to use a South African company run by personal friends as a way to disguise the payment to the Saudi official. The company, which prosecutors said had no experience in either the aircraft industry or Saudi Arabia, would be paid a finders fee for the plane sales transaction, allowing for the $1.65 million to pass through the company and onto the Saudi official. In early 2010, Aramco purchased through its U.S. subsidiary three new Embraer aircraft for $93 million. Beginning in March of that year, the bribe funds were funneled through the South African company and into Swiss and Bahrain bank accounts of an individual working as an intermediary for the Saudi official. Even as the Saudi official was being bribed, Steven and another unnamed executive at Embraer concocted a plan to receive a kickback. The South African company didnt, it turned out, deliver all the funds to the Saudi official. Nearly $130,000 was transferred out of the bribery funds to Stevens bank account in the United States. At some point the executive, who had recently been promoted, informed Steven he didnt want his share; Steven kept the full amount. In 2014 an FBI agent interviewed Steven about the wire transfers from the South African company three years earlier. Prosecutors said he lied about the nature of the funds, claiming they were sent to buy real estate as part of a potential business venture. Steven pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York to seven counts, including conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, wire fraud, and money laundering. As part of his plea, Steven agreed to cooperate with the government Steven was represented by Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer partner Andrew Bauer, who declined to comment.
BERLIN, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The German economy ministry said on Friday it had launched a review of a planned foreign bid for aerospace supplier Cotesa, which could lead to Berlin blocking the sale.

"Currently, there is an foreign investment review under way regarding the sale of Cotesa," an economy ministry spokeswoman said, adding she could not comment on the details.

German business daily Handelsblatt reported that Cotesa, is being pursued by the China Iron & Steel Research Institute, a state-owned company which aims to make Chinese aircraft maker Comac competitive with Airbus and Boeing.

Located in the east German state of Saxony, Cotesa is specialized in producing carbon-fiber components, supplying both Airbus and Boeing, according to the company's web page. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber, editing by Thomas Escritt)
If some relatives in the Northeast were dreaming of a high Christmas, we've got bad news. Santa and Mrs. Claus, or rather elderly couple Patrick and Barbara Jiron, were stopped by sheriff's deputies in Nebraska, as York News-Times reports. Heading to Boston and Vermont from Northern California in their Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, the elderly couple crossed the center line, deputies say, and failed to signal. When stopped, the deputies smelled fresh marijuana. The driver consented to a search, which yielded 60 pounds of marijuana and some containers of THC concentrate in the back of the pickup. The couple said the weed was meant as "Christmas presents."



That much pot would be worth about $300,000, according to the York County Sheriff Department. The couple faces felony charges, in part because they didn't have the required drug tax stamp from the state's Department of Revenue. Marijuana is illegal in Nebraska, though. Laws are weird like that. The 80-year-old husband has been jailed, but is out on bail, while the 70-year-old wife was not jailed, due to medical issues.



We should note that this bust could have been averted had the couple's truck had lane-keep assist. The current Tacoma offers lane departure alert as standard as part of its Toyota Safety Sense P technology suite. It could have warned the driver they were crossing the centerline, while lane-keeping assist could have stopped it automatically. We know this sort of technology saves lives, but in this case, it could have saved Christmas, too. (We don't condone breaking the law, of course. If you're going to give someone a green Christmas, do it legally.)



Hey, at least it wasn't a Ford Fusion this time.



Related Video:

Green Christmas: Elderly couple nabbed driving with 60 pounds of pot presents originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:09:00 EST.
TOKYO  Honda is considering developing solid-state batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) as a growing number of global automakers look to come up with powerful, next-generation car batteries to reduce vehicle emissions.

Tighter global emissions regulations are forcing automakers worldwide to shift to electric cars, including all-battery EVs that will require capacity to deliver longer ranges and faster charge times, but at lower cost than lithium-ion batteries.

"We've been researching all solid-state batteries," Honda spokesman Teruhiko Tatebe said. "At the moment, we're not developing them with another automaker."

Kyodo News reported on Thursday that Honda and Nissan were developing all solid-state EV batteries. Nissan was not immediately available for comment.

A growing number of automakers including Toyota and Volkswagen and smaller innovator Fisker are developing all solid-state batteries, which offer more capacity and better safety than conventional lithium-ion batteries by replacing their liquid electrolyte with a solid, conductive material.

Just this week, Colorado tech company Solid Power said it was partnering with BMW on the technology. And earlier this month, Toyota said it was considering jointly developing the batteries with Panasonic to share high R&D costs.

The automaker is planning to have a production-ready battery in the early 2020s, and has highlighted the need to accelerate the pace of battery development as it and other automakers plan to ramp up the number of electric models they sell in the coming decades.



Related Video:

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Stephen Coates)

Honda joins the quest for solid-state EV batteries originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Dec 2017 08:30:00 EST.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Cash-strapped smartphone screen maker Japan Display Inc <6740.T> dismissed a report on Thursday that it was seeking investment from Apple Inc <AAPL.O> and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] as "speculative" and declined to comment further.

Japanese news agency Kyodo, which reported on Wednesday that Japan Display was discussing an investment of more than 200 billion yen ($1.76 billion) from three Chinese panel makers including BOE Technology Group Co Ltd <000725.SZ>, said it was also seeking investment from its two clients.

Japan Display and domestic rival Sharp Corp <6753.T> once boasted cutting-edge screen technologies. But they have struggled in recent years to compete with more nimble Asian rivals, and as customers including Apple shifted to newer organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens.

The display maker has been losing money for the past three years. It has said it wants to start mass-producing OLED screens to better compete with South Korean rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS>, and that it needs capital to do so. It has so far declined to disclose details of any negotiations.

State-backed fund Innovation Network Corp of Japan owns 36 percent of Japan Display, which was formed in 2002 by combining the ailing display units of Sony Corp <6758.T>, Hitachi Ltd <6501.T> and Toshiba Corp <6502.T>.

(Reporting by Yoshiyasu Shida)
Junking Rupani would have given the impression that he was taken to task after the BJP spluttered at 99, which was much shorter of the 150+ mark.

By Jumana Shah: Vijay Rupani is back in the hot seat after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scotched rumours earlier today that it was considering other senior party leaders for the post of chief minister.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that Rupani, who was elected the leader of the BJP legislature party in Gujarat, will be the CM for a second term with his deputy Nitin Patel set to continue too.

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There are several reasons for retaining Rupani, who had won the Rajkot West seat by 25,000 votes. First, the saffron party doesn't want to give any signs of disquiet and instability after the tight win in Gujarat. With Assembly polls due in seven states including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan next year, retaining Rupani shows that stability in Gujarat continues and team spirit is intact.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state has seen three CMs in two-and-a-half years. Back in the saddle for another five years, the BJP didn't want to confirm reports that the party was in disarray and Rupani was a non-performer.

Second, junking Rupani would have given the impression that he was taken to task after the BJP spluttered at 99, which was much shorter of the 150+ mark.

Third, Rupani is non-controversial, maintains low profile, close to the RSS and his loyalty to Modi and BJP president Amit Shah is unquestionable.

After the close shave with the Congress in the Gujarat elections, there were unconfirmed reports that textiles and Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani was the front runner in the race for CM with minister of state for road transport and highways and shipping Mansukh L Mandaviya and Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala in the second and third place respectively.

ALSO WATCH | Vijay Rupani retained as Gujarat CM; Neta Rajini to make political debut; more

--- ENDS ---
Photo credit: Facebook.com/Chipotle

From Delish

Chipotle can't seem to catch a break. After a series of foodborne illness outbreaks over the last two years, the fast-casual Mexican restaurant is once again being investigated by health officials after the Los Angeles Health Department received reports from customers and employees experiencing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after eating at a restaurant located at 4550 W. Pico Blvd.

Many customers have taken to the anonymous forum IWasPoisoned.com to share their complaints about the location's food allegedly causing them to get sick.

Photo credit: iwaspoisoned.com

Photo credit: iwaspoisoned.com

Photo credit: iwaspoisoned.com

Chris Arnold, a spokesperson for the company, told Business Insider that the L.A. Health Department's Acute Communicable Disease Control unit is "aware of reports of illness and is investigating."

"We take any report of illness very seriously," he said. "We are aware of three reports (two of which appear to be the same) on a user-generated reporting site, but there is no clinical validation associated with those reports, and we have not been contacted by customers directly to substantiate these claims."

Arnold added, "As a precautionary measure, we have implemented heightened sanitization measures at this restaurant, which we do as a matter of policy if ever we receive reports of illness (even if they are not substantiated)."

It's been a rough few years for Chipotle. Since 2015, the company has been at the center of controversy after a string of E. coli outbreaks occurred in multiple states. Not long after that, the restaurant was subpoenaed by a grand jury due to a norovirus outbreak in Boston, which left 140 people sick. Since this string of issues, the company's founder Steve Ells stepped down from his position as CEO. He is now the executive chairman, as the brand searches for a new chief executive officer.

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MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines is beefing up cybersecurity measures prior to the expected entry of Chinese firms in its telecoms industry, the president's spokesman said on Thursday, amid concerns that national security could be at risk. Several senators have spoken out about allowing Chinese state-run firms to build and manage crucial internet and telecoms system, given the two nations' history of bitter mistrust and Beijing's reputation for technological expertise. "They should not worry because the government is already worried," presidential spokesman Harry Roque told a regular news briefing. Regulators had been ordered to take all measures to protect the country's cybersecurity with the likely entry of China Telecom Corp Ltd, Roque added. The Philippines and China now enjoy warm relations under President Rodrigo Duterte, who, unlike his predecessors, has set aside a territorial spat over sovereignty in the South China Sea to tap China for loans, investments, expertise and trade. Duterte last month offered Beijing a chance to challenge the dominant carriers PLDT Inc and Globe Telecom Inc. He wants a third telecoms player to start operations in the first quarter next year, to break a duopoly and boost competition and service quality. Beijing has chosen China Telecom, which needs to partner with a Philippine company because of a 40-percent cap on foreign ownership of domestic telecoms firms. PLDT and Globe declined to comment on Thursday. PLDT announced it had allotted a record sum of at least 50 billion pesos ($997 million) for capital expenses next year as it prepares to take on a competitor. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty and Clarence Fernandez)
Boeing Co has held takeover talks with Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Boeing and Embraer have been discussing a deal that would involve a relatively large premium to the Brazilian companys market capitalization of $3.71 billion, the WSJ reported.

Embraers shares were up 21 percent in both Sao Paulo and New York. Boeings shares were little changed.

The report comes about two months after Boeing rival Airbus SE agreed to buy a majority stake in Bombardier Incs CSeries jetliner program. Reuters reported then that the CSeries deal could push Boeing and Embraer closer together.

Such a move has long been contemplated in private, according to industry sources.

Boeing and Embraer already work on projects including runway safety and alternative jet fuels. Their partnership has intensified in recent years to include Boeings commitment to joint sales and support of Embraers KC-390 military aircraft.

The WSJ reported on Thursday that the talks were on hold as the companies were waiting for the Brazilian governments response on whether it would approve the deal.

Boeing is willing to take steps to protect Embraers brand, management and jobs to help entice the government and is also willing to structure a deal that would protect the governments interest in Embraers defense business, the WSJ reported.

The Brazilian government holds a golden share in Embraer, a state-run company that was fully privatized in 2006, giving it the right to veto changes in controlling ownership and changes to its military programs.

In September, Brazils Finance Ministry asked a federal audit court to study how the government could exit the so-called golden share it holds in former state monopolies that have been partially or fully privatized in recent years.

Embraer and Boeing were not immediately available for comment.
Top sources said the performance of all MPs will be assessed on 16 parameters and they will be considered eligible for a party ticket only if they meet them.

To begin with, the agency has started the assessment of all seven BJP MPs in the national Capital.

By Rakesh Ranjan: Notwithstanding their stature or seniority, all sitting MPs of the BJP must prove themselves on 16 key parameters set by the high command to lay claim over candidature for the 2019 general elections.

In a first-of-its-kind exercise, the BJP has begun an independent audit of its 282 MPs to decide on their candidature for the next elections.

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Top sources said the performance of all MPs will be assessed on 16 parameters and they will be considered eligible for a party ticket only if they meet them.

To begin with, the agency has started the assessment of all seven BJP MPs in the national Capital.

The report will be submitted to BJP president Amit Shah and will also be reviewed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources said the assessment report of Delhi MPs will be submitted soon. The survey will then move out to other states.

The exercise has to be completed by December 2018.

A BJP leader said the MPs will be assessed on key parameters such as attendance in Parliament and their presence in respective constituencies.

During the audit, the agency will find out the winnability of sitting MPs in terms of popularity, accessibility and development works carried out in their areas.

"The agency has been tasked to assess whether a sitting MP is still a favourite among masses. At the same time, this will enable the party leadership to think of alternate choices in every constituency," he said.

Implementation of central government schemes and the BJP's agenda during the five-year term will be another key parameter.

These include execution of the Modi government's flagship programmes such as Swachh Bharat, village adoption, Ujjwala and Jan Dhan Yojana, among other initiatives.

It will be seen whether the MP managed to effectively convey the government's message of voluntarily giving up LPG subsidies and the efforts to make their constituencies defecation-free. Utilisation of local area development (LAD) fund will be closely monitored.

Further, utilisation of various central government funds for local development will fetch bonus marks to MPs during the assessment.

Personal records of MPs, their conduct in public and in the Parliament, and their participation in debates over policy matters and various legislations will also be closely observed.

A senior leader said the involvement of MPs with public over major government moves such as demonetisation and GST will be another ground for their re-nomination.

Soon after these moves, the Modi government had told ministers and MPs to extensively tour their constituencies, interact with people to educate them about the benefits of GST and note ban. Social media presence is also an important parameter

--- ENDS ---

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San Juan Moda is bringing back fashion to the island. (Photo: Getty Images)

In Puerto Rico, the show must go on.

Despite the devastating toll wrought by Hurricane Maria in September, residents are working hard to normalize life. And fashion week  or San Juan Moda, running from Dec. 19 through Dec. 22 at the Old San Juan Casino  is one of the events bringing joy to the community, while simultaneously providing a boost for the local economy.

A post shared by San Juan Moda (@sanjuanmodapr) on Dec 20, 2017 at 3:12pm PST

Internationally known designers like Stella Nolasco, who has dressed the likes of Beyonce and Issa Rae, will bring her latest collections to the runway. Also among those on the lineup is Giannina Azar, who gained notoriety after Jennifer Lopez wore one of her gowns for the One Voice: Somos Live! benefit relief event she organized with boyfriend Alex Rodriguez.

A post shared by Disenadora Giannina Azar (@gianninaazar) on Dec 14, 2017 at 7:29am PST

Local designers such Angel Guzman, Jaer Caban, and Eddie Guerrero will also have the opportunity to showcase their talents.

The event is among several efforts meant to give a boost to the islands economy; others include a fund sponsored by first lady Beatriz Rossello, to benefit a pediatric hospital in need of incubators for newborns, and a toy drive organized by actress Karla Monroig.

Even three months after the hurricane, more than 45 percent of the island remains without electricity. This event, however, aims to bring a beam of light to the Puerto Rican community.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




AT&T and Time Warner have agreed to extend the deadline for their long-delayed merger until June 21, according to an SEC filing Thursday.

The extension should allow time for a verdict in the Department of Justices lawsuit seeking to block the deal. The trial will begin in March. June 21 is the date when both parties can officially abandon the deal.

The companies had previously set April 22 as the deadline, and before that Oct. 22 of 2017. The $85B combination was first announced in October 2016, when Barack Obama was president.

This year, under President Donald Trump, the White House and CNN have repeatedly clashed, leading to widespread suspicion that the grudge has played out in the merger review. Makan Delrahim, head of the Department of Justices antitrust division, has denied any influence from Trump, arguing instead that the behavioral remedies implemented for major deals like Comcast-NBCUniversal are no longer acceptable.

So-called vertical mergers like AT&T (a telco with distribution assets but almost no content) and Time Warner (a content company with almost no distribution assets) were long believed to be acceptable to regulators. When the deal was announced, its approval was nearly a foregone conclusion and it had breezed through early reviews from a range of bodies before the DOJ threw a flag.

Initially the freeze-up of AT&T-Time Warner was predicted to have a chilling effect on dealmaking, but this months landmark acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox by Disney shows the urge to gain scale has not been diminished by the governments legal aggression.

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[caption id="attachment_9198" align="alignnone" width="620"]

Left to right: Douglas H. Reynolds, director and Henny L. Shomar associate, with Tripp Scott, in Fort Lauderdale.

Left to right: Douglas H. Reynolds, director and Henny L. Shomar associate, with Tripp Scott, in Fort Lauderdale.[/caption] As we are reading and watching the news over the past few days, Congress has approved and the president is signing into law H.R. 1 of the 115th U.S. Congress, the much debated tax bill set to reshape the federal tax system. Weve read about the sweeping changes being made with pass through entities, the SALT deduction and the estate tax. And as we await the implementation of the new law and the affect it will have on everyday life, we will learn the details contained in the bills 400-plus pages. One of those details will substantially affect alimony recipients and payors in the future: Effective Jan. 1, 2019, alimony will no longer be taxable income to those who receive it or tax deductible for those who pay for it. The tax bill, specifically Section 1309, repeals the tax deduction available to tax payors for alimony payments. For those who are paying alimony presently, the section is not retroactive. It provides that this repeal will effect those who have a divorce or separation instrument (as defined by section 71(b)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) executed after Dec. 31, 2018. However, for those who get divorced after this date, depending on your circumstances, this legislation will be a game changer. As alimony payors typically are in higher tax brackets than alimony recipients, the present law allowed parties to more easily resolve divorces by allowing alimony to be structured tax efficiently and soften the blow of what can be a very high number paid for a very long time. With this new law, alimony recipients will no longer report alimony as taxable income, akin to child support. There is a growing discussion among law and tax professionals that such a change will make divorce matters more litigious and difficult to resolve by removing a key tool in negotiating cases with tax planning. With this tool now gone going forward, only time will tell if this tax change really will make divorce matters involving alimony issues more difficult to resolve. It is important to discuss the pros and cons of this change and what it may mean to an individuals situation with an attorney or tax professional experienced in these areas. There is also growing discussion throughout Florida about whether this change may jump-start discussion on alimony reform once again, a topic which has been debated for several years in Tallahassee and subject of two recent bills that were both vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott. As with all the provisions in this sweeping piece of legislation from Washington, only time will tell how it will affect our everyday life and the consequences of those changes. Henny L. Shomar is a director at Tripp Scott PA practicing in the areas of commercial and complex business litigation, marital and family law, probate litigation, and creditors rights.Douglas H. Reynolds is a director at the firm and is board certified in business litigation and marital and family law by the Florida Bar.
* Sanctions (Adds details on the people sanctioned, links to Treasury Department documents)

By Susan Heavey and Arshad Mohammed

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 13 "serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors" including Myanmar general Maung Maung Soe, who oversaw this year's brutal crackdown against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The U.S. government, applying penalties for the first time under a law passed last year, also targeted 39 other individuals and entities with sanctions that block their assets under U.S. jurisdiction, bar most Americans from dealing with them and largely cut them off from the global financial system.

The Treasury Department said those sanctioned included Benjamin Bol Mel, who has served as an adviser to South Sudan President Salva Kiir and is suspected of getting preferential treatment in government contracts. The list also included former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, accused of human rights abuses and corruption, and Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, accused of using his friendship with Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure sweetheart mining deals.

Myanmar's government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the U.S. sanctions.

Reuters has been unable to reach Jammeh for comment since he went to exile. He has previously denied ordering the torture or death of political opponents. His lawyer until exile, Edward Gomez, said earlier this year that he was unaware of any misspending of public or charity funds by Jammeh.

Gertler has denied all allegations of impropriety and has said his investments in Congo have created thousands of jobs. A spokesman for his Amsterdam-based company the Fleurette Group was not immediately available for comment.

Myanmar's military cracked down on Muslim Rohingya from Rakhine state following Aug. 25 Rohingya militant attacks on an army base and police posts. Maung Maung Soe was in charge of the operation that drove more than 650,000 Rohingya to flee mostly Buddhist Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Story continues

The United States on Nov. 22 called the Myanmar military operation against the Rohingya population "ethnic cleansing" and threatened targeted sanctions against those responsible.

The United States "examined credible evidence of Maung Maung Soe's activities, including allegations against Burmese security forces of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages," the Treasury Department said on Thursday.

Myanmar's army last month released a report denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, having days earlier replaced Maung Maung Soe. No reason was given for his transfer from the post.

'SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES'

"We must lead by example, and today's announcement of sanctions demonstrates the United States will continue to pursue tangible and significant consequences for those who commit serious human rights abuse and engage in corruption," U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.

The sanctions against the 13 people described by the Treasury Department as "serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors" and the 39 "affiliated individuals and entities" were the first imposed under a U.S. law called the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Jammeh, who ruled Gambia for 22 years before being forced into exile after refusing to accept an election defeat, created a terror and assassination squad reporting to him called the Junglers that threatened, terrorized, interrogated and killed people he saw as a threat to his rule, the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions targeted Gertler, considered by diplomats to be a member of Kabila's innermost circle, 19 of his businesses and his Congo-based associate Pieter Deboutte.

The United States imposed sanctions this year and last against top Democratic Republic of Congo security officials over alleged human rights abuses and the failure to organize an election on time to choose Kabila's successor.

For details on the U.S. action, see the Treasury Department statement (https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0243) and for a full list see the department's website (https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20171221.aspx) (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Arshad Mohammed; Additional reporting by Antoni Slowdowski in Yangon and by Edward McAllister and Aaron Ross in Dakar; Writing by Arshad Mohammed and Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham)
Dec 22 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc said on Friday it signed a definitive agreement to buy Chilean healthcare company Banmedica SA for $2.8 billion, expanding the health insurer's footprint in South America.

Banmedica operates health insurance, clinics and other services.

UnitedHealth will offer 2,150 pesos per share and the two controlling shareholders of Banmedica will tender their combined 57 percent ownership, the U.S. company said in a regulatory filing. http://bit.ly/2Bm24tw

The companies had signed a non-binding agreement in September.

"We view international as a selective supplement to UNH's growth, while the primary growth driver and M&A focus will be building out the vertical integration strategy with Optum (UnitedHealth's unit) in the U.S.," Evercore ISI analysts said in a note. (Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
President Donald Trump may have to wait until after the New Year to sign a sweeping tax reform bill to avoid triggering automatic cuts to Medicare and other programs.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which Congress approved this week, is a $1.5 trillion package that slashes taxes for businesses and the wealthy, as well as more modest cuts for middle- and low-income families.

Trump has promised to sign the tax bill before Christmas. However, a House Republican aide told Bloomberg that Trump will sign the bill on Jan. 3. The White House has pushed back on that claim.

We are one step closer to delivering MASSIVE tax cuts for working families across America. Special thanks to @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell and Chairman @SenOrrinHatch for shepherding our bill through the Senate. Look forward to signing a final bill before Christmas! pic.twitter.com/gmWTny3SfS  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017

Why wait? House Republicans left the PAYGO provision out of a year-end spending deal to avoid a government shutdown before Friday. PAYGO, or pay-as-you-go, is a budget rule requiring that tax cuts as well as increases in mandatory spending and entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security must be covered by tax increases or cuts in mandatory spending, according to the Tax Policy Center.

By leaving out the provision, automatic cuts to Medicare and other mandatory spending programs would be activated by the tax reform bill in January because the bill increases the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Waiting to sign the bill would delay those cuts until 2019.

Republican leadership has said those cuts would not be triggered if Trump signs the bill before the end of the year. However, it would require a waiver, meaning support from enough Democrats in the Senate to deliver 60 votes.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  Dec 21, 2017  Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Industry: Autos, Part 3, including Tesla, Inc. TSLA, General Motors Company GM, Ford Motor Company F, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. HMC and Volkswagen AG VLKAY.

Industry: Autos, Part 3

Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/140597/auto-sector-grapples-with-peak-us-sales-safety-recalls

The auto industry has been enjoying very strong sales trends lately, but further upside from the lofty levels of 2017 appears hard to come by. The industry is also faced with the challenge of profitably manufacturing electric vehicles.

There are a number of factors that raise concern for the auto sector in both the short and the long run. Below, we discuss a few key challenges that the auto sector might face in the coming months.

EV Race, with No Hint of Profit

In an effort to respond to stringent emission standards and the proposals made by some Asian and European countries to prohibit internal combustion engines driven by fossil fuels, many traditional automakers across the globe have geared up for electric vehicles. However, the new technology is yet to yield profits  the key to the survival of any business entity

Presently, EVs account for less than 1% of U.S. vehicles sales and a small part of total vehicles sold across the globe. EV pioneer Tesla, Inc. is losing money persistently.

Despite these odds, traditional automakers are investing huge amount of money to brace for an all-electric future. These companies are using profits generated from the sale of gasoline-fueled trucks and sport utility vehicles to invest in the expensive EV technology.

Safety Recall Expenses

One serious problem automakers across the globe are facing is huge expenses related to safety recalls. According to the data provided by the U.S. Transportation Department, automakers recalled 53.2 million vehicles in the United States in 2016, setting a new record.

It is expected that in 2017, the recall figures will be very high dueto defective Takata airbag inflators, which caused significant number of recalls between 2014 and 2016.

Story continues

Many auto giants such as General Motors Company, Ford Motor Company, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and Volkswagen AG have been facing recall issues in recent times.

U.S. Sales Set to Dip

Following two years of record volumes, most analysts believe that U.S. auto sales have likely declined in 2017 (we will get final December numbers in the next couple of weeks). This will be the first full-year sales decline since the recession. Per the projection given by PricewaterhouseCoopers, auto sales are likely to reach 17.1 million in 2017, down from 17.6 million in 2016. The National Automobile Dealers Association projected 2018 sales of 16.7 million vehicles.

In fact, constrained demand during the recession period, which saw sales picking up in the last few years, seems to have got absorbed now. Sales have been falling as buyers have become more unpredictable despite generous incentives offered on vehicles. Those discounts, which erode profits of automakers, have recently spread to high-margin pickup trucks and SUVs that have created strong demand amid low gas prices.

Declining Used Car Prices

According to the Moodys report, prices of used cars are declining in the United States, as millions of leases are nearing expiry date. This is not bad news for the customers but definitely not for automakers and dealers. In fact, low prices of used vehicles compel automakers to offer higher discounts to customers on new vehicles, which in turn put strain on their margins.

Rising Delinquency Rates

According to Moodys, huge competition among banks, finance companies and credit unions have resulted in loosening of the underwriting conditions. Presently, loan terms in the United States are more than six months longer than they were in 2010. Also, lenders are being allowed the facility to roll a significant part of the unpaid balance into new loans. This is leading to rising delinquency and its long-term effect can be serious.

Market Share Concentration

The majority share of the automobile market is held only by a few leading automakers. Moreover, high dependence on these automakers makes auto parts suppliers vulnerable to pricing pressure and production cut. Pricing pressure from automakers constricts margins of parts suppliers. Simultaneously, frequent production cuts by automakers in order to cope with market adjustments affect suppliers operations.

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Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (NYSE:CLF) reported that its 100% owned subsidiary unit, Cleveland-Cliffs Minnesota Land Development LLC closed an acquisition deal of specific real estate interests based in Itasca County, Minnesota from GPIOP. The interests comprise a combination of whole fee and undivided interests as well as surface and mineral and leases, all remaining within the Biwabik Iron Formation. As per the update, the acreage acquired is around 553 acres while the acreage being leased is nearly 3,215 acres.

The details

Cleveland-Cliffs projects to be able to use the bought real estate interests to advance a financially sustainable program for the location, which may be stated as other iron ore resources drain. The bought properties comprise parcels that were previously leased to Mesabi Metallics Company LLC, formerly named as Essar Steel Minnesota by GPIOP. Mesabi Metallics lease privileges terminated on October 31, 2017 when it was unsuccessful to exit bankruptcy pertaining to Chippewas inability to secure funding as well as other consents on time for its strategy to get Mesabi Metallics out of bankruptcy then.

Lourenco Goncalves, the CEO, President and Chairman, reported that they are delighted about the acquisition of this deal, which materialized after Chippewa failed to meet its obligation to get financing and an exit from bankruptcy for Mesabi Metallics by October 31, 2017.

Despite numerous botched initiatives by others, it marks the time for Cleveland-Cliffs to discuss with other responsible entities and advance a realistic solution for this location. The company has been in the region of Minnesota for 115 years, and they currently engage around 1,750 people in three distinct pelletizing and mining businesses throughout the state. As the fresh owner of this real estate, they understand their responsibilities and will not fail the people of Minnesota. Cleveland-Cliffs, one of the leading independent iron ore mining firms in the United States, was established in 1847.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with more inputs)

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Escalating his attack on the BJP, newly-elected Congress president Rahul Gandhi today alleged that the entire architecture, structure and foundation of the ruling party was based on "lies" and Prime Minister Narendra Modis Gujarat model was "flawed and fake".

He was speaking after chairing the first meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, as the Congress chief, with his mother Sonia Gandhi seated next to him, alongwith former prime minister Manmohan Singh and other senior members.

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Sources said the issue of indiscipline in the party, with leaders giving out-of-turn statements that hurt the partys prospects in the recent assembly elections, were also raised at the meeting, besides the need to strengthen the organisational structure.

Rahul Gandhi, who had launched a relentless onslaught against Modi during the Gujarat polls, continued in the same vein as he termed the Gujarat model a "lie".

He alleged that people of the state say it is a "flawed and fake" model where there is "stealing" of resources which are handed over to a "few vested interests".

"The whole architecture of the BJP is about lies, their whole structure is about lies...BJPs entire foundation is based on lies.

"If you see the Modi model in Gujarat, it was a lie, clearly. When we went to Gujarat and we spoke to the people of Gujarat, they said there is no model. What is going on is the stealing of resources of the people of Gujarat and thats their design," he told reporters after the meeting.

Gandhi alleged that whether it was putting Rs 15 lakh in every bank accounts, the 2G spectrum allocation issue, or the Modi model, "one by one the lies are coming out".

In his inaugural speech, he said he was surprised to see that it is universally understood by people of Gujarat that "this a flawed, fake model".

"The main expression was that he (Modi) has handed over Gujarat to a few vested interests and he has taken tremendous benefits from Gujarat but Gujarat hasn?t received anything in return," he said.

On the 2G verdict, he said, "I think 2G has been a vindication (of our partys stand)...Everyone knows about 2G and the truth has come before all of you."

Addressing the CWC, he said the BJP used the 2G issue as the biggest instrument against the UPA government which has "turned out to be fake".

"So the idea, their model, is to come up with a lie, spread that lie, and just keep repeating that lie until people believe the lie. And the good news that I can see is that people are now beginning to question it.

"Across the country, they are questioning Mr Modi on the economy, they?re questioning Mr Modi when he insults our ex- prime minister. So that feeling is coming up and there is a positive sentiment towards the Congress party," he told the CWC

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Gandhi said there is a lot of opportunity for the Congress "that we need to step into and take advantage of".

He also questioned the "silence" of the prime minister on the changes made in the Rafale deal to allegedly help a businessman and the charges of financial irregularities of a firm linked to BJP chief Amit Shahs son Jay.

"It was disappointing that we lost but it was pleasing to see the Congress party fight hatred and anger with respect, love and courage. I send my good wishes to people of both states," he said.

He termed the Gujarat campaign as "unique" and "a real eye-opener" for him, where he got to know how the BJP designs campaigns and "uses hatred and untruth" to fight elections.

"One of the successes that the Congress party can take credit for in Gujarat is the dismantling of the Modi model of development. I was surprised when I went to Gujarat," he said.

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Towards the end of the campaign, Gandhi alleged that the BJP attempted to polarise the election.

"At every step, they were trying to polarise. Our party played a very positive role in keeping everybody together. And then we also saw how in their desperation, the Prime Minister himself accused Dr Manmohan Singh of complete blatant falsehood and a lie. And he has had nothing to say about that since then," he said.

Later addressing the media, Congress communications incharge Randeep Surjewala said the CWC also discussed the current political situation and how the BJP "concocted the conspiracy" against the Congress in the 2G issue.

"How prime minister Modi, Arun Jaitley and the BJP stands exposed today with the 2G verdict by special CBI Court.

"The BJP maligned the country and the Congress party for years together making false allegations of corruption as their principal strategy to gain power.

"The BJP, particularly Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley and their stooge, Vinod Rai created a fallacious web of allegations of corruption. The truth is, however, out in the open that the BJP made a profession out of its conspiracy of lies and falsehoods to gain power at any cost.

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"Narendra Modi, Shri Arun Jaitley and the BJP leadership should come forward to own up their sinister maligning machinations and apologise to the nation," he said.

The CWC meeting was attended by top party leaders like Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Kamal Nath, BK Hari Prasad, CP Joshi, Motilal Vora, Mohsina Kidwai, Mallikarjun Kharge and others, besides state incharges.

The CWC also passed a resolution lauding the contribution of Sonia Gandhi in leading and guiding the party to great heights during her 19 years of presidentship.

Without naming anyone, some leaders raised the issue of enforcing discipline in the party and action against errant leaders, to which Rahul Gandhi agreed, the sources said.

"I agree. We will ensure discipline is enforced and the party is strengthened," Gandhi reportedly told the meeting.

Former prime minister Singh raised the issue of the challenges ahead for the party.

"The Working Committee was unanimous in saying that the momentum gained from the current set of elections would only be enhanced so that in the next set of elections Congress emerges victorious," Surjewala said. PTI SKC RT

--- ENDS ---
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Tajik authorities to immediately release prominent journalist Hairullo Mirsaidov and drop all charges against him.

"In a place where free media and critical voices are nearly non-existent, journalists like Mirsaidov should be recognized for the important work they do, not locked up on bogus charges," the New York-based media watchdogs Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney said in a statement on December 13.

Mirsaidov was charged on December 8 with embezzlement, forgery, false reporting to police, and inciting ethnic and religious hatred and sent to pretrial detention.

The charges carry a penalty of 21 years in jail.

The journalists father, Khabibullo Mirsaidov, told RFE/RL that his son denied the accusations.

Mirsaidov was initially detained in his native city of Khujand on December 5, weeks after he published an open letter to President Emomali Rahmon, Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon, and Sughd regional governor Abdurahmon Qodiri, asking them to crack down on corrupt local authorities.

Mirsaidov said that local officials who helped him secure budget funds for an improvisational comedy team to travel to Moscow to compete on a program called KVN demanded a $1,000 bribe, which he said he refused to pay.

Mirsaidov, 39, is a former correspondent of the Dushanbe-based Asia-Plus news agency and Germany's Deutsche Welle radio.

Earlier on December 13, CPJ published a report saying that the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide had hit another new record.

In its annual survey of journalists in jail, the group found 262 journalists behind bars around the world in relation to their work, a new record after a historic high of 259 last year.

The census only accounted for journalists in government custody on December 1, not those imprisoned and released throughout the year or those who have disappeared or are being held captive by nonstate groups.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Tajik Service
JonAdmissionado wrote:

Hadrienlbb wrote:



I would really appreciate your feedback on my profile.



The 3 schools that interest me the most are: INSEAD, MIT and Harvard . I'm also highly interested in HEC Paris, IE, LBS, Berkeley and Stanford . I'm most interested in entrepreneurship (a goal of mine would be to start a business post MBA), technology and sustainable development.



I'm French, male and 29 years old (1988).



I just took the GMAT and scored 750 : Q48, V44, IR8 and I assume 5+ on AWA.



My undergrad was a BBA in an American Program from a French Business Sc hool (ISG in Paris). The program had its own administration and was quite "segregated" from the rest of the school. GPA -wise, I got 5 Bs and 24 As, for a total of 29 classes (145 credits). I'm not exactly sure what it means in terms of GPA. You can hopefully help me figure this out. All of our grades were on a scale of 20 and then converted to letter grades. Anything above 15.5 was an A. My average was a 16.4 . I was on the Dean's list every semester, received First Class Honours and got a 18.5 grade on my thesis.



Before going to B-School I lived 1 year in Texas as an exchange student. Then, during B-School, I studied a semester in Madrid. After graduating, I worked for about 6 months in Paris before moving to Montreal, Canada, where I'm living to this day.





"RELEVANT" WORK EXPERIENCE



I joined a small software / tech agency as an intern in 2010 .

. I was hired as a Project Manager in 2011 after my internship completion

Late 2012 : after 2 years I was promoted to Director of Project Management

: after 2 years I was promoted to Director of Project Management Late 2014 : another 2 years later I became partner in the firm and VP of Projects

: another 2 years later I became partner in the firm and VP of Projects Since May 2017 : I have been VP of Operations

: I have been Main responsibilities: business development, team management (Project Management, Support Team and Creative Studio), mentoring & training employees, hiring and employee performance review, problem escalation management, grants/tax credits management.

There are two other partners in the firm, the President/founder, and the VP Technology/co-founder. We currently employ about 35 people and have significantly invested in a new division dedicated to Virtual Reality Therapy which we hope to turn into its own company within the next 6 to 12 months.

It's my first time sharing all this, so please let me know what missing information would be helpful (or what info is superfluous) in order for you to better evaluate my profile and chances.



Thanks a lot for your time!



Hadrien Hi Everyone,I would really appreciate your feedback on my profile.The 3 schools that interest me the most are:. I'm also highly interested in. I'm most interested in(a goal of mine would be to start a business post MBA),and sustainable development.I'm French, male and 29 years old (1988).I just took the: Q48, V44, IR8 and I assume 5+ on AWA.in an American Program from a French Business Sc-wise, I got 5 Bs and 24 As, for a total of 29 classes (145 credits). I'm not exactly sure what it means in terms of GPA. You can hopefully help me figure this out. All of our grades were on a scale of 20 and then converted to letter grades. Anything above 15.5 was an A.. I was on the Dean's list every semester, received First Class Honours and got a 18.5 grade on my thesis.Before going to B-School I lived 1 year in Texas as an exchange student. Then, during B-School, I studied a semester in Madrid. After graduating, I worked for about 6 months in Paris before moving to Montreal, Canada, where I'm living to this day.It's my first time sharing all this, so please let me know what missing information would be helpful (or what info is superfluous) in order for you to better evaluate my profile and chances.Thanks a lot for your time!Hadrien



Dear Hadrien,

I think you have a very nice and strong profile. From what we have seen European candidates with good profiles do quite well, and with that 750 GMAT (congrats by the way ) and excellent undergrad grades, I think you are good to go for top MBA programs, including even the three that interest you the most as well as all the others too.



It would be interesting to hear more about what you have done in your firm, and also what your plans are for the future, specifically your short and long-term plans post MBA, to see where you might fit.





I take it you are planning to apply next year? Or did you want to try and squeeze in your applications this year already?





Anyhow, nice profile!!



Feel free to follow up with any questions, comments or whatever.



Best, Dear Hadrien,I think you have a very nice and strong profile. From what we have seen European candidates with good profiles do quite well, and with that 750 GMAT (congrats by the way) and excellent undergrad grades, I think you are good to go for top MBA programs, including even the three that interest you the mostas well as all the others too.It would be interesting to hear more about what you have done in your firm, and also what your plans are for the future, specifically your short and long-term plans post MBA, to see where you might fit.I take it you are planning to apply next year? Or did you want to try and squeeze in your applications this year already?Anyhow, nice profile!!Feel free to follow up with any questions, comments or whatever.Best,

strategizing

In terms of short and long-term plans post MBA

Hi Jon!Thanks a lot for your reply, and sorry for the delay in responding back.You are completely right, I am planning on applying next year, although I have given some thoughts / have been tempted to try and squeeze in this year. Aside from the tight timing, the only thing that's truly holding me back from applying right away has to do with that VR division/company for behavioral therapy I'm trying to get firmly established and funded.Regarding things I have done for my firm, it's been a lot of business development, employee and project management,, and client relationship management. When I joined the company we were a team of 5, so I had to wear many hats and it has never really stopped. The company was turning a profit, but revenue was low, relying on a VERY large part on one client and the relationship with said client was degrading. I managed most projects that came in, along with the president. Although I was very junior, I was sort of the right-hand / assistant of the president.We spent a lot of time together, he was a great mentor to me and I would end up attending most client meetings, finding new suppliers, putting together proposals and managing the project delivery (very much doing much of it myself).We had a major breakthrough about a year after I joined. For about two months I worked on an RFP to secure business with a major financial institution in Canada. I put the 400-page document together, negotiated all terms with my boss, went through a lengthy vetting process, and against all odds we won that contract. Although it did not generate much revenue in the 1st year, we were then able to achieve 100% company growth for 3 consecutive years afterwards. This very much was a game changer for me too, as I gained the trust from the 2 partners and we started making plans for my future in the company.It also allowed me to start putting together a team of project managers, a studio for content creation and hire a proper resource for technical support. A lot of my work throughout the years has consisted in growing these departments and keeping people happy and engaged.As I had to do less work putting proposals together, sourcing suppliers and delivering projects I was able to spend more of my time doing business development and doing strategy work (build marketing material, go through 3 versions of our websites, implement a proper SEO strategy, etc.), and in the past couple of years I have focused a lot on improving our processes, increasing our product quality and looking for the most effective ways to reinvest our profits.At the end of the day, we have experienced significant and sustained growth, but nothing explosive like you read about on TechCrunch or Wired haha. I only have 35 employees, and although the count is growing, we will exceed our expectations if we reach 45 by 2018 fiscal year end., I really want my experience to be life changing as far as building ties with my classmates/peers goes. I do want to become a more well-rounded business professional, but I mostly want to be challenged in a collaborative environment, pitch ideas, put business plans together and find my future partners. Post-MBA, my primary goal would be to start a business in tech, related to the medical industry or to sustainable and renewable energy. Alternatively, I would like to have the ability to join start-ups in my field of interest. Consulting has always interested me too, but with my limited knowledge I'm not convinced this is a career path that I will get the most out of - although I feel that working as a VC investor / running an incubator is something I would want to do at a later stage in my career.I'll stop here... I wrote this on the plane on my way to France, so my apologies for not being the most concise... I hope this gives you more of the information you were looking for Jon, and of course I would very much appreciate any feedback.All the best,Hadrien
Context:

Yale SOM

Pros

Cons

Haas

Pros

Cons

Neutral factors:

Hi everyone - so I am super elated to be admitted to both Yale SOM and Berkeley Haas (Class of 2020). They are both amazing schools and I have had the opportunity to briefly visit both so know I would fit into the class so well.The issue is that they are both so similar, and I would absolutely LOVE to attend both so there is no stand outs. In fact, what makes this decision so difficult is that what I love about one school, I also love about the other. No scholarships at Yale, and assume no scholarship with Haas either (with Haas, you need to separately apply).For this post, I am going to provide you guys my context/relevant background, and my thoughts on each school. Any advice/opinions/suggestions would be welcome. Thank you all for your thoughts in advance. I remember reading a lot of these type of posts while deciding which school to apply to, and hope mine can be used as a resource in future for othersLGBT asian male from Oceania. Currently working in tax consulting.Goal is to pivot out of tax consulting to something new. To be honest, I dont 100% know what I want to do post-MBA and one of my key priorities/goals before I start my MBA is to spend a lot of time and self-reflect on what I want to do post-MBA. Note this probably wont have locked down my options before I need to decide though.Interested to investigate management consulting and tech. Also very interested in doing business in China and may move there at some point in my life.My husband is currently doing his MBA at Stanford (Class of 2019), and doesnt know what he will do after (uuuuhhhh so annoying) i.e. he is not sure whether he will be staying in California/USA, moving internationally or even what industry/function he will be working for. He is very smart though so I am sure it will all work out. He supports whichever decision I make, and is unhelpfully not taking a position on this matter - I have asked him to reconsider though! Also we have done long distance before and it is manageable.Long-term, I will be starting a non-profit organisation focused on driving LGBT inclusion at a grassroots level by empowering local change-agents in developing countries. This is 100% going to happen but is also a super-long term goal, we are talking 10-15yrs from now.Yale is a dream school of mine, was literally the school I wanted to get into as a wee undergrad back in the day.Brand recognition esp. internationally, basically a household name. The magic of the Yale name. Most of my family are suggesting I go to Yale, so that is testament to the brand. They dont really know anything about MBAs, they just know Yale.Big fan of the integrated curriculum, the different perspectives it offers sounds really interesting.Up and coming top 10 school. Yale SOM has momentum in terms of rankings, recruitment outcomes, salaries etc. Who knows what the future holds for Yale.I have connected more with Yale current students and alumni due to my existing network (i.e. friends of friends). Seems like none of my network have any connections with Haas. So have a better feel for Yale - everyone has been so helpful when I have reached out.Appears to be stronger in Consulting (but only because Haas sends so many people to Tech)Private Ivy League university (larger endowment and the ivy league experience, whatever what means!)Younger school (approx 40 years) and Smaller alumni network (approx 8,000 vs. 39,000)Long distance relationship with the hubby (coast to coast).No grade non-disclosure policy (REALLY not a fan of this one - is a big negative as I want to be able to choose to de-prioritise grades).Not as well ranked as Haas but I feel like Yale is up-and-coming and has great momentum so will be equal to Haas/Tuck in 5-10 years so really ranking is a bit of a red herring here.Better ranked (slightly, by a few places - see my comment about Yale above)Closer to my husband (yay more cuddles!)Synergies with Stanford MBA - e.g. for one year the ability to unlock the Stanford network as I will be able to attend events as a Stanford MBA spouse, and also for two years, my husbands ability to unlock the Berkeley network as my spouse. Think California b-school gay power couple LOL. (This is an important factor I think - one of the biggest benefits about an MBA is the networks you'll be able to build and get access to).If I am going down tech, entrepreneurship, it's the place to be. Hello Silicon Valley.Grade Non-disclosure policyEstablished top 10 school and Bigger alumni network of 39,000 vs 8,000.I feel like Haas a bit more of a friendlier vibe & is very selective of their class so its a privilege to get in.Internationally, not as good brand recognition and this is an important one. With how hard it is to get a visa to stay in USA - there is a real possibility I will end up in Europe or Asia or Oceania where Yale may have better brand recognition. See context above regarding how my husband doesnt know what he is doing.Not a household name - many of my friends / family are saying off course youll choose Yale because it's the only one they have heard of.Much smaller endowment (probably because its a public institution), not sure of where Haas will be heading in the future with Dean Lyon leaving.Tight knit / amazing community - both Haas and Yale have amazing communities which I would totally fit in at and dreamed to be a part of just a few weeks ago.Class size. Both on the smaller side (which I like), although Haas slightly smaller. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to a smaller class so neutral in my mind.Both Haas and Yale have great non-profit programs, maybe Yale is slightly better but not by enoughBoth will cost about the same (assume no scholarship at Haas).Location (other than weather in Bay area slightly better). I like New Haven a lot actually and would be excited to see snow, so have no issues living there. Berkeley is lovely too obviously.Ability to take classes outside of business schools (Both schools allow it, although Yale is unlimited).Salary outcomes - median for both schools in the $120k mark. Different concentrations though (e.g. Haas for Tech and Yale for Mgmt Consulting)
One product to protect all your devices, without slowing them down.

Nissan Canada Finance was breached, and the personal information of 1.13 million customers in Canada may have been leaked, possibly including customer name, address, vehicle make and model, vehicle identification number (VIN), credit score, loan amount and monthly payment, reads a company statement released on Thursday.

The automaker waited 10 days before announcing it had fallen victim to a cyberattack. On Dec. 11, it detected the breach that may have involved unauthorized person(s) gaining access to the personal information of some customers that have financed their vehicles through Nissan Canada Finance and INFINITI Financial Services Canada.

For now, the company is investigating the breach and has reached out for help to Canadian privacy regulators, law enforcement and specialists in data security. An exact number of affected customers has not been released, but all customers are being contacted as a precaution. It is believed customers outside of Canada were not affected. Nissan Canada Finance assures customers that neither payment card information nor other personal banking details were leaked.

We sincerely apologize to the customers whose personal information may have been illegally accessed and for any frustration or inconvenience that this may cause, said company president Alain Ballu. We are focused on supporting our customers and ensuring the security of our systems.

As hackers may attempt to exploit the stolen information for illicit purposes, Nissan Canada Finance said affected customers will receive free credit monitoring for one year through TransUnion.
On the economic front, China is powering ahead with its One Belt, One Road infrastructure plan. But, the announcement made by the PLA on December 18, now hints at how Beijing's military footprint in the region is also set to grow.

On the day that the Donald Trump administration unveiled its first national security strategy that identified India as "a leading global power and stronger strategic and defence partner" and described China as a "rival", Beijing had a quiet announcement of its own.

On December 18, People's Liberation Army (PLA) officials for the first time confirmed that China was "planning to explore the possibility of more foreign military outposts in Africa, West Asia and other areas", to add to the PLA's first overseas base in Djibouti opened in July.

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The aim, PLA advisors told the South China Morning Post, was "to protect [China's] expanding overseas interests in the Indian Ocean Region".

The announcement came as the Trump administration, for its part, outlined a vision to mount a robust opposition to China's fast-expanding influence and presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Asia-Pacific. Trump's strategy explicitly identified China and Russia as "rival powers" that seek to "erode American security and prosperity". The Trump administration said it would "seek to increase quadrilateral cooperation with Japan, Australia, and India" and "help South Asian nations maintain their sovereignty as China increases its influence in the region".

The strategy left unsaid how Washington plans to do so, especially as many countries have, in Trump's first year in office, gravitated deeper into China's economic orbit even as the US President has spoken of "America First" and withdrawn the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, the region's biggest counter till date to Chinese economic influence.

On the economic front, China is powering ahead with its One Belt, One Road infrastructure plan. The December 18 announcement by the PLA now hints at how Beijing's military footprint in the region is also set to grow.

Six months after opening the first overseas base in Djibouti, signs are that China has ambitious plans to beef up its first outpost. In September, the PLA conducted its first live-fire drills in its new base in the Djibouti desert, a drill that carried its own significance as the first PLA live-firing deployment overseas (outside of UN peacekeeping missions) since the 1979 Vietnam war.

Mathieu Duchatel, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and co-author of China's Strong Arm, Protecting Chinese Nationals and Assets Abroad, notes that behind this changed calculus for China and the spurt in recent activity in spreading its overseas footprint was a key turning point in 2015, when the PLA was pressed into service for the mass evacuations of tens of thousands of Chinese nationals from unrest in Libya and Yemen.

Following Djibouti, two additional IOR bases are already being considered, according to Chinese planners and media reports. China has reportedly had preliminary discussions with the Seychelles, while many Chinese observers believe that Gwadar in Pakistan would be a natural location, given that it's also being developed as the hub of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. China is also building or managing ports in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

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These developments, Duchatel says, suggest China's foreign policy is undergoing a transformative shift away from its traditional 'non-interference' to a gradual 'militarisation' of foreign policy. CPEC, he says, is further moving this shift into uncharted territory, with tens of thousands of Chinese nationals expected to move into one of the world's most unsafe countries.

The prospect of a Chinese 'string of pearls', littoral military bases in the IOR, set up with the aim of encircling India, has preoccupied strategists for many years. Today, it's not only India that is driving China's calculus but its growing global footprint. The pearls are growing in number, and the string ever longer.

--- ENDS ---
New York, Dec 23(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended for another three years the mandate of the tribunal set up to try those accused of carrying out the February 2005 attack in Beirut, which killed 22 people, including the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafiq Hariri, and injured many others.

The trial in absentia of four individuals indicted over the killing began in January 2014 at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is based near The Hague in the Netherlands, and is currently ongoing.

The Tribunals mandate has been extended from 1 March 2018 for a period of three years, or upon the completion of the cases before it if sooner.

The United Nations looks forward to the completion of the mandate of the Special Tribunal in a timely manner, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The Tribunal also has jurisdiction over attacks carried out in Lebanon between 1 October 2004 and 12 December 2005 if they are connected to the attack of 14 February 2005 and are of a similar nature and gravity.

Photo: STL

Source: www.justearthnews.com
The sighting has been described as evidence that the long-sought land route directly between Tehran and Damascus is now officially operational. It also points to the depth of the Iranian influence in both Iraq and Syria, where the land route will likely contribute to an Iranian role in rebuilding after the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Regardless of the specific status of that route, there appears to be growing anxiety among Irans adversaries about the potential for Iranian forces to threaten their interests and assets in the broader Middle East. As an example, Al Jazeera reported earlier this month that Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo had acknowledged sending a letter to Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGCs foreign special operations wing, the Quds Force.

Pompeo explained: I sent it because he had indicated that forces under his control might in fact threaten US interests in Iraq. What we were communicating to him was that we will hold him and Iran accountable.

This letter, which Soleimani claimed to have not opened, is only one example of measures that the US is taking under the Donald Trump administration to call attention to Iranian malfeasance and to begin addressing it. General Jack Keane, a Fox News strategic analyst, advised upon this approach by saying We have got to see Iran as the number one malign actor in the Middle East. We went on to recommend that the US work closely with Sunni allies in the region, as well as specifically addressing the issue of the Tehran-to-Damascus land bridge, or Shiite crescent.

Keanes commentary on the topic is distinctly similar to that of President Trump himself, who unveiled a new National Security Strategy this week which calls for the expansion of American influence throughout the world, partly aimed at confronting and reversing the expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East. Trumps speech on Monday explicitly described Tehran and a variety of jihadist terrorist organizations as the causes of the regions problems.

However, roughly simultaneous with that speech, the Washington Free Beacon published an editorial criticizing Trumps existing Iran strategy as mostly rhetorical. There is little reason to suppose that the authors opinion on this matter changed with the actual unveiling of the National Security Strategy, which reiterated the administrations overall position on confronting the Iranian regime but did not outline specific measures that would be taken toward that end.

These specifics may begin to emerge in the coming month, when National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster releases the National Military Strategy, comprised of country-specific operational goals.

Indeed, the Free Beacon article seems to highlight this expectation by arguing that 2018 will be decision time for the administration as far as Iran is concerned.

The Miami Herald reiterated this point on Tuesday, referring to Iran as the sleeper issue for 2018 in the White Houses national security plan. The article detailed some of the work that McMasters team is doing to develop a post-ISIL strategy, and it speculated that Iran will be a major policy target starting early in the coming year. It also acknowledged that direct confrontation of the Islamic Republic will be difficult to sell to the American people, in light of recent and ongoing entanglements in the Middle East. But the administration has evidently already begun a concerted effort to make the Iran threat clear in the minds of not only the American people but also to US allies.

Toward that end, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley made a public presentation last week of evidence that the Iranians had supplied advanced ballistic missile technology to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, leading to three attempted strikes on Saudi Arabia since November. Earlier in the month, American media helped to highlight the cyber aspects of the Iranian threat, following a decision by the White House to publicize information about a number of criminal cases involving Iranian nationals, including cases against skilled Iranian hackers.

These things point to relatively indirect threats to American interests, but the Herald article also suggested that there is a danger of armed conflict between Iranian or Iran-backed forces and the roughly 2,000 American military personnel that are reportedly remaining in Syria to help prevent any ISIL resurgence. In the long run, these personnel may be viewed by the administration as the first step in getting ahead of a significant shift in the balance of power in the region, as Iran continues to take control of more territory while advancing its military and technical capabilities.

This balance-shift has global dimensions, as well. The Herald quoted the Institute for the Study of War as crediting Irans military coordination with Russia for dramatically increasing Tehrans ability to plan and conduct complex conventional operations [and] transforming its military to be able to conduct quasi-conventional warfare hundreds of miles from its borders.

With that in mind, the emerging US strategy will presumably have to take into account the long-term prospects of the Iran-Russia relationship. But this might be relatively difficult to do, since analysis of that relationship has been inconsistent throughout the past few years, during which the two countries were working together to preserve the Syrian dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad.

Since the early days of that alliance, it was suggested that the two countries interests in Syria might begin to diverge, but this has not come to pass. Similar speculation is now emerging against the backdrop of the collapse of ISIL in Syria and Iraq, which might begin to bring foreign players other interests to the fore. Whats more, there is additional speculation surrounding the Iran-Russia relationship in other areas of the globe, and it is leading to contrary conclusions.

On one hand, Al Monitor suggested that tensions might be flaring between Iran and Russia over their claims to the Caspian Sea. The report indicates that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that his country had reached an agreement on this topic with Iran and the three other Caspian littoral states. But Iranian officials denied that the issue had even been discussed, much less agreed upon.

On the other hand, Payvand suggested that Iran has formally given up its insistence upon a plan that would have divided the Caspian into five equal parts. Relevant commentary on the topic by Iranian officials seemed to be focused less on the rights of individual states than on a coordinated effort to make certain that Western entities are barred from the Caspian, particularly those that originate in the US and the UK.

This commentary buttresses the notion that Iran is committed to its relationship with Russia specifically for the sake of developing an Eastern bloc that stands against Western global interests. This in turn underscores the rationale behind White House demand for confronting Iran. But at the same time, the contrary speculation about the Iran-Russia relationship calls attention to the unresolved questions that may still be complicating the development of a comprehensive and detailed Iran strategy.
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By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today laid foundation stone of 750 MW Ultra Mega Solar Project at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh.

"Foundation stone of 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Project was laid by Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan in presence of Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh at Gurh tehsil, Rewa," Madhya Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Department said in a statement today.

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Chouhan said in statement that "750 MW Rewa Solar Park is one of the largest solar parks in the world and it is a proud moment for all of us".

He highlighted that Rewa Solar Project busted the myth that solar power is expensive with achieving record low tariff of Rs 2.97 through competitive bidding.

Singh said that Madhya Pradesh through its commitment can fulfill target of 5,000 MW of renewable capacity in coming few years.

Rewa Solar Project is utilising barren and rocky land for productive purposes and being one of the largest in the world has potential to become a tourist attraction.

The project will bring the benefit of Rs 2,086 crore to state utility and Rs 1,220 crore to Delhi Metro in entire span of project life.

The transaction structure of Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project has been awarded World Bank Group?s President award for Innovation and Excellence.

IFC is the transaction advisor for the project. PTI KKS MKJ

--- ENDS ---
Another North Korean soldier and two fishermen defected to South Korea on Thursday.

The defections could be a sign that economic sanctions intended to punish North Korean leadership are creating difficulties for its people.

South Koreas military spokesman Roh Jae-cheon confirmed that a low-ranking soldier crossed the border on Thursday morning.

He is the fourth soldier and one of 15 North Korean total defectors to cross the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, directly into the South this year.

In November, a North Korean soldier was badly wounded when North Korean guards fired upon him as he ran across the DMZ to defect to the South.

Most of the nearly 30,000 defectors, who have fled to South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953, have escaped through China.

On Wednesday, the South Korean Unification Ministry said that police found two North Korean men at sea in a small boat off the coast. The two men requested asylum in South Korea and authorities are investigating their identities and claims.

Also in Japan, a number of ships containing dead bodies have come ashore recently. Some analysts believe the North Korean fishing vessels did not have enough fuel to return home.

Human rights groups are voicing concerns that economic sanctions against North Korea are causing food and fuel shortages for its people.

The most recent sanctions ban exports from the $800 million textile industry and reduces oil imports by a third. They also include a ban on the countrys $3 billion coal, iron, lead and seafood exports.

Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean defector, is president of the World Institute of North Korea Studies. He says, These (minerals) have been banned and are no longer being sold, and it has become difficult to feed soldiers. So it is obvious for hungry soldiers to try to defect.

UN human rights representative Tomas Ojea Quintana said he is investigating reports that aid organizations were having difficulties because of the sanctions. They provide food and medical aid to at risk populations in North Korea.

I have to raise awareness with the members of the Security Council, Quintana said. He added that the U.N. has a responsibility to prevent suffering from sanctions.

In September, South Korea announced plans to donate $8 million to help the World Food Program and the United Nations Childrens Fund to provide food and medicine to poor North Koreans.

And the North Korean government has rejected earlier offers of direct assistance and cooperation from the South.

Im Susan Shand.

Brian Padden reported this story for VOA News. Susan Shand adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

defect  v. to leave a country, political party, organization, etc., and go to a different one that is a competitor or an enemy

sanction  n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country

intend  v. to have (something) in your mind as a purpose or goal

obvious  adj. easy to see or notice
4 Australian police stand near a crashed vehicle after they arrested the driver of a vehicle that had ploughed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection near the Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne, Australia.
Pro-independence parties have won a majority of parliamentary seats in the northern Spanish area of Catalonia.

The results are a victory for supporters of the movement to break away from Spain. However, pro-independence parties won just two seats above a majority, for a total of 70.

A record number of people reportedly voted. Nearly 82 percent of Catalonias 5.5 million eligible voters took part.

Why is the vote important?

The recent vote comes after months of tense relations. On October 1 this year, independence leaders held a referendum in Catalonia on whether to separate from Spain.

The leaders said 90 percent of those who voted in the referendum supported independence. However, only about 43 percent of registered voters took part.

Nevertheless, Catalan parliament claimed the region independent.

But Spains government and Constitutional Court declared the referendum illegal. Then, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed Catalonias government. And he called for this months elections in an effort to block the independence movement.

What does the pro-independence winner say?

The Together for Catalonia party won the most votes. The leader of the party is former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, a 54-year-old former journalist.

But Puigdemont is not currently in Catalonia. After the Spanish prime minister dismissed Catalonias government, Puigdemont fled to Belgium to avoid facing arrest on charges of rebellion.

So Puigdemont campaigned for the recent elections from Brussels. He gave interviews, posted statements on social media and spoke to rallies through video link.

On Friday, Puigdemont said the election results marked a clear defeat for the Spanish government. Mariano Rajoy has received a slap in the face from Catalonia, he told reporters in Brussels.



Puigdemont also repeated a call for a meeting between him and Rajoy, saying now is the right time for new negotiations. Weve at least won the right to be heard, he said.

Puigdemont didnt make clear if or when he would try to return to Spain, where he is still wanted for arrest.

What does the anti-independence winner say?

On the anti-independence side, the main winner was Ines Arrimadas. She leads the pro-business Citizens party. Her party won 37 seats, and 25 percent of the votes.

Arrimadas has been a strong voice of opposition in parliament and one of the leading anti-independence campaigners. She said her strong showing means pro-independence leaders can never again claim they speak for all of Catalonia.

We are going to keep fighting for a peaceful co-existence, common sense and for a Catalonia for all Catalans, she said.

What does the Spanish government and the EU say?

Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy told a news conference Friday he was open to talks with pro-independence leaders. He said he expected there to be a new era based on dialogue.

Rajoy noted the election results showed a diversity of support on both sides of the independence issue. He added that he will hold talks with the new leaders of Catalonia as long as they do not take actions that violate Spains constitution.

Leaders of Catalonias independence movement have sought support from other European Union nations for their cause. But EU officials have instead backed the Spanish prime minister in the political dispute.

On Friday, pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont again called on the EU to be open to hearing out all sides in the dispute. I only demand to the European Commission or other European institutions, to listen, listen to the Catalan people, not only the Spanish state, he said.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

eligible  adj. able to be chosen for something

rally  n. a large public meeting held in support of something

slap  n. a hit in the face made with the inside part of the hand

era  n. a period of time in history that is associated with a person, event, etc.

diversity  n. the state of having many different forms, types or ideas

referendum  n. election in which people in an area vote for or against an issue of public concern


The Trump administration on Friday recognized the results of Honduras disputed presidential election, despite problems found by poll observers and calls from the U.S. Congress for a new vote.

In a statement, the U.S. State Department congratulated President Juan Orlando Hernandez on his re-election, but also urged the countrys electoral commission to examine all disputes to the result.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in the statement that all sides should aim to end the recent violence that has killed at least 17 people. Nauert also called on security forces to respect the rights of peaceful protesters.

Hernandez was officially declared the winner of the November 26 election on December 17. However, opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla and his supporters have pointed to fraud.

The Honduran electoral court announced that Hernandez won with 42.25 percent of the vote; Nasralla received 41.42 percent.

Nasralla arrived in Washington earlier this week to seek support from the United States and the Organization of American States in a challenge to the results.

Election observers from the OAS and the European Union had found irregularities with the vote. The OAS, which sent election observers to the country, said in a statement it was impossible to know the true results because of the irregularities.

Nauert said the close election, along with issues identified by the OAS and the EU, demonstrate the need for Honduras to openly review all challenges to the results. She also said Honduras must aim to heal the political divide in the country and create election reforms.

Early results of the election showed Nasralla having a large lead over Hernandez, with 60 percent of the vote counted. Public updates of the count, however, stopped for more than a day. When they restarted, Nasrallas large lead had disappeared. Hernandez pulled ahead.

On Thursday, a group of 20 Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. Congress asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to support another presidential election in Honduras. The lawmakers cited irregularities found by election observers.

The group also asked Tillerson to criticize what it considered to be too much force used by Honduran security forces during street protests after the election.

Honduran police have confirmed 17 deaths. However, the opposition and the Committee of Detained and Disappeared, a non-governmental organization, say at least 24 people died in the unrest.

Im Susan Shand.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

despite  prep. without being prevented by (something)  used to say that something happens or is true even though there is something that might prevent it from happening or being true

commission - n. a group of people who have been given the official job of finding information about something or controlling something

fraud - n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person

challenge  v. to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal

review - v. to look at or examine (something) carefully especially before making a decision or judgment
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Schlumberger Limited provides technology for the energy industry worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. It offers software, information management, and IT infrastructure services; consulting services for reservoir characterization, field development planning, and production enhancement; petro technical data services and training solutions; reservoir interpretation and data processing services; asset performance solutions; open and cased-hole services; exploration and production pressure and flow-rate measurement services; pressure pumping, well stimulation, and coiled tubing equipment for downhole mechanical well intervention, reservoir monitoring, and downhole data acquisition; and integrated production systems. The company also provides mud logging and engineering support services; drilling equipment and services for shipyards, drilling contractors, energy companies, and rental tool companies; land drilling rigs and related services; drilling tools; well cementing products and services; and well planning and drilling, engineering, supervision, logistics, procurement, contracting, and drilling rig management services, as well as supplies engineered drilling fluid systems; and designs, manufactures, and markets roller cone and fixed cutter drill bits. In addition, it offers well completion services and equipment; artificial lift production equipment and optimization services; valves; process systems; and integrated subsea production systems comprising wellheads, subsea trees, manifolds and flowline connectors, control systems, connectors, and services, as well as designs and manufactures onshore and offshore platform wellhead systems and processing solutions. The company was formerly known as Societe de Prospection Electrique. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1926 and is based in Houston, Texas.
By PTI: national

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today asked the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue medical visa to a Pakistani national suffering from cancer.

The patient, Maqbool Ahmad Qureshi, is suffering from fourth stage cancer and an appeal was made to Swaraj through Twitter.

"I have asked the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue medical visa to Maqbool Ahmad Qureshi -- a Pakistani national for his treatment in India. @IndiainPakistan," Swaraj tweeted.

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In a separate tweet, a woman appealed to the External Affairs Minister to issue visa to her husband who is in Islamabad.

"I have told the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue Visa to the groom, his brothers/sisters and the parents (sic)," Swaraj tweeted. PTI PR KJ

--- ENDS ---
The Bombay High Court set aside the Maharashtra governor's sanction to prosecute former CM Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing society scam case.

By India Today Web Desk, India Today Web Desk: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan will not be prosecuted in the high-profile Adarsh Housing Society scam case, at least for now, the Bombay High Court ruled today.

Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had earlier given his sanction to prosecute Chavan, who was asked by the Congress party to resign as CM after being implicated in the housing scam.

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The Bombay High Court, ruling on a challenge filed by Chavan, today set aside that sanction while finding that the Central Bureau of Investigation had failed to present fresh evidence while seeking the governor's sanction to prosecute the former chief minister.

The law requires probe agencies seek sanctions from designated constitutional authorities while seeking to prosecute public servants such as former CMs.

Governor Rao gave his sanction, under section 197 (relating to prosecution of judges and public servants) of CrPC, to prosecute Chavan for offences under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating and dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), in February last year.

Governor Rao took the decision, which Chavan later called "politically-motivated" after consulting the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government, which came to power in 2014.

Chavan resigned as chief minister in 2010 after getting embroiled in the Adarsh scam. Fellow Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan had replaced him.

The scam deals with allegations that officials and leaders from politics, bureaucracy and military conspired to get flats at cheap rates in the Adarsh Housing Society, a prime property located in Mumbai's southern Colaba borough.

The building itself was constructed by the defence minister for the welfare of war widows.

WATCH | Adarsh housing society scam: Defence Ministry indicts 10 senior Army officers in report

--- ENDS ---
Color of Money Live has been canceled this week because of the holidays.

Please join Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary for the first chat in the new year on Jan. 4.

Follow Michelle Singletary on Twitter (@SingletaryM) and Facebook www.facebook.com/MichelleSingletary
China urged other governments yesterday to constructively help Myanmar and Bangladesh resolve the fate of Rohingya Muslims instead of complicating the issue after Myanmar blocked a visit by U.N. human rights official.

Events in Rakhine state, where more than 630,000 Rohingya fled a military crackdown, are an internal affair for Myanmar that contains complicated historical, national and religious factors, said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying.

We think the international community should constructively help Myanmar and Bangladesh to solve the issue instead of complicating the issue, said Hua at a regular briefing.

International rights groups blame the government and military for being unwilling to investigate possible wrongdoing by government officials and have urged the government to accept the assistance of international investigators.

The U.N. official, Yanghee Lee, said Wednesday that Myanmars government barred her from the country. She said officials told her that was in response to her criticism of official restrictions on her movement when she visited in July.

Lee, who was due to visit Myanmar in January, has had her access to the country revoked for the rest of her tenure, the U.N.s human rights agency said.

This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a strong indication that there must be something terribly awful happening in Rakhine, as well as in the rest of the country, she said in a statement, adding that she hopes the government will reconsider.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed last month that some Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh could start returning on about Jan. 21. A Bangladeshi official said Tuesday that might be delayed.

Human rights groups warn the Rohingya may face more violence if they are sent back.

The government of Buddhist-majority Myanmar has refused to accept Rohingya Muslims as a minority group, though they have lived in the country for generations. Rohingya were stripped of their citizenship in 1982. MDT/AP
As the cold snap in Macau recedes today, the city is preparing to welcome the lesser-known Chinese festival of Dongzhi (Cantonese: Dungzi).

Overshadowed by the Christmas holiday season, the Macau SAR Establishment Day and the forthcoming Chinese New Year, this traditional festival has somewhat lost its status as a key date in the Chinese calendar.

Falling on either December 21 or 22, Dongzhi is equivalent to the Winter Solstice in the Gregorian calendar and marks the extremity of winter and the end of shorter daylight hours.

In China, it was originally celebrated as an end-of- harvest festival, but today is observed as a family gathering event, where hot food is served to guard against the impending cold.

Dongzhi is a very important festival in the Chinese calendar; one of the most important after Mid-Autumn Festival and the day before Chinese New Year, Jenny Lao-Phillips, a local scholar on Chinese culture, told the Times yesterday. It is traditionally a family dinner, [however,] it has lost some of its importance in recent years.

Its rather easy to overlook this discreet holiday, given the noise of its immediate neighbors, Macau SAR Establishment Day on December 20 and Christmas on December 25.

Nevertheless, some organizations in Macau still use the festival as an opportunity to visit families and senior citizens to share a hot meal, while some tourist and religious sites, like the A-Ma Temple, hold a special service or celebration in recognition of the occasion.

And despite its dwindling importance, Dongzhi remains uniquely venerated in Macau.

Although celebrated in countries such as mainland China, Taiwan and Korea, Macau is the only jurisdiction in the world that regards the festival as a public holiday, according to calendar firm Office Holidays.

Lao-Philips said she was not sure why the festival is uniquely celebrated as a public holiday in Macau.

I think its just that Macau has a lot of public holidays, she said. I remember that Dongzhi was celebrated as a public holiday even before the handover.

Dongzhi is enshrined as a public holiday in Macau Decree-Law no. 4/82/M.
The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, said that Macau cannot go through chaos, in response to a question regarding Macaus repeated denial of entry to a Hong Kong politician.

Hong Kong politician Casper Wong was recently denied entry in Macau.

Secretary Wong Sio Chak said that Macau is a small place which cannot be subjected to chaos, adding that the police have the rights and responsibilities to ensure that.

If we do not do [border control] well, I will bear the responsibility in case Macau becomes a chaotic city in the future, said Wong.

When asked why Macau denied entry to someone who could travel to China, Wong said that Macau and mainland China use different systems.

This does not mean that if the mainland bans [someone] then we must ban too, said Wong, who noted that every region and country has its own standards.

Wong claimed that denying entry is unrelated to the occupation of the involved parties. He reaffirmed that the Macau security force only acknowledges the persons identity after their entry has been denied.

Wong said that the US banned an entire country, which means they are banning more people than Macau.
Dubbed as a Filipino Hero in Macau, Loreto Mijares will be the first non- resident Filipino to receive the Honorific Title  Prestige Award by the MSAR government in mid-January.

Mijares will be awarded for his courageous act of saving three local residents when Typhoon Hato battered the city on August 23.

The Filipino workers heroic act was caught on video by his wife, Nafe Mijares, which surfaced online and was also recognized by international media.

Despite his fear of swimming due to a childhood incident, Mijares saved the drowning elderlies and a man who was shouting for help, by grabbing an empty sealed mineral water bottle, along with the help of local neighbors who provided a rope, and made a life buoy.

The Overseas Filipino Worker received numerous awards including plaques of appreciation from Filipino community groups and his employer, The Parisian Macao.

Just recently, he was awarded the Excellence Award in the Leading Example category of the Macau Business Awards, and has been given an award from a Manila-based recruitment agency, Ikon.

Mijares was also nominated for the Philippines Bagong Bayani Awards, for his heroic act  a recognition given to Filipino workers outside the Philippines by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Mijares, who is still in awe of the several recognitions he has received, said he did not expect that his decision to save the lives of a local couple and man would be recognized.

During the typhoon, I was initially scared because the waters were rising. But I just prayed and asked God to strengthen me to save those who were drowning, he said.

Mijares helped the residents get to the roof of a vehicle, which was also almost reached by the waters, as seen in the viral video.

According to Mijares, the recognition that will bestowed upon him by the MSAR is not only for him but also for his compatriots in the region and abroad.

This is a big honor, not just for me, but for my fellow Filipinos around the world. Even those who arent my compatriots recognized this courageous act. I believe this plays a big recognition to the Filipino community, he said.

Were always ready to help especially if it concerns the lives of others. My compatriots would have done the same, Mijares added.

Meanwhile, Nafe Mijares added, I think this also shows that were not only here to work but also to help others despite the differences in our nationalities  even when we need to risk our lives to save others.

The Decorations, Medals and Certificates of Merit for 2017 will be given to 42 individuals and organizations in mid-January in recognition of their achievements, outstanding contributions and distinguished service.
The Pearl Horizon buyers gathered for a demonstration on the Macau SAR Establishment Day. In an unprecedented gesture, all demonstrators kneeled before the Macau government building.

On Wednesday, approximately 300 Pearl Horizons former buyers organized a demonstration, once again, calling for the Chief Executive (CE), the Macau government, and the Liaison Office to help them get their houses.

The group firstly gathered at the headquarters of Polytec Asset Holdings, and then marched to the Prosecution Office and the Liaison office, where the protesters delivered around 1,000 declarations calling for their houses to be returned. They also asked the Central Government to help them.

Later, the group marched to their destination at the Government Headquarters, where they also delivered a declaration.

Some of the participants, including Kou Meng Pok, president of Pearl Horizon Proprietors Association, kneeled before the government, hoping to meet with the Chief Executive to solve the problem. Others claimed that if the CE does not respond to them, they will visit Beijing for a petition.

Kou Meng Pok said that he, as well as the whole group, will support any of the governments plans as long as they can help buyers get their houses.

In Kous opinion, only a meeting between the government, the buyers and the developers can truly solve the problem. JZ
President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski will testify before Peruvian opposition lawmakers intent on throwing him out of office in a sudden impeachment proceeding that threatens to make him the regions first president to be ousted over the Odebrecht corruption scandal.

The 79-year-old former Wall Street banker is in a fight for his political survival after an opposition-led investigative committee revealed documents showing the Brazilian construction giant at the center of Latin Americas largest corruption scandal made USD782,000 in payments to his private consulting firm a decade ago. Some of the payments overlap with years that Kuczynski spent as a government minister.

Kuczynski has denied any wrongdoing, stating in repeated appeals to the public that he left control of his firm in the hands of a business partner and knew nothing of the Odebrecht contract.

Analysts worry the impeachment vote could usher in a new period of uncertainty for Peru, which is one of South Americas most politically volatile nations. The vote is scheduled to come just eight days after the Odebrecht documents were first disclosed and is being pushed by the opposition Popular Force party led by Keiko Fujimori, who is the daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori and who narrowly lost to Kuczynski in last years presidential election.

That they would impeach the president is not an unthinkable thing, said Steve Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist who has spent years studying Peru. Its that they would do it in a week without serious investigation, without a serious process of public debate.

High-ranking politicians across Latin America are being charged and sentenced to jail for taking bribes from Odebrecht. In a 2016 plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department, the construction giant admitted to paying nearly $800 million to politicians, their campaigns and political parties in return for lucrative public works contracts that earned the company some $3.3 billion in profits. MDT/AP
The Philippine president has declared a Christmas truce with communist guerrillas and urged them to reciprocate the goodwill gesture after recently scrapping peace talks with the insurgents and declaring them terrorists.

President Rodrigo Dutertes decision, made public by his spokesman Harry Roque Jr., reflects the contrasting moves the volatile leader has taken to deal with the 48-year communist insurgency, one of Asias longest. The Department of National Defense had recommended the president not declare a cease-fire.

Roque said in a statement that the Dec. 24-Jan. 2 cease-fire aims to ease public apprehension during the Christmas and New Years holidays, when many Filipinos travel to the countryside where the Maoist insurgents are active.

Earlier this week, Duterte still appeared undecided but was worried about public safety if he did not call for a unilateral truce.

They might say theres no cease-fire, a gunbattle erupts, then you put a lot of strain on the people, he told reporters after attending the wake of a police officer who was gunned down by a drug suspect this week. A lot of people are going around, even at night, enjoying Christmas day or whatever, going to church.

The Communist Party of the Philippines on Wednesday called on its armed guerrilla wing, the New Peoples Army, to launch more offensives but did not indicate whether it would call for a holiday cease-fire. Both sides have traditionally declared cease-fires to allow their combatants to take a break and return to their families during the holidays.

When reporters sought his reaction, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana appeared unaware of the presidents declaration but said the defense department and the military would abide by the decision, despite their recommendation against a holiday cease-fire.

The prospects of a peace deal with the guerrillas appeared high when Duterte pursued peace negotiations brokered by Norway and appointed left-wing activists to a number of Cabinet posts when he took power last year. Duterte and military officials, however, later protested continuing rebel assaults on troops, snagging the talks.

Duterte formally halted talks with the Maoist guerrillas in November due to the continuing attacks and declared them as terrorists in the first step of a legal process to proscribe their group.

If approved by a court, the communist guerrillas will be the second group to be proscribed under a seldom-used 2007 anti-terror law after the Abu Sayyaf, a brutal Muslim extremist group that was blacklisted in 2015 for involvement in ransom kidnappings, beheadings and bombings.

The guerrillas have scuttled peace talks in the past after accusing the government of helping the United Nations and the United States designate them as terrorists. The rebellion they have waged mostly in the countryside has left more than 40,000 combatants and civilians dead and hampered development in some of the countrys poorest regions.Jim Gomez, Manila, AP

Ferry sinks; 4 dead, 88 missing, 166 rescued

A PHILIPPINE inter-island ferry with 258 passengers and crew, including Christmas holiday travelers, sank yesterday after being battered by fierce winds and big waves off the countrys northeast, leaving at least four people dead and 88 others missing, officials said. More than 160 others were plucked alive from the rough sea by navy and coast guard personnel and a flotilla of fishing boats. Rescue efforts will continue despite rough waves and nightfall, coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said, adding that a coast guard helicopter tried to fly to the area but was hampered by the strong winds. Frequent storms, badly maintained vessels and weak enforcement of safety regulations have been blamed for past accidents at sea in the Philippines.
Voters in Catalonia faced a momentous choice in elections yesterday for their regional parliament: either support political parties that are determined to keep up the pressure to turn their region into Europes newest country, or opt for those that want it to stay as part of Spain.

The pivotal election is aimed at breaking the bitter deadlock over the issue of secession. But neither side is likely to win a clear majority in the new regional parliament, setting up the scenario of long and challenging negotiations to form a new Catalan government.

Opinion polls have shown fugitive and jailed separatist candidates neck-and-neck in opinion polls with unionists, who claim to be in the best position to return Catalonia to stability and growth.

But with a record turnout expected, the outcome could hinge on the more than one-fifth who are undecided among Catalonias 5.5 million eligible voters.

Weeks of campaigning involved little debate about regional policy on issues such as public education, health or housing. At the heart of the battle instead was the sensational recent independence push that led to Spains worst political crisis in decades.

Separatist regional lawmakers made a unilateral declaration of independence on Oct. 27, prompting Spains national government to take the dramatic step of firing the regional government and dissolving the Catalan parliament. Courts later ordered the arrest of the former Catalan leaders.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called an early election, which he is hoping will keep the separatists out of power. The strategy could backfire, however, if the election delivers a pro-independence majority of lawmakers in the Catalan parliament. Even so, Rajoy says Catalan independence would go against the Spanish Constitution and he refuses to accept the possibility.

The separatists, including a fugitive former leader evading Spanish authorities in Brussels and another campaigning from a jail near Madrid, are equally uncompromising.

Manuel Abella, a 64 year-old pensioner, said he voted for Ciutadans (Citizens), a pro-business party that wants Spanish unity and has shown strongly in polls. Abella said he didnt like how the split between separatists and unionists has become so unpleasant.

The problem we have is that now people are divided, you are either with us or against us, he said. I have experienced this in my own family. We have arrived at the point that we cant talk politics now.

Sergi Balateu, a 37-year-old marketing director, voted at Barcelonas Ramon Llull school, where less than three months ago police in riot gear used force to stop him and others voting in an independence referendum that the Spanish government had said was illegal.

Balateu said he voted for Together For Catalonia, which wants the region to secede. It is a strange feeling to vote here today, he said, because of the memories of the October clash, when he and other separatists held hands and

tried to protect the referendum ballot boxes.

For me it is a question of identity. I feel more Catalan than Spanish, he said.

A Catalan attempt to secede would be an unwelcome development for the European Union, which is already wrestling with legal complications from Britains planned exit from the bloc. Senior EU officials have backed Rajoy, and no EU country has offered support for the separatists.

Catalonias independence ambitions also have scant support in the rest of Spain.

The outcome of the political battle is crucial for a region that accounts for 19 percent of Spains GDP,

An economic slowdown has been the most immediate consequence of the Catalan independence push. Spains central bank last week cut its national growth forecasts for next year and 2019 to 2.4 percent and 2.1 percent respectively, cutting a percentage point off its previous predictions and citing the conflict in Catalonia as the cause.

Opinion polls have suggested a close race between the Ciutadans party, led by 34-year-old lawyer Ines Arrimadas, and two prominent separatist parties: Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), headed by former regional President Carles Puigdemont who campaigned from Brussels, and the left-wing republican ERC party, whose leader and Puigdemonts former No. 2 Oriol Junqueras is in jail.

Both Puigdemont and Junqueras face possible sedition and rebellion charges for Octobers independence effort.

The parties of Puigdemont and Junqueras, along with small anti-capitalist group CUP, held a slim majority in the last parliament, enabling them to push ahead with the independence drive. It remains to be seen whether they can stick together. Aritz Parra and Barry Hatton, Barcelona, AP
Zhuhai ranked third in Guangdong Province in terms of birth rate in 2017, according to a report by Macao Daily News. From January to August, Guangdong welcomed 1.028 million newborn residents, with 56 percent of these being second children. The percentage of new mothers aged around 35 years old or older accounts for 68.5 percent of the total number of new mothers. When accounting for Zhuhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Foshan, Jiangmen and Guangzhou, there was a 10 percent increase in the number of new mothers aged above 35.
A food delivery service has released a report to analyse what Indians have feasted on the most in 2017.

By India Today Web Desk: The beauty of food in India lies in how each corner of the country offers you a plethora of diverse cuisines.

One is literally spoilt for choice when it comes to the variety of taste and flavours that the nation has in store for us.

And among all of the dishes, Indians have chosen the delicious chicken biryani as their favourite this year.

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A recent survey by food delivery service Swiggy has revealed what Indians have feasted on the most in 2017. And chicken biryani has topped the list as the most-ordered food of the year, followed by the south staple masala dosa and butter naan, tandoori roti and paneer butter masala, respectively.

The analysis has been based on several meal categories like late-night ordering, snacking, desserts, healthy and international cuisine, while covering cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Pune.

As per the report, masala dosa, idli and vada ruled breakfast menus. For lunch and dinner, people mostly preferred biryani, paneer butter masala and masala dosa, and dal makhani and chicken fried rice.

Also Watch: Is this the best biryani for your parties?

Evening munchies included pav bhaji, french fries, samosas, chicken roll, chicken burger and bhel puri. On the other hand, late-night orders mostly comprised chicken biryani, French fries, butter chicken and desserts like death by chocolate (chocolate sundae) and Nutella Brownie.

Interestingly, pizza did not make it to the top five although it ranked first among the ''most searched dishes,'' reported Hindustan Times.

Photo: Pinterest

From pav bhaji in Mumbai to kachori in Kolkata

Mumbai chose their staple pav bhaji while Delhi stayed loyal to dal makhani and naan. While most people in Hyderabad were found ordering biryani, those in Bengaluru showed preference for the usual South-Indian cuisine.

Kolkata, of course, preferred to order biryani and fried rice for their meals and kachoris for breakfast and snacks.

However, Pune showed preference for dal khichdi over biryani for lunch.

Photo: Pinterest

Dessert

Gulab jamun and rasmalai were found to have been ordered on a regular basis. As far as ice-creams are concerned, death by chocolate, tender coconut ice cream, and brownie fudge sundae turned out to be the top-picks.

--- ENDS ---
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

An international study led by scientists from Inserm and Paris Diderot University (France), the University of Chicago (USA), the National Heart and Lung Institute (UK) and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (USA) together with researchers of the Trans-National Asthma Genetics Consortium (TAGC) has discovered five new regions of the genome that increase the risk of asthma. This study was published Friday, Dec. 22 in the journal Nature Genetics.

A major finding of this study is that the genetic loci associated with asthma are enriched in epigenetic marks characterizing gene enhancers. Another key element is the shared associations of variants with asthma, auto-immune diseases and diseases with an inflammatory component. The outcomes of this work open new avenues of research with the goal of elucidating the biological mechanisms underlying asthma in relationship with environmental exposures and to promote the development of new therapies.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects more than 300 million people worldwide including 10 to 20 percent of children. It has a significant socio-economic impact. Asthma is characterized by clinical heterogeneity. Asthma results from both genetic predisposition and exposure to environmental and lifestyle factors.

The TAGC study brought together more than 45 research groups from Europe, North America, Mexico, Australia and Japan. It allowed pooling data on millions of DNA polymorphisms (genetic variants) throughout the genome in more than 142,000 asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects of European, African, Latino and Japanese ancestry. Meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies conducted in these ethnically-diverse populations identified a total of 878 genetic variants belonging to 18 loci associated with asthma risk.

The TAGC study showed that genetic variants associated with asthma are preferentially located near epigenetic markers in immune cells, suggesting a role of these variants in the regulation of immunologically related mechanisms.

Another key element concerns the involvement of several identified candidate genes in the immune response to viruses, thus highlighting the importance of viral infections in the risk of asthma.

The genetic variants associated with asthma have also effects on autoimmune diseases and other diseases with an inflammatory component such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, neuro-psychiatric diseases, which strengthens the importance of pleiotropy in multifactorial diseases.

In conclusion, these results highlight the importance of large-scale genetic studies to better characterize complex diseases. This study opens new avenues of research aiming at integrating genomic and epigenomic data together with environmental exposures in order to elucidate the physio-pathological mechanisms underlying asthma and to promote the development of new therapies.

More information: undefined undefined et al. Multiancestry association study identifies new asthma risk loci that colocalize with immune-cell enhancer marks, Nature Genetics (2017). Journal information: Nature Genetics undefined undefined et al. Multiancestry association study identifies new asthma risk loci that colocalize with immune-cell enhancer marks,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-017-0014-7
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Are you struggling with getting your child to school? Here is some advice on what you should do as a parent  and what you should not do.

Not attending school for longer periods can have negative effects on the child's psychological, social and academic development. Post-doctoral researcher Trude Havik at the Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education at the University of Stavanger has been studying the phenomenon of school refusal. She gives us ten ways to prevent it and help pupils back to school.

1. Talk with your child

Try to find out why he or she refuses to go to school. Has something happened? Ask if your child has any friends at school. Take your time and be specific when asking questions.

2. Contact the school as soon as possible

"Ask if they have noticed any change of behaviour in your child, both regarding school work and in social interchange," says Havik.

Parents should contact the school, and they should together find out why the child does not want to or is unable to attend school.

3. Make an agreement

Complaints about stomach pain or headache are often among the first indications of school refusal. In case of such complaints, you should make an agreement that your child will attend school, but can return home if the pain gets worse during the day. The teacher must also be informed about the agreement.

"Going to school rarely worsens the child's condition. Making sure that children go to school is important because non-attendance leads to more of the same," says Havik.

"The longer a pupil is absent, the harder it is to come back."

4. Exert mild pressure

Stay firm.

"However, parents can't be expected to force their children if the school does not follow up. This might apply if a child is subjected to bullying, feels unhappy or does not get the follow-up he or she needs.

If the teacher does not respond to your concerns, you should ask for a meeting with the headmaster," says Havik.

5. Don't make staying at home an attractive option

"If children are allowed to sleep in and, for example, bake together with their mothers, staying at home during school time might be too enjoyable," says Havik.

"Make staying at home resemble a normal school day to make it less tempting. When the school day is over, you can enjoy yourselves.

6. Take your child to the doctor

A child that complains about stomach pain or headache should undergo a medical examination. However, he or she should still try to attend school during the examination period," Havik believes.

7. Business as usual

If your child stays at home, it is important to get up at the usual time and prepare for a new day in the same way as when she or he goes to school. Get your child to do his or her school work, and try to follow the class' curriculum.

8. Be positive about school

When at home, focus on the positive aspects and what your child likes about school, teachers and classmates.

9. Good routines

It is important that the same thing happens every night at bedtime and in the morning. Your child should go to bed at a regular time and get enough sleep. Children should not be allowed to spend a lot of time on their mobile phones or digital tablets before bedtime.

10. Don't feel guilty

"When a child refuses to go to school, this is never down to one person or one simple reason. It is often a complex matter. Feelings of guilt will not make things better, neither for the adults nor the child," says Havik.

Parents of children who refuse to go to school need to know that they are not the only ones in this situation.

"They also need to know that early help, working together with the school and being open about difficult issues, including conditions at home, is important for getting the child back to school as soon as possible."

More information: Trude Havik et al. School factors associated with school refusal- and truancy-related reasons for school non-attendance, Social Psychology of Education (2015). Trude Havik et al. School factors associated with school refusal- and truancy-related reasons for school non-attendance,(2015). DOI: 10.1007/s11218-015-9293-y Trude Havik et al. Assessing Reasons for School Non-attendance, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research (2014). DOI: 10.1080/00313831.2014.904424 Trude Havik et al. Parental perspectives of the role of school factors in school refusal, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (2013). DOI: 10.1080/13632752.2013.816199
Amyloid produced by commensal bacteria may cause changes in protein folding and neuroinflammation in the central nervous system through the autonomic nervous system (particularly the vagus nerve), the trigeminal nerve in the mouth and nasopharynx, and the gut (including mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines), as well as via the olfactory receptors in the roof of the nose. Credit: University of Louisville

Research in the past two decades has revealed that microbial organisms in the gut influence health and disease in many ways, particularly related to immune function, metabolism and resistance to infection. Recent studies have shown that gut microbes also may cause or worsen Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

University of Louisville neurology professor Robert P. Friedland, M.D., and Matthew R. Chapman, Ph.D., professor at the University of Michigan, have proposed a new term to describe an interaction between gut microbiota and the brain in an article released today in PLOS Pathogens.

Friedland and Chapman propose the term "mapranosis" for the process by which amyloid proteins produced by microbes (bacteria, fungi and others) alter the structure of proteins (proteopathy) and enhance inflammation in the nervous system, thereby initiating or augmenting brain disease. The term is derived from Microbiota Associated Protepathy And Neuroinflammation + osis (a process).

Friedland hopes that giving the process a name will facilitate awareness of the process, as well as research leading to therapeutic opportunities.

"It is critical to define the ways in which gut bacteria and other organisms interact with the host to create disease, as there are many ways in which the microbiota may be altered to influence health," Friedland said.

Research into the multitude of microbes that inhabit the human body has expanded considerably in recent years. Genomic analysis has begun to reveal the full diversity of bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea and parasites living in and on the body, the majority of them in the gut. Even more recently, researchers have begun to explore how the proteins and other metabolites produced by microbes inhabiting the gut influence functions in other parts of the body, including the brain. However, we do not yet have a full understanding of how these systems work. The relationship between the microbiota and the brain has been called the "gut-brain axis."

It is understood that the clumping of misfolded amyloid proteins, structures produced by neurons in the brain, are associated with neurodegeneration and conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"It is well known that patterns of amyloid misfolding of neuronal proteins are involved in age-related brain diseases. Recent studies suggest that similar protein structures produced by gut bacteria, referred to as bacterial amyloid, may be involved in the initiation of neurodegenerative processes in the brain," Friedland said. "Bacterial amyloids are produced by a wide range of microbes that inhabit the GI tract, including the mouth."

In research published in 2016 in Scientific Reports, Friedland and colleagues showed that when E. coli microbes in the gut of rats and worms (nematodes) produced misfolded amyloids, the amyloids produced in the animals' brains and intestines also misfolded, a process called cross-seeding.

"Our work suggests that our commensal microbial partners make functional extracellular amyloid proteins, which interact with host proteins through cross-seeding of amyloid misfolding and trigger neuroinflammation in the brain," Friedland said.

In today's article, Friedland and Chapman also address other factors related to the microbiota and its products and how they influence neurodegenerative disorders.

The microbiota modulates (enhances) immune processes throughout the body, including the central nervous system. The microbiota may induce oxidative toxicity (free radicals) and related inflammation that contributes to neurodegeneration. Metabolites produced by the microbiota may be either beneficial (health sustaining) or damaging (pathogenic). Host genetics influence microbiota populations, illustrating that the gut-brain axis is bidirectional.

Friedland believes further research in this area may lead to therapies for these neurodegenerative diseases, which are increasing in frequency and for which there are few effective treatments.

More information: Robert P. Friedland et al, The role of microbial amyloid in neurodegeneration, PLOS Pathogens (2017). Journal information: PLoS Pathogens Robert P. Friedland et al, The role of microbial amyloid in neurodegeneration,(2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006654
This image shows a cross section of a kidney. Credit: Holly Fischer/Wikipedia

Paulette McIlvena went to bed, at home, and woke up three weeks later, in hospital. She became severely ill due to complications from pancreatitis. While she was in a coma McIlvena underwent surgery and was put on dialysis as a temporary measure. Following those events in 2004, the pancreatitis cleared up, McIlvena's kidneys started working again, and she thought her kidney troubles were behind her.

Recently, however, she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease related to her experience 13 years ago and is now being treated by UCalgary's Cumming School of Medicine physician-scientist Dr. Matthew James.

James says 12 per cent of people who are hospitalized will experience a kidney complication, despite being admitted for a different reason. Called acute kidney injury, for some, the problem can be as simple as not making as much urine; for others, like McIlvena, the kidneys stop functioning, for a time.

"There are a wide range of outcomes after someone experiences acute kidney injury. Many patients will have a good recovery and their kidney function will return to normal, but others can develop kidney failure afterward," says James.

Until recently, doctors had no way to know which patients were most at risk of long-term complications. Through research, James and his colleagues developed a risk assessment tool that can now be used in Alberta hospitals to guide subsequent care. "We don't want to miss the people who will have long-term kidney health problems," says James. "The tool allows us to identify people who need followup and tailor care specifically for them."

Kidney disease is considered a silent disease; you often don't know you're sick until you're into the late stages of the illness, where treatment means dialysis for life, or transplant.

The science behind the risk assessment tool

To design a tool that could hone in on whether acute kidney injury may progress to advanced chronic kidney disease, two groups of patients were studied. Over the course of 11 years, data from 9,973 Alberta patients was reviewed with six health measurements routinely taken: age, sex, urine protein levels, kidney function levels when admitted to hospital, kidney function levels throughout hospital stay, and kidney function levels when discharged.

Combined, these factors provided researchers with a framework with which to estimate a patient's risk level of developing advanced kidney disease over the next year. To confirm the approach, 2,761 patients from Ontario were assessed. The results validated the model. The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The research team will evaluate the tool in clinical practice; they know the tool works and now they want to find out if using it can improve care and outcomes for patients. Patients with acute kidney injury in Calgary and Edmonton will be eligible to join the next study. If use of the tool results in better followup care and outcomes for patients after hospital discharge, then strategies to scale up its use across Canada could begin. The model could also be used in other countries down the road.

"We hope to improve the experiences for patients and tools available for health care providers, by providing them with personalized risk information, so that patients and doctors can make better decisions together that improve long-term kidney health," says James.

More information: Matthew T. James et al. Derivation and External Validation of Prediction Models for Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease Following Acute Kidney Injury, JAMA (2017). Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association Matthew T. James et al. Derivation and External Validation of Prediction Models for Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease Following Acute Kidney Injury,(2017). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2017.16326
EU leaders failed to reach agreement on the migration policy during Brussels summit, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Financial Times reported.

According to Angela Merkel, EU has made certain progress in protecting the external EU borders, particularly due to agreements with Turkey and cooperation with Libya. German Chancellor also noted that EU members must show solidarity with each other. Merkel said she is not satisfied with the fact that the existing options for the solution of migration crisis has not worked out.

The EU member states have not been able to agree on a number of issues relating to refugee problems for several years. The European Commission and some countries, including Germany, supported redeployment options, which aim at receiving refugees. However, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic reject any form of coercion in this regard.
Prime Minister of Finland: Europe is now too reliant on Chinese technology

Turkey to require insurance from oil tankers when passing through its waters

EU to provide Ukraine with generators and kits to repair power grids

Turkey sentences sect founder to 8,658 years in prison

Xi Jinping urges world to abandon any Cold War mentality

Aliyev rules out talks with Artsakh State Minister

FP: Ukraine's appetite for weapons depletes Western stocks

Putin and Aliyev discuss energy cooperation

Armenian financial technologies to enter international market: VISA and Idram sign memorandum in Yerevan

Incident in Poland causes disagreement between Kyiv and West

Mark Milley urges Kyiv and Moscow to find political solution: Chances of military victory are unlikely

New NATO Secretary General to be announced at Vilnius summit in 2023

Finnish Defense Ministry announces largest batch of military aid to Ukraine

Pashinyan receives Ukrainian businessmen of Armenian origin

Armenian soldier wounded in Azerbaijani shooting

Erdogan: Turkey-Israel relations entered a new phase of development

Mishustin: Cooperation between Moscow and Baku has become truly strategic and allied

Igor Khovaev to visit Baku

Mishustin arrives in Baku

Russian Foreign Ministry: South Caucasus is a strategic transport hub for Eurasia

U.S. general lays flowers at eternal flame at Armenian Genocide memorial

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

Chinese customs officers accidentally find cockroach unknown to science

Man removes cobra's teeth with manicure pliers and gets arrested

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

Donfried says Armenia and Azerbaijan have historic opportunity to establish lasting peace

Bob Menendez: How on earth can we justify sending any support, security or otherwise, to the regime in Baku?

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
German police on Wednesday arrested a man accused of planning a vehicle-based terrorist attack in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe, DW reported.

The 29-year-old German citizen, identified only as Dasbar W., had alleged connections to the "Islamic State" group.

Investigators said he planned to ram a vehicle into the stands around a city center ice rink. He had allegedly been applying for jobs as a delivery driver for the past two months but was unsuccessful. He allegedly scouted out the location in August.

The Federal Prosecutor General said the ice rank plans posed a grave threat to the state.

He was also accused of disseminating propaganda videos for IS and promoting its ideology via Whatsapp group chats.

Separately, a man was extradited from France to Germany on Wednesday on suspicion of being a member of the Taliban.
YEREVAN.- On December 19-20 the Seventeenth meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) was held in Yerevan. At the end of the meeting Final Statement and Recommendations were adopted which are based on Article 83 of the EU-Armenia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

The adopted document reflects the procedure of the RA-EU relations, in the bilateral, as well as multi-lateral planes, the spheres of cooperation and the further works in the context of signature of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership.

The document once again reaffirms the EU distinct position in the NK conflict issue directed to the support of the OSCE Minsk Group mediatory efforts.

Below we present the English version.

Final statement and recommendations

Pursuant to Article 83 of the EU-Armenia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA)

The Seventeenth meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) was held in Yerevan on 19-20 December 2017, under the co-chairmanship of Mr Armen Ashotyan on behalf of the National Assembly of Armenia and of Mr Sajjad Karim on behalf of the European Parliament. The Committee heard Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Garen Nazarian on behalf of the Government of Armenia, and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia H.E. Piotr Antoni Switalski.

Having thus considered the state of play of EU-Armenia relations, the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee agreed upon the following final statement and recommendations.

The Parliamentary Cooperation Committee:

1.Recalls the crucial role of the European Parliament and of the National Assembly of Armenia, on the basis of their democratic legitimacy, in the development of the Eastern Partnership dynamics;

2.Welcomes the signature of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and Armenia, in the fringes of the Eastern Partnership Summit that was held in Brussels on 24 November 2017;

3.Stresses that this historical Agreement is based on the EUs and Armenias common commitment to democracy, the rule of law, good governance and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; notes with deep satisfaction that it sets a solid legal basis to invigorate the political dialogue and broaden the scope of economic cooperation as well as cooperation in sectors such as energy, transport, environment and climate change, creates a framework for new opportunities in trade and investments, and paves the way for increased mobility for the benefit of the citizens; underlines that elements of paramount importance for the strengthening of democracy, such as the rule of law, consolidation of the judiciary, development of public and social institutes, and good governance, are at the core of the new Agreement;

4.Urges both the EU and Armenia to stay committed to a thorough and lasting implementation of this Agreement;

5.Emphasises the role of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Agreement between the EU and Armenia, which gives new impetus to the strengthening of the parliamentary cooperation between the EU Parliament and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia; stresses the importance of launching the new parliamentary partnership cooperation format aimed at enhancing the parliamentary dimension of the cooperation between the EU and Armenia;

6.Stresses that both the European Parliament and the National Assembly of Armenia should provide appropriate mechanisms for the strengthening of the parliamentary oversight, fostering public awareness and building up the appropriate tools for the inclusion of society;

7.Urges the National Parliaments of the EU Member States to ratify the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement without undue delay;

8.Emphasises that the Eastern Partnership dynamics should not be considered as a tool aimed at forcing the EUs Eastern Partners to choose between the European path and other partnerships; notes that Armenia has signed a far-reaching Agreement with the EU whilst being at the same time a member of the Eurasian Economic Union;

9.Recalls that, following the principle of differentiation that guides the Eastern Partnership, every Eastern Partner should be given the possibility to deepen its cooperation with the EU, in coherence with its ambitions, and with the pace and quality of its reforms;

10.Welcomes the steady progress that has been made in Armenias reform agenda; highlightsnevertheless the need to further work on the top priorities consistently identified over the last years, i.a. giving greater momentum to the reforms process, fighting corruption, ensuring media plurality and freedom and protecting minorities;

11.Recalls that the EU has already planned to provide, under the Single Support Framework 2017-2020, a bilateral financial support totalling around 160 million (to be compared to 118.5 million in grants for the period 2014-2017), focusing on areas such as economic development and innovation, improving the rule of law and the business environment, electoral assistance, connectivity, energy efficiency, environment and climate change;

12.Calls on closer cooperation to improve energy security and efficiency through investments in interconnectivity and infrastructure and the diversification of energy sources, in particular by increasing renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels; underlines the importance of ensuring full respect for international nuclear safety and environmental protection agreements and obligations;

13.Reckons that the EU assistance should reflect the growingly ambitious goals of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, provided that Armenia meets the required conditions as far as the reforms jointly agreed with the EU are concerned, in line with the principles of differentiation and more for more; encourages the European Commission to further enhance its assistance and to align its budgetary instruments, such as the European Neighbourhood Instrument and the European Fund for Sustainable Development, to match the ambitions of the new EU-Armenia partnership;

14.Stresses that the EU financial support will be strictly conditional on concrete reforms steps and their effective implementation, notably in terms of upholding the rule of law, ensuring good governance, and defending human rights as well as the plurality and freedom of media; recalls and that the EUs incentive-based approach aims at benefiting those Eastern Partners most engaged in genuine, ambitious reforms;

15.Encourages Armenias active participation in the COSME and Horizon 2020 programmes, in regional programmes funded under the European Neighbourhood Instrument in the fields of environment, energy, transport, culture and youth, in cross-border cooperation actions, and in the initiatives open to all the Eastern Partners such asErasmus+, Erasmus Mundus, eTwinning Plus, TAIEX, SIGMA, and the Neighbourhood Investment Facility;

16.Recommends to the European Commission to allow for a more intensive participation of Armenia in EU-supported programmes that are open to non-EU countries and to open the way for the participation of Armenia, when the conditions are met and under a legally appropriate framework, in EU agencies;

17.Welcomes the achievements in strengthening people-to-people contacts, including through education, youth, cultural and scientific exchanges between Armenia and the EU; calls for reinforced engagement in modernising education, research and innovation systems, increased investment in young peoples skills, entrepreneurship and employability, and welcomes in this regard the strengthened Youth Package presented by the EU under the EU4Youth initiative;

18.Calls on the European Commission to focus on tangible deliverables for the citizens; underlines, in this respect, that the EU-Armenia Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreement that entered into force in January 2014 is already up-and-running; looks forward to strengthening cooperation and further progressing in the area of mobility in a secure and well-managed environment and to considering in due course the opening of a visa liberalisation dialogue with Armenia, provided that the conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place, including the effective implementation of the visa facilitation and readmission agreement between the parties mentioned hereinabove;

19.Notes positively the initiation of reforms in the area of territorial management and local self-government, seeking to enhance the role of municipal authorities and shape stronger links with the local communities in the decision-making processes;

20.Welcomes the Council of Europes Venice Commissions and OSCE/ODIHRs generally positive assessment of Armenias ongoing reforms towards ensuring the rule of law and notes measures enacted with a view to enhancing the efficiency of the Prosecutors office; notes positively, as far as the reform of the Electoral Code is concerned, that a number of previous recommendations from the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europes Venice Commission have been addressed; regrets, however, that many factors, specifically identified by them, as yet need to be addressed; calls on the Armenian authorities to take all the necessary steps- legislative measures and others  to tackle these issues, seeking in so far as necessary the technical assistance of the international community, e.g. of the European Union and in particular of the European Parliament;

21.Notes positively , as far as the April 2017 elections are concerned, that the observation mission led by the OSCE/ODIHR, to which the European Parliament contributed, found that the public media channel gave an equitable coverage to each contestant during the campaign period, that the elections were generally well administered and that fundamental freedoms were generally respected; stresses, nevertheless, the shortcomings also identified by the OSCE/ODIHR-led mission, such as the persistence of pressure and vote-buying practices, and the illegitimate interference of party representatives or police officers at the voting stations;

22.Recalls the importance of the gender dimension in the EU-Armenia relations and, as a whole, within the Eastern Partnership framework; recalls that gender equality, non-discrimination and womens empowerment are among the 2020 deliverables, as it was stressed during the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017; calls on the authorities of Armenia to continue paying attention to this issue, i.a. by fighting negative gender stereotypes, bridging the pay gap between women and men, and declaring zero tolerance for any form of gender-based harassment, intimidation or violence;

23.Recalls that international human rights bodies, such as the UN CEDAW Committee, have underlined the necessity to eradicate harmful gender norms and practices on numerous accounts, and have called on the authorities of Armenia to ensure that traditions do not hamper the realisation of womens rights and potentials;

24.Welcomes the commitment of Armenian authorities to sign, ratify and thoroughly implement the Council of Europes Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); encourages them to do so without undue delay;

25.Welcomes the adoption of the law for the prevention of violence in the family, the protection of the victims of violence in the family and the restoration of the harmony in the family that was first proposed for public debate in October 2017, as a major, positive step forward; stresses that the EU stands ready to offer all support and expertise to help Armenian authorities to best deal with all matters of domestic violence and all related issues; underlines that there must be follow-up in order to deliver effective implementation and enforcement, and that the victims needs must be priority at all times;

26.Stresses the need to tackle all forms of discrimination, as defined by the United Nations Conventions and Resolutions, and put in place the appropriate mechanisms to address all forms of discrimination;

27.Commends the Armenian authorities for their endeavours to accept and integrate Syrian refugees of Armenian descent; calls on the European Commission and the EU Member States to respond positively to any request for assistance from the Armenian authorities aimed at facilitating this integration;

28.Deplores the continued human losses caused by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; deeply regrets the regular violations of the cease-fire agreement, which repeatedly claim the lives of both military personnel and civilians, whilst hampering the socioeconomic development of the entire region; acknowledges that the current status quo is neither acceptable nor sustainable, and that there can be no military solution to the conflict;

29.Reiterates its unwavering support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and to their 2009 Basic Principles as noted in the CEPA Preamble  refrain from the threat or use of force, territorial integrity of States, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples - as well as its appreciation of its endeavours to advance towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict; stresses that efforts shall follow commonly shared principles of maintaining international peace and security as enshrined in the UN Charter, the OSCE Helsinki Final Act and other relevant multilateral documents, underlining the importance of existing agreed formats for the peaceful settlement of the conflict; stresses that arms control and confidence- and security-building measures are of great importance for security, predictability and stability;

30.Welcomes the joint statement made by the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the fringes of the Geneva Summit of 16 October 2017, organised by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs; calls on the authorities of both countries to hold high-level talks in good faith and commit to genuine confidence-building measures and renewed dialogue, in order to ease tensions on the line of contact, stabilise the security situation and promote a more constructive atmosphere for future negotiations aimed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict; reiterates its full adherence to the exclusively peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and supported by the European Union and the European Parliament;

31.Welcomes the efforts and the EUs strengthened role in conflict resolution and confidence-building in the framework of existing agreed negotiating formats and processes; welcomes in this regard its new initiatives aimed at supporting and completing the aforementioned efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, by promoting confidence- and peace-building activities across the conflict divide and bringing the civil societies closer;

32.Regrets deeply that the Armenian initiative of normalisation of relations with Turkey without any preconditions fully supported by the international community and reflected in the Zurich Protocols of 2009 were not ratified by the Turkish side putting forward preconditions for this ratification, thus continuing to keep the border with Armenia unilaterally closed; recalls the approaching of the 70th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; calls on all the EU Member States to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide; notes that the issue has become in recent years a topic of open and public debate in Turkey itself
Authorities rescued 40 girls from Virendra Dev Dikshit's Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya ashram in Rohini, Delhi where the 'godman' is believed to have illegally confined minors.

By India Today Web Desk: A team of senior officials in Delhi, including Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, last evening, rescued as many as 40 girls from an ashram in the national capital's Rohini area, news agency ANI reported today.

The Rohini ashram is run by a self-styled godman called Virendra Dev Dikshit, a 'baba' believed to be obsessed with the idea of having 16,000 women with him.

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Why 16,000? Because, according to some beliefs, that is the number of wives that lord Krishna had.

Mail Today had first reported about the raids on Rohini's Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya ashram earlier this week. With authorities then scouring a maze of rooms in search of victims and other evidence, the exact number of girls being held at the ashram wasn't immediately known.

As of last updating this report, it wasn't clear who was part of the team that rescued the 40 girls from the Rohini ashram last night.

More than 40 girls who kept under illegal confinement rescued from an ashram in Delhi's Rohini yesterday evening. DCW chief Swati Maliwal said 'the accused Baba Virendra Dev Diskhit should be arrested immediately' pic.twitter.com/XXdO7k6z8R- ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

The Delhi High Court, earlier this week, had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to look into a bunch of complaints filed by a group of parents alleging that Virendra Dev Dikshit was sexually exploiting a number of minor girls and women being held at the Rohini ashram.

Authorities first raided Dikshit's Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya on Tuesday when they found a massive stock of what seemed to be medicines and syringes was found, Mail Today reported. Following the raids, it was discovered that the girls at the Rohini ashram were housed in inhumane conditions.

The girls were not permitted to meet their relatives or friends and were confined to cramped spaces with no sunlight, with metal grills blocking their exit. Swati Maliwal had said earlier this week that the girls appeared to be minors and called for an age-verification test, Mail Today reported.

The Mail Today report reveals a chilling modus operandi allegedly used by Virendra Dev Dikshit to get parents to send girls to his ashram. The parents claim Dikshit made them sign a stamp paper stating they willingly handed over their daughter(s) to him.

Once in his ashram, the girls would allegedly be sexually assaulted. And once they turned 18, Dikshit would allegedly make them sign a paper that said they were willingly staying with him, says the Mail Today report.

Allegations also are that the parents of the girls were asked to keep sending donations in large amounts to the Rohini ashram, purportedly for the upkeep of their daughters.

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WATCH | Delhi: 40 girls rescued from self-styled baba's ashram

--- ENDS ---
Turkey on Thursday welcomed the United Nations General Assembly's clear-cut rejection of a United States decision on Jerusalem's status, and conveyed its expectations for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to rescind its "unfortunate decision" without delay.

In a series of tweets on Twitter, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he welcomed the "overwhelming support" for the resolution in the U.N. General Assembly, where more than 100 countries voted in favor of calling for the United States to reverse its decision.

"We expect the Trump administration to rescind without further delay its unfortunate decision, whose illegality has been clearly established by the UNGA," he wrote.

Erdogan added: "On behalf of myself and the Turkish people, I extend my gratitude to everyone who has been supportive of the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif.
US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said Thursday that President Donald Trumps administration has not yet made a decision on whether to cancel the US foreign aid to countries which supported the UN General Assembly resolution that slams the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.

She noted that the Presidents foreign policy team will discuss the potential responses to the respective voting at the General Assembly.

As reported earlier, the UN General Assembly voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions on Thursday in favor of a nonbinding resolution declaring President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital null and void.

Armenia also voted for the resolution.

On December 6, US President Donald Trump stated, that he recognizes Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and said the US Department of State has been ordered to start transferring the US embassy in Israel, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

But this decision has brought about worldwide reaction.
YEREVAN.  Armenia has already expressed its position on the status of Jerusalem, and it has remained unchanged.

Tigran Balayan, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia, on Friday stated the aforesaid, as he reflected on the UN General Assembly voting with respect to Jerusalem.

In his words, the status of Jerusalem is a key issue on the international agenda, and it can be resolved through negotiations in the context of an acceptable settlement for the parties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It can pave the way for a lasting security and the establishment of peace, Balayan stated. There exists a centuries-old Armenian presence, a rich Armenian historical and cultural heritage in Jerusalem. The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the churches with rights to the Holy Sites. Naturally, we [Armenia] are carefully following all developments concerning Jerusalem.

Considering the positions expressed in recent times regarding Jerusalem, we accept that they do not foretell the defining of the final status of Jerusalem through negotiations.

As reported earlier, the UN General Assembly voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions on Thursday in favor of a nonbinding resolution declaring US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital null and void. Armenia also voted for the resolution.

On December 6, US President Donald Trump stated, that he recognizes Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and said the US Department of State has been ordered to start transferring the US embassy in Israel, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

But this decision has brought about worldwide reaction.
YEREVAN.  From the point of view of the Karabakh settlement, the second half of 2017 was calmer. This opinion was expressed by the chairman of the parliaments standing committee on foreign relations, deputy chairman of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Armen Ashotyan at the meeting with journalists on December 22.

According to Ashotyan, the first half of 2017, was distinguished by a large number of cases of aggravation of the situation on the borderline: with provocations that led to human casualties.

However, a certain easing of tension was recorded after the summit held in Geneva, after the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ashotyan said, adding that it is necessary to remain vigilant in the issue of the Karabakh settlement, since the decline in tension is not conditioned by the proposals of Co-Chairs of OSCE Minsk Group, that were supported by both sides of the conflict. Moreover, Ashotyan noted that it is not related to the expansion of monitoring functions, the introduction of mechanisms for investigating cases of violations of the ceasefire.

As the chairman of the parliamentary committee noted, the incumbent President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is responsible for the periodic exacerbations, and any aggravation is related to his position on the resolution of the conflict.

After all, Azerbaijan is an authoritarian state, and any decision made there on the Karabakh settlement is directly linked to the position and decision of the leader, Armen Ashotyan said.
The Bombay High Court order rejecting Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao's sanction to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan comes as a huge respite to the latter.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The Bombay High Court order rejecting Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao's sanction to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan comes as a huge respite to the latter. Chavan was forced out of office for allegedly abusing his position and arranging prime real estate for his relatives in the infamous Adarsh scam, back in 2010.

Today far from being punished, the Bombay High Court has declared that Ashok Chavan cannot even be prosecuted.

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CBI had sought erstwhile Governor K Shakarnarayanan's nod to prosecute former CM Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam.

Shanakarnarayanan in his order dated 17th December 2013 had refused permission to prosecute Ashok Chavan u/s 197 of CRPC for the offences u/s 120-b and 420 of IPC. The CBI had again sought the permission to prosecute Chavan in October 2015 in the light of additional material.

Meanwhile, present Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, through order dated 4th Feb 2016, granted permission to CBI to prosecute Ashok Chavan.

While the former Governor, a UPA-appointee dismissed the CBI's investigation, the NDA-appointed Governor did a complete U-turn based on what he termed was additional material the CBI had unearthed. Here lies the catch -- the additional material being claimed by the present Governor is based on an inquiry commission's report which nails Chavan. This report despite being available with the earlier Congress-NCP government was not tabled. Today's Bombay High Court order in a sense is a reprimand to the present Governor.

India Today is in possession of both the orders.

Here's how the two governors ruled differently in the same case.

Governor's sanction was required to prosecute the former CM being a public representative. Chavan had quit as the CM in November 2010 after which the CBI filed its FIR in January 2011.

Ex-Governor K Shankarnarayanan, in Dec 2013, refused to allow Chavan's prosecution. But, present Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, in Feb 2016, allowed Chavan's prosecution.

Governor Shankarnarayanan's order

Giving an almost clean chit to the former CM, Shankarnarayanan's order said ,"On the first part of the allegation that the inclusion of civilian was proposed by Mr Chavan , it appears to me that the CBI has while making this allegation proceeded on a sheer assumption and conjecture, for the reason that the correspondence collected by the CBI itself discloses that the main accused have been engaged in correspondence with various authorities for the allotment of land much prior 02.06.2000."

Turning down the CBI's request, the former Governor further said, "I may also refer to the term used by the CBI itself in its report where it said that Mr Chavan "reportedly proposed" inclusion of civilians. In other words, CBI has not been able to collect/produce any evidence at all, leave aside the evidence that would prima facie disclose even a grain of truth, in this regard. No prima facie case therefore exists for this allegation at all."

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Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao order

Mentioning that there had been an entirely new and different set of council of ministers in place, after the general elections to the legislative assembly held in the month of October 2014, Vidyasagar Rao said, "It is pertinent to note that "in light of the fresh material" placed before me, the matter, meaning thereby the entire material collected by the CBI (including the one already considered while rejecting/refusing the sanction on earlier occasion) will have to be reconsidered by me to take a decision on the request freshly made by the CBI for grant of Sanction."

Quoting the Justice Patil Commission Report as well as the judgment and order of the Bombay High Court dated 19th November 2014 as additionally collected material, the report said, "decision of reducing the proposed width of Capt Prakash Pethe Marg was not legal and it was not in public interest. But the fact is that this decision taken by both Shri Ashok Chavan as revenue minister obliged the Adarsh CHS."

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"The act of Ashok Chavan in approving non deduction of 15% RG while calculating FSI cannot be treated as an innocent act. However, this decision when followed by the grant of membership and allotment of flats in Adarsh CHS to his close relatives, then it becomes indicative of quid pro quo." Rao added.

The order summed it up by saying "prima facie, there is certainly a nexus established between all the objected acts of Ashok Chavan and all the benefits derived by his close relatives in the form of membership of Adarsh CHS. I am also of the considered view that there is a prima facie involvement of shri Ashok Chavan in the criminal conspiracy to cheat the govt of Maharashtra and to abuse his official position as a public servant with a view to extend undue favours to the Adarsh CHS, enough to launch a prosecution against him for the offences u/s 120-B and 420 of the IPC."

ASHOK CHAVAN ELATED

Two Governors in two different regimes gave two different verdicts in a same case raising questions. But now with the Bombay High Court rejecting the Maharashtra governor's sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam case, he is elated.

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"It seems that both the CBI and the present Governor were working under (someone's) pressure. Prestige of the office of Governor has been restored or else it would have laid a wrong precedent. I am happy with the judgment. I have full faith in judicial system." said an elated Chavan while speaking to India Today.

"Allegations, if they were correct, people of my constituency and Maharashtra have proven that these were baseless allegations. That is why they got me elected to the Parliament," added the former Chief Minister.

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YEREVAN.  There is no problem with the Turkish government regarding election of the Armenian patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Garegin Bekchyan, the patriarchal locum tenens of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

His remark came as a comment to the recent statement by Archbishop Aram Ateshyan who said the elections would not take place because Turkish officials banned elections of a new patriarch.

I listened to the interview of Aram Ateshyan. There is much to talk about. The state has no problem whether to ban it or not. We have not received any information from the authorities. We sent an inquiry following the elections of locum tenens and we are waiting for a response, Archbishop Bekchyan said, adding there is time until February, and the government has not provided any dismissal.

Ateshyan says that the state does not accept locum tenens, but the locum tenens did not apply for his recognition or non-recognition by the state, Bekchyan added.

In addition, as Bechchyan noted, Ateshyan said that during the elections of the locum tenens the authorities wrote a letter.

Yes, there was a letter, But what was the purpose? The previous patriarch, by decision of the church council, resigned a year ago, but this information was not submitted to the authorities in the form of a written statement, Archbishop Garegin Bekchyan explained and expressed bewilderment at the reason why this creates such a confusion.

The second part of the interview is as follows:

Did Ateshyan provide wrong information?

He provided completely incorrect information, it is not true. He is doing wrong things. Why did he give such an interview in Yerevan? He has no office now, he is no longer an archbishop. When he says that he remains an archbishop, I am surprised ... It is necessary to take into account the will of a church and the will of a state. The state can think differently, but the will of the church authorities was completely differently interpreted and did not proceed from the interests of the church. He is no longer an archbishop, but a church minister who must obey the decision of the church authorities, especially if we spoke with the Catholicos in Etchmiadzin. It was clarified and further stated that the work of the archbishop is completed after the elections of the locum tenens, therefore, it turns out that he does not obey the will of the church authorities.

Aram Ateshyan also said that Turkey only recognizes him as a locum tenens of the Constantinople Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

This is a fairy tale, this is untrue. The axis of the states interest is our activities, not Ateshyan. Ateshyan has no right to give incorrect information, especially to the public.

It was announced in advance that the election of the Patriarch would be held on December 13. What is the reason for canceling the elections?

The initiative group noted that it only suggested that elections might be held on that day, but no final decision was made. It was only a proposal that if they received a written permission from the state, the elections could have been scheduled for this day. We can get a written response next week or in February.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) The government intends to "fuel fear" in the Muslim community by criminalising pronouncement of instant triple talaq, womens rights activists said today, a day before a draft bill to criminalise the practice is likely to be tabled in Parliament.

In a press conference held today by Bebaak Collective, an intervener in support of the triple talaq plea by Shayara Bano in Supreme Court, activists and lawyers also questioned why the government was bringing a bill without consulting the civil society and various stakeholders.

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According to the draft law, pronouncing instant triple talaq will be considered illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. It would be a non- bailable, cognisable offence.

"At a time there have been incidents of violence against the Muslim community and no redressal available to them, this bill will give legal power to target the Muslims," said Sadhna Saxena from the Saheli Trust.

"The law is intended to fuel fear of the state by being able to walk into your home and incarcerate Muslim men," said Ayesha Kidwai, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Another activist questioned the inherent contradiction in the draft law that renders pronouncement of instant triple talaq void and yet sends the man to jail.

"When the marriage is not broken why send the man to jail. The law will make me a divorcee," said Shabina Mumtaz, a social worker from UP.

She said that the government should instead offer protection to women unlawfully divorced by their husbands.

"If a woman or a man says I have divorced you is that a criminal offence under any law. It is not," senior advocate Indira Jaising, who was also the counsel for Bebaak Collective in the Supreme Court, said, questioning the need to criminalise pronouncing talaq thrice.

The law also promises "subsistence allowance" as well as custody rights to a victim of triple talaq, which Jaising said was another contradiction within the law.

"The moment a divorce is declared null and void the woman has a status of a wife, and in her capacity as the wife she is entitled unrestricted access to the resources of the family and matrimonial home," Jaising said.

Similarly, there was no question of custody of a child being granted to either party when the divorce has been invalidated, the senior lawyer said.

Lawyer Vrinda Grover also questioned the rationale behind sending a man to jail for issuing a divorce.

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"If the divorce is declared void what is the harm or injury caused to an individual, property or society for which a man is being put in jail. Afterall, for a criminal offence must cause harm or injury," Grover asked.

Activists demanded that the law should ensure that Muslim men cannot seek divorce outside court.

They also want the government to address other practices such as polygamy and nikah halala, where a woman has to consummate her marriage with another man before she can return to her former husband. PTI JC ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui said today that he is grateful for getting the opportunity to play the role of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray in a biopic.

Starring Nawazuddin in the titular role, the biopic penned by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, will be directed by Abhijit Panse.

Speaking at the launch of a teaser of the film on Thackeray, Nawazuddin said, "Its an important day for me today as the teaser of the film is launched. I have got the opportunity to play the role of great personality like him, I think any actor would have agreed to play his role."

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The teaser was launched here by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

"I am thankful and grateful to Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray, Abhijit for the film and Bachchan sir for launching the teaser. I am sure Abhijit and we would take this biopic upto the mark," Nawazuddin, who is shooting in Mauritius, said via video conference.

"Everyone would be thinking, how can I speak Marathi, let me tell you, Bal Thackeray sahab would be giving me inspiration and would be showering his blessings (on me) to play the part," he said, in Marathi.

Bachchan said he was grateful for being invited for the teaser launch. He said a three-hour film will be too short to bring Thackerays illustrious life on-screen.

"I dont think Balasahebs life can be shown in three hours. I wish there is a series made on him of three-four hours, for his personality, work, life is much beyond a film. I feel it should be shown in a web series of many episodes. I congratulate and wish Sanjay Raut the best for this film.

"If I am required for the film I would love to be part of it in any capacity. I will always be ready to contribute to this film, in every way possible," Bachchan said.

Bachchan said he looked at Thackeray as a father figure.

"We were very close to each other, we were more like family. I respect him a lot," he said.

The "Pink" star recalled that when he got married, Thackeray had called him saying he wants to meet his newly wedded wife Jaya Bachchan.

Bachchan said Thackeray stood by him in his tough times.

"I was hurt during the shoot of my film Coolie and was hospitalised in a critical state in Bengaluru and when I was being brought to Mumbai, days werent good due to monsoon. I did not get an ambulance at that time, due to rain, but Balasahebs Shiv Sena ambulance was available. If this did not happen, I could have been more in danger," he said.

"There were instances in my life when there were some allegations on me, Balasaheb used to often call me and ask if it is true or not, he used to call me home, saying I want to talk to you.

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"One such incident happened when there were allegations on me and my family and Balasaheb called me at his home and asked what is the truth, I told him I am talking truth, he told me dont be afraid, I am with you. No one stood by me as much as he did," the veteran actor recalled.

The "Piku" actor said he was saddened to see Thackeray on deathbed and was praying some miracle happens so that he could be saved.

"I got an opportunity to meet him. I was there with Uddhav, Aditya (Thackeray) and another person. We were only praying for him because we wanted him to live long with us. I never wanted to see him in this state, it was a tough time to see him like that.

"I was surprised to see my picture in his room, next to his head. I was stunned and that moment has been captured for life," Bachchan said.

The biopic will release on January 23, 2019. PTI KKP NRB ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: (Recasting last nights story)

Mumbai, Dec 22 (PTI) Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui says he is grateful for getting the opportunity to play the role of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray in a biopic.

Starring Nawazuddin in the titular role, the biopic penned by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, will be directed by Abhijit Panse.

Speaking at the launch of a teaser of the film on Thackeray last night, Nawazuddin said, "Its an important day for me today as the teaser of the film is launched. I have got the opportunity to play the role of great personality like him, I think any actor would have agreed to play his role."

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The teaser was launched by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

"I am thankful and grateful to Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray, Abhijit for the film and Bachchan sir for launching the teaser. I am sure Abhijit and we would take this biopic upto the mark," Nawazuddin, who is shooting in Mauritius, said via video conference.

"Everyone would be thinking, how can I speak Marathi, let me tell you, Bal Thackeray sahab would be giving me inspiration and would be showering his blessings (on me) to play the part," he said in Marathi.

Bachchan said he was grateful for being invited for the teaser launch. He said a three-hour film will be too short to bring Thackerays illustrious life on-screen.

"I dont think Balasahebs life can be shown in three hours. I wish there is a series made on him of three-four hours, for his personality, work and life is much beyond a film. I feel it should be shown in a web series of many episodes. I congratulate and wish Sanjay Raut the best for this film.

"If I am required for the film I would love to be a part of it in any capacity. I will always be ready to contribute to this film, in every way possible," Bachchan said.

Bachchan said he looked at Thackeray as a father figure.

"We were very close to each other, we were more like a family. I respect him a lot," he said.

The "Pink" star recalled that when he got married, Thackeray had called him saying he wanted to meet his wife Jaya Bachchan.

Bachchan said Thackeray stood by him in his tough times.

"There were instances in my life when there were some allegations against me, Balasaheb used to often call me and ask if it is true or not.

"One such incident happened when there were allegations against me and my family and Balasaheb called me at his home and asked about the truth. I told him, I am telling the truth. He told me not be afraid. No one stood by me as much as he did," the veteran actor recalled.

The "Piku" actor said he was saddened to see Thackeray on his deathbed.

"I got an opportunity to meet him. I was there with Uddhav, Aditya (Thackeray) and another person. We were praying for him because we wanted him to live long with us. I never wanted to see him in this state, it was a tough time to see him like that.

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"I was surprised to see my picture in his room, next to his head. I was stunned and that moment has been captured for life," Bachchan said.

The biopic will release on January 23, 2019. PTI KKP NRB ASK BK

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Eve Chilton has asked Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein to pay a huge amount for child support, before his legal troubles leave him financially insolvent.

By India Today Web Desk: The past few months have seen a whirlwind of accusations, directed at Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein. Over 80 actresses, including Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, came forward and said that he had sexually harassed them.

Weinstein's problems are far from over. He now owes his ex-wife, Eve Chilton, 5 million USD, for child support.

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Chilton has asked Weinstein to pay remaining sum immediately, as his brewing legal troubles could leave him financially insolvent, reported Page Six. "He's pre-paying many, many lawyers many, many millions of dollars to defend himself against these lawsuits all over the world," Chilton's lawyer, Bonnie Rabin, said in Manhattan Supreme Court. Weinstein was not present.

The judge excused the producer as one of his main lawyers was not present. The judge said he may still order Weinstein to appear in court to testify about his net worth. Chilton, Weinstein's former assistant, was married to him from 1987 to 2004.

One of Weinstein's lawyers, Steven Silpe, said that Chilton's demand was ridiculous, and that Weinstein has never held back from paying his dues.

"He has never not made a payment. He has made every single payment for nearly 14 years," Silpe said.

ALSO WATCH: Harvey Weinstein to Kevin Spacey, Hollywood's dirty secret is exposed

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By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 22 (PTI) The Governors office has been saved from setting a "new precedent", Congress leader Ashok Chavan said today after the Bombay High Court quashed the sanction to prosecute him granted by the Maharashtra governor in the Adarsh housing society scam.

Maintaining that the allegations against him were baseless and without any proof, the former chief minister said the court order reaffirms his faith in the judiciary.

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The high court today quashed and set aside Governor Ch Vidyasagar Raos sanction granted to the CBI in 2016 to prosecute the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president in the Adarsh Housing scam.

"The HC order reaffirms my faith in the judiciary. I am satisfied. The state governor had given the sanction to prosecute me overruling the decision of his predecessor. With todays court decision, the governors office has been saved from setting a new precedent," Chavan told reporters.

He said he had always maintained that the case against him was "politically motivated."

Chavan said the court order came because the allegations against him were "baseless and without any proof".

"I suffered personal damage in the last seven years because of the charges against me. I had to quit as the chief minister. But, I am involved in my party work. I am thankful to the people in my constituency for standing by me," Chavan said.

He also said the BJP should not indulge in the politics of vendetta at a personal level.

To a question on whether he would be the chief ministerial face of the Congress in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Chavan said any decision in this regard would be taken by the party.

Meanwhile, NCP leader Jayant Patil said the high courts order in the Adarsh case had exposed the BJPs "false propaganda" during elections.

"Like the 2G (scam case) verdict, people are realising that the BJP was involved in a campaign to malign the Congress-led governments at the centre and in the state," he alleged.

In February 2016, Governor Rao had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Chavan.

Later, Chavan moved the high court challenging the governors sanction.

In December 2013, Raos predecessor K Sankaranarayanan had refused sanction to the CBI to prosecute the Congress leader. PTI MR GK RT

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The BJP struggles to find chief ministerial candidate in Himachal Pradesh with Dhumal supporters throwing their weight behind the former CM, who lost election.

By Anand Patel: The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is likely to announce its chief ministerial candidate for Himachal Pradesh today. All eyes are on the BJP legislative party meet scheduled to meet later in the evening.

Meanwhile, supporters of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal created ruckus at the venue where party's central observers were holding one-on-one meetings with the newly elected MLAs to know their view on who should be the next Himachal Pradesh CM.

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Peterhoff Hotel on the famous Shimla ridge turned into a political battleground for Dhumal supporters yesterday morning. Loss of Dhumal from Sujanpur seat has made choice of chief minister a tough ask for the BJP leadership.

Anurag Thakur skipped meeting with party observers today. Shanta kumar, Virendra Kashyap and Ram Swaroop Sharma were present today. Dhumal and Jairam Thakur supporters shouted slogans.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SHIMLA?

Hectic lobbying is going on for the top job with Union minister JP Nadda and five-time MLA from Seraj constituency Jai Ram Thakur emerging clear favorites. But despite losing his seat, Dhumal is not ready to bow out with at least three MLAs announcing to vacate their seat for him to seek re-election.

Sources say that at least two dozen MLAs have met Dhumal expressing solidarity with him. This is one reason why party leadership is finding it tough to ignore him.

Reports from Shimla suggest top contender Jai Ram Thakur even met Dhumal to seek his blessings. But Dhumal camp is adamant on a CM of its choice since Thakur is considered close to Nadda. The top leadership is trying to persuade Dhumal and party insiders say he has been offered a place in the Rajya Sabha.

UNFINISHED TASK

After meeting with the MLAs, BJP's central observers Nirmal Sitharaman and Narendra Tomar will again meet the state core committee and inform party president Amit Shah. If things move as per the plan, a meeting of the BJP legislative party will be convened in the evening to announce the new chief minister.

The BJP, which won 44 out of 68 Himachal Pradesh Assembly seats, is witnessing a peculiar scenario in the hilly state.

While the party has romped home to power with a thumping majority its chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhuma lost election by a slender margin to Congress candidate Rajinder Rana.

Dhumal supporters are alleging that their leader's seat was changed at the last minute in a bid to maximise electoral benefit to BJP. Now, Dhumal should be duly compensated for the sacrifice he made, say supporters.

With the meetings in Shimla reaching a deadlock, the name of Himachal chief minister is likely to be decided by BJP parliamentary board.

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(With inputs from Manjeet Sehgal in Shimla)

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Quickfire challenge:

Elimination challenge:

Challenge:

This week the chefs had to deconstruct the classic Denver omelet. The bottom three then had to compete in a sudden death challenge where one of them would be eliminated.BrotherRogelio, Laura, and Tanya were asked make a perfect French omelet. None of them actually did this. However, one managed to fail the most.LauraFood truck wars! The cheftestants were split into four teams of three, and had to come up with a food truck concept that would appeal to college students. Each chef was responsible for one dish. The team the students liked the most would be safe from elimination. Worthless Hosea was guest judge, and some Instagram guy with stupid hair was also there.Mustache JoeRogelio*****In a double elimination challenge, Laura and Rogelio had to complete against current survivors Claudette, Lee Ann and Kwame to create a tasty dish that incorporated two ingredients that don't go together at all.ClaudetteLaura and RogelioSources 1 2 , and myself
ATSB Warns VFR Pilots About Flying in Conditions They're Not Trained For

A new report about a fatal 2016 helicopter crash "reflects an ongoing problem in aviation  some pilots are continuing to fly into conditions they are not equipped for and not trained for," the agency explained Dec. 18

Upon issuing a new report Dec. 18 about a fatal helicopter crash in April 2016, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is warning daytime VFR pilots in the country to plan to arrive at their destination at least 10 minutes before last light and to have a realistic "plan B" ready for when it becomes apparent that the intended flight cannot be completed in daylight hours.

The report "reflects an ongoing problem in aviation  some pilots are continuing to fly into conditions they are not equipped for and not trained for," the agency explained.

The report concerns an April 7, 2016, incident when two Robinson R22 helicopters, each carrying a pilot and a passenger, were flying south and returning to Mossman, Queensland, after a day spent fishing. "They had taken off late in the afternoon, intending to fly back directly, but weather and winds had slowed their progress and they stopped at Cooktown in order to refuel," according to the agency. The aircraft departed Cooktown at around last light, intending to track via the coast. Neither pilot was qualified to fly at night or in low-visibility conditions that would require instrument flying, and the helicopters were not equipped with an artificial horizon instrument and lacked other equipment for flight at night under Australian regulations.

"As the flights progressed, the light from the sun continued to decrease and there was no moon," the agency reported. "The coastal route between Cooktown and Mossman has few settlements and from halfway, most of the coastline is part of the Cape Tribulation section of the Daintree National Park. It is a remote area with little or no ground lighting. The passenger in one of the helicopters, concerned by the darkness, suggested landing on the beach. The pilot did not answer but it appeared to the passenger that they might be descending to land. The passenger saw the ocean more clearly, just before the helicopter impacted the water. The passenger was able to release himself from the helicopter and reach the surface, and the tide carried him to the beach where he made contact with campers. Unaware of the accident, the other helicopter continued to Mosman. A search was initiated and the missing aircraft was located two days later, about 400 m offshore, in about 10 m of water. The pilot was not located."

Stuart Macleod, director Transport Safety at ATSB, said accidents involving visual flight at night are an ongoing concern in Australian aviation. "The consequences of losing visual reference while flying are usually fatal," he said. "Over the years, we have investigated over thirty accidents there were the result of visual flight at night. Those accidents have resulted in over fifty fatalities."
NASA Awaits Research Proposals to Support Deep Space Missions

The agency's deadline for proposals is Jan. 4, 2018. NASA expects in late summer 2018 to select 15 to 18 proposals for grants with a maximum duration of seven years.

With proposals due by Jan. 4, 2018, NASA's Human Research Program soon will enter the next phase of its project focused on the safety of astronauts during deep space missions. Step-2 proposals are due April 4, 2018, and the selection of as many as 18 proposals for grants with a maximum duration of seven years is set for Aug. 31, 2018.

The agency has sought proposals for research that, when combined with ongoing NASA studies, could enable safer and more effective travel to destinations beyond low-Earth orbit, such as a three-year round-trip mission to Mars. That's far longer than the typical International Space Station assignment of six months. An article on the NASA website this week asked whether the effects of being in space change over time; NASA wants the scientific community to propose research that will help bridge the gap in our knowledge regarding long-term experiences in space.

"To draw any conclusions about the cumulative effects of exposure to space, we need to observe more astronauts spending larger amounts of time in the space environment," said John Charles, Ph.D., associate director for Exploration Research Planning of the Human Research Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center. "Scientists can use the information to predict physical and behavioral health trends."

Research from the selected proposals is expected to build on data collected during the first one-year mission, when Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko spent nearly a year in space. The agency asked researchers and scientists submitting proposals to consider a program that could include as many as 30 astronauts: 10 to conduct shorter missions of up to two months, 10 as part of standard six-month missions, and 10 one-year missions in space. An additional 18 research subjects are proposed for Earth-based analog studies.

The information these studies provide will help NASA address the five hazards of human space travel: space radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity fields (or lack of them), and hostile/closed environments. "As NASA moves into a proving ground of missions near the Moon, the agency would continue to test capabilities. NASA could then extrapolate trends from six months out to two or three years, the expected duration of a typical mission to Mars. Ultimately, such studies could enable NASA to develop and test technologies and countermeasures to protect the health and safety of crew members making history on interplanetary expeditions," the article explained.
December 2017, Phuket  At the recent NOW Travel Asia Awards ceremony held on November 10, 2017, Novotel Phuket Phokeethra won an award for being one of Asias Top Business Hotels for 2017.

Established in 2012, the NOW Travel Asia Awards honour and recognise the industrys best as voted by more than 650,000 industry leaders and tourism influencers across the hospitality, food & beverage and tourism sectors in Asia.

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) are an integral part of any business. Indeed, they have a major hand in boosting productivity, increasing profitability, and motivating a companys sales force. In addition, they are usually the main factor behind securing existing clients loyalty and new accounts.

The Novotel Phuket Phokeethra is one of the ideal locations for MICE opportunities in Phuket. The hotel offers 1,300 sq.m. of modular meeting and banquet facilities, including a splendid 950 sq.m. ballroom with a large pre-function area, great for cocktail receptions. The hotel can accommodate up to 850 guests in its state-of-the-art Grand Ballroom with vaulted ceilings and offers four additional meeting rooms. Whether you are hosting a high-profile conference in Phuket, an annual board meeting, exclusive event or exhibition, functions at this Novotel hotel in Phuket will delight delegates, families and friends.

Rest assured as every last detail is taken care of with Novotels ProAct: an exclusive, highly effective service to organise your conventions and seminars with the hotels extensive network, quality infrastructure, specially-adapted facilities and efficient logistics, with nothing left to the last minute. You can entrust our corporate events planner to work with your ideas and provide you with a customized solution that fits you. Our team is responsive to all of your needs and strives to guarantee successful professional meetings. At the heart of the hotel, a connected, stylish and cosy working area meets the needs of all mobile workers. Alone or as part of a team, you can organise your business meetings or confidential interviews in the best possible conditions at Novotel Phuket Phokeethra.

For more information please contact h9932@accor.com or call 076 397 777

www.novotel-phuket-phokeethra.com
A view of the troposphere from an airplane. Credit: Nick Juhasz

Ambient aerosols  those tiny mixtures of liquids and solids suspended in air  play important roles in Earth's climate, so much so that scientists are heading to remote locations to better understand them.

Earth's atmosphere is a complicated system. It's impossible to measure every aspect of it everywhere all the time. Models can describe the atmosphere over a large scale, but they rely on an understanding of the processes occurring in the atmosphere. Laboratory experiments and field observations can supply information on those processes. Ambient aerosols are one complex ingredient of the atmosphere that is particularly challenging for models. They have significant effects including their ability to directly absorb or reflect the light entering the Earth's atmosphere. To match observations, modelers need to know how and when the chemical components of the aerosols enter and exit the system.

One missing piece of the puzzle is what happens to the organics, which account for about half the mass of aerosols, in the remote free troposphere. The free troposphere is the normally nonturbulent region of the atmosphere above the region that is directly influenced by Earth's surface. Scientists reported at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in New Orleans that the lifetime of organic aerosols in this region is on the order of 10 days, far shorter than scientists previously assumed. In the new research, scientists used new methods to make these estimates based on data collected during flights in the first two Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) campaigns.

Figuring out how long aerosols hang around is absolutely necessary to balance the variables in models, according to Charles Brock, a physicist with NOAA who worked on a separate ATom project. "The implications of that are very large for climate change, because these particles affect clouds and the radiation budget of the Earth," Brock said.

On average, organic aerosols live in the atmosphere for 6 days, but that value applies more for the well-studied regions above or close to the continents, according to Pedro Campuzano Jost, an atmospheric chemist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences in Boulder, Colorado, who presented the new research. For the remote oceanic regions studied in ATom, modelers assumed aerosols were leaving the atmosphere by being washed out by precipitation or falling to the ground and that it was an even slower process in the nonturbulent free troposphere. So their current models overestimate a lifetime of about 40 days.

Sampling lines outside the NASA DC-8 used for ATom. Credit: Benjamin Nault / CIRES

ATom uses a NASA DC-8 aircraft equipped instruments that sample the atmosphere over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to learn how human-produced air pollution transforms the chemistry of the atmosphere, particularly in remote areas where measurements are lacking. In the new research, Jost and his coauthors used the aircraft's instruments to determine the chemical composition of aerosols over the two oceans. ATom provided them snapshots of the atmospheric chemistry over summer 2016 and winter 2017. Each campaign consisted of 11 flights over a 23-day period. The aircraft flew up and down from about 180 meters (590 feet) off the ocean surface up to 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) in altitude to capture the chemical and physical characteristics of the gases and aerosols in the air samples over a continuous range of altitudes.

The researchers used these measurements to determine the age of the air masses sampled by the plane  or how long the aerosols had been in the atmosphere. They determined the age of the organic aerosols with a photochemical clock. Because nonmethane hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the troposphere, they can serve as indicators of the aging photochemical processes. Previous studies have found the concentration ratio of two different hydrocarbons is most useful, because it's not as sensitive to dilution as the concentrations alone are. The clock based on the ethane/propane ratio was the most suitable for the timeframe considered in this study, explained Jost.

With this clock, the researchers estimated a lifetime for organic aerosols in the remote free troposphere of 8-12 days. Jost doesn't yet know the exact mechanism for this shorter lifetime, but future model simulations may give him a clue. The possibilities, he said, include direct degradation of the organic aerosols by sunlight or degradation of the organic material by trace radicals that are produced by sunlight.

"We know there's a large uncertainty in the radiative impact of aerosols, both direct and indirect effects," said Megan Willis, a chemist at the University of Toronto who was not involved with the new research. "One of the most important quantities that we need to get a handle on to start to close those error bars and to reproduce aerosol models is how efficiently is it removed or what is the timescale on which it is removed." Willis said she was excited to see the measurements presented in the poster as they can improve the current models.

Jost next plans to incorporate ATom data collected in fall 2017 and data to be collected in spring 2018. Adding in the upcoming data will make the findings more robust, he said.

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.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist Dr. Mike Merchant shows a vial of adult bed bugs. Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife Illustration by Gabe Saldana

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists say a few simple practices can help holiday travelers deal with bedbug infestations and avoid spreading the pest.

"All it takes is one traveler with bedbugs in their luggage to stay at a hotel and that hotel can become infested," said Dr. Mike Merchant, AgriLife Extension urban entomologist in Dallas. "Unless the problem is noticed and dealt with right away, the next hotel visitor may end up bitten or bringing home some unwanted hitchhikers."

Bedbugs are reddish brown, flat and about the size of apple seeds in their adult stages. Younger specimens can be as small as pinheads, Merchant said. They typically prefer living within 5 feet of where humans sleep, but can spread between rooms as populations begin to crowd.

He recommended travelers make it a habit to set suitcases and personal items on clean luggage racks, and away from beds and upholstered furniture.

"The most common hiding places for bedbugs in hotels are around bed headboards and upholstered furniture," Merchant said. "Linens get changed regularly, disturbing bedbugs, so they don't like to live directly on beds, but the headboard and frame never get moved, so they will persist there."

Placing luggage in the bathtub is another option since it has smooth sides that are difficult for bedbugs to scale, said Wizzie Brown, AgriLife Extension entomologist, Travis County.

"Before bringing your luggage into the hotel or motel room, pull back the bedding to expose the mattress and box springs and check them, especially the areas near the seams and tags and the bottom of the box spring," Brown said. "In addition to the headboard, it's also a good idea to inspect items near the bed, such as lamp bases and nightstands."

Brown said bedbugs also can be found under cushions, behind picture frames, behind baseboards and in back of electrical switch plates.

Merchant recommended reporting suspected bedbugs to hotel management immediately upon detection.

"If you think you may have stayed in a bedbug infested room, put your clothing directly into the laundry when you get home," he said. "Don't bring your luggage into the living or sleeping areas of your home.

"Thirty minutes of a high temperature wash followed by at least 30 minutes of high temperature drying should take care of any bedbugs that might have come home in your suitcase."

Brown said if changing rooms isn't an option, have housekeeping vacuum thoroughly to remove as many bedbugs and their eggs from mattresses, box springs, carpets and other areas as possible.

"I'd personally never want to stay in a room knowing there were bedbugs present, but if you're stuck and there's no other room available at that or at any other lodging, have housekeeping vacuum thoroughly, concentrating on mattress and box springs seams, tufts and edges, plus areas where the baseboards and carpet meet."

More information: For more information, see citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/b  g-stinging/bed-bugs/
Unsustainable tourism practices threaten dolphin populations in Panama's Bocas del Toro Province. Credit: Sean Mattson, STRI

Bottlenose dolphins in Panama's Bocas Del Toro Archipelago should be designated as endangered say the authors of a new study. Biologists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute discovered that the roughly 80 dolphins in the archipelago do not interbreed with other Caribbean bottlenose dolphins. Their low numbers jeopardize their long-term survival, which is threatened by increasing local boat traffic that killed at least seven dolphins in 2012.

Worldwide, the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is considered of "least concern" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. But this belies the risk faced by the Bocas dolphin population, which the study suggests was founded by a small dolphin family a few thousand years ago. In addition, the dolphins of Bocas also appear to have no meaningful exchange with the nearest permanent dolphin population, only 35 kilometers (22 miles) away in Costa Rica. These open-water dolphins seem to steer clear of the murky green waters around the archipelago.

Researchers concluded that the smalland possibly decreasingBocas dolphin population should be of great conservation concern. "

Our results indicate that the population of dolphins in Bocas Del Toro is genetically isolated from other populations in the Caribbean, and given the high impact of boat traffic on the animals, we suggest that its conservation status be changed, at least at a local level," said visiting Smithsonian scientist and the study's lead author Dalia C. Barragan-Barrera, from Colombia's Universidad de los Andes. "Conservation priorities are largely dependent on the IUCN conservation status of the species."

A special IUCN or local conservation status for an isolated bottlenose dolphin population is not unique. Subpopulations or subspecies in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and Fiordland in New Zealand, range from vulnerable to critically endangered.

For the study, Barragan-Barrera sampled skin from 25 dolphins. The genetic results showed the dolphins all shared the same haplotypea set of genes inherited from a single mother. The haplotype has not been found in any other Caribbean dolphins, suggesting that the population has long been isolated. Her findings suggest that the dolphins have adapted to this unique marine ecosystem of turbid, mangrove-surrounded waters, which are shallow, sheltered from waves and free from large predators.

Field research was conducted at STRI's Bocas Del Toro Research Station and published Dec. 13 in the journal PLOS One.

The findings are the latest from a research group led by Laura May-Collado, a lecturer at the University of Vermont, who began studying Bocas dolphins in 2004 during her doctoral research. During that time, May-Collado and her team have seen an explosion in dolphin-watching tourism. During the high season (between November and March), dolphins interact with as many as 100 tourism boats per hour.

In addition to expanding understanding of the biology, ecology and genetics of the dolphins of Bocas, her team has studied human impact on the cetaceans. Their work shows how boat noise affects dolphin communication. They have also documented fatalities and injuries caused by boat strikes and entanglements with fishing nets. Their work with the local tourism industry has had some degree of success.

"Because of the pressure of the dolphin-watching industry on this population and the impending threats to the dolphins, the International Whaling Commission made four recommendations to the government of Panama to develop strategies to protect this population," the researchers said. "Despite these recommendations, dolphin-watching industry continues to grow and impact the dolphins of Bocas Del Toro."

More information: Dalia C. Barragan-Barrera et al, High genetic structure and low mitochondrial diversity in bottlenose dolphins of the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama: A population at risk?, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189370 Journal information: PLoS ONE
Credit: Edouard Ki

Smart innovations are years in the making and require long-term vision. Changes in government and citizens' sensibilities can halt or alter strategies. So how can they survive to create lasting change?

When Justin Bieber made his way to Stockholm in September 2016, city officials hardly expected the tween heartthrob to pave the way for sustainable urban policy. But when thousands of adolescent girls and their parents swarmed the concert area in an already busy sector of the city, regulators realised the zone was in dire need of new traffic regulation.

"For some people, it took them four hours to get out of the area. This zone really needs intelligent solutions to solve congestion and traffic," says Lisa Enarsson from the Environment department of the City of Stockholm, who joined a panel discussion on smart city governance during the 2017 Smart City Expo in Barcelona. The Swedish city together with Cologne and Barcelona is developing, under the EU project GrowSmarter, intelligent solutions that can be replicated elsewhere.

An example is the initiative that will monitor transportation and pedestrian movements to provide commuters with information regarding parking availability and circulation, as well as encourage ride-sharing options, to diminish greenhouse gas emissions and satisfy the city's goal to be fossil-fuel free by 2040.

However, they experienced a problem with data protection. Initially, IBM, partner of the project, planned to buy all of the needed data from the local phone company. But the phone company and citizens objected to having their information sold to the information technology giant. So it was back to the drawing board.

Finally, a compromise was reached: the city would put up sensors and cameras to capture smartphones' signals in the area, but it would also put up signs warning users about this fact. If commuters did not want to be identified, they could turn off their phones' bluetooth setting before entering the zone. IBM will analyse the data that is provided once the project is live in January 2018.

Coming up with a strategy is only one step of the process when it comes to implementing smart solutions in cities. "Many strategies are just strategies and nothing happens with them. You need an action plan," Enarsson says and adds that being adaptable to changeas Stockholm wasis one key factor. Another is having long-term goals that can survive competing interests and a changing political landscape.

"One of the main challenge is ensuring the long-term of the strategy," confirms Miguel A. Garcia-Fuentes, from the EU project REMOURBAN (REgeneration MOdel for accelerating the smart URBAN transformation). "Usually, political visions are really short, only four years, and they depend on elections, so we have to ensure that we build a strategy that can survive independently of who is governing."

The project works with five cities (three "lighthouse," pioneer cities, Valladolid in Spain, Nottingham in United Kingdom and Tepebasi/Eskisehir in Turkey and two "follower" cities that will replicate the urban regeneration model, Seraing in Belgium and Miskolc in Hungary) and a number of institutions to make them more sustainable in the fields of energy, transport and information and communication technologies.

"If we involve the citizens, the local businesses, the local industries, we can create a strategy that can be in place even if there is a change on the political side," says Garcia-Fuentes.

Finally, cooperation between cities is key to helping push strategy along. The mayor of Sabadell, Spain, was on the brink of abandoning a project] that would install electric buses in the city after technicians suggested the technology "wouldn't be ready," explains Marielisa Padilla, from Triangulum, another EU smart city project in which the city is "follower."

After he contacted the mayor of the "lighthouse" city of Eindhovenwho showed him 43 functioning electric buses in his citySabadell got back on course. The city is now working on hybrid buses that will have the ability to be converted into 100% electric buses.
State, local and Canadian officials have offered Amazon a giant package of tax breaks and development incentives that would extend over decades if the e-commerce giant were to pick the Detroit and Windsor region for its second headquarters.

Confidential details of the tax breaks, as well as Detroit's official 242-page bid book, were obtained Wednesday by the Free Press. The documents describe how government officials are willing to forgo decades of future tax receipts in exchange for the economic benefits that they expect to arrive from landing Amazon's headquarters.

For instance, Amazon would get to pocket all of the new state income taxes that many of its Detroit employees generate for 10 years, and capture half of those taxes for the next 10 years.

But the total cost of all the public subsidies for Amazonstate and localwas blacked out in the documents released to media organizations.

"Detroit is ready to partner with Amazon and we are focused on a long-term approach of creating value for you, our city and the entire region," Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert, chairman of the region's Amazon bid committee, wrote in the bid book's cover letter.

"The road has been paved for Amazon. There is no better place for you to innovate and continue to improve the delivery of your customer service," Gilbert wrote.

Amazon has said it will fill its second headquarters with as many as 50,000 new full-time employees over the next 10 to 15 years who would earn more than $100,000 a year in wages and benefits. All told, the headquarters would mean more than $5 billion in new investment, Amazon said.

Amazon has said that 238 cities and regions submitted proposals by the October deadline, and the company is expected to make its decision in early 2018. Details of Detroit's proposal were first reported Wednesday by Crain's Detroit.

The newly obtained bid documents pitch Detroit and its revitalized downtown as a low-cost city for doing business that is "breaking away from the blue collar stereotype" and can accommodate Amazon's workforce without much trouble.

It says there is potentially 8 million square feet of office space available for Amazon in Detroit and Windsor, including more than 3 million square feet that could be available right now if Gilbert's mortgage company, Quicken Loans, gave up some of its premier space around downtown's Campus Martius.

It also mentions office space options in the region, pointing to the 200-plus acres of available land at the site of the shuttered Northland Center mall in Southfield.

Detroit's bid emphasizes how the Detroit-Windsor market would be relatively cheap for Amazon and its workers compared with other major metro areas.

Cheap rent

It notes how Class A office rents in downtown are $22 per square foot, about half the rates of other major downtown markets, and says the $88,000 Detroit average salary for software developers is well below the $128,000 average in Seattle, where Amazon currently has its sole headquarters.

The bid book includes colorful photos and leasing rates for several newer apartment developments in downtown Detroit, including The Albert ($1,525 a month for a one-bedroom apartment) and Merchants Row ($2,020 a month for a two-bedroom). While those rents may seem high by historic standards in Detroit, they are good deals compared with many major cities.

"Earning $88,000 in Detroit is equivalent to earning $124,000 in Seattle," the bid documents say. "Because the city was built for a much larger population, there is ample room for growth without land scarcity causing sharp increases in rent."

To improve transportation options, the bid documents say a new Detroit River ferry service could be started between Amazon's Detroit and Windsor offices. Additionally, the city's new QLINE street car on Woodward could be extended from its current terminus in New Center all the way through Highland Park to 8 Mile Road.

Big incentives

The bid documents describe the package of tax breaks and incentives as robust, valuable and available without the passage of any legislation. Recently passed state lawspushed by Gilbertare key to the proposal.

The new laws, passed earlier this year, would allow Amazon to keep all of the new state personal income taxes that many of its Detroit employees generate for 10 years, and 50 percent of those income taxes for the following 10 years.

Amazon employees would still need to pay Detroit's personal income tax, which is 2.4 percent for residents and 1.2 percent for nonresidents.

Amazon's own property taxes, its corporate income taxes paid to the City of Detroit, also would be abated, as well as its utility users tax for 30 years under the Renaissance Zone Program.

The Canadian incentive package includes "prime downtown real estate, property tax increment financing, grant funding and corporate income tax credits," the proposal reads. This would be worth $106 million in U.S. dollars if Amazon puts 5,000 workers in a 500,000-square-foot facility in Windsor.

The offer includes a commitment from the state to invest $120 million to expand workforce development programs for technology jobs.

Ten complementary programs would cover a range of students, from kindergartners to those in adult education. The programs would include computer science scholarships, money for teacher training and subsidized childcare for Amazon's workers.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's office referred all questions about the Amazon bid to Detroit Regional Chamber President and CEO Sandy Baruah.

"I was really thrilled with how the team came together to paint the picture to tell the story of what's happening in the region," said Baruah, who is on Detroit's bid committee team. "I feel very comfortable with the approach we took and the case we presented for the Detroit region."

Baruah would not answer questions about the overall valuewhich was blacked-out from documentsof the Detroit region's incentive package to Amazon.

"That's not my number to share," he said. "Our organization doesn't do the incentives."

Giveaways too big?

However, some questioned whether the Detroit bid's large incentives package is fair to taxpayers.

"I would love to see Amazon locate in Detroit and hire people here and be a great part of the community. That'd be awesome," said John Mozena, a local communications consultant and free market advocate who recently worked at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "But I don't think they deserve any better and I don't think they should be paying less taxes than a company that employees one or 10 or 100 people."

The various taxes on which Amazon would get a break pay for education, public safety and other services. If Amazon picks Detroit, the need to pay for those services likely will increase with a corresponding population surge, said Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First, a Washington-based, left-leaning fiscal watchdog group.

"If they're not paying anything to cushion the blow and absorb the costs induced with their arrival, then everybody else is going to get stuck with the bill," LeRoy said.

Despite concerns about the size of the Detroit bid's giveaway, Amazon's potential to further the city's resurgence remains attractive to local leaders.

LaMar Lemmons, a Detroit Public Schools Community District board member, envisioned Amazon improving the city's public education system by providing a pipeline to new jobs.

"They could be a tremendous asset in supplemental education," Lemmons said. "I would be able to trade off some tax benefits in exchange for that."

2017 Detroit Free Press

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Bringing to a close the stewardship of one of the world's most successful companies, Eric Schmidt is stepping aside as the executive chairman of Google-parent Alphabet's board of directors.

Schmidt, 62, will remain on the board and will become a technical advisor, the Internet giant said late Thursday.

No reason was given for Schmidt's decision to step aside or for the timing. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Schmidt informed Alphabet of his desire to leave his post on Monday.

In a statement, Schmidt said he and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Google CEO Sundar Pichai believed that "the time is right in Alphabet's evolution for this transition."

Page, who is CEO of Alphabet, said Schmidt provided business and engineering chops and vision about the future of technology.

Alphabet expects to appoint a non-executive chairman at its next board meeting in January.

It's the end of an era for Google and for Schmidt, who for 10 years served as chairman of Google then Alphabet after its formation, which separated the advertising business-driven Google from more speculative initiatives such as high-speed Internet and health care.

A Silicon Valley veteran who was CEO of Novell and chief technology officer of Sun Microsystems, Schmidt was brought aboard Google in 2001 to shepherd the hot young company and to give advice and guidancereferred to as "adult supervision"to its 20-something founders, Page and Brin.

In a move that would make him a billionaire, Schmidt helped Page and Brin take the company public in 2004, the springboard that transformed Google's lucrative search advertising business into one of the world's largest companies with its fingers in everything from YouTube to driverless cars. Alphabet is now the second-largest company in the world by market value.

Schmidt served as Google's chief executive officer for 10 years until 2011, when he handed the reins back to Page. Google reorganized as Alphabet in 2015, separating the Google advertising business from other business units.

In Washington and around the globe, Schmidt was perhaps best known for his role as Google's ambassador, meeting with regulators, lawmakers and dignitaries and forging strong ties to the Obama White House. He is a prominent philanthropist and a major Democratic donor.

Schmidt, who owns about 1% of Google, said he would be spending more time on science and technology as well as philanthropy.

2017 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
BJP finds itself in a piquant situation in Himachal Pradesh. While the party won the Assembly election, its CM candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal lost his seat. However, he seems to enjoy majority support of MLAs.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: The selection process in Himachal Pradesh is trickier than in Gujarat. The problem arose because in an unprecedented turn of events, though the BJP won majority bagging 44 of the 68 seats in the state Assembly, its chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal lost the election.

In normal circumstances, Dhumal would have been out of the race for the CM's post. But with the majority of the BJP MLAs reportedly rooting for Dhumal, the job of the party leadership has become tough.

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The BJP sent Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar as the party observers to meet the MLAs and choose their leader. The two observers met the MLAs and senior party leaders of Himachal Pradesh and have since returned to the capital.

The dilemma of the observers would be to give a nod to Dhumal's name for the BJP Legislature Party (BJPLP) leader's post.

There is no constitutional bar on Dhumal getting elected as party legislature party leader. But he will have to get elected as an MLA within six months. A sitting MLA will have to resign from his seat to facilitate Dhumal's election.

Moreover, Dhumal is 73. He may be replaced in 2019 as CM after the next Lok Sabha elections.

Taking these decisions and implementing them may not be tough. But electing Dhumal as BJPLP leader may create an awkward precedent for the party at the state level.

Despite Dhumal's defeat, the BJP leadership may still go ahead with electing him as the CM.

There are such examples at the national level though. Both Jaitley and Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani were made ministers by Modi even after they had lost the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar and Amethi respectively.

The BJP was mocked in 2014 for PM Modi not just inducting both Jaitley and Irani in his Cabinet but also giving significant portfolios to the two. While Jaitley got finance besides defence and corporate affairs portfolios, Irani was assigned human resource development ministry.

The BJP may have been ridiculed in 2014 and it is likely to jeered now for selecting a lost MLA for the CM's post. But the party may be helpless due to the prevailing circumstances and available precedent.

--- ENDS ---
A machine learning program developed by an international team of researchers may help pharmaceutical companies produce higher quantities of cutting-edge drugs needed for medical treatments.

In a study, the team developed a computer algorithm using gene expression data of Chinese hamster ovary cellsa cell line often used by biopharmaceutical researchers for medical researchto optimize the production of proteins in those cells.

"The pharmaceutical industry typically relies on ovary cells of a Chinese hamsterCHO cellsfor research to create effective drugs, but, because the cells do not produce much protein per cell, it requires large-scale production," said Claudio Angione, senior lecturer in computer science, Teesside University. "What we show is that, compared to other methods, combining this metabolic modelling with data-driven methods could be a vast improvement to the automation of cultures design, by accurately identifying optimal growth conditions for producing target therapeutic compounds."

The researchers, who reported their findings at the Second International Electronic Conference on Metabolomics, combined machine learning and a computational model that reconstructs the metabolism of the Chinese hamster ovary cellsCHOto maximize the cell's efficiency.

"This is a novel step because, for the first time, we are combining two methodologies usually used individually in bioprocessing studies," said Angione.

The researchers were able to predict the production of lactatea toxic waste productinside the cells, in terms of both their genetic and metabolic states.

"Production of lactate is generally undesired as it hinders cell growth and consequently limits the yield of desired products," said Macauley Coggins, research assistant, Teesside University. "By predicting the cellular conditions where lactate accumulation is minimized it is possible to reduceor possibly avoidlong series of experimental trials."

Therapeutic proteins, like the ones produced in CHO cells, have a wide range of applications in medicine.

"Some of them are used in vaccines and protect against infectious agents such as viruses," added Guido Zampieri, a doctoral student in genomics and bioinformatics, CRIBI Biotechnology Center, University of Padua. "Other proteins with special targeting activity can be used to treat patients that lack those proteins due to genetic conditions. Anticancer drugs are another example."

Machine learning is a field that explores how computers can learn how to solve problems and undertake specific tasks without being programmed, according to Coggins. To do this, researchers usually develop an algorithm to train a computer to recognize patterns, a machine learning technique often referred to as supervised learning.

"It's a lot like how you teach a child to recognize different shapes by showing them what each shape is and what it looks like"

In the future, this method could be used to optimize other metabolites or proteins, the researchers suggest. Producing higher quantities of drugs could also lead to less expensive treatments.

"We see several interesting research directions," said Angione. "Primarily, we aim at pushing forward the integration of different computational methodologies such as machine learning and biological modelling. This is important as they possess different strong points, which if combined could allow adopting more precise bioengineering interventions.

Particularly, machine learning can extract useful knowledge from experimental data, while metabolic modelling provides insights about local and global mechanisms in biochemical networks.

"We also want to explore other bioengineering steps that could benefit from this integrated optimization. The final goal is to obtain a set of computational tools that can guide industrial processes across multiple levels."

The researchers used data from a publicly available large-scale gene expression dataset from two different CHO cell lines with 295 microarray profiles with expression values for 3592 genes from 121 CHO cell cultures. For genome reconstruction, the researchers used a recently developed genome-scale metabolic modelGSMMused to accurately predict growth phenotypes. The model is currently the largest reconstruction of CHO metabolism.

They then combined the model of CHO cell metabolism with the gene expression data to create condition and cell line-specific polyomics models.

Provided by Teesside University
NASA's Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, illustrated here, will fly in the mid-2020s and provide astronomers with the most complete view of the cosmos to date. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab

NASA is beginning to design its next big astrophysics mission, a space telescope that will provide the largest picture of the universe ever seen with the same depth and clarity as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Scheduled to launch in the mid-2020s, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will function as Hubble's wide-eyed cousin. While just as sensitive as Hubble's cameras, WFIRST's 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument will image a sky area 100 times larger. This means a single WFIRST image will hold the equivalent detail of 100 pictures from Hubble.

"A picture from Hubble is a nice poster on the wall, while a WFIRST image will cover the entire wall of your house," said David Spergel, co-chair of the WFIRST science working group and the Charles A. Young professor of astronomy at Princeton University in New Jersey.

The mission's wide field of view will allow it to generate never-before-seen big pictures of the universe, which will help astronomers explore some of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos, including why the expansion of the universe seems to be accelerating. One possible explanation for this speed-up is dark energy, an unexplained pressure that currently makes up 68 percent of the total content of the cosmos and may have been changing over the history of the universe. Another possibility is that this apparent cosmic acceleration points to the breakdown of Einstein's general theory of relativity across large swaths of the universe. WFIRST will have the power to test both of these ideas.

To learn more about dark energy, WFIRST will use its powerful 2.4-meter mirror and Wide Field Instrument to do two things: map how matter is structured and distributed throughout the cosmos and measure how the universe has expanded over time. In the process, the mission will study galaxies across cosmic time, from the present back to when the universe was only half a billion years old, or about 4 percent of its current age.

"To understand how the universe evolved from a hot, uniform gas into stars, planets, and people, we need to study the beginnings of that process by looking at the early days of the universe," said WFIRST Project Scientist Jeffrey Kruk at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "We've learned much from other wide-area surveys, but WFIRST's will be the most sensitive and give us our farthest look back in time."

WFIRST will do this through multiple observational strategies, including surveys of exploding stars called supernovae and galaxy clusters, and mapping out the distribution of galaxies in three dimensions. Measuring the brightness and distances of supernovae provided the first evidence for the presence of dark energy. WFIRST will extend these studies to greater distances to measure how dark energy's influence increased over time.

WFIRST will measure precise distances to galaxy clusters to map how they grew over time. The mission will also pinpoint the distances to millions of galaxies by measuring how their light becomes redder at greater distances, a phenomenon called redshift. The farther off a galaxy is, the redder its light appears when we see it. Mapping out the 3-D positions of galaxies will allow astronomers to measure how the distribution of galaxies has changed over time, providing another measure of how dark energy has affected the cosmos.

The Wide Field Instrument will also allow WFIRST to measure the matter in hundreds of millions of distant galaxies through a phenomenon dictated by Einstein's relativity theory. Massive objects like galaxies curve space-time in a way that bends light passing near them, creating a distorted, magnified view of far-off galaxies behind them. Using this magnifying glass effect, called weak gravitational lensing, WFIRST will paint a broad picture of how matter is structured throughout the universe, allowing scientists to put the governing physics of its assembly to the ultimate test.

WFIRST can use this same light-bending phenomenon to study planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. In a process called microlensing, a foreground star in our galaxy acts as the lens. When its motion randomly aligns with a distant background star, the lens magnifies, brightens and distorts the background star. As the lensing star drifts along in its orbit around the galaxy and the the alignment shifts, so does the apparent brightness of the star. The precise pattern of these changes can reveal planets orbiting the lensing star because the planets themselves serve as miniature gravitational lenses. Such alignments must be precise and last only hours.

WFIRST's microlensing survey will monitor 100 million stars for hundreds of days and is expected to find about 2,500 planets, with significant numbers of rocky planets in and beyond the region where liquid water may exist. This planet-detection method is sensitive enough to find planets smaller than Mars, and will reveal planets orbiting their host stars at distances ranging from closer than Venus to beyond Pluto.

These results will make WFIRST an ideal companion to missions like NASA's Kepler and the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which are best suited to find larger planets orbiting closer to their host stars. Together, discoveries from these three missions will help complete the census of planets beyond our solar system, helping us learn how planets form and migrate into systems like our own. The combined data from these missions provide insight into planets in the critical area known as the habitable zone, the orbiting distance from a host star that would permit a planet's surface to harbor liquid waterand potentially life.

WFIRST will also feature a coronagraph technology demonstration instrument designed to directly image exoplanets by blocking out a star's light, allowing the much fainter planets to be observed. As NASA's first advanced coronagraph in space, it will be 1,000 times more capable than any previously flown. This is a key step toward future direct imaging missions that will study truly Earth-like planets discovered nearby. The instrument will be able to image gas giant planets orbiting mature Sun-like stars, allowing scientists to study them in ways that haven't been possible before. Scientists are hoping to use the coronagraph to determine important properties about these planets, such as their atmospheric composition.

WFIRST will serve as an important tool for the science community through its General Observer and archival data analysis programs. All WFIRST data will be publicly available immediately after processing and delivery to the archive. Also, by submitting proposals through the competitive program, scientists around the world will be able to use the observatory to study the cosmos in their own way, from the nearest exoplanets out to clusters of distant galaxies.

The mission will complement other missions expected to operate in the next decade, notably the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2019. Webb provides a detailed look at rare and interesting objects, while WFIRST will take a wide look at the universe. WFIRST will also complement new ground-based observatories such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) currently in development. By combining data from WFIRST and LSST, scientists will be able to view the universe in nine different wavelengths, data that will provide the most detailed wide-angle view of the universe to date.

By pioneering an array of innovative technologies, WFIRST will serve as a multipurpose mission, furnishing a big picture of the universe and helping us answer some of the most profound questions in astrophysics, such as how the universe evolved into what we see today, its ultimate fate and whether we are alone.

"By building this telescope we're enabling a wealth of science and the capability to address those kinds of questions," Spergel said. "It's deeply interesting not only to scientists, but anyone who looks up at the sky and wonders."
NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Storm Tembin on Dec. 21 at 12:17 p.m. (17:17 UTC) as it blanketed the southern region of Mindanao. Purple indicates coldest cloud tops and strongest storms. Credit: NASA JPL/Ed Olsen

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Philippines and infrared imagery showed that Tropical Storm Tembin contained strong thunderstorms with heavy rainmaking potential as it moved across Mindanao in the southern part of the country. The southern Philippines recently experienced a soaking from what is now Tropical Depression Kai-Tak.

Locally in the Philippines, Tembin is known as Tropical Storm Vinta.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Storm Tembin on Dec. 21 at 12:17 p.m. (17:17 UTC). Infrared data from AIRS provides cloud top temperatures and showed the coldest cloud tops and strongest storms covered the entire region of Mindanao. Those cloud tops were colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). NASA research has shown that storms with cloud tops that cold have the potential to generate heavy rainfall.

At 10 a.m. EST (1500 UTC) on Dec. 22, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted Tembin had maximum sustained winds near 45 knots (52 mph/83 kph). It was located near 8.0 degrees north latitude and 121.5 degrees east longitude, about 401 nautical miles south of Manila, Philippines. It was exiting western Mindanao, the southern region of the country and moving toward the island of Palawan.

On Dec. 22, PAGASA, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, issued Public storm warning signal #1 for the Mindanao provinces of Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay; the Visayas provinces of Southern Negros Oriental and Siquijor and the Luzon provinces of southern Palawan.

JTWC expects Tembin to continue tracking westward into the South China Sea and make a second landfall near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Dec. 25.
This simulation shows how bubbles form over the course of 4.7 million years from the intense stellar winds off a massive star. UChicago scientists postulated how our own solar system could have formed in the dense shell of such a bubble. Credit: V. Dwarkadas/D. Rosenberg

Despite the many impressive discoveries humans have made about the universe, scientists are still unsure about the birth story of our solar system.

Scientists with the University of Chicago have laid out a comprehensive theory for how our solar system could have formed in the wind-blown bubbles around a giant, long-dead star. Published Dec. 22 in the Astrophysical Journal, the study addresses a nagging cosmic mystery about the abundance of two elements in our solar system compared to the rest of the galaxy.

The general prevailing theory is that our solar system formed billions of years ago near a supernova. But the new scenario instead begins with a giant type of star called a Wolf-Rayet star, which is more than 40 to 50 times the size of our own sun. They burn the hottest of all stars, producing tons of elements which are flung off the surface in an intense stellar wind. As the Wolf-Rayet star sheds its mass, the stellar wind plows through the material that was around it, forming a bubble structure with a dense shell.

"The shell of such a bubble is a good place to produce stars," because dust and gas become trapped inside where they can condense into stars, said coauthor Nicolas Dauphas, professor in the Department of Geophysical Sciences. The authors estimate that 1 percent to 16 percent of all sun-like stars could be formed in such stellar nurseries.

This setup differs from the supernova hypothesis in order to make sense of two isotopes that occur in strange proportions in the early solar system, compared to the rest of the galaxy. Meteorites left over from the early solar system tell us there was a lot of aluminium-26. In addition, studies, including a 2015 one by Dauphas and a former student, increasingly suggest we had less of the isotope iron-60.

This simulation shows how bubbles form over the course of 4.7 million years from the intense stellar winds off a massive star. UChicago scientists postulated how our own solar system could have formed in the dense shell of such a bubble. Credit: V. Dwarkadas & D. Rosenberg

This brings scientists up short, because supernovae produce both isotopes. "It begs the question of why one was injected into the solar system and the other was not," said coauthor Vikram Dwarkadas, a research associate professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

This brought them to Wolf-Rayet stars, which release lots of aluminium-26, but no iron-60.

"The idea is that aluminum-26 flung from the Wolf-Rayet star is carried outwards on grains of dust formed around the star. These grains have enough momentum to punch through one side of the shell, where they are mostly destroyedtrapping the aluminum inside the shell," Dwarkadas said. Eventually, part of the shell collapses inward due to gravity, forming our solar system.

As for the fate of the giant Wolf-Rayet star that sheltered us: Its life ended long ago, likely in a supernova explosion or a direct collapse to a black hole. A direct collapse to a black hole would produce little iron-60; if it was a supernova, the iron-60 created in the explosion may not have penetrated the bubble walls, or was distributed unequally.

Other authors on the paper included UChicago undergraduate student Peter Boyajian and Michael Bojazi and Brad Meyer of Clemson University.
Have you ever tried turning the spoon back after stirring jam into a rice pudding? It never brings the jam back into the spoon. This ever-increasing disorder is linked to a notion called entropy. Entropy is of interest to physicists studying the evolution of systems made up of multiple identical elements, like gas. Yet, how the states in such systems should be counted is a bone of contention. The traditional view developed by one of the fathers of statistical mechanics, Ludwig Boltzmann - who worked on a very large number of elements - is opposed to the seemingly disjointed theoretical perspective of another founding scientists of the discipline, Willard Gibbs, who describes systems with a very small number of elements.

In a new study published in EPJ Plus, Loris Ferrari from the University of Bologna, Italy, demystifies this clash between theories by analysing the practical consequences of Gibbs' definition in two systems of a well-defined size. Ferrari speculates about the possibility that, for certain quantities, the differences resulting from Boltzmann's and Gibbs' approach can be measured experimentally.

This debate centres around the notion of negative absolute temperature (NAT), seen as a misleading consequence of Boltzmann's definition of entropy. In contrast, Gibbs' theory prohibits NAT and makes the energy equipartition rigorous in systems of arbitrary size. The two approaches, however, converge when the systems have a very large number of elements. So the issue here is to define the minimum size system for which both theories agree.

To test the two approaches against each other, the author examines two models; namely a gas of N atoms which do not interact chemically and another system with N interacting spins. His numerical simulations show that it is possible to assess which of the two models is the most accurate using experimental proof.

More information: Loris Ferrari, Comparing Boltzmann and Gibbs definitions of entropy in small systems, The European Physical Journal Plus (2017). DOI: 10.1140/epjp/i2017-11756-5

Provided by Springer
A new study projects that drastic combinations of heat and humidity may hit large areas of the world later this century. Credit: Ethan Coffel

Climate scientists say that killer heat waves will become increasingly prevalent in many regions as climate warms. However, most projections leave out a major factor that could worsen things: humidity, which can greatly magnify the effects of heat alone. Now, a new global study projects that in coming decades the effects of high humidity in many areas will dramatically increase. At times, they may surpass humans' ability to work or, in some cases, even survive. Health and economies would suffer, especially in regions where people work outside and have little access to air conditioning. Potentially affected regions include large swaths of the already muggy southeastern United States, the Amazon, western and central Africa, southern areas of the Mideast and Arabian peninsula, northern India and eastern China.

"The conditions we're talking about basically never occur nowpeople in most places have never experienced them," said lead author Ethan Coffel, a graduate student at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "But they're projected to occur close to the end of the century." The study will appear this week in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Warming climate is projected to make many now-dry areas dryer, in part by changing precipitation patterns. But by the same token, as global temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more water vapor. That means chronically humid areas located along coasts or otherwise hooked into humid-weather patterns may only get more so. And, as many people know, muggy heat is more oppressive than the "dry" kind. That is because humans and other mammals cool their bodies by sweating; sweat evaporates off the skin into the air, taking the excess heat with it. It works nicely in the desert. But when the air is already crowded with moisturethink muggiest days of summer in the cityevaporation off the skin slows down, and eventually becomes impossible. When this cooling process halts, one's core body temperature rises beyond the narrow tolerable range. Absent air conditioning, organs strain and then start to fail. The results are lethargy, sickness and, in the worst conditions, death.

Using global climate models, the researchers in the new study mapped current and projected future "wet bulb" temperatures, which reflect the combined effects of heat and humidity. (The measurement is made by draping a water-saturated cloth over the bulb of a conventional thermometer; it does not correspond directly to air temperature alone.) The study found that by the 2070s, high wet-bulb readings that now occur maybe only once a year could prevail 100 to 250 days of the year in some parts of the tropics. In the southeast United States, wet-bulb temperatures now sometimes reach an already oppressive 29 or 30 degrees Celsius; by the 2070s or 2080s, such weather could occur 25 to 40 days each year, say the researchers.

Lab experiments have shown wet-bulb readings of 32 degrees Celsius are the threshold beyond which many people would have trouble carrying out normal activities outside. This level is rarely reached anywhere today. But the study projects that by the 2070s or 2080s the mark could be reached one or two days a year in the U.S. southeast, and three to five days in parts of South America, Africa, India and China. Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people would suffer. The hardest-hit area in terms of human impact, the researchers say, will probably be densely populated northeastern India.

"Lots of people would crumble well before you reach wet-bulb temperatures of 32 C, or anything close," said coauthor Radley Horton, a climate scientist at Lamont-Doherty. "They'd run into terrible problems." Horton said the results could be "transformative" for all areas of human endeavor"economy, agriculture, military, recreation."

The study projects that some parts of the southern Mideast and northern India may even sometimes hit 35 wet-bulb degrees Celsius by late centuryequal to the human skin temperature, and the theoretical limit at which people will die within hours without artificial cooling. Using a related combined heat/humidity measure, the so-called heat index, this would be the equivalent of nearly 170 degrees Fahrenheit of "dry" heat. But the heat index, invented in the 1970s to measure the "real feel" of moist summer weather, actually ends at 136; anything above that is literally off the chart. On the bright side, the paper says that if nations can substantially cut greenhouse-gas emissions in the next few decades, the worst effects could be avoided.

Only a few weather events like those projected have ever been recorded. Most recent was in Iran's Bandar Mahshahr, on July 31, 2015. The city of more than 100,000 sits along the Persian Gulf, where seawater can warm into the 90s Fahrenheit, and offshore winds blow moisture onto land. On that day, the "dry" air temperature alone was 115 degrees Fahrenheit; saturated with moisture, the air's wet bulb reading neared the 35 C fatal limit, translating to a heat index of 165 Fahrenheit.

Bandar Mahshahr's infrastructure is good and electricity cheap, so residents reported adapting by staying in air-conditioned buildings and vehicles, and showering after brief ventures outside. But this may not be an option in other vulnerable places, where many people don't have middle-class luxuries.

"It's not just about the heat, or the number of people. It's about how many people are poor, how many are old, who has to go outside to work, who has air conditioning," said study coauthor Alex de Sherbinin of Columbia's Center for International Earth Science Information Network. De Sherbinin said that even if the weather does not kill people outright or stop all activity, the necessity of working on farms or in other outdoor pursuits in such conditions can bring chronic kidney problems and other damaging health effects. "Obviously, the tropics will suffer the greatest," he said. Questions of how human infrastructure or natural ecosystems might be affected are almost completely unexplored, he said.

Only a handful of previous studies have looked at the humidity issue in relation to climate change. It was in 2010 that a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences proposed the 35-degree survivability limit. In 2015, researchers published a paper in the journal Nature Climate Change that mapped areas in the southern Mideast and Persian Gulf regions as vulnerable to extreme conditions. There was another this year in the journal Science Advances, zeroing in on the densely populated, low-lying Ganges and Indus river basins. The new study builds on this earlier research, extending the projections globally using a variety of climate models and taking into account future population growth.

Elfatih Eltahir, a professor of hydrology and climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has studied the issue in the Mideast and Asia, said the new study "is an important paper which emphasizes the need to consider both temperature and humidity in defining heat stress."

Climate scientist Steven Sherwood of the University of New South Wales, who proposed the 35-degree survivability limit, said he was skeptical that this threshold could be reached as soon as the researchers say. Regardless, he said, "the basic point stands." Unless greenhouse emissions are cut, "we move toward a world where heat stress is a vastly greater problem than it has been in the rest of human history. The effects will fall hardest on hot and humid regions."

Provided by Earth Institute, Columbia University

This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.
Hydrozoan polyps living on coral surface. Credit: S. Montano, Milan-Bicocca University

In a new study published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society, scientists show how tiny hydrozoans, polyps smaller than one millimeter and commonly found in dense colonies on the surface of hard corals, may play a role in keeping corals safe and healthy.

Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, responsible for the Joint Research Centre (JRC) said: "EU scientists are actively contributing to solve global problems. This is a good example of the scientific excellence that can help us to protect our environment and support the policy making."

Tiny polyps protect corals from being eaten by fish and snails

The researchers from the JRC, Marhe Center of Milan-Bicocca University and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology researched almost 2500 coral colonies in Maldivian and Saudi Arabian reefs, searching for signs of predation, temperature induced stress, and disease. For each colony, they also looked for the presence or absence of symbiotic hydrozoans and concluded that corals living in association with hydrozoans are much less prone to be attacked by coral-eating fish and gastropods, such as snails, than hydrozoan-free corals.

Predators are likely deterred by the venomous organelle ejected by hydrozoans' nematocysts, similar to those found in medusas' tentacles. Obviously, an individual hydrozoan polyp of less than one millimeter cannot cope with fish with a body mass billions of times its own. Yet when hydrozoans reach very high densities on coral surface, sometimes more than 50 individuals per square centimeter, it creates a sort of a continuous, stinging carpet that can discourage fish from foraging.

This effect is even more pronounced for coral eating gastropods, which are exposed to hydrozoans' nematocysts longer and more intensely as they crawl. This finding is important for coral conservation because coral eating gastropods are regarded as a major threat to reef persistence as a consequence of warming water temperatures.

The authors also found that the presence of symbiotic hydrozoans goes hand in hand with better health of corals. This could be either a secondary effect as wounds caused by predators are more easily infected by pathogens, and/or the result of "friendly" hydrozoans feeding on pathogenic protozoans trying to invade coral hosts.

Unfortunately, even hydrozoans cannot protect corals against mortality directly associated to increasing temperature (i.e. coral bleaching), as demonstrated by the massive coral die out recorded last year in the Great Barrier Reef. Yet, by contributing to the overall health of corals, they are likely playing an important role in making reefs more resilient, possibly shifting the critical threshold between reversible and irreversible disturbances. If this is the case, this would mean that an almost invisible and largely overlooked microscopic organism could be buying time for half a billion people relying on coral reef ecosystems for their livelihoods.

Provided by CORDIS
Sami Dzsaber and Prof. Silke Buhler-Paschen. Credit: Rice University

At TU Wien recently, particles known as 'Weyl fermions' were discovered in materials with strong interaction between electrons. Just like light particles, they have no mass but nonetheless they move extremely slowly.

There was great excitement back in 2015, when it was first possible to measure these 'Weyl fermions'  outlandish, massless particles that had been predicted almost 90 years earlier by German mathematician, physician and philosopher, Hermann Weyl. Now, once again, there has been a breakthrough in this field of research, with researchers at TU Wien being the first to successfully detect Weyl particles in strongly correlated electron systems  that is, materials where the electrons have a strong interaction with each other. In materials like this, the Weyl particles move extremely slowly, despite having no mass. The discovery should now open the door to an entirely new area of physics, and enable hitherto unimagined material-physical effects.

Quasiparticles: only possible in a solid state

After physician Paul Dirac had arrived at his Dirac equation in 1928, which can be used to describe the behaviour of relativistic electrons, Hermann Weyl found a particular solution for this equation  namely for particles with zero mass, or 'Weyl fermions'. The neutrino was originally thought to be such a massless Weyl particle, until it was discovered that it does indeed have mass. The mysterious Weyl fermions were, in fact, detected for the first time in 2015; they turned out not to be free particles like the neutrino, which can move through the universe independently from the rest of the world, but rather 'quasiparticles' in a solid state.

"Quasiparticles are not particles in the conventional sense, but rather excitations of a system consisting of many interacting particles," explains Prof. Silke Buhler-Paschen from the Institute of Solid State Physics at TU Wien. In some sense, they are similar to a wave in water. The wave is not a water molecule, rather it is based on the movement of many molecules. When the wave moves forward, this does not mean that the particles in the water are moving at that speed. It is not the water molecules themselves, but their excitation in wave form that spreads.

However, although the quasiparticles in a solid state are the result of an interplay between many particles, from a mathematical perspective they can be described similarly to a free particle in a vacuum.

Credit: Rice University

A "light speed" of just 100 m/s

The remarkable thing about the experiment, conducted by Sami Dzsaber and other members of the research group for quantum materials led by Silke Buhler-Paschen at TU Wien, is the fact that the Weyl particles were discovered in a strongly correlated electron system. This type of material is of particular interest for the field of solid state physics: their electrons cannot be described as separate from one another; they are strongly interconnected and it is precisely this that lends them extraordinary properties, from high-temperature superconductivity through to new kinds of phase transitions.

"The strong interactions in such materials usually lead, via the so-called Kondo effect, to particles behaving as if they had an extremely large mass," explains Sami Dzsaber. "So it was astonishing for us to detect Weyl fermions with a mass of zero in this particular type of material." According to the laws of relativity, free massless particles must always spread at light speed. This is, however, not the case in solid states: "Even though our Weyl fermions have no mass, their speed is extremely low," says Buhler-Paschen. The solid state lends them its own fixed 'light speed' to a certain extent. This is lower than 1000 m/s, i.e. only around three millionth of the speed of light in a vacuum. "As such, they are even slower than phonons, the analogue to the water wave in the solid state, and this makes them detectable in our experiment."

In search of new effects

At the same time as these measurements were being made at TU Wien, theoretical investigations were being carried out under the leadership of Qimiao Si at Rice University in Texas  Buhler-Paschen was a visiting professor there at the time  which looked at the question of how these Weyl fermions could even exist in a strongly correlated material. This combination of experiment and theory thus produced a conclusive picture of the new effect, which is now enabling new research to be carried out.

The newly detected quasiparticles are interesting for a number of reasons: "Even if Weyl fermions were initially found in other materials, it is much easier to control the effect in our strongly correlated materials," says Silke Buhler-Paschen. "Due to their low energy, it is significantly easier to influence them using parameters such as pressure or an external magnetic field." This means the Weyl fermions can also be used for technological applications.

The Weyl fermions are only dispersed in the material to a minimal extent, meaning they can conduct electrical current almost without loss  this is of great significance for electronics. They are also likely to be extremely interesting to the field of spintronics, an advancement in electronics where not only the electrical charge of the particles but also their spin is used. Weyl fermions will be of interest here due to their particularly robust spin. The particle should also be especially well suited for use in quantum computers. "This is a really exciting development," says Buhler-Paschen.
By Indrajit Kundu: Amid the ongoing row over Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati, a right-wing Hindu outfit has objected to another film, this time in West Bengal. The Hindu Jagran Manch has written to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) against an upcoming Bengali film titled Rangberonger Kori, as the two protagonists in the film have been named after Ram and Sita.

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"We have come to know that there is a tribal couple named Ram and Sita in the film who are shown getting divorced. We request them to change the name of these two characters from Ram and Sita to any general name, maybe Joseph and Mariyum, or for that matter Mohammad and Ayesha, whatever they think fit and get it released," said the outfit's leader Vivek Kant Singh.

The Hindu Jagran Manch claimed that the film, which stars National Award-winning actor Rituparna Sengupta in the lead, will hurt Hindu sentiments if it is released. "We think that there is a deliberate ploy to hurt Hindu sentiments. If the CBFC certifies the movie, we are going to go ahead and challenge this movie in court and if at all it gets released, we are going to do protest against this movie if the name of Ram and Sita is not removed from this movie," Singh added.

However, refuting the charges made by the Hindu outfit, director Ranjan Ghosh says there is no mythological connection to his film. "I want to clarify that my film is not based on the Ramayana. It's got nothing to do with Lord Ram or Sita. It is a modern story of a tribal couple who were merely named Ram and Sita," he said.

"We name a lot of characters after Hindu Gods and Goddesses, so where is the problem? There is nothing derogatory in it. Nothing has been shown which will violate or which will hurt the sentiments of any religious groups because I'm a true Hindu myself," Ghosh explained.

Currently, the film is at the disposal of the CBFC regional office in Kolkata for certification. Ghosh said that he has full faith in the jurisprudence of the board and is confident that his film would be released without any hurdles. "I strongly denounce these attempts to politicise each and every issue. It is merely a ploy to gain those cheap publicity," the filmmaker said.

ALSO WATCH: Karni Sena thugs holding Padmavati hostage

--- ENDS ---
The accused cyber-stalker was harassing the victim from past two months by creating a fake Facebook account in her name.

By Ashish Pandey: A day when Hyderabad was shocked with the incident of a jilted lover and stalker setting ablaze and killing a 25-year-old woman, the Cyberabad Police has arrested a person for cyber-stalking a girl.

The accused identified as 34-year-old Eerapuram Naresh Kumar alias Ravi alias Aravind Boyapati, a native of Mahaboob Nagar district of Telangana, was arrested for creating fake Facebook account and sending abusive messages and threatening the victim on the pretext of marriage.

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The accused cyber-stalker was harassing the victim for the past two months by creating a fake Facebook account in her name.

"After victim deleted her Facebook id, the accused started calling her on her mobile phone and asked for marriage. When the girl refused, he started issuing threats to her. He was threatening girl that if she will not marry with him, he will kill her family members." said a police officer of cybercrime department.

Frustrated with the calls and continues threat by the accused, the girl approached the Cyberabad Police and after a thorough investigation, a special team nabbed the accused from Guntur of Andhra Pradesh and produced him before the court for judicial remand.

--- ENDS ---
Try These Expert Tips to Protect Your Identity While Shopping

With the holidays around the corner and U.S. consumer confidence at a 16-year high, Americans are ready to do some serious shopping. But keeping data safe should be a priority for shoppers, given the potential for point of sales data breaches and identity theft. How serious is the threat of retail-based data breaches, and ensuing identity theft? Very serious.

According to Trustwaves 2017 Global Report retail point of sale data (POS) breaches increased to 31% of systems most breached in 2016 vs. 22% in 2015. Incidents involving POS systems were most common in North America, which has been slower than much of the world to adopt the EMV payment card standard, according to Trustwave.

The Trustwave study further shows:

Consumer payment card data is most at risk, with more than half of the incidents investigated targeting payment card data.

Stolen card track (also called magnetic stripe) data, at 33% of incidents, primarily came from POS environments.

Stolen card-not-present (CNP) data, at 30%, mostly came from e-commerce transactions.

Financial credentials, including account names and passwords for banks and other financial institutions, accounted for 18% of incidents.

Six steps to protect your own data:

Theres plenty consumers can do to protect their data at malls, shops, restaurants, and other retail outlets. Heres six tips to help you do what data security experts do when theyre out engaging with retailers in public.

Use different numbers

As a rule of thumb, I have separate credit card numbers for online shopping, standard bills, physical shopping and travel, says Andrew Bagrin, founder and CEO of OmniNet, a leading Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) provider, in Wilmington, De. The reason is that its easier to lose a credit card while traveling and its easier to get a credit card compromised while shopping online or in store.

Get alerts

Bagrin also advises reducing the risk of a POS retail data breach by going the

alerts route. If available, set up your credit or debit card to notify you every time it is used for any amount, he says. I get a quick email and I can tell right away if it was me, an automatic payment, or if I have a problem.

Track your credit health

Monitor your credit with a product like Experian CreditWorks to get notifications if your credit is accessed. Since everyones identity has been compromised, there very likely will be attempts to open credit with your identity to purchase something, and you will be stuck with the bill, Bagrin says. To stop that, make sure you monitor and act fast.

Change your name

If you shop online, dont use the same username and password at multiple online locations. If your account at Bobscandles.com get stolen and you used the same credentials at BankofAmerica.com and Paypal.com, you have a much bigger problem, Bagrin warns.

He advises altering your password at each online account, even if its just adding BOA or PP to the beginning or end of your password. Pick something you will know and remember  BOA for Bank of America and PP for PayPal, he adds. This may seem very simple, but its extremely effective.

Dont hand your card over

One of the best point of sale defense mechanisms is to not let the cashier handle your card, and also to cover your hands when entering your four-digit pin number, states Adam Watson, managing director at Hollywood Mirrors, a U.K.-based retail enterprise. Also, dont give any other personal details out if the shopkeeper requests like email address, postal address, phone number and name, Watson advises.

Follow up

Shoppers can also check with their payment card providers to ensure they have the correct contact details on file. That will enable the card issuer to contact you if they notice any unusual spending patterns on your card, says Grafton Potter, vice president of sales, North America at PCI Pal. In turn, you should keep your card suppliers 24-hour contact details handy in case of emergency and keep your payment card with you at all times. Also, dont allow it to be taken away from you in shops, restaurants or bars.

Targeting the POS retail data breach problem

Whats driving the increase in cyber-attacks? A big part of the problem is that companies and retailers are handling and collecting more and more personal information.

A hacker only has to find one vulnerabilityone small lapseand can potentially get access to volumes of sensitive personal data, says David Thomas, chief executive officer of EvidentID, a cybersecurity solutions firm in Atlanta, Ga. Criminals can easily monetize the data they are stealing either by leveraging it themselves for fraudulent activity, or by selling it. Either way, they are getting paid.

Another challenge: cyber-fraudsters have multiple ways to steal data in retail point-of-sale scenarios.

A customers information can be compromised through unsecured network endpoints, such as customer Wi-Fi access points, which provide easy access to hackers seeking to steal customer data, says Carl Mazzanti, co-founder of eMazzanti Technologies, a New York City-based retail technology consultancy. Theres also access to the stores website. There, data is often obtained using malware hiding in encrypted web traffic.

Will chip cards protect us?

Additionally, the promise of tighter retail industry data security controls really hasnt materialized yet, despite repeated efforts.

The chip card (EMV) era arrived with the promise that data in retail environments will be better protected, notes Mike Baker, founder and managing partner at Mosaic451, a managed cyber security service provider. Cardholders eventually will have much greater security at the point of sale with their own card data. But, while it will be much more difficult for thieves to steal card data at the point of swipe, the hackers are still hacking and data is still being lostalmost daily.

Plus, as cybercriminals become more sophisticated, staying ahead of threats is a daily challenge for retailers. The card number is only a small part of what a hacker wants, Baker says. The more data a hacker gets, the more complete a profile of an individual they obtain, making the data they steal that much more valuable.

In the case of POS retail data breaches, its up to companies to take the prospective steps needed to protect consumer card payment data.

Companies need to reevaluate the way they store and manage sensitive personal data, Thomas explains. They can now acquire the verified personal data they need without having to hold or manage personally identifiable information (PII) in one place.

Above all, retailers should pay close attention to cyber security in POS scenarios because they are increasingly the targets.

Smaller retailers, especially, tend to underspend on security, making them easy marks for hackers and malware, says Mazzanti. These threats are increasing because criminals are making money off of unprotected businesses.
Many living organisms  on this world and others  need drinking water and sunlight to survive, but that's not always the case. Microbes in the soil of Antarctica are beating the odds. A team of scientists from Australia and New Zealand have discovered microorganisms that thrive in its cold, dry conditions. During the winter season, much of Antarctica is plunged into darkness, and its soil has little to no carbon, an element on which all known life is based. The scientists believe these microbes live on air alone. Maybe life on other planets looks more like the organisms in the soil of Antarctica  read more about it in our story here.

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New research, December 11-17, 2017

Posted on 21 December 2017 by Ari Jokimaki

A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below.

The figure is from paper #4.

Climate change

1. The Response of Ice Sheets to Climate Variability



"Resulting oscillations in grounded ice volume amplitude is shown to grow as a nonlinear function of ocean forcing period. This implies that slower oscillations in climatic forcing are disproportionately important to ice sheets. The ice shelf residence time offers a critical time scale, above which the ice response amplitude is a linear function of ocean forcing period and below which it is quadratic. These results highlight the sensitivity of West Antarctic ice streams to perturbations in heat fluxes occurring at decadal time scales."

2. Attributable human-induced changes in the likelihood and magnitude of the observed extreme precipitation during Hurricane Harvey



"We find that human-induced climate change likely increased the chances of the observed precipitation accumulations during Hurricane Harvey in the most affected areas of Houston by a factor of at least 3.5. Further, precipitation accumulations in these areas were likely increased by at least 18.8% (best estimate of 37.7%), which is larger than the 6-7% associated with an attributable warming of 1 C in the Gulf of Mexico and Clausius-Clapeyron scaling."

3. Global land surface air temperature dynamics since 1880



"For the period of 19012010, the warming trend was found to be 0.109 C decade1 with 95% confidence intervals between 0.081 C and 0.137 C. Additionally, warming exhibited different spatial patterns in different periods. In the early 20th century (19231950), warming occurred mainly in the mid-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, whereas in the most recent decades (19772014), warming was more spatially extensive across the global land surface."

4. Rainfall over the African continent from the 19th through the 21st century



" Around 1968 a change to more arid conditions occurred in the Sahel and North Africa.

 For the continent as a whole more arid conditions began in the 1980s.  In equatorial regions, the boreal spring has become drier and the boreal autumn wetter."

5. Evolving Understanding of Antarctic Ice-Sheet Physics and Ambiguity in Probabilistic Sea-Level Projections



"Without protective measures, revised median RSL projections would by 2100 submerge land currently home to 153 million people, an increase of 44 million."

6. Timescales of AMOC decline in response to fresh water forcing



7. Global mean sea-level rise in a world agreed upon in Paris



8. Long-term drainage reduces CO 2 uptake and CH 4 emissions in a Siberian permafrost ecosystem

9. Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt and Its Relation to Daily Atmospheric Conditions



10. Ice stream slowdown will drive long-term thinning of the Ross Ice Shelf, with or without ocean warming



11. Glaciological settings and recent mass balance of Blaskimen Island in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

12. Quantifying the Sensitivity of Sea Level Change in Coastal Localities to the Geometry of Polar Ice Mass Flux



13. Surface lowering of the debris-covered area of Kanchenjunga Glacier in the eastern Nepal Himalaya since 1975, as revealed by Hexagon KH-9 and ALOS satellite observations

14. Surge-type glaciers in Karakoram Mountain and possible catastrophes alongside a portion of the Karakoram Highway



15. Snowmelt response to simulated warming across a large elevation gradient, southern Sierra Nevada, California

16. Attribution of extreme rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, August 2017



17. Potential For Changing Extreme Snowmelt And Rainfall Events in the Mountains of the Western United States



18. A continuum model for meltwater flow through compacting snow

19. Decrease of tropical cyclone genesis frequency in the western North Pacific since 1960s



20. Impacts of SST patterns on rapid intensification of Typhoon Megi (2010)



21. On the dynamics of Austral heat-waves



22. Heat wave exposure in India in current, 1.5 C, and 2.0 C worlds



23. Synoptic characteristics, atmospheric controls, and long-term changes of heat waves over the Indochina Peninsula



24. Evaluation of six indices for monitoring agricultural drought in the south-central United States



25. Changes in the Mechanisms Causing Rapid Drought Cessation in the Southeastern United States of America



26. Climate change enhances the severity and variability of drought in the Pearl River Basin in South China in the 21st century



27. Spatio-temporal variability and trends of precipitation and extreme rainfall events in Ethiopia in 19802010



28. Time of observation adjustments to daily station precipitation may introduce undesired statistical issues



29. Unraveling the Role of Temperature and Rainfall on Active Fires in the Brazilian Amazon Using a Nonlinear Poisson Model



30. Role of latent heating over the tropical western Pacific in surface temperature change over North America during Boreal Spring



31. The character and causes of elevation-dependent warming in high-resolution simulations of Rocky Mountain climate change



32. Storm wave clustering around New Zealand and its connection to climatic patterns



33. Spatial and temporal trends of dust storms across desert regions of Iran



34. The diversity of cloud responses to twentieth-century sea surface temperatures



35. On effective radiative forcing of partial internally and externally mixed aerosols and their effects on global climate



36. Strong dependence of U.S. summertime air quality on the decadal variability of Atlantic sea surface temperatures



37. What drove the Pacific and North America climate anomalies in winter 2014/15?



38. Sixty years of radiocarbon dioxide measurements at Wellington, New Zealand: 19542014

39. Reconciliation of top-down and bottom-up CO 2 fluxes in Siberian larch forest

40. What controls the atmospheric methane seasonal variability over India?



41. Effects of El Nino on summertime ozone air quality in the eastern United States



Climate change impacts

42. Climate warming is associated with smaller body size and shorter lifespans in moose near their southern range limit



"In particular, we document: (i) a trend of increasing winter temperatures and concurrent decline in skull size (decline of 19% for males and 13% for females) and (ii) a negative correlation between skull size and winter temperatures during the first year of life. These patterns could be plausibly interpreted as an adaptive phenotypic response to climate warming given that latitudinal/temperature clines are often accepted as evidence of adaptation to local climate. However, we also observed: (iii) that moose with smaller skulls had shorter lifespans, (iv) a reduction in lifespan over the 4-decade study period, and (v) a negative relationship between lifespan and winter temperatures during the first year of life. Those observations indicate that this phenotypic change is not an adaptive response to climate change. However, this decline in lifespan was not accompanied by an obvious change in population dynamics, suggesting that climate change may affect population dynamics and life-histories differently."

43. Evidence for declining forest resilience to wildfires under climate change



"Results highlight significant decreases in tree regeneration in the 21st century. Annual moisture deficits were significantly greater from 2000 to 2015 as compared to 19851999, suggesting increasingly unfavourable post-fire growing conditions, corresponding to significantly lower seedling densities and increased regeneration failure. Dry forests that already occur at the edge of their climatic tolerance are most prone to conversion to non-forests after wildfires."

44. Assessment of climate variability and trend on wheat productivity in West Bengal, India: crop growth simulation approach



"District average yield of wheat varied from 1757 kg ha1 at Jalpaiguri to 2421 kg ha1at Birbhum. The actual yield trend ranged from  4.7 kg ha1 year1 at Nadia to 32.8 kg ha1 year1 at Birbhum. Decreasing trend of potential yield was observed in Terai (Jalpaiguri), New Alluvial Zone (Nadia) and Coastal saline zone (South 24 Parganas), which is alarming for food security in West Bengal."

45. Thermal comfort in urban open spaces: Objective assessment and subjective perception study in tropical city of Bhopal, India



46. A synthesis of barriers to and enablers of pro-poor climate change adaptation in four South African municipalities

47. Africa's urban adaptation transition under a 1.5 climate



48. Planning for adaptation to climate change: exploring the climate science-to-practice disconnect

49. Impacts of climate change on rice production in Africa and causes of simulated yield changes



50. Adaption to climate change: a case study of two agricultural systems from Kenya

51. Contribution of crop model structure, parameters and climate projections to uncertainty in climate change impact assessments



52. Observed and predicted impacts of climate change on the estuaries of south-western Australia, a Mediterranean climate region



53. Climate-driven diversity change in annual grasslands: drought plus deluge does not equal normal



54. Shifted energy fluxes, increased Bowen ratios, and reduced thaw depths linked with drainage-induced changes in permafrost ecosystem structure

55. Concomitant impacts of climate change, fragmentation and non-native species have led to reorganization of fish communities since the 1980s



56. Larger temperature response of autumn leaf senescence than spring leaf-out phenology



57. Variations in the temperature sensitivity of spring leaf phenology from 1978 to 2014 in Mudanjiang, China



58. Earlier leaf-flushing suppressed ecosystem productivity by draining soil water in the Mongolian Plateau



59. Contrasting responses of grassland water and carbon exchanges to climate change between Tibetan Plateau and Inner Mongolia



60. Asymmetric responses of the end of growing season to daily maximum and minimum temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau



61. No consistent evidence for advancing or delaying trends in spring phenology on the Tibetan Plateau



62. Calling phenology of a diverse amphibian assemblage in response to meteorological conditions



63. Estimating aboveground live understory vegetation carbon in the United States



Climate change mitigation

64. United States non-cooperation and the Paris agreement



"We argue that US non-cooperation does not fundamentally alter US emissions, which are unlikely to rise even in the absence of new federal climate policies. Nor does it undermine nationally determined contributions under pledge and review, as the Paris Agreement has introduced a new logic of domestically driven climate policies and the cost of low-carbon technologies keeps falling."

65. The Paris warming targets: emissions requirements and sea level consequences



"For an eventual 2 C warming target, this could be achieved even if CO 2 emissions remained positive. For a 1.5 C target, CO 2 emissions could remain positive, but only if a substantial and long-lasting temperature overshoot is accepted. In both cases, a warming overshoot of 0.2 to 0.4 C appears unavoidable. If the allowable (or unavoidable) overshoot is small, then negative emissions are almost certainly required for the 1.5 C target, peaking at negative 1.3 GtC/year. In this scenario, temperature stabilization occurs, but cumulative emissions continue to increase, contrary to a common belief regarding the relationship between temperature and cumulative emissions. Changes to the Paris Agreement to accommodate the overshoot possibility are suggested. For sea level rise, tipping points that might lead to inevitable collapse of Antarctic ice sheets or shelves might be avoided for the 2 C target (for major ice shelves) or for the 1.5 C target for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Even with the 1.5 C target, however, sea level will continue to rise at a substantial rate for centuries."

66. Global Energy Consumption in a Warming Climate



"Almost all continents experience increases in energy demand, driven by the commercial and industrial sectors. In Europe declines in energy use by residences drive an overall reduction in aggregate final energy. Energy use increases in almost all G20 economies located in the tropics, while outside of Europe G20 countries in temperate regions experience both increasing and declining total energy use, depending on the incidence of changes in the frequency of hot and cold days. The effect of climate change is regressive, with the incidence of increased energy demand overwhelmingly falling on low- and middle-income countries, raising the question whether climate change could exacerbate energy poverty."

67. Simulated effect of carbon cycle feedback on climate response to solar geoengineering



"By year 2100, solar geoengineering reduces the burden of atmospheric CO2 by 47 PgC with enhanced carbon storage in the terrestrial biosphere. As a result of reduced atmospheric CO2, consideration of the carbon cycle feedback reduces required insolation reduction in 2100 from 2.0 to 1.7 W m-2. With a higher climate sensitivity the effect from carbon cycle feedback becomes more important."

68. Co-benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation: a review and classification by type, mitigation sector, and geography



"We find that the co-benefits from GHG mitigation that have received the largest attention of researchers are impacts on ecosystems, economic activity, health, air pollution, and resource efficiency. The co-benefits that have received the least attention include the impacts on conflict and disaster resilience, poverty alleviation (or exacerbation), energy security, technological spillovers and innovation, and food security. Most research has investigated co-benefits from GHG mitigation in the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU), electricity, transport, and residential sectors, with the industrial sector being the subject of significantly less research."

69. Do perceptions of international climate policy stimulate or discourage voluntary climate protection activities? A study of German and US households



"The econometric analyses provide suggestive evidence that higher perceived justification and effectiveness of international climate policy crowd in voluntary individual climate protection activities in the US and Germany. In both countries, these activities are also positively related to the warm glow indicator, confirming that feelings which go beyond pure altruism help explain individual voluntary climate protection efforts. For the German (but not the US) sample, the effect of warm glow is stronger when international climate policy is believed to be ineffective."

70. Community resilience for a 1.5 C world



71. Local governments as drivers for societal transformation: towards the 1.5 C ambition



72. Is Trade in Permits Good for the Environment?



73. Optimal Climate Policy for a Pessimistic Social Planner



74. Austrian climate policies and GHG-emissions since 1990: What is the role of climate policy integration?



75. Empirical calibration of climate policy using corporate solvency: a case study of the UKs carbon price support

76. Carbon management at the household level: a definition of carbon literacy and three mechanisms that increase it



77. Challenges in financing public sector low-carbon initiatives: lessons from private finance for a school district in British Columbia, Canada

78. Inequality, poverty, and the carbon intensity of human well-being in the United States: a sex-specific analysis



79. Climate Change in the Media: Polands Exceptionalism

80. The potential influence of the carbon market on clean technology innovation in China

81. Strategies for the utilization of alternative fuels in the cement industry

82. Potential air quality benefits from increased solar photovoltaic electricity generation in the Eastern United States



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Admire characters from Triple-rose in ice.

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Citizens and visitors of Michalovce can admire fairytale characters made from ice. The ice statues were made by four artists from Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and the Ukraine for the first Festival Ice Kingdom in Michalovce.

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We made statues under the theme of the traditional fairytale Trojruza (Triple-rose). Modern youth know the fairytale more under the name of Beauty and the Beast. So we have here Beauty, Bear and Triple-rose, said art director of Daisy agency, Daniela Beresova, who organized the event, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

The lifetime of the statues depends on the weather, which is not ideal. The statues are made from special ice that is clear with no bubbles inside.

The public in Michalovce could watch the preparation and making of the statues; the final statues are located at Namestie Slobody (Freedom Square).
Exactly 80 years ago today, the cable car took the first tourists from Tatranska Lomnica to Skalnate Pleso in the Tatras.

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When the cable car started operating as a tourist attraction and means of transport between Tatranska Lomnica and Skalnate Pleso in the High Tatras 80 years ago on December 22, it was the only one in the world of its kind due to its character and length.

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"Nowhere else was there transportation on cables as long as here in Tatranska Lomnica," Juraj Husovsky, who has operated the cable car since the 1970s, told the TASR newswire. He added that the cable car was also unique for its speed.

To facilitate the cable car's construction, it was first necessary to build smaller, auxiliary cable cars from the starting station to Skalnate Pleso and from there to the Lomnicky Stit peak. The construction made use of a world patent: the balancing device on the car that divided the weight and pull of the cables so that both cars would be equally pulled.

Why the Lomnicky Stit peak?

There were several options tourism authorities considered in building the cable car. As early as under the Austro-Hungarian monarchy the tourist organisations of that time had their proposals on where to build the cable car, among them the Rysy peak in the Western Tatras, the highest peak of the High Tatras, Gerlachovsky Stit, or Slavkovsky Stit.

"In the end the Lomnicky Stit option came from the interwar director of the state-run spas in Tatranska Lomnica, Juraj Orszagh," publicist Ivan Bohus told TASR. The then railway ministry approved the preparation of the construction in 1936. The Frantisek Vizner company from Chrudim was assigned to build the cable car, with a budget of 15 million Czechoslovak crowns. Construction work started in 1936 and one and a half years later the cable car began operation, on December 22, 1937.

That very cable car was used to transport tourists up to the peak until the end of the 1990s, when it was replaced with a new cable car, with nothing in common with its old predecessor.

"It is a pity we lost the technical work, because the nine original supporting columns were demolished, closing the door to any potential renewal of this unique technical landmark," Bohus said. "Only the original buildings created by Dusan Jurkovic were preserved, but some of them are unfortunately in ruins."

The architectonic work of Dusan Jurkovic that served as the basis for the construction of the station buildings are considered to be the most precious sections of the entire construction.
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.
Sandhya, the woman who was set on fire by a stalker yesterday in Hyderabad, succumbed to her injuries this morning. The accused has been arrested.

By Ashish Pandey: Sandhya would have wanted to get home soon on Thursday, for the family had planned to celebrate her brother's birthday. What she met with instead was ill fate disguised as a criminal.

A colleague of hers, Karthik, met her on the way, and the two spoke a few minutes, eyewitnesses said. The two got into a heated argument and Karthik, the criminal, threw petrol on Sandhya, set her on fire and escaped.

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Sandhya and Karthik knew each other for over two years and used to be in a relationship. Sandhya suffered 84 per cent burns. She succumbed to the injuries at 9 30 this morning.

Karthik had left his job and he forced Sandhya to quit too. Karthik also threatened to kill Sandhya if she doesn't marry him.

Speaking to India Today DCP North Zone B Sumathi said, "We have registered a case under section 307 and SC/ST Act while we are in a process to arrest the accused."

Karthik

Karthik surrendered later in the day and has been arrested.

The incident took place in full public view under Lalaguda police station limit of the city.

Sumathi told India Today, "In the complaint given by Sandhya's mother, it is mentioned that the accused has been harassing her daughter for a while now. The shop owner where girl was working had once mediated between the girl and boy and asked accused to not harass her."

"Yesterday, the accused purchased petrol and later torched her. In her dying declarations the girl said that the accused was harassing her and forcing her for marriage."

Secunderabad MP and former central minister Bandaru Datatreya attacked the Telangana government saying, "There is no safety and security for women and girls in Hyderabad and there's been an increase in attacks on women. Police should go tough on the accused - Karthik. Telangana government should announce Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia, double bedroom house to deceased Sandhya Rani's family."

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Devon Energy Corporation is an independent oil and gas company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company was incorporated in 1971 by John Nichols and his son J. Larry Nichols and later went public in August 2000. The company has since grown to be included in the S&P 500 and is one of the first energy companies to introduce resolutions requiring the company to monitor its impact on global warming. One time a major player in the global oil market, Devon has since sold off its offshore holdings in an effort to focus on US production and its transition to a lower-carbon future.

Devon Energy merged with WPX in early 2021 in an all-stock merger of equals. The new company is primarily engaged in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the US midwest. The company operates more than 5,100 wells in Oklahomas Delaware Basis, Eagle Ford Group, and the two locations in the Rocky Mountains. As of late 2022, the company laid claim to 1.625 million barrels of reserves including 44% petroleum, 27% natural gas liquids, and 29% natural gas. Daily production was running in the range of 300,000 BPD in petroleum liquids, 125,000 BPD in natural gas liquids, and 920 million cubic feet of natural gas.

Rick Muncrief, formally CEO of WPX, is now the head of Devon Energy. Mr. Muncrief comes to the table with more than 40 years of experience including 27 years with one of the US Big Three Oil Companies. WPX Energy (Williams Production and Exploration) brought properties in the Williston and Permian Basins to the combined company. Its proven reserves were roughly 527 million barrels of oil and equivalents. The company also owns and operates a midstream network of pipelines and storage facilities it uses to market and deliver its products.

Devon Energy Corporation has pledged to reduce its GHG impact to net zero by 2050. This will be done by a variety of methods that include improving efficiency and leakage, a reduction in flaring, and the electrification of its operations. Near-term goals include a 50% reduction in GHG by 2030 including a 65% reduction in methane release and a 100% reduction in flaring. The company is also focused on reducing its environmental impact by relying on recycled water wherever possible and plans to reduce freshwater usage by 90% in the most active areas. Total greenhouse gas emissions have been in decline since 2018 and fell 17% between 2018 and 2020 alone.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Bancolombia S.A. provides banking products and services in Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. The company operates through nine segments: Banking Colombia, Banking Panama, Banking El Salvador, Banking Guatemala, Trust, Investment Banking, Brokerage, International Banking, and All Other. It offers checking and savings accounts, fixed term deposits, and investment products; trade financing, loans funded by domestic development banks, working capital loans, credit cards, personal and vehicle loans, payroll loans, and overdrafts; financial support to real estate developers and mortgages for individuals and companies; factoring; and financial and operating leasing services. The company also provides hedging instruments, including futures, forwards, options, and swaps; and brokerage, investment advisory, and private banking services, including selling and distributing equities, futures, foreign currencies, fixed income securities, mutual funds, and structured products. In addition, it offers cash management services; foreign currency transaction services; life, auto, commercial, and homeowner's insurance products; and online and computer banking services. Further, the company provides project and acquisition finance, debt and equity capital markets, principal investments, M&A, hedging strategies, restructurings, and structured financing; money market accounts, mutual and pension funds, private equity funds, payment and corporate trust, and custody; internet-based trading platform; inter-bank lending and repurchase agreements; managing escrow accounts, and investment and real estate funds; and transportation, securities brokerage, maintenance and remodeling, and outsourcing services. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 1,015 branches; 28,676 banking correspondents; 529 PAMs; 210 kiosks in El Salvador and 187 in Colombia; and 6,094 ATMs. Bancolombia S.A. was incorporated in 1945 and is headquartered in Medellin, Colombia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with State Councillor of the People's Republic of China, Yang Jiechi during their meeting in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

By Geeta Mohan: Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question met in Delhi today for the 20th round of talks. In the day-long engagement, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi discussed key aspects related to the unresolved boundary issues.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs there was emphasis on the "positive" and "focussed" manner in which the two sides wanted to bring out the "full potential" of the 'Closer Developmental Partnership' between the two countries.

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Doklam stand-off at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction, which ended with the August 28 disengagement agreement, was discussed during the talks. Both sides reviewed the situation and decided that it was necessary to maintain "peace and tranquility".

The MEA statement said, "The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures."

Earlier in the day, speaking on the Special Representatives talk the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that it was not only a high-level engagement between India and China but also a mechanism that was of strategic importance.

"This mechanism is not only a high-level channel of dialogue on the border affairs between the two sides but also an important platform for strategic communication between China and India. We know that President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met this year in Xiamen and reached an important consensus," she said.

The meeting was "comprehensive" and both sides agreed for an "early settlement" of the boundary question.

"They re-emphasized their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date. The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures", the Indian statement said.

This could be the last meeting wherein a politburo member would represent China for boundary talks. Jeichi's recent elevation in the politburo and the Indian NSA's handle on India's foreign policy allowed the two take the talks beyond the remit of "border talks".

The Special Representatives reviewed the development of India-China bilateral relations. The two sides have agreed to maintain "regular" contact and to advance the development of bilateral relations in all areas given the strained ties between India and China on various issues.

India Today has learnt that China blocking India's move to designate Masood Azhar at the UN was also a topic of discussion. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as One-Belt-One-Road (OBOR), was also taken up.

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The Chinese have wanted India to be on-board the project but India conveyed that the projects that run through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) are in violation of India's territorial integrity.

"They underlined the need for the two countries to build on their convergences, while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations," said MEA.

The two sides also acknowledged that as two large developing countries engaged in their national modernisation, relations between India and China "transcend" their bilateral dimensions and have significance for peace, stability and development of Asia and the world.

Yang Jiechi also called on PM Modi and conveyed to him the greetings of President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang. Both the special representatives briefed the prime minister on the 20th round of Boundary Talks.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said, "The Prime Minister fondly recalled his visit to Xiamen for the 9th BRICS Summit in September 2017, and his meeting with President Xi Jinping there. The Prime Minister said that a strong India-China relationship is important not only for the mutual benefit of the people of India and China, but also for the region and the world."

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ALSO WATCH | India, China agree to disengage on Doklam ending two-and-a-half-month-long standoff

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Nucor Corporation manufactures and sells steel and steel products. The company's Steel Mills segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized sheet steel products; plate steel products; wide-flange beams, beam blanks, and H-piling and sheet piling products; and bar steel products, such as blooms, billets, concrete reinforcing and merchant bars, and special bar quality products. It also engages in the steel trading and rebar distribution businesses. This segment sells its products to steel service centers, fabricators, and manufacturers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its Steel Products segment offers hollow structural section steel tubing products, electrical conduits, steel racking, steel joists and joist girders, steel decks, fabricated concrete reinforcing steel products, cold finished steel products, steel fasteners, metal building systems, insulated metal panels, steel grating and expanded metal products, and wire and wire mesh products primarily for use in nonresidential construction applications. This segment also engages in the piling distribution business. The company's Raw Materials segment produces direct reduced iron (DRI); brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron, hot briquetted iron, and DRI; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal, as well as engages in the natural gas drilling operations. This segment sells its ferrous scrap to electric arc furnace steel mills and foundries for manufacturing process; and nonferrous scrap metal to aluminum can producers, secondary aluminum smelters, steel mills and other processors, and consumers of various nonferrous metals. It serves agriculture, automotive, construction, energy and transmission, oil and gas, heavy equipment, infrastructure, and transportation industries through its in-house sales force; and internal distribution and trading companies. Nucor Corporation was incorporated in 1958 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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. 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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. 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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.  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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. 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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., 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Renowned Armenian actor and comedian Vardan Petrosyan will perform in Los Angeles, and he himself has informed about this on his Facebook page.

He will present his new comedy show, entitled My Unfinished Song, on February 3, in La Canada Flintridge, in Los Angeles County, California.

To note, Petrosyan was released from prison in March. He was found at fault in a car accident in Armenia in October 2013, and which had claimed two lives, and was sentenced to five years in prison. But as of September 2015, he was serving three of these years in an open mode; that is, he was leaving the penitentiary as of 8am, but he had to be back inside by no later than 8pm. On the weekends, however, he had to remain in prison.

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Most of the growing number of jobs in the solar industry have more to do with maintaining and installing panels than manufacturing them. Credit: only_kim/Shutterstock.com

The U.S. solar industry is nervously awaiting President Donald Trump's decision whether to impose punitive duties on imported solar panels and related equipment or even restrict some of those imports altogether. It could come any day between now and late January.

This is the final stage of a process that began when two U.S. subsidiaries of foreign solar panel makers filed a rarely used kind of trade complaint with the International Trade Commission. The independent U.S. agency has recommended a course of action officially intended to protect domestic manufacturers from unfair competition.

But far from protecting U.S. interests, the tariffs would stifle the current solar boom, destroying American jobs and dragging down clean energy innovation. As economists who research climate and energy policies that can foster a greener North American economy, we argue the government should instead create targeted subsidies that support innovation and lower costs across the supply chain. This approach would do a better job of helping the U.S. industry fend off foreign competition without harming the industry itself.

A booming industry

The U.S. solar industry has enjoyed unprecedented growth in recent years, thanks to the rapidly declining cost to install solar systems and tax breaks for homeowners, businesses and utilities that have expanded demand but are being phased out. Prices have plunged to roughly US$1.50 per watt from around $6 in 2010 due to both innovation that made it less expensive to make panels anywhere and cheap imports.

In 2016, 87 percent of U.S. solar installations used foreign-produced panels, also known as modules, primarily from China.

The rapid decline in solar panel costs has been driven by policies in China and elsewhere intended to expand domestic manufacturing of these products.

The problem is not unique. Other countries dependent on cheap solar imports, including Germany and Canada, are also grappling with how to sustain the solar boom while protecting their own domestic manufacturers from unfair foreign competition.

The trade commission sent Trump its recommendations on Nov. 13, giving him until Jan. 13 to accept or reject its guidance. Later, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer asked the agency to draft a "supplemental" report, effectively extending the president's deadline for setting the tariffs to Jan. 26.

The request, observers surmise, could signal that the administration is concerned about the this case's potential to spiral into a broader trade dispute with China and other major U.S. trading partners.

Solar job growth

Solar job growth took off in 2010. By 2016, more than 260,000 Americans worked in the industry, up from fewer than 95,000 seven years earlier.

An uninterrupted solar boom would create even more jobs. The number of solar panel installers, for example, would more than double from 11,300 to 23,000 within 10 years at the current pace of growth, which would make it the fastest-growing profession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another renewable energy mainstay, wind turbine technician, came in a close second.

Imposing tariffs on imported panels would cloud that outlook, largely because manufacturing accounts for less than 15 percent of U.S. solar jobs while installation amounts to more than half of them, according to the Solar Foundation's annual census. If panels get more expensive, the cost to go solar will rise and demand will fall  along with the impetus to employ so many installers.

The Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group that represents many companies in the industry and opposes the duties, estimates that imposing them could double solar prices and cost the industry 88,000 jobs.

Smarter subsidies

Despite the robust growth in wind and solar employment and its official support for an "all of the above" energy policy that combines fossil fuels, nuclear power, biofuels and renewable energy alternatives like wind and solar, the Trump administration has sought to slash support for alternative energy through the federal budget.

We agree that the government should encourage solar panel manufacturing within the nation's borders. But there are better ways to support this important priority than by raising prices on imported equipment through punitive tariffs.

China's edge in solar panel manufacturing  apart from low wages  is driven by scale and supply-chain development, spurred by cost inducements like low-interest loans, technology development assistance and cheap land. Other newly industrialized countries like South Korea and Taiwan have followed China's lead by fostering their own solar manufacturing bases with targeted subsidies.

We believe the U.S. should follow suit. In addition to directing subsidies to reduce the costs of the solar supply chain, the government should also increase subsidies for private research and development for green innovation. Currently, federal financing for private solar R&D lags far behind levels seen in China and the European Union.

These subsidies could be funded by the tariffs the government is already collecting on solar panels imported from China and elsewhere.

If the U.S. government deems that additional restrictions are required, then it makes sense to follow a separate recommendation to freeze solar panel imports at 2016 market share levels. The government should then auction off the rights to import foreign solar panels to U.S. installers.

The government could spend the proceeds from these auctioned import licenses on domestic innovation and other efforts to cut supply chain costs for U.S. manufacturers of solar panels and related equipment.

While World Trade Organization rules limit the use of subsidies that explicitly promote a country's exports in global markets, the ones we are proposing would likely be WTO-compliant.

This is because their aim is to make the U.S. solar industry more competitive within the domestic market, given the government's earlier findings that cheap imported panels are being dumped  sold too cheaply  here.

Why make an exception

Like most economists, we believe that subsidies should be avoided except in special circumstances. Here are three reasons why this industry is an exception.

First, when one nation subsidizes solar panel production and exports those panels, it makes it cheaper to go solar in other countries, effectively cutting the cost of implementing climate policies abroad.

Second, when solar energy replaces fossil fuels in one place, the declining carbon emissions benefit people around the globe. Climate change, after all, affects the entire world.

Third, R&D investments made in any one economy eventually add to the global knowledge base. Improving solar technology will ultimately benefit the entire industry worldwide.

The proposed tariffs the Trump administration is considering will yield none of these benefits. In fact, they could instigate a trade war over clean energy products with our trading partners globally.

That is why we believe that the smarter subsidies we are proposing are a better way to sustain the U.S. solar industry and protect jobs.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
By PTI: Jammu, Dec 22 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra today nominated Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, the brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, as a member of the state legislative council, an official said.

"Exercising powers vested in Governor under sub-section (6) of section 50 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, Vohra has nominated Tassaduq Hussain Mufti as a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council" against the seat available in the House, the official said.

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Vohra had earlier returned the file recommending nomination of Tasaduq Mufti to legislative council against vacancy arising after the resignation of Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh from the Upper House of the bicameral legislature.

Meanwhile, sources said Minister of State for Haj and Auquaf, Syed Farooq Andrabi, had resigned from the council of ministers, citing "personal reasons".

Andrabi submitted his resignation to his niece Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and it was forwarded to the governor, the sources said.

The governor accepted Andrabis resignation, they said. PTI AB GVS

--- ENDS ---
"A little fill here and there may seem to be nothing to become excited about. But one fill, though comparatively inconsequential, may lead to another, and another, and before long a great body may be eaten away until it may no longer exist.

Our navigable waters are a precious natural heritage, once gone, they disappear forever," wrote the Wisconsin Supreme Court in its 1960 opinion resolving Hixon v. PSC and buttressing The Public Trust Doctrine, Article IX of the Wisconsin State Constitution.
Here are the news stories you should not miss today:

Politics

-- State President and General Secretary of the Lao Party Bounnhang Vorachith left the north-central province of Nghe An on Thursday and concluded his official friendly visit to Vietnam from December 19-21.

Society

-- Typhoon Kai-Tak weakened into a tropical depression on Friday morning on its way towards Malaysia, while another storm, named Tembin, was formed in southern Philippines and was forecast to travel westward in the next 24-hour period.

-- Police in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang on Thursday evening carried out a search at the house of Phan Van Anh Vu, a local tycoon who owns multiple companies and many high-value land plots, most of which were originally public properties.

-- A total of 133 green trees along the sidewalks of Ton Duc Thang Street will be removed to make space for the construction of the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge connecting District 1 and District 2.

-- Two people were killed after a passenger bus crashed into a truck, which was parked by a street in the central province of Quang Nam at around 3:15 am on Friday.

-- The tollgate of the BOT (build-operate-transfer) project on Lien Khuong- Prenn expressway, connecting Lien Khuong Airport and Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, will cease operation during the Da Lat Flower Festival from December 22 to 28.

-- Investigators on Thursday requested for the prosecution of Dinh La Thang, along with over 20 accomplices, for his violations at the PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC).

Business

-- As of Thursday, more than 12,000 computers have been affected by malicious software, capable of turning the victims computer into a bitcoin mining machine,that has been spread across Facebook Messenger since December 19, according to statistics of the Hanoi-based cyber security firm Bkav.

Lifestyle

-- A series of musical performances are being prepared at many places across Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the New Years Eve.

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Residents across Ho Chi Minh City continue to be scammed by Chinese-owned clinics despite widespread reports from victims detailing their experiences with misrepresented diagnoses and fraudulent practices.

Thanks to the development of social media in Vietnam, most deceitful Chinese-run infirmaries use a team of online consultants to lure in potential victims.

Though the consultants rarely have medical training, theyre typically charged with one key task: convincing patients to come to the clinics.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspapers undercover reporters managed to gain behind-the-scenes access to the inner workings of one of these clinics.

We have to show patients that we are willing to help. They need to believe we are professional and dedicated doctors with competent expertise. On the other hand, we try not to seem too enthusiastic in order to avoid suspicion, a consultant instructor told her students during a training lesson at the Thang Long polyclinic in District 10.

Participants will be given an examination following the course and those who pass will be permitted to work at the clinic.

The clinics advising team includes about 50 consultants aged 20 to 25 who work from the top two floors of companys eight-story building.

The team works around the clock in three 8-hour shifts, talking with clients through the official website and social media networks such as Facebook, Zalo, and Viber.

Advisers at the clinic, despite lacking sufficient medical knowledge, claim to be doctors with extreme concern for the well-being of their patients.

Kim, a manager at Thang Long polyclinic, shared that the facility primarily treats patients with gynecological and urological diseases.

Even a certified doctor cannot make a good adviser, Kim shared, adding that regardless of medical background all consultants must undergo proper training.

Meanwhile, the Nguyen Trai polyclinic in District 1 uses its own training facility in District 5 to ensure their team of consultants is fit for the job.

The clinics employees, as with the Thang Long Polyclinic, dont need to have a medical background to be hired for the job, the centers Chinese manager shared. Instead, they need the ability to work in a high-pressure environment.

Those who can handle the workload can earn anywhere from VND8 million (US$352.4) to VND10 million ($440.5 per month, he added.

Ngyuen Trai Clinics employees are each trained to handle one specific disease at a time, becoming experts in each before moving on to the next.

Left: Kim, the manager of the Thang Long polyclinic. Right: The facilitiys online consultants. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Exaggeration

Most advisers are specifically instructed to refrain from specifically diagnosing their patients, according to each clinics managers.

Vague explanations are a key tool for these consultants.

Your symptoms appear similar to warts. However, well need to give you a full examination in order to provide an accurate diagnosis. I recommend coming into the clinic immediately in case the disease is contagious, was the example on trainer gave of dialogue a consultant might share with a potential patient.

Any pushback from the patient is met with warnings that the condition could persist and create serious complications if the client refuses treatment at the clinic.

Although these facilities are in dire need of customers, consultants are instructed to boast about how busy their clinicians are in order to create a sense of urgency for the patients.

For questions regarding treatment costs, advisors offer similarly vague responses with promises of discounted and affordable fees.

On November 20, An, a consultant at Thang Long polyclinic, was talking with a patient from the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai who was worried about the potential health ramifications of a previous sexual affair.

You may suffer prostatitis and have a high chance of cancer and infertility, An said, before mentioning additional horrifying complications.

Meanwhile, Kieu, another expert at the facility, was consulting with another client, who reported a skin infection after a trip to a massage parlor.

Kieu asserted the patient could have warts, adding that more serious sexual diseases are also possible.

The consultant then mentioned a series of viruses and other complications, including cancer, that could have infected the patient.

She successfully convinced the patient to undergo treatment at the polyclinic after only a two hour conversation.

Doctors at the Thang Long polyclinic. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Solutions?

Once patients finally arrive at these Chinese-owned centers, they are told to undergo unnecessary and costly examinations.

Doctors then give inaccurate diagnosis that require expensive treatments.

Following previous reports from victims, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health convened a working session with 17 Chinese-owned clinics in the city.

However, most facilities only sent employees, rather than management, to the meeting.

The health department required the clinics list their prices and medical specilaites on their official websites.

They were also asked to be accurate and transparent in patients diagnosis and medical records.

Personal phone numbers of doctors in charge must also be publicized on the websites.

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Police in the central city of Da Nang and officers from the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday executed a search warrant for the house of a local business tycoon, notoriously referred to by local voters as a mafia boss, for his alleged land management manipulation.

Tran Dinh Lien, deputy director of the Da Nang police department, confirmed a search at the residence of Phan Van Anh Vu to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper later the same day.

Vu is also known as Vu nhom (aluminum) for his past ownership of a glass and aluminum business.

The 42-year-old is a popular business mogul in Da Nang, possessing different companies, including the I.V.C Co Ltd, 79 JSC and Bac Nam 79 JSC, and holding a stake in several other firms.

He is also believed to be the owner of numerous land plots in prime locations across the central city, including two floating restaurants on the citys iconic Han River.

The tycoon is also believed to have played a role in several land transfers and the sale of publicly-owned houses during the tenure of former city Party chief Nguyen Ba Thanh and former chairman Tran Van Minh.

Da Nang Mafia

On October 4, during a meeting between voters in Da Nangs Cam Le District and the citys National Assembly delegates, a voter named Hoang Ngoc Khang put forward several tough questions including Who is Vu nhom a.k.a. Da Nang Mafia? and Why has he been able to have so much impact on Da Nang?

Khang asserted that Vu nhom has manipulated not only Da Nangs economy but also the municipal administration.

Is that true? If yes, how should this case be handled? Khang asked.

On December 20, at a meeting of retired general-rank military officers, Le Cong Thanh, a former provincial force commander, challenged Truong Quang Nghia, the current Da Nang Party chief, over reports that Vu had pressured municipal authorities into accepting his land transfer proposals and the sale of local publicly-owned property.

Some at the meeting further alleged that Vu had been able to buy land plots and public houses in Da Nang to develop his own projects at low prices or without going through the legally required auction process.

Thanh also asked the Da Nang Party chief to verify reports that Vu had once threatened to have the citys chairman sacked if his demands regarding an investment project were not met.

I heard that there many municipal leaders were present at the time but Vu still blatantly made the threat; is that true? Thanh questioned.

Projects under scrutiny

In September, the investigative unit under the Ministry of Public Security found a multitude of legal offences revolving around the sale of publicly owned land and houses by the Da Nang administration and deiced to launch a probe into the matter.

The police requested that the Da Nang administration provide files on the sale of 31 publicly-owned houses and plots, alongside nine other projects, most of which are linked to Vu nhom.

Of these, there are three houses on Nguyen Thai Hoc, numbered 43, 45, and 47, that are releated to the city's former Party chief Nguyen Xuan Anh, who was removed of his post in October.

Anh and his family lived in the 43 Nguyen Thai Hoc house and uses the other two for business purposes.

Police are seen in front of the house of Phan Van Anh Vu in Da Nang, central Vietnam, on December 21, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

According to the files, I.V.C, 79 JSC and Bac Nam 79, all owned by Vu, proposed to either lease or buy those land and houses to serve its business and production activities or build company offices.

The Da Nang administration agreed to the proposals along with a request that the properties be used under the right purposes and functions.

However, shortly after receiving the rights to the properties, the three companies failed to open any offices, instead deciding to resell some of the real estate at a profit and use the rest for other purposes.

The land plots and houses under investigation have been sold to companies under Vus umbrella without following proper auction regulations. As a result, the citys revenue took a hit.

The deals were also made at prices much lower than market rates.

In October, the Da Nang administration admitted in a report to the State Inspectorate of Vietnam and Ministry of Public Security that the prices were determined in favor of the businesses.
Eland Oil and Gas , an oil and gas production development company operating in West Africa with an initial focus on Nigeria, announced that operations for the Opuama-7 sidetrack well remained on track for completion in October and that production from its interest in the OML 40 licence had been ahead of expectations.

The AIM-listed company said the OES Teamwork Rig had now been at the well site for a week and that all preparatory work for drilling had been completed.

In parallel, its joint-venture company, Elcrest Exploration and Production Nigeria, had completed its August lifting of 153,000 barrels of crude from Forcados Terminal, with an average price of $51.44 per barrel achieved, for $7.9m of revenues which were received last week.

Elcrest was expecting to complete a further lifting of 170,000 barrels from Forcados by early October 2017, the company said in a statement.

George Maxwell, the CEO of Eland said he looked forward to Elcrest's liftings and revenues growing further, describing the start of sidetarck operations at Opuama-7 as "positive", predicting initial production of 5,900 barrels of oil a day, beginning in October.

Maxwell added: "We are also very happy with the continued monetisation of OML 40's crude delivered to the Forcados terminal. The recent noteworthy levels of production and record uptime are extremely encouraging and ahead of our forecasts."

As of 1328 BST, shares of Eland Oil & Gas were unchanged at 54.50p.
Specialist cancer drug discovery and development business Sareum announced on Wednesday that the Chinese Patent Office and the Hong Kong Patents Registry have issued notifications that patents will be granted for inventions associated with the companys Aurora+FLT3 Kinase Inhibitor Programme.

The AIM-traded firm said these patents describe compounds that inhibit the activity of Aurora and FLT3 kinase enzymes, and the medical use of the compounds - particularly in the treatment of cancer.

It said the granting of the patents means that Sareum will have approved patent protection in China and Hong Kong for its Aurora+FLT3 inhibitor programme.

Sareum had earlier announced that similar patents were to be granted in the US and Europe in September 2015.

Its board said other major territories, including Japan, are expected to follow in due course.

These notifications of patent grants for Sareum in China and Hong Kong demonstrate the strength of intellectual property protecting our Aurora+FLT3 programme, and reinforces the patent position for HMUBEC, our development partner in China, said Sareum CSO Dr John Reader.

Sareum's Aurora+FLT3 inhibitor programme targets acute myeloid leukaemia and other leukaemias and lymphomas.

The company reported that the preclinical development candidate molecule demonstrates greater than 98% tumour inhibition in disease models of AML.

Preclinical development studies to obtain approval for human clinical trials are being undertaken in collaboration with, and funded by, Hebei Medical University Biomedical Engineering Center in China.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack at a French church that left a priest dead and another person seriously injured.

The priest, 84-year old Father Jacques Hamel, two nuns and two churchgoers were taken hostage during mass on Tuesday morning at a church in Saint-Etienne-Du-Rouway, near Rouen.

According to reports, the priests throat was slit, while one of the other hostages is being treated for serious injuries.

The attackers were shot dead by the police.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called the attack barbaric. Meanwhile, the Vatican said in a statement: We are particularly moved because this horrific violence took place in a church, a sacred place where the love of God is declared, with the barbaric killing of a priest and the involvement of the faithful.

France is currently on high alert, having extended its state of emergency by another three months after a terror attack in Nice which saw a man drive a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day, leaving 84 people dead and hundreds injured.
Two people have been killed and at least 15 injured following a shooting at a nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida.

The shooting broke out in the car park at Club Blu Bar in the early hours of Monday morning. According to the clubs Facebook page, the shooting took place when it was closing and parents were picking up their children.

There were also reports of two other shootings nearby, with a house and vehicles shot at, and it was understood that police have arrested three people.

Local broadcaster WINK said witnesses at the scene described the club as a "mad house". According to a flyer posted on Twitter by the broadcaster, the club was hosting a "swimsuit glow party" for people of all ages.

Police have not yet identified the two people who were killed.

The shooting comes just over a month after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando left 49 people dead and 53 injured.

The perpetrator, 29-year old Omar Mateen, was shot and killed by police after a three-hour standoff.
London stocks ended the final session before Christmas in festive red amid thin volumes, although there was some Yuletide cheer to be had as the top-flight index enjoyed a fresh high earlier in the day.

The FTSE 100 finished its half-day session down 0.2% at 7,592.66 after touching a new record high of 7,611.49 earlier, besting the previous day's record closing high of 7,603.98.

London's benchmark index was outperforming its peers in Europe, in particular the Spanish IBEX 35, which was off 1.2% at the time of the UK close after Catalonias pro-independence parties held on to their absolute majority in snap regional elections. This was a blow to the Spanish government, which had called the polls in the hope of heading off the secessionist push.

The three separatist parties won a total of 70 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament even though the centre-right, pro-unionist Citizens party was the single biggest winner, with 36 seats.

IG analyst Chris Beauchamp said: The FTSE 100 is finishing in suitably festive fashion, having carved out a new record high this morning."

On Spain he added: "2017 saw a number of political risk events, but none have been quite as interesting or as durable as the Catalonian issue. This, perhaps more than Brexit, threatens to be the problem to watch in 2018."

Earlier, UK national growth was confirmed as remaining at 0.4% in the third quarter compared to the second, though a large upward revision in the impact of exports meant the contribution from consumers was smaller than originally thought.

The Office of National Statistics' third revision of the data saw annual growth in gross domestic product revised up to 1.7% from 1.5%.

For the first time, ONS used value added tax receipts from hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses to help calculate GDP more accurately.

Growth in household consumption was revised down to 0.5% from 0.6%, following growth of 0.2% in the second quarter, as there was a large upward revision to export volumes growth to 0.8%.

The UK's current account deficit narrowed to 22.8bn from 25.8bn, meaning it was reduced to 4.5% as a share of GDP from 5.1%.

ONS also revealed that UK total business investment rose 0.5% in the third quarter compared to the second, more than the 0.2% that was expected again.

An improvement index of services was not as slight as expected, rising 0.2% in October compared to the preceding month, up from 0.1% in September that the market had forecast would be repeated. On a three-month basis the index climbed just 0.3%, as expected, after the previous 0.4% gain.

On the corporate front, Santa provided a little M&A action to keep things interesting on an otherwise quiet day, with Ladbrokes Coral agreeing to be taken over by GVC Holdings for a sum of 3.2bn that could rise up to 4bn. GVC said it sees at least 100m of efficiencies from the deal that should lead to a double-digit boost to earnings. GVC was trading a little lower while Ladbrokes edged up. Ladbrokes was up by the close but GVC ended in the red.

Elsewhere, BHP Billiton slipped as it agreed to provide $181m in financial support to the Renova Foundation and Samarco until the end of June next year, following the dam failure in 2015.

Paper and packaging group Mondi fell after announcing the acquisition of Finnish pulp and paper mill operator Powerflute for 365m from Nordic Packaging and Container Holdings.

Market Movers

FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,522.87 -1.07%

FTSE 250 (MCX) 20,166.54 -1.25%

techMARK (TASX) 3,550.89 0.95%

FTSE 100 - Risers

Next (NXT) 4,579.00p 3.71%

Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 6,833.00p 1.68%

Severn Trent (SVT) 2,142.00p 1.52%

easyJet (EZJ) 1,445.00p 1.26%

Whitbread (WTB) 3,948.00p 1.23%

DCC (DCC) 7,440.00p 1.22%

Smith & Nephew (SN.) 1,293.00p 1.09%

GKN (GKN) 314.30p 0.90%

Sage Group (SGE) 795.50p 0.89%

Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,819.00p 0.82%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,944.00p -1.67%

G4S (GFS) 260.10p -1.59%

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,302.00p -1.36%

Mediclinic International (MDC) 623.00p -1.19%

Barclays (BARC) 202.15p -1.17%

Schroders (SDR) 3,489.00p -1.08%

Smith (DS) (SMDS) 512.50p -1.06%

Shire Plc (SHP) 3,880.50p -0.91%

British American Tobacco (BATS) 4,970.00p -0.86%

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 646.00p -0.85%

FTSE 250 - Risers

Fidessa Group (FDSA) 2,587.00p 4.99%

Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,143.00p 4.10%

RPC Group (RPC) 891.00p 3.60%

Barr (A.G.) (BAG) 647.00p 3.52%

Sanne Group (SNN) 796.50p 3.38%

Ibstock (IBST) 263.90p 3.11%

AA (AA.) 173.00p 2.98%

Pets at Home Group (PETS) 176.30p 2.56%

Spire Healthcare Group (SPI) 246.10p 2.29%

McCarthy & Stone (MCS) 157.00p 2.21%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

GVC Holdings (GVC) 912.50p -2.30%

Daejan Holdings (DJAN) 5,880.00p -2.08%

Alfa Financial Software Holdings (ALFA) 525.50p -1.96%

CYBG (CYBG) 333.70p -1.94%

John Laing Group (JLG) 290.10p -1.90%

TI Fluid Systems (TIFS) 244.30p -1.85%

Safestore Holdings (SAFE) 482.00p -1.75%

Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 1,251.00p -1.50%

RHI Magnesita N.V. (DI) (RHIM) 3,921.00p -1.48%

Inmarsat (ISAT) 479.40p -1.24%
India joined 127 nations in voting for a resolution that sought a "reversal of Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

By Geeta Mohan: In a stinging rebuke to US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution rejecting the move.

On Thursday, the UNGA called for a special session to debate "Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory". Despite serious threats from the United States, the world body, in a non-binding resolution, voted with a sweeping majority seeking a "reversal" of Trump's decision. 128 voted in favour, 9 voted against, and 35 abstained.

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India voted in favour of the resolution standing firmly with Palestine, despite immense pressure from allies, US and Israel.

It should not come as a surprise given that only in September this year, when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was in New York for the UNGA session, she attended the NAM Ministerial Meeting on Palestine. In her intervention, she made India's position very clear. "India's commitment to the Palestinian cause and our solidarity with the Palestinian people can never be undermined. I strongly believe that India's expanding relations in the region with all nations will only strengthen the Palestinian cause", Sushma Swaraj said.

India has stood for durable peace through "mutual" settlement between Israel and Palestine. Minister Swaraj had said, "...we reiterated the need for a just and durable peace in the region. The path to this clearly lies in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements."

Nikki Haley, the US representative to the UN, threatened countries who voted against the Trump administration's decision during a debate - in no uncertain terms. "The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out in this assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation," said Nikki Haley. "We will remember it when, once again, we are called up to make the world's largest contribution to the UN, and we will remember it when many countries come calling on us to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit."

Here's how everyone voted Click here to Enlarge Here's how everyone voted

Israel's permanent representative to the UN said that this resolution, like the past ones, would end up in the "trash bin of history". Ambassador Danny Danon said, "I have no doubt that the day will come when the entire international community will finally recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the State of Israel."

Among the abstentions was Canada which had indicated in advance that it would be abstaining - given the sensitive diplomatic situation they are in with the US (regarding the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)). Most of the other 35 nations that abstained took the safer route to not get into a diplomatic war with the United States of America.

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The countries that voted against the resolution were the US, Israel, Honduras, Guatemala, Togo, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Micronesia.

Interestingly, India voted for a resolution that was co-sponsored by Pakistan.

Speaking during the session before the voting, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki slammed Trump's declaration, saying "Does the US not wonder why it stands isolated in this position which is being rejected by everyone near and far, and why even its closest allies are turning a blind eye to this decision?"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in a video, that "Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital - always was, always will be." However, he added, "I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theater of the absurd."

While Thursday's vote is not binding, it is a victory for the Palestinians although the United States managed more abstention than expected which has been an achievement given that less than a month ago, 151 countries voted in favor of a General Assembly resolution that condemned Israel in much harsher terms than Thursday's vote. Only six countries opposed the motion, while nine abstained.

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The 193-member UN General Assembly held this emergency special session at the request of Arab and Muslim states, who condemned Mr Trump's decision. The resolution was proposed by Yemen with many co-sponsors added later.

THE TEXT WHICH WAS DEBATED

The following text was debated and will be voted on after some 34 countries who have requested to speak address the session:

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming its relevant resolutions, including resolution A/RES/72/15 of 30 November 2017 on Jerusalem,

Reaffirming the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, including resolutions 242 (1967), 252 (1968), 267 (1969), 298 (1971), 338 (1973), 446 (1979), 465 (1980), 476 (1980), 478 (1980), and 2334 (2016),

Guided by the purpose and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming inter alia, the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force,

Bearing in mind the specific status of the Holy City of Jerusalem and, in particular, the need for the protection and preservation of the unique spiritual, religious and cultural dimensions of the City, as foreseen in the relevant United Nations resolutions,

Stressing that Jerusalem is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations in line with relevant United Nations resolutions,

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Expressing in this regard its deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem,

1. Affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered, the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council, and in this regard, calls upon all States to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem, pursuant to resolution 478 (1980) of the Security Council;

2. Demands that all States comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and not to recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions;

3. Reiterates its call for the reversal of the negative trends on the ground that are imperilling the two-State solution and for the intensification and acceleration of international and regional efforts and support aimed at achieving, without delay, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet Roadmap and an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967;

4. Decides to adjourn the tenth emergency special session temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly at its most recent session to resume its meeting upon request from Member States.

WATCH | US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley says vote will change how Americans will look at UN

RT @USUN: A??America will put our embassy in #Jerusalem...No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the @UN, and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN.A?A pic.twitter.com/UBLFXVyouY- Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 21, 2017

--- ENDS ---
London stocks were expected to open in the black on Tuesday, rebounding from the previous sessions losses.

The FTSE 100 was set to open 10 points firmer than Mondays close at 6,720.

On the data front, BBA loans for house purchases data is at 0930 BST. In the US, S&P/Case-Shiller home prices are at 1400 BST and Markit services PMI is at 1445 BST.

Also this week, investors will be eyeing rate announcements from the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan.

CMC Markets Michael Hewson said: A slide in oil prices to three month lows saw US stock markets slide back from their record highs yesterday, and with the US dollar index hitting its highest levels since March, there seems to be an expectation that perhaps this weeks Federal Reserve rate meeting could well come across as slightly more hawkish than markets were pricing a week ago.

While the odds of an autumn rate rise still remain quite slim the fact remains that the percentage odds of a move on rates in the months from September until the year end havent shifted that much since the 13th June. Given recent data this would appear to suggest that the balance of probabilities for a move by the end of the year has shifted somewhat towards the upside, and that markets could be becoming complacent about it.

In corporate news, BP reported an unchanged dividend as it reduced the level of statutory losses for the first six months of the year and said it was drawing a line under the liabilities for the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster at $61.6bn.

An underlying replacement cost profit of $720m in the three moths to the end of June was down 45% from the same period last year, while at the reported level the loss before tax of $3.38bn for the second quarter was less than half its comparative from 2015 and the $4.24bn loss for the first half of the year was an improvement from $6.34bn last year.

BT Group's infrastructure arm Openreach should be forced to become a distinct company with its own board, own staff and separate branding to give it independence from the larger group, a report from regular Ofcom declared on Tuesday.

As a legally separate company within BT Group, with its own articles of association and a majority of independent directors who are not appointed by or connected to BT, the company would be obliged to consult formally with customers such as Sky and TalkTalk on large-scale investments.

Mondi Group updated the market on its earnings expectations for the six months ended 30 June on Tuesday morning, ahead of the release of its results for the half-year on 4 August.

The FTSE 100 firm said it anticipates basic underlying earnings per share of 73 to 77 euro cents, up from 67.8 cents a year ago, and basic earnings per share of the same 73 to 77 cent range, well up from 60.3 cents last year

Mondi said basic headline earnings per share should also fall within the same range, compared with 60.1 cents in the comparative period.
Chancellor Philip Hammond said on Wednesday that he will work with the Bank of England to take whatever action was needed to support the economy post Brexit, Reuters reported.

Hammond made the statement after official figures showed the economy grew faster than expected at 0.6% quarter-on-quarter for the three months ending in June. However, the data covers the period before the outcome of the UK's European Union referendum on 24 June and economists polled by Reuters last week predict an upcoming recession.

"Today's GDP figures show that the fundamentals of the British economy are strong ... so it is clear we enter our negotiations to leave the EU from a position of economic strength," said Hammond.

"Those negotiations will signal the beginning of a period of adjustment and along with the Bank of England, this government will take whatever action is necessary to support our economy," he added.

Managing director at UFX Dennis de Jong commented on the GDP figures released on Wednesday: Chancellor Philip Hammond will be fully aware that the second quarter numbers released today only includes a week of data following the historic vote to leave the EU, and much has changed since.
The treasury select committee released a report on Thursday highlighting the need for a new independent financial regulator following the failure of HBOS during the financial crisis in 2008.

Members of Parliament (MPs) have called on new chancellor Philip Hammond to separate the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) enforcement division into an independent body.

The current system, whereby the same organisation both supervises, applies and prosecutes the law is outdated and can be construed as unfair. By moving enforcement away from supervision, it can focus independently on undertaking its key functions: interrogating evidence and assessing whether a regulatory breach has been committed, said the report.

Chairman of the Treasury select committee Andrew Tyrie first proposed this in 2014 but the Treasury decided against it.

HBOS, formerly one of the UKs biggest lenders, required a taxpayer bailout of 20.5bn after risky lending and poor management brought it to an end in 2008. Corporate division chief of HBOS Peter Cummings was sanctioned after the banks collapse, receiving a fine and a life ban from financial services in 2012.

The initial report exploring HBOS downfall was released by Andrew Green QC in November 2015. Green felt the failure to not also investigate HBOS former chief executive Andy Hornby, was not reasonable. Successor bodies to the FSA, the Prudential Resolution Authority (PRA) and FCA are conducting investigations into former HBOs managers following this report.

According to the committee, The collapse of HBOS, along with other UK financial institutions during the crisis, was the result of prudential failings and the FCA has no role in prudential supervision of banks leading to the need for an independent enforcement function that could and should sit equidistant between the PRA and FCA.

According to chairman of the committee Andre Tyrie, the HBOS experience requires the regulator to exhibit greater vigilance and energy if they are to win public confidence.

The FCA has responded saying the separation would actually compromise their service. The FCA has a range of tools at its disposal of which enforcement is an essential one. We believe that if this regulatory tool is separated from the FCA it would potentially lessen our ability to be an effective regulator and impact our ability to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of the UK financial system.

The UKs accounting watchdog, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has also come under scrutiny after it failed to investigate KPMGs audit of HBOS in 2013, with the MPs' report saying its response suggested a lack of curiosity and diligence. Following pressure from Parliament and the Treasury committee, the FRC has finally started its investigation last month.

The committee expects the Treasury to appoint an independent reviewer to re-examine the case for a separate enforcement body.
BHP Billiton has agreed to provide $181m in financial support to the Renova Foundation and Samarco until the end of June next year, following the dam failure in 2015.

The miner said $133m will be used to fund the Renova Foundation to undertake remediation and compensation programmes identified under the agreement between Samarco, Vale, BHP Brasil and the Brazilian authorities. This will be offset against the group's provision for the Samarco dam failure.

Meanwhile, $48m will be made available to Samarco. This includes a short-term facility of up to $42m to carry out ongoing repair works, maintain Samarco's facilities and support restart planning, and $6m to cover fees payable to experts appointed in connection with the remediation and compensation programmes.

Funds will be released to Samarco only as required, and subject to achievement of key milestones.

At 0910 GMT, the shares were down 0.2% to 1,465.55p.
BT Group 's infrastructure arm Openreach should be forced to become a legally distinct company with its own board, own staff and separate branding to give it independence from the larger group, a report from regular Ofcom confirmed on Tuesday.

Shares in BT rose as the results of the regulator's investigation, much of which were leaked to newspapers over the last week, were felt to be relatively benign for BT as Ofcom failed to force the former monopoly to dispose of the business, although did go further than BT's proposal for functional separation with independent governance.

Openreach contributed 5.1bn of revenue out of BT's 18.9m total in the last full year, 1.4bn out of 3.5bn operating profit and 1.4bn out of 3.1bn cash flow.

As a legally separate company within BT Group, with its own articles of association and a majority of independent directors who are not appointed by or connected to BT, Openreach would be obliged to consult formally with customers such as Sky and TalkTalk on large-scale investments.

Ofcom, which also made a second main proposal regards opening up BT to further network led competition and said later this year it will set out stricter minimum requirements for Openreach to repair faults and install new lines more quickly, said people who work for Openreach should not be employees of BT Group as it felt this would prevent any conflicts of interest with new separate branding to help embed the organisational culture of a distinct company.

Under the new model, Openreach will take full ownership of the physical network it currently controls and have control over its own budget within an overall allocation given by BT, allowing its management to make decisions that depend on investing and maintaining its own assets, which would be likely to require mitigation for BT as it transfers assets or people to Openreach.

Were pressing ahead with the biggest shake-up of telecoms in a decade, to make sure the market is delivering the best possible services for people and business across the UK, said Ofcom chief executive Sharon White.

Ofcom also made a second proposal regards opening up BT to further network led competition, with BT having so far focused on fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC), as the regulator wants to stimulate fibre to the premises (FTTP) investment.

It did not announce any further news, but confirmed that Sunday 31 July, new rules come into force that will give telecoms providers further rights to access physical infrastructure - measures designed to reduce the cost of deploying broadband networks, by sharing access to infrastructure across different sectors.

TalkTalk and Sky remain unhappy

Telecoms expert Dan Howdle of Cable.co.uk suggested that full separation of Openreach still could happen.

This move is clearly the first in a multi-stage process toward severing Openreach from the BT Group completely," he said. "If permanent separation were to happen, existing staff would need to be reassigned, a new board appointed, budgets allotted, and it would need to become discreet owner of its existing infrastructural assets  all of which is exactly what is happening today."

TalkTalk chief executive Dido Harding called for a more immediate full separation of Openreach and, bemoaning the fact that Openreach would not be required to declare what dividends it paid back to BT, urged the public to complain to the regulator as consults on the plans before the 4 October deadline.

Legal separation still means a highly complex web of regulation, and BT has proven itself expert at gaming this system," she said.

There is nothing to suggest they will not continue to do so in the new system. Structural separation is cleaner, with less red tape. In taking one cautious step forward, I fear Ofcom may in practice have taken five steps back.

Sky was also critical of the proposal, with CEO Jeremy Darroch saying it falls short of the full change that would have guaranteed the world-class broadband network customers expect and the UK will need.

Broker RBC Capital said that although Ofcom rejected and went further than BT's proposal in enforcing legal separation, "we see the outcome as benign for BT as it retains ownership of Openreach and the circa 1.4bn of cashflow (circa 45% of group) it provides".

"In our view Ofcom's move is proportionate to the issues involved - a full separation would not have been."
Pearson surged on Friday as the education publisher posted a 6% increase in first-quarter underlying sales, reiterated its guidance for the full year and announced further cost-cutting measures and a strategic review of its K12 courseware publishing business.

Sales in the first three months were up 6% in underlying terms, led by growth in revenues in North American higher education courseware, professional certification, Online Program Management, US K12 courseware, South African school textbooks and UK student assessment. This was offset by expected declines in US student assessment and in Learning Studio, a higher education learning management system which is being retired, and declines in Middle East and India due to business exits.

The company maintained its guidance range for 2017 profit of 570m to 630m, adjusted earnings per share of 48.5p to 55.5p and cash conversion in excess of 90%.

It also announced a strategic review of the US K12 courseware publishing business, which it said has seen a slow pace of digital adoption in basal courseware, high capital intensity and a challenging competitive and market environment.

In addition, Pearson said it was currently undertaking the detailed planning to enable it to deliver annualised cost savings of 300m by the end of 2019, with further detail on the timing and costs of these plans to be revealed at the time of the interim results.

Chief executive John Fallon said: "Though the bulk of our sales come later in the year, our first quarter trading is encouraging and in line with expectations.

"We are creating a leaner Pearson, equipped to innovate and win in digital education. The measures we are announcing today build on the work completed last year and will allow us to further simplify our portfolio, reduce costs and accelerate our digital transformation."

Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Nicholas Hyett said: "Youve got to hand it to Pearson CEO John Fallon, he doesnt do things by halves. Every quarter it seems that another part of the staid publishing house he inherited is laid on the block in the drive to move the group into the digital age  this time its the turn of the K12 US courseware business.

"Unchanged full year guidance and a positive performance from North America are both likely to be taken well by the market given Pearsons recent profit warning. Having already disposed of several businesses the group is trimming the cost base to reflect its reduced size, 300m of cost savings announced today are equivalent to 12% of the entire 2016 operating cost base - not to be sneezed at!"

However, Hyett pointed out that Pearsons current strategy remains a higher risk bet on the groups ability to seize market share in the emerging digital education space.

"Even then, with plenty of free resources already available online, questions remain about whether the group will be able to make that market share profitable.

At 0840 BST, the shares were up 14% to 748p.
Dave Lewis, the chief executive of Tesco, has some explaining to do about why the company did not reveal its inspectors had unearthed major process issues at a second 2 Sisters Food Group factory, an influential MP has said. The supermarket chain conducted a series of emergency inspections of 2 Sisters poultry factories as a direct response to a Guardian and ITV undercover investigation into its West Bromwich site at the end of September.  Guardian

Catalan pro-independence parties have held their absolute majority in snap regional elections, dealing a severe blow to the Spanish government, which had called the polls in the hope of heading off the secessionist push. The three separatist parties won a total of 70 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament even though the centre-right, pro-unionist Citizens party was the single biggest winner, taking 36 seats.  Guardian

Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive of Google and a key figure behind its colossal growth, is stepping down as executive chairman at the search engine's parent company Alphabet. He will leave in January, and is taking on a technical adviser role for the board, Alphabet said this evening.  Telegraph

The owners of DC Thomson, the family-owned publisher whose titles include The Beano, are set to share dividend payouts of more than 20m after a rise in profits. Revenues at the Dundee-based company, which also owns the free magazines Stylist and Shortlist, as well as Scotlands Sunday Post, inched up 0.6pc to 277m in the year to March, despite falling advertising sales. Pre-tax profits climbed 23pc to 38.1m.  Telegraph

Vauxhall is insisting that it will not have to cut jobs or production shifts at its Luton factory despite the slowdown in British motor manufacturing. A day after car production figures for British factories in November revealed a 28 per cent drop in domestic demand, monthly commercial vehicle manufacturing figures showed the van market was in recession, with a 34 per cent slump in assembly.  The Times

Tax inspectors delving into peoples estates have increased their inheritance tax take by nearly 15 per cent in the current financial year. Experts believe it shows a much more aggressive approach towards tackling avoidance. Figures released by HMRC show that inheritance tax receipts from the start of the 2017-18 tax year to the end of last month stood at 3.6 billion, a rise of 472 million or 14.6 per cent compared with the equivalent period last year.  The Times
The FTSE 250 was just above the waterline in afternoon trading on Monday, as traders looked to upcoming central bank meetings in the US and Japan later this week.

Bookmaker William Hill was leading the risers, after receiving an approach over the weekend from rival 888 Holdings and casino firm Rank Group about a potential 3bn three-way merger.

888 and Rank have until 21 August to formalise their merger intentions, and said on Monday morning they see significant industrial logic in the combination.

William Hills board said in a statement that they would listen to and consider any proposal that might emerge from discussions.

IP Group was still riding the wave of positivity after having its buy rating reiterated by brokers at Numis on Friday.

The report noted a target price of 263p on the shares, indicating a potential upside of 76.16% at the time.

Softcat was also well into the green after analysts at Berenberg reiterated their buy rating on the stock, with a 425p price target indicating a potential upside of 27.7%.

Oil and energy-related companies peppered the downside during afternoon trading, with Cairn Energy, Tullow Oil, Amec Foster Wheeler and Petrofac all among the indexs biggest losers so far.

Analysts have raised concern about global oil demand as the typical August and September downturn in American consumption looms.

Cairn Energys losses came in spite of a sweetened offer from Vedanta to take over its Indian unit.

The offer was tabled on Friday, with Vedanta agreeing to give one share and four redeemable preference shares for each share in Cairn India.

Its initial offer in June 2015 was for one share and one redeemable preference share.

Amec Foster Wheeler was in the red, even though it won an engineering and project management services contract from PT Pertamina and Saudi Aramco for an upgrade and extension project of the Cilacap Refinery in central Java, Indonesia.

FTSE 250 - Risers

William Hill (WMH) 335.20p 6.89%

IP Group (IPO) 163.10p 6.88%

CYBG (CYBG) 253.80p 5.05%

Keller Group (KLR) 1,035.00p 4.55%

Daejan Holdings (DJAN) 5,465.00p 4.39%

Electrocomponents (ECM) 293.20p 4.01%

Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 994.50p 3.92%

Softcat (SCT) 344.90p 3.64%

Telecom Plus (TEP) 1,070.00p 3.58%

McCarthy & Stone (MCS) 163.90p 3.54%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Cairn Energy (CNE) 178.50p -5.76%

Centamin (DI) (CEY) 152.70p -3.84%

Vectura Group (VEC) 149.60p -3.73%

Tullow Oil (TLW) 205.50p -3.11%

Aldermore Group (ALD) 131.70p -3.09%

Amec Foster Wheeler (AMFW) 460.80p -2.89%

Acacia Mining (ACA) 543.50p -2.77%

Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 772.00p -2.46%

Vesuvius (VSVS) 331.60p -2.41%

Wood Group (John) (WG.) 668.00p -1.76%
Here are 10 quotes from the remarks Nikki Haley delivered before a United Nations General Assembly vote on US action on Jerusalem. Donald Trump recently recognised the ancient city as the capital of Israel.

By India Today Web Desk: As many as 128 nations at the United Nations General Assembly, including India, voted in favour of a non-binding resolution declaring US action on Jerusalem "null and void," - effectively denouncing Donald Trump's recognition of the ancient city as Israel's capital.

Nine countries, including the US and Israel, voted against the resolution. 35 abstained and 21 were absent.

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The US has said the vote won't affect its plan to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. But US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said it would affect the way Americans look at the United Nations. This vote will be remembered," she warned.

Here are 10 top quotes from Nikki Haley's remarks before the vote.

1. A DAY TO REMEMBER: The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation.

2. WHEN NATIONS COME CALLING: We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.

3. STICKING TO THE PLAN: America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that.

4. AMERICAN VIEW: This vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered.

Click here to Enlarge Here's how everyone voted

5. DUBIOUS PRIVILEGE: When we make generous contributions to the UN, we also have a legitimate expectation that our good will is recognized and respected. When a nation is singled out for attack in this organization, that nation is disrespected. What's more, that nation is asked to pay for the "privilege" of being disrespected. In the case of the United States, we are asked to pay more than anyone else for that dubious privilege.

6. ACCOUNTABILITY: Unlike in some UN member countries, the United States government is answerable to its people. As such, we have an obligation to acknowledge when our political and financial capital is being poorly spent.

Referencing tomorrow's UN vote criticizing the US embassy move. In the words of the President, "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot." pic.twitter.com/eUGWD4cCBR- Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 20, 2017

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7. HOSTILE PLACE: To its shame, the United Nations has long been a hostile place for the state of Israel.

8. CREDIBILITY: Both the current and the previous Secretary-Generals have objected to the UN's disproportionate focus on Israel. It's a wrong that undermines the credibility of this institution, and that in turn is harmful for the entire world.

9. SURVIVAL: I've often wondered why, in the face of such hostility, Israel has chosen to remain a member of this body. And then I remember that Israel has chosen to remain in this institution because it's important to stand up for yourself.

10. DEFENDING IDEALS: Israel must stand up for its own survival as a nation; but it also stands up for the ideals of freedom and human dignity that the United Nations is supposed to be about.

WATCH | US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley says vote will change how Americans will look at UN

RT @USUN: A??America will put our embassy in #Jerusalem...No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the @UN, and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN.A?A pic.twitter.com/UBLFXVyouY- Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 21, 2017

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--- ENDS ---
Altice USA, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband communications and video services in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It offers broadband, video, telephony, and mobile services to approximately five million residential and business customers. The company's video services include delivery of broadcast stations and cable networks; over the top services; video-on-demand, high-definition channels, digital video recorder, and pay-per-view services; and platforms for video programming through mobile applications. It also provides voice over Internet protocol telephone services; and mobile services, such as data, talk, and text. In addition, the company offers Ethernet, data transport, IP-based virtual private networks, Internet access, and telephony services; hosted telephony services, managed Wi-Fi, managed desktop and server backup, and collaboration services comprising audio and web conferencing; fiber-to-the-tower services to wireless carriers; data services consisting of wide area networking and dedicated data access, as well as wireless mesh networks; and enterprise class telephone services that include traditional multi-line phone service. Further, it provides business e-mail, hosted private branch exchange, web space storage, and network security monitoring; and international calling and toll free numbers. Additionally, the company offers audience-based and IP-authenticated cross-screen advertising solutions; and television and digital advertising services, as well as operates news channels under the News 12 Networks, Cheddar, and i24NEWS names. It also provides broadband communications and video services under the Optimum and Suddenlink brands. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Long Island City, New York.
Telecom Argentina S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Argentina and internationally. The company offers telephone services, including local, domestic, and international long-distance telephone services, as well as public telephone services; and other related supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller ID, voice mail, itemized billing, and maintenance services. It also provides interconnection services, such as traffic and interconnection resource, dedicated Internet access, video signals transportation in standard and high definitions, audio and video streaming, dedicated links, backhaul links for mobile operators, data center hosting/housing services, dedicated links, layer 2 and layer 3 transport networks, video links, value-added services, and other services. In addition, the company offers mobile telecommunications services, including voice communications, high-speed mobile Internet content and applications download, online streaming, and other services; and sells mobile communication devices, such as handsets, Modems MiFi and wingles, and smart watches under the Personal brand. Further, it provides internet connectivity products, including virtual private network services, traditional Internet protocol links, and other products; data services; and programming and other cable television services. The company was formerly known as Cablevision S.A. and changed its name to Telecom Argentina S.A. in January 2018. Telecom Argentina S.A. was founded in 1979 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
To clear the air around the legitimacy of EVMs, Karnataka IT minister has requested Election Commission to provide EVMs for a private hackathon.

By Nagarjun Dwarakanath: Karnataka Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge is all set to write to Election Commission (EC) to provide Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) for them to be part of a private hackathon. The hackathon intends to clear the air around the legitimacy of EVMs.

"I am planning to write to EC and the arrangements should be made in the next couple of days. The idea behind the hackathon is to evaluate claims that EVMs can be compromised. We have requested EC to allow technocrats, scientists, corporates, and startups to see for themselves if there are technical faults. And if at all they come to find glitches, we will together try to fix them," Kharge said.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah earlier this month had the same opinion which was also shared by Gujarat Patidar movement spearhead Hardik Patel who held doubts if EVMs were tamper-proof.

"It's a machine and if you have to find faults in it, you have to fix them and let it all happen under the watchful eye of State Election Commission or Central Election Commission. The matter should not be handed over to private institutions but a concerned authority should monitor the process. It is important to find out if a machine is indeed faulty as technology itself is not foolproof," Kharge said.

Earlier, EC had called a meeting of seven national and 48 state parties to talk about how reliable EVMs are. Kharge said that political parties cannot make sure if EVMs are tamper-proof as they don't have technical expertise.

"The last time EC put forward an open challenge to political parties, I requested our State EC to let this challenge be opened to others as well since political parties themselves don't have an upper hand on technicalities related to EVM. Corporates and individuals don't have party affiliations and they can help us better with finding out the flaws when it comes to EVMs," Priyank Kharge added.

--- ENDS ---
Pain medications, used judiciously, are often the first line of defense. But it's important to be realistic about how much relief they can offer. "At best, people get about a 20 to 30 percent reduction in pain from opioid pain medications," says Rosenquist. Like many pain specialists, he cautions against using escalating doses to ease pain, a practice that can lead to dependence.

Yoga, meditation, massage and more

Complementary approaches such as yoga, massage, meditation, biofeedback and acupuncture also help some patients feel better. A recent study of acupuncture, for instance, found that it helped ease pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Massage therapy may be helpful for lower-back pain. "But the available evidence is very limited on what works and what doesn't," says Michael Weinberger, M.D., who directs the Pain Management Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Like many pain specialists, he takes a pragmatic approach. "If something helps a particular patient feel better, I encourage them to use it."

New meds in the pipeline

As for new medications, some promising drugs that attack pain in novel ways are in the research pipeline, according to Clifford Woolf, M.D., professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. One approach would block pain signals at their source. Researchers also now know that a predisposition to chronic pain is partly inherited. Eventually, treatments may be found that can turn off those genes.

Retired nurse Mary Crossman knows better than most the accommodations required to make it through the day. "I use a heating pad, which helps. On especially bad mornings I may take a pain pill or two. I try to schedule activities around the times I feel good," she says. She tries to walk every day and keep up her social connections.

But when pain flares up, "I sometimes just have to say no, I can't do that today." Like most chronic pain sufferers, Crossman has had to accept that she'll never be completely pain-free. But, she says, "I've learned that I can live with that."



The problem with pain meds

Prescription opioid painkillers are now the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in America, taking more lives than heroin and cocaine combined. To better control the flow of pain drugs, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration in January recommended tighter restrictions on a group of popular pain medications that includes Vicodin and Lortab, meds that contain hydrocodone and acetaminophen. They would be placed in the most highly regulated drug category, which now includes oxycodone pain meds such as OxyContin and Percocet, along with morphine and opium. Pills in this category are much harder to obtain, with each refill requiring a new prescription.

Aside from the risk of addiction or overdose, pills with the opioids oxycodone and hydrocodone pose other hazards, especially when taken over the long term. Studies show they increase the risk of falls, a real concern for older patients. They also can cause men to lose interest in sex. Paradoxically, opioid pain medications can actually increase sensitivity to pain, a condition called hyperalgesia. "In some patients on these drugs, all their other pains begin to hurt more," says C. Richard Chapman, professor at the Pain Research Center at the University of Utah. The potential dangers of opioid pain meds are so serious that some leading pain clinics now focus on getting patients off pills. At the Mayo Clinic's Pain Rehabilitation Center, for instance, one of the program goals is tapering chronic pain sufferers off all pain meds. Some 57 percent of patients entering the program take opioid painkillers. Fewer than 7 percent are on opioid medications when they leave.

Peter Jaret is a freelance writer in Petaluma, Calif., who writes for many national publications.
Three charged in connection to missing Aberdeen man

As the Aberdeen Police Department continues to investigate the disappearance of Simon Deng in Aberdeen, three people now face charges.
St Thomas School has summoned the family of the boy, expelled for hugging a female classmate, for a meeting. Meanwhile, the girl who was expelled along with him was not called for this meeting.

By P S Gopikrishnan Unnithan: The school in Thiruvananthapuram that hit headlines after it expelled two of its students for hugging has now decided to soften their stand.

St Thomas School issued a notice to the boy's family asking them to come for a meeting with the school management. This comes after the issue kicked up a heated debate in the public sphere.

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The school, however, has not made any communications with the family of the girl who was expelled.

In the letter served to the boy's family, the school management has sighted the Kerala high court order which observed that the school can reconsider its action if necessary.

It also clarified that the high court's "observation shall not be mistaken as any compulsion," which basically meant that the school had the choice to not reconsider its decision to expel the students.

"Even though the court has observed that it is not compulsive in nature, the school has decided to have a re-look in the issue," read the letter.

The boy's mother, who confirmed the communication, was skeptical about the meeting, which is scheduled for January 3, 2018.

"My son has gone through a lot of hardships over a single hug, we can't allow anyone to spoil his future. Though we have some issues, including infringement of his privacy by the school management, our priority will be his board exams.

"But one concern that still remains is about the girl, her family hasn't been reached out to by the school regarding the new meeting. Now we are learning that the school is trying to sight some technical reasons to prove that the girl wasn't a student there," she said.

"In that case, what is the point in the whole issue? How can they suspend and expel someone who was not their student?" commented the boy's mother.

The school's principal and secretary, who were approached by India Today, refrained from commenting on the issue. Sources in the school management informed that they have recommended the CBSE to allow the boy to attend the board exams.

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Take the stress out of last-minute holiday shopping with a glass of wine and no crowds.

Vara Wines is hosting its Sip & Stroll event on Saturday, Dec. 23. The event will feature about a dozen local vendors selling a variety of gifts, including clothing, jewelry, candles and cooking and baking supplies. Participating vendors include LuLaRoe, Gold Canyon, Premier Jewelry and Pampered Chef.

Its really just kind of come and spend a relaxing afternoon with any last-minute shopping that you need to do or if you just want to come splurge on yourself and indulge in a glass of wine, said Dea Crichton, director of communications and development at Vara Wines. Try some wines and take a few home for the holidays or for your holiday meal and for the New Years.

Vara Wines will have several of its offerings available for tasting and purchase. You can taste, purchase a glass and peruse the vendor booths. There will be light snacks, some hors doeuvres and music.

One wine Crichton suggests considering for the holidays is the Vara Silverhead Brut Cava.

The sparkling cava is a cava that we have made in the Alt Penedes in Spain, so its a Spanish cava, Crichton said. Its what they call a metodo tradicional. Its typically made like champagne in the typical way that champagne is made.  Its just a great bottle of bubbly, and it retails for $18, and its just fantastic. Its something that you can save for an occasion like New Years, or we joke you can also (drink it) Wednesday night.

Vara Silverhead Brut Cava won a silver medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Other silver medal winners include Vara Tinto Especial  Garnacha Lot #014, USA, and 2015 Garnacha Rosado, Rioja, Spain.

Vara was founded in 2014 and recently added a tasting room. Vara is a locally owned and the company makes both Spanish wines and American wines. In 2018, the owners anticipate having Varas first New Mexico wine.

Weve been in the market for a while, but we havent had a tasting room, so we havent had a home so to speak, Crichton said. We have some grapes that we are currently growing, and we will be establishing grape contracts with local growers.

Vara can be found at Jubilation Wine & Spirits, Paradise Liquors, Kelly Liquors on Fourth Street NW in Albuquerque and Frontier Mart in Corrales. It also is the house wine for Taos Ski Valley and is offered at its ski side restaurants, the Blake Hotel and The Bavarian Lodge & Restaurant. Wines can also be purchased directly from Vara by appointment.

Weve been out there, but because we havent had a physical location that we can call our own, its been hard to promote, Crichton said. Now that we have a tasting room that we can open up to the public, were really hoping to increase awareness about our wines.  (The public) can now come in on their own and try at their leisure and find things that they like. Im sure theyll find a wine that they love.

Sip & Stroll

WHEN: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23

WHERE: Vara Wines, 315 Alameda NE

HOW MUCH: Free admission. For information or to schedule a tasting, call 898-6280, email info@varawines.com or visit varawines.com
When I was growing up in the Bootheel of New Mexico, one of my earliest memories of food was the barbecue brisket my aunt served after a day of branding cattle on the ranch. The flavor has probably been idealized in my mind over the years, but it was a near-perfect meal: lots of tender, marinated beef brisket, a pot of ranch-style pinto beans, and a slice of plain white bread. It was simple  served on disposable plates, no frills  but it tasted great and nobody left hungry.

Rudys Bar-B-Q near Cottonwood Mall reminds me a little of branding cattle. After a long day of work, sometimes you just need calories delivered fast.

Plenty of restaurants in Albuquerque serve great, authentic barbecue, but Rudys is about efficiency: Diners order at a counter after winding through a line, the staff piles your meat onto a scale in front of you and then serves it on a utility tray, no plate necessary. A giant jug of slow-flowing barbecue sauce sits atop every table, but youll have to grab your own plastic utensils and condiments.

And the barbecue is good. Its dry-rubbed with spices and then smoked for hours Texas-style, using oak instead of mesquite. Its tender; not cut-with-a-fork tender, but the flavor is incredible. The oak tastes notably richer, and the meat hardly needs barbecue sauce.

In a departure from the average barbecue joint, Rudys sides arent about savory, memorable flavors. These sides are as straightforward as they can be (you have to ask for butter), but the result is more focus on the flavor of the meat. The new potatoes ($2.09) tasted exactly like potato and nothing else. The corn on the cob was sweet and buttery (because I asked) but was otherwise forgettable. Even the bread on the side was just a few slices of plain white bread. Dont even think about asking for cornbread.

The price and the locations  10136 Coors NW and 2321 Carlisle NE  make Rudys a convenient spot for a weekday lunch or dinner, and its family-friendly, although the menu doesnt specifically cater to kids. You can order everything in to-go containers for dinner at home, as well.

A half-pound of brisket costs $7.99 plus tax, and its a hearty meal all by itself. Sides are about $2 apiece, and choices include the usual barbecue fare, including potato salad, cole slaw, corn on the cob, and baked beans (but no French fries, sadly), so a standard meal at Rudys costs around $12. Its a fair price for good barbecue.

Dont expect a fancy take on barbecue at Rudys. This is simple, Texas-style smoked barbecue served communal-style on cheap red-checkered tablecloths, and at a price that wont strain your budget.
Five months ago, we had the privilege of seeing Christopher Nolans Dunkirk, a magnificent work about the daring evacuation of the British armed forces that seemed to be hopelessly trapped by the Germans in the spring of 1940.

Dunkirk told the story from three points of view, which were essentially land, sea and air.

Although not officially affiliated with Dunkirk, Joe Wrights Darkest Hour serves as a prequel, told from a fourth point of view: that of Winston Churchill.

Most of Darkest Hour takes place in the days and weeks just before the events of Dunkirk and focuses on the prime ministers desperate efforts to formulate a plan to save those British troops, even as his opponents are saying Hitler has already won and it would be expedient to enter peace talks with Mussolinis Italy.

First, though, we meet Churchill just before he is to replace Neville Chamberlain as prime minister.

Its morning in the Churchill household  a spacious and rambling and ever-so-slightly weathered townhouse bustling with activity. As Churchill rumbles and grumbles awake, like a giant bear shaking off a deep slumber, its as if a piece of vintage newsreel footage had started rolling.

We know this is Gary Oldman beneath the Oscar-level makeup and the padding. And yet within the first minute or so, we forget its Oldman and we marvel at one of the most authentic and memorable portrayals of Churchill in the long history of television series and movies about arguably Englands most important 20th century figure.

Oldmans Churchill is a commanding presence as a public speaker and an occasional charmer when he wants to be, but hes also a heavy smoker, an even heavier drinker, a short-tempered bully and someone almost incapable of the simplest of social graces.

Little wonder Lily James Elizabeth Layton, the latest in a revolving door of personal secretaries, is so intimidated she goes flying down the stairs within hours of starting the job. (Circumstances bring her back, and this time she stays.)

Little wonder many of Churchills enemies consider him reckless and dangerous and unfit to lead the country. Little wonder King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) doesnt even try to hide his disdain for Churchill each time they meet. The king winces at the mans voracious appetite, his day drinking, his bluster and bravado.

The only one to stand up to Churchill on a regular basis, to calmly put him in his place even as she reminds him of his potential for greatness, is his wife, Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas in a finely nuanced performance). When the room is cleared and its just Winston and Clementine and the weight of the world on Winstons shoulders, its Clementine who gives him the strength to take on the task.

Director Wright and his creative team do a masterful job of taking us into the underground bunker/war room where Churchill and his military advisers  and scores of support personnel  are holed up, collecting top-secret intelligence and keeping on top of the ever-more-bleak war effort and mapping out strategies. From time to time, were taken into the heart of the war itself, as when we see a regiment sent on a diversionary mission that is almost certain to result in their own deaths. Wright favors overhead shots that begin in close-up and rise up, up and up, painting a devastatingly effective picture of the sacrifice made by hundreds so that hundreds of thousands might live.

The more intimate set pieces are just as visually arresting, whether Churchill is meeting with the king at Buckingham Palace, in a cubbyhole and on the phone with FDR, or riding the train with an astonished group of citizens, asking their opinions on what he should do. (Although that latter scene represents the one time in the movie we go from sentimental and inspirational to hokey.) Darkest Hour is filled with authentic touches, large and small.

Most authentic of all is Oldmans performance as a flawed but deeply passionate man who summoned all of his courage, all of his oratory skills and all of his love for Britain at just the right moment, because the very thought of even one red Nazi banner hanging from a building in London was something he could not, would not tolerate.

Oldman can go as big as any actor on the planet, and he certainly plays to the rafters at times, but so did Winston Churchill. Theres a great physicality to the performance. Sometimes Churchill is so tired and defeated he can barely ascend a staircase; on other occasions hes so filled with fire he practically runs through the streets, and his aides struggle to keep up with him.

As played by Oldman, Churchill has perhaps never seemed greater.

Or more human.
LOS ANGELES  All remaining significant evacuation orders for areas around the smoldering remnants of Southern Californias huge wildfire were canceled Thursday after a new round of winds caused little fire activity.

The lifting of evacuation orders and warnings in Santa Barbara County left only remote and little developed Rose Valley in the wilderness of neighboring Ventura County under an order barring residents and visitors.

Warnings of high fire risk were canceled for Santa Barbara County, although they remained in effect elsewhere in Southern California due to Santa Ana winds, low humidity levels and very dry vegetation.

The only visible flame was on the northern side of the fire where controlled burns set by firefighters to clear combustible material were being conducted in wilderness, said fire information officer Brandon Vaccaro.

About 18,000 homes and other buildings were still listed as threatened. Even when theres no sign of flame or smoke, fires can rekindle.

The Thomas fire, which began Dec. 4, is responsible for two deaths, has destroyed at least 750 homes, and has burned about 425 square miles (1,100 square kilometers).

The blaze was 65 percent contained and is the second-largest in Californias history.

The latest round of winds was caused by the passage of a cold front into the area overnight. But firefighters had used three days of calm conditions to bulldoze containment lines and set controlled fires to clear dry brush.

Days and days of fierce, often erratic gusts combined with extremely dry weather pushed the blaze with incredible speed as it moved through Ventura Countys agricultural Santa Clara Valley, into the city of Ventura and then moved northwestward, threatening the coastal communities of Santa Barbara County.
Bernalillo County corrections officers wont receive a significant pay raise they said was deserved as a part of their collective bargaining agreement with the county, a judge has ruled.

Second Judicial District Court Judge Beatrice Brickhouse earlier this month granted the countys motion for summary judgment, in which the county had asked for the judge to dismiss a petition filed in court by corrections officers.

The ruling brings an end to a years-long dispute over a pay increase between the county and its jail guards. It was unclear Thursday how much the pay raises would have amounted to had the county been required to pay.

The county is extremely pleased with the outcome of this case, as the county continues to recover from serious budget challenges experienced over the past few fiscal years, Tia Bland, a spokeswoman for the county, said in an email.

Stephen Perkins, president of the Corrections Officers Association, said the group plans to appeal the judges decision.

We are regularly overlooked, he said. The county comes to everybody else and leaves the corrections officers out.

In July 2014, the union filed a petition in state district court that said its members were due a more than 12 percent raise, according to a petition. The union argued that in 2010, while negotiating their collective bargaining agreement with the county, a me too clause was put in the agreement.

At the time of negotiations, the county didnt have money to award any pay raises that year. But the clause ensured that when and if another collective bargaining unit got a raise, jail guards would get a similar percentage pay raise, according to court filings in the case.

The petition said Bernalillo County Court Security Specialists received a $2.16 an hour raise in May 2013, increasing their pay from $17.34 to $19.50 an hour, a 12.46 percent raise.

A union official filed a grievance with the chief of the Metropolitan Detention Center, which said in part that the staff was entitled to the same percentage raise as court security. The MDC chief upheld the grievances, according to the petition.

The county argued, in part, that under the Public Employee Bargaining Act, economic provisions in collective bargaining agreements only apply when the funds have been appropriated. The county said in court documents that the Bernalillo County Commission only allotted for corrections officers to receive a 2 percent increase for the year in question.

State laws make it unlawful for any board of county commissioners to become contractually indebted beyond what it can pay in a current year, Brickhouse wrote.
WASHINGTON  The first six people to face trial in Inauguration Day protests that turned destructive in the nations capital were acquitted of all charges, a victory not only for the defendants but also for advocates who argued the government overreached in its effort to prosecute more than 200 people arrested as they marched through the city.

Following a nearly four-week trial and two full days of deliberations, a District of Columbia Superior Court jury delivered not-guilty verdicts Thursday on multiple charges of rioting and destruction of property.

The defendants  including a nurse for cancer patients, a freelance photographer and a college student  joined throngs of protesters who took to the streets Jan. 20 to protest Donald Trumps election. Prosecutors said the six were among a group that cut a violent swath through 16 blocks of the city, smashing businesses windows, tossing newspaper boxes into the street and damaging a limousine. Authorities tallied the damage at more than $100,000.

As the jury foreman read the not-guilty verdicts, the defendants began to smile. One of them, Alexei Wood, a 37-year-old freelance photographer from San Antonio, covered his face, sat down and began sobbing.

Outside the courtroom, Wood and the other defendants hugged one another and their supporters. One, in tears, pulled out her iPad to FaceTime her family and friends.

Jennifer Armento, 38, a Philadelphia woman who was among the six, said the verdict shows the country that the jury was unwilling to do what the government wanted them to do, which was criminalize dissent.

Oliver Harris, 28, a Drexel University doctoral student who was charged, said the acquittal was the only just verdict. He called his arrest and trial repeatedly traumatizing.

Also acquitted were Michelle Macchio, 26, of Naples, Florida; Christina Simmons, 20, of Cockeysville, Maryland; and Brittne Lawson, 27, of Pittsburgh.

From the start, defense attorneys said their clients and most others in the group of about 500 were peacefully protesting, while only a handful peeled off and became violent. They criticized police for failing to identify those people and said officers unfairly herded a group of about 200 and charged them with rioting.

During his closing argument last week, attorney Steven McCool, who represented one of the men on trial, appealed to jurors to protect the rights of free speech.

But prosecutors said the demonstration, planned by a group that calls itself DisruptJ20, was aimed at destruction, not freedom of expression. Authorities say the group used black bloc tactics  wearing dark clothing and hiding their faces with masks and goggles so it would be harder to identify them. Some came armed with hammers, crowbars and bricks.

Prosecutors told jurors there was no evidence the six people on trial were personally involved in the vandalism but argued that they chose to remain with the group, essentially providing cover for those who caused the damage.

In his closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rizwan Qureshi told jurors the group tore up your city, putting people in danger.

He presented the jury with the analogy of a bank robbery, likening the defendants to a getaway driver while comparing those who smashed windows to the robber in the bank.

They are both just as guilty, Qureshi said. This was not a First Amendment activity. They conspired by joining in the group to do unlawful things on the streets of your city.

One 59-year-old juror said the panel tried to determine the mind-set of the defendants and whether they supported the riotous behavior or they just had strong convictions about what theyre protesting about.

They decided the evidence only demonstrated that these six individuals walked in a protest.

Another juror, a 37-year-old man, said jurors made up their minds to acquit three defendants fairly early in their deliberations, but there was additional discussion about Wood, Macchio and Harris.

The juror said the panel considered whether video showing Wood cheering while others were breaking windows was evidence of guilt. They also discussed whether Harris, who was seen casually walking through the crowd as the rioting unfolded, should be convicted. And they talked about text messages Macchio sent, telling a friend she had arrived with the group. But they ultimately decided none of those behaviors were enough to prove the governments case.

There was no evidence to support whether or not these six willingly participated in the riots or aided and abetted the rioters, said the juror, who like the other juror spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his privacy.

In a statement after the verdict, the U.S. attorneys office said prosecutors continue to assert that a riot occurred on Inauguration Day and that the destruction impacted many who live and work in the District of Columbia, and created a danger for all who were nearby.

We appreciate the jurys close examination of the individual conduct and intent of each defendant during this trial and respect its verdict, the statement said. In the remaining pending cases, we look forward to the same rigorous review for each defendant.

The case follows one of the largest mass arrests for vandalism in the city, and authorities spent months preparing for trial and mining for evidence. Authorities confiscated the cellphones of the defendants to examine text messages and videos. And prosecutors sought court orders for defendants Internet records, including website visits and Facebook accounts, in hopes of securing additional evidence to support their theory the protesters planned to participate in a violent demonstration. The searches were challenged by attorneys and civil liberties groups as violating the rights of the users.

In court, jurors heard from about 40 witnesses, including employees and patrons of businesses who described their fear as protesters pounded on or smashed windows. The jury also spent hours watching video of clashes between demonstrators and police.

One of the more controversial videos viewed by the jury was given to police from Project Veritas, an organization that uses secret recordings to target the mainstream news media and left-leaning groups. A Veritas member secretly recorded a Jan. 8 DisruptJ20 planning meeting in the basement of a District church.

That video showed organizers advising that people wear comfortable shoes, avoid carrying identification and, if stopped by police, decline to give their names. One person says that would jam up the police. But the video did not show anyone discussing plans of vandalism or rioting.

Before the case was presented to the jury, Judge Lynn Leibovitz threw out the most serious rioting charge against the six, a felony count of inciting a riot.

In her closing argument, defense attorney Sara Kropf reminded jurors that one of the police commanders was heard on a police radio at the beginning of the protest calling the demonstrators anarchists.

This is about politics. This is about police and local prosecutors who work for the Department of Justice. And we know who they report to, she said, referring to President Trump.

All the government proved was that these individuals showed up and walked as protesters, she said. And that is not a crime.

In all, 212 people were charged in connection with the riots. Twenty of them have pleaded guilty, and prosecutors have dropped cases against another 20.

An additional 166 defendants are scheduled for trial, in groups of six or seven, through mid-2018. Though the U.S. attorneys office said it would move forward, one defense attorney said prosecutors should interpret the acquittals as a sign the remaining cases should be dropped.

I hope this sends a message to the U.S. attorneys office to let all of these people go, said attorney Betty Ballester, who represents one of the defendants scheduled to go to trial in April. The jury has spoken.

  

Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
When environmental activists filed a lawsuit asking a federal court in Denver to declare that the Colorado River has a legal right to exist, the media took notice of a case that was seemingly doomed to go nowhere. And, in fact, the plaintiffs, under pressure from Colorados attorney general, recently withdrew their case.

But the notion of a river suing the government for failing to protect the rivers rights was a man bites dog story that got attention, appearing in outlets from The New York Times to High Country News.

This was no ordinary lawsuit. A typical environmental case involves a challenge to some action by a government agency. This case, by contrast, asked the court to recognize a new status for the Colorado River and declare that a river has legal rights of its own. A lawsuit this unconventional was sure to be mocked by some and this one drew its share of ridicule. I didnt see it as laughable, but it had almost no chance of success in court.

Although the law was against them, the plaintiffs had a serious point about the overworked Colorado, the great river of the Southwest. It provides drinking water for 40 million people (including me), as well as irrigation water for farms in two countries. This iconic river flowed wild and free less than a century ago, but several large dams have changed all that and, for the past 45 years, it has rarely reached the ocean. In short, the plight of the mighty, but depleted, Colorado is no laughing matter.

The lawsuit that sought to protect it, however, had much to overcome. For starters, the person bringing a case in federal court must have standing to sue. This requires, primarily, that the person suing have a personal stake in the case and that a court be able to remedy that persons harm if she wins. Without the right kind of person to bring the case, the court cant accept it.

In an early environmental case, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas issued an eloquent dissent, arguing that people should be able to sue in the name of wild places they seek to protect. If a corporation can be a legal person for this purpose, he wrote, so should a river, which he called the living symbol of all the life it sustains or nourishes, including human life. But that view never caught on in U.S. law, and the Supreme Court has only moved further away from that kind of thinking.

Even if the Colorado River had gotten into court, it was virtually certain to lose. Water law in the U.S. has never recognized a rivers fundamental right to exist. To the contrary, the law gives people and institutions the right to take water from the river, and these rights often mean there is little or nothing left for the river itself. States have rights to water under interstate compacts; water providers and users have rights to water under state law and/or federal contracts; and tribes have rights to water under court decrees or settlements. Several Western states offer limited legal recognition for environmental flows, but no federal or state law gives a river a right to exist; at best, laws protect a river from harm caused by new development.

There may be no river with less of a right to exist than the Colorado. This great interstate and international waterway has been over-promised since the 1922 Colorado River Compact divided up its water supply based on an inflated assumption of annual flows. Today, the Colorados management relies on decisions made by multiple sovereign entities, including the U.S. government and seven Western states. Giant federal dams, operated mostly for water supply and hydropower, have drastically altered the natural system. This legal, institutional and physical system protects human uses of the Colorado rather than the river itself. As historian Donald Worster once put it, the Colorado was a part of nature that had died and been reborn as money.

This short-lived lawsuit was never going to bring the river back to life, but it drew needed attention to its problems. Other nations, including New Zealand, have taken steps to recognize the legal rights of their rivers and U.S. law has evolved regarding the rights of people. Someday, a river in this nation may have a right to life.

Reed D. Benson is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News (hcn.org). He is a law professor at the University of New Mexico.
Utahs San Juan County is celebrating President Donald Trumps recent decision to cut over 2 million acres from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. The move amounts to the largest rollback of federal land protections in U.S. history. By saying San Juan County, however, I mean the countys conservative leadership and not the majority of its residents.

Much of the county overlaps the Navajo Nation, and while polling data on reservation land is virtually nonexistent, its clear that not all local residents celebrate Trumps order. In fact, 98 percent of voters in the Navajo Nation districts that straddle the Utah-Arizona line have voiced support for the protection of Bears Ears. Nonetheless, longtime county commissioner Bruce Adams assured a crowd of 250 monument opponents in Monticello, Utah, Dec. 2, that President Trump has listened to the 15,000 people that live in San Juan County. Not only is this a serious overestimation, it begs the question: Has the county leadership itself listened to the 15,000 people who live here, or have certain voices been silenced?

Unlike Utah as a whole, white Mormons make up the minority in San Juan County, where I live and where Bears Ears is located. According to the most recent census data, the population is over 50 percent Native American. An ongoing lawsuit has determined that San Juan County is in violation of the 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause and of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act due to its systematic discrimination against Native residents. If the judge overseeing the case rules voting districts must be redrawn  and it looks likely that he will  the county commission and school board could become majority Navajo for the first time in history.

The current county commissioners are already arguing that redrawing the districts would discriminate against the white residents, and others are lashing out at any assertion of Native American rights. Monte Wells was one of the people arrested with San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman for leading an illegal ATV protest ride in 2014, which resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in damage to archaeological sites. In a Facebook post for his influential blog site, he recently wrote that Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye should remember who conquered who.

Lyman used that same word  conquered  at the Monticello celebration of the slashing of Bears Ears National Monument. No less than three times during his speech, he repeated an out-of-context line from Thomas Jefferson, warning of the day when our children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. Conquered from whom, Lyman didnt say. Jeffersons full quote is about the dangers of powerful banks, not Indigenous peoples.

Of course, Native Americans, like any large group of people, are diverse in viewpoints. It is true that Rebecca Benally, the countys sole Navajo commissioner, served as an opening speaker for President Trump in Salt Lake City on Dec. 4. But anti-monument activists have gone so far as to claim that environmental groups are using Native Americans as props. This is false.

The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, which led the push for a monument in 2016, is made up of leaders from the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute and Ute Indian tribes. To suggest that representatives from five sovereign American Indian nations with ancestral or current ties to the Bears Ears area could somehow be duped by conservation groups into setting aside centuries of conflict to unite behind the monument is insulting, demeaning and frankly absurd. All five tribes sued the Trump administration just hours after the presidents orders were signed.

Thats not to say Native Americans and non-Native conservationists share identical beliefs. A coalition by definition is an alliance between disparate groups in pursuit of a common goal. Its worth noting, however, that conservation leaders tend to treat Indigenous allies as partners, not as pawns.

As a San Juan County resident, I respect some of the anti-monument arguments. I understand why local towns worry about becoming the next Moab. I agree environmentalists praise tourist-driven economic growth far too often. But our county commissioners need to stop pretending they represent the whole county.

Commissioner Adams, who has claimed his Mormon ancestors were the first people to really settle in a landscape renowned for thousands of years of archaeological history, doesnt speak for me. Nor does he speak for most of Bluff, a town that billed itself as the Proud Gateway to Bears Ears. And Commissioner Lyman doesnt speak for the Navajo and Ute locals who reject his implication that they should act like conquered subjects.

Until its unacceptable for our politicians and their supporters to denigrate half the population of San Juan County with perverse interpretations of history, and until Native residents are fully represented in the electoral process, we wont have a county leadership worthy of the name.

Zak Podmore is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News (hcn.org). He writes in San Juan County, Utah.
Many of us quickly dismiss wildland fires that burn forest habitats and do little to disrupt human life, but when fires hit like California has experienced lately, our feelings are different. Over 200,000 homes had to be evacuated in southern California due to out-of-control wildfires raging in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside and Los Angeles counties. This is just after northern California experienced record fires over the past two months, burning homes and vineyards throughout the Napa wine country.

It is impossible to determine at this time how many structures were lost. According to Wells Fargo Securities, insurance settlements could be $130 billion, which will result in higher premium rates. Human lives lost have been few, but the human tragedy is real. Even the loss of pets, homes and a lifetime collection of possessions is unrecoverable.

While drought and winds are major contributors to the California wildfires, local and federal restrictions on clearing brush from natural habitats have provided much of the fuel for this record loss. Unfortunately, this time, the fires destroyed residential and business areas, which will hopefully make environmental groups and authorities re-evaluate the real need to clean up fuel areas before fires do.

Californias Governor Jerry Brown has urged U.S. lawmakers to pay more attention to dealing with natural disasters such as fires, yet his own California Forest Service continues to restrict cleanup of brush and forest areas.

Germany has the best managed forests of any country and they place management of the public lands in the hands of local groups to clean and keep them healthy. While the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management manage each district independently, and have the authority to manage them properly by thinning and cleaning, they often kowtow to the demands of environmental organizations that choose to protect mouse habitat.

In New Mexico, Ruidoso was almost lost in the 2012 Little Bear Fire, which burned 44,300 acres, 230 structures and killed hundreds of livestock. The 2000 Cero Grande Fire caused over $1 billion in damage, destroyed 420 homes in Los Alamos and damaged over 100 buildings at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Much of this damage could have been avoided or mitigated by proper forest management. What will it take for our forest managers to responsibly modify their policies that lead to the destruction of property, livestock, wildlife, scenery and human life, as well as a large portion of New Mexicos economy and the livelihood of a good many New Mexicans?

How can we protect Cloudcroft, Taos, Pecos and other high-risk communities from having their homes turned into ashes and the beautiful landscape to moonscape? One answer is lifting restrictions on forest use and issuing more multiple-use permits.

Forest districts need to implement more effective forest management, or will we continue to fiddle while our country burns like California by allowing environmental extremists to dictate management policy to government agencies?

It is time to take action and write our representatives and encourage our forest management officials to open our forests and BLM-managed areas to enact policies of proper cleanup and thinning.

If you are an environmentalist against proper forest thinning, think of the water pollution caused by these fires. If thinning is good for the watershed areas, it is good for the entire forest and hundreds of entrepreneurial commercial jobs can be created in the process. Our local communities, forest users and forest rangers hold the answers. California has shown us what will happen if we stay the current course.

Scott Chandler is a rancher and forest user in southern New Mexico. Tom Wright is a retired disaster relief executive and lives in Santa Fe.
By PTI: Nagpur, Dec 22 (PTI) The Maharashtra government today announced compensation ranging from Rs 6,800 to Rs 23,250 per hectare for farmers who lost their paddy crops.

Cotton cultivators who lost their crops due to pink bollworm would get Rs 6,800 to Rs 37,500 per hectare depending on the extent of damage, the government announced.

The compensation package was announced by state Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar.

advertisement

He said, "Cotton cultivators would get Rs 6,800 per hectare through NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund) and Rs 8,000 per hectare from crop insurance."

The minister added that under the Maharashtra Cotton Seeds (Regulation of Supply, Distribution, Sale and Fixation of Sale Price) Act, 2009 farmers would get also Rs 16,000 per hectare for upto two hectares.

He said that farmers whose fruit cultivation had been damaged would get up to Rs 43,000 per hectare through NDRF and insurance. PTI ND BNM

--- ENDS ---
Dan Duffy of Rockport, Mass., turned the search for his elder brother into a writing experience, a cross-country odyssey and a book, Brother Brother. Richard Edward Duffy joined the Marines in 1965, returned from the Vietnam War in 1968 and was last seen in Corrales in 1970. The last known photo of Rich Duffy, upper left, was taken at his sisters wedding in March 1969. A 1958 photo taken in Atlantic City, N.J., offers a rare glimpse of the four eldest Duffy children with their father before their mother left him. The tallest boy is Rich Duffy; the boy on the right is author Dan Duffy. (SOURCE: Dan Duffy) Prev 1 of 4 Next

Little was written on the postcard, almost none of it good.

Richard Edward Duffys mother received the brief message just before Christmas 1970 from his girlfriend months after he had taken off to a Corrales commune to find himself, or perhaps lose himself, in the psychedelic, utopian world of hippies, hash and hedonism.

His younger brother, Dan Duffy, was there the day the postcard came. He remembers Rich, the eldest of five children raised by their hardworking waitress mother, as the high school dropout who became something of a hellion, more out of boredom than badness, growing up on the Jersey Shore. Rich, Duffy says, was 18 in 1965 when he joined the Marines as a way to atone for his past delinquencies.

A year later, he married. A year after that, he was shipped off to Vietnam as a forward observer, scouting for enemy targets and reporting to his platoon on where to direct mortar fire.

He returned from combat in 1968 to find that his wife had left him and that life, as he had known it, had left him, too.

He had gone into the war as a Marine one way and came out another, Dan Duffy said from his home in Rockport, Mass. He came back a nervous wreck. His hands shook. Nothing was the same. I could see there was nothing that he had once known that was of any importance to him, that the past did not seem to matter anymore. So he created a new lifestyle.

Rich, he said, began imbibing alcohol, hallucinogens and marijuana. He grew his hair out. He cut a hole in the center of an old Army blanket big enough to fit his head through, belted it around his waist with a measure of rope, tossed away his combat boots for sandals.

In early 1970, he headed west for Corrales.

Duffy called him a flower child/Jesus freak.

Then came that postcard.

Rich and I went to the Rio Grande River, took LSD, and when I woke up he was gone, it read.

Duffys mother tried to look at the card in a positive way. Maybe, she thought, Rich had finally gotten wise and decided to walk away from those dirty hippies.

For years, Duffy said, thats the way he tried to look at it, too. At least it was better than imagining his elder brother drowning in muddy water or being killed in some other fashion or living off the grid for so long that he no longer wanted or knew how to reconnect.

In 1975, Duffy and his mother took a stab at searching for Rich, sending out hundreds of letters to addresses that a Richard Duffy had once been connected to.

Nothing came back.

It all seemed to end there.

We didnt talk about a whole lot of stuff, he said. We just didnt.

Decades later, Duffy could not shake the hope that his brother was still out there. But if he could not find his brother, he needed to find answers as to what had happened during and after that acid trip.

Duffy, a retired educator, began writing down thoughts about his brother, about their hardscrabble childhood, about fate unknown. He became involved with a writing workshop in Gloucester, Mass., and with the groups encouragement began writing a memoir of his brother, combining facts as he knew them with fiction to fill in what he didnt know.

In 2016, his book, Brother Brother was published.

It was, he said, a way not only to continue to search for his brother but to try to understand the path his brother had chosen so far afield from his own.

What he has found is more mission than man. Duffy is forming a national support group for other families in search of loved ones who returned from war scarred and detached and lost in the ether. You can find more about that on his Facebook page, MIA: Missing in America  Vietnam Vets.

More than a million soldiers went to Vietnam, and Im convinced there are others like me who have lost someone like I lost my brother, Duffy said.

He also continues to search for his brother. Hes located some of the former commune dwellers, including Dee, the girlfriend who had written the postcard.

This fall, he traveled to New Mexico and searched for the three houses his brother is believed to have lived in with as many as eight like-minded folks  the so-called Corrales commune.

He walked along a bluff in North Beach, a small, sandy expanse along the Rio Grande at the northern edge of Corrales where his brother may have taken that fateful hit of LSD.

And as he stood there, he wondered what the area might have looked like 47 years ago when a brother in search of something elusive walked here and disappeared somewhere far more elusive.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
Gov. Susana Martinez said last month that it was shocking that Senate Democrats elected Michael Padilla for a leadership post even after he had faced sexual harassment allegations in a previous job.

However, the Martinez administration hired a firm founded and run by Padilla in 2011  several years after the allegations  to help administer a drivers license verification program for foreign nationals that was eventually halted by the courts.

Specifically, the state paid more than $52,000 for the two-month contract with Altivus CRM Solutions, the company founded by Padilla, a state Department of Finance and Administration spokeswoman recently confirmed.

In a 2011 statement, a Martinez spokesman said that the governor did not condone Padillas alleged actions but that she supported using a New Mexico-based company able to provide its services at the lowest cost to taxpayers for the task.

Padilla was elected to the Senate in 2012, then elected by fellow Democratic senators as majority whip in 2014. He held that position until last weekend, when Senate Democrats voted to vacate the leadership post.

The two-term senator also ended his campaign for lieutenant governor over the sexual harassment allegations, which stem from Padillas tenure as supervisor of Albuquerques 911 call center. The city paid more than $150,000 in damages to three women to resolve the claims.

FUNDRAISER: The owner of a southern New Mexico ranch for troubled youths who launched an unsuccessful bid for the state Legislature last year is apparently staying active in politics.

Scott Chandler, who owns the Tierra Blanca Ranch, was one of about a dozen hosts for a Dec. 11 fundraiser in Las Cruces for Republican congressional candidate Yvette Herrell, according to a flier for the event.

Chandler has feuded with the Martinez administration since abuse allegations were first levied in 2013 against the ranchs youth program. The feud has led to at least four lawsuits being filed.

Herrell, a four-term state representative from Alamogordo, did not respond to questions about Chandlers support. She is one of four Republicans seeking the 2nd Congressional District seat, being vacated by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, who announced in July that he would forgo a 2018 re-election bid and instead run for governor.

The other GOP candidates are former state Republican Party Chairman Monty Newman, Carlsbad pharmacist Jack Volpato and ex-New Mexico National Guard leader Andrew Salas.

Dan Boyd: dboyd@abqjournal.com
As the New Year approaches, Im thinking of Rachael who lives here in town, and her two children who are on the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Through CHIP they have received critical dental care, regular check-ups and urgent care visits that every parent has experienced. Because of the relief this program has afforded Rachael and her family, theyve not only been able to make ends meet and make it through tough financial times, but Rachael has been able to finish her college degree  putting her family on a path toward greater opportunity and success.

CHIP funding expired on Sept. 30, which means that the Republican-controlled Congress had nearly three months to authorize extended funding to ensure 11,300 New Mexico children and 9 million American children on CHIP did not lose their health care, but they let the clock run out.

Funding childrens health insurance has not been the Republicans or President Trumps priority. Instead, they have been working to take away health care from all Americans, through bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act and through a tax plan that, in practice, will do more harm than good. The Trump and Republican tax plan will hurt a majority of New Mexican families in District 1 and across our state, low- and middle-income families the Congressional Budget Office says will shoulder the burden over the next decade. Hardworking New Mexicans need a real break  not cuts to deductions or Medicare, or trillions added to the deficit  and certainly not to line the pockets of the wealthy or corporations that ship our jobs overseas.

I am a proud single mom. I had my daughter Somah four days after graduating from college. I put myself through both my undergraduate and law school degrees, and years later, I am still paying off my student loans. Ive relied on, and at times been denied, food stamps. I know what its like to wait in Indian Health Service for three hours, holding a sick child. When I talk about New Mexicans who are being hurt by this administration and the Republican-led Congress, Im talking about people like me. Im talking about my family, my friends and my neighbors. Im talking about most families in New Mexico, our beloved state that has long struggled to create jobs, build a thriving economy, and pull ourselves out of poverty.

Im talking about Rachael and her kids here in District 1, and the 11,300 New Mexico kids who are about to lose their health care if Republicans do not act and restore CHIP funding, and I am deeply concerned about what it will do to their families and their futures.

I come from a Pueblo culture where we think first of the impact to our entire society and to our future generations when we build, invest in, and grow our communities. To provide for our children and grandchildren is not an entitlement or an afterthought, but a central tenet of the sustainability of our families and our people. We would never sacrifice the health and well-being of those responsible for carrying forward our traditions and culture for the sake of benefitting those who already have greater fortune and privilege. The health and sustainability of our community and the land we inhabit, as a whole, is the primary concern.

In Congress, I will fight for the ability of every family in District 1, New Mexico, and our country to provide for our families and create opportunities for success in life  like Rachael. And, in doing so, ensure our children always have access to the health care they need to set them up for better outcomes in education and in life. I urge Congress to remember what is important to the health and sustainability of our communities and for the American people. Restore CHIP funding now. The future of our families, communities and nation depend on it.
WASHINGTON  The presidency was never meant to be a profit center for a nepotistic, money-grubbing family. But that was before the Trumps moved in.

This scandal is lying in plain sight, overlooked because of the constant stream of missteps, outrages and distractions that come and go at an exhausting pace. While everyone watches his Twitter feed, President Trump is using the White House like a marketing agency for his family brand. This is not normal or acceptable  and it surely isnt what laid-off factory workers and coal miners had in mind when they jumped on the populist Trump train.

Last week, Ivanka Trump opened a retail store inside Trump Tower, her fathers New York skyscraper, to sell her eponymous foreign-made handbags and other items. We can now finally dispense with the notion that she is an unpaid adviser to the president.

Its not a very big store  more of a glorified kiosk, really  but the conflict of interest is obvious. She and her husband, Jared Kushner, are in positions where they can influence U.S. policy toward the countries where her products are made, such as China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. The store is located where it can siphon money from Trump-supporting tourists who make pilgrimages to Trump Tower while visiting the sights of Manhattan.

This is just the latest example of how the Trump family is seeking to monetize the presidency. We havent seen anything like it since 1977, when Jimmy Carters brother started hawking Billy Beer. President Carter, at least, had the decency to be embarrassed.

As is the case with other family members, including the president, Ivanka Trump has refused to divest herself of her business interests. Instead, the Trumps and Kushner have put them into trusts  but in a way that provides not even a fig leaf of probity.

Thats because the businesses  including the Trump Organization, the presidents umbrella enterprise  are still operating and are being run by family members whose aims are pecuniary, not patriotic. Do you believe for a moment that Trump pays no attention to how his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are handling his company? Or that Ivanka Trump and Kushner are unaware of what his siblings are doing with the troubled Kushner family real estate empire and Ivankas fashion line? I dont.

Consider this sequence of events: Trump is elected president in November 2016. The membership initiation fee at his Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago, doubles to $200,000 in January 2017. Following his inauguration, Trump spends 34 days thus far  fully one-tenth of his presidency  at Mar-a-Lago, mixing freely with members in a setting hidden from the prying eyes of the news media.

If you had a corporate or private cause to plead with the president of the United States, and you had ample resources, might you consider a $200,000 Mar-a-Lago membership a promising investment? I think you might.

The Trump International Hotel in Washington, just down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, has become what The Washington Post called a kind of political clubhouse for Trump associates and organizations, such as political action committees, that support the Trump agenda. Last month, for example, the Trump 2020 campaign held a VIP reception there that cost $30,000, according to the Post, and featured deviled eggs and lobster BLTs.

There are plenty of other nearby hotels that could have hosted such an event  the W, the Willard, the J.W. Marriott. The campaign just happened to choose one whose profits accrue to Trumps bottom line.

Likewise, for some reason, the Trump International has become a popular place for foreign delegations to stay while visiting Washington. Many legal scholars believe this line of business violates the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution prohibiting federal officials from receiving gifts or profits from foreign governments. At least three lawsuits have been filed seeking clarification from the courts.

It is true that Trump and his family have lost some business. Many if not most of the charities that once used Mar-a-Lago for their annual galas have decided to go elsewhere this year. Ivanka Trumps product line was dropped by Nordstrom and Nieman Marcus because of low sales. Skittish investors have backed away from deals that could rescue Kushner from his potentially ruinous $1.8 billion purchase of a white-elephant Fifth Avenue office building.

But the presidency isnt supposed to be a matter of pluses and minuses on a balance sheet. The president campaigned on a pledge to clean up Washington. Instead, he has created a huge new federally protected wetland  the Trump Family Swamp, Inc.

Robinsons columns, including those not published in the Journal, can be read at abqjournal.com/opinion  look for the syndicated columnist link. E-mail: eugenerobinson@washpost.com; copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

How did Francisco Luevano end up dead in his solitary confinement cell in a New Mexico state prison?

Thats what Jonella Luevano, Franciscos mother, has been trying to find out for over a year.

She claims the state Department of Corrections has been violating the Inspection of Public Records Act by not releasing investigative documents about her sons death, according to a lawsuit against the department and records custodian Jim Brewster filed in Santa Fe District Court Thursday.

The suit says Corrections keeps changing its story about what records exist and what kind of investigations took place after Francisco Luevanos death in October 2016. The mother also says she was told by Corrections her son died of a drug overdose, but a state autopsy does not confirm that.

A Corrections spokesman maintains that the department has provided all the documents that are allowed to be released under the law.

Francisco Luevano was being held at the Penitentiary of New Mexico south of Santa Fe for several convictions, including voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery on a peace officer and tampering with evidence. He was found dead in a solitary confinement cell Oct. 14, 2016.

Rigor mortis had already set in, so the suit alleges officers broke policy by not checking on him for several hours. The circumstances of the death should have warranted creation of a death packet  an investigative report  the suit says.

Luevanos autopsy by the state Office of the Medical Investigator could not determine what caused his death.

Mr. Luevano had no obvious injuries, natural diseases or toxic substances in his system to explain his death, the autopsy opinion from the OMI says. Autopsy examination, included extended histologic and laboratory examination did not reveal a definitive cause of death.

The OMI autopsy report released to the Journal does say autopsies sometimes dont detect certain drugs and medications that arent routinely tested for, as well as functional heart problems.

Jonella Luevano hired attorney Matthew Coyte of Albuquerque because Corrections wasnt giving her information on her sons death, her lawsuit says.

Coyte sent a records request to Corrections Aug. 21 that asked for the complete death packet for Francisco Luevano, including incident reports and witness statements related to his death. It also asked for any and all correspondence, electronic or otherwise where Francisco Luevanos death is discussed, according to the IPRA request that was provided to the Journal Thursday by Corrections spokesman S.U. Mahesh.

Corrections sent a response to Coyte Sept. 14 that requested more time to fulfill the documents request, saying it was excessively burdensome, but two days later Corrections sent Jonella Luevano an incomplete Serious Incident Report.

Half of the 20-page report was blank and the other half were forms with minimal or no information included, the lawsuit says. There were no witness statements, actual incident reports describing what may have happened or the requested correspondence, and Corrections didnt provide a reason for why materials were withheld, the suit maintains.

After Coyte asked about missing documents, Catherine Earl, a records custodian who works under Brewster, sent an email that said more documents did exist, but would only be produced with a medical release, the suit states. Coyte then responded by saying that he was requesting investigative documents and not medical records.

Earl then said there was an investigation into Luevanos death, but it was still ongoing and information could not be released. She later changed her response and said the investigation was closed, according to the lawsuit. The next day, though, Brewster sent an email that contradicted Earls various responses to Coyte by saying that no investigation at all had been conducted into Luevanos death, the suit says.

In response, Plaintiff pointed out the impossibility that the Department of Corrections would not have conducted any internal investigation surrounding the policy violations that likely led to an unexplained death of an inmate in segregation, the lawsuit states.

Still another response

Brewster replied with an email Oct. 5, 45 days after Coytes initial records request, that took still another tack, confirming the existence of an investigation by the Office of Professional Standards  which looks into alleged Corrections staff misconduct  but asserted it was not subject to inspection under the (Inspection of Public Records) Act. Brewster also said no emails existed regarding Luevanos death.

Brewster also provided a complete Serious Incident Report, a State Police report regarding the death, medical pass logs and shift logs from the day of the death. Brewster added that there was surveillance video of the housing unit Luevano was in the day he died, but it was turned over to State Police for their criminal investigation. Later, video was provided to Coyte that the lawsuit says makes clear that no one checked on Luevano between 4:35 p.m. and 8:19 p.m. that day.

None of those records provided indicates how Luevano died, Coyte told the Journal.

The lawsuit argues that the delays in providing records were an intentional attempt to prevent Plaintiff from learning about the circumstances of her sons death.

The suit adds that extensive documentation is created when an inmate dies in state custody. Amazingly, Defendants initially denied the documents existed, the suit states.

In withholding the Office of Professional Standards report, the lawsuit says, Brewster cited a provision that exempts public records from inspection if they contain letter or memorandums which are matters of opinion in personnel files or students cumulative files. The suit argues that even if the records do contain personnel information, IPRA allows for redactions so the documents can be released.

Lastly, the lawsuit expresses disbelief that no correspondence of any kind was exchanged within Corrections about Luevanos death. It is impossible to believe no emails or letters were sent regarding the death of an inmate in a State-run facility, the suit says.

When asked for a phone interview with someone at Corrections regarding the case, spokesman Mahesh responded by saying all legal requirements of the records request were met. We have complied with this IPRA and released all relevant documents allowed under the law, Mahesh said in an email.

Jonella Luevano is asking for $100 a day between Sept. 26 and Oct. 5, when some of the records were produced, and another $100 a day from Sept. 26 until more records are produced. She also wants to be compensated for attorney fees.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Final details regarding how ranked-choice voting will work in Santa Fes 2018 municipal election were hammered out late Wednesday, with the mayor and City Council adopting crucial definitions and what one councilor called the nations most liberal rules for handling improperly marked ballots.

Only about a dozen jurisdictions in the country use RCV. The March 6 election in Santa Fe, in which voters will select a new mayor and four city councilors, will be the first RCV election in New Mexico.

Im tired, but I feel really good about what weve done, said City Councilor Joseph Maestas, whose name will be on the ballot as a candidate for mayor, near the end of a more than five-hour special meeting that followed a 90-minute study session on the same issue.

The council decision to adopt an ordinance establishing an RCV method for electing candidates was unanimous. The ordinance gives voters unlimited opportunities to correct ballots with errors recognized by election machine software. Maestas said that makes Santa Fes rules the most liberal  in terms of allowing voters to make corrections  in the country.

Because RCV will be used for the first time  provided the state Supreme Court doesnt rule that RCV is unconstitutional, an issue thats pending after the City Council voted earlier this month to challenge a lower courts ruling  councilors said they wanted to give voters every opportunity to get their ballot right.

While Santa Feans voted in 2008 to adopt the RCV method, the 2018 election is the first opportunity to actually use it because the software capable of tabulating the votes wasnt certified by the Secretary of States Office until September.

RCV, also called instant runoff, applies in election contests where there are more than two candidates. Voters are asked to rank their choices in order of preference. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the first-ranked votes during an initial count, the last-place candidate is eliminated and the second-choice votes of the last-place candidate are distributed to the others. The process is repeated until one candidate gets a majority.

The council also voted to adopt a new definition for what constitutes a majority in RCV voting.

The city attorneys office has taken the stance that a majority of votes cast, as stated in the 2008 city charter amendment, means the majority of all votes in the election, those counted in the first round. But there have been cases in RCV elections in other cities where the winner has less than 50 percent plus one of all the votes because some voters failed to rank candidates beyond a first choice or otherwise didnt rank all the candidates.

A three-page opinion from Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver presented to the council on Wednesday interpreted the city charter language to mean the majority of votes cast in the round of voting.

The council ultimately settled on a definition that a winning majority consists of a majority of votes among continuing candidates, or those still in the running after each vote-counting round, which essentially conforms with the Secretary of States advice instead of the interpretation of the city attorneys office.

Trial run with animals

During the study session prior to the special meeting, councilors heard a presentation by Matt Ross, the citys public information officer, on a public education campaign the city is conducting to get voters familiar with RCV. This discussion had a somewhat lighter tone  the campaign will use cute animal figures as mock candidates.

As reported by the Journal last week, the city is spending $150,000 on the campaign to educate voters.

The campaign formally launched Thursday with a website, www.votedifferentsantafe.com, providing basic information about RCV, with more to be added after the Christmas holiday.

The city signed a $49,999 contract with PK Public Relations to help create the website. Its designed to allow people to practice voting using the RCV method by casting ballots for the animal candidates.

We want it to be engaging and people can relate to animals, Lynn Komer of PK Public Relations said in an interview Thursday. We really want it to mirror the actual election in a way thats fun and inclusive for everyone.

The candidates in the mock election are Betty Bear, Felix Fox, Lucinda Lizard, Roberto Rabbit and Diego Deer. Each animal will run on its own platform. For instance, Betty Bear will advocate for daily siestas, Lucinda Lizard will be a solar energy proponent and Felix Fox will push for more affordable hen houses.

We really feel the best way to engage people is through the storytelling of the candidates in a way thats fun so people wont feel intimidated by it, said Komer.

Election contractor absent

What turned out to be a long night  Mayor Javier Gonzales didnt adjourn the night meeting until 10:16 p.m.  could have been made shorter had a representative of Dominion Voting Systems been present. Discussion repeatedly bogged down because councilors werent clear on what the vote-counting software created by Dominion, which holds the contract for voting systems in New Mexico, was capable of doing in RCV elections.

For instance, no one present could say whether Dominion could accommodate the councils preferred choice of a horizontally aligned RCV ballot, with candidates names in a column on the left and columns to the right where voters would fill in ovals to select a first choice, second choice and so on.

So why are we even being provided with options? asked Councilor Carmichael Dominguez.

City Manager Brian Snyder said he and other city officials, as well as representatives from the Secretary of States Office, had met with Dominion on Monday and were told then that the company would have someone present to answer questions at Wednesdays meeting. But Snyder said he received word Tuesday afternoon that no Dominion representative would be able to attend due to a conflict.

They should be here. This is too important of a vote tonight, said Ron Trujillo, another councilor running for mayor.

Noting that Dominion had returned a signed contract with the city earlier in the day  the terms including fees to be paid for training  Trujillo said Dominion was doing a disservice to the community and apparently didnt feel it was important enough for them to attend. Peter Ives, the third councilor in the five-candidate race for mayor, lamented that the citys hands are a bit tied without more answers.

The contract calls for the city to pay Dominion $30,650 for equipment rental, licensing, training, testing and election day support.

The council ultimately voted for a horizontally aligned ballot contingent on Dominions ability to produce it.

A spokeswoman for Dominion said Thursday that Dominion never promised officials that someone would attend Wednesdays meeting. There were not enough people, not enough time and too much to do at the end of the year to have someone present, said Kay Stimson, vice president of government affairs for Dominion.

She said Dominion representatives did talk to city officials on Thursday. We tried at every turn to do what we were obligated to do, she said.

At the close of Wednesday nights meeting, Mayor Gonzales said Dominion would play a critical role in assuring that the citys first crack at conducting an RCV election would come off without a hitch. With a signed contract, we wont have to ask where Dominion is any longer, he said.

Mock voting with the animal candidates will take place during yet-to-be-scheduled public forums. Results will be announced Jan. 20.

Real-life voting for the 2018 municipal election begins with absentee voting on Jan. 30. Early voting begins Feb. 17. Election day is March 6.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

No one can say for sure who has bid to run Los Alamos National Laboratory starting next year. But in New Mexico, a lot of people want the new LANL contractor, whoever it may be, to pay taxes.

With the current lab operating contract set to expire next September, New Mexico and local governments stand to lose millions if a nonprofit  such as a major university  takes over from private consortium Los Alamos National Security LLC. LANS paid $77 million in gross receipts taxes in 2015.

Nonprofits dont pay New Mexico gross receipts taxes  at least not now.

And the only three known bidders for the new LANL contract are university systems: those of the University of California, Texas A&M and the University of Texas. The three schools have acknowledged publicly they have submitted proposals to run LANL to the federal National Nuclear Security Administration, the semi-autonomous Department of Energy agency that oversees the nations weapons labs.

All three of the schools have had meetings with community and government leaders in New Mexico. Andrea Romero, executive director of the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities, said the University of Texas committed to creating an LLC, a limited liability company that would have to pay taxes, an indication that UT is likely to partner with a private corporation.

No such assurances were offered by officials of Texas A&M and UC. The California school has run LANL on its own or with the current LANS consortium  which also includes the Bechtel corporation and other companies  since the lab was created to develop an atomic bomb during World War II.

Last week, A&M officials met with local leaders at an Espanola restaurant to talk about their interest in the lab contract, and tout the schools experience in nuclear research and programs.

But, Romero said, they wouldnt say how they are going to form an entity to run the lab and who they are going to form it with.

The Austin American-Statesman has reported that A&M and UC are partners in a single bid. But UC, in response to Journal questions and when it conferred with the Regional Coalition, like A&M, refused to say if it has a partner or partners in the bidding process.

If one of or a partnership between A&M and UC gets the bid, or another nonprofit does, the tax issue raises its ugly head, as state Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa said this week.

Cisneros already has submitted a bill for consideration at the 2018 legislative session starting in January to create, in effect, an exemption to an exemption in state tax law. His measure says the GRT exemption for nonprofits doesnt apply to the receipts of a prime contractor that are derived from operating a facility in New Mexico designated as a national laboratory by an act of Congress. A similar bill failed in this years session.

The same tax issues were at play when a new contract for operating Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque was awarded in 2016. But private corporation Honeywell won the competition, saving state officials from trying to figure out how to keep Sandias GRT payments  $77 million in 2015  flowing in.

Said Cisneros: If at the end of the day, a for-profit also gets the Los Alamos contract, then the (tax) issue is moot and we can relax.

He acknowledges that his bills simple language may be problematic. Under the principle of equal protection under the law, can the state single out one class of nonprofits  those running national labs  for taxation?

The senator said there may be ways to craft language saying that only nonprofits with a certain number of employees  LANL has more than 11,000  or a budget of a certain size  LANLs is about $2.4 billion  are subject to GRT, so the bill doesnt necessarily target the lab. He acknowledged that the likelihood that any other nonprofit entity would qualify would be extraordinary.

The Regional Coalitions Romero calls New Mexicos two big national labs unicorns because theyre like nothing else in the state.

One of her arguments in favor of taxing a nonprofit in charge of LANL is that it would continue the status quo that has existed since LANS took over the lab in 2006. The consortium is losing the contract, as of the end of the current fiscal year in September, after failing to get adequate performance reviews in recent years.

Were saying that the operations dont change, so why should the tax status change? she said. Were not looking at targeting the lab, were looking at maintaining the status quo.

Asked about a legal challenge to New Mexico taxing just nonprofits operating national labs and not others, she suggested its possible that wouldnt happen.

Its up to management and the operators to decide if they want to litigate, she said. Theyve all said their first intention is to do no harm and they want to be great partners with the community.

And she said that GRT paid by the lab contractors is a pass through, a cost of doing business or overhead expenses that are part of the federally financed budget.

Although the three big universities are getting all the attention at this point because theyve acknowledged they are bidders for the LANL contract  after their regents voted in public to prepare contract proposals  its entirely possible big private-sector entities are also in the hunt. NNSA made public a list of entities that expressed interest in the contract, but wont disclose actual bidders. Romero notes that during the Sandia bidding process, Honeywell was not listed among the interested parties and was known to be a bidder only when it was announced the company had won the contract.

Community commitment

The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities  which consists of cities, towns and pueblos in northern New Mexico  is also raising another financial issue. It wants a commitment from the new contractor that it will provide $3 million annually for local economic and entrepreneurial development programs, and educational efforts, including scholarships and other community programs.

LANS was mandated to provide $3 million a year in the first seven years of its contract, Romero said, but that dipped to $2.5 million as an ad hoc contribution in recent years, Romero said. Losing $500,000 for New Mexico is a big cut, she said.

(It should be noted that LANL employees, in their annual giving campaign, raised $3 million to benefit mostly New Mexico nonprofit organizations, according to a Wednesday news release. LANS matches a portion of the employee donations.)

Romero said its promising that the bidding universities have engaged with the coalition. We have really counted on the bidders to do that, she said.

And if there other bidders out there  NNSA says the bids are confidential  the coalition wants to hear from them. We want to meet with you, Romero said. Its critical to have that conversation today.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

A state regulator has approved a $10 million sale by New Mexico Health Connections of its commercial business to one of its vendors, providing an infusion of cash to one of the last not-for-profit health insurance cooperatives in the country.

The approval came despite concerns raised by Presbyterian, University of New Mexico and Blue Cross Blue Shield about the continued financial condition of Health Connections and whether it could make good on millions of dollars of what they say are unpaid bills.

In testimony filed in the case, Presbyterian questioned whether Health Connections was solvent and raised the possibility that providers might have to try to collect from people insured by Health Connections.

That testimony was based on a sale price of $10 million  the amount that had been announced and included in the regulatory approval order.

The Journal, meanwhile, has learned that Health Connections has been under financial supervision by the states superintendent of insurance since June.

Under the terms of the agreement approved Wednesday, Evolent Health, a publicly traded Arlington, Va.-based company that has managed aspects of Health Connections plan administration, will acquire Health Connections small- and large-group business lines. The acquisition will give rise to a new for-profit entity called True Health New Mexico.

In addition to the $10 million sale price, Evolent will also provide an additional $10 million to True Health.

The additional $10 million was not addressed in the testimony of Presbyterian, Blue Cross and UNM.

Few not-for-profits

As of Jan. 1, Health Connections 22,000 employer-based plan members, provider network contracts, executive leadership team and about 80 employees will transition to True Health New Mexico. The additional 18,000 members insured under the Affordable Care Act will continue to be insured through Health Connections. CEO Martin Hickey will lead True Health, and Marlene Baca, a former Lovelace Health Plan executive who now runs a consulting firm, will take his place at Health Connections.

In a final order and decision released Wednesday, the state Office of Superintendent of Insurance adopted the recommendations of the cases hearing officer. Superintendent of Insurance John G. Franchini, who disclosed that Health Connections has been under financial supervision since June, also said that Evolent will assume 50 percent of Health Connections liabilities for two years.

Its a private agreement, but I felt like it was important for the public to know, Franchini said in a Journal interview. We are one of only a few states with this type of co-op, and were very happy it will continue in New Mexico.

Health Connections, which was funded by federal loans through the Affordable Care Act, is one of four not-for-profit health insurance cooperatives still operating in the U.S. There were 23 such entities as of 2014.

According to documents reviewed by the Journal, some of New Mexicos biggest health care players questioned Health Connections financial dealings in testimony submitted during consideration of the deal.

Among the accusations lodged against the organization: Various University of New Mexico health entities allege Health Connections owes $20 million for outpatient and other services; Presbyterian Healthcare Services says Health Connections owes it $7.6 million; Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico said Health Connections will likely owe it several million dollars in an annual risk adjustment liability mandated by the federal government.

UNM suggested that the $10 million  what had been disclosed as the sum involved in the transaction  be placed in an escrow account as a source of payment for the creditors claims.

Health Connections has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services disputing the risk adjustment. Hickey said he was unfamiliar with the testimony citing the other accusations, but he suggested they were attempts to undermine a competitor.

Solvency doubted

In his recommendations, the states hearing officer wrote that the allegations did not suggest a financial situation that would jeopardize the stability of True Health. But he also said the important and helpful information would assist OSI in its ongoing customary regulatory oversight of (Health Connections) and True Health.

Under New Mexico law, if an insurers financial data indicate that its risk-based capital  a calculation of the minimum amount of money an insurer needs to operate  is less than 70 percent, the state must take it over in a process called mandatory control. According to Health Connections Sept. 30 financial filings obtained by the Journal, the organizations total capital and surplus were $3.5 million, which Presbyterian claimed was below the 70 percent threshold and indicated that Health Connections was insolvent. The $3.5 million number included the $10 million portion of the deal with Evolent, which at that time had not been approved; without it, the figure would be negative $6.5 million.

Health Connections was operating at a $10 million loss this year as of September, according to the filings. The company had losses totaling more $40 million over the previous two years.

Its board has also had complete turnover since that time, which a spokeswoman said was related to the election cycle of the seats.

Hickey did not dispute the figures raised by Presbyterian but called its conclusion pure speculation. He did not disclose the liability agreement.

Theres a lot thats happened between September and now, a lot that people dont know about, he said. When the March 15 filing comes out, youll see that we meet all our regulatory requirements.

Hickey acknowledged it was possible that the finances of the organization could be affected in the future by this weeks repeal of the individual mandate, the part of the Affordable Care Act that requires individuals to obtain health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the repeal will lead to an additional 13 million uninsured individuals over the next decade.

When pressed about the future of Health Connections, Hickey cited a quote often attributed to Mark Twain: The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.
FARMINGTON, N.M.  The New Mexico Supreme Court has affirmed all but one of the convictions of a man in a 2013 murder case in Farmington.

The states high court on Thursday decided to let stand the murder, child abuse by endangerment and several other convictions of Alejandro Ramirez but vacated his conviction of shooting at a motor vehicle.

That conviction will be remanded to the district court for resentencing.

In 2015, Ramirez and his brother were given life sentences without the possibility of parole in the fatal shooting of Johnny Benji Vialpando Jr.

Prosecutors say Vialpando was shot nine times in the parking lot of the Animas Valley Mall in Farmington in front of his wife and three stepchildren.

Lawyers for Ramirez claimed his convictions violated the double-jeopardy guarantee against multiple punishments.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo.  A bald eagle found injured alongside a Colorado road had to be euthanized.

The Steamboat Today reports that the eagle was found on Thursday in Routt County.

Officials originally thought the bird was hit by a car, but X-rays revealed it was shot.

One of the eagles legs was nearly severed and it had bullet fragments in its body. Officials decided the most humane thing to do was put the bird down.

Parks and Wildlife Officer Justin Pollock is investigating the incident.

An anonymous Steamboat resident has also donated $5,000 to Born Free Wildlife Rehabilitation, which cared for the eagle, in hopes that the money will help find who shot the bird.

The eagle will be sent to a lab to collect evidence.

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Information from: Steamboat Pilot & Today, http://steamboatpilot.com/
By PTI: Bengaluru, Dec 22 (PTI) The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee today strongly objected to the Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar writing to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa expressing his intent to resolve the Mahadayi water sharing dispute through an amicable settlement.

Questioning the propriety behind Parrikars letter, KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said Goa chief ministers action is an insult to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah as he was sidelined from the whole process. "I never thought the BJP will stoop so low. The case was going on for the last two years. The PM was aware of it but did not take any initiative," Rao said.

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When elections are round the corner, BJP leaders led by their party national president Amit Shah held meetings to resolve the matter and "then Goa chief minister writes not to his Karnataka counterpart but BJP state president Yeddyurappa," he said.

The Congress leader said Parrikar should have written to Siddaramaiah saying Yeddyurappa has spoken to him in the presence of other BJP leaders and that he was ready to resolve the drinking water crisis in Karnataka by releasing water from the Mahadayi river.

Rao said, "Is it not pure politics if Yeddyurappa reads the letter in the BJP election rally? By playing the water politics, BJP is undermining the water crisis and demeaning the sufferings of people. It is also insulting our chief minister Siddaramaiah."

He said Parrikar did not turn up whenever meetings were arranged to resolve the Kalasa Banduri water project.

During an election rally in Hubballi, Yeddyurappa read out Parrikars letter to him.

In the missive, Parrikar had said his government is willing to consider an amicable settlement with Karnataka on sharing inter-state Mahadayi river water to meet the drinking needs of drought prone areas in northern parts of the state.

Rao also took a dig at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for his speech yesterday at Hubballi.

"Yogi Adityanath says Congress is Tipu Bhakt and they are Hanuman Bhakt. This is purely divisive politics," he said.

"BJP got only 32 per cent votes (in Lok Sabha polls). So it means many other Hindus rejected them. Should it mean that those who did not vote for BJP are not Hindus? Such statement is an insult to a large majority of people," Rao said.

The Congress leader said his party does not want to learn lessons of governance from Adityanath. PTI GMS RA BN RBS

--- ENDS ---
HOUSTON  The groups helping to rebuild on the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey have collected close to $1 billion in donations, according to an Associated Press tally of major national and local organizations.

Much of that money is already being put to work after Harvey, which ravaged cities in Southeast Texas in August with high winds before dumping record amounts of rain on the rest of the coast, including Houston, the nations fourth-largest city.

Here is a look at the fundraising picture after Harvey:

WHOS RAISING MONEY?

Of the $928 million raised by major groups involved in the recovery, the most money has been collected by the Red Cross, which said this month that its raised $493 million for Harvey relief.

The Greater Houston Community Foundation, which is operating the relief fund endorsed by Houstons top elected leaders, has raised more than $108 million. The Rebuild Texas Fund, administered by the family foundation of computer magnate Michael Dell, has raised more than $89 million. The evangelical group Samaritans Purse has also raised $86 million. United Way has raised more than $54 million.

The online campaign by Houston Texans star J.J. Watt raised $37 million, and both the Salvation Army and a fund created by the government of Qatar have each pledged $30 million.

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HOW IS THE MONEY BEING SPENT?

At least 40 percent of the total amount has been spent or distributed so far, though some groups could not confirm how much they had disbursed for the APs tally. Several major groups say theyre planning to announce new recipients of aid this month and in January.

The Red Cross used $254 million  more than half the money it has raised  to give out financial assistance, food and other relief. It also funded emergency shelters for weeks after the storm and other financial assistance to individuals and community funds.

Most of the other funds are helping smaller organizations that directly manage the cases of individual people in need or provide housing, job training, new furniture or mental health assistance. The Greater Houston Community Foundation has distributed at least $36 million to local groups so far, with plans for a new round of grants in January focused on housing.

Were trying to balance a sense of great urgency to make sure people who need help are getting it rapidly, while at the same time a sense of care and responsibility to our donors to ensure that the funds are being spent effectively and efficiently, said Renee Wizig-Barrios, the foundations senior vice president.

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ARE THE GROUPS WORKING TOGETHER?

Coordination between groups working to resolve a crisis is key, say experts on disaster recovery and people who were part of the rebuilding after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.

Many of Houstons major aid groups have met twice so far to discuss priorities and the work theyre doing. But the Red Cross was not invited to those two meetings, even though it has raised the most money. A spokeswoman for the Houston Endowment, which convenes the meetings, said the Red Cross wasnt included because the meetings are for groups that will make grants to local nonprofits.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have both criticized the Red Cross publicly. Abbott said in November that he was concerned that money given to the Red Cross was not getting into the hands of the people who need it.

A Red Cross spokesman said this month that the group has active collaborative efforts with other organizations. The Red Cross has publicly committed that 91 cents of every dollar raised will go toward recovery work, though the organization has been sharply criticized for perceived misspending after the Haiti earthquake and Superstorm Sandy.

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WILL NONPROFIT AID BE ENOUGH?

By all accounts, no. Local and state officials say that while donor funds can help fill in gaps and immediately help people in need, most of the support for Texas rebuilding will have to come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other U.S. government agencies.

FEMA says it has approved about $1.5 billion in funding so far for almost 900,000 people in Texas. Many thousands more are still waiting for an answer on their applications for disaster aid, or starting to file appeals of denials for help.

The U.S. House on Thursday passed an $81 billion disaster aid package for hurricane-hit Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, along with regions of California ravaged by recent wildfires. The Senate isnt expected to vote until next month.

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Follow Nomaan Merchant on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nomaanmerchant

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Associated Press journalists Juan A. Lozano in Houston and Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

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Sign up for the APs weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv
GALLUP  The man accused of gunning down a tribal police officer this year in a remote corner of the nations largest American Indian reservation will not go to trial until June 2019 because of the cases complexity and the possibility that the suspect could face a death sentence if convicted, officials have said.

The Gallup Independent reported Thursday that Kirby Clevelands federal court trial has been delayed because lawyers have requested more time given the amount of evidence and witnesses involved, citing Elizabeth Martinez, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico.

Lawyers also are working to line up experts who specialize in DNA, forensics, firearms and ammunition, the newspaper said.

Cleveland faces murder and weapons charges in the killing of Navajo Nation officer Houston James Largo, who was shot March 11 on a dark road in western New Mexico while responding to a domestic violence call.

Initially scheduled to be tried in June, Cleveland has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody pending trial.

A woman from the rural community where the killing happened saw flashing police lights the night of the shooting and found Largo lying on the road, face down and bleeding. She used the radio in Largos patrol vehicle to call for help.

The 27-year-old decorated officer died the next day at an Albuquerque hospital. Cleveland was found hiding in the hills more than a mile away.

Before the shooting, Clevelands wife had called authorities saying he had been drinking and became angry.
Two adults passed out on the sidewalk on Central near Virginia SE.

A young boy, about 7 years old, wandering around nearby without a jacket.

Thats what a good Samaritan told police he saw Thursday, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. He said he took the boy to his churchs day care about a block away and called 911.

When officers arrived at the intersection, they said they found Calbert Edison, 31, and Michelle Charley, 39, lying on the sidewalk and road, passed out. When they approached, Charley looked up briefly and went back to sleep and Edison said he didnt know where the child was, according to the complaint.

Eventually Charley woke up and told police she believed her son was with her sister.

I advised her that it was believed that (the boy) was previously walking around unsupervised and was taken to a safe place, the officer wrote in the complaint. Ms. Charley did not have anything to say about those details.

The officer wrote that both Charley and Edison smelled of alcohol, slurred their speech and had inconsistent stories.

As the officer was talking with couple, the Good Samaritan returned and said he had been the one to find the child walking around the area alone earlier while the adults were passed out. He said another person passing by had looked at the couple and just said pray for them but he replied that he did not want to pray for them, but call police to help them.

The officers went to the church and found the boy had been given a jacket and a bag of goodies. A police spokesman did not respond to questions about what time of day this occurred or how old the child is. According to court documents he was born in 2010.

The officer wrote in the complaint that the couple had put the boy in danger when they became intoxicated and left the boy without supervision. They wrote that it is a high crime area and it is known to be not only very dangerous with unknown subjects fighting and walking around, but also has a lot of vehicle traffic on Central.

They said the temperature that day was 57 degrees, with 33 mile per hour winds.

The officers called the Children, Youth and Families Department and talked to the boys father, according to the complaint. He told them Charley had a daughter as well, and Charley eventually said the girl had gone to a friends house and was staying there. The officers found the girl at home and took her to a police substation to meet with CYFD.

Charley and Edison were arrested and booked into the county jail. They are charged with child abuse without great bodily harm.
PORTLAND, Maine  Peter Bernards Yuletide plans include dressing up in a tuxedo emblazoned with marijuana leaves, donning a green Santa hat and doling out cookie bars made with marijuana to his friends from a big pillowcase.

Thats me exercising my right to give marijuana this Christmas, said Bernard, a Taunton, Massachusetts, pot lover who heads the Massachusetts Growers Advocacy Council when not doubling as Pot Santa at events for weed enthusiasts.

Not everyones plans are quite so flamboyant, but for many pot lovers, this Christmas is much more about reefer than wreaths. Gift-giving has long been a part of marijuana culture, and the drugs newly legal status is a source of Yuletide celebration in four states.

For others, trouble with the law has killed the holiday buzz. A couple was arrested in Nebraska, on Tuesday with about 60 pounds of marijuana in their pickup truck they told police they planned to give as Christmas gifts.

The couple, 70-year-old Barbara Jiron and 80-year-old Patrick Jiron, told authorities they were traveling from California to Vermont and were unaware it was illegal to transport marijuana in Nebraska. Court records didnt list attorneys for them.

Marijuana is still illegal in most states, but voters in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts voted to legalize recreational marijuana last year, and some residents of those states will legally stuff stockings with spliffs for the first time this Christmas.

Because retail sales are operating in only one of those states  Nevada  Bernard and others excited about legalized pot said homegrown marijuana is one particularly popular gift.

I figure, Ive got all this pot, I might as well just give it away for Christmas, said James MacWilliams, of Portland, Maine, who started growing weed when it became legal and is giving away fancy jars of his stash this year. I told my friends, youre all getting a little bit of pot for Christmas.

Others plan to give marijuana-infused baked goods or even decorations made of pot plants.

Statistics about legal sales of marijuana suggest a modest bump around the holidays. In the four states where it was already legal, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, it has been generally a good month, slightly ahead of November and January, said Roy Bingham, chief executive officer of BDS Analytics, a firm that compiles data about the pot industry. December sales accounted for 9.38 percent of sales revenue in Colorado last year, which is one percentage point above average, according to statistics provided by the firm.

Californias retail laws begin next month, while Massachusetts retail laws are scheduled for July and Maines are still being developed.

Legalization means pot lovers can legally do something theyve always done, which is give away marijuana to people they love, said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.

People consume cannabis on the holidays and they always have, Smith said. Now they are doing so through a regulated system.

The drug remains illegal on the federal level, which means activities such as driving it across state lines or sending it through the mail are off limits. Authorities will deal with incidents involving marijuana in interstate commerce on a case by case basis, said Matthew OShaughnessy, a Boston-based spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association, said marijuana was likely to be a part of Christmas in California this year whether it was legal or not.

Cannabis has been pretty ubiquitous here for several generations, he said. Honestly, I think everyones just a little more open about it.
MakeMyTrip Limited, Indias leading online travel company today announced the launch of its new product Made for You Holidays for the booming domestic travel sector in India. Launched alongside Christmas holiday season, these 150 Holiday Experiences offer a range of handpicked escapades for discerning travellers.

Moving away from run-of-the-mill and homogenized experiences, these domestic travel packages are specially targeted towards those who want to make the most of long & extended weekends at destinations in Rajasthan, Himachal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and many more. Made for you Holidays offering is being rolled out under six themes for holiday-goers including Wildlife, Romantic, Friends & Family, Once in a life time, Rugged Getaways and Indulgence.

With the aim to provide travellers with immersive local experience, Made For You Holidays will help travelers connect with places they are traveling to in a more evolved and authentic way. These holiday offerings will include specially-curated experiences that go beyond the regular inclusions of flights or train ride, comfortable hotel, private car, sightseeing etc.

Speaking at the launch, Mohit Gupta, COO, MakeMyTrip, said, At MakeMyTrip we are bringing a balance between personalization, authenticity and reach to offer holidays that will resonate with discerning travelers looking beyond cookie-cutter package tourism. By tracking social media, website analytics, blog comments, search metrics, traveler reviews etc., we want to align our product offerings to match what holiday goers are looking for. Its why we are excited to launch our new offering Made For You Holidayswherein we are offering specially curated experiences that make themed holiday choice for travelers very easy and hassle free.
Smartworks, Indias largest provider of shared workspaces, has launched its brand with the tagline Workspaces That Work for You through its new brand video campaign released yesterday which has already received 5 lac views. Smartworks aspires to reinvent India's workspaces with a simple motto - "Create office spaces where people 'want' to go, not just 'have' to go!" Smartworks currently has over 7, 00,000 square feet of best-in-class, bespoke shared workspaces. The company's operations span 14 centers in nine Tier 1 cities across the country.

Smartworks has assigned a robust budget of approximately 50 lakhs covering outdoor, digital and print advertisements to be rolled out as the young brand steps into its second year of operations in 2018. The campaign leads with a series of three social media brand videos showcasing the value proposition that it provides to its customers  i.e.: hassle free work spaces, highly customized, personalized offices and technology-rich environments. Bollywood actor Mr. Brijendar Kala features in the first brand video which is created as a humorous take on traditional office life. The video was released across the companys social media handles and has garnered a whopping 500,000 views in just the last 24 hours.

Commenting on the genesis of the idea of serviced office spaces, Neetish Sarda, Founder Smartworks, said, Exposure to future workspaces and high employee engagement levels in US and Singapore across offices like Linkedin, Microsoft, and Google made me evaluate the current status quo in my fathers office in Kolkata and India in general. It made me think why a delightful office experience is inaccessible and costly, available only to elite organizations? This led me to radically transform this experience for the new age workforce in India. My visits to traditional offices across India  poor aesthetic design, low employee energy levels, limited flexibility, and dysfunctional employee culture  reinforced my belief that commercial office space needs to be disrupted.

Anshul Sushil, Co-Founder & CEO, Boring Brands, the agency that conceptualized and executed the campaign commented on the video campaign saying, As Smartworks believes in providing perfectly customized office spaces to its clients, it was a key mandate for us to convey that they will be there for their clients every step of the way. Our strategy was to show something which appeals to the sensibilities of a corporate as well as millennial workforce in the ever changing dynamics of workspaces. Todays audience looks for commercials which go beyond the conventional and ordinary; they want something to relate to. Keeping this preference in mind, we gave them a slice of life with a comic angle. We want them to instantly connect with the advertisement and know that Smartworks has the solutions to all their office woes.

Harsh Binani - Co-Founder of Smartworks, said, Making employees happiness its Holy Grail, Smartworks, today has become a torchbearer of Indias shared spaces. We measure our success based on employee happiness index and how we have transformed the overall office experience of any Smartworker. The team has now put its heart & soul in creating future workspaces via its fantastic designs, technology & personalized value-added services! Our aim is to build tailor-made offices wherein a company could thrive on qualitative networking opportunities and expand itself while shaping the office as per its own culture and ecosystem in the Smartworks universe. We put great emphasis on the privacy of our clients while connecting them within the community with like-minded professionals.
Now, the state government has decided to provide all the pending rations to Darjeeling residents who could not receive it due to the agitations.

By Arindam De: During the agitation in the hills, mainly between June and September the residents were unable to access food grains from ration shops as they were closed due to the violence. Now, the state government has decided to provide all the pending rations at a single go to the residents.

According to sources, the initiative was taken up at the behest of the West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Food Minister Jyotipriya Mullick said that the CM had asked the concerned departments to act in this direction sometime ago.

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According to norms, PDS food grains must be accessed within the month, any delay leads to a lapse. However, the CM had asked her ministers and officers to ensure that the hill dwellers do not suffer either because of the rules or of an event that was beyond their control.

The hill dwellers usually draw double the amount of PDS food grains than the residents of plain areas -- a total of 11-kg per person, per month, at Rs 2 a kilo. That basically translates to about a quintal or more food grains for a family of four. There are no godowns in the hills and this creates a logistical problem for the department.

Meanwhile, some critics are reading politics in the move.

Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat has a BJP MP, which it had won with the support of the now discredited Morcha (GMM). Since the removal of Gurung, the winds of change are favouring the Trinamool, probably that is the reason why fund allocations for the newly formed GTA have shot up.

The state government has also decided to waive off any late fees or fines arising out of non-payment of taxes and duties during the agitation. State government officials, who attended office during the agitation in the hills, will get an extra 15 days special leave. While employees, who were absent during this period, will also have their full salary and special leave credited to them.

The government is taking up the distribution of digital ration cards in the hills on priority. Interestingly, digitisation of ration cards have actually led to a drop in the number of valid cardholders in the hills -- from 8.75 lakh to 8.19 lakh -- however, the state government have not cut down on the food grain allocation of the area.

The food minister says that a massive drive will be undertaken to create awareness of the government initiatives amongst the hill people and stringent checks will be in place to ensure that food grains reach the card holders and distributors are not able to siphon it off.

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Representatives of T.R. Reddy, I-20 Investors, LLC showed a potential look of the apartment buildings they plan to build on the site. Commissioner Briton Williams and Interim Planning Director Amanda Siever's listen to the applicant's presentation in the background.
Over 30 years ago, I drove from Shillong, capital of Meghalaya, through the town of Nongstein and then to Tura, the second largest city of that small state. I was assured of good road conditions and a journey of six or seven hours, it took me 12 hours, much of it on bumpy jungle tracks. There wasn't a single signboard to tell us we were going the right way.

We did come across a sign that warned of tigers and my Bengali driver let out a trembling moan and prayer. When we hit a fork in the road, he asked in desperation, "Which way?"

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Go straight, I said, counting on luck. It turned out to be the right decision.

A few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the BJP's quest for power in Meghalaya's elections early next year, while inaugurating the 261-km sector of highway from Nongstein to Tura. I'm sure it's well marked, smooth and straight, but I worry for the magnificent forests and the wild animals.

It's also likely to be a rough ride for the incumbent Congress, headed by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma. But that doesn't mean it will be easy for the BJP. For more than 30 years now, rarely has any party secured a majority in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly.

The state has been a test bed of coalition politics since the 1980s, when two parties were tied in a dead heat and after hours of exhausting negotiation, the chief ministership was decided by a toss of the coin. It was a unique solution and worked well for some time. But political parties aren't always inclined to stick to bargains.

Meghalaya also pioneered peaceful political negotiation in the region at the height of the Naga and Mizo insurgencies and, today, its tradition of strong regional politics is well established. That is why the BJP stitched an alliance with the late Purno Sangma's National People's Party, now run by his son and successor as MP, Conrad. Given the history of small indigenous parties, which hold the balance of power, the BJP is likely to try and strengthen the alliance despite the urge to go it alone, banking on Mr Modi's charisma.

Mr Modi is a popular man in the region, despite the dent in his party's fortunes in his home state and the Congress's surprisingly robust performance there. Events in Gujarat will raise hopes that good governance will emerge as a campaign priority in Meghalaya too: the state has among the worst health indices in the country; domestic abuse is troublingly high despite the matrilineal system; poverty and vulnerability remain huge challenges.

Earlier this year, the state government pioneered a social audit scheme, engaging professionals to assess whether government programmes were reaching targeted households. This initiative (no other state has it) may help Dr Sangma in the political battle of his life.

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Sangma came to power nearly five years ago, outmanoeuvring his party colleague, the crafty DD Lapang, a veteran chief minister. He has survived a turbulent bout in office despite stiff inner-party opposition, allegations of corruption and worse, of being a non-tribal in a state run by tribal power, and sporadic movements aimed at toppling his government on the issue of Inner Line Permits (ILPs) for non-tribal people.

The 'anti-outsider' violence and displacement of the early 1980s is largely a thing of the past, but it still simmers, as the pro-ILP agitation showed. The BJP faces a challenge in overcoming its image as a party of the 'mainland'. The beef controversy and attacks by cow vigilantes in other parts of the country had the party and its allies on the defensive, trying to reassure the people of Meghalaya that their meat-eating proclivities and Christian beliefs (nearly 60 per cent of the population is Christian) would not be threatened.

The 'insider-outsider' syndrome, which has long and deeply troubled Meghalaya and other states of the northeast, could be as significant a factor as anti-incumbency and the state's tradition of forcing coalitions. Despite the new highway, the path ahead for all parties promises to be as bumpy as the old Nongstein-Tura road.

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The writer is international director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.

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December 19, 2017

CAIRO  In Egypt, the fallout from US President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has spread beyond popular and official condemnations and protests by many countries. Religious institutions in Egypt, such as Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, are now boycotting the United States.

Al-Azhars first response to Trumps announcement was swift. In an official statement on Dec. 6, Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb described Trumps decision as denying Palestinians and Arabs the rights to their holy city. It disregarded the feelings of more than 1.5 billion Muslims and millions of Arab Christians who are deeply attached to Jerusalem's churches and monasteries.

The second reaction came on Dec. 9, when Sheikh Abbas Shoman, the deputy sheikh of Egypt's Al-Azhar Institute called for a boycott of American products in Cairo.

He posted to Facebook, Boycott US and Zionist products. Trumps decision undermined and offended our feelings. I do not believe it is appropriate for any Muslim or Christian to buy an American or Zionist product. Be positive and make your own decision.

Speaking to Al-Monitor by phone, Shoman said, The campaign has received wide support among many Egyptian circles, spearheaded by the syndicates of pharmacists and veterinarians. The boycott campaign is the only weapon available to the Arab and Islamic peoples against US arrogance and Zionist aggression.

In Dec. 9 press statement, Ahmad Abu Duma, the spokesman for the Egyptian Pharmacists Syndicate, said the syndicates Right to Medication Committee had launched an initiative to boycott all US medicines and products and that the initiative came in cooperation with the Egyptian Medical Syndicate. The Egyptian Veterinary Syndicate also announced at a press conference on Dec. 11 a boycott of US veterinary products and stated that a committee had been formed to inventory these products and find alternatives to them.

The Al-Azhar boycott measure is not limited to US products. In an official statement issued on Dec. 8, Al-Azhar rejected an official US request for Vice President Mike Pence to meet with Tayeb on Dec. 20, when Pence had been planning to visit the region. Pence later delayed his trip until 2018, citing the possibility his vote would be needed to pass US tax legislation.

The Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church also announced Dec. 9 that it would not receive Pence in objection to Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The unified position by Al-Azhar and the church can have a great impact because it shows the solidarity of all Egyptians of different religious affiliations with the Palestinian people and their right to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, said lawmaker Omar Hamroush, who is a member of the parliamentary Religious Affairs Committee.

Despite Pence's claims to the contrary, Hamroush attributed the vice president's change of plans to this public pressure. Following this position, the US vice president postponed his visit scheduled for Dec. 19. If this unified stance is maintained, more can be achieved. This may even lead the US to suspend the transfer of its embassy to Jerusalem, without declaring it publicly," he added.

Nurhan al-Sheikh, a professor of political science at Cairo University, said the calls by Al-Azhar and the church to boycott US products and decision-makers could have a clear impact if they turn global.

She explained to Al-Monitor that the volume of trade between Egypt and the United States is low and Egypt's boycott of US products will not have a significant effect. Southeast Asian countries, however, have a huge trade exchange with the US. A simple boycott threat by these states could have a strong impact. Al-Azhar can pass the boycott campaign to these countries with a large Muslim population, such as Malaysia, she added.

Yusri al-Azbawi, a political researcher at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, shared this opinion. He said, The internationalization by Al-Azhar and the Egyptian church of their boycott campaigns in objection to the US decision could have a global political impact. These religious institutions influence Muslim and Christian public opinion inside the US. This could push US voters to give more votes in the US midterm congressional elections to the Democratic Party, [to make it] somewhat capable of curbing Trump's decisions.

Shukri al-Jundi, undersecretary of the parliamentary Religious Affairs Committee, told Al-Monitor, The position by Al-Azhar and the church, although honorable, will not exert the necessary pressure on the US administration. The required pressure will only be achieved if the unity displayed by Al-Azhar and the church is also shown by all Arab and Islamic countries and governments. They must all set their differences aside and focus on finding a unified strategy to pressure the US administration into renouncing its decision on Jerusalem. Together, the Arab and Islamic countries could have a political, strategic and economic effect on the US. A unified strategy will have a major impact on US policy.

Meanwhile, economist Alaa Rizk believes the boycott campaign called for by Al-Azhar will have no major effect at the political and economic levels. The Arab region and the Islamic countries will not find a substitute for many US goods, not to mention that the US is supplying the Gulf region with weapons while Egypt is benefiting from US financial aid, he told Al-Monitor. I do not think that the boycott campaigns will find support by many Muslims, even if launched by Al-Azhar. Many Muslims reside in the US and work for US companies. Also, many Christians are getting visas from Israel to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
December 22, 2017

On Dec. 20, Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Algerias Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia in Algiers. The two discussed strategies for strengthening Doha-Algiers ties and other regional issues, such as US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital and the Libyan civil war. Shortly before the chief Qatari diplomats visit, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika wrote to the emir of Qatar, praising Doha and Algiers exceptional relationship and vowing to boost bilateral ties to the highest level, in the best interests of both peoples.

The visit was another indicator of how the Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ)  Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)  has failed to bring the Maghreb regions internationally recognized governments, save Mauritania, behind its anti-Qatar campaign.

The Qatar crisis has provided Algeria an opportunity to demonstrate its value to Doha as a partner with an independent foreign policy that is capable of helping it weather the diplomatic row that has pressured Doha into turning to alternative security alliances and economic lifelines. Just after the ATQ cut off diplomatic and economic ties with Doha, Qatar praised Algerias honorable stance on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) crisis, in which Algerian officials called on all parties to resolve the dispute through dialogue before their counterparts in any other country did. Doha also hailed Algeria as a big country capable of playing a role in Arab-Arab relations, thanks to its weight in the region.

Algerias response to the Qatar crisis was also partially shaped by the countrys domestic politics. Although Algeria officially embraced a neutral position on the GCCs diplomatic row, 31 Islamist parliamentarians quickly expressed solidarity with Doha via a newly formed committee. The Qatari ambassador to Algiers, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz al-Sahlawi, has held regular meetings with this committee.

Qatari investment in the North Africans economy and issues in OPEC have contributed to Algerias decision to stay out of the ATQ. Earlier this year, Qatar invested in a $2 billion mega steel plant in eastern Algeria. As OPEC members, Qatar and Algeria pushed the cartel to secure a reduced production agreement while Riyadh and Abu Dhabi disagreed with Algiers on what production strategy OPEC should embrace.

The future of Libya and the threat of the conflict spilling into Algeria are factors that have fueled some tension between Algeria and the ATQ. While Egypt and the UAE have supported Gen. Khalifa Hifter's Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, Algeria has seen Cairo and Abu Dhabis involvement in Libya as undermining the Maghrebs security. Algiers has supported settling the Libyan civil war through an inclusive and diplomatic strategy that relies on Tunisian Islamists moderating influence. From Egypt and the UAEs perspective, the "Tunisian model" is highly dangerous and threatens to consolidate Muslim Brotherhood power in North Africa. In contrast to ATQ members, Qatar has supported Libyas internationally recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli and backed Misratan fighters who played the most pivotal on-the-ground roles in defeating the Islamic State in Sirte a year ago with American support from the air.

For nearly seven years, North Africa has been an arena where Qatar and the UAE have competed for influence. The political gains that Islamists scored in post-Hosni Mubarak Egypt, post-Moammar Gadhafi Libya, post-Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Tunisia, as well as in Morocco unsettled Abu Dhabi and other GCC capitals  with the notable exception of Doha  in the earlier phase of the Arab Spring. The military-led ouster of Mohammed Morsi, Egypts Qatari-backed Muslim Brotherhood president in 2013; Ennahdas loss of an election in Tunisia; and the eruption of Libyas civil war in mid-2014 all undermined Dohas vision of extending Qatars influence across Egypt and the Maghreb via Islamists. Since the tide began turning against Islamist factions that Doha backed, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have invested billions of dollars into Egypt and vowed to make investments across the Maghreb, and Abu Dhabi and Cairo have waged direct military interventions in Libya to bolster the LNA.

Algeria, which weathered the Arab Spring uprisings unlike Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, has been far less subject to the pressures that Doha and Abu Dhabis geopolitical competition has imposed on other North African countries. As one of the worlds leading producers and exporters of natural gas, Algeria, much like Gadhafis Libya, has possessed sufficient strategic leverage to chart its own independent course without sacrificing autonomy for financial aid from GCC states. There are many examples of Algiers refusing to support Riyadh and Abu Dhabis agenda in addition to Algerias response to the Qatar crisis. Algeria is known as Irans best friend in the Maghreb, and Algiers never opposed Bashar al-Assads regime during the Syrian crisis. The North African country has refused to designate Hezbollah or Hamas terrorist organizations, and Algeria has stayed out of the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen, as well as the 41-member Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.

Ultimately, Algeria is likely to continue investing in initiatives aimed at bolstering its partnership with Qatar. This approach is a product of Algiers not sharing the ATQs perceptions of the alleged Qatari threat, coupled with Algerias interest in securing more investment from the Arabian emirate. Moreover, Algeria views the ATQs vision for North Africa  chiefly in Libya  as harmful to its own security interests. What remains to be seen is what leverage the ATQ has over Algeria and what cards the countries blockading Qatar may possibly try to use to pressure Algiers into distancing itself from Doha and coming closer to Riyadhs geopolitical orbit.

Until then, Algeria and Qatar will probably maintain their statuses as two gas-rich Arab states that used their natural resource wealth to assert independence from the Saudi/UAE/Egypt shadow. Given the possibility of the Arab world undergoing major realignment in 2018 as the GCCs Qatar rift institutionalizes, the growth of Doha-Algiers relations has much potential to, by extension, also deepen Algerias relations with Iran and Turkey as Qatars two most important partners in the Middle East six and a half months into the GCC crisis.
December 20, 2017

CAIRO  Saudi TV has signed a contract for the exclusive broadcast of two Egyptian drama series across the Arab world beginning during Ramadan 2018. On Dec. 8, Khaled Madkhali, director of state-owned Saudi TV, tweeted that he had signed a contract with Magnum Productions to broadcast Hidden Worlds, starring the legendary Egyptian actor Adel Imam, and Tayeh, starring the popular Amr Youssef. In a separate tweet, Madkhali added that the move is supported by Saudi Culture Minister Awad al-Awad, noting that it represents a quantum leap for Saudi TV. The cost of this deal has not been disclosed.

At a Cairo press conference on Dec. 3, Madkhali explained that a fondness for Egyptian dramas because of popular actors like Imam will make Saudi TV a center of attention in the Gulf and larger Arab world. Saudi TV is free and accessible across the Middle East.

Madkhali also pointed out that the contract stipulates that the series not violate the norms of Saudi society, and thus must avoid crossing certain moral and political lines. He did not elaborate on the parameters. Although Magnum had originally planned to produce the series independently, it will now do so with input from the Saudis. Al-Monitor attempted to contact Magnum Productions for further details about the deal, but to no avail.

Magnum President Rami Imam said in a press statement released Dec. 9 that Saudi TV will have exclusive rights to re-runs for Tayeh and Hidden Worlds for 10 years in the region, except in Egypt.

The series agreement coincides with a social and cultural reform campaign launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to allow movie theaters to be opened and musical concert and comedy performances to be held in the kingdom.

The Egyptian director Magdy Ahmed Ali told Al-Monitor that the new openness in Saudi Arabia should be embraced and encouraged. Egyptian drama producers need to take advantage of this to strengthen the Egyptian cultural presence in the kingdom, he said, noting that the Magnum agreement will advance the Egyptian film and drama industries.

Ali also pointed out that the Saudi government's approach might allow Egyptian writers to convey ideas counter to the hard-line social practices that prevailed in the kingdom over the past decades, such as forcing women to cover their faces in public and banning muftis from listening to music. As for there being lines that should in theory never be crossed, Ali said, Egyptian art addresses situations and ideas through drama, and we seek to gain wider margins of freedom in this regard.

Ashraf Zaki, head of the Theatrical Professions Syndicate, believes the Saudis approached Magnum because Egypt is considered the Hollywood of the East, stressing that broadcasting actors such as Imam on Saudi screens will be met with acclaim in Saudi society. Zaki told Al-Monitor by phone that he hopes the Saudis will want to acquire rights to more Egyptian dramas and films down the line.

Magda Khairallah, an art critic, expects the Saudi agreement to help revitalize Egyptian artistic production, a first step toward opening more markets for Egyptian series and films. She told Al-Monitor that Saudi demand should also contribute to Egyptian producers being able to raise the price for distributors to acquire rights to titles.

Khairallah, however, expressed concern about artistic integrity and possible censorship. The Saudis are known to censor bedroom scenes, kissing and politics-related content.

Khairallah argued that art does not recognize limits or lines that are not to be crossed and that deleting scenes or blocking certain images ruins art and can put off audiences. Further, in light of there being conditions on the Egyptian series' content as per the Saudi-Magnum agreement, Khairallah remarked, Artworks alone are not enough to free societies from radical and extremist ideas. A comprehensive strategy is a must.

Screenwriter Wahid Hamed also had strong feelings about possible censorship, asserting, Any work produced under certain preconditions is bound to fail. Hamed told Al-Monitor that no good drama is produced based on prohibitions and that art in general is against such restrictions. He argues that if Saudi Arabia wants to engage with the free world, it must allow free writing, including on political and social freedom. If art becomes a [censored] product, then we can bid creativity farewell, Hamed said.

Director Camila Abu Zakri said to Al-Monitor, Despite the Saudi restrictions, we have to deal with the move as a gesture of hope that contributes to a broader cultural exchange between the two countries. Abu Zakri has directed several dramas that were shown on private channels in the Gulf, and some scenes were indeed deleted. She believes that the current intellectual developments in Saudi Arabia will have a positive impact on the region, and in Egypt in particular.

Abu Zakri cautioned, however, We understand the cultural heritage of Saudi society, but the real concern lies in possibly producing works only to satisfy Saudi TV. We have to be able to create works as we see fit, and Saudi TV can either accept or refuse to buy them.
December 19, 2017

CAIRO  When Egypt amended its constitution recently to establish penalties for depriving women of their inheritances, the amendment failed to specifically mention Christian women. Some observers think a direct reference is unnecessary, while others say such a legal measure is needed to counter deep-set traditions.

Many Coptic women, especially in rural areas and Upper Egypt, fall victim to the interpretation of customs and cultural norms as "law," and some people apply Sharia provisions to Coptic women.

For many years, Egyptian women's associations have been calling for a law making it a crime to deprive women of their inheritances. On Dec. 5, Egypt's parliament approved the amendment.

Christian inheritance provisions don't differentiate between men and women. Egyptian inheritance law, however, is based on Islamic law.

I am doing much better than my family in Upper Egypt, said Aida Abdel-Masih, a Coptic woman who said she was denied her due inheritance. My late father left us three houses and a number of shops, which were supposed to be equally divided between me and my younger brother, as we were the only living heirs after my mothers death. But to my surprise, my brother divided the inheritance between us according to Islamic law. I only got one-third.

"When I objected, he told me that I got more than anyone in our family would get in Upper Egypt, where women are denied inheritance altogether. The church intervened between us. To keep our dispute away from courts, I decided to take what I was offered.

Paul Halim, a spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, said inheritance isn't clearly defined in the New Testament the same way it is in Islamic tradition, but gender equality may be deduced from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians stressing that men and women are equal.

There are no Christian provisions for inheritance, "so some people who are influenced by customs and traditions prefer to distribute inheritance according to Islamic law, Halim told Al-Monitor. He also explained that when Coptic women resort to the church to complain about being deprived of their inheritance, the churchs role is limited to pastoral counseling.

Parliament member Abla al-Hawari said the amendment also "failed to tackle equality of shares in inheritance and rather focused only on deprivation of inheritance.

Hawari told Al-Monitor that Muslim and Christian women alike in Egypt are sometimes denied their due inheritance for fear it will eventually wind up in the hands of in-laws if the woman marries.

Criminalizing deprivation of inheritance is an urgent matter, she added. The inheritance of Coptic women could be regulated under a chapter in the law that governs inheritance shares in each religion instead of being regulated under the chapter criminalizing the deprivation of inheritance, she said.

Meanwhile, a number of parliament members submitted similar amendment proposals, including Nadia Henry, who told Al-Monitor that the inheritances of Coptic women can be resolved on a case-by-case basis. She pointed out that a judicial decision can be issued to divide the inheritance according to Christian beliefs. However, litigation in inheritance cases are often lengthy, she added.

Like Hawari, Henry noted that the penalties amendment doesn't address inheritance distribution, but Henry believes that issue should be covered by a draft amendment to the personal status law currently being discussed by civil society movements and human rights organizations. However, that amendment still needs work, she said.

I hope the proposal to amend the personal status law won't be discussed in parliament soon, as it includes several controversial issues that need careful and serious discussion, she told Al-Monitor. All Christian denominations in Egypt are supposed to submit their full version of the draft personal status law, which governs divorce, marriage and inheritance. This is how Coptic women's inheritance issues could be settled.

Mina Thabet, a researcher on minorities and vulnerable groups at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, also noted that, just like Muslim women, Coptic women suffer from gender-based injustice. In some regions of Upper Egypt where women are still completely deprived of their inheritance, if daughters of Christian families get some inheritance based on Islamic provisions, this is preferable to getting nothing at all.

Thabet further explained that the absence of legislation to determine inheritance shares specifically in Christian families has allowed some Coptic families  presenting tradition and cultural norms as law  to force their daughters into waiving their rights to full inheritance. But now the women have recourse because the amendment applies to Christians and Muslims alike, he said.

Parliament's claims that the amendment  has neglected the inheritance of Coptic women are logical, [but] the distribution of shares can be covered [separately] by special legislation for inheritance.

Calling for full equality in inheritance between men and women, whether in Islam or Christianity, as a step toward secularism, Thabet pointed to some Muslim-majority countries that have applied secular measures, such as Tunisia when it banned polygamy in 1956, even though it was allowed under Islamic Sharia.

The issue of Coptic women's inheritances remains to be settled, either with an amended Personal Status Law or on a case-by-case basis, which would take a lot of time. One thing is sure: With or without a specific law, a woman's right to her inheritance is just that  a right, not a privilege.
December 21, 2017

Iran appears to be preparing to normalize its relations with Iraqi Kurdistan after two tumultuous months in which it helped Baghdad bring the Kurds to their knees following their ill-fated Sept. 25 independence referendum. Iran has expanded its influence in Iraq by delivering on its promises to Baghdad, and in particular assisting the Popular Mobilization Units in retaking disputed territories from Kurdish forces, just as Iran promised before the referendum.

The September referendum on Kurdish independence has had disastrous consequences for the Kurds and for the cooperation that had emerged between Baghdad and Erbil during the Mosul campaign, former US Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones told a Senate committee Dec. 14. Following the referendum, [Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi] did what was needed. Now he is in a position to work toward reconciliation.

These and other comments by both Iranian and US officials confirm one important point about the situation in northern Iraq during the past few months, or perhaps even years: Iran and the United States were unified in their opposition to the referendum, and now appear again to agree  this time on pushing Abadi to reconcile with the Kurds. Iran seems to be doing so by resuming trade with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq after closing its land border crossings, a vital lifeline for the Kurdistan economy.

"We have decided to reopen these two [land border] crossings in one or two days, Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told reporters Dec. 17. Iran had previously opened one of its border crossings into Iraqi Kurdistan on Oct. 25. The day after Fazlis announcement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi announced that all border crossings had been reopened, without offering further details. Kurdish news agencies had reported that the crossings had been closed on Oct. 15.

The Iranian statements came after Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani reportedly asked Tehran to reopen its border crossings and normalize relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Iran's hard-line Kayhan Daily quoted an anonymous Kurdish official as saying that Barzani had told two Iranian delegations over the last month that he hoped Iran and the KRG would normalize relations and open a new chapter.

Since the Iraqi governments move to seize control of Kirkuk on Oct. 16, Barzani has sought to make amends with neighboring countries, particularly Iran. Barzani said Nov. 21 that the KRG would respect the Iraqi federal court's ruling that the Kurdistan referendum was unconstitutional. This helped convince Tehran that the Kurds were now repentant about having held the vote. At the same press conference, Barzani said, Iran is our neighbor. The Kurdistan Region shares a long border with Iran and we obviously want to have a good relationship with Iran.

Prior to the referendum, Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani warned the Iraqi Kurdish leadership of severe repercussions if the referendum were to take place, as reported by Al-Monitor. Without apparent interference from the United States, Soleimani delivered on those repercussions. Iran did indeed impose an economic blockade on the Kurdistan Region and assisted Iraqi security forces, including the Popular Mobilization Units, in pushing the Kurds out of disputed territories. A top Kurdish commander in Kirkuk, Wasta Rasul, told Kurdsat News on Dec. 15 how Iran pushed the Kurds to abandon Kirkuk without a fight. I received a phone call Oct. 14 from the Iranians, saying they wanted to meet me, he said. I sat down with them. There were nine people in the delegation and only one was Iraqi.  I turned to my colleague and smiled and said, We are negotiating with Iran, not Iraq.

The KRGs loss of Kirkuk was not just a territorial loss. The KRG also lost two oilfields near Kirkuk that it had claimed in the summer of 2014, when the Islamic State swooped across the north of Iraq and the peshmerga seized areas abandoned by the Iraqi army and police.

With the loss of revenue from the Kirkuk oilfields, the KRG has been brought to its knees. It has no option but to negotiate with its neighbors  including Iran. The KRG is currently unable to pay the salaries of employees of its bloated civil service, and it only provides around three hours of electricity a day to residents. On Dec. 18, protesters took to the streets to demand the resignation of the Kurdish political leadership. Demonstrators also set fire to the offices of the main political parties in the town of Piramagrun in Sulaimaniyah province, shouting, Thieves! Riot police intervened and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters.

Despite the apparent progress in terms of the reopening of the border crossings, sources close to the Iranians told Al-Monitor that Iran is not yet ready to fully normalize its relations with Iraqi Kurds  unless the officials who advocated for the referendum are off the political stage. Given Irans increasing influence in Iraq, it appears that the Kurds may have no option but to concede on this point, too.
December 21, 2017

Following police investigations into alleged bribe-taking and mob ties, Knesset member David Bitan resigned Dec. 20 as parliament coalition chairman. His resignation was expected and fitting. The surprise was in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus choice as Bitans successor.

Senior members of Netanyahus ruling coalition thought the prime minister would name Likud Knesset member Yoav Kisch to the important post. Netanyahu was even heard saying that Kischs clean record would help dispel the clouds of corruption covering his Likud Party. The logic was fairly simple: Given the heavy suspicions of graft against Bitan and his alleged entanglement with loan sharks, a man such as Kisch  a former fighter pilot and a straight shooter with a pleasant manner  would instill a measure of calm and tone down the anti-corruption campaign that has emerged on the political right (in addition to the one on the political left and center).

But when the time came, Netanyahu did the opposite. He appointed Knesset member David Amsalem, a man whose record is tainted by legislative proposals designed to undermine the police in order to help Netanyahu, who is under several criminal investigations. One such proposed bill, known as the Recommendations Law, would have prevented police from publicly disclosing their recommendations on whether to prosecute targets of investigation. This is the man chosen to be the face of the Likud and the coalition it leads in the post-Bitan era. Despite the damage wrought by his media appearances to the sane wing of the Likud, this non-elegant, outspoken politician will likely be the Likuds poster boy, at least until the next elections.

Netanyahu has undoubtedly adopted a strategic decision to continue eroding the rule of law, especially the power of the police force and its chief, Roni Alsheikh, whom Amsalem recently suggested should have his pay cut. The goal is clear: to pre-empt a likely police recommendation to indict Netanyahu (probably on charges of graft) by building up an image of the police as doing the bidding of the left and of the media in order to bring down Netanyahu and his allies. Netanyahu is casting off all pretensions of nonpartisanship, and his choice of Amsalem is the ultimate proof.

Bitans fall due to suspicions of criminality and the anointment of Amsalem will add fuel to the right-wing awakening against public corruption. It began bit by bit in recent weeks with a few opinion writers and journalists aligned with the religious right, who violated the taboo and started criticizing the corruption, Netanyahu, his circle and associates who are constantly in and out of interrogation rooms.

The call in a Nov. 22 op-ed in the Maariv newspaper by right-wing pundit Nadav Haetzni for Netanyahu to go home was the first harbinger of this trend. Haetzni wrote that Netanyahu had become a heavy liability for the nationalist camp, adding that even someone with a stellar political career has to know when its time. His column stirred up a storm, but it turned out he was not a lone voice. Since then, more and more adherents of religious Zionism have been speaking out against public corruption, even at the cost of being accused of helping the left bring down Netanyahu.

On Dec. 16, Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, head of the Orot Shaul Yeshiva, took part in the weekly anti-corruption protest on central Tel Avivs Rothschild Boulevard. Left-wing activist Eldad Yaniv and the former caretaker of Netanyahus official residence, Meni Naftali, are spearheading the demonstrations. The protests identification with the political left did not stop Cherlow, a highly respected ethics standard bearer on the religious right, from addressing the crowd on Rothschild Boulevard. He warned that corruption is a strategic threat to Israeli society. Abuse of power will push the country into an abyss.  We are at risk of losing [the publics] trust in the decision-makers. As expected, Cherlow came in for criticism from the right, especially the Likud.

Additional initiatives have emerged since then from that same milieu. One such prominent voice is that of Yoaz Hendel, a right-wing pundit who served for a short while as an adviser to Netanyahu. In his Dec. 18 column in the widely circulated Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Hendel explained why he had decided to speak out against corruption and could nonetheless not participate in the Tel Aviv protests. However, he added, he would demonstrate Dec. 23 in Jerusalems Zion Square, dubbed the Rothschild Boulevard of the right wing. He wrote, The national camp has to take a moral stand now. The fight against corruption cannot remain the domain of the opposition and of opponents of the occupation or of those hoping for a left-wing regime.

For now, two Likud Knesset backbenchers have announced their participation in the upcoming Jerusalem protest. They are Oren Hazan and Yehuda Glick, media darlings perceived as oddities. Also going are two respected lawmakers from the center-right Kulanu Party of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon: Rachel Azaria and Knesset faction leader Roy Folkman. Former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who resigned from the Likud, is cheering Hendels initiative and has taken to social media to call on right-wing protesters to show up at Zion Square. Its not a matter of right or left. The fight against corruption is not the domain of one side or another on the political map, he said.

For now, the numbers are small. The turnout that night will serve as an indication of the power and extent of the new initiative. But the awakening on the right is already creating tensions between two camps: the Likud versus national-religious circles who are coming out against public corruption. While Netanyahu is still able to maintain his party base and command its almost total obedience, even from senior ministers and Knesset members disgusted by his behavior, opposition is rearing its head within his own camp. Netanyahu did not expect it, thinking that all he had to do in order to maintain right-wing support and deter any intentions of revolt against him would be to warn that the left and the police were agitating to unseat the right.

Another politician on the right who should be aware of the critical voices is HaBayit HaYehudi Party chairman Naftali Bennett, because the anti-corruption protest is emanating mainly from among his voters. The right-wing settlers and religious Zionism elite, including police chief Alsheikh and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, are the partys own flesh and blood. Bennett will have to maneuver between his disinclination to be the one who brings down Netanyahu and his supporters demands that he take a moral stand. In that sense, Netanyahu should start worrying.
December 22, 2017

For more than a decade, the leaders of Fatah hoped to hear the kind of announcement that Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar made on Dec. 20. At a meeting with representatives of the various civil defense organizations in the Gaza Strip, Sinwar declared that his movement had made a strategic decision not to govern or administer the Gaza Strip anymore. Sinwar noted that the division among the Palestinian people "harmed all of us as a people and as a liberation movement," and he even admitted what no one before him dared to say. The split with the Palestinian Authority (PA) hurt Hamas as a resistance movement.

A Fatah source in Gaza told Al-Monitor that Sinwar's remarks came as a surprise to the PA. He pointed out that the general impression is that Sinwar did not make the statement only to push forward with the Palestinian reconciliation agreement. The remarks emerged also from a deep realization that the Hamas leadership cannot have it both ways.

Ever since the PA was thrown out of Gaza in disgrace in 2007 during the coup orchestrated by Hamas' military wing, Fatah's leaders were convinced that the rival movement would come begging the PA to take back the reins of power. In fact, this was the very strategy taken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when he decided to follow the advice of his closest advisers and disengage from Gaza. They argued that economic pressure would force Hamas to realize that they can't play a double game. They cannot fight against Israel while at the same time demanding that it allow the transfer of goods and raw materials.

It took over a decade for the leaders of Hamas to recognize the inherent contradiction in their actions and admit that they had made a fatal mistake that not only cost thousands of Palestinian lives, but also brought the Gaza Strip to economic ruin. Many Gaza residents are now dependent on support from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine just to survive. It is what saves them from starvation.

Today, over a decade after the coup  a period that seems like an eternity to the people of Gaza  Sinwar admits wholeheartedly: We made a mistake. We lack the ability and means to govern almost 2 million people, and in our arrogance we cast them into a state of indigence, hunger and desperation.

Three important points should be noted about Sinwar's statement:

The leaders of Hamas and its institutions, including the Shura Council, regard the decision to give up control of the government in Gaza as a strategic move. As such, the movement's political wing, but also its military wing, will have to fall into line.

So far, Hamas has been forced to compromise on what it considers core principles in order to continue ruling in Gaza. This was evident in the past few days when Ismail Haniyeh called for a new intifada. At the same time, the movement's military wing stopped Salafist activists from firing rockets at Israel, since that would get Hamas "into trouble." Activities such as this have caused other groups in Gaza to argue defiantly that Hamas has lost its way.

The failed government of Gaza will have implications on Hamas' aspirations in the West Bank and the moves it makes to achieve those goals. If Hamas failed in Gaza, why should it aspire to "conquer" the West Bank, where the geographic and civil situation is far more complicated than in Gaza?

Sinwar's dramatic but honest remarks were directed at Abbas. He called on him to derive the right conclusions from President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 Jerusalem declaration and to move ahead with reconciliation. On Dec. 21, the day after Sinwars statement, Sinwar released a statement to the press in which he made a frank admission: Whoever doesnt see that reconciliation is collapsing is blind. Actually, only a blind person could not see the obstacles that both sides would have to overcome before they start celebrating their reconciliation.

From the moment they signed the reconciliation agreement, control over the security forces in Gaza has been the core argument between the two parties. As far as Hamas is concerned, giving up the military wing is akin to surrender and suicide. As far as Abbas is concerned, this condition is non-negotiable.

Do Sinwar and the other Hamas leaders believe they will be able to convince Abbas to move forward with the reconciliation despite this dispute? It seems that way. A source in Hamas told Al-Monitor that when it comes to the military and security forces operating in Gaza, Hamas told the PA that it would be impossible to do anything overnight and that it would have to happen gradually. In other words, they would have to reach an agreement that the split is over and that the PA and its president are running civilian affairs in Gaza, while building the trust to establish a single Palestinian army subject to the president's orders.

The idea that Hamas is toying with now is that the Palestinian police forces responsible for internal security in the Gaza Strip would come under the command of the PA, while Hamas would continue to keep its Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades as a separate organization. Just as Fatah has its Tanzim faction and Palestinian Islamic Jihad has its Al-Quds Brigades, Hamas would continue to have its own military wing as a "weapon of resistance."

This brings us right back to where we started. It is doubtful that Abbas will be ready to accept the ungenerous proposals offered by Hamas. On the other hand, Fatah can regard Sinwar's statement as an achievement and tell Hamas, "We told you so."
By PTI: Rewa (MP), Dec 22 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today laid the foundation stone for the "worlds largest" ultra mega solar power plant at Gurh tehsil in the district.

The green energy generated at this station will be provided to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to run its trains in the national capital.

"It is a matter of happiness that the foundation stone for the worlds largest solar plant is laid at Gurh. It will generate maximum green power without any pollution. Earlier, electricity was generated using thermal and hydro sources and it (thermal) causes lot of damage to the environment," Chouhan said while addressing a function on the occasion.

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According to an official, the solar plant will generate 750 MW electricity and is being established with at an investment of Rs 4,500 crore. It will spread in an area of nearly 1,600 hectares land.

"The green energy to be produced at this plant will be supplied to Delhi Metro trains for its operations. An agreement was already inked to supply 24 per cent energy to the public transport in the national capital for the purpose. Rest of it will be supplied to the state," the official added.

During his address, Chouhan also said, "Sun is the biggest source of energy. Therefore, this should be tapped in a major way instead of going for coal and hydro. People will get cheaper power through it and it will not even affect the health of the masses."

He said his government is committed to provide food, clothes, houses and medicine to poor people as that is their only wish.

"We have made schemes to ensure that poor get these facilities, and framed laws to provide land lease to the people, so that they get permanent houses," he said.

Chouhan said that in the past, electricity was generated in Vindhya region using coal and water, but now it will be produced through solar energy and waste material.

According to an official, under the plant, three units of 250 MW each will be established. The cost of per unit of power will be less than Rs three.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN) have joined hands and are facilitating the work of setting up the plant with the help of private players.

On the occasion, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh, also inaugurated Soubhagya Yojna aimed at providing electricity to all the households in the country. PTI COR MAS LAL NP

--- ENDS ---
December 21, 2017

On Dec. 18, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley took the opportunity of a periodic Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East, which generally focuses on the injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, to attack the organization for being what she termed a disproportionately hostile place for the Middle Easts most enduring democracy. Luckily for the top American diplomat, she was not born in an ultra-Orthodox family in Jerusalem, the city whose name she has been citing repeatedly in recent days. Ultra-Orthodox women from Jerusalem do not get to be governors or members of Congress and can only dream of an ambassadorial appointment.

The ruling coalition of the most enduring democracy in the Middle East includes two ultra-Orthodox political parties that have never been represented by a woman. They have never had a single female representative in Israels local governments either, nor have they ever had a female representative in the Israeli foreign service. On the other hand, the Republic of Iran, notorious for its religious fanaticism, has 17 women members of parliament. Afghanistan, Tunisia, Sudan and South Sudan leave the only democracy in the Middle East behind in terms of womens parliamentary participation.

Israel is among the few states in the Middle East, and the only one in the West, that has for decades practiced gender-based discrimination  in addition to discrimination on grounds of nationality, ethnicity and religion, with which this column has dealt extensively in the past.

Article 6 in the bylaws of the ultra-Orthodox Agudat Yisrael Party  one of two parties that make up the Yahadut HaTorah faction in the Knesset  stipulates that a party member must be an adult male over the age of 18 who observes religious law, fears God and identifies with the party and its goals. Note that this must be a man, not a woman. Rabbi Mordechai Blau, No. 48 on the partys potential Knesset list and head of the partys guardians of sanctity and modesty, threatened in 2014 that ultra-Orthodox feminists agitating for political power would be ostracized and boycotted, their marriages annulled and their children banned from party-run schools. The Shas Party, which represents ultra-Orthodox Jews of Sephardi (Eastern) origin, also forbids women from running for public office but is careful not to anchor this offensive edict in any official document.

The State of Israel is complicit in the fact that in its almost 70-year history, only one ultra-Orthodox woman has served in the Knesset  Tzvia Greenfeld, a member of the liberal Meretz Party. The top echelons of public service elected for local and national governing bodies will continue to exclude some 400,000 ultra-Orthodox women who constitute 4.5% of the population.

On Dec. 20, the Supreme Court held a hearing on a petition filed by ultra-Orthodox women against the states registrar of political parties and Agudat Yisrael. In an opinion submitted to the court ahead of the hearing, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit warned against state intervention and invalidation of the partys bylaws on women. He noted that banning discrimination of women was a deeply rooted principle in Israeli society, and he even agreed that sweeping disqualification of people based on their affiliation or gender was a serious act, especially when directed against a minority within a minority.

Mandelblit conceded that he had not been presented with any explanation of why women should be precluded from party membership. And after all was said and done, the governments top legal representative asked the court to reject the petition. The reason: The special nature of the political party arena that requires optimum flexibility in accepting ideas and worldviews, even those that are not in tune with the basic principles of the system, and that challenge the perceptions of the general public.

Although the position of Mandelblit, himself a religious man, is unacceptable, it is understandable. Enforcement of the principle of gender equality on the countrys ultra-Orthodox parties would generate a political crisis that could result in the governments downfall. But how can a woman representing a major democratic power such as the United States praise a democratic regime that discriminates against women? What happened to female solidarity? How does a woman ambassador to the UN ignore a flagrant violation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women?

The convention, which Israel ratified in 1991, requires signatories to take all appropriate steps to abolish discrimination against women in political and public life. It specifically says women must be granted conditions equal to those of men as far as the right to vote in all elections and referendums and be eligible for election to all elected bodies. It also specifically spells out that signatories are committed to ensuring womens participation in the formulation of government policy and the implementation thereof and their right to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government.

Estee Rieder Indursky and Esty Shushan are co-directors of an ultra-Orthodox feminist group Nivcharot (Chosen Women) that advocates for increased political representation of ultra-Orthodox women. In an opinion column last year in Haaretz, they wrote that their suffragette mothers at the beginning of the 20th century fought for the right to formulate laws and participate in decision-making. In the 21st century, they added, these rights are being withheld from ultra-Orthodox women such as themselves. Ultra-Orthodox male politicians justify the exclusion of women from the public sector with the two-faced ancient Jewish saying, The princess' honor is best displayed in private. (Tehilim 45:14) Mandelblit seeks to perpetuate this dubious honor by arguing that the legislator and courts have recognized that there are situations in which cultural singularity can justify behavior that normally would be discriminatory or an injury to liberty.

Would Mandelblit also defend the right of a political party dedicated to salvaging the countrys democracy to run for the Knesset with a bylaw that excludes ultra-Orthodox men? Is defense of the principle of equality in Israel not a fitting cultural singularity? And what would Mandelblit say if, one day, the Knesset adopts a law citing cultural singularity as justifying exclusionary Jews-only cities and neighborhoods? Wait a minute: Such a legislative proposal is currently under Knesset debate in the Middle Easts most enduring democracy. Someone should tell Mrs. Haley.
December 22, 2017

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin went to Damascus Dec. 18 to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Their agenda focused on post-war restoration: Russia particularly eyes cooperation with Syrian authorities on oil drilling, energy, agriculture and infrastructure projects. Rogozin also went to the Russian air base in Khmeimim to address a session dedicated to the operational use of Russian arms.

Remarkably, at a meeting with Rogozin, Assad called the Kurds fighting under American command traitors. This is rather telling of Assad's mood. Now that large Islamic State (IS) enclaves have been demolished, the problem of compromise between Assad and the opposition, and the question of the regimes stability without foreign support, have become the most important aspects of the Syrian conflict.

Moscow repeatedly points out that the successful functioning of de-escalation zones creates the environment for political resolution of the Syrian conflict and boosts the trust between the regime and the opposition. So when Russian President Vladimir Putin made his dramatic statement Dec. 11 about victory over IS and gave yet another order to withdraw troops from Syria, this instruction hardly mentioned the military police force  which is predominantly composed of Sunni Muslims from the Northern Caucasus. According to Sergey Surovikin, the commander of Russia's military group, since Putins order went into effect, only one unit of the police has been withdrawn back to Russia, quite possibly from eastern Aleppo, which is controlled by the regime and is not included in any de-escalation zone.

The Kremlins idea to summon the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and to later embed its results into the stalling Geneva process is fully based on the four existing de-escalation zones. The Kurdish Afrin district may theoretically also become a new de-escalation zone. However, to function steadily, the zones need stability on the lines of contact between government forces and the opposition. With the existing system of control over the cease-fire allowing punitive measures only against the opposition, it is profitable for Damascus and Tehran to delay any real political dialogue with the dissidents, especially as the world community still hasnt precisely defined the principles of the transition stage that should lead to actual reforms in Assads regime.

The Syrian government is evidently ready for dialogue with the opposition and even for some sort of integration with it, provided opposition forces disarm under conditions set by Damascus. Yet that won't lead to a political solution, but will rather look like an enforcement to surrender. That means the regime has every possibility to launch an assault on the de-escalation zones under the excuse of anti-terrorist operations, based specifically on the numerous foreign or local pro-Iranian groups. In theory, the fact that Russia devised the de-escalation zones and has positioned its military contingent there should have an impact over its allies, although the reality is different.

In theory, the fact that Russia devised the de-escalation zones and has positioned its military contingent there should have an impact over its allies, although the reality is different.

Moscow seems to understand that it succeeded in establishing its goals for settling the Syrian crisis over other foreign agents: The United States has no comprehensive plan for managing the problem, and the Gulf nations are busy arguing with each other. Yet Russia doesnt have full control over its allies; neither does it want a fight with them.

The situation in the de-escalation zones is a good example of a "peculiar view" of the peace process by the pro-Damascus coalition. In the Idlib zone, the allied Assad forces and pro-Iranian groups move toward each other from northern Hama and southern Aleppo heading to Abu al-Duhur air base. Their goal is to give the regime control of one-third of the zone. This scenario probably was agreed upon in the negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, within the framework of the fight against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a radical Islamist alliance. However, the Russian Ministry of Defense's map shows one-third of the zone has already been given to Damascus without any explanation, raising concerns over the potential for discreet cutting off of territories from other de-escalation zones. The Syrian government, with Moscows quiet consent, also continues to fight in the East Ghouta zone against two insurgent groups that signed the cease-fire agreements in Cairo and Geneva.

In terms of its conflict potential, the situation in the southern de-escalation zone seems to be most complex. Although the zone was a product of the Astana negotiations, it is functioning under special conditions designed in the framework of the Jordan agreement by Russia and the United States. Israel, however, claims the agreements do not prevent pro-Iranian groups from conducting actions near Israel's border. Rumor had it that, during his October visit to Israel, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu agreed to create a buffer area of 5-10 miles around the border between Syria and Israel in the de-escalation zone, free of Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militants.

"It's clear that pro-Iranian troops being positioned near Israeli and Jordanian borders is unacceptable for Israel and the US, but Moscow can't prohibit Tehran from doing it, as the [Syrian] regime's stability depends on the powers supporting it. Russia only makes hints about it, while Iran either pretends not to understand the clues or rotates the troops, which doesn't change much [to the positive side for Israel], a source close to Russian army intelligence told Al-Monitor. Thus Moscow cannot put a cap on the logistical route from Iran to Syria for Tehran, which, according to some reports, has already started to send trial weapon installments.

To avoid awkward inquiries, Moscow even uses diplomatic ploys to "answer" questions about withdrawing the Iranian proxy powers. If we mention pro-Iranian groups, maybe someone will be tempted to dub the entire Syrian army as pro-Iranian. So what, should it surrender? said Sergey Lavrov, Russias foreign minister, adding that the most serious threat comes now from American "charges," such as various foreign terrorist gangs tagging along with the US-supported armed opposition groups.

Damascus and Tehran enjoy the public silence about cease-fire violations, understanding that the political agreement on southwestern Syria largely allows both pro-Iranian groups and al-Qaeda affiliates to enter the area. Radicalization of the opposition in this respect is a good excuse for conducting operations in the de-escalation zones, more so when subjective foreign policy factors are added. With Arab-Israeli heated rhetoric on the rise and anti-American sentiments flaring up in the Arab world over US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Assads forces and Hezbollah started to position the troops for a new assault in the southwestern de-escalation zone. Also, Damascus is making appeals to attack the opposition in response to Israeli strikes on government forces designed to mark its red lines for the pro-Iranian groups.

In this situation, Moscow's position is important, and Russia can't always distance itself from the Iran-Israeli rivalry in Syria. However, since the Israel Defense Forces' assault in December, some experts on Russia are afraid that, using the defense of Syrian sovereignty as an excuse, Russia has started to send warning signals to Israel, meanwhile testing its arms in battle. For instance, during the December series of attacks that the Israeli military has launched on Syrian facilities, Russian media reported that a Pantsir-S1 air defense system had shot down an Israeli long-range attack, or LORA, missile around al-Kiswah area south of Damascus. Syria was provided with the last installment of Pantsir-S1 in 2013, although it's highly doubtful that the Syrian army is capable of stopping weapons as complex as a quasi-ballistic missile or a multiple rocket launcher.

To alleviate the escalation, it's logical to rely on the Druze armed groups included in Syria's pro-government National Defense Forces. However, since the Druze people also cooperate with Israel, they might minimize the influence of the pro-Iranian forces in the area. Yet Tehran and Damascus are unlikely to reduce their ambitions. Despite the claims about peaceful resolution, Assads regime will gradually integrate the opposition-controlled areas by force while imitating the willingness to yield concessions.
December 21, 2017

Russia's Dec. 11 announcement of its intention to reduce the number of its military forces operating in Syria was the second such declaration since the Russian intervention started on Sept. 30, 2015. The first time Moscow announced a partial pullout was on March 15, 2016, about six months after the start of the Russian campaign in Syria.

However, the intensity of subsequent Russian airstrikes against areas controlled by the Syrian opposition, as well as the regime's subsequent gains on the ground, raised doubts among opposition ranks and the international community about the seriousness of the first withdrawal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Dec. 11 the start of a partial pullout of Russian troops after holding talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, during his visit to the Hmeimim military base in Latakia on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

The Russian withdrawal announcement was again met with skepticism by the United States, which has military bases and soldiers on Syrian soil. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway said on Dec. 11 that Russian comments about the withdrawal of troops from Syria do not necessarily mean the actual reduction of troops.

The alleged reason behind Russia's partial pullout is the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) and the liberation of IS' strongholds, which was the main task behind Russia's intervention in Syria, according to Russian military and political sources.

The withdrawal declaration comes after Sergei Rudzkoy, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operations Department, announced in a press conference Dec. 7 that Russian jets had carried out more than 100 sorties in the final phase of the operation and launched at least 250 airstrikes against IS members and sites.

The Russian reduction in troops could serve as an opportunity for Iran, a long-time ally and supporter of the Syrian president. Iran is likely to continue supporting cross-border militias and other forces, to strengthen its military presence and fill the vacuum on the ground left by the withdrawal of Russian troops, especially in the main cantons controlled by opposition forces, such as eastern Aleppo, parts of Homs and others areas.

Iran's intervention alongside the regime's forces could further deteriorate the situation on the ground amid international divisions and the end of the eight round of the Geneva talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition, which concluded without any breakthroughs. This factor comes as UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura blamed the Syrian regime delegation for the failure of the talks.

The deadlock may encourage the regime's Iran-backed forces to carry out military action against opposition forces, thereby threatening the de-escalation agreement reached in May between Russia, Iran and Turkey. It would also jeopardize the political process in Geneva and destroy any chances of a political solution. With Russian air cover, Syrian forces and their allies are still trying to advance in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus  a de-escalation zone  while also heading towards Idlib and its southeastern administrative border for the first time in three years.

Iranian support for the Syrian regime is enabling it to press for more territorial gains. Observers fear Tehran's backing would disincentivize the regime's desire to negotiate with the opposition and reach a political solution. "Iran continues to incite the regime to breach the agreements in order to undermine the negotiations," Ahmed Ramadan, member of the political body of the Syrian National Coalition for Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, told Al-Monitor. "The Geneva negotiations and the political process cannot remain manipulated by the regime and Iran."

The Syrian opposition seems divided in its analysis of Russia's partial pullout and its reflection on the political solution and negotiations. It does not have a unified answer to the possibility that Iran and its militias could exploit the Russian effort in their favor because they seek to strengthen their influence and presence in Syria.

Iran had noted that its forces will remain in Syria even after the defeat of IS and that it will continue to cooperate with the government in Damascus. On Nov. 8, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior international affairs adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had announced that Syrian forces would begin operations after ousting IS from eastern Syria to recapture Idlib in the northwest of the country, asserting Iranian support in the reconstruction phase.

Ramadan does not believe that the Russian partial pullout will have any significant impact at the political level, nor will it really affect the levels of Russian control and intervention on the ground. Russia is strengthening its influence on the political, security and field levels, and this shows the control it has on the Syrian regime," he said.

He explained to Al-Monitor that, at this stage, the only way the Russians will have influence on the political settlement process is if Moscow decides to fully support the Geneva negotiations and the political transition and to implement its obligations in the Astana Agreement, where [Russia] presented itself as guarantors of the regime but failed to fulfill its obligations to stop escalation, namely: implementing a cease-fire, lifting the siege on blockaded cities, releasing detainees and revealing the fate of abductees and missing persons."

Supposedly, the partial pullout of Russian forces from Syria would be in accordance with the requirements of the current stage of the conflict and in line with the launch of a genuine negotiation process in Geneva under the auspices of the UN and thereafter paving the way for peace talks.

Meanwhile, in the Syria's north, the United States is keeping a number of its troops and training about 2,000 soldiers, and Iran is still supporting forces fighting on the ground and taking advantage of any opportunity to expand, gain influence and control territory. The Iranians are even building military bases near Damascus.

All this happens amid optimism prevailing among some opposition circles about the seriousness of Russian efforts to find a real political solution in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

In this vein, Muhannad Delikan, a member of Moscow's platform of the Syrian opposition delegation, told Al-Monitor that the "Russian statements about reducing the number of troops operating in Syria generally usher a very close political solution. The Russians are pressing for a political solution that must be implemented immediately."

Commenting on whether Iran would take advantage of the Russian pullout from Syrian territory, he asserted that "the political solution is the only thing that will fill the vacuum left by the Russians in Syria."

This statement comes at a time when the Syrian opposition is demanding the withdrawal of all foreign forces. "The withdrawal of all foreign forces will be done within the framework of a political solution under UN Security Council Resolution 2254," Delikan said.

He does not believe that the breaches of the de-escalation will continue, because "the general inclination is to suppress those attempting to escalate the situation. At this juncture, escalation attempts would undermine the political solution. But the regional and internal inclinations are all in the direction of serious and ongoing negotiations and this would block and freeze any escalation."
December 22, 2017

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey  Twenty-six years after what Kurds call the Raperin (Uprising) occurred in the town of Ranya in northern Iraq, which pitted the Kurds against the Iraqi Baath regime, gunshots are once again being heard in the region. This time, however, the targets are different. This time, Kurds are attacking other Kurds. Street protests that were started by civil servants whose salaries have not been paid for months erupted in Sulaimaniyah Dec. 18 and spread like fire to many towns including Ranya.

Photographs spread of Kurdish people demonstrating for their salaries but also occasionally shouting freedom for Kirkuk. In Koye, a town close to the Kurdish capital city of Erbil, security forces intervened against protesters in front of government offices, but demonstrators managed to set part of a building on fire. Demonstrators then set fire to the premises of Gorran, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Kurdistan Islamic Union and the Kurdistan Islamic Union, as well as other official buildings. Similar incidents were reported in other Kurdish towns.

Street protests spread to Halepce, Kifri, Ranya, Pencewin and their peripheries. At Ranya, security forces intervened forcibly. The Turkish media reported that five people were killed and 93 were wounded.

The demonstrators dont appear to be organized. That makes manipulation of the popular reactions rather easy.

Everyone agrees that economic hardships set off the demonstrations and consequent clashes, but opinions and fears vary on the course of events. Associate professor Kamurqan Mantik of the political sciences faculty of Salahuddin University of Erbil said the region needs change.

People of Kurdistan are living in a deep crisis. The model of the political rule in Kurdistan has become obsolete. Political parties of the region have outlived their times, Mantik told Al-Monitor.

But this lack of organization is dangerous. We dont know who is behind the incidents. Will the incidents expand to become a popular uprising? There is a danger of bloodshed.  Another danger is Baghdad. The Iraqi government may wish to restore its authority and eradicate Kurdistan as an entity, Mantik said.

Mantik said demonstrations will be ineffective as long as they stay away from areas controlled by the KDP: The KDP today controls most of the government. So far, the uprising has not reached them and life seems normal.

Political analyst Siddik Hassan Sukru, who lives in Erbil, thinks what is happening is social unrest.

Living conditions of the people are bad. There is no work, no money, and the government is helpless to meet the demands of the people. People had reached the point of exploding, and they did. Regional states are also involved. Intelligence services are provoking violent actions that are not the work of the natives of the region. Watch for regional powers that want to erase the Kurdistan experience, Sukru told Al-Monitor.

Sukru said Turkey manipulates the demonstrations more than Iran does: I dont think Iran and Baghdad are involved. It contradicts with [Haider al-] Abadis interests.  I think Turkey is involved more than Iran because Ankara wants to break up the Kurdistan region. There is a 50-year-term accord between Turkey and the KDP, but we dont know what that entails. The expectation was for a crisis and splintering of the region after the referendum.

Sukru thinks the street protests will continue for a while but wont produce anything because the demonstrators are not organized.

It hasnt been clear whether it is Iranian, Turkish or some other hands that are behind the tension. But what is clear is the fury of the people with unpaid salaries and the myriad of economic and political problems. Abandoning Kirkuk under suspicious circumstances constituted a breaking point. Such developments were expected earlier but they were probably delayed because of the referendum.

Many people are convinced that regional powers are behind the events in Kurdistan. The question to be asked now is whether the Kurdish government will be able to cope with the crisis or is it the beginning of the end of the 26-year-old Kurdish government?
December 20, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not known for his diplomatic diligence when it comes to criticizing in the name of Islam. For quite a while, Saudi Arabia was the only country around which Erdogan and his advocates treaded rather carefully. Even during the Qatar crisis in June, Erdogan directed his displeasure toward the United States and struggled to convince Saudi Arabia, without angering the kingdom, to end the crisis.

Those days are over. Saudi Arabia no longer enjoys immunity from being thrashed by media who favor Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). On Nov. 9, speaking at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on womens entrepreneurship, Erdogan targeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans commitment to lead his country to "moderate Islam." Erdogan said, They are now trying to pump up this idea again. What is that? Moderate Islam! The patent on the term moderate Islam belongs to the West." Then Erdogan delivered a line he has said before: Islam cannot be [classified] as moderate or immoderate. Erdogan even went on to ridicule the Saudi regime for promoting moderate Islam when it didn't even allow women to drive until recently.

The gates of full-fledged criticism were opened Dec. 6 when US President Donald Trump officially announced his decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On Dec. 5, pro-AKP newspaper Sabahs outspoken columnist Hilal Kaplan tweeted about a New York Times article titled Talk of a Peace Plan That Snubs Palestinians Roils Middle East and commented, Now pretending to react, [this piece alleges] Saudi Arabia indeed accepts the agreement where Trump declares Jerusalem Israel's capital, making illegal settlements permanent and destroying the right of return for Palestinians. These are not unexpected from the crown prince. On Dec. 8, Kaplan retweeted detailed Turkish reporting of the same piece. She then posted in English, commenting on a video about what influenced Trumps Jerusalem decision. She concluded it was in part the "bromance" between Prince Mohammed and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior adviser.

On Dec. 13, Kaplan posted two consecutive tweets directly linking Israel and Saudi Arabia and openly ridiculing the crown prince. She wrote, When the [OIC] made the decision to recognize Palestine as a state, the Israeli intelligence minister invited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Israel and declared him 'the leader of the Arab world.' The one that made the declaration is the minister of Israeli intelligence! The Arab [public] must have been convinced," she joked. Then she added, Will the Islamic world recognize a 30-year-old man as its leader, who is known for his worldly indulgence, has paid no price for anything and has not sided with the Muslim world on any subject matter and whose name no one knew a year ago? Either the Israeli government has lost its marbles or they are really desperate. Finally, on Dec. 14, Kaplan penned a searing piece for Daily Sabah in English titled How Desperate Is Israel? She openly labeled Wahhabism  the kingdom's leading form of Islam known for being ultraconservative and intolerant of those who believe differently  as the source of almost all radical Islamic ideologies. This sort of a statement was unthinkable for the Daily Sabah to publish only a year ago.

Kaplan was not alone in openly and directly targeting Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Gulf. Here are a few examples of reporting from pro-AKP media outlets since Trumps Jerusalem decision:

Dec. 9: Sabah and Yeni Safak dailies reported, based on foreign media outlets, that Saudi Arabia had issued an order not to publicize Trumps decision.

Dec.13: Yeni Akit daily wrote that most Saudi media outlets ignored the OIC emergency meeting in Istanbul about Jerusalem.

Dec. 14: Yeni Safak reported that the semi-official media of Saudi Arabia had conducted an interview with a member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terror organization.

Dec. 16: Yeni Safak published that the Islamic State was using guns that came from the United States and Saudi Arabia, based on a recent study by Conflict Armament Research.

Dec. 17: Yeni Akit ran the headline Saudi Competes With the US in Treason. Referring to Trump as blond evil, the newspaper said Saudi Arabia is going out of its way to please the United States. The news pegged the crown prince as being to blame for such policies and for how the kingdom has turned away from the Muslim world.

Turkish social media was also up in arms that Saudi Arabia participated in the OIC Istanbul at the ministerial level along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt. Several readers who commented applauded Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's attendance at the Istanbul summit, while prominent Arab leaders were absent.

Yet the most interesting interpretation of all these came from Burhanettin Duran  the general coordinator of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), an Ankara-based think tank with close links to the AKP, and a columnist for Sabah. Durans piece was titled Jerusalem Summit and Saudis Loss of Legitimacy. He argued that the Istanbul submit obliged Saudi Arabia to condemn Trumps decision. Duran repeatedly highlighted the alliance among Washington, Tel Aviv and Riyadh, sometimes adding in the UAE and Egypt as well. The piece emphasized Saudi mistakes in Lebanon and Yemen. Duran claims the leadership of the Muslim world has shifted to non-Arabs, particularly to Iran and Turkey.

Despite the AKP-cheering statements of Duran, senior Turkish bureaucrats who have been following the Saudi media outlets, as well as the kingdoms actions snubbing Turkey, were more sober, clear and analytical in their evaluations. All bureaucrats spoke on the condition of anonymity. One senior bureaucrat working for the security establishment told Al-Monitor, Saudi Arabia has serious internal problems for which it seeks to find cover [by] destabilizing the region. Yemen, Lebanon and Qatar are vivid examples of this policy. The aggressive and high-risk rollers are in charge now in the kingdom, and that's against Turkish policies. We are yearning to establish a stable region, going back to the pre-2011 balance. That is why we supported the Astana process, he said, referring to Syrian peace negotiations in Kazakhstan.

Saudi Arabia along with the UAE openly supports the PKK with the justification of aiding forces against Iran. That is causing direct harm to our national interests, a junior bureaucrat added. When asked about why Turkey could not work in tandem with Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region, a senior bureaucrat commented, We cannot keep investing in a losing cause. Saudi Arabias allegedly anti-Iran policies in Yemen indeed strengthened Irans power in Yemen. Qatar and Iran were pushed together. They [Saudis] caused Sunnis to lose power in Lebanon. So beyond all the talk, indeed, Saudis are pushing for the expansion of Iranian influence in the region.

Turkish officials and pundits seem to agree the hotheaded crown princes sudden rise to power is to blame for the strain on Turkish-Saudi relations. Not long ago, the Turkish political elite was silent about the legitimacy of Saudi Arabia in the Muslim world, but now voices are emerging to urge Erdogan to first reclaim Mecca and Medina (two holy cities of Islam in Saudi Arabia) from the Saudis. As one Twitter user wrote, Israel will keep winning in Jerusalem as long as we cannot save Mecca and Medina from the Saudis.

While the pro-AKP media is jubilant to not have to become like Saudi Arabia and Egypt and is proud to stand up for Jerusalem and for having the courage to criticize Saudi Arabia directly, one cannot help but ask: What about the price paid for the tacit alliance and complacency with Saudi policies since 2011?

As the Turkish security elite see it, clearly Iran has again emerged as the winner of all these intra-Sunni conflicts. Will blaming it on all Wahhabis help Turks wind up on the winning side? Did Turkey establish a solid basis of cooperation with Iran prior to burning all bridges with the Saudis, or is this another one of Erdogans haphazard reactionary bursts?
December 21, 2017

In todays virtual world even a few lines on social media are enough to create a spat with geopolitical resonance. The recent tension between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates is the latest example of this.

It all began when UAEs Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed retweeted what Twitter user Ali al-Iraqi had posted. The tweet accused Ottoman-Turkish commander Fahreddin Pasha of usurping Arab wealth by deporting and exiling the local population of Medina during World War I. He described the pasha as the forefather of todays Turks  an implication referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his team. The retweet has created a massive uproar in Turkey, uniting almost every political bloc in outrage against Zayed. Erdogan and most of the opposition leaders lashed out at the UAEs foreign minister.

The uproar has pitted Turkey against the Saudi-UAE alliance and pushed it closer to Iran while uniting the highly polarized Turkish public opinion.

If Turkeys presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin had not responded to Zayed, the original tweet probably would not have drawn much attention. But Kalin responded by writing a highly polemical post.

It is a shame that @ABZayed, FM of UAE, retweets this propaganda lie that seeks to turn Turks & Arabs against one another, again, he wrote on his official Twitter account. It was Fahreddin Pasha who bravely defended Madina against the British plans then. Is attacking President Erdogan at all costs the new fashion now.

American historian Ryan Gingeras stepped into the online discussion with his expertise on late Ottoman history. Questioning the rationality of interpreting a criticism of Ottoman policy as an attack on Erdogan, he provided some historical insight in support of the accusations.

"The original tweet, in part, is not wrong. Large numbers of Medinas inhabitants was deported as far away as Anatolia on the suspicion of being traitors," he wrote.

Gingeras is a renowned historian on Ottoman-Turkish history who penned a series of books on the issue. One of the most famous is Fall of the Sultanate: The Great War and the End of the Ottoman Empire, 1908-1922. He is considered a reliable source on the matter.

However, it is not a matter of disputed interpretations of history, as most Turks have no idea who Fahreddin Pasha is  except those who have a particular interest in Ottoman-Turkish history. Pasha was dubbed the defender of Medina after a battle between Britain-supported Arab commander Sharif Hussein and the Ottoman forces. However, the latest brouhaha that erupted suddenly between Ankara and Abu Dhabi is not about what happened in the past  the matter is purely political.

The recent spat comes at a time when Erdogan, who is increasingly manifesting an anti-American stand following US President Donald Trumps Jerusalem decision, is seeking to resurrect the historical Ottoman grandeur. Hence, even a single retweet provides him with an opportunity to make a fiery speech to boost his attempts to unite the Muslim world under Turkeys leadership.

Indeed, he delivered a speech on live TV and lashed out at Zayed with extremely insulting and humiliating words. Erdogan also managed to mobilize opposition figures to follow suit.

Hey, the pathetic person who is slandering us: Where were your forefathers when Fahreddin Pasha was defending Medina? [] Arab people are our brothers. That said, the enmity of some leaders in Arab countries is meant to hide their own incompetence and even treason, Erdogan was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Reviving bad memories about the Arab-British alliance against the Ottoman Empire during World War I has been quite useful for Turkish leaders in consolidating their nationalist support base. Now, following the Jerusalem affair, the United States has replaced the role of Britain.

In addition, the Turkish leadership has already had qualms about the UAE. An article published less than a month ago in the government's mouthpiece Sabah daily reflects this. In the article, the UAE is accused of running schemes against Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hinted at the UAE when he said, We know that a country provided $3 billion in financial support for the coup attempt in Turkey, the Dec. 6 report said.

The report also claimed that the UAE used Ahval, an online news outlet critical of Erdogan, as a counterpropaganda tool against Turkey's president. "This website is financed by the Arab Weekly, in other words, by the UAE [] this media group, which is owned by the UAE, declared total war against Turkey," it continued.

Meanwhile, Ankara knows that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are inseparable allies supported by Washington. Thus, deterioration of the bilateral relationship between Turkey and the UAE will inevitably spill over into Ankaras ties with Riyadh and Washington.
Silk Way West Airlines, a growing cargo operator based in Azerbaijan, and Alaska Airlines on Thursday signed contracts with Boeing for two freighters apiece  but that is where the similarities ended. Silk Way West said it will take two 777-8s, the largest plane available from Boeing (NYSE: BA) and one so modern it isnt []
Samsung had introduced its new Galaxy A8 mid-range handsets quite recently, the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8 Plus (2018), and the company has just confirmed a release date for these two phones. During the announcement, the company said that the two phones will launch early next month, in January, and during a recent event in Vietnam, this Korea-based tech giant revealed that the two phones will launch in that country on January 6, and that probably indicates the release date in a number of other countries as well.

As far as Vietnam is concerned, the two phones will be priced at VND 10,990,000 ($482) and VND 13,490,000 ($592), which means that the two devices will cost less in Vietnam than they will in Europe. As a reminder, the company announced that the Galaxy A8 (2018) will cost 499 ($590) in Europe, while its larger sibling will be priced at 599 ($710). These two handsets are the companys very first mid-range phones to sport the Infinity display, which basically means that the two devices ship with really thin bezels all around, based on what weve seen from Samsungs flagship phones like the Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and Note 8. The Galaxy A8 (2018) handsets come with a conveniently-placed fingerprint scanner, unlike its premium counterparts, and the two devices sport a single camera on the back, while their displays sport rounded corners.

The Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8 Plus (2018) both sport two cameras up front, 16 and 8-megapixel snappers, while a 16-megapixel camera has been included on the back side of both devices. The Galaxy A8 (2018) features a 5.6-inch fullHD+ (2220 x 1080) Super AMOLED Infinity display, while its S8 Plus (2018) counterpart comes with a 6-inch fullHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity panel. Samsungs 14nm Exynos 7885 64-bit octa-core SoC fuels each of these handsets, while Android 7.1.1 Nougat comes pre-installed on both of them, along with Samsungs custom UI. The Galaxy A8 (2018) features 4GB of RAM and 32GB / 64GB of native storage, while the Galaxy A8 Plus (2018) comes with 4GB / 6GB of RAM and 32GB / 64GB of internal storage. It remains to be seen if the two phones will launch in Europe at the same time they will arrive in Vietnam, stay tuned.
Samsung India launched its latest Android offering in the form of an improved version of the Galaxy J7 Nxt, debuting yet another device meant to compete in the entry-level segment of the market. Mahesh Telecom already confirmed its set to start retailing the phone in the coming weeks and more wireless carriers are expected to do the same, with the handset now also being listed on Samsungs own store, though it still isnt available for purchase. Priced at Rs. 12,990 ($202), the Galaxy J7 Nxt is yet another addition to Samsungs portfolio specifically targeted at assisting the firm in taking on Xiaomi, its fiercest rival in India.

The newly announced Android smartphone retains the 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,280 by 720 pixels amounting to a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9. Samsungs own Exynos 7870 SoC still powers the device, with the octa-core silicon being clocked at 1.6GHz. With the release of the new model, the Galaxy J7 Nxt is now set to be sold in two variants, with the more affordable one featuring 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal flash memory, whereas the new model will ship with twice as much storage space and 3GB of RAM. The original handset debuted in the South Asian country in July and carries an Rs. 11,490 ($178) price tag. Both are available in Black and Gold, Samsung confirmed. Besides dual-SIM capabilities and a microSD card slot with support for up to 256GB of additional memory, the Galaxy J7 Nxt also boasts a 3,000mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.1, and 4G VoLTE compatibility.

The rear camera of the device is a 13-megapixel affair with an aperture of f/1.7, whereas its front-facing sensor is of the 5-megapixel variety, resting behind an f/2.2 lens. The Galaxy J7 Nxt runs Android 7.0 Nougat-based Samsung Experience out of the box and will likely be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo by mid-2018. Samsungs new entry-level offering is unlikely to make its way outside of India, with its Nxt-branded handsets usually remaining exclusive to the country, as was the case with the original Galaxy J7 Nxt model. The company is still the leading local phone vendor but may be overtaken by Xiaomi in 2018, with the Chinese tech giant currently recording staggering growth in India, according to numerous industry trackers.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is set to take a significant portion of Qualcomms business from Samsung next year, Nikkei reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The San Diego, California-based tech giant is reportedly planning to change its supplier for some core processor and modem chip models and will also be using TSMCs manufacturing operations to produce the Snapdragon 855, its next flagship silicon expected to debut in late 2018 and power high-end Android devices set to be released in 2019. Reports of Qualcomm replacing Samsung with TSMCs foundry originally emerged in mid-2017 and were essentially confirmed over the summer, with the two being set to work on a 7nm process node meant to serve as a basis for the successor to the recently announced Snapdragon 845.

While the Snapdragon 855 is to be based on TSMCs manufacturing process, it may still utilize Qualcomms own modems for Internet connectivity, whereas the ones sourced by the Taiwanese firm are more likely to be integrated into mid-range Snapdragon chips and Qualcomms entry-level Mobile Platform offerings, formerly known as the Snapdragon 200 series. Taking over a large portion of Qualcomms orders from Samsung would mark another notable win for TSMC whose business has been booming ever since the tech giant became the only supplier for core processors used by Apples iPhones in 2016. The last two high-end chips from Qualcomm were both manufactured using Samsungs 10nm FinFET process, much like their Exynos-branded peers from the South Korean company.

Qualcomm primarily opted to ditch Samsungs foundry because it wasnt able to keep up with TSMC and deliver a commercially viable 7nm solution in 2018, one industry executive claims. The U.S. semiconductor maker is still expected to return to Samsung in 2019 once the Seoul-based firm manages to complete the development of its 7nm process with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography that promises to make the solution even more efficient. Samsung is hence skipping regular 7nm chips in their entirety, at least as far as commercial applications are concerned. With the Korean juggernaut planning to more than triple its foundry business by 2022 and seize approximately a quarter of the global market, its success in doing so will largely depend on its performance in 2019 when it will directly take on TSMC as both will be offering 7nm EUV solutions by then, industry insiders claim. The first generation of TSMCs 7nm technology wont be based on EUV.
The Museum of Selfies will open in Los Angeles, and will house art inspired by selfies.

By India Today Web Desk: Take a look around yourself, and you'll find out just how big a phenomenon selfies are. Everybody is taking them, and we're sure you are as well. From sporting a duckface to striking poses, we've all done a lot for that perfect selfie. And now, this everyday phenomenon is being transformed into art by the Museum of Selfies.

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Yes, such a place has been conceptualised and will open to the public in Los Angeles, in January 2018!

Before you jump the gun and assume that any old selfie will find a place in this museum, hold up. The museum will actually hold art inspired by selfies, photo ops, and spaces created for people to take the perfect selfies for Instagram.

Also Read: Selfie-obsessed: 5 sure-shot ways of telling if you're a narcissist

The co-founders of the museum wanted a space that can be used to think about the role selfies play in our lives. "We definitely want people to laugh or be surprised by the entire exhibit," co-founder Tommy Honton was quoted as saying by Mashable. "So we have the visual humor where people walk up, and they engage with the space. And we're hoping they laugh, or they're surprised, or are amused, and that they can't help but want to take a picture with it."

"The relationship between people and art has changed," co-founder Tair Mamedov was quoted as saying. "Now people don't want to just be a silent consumer, they want to be a part of the art. There are many more selfies with the Mona Lisa than actual Mona Lisas."

Also Read: Just taking a selfie with your domestic help won't empower her; these 5 things will

Selfies are definitely more engaging, even if they can turn into an addiction sooner or later--especially if you're more concerned about taking a selfie with a sick or dying patient than caring about them, as has happened on occasion. Despite the many pitfalls of selfies, however, they continue to be a growing obsession with people across the globe.

Now that there's actually a space in the world where selfies will be engaged with on the level of art, we wonder how things will turn out. Going by the tone of the Museum of Selfies' Instagram account, the future looks quite funny and light hearted.

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HTCs VIVE has now revealed that it played a pivotal role in granting a Make-A-Wish Foundation wish that earned the foundations Georgia division the organizations Most Innovative Wish of the Year award, following the heartwarming story of efforts to virtually send seven-year-old Zayden Wright to Saturn. For those who may not already be aware, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is an organization that helps bring dreams to reality for children who suffer from life-threatening medical conditions. In the case of Zayden Wright, the young boy was born with a rare heart condition, resulting in 38 echocardiograms, six heart cauterizations, and no fewer than four open heart surgeries. His wish, as it turns out, was to visit Saturn. Thats an experience he described to his parents and the Make-A-Wish Foundation in astounding detail but which is ultimately not possible in the real world. However, the amount of detail he used to describe his wish ultimately allowed TRICK 3D  a studio dedicated to creating immersive content  in conjunction with VIVE and several volunteers, to recreate his imagined space itinerary in virtual reality, complete with the little green aliens dreamed up by Zayden.

TRICK 3D co-founder, Chad Eikhoff, says that denying the request to help in the effort was never an option. According to Eikhoff, this type of endeavor and experience is the inherent purpose of the technology. The only questions involved, he continues, were how the company could make the experience as real as possible, while still adhering to what 7-year-old Zayden expected. The company started by contacting VIVE for the companys VR hardware, with the headset being referred to as astronaut goggles as part of the overall experience being crafted. With the hardware sorted out, the company then turned to recreating the experience in the digital world, including the red spaceship Zayden had imagined the journey taking place in. Aside from the use of those astronaut goggles and the creation of the virtual side of the Saturn Mission, TRICK 3D made use of real-world props and created scenarios in order to augment the experience. Zayden wore a stylized astronaut costume, was greeted by a formation of 50 airmen at Dobbins Air Force Base, and virtually lifted off on May 1st alongside NASA astronaut LeRoy Chiao.

TRICK 3D has, of course, released a video revealing highlights from its work with Make-A-Wish foundation and other partners that took part in making Zayden Wrights wish come true. That has been included below and is well worth a watch for anybody interested in catching a glimpse of the experience given to Zayden.
Xiaomi is presently in the process of concluding an extremely successful year, having recently told bankers its beating its yearly revenue target by up to 18 percent, Reuters reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the companys expectations. As the Chinese OEM estimates its annual revenue to reach between $17 and $18 billion, some finance experts believe that figure can translate to $1 billion in net profit, i.e. earnings after all taxes and other expenses. Investors are likely to find such an achievement remarkable, especially given Xiaomis traditionally thin profit margins that are a result of its aggressive expansion strategy and a highly competitive approach to product pricing. According to the same sources, the Beijing-based tech giant is internally projected to have its net profits double in 2018.

Following several years of underwhelming performance that saw the company fail to maintain its 2014 momentum following its latest financing round and a massive valuation of $46 billion, Xiaomi decided to reorganize its operations after stretching itself too thin. Coupled with increasingly lucrative commitments to India where its currently close to overtaking Samsung as the largest phone vendor in the country, the firm was able to bounce back and reinvigorate investors optimism regarding its prospects. While an initial public offering was never highlighted as one of the companys main goals, the idea of organizing one anyway emerged at some point this year once it became clear that Xiaomi is set to bounce back in an impressive fashion, according to previous reports. The firm is said to presently be in the process of evaluating IPO pitches from banks as it has yet to decide whether to go public in New York or Hong Kong, though the latter scenario is understood to be far more likely.

With Xiaomi reportedly targeting a $50 billion valuation at a minimum, its believed to be the subject of the worlds largest tech IPO in 2018 as it looks to cash in on its newfound momentum by securing additional resources for both expanding and strengthening its global operations. The companys next major ambition is establishing itself as a major phone brand in the United States as its currently said to be negotiating with a number of stateside wireless carriers  the biggest smartphone distributors in the U.S.  like Verizon and AT&T who may start retailing its devices as soon as next year.
The French Navy Mistral-class amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014), with embarked U.S. Marines and Sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and TF 51/5, and the USS Lewis B. Puller (T-ESB 3) will conduct bilateral amphibious operations in the vicinity of Djibouti during the month of December 2017 during the two weeks multilateral amphibious exercise Alligator Dagger 17. (By Lt.Cmdr. Sandra Arnold, TF 51/5)



U.S. Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and French Navy sailors offload from a French landing catamaran at Arta Beach, Djibouti, while conduction amphibious training during Alligator Dagger. (Picture source DVIDS by Sgt. Jessica Lucio)

Approximately 1,000 U.S. and French troops trained together during the exercise to hone critical skill sets that are essential to ensuring regional stability, freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in this dynamic and challenging environment. The exercise continued the close cooperation between the U.S. and French Forces deployed on Tonnerre and to rehearse possible contingency operations to provide a highly ready and capable force for crisis response and combat operations.

The bilateral engagements focused on noncombatant evacuation operations; amphibious assaults; helicopter-borne raids; visit, board, search and seizure operations; air strikes; defense of the amphibious task force; integrated ground-and-air fires; tactical recovery of personnel; ground reconnaissance; medical casualty evacuations; combat marksmanship and quick reaction force and casualty evacuation rehearsals.

Alligator Dagger is the largest regional amphibious exercise to integrate and synchronize TF 51/5s warfighting capabilities with those of adjacent U.S. Naval Forces Special Operations Forces units to ensure they are postured and prepared to execute operations at sea, from the sea and ashore. The two-week combat rehearsal, launched from international waters off the coast of Djibouti and executed on land in the vicinity of Arta Beach, is synchronized with each incoming TF 51/5s subordinate vessels entry into the U.S. 5th Fleet.



This is the first time that French troops are involved in this recurring U.S. training exercise led by U.S. Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (TF 51/5). This bilateral combat rehearsal will provide a unique opportunity to enhance capabilities in critical mission sets inherent to the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps and our allies. Recurring training opportunities support the professional development of our forces and supports military-to-military relationship development.
By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar, Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: A hysteric crowd shouting 'Balasaheb Thackeray zindabad', an aerial view of a sea of followers ar the Shivaji Park ground... The camera looks over the shoulder of the leader who sways his shawl in his trademark style and greets the crowd with folded hands. At first glance, you would think it is Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, but a closer look reveals that it is in fact, Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

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Nawazuddin took to Twitter to share the teaser of the Bal Thackeray biopic, titled Thackeray, and said that it was "an honour and pride to portray the Real King of the Country on Screen (sic)."

The teaser was launched in Mumbai on Thursday by Amitabh Bachchan and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. Thackeray has been written by Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut, who will also produce the film. It will be directed by Abhijeet Panse.

At the launch of the teaser, Amitabh Bachchan showered praises on the late Shiv Sena supremo. "When Jaya and I got married, Balasaheb and Maa saheb (Mina tai Thackeray) welcomed Jaya like their daughter-in-law. Ever since then, my relations with the Thackeray family has been like a family," he reminisced.

Amitabh Bachchan also shared more memories with the Thackeray family. "When I met with an accident during Coolie, I was brought from Bangalore to Mumbai. It was raining and there were no ambulances available. At that time, it was the Shiv Sena ambulance which came to take me to the hospital. I will remain indebted to Balasaheb forever for this" he said.

"There was a time when I was subjected to several allegations. Balasaheb called me and asked whether there is any substance to it. He stood by me throughout," the Piku actor added.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is currently in Mauritius, made an appearance on video. Speaking in Marathi, the National Award-winning actor said, "It's an honour to portray Balasaheb on screen... I know it's a big responsibility, but I will not disappoint you."

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray was all praise for the film's teaser. "It's not an easy task to portray Balasaheb on screen... It's not a hero-heroine film... It's a film on a person who made common man a hero," Uddhav said.

WATCH THE TEASER HERE

ALSO WATCH: Nawazuddin alleges colour discrimination. Dark side of racist Bollywood?

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DCT

The second-generation Ceed , codenamed JD, made its debut at the 2012 edition of the Geneva Motor Show. Based on this sighting of the all-new model, theres no mistaking the 2018 Geneva Motor Show holds a similar surprise. And just like the current Ceed, production for European markets will take place at the automakers factory in Zilina, Slovakia.Screenshots captured from the spy video reveal the extent of the visual changes, with the Ceed III boasting more muscular wheel flares, LED headlights and taillights, as well as the requisite tiger-nose grille up front. As the driver shooting the video passes the car, its also apparent that the wheelbase and overall length overshadow those of the second-gen Ceed.The Kia-badged counterpart of the Hyundai i30 is confirmed to spawn at least four body styles: five-door hatchback (pictured), five-door station wagon, Proceed Concept-inspired shooting brake, and a crossover utility vehicle-like variant believed to replicate the likes of Fords Fiesta Active.The Ceed shooting brake is probably the most heavily anticipated of the four body styles, for it replaces the three-door Pro_ceed thats been struggling to make a case for itself as far as sales figures are concerned. With the Hyundai i30 also bidding farewell to the three-door hatchback derivative, the writing was on the wall for the unloved Pro_ceed as well.Being closely related to the i30, dont hold your breath for anything too different under the skin. To this effect, the Euro-spec Ceed will be available with anything from a 1.0-liter Turbo GDi three-cylinder engine to the 1.6four-cylinder turbo diesel.In addition to the standard manual transmission, the options list will contain the 7-speedof the i30. And with a bit of luck, the 8-speed wet-clutch DCT thats coming to the i30 N hot hatchback could also make the cut.An uncamouflaged Cee'd prototype also showed up in South Korea.
As you can tell from the video, the Huracan makes a left turn, waits for the pedestrians to cross, then the driver goes on to wherever he intended to go. Whats wrong with that, you might ask? As it happens, the signal lights were instructing cars turning left to wait for green, not to gas it on red.The Lamborghinis driver did exactly what he wasnt supposed to do, and as the 5.2-liter V10 of the Huracan started singing the song of its people, a nearby patrol officer gave chase to the 610-horsepower supercar on a bicycle. As if that wasnt funny enough, the bicycle in question is what the Japanese call chari bike, which translates to womens city bicycle.Against all odds, the pursuing officer who witnessed the traffic incident zipped down the sloping sidewalk with a little bit of help from gravity, catching up to the Huracan and telling the driver to pull over. The driver submits, and in another unexpected turn of events, the officer kneels down so that he can talk to the low-slung Italian supercars driver at eye level.From this position, the patrol cop proceeds to write a ticket, after which the two protagonists go their separate ways, and everyone lives happily ever after. If you thought that its strange for the Huracan driver not to resist getting a ticket, dont forget that politeness is an integral part of Japanese culture , and its utmost important to be humble when caught in the wrong.Even though the driver may have made an honest mistake by not paying attention to the traffic lights, its worthy of highlighting that he used the turn signal during the incident. In other words, its pretty obvious that it wasn't a deliberate offense. On that note, can you imagine a cop giving chase to a Lamborghini on a bicycle in the United States of America or Europe?
Lt. Col. Kevin Walsh, the Thunderbirds operations officer for the 2016 and 2017 show seasons, will command the squadron as Thunderbird No. 1 for the 2018 season. Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, Commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, removed Walshs predecessor, Lt. Col. Jason Heard, in November after losing confidence in Heards risk management style. Walsh has been serving as the squadrons interim commander since Heards removal. Kevins extensive flying experience and rapport within the Thunderbirds makes him a perfect fit to command the team, said Leavitt. I have full faith he will lead the team through a successful 2018 show season.

Walsh, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the USAF Weapons School, has logged over 2,600 flight hours and 500 combat hours, according to a Thunderbirds press release on his promotion. Before joining the Thunderbirds, Lt. Col. Walsh was an instructor for the European F-16 Weapons School in Leeuwarden Air Base, Netherlands. In addition to flying as team lead, Walsh will be responsible for the Demonstration Squadrons 130 enlisted personnel and 11 officers. The Thunderbirds celebrate their 65th season in 2018.
Boeing and Embraer confirmed on Thursday they are engaged in discussions regarding a potential combination, the basis of which remains under discussion. The brief statement was released after the Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing was in takeover talks with the Brazilian company. A merger would expand Boeings presence in the regional jet market and help it compete with a recent effort by Airbus to take over Bombardier, according to the Journal. The companies statement added: There is no guarantee a transaction will result from these discussions. Boeing and Embraer do not intend to make any additional comments regarding these discussions. Any transaction would be subject to the approval of the Brazilian government and regulators, the two companies boards and Embraers shareholders.

The Brazilian government has veto power over any such deal, and their approval is far from guaranteed, according to the Journal. Airbus and Bombardier partnered on the C Series program in October, and Airbus agreed to acquire a 50.01 percent stake in Bombardiers new C Series single-aisle jet. Under the agreement, Airbus provides procurement, sales and marketing, and customer support expertise to Bombardier. Embraershares rose more than 28 percent during trading on Thursday, after word got out about the talks.
22 December 2017 09:58 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 97 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on December 22.

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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The core committee's meeting with the probables, party office bearers and Central observers failed to reach out to a conclusion.

PK Dhumal's camp has not hung its boots and it still claiming the CM's post. (Photo: Twitter | @Sonal_MK)

By Manjeet Sehgal: Central BJP party observers Union Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman and Union Cabinet Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday returned to Delhi after the core committee's meeting with probables, MLAs and others failed to reach to a conclusion.

The observers on Friday met three Himachal MPs including Virender Kashyap, Ram Swaroop Sharma and Santa Kumar to finalise the name of the new Himachal chief minister. Dhumal's son Anurag Thakur did not turn up.

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The party despite having won a thumping majority has failed to take any decision on the chief minister's name even after five days of winning Assembly elections.

The Thursday meeting between the probables, including former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur, party office bearers, state party affairs incharge Mangal Pandey and others failed to reach out to a conclusion as the party remained a divided house and different camps staked claims to the chief ministerial post.

Interestingly, the two rival camps headed by Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur also went on to a show of strength before the meeting yesterday .

The show of strength also continued on Friday when Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur supporters openly shouted slogans in favour of their leaders.

This clearly means that the Dhumal camp has not yet hung up its boots and it is still claiming the chief ministerial post. Three of Prem Kumar Dhumal's staunch supporter MLAs have also offered to vacate their Assembly seats for him.

Sources say Dhumal has also claimed support of nearly two dozen party MLAs. Though Dhumal's candidature has weakened after he lost the Sujanpur Assembly election, but he still enjoys the support of almost half of the MLAs which goes against the top contender Jai Ram Thakur.

However, party sources said that MLAs from Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra were against Dhumal and were keen to elect their leader from the elected MLAs only.

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda is still believed to be in the race. His wife Mallika Nadda has also met BJP MLAs before heading to New Delhi.

Party observer Nirmala Sitharaman has said that they (observers) had come to get a word from the party MLAs about their choice but the final decision on chief minister's name will be taken by the BJP parliamentary board.

WATCH | Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Tomar will assess Himachal Pradesh's BJP leadership

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--- ENDS ---
22 December 2017 10:59 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Year 2017 turned out to be successful to some extent for the Azerbaijani banking sector, President of the Azerbaijan Banks Association (ABA) Zakir Nuriyev said at a ceremony to award banks and their partners in Baku on December 21.

Nuriyev added that despite 2017 was rather difficult, the measures that allow achieving the future goals were successfully implemented this year.

He stressed that this year banks have been able to restore their capital and the number of bank employees is growing again.

The awarding ceremony titled "Bank Awards" was held in Baku Dec. 21. Representatives of banks, the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FIMSA), and media outlets attended the event.

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22 December 2017 13:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Aygul Salmanova

The customs bodies of Azerbaijan and Iran will prepare a plan of activities in the framework of cooperation in the fight against customs offenses, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.

Representatives of the customs authorities of the two countries held a meeting, where they touched upon the issues of strengthening cooperation in combating customs violations and the exchange of primary data on goods and vehicles passing through the border.

An agreement was reached as a result of the meeting according to which Azerbaijan and Iran are completing the test regime and moving to an active exchange of primary information on goods and vehicles passing through the border of the two countries.

This exchange of information will make it possible to apply the "green corridor" system for goods and vehicles passing through the border and speed up their customs clearance, according to customs authorities.

The customs bodies of Azerbaijan and Iran will prepare a long-term plan for cooperation in the framework of combating customs violations and mutual assistance issues. This plan will be submitted for approval by the heads of customs services of the two countries.

Azerbaijan and Iran have had fruitful diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

Currently, the two countries are focused on expanding economic ties in various fields, including industry, agriculture, energy, alternative energy, and transportation.

Irans exports to Azerbaijan reached to highest level in the fiscal year to March 2013, when accounted to $493 million. But it sharply decreased in the two years of the sanctions against Tehran and reached the lowest level in the fiscal year to March 2016, standing at $231.8 million.

The figure revived by 55 percent (to $358 million) next year, when the Iranian economy was free of international sanctions.

Irans exports to Azerbaijan has gradually shifted from high price manufactured products such as shoes and dresses to raw materials such as cement, bitumen or potato in recent years, according to the TOPI.

The latest statistics by Irans customs administration indicates that Irans exports to Azerbaijan has experienced a fall by 7 percent during the first seven months of the current fiscal year to $237 million.

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22 December 2017 12:14 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani film " The Black Ribbon " by Amil Mamiyev has awarded the prize in "Best film" nomination at Hak-Is Short Film Festival in Tukrey.

The male lead Elkhan Abbasov was named the best actor at the festival.

The winners were awarded by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Numan Kurtulmush, Trend Life reported.

"The Black Ribbon" is a dramatic story set in Baku and near the settlement of refugees of Hadzhikabul city  in Qizilburun.

The name of the movie is related to a tree of wishes, tied up by black tapes which can be seen as a metaphor of the sad events occurring in Karabakh. The movie describes the mode of life of the refugees, their sense of longing for Karabakh.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on the country. Since a war in the early 1990s. As a result of the ensuing war, 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 screenwriter and the production director of the movie is Amil Mamiyev, operator-director is Rauf Gurbanaliyev, production designer-Aziz Mammadov, and artistic director-Jamil Guliyev.

"The Black Ribbon" was produced by Arif Safarov and Mushfig Gatamov.

The cast includes Vidadi Aliyev, Elkhan Abbasov, Rasim Jafar, Ayshad Mammadov, Mezakhir Gashimov and others.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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22 December 2017 11:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A solo exhibition titled "Beauty and monumentality" on the 90th jubilee of People's Artist, sculptor, rector of the State Academy of Fine Arts Omar Eldarov opened at the Heydar Aliyev Center on December 21.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the opening ceremony.

The participants in the event included state and government officials, MPs, acclaimed scientists, cultural and art figures.

Assistant to the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Anar Alakbarov read out congratulatory message of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva addressed to Omar Eldarov on the occasion of his 90th jubilee.

Addressing the event, Omar Eldarov thanked President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva for recognizing his activities.

He noted that he is proud of receiving the highest award of Azerbaijan, "Heydar Aliyev" Order. The prominent sculptor highlighted national leader Heydar Aliyev's attention to cultural and art figures.

Leyla Aliyeva also congratulated the outstanding sculptor on his jubilee and wished him new successes in his creative activities.

Omar Eldarov thanked President Aliyev, Mehriban Aliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva for attention.

The event participants then viewed the exhibition.

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22 December 2017 13:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall will host a concert timed to World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day.

Azerbaijan State Song and Dance Ensemble, National State Orchestra of Folk Instruments will share the stage on December 28. The concert starts at 19:00.

The gala concert will feature soundtracks from the famous world films such as Sherlock Holmes, Brigada, Zorro, Pink Panther, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Godfather, The Mother-in-law, Babek , Dede Gorgud and much more.

Tickets for the concert can be purchased at all the ticket offices of the city.

December 31 marks the Solidarity Day of the World Azerbaijanis. The last day of December is annually celebrated as a day of Azerbaijani unity.

The main idea of this holiday is the unity and solidarity of the Azerbaijanis from all over the world, respect of national and spiritual values, as well as belongingness to the historical homeland.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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22 December 2017 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

An exhibition titled "Unity of Islamic Civilization and Culture" will open in the Cultural Center of the Iranian Embassy in Baku on December 25.

About 200 artworks of 150 brush masters will be put on display, Azertac reported.

To be held within the "Islamic Solidarity Year", the exhibition will last one day. At the end, brush masters will be awarded with diplomas and certificates.

The exhibition is supported by Azerbaijan Union of Artists, the Cultural center of Iranian embassy, the Embassy of Palestine in Baku and the Turkish Embassy's Culture and Promotion Council.

The event is organized by artist Aygun Iskandarova. The project manager is Elnura Iskandarova.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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22 December 2017 10:28 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Pakistan condemns the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and refuses to recognize Armenia as a state, Trend quoted Deputy Chairman of Pakistans Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.

He made the remarks at an international conference titled 2017  Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue, which kicked off in Baku on December 21.

Haideri noted that his country will stand on its position until Armenia fulfills UN resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, because Pakistan attaches great importance to fraternal relations with Azerbaijan.

Pakistan backed Azerbaijan during and after the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh war, and it is the only country that does not recognize Armenia as a state. Pakistan also adopted a resolution strongly condemning the genocide against Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly town in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was committed by the Armenian armed forces.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no tangible results so far.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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21 December 2017 15:06 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received State Adviser to the President of Uzbekistan Rustam Kamilov on December 21.

President Aliyev thanked Uzbekistan for attending the 2017- Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue international conference in Baku with a high-level delegation.

The president stressed the importance of the fact that brotherly Uzbekistan also hosted a conference as part of the Year of Islamic Solidarity.

State Adviser Rustam Kamilov conveyed President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev's greetings to President Aliyev. Kamilov noted that the two countries have many similar approaches to the protection and preservation of tolerance.

Highlighting the significance of tolerance, Kamilov said it is important that people co-exist and try to ensure development of the country. Kamilov noted that reviving Islamic traditions, preserving and passing Islamic heritage to next generations are one of the key priorities in Uzbekistan.

President Aliyev thanked for the greetings of President Mirziyoyev and asked the state adviser to extend his greetings to the Uzbek president.

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22 December 2017 10:02 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The fifth Azerbaijan-Russia Youth Forum on the theme "New generation: boundless responsibility" was held in Baku.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the opening ceremony of the forum.

Addressing the event, Azerbaijan`s minister of youth and sport Azad Rahimov highlighted the country`s youth policy. The minister underlined measures to support youth development, improve healthcare and education opportunities and organize effective leisure activities for them. "President Ilham Aliyev always takes care of young people and pays special attention to their problems," Rahimov noted. The minister singled out the State Program on "Azerbaijani Youth for 2017-2021" approved by the executive order of the head of state.

He said that the Ministry of Youth and Sport cooperates with 65 countries in the field of youth and sports. "This year, we, for the first time, organized a lab for preparing talented teenagers in an international format. A large Azerbaijani delegation attended the 19th Youth and Students Festival in Sochi, Russia," the minister added.

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22 December 2017 09:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijan makes a great contribution to Islamic solidarity, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

He made the remarks addressing the opening ceremony of the international conference titled 2017  Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue in Baku on December 21.

"Azerbaijan is a country with ancient history. The Azerbaijani people have maintained and preserved their national and moral values for centuries. Islamic values are main components of the national moral values," said President Aliyev.

The Azerbaijani president described religious tranquility, mutual understanding, unity between Muslims, and excellent regulation of interfaith relations as major factors that make Azerbaijan more powerful.

"Our nation has ancient history. Our religious architectural monuments bear a clear evidence of this. We are proud to have one of the most ancient mosques in the Muslim world, which was constructed in 743, and which has been preserved by the Azerbaijani people and underwent a major overhaul several years ago. It is Juma mosque in the city of Shamakhi, which is our great wealth. This mosque demonstrates that Azerbaijan is an ancient Muslim land," said President Ilham Aliyev.

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By PTI: United Nations, Dec 22 (PTI) There are no terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, a senior diplomat has told the UN Security Council during a discussion on the security situation in Afghanistan.

The denial from Pakistan came at a time when, both US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have warned Islamabad of having terror safe havens in its soil.

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"There are no such safe havens. The only havens that exist for the insurgents -- and for Daesh and other terrorists -are within the 40 per cent of Afghan territory, which is outside the control of the Afghan government," Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi said in her address to an open debate on Afghanistan.

Lodhi told the Security Council that peace will not be restored by the continuing resort to military force.

Indeed, it is evident after years of war, that neither Kabul and the coalition, nor the Afghan Taliban, can impose a military solution on each other, she said.

"The promotion of a political settlement and the pursuit of a military solution are mutually incompatible. You cannot kill and talk at the same time. Another resort to the military option will not produce a result different from the past. It will not break the impasse much less yield a political solution," the Pakistani diplomat said.

Lodhi said 16 years of war, waged by the worlds most powerful forces against an insurgency of irregulars, has not yielded a military solution.

This failure cannot be explained away by alleging the existence of safe havens for the insurgency across the border, she said.

"Apart from the conflict between the Afghan government and the Taliban-led insurgency, a new and vicious threat has emerged in Afghanistan: the presence of a conglomerate of terrorists from various parts of the world: the TIP, ETIM; IMU and other groups which have all now adopted the umbrella of Daesh," she said.

"These terrorists are now located in the 40 per cent of Afghan territory which, according to a recent US Pentagon report is either out of Kabuls control or is contested. It appears that Daeshs "core", under pressure in Iraq and Syria, may be relocating to these ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan," Lodhi said.

Observing that securing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and preventing cross border terrorism is essential for both countries, Lodhi said this can be achieved only through constant vigilance, effective management and real-time communication.

Terrorists should not be allowed to provoke clashes between our border security forces, she said. PTI LKJ AJR

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22 December 2017 10:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Participants of the 2017 - Year of Islamic Solidarity: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue international conference made a statement to heads of state, international organizations, and religious leaders.

According to the statement, the participants appreciate joint conferences on interreligious dialogue held in Azerbaijan, Finland, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Uzbekistan and Spain during 2017 within the "Year of Islamic Solidarity" announced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who attaches great importance to protection and development of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, national, cultural and religious values and traditions. They also expressed appreciation for President Aliyevs attention and support for these events.

The participants welcome the messages of the presidents of Turkey, Iran and Uzbekistan, as well as the Holy See, the Ecumenical Patriarch, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

The participants emphasized the importance of supporting cultural diversity, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, as well as the related cooperation at international level in an atmosphere of mutual respect and mutual understanding, regarding it as a guarantor of peace and security.

The participants also confirm the importance of continuing the Baku process, launched in 2008 with the goal of preventing global threats, as well as relevant initiatives, and intensifying efforts in this direction.

They express deep concern over increasing incidents of discrimination, xenophobia, terrorism, separatism, extremism, as well as national, religious and ethnic intolerance, the mass flow of refugees and internally displaced people, destruction of monuments and temples, as well as destruction of religious temples, cultural monuments and historical values by terrorist and separatist groups.

The participants stressed that Islam and all religions, having the universal values, make an indispensable contribution to the world civilization, culture and heritage, contribute to peace, justice and humanism.

They emphasize that Islamic solidarity plays an important role in the development of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, the promotion of universal human values in the world and their transfer to future generations.

They stress the importance of multiplying the efforts of the international community to end armed conflicts that impede sustainable development, tranquility, stability and security.

The participants urge the countries, the UN and other international and regional organizations, as well as religious leaders to continue to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation.

The participants urge the countries, the UN and other international and regional organizations to take effective measures to prevent politically motivated and purposefully incited xenophobia and Islamophobia, acts of terrorism, abuse of the name of Islam, and crimes against humanity.

They call on the international community to unite efforts through UN's central coordinating role in effective counteraction of threats and risks to international stability and security, as well as to prevent terrorism, aggressive separatism and extremism that engender conflict and flow of refugees, internally displaced people and migrants.

The participants reaffirm their commitment to the UN Charter and universally recognized international norms and principles, in particular the sovereign equality of countries, their territorial integrity and the inviolability of international borders.

They call for making contribution to a speedy, peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Stressing the unacceptability of the political processes taking place around Jerusalem, which is sacred for all religions, the participants call for exerting more efforts to find a peaceful solution to this issue based on respect for each religion and culture in accordance with international norms, principles and UN resolutions.

They also call on the international community to be vigilant about the status quo of religious communities in Jerusalem in accordance with international law.

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22 December 2017 10:35 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov invited Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Angelino Alfano to visit Azerbaijan during a phone conversation Dec. 21, said the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Alfano accepted Mammadyarov's invitation.

Gratification with comprehensive development of relations between Azerbaijan and Italy was expressed during the phone conversation.

The fact that Italy is the main trade partner of Azerbaijan among the member-states of the Council of Europe was also stressed.

Views on further developing trade and economic relations were exchanged.

The sides stressed successful energy cooperation between the two countries.

Mammadyarov also congratulated his counterpart that Italy assumed the status of the OSCE Chairmanship in 2018 and wished the Italian side success.

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22 December 2017 11:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The closing ceremony of IT project for ladies with hearing and speech disorders has been held in Baku.

The project was financially supported by the Youth Foundation under the President of Azerbaijan, ASAN Volunteers, the E-Government Training and Education Center, IT STEP Academy and Femmes Digitales (IT -club of women of Azerbaijan), Trend Life reported. The organizational support was provided by YARAT Contemporary art space and youth public association "Cavan".

The project involved ladies with hearing and speech disorders aged between 16-30 years.

The author of the idea Turana Gasimova stressed that her project aims to master the skills of IT technologies of people with disabilities, in order to further assimilate programs at the professional level as well as to integrate into society.

About twelve classes in basic and office programs, graphic design, coding, robot technology, e-government, etc., were organized as part of the project.

Hearing and speech disorders do not interfere with work on the computer. Almost all the information comes from the screen, and the soundtrack is optional. On the other hand, digital technologies allow you to compensate and overcome the limitations associated with hearing loss, partial or complete deafness, speech disorders.

Modern hearing aids, both portable and implantable, are specialized microcomputers. A home computer, among other things, is a universal music and video player. For people with hearing impairments, it offers interesting possibilities: the connection of some models of hearing aids to the audio output, the reproduction of films with subtitles. There are a number of programs designed for people with hearing and speech. They help master sign language, reading on the lips, correct speech deficiencies. You can work with such programs yourself, and with the teacher of the deaf.

The secretary of Azerbaijani Writers' Union, President of the PEN club, world-famous writer Chingiz Abdullayev awarded certificates to the participants. The best ladies in the field of IT technologies will be provided with work in various companies.

Media partners of the event are Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Azernews.az

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22 December 2017 16:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Aygul Salmanova

The Register of Enterprises of Latvia has registered Azerbaijan Trade House Ltd, according to the countrys Economy Ministry.

The company is established with the aim of managing the Trade House of Azerbaijan in Latvia.

The trade house will support promotion of Azerbaijani products under the Made in Azerbaijan brand in Latvia, marketing research, participation in exhibitions and other activities related to the promotion of Azerbaijani goods.

President Aliyev signed a relevant decree on January 26, and endorsed the economy minister to appoint trade representatives to the countrys diplomatic missions abroad and open trade houses.

Trade houses in foreign countries will facilitate the export process, promote an export of competitive Azerbaijani production and enable the countries to expand trade operations.

As of today, 92 trademarks of Azerbaijan are protected under the Made in Azerbaijan brand, while the countrys total outputs nears 250 kinds of products in food, light, heavy and construction industries. The brand is highly successful in regional and world markets, and Azerbaijans local output meets all the necessary standards.

The first Trade House of Azerbaijan was opened in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, on May 26 to facilitate the export process, promote an export of competitive Azerbaijani production and enable the countries to expand trade operations. Today, alcoholic products, natural juices, jams, cosmetics and other products of Azerbaijan are displayed in the Trade House.

The country also plans to open its second Trade House in Arkhangelsk region, Russia. The opening of the Trade House, which will be located in one of the historical buildings in Arkhangelsk, is expected to be a good driver for the development of economic and cultural-educational cooperation between Arkhangelsk and Azerbaijan.

As for Latvia, the country recognized the independence of Azerbaijan in 1992 and two years later, the sides started diplomatic relations. It considers Azerbaijan an important partner in the field of transit and logistics in the South Caucasus region.

Priority areas of cooperation between the two countries include joint investment projects, effective use of international transportation corridors, education, agriculture, construction, tourism and health.

The trade turnover with Latvia in the 11 months of 2017 amounted to 14.04 million dollars, having increased 1.8 times as compared to the same period in 2016, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.

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22 December 2017 18:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The total volume of direct investments attracted to the oil and gas sector of Azerbaijan amounted to $3.771 billion in January-September.

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) reported that the total amount of attracted direct foreign investments to Azerbaijan amounted to $4.5 billion during the reporting period. The share of oil and gas sector in the structure of investments equaled to 83.8 percent.

The growth in net financial liabilities for the oil and gas sector ($1.68 billion) in the item of direct investments in the balance of payments was formed from the difference between the attracted investments ($3.77 billion) and repatriation of capital ($2.09 billion).

It is estimated that the total amount of direct investment attracted to the non-oil sector is $728.7 million.

Azerbaijan has a large number of oil and gas fields and promising structures in the Caspian Sea. One of them is the block of oil and gas fields Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG), proven oil reserves of which are estimated at 1.2 billion tons, while gas reserves-350 billion cubic meters.

Another large field is the Shah Deniz gas condensate field, reserves of which are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas. Within the second stage of field development, the volume of gas production can be increased to 24 billion cubic meters per year, according to forecasts.

There are also such deposits as Absheron (350 billion cubic meters), Umid (200 billion cubic meters), and the promising structure of Babek (400 billion cubic meters).

Azerbaijani gas is currently exported directly by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan SOCAR to Iran and Georgia, and by the Shah-Deniz consortium via the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline to Georgia and Turkey.

The overwhelming part of oil produced in Azerbaijan falls on ACG block. Almost all oil from the block is exported by the BakuTbilisiCeyhan (BTC) pipeline.

Azerbaijan's oil is exported from the country not only in raw form, but also in the form of oil products. The countrys only oil producer is SOCAR.

Azerbaijans oil products are exported to such countries as Turkey, Georgia, Italy, Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Singapore, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Malta, Libya, Romania, China, Spain, Bahamas and others.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
22 December 2017 11:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Russia will grant Turkey a loan to partially finance Ankaras purchase of S-400 air defense missile systems, with deliveries expected to begin in late 2019 - early 2020, Russian presidential aide for military and technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin said on Thursday, TASS reported.

"All the issues have been resolved and I discussed this theme while literally entering this hall. The contract is entering the implementation stage actually in coming days. A part of the contract will be paid for by the Turkish side and the other part will be covered by a loan granted by the Russian side," the presidential aide said.

"The deliveries will begin in late 2019 - early 2020," he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in September that Ankara had inked a deal with Moscow on the purchase of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and had made an advance payment.

Chief Executive of Russias state hi-tech corporation Rostec Sergei Chemezov told TASS on November 2 that the deal for the delivery of S-400 air defense missile systems to Turkey was worth over $2 billion.

Russias S-400 Triumf is the latest long-range antiaircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles, and can also be used against ground objectives.

The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km.

Russian Aerospace Force Deputy Commander-in-Chief Viktor Gumyonny said in April that missiles capable of destroying targets in outer space had started arriving for the S-400 systems.

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22 December 2017 12:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes the UN General Assembly's clear-cut rejection of a U.S. decision on Jerusalems status.

Erdogan wrote on Twitter: "We welcome with great pleasure the UN General Assemblys overwhelming support for a historic resolution on Al-Quds Al-Sharif."

We expect the Trump administration to rescind without further delay its unfortunate decision, whose illegality has been clearly established by UNGA, Erdogan added.

The UN on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem, calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's capital, despite threats by the U.S. President Donald Trump to cut aid to those countries who voted against the move.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the resolution, nine countries voted against and 35 others abstained.

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Fredericksburg-based Virginia Interventional Associates celebrated its 10-year anniversary Dec. 7.

Here's what you should know:

1. The practice, started by a group of interventional radiologists as part of Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg, opened the doors to its Fredericksburg location in January 2007.

2. Since then it has expanded to a second location in Stafford, Va.

3. VIVA is now a team of eight physicians, including two vascular surgeons.

4. VIVA is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.

Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg CEO Ed Swager said, "Were celebrating this milestone as a way of honoring the dedication of those who have now provided service to more than 100,000 patients and continue to offer the only outpatient Interventional Radiology and Vascular Surgery practice in the Fredericksburg region."
Humana acquired 40 percent minority interest in one of Kindred's businesses in the midst of a healthcare consolidation wave.

On the heals of CVS Health's acquisition of Aetna and UnitedHealthcare's plans to acquire DaVita Medical Group, Humana signed an agreement to acquire minority interest in Kindred's homecare business.

Here are five things to know:

1. Humana will pay $800 million through a joint venture with equity ownership by TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, for minority interest in Kindred's homecare business, which covers the same geographic area as 65 percent of Humana's membership. The transaction includes related expenses to complete the separation from Kindred's long-term acute care and rehabilitation businesses.

The two private equity firms will separate Kindred at Home from the other businesses and form a joint venture with Humana to own Kindred at Home; Humana will own 40 percent and the two private equity firms will own 60 percent of the new entity, which includes around 40,000 caregivers who serve about 130,000 patients daily.

2. The acquisition will advance Humana's integrated care delivery strategy by making it easier for seniors with chronic conditions to engage healthcare providers. The move also is expected to spark growth in Kindred's homecare business, transforming it into a value-based care platform.

3. The deal is structured to give Humana a path to full ownership of Kindred's homecare business in three to five years with an exercise price in part determined by achieving certain clinical outcomes. Kindred at Home has annual revenues of around $2.5 billion.

4. Humana expects the transaction to close in the summer of 2018; it's still subject to customary state and federal regulatory approvals. Humana doesn't anticipate material impact to 2017 earnings from the pending transaction. The transaction will likely be slightly accretive to earnings per diluted common share in 2019 and beyond.

5. Morgan Stanley & Co. is the lead financial advisor to Humana and the sponsors while JPMorgan Chase is also acting as a lead financial advisor to the sponsors.
In an effort to reduce operating costs, all supervisory positions at Aberdeen, Wash.-based Grays Harbor Community Hospital will see a 10 percent pay cut beginning Jan.1, according to KXRO Morning News.

Only employees in salaried supervisor roles and administrative positions  including CEO Tom Jenson and COO Larry Kahl  will see a pay reduction. It will not affect Harbor Medical Group staff or members of UFCW 21, the labor union representing workers at Grays Harbor.

Hospital officials did not disclose the amount the salary reductions would save the organization. However, they said the salary reductions will be reevaluated in April to determine if further cost-saving measures are needed.

In addition to the salary reductions, the hospital is seeking to reduce staff by 20 full-time employees. These changes will come through reducing some staff hours, not filling vacant positions and outsourcing departments.
Pakistan has hit back at United States over Vice Presidents Mike Pence's remarks at the Bagram Airfield on Friday saying, "Allies do not put each other on notice."

By Geeta Mohan: Pakistan on Friday hit back at United States over Vice Presidents Mike Pence's remarks at the Bagram Airfield saying, "Allies do not put each other on notice."

In a surprise visit to Afghanistan during the festive season and for early celebrations of Christmas, Vice President Pence addressed American troops where he warned Pakistan for its continued support to terrorists and giving safe havens to terror organisations on its soil.

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"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Mr Pence said of Thursday.

Pakistan reacted sharply to US comments saying it doesn't behove a nation to speak of an ally in such a manner.

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Faisal in a statement said, "Allies do not put each other on notice. On notice should be those factors responsible for exponential increase in drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale corruption, breakdown of governance, and letting them gain a foothold in Afghanistan."

Speaking at the airbase, Mike Pence said, "As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists."

Blaming others for failures in tackling terrorism, Pakistan responded by saying that the focus should be on 'creating peace and reconciliation mechanisms'. Faisal said, "Externalizing blame should be put on notice."

This comes right after the Trump administration unveiled its National Security Strategy which also raised some serious concerns regarding terrorism and Pakistan while India's role in South Asia was praised by President Donald Trump.

In what was a morale boosting visit by the US Vice President for the troops stationed in Afghanistan, Pence highlighted America's military might and the powers bestowed upon the forces by none other than the President.

"We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy", he said.

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Allscripts enjoyed a year of acquisitions, top rankings and executives making waves.

Here are 10 of the most read stories about Allscripts reported by Becker's Hospital Review in 2017.

Allscripts completes acquisition of McKesson's health IT business

In October, Allscripts closed its acquisition of McKesson's Enterprise Information Solutions Business, which cost the company $185 million, "subject to an adjustment for net working capital and net debt." Read more.

Cerner, Allscripts win top EHR ranking from Black Book, Epic left off

A Black Book survey this year revealed EHR users at medical centers with more than 250 beds view Allscripts as a top vendor in client experience. Read more.

Allscripts CEO Paul Black talks McKesson acquisition, 2018 goals: 6 questions

This year, Becker's Hospital Review spoke with Allscripts CEO Paul Black about the company's goals in the post-McKesson acquisition era, working with third-party app developers and health IT trends to watch in 2018. Read more.

6 thoughts on population health with Allscripts Analytics CMO Dr. Fatima Paruk

Becker's Hospital Review caught up with Fatima Paruk, MD, CMO of Allscripts Analytics, to discuss first steps, everyday challenges and interesting findings Allscripts Analytics has explored in recent years. Read more.

Allscripts names interim CFO: 4 things to know

In May, Allscripts promoted Dennis Olis  the company's then senior vice president of strategic initiatives  interim CFO, a role he still holds. Read more.

Allscripts ranks No. 1 among top 11 digital health acquirers

This year, CBI Insights ranked Allscripts the most active acquirer of digital health companies, followed by Telus Health and Roper Technologies. Read more.

Allscripts to purchase NantHealth provider, patient engagement business

In August, the company entered into an agreement to buy NantHealth's provider and patient engagement solutions business. Read more.

Former Allscripts CEO lands $52M in startup funding

Livongo a Mountain View, Calif.-based diabetes management startup led by Glen Tullman, former CEO of Allscripts, raised an additional $52.5 million in funding this past March. Read more.

Allscripts EHR certified under ONC's latest health IT product criteria

Allscripts' Professional EHR achieved full certification under ONC's 2015 edition health IT product criteria in April. The EHR is now OK'ed for Modified Meaningful Use Stage 2, Meaningful Use Stage 3, Advancing Care Information and ACI transition requirements. Read more.

Allscripts wants to embed prices into prescribing workflow

In August, the company rolled out an initiative to bring real-time pricing information into prescribing workflows. As part of the initiative, Allscripts team members are working with payer and technology partners to ensure prescription price transparency at the point of care. Read more.

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Epic's Finland project creates a comprehensive EHR that emphasizes social care plans

20 hospitals, health systems seeking Allscripts, Cerner, Epic, Meditech talent

Representative introduces legislation to allow EHR clearinghouses work directly with patients
Piedmont Healthcare and Shepherd Center, both based in Atlanta, established a hospital-to-hospital EHR hosting agreement on the Epic platform, a first in Georgia.

Per the agreement, Shepherd Center will be brought onto Piedmont's Epic EHR. Patients will have a single record within Shepherd, Piedmont as well as other organizations that use the Epic platform. Shepherd Center will be able to share clinical information in real time.

The implementation will begin in early 2018 and is expected to be complete by February 2019, when Shepherd will begin using Piedmont's EHR.

"Shepherd Center is excited about the Epic Community Connect partnership with Piedmont," said Sarah Morrison, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. "With more than 50 percent of our patients requiring surgical or other acute medical care procedures at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, about 80 percent of our consulting physicians being Piedmont physicians, and more than 60 percent of our top referral sources already using Epic, this partnership makes strategic sense."
The following hospital and health system credit rating and outlook changes and affirmations took place in the last week, beginning with the most recent.

1. Fitch assigns 'AA' rating to Lurie Children's Hospital's bonds

Fitch Ratings assigned its "AA" rating to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago proposed $218.56 million series 2018 revenue refunding bonds.

2. Moody's upgrades Cullman Regional Medical Center to 'Baa3'

Moody's Investors Service upgraded Cullman (Ala.) Regional Medical Center to "Baa3" from "Ba1," affecting $59 million of rated debt.

3. Moody's downgrades Ingalls Health System to 'Baa2'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Harvey, Ill.-based Ingalls Health System to "Baa2" from "Baa1," affecting $61.5 million of debt.

4. S&P affirms 'A+' rating on Heritage Valley Health System

S&P Global Ratings affirmed Beaver, Pa.-based Heritage Valley Health System's "A+" rating on its series 2012 revenue bonds.

5. Moody's downgrades Milford Regional Medical Center to 'Ba1'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Milford (Mass.) Regional Medical Center's bonds to "Ba1" from "Baa3," affecting $107 million of rated debt.

6. S&P revises RWJBarnabas Health's outlook to positive

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "A+" rating on West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health's debt.

7. S&P assigns 'A' rating to UC Health

S&P Global Ratings assigned its "A" rating to Cincinnati-based UC Health's $145 million series 2017 revenue refunding bonds.
Top Texas leaders have entered an agreement with the federal government that extends the life of the state's Section 1115 Medicaid waiver, according to The Texas Tribune.

Under the Social Security Act, Section 1115 waivers allow states to test healthcare delivery models for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The deal extends Texas' waiver for another five years, and will provide the state with about $25 billion to care for lower-income and uninsured people at its nonprofit and county-owned hospitals.

Texas declined to expand its Medicaid program under the ACA. Therefore, the 1115 waiver, also known as a Medicaid transformation waiver, is vital to maintain the state's safety net.

"Failure to approve the 1115 waiver would have resulted in near catastrophic consequences for the state's most vulnerable populations," Ted Shaw, president and CEO of the Texas Hospital Association, told The Texas Tribune. "The waiver has been absolutely critical for increasing access to quality healthcare."

CMS first approved Texas' waiver, which was originally intended to help the state expand its privatized managed care insurance system for Medicaid patients, in 2011, according to the report.

More articles on healthcare finance:

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Financial updates from Cleveland Clinic, Ascension & 3 other health systems
Hospitals and health systems teamed up with health IT companies, startups and telehealth organizations this week to develop new initiatives, technologies and innovative projects.

Here are five of the most interesting health IT partnerships and collaborations reported by Becker's Hospital Review this week.

1. Meijer's 114 stores and pharmacies throughout Michigan have joined the state's prescription drug monitoring program in an effort to help curb the opioid crisis.

2. Cincinnati-based Mercy Health is joining forces with PatientPing, a health technology company focused on patient care coordination.

3. Castlight Health, a health navigation platform that connects health vendors, benefits resources and plan designs, completed new partnerships with five digital health companies and 26 new customers in its third quarter of 2017.

4. The Iowa Health Information Network signed a software-as-a-service agreement with the Koble Group, a Minnesota state-certified health information organization.

5. InTouch Health and Vivify Health are partnering to integrate Vivify Health's remote care management solutions with InTouch Health's telehealth platform.

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This tea company added 'blockchain' to its name and saw stocks soar 200%

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84k patient records exposed in November: 6 things to know
Washington, D.C.-based United Medical Center appointed Eric Li, MD, its interim CMO.

Dr. Li is currently chairman of pathology at UMC. He joined the medical center in 2016, initially overseeing anatomical and clinical pathology services. His prior experience includes serving as an attending pathologist at Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Lancaster, N.H.-based Weeks Hospital. He completed fellowship training in hepatic and gastrointestinal pathology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Dr. Li succeeds Julian Craig, MD, who was fired in November after accusing the firm managing the hospital of misconduct. His employment with the hospital ended Dec. 18.

Dr. Craig accused Veritas, the consulting firm managing the hospital, of encouraging physicians to admit patients who did not need medical treatment to boost revenue, improperly cutting his hours and ignoring programs focused on patient safety. The D.C. Council voted not to extend the management contract with Veritas, in part due to Dr. Craig's testimony, The Washington Post reported.
Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital, which is struggling financially and may end inpatient care in 2018, is extending CEO Joseph Webb's contract, according to a Tennessean report.

The contract was supposed to end Jan. 4, 2018, but the hospital's governing board voted to extend the contract until June 2018, with the option of renewal for another year. It isn't clear if Mr. Webb has accepted the contract, which includes the same terms as before.

Mr. Webb's performance was recently reviewed, and while some board members gave positive reviews, others expressed concerns over the outcome of the review.

Board member Sara Finley said "A number of things were identified where there were significant needs for improvement," according to the report.

However, another board member noted the hospital's need for stability, as it is facing an uncertain future. "We have a responsibility to this hospital and to this community, and a big part of that is leadership," said board member Frank Stevenson, the Tennessean reports.

The safety net hospital, which is owned by the city, recently underwent an audit of its finances for the fiscal year ended June 30. The auditors determined hospital management did not have proper oversight of transactions or activity of hospital accounts. Additionally, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry announced that the city was considering plans to halt inpatient care at the hospital by June 30, 2018.

Mayor Barry has convened an 11-member stakeholder team to help determine the administration's final proposal with regard to the hospital, according to the report.
Charles Fraser, MD, surgeon-in-chief with Texas Children's Hospital and co-director of its heart program, will step down after 23 years with the institution and stop treating patients this spring, according to the Houston Chronicle.

News of Dr. Fraser's resignation from the Houston-based hospital took many by surprise, according to the Chronicle. A hospital news release said the surgeon is leaving to pursue new professional opportunities.



A Texas Children's spokesperson said the surgeon is on vacation this week and was unable to provide additional information about his future plans or what prompted his decision to step down from the heart program, which U.S. News & World Report ranked as No. 1 in the specialty of pediatric cardiology in 2017.

Dr. Fraser, 59, is widely seen as successor to elite Houston heart surgeons Michael DeBakey, MD, and Denton Cooley, MD, the latter of whom he was especially close to.

In the internal news release, Texas Children's President and CEO Mark A. Wallace said Dr. Fraser "helped build a leading transplant program and a state-of-the-art cardiovascular surgical program that has performed more than 16,000 congenital cardiac repairs."

The release also included a quote from Dr. Fraser, according to the Chronicle:

"I am extremely proud of the work I have been able to accomplish at Texas Children's with the help of talented physician, nursing and administrative colleagues. I am grateful to the patients and families who I have been permitted to serve and look forward to continuing to provide high-quality patient care in my next chapter."
From a nurse suing a Los Angeles-based health system for failing to prevent sexual harassment by a surgeon to physician groups settling kickback allegations, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.

1. 2 physician groups will pay $33M to settle kickback allegations: 6 things to know

Dallas-based EmCare and Lancaster, Pa.-based Physicians' Alliance have agreed to settle allegations they received illegal kickbacks from now-defunct Health Management Associates in Naples, Fla., in exchange for referrals to hospitals owned by HMA.

2. DOJ: Man treated nearly 2 dozen patients while posing as physician in Virginia

A 30-year-old man was arrested on charges of fraud, false statements and identity theft for allegedly using licensed physicians' personal identifying information to pose as a physician.

3. Man indicted on murder charges for fatal shooting at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

A grand jury in New Hampshire issued an indictment charging 49-year-old Travis Frink with both first- and second-degree murder in the shooting death of his mother earlier this year at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

4. Cooper University Health sues Trinity division for $15M over failed hospital deal

Camden, N.J.-based Cooper University Health Care filed a lawsuit against Maxis Health System, a division of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, to recover $15 million held in escrow after Cooper backed out of a deal to acquire Trinity's New Jersey hospitals.

5. Nurse accuses Cedars-Sinai of failing to prevent sexual harassment by surgeon

A former nurse at an ambulatory surgery center in Beverly Hills, Calif., sued a Los Angeles eye surgeon and Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Health System for battery, sexual harassment and discrimination.

6. Indiana hospital's ex-ER director faces theft, drug charges

Kelly Hill, the former emergency department director at Madison, Ind.-based King's Daughters' Health, is accused of stealing hundreds of vials of controlled substances from the hospital earlier this year.

7. Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump's plan to end ACA birth control mandate: 5 things to know

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's order ending the ACA's birth control mandate Dec. 15.

8. OIG: Maryland drugmaker to settle kickback allegations for $210M

United Therapeutics Corp., a pharmaceutical company in Silver Spring, Md., will pay $210 million to resolve federal kickback allegations.

9. Ohio's capital files opioid lawsuit against 25 drug companies

Columbus is the latest Ohio municipality to take legal action against drug companies to recoup city funds expended addressing the city's opioid crisis.

10. Former associate dean of U of Missouri medical school claims racial bias forced her out of position

Rachel Brown, MD, former associate dean of Columbia-based University of Missouri School of Medicine, sued the school, claiming racial bias forced her from her position in an intentional change of leadership amid efforts to improve student diversity.

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No charges filed against officers who shot, killed armed hospital patient

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California anesthesiologist charged with murder after physician dies while under his care
Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care has agreed to pay $3.6 million to resolve a lawsuit filed by two employees claiming the health system was "unjustly enriched" by the setup of its timekeeping system, according to The Columbia Missourian.

MU Health Care pays time-and-a-half for every hour an employee works beyond 40 hours per week. However, employees are not paid for uninterrupted 30-minute meal breaks they take during eight-hour shifts. According to the employees' lawsuit, which was filed in May 2016, the health system would deduct the 30-minute breaks, even if employees did not take the meal break or did not take the full half-hour, according to the report.

Under an agreement reached Dec. 13, the two employees who filed the lawsuit will receive $5,000 each. After attorneys' fees are deducted, the rest of the $3.6 million settlement will be distributed among more than 2,000 current and former employees who are part of the class-action lawsuit.

"While MU Health Care believes that it has acted in accordance with law regarding its payroll practices, the settlement prevents further legal expenses and ends any uncertainty created by the pending litigation," the health system said in a statement.

The preliminary settlement requires approval by the Boone County (Mo.) District Court.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

Man indicted on murder charges for fatal shooting at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

2 physician groups will pay $33M to settle kickback allegations: 6 things to know

Cooper University Health sues Trinity division for $15M over failed hospital deal
Pak Foreign Office has released a statement objecting to the language used by US Vice-President Mike Pence that Donald Trump has put Islamabad on notice on terror havens including Taliban and Haqqani network.

By Santosh Chaubey: Pakistan has hit back after the harshest warning from the US on terror havens in the country. Its Foreign Office has released a statement objecting to the language used by US Vice-President Mike Pence that President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice on terror havens including Taliban and Haqqani network.

The statement released by the spokesperson of Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign said the comments made by Pence were "at variance with the extensive conversations Pakistan has had with the US administration" on the issue.

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Earlier in the day, US Vice-President Pence, while making a surprise visit to the Bagram Airfield, the largest US military base in Afghanistan, had bluntly warned Pakistan that it could no longer escape the writing on the wall that either act on terror havens on your land or face the wrath of Donald Trump, "For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over as President Trump has put Pakistan on notice."

Reacting on Pence's remarks, the statement from Pakistan further said that "allies do not put each other on notice" adding that "on notice should be those factors responsible for exponential increase in drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale corruption, breakdown of governance and letting Daesh (ISIS) gain a foothold in Afghanistan."

Pakistan is also peeved at US putting India in a pivotal position in its new Afghanistan strategy that Donald Trump revealed in August.

Pakistan has time and again ranted about that it cannot accept an increased Indian role in Afghanistan and today's remarks by Pence again gave it a chance to vent out its frustration on that front.

While terming Pence's warning worrisome, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua urged "the US to treat both Pakistan and India on an equal footing." Reiterating the usual Pakistani stand that it has destroyed all terror havens from its soil, the foreign secretary called US statements on the issue 'one-sided'.

Relations between Pakistan and the US are going through a rough patch these days with US putting its ally in war against terror on tight notice to crack down on terror network on its soil including the Haqqani network that harm US interests in Afghanistan.

To counter the US pressure, Pakistan has resorted to lame rhetoric that it has no terror havens, that it doesn't need US financial aid, that it will not tolerate Indian footprint in Afghanistan and that the US, in frustration on its own failures in Afghanistan, is trying to sift blame to Pakistan.

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The anger and disappointment on Pakistan's attitude has gone on to the extent that the US has stopped the part of its economic assistance to the country to take action against the Haqqani Network and has even threatened to end its US ally status. In spite of Pakistan's claims and reassurances, the Trump administration has refused to budge from its stand on Pakistan that the country is a terror haven and is involved in double-dealings and treachery on terror emanating from its soil that carry out regular attack on US and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

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Josh Stein, North Carolina's attorney general, on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Insys Therapeutics for allegedly conducting a deceptive marketing campaign to promote its fentanyl-based painkiller Subsys, which is meant to exclusively treat breakthrough cancer pain.

The lawsuit alleges Insys delivered illegal kickbacks to physicians in exchange for promoting and prescribing Subsys for non-cancer pain, and deceived health insurers into covering prescriptions of the drug for unapproved use.

"As millions of Americans were becoming addicted to and dying from prescription painkillers, it appears Insys and its sales representatives [were] pushing its incredibly potent opioid on North Carolina patients just to make more money," Mr. Stein said. "This is unconscionable, its unacceptable and its illegal. Today, I am acting to hold them accountable."

In October, police in Phoenix arrested John Kapoor, the founder and former CEO of Insys Therapeutics, on charges of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud related to the alleged scheme to promote the over-prescription of Subsys. Mr. Kapoor pleaded not guilty to the charges in November.

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CMS will cut 751 hospitals' Medicare payments in fiscal year 2018 for having the highest rates of hospital-acquired conditions.

Here are six things to know about the HAC Reduction Program and the hospitals receiving penalties.

1. Created under the ACA, the HAC Reduction Program aims to prevent harm to patients by providing a financial incentive for hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired conditions. Under the program, a hospital's total score is based on performance on six quality measures: central-line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, Clostridium difficile infections, and the Patient Safety Indicators 90 Composite, which includes 10 types of in-hospital injuries.

2. Each year, Medicare cuts payments by 1 percent for hospitals that fall in the worst-performing quartile. In fiscal year 2018, 751 hospitals will have their Medicare payments reduced.

3. As in past years, many of the nation's academic medical centers were penalized under the program. According to a Kaiser Health News analysis, 115 teaching hospitals will have their payments reduced in fiscal year 2018.

4. Hospitals that serve poorer and sicker patient populations were also fined more than hospitals with a more affluent patient base. Approximately one-third of safety-net hospitals evaluated under the HAC Reduction Program were penalized in fiscal year 2018, according to Kaiser Health News.

5. The hospital industry has argued the methodology used for the HAC Reduction Program doesn't recognize improvement, because roughly 700 hospitals will lose money every year even if they improved their safety records, according to Kaiser Health News.

6. A list of the 751 hospitals penalized for fiscal year 2018 can be found here.

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6th case confirmed in Oregon State University meningococcal disease outbreak

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The GOP tax reform bill is headed to President Donald Trump's desk, and at least one spine device company thinks it will be a boon for the industry.

NuVasive released a statement touting the potential for business growth as a result of the tax bill, which reduces the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent; prior to the bill, NuVasive projected its tax rate would be 33 percent on a non-GAAP basis next year.

"The savings from the landmark decision are expected to boost forward-looking free cash flow and non-GAAP EPS well in excess of 10 percent per year beginning in 2018, delivering incredible incremental value-generating opportunities for our shareholders," said Gregory Lucier, chairman and CEO of NuVasive.

NuVasive expects to accelerate innovation as a result of the tax savings and explore additional growth opportunities. The company expects the new regulations to positively impact non-GAAP earnings per share and an early analysis indicates its non-GAAP tax rate to drop into the low 20 percent range for 2018.

The company plans to invest its surplus funds into research and development. "This is a tremendous opportunity for the medical device industry, and a major spark in our ability to continue to invest in life-changing innovations," said Mr. Lucier.
Three spine surgeons share the accomplishments they are most proud of in 2017.

Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.





Next week's question: What excites you most about 2018?

Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 5 p.m. CST.

Question: What has been your biggest professional achievement this year?

Payam Farjoodi, MD. Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Spine Health Center at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley, Calif.): Expanding my knowledge and skill to continue improving care for my patients. Spine surgery is an evolving field and it is necessary to evolve with it.

Richard Kube, MD. Founder and CEO of Prairie Spine & Pain Institute (Peoria, Ill.): I was able to work with my COO, Colleen Ingraham, to get the Illinois Chapter of the Free Market Medical Association to the next level. We founded it together last December, and we have been engaging increasing numbers of members and are promoting healthcare as it should be. Introducing price transparency empowers patients as true consumers in a way seldom seen in healthcare today. It also helps to cut enormous amounts of red tape for the provider so that the patient is king and they receive the greatest value for their healthcare dollars.

Brian R. Gantwerker, MD. Founder of the Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: My biggest professional achievement has been that I was asked to serve on the NASS Advocacy Council. Helping effect policy change and meeting real-life stakeholders in the legislative process was a real thrill. I only hope we made some sort of change.
Bombardier's boss has blasted the US Government's decision to enforce a massive near-300% tariff on the sale of its part-Belfast made planes.

Alain Bellemare said the decision was "ridiculous" and claimed there was "no case" for rival Boeing's complaint.

Union leaders have warned that jobs could be "crushed" after the US Department of Commerce, headed by Wilbur Ross, confirmed plans to impose the levy.

Bombardier employs around 4,000 workers in Northern Ireland who build the wings and part of the fuselage of the C Series jets.

Mr Bellemare told CNBC that "there's no case here".

"When you launch a new programme you have aggressive pricing to start with... Boeing does the same thing," he told the broadcaster.

Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said while the result "was not unexpected given where we are in this dispute process, it appears the Commerce Department has gone a degree further by moving tariffs on to not only fully, but partially, assembled C Series aircraft".

Earlier this year Boeing took a challenge over sale of the planes in the US.

It claimed the jets were unfairly subsidised by the Canadian Government and the firm was "dumping aircraft" by selling them below cost.

As a result Bombardier is tying up with Euro aviation giant Airbus in a bid to avoid the tariffs by assembling the aircraft in an Airbus plant in America.

Mr Kelly added: "This essentially moves all the supply chain into view and could have serious implications for all UK aerospace firms in the future.

"It further confirms our view that this nonsense approach by the US authorities must be challenged on a UK national level, and not seen as simply a problem for Belfast and Northern Ireland.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) will ultimately decide in February whether the tariff will be enforced.

Former Shorts/Bombardier marketing man Martin Craigs said the latest move was a "predictable outcome from a Trump administration that wants to continually remind those who elected them that they appear to be putting America first".

But he added that the C Series programme was safe under the Airbus wing.

"Delta will eventually get the C Series, probably an assembled in Alabama version - still with made-in-Belfast wings - but it will likely be after the current President leaves office," he added.

He said that the immediate challenge for Airbus and Bombardier was to settle contractual details on their new joint centre and "fill the C Series order slots to 2020 with non US-based airlines".
At midnight on Christmas Eve, the eight bells of St Thomas' Church on Eglantine Avenue will ring out across the city, marking the first moments of Christmas Day, just as they have for generations past. Many people will hear the familiar chimes, but only a few will think of the eight men and women standing in a circle, in the chilly ringing chamber of St Thomas' tower, pulling the ropes in sequence to create the wild music of the bells.

"Bell ringing is an odd hobby," says Eric Thompson, the steeple keeper at St Thomas'. "It seems to go in parallel with the rest of your life." Climbing the spiral stone staircase of the tower, past narrow cobwebbed windows, I start to understand what he means. Once up in the chamber, the bell ringers are cloistered in a small world of their own, a world with its own special language, history and complex sets of mathematical rules.

Duncan Scarlett, the conductor and tower captain - aka, the man in charge - has been ringing at St Thomas' since 1953, and he says that it requires intense focus and precision to keep in time. "You are constantly concentrating. Even people who have been ringing for 50 or 60 years, you see their eyes and realise they are completely intent on what they are doing. One flicker, and you're away."

And of course if one person goes wrong during a complex peal, it can ruin the whole thing. "You can't repair it - once you go outside the precise pattern, it can't be reclaimed," says Mr Scarlett. He tells me about the traditional fine for a bad mistake, which he first encountered while bell ringing in Yorkshire: buying a round of pints for the other ringers.

St Thomas' Honorary Society of Bell Ringers has been in existence since 1871, the year the bells were mounted in the tower, donated by Robert Atkinson, a wealthy Belfast merchant. Cast by John Taylor and Co of Loughborough, they are considered one of the finest rings of eight bells in the whole of the British Isles, and many campanologists - as bell-ringing enthusiasts are known - come to visit them and try their hands on the ropes. The biggest bell, the tenor, is a tonne in weight, and bears a Latin inscription which translates as: "Robert Atkinson Esq. of Beaumont in this county gave me and my seven sisters to this Church in 1871 in honour of God and St Thomas".

Isn't it physically demanding to ring such huge bells? Duncan Scarlett says no. "It's not really about strength, not once you learn to control the bell. I've seen a girl of 11 or 12 ring the tenor bell here, and I know those who have been ringing until well into their 80s. If you're aged between eight and 75, you should be able to ring any kind of bell. One exception is the great bell in Liverpool cathedral - that one takes two people."

Standing in the bell chamber, watching Mr Thomas and Mr Scarlett rhythmically pulling the ropes, which alternately disappear through the ceiling to toll the bells above, you might imagine the noise would be overpowering, but it's surprisingly muted. "Yes, you'd think it would be loud," says Mr Scarlett, "but there's actually a lead floor between the bells and the ringers, which means it's often louder on the outside than it is on the inside."

There are many plaques and photographs in the chamber commemorating prize-winning rings and occasions from the past. 2011 was a particularly good year for St Thomas': the Society won two Northern District trophies, the Patterson and Cunningham Cups in January and April, and the all-Ireland Murphy Cup at Dublin in May.

A lovely stained glass window shows Paulinus, Bishop of Nola in Campania, Italy, who requested that a bell be rung at each church prior to the celebration of the Eucharist. And there is an ancient framed copy of rules and bye-laws for bell-ringers. "No swearing, bad language, irreverent conduct, drinking or smoking shall be allowed in the belfry; nor shall any loud talking or argument be permitted," it states severely.

Given that ringers seem to be a fairly mild and reasonable group of people, such reminders hardly seem necessary. But Eric Thompson says that in times gone by, in other churches, behaviour in the belfry sometimes got so bad that they removed the floor of the chamber altogether, so that the ropes hung right down to the ground floor - this meant that the rector of the church was able to keep a close eye on the rowdier members of the circle.

Mr Scarlett was born within the sound of St Thomas' bells, but he only became fully aware of them on VE Day, on May 8, 1945, when they were rung in celebration for hours on end. Although the main purpose of ringing is to call people to Sunday services, the bells are also rung to celebrate special occasions such as royal weddings and coronations. Muffled peals, where a leather pad is fitted to the clapper, are rung for the deaths of monarchs and to ring out the Old Year.

They were also rung for the sinking of the Titanic and after the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. On July 1, 2016, a peal known as 'Belfast Surprise Major', involving 5040 changes, was rung to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme and those members of the parish who died in the first days of military action.

"It's too long ago to remember exactly why I first ventured up the winding staircase to the ringing chamber," wrote Mr Scarlett, in an account of his lifetime as a bell ringer. Reflecting on it now, he thinks it was a combination of youthful inquisitiveness and his mother's desire to keep him from hanging about on the street. At a parish sale, he had also picked up a second hand copy of a book called The Nine Tailors, by the great 1930s crime writer Dorothy L Sayers, in which bells and bell ringing are an integral part of the mystery story. And it was in this very chamber that Mr Scarlett first met Sheila, the young woman who would become his wife.

Many decades later, he's still pulling the ropes, and hopes to be among the circle of ringers announcing the start of Christmas Day. What keeps him going? "Friendship. Being part of a group of people," he says simply.

Rev Paul Ryan, Rector of St Thomas', believes that the bells bring great character and definition to the church. "If you stand under the bell tower when everyone is ringing, you experience a shower of musical energy," he says. "It reminds me of the power of God and the mystery of life. The bells bear witness to a church's Christian presence, and they also break the silence at important moments in our lives. It's a privilege to have them."

There are only three churches in Belfast which still ring bells, and 16 in Northern Ireland as a whole. To ensure these special skills are passed on to the following generations, a supply of new ringers is always needed. Quite clearly it's a lifelong passion for many people.

Once they climb the spiral stairs, just as Duncan Scarlett did almost 65 years ago, and get their hands on their ropes, the strange magic of bell ringing takes hold of them, and they never want to stop.
'Before he imposed the sentence, Judge Miller was told that between July 22 and 25 last year the Maughans carried out three burglaries and attempted a further two' (stock photo)

Two brothers who embarked on a Northern Ireland-wide crime spree that included breaking into parochial houses and robbing priests have each been handed 14-year sentences.

Jailing 38-year-old Owen John Maughan and his brother John Patrick Maughan (32) for their "callous and sometimes brutal" behaviour last summer, Judge Geoffery Miller QC spoke of the vulnerability of those they targeted, who offered little or no resistance.

The brothers' offending came to an end in a field in Co Antrim after they were pursued by police in vehicles and a helicopter.

They were both informed they will spend half their sentences in prison, followed by seven years on licence.

Belfast Crown Court heard the brothers were members of the Travelling community and had both endured a troubled childhood which included stealing food to feed themselves due to parental neglect.

Before he imposed the sentence, Judge Miller was told that between July 22 and 25 last year the Maughans carried out three burglaries and attempted a further two.

Owen Maughan, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry, was also sentenced for breaking into the parochial house at St Peter's Cathedral on the Falls Road the year before, while John, from Birchdale Manor in Lurgan, admitted driving offences.

Owen Maughan and a co-accused stole cash and other personal items on July 15, 2015. During this break-in at St Peter's, a handgun was produced and Maughan held a 53-year-old priest against his will for a time. Personal items were stolen, along with 850 of weekend offerings from Mass.

Crown barrister Sam Magee revealed that on July 22 last year the brothers bought a Vauxhall Corsa in Lurgan for 300. Later that day the duo tried to break into St Colmcille's Church in Holywood.

On the evening of July 22 they targeted St Michael's in Finaghy. The 71-year old priest answered the door to the Maughans, who produced a black handgun. The brothers proceeded to ransack several rooms, and made off with 80 and a set of keys.

Mr Magee said that the priest was "ushered around the premises" by the Maughans. He also revealed that the gun - which the priest believed was real - was a replica.

The court heard that as a result of the burglary the priest had been unable to stay at the premises for several nights, and has lost confidence in dealing with strangers.

On July 25 the brothers were finally apprehended in a field. During his arrest John Maughan tried to steal a gun from an officer's holster. He later told police: "If I had got it I would have killed you all to get away."

Neither man co-operated with police, but later admitted to a series of charges including aggravated burglary. The brothers both have criminal records on both sides of the border.

The court heard both men had accepted their behaviour was appalling and had since expressed remorse.
The funeral of a young Co Armagh man who died suddenly in Philadelphia almost a fortnight ago will take place this afternoon.

Philip Hagan (25), the youngest son of Rev Matthew Hagan and his wife Jennifer, passed away in the US on December 9.

The former deputy head boy of The Royal School, Dungannon was found dead by emergency services in his flat.

His funeral will take place at 2pm today in St Andrew's Parish Church, Killyman, followed by interment in the adjoining churchyard.

The service will be conducted by family friend Rev Robert Boyd and will feature a tribute by Philip's brother Jonathan.
'Let us ask ourselves how we can reach out to others, cross boundaries and offer reconciliation' - Rev Laurence Graham

'Could we as families try a different gift that might create a memory that lasts?' - Rt Rev Noble McNeely

'We are to redirect the fear and insecurity in the world around us into the hope of Jesus' - Peter Lynas

'Christmas is a time when many of us have the emotional security and safety of our family and friends... let us be ready to share our safety and our reasons for hoping with others' - Archbishop Richard Clarke and Most Rev Eamon Martin

The themes of caring for others and reconciliation are central to Christmas messages from the leaders of the main denominations in Northern Ireland.

The challenge of Christmas is to bring safety in the widest sense into the lives of the people around us, according to the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Reverend Richard Clarke and the Roman Catholic Primate, the Most Reverend Eamon Martin.

In a joint Christmas message, they urged people to reach out to others in need.

"There are people in our midst who are without the security of food or even of a roof over their heads.

"There are those who are newcomers to our country, perhaps of a different religious faith and culture, who feel that they are objects of suspicion and dislike," they said.

"And there are those whose need for security in their lives is less evident - who are alone and afraid, who are without friends and without people who will 'look out' for them, and some who feel that their lives have become aimless or 'useless' and almost empty of hope and confidence. Christmas is a time when many of us are happy to have the emotional security and safety of our family and friends around us, and the comfort of assurance and strong faith in the birth of the Saviour. Let us be ready to share our safety and our reasons for hoping, with others."

The Presbyterian Moderator, the Right Reverend Noble McNeely, asked people to consider giving Christmas gifts that will be remembered.

"Could we as families try something different that might create a memory that lasts? If we curtail the excesses and consider something imaginative, it may also make a difference to someone else's life," he said.

The Moderator said that while travelling around the local churches, he had seen hundreds of Christmas shoeboxes for people in eastern Europe.

"When a child opens their surprise present, a lasting memory will be formed, especially as it might be the first time that a Christmas gift will be received.

"Many organisations are providing opportunities to give to a Christmas appeal or subscribe to an ethical gift like a goat that will form a lasting memory and practical assistance," he said.

"As we approach Christmas Day, let us remember another gift that has been given freely - the one and only perfect gift of Jesus, coming to earth and meeting humanity in its greatest need."

The Methodist President, the Reverend Laurence Graham, said: "In Northern Ireland we live in a disconnected society, and it's not just the politicians who are disconnected. It goes down to every level of society. We live in a broken disconnected world, but Jesus came to connect. That's what Advent and Christmas are all about.

"The message of this time of year is about the fact that God reached out so that we could meet Him. So, as we respond to God reaching out to us, let us also ask ourselves: 'What can I do to reach out to others, to cross boundaries and offer reconciliation? We complain about our political leaders not getting together at Stormont. What about us?'"

Meanwhile, Peter Lynas, director of Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland, said: "Christmas is a season of hope that has been taken over by consumerism.

"Our job is to be merchants of holy hope - in our marriage and our families, in our schools and hospitals, in workshops and offices, in buses and trains, in restaurants and takeaways, in houses and homes.

"We are to redirect the fear and insecurity in the world around us into the hope of Jesus. Christmas reminds us that we are sent into the world to get our hands dirty.

"We must also challenge, encourage and pray for our politicians."
By PTI: London, Dec 22 (PTI) People affected by depression may have genes associated with anxiety, worry and low mood, a study suggests.

Scientists analysed the DNA of over 300,000 people and found many genes linked to neuroticism - characterised by feelings of anxiety, worry and guilt. The genes are also linked to depression.

The findings help shed light on the causes of depression - which affects one in five people - and could provide information to help better diagnosis and treatment for individuals, said the researchers from the University of Edinburgh in the UK.

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They analysed genetic information from a group of people aged from 39 to 73, whose levels of neuroticism had been measured by a personality questionnaire.

DNA analysis combined with the personality data uncovered 116 gene variations linked to neuroticism.

The researchers found that genes associated with neuroticism had some overlap with genes linked to a susceptibility to depression and some other psychiatric conditions.

More than half of the genetic variations associated with neuroticism are expressed in the brain.

"These discoveries promise paths to understand the mechanisms whereby some people become depressed, and of broader human differences in happiness. They are a resource for those seeking treatments for depression," said Michelle Luciano, from the University of Edinburgh.

"For millennia it has been recognised that people have a greater or lesser tendency to feel low, worry, and experience other negative emotions," said Ian Deary, from the University of Edinburgh.

"We knew that a part of the explanation is genetic differences between people, but its been a mystery which genes are involved," Deary said.

"These new results make a substantial contribution to solving that mystery by pointing to many specific places in the genome that are linked with neuroticism," Deary added. PTI SNE SNE

--- ENDS ---
Leo Varadkar said he would not support a return to straight direct rule from Westminster

The Dublin government would expect to have "real and meaningful involvement" in Northern Ireland if efforts to restore Stormont powersharing fail, the Irish premier has said.

Leo Varadkar said he would not support a return to straight direct rule from Westminster if time is called on negotiations to re-establish a devolved executive in Belfast.

Mr Varadkar said he would make a fresh bid to help forge a deal in January, but insisted the only two options if talks fail would be to call another Assembly election or convene the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference (BIIGC).

The Fine Gael leader said he would seek the latter, suggesting little would be gained from another snap election.

The bilateral body, a construct of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, brings together UK and Irish ministers to encourage co-operation on matters of mutual interest in Northern Ireland. It last met in 2007.

The prospect of it being reconvened has whipped up a political row over the extent of influence Ireland might exert.

Unionists have been angered by the suggestion the BIIGC could hand Dublin a substantive role in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland.

They insist the UK Government would be in sole charge of the region in the absence of a devolved executive and the conference would only offer a consultative role for the Irish Republic.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has dismissed the BIIGC as a "talking shop".

Mr Varadkar said he would not characterise the Republic's potential role as a form of "joint rule", acknowledging legislative authority rested with Westminster, but he said his government should have significant involvement.

"Essentially the Good Friday Agreement provides for matters that are not devolved to be dealt with by the British-Irish governmental conference and that's what we will seek," he said.

"We won't be supporting direct rule. We didn't support direct rule.

"So the alternative to the Assembly and the Executive being up and running is either a) an election or b) convening the British-Irish governmental conference, and that's what we'll seek, and I should point out that is what the Good Friday Agreement says.

"So all we'd be seeking is the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement which, as you know, is an international agreement between two governments endorsed by referendum in both parts of the island."

Asked if he envisaged a form of joint rule, the Taoiseach said: "I wouldn't use the term joint rule, because that's not the term used in the Good Friday Agreement.

"The Good Friday Agreement speaks of a British-Irish governmental conference which is not joint rule because obviously the legislative powers remain at Westminster, but it does involve real and meaningful involvement of the Irish government."

Mr Varadkar said he and his deputy Simon Coveney hope to meet Stormont's political leaders next month as part of efforts to resolve the powersharing crisis that has left Northern Ireland without a properly functioning administration for almost a year.
Direct rule from London is not an option amid the ongoing standoff between Sinn Fein and the DUP, the Taoiseach has insisted.

Dublin would expect to have "real and meaningful involvement" in Northern Ireland if efforts to restore Stormont powersharing fail, Leo Varadkar said.

Mr Varadkar's insistence that his government must have a say in Northern Ireland's internal affairs should the negotiations fail has infuriated unionists.

The British and Irish Governments are planning fresh efforts to reinstate the Assembly in Belfast - but Mr Varadkar has warned that time is running out.

It will be a year on January 16 since the late Martin McGuinness sparked an election in protest at Arlene Foster's role in the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal.

A series of deadlines set by London for the re-establishment of power-sharing have passed without significant progress, leading Mr Varadkar to say there are now "two options".

"The first option is another set of elections, which is an option, although it's hard to see what outcome would raise from that that would put us in a better position," the Fine Gael leader said.

"The second option is convening the British-Irish Governmental Conference, which would allow the two governments to implement the Good Friday Agreement in the absence of an Assembly and Executive in Northern Ireland.

"So essentially the Good Friday Agreement provides for matters that are not devolved to be dealt with by the British-Irish Governmental Conference, and that's what we will seek."

The bilateral body, a construct of the 1998 Belfast Agreement, brings together UK and Irish ministers to encourage co-operation on matters of mutual interest in Northern Ireland. It last met in 2007. The prospect of it being reconvened has whipped up a political row over the extent of influence the Republic might exert.

Unionists have been angered by the suggestion the conference could hand Dublin a substantive role in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland.

They insist the UK Government would be in sole charge of the region in the absence of a devolved Executive, and the conference would only offer a consultative role for the Republic.

DUP leader Mrs Foster has dismissed the conference as a "talking shop".

But Mr Varadkar categorically dismissed direct rule from Westminster. "We won't be supporting direct rule. We didn't support direct rule," he said.

Asked whether he was suggesting some form of 'joint rule', Mr Varadkar replied: "I wouldn't use the term joint rule, because that's not the term used in the Good Friday Agreement.

"The Good Friday Agreement speaks of a British Irish-Governmental Conference, which is not joint rule because obviously the legislative powers remain at Westminster - but it does involve real and meaningful involvement of the Irish Government."

But the Taoiseach said that would be a last resort after further efforts to get a deal between Sinn Fein and the DUP.

He said he was also "very conscious" that there are a number of other parties in Northern Ireland with a role to play.

"And I'm certain the Tanaiste and I will be meeting them over the course of January and doing anything we can do to get those institutions up and running again," he added.

Mr Varadkar said he and his deputy Simon Coveney hope to meet Stormont's political leaders next month as part of efforts to resolve the power-sharing crisis.

Speaking to reporters at an end of year briefing, Mr Varadkar also said he will be making efforts to improve relations with Theresa May's government in the new year.

"Relations obviously are a little bit strained, and they've been challenged by the events of recent months", he said, referencing the dispute over the potential for a hard border after Brexit.

"The reason that relations have become strained is because of Brexit.

"Brexit was not our policy.

"Brexit was a decision of the UK people, which we respect, and is being pursued by the Government in the UK. What has strained relations is that decision.

But we need to be grown up about it. And we need to get on with it and try to get the best outcome for the Irish people.

"I would speak with Prime Minister May probably every two weeks, and we do, I believe, have a shared and common objective, which is to get the best outcome for our people; for her the best outcome for the United Kingdom, for me the best outcome for Irish people, both here in this state and in Northern Ireland."
Police and the family of missing Saoirse Smyth are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare.

The 28-year-old is described as being 411 tall, slim build, with red hair and blue eyes was last seen in the Belfast area in May 2017, police said.

Detective Inspector Paul Rowland would appeal to Saoirse, or anyone who knows of her whereabouts to contact Police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 833 19/12/17
Polcie at the scene at the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street in Melbourne

The driver of a car driven at pedestrians in Melbourne, injuring more than a dozen people including an Irish citizen, attributed his actions to the "treatment of Muslims", police said.

However, officers stressed no terrorist links had been found during their initial investigations.

Some 19 people were wounded, three of whom remain in a critical condition, after a car was driven at pedestrians outside Flinders Street station on Thursday.

The area surrounding the major transport hub was busy with Christmas shoppers during the first week of the school summer holidays.

Police have said the suspect, reportedly named Saeed Noori, a 32-year-old Australian citizen of Afghan heritage, had a history of mental illness and drug abuse.

Nine of the victims were foreign nationals and a mong them was a 25-year-old Irish woman who is in a stable condition in hospital, police said.

Two men from South Korea, aged 61 and 67, are in a critical condition while a four-year-old South Korean boy, the youngest victim, is in a stable condition.

A Chinese national aged 24, an Indian national aged 45 and a Venezuelan national aged 40 - all men - also remain in hospital.

An Italian man aged 25 and a man from New Zealand aged 43 were taken to hospital but have since been discharged.

The oldest victim, an 83-year-old Australian man from the city, is also in a critical condition, police said.

The suspect was admitted to hospital in the wake of the incident but has now been discharged and is in custody awaiting questioning once "medically cleared".

Victoria Police acting commissioner Shane Patton said officers had spoken to him in hospital as investigators carried out search warrants and also spoke to his family on Thursday evening.

"During that ( questioning ) he made utterances, talked about dreams and voices but nonetheless did attribute his actions he said to the way that Muslim people are being treated, so based on that we haven't ruled anything out," he said.

"Obviously we've done search warrants last night and we haven't found anything at all to indicate his linkage or involvement with any type of extremism, with any terrorist organisation or anything of a terrorist nature.

"So given the mental illness background and everything we need to step carefully and the investigation is ongoing."

The suspect was known to the police, having been convicted of an assault in 2010, and is understand to have been on a mental health plan and receiving treatment.

Witnesses described seeing people "flying everywhere" as the car was driven at speed along Flinders Street at around 4.30pm (5.30am GMT).

Lachlan Read told the Herald Sun the incident lasted about 15 seconds.

"It was bang, bang, bang. It was just one after the other.

"The last bang the car stopped," the 20-year-old said. "There were bodies on the ground and people running up to them - it was mayhem."

A 24-year-old man who was arrested after he was allegedly found with illegal items during the initial police operation was interviewed and released, with police confirming the two men were not linked.

Earlier this year five people died in Melbourne when a car hit pedestrians, but police said the January incident was not terror-related.

Meanwhile, there has been a spate of attacks in major cities in Europe and the US in recent years in which terrorists have used vehicles as a weapon again innocent people.

Eighty-six people were killed in Nice in July 2016 when a lorry was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day.

Twelve people died in December last year when a truck was driven at crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin.

Four pedestrians and a police officer were killed by Khalid Masood in the Westminster Bridge attack in March.

In June, eight people were killed and 48 injured when three terrorists ploughed into pedestrians on London Bridge then went on a knife rampage in Borough Market.

Thirteen people were killed when a van was driven down Barcelona's Las Ramblas in August, and in October, eight died in a truck attack in New York.
The Government has been criticised over its response to a report warning that the lights could go out during Northern Ireland's centenary celebrations.

A report earlier this year by an influential group of MPs reported that we will need more energy than can be supplied in 2021.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee warned that power bills would soar unless work begins now on a cross-border interconnector.

However, the Government's response has been described as too late and lacking in detail.

It shifts the responsibility on to the Executive, which collapsed in January, saying it should establish a permanent advisory body for electricity policy.

The response adds: "We recognise the importance of maintaining affordable, secure, and sustainable supplies of electricity for businesses and domestic consumers in Northern Ireland.

"We further recognise the particular challenges presented by the size of the market and support the continuation of a single electricity market covering Northern Ireland and Ireland."

Dr Andrew Murrison, the chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, said the response was inadequate.

He added: "It is disappointing that the Government has taken so long to produce a response with so little detail.

"They have chosen to hide behind other institutions, in particular the non-existent Northern Ireland Executive, and expect them to provide the answers.

"We hope that they reconsider their position and ensure there is a coherent, co-ordinated response to tackle the looming energy deficit facing Northern Ireland.

"They must show that they understand the issue and are leading devolved administrations and private companies in finding a solution."

The report, published in May, sets out the looming threat of a deficit in electricity supply by 2021 and the risk of increased energy prices.

It highlighted the importance of improving electricity connection between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

It also called on the Government to make tough decisions to safeguard the electricity supply, by extending the life of existing power stations or building new low-carbon power plants.

The then Ulster Unionist MP Danny Kinahan urged people to have candles ready for Northern Ireland's 100th anniversary - but for blackouts rather than a birthday cake, warning at the time: "If action is not taken soon we could find ourselves drifting towards an energy crisis."
The 44-year-old, of Glenmore Walk in Lisburn, is also accused of stealing a car during the crime spree in April.

A man charged with smashing his way into a tattoo parlour and fast food restaurant to steal their safes is to be banned from entering east Belfast, a judge ordered on Friday.

The prohibition was imposed on John Little as he was granted bail over alleged break-ins at businesses and a home in the area.

The 44-year-old, of Glenmore Walk in Lisburn, is also accused of stealing a car during the crime spree in April.

He appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court after being arrested and charged with three counts of burglary and a further aggravated vehicle taking.

A police detective said raiders smashed windows and entered the Black Pearl Tattoo Studio on Beersbridge Road between April 13-15.

A safe containing 1,400 in cash and two tattoo guns worth 700 were stolen.

Seven days later a Subway restaurant at Kings Square in the city was targeted.

Two men entered and tried at first to prise free the safe, before returning with a sledgehammer to complete a successful removal.

The storage unit was put into a BMW car which had been stolen during a burglary at a house on Island Street the same night.

Police later found the vehicle abandoned, with the safe and tools located nearby.

Little is allegedly linked through forensic checks, the court heard.

Defence counsel Richard McConkey argued that his client has been friends with with owner of the car for years.

"The only evidence is a forensic hot on movable objects," the barrister said.

"In a case of this nature it's purely circumstantial."

Granting bail, District Judge Nigel Broderick imposed a curfew and electronic monitoring on Little.

Mr Broderick also ordered: "He is not to enter east Belfast as defined by a map."

Little will appear back in court on January 19.
The most senior member of the PSNI to be seconded to the Garda is taking early retirement from the force - little over a month after taking up a new appointment.

Det Chief Supt Michael Daly has been a trailblazer for the PSNI in the Garda and is the first member of the Northern Ireland force to reach that rank in the Republic.

He is the second member of the Garda's senior management team to quit this month.

Daly was recently placed in charge of the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, which deals with sexual crime, including child abuse, child online exploitation, domestic abuse, the management of sex offenders, missing persons, human trafficking and organised prostitution.

He has now told the Garda authorities that he is leaving in the new year to take up a post in the private sector in Belfast.

Daly became the first officer from the PSNI to be promoted into the Garda under new legislation which was aimed at improving the sharing of experiences between the two forces.

He joined the Garda in March 2015, was promoted to detective superintendent and appointed to the Protective Services Bureau. Daly was then promoted to the rank of chief superintendent by the Republic's Policing Authority last July and appointed to take charge of the Dublin East division, based at Dun Laoghaire, before being transferred to his current post.
By PTI: (Eds: correcting the police officials name)

Hyderabad, Dec 22 (PTI) The Cyberabad police here today said they are awaiting legal opinion in the Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula suicide case, after getting a report from the revenue authorities that he did not belong to an SC community.

The alleged suicide on the University of Hyderabad campus in January 2016 had triggered a firestorm of protest with nationwide repercussions.

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Former Union labour minister Dattatreya, Hyderabad Universitys Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were named in the criminal case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act lodged with the Cyberabad police over the suicide.

Sandeep Shandilya, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, said the police had received a report from the Guntur district Collector that Vemula didnt belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.

"We had to get a report from the Revenue Department as to whether he belonged to the SC category or not. Because of that our investigation got delayed. You cannot blame us (for the delay)," Shandilya said.

"A report has come from the Collector (from a committee formed by the Collector). So (now) we have written to our legal adviser for clarification. Once that comes, this case will see finalisation," Shandilya told reporters here, when asked why the case hasnt seen any progress. PTI GDK KRK KRK

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From left: John Martin, RHANI executive chair Andrew Trimble and Tom Forgrave outside the court in Belfast

A High Court ruling against a group of more than 500 RHI claimants has been met with "shock and disappointment".

The Renewable Heat Association NI (RHANI) was formed in January this year to represent "legitimate participants" in the botched green energy scheme.

RHANI's wide-ranging membership is drawn from the agriculture, commerce and hospitality sectors.

In its second judicial review against the Department for the Economy, it argued that changes to the scheme this year shifted the goalposts for applicants who had already made large investments.

But Justice Adrian Colton ruled yesterday that compelling public interest justified cutting the cost of the RHI and that businesses had been enjoying an "unacceptably high" return.

If the original 2012 scheme had not been amended it would have cost Northern Ireland's public budget close to 700m, the judge said, with "severe consequences".

Speaking outside court yesterday, RHANI executive chair Andrew Trimble said he feared the judgment would hurt the local renewable and agri-food sectors badly, with the potential to put some poultry farmers out of business.

"The agri-food business operates on very narrow margins. This incentive did help to defer operating costs; it will put a difficult business in a very difficult position. particularly when Brexit is looming," he said.

With "a very large percentage" of wood pellets used for biomass boilers imported from European countries, he added the economics of the renewable sector would also be "significantly stressed".

The group is to take legal advice and meet with members before deciding if it will appeal.

The Ulster Farmers' Union said it was "disappointed" with the judgment as the vast majority had used the RHI scheme legitimately.

As users were encouraged to install boilers by the department, the UFU said it would push for a "fair solution" for members who had made a long-term commitment.

Ulster Unionist MLA Steve Aiken said the case demonstrated just "how messy the fallout" from the RHI scandal had been.

"I am sympathetic to those who legitimately took part in the scheme, on the basis of a letter they received from the then minister Arlene Foster selling the benefits of the scheme and have now found themselves caught up in one of the biggest financial scandals in Northern Ireland's history," he said.

"The importance of the public inquiry into the RHI scheme continues to be underlined. It is vital that the public get answers as to how it went so badly wrong and who was responsible."

The Department for the Economy welcomed the judgment.

It said the 2017 regulations had brought RHI in line "with the original intention of the scheme".

It added that the regulations would be extended until March 2019 as a temporary measure, allowing time to develop long-term arrangements to balance the public interest and obligation to beneficiaries of the scheme.
'Seventeen were expelled for persistently breaking minor school rules, nine others were expelled for verbal abuse and six for disruptive behaviour' (stock photo)

More than 10,000 pupils were suspended from schools across Northern Ireland in just three years.

A further 73 were expelled because of their indiscipline, statistics from the Education Authority (EA) reveal.

The problem is so bad that one teaching union had to produce advice for its members on how to deal with violence in the classroom.

In the three academic years up to 2016, at least 10,380 pupils were suspended.

The numbers increased by 13% in that period - from 3,313 in 2013/14 to 3,759 in 2015/16.

And the true numbers may be even higher because schools who suspended fewer than five pupils in a year are not included in case it identifies individual cases.

Many cases also go unreported, teaching unions have warned.

The figures came to light after a Freedom of Information request by the Belfast Telegraph to the EA.

It covers more than 900 schools and lists the number of suspensions and the reasons why pupils were sent home or permanently excluded.

The 73 pupils expelled in that three-year period included 11 dismissed for physical attacks on fellow students, 10 for attacking staff members and eight for substance abuse.

Seventeen were expelled for persistently breaking minor school rules, nine others were expelled for verbal abuse and six for disruptive behaviour.

The highest single number of suspensions at any school was St Joseph's Boys School in the Creggan in Londonderry, with 368.

Across Northern Ireland, more than 3,500 suspensions were for a physical attack on a fellow student, while more than 600 related to physical attacks on school staff.

Teaching unions expressed alarm at the figures. Mark McTaggart, assistant Northern secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), said his organisation was growing more and more concerned about the rise in assaults.

"The number of reported physical assaults on teachers has risen from approximately 210 assaults in 2014/15 to 650 in 2015/16," he said.

"However, INTO is aware that many teachers do not report assaults, so the real number is much higher.

"These reported figures do not include the number of staff members who have been subjected to both frequent verbal abuse and bullying by pupils."

More than 3,700 suspensions were handed out to pupils found guilty of verbally abusing school staff.

Mr McTaggart added: "INTO is particularly alarmed at the rise in the number of teachers who, following assaults, are forced to be absent from work, and as a result the subsequent effect it has on both the physical and mental well-being of teachers and school leaders and their families in dealing with the aftermath of such incidents.

"INTO is further concerned by the detrimental effect on the education of young people due to teacher absence as a result of assaults.

"In response to this recognised rise, and in the absence of guidance in regard to assaults in schools, INTO has felt it necessary to produce advice for members across the island of Ireland on dealing with assaults and violence at school.

"This advice includes how best to prevent assaults and violence in school and on dealing with the aftermath of assaults on staff."

A total of 29 pupils were disciplined for stealing, while 1,900 suspensions related to the persistent disobedience of minor school rules.

More than 1,000 suspensions were linked to disruptive behaviour.

Just under 200 were temporarily excluded from school for bullying another pupil, while almost 300 suspensions were handed down for causing significant damage to property.

Some 145 suspensions were for drink abuse, while 114 related to substance abuse.
Scores of prisoners have today been released into the free world for Christmas leave.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service confirmed 79 lags have been granted leave for varying periods between Friday and January 2, 2018 with various conditions attached.

Of those released 35 are from Northern Ireland's highest security prison, Maghaberry. Another 35 have been released from Magilligan. Nineteen of those released are serving life or indeterminate sentences - that is those prisoners that are thought to be the highest risk to the public.

Six young men and three women are being released from Hydebank Wood College.

Last year 93 prisoners were released for Christmas.

All prisoners granted Christmas home leave have been the subject of a satisfactory risk assessment and have either successfully completed a home leave programme or undergone periods of unaccompanied testing in the community, the Prison Service said.

Those released must be within three years of their jail term's end, have been recommended for release by parole commissioners and have suddessfully completed an unaccompanied overnight release in the past.

Only those sentenced before October 31 are eligible and those on remand - that is awaiting trail - are not eligible.

Northern Ireland prisons currently holds 1,417 prisoners.
UUP leader Robin Swann has hit back at the Taoiseach's comments that Dublin would expect to have "real and meaningful involvement" in Northern Ireland if efforts to restore Stormont powersharing fail.

Mr Varadkar's insistence that his government must have a say in Northern Ireland's internal affairs should the negotiations fail has infuriated unionists.

The British and Irish Governments are planning fresh efforts to reinstate the Assembly in Belfast - but Mr Varadkar has warned that time is running out.

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UUP MLA Robin Swann said on Friday: I recently advised the Irish Foreign Minister to step away from the microphone if he wants to repair relationships with unionists following some of his recent comments.

Now it would seem that Leo Varadkar is showing signs of over-excitement as Christmas approaches and has said that the Irish government would expect to have real and meaningful involvement in Northern Ireland if efforts to restore Stormont fail.

Let me be very clear once again, because apparently the message is not getting through to some in Dublin. There is nowhere in the Belfast Agreement that permits joint authority or joint stewardship. Articles 2 and 3 are gone and the consent principle is in place.

Rather than try to pressurise the UK Government or unionists as to what should happen in the event that talks to restore Stormont are unsuccessful, Mr Varadkar should focus his efforts on Sinn Fein, who are the real stumbling block to progress.

If Leo Varadkar really wants real and meaningful input in Northern Ireland then perhaps he should let Fine Gael field candidates and stand for elections in Northern Ireland.

The DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson told BBC Good Morning Ulster: "It would be a fundamental breach of all the agreements we have reached

"Matters internal to Northern Ireland are a matter for the UK government and NI parties alone."

It will be a year on January 16 since the late Martin McGuinness sparked an election in protest at Arlene Foster's role in the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal.

A series of deadlines set by London for the re-establishment of power-sharing have passed without significant progress, leading Mr Varadkar to say there are now "two options".

"The first option is another set of elections, which is an option, although it's hard to see what outcome would raise from that that would put us in a better position," the Fine Gael leader said.

"The second option is convening the British-Irish Governmental Conference, which would allow the two governments to implement the Good Friday Agreement in the absence of an Assembly and Executive in Northern Ireland.

"So essentially the Good Friday Agreement provides for matters that are not devolved to be dealt with by the British-Irish Governmental Conference, and that's what we will seek."
A Westminster committee has branded the Government's response to its examination of the electricity sector in Northern Ireland as late and lacking in detail.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee accused the Northern Ireland Office of "hiding behind" other institutions and not offering its own answers.

The committee produced a report on the region's electricity sector in May. The Government response was received last week.

The report warned of a threat of a deficit in electricity supply by 2021 and the risk of increased energy prices in the region.

It also highlighted the importance of improving electricity connection across the Irish border - an issue of particular relevance in the context of the Brexit negotiations.

The committee also called on the Government to safeguard the electricity supply by extending the life of existing power stations or building new low-carbon power plants.

The response, received on December 15, repeatedly highlighted that electricity is a devolved issue that is the responsibility of the Stormont executive.

Committee chairman Dr Andrew Murrison MP said: "It is disappointing that the Government has taken so long to produce a response that says so little. Hiding behind other institutions, in particular the non-existent Northern Ireland Executive, on matters touching on critical national infrastructure is perplexing.

"We think government needs to apply some leadership in drawing together devolved administrations and private companies to find a solution to future energy needs."

In its response to the committee report, the Government said it recognised the importance of maintaining "affordable, secure, and sustainable supplies of electricity for businesses and domestic consumers in Northern Ireland".

"We further recognise the particular challenges presented by the size of the market and support the continuation of a single electricity market covering Northern Ireland and Ireland," it stated.

The response highlighted that the Government committed to maintaining the Single Electricity Market (SEM) on the island of Ireland in its Brexit position paper on north-south relations in August.

"The UK and EU have mapped out areas of cooperation, including the SEM, that function on a cross-border North-South basis, in line with the principles of the Belfast Agreement," it said.

"We look forward to discussing solutions for preserving this cooperation in the next phase of negotiations."
Theresa May has said the first she knew about allegations of inappropriate conduct by former Cabinet minister Damian Green was when she read about them in the press.

Conservative activist Kate Maltby has said she alerted Downing Street last year to Mr Greens pattern of behaviour.

However, speaking to reporters during a visit to British troops in Cyprus, the Prime Minister said she had not been informed of the claims.

The first I learned of these allegations was when Kate Maltby wrote about them in The Times, she said.

Ms Maltby, who is three decades younger than Mr Green, claimed he fleetingly touched her knee during a meeting in a pub in 2015, and a year later sent her a suggestive text message after she was pictured wearing a corset in a newspaper.

The allegations, which Mr Green says he does not recognise, triggered a Cabinet Office probe into his conduct.

That led to Mrs May sacking her de facto deputy after he made misleading statements about allegations that police found pornography on computers in his parliamentary office in 2008.

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The Prime Minister said: I recognise that Kate Maltby was obviously extremely distressed by what happened. Damian Green has recognised that and he has apologised. I think that is absolutely the right thing to do.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Ms Maltby told a Downing Street aide about her claims against Mr Green in September 2016, and she was informed it was part of a pattern of behaviour, and that the Prime Minister knows.

Ms Maltby told the newspaper: I would never, never have told my story about Damian Green if I did not believe I was exposing a pattern of behaviour of which I thought the Prime Minister was personally aware.

Ms Matlby told the BBC: The reason that I didnt tell many people about the first encounter, the encounter which I felt the political mentorship, or even a job in the Conservative Party, was being offered at the same time as a sexual suggestion. The reason I didnt tell many people then, except my parents, is that I wondered if it was a one-off  and, eventually, I spoke to a very senior and long-serving aide of Theresa May.

Expand Close Theresa May asked Damien Green to resign (Philip Toscano/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Asked if she had told the Cabinet Office investigation, headed by senior civil servant Sue Gray, that Downing Street was aware there was an issue with Mr Greens behaviour towards women, Ms Maltby said: I gave evidence to the inquiry, as soon as I sat down with Sue Gray, that, to the best of my knowledge, Downing Street was aware.

But this whole story has been about power imbalances. This whole story is about power. Damian Green became a very, very powerful person. I was aware that there seemed to be  an improper mixing of mentorship and sexual advance within the Conservative Party.

A Downing Street source said: The Cabinet Office conducted a thorough investigation into a number of allegations about Damian Green. The inquiry findings were published yesterday.

The PM has made it clear that everyone should be able to work in politics without fear or harassment  that is why she has brought forward a new Code of Conduct for the Conservative Party, and set up a cross-party working group to make recommendations about the Houses of Parliament.

Reporting the probes findings, Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood said that with competing and contradictory accounts of what were private meetings it was not possible to reach a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of Mr Greens behaviour with Kate Maltby in early 2015, though the investigation found Ms Maltbys account to be plausible.

When Mr Green left office on Wednesday he said he did not recognise Ms Maltbys version of events, stating: I deeply regret the distress caused to Kate Maltby following her article about me and the reaction to it. I do not recognise the events she described in her article, but I clearly made her feel uncomfortable and for this I apologise.
A woman who groomed a 13-year-old boy over Facebook before abusing him has been jailed for five years, police said.

Charlene Baxter, 29, of Southall, Middlesex, befriended the boy over Facebook in May and June this year.

Dorset Police said Baxter chatted to the boy online, shared sexually explicit images and spoke to him in a sexual manner.

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She arranged to travel to Christchurch in Dorset on August 20 to meet the boy.

The victims mother contacted police to report her son missing later that day. She examined his computer and found Baxter had been communicating with him.

Police said Baxter gave the boy alcohol and they stayed in a tent overnight on a beach, where sexual activity took place.

On August 21 the boy contacted his mother and was found. Baxter was arrested on a train at Basingstoke railway station later that evening.

Baxter, also known as Charlene Cole, admitted child abduction, sexual activity with a child and meeting a child following sexual grooming, the force said.

She was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court to five years in prison, and ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Police said Baxter was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Adam Taylor, of Dorset Police, said: Baxter admitted to meeting with her young victim and engaging in sexual activity with him after she groomed him online.

Dorset Police is committed to safeguarding children at risk of sexual exploitation.

We are working closely with partner agencies to ensure the victim and his family continues to receive full support following the incident.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar uses a purple handset because he wants to safeguard himself from the radiation released by mobile phones.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar came to the parliament to attend the winter session and was seen with a purple handset attached to his mobile phone.

Yeah, that's not a usual sight.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar using a purple handset

Why attach a handset to your mobile phone when you can directly use it?

When Javadekar was asked why he was using a purple handset, he said he wants to safeguard himself from the radiation released by mobile phones. "Haan, radiation se mukti", he said.

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WINTER SESSION IN PARLIAMENT

The winter session started a week ago but both the Houses remain in a deadlock over Prime Minister Modi's comment on his predecessor. Congress leaders have been protesting in both the Houses saying that PM Modi "tried to paint leaders as anti-national to win the elections".

Meanwhile, few issues like Aadhaar database, Cyclone Ockhi, GST among others have been raised during this session.

For full coverage, read: Winter Session: 7 questions that were raised at Parliament today

--- ENDS ---
The UN Security Council will vote on new North Korea sanctions (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang says is capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland.

The new sanctions approved in the council resolution include sharply lower limits on North Korea's oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 24 months, and a crackdown on ships smuggling banned items including coal and oil to and from the country.

"We believe maximum pressure today is our best lever to a political and diplomatic solution tomorrow ... (and) our best antidote to the risk of war," said France's UN ambassador Francois Delattre.

But the resolution does not include even harsher measures sought by the Trump administration that would ban all oil imports and freeze international assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

The resolution, drafted by the United States and negotiated with China, drew criticism from Russia for the short time the 13 other council nations had to consider the text, and last-minute changes to the text.

One of those changes was raising the deadline for North Korean workers to return home from 12 months to 24 months.

US ambassador Nikki Haley said after the vote that "the unity this council has shown in levelling these unprecedented sanctions is a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regime's actions".

The resolution caps crude oil imports at four million barrels a year. And it caps imports of refined oil products, including diesel and kerosene, at 500,000 barrels a year.

This represents a nearly 90% ban of refined products, which are key to North Korea's economy, and a reduction from the two million barrels a year the council authorised in September.

The new sanctions also ban the export of food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stones, wood and vessels from North Korea.

And it bans all countries from exporting industrial equipment, machinery, transportation vehicles and industrial metals to the country.

North Korea's test on November 29 of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile yet was its 20th launch of a ballistic missile this year, and added to fears that the North will soon have a military arsenal that can viably target the US mainland.

Britain's UN ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the Security Council is sending "a very strong united signal to the North Korean regime that enough is enough, that they must stop their nuclear programme and they must stop their intercontinental ballistic missile programme".

The previous sanctions resolution was adopted on September 11 in response to North Korea's sixth and strongest nuclear test explosion on September 3.

Ms Haley said at the time that the Trump administration believed those new sanctions, combined with previous measures, would ban over 90% of North Korea's exports reported in 2016.

Those new sanctions banned North Korea from importing all natural gas liquids and condensates.

It also banned all textile exports and prohibited any country from authorising new work permits for North Korean workers - two key sources of hard currency for the north-east Asian nation.

The US Mission said a cut-off on new work permits would eventually cost North Korea about 500 million dollars (373 million) a year once current work permits expire.

The United States estimated about 93,000 North Koreans are working abroad, a US official said.

The resolution approved on Friday expresses concern that the foreign earnings from these workers are being used to support the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

It requires all countries to send North Korean workers and safety monitors home by the end of 2019.

AP
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Is AMR Modern-day FRANKENSTEINS MONSTER?

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) continues to pose a significant public health problem in terms of mortality and economic loss. The rising AMR is a matter of huge concern that needs to be tactfully handled and health authorities of several countries, including India, have formulated action plans for its containment. Significant efforts by the government, an active involvement of startups and diagnostic players is a good start. The question remains, whether this will be enough.

For Feedback, please email us at: communications@mmactiv.com
Made from natural rubber and carbon nano tube, the e-skin is an example of nanotechnology being used for durable and affordable health care in the country.

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) has developed a pressure-sensitive artificial e-skin which can be mounted on the skin that has lost functionality to recreate the sense of touch, sense pressure and can be stretched.

The low-cost, biodegradable electronic skin mimics the functionality of the human skin in terms of sensing even minor pressure and strain variations and is based on natural rubber.

Made from natural rubber and carbon nano tube, the e-skin is an example of nanotechnology being used for durable and affordable health care in the country. Though the marking aspect of the e-skin has not been finalised, the initial response has been encouraging.

Professor Sushmee Badhulika, Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering was last week honoured with the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) Young Engineer Award in this connection.
An eight-year-old girl was gangraped by six boys in Pune. The police suspects that the accused have been raping her since August 2017.

By India Today Web Desk: An eight-year-old girl was gangraped by one 19-year-old boy and five juveniles in Pune.

The incident came to light when the girl told her mother that she was suffering from pain in her lower abdomen after which the parents decided to take her to a nearby hospital.

After conducting a medical examination, the doctor informed the girl's father that she was raped.

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Later, when the girl was asked about it she took name of six boys. The doctor then instructed the parents to take the matter to the nearest police station.

The parents went to Kondhwa police station to get an FIR filed. A female cop wrote the report after which six boys, between the age of 12 and 19, were arrested.

The accused stayed in the same locality and attended the same school as the victim. The girl revealed that the attackers would give her chocolate and take her to the terrace of the building she lives in. There, they would take turns to rape her.

According to the police, the accused were raping the eight-year-old since August 2017.

The six have been booked under IPC Section 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said.

While the minor boys have been sent to juvenile home, the 19-year-old will be produced in the court today.

--- ENDS ---
Congress President Rahul Gandhi is expected to comment on the 2G scam verdict during his first Congress Working Committee meeting today.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: Following the 2G scam verdict which acquitted all the accused in the case, Congress President Rahul Gandhi will chair his first Congress Working Committee today in New Delhi and is expected to comment on the verdict.

While many Congress leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi is yet to give a statement on the 2G scam verdict.

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Manmohan Singh, whose credibility had come under doubt over the scams unearthed during the UPA II rule, said there was a "vicious campaign and propaganda" that was launched against his government back then.He said that the "judgment speak (s) in itself (sic)".

CBI special judge OP Saini has acquitted former telecom minister A Raja, DMK leader M Kanimozhi and all other accused in the 2G scam case. In a one line judgement, judge OP Saini said, "The prosecution has miserably failed to prove its case, and all accused are acquitted,".

However, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) decided to appeal against the acquittal of all the accused in the 2G spectrum case before the higher court.

The meeting will take place at Congress headquarters around 4:30 pm during which a resolution in connection with 2G spectrum case is likely to be passed.

After becoming the president of the party on December 16, Rahul Gandhi will be meeting the highest decision making body of the party for the first time. He is likely to discuss organisational revamp issues as well.

Also read: What was the 2G spectrum scam? 10 things to know

--- ENDS ---
Rahul is expected to raise the 2G issue, which the BJP and PM Modi had used to the hilt while mounting a fierce campaign against Congress in 2014 Lok Sabha election.

By India Today Web Desk: The Congress's highest decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) met in New Delhi today, the first such meeting after Rahul Gandhi took over the reins of the party earlier this month.

The high-level Congress meeting comes a day after the party's top leadership was acquitted by a special CBI court in the 2G spectrum "scam". The meeting also comes days after the party, under the leadership of president Rahul Gandhi, put up an impressive performance in Gujarat Assembly election, where it reduced the BJP to less than 100 seats in the 182-member state Assembly.

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Besides Rahul, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are also attending the CWC meeting at the party's 10, Janpath office in central Delhi.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh during the CWC meeting at AICC in Delhi. (Photo: ANI)

Rahul Gandhi was elected unopposed as Congress chief on December 11 and assumed the party's reins on December 16.In the meeting today, Rahul is expected to raise the 2G issue, which the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used to the hilt while mounting a fierce campaign against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

The Congress, sources said, wants to take the 2G issue to the people for which it is likely to formalise a plan soon. The CWC, the party's highest decision-making body, is also likely to adopt a resolution to this effect.

Alleged corruption under UPA II was widely believed to have led to the defeat of the Manmohan Singh government. The ramifications of the Congress's strong performance in the Gujarat Assembly polls for the party in future is also likely to be discussed in the CWC meeting.

In a related development, two-time former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and suave Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor are likely to make it to the CWC, either as permanent or special invitees to the party's highest decision-making body, according to the buzz in Congress circles in Kerala.

VIDEO | People of Gujarat reject Modi's hollow development model, Rahul speaks after defeat

--- ENDS ---
by David Raleigh

Gardai have described the death of a man following a fire at a derelict building in Co Tipperary, as a tragedy and were not treating it as suspicious.

The victim, aged 47, and a native of Eastern Europe was found by firefighters in a disused premises on Kenyon Street, Nenagh, Thursday morning.

A second man who was in the building at the time managed to escape from the blaze. He was being treated at University Hospital Limerick for minor injuries.

A local taxi driver passing the premises at the time alerted emergency services to the scene after seeing smoke emerging from the first floor of the building.

Three fire tenders from Nenagh and Cloughjordan put out the fire after fighting the blaze for 12 hours.

Firefighters discovered the victims body after entering the building which previously operated as a public house.

A Garda spokesman said: A fire was reported at 1:05am today at Kenyon Street, Nenagh. Two males were thought (to be) staying at the premises.

One male was removed to Limerick hospital with minor injuries. The other male (aged in his 40s) is deceased and was removed to Limerick Hospital for a post-mortem today.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, however a garda spokesman said they do not suspect foul play.

According to a reliable non-garda sources, the victim had been sleeping rough, despite having stayed at an address in the town at an earlier stage.

It was unclear if the man was recorded as officially homeless.

Gardai were still trying to confirm his identity and make contact with any relatives.

He had little or no English, and he was living a hopeless life, moving from one disaster to another. He did live in accommodation in Nenagh at one stage, but he became homeless through his own difficulties," said a source.

I would describe him as a poor unfortunate man, who either came over to Ireland living like this or who ended up in that lifestyle," they added.

Local publican Breda McMahon, who lives across the street from where the fire occurred, said: Its an awful shock to the community; Its very sad."

"It was a miserable, dirty, rainy night last night, and who knows, maybe that man was bedding down in there for the night.

She said the building where the fire occurred had been derelict for the past number of years.

Everyone is saddened. Im sure that man has a mother and a father and a family somewhere. Were all deeply affected by it, especially because it has happened at (Christmas) when we all need love and affection, she said.

- Digital Desk
American Express is facing a legal challenge over credit card surcharges that are imposed by retailers, from a customer who has had a previous win in a complex credit card dispute with a major financial institution.

In a Victorian Supreme Court case, customer Jason Brighton-Stangstins claims a credit card contract from 2007 did not properly disclose the potential for merchant surcharges, which are added onto the cost of a purchase. Surcharges for Amex are commonly about 1.5 to 2 per cent.

American Express faces a legal challenge from a customer over its disclosure relating to credit card surcharges. Credit:AP

A key legal issue in the case is likely to be whether a surcharge is a fee that is connected to a credit contract, and if it is, whether it needs to be appropriately disclosed under the consumer credit code.
The Federal Court has dismissed a cartel behaviour case brought against laundry detergent manufacturer Cussons by Australia's consumer watchdog.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) brought the case against PZ Cussons Australia in 2013, alleging the company engaged in cartel conduct by arranging with Colgate and Unilever to stop supplying standard concentrate laundry detergents in early 2009 and instead supply only ultra-concentrated products.

The ACCC in 2013 alleged Cussons had engaged in cartel conduct. Credit:Gabriele Charotte

Ultra-concentrated products are cheaper to produce, store and transport.

On Friday, the court dismissed the cartel allegation and also dismissed the ACCC's allegation that Cussons had reached an understanding with the other manufacturers that substantially lessened competition in the laundry detergent market.
Of the hundreds of resumes I've reviewed this year, some have stood out for the oddest reasons. There was one that used Comic Sans as the font throughout, thereby reflecting the work of a primary schooler. There was another that didn't include the applicant's contact details at all  a mysterious phantom candidate. And then there was my personal favourite, if only for daring purposes, who creatively presented her CV on PowerPoint rather than Word. (She got the job.)

What makes those examples so confronting is that the resume and cover letter are supposed to be the first attempt at a first impression. And yet if you were to look beyond those standouts, you'd see for yourself how many more are even littered with typos and spelling mistakes, cliches and gaps, hyperboles and lies.

The resume and cover letter are supposed to be the first attempt at a first impression.

Which raises the question: When people complain about the dozens of jobs they apply for, none of which result in an interview, is it always discrimination at fault or is there, even if only occasionally, also culpability on the part of the applicant?

In any case, research published last year by scholars at the University of Michigan sheds light on some of the strategies applicants use to woo recruiters. The researchers analysed real-life applications and subsequently discovered there are eight impression-management tactics people most frequently adopt.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a series of intimate portraits to mark their engagement.

Queen Elizabeth's 33-year-old grandson, Harry, fifth-in-line to the throne, and Markle, 36, who starred in the US TV legal drama Suits, announced their engagement last month.

Kensington Palace released two of the photographs from the romantic photo shoot to the media, and later posted a candid image from the shoot to Instagram.

"Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments following the release of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle's engagement photographs," the post said.
Canberra is in the middle of a baby drought, but a few of the territory's suburbs are still fertile ground.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the Gungahlin district has Canberra's highest birthrate at 1.94 per woman.

Canberra is in the middle of a baby drought, however regions of Gungahlin are up as Canberra's most fertile suburbs. Gigi Ang lives in Franklin with her partner Russell, and their children Elliot 6, and Preston 3. Photo: Jamila Toderas Credit:Jamila Toderas

Mother of two Gigi Ang, currently five months pregnant, said the amenities and friendly atmosphere make it a great place to raise a family.

She and husband Russell bought a house in Franklin after previously living in the inner north, and say it is a great place to raise a family.
Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders is quick to single out the toughest day in her first year as the ACT's chief police officer.

"I got that dreaded phone call to say that our officers had gone to a location in response to a man committing criminal damage," she said.

Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders has outlined three clear priorities for ACT Policing next year. Credit:ACT Policing

"And in an endeavour to assist him, to stop him hurting himself, they deployed a Taser and the man had since died."

She is talking about an incident from late October, in which police found Anthony Caristo covered in blood and self-inflicted wounds at his home in Waramanga.
There must have been a moment, standing on the deck of marine research vessel the RV Investigator, freezing cold and seasick to his stomach, that James Batchelor wondered what on earth he had signed up for.

But after two weeks of sailing in the Antarctic, the Canberra choreographer found his sea legs and began experimenting and improvising with dance as a team of scientists on the ship worked busily around him.

Contemporary dancers James Batchelor and Amber McCartney in 'Deepspace'. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Batchelor's two-month experience on board the RV Investigator, part of an expedition to map the ocean floor around Heard and McDonald islands, is due to hit the stage of The Playhouse on Saturday night in the form of contemporary dance piece Deepspace.

The former Lyneham High School student, 25, and visual artist Annalise Rees were invited to be official voyage artists on the 2016 expedition after Mike Coffin, a lead scientist with the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, saw Batchelor perform in Canberra in 2014.
The Tamil superstar is scheduled to meet his fans between December 26 and December 31 when he will reveal his plan of action.

By Akshaya Nath: Rajinikanth's close associate Tamilaruvi Manian told India Today that the Tamil superstar will announce about his political plunge between in the coming week.

The actor will meet his fans between December 26 and December 31 when he will reveal his plan of action.

Here is what Tamilaruvi Manian told India Today during an exclusive chat with Akshaya Nath:

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Q. We have learnt that Rajini sir will meet his fans on December 26. Will he make his political debut or announce about his entry.

A. Rajinikanth will meet his fans for six days, starting December 26. He will speak about his entry into politics during the session, there is no doubt over it. Apart from regular interaction with fans, there will be a photo session as well.

Q. Earlier Rajinikanth had said when he is ready for the battle he will come out. So is there any clarity on whether he is ready to face the battleground?

A. He will clarify everything on his own. I have no right to speak on behalf of Rajini ahead of his interaction with fans.

Q. Speculations have also been rife about Kamal Haasan joining politics, and it is just a matter of time before he starts his own party.

A. I don't have any idea about Kamal Haasan's entry into politics. He has not yet disclosed when he plans to launch his party. I believe he is still confused on whether to make a political debut or not. Even if he launches a party, what he is going to do further is a million dollar question.

Q. Do you think this is a good platform for Kamal Haasan?

A. If he launches a political party, he has three options before him. Firstly, he can join hands with Rajinikanth as it will be safer for him in his political journey. Second option for Kamal is to go with DMK as he has been vociferously criticising the ruling AIADMK government and its ministers. The last option is to fight alone but if Kamal chooses to contest by himself, he will meet the same fate as Sivaji Ganesan.

Tamilians adore Kamal Haasan as an actor but there is huge difference between him and Rajinikanth, as is the case between Sivaji and MGR.

It is, undoubtedly, better for Kamal to join hands with Rajinikanth as both AIADMK and DMK have in the last 50 years degenerated the political system in Tamil Nadu.

Q. So you believe Rajini can become another MGR?

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A. There is no doubt about it because everyone loves him and feels he is part of their family. People don't treat him only as an actor, but a one among them. He is extremely down to earth and the most kind-hearted person. With the support of his fans and followers, Rajinikanth will come to power.

ALSO WATCH | Rajinikanth's wife on his political plan: Change will happen if he joins politics

--- ENDS ---
Cleaners at one of St Vincent de Paul's homeless centres face being left out in the cold after the charity dumped one of its contractors.

This month, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW dismissed its cleaning company, Nationwide Health and Aged Services, which were contracted to clean Frederic House, a long-term refuge for homeless men in Sydney.

Shane Vining-Brown, a cleaner for St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, says he is devastated by news he could lose his job so close to Christmas. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Three cleaners now face losing their jobs at Nationwide if they cannot be redeployed within the organisation by December 31. Nationwide is also refusing to pay the workers a redundancy and said it is under no obligation to do so.

The Health Services Union, which is assisting the workers, is holding the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW to account, insisting it has a moral and legal obligation to help the workers.
Two men are being investigated by the RSPCA after they ate a live fish in a Sydney pet shop and posted the video online.

Vision of the stunt, which was filmed at Petbarn in Penrith, has been watched more than 7 million times.

In the video, one of the men can be seen pointing at a goldfish in a tank and saying "let's go that one there".

A staff member scoops the fish out of the tank and puts in a plastic bag, before leaving to get elastic bands to seal the bag shut.
Home owners are waiting for more than three years for their disagreements with builders to be resolved.

Some have lost between $100,000 and $200,000 in legal fees and building costs as their disputes drag on in a range of building trades that employ 400,000 Queenslanders.

Some Queensland homeowners are waiting for three years to have building disputes resolved as calls now mount for a commission of inquiry into Queensland's building industry watchdog. Credit:Pat Scala

A community groundswell is now being levelled against the Queensland Building and Construction Commission and its efforts to regulate inadequate builders.

One commentator has questioned what he described as the toxic culture within the QBCC, similar to issues raised against Queensland Rail in February 2017.
Three months after the carcass of a 5.2-metre crocodile was found near Rockhampton, police have charged a man over the killing of the reptile.

The remains were discovered on September 21 floating in the Fitzroy River at Etna Creek, about 20 kilometres north of Rockhampton, and earlier this month police told Fairfax Media the investigation was ongoing and were still appealing for public information.

Police along with the Department of Environment and Science launched an investigation after a 5.2-metre crocodile was found shot dead near Rockhampton in September. Credit:Department of Environment and Heritage Protection

Several bullets were pulled from the croc during an examination soon after its body was found and detectives from the rural Major and Organised Crime Squad began their investigation.

Despite the trail being seemingly cold by early December, officers from the Department of Environment and Science, along with detectives working on the case, searched two residences in Etna Creek on Thursday.
A man suspected of killing his mother-in-law before ending his own life on Queenslands central coast had only recently had a domestic violence order taken out against him.

The 25-year-old was found dead inside a sedan with self-inflicted wounds after he rammed into a police car at Livingstone, causing it to burst into flames on Friday morning.

An hour earlier, his former partner frantically called police after she found her 53-year-old mother dead inside the Rockhampton family home.

Police said the victim's daughter and her one-year-old child, who had been staying at the home, were at the residence when the attack occurred.
"If I hadn't pulled him he probably would have got hit." Ethan suffered foot, neck, shoulder and elbow injuries and was treated at the Royal Children's Hospital on Thursday evening, but has since been discharged.



Victim's son 'traumatised' after hearing attack The wife of one of the men injured in the Flinders Street attack says their 13-year-old son has been left traumatised after hearing the moment his father was hit by an SUV.

Rohit Kaul, an Optus employee, was on his way home from work and on the phone to his son Avi when he was struck by the car.

Rohit Kaul and his wife Natasha.

Mr Kaul, 45, sustained a broken leg and fractured ribs after he was thrown into the air. He had surgery at The Alfred hospital on Friday morning, where he is in a stable condition.

Natasha Kaul said although she was incredibly thankful her husband was alive, her son was shaken after hearing the incident unfold.

"It is a hard day," Mrs Kaul said, after spending all night at hospital.

"We could hear screaming in the background and people shouting. He said 'Mama, something is wrong'. He got scared and started to panic."

Mrs Kaul, a correspondent for Press Trust of India, said a couple walking in front of her husband came to his rescue and called her back.



"He said don't panic, but your husband is injured. They were very helpful and calmed me down.

"I spoke to Rohit and he told me he was fine but he kept fainting. I'm thankful he has no major injuries." The hospital The Alfred Hospital emergency department staff knew all too well what to do when the first Flinders Street victim was rushed through the doors about half an hour after the attack. "We unfortunately become better at it every something like this happens," said Carl Luckhoff, The Alfred's acting director of emergency and trauma.

"It means you can foresee something that you may not have last time." They had people coming with head injuries, with lung injuries, with shock and fear. "We knew there were anything between 10 and 15 casualties," Dr Luckhoff said. In the end, they had 11 patients, nine in a stable condition, two critical. "As a team in a hospital, we're extremely proud that we're able to respond so quickly," he said. "But when you see it unfold, you're sad that it's occurred. It's nothing that anyone wants."

The injured Twenty people were injured including the driver after he ploughed through pedestrians on the corner of Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street about 4.40pm Thursday afternoon: seventeen victims, the driver and the off-duty police officer who was injured while arresting the driver. Nine of the victims are overseas nationals, including from South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand. Police released an updated list of victims and have confirmed an 83-year-old Northcote man, and two men who are both South Korean nationals, aged 61 and 67 all remain in a critical condition. A four-year-old boy who was injured, who is a South Korean national living in Hoppers Crossing, is in a stable condition.

A 40-year old Venezuelan national from Elwood is serious but stable, while a 47-year-old Richmond woman, 36-year-old Mentone woman, 35-year-old Mernda woman, 30-year-old Craigieburn woman are all in a stable condition. Among the overseas nationals are a 25-year-old Irish woman living in Caulfield, a 24-year-old Chinese man, and a 45-year-old Indian man, who are all also in a stable condition. Ethan was among those discharged on Friday as well as a 33-year-old Seaford woman, a 43-year-old New Zealand man living in Heathmont, and a 25-year-old Italian man. A 58-year-old woman from Coburg and a 25-year-old Reservoir woman also went to hospital but were not admitted. A spokeswoman from the New Zealand high commission said it had offered assistance to the New Zealander and their family but couldn't release more details due to privacy considerations.

A woman at the Chinese consulate in Melbourne said the Chinese citizen was receiving medical care. Italy's consulate-general said the Italian national had been injured and was not in a critical condition. The Royal Melbourne has set up a relatives' room near the emergency department to give families privacy and support. "Social work and nursing staff led this response and were able to support and address the concerns and needs of worried family and friends," a spokeswoman said. "Families and next-of-kin for these patients are being supported by RMH staff."
Melbourne has some "special challenges" that can make it difficult to stop attacks such as the one in Flinders Street on Thursday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said.

Twenty people were injured, including a four-year-old boy, when Saeed Noori allegedly drove an SUV owned by a relative into pedestrians on Flinders Street at the intersection with Elizabeth Street in peak hour on Thursday. Three of the injured pedestrians are in a critical condition in city hospitals. Mr Noori was among those injured.

In his first detailed comments on the horrific incident, Mr Turnbull praised the 'courage and resilience' of Melburnians before suggesting that the city's design made its citizens more vulnerable to being deliberately hit.

"Melbourne has some special challenges, though... and it has been the subject of considerable discussion between us for some time now," Mr Turnbull said at a press conference on Friday.
Former Queensland premier Campbell Newman has labelled as extraordinary an apparent decision to bring Peta Credlin to the state for a pre-election fundraiser, in light of her criticism of the Turnbull government.

Mr Newman on Friday continued to push back against a request for him to resign due to his own critical comments in the wake of the LNPs state election loss, highlighting the fairly relentless criticism from Ms Credlin, his Sky News stablemate.

Former LNP leader Campbell Newman argued the party should be able to have a robust public debate. Credit:Steve Holland

It was fascinating that given she is a critic, that she was invited by the LNP to do a fundraiser in the last three months in Queensland, he told ABC Radio Brisbane.

Its sort of extraordinary that the party is happy to have somebody who is so critical come up here and then do a fundraiser.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Home Minister Rajnath Singh today asked police to be sensitive towards the "pain" of people, noting that being tough and forceful could sometime become "counter-productive".

Addressing the annual Endowment Lecture, organised by the Intelligence Bureau, the home minister said police must be sensitive towards the problems of common people and develop the capacity to realise their "pain".

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"Police must play a role to reduce peoples pain. Even though police sometime have to be forceful but being tough or too much forceful sometime could be counter-productive," he said at the event attended by senior police and intelligence officers.

Advocating strongly for introduction of technology in policing, Singh said there was no alternative to adopting technology to deal with criminals, who too have been using modern devices to carry out crime.

"We want police to be technologically modern with the capacity to get real time information," he said.

The home minister expressed concern over scarce presence of police in many rural areas of the country, saying such a situation has to be improved as the countrys 70 per cent population live in villages.

He said police should not be bothered by jurisdictional issues and must go ahead with their job and share information with their counterparts of the neighbouring areas whenever there is a need.

"We must remember that police cannot work in isolation," he said.

Referring to the problem of radicalisation of youths, Singh said the menace was a "global challenge" and sought joint action to deal with it.

He also favoured time-bound action to deal with cyber crime in the country as the menace was growing.

The home minister also stressed the need for welfare of the countrys constabulary, saying constables must have enough promotion avenues in their career.

Later, replying to a question from a former Intelligence Bureau officer, Rajinder Kumar, regarding legal protection to intelligence officers for their professional duties, Singh said the government would look into the issue in future. PTI ACB SMN

--- ENDS ---
Council tone deaf The Yass Valley Council has broken a public promise and voted to go ahead with a sewage treatment plant (STP) for Gundaroo despite overwhelming community opposition and a guarantee by senior staff that council would hold to the results of a survey on the need for the plant. At a crowded public forum at Gundaroo on October 17 YVC general manager David Rowe stated that a "no" vote by village landowners to the survey would mean there would be no STP. This was in front of council's most senior staff and Councillors Furry, Frost and Burgess. More than 75 per cent of landowners said "no" on a valid return rate of 60 per cent, strong confirmation that the village didn't want it, so there should have been no more action on the matter. At the last council meeting councillors voted to go ahead with the plant. This also went against the clear recommendation of council's engineer, Robert Fish.

It is the second time his recommendations for no STP have been ignored. It's now clear how little notice Yass Valley Council takes of community consultation when making decisions about actions that impact greatly on those communities. It also calls into question the value that councillors place on the advice and public statements of senior council staff. Ian Jones, president, Friends of Gundaroo Inc, Gundaroo Thanks for the help Much industry in my street this morning (December 20) to clear a blocked stormwater line, for which thanks is extended to Roads ACT.

My missive of December 12, "Fix My Street I Wish", resulted in an email the next day from Roads ACT saying road maintenance had responded on three recent occasions, most recently December 4, and had temporarily cleared a blockage of tree roots. Further required work had been programmed. Even moderate rain has caused the flooding of properties on the lower side of the street for many years. On March 22 this year I again notified the matter on the Fix My Street website. Despite several subsequent reminders, there was no improvement nor any information to indicate action was being taken. An original, now late resident, said several years ago drainage in the street had been inadequate since it was established in the early 1950s. It seems unlikely the clearing of tree roots will entirely prevent water inundation from heavy rain. Nevertheless, serious work has been undertaken for which residents are grateful. Graham Downie, O'Connor

On dangerous ground Rod Matthews (Letters, December 18) points to areas of gender inequities that "disadvantage" males. First, they live shorter lives on average than females. Maybe that's because of lifestyle issues such as the amount of alcohol they consume. Second, they are jailed at a much higher rate. Possibly males commit more offences than women and there are more men than women in positions where they can commit while collar crimes. Third, men commit suicide far more than females. Could that have something to do with the cultural fact that men in our society are more reluctant to discuss their emotional problems and also, in cases like Vietnam Veterans, many more men than women experienced post traumatic stress given that the military is primarily male?

Fourth, we are told men almost exclusively die in workplace accidents. I wonder if that has something to do with the more dangerous work men do compared with women? Finally, men "drown at a higher rate than females". As part of our masculine culture, men take risks while swimming and diving into shallow water and, guess what, more of them drown. Maybe it would be more beneficial to look at male culture as the cause of death rates rather than "gender inequality". Paul Kringas, Giralang

Half-cocked on war In an otherwise rational letter, Terry Webster (Letters, December 22) gets rather carried away when he refers to the White House as being "trigger happy" during the Vietnam War. The US Defence Department may have been generally "trigger happy" to some extent, but the term could hardly have been applied to presidents Kennedy or Johnson. Both were extremely unhappy with being in Vietnam and reluctant to increase troop numbers, only doing so more in despair than enthusiasm with Department of Defence advice. Their White House successor Nixon realised the futility of it all and pulled troops out.

Bill Deane, Chapman Take their names So President Trump wants a list of the UN votes. Is he writing his own naughty-or-nice list and deciding who getscoal? Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill, Vic Jerking of the knee

The ACT government has a new strategy. Banning events is cheaper than managing them. The decision to close Lonsdale Street to traffic on the weekend of Summernats is a knee-jerk overreaction to something nobody has considered to be a problem up until now. M. Moore, Bonython Hark to the holy whisper of Jesus Atheists like Greens politicians Nick McKim and Peter Whish-Wilson are enjoying a field day at the expense of Christianity.

Their churlish mocking of Christmas as a "merry non-denominational seasonal festivity" in a recent social media post is reflective of an ever-increasing and, sadly, intolerant secularism taking hold in Australia. Granted, the royal commission has exposed a wicked underbelly, a cancer that must be removed; but the essence of Christianity isn't its followers  be they ordained or not. As for that birthday infant, the one whose name we daren't mention lest we cause offence  the essence of Christianity; well, he tends to remain tucked-away somewhere in the basement of our collective hearts: crying, smiling; longing to be cuddled and loved and fed ... merry non-denominational seasonal festivity, anyway. Yet it is this nameless one, this silenced one, who gives voice to the longings of those of us who cannot compete in a world that says, "keep up, or else": the frail, the lonely, the infirm, the strange. And as powerful and as noisy as the new atheist Grinch and consumerist preachers are, the Christmas child can still be heard whispering : "I am with you: tiny, unassuming; lying at your feet." It is a whisper that alerts us to the beauty and majesty of our humanity; exhorting us to delight in those who cannot keep up. It is to them to whom Christmas belongs.

Fr Peter Day, Queanbeyan Memories of a lady In 1981 I was in an audience being advised by senior members of the Canberra press corps on interaction with the press. One of the speakers commented on Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen. He recalled that when Lady Flo was appointed to the Senate, members of the corps were ecstatic about the coming opportunities to lampoon her about pumpkin scones and Queensland politics. Their intentions didn't last long; instead, her courtesy caused her to be much respected by the corps. One of her favourite pieces of advice was: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."

I recommend that that advice be displayed in a prominent location in Parliament House as a fitting tribute to a genuine lady, and as a reminder to all politicians of the behaviour they should maintain. Robert Salmond, Melba Think hard on trinket Despite Chinese President Xi Jinping's efforts to close down the ivory trade in China by imposing a ban, ("Ivory Power", December 16, pp 26 & 71), trading in elephant ivory apparently still goes on on Laos (especially), Vietnam and the "Golden Triangle" (parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos). This trade involves the slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants, a fact of which most Chinese were unaware until very recently, and less than half of ivory buyers or users have heard of the ban. Let's hope that the steps being taken to stop the slaughter of elephants for their ivory are successful. It would be a considerable tragedy if a magnificent, and by all accounts highly intelligent animal were driven to extinction just for the sake of a few "look at what I've got" trinkets.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin Dutton dressed as ram John Powers' promotion of the Department of Home Affairs ("ISIS is a savvy enemy", December 20, p23) seems unfortunately necessary in troubled times although his credentials were not stated. But what worries me is that the authoritarian Peter Dutton, a man notoriously intolerant and disrespectful of criticism or differing opinions, will be in charge of surveillance of those opinions. Mr Powers says we need to know when communities are "stable".

We have to wonder about Mr Dutton's definition of "stability" and his implied monopoly of patriotism, given that he calls dissenting lawyers "un-Australian" and a Greens senator "an embarrassment to her country" for having complained (correctly) about being spied on. Surely a person more moderate in tone and respectful of the right of legitimate dissent is required in a position with such sweeping powers of scrutiny and enforcement? David Roth, Kambah Royal reality check Surprisingly, there is much to agree with in Philip Benwell's latest monarchical missive (Letters, December 15).

The obligations of our elected politicians to represent the national interest ahead of their personal and party interests does indeed need reinforcement. But did he need to so grievously misrepresent the constitution? The oath that parliamentarians are constitutionally required to swear is only to the monarch  and explicitly to the monarch of the UK in that capacity, not to the titularly separate monarch of Australia. Contrary to his assertion, the oath does not require allegiance to the constitution. And it is totally misleading to suggest that this is an oath to the people through the monarch and the Crown.

It is only to the monarch and her successors as the constitutionally titular hereditary rulers of Australia. The whole structure of the constitution elevates the Crown above the people (subjects, not citizens) notas their representative, let alone their saviour. Mike Hutchinson, Reid Blight on our world I would like to call on Andrew Leigh, my MP, to try to persuade the government, the opposition and the Greens to come together and agree to bring the refugees on Manus Island to Australia.

These people do not deserve the extremely harsh treatment they have received from the Australian government and they are our responsibility. I have lived in Papua New Guinea and I know it is not a safe place to live; it can bevery dangerous. The local people on Manus will never accept the refugees into their community. They themselves have very little. PNG has a 2.5 per cent employment rate. The literacy levels are low, very few get a secondary education. I fail to see how there is a future in PNG for the 450 refugees who are incarcerated there.

They are simply not safe and they have no prospects. This matter is a blight on our society and I actually I feel ashamed to be an Australian. Sue Danaher, Evatt Stats all, folks I am impressed that T. Leslie has such clear knowledge on the views of non-respondents to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey (Letters, December 18).
She's a walking advertisement for the danger of nepotism, an exemplar of class privilege and a perfect representative for Republican know-nothingism. She was supposed to be the brains of the family and the moral ballast; instead, she's a self-righteous enabler.

We're speaking of Ivanka Trump, as you might have divined. She was out talking nonsense again on Thursday: "I'm really looking forward to doing a lot of travelling in April when people realise the effect that this has . . . The vast majority will be [doing their taxes] on a single postcard." Thunk. There's no postcard. That was a prop. And the filing for the first year under the new tax code will be in 2019.

She also declared of Senator Bob Corker, who decided to vote for the final tax bill after voting no on the Senate version: "He really believes that tax relief, coupled with the administration's deregulatory actions, will create the growth that will start to erode and ultimately eliminate the national debt that has been accrued over the last several decades." I'm confident Corker believes no such thing because that would be preposterous, unsupported by any reputable economic analysis. (Corker voted for the final bill upon concluding it was flawed but helpful in promoting economic growth.) As Business Insider put it:

"This theory - that the bill will pay for itself and even erode existing debt through increased economic growth - is unsubstantiated. Virtually no nonpartisan studies or experts have found that the GOP bill, which slashes the corporate tax rate from 35 per cent to 21 per cent, will be deficit-neutral or decrease the debt-to-GDP ratio."
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Industry leaders tell Australian Broker readers about the best and worst Christmas presents they've ever received. Read on to find out who got the jocks, the dog calendar and the traffic ticket...

Tanya Sale, CEO, Outsource Financial



Worst: I am afraid of heights  so my partner decided it was time I overcame this fear. The present was the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. I nearly passed out just suiting up! So up we went, and the biggest mistake I made was looking down. My legs went to jelly. I started hyperventilating and the poor instructor had to support me the whole way. I did get to the top, and I can assure you, I was the first to the bottom. It was the worst experience of my life!



Best: I have had many beautiful gifts over the years, but the one that will always stay in mind is a mystery flight I received. When I arrived at the destination, I was blindfolded and driven to a secret venue. The blindfold came off and I was handed a beautiful little bundle: my first great niece, Indi. In my mind, family is the greatest gift!

Simone Tilley, general manager of retail broker distribution, ANZ



Worst: My worst gift was from my fiance at the time. He bought me clothes that seriously missed the mark. I remember showing my mum and we both could not stop laughing. After that incident, I thought it might be a good idea to give him a discrete list of shops, and strongly suggested not to deviate from the list!



Best: The following year, he bought me the most stunning dress and I love wearing it to this very day.

Peter White, executive director, FBAA



Worst: The yearly dog calendar from my late crazy aunt.



Best: 750cc motorbike.

John Flavell, CEO, Mortgage Choice



Worst: A hand-knitted jumper, but I won't tell you who it was from...



Best: The birth of my nephew - he was born on Christmas Eve.

Daniel Carde, general manager of third party distribution, Homeloans



Worst: A diary for the year that had just ended.



Best: A bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Mark Vilo, head of bank intermediaries, Suncorp



Worst: Last year I got a cookbook from my wife. I think it was a hint. (Dont tell her.)



Best: Ive had some great summer Christmases over the years in Sydney, but the best is yet to come. Christmas 2019 will be a white one travelling through Europe with my family and spending Christmas Day in my dads hometown in Estonia.

Whilst looking for a bakery open on Christmas Day, I came home with a traffic infringement and no bread!Being an avid fisherman, a new fly rod  Sage X.





Lisa Claes, CEO, CoreLogic



Worst: A deep fryer  still in the box.



Best: Tickets to Midnight Oil.

Craig Mackenzie, executive head of product, CoreLogic



Worst: Socks and jocks.



Best: Bruce Springstein music.

A camera...No way to use it. The charger that came with it didn't work... and the store where it came from wouldn't be reopening until 6 Jan.
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The reporters at DNA Info are martyrs for the cause of organized labor who just wanted to have a say in how their business was run, and they do not regret their decision to unionize even though they knew doing so could mean theyd lose their jobs, former staffer Noah Hurowitz claimed on the latest edition of Brooklyn Paper Radio.

This was largely not about money or benefits, it was about a collective voice for the editorial employees that we didnt feel was protected and respected, Hurowitz told host and Brooklyn Paper editor-in-chief Vince DiMiceli. Maybe if you listen to the troops in the trenches a little more, youll be more successful.

Of course, now that billionaire Joe Ricketts has closed the site, the fruits of such a collaboration will never see the light of day, and thats too bad, according to freelance journalist Ross Barkan, whose Columbia Journalism Review piece on the closure likened it to the end of community journalism as we know it. He added on the show that the loss of Gothamist, which Ricketts purchased and combined with DNA Info less than a year ago, was the latest closure of a newspaper or website willing to take a stand on things, as opposed to just reporting the news.

Gawker and Gothamist were very up-front about their opinions and were very willing to go on crusades and write with a sense of righteousness, he said. Those places that really had value in New York City no longer exist, and that is a major loss as well.

A long-time listener and first-time caller then hijacked the show, wondering if the answer for community news is to get readers to pay subscriptions to help pay for the costs of doing business  something he said he was willing to do for a site like DNA Info or Gothamist.

That opened the door to the question of whether aggregators like Facebook or Google should help pay for the news sites that grease their users wheels lest they run out of content.

Facebook is starting to understand that they are now in the news business, Barkan said. Theyve woken up to the reality that this isnt just a place where people talk about their pet cat. Its also the place where people get their news. My hope is Facebook understands it has an obligation to the news industry, and to be something of a news organization in itself. That means having editors curate news and the feed so you dont see such a wild spread of misinformation.

In the end Barkan wondered if Facebook and Google will one day do something theyve never done in the past: cut news organizations in on the action.

They need to stop being money-hungry capitalists for a second and consider the well being of democracies, he said. They are worth many, many billions of dollars. You can take a fraction of the revenue they take in and subsidize many news organizations. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg is more of an altruist than I think.

Hurowitz, though, had a different approach.

Get me in a room with Mark Zuckerberg and I will shake him upside down and I guarantee youll have enough money to run a website, he joked.

Ross Barkan
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Sunday

Dec. 24

Flea frenzy

Do your last-minute Christmas shopping at the Brooklyn Flea! You can pick up toys, clothes, jewelry, and all sorts of artisanal goods and second-hand treasures at the market on Christmas Eve  and then relieve some of your holiday anxiety at the bar in the back. Warning: the Flea might close a little early tonight.

11 am6 pm at Industry City (241 37th St., second floor, between Second and Third avenues in Sunset Park, www.brook lynfl ea.com ). Free.

Monday

Dec. 25

Doctors orders

After a day of opening presents and making nice with the family, you need to get out of the house. So slip out and spend your Christmas night at Dr. Whothemed bar the Way Station, sipping on a Sonic Screwdriver and watching the latest Dr. Who Christmas special Twice Upon a Time, the final stand of the 12th Doctor.

7:30 pm at the Way Station [683 Washington Ave. between Prospect and St. Marks places in Prospect Heights, (347) 6274949, www.thewa ystat ionbk.com ]. Free.

Tuesday

Dec. 26

Holding court

Ever since the Harlem Globetrotters helped Scooby Doo solve the mystery of the Haunted Island, weve wanted to see the clown princes of the court in person. Todays the day! The team brings its ball-spinning action to Barclays Centers for two games against the Washington Senators. Bring the kids!

Modernizing a classic: The Brooklyn Nutcracker is a contemporary take on the classic ballet, opening at Irondale Center in Fort Greene Dec. 7. Julie Lemberger

2 pm and 7 pm at Barclays Center (620 Atlantic Ave. at Pacific Street in Prospect Heights, www.harle mglob etrot ters.com/ nyc ). $26$200.

Wednesday

Dec. 27

Raga against the machine

The Indian music collective Brooklyn Raga Massive welcomes jazz drummer Dan Weiss to its weekly jam session. The Brooklyn percussionist, widely hailed as one of the best in the biz, will perform an intimate hour-long set before the whole ensemble grooves together.

8 pm at Art Cafe and Bar (884 Pacific St. at Underhill Avenue in Prospect Heights, www.brook lynra gamas sive.org ). $15 ($10 in advance).

Thursday

Dec. 28

Gay apparel

The holidays can be excessively heterosexual, but A Gay Show for All People adds a queer twinkle to the tinsel. Hosts Aaron Jackson (pictured) and Josh Sharp will welcome some of Brooklyns funniest, and queerest comedians, including Cole Escola, Liza Treyger, and Bowen Yang, among others.

8 pm at Littlefield (635 Sackett St. between Third and Fourth avenues in Gowanus, www.littl efiel dnyc.com ). $10 ($8 in advance).
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This clinic is really something to be proud about!

Local leaders snipped a rainbow-colored ribbon to celebrate the Wednesday opening of North Brooklyns first medical facility dedicated to treating the LGBTQ community. The opening of Pride Health Center at Bedford-Stuyvesants Woodhull Hospital is an inclusive step towards making sure no patients fall through the cracks in getting the treatment they need, according to the nabes councilman.

In a region as vibrant and diverse as Brooklyn, public institutions must ensure they are able to address a wide range of culturally-specific needs, said Councilman Robert Cornegy (DBedford-Stuyvesant). The addition of a dedicated LGBTQ health center further demonstrates the hospitals continued commitment to being at the forefront of addressing this areas health-care needs in a comprehensive way.

Doctors at the center inside the public hospital at 760 Broadway are specially trained in providing care for LGBTQ patients, including primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, hormone therapy, behavioral health, sexually-transmitted-infection testing and treatment, and HIV-testing and prevention.

Clients can currently visit the gay-friendly clinic on Mondays from 4 to 8 pm, but hospital honchos expect to expand its operating hours as patient volume grows. And the larger medical centers doctors are on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

The Pride Health Center is the second LGBTQ-focused clinic in the citys public-hospital system  the first opened in Manhattan in 2014  and it is certainly not the last to arrive in the Borough of Kings.

Workers are expected to break ground early next year on another facility that serves the local gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, and its honchos expect the Downtown clinic on Flatbush Avenue Extension to open in mid-2019.

And LGBTQ patients could already seek treatment at a specialized health center inside East Flatbushs State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, which opened in 2015.

There may only be a handful in the borough, but the Pride Health Centers opening represents Brooklyns important commitment to providing health services for members of its marginalized communities, according to another pol who joined First Lady Chirlane McCray at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

As we move forward into the 21st century, it is imperative that we strive to build an inclusive society that respects and embraces individuals of all walks of life, said Assemblywoman Maritza Davila (DBushwick),
The frenzy around world's biggest virtual currency, Bitcoin, has reached a level where it's impossible for you not to think about investing in it. Every day Bitcoin is setting up a new benchmark, luring you to become a part of this unpredictable financial cycle. At the same time, some financial institutions such as JP Morgan Chase and Berkshaire Hathway have debunked the "bitcoin mania", calling it a "fraud" and warning people against falling for the "Bitcoin trap". Being the most popular and an unregulated, or independent currency, Bitcoin is vulnerable to online sharks - hackers - waiting for the right time to dig in their claws on your money. A recent examples: Hackers stole over $80 million in Bitcoins by breaking into Slovenian-based virtual currency marketplace NiceHash. The currency is so volatile that you can't be sure when it is not your day. On Thursday, the virtual currency dropped 22 per cent to low of $15,262 after taking a $20,000-mark jump on last Sunday. Bitcoin fell below $13,000 on Friday on a Luxembourg-based coin exchange, Bitstamp. The crypto-currency has seen two sharp drops in the last two months.

As per Coindesk, a similar virtual currency exchange, one third of the two third Bitcoins mined are lost forever. Reuters says more than 9, 80,000 Bitcoins have been stolen from exchanges since 2011, roughly around $1, 57, 780, 04900 as per the current price. The reason for disappearance can be anything like hacking, or hardware failure.

So is Bitcoin a monetary revolution - and you think you must be a part of it - or should you keep a distance?

Bitcoin advocates swear by its anonymous founder Satoshi Nakamoto's super complex algorithm called Blockchain, an online distributed ledger system that maintains the data related to every single Bitcoin transaction. Bitcoins are stored in an open online decentralised ledger where every single transaction is verified by the cryptocurrency miners spread all over the world, who are constantly competing with each other for a bitcoin reward. Every miner can access the ledger and the system reflects each small development. They say the system is impossible to hack as it's not centralised like Federal Reserve Bank of the US, or any other central bank. The mainstream institutions pose the same argument saying since there's no solid system to back it up if things go haywire, it's not reliable. In entirety, it seems like a zero sum game. But before you take the plunge, read these five biggest financial disasters associated with Bitcoin that pose serious questions on its reliability.



Silk Road that was full of rocks

Ross Ulbricht, the pseudonymous proprietor of the website Silk Road, used Bitcoin for illegal transactions in drugs and arms. For two years between 2011 and 2013, Silk Road became a favourite online marketplace - completely anonymous from law enforcement agencies - for drug mafias, and a headache for authorities. People sold drugs worth millions on the website, and all transactions were done using Bitcoin. Drug mafias could easily buy any contraband imaginable at a single platform, just like Amazon or eBay. Within months, the website became the leader of the "darknet", with over 900,000 users and the annual turnover of $1 billion. Ulbricht was arrested in October 2013, and the site was shut down. But soon, it was surpassed by similar "darknet" websites that operated secretively, using domain names like .onion. Ulbricht was convicted for life on drug trafficking, criminal enterprise, aiding and abetting distribution of drugs and money laundering.



Instant rise and fall of BitInstant

The chief executive officer (CEO) of Bitcoin exchange, BitInstant, Charlie Shrem, a 27-year-old young ambitious entrepreneur was fascinated by the idea of having a currency with no third party control after he heard about it from a friend at the age of 19 in 2011. After he bought a couple of bitcoins - at a dirtcheap price at that time - he started Bitcoin exchange from his home and soon caught the attention of young investors like Winklevoss brothers who pumped in over $1.3 million in his company. It was a meteoric rise, and so was its fall. After he moved to a nice office with over 30 people working for him, the company partnered with giants like Walmart, Walgreens, and Duane Reade where anyone could buy Bitcoins through BitInstant. The business was good and growing with revenue reaching over $1 million in a month, but greed has no limit. Shrem started facilitating transactions on 'darknet' leader Silk Road, and soon he was in the FBI net. After he was arrested in 2016, he pleaded guilty in the court. He claimed he facilitated one customer, BTC King owner Robert M. Faiella, whose customers (or drug mafias) were using Silk Road. They both were accused of the sale of Bitcoins worth $1 million to Silk Road. Shrem was sentenced to two years in jail. This incident sent shockwaves in the Bitcoin world, and people started associating the virtual currency as a means to launder money.



Mt Gox's $460 million 'gift' to investors

Tokyo-based Mt Gox was another large exchange company for the virtual currency that met the same fate as BitInstant. The company had already lost over 80,000 Bitcoins, as per the Daily Beast, when Mt Gox CEO Mark Karpeles bought it from Jed McCaleb in 2011, but Jed hid these details from Karpeles. Initially started as an online space for trading of cards for a game called 'Magic: The Gathering', Mt Gox soon shifted to Bitcoin trading. The company was in trouble from the start, but Karpeles kept the secret under carpet for long. February 2014 brought doom for Mt Gox when Karpeles informed the authorities that over 850,000 Bitcoins worth $450 million had disappeared; hackers must be super rich if you compare it with current Bitcoin price. After this, people across the world started believing that perhaps Bitcoin needs to be regulated like fiat currencies to rid such fiascos. Karpeles was found guilty of the improper use of electronic funds and embezzling a total of $2.7 million of customer funds.

'WannaCry' wreaked havoc in 150 countries

WannaCry virus hit computers of major corporations in over 150 countries in May this year. Panic spread across the world as message saying "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!" popped up on the compromised computers. The cryptocurrency faced another backlash when hackers demanded "ransom" money in Bitcoins to open the encrypted files. The hackers sought $300 ransom in Bitcoin from every compromised computer, giving people three-day time failing which they threatened to delete the locked files. Bitcoin allows users to make anonymous transactions and remain anonymous. This makes the system sophisticated to crack in case of such attacks, and equally favourable to cyberattackers.



$80 million Bitcoin heist at NiceHash

Bitcoin mining marketplace NiceHash reported on Wednesday that hackers stole nearly $80m in Bitcoins from the company. Ever since the company informed the law enforcement agencies, the operation has been stopped and users have been told to change password and other personal details. It was "a highly professional attack with sophisticated social engineering", NiceHash head of marketing Andrej P Skraba told the Guardian. The company has so far lost around 4,700 Bitcoins worth about $80.02 million at current prices. The official website of the mining marketplace says the service is currently unavailable and that the matter is being investigated. "Clearly, this is a matter of deep concern and we are working hard to rectify the matter in the coming days. In addition to undertaking our own investigation, the incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and law enforcement and we are co-operating with them as a matter of urgency," the company said in a statement.
Didi is moving to tap businesses beyond ride hailing such as food delivery and internet finance. Photo: Visual China

Chinas ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Technology Co. netted $4 billion in a fresh round of fundraising, giving it a high-octane financial boost to drive into new business territory.

A group of Chinese and international investors took part in Didis latest funding round, which was led by Japanese telecom giant SoftBank Group Corp., Abu Dhabis state fund Mubadala Capital and Chinas state-owned utility State Grid Corp., sources close to the matter told Caixin.

Didi, an industry behemoth that claims nearly 90% of Chinas ride-hailing market, was valued at around $56 billion after the latest fundraising, compared with about $50 billion in the previous funding round in April. Didi was created by a 2015 merger between Tencent Holding-backed Didi Dache and Alibaba Group Holding-backed Kuaidi Dache.

Didi said capital from the latest fundraising will be used to boost its artificial intelligence capacity, overseas expansion and new-energy vehicle service networks.

The company in April raised $5.5 billion from a consortium of investors. Softbank, as the leading investor, offered $5 billion. Other investors include China Merchants Bank, Bank of Communication and U.S. private equity fund Silver Lake Partner.

Company financing documents viewed by Caixin showed that before the April fundraising, messaging giant Tencent was the largest shareholder of Didi, with an 11.4% stake, followed by e-commerce firm Alibaba, with 9.5%. The companys management team and employees held 8.4% and 10% of the company, respectively.

The two funding rounds this year have boosted Didis total fundraising to $25 billion, from a list of nearly 100 investors.

Capital from deep-pocketed investors has backed Didis aggressive subsidy wars to win market share against rivals, including U.S. ride-sharing giant Uber, which sold its China operation to Didi last year.

Didis ride-hailing business saw more than 10% growth in rides in 2017, according to a company source.

But the company is also facing pressure as authorities step up efforts to regulate the burgeoning ride-hailing business. Last year, a national law to legalize the industry set stricter requirements on companies and drivers. Local governments have also rolled out local rules. For instance, drivers must now be local residents with locally registered vehicles.

Meanwhile, smaller rivals are rising to challenge Didis dominance. Last month, ride-hailing and car-rental service provider Shouqi raised $105 million in new funds from a group led by Baidu Inc. and NIO Capital. Although much smaller in users base than Didi, Shouqi has established its foothold in the car-booking market that focuses on higher-end, more expensive chauffeur services.

Competition is also coming from outsiders who are eyeing the lucrative ride-hailing sector. In February, Chinas largest group-buying and local service provider Meituan Dianping launched its own version of car-hailing services in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province. Didi fought back by offering subsidies to drivers in the city.

Meituan-Dianping, which raised $4 billion in October, has planned to expand into the ride-hailing market for more than a year, a person close to the matter said. The company plans to develop ride-hailing into one of its major business pillars along with online shopping, reservation and hotel booking services.

Didi is also considering expanding its business spectrum beyond ride hailing. A source close to the company said Didi is set to launch food-delivery services early next year, joining the battle with Meituan-Dianping and Alibaba-backed Ele.me.

Earlier this week, Didi also announced a 300 million yuan takeover of third-party payment company 19Pay, obtaining a much-coveted license for online payment services.

At the same time it is digging deeper at home, Didi has also geared up efforts to expand overseas. It said Thursday it will set up a partnership with Taiwanese company Ledi Technology Co., allowing the partner to use the Didi brand and platform in Taiwan.

In February, it set up an international division, announced planned launches in Japan and opened a research-and-development center in California.

Didi has expanded its alliance with international ride-hailing startups to Singapores Grab, Estonia's Taxify, Indias Ola, Brazils 99 and the Middle East's Careem. In January, it invested $100 million into U.S.-based Lyft, Ubers main rival at home.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
Chinas foreign exchange regulator in mid-December blacklisted 40 online foreign-exchange brokers for allegedly illegal operations, including 24 operating in Hong Kong and the U.S. Photo: CFP

Licensing and exercising authority over foreign financial players doing business in China are critical to reducing risk of fraud amid the boom of internet finance, a senior official from the countrys top foreign exchange regulator says.

China should adopt long-arm jurisdiction in the financial sector, being empowered to crack down on overseas-registered companies offering financial services in China through the internet, said Sun Tianqi, director of the General Affairs Department of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

Some offshore companies have launched online businesses in China that arent licensed and even engage in fraud, Sun said.

Suns statement came shortly after the regulator launched a crackdown on unauthorized online foreign-exchange trading. In mid-December, SAFE ordered third-party payment-service providers in China to stop handling unapproved currency trading.

The administration blacklisted 40 online foreign-exchange brokers for allegedly illegal operations through online transactions, including 24 operating offshore in Hong Kong and the U.S.

Since 1994, China has banned unauthorized foreign-exchange trading, only allowing licensed banks and other institutions to facilitate foreign-exchange investments for retail customers. But as internet financial services rose, unauthorized foreign-exchange trading grew on the internet, an official from the central bank said.

Sun said China should learn from countries like the U.S. and Australia to strictly implement a licensing system in the financial-service sector and tighten oversight on market entrance.

Chinas current fragmented structure for financial supervision, with different departments overseeing different sectors of the market, creates blind spots for the regulator to detect new forms of violations, Sun said.

Chinese regulators have been trying to woo foreign investors back into China, in part by scaling back requirements to go ahead on projects in non-sensitive sectors to registration with the government rather than official approval. This is called the negative list approach, in which dozens of industries are in categories that are restricted, such as seed makers, or prohibited, such as air-traffic control and internet news-information services.

In June, the pilot free-trade zone in Shanghai issued a negative list to guide foreign investment in the financial-services sector.

But Sun said he doesnt think the negative-list approach is suitable for the financial sector because it makes people believe that anything not on the list can be done.

It is not the case in the financial sector, he said. (We) must look deeper into the actual business.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
By PTI, PTI: Washington, Dec 22 (PTI) Small bacterial infections that may go unnoticed can start a chain of events that leads to chronic inflammation and potentially life-threatening colitis, a study has found.

The study, published in the journal Science, revealed how your past history of minor bacterial infections could add up with age to cause a severe inflammatory disease.

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These new findings may also help identify the long- mysterious origins of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to researchers from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) in the US.

The study reflected multiple clues. First, it has become increasingly evident that the genetic makeup of an individual plays a limited role in the onset of common inflammatory diseases, including colitis and IBD.

Twins show relatively small concordance for both individuals developing IBDs, for example. Such findings implicate unknown environmental factors in disease origins.

Second, the researchers noted that studies from other laboratories had reported seasonal bacterial infections in humans were correlated with increased diagnoses of IBD.

"Trying to determine the origin of a disease is important as it often indicates more rational and effective preventions and treatments," said Jamey Marth, from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP).

Working from these and other hints, the team hypothesised that recurrent low-grade bacterial infections may be a trigger in the onset of chronic inflammation. PTI SNE SNE

--- ENDS ---
Published On Dec 22, 2017 05:51 PM By CarDekho

These AMG bays are specially designed to offer pit stop-like experience to its customers

Mercedes-Benz has launched the first dedicated AMG service bay at the AMG Performance Centre (APC) in Pune to commemorate the 50th anniversary of AMG. Mercedes says this initiative is aimed at supporting the increasing number of AMG owners in India. After Pune, these dedicated AMG bays will also come up across six other AMG Performance Centres located in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi by the end of this year.

As per the manufacturer, these AMG bays will offer lower turnaround time for servicing by providing prioritised and personalised service. AMG customers will have dedicated service advisors and engineers and their cars will be serviced by technicians trained at Mercedes-Benz academy in Affalterbach. The exclusive treatment doesn't end here, only Mercedes-Benz recommended AMG tools will be used for servicing purposes.

Apart from these, Mercedes is giving one unique service to its customers. In case the spare is unavailable at the APC, the same will be air freighted at no extra cost to the customer.

Earlier this year, the German manufacturer was also the first car maker in India to come forward and help customers affected during Mumbai floods which occurred in August. Initiatives like these reaffirm the brands customer-first philosophy and helps strengthen the trust customers place in it.

Speaking on the occasion, Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented, Mercedes-Benz India has been on a determined drive to create tangible service differentiation for its customers and relentlessly innovate through its service offerings. The brands topmost ranking in the recent J.D. Power 2017 India Customer Service Index study, is a clear testimony to this differentiation which is highly appreciated by our customers. The importance of personalized service experience is a key enabler in driving customer satisfaction in the luxury segment and we want to offer it to our AMG and Specialty cars owners. The dedicated AMG Bays across the 7 APCs will have highly personalised and prioritised service with shortest turnaround time and aim to create a service experience which is as delightful and satisfying, as driving an AMG. The luxury performance and speciality car segment in India has immense growth possibility and requires special attention for customized service.

Also Read: Mercedes-Benz Tops JD Power Customer Service Index In Luxury Segment
Modified On Dec 22, 2017 06:56 PM By Jagdev

EVs with solid-state batteries are expected to have a longer range, charge quicker, and be safer in comparison to those with Li-ion batteries.

With pollution levels at an all-time high, carmakers are considering all possible options to master the next big thing in the market  Electric Vehicles (EVs). Although there are many EVs out there, most suffer issues such as from range, long charging times, and high cost. Solid-state batteries are likely to iron out these challenges. At least, thats what it looks like.

So far, three carmakers - Toyota, Honda, and BMW - have already started research on solid-state batteries. Toyota has even set a 2020 deadline for the rollout of its first EV equipped with the said battery tech. It recently joined hands with tech-giant Panasonic, which already supplies lithium-ion batteries to the Japanese automaker.

Honda has just stated that it would consider developing solid-state batteries for its electric cars to help cut the carbon footprint and meet ever-tightening emission norms in global markets. BMW has also echoed interest in developing the same technology by investing in Solid Power, a Colorado-based startup firm. Honda and BMW are, however, yet to reveal their plans of launching an EV on the new battery invention.

What is a solid-state battery?

A solid-state battery is one in which a solid conductive material replaces the liquid or gel-form electrolyte. These batteries are compact and densely packed with charge. Solid Power, a Colorado-based startup in which BMW has recently invested, have incorporated a high-capacity lithium metal anode in lithium batteries thereby creating a solid-state cell with an energy capacity 2-3 times higher than conventional lithium-ion.

Talking about the safety of these batteries versus Li-ion batteries, Toyotas chairman Uchiyamada says that conventional lithium-ion batteries with liquid or a gel-like electrolyte have been known to leak or can ignite when they short-circuit and overheat but such risks are reduced in solid-state batteries.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki To Set Up Indias First Automobile Lithium-ion Battery Plant

Solid state batteries are also expected to cost less than Li-ion batteries that can hold as much charge. These batteries have so much potential that Toyota says their solid-state battery could be a game changer in the EV space.

But there are a few chinks in the solid-state batterys armour as well. A solid-state batterys life cycle is not expected to be too big, which is why some of the carmakers are still not ready to come out with an EV based on this tech. Toyota is expected to bring in their first EV with solid state batteries around 2020, and it looks like it will be the first carmaker to do that.

It's likely, Toyota's First Electric Vehicle In India Could Be A Small Car

Will solid-state battery technology be able to give EVs as long a range as internal combustion engine-equipped cars? Will it be possible to recharge EVs in minutes, the way it is with refuelling cars with a petrol/diesel engine? And importantly, will EVs one day cost as much as a petrol/diesel car? Lets see if the answer lies in solid-state batteries.

Related: Suzukis Gujarat Battery Plant Likely To Supply EV Batteries To Toyota-Panasonic
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.
IRCON has released an employment notification for various posts. Candidates may apply through online mode on the official website. Interested & eligible candidates should apply before January 5, 2018.

IRCON vacancy details:

Name of the post:

Joint General Manager

Deputy General Manager/ Electrical

AE/ Electrical

Junior Engineer/ Electrical

Manager/ S&T

Manager/ S&T Design

AE/ S&T

Junior Engineer/ S&T Design

No. of vacancies: 59

Educational qualification for IRCON recruitment:

For Joint General Manager post: Candidates should possess Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from a recognized institute/ University approved by AICTE with not less than 60% marks or equivalent grade.

For Deputy General Manager/ Electrical post: Candidates should hold a Bachelor degree in Electrical engineering from recognized institute/university approved by AICTE with not less than 60% marks or equivalent grade.

For AE/ Electrical post: Candidates must have completed Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from recognized institute/university approved by AICTE with not less than 60% marks or equivalent grade.

For Junior Engineer/ Electrical post: Candidate should hold 3 years full-time Diploma in Electrical Engineering from recognized institute/university approved by AICTE with not less than 60% marks or equivalent grade.

For Manager/ S & T design post: Candidates should hold a full-time Bachelors degree in Electronics & Comm. Engineering/ Electrical & Electronics Engineering from recognized institute/university approved by AICTE with not less than 60% marks or equivalent grade.

For AE/ S & T post: Full-time Bachelor degree in Electronics & Communication ENgineering/ Electrical & Electronics engineering/ Electronics & Instrumental engineering with not less than 60% marks or equivalent grade.

For Junior Engineer/ S & T design: 3 years full-time engineering diploma in Electronics/ Electronics and Communication Engineering/ Electrical & Electronics engineering, Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering with no less than 60% marks from a recognised institute/ university approved by AICTE.

Pay scale for IRCON recruitment:

Name of the post Payscale Joint General Manager Rs.90,000-Rs.2,40,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) Deputy General Manager/ Electrical Rs.80,000- Rs.2,20,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) AE/ Electrical Rs.40,000-Rs.1,40,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) Junior Engineer/ Electrical Rs.28,000-Rs.80,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) Manager/ S&T Rs.70,000-Rs2,00,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) Manager/ S&T Design Rs.70,000-Rs2,00,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) AE/ S&T Rs.40,000-Rs.1,40,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) Junior Engineer/ S&T Rs,28,000- Rs.80,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA) For Junior Engineer/ S&T design Rs. 28,000- Rs.80,000 + allowances+ PRP (IDA)

Selection process for IRCON recruitment:

Candidates will be selected based on written exam and interview.

Application fee for IRCON recruitment:

For General/ OBC application fee: Rs.1000

For all other candidates (SC/ST/Ex.S/PwD) Application fee: Rs.250

How to apply for IRCON recruitment?

Candidates applying for these should visit the official website of IRCON.

Important dates for IRCON recruitment:

Starting date for submission of online application: December 20, 2017

Last date for submission of application: January 5, 2018

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By PTI: Srinagar, Dec 22 (PTI) Authorities today imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar to maintain law and order in view of protests called by separatists.

Restrictions have been imposed in seven police station areas of Srinagar, a police official said.

He said restrictions under Section 144 CrPc have been imposed in Safakadal, Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari and M R Gunj police station areas of the city, while partial curbs were in force in Maisuma and Kralkhud areas.

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The curbs have been imposed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order, the official said.

Separatists yesterday called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers today against the killing of civilians in Shopian and Kupwara districts of Kashmir.

A woman was killed in south Kashmirs Shopian on Tuesday during an encounter in which two militants were also killed.

Another woman was killed in cross-fire in Handwara area of Kupwara in north Kashmir during an encounter on December 11.

The separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), have appealed people to observe protest after Friday congregational prayers.

Meanwhile, authorities have placed Mirwaiz under house arrest, while Geelani continues to remain under house detention for some time now.

"Put back under #House Arrest, was released yesterday evening only !! Mirwaiz said on Twitter.PTI SSB MIJ DV

--- ENDS ---
Iran's output falls 4% YoY in 6MFY17-18

22 December 2017

The output of Irans cement industry fell by 3.7 per cent YoY to 28.5Mt for the first six months of the current financial year (started 20 March 2017), according to Trend News Agency. Despite this decline in output, the countrys capacity has increased within 2017 to 83Mta from 72 plants.



Deterioration in Irans cement exports means that it lost its 2014 ranking of second-largest exporter in the world. The country slipped to third place in 2016 and is expected to receive eighth place in 2018.



Allegations of poor-quality cement being exported to Russia and subsequently being returned to Iran, have been refuted by Abdolreza Sheikhan, secretary of Irans Cement Industry Employers Association. Instead, Mr Sheikhan claims that Iran exported 55,000t to Russia during the first seven months of the current financial year.



Iraqs 2015 ban on imports from Iran due to low-quality cement, which has since been lifted, has negatively impacted their largest export market. Iraq receive 50 per cent of Irans total cement exports and therefore the repercussions of the repealed ban, such as the drop in shipments, has a significant effect on its market.

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Heres a hypothetical for you. Say you were GOP leadership trying to pass the biggest tax cut for billionaires America has ever seen. However, you had John McCain in the hospital, Democrat Doug Jones headed to town, and Tennessees Bob Corker a no. Youd have zero votes to lose while getting donors the top item on their Christmas wish list.

Actually, its not hypothetical at all. With only two votes to spare and Maines Susan Collins on the fence, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell feared losing another battle on Capitol Hill. So the compromise between the House and Senate had to guarantee Corker would vote yes. But how do you make someone concerned about Americas exploding deficit to change his mind?

Its easy: Give him millions in real estate cash. According to a report in International Business Times (IBT), the Corker Kickback will do just that. Senator Corker, who stands to rake in millions from the last-minute change to the tax code, will have plenty of company among colleagues voting for the bill. Here are the 14 GOP senators who will cash in big from the kickback.

14. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota

Real estate partnerships: $250,000

Compared to what some senators will make, John Hoeven got the short end of the stick. North Dakotas senior senator, who is worth over $45 million, has most of his fortune tied up in banking and pharmaceuticals. Obviously, hell get a massive tax cut as a member of the top 1%, and his heirs wont have to worry bout their takeaway since the estate tax will disappear, too. Strictly focusing on his real estate, Hoeven will pocket a several thousand extra.

Next: Of course, the senator who created the kickback gets a nice payday of his own.

13. Orin Hatch, R-Utah

Real estate partnerships: $500,000

Orin Hatch, the senior senator from Utah, defended Corker as news broke of the provision in the tax bill. Hatch asserted that he wrote the section on pass-through business deductions, and Corker hadnt asked for it. Well, Hatch gets a little payday of his own from the provision. First, hell pay several thousand less in taxes. Second, hell make his donors even happier. Hatch has received over $1.14 million in contributions from the real estate sector over the years.

Next: This senator wont vote to raise the debt ceiling but voted on a $1.4 trillion deficit increase.

12. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky

Real estate partnerships: $500,000

When asked about funding the government in an upcoming vote, the junior Republican senator from Kentucky took a stand. I cannot in good conscience vote to add more to the already massive $20 trillion debt, Rand Paul said. So why would he vote to add $1.4 trillion to the deficit with the tax bill? Tax cuts are never the problem, Paul tweeted. (Hey, were satisfied if you are.) Paul will also cash in on the real estate investments hes been making in recent years.

Next: No one elected him, but he got to vote for a tax cut for himself anyway.

11. Luther Strange, R-Alabama

Real estate partnerships: $115,000

Poor Luther Strange. After getting appointed as Jeff Sessionss replacement in Alabama, Strange lost in the GOP senate primary to Roy Moore. Of course, Moore then lost to Doug Jones in a wild election, making Stranges stay in the U.S. Senate a short one. However, he did get to vote on tax cut despite never winning an election. Strange, who IBT reported earned as much as $50,000 from pass-through corporations in 2016, would see a good chunk of that figure exempt from taxes.

Next: This senator keeps a low profile but has big real estate holdings.

10. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming

Real estate partnerships: $500,000

You wont hear GOP Senator John Barrassos name much in the news, but the junior member from Wyoming has a lot of wealth riding on the tax plan. Barrassos net worth of $7.95 million put him in line for a windfall once the GOP plan takes effect. As for the real estate partnerships hes increased in recent years, Barrasso will also see more from them due to the Corker kickback. IBTs top estimate would leave the Wyoming senator with thousands extra in tax-free income.

Next: This Georgia senator worth $25 million has more cash coming.

9. Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia

Real estate partnerships: $600,000

If you look at Johnny Isaksons contributions, youll see why his donors will love the Corker provision. The real estate industry funneled nearly $750,000 to his campaigns since 2013. But the fun doesnt end there. Isakson, whose net worth tops $25 million, had upwards of $600,000 worth of real estate partnerships about to get a tax break. It might sound like chump change for a multi-multimillionaire, but another tax-free $10,000 or so cant hurt.

Next: This Louisiana senators real estate partnerships top $1 million.

8. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana

Real estate partnerships: $1.35 million

We could not find a great deal of information on freshman Louisiana Senator John Kennedys net worth. However, IBT research did find Kennedys real estate partnerships valued at $1.35 million on the high end. Those holdings alone earned him as much as $80,000 in 2016. Now that the Corker provision is part of the tax law, Kennedy will see a major portion of that stay in his pocket.

Next: Does an Oklahoma senator worth over $8 million need another giveaway?

7. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma

Real estate partnerships: $2.18 million

When you see Oklahoma Senator James Inhofes net worth of $8.25 million, you probably wonder why he needs a tax break. Like so many other members of Congress who voted for this bill, Inhofe will see a massive influx of cash in the coming years. However, his extra real estate income will be even sweeter after the Corker kickback. IBT discovered Inhofe made $100,000 in his pass-through businesses, and a major chunk of that will be tax-free.

Next: Will Idaho voters be relieved to learn their $55 million senator is getting a bigger tax cut?

6. James Risch, R-Idaho

Real estate partnerships: $5.75 million

Its hard to be richer than GOP Senator James Risch, whose net worth sits around $54.7 million. In a state where the median income is $48,275, Idahos junior senator invested $50 million in real estate in a single year (2015). So while you could be certain hed vote to give himself millions more (and avoid the estate tax) with the GOP plan, hes also getting a fat check from the Corker kickback.

Next: This Ohio senator will see tens of thousands extra on top of the millions in tax cuts hell already get.

5. Rob Portman, R-Ohio

Real estate partnerships: $850,000

Ohio flipped to Trump in 2016, and many folks are wondering whether the populist rhetoric already wore thin for the states voters. After all, corporate tax cuts and repealing the estate tax hardly represent blue-collar policy. (For starters, there are no new jobs.) Either way, Ohio Senator Rob Portman ($16.87 million) will see a huge tax cut from this plan. On top of the millions set to line his pockets from tax reform, Corkers kickback should get Portman another $50,000 in free money.

Next: Like Corker, this Wisconsin senator became a yes when he saw pass-through heaven.

4. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin

Real estate partnerships: $30.25 million

Remember when Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson was a no vote on the tax plan? You see, Johnson was concerned the law would not repeal enough taxes on pass-through income. Not coincidentally, he owns over $30 million in partnerships that qualify. These real estate holdings make up the bulk of his $36.78 million fortune and likely brought him over $1 million in 2016. No do you see why he became a yes vote in later drafts?

Next: Tennessees senior senator will also receive a huge Christmas bonus from the Corker provision.

3. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee

Real estate partnerships: $5.4 million

For a state with a $47,275 median income (42nd in America), Tennessee sure has two rich senators. Lamar Alexander (net worth: $22.5 million) will not benefit quite as much as colleague Bob Corker from the late addition to the tax bill, but hell come close. IBT estimates Alexander earned as much as $1.05 million in pass-through income in 2016 alone. Once the tax plan kicks into gear, that means Alexander will get an extra $200,000 or so in free money.

Next: He pushed for more breaks on pass-through income, but had to settle for close to a million bucks.

2. Steve Daines, R-Montana

Real estate partnerships: $22.5 million

Republican Montana Senator Steve Daines, whose net worth hit $14.4 million in 2015, also joins the pass-through party. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Daines invested over $10.5 million in real estate in a single year. U.S. Senate records listed his partnership income between $485,000 and $4.2 million in 2016. As the IBT reported, Daines pushed for even more cuts on this tax but had to settle for an extra $900,000 or so in free money.

Next: You dont get a Corker Kickback without the man himself.

1. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee

Real estate partnerships: $35 million

It couldnt be the Corker Kickback unless the junior senator from Tennessee made the most out of it. IBT reported Corkers real estate partnerships were worth as much as $35 million in 2016. With another break on the $7 million (top estimate) he received in pass-through income, Corker would gain $1.4 million in free money. Let that be a lesson for anyone who needs a crucial vote in Congress. Senators are for sale, even ones with a net worth of $69 million.

Next: Obviously, any real estate giveaway would have to benefit Donald Trump

Trumps takeaway

Real estate partnerships: $704 million

You knew thered be no tax plan without Trump getting a cut. During the campaign, he was constantly telling coal miners and other laborers how hed represent them in The White House. However, since Trump got to D.C., its been a nonstop party for Goldman Sachs bankers and lobbyists. That bait-and-switch really will work for Trump, whose fortune is mostly in real estate.

Though we already knew hed pocket an extra $1 billion if the tax plan passed, this Corker giveaway will make that total rise. According to IBT reporting, Trump earned as much as $68 million in pass-through income on real estate in 2016. Knock off 20% and youre looking at an extra $13.6 million in free money. We knew Trump and Corker had some spats in the past year, but we imagine the president will miss Corker after this excellent parting gift.

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The state of Kansas has embarked on what its governor, Sam Brownback, calls a real live experiment over the past several years. The experiment, in its simplest terms, was to enact sweeping changes to the states tax policy. Lower taxes are typically something to be celebrated, of course. But after witnessing whats happened in Kansas, many people are rethinking their approach to the tax system, especially given that lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including the president, have tax reform on their agenda in coming months.

The gist of it is Kansas slashed tax rates to the bone. Brownbacks plan was heralded as one of the cleanest and truest economic experiments in recent memory. The problem is real peoples lives were at stake. It wasnt merely guinea pigs who had nothing to lose. What, exactly, did Kansas do? And how did it all turn out?

Well start with the nuts and bolts of the plan itself.

The Kansas plan

In a nutshell, the plan was to lower tax rates considerably and reap economic rewards on the back end. The idea was to allow people and businesses to keep more of their money, rather than giving it to the state government, with hopes that theyd use the money to hire people, invest, or otherwise spur economic activity.

Bold? You bet. Feasible? Well find out.

Who is the man behind the plan? What happened after it was enacted and ultimately led to Kansas lawmakers abandoning it? Well do an autopsy to try to sum it up. But first, well introduce you to Brownback, the politician who was elected (and subsequently re-elected), promising to make Kansas an economic powerhouse.

Gov. Sam Brownback

The man with the plan, in a very literal sense, is Brownback. Elected to the governorship in 2010 (and re-elected in 2014), Brownback had previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (elected in 1994) and then as a senator (elected in 1996). He also ran for president in 2008, ultimately losing in the primaries and endorsing John McCain.

Brownbacks ideological stance is where the Kansas experiment is rooted. Hes a fairly hard-line conservative, and because of that he believed he could grow his states economy by cutting government red tape and lowering taxes. His failures, as well discuss, have made him one of the most unpopular governors in the country. In fact, for a while, he was the most unpopular, with approval ratings sinking to around 25%. Despite this, he still managed to get re-elected.

The great Kansas tax-cut

Brownbacks plan had really one overarching goal  to slash taxes to the bone. As mentioned, the logic was this would put more money into the pockets of individuals and businesses, spurring economic growth. In 2012, Brownback said his plan would help turn Kansas stagnating economy around, creating jobs and attracting investment.

Our state was losing residents to all surrounding states. We had the highest taxes in the region and ranked among the worst in private-sector job creation. Something had to be done if Kansas was going to be a place where our children and grandchildren could stay to find a job and raise a family, Brownback wrote in an op-ed for the Wichita Eagle.

Our new pro-growth tax policy will be like a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy, he said. An expanding economy and growing population will directly benefit our schools and local governments.

His plan was enacted when the legislature lowered the top income tax rate from 6.45% to 4.9%, and for some businesses (partnerships, LLCs, S-corps, and sole proprietorships), the tax rate was cut to zero.

What were Brownback and the GOPs goals?

As discussed, Kansas Republicans were more or less convinced these tax cuts would result in increased economic activity. From that activity, they would make up for the lost revenue from the tax cuts themselves. They thought businesses would pick up and move to Kansas, investing in local communities and hiring Kansans left and right.

Because Brownback and company believed they would make up for lost ground in terms of revenue, they didnt pair their tax cuts with spending reductions. Even though many programs now had no funding, it was assumed the influx of revenue would allow the state to break even or perhaps come out ahead.

So what actually happened? We can boil it down to a few key things.

The results: Slow economic growth

First and foremost, Brownbacks plan didnt produce the promised economic benefits. Though the states economy has grown, its been outperformed by neighboring states. In fact, studies show the tax cuts  for businesses, specifically  have had very little impact at all. The main reason is those who are benefiting from the tax cuts arent reinvesting that money as hoped. Not only that, but some are taking advantage of the system by reclassifying themselves to jump into different tax brackets.

Researchers at Indiana University and the University of South Carolina said responses to the new tax policies were overwhelmingly tax avoidance rather than real supply side responses. In other words, the plan backfired, and Brownbacks job creation and economic growth goals fell way short. But thats not all.

Ballooning deficits and big cutbacks

Because lost tax revenue wasnt offset by expected economic growth, many of Kansas public programs are facing massive deficits. You might have even heard about how some public schools have had to shut down because they have no funding. But thats just one part of the problem. The state also had to enact huge cutbacks to infrastructure projects, the court system, welfare programs, and even Medicaid. This all results in Joe Sixpack taking a shot to the proverbial jugular.

Average people didnt reap the rewards

What weve witnessed is things got worse for the average middle-class Kansan. Cuts to public programs and public assistance have impacted families state-wide, and the promise of jobs has fallen flat. Many people actually lost their jobs, too. As cuts to education forced downsizing at some schools in rural communities, teachers have been laid off. In towns where the school is the biggest employer, this has had devastating effects. In poor, rural cities, the cuts to public assistance and lost jobs have amounted to a one-two combination that has set communities even further back.

Some would argue Brownback and Republicans in the state legislature should have seen this coming. But is that fair? What, exactly, went wrong in Kansas?

What went wrong?

Democrats around the country would say the GOPs plan was doomed from the beginning. They might point to flawed logic and wishful thinking as to what wrecked Kansas economy, and that might be a part of it. But what we can say for sure is the tax cuts failed, at least partially, because they werent paired with reductions in government spending. This is where the wishful thinking comes in  evidently, its a bad idea to shut off revenue streams but still expect to be able to pay your bills.

One Kansas Republican legislator broke down their take on the failed plan on Reddit. The individuals main points were the state cut too much too fast, relied on wishful thinking for national economic growth, and didnt include incentives for businesses to create jobs.

Clearly, there are a lot of moving parts, and its hard to blame one single part of the plan for the downfall of the entire thing. But we do know Brownbacks plan failed. This has forced legislators to act, and their first order of business was something thats wildly unpopular.

Kansas lawmakers raise taxes

Yes, the Kansas legislature raised taxes. With nowhere else to turn and growing budget deficits, state lawmakers were really left with no choice. Brownback actually tried to veto the reversal on his tax policies but was overridden. According to the local NPR affiliate KCUR, a $1.2 billion tax increase passed, and exemptions were reversed for more than 300,000 businesses.

The reversal has already generated some optimism. But one Democratic lawmaker said itll take quite a while before the damage is fully reversed.

I think by overriding the governors veto that we have started the turnaround, said state Sen. Laura Kelly of Topeka, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. Were still not out of the woods. Its going to take years to dig out of the hole thats been created by the 2012 tax experiment.

Why should you care? Because this could go nationwide

For those of us who dont live in Kansas, why should we be concerned? Because the Kansas experiment is something the GOP wants to replicate on a national scale. With President Donald Trump planning on tackling tax reform at some point, you can expect his plans to take a similar shape to that of Brownbacks. In fact, Republicans refer to the Kansas plan as a road map of sorts.

The same basic principles apply. The key, though, is to lower taxes significantly for both individuals and businesses. You can bet, too, that Republicans will want to avoid big cuts to public programs (as they did in Kansas) that would be unpopular. Trump, with a Republican-controlled House and Senate, will likely try some form of these cuts sooner or later. Except, in this case, the damage wont be confined only to Kansas.

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Pro-life advocates are applauding the Ohio legislatures passage of a bill to ban abortions of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. They expect a signature from Gov. John Kasich within the next week or so.

Last month, the state House passed the bill 64-31, and the Senate passed it 20-12 last week. The legislation prohibits abortions because an unborn child has or may have Down syndrome. Abortionists who violate the law would face a fourth-degree felony charge, but their patients would not face prosecution.

The National Right to Life Committees Ingrid Duran told me her organization commends the hard work of pro-life leaders in Ohio for passing a bill that protects the most vulnerable little humans in the womb. She added, People with Down syndrome, or any other genetic anomaly, should never be discriminated against. These babies always deserve protection, and families deserve a better option than abortion.

Given Kasichs track record, pro-lifers expect his signature within the 10-day period before the bill automatically becomes law.

Gov. Kasich has signed every single piece of legislation Ohio Right to Life has put on his desk, said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life. We hope that he will sign this as well.

The bill would mark Kasichs 20th pro-life law during his six years in office, including the 20-week abortion ban he signed last December.

Two other states have passed Down syndrome abortion bans with mixed results: North Dakotas 2013 law still stands, while a federal judge blocked Indianas 2016 ban in September. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced since then he plans to appeal the injunction.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio hasnt indicated whether it will file suit against that states bill, but its lobbyist, Gary Daniels, called for a veto.

Gonidakis said he anticipates an ACLU lawsuit but is confident in Ohios pro-life Attorney General Mike DeWines ability to defend the law tooth and nail in every court in Ohio and nationally all the way to the Supreme Court. He added, At the end of the day, everyone deserves a right to life whether youre rich, poor, man, woman, black, or white, whether you have a special need or whether youre perfect in the eyes of society. We do not want to engage in modern-day eugenics.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: December 22, 2017
Christmas will be extra special for 13-year-old Noeh and his family this year. Like thousands of other Iraqi Christians, his family of eight had to flee Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014. This Christmas is the first theyll spend back in their hometown of Karemles, east of Mosul.

Noehs Christmas wish is that he and all the other Christian children in Iraq will get to celebrate Christmas in peace and not be afraid.

Late one night in 2014, priests knocked on doors warning that ISIS was coming. Noehs family spent hours on a dust-choked road, clogged with others in flight, listening to gunfire. They lived in a camp for internally displaced people near Erbil, in the Kurdistan region, for three years.

They returned to Karemles this summer. Noeh said he was very happy to go home again, but when he saw the rubble and destruction everywhere and his own house burned out he was heartbroken. In spite all theyve endured, his family and many other returning Iraqis are hopefully looking forward and asking for help to rebuild in their homeland.

They want to live in peace and dignity and, as Noeh put it, for life to go back to normal.

That hope for the future brought Noeh and his father, Haitham to the United States last week to deliver an Open Doors Petition to the United Nations. More than 800,000 people signed the Hope for the Middle East petition on behalf of the Middle Easts persecuted Christians. They also met and shared their story with leaders in Washington, D.C., including Vice President Mike Pence.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service

Photo courtesy: Getty Images

Publication date: December 22, 2017
In Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, the pre-reformed Ebenezer Scrooge says that if the poor and crippled are going to die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population, words he bitterly regrets when the Ghost of Christmas Present shows him one of these surplus peopleTiny Tim.

Echoes of Scrooge were found in a recent viral video in which a Dutch public health official appears to explain to a man with Down syndrome that hes costing society approximately 48 thousand Euros a year, almost ten times what so-called normal persons cost annually.

Wow, says the young man with Down syndrome.

The video understandably sparked outrage on social media. But as it turns out, the outrage in this instance was misplaced.

The folks over at Hot Air did a little digging and found that the offending clip, which was from a two-year-old TV series called The Last Downer, was produced by an evangelical Christian broadcasting company and hosted by two individuals with Down syndrome. In context, this Dutch official with the chalkboard, evidently, was making the case for valuing those with disability, not a case against them. Thank God, this particular Scrooge turned out to be fictional.

But tragically, the idea of tallying the value of a persons life is anything but fiction. There really is a campaign to eliminate people with disability because of their cost and inconvenience. Back in August, news broke that several European countries, most notably Iceland, are nearing a 100 percent abortion rate for babies diagnosed in the womb with Down syndrome.

And make no mistake: this is what a materialist worldview always inevitably does to people, in one way or anothercalculates their usefulness. To those who dont acknowledge the profound and equal dignity imparted to all by nature of being made in the image of God, its only natural to use some extrinsic quality by which to assign a price tag to individuals.

But Christians have something radically different and beautiful to offera vision of unconditional love rooted in our common humanity and the example of Jesus.

Few men understood this better than Chuck Colson and R. C. Sproul. For these two giants in the faith, the value of each person no matter his or her ability was more than just an intellectual position. It was deeply personal. Both were grandfathers blessed by God with grandchildren who had a disability.

Yes, I used the word blessed there, carefully and intentionally. Chuck said that he couldnt imagine the Colson family without his grandson Max, who has autism. This former Nixon hatchet man has learned more about love from Max than from anyone else, Chuck often said.

My friend Joni Eareckson Tada featured the story of Max and his mom, Emily, on a television special several years ago. Also featured was theologian and apologist R. C. Sproul, who just last week entered the Lords glory. Sproul spent his life teaching on the sovereignty of God. But that belief was tested when God blessed his sons family with Shannon, a beautiful little girl with a rare brain disorder.

For fifteen years, Shannon brought warmth and unconditional love to the Sproul family before tragically passing away in 2012, shortly after her mom. I can only imagine the joyous reunion that she, her mother, and her grandfather have now experienced.

Folks, this is just how worldviews workat least when were being consistent. To paraphrase Deuteronomy, before us has been laid life and death, blessings and curses. Those on the side of life must remind the world that a persons value can never be tallied on a chalkboard. We must never put a price tag on blessings that God considers priceless.

BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on todays news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions.

John Stonestreet, the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: December 22, 2017
Its near freezing when tents begin appearing on Avenue du President Wilson. Migrants are getting ready for another November night. Their evening ritual creates an impromptu camp in a pedestrianized median on the north side of the city, near the Metro at Porte de la Chapelle.

I greet many of the men as I trail along behind a more expert friend who visits this spot weekly. She is Egyptian and comes like a sister, in the name of Christ, herself a stranger in France.

Some men are waiting to be processed as asylum seekers. Others want to avoid deportation after having asylum claims denied. They are among thousands who have inundated Paris, up to 80 per day. Across Europe, more than 178,000 migrants sought new homes in 2017. Most come from Muslim-majority nations in Africa.

Mahamat is angry. Murderous even. He tells me he plans to kill three people the next day. They treated me like Im a slave! he roars.

Mahamat comes from a town in Chad where I once rented a house, planning to work with a nongovernmental organization there. My move never happened, but my exposure to the place means we have some shared spaces, shared memories, and that strikes a chord. Mahamat talks, and I listen. Telling me his ordeal seems to lower his rage. He smiles at my exhortation to patience, and Im reassured he will not kill anyone.

We discuss Gods power to change thingsto order events so Mahamat might be allowed to stay in France. Though feeling ill-treated here, he faces worse trials at home, and his journey isnt over yet. I spent 47 nights sleeping along the road to get to Paris. And now they say I have to return to Italybecause thats where I entered Europe and got fingerprinted, he said.

But there is no going back home for Mahamat. Like most in the camp, he says he came to provide for his family. He will risk living illegally if the asylum papers never come. Out of 87,775 seekers, France gave asylum to just one-third in 2016.

Samir Salibi believes these migrants represent a huge opportunity. Last year the IT engineer began a ministry called @home to form a team of disciples that will impact this community. He himself came to faith in Christ two decades ago as an immigrant to France. He now mobilizes volunteers to distribute food, blankets, and other items. The volunteers also invite migrants to worship services and Bible study and into peoples homes. And they come. Samir aims to integrate refugees into society through French classes. But he told me @home is really about being a church family where refugees can feel at home and loved.

As I leave, I consider what will happen to the men at Porte de la Chapelleand others already here for months or years. The UN has proposed funding migrants return home from awful conditions in Libya, where some are enslaved, before they even attempt the perilous trip to Europe.

Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament, said the continent needs a strategy for the nearly 6 million migrants now waiting in countries bordering the Mediterranean. But the November summit of more than 80 African Union and European Union leaders, held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, did not produce a clear strategy for meeting the immense challenge that @home volunteers are tackling one person at a time.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service

Photo courtesy: Thinkstock/kruwt

Publication date: December 22, 2017
Big Pro-Life Win: Saving Lives Through Abortion Pill Reversal Deemed 'Relevant' to Nursing Practice Options trump politics in California Nursing Board decision

Facing intense political pressure from abortion activists, a major licensing agency stood its ground this week and delivered a major victory for women facing unexpected pregnancies throughout the nation.

In a written letter sent Dec. 19, the California Board of Registered Nursing notified Heartbeat International that it can now grant continuing education units (CEUs) to nurses who study a life-saving process known as Abortion Pill Reversal. That's good news for future mothers who change their mind after taking the first pill in a two-step chemical abortion regimen known as mifepristone (RU-486) or "the abortion pill." In the past five years, more than 400 mothers have successfully rescued their babies through an emergency progesterone treatment that has been used for more than 50 years to prevent miscarriages.

Backed by a network of more than 350 medical providers, the Abortion Pill Reversal hotline (1-877-558-0333)staffed with licensed medical professionalsanswers over 50 calls per month from women who want to keep their baby after having started the chemical abortion pill process.

In its letter to Heartbeat, the California Board of Registered Nursing acknowledged that Abortion Pill Reversal is relevant to the practice of nursing and, therefore, eligible for CEU credit.

One mother who rescued her baby via Abortion Pill Reversal in 2013, Rebekah Buell, said she had to travel nearly two hours from her Sacramento-area home to visit a doctor who could help her.

"Because of that physician and the progesterone he prescribed, my son, Zechariah, survived the abortion pill, and he is now a healthy and thriving 4-year-old who I cannot imagine life without," Buell said. "When nurses are unable to be trained in the Abortion Pill Reversal protocol, patients in needlike my and my babysuffer. That's what makes this decision so important."

It's actually the third time the Board has approved the same coursework for CEUs through Heartbeat, which first received approval as a CEU provider in 2012 and began offering credit for education on Abortion Pill Reversal online and at its annual conference shortly thereafter.

Following a 17-month audit, the Board confirmed Heartbeat's ability to offer CEU credit for the coursework in a letter sent July 28, 2017, but then reversed its own decision with a letter sent Sept. 5, revoking CEU credit.

The latest decision allows Heartbeat to immediately resume offering CEU credit for an online course and for a workshop at its 2018 conference entitled, "The Latest on Abortion Pill Reversal," taught by Dr. George Delgadoone of two physicians who pioneered the treatment starting in 2007.

Heartbeat president Jor-El Godsey, who had called the Board's decision in September a "naked political attack," said he was impressed that the Board has now placed nursing standards above political pressure.

"Whatever a person's stance on abortion, knowledge of this critical protocol is too important to withhold from nurses," Godsey said. "We're glad that the Board of Nursing acted in the best interest of their noble and caring profession today."

A Failed Political Hit Job

Along with submitting an immediate appeal in September, Heartbeat placed a public records request that revealed high levels of coordination and influence from prominent abortion lobbyists, including NARAL Pro-Choice America and Rewire.com.

As previously reported at PregnancyHelpNews.com, an activist with Rewire.com, Nicole Knight, teamed up with California State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) to pressure the Board into auditing Heartbeat starting in late 2015.

According to emails obtained through Heartbeat's public records request, Knight and representatives from both NARAL and avowedly pro-abortion UC San Francisco insisted that Board officials take action against Heartbeat and its fellow pro-life pregnancy help groups, Care Net and National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA).

Meanwhile, Hill authored legislation to try and disqualify all courses on Abortion Pill Reversal from receiving course credit. Mandating that all courses rely solely upon undefined "generally accepted scientific principles," the law went into effect in 2016, but ultimately failed to disqualify the training.

After the Board notified Heartbeat that it had approved the course this July, Knight reached out to the Board on August 14 to verify that it had in fact issued the letter, prompting one high-ranking official to warn fellow administrators, "This issue has the potential to go viral."

That same day, Spencer Walker, an attorney with the state's Department of Consumer Affairswhich oversees the Board of Nursingsent Morris a memo cautioning the Board from taking any further action against Heartbeat.

"The concept of abortion pill reversal is clearly science-based, and a registered nurse would likely be involved in the indirect care of a patient seeking abortion pill reversal assistance through education or other means," Walker wrote. "Therefore, the board could be exposed to litigation if it prohibits continuing education providers from offering courses in abortion pill reversal."

Despite Walker's warning, less than a month laterand three days before Heartbeat received the letterRewire.com published a report on the Board's notice preventing Heartbeat from offering CEUs for any coursework related to Abortion Pill Reversal.

Heartbeat has been a California-approved CEU provider since 2012, opting to go through California because the state's CEUs are generally accepted throughout the U.S. In the past three years, Heartbeat has issued nursing CEUs to well over 400 nurses.

Why the Fuss Over Abortion Pill Reversal?

Since two doctorsDelgado in California and Matthew Harrison in North Carolinabegan implementing the Abortion Pill Reversal protocol in 2007, abortion advocates have almost uniformly denounced and attempted to discredit the effort.

While deriding the protocol as "junk science," prominent abortion supporters such as UC San Francisco's Daniel Grossman routinely argue that only a small number of women who are resorting to a chemical abortion will regret their decision and try to stop the procedure mid-process.

Writing at The Guardian this August, Grossman and a co-author oscillated between both arguments before landing on their central claimand revealing the underlying reason abortion advocates feel bound to oppose Abortion Pill Reversal:

A recent study led by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found that women seeking abortion had high levels of certainty around their decision as measured by a scale that has been used in other healthcare settings. In fact, patients seeking abortion were more certain than those making decisions about reconstructive knee surgery or prostate cancer treatment... At the core of "abortion reversal" is a desire to undermine the high level of decision certainty among people seeking the service.

That "certainty" is not true of all womena fact that 400-plus mothers have both experienced firsthand.

In fact, contrary to the ideologically opposed contingent represented by Grossman, NARAL and Rewire.com, some doctors who support abortion acknowledge that Abortion Pill Reversal is built upon a sound scientific foundation, even though the research is still in its infancy, with only one peer-reviewed report published in 2012.

Speaking with The New York Times this July, for instance, Yale School of Medicine's Dr. Harvey Kliman said the protocol, "makes biological sense," and went as far as to say he would recommend the treatment to his own daughter.

As Kliman and others have recognized, the Abortion Pill Reversal protocol is really just an innovative use of a proven, decades-old treatment. Just as progesterone has been used to stop a threatened spontaneous abortion (miscarriage), it can be used to stop a threatened induced abortion.

Countering Grossman's assertion that too few women regretor are even unsureof their decision to abort, one abortion practitioner in California, Christine Henneburg, recently called such claims a "cop-out" in an op-ed published by The San Francisco Chronicle.

Henneburg wrote that she and other abortionists, "hear all kinds of reasons from patients seeking abortion 'reversal.'" Incredibly, rather than going on to argue that a woman's choice to stop her abortion should be celebrated, Henneburg instead suggests that her industry, "move away from the language of 'choice' and toward a language of 'trust.'"

With word spreading about Abortion Pill Reversal in many of the nation's top media sourcesincluding The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle (a LexisNexis search Monday pulled well over half a million references in the past nine months)it's becoming impossible for even the most ardent abortion supporters to justify keeping medical professionals in the dark about the protocol.

Delgado, who co-authored the 2012 report in Annals of Pharmacotherapy, is expected to publish further research in 2018.

"This decision allows us to continue to spread the word that it is possible to reverse the abortion pill," Delgado said. "It also supports our endeavor to further equip the pro-life medical community to serve as agents of hope to our hotline callers desperately seeking a second chance at life for their unborn.

"The 'second choice' we offer women who change their minds after taking mifepristone not only gives their unborn babies a fighting chance, it also provides an avenue for emotional and spiritual healing. We are grateful to Heartbeat International for their tireless efforts to make Abortion Pill Reversal accessible to pro-life advocates and to the women they serve who may benefit from this life-saving treatment."
Is the United Nations Fulfilling Ancient Biblical Prophecy? Did the UN just move us one step closer to fulfilling ancient prophecy?

On December 21, 2017, the UN united as one to stand against one city on the planet: Jerusalem. Twenty-five centuries earlier, the prophet Zechariah wrote these words from the Lord, "I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle" (Zech. 14:2). Did the UN just move us one step closer to fulfilling this ancient prophecy?

Before answering this question, let's look at the events on the ground.

First, the UN once again distinguished itself for hypocrisy by targeting Israel for its criticism  specifically, America's support of Israel  while remaining silent on so many issues of world importance.

What has the UN been doing during the horrific war in Syria?

Where has the UN been during the attempted genocide of Christians in the Middle East? Decades earlier, what did the UN have to say about Tiananmen Square in China or Saddam Hussein's chemical warfare against the Kurds? Yet when America recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the UN is an uproar.

As I noted previously, groups like UNWatch.org have documented the UN's consistent policy of singling out Israel for rebuke and condemnation while virtually ignoring atrocities committed on a mass scale by other nations, including Israel's neighbors.

To give one case in point, during the UN General Assembly's 61st session (2006-2007), "the time spent by ambassadors on enacting the 22nd anti-Israel resolution of the year was time not spent on passing a single resolution on Sudan's genocide in Darfur."

So, while Sudanese Christians were being slaughtered en masse by Muslim soldiers and gangs, the UN General Assembly spent its time enacting 22 anti-Israel resolutions.

In 2015, as noted by Israeli journalist Noga Gur-Arieh, "At the closing of the 59th UN Commission on the Status of Women . . . only one political resolution was passed; one that accuses Israel of mistreating Palestinian women, in all aspects of life."

A similar resolution was passed in 2016 by the same UN Commission.

So, of all the nations on earth, only Israel was singled out for its alleged mistreatment of women.

That's why Abba Eban, Israel's legendary diplomat, once remarked, "If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions."

Second, in anticipation of the UN vote, the United States handled things exactly as it should have: with a strong word of rebuke and warning.

After all, different international leaders did not simply called President Trump and say, "We strongly differ with your recognition of Jerusalem." Instead, in the most public forum available, 128 nations stood together to condemn America for doing was what right and righteous, declaring our decision "null and void."

Nikki Haley's words to the UN before the vote said it all: "To its shame, the United Nations has long been a hostile place for the state of Israel. Both the current and the previous Secretary-Generals have objected to the UN's disproportionate focus on Israel. It's a wrong that undermines the credibility of this institution, and that in turn is harmful for the entire world."

Good for you, Mrs. Haley. Call the UN on the carpet.

Then, after articulating all the good our country does around the world, along with its support for the UN, she rebuked the UN for disrespecting America, saying, "The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations, and so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit."

And finally: "America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do and it is the right thing to do. This vote will make a difference in how Americans look at the UN. And this vote will be remembered."

Here, here, Ambassador Haley!

Third, the seven nations that stood with Israel and America today are a most unusual group, consisting of Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo and Palau. Honestly, now, how many of us heard of some of these countries before? And how many of us could locate some of them on the map?

Whether it was out of economic dependence on the USA, a connection to Israel, or something else, these nations should be remembered for good in the days to come. They did what was courageous and correct.

As for the countries that abstained (35 in all), two (the Czech Republic and the Philippines) already stated they are considering relocating their embassies; a number of African nations have developed solid ties with Israel; some might have considered their need for American dollars; and others might have remembered Israel's kindness to them (such as Mexico, which was greatly aided by Israel after their disastrous earthquake in September, although Mexico did use its floor time to speak critically).

Already, "U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley invited representatives of countries who didn't vote in favor of the United Nations General Assembly's Jerusalem resolution to a reception as 'thank you for your friendship to the United States.'"

Donald Trump has always appreciated loyalty.

But what of the matter of ancient prophecy? Is there a connection between the UN's vote and the Bible?

I would say yes, for at least three reasons: 1) The vote confirms international hostility towards a Jewish Jerusalem. 2) The vote reminds us that the biblical authors were inspired when predicting that an end-time coalition of nations would come against a Jewish Jerusalem. 3) The vote tells us that, just as Scripture indicates, the city of Jerusalem alone is the whole world's business (see Zech 12:3).

Of course, this does not set a time frame for a united attack on a Jewish Jerusalem, and we don't know if "all nations" (in the words of Zechariah) means every nation on earth or simply a worldwide coalition. But, after watching the last 2,500 years of history, coupled with the UN's anti-Jerusalem vote this week, it's hard to read the Bible and think that the writers just guessed things right.

What are the chances of that?
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will be retained for a second term, and here is all you need to know about the minister who won the Gujarat Assembly election from Rajkot West.

By India Today Web Desk: As early as in May, the BJP announced incumbent Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as the party's chief ministerial candidate.

In fact, both BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would club the names of Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel while talking about the state leadership of the party for the polls.

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It has been now confirmed, that Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will be retained for a second term.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VIJAY RUPANI Rupani was born in 1956 in Burma. He always had a keen interest in political issues and had been inclined towards RSS ideologies. He thus, went on to become the General Secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) when he was in college. Eventually, he joined the RSS, followed by Jan Sangh in the year 1971. He was elected as the corporator of Rajkot Municipal Corporation in 1987 and became the youngest person to take on the standing committee of RMC. Given his bent for issues related to cleanliness, he earned the Chairman post of the Drainage Committee of RMC. Soon Rupani donned the responsibilities of General Secretary of BJP, Rajkot City and worked towards the same. Vijay Rupani, who is the 16th chief minister of Gujarat and has been serving the state since August 2016, served as the Mayor of Rajkot City from 1996 to 1997 and soon became Gujarat BJP's spokesperson. From 1988-2006, he took over as the Chairman of Manifesto Implementation Committee. During his tenure as he Chairman of Tourism, he worked to attract foreign tourists and promoted handicrafts, which in turn resulted in boosting the employment of the state. In the year 2006, he was elected as the MP of the Rajya Sabha till the year 2012. During this time period, he worked for the Water Resources Committee, Human Resources Development Committee, Public Undertakings Committee, etc. Vijay Rupani served as Chairman of Gujarat Municipal Finance board in 2013 during chief minister-ship of Narendra Modi and he directed 159 municipalities towards the path of progress. Rupani's success in converting a parched land into a vegetated land with plenty of water access, gained him even more popularity among the masses and he was then the Minister of Transport and Water Supply. He was a minister of the first cabinet of Chief Minister Anandiben Patel in November 2014 and a couple of years later on February 19, 2016, he replaced RC Faldu as the state president of BJP, Gujarat. On 7th August 2016, he dedicated himself as the Chief Minister of Gujarat state. Simultaneously, he also runs a charitable institute called "Pujit Rupani Memorial Trust for Charity". Rupani who won the Gujarat Assembly election from Rajkot West is to be retained for a second term as Gujarat chief minister.

India Today published an analysis of the reasons why the BJP couldn't afford to replace Vijay Rupani as chief minister. You can read that piece right here.

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Religion and Politics Always Mix Whether We Like It or Not

The old saying "religion and politics ought never mix"is utterly false.

Religion and politics always mix whether we like it or not.

Nobody can help it.

What is supreme in a person's heart is one's religion, be it Deity or dogma. One's supreme belief gives birth to one's politics.

God and government or god and government can never be separated. You always govern with a view toward the supreme.

For example, if a person believes in a Supreme Being who has communicated His will to His creation, then that person's view of government will be based on the Supreme Being and Divine law.

However, if a person does not believe in a personal Supreme Being, that doesn't mean he or she is not religious. Religion, by definition, is "a pursuit or interest of supreme importance." A person's supremely held dogma or philosophy is as much a god as a Supreme Being.

Two people; two religions; two views of government.

The inner worship of one's god drives the open wrangling for one's government.



Religion and politics are always mixed.

As an example, The Founding Fathers believed in a Supreme Being that they called "nature's God." The connection between their belief in a personal God and the government they founded is obvious when you walk the capitol grounds in Washington. The word "God" (with a capital "G") is engraved in marble or stone everywhere. The Founders sought to obey God's revealed will, which they called "natural law."

Today, many Americans serve a different god. This god is a philosophy of self, lived out with the belief that "my desires, my rights, and my will" are supreme.

If I speak it, it is true. If I desire it; it shall be. If you disagree with me, you blaspheme my god, which is me.

Religion and politics are always mixed.

Let me prove it.

The Nation of Israel and Jerusalem as the Capital

Former President Jimmy Carter told me that when he was at the Camp David Peace Accords in 1979 with Israel's Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat a heated discussion broke out regarding the modern borders of the nation of Israel. When President Carter asked Menachem Begin where he believed Israel's boundaries should be located, Begin opened a Bible to Genesis 15 and pointed to God's words to Abraham: "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river Egypt unto the great river, the river of the Euphrates." (Genesis 15:18).

Menachem Begin's religious beliefs drove his politics.

Some Americans believe that Israel will give up the Golan Heights and the West Bank through political pressure from the West.

It's not going to happen.

The politics of Israel is driven by their religion. Israelis believe God gave them the land of Israel.



Likewise,Anwar Sadat, a follower of the Koran, based his political views on Surah 5:21 which states: "O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allah's cause] and [thus] become losers."

Arabs who live in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria have their politics driven by their religious beliefs. They will never agree to the Jews living in the Holy Land, and they will never acquiesce to Jerusalem being the capital of Israel, and they will politic based on their religious beliefs.

But what about American politics? Where will America and our government stand on Israel?

It depends.

It depends on the religious beliefs of the American people who hold the political power.

Kirk Humphries and the University of Oklahoma

Kirk Humphries is the vice-president of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. He is also a voice on one of Oklahoma's most-watched television political opinion shows, a Sunday morning show called Flashpoint. Kirk is currently in a firestorm over remarks he made about homosexuality.

"Is homosexuality right or wrong?" Mr. Humphreys asked. "It's not relative. There's a right and wrong, you just said it. So it's either right or wrong. If it's OK, then it's OK for everybody. Quite frankly, it's OK for men to sleep with little boys, if it's OK."

Some Oklahomans are asking Mr. Humphries to resign from his positions of leadership. Mr. Humphries is being called "a homophobe," a "bigot," and "a disgrace" to the state of Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma.

The Lost Ogle, a satirical online newspaper in Oklahoma, said of Kirk Humphries:

"(he is) an out-of-touch, inarticulate, conservative theocratic voice..."

The definition of theocratic is "a form of government in which God or a Deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler."

The Lost Ogle got it right. Kirk Humphries believes the highest lawgiver is God, and he believes the Bible to be the Word of God. The Bible calls homosexuality a sin against God and a barrier to entry into the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9-10).

Of course, those with a different philosophical persuasion who serve another god believe differently. And their religious belief drives their politics of governance.

It shouldn't surprise many that Kirk Humphreys is siding with The Founding Fathersin his views on homosexuality.

I happen to know Kirk Humphries and his family. Kirk and his wife and children are some of the most personable, generous, and compassionate people you'll ever meet.

Kirk is a religious man. His religion is Christianity. He bases his beliefs on what he believes God communicates to him through the Bible.

Those asking Kirk Humphries to resign are just as religious. It's just that their god is different than Kirk Humphries' God. This is an observation, not a condemnation.

Every person serves a Deity or a dogma.

Religion and politics are always mixed.

The First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The First Amendment guarantees five things:

1. The government will not establish a particular religion - The Founding Fathersrightly assumed every person is religious. The First Amendment prohibits government resources from supporting a particular religious sect to the exclusion of others.

2. The government will not prohibit the free exercise of a particular religion - The Founding Fathers wanted people to worship freely as they believed, without government interference, as long as such worship did not physically harm other persons or do damage or destruction to other persons' property (e.g., "violate natural law"). Such harm to others or other's property is the very definition of "terrorism."

3. The government will not abridge the freedom of speech - abridgment, by definition, means "to curtail, shorten, condense, or reduce." In America, a Muslim has the right to speak freely, a Christian has the right to speak freely, an atheist has the right to speak freely, as well as any other person of a particular religious sect, be it a sect that worships a Supreme Deity or a supreme dogma.

4. The government will never take away the right peaceful assembly - The government can't close a house of worship because the government doesn't like the dogma or Deity worshipped.

5. The government will never punish the person who seeks help or relief from violations of the promised freedoms mentioned above - a freedom that citizens of countries led by autocratic, dictatorial regimes can only dream of having.

Religion and politics always mix.

The First Amendment is a guarantee that your freedoms as an American to believe a certain way, worship a certain way, speak a certain way, and gather a certain way, will never be forcibly removed or threatened with punishment or retaliation by those in authority.

The Founding Fathers would never have dreamed of the day in America when the religious people most likely to be politically blackballed, threatened or coerced to worship, believe and speak a certain way are those who believe in the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible.

Don't be fooled.

Everyone's religious.

It's just that one person's god is not another's God.

Which religious belief leads to the best form of civil governance?

That's a question best answered before the fall of any republic.

Wade Burleson is a writer, historian, and pastor. You can find him at http://www.wadeburleson.org/.
The Tragedy of Christians Slandering Other Christians

Several years ago, Michael Hyatt (former CEO of Thomas Nelson) responded to a rumor on his blog. In the post, Michael wrote,

"According to the most recent rumorwhich I've now heard twicewe [Thomas Nelson] are planning a layoff for June 19th ... There is absolutely no truth to it ... If you hear this rumor, I would be grateful if you would help me short-circuit it. You can tell 'em it's not true, and you heard it directly from me."

I recall when this rumor was circulating and was saddened (and surprised) at how many Christians believed it without going straight to Michael to see if it was true or false. Here's another example that's much more national.

In 2012, I came across a website alleging a sex scandal involving President Obama. The "story" first came out in 2008 just before the primary. It was shown to be baseless and quickly faded away. Then it resurfaced again in 2010. (The original story was removed by the source after staying online for 4 years.)

Another site purports alleged "proof" that Obama is a Muslim terrorist in disguise. Again, a baseless rumor.

And another alleges that Obama is gay, has sexually harassed males, and abuses drugs. Again, baseless.

Note: I don't agree with many of Obama's policies. But these accusations are scurrilous, vicious, outrageous, and just plain slimy. There's no good evidence to support any of them. That's why they've never gained traction. However, because they are written intelligently, they persuade the uninformed (a characteristic of effective libel).

In 2013, Rick Warren was personally attacked, judged, and lied about by professing Christians.

In the 2016 USA Presidential election, Senator Ted Cruz was accused by The National Enquirer of having affairs with five women. The story was quickly debunked as "fake news." Despite this, many people believed and spread the lies.

We live in a very dark world where rumors abound. Gossip abounds. Slander abounds. Even in the "Christian" community (so-called), tragically.

Slander is a serious sin, and according to Paul, slanderers will be barred from the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

I have good friends and people whom I respect who have been lied about on the Internet, and I've quickly come to their defense wherever I've seen such lies (as I did with Rick Warren).

Point: Anyone who has profound influence is going to have detractors and enemies. And some of them will go on a personal "smear" attack using distortions and fabrications.

Just look at the things Jesus and Paul were accused of during their day.

History tells us the same thing about John Wesley, Watchman Nee, T. Austin-Sparks, and just about every other servant of God who was turning the sod on important issues during their time.

Many years ago, I learned a valuable lesson from a BIG mistake I made. It was a first-class screw up that still haunts me till this day.

I listened to slander about a fellow Christian and I believed it. Thankfully, I repented when I found out the truth, but I still feel remorse over it when it comes to mind.

Last year, I wrote a post about it. The post hit a chord with many people.

It's about a lesson I learned from failure that I'll never forget.

Rule of thumb: If you read something negative about another person, especially a fellow Christian, take it with a grain of salt. Tilt toward not believing it. Just as you would want others to do if it were you being smeared (Matthew 7:12).

If you're concerned, go to the person directly to hear their response. There are always two sides to any story (at least). And unfortunately, some people desire to defame others, usually out of jealousy, so dishonesty abounds.

Frank Viola has helped thousands of people around the world to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and enter into a more vibrant and authentic experience of church. His mission is to help serious followers of Jesus know their Lord more deeply so they can experience real transformation and make a lasting impact. Viola has written many books on these themes, including God's Favorite Place on Earth, From Eternity to Here, and Jesus Manifesto (with Leonard Sweet). His blog, frankviola.org, is rated as one of the most popular in Christian circles today.
What the Bible Says About the Bitcoin Frenzy It seems like everyday I see a new headline about Bitcoin.







To learn Biblical answers to your financial questions, you can #AskChuck @AskCrown your questions by clicking here. Questions used may be lightly edited for length or clarity.

Ask Chuck:

What the Bible Says About the Bitcoin Frenzy

Dear Chuck,

It seems like everyday I see a new headline about Bitcoin. There is quite a frenzy about this digital currency, but something doesn't feel right to me. Do you have any advice? Is it a good investment, or just a bubble waiting to pop?

Sincerely,

Cautious Investor

Dear Cautious Investor,

Great question! I have had people - people who have never invested a penny in their lives- asking me whether they should "invest in bitcoin". Many have no idea what it is or how it works, they have just heard that a friend of a friend made lots of money and feel that they should jump in now.

Let's take a hard look at this phenomenon before I give you my recommendation.

The jaw dropping rise of bitcoin has created billionaires and stirred an interest in cryptocurrency like nothing we've seen before. Bitcoin started the year under $1,000, but rose to $19,500 Monday after closing to a meteoric rise last Friday.

What is it?

Bitcoin is a digital currency not tied to any central bank. It's a cryptocurrency that is "mined" by complex algorithms and recorded in a digital ledger called a blockchain housed on computer servers. These blockchains track cryptocurrency transactions made of unchangeable packages called blocks.

It was created by someone using the name of Satoshi Nakamoto back in 2009. It is used in transactions without the involvement of middle men. In other words, no banks  no regulation. A growing number of businesses are accepting bitcoin including Expedia, Overstock and Microsoft.

Bitcoin is stored in "digital wallets" in the cloud or on one's computer. The virtual bank account, not insured by the FDIC, grants users the ability to send or receive bitcoin in this "cryptocurrency world" via mobile apps or computers. In a way, it is similar to digitally sending cash. Owners or users have a "key" to send bitcoin that must be protected. And, several methods are available to protect these private keys. Here is a video offering a simple explanation of bitcoin currency.

Why the Fervor?

Joseph Borg, president of the North American Securities Administrators Association, toldCNBC that bitcoin has entered the "mania" phase. He stated, "We've seen mortgages being taken out to buy bitcoin. ... People do credit cards, equity lines..." He also noted that bitcoin is not regulated like futures contracts, because innovation and technology always outrun regulation.

Kevin O'Leary, of Shark Tank, believes that because of its volatility, it is a long way from being a currency. But some prefer it to other currencies because of its use across borders, ease in digital transfers, and anonymity for traders.

Now, speculators are putting their money towards various cryptocurrencies in the hope of riding the wave of gains. But Financial Times reports that the frenzy around bitcoin and blockchain stirs up memories of the dotcom bubble of twenty years ago.

On December 16th, Adam Ozimek, contributor at Forbes, stated, "...a good sign that there is a bubble is when a large share of market participants are buying based on untenable assumptions." He did a twitter poll of bitcoin buyers and found that 72% of the 79 respondents bought toprofit from rising prices. He believes buyers will exit the market once prices stop rising so rapidly. I agree.

Because unstable prices are not a desirable feature of a currency he does not believe borrowing and lending will occur in the bitcoin world. He finds, "The fundamental value of Bitcoin is based on its usefulness as a currency, as a medium of exchange. And I believe there is real value for some cryptocurrency there. But a good cryptocurrency will increase the money supply to match money demand better than bitcoin does. It will not be an exponentially appreciating asset that people buy like a penny stock."

People are flocking to the market in the hope of making fast money. There are those who are in for the excitement fueled by the news and social media. Some are playing the market like they do the tables in Vegas.

To be balanced in my analysis, I have some friends who have purchased small amounts of bitcoin to better understand it as a potential investment. They have made fantastic returns. As they tell me their stories, it is hard not to feel left out of such incredible returns. I have even asked myself, "Was I too cautious about it? Should I have gotten in early? Is it too late now to jump in?"

Interestingly, both of my friends have expressed a number concerns about their "investment". First, they had to make their login information to their bank accounts accessible to buy or sell their bitcoin. They do not like this and feel a sense of vulnerability or exposure.

Second, they are concerned that the program is a prime target to be hacked. One successful hack and all confidence in the cryptocurrency frenzy could evaporate. This could cause a flood of sellers to want out and the price to fall rapidly. Finally, there is a growing risk, in spite of denials by bitcoin fans to the contrary, that governments will step in and attempt to regulate cryptocurrencies and thus remove some of its current appeal as an alternative to traditional, central bank regulated currency.

Bitcoin and a Biblical Caution

The bitcoin frenzy is attracting a high percentage of gamblers, not serious investors. We've seen the devastation in lives of those who win the lottery. Most just don't know how to handle sudden increase in wealth. I consider the purchase of bitcoin a wager not an investment. It has similarities to gambling and wild speculation versus a measured approach to wise investing.

Yes, the market is determining its value but the "mania" that we see in the market causes me to be leery. Is it possible that it turns out to be a very profitable wager? Yes, it already has for many. But don't lose sight that the Bible warns us against any actions motivated by greed... those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9 ESV)

We know that Solomon also warned, Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. (Proverbs 13:11 ESV)

The truth in Proverbs 30:8-9 is so important to remember and to use as a guide: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

I am watching and waiting to see what happens. In the meantime, I'm learning as much as I can. Do I suggest that you buy bitcoin? I don't give investment advice. I only give Biblical advice and let you determine what the Bible is speaking to you. It has spoken to me that I should not wager on bitcoin.
home World Sierra Leone pastor pledges to give money from sale of 709-carat diamond to the poor

A pastor who found a 709-carat diamond in Sierra Leone has pledged to give money from the sale of the precious stone to help the poor in his village.

Pastor Emmanuel Momoh, who discovered the giant "Peace Diamond" in the village of Koryadu in March, has vowed to sell the gem to bring clean water and medical supplies to his village.

"The Peace Diamond will greatly improve the lives of our people as it will bring clean water, electricity, schools, medical facilities, bridges and roads to our villages and the Kono District," the pastor said in a statement, according to Forbes.

The diamond, the second largest rough ever found in Sierra Leone, was sold for $6.5 million to British jeweler Graff Diamonds at an auction in New York on Dec. 4, but it was $1.3 million less than the offer in May, CBS News reported.

Forbes noted that Momoh delivered the diamond to the President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, who led a transparent and competitive auction process in Sierra Leone in May. The high bid of $7.7 million at the auction was rejected and the government opted for an international auction process that would make the gem available to more buyers and ensure a fair market value price for the people of Sierra Leone.

Momoh will not receive the entire proceeds from the sale of the diamond because he had violated the Mines and Minerals Act by unearthing the stone while his application for a mining license was still being processed, according to the National Minerals Agency, which oversaw the sale of the gem.

"So technically, he did not own the diamond. The diamond belongs to the government of Sierra Leone," the Director-General of the minerals regulatory agency, Sahr Wonday, was quoted as saying.

Momoh will receive 40 percent of the proceeds and the rest will go to the government of Sierra Leone in the form of taxes. The Rapaport Group, which held the international auction, said that 15 percent will go to the Diamond Area Community Development Fund for infrastructure and 26 percent will go to the artisanal diggers who found the diamond.

"The sale of the Sierra Leone Peace Diamond represents a new future for the people of Sierra Leone," Martin Rapaport said in a statement. "We anticipate a virtuous cycle of development as taxes from the sale provide tangible benefit to the artisanal sector. This will encourage more diggers to sell their diamonds through legitimate channels increasing tax revenue and vital infrastructure development," he added.

Laurence Graff, founder of Graff Diamonds, said that a staff of diamond specialists will determine the best way to turn the rough diamond into a polished gem.
Christian lands in Jerusalem could be confiscated, warn UK Church leaders

Church leaders from across the UK have rallied around the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, in his campaign against a bill making its way through Israel's parliament.

The Patriarch has just completed a visit to Britain as part of an international tour focusing on the plight of the Church in the city.

Theophilos, regarded as the most senior Christian figure in the Holy Land, has highlighted a proposed Bill of Church Lands, signed by 40 Knesset members, that would allow the Israeli government to confiscate lands leased by Churches to third parties.

This week he met with Prince Charles as well as government ministers Alistair Burt and Rory Stewart alongside other parliamentarians and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

UK Christian leaders have backed the Patriarch. Coptic Archbishop Angaelos of London said: 'Property rights and religious freedom are at the bedrock of any democracy. The proposed bill curtails both. I join the Patriarch of Jerusalem and church leaders in the Holy Land in calling on the relevant authorities to reaffirm their commitment to the Status Quo.'

Free Churches Moderator and a President of Churches Together in England, Hugh Osgood, said: 'This proposal represents an intolerable infringement of the Status Quo and the legitimate rights of the Churches and should be recognised for what it is: an attack on the property rights of the Christian community. We urge religious and political leaders in the United Kingdom and around the world to join us in speaking out against this threat to religious freedom, which would set a dangerous precedent for other faiths in the Holy Land.'

Cardinal Vincent Nichols has written to the Patriarch and other Church leaders in Jerusalem expressing his 'solidarity' over the proposed legislation, saying it represents 'an intolerable infringement of the Status Quo and the legitimate rights of the Churches and should be recognised for what it is: an attack on the property rights of the Christian community. We urge religious and political leaders in the United Kingdom and around the world to join us in speaking out against this threat to religious freedom, which would set a dangerous precedent for other faiths in the Holy Land.'

Last month, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: 'I join other Church Leaders in calling for all parties to uphold the Status Quo and resist weakening it. I believe that a continued Christian presence in the Holy Land is of paramount importance.'

The issue of Church land has dogged the reign of Patriarch Theophilus since an employee of his predecessor Irenaios used a power of attorney to sell valuable properties near the Jaffa Gate to a right-wing settler group in 2004. The Church challenged the legality of the transaction, which it said would contribute to Christians being expelled from the Old City, but has so far failed in the courts. It has lodged an appeal to the High Court of Justice.
Christmas in China: Why the Communist party will never control the church

The young Chinese student was enthusiastic. She had only been attending church for a few weeks but she wanted to say how much she loved it all. But why, I asked, was she as an atheist attending a Christian church in a foreign country? 'Because it's the nearest thing to the Communist party I can find in Scotland!'

It was not exactly the answer I was expecting. Her parents were leading Communist party officials and what she saw in the church was a sense of community that she was missing.

Over the years I have found the Chinese to be the most open of peoples to the Christian gospel. And I 'm not the only one.

The Chinese church is going the same way as the Chinese economy  well on its way to being the largest in the world. It is an extraordinary story with up to 100 million Chinese now professing to follow Jesus Christ  more than are members of the Communist party  which is now getting concerned.

China is an authoritarian totalitarian state in which control is everything. Before the post second world war Communist revolution 75 per cent of the Christian church was Catholic. Now it is 80 per cent Protestant/non-denominational. And the latter are much harder to control.

So this Christmas the Chinese government is trying to do the reverse of what the Church in the West would like to do  bring Christ back into Christmas. In a fascinating article in The Spectator Caroline Binney explains how a country which until recently banned Christmas is now officially embracing it  while at the same time trying to remove any semblance of Christianity from it. Binney argues that the Chinese authorities are worried that Christians owe their ultimate allegiance to God, not Xi Jinping.

The Communist party knows its history  that it was uncontrolled Christian communities who offered the biggest threat to the Nazis and in Communist Poland/East Germany were the core of the resistance that brought Communism down. So the Chinese are doing what they can to limit and control the spread of the Christian church. And that includes recognising the festive and commercial possibilities of Christmas while trying to prevent people remembering the birth of Christ.

As Binney puts it, the Communist party is 'seeking to drown the Christmas message in a sea of tat'.

Communism and Capitalism could unite in that goal.

I once asked the Chinese author Jung Chang (Wild Swans, Mao and The Empress Dowager) about the role of Christianity in China. Her answer was revealing. She argued that the missionaries in the 19th century had not been very successful in reaching the ordinary Chinese population, but that they had been largely responsible for changing the structures of the government and sowing the seed for a future growth. It was only after the 1949 Revolution that those seeds really began to grow  even under the midst of a repressive regime.

Not long after I started work in St Peter's Dundee, known throughout the evangelical world as the church of the famous 19th century evangelical Robert Murray McCheyne, an elderly Chinese gentleman came into my vestry and asked if he could have the old photo of a man called William Chalmers Burns. Burns as a young man had been a replacement for McCheyne while the latter was in Israel. During his time in Dundee an extensive and long-lasting revival broke out.

Burns himself was an irrepressible character who ended up going to China as a Presbyterian missionary. The photo we have of him is a very early one of him dressed in Chinese clothes. 'Why do you want that photo?' I asked my visitor. 'Because that man is the founding father of the modern Chinese church,' was the unexpected reply.

This Christmas let's reflect upon the untameableness of the life that the baby Christ brought into the world. He cannot be domesticated. Whether it's a zealous young Scottish minister in the 19th century or the millions of Chinese saints serving Christ today in that great land, the Chinese Communist party needs to grasp that Christ cannot be contained.

As Binney remarks: 'Try as it might with the snow, Santas and saxophones, the government may not be able to keep the real Christmas message under wraps for much longer.'

If the shepherds of Bethlehem were able to proclaim the good news that brings great joy to all the people in the midst of Roman Empire, you can be sure that neither the communists of China, nor the capitalists of the West, are able to stop that news today.

David Robertson is Associate Director of Solas CPC in Dundee and minister at St Peter's Free Church. Follow him on Twitter @TheWeeFlea.
Netflix 'Dark' season 2 news: Streaming giant greenlights second season

Streaming giant Netflix has just released the German supernatural series "Dark" this month, and has already given the green light for a second season. This is the direct effect of the show being received so well across the globe despite the production being entirely in German and being set in present-day Germany.

According to reports, the show's creators, Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, are beyond ecstatic at the news of the series being picked up so quickly by the streaming juggernaut. In a statement that the creators released following the news of a season 2 renewal, both Odar and Friese stated that they are "overwhelmed" by the positive feedback that the first season of "Dark" was able to accumulate all around the world.

It seems that the various twists and turns in a delicate but complicated science-fiction and time-bending inspired story of "Dark" captivated its viewers. Cinema Blend states that the expectations that viewers had after they saw the trailer of "Dark" went sky high, and after just 10 episodes, with an estimated one-hour run time per episode, proved more than enough to stir the viewers to asking for more of the mystery thriller series.

On top of that, "Dark" has been dubbed as a good substitute for the already popular Netflix original series "Stranger Things."

Vice president of international originals for Netflix Kelly Luegenbiehl said that the show is unlike any story that the streaming giant has witnessed anywhere in the world. The main ingredient to the success of "Dark" is the fact that it puts a lot of emphasis on its unique narrative, which is described to "transcend geography." There is definitely much to the established narrative that needs to unfold, and it should please fans to know that it will definitely happen.

As of now, there has not been any announcement regarding the release date for season 2 of "Dark."
Protests as Pakistan clamps down on charities: World Vision given 90 days to leave

Pakistan has ordered 27 charities, including Christian groups, to shut down their operations in the country.

World Vision is among the aid agencies to be given 90 days to stop their work after the country's Ministry of Interior issued the edict, which prompted protests from human rights campaigners.

Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Affairs, told Reuters the reason for shutting down the NGOs was because they were doing work in Pakistan 'which is beyond their mandate and for which they have no legal justification'.

He refused to give specific examples, but said the targeted NGOs spend 'all their money' on administration, are not doing the work they said they were doing, and are working in areas where they were not authorised.

But World Vision has said it is appealing the decision and hopes to continue working in Pakistan.

In a statement to Christian Today a spokesman said: 'World Vision is cooperating fully with the Government of Pakistan on this matter and we hope our appeal to this decision will be positive so that we can continue our work with the children of Pakistan.

'World Vision Pakistan is implementing various projects on Health & Nutrition, and Education and Resilience. Presently, World Vision Pakistan is working with children and youth to provide them with access to education, protection, sustainable income generation, health care, food and better care within their homes and communities.

'We worked with approximately 800,000 children since 2015 and fear for their well-being if our programmes are ended.

'Our primary concern is the continuation of our work with some of the most vulnerable children in Pakistan.'

The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF), which represents 63 international aid groups, said the ministry had issued 11 of its members 'letters of rejection'. All of them said they will appeal. No reason for the rejections have been provided, the forum said.

Plan International, which has worked in Pakistan since 1997, said it is supporting over 1.6 million children across Pakistan. Plan said it was given no reason for the ministry's decision and would appeal it.

'The organisation is hopeful that the appeals process will make it possible for its work with vulnerable and marginalised children, especially girls, to continue in Pakistan,' it said in a statement.

Other NGOs on the list contacted by Reuters said they had been given no reason for being forced to shut down.

Chaudhry, the interior minister, said the number of international organisations in Pakistan had rocketed after the 9/11 terror attacks after Islamabad allied itself with the US' war on terror.

'But there were also a number of NGOs that are used, knowingly or unknowingly for activities that conflict with Pakistan's national interests,' Chaudhry said, adding that registration procedures are commonplace in other countries.

In recent years Pakistan has hardened its stance towards NGOs, requiring them to undertake a painstaking registration process and clear multiple bureaucratic hurdles to continue working in the country.

Save the Children was one of the victims of this clampdown in 2011, when it was linked to a Pakistani doctor recruited by the CIA to help in the hunt that led to the killing of al Qaeda militant leader Osama bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad.

More recently in January, the interior ministry ordered a dozen domestic groups working on women's issues and human rights to halt operations, a move later overturned in courts.

Additional reporting from Reuters.
Rebuilding Iraq, one house at a time

A Christian charity working in Iraq is helping refugees returning to their ruined homes to begin a new life there.

Leading the Way, founded by Dr Michael Youssef, is running a programme entitled Help the Persecuted to assist those who might have lost everything.

The war against Islamic State in Iraq has officially been declared over, but the damage done by the terrorist militia is enormous.

Many returned refugees are living in burned-out houses with practically no resources.

When they walk through the doors of where they once lived, their floors are strewn with broken glass and family photos, walls are burned black and full of holes with dust everywhere. Then, in the middle of an ash heap are the charred remains of their Bibles.

One refugee said: 'The first shock came when we ran away from ISIS. But the biggest shock was when I came back home and found it like this. It was the worst thing I have ever seen.'

Teams in Iraq, Syria and Jordan are providing vital aid and planting churches.

Describing life in Bartella, formerly in ISIS' control, Youssef said: 'After a lengthy occupation, liberation has finally arrived with the defeat of ISIS in the region. Life is slowly coming back to the city, but as refugees make the journey home, they are returning to rubble. ISIS knew very well how to steal, kill, and destroy  and they have left most of the city uninhabitable.'

He concluded: 'What ISIS meant for evil, God has used for good. Many of these refugees came to faith through our broadcasts and field teams during the crisis. Others received practical support through the ministry of Help The Persecuted. Now, they desperately need the encouragement, hope, and restoration that is found only in the Gospel.'
Why did Mary and Joseph have to go to Bethlehem?

Luke 2 records for us that the Lord Jesus was born in a city called Bethlehem, the City of David. The account tells us that His earthly parents were from somewhere else and had to go there for some purpose, and His earthly mother had to give birth to Him there.

Why did Mary and Joseph, Jesus' earthly parents, have to go to Bethlehem anyway? Let's take a closer look at that.

A ruler's decree

"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered." (Luke 2:1-6)

We read in the passage above that as the time drew near for Mary to give birth, Caesar Augustus, the emperor during that time, called for a census to be held.

While I will not delve into how the Romans governed and taxed the Jews or how the Jews treated their lineage and were thus very likely to participate in such a census, we see there that the Roman emperor was able to call all the Jews back to their hometowns through the use of a census. Since Joseph was a descendant of David, he had to go back to Bethlehem to comply with such a command from their ruler.

What many do not notice, though, is that this was done to fulfill a prophecy in Micah 5:2, which says:

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."

God's hand on the move

Some may not believe it, but God caused this to happen. Since God declared that the Christ will come from Bethlehem, God would make it happen. His word will never fail:

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

And so how did God do this? By causing the emperor to decree a census. Proverbs 21:1 tells us that God can do that:

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes."

God caused Caesar to call for the census. Take note that the very census that caused Joseph and Mary to come to Bethlehem was the first of its kind to take place.

In closing

Friends, Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem because it was God's will for Jesus to be born there. He used earthly people and circumstances to bring about His desired result. This shows His sovereignty over everything.

"But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases." (Psalm 115:3).
By PTI: tobacco products

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) The Supreme Court today refused to grant any interim stay on the Karnataka High Court order that quashed the 2014 government regulation that packets of tobacco products must carry pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of the packaging space.

The high court, on December 15, had struck down the 2014 amendment rules that mandated pictorial health warnings to cover 85 per cent of packaging space of tobacco products, holding that they were unconstitutional as they violated fundamental rights like the right to equality and the right to trade.

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A vacation bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said it cannot stay the judgement of the high court without "looking" into it and fixed the appeals challenging it for hearing on January 8.

Meanwhile, it directed the apex court registry to convey its order to the high court registry that the impugned verdict has to be uploaded on the high courts website.

"We must understand the High Court judgement. We would like to see as what the High Court has said. We do not know what has been said in the judgement. You (lawyers) want us to pass the order without looking at the judgement," it said.

The bench also made clear to the Tobacco Institute of India (TII), which has been made a party in the appeals, that in the meantime, it would not claim "equity" on the basis of the high court verdict, thus denying TII the benefit of the favourable HC order.

Senior advocate Anand Grover, who appeared for NGO Health for Millions Trust and lawyer Aishwarya Bhati, representing Umesh Narain who has filed the appeal, sought an interim stay on the high court verdict, saying the matter pertained to public health.

The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2014 (COTPA) had come into effect from April 1 last year and it came into being based on the recommendations of experts committee, Grover said.

The bench was hearing appeals including those filed by NGO Health for Millions Trust and Umesh Narain, a senior advocate, against the high court verdict.

Narain, in his appeal, said, "The implementation of Regulations mandating 85 per cent pictorial warning on both sides of Tobacco products was a culmination of an extremely long, cumbersome and excruciating fight by public heath activists, people whose life and family had been ruined by Tobacco, against the mighty Tobacco industry."

The graphic pictorial warnings which occupy 85 per cent of the package on both sides will assist not only the existing consumers of tobacco products to understand the grave health risks involved but will also dissuade the younger generation from becoming tobacco addicts, the plea said.

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"The impugned order will have a serious and numbing impact on Indias fight against Tobacco. It is regressive, retrograde and jeopardises future generations of the country having maximum number of youth in the world," it said.

Narain, 65, said he was addicted to tobacco which poisoned his body to the extent that in 2010 he was diagnosed with tongue cancer that required major surgery in 2011.

"The tobacco industry always attempted to project tobacco products as cool, macho, classy, rebellious, affluent and modern. Graphic and big pictorial warnings bust the myth of tobacco products being cool, stylish and fashionable," the plea said.

The high court had, however, made it clear that the 40 per cent pictorial health warning rule, which existed prior to the amendment rules, would remain in force.

In May last year, the Supreme Court had transferred all petitions against the 85 per cent rule filed in various high courts to the Karnataka High Court and asked it to hear and dispose them of.

Passing its orders, the high court had held that the Union Health Ministry does not have any jurisdictional power to make such rules.

From the perspective of tobacco growers, such a rule violated the Right To Equality under Article 14 of the Constitution because there was no connection between the images and the warnings, the high court had observed.

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The petitioners, the Tobacco Institute of India and others, had challenged enforcement of the COTPA which required printing of pictorial health warnings covering 85 per cent of tobacco product packages.

The industry had also said the global average size for graphic health warnings (GHWs) was only about 30 per cent of the principal display area. PTI SJK ABA RKS TIR

--- ENDS ---
New York governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio are as contentious as any pair in politics, yet they are fundamentally the sameprogressive pretenders, fluent in Berniespeak, who have run essentially conventional urban-Democratic administrations. They have been reasonably good on taxes, real estate, and public safetybeing otherwise would endanger the Pax Giulianica that keeps New York City livable and the Empire States tax-revenue and campaign-contribution pumps running.

In a different political environment, each might be a contender for the national spotlight. But as ambitious members of an increasingly hard-Left Democratic Party, they must mask their essentially mainstream governance with over-the-top progressive rhetoric. De Blasio, handily reelected last month despite a scandal-plagued first term, was off to Iowa this week to take another shot at building a national presenceearlier attempts having fallen short. Cuomo, burdened by substantial scandals as his own reelection year approaches, has been buffing up his lefty image by attacking President Trump, hectoring New York Republicans, and visiting hurricane-wracked Puerto Rico, falling just short of inviting the commonwealth to become New York States 63rd county.

All this is image enhancement of a specialized sort, meant to mask the fact that in New York, the rhetoric may be pure progressive, but the politicking is real-world transactional. Public-employee unions, hedge-fund-flush donors, and the real-estate industry collectively pay the piper, while de Blasio and Cuomo dance to special-interest music. The result has been better governance than the pairs oratory might suggest: the NYPD is more effective than de Blasios cop-baiting core constituency would prefer, for example, and Cuomo is a bona fide charter-school champion, to liberal consternation.

This didnt happen by accident. The real-estate industry, a major de Blasio backer, has invested scores of billions of dollars in new construction over the past few years; it would not allow a new mayor completely to undo the policing reforms that transformed New York a generation ago. So William J. Bratton became de Blasios first police commissioner, and the mayor left most policing policies unchanged. The citys construction boom continued, feeding demand made possible by some of the safest urban streets in America. Similarly, Cuomos enthusiasm for the states charter school movement has been rivaled only by the governors appetite for campaign support from New Yorks hedge-fund industry, well known for its support of charters. Whether by coincidence or design, charters have prospered during the Cuomo yearsto the great good fortune of tens of thousands of schoolchildren, mostly in New York City. In both cases, self-interested politicking and deep-pocketed mainstream collaborations combined to forge relatively sound public policies, albeit not of the sort typically taught in Civics 101. But this happy symbiosis could erode, and probably will, as the term-limited de Blasio looks to build a future beyond the five boroughs and Cuomo maneuvers to avoid a progressive primary challenge next year that could diminish his standing among national Democrats.

Each mans progressive instincts have been mitigated, then, by the hard reality of governing an economically dynamic city and the state within which it resides. De Blasio, recall, came to office promising to reduce what he termed income inequality and confront homelessness by dramatically increasing the citys supply of low- and middle-income housing. Four years later, he says hes succeededthough homelessness remains at record levels and theres no obvious increase in subsidized housing. As for income inequality: the sale this month of an Upper East Side townhouse for a reported $80 million suggests how well that effort is going. No mere mayor can temper the economic forces at work in the global economys capital city. But de Blasio cant admit that; if he did, his Iowa profile-raising would look even sillier than his dalliance with G-20 demonstrators last summer in Hamburg.

Cuomo rejected fracking as an upstate economic-recovery strategy in favor of massive development subsidies and four new gambling casinos. The subsidies yielded bribery scandals but precious few new jobs, and the casinos havent come close to performing as promised. Meantime, the shale-oil revolution has brought America to nominal energy independence, crippled OPEC, hamstrung the Russian economy, and created thousands of new jobs in Americabut, unfortunately for Cuomo, none in New York. The result: dismal upstate poll numbers for the governor. Combined with the lack of enthusiasm for the governor in his partys leftward-leaning precincts, its unlikely that Cuomo will reach the high reelection numbers hell need to boost his credibility among Democratic challengers to President Trump in 2020.

So Cuomo has taken to what comes naturally to himhigh-invective attacks aimed at Republicans generally, and at Trump in particular. And he and de Blasio are now sniping at one another over which New Yorker is most fit to carry progressivisms flag on the national stage. Theres something wrong in this state, said de Blasio earlier this month, implying that the problem was in Albany. The Democratic Party [is] not functioning like the Democratic Party and that has to be addressed. Not at all, responded a Cuomo aide: The mayor is on a personal vendetta and seeking revenge against the governor, and we find it troubling.

The two men have been gnawing at each other for years now, but changing circumstances and personal ambition could make the rivalry more problematic in 2018. De Blasio, free of reelection concerns, has no more need for moderation. So the man who told New York last summer that if I had my druthers, the city government would determine every single plot of land . . . and there would be very stringent requirements around income levels and rents may now govern to that standard. Hes already talking about seizing private property as an anti-homelessness strategy.

Such policies, and the social-media-driven rhetoric that will attend them, will drive New York politics even further Left. Cuomo wont need much encouragement to follow. Look for his legislative programs to be filled with progressive plums aimed ostensibly at protecting New Yorkers from Trump and Washington Republicansbut really meant to protect Cuomo from his partys left wing, come primary time. Lost in this fandango will be New York itselfdamaged economically, politically, and socially by a progressive bidding war unlikely to produce any winners.

Photo by Bryan Thomas/Getty Images
This week on The Kicker, Pete is joined by colleagues Alex Neason and Meg Dalton, plus CJR editor and publisher Kyle Pope, to discuss the biggest media trends of 2017, including coverage of Trump, the mainstreaming of podcasts, the business of news, and #MeToo. Note: There were some technical mic issues in the studio this week.

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Meg Dalton and Pete Vernon are CJR Delacorte Fellows. Find Meg on Twitter @megdalts and Pete @ByPeteVernon.
The Paradise Papers made a global splash in early November. For a few days at least, the latest mass leak of high-end offshore financial informationcurated, like its predecessor, the Panama Papers, by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and partners round the worldrefocused global attention on the ways wealthy individuals and corporations lower their tax burdens.

Although the leak prominently featured US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the reaction to the Paradise Papers was more muted in the US than it was elsewhere. Three big European papers who worked on the story played it across their front pages for days: The Guardian framed large images of implicated celebritiessuch as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and F1 driver Lewis Hamiltonwith a bespoke yellow trim, while Le Monde, and Suddeutsche Zeitung mocked up special graphics and logos to garnish above-the-fold spreads. By contrast, The New York Timeswhich chose to collaborate on the Paradise Papers despite not having worked on the Panama Papersput the story on its unchangeable, boxy front page only twice in the week after publication, and one of those articles was below the fold.

Newspaper front pages are a crude measure of media attention and public interest. But the Paradise Papers have struggled for air in a heavily saturated US news cycleeven though the countrys major news story these past weeks has been about tax reform. And even in the UK, Germany, and elsewhere, initial interest has petered out somewhatespecially compared to the reaction that greeted the Panama Papers last spring. This time we [didnt have] all the bad guys, Assad, Putin, Mugabe, and so forth, so the attention in general was lower, says Bastian Obermayer, a Suddeutsche Zeitung reporter who received both initial data leaks.

TRENDING: Anti-Mueller rhetoric raising concerns

The Paradise Papers were always going to be more difficult to get global reaction to, because it no longer had the novelty of being the biggest collaboration of journalists in history and the biggest leak ever provided to journalists, adds Will Fitzgibbon, a senior ICIJ reporter who also worked on both stories.

The real significance of the Paradise Papers is less about naming famous names, and more about exposing the structures they use. With the Panama Papers, there was clear criminality and a clear bad guy, says Gerard Ryle, the director of ICIJ. People could dismiss [the company where the leak originated] as a rogue law firm in Panama.With the Paradise Papers, we showed that the whole system is gamed. The firms rich people use to protect their money are rattledon December 18, the company at the heart of the leak, Appleby, launched UK court proceedings against The Guardian and the BBC for publishing confidential information.

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Tax authorities and politicians in countries from Argentina to India are using the leak to start to get their houses in order. Thats especially true in Europe, where Switzerland is considering legislation to regulate companies like mining giant Glencore, the Netherlands doubled down on scrutiny of its massive trust sector, and UK authorities are actively reviewing the tax status of the Isle of Mana British dependency critics call a tax haven.

The Paradise Papers also galvanized the European Union as a bloc to take action on tax, giving fresh steam to investigations initiated after the Panama Papers leak. In late November, three Paradise Papers reporters testified in front of a European Parliament committee. Among them was Jan Lukas Strozyk, a journalist with Germanys public broadcaster who also gave evidence after the Panama Papers. The interest this time was bigger than I expected. The questions were better, the [politicians] were better prepared, says Strozyk. When I talked to some of them after the hearing you could see there was a core group, from all parties, that are really interested in this, and really want to move this.

ICYMI: 8 strategies for saving local newsrooms

In early December, European finance ministers published a blacklist of 17 tax havens. The list was criticized by ICIJ and others for several notable omissions, though some observers pointed to an accompanying, longer grey list putting other low-tax jurisdictions on official notice. Since then, the EU has announced plans to tighten corporate oversight, force companies to publicly identify their real owners, and give permanent status to temporary investigative committees.

None of this is to say that meaningful, systemic reform of the global tax avoidance system is in sight; as Strozyk admits, a succession of crises in Europe have captured much of the EUs attention and political capital. And elsewhere around the world, tax authorities are notoriously slow-moving when it comes to changein some cases combing through data for years before reaching charges of wrongdoing against individuals and companies, or broader suggestions for reform.

ICIJs reporting has shown all users of offshore structures that their financial information can be compromised.

But the quiet impact of the Paradise Papers goes far beyond institutions of governmentits behavioral, too. While the media found the novelty of the Panama Papers compelling, its precisely a lack of novelty that makes the Paradise Papers so important: By proving that a huge data leak from a big financial firm wasnt a one-off event, ICIJs reporting has shown all users of offshore structures that their financial information can be compromised.

Eroding the expectation of secrecy around offshoring is a vital legacy of the Paradise Papers. If we were on a beach on St. Barts right now, or on a yacht off of Saint-Tropez, we would be hearing ultra-wealthy people express anxiety like, Uh-oh, how do I know the next leak isnt going to come from a place where I have my wealth? says Brooke Harrington, an expert on offshore finance whos written about it for The Atlantic. [You dont want] your life splashed on the pages of some international newspaper, because that pulls people out of the woodwork to extort you or kidnap your family.

The Paradise Papers are proof of a repeatable model: Disgruntled employees of offshoring firms know with greater certainty that they can anonymously leak data to reporters who will sieve it and translate it into public-interest journalism. I certainly hope this will continueand I honestly believe it will, says Obermayer. Its so easy to copy digital information, and not so hard to transfer it. I think there are quite [a number of] guys out there with a moral motivation and the impetus to act.

Even if each new leak generates less media buzz than the last, the cumulative effect will chip away at a system that hides vast riches in far-flung places, depriving governments worldwide of crucial revenue. And each dataset contains years worth of potential stories and leads spanning every country on the planet.

Even though projects like the Paradise Papers often emerge as a global phenomenon, they play out subtly in many different ways in many different countries, says Fitzgibbon at ICIJ. Even if you as a reader in the US or the UK or Australia dont feel like youve seen much come from the Paradise Papers, dont forget that citizens in Nigeria or Mongolia or Serbia or Argentina might be experiencing them in a very different way.

ICYMI: The year in journalism

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
Pennsylvanias governor said Wednesday he wants to see changes in a state government self-insurance program that funded a quarter-million-dollar settlement over sexual harassment allegations against a state lawmaker.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said he learned this week about the settlement with and payment to a former legislative assistant to Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks.

Wolf said he wants to prevent using the fund for cases of abusive behavior by elected officials and ordered the Department of General Services to change it.

Sexual harassment victims deserve protection and elected officials who engage in such awful behavior do not, said Wolf press secretary J.J. Abbott. He also does not think the program should cover the liability of non-executive branch employees.

His comments came a day after The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported that Pennsylvania taxpayers funded the 2015 payment. Wolf on Tuesday urged Caltagirone to resign.

The details of the allegations against Caltagirone, 75, have not been made public, and the veteran legislator has not returned messages seeking comment.

Its also unclear how many other settlements have been made through the employee liability self-insurance program, which requires agencies  and both chambers of the Legislature  to pay into it based on how many employees they have and their level of assessed risk.

The General Services department said Wednesday that its Bureau of Risk and Insurance Management, which oversees the fund, does not get involved in litigation or handling complaints. It determines if a claim is eligible after settlement terms have been negotiated.

A General Services spokesman said a typical claim under the fund would involve a Transportation Department project or damage involving vehicles.

In the matter involving Caltagirones former aide, House Democratic caucus chief counsel Nora Winkelman told General Services the woman had initially made a $1.5 million claim for a complaint of discrimination, among other things under a federal law that bans discrimination based on sex, race, color, national origin and religion.

The agency agreed to pay the woman, described as a legislative assistant in Caltagirones district office, about $165,000 and her lawyer $82,500. They have both declined comment.

House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny, revealed Tuesday that since 2007 his caucus has agreed to pay out $514,000 to settle claims. He said two were for sexual harassment claims against two members, and five involved other types of employment matters.

The states elected fiscal watchdog, Democratic Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, said he was outraged that the total amount was just now becoming public.

Taxpayer money should never be used to settle sexual harassment claims against an elected official, said DePasquale, who formerly represented York in the House. As a former legislator, I know that many members, including myself, were unaware that these payments were made. We need to put a stop to it.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A faulty Takata airbag inflator has killed another person, this time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Honda said Tuesday night.

The unidentified person is the 20th death worldwide attributed to the faulty inflators, which can explode with too much force and hurl shrapnel into car and truck cabins.

The person died in a July 10 crash of a 2004 Honda Civic. Officials from the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration inspected the car Tuesday and confirmed that the drivers airbag inflator blew apart and caused the death, Honda spokesman Marcos Frommer said.

Honda learned about the death only recently, and jointly inspected the car with government officials on Tuesday, he said. Honda did not release the persons name or age.

Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that inflates airbags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and humidity and burn too fast, blowing apart a metal canister.

The problem has touched off the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history  involving 42 million vehicles and as many as 69 million inflators  and forced Takata of Japan into bankruptcy protection. More than 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide.

Honda says in a statement that the cars airbag apparently was salvaged from another vehicle, a 2002 Civic. The owners of the 2004 Civic also had been sent multiple recall notices to replace the original inflator starting in June 2014, but the repair had not been made, Honda said.

The company said it is cooperating with the government as it investigates the matter.

Messages were left Tuesday night seeking comment from a NHTSA spokeswoman and the Baton Rouge police.

The death comes about one month after a report on the Takata recalls shows that automakers have replaced only 43 percent of the faulty parts even though recalls have been under way for more than 15 years.

The report, issued by an independent monitor who is keeping tabs on the recalls, also shows that auto companies are only about halfway toward a Dec. 31 goal of 100 percent replacement of older and more dangerous inflators.

The slow completion rate comes even though NHTSA coordinated the recalls and phased them in two years ago. Before that, the automakers were obtaining parts and distributing them on their own. Normally automakers fix 75 percent of vehicles within 18 months after the recall is announced.

Completion rates vary wildly by automaker, according to NHTSA. Tesla was best at 78.6 percent, followed by Honda at 64.8 percent. Mercedes-Benz was the worst at 2.3 percent.

Honda, which was Takatas largest customer, has been going door-to-door trying to persuade owners to get their cars repaired. The company also is using Facebook in an effort to track down owners.

Frommer said the inflator from the 2002 Civic that was placed in the 2004 Civic in Baton Rouge likely was one of the most dangerous types made by Takata. Such inflators are in 2001-2003 Hondas. Tests have shown they have a 50 percent chance of blowing apart in a crash.

Owners can check to see if their cars have been recalled by going to https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and keying in their 17-digit vehicle identification number.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The rush to launch service on a new, faster Amtrak route near Seattle came at a deadly cost: none of the critical speed-control technology that could have prevented a derailment was active before the train set off on its maiden voyage.

Work to install the sophisticated, GPS-based technology known as positive train control isnt expected to be completed until next spring on the newly opened 15-mile (24-kilometer) span where the train derailed, according to Sound Transit, the public agency that owns the tracks.

The rest of the project was under a very aggressive schedule, according to documents posted on Sound Transits website. The terms and conditions for funding the $180.7 million project, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, required track, signal and other infrastructure work be completed by June 30, the documents said. Even a one-month delay would significantly impact the project.

The train in Mondays crash was going 80 mph (129 kph) in a 30 mph (48 kph) zone when it raced off the rails as they curved toward a bridge, hurtling train cars onto a highway below, investigators said. Three people were killed, and dozens were injured. Federal investigators say they are looking into whether the engineer was distracted.

A positive train control system could have detected the speeding and automatically applied the brakes to stop the train, said Najmedin Meshkati, a University of Southern California professor who has studied the technology for three decades.

It is another layer of safety, he said.

Amtrak and the Washington Department of Transportation started publicizing the switch to the new route in October. Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson said that no one wants PTC more than me but would not directly answer questions about why it is taking so long to get the speed-control technology up and running across the board.

Im a huge believer in positive train control, he said at a news conference Tuesday evening. It just makes so much scientific sense.

Anderson said the companys safety culture can continue to improve and said the crash should be seen as a wake-up call.

Its not acceptable that were involved in these types of accidents, he said.

Railroads are under government orders to install positive train control by the end of 2018 after the industry lobbied Congress to extend earlier deadlines, citing complexity and cost.

Union Pacific, the nations largest freight carrier, said it was spending about $2.9 billion on the technology. Industry groups estimate railroads will spend a total of about $10 billion to install and implement the systems.

Mondays wreck is just the latest example of a deadly crash that experts say could have been prevented if the technology were in place to slow down the train when engineers go too fast, get distracted or fall ill.

U.S. investigators have listed a lack of such a system as a contributing factor in at least 25 crashes over the last 20 years, including two in the last four years where a train approached sharp curves at more than double the speed limit.

A Metro-North train crashed in New York City in 2013, killing four people, when an engineer with sleep apnea dozed off. An Amtrak train crashed in Philadelphia in 2015, killing eight people, when investigators say the engineer was distracted by radio traffic and lost his bearings.

Positive train control was installed on 23 percent of the nations passenger route miles and 37 percent of freight route miles as of July, the last time the Federal Railroad Administration updated its online tracker for the technology.

It is activated on the tracks Amtrak owns along the Northeast Corridor, from Boston to Washington, D.C., and on Amtraks Michigan line. Many of its locomotives are equipped for positive train control.

Throughout the rest of the country, Amtrak operates on track owned by freight carriers and other entities that have made varying progress on installing the technology.

Its a work in progress on the route where the train derailed Monday. Sensors have been installed, but the system needs to be synchronized, tested and certified before it goes online, Sound Transit spokeswoman Rachelle Cunningham said.

The new route was designed to speed up service by removing passenger trains from a route along Puget Sound thats bogged down by curves, single-track tunnels and freight traffic.

The National Transportation Safety Board first recommended the use of automatic train control in 1970, a year after two Penn Central commuter trains collided, killing four and injuring 43.

The railroad industry was opposed for decades until a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on with a freight train near Los Angeles in 2008. Investigators said the trains engineer was texting and ran a stop signal, killing 25 people.

Its a good fail-safe for human error, said Fran Kelly, assistant general manager for SEPTA, the Philadelphia-area commuter railroad that was an early adopter of positive train control. Its using the best technologies available to complement what the human engineer is doing  the human element of it.

(Sisak reported from Philadelphia, and Balsamo reported from Los Angeles. AP writer Lisa Baumann contributed to this report from Seattle.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with details)

Hyderabad, Dec 22 (PTI) A 25-year-old dalit woman, who was set ablaze last evening in full public view by her former colleague for refusing his marriage proposal, succumbed to burns this morning, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone) B Sumathi said the accused, Sai Karthik (aged around 28), a school dropout, poured petrol on the woman who was returning home from office and set her afire in Secunderabads Lalaguda area, around 10 kms from here.

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He was arrested today and booked for murder, Sumathi said at a press conference.

The woman, who belonged to a scheduled caste, worked as an accountant in an aluminium fabrication unit where Karthik also worked for one year before being sacked by the management as his conduct was "not good", she said.

"Karthik studied only up to class 7. He and the woman knew each other. When he proposed to marry her, she refused, the DCP said.

"Last night, he followed the woman on his motorcycle when she was on her way home after office. He got into an argument with her as to why she refused to marry him," the official said.

"During the argument, he poured petrol on her and set her on fire," she said.

Hearing her cries, some passersby rushed to her aid and put out the fire.

The woman suffered 64 per cent burns and was immediately shifted to Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, Sumathi said.

"She died around 7.30 am while undergoing treatment. We registered a murder case and will produce the accused in court," the official said.

The victim, in her dying declaration, said she was being pressured by the accused to marry him, she added.

The police had yesterday registered a case under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder).

However, the Lalaguda police today booked the man under relevant IPC sections pertaining to murder, outraging the modesty of a woman and SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act, Sumathi said.

The DCP also said that they are analysing the messages and call data record in the victims phone for further probe in the case. PTI GDK GK RT

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Lucknow, Dec 22 (PTI) Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav today said his party would go hammer and tongs against the "draconian" Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crimes Bill in the assembly and on the streets, claiming the legislation was aimed at threatening the opposition.

From the intentions of the government, he said, it does not appear that the people will get justice after the UPCOC Bill is passed.

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"It has been brought to threaten the apposition. We will protest against it from the legislature to the streets," the former chief minister told reporters here.

The UPCOC Bill, 2017, drafted on the lines of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was passed by the UP Assembly yesterday amid opposition walkout.

"We have majority in the Legislative Council," he said, when asked about what his party would to do prevent the passage of the bill.

In the 100-member Council, while the ruling BJP has just 13 members, the Samajwadi Party has 61 members, the BSP nine, Congress two, RLD one and others 12. Two seats are vacant.

When asked about the state governments decision to withdraw 20,000 political cases, he said cases with serious charges were lodged against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy also.

"Will the CM sign the file pertaining to withdrawal of cases against the deputy CM?" he asked.

Reacting to the SP chiefs comments, cabinet minister and government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Akhilesh Yadav should say why he is afraid of the UPCOCA...He should know that court orders have come on cases pending against the CM."

"The cases lodged out of political vendetta will be withdrawn. This is for everyone irrespective of their party affiliations," he said. PTI ABN SMI TIR

--- ENDS ---
The city of Bethlehem is south of Jerusalem, in the West Bank. It is the biblical birthplace of Jesus and a major Christian pilgrimage destination.

Samer Khoury is not a diplomat, which makes his self-assigned mission of restoring the little town of Bethlehem that much harder. Despite incredible odds against violent protests in the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, this businessman has been able to attract the support from heavyweight patrons of all faiths, including Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop emeritus of Washington; Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a senior member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia; and, more controversially, Sheikh Muhammad A. Hussein, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, the Sunni Muslim in charge of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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The task requires a tenacious spirit. On one hand, the unassuming Athens-based construction magnate, one of the family that owns the $5.3 billion Consolidated Contractors Co., is dealing with the Israeli occupational government, which has a say in much of what happens in Bethlehem. The Palestinian city lies just beyond the wall that separates Israel and the Palestinian territories, in between Jerusalem and the Jordan River. The long conflict and military occupation have exacted a heavy toll on Bethlehem, which could otherwise be one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. The GDP per capita in the West Bank and Gaza is $4,300. Bethlehem remains a poor city, where some families live in one-room homes and many young people lack jobs. Khoury's work and the life for the people of Bethlehem are harder now in the wake of the announcement in early December by Trump that the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The announcement, which failed to mention east Jerusalem as the capital of an eventual Palestinian state  a long-hoped-for outcome by moderates in the Arab world  sparked violent protests across the Middle East. In Bethlehem, tourism has slowed to a trickle, and there have been some protests there, too. "What we sell is the Christian spirit and the message of hope and peace," Khoury said. He worries about what the next weeks and months will bring. "History has told us when something starts no one knows the end game in this part of the world," he said.

A political morass

Fractured politics mirror the fractured religions: The main attraction in Bethlehem is the Church of the Nativity, said to the be birthplace of Jesus. It has been governed for centuries by three denominations whose defense of their "zones" in the church is legendary and has sometimes come to blows: the Franciscan order of Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. "They are not businesspeople," said Khoury, sounding pained, recounting the difficulties of getting the lights strung to decorate the church at Christmas. But, moved by his family's Greek Orthodox and Palestinian roots, Khoury has a new vision for Bethlehem: Within 10 years, he wants to see 3 million tourists a year thronging the narrow streets. Three years in, he said, "We're 5 percent to 10 percent there."

Paying it forward

Khoury's late father, Said, founded the Bethlehem Development Foundation, a nonprofit that has so far spent about $40 million, with projects underway to further restore the church, build playgrounds for children and buy buses to ferry tourists to sites in and around the town. The foundation also incorporated a fundraising nonprofit in the United States and plans a Washington dinner in early February. It aims to raise and spend $60 million more by 2027. "It's a sad city when you enter," said Khoury. "This is the center of Christianity, important for 2 billion people. My father said: 'It is going to be a ghetto if nobody does anything.'"

A pilgrim lays her hand on the silver star in the Grotto under the Church of the Nativity, which according to tradition marks the spot Jesus was born. David Silverman | Getty Images

Khoury, who picked up the reins after his father died in 2014, wants to do everything from spur tourism with a new hotel and new agreements with Israeli bus companies, to helping develop jobs-training programs for students at a local university. The streets of Bethlehem are lined with tiny shops, many selling olive wood trinkets and beautifully carved nativity sets, but they are struggling. Bassem Giacaman, one of the shopkeepers, said before the second intifada, his shop had revenue of $400,000 a year, and employed 12. Now, it brings in about $100,000 a year, enough to employ three people and earn him a tiny profit, perhaps $10,000. In the two weeks since Trump's announcement, only three people have visited his shop, and he doesn't know how he will pay his workers, he said. Still, he said, he wants to keep his family's workshop alive because he loves the Church of the Nativity. In 1948, the Christian population of the Holy Land was 18 percent; it's now 2 percent, according to the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. Giacaman has tried to make his shop welcoming for everyone: It carries menorahs, Nativity sets, Arabic calligraphy  and welcomes tourists who need to use the toilet. "We just try to open the door and keep things going," he said. Khoury said he was in part inspired to continue his father's work when he talked to people like Giacaman. The foundation, with the initial donation of $30 million from the Khourys in 2011, is helping the Palestinian government manage the much-lauded restoration of the church. It also has helped refurbish Manger Square, where tourist buses park, start a small museum and finance a strategic solid waste management plan for the area. Among its long-term plans: a small shopping center and car park, a solar power station that could power small factories, and a small hotel of about 100 rooms. More from Global Investing Hot Spots:

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Some of the projects may be funded via investments  he said some projects could yield 10 percent annually  and some via donations. Though between 1 million and 2 million people visit the church every year  exact numbers are hard to come by  few stay overnight and little economic benefit comes to the town of about 25,000 people.

A philanthropic cause

Khoury's late father was a Greek Orthodox Palestinian who immigrated to Lebanon, founded CCC, and then moved it to Greece. "He was a true believer," Samer Khoury said of his father. CCC, now run by his three sons, has about 100,000 employees worldwide and had revenue of $5.3 billion in 2016, Khoury said. It builds projects of enormous scale: CCC builds or is a partner on projects such as the giant 60-kilometer Riyadh Metro in Saudi Arabia, a giant expo center in Kazakhstan, and  in the near future  oil platforms off the East Africa, Khoury said. CCC is a part owner of the power plant in Gaza, the southern part of the Palestinian territory. In Bethlehem, the scale of projects is much smaller. Sometimes, in the complicated politics of the town, the goals can get tripped up by something as small as a string of lights. For instance, stringing lights on the Church of the Nativity opened a fraught negotiation between the three denominations. An extra light hanging on the wrong side of a wall might have been taken as a sign one of the denominations had ceded territory in the church to another. In the Church of the Nativity, the walls, the windows and even a crack in the floor are claimed by one of the three. "It is funny," said Khoury, without laughing even a little bit. "It is not practical." He is a little frustrated, but he is not giving up.

The Church of the Nativity is seen during its restoration in Bethlehem, West Bank on November 28, 2016. Issam Rimawi | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Though there are many nonprofits and aid agencies working in Bethlehem, Khoury's effort is different, observers said, because of its breadth, Khoury's business acumen, the money behind it and the expertise CCC is putting to the task. "What Samer Khoury has developed is an entire mechanism to restore and rebuild Bethlehem; a city whose international reputation precedes it but whose infrastructure, and most importantly, its people have been neglected for far too long. (He) is working  to bring hope back to the city's inhabitants," said Sir Rateb Rabie, CEO of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation and a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, named by the pope for services in the Holy Land. The Bethlehem Development Foundation has an engineer working in Bethlehem on restoration of the church, which started three years ago and will probably last three or four more years, Khoury says. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas first persuaded the three denominations to allow the restoration, but Khoury's foundation stepped in to manage payments for the highly specialized contractors doing the work, which has included replacing the 500-year-old wooden roof. Now, the restoration is moving on to restoring beautiful golden icons on the walls and an ancient mosaic under the floor that tourists tramp over on their way into the grotto said to mark the birthplace of Jesus. Among the discoveries during the restoration: a hole left from a stray bomb that fell during the 1967 War.

Against all odds
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As 2017 comes to a close, CNBC's Jim Cramer has noticed that one of the market's starkest features is its shortage of stock. "We don't have enough shares to go around. That's how I feel about this incredibly strong year and the uber-bullish reaction to tax reform," the "Mad Money" host said. "There's just not enough supply, not enough stock to meet the demand from buyers who had to radically switch their orientation to deal with a much more positive backdrop." Ironically, Cramer found that two similar companies  Amazon and Walmart  best explain this oddity. "When portfolio managers want to reach for a big company that's a major beneficiary of the tax reform, you know what? They're thinking Walmart, not Amazon," Cramer said. "In fact, you can easily imagine them dumping the fast-growing e-commerce play for Walmart here." But sellers of Amazon would probably regret it once they saw the online giant's likely robust holiday sales, and once the tax plan's benefits to Walmart were priced in, he argued. "I'd be a buyer of Amazon into any weakness," Cramer said. "But given that the passage of the bill was a surprise and the analysts are just now putting pen to paper to figured out its impact, my guess is that the out-of-Amazon-into-Walmart trade ... could continue for longer than people think."

Gold mining CEO talks bitcoin

A miner miniature figures near Bitcoin physical coin. Futures on Bitcoins increased by more than 20% after their American debut on the Chicago Cboe Futures Exchange. Manuel Romano | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin may be all the rage, but when it comes to storing your money, Agnico Eagle Mines CEO Sean Boyd told CNBC that they still pose some unaddressed risks. "One of the things about bitcoin and the cryptocurrencies is, is there really an unlimited supply?" Boyd said to Cramer on Thursday. "We're gold miners. We mine deposits. I think, over time, the question will be: are these cryptocurrencies and the developers of these cryptocurrencies just mining the public?" Boyd, also the vice chairman of Agnico's board, echoed some technicians' sentiments that gold prices are turning and could be headed higher.

Crypto showdown

Jaap Arriens | NurPhoto | Getty Images

In a fireside chat on Thursday, Cramer told a caller that in the cryptocurrency markets, bitcoin seems to have a slight leg up against its fast-growing rival, Litecoin. The "Mad Money" host said that the future of any cryptocurrency will hinge on the depth of its market and the disparity in futures prices. That's why Cramer found it "crazy" that bitcoin futures, which are now listed on different exchanges, are so differently priced on each exchange. "You can't have futures be that off," he said. "What you're looking for is a market that is more transparent and has one price to it. I think the Lite[coin] market is probably going to be less deep than bitcoin because of the first-mover advantage."

Ansys CEO on Ferrari partnership

Simulation software platform Ansys is used in much more than building engines and household appliances, President and CEO Ajei Gopal told Cramer on Thursday. The company, whose software serves as a high-level engineering aid for designers and manufacturers, also works with companies like Ferrari to fine-tune their racecars. "When you're in the business that they're in, where performance really matters, every millisecond makes a difference. And that millisecond makes a difference between winning and just being an also-ran," Gopal said. "With Ansys technology, they can win." Ansys' software can create what the CEO called a "digital wind tunnel" in which it can simulate what the car will do on the racetrack in certain conditions. "It's completely on the computer and it's built using Ansys technology," he said. "In that digital wind tunnel, they can go through all of these what-if scenarios: what happens if I change the design of the car, how do I become more aerodynamic, how can I shave those few milliseconds of performance off, how can I improve the outcome?"

Paychex CEO on GOP tax overhaul

As the federal government begins to implement the newly passed Republican tax plan, Paychex President and CEO Marty Mucci shared his take on what it means for the country's payrolls. "Probably, this'll happen in the February checks, because it's going to take them a few weeks to identify everything," he told Cramer regarding the impending tax code changes. Our systems are ready to go, but I think it'll take a few weeks, three or four weeks, to get it ironed out." And as the United States creeps closer to full employment, Mucci predicted that wages will need to go up as companies come to terms with the tax cuts they are likely to receive. "As you get close to full employment, you're having more scarcity of resource and therefore [are] going to have to raise the wages a little bit more," Mucci said. "And now with tax reform, we may see more wages go up because there's more ability to hire and pay a little bit more."

Lightning Round: A good bet in SWCH
Mining company Crystallex International said on Thursday Venezuela failed to honor a settlement and urged a federal judge to allow it to seize control of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum, which is owned by the country's state oil company.

Oil workers conduct a drill in a petroleum well in Lagunillas at the east coast of Lake Maracaibo near Maracaibo City in Venezuela.

Canada-based Crystallex won a 2016 international arbitration award of $1.2 billion against Venezuela, which has refused to pay. The company had been trying to collect by seizing shares of Citgo's U.S. parent company, which is owned by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.

Last month Crystallex said it settled with cash-strapped Venezuela, but the company's lawyer said that deal fell through. "They said they'd make a payment to us and didn't," Robert Weigel, a lawyer for Crystallex, told the court Thursday.

Crystallex's lawyers told U.S. Judge Leonard Stark in Wilmington, Delaware, they had an "avalanche of evidence" that proved PDVSA and Venezuela were one and the same, including official PDVSA tweets with the hashtag #PDVSAesVenezuela, Spanish for "PDVSA is Venezuela."

As a result, they were seeking to attach, or seize, PDVSA's shares in PDV Holding Inc, Citgo's Delaware-incorporated parent.

If Crystallex succeeds, the case could open the way for more than a dozen companies to pursue Citgo to collect on arbitration claims over assets that were nationalized under Venezuela's late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

PDVSA's lawyer argued on Thursday that Crystallex could not pursue the state oil company's assets because PDVSA was not a party to the arbitration.
By PTI: to def ministry

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) A parliamentary committee has asked the defence ministry to immediately streamline the selection process to confer gallantry awards to defence personnel, insisting that the exercise must be transparent.

The recommendation by the Committee on Petitions of the Lok Sabha came after an alleged lapse by the then authorities concerned in recognising sacrifices of an armyman during the Indo-Pak war in 1965 was brought to its notice.

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In a representation to the panel, the son of late Major Mohan Singh had mentioned that his father died while fighting the enemy during the 1965 war but his sacrifice was not attributed to death in action by the Army, depriving him of the gallantry award.

The

parliamentary panel asked the defence ministry to undertake a fresh exercise on the basis of available records to determine whether there was any lapse in recognising the "martyrdom" of Singh as battle casualty attributable to military service with effect from 1965.

The petitioner, Brigadier (retd) N B Singh has also stated that after almost 50 years, the Army headquarters has acknowledged his fathers sacrifice and "conceded" his death as a Battle Field Casualty.

The committee recommended to the defence ministry to take immediate remedial measures to streamline the selection process for gallantry awards to obviate recurrence of such incidents in future.

It observed that the incident showed that the entire selection process of conferment of gallantry awards was not transparent.

"There is no doubt that the selection process for conferment of gallantry awards needs to be made more rigorous and meticulous in order to choose only those defence personnel who had exhibited exceptional valour during war," it said.

At the same time, it said, the whole exercise should be transparent and objective so that there is no scope for accusations from any quarters.

As per official records, Major Singh was from 6 Rajput battalion which was deployed in Chhamb-Jaurian sector of Jammu and Kashmir during the 1965 war.

Singh had died in an ambush by the enemy while he and some other troops were laying mines in the area of operation of the battalion on September 14, 1965.

The committee said that when it asked the defence ministry on possibility of conferring Late Singh with Param Vir Chakra or any other gallantry award posthumously, it ruled out relaxation in laid down rules, saying honours and awards are conferred within a specific period of two calender years from the date of the act.

"Since, the act mentioned in the petition took place 50 years ago, the case cannot be considered at this stage," according to submission before the committee by the ministry. PTI MPB RT

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Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 23, 2016.

Qualcomm has obtained a permit to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in California, the latest step in the chipmaker's effort to gain a foothold in the self-driving car market.

California's Department of Motor Vehicles issued the permit, which authorizes testing for one vehicle and three drivers, on Dec. 12, a spokesperson from the agency told CNBC in an email.

"We certainly expect to be a key player in the autonomous space," Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm's vice president of product management for automotive, said in an interview. He declined to talk about forthcoming products that could enable autonomous driving.

In September Qualcomm announced the 9150 C-V2X chipset, which lets cars communicate with other cars as well as infrastructure like traffic lights. That technology could work alongside chips dedicated to autonomy by improving safety, Duggal said.

Qualcomm has begun field trials of Ford vehicles containing the chipsets in San Diego County, where the company is based, Duggal said. Similar tests of the technology will take place in Michigan, China, Germany, Italy and Japan, he said.

Nvidia picked up a permit to test self-driving cars in California just over a year ago, and earlier this year Samsung received a permit from the state. Nvidia has several automotive partners, including Tesla , Toyota and Volvo . Intel has expressed interest in autonomous driving but doesn't have a California self-driving permit.

Qualcomm technology is currently employed for telematics and infotainment systems. Last year the company announced a plan to acquire NXP, which sells several automotive components. The deal has not closed. In November Broadcom said it wanted to acquire Qualcomm for more than $100 billion, a proposal that Qualcomm's board rejected.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is cracking down on suspicious cryptocurrencies and that will only continue, according to a former chairman of the regulatory body.

"We're in line for some serious regulatory responses to all of this and that will be forthcoming after the first of the year," Harvey Pitt said Thursday on CNBC's "Fast Money."

The SEC has already issued warnings  with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority adding cautions as well  and Pitt says there is "activity on the horizon" for further regulation.

"Everyone else is investing in it, and the price seems to be going up," Pitt said. "That's a real problem because there's a lack of education and knowledge on the part of many of the people who are actually doing the investing."

The SEC on Tuesday temporarily suspended trading in shares of ., whose stock has surged more than 2,700 percent this month. The commission said in a release that questions have "arisen concerning potentially manipulative transactions in the company's stock in November 2017."

Pitt identified many cryptocurrency offerings as "offerings of securities," which therefore fit under the SEC's legal authority. For him, that means insider trading is a very real possibility.

"There absolutely can be insider trading," Pitt added. "When people have advanced knowledge of the offerings of these interests and take advantage of the offering long before it occurs."
As 2017 comes to a close, Americans have big hopes for the new year. Matt Ferguson, CEO of job site CareerBuilder, says workers can expect positive job growth in 2018 and beyond. "We expect the unemployment rate to remain in the low 4 percent range and may even drop into the high 3 percent range in 2018," he told CNBC. But not every industry is going to have the same positive gowth in the new year. Check out the best and worst industries and jobs for 2018:

Mihajlo Maricic / EyeEm | Getty Images

Jobs expected to decline in 2018

5. Publishing

Cause for decline: handheld devices and technology

Jobs: publishers and advertising sales agents



4. Certain Segments of Manufacturing



Cause for decline: automation

Jobs: fabric and apparel patternmakers and drilling and boring machine tool setters



3. Journalism



Cause for decline: change in the way people consume their news

Jobs: reporters, correspondents and broadcast news analysts



2. Farming



Cause for decline: younger farmers have declined over the last decade

Jobs: farmers, ranchers and logging workers



1. Oil & Gas



Cause for decline: drops in production levels

Jobs: rotary drill operators and petroleum engineers

Matt Dinerstein | Getty Images

Jobs expected to grow in 2018
Aetna

Aetna Inc. headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut Michael Nagle/Bloomberg | Getty Images

Healthcare company Aetna offers full-time and part-time employees both tuition reimbursements and student loan repayment. Their student loan repayment program matches part-time employee student loan payments up to $1,000 per year with a lifetime maximum of $5,000. For full-time employees, Aetna matches student loan payments up to $2,000 per year with a lifetime maximum of $10,000. "As a healthcare company with a vision of building a healthier world, Aetna takes a holistic view of employee well-being  one that includes physical, mental, social, and financial health," says Aetna's website. "These programs help make our employees healthier, happier and more productive; improve the experience we provide to our customers; and make our company stronger."

Chegg

Chegg Inc. John Sommers II/Bloomberg | Getty Images

The textbook rental and online tutoring company grants eligible full-time employees $1,000 a year as a part of their student loan repayment benefit. These funds can be used to repay any kind of outstanding student loan. Caroline Gennaro, corporate communications manager at Chegg tells Fast Company the benefit is "in recognition of the burden that outstanding student loan debt puts on Chegg employees."

Fidelity Investments

A man exits a Fidelity branch in New York. JB Reed | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Fidelity Investments offers a generous student loan repayment program. "Pay down student loan debt faster and save on interest with Fidelity's $2,000 annual contribution, up to $10,000, paid right to your student loan servicer," says the Fidelity website. "Plus, get access to online tools to help you better manage your student loan debt." The investment company also offers tuition reimbursement for work-related educational expenses.

Penguin Random House

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg | Getty Images

The publishing company offers $1,200 a year up to $9,000 through their student loan repayment benefit. "We have always believed in doing our part to tackle broader societal challenges by starting within our own communities," says Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle in a press statement. "With this new benefit for our employees, we have another opportunity to live up to our mission and help our employees invest in their futures while also making Penguin Random House a happy, productive, and rewarding place to work."

PwC
Here's a round-up of the most important deals in venture capital from the past week.



Exits

Jeff Bezos Paul Morigi | Getty Images

Amazon is acquiring Blink, a Boston-area start-up originally incorporated as Immedia Semiconductor. Blink makes wireless home security devices, including a camera and internet-connected doorbell that are compatible with the Amazon Echo. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, the company's investors confirmed that Immedia is being acquired in whole by Amazon. (It is not spinning out the Blink brand.) Blink investor and board member David Aronoff, a general partner at Flybridge, told CNBC that the company's cameras have been popular because they work well in low-light environments, were affordable relative to competitors' devices, and were designed to be "super low power"-- they run for two years on a pair of replaceable, AA lithium batteries. The acquisition could help make Amazon more competitive with Google and its Nest brand security systems.

CEO of German carmaker Daimler and Mercedes-Benz, Dieter Zetsche. Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images

German automaker Daimler is acquiring Chauffer Prive, competitors to Uber in France, the companies announced on Thursday. The parent of Mercedes Benz, Daimler is investing in and acquiring ridesharing companies the world over. For example, it previously invested in Dubai-based Uber competitors Careem, and earlier this year acquired the German app Flinc, which facilitates short-distance carpooling. Other car companies are taking a similar tack to fight off competition from tech giants like Alphabet, which owns Waze and Waymo, and younger car makers like Tesla or BYD.

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Chinese ride-hailing giants Didi Chuxing raised $4 billion in new growth funding to dominate the global market. The company is getting ready to expand in both Taiwan and Mexico in 2018. With a relatively new AI research and development office in Silicon Valley, Didi increasingly competes with Uber for a supply of tech talent, drivers and passengers. Didi's backers include Apple, Alibaba and Softbank, which has made an offer to invest significantly in Uber as well.

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Carbon has raised $143 million of a targeted, $200 million series D round for its advanced manufacturing technology. The company's 3-D printers are already being used to manufacture a huge range of items, including car and airplane parts, props for Hollywood studios and, most famously, the lattice-like midsole in Adidas' Futurecraft 4D sneakers. Investors in the new round included: Baillie Gifford, Fidelity, Archina Capital, Adidas, General Electric and JSR Corp. SoftBank Group is leading a $120 million investment in Lemonade, a New York City-based "insurtech" start-up. Lemonade's app lets home owners or renters in the U.S. quickly find and buy property and casualty insurance. The app also lets users file claims and get paid within minutes via mobile. Other investors in Lemonade include its earlier backers: Aleph, Allianz, General Catalyst, Google's venture arm GV, Sequoia Capital, Sound Ventures, Thrive Capital, Tusk Ventures, and XL Innovate.

Norwest Venture Partners led a $40 million investment in Common, a startup that offers "flexible, shared housing," mostly to young adults in the U.S. The "co-living" trend in real estate appeals to renters who don't want to buy their own furnishings or sign a traditional, long-term lease. At Common, members get their own private bedroom and access to well-appointed living spaces, stocked kitchens and bathrooms, and wifi. They can move to a room in another Common building and town with two week's notice. Poised to open new buildings across the U.S., Common competes with the WeLive subsidiary of WeWork and other regional players. One Concern, a start-up using machine learning to predict the impact of natural disasters on different communities and industries has raised $20 million in a series A funding round led by NEA. The company's co-founder, Ahmad Wani, was inspired to develop the hazard modeling software after surviving the 2014 floods in Kashmir which devastated the region. The company's advisors include former CIA director General David Patreus, and John Roos, who was the U.S. ambassador to Japan during the tsunami that set off the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. Alphabet 's venture arm, GV (formerly Google Ventures), led a $60 million series C investment in FLX Bio, involved in the "discovery and development of oral small-molecule drugs to activate the immune system against cancer," according to a company statement. Other investors in the round included: Celgene, Kleiner Perkins, Topspin Parnters and The Column Group. UpLift raised $15 million in venture funding to give loans to would-be travelers. The company's UpLift Pay Monthly Solution is used by United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and others to enable customers to pay for their big trips in monthly installments. According to the Global Business Travel Association, airfare and hotel costs are expected to rise next year in the U.S. which could boost UpLift or its competitors including Affirm and Airfordable. FarmWise raised a $5.7 million seed round for its "autonomous weeding machines." Sebastien Boyer, co-founder and CEO of FarmWise, wrote in a statement that the company's technology could help reduce or even replace the use of herbicides on farms, and prove a boon to organic farmers. Investors included: Playground Global, Felicis Ventures, Basis Set Ventures and Valley Oak Investments. Playground's Bruce Leak, best-known as the inventor of QuickTime, is joining the start-up's board of directors.

Firms and funds
Getty Images

Sharp volatility in the price of cryptocurrencies is a particular area of concern for regulators. Bitcoin's price has risen by more than 1,500 percent this year. Prices have declined from their peak, and there are fears that a deeper plunge may reverberate around financial markets. Despite that, the race to introduce financial products linked to cryptocurrencies has intensified with the likes of Goldman Sachs planning to set up a digital currency trading desk, and CME Group and CBOE launching bitcoin futures contracts.

In contrast, Asia Pacific economies have been less welcoming of cryptocurrencies, with many authorities issuing some of the strongest warnings. CNBC provides an overview of what some regulators have said:



China  Wants full control

China was quick to clamp down on cryptocurrencies, with authorities banning bitcoin trading and initial coin offerings (ICO) in September. Its central bank, the People's Bank of China, said the unregulated market could pose major financial risks to the world's second-largest economy. Despite the country's tough stance on privately-issued, decentralized virtual currencies, Beijing is actually in favor of the use of digital currencies. The PBOC said it was looking into issuing China's own sovereign digital currency and has set up a team to develop one.

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Japan  First-mover in legalizing bitcoin

Japanese lawmakers in April allowed the use of bitcoin and several other cryptocurrencies to make payments and in September officially recognized 11 cryptocurrency exchange operators. The country, however, has no plans yet to issue its own digital currency. Recently, the Bank of Japan joined the chorus of warnings about the rapid rise in the price of bitcoin. Governor Kuroda said Thursday the price increase was "abnormal" and bitcoin is "being traded for investment or speculative purposes," not functioning as a means of payment or settlement.



India  Worries about illegal usage

The Reserve Bank of India has repeatedly warned of the risks in trading virtual currencies. Regulators are also worried that cryptocurrencies may be used by people to evade tax, launder money or finance terrorism. Last week, authorities widened their probe into possible wrongdoings linked to cryptocurrencies.

South Korea  Monitoring financial institutions

South Korea has banned its financial institutions from dealing in virtual currencies, including buying, possessing or holding them as collateral. ICOs will also be outlawed, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement earlier this month. The country accounts for some 20 percent of bitcoin trading worldwide, AFP reported. About one million South Koreans, many of them small-time investors, are estimated to own bitcoin.



Australia  Bitcoin is a "speculative mania"

Reserve Bank of Australia's governor Philip Lowe called the fascination with virtual currencies a "speculative mania" and added that bitcoin is more likely to be attractive to those transacting in the illegal economy, than consumers. The central bank chief also talked down the possibility of issuing a digital form of the local currency in the near term.

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New Zealand  Bitcoin is "classic case" of a bubble

Grant Spencer, acting governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, said the price movements in bitcoin are very volatile and a "classic case" of a bubble. He said cryptocurrencies may have a part to play in the future, but not in the form of bitcoin. The central bank is looking into demand for the New Zealand dollar and assessing whether to replace it with a digital alternative at some stage.

Southeast Asia  Reeling from the 1997 crisis
Alternative digital currency ripple made some significant gains Friday, despite the wider market for cryptocurrencies seeing a sharp pullback.

Also known as XRP, it soared to $1.24 at 1:14 a.m. ET, and was up 25 percent over a period of 24 hours, according to data from industry website Coinmarketcap. The digital currency reached the key psychological $1 mark for the first time Thursday, and hit an all-time high of $1.38 that same day.

It briefly retook its place as the third-largest cryptocurrency, with a market value of $47 billion, a milestone it reached earlier this month. Ripple pared its gains later Friday morning. Its market capitalization fell bellow that of bitcoin cash, as XRP's price slid to 95 cents by 3:25 a.m. ET.

Interest in alternative cryptocurrencies  known as altcoins  tends to increase when there is too much activity congesting the blockchain network underpinning bitcoin, according to experts. But major altcoins including ethereum, bitcoin cash and litecoin were also seen trading lower Friday.

Bitcoin cash was surrounded in controversy earlier this week after cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase unveiled support on its service for buying and selling the bitcoin rival. Some accused the venue of insider trading with bitcoin cash trading higher hours before the service launched its new feature. Coinbase said it is currently investigating these claims, and would "not hesitate" to fire employees if it finds they violated its trading policy.

Meanwhile, litecoin's price fell after its creator Charlie Lee said he had sold and donated all of his holdings in the cryptocurrency. Lee said his sold stake was a "small percentage" of daily volume on the cryptocurrency exchange GDAX and that it "did not crash the market."
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was higher at around 2.488 percent at 10:33 a.m. ET, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was up at 2.843 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

U.S. government debt yields rose Friday on the last trading day ahead of the Christmas holiday break.

While politics is expected to move sentiment somewhat on Friday, data is expected to be at the front and center of investors' minds.

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes rose unexpectedly in November to levels unseen in over a decade. Sales jumped 17.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted 733,000 units, the highest rate since July 2007. The swell is sales indicates that the housing market may be stabilizing after a lackluster start in 2017.

On Wednesday, a major hurdle surrounding overhauling the U.S. tax code was conquered after House Republicans voted to approve tax reform, consequently meaning that the legislation can be sent to President Donald Trump's desk by Christmas.

The news boosted markets in the United States Thursday, as well as announcements that some U.S. companies would spend the tax bill savings on higher wages and new construction.

Meantime, the House of Representatives voted Thursday to advance a short-term spending bill, in order to fund the U.S. government through until the middle of January.
"I think it is perfectly asinine to even pause to think about them," Munger said. "It's bad people, crazy bubble, bad idea, luring people into the concept of easy wealth without much insight or work. That's the last thing on Earth you should think about  There's just a whole lot of things that aren't going to work for you. Figure out what they are and avoid them like the plague. And one of them is bitcoin.  It is total insanity."

Munger was asked for his views on cryptocurrencies during a University of Michigan's Ross School of Business event.

The interview was posted Wednesday on the business school's YouTube channel. The event was held in Los Angeles on Nov. 30 for the school's alumni. The video has largely gone unnoticed with roughly 7,000 views as of Friday morning.

The 93-year-old billionaire investor further explained why bitcoin is not a replacement for gold:

"You know it is one thing to think gold has some marvelous store of value because man has no way of inventing more gold or getting it very easily, so it has the advantage of rarity. Believe me, man is capable of somehow creating more bitcoin.  They tell you there are rules and they can't do it. Don't believe them. When there is enough incentive, bad things will happen."

Munger isn't the only big name in investing criticizing bitcoin in recent weeks.

Value investing giant Seth Klarman called the digital currency a speculative "trading sardine" last Friday. And DoubleLine Capital CEO Jeffrey Gundlach predicted on Dec. 13 if you bet against bitcoin that day "you'll make money."

The price of bitcoin declined 28 percent to below $12,000 Friday, according to Coinbase. Despite the sharp drop, the digital currency is still up about 1,100 percent this year.

Munger is one of the most celebrated investors in the world and was an essential partner in Buffett's success. Before becoming vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway , the billionaire had quite the track record himself. From 1962 to 1975 Munger's investment partnership generated 20 percent annual returns versus the S&P 500's 5 percent.
Pro-secessionist supporters react to election results for the Catalan National Assembly on December 21, 2017, in Barcelona, Spain. Borja Sanchez-Trillo | Getty Images

The outcome of regional elections in Catalonia Thursday have further complicated a Spanish political crisis, according to analysts, with one predicting that there is a high risk of a new vote taking place next year. Given the fragmentation of the result, the ongoing political process will be "far from straightforward," said Antonio Barroso, managing director of consultancy Teneo Intelligence, in a note entitled "Back to square one" on Friday. With nearly all the votes counted, separatist parties were seen getting 70 seats in the 135-seat assembly, Reuters reported, citing official data. Puigdemont's Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) was seen winning 34 of those seats, ahead of two other separatist parties.

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Ciudadanos, a party opposed to Catalan independence, achieved its best victory to date and is set to form the largest party group with 37 seats. The vote saw a record high turnout, with more than 80 percent of Catalans casting their ballots.

IBEX falls

The Spanish IBEX 35 fell as much as 1.5 percent around the open though has since pared some losses. Spanish banks in particular posted sharp declines.The euro was down over 0.2 percent against the U.S. dollar Friday morning. The Spanish central bank cut its economic growth forecasts for 2018 and 2019 on the back of Catalonia-related instability earlier in December. Tempering this negative sentiment, Bob Parker, investment committee member at Quilvest Wealth Management, told CNBC Friday that he "would be surprised ... if the issue of Catalonia breaks into a major piece of market disruption," adding instead that he expected only "some short-term minor bouts of volatility."

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But the outcome is an uncomfortable truth for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose party fared poorly, scoring only 3 seats. Rajoy is backed by European Union leaders, though the Spanish police has been condemned by various groups for its heavy-handed measures in quelling secessionist sentiment since Catalonia's unofficial independence referendum on October 1. "Either Rajoy changes his recipe or we change the country," Puigdemont said in a televised speech late on Thursday, according to Reuters. "We are the comeback kids," Puigdemont's spokesperson wrote in a text message to the news agency.

A frustrated future

But the exiled leader's victory is likely to be a frustrated one, with his party's rule reliant on support from smaller parties.

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India's decision to oppose the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem was a huge mistake and an application of a policy adopted by the Congress, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said.

By India Today Web Desk: India has made a "huge mistake" by voting in the United Nations General Assembly to oppose United States of America President Donald Trump's decision to move to the US embassy to Jerusalem, Bharatiya Janata Party MP and member of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on External Affairs Subramanian Swamy said today.

Speaking to India Today TV in New Delhi Swamy, who has had a history of differing in views with the PM Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, said New Delhi's decision to vote along with 127 other UN nations "not in the country's interest".

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An overwhelming number of countries voted last night in favour of a UN resolution opposing the US's decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv, where most countries have their presence, to Jerusalem, the holy Jewish city disputed between Israel and Palestine.

Swamy expressed concern that India's UN vote would "raise a big question" on New Delhi's "credibility". "Neither America, nor Israel will trust us." Slamming the UN vote in harsh words, Swamy said the Sushma Swaraj-led Minister of External Affairs was replicating a foreign policy that was adopted by the Congress.

This is a policy of "sycophancy" and is not suited for us, Swamy added. Speaking on Palestine, which received a boost with the sweeping UN vote, the MP said, "Palestine Authority is not a country. It is a temporary block made by UN."

India has made a huge mistake by not voting with US and Israel on US decision to choose West Jerusalem as location for its Embassy. At present UN holds holy city of Jews as partitioned. West Jerusalem is Israel's. Hence Embassy can be there- Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) December 22, 2017

"[By voting against the US decision] we have supported Palestine, who speaks against us when it comes to Kashmir," said Swamy, "Israel is our friend and helps continuously in the fight against terrorism."

Swamy also noted that New Delhi requires Washington's support and backing to counter Beijing, which is fast spreading its influence and power in the south Asian subcontinent.

Earlier, 128 UN counties, including India, voted in favour of a UN resolution that opposed President Trump's decision to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem. Only nine countries, including both the US and Israel, opposed the resolution while 35 other nations abstained.

The UN vote came despite serious threats from the United States that it would "remember this day" when Washington was "singled out in this assembly" for the act of exercising its "right as a sovereign nation." The resolution passed by the UN vote is non-binding.

WATCH | US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley says vote will change how Americans will look at UN

RT @USUN: A??America will put our embassy in #Jerusalem...No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the @UN, and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN.A?A pic.twitter.com/UBLFXVyouY- Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 21, 2017

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Army Capt. Benjamin Stork, a flight surgeon, cares for a patient on an HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter headed to the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship off the coast of Puerto Rico, Oct. 20, 2017, following Hurricane Maria. Capt. Tyson Friar | U.S. Army

When major disaster relief orders come down from the White House, the Department of Defense plays a key role because of its vast response capabilities, say experts. But the reliance on military resources often is more expensive in disasters than using civilian contractors. And, the use of the federal military also can put a strain on the Pentagon's other plans, as was the case after the Trump administration put more resources toward Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. "When the president wants things done, people point to the DoD," said Todd Rosenblum, a former senior official at the Pentagon and now a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Brent Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. "The military is in many ways the operational backbone of the federal assistance." The more than $200 billion in devastation from hurricanes and California wildfires this year was a clear message that domestic disasters can take a heavy economic toll and require a combination of civil-military expertise. Rosenblum said the federal military "has all the capacity and can go faster than anyone." He was quick to add that National Guard units around the country also are capable of handling emergency relief in disasters, though for large-scale events states often turn to the Pentagon for help. Overall, some 67,000 DoD and National Guard personnel responded to help civil authorities during the three hurricanes that made landfall this year, according to Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

Strain on military

Hurricane response

Tens of thousands of National Guardsmen, reservists and active-duty federal military personnel responded to the storms, providing search and rescue recovery assistance in the affected areas. Also, the military helped clear thousands of miles of roads, opened damaged ports and delivered emergency supplies and equipment. Army Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Hamilton, commander of the Texas National Guard's Domestic Operations Task Force, recalls that the day before Harvey hit, weather forecasters were still saying it would just be a tropical storm at most. He said the forecast was upgraded to a strong Category 4 so the number of military personnel assigned went up sharply. Record amounts of rain and flooding in Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city, eventually resulted in some 18,000 troops supporting the rescue and relief efforts. "We had helicopters and trucks and Marine Corps amphibious vehicles from all components  active duty, National Guard, Reserves of each of the branches  on the ground working in unison to support the local responders and the local communities," said Hamilton, who served as the dual status commander overseeing active and Guard military personnel supporting Harvey relief efforts in Texas. In Puerto Rico, Maria made landfall on the island Sept. 20, and the military's extended-response role continues to this day, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helping with infrastructure repairs, including restoring power to the U.S. territory. Puerto Rico had no major airfields available immediately after the storm struck, so that meant the military couldn't use all of its large cargo planes right away to bring in hurricane-relief supplies. Once the airfields in Puerto Rico reopened, though, large amounts of food, water and other vital supplies starting flowing to the island. Another major role initially for the military was search-and-rescue operations on the island of about 3.4 million Americans, as well as clearing the seaports and opening roads scattered with debris. Hospitals also were a problem after the storm struck since many lacked power or were damaged and struggled to provide care to residents. As a result, the Navy's Comfort hospital ship arrived in early October and ended up treating nearly 2,000 patients and providing surgeries, food and water.

Political fighting

Yet the post-Maria relief efforts haven't been without controversy, and some charge the Trump administration was slow in its response to the crisis. Also, some say local officials didn't help by getting into political fights with Washington. "One of the things that happened during Katrina also happened in Puerto Rico, and [that] was sniping by officials," said Rosenblum. After Maria struck, the mayor of Puerto Rico's capital city held a press conference and accused the Trump administration of mishandling Puerto Rico relief efforts. "We are dying here," said Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan. "I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles long." In response, President Donald Trump tweeted back, "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help." At the time, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to Puerto Rico criticism by saying: "The federal response has been anything but slow." Puerto Rico's electrical power grid suffered extensive damage in the Category 5 hurricane and remains one of the pressing needs even today. About one-third of Puerto Rico still lacks electrical service three months after Maria hit.

Military's wildfire role

A California Air National Guard C-130J Hercules drops fire retardant over the hills above Santa Barbara, Calif., Dec. 13, 2017, while helping fight the Thomas Fire. Staff Sgt. Nieko Carzis | California Air National Guard
European markets posted declines during Friday's trade, as investors digested the latest in political and economic news, before finishing off for the Christmas break.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 closed down 0.15 percent in a shortened session. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 were trading lower as the U.K. market closed. Spain's IBEX 35 meanwhile fell as much as 1.5 percent at the open, before paring some losses . Trading was light across the continent in the last session ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Shares pulled back following news coming out of Spain. The region's stocks fell Friday, after Catalonia's separatists appeared set to regain power in the region, following local elections that took place Thursday. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said that the absolute majority win by the separatists was a victory of the "Catalan republic" over the Spanish state, Reuters reported.

Following the independence vote earlier this year, the news is set to continue to shake up the nation's political crisis between Catalonia and Madrid. The euro slipped against a number of currencies during trade, including the U.S. dollar and British pound.

Markets have been digesting news surrounding U.S. tax reform, after Congress announced that it had approved an overhaul of the U.S. tax code which looks to cut corporate tax rates. Following the vote, a number of U.S. firms pledged to spend the savings on higher wages and new construction, lifting sentiment on Wall Street and in Asia.

Elsewhere, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to advance a short-term spending bill in order to fund the government through until mid-January.
You can't find Derek Kennedy, an emergency-room physician intern in Detroit, on Facebook. Nor will you find Mariah Prussia, a professional fighter and fitness center owner in North Dakota. At least not under their own real names. Last summer, their accounts were hijacked and the passwords were changed, locking them out. Both could only watch as someone else posted videos and text on web pages they created and whose web addresses carried their names for months. "I exhausted all the avenues," Kennedy, 30, told CNBC in a phone interview. "I want answers and I want my account back." Says Prussia, "Individuals should understand Facebook does not have a support number or very good follow-through when it comes to hacking." CNBC shared the web address of Kennedy's account with Eric Feinberg of the Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Center, which tracks and analyzes terrorism, hate speech and other illegal activity on social media worldwide. Feinberg says he's not surprised by the hacks and pointed CNBC to YouTube videos with step-by-step instructions, in both English and Arabic, on how to hack into Facebook accounts. "This is a cottage industry in the Middle East," Feinberg says. As for the hackers' motives, "It's possible they (the hackers) can't have their own accounts under authoritarian regimes," he speculates. A YouTube spokesperson said any videos that include such content would violate their terms of service, yet a search for them on Thursday turned up thousands of results.

Syria and Turkey by way of Duke and Yale

Kennedy says he realized he had a problem late on the night of July 13, 2017, when Facebook sent him an email alerting him that his password had been changed. Within minutes, he says, he started receiving a slew of emails alerting him to friend requests from other Facebook users -- none of whom he knew and all of whom had Arabic names and lived in the Middle East. Alarmed, he tried to log into his account but found the password already changed. Then Kennedy tried to get in using his security questions. But those had already been changed to ones he described to CNBC as "Muslim-related," which included an Islamic symbol and Arabic text. "I'm a 34-year-old black man from Syracuse (New York). I don't have any ties that would have brought this on," he says. Kennedy reported the hack to Facebook promptly via this page, he says, and shared with CNBC screen shots that support the claim. In response, Facebook received what he described as a generic message, offering no instructions on how Kennedy could regain control of his account. "Thanks for your report -- you did the right thing by letting us know about this," the message begins. "We've looked over the profile you reported, and although it doesn't go against any of our specific Community Standards, we understand that the profile or something the person shared may still be offensive to you. We want to help you avoid things that you don't want to see on Facebook." The letter also says that Kennedy could "block...unfriend or unfollow" the person who stole his account. "We know that these options may not apply to every situation, so please let us know if you see anything else that you think we should take a look at," the message concluded. Kennedy then sent screen shots of his hacked account, and later had friends report the hack via this Facebook page. But the account stayed up. "There's no email and no phone number (that was answered)" Kennedy told CNBC by phone. On Wednesday, CNBC checked the hacked page and found that even though the web address still had Kennedy's name on it, the page shows a user calling himself Hussein Saraj Ali. According to the profile, Ali is from "Alleppe, Harab, Syria" and lives in "Melikgazi, Kayseri, Turkey." Ali has more than 200 Facebook friends, all of whom have names that are Arabic or Turkish.

The imposter has never made contact with Kennedy, who said that he received a notice last year that his social security number and other personal data was stolen in the major hack of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management that was exposed in 2015. "I guess someone needed a Facebook account and my password was floating around out there," he says. After CNBC alerted Facebook to the account and asked for comment, a company spokesperson pointed us to several help pages, including ones here and here, that offer tips on how to keep an account secure. The most important thing a person can do when hacked, Facebook says, is to visit facebook.com/hacked immediately. "This information can help keep them in control of their accounts," a spokeperson wrote. "For Kennedy, Prussia, and others, we continue to encourage them to follow the instructions at facebook.com/hacked." Facebook does offer one main safeguard against these kinds of hacks. If a user says their account was hacked, Facebook sends an email to the address originally associated with the account. The user can then click a link in that email to re-associate the account with their real email (instead of the impostor's). In this case, Kennedy says, the hackers overtook his Yahoo email account along with his Facebook account, so that email was no help.

Another victim, another months-long ordeal

The same misfortune befell Mariah Prussia of Fargo, North Dakota, whose personal Facebook account was hacked literally before her eyes. (There's another Mariah Prussia from Virginia, whose personal Facebook page was not hacked and can be found by search.) Prussia, 40, owns a fitness center and teaches as an adjunct professor at Minnesota State University Moorhead, and has also fought in eight professional mixed-martial arts bouts.

Before she was hacked, she had multiple Facebook pages: One personal, another for her business, MPX Fitness, and another page to promote her MMA fight career. On June 6, Prussia was messaging a client via her business page when one of her marketing employees tried to update her MMA fan page and noticed something strange. "She asked me if I had locked her out of the account by mistake," Prussia told CNBC in a phone interview. When Prussia went to look at the administrator page, she found that she had also been locked out. When she then tried to reload the page, she saw the text on it had changed to Arabic and the page was identified as belonging to a user named Nizar Sulaiman al-Sawair. "They were fast. It was crazy how they deleted my (administrative access on one account) within seconds of hacking the other account." An email that Facebook sent to Prussia the same day alerted her that someone had reset her password from an IP address located in or near the town of Giza, in Egypt:

Prussia says she clicked the "secure your account" link and got a code, but was unable to use it in time to restore access. Her MMA marketing page was saved by a quick-thinking IT worker who, still with administrative access, deleted the name of the hacker, also in Arabic, from the list of page administrators before the impostor could do the same (to the worker). Still, Prussia was locked out of her personal and business pages for months. Although Facebook finally took the hacked pages down, she says, she had to create a new business page with a different name, MPX Fitness Fargo. That hurt her marketing efforts because she lost contact with the followers of her original business account. "This is my livelihood," she says. Like Kennedy, she was never able to regain access to her personal account even though she and several friends alerted Facebook to the problem. "I emailed and reported my account on numerous occasions, as well as had other individuals report the issue," Prussia told CNBC in a Facebook message this week.
In this CNBC original documentary, The Profit's Marcus Lemonis takes viewers on a fascinating and sometimes disturbing journey through Puerto Rico as it struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria. All New The Profit Tuesdays 10P ET/PT

Get a sneak peek above.

The Profit All New Tuesdays 10P ET/PT

About "The Profit"

When Marcus Lemonis isn't running his multi-billion dollar company, Camping World, he goes on the hunt for struggling businesses that are desperate for cash and ripe for a deal. In each one-hour episode of The Profit, Lemonis makes an offer that's impossible to refuse; his cash for a piece of the business and a percentage of the profits. And once inside these companies, he'll do almost anything to save the business and make himself a profit; even if it means firing the president, promoting the secretary or doing the work himself.
Google recently revealed its plans for a massive new development project in Sunnyvale, California, a few miles away from its main headquarters in Mountain View. The company's proposal, which it filed late Wednesday night, describes two green-space laden buildings, totaling ~1.04 million square feet, that could house up to 4,500 Googlers. The project also includes 2,085 parking spots. Google's renderings of the proposed campus include sloping outdoor paths that would allow employees to move between each of the building's five floors:

Development would take place in Moffett Park and mark the latest in Google's lofty efforts to make Sunnyvale a greater hub for its business. In 2017, has snapped up about 50 properties valued at more than $1 billion, according to The Mercury News.

Google is calling the project "Caribbean," because one of the building is located on Caribbean Drive, and it's part of the search giant's broader vision for Sunnyvale, which includes employee housing. "Housing and transportation are two huge issues for the Valley overall, and they are huge issues for Google," Google's global real estate chief Mark Golan told The Mercury News. "One of the best ways to address this is by creating mixed-use communities that allow people to live close to where they work, which allows for a vibrant community and also helps the transportation." Google doesn't expect the Caribbean complex to open until 2021 at the earliest. Andrew Miner, one of Sunnyvale's principal planners, tells CNBC that the Planning Department had not yet had a chance to review the application.
"I don't want to say absolutely not, but most chains at their heart are at least financially conservative, if nothing else," said David Henkes, principal at Technomic. "They don't want to jump into an issue where they can risk facing consumer backlash."

Jack in the Box has teased the concept before in its advertising, so the move is not entirely shocking. However, a major restaurant chain attaching its brand to marijuana suggests the once-taboo topic is becoming mainstream enough to adopt. But don't expect to see the Golden Arches go green anytime soon.

Jack in the Box already offers Munchie Meals on its late-night menu. Teaming up with a marijuana-centric website makes a subtle hint more overt. However, the promotion is relatively small: It will only be available in three Long Beach restaurants for one week.

The fast-food chain is teaming up with Merry Jane, a weed-focused online publication, to launch the Merry Munchie Meal in celebration of recreational pot becoming legal in California come the new year. The bundle includes a curated selection of what the restaurant says are its "most craveable and snackable" products.

Eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized small amounts of marijuana for adult recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Support for marijuana hit its highest level in nearly five decades this year, with 64 percent of Americans saying it should be made legal, according to a Gallup poll.

Despite growing acceptance, big brands have largely shied away from the subject. Most chains are probably already considering ideas, said food-service trend expert Darren Tristano. Marijuana-infused marketing could attract coveted millennials, he said, but concerns over stoned driving could stall any action just yet.

At their core, chains aim to appeal to as many people as possible, meaning they're not likely to adopt any trends until they're truly mainstream. So even as more states legalize pot and more people grow comfortable with the idea, it could be a while before big names align their brands with marijuana, let alone start using it in their products.

"I think restaurants are going to learn their way into it," said Ken Harris, managing partner at Cadent Consulting Group. "Nobody wants to bet everything into this particular product association, but if there is a commercial value to be gained, I think companies will try and learn the best way to approach."

Constellation Brands , which sells Corona beer in the U.S., shocked the food and beverage world when it announced in October that it would take a stake in Canopy Growth Corporation , the world's largest publicly traded cannabis company. The two plan to develop, market and sell cannabis-infused beverages.

Brewers may have more at stake to lose. Studies have suggested that . Food may have more to gain, since marijuana tends to be correlated with eating more.

Still, a major restaurant like Jack in the Box experimenting with marijuana shows how acceptance is becoming fairly mainstream quickly, Henkes said. It also suggests that other names are going to have to consider how they plan to address it, if at all.



"These are issues the restaurant industry, I think, are really going to struggle with over the next couple of years and are going to need to figure out which way they're going to go with this," he said. "It's still early, and it'll be interesting to watch because this is something the top 100 chains could take probably 100 different approaches to."
Unexpectedly strong enrollment on the federal health insurance exchange means the total number of Obamacare sign-ups this season could come close to or even match the prior season's tally, despite serious headwinds.

And that will make it even harder than it already has been for the Trump administration to undo Obamacare, advocates for that health-care law say.

On Thursday, Trump health officials said at least 8.8 million people so far had signed up on the federal insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov, by last Friday's open-enrollment deadline, for coverage in 2018.

That was only about 400,000 fewer than had enrolled in individual plans on that exchange at the close of the previous sign-up season for 2017 coverage. And more than 4 million people signed up during the final week of enrollment on HealthCare.gov, which was a record.

"I think, overall, people were surprised at just how good the numbers were," said Lori Lodes, a former health official in the Obama administration. "It's just another proof point that people don't want their health care taken away."

Lodes and other Obamacare experts had previously expected that final enrollment on HealthCare.gov, which serves 39 states, would be markedly lower this season than it turned out to be for several reasons.

Among them was the fact that the enrollment window for HealthCare.gov this year ran only from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15  half the amount of time that customers were given last year. Polls showed that many people were unaware of the earlier deadline.

Another factor that was expected to depress enrollment was sharp cutbacks by the Trump administration in advertising and outreach efforts designed to spur people to sign up for Obamacare plans. The administration also has consistently criticized the law and sought its repeal, leading some people to think it no longer remained in place.

"I was shocked" by HealthCare.gov's tally, said Larry Levitt, an Obamacare analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Levitt noted that because of the earlier deadline and outreach cutbacks, he had previously expected national enrollment to be 1 million or 2 million fewer than the 12.2 million who enrolled by the close of open enrollment last season.

National enrollment includes the tallies of both HealthCare.gov and the 12 other Obamacare exchanges run by individual states and the District of Columbia.

But because of HealthCare.gov's stronger-than-expected showing, "It is possible enrollment could match or even exceed last year" nationally, said Levitt.

"I find that amazing," Levitt tweeted Friday.

Levitt's revised outlook stems from the fact that enrollment on HealthCare.gov will actually be higher than what was reported on Thursday, and that sign-ups on a number of state-run exchanges that have yet to close enrollment are running higher than last year.

Thursday's reported tally for HealthCare.gov did not include people who signed up during the three hours after midnight Dec. 15. Open enrollment on the exchange officially closed at 3 a.m. ET last Saturday.

Nor did the tally include people who were in line on the federal sign-up site at the time the deadline passed, but who had left their contact information so their enrollments could be completed at a later date.

Lodes, the former Obama administration official, said she expects another 50,000 or more enrollments could come from those two groups of people.

Another 50,000 or more could come from people in HealthCare.gov states who are being allowed to enroll through Dec. 31 because they lived in areas affected by hurricanes or unusually high winds this year, Lodes said. The entire state of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maine and South Carolina, and parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas are covered by that special enrollment waiver.

With those people factored in, Lodes said enrollment on HealthCare.gov could reach 9 million or so.

Yet to be added to HealthCare.gov's tally is the final enrollment totals from state-based markets, all but two of which had later deadlines than the federal marketplace this year.

Earlier this week, the nation's biggest state-run market, California, which has a Jan. 31 deadline, said that more than 220,000 new customers had enrolled, about 10 percent more than last year during the same time period.

And about 1.2 million existing Covered California customers have had their coverage renewed for 2018.

Washington state's exchange, which has a Jan. 15 deadline, said it has already booked 230,000 plan selections  a 35 percent increase over the same time last year.

"The updated total also eclipses the record 225,000 sign-ups documented at the close of the previous enrollment period," the exchange said in a prepared statement.

And selections by new customers of the Washington exchange are up 89 percent over 2016.

Minnesota's exchange said enrollments are running 12.5 percent higher, with more than 108,500 plan selections. The sign-up deadline in Minnesota is Jan. 14.

Colorado's exchange, whose deadline is a day after, said that 149,000 people so far have enrolled, a 7 percent increase over the same time last year.

Charles Gaba, who runs the Obamacare tracking site ACASignups.net, said, "I've confirmed 2.8 million [enrollments] on the state exchanges" so far this season, "and it was 3 million last year."

"I expect them to do that or come extremely close" this year, Gaba said of the state markets.

That would mean national enrollment would be at least 11.8 million, and possibly even closer to last season's tally of 12.2 million, once HealthCare.gov's extra sign-ups are factored in.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to come extremely close or possibly break even," Gaba said.

Gaba earlier this year had said national Obamacare enrollment could end up being as low as 10 million because of the shorter deadline and antagonism toward the program by the Trump administration. But Gaba also had said enrollment could be as high as 14 million because "it was a crapshoot this year."

Oddly, a Trump administration action to undercut Obamacare might have actually boosted enrollment higher than it otherwise would have been this year.

President Donald Trump for months after taking office had threatened to stop reimbursing Obamacare insurers for discounts those insurers by law must give most customers in their out-of-pocket health costs.

Trump followed through on that threat in October  but at that point many insurers had already factored in the loss of the payments by raising premiums higher than they originally planned.

The higher prices likely dissuaded some customers from signing up, particularly those customers who do not qualify for federal subsidies that reduce how much they personally pay in premiums.

But the price hikes also meant that subsidized customers  who have low and moderate incomes  saw their subsidies increase in value.

As a result, more Obamacare customers than ever were able to find plans that personally cost them $0 per month after their subsidies were factored in.

Levitt said the relatively strong enrollment seen this year means "we can put aside concerns" that Obamacare insurers would see their so-called risk pools deteriorate, and have to raise prices in response next year. A risk pool is the mix of customers, and weak risk pools have too many sick customers and not enough healthy ones.

Without sharply higher prices forecast for 2019, and with steady enrollment, Levitt said the Trump administration will find it more difficult to repeal and replace large parts of Obamacare than it already experienced this year.

"It's easier to attack and repeal a program that's on the decline, so strong enrollment numbers make the law much harder to roll back," Levitt said.

On Friday, Trump signed a tax bill that starting in 2019 will suspend enforcement of Obamacare's individual mandate, which requires most Americans to have some form of health coverage or pay a tax penalty.

The Congressional Budget Office has projected that 13 million more Americans could be uninsured by 2027 as a result of that move.

Levitt said he believes that projection is too high. He said there is good reason to believe that many people are signing up for health insurance not because they are forced to, but because they want to and can now afford to.

He said that the availability of premium subsidies for most Obamacare customers  about 85 percent of exchange customers get such aid  has proven to be a big driver of enrollment.
Beijing is financing and executing massive infrastructure projects across the 68 nations participating in the ambitious scheme, which snakes along Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

China's continents-spanning Belt and Road network threatens to "shackle" partner countries and deprive them of valuable natural assets, according to one critic.

These recipient countries, many of them emerging economies in dire need of investment, obtain funding in various forms such as sovereign loans from Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration and credit from Chinese state-owned banks.

But concerns of developing countries taking on unrealistic financial obligations have sparked allegations of what's being called 'dept-trap diplomacy.' Earlier this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration released a statement warning of unsustainable debt burdens being created by Belt and Road.

"Just as European imperial powers employed gunboat diplomacy, China is using sovereign debt to bend other states to its will," according to Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, who described Beijing's policies as "creditor imperialism."

In a stinging editorial published on Project Syndicate, Chellaney  a former adviser to India's National Security Council  pointed to Sri Lanka as an example. The South Asian state, unable to pay back onerous bills to China, recently handed over its Hambantota port to state owned China Merchants Port Holdings in a $1.1 billion deal that was widely viewed as an erosion of sovereignty.

"As Hambantota shows, China is now establishing its own Hong Kong-style neocolonial arrangements," Chellaney said. "Like the opium the British exported to China, the easy loans China offers are addictive. And, because China chooses its projects according to their long-term strategic value, they may yield short-term returns that are insufficient for countries to repay their debts," he explained.
Federal prosecutors are seeking information about Trump senior advisor Jared Kushner's real estate business, The New York Times reported Friday, citing four sources.



Prosecutors in the United States attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York subpoenaed Deutsche Bank in recent weeks for records related to Kushner Companies, the Times said.

There is no indication that the request is related to special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in he 2016 campaign and purported ties with the Trump campaign.

The Times has previously reported that federal prosecutors are investigating Kushner Companies over its use of a visa program that grants travel documents to wealthy foreign investors. Kushner Companies has said it did nothing improper. The Times also said that Deutsche Bank apparently was not involved in Kushner projects that were financed through the visa program.

"We are unaware of any inquiry directed at Deutsche Bank from the EDNY and have no reason to believe there is one," Christine Taylor, a spokeswoman for Kushner Companies, told CNBC.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office told CNBC he couldn't "confirm or deny the existence of any investigation."



Kushner, whose father-in-law is President Donald Trump, retains a multimillion dollar line of credit from the bank. Deutsche Bank is also a primary lender to Trump and his businesses. News organizations reported earlier this month that special counsel Robert Mueller was seeking records from the bank related to the president, although the president's attorney Jay Sekulow denied those reports.

Kushner gave up some of his ownership in Kushner Companies, but still retains a stake.



Deutsche Bank and an attorney for Kushner did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC. Deutsche Bank told the Times that it would comply with authorized investigations.



Read the full report at The New York Times.




Karnataka High Court question the Bengaluru city police as to why they were discriminating against Sunny Leone, while letting other New Year shows go on.

By Nolan Pinto: On December 18, petitioners moved the Karnataka High Court with claims that authorities were falsely citing security reasons to avoid giving them permission to hold the much-awaited event featuring Sunny Leone.

In response, Karnataka High Court has asked the Bengaluru city police why they were discriminating against Sunny Leone.

Justice B Veerappa asked the police to file an affidavit regarding the number of clubs granted permission to hold New Year events.

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The HC has also directed them to take a call on whether Leone can perform at a private New Year's Eve bash in the city.

"There was an oral rejection by the police department that we are not going to give the permission, and this they did almost 18 days after the application was submitted," said Shyam Sundar, advocate for the petitioners.

"Jurisdictional DCP Girish, who was present in the court, made a statement that in the entire city of Bengaluru, the police has never permitted any public show, and this is something that is impossible to accept," said Sundar.

The Times Creations proprietor Bhavya HS told India Today that the event was being organized at a whopping cost of Rs. 2.5 crore. Further, the application to secure permission was submitted way back on December 1 to the Jurisdictional police, who assured a favorable response in 4-5 days time.

The matter came to a boil when Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene activists protested against Leone's event, terming it "anti-culture". They also promised to commit mass suicide if she was allowed to come to Bengaluru.

Times Creation Managing Director Harish, who issued the petition, pointed out that some 50 other events have been granted permission. Only the letter seeking permission for their event where Leone was to perform had not been considered by the police.

The police will have to get back with this information before the next hearing on December 25.

--- ENDS ---
Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Friday it will pay a one-time $1,000 bonus to nearly 9,000 of its employees as a result of the recent tax reform bill's passage in Washington.

The special bonus will go to both full and part-time employees and excludes senior level executives.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

--Reuters contributed to this report.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.  At this sprawling steel mill on the outskirts of Philadelphia, the workers have one number in mind. Not how many tons of steel roll off the line, or how many hours they work, but where they fall on the plant's seniority list.

In September, ArcelorMittal , which owns the mill, announced that it would lay off 150 of the plant's 207 workers next year. While the cuts will start with the most junior employees, they will go so deep that even workers with decades of experience will be cast out.

"I told my son, 'Christmas is going to be kind of scarce, because mommy's going to lose her job soon,'" said Kimberly Allen, a steelworker and single parent who has worked at the plant for more than 22 years. On the seniority list, she's 72nd.

More from The New York Times:

In Tax Overhaul, Trump Tries to Defy the Economic Odds

What the Tax Bill Fails to Address: Technology's Tsunami

'Small-Business Tax Cut' Would Also Be a Cut for the Wealthy

The layoffs have stunned these steelworkers who, just a year ago, greeted President Trump's election as a new dawn for their industry. Mr. Trump pledged to build roads and bridges, strengthen "Buy America" provisions, protect factories from unfair imports and revive industry, especially steel.

But after a year in office, Mr. Trump has not enacted these policies. And when it comes to steel, his failure to follow through on a promise has actually done more harm than good.

Foreign steel makers have rushed to get their product into the United States before tariffs start. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, which tracks shipments, steel imports were 19.4 percent higher in the first 10 months of 2017 than in the same period last year.

That surge of imports has hurt American steel makers, which were already struggling against a glut of cheap Chinese steel. When ArcelorMittal announced the layoffs in Conshohocken, it blamed those imports, as well as low demand for steel for bridges and military equipment.

James Rockas, a spokesman for the Commerce Department, said the administration was "aware of the plight of American steel workers and will continue working to halt unfair trade practices that harm our economy and kill American jobs."

In 2008, before the financial crisis struck, the plant ran around the clock. Now, the mill coughs to life just five days a week, for eight hours at a time. The machines shovel 10-ton steel slabs into a furnace, where they are heated to 2,000 degrees, then funnel them through giant rollers and cooling jets of water, like a massive, fiery carwash.

The plant's specialty is ultrastrong, military-grade steel  something that Eric Smith, a former Army paratrooper who has worked at the plant for over 30 years, prides himself on. Mr. Smith ranks 16th on the plant's seniority list, and he expects to survive the coming round of layoffs.

He grew up just down the street. The weathered houses of his old neighborhood on that dim day were fringed with icicle lights, evergreen bows and flags paying homage to Santa and the Philadelphia Eagles.

As a boy, he would long to work at the factory as he passed it. These days, he said, he gets a sinking feeling as he goes through the turnstile and enters the plant.

"You just got to keep on pushing forward. It is sad that Christmas time is coming around," he said. "You don't want to splurge for your kids like you want to, because the plant may be closing."

While he didn't support Mr. Trump, Mr. Smith said he hoped that the president would follow through on his plans. "It's still kind of early," he said.

Reforming trade was one of the president's signature campaign promises, and in his first months in office, Mr. Trump issued dozens of executive actions. One pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country trade pact. Others ordered investigations into imports or renegotiations of trade pacts.

Uncertainty about how these measures will reshape trade rules is now weighing on many industries. Companies are waiting to invest, or finding additional suppliers outside the United States, executives in agriculture, automobiles, solar energy and information technology have said.

In April, the president ordered parallel investigations into imports of steel and aluminum under the little-used Section 232 of a 1962 trade law, which permits sweeping restrictions to protect national security.

Earlier this year, tariffs seemed imminent. Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, said in late May that he expected to conclude the steel investigation by the end of June.

And in early June, Mr. Trump told a crowd in Cincinnati, "Wait till you see what I'm going to do for steel and your steel companies," vowing that he would "stop the dumping" of products at superlow prices by other countries.

"We'll be seeing that very soon. The steel folks are going to be very happy," he said.

But the announcement never came.

That appears to be caused partly by internal divisions within the White House. Some officials, like Mr. Ross  a former steel executive who was on ArcelorMittal's board until he was confirmed in February  wanted to push ahead with tariffs. But others, including economic and national security advisers, worried about repercussions, trade advisers say.

The tariffs had plenty of opponents. Automakers, food processors and companies in other industries that use steel and aluminum in their products complained that tariffs would drive up costs and make them less competitive, ultimately sacrificing more American jobs than they would save. Steel exporters, like the European Union, threatened retaliation. Prominent economists highlighted the risk of a trade war.

"I think the White House is immobilized, because they have such a cacophony of voices," said Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio who describes himself as an ally of the president on trade. "This administration doesn't seem to know what it thinks about trade."

The administration will face a series of deadlines on the steel measure next year. The Commerce Department must present the results of its investigation to the president by Jan. 15. The president will then have 90 days to decide what to do.

President Trump and his advisers say they have been focused on the tax legislation, which Congress passed this week. The White House has said that it plans to turn to trade measures, including the steel investigation, once the bill is signed into law.

Still, the delay has threatened to fracture the brittle alliance the president has forged with some labor unions, who liked Mr. Trump's populist approach to trade.

Senator Bob Casey Jr., a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said the administration's commitment to workers would probably be an issue in the 2018 midterm elections. "They've sat on this for far too long," he said.

The United Steelworkers, the union that includes the workers in Conshohocken, has historically aligned with Democrats. But many workers opposed trade agreements forged by Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and viewed Hillary Clinton's stance on trade as insincere.

In a shift in the politics of trade, the union has defended the Trump administration's trade agenda against the criticisms of traditionally Republican business groups, like the Chamber of Commerce.

But Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a trade group that represents steelworkers, said he had "a profound sense of frustration that the president has been using steelworkers as political props."

"The president's own words and lack of action have actually put the industry in a worse position than if he had done nothing at all," he said.

Kameen Thompson, the union president at the Conshohocken plant, said many workers had voted for Mr. Trump because of his support for steel. "You want to vote for what you believe is going to help you keep a job," Mr. Thompson said.

Ms. Allen, whose father worked at the Conshohocken plant before her, was not a Trump supporter. "He told them what they wanted to hear so they would vote for him, and now they're seeing what president he is," she said.

But other workers who supported the president are keeping the faith.

Chuck Hauer, who has worked at the plant for 22 years and ranks around 80 on the seniority list  meaning he is likely to be laid off  said he had voted Republican because he believed that Mr. Trump was "for the people." He said he still believed that the tariffs would happen, though perhaps not soon enough to save him.

"He's just delaying it," Mr. Hauer said of the president. "And I think the delay is hurting us more than he knows."
President Donald Trump celebrates with Congressional Republicans after the U.S. Congress passed sweeping tax overhaul legislation on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, December 20, 2017.

It may be too early to tell if a tax bill that just cleared Congress is "the rage" in Corporate America, as President Donald Trump claimed Friday.

In a tweet, Trump said the Tax Cut and Reform Bill  which will slash the U.S. corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent  "has taken on an unexpected new source of 'love' - that is big companies and corporations showering their workers with bonuses." Trump concluded the tweet saying: "This is a phenomenon that nobody even thought of, and now it is the rage. Merry Christmas!"

Tweet

But CNBC reached out to more than 80 of the largest companies and found that many say their strategy on the tax cuts is still in the works. Of the 89 companies we contacted, 35 responded to CNBC's inquiry. Six of those companies, including brands such as Walmart, Intel and Union Pacific, said it was too early to tell whether they would be raising wages or offering bonuses because of the new tax plan. Sixteen companies, including Amazon, declined to comment.

Below is a table of all the companies CNBC contacted in light of the tax bill clearing Congress. It also includes companies that announced plans to raise wages or give bonuses to employees in light of the tax plan passing. This scorecard will be updated as more companies make announcements on the matter.
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President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a massive $1.5 trillion tax bill, capping off a yearlong effort by the White House and Republicans in Congress to slash tax rates for both corporations and individuals. Trump also signed a short-term spending bill to fund the government, just hours before the midnight Friday deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. Speaking to reporters during an impromptu signing ceremony, Trump called the tax plan, "a bill for the middle class and a bill for jobs." He also touted the positive reaction that the bill's corporate tax cuts have garnered from the business community. "Corp[orations are are literally going wild," he said. The president had initially planned to sign the tax bill in early January, he said, but decided to sign it Friday morning after he listened to cable news shows discussing whether the bill would become law in time for Christmas.

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"I watched the news this morning, and they're all saying, 'will he keep his promise? Will he sign it by Christmas?'" Trump said, "and so I called downstairs, I said 'Get it ready, we have to sign it now.'" The GOP contends that the more than $1.4 trillion in tax cuts contained in the bill will spark business investment, hiring and wage growth. Democrats call the Republican proposal a giveaway to corporations at the expense of the middle class, issuing dire warnings about the $1 trillion or more it is projected to add to federal budget deficits over a decade. Trump, however, said that "Democrats very much regret" not having backed the Republican tax cuts. "They wanted to be a part of it," he said, adding that in the coming year, "I really do believe we're going to have a lot of bipartisan work done." For now, the enactment of the tax bill hands Republicans a much-needed victory going into next years midterm elections.

President Donald Trump displays his signature after signing the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul plan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., December 22, 2017. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
As the hit musical "Hamilton" debuts on a London stage, its creator has said America's first treasury secretary would be "terrified" at how much wealth is currently in the hands of so few people.

The Pulitzer prize-winning musical officially premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre Thursday night and has already garnered stellar reviews.

Alexander Hamilton is considered as one of the founding fathers of the United States. He shaped the U.S. financial system, established a national bank, the United States Coast Guard, as well as The New York Post newspaper.

His story has been used to retell the story of America's birth in the hit musical directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The director said in an interview with CNBC that 200 years on from the times of Hamilton, he would be "terrified of the concentration of wealth" in current society.

Miranda added that his protagonist was the main force who shaped America from a bunch of separate states.

"Hamilton sort of ended that, that was his beef with (Thomas) Jefferson and he won. We live in Hamilton's America and not Jefferson's by any stretch," said Miranda.
Student debt is the second biggest form of debt in the United States and makes up about 10.6 percent of all consumer debt. Currently, 44 million Americans hold a total of over $1.3 trillion in student loan debt. "The student debt in this country is more than all of the auto debt and credit card debt combined," Congressman Rodney Davis tells CNBC Make It. Since student debt affects so many Americans, here is a look back at five of 2017's biggest stories about college affordability and student loans:

1. Memphis became the first city to offer employees student loan reduction benefits In June, Memphis announced the launch of a Student Loan Reduction Program for all full-time city workers, becoming the first major U.S. city to offer this benefit. Memphis city workers will receive monthly contributions of $50 towards principal repayment of their student loans  small change, considering that for the 27 percent of adults who borrowed money to finance their education, the average monthly payment is $533, according to the Federal Reserve. Still, the program aims to help alleviate a growing problem facing a city with a shrinking population. In 2016, student loan debt in Memphis grew nearly 5 percent, compared with 3 percent nationally. "We are proud to be the first municipality in the country to offer this kind of student debt assistance to our workforce. We view this as an important investment in our employees," said Alex Smith, City of Memphis Chief Human Resources Officer. 2. Department of Ed loan collection policy could make it harder for students to pay their loans Under the Obama administration, the Department of Education was incentivized to award Federal Student Aid contracts to debt collection companies with the strongest records of helping borrowers and the lowest rates of loan defaults. One of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' first major moves was to revoke this policy, making it more likely for the government to award Federal Student Aid contracts to companies that sell their services for the lowest price. These low-cost collection companies often offer riskier loans and provide less support to individuals trying to navigate the student loan maze. DeVos characterized this decision as an effort to "limit costs," and borrowers of federal student debt should pay closer attention when working with their debt collection company. Current loan-servicing contracts are set to expire in 2019.
"Even if every Chasidic voter in Borough Park voted for President Trump in 2020, he'd still stand no chance of winning New York state, the city, or even Brooklyn."

That set off a series of protests first from Rubashkin's own Chasidic community and then from a series of Democrat and Republican elected leaders who noted he was getting a more severe punishment than Enron's Jeff Skilling.

It was that bipartisan push for leniency for Rubashkin that the White House used as an explanation for the president's decision.

But clemency is usually not about bipartisanship; it's about rewarding or possibly gaining a valuable base of voters.

On an incredibly micro level, one could argue that President Trump was indeed playing to some of his base supporters with this move. While 71% of the Jewish community voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Trump won the American Orthodox Jewish vote and 68 percent of the vote in the heavily Chasidic and ultra-orthodox Jewish Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park.

But even if every Chasidic voter in Borough Park and Crown Heights voted for President Trump in 2020, he'd still stand no chance of winning New York state, the city, or even Brooklyn. Jews make only about three percent of the total vote in the U.S. anyway.

Another explanation for this decision could be campaign donations. That was the charge when President Bill Clinton pardoned financier Mark Rich in 2000. That move prompted an FBI probe in part because Rich's wife Denise had been making campaign donations to the Democrats.

The Rubashkin family has made donations to the Republicans in the past, but not to President Trump. The family is no longer very wealthy at this time. And while the Chabad Lubavitch network is a nonprofit powerhouse with worldwide reach and visibility, it doesn't make campaign donations or make official endorsements. So this decision to please the tiny Orthodox Jewish community still doesn't really add up based on the usual metrics.

But it starts to make sense in the context of another decision President Trump made recently that cheered that same religious community. That would be President Trump's move to change U.S. policy and officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

A major result of that decision is that it threw much of establishment Washington for a loop. It forced it to reconsider a key cautionary restriction the U.S. has always put into its otherwise warm relationship with Israel. In that way, the Jerusalem decision was about sending a message to the State Department's career bureaucrats just as much as it was a message to foreign countries.

Similarly, Jewish Americans have long enjoyed success and acceptance in the United States, but the Orthodox community has felt slighted by the justice system in some cases. That would include the Rubashkin sentence and the long sentence for the now-released Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.

President Trump now seems to be sending a message about those sentencing and prosecutorial practices to the many Justice Department officials who were involved with this case and also to Judge Reade. No, the Rubashkin commutation didn't gain the kind of headlines the Jerusalem decision did. But career federal prosecutors are not likely to miss this news.

President Obama did something very similar at the end of his term, albeit on a much grander scale. He decided to grant hundreds of commutations and pardons to people convicted of drug-related crimes. That move was meant to send a much larger message about our drug laws and sentencing rules.

The difference in the timing stands out. Most presidents wait until their final days in power or at least their second terms in office to grant clemency in order to avoid any political backlash. Love or hate President Trump's decision to pardon former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and give Rubashkin this commutation, at least he's had the guts to make those moves at a time when it could actually cost him.

The final cost/benefit analysis makes it clear that this was not some kind of Trump reach for an all-too-small Jewish vote. This makes much more sense as the way to send a message to the establishment, or "the swamp." Whether the swamp gets the message and responds accordingly is yet to be seen.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
"As one who witnessed, first hand, the effects of Reagan's tax reform package, I can say unequivocally, that it will lead to higher growth, stronger wages and more tax revenue."

This tax reform package will do more than realign corporate America into a more competitive global landscape. It comes at a time when capital is needed to sustain our place as the technological leader of the world.

Vladimir Putin said in 2016, "Whomever rules AI (Artificial Intelligence) rules the world!" It was a bold statement but one which brings with it an untold truth... It's a quiet war of innovation; one that we must win at all costs.

The capital which has been held hostage overseas along with the lower and broader tax base will help propel the U.S. into the next stage of the technology revolution and solidify our place as the leader in global technologic innovation. Capital goes to where capital is treated best and now that happens to be the U.S., it's really that simple.

As one who witnessed, first hand, the effects of Reagan's tax reform package, I can say unequivocally, that it will lead to higher growth, stronger wages and more tax revenue. Under Reagan, the concern was that we would see a decrease in tax revenues.

From 1983 to 1990, tax revenues doubled, though that was in part because of an increase in the payroll tax. But more importantly, we began to see real investment into ideas and concepts. We began to witness an economy growing organically. We saw serious job creation and we all enjoyed growing wages.

Of course, there are those who might be affected more than others, especially those of us living in high tax states. A byproduct of the bill is forcing states to be more fiscally responsible. But let's understand something. High tax states are inherently mismanaged, and in many ways corrupt.

In Illinois, where I live, half of the governors over the course of my lifetime have gone to prison. That's not to say every high tax state is corrupt but this tax reform package makes each state much more accountable, something which is critical and necessary.

What this means for traders and investors is that the recent rally in stocks might only be the beginning of things to come. The recent parabolic move in equities might be more of a foreshadowing of the actions we might see in 2018.

With real Tax Reform done, the road has been paved for the next leg in this amazing bull. Capital expenditure will grow exponentially because of immediate expensing. Market forecasts will be adjusted upward by analysts looking for another 20 to 25 percent gain in stocks next year.

Those of us who have been asking for serious tax reform for years have been given a great holiday gift. We have been given the opportunity to rid ourselves of self-imposed burdens and obstacles as we find our place at the head of the digital world. Tax reform is much more than lower taxes, much, much more.

Commentary by Jack Bouroudjian, chief economist at the Universal Compute Xchange. Follow him on Twitter @JackBouroudjian.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
Hi.



In my MFC application, i created a class which is derived from CTabView and created few tabs(views) using AddView(). Now i want to change the color of the tab views. May i know how to change the background color of those views?



Thanks in Advance.



i am trying to take multiple names by using getchar() but it only taking the first value and just skipping the rest.

here is the code.



C++ #include < stdio.h > int main() { char name[ 10 ][ 30 ], ch; int i; for (i= 0 ; i < 10 ; i++) { printf( " Enter name:

" ); int j= 0 ; while (ch != '

' ) { ch = getchar(); name[i][j] = ch; j++; } name[i][j] = ' \0' ; } return 0 ; }





while loop ch will contain the newline character, so every other loop will terminate immediately. You must remember to reset variables after you have finished with them. Please get yourself a good study guide on C and learn the language the proper way.



i tried adding values to different addresses of arrays by using pointer but it doesn't work.



C++ < pre > #include < stdio.h > int main() { int i, num[ 10 ]; int *p; p = &num[ 0 ]; for (i= 0 ; i < = 10 ; i++) { (p+i) = i; printf( "

%d" , *(p+i)); } return 0 ; }







C++ *(p+i) = i;

(p+i) is a pointer incremented by i. You have to dereference the pointer to save a value to where it is aiming.





C++ < pre > #include < stdio.h > int main() { int i, num[ 10 ]; int *p; p = &num[ 0 ]; for (i= 0 ; i < = 10 ; i++) { *(p+i) = i; } for (i= 0 ; i < = 10 ; i++) { printf( "

%d" , *(p+i)); } return 0 ; }









I don't like literal values so I made the number a const and adjusted the loops :

const int Count = 10 ; void main() { int i; int num[Count]; int *p; p = &num[0]; for ( i= 0 ; i < Count; i++ ) { *(p+i) = i; } for ( i= 0 ; i < Count; i++ ) { trace( _T( " item %d is %d" ), i, *(p+i) ); } return 0 ; } Your code looks quite a bit like C but this is a section for ATL/WTL/STL is about C++. If you are actually using C then this code won't compile. You can make Count a macro definition and then it will.







C++ < pre > #include < stdio.h > int main() { int i, num[ 10 ]; int *p; p = &num[ 0 ]; for (i= 0 ; i < 10 ; i++) { *(p+i) = i; } for (i= 0 ; i < 10 ; i++) { printf( "

%d" , *(p+i)); } return 0 ; }





modified 26-Dec-17 14:24pm.



The recursion used in the final_array function not working.

C++ #include < stdio.h > int final_array( int arr[], int size, int k, int i); void array ( int arr[], int i, int size); int main() { int num, size[ 100 ]; int i, j, k= 0 ; int arr[ 100 ][ 100 ]; printf( " Enter the number of arrays: \t" ); scanf( " %d" , &num); num = num < 100 ? num: 100 ; for (i = 0 ; i < num; i++) { printf( "

Enter the size of the array: \t" ); scanf( " %d" , &size[i]); printf( "

Enter the array: " ); size[i] = size[i] < 100 ? size[i] : 100 ; array (&arr[i][ 0 ], i, size[i]); } for (i= 0 ; i < num; i++) { final_array(&arr[i][ 0 ], size[i], k, i); printf( "

" ); } printf( "

Press Enter key to exit.

" ); getchar(); return 0 ; } void array ( int arr[], int i, int size) { int j; for (j = 0 ; j < size; j++) { printf( "

Enter arr[%d][%d]: \t" ,i, j); scanf( " %d" , &arr[j]); } } int final_array( int arr[], int size, int k, int i) { if (k < =size) { printf( " %d" , arr[k]); final_array(&arr[i][ 0 ], size[i], k++, i); } else return 0 ; }



modified 16-Dec-17 13:25pm.



"not working" mean?



[edit]

Looking back this seems to be a continuation of your previous questions, but much the same issue. I would strongly suggest you get hold of a good book on C programming and spend a lot of time studying the principles, and getting familiar with structures, arrays, functions etc.

[/edit]



in the below code it prints for arr[0] and not after it. please tell to correct.



C++ < pre > #include < stdio.h > int i, j; int arr[ 100 ][ 100 ]; void array ( int arr[i][j], int size[i+1]) { for (j= 0 ; j < size[i+1]; j++) { scanf( " %d" , &arr[i][j]); printf( " arr[%d][%d]

" , i, j); } } int main() { int num,size[ 100 ]; printf( " Enter the number of arrays: \t" ); scanf( " %d" , &num); size[ 0 ] = 0 ; for (i= 0 ; i < num; i++) { printf( "

Enter the size of the array: \t" ); scanf( " %d" , &size[i+1]); printf( "

Enter the array:

" ); array (arr, size); } for (i= 0 ; i < num; i++) { for (j= 0 ; j < size[i+1]; j++) { printf( "

%d" , arr[i][j]); } } return 0 ; }







C++ void array ( int arr[i][j], int size[i+1]) scanf( " %d" , &arr[i][j]); printf( " arr[%d][%d]

" , i, j);





I want to create a program that will merge n number of arrays.


By PTI: United Nations, Dec 22 (PTI) Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, India in an apparent reference to Pakistan has said the support for terror groups like Taliban, the Haqqani network and LeT must be forced to stop.

Terrorists continue to attack the most vulnerable, including the sick in hospitals, children in schools, devotees in mosques and even mourners at funerals. Terror groups have gained territory, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN, Tanmaya Lal said during an open debate of the Security Council on Afghanistan.

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"The support for terrorist organisations like the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Mohammed from outside Afghanistan, must be forced to stop," Lal said.

"All safe havens and sanctuaries available to such groups outside Afghan borders must end. Security Council has an important responsibility in this regard in our collective interest," Lal said.

The continued resilience shown by the Afghan people and security personnel has been exemplary but hopes of a better future still appear distant, he said.

"Our regular consultations and the work done by the Council have not been enough to more effectively reverse the situation on the ground," he added.

Lal said it has been painfully clear since long that the security situation in Afghanistan has implications not only for the region but the entire world.

"While new threats emerge from the Daesh, the Security Council cannot even decide whether to designate the new leaders of Taliban or to freeze the assets of the slain leader of the group more than a year after the issue was brought to its attention," Lal said.

In his address to the Security Council, Afghan Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud Saikal said Afghanistans patience on indiscriminate shelling from across the border by Pakistan should not be tested.

"Under the pretext of receiving fire from our side, Pakistans violations across the Durand Line, including indiscriminate artillery shelling, has continued unabated throughout 2017, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and destruction of villages," he said.

The proposal of Afghanistan for engagement and operational coordination towards addressing these concerns has not seen any response, he told the UN Security Council.

"At the same time, Afghanistan has the will and the capacity to defend its territory and our patience should not be tested," Saikal said.

Afghanistan believes that confidence building measures can only be successful when violations of this nature come to a complete halt, he said.

"In a similar vein, we are also in communication on the imperative of addressing terrorists regional safe havens and hope to see positive developments on this front soon," he said, adding that Afghanistan looks forward to the upcoming trilateral meeting in Beijing next week between the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China. PTI LKJ AJR UZM NSA UZM

--- ENDS ---

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Tony Devenish is London Assembly Member for Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, and the City of Westminster.

I have recently written about the issues and tactics as we enter the most important few months for Conservatives in London in more than a generation.

Thursday 3rd May 2018  just 18 weeks from New Years Day  the date when 32 London Boroughs go to the polls  is our chance to demonstrate that civic Conservatism works Borough by Borough rather than hard Left Momentum.

CCHQs new London unit is a very welcome development. I go into Christmas with my morale at the highest level this year. Note to media  not everyone is obsessed with Brexit nor Trump.

But there is another huge job we London Conservatives need to start thinking about over Christmas  who is going to fill Boris Johnsons shoes as a credible Conservative alternative Mayoral Candidate to beat Labours Sadiq Khan in May 2020?

We must learn the lessons from the last 17 years of the GLAs existence. The less than ideal, long drawn out way that past candidates have emerged. Neither CCHQ nor the national Party Leadership headhunted credible candidates until far too close to a given Mayor / GLA Election for selection by the London Party members.

Indications that the start gun for the 2020 candidate will be fired straight after Mays 2018s Borough elections shows Greg Hands MP and Paul Scully MP appreciate the lead time needed to build momentum to kick Khans butt.

In the past, early Conservative front runners were often anyone who wanted their 30 seconds of fame.

Sadiq Khan is eminently beatable with the right candidate. Khan is an ex junior Minister lightweight from the fag-end of the Gordon Brown Government. Khan has set a course of direction which will leave our City poorer if we Conservatives fail to remove him from serving a second or even third four year term. The Mayor is building (at most) a few thousand homes a year  not the 65,000 his own draft London Plan promises.

Khans financial mismanagement (due to him being in hoc to the Unions) means he has cancelled tube upgrades which will Back-to-the-Future the 1990s Misery Line overcrowding  hurting business growth. His oversight of the Met Police has meant stations closing and borough command mergers which shame public consultations. It is a car crash waiting to happen  at least we have our Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, to mitigate the latter.

I will leave others to identify candidates  I have asked everyone I meet this question  resulting in much scratching of heads.

In my view the right candidate has to have three qualifications:

1. A Dick Whittington upwardly mobile life story- to inspire Londoners. We need the Reagan /Thatcher theme of sunlit uplands positivity to be conveyed. A Leader of people. Ideally someone who has managed a budget of hundreds (or at least tens) of millions and can motivate people of all backgrounds. David Camerons abortive idea to parachute in ex BBC Greg Dyke as a Tory-Lib Dem Mayoral candidate pre-Boris was in part a good idea  stretch the Conservative brand  but not a Lib Dem BBC Quangocrat

2. An existing media profile with emotional intelligence and a rhinoceros skin. Make no mistake, politics is a dirty pursuit  everyone is a critic. The candidate must be able to talk to the LBC radio audience in tabloid English. Is there anyone in business (post the ex Marks and Spencer Stuart Rose EU disaster) who would risk running for Mayor ?

3. An outstanding work ethic  some past candidates have recoiled from an un-paid CEO level job. Thats public service. Two years of breakfast with business leaders , lunches/dinners with community leaders (Monday -Thursday minimum). You can have Friday night off. A candidate has to be fully up to speed on a huge variety of issues (or expect to suffer accordingly). Minimum 12-14 hour day with half days each Saturday /Sunday (90 hour + weeks during the last six months). 7am ice cold tube drops and 10am/3pm door knocking in the rain.

Merry Christmas to all Con Home readers. Do contact your London Assembly Members as we strive to drill holes (metaphorically) in Sadiq Khan before our next Mayoral Candidate rides to Londoners rescue to defeat Khan and demonstrate that Corbyn has peaked.
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publishing, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.

Wednesday is a day for all Cabinet Ministers to fear. Michael Fallon resigned on a Wednesday. Priti Patel was forced out on a Wednesday. And on Wednesday this week it was Damian Greens turn to be fired.

And lets not beat around the bush, all three of these Cabinet Ministers were indeed fired  fired by a Prime Minister who is supposedly very weak. Well, let me put it to you that firing the Deputy Prime Minister is not the act of a weak Prime Minister: its the act of someone who knows her own mind and knew what she had to do.

On a personal level, I feel desperately sad for Damian and his family. I regard him as a friend, and someone who is fundamentally a decent person. He will have found the whole sorry saga personally humiliating and a total embarrassment.

I dont deny that he had to go, given the fact that he didnt reveal he had indeed known about the police inquiry into the porn found on his computer. Quite why he decided on that course of action, only he can know

But let us not lose sight of the fact that he was effectively brought down by two ex Metropolitan Police officers, who made the whole matter public in the first place, and clearly felt there was a score to settle. These two individuals are the subject of an inquiry, and I hope the book is thrown at them.

Let us remember that Green still denies that he either downloaded or looked at the porn on his computer. So, if it wasnt him, who was it? If it was indeed someone else, what a pity they havent come forward and fessed up.

        

The Prime Minister had a busy day on Wednesday. She did PMQs with Green sitting alongside her. She then did a two hour stint in front the Liaison Select Committee, and displayed the coolness of a cucumber. She knew what was about to happen but gave no sign of it.

She did the dirty deed shortly afterwards, and then told one or two of her senior colleagues. Amazingly, nothing leaked. Just to show what a difficult day a Prime Minister has, she then phoned the King of Saudi Arabia to persuade him to open the Yemeni port of Hodeida to allow food supplies into the country  a call which apparently proved fruitful, as the Saudis announced shortly afterwards they would do as she had asked.

And then the announcement came at around 8.45pm. The exchange of letters made it clear that Green didnt want to go. But if you are a Cabinet minister and dont tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, you dont really leave the Prime Minister with much alternative. I suspect it was an interview without coffee and a rather strained conversation, with the prime minister on broadcast, rather than listening mode.

         

Given that the announcement of Greens departure came at about 8.45pm, youd have thought that both of the 24 hour news channels would have gone into overdrive, and switched on Breaking News mode.

Nope. Not a bit of it. Sky News proceeded to broadcast an hour-long documentary at 9pm on arctic ice (I kid you not), while the BBC went to their normal Outside Resource show (at least, I think thats what it was called).

Have the editors of these channels lost their marbles, or simply forgotten what the phrase breaking news actually means? The biggest political resignation/firing of the year, and neither channel went into rolling news mode. I dont think I was alone in thinking: WTF!

         

Speculation now is now inevitably turning to who will take over the role as Theresas Willie. It was Margaret Thatcher who said that every prime minister needs a Willie, in tribute to her deputy, Willie Whitelaw, who consistently gave her very wise counsel, and made it his business to calm down any potential Cabinet revolts.

May sometimes cuts a rather lonely figure. She doesnt have large numbers of friends or allies in parliament, so its important that she has someone she can turn to in cabinet. Talk of bringing back William Hague into this sort of role is fanciful. Hes already ruled it out and has psychologically moved on.

Jeremy Hunt is being mentioned in dispatches, but some would question whether he is political enough. David Lidington is another possibility, but hes doing a good job at Justice, and ought to be left to get on with the job, to coin a phrase beloved by the Prime Minister.

Personally, I wouldnt replace like for like, as I am not sure its possible. Id put someone middle-ranking into the Cabinet Office but make either David Davis or Amber Rudd First Secretary of State. So given my record of predictions this year, that almost certainly wont happen!

        

This is my final column of another tumultuous year. Surely 2018 has to be quieter, doesnt it? Well, doesnt it?!? A very Happy Christmas to you all, and thanks so much for reading my ramblings over the course of the last year.
Theresa Mays provisional EU deal is deeply obscure. On the money, we are not convinced that anyone outside the negotiation really knows exactly what will be paid when. On the UK-Ireland border, the two parties have effectively agreed to disagree until further notice. On the ECJ, much may depend on what it does if and when cases are referred to it by British judges. All this helps to explain why ConservativeHome didnt rush to declare the agreement a triumph or a disaster.

One conclusion, though, is certain. If one is trying to strike a trade and security deal, compromises will inevitably have to be made. This applies irrespective of whether the negotiation in question is being carried out with, say, America, or with the EU. Since this is so, it follows that in this case neither the UK nor the EU will get everything it wants  a truth that applies as much to the latter as the former. For example, the EUs original position was that the former should not conduct post-Brexit criminality checks on EU citizens systematically, and that EU nationals who commit crimes after we have left should be treated under EU law. It climbed down on both.

Above all, perhaps, the deal passed the sufficient progress hurdle, which means that future trade arrangements with Ireland will be part, as they always should have been, of a wider discussion about those arrangements with the rest of the EU27. It was always a nonsense to put the Irish cart before the EU27 horse, and no longer to do so was a key UK objective, now achieved. But whatever you think of the agreement, three important points about the wider context have become clear this year.

First, there is no appetite at the moment in the Commons for the WTO alternative to a fully-fledged free trade deal  and not a lot among Tory MPs, even those who backed Brexit. It is hard to get to the bottom of why in that last case. Taking the WTO route is not, repeat not, this sites preferred option, since it would provide less easy access to the Single Market than a good trade deal. But it has its upside. If one wants the capacity to achieve tax, social and regulatory divergence from the EU, the WTO option is by far the most straightforward means of gaining it. It sits naturally alongside the vision of Britain as Singapore-in-the-Atlantic that is held by many Tory Brexiteers.

Perhaps the explanation is that most Conservative MPs, like our panel of Party members, think that May was right to sign this months agreement  and believe that real progress is being made. Maybe there is a sense of relief that trade talks are now looming into view. Perhaps the fear of a far-left Labour Government is making them fall into line. Most likely, all are true. This site also detects a certain war-weariness, among Brexit backers, Remain partisans, and voters more widely. There is hunger for agreement.

Second, we have learned, if only this month, that the EU wants a deal. That we could not be sure before says much about how thin British media coverage of the EU is compared to the thickness of the resources that it lavishes on Westminster. Lobby correspondents usually outnumber Brussels staff. If, say, David Davis states a view, it will be probed and prodded for ulterior motive. If Michel Barnier does the same, it is far more likely to taken at face value. The Westminster culture is one in which British politicians are fiercely tested by the media; one cannot say the same of its equivalent in Brussels.

For this reason, it was possible to believe that the Commission, together with the EU27, was set on declaring that sufficient progress had not been made  in order to try to provoke a run on the pound, capital flight, a media panic, and pressure on May. That fear proved groundless. The EU has enough problems on its plate at present (consider the Poland crisis) without wanting another one on its north-western frontier. It has no appetite for Prime Minister Corbyn  or Johnson. And it has a commercial stake in a deal.

If that second point sounds like good news for the UK, the third is a sobering corrective. That the EU wants an agreement doesnt necessarily mean that it will sign up to one that will suit us. And the unswervable truth is that it has controlled the negotiating battlefield right from the start  whoever you think won this months fight. Last Junes election didnt give May the majority she needs to walk away from the talks if she wants, at least as matters stand. Perhaps it was never going to give her the landslide that at one point seemed within reach. But we will never know: the social care pledge, plus obscurity on winter fuel payment reform, put pay to the chance of one.

So it came about that a barrier to progress in the talks was erected  sufficient progress  that should never have there in the first place. The best of six months worth of time has been wasted. The EU now proposes to discuss transition before trade. It reportedly wants to give legal effect to the deal signed last month, which would surely cause another negotiating wrangle. And all the while, the clock is ticking, as Barnier put it.

While it is therefore possible, and even likely, that an outline trade deal will be reached by, say, late next year, it is very unlikely indeed that it will be fully-formed: under this scenario, there will be heads of agreement. Which means that negotiations will carry on past March 29 2019 into the transition period. Which means in turn that it will not be what May calls an implementation period. How could it be when there is not a trade deal to implement?

The main danger to a workable Brexit is not that the Government will shell out non-transition money early to the EU, thus erasing its negotiating leverage. Nor is it that it will fold on the stipulation that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Nor is it that Cabinet debate will come down on the side of shadowing Single Market rules in perpetuity. It is, rather, that once the UK gets into transition, the Government may find it very difficult to get out of it.

Its length has yet to be determined. Barnier says it should end in 2020. May would apparently like it to last a bit longer. That presumably means the spring of 2021. Many of readers will spot the problem.

Namely, that the Government would, in these circumstances, face the choice of either coming out of transition a year before the election, to another chorus from the Remain coalition about falling off a cliff edge, or not doing so  and enraging the Leave coalition, including pro-Brexit Tory MPs.

If there is a lesson in recent years, it is that predictions are futile. But one can prepare for possibilities. That of being stuck in transition is real. So it the chance of not entering it at all  because negotiations turn sour, and attitudes to WTO among Conservative MPs, and in the Commons more widely, become more sympathetic. The conclusion is obvious. May must prepare for all outcomes, including No Deal. Preparations must intensify rather than slacken. Part of them is to give contigency preparation its own quasi-department and seat at the Cabinet table. And for the latters Strategy and Negotiations sub-committee to operate more like a wartime Cabinet.
In Yemen, Saudi Arabia is prosecuting a sustained campaign of bombardment and blockade in the hope of defeating the Houthi rebels, a Shia-led, Iranian-backed insurgency which threatens to take over the whole country.

The Houthis  proud owners of the charming slogan God Is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam  have now escalated to firing missiles into Saudi territory, including some aimed at Riyadh itself.

Regardless of the origins of the conflict (both sides, inevitably, have their own version of events, each a mixture of truth and lies) what started out as a relatively obscure rebellion in the Yemeni mountains has become one of the most hellish scenes of the ongoing proxy war between the Saudis and the Iranian mullahs.

Its no coincidence that, with its rocket-firing tactic, the development of the Houthi insurgency has begun to mimic Hezbollah. The Saudis are not keen to follow Israel in having an Iranian-backed militia state on their doorstep, ready to lob missiles whenever convenient or commanded to.

But the way in which they have chosen to respond, including through the bombing and deliberate starvation of vast numbers of civilians, is visibly monstrous  a war crime, in fact, as Penny Mordaunt suggested earlier this week. The decision on Wednesday to lift the blockade on the port of Hodeidah in order to allow some aid into the country is positive, but comes too late for many Yemenis  and it is unclear how long the window will stay open.

So Britain finds itself supporting a regime that stands accused of committing awful crimes against civilians. We have chosen to do so in part out of simply continuing an existing alliance, in part out of direct economic self-interest, and in part out of a strategic judgement about the wider geopolitical conflict.

The reasoning goes that the Saudis are our bastards, that their money and oil is valuable, and that we wish them to win their wider war against Iran, or at least we do not wish Iran to win its war against them. With the rise of the Crown Prince, Britain has apparently decided that the possible benefits of his continued rule, including internal reform, are worth the price of his belligerence abroad. And yet the cost of that decision in Yemen is large-scale slaughter, which itself brings a much greater bill in lost reputation.

We have been here before. A brutal war raging into its third year. The original dispute between a rag-tag militia and a formal state has become subsumed in the politics and paranoia of a larger geo-political conflict. Great powers use the war as a proxy for their own ideological and military conflict. Amid that high drama, on the ground people are dying. Modern weaponry combines with the usual viciousness of civil war, all backed by a blockade intended to cut off food supplies.

Thousands of combatants have been killed and tens of thousands more wounded. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are dead, by bombs and bullets or by the creep of starvation, and millions of others are at risk. Britain has chosen a side, opting to back its local ally, a major oil-producer, including selling them weapons  though internationally and at home outcry is growing over the impact of such assistance on the civilian population.

Thats Yemen in 2017. But it also describes Biafra at the end of the 1960s.

The Biafrans made an attempt, from 1967-70, to break away from Nigeria and set up their own state. Following Nigerian independence in 1960, religious, ethnic and political divisions and even pogroms drove a wedge between the Southern region that would call itself Biafra and the rest of the country. When the split eventually came, the Nigerian Federal Government responded through a tight blockade, including on food and aid, and a sustained assault. Biafra, which began outgunned and outnumbered, held out for far longer than most expected, and the war raged on.

The militaries of both sides committed atrocities, and most famously the Biafran civilian population starved in the full view of the worlds media. Up to two million Biafrans starved to death  a policy which the Nigerian Federal Government pursued quite openly, with one representative saying: Starvation is a legitimate weapon of war, and we have every intention of using it. Long before the charity appeals of the 1980s, it was the war in Biafra which first brought the image of starving African children, bellies distended, to the newspapers and TV bulletins of the West.

As in Yemen, Britain chose a side. And just as in Yemen, Britain sold weapons to its pre-existing ally: Nigeria. We wanted the continued supply of Nigerian oil, we wanted Nigerian markets for our exports, and most of all we wanted Nigeria and the wider region not to fall into the hands of the Soviets.

Unusually for a Cold War proxy conflict, the USSR was not on the other side this time; it, too, was backing the Nigerian Federal Government. One of the UKs fears was that if London withdrew its support for Nigeria, the Soviets would step into the gap and potentially turn West Africa into a hotbed of communism. Also in the back of Whitehalls mind was the ongoing tussle over Rhodesia  the UK did not want the recognition of breakaway republics to become a trend.

As the photographs and footage of starving people flooded out of the conflict zone, the pressure grew on Harold Wilson. Students protested, and questions were asked in Parliament. Frederick Forsyth, then a war correspondent, not yet an author of bestsellers, quit his job at the BBC in protest at the Corporations decision not to cover what he viewed as a particularly British cock-up, and went to report direct from Biafra (his first book was The Biafra Story, an account of the conflict). The Sun campaigned to save Biafran civilians, while the Foreign Office accused Fleet Street of sensational reporting. In The Spectator, Auberon Waugh wrote that this was the most hideous crime against humanity in which England has ever been involved, and amounted to mass murder committed in our name.

What was the outcome, and are there lessons that might be learned for Britains policy towards Yemen?

In the short-term, the UK just about got what it wanted. The Soviets didnt take over Nigeria. The oil continued to flow. No precedent on breakaway republics was established. The cost, however, was huge  millions of innocents died, and many millions more watched on as the UK bluntly ignored its moral obligations. That was a gross bargain, but one which the Wilson government persisted in pursuing and from which Britain did arguably receive some dividend, albeit meagre.

The case for making such a bloody bargain with the Saudis over Yemen is normally the same as the justification given for complicity in their other atrocities: that we would very much like their business, and that we would very much not like their position to be supplanted by Iran or by someone else worse than the current rulers of either Tehran or Riyadh.

Others make a more resigned case that, having backed Ibn Saud in the 1920s and continued to back his descendants since, we have come so far that we are stuck with the Saudis for good or ill.

This is Macbeths case for persisting even when wrong: I am in blood stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go oer. But while Wilson might plausibly have seen the far bank that he was wading to in Biafra  the defeat of the Biafrans, and the end of the war  there is no realistic sign of any end to Saudis conflict in Yemen or anywhere else.

We have spent almost a century wading through blood in our partnership with the House of Saud, and there still seems little prospect that we will reach dry land any time soon. Our supposed ally promotes extremism, which directly endangers the UK, and aiding Saudis murderous and torturous work in Yemen is directly harmful to our reputation and our interests.

The claim is put forward that only by supporting the Saudis can we gain the influence required to mitigate their behaviour. Look at the opening of the port this week  would that have happened without our entreaties being heard? The answer is: probably, yes. After all, no less a figure than the President of the United States had also called for the blockade to be lifted.

But more importantly, can securing a small glimmer of belated mercy really be worth supporting the Saudis through the previous 1,000 days of bombarding and starving civilians? If the behaviour we have seen from Saudi Arabia in recent years is supposedly the product of moderating efforts by her Western allies, then those efforts have not been very successful.

A student of realpolitik, comparing Biafra and Yemen, has one final argument to draw on. Yes, it was dreadful. Yes, we did much harm in return for little good. Yes, we are doing the same thing all over again in Yemen. But dont exaggerate how much it really matters: 40 years later, who now remembers Biafra or the suffering of the Biafrans? That this is the strongest argument for aiding war crimes is the true illustration of the weakness of their case.
This was the second bail application filed by defence lawyer Sandeep Aneja.

The minor accused was arrested on November 8, 2017 - two months after seven-yearold Pradyuman was killed in the toilet of Ryan International School in Bhondsi.

By Ajay Kumar: A day after the 16-and-a-half-year-old accused in the Pradyuman murder case was declared to be tried as an adult by Gurugram's Juvenile Justice (JJ) Board, his lawyer filed a bail application in the district sessions court on Thursday.

This was the second bail application filed by defence lawyer Sandeep Aneja.

The first was turned down by the JJ Board on scientific, physiological, psychological and behavioural grounds, on December 15. Aneja pointed out that the CBI did not file a charge sheet within a month of the juvenile's arrest.

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"Under the JJ Board Act 10 (5), police or any authority apprehending a juvenile under any criminal charge, should file the chargesheet within one month. In this case, the CBI failed to do so and this was our main point in the bail application," Aneja said.

The minor accused was arrested on November 8, 2017 - two months after seven-yearold Pradyuman was killed in the toilet of Ryan International School in Bhondsi.

Prosecution counsel Sushil Tekriwal said he will oppose the bail plea on the same grounds that he had earlier pointed out during hearing before the JJ Board.

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CORNWALL, Ontario  The holidays are a wonderful time to enjoy some festive merriment under a lavishly decorated Christmas tree. But what happens to the tree once Saint Nick returns to the North Pole and the stockings have been put away for the year?

Whether youve chosen a Scotch Pine, Balsam Fir, or White Spruce, there are several options for January disposal.

For many of us, the most apparent and available choice is to put the tree out to the road to be collected by the city and later turned into mulch or compost. This years collection period will run from Monday, January 9, 2017 to Friday, January 13, 2017.

Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) Fish & Wildlife Biologist, Brendan Jacobs says that there are several other options for those looking to make a greater environmental impact.

Theres a lot that people can do on their own, said Jacobs. Conservation authorities are always there to offer guidance.

Last year, the RRCA invited individuals to donate their trees to be placed along shorelines to reduce erosion. Roughly 100 trees were collected and used for the venture.

It breaks up the wave action and slows down erosion, said Jacobs. It also allows a natural buffer to grow up, providing a habitat for wildlife.

For households with more than one tree, Jacobs suggests stringing trees together with an anchor and placing them on frozen bodies of water. However, Jacobs says that should they choose to go this route, individuals should be mindful of the water depth.

When the ice melts, they will stick to the bottom and provide cover for wildlife, said Jacobs. It makes for a great fishing spot for children once the warmer weather arrives.

Another option is to pile branches in rough piles, which provide warmth and shelter for wildlife.

While RRCA does not currently have any projects which utilize discarded Christmas trees, Jacobs encourages people to reach out to other organizations who could use them.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Steven Coleman was arrested on Dec. 21, 2017 and charged with theft under $5000 and breach recognizance for being outside his residence.

It is alleged the man removed a charity box from a Second Street East store on Dec. 12, 2017 and police were contacted to investigate. It is also alleged on Dec. 15, 2017 the man breached his recognizance by not being in his residence at all times. On Dec. 21, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing.

THEFT UNDER $5000, POSSESSSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, POSSESSION OF A CONCEALED WEAPON, BREACH

Cornwall, ON  Richard Massia, 28 of Cornwall was arrested on December 21st, 2017 and charged with theft under$5000, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of codeine, possession of cocaine and breach of recognizance for having swipe cards with magnetic strips in his possession. It is alleged on December 11th, 2017 the man attended a Ninth Street store selected various items making no attempt to pay for the items as he left the store. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. On December 21st, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody and found to be in possession of a baton, codeine, cocaine and swipe cards with magnetic strips. He was charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing.

WARRANT

Cornwall, ON  Stephane Deguire, 33 of Cornwall was arrested on December 21st, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his recognizance and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On December 21st, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on February 1st, 2018.

There were 50 calls for service in the City of Cornwall in the last 24 hours (8am the previous day to 8am the day of the release). To see whats happening in your neighbourhood visit our Crime Plot Map @ http://www.cornwallpolice.ca/ . CCPS reserves the right not to post all calls for service in order to protect the identity of the victims.
Venus Cruise is marking the 20th year of operation with the 1998-built Pacific Venus. The ship is sporting a slightly updated livery heading into 2018, with signage noting the historic milestone for the one-ship Japanese cruise line.

The Pacific Venus launched from Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries in 1998.

Venus will offer a celebratory cruise to commemorate the anniversary, leaving on January 10 and sailing to Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
Ports of Auckland (POAL) has announced that it has decided to adopt the recommendation of a recent study to plan for shore power, which it said will have an estimated cost of some $18.3 million and the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 31 percent.

Commenting on POALs decision, however, CLIA Australasias managing director Joel Katz stated that a key strategy of the major cruise lines in meeting the IMO requirements is the adoption of exhaust gas cleaning system technology to achieve emission reductions. But, with the advancements in cleaner fuels and emissions abatement systems, he said, the usefulness of shore power will likely decline over time, and it should not be assumed that the next generation of cruise ships will be designed and built as shore power enabled, he said.

Katz added that it was worth noting that the Ports of Auckland said it will carry out further work on shore power, including a detailed cost estimate, a cost-benefit analysis and an investigation of funding options so there is still a lot discussion to be had with industry.

According to the POAL, cruise ships were selected for the study as the cruise industry has been proactive at addressing environmental issues over the past decade and these vessels are more frequently fitted with the on-board infrastructure required. This, combined with high individual electricity demand while at berth (compared to other vessel types), is expected to increase utilization and deliver the highest emission reduction return.

The study looked at the feasibility of a wide range of emission reduction technologies, including: shore power (grid supplied, local generation including renewables, hybrid); fuel switching (methanol, LNG, low sulfur diesel); land/barge based exhaust capture systems; and ship based scrubbers.

Viable solutions were assessed against a range of social and environmental attributes in addition to whole of life cost. This holistic approach was adopted to provide a balanced assessment of the alternatives, with consideration of the stakeholder values.

The report recommended two options: To implement shore power at one cruise berth in the next five years; and/or fuel switching to 0.1% sulfur fuel.

The report or the recommendation did not address the issue, however, that very few of the ships currently sailing year-round or seasonally from Australia are equipped to plug in.

The Carnival Spirit and Legend, for example, are not shore power enabled, according to Carnival Australia.
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It was another dismal month for job creation in Connecticut, one that has an economist with the states largest business organization claiming the state is in crisis mode.

The state lost another 3,500 jobs in November resulting in a year-over-year decline of 700 positions, according to a report released Thursday by the Connecticut Department of Labor. The dreary numbers followed Octobers report of 6,600 jobs lost, which was revised to a loss of 6,200.

We definitely have a jobs crisis in this state, said Pete Gioia, economist with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. Something is seriously wrong.

Connecticut has lost 15,300 jobs since June, following a promising start to 2017 in terms of job creation. The states unemployment rate climbed to 4.6 percent as the number of unemployed residents jumped by 1,400.

Job growth in 2017 has slowed significantly since peaking in the second quarter, Andy Condon, director of the Office of Research, said in a statement. However, Novembers year-over-year decline of 700 jobs does not necessarily mean Connecticut has produced fewer jobs in 2017 than in 2016. On an annual average basis, Connecticut has grown 5,000 jobs over 2016 in the 12 months ending in November.

Gioia refused to see any positives in the numbers.

I was absolutely disappointed and depressed, he said. Im so wanting for this to turn around. When are we going to accept that we have a problem? If other states in New England or the U.S. as a whole were in a malaise, too, that would be one thing, but they arent. So whats wrong here?

Connecticut has now recovered about 70 percent of the jobs lost during the recession, while Massachusetts has recovered more than 320 percent.

Connecticuts labor markets are clearly heading in the wrong direction, Don Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research at DataCore Partners wrote in a newsletter Thursday. The states overall economy has weakened considerably since mid-2017, now lying on the edge of recession.

He added: Job growth will not be sustainable for much longer given present economic and fiscal fundamentals.

Gioia said Connecticut and Massachusetts historically track hand in hand, but the recovery from the recession has been startlingly uneven.

Theyve gone gangbusters and were stuck, he said. One state is doing it right and the other isnt.

Seven of the 10 industry supersectors had job declines, led by leisure and hospitality, which lost 2,000 positions in November. Financial activities grew by 700 jobs.

Four of the six labor market areas in the state saw job declines. The Danbury LMA led the state with an increase of 400 jobs. Waterbury gained 100 positions. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk LMA saw a decline of 900 jobs.

The private sector continues to perform better than the government sector, although both lost jobs in November. The private sector shed 3,300 jobs in November and is up 2,800 for the year. The government sector lost 200 in November and 3,500 for the year.

Average hourly earnings of $31.01 reflect a $0.44 increase from October.

The report is based on a business payroll survey administered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
STAMFORD  A Stamford woman was involved in a serious crash in Bedford, New York, on Monday, police officials said.

Mimi Rand, 55, of Stamford, collided with a bus in her 2008 Jeep around 3:45 p.m. Monday on Route 172 in Bedford.

Lt. Matthew Hawley said video footage of the accident obtained by Bedford police showed Rand crossed the double yellow line before colliding with the bus.

The bus involved attempted to drive to the right to avoid the collision, but was unable, Hawley said Tuesday. There were no fatalities in this accident.

A news release from the Bedford Police Department said responding officers said there was a passenger vehicle that had crashed into a privately owned bus transporting adults with special needs.

Police immediately shut down the roadway to traffic and requested multiple ambulances. The Bedford Police Department Accident Investigation Unit and the Bedford Fire Department also responded to the scene.

A total of 10 ambulances responded and transported patients, the news release said.

Rand was transported to the Westchester County Medical Center with serious injuries, the news release said.

The driver of the bus was transported to Northern Westchester Hospital with minor injuries.

The 11 passengers on the bus were transported to Westchester Medical Center, Northern Westchester Hospital and White Plains Hospital  all with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.

An attendant on the bus was not listed as having been transported via ambulance for any medical treatment.
Weve been hearing that our entire lives. From parents, grandparents, you name it. Older and wiser voices are always encouraging us to hang on to any extra money we might come across, be it from a birthday or holiday card or just a shiny quarter found on the street. Alright, lets be honest  you cant even get much with a quarter anymore.

As a credit union, this is still sound advice you should be offering your members. Not that you should stand next to your ATM wagging your finger every time a member makes a withdrawal. However were in the throws of the holiday season and next up, you know what follows? Tax time. Along with the usual stress of organizing receipts and forms, theres usually one shining light at that time of year: a tax refund!

We all know how tempting it is once we receive that little bonus (of our own hard earned money) from Uncle Sam to rush out and spend it on something fun. Only to come home to a backed up garbage disposal or leak in the ceiling, and feel that buyers remorse sink in for spending that refund so soon.

This is where your credit union can help by offering a good prepaid debit card program to store that refund. By loading all or a portion of their tax refund onto a prepaid card, members can keep that money separate from their other accounts. That way its there when they want to enjoy some of it, while still easily keeping track of it.

There are a number of programs available, so you will want to look for a few specific benefits when choose the right prepaid product for you members:

Quick & Easy to Implement

Low Cost

Easy for members to load and manage

Not connected to members personal information or accounts

Prepaid cards offer many benefits for credit unions and members even beyond tax season. They add an additional layer of security and convenience, especially to those members who might have untraditional jobs or income.

Our members travel a lot and we dont have a regular debit card, a prepaid debit card works for that purpose, says Nektaria Felecos of Las Vegas UP Employees Federal Credit Union. Their credit union chose the CUMONEY Everyday Spend card to serve the roughly 80% of their members working for Union Pacific Railroad. In the past, members had to rely on money orders or checks to access their funds while away from the branch. Now they have the convenience of a Visa card for purchases, free bill payment, and access to cash at ATMs.

Many prepaid card programs also offer a convenient free companion app so members can manage their funds 24/7 from the palm of their hand. Prepaid debit cards are the easy way for members to enjoy their refund responsibly and not spend it all in one place.
A new agreement between Concordia University Wisconsins School of Pharmacy and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee gives students the chance to obtain a bachelors degree and a PharmD degree, and save a year of studies in the process.

On Dec. 18, leadership from Concordia University signed a 3+4 Dual Degree agreement with the downtown Milwaukee school. It articulates that students may complete three years of undergraduate coursework at UW-M and, after admittance into CUWs School of Pharmacy, use coursework from their Doctor of Pharmacy studies to apply toward a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from UW-M as they continue to work toward their Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Concordia.

The beauty of this partnership is that students from UW-M can obtain their bachelors degree while also efficiently pursuing their PharmD degree at Concordia, and they dont have to extend their studies by a year to do it, says Dr. Mike Brown, School of Pharmacy Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. This program leverages strengths of both universities and honors the accomplishments of these students with a degree from each institution.

A strength of Concordias PharmD program is its holistic approach to student success. While some pharmacy schools throughout the nation have moved to an accelerated, three-year model, Concordia remains committed to its four-year structure, which includes summer and winter breaks from classes.

Its about helping our students find that work-life balance, both now and in the future, says Brown. Balance is vital to students overall well-being, and it plays an important role in their development as life-long professionals.

Concordia has partnered with other institutions of higher learning throughout the state to offer even more students the same opportunity as UW-M. In May, Concordia signed an agreement with the Madison-based Edgewood College. Prior to that, Concordia inked its commitment with Alverno College.

Concordia also offers CUW undergraduates the same opportunity to obtain a bachelors degree and PharmD degree in a shorter amount of time than it would otherwise take. Students who take advantage of Concordias own 3+4 program would earn a Bachelor of Science in pharmaceutical sciences after completion of undergraduate coursework, core requirements and general elective requirements, as well as the first year of pharmacy school.

To learn more about Concordias 3+4 programs, or to apply to the CUW School of Pharmacy, visit www.cuw.edu.

 This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.

If this story has inspired you, why not explore how you can help further Concordia's mission through giving.
By India Today Web Desk: The stage is set, the tickets are booked and the theatres have begun rolling the first roll of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif's much-awaited film Tiger Zinda Hai. After incessant promotions and mind-blowing interactions, a dhamaakedaar opening is expected from Ali Abbas Zafar's film, and that seems to be happening with its first show.

After a gap of five years, Tiger (Salman Khan) and Zoya (Katrina Kaif) are back, and this time, they have a deadly mission to complete. With Ali Abbas Zafar on the director's chair, Tiger Zinda Hai is set in Iraq where a terrorist group takes 25 Indian nurses hostage, and only one can save them - Tiger.

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And their fans are more than excited to see Salman and Katrina back on the big screen. With the first show already in progress, Bhai fans have already given a thumbs up to the action thriller.

If some have declared it a "blockbuster", other have called it one of Salman's best performances till date.

#TigerZindaHaiIts Interval. @aliabbaszafar You are genius. Brilliantly shot. Mind blowing direction. @BeingSalmanKhan tiger is back. Best action thriller of bollywood. @DelafroozSajjad i became your fan. You are a rising star.Beautiful work by whole team.- Rajat Sachdeva (@Being_Rajat_SK) December 22, 2017

#TigerZindaHai: Bhai on screen. Whistles and applause. So many films. So many years. The @BeingSalmanKhan craze is yet to fade!- Ananya Bhattacharya (@ananya116) December 22, 2017

Interval nd its quite fast paced till now, very engaging ??#TigerZindaHai- Jr.Akshay (@SakshamSobti) December 22, 2017

#TigerZindaHai watched it just now and all i can say only is Salman khan has given his life's one of d best performances i have ever seen, and salman khan's entry is just woww, no words to describe 5/5.- Mani Thapa (@Devilmani15) December 22, 2017

#TigerZindaHai in 1 word can be described as Explosive...Youth n Family audience will like n appreciate the movie 2 the core...Brilliant storytelling n Direction from @aliabbaszafar has done the trick once again...??????- Subir Mazumder (@SubirMazumder7) December 22, 2017

just saw TZH with 15 salmaniacs. one of the best film of salman khan. One word for #TigerZindaHai Blockbusterrrr?????????????????????? Will breal All Records.??????????- Tiger'Day???? (@wajiha_SK1) December 22, 2017

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Tiger Zinda Hai is a sequel to 2012 film Ek Tha Tiger. The film also stars Angad Bedi.

MOVIE REVIEW: TIGER ZINDA HAI

ALSO WATCH: Katrina Kaif talks about working with Salman Khan in Tiger Zinda Hai

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Nancy Pelosi's legacy: From passing Obamacare to impeaching Trump

Congressional scholars and modern politicians rate Speaker Nancy Pelosi as one of the most consequential legislative leaders in U.S. and House history.
On December 12, when senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar was attending a rally in Nagpur launching a fiery attack on the government over its failure in giving relief to the distressed farmers, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was preparing for a counter-attack.

Hours after the rally got over, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), under Fadnavis, filed four FIRs in Nagpur in connection with an alleged scam in the Gosekhurd irrigation project in Bhandara naming one politician, who is little known, and three officials.

It was a signal to Pawar and his protege state NCP president Sunil Tatkare. Both of them stand accused of letting the multi-crore scam take place under their nose. The ACB is investigating whether they allowed cost escalation in various irrigation projects by flouting the law in their capacity as water resources ministers during separate tenures. The ACB has already named Tatkare as a suspect in its chargesheet filed in the case of Kondhane project in his home town Raigad.

In the last couple of months, Pawar has eclipsed Congress' leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil through his tours across the state criticising the government.

"Don't invite Fadnavis to any of your functions," Pawar ordered the NCP leaders after Tatkare and another senior leader Dileep Walse-Patil urged the CM to attend launch of their biographies two months ago. He has also taken an open stand against showing a "soft corner" towards the BJP in the latter's feud with its ruling partner Shiv Sena.

Pawar too had taken an initiative to bring all opposition parties together against the BJP.

Known for his accurate political calculations, Fadnavis has found a bigger tool to check Pawar's growing aggression against the government. Armed with the findings of a three-member committee, which investigated irregularities in the 12 irrigation projects in Konkan, Fadnavis is likely to corner Pawar. A source in the ACB said that the committee has reported that massive cost escalation in purchasing material has taken place by flouting the law in certain projects: Kondhane, Chanrea, Balganga, Kalu, Shai, Susari, Gadnadi, Shill, Jamda, Shirshinge, Kal Kumbhe and Gadgadi.

Water resources minister Girish Mahajan said an FIR will be filed in the Konkan projects case soon. He shrugged off when asked whether the committee has pointed fingers at Ajit Pawar.

Both Pawar and Tatkare have already announced that they are open to any inquiry as they have not flouted any law. However, Fadnavis is not in a mood to show leniency. "We will file more FIRs in the irrigation scam soon," he told reporters in Nagpur without naming anyone. Expect the politics to be heated in the next couple of months.
Ameriprise Financial, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services to individual and institutional clients in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Advice & Wealth Management, Asset Management, Retirement & Protection Solutions, and Corporate & Other. The Advice & Wealth Management segment provides financial planning and advice; brokerage products and services for retail and institutional clients; discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory accounts; mutual funds; insurance and annuities products; cash management and banking products; and face-amount certificates. The Asset Management segment offers investment management and advice, and investment products to retail, high net worth, and institutional clients through unaffiliated third-party financial institutions and institutional sales force. This segment products also include U.S. mutual funds and their non-U.S. equivalents, exchange-traded funds, variable product funds underlying insurance, and annuity separate accounts; and institutional asset management products, such as traditional asset classes, separately managed accounts, individually managed accounts, collateralized loan obligations, hedge funds, collective funds, and property and infrastructure funds. The Retirement & Protection Solutions segment provides variable annuity products to individual clients, as well as life and DI insurance products to retail clients. The company was formerly known as American Express Financial Corporation and changed its name to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. in September 2005. Ameriprise Financial, Inc. was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A government teacher in Madhya Pradesh was captured on video getting a foot massage from a student. The state government has sought a report over the incident.

A government teacher in MP was seen on video getting a back massage from a student (ANI grab)

By India Today Web Desk: A government teacher in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district has landed himself in the dock after being videographed getting what seems to be a back massage from a school student.

In a short video shared by news agency ANI, the male student can be seen standing on the teacher's back and walking along the spinal column. Other students can be heard chatting in the background, but what they are saying isn't audible.

#WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Teacher caught on camera getting a back massage from a student in a Govt school in Damoh's Madiyado pic.twitter.com/9Ghvo8poLC- ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

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The circumstances surrounding the apparent back massage aren't clear in the video and authorities have initiated a probe into the matter. Madhya Pradesh's school education minister Deepak Joshi that a district-level officer has been asked to look into the incident and submit a report.

Joshi indicated that the teacher could be suspended once the report was in.

We have asked our district education officer to submit a report on the incident, teacher will be suspended once we get the complete report: Deepak Joshi,School Education Minister #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/8F7GcEylzR- ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

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The Chemours Company provides performance chemicals in North America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. It operates through four segments: Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions. The Titanium Technologies segment provides TiO2 pigment under the Ti-Pure and BaiMax brands for delivering whiteness, brightness, opacity, and protection in various of applications, such as architectural and industrial coatings, flexible and rigid plastic packaging, polyvinylchloride, laminate papers used for furniture and building materials, coated paper, and coated paperboard used for packaging. The Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment offers of refrigerants, thermal management solutions, propellants, foam blowing agents, and specialty solvents. The Advanced Performance Materials segment products portfolio includes various industrial resins, specialty products, membranes, and coatings for consumer electronics, semiconductors, digital communications, transportation, energy, oil and gas, and medical, and others applications. The Chemical Solutions segment comprises a portfolio of industrial chemicals used as raw materials and catalysts for gold production, clean and disinfect, oil and gas, water treatment, electronics, and automotive applications. The company sells its products through direct and indirect channels, as well as through a network of resellers and distributors. The Chemours Company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware.
Slamming the Centre, Mamata Banerjee pointed out how the Government of India withdrew December 25 from the calendar of national holidays depicting their narrow vision.

By Romita Datta: West Bengal's tableaux failed to make it to the Republic Day parade because of its 'Unity is Secularity'. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leveled this allegation against the Government of India.

While taking part in the Christmas celebration in the city, Mamata also pointed out how the present government at the Centre because of its narrow vision, withdrew December 25 from the calendar of national holidays.

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"Jesus Christ is the symbol of humanity and so are all the religious leaders of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism. To restrict or confine religion within narrow boundaries of ours and theirs hurts me," she added.

The issue got a fresh spin today with many BJP ruled states choosing to down-play Christmas celebrations.

Incidentally, Christmas festivity in the state got a new life after Mamata came to power for the first time in 2011.

The Park Street area gets decked up and illuminated for a fortnight just like pandals illuminate mostly everywhere during the Durga Puja.

Reflecting on the political situation where religion is prevailing over humanity as a whole, Mamata said that people having a united vision make great leaders.

"There is diversity in what we wear, what we eat and the language we speak and religion we practice, but we are united in our diversity. It's like the diverse body organs which make us a complete human being," she said.

The union government's refusal to allow Bengal's entry in the parade is intentional, she felt.

The Centre had called the state government at Expert Committee meeting twice to clarify a few things on the theme. The state accepted their suggestions but even then the theme was not selected, the Chief Minister rued.

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Biglari Holdings Inc., through its subsidiaries, primarily operates and franchises restaurants in the United States. It owns, operates, and franchises restaurants under the Steak n Shake and Western Sizzlin names. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 199 Steak n Shake company-operated restaurants, 159 franchise partner units, and 178 traditional franchise units, as well as 3 Western Sizzlin company-operated restaurants and 38 franchised units. The company also engages in underwriting commercial trucking insurance; selling physical damage and non-trucking liability insurance to truckers; and providing property and casualty insurance. In addition, it operates oil and natural gas properties in the Gulf of Mexico; and publishes and sells magazines and related publishing products under the MAXIM brand name. Further, it licenses media products and services; and engages in the investment activities. The company was formerly known as The Steak n Shake Company and changed its name to Biglari Holdings Inc. in April 2010. Biglari Holdings Inc. was founded in 1934 and is based in San Antonio, Texas.
Capital One Financial Corporation was founded in 1988 with the goal of revolutionizing the credit card industry. The companys ground-breaking services were data-driven, opened the doors of credit to millions of people, and today Capital One is one of the worlds largest banks.

The companys commitment to connecting people with responsible credit helped to rank it 10th in the US in regard to total assets and 72nd globally. The company has nearly $400 billion in assets in late 2022 and operated a network of subsidiary institutions including Capital One bank. Capital One Financial Corporation is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and operates a network of branches and offices throughout the US, Canada, and the UK.

Capital One Financial Corporation is the holding company for Capital One Bank (USA), National Association; and Capital One, National Association, which provides various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Capital One Financial Corporation operates in three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking. The Credit Card segment operates a wide range of revolving consumer credit cards while the Consumer Banking segment offers a range of traditional banking and investment products including auto and home loans, savings, and certificates of deposit. The Commercial segment offers business accounts, financing, commercial and multifamily real estate, and commercial and industrial loans.

In the US, the company serves its clients through digital channels, branches, cafes, and other distribution channels located in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and California. Digital services include online accounts, account services, loan applications, and investments. Among the many features of banking with Capital One are fee-free checking accounts, cloud-based financial tracking services, and Capital One Cafes. The company operates more than 40 cafes across the US where anyone, not just account holders, can get a coffee or snack as well as improve their financial education. The cafes are equipped with ample public space, nooks for private work, and even event space for meetings.

Capital One continues to advance the digital financial industry to this day. The company was among the first to move its operations to the cloud, doing so in 2012, and it is now developing machine learning, open source, and cloud technology applications to help detect and prevent fraud, secure accounts, and improve banking services.

Capital One is committed to aiding the worlds fight against climate change. To that end, it is pursuing several avenues that include influencing its value chain, fostering a sustainable office culture that is in sync with its surroundings, promoting and financing sustainable energy projects, and transparency in regard to its climate goals.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services. The company's Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear segment offers scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear, environmental, and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical, and automotive industries. Its Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities segment develops/rehabilitates plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects; develops or rehabilitates critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects; and provides engineering design, construction management, design build, and operations and maintenance. This segment also designs and constructs buildings; offers consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and delivery services for life sciences clients; and provides services relating to modular construction and other consulting and strategic planning services, as well as offers services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, off-the-site design, and fabrication of facility modules. The company's Energy, Chemicals and Resources segment offers services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, processing facilities, gathering systems, and transmission pipelines and terminals; feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation, conceptual engineering, front end loading, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and commissioning services; and engineering, procurement, and construction solutions. This segment also provides services, such as manufacturing complex, expansions, modifications, and management of plant relocations; construction management and field construction services; and services to operate and maintain facilities. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the state's Republic Day tableau on unity has been rejected by the BJP-led central government.

By Indrajit Kundu: The ongoing tussle between Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a new turn after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the state's Republic Day tableau had been rejected by the BJP- led central government.

"It hurts me to say that this year the Bengal tableau has been rejected from the Republic Day parade. But why? This is an insult for our state," Banerjee alleged on Friday.

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Speaking at the inauguration of the Kolkata Chirstmas Festival on Park Street, Banerjee informed that the theme for Bengal's R-Day tableau was unity and the aim was to show how harmony among people could only ensure peace in the country. "Is that the reason why they rejected us?" she asked.

"Our Republic Day tableau have been awarded the first prize twice in recent years. In 2015 we had sent one tableau depicting our Kanyashree project but they did not accept it. The same project went on to win the United Nation public service award," Banerjee said.

The tableaux representing various states are selected by an expert committee set up by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) which is the nodal agency that organises the grand show on Rajpath each year. But Banerjee claimed that despite adhering to the rules set by the committee, the state has been kept in the dark about its proposed tableau.

"We were invited to the meeting of the expert committee in September and October. Our theme was appreciated as well and we had accepted all their suggestions. But since then we have no heard a word from them," she said while reiterating that unless all the religions live in harmony, there can never be lasting peace.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.

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Robert Half International Inc. provides staffing and risk consulting services in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through three segments: Temporary and Consultant Staffing, Permanent Placement Staffing, and Risk Consulting and Internal Audit Services. It places temporary services for accounting, finance, and bookkeeping; temporary and full-time office and administrative personnel consisting of executive and administrative assistants, receptionists, and customer service representatives; full-time accounting, financial, tax, and accounting operations personnel; and information technology contract professionals and full-time employees in the areas of platform systems integration to end-user technical and desktop support, including specialists in application development, networking and cloud, systems integration and deployment, database design and administration, and security and business continuity. The company also offers temporary and full-time employees in attorney, paralegal, legal administrative, and legal secretarial positions; and senior-level project professionals in the accounting and finance fields for financial systems conversions, expansion into new markets, business process re-engineering, business systems performance improvement, and post-merger financial consolidation. It is involved in serving professionals in the areas of creative, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations; and placing various positions, such as creative directors, graphics designers, web designers, media buyers, front end developers, copywriters, digital marketing managers, marketing analytics specialists, brand managers, and public relations specialists. The company provides internal audit, technology consulting, risk and compliance consulting, and business performance services. It serves clients and employment candidates. Robert Half International Inc. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.
Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells. The company operates through five segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running, wellbore placement, directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), equipment manufacturing, and rig instrumentation services; and logging-while-drilling systems and services, as well as drilling optimization software. The company also offers REVit, an automated real time stick-slip mitigation system; ROCKit, a directional steering control system; SmartNAV, a collaborative guidance and advisory platform; SmartSLIDE, an advanced directional steering control system; and RigCLOUD, which provides the tools and infrastructure to integrate applications to deliver real-time insight into operations across the rig fleet. In addition, it manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and other drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools; and provides aftermarket sales and services for the installed base of its equipment. As of December 31, 2021, the company marketed approximately 301 rigs for land-based drilling operations in the United States, Canada, and in 20 other countries worldwide; and 29 rigs for offshore platform drilling operations in the United States and internationally. Nabors Industries Ltd. was founded in 1952 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Markel Corporation, a diverse financial holding company, markets and underwrites specialty insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. Its Insurance segment offers general and professional liability, personal lines, marine and energy, specialty programs, and workers' compensation insurance products; and property coverages that include fire, allied lines, and other specialized property coverages, including catastrophe-exposed property risks, such as earthquake and wind. This segment also offers credit and surety products, and collateral protection insurance products. The company's Reinsurance segment offers transaction, healthcare, and environmental impairment liability; and specialty treaty reinsurance products comprising structured and whole turnover credit, political risk, mortgage and contract, and commercial surety reinsurance programs. Its Markel Ventures segment provides equipment used in baking systems and food processing; portable dredges; over-the-road car haulers and transportation equipment; and laminated oak and composite wood flooring, tube and tank trailers, as well as ornamental plants and residential homes, handbags, and architectural products. This segment also provides consulting, and other types of services to businesses and consumers, including distribution of exterior building products, crane rental, fire protection, and life safety services, management and technology consulting, and retail intelligence services. The company's Other segment provides healthcare, leasing and investment services, as well as operates as an insurance and investment fund manager offering a range of investment products, including insurance-linked securities, catastrophe bonds, insurance swaps, and weather derivatives; and program services. it also manages funds with third parties. Markel Corporation was founded in 1930 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.
Weatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. The Assisted Living and Memory Care segment owns or leases communities consisting of freestanding multi-story communities and freestanding single-story communities, which offer housing and 24-hour assistance with activities of daily living for the Company's residents. This segment also operates memory care communities for residents with Alzheimer's and other dementias. The CCRCs segment owns or leases communities that provides various living arrangements, such as independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing; and services to accommodate various levels of physical ability and healthcare needs. It also manages communities on behalf of others. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned 347 communities, leased 299 communities, and managed 33 communities on behalf of others. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
There are strategic and diplomatic reasons why India at UN voted against the US move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Congratulatory message in Jerusalem after US President Donald Trump announced recognition of the city as capital of Israel. (Photo: Reuters)

By Prabhash K Dutta: Many observers were surprised with India voting in favour of a resolution brought by Turkey and Yemen in the United Nations opposing the United States' decision recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Given the increasing inclination of India towards the US and Israel, speculations were rife that New Delhi might abstain from voting in the UN like 35 countries including Australia and Canada.

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India decided to support the resolution, which was approved with a majority of 127-9 at the UN General Assembly. And, India had its reasons to vote to serve its interests.

GLOBAL OPINION

There was ample evidence to show that the world opinion was not in favour of giving a stamp of recognition to Jerusalem as Israel's capital and thereby completely rejecting Palestine's claim on eastern part of the ancient city.

Just two days before resolution came up before the UNGA, the US had to veto a Security Council resolution calling on President Donald Trump to withdraw recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This was the first instance when the US used its veto power in the UNSC in six years.

The US was the only member of the UNSC to oppose the resolution. Rest 14 members including the close allies of the US voted for the resolution asking for withdrawal of recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

India has not officially explained why it voted against Donald Trump administration's move to unilaterally settle the Jerusalem question. But on Wednesday - a day after Trump threatened to stop American aid to countries opposing the US move, India had categorically stated that New Delhi's Palestine position was independent and consistent. This was a hint that India would not vote in support of the US.

OIC MEET AT ISTANBUL

Earlier, the members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a meeting at Istanbul to discuss the issue of recognition of Jerusalem by the US as Israel's capital. The OIC decided to oppose December 6 announcement of Donald Trump administration on the status of Jerusalem.

India has huge strategic and economic interests in the 57 member countries of the OIC. Except eight members of the OIC, all others are Islamic countries, where Jerusalem dispute is an emotive issue.

A decision against the prevailing sentiments in these countries might unnecessarily create a strain in relation with India, which has been working with OIC countries including Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia in various fields and a smooth relation with them works in New Delhi's favour.

POLICY IN BALANCE

India has adopted a balancing out policy towards Israel and Palestine for long. Though India has emphasised in recent times that its Israel policy is not hyphenated to Palestine's but New Delhi has tried to maintain a balance in diplomatic relations.

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India has deepened its military and strategic cooperation with Israel. And, in the backdrop of India's growing bilateral cooperation with the US, strengthening ties with Israel was being viewed by many countries as a shift from its sympathetic approach towards Palestine cause.

Recent Israel visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi further emboldened the critics. India needed to strike a balance to maintain consistency in its Palestine policy. With a vote for withdrawal of recognition to Jerusalem as Israel's capital, India has asserted its independent west Asia policy.

INDIA AND STATUS OF JERUSALEM

In September this year at the NAM ministerial meeting on Palestine at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had emphasised that the path to Israel-Jerusalem peace clearly lay in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements.

Since the birth of Israel in 1948 and later its recognition as a UN member, Jerusalem has been a dispute between Tel Aviv and Palestinian National Authority. Till 1967, Israel had control over west Jerusalem while the eastern part was under Jordanian rule.

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During the six-day war, Israel captured the eastern city of Jerusalem. But the OIC and Palestinian National Authority have declared the East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. The Palestinian National Authority is ready to forfeit its claim if Jerusalem is declared an open city, shared between Israel and Palestine.

The current positions held by both Israel and Palestine make the Jerusalem dispute unresolved. As India favours mutually acceptable settlement of dispute between Israel and Palestine, voting along the US' lines in UN on the question of Jerusalem would have reversed New Delhi's position on the matter.

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The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. The company operates through Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; and Run-off Property-Liability segments. The Allstate Protection segment offers private passenger auto and homeowners insurance; specialty auto products, including motorcycle, trailer, motor home, and off-road vehicle insurance; other personal lines products, such as renter, condominium, landlord, boat, umbrella, and manufactured home and stand-alone scheduled personal property; and commercial lines products under the Allstate and Encompass brand names. The Protection Services segment provides consumer product protection plans and related technical support for mobile phones, consumer electronics, furniture, and appliances; finance and insurance products, including vehicle service contracts, guaranteed asset protection waivers, road hazard tire and wheel, and paint and fabric protection; roadside assistance; device and mobile data collection services; data and analytic solutions using automotive telematics information; and identity protection services. This segment offers its products under various brands including Allstate Protection Plans, Allstate Dealer Services, Allstate Roadside Services, Arity, and Allstate Identity Protection. The Allstate Health and Benefits provides life, accident, critical illness, short-term disability, and other health insurance products. The Run-off Property-Liability offers property and casualty insurance. It sells its products through call centers, agencies, financial specialists, independent agents, brokers, wholesale partners, and affinity groups, as well as through online and mobile applications. The Allstate Corporation was founded in 1931 and is based in Northbrook, Illinois.
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is an international oil and gas giant founded in 1920 to explore for oil in California. The company made its name in the early 1960safter discovering the Lathrop Gas Field in Lathrop, California. The company expanded into chemicals manufacturing in 1968 and then in 1972 it became a pioneer in the quest to extract oil from shale. In 1993, the company made a historic move by exiting its coal operations, and then it did so again when it embraced a lower carbon future.

The company worked to realign its goals with a carbon-free future in 2021. After extensive review, new carbon emission targets were laid out along with a plan that the Transition Pathway Initiative recognized as being 1 of 3 coming from major oil companies that could realistically result in net-zero emissions by 2050. Since then the company has laid interim goals that include net zero from operations and energy by 2040 and no routine flaring by 2030.

Today, Occidental Petroleum is an integrated energy company with operations in the US, the Middle East, Africa, and Columbia along with some other smaller operations. The company operates a network of best-in-class production, delivery, and storage facilities with operations centered in the US. On a net basis, the companys US operations accounted for more than 75% of the total in 2022 with 19% from Middle East operations and the remainder from Columbia and elsewhere.

The company engages in the oil & gas business as an explorer, producer, and mid-stream infrastructure operator. The company operates through three segments that include Oil and Gas, Chemicals, and Midstream & Marketing.

The oil and gas segment explores for oil, develops new fields, and produces hydrocarbon liquids, gasses, and condensates. The chemicals segment manufactures a range of chemicals including chlorine, potassium chemicals, and vinyl. The midstream segment transports, stores, and markets hydrocarbons. It is the 6th largest oil and gas producer in the US by market cap. The company attained the position after its acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum in 2019, the 4th largest oil and gas acquisition at the time.

Berkshire Hathaway became Occidental Petroleums largest shareholder in mid-2022. The firm had purchased more than 26% of the shares as of 10/14/2022 and had regulatory approval to purchase up to 50% of the company in total.
ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in the United States. The company's securities portfolio primarily consists of the United States Government-sponsored entity's (GSE) and the Government National Mortgage Administration's issued or guaranteed securities backed by fixed rate, hybrid adjustable rate, and adjustable-rate home loans, as well as unsecured notes and bonds issued by the GSE and the United States treasuries, as well as money market instruments. It also invests in other securities backed by residential mortgages for which the payment of principal and interest is not guaranteed by a GSE or government agency. The company has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust under the Internal Revenue Code. As a result, it would not be subject to corporate income tax on that portion of its net income that is distributed to shareholders. ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Vero Beach, Florida.
Black Hills Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Electric Utilities and Gas Utilities. The Electric Utilities segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 218,000 electric utility customers in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and owns and operates 1,481.5 megawatts of generation capacity and 8,892 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines. The Gas Utilities segment distributes natural gas to approximately 1,094,000 natural gas utility customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming; owns and operates 4,732 miles of intrastate gas transmission pipelines; 41,644 miles of gas distribution mains and service lines; six natural gas storage sites; and approximately 50,000 horsepower of compression and 515 miles of gathering lines. The company also constructs and maintains gas infrastructure facilities for gas transportation customers; and provides appliance repair services to residential utility customers, as well as electrical system construction services to large industrial customers. In addition, it produces electric power through wind, natural gas, and coal-fired generating plants; and coal at its coal mine located near Gillette, Wyoming. The company was incorporated in 1941 and is headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota.
A dreaded gangster started using a BJP minister's stolen mobile phone, it was then when a woman police officer posed as a girl in love with the gangster to catch him. She used Nayanthara's photo to make him fall into the smart and classy trap.

By India Today Web Desk: It's a story involving a stolen mobile phone, one gangster, a photo of famous south Indian cinema actress Nayanthara, and a very-very smart woman cop.

In Bihar, a woman police officer trapped a notorious gangster with a picture of actress Nayanthara as her profile photo.

THE PLOT

According to police in Darbhanga district, some 150 km north of Patna, a costly mobile phone which belonged to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Sanjay Kumar Mahato, was stolen by Mohammad Hasnain. A complaint was registered and the case was handed to a senior police officer Madhubala Devi, the assistant sub-inspector of police.

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A close scrutiny of the call detail records (CDR) of the stolen phone led to the conclusion that Hasnain was still using the mobile handset.

The police on several occasions tried to nab the dreaded gangster but he always managed to escape. It was then when things were about to change.

Sharp-witted police officer Madhubala devised a plan. She started posing as a girl who was interested in a love affair with Hasnain.

The officer started calling him at regular intervals for the fake love to prosper. Initially, Hasnain showed no interest but soon this love spelled jail-time for Hasnain as he fell into the trap.

Hasnain was then quick to ask the police officer posing as his love interest, to send him her photograph.

Madhubala had set her mobile phone's profile picture as south Indian super-heroine Nayanthara.

"He appeared mad with joy after seeing the photograph and agreed to meet me at a place in Darbhanga town. Finally when he reached the designated place, we arrested him with the help of other policemen in civilian clothes," Madhubala told Gulf News.

The woman police officer donned a burqa and Hasnain failed to identify her, and that's how he was caught.

CONFESSION

Mohammad Hasnain confessed to his crime but mentioned that he had purchased the phone for Rs 4,500 from another criminal and using that information, the other criminal was soon arrested by the police as well.

The police department of Bihar has announced a reward for Madhubala Devi for her sharp-witted thinking and approach.

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The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: 2Cure LLC, Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, BioLegend, BioLegend CNS Inc., BioLegend China Beijing Ltd., BioLegend Europe B.V., BioLegend France SAS, BioLegend GmbH, BioLegend Inc., BioLegend Japan KK, BioLegend Shenzhen Ltd., BioLegend Taiwan Ltd., BioLegend UK Ltd., BioLegend Ventures LLC, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Boulder Diagnostics Europe GmbH, Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio.com, DIA.Metra S.R.L., DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, Dharmacon Inc., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Hangzhou Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics Canada Inc., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics China Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics South Africa Pty Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, EUROIMMUN Polska Sp. z o.o., EUROIMMUN Portugal Unipessoal Lda., EUROIMMUN Schweiz AG, EUROIMMUN South East Asia Pte Ltd., EUROIMMUN Tianjin Medical Diagnostic Technology Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Turkey Tibbi Laboratuar Teshisleri A.S., EUROIMMUN UK Ltd., EUROIMMUN US Inc., EUROIMMUN US Real Estate LLC, Geospiza, Guangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Hangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Horizon Diagnostics Limited, Horizon Discovery, Horizon Discovery Biosciences Limited, Horizon Discovery Group Ltd., Horizon Discovery Inc., Horizon Discovery KK, Horizon Discovery Limited, Horizon Genomics GmbH, IDS Brasil Diagnosticos Ltda., Immunetics Inc., Immunodiagnostic Systems, Immunodiagnostic Systems Deutschland GmbH, Immunodiagnostic Systems France SAS, Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings Limited, Immunodiagnostic Systems Inc., Immunodiagnostic Systems Limited, Immunodiagnostic Systems SA, Inochem S.A. de C. V., Integromics S.L., Jiangsu Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., LabMetrix Technologies, Labtronics, Nexcelom Bioscience, Nexcelom Bioscience Holdings LLC, Nexcelom Bioscience Instruments Shanghai Co. Ltd., Nexcelom Bioscience LLC, Nexcelom Bioscience Ltd., NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation, OZ Systems International SARL, OZ Systems USA LLC, Omni International Inc., Optimization Zorn Corporation, Opto Technology, Orchid Biomedical Systems Pvt Ltd., Oxford Diagnostic Laboratories UK Limited, Oxford Immunotec, Oxford Immunotec Asia Ltd, Oxford Immunotec Global Limited, Oxford Immunotec Ireland Limited, Oxford Immunotec KK, Oxford Immunotec Limited, Oxford Immunotec Shanghai Medical Device Co. Ltd., Oxford Immunotec USA Inc., Pediatrix Medical Group - Newborn Metabolic Screening Business, Perkin Elmer Chile Ltda., Perkin Elmer Instruments Philippines Corporation, Perkin Elmer Italia SpA, Perkin Elmer Sdn. Bhd., Perkin Elmer Yuhan Hoesa, Perkin-Elmer Argentina S.R.L., Perkin-Elmer de Mexico S.A., PerkinElmer Argentina Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Automotive Research Inc., PerkinElmer BV, PerkinElmer CV Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Cellular Technologies Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer Danmark A/S, PerkinElmer Diagnostics Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Diagnostics Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Espana S.L., PerkinElmer Finance Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Finland Oy, PerkinElmer Genetics Inc., PerkinElmer Genomics Sweden AB, PerkinElmer Germany Diagnostics GmbH, PerkinElmer Global Diagnostics S.C.A., PerkinElmer Global Financing S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Health Sciences B.V., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Canada Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences FZ-LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Puerto Rico LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Healthcare Diagnostics Shanghai Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Holdings Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Hong Kong Ltd., PerkinElmer IVD Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Inc., PerkinElmer India Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Informatics Inc., PerkinElmer Instruments Suzhou Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer International C.V., PerkinElmer Investments Ky, PerkinElmer Ireland Ltd., PerkinElmer Israel Ltd., PerkinElmer Japan Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer LAS Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer LAS UK Ltd., PerkinElmer Life Sciences International Holdings, PerkinElmer Life Sciences Singapore Pte. Ltd., PerkinElmer Limited, PerkinElmer Ltd., PerkinElmer Management Chengdu Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Management Shanghai Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Nederland B.V. , PerkinElmer Norge AS, PerkinElmer Oy, PerkinElmer Polska Sp. z o.o., PerkinElmer Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer SAS, PerkinElmer Saglk ve Cevre Bilimleri Ltd., PerkinElmer Schweiz AG, PerkinElmer Shanghai Equity Investment Fund L.P., PerkinElmer Shanghai Equity Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Shared Services Sp. z o.o., PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer South Africa Pty Ltd., PerkinElmer Sverige AB, PerkinElmer Taiwan Corporation, PerkinElmer UK Holdings Ltd., PerkinElmer VertriebsgmbH, PerkinElmer chemagen Technologie GmbH, PerkinElmer do Brasil Ltda., Perten Instruments, Perten Instruments AB, Perten Instruments GmbH, Perten Instruments of Australia Pty Ltd., Qognit Inc., RHS Ltd, RayAl Ltd., SIRION Biotech, SIRION Biotech GmbH, SIRION Biotech International Inc., Sage Labs LLC, Shandong Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Haoyuan Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Singapore Biosciences Pte Ltd., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., SonoVol Inc., Suomen Bioanalytiikka Oy, Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Synthetx Limited, Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Caterpillar: Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems LLC, Anchor Coupling Inc., Asia Power Systems (Tianjin) Ltd., AsiaTrak (Tianjin) Ltd., Banco Caterpillar S.A., Berg Propulsion International Pte Ltd., Bucyrus, Bucyrus Australia Surface Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Holdings Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Limited, Bucyrus International (Chile) Limitada, Bucyrus International (Peru) S.A., Bucyrus Mining Australia Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Mining China LLC, Bucyrus UK Limited, Cat Rental Kyushu LLC, Caterpillar (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar (China) Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Machinery Components Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (HK) Limited, Caterpillar (Huainan) Machinery Service Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Langfang) Mining Equipment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Luxembourg) Investment Co. S.a r.l., Caterpillar (NI) Limited, Caterpillar (Newberry) LLC, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Logistics Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar (U.K.) Limited, Caterpillar (Wujiang) Ltd., Caterpillar (Xuzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Zhengzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Acquisition Holding Corp., Caterpillar Americas C.V., Caterpillar Americas Co., Caterpillar Americas Funding Inc., Caterpillar Americas Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Asia Limited, Caterpillar Asia Pacific L.P., Caterpillar Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Asset Intelligence LLC, Caterpillar Belgium S.A., Caterpillar Brasil Comercio de Maquinas e Pecas Ltda., Caterpillar Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Brazil LLC, Caterpillar Castings Kiel GmbH, Caterpillar Centro de Formacion S.L., Caterpillar China Limited, Caterpillar Commercial Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Commercial LLC, Caterpillar Commercial Northern Europe Limited, Caterpillar Commercial S.A., Caterpillar Commercial S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Commercial Services S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Communications LLC, Caterpillar Corporativo Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Cote DIvoire, Caterpillar Credito S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., Caterpillar DC Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Digital Services & Solutions SARL, Caterpillar Distribution International LLC, Caterpillar Distribution Services Europe B.V.B.A., Caterpillar East Real Estate Holding Ltd., Caterpillar Emissions Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Caterpillar Energy Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions S.A., Caterpillar Energy System Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Engine Systems Inc., Caterpillar Equipos Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Eurasia LLC, Caterpillar FS (QFC) LLC, Caterpillar Finance France S.A., Caterpillar Finance Kabushiki Kaisha, Caterpillar Financial Acquisition Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Aftermarket Solutions Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Australia Leasing Pty Limited, Caterpillar Financial Australia Limited, Caterpillar Financial Commercial Account Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Corporacion Financiera S.A. E.F.C., Caterpillar Financial Dealer Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Funding Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Caterpillar Financial Leasing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial New Zealand Limited, Caterpillar Financial Nordic Services AB, Caterpillar Financial Nova Scotia Corporation, Caterpillar Financial OOO, Caterpillar Financial Receivables Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Renting S.A., Caterpillar Financial SARL, Caterpillar Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services (Ireland) plc, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Argentina S.A., Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Financial Services CR s.r.o., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Services GmbH, Caterpillar Financial Services India Private Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Leasing ULC, Caterpillar Financial Services Limited Les Services Financiers Caterpillar Limitee, Caterpillar Financial Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Caterpillar Financial Services Netherlands B.V., Caterpillar Financial Services Norway AS, Caterpillar Financial Services Philippines Inc., Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, Caterpillar Financial UK Acquisition Funding Partners, Caterpillar Financial Ukraine LLC, Caterpillar Fluid Systems S.r.l., Caterpillar Fomento Comercial Ltda., Caterpillar Forest Products Inc., Caterpillar France S.A.S., Caterpillar GB L.L.C., Caterpillar Global Investments S.a r.l., Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Equipamentos De Mineracao do Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Expanded Products Pty Ltd, Caterpillar Global Mining Germany Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining HMS GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong AFC Manufacturing Holding Co. Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Global Mining SARL, Caterpillar Global Mining U.S. Parts LLC, Caterpillar Global Services LLC, Caterpillar Group Services S.A., Caterpillar Holding (France) S.A.S., Caterpillar Holding Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Hungary Components Manufacturing Ltd., Caterpillar Hydraulics Italia S.r.l., Caterpillar IPX LLC, Caterpillar IRB LLC, Caterpillar Impact Products Limited, Caterpillar India Private Limited, Caterpillar Industrial Inc., Caterpillar Industrias Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Industries (Pty) Ltd, Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Insurance Company, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Finance Designated Activity Company, Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg I S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg II S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Product SARL, Caterpillar International Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Services del Peru S.A., Caterpillar Investment Limited, Caterpillar Investment One SARL, Caterpillar Investment Two SARL, Caterpillar Investments, Caterpillar Japan LLC, Caterpillar Latin America Services S.R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Panama S. de R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Servicios de Chile Limitada, Caterpillar Latin America Support Services S. DE R.L., Caterpillar Leasing (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar Leasing Chile S.A., Caterpillar Leasing GmbH (Leipzig), Caterpillar Leasing Operativo Limitada, Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, Caterpillar Logistics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Logistics (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Logistics Inc., Caterpillar Logistics ML Services France S.A.S., Caterpillar Logistics Services China Limited, Caterpillar Luxembourg Group S.ar.l., Caterpillar Luxembourg LLC, Caterpillar Luxembourg S.a r.l., Caterpillar Machinery Nantong Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, Caterpillar Marine Power UK Limited, Caterpillar Marine Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Maroc SARL, Caterpillar Materiels Routiers SAS, Caterpillar Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Mining Canada ULC, Caterpillar Mining Chile Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Motoren (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Henstedt-Ulzburg GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Verwaltungs-GmbH, Caterpillar Netherlands Holding B.V., Caterpillar North America C.V., Caterpillar Operator Training Ltd., Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Investment Holding SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Limited, Caterpillar Overseas SARL, Caterpillar Panama Services S.A., Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., Caterpillar Paving Products Xuzhou Ltd., Caterpillar Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (Bangladesh) Limited, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems L.L.C., Caterpillar Power Systems Inc., Caterpillar Power Ventures International Ltd., Caterpillar Precision Seals Korea, Caterpillar Prodotti Stradali S.r.l., Caterpillar Product Services Corporation, Caterpillar Propulsion AB, Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Italy S.R.L., Caterpillar Propulsion Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar Propulsion Production AB, Caterpillar Propulsion Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Singapore Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar R&D Center (China) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe LLC, Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe Servicios S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Reman Powertrain Indiana LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Drivetrain LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Renting France S.A.S., Caterpillar Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar SARL, Caterpillar Services Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Servizi Italia Srl, Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited, Caterpillar Skinningrove Limited, Caterpillar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd., Caterpillar Special Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Switchgear Americas LLC, Caterpillar Switchgear Holding Inc., Caterpillar Tianjin Ltd., Caterpillar Torreon S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Tosno L.L.C., Caterpillar Transmissions France S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Holdings Ltd., Caterpillar Tunnelling Canada Corporation, Caterpillar Tunnelling Europe Limited, Caterpillar UK Employee Trust Limited, Caterpillar UK Engines Company Limited, Caterpillar UK Group Limited, Caterpillar UK Holdings Limited, Caterpillar Undercarriage (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Used Equipment Services Inc., Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., Caterpillar Work Tools B.V., Caterpillar Work Tools Inc., Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Caterpillar Xuzhou, Caterpillar of Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar of Canada Corporation, Caterpillar of Delaware Inc., Centre de Distribution de Wallonie SPRL, CleanAir Systems, Downer Freight Rail, ECM Railway Evolution Romania s.r.l., ECM S.p.A., EDC European Excavator Design Center GmbH, EMC Holding Corp., EMD International Holdings Inc., ERA Information & Entertainment (BVI) Limited, ERA Mining Machinery Limited, Electro-Motive Diesel Limited, Electro-Motive Locomotive Technologies LLC, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co. (Beijing) Ltd., Energy Services International Limited, Equipos de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Eurenov S.A.S., F. G. Wilson (Proprietary) Limited, F. Perkins Limited, FG Wilson (Engineering) Limited, GB Holdco (China) Inc., GFCM Comercial Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., GFCM Servicios S.A. de C.V., Gremada Industries - Assets, Hong Kong Siwei Holdings Limited, Inmobiliaria Conek S.A. de C.V., JCS Co., Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., Leo Inc., Locomotive Demand Power Pty Ltd., Locomotoras Progress Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Lovat, M2M Data Corporation, MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios, MWM, MWM Austria GmbH, MWM Benelux B.V., MWM Energy Australia Pty Ltd, MWM France S.A.S, MWM Real Estate GmbH, MaK Americas Inc., MaK Americas Inc. (Canada), Magnum Power Products LLC, Marble, Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH, Mec-Track S.r.l., Metalmark Financial Services Limited, Motoren Steffens GmbH, Nippon Caterpillar LLC, P. T. Solar Services Indonesia, PT Caterpillar Finance Indonesia, PT. Bucyrus Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia Batam, PT. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Indonesia, Perkins Engines, Perkins Engines (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Perkins Engines Group Limited, Perkins Engines Inc., Perkins Group Limited, Perkins Holdings Limited LLC, Perkins India Private Limited, Perkins International Inc., Perkins Japan LLC, Perkins Limited, Perkins Machinery (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Perkins Motores do Brasil Ltda., Perkins Power Systems Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines LLC, Perkins Small Engines Limited, Perkins Technology Inc., Progress Metal Reclamation Company, Progress Rail Arabia Limited Company, Progress Rail Australia Pty Ltd, Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Equipamentos e Servicos Ferroviarios do Brasil Ltda., Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Holdings Inc., Progress Rail Innovations Private Limited, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems GmbH, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems S.r.l., Progress Rail International Corp., Progress Rail Leasing Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Progress Rail Locomotivas (do Brasil) Ltda., Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co., Progress Rail Locomotive Chile SpA, Progress Rail Locomotive Inc., Progress Rail Maintenance de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Progress Rail Manufacturing Corporation, Progress Rail Raceland Corporation, Progress Rail Rocklin Corporation, Progress Rail SA Proprietary Limited, Progress Rail Services Corporation, Progress Rail Services Holdings Corp., Progress Rail Services LLC, Progress Rail Services UK Limited, Progress Rail Switching Services LLC, Progress Rail Transcanada Corporation, Progress Rail Welding Corporation, Progress Rail Wildwood LLC, Progress Rail de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pyroban Group, Pyroban Group, Pyrrha Investments B.V., Pyrrha Investments Limited, S&L Railroad LLC, SCM Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., SPL Software Alliance LLC, Sabre Engines, Servicios de Turbinas Solar S. de R.L. de C.V., Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines (Beijing) Trading Services Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines (Thailand) Ltd., Solar Turbines CIS Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Canada Ltd./Ltee., Solar Turbines Central Asia Limited Liability Partnership, Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o., Solar Turbines Egypt Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Europe S.A., Solar Turbines India Private Limited, Solar Turbines International Company, Solar Turbines Italy S.R.L., Solar Turbines Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Solar Turbines Middle East Limited, Solar Turbines New Zealand Limited, Solar Turbines Saudi Arabia Limited, Solar Turbines Services Company, Solar Turbines Services Nigeria Limited, Solar Turbines Services of Argentina S.R.L., Solar Turbines Switzerland Sagl, Solar Turbines Trinidad & Tobago Limited, Solar Turbines West-Africa SARL, Tangshan DBT Machinery Co. Ltd., Tecnologia Modificada S.A. de C.V., Towmotor Corporation, Traction & Mining Motor Repairs Pty Ltd, Turbinas Solar S.A. de C.V., Turbinas Solar de Colombia S.A., Turbinas Solar de Venezuela C.A., Turbo Tecnologia de Reparaciones S.A. de C.V., Turbomach, Turbomach Endustriyel Gaz Turbinleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited, Turbomach France SARL, Turbomach GmbH, Turbomach Netherlands B.V., Turbomach Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbomach S.A. Unipersonal, Turbomach Sp. Z o.o., Turner Powertrain Systems Limited, UK Hose Assembly Limited, Underground Imaging Technologies Inc, United Industries LLC, VALA Inc., Vasky Energy Ltd., Wealdstone Engineering, Weir - Oil & Gas Division, West Virginia Auto Shredding Inc., Western Gear Machinery LLC, Wetland Sustainability Fund I LLC, Williams Technologies, Yard Club, Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Sales Co. Ltd., and okyo Rental Ltd..

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Koninklijke Philips N.V. operates as a health technology company in North America and internationally. It operates through Diagnosis & Treatment Businesses, Connected Care Businesses, and Personal Health Businesses segments. The company provides diagnostic imaging solutions, includes magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography (CT) systems, X-ray systems, and detector-based spectral CT solutions, as well as molecular and hybrid imaging solutions for nuclear medicine; integrated interventional systems; echography solutions focused on diagnosis, treatment planning and guidance for cardiology, general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology, and point-of-care applications; proprietary software to enable diagnostics and intervention; and enterprise diagnostic informatics products and services. It also offers acute patient management solutions; emergency care solutions; sleep and respiratory care solutions; and electronic medical record and care management solutions. In addition, the company provides power toothbrushes, brush heads, and interdental cleaning and teeth whitening products; infant feeding and digital parental solutions; and male grooming and beauty products and solutions. It has a strategic collaboration with Ibex Medical Analytics Ltd. to jointly promote the digital pathology and AI solutions to hospitals, health networks, and pathology laboratories worldwide, as well as a strategic partnership agreement with NICO.LAB. The company was formerly known as Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. and changed its name to Koninklijke Philips N.V. in May 2013. Koninklijke Philips N.V. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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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By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) A 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a man on the pretext of getting her a job in northwest Delhis Shalimar Bagh area, police said today.

The accused, who worked at a local dental clinic, called her to his workplace on Wednesday and allegedly raped her, they said.

She later informed her family members who approached the police, the police said, adding that the accused has been arrested. PTI SLB KJ

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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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GE is a multi-national conglomerate that was originally incorporated in 1892. The company was founded by Thomas Edison as the Edison General Electric Company and shortened its name to General Electric following a merger with two other early electric pioneers. The name was later shortened again to GE. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts but has operations on a global scale. One of the original 12 Dow stocks, the company was a component of the index for 122 years until its ousting in 2018.

Originally intended to make and market Edisons incandescent lamp and following products, the company grew over the years through mergers, acquisitions, and natural expansion into newly created fields. Among the many early accomplishments is the creation of RCA and NBC which will both become forces of their own. Other major innovations include the worlds first turbine superchargers, industrial gas turbine engines, and the first jet engine. In the field of computing, General Electric Company is credited as being one of the 8 major computer companies of the 1960s and shares responsibility for todays digital world. In regard to its employees, two were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work with the company.

Today GE operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through four segments including Power, Renewables, Aerospace, and Healthcare although there are plans in the works to split the company into three separate entities. The three new companies would be GE Vernova (power and renewables), GE Health, and GE Aerospace. The spin-offs are expected to be completed by 2025.

The Power segment offers a variety of turbine engines for power production as well as the full range of services from plant construction to retrofit and refit. The Renewables segment is focused on solutions for renewable energy including wind and hydro and the technology to operate them. The Aviation segment manufactures aircraft engines of all varieties and the Healthcare segment offers technology for imaging, monitoring, diagnostics, and drug discovery to health and medical facilities.

General Electric is committed to helping the world transition to a greener way of life and is exiting the new-build coal-fired power industry. Instead, its advancements in wind, grid efficiency, and natural gas are being deployed around the world helping to reduce emissions and generate cleaner energy for businesses, industry, and communities. The company is targeting 2030 for its own carbon neutrality and 2050 for net zero emissions.
General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Oppenheimer Holdings Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a middle-market investment bank and full-service broker-dealer in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company offers brokerage services covering exchange-traded and over-the-counter corporate equity and debt securities, money market instruments, exchange-traded options and futures contracts, municipal bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and unit investment trusts; financial and wealth planning services; and margin lending services. It also provides asset management services, including separately managed accounts, mutual fund managed accounts, discretionary portfolio management programs, non-discretionary investment advisory and consultation services, alternative investments, portfolio enhancement programs, and institutional taxable fixed income portfolio management strategies and solutions, as well as taxable and non-taxable fixed income portfolios and strategies. In addition, the company offers investment banking services, such as strategic advisory services and capital markets products; merger and acquisition, equities capital market, and debt capital market products and services; and institutional equity sales and trading, equity research, equity derivatives and index options, convertible bonds, and trading services. Further, it provides institutional fixed income sales and trading, fixed income research, public finance, and municipal trading services; repurchase agreements and securities lending services; and proprietary trading and investment activities. Additionally, the company offers underwritings, market-making, trust, and discount services. It serves high-net-worth individuals and families, corporate executives, public and private businesses, institutions and corporations, governments, financial sponsors, and domestic and international investors. Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in New York, New York. Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Phase Ii Financial Inc.
Bank of America has a rich history dating back to 1800 and even earlier. It was begun by immigrants as a group of separate and unrelated banks that, over the years, merged and grew together. One such is the Bank of Italy which was founded in 1904 by Amadeo Giannini to serve Italian immigrants that were facing discrimination. He later buys out the Banca de America e de Italia (Bank of America and Italy) which was also located in San Francisco. Over the years additional mergers and changes in Federal banking legislation, as well as the boom brought on by WWI and then WWII, helped boost the bank to national prominence.

Things turned sour, however, in 1998 with a major bond default that led to yet another merger, this time with Charlotte, NC-based Nations Bank to officially become the Bank of America that exists today. At the time, the merger was the largest bank merger in history and the company has only grown in the time since.

Other additions to the new Bank of America include MBNA (a major credit card operator), Fleet Boston (then the US 7th largest and one of its oldest banks), and Merril Lynch, now Merril, which was added to the group in 2008 to provide an investment banking branch. Together the company dominates as one of the Big Four Banks in America. Bank of America lays claim to nearly 11% of all US deposits which ranks in line with its peer group and Bank of America Securities is listed as the worlds 3rd largest investment bank.

Today, Bank of America Corporation provides banking and financial services for individuals, small businesses, institutions, corporations, and governments worldwide. The bank operates in three segments Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management, and Global Banking bringing in a combined revenue greater than $90 billion in 2022.

As of 2022, Bank of America serves approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,200 retail financial centers. The bank also operates more than 16,000 ATMs and digital banking platforms with approximately 41 million active users.

Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional banking and investment products for retail clients. These range from deposit accounts to savings, credit cards, consumer loans, and IRAs. The Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and wealth management solutions including, brokerage, banking, and trust and retirement products. The Global Banking segment provides lending products and services, including commercial loans and leases for businesses of all varieties. The Global Markets segment offers market-making, clearing, settlement, and custody services, as well as risk management, derivatives, and FX exchange services.
Bank of Hawaii Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Bank of Hawaii that provides various financial products and services in Hawaii, Guam, and other Pacific Islands. It operates in three segments: Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury and Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, automobile loans and leases, personal lines of credit, installment loans, small business loans and leases, and credit cards; private and international client banking, investment, credit, and trust services to individuals and families, and high-net-worth individuals; investment management; institutional investment advisory services to corporations, government entities, and foundations; and brokerage offerings, including equities, mutual funds, life insurance, and annuity products. This segment operates 54 branch locations and 307 ATMs throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, and a customer service center, as well as through online and mobile banking. The Commercial Banking segment provides corporate banking, commercial real estate loans, commercial lease financing, auto dealer financing, and deposit products. It offers commercial lending and deposit products to middle-market and large companies, and government entities; commercial real estate mortgages to investors, developers, and builders; and international banking and merchant services. The Treasury and Other segment offers corporate asset and liability management services, including interest rate risk management and foreign exchange services. Bank of Hawaii Corporation was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. The company provides Alimta for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma; Cyramza for metastatic gastric cancer, gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma, metastatic NSCLC, metastatic colorectal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma; Erbitux for colorectal cancers, and various head and neck cancers; Retevmo for metastatic NSCLC, medullary thyroid cancer, and thyroid cancer; Tyvyt for relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin's lymph and non-squamous NSCLC; and Verzenio for HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer, node positive, and early breast cancer. It offers Olumiant for rheumatoid arthritis; and Taltz for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis. The company offers Cymbalta for depressive disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain; Emgality for migraine prevention and episodic cluster headache; and Zyprexa for schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, and bipolar maintenance. Its Bamlanivimab and etesevimab, and Bebtelovimab for COVID-19; Cialis for erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia; and Forteo for osteoporosis. The company has collaborations with Incyte Corporation; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; AbCellera Biologics Inc.; Junshi Biosciences; Regor Therapeutics Group; Lycia Therapeutics, Inc.; Kumquat Biosciences Inc.; Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
While Switzerland has conformed to the global standards on automatic exchange of information with the signing of the declaration, India, on its part, has promised to safeguard the confidentiality of the data. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India signed an agreement with Switzerland on Thursday that would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from January 1 next year, the CBDT said.

"With the completion of the parliamentary procedure in Switzerland and signing of mutual agreement, India and Switzerland are set for automatic exchange of information for the period beginning from January 1, 2018," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said.

The policy-making body for the Income Tax Department said the agreement was signed by CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra and Swiss Ambassador to India Andreas Baum at the North Block here.

A joint declaration for the implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) was signed in November between the two sides here and it provided that both countries would start collecting data in accordance with the global standards in 2018 and exchange it from 2019 onward.

While Switzerland has conformed to the global standards on automatic exchange of information with the signing of the declaration, India, on its part, has promised to safeguard the confidentiality of the data.

"It will now be possible for India to receive from September, 2019 onwards, the financial information of accounts held by Indian residents in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years, on an automatic basis," the government earlier said.

Switzerland, which has always been at the centre of the debate on black money allegedly stashed by Indians abroad, used to be known for very strong secrecy walls till a few years ago around its banking practices.

A huge global pressure has resulted in Switzerland relenting on the tough secrecy clauses its local laws gave to the banks.

Official sources said that several information requests on details about Indians who had accounts in Swiss banks were still pending.

The AEOI conforms to a norm set by global economic body he Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for tax transparency.
Pune: An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by six neighbourhood boys since August in Punes Kondhwa area. The accused boys include five minors and one 19-year-old. After the family lodged an FIR, the police arrested the teenager and took the other minors in custody. The victims parents are daily-wage labourers.

Police sub-inspector S.P. Gore of Kondhwa police station said that the victims 51-year-old grandmother had lodged an FIR against the accused. Mustafa Abdul Rajaq Mujawar, 19, and five other minor boys had been sexually abusing her granddaughter. As per the complaint, the five accused minor boys are aged between six and 12 years, Mr Gore said.

The issue came to light when the girl developed rashes on her private parts and fell ill repeatedly.
The university hoped that the Congress would be held in the near future.

Hyderabad: Osmania University on Thursday said that it was fully prepared to host the Indian Science Congress, which was abruptly postponed earlier in the day.

In a statement, the university said, Several committees worked for the past three months tirelessly to ensure smooth conduct of the event. In fact, the university changed the examination schedule for this purpose. At one point in time, the university was flexible and was willing to have the inaugural outside the campus and the remaining sessions on the campus even if it meant incurring more expenditure and inconvenience.

The statement issued by Registrar Gopal Reddy said, We were preparing for the event and every minute detail had been worked out and suddenly we were informed by the Indian Science Congress Association that the event is indefinitely postponed. We dont know specifically what the reason behind the postponement of the event is. Recent protests and student suicide in the university must be the reason as the association is watching and observing everything based on which they might have taken the decision.

He added, The Indian Science Congress Association will hold a meeting in Kolkata on December 27. In that meeting, the fresh dates of the event will be decided. We have received intelligence reports, following which we the event was postponed.

Following a students suicide on campus, protests erupted causing a tense situation on the campus. The university hoped that the Congress would be held in the near future.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the management of St. Thomas Central School in Thiruvananthapuram called the 12th grade boy it had expelled for prolonged hug for a discussion, no such move has been extended to the girl, who is studying in 11th grade. Meanwhile, SFI Thiruvananthapuram district committee took out a march to the school demanding that the students should be readmitted which led the school to give holiday on Thursday to the institution cancelling the exam scheduled for the day.

Father of the 17 year old boy confirmed to DC that his son received the registered letter sent by Sebastian T. Joseph, the school principal asking them to see him on Jan. 3, a day ahead of the model exams are scheduled to start. Now the boy and his family are hoping that he would be allowed to write the CBSE board exam scheduled for March next year. Shashi Tharoor MP had intervened in the issue on Tuesday where he spoke to the school management which saw them relaxing their earlier firm stand of not allowing the boy to write his model exam.

But the school authorities are not relaxing their stand against the girl student. Principal Sebastian T. Joseph told DC that since the girl had not submitted her transfer certificate from the previous school in Thiruvanant-hapuram, her admission got annulled. The girl is no longer a student of our school. She joined St. Thomas Central School for 11th grade and had not submitted her original transfer certificate from the earlier school. The last date for 11th grade registration was on Aug. 31. Now the ball is before the CBSE board to decide on the admission of the girl, said Sebastian T. Joseph.

On Wednesday, Dinesh Ram, CBSE regional officer based in Thiruvananthapuram had told DC that the CBSE had decided not to harm the two students. He had clarified that a decision will be taken keeping in mind the interest of the students and that they would not lose their academic year. The girls mother told DC that the school authorities should take into consideration her daughters future and should be allowed to resume her education at St Thomas Central School.

My daughters future is at stake. I do not know how she will cope up if she loses a year. I am hoping and praying that she should not lose an academic year, said the 35 year old mother of the girl to DC. A legal officer belonging to Child Rights Commission and a representative of Mahila Samakhya visited the girl and heard her woes. On Thursday, Elias George, senior IAS official and former CMD of Kochi Metro, wrote an open letter to the school authorities "to rise above a mean-spirited perspective of viewing this incident; to summon the 'better angels of your nature'".

He went on to add that since the school is a Christian management, he wish to remind them of a parable of the lost sheep in the Gospel of St. Luke, where the shepherd leaves behind his flock to rescue a single lost sheep implying that the girl should be taken back to the school. Let wisdom and sense prevail", said Elias George whose two children had studied at St. Thomas Central School.
Dr Rao said students were not against the Indian Science Congress, they were just using the platform to highlight their issues.

Hyderabad: Postponement of a national event at the last minute is not a good sign, said Dr Babu Rao, a scientist who retired from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. He said the TRS had fought for statehood on the slogan Neelu (water), Nidhulu (funds) and Niyamakalu (jobs) but not much has happened so far on that front, leaving the students disappointed, disheartened and jobless.

Dr Rao said, For everything small thing the police enters the university. That is what bothering the students. Nobody turned up to see the body of Eramaina Murali who committed suicide on December 3, neither faculty members not the hostel warden. This is quite shocking. He said, Staff and faculty members should be more active in solving students problem instead of calling the police. There is not much interaction between the faculty and the students which is the main reason behind this unrest.Dr Rao said students were not against the Indian Science Congress, they were just using the platform to highlight their issues.

CCMB senior scientist K. Thangaraju, who was scheduled to deliver a talk on medical sciences at Congress, said, It was shocking when we received the message of postponement. We really dont know why the event got postponed. It is not good considering that it it happens at the same time. The postponement should have been avoided as its a prestigious event.

Dr V. Srihari, retired scientist from Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, told this newspaper, The ISC should be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. I am not aware of the conditions in Osmania University but we heard that students are angry with the government and the university, which shows that there could have been some law and order problems. The organisers should think of changing the venue instead of postponing the event.
Bengaluru: Senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader Basavaraj Horatti called state BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappas decision to read out a letter by Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on sharing of the Mahadayi river water with Karnataka at a public meeting in Hubballi a political gimmick, here on Friday.

In a press release, he said unless the Chief Ministers of all three states concerned sat across the table and arrived at a consensus on the dispute, the solution not have Constitutional validity.

A head of state writing to a person who does not have a Constitutional post smacks of a poll gimmick. The Bharatiya Janata Party is only trying to fool the people of North Karnataka, he charged, adding that going by protocol Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to convene a meeting of all three Chief Ministers concerned and direct the Goa government to release 7.56 tmcft of water to Karnataka immediately.

Refuting Mr Yeddyurappas claim that his state party chief H D Kumaraswamy was against the Kalasa Banduri project, Mr Horatti recalled that during the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government, it was unofficially discussed.

Mr Kumaraswamy who was then Chief Minister, was against starting the project work without permission, but the then Irrigation Minister K S Eshwarappa and then Deputy Chief Minister Yeddyurappa went ahead and laid the foundation stone for the project. As it was not an official function, Mr Kumaraswamy refused to attend it . But now Mr Yeddyurappa is spreading the canard that he was against this project, he said.

HDK to BSY: State needs water not your blood!

Taking a swipe at BJP State President Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa for his statement that he was ready to sacrifice his blood for the sake of Mahadayi water, JD(S) State President Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy quipped that what the state needed was water and not Mr Yeddyurappas blood.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Mr Kumaraswamy said the two national parties were involved in water politics and were not responding to the needs of the state.

Who is Mr Amit Shah (BJP national president) to give a judgment on the water dispute? This is a double game by the BJP,'' he said. Shah had on Wednesday called a meeting of BJP leaders from Goa and Karnataka to discuss the water row. Commenting on Mr Yeddyurappas act of reading out a letter he received from Goa CM Manohar Parrikar on Thursday, Mr Kumaraswamy said, I don't think we need that letter, we want talks through proper channels.
Politics doesnt run in straight lines, especially when in a developing situation a clutch of contenders fancy their chances. The opposition to BJP rule in the country appeared in a moribund state, and was suddenly sparked to life with the extraordinary Gujarat results, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi leading the campaign against the saffron party. Yet, with the BJP suddenly appearing to lose its shine, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been first off the block, hinting strongly that she had the best credentials to be the Oppositions face as the challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Her party spokesman freely made the case in remarks to the media.

While the Gujarat verdict has dented the BJP even if the saffron party won the election, and politics can well take a new turn, it does seem premature for any party at this stage to press for a pre-eminent position among others that may be rivals for such a claim. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, five Assembly polls, including to three BJP-ruled states, are due in the coming months. If the BJP performs satisfactorily, it will be the Opposition parties turn to be subdued. The Congress will be the main challenger in these states. If this partys performance is convincing, and the governments stock continues to slip, its hard to see how regional secular parties will back Ms Banerjees claim. The West Bengal leaders spokesman also said that Sonia Gandhi, although no longer Congress president, should remain UPA chairperson. This is a pointless observation as Mrs Gandhi is unlikely at this stage to throw her hat into the ring for Prime Minister.
US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to Taliban and other militant groups, vice-president Mike Pence has said, warning that the country has much to lose if it does not stop harbouring terrorists on its soil.

Pences remarks came during an unannounced trip to Afghanistan to assess ground realities in the war-torn country. During his visit on Wednesday, Pence held meetings with top Afghan leadership to hear from them the progress on the implementation of Trumps new South Asia Policy. Trump while announcing his South Asia Policy in August had criticised Pakistan for not doing enough to combat terrorism.

For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice, Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan. As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists, the vice-president said, issuing another stern warning. Pakistan reacted on Thursday sharply to Pences remarks.

The foreign ministrys spokesperson said Pen-ces statement was at variance with the extensive conversations Pakistan had with the US administration. Allies do not put each other on notice. On notice should be those factors responsible for exponential increase in drug production, expa-nsion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale graft, breakdown of governance, and letting Daesh gain a foothold in Afghanistan, he said. Also focus should be on creating peace and reconciliation mechanisms. Finally, externalising blame should be put on notice.
A white SUV sits in the middle of the road as police and emergency personnel work at the scene of where a car ran over pedestrians in Flinders Street in Melbourne on Thursday. (Photo: AFP)

An Indian was among 19 people injured when a speeding SUV ran down pedestrians at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne on Thursday, an incident described by Australia as act of evil and an act of cowardice. A white Suzuki Grand Vitara with two men inside drove into the crowd at the intersection just after 4.30 pm local time, injuring 19 people including Rohit Kaul, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir.

According to eyewitnesses, the car driver was waiting for the traffic signal to turn red before he drove his vehicle hitting pedestrians crossing the road. However, the Victorian police maintained that it was not a terror attack, but would continue to investigate. Quoting eyewitnesses, the local media said that people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle. The attack was an act of evil and an act of cowardice, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters here.

He said the condition of four people hit was critical. Fifteen others were stable. The 45-year-old Kaul was talking to his son while crossing the intersection when he was hit by the car. My husband was talking to my son Avi and crossing the intersection. Suddenly, my husband's phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead, Kauls wife said.
Over the past week, Afryea's friends were receiving more and more messages from her over WhatsApp - and all thanks to the installation of an amazing wooden pole.

Afryea is a teacher in a village located in a rural region of Ghana. Having had the privilege of studying in cities, Afryea is used to using WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram. However, she explains that it took her an inordinate amount of time to readjust to the life without these Apps after she returned to this village, as it rarely has any signal.

Afryea is now delighted to deliver the news to her friends that mobile services are becoming increasingly accessible for a surprisingly long list of devices in her village.

Nyakpoo, the village chief, explained to Afryea why people simply couldn't access the network: the nearest base station was more than 20 kilometers from here, so achieving signal reception was no easy task. Before the wooden pole base station was installed, the village chief himself often needed to ride his motorcycle a few miles to get closer to a base station in order to use Mobile Money. "Since our village suffered from a lack of electricity and fibre optic cables, there was simply no other way to build a base station. I am amazed that all these issues can be solved with a simple piece of wood."

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

Of course, that simple piece of wood has a little help in the form of the RuralStar solution, which is designed to provide networks in rural areas.

In Ghana, 5 million people remain sparsely scattered throughout many remote areas, having little or no access to internet. In recent years, both operators and the governments have been working closely to bring networks to these rural areas. The biggest sticking point is that operators cannot expect a reasonable return on investment, even with the additional government subsidies.

Afryeas village has only 2,500 people in total, which means that recouping the cost of just one base station could take as long as ten years. Another troubling dilemma is that building a base station in these villages will cost more compared to deploying one in an urban area. This is due to the absence of adequate electricity and transmission networks; 1 Mbit/s bandwidth satellite transmission adds up to a cost of over USD 1000 per month, which is utterly unfeasible for such an area.

The RuralStar solution changes this. The solution uses a Relay based on 4G technology to realise data transmission, rather than expensive satellite or microwave. Relay transmission does not have the same line of sight (LOS) constraints, allowing a base station to be constructed on a simple wooden telegraph pole instead of a 30m dedicated tower. With low power consumption, RuralStar can be powered just by using six solar panels.

Afryeas village was chosen as one of the first to implement RuralStar. The wooden pole to accommodate the base station is prepared locally in the village. The base station deployment was completed in just one week, with total costs reduced by around 70%, and the pole is now helping to deliver mobile services. Even with such a small population, the operator can expect to recoup the investment in just three years.

A New Horizon for Rural Mobile Users

Having finished installing the base station, one of the engineers involved received a notification that his mobile credit balance was low. To express his appreciation for the engineers work, the village chief was able to provide him with a recharge via Mobile Money  an immediate demonstration of the benefits that the new base station would go on to provide.

The village chief has vowed to ensure that the equipment is well-protected, as it has changed the lives of the people in his village. Afryea is already starting to long for network connections for computers so that she can begin teaching local children how to use them.

* All names have been changed to protect privacy.

This article is sponsored by Huawei Technologies

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Our aim is to enrich life and improve efficiency through a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society, and collaborative contributor to the industry.

For more information about Rural Star please visit http://www.huawei.com/en/news/2017/11/Huawei-RuralStar2
The top minds in the development of Artificial Intelligence technologies came together at New York University to discuss the current and future advances and applications of Artificial Intelligence. Intel Student Ambassadors Pallab Paul and Teju Tadi share their feedback and takeaways from this two-day event which included trainings, talks, and panel discussions with industry experts.

Teju: The event was a great learning experience. The conference had the brightest academic and business minds in attendance all to speak about various topics surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) including harnessing the power of neural networks, investment in AI, and startups with innovative solutions in the industry. The conference also had some of the hottest startups in the AI space which were a part of the AI NexusLab startup accelerator program including: Bowtie, SecondMind, Mt.Cleverest, and Bite.ai.

Pallab: I met many people who were either working on AI related projects or who were AI enthusiasts. It was an amazing learning experience and I am grateful for the Intel Student Developer Program for inviting me to attend this conference. The event was split up into two days, the first day being a day full of hands-on training and demos from experts and professionals, and the second day was full of guest speakers talking about the AI related projects they are working on and the future of AI.

T: The technical sessions on the first day allowed me to get some hands-on experience working with image-based Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) tasks. Karl Fezer, the AI Community Manager at Intel, had a great session explaining the difference between ML and DL. According to the presentation, in ML an algorithm is given large volumes of data to process and learn from. In ML the algorithm is learning from existing examples to solve new but similar problems. DL is a type of ML inspired by the biological connectivity within the human brain. DL instead utilizes neural networks. The session also discussed the relation between deep learning, supervised learning, back propagation, stochastic gradient descent, activation function, and basic linear unit.

P: I really enjoyed learning from Karls demo, not only because he is from Intel, but also because I have previous experience training a convolutional neural network (CNN) while creating my app Face It which uses a CNN to detect face shapes. I was able to easily follow along and understand everything he was teaching about training the MNIST dataset on CNN. Also, as a representative for Intel, I helped Karl with his lesson by answering any questions people had on what he was teaching and what was going on. Overall the session went very smoothly and Karl did a great job presenting the lesson. I also learned some new things including information about various optimizers and the differences between them.

T: The presentation was followed by a workshop in which everyone was able to learn how to properly build and train a CNN to identify images. The exercise utilized Intel optimized distribution for Python and TensorFlow, Numpy, Scipy, Scikit-Learn, and Jupyter Notebook.

T: Over the past few years, AI has been receiving significant attention in the media because of its extensive potential in nearly all industries. AI has become an industry buzz word in the tech space and investment in startups utilizing AI has gone up simultaneously in 2016 and 2017. Q4 2015 saw investments in the space at around $520 million. 2016 saw quarterly investments ranging from $750 million - $950 million. 2017 has seen an average of over a $1 billion dollar per quarter in investments in AI. The growth in AI related startup investments demonstrates the significant size of the industry as well as the rise of innovative solutions in the industry. The use of AI is not limited to a specific industry. As demonstrated by the chart below the current use of AI by startups and companies by industries is divided well.

T: Silicon Valley and San Francisco are considered the hubs for technology companies and the latest startups. The same is thought to be for AI related startups. However, in recent years the trend has been shifting. New York is experiencing a tech boom and is becoming a large hub for startups. One reason startups are attracted to New York is because it has a plethora of talent in various industries including finance, fashion, media, marketing, and commerce. New York has beneficial city and state policies as well as generous tax credits for tech companies. New York and the greater city area are also located near many great schools with an abundance of talent. VC Funding across various regions can be seen below. In fact, the New York Metro area is number one in terms of VC funding with over $4.227 billion dollars in funding. San Francisco is second in terms of VC funding with $4.177 billion dollars in funding. Silicon Valley is third with just $2.204 in VC funding. The numbers evince the fact that New York is now ahead in terms of VC funding for startups.

P: During the second day of the conference, many guest speakers presented their AI related companies, research, and work. Some of these guest speakers included Corinna Cortes from Google who spoke about Harnessing Neural Networks and how Google is using machine learning to create smart replies, James Villarrubia who spoke about his startup Mt.Cleverest, Vinay Anantharaman who presented his idea Bitesnap, Ron Fisher who talked his AI receptionist Bowtie, and Kul Singh who spoke about his brilliant idea Second Mind.

T: It was interesting to hear from Corinna Cortes, the head of research from Google NY. Cortes spoke about how Google is using the latest advances in neural networks specifically Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to implement and improve the Smart Reply feature in Gmail and Google Allo as well as Googles speech recognition technology.

P: I found Corinna Cortes talk very interesting and educational. She started off by talking about how machine learning is being infused with many different types of applications and programs at Google and how much of a significant role it has in everyday technology. She explained how Google has been using machine learning for Google Translate, Google Photos, and Gmail. I was very surprised because I knew that Google was using machine learning but I didnt know that they were using machine learning for almost all their applications.

After this, Ms. Cortes started to explain the process of how Google Smart Replies on Gmail are formed. She began by explaining how Smart Replies were inspired by Googles 2009 April fools day joke that detected the contents of a message and generated an automatic response that the user would not want to normally say as a response. She then started to elaborate on Googles Smart Replies and began explain how LSTM neural networks are used during this process.

P: LSTM neural networks are a special kind of recurrent neural network (RNN). Common RNNs constantly loop the information that is being presented to it allowing them to pass this information from one step of the network to the next. A drawback of a regular RNN structure is the fact that it is not capable of learning long-term dependencies such as certain parameters specific to a certain problem.

LSTMs solve this issue and are designed to remember information for long periods of time so that they can take these parameters into account and apply them for new tasks that are being presented to it.

P: Overall, Ms. Cortes did a great job presenting and I learned a lot of new information about artificial intelligence and machine learning.

T: New York has become a hub for AI because of the rise corporate research labs in the city such as Facebooks Artificial Intelligence Lab.

The greater New York City area as mentioned previously has an abundance of great universities as well as leading AI researchers. The number of fortune 500 companies and their vested interested in AI has also helped spur VC funding for startups in the area. All the funding combined with the great number of startups has also lead to many open positions in jobs with AI, DL, and ML. New York is leading the country in terms of employment opportunities for AI with over 8000 openings.

T: It was very interesting to hear directly from innovative startups in the AI space. Bowtie, Secondmind, Mt.Cleverest, and Bite.ai were all present at the conference. The startups are a part of the AI NexusLab which is a four-month accelerator program that is run by NYU Tandon Future Labs and ff Venture Capital. Many of these startups are utilizing the latest advances in deep learning to improve everything from the customer relationship management, education, and the fitness industry.

P: I found the presentation from Vinay Anantharaman of Bitesnap very interesting as its similar to a project Ive been working on. His start-up uses machine learning, specifically a CNN, to detect every type of food item on a persons plate so that they can keep track of all the food that they eat. I thought that it was a great idea, and very similar to a project I created called the AI Calorie Counter. Like Vinays app, mine detects a food item, but it detects it in real-time and can only detect one item at a time.

T: Bowtie allows businesses to develop and implement an AI receptionist over text, which can be used to book appointments, buy products, and get answers to any questions they may have. The receptionist handles any calls that the company may miss because of busy time periods. This allows the business to retain and create more customers, as well as to more revenue.

Second Mind enables conversations to visualized and transcribed. A vast amount of knowledge is exchanged in between people on a day to day basis. Often every detail in a conversation may not be retained. If the detail or information missed is critical it can detrimental to a business. Second Mind solves this problem by recording every conversation and essentially allows customers to derive key details from a conversation via a simple search.

Mt. Cleverest creates quizzes and tests based on material found online. There is a vast amount of information online that teachers are unable to utilize to the same extent as a textbook. By generating materials and examinations for teachers it allows them to not only grade exams quicker, but it also allows them to easily use the vast amount of resources online as material for the classroom.



T: It was a great learning experience attending the conference. Thank you to Intels Student Ambassador Program for allowing me to attend this exciting event.

P: Overall, I had a great experience at the Future Labs AI Summit in New York and I loved learning about AI during both the hands-on portion of the event and the guest speaker portion of the event. It was a very organized event and guests such as Karl Fezer, Corinna Cortes and Vinay Anantharaman did a great job presenting. I believe that the AI community in New York is strong and that it will only keep growing. I am fortunate enough to live along the east coast near New York and I hope to continue to contribute to the AI boom.

For more such intel IoT resources and tools from Intel, please visit the Intel Developer Zone

Source:https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2017/12/14/future-labs-ai-summit-at-nyu-fall-2017
If rumours circulating the internet are to be believed, then Xiaomi is dropping the Note lineup name. The successor to the Redmi Note 4 will be the Redmi 5 Plus

If information circulating the Internet is to be believed, then Xiaomi is expected to drop the Note lineup name in its smartphone family. It is expected that the successor to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 will be the Redmi 5 Plus.

According to a post on Xiaomis MIUI forums by super moderator Mitch002, The wait is finally over, Xiaomi has finally decided to release the Redmi Note 5, wait!!! I heard its called the Redmi 5 Plus? No kidding?? There was a name change? Well yes folks, the 2 new Redmi Note sized phones are named Redmi 5 for the 5.7" and Redmi 5 Plus for the 5.99". What will happen to the successor of the Redmi 4X which is supposed to be a 5" Redmi 5? No one knows, but as of the moment, Xiaomi has decided to drop the Note name on their 5.7" sized budget phones. It has been quite a year and 3 months in the waiting for all of us Redmi fans from all over the world, and now we are going to unbox the bigger sibling among the two, the Redmi 5 Plus.

Super moderator Mitch002 goes on to highlight the specifications of the Redmi 5 Plus. The smartphone is expected to have a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. It will be powered by a 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU and will come in two RAM variants - 3GB and 4GB along with two storage options, 32GB and 64GB built-in storage with expandable storage up to 128GB via a microSD card. The smartphone is expected to have a 12MP 1.25m rear Camera with f/2.2 aperture, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED (dual tone) flash. At the front, the device will have a 5MP camera, with soft flash and 1080p video recording. A 4000mAh battery will power the entire package and the smartphone will run on Android 7.1 on MIUI 9.0.3. All this information needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as this isnt an official unveiling or announcement from Xiaomi.

Xiaomi recently became the number one smartphone brand in India overtaking Samsung. Huawei, Oppo and Vivo have recently cut smartphone orders by over 10 percent due to fear of unsold inventory. Xiaomi seems to be the only Chinese smartphone maker that is selling smartphones despite a slowdown in global smartphone sales.
The Fifth Generation network is expected to start rolling out by 2018-2019. Network and Radio engineers can finally start working to produce 5G equipment and services as 3GPP completes the first implementable 5G NR specification.

5G or fifth generation is the upcoming standard of mobile communication expected to bring lower latency to networks, along with better and wider connectivity, and best of all, super speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

Now, in a move that will push the roll-out of 5G services and devices, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the organisation that defined the shift from GSM to 3G and 4G LTE, has set the specifications for 5G hardware equipment in cell towers as well as smartphones. The 5G specs were confirmed by 3GPP at a meeting of the group in Lisbon, Portugal.

This will enable the global mobile industry to initiate full-scale development of 5G NR for large-scale trials and commercial deployment as early as in 2019, as confirmed by telecom bodies and smartphone makers.

Notable Industry players like AT&T, BT, China Mobile, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, LG Electronics, MediaTek, Nokia, Qualcomm Technologies, Samsung, Sony Mobile, Vodafone, and ZTE have welcomed the announcement to accelerate the deployment of 5G NR. These companies can now start developing hardware, components and devices to support 5G wireless networks.

As one of the key players, Huawei has committed to develop a single global 5G standard. With the a successful cooperation and join efforts with global organizations including governments, regulatory agencies, research organizations, academia, industries, and many more sectors, 3GPP 5G NR standardization Phase 1 has been completed with great progress. Huawei will keep working with global partners to bring 5G into the period of large-scale global commercial deployment from 2018, said Yang Chaobin, president of Huawei 5G product line.

Marcus Weldon, president of Nokia Bell Labs and chief technology officer, Nokia, said: This is a key milestone in bringing 5G to market, and one in which Nokia is proud to have played a significant role. 5G will advance new possibilities for the role of wireless technology in society, leading to dynamic innovation in mobile broadband and in industrial automation for industry 4.0, enabling the creation of exciting new applications that connect and control our physical and digital worlds.

Back in February, 3GPP also revealed the new official logo for 5G, one you can see as the image for this article.

As a precursor to 5G networks, Bharti Airtel had announced the deployment of Indias first Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology back in September. The company is starting the first round of deployment in Bangalore and Kolkata and will be expanding to other parts of the country soon.
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Paper and packaging group Mondi has agreed to buy Finnish pulp and paper mill operator Powerflute, a division of Nordic Packaging and Container Holdings, for 365m on an enterprise value basis.

Powerflute operates an integrated pulp and paper mill in Kuopio with an annual production capacity of 285,000 tonnes of high-performance semi-chemical fluting. Its premium semi-chemical fluting is sold to a diverse range of customers, primarily for packaging fresh fruit and vegetables, but also other end-uses such as electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Around half of the companys production is sold in Europe, while the rest is exported globally.

For the year to the end of December 2017, it is expected to generate revenues of around 183m and unaudited pro-forma adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of around 42m. Powerflute will be integrated into Mondis packaging paper business unit.

Chief executive Peter Oswald said: The acquisition of Powerflute supports our strategy of investing in high-quality packaging and paper assets. We are excited by this opportunity to expand our customer offering by further broadening our containerboard product range and geographic reach.

The transaction remains subject to competition clearance and customary closing conditions and is expected to complete in the first half of 2018.

At 0900 GMT, the shares were down 0.7% to 1,872p.
The United Nations has voted against Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in spite of the US presidents threats to cut financial aid to countries that vote against him.

A huge majority of countries (128 members) voted on Thursday to reject the unilateral decision by the US earlier this month to declare Jerusalem as capital of Israel. The US also confirmed the transfer of the US embassy from Tel-Aviv to the holy city.

Trump's announcement sparked a lot of controversy and violent protests in Palestine and neighbouring regions. Many countries like the UK and France spoke out about the irresponsibility of the president's actions in stoking tensions in the region.

There has been a longstanding international consensus that the city of Jerusalem does not solely belong to Israel or Palestine and that the issue can only be solved when there is a peace treaty. Therefore it was no surprise that Palestinian people were at an uproar when Trump made these unilateral declarations supporting Israel's cause.

Earlier this week, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador had warned the UN that America would remember which countries disrespected America by voting against it.

President Trump also said They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us," he said. "Well, we are watching those votes... Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot.

The UN has sided in favour of supporting the international consensus that Jerusalem can only be settled as an agreed final issue in a peace deal.

Only nine states including the US and Israel voted against the resolution. These countries were Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Guatemala and Honduras. Some countries that had previously abstained from voting on the subject, such as Germany, voted in favour.

Only 35 countries abstained, many of them US allies, such as Mexico or Canada, but they used their time at the UN podium to criticise Trumps decision. It seemed that Trumps threats influenced some countries, as 21 nations were absent from the vote.

Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestine, described the result as a victory for Palestine. Their UN envoy Riyad Mansour said that this was a massive setback for the US and that they made it about them.

They did not make it about Jerusalem, so when you make it about them and to only be able to get nine votes to say no to it, I think it was a complete failure for their campaign.

On the other hand Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the result and but thanked the countries that voted with Israel together with the truth.

After the result US ambassador Haley said that the US expects to be treated with respect after all the contributions in makes to the UN.

If our investment fails, we have an obligation to spend our investment in other ways  The United States will remember this day.

On the other hand the Israel ambassador Danny Danon said that the UN members had been manipulated: You are like puppets pulled by your Palestinian masters.
Hundreds of people have quit, retired or taken buyouts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ever since President Trump and his EPA head Scott Pruitt took office.

That figure includes more than 200 scientists and 96 are environmental protection specialists that investigate important issues such as pollution levels, according to a new report from the New York Times and ProPublica. Others that have left include nine department directors and dozens of attorneys and program managers.

There has been a drop of employees of 770 between April and December. While several hundred of those are buyouts, the rest of those are either people that are retiring or quitting in disgust, Kyla Bennett, director of New England Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, told ThinkProgress earlier this month. Is that number higher than it would normally be? I think it is.

Most of these positions will not be replaced, leaving the agency depleted of vital knowledge about protecting our environment and ultimately public health.

Rolling back enforcement is very troublingit essentially means that people are going to breathe dirtier air and drink dirtier water, Judith Enck, who served as Regional Director for EPA Region 2 during the Obama administration, explained to ThinkProgress.

The EPA had employed about 15,000 people at the end of President Obamas term.

But President Trump has proposed a drastic 31 percent cut to the EPAs budgetthe largest cut to any federal agency. In June, the EPA unveiled a buyout program in an overall effort to remove 3,200 positions from the EPA, roughly 20 percent of its workforce.

Were proud to report that were reducing the size of government, protecting taxpayer dollars and staying true to our core mission of protecting the environment and American jobs, Pruitt said about the staff reduction program.

Pruitt has been criticized by environmentalists for leading an agency he was actively trying to undermine as Oklahomas former attorney general. The known climate change denier has close ties to the fossil fuel industry and has sued the EPA more than a dozen times over safeguards designed to protect the the countrys air and water.

Under his watch, the words climate and climate change have been removed across several EPA websites. Pruitt has also issued rules that block anyone who receives an EPA grant from serving on science panels.

This mass exit of staffers comes amid a New York Times report that Republican campaign operatives were using the Freedom of Information Act to investigate agency employees critical of the Trump administration.
Indian officials have just rolled out their newest weapon to fight air pollutionan anti-smog gun.

The $40,000 vehicle-mounted cannon sprays fine water droplets at extremely high speeds. Its manufacturers say this will flush out deadly airborne pollutants in one of the worlds smoggiest capitals. Delhis government tested the cannon this week in Anad Vihar, one of the most polluted parts of the city.

But environmentalists are skeptical.

This is a temporary local measure, not a long-lasting solution to the problem, Anumita Roychowdhury of the Center for Science and Environment in Delhi told Arab News. It will not improve the environment. Instead of looking at temporary measures, the government should focus on a comprehensive action plan for more systematic changes in the city to contain air pollution.

Since November, pollution in the city of nearly 20 million has worsened. Government officials were forced to close 6,000 schools and banned all but the most essential commercial trucks from entering the city.

Much of New Delhis pollution comes from outside the capital. Bordered by large agrarian states, the burning of crop waste engulfs Delhi, the state that hosts the Indian capital, every year in the fall.

On Thursday, the smog inhibited visibility as the city experienced an Air Quality Index of 482. Anything above 400 is categorized as severe.

This is not a solution to pollution. Its more tokenism and symbolism than an attempt to attack the source of the problem, Suni Dahiya of Greenpeace told Arab News.

The whole concept of the anti-smog gun is that when you have a situation where you have to shut down schools and colleges and other important buildings, then you can use this gun to reduce air pollution, Sushant Saini of Cloud Tech, the company that manufactures the water cannon, told Arab News. It is only for instant relief and not a long-term solution.

The Delhi government should look at more sustainable solutions rather than creating business for a few companies, Dahiya told the Guardian.
The Trump administration released an environmental review Thursday of Hilcorp Alaskas Arctic offshore drilling development. Hilcorp plans to build a 9-acre artificial island and 5.6-mile pipeline in the Beaufort Sea for its offshore drilling project. The Trump administrations draft environmental impact statement proposes to greenlight the dangerous drilling plan, which would be a first for federal waters in the Arctic.

Previous Arctic project studies have warned that offshore drilling in those remote, treacherous waters carries a 75 percent chance of a major oil spill. Concerns about the Liberty project were heightened this year when Hilcorp struggled for months to fix leaks in its underwater pipelines in Cook Inlet and meet basic regulatory requirements.

Arctic offshore drilling cant be done safely, particularly by this company. The icy, stormy waters make Arctic drilling inherently hazardous, and Hilcorp has a history of spills and regulatory violations, said Kristen Monsell, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. Polar bears, bowhead whales and other imperiled Arctic species will be in terrible danger if the Trump administration allows this reckless project to move forward.

Dipika Kadaba / Center for Biological Diversity

Hilcorps Liberty project is poised to be the first oil development project in federal Arctic waters. It was originally proposed by oil giant BP, but it is now being pursued as part of the Texas-based companys rapid expansion of its fossil fuel holdings in Alaska, including leasing 14 new federal offshore tracts in Cook Inlet for more than $3 million this summer.

In recent years federal regulators have warned the company to improve maintenance of its gas pipelines, and Alaskas state regulators have fined Hilcorp more than any other company and said disregard for regulatory compliance is endemic to Hilcorps approach to its Alaska operations. The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has repeatedly cited Hilcorp for violating safety regulations for its oil and gas operations in the state.

Nobody needs Arctic oil. Most of the world understands that, but Trump and Hilcorp just dont get it, Monsell said. The Arctic has largely been off limits to dangerous oil drilling, and it has to stay that way.
By Jessica Corbett

Georgias public utility commission voted 5-0 on Thursday to continue construction on two half-finished nuclear reactors that will cost an estimated $25 billion, even though the project is now more than $10 billion over budget and five years late.

Opponents of nuclear power were disappointed by the unanimous decision, which the Wall Street Journal noted was considered a victory for Southern Co., whose subsidiary Georgia Power is the primary owner of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, which has two existing reactors. The project has faced opposition from local residents as well as national groups that emphasize the long-term risks of nuclear power.

Georgia Power should scrap this disaster immediately and instead transition away from dangerous nuclear and fossil fuel-based electric generation and toward a 100 percent clean energy economy that creates good jobs, protects our environment, and shields our communities from the gross financial risks associated with bad bets like Vogtle, said Ted Terry, director of the Sierra Clubs Georgia Chapter, after the vote.

Georgia Powers profits have soared because theyve been allowed to pick the pockets of families, schools and churches for a boondoggle that even the [public utility commissions] staff has called too uneconomic to continueyet today commissioners chose not to stop it, Terry added. The commission has failed Georgias hard-working families and businesses today by choosing to be lapdogs for Georgia Power instead of watchdogs for the people of Georgia.

Construction on the reactors has been plagued by delays and spiraling costs, compounded when the main contractor filed for bankruptcy in March, the Associated Press reported.

Most people have to pay for their mistakes, but Georgia Power is still profiting from theirs, said Kurt Ebersbach, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. Theres something wrong with a system that rewards this kind of failure.

The decision will likely shape the future of the nations nuclear industry, partly because the reactors at Plant Vogtle were the first new ones to be licensed and to begin construction in the U.S. since 1978, the AP notedall while consumers of power in Georgia pay the price.

Under state law, Georgia Powers 2.4 million customers will ultimately reimburse the state-regulated monopoly for the flagship plant as they pay their monthly electricity bills, the AP explained. That law allows Georgia Power to charge its customers now for the interest it pays on the borrowed money needed for the project. Under an older law, the utility had to wait until the plant was operating to collect those interest charges from its customers, a practice that meant the interest owed grew during the construction period.

Even though customers had no control over Georgia Powers mistakes, theyre going to be the ones footing the bill, said Nathaniel Smith, chief equity officer at the Atlanta-based nonprofit Partnership for Southern Equity. These impacts will be especially difficult on the most vulnerable Georgians who are already struggling to put food on the table.

However, there may still be hope for cancelling the project. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Georgia utility regulators conditioned their approval of the Vogtle nuclear project on no small caveat: that Congress approves roughly $800 million worth of tax creditsmeaning that if federal lawmakers dont approve the tax credits, the state regulators may reconsider their decision.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams.
North Korea is known for its Nuclear missile tests provocating the US, which at multiple times had warned about dangerous consequences of it. It regularly tests fires its nuclear missiles to check its nuclear power capability. Despite being condemned of its provocative actions, it has not stopped its nuclear programs.

UNO has warned North Korea of serious damages if it continues to be in its own way. The USA which is an Ally of South Korea and has a military base over there is responding to the unwarranted claims of North Korea about its nuclear missile ranges. Kim Jong-un is accused of running North Korea on his own terms, killing those found to be acting against him while strictly controlling media and public information.

He is also spending huge money on military and weapons. The animosity between North Korea and South Korea is also considered to be one of the reasons for the current situation. While South Korea has found a powerful ally in The USA, North Korea has found a reliable partner in China.

The USA, which has time and again voiced its opinion regarding North Korea says it will do all it can to save its alliance with South Korea. The current president Donald Trumps response to the claims made by Kim Jong-un has not been at all responsible and sensible in any way possible.
Chief Minister pays tribute to Manx linguist



Lord Randolph Quirk

The Chief Minister has paid tribute to a Manx linguist and politician following his death.

Lord Randolph Quirk, who was considered one of the most important figures of 20th Century English linguistics, passed away at the age of 97 earlier this week.

Howard Quayle described Baron Quirk as a towering intellect whose work defined English language studies and one of the most influential people to come from the Island's shores.

Mr Quayle also praised Baron Quirk's work behind the scenes on the Island's reciprocal health agreement with the United Kingdom.

Baron Quirk, who was a member of the House of Lords, was knighted in 1985 and made a life peer as the Baron of Bloomsbury in 1994.
50 San Francisco Roundup Lawsuits Filed Against Monsanto

The law firms of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman and Kennedy & Madonna filed lawsuits against Monsanto Co. last week on behalf of 50 California residents who allege exposure to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Baum Hedlund attorneys Michael L. Baum, R. Brent Wisner and Frances M. Phares filed the Roundup cancer lawsuits on Dec. 13 in San Francisco County Superior Court.

The cases:

Aiton v. Monsanto Company; Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC; and Wilbur-Ellis Feed LLC (Case No: CGC-17-563100)

Baker v. Monsanto Company; Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC; and Wilbur-Ellis Feed LLC (Case No: CGC-17-563101)

Behar v. Monsanto Company; Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC; and Wilbur-Ellis Feed LLC (Case No: CGC-17-563102)

Kohn v. Monsanto Company; Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC; and Wilbur-Ellis Feed LLC (Case No: CGC-17-563104)

Norris v. Monsanto Company; Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC; and Wilbur-Ellis Feed LLC (Case No: CGC-17-563105)

The San Francisco Roundup lawsuits seek compensatory and punitive damages for personal injuries against St. Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto Co. and Wilbur Ellis Company, LLC of San Francisco, California, which sold and distributed Monsanto products within the State of California.

The lawsuits contain seven counts:

Strict Liability  Design Defect (Against All Defendants) Strict Liability  Failure to Warn (Against All Defendants) Negligence (Against All Defendants) Fraud (Against Monsanto) Breach of Express Warranties (Against Monsanto) Breach of Implied Warranties (Against Monsanto) Exemplary Damages (Against All Defendants)

Allegations in San Francisco Roundup Lawsuits

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, was initially patented in 1961 as a descaling and chelating agent used to clean out mineral and calcium deposits in pipes and broilers. In 1970, Monsanto discovered the herbicidal properties of glyphosate and began marketing it in 1974 under the brand name Roundup.

On March 20, 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued an evaluation of glyphosate, which traced the health implications from exposure to glyphosate going back to 2001. In its comprehensive report, IARC concluded that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A), and that the cancers most associated with glyphosate exposure are non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other hematopoietic cancers. The IARC report also found that glyphosate exposure caused DNA and chromosomal damage in human cells, as well as genotoxic, hormonal and enzymatic effects in mammals.

The IARC report is significant because, according to the allegations, it confirmed what has been believed for years: that glyphosate is toxic to humans. Nevertheless, Monsanto marketed Roundup and glyphosate as safe for humans and the environment even though the company knew or should have known that Roundup posed a grave risk of harm, according to the allegations.

At one point, Monsanto advertised that Roundup was "safer than table salt" and "practically non-toxic," assertions that prompted the New York Attorney General (NYAG) to file a lawsuit against the company for false and misleading advertising. Following the NYAG lawsuit, Monsanto entered into an Assurance of Discontinuance in which the company agreed to, among other things, "cease and desist from publishing or broadcasting any advertisements that represent, directly or by implication" that glyphosate-based herbicides are safe, non-toxic, harmless or free from risk.

Among other things, the lawsuits allegations accuse Monsanto of engaging in the following to validate its false claim that Roundup is safe:

Championing falsified data and attacking legitimate studies that revealed any health hazard associated with Roundup.

Deliberately refusing to test Roundup products because the company knew that glyphosate and glyphosate-based formulations posed serious health risks to humans.

Leading a prolonged campaign of misinformation to convince consumers and government agencies throughout the world that Roundup is not dangerous.

Ghostwriting studies relied upon by consumers and regulators to assess the safety of glyphosate without disclosing its involvement.

Ghostwriting editorials to advocate for the safety of glyphosate in newspapers and magazines without disclosing its involvement.

Ghostwriting letters by supposedly independent scientists that were submitted to regulatory agencies charged with reviewing the safety of glyphosate.

Violating federal regulations in holding secret ex parte meetings and conversations with certain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees to collude in a strategy to re-register glyphosate and to quash investigations into the carcinogenicity of glyphosate by other federal agencies.

Monsanto Roundup Litigation Moves Forward Across the Country

The 50 newly filed San Francisco Roundup lawsuits add to the growing number of cases Monsanto faces in federal and state courts. As of Dec. 2017, Monsanto faces more than 285 Roundup lawsuits in federal court before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in Northern California. The lead case in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) is 3:16-md-02741-VC.

In March 2018, in the federal Roundup MDL, lawyers from the Plaintiffs and Defense side will participate in what is known in the legal community as "Science Day" or "Science Week." This is where the two sides present their experts to educate the court on the science behind both sides of the Roundup cancer connection.

U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria will oversee a legal proceeding known as a Daubert hearing, where he will assure that scientific expert "live" testimony meets the "scientific knowledge" threshold needed at trial. Plaintiffs must show they have scientific proof to back their claims that Roundup/glyphosate causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

March 5, 2018: Daubert Hearing at 9:00 a.m. followed by "Science Week" with live testimony from expert witnesses is scheduled to begin

March 19, 2018: MSJ (Motion for Summary Judgment) Hearing and continuation of Daubert Hearing

Thousands of other plaintiffs have made similar claims against Monsanto in state courts in California, Delaware, Missouri, Nebraska and elsewhere. The first trial in the Roundup litigation is a state court case, which is scheduled to begin on June 18, 2018 in Superior Court for the County of San Francisco. The plaintiff in that case, DeWayne Johnson, is represented by the Miller Firm. Another state court case in St. Louis, Missouri will begin in October 2018.

June 18, 2018  First ever Roundup cancer trial against Monsanto (California)

October 2018  Second Roundup cancer trial against Monsanto in (Missouri)

On Wednesday, December 20, 2017, an important hearing will take place in Alameda County Superior Court. The Judicial Council of California (JCCP) has directed the presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Judge Ioana Petrou, to sit as coordination motion judge to determine whether coordination is appropriate for the hundreds of Roundup non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases filed in the state. It is expected that the judge will determine that it is appropriate and necessary to consolidate all the Roundup cases filed in California in one court under one judge. This will prevent redundancy and allow for efficient organization and litigation of the

Plaintiffs' attorneys estimate the total number of plaintiffs being represented to be around 3,500 with approximately 2,200 cases filed in state and federal courts. The law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman currently represents nearly 600 clients in the Roundup litigation.

Current approximate breakdown of Roundup cases filed:

1900 Missouri

285 Federal MDL

40 Alameda County

50 San Francisco County

2275

Since the beginning of the litigation, Baum Hedlund and other law firms have led the fight to declassify and publish court documents that include internal Monsanto communications, reports, studies and other memoranda. These discovery documents, now internationally known as 'The Monsanto Papers', allow people to see what is happening "behind the curtain" of secrecy that normally shrouds ongoing litigation.

"These documents show that Monsanto has deliberately been stopping studies that look bad for them, ghostwriting literature and engaging in a whole host of corporate malfeasance," says attorney R. Brent Wisner.

"We look forward to our clients getting their day in court. Plaintiffs will finally have a jury examine the plethora of evidence that will support the facts that show Monsanto has been aware for decades that Roundup causes cancer and should have warned about it from the beginning."

About the Roundup Attorneys Taking on Monsanto

Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. are working together with other consumer attorneys from across the country in representing victims who allege exposure to Roundup caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Baum Hedlund has successfully handled thousands of cases, securing over $1.5 billion in verdicts and settlements on behalf of their clients in all its areas of practice.* With decades of experience litigating personal injury and wrongful death cases, the firm has developed a reputation for holding Fortune 500 companies accountable, influencing public policy, raising public awareness and improving product safety.

*Past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes.
Santa Claus is most definitely coming to town, despite any reports to the contrary. In the nations capital, this is the time to put politics aside and enjoy this most special season with friends and family.

The staff of The Georgetowner wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas, if you so wish it, along with Happy Hanukkah, Sassy Solstice and Heri Za Kwanzaa. We especially wish for abundant joy and peace in 2018. Have a healthy and prosperous new year!

Georgetown Media Group invites you to send your holiday photos of Georgetown to editorial@georgetowner.com. We will use some of them to make a Part 2 of this festive photo essay next week.
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Houstons Kinder Morgan said Thursday its ready to move forward with its $1.7 billion gas pipeline from West Texas to the Corpus Christi area after signing on Apache Corp. as a major customer.

The project, expected to be in operation by October 2019, is meant to capitalize off of the ongoing shale boom in West Texas Permian Basin. While companies are primarily drilling for oil, theres also a lot of associated natural gas produced from the shale rock - even more than initially projected.

The goal is to ship the gas to industrial and port hubs near Corpus Christi and Houston, where the gas can be shipped to power plants for electricity generation, to liquefied natural gas export terminals, or to Mexico, which is increasingly importing more American gas for its power generation.

The 500-mile project is 50 percent owned by Kinder Morgan with the other 25 percent slices of the pie belonging to Houstons Targa Resources and DCP Midstream, which is a joint venture between Houstons Phillips 66 and Calgary-based Enbridge. Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2018.

As part of its deal as an anchor customer, Houston-based Apache has the option of buying a 15 percent stake from Kinder Morgan. Apache said the project is much needed to move gas from West Texas and will complement Apaches developing Alpine High fields in southwestern Texas.

The pipeline is one of more than 15 proposed projects to expand or construct pipelines that will traverse Texas from the Permian Basin to Houston, Corpus Christi and Beaumont. Most of the pipelines are for crude oil or natural gas liquids.

Competing projects include the planned Pecos Trail pipeline to Corpus Christi, which is proposed by Houston-based NAmerican Partners, a 2-year old venture backed by private equity.

Also, Houston-based Tellurian announced plans this week for the proposed Permian Global Access Pipeline, a 625-mile project from West Texas to southwestern Louisiana, to serve Tellurians planned Driftwood LNG export terminal and other projects. The pipeline is the biggest part of a $7 billion network Tellurian announced.

As for Kinder Morgans project, the 500-mile pipeline network would transport 1.92 billion cubic feet of gas a day. Irving-based Pioneer Natural Resources also is signed on as a major customer.

The 42-inch pipeline would specifically trek from Waha, Texas to Agua Dulce, which is just west of Corpus Christi. The proposed project can tap into Kinder Morgans existing Permian-area pipeline network, as well as Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners new Trans-Pecos Pipeline, which will ship gas from West Texas to Mexico.
AUSTIN  Handgun license holders can carry handguns into churches unless there are posted signs that ban handguns on the premises, Texas attorney general said in an opinion Thursday as he sought to clarify the state law in light of last months deadly church shooting.

Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a legal opinion that he interprets state law as allowing handgun license holder to carry their weapon into a church unless the church provides effective oral or written notice prohibiting the carrying of handguns on its property  as the law allows.
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In Texas, barbecue is bipartisan.

Its a uniter, not a divider.

Leave it to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, however, to turn brisket into a wedge issue.

Miller, the clownish lout of the state bureaucracy, faces a Republican primary challenge from former lobbyist Trey Blocker, and Blocker exercised the baby-back nuclear option this week with a new ad accusing Miller of launching a War on Barbecue.

Heres the back story: In April of this year, the Legislature (with unanimous support in the Senate and only one no vote in the House) passed House Bill 2029, a one-sentence piece of legislation exempting eating establishments that sell food for immediate consumption from state regulations requiring scales to be visible to customers and subject to $35 annual certification fees.

The Legislature acted only because Miller had decided in 2015 to start enforcing a little-known, century-old set of weights-and-measures regulations.

Miller hated HB 2029 from the beginning, and when he got the chance to write rules that would interpret the new law, he added three words that defied the Legislatures intent and incensed the barbecue-joint owners of Texas: on the premises.

That addition means any restaurant selling food for take-out  a common practice for barbecue restaurants  does not qualify for the new exemption.

Richie Jackson, the CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association, swiftly slammed Miller, saying the agriculture commissioners interpretation of the new law amounted to an agency coming through your back door to regulate.

Miller has spent most of his first three years in office complaining about a shortage of funding for his department, and its pretty clear that the GOP-controlled Legislature doesnt respect his competence or trust his judgment enough to give him the funds he wants. So Miller has focused on fines and fee boosts as a way to go around legislators and generate new revenue streams for his department. The restaurant scale regulation is part of Millers funding crusade.

In Blockers ad, three Texas titans of the barbecue business lambaste Miller.

Mike Cotten, owner of the Portland-based Mike Cottens BBQ, looks into the camera and says: Sid, focus on agriculture. Stay out of my kitchen.

Brent Harman, who owns the Dallas-based Sonny Bryans Smokehouse chain, calls Miller a bureaucrat with a vendetta who has committed an act of government overreach.

I spoke with Harman Thursday and he said Millers new rule could cost many Texas restaurants  including his  thousands of dollars per location.

In my case, we have a counter service restaurant, Harman said. You order at the cash register, the food is prepared in the kitchen, which you cant see. The letter of the law says that our scale has to be in view of the customer. That would require some restaurants, like mine, to renovate, to knock down walls.

Miller did not respond to an interview request for this column, but Mark David Loeffler, the Department of Agricultures communications director, told the Dallas Observer in October that Miller merely did the best he could to interpret a badly worded bill.

Blocker, 43, doesnt accept that rationale.

Theres no question that its a purposeful misinterpretation of the bill so that he can keep on bringing in additional fees, Blocker said. This is more about his abuse of power and his attempt, in every area of that department, to generate more money to fuel that bureaucracy.

In the March 6 GOP primary, Blocker will contend with an incumbent who never met a cartoonish stunt he didnt like, whether it was granting amnesty to cupcakes or enlisting Ted Wang Dang Sweet Poontang Nugent to be his campaign treasurer.

Blocker left his lobbying firm, Stalwart Strategies, to enter this race, and said his lobbying work allowed him to witness the corruptive influence that power and money have on politicians.

Sid Miller, he said, is the poster child for that corruption.

Hulings emphasizes Latino roots

While were on the subject of political ads, a noteworthy one has emerged from Jay Hulings, a former federal prosecutor who is seeking the Democratic nomination in U.S. District 23.

That district has a Latino majority population, so its no surprise that Hulings, in a two-minute video released last week, is emphasizing his little-known Latino roots.

The ad devotes special attention to Hulings close relationship with his maternal grandfather, Robert Mendoza Garcia, who served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army and later became an accountant for the state of Arizona.

Gilbert Garcia is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | ggarcia@express-news.net | @gilgamesh470
BBC One farming programme The Farmers Country Showdown is to return for a second series.

Due to broadcast this winter, the series will once again celebrate inspirational farming families who compete to showcase the results of their labour at the biggest event in their farming calendar.

The first series was hugely popular, peaking with 1.6 million viewers enjoying the series.

Some families are multi-generational, carrying on a legacy going back hundreds of years; others are new to the land, but equally as passionate.

Each episode will feature two families who farm similar produce or have diversified in similar ways, as they get ready for the same major event in their agricultural calendar.

Success can mean very different things for different farms. For some it may be holding on to some much coveted silverware, for others it may be the first time they have exhibited, or a hope to sell out their stock or make their mark in a competitive market.

'Devoted'

The series will look at farms from a wide cross-section of the industry including heavy horses, goats, dexter cattle and poultry and all manner of British food production from aromatic gins, free range eggs, to gourmet crisps and honey.

Carla-Maria Lawson, Commissioning Editor for Programming and Daytime, said: These hard-working, devoted farmers are the backbone of the rural economy  this series uniquely illustrates the changing face of farming as well as celebrating the traditional ways of working the land that live on through these families.

Karen Ross, Managing Director, Sidney Street Productions, said: We were delighted that viewers loved watching this format as much as we loved making it.

It balances a heart-warming tone with a real insight into the harsher challenges of farming across the country.

With the second series we are looking forward to telling new stories from different parts of this character-filled, dedicated and driven industry.
The veterinary industry has welcomed the "sensible" measures put forward by the government to increase the frequency of TB testing.

Defra have announced that bovine TB testing in cattle in the High Risk Area (HRA) of England will increase in frequency to once every six months.

The announcement comes in an effort to more quickly identify and eradicate bTB in Englands cattle herds.

In their announcement, Defra have also stated that testing can remain on an annual basis for those herds that have gone five or more years without disease or for farms that have been accredited under the industry-led Cattle Herd Certification Standards (CHeCS) scheme, which requires a raft of biosecurity measures to be in place.

Measures have also been announced on compensation arrangements for infected animals that have to be slaughtered.

'Very sensible'

British Veterinary Association (BVA) President John Fishwick said the veterinary industry "strongly believes" increasing the frequency of testing to every six months in the High Risk Area is a "very sensible" measure.

Mr Fishwick said it will enable earlier identification of bTB, which will not only provide farmers more certainty on the disease status of a herd but should help in the eradication of this devastating disease.

He said: Were happy to see that farmers who are being proactive in building resilience to bTB under the CHeCS will be recognised by retaining the frequency of testing at once a year. A greater gap than once a year between testing would introduce too much of a risk for the disease to be undetected.

The compensation for the slaughter of infected animals is necessary, and we support the move to reduce this compensation for animals that are unclean when brought for slaughter. However, we cannot support the delayed slaughter of pregnant cattle that test positive for bTB, as retaining an infected animal on a farm would introduce a significant risk of transmission of disease to healthy livestock.

We continue to support a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to tackling bTB and welcome the re-commencement of the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme, particularly if used as a firebreak to mitigate the spread of the disease into the low risk areas.

In order to increase vaccination of badgers the Government is offering grants under the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme. This will re-commence in 2018 and aims to create a buffer zone between the highest and lowest risk areas of England.
A Welsh sheep farmer has highlighted the versatility of mutton thanks to publicity from Jamie Olivers Channel 4 programme.

Gwaun Valley beef and sheep farmer, Robert Vaughan, has put mutton on top of famous TV chef Jamie Oliver's menu, which features in the current Channel 4 TV series Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast.

Pembrokeshire hill farmer Robert, who is a member of the Farmers Union of Wales, was keen to highlight how versatile and delicious mutton can be and was delighted to show Jamie and Jimmy round the farm.

He told the Farmers Union of Wales: Out of the blue one evening I had a phone call from the Jamie Oliver production team to have a chat about my farm and mutton for the new series, with the outlook of possibly coming to see the farm for themselves.

It was all getting rather exciting but nerve racking also at that point. But I just gave them my story, not pretending to be something Im not, and showed them round, explained how we farm and for how long weve been here. And they decided to run with it.

Impressed

Carn Edward meats is part of the north Pembrokeshire family hill farm and comprises of 3 livestock farms working as one under the gaze of Carn Edward mountain.

Robert continued: Before the filming actually started I sent them a few products up to taste in London. I sent them my mutton, and they got back to me and said that Jamie Oliver was impressed by it and came back with all these wonderful ideas of what to do with it.

And by the start of May we were filming. Originally the plan was for them to come out and do a taste test of flash frying a loin of lamb and a loin of mutton, and giving it to a couple of people to see what they think.

Job done and off they went, but because they were so impressed with the mutton story they came for the full day cooking different things.

What is so lovely with Jamie and Jimmy is that they champion the people who produce the food and also the people who consume the food, said Robert Vaughan.

Obsessed with lamb

Robert said the industry has become obsessed with the spring lamb story.

We need to keep the bigger picture in mind, as lamb consumption is falling and thats a concern for us all. So the mutton story is a way of generating a new interest and it is a great way of championing our sheep farming industry.

The farm runs as a typical livestock hill farm, with a closed flock comprising of 750 pedigree Lleyn breeding ewes and a native herd of 200 pedigree Longhorn cattle, with all calving and lambing taking place in the spring and all animals pasture grazed.

In the harsh depths of winter they are housed and fed on grass silage round bales made in early summer.

In 2001 the farm established their Longhorn cattle herd, a low input pasture based native breed, ideally suited to the extreme weather conditions facing a north Pembrokeshire farm
critic's rating: 3.5/5

Trailer : Tiger Zinda Hai

Every superstar, whether in Hollywood or Bollywood, needs a franchise to fuel and sustain their stardom. Salman Khan had Dabangg before, now he has the Tiger franchise too. If Ek Tha Tiger established the spy, action movie genre in Hindi cinema, Tiger Zinda Hai takes it forward. Director Ali Abbas Zafar's action thriller takes things to a whole new level. The intense action, the detail of costumes, characters and locations, everything about this film looks and feels international. Of course, it can't shake off the shirtless Salman hangover and the cinematic sins come in abundance. But this high-octane film is both slick and fantastic. For the average action movie buff this is pure guilty pleasure.The story deals with Indian and Pakistani nurses being held captive in Iraq, by a terror group. RAW decides to unearth Tiger (Salman Khan) from his time in hiding, because intelligence suggests nobody else can complete the rescue mission in 7 days but Tiger. So RAW chief Shenoy (Girish Karnad) plays the patriotism card to get Tiger to leave his adventurous life in the Alps behind and head to the sandy locales of Iraq to infiltrate and extract. Tiger though wants to chill with his wife Zoya (Katrina Kaif) and son. But on the insistence of Zoya, Tiger joins the mission and assembles a team made of Kumud Mishra, Angad Bedi and Paresh Pahuja. Together they have to get the nurses out of the evil clutches of Abu Usman (Sajjad Delafrooz). Tiger Zinda Hai uses the classic terrorists and hostages situation to create some high drama. But it doesn't adopt the Argo approach. Instead it takes the Rambo route where musclemen, guns, explosions and lots of action bombard the screen relentlessly. But that's not to say that the film is all about mindless violence. The writing is self critical in the right places. Moments where Tiger questions RAW's funny mission passwords make for a nice touch. There's also a strong woman empowerment theme delivered through Katrina Kaif's character which adds a nice depth to an otherwise all-macho movie.Katrina Kaif was the surprise package in Ek Tha Tiger and she's no different on Tiger Zinda Hai. The screenplay goes easy on her by not giving her stand and deliver dialogue. Instead, she does the bulk of the hand to hand combat and gun fights and she looks the part. Its invigorating to see a lady kickass with so much elan and pull all the punches like they're real. That her character Zoya destroys a band of heavily armed terrorists with clinical precision makes Tiger Zinda Hai that much more satisfying. Not to say, Salman Khan isn't in on the action. He fights in close quarters and the action looks intense and very real. In its 2 hours and 41 minutes, Tiger Zinda Hai serves up a lot of well-choreographed fighting. If you've grown up appreciating films from the Bourne series, you'll be thrilled to bits with what Tiger has to offer. Iranian actor Sajjad Delafrooz, who plays the main villain, has the standout performance. He impresses and terrorises in the most quiet and unsettling manner. Its also good to see Paresh Rawal bring back his streak of comedy and give the viewers a breather from all the break-neck action.It may look like a Hollywood action thriller, but at its heart, Tiger Zinda Hai is an unabashed masala movie. The excessive use of slow motion shots and the constant fall back to comedy keep reminding you, this film wasn't made in Hollywood. But the heady mixture of an international looking action film and the regular tropes of Hindi cinema make it a pleasing watch. The two songs Dil diya gallan and Swag se swagat come at the very beginning and the very end respectively. So they don't really distract from the action that sits firm in between. Director Ali Abbas Zafar has crafted a superb action movie with some pretty strong moments. The best of the lot deal with India and Pakistan rivalry and camaraderie. It's good to see an action film that slows down momentarily to show some insight. This one's definitely a smart watch.
Themalmheiri

Just watched #TigerZindaHai what a brilliant film. Congratulations @BeingSalmanKhan @yrf on this blockbuster movie filmed in #AbuDhabi 

Ali Bu @alibutt_real

Best action movie ever made in bollywood...Salman khan Roars like a real tiger..... #tigerzindahai

Alex Gee @Alexgee00

#tigerzindahai .. another great movie of bhai.. frame by frame.. this movie keeps u connected .. ..

SM Arsii @Sm_arsii

Just out from cinema in Dubai My review:

The most thrilling action film ever made in India, Ali Abbas zafar is great,he never let you expect what will happen in the next scene , Salman Khan acting is brilliant, and the moves of Katrina is eye catching 1/2

#TigerZindaHai

Jaey Gajera @JaeyGajeraIndia

Saw #TigerZindaHai Its Massive! Brilliant Action / Filming @aliabbaszafar @BeingSalmanKhan @yrf Brings Action Filming to Next Level. @TigerZindaHai #KatrinaKaif #SalmanKhan #YashRajFilms 4.5 Stars

sajjad hussain @ssajjadh

Content Content rone waloon, lo abb content ka baap #TigerZindaHai

Ell @tweet2el

#TigerZindaHai Intermission *whistles*

Nishu @Nisnord

In one Scene of #TigerZindaHai audience will literally jump from their seats with " AWE" don't want to disclose it let it be a surprise , each and every frame which have Salman giving Goosebumps to audience, Salman Khan is presented like a Dynamite on each scene

TIGER @azmatansari59

OMG what a great action movie TIGER ROAR IN IN DUBAI NEVER EVER SEEN BEFORE LIKE THIS MOVIE #TIGERZINDAHAI

TIGER IS BACK   @SultanKiAngel

What a film man! First a big applause to @aliabbaszafar for making a film like this one! Emotions, full on action and an important message for all of us..this is what TZH is about! Absolutely looooved the film! No dull moment at all! #TigerZindaHai

KesavKanishK - #AR @kesavkanishk

#TigerZindaHai excellent WoM ! Positives EVerywhere All Time Record in Advances in India - 25.5Cr #SalmanKhan #Stardom  Now no one can stop beating #Baahubali2 Hindi version record !

Masood @mmkhan999

Just watched #TigerZindaHai ... amazing movie.. @BeingSalmanKhan rocks!!

Ekta @dollz87

Intermission: #TigerZindaHai is excellent so far. The action and VFX are matching up to Hollywood standards.

On A Related Note...

Apart from superstar Salman Khan, the film also stars Katrina Kaif, Sajjad Delfrooz, Angad Bedi, Kumud Mishra and Nawab Shah.
Rajinikanth, The Incomparable Star!

Rajinikanth has no peers, not just in Tamil or Indian cinema but even world cinema. No other actor can conjure up such magic on screen with effortless ease.

The actor in his mid sixties is currently engaged in his what is likely to be the biggest film ever in Indian film history. 2.O, the sequel to the all time blockbuster Enthiran. Directed by the biggest showman in Indian cinema, 2.O is gearing up for a massive 2018 release.

Kabali And Lingaa

The last two big ticket projects of Rajinikanth the Pa Renjith directed Kabali and the K. S. Ravikumar directed Lingaa were lukewarmly received by fans and film buffs. Therefore the release of 2.O is eagerly expected by one and all.

2.O

Shankar's mighty project 2.O has been in the news for a long time. It was in the news right from the day it was announced couple of years ago. Each stage of the film's progress was celebrated with much fanfare.

The film was originally set to arrive in cinemas this year on Diwali, was later postponed to December 2017. But after that it was once again deferred a month further to January, in order to allow more time for post-production.

But after many postponements and plethora of announcements the Rajinikanth-Akshay Kumar mega movie now has an official releasing date of April 2018. It remains to be seen if this science fiction thriller has another postponement on the anvil.

Lyca Productions the producers of this multi-crore project has announced that the release date of the 3D sci-fi film, which is touted as the most expensive film not just in India, but across Asia, has been pushed further. Now it has again resulted in confusion regarding its release. It seems that the best option for the fans is to wait for the release and not pay heed to speculations.

Post Production Of 2.O

The movie, which also features the ravishing Amy Jackson as the female lead, is currently in post production. The Oscar-winning composer, the Mozart of Madras AR Rahman, has scored the music for the project, which is a sequel to 2010 blockbuster Enthiran.

2.O Teaser

There's been an unprecedented buzz for superstar Rajinikanth- Akshay Kumar's highly anticipated sci-fi, thriller, 2.O ever since it was announced.

Now it looks like that amidst the disappointment of postponement there is a silver lining after all. Though the makers could not meet the previous January deadline, we hear that they have planned to release the teaser of the film on January 26, as a Republic day gift.

Directed by S Shankar, the film is touted to be the most expensive Indian film ever made, on a budget of Rs 450 Crores. Produced by Subaskaran Allirajah, 2.O will release in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Arabic languages simultaneously.
ARTICLE IN BRIEF

Based on an analysis of postmortem tissue samples, researchers found that higher brain tissue glucose concentrations, reduced glycolytic flux, and lower protein levels of neuronal glucose transporters were associated with the severity of Alzheimer's pathology and symptoms.

Abnormalities in the brain's glycolytic and glucose transport systems may signal early pathological signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) years before the onset of clinical symptoms, according to an analysis of postmortem tissue from a long-running study of community-dwelling participants in Baltimore.

The study, published online ahead of print on October 19 in the Alzheimer's & Dementia journal, found that higher brain tissue glucose concentrations, reduced glycolytic flux, and lower protein levels of neuronal glucose transporters were associated with the severity of AD pathology and symptoms.

The findings provide evidence that brain glucose dysregulation may be intrinsic to the pathogenesis of AD, said the senior study author Madhav Thambisetty, MD, PhD, investigator and chief of the unit of clinical and translational neuroscience in the laboratory of behavioral neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging. These data set the stage for future studies of therapies that target the glycolytic pathway to prevent or slow the pathological process and reduce the risk of developing symptoms, he said.

Dr. Thambisetty and colleagues noted that earlier studies have shown abnormalities in insulin signaling machinery in AD patients compared to controls. But although imaging studies have shown reduced brain glucose uptake in regions vulnerable to AD pathology, it has not been clear whether the problems with regulating brain glucose metabolism is a key pathogenic factor in AD or whether abnormalities of brain glucose homeostasis in AD are related to peripheral glucose concentration.

To address these questions, Dr. Thambisetty and his colleagues turned to the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), which has since 1958 collected medical and health data on Baltimore residents, and since 1986, collected postmortem tissue samples.

STUDY METHODS AND FINDINGS

For the current study, the investigators conducted quantitative metabolomics assays of frozen brain tissue samples from 43 BLSA participants: 14 patients with AD, 14 controls, and 15 asymptomatic AD patients (those with brain pathology but no clinical disease during their life).

They looked at glucose levels in three different brain regions: the middle frontal gyrus that is vulnerable to amyloid, the inferior temporal cortex that is vulnerable to tau and neurofibrillary tangles, and the cerebellum that served as a control region because it seems resistant to the classical AD pathology.

The researchers found that brain glucose levels were significantly higher in the middle frontal gyrus and the inferior temporal cortex in patients versus controls. Those with no clinical signs of AD but who had amyloid and tau pathology fell somewhere in the middle. There were no differences in glucose concentrations in the cerebellum between the three groups.

DR. MADHAV THAMBISETTY said the findings provide evidence that brain glucose dysregulation may be intrinsic to the pathogenesis of AD.

The brain tissue glucose concentrations also correlated with severity in both the plaque and tangle burdens.

Were the AD brains having a harder time breaking down glucose? To answer this question, the investigators looked at the glycolytic pathway itself, which breaks down glucose to pyruvate, the metabolite used to form ATP, the energy that fuels the brain. They found the lowest rates of glycolysis in the AD patients and the highest rates in controls. Those with AD pathology but no clinical signs of cognitive problems again fell somewhere in the middle.

The researchers analyzed protein levels of two primary glucose transporters in the brain, neuronal glucose transporter-3 (GLUT3) and glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1). These transporters work in astrocytes (GLUT1) and also within the vascular endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier (GLUT3). They reported that GLUT3 protein levels were lower in AD and asymptomatic AD patients compared to controls. There were no differences in protein levels of GLUT1 in the three groups.

The conclusion, said Dr. Thambisetty, is that neurons are unable to break down glucose through glycolysis.

The researchers also looked at 445 plasma-fasting glucose levels collected over a 19-year period in the 43 participants to determine whether these levels were related to brain tissue glucose concentrations. The average time between death and the last measurement was about five years. Interestingly, they did find a strong relationship to the last fasting blood glucose and the brain glucose levels at death in all three brain regions.

Higher levels as well as greater increases over time in plasma-fasting glucose are associated with higher brain tissue glucose concentrations, the authors wrote in the study. There was, however, no relationship between the higher plasma fasting glucose concentrations and AD pathology noted at death, they said.

The scientists are now designing studies to identify triggers for these glycolytic defects. They are looking at the enzymatic steps in this pathway to assess whether they can uncover genes or environmental factors that alter glycolysis.

Dr. Thambisetty added that it is premature to change the recommendations for AD treatments or prevention. I will not tell my patients anything different than what I tell them now: Control blood sugar, exercise regularly, and eat healthy, he said.

EXPERT COMMENTARY

This is an exceptional study, said George Perry, PhD, dean of the College of Sciences and professor of biology at the University of Texas in San Antonio. The link between metabolism and Alzheimer's disease has been growing stronger with observational, genetic, health disparity, and lifestyle intervention studies.

He noted that almost two decades ago, scientists led by Suzanne de la Monte, MD, MPH, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Brown University, coined the term type 3 diabetes for the unique glucose utilization abnormalities seen in AD.

Since then, unraveling the nature of that abnormality has gained attention, but has not revealed its exact mechanism, Dr. Perry said. This study advances the field significantly by examining a well-controlled autopsy sample, and showing that reduced glycolytic and glucose transport activity is an early change of AD. These findings clearly place metabolic abnormality as a primary driver of AD.

Brown University's Dr. de la Monte said the study nicely demonstrates impaired glucose uptake in AD brains, corresponding with FDG-PET studies demonstrating reductions in brain glucose metabolism from the early stages of neurodegeneration. The authors emphasize the alterations in GLUT expression; GLUTs regulate glucose uptake in most cells. Since glucose is the overwhelmingly dominant fuel for brain metabolism, failure of neurons to transport glucose essentially causes them to starve. In the process, the cells undergo oxidative stress, membrane injury, and compromise of various functions including memory, plasticity, neurotransmitter function, cell survival, and cellular homeostasis. The overall process can trigger inflammation, further stress, injury, and death of cells. She explained that GLUTs are regulated by insulin, and in insulin-resistant states, GLUT expression and function are impaired.

Although the authors did not specifically investigate brain insulin resistance, their data illustrate the effects, she added. A major strength of their work was to demonstrate that the key fuel, glucose, was not being utilized  this is the same problem that occurs in type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes have at least a two-fold higher risk of developing cognitive impairment or AD. Altogether, this is very exciting because it provides further evidence that brain metabolic dysfunction related to glucose utilization begins prior to the onset of AD, and further suggests specific treatment and prevention strategies for cognitive impairment and AD.

Suzanne Craft, PhD, professor of medicine and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Core Center and co-director of the J. Paul Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention at Wake Forest School of Medicine, noted that study participants were very well-characterized with respect to cognition and with respect to peripheral glucose levels.

But, she said, while the study addresses underlying mechanisms that might be associated with reduced glucose utilization, such as reduced activity of glycolytic enzymes, and reduced levels of glucose transporters, we still don't know if the AD pathology causes the reduced glucose utilization or vice versa, or if some third pathology causes both.

I read this paper with interest, because glycolysis has been a major interest of mine, said Marcus E. Raichle, MD, PhD, a professor in the department of radiology, neurology, neurobiology, and biomedical engineering at Washington University School of Medicine. In a study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, he and colleagues found that the area of the brain that is very glycolytic is in the default mode network, the area that his group initially described. It is one of the earliest networks to be damaged in AD, he said, adding: This glycolysis pathway is definitely not working right. How does this fit into our understanding of why someone gets Alzheimer's? That's the $64,000 question, he said. We've documented an important pathway and now we need to accumulate more information to prove that it is right.
Indus OS raises $4M as pre-series B round from existing investors News oi -Priyanka This latest round takes Indus OS total funding to $13 million and the funds will be used to accelerate brand partnerships, user acquisition, and new product development.

Home-grown smartphone operating system Indus OS today said that it has raised $4 million (nearly Rs 26 crore) from existing investors Omidyar Network, Ventureast, and JSW Ventures.

Rakesh Deshmukh, Co-Founder & CEO, Indus OS, said, "The continued faith shown by our existing investors will help us achieve our vision of empowering a billion Indian users with a smartphone platform of their choice. We will strengthen our efforts to build the Indus OS platform for developers to reach the Indian masses through dedicated Brand Accounts, a new way for Indians to discover the Internet."

This latest round takes Indus OS' total funding to $13 million and the funds will be used to accelerate brand partnerships, user acquisition, and new product development.

Badri Pillapakkam, Investment Partner at Omidyar Network said, "Indus OS continues to innovate for the smartphone user through its differentiated suite of regional language and system/ native application products that help accelerate Internet adoption by the Indian masses. We are confident that the team will cement strategic partnerships with international smartphone brands and build on the momentum gathered over the past few years."

Smartron buys more than 60% stake in MiQasa

Indus OS now aims to acquire 100 million users in the next 3 years.

The latest round of funds will see Indus OS partnering with some of the major developers in the country through the expansion of its Brand Accounts, a novel integration of internet services within the OS platform.

Earlier this year, Indus OS announced the development of the first Aadhaar authenticated and UPI integrated OS in the country. The company is consistently evolving to meet the technological needs of the Indian consumer and the 'Digital India' mandate of the Govt. of India. Indus OS today offers a complete platform rich with patented features and innovations that empower Indian users with smartphone technology.

Best Mobiles in India

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U.S. Justice Department Says Intelligence Report Spurred FARA Requirement For RT

Mike Eckel December 21, 2017

The U.S. Justice Department says its decision to require RT to register as a foreign agent under a decades-old law was prompted in part by conclusions from the U.S. intelligence community about the state-funded Russian TV network.

The comment on December 21 by Adam Hickey, a deputy assistant attorney general, was the fullest explanation to date from U.S. officials regarding RT's registration under Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

That has prompted angry recriminations from Russian officials, who say a law signed by President Vladimir Putin in November enabling the government to label foreign media outlets "foreign agents" was adopted in response.

Rights groups and Western governments fear the Russian law will be applied selectively and will further restrict freedom of the media in Russia.

Asked why the Justice Department directed RT's American operating unit to register under FARA now, rather than years ago when RT first started its U.S. broadcasting, Hickey cited a report issued in January by the U.S. intelligence community.

Cyber-And-Propaganda Campaign

That report concluded that Russia conducted a cyber-and-propaganda campaign aimed at influencing the 2016 U.S presidential race. It cited RT, formerly known as Russia Today, and the news agency Sputnik as distributing government propaganda.

"That report was certainly relevant to our decision to examine them more recently," he said.

RT's American operating unit, T&R Productions, filed its FARA registration on November 13 after weeks of protests and threats of retaliation within Russia. Two days later, a U.S.owned, Washington-area radio station that recently signed a contract to broadcast Sputnik newscasts filed its FARA registration.

At the end of November, RT was stripped of its credentials to cover Congress, a decision made by the committee of reporters that oversees press access to the U.S. legislative branch.

'Clear-Cut' Reasons

Andrew Feinberg, a former White House correspondent for Sputnik who was interviewed by the FBI about the agency's operations, said in September that the FARA registration would be wholly justified.

"This is a case where the reasons are clear cut, and the differences between RT and Sputnik and legitimate foreign-owned news agencies are readily identifiable. I think it's totally reasonable to act," Feinberg told RFE/RL at the time.

The registration filed by T&R Productions identified the foreign principal it was controlled by as TV Novosti, and confirmed it was "financed by a foreign government, foreign political party, or other foreign principal."

However, the company also suggested it did not know where TV Novosti's funding comes from.

"Registrant's understanding is that the Russian Federation finances ANO TV-Novosti to a substantial extent. Registrant is not sufficiently aware of who supervises, owns, directs, controls or subsidizes ANO TV-Novosti," it said.

RT is not the only foreign media outlet operating in the United States that has registered under FARA over the years. Units belonging to broadcasters and publications from China, Korea, Japan, and Canada have been registered at various times. In the 1960s, the Soviet news agency TASS, along with the newspaper Pravda, were also FARA-registered.

'Reciprocal Measures'

The law, which was passed in 1938 to counter fears of Nazi propaganda and misinformation, does not restrict foreign media operating in the United States, but does require things like accounting registers, corporate documents, and similar records be made available for Justice Department inspection.

RT's director, as well as top Russian officials and lawmakers, had alleged that requiring RT to register amounted to an infringement on free speech, and Russia has taken what it describes as reciprocal measures.

The Justice Ministry on December 5 declared Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and seven affiliated news services "foreign agents."

Russia has not pinned the designation on any other media outlets. But on December 21, the ministry released a draft order whose wording suggested that, if it is approved and issued, all foreign media outlets would be considered foreign agents.

Russian officials have asserted that the new media restrictions are "symmetrical" with the U.S. measures. U.S. officials say the Russian action is not symmetrical, arguing that the U.S. and Russian laws are different and that Moscow uses its "foreign-agent" legislation, including a separate law that applies to nongovernmental organizations and civic groups, to silence dissent and discourage the free exchange of ideas.

While RT and Sputnik distribute their programs freely in the United States, RFE/RL is already subject to severe restrictions in Russia, with nearly all of its radio broadcasts forced off the air by 2012 due to administrative pressure. Neither RFE/RL nor VOA has any access to cable TV in Russia.

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.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rt-fara-intelligence-report-us- justice-department/28931638.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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Ukrainian PM's Aide Detained On Suspicion Of Being Russian Spy

RFE/RL December 21, 2017

An aide to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman has been detained on suspicion of being an agent of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

A government representative to parliament, Vadym Denysenko, told 112 Ukrayina TV on December 21 that Stanislav Yezhov was detained a day earlier.

Media reports say that Yezhov accompanied Hroysman on his international trips and often served as an interpreter.

He has worked in the past in the president's office and at the Ukrainian Embassy to the United States.

On December 20, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) announced that it had apprehended a government employee, whose identity was not disclosed, on suspicion of "acting in the interests of security services of the aggressor country."

The detainee was officially informed that he is a suspect, the SBU said

With reporting by 112.ua

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-hroysman-aide- yezhov-arrested-russian-spy/28931018.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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US Intelligence Chiefs Urge Congress to Reauthorize FISA

Sputnik News

23:40 21.12.2017

Failure by Congress to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before the law's December 31 expiration would threaten the ability of the United States to guard against future terrorist attacks, the heads of the major US intelligence agencies and the Attorney General warned in a joint statement on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The statement was issued by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, FBI Director Christopher Wray and National Security Agency (NSA) Director Michael Rogers.

"Reauthorizing [FISA] Section 702 before it expires is vital to keeping the nation safe," the statement read. "Let us be clear: if Congress fails to act, vital intelligence collection on international terrorists and other foreign adversaries will be lost. The country will be less secure."

The statement pressed Congress to reauthorize the provision before it terminates on December 31. It also suggested that short-term extensions of FISA

Section 702 are not in the nation's best interest as they create uncertainty in planning and operations.

Section 702 refers to a provision in FISA that allows US intelligence to spy on foreigners, using electronic intercepts and other means.

Privacy advocates and critics in Congress claim Section 702 has been used to circumvent laws that prevent spying on US citizens and residents without a court order.

The joint statement denied charges of Section 702 abuse, saying that the US Intelligence Community employs the provision with the privacy and civil liberties of American citizens in mind. They also noted that courts have found the provision constitutional in cases where the measure has been challenged.

 Sputnik

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Pakistan Rejects Claims Convicted Indian Spy Will Be Executed

By Ayaz Gul December 21, 2017

Pakistan is rejecting reports authorities plan to execute an Indian death row prisoner soon after arranging a meeting with his relatives next week in Islamabad.

Former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested in early 2016 in the southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan. In April this year, a military court sentenced him to death for espionage and terrorism against Pakistan.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal confirmed Thursday visas have been issued to the mother and wife of Jadhav. He told reporters at his weekly press conference the two are scheduled to arrive and meet Jadhav on December 25.

"Execution is totally not in the forecast," he said. "These are just comments in the air, mere hearsay. There is no such thing. This is our rich tradition in Islamic history about such meetings. He is a terrorist, he is the spy, not his mother and his wife. So the meeting has nothing to do with anything else."

The spokesman reiterated that his government is arranging the meeting "purely on humanitarian grounds" and acting on a request from Jadhav's family through diplomatic channels.

"The meeting will be held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We await further details from India in this regard," Faisal said. "Pakistan is ready and willing to permit media interaction with the wife and mother of Commander Jadhav. We await inputs from India in this regard."

India says Jadhav is a former officer of the Indian navy but rejects the charges against him as baseless, saying he has no connection with the government.

Pakistani officials insist Jadhav has confessed before the country's military court that he was tasked by the Indian intelligence agency "to plan, coordinate and organize espionage, terrorist and sabotage activities" against Pakistan.

India asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in May to restrict Pakistan from executing Jadhav, arguing he was denied diplomatic assistance during what it called an "unfair trial." The ICJ suspended the execution, pending final judgment by the court.

Pakistan rejected India's assertions while submitting its reply to ICJ last week. Islamabad defended its stance of not granting diplomatic access to Jadhav, insisting he is a serving officer of the Indian Navy and entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying subversive acts.

Jadhav has filed an appeal with Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, to seek clemency, which is still pending.

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WINNEBAGO -- A Ho-Chunk Inc. subsidiary was awarded a $100 million contract earlier this week from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Under the five-year contract Flatwater Solutions, part of Ho-Chunk's Flatwater Group, will purchase office furniture and provide design, installation and removal services in support of all bureaus and offices within the Commerce Department. It covers all the department's locations in the continental U.S. and its territories, with primary locations in metro Washington, D.C.. Other locations could include Boulder, Colorado; Seattle, Kansas City, Missouri; and Hampton Roads, Virginia.

The Flatwater Group is a collective of small businesses that strives to deliver quality, cost-effective products and services to federal agencies. It specializes in office, health, and technology solutions, professional support services, raw and fabricated metals, and logistics services.

Flatwater, based in Winnebago, Nebraska, also has offices in the Bellevue/Omaha area and outside of Washington
UN envoy urges support for efforts to resume political process in Yemen

20 December 2017  The United Nations envoy for Yemen on Wednesday called for halting violence and supporting efforts to bring warring parties together for the resumption of the political process.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, "is deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in Yemen and the continuous violations putting the life of civilians at risk," said a statement issued by his office.

Since 2015, the southern Arabian nation has been in a conflict between forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and those allied to the Houthi rebel movement.

The envoy reiterated that there is no military solution to the crisis, and the only solution is a Yemeni-owned political process "without any foreign intervention," the statement said.

Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed condemned targeting the Saudi capital of Riyadh on 19 December with a ballistic missile, saying that "this is an escalation that hinders peace efforts in Yemen."

The envoy called for restraint and urged parties to refrain from any acts of violence that would aggravate the already difficult humanitarian and security situation in the country.

The envoy welcomed the decision of the Arab Alliance to open the port of Hodeidah for humanitarian and relief access and allow commercial ships to enter for 30 days, also calling for the continuation of these measures thereafter.

The envoy reiterated his earnest intention to redouble his efforts urgently to get in contact with all parties to prepare the resumption of a comprehensive and credible political process.

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FEATURE: Curtain falls on UN tribunal's 24-year history of fighting impunity in former Yugoslavia

20 20 December 2017  As the United Nations tribunal dealing with atrocities committed during the Balkans conflicts in the 1990s prepares to close its doors on 31 December, top officials say the court has proven skeptics wrong, citing its achievements and its immense contribution to international criminal justice.

Established in 1993, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has spent more than 10,800 trial days, heard at least 4,650 witnesses, produced over 2.5 million pages of transcripts and indicted 161 individuals  all in its quest to end impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed there.

"The ICTY has been the foundation for the existing international criminal justice regime. I believe it's fair to say the ICTY can be considered the genesis of the global culture of accountability," the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, Miguel de Serpa Soares, told a recent event held to reflect on the tribunal's 24 years of operation.

Among other achievements, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic  two of the main architects of some of the worst atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the genocide of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica  were convicted by the ICTY, with sentences of 40 years and life in prison, respectively.

"In 1993, I think, no one believed that we would have been able to bring justice to anyone [] We have proved exactly the opposite," ICTY President Carmel Agius told UN News. He noted that the court has completed all judicial work, despite complex challenges, including the difficulty to bring witnesses from abroad, translation and interpretation issues, and a lack of cooperation from countries from which help was needed.

When the ICTY  the first court to undertake the prosecution and adjudication of the gravest international crimes since the post-World War II Nuremberg and Tokyo trials  was created, the international community was studying the possibility of creating an international criminal court and was still developing international criminal code, Mr. Agius recalled.

Given the atrocities being committed with absolute impunity in what was then Yugoslavia, UN Member States could not stand by and created the ICTY as "an emergency remedy," said Mr. Agius, who was first elected to the tribunal as a judge in 2001 and has been serving as its President since November 2015.

In his view, an early success of the ICTY paved the way for the establishment of a permanent tribunal, namely the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"The international community, which believed in international justice and was watching us to see if we could make this experiment work, suddenly realized that the time was ripe to take one step further and that what could not be achieved over the previous 50 years could now become a possibility," he said.

Mr. Agius said he was part of the negotiations for the establishment of the ICC that started around 1995. "By 1998, we had the [Rome] Statute," he said, referring to the treaty that established the ICC as the central institution of the global criminal justice system.

"The Americans speak of the miracle of Philadelphia. I speak of the miracle of the ICTY," he said, "because we inspired the international community to take our example forward" to create a permanent international criminal court.

Earlier this month, Mr. Agius addressed the Security Council, the body that created the ICTY, for the last time.

"Despite all the sceptics, the naysayers, the deniers who, from the very beginning, embarked on a campaign against the Tribunal and have been at pains to question our legitimacy and integrity and portray a doomsday scenario, I am proud to appear before this esteemed Council today and say: mission accomplished," he declared.

Phone call: 'General Mladic was arrested'

The Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY, Serge Brammertz, told UN News that the closure of the court, which is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands, does not mean the end of impunity for the crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and other places.

"We have indicted 161 individuals. It is a lot, compared with other international tribunals, but it's very little if we look at the number of crimes which still need to be investigated and prosecuted," he said, noting that in Sarajevo alone, there are more than 3,000 investigations ongoing.

"You can only have peace, long-term peace, if there is accountability for crimes committed during the conflict," he added.

Mr. Brammertz said the ICTY "exceeded expectations" and was "a success despite the legitimate criticism" that many victims' associations have because of their higher expectations.

The most important moments for him over the past 10 years as Chief Prosecutor were his meetings with victims and survivors, who always reminded him why the tribunal was set up.

"But if I have to choose one specific moment, it was when I got the phone call: 'General Mladic was arrested,'" he said.

Legacy of fighting impunity, ensuring accountability

Among the tribunal's achievements, it held individuals to account regardless of their position. The ICTY indicted heads of state, prime ministers, army chiefs-of-staff, government ministers and many other leaders.

It has also provided thousands of victims the opportunity to be heard and to speak about their suffering. Many of them displayed exceptional courage in recalling their harrowing experiences. The tribunal preserves their testimonies in court transcripts and video recordings.

One of the witnesses who testified at the ICTY, Teufika Ibrahimefendic, a healthcare professional who had been involved in treating victims of war crimes, said that "the Hague Tribunal, [for] all the victims, all the women with whom I have had a chance to work, has a very great significance for them They do trust that the real causes of what happened will be identified and that the people will muster enough courage, including victims, to tell the story of what happened People expect that justice will be done and that the right decisions will be reached."

The ICTY has also established crucial facts related to crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, following careful review of testimonies of eyewitnesses, survivors and perpetrators, forensic data and documentary and video evidence. The tribunal's judgements have contributed to creating a historical record, combatting denial and preventing attempts at revisionism and provided the basis for future transitional justice initiatives in the region.

In addition, the tribunal has encouraged judiciaries in the former Yugoslavia to reform and to continue its work of trying those responsible for war crimes committed there during the 1990s. It works in partnership with domestic courts in the region  transferring its evidence, knowledge and jurisprudence  as part of its continuing efforts to bring justice to victims in the former Yugoslavia.

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U.S., French forces fortify longstanding partnership during Alligator Dagger

US Marine Corps News

By Lt.Cmdr. Sandra Arnold | TF 51/5 | December 21, 2017

The French navy Mistral-class amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre, with embarked U.S. Marines and Sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and USS Lewis B. Puller rehearsed amphibious operations and combat sustainment in the vicinity of Djibouti during Alligator Dagger, Dec. 12-21.

This iteration of Alligator Dagger marked the first time where this recurring U.S. training exercise was expanded to include French military partners participating in both the at sea and ashore evolutions.

Approximately 1,000 U.S. and French troops trained together during the exercise to hone critical skill sets that are essential to ensuring regional stability, freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in this dynamic and challenging environment. The exercise continued the close cooperation between the U.S. and French Forces deployed on Tonnerre and to rehearse possible contingency operations to provide a highly ready and capable force for crisis response and combat operations.

"As the only standing, forward deployed and fully integrated Navy/Marine Corps command, TF 51/5 prides itself in its ability to synchronize forces afloat and ashore to provide immediate and robust crisis response options to the U.S. Central Command and the National Command Authority," said Col. Howard Hall, TF 51/5's director of operations. "While naval integration is the foundation of TF 51/5's effectiveness and success, partnering with French land and maritime forces in Alligator Dagger represents both a manifestation and expansion of naval integration to include our partners and allies. Combating transregional threats requires multi-domain and multi-national solutions."

The bilateral engagements focused on noncombatant evacuation operations; amphibious assaults; helicopter-borne raids; visit, board, search and seizure operations; air strikes; defense of the amphibious task force; integrated ground-and-air fires; tactical recovery of personnel; ground reconnaissance; medical casualty evacuations; combat marksmanship and quick reaction force and casualty evacuation rehearsals.

Alligator Dagger is the largest regional amphibious exercise to integrate and synchronize TF 51/5's warfighting capabilities with those of adjacent U.S. Naval Forces Special Operations Forces units to ensure they are postured and prepared to execute operations at sea, from the sea and ashore. The two-week combat rehearsal, launched from international waters off the coast of Djibouti and executed on land in the vicinity of Arta Beach, is synchronized with each incoming TF 51/5's subordinate vessel's entry into the U.S. 5th Fleet.

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US vice president makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:52PM

US Vice President Mike Pence has made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan to meet with American military officers and Afghan leaders, amid escalating violence in the country despite the presence of thousands of US-led NATO troops there.

Pence departed on the trip shortly after an event at the White House on Wednesday night and arrived on a military aircraft at Bagram Airfield under the cover of darkness on Thursday night.

From Bagram, Pence flew by helicopter to the capital Kabul, where he held meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Pence told the Afghan leaders that the United States was "here to see this through," and underscored American commitment to the country four months after President Donald Trump pledged a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban militants and signaled the United States would deploy more troops to the country.

In August, Trump announced his controversial war strategy for Afghanistan. In a blatant U-turn from his campaign pledges to end the now 16-year occupation of Afghanistan, Trump said that his views had changed since entering the White House and that he would continue the military intervention "as long as we see determination and progress" in Afghanistan.

Trump authorized an increase of thousands of troops requested by General John William Nicholson, who has said he needs about 16,000 troops in Afghanistan, and NATO countries have also pledged to help make up the difference.

The United States -- under Republican George W. Bush's presidency -- and its allies invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban regime from power, but after more than one and a half decades, the foreign troops are still deployed to the country.

After becoming president in 2008, President Barack Obama, a Democrat, vowed to end the Afghan war, but he failed to keep his promise.

Trump, who has spoken against the Afghan war, has dubbed the 2001 invasion and following occupation of Afghanistan as "Obama's war."

Echoing Trump's comments when he unveiled the new strategy, Pence also accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to the Taliban and other groups.

"Those days are over," Pence said, adding that Pakistan had much to gain from cooperating with the United States, and lot to lose by harboring "criminals and terrorists."

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has dismissed US claims as "hollow allegations," and said the stalemate in Afghanistan will not improve unless the United States acknowledges its defeat in the country.

"Their failures over the past 16 years [since the war in Afghanistan started] is before them," Asif said while briefing the Pakistani Senate on October 25.

Asif said that US policymakers, and not their military commanders, needed to drop the failed military plan and devise a political solution.

"There will only be room for improvement if Washington accepts their defeat, their failures in Afghanistan," Asif said. "They are not ready to accept this."

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Palestinian unity deal on verge of collapse, says Hamas leader in Gaza

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 06:54PM

The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, says a national reconciliation deal with the rival Fatah party of President Mahmoud Abbas seems to be collapsing.

Yahya al-Sinwar, the Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip, offered a bleak outlook of the unity agreement on Thursday, suggesting the deal could suffer a fate similar to numerous reconciliation attempts over the past decade.

"The reconciliation project is falling apart. Only a blind man can't see that," media outlets quoted Sinwar as saying.

Fatah officials say one of the latest disputes came earlier this month when Hamas did not complete the handover of Gaza to Abbas' West Bank-based government.

Under the reconciliation agreement, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority was to take full control of the Gaza Strip by December 1.

Hamas says it has given up all administrative control in Gaza. The movement in early November reportedly began handing over control of the border crossings in the Gaza Strip to the PA under the agreement.

Palestinian Authority's Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Hamas had not transferred moneys as agreed, while Hamas said Hamdallah's government had not paid salaries in Gaza as agreed.

The reconciliation deal was signed between Hamas and Fatah in the Egyptian capital Cairo on October 12 in an attempt to end a decade-long split that has crippled Palestinian statehood aspirations.

The Palestinian leadership has been divided between Fatah and Hamas since 2006, when the latter scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in Gaza. Hamas has ever since been running the coastal enclave, while Fatah has been based in the autonomous parts the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Previous reconciliation attempts by the two sides to form a power-sharing unity government in Gaza and the West Bank have failed.

In September, however, Hamas said it had accepted key reconciliation conditions offered by Abbas and underlined its "desire to achieve national unity."

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UN General Assembly unanimously calls on US to revoke al-Quds decision

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 05:22PM

The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israeli "capital."

The 193-nation assembly adopted the resolution on Thursday by a decisive vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter, hailing the vote as a "resounding" negative reply to US President Donald Trump's "intimidation" in reference to his threat of reprisals against countries that support the measure.

Before the vote was held at the General Assembly, Trump had warned that "we're watching," threatening reprisals against countries that back the Jerusalem al-Quds resolution.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also welcomed the Thursday development.

"The vote is a victory for Palestine," said Nabil Abu Rdainah, who added, "We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and at all international forums to put an end to this occupation and to establish our Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital."

"This decision reaffirms once again that the just Palestinian cause enjoys the support of international law, and no decision by any party can change the reality," the Palestinian president's spokesman noted.

Meanwhile, Palestine's UN Envoy Riyad Mansour described the UN vote as a "massive setback" for the United States, saying, "One hundred twenty-eight versus nine -- that's a massive setback for the United States of America."

Hamas, Islamic Jihad welcome UN vote on Jerusalem al-Quds

Palestine's Islamic Jihad movement also hailed the UN vote, describing it as a slap in the face for the United States and Israel.

In a statement released following the voting at the UN, the Islamic Jihad urged the Palestinian people to continue their uprising against Israel across the occupied territories.

In a related development, the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, welcomed the UN General Assembly resolution that called the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital "null and void."

Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, said in a statement that the resolution was "a step in the right direction" and "a blow to Trump's announcement."

The statement added that the resolution emphasized "the Palestinian right to the holy city."

Ahead of the voting, US Ambassador Nikki Haley took the podium warning that "the United States will remember this day."

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem," Haley said, adding, "No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN."

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also reacted to the UN vote, noting that the UN members had shown that "dignity and sovereignty are not for sale.

In a post on his Twitter page, Cavusoglu noted that Turkey, Palestine and other co-sponsors of the resolution thanked every country that supported it at the UN General Assembly.

Prior to Thursday vote, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki appealed for support for the measure, saying the US was "undergoing an unprecedented test."

"History records names, it remembers names -- the names of those who stand by what is right and the names of those who speak falsehood. Today we are seekers of rights and peace," Maliki said.

Iran's ambassador to the UN also condemned Trump's decision to announce Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of the Zionist regime, noting that the Tel Aviv regime was at the center of all crises and conflicts in the Middle East.

Gholamali Khoshru added that the "illegal decision" made by the US administration to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital and move its embassy there had proven beyond any doubt that the United States only thinks about maximizing the interests of the Zionist regime without any respect for the legitimate rights of Palestinians, including their right to self-determination.

Additionally, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addressed the General Assembly meeting, saying that it is "unethical to think the votes and dignity of member states are for sale."

He further noted that Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's "capital" violated international law and relevant UN resolutions.

"Turkey will never let al-Quds down. The Palestinian people will never be left alone. The world is bigger than five," he said, referring to US veto of the UN Security Council resolution on Monday, which affirmed that any decisions on the status of Jerusalem were "null and void and must be rescinded."

Fourteen members of the 15-member council had voted in favor of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically name the US or Trump but expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem" al-Quds, while US Ambassador Nikki Haley wielded Washington's veto against the call.

Israel, however, rejected the world body's resolution while thanking Trump for his decision to move US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.

"Israel rejects the UN decision and at the same time is satisfied with the high number of countries that did not vote in its favor," AFP quoted a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying.

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International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia to close after nearly 25 years

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 05:07PM

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is to wrap up its prosecution of crimes committed during the Balkans Wars of the 1990s nearly 25 years after its inception by the United Nations.

The tribunal is closing its doors with an official ceremony on Thursday in The Hague, the Netherlands, where it is based.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended the event, which marks the end of meting out justice for nearly a quarter of a century, prosecuting and sentencing top military and civilian leaders of the war in the Balkans.

Of a total of 161 indictments filed during the court's mandate, 90 people were convicted and sentenced, 19 were acquitted, 37 cases were withdrawn and 13 were refereed to local courts.

One of the last court sessions, however, proved to be a full drama as former Croat general Slobodan Praljak drank poison in the courtroom in late November to protest the upholding of his convictions as a war crime.

He shortly died and joined a list of suspects who never served their sentences, including former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, the man accused of being the driving force behind the Balkan wars. Milosevic died in the court's custody in 2006 before his trial ended.

The ICTY is respected by many for the sentences it meted out to Bosnian Serb military chief General Ratko Mladic and his political master Radovan Karadzic for the role they played in the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the eastern enclave of Srebrenica and other crimes.

The UN chief said during the closing ceremony that the court would be reminded by many for its key legacies, which include a huge archive of evidence and court records.

"These records ensure that the world will not forget that history cannot be rewritten," said Guterres, adding that those records would be a major resource for battling revisionism and denial in the future.



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US military carried out 120 airstrikes in Yemen in 2017: CENTCOM

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 05:50AM

The US military says it has carried out more than 120 airstrikes and "multiple" ground operations in Yemen in 2017.

"US forces have enabled regional counterterrorism partners to regain territory from these terrorists  forcing them to spend more time on survival," US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Lt. Col. Earl Brown said in a statement on Wednesday.

"These operations have helped to illuminate [sic] terrorist networks, making intelligence-gathering, subsequent targeting and follow-on operations increasingly productive and effective," he added.

Earlier this year President Donald Trump authorized the military to conduct airstrikes against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) without notifying the government in regions designated as areas with "active hostilities."

On Wednesday, CENTCOM praised the strikes for assassinating several al-Qaeda leaders: Mujahid al-Adani, AQAP Shabwah leader; Abu Layth al-Sanaani, Al-Bayda governorate AQAP facilitator; Ruwahah al-Sanaani, also a facilitator; and Ubaydah al-Lawdari, emir of Lawdar district.

"Every strike, every raid and every partnered operation advance the defeat of these violent extremist organizations," Brown said. "US forces will continue to use all effective measures to degrade the groups' ability to export terror."

Meanwhile, there has been a sharp rise in the number of US drone strikes in Yemen and Somalia since US Trump took office in January, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

"In Yemen, 30 strikes hit within a month of the declaration being reported  nearly as many as the whole of 2016. Most of the 125 strikes in 2017 hit in central Yemen, where the US military's Central Command vigorously pursued fighters from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)," said the bureau.

Yemen has come under regular US strikes, with Washington claiming to be targeting al-Qaeda militants while local sources say civilians have been the main victims.

The US has been contributing to the Saudi-led war on Yemen both directly, through intelligence sharing and logistical support, and indirectly, with the sale of billions of dollars' worth of arms to the Saudi regime.

On Wednesday, more than a dozen civilians were killed and several others injured when Saudi military aircraft carried out separate airstrikes against residential areas across Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement and reinstate the former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of the Riyadh regime.

More than 12,000 people have been killed since the onset of the campaign more than two and a half years ago. Much of the Arabian Peninsula country's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble due to the war.

American journalist and writer Stephen Lendman recently told Press TV that the war against Yemen "was planned and orchestrated in Washington. It's America's war. Saudi Arabia is doing its terror bombing."

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UN Votes 128-9 To Reject U.S. Recognition Of Jerusalem As Israel Capital

RFE/RL December 21, 2017

The UN General Assembly has voted 128-9 in favor of a draft resolution rejecting Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The December 21 vote was seen as a strong rebuke against U.S. President Donald Trump, who had warned of potential cuts in foreign aid to nations that went along with the resolution.

Thirty-five countries abstained, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines.

The nonbinding UN resolution, written by Egypt, called for the assembly to declare U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital "null and void."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas called the vote a "victory for Palestine."

Ahead of the vote, Israel's envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, vowed that "no General Assembly resolution will ever drive us from Jerusalem."

Trump had said he would scrutinize the outcome and suggested that Washington could cut off financial aid to countries that supported the text.

"We're watching those votes," the president said on December 20. "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot. We don't care."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on December 21 called on countries not to be swayed by Trump's threat, and expressed hope that the world would "give a very good lesson" to the United States.

A similar draft resolution was vetoed by the United States at the UN Security Council on December 18, as all other 14 council members voted in favor.

Trump announced on December 6 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, triggering international condemnation and protests across the Muslim world.

Palestinians regard Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared the city as its capital, a move never recognized by the international community.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and The Jerusalem Post

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/un-votes-reject-us-jerusalem -recognition-capital/28931789.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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Al-Qaeda Propaganda Chief Reportedly Killed in US Airstrike in Yemen

Sputnik News

16:03 21.12.2017(updated 17:15 21.12.2017)

Al-Qaeda's propaganda chief in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was among those killed in two separate US drone strikes in Yemen, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Saudi-born Abu Hajar al-Makki and three other AQAP militants were among six jihadists who were killed when a drone blew up their vehicle in the Wadi Obeida district of Marib province, east of the capital Sanaa, tribal sources said.

A long-running US drone war against AQAP has intensified since President Donald Trump took office, in particular, US forces have carried out more than 120 air strikes against jihadists in Yemen this year. According to the US officials, the strikes have killed a number of senior AQAP figures in recent months, for instance, Mujahid al-Adani, who was killed on November 20.

Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict since 2015, with the government of President Hadi fighting against the Houthi rebels, backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen at Hadi's request. The Sunni extremist group has thrived in the chaos of nearly three years of civil war between the Saudi-backed government and Shiite rebels, who control the capital.

 Sputnik

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Prosecutors charged a 28-year-old Lincoln man Thursday in connection to a stabbing in downtown Lincoln as bars were closing early Sunday.

Sandye Robinson, 1240 S. First St., is accused of second-degree assault and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony for the incident at about 2:15 a.m.

The Lancaster County Attorney's Office also charged him with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person for two shotguns police say they found Wednesday in a search of his home.

A judge set Robinson's bond at $250,000.

In an affidavit to arrest him, police said they saw several people fighting at 14th and O streets, then a man clutching the right side of his lower back and bleeding from two puncture wounds. The 36-year-old man told police he was stabbed in the back as he was breaking up a fight.

He was taken to Bryan West Campus with injuries that weren't life-threatening.

Police developed Robinson as a suspect and arrested him Wednesday outside his home. He said he was downtown Sunday but denied assaulting the victim, according to court records.
Norway Goes Korean With First Artillery Update in 50 Years

Sputnik News

15:17 21.12.2017

In the first major upgrade of its artillery since the 1960s, Norway has settled for the Korean K-9 Thunder, which is currently in use in South Korea itself as well as Turkey.

The Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency (NDMA) has entered an agreement with the South Korean company Hanwha Land Systems for the purchase of 24 K-9 Thunder 155mm systems, along with associated ammunition, to the tune of NOK 3.2 billion ($380 million).

"The K9 Thunder by Hanwha Land Systems is a fully-developed and verified artillery system that meets the Armed Forces' needs and requirements. Hanwha Land Systems has also shown that they are able to deliver according to the required time and cost limits," the NDMA wrote in a press release.

According to the contract, there is a reserved option to buy an extra 24 systems, which would give Norway a total of 48. Previously, the same amount has been procured by Norway's neighbor Finland, the Tekniske Ukeblad trade weekly reported.

"It has been important for us to find an artillery system with the highest degree of already-developed capacity and thus the lowest possible risk," Brigadier Morten Eggen said.

The delivery of the artillery will start in 2019 and be fully complete by 2021, several years earlier than planned (2024).

According to the NDMA, four artillery systems were tested in the winter of 2016. The imperative requirement was the ability to deliver indirect fire over 40 kilometers' distance, while cost-efficiency, operational availability and the capacity to resist enemy fire also were considered.

A logistics and maintenance center for the new procurement will be established in collaboration with Bjerkvik Tekniske Verkstad, in collaboration with Hanwha Land Systems, which will provide the necessary test equipment and training material.

Norway has been struggling for years to replace its ageing artillery, which it bought approximately 50 years ago. In 2003, Norway signed a letter of intent with the Netherlands to acquire 18 Panserhaubitze 2000 units, but the project was canceled four years later due to the costs. In 2007, an agreement over 24 Norwegian-Swedish Archer systems was signed, but was also canceled in 2013 due to delays and technical challenges.

At present, Norway has 14 M109 systems, originally acquired in 1969; these are heavily modernized and spread over three artillery batteries.

The K9 Thunder is a South Korean self-propelled howitzer developed in late 1999 by Samsung Techwin. In the future, the list of user nations may include India, Poland and Estonia with 100, 120 and 12 pieces respectively.

 Sputnik

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Saudi Arabia Loosens Grip on Yemen, Opens Port to Aid

Sputnik News

12:06 21.12.2017

The humanitarian situation in war-devastated Yemen seems to have started showing signs of improving. Saudi Arabia is leading the coalition of countries supporting the national government against the Houthi movement.

Saudi Arabia has announced the reopening of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, where food aid and commercial fuel will be delivered in the next thirty days.

"The port of Hodeidah will remain open for humanitarian and relief supplies and the entry of commercial vessels, including fuel and food vessels, for a period of 30 days," the Saudi-led coalition leadership said in a statement.

The decision came following permanent demands by an array of aid agencies, including the UN, to lift the 30-day blockade of Hodeidah, which is seen as a lifeline for more than 70 percent of those in need of humanitarian aid in Yemen.

Welcoming the coalition's move, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson expressed hope "this will start to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and get them the supplies they desperately need."

2015 saw the beginning of the Yemeni civil war between the internationally recognized government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, backed by the Arab coalition, and the Houthi rebel movement initially supported by military units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

After Saleh cut ties with the Houthis forces and proposed a "new page" with the Saudi-led coalition forces, he was killed by his former allies on December 4.

Shortly after the start of the conflict, the coalition imposed a blockade of Yemen, which it said was aimed at preventing the Houthis from receiving arms supplies from abroad.

The blockade led to a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where the UN claimed at least 8.4 million people are "a step away from famine."

 Sputnik

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UN tribunal for former Yugoslavia leaves behind culture of accountability, says Guterres

21 December 2017  The United Nations tribunal dealing with atrocities committed during the Balkans wars of 1990s has been a pioneer in creating the contemporary architecture of international criminal justice, and "gave a voice to victims," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday.

"The creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1993 was a ground-breaking moment," said Mr. Guterres in his keynote address at the closing ceremony of the court in The Hague, Netherlands.

Recalling that it had been close to half a century since the Nuremberg and Tokyo war crimes trials and the 1948 Genocide Convention entered into force in 1951, Mr. Guterres said no international criminal tribunal that would recognize individual criminal responsibility for such a crime had yet been established.

"The creation of this Tribunal demonstrated a newfound and serious commitment by the international community that those responsible for perpetrating the most serious crimes of international concern should be held accountable for their actions," he said.

The Tribunal sat for more than 10,000 days of trial, and heard testimony from nearly 5,000 people. Ninety individuals were sentenced for their crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic conducted his own defence in a five-year-long trial before the Tribunal, which ended without a verdict when he died in 2006.

"Beyond these numbers, the Tribunal gave a voice to victims," the Secretary-General said, noting that people who had experienced atrocious violence and tragic losses were given the opportunity to tell their stories in court, to place their experiences on the record, and to see the perpetrators of crimes against them held accountable.

The Tribunal leaves behind one of its most important legacies: the immense archives documenting what happened in Sarajevo, Foca, Vukovar, Suva Reka, Srebrenica and elsewhere.

"These records ensure that the world will not forget, that history cannot be re-written, and that the victims' voices will continue to resound down the decades," he said.

The Tribunal has been a pioneer in creating the contemporary architecture of international criminal justice, and pushed international expectations of accountability beyond what was anticipated in 1993.

"Accountability has taken root in our collective consciousness," he said, explaining that it is common practice for the UN Security Council to call for the perpetrators of atrocities to be held accountable, and similarly this is reflected on the statements of heads of state; in the work of journalists; in the efforts of national courts; and in public opinion.

The Tribunal also inspired the establishment of entities for ensuring accountability both at the international and national levels.

Indeed, without the UN tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, there might never have been a permanent International Criminal Court, the central institution of the international criminal justice system today, Mr. Guterres said.

But the future is not only the fight against impunity, it is also the pursuit of truth and reconciliation.

The genocide in Srebrenica will continue to haunt the global conscience. Just as the whole international community, including the UN, has had to acknowledge their share of responsibility for the massacre, so must the various communities of the former Yugoslavia build on the legacy of the Tribunal and deepen their efforts towards trust and full reconciliation.

"Accepting the undeniable truth and facts of past tragedies is crucial for building a better and common future," he said.

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UN Report Cites Progress, Challenges in Afghanistan

By Paul Alexander December 21, 2017

Afghanistan made improvements on a number of fronts this year but still faces major challenges, ranging from the rejuvenated Taliban and other opposition forces to widespread corruption, challenges in putting together elections, a boom in heroin production and ongoing tensions with neighboring Pakistan, an annual U.N. report says.

After decades of war and chaos, the country again appears to be at a crossroads that depends in part on whether the Taliban will give up terrorism and crime in exchange for dialogue with the government aimed at fostering a lasting peace.

"The security situation remained highly volatile, as the Taliban and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP) showed continued capacity for inflicting mass casualties amid increased Afghan and international air strikes," said the report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The report was the topic for a series of speeches at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, with hopes raised that several international efforts to bridge political divides may eventually yield success, while diplomats from several countries expressed concerns about the drug boom and the long-term prospect of instability and terrorism spreading from Afghanistan.

The U.S. expressed willingness to "partner with anyone" to bring peace to Afghanistan, and Kabul's U.N. ambassador said he hopes "cooperation will foster cooperation."

While Pakistan was rarely mentioned by name, there were repeated references to the need for Afghanistan's neighbors to be fully engaged and committed to the peace process, saying there is no military solution to the violence.

President Donald Trump's new policy for Afghanistan has included pressuring Pakistan to do more to track down on terror groups that are believed to have taken refuge there. Islamabad has sharply denied the allegations and claims no such groups are living on its soil.

While tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan spiked several times during the year, leading Islamabad to shut border crossings for extended periods and start to build a border wall, there also have been some recent positive signs. Islamabad has separately sent its military chief and a parliamentary delegation to Kabul for talks.

Another recurring theme at the Security Council underscored the need for continued international assistance, with speakers saying Afghanistan is not capable of self-reliance yet but that it must play the leading role in working out a peace deal.

And endemic corruption continues to plague the country.

"The National Unity Government continued to prioritize its reform agenda, with an emphasis on anti-corruption measures and security sector reform, in the face of ongoing security and governance challenges," the U.N. report said.

The election process has been slowed by a series of setbacks that have undercut public confidence, though plans still call for parliamentary and district council polls in 2018.

More children were in school and getting vaccinations this year, while women were making advancements, including greater political involvement. Production of several major crops jumped, particularly saffron.

But the biggest money crop  opium poppies  also skyrocketed. The Taliban relies on revenue from opium and heroin to fund its operations.

Heroin production was up 87 percent, leading to a U.S.-led bombing campaign against drug labs.

VOA Afghan contributed to this report.

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White House Condemns Yemen Rebel Missile Launch Against Saudi Arabia

By Peter Heinlein, Chris Hannas December 21, 2017

The White House has condemned "in the strongest terms" the ballistic missile launch this week by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which it said "was aimed at the Saudi royal palace in Riyadh," the official residence of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A statement Thursday by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders urged the United Nations to hold Iran responsible for "repeated and blatant violations" of Security Council resolutions on Yemen.

The White House and Saudi leaders have argued that Yemen rebels have been receiving missiles from Iran in violation of a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution, which bars Tehran from exporting certain kinds of weapons unless approved by the Council. Iranian officials deny the claims.

Last week, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley held a news conference showing missile debris that she said constituted "undeniable" evidence that the weapons the Houthi rebels have been using violate the ban. Experts are divided over whether the evidence Haley offered is conclusive of sanctions violations, but many say it is clear that the rebels are receiving some form of Iranian assistance.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed credit for Tuesday's missile launch, as well as a similar launch last month targeting Riyadh's international airport. The Saudis reported no casualties, saying both missiles had been intercepted while in flight.

After the November missile launch, Saudi Arabia put in place an air and sea blockade in Yemen, saying the move was necessary to prevent shipments of arms from reaching the rebels.

Dire humanitarian situation

The White House statement welcomed the news that the Saudi-led coalition is reopening the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida for at least 30 days to allow humanitarian and commercial shipments to Yemen's 27 million residents.

The United Nations and aid agencies had been warning that the month-long blockade on the Hodeida was threatening Yemenis desperately in need of food and other humanitarian relief. U.N. officials say three million people have been forced from their homes in what is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The world body's special envoy for Yemen expressed concern Thursday about an escalation of violence in the country. The envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, condemned the latest Houthi missile launch against Riyadh, calling it "an escalation that hinders peace efforts in Yemen."

The Houthi rebels seized Yemen's capital of Sana'a in late 2014, forcing the country's internationally recognized president, Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, to flee to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led coalition responded in March 2015 by launching an operation to fight back against the rebels on behalf of Hadi's government. Since then, the World Health Organization says health facilities have reported more than 8,700 conflict-related deaths and 50,000 injuries.

The International Red Cross says there are one million suspected cases of cholera in Yemen, and that more than 80 percent of Yemenis lack food, fuel, clean water and access to health care.

Ahmed, the U.N. envoy, said there is no military solution for the Yemeni conflict and said he is boosting his efforts to contact the warring sides and prepare for resuming a political process.

Thursday's White House statement called on all parties to support a political solution in Yemen, saying it "is the only way to advance long-term stability in Yemen and end the suffering of the Yemeni people.

"As the largest humanitarian donor to the people of Yemen, the United States remains committed to alleviating the dire human suffering in Yemen," the statement said.

Reuters reports that airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen have killed at least 136 people since December 6. The report quoted the spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville as saying, "We are deeply concerned at the recent surge in civilian casualties in Yemen as a result of intensified air strikes by the  coalition, following the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sana'a on Dec. 4."

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UN Overwhelmingly Rejects US Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's Capital

By Margaret Besheer December 21, 2017

The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution rejecting the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move its embassy there.

"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation," U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told a packed hall ahead of the vote.

"We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations, and we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit," she added.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, said, "Those who support today's resolution are like puppets pulled by the strings of the Palestinian puppet masters. You are like marionettes forced to dance while the Palestinian leadership looks on with glee."

Palestinian request

The Palestinians had asked for Thursday's emergency General Assembly session to consider the Egyptian-sponsored draft.

It followed a U.S. veto Monday in the Security Council of a nearly identical draft resolution, which the other 14 council members supported.

The General Assembly resolution reaffirms Jerusalem's special status as a holy city and as a final-status issue to be resolved in future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. It also says "any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded.''

Unlike Security Council resolutions, the assembly measure is not legally binding, but it carries moral weight, demonstrating the will of the majority of the international community. It was adopted with more than a two-thirds majority of the 172 nations that voted  128 nations supported the measure, nine voted against it and 35 countries abstained.

The United States and Israel were joined in voting "no" by Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo and Palau.

More than 20 nations did not turn up for the controversial vote, including Ukraine and Georgia, which have sought U.S. help in dealing with Russian aggression against their countries.

Pressure campaign

Earlier this week, Haley wrote to many U.N. member states and warned them that she would be taking names and reporting back to President Donald Trump on how nations voted, noting the president was taking the vote "personally."

"History records names, it remembers names," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told the General Assembly. "The name of those who stand by what is right and the name of those who speak falsehoods. Today we are seekers of rights and peace."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu flew in for the special session. He angrily dismissed Trump's warning that if countries voted against the United States, he might cut aid to them.

"Such an attitude is unacceptable," Cavusoglu said. "This is bullying and this chamber will not bow to that. It is unethical to think that the votes and dignity of member states are for sale. We will not be intimidated."

Among those who can scarcely afford to lose U.S. aid is Yemen, the poorest nation in the Middle East. Its ambassador voted for the resolution.

"There will be very close scrutiny and decisions made on that basis," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tim Lenderking said Thursday. "We have to measure that against the fact that there's a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen."

But Lenderking called the possible cuts in aid to those who voted against the U.S. no "empty threat."

Some abstentions

U.S. lobbying ahead of the vote did persuade some countries to abstain, including neighbors Canada and Mexico.

"Mexico does not see it as positive or useful to the peace process that a unilateral declaration has taken place to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Ambassador Juan Gomez Camacho said after the vote. "Nor do we believe it to be useful, and we see it as disproportionate, to convene an emergency meeting of the General Assembly."

Some of the European Union's 28 members broke with its consensus on Jerusalem, including the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, which all abstained.

Earlier this month, Trump said the United States considers Jerusalem the Israeli capital, and he started the process of moving the U.S. Embassy there.

Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its eternal capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state and now say the United States is no longer a reliable partner in the peace process.

The Trump administration says it is committed to a two-state solution in the Middle East if that is what the parties want, and that the physical location of its embassy should have no bearing on the talks.

VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.

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AU Says it Needs Urgent Resources for its Mission in Somalia

By Mohamed Olad Hassan December 21, 2017

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) says it needs urgent and reliable funding in order to defeat al-Shabab militants and transfer security responsibilities to the Somali National Army.

AMISOM chief Francisco Madeira issued the appeal while talking to reporters in Nairobi Thursday.

"We need urgent support. Our troops are ready, but they need to be resourced. This has not been happening to expectations, despite the repeated commitments by partners in different forums," said Madeira.

Madeira warned that lack of funding could endanger the hard-won gains in the fight against militants over the last decade.

"A stable Somalia is critical for the stability across the East African region and beyond, and if we do not decisively address the threat of al-Shabab, [the group] will continue to pose a danger," he said.

AMISOM has said it will begin drawing down the number of troops in Somalia ahead of a total pullout in 2020. The first batch of 28 Ugandan soldiers left the country earlier this month.

A recent United Nations Security Council resolution slightly reduced the maximum number of troops to 21,626.

Pre-conditions

The AU plan for withdrawal set pre-conditions, including the training and equipping at least 30,000 Somali National Army (SNA) personnel with the support of the U.N. and other donor countries.

Madeira says it is the time to help the SNA prepare to take the lead in the stabilization process.

"It is urgent that Somalia security forces are capacitated to take over the security responsibilities of their country. The integration of Somali National Army needs to happen in urgency," said Madeira.

Mission optimism

As the clock ticks towards a new year, AMISOM and the Somali Army, with the help of U.S. military, are preparing for a major offensive to drive al-Shabab militants out of their strongholds in the Juba Valley, the Gedo region and the Middle Juba region.

"We look forward for 2018 with great optimism," said Madeira.

Madeira said AMISOM's 2018 plans include handing over major frontline bases across Somalia to the SNA.

But he questioned the viability of these plans without adequate funding and support.

"We will work with the Somali National Forces and other stake holders to open unsecure main supply routes, protect strategic infrastructure such as key bridges in order to link population centers and support humanitarian activities. These operations are all subject to availability of adequate support," said Madeira.

On Tuesday, Somali Defense Minister Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman said an assessment conducted by the government found that approximately 30 percent of the SNA soldiers do not have weapons.

The evaluators said some units also lack medium and heavy weaponry, and some are "undermanned."

Khadar Hared contributed to the story from Nairobi.

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South Sudan to Implement Cease-fire Saturday

By VOA News December 21, 2017

South Sudan's government and armed groups signed a cease-fire agreement Thursday during peace talks in Ethiopia, in their latest push to end a four-year civil war.

The agreement pledges that all parties on Saturday will end hostilities; freeze military positions; and release prisoners of war, political detainees, and abducted women and children.

African Union chairman Moussa Faki called the agreement "an encouraging first step" toward ending the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more from their homes.

But this is only the latest attempt at a peace agreement in a war that has mutated from a conflict between two sides to one between the government and multiple opposition groups, as the world's newest nation struggles to establish its identity.

South Sudan achieved independence from Sudan in 2011, but a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former ally, Riek Machar, devolved into civil war two years later. A peace deal was signed in 2015, but it collapsed within a year as fighting broke out in capital city Juba, and then-first vice president Machar was forced into exile.

The governments of the United States, Britain and Norway issued a statement Thursday welcoming the agreement and congratulating the parties on their "willingness to compromise for the benefit of the people of South Sudan." The statement calls on all parties to implement the agreement "immediately," including providing humanitarian access to affected areas.

The three nations also called on all parties to address the security and governance concerns that are, as quoted in the statement, "essential for peace."

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Poland Remains Defiant as EU Threatens Sanctions

By Jamie Dettmer December 21, 2017

Poland's populist government remained defiant Thursday in the face of a European Commission decision to trigger a legal procedure that could lead to Poland losing EU voting rights.

The unprecedented move by the commission to invoke an article 7 process to deter the Polish government from tightening political control over the judiciary was met with bravado by the country's president, Andrzej Duda, who in a television address said he would go ahead and sign two controversial reform laws, adding to 11 other measures.

Duda was careful in his late Wednesday address, though, not to repeat some of the more fiery responses from Warsaw that have characterized the two-year-long confrontation between Warsaw and Brussels over the changes made by the country's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS).

"We're bringing in very good solutions in Poland that will serve to improve the justice system,"he said.

Poland's prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, also was careful with his wording in defending the actions of his government.

On Twitter he wrote, "Poland is as devoted to the rule of law as the rest of the EU."But he added,"Judiciary reform is deeply needed."

The signing of the measures, which critics say effectively places the Polish courts in the grip of the governing party, now sets the stage for a deepening crisis in the heart of Europe and threatens to divide the EU, east from west.

The European Commission says the two laws undermine the legal standards expected of member countries and amount to a"serious breach" of the rule of law. Other critics bemoan what they say is a turning of the clock back to the authoritarianism that Poland endured under Communism.

As the commission announced it was triggering an article 7 process, Poland's Justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, continued to purge senior judges, dismissing some by fax.

"We have to continue with the reforms of the justice system,"he told reporters.

Article 7 was added to the EU's founding treaty in 1999, allowing for sanctions to be imposed on a member country for breaching democratic rights. The article has never been invoked before, although the commission has threatened several times to use it in the past.

In announcing the EU decision, Frans Timmermans, the commission's first vice-president, said it was doing so"with a heavy heart"due to the adoption of several measures since the PiS came into power,"which put at serious risk [the] independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers in Poland."

Brussels rejects the Polish government's claim it is modernizing the judiciary and the courts. Timmermans said Wednesday the reforms should be in accordance with Poland's constitution and EU law.

"If the application of the rule of law is left completely to individual member states, then the whole of the EU will suffer," he said.

EU officials say that membership of the bloc requires states to observe the legal standards and norms agreed by all.

Analyst Bruce Wilson said, "Over the last two years there have been a number of legislative actions by the current ruling party which limit the independence of the judiciary, and the view of the European Union is that part of the process of building a democratic society is that the three arms of government, the executive, the judiciary and the parliament are independent."

Wilson, professor at RMIT University's European Center in Australia, said "in the last two years, 13 pieces of legislation, according to the EU, have threatened the independence of the judiciary."

He said Brussels fears the PiS is"limiting the capacity of the judiciary to review the actions of the government."

PiS leaders have couched their fight with Brussels as a David versus Goliath tussle with cosmopolitan overlords, accusing them of undermining patriotic values and the cohesion of the country.

The Polish government also has taken issue with Brussels for trying to force EU member states to admit Muslim war refugees and economic migrants. The position is supported by other central European states, including Hungary, which disapproves of Wednesday's triggering of article 7.

Zsolt Semjen, Hungary's deputy prime minister, condemned the commission's move as astounding and unjust."

He added in a statement,"It is unacceptable that Brussels is putting pressure on sovereign member states and arbitrarily punishing democratically elected governments."

How the standoff between Brussels and Warsaw now plays out is unclear.

The two laws President Duda signed defiantly would force two-fifths of the country's supreme court justices to retire and give parliament control over their replacements.

Poland has also fallen afoul of the EU commission  and attracted criticism at home and overseas for illiberalism  for changes to laws governing the media and human rights. In October, Human Rights Watch accused the PiS government of eroding the checks and balances necessary for democratic government.

"Since its election win in October 2015, Poland's ruling party, the right-wing Law and Justice Party [PiS], has used its majority in the Sejm [the Polish parliament] to seek to introduce laws and policies that have serious, negative implications for human rights and the rule of law," HRW said in its report.

The rights group accused the government of interfering with the independence of the judiciary and the administration of justice; undermining freedom of expression; limiting the rights of protesters; restricting women's reproductive rights; and violating the rights of migrants and asylum-seekers.

The claims were dismissed by the Polish government.

PiS has the support of half of the country, according to opinion polls, and the opposition to the government is divided and in disarray. But Poles are highly enthusiastic about EU membership, according to surveys, and analysts say there are political risks for the government if the confrontation worsens.

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Turnout Is Large as Catalonia Votes Following Failed Secession Bid

By Henry Ridgwell December 21, 2017

Polls have closed in the election that could decide the future of Spain and Catalonia, as residents of the northern Spanish region voted to choose new lawmakers for the regional parliament.

The Spanish government called the election after seizing control of the Catalan administration, following a disputed independence referendum in October. Since then, several independence leaders have been jailed or are in exile. Many have campaigned during the election period via video link.

Exit polls suggested that pro-independence parties might keep their absolute majority in the parliament, La Vanguardia newspaper reported late Thursday. It was not clear whether the final results would match the exit poll.

The heated independence debate appeared to have brought out voters in big numbers. At one polling station in the central Barcelona district of Eixample, officials told VOA that by lunchtime, the number of voters was roughly double that in regional elections two years ago.

Among the voters standing in line in the winter sunshine was Xavier Drudis, a resident of Seattle in the United States. Drudis was back in his home city of Barcelona for the winter holidays, just in time to vote. Pinned to his coat was a yellow ribbon, a symbol of solidarity with the jailed independence leaders.

"I believe the society is very divided, so I believe the result is going to be very divided, so I don't think it's going to be a solution. But I also don't think we have to surrender," he said.

Local resident Irma Rio was more optimistic. "We are happy that we have elections, because the problems with independence and no independence will be solved," Rio said.

Fernando, a central Barcelona voter who did not share his surname, said the election would not solve the political paralysis.

"We need to approach this problem with sanity. And not with this. Because things will continue, will be the same," he said. "There are a lot of people intoxicated with the bad information of nationalists."

Earlier polls suggested the result could be very close, with no one party gaining a majority, which would most likely lead to lengthy negotiations involving the parties and attempts to form a coalition regional government. Early polling suggested voters were evenly split between pro-independence and pro-unity parties.

The Catalan National Assembly grass-roots campaign group has been at the forefront of organizing the independence protests, and its president, Jordi Sanchez, is in jail on charges of sedition. The vice president, Agusti Alcoberro, told VOA the campaign would go on.

"If there is a clear independence majority, we are going to have to debate whether to work with the government or pressure it to go faster," he said. "In case the independence movement does not win, we should rethink the way of acting, but always in a civic, peaceful and democratic way."

David Mejia, a candidate for the pro-unity Ciudadanos party, said the independence campaign was a big distraction.

"I believe that Catalonia is losing time and money talking about the independence process," he said. "It is time to put on the table those issues that really matter for Catalan society."

The Spanish government was counting on the 58 percent of voters who didn't take part in the disputed independence referendum to back pro-unity parties. Meanwhile, independence campaigners said they thought Madrid's tough crackdown had won them more support. With passions running so high, the race was too close to call.

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From her bathroom window, Sally Gracie could see the big, brown oak just a few feet from her home in Baltimore County, Maryland.

As a child, she watched the squirrels, who made a nest in a knothole of the tree. As a teen, she admired the tree while smoking secret cigarettes, blowing the smoke out the window toward the tree.

In the early 1980s, when strong winds uprooted more than 30 trees in her neighborhood, her oak landed right across her sons bedroom.

Gracie can tell you about the trees she's loved at her homes across the country: the native dogwoods near her childhood home, lost to a blight; the three scraggly trees that gave shade to her Washington home; the lovely tree outside her apartment balcony in Lincoln, where she's trying to encourage birds to nest so she can show off their young to her Facebook friends.

Trees, hand-planted across this prairie city, are among the things Gracie likes about her new hometown.

Trees are beautiful. They provide shade; they clean the air."

Last spring, Gracie says, she drove around the Country Club area just to look at the pretty trees.

They cost a lot to keep up. But they help to sell a single home or an entire city to a prospective resident, she says.

The trees make Lincoln a nice town.

These words are music to Parks and Recreation Department Director Lynn Johnson, whose $1.5 million forestry budget covers more than 112,600 city trees, including 81,785 along city streets, and is seldom enough to satisfy tree lovers.

His departments slim staffing  15 forestry employees, counting community forester Bob Weyhrich  was part of a recent City Council discussion after several residents filed claims for damage caused by limbs, or whole trees, that fell during the late August windstorm.

For street trees that are not considered dangerous, it takes six months  "sometimes longer"  after they're reported and inspected for the city to get them trimmed, Johnson said.

The City Council agreed to pay at least one resident's claim because the tree involved was awaiting a trim when its branches fell on a vehicle.

Periodic trimming is important for the health of trees, traffic, power lines and aesthetics, Weyhrich said. But it doesn't solve all problems.

Many limbs that fell during the August windstorm were healthy branches, full of foliage created by three years of abundant rainfall, he said. The wind caught those branches rather than dead ones.

And sometimes live branches will drop from trees for no apparent reason. Its called dead drop, and can happen when there's no indication of anything unhealthy, Weyhrich said.

Trees are not perfect neighbors. They can cause problems. They cost money.

That's part of having trees  the commitment to taking care of them, Johnson said. Well managed, trees are an asset; poorly managed, they can be a liability.

When Weyhrich came to Lincoln in 1974, there were 44 people working in city forestry in a town of about 124,000. It was at the heart of the Dutch elm disease that killed many of the citys 60,000 elms.

But the disease faded and budget pressures reduced the citys forestry staff.

With its current staff, the city is able to trim 3 percent of the city-owned trees a year. That's one trim every 30 years, far less often than the ideal six to seven years.

Another major tree disease will soon trigger a staffing boost. The city is adding another nine people in anticipation of the emerald ash borer, which is expected to hit Lincoln's ash trees in the next couple of years.

The city expects to cut about 1,000 ash trees a year, remove their stumps and plant replacement trees to keep ahead of the disease, which kills trees quickly. The budget for the ash tree program will be about $1 million a year.

Lincoln goes to some lengths to encourage planting of new trees.

Developers are required to plant street trees in new subdivisions, adding 1,600 to 2,000 trees each year, Weyhrich said. And the city itself planted 424 street trees last year through its voucher program, and generally replaces three of every five street trees removed each year.

Another 300 to 400 trees are planted each year through the voluntary 2 for Trees program, which allows people to voluntarily add $2 to their water bill every other month. The $55,000 that program raises each year is used to buy new street trees, park trees and equipment such as watering trucks to help make sure young trees survive harsh summers.

All these new trees will grow up, will need pruning in the future and will someday need to be removed, creating a periodic budget conversation about new trees and maintenance.

From a policy standpoint, it is not sustainable to plant trees if we are not going to maintain them, Johnson said.

Lincoln is very proactive in programming, with its 2 for Trees program and the Parks Foundation. Very few communities the size of Lincoln have the quality of green space Lincoln has, says Eric Berg, with the Nebraska Forest Service at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

That urban forest is worth about $1.4 billion, taking into account everything from air pollution to stormwater management, carbon storage, energy savings and aesthetics, he said.

One way to look at that is, if you took away all the trees in Lincoln, you would have to find $1.4 billion to provide all those benefits, he said.
Remarks to the Troops by Vice President Pence in Afghanistan

December 21, 2017

Bagram Airfield

Bagram, Afghanistan

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, General Quintas. To General Nicholson, Ambassador Bass, to all the members of the United States Armed Forces, our allies, and partners, it is my great honor to join you here at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan with the men and women of Resolute Support. (Applause.)

It is humbling for me to address this force for freedom in this ancient land. And to each and every one of you, I bring greetings from your Commander-in-Chief, the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.)

Before I left the Oval Office yesterday, I asked the President if he had a message for our troops here in Afghanistan. And he looked at me without hesitation from behind the Resolute Desk, and he said, tell them I love them.

And during this special season, I know that President Trump was speaking for every American.

The Old Book says that if you owe debts, pay debts; if honor, then honor; if respect, then respect. And I'm here on behalf of your Commander-in-Chief and all of the American people to pay a debt of honor and respect and gratitude to each and every one of you for your service and your sacrifice. Give yourselves a round of applause. We couldn't be more proud of every one of you. (Applause.)

I know it must be hard to be so far from home, away from your families and friends, especially this time of year. So in this season, I just want you all to know that you're on the hearts of the American people. In gatherings large and small all across this country, in communities from which you come, I know there will be a place saved at the dinner table for every one of you. And I also want you to know that millions of Americans will breathe a prayer of thanks for your service and for your safety as you stand for our freedom in this distant land.

But whether you wear the uniform, or you're here as a civilian, each one of you have stood up and stepped forward to defend our nation, our people, and our very way of life. And your leadership and your service speak louder than any words I could say here tonight. You're patriots. You are heroes. You did not, as that Old Book says, love your lives so much as to shrink from this calling to serve and defend our nation.

And while you come from the rest of us, you are the best of us. Every day you prove a truth of history anew: The Armed Forces of the United States are the world's greatest force for good, and you are a part of those armed forces here in Afghanistan.

It's because of all of you that we're safe. It's because of you that we're free. It's because of you that freedom has a future in Afghanistan and America and all across the wider world. And today, let me assure you, President Donald Trump is the best friend the Armed Forces of the United States will ever have. (Applause.)

From the first day of our administration the President has fought tirelessly to make this strongest fighting force in the history of the world stronger still.

Earlier this year, the President signed the largest increase in military spending in nearly 10 years. And just last week, President Trump signed one of the largest investments in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan, including the largest pay increase for military members in eight years. (Applause.)

And in case you didn't hear about it from back home, yesterday we cut your taxes. (Applause.) In fact, the average American family, including yours, will see a tax cut of more than $2,000 in the coming year, because of the action the President and Congress took yesterday.

And I want to make you a promise, under President Donald Trump we're rebuilding the military; we're restoring the arsenal of democracy; and we are once again, giving our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard the resources and training you need to accomplish your mission and come home safe. That's our pledge to each and every one of you. (Applause.)

And never doubt that your mission  your mission here in Afghanistan is vital to the safety and security of the American people. Sixteen years ago, the forces of radical Islamic terror plotted and perpetrated the deadliest attack on Americans' homeland in the history of our nation. From the safe haven of Afghanistan, the terrorists of al Qaeda  aided and abetted by the Taliban  struck the United States on September 11, 2001. We all remember the day  a day where we saw 2,977 innocent men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughter lose their lives.

The American people understood this for what it was; it was an act of war. And as one nation and one people, we vowed to win this war on our terms, on this soil. And together with our allies, we came here to Afghanistan to liberate its people and prevent the terrorist from every threatening our homeland again. And we are staying in that fight and we will see it through to the end. (Applause.)

This very base, Bagram Airfield, has been at the heart of our campaign from the very beginning. It's a bastion of strength and a beacon of freedom in this corner of the world. And as President Trump has said, "It's thanks to you, and those who stood on this ground before you," that, in his words, "the horrors on the scale of September 11th have not been repeated on our shores."

Let me assure you, you inspire the world with your courage and your unconquerable spirit. You've crushed the enemy in the field and continue to do so. You've driven them into hiding and struck fear into their hearts. You've given the Afghan people the hope of freedom; the freedom to determine their own destiny and chart their own future. But as we all know well, these great achievements have come at a great cost. More than 3,500 members of our allied forces have lost their lives over the past 16 years, including 2,308 Americans.

The Old book says, "No greater love is a man than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends." Today and every day, we honor the memory of our fallen and let their families know that we will never forget their service or sacrifice in Afghanistan. (Applause.)

But as President Trump has said, we also honor the fallen by achieving, in his words, "an enduring outcome, worthy of their tremendous sacrifice." Earlier this year, President Trump laid out a bold new strategy to achieve victory in Afghanistan, and you are the instruments of that strategy. You're the instruments of American power, who are implementing that strategy on the ground.

It begins by giving our men and women in uniform, as the President said, "the tools you need and the trust you've earned to fight and win." And we are doing just that. (Applause.)

First, your Commander-in-Chief has made it clear to our allies, our partners, and our enemies that the United States of America will no longer be bound by arbitrary timetables in Afghanistan. (Applause.)

As the President has said, America's enemies must never know our plans. They must never believe they can wait us out. Instead, our decisions will be based on an objective assessment of conditions on the ground. Reality and facts and a relentless pursuit of victory will guide us and nothing else. (Applause.)

Second, President Trump has unleashed the full range of American military might. We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy.

We've given you new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide. And this Commander-in-Chief has empowered our battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility you need to win. Bureaucrats don't win battles  soldiers do. And under this President, we will never allow bureaucracy to stand in the way of victory. (Applause.)

President Trump and I are proud to see that this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan. And the American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan. We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive. We've prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. We've targeted the Taliban's funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks.

And thanks to the leadership of your Commander-in-Chief and the courage of all of you, in another field of battle, ISIS is on the run. Their capital has fallen, their so-called caliphate has crumbled from Iraq to Afghanistan and everywhere in between. (Applause.)

And all across this country we've won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide. And our enemies will have no time to recover or rebuild because we will continue to bring overwhelming force to defeat them every day, every time.

The road before you is promising, but it's perilous. And this Commander-in-Chief is clear-eyed about the threats you face and the challenges that lie ahead. But today, let me assure you: President Trump has your back. (Applause.)

And this President will always be unwavering in his commitment to give you the tools you need to fight and win. Thanks to our new strategy, our allies have stepped up as never before. This very gathering is proof. Resolute Support has already brought together the United States with 38 other countries from NATO, across the wider world. They're sending their best and their bravest to this coalition. Today you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in defense of freedom.

And under President Trump, we'll continue to forge an ever-closer amount of cooperation with our allies and our partners. And we will never ignore the dangers you face, even when they emerge from beyond the borders of Afghanistan.

For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organizations, but those days are over. (Applause.) President Trump has put Pakistan on notice. As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

Beyond the battlefield, this Commander-in-Chief has ordered the integration of every facet of American power, as well  diplomatic and economic measures  to achieve a just and lasting peace here in Afghanistan. And until that day comes, you can be assured, we will be relentless in our campaign to destroy our enemies. Because as history attests, weakness arouses evil, and peace only comes through strength. So be strong and courageous, and do the work of freedom. (Applause.)

The Afghan people are a proud and noble people who have suffered long  in the 1980s, during their long war with the former Soviet Union; in the 1990s, under the brutal rule of the Taliban; and in recent years, from the terrorists and militants who continue to threaten their homes and their families, and who have claimed the lives of more than 35,000 brave Afghan soldiers, security forces, along with countless civilians.

But through all the strife, through all their struggle, the Afghan people  those you serve alongside in their armed forces today  have never lost their love of freedom, never lost their courage or their yearning to live in a land free of terror and war. And let the people of Afghanistan know: The United States of America stands with them. (Applause.)

I just came from a meeting with President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah. We discussed the progress that we've made in this country and America's commitment to the Afghan government and the commitment of the Afghanis to their own freedom in this land. I said to them what I say to you now: Under President Donald Trump, the Armed Forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people once and for all. (Applause.)

It really is humbling for me to stand before you today. My father was a combat veteran, served in Korea. And I'm the proud father of a United States Marine. But my life never took me into the uniform of the United States. But every time I'm with men and women of our armed forces, I'm inspired. I'm inspired by your courage, by your selflessness, by your love of country and your patriotism.

You stand here on a frontier of freedom. You stand tall and proud in defense of our families, our citizens, and our most cherished values. Your mission is vital.

And today, on behalf of your Commander-in-Chief, I say to all of you: In the days ahead, mind your mission, take care of one another, respect the unified chain of command, and never doubt that every day, every operation, and every decision that you make matters to the United States of America more than you may ever know.

Many people live their entire lives wondering if they've made a difference. But you won't have that problem. Everyone standing before me today and around me today, stepped forward to join this all-volunteer military. You chose to be a part of something larger than yourselves. You've made a difference in the world. You've done a world of good, and so keep it up.

Keep lit the flame of freedom to hand to the next generation. Keep defending America in this ancient land, as you stand courageously with our partners as they reach for freedom. And I say with confidence, because of all of you and all those that have gone before and our allies and partners, I believe victory is closer than ever before. (Applause.)

I believe with all my heart that Afghanistan will be free and America will be safe, and we'll win this fight.

Now, as I close, let me just say again what a special honor it is for me to be with all of you, especially at this special time of the year. It was a few months ago when President Trump said to me he wanted me to get there  he wanted me to get there before a special holiday for the American people or I, just to make sure you knew that he was thinking of you and that millions of the American people have you on our hearts.

Now, I know there's many faith traditions represented here. And no matter your background and belief, I hope you find renewal and renewed strength in this season. And for all of you who, like my family, in the coming days will look to a manger, and who will once again in your hearts claim the promise announced on a Holy Night  of peace on Earth and good will toward men  let me say, from the First Family and my family, from families all across America: Merry Christmas. (Applause.)

And to all of you, may God bless you. May God bless all who wear the uniform of the United States here in Afghanistan and across the wider world. May God bless the good people of Afghanistan and may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you. (Applause.)

END

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Statement by the Press Secretary on Saudi Arabia and Yemen

December 21, 2017

BThe United States welcomes Saudi Arabia's announcement that the Saudi-led Coalition will open the Yemeni port of Hudaydah to all humanitarian and commercial goods, including fuel, and move cranes funded by the United States to Hudaydah. As the largest humanitarian donor to the people of Yemen, the United States remains committed to alleviating the dire human suffering in Yemen.

We welcome Saudi Arabia's announcement of these humanitarian actions in the face of this major conflict. The United States condemns in the strongest terms the December 19 Houthi ballistic missile attack against al-Yamamah Royal Palace in Riyadh, the seat of the Saudi Royal Court and official residence of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Since early November, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also enabled Houthi missile attacks against Riyadh's international airport.

We urge the United Nations Security Council to hold Iran responsible for its repeated and blatant violations of Security Council resolutions. We call on all parties to support a political solution to the war in Yemen, which is the only way to advance long-term stability in Yemen and end the suffering of the Yemeni people.

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U.S. Court Sentences Kazakh To 15 Years For Conspiring To Support IS

RFE/RL December 21, 2017

A Kazakh citizen living in the New York City borough of Brooklyn has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiring to provide material support to the extremist group Islamic State (IS).

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said on December 20 that Akhror Saidakhmetov, 22, will be removed from the United States after serving his sentence.

In January, Saidakhmetov pleaded guilty to having conspired to provide material support to the IS.

Saidakhmetov, one of six people charged in the case, was arrested in February 2015 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he was attempting to fly to Istanbul.

Prosecutors said Saidakhmetov was on his way to Syria to join IS militants. They said he had stated that if he were unable to travel to Syria to join the IS, he would attack law enforcement officers in the United States.

A lawyer for Saidakhmetov, Adam Perlmutter, said the defense was "disappointed with the sentence imposed by the court."

"We...believe that a more nuanced and lenient outcome would better address both the needs of our client and the broader challenges posed by these types of cases," Perlmutter told Reuters by e-mail.

U.S. authorities said that Abdurasul Juraboev, an Uzbek citizen also living in Brooklyn, had planned to travel to Syria with Saidakhmetov. Juraboev pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in October.

One of four people charged with helping Saidakhmetov and Juraboev in their plan, Abror Habibov, pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Court records show that charges are still pending against the other three, Dilkhayot Kasimov, Azizjon Rakhmatov, and Akmal Zakirov.

Another Uzbek citizen, Dilshod Khusanov, was charged in August with having discussed providing funds for Saidakhmetov's trip and helping others join IS or the Al-Nusra Front, another militant group.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-us-jails-15-years- conspiring-support-islamic-state/28930774.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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China urges US to be rational on Chinese military development

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 14:22, December 21, 2017

BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese defense ministry has called on the United States to be objective and rational regarding the development of the Chinese military.

Ren Guoqiang, a ministry spokesperson, made the remarks in a statement released on the ministry's website late Wednesday, responding to the recent U.S. national security strategy report.

"The report, regardless of fact, had created sensational hype about China's efforts to modernize its national defense and cast doubt on the intention of Chinese military development," Ren said.

He said the U.S. report ran counter to the theme of peace and development, which was "the call of our day," and the trend of development in China-U.S. relations.

"We hope that the United States will abandon its Cold War mentality, be objective and rational about Chinese military development and work with China to promote dialogue, cooperation and positive interaction between the two countries' militaries," Ren said.

He also called for joint efforts to make ties between the two militaries a factor for stability between the two countries and to maintain world and regional peace, stability and prosperity.

He stressed that China would continue its efforts to safeguard world peace, contribute to global development, uphold international order and maintain a path of peaceful development.

"The Chinese military remains committed to strengthening exchanges and cooperation with other countries' militaries and taking more responsibilities internationally within its own capability," he said. "The important contribution of China in preserving world peace and promoting common development is manifest to all among the international community, and the attempt by any country or any document to distort fact and throw slander will be in vain."

The spokesperson said that China would never pursue development at the expense of others' interests, but nor would it ever give up its own rights and interests.

"On the contrary, there is certain country that tends to put its own interests above others, and above the common interests of the international community, using the outdated concept of a zero-sum game to label other countries and practice egoism," Ren said. "The international community will certainly draw a conclusion on that."

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Cuban President Raul Castro to Stay in Power Until April

By Ken Bredemeier December 21, 2017

Cuban President Raul Castro plans to stay in office until next April before stepping aside, two months longer than originally anticipated, which then would end nearly six decades of Castro family rule of the communist country.

Cuba's parliament on Thursday extended its legislative period by two months to April 19 because of the impact of Hurricane Irma in September. With the current council of state  the powerful group Castro heads  also staying until mid-April, it ensures that the 86-year-old leader will remain in power until then.

Castro's first vice president, Miguel Diaz Canel, 57, is expected to be Cuba's next president, even as Castro remains the leader of the Caribbean island nation's communist party.

But Castro's departure would end 59 years of Castro family rule, starting with the revolutionary takeover of the government by Fidel Castro in 1959 when he overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista. Fidel Castro died last year after relinquishing power to his brother in 2008.

Canel has pledged to continue Raul Castro's policies, including limited growth of private enterprise as part of the country's planned economy, single party rule, and tight government control of virtually all aspects of life for Cubans.

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US commandos simulated stealing North Korean nukes

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 06:35AM

American military forces partaking in a recent joint drill with their South Korean counterparts have simulated capturing North Korea's nuclear weapons at the event of war, according to new reports.

The operation, part of the Warrior Strike IX war games earlier this month, saw a US military unit known as "The Black Jack Brigade" exercise "infiltrating" and "removing weapons of mass destruction," Fox News reported Wednesday, citing foreign military sources.

Images from the operation show a group of heavily-equipped soldiers train with night-vision gear and full-face protection near armored vehicles.

The training exercise comes amid escalating tensions between North Korea and the US, over Pyongyang's development of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads.

While North Korean leaders have denounced the joint military activity, which sometimes also involves Japan, as rehearsals for an invasion, the US and the South insist that the they are defensive in nature.

Tensions over the war games peaked earlier this month, when the US and its allies launched large-scale joint aerial drills in the Pacific, which involved more than 230 aircraft, including six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.

The war games were said to be a response to the North's test-firing of what US military experts said was an all-new Hwasong-15 missile capable of hitting targets across the US mainland.

'Decapitation policy'

North Korean officials have time and again accused their American counterparts of seeking a regime change in their country as well.

Apparently, Washington is pursuing a so-called political "decapitation" plan designed to initiate a transition of power through North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's removal, the report added.

Last year, North Korea's UN envoy condemned the "beheading operation" in a sternly worded, 2016 letter to the Security Council, saying the constant military drills

US President Donald Trump had previously stated that his country would use "fire and fury" to "totally destroy North Korea," referring to Kim as a "madman" and "little rocket man."

Threatening to destroy the US Pacific territory of Guam, the Korean leader hit back by calling Trump a "dotard."

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US Reportedly Planning to Attack North Korea to Stop its Nuclear Program

Sputnik News

09:45 21.12.2017(updated 23:26 21.12.2017)

After months of tension between the US and North Korea, a new report states the Trump administration is mulling a strike against North Korea to give Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un a "bloody nose."

"Well-placed" sources told the Daily Telegraph Wednesday that the US military is preparing to attack North Korea, which has tested ballistic missiles at a record pace in 2017.

The US attack could target missile launch sites or aim to destroy weapons and munitions depots, the news outlet said.

The strike could be similar to the one carried out by US forces against the Sha'irat airbase in Syria on April 7, the former security official with knowledge of the policy told the Daily Telegraph. In the Syria strike, US Navy vessels fired 59 Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles at the airbase.

"The Pentagon is trying to find options that would allow them to punch the North Koreans in the nose, get their attention and show that we're serious," the official said.

However, an attack on missile launch sites, while dramatic, wouldn't actually have much effect on Pyongyang's lethal capabilities, some note.

"Say it with me," tweeted Jeffrey Lewis, director of East Asia Nonproliferation programs at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, "Mobile missiles [like Hwasong-15] don't need launch sites, Donald."

Some analysts are skeptical that such a plan is being considered by the Pentagon and the White House at all. "I think the source is off base and this doesn't reflect what's actually being seriously discussed," Aaron Stein, a researcher at the Atlantic Council, tweeted December 20.

Vipin Narang, a political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said on Twitter that "the notion in DC that you can give North Korea a 'bloody nose' without the US or an ally suffering a severe stab wound in return is delusional."

 Sputnik

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Burkina Faso Pledges to End North Korea Trade

By Kim Youngnam, Salem Solomon, Eric Manirakiza December 21, 2017

Burkina Faso said it will immediately stop importing goods from North Korea and that it only learned of possible violations of U.N. sanctions through American news reports.

The West African country was the top importer of North Korean goods in Africa in 2015, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, a website that collects and distributes international trade data.

Speaking to VOA's French to Africa Service, Burkina Faso's foreign minister, Alpha Barry, said the decision to end imports from North Korea takes effect immediately.

"I wrote to my colleagues in Commerce and Finance, and we found out that, from January to August 2017, we imported $7 million worth of goods," he said, emphasizing that his government wasn't initially aware of the goods imported from North Korea.

Barry said he learned about the deals through news reports in the United States, prompting him to open an inquiry into the matter. "We also found out that in 2015 these imports reached $38 million. These imports are mostly oil products," he said.

In addition to its imports, Burkina Faso exported about $637,000 in oil seeds to North Korea in 2015, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Burkina Faso's decision to sever economic ties comes amid heightened scrutiny of North Korea's business dealings. Following the rogue nation's nuclear test in September, the U.N. passed new sanctions to restrict Pyongyang's imports and exports.

In October, the United Nations banned four ships found to be transporting North Korean goods from world ports. In one case, cargo included 30,000 North Korean-made rocket-propelled grenades.

This week, the U.S. requested that the U.N. add another 10 ships to the banned list.

Economic ties to North Korea don't constitute sanctions violations in and of themselves, but the U.N.'s list of banned transactions has grown with Pyongyang's ongoing nuclear and missile tests.

The most recent U.N. Security Council resolution, adopted in September, added imports of natural gas liquids to North Korea and textiles exports from North Korea to the list of banned transactions.

Global condemnation

Despite increased international scrutiny of associations with North Korea, some 30 African countries maintain economic ties with Pyongyang.

"Many African states and populations are unaware of the massive and gross human rights violations committed by Pyongyang," said Grant Harris, a former senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council during Barack Obama's presidency.

Some African countries that promised to end relationships with North Korea later backtracked.

"Namibia had made an announcement that it was going to be reducing its ties, and it was later revealed by U.N. investigators that the country had concealed a weapons factory built by North Korean laborers," Harris told VOA's Korean Service. "Uganda had pledged to [end] security ties with North Korea back in May of 2016 but had ended up continuing those ties including with police trainers and through other activities."

Harris said the United States and other international partners should help these African countries fill the gap left by cutting ties with North Korea, particularly with regard to national security, and the training and professionalization of security forces.

This way, he said, African countries "that can be peeled away from North Korea will have alternative relationships and military cooperation to draw on."

Bagassi Koura contributed to this report.

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India Launches $8 Billion Program to Make Its Own Fighter Jet

Sputnik News

03:49 21.12.2017

India has officially launched a program aimed at creating its own single-engine combat aircraft that will require no technology from abroad.

New Delhi seeks to procure 83 combat aircraft produced by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics LTD (HAL) in an attempt to free its air force from dependence on imported technologies, Defense One reports.

According to the report, the airplane, designated LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mark-1A, is going to be "truly a fourth-generation fighter," equipped with service-specific Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, or AESA; air-to-air refueling pods; self-protection jammers; and improved avionics and core systems.

The procurement program will cost $8 billion and is currently the largest purchase made under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" program, which seeks to alleviate India's dependence on imported products.

The announcement comes months after Indian authorities attempted to place an order of 105 LCA Mark 2's, a futuristic aircraft currently under development, which would have costed $15 billion. The procurement is in an uncertain state since, according to military experts, the program lacks clarity and immediate priorities.

"LCA Mark 2 is a far-fetched vision. The service wants improvement on the existing LCA to address all issues of looms, improvement in performance, interchange ability, improved US-made GE 414 [engines], improved avionics and missiles to be fitted on it," a senior Indian Air Force official told Defense News in September.

According to Daljit Singh, a defense analyst and retired Air Force air marshal, the Mark 2 program "was proposed by the Indian Air Force to ensure that the aircraft complies with the majority of air staff requirements. However, that would involve major design changes of the fuselage to accommodate a more powerful engine."

The Air Force has already put an order in for 20 improved Mark 1 fighters. After the new planes are certified for operation, the Air Force plans to place a bid on another 20.

The LCA program began in 1993, but so far HAL only managed to deliver six planes. Currently, the Indian Air Force relies on a variety of Soviet and Russian aircraft, as well as some French Dassault Mirages and UK/France SEPECAT Jaguar attack aircraft.

 Sputnik

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Iran calls for EU's clear stance on JCPOA obstacles

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 21, IRNA -- Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi has urged the European Union to take a clear and serious stance toward the obstacles hindering implementation of historic nuclear deal.

Araqchi made the remarks in a meeting with Secretary-General of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs Maurice Gourdault-Montagne at the fourth round of political dialogue between Iran and France in Paris late Wednesday.

The two sides also reviewed the ways for reinforcing mutual relations, implementation of the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached in July 2015 as well as regional and international developments.

Araqchi and Gourdault-Montagne also emphasized the need for reinforcing all-out ties in political, economic, and cultural arenas aimed at fostering regional peace and tranquility, settling environmental issues, tacking terrorism and drug trafficking.

The Iranian and French officials underscored that holding regular political negotiations and exchanging political delegations play a key role to mutual understanding and expansion of bilateral relations.

Touching upon International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano's reconfirmation of full commitment of Iran under the nuclear agreement, Araqchi also underlines the need for all sides to remain committed to JCPOA.

Meanwhile, Gourdault-Montagne, for his part, said Paris supports expansion of cooperation between the French and Iranian companies.

He also expressed his satisfaction over a 250-percent increase in France-Iran trade transactions in the past two years.

Gourdault-Montagne noted that Iran plays a key role in reinforcing regional peace.

During his two-day stay in Paris, Araqchi is also slated to deliver a lecture at the French Institute of International Relations, in addition to holding separate meetings with French officials.

9060**1377

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Icy streets proved to be a challenge for Lincoln drivers Thursday afternoon, leading to an uptick in vehicle crashes.

The ice began to plague Lincoln-area drivers just in time for the evening commute, icing over car windows and streets. A handful of crashes were reported in the area before 5 p.m., including a series of six crashes that stopped traffic on westbound Rosa Parks Way.

Police also closed areas around 9th and L Streets and Rosa Parks Way. The intersection of Antelope Valley and Salt Creek Roadway was closed for just over an hour until city crews could treat the area with anti-frost brine.

Police responded to 43 crashes by 8:30 p.m. Thursday, with the majority happening after 4:30 p.m., nearly double the amount police would respond to in the same time period on an average day.

In central Nebraska, roads south of Grand Island were described as a "sheet of ice" because of freezing precipitation.

A crash on Interstate 80 closed the westbound lanes from Seward to Goehner for about 30 minutes around 3 p.m. An overturned semi on I-80 also briefly shut down eastbound lanes between the Wood River and Alda exits around noon.

Icing was also reported in the Norfolk area, and icy conditions prompted road closures in the McCook area earlier on Thursday.

Freezing drizzle was expected off and on beginning around 2 p.m. in Lincoln, resulting in slick sidewalks and streets. Total ice accumulation of a light glaze is expected, the Weather Service said. Temperatures will fall to about 28 by 5p.m., and north winds will pick up and could gust to 28 mph.

A city of Lincoln news release said 17 crews overnight have pretreated arterial streets, bridges and major intersections with anti-ice brine. Normal driving conditions were reported Thursday morning.

Wind chills approaching single digits and falling pavement temperatures could cause isolated freezing and slick spots throughout the afternoon and evening commutes. Drivers are urged to use caution.
Araqchi: JCPOA merely deals with nuclear issue

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 21, IRNA -- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for legal and international affairs Abbas Araqchi said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) merely deals with nuclear-related issues.

Araqchi made the remarks during his visit to Paris on Thursday and his meeting with President of French Institute of International Affairs Thierry de Montbrial.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister, meantime, delivered a speech for researchers of the institute on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, bilateral ties between Iran and France as well as regional and international issues.

Araqchi pointed to nuclear deal as an important diplomatic achievement in the field of settling international problems and underlined that the JCPOA is merely limited to nuclear issue and has no connection with any other issues.

He also explained Iran's stances and policies on regional developments, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq , Bahrain as well as terrorist group of Daesh, and said that Iran considers its peace and stability in the region as its own one and will spare no efforts to fulfill that.

He pointed to holding political talks with French officials within the framework of fourth round of political talks in Paris, and said they were useful and constructive and in direction of providing mutual interests.

Araqchi pointed to importance of economic cooperation between Tehran and Paris and underlined the efforts in the direction to facilitate necessary grounds for such cooperation as exigencies of current bilateral relations.

During his 2-day visit to France, Araqchi met with different French officials and left Paris on Thursday evening.

1391**2050

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Iran Unveils Powerful New Zolfaghar Missile

Sputnik News

01:57 21.12.2017(updated 02:07 21.12.2017)

The Iranian military has displayed its Zolfaghar missile, a new variant that marks a major development in the country's missile technology.

The Zolfaghar, literally "spine-cleaver," is a short-range, solid-fuel ballistic missile belonging to the Fateh-110 family that was put on display December 16 at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Iran, according to the Fars News Agency. The missile's name is sometimes spelled Zulfiqar.

The missile is reported to have a range of more than 700 kilometers, according to IHS Jane's, and to be accurate within 50 to 70 meters of its intended strike location, according to the Iranian news outlet. Previous generations of Fateh missiles have only traveled 500 kilometers.

Tasnim, another Iranian news source, said in June that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps had fired a volley of Zolfaghar missiles at Daesh positions in Deir Ez-Zor, Syria. Iranian media showed videos of the missiles launching as well as aerial footage of the projectiles striking targets. The aerial view was reported to have been collected by IRGC drones operating out of Damascus.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, the Zolfaghar packs a highly explosive warhead as well as submunitions that separate from the missile prior to impact. Cluster munitions also make use of submunitions.

 Sputnik

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Protests rock Iraq's Kurdistan region for fourth consecutive day

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 05:33PM

Hundreds of angry protesters have faced off with security forces in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region, demanding the resignation of politicians accused of graft and corruption.

Violent protests raged for a fourth day in several parts of Iraqi Kurdistan Thursday amid widespread anger over unpaid salaries and corruption.

Police reinforcements deployed Wednesday night including in the center of Iraqi Kurdistan's second city Sulaymaniyah. Police were also deployed en mass in the town of Ranya, where Kurdish security forces fatally shot five protesters Tuesday.

Around 20 party offices and a town hall have been set ablaze across the troubled region since Monday.

This comes as angry protesters ramped up calls for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to quit.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has expressed its deep concern about violence and clashes during the demonstrations, urging all sides to show restraint.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has also warned against attacking protesters in the country's Kurdish region.

Frustration over unpaid salaries to teachers and other civil servants, in addition to the deterioration of basic services and widespread corruption have been described as the main reasons behind mass protests in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

The Kurdistan region has been suffering from financial and economic hardships as a result of disagreement with the central government in Baghdad over distribution of crude oil revenues extracted from the northern oilfields.

Tensions have been running high between Baghdad and the KRG after the Kurds held a controversial referendum on the independence of Kurdistan on September 25.

The referendum on secession of the Kurdistan region was held despite strong opposition from Iraqi authorities, the international community, and Iraq's neighboring countries, especially Turkey and Iran.

Following the vote, Baghdad imposed a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region and called for a halt to its independent crude oil sales.

On October 12, an Iraqi government spokesman said Baghdad had set a series of conditions that the KRG needed to meet before any talks on the resolution of the referendum crisis could start.

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US Slaps Sanctions on Myanmar General Over Rohingya Campaign

By Wayne Lee December 21, 2017

The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on a Myanmar army chief accused of leading an ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims.

Myanmar General Maung Maung Soe was among 52 accused human rights abusers worldwide who are targeted by U.S. Department of Treasury sanctions.

Also included was former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who the U.S. said created an assassination squad and directed it to kill individuals he determined to be threats to his authority.

Sanctions were also placed on Mukhtar Hamid Shah, a Pakistani surgeon. Government police believe Shah to be involved in the removal and trafficking of human organs, the Treasury Department said.

Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbekistan's late dictator, was also targeted with sanctions after being charged with abetting criminal activities of an organized crime organization with assets worth more than $1.3 billion.

The sanctions were imposed under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which authorizes the U.S. government to sanction foreign individuals for human rights violations and corruption, with the intent of allowing the U.S. to hold foreign individuals accountable.

"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. Treasury is freezing their assets and publicly denouncing the egregious acts they've committed, sending a message that there is a steep price to pay for their misdeeds," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the sanctions would help ensure the security of the U.S. and its allies and shows America's commitment to protecting human rights and fighting corruption.

"We must lead by example, and today's announcement of sanctions demonstrates the United States will continue to pursue tangible and significant consequences for those who commit serious human rights abuse and engage in corruption."

To access a list of all of those who were sanctioned, visit https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0243

Nike Ching contributed to this report.

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Russia's Duma ratifies deal to expand naval facility in Syria

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:11AM

The Russian parliament has approved a deal to expand a Russian naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartus.

Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, voted on Thursday in favor of a deal to extend the lease of the Mediterranean base in Tartus for 49 years and to expand and modernize the facility used by the Russian Navy.

Under the deal, a maximum of 11 Russian warships, including nuclear-powered vessels, can be present at the naval base at any given time and the Russian navy will also be granted access to territorial waters and various ports in Syria.

"The agreement allows the expansion of the naval facility to 24 hectares free of charge," said Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov on presenting the deal to the State Duma.

According to Russia's TASS state news agency, the duration of the deal can be automatically prolonged for another 25 years "in case none of the parties sends a written notification to the other at least one year before the period expires notifying about its plans to terminate the agreement."

"Syria will be responsible for the protection of the naval facility, while Russia will ensure the security of the maritime borders and missile security," Tass said.

The deal, struck with Syria in January, had been submitted to the lower house of the Russian parliament by President Vladimir Putin on December 13.

"The ratification of the agreement is of strategic importance," said Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the State Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs. "The presence of a Russian naval facility on Syria's territory is totally in line with the objectives of ensuring regional peace and stability; it is purely defensive and is not aimed against other countries."

Putin ordered Russian forces to begin withdrawing from Syria during a surprise visit to the war-ravaged country last week.

The Russian president stressed that Moscow would keep the Hmeimim air base in Latakia as well as Russia's naval facility at the Syrian port of Tartus.

Since September 2015, Moscow has been carrying out an aerial bombardment campaign against the positions of extremist militants in Syria on an official request from the Damascus government.

President Putin's decision on the troop withdrawal came a few days after he declared a "complete victory" over Daesh in Syria.

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Russian Lower House Ratifies Pact To Extend Syrian Naval Base Lease 49 Years

December 21, 2017

The lower house of the Russian Parliament has ratified an agreement with Syria to extend Russia's lease on a naval base at Tartus for 49 years.

The December 21 State Duma vote comes 10 days after President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to start withdrawing a "significant portion" of its forces from the war-ravaged Middle Eastern nation while at the same time vowing to leave a military presence in the country.

Franz Klintsevich, a lawmaker with the Federation Council Defense and Security Committee, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the upper chamber will likely follow the State Duma and ratify the pact on December 26.

Russia has backed the government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and provided air support since 2015 in the fight against Islamic State (IS) insurgents and U.S.-backed antigovernment rebels. It has operated an air base in Syria since 2015.

The agreement with Syria will allow Russia to keep up to 11 warships, including nuclear-powered vessels, at the Mediterranean base in Tartus at any one time for the next 49 years.

Based on reporting by AP and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-ratifies-syrian- naval-base-lease/28931748.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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U.S. Sanctions 52 People In Abuses Related To Magnitsky Act

RFE/RL December 21, 2017

WASHINGTON -- The United States has sanctioned 52 more international figures as human rights abusers connected to the Global Magnitsky Act, targeting individuals from Uzbekistan, Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan, and elsewhere.

Included on the list of sanctioned persons announced on December 21 are Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of the late longtime Uzbek President Islam Karimov; and Artyom Chaika, the son of Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika.

The announcement comes one day after after the U.S. Treasury Department hit five Russian individuals under the Magnitsky act, including Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechnya region, accusing him of torture and "extra-judicial killings.

The Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that aims to punish Russians alleged to be involved in human rights violations, has angered Moscow, which called sanctions against Kadyrov "illegal" and "unfriendly." The U.S. Congress later passed the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, broadening its effects worldwide.

After the latest announcement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that "this all really looks grotesque now, since it's not based on any kind of reality."

She said the steps would be "followed by response measures," without being specific, but she added that nearly 200 Russian nationals and more than 400 legal entities had been affected by U.S. sanctions.

In 2013, the Kremlin retaliated against the Magnitsky Act with a ban on American parents adopting Russian children.

'Malign Activities'

In the December 21 announcement, the Treasury said new sanctions against 39 individuals built on the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act passed last year by the U.S. Congress.

In addition, it said, "President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order today declaring a national emergency with respect to serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world and providing for the imposition of sanctions on actors engaged in these malign activities."

As part of an order annex, it said, sanctions were imposed on an additional 13 individuals classified as "serious human rights abusers."

In sanctioning Gulnara Karimova, it said she headed a "powerful organized crime syndicate that leveraged state actors to expropriate businesses, monopolize markets, solicit bribes, and administer extortion rackets."

It noted that in July 2017, the Uzbek Prosecutor-General's Office charged Karimova with "directly abetting the criminal activities of an organized crime group whose assets were worth over $1.3 billion."

The Treasury said Chaika, the son of the Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika, had "leveraged his father's position and ability to award his subordinates to unfairly win state-owned assets and contracts and put pressure on business competitors."

The Treasury also sanctioned Mukhtar Hamid Shah of Pakistan, believed by Pakistani police believe to be involved in kidnapping, wrongful confinement, and the removal of and trafficking in human organs.

Burmese military officer Maung Maung Soe was sanctioned for matters related to a "brutal" crackdown against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country's Rakhine State.

The Treasury said that as the former chief of the Burmese Army's Western Command, he oversaw the military operation in Rakhine that was "responsible for widespread human rights abuse against Rohingya civilians."

The Burmese military denies that it targeted Rohingya civilians in Rakhine, saying that its actions were in response to attacks by militants in the region.

Also included was Sergei Kusyuk, identified as a commander of an elite Ukrainian police unit, the Berkut. It said Kusyuk had been named by the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's Office as taking part in the February 2014 killings of activists on Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square.

Kusyuk fled Ukraine and is now in hiding in Moscow where, the Treasury said, he was identified dispersing protesters as part of a Russian riot police unit in June 2017.

The Maidan protests led to the fall of pro-Moscow leader Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia in the face of mounting protests, leading to the emergence of the current pro-Western government.

'Strong Stand'

As a result of the sanctions, all of assets that are within U.S. jurisdiction will be blocked, and U.S. individuals are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with those on the list.

"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," the Treasury said.

in a statement later, the U.S. State Department said, "Today's actions advance our values and promote the security of the United States, our allies, and our partners.

"We must lead by example, and today's announcement of sanctions demonstrates the United States will continue to pursue tangible and significant consequences for those who commit serious human rights abuse and engage in corruption."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/magnitsky-52-sanctioned -karimova-chaika/28931607.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 Says Sanctions Against Kadyrov 'Illegal,' Vows Response

RFE/RL December 21, 2017

Moscow has vehemently criticized the United States for imposing sanctions on Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and four other Russians accused by the United States of human rights abuses.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 21 that Russia considers the sanctions "illegal" and "unfriendly," while the Foreign Ministry called them "grotesque" and groundless.

The U.S. Treasury Department hit Kadyrov with financial and travel sanctions a day earlier under the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that aims to punish Russians alleged to be involved human rights violations, accusing him of torture and "extrajudicial killings."

Four other Russians added to the sanctions list under the law included Ayub Katayev, a security official the Treasury Department accused, along with Kadyrov, of "gross violations of internationally recognized human rights" in Chechnya.

"We consider these sanctions illegal, we consider them unfriendly, and we do not agree with them," said Peskov, who is President Vladimir Putin's chief spokesman.

He said it was "highly probable" that Moscow would adhere to "the principle of reciprocity" in its response, suggesting that Russia would accuse U.S. officials or citizens of rights violations and bar them from entering the country.

Asked what American the Kremlin might target for sanctions as the "mirror image" of Kadyrov, Peskov said, "There are few people like him."

Human rights groups say Kadyrov has used threats and abuses to maintain control over Chechnya, the site of two post-Soviet separatist wars and years of insurgent violence stemming from the conflicts since Putin appointed him to head the region in 2007.

On a conference call with reporters on December 20, a senior U.S. State Department official said that "one or more of Kadyrov's political opponents were killed at his direction."

In a statement about the new listings, Treasury Department sanctions office director John Smith said the United States "will continue to use the Magnitsky Act to aggressively target gross violators of human rights in Russia, including individuals responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, and other despicable acts."

The law is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested after blowing the whistle on what he said was the theft of $230 million from Russian state coffers through tax fraud.

He died in jail in December 2009, and relatives and rights activists said he had been tortured and denied medical care. A Council of Europe investigation concluded the conditions leading up to his death amounted to torture.

The Treasury Department identified Katayev as a law enforcement official in Chechnya and accused him of involvement in a campaign of abuse against gay and bisexual men in Chechnya over the past year.

The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta was the first to document evidence that police in Chechnya rounded up, tortured, and humiliated dozens people they considered to be gay. The report was later corroborated in part by RFE/RL as well as Human Rights Watch, which said the "anti-gay purge" lasted from late February until at least early April and that "it was ordered and conducted by officials in Chechnya."

Kadyrov and the Kremlin have denied the accusations.

Relations between Russia and the United States are badly strained by tension over issues including Russia's aggression in Ukraine, its role in the war in Syria, and what U.S. intelligence agencies say was an "influence campaign" of interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

With reporting by Interfax, Reuters, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-chechnya- kremlin-says-us-kadyrov-sanctions- illegal-vows-response/28930921.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia Activates Early Warning Radar In East Amid North Korean Missile Tests

RFE/RL December 21, 2017

Russia has activated three new early-warning radar stations to detect missile attacks near its southeastern border, including its border with North Korea, after repeated missile tests by Pyongyang have raised fears of a possible conflict.

The deputy commander of Russia's air force, Aleksandr Golovko, boasted that "for the first time in history" a trio of new Voronezh rocket-attack-detection radar stations had entered service in the Krasnoyarsk, Altai, and Orenburg regions, the Ministry of Defense's Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported on December 20.

The new radar stations all sit near Russia's borders with Kazakhstan and Mongolia, but with an operating range of 6,000 kilometers, they have the Korean Peninsula and chunks of Russia's Pacific coastline in range.

The Kremlin activated its Voronezh-DM radar system covering its western borders in 2011, and has been replacing Soviet-era radar systems since 2005.

The new additions improve Moscow's radar coverage in the east. Previously, only one of its systems, in Irkutsk, was located east of the Ural Mountains.

Two Voronezh-type stations are located in the St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad regions, while one is based in Krasnodar, near Ukraine. A new radar station is also planned in Russia's far north during 2019.

Moscow tested the new deployments earlier this year, and in June the Ministry of Defense announced that its Krasnoyarsk-based system had detected six launches of ballistic missiles in the northeast Pacific.

Golovko did not mention any specific country as a threat. Plans for the new radar stations were announced by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in June. China's border with Russia is also within range of the stations.

But it comes at a time of heightened tensions as a result of North Korea's repeated tests of nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles this year.

Russia has condemned Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions, but it has also accused Washington of antagonizing North Korea and has pushed for direct dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.

Russia has signalled several times that it is making preparations, should war break out on the Korean Peninsula.

The Kremlin's top security adviser said earlier this month that Moscow's top objective was to avoid war, but it was preparing for a scenario in which the situation devolves into fighting.

With reporting by Newsweek and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia- activates-early-warning-radar-east-amid- north-korean-missile-tests-border-china -mongolia-kazakhstan/28930362.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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State Duma Ratifies Expansion of Russia's Tartus Naval Facility in Syria Deal

Sputnik News

13:25 21.12.2017(updated 13:28 21.12.2017)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian State Duma ratified on Thursday the agreement on the expansion of the Russian naval facility in the Syrian port city of Tartus.

According to the agreement, Russia may simultaneously deploy up to 11 warships, including nuclear-powered combat vessels, at the Tartus naval facility. Russia will carry out the seaborne and airborne protection of the base, while Syria will be responsible for the land security. Russia will be able to deploy temporary mobile outposts beyond the base, if coordinated with the Syrian side.

The agreement also stipulates that Russia will have the right to renovate, rebuild or demolish the facility.

The document also regulates different legal issues, such as the status of personnel, members of their families, issues related to the criminal and administrative prosecution of the personnel and family members, as well as crew members for the crimes and offenses committed in Syria, and also issues related to the information protection.

The agreement between Russia and Syria is supposed to be in force for 49 years and can be automatically prolonged for further 25-year periods. It is defensive in nature and is not directed against other countries.

On December 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted to the lower house of Russia's parliament a draft on ratification of the Russia-Syria agreement on expansion if the Russian naval facility in Syria signed in January.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups operating in the country, including the Daesh terrorist group. Over the past several months, as a result of the Syrian government forces' offensive, the terrorists have lost most of the territory they had occupied during the Daesh rampage across Syria and Iraq in 2014. According to the Russian Defense Ministry's data, over 90 percent of Syrian territory has already been liberated from militants with Moscow's aerial support. The international community, including Russia, has taken a number of steps aimed to settle the crisis, including via talks in Geneva and Astana.

 Sputnik

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Former Nebraska U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg is among 22 former U.S. attorneys who have sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him not to seek removal of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and allow him to finish his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

"We do not know where Mr. Mueller's investigation may lead but, from our own experience, we know that Mr. Mueller must be permitted to continue the difficult job with which he has been charged," the letter stated.

"Seeking his removal would have severe repercussions for Americans' sense of justice here at home and for our reputation for fairness around the world."

The former U.S. attorneys applauded Trump's statement Sunday that he does not intend to seek removal of Mueller.

But the letter was dispatched amid growing signs in Washington that there may be an attempt to remove Mueller and bring an end to the ongoing investigation.

"We are former federal prosecutors with extensive experience in complex investigations," the letter organized by the Georgetown University Law Center's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection stated.

"We understand just how critical it is to the interests of justice and public trust to ensure that those charged with conducting complex investigations are allowed to do their jobs free from interference or fear of reprisal," the letter stated.

Gilg served as U.S. attorney in Nebraska from 2009 to 2017 during the administration of President Barack Obama.
Eighth round of Syria peace talks starts in Kazakh capital

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:14AM

The eighth round of Syria peace talks mediated by Iran, Russia and Turkey, has kicked off in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana with the aim of finding a diplomatic solution to the six-year conflict in the Arab country.

Delegations from Russia, Iran and Turkey, Syrian government representatives as well as a 20-member opposition team started two days of negotiations in Astana on Thursday, AFP reported.

According to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will also attend the second day of the talks on Friday. De Mistura is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday.

The new round of Astana talks will focus on buffer zones, humanitarian aid and freeing prisoners, the ministry said.

Last week, the eighth round of another parallel peace process was held in Geneva between Syria's warring sides. Those UN-sponsored talks, however, fell through with no tangible progress.

Previous rounds of negotiations under the auspices of the UN over the past five years have failed to achieve results, mainly due to the opposition's insistence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should cede power.

However, the talks in Astana, which began in January, have comparably resulted in significant achievements, including ceasefires and de-escalation zones that have reduced fighting in Syria.

Iran and Russia are allies of the Syrian government, while Turkey supports several anti-Damascus armed groups.

The latest round of the talks was held late October, with the three states agreeing on a Russian initiative for holding a congress with the participation of Syria's conflicting sides in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The fourth round of the Astana discussions in May also resulted in an agreement on four de-escalation zones across Syria.

The Astana process has also helped strengthen a countrywide ceasefire, which took in December 2016 after Aleppo was recaptured by government forces in a major victory against militants.

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Deaths Mount as Syria Refuses Permit for Medical Evacuation

By Lisa Schlein December 21, 2017

A senior U.N. official says people are dying because the Syrian government will not give the green light for an urgent medical evacuation from eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus.

The United Nations has been asking the Syrian Government for permission to transport patients from eastern Ghouta to Damascus for urgent medical treatment since May to no avail.

Special advisor to the U.N. Syrian Envoy, Jan Egeland, says 494 people were on the priority lists for medical evacuations drawn up two months ago.

"That number is going down, not because we are evacuating people, but because they are dying," said Egeland.

At least 400,000 people are trapped in eastern Ghouta, which is besieged by President Bashar al-Assad's regime. U.N. humanitarian workers have been blocked from delivering food and other critical supplies to the civilians trapped there for months.

Because of this deprivation, Egeland says 12 percent of children in the city are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and one-third of malnourished children under five are stunted.

He tells VOA he has confirmation that 16 people have died since the medical evacuation lists were resubmitted in November. But, he adds that number is probably higher.

"I fear during this Christmas and holiday season there will be more deaths unless we get the evacuation going. They have to be evacuated to get the treatment they need to save their life," he said.

Eastern Ghouta, which has been under siege since 2013, is only 15 kilometers east of Damascus. Egeland notes the Syrian capital has the hospitals needed to care for the wounded and critically ill patients. He says the city has enormous warehouses full of the special nutritional, therapeutic foods needed to treat acutely malnourished children.

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Chinese military activity near Taiwan no longer to be reported

ROC Central News Agency

2017/12/21 13:08:52

Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) will no longer issue reports on movements of Chinese military aircraft or naval vessels near Taiwan unless something unusual occurs, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan () said Thursday.

The decision was made because the ministry will not dance to China's tune as it tries to use psychological warfare against Taiwan, Feng told the media.

Several Chinese aircraft were seen passing near Taiwan at 4:40 pm Wednesday, passing through the Bashi Channel to the south then going north before flying over the Miyako Strait that lies between two Japanese islands, on their way back to China after apparently conducting training missions in the Western Pacific, the MND said later that day.

The ministry said that it would not be issuing any follow-up statements because it seems to have become a regular occurrence for Chinese military aircraft and vessels to fly on the route for long-distance training missions.

Also Thursday, Feng dismissed as "gossip" an Apple Daily report that an amateur radio operator recorded verbal exchanges between the pilot of an approaching Chinese military aircraft and the pilot of a Taiwanese aircraft dispatched to intercept it, in which the Taiwanese pilot told the Chinese aircraft to "turn around."

Asked if the Chinese aircraft had entered the Republic of China air defense identification zone as reported, Feng said "how could that be possible."

Wednesday's exercise was the 10th by China's Air Force after the conclusion of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October, according to data released by the MND.

Also Thursday, MND spokesman Chen Chung-ji () said the ministry will follow regular readiness procedures in response to China's increased military activity near Taiwan, based on the principles of "not taking provocative action, not triggering a conflict, and reducing antagonistic behavior."

"We do not seek a battle, but we will not avoid one," Chen said.

He also thanked the United States for reaffirming its commitment to providing defensive weapons to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act.

When asked to comment on the latest Chinese military activity on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Logan reiterated that the U.S. will steadfastly support Taiwan's self-defense capability by providing arms of a defensive nature and will maintain its own capacity to resist the use of force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan.

"The objective of our defense engagement with Taiwan is to ensure that Taiwan remains secure, confident, free from coercion and able to engage in a peaceful, productive dialogue to resolve differences in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," Logan said in an-email response to CNA.

(By Lu Hsin-hui, Chiang Chin-yeh and Evelyn Kao)

Enditem/J

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Russia, Turkey finalize deal on S-400 missile defense system: Putin's aide

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 06:30PM

Russia has finalized an agreement with Turkey on the sale of the S-400 air defense missile system.

Vladimir Kozhin, a presidential aide who oversees Russia's matters of military cooperation, said Thursday that the deal was now finalized and Moscow would begin delivery of the system to Ankara in late 2019.

"The first deliveries are likely to begin at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020," Kozhin said.

He said no more issues remained about the deal, which was discussed between Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the former's visit to Ankara on December 11.

"All aspects have been resolved over the past few days ... All parameters, all technologies, the entire deal has been agreed ... Practically speaking, the contract is entering the phase of realization," he said.

The official added that Russia would grant a credit to Turkey to help finance the deal.

"The contract will consist of two parts financially: part of it will be paid by Turkey and part through a credit provided by Russia," Kozhin said about the agreement which has been valued at about $2 billion.

The deal comes as Turkey has been establishing closer relations with Russia after it experienced glitches in its relations with Western governments following a crackdown in the country over the July 2016 coup attempt.

The alliance originally reacted skeptically to the decision, saying the system was not compatible with its equipment.

However, the Pentagon said recently that Turkey's purchase of the S-400 system, the most significant deal Ankara has signed with a non-NATO military supplier, was generally "a good idea" as it was inter-operable with the military alliance's other systems.

The S-400 is Russia's latest surface-to-air missile defense batteries. Moscow aims to sell the system to Saudi Arabia, with Kozhin saying Thursday that the deal with Riyadh could also be finalized before the end of the year.

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Turkish Security Forces Detain 55 Daesh Suspects in Country's West

Sputnik News

13:43 21.12.2017(updated 14:01 21.12.2017)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Turkish security forces have detained 55 people on suspicion of having ties to Daesh (outlawed in Russia) terrorist group during counterterrorism raids in Istanbul, the most populous city of the country, and in the western province of Izmir, the Anadolu news agency reported Thursday.

The Turkish anti-terror squads conducted a series of raids in seven districts of Istanbul detaining 45 Daesh suspects, who were allegedly planning to carry out an attack, the Anadolu news agency reported citing a police source.

The media outlet added that 10 other Daesh suspects were detained in Izmir.

It comes a day after local police said that the administration of Istanbul's central Beyoglu district canceled New Year's celebrations on the central Taksim Square and touristic Istiklal Street due to a terrorist threat.

Turkey has been in a state of emergency since July 21, 2016, after a failed coup that resulted in deaths of over 240 people; it has been extended for three-month periods ever since. Ankara accuses the Gulen movement of masterminding the coup attempt, and has arrested thousands of military personnel, activists, officials, journalists, legal and educational workers over suspected links to the group. Gulen himself, who has been residing in the United States since 1999, has refuted all the allegations on numerous occasions.

 Sputnik

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UK test fires new missile system

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:15AM

The UK has test-fired a new version of the Sea Ceptor missile system after fitting it on a Royal Navy warship, according to the British Ministry of Defense.

The test involved firing two of the new missiles from Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll, the first warship to receive the system, the MoD stated on its official website Wednesday.

The missile system is designed to protect British military forces against airborne targets such as hostile fighter jets and helicopters, as well missiles travelling at supersonic speeds.

"In the face of intensifying global threats, cutting-edge systems like Sea Ceptor will keep the UK safe," said Minister for Defense Procurement Harriett Baldwin. "These successful trials from HMS Argyll mark a major milestone towards the introduction of this world-class missile system into service for the Royal Navy."

Developed by weapons manufacturer MBDA, the missile system can reach speeds of around three times the speed of sound and can shoot down airborne targets over an area of around 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometers) over land or sea.

According to Baldwin, Sea Ceptor's production supports around 600 MBDA jobs across the UK such as Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton.

The test began by putting the system against a single aerial target first and went on to include more complex tests involving multiple targets.

Sea Ceptor was first tested from HMS Westminster, the second warship to receive the system, in November.

The system will replace the Sea Wolf missile system deployed on the Type 23 frigates. The UK Navy's future Type 26 Frigates will also be armed with the new system.

"Whether it's engaging multiple air threats or fast incoming attack craft, Sea Ceptor represents a massive capability upgrade for the Type 23 frigate," said Lieutenant Nick Andrews, HMS Westminster's Anti-Air-Warfare Officer.

The UK has been running major upgrade programs for several of its strategic missiles, including a joint project with France to design a replacement for Storm Shadow/ SCALP EG long-range cruise missiles for the British and French air forces.

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UK Navy Refutes Allegations of Poor Defense Due to Lack of Deployed Warships

Sputnik News

17:20 21.12.2017(updated 17:41 21.12.2017)

LONDON (Sputnik) - The UK Royal Navy (RN) has various capabilities at its disposal other than frigates and destroyers, an RN spokesperson told Sputnik on Thursday, following allegations of the country's defense suffering because no major warships were deployed overseas.

On Wednesday, Vice Adm. John McAnally, national president of the Royal Naval Association, told The Times newspaper that the fact that all six of the RN's Type 45 destroyers and 12 out of 13 Type 23 frigates were in domestic ports was "unprecedented" and alarming. Other media also expressed fear that the United Kingdom might not be prepared for a potential outbreak of war.

"There is much more to the Navy than frigates and destroyers. The hugely capable RFA Mounts Bay [landing ship dock] proved her worth following Hurricane Irma, and she is still there. HMS Protector [patrol ship] provided specialist support to the search for the missing Argentine submarine San Juan, and she is still in the south Atlantic," the spokesperson said.

According to the RN, six ships are in the Persian Gulf and two are in the Mediterranean Sea. The types of ships were not specified by the Navy.

"The continuous at-sea deterrent is exactly that  continuous. We also have a frigate and patrol boat poised to operate in UK waters throughout the Christmas period  as we always do," the spokesperson said.

The Royal Navy maintained that any lull in ships' deployments was most likely due to routine maintenance and the training of additional crew.

"We do not routinely comment on the reasons for individual ships being alongside, but this could be a maintenance period [after] having returned from operations or in preparation for her next deployment," an RN spokesperson told Sputnik.

The UK Navy faced another controversy earlier this month, as the HMS Queen Elizabeth, recently formally accepted into the fleet, was found to have a problem with a shaft seal, which reportedly resulted in leakage.

An RN spokesperson told Sputnik earlier this week that the issue was not major and would not prevent the HMS Queen Elizabeth from further sea trials.

 Sputnik

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U.S. Approves License For Ukraine To Buy Light Weapon

RFE/RL December 21, 2017

The U.S. State Department says it has approved an export license for Ukraine to buy certain types of light weapons and small arms from U.S. manufacturers.

Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on December 20 that Congress was notified of the decision on December 13.

The license covers weapons in categories such as semiautomatic and automatic firearms up to .50 caliber weapons, combat shotguns, silencers, military scopes, flash suppressors, and parts.

It does not allow the sale of heavier weapons, such as Javelin antitank missiles, that Ukraine has urged Washington to provide in order to strengthen its capabilities against the Russia-backed separatists it is fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

There are conflicting reports about the significance of the development.

An article in The Washington Post described the State Department decision as approval of "the first-ever U.S. commercial sale of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine" and a "clear break" with past policy.

But the State Department and other media reports contradicted that.

"Under the previous two administrations, the U.S. government has approved export licenses to Ukraine, so this is nothing new," Nauert said.

According to Reuters, State Department records show that Ukraine has bought small amounts of light weapons and small arms for several years, both before and after Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014.

U.S. exporters can apply for direct commercial-sales licenses, which are reviewed by the State Department on a case-by-case basis, Nauert said.

Nauert said that the U.S. government has not directly provided lethal defensive equipment to Ukraine, but has not ruled out doing so.

The top U.S. military commander, General Joseph Dunford, said earlier this year that he recommended that the United States provide lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine to help the country "protect [its] sovereignty."

Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on September 26 that a proposal to provide lethal aid to Ukraine was awaiting a decision from the White House.

Ukrainian authorities have asked in particular for portable Javelin missiles, which they say would help soldiers in eastern Ukraine fend off attacks from tanks and self-propelled artillery.

Last month, ABC News reported that senior aides would present U.S. President Donald Trump with a $47 million plan to finance and sell high-tech defensive weapons to Ukraine.

Citing a State Department source, ABC News on November 18 said the proposed package included Javelins.

The war between Kyiv's forces and the Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014.

The U.S. envoy for peace efforts in eastern Ukraine, Kurt Volker, said on December 19 that 2017 had been "the most violent year" of the conflict and warned that hostilities were on the rise.

European Union foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said on December 20 that the humanitarian and security situation in the conflict zone has "deteriorated abruptly."

With reporting by The Washington Post, Reuters, CNN, ABC, and The Hill

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-us-approves-export -license-small-arms/28930667.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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US Approves Sale by US Manufacturers of Lethal Weapons to Ukraine

By VOA News December 21, 2017

The United States has approved the sale by U.S. manufacturers of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert confirmed this week that Congress was notified of the matter on December 13.

The legal framework for U.S. manufacturers to sell arms to Ukraine has existed since the Obama administration, Nauert said.

Nauert noted in remarks to reporters Wednesday that the government itself was not supplying weapons to Ukraine, but only allowing U.S. weapons manufacturers to do so.

The export license covers such weapons as semiautomatic and automatic firearms, the Reuters news agency reported. It includes combat shotguns, silencers, military scopes, flash suppressors and parts.

Administration officials said the equipment approved for sale was valued at $41.5 million. The Washington Post reported that there had been no approval for requests by Ukraine for heavier weapons, like Javelin anti-tank missiles. The newspaper also said Canada had approved similar sales to Ukraine this week.

Critics of the move say selling lethal arms to Ukraine threatens to escalate tensions between the United States and Russia.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, on a trip to Kyiv in August, said the Trump administration was "actively reviewing" whether to provide lethal defensive weapons to the war-torn country.

"Defensive weapons are not provocative unless you're an aggressor, and clearly, Ukraine is not an aggressor," he said in response to a question about whether Russia might see such a move as a threat.

He also said Washington did not accept Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

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In the spring of 2017, for the first time in state history, all high school juniors in Nebraska took the ACT. All other states that have mandated the ACT have seen a cliff-like drop in their average score that first year. Nebraskas average ACT score has now fallen as well, a logical result when suddenly every junior takes the test.

The happy news is that most states then experience steady score increases after that first year. Colorado fell in its first year mandating the ACT, from a 21.5 to a 20.1, but, seven years later, had the average score back up to 20.8 with 100 percent taking the test. Illinois experience was similar: dropping from a 21.6 to a 20.1 in year one but increasing it to 20.9 nine years later with 100 percent of students taking the ACT.

As schools fine-tune their efforts and more students learn of the ACTs impact on college choices and scholarships, scores climb. Nebraska and its schools should be applauded for bravely embracing this ACT initiative that initially lowers average school scores but helps students.

Nebraskas former NESA test for juniors did not affect those students futures. Many knew that and behaved accordingly. By contrast, increasing an ACT score is the best paying job a high school student could have.

Jumping from a 22 to a 26 should trigger a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to colleges such as Wayne State, Peru State or Chadron State. Increasing from a 27 to a 31 could result in a four-year Regents Scholarship at the three four-year University of Nebraska campuses, saving a family about $35,000 over four years. Increasing the ACT by three points should decrease the cost of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Doane, Concordia, Hastings and Midland annually by thousands.

The ACT benefits community college-bound students as well. About half of our community college students have to take remedial classes, boring high school do-over classes that reduce the likelihood of graduation. Fewer than 25 percent of remedial students at community colleges earn a certificate or degree within eight years.

A 24 in the math section should allow future welders, diesel mechanics and other two-year college scholars to test out of remedial classes -- and may also trigger scholarships.

Further, mandating the ACT or SAT increases the likelihood that high school graduates will attempt college. Researchers found that, overall in Maine, the policy to mandate (the test) for all students increased four-year college going rates by 2 to 3 percentage points. For students who sat for the exam because it was given during the school day (as they do in Nebraska) college enrollment increased by 10 percentage points.

And, remember -- these are juniors taking the ACT. Twelve months later, a much higher percentage will be college-ready. In the meantime, these results provide data for schools to attack shortcomings with strengthened curriculum.

Nebraska educators have embraced a bold ACT mandate that initially lowers average scores and thus invites criticism. To assess progress, to persuade more students to attend and graduate from college and to help them win bigger scholarships, Nebraska now requires that all juniors take this test.

As a result, we are no longer one of the top ACT scoring states in the country -- Nebraskas class of 2017 had an impressive 21.4 average with 84 percent of students taking the test. What other professions would similarly sacrifice public relations for principle? What professions do what is best for their constituents even if it invites criticism?
First 5G spec has been finalized, expect to start seeing 5G in 2018

3GPP is an organization whose purpose is to define the industry standards for technologies that would succeed the 4G LTE standard. Today, 3GPP has set the specifications for 5G equipment in both towers and smartphones alike.

This means that 5G standards have been set so that network and radio engineers can all work on a single platform for all 5G devices. Features, functions, services, and standards are set for carriers, phone makers, and radio equipment manufacturers now have a basis to begin to produce and roll out 5G equipment and services to capable networks around the world.

Official logo for 5G wireless

If you wish to get down and dirty with all the technical talk of the new 5G specs, you can head to the 3GPP Source Link below. This covers things like system architecture, core network interface, network slicing, and migration from 4G.

A number of carriers, smartphone makers, and component manufacturers (Qualcomm, Orange, T-Mobile, AT&T, Samsung, ZTE, Sprint, Telefonica, Verizon, Sony, Nokia, MediaTek, and Huawei  to name a few) have expressed their excitement and commitment for a future with 5G wireless.

We wonder which smartphone maker will be the first to make a 5G-enabled smartphone. Any predictions?

Sources: 3GPP | Qualcomm
The last month was rich in Oppo launches. First, we saw the A83 pop up, then the Oppo F5 Youth without Google services arrived in China with an Oppo A73 moniker. Now another phone is about to join the A series - Oppo A85. That's seemingly going to be a very affordable device as it even lacks a fingerprint scanner.



Oppo A85 from all sides

The front panel has a 5.7 TFT LCD with HD+ resolution of 1440x720 pixels. The Oppo A85 will have octa-core CPU, clocked at 2.5 GHz, paired with 4 GB RAM on the chipset. There is also 32 GB internal storage and a slot for microSD for up to 256 GB more.

While the primary camera is 13 MP and coupled with an LED flash, the front one is just 8 MP. The A85 runs the ColorOS which is based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It is expected to arrive in Gold and Black, although the price is still unknown.

Source (in Chinese) | Via




Haiti - Tourism : Inauguration of a pier at Aquin





Tuesday, as part of the Sustainable Coastal Program including the Integrated Regional Land Use Planning Project in the South (RIAT South, launched in September 2015 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15031-haiti-tourism-30-tourist-projects-will-start-on-the-south-coast.html ) financed by the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), Colombe Emilie Jessy Menos, the Minister of Tourism, accompanied by the Mayor of Aquin Sauvilhorme Mathurin and his deputies, Jean Robert Bosse, of Deputy of the constituency Jean Robert Bosse, Senator of the South, Richard Herve Fourcand, members of the IDB team, inaugurated the pier in the commune of Aquin.



In her speech, Minister Menos declared "We reiterate our desire to carry out all tourism projects with the population and never without it. The inauguration of the dock is a step taken while waiting for the other steps."



Recalling that this pier at the seaside of the city of Aquin responds to the need to provide for the needs of users of this coast who previously were crossing over on a man's back, she added "This dock will help the many fishing activities undertaken by members of the population and increase the flow of tourists possible in the commune of Aquin." Taking advantage of this opportunity, Minister Menos presented the model of the construction of the Place d'Armes of Aquin, which is also included in the list of projects to be executed in this area.



Mayor Sauvilhorme Mathurin thanked the Haitian firm Ecomar engaged in the construction of this jetty for almost a year. He also mentioned projects that await the Ministry of Tourism including the exploration of a set of sites not yet listed, exploitable in terms of tourism.



It should be noted that Aquin, the entry city of the South Department, is the first concerned by the actions of the Ministry of Tourism aimed at providing coastal towns with basic infrastructure in order to exploit their tourist potential.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15031-haiti-tourism-30-tourist-projects-will-start-on-the-south-coast.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23052-haiti-tourism-inauguration-of-a-pier-at-aquin.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By Vasia Orion | Published on 2017/12/21

This is the problem with attachment, folks. It splits your thinking in two. On one hand, I'm glad that we may get fresh faces for a fresh story in "Queen of Mystery 2". On the other, I want to see Lee Won-keun, Park Joon-geum, Ahn Kil-kang and everyone else return as the characters I love so much.

Advertisement

I know not everyone will return, but news just came out that Kim Hyun-sook will reprise her role as Kim Kyeong-mi and I may have screamed a little. The character is such a delightful and crucial presence in the life of the heroine and Kim Hyun-sook is such a lovely actress for her.

Aside from Kim's return, the series has confirmed its leads and Park Byung-eun, but we also have two potential new additions I will cheer for through my grumbling. Oh Min-suk is courted for the role of hero Ha Wan-seung's (Kwon Sang-woo) detective rival, because Wan-seung needs someone to be angry at when he's not breaking keyboards and Yang Ik-june won't be around for staring contests this time. One outlet has the actor confirmed while others are saying he is considering, so we'll see how it goes when it gets more wide coverage.

Lee Da-hee has also been offered the role of Hee-yeon a pastry chef who is a contact of Yoo Seol-ok (Choi Kang-hee) and who will also be helping with the mystery. I can't say I particularly enjoy Lee Da-hee's work, but maybe I'll see her in a new light this time around. Plus, I can imagine the double-chef threat supporting Seol-ok. Can we get a third party to the sismance?

For now we wait until the newly teased actors turn down or confirm their roles and until February 21st, which is the reported premiere date for the series.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Sources (1) (2) (3)
Published on 2017/12/21 | Source

Added episodes 15 and 16 captures for the Korean drama "Doubtful Victory" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Sin Kyeong-soo

Written by Lee Hyeon-joo

Network : SBS

With Yoon Kyun-sang, Jung Hye-sung, Kim Hee-won, Do Ki-suk, Kang Shin-hyo, Choi Won-young,...

40 episodes - Mon, Tues 22:00

Also known as "Oh, the Mysterious"

Synopsis

A drama depicting the story of a fake detective who takes revenge on the monsters hidden in society and regains his life.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/11/27

More
2017 has been a time of immense change for the modern workforce and HR professionals. The rise of the gig economy, huge developments in technology and a new understanding of employee experiences has already made waves throughout the industry. Below are four of my predictions for areas that will be significant in the HR landscape in 2018.



1. The future of work will evolve



The modern workplace and workforce is changing, affected by factors such as global expansion, demography (millennials entering), societal expectations/behaviours and economic factors. These changes are initially stimulating first adopters at the individual level, and then permeating slowly at an organisational level.



In 2018 the nature of work will shift via cultural change. Employees will demand a more flexible way of working from their employer. For example, retention of key talent necessitates that organisations be conscious of a positive work experience. In order to be competitive, some companies are introducing the concepts of unlimited leave, flexible hours and working from home whilst ensuring business outcomes are met.



Adoption of digital tech will also be a key factor in the future of work. Organisations acknowledge that they need more productive, knowledgeable and happy employees when servicing their clients. To achieve this, many are turning to digital tools to enhance employee productivity and leadership decision making. Statistically 70 per cent of the Australian workforce is service/labour based, so this provides great scope to upskill our workforce and enhance productivity.



Creating a great place to work is also achieved by having a culture of innovation and engagement. Transformation is continuous and we must prepare for the future now. Australian companies need to embrace flexibility and really look at how they engage with contingent talent. The contingent workforce (gig economy and contractors) still want to be part of a workforce culture and employee value proposition, with access to development opportunities.



2. Digital disruption will continue



Technology can enable new ways of solving problems, creating unique experiences and accelerating business performance. Digital disruption is affecting business models, work practices and staff lifestyles.



Organisations now see that putting up physical or technical barriers to insulate an employees quest to learn, share, collaborate and engage in meaningful ways is no longer viable to retain high performing employees and stimulate innovative thinking. Social tools and sites like Facebook, Linkedin and Glassdoor may not be corporately owned applications, but they are used by prospective employee candidates to filter those organisations that have a strong purpose and vision for the future.



Leadership is also being disrupted now. Organisations are looking for younger, more agile and diverse leaders that understand all things digital, such as adopting technology to help enable continuous feedback as a way to learn and accelerate decision making. Digital leadership makes companies more effective, creating rapid talent mobility, collaborative learning and pushing to deliver products faster in an iterative way.



Disruption is also coming from companies prioritising their own employees over their customers. There has been a widespread realisation that retaining key talent helps retain customers, and prevents a churn of new employees. This has led to a digital emphasis on enhanced internal communication tools, engagement and survey capabilities. This keeps organisations well informed about the health and well-being of its employees on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, and not reliant on once a year surveys and appraisals.



3. Datasets will be leveraged to drive business outcomes



Organisations are finding it difficult to boost employee education and skills training fast enough to keep pace with change. By understanding people, we are better able to influence their own career journey within the company. This is not just about vertical promotions but moving horizontally throughout the organisation, ultimately to get to where their goals and ambitions reside. Whilst the outcome is retention of key talent, it is also about the influence these people have on their peers as a determinant of creating and maintaining a high-performance culture and engagement.



By adding personalised, mobile friendly, and employee-centric digital learning capabilities, this approach addresses the needs of both companies and learners  putting employees in control of their career development and allowing for learning to occur in more natural ways as part of a daily work flow. Aligning the right learning content to the right person at the right time in a "Netflix-style" user-experience will simplify discovery, browsing of courses and enable predictive search, all designed for self-directed learning and creation of learning paths. The intelligent platform will automatically identify and recommend courses based on a users interests, preferences and aspirations, via a machine learning algorithm. Importantly a platform such as this will automatically identify the best learning paths by role or career trajectory to help employees pursue their ambitions.



4. Employee experience will be used to drive productivity and talent management strategies



The modern workforce want to know that their organisation is seeing the world through the employees eyes, staying connected and working with them on their major career milestones. Investing in them with meaningful training and development based on their current and future needs, aspirations, even though theyre not sure where they want to be in 2-5 years time.



Anecdotally, job satisfaction is most influenced by having a sense of empowerment, feeling appreciated and being able to do meaningful and interesting work. This means choice of employer and clear articulation of values. Digital HR strategies will be driven by those expectations. Weve found that with our customers, when they have defined their core values, their success comes from walking the talk. Cornerstone OnDemands Unified Talent Management solution enables this strategy by linking the end to end employee lifecycle, from recruitment, performance, learning and core HR. All of the processes, assets, and people data are all intrinsically connected to improve both the employee user experience.



Companies and HR departments are going through a change in both mindset and behaviour. Most HR departments start out as delivering compliance functions, such as payroll, benefits and meeting legal requirements. Organisationally, we find that there is a potential strategy conflict now between compliance (low risk) and innovation (high risk). They dont necessarily go together but we need to do both.



Innovation creates an engaged workforce, which means that people work harder, are more productive and more creative. Culture also creates innovation, and teams succeed when people are connected, engaged, have a common purpose and there is open and transparent environments.



In the 2017 Global Human Capital Trends report, David Brown from Deloitte Australia said 85% of Australian HR professionals say fostering a better employee experience is their most important priority. At present Australian HR professionals are closely focused on retention through improving the employee experience, such as setting up systems to help employees deal with the volume of communication and level of administration in their lives, said Brown. If employees are happy, a company will see better productivity, greater collaboration, less turnover and greater retention of corporate knowledge.



Consequently, Australian companies must understand and elevate digital HR as a priority in 2018. For more insights into the HR landscape in Australia, please visit the Cornerstone OnDemand blog at: https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com.au/blog



By Dean Maher, Cornerstone OnDemand Regional Vice President for Australia and New Zealand
DUBLIN City Council (DCC) chief executive Owen Keegan has described the purchase of more than 50 Dublin 4 apartments for almost 25m as "expensive", but added that the council had to take the plunge.

The Herald can reveal that some of the units at Shelbourne Plaza, on Charlotte Quay, are costing the council more than 500,000 each.

Offered

DCC is set to buy four three-bed units at 535,000 each, 42 two-bedroom apartments at 410,000 each, and six one-bedroom apartments costing 340,000 each.

The average acquisition cost works out at 411,000 per unit.

In a statement released to councillors last night, housing chief Brendan Kenny said the turnkey development came on to the market and was offered to the council as part of the Part V Social Housing commitment.

The units have been bought from Chartered Land, which has made a financial contribution.

"Dublin City Council has agreed a purchase price of 24.5m for Shelbourne Plaza and Chartered Land has made a financial contribution of 2.7m towards this," Mr Kenny said.

Speaking to the Herald last night, Mr Keegan said the cost was "disappointing".

"It's a real challenge for us. It's disappointing they are expensive. The acquisition cost is very high," he said.

"Everybody would be very concerned if the recovery were to be confined to housing out of reach of middle income aspiring house purchases.

"In some cases we're just taking the plunge and buying the units.

"I think it's great there will be social housing in this development, I just wish it wasn't so expensive."

Independent councillor Mannix Flynn said that while buying homes to be used for social housing was welcome, he feels there is a need for councillors to have a say in these acquisitions.

He said there should be more information provided in reports to see if there is value for money.

"The councillors have a say when it comes to dispensing of council property, but we don't have that say with acquisitions," Mr Flynn said.
A motorist described as a "little boy racer" forced gardai to take action to avoid a crash as he led them on a high-speed chase in west Dublin.

Patrick Casey (21) swerved out in front of the squad car after officers had driven alongside him, signalling him to stop, a court heard.

Judge David McHugh banned him from driving for two years and fined him 500.

Casey, of St Aidan's Halt- ing site, Brookfield, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Naas Road last February 8.

Blanchardstown District Court heard gardai saw a Volkswagen Passat travelling at 120kph in a 50kph zone around the Red Cow interchange.

The car continued outbound towards Naas, overtaking two vehicles and driving in a "highly dangerous manner", the court heard.

Struggled

Casey was travelling at speeds of up to 160kph and gar- dai struggled to keep up with him.

The garda car drove alongside him for 200 metres, signalling him to stop.

Casey swerved into the path of the officers, forcing them to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

The accused eventually stopped at the Kingswood interchange.

"What madness is this?" Judge McHugh asked defence barrister Jennifer Jackson.

She replied that, thankfully, nobody was injured and there was no accident, for which Casey was grateful.

The accused was a young man and "what comes to mind is little boy racer", she said.

He had shown a lack of foresight and had not considered the potentially perilous consequences of his actions.

It was "really reckless behaviour", she added.

Casey had been fully insured and his family relied on him to ferry his brothers and sisters to school.
A man who allegedly held up a Dublin pizzeria was chased by a staff member who "tackled him to the ground".

Stuart Behan (38) is accused of making off with cash after producing a firearm and dem- anding money.

Judge Michael Walsh granted him bail at Dublin District Court and adjourned the case for the directions of the DPP.

Mr Behan, of Aisling Close, Dublin 12, is charged with theft at Portobello Pizzeria, South Richmond Street.

The prosecuting garda objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the allegations.

She said it was the prosecution's case that Mr Behan entered the premises at 10.38pm on December 17 while two staff members, a man and a woman, were working behind the counter.

It was alleged that he produced a firearm and demanded money, getting 80, and fled from the shop.

arrested

The court heard he was chased by the male worker, who tackled him to the ground and held on to him until gardai arrived and arrested him.

It was alleged that Mr Behan was "caught red-handed" and that the firearm and money taken were recovered. The accused was arrested and made no reply to the charge after caution.

Defence solicitor Anarine McAllister applied for bail, saying the accused was living with his mother and would turn up in court.

He was "of relatively minor means" but would abide by any conditions.

The lawyer said Mr Behan had experienced a "degree of homelessness in the recent past." Judge Walsh granted bail in the defendant's own cash bond of 100.

Under the bail conditions, he must live at the address given and observe a curfew between 10pm and 8am.

Judge Walsh remanded him in custody with consent to bail until he is able to take bail up.

He also granted free legal aid after hearing there were no garda objections.
Ryanair has lost its High Court action for defamation against three pilots. A jury found a September 2013 email, "Pilot update: what the markets are saying about Ryanair" did mean the airline was guilty of market manipulation.

However, in a majority verdict of nine or more, it found Ryanair had not proved malice by the three defendants, Evert Van Zwol, John Goss and Ted Murphy.

The court declared the update was published on an occasion of "qualified privilege" - which is only lost where malice is proven - meaning there was no defamation.

Dismissed

Mr Justice Bernard Barton dismissed the case and granted costs. He put a stay on the costs in the event of an appeal, following an application from Thomas Hogan SC, for Ryanair.

The defendants were congratulated by friends and family after the verdict.

The jury of nine men and two women had been deliberating from 10.30am until just before 6pm.

Ryanair brought its case against the three, members of the Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG) interim council, as publishers of a pilot update distributed to 2,289 Ryanair pilots.

They denied defamation and denied the meaning attributed by Ryanair to the words of the update.

They also claimed the words had the benefit of qualified privilege - a statement published to someone with an interest in receiving such information is protected, provided it is not motivated by malice.

The airline claimed that by publishing an incorrect statement, the defendants were saying that, either by innuendo or insinuation, the airline misled investors, knowingly facilitated insider dealing by management, was guilty of market manipulation and conspired with management to abuse markets.

Manipulation

The jury said the update did mean Ryanair was guilty of market manipulation.

However, the jury rejected the idea that it suggested the airline had misled investors, knowingly facilitated insider dealing by managers, or that Ryanair had conspired with managers to abuse the market for its shares.

In a statement afterwards on behalf of the RPG, Evert Van Zwol said from the outset the objective of the group was to represent the interests of all Ryanair pilots and to help them bring issues to the attention of management.

"We wish to dedicate today's victory to all Ryanair pilots who are standing strong for each other around Europe and have, through their collective courage, succeeded in having Ryanair change its long-standing policy of union recognition," he said.
Two suspects have been arrested over the attempted murder nearly a decade ago of a mum-of-nine, who was lucky to escape with her life after she was shot 12 times.

New details about the breakthrough in the case of Catherine Delaney McCormack (51) can be revealed today after a top-secret investigation by Clondalkin gardai.

The suspects, who are believed to be part of a crime gang involved in the so-called D22 feud which claimed three lives, were arrested in the area last month and in August.

"Two males, in their 20s and 30s, were arrested in relation to the investigation of the attempted murder of Catherine Delaney McCormack on June 13, 2008," said a garda spokesman.

Brave

"A male in his 30s was arrested on August 10 and a male in his 20s was arrested on November 15.

"Both were released without charge and a file is currently being prepared for the DPP."

In an interview with RTE two years ago, brave Catherine recalled how she told the gunman: "Do you not think that's more than enough?" after he shot her 12 times.

He fired another two shots after she managed to close the door.

She was also given the last rites when she was in hospital.

Catherine, who works as a carer, was attacked in front of two of her children at their family home in Clondalkin, west Dublin.

It was not the first time that she had been targeted.

Four shots were fired through her front door on March 11, 2008, while she was picking up a friend from the airport. Four of her children were at home at the time.

Door

"The doorbell had rung and four shots had come through the door - if I had been there that night I would have been shot dead because I would have gone to answer the door," Catherine said.

A second incident happened two months later.

"That was on May 13, 2008. A substance was poured over the car and it was set alight. I took it very personally," she said.

On the evening of June 13, Catherine was at home with four of her children.

"I was in bed at 11pm. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard banging on the door," she said.

"The doorbell was ringing and then constant banging on the door.

"It had woken up two of the children and they were standing on the stairs as I went down to answer the door.

"I had shouted to them I was coming because they were waking the children.

"There was another two [children] in the house at the time. So they knew that it was myself coming to the door.

"I opened the hall door. The person saw me.

"I'm holding my stomach then and I'm on the ground.

Stomach

"I had funny sensations in my legs. I'm like, 'what is this?' and then it dawned on me, 'oh, my God, I'm being shot'.

"Then as well I'm thinking of my children standing at the top of the stairs watching their mother being shot.

"There were 14 shots fired. Twelve hit me. Then I managed to get the door finally shut.

"I think I said something like: 'Do you not think that's more than enough?' and I shut the door. But there were two shots fired through the door.

"Like 12 actually hit me. I had six hit in my left leg. Two in my right.

"One hit my stomach and hit the bowel. One in my hip, and two in the back.

"As soon as I managed to shut the door, I was in pain then. I just prayed to God to give me the strength to get through it for the children."
RACINE COUNTY  The coming Foxconn Technology Group project in Mount Pleasant dwarfs all the other largest business projects of 2017 that involved the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., according to the agencys top-25 list.

The list of corporate projects that received support from WEDC details the total estimated cost of each one, the number of jobs the project is expected to create or retain and how much WEDC is investing.

Foxconn is listed at $10.2 billion, with up to 13,000 new jobs at the 32-million-square-foot manufacturing campus the company is to build in southwestern Mount Pleasant. WEDC has agreed to provide Foxconn with up to $2.85 billion in tax credits for what is the largest economic development project in Wisconsin history and one of the largest ever in the United States.

Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said about Foxconns decision to come here that 2017 has been a tremendous year for Racine County. Im so very proud of not only the team that landed Foxconn in our county, but the continuous hard work, investment, and innovation from our existing companies that attracted Foxconn to the area in the first place.

Delagrave continued, Our business community is the backbone of our economy, and the countys focus heading into 2018 is positioning our local businesses and our residents to prosper. Working together with Racine County Economic Development Corp., local municipalities and many others, we are confident that we will continue Racine Countys momentum.

Its truly remarkable our village is at the epicenter of what will forever be known as Wisconn Valley, Mount Pleasant Village President Dave DeGroot said Wednesday. What an incredible and historical year this has been.

So many thanks go to our development team at the state, county and village levels for their superb cooperation, DeGroot added. That, along with our legacy companies for providing the historical context for our past successes. We are very good at making things and have a highly skilled labor pool. All of this was noted by the company and is what tipped the scales for us.

The second-largest project of 2017 is Kwik Trip Inc.s $309 million expansion project in La Crosse that will enable the growing company to meet its current and future capacity needs. The project is expected to create 329 new jobs.

At those numbers, Kwik Trips $309 million cost is a mere 3 percent of the Foxconn project, and its 329 jobs are 2.5 percent of the Foxconn maximum jobs number.

The $220 million future Haribo of America manufacturing plant in Pleasant Prairie made the list at No. 3, a project expected to create 385 jobs. WEDC has awarded Haribo up to $21 million in tax credits for the project which will be the German candymakers first manufacturing facility in North America.

Three more locals in top 50

Three Racine County projects missed the top 25 but made the top 50:

Grand Appliance and TVs new headquarters and distribution center at 10301 Enterprise Drive, Sturtevant. The project, which started in July, tied for No. 30 at $7.2 million. It is expected to create 37 jobs. The company can earn up to $500,000 in tax credits.

LDV of Burlington, at No. 36, a $5.0 million expansion that is expected to create 40 jobs and retain 207. LDV, 180 Industrial Drive, recently finished an approximately 40,000-square-foot expansion, nearly doubling its size. LDV can earn up to $100,000 in tax credits.

Fischer USAs $3.1 million expansion at 3715 Blue River Ave., in Racine, made the list at No. 42. The project is expected to create 20 new jobs and retain 20. The company can earn up to $80,000 in tax credits.

Each of these companies plays a significant role in continuing to grow the states economy by creating family-supporting jobs and investing in Wisconsin, stated Mark Hogan, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the states lead economic development organization. (This) was a successful year for WEDC as we assisted more than 300 businesses and communities as part of our mission to advance and maximize opportunities to help them thrive in a globally competitive environment.

The list is based on all corporate expansion and attraction projects in which contracts between WEDC and the company were executed in 2017. The job projections, estimated project costs and the award amounts from WEDC are based on the requirements set forth in each contract.

All WEDC tax credits are performance-based, and the amount of credits a company receives is contingent upon the actual numbers of jobs created and the amount of capital investment.
How good are these two guys, Penn State fans? It may surprise you ...
RACINE  The public will have a formal opportunity, before the City Council votes, to provide input on a proposed Racine ordinance that aims to hold bullies accountable.

City officials have been publicly discussing the proposal since November. If enacted, people could face fines if theyre caught bullying others. Similar to other Wisconsin communities anti-bullying rules, Racines proposal would also allow police to ticket parents who dont stop their kids from bullying. The City Council was scheduled to vote on whether to implement the ordinance Wednesday night, but decided to wait until next year to allow for formal public input.

Alderman John Tate II, Racines 3rd District representative, requested the delay. He said he supports the ordinance, but he was under the impression that a public hearing would be part of the process. Tate said he wants parents to have the opportunity to comment, given that the ordinance addresses parental responsibility.

I take no pleasure in seeking to delay this, he told the council on Wednesday. Ive had constituents and multiple others say we need to talk about this in a way thats reflective of everybodys perspective. I think a public hearing is a way of doing that.

Proposal details

The proposed ordinance addresses three areas: illegal use of computerized communication systems, harassment and bullying. The first two items are prohibited under state law. The recommended ordinance allows for local accountability.

Under the potential new rule, bullying would be prohibited, along with retaliating against anyone who reports bullying.

Parents and guardians of people younger than 18 years old also stand to face a penalty if they do not intervene in their kids bullying behavior. The proposal states parents could face a fine if their child is caught violating the rule within 90 days of receiving written notice from police about the childs bullying behavior.

The ordinance would carry a fine of up to $1,000, plus court costs.

Racines Public Safety and Licensing Committee recommended approval of the new ordinance at its meeting earlier this month.

Aldermen unanimously opted Wednesday to delay action on the proposal until the council holds a public hearing, which is expected to take place at its Jan. 17 meeting.
How many steps will it take to walk off Thanksgiving dinner?

Study: You'd need to walk nearly 80,000 steps to walk off the calories associated with the 10 most popular Thanksgiving Day dishes.
RACINE  A Downtown office building was a flurry of activity on Thursday afternoon as SC Johnson employees placed stickers on and packed more than 9,000 copies of the book Wonder, which are to be delivered to local students.

The books are scheduled to be handed out in mid-January to fourth- through eighth-grade students who attend Racine Unified schools, as well as parochial and independent schools east of Interstate 94.

Weve had numerous programs that have focused on literacy and really this is just another one to encourage kids in the community to read and enjoy reading, said James A. Ladwig, SC Johnsons director of global community affairs.

Wonder, is a New York Times bestselling book by R.J. Palacio that was made into a movie starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The books tells the tale of a boy with facial differences attending a mainstream school for the first time. The movie version was released in theaters on Nov. 17.

Along with the books, students will work through a corresponding curriculum provided by myFace, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with facial disfigurement. According to its website, myFace puts a special focus on children and their families and funds medical, surgical, dental and psychosocial services as well as research and public awareness.

The curriculum asks students to write a short story about something in the book or to pen an essay about a superhero who overcame adversity.

In March, after students have read the book and worked through the curriculum, SC Johnson will fund field trips for students to watch the movie version of Wonder at the Marcus Renaissance Cinema in Sturtevant.

It will provide an opportunity to bring the book to life, Ladwig said.

A community-wide endeavor

Racine Unified Deputy Superintendent Eric Gallien spoke about SC Johnsons literacy initiative during Mondays School Board meeting.

They (SC Johnson) are going to be creating all types of incentives at the student level, teacher level, school level to engage students in the process of using the tools that theyve provided, Gallien said.

The company also plans to bring together some grade levels for an assembly that might feature doctors who will speak about the facial deformity at the heart of the book or even possibly Jacob Tremblay, the young actor who plays the lead role in the movie.

So this is a really big experience and we are part of a community-wide endeavor, Gallien said.

The project is just one of many efforts by SC Johnson to encourage a love of reading in the community. The company has also been a proponent of Racine Reads, the Racine Public Library bookmobile and the local Battle of the Books competition.

Ultimately, as a company, weve had a long-held philosophy that in the communities that were located in its our job to make those communities better because were there and this is just one example of that, Ladwig said.

Ladwig said that although SC Johnson hopes that kids learn inclusion and acceptance from the book, the main goal of the initiative is to encourage reading within the community.

Literacy in youth makes kids better and it makes the community better, Ladwig said. Were a firm believer in education.

Sometimes, a book can be an escape for a child who doesnt have the best living situation, he said.

That book allows them to experience things that they would never experience in life without reading, Ladwig said.

About 25 local SC Johnson employees gathered in an office at 141 Main St. in Downtown Racine on Thursday to put stickers inside all 9,000 books. The stickers tell the students where the books came from.
Rockbridge announces the opening of Noelle, a reimagined 224-room hotel housed in the former home of one of downtown Nashville"s first luxury properties, Noel Place.

Rockbridge has called upon the property"s Art Deco roots and location on historic Printers Alley to create a new cultural epicenter in the Nashville community. Located on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Church Street, Noelle sets itself apart from other hotels on what has recently become known as "Boutique Row" by offering guests an authentic, considered experience curated by leaders of Nashville"s thriving creative community.

Going well beyond opening "just another new hotel," Rockbridge's vision has been focused on building a vibrant Nashville destination through Noelle, filled with thoughtful design elements and creative programming intended to delight and engage guests and locals alike.

To bring this special property to life, Rockbridge assembled an expert team of specialists, starting with MAKEREADY, a company designed to create and operate hotel, restaurant, and retail brands, with a focus on unique localized projects like Noelle.

The influence of Nashville"s thriving creative community comes to life in Noelle, and it is something that is felt and seen throughout the property. From the beans ground for lattes in Drug Store Coffee, to the clothing hanging on the racks of Keep Shop, to the posters rolling off the presses in Little Prints, on-site print shop, dozens of Nashville-based artists, designers and makers have been tapped to create exclusive products and experiences. "Noelle represents an incredible assemblage of Nashville talents and personalities, celebrating the facets that make the city such a compelling destination for visitors," says MAKEREADY Chief Operating Officer Christine Magrann. "Our philosophy is to trust our local experts, amplify their efforts with MAKEREADY"s hospitality and operations know-how, and give them the tools and resources to bring fresh perspective that benefits locals as well as visitors." The 13-story building comes back to life by way of Nashville-based architects Feltus Hawkins Design, Nick Dryden of Dryden Architecture and Design (DAAD), and creative branding experts Peck & Company, led by Benji Peck. The team has masterfully preserved the historic hotel, first opened in 1930 by the Noels, a prominent Nashville family, while infusing it with renewed energy.

Noelle will feature extensive on-site amenities and engaging social spaces, including a restaurant, Makeready Libations & Liberation; a rooftop bar, Rare Bird; a coffee shop, Drug Store Coffee; a retail store, Keep Shop; and a working print shop, Little Prints. A new tower, complete with a rooftop lounge, expands Noelle"s original footprint, while offering a new downtown vantage point, with views overlooking the Cumberland River and Nissan Stadium.

All 224 guestrooms and suites have king-sized beds, with four 12th floor VIP suites featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with beautiful views of downtown Nashville. There are additional king suites on property, as well as a selection of double-king and adjoining rooms. Saidee Gallery, a ballroom featuring soaring ceilings and the original arched windows, is designed to host elegant gatherings and celebrations, while nearby meeting rooms will offer event and group capabilities. A fitness center with Peloton bikes rounds out the guest amenities.

Thoughtful design details appear from floor to ceiling throughout Noelle, from the restored terrazzo floors, original brass hardware, and soft pink Tennessee granite walls, to fresh touches like geometric Art Deco patterning carved into the wood ceilings in the guest rooms. A signature blue heron character, conceptualized by Peck & Company, is represented throughout the property.

Hotel website
MOUNT PLEASANT  The first water infrastructure work to service Foxconn Technology Groups manufacturing campus in Mount Pleasant is expected to start in January.

Racines Waterworks Commission has awarded two contracts to build water mains that will service the complex. The Water Utility is responsible for supplying water to the area where Foxconn is expected to build a liquid crystal display panel manufacturing plant.

The utility has about $133 million in water main infrastructure it needs to complete for Foxconn and a Mount Pleasant tax increment financing district for the project, said Water Utility General Manager Keith Haas. The majority of the funding for the infrastructure projects will come from the TID, Haas said, although the specific amount has not yet been settled. A TID is a financing tool that allows taxes generated by development inside the district to pay for improvements within it.

Contract details

D.K. Contractors received a contract to build a water main along the east frontage road of Interstate 94 between Highway 20 and Highway 11 in Mount Pleasant. It provided the lowest bid of 13 submitted for the project at about $1.97 million, according to a press release.

The road will be closed for reconstruction work by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation during part of next year. It is expected to reopen during the summer, the release states.

The water main is planned to support future development in Mount Pleasant. Work on the project is expected to begin in the first week of January, according to the release.

Advance Construction received a contract to build a second water main in the village along Highway H between the Renaissance Business Park water tower in Sturtevant and Highway KR in Mount Pleasant. The companys bid was the lowest of 10 received for the work at about $5.35 million, the release states.

The main is expected to supply water for a concrete batch plant for the Foxconn project, as well as Foxconns facility.

Both projects are expected to be completed by April, the release states.

The construction of these new mains is critical to the Foxconn project being able to move forward, Haas said in a statement.
AC Hotels by Marriott has announced the opening of AC Hotel Chapel Hill Downtown, a

European-inspired, frictionless, elegant hotel for the modern traveler. Notable as the first Marriott-branded modular construction

project on the East Coast, the property also plays a pivotal role in the revitalization of Chapel Hill"s central business district.

The 4-story, 123-key hotel is nestled in the heart of Chapel Hill  adjacent to the town"s social district and just around the corner

from the University of North Carolina  adding distinctly Southern elements to the AC brand"s European vibe. Its contemporary

facade complements surrounding downtown structures, both commercial and residential, mixing modern architecture and local

accents to capture the character of this historic college community.

Architectural details  expansive windows and an exterior corner den with an outdoor fireplace, for example  encourage visitors to

intermingle with local residents, both inside the hotel"s buzzing AC Lounge, which is designed as a neighborhood hangout, and

outside amidst the community"s vibrant street scene. A central location makes it easy for hotel guests to park in the onsite garage,

then get everywhere else via sneakers or bikes; those who prefer a ride can access the AC"s complimentary shuttle, which operates

within a 3-mile radius of the hotel.

A subtle European sensibility defines AC Hotel Chapel Hill"s 123 sleek, smart guestrooms, with a calming, neutral color palette,

natural lighting and open sense of space.

Artwork in the common areas is all about community. In partnership with NC-headquartered Kalisher, OTO commissioned regional

artist Lincoln Hancock to create a 96x72 mixed media work on canvas that celebrates the rich history of Chapel Hill"s Northside

neighborhood, which sits adjacent to the hotel. Hancock collected source materials (photos, newspaper clippings, stories) from

residents and community organizations; he layered these into an abstracted timeline  a montage of images and text  that serves

as the hotel"s focal piece of art.

Ten other pieces of local and regional artwork commissioned by Kalisher and OTO include three sculptures by Matt McConnell

(Raleigh NC) and an abstract wood installation outside by sculptor Robert Winkler (Asheville NC).

Hotel website
AC Hotels by Marriott, the European-inspired, simplistic, elegant brand for the modern traveler, has announced the opening of AC Hotel Spartanburg, the brand"s first location in South Carolina.

Nestled in the heart of Spartanburg, this arts-focused AC Hotel blends old with new, emulating a long tradition of urban lodging. Classic masonry combines with custom accents to craft a facade of decorative stone and brick with a barrel tile roof. While echoing the elegance of grand historic hotels, the style emphasizes a simple European-inspired sophistication designed for today"s discerning business and leisure traveler.

AC Hotel Spartanburg is locally owned by the Johnson family and operated by OTO Development, a Johnson Management company.

Constructed of nearly a quarter-million bricks laid the old-fashioned way, the sustainably-built hotel is on track to attain LEED Silver Certification. Architectural design was a collaboration of DC-based David M. Schwarz Architects and Spartanburga s McMillan Pazdan Smith, with interior work by DLR Group of Minneapolis. Robins & Morton served as General Contractor.

The 114-key AC Hotel Spartanburg offers five suites and 109 guestrooms with either two queen-sized beds or a king plus pullout sofa.

Interior common spaces incorporate crown moldings, raised paneling and other traditional architectural detailing juxtaposed with modern fixtures, furnishings and artwork.

The hotel"s lobby and second floor showcase a significant selection of masterworks on loan from the nationally acclaimed Johnson Collection. Guests are encouraged to interact with the 40+ objects on view  paintings, works on paper, textiles, and sculptu re  created by artists associated with the progressive arts enclave of Black Mountain College.

Sequestered in North Carolina"s Blue Ridge Mountains, Black Mountain College was a living laboratory for creative experimentation. Open from 1933-1957, the avant-garde school attracted a coterie of groundbreaking artists who went on to shape modern art in this country and beyond.

AC Hotel Spartanburg"s three meeting rooms are named for four key figures in Black Mountain College history: Anni and Josef Albers, Ruth Asawa, and Kenneth Noland. Designed for flexibility and awash in natural light, these rooms offer 637, 847 and 1,177 square feet, with the option to combine into one large 2,662-sq.-ft. space. The rooms are easily configured for business meetings  complete with LCD projectors, large drop-down screens, and total connectivity  as well as social events such as wedding parties, class reunions, club luncheons and community gatherings.

Other amenities at AC Hotel Spartanburg include an outdoor pool with patio, a business center, and a 24/7 fitness room with 11 machines plus free weights. The AC Kitchen serves a European-inspired breakfast featuring freshly baked croissants, sliced prosciutto and cheese, savory and sweet breakfast tarts, yogurts and fresh fruit.

The AC Lounge in the lobby emphasizes the AC signature Gin & Tonic, Spanish wines, crafted cocktails created with liquor distilled by Spartanburg"s Mottes & Sons Bootlegging Co., and local micro-brews from RJ Rockers Brewing Co., which is located right across the street  so "local" truly is local. A tapas menu features small plates with a Spanish flair.

A train whistle launches Happy Hour every evening in the AC Lounge, as the bartender offers samples of "The Crescent," the hotel"s signature cocktail, along with the backstory of the drink"s namesake. The Crescent  one of the first-ever trains designed for p assengers, with elegant dining, specialty cars and upscale services  enjoyed an always-anticipated stop in Spartanburg along its crescent-shaped route from New Orleans to New York.

A mix of Motte & Sons Vodka, Palmetto Rum, Gin, Triple Sec, Peach Izzy and a splash of lime juice, The Crescent toasts the days of yore when seven rail lines fanned out from Spartanburg like spokes on a wheel, with downtown as the hub  hence the nickname "Hub City"  for trains carrying passengers, textile products and, of course, peaches to all four corners of the country.

The 10th floor is devoted to a rooftop restaurant  scheduled to begin operations in late January  with an open-air terrace that serves up incredible 360 views of the city. Operated by the Rick Erwin Dining Group and helmed by Executive Chef Mark Grasso and General Manager Mark McCalmont, Level 10 is a high-end concept centered on seasonally-driven small plates, handcrafted cocktails and a wine cellar for all tastes. Featuring tasting-style portions of pastas, seafood, lighter fare, and a few signature steaks, the restaurant"s emphasis on shared plates enhances AC Hotel Spartanburg"s community-driven Southern hospitality.

Level 10"s sleek, sophisticated design is the work of Greenville SC architects Craig Gaulden Davis. The upscale ambiance incorporates tailored materials, hand-crafted finishes, custom chandeliers and high coffered ceilings to complement the unparalleled skyline views.

AC Hote l Spartanburg is located at 225 W. Main St. in downtown Spartanburg. Local restaurants, art galleries, specialty shops and public green spaces are just steps away; several Upstate colleges are close by, too. The hotel is easily accessible via I-85 and I-26. To make a reservation, call 864-585-8900 or visit ACSpartanburg.com.

Hotel website
The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel has named Jack Strong as Executive Chef for the 521-room iconic property, according to General Manager Paige Lund. With more than 26 years of revered culinary experience, the Oregon-born Strong, who hails from Oregon's Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, was most recently the Executive Chef of his tribe's casino and resort, Chinook Winds Casino Resort, located on the Oregon coast in Lincoln City. Prior to that, Strong was Chef de Cuisine at the AAA Four Diamond Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoquaimie, WA. Strong's culinary career in the Valley began at The Phoenician's Windows on the Green restaurant where he spent two years as Sous Chef from 2004 to 2006. He joined the culinary team at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in 2006, as Chef de Cuisine at Kai, the only AAA Five Diamond, Forbes Five Star restaurant in Arizona. While there, Strong worked side by side with James Beard award-winner and consulting chef, Janos Wilder, and the resort's Executive Chef Michael O'Dowd. During his tenure at Kai, he co-authored the restaurant's cookbook "The New Native American Cuisine - Five Star Recipes from the Chefs of Arizona's Kai Restaurant," and in 2008, was nominated for a James Beard Long-list for Best Chef: Southwest. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of The Renaissance Phoenix's culinary operations, Strong will also oversee the hotel's newest restaurant, Dust Cutter, a modern urban saloon, which just opened in May 2017. The menu, which pays homage to the region and the Sonoran Desert climate, will be a perfect match for Strong, whose Native American heritage plays a strong role in his culinary philosophy, utilizing farm-fresh, native ingredients from the region to create and tailor his menus. Strong has received numerous accolades and industry honors, has partnered with the Santa Fe Indian Market as a guest chef for tribal events, represented tribal foods and traditions in Hong Kong, and won the National Museum of the American Indian cook off at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Strong attended the Culinary Arts Program at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, from 1994-1996, where he was awarded Student Chef of the Year.
Montage International has announced the appointment Vai Cahoon to the position of vice president, acquisitions & development. In this role, Cahoon will support the Acquisitions & Development team in the continued growth of Montage International - including both the Montage Hotels & Resorts and Pendry Hotels brands. Cahoon joins Montage International from Viceroy Hotel Group, where she most recently held the position of director, acquisitions & development. Cahoon was responsible for identifying and sourcing acquisition and development opportunities in the Americas, including leading the feasibility analysis, underwriting and due diligence process. Cahoon played an integral role in the acquisition of deal opportunities for Viceroy Hotel Group, including Viceroy Chicago and Viceroy Bocas del Toro Panama. Prior to this role, Cahoon held several other positions within Viceroy Hotel Group including senior associate, business development and senior accounting & financial analyst. Cahoon graduated with honors from the University of Southern California, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association tapped Amy Travieso as VP of government affairs, covering regulatory and legislative affairs on technology, innovation and other policy areas. She officially joins the AH&LA on Jan. 2, 2018. Travieso comes to the AH&LA from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where she served as the lead Democratic liaison for the Chambers Technology Engagement Center. Before joining the Chamber, she spent 10 years in the House of Representatives, serving the last six as the deputy chief of staff for Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28), who co-chairs the Blue Dog Coalition. In addition to supporting AHLAs advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and with the administration, Travieso will also provide strategic support for the associations political action committee, HotelPAC. Travieso rounds out a team of 10 government affairs professionals with extensive experience on Capitol Hill and in federal and state advocacy. During the past year, the AH&LA has advanced legislation in several cities and states to combat illegal hotels, joined a U.S. Department of Labor task force on apprenticeships, and successfully pushed the House of Representatives to reinstate the definition of a joint employer under federal labor law.
Visitors to New York should watch their hotel bills, as a new tax coined the "Urban Destination Charge" is being added to stays in hotels that are near the popular destination of Times Square in Manhattan. This dubious charge has been implemented by big brands who operate hotels in the area, namely Hilton,Westin and Marriott, and the charge does not appear on platforms like Booking.com when guests make the reservation, but guests are instead charged on arrival. They are told the fee is "non-optional", effectively making it part of the price of the room, but by eliminating this portion of the room price at the online booking stage, these hotels make these rooms appear cheaper than competitors, falsely driving up business to their hotels. Amenities such as internet, phone calls and food and drink credits are said to be included in the charge, but being that it is mandatory, guest cannot opt to waive these services.

Guests have been complaining about the Urban Destination Tax, and it was first brought to light by a blogger atViewFromTheWing, and subsequently picked up by The Telegraph. This is a new practice for New York hotels, who seem to be following in the footsteps of their Las Vegas counterparts, who are notorious for sneaking hidden fees into guests' bills for everything from the privilege of staying in a resort (a "resort fee"), to mandatory tips per guest, early/late check out fees and even the preference of a queen or king sized bed in your room or suite. While many guests may balk at these hidden charges, which can drastically increase the price of a hotel stay, especially if a guest has reserved a room on special offer, hotels like Marriott are actually advertising these fees as something of benefit to the guest. A recent statement by a Marriott spokesperson on the issue of the Urban Destination Charge said, "As Marriott continuously seeks new ways to provide guests the best experiences and value, we are currently testing a destination fee at seven hotels in New York City. The per-room fee includes a suite of features that our research indicates guests value, such as food and beverage credits, exercise classes, access to free and discounted local activities; dry cleaning and enhanced internet and phone service." While there is no doubt that some guests do indeed want the option of paying for better internet or exercise classes, it is misleading to suggest that these features and services are available to guests when they don't have a choice in paying the charge.

Related projects

Let's take a look at a few projects currently underway in New York:

Westin New York Staten Island

The hotel, to be named the Westin New York Staten Island, will be include about 15,000 square feet of event space [READ MORE]

Hoxton Hotel Williamsburg

The Hoxton Hotel that will rise on the empty lot along Wythe between North 9th and North 10th streets [READ MORE]

Restoration Hardware Boutique Hotel

Restoration Hardware is planning a concept boutique hotel and restaurant on a corner site in the Meatpacking District [READ MORE]

More information on hotels in New York can be found on TOPHOTELPROJECTS, the specialized service provider of cutting-edge information of the hospitality industry.

Jule Grass

Marketing Manager

+49 4261 4140 309

TOPHOTELPROJECTS
Everyone gets a $20 HotelClocks.com gift card, good toward the purchase of any exquisite timepiece, plus a chance to win a museum-quality astronomical clock

Starfleet Research is celebrating the holiday season this year by giving away $20 HotelClocks.com gift cards, good toward the purchase of any of the hundreds of exquisite clocks in the HotelClocks.com catalog. Clocks range in price from $40 to more than $10,000.

A total of five hundred (500) gift cards are being made available on a first-come-first-serve basis. As an added bonus, everyone who redeems a gift card before December 31 will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes drawing for an Astrolabium (list price: $3,297), a museum-quality astronomical table clock (see rules and details on the gift card page).

Getting the complimentary $20 gift card is fast and easy. Simply click here. Select Add to cart and enter discount code STARFLEET20. The gift card will arrive via email within minutes.

Please note: This offer is limited to residents of the United States and Canada, unless special shipping arrangements are made. Only one gift card per customer may be used. Multiple gift cards may not be used in combination. Gift cards have no expiration date and may be transferred to friends and family.

All clocks include a complimentary personalized plaque, free shipping within the United States, a lowest price guarantee and a 3-year manufacturers warranty. A current holiday promotion also includes a free Black Forest cuckoo clock or other timepiece of equal value with all qualified purchases.

HotelClocks.com is a division of Timely & Timeless Exquisite Clocks Emporium (a Starfleet Media sister company) and a leading provider of decor-enhancing timepieces for luxury hotels and resorts. Currently, HotelClocks.com is offering special end-of-year discounts on all grandfather clocks, floor clocks, wall clocks, regulators, table clocks and astronomical clocks in its catalog to hotel purchasing decision makers. To receive preferred pricing quotes, discuss volume discounts, or make other inquiries, please contact sales@hotelclocks.com or 800.390.4067.

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About Starfleet Research

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MADISON  National Guard units in Alabama and Wisconsin have been selected as homes for new F-35A fighter squadrons, the U.S. Air Force announced on Thursday.

Air Force officials said Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison and Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Alabama, are the preferred locations for the squadrons. Both sites must go through an environmental analysis before the selection is finalized.

The Air Force said it expects the F-35s to begin arriving in both states in 2023  first in Wisconsin and then in Alabama.

Selecting Truax Field and Dannelly Field will increase Air National Guard F-35A units providing 5th Generation airpower around the world, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said in a statement.

As F-35As arrive at these locations, we will use the existing aircraft at these fields to replace the aging F-16s at other Air National Guard units.

Alabama and Wisconsin beat out locations in Idaho, Florida, and Michigan that were also competing for the project.
Just as many had suspected, Bitcoin saw its first major crash today that means the previously growing bubble has just popped. The last we reported on the value of Bitcoin was when it passed 17K and it reportedly passed 20K on other exchange platforms. Due to the recent crash, the value of the coin now sits just at 12K.

Other cryptocurrencies to plunge are Ethereum (down 20%), Bitcoin Cash (down 30%) and Litecoin (down 21%).

https://twitter.com/_/status/944125121802801152



The cause of this sudden and dramatic crash is not known, but it may have something to do with the recent discovery that half of all Bitcoin exchanges are conducted through illegal business. We recently reported that Austrailian researchers proved that these illegal dealings surround the trades of illegal goods and services such as weapons, drugs and pirated software.

This sort of illegal activity risks stunting the adoption of this technology and limiting the potential benefits to society, Talis Putnins, Professor at the University of Technology Sydney previously told Business Insider. A lot of people think bitcoin is highly anonymous and untraceable, that it is outside the view of regulators and authorities, but once you start digging into it its surprising how much sense you can make of it.




Nike Inc. is looking to return back to a time when Air Jordans were seen as exclusive and highly coveted sneakers.

During Nikes Q2 earnings call on Thursday, president Trevor Edwards spoke about how the demand for Air Jordans has fallen and how sales did not quite meet expectations in the second quarter of Nike Inc.s fiscal year.

As a result, the brand will once again make iconic Air Jordans style more rare, thus making them harder to purchase which will, in turn, drive up the demand.

Jordan Brands plans for 2018 reportedly include as many as 30 different classic and original Air Jordan 1 colorways, as well as a handful of Air Jordan 3s including the beloved Black Cement and the Katrina colorway which has never released. Additionally, Jordan Brand will also be releasing several Air Jordan 11s next year, including the iconic Concord colorway and a handful of low-top versions, such as the Cool Grey.

While the Air Jordan 1s will reportedly remain as the brands mainstay model, retros like the Air Jordan 3 and Air Jordan 11 will certainly fall in that iconic style category meaning theyll be much harder to get your hands than in recent years.
Sofia Richie is celebrating the holidays in the most eye-popping way possible, by putting on a show for everyone to witness. Richie was simply dressed in a Santa sweater and just her underwear while dancing rather provocatively. The 19-year old model was seen jiving to the 1983 hit All Night Long (All Night), a tune made famous by her father Lionel Richie, similarly giving a shoutout to her musical lineage while also showing off her seductive dancing chops.

All of this went down at new boyfriends house Scott Disick, who was not seen on camera, but was documenting this particularly sizzling routine for his Instagram followers.

Last night seemed to be a great time for the famous couple to goof off in preparation for the celebratory holiday week, enjoying the impending festivities and joyful yuletide bliss. Earlier on in the night, Scott also posted another Instagram story that saw the couple engaging in a game called Ice trader, which saw Disick throw ice cubes across the kitchen at Sofia and hoping that she would be able to catch them.

Following in the footsteps of his famous ex, Kourtney Kardashian, it has been revealed that Scott and Sofia will be venturing into the world of reality television to document their newly formed romance. Scott has been playing less of a part in the newest season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but looks to regain a sense of ubiquity with this newest venture.

Heres the video in full for your viewing pleasures.




The day has finally come when Travis Scott & Quavos collaborative project Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho is upon us. The highly-anticipated project will be officially released at midnight tonight, and you can check out the albums excellent artwork below. In case you missed it, the duo enlisted acclaimed artist and Hunter S. Thompson collaborator Ralph Steadman (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas) to lace the cover. The tracklist clocks in at thirteen tracks, with the only features being Offset and Takeoff. Check out the tracklist here, courtesy of Travis Scotts Instagram:

1. Modern Slavery

2. Black & Chinese

3. Eye 2 Eye Feat. Takeoff

4. Motorcycle Patches

5. Huncho Jack

6. Saint

7. Go

8. Dubai Shit Feat. Offset

9. Saint Laurent Mask

10. Moon Rock

11. How U Feel

12. Where U From

13. Best Man

Its been a minute, but come tomorrow, well know exactly what a Travis Scott and Quavo project sounds like. Either way, its still a crazy ending to an excellent year in music. Plus, we still have a new mixtape from Lil Wayne to look forward to. Rumors are circulating that the project has already hit the internet, so if youve managed to hear it, sound off on your favorite tracks. It will be interesting to catch the full production credits, as both artists can no doubt bring in some of hip-hops biggest names. Are yall looking forward to Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc-gv3xFCTw



Travis Scott & Quavo
The Republicans are betting big on a parlay.

In gambling, a parlay is a combination bet that only pays off when every part of the wager wins. So if I bet that the Patriots, Cowboys and Dolphins will win on Sunday, I only collect if all three win. The payoff is much greater than making three individual bets because the odds of picking three winners are worse.

Tax reform is a massive parlay.

Republicans are betting that passage of tax reform will have the desired economic effect, boosting economic growth and wages, with (politically) minimal impact on the deficit. They're also betting that passage will dispel the widespread sense that the GOP-controlled Congress can't get anything done. But the biggest bet is that the expected boost to the economy and the renewed sense of GOP competence will not only make this remarkably unpopular legislation popular, but that a roaring economy will have a huge electoral payoff come the 2018 midterms and beyond.

Odds are good that the policy bet will pay off. If slashing business taxes, switching to a territorial tax system and giving roughly 80 percent of Americans a tax cut doesn't stimulate economic growth, I'd be shocked. I'll also be surprised if the deficit doesn't go up, but the deficit hasn't really moved many voters since Ross Perot ran for president in 1992.

The gamble that voters not already in the GOP column will suddenly see the Republicans as a competent and reliable governing party strikes me as somewhat less plausible. The last year has been more than a little chaotic. And passing tax cuts is part of Republicans' basic job description. The fact that this is the only major legislation they could get through - in an ugly process - may not strike many persuadable voters as proof that the GOP can get other things done.

But the last bet is the real long shot. While I certainly think this legislation will become more popular - it couldn't get less popular, given the at times absurd media coverage - it seems highly unlikely that the GOP will reverse the headwinds it's facing in 2018.

First of all, the economy is doing quite well right now, yet President Trump's popularity remains stuck at all-time lows for any president. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds that Democrats have overtaken Republicans on the question of who is better at handling the economy.

Even more revealing, despite the fact that a plurality of voters (40 percent) say Trump has made the economy better, voters still don't like him. "A president is getting credit for the economy improving and not deriving political value from it," Republican pollster Bill McInturff told NBC. "We are watching things we have not seen before in my career."

Trump is at 41 percent approval in the WSJ/NBC poll, which is a few ticks above the Real Clear Politics average, which has him hovering around 38 percent. But the theme is clear across polls and recent elections. The suburban, college-educated cadres that make up much of the reliable GOP base as well as the Republican-leaners who often provide the margin of victory, particularly in midterms, are simply fed up with Trump's drama. Those voters either didn't turn out or voted Democrat in elections in Virginia, Alabama and elsewhere, giving Democrats significant and symbolic victories.

Republicans are gambling that James Carville's old mantra of "it's the economy, stupid" will save them. The problem is that the economy decides the election every single time, except when it doesn't. For instance, the polls told Mitt Romney to run against Barack Obama on the economy. But at the end of the day, voters liked Obama more than Romney.

The irony is that Trump won in 2016 by tapping into the Nixonian insight that social issues - as defined by my old boss Ben Wattenberg in his book with Richard Scammon, "The Real Majority" - often decide elections. The GOP did well in the 2002 midterms by running on terrorism, not the economy.

Even the economy, like deficit, is often a stand-in for complicated attitudes about the larger direction of the country. Trump's indictment of "the establishment" and his focus on immigration and crime were inseparable from his economic message.

The president's party almost always suffers in midterm elections. Maybe we'll get a roaring economy and a newfound confidence in the GOP, but, barring a war, I'll be shocked if the GOP is not shellacked in 2018 if the most salient social issue out there remains Donald Trump.

Goldberg is an editor-at-large of National Review Online. Readers can contact him by email at JonahsColumn@aol.com.
We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector
5-party meet summoned by PM Deuba inconclusive

A meeting of the top five parties called by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to resolve the impasse regarding elections for the formation of National Assembly ended inconclusively on Friday.
APF man dies in Dang bike accident

An Armed Police Force (APF) man died when a motorbike hit a stationary bike at Sisahaniya of Deukhuri in Dang district.
Bengaluru Techie Walks 36 Days With Pet Bull to Hand Him Over to Lord Manjunatha
Deuba sees no need for party meetings for ending impasse

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has dismissed calls for holding cross-party meetings, terming issues related to election to the National Assembly as purely constitutional, according to his aides.
Twilfit House in Dublin which developers plan to demolish to make way for an eight-storey hotel

Businessman Ben Dunne said yesterday that he has objected to plans to demolish Twilfit House in Dublin to make way for an eight-storey hotel because of his interest in graveyards.

Twilfit House houses one of Mr Dunne's gyms at Jervis Street, but Mr Dunne said yesterday that his objection to the planned 19.3m 218-bedroom hotel is not motivated by commercial reasons.

"No, not all. I normally don't object to anything but this is a personal objection because I have concerns over the impact the development will have on the remains interred in Wolfe Tone park. I have a lot of feeling for graveyards," he said.

Mr Dunne's objection - lodged by planning consultant George Watters - contains a number of photos showing headstones in Wolfe Tones park and headstones bounding Twilfit House.

The objection states: "We submit that Wolfe Tone Park should be returned to its original form as a matter of urgency and any future proposal for development at Twilfit House should include a clear strategy to improve the interface between the park and the planned hotel site."

Mr Dunne revealed his reason for objecting yesterday as Dublin City Council put the plan by Abarta Investments on hold.

The council has requested that developers to re-examine the height and scale of the proposal and lodge revised plans.

This followed the local authority stating that the hotel would have an unduly overbearing appearance due to its height and scale and would overshadow Wolfe Tone Park.

In its objection, the Dublin City Association of An Taisce state that there is a huge level of new hotels currently permitted or in the planning system for Dublin.

In the An Taisce objection, Kevin Duff argues "it has reached the point of unsustainability in the context of city centre planning".

However, in a submission, Mary Stack of Failte Ireland states that there is a major threat to additional tourism in Dublin "because of the acute shortage of hotel bedrooms in the city centre".

She said: "The current demand far exceeds supply and inevitably in a scenario such as this, prices are inflated giving the message internationally that Dublin is not a competitive destination."

Ms Stack said that the Abarta proposal "would be a valuable addition to the accommodation stock in Dublin and would go some way to address the accommodation challenge being faced by the city".
Farmers in the west and north-west are facing a potential two-month fodder deficit due to the summer rainfall that forced many to house stock much earlier than forecast.

There have been many meetings held by farm bodies on the potential deficit, the reality is that farmers need to sit down and think about how they will get through the situation looking at their own particular supplies. It is about taking stock and some immediate action.

If you have at least 40-50pc of your required silage stocks already in stock, there are plenty of options you can take to alleviate the problem. The first critical step is to calculate how much fodder you have in stock and compare it to the demand your animals will have for the remainder of the winter housing period.

This means going out to measure the silage pit or count bales and then counting your stock numbers for the remainder of the winter.

The local survey carried out across farmers in Donegal/Sligo/Leitrim region identified two categories of farmer with fodder deficits. These include the farmer who has between 50 and 100 pc of his/her winter fodder requirements and the farmer who has less than 50pc of his/her winter fodder requirement. If the decision is made to retain all stock over the winter period the latter will have to purchase hay, silage or straw to bring his fodder availability to 50pc of total requirements.

Some farmers will reduce stock levels in order to cut demand. Scanning cows and culling those not in calf or the late calvers will reduce winter feed requirements. For many suckler farmers selling weanlings or store cattle will also have the added bonus of generating a small amount of additional cash for the farm without impacting on future production.

OPTIONS

Buying in additional silage is one option but there is no point in buying in bales at too high a price.

If you can buy a 14pc ration for 200-230/t, then a 4x4 bale of silage is only worth 20-25/bale, depending on quality. Remember that while bales provide bulk, most bales have 70-75pc water in them, while ration has 15-18pc water.

The reality is that there is very little silage on the market at this price so the alternative is to simply feed restricted quantities of the silage you have and make up the shortfall with meals.

If silage is too expensive, limit the silage being offered to stock and top up with concentrates. Start this today and don't let the silage run out and then look for solutions.

Dairy cows and sucklers need a minimum of 18-20kg fresh weight of silage as roughage such as silage, while weanlings need a minimum 8-10kg fresh weight of silage, stores and in-calf heifers need a minimum of 12-15kg fresh weight of silage.

As a rule of thumb, where you were offering two bales to pens of stock per day, this is now restricted to one. Feed 2-4kg of meals to weanlings, in-calf heifers, stores, dry cows and autumn calved sucklers, depending on target gain and body condition.

These feeding rates apply where you have only 50pc of your target forage requirements. If you have 70pc plus of your forage requirements, the feeding rates for ration can be reduced. If feeding minimum silage, a 14pc crude protein ration will suffice for most classes of stock.

However if you are feeding minimum straw, a higher feeding rate of meals will be necessary and an 18-20pc crude protein ration will be necessary to balance for protein. It is essential to feed minerals.

STRAIGHT BARLEY

Straight barley is adequate for feeding with minimum silage to dry cows but not weanlings or in-calf heifers, unless silage crude protein is 15pc or greater.

Otherwise, weanlings and heifers would need a 14pc crude protein mix. Straight barley is NOT adequate for feeding with minimum straw for any class of stock. Feed an 18-20pc crude protein ration. The use of simple three-way mixes combined with minimum silage enabled farmers to see out fodder shortages in previous years.

Tom Coll is a Teagasc advisor based in Mohill, Co Leitrim

Meal feeding tips

Animals will get used to this system over a short period of time. Remember to feed minerals to all classes of stock.

Adequate space allowance is critically important to avoid some animals overeating and other animals being bullied.

Build up feeding rates slowly. This may require setting up additional trough feeding space in yards.

All animals should be monitored regularly for signs of ill-thrift on this system. Monitor cow condition regularly and adjust concentrate input as required.

Case study: 40 livestock and 25pc Dm silage in stock

In this example, I will look at a farmer with 20 cows and 20 weanlings weighing 300kg on marginal land with 130 bales of 25pc dry matter silage in the yard.

At normal feeding levels 1.33 bales for the 20 cows per day and 0.67 of a bale per 20 weanlings would mean that the farmer would feed two bales per day and would run out of silage in two months.

Assuming the farmer wishes to retain all stock on the farm the advice for this farmer is to ration the silage to all stock. One bale is sufficient roughage for the 20 cows and 20 weanlings per day or 50pc of normal requirements.

Adequate feed space and water supply are essential.

The deficit in silage can be made up by feeding the cows 3-4kg per day of a simple three-way mix and feeding the weanlings 2-3kg of a 16pc protein ration. The farmer will have enough silage to last until late April the deficit can be made up with concentrates. Good value for money fodder extender rations are available from all local feed mills.

Teagasc advisers, consultants and nutritionists are available to complete a fodder budget for you or to give the best advice on how to cope with a fodder shortage.
The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed has said the Government would not provide funding to stave off a fodder crisis in parts of the country.

Farmers in the west and north-west are facing a potential two-month fodder deficit due to the summer rainfall that forced many to house stock much earlier than forecast.

On RTE Radio this morning, Minister Creed said he had established a task force including all the relevant stakeholders which only recently met for the first time and it has on it.

There task is to do an assessment of the situation on the ground, he said.

Minister Creed also said he is pretty satisfied that there is not have a national fodder crisis.

What we have had particularly in the North West is a particularly wet summer and autumn. We have had difficulty in getting second cut silage in that area and an earlier housing of cattle.

The problem is compounded by the fact that in 2016 there was a prolonged winter and housing period.

The Minister said the task force would report back in the new year on what the situation is on the ground and urged farm organisations to work within that structure.

It comes as IFA President Joe Healy has announced an emergency fodder initiative, where IFA will mobilise its national county and branch network to support those farmers in most difficulty.

Counties have been twinned with a view to identifying farmers who are in a position to contribute feed, to be transported to areas in need.

Joe Healy said it is disappointing that the Minister has to date failed to support a meal voucher system which we strongly believe would have been the best and most efficient solution.

"We are now seeking a commitment from the Minister to fund the cost of transporting the fodder to the areas in need as part of this interim initiative.

Joe Healy said the initiative is designed to provide fodder for those in dire need in the coming weeks to get them over Christmas and the New Year.

County Chairmen and branch officers in areas of the country not affected to the same extent with the fodder crisis will identify farmers who are prepared to provide even small amounts of feed at a reasonable agreed fixed price.
Bernard Byrne CEO of AIB, which is to pay staff to move to Leopardstown from its Ballsbridge centre

A 500-strong group of AIB workers will share a relocation pay award of 317,500 for moving to new offices just over six miles from their current workplace.

The Labour Court recommending that the State-owned bank adheres to the provisions of an 11-year-old agreement between AIB and the Financial Services Union (FSU).

The agreement provides for a payment of 635 to each worker if they are relocated over a mile from their current place of work.

The bank is currently proposing to relocate 500 staff from its centre at Ballsbridge to Leopardstown in south Dublin.

It has capacity for around 1,500 and more workers are line to be relocated there.

Before the Labour Court, the AIB strenuously resisted the FSU's relocation claim. At the court, AIB stated it had advised the union "that relocation payments are no longer appropriate in any circumstances".

The bank further submitted that the relocation payments "are indefensible where staff are required to travel small distances to new and better working facilities".

However, in spite of the hard-line position adopted at the court, the bank confirmed today that it has accepted the recommendation "and is studying its implications".

At the court, the FSU argued the relocations would have "an adverse impact on the personal and financial well-being of the staff".

The union also argued that the adverse impact takes the form of increased transport costs and travelling time.
The US Republican tax overhaul passed by Congress this week will allow Apple to bring its $252.3bn foreign cash pile back to the US without a major tax hit - a long-standing company goal.

Other provisions of the bill championed by US President Donald Trump, namely the cut in the US corporate tax rate from 35pc to 21pc, are also a big boon for Apple.

But not everything went the company's way. A critical difference between the Senate version of the bill and the final version could actually raise the amount of cash taxes that Apple pays on profits from patents held abroad, tax experts said.

The treatment of foreign patent profits is important to Apple because shifting those profits overseas was a cornerstone of its tax practices for decades.

In effect, the company attributes a large portion of the value of its products to patents and other intellectual property such as trademarks.

Apple then assigns some of that IP, proportional to overseas sales, to subsidiaries in countries with low-tax rates and assesses substantial patent royalties on sales. Those royalties then flow back to those low-tax locations, like Ireland.

The bill has a pair of provisions designed to make that manoeuvre less alluring. One creates a minimum tax on foreign patent income that is expected to come to about 13pc, said Gavin Ekins, a research economist with the Tax Foundation.

At the same time, a tax break for patents held in the United States will lower the tax on licensing income from the standard corporate rate of 21pc to 13.1pc - about the same as if the patents were held abroad.

Congressional Republicans "don't want the tax rate to be a consideration in where you put your intellectual property", Mr Ekins said. "The whole intention (of the measures) is to bring back that intellectual property to the United States."

Parts of the scheme are similar "patent boxes" employed in countries like the UK to encourage firms to generate and keep their innovations at home.

But the final bill omits any explicit way for patents held overseas to be returned to the United States without being taxed. (Reuters)
Bombardier employs around 4,000 workers in the North, with teams here building the wings of the C Series planes, and part of the fuselage

BOMBARDIER'S boss has blasted the US Government's decision to enforce a massive 300pc tariff on the sale of its part-Belfast made planes to US buyers.

Alain Bellemare said the decision was "ridiculous", and claimed there was "no case" for rival Boeing's complaint.

Union leaders have warned that jobs could be "crushed" after the US Department of Commerce, headed by Wilbur Ross, confirmed plans to impose duties of almost 300pc.

Bombardier employs around 4,000 workers in the North, with teams here building the wings of the C Series planes, and part of the fuselage.

Mr Bellemare told CNBC that "there's no case here".

"When you launch a new program you have aggressive pricing to start with... Boeing does the same thing," he told the broadcaster.

Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said while the result "was not unexpected given where we are in this dispute process, it appears the Commerce Department has gone a degree further by moving tariffs onto not only fully- but partially-assembled C Series aircraft".

Earlier this year, Boeing took a challenge over the sale of Bombardier's C Series.

It claimed the planes were unfairly subsidised by the Canadian government and the firm was "dumping aircraft" by selling them below cost.

"This essentially moves all the supply chain into view and could have serious implications for all UK aerospace firms in the future," Mr Kelly said.

"It further confirms our view that this nonsense approach by the US authorities must be challenged on a UK national level and not seen as simply a problem for Belfast and Northern Ireland.
HBAN, the group backing business angel investment in Ireland, has announced that investors in its South East Business Angel Network (SEBAN) plan to invest 10m in start-ups from the region over the next three years.

HBANs South East angels have a wide variety of backgrounds, and are interested in companies from a range of sectors including technology, agriculture, food, manufacturing and tourism.

As well as providing funding, the angels provide support and access to their networks to assist these start-ups in growing their businesses into success stories.

"A key part of our success is the fact that companies that pitch for investment to our angels have been vetted, prepared and confirmed as investor-ready, high potential start-ups by HBAN," Aidan Shine, HBAN coordinator for the South East Region, said.

Part of a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland, SEBAN has invested more than 6m in a total of 38 deals across companies in the ICT, manufacturing and food sectors, with a focus on, but not restricted to companies located in, or connected to, the South East.

The syndicate has only five angel investor places left for its regular investor forums and pitching events, and is looking to recruit successful business people and entrepreneurs with the knowledge, expertise and insight to enable local start-ups to grow and scale their businesses, and achieve national and international success.

"Angel investors fill an important gap in the start-up ecosystem in Ireland, as this type of investment offers support and guidance as well as funding, so its smart money. Getting new investors is a priority for HBANs South East Syndicate. We would strongly recommend that any potential investors get a real sense of what SEBAN in about by test-driving the experience at one of the regular forums and pitching events," Mr Shine said.

Last month it was announced that HBAN Ireland plans to increase the amount invested in Irish start-ups to 25m per year by 2020.
A firm that specialises in securing visas for wealthy Chinese clients in exchange for overseas investment has snapped up a Wicklow nursing home project for 9.5m in a deal managed by receiver, Neil Hughes of Baker Tilly.

Founded in Germany, Delsk Group markets itself as a leading "channel between Asia and the world" and has a Dublin office. It has raised 60m from Chinese investors to build nursing homes in Ireland. The investors in turn qualify for Irish visas for themselves and their families.

The structure is authorised under the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service - a Department of Justice unit that operates the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP). In exchange for a minimum 1m investment over three years, qualifying non-EU investors can secure Irish visas for themselves and their families.

Delsk said yesterday that it has acquired the nursing home development, located at Kilcoole, County Wicklow, through its Salross Ltd subsidiary.

The home will accommodate 89 residents and employ 77 part-time and full-time staff once it is up and running; in addition to the 115 jobs creating during construction.

Delsk said it is investing in excess of 2m of its own capital to complete the acquisition in order to protect earlier investments made by its clients in a joint-venture agreement to develop the project.

That scheme had ended up in receivership after a previous structure also backed by Delsk broke down.

Overall, Delsk said it expects to invest 300m in the Irish economy over a five-year period, which it said will provide visas for international investors and support jobs.

The firms said it is advised in Ireland by McEvoy Corporate Law.

The sale comes less than a week after German-based investor Immac Group entered the Irish nursing home sector for the first time with the acquisition of the Beechfield Care Group of three Dublin care homes in a deal understood to be worth 32m to 33m.

The German company, has 1.3bn in assets and plans further expansion here, through acquisition and new developments. Immac also operates in Austria and the UK as well as its home market.

In Dublin, the Beechfield group includes Beechfield Manor Nursing Home, Glengara Park Nursing Home and Mount Hybla Nursing Home as well as the Beechfield Private Homecare service.
Permanent TSB has confirmed it will not pay a dividend in the near term after a supervisory review prohibited it.

The decision comes as the part-nationalised bank braces for a pivotal year as it prepares to decisively tackle the soured loans that burden its balance sheet and hobble its share price.

PTSB's chief executive Jeremy Masding warned as far back as July that a 2019 target to resume dividend payments for the first time since the crash was unlikely to be met due to its stubbornly high volume of non-performing exposures. At 28pc of the total loan book, it remains the highest among the Irish banks.

Market consensus has the lender on course to return to pay-outs in 2020.

The ongoing freeze on dividends follows an update from the annual Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP), which is carried out by the European Central Bank and is used to determine capital conservation buffers for the following year.

PTSB's capital requirements rose by 62.5bps, meaning it must maintain a common equity tier 1 ratio of 9.825pc and a total capital ratio of 13.325pc. However, the bank's current counter-cyclical defences remain far above those levels with its transitional CET1 ratio at 17.4pc.

The higher buffer requirements are part of a tougher supervisory regime being phased in across the single market.

AIB and Bank of Ireland also disclosed the stipulated increases in their counter-cyclical buffers this week.

In a note to clients Goodbody analyst Eamonn Hughes said "it is no surprise that PTSB is prohibited from paying dividends. In our view, capital will be retained until it works through its large NPL book so our models have no dividends until at least 2020".

Owen Callan at Investec has a slightly more bearish view, setting 2021 as the earliest date for a payout to investors.

PTSB's share price has slumped by 20pc over the past year despite strong gains made in its commercial business, alongside a jump in its share of the increasingly competitive residential mortgage market.

At the latest quarterly results in November PTSB had expanded its share of the new home loan market to 11.9pc. That figure stood at 2pc at the nadir of the crisis. But PTSB's stubbornly high burden of NPEs has raised fears in some quarters the bank may be forced to raise equity if it is forced to sell "untreated" soured loans at a steep discount.

Mr Callan has described this outcome as an unlikely, "worst-case" scenario but said the possibility needs to be factored into the investment case for the bank.

As this newspaper reported last month, PTSB is expected to pull the trigger on a 1.25bn loan portfolio sale in March or April.
Some people may be shopped out already, but this week is still the busiest of the year for stores as others descend with hardened zeal for the sales. Both online and on-street, they've already begun, with the biggest discounts being saved for after Christmas.

This week I'm looking at some bargains around town, so you can get a head start. Most store sales get going on St Stephen's Day, but a number have online bargains on Christmas Day if you get bored of pulling crackers - the panel shows you when, so there's nothing stopping you!

Arnotts

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The grand dame of department stores has up to 50pc off across all sections. A gorgeous Kate Spade glitterbug clutch is 136.50, down from 228. A Michael Kors Hamilton satchel was 285, now 199.50, while a FeeG crochet dress at 305 is now 213. In kitchenware, a Le Creuset starter set (above) was 275, now 126.95. The Kenwood KMix Mixer was 499.95, now 199.95.

Avoca

The luxury household brand opened its 12th branch in Dunboyne, Co Meath, this year. Their sale includes discounts of up to 60pc. In womenswear, AW17 items are discounted to half price, as is kitchenware.

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A scarlet hoodie rain mac was 99.95, now 80; a blue linen scarf is down from 49.95 to 25, while a lovely matisse blue shirtdress from Samsoe & Samsoe which was 249.95 is now 125.00. Gorgeous boxed leather gloves are 50pc off, now just 40, down from 79.95. On the homeware side, a lovely Julien table lamp (pictured above) was 169.95 and is now just 85, with decorative furniture up to 50pc off.

Marks & Spencer

M&S will be discounting across the board by 50pc on categories such as handbags, accessories, jewellery, kids footwear and gifts and toys. Beauty products like cosmetics and skincare are also included.

Carraig Donn

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The Irish chain now has 36 branches around the country and isn't waiting until the New Year to kick off its sale. Both in store and online bargains are discounted, with 25pc off selected items, including the Soul Accessories Clara Clutch, down from 24.95 to 18.71, Kelly & Grace faux fur shawl (pictured above) is now 52.46, down from 69.95 and, for gifts, a Circa lamp which was 89.95 is now 69.96, with a Swarovski crystal rose pendant at 23.97 from 39.95. A Pala D'oro fur trim button coat in pink was 149.95, now 69.95.

Brown Thomas

The mecca to luxe will have its usual sale of high end items from St Stephen's Day, but is bucking the trend by starting its online sale 12 hours after it goes live in store.

It's coy on specific offers but says discounts of up to 50pc will apply across all departments.

Debenhams

The department store hasn't wasted time getting a good sale underway online. There's up to 50pc off clothing, including a ChiChi blue lace trim dress, now 30 from 100. An RJR John Rocha grey floral midi dress is now half price at 44, while a J by Jasper Conran pink stripe dress is also down to 44 from 80.

On the homeware side, a top of the range De Longhi Autentica coffee maker, which was a whopping 700, is now just 385. If you've piled on the pounds over Christmas, get a Fitbit Charge 2, now 154 from 199.

Harvey Norman

The furniture retailer always has a good sale and it starts across its 15 stores online before in store. Among its offers will be an 'Oscar' 7-pce dining set (pictured below) at 799, down from 1,293. There will be 650 off mattresses and mattress toppers are all half price.

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The 'Danny' 3-seater sofa was 499, now 399, while the Zinc corner sofa is 999, from 1,499.
Economic leapfrog

To become a middle-income country by 2030, investing in private sector while promoting foreign investment is a must
MORE people are getting approved to take out a mortgage despite the shortage of properties to buy.

New figures show more than 40,000 people got approved to take out a mortgage in the year up to November.

This was up 25pc on the same period last year, according to the Banking and Payments Federation.

In November there was a rise of 7pc in the numbers cleared to take out a mortgage to close to 4,000.

Almost half of the approvals were for first-time buyers, with mover-purchasers accounting for almost a third.

The value of all mortgages approved in November was 867m, some 15pc higher than the same month in 2016.

However, this was the slowest rise in the value of new approvals since March 2016.

Based on the latest figures, analyst with specialist bank Investec Owen Callan said he now expects mortgages to the value of 7.4bn to be drawn down this year.

Goodbody Stockbrokers Dermot OLeary said the slowdown in the rate of growth in mortgage approvals in November, compared with the previous year, could be attributed to the fact that last year there were fears of tightening in Central Bank mortgage rules which caused strong growth in applications for mortgages November last year.

Overall, this has been a year of strong growth in new mortgage approvals in Ireland, with the number of approvals up by 25pc year on year and the value growing by 36pc year on year, Mr OLeary said.

The number of switchers more than doubled between March 2016 and November 2017, increasing to 3,545.
Retired consultant surgeon Michael Shine, jailed last month for indecently assaulting two patients in the 1970s, has been granted bail pending an appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Shine (85), of Wellington Road in Dublin, had pleaded not guilty to eight counts of indecently assaulting six patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and at his private clinic, both in Drogheda, Co Louth, on dates between 1964 and 1991.
A couple are to face trial, accused of the genital mutilation of their daughter at their home in Dublin.

The man (35) and the woman (25) appeared before Judge Conal Gibbons at Dublin District Court yesterday, following their arrest in the morning.

The couple, who are from an east African country, listened to the proceedings via an interpreter and swore on the Koran that they would not apply for travel documents after being ordered to surrender their passports.

They are accused of the genital mutilation of the girl at their home in a south Dublin suburb on September 16, 2016.

They are also accused of another charge under the Children's Act of allowing a child to be assaulted, ill treated and neglected, causing unnecessary suffering or injury.

Det Sergeant Danny Kelly told Judge Gibbons he arrested the couple at just after 10am and they were taken to a south Dublin Garda station to be charged. He said the man's reply after caution was: "I don't want to say anything until my solicitor is here."

Interview

The court heard that the woman was charged minutes later and that her response to the first charge was: "I have told you before when we had an interview here that no one performed mutilation and I did not agree to anyone performing mutilation of the child. She was not mutilated in any form."

The woman had no comment when the second charge of allowing a child to be assaulted was put to her.

The age of the child was not stated during the hearing.

Det Sergeant Kelly asked for an adjournment until February 1 for a book of evidence to be completed. He asked the judge to order the couple to surrender their passports.

He told Judge Gibbons that the man, who is unemployed and an asylum seeker, did not have an Irish passport and he feared that both would leave the country.

Det Sgt Kelly told defence barrister Tom Power that, subject to the bail condition being imposed, he was satisfied that they would show up in court.

The court also heard that the man's passport was already in the possession of immigration authorities.

They were ordered to surrender passports and not to apply for any other travel documents, to reside at their address, and to provide the gardai with a mobile phone number on which they could be contacted at all times.

They must also sign on twice a week and notify gardai of a change of address.

The couple were also told their mobile phones must be kept operational at all times.

The man in evidence told the court he was giving an undertaking "not to apply for any travel documents or a new passport". His partner also gave the same undertaking.

Judge Gibbons said the conditions were warranted and appropriate as he remanded them each on bail in own bonds of 300.

He also cautioned the media that there were reporting restrictions in order to protect the identity of the child.

Practice rooted in cultures all over the world

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the illegal practice of the partial or total removal of a part of a girl's genitals.

The ritual is deeply rooted in some cultures. While it takes place in many parts of the world, it is most common in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In western countries, it is often practised by the diaspora populations from those countries where it is prevalent.

The reasons for it are varied, but are often linked to religion, controlling female sexuality and social obligation.

It is often performed by a family member and usually done between infancy and age 15.

It has been estimated that 6,000 girls worldwide are subjected to FGM every day. More than half of them are from Indonesia, Ethiopia and Egypt.
The judge was told that both men had been arrested by gardai in Charleville, Co Cork, earlier this week following a Garda investigation into the theft of valuable farm machinery and its export to overseas markets. Stock image

Two men, one Polish and the other Ukrainian, have been charged following a major Garda investigation into the targeting of valuable agri-farm machinery in a spate of rural robberies.

The duo appeared before Cork District Court following an investigation into the theft of quad bikes from locations across Ireland.
An 88-year-old woman has spoken of her terrifying ordeal after two callous burglars broke into her rural home, threatened her and stole her pension money.

The elderly woman, who lives in a remote area of Co Offaly, told the Irish Independent she was alone when two men entered her home through a window under cover of darkness and grabbed her.

The pensioner is the latest elderly victim of burglary gangs in the midlands, following a number of violent break-ins.

Earlier this week, visually impaired farmer Joseph Waters (77) was hospitalised after three masked men broke into his home in the Kildangan area of Durrow.

The callous raiders beat the farmers with sticks and searched the house for cash.

In the latest violent incident, the two men entered the isolated property shortly after 6pm on Wednesday after the victim's middle-aged son had left the house to go shopping.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, lives with her son.

"I was very frightened," said the woman, who suffered bad bruising to her wrist during her ordeal.

"They came out of nowhere. The front door and the back door were both locked. They got in through a window.

"A man in a white cap had a screwdriver in his hand and he caught a hold of my wrist. I was very frightened. They broke the door of my wardrobe.

"I said I wanted to go and get a drink of water but he wouldn't let me go," she added.

The men rifled through a number of envelopes which contained a small amount of cash from her pension, she said.

They then fled, leaving her deeply shocked and upset.

The woman's son returned home shortly after to find his mother distressed, frightened and with a bruise on her wrist.

"I could not sleep that well after it happened," she said.

Her son said his mother had "worked hard all her life" and he condemned the attackers for their crime.

A local farmer said last night that everyone in the rural community was deeply upset and angry at the attack on the defenceless woman.

The 47-year-old man said: "It's dreadful what happened.

"She's a very quiet woman. People are very angry. There are a lot of elderly people living in this area and they are all terrified by what happened.

"There should be CCTV cameras put on rural roads to help catch whoever does these crimes.

Ransacked

"Only a few weeks ago, the house of a man in his seventies was ransacked while he was in hospital with cancer.

"They destroyed the place. It was only a couple of miles away."

The man's wife said that an attack like that left everyone in the community concerned for the vulnerable.

She said: "It's very unnerving what has happened to that elderly lady.

"She lives in a place that is so remote, it is like the last place that God made.

"It's terrible what has happened."

A 68-year-old local woman added: "Whoever did this deserves 10 years' hard labour on bread and water.

"That lady is a very quiet little woman who just goes to weekly Mass. She never did anything to anybody.

"The people are raging about what has happened."

In a nearby village, a 51-year-old woman said the area was extremely quiet and the news of the burglary had caused "a lot of upset".

Last night, a local doctor visited the woman and her son at their home.

Gardai made house-to-house inquiries yesterday throughout the rural area, asking if anyone had seen anything suspicious in the locality in the course of Wednesday night.

A community alert text was flashed to residents living throughout the area.

The latest raid comes as gardai continue to probe the shocking attack on vulnerable Joseph Waters on Monday in nearby Durrow.

Detectives are probing whether a prolific burglary gang based in the area may have been behind the incident.
A DUBLIN-based criminal with multiple burglary convictions is being questioned in a west Cork Garda Station following an aggravated robbery which left a man in his 50s injured.

The burglar was detained by the combined efforts of the family of the householder and Bandon Gardai following the attempted burglary last night.

Gardai were alerted following an incident in a rural property outside Enniskeane in west Cork around 11pm.

The householder was asleep on his couch having watched TV when he was suddenly confronted by the raider.

The robber had apparently entered the house through the back door.

It is understood the man demanded cash before striking the householder over the head with a cane.

The householder suffered minor injuries but was deeply shocked by the incident.

He was taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for precautionary medical assessment.

He is expected to be discharged later today.

One garda source stressed that the injuries involved are not serious.

Luckily, the man's family were in the vicinity at the time and, when they became aware of the attempted raid, alerted the Gardai and then assisted in the apprehension of the robber.

The raider, who is aged in his late 40s, was detained and taken to Bandon Garda Station.

He is being questioned under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be detained for up to 24 hours.

The man is well known to Gardai.

He has a large number of convictions, mostly for theft and related offences, in the greater Dublin area.

Detectives believe the man travelled from Dublin to west Cork specifically for the purpose of conducting a series of raids on homes with cash and gifts collected for the festive season being the primary target.
A major fire that broke out Haulbowline Naval Base was extinguished by teams of fire crews last night.

The fire erupted shortly before 9pm in a disused warehouse building adjacent to the officers mess in the main base complex.

Flames billowing out of the Naval Base in Cork Harbour @ralphriegel pic.twitter.com/645EQkXylx  Darragh McGann (@McGannDarragh) December 21, 2017

The blaze quickly spread to the roof of the old structure.

Two units of Carrigaline Fire Service, alongside Naval Service fire crews tended the fire and were assisted by a further three units from Midleton, Crosshaven and Cork.

An Garda Siochana also attended the scene and the surrounding area was evacuated as a precaution.

The structure in which the fire erupted was disused and unoccupied.

However, it is surrounded by some of the core office buildings of the Naval Service.

Flames from the fire were visible across the harbour in nearby Cobh.

One navy source said an evacuation of all personnel from the area was enacted to facilitate the work of fire fighting personnel.

There were no casualties as a result of the fire.

A full investigation will be carried out in order to establish the cause of the fire.

The fire came less than a decade after another major blaze at the Haulbowline base destroyed an old storage building which dated back to Royal Navy times.

Haulbowline is Ireland's main navy base and serves as both the accommodation, operations, berthing and refitting complex for the Irish fleet.

It is also the site of a major fuel bunker complex for patrol ship operations.
Nobody should feel particularly happy when the result of the abortion referendum is revealed next summer.

There is nothing happy or joyous about having an abortion, no matter what the reason for it.

Both sides of the argument should reflect on that before they engage in a debate that is already setting the groundwork for an ill-informed vote.

The country is six months out from a historic decision that will gain international headlines. Regardless of the outcome, Ireland will have changed.

The road to the polling booth could leave lasting damage if the scenes of intolerant political debate so far are anything to go by. The latest outburst, from independent TD Mattie McGrath, is just one example.

At the start of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment, his views on the issue sat comfortably with those of Fianna Fail TD Anne Rabbitte.

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She described herself as pro-life and went on to oppose a recommendation the amendment should be repealed from the Constitution. However, this week she attended the publication of the committee's final report, saying she believed in the process. She backed allowing terminations in cases where doctors determine a fatal foetal abnormality is likely to result in death before, or shortly after, birth.

As a result, Mr McGrath accused her of being "all over the place".

"She's saying she's pro-life in one word, and in the other she's not," he said.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has told the Independent.ie his deputy went on "a journey" during the committee's hearing, and shouldn't be "attacked in such a derogatory way".

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It's not Mr McGrath's first attack, having previously made a joke about the chair of the committee, Catherine Noone, and the "fat lady" singing.

Of course, it works both ways. Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger has never been slow to admonish men in the Dail for having an opinion, saying it's all about women's bodily autonomy.

She appears not to realise abortions can emotionally affect potential fathers too - not to mention that she'll have to win over male voters if repeal is to become a reality. Abortion is not pretty, so let's not have an ugly debate as well.
Gas fire leaves locals in terror

A massive fire at a Birgunj-based LPG bottling plant on Wednesday, in which two firefighters died and as many were injured, has raised serious concerns about the safety of settlements nearby.
All scheduled, non-urgent surgeries at Cork University Hospital have been cancelled over the Christmas and New Year period.

Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the hospital Dr Gerard McCarthy said the decision was made to make room for emergency admissions over the festive period.

Dr Gerard McCarthy, who is also the clinical lead at the HSE Emergency Medicine Programme, told RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland that the cancellations were linked to a project "examining patient flow through the hospital".

He said he understood the cancellations will add to the hospital's waiting list.

"Yes, unfortunately [it will add to the waiting list]," he said.

"I don't know the precise number of how many surgeries have been cancelled, but it is one of the tools available in a crowded environment to cater for emergency admissions."
The HSE reported the rate of patients presenting with flu-like illness to GPs shows that it is spreading. Stock image

Flu is on the rise in Ireland and the dominant form of the virus circulating is the same strain that caused people to fall ill in Australia during its last winter.

The HSE reported the rate of patients presenting with flu-like illness to GPs shows that it is spreading.

The main strain posing a risk is the A (H3N2), which was also circulating in Ireland last winter. It was blamed for a huge outbreak in cases during the Australian winter, earning it the name 'Aussie flu'.

Dr Kevin Kelleher of the HSE said: "Influenza-like illness increased in all age groups except in those aged 0-4 years. Hospitalised cases of influenza and influenza- associated outbreaks in residential care facilities have also increased.

"Although flu is starting to circulate, flu activity remains at low levels. Prevention is better than cure, and the increase in flu activity means it is even more important to get your flu jab if you are in an at-risk group.

"Initial indications so far point to more people in at-risk groups and more healthcare workers getting the flu vaccine this year. The HSE would urge those who have not yet been vaccinated to join their peers and their colleagues in getting the flu vaccine this year."

Virulent

Dr Cillian de Gascun of the National Virus Laboratory in UCD said several variants of the A (H3N2) strain had been detected here this winter and they mirrored those seen in Australia.

"The virus is not more virulent than was seen in Ireland last winter," he said, although it is possible for flu viruses to evolve over time.

He added the best defence against the virus remained the vaccine.

However, experts say it is unclear how effective the vaccine is against the main strain and some reports put its impact at around 20pc.

Cases of swine flu and the B strain have also been detected. There are no reported deaths from flu so far this winter.

The outbreak is expected to continue to rise during the Christmas break due to the increase in travel and more people spending time congregated indoors over the festive period.

There were 363 patients on trolleys in A&E departments across the country yesterday, with Limerick the worst hit.
The heartbroken fiance of tragic Grace McDermott has penned a touching open letter to her, calling her "my girl, my hero."

New York native Grace (26) died in a house fire in Annacotty, Limerick on May 1.

Her devastated partner Colin O'Neill reminisced about meeting her in Melbourne in 2012 and the love they shared.

Writing on the Women Are Boring blog, which Grace co-founded, he said: "Over the past few weeks your friends and family have told me how much you loved me.

"I cant tell you how nice that was to hear, but I already knew. You were so incredible at showing me. I have never felt love like the love you gave me.

"You told me all the time and I could even tell when you looked at me. You made me the happiest man in the world when you agreed to marry me, Im sitting here picturing your face that day.

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"It was the best day of my life and I keep trying to replay it in my head."

He continued to speak candidly about his grief and what might have been.

He said: "Each morning I wake up to the same ritual of horror. For a fleeting second my hazy mind forgets, then I remember that I have lost you all over again.

"So perpetual, it feels almost routine at this point and the worst part of all is that I cant see that feeling ever ending...

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"Though I know that this might sound arrogant, I believe what we had was truly unique.

"I try to tell myself that if the world was meant to lose you on that date, how lucky was I that I got to spend the last five years of your life being loved by you.

"I go through all the usual emotions, daily. In my selfish hours, I feel hard done by, but I am still here. I know how wonderful your life was and I know how much you achieved, but you were taken too soon.

"You would have been a fierce and amazing mother and I know how much we both wanted that. Its just unfair."

Colin also said that he is determined to honour Grace by living his life as she would have wanted.

He said: "I will try to live my life in a way that would make Grace McDermott proud of me. I will keep my chin up and try to achieve anything I feel she would approve of.

"I know my life will never be the same but that is something I must live with and walk with (I can hear her screaming at me now different doesnt mean bad) but I will have to disagree with her on that one.

"I suppose I just miss my best friend."

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He finished his emotional post by thanking the DCU lecturer for all she did for him.

He said: "I love you Grace. Thank you for being my number 1 fan, for teaching me how to be a better human and for choosing me to be your life partner.

"I just wish it lasted another 50 years."
Tayto Park has sought to prevent the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht releasing details of animal deaths at its zoo, claiming that the information would damage its business and result in negative publicity.

The department, which is the licensing authority for Irish zoos, has published information relating to animal mortality rates at Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park, which revealed that a total of 227 animals died at the two facilities in 2015.

However, Tayto Park has taken steps to prevent the release of the corresponding data in respect of its own animal collection. It wrote to the department in September to outline its objections to the publication of the statistics.

The objections were based on the contention that the release of the information would result in negative publicity for the theme park in Co Meath and have a negative impact on its business.

Inspection

Tayto Park previously made headlines when an inspection by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in 2012 identified "inadequate enclosures", "inappropriate breeding", "overweight animals" and "high levels of aggression and stress" at the zoo.

The park was banned from adding any new animals to its collection as a result of the concerns. The ban was lifted after five months but was reinstated in November 2013 after another inspection reported "great disappointment" at a lack of progress on issues.

Charles Coyle, general manager of Tayto Park, refused to state how many animals died at the zoo in recent years when he was contacted for comment.

However, he said the theme park had no concerns regarding mortality rates at the zoo.
It is a story that began and ended in two hotels, 9,500km apart. It started at the Wellington Park Hotel in south Belfast, and ended at the five-star Lux Hotel in northern Mauritius.

I first met John McAreavey on a wet Wednesday in Belfast last December. Four months later, I interviewed him outside the hotel where his wife Michaela was killed.

I had a number of key questions. Why was he prepared to go back to Mauritius? Why would he ever want to set foot on the island again?

It was not an easy meeting. We had never met before. I got the feeling he didn't trust the media.

We talked for an hour, and gradually the ice started to melt.

"I'm ready to speak out about what happened," he said.

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"On the record?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"On camera?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

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"In Mauritius?" I asked.

"Yes."

There was only one thing he insisted he did not want to do - to go back into the hotel where Michaela was murdered.

What intrigued me at that first meeting with John was the timing of his decision. It had been six years since the killing. Two hotel workers accused of the murder had both been found not guilty five years previously. It appeared the investigation had run its course.

The Co Down man had recently remarried. However, it became clear that even though his circumstances had changed, he remained as determined as ever to keep fighting for justice - no matter how big a challenge that may be.

"You move forward with life, you enjoy the good things, but you don't shy away from the hard things either. You face them head on," he said.

John married Tara, an accountant from Co Kildare, in September. She was fully behind his decision to return to Mauritius.

"I'm very happy now and Tara is such wonderful person and amazes me because she supports me so much in this," he said. "Anyone that loves you, and loves you in the right way, will know that they'll support you in anything that's important in your life."

John arrived back in Mauritius on the first Saturday in April. With him were his sister Claire, who is a lawyer, and Mark Harte, the eldest of Michaela's three brothers.

For the next five days, a BBC 'Newsline' team followed them. We were surprised how calm John was when he first arrived. In his own words, he had his "business head" on.

He treated it like a job he had to do, he hid his eyes behind his sunglasses and tried not to let his emotions get the better of him. For the most part it worked. Only once did he crack in public. It happened 24 hours after returning to Mauritius.

The reality of being back seemed to suddenly hit John. Along with Claire and Mark, he went on a visit to the hideaway where they had all stayed five years ago, during the trial of the two hotel workers.

It was a novitiate, a training college for Catholic priests, deep in the countryside. There was no better place to escape the glare of media attention.

No one bothered him here. But returning brought back painful memories. He had flashbacks to the eight-week trial, hearing how Michaela had been killed and the daily ordeal of listening to all the evidence. It was all too much for John. He broke down.

He later admitted it had been by far the most difficult part of the entire five-day visit. The main purpose of the return to Mauritius was to make a public appeal for help in bringing the killer or killers to justice.

At a news conference in the Mauritian capital Port Louis, Mark Harte stared down the barrel of a local TV camera and made a direct appeal to the people.

He said: "The reality is that there are killers walking around. Are your families safe? Please come forward."

John, Claire and Mark had booked an evening flight home, leaving enough time for a final meeting with the police on their final day.

Just after 2pm, John phoned. Change of plan. He wanted to go back to the hotel where Michaela had been killed. I couldn't believe it. He had been adamant he would never go back.

The next few hours were among the most tense I have encountered in my 25 years in journalism.

Looking at John as he travelled to the hotel, I could see he was conflicted. He kept putting his hand over his mouth, and looking down at his feet.

The hotel changed its name from Legends to Lux after Michaela's murder. The reason John, Claire and Mark decided to go was because they wanted to put across their appeal directly to the hotel management. They wanted them to hear it face to face.

At the same time, John knew he was voluntarily returning to the scene of his worst nightmare. It took an hour to get there. It felt like a week.

The meeting with the hotel management was supposed to be brief. It went on well over an hour.

They made their flight home on time. Just.

It is now more than a month since John, Claire and Mark returned from Mauritius. Their visit did have an impact. The police have been given some new information, but not enough yet to make any new arrests.

It is hard to imagine what more they could have done. Yet that is not how they see it. They are determined to do more - much more. John insists he will keep going back to Mauritius, again and again, if necessary. He will not rest until he gets justice.
TripAdvisor has revealed the destinations, hotels and attractions to come under the most scrutiny this year, racking up the highest number of ratings.

London took the title of most-reviewed city in the world, despite not being the most-visited (that would be Bangkok), while the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, received more reviews than any other hotel ("this place rocks").

The most famous unfinished building in the world, Barcelonas Sagrada Familia, was the most-reviewed attraction, receiving nearly 30,000 comments in just 12 months ("awesome is not an overstatement").

Lisbons Pasteis de Belem, renowned for its glorious custard tarts, was the most-reviewed eatery, with more than 10,000 ratings ("love, love, love").

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The Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building, was the attraction booked most through TripAdvisor, joining the Boston Park Plaza in Massachusetts as the most-booked hotel.

The review website said its Japanese members were the most prolific users, submitting more opinions than any other nationality, while British users added more reviews on one day of the year - February 14 - than any other 24-hour period. How romantic.

Eritrea, one of the newest countries in the world having only gained independence in 1993, contributed the fewest reviewers - nine people, with just 17 musings.

The most-reviewed places in the UK turned out some curious winners - London Gatwick's Premier Inn garnered the most reviews (it has a 4.5 star-rating).

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The most-reviewed attraction was the London Eye (excellent, according to 54pc of users), while the most-booked attraction was the Harry Potter tour at the Warner Bros Studio in Watford (above), just outside London.

This year, TripAdvisor celebrated the publication of its 500 millionth review, and reckoned that each reviewer made, on average, three submissions.

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Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Ireland reiterated its long-held position on the status of the city of Jerusalem at last night's vote at the UN General Assembly.

In a stinging rebuke to US President Donald Trump, the UN voted 128 to 9, calling Mr Trump's intervention in recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel "null and void".

Ireland's Ambassador to the UN, Geraldine Byrne Nason, voted in line with the international consensus, which holds that the status of Jerusalem will be decided as part of a final peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

In an act fused with "ignorance" and facilitated by his characteristic autocratic style, Mr Trump had "opened the door to chaos", according to former Palestinian Ambassador to the EU and Ireland, Leila Shahid.

"Who does he think he is - Nero the Roman Emperor?" she asked.

Ms Shahid said Mr Trump "knows about as much about international politics as I know about the Chinese language. He is doing it for domestic reasons because his presidency is a disaster. It is an earthquake and the only one who doesn't understand is Trump himself.

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"This is going to destroy the rule of international law and who knows what could happen next? If Putin decides to say Kiev is the capital of Russia, what will we say?, this is insane," she told the Irish Independent in Beirut.

Mr Trump vowed to cut funding to any UN member state voting against the US's new policy, sparking criticisms that it was "bullying" other countries.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in Lebanon, meeting with Irish troops deployed under a UN mandate. Ireland has participated in Unifil - UN Interim Force in Lebanon - on a consistent basis since its inception in 1978.

Skirmishes and protests against Mr Trump's statement on Jerusalem have broken out in both Palestine and Israel in recent weeks.

The head of the Lebanese military group Hizbollah (which is listed as a terror group by the EU) has supported calls by Palestinian factions for a resurgence of violence and a "third intifada" or uprising similar to the "second intifada" which lasted from 2000 to 2005. It involved a wave of killing by Palestinian groups regularly deploying suicide bombers.

There are 343 Irish troops serving in Lebanon, all of whom will be spending Christmas there.

They will be defending what could once again become the a central point of confrontation in the Middle East's most emotive and protracted armed conflict and occupation.

In America's threat to 193 countries who dare refuse to "respect" its unravelling of steady UN agreement, Mr Trump has indeed undermined international rule-based behaviour and disrespected the right to national sovereignty.

Ireland's commitment to stand by its conviction over Palestine, as well as its consistent record in keeping the peace in the Middle East under mandates like Unifil, is held in high esteem in places where it serves so much purpose.

"Ireland is a country that means a lot to so many countries, even though the Irish see themselves as small," said Ms Shahid.
Gateway to wildlife sanctuary

In spite of Nepals reputation as a Himalayan country, there are many places in the countrys southern plains that make the country proud. I realized this fact after my recent trip to Chitwan for a gateway from monotonous routine life
It is indeed a strange world in which Bethlehem, birth place of the 'King of Peace', could be just 6km from Jerusalem, the city of what seems to be eternal strife.

There is little point in suggesting that Donald Trump should have known better. The 45th president of the US has shown time and again his disdain for statecraft and wise counsel, choosing instead to blunder on in what he perceives is best for his base.

But you don't play with pieces in the Middle East firestorm without someone getting burned.

The discord in the UN over his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel tells its own story.

Mr Trump's threats to those countries who disagree with him are depressingly familiar.

Back in the real world, our Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was in the Lebanon meeting Irish soldiers. Members of our Defence Forces have been caught in the crossfire in the past in disputed areas keeping the peace.

Any heightening of tensions, as those created by President Trump's decision, will have dangerous knock-on effects in a highly unstable and volatile region where passions needed to be toned down rather than stoked.

In 'Jerusalem: the Biography', Simon Sebag Montefiore put it succinctly: "Jerusalem is the house of the one God, the capital of two peoples, the temple of three religions and she is the only city to exist twice - in heaven and on earth: the peerless grace of the terrestrial is as nothing to the glories of the celestial."

The recent recognition of Jerusalem prompted waves of violence and protests across the Middle East. Such a boiling cauldron needed to be handled with care. Mr Trump has chosen his path, but it is peacekeepers who may have to deal with the consequences and at this time of year above all, we should keep them in our thoughts.

The lessons of history suggest that in the end it is understanding, not force, that is the best peace keeper.

Finally, the gloves are off over the tracker scandal

It will be some time yet before we can say for sure whether it was stupidity born out of overconfidence or indifference facilitated by a lack of oversight that enabled the banks to unleash such havoc.

Finally, if belatedly, the Central Bank has put away the kid gloves and there are signs that errant banks in the future can expect to deal with knuckle-dusters. Following harrowing and heroic accounts of the hardships endured by those caught up in the tracker scandal, the financial watchdog has bared its teeth, revealing an appetite to bite.

Executives from the Central Bank endured a torrid time at the Oireachtas Finance Committee, and it would appear that the experience has led to a new determination to act as an enforcer.

In the past, the bank was castigated for being more poodle than doberman when guarding the public interest. It was said to be more lapdog than watchdog in its relationship with lenders. Nowhere was this criticism more acute than on the issue of the abuse of tracker mortgage holders.

But no more. Derville Rowland is the new sheriff in town as director general of financial conduct. She intends to lay down the law. We know of 33,700 cases where banks have been remiss on trackers - 37 have lost their homes, and 79 buy-to-lets were sold due to tracker overcharging.

Fining the banks for bad behaviour is not the answer. They merely pass the buck to customers. Proving criminal behaviour is a big ask, but the signal has gone out that hopefully things are going to change, and the era where only the customer is called to account is at last over.
The art of letter writing is apparently a dying one, although it should be one that is encouraged, especially in this era of fake news and opinion sent out by some tweeting twits and the (un)social media that so wastefully occupies the time of our youth, and too many other citizens.

Often the only letters we get now are bills and advertising - neither of which we welcome.

Probably the most famous letter to the editor was that of eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, to the editor of 'The New York Sun', (September 21, 1897), which led to the editorial, 'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus'. The most important part of the letter really was "Papa says, if you see it in 'The Sun' it's so", a statement that should still ring true for all newspapers, but now faces attack from false news, and missing or misleading news. Although it may seem a simplistic statement, the world would be a better place if everybody wrote letters to the editor.

The basis of this idea is aspirational - it would mean they could read, reason and write, they would have sufficient leisure time to consider issues, they could afford a newspaper and a stamp, or have access to email and, more importantly, would live in a world where it is safe to express an opinion openly. Too many voices are quashed by fear or lack of opportunity. I have found reading the news and the 'letters to the editor', especially my own, a pleasant start to a day, and since I have started writing it is clear from what people tell me about my letters, just how many other people read them every day. The opportunity to read and compare newspapers, and especially their editorials, has allowed me to see issues from many viewpoints and I have then subscribed to some digital versions, although I can only afford a few. The local library allows me access to many more, for which I am very grateful.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Victoria, Australia

Happiness is hidden inside us all

It was Christmas time in heaven. Jesus, Mohammad, and the Buddha were holding a seminar on spirituality. They observed the people on Earth rushing around buying all kinds of things that they really didn't need. People were seeking the Shopping Holy Grail. They thought they could reach nirvana using this method in order to buy happiness.

Amazingly, this did not appear to work. Even after buying everything money could buy, people were still searching for inner peace. Money, luxury and affluence only gave a quick fix before a downer set in. Jesus, Mohammad, and the Buddha were each given a piece of paper by the Holy Spirit on which to write where they thought the Holy Grail could be found.

They pondered upon this. They all came to the conclusion that the Holy Grail was not an object, but a metaphor for something one could not see, or touch, but must instead experience.

The Holy Spirit collected their papers, and read their answers. The Holy Spirit was delighted with their conclusions. They all had written the same answer. They had written: "The Holy Grail can be found hidden inside everybody's heart. Alas, the last place anyone looks."

The Holy Spirit shed a tear, and made a Christmas wish. "If my people could just understand this, then every day of their lives could be like Christmas day."

Anthony Woods

Ennis, Co Clare

Repeal offers simple, brutal choice

One thing is becoming quite clear in the debate on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution: if the amendment is repealed, we will not simply be returning to the position that existed prior to the amendment, where rights for the unborn could be construed by the courts. The repeal of the Eighth Amendment would be a decisive statement that under our Constitution there will be no protection for the unborn, right up to birth.

Following repeal there would be a radical change that would give the legislature and the courts, even if they should wish to offer some protection for the child in the womb, very little, if any, scope to do so.

At the moment, there is no evidence that the legislature has any meaningful commitment to offering any protection to the unborn, except as a stepping stone to gain the acceptance of the electorate for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

Nor can we have any confidence that the courts would wish, in the face of repeal, to discover any implied rights for the unborn. In 1983, such rights were made explicit by the amendment. By the repeal of the amendment, they would be unequivocally extinguished.

The Government will probably propose to replace the Eighth Amendment with a provision in the Constitution allowing the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion. It may even publish proposed legislation to limit abortion in certain respects, but as we know, legislation can be changed without reference to the people in a referendum or challenged in the courts, including liberal international courts.

With the Eighth Amendment gone, there would be nothing to prevent a regime of abortion on demand, without reason, right up to birth.

The central question to be considered by the people in the referendum will be: do we wish to strip the unborn, from conception to birth, of any rights or protection whatsoever? Do we want to deny their humanity? Because that is what we will decide to do if we vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment. It really is that simple.

Peter Carvill

Sandymount, Dublin 4

Radical solution to rural attacks

Thursday's editorial 'Cowards who prey on elderly must pay dearly' (Irish Independent, December 21) notes that savage attacks on the elderly, particularly ones in rural isolated areas, are becoming "so commonplace that they are almost accepted as inevitable".

While the Criminal Law (Defences) Bill 2009 introduced welcome changes to home defence, it still lays onus on the home dweller to make sure the force needed for self-defence is within proportion and requires immediate use (otherwise risking manslaughter).

Perhaps there ought to be the establishment of volunteer community units in rural areas, in complete deference to the State, that could be equipped with registered small-calibre arms to rapidly respond via community alarm to the highly organised marauding gangs that prey on isolated farmers.

When faced with such ready, armed response, perhaps only then can the gangs "not be able to strike when they wish".

Stephen Oliver Murray

Dublin 4

Perfect start to Christmas...

The TV Christmas magazines start tomorrow, for the next two weeks.

At 6.45am, on BBC2, the first Christmas movie, and one of my all-time favourites, 'The Bishop's Wife', with Cary Grant, starts the usual collection of classics. So up out of the bunk, light the fire, have a cup of tea and toast, sit back and enjoy.

A wonderful start to your Christmas viewing.

Brian Mc Devitt

Glenties, Co Donegal
A Right-wing Hindu revivalist organisation has warned Christian missionary schools in northern India that they celebrate Christmas at "their own risk" as it claimed Hindu children were being "lured" to Christianity.

In a letter to several Christian-run schools in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, 170km south-east of the capital New Delhi, the Hindu Jagran Manch stated that Christmas is "essentially a ploy to lure and convert Hindu children".
A police officer detains a suspect following the car incident in an image taken from video footage on social media. Photo: Reuters

Australian police stand near a crashed vehicle after they arrested the driver who had ploughed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection near the Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. Photo: Reuters

The driver of an SUV that rammed into a crowd in central Melbourne yesterday, injuring 19 people, is an Australian citizen of Afghan descent with a history of drug use and mental illness but no known links to terrorism, police said.

Police said the 32-year-old driver, who was not identified, was arrested and had been known to police for minor assault and traffic offences. The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

"We don't at this time have any evidence or any intelligence to indicate there's a connection with terrorism," said Victoria state police acting commissioner Shane Patton.

The streets outside the city's iconic Flinders Street railway station were crowded with Christmas shoppers yesterday afternoon when a white Suzuki SUV ran a red light and sped up to slam into pedestrians crossing the road before crashing into a traffic barrier.

While police had earlier said 14 people had been injured, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed that 19 people had been taken to hospitals. Four were listed in critical condition and were believed to include a preschool-aged child, Australian media reported.

Andrews described the incident as "an act of evil and an act of cowardice, perpetrated against innocent bystanders."

Witnesses described a horrific scene.

"I was crossing Flinders Street on the way to the train station. I heard an engine rev behind me and heard a thump," one man identified only as David said on ABC TV.

He said he turned around saw "people literally getting thrown into the air as it hit them."

Bystanders rushed to drag the driver out of the vehicle before police arrived to arrest the man.

Early reports said there were two men in the car, but Patton confirmed the suspect was driving alone.

Confusion had arisen when a second man was seen being apprehended alongside the driver. Patton said he was a 24-year-old man seen filming the incident on his mobile phone and found carrying a bag with three knives.

Patton said that man was taken into custody to determine whether he was connected.

"At this stage, we don't believe that to be the case," he said.

Patton said the investigation would involve the force's counter-terrorism unit to ensure "that there isn't that connection, and that there is no ongoing threat" but that the attack was being treated as a singular incident.

He said police were working with Australian intelligence agency ASIO and Australian Federal Police and that there was no intelligence to suggest the man was a person of interest to those agencies.

"We understand he's on a mental health plan and receiving treatment for a mental illness," Patton said.

While police numbers would be increased around Melbourne in the coming days, Patton said, there was no increased threat surrounding the city over the busy holiday period.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sent a tweet calling the incident "shocking" and said his thoughts and prayers were with the victims and those treating them.

It is the second time this year that Melbourne, regularly ranked one of the world's most liveable cities, has been traumatized by a car attack.

In January, six people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a car was driven up a footpath in Bourke Street, near yesterday's incident.

Police arrested the driver, who was known to police for a history of illicit drug use, family violence and mental health problems. Police said the case was not terrorism-related.

There have been a number of car attacks in other parts of the world in recent years, many of them linked to terrorism.

In October, a man drove a truck down a New York City bicycle path, killing eight people. The driver is accused of providing material support to the Isil terror group among other charges, including murder.

Wounded

In an August attack, 13 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded when a vehicle rammed into pedestrians on a walking street in Barcelona.

London has seen three such attacks this year, two linked to Islamic extremists and another seen as a reprisal attack outside a mosque, killing 13 people altogether.

A vehicle attack on a shopping street in Stockholm in April killed five people, while an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin last December killed 12.

The deadliest such attack in recent years took place in Nice, France, in July 2016 when a man drove a refrigerated truck weighing about 20 tons into a crowd, killing 86 people.
A young patient was overjoyed with an unusual hospital guest this week - a pony.

Chloe Jordan described her sister Lizzi's joy when they managed to get a pony into a central London hospital to visit her.

Lizzi is currently in University College Hospital. Her sister said she is a "passionate equestrian". She's currently fighting for her life and has no vision.

"13 weeks without a horse has been a long time!," Chloe said.

"So our wonderful yard manager Tina from Woodside went above and beyond to give Lizzi her pony fix.

"Tina, in her lovely crazy ways, managed to box a horse up to central London and get permission to bring him into the hospital.

"Tina, Dan and the team at UCHL somehow managed to park a horse box in ambulance bay and get a PONY in a lift up 13 floors!!!!

"Slightly surreal!," she continued.

"How lovely for Lizzi to have a familiar smell and touch of a horse.

"Certainly a first for this hospital! Massive thanks to everyone involved in the surprise, and for infection control/everyone high up in the hospital for letting it happen. Merry Christmas gorgeous girl and youll be back cuddling Liffey/Berry before you know it," she added.

Chloe wanted to give a special thanks to the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) for the horse.
Catalonia's separatist leader Carles Puigdemont is close to regaining leadership of the region in a blow to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy who sacked him two months ago, reigniting Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

With 96pc of ballots counted late last night in a vote to elect Catalonia's regional parliament, separatist parties are seen winning 70 seats out of 135, with Puigdemont's Junts Per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) party retaining its position as the largest separatist force.

Expand Close People react to results in Catalonias regional elections at a gathering of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) in Barcelona. Photo: Reuters / Facebook

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Whatsapp People react to results in Catalonias regional elections at a gathering of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) in Barcelona. Photo: Reuters

A pro-independence absolute majority would open a new, uncertain chapter and cast doubts over Mr Rajoy's ability to draw a line under the crisis that has damaged Spain's economy and prompted a business exodus away from Catalonia.

The election has become a de facto referendum on how support for the separatist movement has fared since Mr Rajoy sacked Mr Puigdemont's government for holding a banned October 1 referendum on splitting with Spain and unilaterally declaring independence.

Mr Puigdemont has campaigned from self-imposed exile in Brussels since then, while Spanish authorities have sought his arrest on allegations of rebellion.

A victory in the election would mark his redemption after the secessionist movement lost some momentum over the months since the referendum. If he again becomes regional president, it is unclear whether he faces arrest should he return.

"As you see, we are the comeback kids," Mr Puigdemont's spokesman Joan Maria Pique said in a text message to Reuters.

Mr Rajoy had hoped the election would return Catalonia to what he has called "normality", under a unionist government or with a separatist government that would not seek a unilateral split.

He has said he would rescind the direct rule he imposed on Catalonia whatever the result, but could re-impose it if a new government again pursues independence illegally.

At pro-independence rallies around Barcelona, supporters chanted "President Puigdemont" and "Long Live the Catalan Republic" as the results came in, with some unfurling giant red-and-yellow pro-independence flags.

"I feel happy and relieved. We want independence now - no more waiting," said Elena Carreras, a 51-year-old teacher, smiling broadly as a band played the drums nearby.

The results surprised pollsters who were expecting separatist parties to lose control of the parliament and face weeks of haggling over a viable coalition.

Unionist party Ciudadanos (Citizens) is set to be the single party that wins the most votes, but a dismal performance by the other members of its coalition - Mr Rajoy's conservative People's Party (PP) and the Socialist Party - mean the three will remain far from the majority.

Analysts said a new absolute majority for the pro-independence camp would put the ball back in the central government's court.

"What this shows is that the problem for Madrid remains and the secession movement is not going to go away," Antonio Barroso, deputy director of research at London-based research firm Teneo Intelligence, said.

Turnout yesterday reached a record high with over 83pc of eligible Catalans voting.

The atmosphere was one of peace and order as long queues of voters formed, in contrast to the October 1 referendum which was marked by police firing rubber bullets and wielding truncheons to prevent people voting as the central government cracked down on the illegal ballot.

Separatist leaders yesterday said their expected victory showed that Catalans had rejected Madrid's actions since the referendum.

"We demand the re-establishment of the legitimate government, the freedom of the prisoners," the Catalan National Assembly (ANC)'s deputy leader Agusti Alcoberro told a cheering crowd in Barcelona.

Puigdemont's former deputy Oriol Junqueras and several other Catalan politicians are in prison, along with the leader of the ANC, the main separatist grassroots movement.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Puigdemont urged voters to show they back the movement.

"Today we will demonstrate the strength of an irrepressible people. Let the spirit of October 1 guide us always," Mr Puigdemont said.

The independence crisis has damaged Spain's economy and prompted a business exodus away from Catalonia, its wealthiest region, to other parts of the country.

Direct foreign investment in Catalonia fell by 75pc in the third quarter from a year earlier, dragging down total investment data for the entire country for the same quarter, according to economy ministry data this week.

The crisis has also caused concern in other European countries with secessionist regions.
Exiled Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont looks set to regain power after regional elections on Thursday, but what comes next is unlikely to be an easy ride.

Can he go back to Catalonia?

Puigdemont is targeted by an arrest warrant for his role in organising an illegal independence referendum on Oct. 1 and leading the secession bid. He is now in Brussels but he faces arrest the minute he steps foot in Spain.

Seven of the 70 separatists elected on Sunday are either in jail or in exile on allegations of sedition and rebellion. Unless they are released or they return home, they cannot vote in parliament to form a workable majority.

They could hope to be freed or have arrest warrants dropped if they swore no to pursue independence unilaterally. But that in turn could jeopardise support for a Puigdemont government from Catalonia's most vehement pro-independence party, the CUP.

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Another option would be for these leaders to forfeit their seats and hand them to the next candidates on the list.

Puigdemont cannot take absolutely for granted that he will be Catalonia's next president because the other two separatist parties, the CUP and ERC, have shown some reluctance to put him back at the helm. His party got more votes than the other two.

What's on the agenda?

Negotiations to form a government are likely to start following a holiday break, after Jan. 6.

Around the same date, conservative Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will say when regional parliament will begin preliminary proceedings ahead of its first sitting. That process must start no later than Jan. 23.

Parliament must then vote by Feb. 8 on putting a new government into place. By then, Puigdemont should also clarify whether he will put himself forward as Catalonia president.

If no leader can command an absolute majority of the 135-seat regional assembly, a second vote will be held where a leader only needs a majority of votes cast in the chamber. If that does not work, talks can go on for another two months. If they fail, parliament is dissolved and new elections are held.
The train had been travelling from Madrid, authorities said

Four people have been seriously injured after a Spanish commuter train crashed into a barrier in a town near Madrid, authorities said.

Forty-five people in total were treated by emergency services, most for cuts and bruises and shock following the crash on Friday afternoon.

Spain's railway operator, Renfe, said the accident happened at 3.37pm (2.37pm GMT) on a double-decker train at the end of a track on its last stop, at the Alcala de Henares train station, after travelling from the Spanish capital.

Renfe is investigating the cause of the accident. It added that commuter services were not interrupted, but some trains are subject to delays.
Govt plans to call global bids for oil, gas exploration

The government is planning to call for global bids to conduct oil and gas exploration in the country.
Mr Trump is preparing to spend Christmas at his Florida estate (AP)

US president Donald Trump has signed a 1.5 trillion dollar tax overhaul package into law.

Mr Trump hailed the size of the tax cut, declaring to reporters in the Oval Office before he signed the measure that "the numbers will speak".

The president said he was going to wait to sign it until after January 1, but changed his mind.

The legislation provides generous cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans and smaller ones for the middle class and low-income families.

It is the first major overhaul of the nation's tax laws since 1986, but far from the largest tax cuts in American history, as the president claims.

Politically, it marks the Republicans' first major legislative accomplishment of the Trump presidency.

According to some estimates, the cuts could add to the nation's soaring deficit.

The US president also signed a temporary spending bill to keep the government running and provide money to upgrade the nation's missile defences.

The tax cut, which fulfilled a long-held Republican goal, was at the forefront of Mr Trump's mind.

He continues to pitch the tax move as a win a for the middle class, insisting that even though polling indicates the tax cut is unpopular, the numbers will speak for themselves.

He said: "I don't think we are going to have to do much selling."

Passage of the tax bill marked a significant victory for a president hungry for one after chaos and legislative failures during his first year in office - including an effort to repeal former president Barack Obama's health care law - despite Republican control of Congress.

Mr Trump also ended the year with his sights still trained on the way the media treat him, tweeting that the mainstream media "NEVER talk about our accomplishments in the end of year reviews".

He added: "We are compiling a long @ beautiful list".

After finishing the bill signings, he jetted off to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, his plane leaving Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

The first major overhaul of the nation's tax laws since 1986 could add 1.5 trillion dollars (1.2 trillion) to the US national debt over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Republican leaders have said they are willing to take that step in pursuit of a boost to the economy. But some in the party worry their party could face a political backlash without an aggressive public relations tour.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, continued to send mixed messages about his desire to work across the aisle.

In the Oval Office, he contended anew that Democrats "don't like tax cuts, they want to raise your taxes".

This came just hours after he tweeted a pitch for bipartisanship: "At some point, and for the good of the country, I predict we will start working with the Democrats in a bipartisan fashion. Infrastructure would be a perfect place to start. ... It is time to start rebuilding our country!"

Some White House aides and Republican leaders are looking warily ahead at the midterm election year, when typically a president's party loses seats in Congress.

That is all the more true for presidents whose approval ratings dip below 50% - and Mr Trump's have never been that high.

Additionally, the new tax law that they see as the party's top talking point is unpopular. Only about one in three voters have supported the legislation in recent days, according to several polls.

About half of Americans believe the plan will hurt their personal finances. And two in three voters say the wealthy will get the most benefits, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last week.

Starting next year, families making between 50,000 and 75,000 dollars (37,000-56,000) will receive average tax cuts of 890 dollars (665), according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Centre.

Families making between 100,000 and 200,000 dollars (74,000-150,000) would receive average tax cuts of 2,260 dollars (1,690), while families making more than one million dollars (740,000) would get average tax cuts of nearly 70,000 dollars (52,000), according to the analysis.

But if the cuts for individuals are allowed to expire, most Americans - those making less than 75,000 dollars (56,000) - would see tax increases in 2027, according to congressional estimates.

Only high-income people would receive a meaningful tax cut after 2025, when nearly all of the plan's individual income tax provisions are due to expire.

Republicans argue that the middle class will see benefits from the business tax cuts, in the form of more jobs and higher wages.

Democrats say that is not likely to happen, and that the tax cuts are simply a boon to wealthy Americans like Mr Trump which will leave lower-income families in a lurch.
A Palestinian protester pushes a burning tyre during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Bethlehem (AP)

A Palestinian man has been killed in renewed clashes with Israeli forces, Gaza's health ministry said, as fallout over US president Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital continued.

The fresh violence comes a day after a UN General Assembly resolution denouncing Mr Trump's decision.

Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said a 24-year-old man was killed after being shot in the chest during clashes along the border with Israel.

Another four Palestinians sustained moderate wounds, he said.

The Israeli military said it is investigating the report.

Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli troops across the West Bank and along the Gaza border since Mr Trump's Jerusalem announcement on December 6.

Nine Palestinians have been killed and dozens more wounded in the clashes so far.

In Bethlehem on Friday, some Palestinian protesters held anti-Trump banners reading: "Mr Trump, it's not your land to decide to whom it belongs, Jerusalem is ours and it belongs to us," and: "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine".

On Thursday, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to denounce Mr Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, largely ignoring the US leader's threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him.

The non-binding resolution declaring US action on Jerusalem "null and void" was approved 128-9 - a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they had predicted.

Amid Washington's threats, 35 of the 193 UN member nations abstained and 21 were absent.

The Trump administration made it clear the vote would have no effect on its plan to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The US and Israel had waged an intensive lobbying campaign against the UN measure, with US ambassador Nikki Haley sending letters to more than 180 countries warning that Washington would be taking the names of those who voted against the US.

Mr Trump went further, threatening a funding cut: "Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care."

Trump's announcement departed from decades of US policy that the fate of Jerusalem should be decided through negotiations.

East Jerusalem is home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites and the fate of the territory is an emotionally charged issue at the heart of the conflict.

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war from Jordan, as the capital of their future state.

Israel said the entire city, including east Jerusalem, is its eternal capital.

Mr Trump said his decision merely recognises the fact that Jerusalem already serves as Israel's capital and is not meant to prejudge the final borders of the city.

AP
President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski survived an impeachment vote in congress late on Thursday, thwarting an attempt by opposition politicians to oust him over ties to the Brazilian construction giant implicated in the region's biggest corruption scandal.

Legislators cast their votes after 10 hours of debate over a day that began with the president presenting a forceful defence. He insisted he had no involvement in the payments made by Odebrecht to his private consulting firm more than a decade ago and warned that the rushed impeachment process was a threat to Peru's democracy and stability.

Applause erupted inside congress and his supporters cheered and waved Peruvian flags outside as it became clear the opposition would fall short of the two-thirds vote needed to remove Kuczynski.

"Tomorrow a new chapter in our history begins: the reconciliation and reconstruction of our country," Kuczynski later tweeted.

The impeachment effort against the 79-year-old former Wall Street banker was the latest chapter in the Odebrecht bribery scandal that has ended the careers of some of Latin America's most prominent politicians.

The company admitted in a 2016 US Justice Department agreement to paying nearly 800 million dollars (600m) in kickbacks to politicians, their campaigns and political parties to secure lucrative public works contracts.

In Ecuador, Vice President Jorge Glas has been sentenced to six years in jail for orchestrating an Odebrecht bribery scheme. Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is appealing his conviction on charges of corruption and money laundering related to the plot. In Peru, two former presidents stand accused of accepting money from Odebrecht. One is behind bars and the other in the US seeking to avoid extradition.

Kuczynski came under fire after an opposition-led investigative committee revealed documents last week showing Odebrecht made 782,000 dollars (587,000) in payments to his private consulting firm more than a decade ago. Some of the payments overlapped with years that Kuczynski spent as a high-ranking government minister.

During his 30-minute testimony on Thursday, Kuczynski showed the contracts in question on an overhead screen, pointing out that none contained his signature. He said he had no knowledge of the payments and that he never favoured any company while in office. He characterised the transactions as part of a legal contract between two private companies and said his opponents were trying to force him from power without due process.

"I am here to look you in the eye, and tell you that I am not corrupt and I have not lied," he said, speaking slowly and assertively.

The vote capped a tumultuous eight days in Peru, which is one of South America's most politically volatile nations.

Analysts worried that impeachment could usher in a new period of uncertainty for Peru, an economic bright spot in Latin America that throughout its recent history has vacillated between short spans of democracy and autocratic rule.

"That they would impeach the president is not an unthinkable thing," said Steve Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist who has spent years studying Peru. "It's that they would do it in a week without serious investigation, without a serious process of public debate."

The vote was pushed by the opposition Popular Force party led by Keiko Fujimori, who is the daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori. She narrowly lost to Kuczynski in last year's presidential election.

Politicians debated for more than 10 hours, delivering impassioned speeches that touched on everything from the merits of neoliberal economic policy to a Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story reference.

The president's detractors contended that he should have disclosed the payments before taking office and that, at the very least, as a high-ranking government minister when the money was paid he should have done a better job to shield himself from potential conflicts of interest.

While Kuczynski managed to avoid impeachment his troubles are not yet over. He is due for questioning at the chief prosecutor's office next week, and a majority opposition rule in congress is likely to make it difficult for him to govern.

AP
Anissa Weier, one of two Wisconsin girls who tried to kill a classmate to win favour with a fictional horror character named Slender Man (AP)

One of two Wisconsin girls who tried to kill a classmate to win favour with a fictional horror character named Slender Man has been detained for 25 years in a mental hospital.

Anissa Weier, 16, pleaded guilty in August to being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide, but she claimed she was not responsible for her actions because she was mentally ill. In September, a jury agreed.

Waukesha County Circuit judge Michael Bohren sentenced Weier to 25 years in a psychiatric institution, retroactive to the date of the crime. That means she will be institutionalised until she is 37. This is the maximum punishment possible.

Weier and Morgan Geyser lured Payton Leutner into a wooded park in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb, in 2014.

Geyser stabbed Ms Leutner 19 times while Weier urged her on, according to investigators. Leutner survived after she crawled out of the woods to a path where a passing cyclist found her.

Both Weier and Geyser told detectives they felt they had to kill Ms Leutner to become Slender Man's "proxies", or servants, and protect their families from him. All three girls were 12 years old at the time.

Weier apologised in brief comments before her sentencing.

She told the judge: "I do hold myself accountable for this and that I will do whatever I have to do to make sure I don't get any sort of delusion or whatever again.

"I want everybody involved to know I deeply regret everything that happened that day. I know that nothing I say is going to make this right and nothing I say is going to fix what I broke."

Leutner family spokesman Steve Lyons said they were pleased with the sentence.

He said: "They believe that justice was served. The sentence today allows for some additional closure for Payton and her family and it also keeps both Payton, her family and the community safe."

Ms Leutner's mother, Stacie Leutner, sent the judge a letter this week in which she wrote that the trauma of the attack "has defined our lives" and that her daughter still fears for her life.

For months, Payton slept with scissors under her pillow for protection, and she still keeps her bedroom windows closed and locked.

"She will struggle with the events of that day and physical and emotional scars it left for the rest of her life," her mother wrote.

In her letter, Ms Leutner did not ask the judge to sentence Weier to a specific length of time in the mental hospital, but she said her daughter would not feel safe if either of her attackers is released back into the community unsupervised.

"Payton has a lifetime of healing ahead of her and she deserves to be allowed to heal in an environment where she feels safe," her mother wrote.

No-one from the victim's family addressed the court during the sentencing hearing, deferring instead to the letter from her mother.

Prosecutor Kevin Osborne argued for the maximum 25-year confinement, which the judge granted citing ongoing concerns about Weier's mental stability.

Mr Osborne said: "Considering the nature and gravity of this offence, being supervised until the age of 37 is not all that long ... in terms of the fact that Payton is looking at a lifetime of scars, physical scars and psychological scarring."

Weier's attorney, Maura McMahon, argued that she should not be kept in hospital beyond her 25th birthday. She played a video in court with Weier's father, sister and grandparents speaking on her behalf.

"She's grown mentally and physically," her father, William Weier, said. "She knows what she did was wrong."

He asked for forgiveness from the Leutner family.

In a deal with prosecutors, Geyser, who carried out the stabbing, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide with the agreement that she is not criminally responsible and should not go to prison.

She will be sentenced in February, and prosecutors have asked that she be given at least 40 years in a mental hospital.

The "Slender Man" phenomenon started with an online post in 2009, depicting a mysterious spectre whose image people edit into everyday scenes of children at play.

He typically appears as a spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face. He was regarded by his devotees as either a sinister force or an avenging angel.
A British Army sergeant and a former diving instructor have taken the plunge, literally, for an underwater wedding in Florida.

Thomas Mould and Sandra Hyde used a tablet computer to exchange wedding vows beside Molasses Reef, off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Mr Mould, from Leicester, first met his wife in 2013 when he travelled on an Army adventure training dive trip to the Amoray Dive Resort in the Keys, where Ms Hyde worked as an instructor.

After the couple connected, Ms Hyde travelled to Leicester a few times, and he visited her in the US.

They had planned a summer wedding in an old English church, but then decided an underwater ceremony in the Keys would not only be more appropriate, but more cost-effective.

The couple are spending their honeymoon in the Keys, before returning to live in the UK.
The UN Security Council has unanimously approved tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang says is capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland.

The new sanctions approved in the council resolution include sharply lower limits on North Korea's oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 24 months, and a crackdown on ships smuggling banned items including coal and oil to and from the country.

"We believe maximum pressure today is our best lever to a political and diplomatic solution tomorrow ... (and) our best antidote to the risk of war," said France's UN ambassador Francois Delattre.

But the resolution does not include even harsher measures sought by the Trump administration that would ban all oil imports and freeze international assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

The resolution, drafted by the United States and negotiated with China, drew criticism from Russia for the short time the 13 other council nations had to consider the text, and last-minute changes to the text.

One of those changes was raising the deadline for North Korean workers to return home from 12 months to 24 months.

US ambassador Nikki Haley said after the vote that "the unity this council has shown in levelling these unprecedented sanctions is a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regime's actions".

The resolution caps crude oil imports at four million barrels a year. And it caps imports of refined oil products, including diesel and kerosene, at 500,000 barrels a year.

This represents a nearly 90% ban of refined products, which are key to North Korea's economy, and a reduction from the two million barrels a year the council authorised in September.

The new sanctions also ban the export of food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stones, wood and vessels from North Korea.

And it bans all countries from exporting industrial equipment, machinery, transportation vehicles and industrial metals to the country.

North Korea's test on November 29 of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile yet was its 20th launch of a ballistic missile this year, and added to fears that the North will soon have a military arsenal that can viably target the US mainland.

Britain's UN ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the Security Council is sending "a very strong united signal to the North Korean regime that enough is enough, that they must stop their nuclear programme and they must stop their intercontinental ballistic missile programme".

The previous sanctions resolution was adopted on September 11 in response to North Korea's sixth and strongest nuclear test explosion on September 3.

Ms Haley said at the time that the Trump administration believed those new sanctions, combined with previous measures, would ban over 90% of North Korea's exports reported in 2016.

Those new sanctions banned North Korea from importing all natural gas liquids and condensates.

It also banned all textile exports and prohibited any country from authorising new work permits for North Korean workers - two key sources of hard currency for the north-east Asian nation.

The US Mission said a cut-off on new work permits would eventually cost North Korea about 500 million dollars (373 million) a year once current work permits expire.

The United States estimated about 93,000 North Koreans are working abroad, a US official said.

The resolution approved on Friday expresses concern that the foreign earnings from these workers are being used to support the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

It requires all countries to send North Korean workers and safety monitors home by the end of 2019.

AP
London, Dec 22 (IBNS): Singing in groups could make you happier  according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Researchers examined the benefits of singing among people with mental health conditions including anxiety and depression.

They found that people who took part in a community singing group maintained or improved their mental health. And that the combination of singing and socialising was an essential part of recovery because it promoted an ongoing feeling of belonging and wellbeing.

Lead researcher Prof Tom Shakespeare from UEAs Norwich Medical School and his researcher Dr Alice Whieldon worked in collaboration with the Sing Your Heart Out (SYHO) project, based in Norfolk.

The grassroots initiative runs weekly singing workshops, aimed at people with mental health conditions as well as the general public. It originally began at Hellesdon psychiatric hospital in 2005, but afterwards moved into the community. Around 120 people now attend four free workshops each week across Norfolk  two thirds of whom have had contact with mental health services.

The research project followed the group for six months and undertook interviews and focus groups with participants, organisers, and workshop leaders.

Prof Shakespeare said: We found that singing as part of a group contributes to peoples recovery from mental health problems.

The main way that Sing Your Heart Out differs from a choir is that anyone can join in regardless of ability. Theres also very little pressure because the participants are not rehearsing towards a performance. Its very inclusive and its just for fun.

The format is also different to a therapy group because theres no pressure for anyone to discuss their condition.

We heard the participants calling the initiative a life saver and that it saved their sanity. Others said they simply wouldnt be here without it, they wouldnt have managed  so we quickly began to see the massive impact it was having.

All of the participants we spoke to reported positive effects on their mental health as a direct result of taking part in the singing workshops.

For some it represented one component of a wider progamme of support. For others it stood out as key to their recovery or maintenance of health.

But the key thing for everyone was that the Sing Your Heart Out model induced fun and happiness.

The report shows how a combination of singing and social engagement gave participants a feeling of belonging and wellbeing that often lasted a day or more, as well as improved social skills and confidence.

Taking part on a weekly basis provided structure, support and contact that helped people improve their mood, feel good, and function better in day-to-day life.

The Sing Your Heart Out model offers a low-commitment, low-cost tool for mental health recovery within the community, added Prof Shakespeare.

Image: Facebook page of Aditya Narayan
CBSE has made Aadhaar card mandatory to apply for JEE Main. The online application process for JEE Main 2018 started from December 01, 2017 and students can apply till January 1, 2018. JEE Main is scheduled on April 08, 2018 in offline and on April 15 and 16, 2018 for online mode.

Candidates should fill JEE Main application form carefully in order to avoid making any silly errors. CBSE has also stated that the particulars filled by candidates in the application form must match with the details in Aadhaar.

Aadhaar Card Made a Mandatory Document for Applying to JEE Main 2018

As per the official notification released by CBSE, candidates applying for JEE Main 2018 musr possess an Aadhaar card. JEE Main 2018 applications without Aadhaar card number mentioned on it are subject to rejection.

Note that the candidates from Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and Meghalaya are excluded from this requirement, only if they opt to get the examination center in their states. In such a case, it is fine for them to provide with bank account number, ration card number, passport number or any other valid identity number issued by the government of India or state.

Candidates who do not possess an Aadhar Card can apply for the same at the facilitation centers established in each city where JEE Main is to be held. These candidates can then apply for JEE Main 2018 by entering the 14-digit Aadhar Enrolment Id allotted to them while applying for Aadhar Card.

Candidates can check the list of these enrollment centers at the official website of UIDAI. The candidates will then have to produce their Aadhaar card during the counselling application. Also, ensure that all the details mentioned on Aadhaar card are absolutely correct.

In case some information is outdated or incorrect, get the same corrected at the earliest by visiting the nearest Aadhaar card enrollment center. You must check multiple times that the 14-digit Aadhaar card number that you enter in the application form is absolutely correct.

Other Important Instructions for Filling JEE Main Application Form

Candidates must fill JEE Main application form very carefully and ensure that all the information mentioned is complete and correct by all means.

The most important task for you is to read the information brochure very carefully. JEE offers the application form to be filled only through the online mode at JEE Main official website. No offline applications will be accepted.

Before filling the application form, candidates must ensure that they fulfill the eligibility criteria for both, JEE Main and Advanced. To apply for JEE Main 2018, candidates must be born on or after October 1, 1993.

The maximum number of attempts for JEE Main is limited to three. Additionally, you must have qualified in class 12th in 2016/2017 or appeared for the same in 2018.

You must ensure that you are providing your personal and live e-mail Id and mobile number in the application form as any required important communication will be sent to you through these only.

Then upload the scanned images of your signature and the thumb impression along with academic and personal details in the format prescribed in the application brochure only.

Ensure that you upload your recent passport size photo in the recommended size (in the JPEG format). You will be able to book an exam date and time slot while filling the JEE Main 2018 online application form.

The slot booking feature allows you to select the date and time only for the online mode of exam and for the B.E./B.Tech. courses. It means that this feature will allow you to choose the examination date as either April 15 or April 16 along with the time slot, only when you like to appear it in the online mode.

The slot of your choice will be booked only on the first come first serve basis. It means that you will be able to book an available time slot on the choice of your date only if those are not filled yet.

The facility for the applicants to book the online exam slot has been introduced this year only. Earlier this choice was made by CBSE on random and availability basis.

You can pay the application fee either by credit card, debit card or through e-challan generated while filling the online application form. In case of e-challan, the payment needs to be made only at the Syndicate, Canara and ICICI banks in cash.

Cash paid through the e-challan at any other bank would not be accepted as application fee. The fee submitted by any other mode (like demand draft etc.) will also be rejected.

After filling and submitting all the particulars and payment of applicable application fee, an acknowledgment page with a unique application number will be displayed on the screen. Take a print out of this acknowledgment page as it may serve as a reference slip for any related use in future.

You may use this application number for viewing your application status at the JEE Main website. You are advised to keep checking the notifications in the online information bulletin posted on the official website of JEE Main 2018.

The admit card for JEE Main 2018 will be released on the JEE Main official website in March 2018. The admit card will contain various details related to the exam such as examination center, candidates roll number and exam schedule.

Ensure that you have the Aadhaar card handy with you along with other mandatory documents while starting filling JEE Main online application form. Prepare well for JEE Main 2018. All the best!


Half of petrol pumps do not meet safety norms: NBSM

About half of the gasoline stations operating across the country do not meet government safety norms, the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) said. Lack of clear policy has resulted in poor inspection of these refilling stations which pose a public safety hazard.
Ontario, Dec 22 (IBNS): Internshala, an internship and online training platform, on Friday signed a letter of agreement the Canada-India Centre for Excellence at Carleton University to facilitate student internships.

Through this collaboration, Internshala and CICE are looking to widen the horizon of global opportunities for students in both the countries through internships.

This partnership, aims to create internship opportunities for Indian students at Carleton University in Canada and for Carleton University students in India.

Internshala will deliver webinars to Carleton University students to help them understand how to find an internship in India.

The platform will also provide career guidance and support to the students. CICE would connect Internshala with the Startup-Visa program community and incubators including Carleton University incubation centre 'Lead to Win' to hire Indian interns.



Established in 2011, CICE is a research and training centre which works toward strengthening the bilateral ties between Canada and India. CICE has partnered with Carleton University under its Capacity Building mandate to develop custom professional development and academic offerings for India students, businesses, and professionals.

Harry Sharma, Manager, CICE said, "We are excited to partner with Internshala and hope to help Carleton University find internships in India and also help Indian students connect with opportunities in Canada. This partnership will not just strengthen the ties between Canada and India but would open the doors of global opportunities for the youth in both the countries."

Founded in 2010, Internshala offers 40,000+ internships every year. Over 2.5 million students and 70,000 organisations use the platform. Students can find internships in all domains including engineering, management, humanities, applied arts, architecture, design, law, and so forth.

Speaking on partnership, Sarvesh Agrawal, the founder and CEO of Internshala said, "Since 2010, we at Internshala have been on a steady mission to bring exciting opportunities for Indian students. The partnership with CICE will not only help us provide international internships for students in India but would help us give the Canadian students a global exposure. India has the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world on one hand and on the other hand, it is poised to be the third largest consumer market in the world by 2025. This will also give the students of Carleton University a better understanding of a diverse economy."




Kolkata, Dec 22 (IBNS): I was a little dismayed when the assignment desk in office sent me off to review a sizzler festival -- Escapade to Sizzler -- at one of Kolkata's popular vegetarian restaurant, Casa Kitchen.

Surely the nip in the air and the Christmas cheer enveloping the city deserved something a little more stronger!

So when the 'lollipop' arrived, daintily arranged, I was a little flummoxed much to the delight of my hosts.

Craftily made of mixed vegetables and a slice of sugarcane stick for the bone (hidden in a silver foil wrapping), it had fooled me alright at first sight.

Biting into the crunchy lollipop served with barbecue sauce, I had to accede, the restaurant had given a pleasant vegetarian twist to a conventionally non-vegetarian dish, and a tasteful one at that.

Another interesting (and tasty) dish was the crispy chilly broccoli -- a take on the ubiquitous crispy chilly baby corn -- crispy fried broccoli tossed in the in-house made conjinaro sauce.

Swarup Ghosh, General Manager, Hotel Casa Fortuna (of which Casa Kitchen is a part) said, At Casa Kitchen, we are constantly trying to revolutionise the dining experience for our guests. The sizzler festival took months of preparation and research to develop new vegetarian recipes."

Another innovative item was the Cottage Cheese Lasagne -- where the pasta sheets were replaced by cottage cheese, and multilayered with creamy american corn and exotic vegetables, and baked.

Shantanu Lahiri, Chief Adviser to Casa Fortuna, reiterated that one of the focus areas of Casa Kitchen was to make vegetarian dishes stand out on their own.

"Not only we have customers who are traditionally vegetarian but also customers who now prefer vegetables over meat, or avoid non-vegetarian food on select days." he said. "So we are constantly experimenting and evolving the menu to make it attractive to everyone."

And promptly another experimental dish arrived at our table -- a plate of sizzling 'sarsonwali phool' -- florets of cauliflower (phool-gobi) cooked in mustard sauce (sarson) served with steamed rice and fried onions.

As the varied sizzling dishes made their rounds of the table, they were a veritable feast for the eye too. With a combination of Indian and exotic vegetables, and accompaniments, and a flourish of sauces, the plates looked colourful indeed.

The menu for Escapade to Sizzlers has been designed so that you can have a sizzler for starter, main course and dessert.

Some of the specials on the main course were Cottage Cheese steak (minced cottage cheese patties served with parsley rice and Arrabbiata sauce), Paneer Mumtaz (cubes of cheese stuffed paneer served with exotic veggies in silky makhani gravy), Italian Tropicana (a combination of tomato spaghetti, cheesy potatoes and parsley penne), Schezwan Vegetables (vegetables cooked in Schezwan sauce and served with fried rice or noodles), and Soya Manchurian (minced soya patties cooked in Manchurian sauce and served with chilly garlic noodles).

And then of course, no matter how full I was, a sweet-tooth like me could not look the other way when the Custard Pie arrived (with a heart of fruit crumble laced with chocolate sauce). There was also Mountain Lava, a yummy melted chocolate sponge lava, for which I have to go back another day I suppose.

Escapade to Sizzler is on from Dec 22 to Jan 1 at Casa Kitchen from 12.30 pm onwards. A meal for two will cost approximately Rs 1200 plus taxes.

For reservations: 033-40218050/8017088033; www.casafortunahotel.com



(Reporting by Uttara Gangopadhyay)
Chennai, Dec 22 (IBNS) : two days after a video of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa lying on a hospital bed had surfaced, an inquiry committee, constituted to probe the former Chief Minister's death, on Friday summoned jailed AIADMK leader V Sasikala, Apollo Hospitals Chairman and Vice President.

According to media reports, the committee, headed by a retired High Court judge, asked the three to respond to the summons within 15 days.

Prathap Reddy, Apollo Hospitals Chairman, had on December 16 revealed that Jayalalithaa was in a critical state when she was rushed to the hospital on September 22, 2016.



Jayalalithaa's death is fraught with controversies with a section of political leaders raising many questions and many conspiracy theories doing rounds.

They have also alleged that the hospitalisation procedure was not transparent.

Former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who visited Apollo hospital everyday to see Jayalalithaa, also raised doubts over her hospitalisation.

Ahead of the AIADMK merger, the Edapadi Palaniswami's government ordered a judicial probe into Jayalalithaa's death and a retired high court judge was appointed for the job.

So far, government doctors, Jayalalithaa's family members, former chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao and former adviser to the chief minister have been summoned for the probe.

A video of Jayalalithaa sitting on a hospital bed at the Apollo hospital was released by a TTV Dinakaran loyalist, P Vetrivel on the eve of the RK Nagar byelection.

The committee has been given a three month deadline to probe Jayalalithaa's death.
Guwahati, Dec 22 (IBNS) : Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Friday said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) updation works on the mammoth exercise still remains incomplete.

He made the comment at a time when around a week time is left to publish the first draft of NRC in Assam.

After reviewing the NRC updation progress, discussing with the top officials of Assam government in Guwahati, the Union Home Secretary said while briefing a press conference that, very significant amount of NRC works are still needed to be done.

Over 68 lakh applications of 3.28 people and over 6 crore documents were submitted in the NRC process and verification process of maximum documents have been already done. As per directive by the Supreme Court, the first draft of NRC to be published on December 31 next, Rajiv Gauba said.

The Supreme Court has monitored the entire process and we are bound to maintain the time frame. The NRC updation process is a massive exercise that has been undertaken by the Registrar General of India (RGI) through mobilization of the entire state machinery, Gauba said.

The Union Home Secretary further said it is a part of draft NRC which will be published on Dec 31 and if a person's name is not included in it then there is no need to worry over it.

After publishing the part draft NRC, another draft NRC to be published and people can file their claims and objections, whose names doesnt include in the draft NRC. They will take time to file claims and objections. Every Indian citizen names to be included in the NRC, the Union Home Secretary said.

Rajiv Gauba said both the centre and the state governments have taken adequate security measures for the entire NRC process and monitored every security corner.

On the issue of porous Indo-Bangladesh border, the Union Home Secretary said the entire Indo-Bangladesh border will be sealed by 2018 end.

The border fencing works are going on and modern electronic devices to be used in the riverine border to check infiltration, Gauba said.

The Union Home Secretary said the internal security scenario in the North East region has been gradually improving in comparison to the past scenario.

But few insurgent groups are still active in the region, Gauba said.

The Union Home Secretary said that, the proposed Naga peace pact will not affect the territorial integrity of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

Earlier, the Union Home Secretary had chaired a series of high level meeting with the government, security agency officials and took stock the measures taken by the state government and security agencies to deal with the situation ahead of draft NRC publication.

Gauba also chaired in the Unified Command structure meeting in Guwahati in presence of top officials of Assam police, armys 4 corps, 3 corps, CRPF, BSF, SSB and Nagaland police.

The Union Home Secretary also met Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and discussed in the issues related to Assam Accord implementation, NRC, Indo-Bhutan border etc.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
The winner will receive a cash prize of Rs 25,000 instituted by one of India's top fashion designers Wendell Rodricks, who will also judge the competition. KASHISH 2018 will be held from May 23-27, 2018 in Mumbai.

"I am proud to be out here supporting the KASHISH. Each year the poster moves forward in different directions that the LGBT community grows towards. I wish the participant all the best... and to the organizers, more success, greater visibility and empowerment to the LGBT community via KASHISH 2018," Wendell Rodricks.

The official poster will define the overall look of the 9th edition of the film festival. The theme of the festival this year is Together, With Pride

"This years theme Together, With Pride is very apt considering KASHISH is one of the biggest pride events in India, embracing diversity of LGBTQ community and allies. We hope to make KASHISH 2018 more diverse and inclusive and are reaching out across various communities and bringing them all together," said Sridhar Rangayan, Festival Director.

Every year the look of KASHISH has been defined by the unique design that comes out of this design contest which receives entries from across the world. This year the stakes are higher and we are looking forward to some amazing entries," added Rangayan.

The winning design will be used on billboards (hoardings), banners, cinema slides, delegate cards, T-shirts and catalog cover.


With a flat 10% off on base fares in Economy and up to 15% off on Premiere fares, guests will be able to realise attractive savings on popular sectors across the airlines domestic network of 44 destinations in the New Year, while experiencing the airlines award-winning in-flight service and hospitality.



The eleven-day fare sale beginning December 23, 2017 until Jan 2, 2018, will be valid for Economy and Premiere travel on select domestic destinations of the Jet Airways network for one-way bookings. During the sale, guests may book economy tickets starting at INR 1001*, with a travel validity that commences from Jan 15, 2018 onwards.



The special fares will be applicable on all direct flights operated by the airline.

Gaurang Shetty, Whole Time Director, Jet Airways said, Jet Airways uses every opportunity to create memorable experiences for guests. The fare Sale is our way of saying thank you to our guests for flying with us and giving us opportunities to create special moments for them. With this offer, guests can make considerable savings when planning their trips, travel to exotic destinations, explore and create everlasting memories. We are confident that the promotion will be popular with our guests in India.

Jet Airways is India's premier international airline and has established itself as a preferred carrier in India on account of its exceptional in-flight service, flexible schedules and enhanced connectivity.
New York, Dec 23(Just Earth News): The United Nations refugee agency warned on Friday that the situation of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island continues to remain dangerous, and called on the Australian Government to live up to its responsibilities and urgently find humane and appropriate solutions.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since the closure of Australias offshore processing facility on the island on 31 October, approximately 800 refugees and asylum seekers still remain in highly unsafe conditions.

Over the past four weeks, at least five security incidents have been reported by refugees and asylum seekers, security personnel, local police, and members of the local community, Cecile Pouilly, a spokesperson for UNHCR, told a news briefing in Geneva.

The most serious incident occurred on the night of 10 December, when three people armed with machetes and an axe attempted to force their way into West Lorengau Haus settlement, where 150 refugees and asylum seekers were being accommodated, she said, noting that the group was ultimately stopped from causing serious harm by security staff.

However, the same group then walked to nearby Hillside Haus settlement where two of them, armed with a baton and a knife, entered unobstructed by security staff, and yelled that refugees and asylum seekers should leave.

The forced removal of refugees and asylum seekers on 22 November from the now decommissioned Australian facility has inflicted further trauma on people who have already suffered greatly  violence and persecution in their own country followed by four years in detention on Manus Island, added the UNHCR spokesperson.

At the same time, the medical condition of the refugees and asylum seekers is also worrying.

According to a recent medical report commissioned by UNHCR, their physical and mental health is deteriorating and there is growing risk of violence and self-harm due to the cumulative effect of uncertainty about the future, lack of solutions, stopping of vital services, poor living and hygiene conditions and inadequate health care.

The report also noted the obvious strain that is being placed on the host community and local resources, especially on the health system and hospital.

Photo: UNHCR/Vlad Sokhin

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Muzaffargarh, Dec 22 (IBNS): At least three terrorists were arrested by Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in country's Muzaffargarh on Friday, media reports said.

The move made by the CTD left terror plot foiled.

"The terrorists belong to a banned outfit and were plotting an attack during Christmas festivities, CTD told Geo News.

During the operation, hand grenades were seized from the terrorists.
Regina, Dec 22 (IBNS): An elderly indigenous man recently accused Canadian Tire, a retail company in Toronto, of humiliating him by searching over the suspicion of theft, media reports said.

Gordon Albert (78) went with his wife to buy a gift but failed to get the desirable one.

The conflict occurred when Gordon was coming out of the store and the anti-theft detector beeped following which a female employee stopped asking him to take off his coat.

The lady guard then search all the pockets of the coat, according to Gordon's wife.

"That lady took his cigarettes out, took his phone out. She was just going through his pockets," Gordon's wife told Star.

She added in saying: "He said, 'What else do you want me to take off? My clothes?"

Gordon, who felt the incident to be embarrassing, said: "They thought that since we're native we'd steal something."

Gordon even said the experience is unprecedented as he is a regular customer. "I make enough money that I can buy whatever I want. I don't have to go that route," the elderly man said.

He even said the store employees later found that the bell beeped as some other customer was buying things.

However the Canadian Tire's store manager apologised to Gordon. "He said 'sorry, sorry sorry.' I said 'that's not going to help," Gordon said.

Saying the matter to have been resolved, the company said: "Recent conversations between the store and Mr. Albert and his family have been positive and productive, and the store considered the matter to have been resolved."

Gordon even told Star that he won't go to the store anymore for shopping.

This is not an one-off incident where a First Nations person accused Canadian Tire of harassing him.

In July, a Canadian Tire worker had reportedly thrown out a First Nation customer over suspected theft.

A First Nation man, Kamao Cappo, went to Canadian Tire in Regina where he was attacked by an employee as the latter suspected Cappo of stealing a chainsaw.

Cappo shared a Facebook live video of the whole incident and stated to have been abused by the employee after he refused to leave the store.

In a Facebook live video on July 26, Cappo said: "This happened today. We walked in to buy a chainsaw. We picked one and I was about to pay for it but the fuel mixture (40/1) was not to our liking, so we turned it over to customer service and went back to get another one. This general manager for some reason thought we were stealing. He became abusive when I refused to obey his order to leave the store."

In another live video on Facebook, Cappo was seen to be guided by the employee out of the store.

Later the worker was sacked.



(Reporting by Suman Das)

Image: Creative Commons.
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LPG plant fire: One more fire fighter succumbs to burn injuries

A firefighter, who was critically injured in a fire that broke out at an LPG bottling plant at Sukhachaina in Birgunj Metropolis-22, Parsa, on Wednesday, succumbed to burn injuries on Friday.
Meet Rebecca Terry, the lucky woman from New Zealand who got their Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as secret Santa.

It's here!!! Thank you so much #nzsecretsanta I love it all, I've wanted this book for my girls for ages especially! Oh and to those interested, the pin will give away who my santa was...... pic.twitter.com/xp59DFMOcc  Rebecca Terry (@BecksT84) December 19, 2017

Also read: Forget Christmas Beard, Christmas Eyebrow Is The Latest Trend & It's Festive AF

All this while when we were thinking only Justin Trudeau bears the swag of the coolest PM, we somehow missed Jacinda Ardern who pulled off such a cool trick.

Thank you so so much @jacindaardern I am so happy, and will treasure the pin too  Merry Christmas to you and yours   Rebecca Terry (@BecksT84) December 19, 2017

Bringing in the best gifts to the table, Ardern gifted books along with handwritten messages. She even gifted the girls a pin which was given to world leaders at the November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Vietnam.

Oh and here's the lovely card  pic.twitter.com/wqbmFvVSPf  Rebecca Terry (@BecksT84) December 19, 2017



She sent out these gifts on December 13th and shared a picture of her putting those gifts in the package.

And just in case you're wondering what the super-cool PM got from her secret Santa, here it is.

Also read: UP Cops Crack Down On Extremist Hindu Outfit To Ensure Safe Christmas Celebrations In Aligarh

So although my #nzsecretsanta didn't quite get there this year, a #SuperSecretSanta stepped up amazingly for me. Thank you so much, whoever you are!! @nzsecretsanta pic.twitter.com/ynnqp4CaeT  Jacinda Ardern (@jacindaardern) December 19, 2017

New Zealand organized a nationwide secret Santa and it was taken to the micro-blogging website for the announcement. PM herself asked people to register for the event so that no one misses it out.

So you may have noticed I don't tweet especially often (I just lurk) but as a ridiculous lover of Christmas, I couldn't miss the chance to join the @nzsecretsanta movement. Registration ends tomorrow so feel free to join in my over the top Christmas cheer  Jacinda Ardern (@jacindaardern) November 21, 2017

Quite amazing. We guess it's only possible in a nation like NZ with the population of 4.6 million, otherwise in a country like India where over 1.3 billion live, secret Santa will end up becoming yet another Ponzi scheme.

Also read: Hindu Jagran Manch Warns Christian Schools In Aligarh Against Celebrating Christmas
In yet another reminiscent of the gruesome gang-rape of Nirbhaya in December 2016, a 20-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by five youths suspected to be juveniles near a municipal garbage dump (dhalao) in Jahangirpuri. The survivor lodged a complaint at Jahangirpuri police station on Thursday afternoon.

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh Records 400% Rise In Child Rape Cases, Across India The Cases Are Up By 82%

According to police, the accused spotted the girl near the garbage dump around 10pm. The youths took her to a desolate spot behind the MCD apartments nearby and raped her in turns. They threatened to kill her if she shouted for help or mentioned the incident to anyone.

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On Thursday afternoon, the survivor narrated her ordeal to a relative following which police were informed. She was taken for medical examination after which a case of gang rape was registered. Her statement under Section 164 CrPC will be recorded before a magistrate on Friday.

An NGO is counselling her. "The suspects have been detained and we are verifying their antecedents," said DCP (northwest) Aslam Khan.

reuters/representational image

The accused reside in the same colony as the survivor and are known to her family. Cops said the youths are school dropouts and worked part-time at the garbage dump. They will be produced before a magistrate if they are found to be adults.

Also Read: 15-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Gangraped By Friends, Asks A Passerby For Help. He Rapes Her Too

Meanwhile, police have questioned more than 450 people in the Shalimar Bagh teen's gang rape case.

Sources said that the girl's male friend is also being grilled to establish his role. On Wednesday, the girl's cousin who had brought her to the police station was also questioned. So far, criminals part of a gang are the prime suspects.

bccl/representational image

The crime branch has been asked to probe the incident. Cops are looking for a black motorbike on which three youths were seen fleeing the park. More than 50 bikes have been checked till now.
Now that reading about rape, molestation, murder and harassment has become so common that it doesn't even rile you up, here's one more story for you.

An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by six boys, a 19-year-old and five minors aged about 10, living in her neighbourhood, police officials said at Pune in Maharashtra on Friday.

Also read: 4-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Raped, Head Smashed With Stone By Neighbour In Madhya Pradesh

All six have been held following a complaint from the girl's mother on Thursday. She alleged that the six, all living in her neighbourhood in Kondhwa area, sexually assaulted her daughter, an official said.

bccl/representational image

The police arrested the 19-year-old and sent the five boys, in the age group of 10 to 11, to an observation home, he said.

Also read: 2017 Is Ending But Nothing Has Changed, 20-YO Woman Gang Raped By Five 'Teenagers' In Delhi

The incident came to light on Thursday when the woman took her daughter to a doctor after she complained of abdominal pain.

afp/representational image

The doctor found some marks on the girl's body during a medical examination and suspected it to be a case of sexual abuse, the official said.

When the doctor asked the girl about the marks, she revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by the six on four to five occasions in the last couple of weeks, he said.

bccl/representational image

The girl's mother then immediately approached the police.

The six have been booked under IPC Section 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.

Also read: Five Years After Nirbhaya Case, Mother Of December 2012 Gangrape Victim Still Awaits Justice
The Red Cross emblem and the Rod of Asclepius symbol (representing Greek God of healing), are the two universal symbols of medical science and the medical profession. But, for a controversial Islamic cleric from Kerala, they are un-Islamic and against the monotheism that is practised in Islam.

As bizarre as it may sound, a Salafi preacher called Abdul Muhsin Aydeed has come up with a suggestion that Muslim doctors should follow in their hospitals.

BCCL/ Representational Image

The cleric posted his advice to Muslim doctors in a Facebook post recently, titled 'Some Islamic Advice to Doctors'.

In the post, he lists a number of Do's and Don'ts for Muslim doctors to be practiced in their hospitals.

This include providing separate places for Namaz to male and female patients inside the hospital, and suggests that there should not be mixing of both the genders in the waiting room, reception or consulting areas.

BCCL/ Representational Image

The guidelines then goes on advice male doctors not to touch women patients as far as possible, and that in case there is no female Muslim doctor for the women to consult, the examination should be conducted only in the presence of the female patients husband or male guardian. The Islamic principle that a male should not be alone with an unknown female is applicable in the case of doctors too, he says.

BCCL/ Representational Image

"The male doctor should look at or touch the female patient only in an unavoidable situation. He should use hand gloves if he decides to touch the female patient," Muhsin said.

The cleric while prescribing to on the medics conduct said, "Certain symbols related to idol worship are widely seen in the houses, vehicles, consulting rooms and on the prescription pads of doctors. An example is the cross in red colour, which signifies the belief in Trinity by the Christians. Trinity is the worst form of the shirk (polytheism), and is the most detested sin in Islam".

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Similarly, the Rod of Asclepius, denotes the Greco-Roman Gods of life and health, he said. "The beliefs that destroys Thouheed (monotheism), the cardinal principle in Islam, should be kept at arm's length. These kinds of wrong beliefs may unknowingly sneak into the belief system of Muslims and they may distance themselves from Islam. A Muslim doctor should keep away from all the signs and slogans that are against Islam," he said.

BCCL/ Representational Image

Muhsin is a member of the extreme Salafi group and had earlier exhorted Muslims not to send their kids to public schools and had stated that the concept of nationalism is alien to Islam.
When Nauman Ahmad and his family purchased a house in Meerut, all they wanted was a place to call their own, near to a place where their father worked. But the family is now facing an accusation that no one has ever heard of earlier -land jihad!.

Inspired by 'Love Jihad' has become famous or infamous, some local Hindu groups and the BJP's youth wing the BJYM is accusing the family of land jihad.

According to the Indian Express, owner of the house, Sanjay Rastogi, who runs a telecom business had sold a section of the two-storey building in the Maliwada area to the Muslims family at a cost of Rs 28.3 lakh.

But when the family reached their new home, some people came and said that the house cannot be sold because Rastogi owed them money.

They also objected to the sale claiming that the property cannot be sold to a Muslim family.

They want to acquire as much control in this area as they can. Ours is the only Hindu pocket here. On most sides, we are surrounded by Muslim localities. Around 50-100 metres away, they have a huge Jama Masjid. If you travel for 1-1.5 kilometres to the northeast from Maliwada, you have Hashimpura where riots broke out in the 1980s, a local resident told The Indian Express.

This is an ancestral property which belongs to his family and has been partitioned. Our portion of the house shares a terrace, two passages including one entry to their house. How will we live here if they move in?Varsha Rastogi, a relative of Sanjay Rastogi added.

The Muslim family which lived in a single room for 32 years and finally thought they had a proper house said they even took a loan of Rs 18.5 lakhs to purchase the house.

With no way to take possession of the house, the family approached the police and the owners have now agreed to repay the amount by February next year.
In a shocking incident near Hyderabad, 25-year-old woman was critical after she was set ablaze in full public view. The incident occurred at around 6:45 PM in Lalaguda area of the city, 10 kilometers from Hyderabad. She was set ablaze allegedly by a man suspected to be her lover, police said.

Police have registered a case of murder against the unidentified man.

Image: ANI

According to investigation by the police, the woman worked as a receptionist at an aluminium fabrication unit. She was called to the spot by the man where after reaching, she saw the man carrying a can. He suddenly poured kerosene on her and set her on fire before fleeing the scene.

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Hearing her cries, some passersby rushed to her aid and put out the fire. She was then shifted to hospital where she is battling for her life.

"The woman has suffered 60 per cent burns and her condition is critical," the official said.

"However, the woman never told her family members about the man or the harassment," the official said.
Making easier for Indian authorities to get instant access to Indians with black money in Swiss accounts, a key parliamentary panel in Switzerland has approved an automatic information exchange pact between the two countries.

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The Commission for Economic Affairs and Taxes of the Council of States approved the proposed pact with India as also with 40 other countries but suggested strengthening the provisions for individual legal claims.

It has asked the Swiss government to submit to Parliament an amendment "to strengthen concrete individual legal protection and to ensure that no exchange of information can take place for individual cases where a violation of essential legal claims is likely", as per the minutes of its last meeting on November 2. The proposal will now be submitted for approval from the upper chamber of Swiss Parliament.

BCCL/Representational Image

The pact will help provide a continuous access to details about alleged black money hoarders in once-all-secret Swiss banks. The information that could be exchanged under this framework would include account number, name, address, date of birth, tax identification number, interest, dividend, receipts from insurance policies, the credit balance in accounts and proceeds from the sale of financial assets.

BCCL/Representational Image

The exchange will work like this - If an Indian has a bank account in Switzerland, the bank concerned will disclose the financial account data to authorities there; the Swiss authority will forward the information to its peer in India who can then examine the person's details.
Modi lauds Oli on Left victory

Weeks after successful conduct of the Federal Parliament and Provincial Assembly elections in Nepal, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to top leaders of three major parties on the phone on Thursday.
Why would someone shred and flush their money in toilets? that is exactly the Swiss prosecutors want to know.

AFP/ Representational Image

The bathrooms at a branch of the UBS bank in Geneva, as well as in three nearby restaurants, had pipes stuffed with 500-euro bills that had apparently been cut up with scissors and flushed down the toilets.

Each individual bill is worth nearly $600. Collectively, the destroyed bank notes were worth tens of thousands of dollars.

AFP/ Representational Image

The Geneva Prosecutor's Office tells Bloomberg it has launched an investigation into the bathroom bills. According to the report in Bloomberg destroying banknotes isnt a crime in Switzerland.
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (December 22, 2017):

More changes are coming to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, as District Judge William T. Lawrence has notified President Donald J. Trump of his intention to take senior status effective July 1, 2018.

Judge Lawrence will continue to render substantial judicial service as a senior judge. President Trump, with the guidance of Indianas United States Senators Joseph S. Donnelly and Todd C. Young, will nominate Judge Lawrences successor.

Judge Lawrence first joined the Court as a Magistrate Judge in November 2002. President George W. Bush, with the confirmation of the Senate, elevated Judge Lawrence to the position of District Judge on June 30, 2008, making him the first Magistrate Judge in the Southern District to become a District Judge. He filled the vacancy created by Judge John Daniel Tinders elevation to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Prior to being a Magistrate Judge, Judge Lawrence was the elected Judge of the Marion County Circuit Court from 1996 to 2002, after serving as a Master Commissioner there for over 13 years. He served as a major felony Public Defender in the Marion County Criminal Court for nine years. In 1980, Judge Lawrence was appointed Executive Director of Indianas first Merit Selection Commission on Federal Judicial Appointments by Senator Richard Lugar.

Chief Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson remarked on behalf of the Court, Judge Lawrence has served the citizens of the Southern District of Indiana with great dignity throughout his 35-year career in the law. The Court is grateful to him for his remarkable service as a Magistrate and District Judge. He is everything that litigants deserve to have in a judge: fair, patient, intelligent, and well-reasoned. While my fellow judges and I are sad to see Judge Lawrence begin to wind down his career, we are delighted that he will be staying on as a senior judge and continuing to serve our citizens and our Court.
Elizabeth Holmes faces judgment day for her Theranos crimes AP - Thu Nov 17, 6:55PM CST A federal judge on Friday will decide whether disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes should serve a lengthy prison sentence for duping investors and endangering patients while peddling a bogus blood-testing... $SPX : 3,946.56 (-0.31%) $DOWI : 33,546.32 (-0.02%) $IUXX : 11,676.86 (-0.19%)

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Soy Futures Continue Lower, Beans Down Double Digits Barchart - Thu Nov 17, 4:47PM CST Soybean futures ended the day 11 3/4 to 12 3/4 cents in the red, as Jan printed a 25 cent range on the day. Meal stayed weaker as well with $0.90 to $1.50/ton losses to close. BO futures closed off their... ZSF23 : 1423-6 (+0.48%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.9182 (-0.86%) ZSH23 : 1429-4 (+0.51%) ZSK23 : 1434-6 (+0.44%)
No. 102 on the Fortune 500

No. 401 on the Global 500

No. 35 on Fortunes Best Companies to Work For

No. 2 in the insurance industry on Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies

Fortune has named military insurer USAA one of its 2017 Blue Ribbon Companies  32 companies recognized on four or more of Fortunes most prestigious lists. This is the second time USAA has been named a Blue Ribbon Company.USAA made four Fortune lists this year:This is a great honor and speaks volumes about our mission, culture and talent, USAA CEO Stuart Parker said. Our employees earned this honor by delivering superior service to the military community.In addition to appearing on four Fortune lists this year, USAA was recognized as one of the worlds most ethical companies by the Ethisphere Institute and ranked as the most reputable bank in the 2017 Annual Bank Reputation Survey. It was also recognized as the number one military-friendly brand.
The Northeast Division of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a nonprofit organization working with the insurance industry to help communities, raised more than $1.2 million at its annual charitable gala on December 13 in New York City.

The money will be used to fund the IICF Northeast Divisions Community Grants Program, which provides grants to local and regional nonprofit organizations and charities throughout the Northeastern U.S.

Nearly 800 insurance professionals attended the gala, held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. The event featured celebrity speakers Gayle King, co-host of CBS This Morning and editor-at-large of O, The Oprah Magazine, and five-time World Series champion, Mariano Rivera. They accepted honorary grants on behalf of The Ana Grace Project and The Mariano Rivera Foundation.

This year, there were 21 grant recipients in the IICF Northeast Division as a result of its fundraising efforts. This years event also introduced a text-to-give option, in which attendees could send a text in order to donate throughout the course of the event. This effort resulted in nearly $50,000 in additional pledged funding for the 2018 IICF grants program.

During the event, IICF also honored Ryan Specialty Group for its philanthropic leadership with the 2017 IICF Double I Award for influence in the industry and impact in the community.

Patrick G. Ryan, founder, chairman and CEO of Ryan Specialty Group, accepted the award on the companys behalf after being introduced by Timothy W. Turner, chairman and CEO of Ryan Turner Specialty and 2017 IICF Northeast Benefit Dinner Chair.

Over the past 11 years, the annual IICF Northeast Benefit Dinner has raised nearly $8 million, funding more than 100 grants to nonprofit organizations in local communities, according to Hank Watkins, chair of IICF Northeast Divisions Board of Directors and President of North America at Lloyds.

The grants are made to organizations focused on early education, children at-risk, disaster preparedness and the environment and are established each year by the collaborative efforts of hundreds of professionals in the brokerage, underwriting and services sector of the insurance industry, he stated in a press release issued by IICF.

Established in 1994, IICF has contributed $28.7 million in community grants, along with 270,000 volunteer hours by more than 100,000 volunteers, to hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations, reinvesting in local communities where funds are raised.

Source: IICF

Topics New York Market Funding
Integro Insurance Brokers, an international broker and risk management firm, has hired Stephen Feron as a senior vice president in its marine practice.

Based in New York, Feron will be responsible for the delivery of Integros Marine Cargo services, developing account strategy, managing placements, providing deep claims advocacy and maintaining insurance carrier relationships for clients.

He brings nearly twenty years of industry experience to Integro, including experience in underwriting and broking commercial and multi-national insurance programs. His skills include specialization in transportation and storage risk management for clients throughout the U.S.

Feron joins Integro from Chubb, where he previously served as senior marine underwriter. Prior to working at Chubb, he was assistant vice president at Willis Corroon Corp.

Launched in 2005, Integro and its family of specialty insurance and reinsurance companies operate from offices in the U.S., Bermuda and the U.K. Its U.S. headquarters is located in New York, N.Y.

Source: Integro Insurance Brokers

Topics Agencies New York
The fight to reinstate criminal charges against the engineer in a deadly 2015 Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia will carry over into next year.

A judge on Wednesday told prosecutors she will review Brandon Bostians case, and she set a hearing for February where prosecutors may have the chance to argue that the engineer should be held criminally accountable for the derailment.

A different judge in September threw out involuntary manslaughter and other charges after finding evidence pointed to an accident.

Eight people died and more than 200 people were injured when the train rounded a curve at more than twice the speed limit and derailed.

Like in the fatal crash involving a speeding Amtrak train this week in Washington state, the track where the Philadelphia crash occurred did not have the technology that can automatically slow or stop a speeding train.

Federal safety investigators determined that Bostian lost track of where he was on the route after hearing on the radio that a commuter train had been struck with a rock. Thinking he was on a long straightaway, Bostian accelerated the train, they concluded. The train was actually approaching a sharp curve.

Bostian has been on unpaid administrative leave from Amtrak since the crash and is suing the government-owned railroad, alleging he was left disoriented or unconscious when something struck his train before it derailed. Federal investigators believe nothing struck Bostians locomotive.

Amtrak has taken responsibility for the crash and agreed to pay $265 million to settle claims filed by victims and their families. It has also installed speed controls on all its track from Boston to Washington.

Bostian exited the Philadelphia courthouse surrounded by a group of people who put themselves between the engineer and news photographers. His lawyer said after the hearing that Bostian wants to put the case behind him.

A spokesman for the attorney generals office said he is pleased with the courts decision, calling it an important step forward in the legal process of this case.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pennsylvania
Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing Technology Co. on Thursday said it has raised $4 billion in funds earmarked for expansion overseas and into areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), as it looks to challenge Uber Technologies Inc.

The fundraising values Didi at over $50 billion and involved Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala Capital, two people familiar with the deal told Reuters. Mubadala did not respond to a request for comment.

Existing investor SoftBank Group Corp. also participated in the latest funding, a spokesman for the Japanese firm confirmed, declining to specify the size of its investment.

With a substantial cash reserve, Didi plans to scale up investments in AI talent and technologies, Didi said in a statement. The funds would also help Didi bring more innovative and diversified transportation services to broader communities around the world.

Didi has expanded overseas rapidly in the past year since sealing its dominance in China with the purchase of Ubers local business in 2016, ending a cash-burning subsidy war that cost the U.S. firm roughly $2 billion.

Earlier this month Reuters reported that Didi was planning to enter Mexico next year, in what would be its first overseas operation not managed through a local partner.

On Wednesday, Didi announced it was looking at entering the Taiwanese market, and had authorized a franchisee operator to do research there on its behalf.

Didi has also invested in several of Ubers rivals globally, including U.S.-based Lyft, Brazils 99, Indias Ola, Singapores Grab, Estonias Taxify and Careem in the Middle East.

Besides SoftBank, investors in Didis previous funding rounds included Apple Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the fundraising had pushed Didis cash reserves to $12 billion from $3.5 billion two years prior.

(Reporting by Cate Cadell; additional reporting by Ritsuko Ando; editing by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing)

Topics China Funding
Myadi police killed in police firing in Kalikot

A Myadi police (temporary police) died when police opened fire following a clash between regular police and temporary police personnel in Kalikot district on Friday.
Zurich Insurance Group announced it has purchased 100 percent of the shares of Bright Box HK Ltd. and its subsidiaries  an acquisition designed to increase its capabilities in connected car technologies and telematics-enabled data analytics.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2012, Hong Kong-based Bright Box has operations in Europe and conducts business globally. It provides telematics solutions that link drivers to their vehicles, and the vehicles to networks of car dealers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

We are excited by the potential that Bright Box brings to further strengthen our offerings to car drivers and the companies that support their needs, said Giovanni Giuliani, group chief strategy, Innovation and Business Development Officer, Zurich Insurance.

By enhancing our capabilities in data insights and analysis, we will be able to provide our customers more tailored and convenient solutions, which is in line with our strategy, he added.

We are very excited to be part of Zurich with its strong international brand and ability to lead the way in the fast-changing environment of automotive insurance, says Ken Belotsky, executive chairman and co-founder of Bright Box.

Bright Box has business relationships with leading global OEMs and hundreds of dealerships worldwide, providing the entire stack of connected car technology such as a cloud IT platform, mobile and web apps, hardware, as well as the connectivity between them, explained Zurich in a statement.

Source: Zurich Insurance

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Auto
Missouri lawmakers should make it easier for firefighters to get workers compensation, Gov. Eric Greitens said during a visit to the St. Louis Fire Academy.

The bill by Republican Rep. Nick Schroer would make firefighters and other first responders eligible for workers compensation for illnesses ranging from cancer to high-blood pressure, and it would be up to employers to prove the issue was not caused by work.

Firefighters and first responders, along with police officers, also would get the benefit of the doubt in receiving workers compensation for stress or other mental issues.

Our firefighters, they show up every day to fight fires, Greitens said in a Facebook video. If, God forbid, theres a situation where they have to fight cancer, they shouldnt have to fight bureaucrats to get the care they deserve.

Margie Griffin, the widow of a St. Louis firefighter who died of cancer, implored lawmakers in the video to please, please support this bill.

The issue appears likely to gain traction when lawmakers return to the Capitol in January for the start of next years roughly five-month annual session. Greitens party leads both the House and Senate, and Democrats have filed similar bills to help firefighters and other first responders.

The Republican push to help firefighters, first responders and police with workers compensation represents a shift from past GOP efforts to put limits on those benefits for other workers.

Former Republican Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation in 2005 that required workers to show a specific event during a single work shift to be compensated for an accident, no longer allowing a series of events to qualify. It also required the accident to be the prevailing factor in an injury, instead of the previously lesser standard of a persons employment as a substantial factor.

Schroer said while Republicans generally support trimming workers compensation, he said the nature of first responders work merits an exception.

If anybody deserves a hard look at figuring out how we can protect them even more, its our first responders, Schroer said.

Schroer also said hes open to making changes that would further restrict what illnesses are covered under the legislation.

The workers compensation bill is HB 1647.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Workers' Compensation Missouri
As investigators sift through the wreckage of this weeks Amtrak train crash in Washington state, critics have begun questioning President Donald Trumps recent efforts to roll back or delay finalizing U.S. rail safety regulations.

Making American railroads safer drew renewed attention after the passenger train derailed on Monday morning while speeding onto a bridge, killing three passengers and sending about 100 people to hospitals.

The accident occurred as the U.S. Transportation Department is reviewing rail safety requirements or proposals set under prior administrations. The White House has promised a sweeping effort to eliminate regulations throughout government and cut at least two existing regulations for every new one.

Earlier this month, the department reversed a decision requiring crude oil rail tank cars to be fitted with an advanced braking system designed to prevent fiery derailments. The requirement to install electronically controlled pneumatic brakes had been included in a package of safety reforms the Obama administration unveiled in 2015 following a series of deadly derailments stemming from the U.S. shale boom.

Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, called this months move a senseless decision that endangers our communities by making oil by rail transportation less safe.

The Transportation Department has defended the decision, saying the mandates costs would be three times as high as the benefits it would produce.

The agency has also delayed finalizing regulations proposed during the Obama administration to require railroads to run all trains with at least a two-member crew unless it got specific approval.

Train track safety inspections were another focus of the Obama administration, which said it planned to propose new rules to address dangerous track conditions and defects in order to prevent train derailments.

The Trump administration said in a document posted last week that the previous administrations initiative had been moved to the long-term action list, meaning it does not plan any additional action for at least 12 months on the proposal and could abandon it completely.

In their defense, administration officials complain that Senate Democrats have for months delayed a vote on Ronald Batorys nomination to head the Federal Railroad Administration, the top rail safety post, and say administration reviews of many railroad regulations are ongoing and no final decisions have been made as additional data is analyzed.

On Thursday, Senator Maria Cantwell, a Washington state Democrat, called on the Senate Commerce Committee to quickly convene a hearing on the state of Amtrak safety standards and federal rail safety regulation.

The traveling public needs to know that Amtrak and its regulator, the Federal Railroad Administration, are doing all they can to protect the safety of passengers who use this vital piece of our transportation infrastructure, Cantwell said in a statement, citing several major rail accidents over the last decade.

Railroads note that derailment rates have fallen in recent years and that the train accident rate is down 44 percent since 2000.

But the biggest pending railroad safety issue is a government mandate to install a technology called positive train control to prevent derailments. Had the technology been operational for the stretch of track where Mondays derailment occurred, the crash might have been prevented.

In 2015, Congress delayed an end-of-year deadline for installing the technology by three years to the end of 2018 after lobbying by major railroads, including Warren Buffetts BNSF Railway Co. The Transportation Department can extend the deadline again until the end of 2020.

Railroads had argued for years that the initial 2015 deadline set in 2008 was unworkable and that they had spent billions to develop the technology. While many passenger rail companies and freight rail companies have installed the system, CSX Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp and Canadian National Railway Co expect to complete the effort by 2020, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Tuesday that the Trump administration must back the funding to ensure positive train control is implemented.

The resources arent preventing its installation; it is the will and determination to do so. The failure of federal authorities to require and provide support for positive train control is a moral choice this nation has made, Blumenthal said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended the technology since 1970 and said that since then there have been more than 140 accidents across the country resulting in nearly 300 fatalities, more than 6,500 injuries, and millions of dollars in costs, which could have been prevented by positive train control.

Batory, the White House rail nominee, told a Senate panel in July he backed a regulatory approach to safety known as performance-based regulations. Critics say that would allow railroads to largely self-regulate and would eliminate specific safety technology requirements.

Republican Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska in June proposed legislation requiring regulators to consider adopting a performance-based approach rather than setting specific regulatory requirements.

Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement the Amtrak crash was not caused by the vacancy at the Federal Railway Administration, but said the agency needs leadership to advance safety issues and oversight.

The time for playing political games with the leadership of this railroad safety agency should be over, Thune said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Sanders and Jonathan Oatis)

Topics USA Legislation Tech
A European Union decision to treat Uber Technologies Inc. like a taxi company spotlights a trans-Atlantic divide over how governments cope with disruptive technologies and could embolden U.S. cities to restrict the ride-sharing service.

The EU Court of Justice on Wednesday ruled against Uber, which had argued its a technology platform connecting passengers with independent drivers, not a transportation company subject to the same rules as taxi services. In the U.S., states have passed broad-based laws governing ride-sharing businesses, brushing aside traditional taxi-industry regulations for Uber and Lyft Inc.

Theres a philosophical issue that we dont have here, said Matthew Daus, a lawyer and former chairman of the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. The U.S. approach to policy has been more heavily driven by tech-based capitalism, while the European response has been to put the brakes on services that are not licensed businesses.

The ruling comes as European authorities have battled with Silicon Valleys biggest technology companies. Clashes include Apple Inc. falling out with Ireland over a 2016 decision to pay $15 billion in back taxes, Alphabet Inc.s Google being hit with a record $2.8 billion fine over shopping ads, and Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. facing inquiries for the spread of hate speech. Paris regulators are clamping down on Airbnb, treating the home-rental website like a hotel.

The EU ruling could inspire some cities that have already had a prickly relationship with the ride-sharing services. San Franciscos city attorney is investigating whether Ubers service is a public nuisance. In New York, officials are mulling ways to tighten controls. And Seattle has passed an ordinance to make it easier for Uber drivers to unionize.

Im sure some cities will take inspiration, Gary Hufbauer, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in an email. Regulation of taxis in the U.S. is generally the responsibility of each city where they operate.

Ubers EU case has been closely watched by the technology industry because of its precedent for regulating the gig economy, where freelancers make money by plying everything from spare rooms to fast-food deliveries via apps on smartphones.

If the sky doesnt fall on Uber, it tells other markets like New York and Los Angeles there are things you can extract without killing their business, said Jon Orcutt, director of communications and advocacy for the TransitCenter, a New York-based nonprofit that advocates for mass transit.

Daus, the former New York official, said the EU puts a premium on safety issues and worker rights. If more of these decisions come down it could have a cascading effect on American policy makers, he said.

Uber in U.S.

The Uber press office didnt respond to an email seeking comment on the implications for U.S. regulations. After the EU decision, the company said This ruling will not change things in most EU countries where we already operate under transportation law.

However, millions of Europeans are still prevented from using apps like ours, the company said in an email.

Ubers record of satisfying customers and drivers alike may insulate it from skeptical city officials, said Joe Kennedy, a senior fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in Washington.

Both sides feel that given their likely alternatives, Uber is an improvement for them, Kennedy said in an interview. Consumers are better off, and Uber drivers arent complaining too much.

Kennedy said Uber in the U.S. benefits from an atmosphere more welcoming to disruption than exists in Europe, where theyre much more concerned with the precautionary principle, that innovations should be viewed skeptically until you figure out all the consequences.

I think thats why were ahead in the technology race, which also bothers them, Kennedy said.

James Pethokoukis, a columnist at the American Enterprise Institute, said in a blog post: It doesnt seem like there will be a massive or immediate effect on Ubers business, just plenty more hassles as it deals with local transportation rules and requirements on a case-by-case basis.

Expect the ruling to give inspiration to American activists who dont much like these platform companies., he said. They see Europe leading the way on regulating tech firms, and are seeking to import those approaches.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics USA Legislation InsurTech New York Tech Europe
Matthew Sather has joined the U.S. Programs, Property & Casualty team of AXIS Insurance business unit as a vice president of Underwriting.

Sather is based in the companys Chicago office and reports to John Tatum, executive vice president and head of U.S. Programs.

Sather will work with Tim McGee, U.S. Programs Underwriting officer, to guide underwriting best practices and portfolio management across all U.S. programs business.

Sather has 25 years of experience in the property/casualty sector. He joins AXIS from Chicago-based CNA, where he most recently served as vice president, Workers Compensation and Underwriting officer, Large Casualty Business unit.

Topics USA Underwriting
The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) has awarded academic scholarships to two students at Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston and three students at Huston-Tillotson University (H-T) students in Austin. ICT honored these five students for their success in their universities insurance and risk management classes.

These ICT scholarship recipients were recommended for scholarships by their insurance and risk management professors because they were among the best in their class and showed a keen interest in the property and casualty industry, said Mark Hanna, an ICT spokesman said in a statement released by the insurance trade organization.

This month, ICT awarded scholarships to TSUs Alicia Roberts and Maurisha Johnson, who were recommended by Adjunct Professor Gary Sylvester, and to H-T students Sorrel Mitchell, Porche Mitchell and Daniel Garza, who were recommended by Adjunct Professor Herman Askew.

Along with their scholarship, each student will have the opportunity to attend ICTs Property and Casualty Symposium in Austin on July 12 and 13, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency. They will have an opportunity to network with industry leaders, hear from industry experts on the latest property and casualty issues, and participate in a Speed Interview and Network session with more than a dozen insurance companies who will be seeking potential new hires.

Earlier this year, ICT surpassed the $1 million mark in scholarships and academic funding for 12 Texas universities and nearly 500 students.

Source: ICT

Topics Texas Property Casualty
Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr has granted a Certificate of Authority to a Florida insurer to begin selling residential property insurance products in Arkansas.

Gainesville, Fla.-based Tower Hill Signature Insurance Co. (THS) was formed in 2006 and currently writes residential property products in Texas and Florida.

THS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tower Hill Signature Insurance Holdings Inc., which is owned by Tower Hill Insurance Holdings, the largest writer of full coverage, single family homes in Florida. The Tower Hill group is primarily held by majority owner William Shively.

The Tower Hill group includes five insurers writing residential property business with approximately 80 percent in homeowners coverage and 20 percent in mobile home and commercial insurance. THS uses an affiliated managing general agent to write and administer all of its homeowners business.

Tower Hill Prime Insurance Co., the lead company in the group, maintains an A.M. Best rating of A- (excellent).

Tower Hill is the 29th new company Kerr has granted authority to in 2017. Since becoming commissioner in 2015, Kerr has welcomed 64 new companies to Arkansas.

Source: Arkansas Insurance Department

Topics Carriers Florida Property Arkansas
The driver in a Tennessee school bus crash that killed six elementary school students took a cell phone call at the time of the crash, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston said in court that Johnthony Walker received a call at 3:17 p.m. that day that lasted nearly four minutes. Pinkston said the first 911 call about the crash came in at 3:20 p.m.

Authorities said Walker was speeding in November 2016 when he wrecked the bus on a curvy road in Chattanooga while carrying 37 children. The 25-year-old faces 34 charges, including six counts of vehicular homicide.

Walker made bond and is out of jail. He must use GPS monitoring and cant drive motor vehicles pending trial, which is set to begin Feb. 27.

Judge Don Poole said Tuesday that out-of-town jurors will be drawn for the trial. Poole also rejected a public records request from a news outlet that sought Walkers jail phone calls in 2016.

Also in court, Pinkston contended that he wants to use as evidence phone calls in the week before the crash, saying they could show calls with the same person and a pattern of conversations on the afternoon of the crash.

Walkers attorney, Amanda Dunn, had said previously that nothing on Walkers phone before Nov. 21 is relevant, adding prosecutors downloaded material which significantly predate(s) the accident.

The issue of phone calls, among others, will be discussed further at a hearing Feb. 5.

Dunn did not immediately return email and office voicemail messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Claims Personal Auto Education Tennessee
Two insurance companies filed a lawsuit against the Kodiak Electric Association in Alaska claiming it was responsible for a fire that caused damage to clients property.

Lexington Insurance Co. and Alaska Municipal League Joint Insurance Association accuse the electric cooperative of negligence, trespassing and nuisance, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported.

An official report on the August 2015 fire near Chiniak said it started when trees fell onto a downed power line. The lawsuit said the downed power line was owned and maintained by Kodiak Electric Association, and claimed the electric cooperative was negligent because it shouldve known a certain spruce tree was in dangerous condition.

The lawsuit said the electric cooperative is also guilty of trespassing because the insurance companies clients did not consent to entry of the Twin Peaks Fire onto their property.

Lastly, the lawsuit said the electric cooperative caused a nuisance because its clients free use and enjoyment of their property was obstructed.

The insurance companies requested repayment for the amount they had to pay in property damages to insured parties, as well as court fees.

Lexington Insurance Co. said it had to pay more than $400,000 to its clients.

The electric cooperative declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Carriers
Cash is the lifeline of a company. If this lifeline deteriorates, so does the company's ability to fund operations, reinvest, and meet capital requirements and payments. Understanding a company's cash flow health is essential to making investment decisions. A good way to judge a company's cash flow prospects is to look at its working capital management (WCM).

Key Takeaways Working capital is the day-to-day cash that a company needs to run business operations. It is the difference between a company's current assets and its current liabilities.

A company's working capital provides an indication of its short-term financial health and how liquid it is.

All industries operate differently and therefore have different working capital requirements, such as retailers versus manufacturers.

Assessing a company's supply chain management, inventory turnover, and its days sales outstanding (DSO) can provide an indication of its working capital management practices.

The better a company's working capital, the less likely it needs to borrow money to fund operations.

What Is Working Capital?

Working capital refers to the cash a business requires for day-to-day operations, or, more specifically, for financing the conversion of raw materials into finished goods, which the company sells for payment. It is the difference between a company's current assets and its current liabilities, indicating its short-term financial health and liquidity.

Among the most important items of working capital are levels of inventory, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. Analysts look at these items for signs of a company's efficiency and financial strength.

Take a simplistic case: A small spaghetti sauce company uses $100 to build up its inventory of tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices, and so on. A week later, the company assembles the ingredients into sauce and ships it out. A week after that, the checks arrive from customers. That $100, which has been tied up for two weeks, is the company's working capital.

The quicker the company sells the spaghetti sauce, the sooner the company can go out and buy new ingredients, which will be made into more sauce sold at a profit. If the ingredients sit in inventory for a month, company cash is tied up and can't be used to grow the business. Even worse, the company can be left strapped for cash when it needs to pay its bills and make investments. Working capital also gets trapped when customers do not pay their invoices on time or suppliers get paid too quickly or not fast enough.

The better a company manages its working capital, the less it needs to borrow. Even companies with cash surpluses need to manage working capital to ensure that those surpluses are invested in ways that will generate suitable returns for investors.

Not All Companies Are the Same

Some companies are inherently better placed than others. Insurance companies, for instance, receive premium payments upfront before having to make any payments; however, insurance companies do have unpredictable cash outflows as claims come in.

Normally, a big retailer like Walmart (WMT) has little to worry about when it comes to accounts receivable: customers pay for goods on the spot. Inventories represent the biggest problem for retailers; as such, they must perform rigorous inventory forecasting or they risk being out of business in a short time.

Timing and lumpiness of payments can pose serious troubles. Manufacturing companies, for example, incur substantial upfront costs for materials and labor before receiving payment. Much of the time they eat more cash than they generate.

Evaluating Companies

Investors should favor companies that place emphasis on supply chain management to ensure that trade terms are optimized. Days sales outstanding, or DSO for short, is a good indication of working capital management practices. DSO provides a rough guide to the number of days that a company takes to collect payment after making a sale. Here is the simple formula:

 DSO = Accounts Receivable Total Credit Sales  Number of Days \begin{aligned}&\text{DSO} = \frac { \text{Accounts Receivable} }{ \text{Total Credit Sales } } \times \text{Number of Days} \\ \end{aligned} DSO=Total Credit Sales Accounts ReceivableNumber of Days

Rising DSO is a sign of trouble because it shows that a company is taking longer to collect its payments. It suggests that the company is not going to have enough cash to fund short-term obligations because the cash cycle is lengthening. A spike in DSO is even more worrisome, especially for companies that are already low on cash.

The inventory turnover ratio offers another good instrument for assessing the effectiveness of WCM. The inventory ratio shows how fast/often companies are able to get their goods completely off the shelves. The inventory ratio looks like this:

 Inventory Turnover = Cost of Goods Sold Average Inventory where: Average Inventory = Beginning + Ending Inventory 2 \begin{aligned}&\text{Inventory Turnover} = \frac{ \text{Cost of Goods Sold} }{ \text{Average Inventory} } \\&\textbf{where:} \\&\text{Average Inventory} = \frac{ \text{Beginning} + \text{Ending Inventory} }{ 2 } \\\end{aligned} Inventory Turnover=Average InventoryCost of Goods Soldwhere:Average Inventory=2Beginning+Ending Inventory

Broadly speaking, a high inventory turnover ratio is good for business. Products that sit on the shelf are not making money. Granted, an increase in the ratio can be a positive sign, indicating that management, expecting sales to increase, is building up inventory ahead of time.

For investors, a company's inventory turnover ratio is best seen in light of its competitors. In a given sector where, for instance, it is normal for a company to completely sell out and restock six times a year, a company that achieves a turnover ratio of four is an underperformer.

Software technology companies have low working capital needs because they do not sell any physical product, and therefore, have very little inventory expense.

Companies like computer giant Dell recognized early that a good way to bolster shareholder value was to notch up working capital management. The company's world-class supply-chain management system ensured that DSO stayed low. Improvements in inventory turnover increased cash flow, all but eliminating liquidity risk, leaving Dell with more cash on the balance sheet to distribute to shareholders or fund growth plans.

Dell's exceptional working capital management certainly exceeded those of the top executives who did not worry enough about the nitty-gritty of WCM. Some CEOs frequently see borrowing and raising equity as the only way to boost cash flow. Other times, when faced with a cash crunch, instead of setting straight inventory turnover levels and reducing DSO, these management teams pursue rampant cost cutting and restructuring that may later aggravate problems.

The Bottom Line

Cash is king; especially at times when fundraising can be difficult. Letting it slip away is an oversight that investors should not forgive. Analyzing a company's working capital can provide excellent insight into how well a company handles its cash, and whether it is likely to have any on hand to fund growth and contribute to shareholder value.
NEA asks India not to stop electricity supply

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has asked India not to halt the supply of power to Nepal via the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line even after the power purchase agreement (PPA) expires at the end of December.
Investment Banking vs. Investment Management: An Overview

Plenty of undergraduate finance majors and master of business administration (MBA) students consider pursuing a career in investment banking or investment management, two intensely competitive fields in the finance industry, after receiving their degrees. These professions offer some of the highest starting salaries in the field, and there's plenty of room for growth for those who are talented and ambitious enough to land one of these spots.

If you take away all of the industry terminologies and boil these jobs down to their basic elements, investment bankers and investment managers (sometimes called asset managers or fund managers in the U.K.) are primarily responsible for channeling money from investors to companies that need capital. Some of the top experts in the investment world can be found in these positions.

Investment management is all about investment decisions and asset allocation. This means coming up with investment strategies and directing funds to property, equities, or debt securities on behalf of clients. Investment bankers, by contrast, are deal-makers. They work as high-level consultants and analysts for large companies to help with capital raising strategies.

Key Takeaways Investment managers help clients by managing their money. Clients can include individuals, educational institutions, insurance companies, and pension funds.

Investment managers perform financial analysis, portfolio allocation between bonds and stocks, equity research, and issue buy and sell recommendations.

Investment bankers help with corporate finance needs, such as raising funds or capital. Companies and governments hire investment bankers to facilitate mergers and acquisitions as well as IPOs, and new debt issuance such as a bond offering.

Investment Management

Investment managers help clients reach their investment goals by managing their money. Clients of investment managers can include individual investors as well as institutional investors such as educational institutions, insurance companies, pension funds, retirement plans, and governments. Investment managers can work with equities, bonds, and commodities, including precious metals like gold and silver.

Investment managers can have varied roles and responsibilities, depending on the firm, which can include:

Financial statement analysis

Portfolio allocation such as a proper mix of bonds and stocks

Equity research and buy and sell recommendations

Financial planning and advising

Estate and retirement planning as well as asset distribution

Investment Banking

Investment bankers help with corporate finance needs, such as raising funds or capital. Companies and governments hire investment bankers to facilitate complicated financial transactions, including:

Debt issuance such as a bond offering

New securities underwriting

Mergers and acquisitions

Initial public offerings (IPOs)

Investment banking can involve equity and security research and making buy, sell, and hold recommendations. Investment banking firms are also market makers, which provide liquidity or connect buyers and sellers to "make" the market.

Almost every investment banker starts out as an associate or analyst and hopes to put in enough years to reach a role as a vice president or managing director.

Special Considerations

Education and Skills

Competition for both careers is notoriously stiff. Investment banking firms are usually only interested in candidates who have graduated from top schools and who have worked previously with major corporate players. It's virtually impossible to find an investment banking associate position without an MBA and strong recommendations from respected professionals in the field. Investment management positions aren't quite as crowded by top applicants, but it's still very difficult to break into major firms.

Networking is very important and sometimes matters more than experience or academic bona fides. Many firms use internships as extensive application processes; in fact, some investment management and banking internships are more competitive than entry-level positions for corporate finance or research analyst positions.

Undergraduate degrees are preferred in business disciplines, such as finance, economics, accounting, or investment analysis, although degrees from other fields are considered. Some banks look for demonstrated analytical proficiency in specific sectors, like healthcare or pharmaceuticals.

Firms are generally looking a strong combination of the following skills and characteristics:

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Analytical and problem-solving skills

Demonstrated independence and responsibility

Responsiveness and attention to detail

Negotiation and client management skills

Knowledge of investments, corporate finance and business negotiations (practical commercial expertise)

Advanced mathematical and technical skills

An ambitious, eager, get-it-done attitude

Salary

Investment banking and investment management jobs have attractive salaries and bonuses. Even the lowest-level investment banking analyst at a smaller firm can expect a first-year salary of $65,000 to $95,000 and a hefty signing bonus.

The average base pay for investment managers is $95,829 with salaries that can be as high as $180,000, according to glassdoor.com. Additional compensation averages $14,900, which includes commissions and bonuses.

The average base pay for investment bankers is $119,110 with salaries that can be as high as $235,000, according to glassdoor.com. Investment banking analysts make anywhere from $73,000 to 108,000.

Work-Life Balance

High-level investment jobs are highly concentrated in New York, London, and Tokyo. Even though there is some evidence of geographical shifts as the 21st century marches forward, it is still probable that a career in investment banking or investment management means moving to one of these three global financial hubs.

Workloads for investment managers vary. Those employed by mutual funds or hedge funds work when the stock market opens and closes. This can be a relatively short time if the firm is only active in one market, but those active in all three major exchanges can have very irregular. Private equity firms average much longer workdays, sometimes as many as 65 to 70 hours per week.

Investment bankers sometimes joke that they enjoy a nice "work-work" balance. Very few careers demand as much time and energy as investment banking; it's not uncommon to work 12- to 14-hour days for six or seven days a week. Despite the high salary and prestige afforded to an associate or analyst, many burn out and suffer physically and emotionally after a few years on the job. These roles are for career-minded people who may have little time for relaxing on weekends and spending time with family.

Occupational Outlook

These are very prestigious careers with huge salaries, so competition should remain very high for the foreseeable future. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that financial jobs such as analysts, bankers, and financial managers will experience 15% job growth between 2019 and 2029.

In all likelihood, a prospective banker or manager must decide on a firm-by-firm basis. Pay structures and workloads can vary, and the choice may hinge on the specifics of the role and the career goals of the individual.
What Is a Management Buyout (MBO)?

The term management buyout (MBO) refers to a financial transaction where someone from corporate management or the team purchases the business from the owner(s). Management members that execute MBOs purchase everything associated with the business. This type of buyout appeals to professional managers because of the greater potential rewards and control from being owners of the business rather than employees. The MBO is a type of leveraged buyout (LBO), which is an acquisition funded primarily with borrowed capital.

Key Takeaways A management buyout is a transaction where a companys management team purchases the assets and operations of the business they manage.

MBOs generally occur to take companies private in an effort to streamline operations and improve profitability.

A management team pools resources to acquire all or part of a business they manage.

MBOs are financed with a mix of personal resources, private equity financiers, and seller-financing.

A management buyout is the opposite of a management buy-in, where an external management team acquires a company and replaces the existing management.

1:37 Management Buyout

How Management Buyouts (MBOs) Work

As noted above, management buyouts occur when a corporate manager or team acquires the business they manage from the owner(s). The business is purchased from a private owner and/or any shareholders in the company. The acquisition includes everything associated with the business, including the assets and liabilities. MBOs often take place because the management feels they are better equipped to help the company grow and succeed financially. These transactions are key exit strategies for:

Large corporations that want to sell off unprofitable assets or those that no longer make sense

Private businesses where the owners wish to retire

The financing required for an MBO is often quite substantial and is usually a combination of debt and equity that is derived from the buyers, financiers, and sometimes the seller. Since it uses a significant amount of borrowed capital, it is considered an LBO. As such, it may also be called a leveraged management buyout.

While management reaps the rewards of ownership following an MBO, they have to make the transition from being employees to owners, which comes with significantly more responsibility and a greater potential for loss.



Reasons for an MBO

Management buyouts are risky ventures. That's because they may or may not work. So why would a company's management consider doing one? The following are some of the main reasons that corporate management may consider undertaking an MBO.

Gaining control. Members of management may not agree with the direction of the company. By executing an MBO, they may feel as though they have more control of the business, its success, and its future.

Financial gain. Members of the management team may not feel as though they aren't getting the full financial benefit just by managing the company. By acquiring the company, they can reap the benefits.

They have the expertise. Management may feel as though the owner(s) doesn't have the knowledge or ability to lead the company. Corporate management may have the educational or work experience to help them guide the company to new heights and they may feel that the only way to do that is through an MBO.

How to Approach a Management Buyout

A successful MBO requires a great deal of planning and preparation. As such, it should never be undertaken hastily. The following are a few factors that should be considered in the process.

Considerations Before the MBO

Any type of financial transaction should be well-researched. As such, management should craft a plan or proposal that's fully thought out and conceived. Some points to add include:

The members of the management team involved in the MBO

The reasons for the buyout

The intentions and goals after completion

The terms of the deal, including the purchase price

The way the buyout will be financed

It's always a good idea for management to show the company's owner(s) that they've done their homework. This includes adding in spreadsheets and doing a thorough analysis.

Financing

A significant amount of money is required for an MBO because of the sheer size. There are a few different sources that management can turn to in order to secure capital for the deal:

Debt: Management normally turns to banks and other lenders to secure financing. Banks tend to consider MBOs to be fairly risky ventures, so they may not fund part or all of management's requests. This means the buyers may have to look for primary funding elsewhere before they turn to a lender to cover any shortfalls.

Management normally turns to banks and other lenders to secure financing. Banks tend to consider MBOs to be fairly risky ventures, so they may not fund part or all of management's requests. This means the buyers may have to look for primary funding elsewhere before they turn to a lender to cover any shortfalls. Private Equity: Private equity firms are usually receptive to finance MBOs if banks refuse. One thing to keep in mind is that these firms often expect to get a share of the company even though they're loaning the money to management.

Private equity firms are usually receptive to finance MBOs if banks refuse. One thing to keep in mind is that these firms often expect to get a share of the company even though they're loaning the money to management. Other Types: There are some other types of financing that are used by management, including owner financing, which is funded directly through the seller who is repaid, or mezzanine financing, which involves a combination of debt and equity.

Management should do their due diligence while considering an MBO. This includes a full evaluation of the company and its financial and legal framework.

Advantages and Disadvantages of an MBO

Advantages

Management buyouts are considered good investment opportunities by hedge funds and large financiers, who usually encourage the company to go private so that it can streamline operations and improve profitability away from the public eye. They are encouraged to go public at a much higher valuation down the road.

A private equity fund that supports an MBO will likely pay an attractive price for the asset, provided there is a dedicated management team in place.

Disadvantages

There are several drawbacks to the MBO structure as well. While the management team can reap the rewards of ownership, they have to make the transition from being employees to owners, which requires a change in mindset from managerial to entrepreneurial. Not all managers may be successful in making this transition.

The seller may also not realize the best price for the asset sale in an MBO. The managers have a potential conflict of interest if the existing management team is serious about bidding on the assets or operations being divested, Put simply, they could downplay or deliberately sabotage the future prospects of the assets that are for sale to buy them at a relatively low price.

Pros Good investment opportunity for management and private equity/hedge funds

Private equity funds may pay a good price depending on the circumstances Cons Transition for owners and employees may be tough

Can result in a conflict of interest

Management Buyout (MBO) vs. Management Buy-in (MBI)

The opposite of an MBO is a management buy-in (MBI). While an MBO involves a company's internal management purchasing the operations, an MBI takes place when an external management team acquires a company and replaces the existing management team. MBIs involve companies that are led by poor management teams or are undervalued.

An MBOs advantage over an MBI is that as the existing managers are acquiring the business, they have a much better understanding of it and there is no learning curve involved, which would be the case if it were being run by a new set of managers. MBOs are conducted by management teams that want to get the financial reward for the future development of the company more directly than they would do only as employees.



While private equity funds may participate in MBOs, their preference may be for MBIs, where the companies are run by managers they know rather than the incumbent management team.

Example of an MBO

One prime example of a management buyout involves the computer and technology company, Dell. In 2013, founder Michael Dell and a private equity firm (Silver Lake Partners) paid shareholders $25 billion as part of a management buyout. Dell took the company private, so he could exert more control over the direction of the company. The company went public again in December 2018. Shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol DELL.



How Do Management Buyouts Work? Management buyouts work when one or more members of a company's management team want to buy the operations from the owner(s). The goal is to take the company private to help it grow and succeed. These buyouts are typically funded with one or more types of financing, including debt and equity.

What Is an Example of a Management Buyout? In 2013, Michael Dell partnered with a private equity firm to purchase the computer/technology company he founded from shareholders. He took Dell private before the company went public again in 2018.

How Do You Finance a Management Buyout? There are a number of ways to finance a managed buyout. Debt financing involves going to banks and other lenders for loans. But banks may not consider financing these types of deals because of the amount of risk involved. Private equity firms, though, are more receptive to loaning money to management. Some companies may require a share in the company in addition to being repaid. Buyers can also approach owners/sellers for loans or use a combination of debt and equity to pay for the acquisition.

The Bottom Line

Mergers and acquisitions are a big part of the corporate world. It isn't uncommon to hear about takeovers, vertical mergers, and management buyouts. MBOs involve corporate management putting in an offer to purchase part or all of the business they manage. The goal is to take it private so it can continue to grow. Even though they take place in corporate America, MBOs are also fairly common in the small business worldusually when the company exchanges hands from one generation to the next.
What Is Rabbi Trust?

A rabbi trust is a trust created to support the non-qualified benefit obligations of employers to their employees. A rabbi and his congregation first used this type of trust after an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) private letter ruling approved its use; it has been referred to as a rabbi trust ever since. In essence, it is a non-qualified employee trust created for the benefit of both the employer and employee.

Understanding Rabbi Trust

A rabbi trust creates security for employees because the assets within the trust are outside the control of employers; they are typically set up to be irrevocable. In other words, once the employer makes contributions to a rabbi trust, they cannot retrieve them.

Key Takeaways A rabbi trust is typically used by a company to provide its senior executives with additional benefits to their existing compensation package.

A rabbi trust does many things but it doesn't keep creditors at bay.

If a company goes under and declares bankruptcy, the funds in a rabbi trust can be used by creditors.

A significant drawback of rabbi trusts is that they don't protect against creditors. If a company becomes insolvent or goes bankrupt, both the beneficiaries and the companys creditors have access to the trusts assets. For example, if a rabbi trust has $500,000 worth of stock and cash in it, both the creditors and beneficiaries would go after those assets.

Rabbi Trust Protection

A rabbi trust protects employees from a company that is experiencing financial hardship and wants to remove some of the trusts assets to meet its other obligations. For example, an employer cannot withdraw $50,000 from a rabbi trust to pay employee wages. A rabbi trusts structure cannot be changed by the employer once it has been established, giving further protection to its beneficiaries.

If a company is taken over, the new company does not have the power to change the trusts terms. Only the beneficiaries of a rabbi trust have the power to change its details.

Rabbi Trust Taxation

A rabbi trust provides tax advantages for employees. Contributions made to the trust do not count as part of the employees wages. For example, if an employee receives an annual income of $100,000 and his or her employer makes monthly contributions of $1,000 to the staff members rabbi trust, their taxable income is $100,000; they do not have to pay tax on the $12,000 of contribution payments.

Rabbi trusts allow employees assets to grow without them having to pay tax on any gains until they withdraw their money. In this sense, a rabbi trust is similar to a qualified retirement plan. A rabbi trust does not provide any tax benefits for companies that make its use limited compared to other types of trusts.
The Irish Examiner has learned that the Department of Local Government has commenced work on the preparation of legislation to bring Ballincollig, Blarney, Tower, Cork Airport and Glanmire into the city.

The move, which could be complete within six months, will see the citys population surge from around 125,000 to just under 210,000, with the extended boundary accounting for 70% of the population of Metropolitan Cork.

The legislation will give effect to the compromise boundary extension which emerged on December 6, following talks between representatives of Cork city and county councils overseen by the implementation oversight group (IOG), in a bid to break the deadlock over the larger extension proposed in the Mackinnon report.

When the IOG issued its report to Local Government Minister Eoghan Murphy, he urged both councils to agree on the boundary line, which would allow him use a ministerial order to give effect to the extension. However, he also said he was prepared to legislate in the absence of an agreement.

Last Friday, Cork County Council voted to reject the IOG report and called for further talks with the city on the issue.

However, on Monday, members of Cork City Council voted to support Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgeralds call on the minister to bring forward legislation quickly to give effect to a city boundary extension.

Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgerald

Mr Fitzgerald wrote to the minister on Tuesday, and within 24 hours, the minister signalled intent to legislate.

In correspondence seen by this newspaper, the minister said he has indicated to the chair of the IOG, John OConnor, that in view of recent indications that agreement on the part of both local authorities in respect of the boundary alteration does not appear likely to be achieved, his department has commenced work on the preparation of legislation.

I have also confirmed to the chair that the relevant legal provisions will relate solely to implementation of the boundary outlined in the oversight groups report of 6 December 2017, he said.

The minister reiterated the Governments request that the elected members and executives of both local authorities embrace the boundary alteration process as a matter of urgency and provide full and active support to the significant programme of works required to implement the changes.

He also acknowledged the work which has been done on the process, which he said he believed would result in a more appropriate local government structure that will serve the people of Cork, both city and county, as effectively as possible in the future.

Former Lord Mayor, Cllr Chris OLeary, said he believed the minister has no other option after county councillors did a complete U-turn on the agreement mediated by the IOG on December 6  talks he said the county sought and then signed off on.

Minister Murphy must do the right thing for the future of Cork by implementing the IOG report now, he said.
Hello old stock. We have a tradition here in Chez Reggie, where my wife Monica drops me into the Imperial for a Christmas Eve drink with the lads and I arrive home three days later in someone elses coat. Unfortunately she did a One-Day Assertiveness Primer in a spa retreat last July, and came home insisting I had to choose between herself and the lads. As a result, things are going to be very different this Christmas in Chez Reggie. Is there any chance you could pick me up tomorrow and drop me into the Imperial?

 Reggie, Blackrock, we might have to swing by Cork Con to pick up Hoggy

Id rather watch camogie. (Imagine.) I asked My Conor if it came down to it, would he chose me over his male friends. He said yes, and what about you? I said Id chose your male friends, particularly since Jim started doing all the Crossfit. (The shoulders on him.)

Cmere whats the story with my old doll being a lesbian? I stumbled on her Christmas presents hiding place last night, (while looking for it). I found an electric drill in one bag and the other had a saucy police dress and some sex toys. Now, she only gives two presents at Christmas, one to me, the other to her best friend Sandra. So like, if I do be getting the drill, then it follows that, you know yourself. Do you think I should confront her?

 Dowcha Donie, Blackpool, I do be turned on if Im honest

You might have to turn to DIY, if you get my drift. I asked my relationship therapist neighbour to have a look at your dilemma. She said: I think his old doll is trying to send him a message. I said go on. She said: Its clear the woman is a free spirit who doesnt want to be tied down. I said unless its by Sergeant Sandra with a set of furry handcuffs. She said, good point, I didnt think of it that way.

Do you have any pull above in Cork Airport? I have to go up there Christmas Eve to meet my highly successful sister (dentist), flying in from London. (Heathrow. As if any of my family would be seen dead in Stansted.) My problem is the arrivals at Cork airport is very common at this time of year, with whole families of Norries screaming: Look Mam, dare do be Derek. Idinny ee hansum? At least in departures you can pay a few quid and hide in one of the First Class Lounges. So, is there any chance they could put a Norry-proof lounge at arrivals?

 Monica, Blackrock, you wouldnt know what youd catch

The next flight out of Cork, if I saw you waiting for me. Im afraid Im persona non grata at the airport after an incident involving two bottles of gin and a body-scanner. (Dont ask.) So I passed on your issue to my Posh Cousin. She said most southsiders in the know fly into Kerry Airport at Christmas time. I said that must be an awful drive home. She said not really, as long as youre good at breathing through your mouth. (Until youre well past Ballincollig.)

Any crack? My son is back from New York for Christmas, and him a homosexual. Ive no problem with that or the fact that hes bringing his black boyfriend with him. The issue is my 97-year-old mother. I would be doing a disservice to the truth if I said she likes to keep her thoughts to herself, which would bring its own problems at the Christmas dinner table. I dont want to exclude my son and his boyfriend, because you dont want to be known as a racist, homophobe inside in Killorglin. (How times have changed.) On the other hand, theres probably only a year left in my poor mother and shes worth north of 700 grand. Have you a solution for me?

 Mick Mike Mickey, Killorglin

Old people are a nightmare, arent they? Ill never forget when I brought my current husband to meet my grandmother. I said this is my new beau, Gran. She said I never knew you were gay. (My Conor had just changed barber.)

Ciao. I am going to stay with my new girlfriend at her mothers house in Bishopstown for Christmas. Its going to be awkward, and not just because I need to sneak out and Skype-call my wife in Bologna for 15 minutes. The problem is that my girlfriends mother wont let us sleep in the same bed, which is a shame because I am Italian. Is it OK to sneak into her bedroom later on?

 Carlo, Ballincollig and Bologna, I mean my girlfriends bed, not her mothers

I was going to say thats obvious, but in fairness, youre Italian. If you were spending Christmas in Douglas or Ballinlough, I would say go for it. But most houses in Bishopstown are smaller than a Centre of Culture in Clonmel. Your chances of a half-naked bedroom swap are next to nil. (I should know.)
Burma Government Should Allow UN Special Rapporteur to Enter Country

Yanghee Lee takes questions from journalists at the end of a 12-day visit to Myanmar in July 2017. / Thet Htun Naing / The Irrawaddy

Many Myanmar journalists are saying privately that the political situation in the country is sliding back to the way things were under military rule. Some believe the government should open the door to Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, and even allow the establishment of an international inquiry into rights abuses as a first step to solving the conflict in Rakhine.

On the other hand, social media, news outlets based in Rakhine State, the Arakan National Party and other Arakanese groups have welcomed the governments decision to ban Lee, in particular its insistence that it could not accept her entering the country without the consent of the Arakanese people.

There are those who say the UN should replace Lee with a new special rapporteur, one who is less biased, in order to help solve the problems in the country. Lee, they say, views the issue from the Rohingya point of view, and is more interested in bringing criminal proceedings at the UN than in trying to solve the countrys problems.

On Thursday, the state-run media did not even report on Lees being denied entry to Myanmar.

When human rights abuses occurred in Rakhine, Kachin, and northern Shan, Lee discussed them at the UN without causing controversy. She traveled to these areas whenever she visited Myanmar in the past. Who will monitor the rights situation if she is barred from entering the country? This will be an important question if Myanmar shuts the door on her.

Speaking generally, it is not a good idea to bar the special envoy on human rights from coming into the country, because they can protect people from rights abuses, said U Pe Than, an ethnic Arakanese ANP lawmaker in the Lower House of Parliament from the constituency of Myabon.

But if we look at the yearly reports she has made to the UN after visiting our country, she has presented only one side. Arakanese people and the government have many problems when it comes to the Bengali [a term used by many in the country to refer to the Rohingya as interlopers from Bangladesh], but she did not listen to them, he said.

U Pe Than believed the decision to block Lees entry into the country was made to protect the countrys sovereignty and image.

In interviews with the BBC, Lee has acknowledged that the government and the Myanmar Army are unhappy with her reports, which they say have been biased and unfair since July.

According to Yu Lwin Aung, a spokesperson for the Myanmar Human Rights Commission, the UN should consider finding a replacement for Lee who would be more appropriate to report on the situation in the country.

We welcome anyone who acts in a positive way. It is difficult to accept someone who tries to make problems for our country, he said. I do not see our human rights condition suffering if she is not in our country.

Lee Has Her Supporters Here

U Zay Yar Hlaing, editor of Maw Kun (Archive) magazine, said: I do not support the idea of blocking her from trying to get information inside the country. It is not right to block someone just because we dont like what she said. The government should give her some level of access to information. If she provides faulty information at the UN, the government should be able to produce the evidence to point it out.

He said the government needs to have a better relationship with the international community, and to be more adept at public relations. The government needs a better mechanism for pointing out anything she says that is wrong, he said.

If the government slams the door in the face of the UN Human Rights Council and its mandate to dispatch special rapporteurs, it is essentially saying it doesnt care about political prisoners including journalists, or about workers rights, the rights of farmers or the right to health care and education; it is not just an issue of the rights of religious minorities.

David Mathieson, an independent analyst working on conflict and peace issues, said Professor Lee is a respected academic who cares deeply for the people of Myanmar, and had tried hard to address a range of complex human rights issues, especially the ongoing conflicts and abuses in Kachin and northern Shan, when the rest of the world seem fixated on the Rohingya. She is not an official of the UN, she is an independent expert and the government should value her work as an independent auditor of the human rights issues facing the transition, Mathieson said. Instead they have treated her in a shabby, dismissive and insulting fashion, he said.
Burma KIA Objects to Use of Vacant IDP Lands

A woman walks through banana plantations in Nanwa, Waingmaw Township. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  The Kachin Independence Armys Brigade No. 3 based in Mai Ja Yang stated its objection to individuals and companys applying to use some 9,000 acres of vacant land in Kachin States Mansi Township for agriculture on Thursday.

These lands belong to internally displaced persons who fled their homes after renewed fighting broke out between the KIA, the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization, and the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) in June 2011.

Clashes are still ongoing near Mansi, and IDPs from the area are sheltering at churches and other buildings in Mai Hkawng village and at a Baptist church in Mansi town.

In a response to the Mansi Township agricultural land management and statistics departments call for any objection to the applications, the KIAs Mai Ja Yang branch released its response letter. It warned that individuals and companies should cease these plans or face the consequences. The KIO also warned last month that lands belonging to IDPs should not be confiscated or misused.

KIO spokesman Col Naw Bu said the KIO headquarters issued its warning last month in response to reports that the government and the Tatmadaw had been leasing IDP lands to private companies.

We could not accept that, he said.

Despite a lack of specifics about the types of crops people hoped to grow on these lands, some people have already planted rubbers trees and bananas, according to a development worker and lawmaker from Kachin State.

U Min Min, a state lawmaker representing Mansi constituency, told The Irrawaddy that continuous fighting in and near Mansi makes it impossible for IDPs to return home and for lawmakers to return to the villages to assess the situation.

We have not been able to go to those villages yet, although it has been my plan to go and listen to local peoples concerns. NLD members in the villages told me to hold off my travel plans, he said.

Lawmaker U Min Min added, Only after we hear the villagers concerns can we discuss this with the local agricultural land management and statistics department. The officers told me that they have to give permission if there are any applications, as the lands are not in the forest reserve and are vacant land.

He said that the villagers would not want companies or the government to use their lands.

In Mansi alone there are some 20,000 acres that people are trying to obtain licenses to use, and far more in the whole of Kachin State.

IDPs lands are being taken by others in Myitkyinas Tah Law Gyi village, Waingmaw and Momauk towns, either by Tatmadaw soldiers or border guard forces, said the secretary of the Kachin Development Network Group.

The Kachin State government can decide whether to allow the lands requests for applicants who seek use of 50 acres or less. Permission is needed from the Union government for those who want to use more than 50 acres.

As the state members of parliament and state government are more aware of regional affairs, the Union government should allow the state to reflect on the real situation on the ground and decide, instead of giving permission simply by looking at maps, said U Min Min.
Burma Lawmaker to File Complaint Against Myanmar Army for Obstructing Public Consultations

Soldiers stop public consultations by the CSSU in Panglong. / Sai Kyaw / Facebook

YANGON  Nan Kham Aye, a lawmaker representing the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) in the Lower House, said she would file a complaint with Parliament about the Myanmar Armys obstruction of public consultations organized by the Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) prior to the Union Peace Conference.

Ive decided to raise the issue at Parliament when it resumes, she told The Irrawaddy.

The national-level political dialogue is a mandatory step of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in which regional stakeholders express their suggestions and recommendations at large-scale public consultations, which are then shared by representatives at the Union Peace Conference, also called the 21st Century Panglong.

According to the NCA, signatories can hold national-level dialogues (NDs) based on three themes: region, theme and ethnicity.

So far, NDs have been held in areas of six of the eight NCA signatories, but not yet in Shan and Rakhine states.

A meeting of the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting on the NCA in November between the government, Tatmadaw and armed ethnic groups agreed that the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) would take charge in holding the dialogue in Shan State.

Prior to the ND, the CSSU has been holding pre-public consultations so that the RCSS could bring the voices and concerns of locals forward to the third session of 21st Century Panglong, which is slated to be held in January.

Formed in 2013, the CSSU is a coalition of Shan political parties, civil society organizations and two armed groupsthe RCSS and the Shan State Progressive Party.

The CSSU formed five separate teams last week in Taunggyi to conduct consultations across 20 townships in southern, northern and eastern Shan State and in the Shan communities outside of Shan State in Mandalay, Kachin and Karenni states. Each group started discussions on Dec. 17.

According to organizers, the Myanmar Army stopped gatherings in Panglong, Tachilek, and Lashio townships.

Lt-Co Sai Oo, who is in charge of the RCSS Taunggyi Liaison Office, expressed disappointment, saying that those discussions were held with the permission of the Shan State government.

We talked with the state government and it offered to provide any help necessary, said Lt-Co Sai Oo, lamenting the lack of cooperation between the government and the military.

Weve instructed general administration departments [GADs] in the state to help in order to hold public consultations without disturbing stability and security, Shan State minister for planning and economy U Soe Nynt Lwin told The Irrawaddy.

The military said that it hadnt received the letter [from the Shan State government]. But the district GAD said that it had informed the commander, said lawmaker Nan Kham Aye.

Presidents Office spokesman U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy in November that NDs still could not be held in Rakhine State because of security concerns.
Burma Nationalist Monk Again Denied Bail for 2016 US Embassy Protest

U Parmaukkha at the Kamayut Township court on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. / Thet Htun Naing / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Yangons Kamayut Township court again denied bail for nationalist monk U Parmaukkha for the charge of Section 505 (b) of Myanmars Penal Code on Friday.

U Parmaukkha served a one-month prison term on Nov. 21 for violating the Peaceful Assembly Act for staging an unauthorized protest in front of the US embassy last year.

The judge rejected the request for the bail, although the defendants lawyer requested bail given that the monk was an elder and he had completed his prison term this week.

Violations of Section 505 (b), which covers offenses that are likely to cause fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public, whereby any person may be induced to commit an offense against the State or against the public tranquility are punishable by a maximum of two years in prison, a fine, or both.

The township court will hear the testimonies of three of six witnesses from the plaintiffs side in regards to the 505 (b) charge next Thursday, Dec. 28.

U Parmaukkha told the public before and after the court hearing there was nothing in my words that could be charged under 505 [b].

He said the court continued the trial based on the signature of plaintiff U Than Tun Aung, which he alleges was forged. The judge rejected a request to dismiss the case on Friday.

Daw Khin Mar Oo, the sister of the abbot, told The Irrawaddy that her brother should be released, as he is a good man. They [the authorities] still will not release him although he is innocent.

In August last year, Yangon authorities granted permission to a nationalist group to hold a protest at the Bo Sein Hman grounds, but they rallied in front of the US Embassy instead and staged a protest over the embassys use of the term Rohingya.

U Parmaukkha was one of three Buddhist monks who were charged alongside four nationalists in August last year under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code and Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law.

Four nationalists  Win Ko Ko Latt, Naung Taw Lay, Thet Myo Oo and Nay Win Aung  were arrested a few weeks after the protest and sentenced to seven-month prison terms for both charges by the same court on September 28 this year.

U Parmaukkha was detained on Nov. 12 when he went to North Dagon police station to seek permission to stage a protest over the alleged confiscation and sale of a land plot by the Yangon municipality to a third party.

The monk came to prominence as a supporter of pro-democracy activists under the military regime. Since 2013, however, he has increasingly been identified with nationalist groups, including the former Ma Ba Tha.
Burma US Sanctions Myanmar General, Others for Abuses, Corruption

Aerial view of a burned Rohingya village near Maungdaw, northern Rakhine State, Sept. 27, 2017. / Reuters

WASHINGTON  The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 13 serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors including Myanmar General Maung Maung Soe, who oversaw this years brutal crackdown against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The US government, applying penalties for the first time under a law passed last year, also targeted 39 other individuals and entities with sanctions that block their assets under US jurisdiction, bar most Americans from dealing with them and largely cut them off from the global financial system.

The Treasury Department said those sanctioned included Benjamin Bol Mel, who has served as an adviser to South Sudan President Salva Kiir and is suspected of getting preferential treatment in government contracts. The list also included former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, accused of human rights abuses and corruption, and Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, accused of using his friendship with Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure sweetheart mining deals.

Myanmars government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the US sanctions.

Reuters has been unable to reach Jammeh for comment since he went to exile. He has previously denied ordering the torture or death of political opponents. His lawyer until exile, Edward Gomez, said earlier this year that he was unaware of any misspending of public or charity funds by Jammeh.

Gertler has denied all allegations of impropriety and has said his investments in Congo have created thousands of jobs. A spokesman for his Amsterdam-based company the Fleurette Group was not immediately available for comment.

Myanmars military cracked down on Muslim Rohingya from Rakhine State following Aug. 25 Rohingya militant attacks on an army base and police posts. Gen Maung Maung Soe was in charge of the operation that drove more than 650,000 Rohingya to flee mostly Buddhist Myanmar to Bangladesh.

The United States on Nov. 22 called the Myanmar military operation against the Rohingya population ethnic cleansing and threatened targeted sanctions against those responsible.

The United States 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 Treasury Department said on Thursday.

Myanmars army last month released a report denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, having days earlier replaced Gen Maung Maung Soe. No reason was given for his transfer from the post.

Significant Consequences

We must lead by example, and todays announcement of sanctions demonstrates the United States will continue to pursue tangible and significant consequences for those who commit serious human rights abuse and engage in corruption, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.

The sanctions against the 13 people described by the Treasury Department as serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors and the 39 affiliated individuals and entities were the first imposed under a US law called the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Jammeh, who ruled Gambia for 22 years before being forced into exile after refusing to accept an election defeat, created a terror and assassination squad reporting to him called the Junglers that threatened, terrorized, interrogated and killed people he saw as a threat to his rule, the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions targeted Gertler, considered by diplomats to be a member of Kabilas innermost circle, 19 of his businesses and his Congo-based associate Pieter Deboutte.

The United States imposed sanctions this year and last against top Democratic Republic of Congo security officials over alleged human rights abuses and the failure to organize an election on time to choose Kabilas successor.

For details on the US action, see the Treasury Department statement (here) and for a full list see the departments website (here).
PM Deuba summons meeting of big 5 parties to resolve impasse

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday summoned a meeting of big five political parties to end the current stand-off over National Assembly election.
Friday, Dec 22nd, 2017 (8:31 am) - Score 1,038

UK Wireless ISP Wifinity, which tends to deploy WiFi networks to holiday parks, events, social housing and the armed forces, has offered up a festive gift to users of four hostels for homeless people in Kingston by installing WiFi free of charge under its Good Connections initiative.

Apparently the deployment formed part of a one-day challenge, which involved the whole company working together to ensure the installation was complete by the end of the day. The hostels were also offered free internet service until at least 2020 in order to help fuel the service with broadband capacity.

The four hostels receiving the free WiFi are: Thomas Pooley Court, Saxon House Hostel, Four Oaks Hostel and 33 Gloucester Road hostel.

Mark Parry, CEO of Wifinity, said: The whole team at Wifinity wanted to be involved in this project. Internet access is now a basic utility. We all rely on the internet to search and apply for jobs, to work, and to keep in touch with friends and family. People in temporary accommodation need access to help them get back on their feet. Social isolation can be particularly hard at this time of year and we wanted to ensure that hostel residents had fast and reliable Wifi in place in time for the holidays.

Jerome Kerry of Kingston Council said: We understand the importance that internet access plays in creating a connected community. By bringing free WiFi to four Kingston hostels, Wifinity is bringing much-needed amenities to residents.

A Merry Christmas present indeed.
A full bench of the Federal Court has thrown out an appeal by online video game retailer Valve Corporation against a ruling that it engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations about consumer guarantees.

The company's appeal against a $3 million penalty levied by the court was also dismissed.

Valve is one of the worlds larger online video game retailers and operates the Steam distribution platform.

The Federal Court had found in 2016 that Valve was subject to Australian Consumer Law and ordered it to pay the penalty. The company is based in the US.

"The full court found Valve carried on business in Australia, and was therefore bound by Australian Consumer Law in its dealings with customers here, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

The full court also upheld the finding that Valve made misleading representations about consumer guarantees and that certain terms and conditions in the Steam subscriber agreements and refund policies were false or misleading.

The ACCC began its legal action against Valve in August 2014. In 2016, the Federal Court found that Valve had engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations and the same year it was ordered to pay penalties of $3 million.

The ACCC also made a cross appeal in relation to representations made by Valve in online chats to individual consumers, but this was dismissed.

The trial judge had previously found these representations were not misleading, in part because the consumers had asserted their rights under Australian Consumer Law, and were therefore not likely to be misled.
The world's largest oil company suffered a malware intrusion in August, with a safety system coming under attack in what is said to be the first case of malicious code being used to target a system designed to prevent disaster at an industrial facility.

The attack on Saudi Aramco was detailed by security company FireEye which kept the name under wraps.

But the website Foreign Policy said it had obtained a confidential report authored by Area 1 Security, a company set up by NSA veterans, that identified Aramco as the target. The attack took place in August.

The attack was denied by Saudi Aramco, which, in a statement to Foreign Policy, said: "Saudi Aramco corporate and plants networks were not part of any cyber security attack or breach.

Saudi Aramco is preparing for an IPO which is likely to be the largest of all time. The country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has undertaken a programme of reform in the country and the funds from the IPO are expected to be used to drive an ambitious modernisation plan.

The Area 1 report said Iran was behind the attack but other experts told Foreign Policy that caution should be exercised in apportioning blame. One ex-intelligence official from the US who has knowledge of the attack said: This is probably one of the most difficult attribution cases that Ive ever looked at.

The malware was dubbed as Triton. The FireEye report said it attacked a safety system known as Triconex which is made by Germany's Schneider Electric. The system is used globally and provides emergency shutdown.

FireEye said Triton tried to alter one safety controller and this led to an unspecified industrial process shutting down. Aramco personnel noticed this and a subsequent investigation led to the discovery of the malware.

The Area 1 report speculated that Triton could have been written jointly by Russia and Iran; an artifact in the software had a Russian name. But while the report said Russian involvement was possible, it also pointed out that such an artifact could be a false flag.

Photo: courtesy Saudi Aramco
Telstra Ventures has taken a strategic stake in California-based robotic digitisation company Ripcord which specialises in in document management.

Billed by Telstra Ventures as the worlds first robotic digitisation company, Ripcord takes static paper records in customers warehouses and uses robotic digitisation to scan, handle optical character recognition and upload them to its cloud platform Ripcord Canopy, which can be easily integrated into existing enterprise systems.

Mark Sherman, managing director of Telstra Ventures, said the investment was driven by Ripcords ability to disrupt the traditional records management market with its solution which includes shipping, scanning, indexing, auto-classifying of documents, and unlimited access to their cloud platform, Ripcord Canopy.

The records management market is valued at US$62 billion and is comprised of records and information management, managed print service and enterprise content management," he said.

Ripcord is working towards a paperless world and is using sophisticated automation and software to turn their paper records into a secure, fast and all-inclusive records management solution.

While other vendors can only provide point solutions for the lifecycle of document digitisation, Ripcord offers an end-to-end solution that helps reduce the cost for enterprises to manage physical document boxes and make these documents digitally accessible.

It is believed that customers can save approximately 90 per cent on their document management costs with Ripcord. This would be a significant benefit for our government and financial services customers, so we are keen to bring Ripcords solution to them.

Alex Fielding, chief executive and co-founder of Ripcord, welcomed the investment from Telstra as the company is expanding to new markets and developing new robots.

We are proud to be the first company to apply vision robotics to paper digitisation. The robots we developed can process documents 10-times faster than human-based scanning. We can digitise over 2.5 million documents a day with the number expected to rise to 50 million by the end of 2018, said Fielding.

We have a mission to build the products and services that will take the world paperless. Since our launch earlier this year, we have not only helped companies in the US with document management, but we have received requests from global companies around the world. We look forward to leveraging Telstras network in Asia-Pacific to assist us achieve our mission.
Prez summons NC leaders for meeting

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Friday summoned the leaders of Nepali Congress (NC) to hold discussion on the ordinance pertaining to the election of National Assembly (NA).
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The Arab and Muslim worlds exulted Thursday over their massive victory at the United Nations General Assembly, which passed a resolution condemning the Trump administrations recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Despite his crude threats to cut off US aid to countries who bucked him only 9 countries actively backed Trump up here. And if you look hard, they are more Pacific postage stamp islands for the most part than what most people would think of as, like, you know, countries. Trumps sycophants included Palau, Nauru, Micronesia (FS), and Togo.

128 countries voted a straight no! in Trumps face, including France, Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, China, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, India, Turkey etc. etc. In other words both the richest and the most populous countries in the world condemned Trumps announcement.

In fact, of course, 14 members of the UN Security Council had already voted against Trump, but he stopped their resolution by exercising the US veto.

Was anybody afraid of the threats from the Bonnie and Clyde of international diplomacy, Trump and Nikki Haley? No. Afghanistan and Pakistan are both big US aid recipients and both voted no! Turkey voted no despite being NATO (like Britain, France, etc.)

Most of the 35 countries that abstained did so because of their own internal politics. Australia may have abstained to please Trump, but the fact is that its government is extremely pro-Israel, so actually an abstention is a kind of slap in the face to Trump and Netanyahu. The same could be said for the Czech Republic and Hungary.

To tell you the truth I have no idea why Mexico abstained, but I am confident that it was not because of fear of Trump or wanting to make nice with him.

Anyway, the bulk of the world, and as I said, both the wealthiest and the most populous nations, rebuked the US president.

Turkeys president Tayyip Erdogan spoke for a lot of the world when he told Trump, you cannot buy our will with dollars. Erdogan lamented that the US, the cradle of democracy, had stooped to buying international votes with its aid.

The foreign minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said that the world had rejected Trumps hostile attempts at scaring people.

As I noted yesterday, the US only gives out $42 bn. in aid a year, about 1 percent of the Federal budget, and most of it goes to a handful of countries Israel, Egypt, Afghanistan, etc. In fact if it werent for the Israel lobbies getting Congress to throw so much money at Israel and Egypt (a bribe to keep it in Camp David), the US would be giving out almost no civilian aid. Israel is a prosperous country that does not need US aid, and truly needy countries get peanuts from Washington.

So the threat of an aid cut-off just did not matter to most countries.

In fact, most of them voted on principle and in accordance with international law.

Trumps move violated UN Security Council resolution 470 478 of 1980, which was passed without a US veto after the then Israeli government tried to grab all of Jerusalem. The divided city, with Jewish and Palestinian neighborhoods, was never awarded to Israel by any international body or law, and simply stealing your neighbors territory through aggressive warfare is forbidden by the UN Charter as of 1945, what with the world wanting to stop any further Axis-like behavior and all. Most Palestinians insist that East Jerusalem become the capital of the forthcoming Palestinian state. The point is that the status of Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations among the parties, not unilateral fiats of Trumps rash sort.

The countries of the world would not like to be treated the way Israel is treating the Palestinians, and they dont want a free-for-all over neighbors territory and they dont want the US going around bullying people into acquiescing in severe human rights violations.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

United Nations: UN General Assembly Vote on Status of Jerusalem
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pretium Resources Inc. (TSX:PVG) (NYSE:PVG) (Pretivm or the Company) is pleased to announce that an application has been submitted to the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to increase the Brucejack Mine production rate to 3,800 tonnes per day. The application submitted on December 20, 2017 reflects a production rate increase to an annual average of 1.387 million tonnes from 0.99 million tonnes (daily average of 3,800 tonnes from 2,700 tonnes). The approval process is expected to take approximately six to twelve months.

Engineering is underway to assess the mill capacity upgrades required to increase the production rate. Based on preliminary engineering, the capital cost to increase the mill capacity is estimated to be less than US$25 million and will be updated when the engineering process is complete.

Lyle Morgenthaler, B.A.Sc., P.Eng., Chief Mine Engineer, Pretium Resources Inc. is the Qualified Person responsible for Brucejack Mine development.

About Pretivm

Pretivm is ramping-up gold production at the high-grade underground Brucejack Mine in northern British Columbia.
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In a recent article in Annals of Internal Medicine, physicians from the University of Missouri described their experience helping to create a professionalism charter for health care organizations. As the authors note, the need for such a charter is heightened by the troubling health climate, with millions of patients at risk of losing insurance coverage, scores of physicians experiencing burnout, and health care organizations grappling with how to preserve mission and margin in the shift toward value-based care. While acknowledging the need for organizations to maintain financial viability, the charter outlines 4 core principles  patient partnerships, organizational culture, community partnerships, and operations and business practices  in an attempt to [shift] the focus toward employees, patients, and the community.

This effort is unquestionably worthy. However, I worry that such charters may have limited impact unless they evolve to also directly address inherent tradeoffs and articulate what should not to be done in pursuing professionalism at the organizational level.

For example, the Charter highlights the worthy organizational commitments to high-value care and innovation. Although it also touches on the importance of social responsibility, the Charter lacks guidance related to low-value care, costly services that provide little to no benefit and could even harm patients. A growing body of literature, including another article in Annals, suggests that the de-adoption of low-value care can be even more challenging than promoting high-value care because of the psychology and financial incentives driving these practices. Just as the physician charter on professionalism notes that patient autonomy must be respected as long as it does not lead to demands for inappropriate care, organizational charters could provide guidance about the kinds of care that health systems should not support in the name of professionalism.

Similarly, given limited organizational resources, the pursuit of innovation requires fundamental tradeoffs in the types of innovation pursued. This choice between different types of innovation has been described as an innovationinnovation tradeoff in the context of drug pricing and can be directly applied to organizational operations. The upshot of innovationinnovation tradeoffs for organizations is that patient subpopulations are likely to benefit differentially based on the kind of innovations that receive organizational investment (e.g., new imaging technologies versus care management platforms for superusers or housing support for socioeconomically vulnerable patients). Charters for health care organizations should address the importance of such decisions as it relates to professionalism.

A major reason that this kind of clarity (about tradeoffs and what should not be done) is sorely needed is that physicians working in organizations  whose numbers continue to grow around the United States, particularly among early career physicians  will inevitably feel commitments to both their patients and their organizations. On one hand, physicians are patient agents charged with pursuing their best interest. On the other, physicians are members of their organizational communities, tasked with supporting their initiatives both through formal pay and promotion, as well as informal expectations to be good organizational citizens.

These patient and organizational commitments often align behind clinical decisions, but they can also conflict. For example, organizational goals of reducing high-cost utilization may conflict with patient preferences for advanced imaging, antibiotics, or other care that they deem valuable based on their preferences. Ongoing trends in both patient-centeredness (which emphasize the centrality of patient preference) and value-based care transformation (which emphasize accountability over cost and utilization) will likely exacerbate this tension when it arises. Therefore, professionalism charters that take clear stances on the appropriateness of organizational goals, and provide guidance about how to navigate situations in which they do not align with patient preferences, would greatly benefit physicians.

Ultimately, I agree with the authors of the Annals article that charters for health care organizations are needed now, perhaps more than ever. As they also admit, their charter is aspirational as a description of model organizations and likely to face headwinds from existing cultures and processes. However, a full view of organizational professionalism involves consensus about what health systems ought to avoid and tradeoff as much as about what they ought to pursue. Addressing these issues in future charter writing efforts is not only achievable, but also important for realizing the goal of equitably [meeting] the needs of those [organizations] serve.

Joshua Liao is an internal medicine physician and can be reached on Twitter @JoshuaLiaoMD and his self-titled site, Joshua Liao. This article originally appeared in Annals Fresh Look.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Strategy for survival

Nepals latest election results do not mean dismay for New Delhi or joy for Beijing
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Although I consider myself an extrovert, I find it more than a little intimidating to talk to strangers. Yes, like many of us, perhaps I was warned as a child not to talk to strangers. That may have had an effect, but I think it is most likely due to the fear of rejection.

However, I recognize that its a fear that needs to be overcome. While my skills have improved over time, it is still hard. But my most recent experiences talking to strangers have been wonderful and lead me to the realization that having a little more courage in these situations could be beneficial. I recently visited Tucson, Arizona, for the first time, to attend a conference organized by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. On my trip to Tucson, I was more or less my usual self: polite but did not engage in conversation if it was not initiated.

But on my Lyft ride to my hotel, Cindy, the driver, was very friendly as she collected me from the airport. I responded, and she gave me a tour of the area we were driving through replete with advice on the best places to eat. After I got to the conference, I met my friend and her work colleague. My friend is an extremely friendly extrovert. Her presence allowed me to more easily interact with new people since she would often initiate conversations. I also had the company of her colleague, someone with whom I got along well. I had companionship without much extra effort on my part.

Then, the test. My friend had to leave the conference early and her colleague, my new friend, was attending an event that I opted not to attend. I had an evening to look forward to that involved me eating dinner alone and an early bedtime. I did not mind the early night, but given my personality, I didnt particularly want to eat dinner alone.

It would only make me more acutely aware of how much I was missing my family. Since it felt overwhelming not only to strike up a conversation but a dinner partner as well, I accepted that it would be my fate. I needed a shuttle bus to return to my hotel from the conference, which due to a longer than usual wait time, led to some small talk with another conference attendee returning to the same hotel. Typically, I would have kept the conversation superficial, but since we had time, I asked about locations to eat dinner. He started talking to other conference participants, and I interjected at times. I also learned more about him, Chad. We ended up being each others dinner companions at a popular Mexican restaurant. I now had the acquaintance of a bright, fascinating resourceful millennial entrepreneur, someone with whom I definitely plan to keep in touch. I engaged in a few more such conversations.

I had another interesting conversation with Bob, my Lyft driver who happened to be a retired physician. We had a stimulating conversation about the current health care system in America and our mutual interest in writing.

While boarding the plane, I exchanged few words with another passenger and physician who coincidentally ended up in my row. I discovered that he too had attended the conference and when he discovered my specialty he immediately introduced me to his travel companion Amy* who was in training for the same specialty. I shared some insight into the field with her.

Those experiences not only enhanced my travel experience, but, according to research from Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, may have enhanced my life expectancy. Her research finding suggests that social isolation is a bigger risk factor for early death than even obesity. As so eloquently expounded in the Ted talk by Susan Pinker, this includes not just the amount and quality of our close friendships but our daily casual social interactions.

So while I will suggest prudence, I believe and know that there are many safe environments to talk to strangers. I encourage you to do so not only because of the proven benefits to ourselves but also because I believe that the benefits to our community and our country as a whole would be far greater.

Monique Rainford is an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The Press Council released:

Members of the NZ Press Council have decided to launch a new classification system and independent consumer complaints process for video-on-demand (VOD) programmes in New Zealand. To reflect its growing multi-media role, the Press Council will also undergo a name change next year to New Zealand Media Council. The new VOD system was developed in conjunction with local and international media organisations including TVNZ, Sky Television, Lightbox, Netflix, RNZ, Google YouTube Originals, Maori Television, MediaWorks, Stuff/Fairfax and NZME.

This is highly significant. The broadcasters a year ago wound up OMSA which dealt with their website content, and move it to the Press Council. Now the broadcasters and major Internet players are giving the Press Council coverage of VOD content complaints.

This means that almost all media content complaints are going to the Press Council except complaints about broadcast programmes. By law these go to the BSA. The BSA do a good job but they are appointed by the Government and I prefer media content regulation to be self-regulation not government regulators.

So with everything else having gone to the Press Council (now the Media Council) is it time to wind up the BSA (which would require a law change) and have all media complaints go to the Media Council? I prefer a single regulator model.

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By Nam Hyun-woo



The government said Friday that it will grant E-9 visas to 56,000 migrant workers. The visa is provided to foreigners working non-professional jobs.



In a meeting convened by Office for Government Policy and Coordination Minister Hong Nam-ki, 12 related ministries agreed to maintain the number of migrant workers coming through Korea's employment permit system the same as this year.



The number stood at 62,000 in 2013 but declined to 53,000 in 2014, before being raised to 55,000 in 2015 and 56,000 in 2016.



Out of the total, 42,300 workers will be permitted to work in the manufacturing sector, followed 6,600 in the agro-livestock industry, 2,600 in fishing, 2,400 in construction and 1,100 in services.



A total of 45,000 will be new entries, while 11,000 will be reentries.



The government said it came up with the figure after calculating the estimated number of foreign workers who plan to return to their home countries and the anticipated workforce shortage in each sector.



"We tried to seek a balance between addressing the workforce shortage for small- and medium-sized enterprises and avoiding foreign workers from taking away too many domestic jobs excessively," Hong said.



The government also said it will enhance crackdowns on illegal migrant workers. Related ministries will share data on illegal sojourners and expand the length of the crackdown period from 20 weeks to 22 weeks. It will also raise the number of officers participating.



Currently, the maximum length of stay in Korea for E-9 visa holders is nine years and eight months. The government expects that more than 7,500 workers will see that period expire and will monitor their movements as well as help them to return to their countries.



If a specific country has many illegal foreigners here, it will be penalized when the government fixes the quota.



At the same time, the ministries agreed that employers providing inadequate housing such as tents made from vinyl will not be able to hire new foreign workers.



The ministries also strengthened rules regarding working environment.



"In order to protect domestic jobs, illegal migrants should be thoroughly controlled," Hong said. "At the same time, however, the rights of migrant workers should also be protected."


Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Kenya

By Lakhvinder Singh



Recently Siddharth Chatterjee visited South Korea to attend an exhibition on durable growth and sustainable development, where he also made a keynote address on Africa's youth.



Chatterjee joined the U.N. in 1997. He has lived and worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq (two tours), South Sudan, Indonesia, Sudan (Darfur), Somalia, Denmark, Switzerland and Kenya.



In South Sudan, he successfully negotiated the release of 3,551 child soldiers from the rebel army of the SPLA and led the largest-ever demobilization of child soldiers in 2001 during an ongoing conflict. Watch his TEDx video talk on the topic.



A prolific writer, Chatterjee has a blog in Reuters and Huffington Post .



Chatterjee has a Master's degree from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in the U.S., and a Bachelor's degree from India's National Defence Academy.



He was decorated for gallantry by the president of India during his service in the Indian Special Forces where he rose to the rank of Major.



He is active on social media; his twitter handle is @sidchat1



Chatterjee is married to Ban Ki-moon's youngest daughter Ban Hyun-hee and they have a son.



While he visited Korea recently, we had a conversation with Chatterjee, a former Indian Army Special Forces officer, a feminist and a passionate advocate for youth empowerment within the United Nations in Kenya. Currently he is the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya.



Here are the excerpts of the interview we had with him at Songdo Convensia in Incheon.



Chatterjee has a Master's degree from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in the U.S., and a Bachelor's degree from India's National Defence Academy.He was decorated for gallantry by the president of India during his service in the Indian Special Forces where he rose to the rank of Major.Here are the excerpts of the interview we had with him at Songdo Convensia in Incheon.

Siddharth Chatterjee is with Dr. Lakhvinder Singh at Songdo Convensia in Incheon.



Q. Your wife and you work in the U.N. How did you meet your wife and what inspires you to work in the U.N.?



I call it the unseen hand of destiny; maybe we were meant to meet.



You know that I was a member of India's elite Parachute Regiment and my Regiment has a history in Korea. India actually provided a medical unit to attend the sick and wounded in the Korean War . With the communist invasion of South Korea in 1950, the U.N. sent out a call to the free world for assistance. The 60 Parachute Field Ambulance from India served in Korea for three and a half years (November 1950 to May 1954), the longest single tenure by any military unit under the U.N. flag.



In 2004 my wife Ban Hyun-hee and I were deployed to Sudan and we had been UNICEF staff working in New York and Indonesia respectively. We were sent there to assist the UNICEF Sudan office in responding to the humanitarian emergency that was unfolding in Darfur. We met in Sudan in 2004 and by 2006 we were married.



We are both passionate about our work in the United Nations. Both our families suffered as a consequence of war and conflict, Hyun-hee's family by the Korean War and my family by the partition of India in 1947. Both conflicts led to millions of deaths and large-scale destruction. My father as a matter of fact came to India as a refugee from Bangladesh, which was East Pakistan then.



My wife and her siblings and I have grown up in humble circumstances. We benefited from the tireless hard work and dedication of respective parents to improve and advance our circumstances.



We have known and seen firsthand many human tragedies and triumphs from which we have learnt important lessons. We are both deeply committed to advancing dignity, human development and humanity.



As U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres recently remarked, "We are a world in pieces, and we need a world at peace." We hope to make our own contributions to that vision.



I call it the unseen hand of destiny; maybe we were meant to meet.In 2004 my wife Ban Hyun-hee and I were deployed to Sudan and we had been UNICEF staff working in New York and Indonesia respectively. We were sent there to assist the UNICEF Sudan office in responding to the humanitarian emergency that was unfolding in Darfur. We met in Sudan in 2004 and by 2006 we were married.We are both passionate about our work in the United Nations. Both our families suffered as a consequence of war and conflict, Hyun-hee's family by the Korean War and my family by the partition of India in 1947. Both conflicts led to millions of deaths and large-scale destruction. My father as a matter of fact came to India as a refugee from Bangladesh, which was East Pakistan then.My wife and her siblings and I have grown up in humble circumstances. We benefited from the tireless hard work and dedication of respective parents to improve and advance our circumstances.We have known and seen firsthand many human tragedies and triumphs from which we have learnt important lessons. We are both deeply committed to advancing dignity, human development and humanity.As U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres recently remarked, "We are a world in pieces, and we need a world at peace." We hope to make our own contributions to that vision.

Siddharth Chatterjee with Ban Ki-moon and Yoo Soon-taek in Seoul.



Q. How would you describe your father-in-law, Ban Ki-moon?



What defines Mr. Ban is his humility, his generosity, his very hard work and his kindness. He is an exceptional man, a gentleman and truly wonderful human being, who I have had the honor to meet and know, and call my father-in-law. He is the epitome of public service. He personifies the adage, "service before self."

Mr. Ban grew during the Korean War. He saw the United Nations help his country to recover and rebuild. That experience was a big part of what led him to pursue a career in public service.



As the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, his priorities had been to mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures involving food, energy and water. He has sought to be a bridge-builder, to give voice to the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.



I am inspired by him every day.



Q. You call yourself a feminist. Why this passion about gender equality and women's empowerment?



I would say my passion for gender advocacy was cemented by my experiences in the Indian Army and at a personal level. My own grandmother was married at the age of 11 and had 15 children, 9 of whom survived. My early years in conflict settings also brought home the reality that women and children are worst affected during wars and natural disasters. While serving in the army as a young officer, I was horrified to find out that a soldier from my unit had raped a young girl.



I remember the sheer fear and trauma that girl went through, and the helplessness of her family.

It was a life-changing moment for me. While the punishment that followed was swift and uncompromising, it was at that moment I swore to fight all forms of misogyny, discrimination and violence.



In many of the countries I worked in, disease outbreaks and lack of water and sanitation were the order of the day. Reproductive health services, including midwifery outreach services, antenatal care, management of prenatal complications and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS were not readily available in conflict regions.

These problems had particularly harsh consequences among women and children.



The years I spent in fragile environments will always remain a poignant reminder of the disparate harm that women are predisposed to whenever one form or other of humanitarian crisis arises. Some were victims of rape and torture, and others were widowed at young ages, their husbands murdered or kidnapped.



Regrettably, even in peacetime, many societies still exhibit levels of patriarchy and misogyny that are simply appalling. The psychosocial status of the women who survived such atrocities are issues that continued to preoccupy me.



When I joined the U.N. in 1997, I felt the need to advocate against all forms of discrimination against women and children.



Q. How would you describe your own leadership style?



The Army teaches you some very important lessons on leadership.



The culture is, a leader leads from the front and knowing the right balance when to lead from behind.



My principle is that when something goes wrong, I will take the hit for it and will stand by my staff. When things go well and are successful, I will ensure the credit is passed on to individuals and the team.



As a matter of principle I have always requested a 360-degree performance review. Getting honest and reliable feedback is necessary to test one's own perceptions, recognize previously unseen strengths, and become aware of blind spots in one's self-perceptions.



I did my last 360-degree review in 2015 and for purposes of transparency I posted it online .



Leadership is an ongoing journey of self-actualization.



Q. How can Kenya and South Korea collaborate?



Kenya is a beacon of hope in a region mired in instability and a regional economic hub.

I can see huge potential. Kenya and South Korea should seek a robust and multidimensional partnership which can be mutually reinforcing. Kenya can learn a lot from South Korea's growth model.



I have recently written an article on this in the Huffington Post: " Can the Kenyan Lion Kick High Enough to Become the South Korean Tiger of Africa? "

In 1953 South Korea emerged from the ravages of a debilitating war, yet the total gross domestic product (GDP) in nominal terms has surged 31,000-fold since 1953.



In 1950 the GDP per capita of South Korea was $876 and Kenya's was $947. In 2016, the GDP per capita of South Korea rose to $27,539 and Kenya's to $1,455.



South Korea over the past four decades has demonstrated incredible economic growth and global integration to become a high-tech industrialized economy. In the 1960s, GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, South Korea joined the trillion-dollar club of world economies.



While the majority of these Kenyans are occupied in the agricultural industry, technological advances and the rising prominence of the service industry threaten to render many of these superfluous unless urgent shifts in growth models are undertaken to create quality jobs.



In fact youth employment is a very high priority for the president of Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta. President Kenyatta has said harnessing the demographic dividend in Africa will depend on the continent's commitment to create sufficient job opportunities to absorb the rising number of new entrants in the job market and the preparedness of the young people to take up the jobs.





President Kenyatta of Kenya and Siddharth Chatterjee in Nairobi, Kenya



Lessons from economic structural transformation abound especially from South Korea. Once an agricultural country like Kenya, South Korea spent much of the 20th century driving modern technologies and is now regarded as one of Asia's most advanced economies. Among the focus areas for the country were facilitating industrialization, high household savings rates, high literacy rates and low fertility rates.



What South Korea achieved was fast economic growth underpinned by a strong industrial base that led to full employment and higher real wages. When the 1997 financial crisis threatened employment and welfare of its citizens in 1997, the country engaged in ambitious structural adjustment that introduced social protection measures for workers, the unemployed and poor people, in addition to reigniting the drivers of growth.



South Korea's population is shrinking and Kenya and the rest of Africa's population is rapidly expanding. South Korea's investments and public-private partnerships with Kenya can open up immense opportunities of youth employment in Kenya and give access to large markets for South Korean companies in Kenya and the rest of Africa.



Kenya in my view is a window to the rest of Africa with well-developed human capital and overall macroeconomic stability. With a median age of 18 years, Kenya can lead the way in reaping a demographic dividend, ensuring gender equality and women's empowerment and achieve its Vision 2030. Vision 2030 aims to transform Kenya into a middle-income country and providing a high quality of life for all its citizens by 2030. We have as a U.N. family in Kenya committed to walking this journey with the Kenyan government and the Kenyan people and I hope South Korea will join us too.



Q.You have had a unusual career track, from a soldier to a humanitarian and development professional. How did you manage this transformation?





Siddharth Chatterjee was an Indian Army Special Forces Officer.
By Donald Kirk





WASHINGTON  Here's a target the deadliest, most accurate missile isn't going to touch: the computers in North Korea that are responsible for wreaking havoc around the world.



It's all very well to talk about "the military option" or even a "pre-emptive attack" on a North Korean nuclear and missile site. You can fantasize U.S. war planes, hefty B1 bombers, sleek stealth-like F22s and F35s, maybe a few F18s and F15s in the mix, staging day and night raids wiping out all the North Korean targets deemed capable of sending missiles tipped with nuclear warheads to targets in the U.S.



That would be difficult enough since a lot of these targets are hidden in caves and tunnels, but at least they're there, somewhere, awaiting attack.



Think, however, how elusive are the cyberwarriors who've been plotting to mess up American banking systems, agency files, individual computers, even Federal Express. Nothing sacred, all targets are valid.



Where do you find the guilty parties? How do you prove who did what to whom, what computers were responsible, what computer whizzes have the sophistication to spread their evil viruses far and wide.



That's the challenge facing defenders of the internet on which everyone depends to do business, to communicate, to survive. The White House may wail and moan from here to doomsday about the "malicious" cyberattack known as "Wannacry," but then what? How do you stop it?



So many experts in and out of the U.S. and other governments have concluded the North Koreans are responsible that you have to believe they've got the evidence. So where do you go from here with all the proof in the world?



Do you urge the U.N. Security Council to "condemn" the evil North Koreans? Or do you run off to Beijing begging the Chinese to say tut-tut to the naughty North Koreans? Do you plead with the Russians to crack down on their own cyberwarriors, who may be in cahoots with their friends in Pyongyang?



All these "options" are ridiculous, as everyone knows. If the North Koreans can eventually be persuaded to knock off the nuclear and missile tests, it's not likely any sanctions, diplomatic pressure, or pleading will have the slightest effect on their schemes for screwing up their enemies by hitting the keys on their computers.



The success of the North Koreans in cyberattacking targets in the U.S., South Korea and elsewhere is all the more remarkable considering that most people up there have almost no experience on computers.



Only a privileged few have access to the internet. Those who do are either in the elite upper crust surrounding top leader Kim Jong-un or handpicked and carefully vetted for the brilliance they have shown at Kim Il Sung University as computer whizzes and their total loyalty to the regime.



You have to credit the North Koreans with having figured out how to invade the computer files of some of the world's biggest companies and then having the impunity to demand "ransom" to restore files they have shut down or hopelessly compromised. What a way to make money for a rogue regime!



The North Koreans, of course, officially deny the charges that "Wannacry" is their creation, but maybe they should take a bow. Just as Kim Jong-un boasts of the terror struck in the hearts of his enemies by his nukes and missiles, maybe he should publicly praise his cyberwarriors for messing up millions who depend on computers for survival.



No way, however, will the success of North Korea's cyberattacks measure up to the North's nuclear and missile program in terms of propaganda impact. The Americans aren't going to offer to negotiate an end to the North's cyberattacks. President Trump, when he promises to inflict "fire and fury" on the North, is not talking about cyberwarfare.



Think, however, how successful North Korea could be as an economic power if the same creative minds, the same cyber experts, were to dedicate their undoubted skills to building factories capable of spinning out the highest-tech products and to bringing the wonders of the computer age to all North Koreans.



That's not going to happen, though. North Korea's 25 million people, their minds broadened by access to the internet, brimming with questions about the system in which they live, would pose a challenge that Kim Jong-un might not be able to withstand.



Better to keep most of the people in darkness and ignorance, according to this strategy, leaving a privileged few to exploit the resources of the computer age. Like nuclear warheads, cyberwarfare provides "defense" for an isolated regime in a world of enemies.





Donald Kirk (www.donaldkirk.com) has been covering war and peace in Asia for decades.


Targeting the poor

Reasons for poverty differ across provinces and require distinct intervention efforts
We had agreed in principle to head govt turn by turn: Dahal

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that an understanding was reached with CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli while forging an electoral alliance that they would lead the government on rotation basis, provided that the left alliance emerges victorious.
*The finance ministry (SHCP) has announced that it is analysing what fiscal measures to adopt to counteract any effects that the recently approved fiscal reform in the US could have on the Mexican economy. The fiscal reform approved in the US has introduced significant tax cuts to corporate tax rates in a bid to stimulate investment and domestic economic growth in the US. Analysts have warned that this could negatively affect investment levels in Mexico by making investing in Mexico less attractive compared with doing so in the US. Consequently, Mexicos business sector has called for the adoption of new fiscal measures by the Mexican government to counteract this. A SHCP statement noted that in response to these calls the ministry has engaged in an open discussion with the Consejo Coordinador Emepresarial (CCE) local business sector lobby group to discuss the best alternatives to face the increased competition from our northern neighbour and its new tax scheme.

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Customs

Do you know why we celebrate on the 25th of December? This date originated in the fourth century when the bishop of Jerusalem wrote to the Bishop of Rome asking what time of year Jesus was born. The Bishop of Rome did not know, nor did anyone else either at that time or since, so he decided on the 25th December. The reason he chose this date was because it was a date when citizens of the Roman Empire celebrated pagan festivals. It was a winter celebration when people engaged in all sorts of rituals to celebrate winter and offer sacrifices to false idols. The Bishop's motives were genuine, as he hoped that it would divert people's minds from their pagan practices and focus on the birth of the Saviour instead. However well-intentioned the Bishop's decision, the pagan practices continued and were finally accepted by the Roman Catholic church and assimilated into the Christmas celebration.

How does mistletoe fit in to the nativity? The tradition of mistletoe came from Druid customs long before the birth of Christ. Druids went in to the forest where the mistletoe hung from the trees. There they hugged each other as a sign of peace and friendship, exchanged gifts, decorated the boughs of evergreen trees with trinkets and held parties of feasting and merriment. This was common around Europe since long before the birth of Christ.

How did some of the other customs come about? The tradition of the crib or nativity scene started with St. Francis in the 13th century. The tradition of the Christmas tree started with Martin Luther in the 16th century where he adorned a tree with candles symbolizing the starry sky over the place where Christ was born. Christmas carols started in the 14th century while the tradition of Christmas cards started in the 19th century.

Did Jesus meet Santa? Father Christmas originated from St. Nicholas, the white bearded bishop of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) who was part of the Dutch tradition of giving presents to children. In Holland he was known as Sinterklaas and his feast day is celebrated on 5th December. Hence the name Santa Claus.

Why is there twelve days of Christmas? The twelve days of Christmas became Roman Catholic doctrine in the middle ages at a time of persecution. It signified the period between Christmas day and the feast of the epiphany. Churches differ on the meaning of that date, some say it was the time Jesus was presented at the temple in Jerusalem as was the Jewish law at the time while others say it was time the Magi visited Jesus in Bethlehem. Either way there is no basis for that date in Scripture and has since become a Christmas tradition based on Roman Catholic doctrine. The number of Magi is not based on fact, nowhere in Scripture does it say there were three wise men; that number was assumed as there were three gifts given as mentioned in Matthew's gospel (Chapter 2 verse 11).

History

The birth of Jesus Christ was an actual event in history and the most detailed account is in the gospel of Luke (Chapter 2 verses 1 to 7).

Luke was an educated man, a physician in his day, and was very meticulous, thorough and exact in his gospel accounts. He was aware that he was writing history and would have spoken to many eye witnesses when writing his gospel. His account depicts the history of Christ's birth, the royalty of Christ's birth and the humility of Christ's birth.

Luke's account tells of historical figures and historical events of the day. Caesar Augustus was the emperor of Rome at the time of Christ's birth; Quirinius was Governor of Syria and Herod was king of Judah. Caesar decreed that a census be taken of the entire Roman world. These census took place every fourteen years subsequently. Census at that time took place over a number of years because of the scale involved, and in the case of Judah they had reached the end of the registration deadline, hence the urgency for Joseph and Mary to be registered. Joseph and Mary travelled 85 or 90 miles by donkey to Bethlehem which was also the birthplace of Josephs ancestor, King David. It must be remembered that Mary was a heavily pregnant young teenager travelling this long, arduous journey. Joseph was also a young teenager who was betrothed to Mary. Betrothal is not the same as an engagement in today's culture, betrothal was a marriage commitment, a binding contract. Mary was a devout Jew, and was chosen to be the physical mother of a human boy child (the Son of God). The exact location of Jesus' birth is not known. At that time there were lodging houses for people and side shelters for their pack animals. There is no mention in Scripture of an innkeeper, but Luke's account says that when Jesus was born Mary placed Him in an animal feeding trough (manger). The origin of the word manger comes from the French word "mangier" - to eat and ultimately from the Latin word "manducare" - to chew. There is no Biblical evidence of cattle or sheep in the place where Christ was born, more than likely the animals would have been the travel animals of the people at the time, for example donkeys, horses. So the cosy, sentimental scene depicted in our nativity plays, some cards, cribs and some carols is a far cry from the actual circumstances of Jesus' birth. Mary went through the normal birth pains of every mother, the child would have behaved in the same way as any other human baby; He would have cried, He would have needed the same care as any newborn baby around cleanliness and hygiene. But Jesus was born in a noisy, smelly animal shelter to very young teenage parents over eighty miles from their home. Luke's account in the Bible also tells us that Jesus was Mary's "firstborn, a son". It is clear in other places of the Bible that after they married, Joseph and Mary had more sons and daughters, so Mary was not a perpetual virgin, she was the biological mother of Jesus which is different from being the mother of God. God is an infinite being with no beginning and no end.

Royalty and Humility

Jesus' birth was a royal birth, but not the type of royalty associated with our culture. Jesus Christ is a title, not a person's actual name. Jesus means "God Saves" and Christ means "God's only chosen king". Even though He was born in the most humble of circumstances, Jesus is God in human flesh. This same Jesus performed miracles by His word; by His speaking He gave us glimpses and snapshots of what Heaven is like with these miracles. He calmed the storms, raised the dead, healed the sick. He showed care and compassion for the poor, the sinners, the prostitutes, the outcasts. He confronted the Pharisees to see that their religious ways were not the ways of His kingdom, and their efforts to keep the laws of religion and legalism were worthless unless their relationship with God was through Christ alone. Jesus speaks to us in the same way today.

The innocent baby depicted in nativity scenes created the universe and everything in it. He will have the ultimate judgement on all mankind and yet He lived a meek humble life on this earth. Jesus did not come to bring peace among men. He came to bring peace between God and man; to save mankind, not to judge it.

So, the birth of Jesus was the explicit fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. It reveals that God is always faithful to His word. It was a supernatural act by God and not a natural act of man.

Even though Jesus was rejected when He came to earth and He is still rejected by some people in the world today, God wants us to rejoice and be glad to celebrate His love for us. This Christmas time we should stop and think of how we treat Jesus, what this beautiful event actually means and how we respond?

I wish a happy and a peaceful Christmas to all.
May 2, 2021, 10 PM

The $3 Labrador Retriever and Drake federal duck stamp was issued in 1959. A new regulation proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would require artists to include a hunting element on artwork submitted for the 2018 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting

By Michael Baadke

A proposal from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service would require artists entering the 2018 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest to include in their artwork a visual element specifically acknowledging waterfowl hunting.

The winning artwork in the annual contest is used to illustrate the federal duck stamp issued the following year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to celebrate hunters remarkable achievements and our unique American hunting heritage with a change to the 2019-2020 Federal Duck Stamp, reads a notice on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website updated Dec. 15, 2017.

The proposal would require entries in the 2018 contest to include one or more visual elements reflecting the theme celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage.

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The Duck Stamp Office notes that entries must also adhere to existing contest regulations that require a live portrayal of one or more of the five eligible waterfowl species (for 2018: wood duck, American wigeon, northern pintail, green-winged teal and lesser scaup) as the dominant foreground feature that is clearly the focus of attention.

The announcement refers to an earlier bulletin dated Nov. 29 that describes essentially the same proposed requirement.

The proposed changes to the regulations concerning the theme of celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage would be in effect only for the 2018 contest, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Public comments on the proposal had to be received on or before Dec. 28, 2017, 30 days after the earlier bulletin was posted.

Comments are accepted online.

Learn more on the Duck Stamp competition here, in the search box.

Any changes in the 2018 rules will be posted in the beginning of 2018, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

A handful of comments posted on the government website by mid-December showed some sentiments supporting the proposal and others opposing it.

Florida artist John Brennan posted comments opposing the mandatory rule.

As a federal duck stamp entrant, Id like to express my aversion to the idea of adding any man-made objects to the artwork, Brennan wrote. I think its important that we depict a pristine, untouched habitat, since the protection of wetlands is so integral to the program.

He also wrote, I believe that this theme change might alienate a certain section of stamp buyers who are not hunters. Though hunters make up the vast majority of stamp buyers, we cannot risk losing sales for this reason.

Issued duck stamps showing Brennans artwork include the 2010 Oklahoma waterfowl hunting stamp depicting the ring-necked duck (Scott 31), and the 2014 Connecticut stamp featuring hooded mergansers (21).

Comments signed with the name Adam Nisbett stated, in part: While I think it would be a bad idea as a permanent change and I dont personally feel like it would significantly improve the resulting design, I would be fine with a one-off special edition competition  However I have a few concerns about this introducing additional elements that might dissuade an artist from entering and reduce interest in the competition.

Another comment signed with the name Adam Grimm reads, I am fully in favor of a stamp year celebrating and depicting waterfowl hunting and hunters.

Grimm has twice won the federal duck stamp art contest. His painting of a mottled duck appeared on the $15 stamp issued in 2000 (Scott RW67-RW67A), and his painting of canvasbacks served to illustrate the $15 stamp in 2014 (RW81-RW81A).

An effort by Linns to reach Grimm to confirm that the posted comment was his was unsuccessful.

Another comment attributed to Richard Simms wrote: I am proud and excited to see the proposal to visually recognize our waterfowl hunting heritage in the Federal Duck Stamp. The money I spend on my duck stamp every year, and every other license I purchase, is wisely used for wildlife management and conservation efforts.

This isnt the first effort to influence secondary elements that would appear in artwork submitted to the annual stamp contest.

In 2016, the Duck Stamp Office proposed a rule effective with the 2016 contest that would require artists to include an appropriate non-waterfowl migratory bird species in the artwork design.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service later posted on its website that An appropriate, identifiable non-waterfowl migratory bird species will remain an optional element for 2016. Inclusion of a secondary species will not confer an added benefit and is at the artists discretion.

Of the 153 paintings from the 2016 contest displayed on the Fish and Wildlife Services Flickr page, some 17 introduced an additional bird into the scene, such as a redwinged blackbird or an egret.

The vast majority of the 84 federal duck stamps issued since the first  the 1934 $1 Mallards stamp  have depicted various waterfowl species in natural settings, often ducks or geese in flight or in water.

The theme of hunting is prominent on the 1959 $3 Labrador Retriever and Drake stamp.

The stamp illustration was the third of five for artist Maynard Reece and shows the head and shoulders of a black Labrador retriever carrying a mallard drake in its jaws. Another seven ducks dot the blue sky behind the dog.

In 1975, a canvasback duck decoy was featured in the foreground of James P. Fishers painting on the $5 stamp. Three ducks fly above a pond near the upper right area of the stamp.

Waterfowl hunters 16 years of age or older are required to purchase federal duck stamps, but they are also bought by nonhunting stamp collectors, conservationists and wildlife art enthusiasts, among others.

The stamp also serves as a free pass into any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that by law, 98 percent of the purchase price goes directly to help protect wetlands and associated habitats through fee acquisition, lease and conservation easements.

The habitat acquired with federal duck stamp dollars becomes part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the agency notes.

Although they are not valid for postage, federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamps, commonly known as duck stamps, are popular collectibles.

The annual federal stamps are listed as Hunting Permit Stamps and valued with U.S. revenue stamps in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers, and in Vol. 1 of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue.
Year of surprises

Even with all the political changes 2017 brought, it wouldnt be surprising if we reverted to uncertainty next year
Symbols of good fortune celebrate the Year of the Dog on first 2018 U.S. stamp

Dec 22, 2017, 7 AM

The 2018 Lunar New Year forever stamp from the United States Postal Service celebrates the Year of the Dog. Kam Maks painting shows three growing bamboo plants; archived artwork of a dog by Clarence Lee is shown at upper left.

The 29 U.S. Happy New Year stamp issued Feb. 5, 1994, features Clarence Lees cut-paper design of a dog to celebrate the Year of the Dog. The new 2018 stamp reproduces this design in the upper left corner of the new forever stamp.

By Michael Baadke

Lucky bamboo, a popular houseplant associated in many countries with good fortune, is featured on a new forever stamp from the United States Postal Service.

The nondenominated (49) forever commemorative stamp is the latest issue in the USPS Lunar New Year stamp series. It is the 11th stamp in the series, all of which have featured a painting by Hong Kong-born artist Kam Mak, who grew up in New York Citys Chinatown and now lives in Brooklyn.

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The stamp will be issued Jan. 11 in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to information announced Dec. 19 by the U.S. Postal Service. Plans for the Postal Services first-day ceremony were not released in time to be included in this report.

Technical details for the new stamp were not revealed either, but it is expected the stamps will be issued in a pane of 12 that matches the format followed by the 10 previous stamps in the current U.S. Lunar New Year series.

The technical details will be published in Linns when they become available.

Twelve stamps are planned in this series to complete the full zodiac cycle of lunar years observed in many Asian cultures. Each year in the repeating cycle is identified and characterized by a specific animal.

The upcoming Year of the Dog begins Feb. 16, 2018, and ends Feb. 4, 2019.

The 12th stamp in this USPS series, for the Year of the Boar, will presumably be issued early in 2019.

Maks artwork in this series has focused on common ways the Lunar New Year holiday is celebrated, according to the Postal Service.

Along with the 11 stamps revealed thus far in the current U.S. Lunar New Year series, Mak also illustrated two 28 postal cards featuring koi that were issued together on April 17, 2009 (Scott UX555-UX556).

A professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, he has also illustrated childrens books, including The Dragon Prince by Laurence Yep, and The Moon of the Monarch Butterflies by Jean Craighead George. His own illustrated book, My Chinatown: One Year in Poems, was published by Harper Collins in 2001. Maks work has appeared on the cover of Time magazine and in numerous other prominent publications.

His designs for this series have featured various cultural elements associated with New Year celebrations, including red paper lanterns, firecrackers and drums. The 2016 stamp for the Year of the Rooster included Maks painting of a red envelope with a colorful rooster design as its main feature.

In an email interview with philatelic columnist Dingguo Dai, a retired chemist and longtime Linns contributor, Mak explained some of the symbolism in the design.

The Year of the Dog stamp continues the concept of using the Lunar New Year elements to highlight the rich customs and tradition of celebrating the Lunar New Year, Mak said.

He told Dai that he doesnt remember seeing lucky bamboo during the new year when he was growing up, but he considers it a modern tradition, adding that his mother has the plants in her home during the lunar new year.

I specifically chose three stalks of lucky bamboo on the stamp because it is one of the most favorite number combinations to have in your home, Mak said.

Despite its name, the plant known as lucky bamboo, Dracaena braunii, is from the taxonomic order Asparagales rather than the order Poales of the bamboo family.

The decorative lucky bamboo, sometimes found curled or intertwined, is thought to be associated with prosperity and good fortune, and is often kept in homes for that reason.

On the right side of the design is a red square positioned on one point (diamond shape) with additional script characters, which Mak explained represent the word Fu written on red paper.

The color red has been used to symbolize luck in Chinese culture. The word Fu stands for good fortune or happiness, according to Mak.

Recalling his childhood in Hong Kong, Mak told Dai, My Grandma would pay someone to write Fu and other couplets on red paper by hand, and she would post them around the house just before the New Year.

Mak said that he wrote the character for the stamp design using a Chinese brush and black ink, and added that he practiced by writing many versions of it until he was happy with the one used on the stamp.

Dais interview, which he provided to Linns, is for a Chinese report he is preparing about the stamp.

The new stamp design incorporates additional elements created by two other artists who first contributed to U.S. Lunar New Year stamps more than 25 years ago.

Printed in the upper left corner is the image of a dog originally created as a cut-paper design by Clarence Lee for the first USPS Lunar New Year series of 12 stamps, issued between 1992 and 2004. Lee died in 2015 at age 79.

Below the dog is the word dog as written by Lau Bun in Kanji script using grass-style calligraphy. That same flowing inscription first appeared on the 29 Year of the Dog stamp in 1994 (Scott 2817).

Lettering in English on the new stamp includes USA at lower left, Forever at lower right, and Lunar New Year reading up along the right edge.

The 2018 year date is printed in small type in the upper right margin.

If the Postal Service does not deviate from its past Lunar New Year series issues, it is expected that two uncacheted first-day covers will be offered, one with a black cancel, and the other with a pictorial color postmark including a rendition of Lees cut-paper dog illustration.

A press sheet with die cuts is also possible. Those details and others also will be confirmed when the Postal Service releases its technical production information.
Bad decisions

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Taking selfies near large and dangerous wildlife. Toying with snakes. Fighting bedbugs with fire.

Sometimes when people interact casually with animals, their behavior is inappropriate, deliberately provocative, ill-informed or careless, and this can have catastrophic or even deadly consequences. The outcomes of such encounters  which often result in people or animals suffering injury or even death  seem all the more tragic because they could have easily been avoided, had the human participants practiced a little more common sense.

Here are some of the unfortunate confrontations between people and animals that were in the news in 2017.

Gored by an elk

(Image credit: National Geographic/Getty)

A woman was gored by a bull elk in Missouri's Lone Elk Park on Oct. 8, while walking among the park's herd of 17 animals and taking selfies with three other people, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The group approached close to the herd, despite signs warning visitors to stay at least 100 feet away from the elk; a nature photographer nearby watched the scene unfold as the dominant male bellowed a warning and then charged, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Elk (Cervus elaphus) are one of the largest members of the deer family, second only to moose in height and heft. Adult males can measure up to 9 feet (3 meters) long and weigh as much as 830 pounds (376 kilograms), according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The elk's horns connected with the woman's arm, and she was bleeding after the encounter, the Post-Dispatch reported.

A pet's deadly bite

(Image credit: imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock)

In Australia, a teenager nearly died after he was bitten by a pet snake on Nov. 7, while returning the serpent to its enclosure. The snake, an inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), is native to Australia and is recognized as one of the world's most deadly snake species.

Though the snake was a pet, it was an exceptionally dangerous one. Inland taipan feed almost exclusively on mammals, so their venom has evolved into a cocktail that is uniquely effective on the mammalian body, making it exceedingly toxic to all mammals  including people, Live Science previously reported.

Kissing a fish

(Image credit: Ben Birchall/PA Images/GeWy)

A local fisherman's tradition of kissing the first catch almost ended a man's life on a pier in Bournemouth, England, on Oct. 5.

When the man tried to kiss the fish  a 6-inch-long (14 centimeters) Dover sole  it wriggled out of his hands and jumped down his throat, lodging in his windpipe. By the time paramedics arrived on the scene, the man had stopped breathing and was in cardiac arrest, but the emergency responders were able to extract the fish and restart his heart after several minutes.

Face-biting boa

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

When a boa unexpectedly sank its teeth into a woman's nose and wrapped its body around her neck, firefighters that were called to the scene were unable to remove the snake and were forced to decapitate it, Live Science reported on Aug. 1.

During the incident, which took place in Sheffield, Ohio, on July 27, the woman tried to remove the snake herself, but eventually had to call 911 for help, and she was lying in her driveway when the firefighters arrived. "It was wrapped around her neck and biting her nose," Sheffield Lake Fire Chief Tim Card told the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. "They had to cut its head off with a knife to get it to let go," Card said.

This behavior is highly unusual for boas, and likely occurred because the woman held the snake up to her face, experts told Live Science.

Crushed by an elephant

(Image credit: 2630ben/Shutterstock)

A safari leader and big game hunter was killed by an elephant in Zimbabwe, after it was shot by a member of his hunting party.

On May 19, the group surprised a breeding herd of elephants at the Good Luck Ranch near Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, and three female elephants charged at the hunters. The safari leader shot at the charging females, but a fourth female grabbed him and lifted him with her trunk. When another member of the party shot the elephant, she fell on the safari leader and crushed him to death.

Grabbed by a sea lion

(Image credit: Michael Fujiwara/YouTube)

A young girl was swiftly and unexpectedly yanked off a wharf in British Columbia, Vancouver, when a sea lion grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled her into the ocean. The moment was captured on video and posted to YouTube on May 20. The video shows the girl crouching by the edge of the dock while the sea lion swims close by, perhaps lured by people beckoning it, pretending to have food.

The animal released her almost immediately, and seconds later an adult jumped into the water and pulled the girl to safety.

Likely, the sea lion mistook her dangling dress for something edible, Andrew Trites, director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia, told Live Science.

"I don't think it was a sign of an animal being aggressive or trying to harm the child," he said.

Death of the "Cobra King"

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The so-called "Cobra King" of the Philippines built a reputation upon his affinity for snakes, and frequently treated himself after being bitten. But on Dec. 2, while the man was removing his pet cobra from a storage box on his motorcycle, the snake bit him on the hand. The "Cobra King" allegedly cut off the snake's head and drank its blood, and then died shortly thereafter, Oddity Central reported.

However, it is unlikely that drinking the snake's blood contributed to the man's death, as snake blood does not contain the toxins found in their venom. Most likely it was the snakebite itself and failure to seek treatment that killed the "Cobra King," according to Oddity Central.

Burning down the house

(Image credit: WKRC)

There are a number of proven methods for safely ridding a house of bedbugs. Setting a fire is not one of them, but when a Cincinnati woman tackled a bedbug problem with rubbing alcohol on Dec. 8, she accidentally started a fire in her multi-family home, injuring three people and leaving 10 people homeless, WKRC Cincinnati reported.

This was the second such incident in Cincinnati in two weeks  on Nov. 28, a teenager also inadvertently started a fire in his apartment after trying to kill a bedbug with alcohol. The district fire chief had three words of advice for people tempted to rid themselves of bedbugs with fire: "Get a professional," according to Ohio news outlet FOX19.
Dogs can be trained to be cancer-sniffing wizards, using their sensitive noses to detect cancerous fumes wafting from diseased cells. This sniffing is noninvasive and could help diagnose countless people, which begs the question: If these pups are so olfactorily astute, why aren't they screening people for cancer right now?

Here's the short answer: Dogs do well in engaging situations, such as helping law enforcement track scents or guiding search-and-rescue teams in disaster areas. But sniffing thousands of samples in which only a handful may be cancerous is challenging work with little positive reinforcement.

Moreover, it takes time and energy to train these pups, who, despite extensive preparation, still might miss a diagnosis if they're having a bad day, experts told Live Science. [20 Weird Dog and Cat Behaviors Explained by Science]

But that's not to say that dogs can't be helpful in the development of manmade screening tools that "smell" cancer. It's known that cancerous cells emit unique odors, but scientists have yet to identify the specific compounds responsible for these scents.

One way dogs might be able to help pinpoint cancer-specific odors is to give the dogs certain cancerous samples to sniff, and then slowly remove compounds from the sample. If the dog stops responding to the sample after several components are removed, "then you know you've taken out that component of the mixture that is specific to the cancer," said Dr. Hilary Brodie, a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of California, Davis. Researchers could then analyze these individual components and develop biochemical tests that could reliably screen patients, he said.

"There's lots that the dogs can do, but I don't think wholesale screening of the population is where it's heading," Brodie told Live Science.

Sharp smell

In 1989, the British journal The Lancet published the first dog-sniffing-out-cancer report. In a letter to the editor, two dermatologists described how a dog reportedly spent several minutes each day sniffing a colored lesion on its owner's thigh, and even tried to bite off the spot when she wore shorts. Concerned, the woman had doctors inspect the lesion, which turned out to be a malignant melanoma.

"This dog may have saved her owner's life by prompting her to seek treatment when the lesion was still at a thin and curable stage," the doctors wrote in the letter.

Other reports of dogs detecting malignant melanomas followed, but it wasn't until 2006 that high-quality, double-blinded studies were published, said Dr. Klaus Hackner, a pulmonary physician at Krems University Hospital, in Austria. (In the double-blinded studies, neither the dogs nor their handlers knew which samples were cancerous.)

Soon, there were countless studies showing that trained dogs could detect specific cancers by sniffing biological samples, such as a person's breath or urine. That's because cells, even cancerous ones, give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Each type of cancer likely has a distinct VOC, meaning it has a different odor compared with other cells, Hackner said.

Given that dogs have more than 220 million smell receptors in their noses, they're excellent animals for sniffing out disease, Hackner said. In comparison, humans have a "mere" 5 million smell receptors in their noses, he said. [Why Do Dogs Have Whiskers?]

Doggie difficulties

Most dogs can be trained to recognize the odor of a specific cancer in about 6 months, Hackner said. However, many studies had setups that work in laboratories, but not the real world: often, the dog would be given five samples that always had one cancerous specimen. In reality, depending on the type of cancer, a sniffer dog might find just four cancerous specimens out of a batch of 1,000, he said.

If neither the dog nor the handler knows which four out of those 1,000 samples are cancerous, the handler can't give the dog positive reinforcement when the dog picks the right specimen, Hackner said.

"I think this was one main point for why our study failed," said Hackner, whose 2016 work, which had a real-world-like setup, was published in the Journal of Breath Research. "We were not able to provide positive feedback because neither one knew in the screening situation if the dog was right or not. This was stressful for both the dogs and the handlers."

This situation could be remedied if there was always a planted cancerous sample in each set, so the dog could get a reward and wouldn't be bored after sniffing thousands of noncancerous samples from patients, he said.

Moving forward

But even if the setup could be changed to accommodate the dogs, it wouldn't be a realistic way to screen patients, Brodie said. It would take an immense amount of resources to train dogs to recognize the many types of cancer that can affect humans. In addition, while no test is perfect, at least doctors know how accurate different tests, such as mammograms, are, and at what rate they produce false positives and false negatives. But these rates would vary for each dog, Brodie said.

Moreover, dogs can get bored, hungry and "have bad days, just like you and I," Brodie said. "You'd have to be carefully monitoring their effectiveness throughout their cycles."

Rather, Brodie and Hackner envision dogs helping researchers create and refine biochemical "nose" machines, known as e-noses, that could "sniff" patients and deliver diagnoses, they said. These machines already exist for certain medical conditions, but could be made more sensitive and applicable to more diseases with the help of dogs, Brodie said. But the research isn't there yet, he noted.

In one project, Brodie and his colleagues were studying whether dogs could detect volatile organic compounds from head and neck cancer patients by smelling the breath patients had exhaled into a container. But the researchers put the project on hold after the dog trainer began broadcasting that her dogs could sniff out cancer.

"We didn't want to be affiliated with that," Brodie said. "We wanted to prove that they're detecting it, not state that they're detecting it and then prove it. You've got to do the science first. This is not even close to or near prime time."

Original article on Live Science.
An artist's illustration of the "Halloween Asteroid" 2015 TB145, which looks much like a skull from certain angles. The asteroid flew harmlessly by Earth on Oct. 31, 2015 and will return in November 2018.

Astronomers will soon get another look at the big, ghoulishly weird space rock that buzzed Earth on Halloween three years ago.

The roughly 2,100-foot-wide (640 meters) Halloween asteroid 2015 TB145 gave Earth a close shave on Oct. 31, 2015, coming within just 300,000 miles (480,000 kilometers) of our planet. (For perspective, the moon orbits at an average distance of about 239,000 miles, or 384,600 km.)

A Halloween flyby was quite appropriate, it turned out: Observations made at the time by a variety of instruments revealed that 2015 TB145 looks like an enormous skull, at least from some angles. [These Scary Things In Space Will Haunt Your Dreams (Photos)]

Astronomers also determined that the asteroid likely completes one rotation every 2.94 hours and that it reflects just 5 or 6 percent of the sunlight that hits it.

This image of asteroid 2015 TB145 was generated using radar data collected by the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. (Image credit: NAIC-Arecibo/NSF)

"This means that it is very dark, only slightly more reflective than charcoal," Pablo Santos-Sanz, an astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia in Spain, said in a statement today (Dec. 20). He co-authored a study about 2015 TB145's characteristics that was published in February 2017 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

The asteroid may actually be an extinct comet that has lost its water and other volatile materials after many laps around the sun, researchers have said. Each of those laps takes 3.04 Earth years  which means 2015 TB145 will make another swing by our planet in mid-November 2018.

This next flyby won't be nearly as dramatic as the last one; the asteroid will zoom past at about 105 Earth-moon distances. But Santos-Sanz and other researchers are still looking forward to it.

"Although this approach shall not be so favorable, we will be able to obtain new data which could help improve our knowledge of this mass and other similar masses that come close to our planet," Santos-Sanz said in the statement.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

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Here are the top 10 strangest science stories that we covered here at Live Science in 2017.

Two-headed flatworm

An amputated flatworm fragment sent to space regenerated into a double-headed worm, a rare spontaneous occurrence of double-headedness. (Image credit: Junji Morokuma/Allen Discovery Center/Tufts University)

After visiting outer space and returning to Earth, some flatworms (Dugesia japonica) underwent some drastic changes. One sprouted two heads  one at each end of its body. Others reacted differently to water (at least initially) and had different microbial communities compared with flatworms that had never traveled to space.

This finding shows that microgravity can have some unexpected effects on our wormy friends, and can offer insights into how biological systems in living creatures interact with gravity and the geomagnetic field. [Read more about the space-y flatworms]

From fatberg to fuel

Whats as hard as cement and is currently blocking 820 feet of sewer network in the U.K.? A disgusting mass of solid waste called a "fatberg." (Image credit: Thames Water)

We're all familiar with the term iceberg. Now imagine a "fatberg," a massive clump of kitchen oils, diapers and other flushed garbage that was plugging up a London sewer. At first, U.K. authorities weren't sure what to do with the fatberg, but in the end they announced it would be extracted and turned into biodiesel.

Biodiesels burn more cleanly than fossil fuels. The U.K. fatberg is expected to produce more than 2,000 gallons (7,500 liters) of fuel. [Read more about converting a fatberg into biodiesel]

Fierce female

Illustration by Evald Hansen based on the original plan of grave Bj 581 by excavator Hjalmar Stolpe; published in 1889 (Stolpe, 1889) (Image credit: Evald Hansen/American Journal of Physical Anthropology)

A Viking warrior buried with warlike accessories, such as arrows and swords, isn't a male, as scientists previously thought. The warrior is a woman, a new DNA analysis found.

The warrior's remains were found on the island of Bjorko, in Sweden. The discovery raises questions about the role of women in Viking society. [Read more about female Viking warrior]

Mystery blobs

These giant, jelly-like spheres have been spotted in shallow waters off western Norway. (Image credit: Ronni B Bekkemellem)

Scientists are scratching their heads in regard to the giant, jelly-like blobs that were spotted off the western coast of Norway. It's unclear if the translucent orbs are an egg mass, perhaps from a squid, or something else entirely.

The water blobs measure about 3.3 feet (1 meter) across, but need to be studied further to be labeled with certainty. [Read more about the mystery blobs]

Chimp maternity leave

Devota's next infant, born in 2016. (Image credit: Michio Nakamura)

Moments after a wild female chimpanzee gave birth, a male chimp stole her infant and cannibalized it. This disturbing event may help explain why many female chimps temporarily leave the group when they're about to give birth, giving themselves a type of "maternity leave."

The next time the female gave birth, she went on maternity leave, and was able to successfully deliver her infant. [Read more about chimp maternity leave]

Moscow mule

(Image credit: Elena Veselova/Shutterstock)

It may sound strange, but there's a scientific reason why people shouldn't drink Moscow mules in copper-lined mugs. The cocktail is a mix of vodka, squeezed limes, ginger beer and ice cubes, which results in an acidic drink with a low pH.

If a Moscow mule or any other acidic drink is served in a copper-lined cup, the copper could leach into the drink, potentially leading to copper poisoning, according to a new advisory released by Iowa's Alcoholic Beverages Division. [Read the full story about the Moscow mule advisory]

Deepest-living predator

Lizard fish got their names because they bear a resemblance to lizards. (Image credit: Asher Flatt/NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub/CSIRO)

Deep-sea fish often look strange to humans, who rarely get a glimpse of these marvels. This includes the toothy lizard fish (Bathysaurus ferox), a fish that was mistakenly caught in fishermen's nets off the coast of eastern Australia.

Lizard fish are named because they have lizard-like faces. These lie-and-wait predators bury themselves in sediment on the ocean's floor and wait for prey approach so they can ambush them.

Some lizard fish can glow, but it's unclear whether B. ferox has that ability. [Read more about the deepest-living predator]

Secret subatomic event

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The public almost didn't learn about a subatomic event because two physicists were worried it was too dangerous to reveal.

The discovery was indeed explosive. The two scientists showed that two tiny particles  called bottom quarks  could theoretically fuse together in a powerful flash.

This flash would lead to three things: to a larger subatomic particle, a spare particle called a nucleon and a giant mess of energy released into the universe. This "quarksplosion" would be more powerful than the nuclear fusion reactions that take place in the cores of hydrogen bombs, they found. [Read more about the now not-so secret discovery]

Volcanic doom

Dense clouds of ash and gasses expelled by the eruption of a volcano  such as Indonesia's Mount Bromo, shown here in 2010  can affect temperature and weather, sometimes for years. (Image credit: Putu Artana/Shutterstock)

A volcanic eruption might have doomed an ancient Egyptian dynasty, according to a study by climate researchers.

The aerosols released by a volcanic eruption  even one that was far away from Egypt  could have disrupted weather patterns, including the monsoons in Egypt. A drier monsoon season may have reduced Nile flooding, leading to fewer crops and famine, which could have sparked political unrest during the Ptolemaic dynasty. [Read More About the Dynasty-Dooming Volcanoes]

Killing neurons

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

It may sound strange, but when humans learn, the brain grows new cells and then quickly kills some of them off in a type of neuron slaughter.

This idea was put forth in 2017 as a way to explain why the brain swells and shrinks when it learns. The killing of neurons isn't as ghastly as it sounds, however. The brain is simply getting rid of cells it deems nonessential in retaining the new knowledge. [Read more about neural pruning]

Want to learn about more weird science news? Check out our "Strange News" stories on Live Science!
The seven candles  three red, three green and one black  represent the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday that celebrates African heritage and identity. The name comes from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which translates to "first fruits," and the holiday is based on traditional African harvest festivals. Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday, created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor and department chair at California State University, Long Beach. It is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, according to OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org, "thus available to and practiced by Africans of all religious faiths who come together based on the rich, ancient and varied common ground of their Africanness."

Kwanzaa is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The seven days correspond to the Seven Principles, or Nguzo Saba. Seven candles are lighted during Kwanzaa, and seven symbols are placed around the home.

Seven symbolic days

Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days to emphasize the Nguzo Saba and to celebrate family, community and culture.

The Nguzo Saba are common among many African cultures, according to Dawn Hicks Tafari, a professor at Winston-Salem State University and co-founder of the Greensboro Kwanzaa Collective, which organizes the city's celebration. The Seven Principles "help people of African decent focus on ways to reinvigorate pride in and celebrate African culture by acknowledging our connection to African cultures and traditions."

The Nguzo Saba are:

umoja (unity)  to strive for and maintain unity within the family, community, nation and race

kujichagulia (self-determination)  to define, create and speak for ourselves

ujima (collective work and responsibility)  to build and maintain community and to solve the community problems together

ujamaa (cooperative economics)  to build and maintain businesses and profit from them together as a community

nia (purpose)  to build and develop the community in order to restore the members to their traditional greatness

kuumba (creativity)  to do as much as possible to leave the community better, more beautiful, and beneficial than initially inherited

imani (faith)  to completely believe in the people within the community, parents, teachers and leaders, and the righteousness and victory of the struggle

The seven Kwanzaa symbols that are placed around the home represent African cultural values that contribute to community building and reinforcement. According to Tafari, they are:

mkeka  a woven placemat put on the table to represent the foundation of a strong family

kinara  a candleholder with places for seven candles that represent parents

mishumaa saba  seven candles (three red symbolizing struggle, three green symbolizing the future, and one black candle symbolizing the African people) that are placed in the kinara to represent the Nguzo Saba

kikombe cha umoja  a unity cup that is used to pour libation, or a drink typically poured as an offering to a spirit or god or in memory of a loved one who has died

vibunzi  an ear of corn representing each child in the family

mazao  a bowl of fruits and vegetables to represent the harvest

zawadi  gifts to children for keeping their promises throughout the year, typically a book and a heritage symbol

Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in their own way, according to History.com, but celebrations often include dances, singing, storytelling, poetry reading and a large traditional meal.

Tafari said she and her family celebrate Kwanzaa by decorating their home with crafts made by her children and by laying the seven symbols on their table. Each night, Tafari's family gathers around their display, prays, pours libation, lights the candle of the day, discusses what the principles of Kwanzaa mean to them, and how they have demonstrated the principles throughout the year and how to improve in the following year. Afterwards, they enjoy African drumming, dance, tell stories, and create crafts.

Friends are often invited on the final night of Kwanzaa to share in a karamu, or feast. "We always had such a wonderful time during out home Kwanzaa celebrations," Tafari told Live Science. "However, during our 2009 celebration, we noticed that more and more people were beginning to celebrate with us, and the celebration was out-growing our home." The result was Tafari and her family partnering with two other families in the area to start the Greensboro Kwanzaa Collective, a seven-day, citywide celebration that offers a fun, educational, and culturally enriching experience to all families.

The meaning behind Kwanzaa

Tafari said Karenga created Kwanzaa during the height of the civil rights movement in response to the social and political climate. "Black people were struggling for equal rights  freedom from oppression, and relief from systematic injustices that robbed us of our ability to live lives filled with joy, pride, and self-expression."

Kwanzaa is a time, according to Tafari, to remember that the history of African-Americans does not begin with the slave trade, but dates back much further.

The philosophy of Kawaida, according to a 2007 article by Karenga, which also came out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, is incorporated into the meaning behind Kwanzaa. Kawaida, according to the article, is a philosophy "dedicated to cultural revolution, radical social change, and bringing good in the world." It is based on aspects of various African cultures as a basis for bringing community members together against the struggle for equality during a time of turmoil.

Kwanzaa, according to the African Studies Center at University of Pennsylvania, may have been created to counter the commercialism of Christmas, and it shares similarities with holidays such as Thanksgiving and the Yam Festival of Ghana and Nigerian. However, Kwanzaa is not meant to be a replacement for Christmas, Hanukkah or any other religious-based holidays  it can be celebrated in conjunction with any of them, according to OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org.

Additional resources
Almost all of the old Warkworth Primary School buildings will be demolished when the $13 million redevelopment of the senior campus announced in March, takes place next year.

It had initially been hoped that the original front facade of the school could be retained, but the high cost of remodelling and extending the buildings, plus the presence of high levels of asbestos, have made this unworkable, principal Cynthia Holden says.

Instead, the 10 existing classrooms, administration area and the old school dental clinic will be demolished, and a new two-storey block with 14 teaching spaces, t...
Local News, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 22 2017

Executive Order Authorizes Localities to Issue Warrants for the Collection of Early Tax Payments.

Albany, NY - December 22, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today issued an emergency Executive Order to help protect property owners in New York from the devastating impact of the GOP tax bill. This order authorizes local governments to immediately issue tax warrants for the collection of 2018 property tax payments and allows property owners to pay at least a portion of their bill before the end of the year and under the current tax construct. The Governor directed the Department of Taxation and Finance to work with local governments to facilitate early tax collection.

The federal tax plan, signed into law today, caps the deductibility of state and local taxes at $10,000, effectively raising property taxes and reducing home values in New York and in states across the country.

"As Washington wages an all-out assault on this state and this nation, I have authorized local governments to allow property owners to pay part or all of their taxes early," Governor Cuomo said. "New York has made unprecedented progress reducing the burden of taxes on our middle-class families, and we will not allow this attack to roll back all that we have achieved. This Executive Order will allow property owners to deduct either part or the full amount of their payment from their federal taxes before the GOP tax bill goes into effect."

Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order #172 today, which includes two actions:

Authorizes Local Officials to Immediately Levy Taxes

The Governor authorized local governments to immediately issue warrants to levy property taxes by the end of the year. Officials should issue warrants for the collection of taxes and deliver them to the local tax collector immediately, and no later than 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 28, 2017.

This will allow New Yorkers to pay their property taxes for 2018 in the 2017 calendar year and allow localities to accept advance payment so that property owners can deduct the full amount of their payment at the federal level.

Allows Taxpayers to Make Partial Payments Early

The EO will also suspend local laws limiting the ability of taxpayers to make partial payment of property taxes until the end of the year. Since many taxpayers do not yet know the exact amount of their bill, this will allow for a portion of taxes to be paid early and under the current federal tax law.

Each local tax collector is now authorized and directed to accept partial payments of warranted taxes from property owners until the close of business on Friday, December 29, 2017. Online payments can be made until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 31, 2017, and payments made by mail that are postmarked on or before December 31, 2017 are authorized.

New York State Budget Director Robert Mujica said, "For those local government and school districts able to issue their warrants before the end of the year, we encourage them to do so. We understand that for some, it would not be feasible nor practical."

New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario said, "We commend Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for using his executive authority to provide options for homeowners in New York to prepay their 2018 property taxes. Due to the end of year time frame, this action is necessary to provide local authority to receive the taxes for payment in 2017."
Local News, Crime

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 22 2017

The subject is described as a male wearing a dark mask and dark gloves, according to reports.

NCPD reports on a Robbery that occurred on Wednesday, December 20, in Hicksville.

Hicksville, NY - December 22, 2017 - The Second Squad reports the details of a Robbery that occurred on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 10:38 p.m. in The Second Squad reports the details of a Robbery that occurred on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 10:38 p.m. in Hicksville

According to detectives, an unknown male subject entered the Citgo Gas Station store located at 400 South Broadway and threatened a male, 56, gas station employee by displaying a knife. The subject took an undetermined amount of US currency from the register and fled northbound on foot on South Broadway. No injuries were reported.

The subject is described as a male wearing a dark mask and dark gloves. No further description of the subject is available.
by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, December 22, 2017

Determining the top story in the TV business this year was quite possibly the easiest assignment I've ever had. Wanna take a wild guess at it before reading on?

It is sex harassment in the TV business, of course. The continuing saga of men in high places in the TV business making inappropriate overtures (and in some cases, lunges) at women in their workplaces was a story without end in 2017.

The tsunami of stories about sex harassment in the TV business was so overwhelming that at times, the individual stories that broke every few weeks and days over the past year eventually lost their ability to shock.

It was shocking to come upon the Charlie Rose story when it broke on November 20. But just nine days later came the news about Matt Lauer. After that, all bets were off.

And these stories came near the tail end of a year in which stories like them in the TV business were never-ending. Remember Bill OReilly? He was once one of the top stars in the TV news business too. He was cashiered at Fox News Channel all the way back in April.

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His former boss, Roger Ailes, was a sex-harassment casualty long before that -- losing his job in 2016. He died this year, though, about a month after OReilly was fired.

There were so many others this year in the TV business -- so many accused, so many statements of apology and regret, and so many firings and dramatic severings of relationships: Mario Batali, Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Tambor, former Saturday Night Live writer Al Franken  and the list goes on and on.

Will it continue to go on in the coming year? Probably.

The other stories that made news in the TV business in 2017 seem trite by comparison, although in any other year, they would glow with importance.

One of them was Stephen Colberts ascendance to the top spot in the late-night wars. Colberts rise in the ratings to surpass NBCs dopey also-ran Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show was shrewdly done -- applying Colbert's skill at political satire (honed for years at Comedy Central) to skewering President Trump every night on his CBS Late Show.

Colbert appears to have provided CBS with a supremacy in late-night that it never really had before.

David Letterman enjoyed top-ranked status for a time after he launched the CBS Late Show in 1993. But Jay Leno overtook him in 1995 and kept The Tonight Show in the No. 1 spot, where it had traditionally resided for decades under Johnny Carson.

Colbert's reign, however, feels like it has staying power -- at least for the duration of the Trump administration.

Elsewhere in the TV business this year, big stories were few and far between. The year was barely three days old last January when NBC announced its sensational new hire -- Megyn Kelly, lured from her prime-time perch at Fox News Channel to take over an hour of The Today Show at 9 a.m. weekdays on NBC.

So Kelly became a network-newsperson, as opposed to a cable newsperson, and for all intents and purposes, dropped off the pop-culture radar. She is making millions, however, and working days instead of nights, so that must count for something.

It was a year of merger deals. The Discovery networks linked up with Scripps -- joining TLC and Discovery Channel with HGTV and the Food Network under one umbrella. And Home Shopping Network merged with QVC.

In the year's most surprising deal, Rupert Murdoch agreed to sell substantial assets of 21st Century Fox to Disney, leaving Murdoch and his sons with a much smaller Fox company.

Earlier in the year, the term memo-gate was created when Steve Harvey made news with an interoffice memo in which he begged underlings to stop waylaying him for autographs and selfies. When the memo went public, he was derided for behaving like a monarch who forbade his subjects from looking him in the eye.

The TV Blog flew to his defense, but received no thank you note -- a mini-scandal that came to be known as thank you-note-gate.

In general, commercial-supported TV -- particularly on basic cable -- continued to struggle. The search for real hit shows with the power to engage was largely unsuccessful.

Television didn't die, however, although the pairing of Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on ABC's Live! looked like it would provide the medium's final death blow.

Donald Trump continued to be the biggest topic for TV news and satire. Here at the TV Blog, our opinions on this were decidedly mixed.

A blog posted here last January 31 had this headline: All Trump All The Time Is Making TV Unwatchable. By October 26, however, another blog had this headline: How Trump Is Making TV Great Again. Make sense? You decide!
by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, December 22, 2017

Google's latest video series focuses on helping webmasters and search engine optimization professionals with short answers to their webmaster and SEO questions.

The series, available on YouTube, already has six short videos, each several minutes in length.

While the short-form format intended to educate the SEO community provides quick snippets of insights, it's not much different from Mueller's weekly series, the Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout, where he typically is joined by search experts via video to discuss pressing topics.

Webmaster Central brings in SEO professionals from around the world. The format is a little more relaxed, and it runs live. Both are intended to educate search marketers and webmasters.

This past week, Mueller invited guests -- such as Chris from eBay and Veronica from the publishing house, Ringier -- to his location in Zurich and streamed the discussion live.

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During the hangout, Mueller discussed Google's move to the mobile-first index. He said that as engineers continue testing the transition they are finding that responsive sites have less of a challenge -- "you don't really notice any big difference. We just crawl with the mobile user agent and the responsive site has the same content. And that's how you would recognize it in the log files."

Mueller said the desktop bot is crawling about 80% of the sites, and the mobile bot about 20%. Eventually, most of the crawling will be done with the mobile bot and less with the desktop. Google expects to put up a blog post by the end of 2017, noting some of the changes that could be done.

"It's trickier with websites that use separate mobile URLs," he said.

Things like the interlinking within the mobile pages should be with the mobile pages and the structured data URLs should point to the mobile pages, he said. The hreflang links should be within the mobile pages, so each type of site is linked together, he said.

Happy Holidays!
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, December 22, 2017

Interpublic Groups The Martin Agency is ending the year on a high note. It got word this week it has been selected as Virginia Tourisms new agency of record.

Word of the win comes as the agency is emerging from a sex-harassment scandal involving its former longtime Chief Creative Officer Joe Alexander, who was shown the door at the end of last month. The scandal also brought down the agencys CEO Matt Williams, who was replaced by Kristen Cavallo last week.

The appointment marks a return of the account to the agency, which nearly 50 years ago created the iconic Virginia Is For Lovers brand identity. The recent incumbent was Virginia Beach-based BCF.

In August, Martin made headlines for helping to rally the state after violence stemming from a white supremacist protest march in Charlottesville resulted in the homicidal death of a counter-protester. Working with the tourism group, it quickly created the Virginia Is For Everyone variation on the traditional slogan to reinforce a message of tolerance.

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The agency also added the hashtag #standforlove.

The assignment takes effect January 1, 2018 and covers both creative and media. Virginia Tourism issued an RFP earlier this year. The new contract has an initial 18-month term with a series of one-year renewal options. Compensation spelled out in the RFP includes a $35,000 monthly retainer fee for creative services and a $15,000 monthly retainer for media services.

Virginia Tourism spent a little more than $3 million on measured media in the U.S. in 2016, according to Kantar Media.

The organization issued this statement: Virginia Tourism Corporation has selected the Martin Agency as our Advertising Agency of Record after an extensive and thorough RFP process. As we look to the future, we are delighted to be partnering once again with the agency responsible for creating the iconic and beloved 'Virginia is for Lovers' slogan nearly 50 years ago  one that we still use today to promote the Commonwealth as a premier travel destination in the world. 
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 22, 2017

When Comcast merged with NBC Universal in 2011, the company agreed to conditions aimed at preventing anti-competitive conduct -- including a requirement to make programming available to over-the-top providers -- through at least September 2018.

Now, the advocacy group Public Knowledge is asking the Justice Department to examine Comcast's compliance with the terms and either renew the original conditions, impose even tougher ones, or order divestitures.

"The dangers the consent decree was intended to remedy remain in place today," Public Knowledge senior counsel John Bergmayer writes in a letter to Assistant Attorney General Makam Delrahim. "Comcast has both the incentive and ability to withhold programming from distribution rivals (or raise their costs), and the incentive and ability to favor its own programming over that of programming rivals."

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Bergmayer adds in a statement that consumers now have options to eschew cable video packages in favor of over-the-top services, but that providers like Comcast have the "incentive and ability" to hinder consumers from cutting the cable cord.

"Conditions designed to remedy harms that were apparent in 2011 should be renewed if those harms are still apparent in 2018, and remain in place until the harms subside," Bergmayer writes to DOJ. "Alternatively, if the Department finds that the consent decrees behavioral remedies were not effective, it should seek to reopen the decree and pursue structural remedies, e.g., divestitures."

Public Knowledge's letter comes one week after Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) also asked the Justice Department to investigate Comcast, with an eye toward retaining or expanding the merger conditions.

Blumenthal added that the recent decision by the government to block AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner shows that Comcast's merger with NBC Universal requires further scrutiny.

His letter, sent one day before the FCC voted to repeal the net neutrality regulations, warned that the absence of open Internet rules would allow Comcast to hinder online rivals. "Without rules to protect consumers and govern how internet providers treat their competitors, Comcast-NBCU will be free to discriminate against online rivals -- which is exactly what DOJ is trying to avoid and what the merger conditions are designed to address," he wrote.

Comcast says there's no "credible basis" to extend or modify the merger conditions. "For nearly seven years, Comcast has met or exceeded all of the commitments and obligations under the NBCUniversal transaction," the company stated. "All of the market segments in which we do business are more robust and more competitive now than they were before our NBCUniversal transaction, including the explosive growth of online video distributors, which Comcast-NBCUniversal has significantly fostered through hundreds of OVD content licenses, substantial broadband investment and expansion, and inclusion of OVDs like Netflix, You Tube, and Sling TV on our innovative X1 platform."
Conduct disorder is a mental health condition characterized by a behavioral pattern in which the child breaks age-appropriate social norms and rules. The condition affects children and adolescents. Along with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder is considered a disruptive behavior disorder and it is one of the most common mental health disorders diagnosed in young people. Young people with this condition can be cruel and violent towards others, including pets and other animals. They may be destructive, breaking and damaging property. The behavior associated with conduct disorder is not limited to occasional outbursts. It is consistent and repetitive, occurring frequently enough that it interferes with the childs education, family life, and social life. Fast facts on conduct disorder: Conduct disorder can develop before age 10, or during teen years, and is more common in boys than girls.

One out of four children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is at risk of developing conduct disorder.

Up to 45 percent of teenagers with ADHD display conduct disorder behaviors.

A child or adolescent with the condition requires proper diagnosis and medical treatment.

Symptoms Share on Pinterest Young people with conduct disorder can be cruel and aggressive towards others. One of the key characteristics of conduct disorder is frequently aggressive, antisocial behavior that goes beyond what is common for a child or adolescent of that age. A person with conduct disorder may also be driven by a need to dominate other people through acts of aggression or intimidation. An individual with conduct disorder may appear to disregard the accepted standards of behavior, as well as the feelings of others. Emotional symptoms of conduct disorder include: Lack of remorse : This may appear as an inability to feel guilty about doing something wrong, a failure to feel bad about hurting someone, or indifference to punishment for breaking the rules.

: This may appear as an inability to feel guilty about doing something wrong, a failure to feel bad about hurting someone, or indifference to punishment for breaking the rules. Lack of empathy : They may disregard the feelings of others and appear cold, callous, or uncaring.

: They may disregard the feelings of others and appear cold, callous, or uncaring. Disregards expectations : The individual may not care about performing well in school or other activities. They may seem to ignore others expectations of them, even if they are given clear tasks.

: The individual may not care about performing well in school or other activities. They may seem to ignore others expectations of them, even if they are given clear tasks. Lack of emotional expression: The individual may not display any emotions. They may appear shallow or superficial or may seem to be able to turn emotions on and off at will. When they do show emotion, they may use their emotional response to manipulate others. Behaviors or actions an individual with conduct disorder may display include: breaking rules at home and school

bullying

vandalism

getting into fights

stealing

breaking & entering

lying or being deceitful

manipulating others

skipping school

running away from home

cruelty to animals When young children develop conduct disorder, the first signs are often biting and hitting. In older children and teenagers, symptoms may develop into lying, stealing, fighting (sometimes with weapons), property damage, and sexual coercion. Individuals with conduct disorder may have difficulty reading social cues, which can lead to further aggression. They may be more likely to assume that someone elses behavior is more hostile than it is. When they respond to this perceived hostility, they may add tension to a situation and create conflict. Conduct disorder frequently co-exists with other conditions, including: ADHD

oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)

anxiety

depression

bipolar disorder

substance abuse

Treatment Share on Pinterest Family therapy has proved effective for conduct disorder. A young person with conduct disorder may be perceived as a juvenile delinquent, rather than an individual with a mental health condition. Treating conduct disorder solely as a discipline problem is rarely effective. The key to effective treatment of conduct disorder is early intervention. Doctors and caregivers should also be sure to address all the aspects of an individuals life that are affected by the problematic behavior, including home, school, social situations, and the community. Family therapy, multi-systemic therapy, and cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) have been found to be an effective treatment for conduct disorder. Multi-systemic therapy is a comprehensive approach, meaning that the child or teenager receives treatment in multiple situations, including their home and school. Parent training can help family members develop effective tools for dealing with conduct disorder by showing them how to establish clear limits, encourage positive actions, and discourage disruptive behavior. Research has documented the long-term effectiveness of parent training techniques. As conduct disorder often develops at the same time as other conditions, such as ADHD, treatment will be more effective if it addresses all the health issues a person is facing.

Causes There is no direct cause of conduct disorder, but researchers think it is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors. Children have an increased risk of developing conduct disorder if one of their parents or a sibling has it. Research also suggests that there may be a genetic link for an increased risk of conduct disorder and ADHD. A child may also have an increased risk of conduct disorder if one or more parent or caregiver has depression, schizophrenia, a personality disorder, or an alcohol addiction. Children who have suffered abuse, parental rejection, or neglect may also be more likely to develop conduct disorder. Living in a low-income or disadvantaged area can also increase a childs risk of developing conduct disorder. Some researchers theorize that this is due to the effects of economic, social, and emotional instability. The researchers state that disadvantaged parents or caregivers may lack the skills needed to intervene in problematic behaviors or early signs of conduct disorder. They recommend establishing parent training programs as a preventative measure. Research suggests that children or adolescents that experience ADHD, as well as conduct disorder, may have neurological conditions that make it difficult for them to express themselves in words or exercise self-control.

Diagnosis Share on Pinterest A quarter of those diagnosed with ADHD are at risk of developing conduct disorder. Only a mental health professional with expertise in childrens mental health can make a diagnosis of conduct disorder. The steps involved in diagnosis include: taking a complete social and medical history of the child and the family

interviewing and observing the child

interviewing the family

doing standardized tests

examining the socio-economic context of the childs behavior It is important to note that almost all children will, at some point in their lives, behave in ways that are disruptive and even dangerous. As children come to understand the effects of their behavior at school and in the family, they will all experience episodes of disruptive behavior. These temporary episodes are normal during a persons development. However, symptoms of a mental health condition, such as conduct disorder, are persistent, consistent, frequent, and repetitive.

In adults If conduct disorder persists into adulthood, it can become increasingly problematic. Adults who have conduct disorder may have difficulty holding down a job or maintaining relationships and may become prone to illegal or dangerous behavior. Symptoms of conduct disorder in an adult may be diagnosed as adult antisocial personality disorder.
Researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada suggest that an antidepressant called clomipramine should be explored as a treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis, a less common form of the neurological disease, for which there are hardly any effective medications. Share on Pinterest Could clomipramine work against progressive forms of MS? In a paper published in Nature Communications, they describe how they came to this conclusion after selecting 1,040 generic drugs, screening the most promising candidates in cell cultures to yield clomipramine, and testing it in mice. Many experts believe that multiple sclerosis (MS) is a type of autoimmune disease that develops because the immune system mistakes tissue in the central nervous system  which consists of the brain and spinal cord  as a threat and attacks it. In those with MS, the immune system attacks myelin, or the fatty layer that surrounds and protects axons. Axons are fibers that link nerve cells to one another and carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body, such as the muscles, eyes, ears, and mouth. As myelin degrades, it exposes the axons and weakens the signals that they carry. The symptoms of MS vary widely, with some experiencing just a few and others experiencing many, and severity can also vary. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, muscle weakness, visual disturbance, difficulty with balance and coordination, pain, numbness and prickling sensations, speech impediments, dizziness, tremors, and hearing loss. MS can also cause depression and problems with memory, attention, concentration, thinking, and decision-making. Official estimates suggest that around 2.5 million people worldwide have MS, including 300,000400,000 in the United States. But new research, which is to be reviewed in 2018, claims that the number of people with MS in the U.S. is closer to 1 million.

Relapsing-remitting and progressive MS There are two main MS types: relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS). People with RRMS experience unpredictable flare-ups of symptoms  such as visual impairment, numbness, or paralysis  that then subside. Around 85 percent of people with MS have RRMS. However, in the majority of cases, after around 1520 years, most people with RRMS develop secondary progression, in which the symptoms gradually get worse. In PPMS, which affects around 10 percent of people with MS, the disease is progressive from the start, without any relapses. Scientists are now discovering some key differences between RRMS and PPMS that could be important when making decisions about treatment. The mechanisms causing damage in progressive MS, says first study author Dr. Simon Faissner, are not always the same as in relapsing-remitting MS. This is why the latter requires different therapeutic approaches. For example, in PPMS, there is much less inflammation of myelin, and people with this form of MS have fewer brain lesions or plaques than people with RRMS. These differences make it difficult to diagnose and treat PPMS. Another difference is that in RRMS, two to three times more women are affected than men, while in PPMS, the number of men and women affected is about the same. There are also other differences, including differences in age of onset and severity of symptoms.
It took everything 'The Force' has to make me watch this movie. After sitting through 2 hours and 33 minutes of agony and a few entertaining trailers for movies which seemed like much more fun, the only thing I can say is, a literal fight between stars would have been more entertaining.

Okay, that's perhaps a bit too harsh. There are some memorable space battle scenes in the movie. But, is there anything in this movie that makes it different from being a rehash of 'The Empire Strikes Back?' I really didn't find anything. Here are 4 reasons why you just shouldn't bother wasting your time or money watching 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi':

Character Growth

When you have a trilogy, you'd expect the main character(s) to grow as the series progresses, right? But, what do you see Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo/Ben (Adam Driver) do throughout the movie? The same stuff they did in the Force Awakens.

 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Okay, they do find different ways of doing it, but they're still stuck in the same rut. Remember how they stretched out 'The Hobbit' into 3 movies? Looks like they're doing the same thing here.

 Lucasfilm Ltd.

But, to give credit where credit's due, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) have pretty decent character growth in this movie.

Lightsabers

When you're going to watch 'Star Wars', you want to see tons of lightsaber action, right? 'Rogue One' barely had any lightsabers but then they gave us an epic minute or so of Darth Vader slaughtering rebels and all was forgiven.

 Lucasfilm Ltd.

If the same happened here, if Luke stood up to a battalion of First Order troops and 'Forced' the shit out of them, all would have been forgiven. Instead, we get some poorly choreographed battles that probably had George Lucas dreading his decision of selling to Disney.

Porgs

This is actually one of the few things that the movie has going for it. So, why is it one of the reasons not to watch 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi?' Well, when one of the main reasons to watch a movie about space battles looks like this

 Lucasfilm Ltd.

It's not great news now is it?

(The next point contains spoilers so if you want to see the movie first, go and do that before reading any further.)

Skywalker

The original trilogy focused on Luke Skywalker. The prequels focused on Anakin Skywalker. This trilogy focuses on 'Rey from nowhere'. While this would have been fine if Rey was a flawed character or a character who we could grow with. But, when you're so deep into Star Wars, there are hardly any secrets left. We loved Luke even more when we learnt that Darth Vader was his father. We didn't really care for Rey much when we learnt her parents were nobodies.

 Lucasfilm Ltd.

The Skywalker name is synonymous with Star Wars. Where are they now? Thanking their lucky stars they don't have anything to do with this new trilogy anymore. But, you don't have to take our word for it.

Here's Mark Hamill talking about how disappointed he is with the new Luke Skywalker:

I'm not necessarily saying that this is a bad movie. It's a good movie. Critics seem to love it too. But, is it a Star Wars movie? Of course not! Just ask any hardcore Star Wars fanboy what they thought of the movie. In fact, they hated the movie so much someone actually started a petition to get it remade.

 Lucasfilm Ltd.

The petition has since been removed but it had more than 45,000 signatures before that happened. As for Disney, they've already earned well over $500 million from the movie within a week so I don't think they're going to be phased by what I have to say anyway.
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Officials say the device was known as an "unexploded ordnance," or an explosive weapon that did not explode and still posed a...
A 20-year-old soldier with the 1st Armored Division has died in Iraq in a "non-combat incident," the Defense Department announced Friday.

In a release, the DoD identified the soldier as Spc. Avadon A. Chaves, 20, of Turlock, Calif. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, of the 1st Armored Division, at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Chaves died Dec. 20 at al-Asad in Iraq's Anbar province, about 100 miles west of Baghdad, while serving in Operation Inherent Resolve in support of the Iraqi Security Forces in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The DoD said the non-combat incident is under investigation.

Since 2011, at least 47 military personnel have died in Iraq and Syria in Operation Inherent Resolve, according to the Defense Department. Of those deaths, 13 were in combat and the rest were in non-hostile incidents. In addition, at least 58 were wounded.

According to his Facebook page, Chavez attended Pitman High School in Turlock and had recently been married.

In a statement, California Gov. Jerry Brown said Chaves "bravely gave his life in service to our state and nation," adding that the people of California "extend condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time."

Chaves' death comes after Iraqi President Haider al-Abadi declared earlier this month that Iraq has been liberated from ISIS and U.S. President Donald Trump said the terror group is on the verge of being destroyed in Iraq and Syria.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Some active-duty families and military retirees will be paying less than previously thought in the new year for doctor's appointments thanks to freshly recalculated rates from Tricare.

At issue is a series of major Tricare changes scheduled to hit Jan. 1, including a plan to charge flat fees to some users who see civilian providers rather than rates based on the current "percentage of allowable charge" system.

Another change moves users of the current Tricare Standard and Extra plans into a new plan, known as Tricare Select.

Officials announced early this fall that current Tricare Standard and Extra users will pay between $27 and $45 per primary and specialty care visit under the new Select plan, depending on whether they are active-duty families or retirees.

Instead, the new rates for active-duty families using the Select plan will be $21 per visit for in-network primary care and $31 for specialty care. Retirees will pay $28 for in-network primary care and $41 for specialty care.

The upcoming rates for emergency room visits, urgent care, ambulatory surgery and ambulance services also dropped by between $6 and $8 for users in both categories, as compared to the previously announced rates

Troops and future retirees who join the military after Jan. 1 will face a different set of fees mandated by Congress, as will current users of Tricare Reserve Select and Tricare Retired Reserve.

Tricare officials had said the previous flat rates were calculated based on a percentage of average out-of-pocket cost for each appointment from active-duty families and retiree users, respectively.

But when watchdogs with military and veteran service organizations pushed back with questions about which payments were included in the calculations, Tricare officials went back to the drawing board and produced new numbers.

The original calculation, officials with Tricare told Military.com on Friday, factored in users who paid nothing for doctor visits because they had reached their annual out-of-pocket max, known as a "catastrophic cap."

When officials removed those users and redid the math, the average cost per appointment went down, they said.

Other Tricare changes that start Jan. 1 include a change to the system's regional contractors and a shift from three Tricare regions to two.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
Air National Guard units in Wisconsin and Alabama have been chosen to receive the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the next few years.

The Air Force announced Thursday that Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison, Wisconsin, and Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Alabama, have been named as the preferred locations for the next two Air National Guard F-35A bases.

"As F-35As arrive at these locations, we will use the existing aircraft at these fields to replace the aging F-16s at other Air National Guard units," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in a release.

"Putting F-35s at these two Air National Guard bases continues our transition into the next generation of air superiority," added Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein.

Related content:

Even though fourth-generation fighters such as the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Fighting Falcon aren't going away anytime soon, the service anticipates the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 will become its dominant aircraft, the release said. The Air Force plans to buy 1,763 F-35s overall.

"Selecting Truax Field and Dannelly Field will increase Air National Guard F-35A units providing fifth-generation airpower around the world," Wilson said.

Dannelly Field -- home to the 187th Fighter Wing, the legacy unit for the Tuskegee Airmen "Red Tails" -- is expected to receive 18 aircraft, according to a statement from Rep. Martha Roby, a Republican representing Alabama's 2nd Congressional District.

"Landing this mission is a tremendous boost for the River Region community and the entire state. It could bring as many as 1,000 jobs, $70 million in upfront facility upgrades, and as much as $3 billion in capital investment in Montgomery," she said in a statement.

Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, said placing the F-35 at Truax Field will boost his state's military footprint and increase national security.

"The Air Force agrees that the great men and women of the Wisconsin Air National Guard are uniquely prepared to host the F-35," he said in a statement. Truax Field is home to the 115th Fighter Wing.

Last December, the service was weighing five Air National Guard bases to host the F-35s, including Dannelly Field; Gowen Field Air Guard Station in Boise, Idaho; Jacksonville Air Guard Station in Florida; Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Detroit; and Truax Air Guard Station.

It had previously selected three active-duty operational locations and one Air National Guard location to host F-35As: Hill Air Force Base, Utah; RAF Lakenheath, England; Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska; and Burlington Air Guard Station, Vermont.

The Air Force expects the F-35As to begin arriving at Truax Field in early 2023 and at Dannelly Field later that year, service officials said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Thursday the never-ending budget battles in Congress translate into more risk for the military.

"If you don't have the money, it slows things down -- just by definition, it slows things down. That's the real risk," said Shanahan, the No. 2 at the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

"The pace at which we would expect to bring on new capability gets retarded," and the pace at which "we could generate readiness gets delayed," he told Pentagon reporters.

In the current bout of brinkmanship in Congress, the Defense Department could end up having to file a proposed budget for 2019 before the defense budget for 2018 is finally passed and signed by President Donald Trump.

The DoD and the rest of government currently are working off a continuing resolution (CR) that keeps funding at 2017 levels until Congress can agree on a budget for 2018.

The CR expires at midnight Friday, but Shanahan said he expects a government shutdown to be avoided by Congress passing another CR to keep things running through Jan. 19.

Shanahan echoed Mattis and the service chiefs in warning of the long-term damage done by budget uncertainty.

"Let's say you're having to do more, but someone said, 'You have to operate at the budget you had last year.' You're just going to defer as many choices as you can, whether it's military construction, maintenance," he said.

"You just kick the can down the road on as many of those things" as possible, Shanahan said.

"If you don't have the money, you have to find a workaround. That's a fact of life. It's painful. You make mistakes," he said. "We're hoping that the [2018] budget comes out before the [2019] budget."

Earlier this month, Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] for 2018, which calls for nearly $700 billion in defense spending, including a 2.4 percent pay raise for the military.

However, the NDAA only set policy and has yet to have funding approved by the various appropriations committees.

On Capitol Hill on Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, was confident another CR would be passed to avoid a shutdown at midnight Friday and keep the government running through Jan. 19 at 2017 spending levels.

Ryan said the CR offered by Republicans is "clean," meaning it does not contain provisions that are contentious enough to threaten the bill's eventual passage.

"We're just bringing a clean -- what we call vanilla, CR -- no games, no sneaky things. Just a continuing resolution to get us through this moment to get us into next year," Ryan told CNBC.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The short-term funding bill signed Friday by President Donald Trump includes money for missile defense and fixes for the U.S. Navy destroyers damaged in collisions this summer, but nothing for dozens of new weapons programs proposed for 2018.

Before heading to his estate on Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, the president signed a tax overhaul bill as well as a stopgap spending bill known as a continuing resolution to keep the government running through Jan. 19.

The latter, H.R.1370, will keep funding at current levels for agencies but with the following exemptions for the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department:

$4 billion for missile defense programs at the Pentagon to combat the ballistic missile threat posed by North Korea, including $200 million to build a new missile field in Alaska;

$2.1 billion for the Veteran Affairs Department's Veterans Choice Program; and

$674 million for the Navy to repair the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald, both of which were damaged in separate collisions with commercial vessels in the Pacific this summer, resulting in the combined deaths of 17 sailors.

"We are ordering $4 billion worth of missile defense equipment and missiles," Trump said during a bill signing at the White House. "Very important. Top of the line. Best in the world. We make the best military product in the world, and nobody is even close."

The president added, "And so we're ordering $4 billion worth of missile defense, and that will be done by signing right here and also by notifying the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, designating the missile defense as emergency defense fund. So it's $4 billion for that and $700 million for various other military forms of equipment. And I'm very honored to be doing that. Our military has been doing a fantastic job in so many ways, with ISIS. And everything they're touching lately has been working out. So we're signing that."

North Korea repeatedly rattled the international community this year with a series of ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests that showed major advancements in military technology.

The regime of Kim Jong-un in September conducted an underground test of a thermonuclear weapon, or hydrogen bomb, designed for an intercontinental ballistic missile. The yield for the North's sixth and latest nuclear test was estimated at between 100 kilotons and 300 kilotons -- its largest to date and many times the destructive power of the atomic weapons the U.S. dropped on Japan during World War II.

The regime in November launched an ICBM that flew for 50 minutes and reached an altitude of more than 4,000 kilometers -- the longest and highest flight yet of any such test. The U.S. responded with show-of-force exercises with allies in the region, including South Korea and Japan.

The short-term budget bill, however, does nothing for dozens of new defense acquisition programs or others targeted for increased levels of funding.

While lawmakers passed a defense authorization bill setting policy for fiscal 2018, they were unable to agree on an accompanying spending bill for the Pentagon. Congress is set to resume debate on that issue, including lifting spending caps known as sequestration, after returning from the holiday break on Jan. 3.

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
At at a time when most people were shopping, preparing holiday feasts, and opening presents, these five heroes were dodging bullets and bombs while saving lives.

The Medal of Honor is the United States highest and most prestigious personal military decoration, and is bestowed to recognize U.S. military service members who distinguished themselves by acts of valor. The medal recipients profiled below received the Medal for their courageous feats during the holidays. Read on to learn about their remarkable stories.

He Ordered Mortar Fire on His Own Position

Peter J. Dalessandro, Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, was with the 1st Platoon holding an important road junction on high ground near Kalterherberg, Germany, on December 22 in 1944.

After successfully repelling an initial assault, Sgt. Dalessondro found himself in the face of imminent death once again as the enemy was advancing on his position. He rushed to his forward position and immediately called for mortar fire.

After exhausting his ammunition, he crawled 30 yards towards the advancing Nazi soldiers to secure a light machine-gun, and fired upon the enemy at almost point-blank range until the gun jammed.

He managed to get the gun to fire one more burst, which used up his last round, but with these bullets he killed four Nazi soldiers who were on the verge of shooting a medic and two wounded soldiers in a nearby foxhole.

As the Nazi hordes swarmed about him, he was last heard saying, OK, mortars, let me have itright in this position!

Sgt. Dalessandro was wounded, captured and held in a prisoner of war camp and was later released.

For his accomplishments, he became the second most-decorated veteran of WWII, with three purple hearts, two silver stars and one bronze star.

This Army Private Took Out Two Nazi Machine-gun Nests

On Christmas Day 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, Army Private Paul J. Wiedorfer charged 150 yards across a snow- and ice-covered field under the hail of enemy fire, single-handedly knocking out two Nazi machine gun nests and taking 24 prisoners--and in the process he went from private to sergeant and platoon leader in one day.

"Suddenly something popped into my mind. Something had to be done, and someone had to do it. And I just did it. I can't tell you why," Wiedorfer told the Baltimore Sun in 2008.

Wiedorfers courageous act took place during the campaign for Bastogne, Belgium, when his company was pinned down by enemy fire at the edge of a forest.

Near noon, Wiedorfer realized his platoon could not advance until the two German machine gun nests were destroyed. His 150-yard charge over a fresh 3-inch snowfall was made in a crouched position and in a hail of enemy gunfire.

He came within 10 yards of the first machine gun nest and hurled a grenade that instantly killed several Germans. Then he jumped into the hole of the crew that he had just knocked out, quickly turned and emptied one clip at the second nest, killing three more soldiers and taking many prisoners.

Wiedorfer was given a battlefield promotion that afternoon to sergeant, and a few minutes later, after the platoon leader and sergeant were wounded, he assumed command and led his men forward.

His other decorations included the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

He Attacked the Enemy with a Rock

Despite a Christmas truce during the Vietnam War in 1966, Army Staff Sgt. Delbert Jennings and the men of 1st Cavalry Division were attacked by a regiment of the North Vietnam Army. Jennings sprang into action, slowing the enemys advance with machine gunfire.

"He was literally all over the place, pulling men out of trouble, prodding others, rallying any man he could touch. That he escaped is a miracle," Brig. Gen. S.L.A. Marshall wrote several months later when he recommended Jennings for the Medal of Honor.

Despite a tenacious defense in which he killed at least 12 of the enemy, his squad was forced to the rear. After making sure his men were safely withdrawn, he killed an enemy demolition crew about to blow up a nearby howitzer and killed three enemy soldiers at his initial bunker position.

Ordering his men back into a secondary position, his rifle jammed while providing cover-fire for his men to withdraw. He engaged in hand-to-hand combat, killing an enemy soldier with the butt of his rifle, and when he stumbled, he lost his rifle. But that didnt stop him; he picked up a nearby rock, as another enemy soldier attacked him, and smashed him in the head, killing him.

Jennings saw that his men were unaware of the enemy advancing from the rear. He raced through a barrage of machine-gun fire area to warn the men, turn their fire on the enemy, and lead them into a secondary perimeter.

After helping to repulse the final enemy assaults, he led a group of volunteers well beyond friendly lines to an area where eight seriously wounded men lay.

Braving enemy sniper fire and ignoring the presence of booby traps in the area, they recovered the eight service members who would have probably perished without early medical treatment.

This Marine POW Gave His Food and Medicine to Others

While serving as an adviser to Republic of Vietnam Marine Division, Marine Captain Donald Cook was injured and captured by the North Vietnamese Army in 1964.

Fellow POW prisoners said that Capt. Cook not only assumed the role as a senior prisoner, which would bring about harsher treatment for himself, but he also routinely gave up his rations of food and medicine to fellow prisoners.

His citation, in part, reads:

Giving more needy men his medicine and drug allowance while constantly nursing them, he risked infection from contagious diseases while in a rapidly deteriorating state of health. This unselfish and exemplary conduct, coupled with his refusal to stray even the slightest from the Code of Conduct, earned him the deepest respect from not only his fellow prisoners, but his captors as well.

Unbeknownst to his captors, Cook also continued his study of the Vietnamese language in secret, but never spoke to them in their native tongue. Cooks fellow POWs said their Marine leader seemed to have an uncanny ability to read their captors minds and always was one mental step ahead of them, much to the enemys aggravation.

Cook also successfully resisted the VC when they attempted to indoctrinate him and gain his cooperation. He gave the Viet Cong only the big four and nothing more: name, rank, service number and date of birth.

Cook was so close-mouthed, so hardcore, his captors never learned he was a Marine. A fellow POW summed up his resistance in one sentence: If Captain Cook thought the Viet Cong were using his feces for fertilizer, he would have stopped crapping.

After three years of malnourishment, the VC reported that Capt. Cook died of malaria in the highlands of South Vietnam near the Cambodian border on or about Dec. 8, 1967.

His remains have never been recovered. While in a missing status, the Marine Corps promoted him, along with his peers, to the terminal grade of colonel.

He Threw Himself on a Grenade

Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, was serving as a .50 caliber machine-gunner in a Humvee during operations against insurgents in Adhamiyah.

On December 4, 2006 while his platoon was on mounted patrol to find a place to put a 250-kilowatt generator that would provide electricity for more than 100 homes, an insurgent threw a grenade from a nearby rooftop that landed inside their truck.

Pvt. McGinnis shouted grenade and dropped down the turret and used his back to smother it. With that, truck commander Sgt. Cedric D. Thomas counted down.

"I was like '3-2-1.' Just like that," Thomas said in a Los Angeles Times interview. "The truck filled with black smoke." "If [McGinnis] wouldn't have blocked it with his body, there's no doubt that nobody would have escaped it," said the Humvee driver, Sgt. Lyle Buehler, who was wounded by shrapnel.

His fellow soldiers agreed, Pvt. McGinnis had time to jump from the truck but instead chose to selflessly save the lives of his fellow soldiers. McGinnis demonstrated Army grit, through and through, and when it mattered the most.

McGinnis was the fourth soldier to receive the Medal of Honor during the Iraq War, which was presented to his family following his death.

His citation, in part, reads:

Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.

McGinnis father, Tom McGinnis, said, I guess about the only thing you're really going to remember about my son is that he did the right thing at the right time. After his death, McGinnis was promoted to the rank of specialist and was given the Purple Heart, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

-- Sean Mclain Brown can be reached at sean.brown@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @seanmclainbrown.
Staff Sgt. Torie Fisher knows the UH-60 Black Hawk. Fisher did two combat tours in Iraq -- first with the Army's 1st Armored Division in 2004, and then later in 2007 as a Black Hawk crew chief and door gunner with the Army National Guard.

And now Fisher knows beer as well. She has become a pioneer -- the very first female veteran to own and operate a brewery in the U.S.

Fisher says she first learned how to brew from one of the pilots in her unit, and from there, her love of craft brewing took off. "It was a great career," Fisher said of her military service. "I just wanted more, and since I love brewing, it just made sense to do something I was passionate about."

And that's when the idea for her brewery began to take shape. Fisher says her 13 years in the military gave her many of the planning and execution skills she needed to start Backward Flag Brewing Company in Forked River, New Jersey. The backward flag is a homage to Civil War mounted cavalry and infantry unit flag bearers who carried the flag into battle. As this standard bearer charged, the flag would stream back or "assault forward" with the stars forward in battle.

Fisher has had her share of failures; she said her first beer was a smoked porter, and it was terrible. But like any artisan, through trial and error, she perfected her craft.

"I wrote and rewrote my business plan numerous times until I worked out all the details," Fisher said. It's clear her military training in mission planning and execution have paid off: Her business is doing so well that its production abilities are being increased.

Said Fisher, "Thanks to my military training, I've learned that if you're not edging on failure, then you're probably not pushing hard enough."

Backward Flag Brewing Company's prominence as a veteran-owned brewery has not gone unnoticed -- nor has the quality of its beer. It was voted fourth-best in the state (behind Conclave Brewing Company in Raritan Township; Kane Brewing Company in Ocean; and Carton Brewing Company in Atlantic Highlands) by Untappd.com -- a social media site used by more than 3.2 million beer enthusiasts.

And Fisher's plans don't stop with brewing more beer. She has also founded Arms 2 Artisans, a nonprofit that helps teach the craft of brewing to post-9/11 veterans. Her ultimate goal is to eventually broaden the scope of training to include other artisan skills in the food industry in addition to craft brewing. In addition to teaching brewing to other veterans, Fisher also gives back by sharing the lessons she learned as a combat veteran, as a mother, and an entrepreneur.

Here are Fisher's top tips for military transition:

Have goals. When you have something to focus on, when you have a mission, it keeps driving you forward and keeps you from falling into a post-service "slump." Find other organizations of like-minded people and get involved. I think veterans have a need to be a part of a team. Bunker Labs is a great organization where I have found a lot of inspiration. Use your powers for good. The military gives us a lot of tools and experience. The trend of the "disgruntled vet" isn't productive in any way. Use the experience and leadership abilities you learned to continue your service and make a positive impact on the people around you.

Backward Flag Brewing is a veteran-owned company. Our founder served 13 years in the military, including two tours in Iraq. Most of our staff has served in a uniform or is a family member of someone who wears one. We make every effort to support our brothers and sisters who serve our country and community. We encourage you to do the same.

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Ghana's representative at the just-ended World Miss University in Cambodia made her country proud after she was adjudged peace ambassador.

That is the closest Ghana came to the crown since the pageant started some 28 years ago.

The grand finale of the pageant was held on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at Koh Pich Theatre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It witnessed more than 80 ladies from across the globe competing to clinch the crown of World Miss University 2017.

Miss Cuba Claudia Moras Baez was crowned winner of World Miss University 2017. Nina Yevtushenko of Ukraine was the first runner-up, while Daniela Gods Romanovska of Latvia finished as the second runner-up.

The World Miss University is an international beauty contest held annually in Seoul, South Korea, since 1986, with an average of about 70 contestants every year. The event is to select World Miss University peace corp representatives.

Serwaa was picked for the peace ambassador due to her peaceful nature while taking part in the pageant. She is expected to engage in activities to abolish all forms of racial discrimination and establish international society for peace and friendship. She is also to promote harmony, friendship and cooperation in pursuit of global human society without war.

The final year student of Central University is expected to return to Ghana very soon.
It was a sparkling night on Sunday as Ophelia Crossland showcased her scintillating creations made with crystals from Swarovski at the La Beach Hotel in Accra.

Ophelia demonstrated astonishing creative use of Swarovski crystals with the designs which are crafted exclusively for the exhibition.

Following the success story of my exhibition at the Swarovski event in Dubai, and subsequent Show in 17 other countries, I thought it wise to show Ghanaians how I represented our beautiful country out there, hence the decision for expose.

In addition to the garment I exhibited, I made a collection of 16 other equally beautiful ones to add to the expose, Ophelia told NEWS-ONE after the exhibition.

The event brought together some of the biggest names in Ghana's fashion and showbiz industries, as well as personalities from the corridors of power to witness Ophelias Swarovski designs. Among them were Sandra Ankobiah, Elikem Kumordzi, Inna Mariam Patty, Fred Nuamah, Anita Erskine and a host of others.

Swarovski is the world leader in precision-cut crystals for over 120 years.

In March 2017, Ophelia Crossland was named West African ambassador for Swarovski for the second time.

She became the first Ghanaian and West African designer to represent the world brand in West Africa.

She is the only designer with right to Swarovski's tags and labels on her designs as a result.

In October 2017, she showcased her designs at the 2017 Swarovski Sparkling Couture Infinity Exhibition in Dubai.

The Sunday exhibition is her first to celebrate Swarovski designs in Ghana. It was held in collaboration with Agoo Magazine.
Lucky Enemuo Afrika holiday fashion campaign starring music producer/artiste Beats by Sarz has been released.

In a completely different set of imagery, beats by Sarz modelled the uniquely created pieces by the menswear brand in a distinctive way which depicts his personal style: cool, eclectic and total individual.

The tagline for the launch is called La Necessite a French word for The Necessity which simply means a requirement or an indispensable thing.

We all know that Identifying a man's wants is totally different from identifying a man's needs.

At Lucky Enemuo Afrika, "our vision is to create a unique improvement in your appearance, communication and behaviour through fashion. Hence, we have put together a collection of designs for your fashion needs to keep you glamorously sophisticated this season."

Credits:Designer: @luckyenemuoafrikaModel: @only1sarzPhotography: @emmanueloyelekePublicist: @moafricapr
The Child Marriage Unit of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has met with stakeholders to review national efforts to curb child marriage in the country.

The two-day meeting was held in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children's Education Fund (UNICEF).

Giving the progress of implementation of the national effort to address child marriage, the Project Coordinator, Mr Foster Adzraku, said the ministry had, among other initiatives, developed a National Strategic Framework to end child marriage in Ghana.

According to him, the strategic framework had set clear national goals, objectives, strategies and key interventions across different sectors.

It also gives a clear direction to all sectors at various levels involved with prevention and response efforts at addressing child marriage in Ghana to ensure coordinated efforts and measurable targets towards ending child marriage in Ghana.

Key objectives

Mr Adzraku stated that the key strategic objectives were to empower girls and boys to prevent and respond to child marriage, influence change in communities' beliefs, attitudes and social norms that drove child marriage and accelerated access to quality education, sexual and reproductive health information and services and other opportunities.

Others, he added, were to increase the quality and amount of data and evidence available to inform policy and programming and ensure that national laws, policy frameworks and mechanisms related to ending child marriage were in place and effectively implemented.

Human rights violation

Addressing the meeting, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Otiko Afisah Djaba, stressed that it was appalling that girls who had the potential to impact positively on their families, communities and the country ended up in informal unions at a tender age.

Child marriage is one of the biggest human rights violation on girls, which strips the girl-child of her right to have better access to health, education and employment, she said, commending the stakeholders and partners working to curb this menace for their efforts.

Ms Djaba further stated that it was the ministry's goal to end child marriage in Ghana by 2030, adding that the Child Marriage Unit would coordinate all activities among key actors at different levels to ensure the smooth implementation of the objectives of the Strategic Framework.

She noted that the progress of the stakeholders and the involvement and support of community rulers so far gave some hope that although it was a complex situation to end child marriage, Ghana could make significant progress.

She indicated that the ministry planned to translate the Strategic Framework into a simplified document for easy understanding for the people at the grassroot level in the communities.

The ministry will further link survivors of child marriage to economic viable opportunities. Additionally, we are seeking to engage more state and non-state institutions and all other stakeholders to perform their roles on the concept and implementations of the Strategic Framework to end child marriage.

Situational analysis

A Programme Analyst at the UNFPA, Ms Selina Owusu, mentioned that a situational analysis of adolescent girls and young women in Ghana conducted in the country revealed that the main drivers of child marriage were poverty, lack of education, pregnancy, rural residence, religious beliefs, cultural norms and societal and peer pressure.

She said the study was to identify and analyse the major trends in issues that impacted on adolescent girls and young women in Ghana, such as teenage pregnancy, abortion, gender-based violence, education, as well as child marriage.

It is also to identify and analyse the enabling factors that perpetuate the phenomenon of child and forced marriages in the country and make recommendations on relevant programming.

Other key findings, Ms Owusu noted, were that the main consequences of child marriage were dropping out of school, pregnancy complications, loss of autonomy and gender-based violence against girls.

She stressed that the police and chiefs had a role to play in the effort to end child marriage through the enforcement of laws and policies and educating girls.

Source: Daily Graphic
Some Ghanaians in Denmark have expressed mixed reactions to a ruling from a High Court ordering the Electoral Commission (EC) to allow Ghanaians in the diaspora to vote in general elections.

An Accra High Court on Monday directed the EC to implement, within 12 months, the Representation of the People Amendment Law also known as the ROPAL , 2006 [Act 699].

The ROPAL was passed in 2006 and sought to empower eligible Ghanaians outside the country to vote in national elections, however, it has not been implemented by successive governments, leaving many Ghanaians abroad disenfranchised.

Meanwhile some Ghanaians, while speaking in an interaction with Ghana's Ambassador to Denmark Amerley Ollennu Awua-Asamoa, gave varied opinions on the matter.

The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) branch in Denmark, Francis Selorm Sekyi and Organizer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kweku Mensah have both welcomed the decision, saying it was long overdue.

But Nii Adu Ntre, who has been in Denmark for 23 years, raised concerns about how the integrity of the ballots would be protected in order to avoid election disputes.

Who is going to make sure that the people who walk into wherever place we are going to vote are the right people, because the truth is that about 80% of the people here are Danish citizens, not dual citizens. So how do we ensure the integrity of the vote? he quizzed.

Ghanaian diaspora to play key role in national development

In another development, Ghana's Ambassador to Denmark Amerley Ollennu Awua-Asamoa, said government is keen on effectively mobilizing the resources and skills of Ghanaians in the diaspora to help transform the country.

According to her, the role of the Ghanaian Diaspora in national development has attained unprecedented recognition from the current government.

Speaking at the maiden end-of-year interaction with Ghanaians in Denmark, she said, President Nana Akufo Addo's administration prioritises Diaspora investments. This is evident in his vision on Diaspora inclusiveness in building the new Ghana, the Ghana beyond Aid.

Ambassador Ollennu Awua-Asamoa stated that Government is seeking a partnership with the diaspora that will increase investments, create a vibrant private sector, and the needed jobs for the teeming youth in Ghana.

There is the need to inculcate in our people the best practices you've learnt from working in the top businesses and companies from the around the world. This would be the needed seed we would sow for the transformation of Ghana, she emphasised in her address to the leadership of the various churches, unions and political parties (NPP&NDC) at the forum.

On the recent state visit by the Queen of Denmark to Ghana in November, She described it as a big success and that some eight MoUs have been signed in various sectors with the high-level delegation of 39 businesses that joined the Queen to visit Ghana.

Call for Unity

Ambassador Ollennu Awua-Asamoa further called on the various Ghanaian unions, Churches, political groupings and intellectuals to join the Ghana mission to present a united Ghanaian front in activities in the country.

The mission is bent on pursuing and achieving positive results through close cooperation and trust with the Ghanaian Diaspora. Whatever has happened in the past should stay in the past. I am here now as your ambassador, ready to serve! Let's start on a new page, afresh with no prejudice or malice, she added.

The leadership of the NDC and NPP branches in Denmark commended the efforts of the mission to promote closer ties between the Diaspora networks all over the Scandinavian countries.



By: Rabiu Alhassan/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghanaians in Denmark express mixed feelings on ROPAL appeared first on Ghana News .
Former President, John Mahama will be the force to reckon with if he decides to vie for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearership, Evans Aggrey-Darko, a senior lecturer at the Political Science department of University of Ghana has said.

His comments were in reaction to Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South, Kwaku Ricketts-Hagans declaration that he intends to contest the Flagbarership of the NDC when nominations open.

Mr. Ricketts Hagan told Joy News that, he didnt take the decision without deep consideration; he had thought about it "for over a year".

I have analyzed why we lost the elections and made other considerations before declaring my intentions, he said.

Kwaku Ricketts-Hagan

Responding to whether or not Mr. Ricketts Hagan stands a chance if he contests, Dr. Aggrey-Darko told Joy News TVs News Desk programme that the former Deputy Finance Minister may be preparing a way for himself for future appointments.

its not always that you desire to win when you enter a contest, sometimes even though you do not win, you put yourself very close to the centre of decision making he stated.

Its also important that you make yourself a viable candidate for a possible appointment if someone else wins the Flagbarership. I believe that is the strategy that some of these key actors are using, he added.

He added that the losers will get some appointments when the party recaptures power depending on how they conduct themselves during the primaries.

Dr. Aggrey-Darko also believes Mahama will be the top dog in the race if he decides to contest.

He has served as a Vice-President for four years and served as president for four years so he has built enough political capital within the party to trump all other contenders he stated.

Dr. Aggrey-Darko also believes the fact that John Mahama led the party into opposition will not necessarily work against him since other factors like some bigwigs hoarding resources meant for campaign all contributed to the loss of the NDC.

He, however, added that leadership is a salient factor and therefore Mr. Mahama couldnt absolve himself of blame for the loss.

Meanwhile, other party functionaries including Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, former Vice Chancellor of University of Professional Studies (UPS), Joshua Alabi and former Trades Minister, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah have declared an interest to run for the slot.
First Lady Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has joined the children on admission at the Princess Marie Louis Children's Hospital and their carers for their annual Christmas party.

Addressing the party, the First Lady extended the President and her season's greeting to the children, and their appreciation to parents and staff of the hospital for their work which sometimes is under challenging circumstances and the sacrifices they make to ensure the kids are better.

She took the opportunity to make some remarks on nutrition and its importance to the health of children. She said that there is overwhelming evidence that a significant number of Ghanaian children are malnourished with many suffering from anaemia.

She entreated nursing mothers to breastfeed their children well saying that one easy, simple and effective way of fighting malnutrition and anaemia is to encourage breastfeeding and ensure the appropriate nutritional foods as children grow.

She called on all stakeholders to spread the gospel of breastfeeding and proper nutrition adding that if appropriate nutrition for children is ensured, this will go a long way to improve childhood development and help us build stronger future generations.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo also indicated that following the completion of the Komfo Anokye Mother and Baby Unit, her next project is at the Korle Bu children's emergency ward and then hopefully we will look at other regions.

She commended and thanked all partners and contributors of her various projects adding that without them she could not have executed these projects.

The First lady on behalf of The Rebecca Foundation and the Infanta Malaria Foundation donated assorted items including bags of rice, cartons of chicken and beef, packs of biscuits, cooking oil, soft drinks, bags of beans and other items as her contribution towards the kid's party.
For the first time in Ghana, mobile phone users can directly transfer funds from their mobile devices into their bank accounts without physically visiting the banking hall.

This service, known as BanqMoni, is an insurance-backed, aggregated platform in partnership with GT Bank, which enables anyone to deposit money into any bank account within Ghana at any time by visiting any mobile money agent.

Speaking at the launch Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer of BanqMoni Limited, Nana Yaw Amoah disclosed that every transaction is insured by Loyalty Insurance Company Limited.

Nana Yaw Amoah



William Amoako Nimako

That means that about 10.5 million Ghanaians are unbanked and this is a gap that must and will be addressed by technology, he indicated.

He discounted the claim by some persons that the advent of mobile money will lead to a collapse of the banking industry.

Mobile money is not a threat but an opportunity for all industry players to expand their frontiers and achieve the desired financial inclusion, Mr Nimako stated.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
Mahogany Consult, a Public Relations Agency, has been adjudged Best in Social Media Communication for the year 2016 by the Institute of Public Relations, (IPR) Ghana at the 6th National PR Communications Excellence Awards.

The award sought to recognize and honour the most effective Public Relations engagements with selected core publics on Social Media.

For the award, Mahogany Consult presented social media communication done for one of its clients, Medifem Multi-specialist Hospital and Fertility Centre in the year 2016.

Speaking in an interview, Principal Consultant at Mahogany Consult, Esi Essuman  Johnson said social media has expanded rapidly beyond its social functions to become a very potent communication tool for driving business strategies. Today the various forms of social media have become veritable channels for organizations to engage with their publics and vice-versa. This has made Social media content management necessary for brand building and communication.

In view of this, Ms. Essuman-Johnson said social media engagements must be borne out of well thought out strategies that will ultimately shore up the organizations bottom-line while increasing value for its publics.

At Mahogany Consult, we manage the social media pages of our clients by generating research-based relevant content  text, images and videos, which speaks to the needs of our organizations and their clients, creating a rich platform for dialogue, interaction and feedback she added.

Commenting on the award, Ms. Essuman Johnson stated that Mahogany consult was elated to receive the award on the occasion of the Agencys fifth anniversary which fell in February this year.

For us, this is a testament of the agencys growth and successes throughout these years. This award supports our goal for the next 5 years of the Agency, which is to be recognised for our strong research portfolio, she said.

Our tagline Adding Value inspires us to go the extra mile to create additional value for our clients and their businesses. And this has spurred our dynamic social media team to always find creative and innovative solutions for our clients. Every client of ours should experience value when it comes to the services that we offer to them. Ms. Essuman  Johnson said.

Mahogany Consult is the West African partner of Public Relations Organisation International (PROI Worldwide). PROI agencies are the leading independent Public Relations consultancies in about 100 cities in 50 countries and on five continents.
The Ministry for Special Development and Initiatives intends to use GH800,000 of tax payers money merely to build a new website.

The amount, although heavily criticized by the minority in Parliament, was approved by the House.

The Ministry also intends to buy 20 new 4-wheel-drives as part of its 2018 budgetary expenditure, despite a moratorium on the purchase of new vehicles by the President.

This was contained in its 2018 budget expenditure document submitted to parliament for approval.

Of the GH1.2 billion budget allocated to the Ministry, some GH15million will be spent on office accommodation for the middle and coastal belt development authorities, including regional offices.

According to the Minority, the budget of the ministry was a complete rip-off of Ghanaians, but the sector minister has justified it.

The Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, told Citi News that the ministry will ensure value for money in the expenditure.

I want to assure Ghanaians that it is neither here nor there. They are just throwing dust into the masses eye. We are going to make sure that value for money is given in the ministry, she said.

The minority had also questioned the allocation for the purchase of new cars, but according to Mavis Koomson, such criticisms are out of place.

She argued that her ministry was new, and required vehicles to facilitate its work. According to her, she had been operating with her private vehicle for the past year as a minister.

We all know the ministry is a new ministry altogether. I've been there for one year now and as a minister, I don't even have an official vehicle. The development authorities are also coming they need vehicles. Well be going into the hinterlands and we will need pickups to move around, she said.

Projects to be undertaken

Among the projects listed to be undertaken by the ministry for 2018, is the procurement of 275 ambulances, construction of 50 warehouses, construction of 100 markets, construction of 275 CHPS compounds, and construction of 100 small dams.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, COP Ken Yeboah, has criticized Police personnel for not doing enough to protect the identities of juvenile suspects in crimes.

He said the police were even complicit in leaking out the images and identities of these juvenile suspects.

COP Yeboahs comments come after the leaked photos of three teenagers alleged to be involved in a sexual assault case at Bantama in the Ashanti Regional capital, started making the rounds on social media.

Although the Police have remain tight-lipped on the ages of the offenders, its been confirmed they are teenagers, as they are being tried by a Juvenile Court.

The Police have also confirmed that, one of them is in Junior High School, whereas the two others are in Senior High School.

Speaking at the opening of the Ghana Police Transformation Agenda which focuses on best practices, COP Yeboah condemned the acts, and admonished personnel to be more protective of juvenile suspects.

The law says that you should not mention the names of juvenile suspects in your custody. You don't have to expose even their pictures. But you exposed them and share that information with people. Is that one of the best practices, the police commander questioned.

What the law says

The Juvenile Justice Act is clear that a juvenile has the right to privacy during the arrest, the investigation of an offence, at the trial of the offence, and at any other stage of the cause or matter.

A person shall not in the course of arrest, investigation or trial of an offence connected with a juvenile, or at any other stage of the cause or matter, release any information for publication that may lead to the identification of the juvenile. Any person who contravenes subsection (2) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 250 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or to both, section 3 of the Act adds.

A better Police Service

COP Yeboah stressed on the need for improvement in the way the police handled suspects generally and interact with the public.

He lamented that the reputation and the respect that people have for us is going down. It is up to us to find out why he said.

As an example of the failings of the police, COP Yeboah noted that we arrest suspects. The law says you do not have to detain the person for more than 48 hours, but you detain the person for 72 hours or even more. Is that one of the best practices we are talking about?

He, however, expressed hope that with the adherence to the Ghana Police Transformation Agenda, everybody will be a leader who would change the police service, and I am sure that a the end of the day, everybody will be a new person and it is going to drive the vehicle behind us so we get to our destination.

There have been concerns about how the police are eager to sometimes parade or expose crime suspects to the public even before they are declared guilty.
A Ghanaian Youth activist, Ahmed Bening, has been elected as the deputy General Secretary of the Pan African Youth Union (PYU).

The election was held at the 5th Ordinary Congress of the Pan African Youth Union (PYU) in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Following his victory, Ahmed Bening thanked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Asiamah, and the CEO of the National Youth Authority, Emmanuel Asigri for their support.

He will serve in the position for a period of three years from 2018 to 2020.

He also thanked Ghanaians and the youth, in particular for the unwavering support and confidence they reposed in him throughout his campaign for the position.

Ahmed Bening promised to help the Union implement the AU 2017 theme road-map, create opportunities for the Youth, particularly in the West African sub-region, and raise high the flag of Ghana by championing the Youth Agenda in Ghana.

I will use this opportunity to raise high the flag of Ghana in Africa and the World through cooperation, collaboration and employment-driven opportunities for the youth in Ghana and beyond, he said.

The PYU is a continental platform of youth organizations with the mission to work for the realization and reinforcement of the ideals and values of the African Union.

The theme for this years Congress, which is held every three years, was Youth facing the Socioeconomic Challenges of Africa.

The Congress was to enable the PYU recall and clarify its historical importance in the social and political sphere of the continent, as well as discuss issues affecting the union and identify ways to address them.

The Ghanaian delegation was headed by the Deputy CEO of the National Youth Authority, Bright Acheampong, a Deputy Communications Director to the President, Miss Fatimatu Abubakar, the Municipal Chief Executive for Akuapem North, Dennis Aboagye and Mr. Bening.
The 37 Military Hospital has refuted claims by a victim of the Atomic junction gas explosion that the medical facility did not provide him with quality care.

The Commander of the Hospital, Brigadier General Agyapong Yeboah stated that the Hospital with the support of government and other donors provided comprehensive and free care to all victims.

He told Joy News the victim stole three mobile phones and 150 from other patients at the ward before absconding.

Earlier, Abraham Tetteh, 31 and a phone dealer made the allegations to Joy News' Maxwell Agbagba after he absconded from the Hospital that he was not well taken care of.

My burnt back has been smelling very badly. I was in the Hospital during the visit of the Vice President who told us government will support us, he said.

According to him, initially the Hospital took good care of them but when the service started deteriorating, he checked out to another facility.

The moment I came to Allied Hospital, I realized government is not in control of victims like me. When your medicines get finished, they will tell you government is not providing money to take care of you, he said.

He said his condition had deteriorated to the extent that he does not consider himself as a human being anymore due to the discomforting odour from his body.

But Brigadier Yeboah said, it is a big lie. He was in the ICU and as of now, those who are there are still being looked after.

He [Tetteh] was scheduled for the theatre; all his medications are still here.

According to him, they do not pay individual bills but rather gather all the bills for the victims and procure medication and treatment for them.

He was disappointed that Mr Tetteh who does not miss his food did not tell journalists that the victims are fed three meals in a day.

The Commander of the Hospital said when they could not find the victim, they reported to the military police.

-Myjoyonline
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), is proposing the setting up of a bipartisan committee to look into the Trade Ministrys alleged billing of expatriates at the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards (GEBA).

The Minority in Parliament had alleged that, the ministry charged expatriates between 25,000 and 100,000 dollars, to offer them seats close to the President at the ceremony held on December 8.

Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of the party's press conference today, Thursday, a Deputy National Communications Director for the NDC, Fred Agbenyo, insisted that the Akufo-Addo administration cannot be trusted to conduct a credible probe and punish culprits.

The presidency over the period, has not demonstrated any commitment to investigate issues and get to the bottom of it. We cannot trust the presidency at this point that they can do any independent and objective work; they will definitely try and do a cover up.

He noted that Parliament could be a viable resort in investigating the matter satisfactorily.

The only group that can bring the facts out and bring everything to bear will be a by-partisan investigative body. So I am equally on Parliament that they should set up a by-partisan committee on the issue, because the Minority have already noted that they even have evidence as pert receipts that were issued to some of these companies, and can even submit it to that particular committee. Maybe for the integrity of the company, they may not want to put it in the public domain for now, but at the committee level, they will be able to adduce that evidence as monies that have been collected, he added.

Background

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, first made the allegation in Parliament.

Mr. Mubarak said the fees charged at the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards (GEBA) were not approved by Parliament, adding that the monies were also not accounted for in the Internally Generated Funds [IGF] of the Ministry's accounts.

There issue has further been reinforced by Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who had suffered verbal assaults from Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah over the matter.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has already dissociated itself from these allegations.

The Trade Ministry, in a statement, said it played no role in determining prices for seats at the event, and clarified that it only facilitated the implementation of a new initiative by the Millennium Excellence Foundation.

We can prove Trade Ministry extortion claims

The Minority in Parliament has also said they are ready to appear before any investigative body to provide evidence of extortion in the allegations.

Ablakwa in a Citi News interview said they ready to appear before any investigative body that wants to take this matter up seriously and over there, we will send the receipts and all the other information that we have.

Carlos apologizes

Meanwhile, the Deputy Trade and Industry Minister, Carlos Ahenkorah, has subsequently apologized for his outburst.



By: Godwin A. Allotey & Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Bi-partisan cttee must probe Trade Ministrys alleged extortion  NDC appeared first on Ghana News .
UN member states met in the General Assembly on Thursday to debate a draft resolution that rejects the US President Donald Trumps decision to name Jerusalem the capital of Israel.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Malki referenced the US threat that it was taking names of those who vote in favor of the measure in his remarks to the assembly.

History records names, it remembers names  the names of those who stand by what is right and the names of those who speak falsehood. Today we are seekers of rights and peace, he said.

The draft resolution before the 193-member UN General Assembly reaffirms that Jerusalem is an issue that must be resolved through peace negotiations with Palestine and Israel. It would also make Trumps recent Jerusalem decision null and void.

US ambassador Nikki Haley reiterated Washingtons threat to other countries concerning the vote as she spoke in front of the General Assembly.

The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very right of exercising our right as a sovereign nation, she said.

And we will remember when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit, Haley added.

Erdogan: Trump cannot buy support

Earlier on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heavily criticized Trump on Thursday and urged other countries not to give into pressure from Washington.

I am calling on the whole world: never sell your democratic will in return for petty dollars, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara. He has been among the most vocal critics of Trumps decsion.

Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkeys democratic will with your dollars. Our decision is clear, the Turkish leader added on Thursday.

Netanyahu: UN is house of lies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the UN as a house of lies ahead of Thursdays vote.

He acknowledged that the resolution will likely pass in the General Assembly by a large margin and that his country completely rejects this vote before it is made.

Jerusalem is our capital and we will continue to build there and embassies of countries, firstly the United States, will move to Jerusalem. This will happen, Netanyahu said.

Trumps decision on December 6 to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and to move the US embassy there broke with decades of US foreign policy and broke with international consensus on the issue.

The move also sparked protests around the world and outrage from Palestinians, who want the eastern sector of the city to be the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

The measure was vetoed by the US at the UN Security Council on Monday although all other 14 council members voted in favor of the draft.



The post UN rejects US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Isreals capital appeared first on Ghana News .
President Akufo-Addo has assured the people of Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region, that his government is dedicated to developing that area, and every other town in the region.

The President, who acknowledged the support of the people of Manya Krobo during the 2016 election, pledged his unflinching support to the chiefs and people of Manya Krobo.

He made the pledge at Asesewa in the Upper Manya Krobo District, when he paid a visit to the town as part of his three-day tour of the Eastern Region.

I choose to come here this time to seize the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Today is the third time I am visiting the krobo land this year, and it is the truth the reason is that, I want Krobo land to be part of NPP territory so I want to say a big thank you to you all for voting for NPP and Joseph Tetteh as your Member of Parliament. Now we have Upper Manya, so it is left with Lower Manya and Yilo Krobo and we will be done.

Prior to the elections, a lot of people circulated baseless rumours that Krobo people will not vote for the NPP, they also added that I am an Akyem and when you vote for me, I will sack you all out of the Eastern Region, it is already one year I took over the presidency, and have you witnessed any thing they talked about? So now you all know the truth that I am part of you.

I am grateful for the help and support you have given to us, and I am determined with all my energy to make sure Ghana becomes the country of our dreams. I told Parliament at the beginning of my presidency that I am a man in a hurry, and this year I want to show to you that indeed I am a man in a hurry.

President Nana Addo then assured the Kronor of Manya Krobo Nene Sakite II, that he will see to the realization of all his requests.

Nene Sakite II in his earlier address, requested for the creation of a new district, construction of a dinning hall, a classroom block for the Asesewa Senior High School, and the rehabilitation of some major roads.

President Nana Addo reiterated his commitment to addressing all the issues raised by the Kronor of Manya Krobo.

Nene, I would want to assure you that everything you have requested for will be taken care of, the appeal for a new district, rehabilitation of the classroom block. Construction of the dinning hall and the provision of an ambulance and the roads in Asesewa will all get a face lift. Over these four years, you will see them being constructed one after the other.

Lets stay united

The President also emphasized the need for unity, saying one thing that is important to me is that, we should stay united in our democracy. Our democracy allows us to have different parties, different point of view, but we should all stay united under the Ghana project, and enjoy life because that is my biggest ambition.

I know and believe we can all stay united and in harmony, Krobos, Akyems, Gas, Ewes, Nzemas, Hauzas, Mamprusis, and every tribe all of us together as one family for the betterment of one Ghana, he added.
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs says estimates for projects to be executed by the Ministry of Special Initiatives are on a high side.

Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu insists the bloated figures must be interrogated even though the house reluctantly but unanimously approved the budget for the Ministry.

The estimated figures for projects to be executed by the Ministry in the 2018 financial year have been mind boggling and have attracted some huge public criticisms.

The Ministry is looking to develop a new website at a cost of 800,000, a cost higher than what they budgeted for buying a brand new four wheel drive. The Ministry is seeking to buy 20 of the four wheel drives at a total cost of 10 million which means one vehicle will be bought at a cost of 500,000.

That is not all. The Ministry is also seeking to spend 6.5 million on furniture with the construction of 100 markets estimated at the cost of 110,000,000.

The estimates have left many surprised. The Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Ato Forson says the government cannot sublet these purchases and execution of projects to a new ministry when there are substantive ministries equipped to handle and execute them.

He said the Ministry of Special Initiatives cannot pretend to have competencies in purchasing ambulances when the Ministry of health is better equipped to do so.

The Ministry cannot oversee the construction of classroom blocks when the education ministry already has the logistics to do that.

"Mr President don't let your ministers pretend to be what they are not ," he said, adding, "allow the sector ministers to do their work."

His concerns, especially the cost element involved, were largely agreed to by the Majority Leader who called for an audit into the projects.

"The report is giving us some indications about some procurements that will be done. Four wheels, six unit classroom blocks with ICT centres, boreholes, ambulances. If you are relating the cost, the cost may be very high. We need to interrogate this... We can't live with this." he said.

The budget estimates were approved with the only consolation that the Finance Ministry will never release monies for the execution of such projects at such exorbitant cost.

The Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu reluctantly recommended the approval of the budget estimates despite the concerns, Joy News' Parliamentary correspondent Joseph Opoku Gakpo reported.

The Majority Chief Whip Mathew Nyindam has however defended Parliaments decision to approve the bloated figures.

Even though he conceded that the figures were problematic he said Parliament was constrained and had to approve it.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah
GHc 2,667,215 was raised for the controversial Ghana Expatriate Business Awards, according to the Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyeremanten.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, who asked Mr. Kyeremanten to clear the air on the matter, has concluded that there was no wrongdoing, after he received a report from the Minister.

The Ministry was alleged to have charged between $25,000 and $100,000, to enable expatriates to sit close to the President at the awards ceremony, which was organised by the Millennium Excellence Foundation.

In line with accountability, Mr. Kyeremanten, in a statement disclosed that, an amount GHc 2,667,215 was raised for the event, of which receipts were issued, as against an expenditure of GHc 2,367,426.06.

Reiterating earlier assertions from the Trade Ministry, Mr. Kyeremanten explained that, the Millennium Excellence Foundation was totally in charge of the structure and distribution of the sponsorship package for the event, although it was operating under guidelines provided by the Ministry.

As part of arrangements towards the organisation of the event, the Ministry of Trade and Industry insisted that, all monies raised in support of the event be paid into an account held by the Ministry to ensure financial integrity and accountability which the organizers agreed to.

Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka,Member of Parliament for Asawase

The Minority in Parliament has maintained that, there was some wrongdoing by ministry, and has indicated that, it is ready to appear before any investigative body to provide evidence in the form of receipts to support their claims of extortion.

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, also wants Parliament to set up a committee to probe the alleged extortion.

But Mr. Kyeremanten in his statement said it was difficult to imagine how a government institution seeking to extort monies from individuals would insist on issuing official receipts.

He stated that, the Foundation was specifically instructed not to collect any monies to place persons or organisations on the Presidential High table for the evening, and they provided assurances that this would not happen.

He added that, for the avoidance of doubt, none of the individuals or companies who sat on the Presidential High Table at the event made a contribution of $100,000 prior to the event as being alleged.

According to Mr. Kyeremanten, there were even individuals seated at the Presidential High Table who did not make any monetary contribution before or after the event.

From the information available to the Ministry, there was no extortion of monies from any expatriate business owner as being alleged. Indeed, no single individual has come out to make a claim of extortion.
22.12.2017 LISTEN

Some people of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) who hitherto were thinking that UEW case is in court so both UTAG National and UTAG-UEW should be careful about issues are now in a limbo and they are trying to use the conduit, Alhassan Salifu Bawah (son of a peasant farmer) to put out false hope for those UEW staff who were happy about Supi Kofi Kwayera fronting for Alex Afenyo Markin suit. I now see the UEW case as if an ant will bite you, it will be from your cloth. The same people who claimed the due process must be followed are not afraid of the things that will follow after the Supreme Court of Ghana granted all the reliefs in a certiorari application by UTAT-UEW (Dr. Bekoe). The ruling was delivered on Wednesday, December 20. 2017.

On intimidation, victimisation and reward of mediocrity on UEW campus under current Council Chairman and Ag VC

Lest I forget, I dont want to glorify two articles recently put out there by Bawah trying to paint a picture that as for VC and FO, they will never return to UEW and he failed to let us know where they will go. Bawah have been rewarded with Coordinator of General Courses (with the Responsibilities of HOD and Dean) at the Business School and the appointment letter was stupidly signed by the Rev. Fr. Prof. BLACK CASSOCK MAN Afful-Broni. For this Bawah guy who keeps attacking Prof. Avoke and Dr Akorlie, I do understand him. He has been duly rewarded. He wrote an article with his usual myopic lenses attacking the appointment of some people as Deans. I asked myself what is the basis of his appointment in the history of the University. Bawah as I hear is roughly two years in the University and now being rewarded at the expense of hardworking staff in the University. The current administration is killing hard work and it is a pity for an academic environment. The likes of Dandy (another recruit) being trained to overthrow and become Pro VC/VC, Ameyaw (aspiring PRO VC), Isaac Brako (already rewarded), the Ag. Dean of languages of Foreign languages (one Andy), etc. have their heads on their pillows and honestly forgotten that they are benefiting from this mess...and I assure them, they will weep. As for Andy and his promotion and appointment, we leave it to his conscience.

People keep calling me a faceless character and all names, but that is not an issue, the issue is that I am against injustice and mediocrity which is eating deep into UEW. I am a proud alumnus, period! Bawah mistakenly said the Pro VC is not taking responsibility allowance out of ignorance.... yes, he is not and it is not because he does not like it, BUT he cannot just as he cannot attend VCG meetings. No court appoints VCs in Ghana and therefore his position is ILLEGAL per statues of the University. He is just as a LOCAL Ag. VC as he is a LOCAL PROFESSOR with many paid publications which he manipulated the system and rules to get promoted with.

This has been the reward since the Coup Detat that was launched on a gentle and hard working Professor. I do not want to talk much of the victimisation, intimations among others that have characterised the atmosphere in UEW since July this year. It saddens my soul to think that one who is supposed to be a priest is at the centre of this issue. One wonders if the Catholic Church is still relevant with their man chasing the world for wealth and power, using all means available. Check your publication profile as a professor, and one would understand the promotions you are currently dishing out. It is now like say anything nonsense against Prof Avoke and Akorlie and get one promotion/appointment free and fight for justice and truth in UEW and get ready to face a committee with Prof Ameyaw as a Chairman. They are now promoting people who cannot even mention the names of 3 journals in which they have published their articles. A typical case is the recent promotion of one Isaac Brako whom I hear has a PhD. The reports of the two external assessors were explicit that Barkos publications were not worthy of senior lecturers rank but was sadly approved by an Ag VC who is ethnocentric and vindictive in all aspects of his life. To make matters worse, they are pushing nonentities and mediocre into departments to go and teach because government have given financial clearance of over 100 to UEW to employ. I have followed and monitored the case and I weep and wonder if these people really think well of the future of UEW. ANYONE who doubts me can cross-check in the university and would know what is currently ongoing. No wonder when this current Pro VC applied for promotion to the rank of ACCELERATED FOOL PROFESSOR, one of the assessors who was professional commented that he wondered what this applicant was coming to profess based on the track record of his publications. If you doubt this, tell the Priest to make his assessors reports available, and we could compare with those of a hardworking Professor like Prof. Avoke Mawutor. Half of the publications of the priest cost him not less than less 200 dollars (predatory publications) and that is the man wanting to provide academic leadership. I leave this out to the genuine guys to judge and not those benefiting from the current mess and for that matter being blinded by the reality of the situation.

A bit on the recent appointment and promotion board meeting

Just a bit to educate the public that now for one to get appointment at UEW, a request has to be sent to the Effutu MP, Hon Markins Afenyo. It is rumoured that in the just ended Appointment and promotions Board meeting, staff were being imposed on departments and some who never showed up for Faculty interactions are the people who are being recommended. This is indeed sad for the future of the university considering the fact that excellence is no longer respected. We hear lecturers make noise before students that they soon would be Professors, Pro VCs and VCs just by virtue of their current links with this current management that is simply out to destroy UEW for selfish gains. The imposition of the staff on departments is no different from the appointment of the Registrar, a former staff of the University who ran to join KNUST and mysteriously appointed at the expense of the dedicated Deputy Registrars who have continued to contribute towards the wellbeing of the University. I am still on a hunt of documents on this appointment of the Registrar and soon, we shall see the real issues at UEW. Many staff want to talk, but live in fear because they are now in a MILITARY REGIME with Flight Lieutenant Anthony Afful Broni and his able assistants Professor Nicolas Abakah and the Registrar at war with anyone who stands out for the truth. Can a university grow on mediocrity? Does this Priest still pray to Jesus Christ who was a symbol of Love? Was he really ordained by the Catholic Church or he forcefully became a priest through another Coup Detat? His Bishop must sincerely sit up and help restore the image of the church. His chasing the world for wealth and power does not speak well of the Church that stands for justice. Numbers are reduced in the Church, both well thinking Senior and Junior members of the University committee and students have stopped going to this Church and he is not touched, because he is after the WORLD. I weep for the Catholic Church as they have characters as this man surprisingly leading them to GodI fear this man would only lead you to the pleasures of the world. There is tension in departments currently because of this impositionbut the leader tells the quality at hand. The priest himself has been pushed throughout his stay at the university. There is nothing he has worked for, not even his promotion to Senior Lecturer. No report of his has ever been good enough to get him to the next ranks. Recently one of the people who aided his promotion lamented and regretted why he is behaving the way he is doing. He defied university regulations on his applications and I hope some university staff would take him on that soon.

Summary of the certiorari application at the Supreme Court

I happen to chance on the certiorari application documents and have some excerpts to share here: This application is premised on two main grounds: i. Error of law on the face of the record. ii. Wrongful assumption of jurisdiction by the High Court, Winneba and the following were some reliefs sought and some law arguments made:

CAPACITY OF THE APPLICANT ERROR OF LAW ON THE FACE OF THE RECORD

Authorities on Error of Law on the Face of the Record The High Court committed a fundamental error of law on the face of the record when it held that the 1st Interested Partys application was for the enforcement of fundamental human rights The High Court committed a jurisdictional error of law patent of the face of the record when it held that the High Court, and not the Supreme Court, has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce fundamental human rights in the public interest where no personal right is involved. The High Court committed a jurisdictional error of law patent on the face of the record when it held that the means of commencing an action for the enforcement of fundamental human rights in the public interest is by application to the High Court. The High Court committed a fundamental error of law patent on the face of the record when it held that the means of enforcing any statute is by an application

WRONGFUL ASSUMPTION OF JURISDCITION

The High Court wrongfully assumed jurisdiction to enforce Act 663 when the Act clearly provides for the remedy for its breach The High Court Wrongfully assumed jurisdiction over a matter commenced by motion which raises serious factual disputes. The High Court wrongfully assumed jurisdiction over the matter commenced by a motion seeking a declaration that the 2nd and 3rd Interested Parties have committed a criminal offence.

PROHIBITION

My Lords, in addition to the order of certiorari quashing the decision of the Court, we pray Your Lordships to grant an order of prohibition restraining the High Court, Winneba presided over by HIS LORDSHIP GEORGE ATO MILLS-GRAVES from continuing to hear the matter which is still pending before him. My Lords, the grounds for this order are error of law on the face of the record and wrongful assumption of jurisdiction.

It was a 46-page application document and the arguments espoused in the certiorari application was based on law and not on Geography as Alex Afenyo Markin has been doing. All the reliefs were granted by the 5-member panel. I learned in concluding, the presiding judge said, the certiorari application is hereby granted. When they realised Alex Afenyo Markins face looked like chimpanzee after the ruling, they appease him that the ruling does not affect the governing councils decision. Alex Afenyo bused media personnel to the Supreme Court and granted them interview after the ruling and was hammering on it does not affect councils decision as if he is the UEWs lawyer. Is Alex Afenyo a member of the University community? Alex Afenyo is giving hope to his followers through some self-seeking media personnel on the Supreme Courts ruling.

The University community must know that the supreme courts ruling vitiates all that the Winneba High Court has done from July up to December 14, 2017 and that there is no Ag. VC again unless council reconstitutes and deliberates on the matter thereof. The appointment letter given to Rev. Fr. Prof. BLACK CASSOCK MAN Afful-Broni was premised on the injunction granted by the Winneba High Court presided by HIS LORDSHIP GEORGE ATO MILLS-GRAVES which is now null and void. When one reads HIS LORDSHIP GEORGE ATO MILLS-GRAVES ruling he delivered on December 14, 2017, one would see that he has been in bed with Alex Afenyo for long time. I learned that it is an open secret even among the staff at the Winneba High Court that any case Alex Afenyo send before HIS LORDSHIP GEORGE ATO MILLS-GRAVES, he wins most of them. Instead of HIS LORDSHIP GEORGE ATO MILLS-GRAVES going home honourably, he has just messed up in this UEW case. His December 14, 2017 ruling looks like an English Essay and not based on law. Let me quote some sentences not based on law from his 32-page ruling document. It reads Surprisingly, the Vice-Chancellor and the Financial Officer  as Principal Officer of the 1st Respondent cannot obey simple instructions sent to them by the 2nd Respondent. They have no respect for the directives of the President of the Republic of Ghana and they have also not regard for the 2nd Respondent. To the extent that both the Vice-Chancellor and the Finance Officer were reckless in managing scare (am sure he meant scarce) financial resources of the 1st Respondent by doling out monies from the coffers of the 1st Respondent without making serious enquiresAs who so ever asked the Vice-Chancellor to stay at post even after the expiration of the Governing Council of which he is a member, the President, His Excellency Mr. John Dramani Mahama who had no such authority have extended the term of office to the Governing Council. I hold that their term of office of the Governing Council including the Vice-Chancellor lapsed and cannot return to take up the positions the Vice-Chancellorship of the 1st Respondent and the Financial Officer, as Principal Officer of the 1st Respondent even having disregardedis not fit and proper person to return to the position which he hold (am sure he meant holds) prior to the institution of the case. One may also ask Is HIS LORDSHIP GEORGE ATO MILLS-GRAVES also fit to hear the case? He is among the judges in Ghana who have tarnished the image of the judiciary.

Looting of UEW funds

I am thinking why the current government will nominate 4 hungry people to be her nominee on the UEW governing council. Please, the 4 government nominees are not really people who have the University at heart and I will edge VCG and National UTAG and all well-meaning Ghanaians to join forces to let government dissolve the current UEW governing council so that peace can return to UEW. The chairman has called for countless emergency meetings where allowances were paid. He initially formed a so called fact finding committee to find facts to make UEW defend herself at the court(s) and later turned to join the plaintiff in order to paint a picture that the 6 interdicted officers are criminals without knowing that he was a failed Pro VC. It has been alleged that Alex Afenyo Markin has asked Rev. Fr. Prof. BLACK CASSOCK MAN Afful-Broni to pay him 20,000 cedis every 2 weeks and after the first payment was made, he couldnt continue. I am sure some of you might have heard of an audio of Alex Afenyo Markin in which he was on Peace FM speaking in parables and even said that February is coming ooo. I am sure it is directed to Rev. Fr. Prof. BLACK CASSOCK MAN Afful-Broni. Government through the Ministry of Education should audit the November, 2017 congregation budget and Ghanaians will see the kind of spending that is going on nowadays in UEW. The caretaker management realising that it is not easy to take money from the university accounts are just organising meetings, workshops and other unnecessary gathering in which payments are made.

And now to the 6 interdicted officers

It is hurting to stain people just because of wicked plans and ambitions of others. Are the Council Chairman and Bawah now heads of security agencies in Ghana? What investigations have not been carried out by the BNI and other Security Agencies in Ghana? They should be silent on this vindictiveness and hatred and think of the future of UEW. Bawah says Prof Avoke and Dr Akorlie would go to jail.... for what? I doubt if this guy sat in law class with these kinds of argumentations. People do not go to court based on allegations. I really hope they would be dragged to court soon to answer questions. However, I entreat these 6 victims who are victims of the greed and hatred of a few selfish ones to go to court to clear their names and come back to their positions. Please, the fact finding committee is a bias one so try and point that to your lawyers. The council has no power to turn itself into a disciplinary committee (alert your lawyers). If the current council doesnt understand how to run a university, go to court to teach them how to govern a university. At the centre of the trouble of UEW is the Council Chairman who is on a revenge trip to UEW. He is himself jealous of EWES as his illegal Ag. VC.

Victor K. Owusu (An Alumnus of UEW)

[email protected]
These days, we are surrounded by messages about the diseases associated with Obesity or being fat. Indeed, the campaign against obesity has been so successful that our conception of beauty has changed-- even in Africa. There was a time when a woman in Africa was not considered beautiful unless she had a big front, a big behind, ending in impressive hips and a round face with dimples! In those days, most of those dominating the fashion shows now would have been considered sick.

Unfortunately, many have come to think that if fat/obesity is bad, slimness is good. That is false.

Involuntary or unintended weight loss can be a sign of very serious disease. A weight loss of over 5% of bodyweight in 6 months to a year is considered significant. This will be manifested to the person as clothes getting loose. Sometimes, rings too get loose.

I remember while living in Abidjan, one of my acquaintances, a former model in France, was thin, very thin. When she was persuaded to see a doctor because of a persistent cough, she had tuberculosis. All her acquaintances had to be tested for the disease and quite a few tested positive.

Indeed, weight loss in tuberculosis is so common that in areas where the disease is common, weight loss and persistent cough is considered highly suggestive of TB. Another disease highly associated with weight loss is HIV. In the early days of the disease, weight loss was so common that it was called "Slim disease" in many places. Nearly one in ten HIV patients have weight loss. And when TB and HIV occur together, as they often do, the weight loss can be dramatic.

Depending on age and geography, there are many causes of weight loss. The most common causes are cancer, nearly a third, bowel-related illnesses in one-in-six patients and the same proportion in Depression and other MENTAL health illnesses.

Endocrine diseases like thyroid and diabetic illnesses can also cause weight loss. Nutritional problems are particularly common in children and adolescents.

Indeed, Kwashiokor, which describes one such childhood illness, is a Ghanaian (Ga) word.In about one-in-five cases, no cause can be found.

It is important to get to the doctor as soon as possible. Based on the history, tests and imaging studies can be done that, in most cases, can lead to successful diagnosis and treatment.

So, the lesson here is that weight loss can be a sign of serous illness.

See a doctor if you are losing weight involuntarily.

Encourage family members and friends to get help when they are losing weight.

Merry Xmas and a very rewarding 2018.

Arthur K
22.12.2017 LISTEN

A couple of months ago, Dr. Amoako Tuffour publicly stated that he used his resources to help the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to win the 2016 elections.

Dr. Amoako Tuffuor's statement attracted sour and repugnant responses from some political novices and ignoramuses.

However, he was vindicated on Sunday December 17, 2017, by Chairman Wontumi. At the just ended Extraordinary Delegates Congress of the NPP in Kumasi, Chairman Wontumi (Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP) publicly paid glowing tribute to Dr. Amoako Tuffuor's role in the success of the NPP in the 2016 elections.

He said Dr. Amoako Tuffuor spent his time, money, logistics, and physical strength to help the NPP gain victory. Chairman Wontumi further mentioned the free flow of wisdom, intelligence, prayers, and experience from Dr. Amoako Tuffuor.

The role of the Ashanti Region NPP in our 2016 election victory cannot be easily discounted: 1,647,274 valid votes, and 44 out of the NPP's 169 MP's (representing 26% of the seats). This package is no mean an achievement.

Now this: When will His Excellency the President himself publicly acknowledge and honour Dr. Amoako Tuffuor?

That's a question that begs an answer.
Bozoma Saint John, Uber's Chief Brand Officer visited Accra Recently. During her visit, she met with members of the Uber West Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa team, Driver-Partners, Policy Makers and select guests at selected events.

The Uber West Africa team was indeed pleased to have her onboard and happy that she was able to visit the country especially since she had spent time growing up in Ghana.

During her visit, Bozoma visited the Uber Greenlight Hub in Accra; a high-tech, world-class support facility for driver-partners.

She spent some time with driver-partners and also took a tour of the Accra GLH. On driver-partner engagement, Boz affirmed that she felt inspired both by the drivers she met and the impact Uber has made in their lives.

Saint John believes Uber is one of the most exciting companies in the world right now because of its extreme growth and what has happened in such a short amount of time.

She is excited about the growth opportunities in Ghana and the rest of the African continent.

She believes that there is much potential within the region, because Uber provides an accessible means for entrepreneurs to become small business owners, thereby helping to improve the lives and futures of individuals, families and communities.
Labour unions in the country have kicked against plans by mining giant, Gold Fields Limited, to retrench more than 2,000 workers at its Tarkwa and Damang concessions.

Given the already precarious employment situation, the TUC [Trades Union Congress] and its affiliate national unions were horrified by the news that a company that has gained so much from the very generous fiscal incentives made available by our mining laws and have consistently recorded colossal profit margins over the years, could contemplate such heartless measures, a statement signed by TUC General Secretary, Yaw Baah, said.

Goldfields Ghana has said its decision to operate contract mining at its Tarkwa concession is the best business model to sustain its investments in the country.

The company decided to change its business model of the Tarkwa concession from owner mining to contract mining, similar to its operations in Damang as a result of unstable gold prices and cost of labour in recent years leading to a dwindling fortune for the company.

However, TUC says the latest number of workers cited in a letter written by lawyers of Gold Fields Ghana Limited puts the expected number of affected workers at 2,150, out of a total workforce of 2,516 (including Management staff).

We find this extremely unfortunate considering the extent of contradictions and inconsistencies in the companys justification for the proposed retrenchment, it said.

TUC the says the proposed retrenchment is a demonstration of bad faith and breaches the mining Development Agreement.

TUC General Secretary, Yaw Baah

Read the full statement below.

THE PROPOSED RETRENCHMENT BY GOLD FIELDS GHANA LIMITED, TARKWA AND DAMANG

On 20th and 21st of December, 2017, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) held the second of its bi-annual General Council meeting in Accra. The first day of the meeting was devoted to discussion of a number of important national issues that have implications for working and living conditions of workers and their families. As expected, the proposed retrenchment of 2150 workers by Gold Fields Limited at its mines at Tarkwa and Damang took centre stage of the Councils deliberations.

Given the already precarious employment situation, the TUC and its affiliate national unions were horrified by the news that a company that has gained so much from the very generous fiscal incentives made available by our mining laws and have consistently recorded colossal profit margins over the years, could contemplate such heartless measures.

The facts available to the TUC indicate that Gold Fields intends to pursue a contract mining. The initial estimate of the company was that this alternative mining option would lead to the retrenchment of about 1,500 of its employees. But the latest number of workers cited in a letter written by lawyers of Gold Fields Ghana Limited astonishingly puts the expected number of affected workers at 2,150, out of a total workforce of 2,516 (including Management staff). We find this extremely unfortunate considering the extent of contradictions and inconsistencies in the companys justification for the proposed retrenchment.

The Company justified the decision to undertake contract mining and the subsequent retrenchment on two grounds. The first is the Life of Mine. The Company claims that the life of its Tarkwa Mine stands at between 5 and 6 years, implying that the mine is nearing its lifespan. This claim is unsupported by the facts available to the TUC including facts that are posted in black and white on Gold Fields Ghana Limiteds website and the Companys audited Mineral Resource/Reserve Report. In the audited report, Gold Fields stated among other things that the Life of Mine as at December,

2016 stood at 15 years and 14 years, if the current reserve of 6.1 million is depleted by its projected 2017 gold production of 545,000 ounces.

The second justification by the company was in respect of what it called ageing fleet. Gold Fields claims that its mining equipment is ageing and nearing the operational lifespan. An analysis of this claim shows that, it is far from the truth. In fact, our analysis indicates that over 80 percent of the current fleet is operating below the Original Equipment Manufacturer Life of 60,000 hours and an Extended Life of 72,000 hours. This means that the current fleet can run for several years. Strict maintenance regime as has always been adhered to by Gold Fields Ghana Limited combined with a strategic fleet replacement schedule, the current fleet has the potential to go beyond the current 14-year life. Surprisingly, the so-called ageing fleet is expected to be purchased by the contractor for use under the proposed contract mining arrangement.

It is also important to state that, in 2016 Gold Fields Ghana Limited proposed and secured a Development Agreement with the Government of Ghana in respect of its Tarkwa Mine. The agreement was signed on 11th March, 2016 and ratified by Parliament on 17th March 2016. As part of this agreement, the government of Ghana committed to grant further fiscal incentives provided under the mining lease held by Goldfields. Specifically, Government agreed to reduce the corporate tax rate, which stood at 35 percent for all mining companies to 32.5 percent for Gold Fields Ghana Limited, under the development agreement. The royalty was also reduced from a flat rate of 5 percent to a range of between 3 to 5 percent, indexed to gold price spanning 11 years.

According to Goldfields, these and other fiscal concessions would save the Company up to USD33 million a year effective 2016.

The Government of Ghana gave away these incentives principally because Section 49 of the Minerals and Mining allows the state to enter into Development Agreement with holders of Mining Leases where the proposed investment exceeds US$500 million. Gold Fields Ghana Limited had a mining lease and had also promised/proposed to invest additional USD2.5 billion in both the Tarkwa and Damang Mines. It was envisaged that the new investment would increase gold production at the two mines by 40 percent to one million ounces per year. This, according to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, will go a long way to make the projects (Tarkwa and Damang Mines) viable and also create more jobs

One year on, and after these generous fiscal and other concessions, Gold Fields has the temerity to disregard its own commitment and promises and propose this insensitive retrenchment programme in which 2,150 workers will lose their jobs and livelihoods. This certainly cannot be the more jobs the people of Ghana were promised in return for the huge fiscal incentives.

The proposed retrenchment by Gold Fields is, therefore, a demonstration of bad faith and is in breach of the mining Development Agreement the Company signed with the Government of Ghana in 2016.

We call on Government to ensure that Gold Fields implements its side of the Development Agreement and refrain from adducing additional arguments to justify what is basically an unjustifiable action.

The Ghana Mineworkers Union of TUC is already in court pursuing justice for its members at Gold Fields and the people of Ghana over these blatant violations. The TUC fully supports the court action. In the coming days and weeks, we will pursue additional measures to ensure that Gold Fields does not renege on its contractual obligations and does not further compound the looming unemployment challenge we face.

We would like to assure our members at Gold Fields that the Union will do the best it can to defend their rights.

[SIGNED]

DR. YAW BAAH

SECRETARY GENERAL

ACCRA

21ST DECEMBER, 2017
Amid the global outcry over hellish migrant camps in Libya, many African leaders have accused the country of racism and crimes against their African "brothers".

But for those who have returned from the living hell, it's not only the Libyans who are profiting from the "migrant business". Illegal migrants are also the prey of sub-Saharan mafia groups, especially Nigerians.

Daniel* was a student when smugglers convinced him to travel to Europe, which many migrants see as the path to a prosperous life. "In two weeks, you will be in Italy," they promised him.

But 10 months later, in early December, the 28-year-old Nigerian was repatriated to Benin City, his hometown, after enduring kidnapping, violence and forced labour. His legs were lacerated by electric wire burns.

Migrants brought home from Libya arrive in Benin, capital of Edo State in midwest Nigeria, after being stranded in the volatile North African country en route to Europe.

"We feel cheated. It was a trap. The guys who did that to us are the ones who collected money from us" to go to Europe, Daniel said, surrounded by his likewise disillusioned companions.

Some 200 Nigerians being repatriated that day could hardly begin to describe the horrors they had suffered in Libya.

One just said: "The Arab man doesn't like Africans."

Work 'like slaves'

But others spoke up as confidence and a spirit of revenge began to show, and their testimonies recounted to AFP were unanimous: both Libyans and Nigerians are responsible for the ill treatment, kidnappings and enslavement of migrants.

Daniel paid 550,000 nairas (1,290 euros, $1,530) to a criminal organisation for his promised passage to Europe.

"When I arrived in Libya the contact I had there told me that the money was finished and that I should pay 500,000 extra," he told AFP.

Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Professor Yinka Omorogbe carries the one-month-old child of a migrant brought home to Nigeria from Libya.

In the hidden camps, Daniel said the smugglers hang "us by the feet and make you bleed while you call your parents to beg for money."

Those whose relatives cannot or will not pay are sold to the Libyans with whom the Nigerians "work hand and hand."

Daniel could pay and continued his journey. Arriving at the coast, the network of smugglers demanded he pay 400,000 nairas (937 euros) to cross the Mediterranean. Once more he paid up and was freed -- but he never got out of Libya.

Stuck in Tripoli, Daniel did small jobs for the equivalent of about two euros per day.

"I was going to work, hidden in the boot of the car. You don't want to be seen if you are illegal because Nigerians or Libyans can kidnap you," he said.

Daniel finally gave himself up to the authorities, in the hope of being deported to his home country. His bank account empty, he waited seven months in a detention centre where Libyans came to get them to work for free "like slaves" during the day.

Nigerian consular services based in Libya have sped up the repatriation procedure under orders from Abuja, after a CNN video showing migrants being sold as "slaves" shocked the world.

'Jungle justice'

In November, 1,300 Nigerians were repatriated compared with only 643 between last December and March. Nigerian authorities claim that 5,000 nationals are still "stranded" in areas "accessible by consular services".

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 250,000 sub-Saharan migrants were in Libya, as of the end of September. The largest number of them are from Nigeria, a country of 190 million people.

The IOM noted that these estimates were "certainly lower than the reality".

Osagie, another Nigerian repatriated to Benin City, also denounced the corruption of certain employees at the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli and the IOM "who asked for bail" to get them out of official detention camps.

Migrants see health officials shortly after returning from Libya. Some 1,300 Nigerians were repatriated in November alone.

"They are supposed to help us to return home, but they are looking to enrich themselves," said the young man.

The relevant authorities declined to respond to questions by AFP.

At the same time, international organisations find access to Libya extremely complicated and limited.

"Yes, both Nigerians and Libyans are involved in (human) trafficking in Libya," said Julie Donli, director de NAPTIP, a Nigerian security unit against trafficking. But she added that it was difficult to get information from the victims.

Now back in Nigeria, Osagie says he will not file a complaint against his smugglers. The law of the jungle reigns.

"We don't trust the system. At the end of the day, you lose when you report a situation like that and after one month the person is out (of jail), they will come get you," he said.

Some of the victims "will round up a gang, and go the person's (smuggler's) home and take back their money... It's jungle justice."

*All first names have been changed to protect their identities
Ghanas Consul General, Professor Samuel Amoako has attended a fundraising event organized by, Love Without Walls, a nonprofit organization (NGO) based in New York, to build a hospital in Suhum.

The facility which was started in October 2014 and scheduled to be completed in 2019, will serve the healthcare needs of Ghanaian kids and those from the West African sub-region.

This noble idea is the initiative of Dr. Hartford Dawson in partnership with Bishop H. Curtis Douglas of Dabas Bethlehem Cathedral. According to Dr. Dawson, he conceived the idea when he visited Ghana in 2014 on the NGOs assignment.

As soon as he returned to the United States, he was compelled to start the project in Suhum, because he had seen the bad nature of the countrys healthcare systems and wanted to contribute his quota to help meet this important need.

At a fundraising event held on November 24th, 2017 in Queens, New York, towards the project, the NGO invited Prof. Samuel Amoako to be the guest of honor. He was delighted at the NGOs initiative, especially as coincidentally, it is being undertaken at the place where he had begun teaching in 1968.

It will be recalled that from the time the Consul General took office, he has been very engaging with the Ghanaian communities across the U.S., sharing his vision, explaining government policies to them, and wooing investors.

The fundraising event offered yet another opportunity for him to sell the investor-centered policies of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government, such as the One District, One Factory; One Village, One Dam; and Planting for Food and Jobs. Prof. Amoako added that Agriculture under the NPP government is making a paradigm shift from raw material production to value addition. It is one of the ways that the industry intends to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.

With the warm reception and messages of assurance from his hosts, Prof. Amoako believes the investment prospects of the country are very high.
It has been said time without number that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. One significant factor that led to the unexpected termination of the Mahama - led administration was the serious issue of corruption of which he failed to address amicably. Ghanaians registered their displeasure by showing NDC the exit hoping to wake up in a new dawn of corruption-free society.

The problem of corruption in the Ghanaian political scene is as old as Adam and it is the worst form of injustice against Ghana as a nation. There havent been shortage of promises from various presidents ranting to completely break the shackles and fetters of corruption in Ghana. From the administration of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to the administration of H.E John Dramani Mahama, corruption was alive and well. Despite several efforts to completely eradicate corruption in Ghana, it still continues unabated. It has gained roots in Ghana and seem not to easily fade away.

The escalating incidence of corruption in recent times has really compelled many a citizen to conclude that the promises of politicians in Ghana against issues of corruption are just mere lip services and should therefore be taken with a pinch of salt. These promises are made to gain cheap political points. The politician who steals little amount of states money in a clever and subtle manner is always seen accusing his other colleague as the big thief. They tend to forget that be it a big thief or a small thief, they are both rated as thieves.

The New Patriotic Party, being swamped by an avalanche of success and failure stories of previous governments in Ghana with regards to corruption, it will therefore be expedient and more prudent to think that the Nana Addo- led administration would be corruption- free government. I hate to burst your bubbles! But the truth of the matter is that our worst fears are being confirmed. In as much as the NPP administration has been lauded for chalking a number of successes, it has also been accused for perpetrating violence and chaos through its vigilante groups.

Recent developments in the Nana Addo led-administration is indicative that the familiar spectre of corruption and alibi is rearing its ugly head in the countrys politics. Recently, it went viral that expatriates had to pay $100,000 just to sit by the president Nana Addo Dankwa. That the fees charged at the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards were not the kind of fees approved by parliament. Luckily enough for this administration, the said allegations turned out to be mere hoax and did not hold any water.

With the issue of corruption in view, the president is on record to have publicly condemned acts of corruption. He has cajoled many a citizen countless number of times to wage a successful war against corruption in Ghana. Are only words really enough? Action is needed and not words. How do we rationalize the recent development of corruption in the country? Are we going to wake up from our beds as a nation only to realize that this one too was a mere hoax and malice? The NPP administration while in opposition constantly trumpeted the conflict of interest sermon.

The ministry of Special Development Initiative budgeted 800,000 Ghana cedis for the development of just a website and a further 10 million to purchase 20 4-wheel Drive vehicles. In all, parliament has approved 1.1 Ghana cedis for the ministry. If this is not corruption, what then is corruption?

Approving this budget for a website and a vehicle is bad enough but having to watch 744 million Ghana cedis to be funded with the countrys oil money just rubbed salt into the wound. This cynical ploy by the ministry to rob the nation dry of its resources has really agitated the minds of many to ask the hard questions. How much does it take to develop a website for a ministry? Did the other ministries also pay this amount before they could get access to a website? A website for 800,000 Ghana cedis? That is just daylight robbery! Robbing the nation in a broad daylight to fill individual pockets is not only cynical but barbaric, uncouth and very selfish.

There are more pressing needs to be attended to than the bloating of figures all in the name of developing a bogus website and buying vehicles. The presidents stance on corruption in the public domain is clear and unambiguous but it seems some of his ministers are too hungry for overnight success. Until the rotten teeth is being removed, the mouth must always chew with caution.

I have read and seen presidents and governments rise and fall. If there is one thing I know to be true  it is that the end of those who fell on the sharp and intoxicating edge of corruption was very pathetic and unexpected.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the New Patriotic Party is gradually failing to learn from history. It is crystal clear that the mantle of governance has succeeded in blinding the New Patriotic Party and its leader, Nana Akuffo Addo to acts of corruption. The bitter truth NPP should know is that to be in the helm of affairs is never for eternity. Our elders do say that if the tail of the cow never remained in its anus forever, what makes you think that it will remain in the hands of the fetish priest forever?

The transitory nature of governance wouldnt permit one party to rule forever. Power definitely changes hands. These evolving issue of corruption if not treated with urgency by the president, has the power to terminate the dreams of the party to remain in power for a longer period of time. The sands of time are running out. The leadership should never sweep this issue under the carpet. They should make things right while it is still right.

THE WRITER IS EFFAH ELVIS.

BLOGS @ elvis1site.wordpress.com
Manasseh Azure Awuni

22.12.2017 LISTEN

Hellooo Manasseh,

Greetings from Binduri.

Long time no hear. How body now? Hmmmm, naa waa for you ooooooo.

Time they say sweeps everything along and can bring good as well as evil; evil as well as good. At no point in time would this adage ever be appropriately used than now.

Mannasseh, he who pebble the other asks for rocks in return. You had enough time to travel to Burkina Faso and interviewed Mr. Jibril Kanazoe; a private businessman who voluntarily donated a Ford Expedition worth $100,000 to Former President John Dramani Mahama. Remember???? You were proudly beating your chest and shouting on roof tops that HE John Dramani Mahama is very corrupt and should be impeached, something the current Majority in parliament which was Minority then tried to but failed.

Sadly however, you can't find time to investigate the numerous scandals going on in Ghana today? You even had time for the Goats Chairman; Uncle Billy Naabs, who is so much corrupt that he couldn't resist a guinea fowl bribe after he lied that he was bribed with a Ford by the NDC but can't do same now? Wonders they say shall never end. By the way does Uncle Billy Naabs' needless uneducated shenanigans look like someone who deserves a Ford as bribe?

Today in Ghana; expatriates are charged fees ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 to sit and dine with the President. Haven't you heard this? The last time I checked you were writing about Ebony. Manasseh the Presidency is deceiving the public that it knows nothing about the deal. Then interestingly, Carlos 'Macho' Ahenkorah, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, who signed the demand letter revealed on Neat FM that the whole deal was discussed at the Presidency and that the bribes were transferred from the Ministry of Trade and Industry accounts to a Flagstaff House account. This is a serious contradiction that calls for serious investigation. The President's camouflage query to Alan Kyeremanteng is another cosmetic exercise by the government to project the obviously corrupt Nana Akuffo Addo as blameless.

You see where Ghanaians are being fooled? The President is claiming he has no knowledge but the monies were transferred to him. We are talking of close to 800,000 dollars, about eight times the cost of the Kanazoe Ford. So Mr. Manasseh please don't close your eyes, be the hero you once were. Expose Akuffo Addo's dishonesty to the whole world like you sought to do against John Mahama.

Your deliberate silence is suspicious. Doesn't the avarice, acquisitiveness, cupity and rapaciousness of the Nana Akufo-Addo-Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's government give you nightmares? These two gentlemen are weak overlords who are just seeking the aggrandizement of themselves, their families, friends, associates and concubines who are quicker to despoil their subjects than govern well.

Or you don't want to see, hear or speak any evil of the current regime? Awurade Yakubu judgment day will be so interesting.

Mannasseh many evil things are happening, can't you see???? Apart from the Flagstaff House being an embodiment of corruption, it is also now a Brothel. Diamond Appiah, one of the patronizers was recently heckling one of her colleague patronizers on social media. Nagging be what? This one too you didn't hear?

Mannasseh, not only the above mentioned but many other examples exist of which you've for the sake of political expedience decided to turn a blind eye to. Boakye Agyarko aka BOAKYGATE of GHS 150, 000 parliamentary bribery scandal fame still remains fresh in our memories. An alarm Hon. Mahama Ayariga raised of which all the evil people and basket of deplorables turned against him, we needed someone like you; the self-acclaimed objective journalist to come to his rescue but you were as usual of you in this regime silent.

Alfred Obeng Boateng of the BUSTED BOSTING BOST BOSS fame is also fresh on our minds. He sold contaminated fuel to his own unregistered company which was unlicensed. This contaminated fuel had the potential of endangering our environment. I'm yet to see you speak to it.

Ken Ofori Atta, issued a scandalous family and friends bond. The bond's issue was shrouded in secrecy, issued without recourse to laid down procedures and industry best practices requirements, issued without cabinet approval, issued without Parliamentary approval, issued without a Securities and Exchange Commission board. Even the attorney general who is the principal state attorney was not aware of the legal implications of the deal. Till date we haven't heard anything from you with regards to that.

Mr. Mannasseh, you are currently too pusillanimous. Yes, am saying so because the King, Nana Akufo-Addo is grindingly cruel to those who stand in his way. He is very ruthless and glorying in bloodshed. He has reversed outrightly the Democratic gains of this country. He has and is still busy dismantling democratic institutions by closing down media stations that are critical of his regime, buying independent TV, Radio and newspaper outlets and clamping down on opposition activities. He has ever since he became President dismissed several public and civil service workers. He has even extended his encroachment to the independent Electoral Commission of Ghana. Ghana is currently in a "Gray zone". You can't you see I guess.

You are fast losing your credibility though I have never trusted your objectivity right from day one, however, others did. Do something before it is too late. Try to be consistent. Demonstrate consistently in your actions grandeur, courage, sobriety and strength. You see Anas? He is always consistent and credible, he demonstrate in his actions grandeur, courage, sobriety and strength. You are picky because the likes of the uneducated Bugri Naabu influence you.

Mr. Bongo boy, I said it in my last letter to you and I will repeat, do not be like the horse or the mule which have no understanding but must be controlled by the bit and bridle before they come to you. You were very wicked to your brother John Dramani Mahama. You treated him with extraordinary and inordinate malice and I will like to refer you to a scripture in the Bible; Psalm 32:10. Many are the woes of the wicked.

Aaahhhaaaa, where are your good friends? I mean the wise men; Prof. Martey, Palmer Buckler, Owusu Bempah, Otabil el tal.

The God of John Dramani Mahama is really a living God. The handsome Grandson of Jakpa have been vindicated rather too early than I expected. All these crazy guys have suddenly become passive spectators. They've all now succumbed to the whimps and caprice of the Senile at the Presidency. If cockroaches decide to dance in fire, death is inevitable. A friend told me that Prof. Martey, Rev. Otabil, Owusu Bempa and their group are currently in Arusha, Tanzania attending a 2 year conference on "Responsible commentary, Fair Judgment, and Unbiased Opinions" and that Professor Stephen Adei is also in Aleppo; Syria studying common sense and wisdom. It is believed that when they return to Ghana, hopefully by October 2020, we shall have the best democracy in the world; could it be true?

Mannasseh, will your anchor hold in the storms of your life?

Now that the storm is unfolding it's wings of strife?

Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

Has it been fasted to a rock which cannot move? Well let's see how it goes.

Vultures descend where there is strong carcass, so what motivates you to write? Liquor? Beer? Bongo pito? Or "Soli "?

I want to help you out. You know I'm a benevolent guy. Instead of being a watch dog, you are now a guard dog. Convenience politics at its best.

Well let me pause here and join the gods of Binduri to consume the pot of pito they just brought from Apoaka's joint; it will inspire me to write to Nana Akufo-Addo on Saturday, good day.

Assibid Dauda

*The Binduri Youth Activist*
Today, my President, Nana Akufo Addo is the hero of the African continent after his much publicized and lauded speech delivered during the visitation of the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

As one who has for a long-time held the view that Africa has enough by way of resources and capacity to be a global super power if we outgrow the dependency syndrome and unite towards making life better for the people, I was inspired by the speech of our President and the authority with which he spoke.

As a matter of fact, if any imperialist needed to hear this speech, Nana couldnt have chosen a better person than the President of France. Frances grip of their colonies on the continent is one major reason why ECO, the proposed, ongoing, never arriving single currency for the sub-region remains a mirage. France is a major reason why Africa cannot unite because it is still technically an extended colonial master of most of their colonies.

The truth though is, the West will not be deterred by such passionate speeches because they see such calls as the usual barking of African leaders aimed at getting cheers from the citizenry with little practical steps and political will to walk the talk.

The question we need to answer though is: s our problem the result of aid?

Just about three months ago, it was all over in the news that India government had gifted Ghana a million dollar to work on the Flagstaff House.

About two months prior to this: we signed an agreement with World Bank a 5.5 Million Dollars Grant for natural resources management.

Every month sees us benefit from the one form of Aid or the other. How bad have these supports been for Ghana?

Historically, Aid is the Wests conscious effort to lift the third world and develop Africa and Asia in particular because they believe that the poverty of the third world is partly the result of their exploitation and so as a way to bridge the gap in development and somehow pacify the underdeveloped: the concept of Aid was develop.

Years down the line, they have remained committed to this cause.

A white man brings many from his country, travels to a village in the Upper East Region to help the needy. A Ghanaian uses the name of the poor, goes for money from the white man, buys himself a car and organise conferences at 5 Star Hotels.

In the 21st Century, we can no longer blame the West and imperialism for our underdevelopment. When African leaders steal from their people and invest abroad, we cannot blame the Aid or the West for it. When government contracts are priced 5 times the cost of the regular market value: the West is not to blame.

Since independence, the worst thing that has happened to us is our own people. We see poor people enter politics, get rich within a twinkle of an eye.

Today at Shiashie, theres a 7.4 Million Euro footbridge. When a supposedly poor country can budget Eighty Thousaud Cedis for a website and Ten Million Cedis for 20 official vehicles: aid or the West can never be blamed for our suffering.

How can Africa blame the West or Aid when a Nigerian Senator, after 10 years in office uses the back door to make more money than the average US President?

Ghana as a country should be thankful for the benevolence of our development partners and rather take advantage of the privileges we enjoy because their contribution to the development of this country has been immense.

The impact of Aid on Ghana is so glaring that there is no need to list the number of schools, the number of poverty alleviation initiatives and the general contribution of aid to Ghanas development.

One of the major credit the erstwhile government under President Kufour takes is signing up for HIPC and the benefit that came with it: that is AID right there and there is nothing evil about it.

China didnt shut the door to aid before developing, they didnt have to win a verbal war to develop. They only ensured that every support accepted conformed to their Grand National agenda. Unfortunately, because we dont have a national agenda and only work with political agenda, every grants, loan finds itself here.

Our problem beyond corruption are the bad loans and one sided trade agreement we sign as a nation.

Government goes for loan with interest to construct a road and the conditions includes engaging a contractor from that country, says yes to it, pop Champaign and celebrate it as an achievement.

What it means is that the contractor will repatriate part of the money which is his profit for doing the job into his countrys economy in spite of the fact that we will pay the loan and the interest in full. This is not Aid: it is a loan we agreed to and signed without a gun on our head.

This is why a Burkinabe contractor will beat our local Contractors to major contracts in Ghana. This is because the bigger jobs travel outside and they are left to feed on the carcass.

If we cant get good loans, we should look for it within and develop at our own pace regardless of how slow we develop.

We want fair trade, we want loans without one sided conditions.

We are not poor because of aid: no single country developed without aid in this era, we are poor because our door is opened to everything foreign. From loan to goods and services, everything that is not Ghanaian is accepted.

Sadly, I have not seen any effort to shift from the old ways of doing things by this government in terms of our dealing with the west despite the constant assurance that we will be moving from the position of aid seekers to proper mutually beneficial partnerships.

We cannot keep signing one sided trading agreement that opens our borders to foreign goods and kill our local industries as a result.

We can equally achieve nothing with mere sloganeering without a proper laid out plan.

As long as we speak the same language of old and act the same way, great speeches will be delivered, people will celebrate our President and feel that the messiah has arrived but the end result will be the same: nothing.

Africa without aid should be a call to a change a in the mind-set of the African and not a verbal attack on the west. If you go to a friend cup in hand for milk, you dont have the right to accuse him for giving you a substandard milk.

Ghana beyond aid should not be a call to close the door to aid but a call for us to change our I need aid mentality. That is the problem and not aid.

We need to rediscover our sense of patriotism as a people, outgrow selfishness and eschew justification for wrongs when it comes in our political party colours.

Last year, The St. Joseph Orthopaedic Hospital at Koforidua was exposed for charging money from patients to do surgeries fully paid for by donor agencies. This is not the white man cheating blacks: this is the Ghanaian exploiting his fellow countryman.

The interesting aspect is, most of the people who do these horrible things get away with it. The Chief Executive who was paid 4000 Cedis monthly barbering allowance walks around a free man, the one who sanction the procurement at wheelbarrows at unit cost of 7000 Ghana Cedis walks a free man

Such wicked mentality and insensitivity of most Africans is the result of our poverty.

In view of this, the best statement we can make to prove that we have arrived at the 21st Century party is to change our attitude towards our own, believe in ourselves, get a development plan distinctively African or in our case Ghanaian and pursue it with our blood.

We cant develop as long as our official wear remains suite and our Ghanaian wear casual meant for Fridays. We cant develop as long as Ghanaian dishes are treated as the preserve of the poor and foreign foods a status symbol.

As long as we have the mentality of poor people, as long as with the least opportunity people want to make enough money for themselves with little care of the suffering majority, with or without aid, we will continue to be poor

Every country that made the journey from third world to develop over the past 50 years eat, drink and wear from within.

The importation of food into Ghana alone is enough to depreciate the cedi.

We cant blame aid for our problems when on our own volition previous government projects are ignored midway through because the new government want exclusivity to the praise for the job done and so opts to starts afresh.

Our problem is never aid, on the contrary, we are where we are partly because of aid. Aid is the reason why some families in the north can wake up daily with the hope of 2 square meal, aid is the reason why some villages in Ghana have schools and hospitals. Malaria drugs are given to us through aid, we get anti-retroviral drugs for HIV through aid. Take away the DANIDA, USAID and many lives would have perished.

Our problem is and has always been poor management of what we receive, corruptions and greed.

We always compare ourselves to Singapore and Malaysia but the truth is that they didnt develop by shutting the door to aid, they develop by changing their mentality and developed a scalable strategic development plan.

They didnt have to threaten the west that theyd wean themselves off aid, they just had a plan and worked with countries willing to deal with them according to their terms and not sway them from their plans.

Do we have plan and the ability to say no to partnerships that will not help us achieve those plans?

First of all, as a country, we dont have a plan, governance has been about getting the praise of the citizenry and not a decision to do the right thing for long-term benefit even if it will render leadership unpopular temporarily.

The time though has come for us to move from the rhetoric to acting on what we say if we want to make strides and grow as a continent.

For a country with an average monthly revenue less than 4 Billion Cedis, we lose an estimated 12 Billion Ghana to corruption annually.

These are the things and not aid that has kept us poor as a people.

Mr President, daddy, if you make major strides in the fight against corruptions in and out of government, if the procurement law is enforced, we will develop as a country.

Enough has been said about the Ghana without aid agenda, your eloquence makes it easy for everyone to resonate with it. The time is ripe for us to have a plan that a class 5 kid can relate to, one that binds future government.

We have come a long way, we have made enough references to our natural resources, the world is aware of the fertility of our lands.

They also know that we import tomatoes and in danger off importing water in the near future

We need the right aid and the right attitude to aid alongside a plan to develop as a nation.

Have I said we shouldnt seek to develop to the point where we dont need aid? No. I am simply saying that apart from the fact that we are wrongly demonising aid, we are doing very little to be totally self-dependent. Ghana beyond aid should be a message to Ghanaians and not just to prove a point to the West with mere words.

If we can reduce the talk and work silently like the countries we compare ourselves to: we will make major strides.

Attacking the West with our vision though might come back to haunt us.

[email protected]
The Special Development Initiatives Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson has rejected reports that her Ministry intends to spend an amount of GH800, 000 for the development of a website.

Speaking Thursday, December 21, on Starr Today, the Awutu Senya East lawmaker explained that the staggering amount contained in the breakdown of the Ministrys 2018 projected expenditure was an oversight.

How on earth can we use GH800,000 for just a website? Are we mad? To be frank with you when I heard the report I called the budget officer only to realise that it was a typo, she told Starr Todays host Naa Dedei Tettey.

She continued, how on earth can we use GH800, 000 for this Ministrys website? What kind of website are we building? Please it is not GH800, 000it was typo error.

According to her, the correct figure is GH80, 000, indicating further that the amount will not only be used in building a website for the Ministry but the three development authorities and their regional offices.

When asked how that could have been an oversight, she said Even myself when I saw it I was surprised until today that we all got to know about it.

Livid by the bad publicity the disclosure of the earlier figure courted the Ministry; Koomson chided the former deputy Finance Minister and Ranking member of the Finance committee of Parliament Cassiel Atto Forson, the source of the information for pursuing political equalisation.

He is a ranking member and he was there the day the expenditure was presented to his committeewhy didnt he probe us there if truly he saw it? Because he wanted to make mischiefand equalisation because NDC has been tagged as corrupt, she said.

The new Ministry led by Hawa Koomson presented a total budget of GH71, 059, 970.00 for approval by parliament for its operations in the ensuing year.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has congratulated some journalists, who won awards during the 22nd edition of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) awards ceremony.

According to a press statement signed by the party's Acting General Secretary, John Boadu, the award-winners distinguished themselves in the period under review and deserved the awards.

According to the statement, the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the awardees in line of their work were recognised.

The party therefore called on other journalists in the country to take a cue from the awardees' exploits and maintain the high standards that underpin journalism for the love of the country.

Government, it stated, was committed to supporting the work of journalists in the country and beyond.

Award winners

Kwami Sefa Kayi, host of Peace FM's morning show, 'Kokrokoo,' won the 2016 PV Ansah Journalist of the Year Award at the 22nd edition of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) awards ceremony.

He was recognized for his efforts in promoting maternal and child health.

Mr Kayi used his position as a morning show host to create awareness and solicit support to improve child health care.

Gina Blay, former president of the Private News Papers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and Chief Executive Officer of Western Publications Limited, publishers of DAILY GUIDE, who is currently Ghana's Ambassador to Germany, was given an honourary award for her immense contributions to journalism in Ghana.

DAILY GUIDE's Jamila Akweley Okertchiri, who picked four awards previously, won the award for the Best Sanitation and Hygiene Category for print.

She previously won awards in Feature, HIV & AIDS, Health and Disability reporting.

Portia Gabor of TV3 took the Komla Dumor Most Promising Young Journalist of the year Award after she was adjudged the best broadcast journalist in news reporting.

Other awards winners were Alice Aryeetey of GHOne TV, who took home two awards in the child protection and education categories while Seth Bokpe of Daily Graphic won awards for agriculture, features and work in the anti-galamsey fight.

Umaru Amadu Sanda of Citi Fm won an award for the SDGs for broadcast category while several radio stations were recognized for their immense contributions.

By Gibril Abdul Razak
KORLE-BU TEACHING Hospital (KBTH), the premier health care facility in Ghana could become a centre for medical tourism in Africa under a plan being considered by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Felix Anyah.

According to him, with the infrastructural development and equipment at KBTH coupled with committed and dedicated human resource available, the teaching hospital will soon be throwing its open doors to international visitors.

He was optimistic that with the way medical tourism is thriving in most parts of the world as a viable venture, transforming the state-owned tertiary hospital into one of such facilities will boost revenue for the country.

We should look at how best we can promote medical tourism. This is what will bring us more money. As at now, 75 percent of our revenue is from NHIS and 25 percent as cash from individual's pockets and in cedis. There are people in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, among other countries, who want to come to Korle-Bu. We have everything but its only management, the CEO stated.

He was hopeful that when KBTH is able to reposition its brand as the biggest hospital in West Africa, it will become the hub of medical tourism in Africa and will attract clients outside Ghana.

Dr. Anyah disclosed his vision last Wednesday when he hosted the staff of the hospital at a get together dubbed 'CEO's Recognition and Retreat' held at his Holy Trinity SPA and Health Farm at Sogakope in the Volta Region.

Achieving the medical tourism vision, the CEO, who is considering putting his idea before the hospital's Board of Directors soon, said the hospital, as a matter of urgency, needs to improve on some four thematic areas.

He thinks that KBTH needs to be united with an End-To-End Solution (E2ES) to put all the 21 departments and centres of excellence in KBTH on a central software system to facilitate the monitoring of all activities at the various departments.

Every manager should have a password to review the finances of other departments. You should be able to contribute to what is happening. You should be able to know what is happening at the other end. We need information to grow, like servicing of equipment; what are the disease patterns? Who is going to theatre, among others? Every information must be there and transparent and people should benefit from what they have put in, he stated.

Another problem affecting KBTH, the CEO observed, is the unavailability of a Legislative Instrument (L.I) to put an end to unnecessary discontent at the hospital, adding that the hospital should be able to get an LI within the shortest possible time.

For 21 years we have had ACT 525 without an LI; which means there is nothing to activate the Act, otherwise, the act is just there and everybody is interpreting it anyhow. If you have an Act, there must be an LI; therefore we must ensure that this LI comes very fast to address the unnecessary discontent at the hospital, he emphasized.

The KBTH boss also believed that the tertiary hospital has a directional problem which must be taken care of immediately, adding that I am optimistic that together we are turning a new page.

Dr. Anyah called for a good management-staff relationship imbued with God driven passion, vision oriented and transparency to ensure that people get the benefits of what they put into the hospital.

I am sure the Lord will guide me as the one who will restore Korle-Bu. Today, I think the myth is broken, I think that the myth that Korle-Bu is made up of people who are always revolting as if Korle-Bu has people who are never satisfied, the myth that it has staff who are not prepared to work; that myth is broken, he said.

He believed that with the right management approach, KBTH will excel at the international level.

The last thematic area touched on by the CEO was the need for the Ministry of Health to take a second look at matters surrounding project and project management at the hospital.

He explained that Any project which is for KBTH should be Korle-Bu driven and not Ministry of Health driven  Ministry of Health should be the policy maker. We are spending unnecessarily on projects and maintenance which is not right and not the way to go and we must change that. It is not that Korle-Bu people are bad but the people managing the projects are outside the hospital.

He, however, expressed confidence in the staff of the hospital who he described as 'dedicated and committed' who are prepared to work to make the health facility better and to make him achieve his vision.

My six-month work experience at the hospital has revealed that Korle-Bu is made up of people who have the hospital at heart and people who have toiled to make the hospital better and those people need to benefit from their efforts, the CEO posited.

From Vincent Kubi, Sogakope
Rev. Dr Abbeam Amponah Danso, Leader of God's Solution Centre (GSC) in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana, has presented GH200,000 to about 50 women at Domeabrah Obo in Kasoa as startup capital.

Each woman received GH4,000 for free to expand their respective businesses.

Presenting the money to the women, Rev Dr Amponah Danso, who is also the President of Abbeam Institute of Technology, a tertiary institution located in the area, indicated that the donation would help fight poverty, which is very prevalent among the women.

The renowned man of God called on the women to lead godly lives and invest the money in their businesses to plough back the profits to expand them.

Rev Dr Danso, who also owns a basic school and medical facility located in the Domeabra, has engaged in philanthropy over the last three years.

It is very important to improve living standards of people, especially women, he added.

Rev Abbeam urged the women to stop spending frivolously.

I am hopeful you will make the best out of the money you are receiving today to expand your respective businesses so that you can reap the benefits for the upkeep of your families.

Your success in investing the money properly in your businesses will motivate us to extend support in the future to other traders in the area.

A beneficiary was full of praise to the man of God and wished him long life.

She pleaded with Rev Dr Danso to offer assistance to other hard-working women in the area.

By Solomon Ofori
The Nima District Police Commander Sup Paul Bampo has given a new-look to the Nima Police Station and by extension the President's residence.

He has organised the planting of green grass on the facade of the station and generally landscaped the portions of the station overlooking President Akufo-Addo's Nima residence and the Ring Road close to the traffic intersection.

Although the plants are in their growing stages, the interspersed pieces of white painted rocks have already introduced some beauty to the place, as they are towered by young ornamental palm trees.

The landscaped portions include the side overlooking the ring road close to the traffic intersection.

Sachet water and soft drink sellers, who usually take rest on the hitherto bare grounds, can no longer do so because the place is now being policed by Community Police Assistants to ensure that not only the water seller avoid the place but pedestrians also who walk on such places even with green grass and ornamental plants covering them.

Many residents hardly appreciate the beauty of landscaped lands.

A huge amount of money was pumped into enhancing the medians on the major ceremonial roads with ornamental plants and green grass, but pedestrians have turned many of them into walkways, the stressed green grass taking the colour of brown.

When DAILY GUIDE asked the senior police officer why he decided to take the trouble to change the face of the police station and the area in general, he said 'plants and flowers beautify a place.

The President's residence is across the road and so the need to beautify this place cannot be overlooked.

The botanical landscaping has added to the beauty of the Nima Police Station.

He said he would ensure that the place is watered regularly to ensure that the plants grow well to sustain the attained beauty.

By A.R. Gomda
The Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi has cut sod for the construction of a four-star hotel at the Christian Village, near Santasi in the Ashanti Regional capital, to promote tourism and culture.

The four-star hotel is to replace the Christian Village Guest House built in 1975.

It would have state-of-the-art cafe, gymnasium, travel agency, bank, store, salon, as well as internet and shuttle bus system.

The Archdiocese signed a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement with the Zionist Construction Company Limited, a Nigerian construction firm, to build the hotel.

Most Rev Gabriel Justice Anokye, the Archbishop, who cut sod with support from the Kumasi Mayor, said it has become necessary for the hotel to be built because of the competitiveness of the hospitality industry in the country.

It was near impossibility to sponsor or support such investment on our own. We are most grateful to God for forging a partnership with the Zionist Construction Company Limited for Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement, he stated.

According to the Catholic Bishop, the entire Archdiocese is happy about the construction of the four-star hotel.

Most Rev Anokye said the project, which is expected to be completed in the next three years, would create job opportunities for the teeming youth.

It would be the city's first four-star hotel owned by a religious organisation.

The Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Osei Assibey Antwi, indicated that Kumasi needs a four-star hotel to boost tourism and create jobs.

According to him, the four-star hotel would be patronized by many people who travel to the city on a daily basis.

Mr Assibey reiterated government's support for the Catholic Church, which has contributed greatly to the development of the country in the areas of health and education.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi
Parliament on Wednesday ratified a Framework Agreement between the government of Ghana and the Republic of Mauritius for the development of technology and business parks in the country.

As part of the agreement, Mauritius has made a commitment of $75 million towards the development of the technology parks, which would begin at Dawa in the Greater Accra Region, along the Tema-Aflao highway.

There would be an establishment of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to develop, implement and manage the technology and business parks.

The SPV, which is to be known as the Ghana Smart City, shall be incorporated as a limited liability company under the Companies Act, 1963 (Act 179) of Ghana

Presenting the Committee of Communications' report to the plenary before the agreement was ratified, the chairman of the committee, Kennedy Agyapong, said the Ghana Smart City would comprise a 3-star hotel, a cyber tower, an innovation to tower, an apartment block, a multi-purpose facility and a conference centre.

According to the chairman of the committee, the project would be established as Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Mauritius; and would facilitate the transfer of technology from the latter to the former through research and development activities.

He said those activities would foster greater interactions among industry, academia, educational and training institutions, the business and the finance sectors.

Mr Kennedy Agyapong further explained that the project would assist in building the capacity of export-oriented small and medium scale ICT businesses and position them to maximize their potential for growth, job creation and revenue generation.

Finally, the project will nurture the development of highly skilled ICT manpower and drive innovation in the economy through scientific research and commercialization of technology, the chairman said.

He said under the agreement, the Government of Ghana would provide among other things, land for the project and all such infrastructure required by the SPV during the operation phase.

Mr Kennedy Agyapong said Mauritius would design and prepare the master plan for the implementation of the project.

It was also agreed that people living in the project locality would be offered the opportunity to acquire the relevant employable skills in businesses and companies to be set up.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr
The West African Alumni chapter of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) held its first Alumni Homecoming Conference on Thursday 23rd November 2017 to Sunday 26th November 2017, under the theme The Role of the Youth in Socio-Economic and Political Transformation in Africa. The conference, which was convened at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), was the first since the establishment of the YALI Regional Leadership Centre (RLC) West Africa, Accra in 2015, and had in attendance over 200 alumni of the RLC from 9 West African countries namely; Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote DIvoire, Gambia and Cameroon.

The conference was officially opened on Friday, November 24th, with presentations and panel discussions from Guest Speakers including Ghanas Honourable Mustafa Hamid (Minister for Information), Dr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah (Former Minister for Trade and Industry, Former Minister of Communications, and Former Minister of Education), Mr Alex Deprez (USAID Mission Director for West Africa), Samia Nkrumah, Dr. Shola Safo Doudu (Director of YALI West Africa) and other dignitaries.

Dr. Shola officially welcomed participants to the conference emphasizing the need to sustain the RLC to continually train Young Leaders. She mentioned that, with the support of its partners, the RLC has trained over 2200 young people in leaderships, ethic, accountability and contemporary issues in Africa in the specialization tracks of Civic Leadership, Business Entrepreneurship and Public Management. She added that, The RLC has now published a book that tells the incredible stories of its Alumni.

The Key note speaker, Hon. Mustafa Hamid, equally encouraged the Alumni to champion the development of Africa, emphasizing the need for them to remain proactive in ensuring accountability and championing development in their respective countries. He further encouraged the Alumni to take the conscious effort to learn more, beyond their professional or academic specializations. He applauded the RLC for taking its leaders through Ethics, Leadership and Accountability, stating that these (Ethics, Leadership and Accountability) are the most important foundations for excellence in almost all aspects of life. He therefore encouraged the Alumni to avoid greed and remain Ethical.

The homecoming conference was also an opportunity for alumni members from all the West African states to build strong alumni networks and forge meaning partnerships for new projects which will ultimately contribute to the development of our communities.

Alumni coordinator, Oxford Bonsu was also optimistic that the investment in developing young African leaders will pay-off significantly and thank all the partners for their investment in the youth of Africa.
H. E NANA ADDO; KILL CORRUPTION BEFORE IT KILLS YOU: A SILENT WHISPERING!

"Power corrupt. Absolute power corrupt absolutely. " - Lord Acton

The political corruption in Ghana has been a major encumbrance declines in our central part of democratic mechanisms that has lead to economic meltdown and government failure since the era of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Ghana has over the years witness a lot of tragic events since independent but efforts to establish a just and efficient administration have been frustrated by political corruption. Most recently during the 2016 electioneering period under the led Umbrella flag barrier, NPP orchestrated allegations against most if not all ministries having involve in fraudulent cases and corruption. In same vein, the era of heated financial struggle across the country, rumors was widespread that, some Former President Mahama led political appointees were alleged to be involved in different cases of corruption of which the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority - SADA is no exclusion.

The people of Ghana voted for change and as such must see improvement in their daily lives and not the establishment of another institution of which has taken more expected already. The proposed Ministry of Special Initiative and Development is just a total duplication of the already existing Municipal District Assemblies of which will illegally serve as an avenue to loot the already managing revenue into the hands of few and to the disadvantage of the large populace.

By careful juxtaposition and observation, this soon to approve Ministry is not indifferent from the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) which was established in line with the Act of parliament (ACT 805) of 2010 of which you campaigned rigorously against.

Mr President, let your vision and sonorous determination to put Ghanas economy back to normal and to cripple the influence of corrupt political practices be unshaken, unabated and firm. To reason with me;

Why hire office buildings at the cost of Ghc15M when averagely Ghc1.3 million can build an office structure in all the ten (10) Regional capitals of Ghana.

Mr President, it should Interest you to know that, we Ghanaians are watching steadily and have observed that some of your appointees don't care as you do about Ghanaian populace because this is a clear indication of loot and share amongst some few within the Ministry. Despite the fact that more than 78% of Ghanaians are crying in starvation because of economic recession over few years, yet some of your mischievous sprite politicians are inflating huge amount of money that is enough to revitalize the FREE SHS Program, One District One Factory, One Village One Dam, 1 million dollars, 1 constituency etc. to be approved so they could enjoy more, the already good life they are living.

Don't be awe Mr President because this is the planned strategy to be used to build up gargantuan wealth, thus embezzlement of public money because of their financial support during campaign. Mr President, below is an highlights of a deadly and dangerous itemized demand;

 Item 7: Construction of market Ghc110,000,000.00

 Item 9: Procurement of four(4) Wheel Drive Ghc10,000,000,00

 Item 26: Development of Website Ghc800,000.00 (80 Billion old Ghana cedis)

 Item 27: Preparation Of Budget Ghc2,000,000.00

Obviously, it should not come as a surprise if 2020 General election doesn't go as envisaged because Ghanaians are easily moved by just feelings and not projects: if we concur on thinking about infrastructure and projects, Former President Mahama should still be in power; let talk about the Double steer Circle Interchange (aka Ghana Dubia), Kasoa overhead, Asafo Market, the building of over 200 second cycle Institutions amongst others.

To wrap up Mr President, as a listening leader and an advocate of the sustainable development goals, indulge me respectfully to state with a sad heart, tears in my eyes and as a Political watch dog that Ministry of Special Initiatives and Development is a total waste of the taxpayers money, hence should be scrapped off Immediately and never again as a developing nation trend on such a disastrous route.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) must demonstrate probity, transparency, integrity and accountabilities commitment to convince the general public of the Change we/they voted for.

Like I always say; Nothing Is Late When Life Is Long.

"Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it."-Mark Twain

Aluta continua, Victoria Acenta

Writer:

McMichael Nana-Kojo Appiah

Student, Political Science Department, University Of Ghana.

[email protected]

#NothingIsLateWhenLifeIsLong
The Tain Development Foundation (TDF) has made a donation of firefighting gears to the Brong Ahafo Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).

Items donated included firefighting jackets, trousers and boots worth 3000 euros.

The Organizer of TDF, Mr. Victor Kalala told Suncity News Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku that this will not be the last time that they will embark on such a philanthropic activity.

He said: My container had an accident and the fire service came to my aid. Upon interaction with themI got to know that they are in need of some of the items that I had. As an indigene of the Brong Ahafo Region, I and my partners will do all we can to help them when the need arises. I do not think this will be the last time.

Mr. Victor Kalala revealed that 201 firefighting jackets, 140 trousers and 40 boots will be donated to Fire Volunteers at Badu and Bepoayaase in the Tain district.

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) James Owusu-Adjei, who received the items, thanked Mr. Victor Kalala and his NGO for their kind gesture.

ACFO Owusu-Adjei used the opportunity to also thank the personnel of the Service for their efforts to help reduce fire cases in the region.

He stressed that the Service will work hard to reduce fire cases to the barest minimum in the year 2018.
Uganda's army said Friday it had launched attacks on a shadowy rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the militants killed 14 UN peacekeepers earlier this month.

"Shared intelligence between Uganda and the DRC, confirmed that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists which recently carried out attacks on UN peacekeepers ... were planning to conduct hostile activities against Uganda," read a statement from the army.

The ADF, a Ugandan rebel group dominated by hardline Muslim operating in the DRC, was behind an attack that left 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers dead two weeks ago, according to the UN.

The ADF started out with the aim of overthrowing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions into its ranks and started carrying out attacks in 1995.

Gradually pushed westwards by the Ugandan army, the ADF relocated most of its activities to the DRC.

The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12.

It has also been accused by Kinshasa and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014.

Kinshasa has insisted on a jihadist motive to the killings. But many observers and experts say there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground, and that this is a "simplistic" explanation for their acts.

Many ADF recruits -- drawn from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and as far as Somalia -- are not hardcore ideologues but young Muslims lured by the promise of going to study in Saudi Arabia, an intelligence agent and civil society source told AFP last year.

A group run by US researcher Jason Stearns published a report claiming several distinct groups "appear to be involved in the massacres", including soldiers from the regular army.

The government rejected the claims and Stearns was expelled from DRC after the report's release.

Beni's mayor Bwanakawa Nyonyi told AFP last year he believes the massacres are carried out by a nebulous group, with politically-motivated "Congolese hands" behind them.

In explaining the violence, some have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich potential.
Scores of passengers have been stranded at the airport in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, after the flight they booked to airlift them to Accra was cancelled late Thursday.

Narrating their ordeal to Joy News Hashmin Mohammed, one of the passengers said they were scheduled to board Africa World Airline, flight number 169 on Thursday evening but the flight was cancelled at the eleventh hour due to operational challenges

After they collected our luggage and did all the checking, we were ready to board the flight only for them to tell us that they are sorry but the flight has been cancelled, one of the stranded passengers lamented.

He added that the authorities assured them that they were working to fix the issue but about 1:00 am Friday, he received a text from the flight managers saying they are sorry they cant arrange for another flight with a lot of excuses.

We thought when we come here today [Friday], we will be prioritized but all they told us was that the first flight has been booked so theres nothing they can do about it, he said.

He added that they do not have any other alternative to go to Accra because most of them have exhausted their cash on Hotel fees and the flight's fares.

they are not telling us anything meaningful, they should tell us the alternative, he lamented.

Some of the stranded passengers have threatened to boycott the first flight supposed to leave today until an amicable solution which will see them being transported to Accra as well, is reached.

"What they should do is to cut half of the people on that flight and let us board it so they can also go on the next one because we were supposed to leave yesterday," one of them said.

A lady who also spoke to the reporter said they are "ready to board the flight as a trotro [commercial vehicle]".

"I am even ready to enter the cockpit and sit by the pilots and engage them in conversation while flying to Accra," she stated.

The authorities are yet to officially comment on the issue.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com| Oswald K. Azumah
The Sunyani Technical University Alumni Association says the current academic curricula being used in the countrys technical universities do not lay much emphasis on practical sessions in terms of the grading system of students.

To this end, the association has proposed that the current academic curricula of the Technical Universities should be reviewed to embrace about 60% hands-on practical oriented approach rather than theory.

Also, Technical Universities should be well-resourced with industrial machines and workshops to train students on the application of theory learnt.

These were contained in a Communique issued by Association at the end of its maiden Home-coming summit held in Sunyani.

The Communique signed by the Secretary of the Association, Frank Owusu, added that deliberate attempt should be made by Government to channel major parts of GETFund resources to improve facilities of Technical Universities in Ghana to make them more competitive and technologically compliant.

The formula for disbursing GETFund resources always favours the traditional universities in Ghana which are already well-endowed in terms of facilities.

Besides, the Communique said, the criteria for promotion of staff in the Technical Universities should be reviewed to embrace innovations that will contribute to the promotion of indigenous technology.

The criteria for promotion of staff in the Technical Universities still follow that of the traditional universities instead of options that will promote indigenous technological inventions.

The Communique expressed worry that most Technical Universities in Ghana are not well-resourced to cope with the requirements of the technical university modules and curricula and this has created production of engineering graduates with little or no employable skills to fulfill the demands of the industry.

It observed also that Ghana benefits from about only 10% of its tapped natural resources due to insufficient technical know-how to manage our natural resources.

Moreover, the country loses a lot of its raw materials to waste due low knowledge and patronage of indigenous technology and further loses a lot in terms of foreign trade earnings due to the fact that almost 90% of Ghanaian products are imported outside the country.

The Sunyani Technical University (STU) held its maiden Alumni homecoming summit from 15 to 17th December 2017 on the theme: Technical Universities, Solution to Ghanas industrialization and Unemployment: the way forward.

Government officials, employers and experts from various backgrounds joined members of the association to mark the occasion which took place at the Kwasi Oppong Conference Hall of the university.

Richard Kofi Boahen ([email protected])
22.12.2017 LISTEN

The word Africa from a Latin orientation comes from "Aprica" meaning "sunny ". The continent itself continually plays the ancient untold truth of being the transparent celestial light of hope of the world. Indeed, the continent plays host to well diversified multilingual of languages approximately 1500- 2000 and these languages are well structured into four grouping such as the Afro Asiatic consisting of about 200 languages, Nilo-Saharian with about 140),Niger-Saharian with about 1000 and finally, Khoisan.

Interestingly,the continent of Africa has truly evolved from a longstanding history and this history,dates back to ancient biblical times where the continent was indeed, a save haven for the first man created and kept in Ethiopia in accordance with geographical reading and projection.

As a continent,it is a cradle of hope in all facets of human existence. The continent architecturally is Shaped and curved into a professional paradise of multilingual ethical sect and sharply diversified inclusive cultures.

Certainly with regards to Natural resource, the continent has been profusely blessed with the largest deposit of resources. According to a forensic research conducted by Al Jazeera, 30% of the earth's remaining minerals resources are still found within the shores the continent.

Truly,Africa has been fully immersed with enormous and untold rich human and natural resources. Some these resources ranging from the diamond fields of Botswana consisting of 35% African stock,the gold mines both in South Africa and Ghana,the rich deposits of uranium in Namibia (45%), the rich oil fields located at Nigeria, Libya, south Sudan among others.And the innumerable river bodies flowing from the east to the west and from south to the north of the continent.

Though,the episodic revelation from time immemorial, has clearly depicted the continent to be heavily grasped with a Titanic liked hurdles that have consequently kept the developmental fortunes of the continent in a staggering limbo.Also,the incessant blink and irritating portrait chiefly published to the western world by a cartel of international media houses seeks to persistently emphasize the illusive point that Africa as a continent is a primitive and stone-like continent.

The further truth of the matter is not far fetched:Africa has been embattled with the dirt Lily's of corruption,self-centered or despotic leadership style, malnutrition,alarming poverty situation, unfavorable terms of trade with the Western world and the dredging nature of the mental personality of African people resulting from the unemancipated impact of the transatlantic slave raid of the continent. Colonialism and its present day repercussion on the progress of the continent legged on....

Though Africa has pseudoclassical shoved its way out of shackles of slavery, Hmmm Surprisingly, in the wake of the 21 century dispensation and taken in due cognizance that, slavery has been abolished in 1865 in Africa however, Modern day slavery trade has once again resurfaced in continent of Africa where able African's seeking greener pasture elsewhere around the world due to debilitating economic conditions, have been bizarrely auctioned in broad day light in Libya.

Regardless of all those top rising mountain issues, the continent continues to thrive as the blueprint of hope and the hub of human civilization. Africa, especially, Egypt had high rising pyramid coupled with the discovery of the art of writing and indeed, the first ever book known to man was produced in Africa in a place know as kemet now Egypt. Indeed, the continent is the Brain child of mathematics which was commonly know in those days as the Lemobo Bone which is the oldest art of maths tool ever known to man.

Africa without any conjure of thought is the beaming light of gracious hope. Sadly, the mischievous and manipulative illusion has grossly sabotage and subjugated the hub of human civilization into a seemly preconceived ideology of worthless and hence, has prevailed over the mental consciousness of Africa and this is born out of stigmatization of the unconscious minds' African's since time immemorial.

Its high time we as Africans discover the true and unmatched identity of Africa which has conspicuously been missing for more than a million of years. Equally, a vigorous preaching of the message of revival and sure redeeming of the lost African personality by tracing our roots. As a matter of urgency,for us as Africans to assume our rightful role in modern times. And shed off the longstanding suppression of Africa and the primitive outlook of its culture.

Together we can initiate a pragmatic and tailored out steps that readily reflect the true image of Africa....

To be continued...............

ANANPANSAH ISAAC

[email protected]

The writer is student of the University of Ghana,legon.
University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has been in the news of late for all the wrong reasons. What began as mere power game has escalated into full-blown chaos. This article seeks to shed light on some aspects of the situation, specifically the plot to remove Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Mawutor Avoke.

Prior to the appointment of Professor Avoke as VC of University of Education, Winneba in 2015, a constant objection raised by some individuals against him was that he was a Voltarian. Indeed stories were circulated against his candidature on the ground that there were already too many Voltarians working in the university. Therefore, to appoint Professor Avoke VC was to make UEW a Volta university. The story made the rounds on social media and in their rented press for a while, but eventually people got tired of it.

However, it did not stop there. The bigots gave a strong indication that they would do everything to prevent a Voltarian from becoming VC of UEW. They thus called on some prominent individuals including the Central Regional House of Chiefs to support their bid to get their preferred candidate, Professor Anthony Afful-Broni, to the VC position. Thankfully, the chiefs spurned the bigotry advances and treated them with the contempt that they deserved.

Professor Mawutor Avoke was subsequently appointed VC of UEW. At the investiture on November 6, 2015, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the then Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, while speaking on behalf of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman (Minister of Education), lamented the ethnic divisiveness at UEW. He further warned that there should be no such situation where ethnic identity was a consideration for selecting university Vice Chancellors. He said, the VC of UMaT must not necessarily be a native of Western Region. Nor must VCs of KNUST and UHAS be Ashanti and Voltarian respectively. The Deputy Minister, in light of the outrageously bigoted comments that heralded Professor Avokes appointment was compelled to make those remarks. One would have thought these sufficient to put the ethnic bigotry at rest but that was never to be.

On May 23, 2017, an indigene of Winneba, Supi Kwayera (an obvious pawn in the bigots game), dragged UEW to the Winneba High Court. He sought some reliefs against the university, in a legal tussle which lasted for over six months. During the intervening months, Professor Mawutor Avoke and Dr. Theophilus Ackorlie were prohibited by the court from carrying out their duties as Vice Chancellor and Finance Officer respectively. Later on, the plaintiff withdrew some of the reliefs including those bordering on procurement processes. Eventually, on December 14, 2017, the court ruled that Vice Chancellor, Professor Mawutor Avoke and Finance Officer, Dr. Theophilus Ackorlie were guilty of procurement and other financial irregularities.

It is bizarrely incongruous with reason, to say the least, that an institution was dragged to court but in the end two individuals, who were never asked to appear in court or even allowed to join the case, were found guilty in a case in which the reliefs were no longer being sought by the plaintiff. This sequence of events begs equally substantial questions. Why cannot a Voltarian be VC in UEW? Are Voltarians not human beings? Are Voltarians not as good as any Ghanaian? Do accused persons no longer have the right to respond to allegations leveled against them during a hearing? Is that not the requirement of natural justice? Were Professor Mawutor Avoke and Dr. Theophilus Ackorlie given a single opportunity to state their case? Can it then be said that a fair procedure had been followed in this trial? Your guess is as good as mine! It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, December 20, 2017, overturned the ruling of the Winneba High Court against Professor Mawutor Avoke and Dr. Theophilus Ackorlie.

Article 17 (2) of the 1992 constitution of Ghana states that, a person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status. Therefore, in our every step as citizens, we should be guided by an overriding concern for the rights of others. Our political, ethnic or religious ideologies should not at any time cloud our moral convictions. It is unjust to harm others or infringe on their rights to secure power and wealth for our own comfort.
Uganda's army said Friday it had launched attacks on a shadowy rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the militants killed 14 UN peacekeepers earlier this month.

Army spokesman Richard Karemire said the air force and long-range artillery were used in the cross-border strike, however no ground troops were deployed in what was described as a "pre-emptive move".

He said in a statement that intelligence sharing with the DRC revealed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group was planning "hostile activities" against Uganda.

The ADF, a Ugandan Muslim rebel group whose basic motives and ideology remain unclear, was behind an attack that left 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers dead two weeks ago and scores wounded, according to the UN.

Both Uganda and the DRC insist on a jihadist motive to the group's actions, however many observers and experts say there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground, and that this is a "simplistic" explanation for their acts.

Karemire said the strike was the culmination of co-operation between Kinshasa and Kampala against "this growing terrorist menace in our neighbourhood".

"They have been recruiting, training and carrying out radicalisation even of women and children while working with foreign jihadists," he said.

Karemire said that while the ADF has conducted massacres in the DRC, it has also "instigated killings of Muslim clerics and some notable people", in Uganda.

"Of recent, there have been increased signals of intended active hostile activities against Uganda necessitating beefing up security along the border."

The ADF started out in 1989 with the aim of overthrowing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions into its ranks and started carrying out attacks in 1995.

Forced westwards by the Ugandan army, the group relocated most of its activities to the DRC, finding a lucrative niche in its lawless, resource-rich east.

Its rollcall of crimes includes mass killings and maiming using machetes, the use of child soldiers and rape, according to the UN.

The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12.

It has also been accused by Kinshasa and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014.

Hazy motives

The group purportedly has links to Somalia's al-Shabaab and to al-Qaeda. Its founder and leader, Jamil Mukulu, was arrested in Tanzania in April 2015 and was extradited to the DRC, to await trial.

However, a group run by US researcher Jason Stearns published a report last year based on interviews with hundreds of witnesses, claiming several distinct groups "appear to be involved in the massacres", including soldiers from the regular army.

The government rejected the claims and Stearns was expelled from DRC after the report's release.

Stearns said on Friday: "The ADF are indeed a military threat. However, our research suggests that the group, which has been in the Congo for over 20 years, is deeply embedded in local society, often collaborating with other Congolese armed groups.

"Rash military action alone is unlikely to pacify this area. First we need to understand the nature of the threat: Who attacked the UN peacekeepers? How were they able to obtain such firepower and sophisticated weaponry?

"What is the relation between the ADF and the proliferation of other armed groups in the Beni region over the past year."

The ADF are just one of a number of armed groups, based on ethnic or sectarian lines, who roam eastern DRC.

Beni's mayor Bwanakawa Nyonyi told AFP last year he believes the massacres are carried out by a nebulous group, with politically-motivated "Congolese hands" behind them.

In explaining the violence, some have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich potential.
Accra, December 20, 2017- The Ghana Community Network Services Ltd (GCNet) emerged the best ICT Company at the sixteenth edition of the Ghana Club (GC) 100 Awards organized by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) in Accra recently.

The company also improved its rankings from the 24th position it occupied last year to the 20th position in this years GC100 top companies ranking

The GC 100 is an awards scheme aimed at recognising Ghanas 100 most successful enterprises with focus on corporate excellence. Companies making it into the GC 100 serve as role models for the private sector and provide a forum for corporate Ghana to interact with the government at a highest level.

This years event was on the theme: Industrialization: A tool for job Creation and Accelerated Economic Development.

GCNets recognition as the leader in the ICT sector was a result of its continued investments in I.T infrastructure as well as ensuring integrity and excellence in its operations. The Award was also anchored on the Tier III Data Centre which operates on international models that guarantees 99.982% availability for Tier III facilities.

Mr. Carl Sackey, Product Development Manager, who received GCNets Award, gave the assurance that GCNet remains committed to the provision of state-of-the-art e-solutions in Africa with tailored service offerings to ease the burden of doing business add value to the trade chain and maximize revenue collection.

We will build on our track record of excellence and innovation while working with Government and the people of Ghana to contribute to national development for the benefit of all Ghanaians Mr. Sackey reiterated.

GCNet, he said, will continue to leverage on the many international certification regimes, including ISO9000, for quality management, ensuring security standards and compliance at the over 97 Customs sites and more than 50 Tax offices of the Ghana Revenue Authority across the country.

Speaking on behalf of the President, the Senior Minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, stressed that the top 100 companies in the country have a responsibility to help government to develop the economy by generating employment to facilitated Ghanas transition from a low middle income country to middle income and then to a developed country.

"Once you are in the top 100, you cannot do business as usual. Each of you must try and bring improvement in your respective business operations," he added.

In all, one hundred companies picked awards for their respective rankings. . This years event was also used to present Special Awards to outstanding business performers in selected categories, including Corporate Social Responsibility and the Highest Tax Paying Company.
The Israeli Embassy in Ghana has expressed disappointment over Ghana's vote against the US President, Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

According to the Embassy, it regrets the mistaken vote of Ghana against the State of Israel during the Special United Nation's (UN) General Assembly sitting on Thursday, 21 December 2017, as the Assembly adopted a resolution regarding Israel's capital Jerusalem.

It said it was hopeful that Ghana will not repeat such mistake in subsequent motions before the General Assembly.

Ghana was among the 128 countries that endorsed a position that Jerusalem, which is being claimed by Israel and Palestine as capital, can only be said to be Israel's capital after a peace deal is reached.

At an emergency session of United Nations on Thursday, only 9 countries, including the US and Israel, voted against the position of waiting until consensus has been built on the matter.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, ahead of the votes threatened that the US will remember countries that disrespected it by voting against it.

The US government had also threatened to cut funding to countries that did not back its position.

She said the US would be taking namesWhen we make generous contributions to the UN, we also have expectation that we will be respectedWhat's more, we are being asked to pay for the dubious privileges of being disrespected.

If our investment fails, we have an obligation to spend our investment in other ways The United States will remember this day, she said.

Donald Trump, while speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, said Let them vote against us We'll save a lot. We don't care. But this isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars, he said.

We're not going to be taken advantage of any longer he added.

Despite the threat, countries such as Nigeria, Congo, Ivory Coast, Namibia, Mali, and Zimbabwe all voted against the US' position.

Israel, which stands in the same position as the US that Jerusalem is its rightful capital, was one of the nine countries including the US that voted against the motion.

H.E Ami Mehl, Israel's Ambassador to Ghana in a statement copied to citifmonline.com, described Thursday's vote as a farce, saying it will not affect their recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Read the Israel Embassy's statement below:

The vote against the United States (US) by the United Nation's General Assembly special sitting on Thursday, 21 December 2017 is nothing but a farce. The UN cannot dictate to Israel or any other country which of its cities it has to recognize as a capital. In the same regard, the UN cannot dictate to the US or any other country whether or not to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and where to site their embassies in Israel.

This voting by the UN General Assembly is meaningless from the view point of International Law. It is therefore evident that, the Palestinians are using all forms of diplomatic efforts in international organizations to fight against Israel instead of engaging in direct negotiations with Israel for the sake of peace.

As stated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel completely rejects this resolution. Jerusalem was, is and will always remain the eternal capital of Israel.

The Embassy of the State of Israel in Ghana therefore regrets the mistaken vote of Ghana against the State of Israel during the Special United Nation's (UN) General Assembly sitting on Thursday, 21 December 2017 as the assembly adopted a resolution regarding Israel's capital Jerusalem. We hope such mistake will not be repeated by Ghana in subsequent motions.
22.12.2017 LISTEN

It is sad that despite the fact that, the university is touted to be the place of higher learning, some don't live this assertion.

After the Annual Residential NUGS Congress was conveyed at Methodist University from 16th to 19th November, some other group who lost with some refusing to show up at congress for reasons best known to them assembled somewhere and declared themselves NUGS executives even after delegates from various institutions and blocs under had voted.

They have been so desperate for attention especially from the media knowing very well the institutions and blocs under NUGS don't recognize them and see them as impersonators.

Unfortunately, some media houses have fallen for their impersonations despite cries from Institutions and blocs under NUGS and we seek to use this medium to inform them once again that the Amoakohene led Executives are impersonators and they engage them at their own risk.

Not long ago, the rightful executives led by the NUGS President, Mr. Elisha Oheneba Essumang, paid a visit to KUMACA exactly on the 8th December,2017 to speak to the school authorities and the students over the outbreak of H1N1 on their campus.

The school authorities spoke to them behind closed door and donations of Hand sanitizers were made to the school.

Today, the imposters parading themselves as executives thinking the Headmaster of the School didn't know of happenings showed up at the doorstep of his office to pay a visit to him only to be sacked and thrown out of the school.

He made them know of the fact that, the rightful executives had already visited them and didn't know who the imposters were representing which is why he sacked them. It was a shameful scene and we hope they take a cue from this to act right.

The union will not allow imposters to ruin its reputation. NUGS will work again.

Aluta Continua!

Victoria Ascerta!
Renowned preacher and Senior Pastor of Champions Royal Assembly, Abuja, Bro Joshua Iginla, is taking his kingdom mandate of supporting the needy to an unimaginable level.

The revered man of God, who is noted for his penchant for showering car and other gifts on the poor as well as touching the lives of the needy, last weekend reached out to people with enough hand-outs to assuage their suffering. One of them was an orphan who came to the church for prayers. Bro. Joshua Iginla located her through prophesy and blessed her with N400, 000 and scholarship throughout her lifetime. The orphan had lost her mum when she was two months old and her dad died of poisoning when she was seven years old. The lady, who is from Benue State, was sent out of her house in Benue which made her relocate to Kano where she put up in a makeshift hut because she could not afford her house rent anymore. The cash gift was for her to get a decent apartment.

During a live electrifying prophetic service in Abuja on Saturday, Bro. Joshua Iginla also raised the hope of one Pastor Adebayo Samuel, a staff of an old generation bank in Nigeria, who was mysteriously laid off. As revealed through prophesy given by Bro. Joshua Iginla, Pastor Samuel had refused to yield to Gods call to His vineyard for a long time before the sack, and the man of God told all he passed through which he confirmed to be true. After praying for him, Bro. Joshua Iginla in his characteristic manner supported Mr. Adebayo with the sum of N300,000 and also repositioned him back into ministry.

At the same service, parents of identical female twins were lucky recipients of Bro. Joshua Iginlas windfall to the tune of US$1000 to cater for the children who were delivered in the church while service was on.

About seven months ago, during his birthday celebration, the pastor with a large heart had showered over N23 million on over 100 widows who are members of his church to alleviate their suffering. The man of God had said he was devoted to empowerment and charity to the vulnerable particularly the widows, orphans and the less privileged in the society without minding their religion, tribe or sectional inclination.

According to him, his action was inspired by the spirit and prayers in one of my dreams that averted my involvement in a plane crash which was supposed to come to reality.

In 2016, Bro Joshua Iginla stunned the Christendom and the whole world in general when he gave out cars, several millions of naira to the aged, widows, orphanages and scholarships to orphans to celebrate his birthday.

Artisans got generators and cash gifts while the widows got deep freezers, rice and cash gifts ranging from N150,000 to N1.5 million. Treasure Orphanage Foundation, Nyanya, Divine Wound Orphanage, Kubwa and Christ Home Foundation, Kuje, got N1.5 million each and rice while some orphans in the homes were awarded scholarships from nursery to university. Bro Joshua Iginla said he had 782 widows and orphans he caters for.

In his words, Bro. Joshua Iginla said: It doesnt matter to me if I trek home as I have given even the car that I personally drive. I can only drive one car and live in one house at a time. This understanding is what has taught me that when I die, others will inherit my assets.
Australias banks are scrambling to repair their image after years of scandals.

Their latest strategy is a revamp of the industry code of practice. The code is put together by the Australian Bankers Association (ABA). The ABA is made up of the big four banks, as well as many of the smaller and foreign banks operating in Australia. They announced the changes this week.

The updated code of practice brings a number of changes. Most are simple consumer protections. Making it easier to cancel credit cards online, for example, and preventing banks from soliciting customers for credit limit increases.

These changes largely fail to directly address the series of scandals, controversies and cover-ups our banks have been embroiled in since 2009. Those controversies, most notably CBAs money laundering scandal this year, clearly violated existing laws and industry standards. With their track record for breaking existing rules, its tough to see how yet more rules will change anything. Instead, these changes seem to be more of a feel good gesture towards customers.

Will it be enough to dispel the cloud of controversy hanging over the bankers heads?

It may win back some lost goodwill. But with a royal commission into the banking industry now in the works, its unlikely that investors in the banks have seen the worst of this yet.

Malcolm Turnbull reluctantly caved to pressure for a royal commission into banking this year. Though not, it has to be said, until the banks themselves told him to.

Turnbull argued for more than 18 months that an inquiry was unnecessary. Pressure from the public, the opposition and his own government couldnt move him. But when the big four banks decided that the controversy was doing more damage than a royal commission could, Turnbull flipped on the spot.

The big fours share prices fell on the news. But it didnt last long.

Perhaps it was the fact that an inquiry from the current government is likely to tread lighter than that of a potential future Labor government. Perhaps it was simply a case of buy the rumour, sell the fact. Either way, all four quickly regained their losses. And have been reasonably steady since.

Good news for investors in the banks. And thanks to Australias superannuation system, most Aussies are. But possibly not such good news for Australians as consumers. If the royal commission is as toothless as investors seem to think it will be, dont expect to see an end to the banks unethical behaviour.

Long term, it may not be government inquiries and red tape the turn this culture around. As long as the big four can comfortably maintain their positions at the heart of Australian finance, its unlikely to change. Theres little competition for the big four, outside one another.

But that comfortable position may not be as secure as they think.

2017 was the year of the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin saw greater than 1,500% gains this year. Ethereum is up more than 9,800%. Theres more media attention on cryptos than ever before.

But, as weve often argued here in Money Morning, the blockchain technology that cryptos are built on could be even more revolutionary than cryptos themselves.

2018 could be the year of the blockchain. A technology that could allow users to securely transact without the need for middlemen.

This has the potential to disrupt dozens of industries. Blockchains projects are already running or being developed to securely share private medical information, to govern peer-to-peer energy markets, and to buy and sell excess computer processing power. To name just a few. But perhaps the most obvious application is the world of finance. Peer-to-peer lending, money transfers, international currency exchange.

All without the need for a major institution skimming fees at every step. And with the advantage that an algorithm can be trusted in a way that an organisation made up of fallible humans never could.

If the forecasts for blockchains potential are even remotely accurate, Australias banks should be more concerned about technology than they are about red tape.

Ryan Dinse, editor of Money Morning Monday to Friday, has led the way in researching these possibilities. His premium investment advisory, Exponential Stock Investor, is already seeing impressive returns in blockchain-related stocks. To find out more click here.

This week in Money Morning

US markets have been boosted recently by the prospect of major corporate tax cuts. Those cuts are now close to becoming a reality. Does that mean that further rises are on the cards? Surprisingly, it may not. This could be a textbook example of the classic market phrase buy the rumour, sell the fact. Check out Mondays Money Morning here to read why.

On Tuesday, Ryan took a step back from the day to day price moves in cryptocurrencies, to look at the bigger picture. Crypto and blockchain technology are driving some incredible changes in society. But did you imagine that the rise of cryptocurrencies could cause a significant fall in the murder rate? Strange, but true. Click here to read why in Tuesdays Money Morning.

Then Ryan took aim at a popular myth about Christmas on Wednesday. Pop culture aficionados may be surprised by the truth of this. Or perhaps not. It turns out that even incorrect stories can still have a grain of truth to them. And sometimes the legend creates the reality. Ryan argues thats not only the case with Santa Claus. It could also have bearing for bitcoin investors Read the details here.

On Thursday Ryan looked at what we can learn from some of the best-known investors in the world  and what we can learn from a few more obscure figures, who perhaps shouldnt be. Ultimately, its not a persons fame or lack of it that matters. Its their results. And how well their methods can be incorporated into your own. Theres no one right answer. But the lives of the greats can provide some inspiration. You can find the article here.

Then Ryan finished off the week (and the year!) with a look at the massive tax cuts in the US. This was the first real win for the Trump administration. And the President claims it will be a major economic boon for the US. Ryan took a look at the realities of that in Fridays article, and what it may mean for the US and global markets. You can read his assessment here.

On that note, Ill be signing off for the year. The Port Phillip Publishing office is closed next week for the holidays, and will be returning on 2 January. We have a skeleton crew on call in case theres need to update any of the recommendations for our investment services. Money Morning will still be hitting your inbox, but it will be a little different from now until the New Year; we hope you enjoy it.

And finally, Id like to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Regards,

Tyler Jefferson,

Editor, Money Weekend
I stuck to what the coaches ...
CAL Fire TCU Bulldozer Working At Thomas Fire View Photos

Sacramento, CA  Governor Jerry Brown has requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster ongoing state and local recovery efforts in response to the Southern California wildfires.

The multiple fires exploded after being fed by warm temperatures, low humidity and fierce Santa Ana winds, which forced more than 200,000 Californians to evacuate their homes. The governor notes that over 8,700 firefighters were deployed to fight the fires, including California National Guard air and ground forces. Additionally, twelve states joined in to assist in battle the flames, among them Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

To date, the Thomas Fire in Ventura County has claimed the lives of two people, burned more than 272,000 acres and destroyed over 1,000 structures. The fire is 60 percent contained.

As reported here earlier this month, Brown requested extra financial resources and secured a Presidential Declaration for the wildfires.

To view Governor Browns request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, click here.
Those of you who remember the hard-fought battles of the era of predatory foreclosures will recall the name of Maine attorney Tom Cox. Over 9 million families lost their homes, many of whom could have been salvaged through loan modifications which would have been better for investors too.

Cox broke open the fact that servicers, on a mass basis, werent taking the steps required for them to foreclose. And as soon became evident, what were depicted as mere paperwork deficiencies actually reflects a vastly more serious legal problem: that mortgage notes (the borrower promise to pay) often if not routinely hadnt been transferred properly to the securitization trust. A related problem was that the lien against the property hadnt been recorded in the local courthouse but in a mortgage registry called MERS, and the procedures for changing the MERS record when the note and the mortgage lien changed hands were legally bogus for a set of reasons that it would take too much space to recount here.

Here are the key sections from the New York Times account of the case that put Cox on the national map:

It should have been a routine foreclosure, with Mrs.[Nicolle] Bradbury joining the anonymous millions quietly dispossessed since the recession began Her file was pulled, more or less at random, by Thomas A. Cox, a retired lawyer who volunteers at Pine Tree [a nonprofit group]. He happened to know something about foreclosures because when he worked for a bank he did them all the time. Twenty years later, he had switched sides and, he says, was trying to make amends. Suddenly, there is a frenzy over foreclosures. Every attorney general in the country is participating in an investigation into the flawed paperwork and questionable methods behind many of them. A Senate hearing is scheduled, and federal inquiries have begun. The housing market, which runs on foreclosure sales, is in turmoil. Bank stocks fell on Thursday as analysts tried to gauge the impact on lenders bottom lines. All of this is largely because Mr. Cox realized almost immediately that Mrs. Bradburys foreclosure file did not look right. The documents from the lender, GMAC Mortgage, were approved by an employee whose title was limited signing officer, an indication to the lawyer that his knowledge of the case was effectively nonexistent. Mr. Cox eventually won the right to depose the employee, who casually acknowledged that he had prepared 400 foreclosures a day for GMAC and that contrary to his sworn statements, they had not been reviewed by him or anyone else. GMAC, the countrys fourth-largest mortgage lender, called this omission a technicality but was forced last month to halt foreclosures in the 23 states, including Maine, where they must be approved by a court. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and other lenders that used robo-signers  the term caught on instantly  have enacted their own freezes.

In 2012, Cox was one of five winners of the Public Purpose prize, which as the Portland Press-Herald described it,recognizes people older than 60 who work toward the public good and rewards them with $100,000.

Cox has continued to win many precedent-setting foreclosure defense cases in Maine. Ive embedded his most recent victory, which makes an argument I hadnt seen before: that the foreclosing servicer had violated evidentiary requirements by including records from former servicers where the personnel from the current servicer who appeared in court could not attest as to their validity. Ive embedded the short and readable ruling from the Maine Supreme Court at the end of the post.

As Cox said via e-mail:
Can computers help us synthesize new materials?

(Nanowerk News) Last month, three MIT materials scientists and their colleagues published a paper describing a new artificial-intelligence system that can pore through scientific papers and extract recipes for producing particular types of materials.

That work was envisioned as the first step toward a system that can originate recipes for materials that have been described only theoretically. Now, in a paper in the journal npj Computational Materials ("Virtual screening of inorganic materials synthesis parameters with deep learning"), the same three materials scientists, with a colleague in MITs Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), take a further step in that direction, with a new artificial-intelligence system that can recognize higher-level patterns that are consistent across recipes.

For instance, the new system was able to identify correlations between precursor chemicals used in materials recipes and the crystal structures of the resulting products. The same correlations, it turned out, had been documented in the literature.

The system also relies on statistical methods that provide a natural mechanism for generating original recipes. In the paper, the researchers use this mechanism to suggest alternative recipes for known materials, and the suggestions accord well with real recipes.

The first author on the new paper is Edward Kim, a graduate student in materials science and engineering. The senior author is his advisor, Elsa Olivetti, the Atlantic Richfield Assistant Professor of Energy Studies in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE). Theyre joined by Kevin Huang, a postdoc in DMSE, and by Stefanie Jegelka, the X-Window Consortium Career Development Assistant Professor in EECS.

Sparse and scarce

Like many of the best-performing artificial-intelligence systems of the past 10 years, the MIT researchers new system is a so-called neural network, which learns to perform computational tasks by analyzing huge sets of training data. Traditionally, attempts to use neural networks to generate materials recipes have run up against two problems, which the researchers describe as sparsity and scarcity.

Any recipe for a material can be represented as a vector, which is essentially a long string of numbers. Each number represents a feature of the recipe, such as the concentration of a particular chemical, the solvent in which its dissolved, or the temperature at which a reaction takes place.

Since any given recipe will use only a few of the many chemicals and solvents described in the literature, most of those numbers will be zero. Thats what the researchers mean by sparse.

Similarly, to learn how modifying reaction parameters  such as chemical concentrations and temperatures  can affect final products, a system would ideally be trained on a huge number of examples in which those parameters are varied. But for some materials  particularly newer ones  the literature may contain only a few recipes. Thats scarcity.

People think that with machine learning, you need a lot of data, and if its sparse, you need more data, Kim says. When youre trying to focus on a very specific system, where youre forced to use high-dimensional data but you dont have a lot of it, can you still use these neural machine-learning techniques?

Neural networks are typically arranged into layers, each consisting of thousands of simple processing units, or nodes. Each node is connected to several nodes in the layers above and below. Data is fed into the bottom layer, which manipulates it and passes it to the next layer, which manipulates it and passes it to the next, and so on. During training, the connections between nodes are constantly readjusted until the output of the final layer consistently approximates the result of some computation.

The problem with sparse, high-dimensional data is that for any given training example, most nodes in the bottom layer receive no data. It would take a prohibitively large training set to ensure that the network as a whole sees enough data to learn to make reliable generalizations.

Artificial bottleneck

The purpose of the MIT researchers network is to distill input vectors into much smaller vectors, all of whose numbers are meaningful for every input. To that end, the network has a middle layer with just a few nodes in it  only two, in some experiments.

The goal of training is simply to configure the network so that its output is as close as possible to its input. If training is successful, then the handful of nodes in the middle layer must somehow represent most of the information contained in the input vector, but in a much more compressed form. Such systems, in which the output attempts to match the input, are called autoencoders.

Autoencoding compensates for sparsity, but to handle scarcity, the researchers trained their network on not only recipes for producing particular materials, but also on recipes for producing very similar materials. They used three measures of similarity, one of which seeks to minimize the number of differences between materials  substituting, say, just one atom for another  while preserving crystal structure.

During training, the weight that the network gives example recipes varies according to their similarity scores.

Playing the odds

In fact, the researchers network is not just an autoencoder, but whats called a variational autoencoder. That means that during training, the network is evaluated not only on how well its outputs match its inputs, but also on how well the values taken on by the middle layer accord with some statistical model  say, the familiar bell curve, or normal distribution. That is, across the whole training set, the values taken on by the middle layer should cluster around a central value and then taper off at a regular rate in all directions.

After training a variational autoencoder with a two-node middle layer on recipes for manganese dioxide and related compounds, the researchers constructed a two-dimensional map depicting the values that the two middle nodes took on for each example in the training set.

Remarkably, training examples that used the same precursor chemicals stuck to the same regions of the map, with sharp boundaries between regions. The same was true of training examples that yielded four of manganese dioxides common polymorphs, or crystal structures. And combining those two mappings indicated correlations between particular precursors and particular crystal structures.

We thought it was cool that the regions were continuous, Olivetti says, because theres no reason that that should necessarily be true.

Variational autoencoding is also what enables the researchers system to generate new recipes. Because the values taken on by the middle layer adhere to a probability distribution, picking a value from that distribution at random is likely to yield a plausible recipe.

This actually touches upon various topics that are currently of great interest in machine learning, Jegelka says. Learning with structured objects, allowing interpretability by and interaction with experts, and generating structured complex data  we integrate all of these.
(Natural News) The organic food industry has been booming for more than a decade  and the market shows no signs of slowing down. In June 2017, reports showed that sales of organic products had doubled since 2007, with totals reaching upwards of $47 billion. And theres plenty of good reasons why the market for organic goods continues to grow: Not only is organic food better for you, consumers say it tastes better, too.

Lecturer Dr. Adelina Gschwandtner from the School of Economics at the University of Kent recently surveyed organic purchasing habits in Canterbury, England. Data was collected from over 100 survey respondents and the results showed that two factors seemed to provide the strongest motivation to go organic: Better taste, and better health. Some respondents also cited the environmentally friendly nature of organic foods, as well as concerns about animal welfare, as motivators for their organic purchasing habits.

While proponents of the GMO-laden, pesticide-ridden conventional food industries are quick to dismiss the desire for organic produce as nothing more than a misleading fad, numerous studies have shown that there are clear health benefits to be had from organic foods.

Last year, a massive review of over 200 scientific studies concluded that there were substantial differences in nutrient content in dairy products and meat  differences which were contingent upon whether or not the products were being produced organically or with more industrial practices.

The science showed that organic dairy products and meats boasted significantly higher levels of valuable omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, it was shown that organic animal products contained up to 46 percent more omega-3 fatty acids than conventional, factory-farmed animal products. And the benefits dont end there: The researchers also noted that organic dairy and meats showcased higher levels of vitamin E and iron, too.

Even back in 2014, studies were clearly indicating that organic foods boast an array of health benefits that so-called conventional foods cant touch. A peer-reviewed study, led by the European Union and the Sheepdrove Trust, looked at 343 different studies of the differences between organic and conventionally grown produce. A team of international researchers published the study three years ago in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Ultimately, the team found that organic fruits and vegetables boasted many times more antioxidants and nutrients than conventionally raised produce. The differences in antioxidant content ranged from 19 to 69 percent more in organic foods than conventional  so much that the extra antioxidants in organic produce could essentially equate to one or two extra servings per day. The researchers contended and would therefore be significant and meaningful in terms of human nutrition, if information linking these [compounds] to the health benefits associated with increased fruit, vegetable and whole grain consumption is confirmed.

Of course, the benefits of organically grown produce dont end with their higher nutrient content; there are still pesticides and other agrochemicals to contend with. The research team noted that conventionally produced fruits and vegetables were four times more likely to have pesticide residue than their organic cohorts. Further, conventional produce was significantly more likely to be contaminated with the heavy metal cadmium.

As usual, the notion that organic foods are actually better for you has been consistently dismissed or undermined by the mainstream media and industry shills. But is it really that hard to believe that food is better for you when it isnt slathered in toxic chemicals? [Related: Learn more about the amazing health benefits of organic foods at Organics.news]

Sources for this article include:

Kent.ac.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Hopped up on vaccine industry funds, the mainstream media went all out in 2015 trying to convince the public that unvaccinated children are spreading disease and endangering society. In tune with other lying mainstream media outlets, The International Business Times lied about the true source of disease while calling for the continued segregation of normal, healthy, unvaccinated children from society. The IBT asked the question: Should a child whose parents chose not to vaccinate be allowed to share the same pencils and playground as children whose parents did? In California, children who are not vaccinated are banned from school altogether under the chokehold of SB277. In other states, parents must conform to vaccine laws or beg for exemptions to get their kids into school.

The truth is many vaccines are formulated with live attenuated viruses that go through a process called viral shedding after injection into humans. These vaccines are clinically proven to spread disease for days, weeks, and sometimes months following vaccination. This not only puts the unvaccinated at risk, but poses a real threat to the immune-compromised.

To make matters worse, the live attenuated pathogens, once injected, are capable of replicating within host cells and reverting back to pathogenic form. Live virus vaccines are unpredictable and can cause the disease they are trying to prevent in the vaccine recipient. This is why live virus vaccines are not recommended for people with compromised immune systems, people on chemotherapy, people who are HIV positive, etc. Live virus vaccines include injections for the following: Tuberculosis, smallpox, adenovirus (oral), rotavirus, measles, mumps, rubella (combination), influenza, yellow fever, polio (oral), chickenpox, and shingles.

In 2011, a team of scientists looked specifically at how the shingles vaccine spreads the virus that causes chickenpox infection. The paper, authored by Duane L. Pierson, is titled, Varicella Zoster Virus DNA at Inoculation Sites and in Saliva After Zostavax Immunization.

The study looked at 36 individuals over the age of 60 who were recently vaccinated with Zostavax (shingles vaccine). Before the vaccine, saliva samples were taken; none contained pathogenic material. After the vaccine was administered, 50 percent of the recipients tested positive for varicella zoster virus, a neurotropic alphaherpesvirus that causes varicella (chickenpox) in children. In the 28 day follow-up period, the researchers would go on to detect varicella in 58 percent of the recipients. At day fourteen, 31 percent of the recipients tested positive for VZV DNA. At day twenty-one, 28 percent were still carrying the virus. At the end of the month, all but two recipients had eliminated the virus from their system.

What this proves is that, for up to a month after vaccination, those who receive the shingles vaccine are a threat to children. The study authors warn that the detection of VZV DNA in saliva of Zostavax recipients for up to 28 days suggests that contact with saliva of recently immunized individuals represents a potential source of transmission.

Polio vaccines are also notorious for causing the disease they are trying to prevent. The vaccine may cause a condition called vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP), which can be worse than a natural, benign polio infection. Also, recent measles and mumps outbreaks in the U.S. have been documented in vaccinated populations. When the live virus sheds and spreads to the unvaccinated people in the group, the dishonest media blames the unvaccinated for spreading the disease.

Even though the results are clear  that vaccines spread disease unpredictably and uncontrollably  the mainstream media will continue to call for the segregation of the unvaccinated from society. The vaccine industrys misinformation continues to spread faster than viruses, perpetuating ill-gotten science, confusion, fear-driven vaccination, and more disease. (For more important analysis on the damage vaccines are doing today, visit Vaccines.News.)

Sources include:

Info.CMSRI.org

VaccineSafetyTraining.org

TheVaccineMom.com

WestonAPrice.org

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Probiotics are microorganisms believed to support and sustain gut health, which has led to them being recommended for adults and children alike. New research, however, has suggested that babies can benefit from probiotics as well. Giving babies a probiotic a day after their first week of birth can protect them from diabetes and asthma, reported the DailyMail.co.uk.

To arrive at this conclusion, researchers from the University of California, Davis monitored 66 babies. Half of the babies were given a three-week course probiotic containing Bifidobacterium longumsubspecies infantis, an important bacteria in the guts of babies. The probiotic was combined with the babies mothers breast milk and administered via syringe.

Although all the babies in the study were being breastfed, fecal analysis revealed striking differences between the two groups of infants. The babies whod been given probiotics had a significantly larger number of B. infantis bacteria. On top of that, the researchers discovered that these bacterial colonies remained in the babies systems for at least another month.

Even though we stopped giving the probiotic on day 28 of life, the particular organisms we gave stayed in their fecal community out to 60 days and even longer. They were surviving and dominating, and thats something we really have not seen before, said study author Mark Underwood.

The researchers believe that the durability of these bacterial colonies can be attributed to the sugars found in the mothers milk. Also known as oligosaccharides, these breast milk sugars may have fed and nourished the bacteria. This was shown on further analysis, wherein the babies who had received probiotic supplementation were said to have less potential pathogens and higher lactate and acetate levels. As per MedicalXPress.com, both acetate and lactate are beneficial byproducts of milk sugar fermentation.

If mom cant breastfeed for whatever reason, our hypothesis would be if you give that baby a three-week course of this probiotic and a formula with added human milk oligosaccharides, colonization should happen and persist as long as theyre on that formula, noted Underwood. (Related: Probiotics taken during pregnancy decrease risk of allergies in kids.)

Remarking on the findings, Glenn Gibson of the University of Reading told the DailyMail.co.uk: The study is extremely important in that it shows how important a healthy gut microbiome is. The work had major implications for reduced infection rates and atopic issues like eczema and asthma.

The fact that probiotics can improve the gut health of babies means that probiotics are highly important for babies born through cesarean section. Infants who arent delivered naturally arent given the opportunity to encounter the bacteria found in the birth canal and rectum; instead, theyre immediately greeted by the bacteria from their mothers skin and the hospital environment.

According to ScienceAndSensibility.org, this presents a huge problem for babies since the bacteria that populate the lower intestine are markedly different from babies who were naturally born. These bacteria are less stable and lower in number, qualities that lead to an underdeveloped immune system. Taking antibiotics during pregnancy has been found to have a similar effect on gut bacteria growth. As such, giving babies probiotics in addition to breastfeeding them can do wonders for their immune systems.

From here, Underwood and his colleagues plan on looking into how breast milk and probiotics can impact premature baby gut health.

Visit MindBodyScience.news today to read up on more stories about health and wellness for all ages.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

MedicalXpress.com

ScienceAndSensibility.org
For the first time a US military veteran who had been deported for criminal acts after leaving the service returned, legally, to the United States.

After 15 years living in Tijuana, Mexico, since being deported honorably discharged from the US Marines, 45-year-old Marco Chavez returned to the US Thursday morning.

The landmark moment follows an NBC Bay Area investigation last February that showed hundreds of similar honorably discharged US Veterans have been deported over the last two decades after they commit various crimes after leaving the service.

NBC Bay Areas Investigative Unit traveled to Mexico where the team documented at least 301 honorably discharged military veterans now deported under a policy put in place during Bill Clintons administration and allowed to remain during subsequent presidencies.

The policy allows immigration officials to deport non-citizens after they are convicted and serve time for any felony classified as aggravated. While that classification includes serious crimes such a murder and aggravated assault, NBC Bay Areas investigation discovered that under US Immigration policy the term aggravated felony also includes what otherwise might be considered less serious crimes such as drug possession, failure to show up in court, entering the country illegally and animal cruelty.

The policy applies to any non-citizen, even if they are in the US legally with a green card or were brought here as babies or as toddlers by their families.

NBC Bay Areas investigation found 70,000 non-citizens enlisted in the United States military between 2009 and 2016. At least half of them never applied for citizenship, according to the center for naval analyses, leaving them vulnerable to deportation under the policy.

After NBC Bay Areas story first aired, California Governor Jerry Brown granted clemency to three of those one-time California veterans, including Chavez.

The governors clemency paved the way Chavez to return to the US legally on Thursday, just a few days before Christmas.

With supporters standing at the US-Mexican border holding signs of welcome Chavez walked back across the border at the San Ysidro Transit Center south of San Diego around 9:30 a.m. barely recognized by the throng of well-wishers gathered to await his return.

Im excited. I was in disbelief but I believe now, Chavez told the supporters. Ill get to know my sons. Ill be with my family. Ill be able to wake up Christmas morning and tell them that Im home.

Chavez told NBC Bay Area that his parents brought him to the US from Mexico when he was a year old. He grew up in Southgate, California and attended San Gabriel Elementary and Southgate High School.

In 1991, when he turned 19, Chavez enlisted in the US Marines after graduating from high school.

He served in supply administration based at Camp Pendleton.

After four years of service, Chavez was honorably discharged.

Only then did he get into trouble with the law, charged with animal cruelty in Long Beach where a jury convicted him after a trial.

He served 10 months in prison and 13 months on parole on that conviction.

Under a Bill Clinton-era policy, Chavez was then deported in 2002 because he had committed what was considered under immigration rules an aggravated felony and had never legally become a US citizen.

In the 15 years since hes been gone from the US, Chavez missed his three sons growing up. He told NBC Bay Area that after his deportation he said his family moved with him to Mexico. But his wife spoke no Spanish and commuted back to across the US border to work. Eventually she and their three sons left him in Mexico, moving to Iowa and he and his wife divorced.

In early 2017, NBC Bay Area traveled to Tijuana and talked with dozens of other honorably discharged veterans who, like Chavez, were deported under the same US policy.

Each veteran said they had not been told about, nor given the opportunity to become citizens while they served in the US military.

Some of the deported veterans had even served and fought for the US in war.

NBC Bay Areas Investigative Unit documented more than 300 of these veterans living overseas.

Advocates of these veterans estimate there may be thousand or more.

Along with blaming Congress for not changing the policy, the advocates also blame the US Department of Defense for not educating service members about the opportunity and legal need to become citizens while they are in the military.

Former California Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher is also a retired US Marine. He told NBC Bay Areas Investigative Unit he could not believe this has happened for decades when he first was informed about the issue.

Anyone willing to die for their country should have a country willing to give them citizenship, Fletcher said. And it's what they were promised when they joined (the military.)

After NBC Bay Areas stories first aired, Gov. Brown granted clemency to three of the deported veterans including Chavez, which paved the way for the Christmas-time reunion back on US soil.

Were here today because a group of poeple said if you were willing to die for your country that country would not leave you behind. That country would not let you be deported, Nathan Fletcher told the assembled crowd. Were here today because we believe that those who took an oath and were willing to give their life for our country with the promise of citizenship deserve to have that promise fulfilled.

And so 15 years after being deported a man who came to this country as a child, who loved this country, who committed to this country, a man who served honorably in the United States Marine Corps, is finally home.

Fletcher, the ACLU and other advocates are calling on the US Congress to change the law and allow these deported veterans to return.

While there is a bill under consideration on Capitol Hill, so far, it appears neither congress nor the administration are inclined to move that bill forward and no presidential administration from Clinton forward has saw fit to even attempt to change the policy.

Even in his excitement at his return, Chavez remembered all the hundreds of other veterans still having to live overseas because of this policy. He hopes his case will serve as a template for others.

Its good to use as an example so they can open the door for other veterans to come back, Chavez said.
An Oakland man has been arrested and charged by federal authorities with mailing an explosive device to an East Palo Alto home in October, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco.

Ross Gordon Laverty, 56, mailed at least one improvised explosive device to an East Palo Alto address on Oct. 11, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday.

Federal authorities said the addressee became suspicious immediately and initially decided not to open the package. But eight days later, the victim carried the package outside of his home and opened it in his backyard, causing it to detonate and injure him.

Investigators swarmed Laverty's Oakland home Wednesday night and took him into custody, authorities said. He has been charged with one count of mailing an explosive device with the intent to injure or kill.

Laverty was arraigned Thursday morning. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A similar package bomb incident occurred at an Alameda home in late November. A woman at the residence opened a package delivered by the post office, and it exploded, injuring her. It was not clear if Laverty was connected to that mailing.

Laverty has a criminal history. In April 2015, after an early morning high-speed chase across two East Bay counties, he was arrested on multiple felonies, including evading police, felon in possession of a firearm and drug possession.
Putting a face on the Trump administrations travel ban, an Oakland woman of Yemeni descent said her diabetic father, living in Yemen, was denied entrance to the U.S. to get medical treatment.

While President Donald Trump has argued the ban is necessary to protect our nations security, critics counter that its unconstitutional and tearing families apart. Hanan Albar, an American citizen, tells a firsthand account of the ban's impact on her family.

Albar's ailing father, Hamed, whos 63 and lives in war-torn Yemen, was just denied a visa. He had sought refuge in the U.S. for treatment and had just received encouraging news about his prospects. Then on Thursday, he sent an email to his daughter.

"He says they denied him. ... I found out in the morning," Albar said. "I was crying. Its very hard, you know? I work hard to process and try to get him here to the United States."

An official State Department letter said Hamed's visa waiver "will not be granted in this case," as the entry could pose a threat to the national security or public safety of the United States.

Citizens of the mostly-Muslim countries red-flagged by the presidents travel ban have cried discrimination. So, too, has a Bay Area congressman.

"Their argument is that there is al-Qaeda and counter-terrorism operations," U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) said. "But that is so limited. The reality is that there are numerous civilians who are trying to flee Yemen on pure humanitarian grounds."

Albar looked for a morale boost from close friends as she absorbed the news Thursday.

"Im a single mom. I work hard," she said. "Its very hard for me to send money for my dad and take care of my kids."

Albar's two children are 5 and 6. They were just reunited with their grandmother. The family originally fled Yemen in 2014 due to the civil war. They moved to Saudi Arabia, but Hamed recently returned to Yemen to care for his dying mother.

Albars mom was able to get to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia. Her father went to Djibouti (the nearest American Embassy) to get his passport Thursday when he found out that his visa application had been rejected.

Jehan Hakim, a community advocate with the Asian Law Caucus, said people are denied visas without even being made aware of the waivers, something that is impacting many people.

What a lot of the public is now seeing is the human side of these policies," Hakim said. "Families are being separated. The right to move and the right to be with your family is a really important piece of why we fight so hard."


In one Maine town, traffic stops are ending with smiles, handshakes and hugs. Instead of giving out citations, Fryeburg Police officers are handing out gift certificates from local businesses.

"That's what the holiday season is all about," said Fryeburg Police Chief Joshua Potvin.

He said 20 drivers have been pulled over this week for traffic violations like speeding, or not wearing seatbelts.

"These are traffic violations where they would most likely be getting a warning anyway," said Chief Potvin.

When it appeared officers were writing a ticket, they were actually handing over a holiday card.

"You get a meal on Fryeburg Police," the chief told one driver, who immediately thanked the officers and asked for a hug.

Driver Joe Vaughan posted to the Fryeburg Police Departments page: "I am still speechless by the random act of kindness. Thank you again, not only for the card, but also helping restore my faith in humanity."

Potvin said this special gift card ends the year on a high note, after his officers have struggled through a difficult time. This summer, a fellow officer died while performing a water rescue. The community rallied around the department.

"We started out the summer very rocky," he said. "Our community was really supportive of us so this is our opportunity to give back to them."
A Catholic diocese in Ohio says a parish priest under investigation for "questionable" communications with a minor and possible misuse of church funds killed himself in downtown Chicago this week.

The Catholic Diocese of Columbus said in a statement Thursday that the Rev. James Csaszar killed himself Wednesday in Chicago. According to authorities, his body was found just before 9 a.m. in the 200 block of North Columbus Drive, just outside the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel where he was a guest, the hotel confirmed.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Csaszar died of multiple injuries caused by jumping from the hotel. His death was ruled a suicide.

Csaszar was pastor of Church of the Resurrection in the Columbus suburb of New Albany.

The diocese's statement says Csaszar was placed on administrative leave last month when officials learned of "excessive and questionable" text and phone communications with a minor and possible misuse of funds while pastor at St. Rose of Lima Parish in New Lexington.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began looking into Csaszar after the diocese learned of the allegations and contacted police in New Lexington, roughly 55 miles (89 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.

New Lexington police told NBC's Columbus affiliate station, NBC4i, that the criminal investigation will continue despite Csaszar's death.

New Lexington residents said they were shocked to hear the news.

You could always talk to him and felt comfortable speaking with him and he was always there to listen to you no matter where he was on the street or what it was, restaurant owner Cheryl Dodson told NBC4i. He was one of my favorites. Out of all the catholic priests Ive known and affiliated with, he was one of my favorites.


There are indications that Connecticuts crumbling concrete crisis may not stop at the state line, the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters have found.

How widespread this issue is just north of the border with Massachusetts remains the question.

Russell Dupere of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, said he had no idea he had a problem with his basement until he had to gut paneling and drywall after a hot water heater leak. He had engineers visually inspect it and they told him he may have "a Connecticut issue."

Dupere was aware of the crumbling concrete crisis a few miles to the south in Connecticut, where 664 homeowners and counting have reported to the state their basements must get replaced, sometimes costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars because most insurers won't cover it. Dupere then got someone to drill and test several core samples from the basement.

The test came back and said the basement walls had a pyrrhotite concentration approaching 25 percent.

Pyrrhotite is a naturally occurring mineral that when exposed to air and water can cause concrete to crack slowly from the inside out, according to experts.

Dupere said an estimate to replace his basement would cost $350,000 and his insurer denied his claim for coverage.

Dupere does not know who poured his basement in 1990, however, it sits in a 20-mile radius of the now-defunct J.J. Mottes company in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. The family that owned J.J. Mottes has said for years it made concrete using aggregate stone from Becker's Quarry in Willington, Connecticut, another business it owns.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, pyrrhotite is rare and Becker's Quarry is one of the only places where pyrrhotite is found. Contractors have told the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters concrete can only be delivered about twenty miles from its source. It allows for enough time for the concrete to be mixed and delivered within the 90-minute window before it begins to set, per industry standards.

No one from the former J.J. Mottes company would comment for NBC Connecticuts Massachusetts story, but in the past, it has said its concrete that failed in Connecticut was not installed properly.

There are people in just north of the Connecticut-Massachusetts border who have photos or documents that appear to show homeowners had concrete poured by J.J. Mottes and their basements are cracking, the homeowners said.

One of those Massachusetts homeowners is a person who owned a home in East Longmeadow. Real estate agent, John Wynne, said his clients house was valued at $400,000 before cracking was discovered and the home ended up selling it for roughly half that amount.

My client was devastated, Wynne said.

So far, between talking with homeowners and local governments in 14 Western Massachusetts towns, the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters have been able to confirm at least three municipalities where homes with crumbling basements have been found, though at this point none of the towns can definitively say it's the same problem as the one in Connecticut or that the basements were poured by J.J. Mottes. Six towns said they have no reports of crumbling basements. Another five have not responded to NBC Connecticut requests for comment.

Homeowners like Dupere hope local, state and federal leaders study up on the problem quickly and take lessons learned by their neighbors to the south.

Connecticut has so many people that are public about this issue and know they have the issue that I think that's really helped down there. Here there are so few people that have found out about it yet that it's difficult to get anything to move, Dupere.

Duperes town is in State Senator Eric Lessers district who called the situation horrible.

This is a horrible situation that many people, including some of my constituents, have found themselves in. We need to make sure the public is protected, homeowners are protected and their property is protected. Affected homeowners must receive compensation, Lesser said.

One town manager in Western Massachusetts, when talking about Connecticut leaders dealing with the crumbling concrete issue said misery loves company when it comes to the crumbling foundations issue and he may be right. Staffers from elected offices in Connecticut have privately told the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters that if this becomes a two state problem, it may be easier to get federal help, which so far, has been hard to come by.
West Haven Police are alerting the public about streets that will soon be blocked off by the proposed site of The Haven mall.

This comes as most of the boarded-up homes have yet to be demolished and some residents still wonder whether the project will bring the economic benefits theyve been promised.

New Mayor Nancy Rossi told NBC Connecticut she has a meeting in January with The Havens developers to go over a timetable for demolition and construction.

In the meantime, a popular restaurant has been given a few more months to stay open.

I wish they could stay forever, Angela Invernale of West Haven said. Build the mall around them or something.

The grill at Nicks Luncheonette will still prepare breakfast and lunch until March 31 after the owner worked out an extension with the mayors office and the developers.

Im very happy, Nick Milas, who has been in business for 26 years, said. Thanks to the mayor, to Luis Esposito and developer [Matt] Armstrong to let us stay a little bit longer.

Longtime customers Bill Marcks said he has been coming almost every day of the week knowing the plan is to knock Nicks down in order to build a luxury mall with 60 stores, seven restaurants and a waterfront promenade.

Im not crazy about it and I dont see it really in this area, Marcks said. Especially down here its too congested as it is.

Buddy Smith said he worries there will only be more congestion when police set up barriers in a few weeks at Elm and Water Streets, Main and Water Streets and two roads connecting First Avenue and Water Streets.

Its going to be a little disheartening going around everything, Smith said.

Police are blocking the streets because the developer raised concerns about illegal dumping, Mayor Rossi said.

If they think they need to do that, I trust in their judgement, Michael Invernale of West Haven said.

A majority of the boarded-up homes the developer purchased from families are still standing.

When they started tearing things down things down it was right around election time and then after the election time I dont see nothing being torn down anymore, Smith said.

Angela Invernale and her father Michael said they arent sold on the redevelopment project that is supposed to create more than a thousand jobs and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Even if they do put up the mall Im not sure how much its really going help us as a city, Angela said.

I dont see a high-end mall working in this area, Michael added. I really dont, I think it is going to end up housing.

For now, the loyal customers will enjoy a few more meals at Nicks.

He might get something, Marcks said. I hope he does because were all going to follow.

Milas said he would like to stay in business in West Haven, but he is still looking for a new location for his luncheonette.
A Modesto man was charged Friday with plotting a terror attack  using explosives and a truck  in San Francisco on Christmas Day "in support of ISIS," according to a criminal complaint.

The suspect, Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, is accused of providing "material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization" between Oct. 24 and Dec. 20, and expressing his willingness to "do anything for 'the cause,'" according to an affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Christopher McKinney.

The plot was uncovered by way of a monthslong sting operation that involved two undercover FBI employees and a confidential informant, who communicated with Jameson first through private messages and then on social media.

Jameson "identified a possible target location, noting that the best place would be a large area such as San Francisco," according to the court document. He singled out Pier 39, knowing that it was a "heavily crowded area." Jameson picked the popular tourist destination, saying he was familiar with it and wouldn't need to scout the location beforehand.

The time in question for the attack was between Dec. 18 and 25 because, according to Jameson, "Christmas was the perfect day to commit the attack."

When asked about an escape plan, Jameson replied "he was ready to die."

Jameson converted to Islam two years ago, the court document said. The Merced Islamic Center told NBC Bay Area that he went to the center two or three times to worship by himself, but nobody there really knew him on a personal level.

According to the complaint, Jameson "espoused radical jihadi beliefs, including authoring social media posts that are supportive of terrorism, communicating with people he believes share his jihadi views and offering to provide services to such people, including in the form of his presumably employer-provided tow truck in service of the 'cause.'"

Jameson used derogatory terms to refer to so-called enemies of radical Islam, the court document stated. "Kufr" or "kuffar," he called them.

NBC Connecticut

A confidential informant also reported that Jameson spent time "liking" and "loving" Facebook posts that were "pro-ISIS and pro terrorism," including one that featured Santa Claus armed with dynamite in New York, according to the court document.

The suspect allegedly professed support for the vehicular terror attack that killed eight people in New York City on Oct. 31 and for the 2015 mass shooting that claimed 14 lives in San Bernardino. Jameson "wanted to use a combination of the two" attacks, which McKinney believes is an indication of him wanting to inflict "casualties through the use of a vehicle and firearms."

Jameson attended basic Marine Corps recruit training in 2009, according to the court document. He earned a "sharpshooter" rifle qualification, but was discharged for "fraudulent enlistment" after failing to report that he had asthma.

In terms of how he could support ISIS' cause, Jameson offered funding, referred to his previous military experience  training in combat and war and the use of M-16 and AK-47 rifles  and said he could "blend in" or "shock and awe," according to the documents. In online interactions with an undercover FBI agent, Jameson also said he was willing to travel to Syria.

The pair met on Dec. 16, the court document shows. At one point, Jameson stated he needed equipment such as PVC pipes, powder, nails, timers and detonators to purportedly build some sort of explosive device. Law enforcement officials said those materials were never provided.

Jameson said he could "go to the mountains" to build the explosive devices and then return home to store them, according to the document.



But on Dec. 18, when the FBI employee tried to arrange a follow-up meeting, Jameson said that he was "very busy tonight." He then backed out of their plan.

"I also don't think I can do this after all," Jameson wrote. "I've reconsidered."

The employee said, "We only can do Allahs will," according to the document.

Jameson responded: "In Sha Allah one day I can. But I can't."

On Dec. 20, a search warrant was served at a residence in Modesto. FBI agents recovered three firearms  a Winchester .22 caliber rifle, one Ruger M77 rifle, a 9 mm handgun  along with ammunition, fireworks, a will and what appeared to be a suicide martyrdom letter.

Dated Dec. 16, the letter derides the U.S. as "nationalistic" and "Godless" and criticizes President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel.

FBI agents spoke with Jameson after his arrest. During the interview, "Jameson stated his support of ISIS and terrorism and discussed aspects of the plan to carry out an attack, noting that he would be happy if an attack was carried out, the court document noted.

The San Francisco Police Department said Friday that people can expect to see an uptick in police presence at the city's attractions through the holidays, but they had planned for the additional enforcement before this alleged plot came to light.

Acting Mayor London Breed said that there are no outstanding threats to the city in connection to the investigation into Jameson's alleged activities.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement, saying in part: "The Department of Justice works resolutely every day to prevent terrorist attacks. In my time back at the Department, nothing has impressed me more. Today, our incredible law enforcement officers have once again helped thwart an alleged plot to kill Americans."



Jameson appeared in federal court in Fresno on Friday afternoon. The suspect has been ordered held in jail for now.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara A. McAuliffe scheduled a detention hearing for 2 p.m. on Dec. 28. A court filing says Jameson's lawyer is Eric Kersten.

If convicted, Jameson faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine, according to the FBI.
When a Rancho Bernardo man was rescued from a fire that killed his two children in October, he was intoxicated and a melted whiskey bottle was found next to his bed, prosecutors said Thursday.



Henry Lopez appeared in a downtown courtroom to face five felonies including two counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of child endangerment causing death and one count of reckless fire starting.

Lopez was found at the top of the stairs in the two-story condo on Bernardo Terrace on Oct. 28.



His 7-year-old daughter, Isabella Lopez, was found in bed in a separate bedroom from her father. She died of smoke inhalation at a nearby hospital.

His son, 10-year-old Cristos Lopez, was found with burn injuries and smoke inhalation in his father's bedroom. He died later of his injuries.

Fire investigators concluded the fire was started by discarded smoking materials.

Prosecutors say Lopez had a blood-alcohol level at .26 percent when it was taken at the hospital. In comparison, a BAC of 0.08 percent or above is illegal to operate a vehicle in California while 0.04 percent or above is the limit for drivers of commercial vehicles.

"Essentially he drank himself to sleep in bed and passed out with a lit cigarette, which ultimately caused his condo to burn down and thus his children to die in the fire," Deputy District Attorney Kyle Sutterly with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office said.

Lopez pleaded not guilty and was permitted supervised release, according to the ruling by Judge Halgren. As part of the order, Lopez must wear a court-issued bracelet that will notify the authorities if he has been drinking.

Lopez did not issue a statement as he walked out of the courthouse.

The childrens father had allegedly threatened to burn down the family's home weeks before the fire that killed his children, according to court documents.

In a temporary restraining order obtained by NBC 7, the children's mother, Nikia Lopez, said her husband texted her, "I will burn all of this (expletive) down" in a conversation about a missing mortgage payment.

In the request for the temporary restraining order, granted on Sept. 18, Nikia also said her estranged husband had an issue with alcohol abuse.

An online fundraising page was created to assist Nikia and her two college-age children with finances.

If convicted of all charges, Henry Lopez could face 14 years in prison.
A 69-year-old woman was killed by a semi-truck in a hit-and-run crash Thursday in Boyle Heights, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The LAPD Hollenbeck Division responded to the fatal crash at 9:53 p.m. near the intersection of Union Pacific Avenue and Calzona Street.

Initial reports stated she was looking for her pet cat, but the LAPD Central Traffic Division said she was standing outside her motorhome when she was struck.

The victim's daughter, Eileen Kemper, is pleading for the driver to come forward.

"I want to say that you're a coward but you know what - I forgive you," Kemper said. "Just come clean, please - to give our family some peace."

Police are investigating if the driver of the truck was aware they had struck someone or if they deliberately fled the scene, according to Sgt. Roy Escalante.

The victim's daughter told police that she and her mother live in a motorhome nearby.

A detailed description of the driver or truck was not immediately available.

NBC4's Michelle Tak and Katherine Picazo contributed to this report.
What to Know Friday, Dec. 22

10 a.m.

Ventura Harbor

What's the most California-y Christmas-type to-do around?

Would you cite the many colorful lighted boat parades that happen just off our shores? How about an aquarium otter eating a giant candy cane made of ice? Or would the surfing Santas, like the one that famously visits San Diego's Seaport Village, make your Christmassy California cut?

There are so many quintessential Golden State sights come December, but one of the most awesomely oceanic, and perfectly Pacific, is the annual Santa Paddle at Ventura Harbor.

True, this beloved lark of a holiday splash-around was originally scheduled for Dec. 9, but was rescheduled for Friday, Dec. 22 due to the Thomas Fire.

Organizers wanted to keep the popular event afloat for 2017, in large part because it is such a spirited favorite, a happy happening the community can gather around for an hour.

But it's more than just a gather-around, and if simply playing the spectator isn't something you're interested in, take heart: The Santa Paddle encourages anyone who wants to join in to do so.

Step one? Dress like Santa.

Step two? Show with your paddle board, or with a kayak, if that's more your style. (There are rentable ones at the harbor.)

Peddle boats, too, are Noel-nifty, if you're in that sort of mood.

Santa will be there, of course, so if you do dress like Santa, just be aware that the actual Santa will be nearby, so best up your sartorial game. If you do go for the full Santa look, and you win the top prize for "most festive outfit," you could score "a sweet prize."

The clutch of paddle-wielding Santas head out onto the harbor at 10 a.m. on Dec. 22, with a meet-up point at Ventura Boat Rentals.

Californians do dearly love to dress whimsically before paddling around some pretty harbor water, that's a festive fact. There are the paddle-boarding witches of Morro Bay come Halloween time, and, yes, the Santas of Ventura Harbor just before the yuletide.

Paddle over to Ventura Harbor to offer the community some support a few days ahead of Christmas, in a come-together show of California-style good will.
What to Know Authorities confirmed that 78-year-old Fanya Shamis from Coconut Creek was killed in the crash along with her daughter and grandson.

A second ship carrying passengers involved, Royal Caribbeans Celebrity Equinox, is scheduled to return to Port Miami on Saturday.

One of the two cruise ships that carried passengers who were on a deadly bus crash in Mexico this week returned to South Florida on Friday.

Royal Caribbean s Serenade of the Seas arrived at Port Everglades just before 6 a.m., with passengers departing the ship hours later. The ship carried at least one Floridian who were among the dozen people killed when a bus that was returning from taking tourists to the Mayan ruins flipped over Tuesday.

Authorities confirmed that 78-year-old Fanya Shamis from Coconut Creek was killed in the crash along with her daughter and grandson, Anna and Daniel Behar of Virginia. Behars husband and other son were injured in the crash.

Two others from Florida, Christopher and Laura Couallier from near Orlando, were also confirmed to be among the dead. Christopher Couallier was the CFO for the Port Miami tunnel project, according to friends and family.

"We saw all of the bodies laying down with blood all over them. It was not like United States where you have ambulances everywhere," said John Whitten from Jacksonville, who was moved to a different bus for the trip after the first one filled up. "I feel sorry for the people because there were no helicopters - there was no nothing but they might have stayed out there for two hours with blood all over them."

Other passengers said they were also concerned about the lack of seat belt use.

"I was just mentioning to my mom when we were on the bus 'we should put our seatbelt' because nobody is mentioning it to us," said Sandra Novoa. "Because if we have an accident, we're the first people that will fly out of these buses."



The driver of that tour bus has been in custody as a manslaughter investigation determined negligence and excessive speed caused the crash.

A second ship carrying passengers involved, Royal Caribbeans Celebrity Equinox, is scheduled to return to Port Miami on Saturday.
What to Know The Broward County prosecutor's office announced Thursday that Ronnie Keith Williams will be charged with first-degree murder.

Julius Dyke suffered extensive brain damage and his 2016 death was ruled a homicide linked to the attack.

A Florida man convicted in the 1993 stabbing death of a pregnant woman will stand trial for the death of the victim's son 23 years later.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports the Broward County prosecutor's office announced Thursday that Ronnie Keith Williams will be charged with first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Julius Dyke.

Julius Dyke was born via cesarean section two days after his 18-year-old mother, Lisa Dyke, was stabbed. He had suffered extensive brain damage and his 2016 death was ruled a homicide linked to the attack.

Williams was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004 in Lisa Dyke's death and sentenced to death. The 2016 Florida Supreme Court decision requiring the jury's unanimous support for the death penalty will send that case back to trial for a new sentencing phase as well.
What to Know Across the country, 107 million Americans will travel for the holidays according to AAA  with 97.4 million arriving by car.

In an effort to curb drowsy driving, free coffee will be offered at several rest areas along the Floridas Turnpike.

With the Christmas holiday just days away, the roadways and airports across South Florida and around the country have gotten crowded with travelers heading to their destination.

Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport are expected to have more than 1.7 million people pass through over the holiday season  a six percent increase over 2016.

The next two Saturdays are expected to be the busiest with 100,000 people each day going through FLL, with nearly 150,000 people expected to go through MIA each day from Christmas until New Years.

Across the country, 107 million Americans will travel for the holidays according to AAA  with 97.4 million arriving by car, up three percent from last year. Visits are not long for many, as Friday is predicted to be the busiest day while December 26th has the most return flights scheduled.

Officials are urging safe travel as over 10,000 accidents were reported during the 2016 holiday season with 112 deaths. In an effort to curb drowsy driving, free coffee will be offered at several rest areas along the Floridas Turnpike from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.

The free beverage will be offered at the Turkey Creek, Canoe Creek, Fort Drum, Fort Pierce and West Palm Beach rest areas.
On a rare visit to the home of the U.S. military's prison for terror suspects, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis offered a pep talk Thursday to American troops  and urged them to always be ready for war.

"I need you to be at the top of your game," he told an assembly of several hundred troops, citing their roles both as a fighting force and as a positive example to a politically divided America of how to work together.

The unannounced visit was the first by a defense secretary since Donald H. Rumsfeld came here in January 2002 shortly after the first prisoners arrived from Afghanistan.

Mattis did not discuss the Trump administration's plans for the detention center, nor did he visit it. But he stressed the importance of keeping the Navy base as a U.S. toehold in southeastern Cuba. He said it will not be abandoned, regardless of the future of the prison.

"We need this base badly," he said, as a strategic spot to conduct humanitarian relief and other naval operations, as it had before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Mattis spoke to three groups of troops, offering holiday greetings and thanks for their service. He also fielded their questions as he stood in a warm sun, and found that the prospect of war with North Korea was on their minds.

Mattis said international efforts to compel North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons are focused for now on diplomacy. He also emphasized that effective diplomacy must be backed by a credible threat of military force.

"We need to keep this in a diplomatic framework for solution," he said,. But he added that in the event diplomacy fails, "you all have to be ready to go."

Speaking to a few dozen Marines at a rifle range, Mattis described North Korea as a "not yet imminent but a direct threat to the United States."

At another point, at an outdoor movie theater where troops and civilian staff had gathered, Mattis said that during the Cold War, U.S. leaders had been confident that Russia and China did not want to start a nuclear war.

"That may be an assumption we cannot make" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he said.

Mattis was asked if the U.S. has worked out planning for a post-war Korean Peninsula, including the issue of reunifying the North and South. He answered indirectly by saying, "We're probably not where we need to be" in such discussions with Russia, China and others.

Mattis arrived at Guantanamo Wednesday night and was accompanied by an Associated Press reporter. His overnight stop at Guantanamo comes amid uncertainty over the Trump administration's policy on continued use of the military prison.

Later Mattis was flying to Mayport Naval Station in Florida, and planned on Friday to visit Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

President Donald Trump hasn't released any Guantanamo prisoners or added any to the list of men who have been officially cleared to go home or to a third country for resettlement.

Forty-one prisoners remain in detention. Ten have been charged by a military commission. Five have been cleared to leave, but their status is in doubt under the current administration.

That leaves 26 in indefinite confinement. Some eventually could be cleared for release, too, or prosecuted. Prisoners' lawyers are considering filing new challenges, arguing that a policy of no releases means the detainees' confinement no longer can be legally justified as a temporary wartime measure.

President Barack Obama tried to close the detention center, but was thwarted by Congress. Lawmakers objected to transferring detainees to confinement facilities in the United States.

Mattis has said little publicly about Guantanamo Bay since taking office in January. The subject wasn't raised in his Senate confirmation hearing.

In response to written questions submitted to him before that hearing, he said: "I believe that we should develop a repeatable detainee policy that is appropriate for enemy combatants taken prisoner under such circumstances."

Asked whether the U.S. should keep detainees without trial, he said: "Long-term detention is appropriate when an unprivileged enemy belligerent poses a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States."
What to Know Cars burst into flames after colliding on a busy freeway in Edison, New Jersey, Friday morning

Two people died and at least six people were hurt in the pileup

Part of Route 440 was closed in both directions as the investigation continued, snarling traffic

Two people were killed and a half-dozen others were hurt when seven vehicles collided on a major highway in New Jersey Friday morning, authorities say.

The fiery crash, which backed up traffic for hours, occurred shortly before 6 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Route 440, near the I-287 split in Edison.

Photos from the scene show four cars consumed by fire before dawn. The flames, sounds, traffic and chaos were overwhelming for witnesses.

"I heard gentlemen yelling," Joe Lucas, a nearby resident, said. "I don't know if they were trying to get people out of cars."

UPDATE: Serious MV crash SH 440 SB MP 0.2 Edison Twp. 2 confirmed fatalities. No additional info available. Troopers still investigating. Expect delays in the area. #alert  NJSP - State Police (@NJSP) December 22, 2017

New Jersey State Police said two people were confirmed killed in the crash. They have not yet been identified.

Six more people who were injured were taken to area hospitals and are expected to survive.

Police were still investigating at the charred wreckage hours later. Multiple lanes of Route 440 were closed in both directions, causing major delays in the area through the morning.

A fiery, multi-car accident killed at least one person in New Jersey Friday morning.

Witnesses said the crash was all the more tragic given the holiday weekend.

"First thing you've got to think about is their family," said trucker Tom Tortorella of the victims. "Here you are a couple days before Christmas. That makes it even worse."
A San Diego resident's cross-border marriage at Friendship Park last month proved love had no boundaries, but a recently-filed federal complaint shows drug charges may have been what was keeping them apart.



Brian Houston, a U.S. citizen, married Evelia Reyes, a Mexican national, in November through an open gate at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the sixth annual "Opening the Door of Hope" event, that allows selected families to reunite with loved ones for three brief minutes between two border fences.

"Love has no borders," Houston said before the ceremony. "A wall might divide two countries, but it can't divide the love of two people."

At the time, Houston declined to explain why he was unable to go to Tijuana, but said the couple's attorney was trying to obtain a green card for Reyes to join him in the U.S.

A month after the wedding, a federal complaint shows Houston was unable to cross into Mexico because he surrendered his passport in March when he was released on bail after he was caught smuggling more than 120-pounds of heroin, meth and cocaine across the border. He pleaded guilty to three felony charges of importing a controlled substance.

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said his agents are angry about what happened.

The agents were there for what they felt was a humanitarian purpose opening Friendship Park up," said Joshua Wilson, Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613. "And what they ended up doing was providing armed security for a cartel wedding."

"That's certainly discouraging," he added.

The cross-border event has been brokered annually since 2013 by Border Angels founder Enrique Morones, with the cooperation of CBP.

Morones says though he knew Houston had legal issues, he didn't know details. He says his group submits the names of people who want to participate and it's the responsibility of Homeland Security to do the vetting. He says Houston's name was on the list.

"Border Angels has never done any background checks, as the Border Patrol advised us, they will do all background checks and advise us which families have been cleared," Morones said.

Morones said he was surprised to learn this week that Houston had a "very serious" criminal conviction. That goes against everything Border Angels stands for."

"It doesn't look good for us. It's totally their fault," Morones said. "They're the ones that are the main people that can do it...We had no idea what these people's records are."

CBP did not immediately return calls or respond to emails requesting comments.

Wilson called the partnership between CBP and Border Angels "problematic at best.

"When you factor in that Morones is not an honest broker, it makes it even more complicated," Wilson said.

According to the complaint, in February Houston attempted to drive a silver 2013 Volkswagen Jetta across the San Ysidro Port of Entry, but the vehicle was flagged twice. During an inspection, agents discovered 67 pounds of drugs in the lining of the car.

Houston plead guilty to the charges in May. His sentencing is scheduled for January 2018.

Houston's immigration attorney, Cesar Luna, said he didn't know the extent of his client's legal troubles because they weren't relevant to helping the immigration process with his bride.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) allows families to see each other through a fortified fence at Friendship Park while still remaining firmly in their countries. But for this special event, agents open the gates that separate them, allowing loved ones to hug, kiss and talk without boundaries.

Luna called the issue with Houston's case a "miscommunication" and said he hopes it won't put an end to the cross-border event.


A missing state police bloodhound was found safe and sound Friday morning, according to state police.

Texas, a police K9, had been missing in Danbury since Wednesday.

The bloodhound was brought in Wednesday evening to help search for a missing man and Texas became separated from his handler when the officer slipped and fell, letting go of the leash.



A search for Texas didn't turn up anything on Thursday, but he was found shortly after the search resumed on Friday morning.

The man who found Texas, Jeff Kehlenbach, of Homeland Security, told state police that Texas was stuck on a fence when he found him.

State police tweeted a video of Texas just after he was found.

K9 Texas is FOUND!! pic.twitter.com/fHPNGPAdA2  CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) December 22, 2017

Danbury police reached out to state police around 6 p.m. Wednesday for help to find a man who was missing in the area of Wooster Mountain. The State Police K9 Search and Rescue Teams, state police bloodhound teams and a state police helicopter responded to help.

K9 Zeus found the man, who was walked out of the woods.

PHOTOS: Missing State Police Dog 'Texas' Found Safe

But during the search, a state police handler lost his footing in steep terrain and lost possession of K9 Texas 15-foot leash.

K9 Texas was pulling strongly up the slope, continued tracking up the ledge and was nowhere in sight when the trooper reached the top of the hill, state police said.

Texas Was Found Safe Friday Morning According to State Police

You tell a Shepherd stop, our shepherds stop. You tell a bloodhound to stop, the bloodhound says, Im on a scent right now so youre going to have to catch up with me, Trooper Kelly Grant said.
Residents of the rural town of Scotland, Connecticut, are becoming lords and ladies in the United Kingdom country of the same name.

The Scottish land preservation company Highland Titles said Tuesday it's gifting all 1,694 residents 1 square foot of land on its nature reserve in Glencoe Wood, Scotland. The residents will get courtesy titles of Lord or Lady of Glencoe and instructions on how to visit their plots.

The company sells forest land ranging from 1 square foot to 1,000 square feet so they can't be developed.

Scotland First Selectman Dan Syme says the Connecticut town was settled by a Scotsman named Isaac Magoon in 1700 and celebrates that heritage by hosting an annual Highland Festival.

Highland Titles says residents have to call Town Hall to claim their free plots.
A neighborhood in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, waited anxiously for more than nine hours Friday as they were ordered to "shelter-in-place" due to a suspect in the killing of his mother barricaded in a home and believed to be heavily armed.

Late in the evening, residents were finally able to freely traverse the area after the suspected gunman, Justin Kephart, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Kephart is believed to have earlier killed his mother, Bethlehem police said.

A "shelter in place" order was tweeted by Bethlehem police for residents in the area of 2nd and Dennis streets in the early afternoon. Shortly after 10:30 p.m., police finally declared the scene secure.

CITIZEN ALERT - CRITICAL INCIDENT - RESIDENTS IN THE AREA OF 2ND AND DENNIS STREETS - PLEASE SHELTER IN PLACE https://t.co/U9B5I7rWyM  BethlehemTwpPD (@BethlehemTwpPD) December 22, 2017

UPDATE: CRITICAL INCIDENT - DENNIS STREET - SCENE IS SECURE. RESIDENT CAN RETURN TO THEIR RESIDENCES. SHELTER IN... https://t.co/CxWayV69eU  BethlehemTwpPD (@BethlehemTwpPD) December 23, 2017

Police were initially called to a house on Dennis Street for the report of a woman on the ground at about 2:30 p.m.

Police Chief Dan Pancoast told reporters earlier in the evening that a person was not moving on the front yard of a house on the street.

A witness told LehighValleyLive.com that he heard three gunshots while watching television Friday afternoon. When he emerged from his house on Dennis Street, he found a woman on the ground.

The man, who lives a few houses away, was initially trapped by gunfire before an armored police vehicle arrived and saved him.

An entire neighborhood in the Northampton County township was on lockdown for much of Friday after police initially responded to a report of a medical emergency. A suspected gunman armed with an automatic weapon held police at a distance for hours. A possible female victim may have been killed as well, according to reports.

He said the woman appeared to have suffered a bullet wound to the back and to be dead, according to the newspaper's website.

It was later revealed that Kephart had killed his mother, then fired on police before shooting himself.

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.


One of Philadelphia's two remaining horse-and-carriage companies agreed to end operations at the end of 2017 after city officials had asked a judge to issue a cease-and-desist order, the city said in a statement Thursday.

Philadelphia Carriage Company agreed to close down its horse-drawn carriage operations and give its horses to a caretaking facility, the city said.

"The City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Carriage Company have reached an agreement that provides for the safe and humane transfer of all of PCCs horses to a responsible, humane caretaking facility that specializes in the rescue of draft and carriage horses," according to a statement from a spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Kenney's office. "The Law Department is exceptionally pleased that this matter was able to be resolved amicably, quickly, and with the best interest of the public and the horses in mind."

That leaves only 76 Carriage Company operating carriage rides, which tours Old City.

76 Carriage Company owner Michael Slocum declined to discuss his company's operations when reached by phone Thursday. He would not say how many horses are owned and used by the company to pull carriages.

PETA, the animal welfare activist group, applauded the agreement that ends the company's operations Dec. 31.

"This company has illegally forced sick horses to haul heavy carriages day in and day out without a license for six months," PETA senior vice president Dan Mathews said in a statement. "As these horses finally head to retirement at a rescue group, PETA thinks that Philadelphians and tourists alike will see that horse-drawn carriages have no place in the 21st century."

Philadelphia Carriage Company's end is rooted in a Aug. 25, 2017 "notice of violations and intent to cease operations" filed by the Animal Care and Control Team (ACCT) of Philadelphia after an inspection of the company's stable at 500-506 North 13th St.

The city agreed to make all arrangements for the pick up and transportation of the company's horses from the stable to a caretaking facility, according to a settlement between the city and company. The transfer is expected to take place within the next 10 days.
A Roman Catholic priest in Milwaukee has come out as gay, writing that he will no longer live in the shadows of secrecy and plans to be authentic to his gay self.

The Rev. Gregory Greiten disclosed his sexual orientation on Sunday to the St. Bernadette Parish and was greeted with a standing ovation from his parishioners, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. He also wrote a column that was published Monday in the National Catholic Reporter.

It's rare for a priest to come out. Greiten said he revealed his sexual orientation because he wants to be a role model for others. He said he's helping to break the silence of gay men in the clergy so he could reclaim his own voice.

"I will embrace the person that God created me to be," Greiten wrote. "In my priestly life and ministry, I, too, will help you, whether you are gay or straight, bisexual or transgendered, to be your authentic self  to be fully alive living in your image and likeness of God.

Greiten wrote that has decided to stand with the "few courageous priests who have taken the risk to come out of the shadows and have chosen to live in truth and authenticity."

The church's silent stance on gay priests perpetuates toxic shaming and systematic secrecy, Greiten wrote. The church needs healthy role models for priests who are struggling to come to terms with their sexual orientation, he said.

Greiten met with Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki before coming out, according to an archdiocese spokeswoman.

"We support Father Greiten in his own personal journey and telling his story of coming to understand and live with his sexual orientation," Listecki said in a statement Monday. "As the Church teaches, those with same-sex attraction must be treated with understanding and compassion."
A wildfire that broke out Thursday in the Santa Ana River bottom near downtown Riverside blackened 50 acres and spawned multiple spot fires amid high winds before being partially contained.

The blaze was reported about 11:10 a.m. on the perimeter of a Boy Scout camp, in the area of Mission Inn Boulevard and Indian Hill Road.

According to the Riverside Fire Department, flames quickly spread into deep brush along the dry river bottom, propelled southward by 30 mph winds.

As of 4 p.m., the fire was 50 percent contained, and crews remained busy knocking down small spot fires ringing the main burn area.

Evacuation orders were issued for residents on the north side of Mission Inn, on the south side, around Mount Rubidoux and in places along Arfon Way, Glenwood Drive, Loring Drive, Mount Rubidoux Drive, Redwood Drive and several other side streets abutting Mount Rubidoux Park.

All evacuations were lifted as of about 6:30 p.m.

A temporary evacuation center was established at the Dale Senior Center, 3936 Chestnut St., next to White Park. Some residents had also displaced to Bonaminio Park on Tequesquite Avenue, where fire crews were staging.

Arson investigators were called to the point where the fire began, but there was still no word on what triggered it.

A property on Redwood Drive was reportedly damaged by flames, but the extent of the loss was not immediately known. The backyard of a home in the 4600 block of Ninth Street caught fire, but crews rapidly deployed and kept the flames at bay.

A woman residing in the 4000 block of Redwood Drive, just off of Glenwood, crawled onto the roof of her home in an apparent attempt to douse embers and fell. She was taken to Riverside Community Hospital for treatment of a possible broken leg, according to reports from the scene.

Embers hurled skyward by the intense Santa Ana winds lit on palm trees along Arfon, Glenwood, Mount Rubidoux, Mission Inn, Pine Street and Redwood, sparking isolated fires with which individual engine crews had to contend. Riverside police officers cordoned off streets to assist firefighters and ensure public safety.

The Mission Inn Avenue bridge connecting Jurupa Valley and Riverside was shut down.

Engine and truck companies from Riverside County, Cal Fire, Corona, the March Air Reserve Base and other agencies assisted with battling the wind-whipped fire. By 4 p.m., some personnel were being released.

Several Cal Fire water-dropping helicopters and air tankers made runs on the blaze, mostly on the north side of Mount Rubidoux, in the vicinity of Carlson Dog Park. The choppers were using nearby Lake Evans at Fairmount Park to take on water.

All aircraft were called off and headed back to their respective bases as nightfall approached.
A U.S. Marine veteran who served at Camp Pendleton, and was later deported to Mexico 15 years ago, walked onto U.S. soil once again Thursday and immediately hugged his father.



Marco Chavez, 45, said he hopes his will be the first of many happy homecomings for other deported veterans.

"I think it's good to use me as an example so it could open the door for other veterans to come back," he said Thursday. "Hopefully it brings them all home."



Chavez learned this week that a judge vacated his removal proceedings after a pardon from California Governor Jerry Brown.

Chavez and other deported veterans have been receiving immigration assistance from fellow veteran Hector Barajas, director of the Deported Veteran Support House in Tijuana, Mexico.

We need to bring these men and women home, Barajas said.

Leading the charge on the U.S. side of the border is Nathan Fletcher, chair of the Honorably Discharged, Dishonorably Deported Coalition, and a Marine combat veteran.

It was Fletcher who worked for more than a year to help Bring Chavez back to the U.S. He helped convince Gov. Brown to pardon Chavez.

If youre willing to die for this country you shouldn't be deported from it, Fletcher said.

Chavez served 10 months in jail for animal cruelty, and it was this crime that cost him his chance at U.S. citizenship over a decade ago.

Chavez was brought to the U.S. as an infant, and while he had the opportunity to apply for citizenship, he never did.

This week Chavez learned a federal judge cleared the way for him to return to the U.S. to see his parents, children, and grandchildren.

His deportation had put a strain on his marriage, and his wife who had initially moved to Mexico to be with him eventually moved the family back.

I think that's what hurt most, he said, about missing his children. His sons are ages 17 to 21 and last visited him in Tijuana in 2013.

He leaves behind a job in Mexico and Barajas, who has also been pardoned but is still waiting for the federal courts to take action. But watching Chavez go home gives him hope.

We will also follow suit in the same way he's going home, Barajas said.

Chavez' parents, who live in Los Angeles, would visit regularly. Chavez plans to live with them while he waits for his residency card to be replaced. He then will move to Iowa and try to rebuild a relationship with his children.

He also hopes to someday become a U.S. citizen.
A husband and wife were found dead, and a third person is in the hospital after a shooting in Reston, Virginia, on Friday morning, Fairfax County police said

Officers were called to the 2600 block of Black Fir Court about 5 a.m. Friday. When they arrived, they found Scott Fricker, 48, and his wife, Buckley Kuhn-Fricker, 43, and a third person with gunshot wounds inside the home.

The Frickers were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The third person, a 17-year-old boy, was taken to the hospital in critical condition with a single gunshot wound.

"It's amazing, because the loudest thing that happens around here is the occasional barking dog," said neighbor Bill Aylward.

Aylward said the couple had just moved into the house a few months before the shooting.

The couple had three children who were all believed to be home at the time of the shooting.

Police have not released any details about the shooting but said all parties were known to one another. There were several people at the home at the time of the shooting, and investigators said they are talking to them.

Buckley Kuhn-Fricker had a law practice and specialized in estate planning and elder law, according to her website. Scott Fricker worked for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.



"They were a wonderful couple," Janet Kuhn, Buckley Kuhn-Fricker's mother, said.

Kuhn said days before the killings, Kuhn-Fricker had been consumed with concern about her 16-year-old daughter's boyfriend. Kuhn said Kuhn-Fricker had discovered the 17-year-old was a Nazi supporter.

"My daughter and her husband found out about a lot of the Nazi stuff just this past week, and they forbid their daughter to see him again," Kuhn said.

Kuhn said hours before her death, Kuhn-Fricker posted this quote on Facebook: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

The quote was a reference to what was happening with her teenage daughter's boyfriend, Kuhn said.

"It's sad. I mean, I don't know what really happened, but it's devastating," neighbor Sandra Amin said.

No one has been charged at this time.
Six people accused of rioting on Inauguration Day have been found not guilty in the first of several trials against protesters, and they danced out of the courthouse, chanting in celebration.

"When I heard that they had all of us not guilty, thats the moment when I felt, 'Yes!'" Christina Simmons said. "Celebration now!"



A jury found the protesters not guilty Thursday on all seven charges, including rioting, conspiracy to riot and property destruction.

"Its not over. Theres still 188 other defendants facing the same thing I went through, and I want to be there for them as much as I can be," Oliver Harris said.



None of the six defendants was seen starting fires, throwing rocks or breaking windows, the defense argued.

Prosecutors argued guilt by association with those who committed the violent acts.

The jury found the defendants in this trial exercised freedom of speech and didn't intend to break the law.

"It was a very thoughtful panel, said one juror, who did not want to give his name. It was a great bunch of people to work with, and it was a lot of discussion and debate. I think we did the job that we were there to do.

Journalist Alexei Wood was arrested while covering the protest.

"He didnt come to be with the protesters for protesting, his lawyer said. He was just there to cover whatever he thought would sell to others.

More than 200 people were arrested and charged with rioting on Inauguration Day after self-described anti-capitalists broke windows and set fire to a limousine in D.C. Police clad in riot gear faced off against hundreds of demonstrators downtown near 12th and K streets, about six blocks from where President Donald Trump held his inaugural parade.

Officers charged with batons, pepper spray and concussion grenades to disperse crowds.

Many claimed they were swept up in a mass arrest for no reason.

The trial against the protesters began last month. The United States Attorney's Office plans to proceed with the other trials despite Thursday's acquittals.

The next trial is set for March.

"All we can do is hope that these acquittals set the stage for them to also get acquittals and get off the way that we did," Michelle Macchio said.


A Germantown man was arrested after exposing serious security flaws in area schools by entering schools, walking among students and stealing from teachers.

Nakym John Sheffield was arrested Friday. Police accused Sheffield entering at least eight private and public schools in Prince Georges County. He would walk the hallways, sometimes with students present.

Students were in the schools as Sheffield trespassed onto the property. Police say he would target unlocked classrooms. Once inside, he took credit and debit cards out of teachers purses, police say.

"It's an egregious act to go into schools, where you have children and educators that are teaching our children, to steal from them," Detective Charles Earle said.

Sheffield then took the credit cards to stores including Giant, Safeway and Target, where he charged thousands of dollars to the teachers accounts.

Most of the teachers didn't realize the theft until their banks contacted them, Earle said.

Teachers were targeted at Elizabeth Seaton High School, Bladensburg Elementary, Templeton Elementary and International High School in Bladensburg, among others.

Sheffield was charged with a number of credit card theft charges in Montgomery County after a similar string of thefts. In that case, 11 women who worked at nine different schools or childcare centers had their purses or wallets taken while at work.

He was arrested in July and released in September on $3,000 bond, according to police records. Prosecutors decided not to pursue seven charges against Sheffield related to credit card theft, court records indicate. He's on probation for similar charges in Charles County.

He faces new charges in Montgomery County and Prince George's County.

Secret Service, Prince Georges County Police, Bowie Police and Montgomery County Police all assisted the Bladensburg Police Department in the arrest.

Sheffield is a published author who wrote the book "Admire My Style." On his Facebook page, he has posted pictures of himself next to expensive cars or in high-end stores, including Louis Vuitton.

"We're just glad that none of the teachers approached him or none of the students approached him inside the schools. This could have turned to go violent."
President Donald Trump paid a holiday visit Thursday to wounded service members at Walter Reed National Medical Center, hailing them as "some of the bravest people anywhere in the world.''

During his visit, the president awarded the Purple Heart to 1st Lt. Victor Prato of the 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion, who was injured last month while deployed in Afghanistan.

Prato, 25, of Somers, New York, suffered multiple soft tissue injuries following a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device blast, according to the White House.

"One of the most powerful moments of my life watching @POTUS give the Purple Heart to this American Hero,'' wrote press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Twitter, where she posted a photo of Prato. "Amazed by the strength and resilience of the men and women in our Armed Forces.''

Trump also met with other sick and injured service members from all branches of the armed forces, Sanders said.

Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House en route to the medical center that he was going to "say hello to some of the bravest people anywhere in the world.''

"We're just going to wish them a merry Christmas, a happy New Year,'' he said. "We love those people.''

The president last visited the military hospital complex in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, in April.

During that visit, he awarded a Purple Heart - his first - to an Army sergeant recently wounded in Afghanistan during what is now America's longest war.

Trump is expected to return to the facility in the new year to undergo a physical.
A judge says a woman who had dozens of filthy and sick Great Danes living in her New Hampshire mansion will serve no jail time for animal cruelty but must pay nearly $800,000 for the care they received after being seized.

Authorities took 84 dogs from Christina Fay's Wolfeboro home in June. They say the animals were living in filth and suffering from health problems. Several died.

Fay said she loved the dogs and pleaded not guilty. Judge Charles Greenhalgh convicted her and on Thursday refused her request to have the dogs returned to her so she could find homes for them. He said the Humane Society would handle that.

Fay plans to appeal. She says she was the victim of an unfair trial and misleading testimony.
President Donald Trump signed a temporary spending bill into law on Friday to avert a government shutdown after the Republican-led Congress did the bare minimum in a sprint toward the holidays and punted disputes on immigration, health care and the budget to next year.

The measure had passed the House on Thursday on a 231-188 vote over Democratic opposition and then cleared the Senate, 66-32, with Democrats from Republican-leaning states providing many of the key votes.

The stopgap legislation will keep the government from closing down at midnight Friday. It traversed a tortured path, encountering resistance from the GOP's most ardent allies of the military, as well as opposition from Democrats who demanded but were denied a vote on giving immigrants brought to the country as children and in the country illegally an opportunity to become citizens.

The wrap-up measure allows Republicans controlling Washington to savor their win on this week's $1.5 trillion tax package  even as they kick a full lineup of leftover work into the new year. Congress will return in January facing enormous challenges on immigration, the federal budget, health care and national security along with legislation to increase the government's authority to borrow money.

Each of those items is sure to test the unity that Republicans are enjoying for the moment.

"Now it gets down to some very difficult decisions on how we move forward in the first and second quarter of next year," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a leader of a powerful faction of hard-right Republicans. "There is a lot to do next month. I'm not worried today. I'll wait until January to be worried, OK?"

Democrats had initially pressed for adding their priorities to the measure, but once rebuffed on immigration they worked to keep the bill mostly free of add-ons, figuring that they'll hold greater leverage next month.

Among the items left behind was $81 billion worth of disaster aid, which passed the House on a bipartisan 251-169 tally but stalled in the Senate. The measure would have brought this year's tally for aid to hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean, as well as fire-ravaged California, to more than $130 billion. But both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate want changes, and it was among the items Democrats sought to hold onto for leverage next year.

"Democrats want to make sure that we have equal bargaining, and we're not going to allow things like disaster relief go forward without discussing some of the other issues we care about," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Immigration is among the most difficult issues confronting lawmakers in January, thrust upon them in September after Trump rescinded an order by then-President Barack Obama giving these so-called Dreamers protection against deportation, though he gave Congress a March deadline to come up with a legislative solution.

"They embody the best in our nation: patriotism, hard work, perseverance," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California told the chamber's Rules Committee on Thursday. "We should not leave them to celebrate the holidays in fear."

Trump and Republicans are pushing for additional border security and other immigration steps in exchange.

"The vast majority of Republicans want to see a DACA solution. They just want to see a DACA solution that's balanced," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., referring to the program's name, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Also left unfinished were bipartisan efforts to smash budget limits that are imposing a freeze on the Pentagon and domestic agencies, a long-term extension of the popular Children's Health Insurance Program for 9 million low-income kids and Senate legislation aimed at stabilizing health insurance markets.

"At some point we've got to make the hard decisions," said Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.

Instead, lawmakers struggled to achieve the must-do: a $2.1 billion fix for an expiring program that pays for veterans to seek care outside the Department of Veterans Affairs system; a temporary fix to ensure states facing shortfalls from the Children's Health Insurance Program won't have to purge children from the program; and a short-term extension for an expiring overseas wiretapping program aimed at tracking terrorists.

Among Republicans, opposition to the temporary measure came mostly from the party's defense hawks, who had hoped to enact record increases for the military this year and force the Senate to debate a full-year, $658 billion defense spending measure. But that idea was a nonstarter with Senate Democrats, who will only agree to Pentagon increases if domestic programs get a comparable hike.

The short-term spending bill does contain about $5 billion to upgrade missile defenses to respond to the threat from North Korea and to repair two destroyers damaged in accidents this year in the Pacific.

The legislation also has a provision to turn off automatic cuts to many "mandatory" spending programs, including Medicare, that would otherwise be triggered by the tax cut bill. Democrats had sought to highlight the looming spending cuts in arguing against the tax measure.
When Elizabeth Odio Benito and her fellow judges first arrived in The Hague to work at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, they didn't have a courtroom or rules to guide their work. They didn't even have robes.

"What we did have was a great, great commitment," Odio Benito said.

As atrocities continued unabated, the judges began hammering out the legal framework for a groundbreaking United Nations court that wound up meting out justice for nearly a quarter of a century, prosecuting and sentencing some of the top military and civilian leaders from the devastating wars that tore apart the Balkans in the 1990s.

Now the tribunal is finally closing its doors, with a ceremony in The Hague marking the milestone Thursday attended by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. It is lauded by many for bringing a measure of justice to the region and making important contributions to the development of international law, but it still arouses fury in parts of the Balkans and its findings have failed to stem widespread denial of crimes there.

One of the last images in 24 years of courtroom drama will undoubtedly be one of the most enduring: Croat Gen. Slobodan Praljak, seconds after his convictions were upheld on appeal last month, declaring that he was not a war criminal and drinking from a vial he said contained poison. He died a short time later, joining a list of suspects that includes former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic who died in the court's custody before his trial ended.

Praljak's death and adulation in parts of Croatia by people who consider him a war hero, not a criminal, highlighted the deep-rooted skepticism among nationalists in Croatia and Serbia toward a court they angrily claim was set up by NATO to mete out victor's justice.

Some war criminals released after serving their sentences have been welcomed home as heroes. Gen. Vladimir Lazarevic, who was sentenced to 14 years for atrocities committed by Serb troops in Kosovo during the 1998-99 violence that left over 10,000 people dead, was invited by Serbia's defense minister to teach at the country's military academy.

Some victims say it took too long to deliver justice and legal scholars agree that some of the indictments were unwieldy and too broad  Milosevic, the man accused of being the driving force behind the Balkan wars, died in his cell in 2006 before judges could reach verdicts.

But elsewhere the court is considered a success, credited with key legal judgments on genocide and sexual violence against women in wartime and other advances in international law, and with ending a culture of impunity for military commanders and their political masters.

Guterres told the closing ceremony that the tribunal's huge archive of evidence and court records would be one of its key legacies and a resource for battling revisionism and denial.

"These records ensure that the world will not forget that history cannot be rewritten," he said.

The court  the first of its kind since the post-World War II trials in Nuremberg and Tokyo  indicted 161 suspects, convicted and sentenced 90 of them, acquitted 19, sent 13 to local courts to prosecute and withdrew proceedings against 37. Two Serbs are being retried by a U.N. mechanism set up to handle appeals and other legal questions after the tribunal closes.

Unlike its sister tribunal that prosecuted crimes committed during Rwanda's genocide, the Yugoslav court has no fugitives on the run. Eight of the 90 suspects indicted by the Rwanda tribunal are still at large.

Part of the reason the Yugoslav court is now considered a success is that it ultimately managed to bring to justice two men considered the architects of the worst atrocities of the 1992-95 Bosnian war that left 100,000 dead  Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic and his political master Radovan Karadzic.

Both men spent years on the run before finally being arrested and put on trial. Both were convicted of genocide in the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the eastern enclave of Srebrenica and of other crimes including overseeing the deadly campaign of shelling and sniping during the siege of Sarajevo. They are both appealing their convictions.

What the court did not manage to do was convict senior Serbs from Belgrade of complicity in crimes in Bosnia, although the retrial of Serbs Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic tackles that issue.

"My hope is that the book is not closed on judicial accountability for Serbian complicity out of Belgrade and my hope also is that historians will continue to examine that issue as thoroughly as possible," said David Scheffer, former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes issues and now a law professor at Northwestern University.

Lord Paddy Ashdown, a former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, said he experienced firsthand the power of the court when he spoke to Serb artillery commanders in Kosovo.

"The Serb artillery commanders were more frightened of being indicted by the Hague tribunal than they were of being bombed by NATO," Ashdown told a conference in The Hague that discussed the court and its legacy.

Ashdown, who testified in three trials at the tribunal, is convinced the court's positive legacy will reach into the future. It already is seen as a key stepping stone toward the establishment of the International Criminal Court, which also is based in The Hague.

"If you establish a system of justice, it not only brings to justice those who committed crimes, it also conditions and shapes the activities of those who are capable of committing crimes at a time of war," he said. "That's the way you have begun to change the climate in which this appalling human madness of warfare takes place, and that is no small achievement."
Detective Chris Decker with New Hampshire State Police had a chance to protect the lives that saved his.

"Their security team walked off the job," Decker said, describing a makeshift hospital in Puerto Rico.

He was there volunteering in November, helping to get supplies to people who live in rural parts of the hurricane-ravaged island.

While his team was preparing to make a delivery, they discovered the hospital had been left without proper protection.

"They've got generators, they've got medications, food and water," he said.

Also inside was staff from Massachusetts General Hospital, including nurse Catherine Liberles.

"It was at that point that Chris and his buddies from New Hampshire State Police signed up to help anyway they could," she said.

Decker underwent emergency open heart surgery Mother's Day weekend and has always thought about ways to repay the doctors who saved his life.

"Amazing people, absolutely amazing people," is how Decker describes the doctor and staff that saved him.

Dr. Thoralf Sundt performed his bypass surgery after he suffered a "widow-maker heart attack."

"There are two arteries on the heart, the arteries that bring the blood supply to the muscle," said Dr Sundt, the director of the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center and chief of Cardiac Surgery.

Decker's artery that supplies blood to two-thirds of his heart was blocked.

"I basically resigned myself to the fact that I was dying," Decker said.

When describing his recovery after surgery Dr. Sundt said, "his heart responded beautifully."

Since then, he's even hiked Mount Washington.

"Exactly 100 days from my surgery, my older daughter and I hiked Mount Washington," said Decker. "Took me four hours but I got to the top."
A Massachusetts man who faces deportation to his native El Salvador spoke publicly on Friday about his release from a Boston jail.

Francisco Rodriguez, 43, was released Thursday from the South Bay House of Correction after his lawyers were able to reach an agreement with the US Attorneys Office. His lawyers said his deportation has been stayed pending their request to reopen his asylum case.

"I was thinking what can I do in jail on Christmas," Rodriguez told reporters at a news conference on Friday. "I feel very happy today. That's the most fabulous gift that I have of my life."

Rodriguez, of Chelsea, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 13 after declining to renew the temporary authorizations that allowed him to remain in the country since 2006.

While he is thankful for the present, his future remains unclear.

"Our work on behalf of Francisco continues," said one of his attorneys, John Bennett.

Prior to him being detained, Rodriguez, a father of four US-born children, had worked for five years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a custodian.

Representatives of his union at MIT and other community members attended the news conference to show their support.

"This Christmas reunion sends a clear message that when we stand together we can win," said Otoniel Figuero-Duran.



An ICE spokesman says Rodriguez was released with a GPS monitoring device.

His case sparked protests across Boston this summer, including from Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Congressman Mike Capuano.

Rodriguez says being home is a step in the right direction.

His family said they are "overjoyed" to be reunited for the holidays.

"My daughter says, 'The best gift we have is you here with us daddy.' And that's my gift too," Rodriguez said.
The Vermont woman accused of trying to poison her neighbors with a homemade toxin pleaded not guilty to a federal charge against her.

Betty Miller, 70, entered the not guilty plea Friday to a charge of knowing possession of an unregistered biological agent.

A grand jury recently indicted Miller, NBC 5 News reported.

The FBI said last month that Miller manufactured ricin, a potentially deadly toxin, using castor beans and directions she obtained from the internet.

Miller allegedly made the poison inside her kitchen inside the upscale Wake Robin retirement community in Shelburne. Investigators said she wanted to harm herself, but first wanted to see how the ricin would affect others.

Medical tests revealed one Wake Robin resident who reported a mild illness had trace levels of a material in her system that indicated she might have been poisoned by ricin. The positive test results could have originated with another sourcesuch as castor oilbut because of the alleged plot, law enforcement does suspect the person was poisoned.

At a detention hearing earlier this month, the proceedings revealed Miller has a history of psychiatric hospitalizations and suicide attempts.

Millers attorney told NBC 5 News Friday that she is currently being jailed in South Burlington.

In early December, defense attorney Paul Volk told Magistrate Judge John Conroy that he was working to find a mental health facility that was appropriate for Miller, given the allegations against her.

Wake Robin has said Miller is no longer welcome on its campus, which the retirement community said has received safety assurances from federal and state health experts.
A Connecticut prep school has retained a lawyer to conduct an independent review following in the wake of a Massachusetts students suicide earlier this month.

Connor Tronerud, of Sutton, died Dec. 4. He was a sophomore at Marianapolis Preparatory School, an independent Catholic school in Thompson, Connecticut.

According to Connor's obituary, he took his own life "after struggling with bullying from peers."

A spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said the office was investigating.

The Telegram & Gazette reported that Joseph C. Hanrahan, Marianapolis' head of school, wrote a letter to parents on Dec. 20 regarding Tronerud's death.

"Connors tragic death has raised issues and we want to do everything possible to continue to ensure the health and well-being of all members of our community," read part of the letter.

Hanrahan also stated that the Marianapolis board of directors had retained a Hartford attorney to "conduct a thorough, independent review" of the schools protocols and policies.

Tronerud's family has not yet commented on his death but have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for bullying prevention and self-harm awareness education.

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.
A group of engineering students have given a 9-year-old Rhode Island boy a special Christmas gift: a prosthetic arm.

Scituate High School students presented Ollie Mancini Thursday with a prosthetic arm that they created using a 3-D printer. Ollie was born without the lower part of his left arm.

"It was really inspiring. I've never thought I'd do anything like this," sophomore Leah Bessette told WJAR-TV. "I'm really proud of myself and everyone else who's a part of this."

After putting on the purple prosthetic, Ollie celebrated by giving hugs, shaking hands, throwing his arms in the air, and even opening opening a door.

His mother, Nicole Mancini, is a teacher at the middle school in Scituate. She heard of others using 3-D printers to build prosthetics and approached the high school with the idea.

Mancini says the students have given her son "the gift of the independence."

"You have no idea. I mean, I say that Scituate is a family. Most of the kids in the engineering program I had in the eighth grade, and the fact that they wanted to help me and my son is the greatest gift anyone could ever have," Mancini said to WJAR-TV.

The school hopes to be able to make another arm for Ollie as he grows.
Cedars-Sinai investigators will lead a multi-center study into how the brain's circuitry forms and recalls memories - research made possible by a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

"The long-term goal is to enable the development of new treatments that combat the devastating effects of memory disorders like Alzheimer's disease," said lead investigator Ueli Rutishauser, PhD, director of Human Neurophysiology Research and associate professor of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai. "This is a large-scale effort to understand each step in the brain's process of forming and retrieving memories and how those memories influence the many decisions we make in our day-to-day lives."

In the study, investigators will record the activity of individual neurons in different parts of an individual's brain using small electrodes inserted into brain implants in patients who are undergoing surgical treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy. Investigators will use this data to develop a detailed understanding of the neural networks behind declarative memory -; the conscious recollection of learned information.

In addition to Cedars-Sinai, the study includes investigators from three other institutions: Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass.; Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; and the University Health Network in Toronto. Research at these respective sites will be led by Gabriel Kreiman, PhD, associate professor in the Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School; William S. Anderson, MD, PhD, associate professor of Neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and Taufik A. Valiante, MD, PhD, associate professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto.

The team will examine several aspects of the neural mechanisms behind the ability to recollect personal experiences. They'll test how short-term memory helps form long-term memory and how long-term memories inform decisions. For example, if an individual is asked whether they recognize someone in a photo, that individual must access memory and decide whether to answer yes or no. The team will examine the mechanisms that make such memory-based decisions possible.

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Investigators also will take these insights and apply them to continuous experiences. Patients will watch a movie and then answer questions about it, allowing the investigators to study how subjects access memories of a continuous stream of information.

"This work relies on a very rare patient population -; the small number of epilepsy patients who undergo this specific treatment," said co-investigator, Adam N. Mamelak, MD, director of the Functional Neurosurgery Program and professor of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai. "To advance the field, we need to establish multi-center collaborations like ours to collect and pool data and get more robust data more quickly."

The NIH's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative aims to revolutionize the understanding of the human brain. By accelerating the development and application of innovative technologies, the program seeks to enable researchers to produce a new dynamic picture of the brain that, for the first time, shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space.

Announced by former President Barack Obama in 2013, this research is meant to fill major gaps in current knowledge and provide unprecedented opportunities for exploring exactly how the brain enables the human body to record, process, utilize, store and retrieve vast quantities of information, all at the speed of thought.

"The BRAIN Initiative is fostering work critical to the advancement of neuroscience in the United States," said Patrick D. Lyden, MD, chair of the Department of Neurology. "Cedars-Sinai is honored to be selected as one of a small group of distinguished institutions capable of doing this specialized work."
SFU engineering science professor Marinko Sarunic has developed a high resolution retinal imaging scanner that will one day revolutionize eye care, helping ophthalmologists diagnose eye diseases before vision loss occurs.

The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Its 100 million photoreceptors convert light into the images that our brain 'sees.'

Today, there are approximately one million Canadians with vision loss caused by major eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration (Wet AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and others. The prevalence of vision loss in Canada is expected to double in the next 25 years. An estimated 75 per cent of vision loss can be treated or prevented through early detection.

Sarunic's high-resolution scanner is on the cutting edge of vision science because it can produce high-resolution, 3-D cross-sectional images of the retina--including individual photoreceptors, and fine capillaries, or blood vessels. And unlike other high-resolution retinal scanners, which are the size of a billiard table, Sarunic's is the size of a shoebox. It's perfect for everyday use in medical clinics and hospitals.

"It's a breakthrough in clinical diagnostics," says Sarunic. "With the high-resolution scanner, ophthalmologists and optometrists can detect damage and changes to small numbers of individual photoreceptors, giving them a diagnosis before the patient loses vision, and the potential to take preventative measures."

Currently, physicians use low-resolution scanners that can only assess and diagnose the cause of dead retina cells after a patient's vision is impacted. Last year, ophthalmologists at Vancouver General Hospital's (VGH) Eye Care Centre spent eight months testing Sarunic's high-resolution scanner.

Dr. Eduardo Navajas, a vitreoretinal specialist, says the scanner eliminates the need for, and the complications related to, dye injections that are currently used to diagnose and monitor eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy and Wet AMD.

"Early detection of abnormal blood vessels caused by Wet AMD and diabetes is essential to saving a patient's vision," says Navajas. "Dr. Sarunic's new imaging technology is benefiting patients, allowing us to diagnose and treat Wet AMD and diabetic eye disease before patients develop bleeding and permanent damage to their retina."

FAST FACTS:

Today, there are approximately one million Canadians with vision loss caused by major eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration (Wet AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and others.

The prevalence of vision loss in Canada is expected to double in the next 25 years

The scanner eliminates the need for, and the complications related to, dye injections that are currently used to diagnose and monitor eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy and Wet AMD 75 per cent of vision loss can be treated or prevented through early detection.

Wet AMD accounts for 90 per cent of the severe vision loss caused by macular degeneration

Diabetic retinopathy occurs in people who have diabetes. It causes progressive damage to the retina. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious, sight-threatening complication of diabetes.

Glaucoma is a complicated disease in which damage to the optic nerve leads to progressive, irreversible vision loss. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness.
Rush University Medical Center and Rush Copley Medical Center each have received five stars, the highest possible rating, for hospital quality from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS, as the centers are known, published the latest overall ratings for hospitals nationwide on their Hospital Compare website today.

Less than 7.5 percent of hospitals nationwide received five stars, and only 20 in Illinois received five stars. The most common rating nationwide is three stars.

Rush University Medical Center previously had a four star rating from CMS. The new, improved rating makes Rush University Medical Center the only five-star academic medical center in the Chicago area.

"These five-star ratings, and the four-star rating that Rush Oak Park Hospital received from CMS in November, are indications that the Rush system is providing very high-quality patient care throughout our hospitals," said Dr. Larry Goodman, the CEO of the Rush system and of Rush University Medical Center. "Our consistency across many measurements of quality reflects the high standards that we set for ourselves and the excellence of the people who work at Rush, in every role.

"In this most recent example, it's very gratifying to see CMS' own data recognize this excellence and the better outcomes for patients that we're achieving. Combining this evaluation with our Top Teaching Hospital designation and straight 'A' grades for safety by the Leapfrog Group; our Magnet Nursing status; Rush's top tier ranking, number four in the nation, by Vizient; our Most Wired status; and the recognition of multiple programs as among the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report together provide important external validation that the quality of care available at Rush is among the best in the nation."

Ratings are based on 57 measures of quality of care

CMS (the federal agency that runs the Medicare program) awards an overall rating of one to five stars based on 57 quality measures out of the more than 100 such measures that CMS collects from hospitals and publicly reports on the website. The ratings were developed to help consumers make decisions about where to seek medical treatment and other kinds of care.

The quality measures are evaluations of each hospital's performance on multiple measures of mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care and efficient use of medical imaging. The overall star rating shows how well each hospital performed, on average, compared to other hospitals in the United States, and is intended to simplify the website's multiple data points available for patients.

Rush University Medical Center performed better than the national average in the measure groups of mortality, safety of care and patient experience; and was rated the same as the national average for effectiveness of care and efficient use of medical imaging. Rush Copley Medical Center outperformed the national average in the measure groups of readmission, safety of care, patient experience and efficient use of medical imaging; and was rated the same as the national average in the other three groups.

Overall hospital ratings were introduced in July of 2016

CMS only assessed hospitals on the measures for which they submit data, and some of the data applies only to beneficiaries of Medicare, the federal health insurance program for adults age 65 and older and younger people with disabilities, end stage kidney disease and ALS. The measures of patient experience, process of care and hospital-acquired infections are based on data from all insurance/payers, according to CMS.

The ratings do not include more complex or specialized procedures that certain hospitals provide, such as specialized cancer care. About 20 percent of hospitals on the Hospital Compare website did not receive overall star ratings because CMS does not have sufficient data about them to calculate a rating.

CMS introduced the overall rating in July of 2016. Since then, some hospitals and hospital associations have expressed concerns about the measures, such as the ratings not reflecting advanced treatments.
A new cancer treatment technology is one step closer to Salt Lake City. Today Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) announced a plan to add a proton therapy center to its Cancer Hospital. Huntsman Cancer Foundation, HCI and the Cancer Hospital have agreed to dedicate the required funding to the project. The plan will now move forward to the next steps of approval, design and vendor selection.

Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy, a cancer treatment that delivers beams of radiation to shrink a tumor. Proton treatment has been found to be an effective radiation therapy option for numerous types of cancers. This includes childhood cancers, and adult cancers such as head and neck tumors, brain tumors, prostate cancer, lymphomas, pancreas cancer, and esophageal cancer. Proton therapy is often the favored course of treatment when a tumor is close to a vital structure, such as the spinal cord or brain stem.

HCI will use Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) technology for its center. IMPT delivers precise, pencil-thin beams of protons to a tumor, providing an advantage over earlier scattered-beam therapy used in other existing proton therapy centers. This helps to ensure the maximum dose of radiation to the tumor, while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Experience with early proton therapy machines has shown that patients for whom this treatment is appropriate benefit from reduced side effects when treated with proton therapy versus other radiation therapy approaches. And with IMPT, the team at HCI expects the benefit to patients in terms of reduced side effects to be even greater than with earlier proton technology.

"An intensity modulated proton therapy center in Utah adds a critical new tool to our array of outstanding radiation therapy technology and research here at HCI," said Dennis Shrieve, MD, PhD, professor and chair of radiation oncology at the U of U and investigator at HCI. "This new technology will allow patients who will most benefit from proton therapy to avoid disruptive travel far from home. Further, HCI will be able to contribute to research in the most effective uses of intensity modulated proton therapy in the treatment of cancer."

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The nearest proton centers to Salt Lake City are currently located in southern Arizona and central California, approximately a 10-hour drive away. Patients who are given proton therapy may need to plan for a treatment course that occurs five days a week and spans four to eight weeks. HCI estimates it refers more than 40 patients per year to proton therapy centers out of state.

"Bringing proton therapy to Utah is completely in keeping with the vision we had when we founded HCI over two decades ago" said Jon M. Huntsman, founder and principal benefactor of HCI. "I remain absolutely committed to ensure that our patients have access to the very best equipment and expertise to fight their cancer. Proton therapy is yet another tool we will bring to our patients to give them the best possible outcomes against this dreadful disease."

"Approximately half of all cancer patients receive some type of radiation therapy as a part of their treatment," said John Sweetenham, MD, senior director of clinical affairs at HCI and professor of medicine at the U of U. "We have observed research in the effectiveness of proton therapy over the past several years. After extensive analysis, we determined it was an important investment to make in order to bring this technology to our patients here in the Mountain West."

HCI leaders will initiate a public bidding process to identify an appropriate supplier. The project details are subject to final approval by institutional and state bodies.

The proposed location for this new technology will be at the south end of the Cancer Hospital at HCI. It is projected to serve approximately 200 patients a year. The center is projected to begin operation fall 2020.
Immunovia AB today announced that Sahlgrenska University Hospital is the first Swedish site to be part of PanFAM-1, a multicenter prospective validation study for the early diagnosis in familiar pancreatic cancer (FPC) high risk individuals. Designed to validate Immunovia s blood test, IMMrayTM PanCan-d, the study which started one year ago at Ramon y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS) in Madrid, Spain, will analyze thousands of individuals for three years across sites in both the US and Europe offering FPC screening programs, and will open up the market and sales for testing hereditary pancreatic cancer patients.

For 7 years, we have been conducting a surveillance program for familiar pancreatic cancer high risk individuals in our center, says Svein Olav Bratlie, Head of the section for Pancreatic Surgery, at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. It is obvious that early detection can lead to successful surgical intervention and consequently to better patient management. For this reason, an accurate, reliable and highly sensitive blood based test would be necessary. We are delighted to begin the prospective validation of IMMrayTM PanCan-d in Sweden as part of our surveillance program of familiar pancreatic cancer high risk individuals and we are looking forward to the results.

We are very pleased to work with Sahlgrenska University Hospital for PanFAM-1 clinical study. This collaboration will not only support the multicenter prospective validation of IMMray TM PanCan-d but will also play a critical role in providing us data and clinical evidence for regulatory and reimbursement application of the test in Sweden. commented Mats Grahn, CEO, Immunovia.

Pancreatic cancer continues to have one of the lowest survival rates of any major cancer type. It is widely acknowledged, that the key to improving prognosis and possible successful surgical intervention lies in early detection. Following years of research, Immunovia has developed the first blood based biomarker test to be validated in FPC high risk individuals undergoing annual screening for early pancreatic cancer detection.

The other PanFAM-1 partners to date are: Mount Sinai in New York, Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, USA, the University of Liverpool, UK and Ramon y Cajal Institute for Health Research, Madrid, Spain. Immunovia is also in advanced discussions with several other high risk surveillance programs from Europe and USA about their participation.
A new study conducted at the University College London, UK, found a new marker that has the capacity to help diagnose fatal breast cancer up to one year earlier than existing methods.

 petarg/Shutterstock.com

The findings of the research team indicated that in samples of breast cancer, a region of DNA called EFC#93 displayed abnormal patterns of DNA methylation. Significantly, these patterns exist in blood serum even before the cancer becomes perceptible in the breast.

According to Professor Martin Widschwendter, the studys corresponding author, the study provides proof for the first time that serum DNA methylation markers like EFC#93 provide a highly specific indicator that has the capability to detect fatal breast cancers up to one year in advance of current diagnosis. This may enable individualized treatment, which could even begin in the absence of radiological evidence in the breast, he added.

DNA methylation is the process of adding a methyl group to DNA and this process often affects gene expression. Abnormal DNA methylation is usual in human tumors and when considering breast cancer development, the methylation changes occur very early.

The team primarily analyzed EFC#93 DNA methylation in blood serum samples of 419 breast cancer patients, that are acquired at two points of time---(a) after surgery, i.e, prior to the start of chemotherapy and (b) after completing chemotherapy.

They explained that abnormal DNA methylation in samples acquired prior to chemotherapy was a marker for poor prognosis independent of the presence of circulating tumor cells, which are cells that have shed from the primary tumor into the blood or lymphatic system and circulate across the body.

In order to test if EFC#93 can diagnose women with a poor prognosis earlier, before the cancer becomes detectable, the team further analyzed serum samples of 925 healthy women, among which 229 women went on to develop fatal and 231 went on to develop non-fatal breast cancer, within the first three years after the serum samples were taken.

Professor Widschwendter commented that 43% of women who went on to be diagnosed with fatal breast cancer within 36 months of providing serum samples were correctly identified by the presence of EFC#93 DNA methylation in blood serum. They also identified 25% of women who went on to be diagnosed within 62 months of giving samples and 88% of women who did not go on to develop breast cancer specificity.

He also said that EFC#93 did not identify non-fatal breast cancers at early stages.

In comparison, mammography screening has a specificity of 88-92% but leads to very substantial over-diagnosis, which means that tumors are detected that would never have caused any clinical symptoms. Subject to further study, using cell-free DNA as a marker, as we have done here, is a promising way of avoiding this issue. " Professor Martin Widschwendter

The authors also pointed out a few study limitations, like a lack of appropriate serum samples, where the samples are either not processed immediately after blood is taken, or are not collected in special tubes, or have large amounts of normal background DNA leaked by white blood cells, which makes it difficult to identify small amounts of tumor DNA.

Professor Widschwendter further explained that compared with the short fragments of tumor DNA, the normal DNA present in these samples usually emits a much stronger signal. However, in spite of the large contamination of the population-based samples with normal DNA, the team could observe a clear tumor DNA signal.

Further clinical studies are needed to analyze if EFC#93-positive women with cancer that is undetectable by mammography could be benefited from anti-hormonal therapy before the cancer becomes visible in the breast.

The team is currently preparing a large-scale population-based cell-free DNA research program which may also help address this question.
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China is willing to accept some weakness in GDP growth to focus on making strides in the next three years around three priorities.

The priorities are

* controlling financial risk

* reducing poverty

* curbing pollution

China will clean-up of the financial sector. We will promote a benign cycle from the financial sector to the real economy, to the property sector, and within the financial system, and firmly crack down on financial irregularities, a communique released after the three-day conference said.

On alleviating poverty, Beijing said it would take a pragmatic approach. We will not lower standards. We will not generate unrealistic expectations, the communique said, adding that the focus would be on motivating specific poverty-stricken groups to pursue a better life.

Beijing again declared war on pollution, promising to reduce substantially emissions of the main pollutants, close down outdated industrial capacity, and do more to link energy saving and the fight for blue sky days to officials appraisals.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch economists Helen Qiao and Sylvia Sheng wrote in a note that de-emphasising the growth rate showed China was not worried about growth stability. They expected policymakers to intensify efforts on deleveraging and reducing outdated capacity in coming years.
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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Several major orchestras announced that they were distancing themselves from the conductor Charles Dutoit, after The Associated Press reported on Thursday that four women claimed that he sexually assaulted them in incidents between 1985 and 2010.

Mr. Dutoit, the 81-year-old artistic director and principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, became the latest high-profile figure in the classical music world to be accused of sexual misconduct.

The Associated Press said that four women  two of whom were named  gave accounts of behavior that included Mr. Dutoit physically restraining them, forcing his body against theirs, putting his tongue into their mouths, and, in one case, sticking one of their hands down his pants.

The report quoted the soprano Sylvia McNair as saying that Mr. Dutoit had cornered her in a hotel elevator after a rehearsal with the Minnesota Orchestra in 1985. As soon as it was just the two of us in the elevator, she told The A.P., Mr. Dutoit pushed me back against the elevator wall and pressed his knee way up between my legs and pressed himself all over me.
UNITED NATIONS  More than 65 million people are displaced from their homes, the largest number since the Second World War, and nearly 25 million of them are refugees and asylum seekers living outside their own country.

But that number doesnt include people displaced by climate change.

Under international law, only those who have fled their countries because of war or persecution are entitled to refugee status. People forced to leave home because of climate change, or who leave because climate change has made it harder for them to make a living, dont qualify.

The law doesnt offer them much protection at all unless they can show they are fleeing a war zone or face a fear of persecution if they are returned home.
Last year, Mr. Ortiz walked out of the federal correctional facility at Fort Dix, in New Jersey, his sentence reduced after President Obama granted him clemency. He left prison with no money, no relatives who could help him financially, no official identification and no career experience.

But with help from the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, a nonprofit run by James E. McGreevey, the former New Jersey governor, Mr. Ortiz was back in a kitchen five days later, as a chef at The Light Rail Cafe in Jersey City.

Mr. McGreevey ticked off all the steps needed to get Mr. Ortiz back to work: contact the office of the secretary of state for Puerto Rico to get a copy of Mr. Ortizs original birth certificate; put together job applications; scroll employment opportunities; make sure he passed drug tests, and establish a mailing address. All the tasks, Mr. McGreevey noted, are next to impossible for a recently released, long-term inmate, particularly at this moment in time.

This climate has only exacerbated the tension and the need to have documentation immediately available, Mr. McGreevey said, adding that he has a list of 70 lawyers statewide who help his organization.
Seated next to Mayor Bill de Blasio in the Blue Room at City Hall on Thursday, the retiring schools chancellor, Carmen Farina, 74, offered her own summation of her tenure as the leader of what is in effect a medium-size city, populated by 1.1 million students and 75,000 teachers, and with a $30 billion annual budget.

This is about stories. Its not about the statistics, she said.

That might have been her mantra in running the schools, a task to which she brought her instincts as a lifelong educator. If under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg the education department was data-driven, willing to close schools and push back against the teachers union while upending old ways, under Ms. Farina, the expertise and wisdom of teachers was elevated, said Aaron Pallas, the chairman of the department of education policy at Columbia Universitys Teachers College.

At the announcement, both Mayor de Blasio and Ms. Farina were vague on exactly when she would be stepping down and if she would stay until a new chancellor was named. The biggest unanswered question, of course, was who would replace her.
Working out her autobiography to deliver in a class, Mona-Lisa Marrero, 48, tried several beginnings, then settled on: Once upon a time, there was a girl. My name is Mona-Lisa Marrero, and this is my story.

She gave the talk, but mulled that narrative choice recently, recalling that she had gotten choked up speaking about her first home and the child she had been there. I should have kept it in the third person, Ms. Marrero said. She paused for a second, imagining what it would have been like to refer to herself as Mona-Lisa and she and her instead of I and me and my. She shrugged. Neither form would have worked as a heat shield from the past.

I would have been stunted in that other aspect, too, Ms. Marrero said.

She kept on, though, speaking to others who had been on the streets, and who also had lived to tell the tales. They told their stories in classes that were built around speaking about lives that often felt unspeakable. The classes, organized by people at Catholic Charities of New York, began nearly three decades ago for men and women who were homeless, unmoored from family. The 56th session finished last week.

Mario Pimental, 55, worked as a doorman in the 1980s. After the death of his wife, he said, he took every hour of overtime that he could get. He poured drugs on top of the grief he did not utter, and managed to lose a decent job with benefits, a daughter and his apartment. That brought him to the Bellevue Mens Shelter. In that system he spotted a chance to get into the Catholic Charities classes, which are operated under the prosaic rubric of Education Outreach Program, if he cleared an interview with the director, Alison Kelsick.
It happens to most of us who live in New York City. Youre on the subway scrolling through a dozen emails, and then you hear the guy coming down through the car (and its usually a guy). Sometimes hes walking, sometimes hes in a wheelchair, navigating between poles and riders feet. Hes rattling a cup of change. The words come haltingly, or not: I hate to bother you, but I need money to get a room tonight, or a meal or something for the kids because there was a fire or flood or financial disaster.

Youre sure its a fiction, but the guy looks so bad or smells so bad that you know theres something wrong, even if hes not wearing the wrist band they gave him last time he checked into the emergency room. You would rather keep staring at your phone or your tablet, but you dont want to become hardhearted. If youre a Christian, like I am, you remember how Jesus said that when you feed the hungry or clothe the naked, doing it for the least of these, youre doing it for him.

I keep a few singles in a pocket for just such occasions, and I can extract them without exposing the bigger bills in my wallet. Youre just feeding a drug habit, a friend of mine says. Hes a 12-step-program veteran, so he should know. Im willing to take the risk, I say. After all, how much dope or drink can you get with a buck?

I usually have an energy bar in my briefcase. That seems a safer alternative. But sometimes it can be pretty insensitive. I remember giving a woman a rock-hard, nut-filled nutrition bar only to notice that she hardly had the teeth to chew it. How generous was that?
Its that time of year again. Some of us will get nice gifts, while others will get lumps of coal.

But the rules have changed a bit this time, at least as far as the federal government is concerned. The St. Nick you knew is on vacation, possibly permanently. In his place we have Republican Tax-Cut Santa, who has different priorities.

You see, the new guy doesnt care whether youre naughty or nice. In fact, hell actually reward you if youre naughty in the right ways. But mainly he cares whether youre rich, especially if your wealth comes from property (preferably inherited property), not hard work. In that case, you get a really big gift. If youre an ordinary working family, not so much  and eventually you get that lump.

So lets talk about whose stockings will be stuffed by the tax bill Republicans just rammed through without a single hearing or a single Democratic vote.

The centerpiece of the legislation is a huge tax cut for corporations. Republicans claim that this tax cut will be passed on to workers in the form of higher wages, but most independent studies conclude that even in the long run only between one-fifth and one-quarter of the tax cut will trickle down to workers. And the fraction will be much lower in the short run  say, the next few years. So this is basically a tax cut for shareholders.
Most Americans assume that when they leave a tip for waiters and bartenders, those workers pocket the money. That could become wishful thinking under a Trump administration proposal that would give restaurants and other businesses complete control over the tips earned by their employees.

The Department of Labor recently proposed allowing employers to pool tips and use them as they see fit as long as all of their workers are paid at least the minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour nationally and higher in some states and cities. Officials argue that this will free restaurants to use some of the tip money to reward lowly dishwashers, line cooks and other workers who toil in the less glamorous quarters and presumably make less than servers who get tips. Using tips to compensate all employees sounds like a worthy cause, but a simple reading of the governments proposal makes clear that business owners would have no obligation to use the money in this way. They would be free to pocket some or all of that cash, spend it to spiff up the dining room or use it to underwrite $2 margaritas at happy hour. And thats what makes this proposal so disturbing.

The 3.2 million Americans who work as waiters, waitresses and bartenders include some of the lowest-compensated working people in the country. The median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses was $9.61 an hour last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Further, there is a sordid history of restaurant owners who steal tips, and of settlements in which they have agreed to repay workers millions of dollars.

Not to worry, says the Labor Department, which argues, oddly and unconvincingly, that workers will be better off no matter how owners spend the money. Enlarging dining rooms, reducing menu prices or offering paid time off should be seen as potential benefits to employees and the economy over all. The department also assures us that owners will funnel tip money to employees because workers would quit otherwise.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday ordered an investigation into the high-profile prosecution of anti-government ranchers in Nevada, after a judge declared a mistrial, saying that prosecutors had improperly withheld evidence from the defense.

The case against Cliven D. Bundy, his sons Ammon E. Bundy and Ryan C. Bundy, and a supporter, Ryan W. Payne, stemmed from an armed standoff in 2014 between federal agents on one side, and the Bundys and people who flocked to their cause on the other.

On Wednesday, in Federal District Court in Las Vegas, Judge Gloria M. Navarro charged that prosecutors had failed to disclose material they were required to turn over to the defense, including video taken surreptitiously within the Bundy ranch during the standoff, and evidence that F.B.I. agents were involved in the incident. It is unclear whether the case will go to a second trial.
Ford Motor Company apologized to its employees on Thursday for sexual harassment at two Chicago plants, addressing accusations that span more than a quarter-century.

Jim Hackett, Fords president and chief executive, released an open letter, saying in part: I am sorry for any instance where a colleague was subjected to harassment or discriminatory conduct. On behalf of myself and the employees of Ford Motor Company, who condemn such behavior and regret any harassment as much as I do, I apologize. More importantly, I promise that we will learn from this and we will do better.
It also brought worry and resignation to former students awaiting word on their applications for assistance. Jarrod Thoma, an Army veteran who filed a complaint in 2015 against DeVry University, was not hopeful.

He said he was particularly disheartened when Ms. DeVos hired a former executive from DeVry, which paid out millions to settle claims that it misrepresented its outcomes, to lead the departments unit responsible for policing fraudulent and deceptive practices at colleges and universities.

I feel like, because of the things that have been done around appointments and regulations, that I dont even stand a chance, Mr. Thoma said. Theres just no way anyone is going to be held accountable if everyone is buddy-buddy.

Policy experts said that the decision unfairly penalized students who had managed to succeed despite being swindled. It was unfair, they added, to change the discharge process midstream, especially for Corinthian Colleges students whose applications were handled by two different administrations.

In other words, two students who attended the same program and were lied to in the same way by their school, and even who may have applied for a borrower-defense claim on the same day, could wind up with vastly different amounts of relief, wrote Clare McCann, a federal policy expert at the New America Foundation and a former Obama official.

The new system, which Ms. DeVos said replaced an all or nothing approach, would determine loan forgiveness on a tiered system.

Students whose current earnings are less than 50 percent of their peers from a comparable program will receive full relief, and students whose earnings are at 50 percent or more of their peers will receive proportionally tiered relief to compensate for the difference and make them whole.
An Oval Office meeting involving President Trump and his top advisers on Wednesday devolved into a heated exchange between his former campaign manager and the White House political director, people briefed on the discussion said.

The meeting centered on the midterm elections and came as Republicans face a daunting landscape next year, particularly after a bruising loss in the Alabama special election this month. It also came as the White House faces an expected string of departures from the West Wing, including that of a deputy chief of staff, Rick Dearborn, on Thursday. Mr. Dearborn, who was close to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump during the transition, had been overseeing a broad cross section of departments, including the political department, which was a source of contention during the meeting.

The meeting prompted the political director, Bill Stepien, to call an official at the main political group supporting Mr. Trump, America First Policies, to say its counsel should be involved at future gatherings.

It also underlined the turf battles and strategic disagreements that have long been characteristic of Mr. Trumps circle, dating to his presidential campaign.
The Trump administration is considering a plan to separate parents from their children when families are caught entering the country illegally, according to officials who have been briefed on the plans. The forceful move is meant to discourage border crossings, but immigrant groups have denounced it as draconian and inhumane.

Under current policy, families are kept intact while awaiting a decision on whether they will be deported; they are either held in special family detention centers or released with a court date. The policy under discussion would send parents to adult detention facilities, while their children would be placed in shelters designed for juveniles or with a sponsor, who could be a relative in the United States, though the administration may also tighten rules on sponsors.

The policy is favored by the White House, and has been approved by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to three officials at the Department of Homeland Security and one at the White House who have all been briefed on the proposal but declined to be named because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The officials said that the new Homeland Security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, who has final approval power, has yet to sign off on the proposal.

The debate comes as the administration faces an influx of people crossing the southern United States border illegally. As soon as President Trump took office, the number of people caught crossing the border dropped sharply, a sign that far fewer people were even trying. Only 11,677 apprehensions were recorded in April, the lowest number in a least 17 years, according to Customs and Border Protection.
About one in five inmates in federal prison are foreign-born, and more than 90 percent of those are in the United States illegally, according to a report released on Thursday by the Trump administration, which has sought to highlight the dangers it says unauthorized immigrants pose to public safety.

Officials at the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security quickly framed the statistics as evidence that the country needed stricter anti-immigration measures, particularly the wall President Trump has pushed to erect across the southern border.

The report arrives as the White House and Republicans in Congress insist that any legislative deal to restore legal protections for young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children must include more restrictions on legal and illegal immigration.

At the border and in communities across America, our citizens are being victimized by illegal aliens who commit crimes, the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, said in a statement on Thursday, calling on Congress to pass Mr. Trumps immigration agenda. The simple fact is that any offense committed by a criminal alien is ultimately preventable.
UNITED NATIONS  The United States circulated a proposed resolution to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that would further choke North Koreas economy, with a near total ban on fuel imports, a tightening of restrictions on shipping and a one-year deadline for most North Korean laborers working under contracts abroad to go home.

Security Council diplomats said the resolution  a response to North Koreas test of an intercontinental ballistic missile a month ago  represented a significant squeeze on the North, which imports all of its refined fuel and relies on remittances from thousands of workers sent abroad as a major source of income. The resolution is likely to be put to a vote on Friday in the 15-member Council.

North Korea, the worlds most isolated nation, has repeatedly defied Security Council resolutions to halt its nuclear weapons and missile testing. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula over concerns about a possible war have escalated in the year since the Trump administration took office.
BARCELONA, Spain  Spains effort to snuff out an independence drive in Catalonia was dealt a significant blow on Thursday as secessionists narrowly won an election called by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in hopes of calming the countrys constitutional crisis.

After Catalonias separatist lawmakers declared independence in late October, Mr. Rajoy invoked emergency powers for the first time in Spains democratic history. He ousted the Catalan government and imposed direct rule on the formerly autonomous region.

Mr. Rajoy then called new elections for the regional Parliament, hoping to reshuffle the political deck and calculating that Catalan voters would punish the secessionist leaders. Many are now being prosecuted for sedition and rebellion and campaigned from prison or exile.
Mr. MacLellan said that any negative effects of the legislations abolition of the so-called 1031 like-kind exchanges for art  which allowed investors to avoid capital gains taxes when they sold a work by replacing it with one of similar value  would be more than outweighed by tax savings spread more widely in the upper reaches of the market.

A New York Times analysis of the new tax code identifies corporations, multimillionaires and private equity financiers among those who will benefit most. Wendy Cromwell, an art adviser in New York, sees such groups as the exact demographic of collectors at the top end of the market.

But art is in a funny place, she added. Art has become defined by what happens at the top of the market, and I dont see that market changing in the coming year. I do see the middle market being further eroded.

From Ms. Cromwells perspective, the untold story is the silent majority of less-wealthy collectors who own works by midcareer artists whose auction values are now lower than their original gallery prices. Its demotivating people from continuing to buy, she said.

Another factor is that millions of middle-class Americans are likely to see their taxes go up under the new tax code, even if they see a tax cut next year. Collectors from this stratum of society traditionally formed the hidden bedrock of the art and antiques trade. But most have less money to spend, a point reflected in the way lower-value sales have changed at the international auction houses.

The affordable price range of $5,000 to $50,000 is no longer the province of live auctions of antique furniture and collectibles for the middle-class home. Instead, it is increasingly giving way to sales of luxury accessories, including jewelry, watches and handbags, in a mix of live sales and online auctions around the world.
AT 2 MINUTES 47 SECONDS

Sublime Tenderness

The British countertenor Iestyn Davies has been a fixture in New York recently, appearing in The Exterminating Angel at the Metropolitan Opera this fall and now in the play Farinelli and the King on Broadway. In Farinelli, he sings Handel arias that the critic Ben Brantley described as holy transcendence; the climax unfolds to the sweet sounds of Lascia chio pianga from Rinaldo. Mr. Davies hasnt recorded that aria, though perhaps he will after touring Rinaldo next year. (One of the stops is Carnegie Hall in March.) For now, lets hear the soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who will be onstage at the Met starting New Years Eve in Tosca. The power of music over mental health and emotions is a major theme of Farinelli; listening to Ms. Yonchevas sublime tenderness, its easy to hear why. The sheer emotional force of the aria makes it fit for the climax of, well, just about anything. JOSHUA BARONE

Read Ben Brantleys review of Farinelli and the King.
Kameen Thompson, the union president at the Conshohocken plant, said many workers had voted for Mr. Trump because of his support for steel. You want to vote for what you believe is going to help you keep a job, Mr. Thompson said.

Ms. Allen, whose father worked at the Conshohocken plant before her, was not a Trump supporter. He told them what they wanted to hear so they would vote for him, and now theyre seeing what president he is, she said.

But other workers who supported the president are keeping the faith.

Chuck Hauer, who has worked at the plant for 22 years and ranks around 80 on the seniority list  meaning he is likely to be laid off  said he had voted Republican because he believed that Mr. Trump was for the people. He said he still believed that the tariffs would happen, though perhaps not soon enough to save him.

Hes just delaying it, Mr. Hauer said of the president. And I think the delay is hurting us more than he knows.
Kara Pollard, 33, is the executive director of Dog Is My CoPilot, an animal rescue operation in Jackson, Wyo.

Dog Is My CoPilot is a catchy name, but what does your outfit do?

We fly animals  80 percent dogs and 20 percent cats  from about 20 source shelters, where they are in danger of being euthanized because of lack of space, to some 62 receiving animal rescue organizations where these animals are more likely to be adopted. According to the A.S.P.C.A., approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized each year.

We work with groups in 15 American states from Louisiana west.

How many planes do you have and who does the flying?

We have just one plane, a Cessna Caravan 208B, owned and flown by our lone pilot, Peter Rork, a retired orthopedic surgeon who founded our organization in 2012. Peter often says he is a pilot who became a doctor, as opposed to a doctor who flies, since he started flying long before he became a physician.
A court in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday convicted Shin Dong-bin, the chairman of the multinational Lotte Group, of embezzlement and breach of trust in connection with a corruption scandal, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The court handed down a suspended prison sentence against Mr. Shin, however, effectively allowing him to continue running the groups vast business empire.

The verdict upended expectations that South Korea would no longer let the leaders of its powerful, family-run conglomerates  known as chaebol  break the law with impunity. Those hopes were raised this year when Lee Jae-yong, the third-generation heir to the Samsung corporate empire, was sentenced to five years in prison for bribery.
2016 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents In counties with fewer than 10 drug overdose deaths, the map combines observed totals with modeled estimates

The epidemic of drug overdoses, often perceived as a largely white rural problem, made striking inroads among black Americans last year  particularly in urban counties where fentanyl has become widespread.

Although the steep rise in 2016 drug deaths has been noted previously, these are the first numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to break down 2016 mortality along geographic and racial lines. They reveal that the drug death rate is rising most steeply among blacks, with those between the ages of 45 and 64 among the hardest hit.

Drug overdose deaths by race

Drug deaths among blacks in urban counties rose by 41 percent in 2016, far outpacing any other racial or ethnic group. In those same counties, the drug death rate among whites rose by 19 percent. The data, released on Thursday, suggests that the common perception of the epidemic as an almost entirely white problem rooted in overprescription of painkillers is no longer accurate, as fentanyl, often stealthily, invades broader swaths of the country and its population.

Urban counties are those classified by the N.C.H.S. as large central metropolitan areas. Rural counties are those classified as nonmetropolitan or as small metropolitan areas.

Driven by the continued surge in drug deaths, life expectancy in the United States dropped for the second year in a row last year. Its the first consecutive decline in national life expectancy since 1963. Drug overdoses have now surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 55.

In Washington, D.C., the emergence of fentanyls caused the rate of drug deaths to double in a single year. The rate of drug deaths there is now on par with those in Ohio and New Hampshire. Its an unsurprising consequence of an epidemic that is both widespread and extremely localized. If fentanyls enter the drug supply in one area, deaths can accumulate rapidly. Drug deaths are also up sharply in cities like St. Louis, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, Fla.

Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the co-director of opioid policy research at Brandeis Universitys Heller School for Social Policy and Management, said it appeared that many of the African-Americans who died were older men who had become addicted to heroin during a previous epidemic in the 1970s. Despite beating the odds for the past 40 to 50 years, he said, theyre dying because the heroin supply has never been so dangerous  increasingly its got fentanyl in it or its just fentanyl sold as heroin.

Shifts in the drug death rate by state 2015 2016 West Virginia Ohio New Hampshire District of Columbia Pennsylvania Kentucky Maryland Massachusetts Delaware Rhode Island Maine Connecticut New Mexico Tennessee Michigan Indiana Florida Missouri New Jersey Utah Vermont Louisiana Nevada Oklahoma Arizona North Carolina Wisconsin Illinois South Carolina New York Wyoming Alaska Virginia Colorado Alabama Idaho Washington Arkansas Georgia Hawaii Minnesota Mississippi Oregon Montana California Kansas Iowa North Dakota Texas South Dakota Nebraska 42 30 34 19 26 30 21 26 22 28 21 22 25 22 20 20 16 18 16 23 17 19 20 19 19 16 16 14 16 14 17 16 12 15 16 14 15 14 13 11 11 12 12 14 11 12 10 9 9 8 7 52 39 39 39 38 34 33 33 31 31 29 27 25 25 24 24 24 24 23 22 22 22 22 22 20 20 19 19 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 15 15 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 8 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 2015 2016 West Virginia Ohio New Hampshire District of Columbia Pennsylvania Kentucky Maryland Massachusetts Delaware Rhode Island Maine Connecticut New Mexico Tennessee Michigan Indiana Florida Missouri New Jersey Utah Vermont Louisiana Nevada Oklahoma Arizona North Carolina Wisconsin Illinois South Carolina New York Wyoming Alaska Virginia Colorado Alabama Idaho Washington Arkansas Georgia Hawaii Minnesota Mississippi Oregon Montana California Kansas Iowa North Dakota Texas South Dakota Nebraska 42 30 34 19 26 30 21 26 22 28 21 22 25 22 20 20 16 18 16 23 17 19 20 19 19 16 16 14 16 14 17 16 12 15 16 14 15 14 13 11 11 12 12 14 11 12 10 9 9 8 7 52 39 39 39 38 34 33 33 31 31 29 27 25 25 24 24 24 24 23 22 22 22 22 22 20 20 19 19 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 15 15 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 8 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 2015 2016 West Virginia Ohio New Hampshire District of Columbia Pennsylvania Kentucky Maryland Massachusetts Delaware Rhode Island Maine Connecticut New Mexico Tennessee Michigan Indiana Florida Missouri New Jersey Utah Vermont Louisiana Nevada Oklahoma Arizona North Carolina Wisconsin Illinois South Carolina New York Wyoming Alaska Virginia Colorado Alabama Idaho Washington Arkansas Georgia Hawaii Minnesota Mississippi Oregon Montana California Kansas Iowa North Dakota Texas South Dakota Nebraska 42 30 34 19 26 30 21 26 22 28 21 22 25 22 20 20 16 18 16 23 17 19 20 19 19 16 16 14 16 14 17 16 12 15 16 14 15 14 13 11 11 12 12 14 11 12 10 9 9 8 7 52 39 39 39 38 34 33 33 31 31 29 27 25 25 24 24 24 24 23 22 22 22 22 22 20 20 19 19 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 15 15 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 8 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 Drug deaths per 100,000 residents. Rates are age-adjusted.

Fentanyl-laced cocaine, too, may be playing a role. A study published this month in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that cocaine-related overdose deaths were nearly as common among black men between 2012 and 2015 as deaths due to prescription opioids in white men over the same period. Cocaine-related deaths were slightly more common in black women during that period than deaths due to heroin among white women, according to the study. But it also found that the largest recent increases in overdose deaths among blacks were attributed to heroin. One of the researchers, David Thomas of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said he did not know whether some of the cocaine-attributed deaths in the study involved fentanyl, although he had heard anecdotally of such mixing.

The study, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, also found that the recent rise in overdose death rates was sharpest among older blacks. The same held true last year in New York City.

Whats really interesting is youre not seeing younger blacks getting involved in heroin as much, said Denise Paone, senior director of research and surveillance in the citys Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention.

Across the board, though, fentanyl has caused a huge spike in overdose deaths in New York in just the last year. Fentanyl played a role in about 16 percent of overdose deaths in 2015 and 44 percent in 2016, Dr. Paone said, compared with 3 percent in prior years. A growing number of the deaths involve cocaine cut with fentanyl, she added  which is probably particularly deadly for someone who has not used opioids before.

In Ohio, which had the nations second-highest overdose rate last year, the medical examiner in Cuyahoga County told a United States Senate subcommittee in May that a fast-rising rate of fentanyl-related deaths among blacks was probably a result of drug dealers mixing fentanyl with cocaine. In Cuyahoga County (the home of Cleveland), fentanyl contributed to the deaths of five African-Americans in 2014, 25 in 2015 and 58 in 2016. But both opioids and cocaine still kill far more whites than blacks there.

Brandon Marshall, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, said it was hard to sort out how many deaths involved people taking cocaine cut with fentanyl versus people who died of an opioid overdose but also happened to have cocaine in their blood at the time.

Dr. Kolodny said he believes the latter is more common. Many people who are overdosing because of an extremely dangerous heroin supply also use other drugs, he said, so I think the cocaine is sort of an incidental finding.

Health experts say the evolving nature of the crisis suggests that progress against it will be slow, despite stepped-up efforts to address it with medication-assisted treatment and naloxone, which can save people who have overdosed. As overdose deaths keep climbing, there is a good chance that life expectancy will be found to have declined again this year, said Robert Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch of the National Center for Health Statistics. If so, it would be the first three-year period of consecutive life expectancy declines since World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918.

Dr. Kolodny pointed to the rising drug death rate among older black men, many of whom he said have probably used heroin on and off since the 1970s, as evidence that progress against the new epidemic could take decades.
2G case: Could the CBI court have overlooked the Supreme Court verdict?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In page 1,549 of the order the Special CBI court judge said, " a huge scam was seen by everyone where there was none."

The court had also pulled up the CBI for not asking key questions and not explaining loopholes in the official records. The court also took the CBI to task for not bringing witnesses and also for fumbling. In page 1,490 of the order, the court said, the prosecutor was "hesitant" in asking questions and witnesses were evasive. "They kept beating about the bush, never came to the bush."

The question is did the CBI court say that there was no 2G spectrum scam? While a bare reading would indicate that, one must also revisit the Supreme Court's order which had cancelled 122 licences. The court had said that the evidence showed that Telecom Minister wanted to favour some companies, and the way the Letters of Intent were granted to applicants, leaves no room for doubt that everything was stage managed to favour those who were able to know in advance change in the implementation of the first come first serve principle.

The CBI court does not make any mention of the SC order. It however speaks about the lack of clarity in the policies and guidelines and says that it added to the confusion. There is no evidence on record indicating any criminality in the acts allegedly committed by the accused including those relating to the first come first serve policy.

This would mean that the CBI dealt only with the alleged criminality, misconduct, breach of trust and cheating. The court did not go into whether the policy met the test of fairness. The SC in its verdict had stated that its observations shall in no way affect pending investigations or prejudice the defence of those who are facing prosecution. The SC also said that the Special Judge, CBI shall decide the matter uninfluenced.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 5:52 [IST]
Azad twisting facts in his favour to befool people of J&K: Cong

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2G scam: Ghulam Nabi Azad attacks Narendra Modi

India

oi-Shreya

By Shreya

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As all the accused were in 2G scam were given clean chit, the opposition did not leave any stone unturned to attack the Prime Minister and the ruling BJP government for attacking the Congress and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with allegation of indulging in the 'scam'.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue of 2G scam and questioned the BJP for allegedly misleading the people of the country.

Azaad asked for clarificarion from the PM for the allegations made after all accused have been acquitted in the case.

Azaad also demaded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi shall also clarify the allegations he levelled on Former PM Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat election.

Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken will also stage a protest against BJP for in the national capital today outside the parliament.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 13:57 [IST]
2G: Special court gives lessons on how ministers, bureaucrats must function

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

An elected representative must be at the helm of affairs of a government department, the special CBI court observed while acquitting all persons in the 2G case.

Bureaucrats must realize that an elected representative has to be at the helm of affairs of a government department as a minister is responsible not only to his electorates but Parliament as well, the court observed.

Special judge OP Saini, while noting that if a minister does not perform he risks being "eclipsed of his political career", said that former telecom secretary DS Mathur was "bent upon" to not let then telecom minister A Raja do anything.

He referred to the statements of one of the senior officers of the department of telecom (DoT) who had deposed before the court that he had seen Raja shouting at and arguing with Mathur in December 2007.

"What can a minister do with such an obstructive and dithering secretary, except to shout at him? A secretary must realize that as per the constitutional scheme of things, an elected representative has to be at the helm of affairs of a government department," the court said.

"A minister is a hard core politician, who is responsible to his electorates as well as to Parliament. He has also to retain the faith of the Prime Minister to stay in the council of ministers. He has to perform to the maximum within the time at his disposal," it said.

The judge said that if Raja was working against the government policies, Mathur could have informed the cabinet secretariat or the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) about it.

"Nothing of this sort was done by DS Mathur. A secretary is a secretary to the Government of India and not to his ministry alone," the court said.

Former TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra, who is now the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was applauded by the special 2G court for his commitment in seeking implementation of recommendations of the telecom regulator.

Discussing roles and deposition as witnesses of several high-profile bureacrats, it said Misra's efforts deserve "appreciation".

The special judge said several letters were written by Misra to then telecom secretary DS Mathur but the latter did not send any reply to them.

"This shows the attitude of Mathur towards other government functionaries as well as his official duties. The irresponsible and callous attitude of Mathur is reflected by his conduct in not replying to the letters of Misra, who was also at one time, secretary (Telecom)," the court said.

It said, "On the other hand, the record reflects the earnestness and commitment of Misra with which he was seeking the implementation of the recommendations. Had Mathur heeded to the advice of Misra, things would not have gone so bad leading to the registration of instant criminal case.

"The efforts of Misra for ensuring proper implementation of TRAI recommendations deserve appreciation."

Regarding A K Srivastava, the then deputy director general (Access Services) who was a key prosecution witness, the court said his oral testimony was contrary to the official record which was rejected and he was "inconsistent" and "blowing hot and cold at the same time".

"His evidence indicates how a very senior officer endeavoured hard to disown and discredit the official record created by him alone and to malign the minister (A Raja)," it said.

The court said that the record showed that Mathur was "largely responsible for the mess" in the DoT and it seemed that was awaiting his impending retirement on December 31, 2007 and that he could have awaited his retirement in a more graceful manner.

It also concluded that Nitin Jain, then director (ASI), deposed contrary to official record and he testified in a hesitant and roundabout manner and his deposition was not trustworthy.

Misra, Mathur, Srivastava, Sridhara and Jain were among the many key prosecution witnesses in the case.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 6:02 [IST]
From plotting a hijack to creating the JeM, why Pakistan guards Masood Azhar so much

In a case of bad karma Taliban outs Pakistan on what India had always said on Azhar

Azhar block: Followed rules not narrow political considerations says China

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

We followed rules and our decision on Maulana Masood Azhar was not based on narrow political considerations, China has said.

China has been consistently blocking moves by India, the US, the UK and France to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the 1267 Sanctions Committee by putting technical holds.

India's permanent representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin, during an open debate Wednesday in the Security Council criticised some UN members for failing to "clearly understand" the common threat of terrorism.

"It is noticed that on an issue as serious as designation of terrorist individuals and entities, the Council-mandated Sanctions Committees fail to make concrete progress and fall victim to narrow political and strategic concerns in some cases," he said.

Responding to Akbaruddin's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that on Masood Azhar's issue China had "acted in a candid way with ease".

"So what we do is nothing to do with the narrow minded political considerations as you mentioned," Hua claimed.

The issue of China blocking the listing of Masood Azhar at the United Nations is expected to come up in Friday's 20th round of India-China border talks in New Delhi.

The talks will be held between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. Besides the border related issues, the two top officials also have the mandate to discuss all issues between the two countries.

"We have stated our position multiple times about the listing issue 1267 committee to the media queries and dealt the questions in a sincere way on different occasions in the past," Hua said.

She said China "firmly" backed crackdown on various international terrorist groups.

Defending China's decision to block the moves against Masood Azhar, the mastermind of the Pathankot terrorist attack, Hua said "on this issue, we make our own judgement based on the merit of the matters themselves".

She said the "relevant move" by China in 1267 committee was based on its rules and procedures. "We will work with various parties to uphold the security and peace of the international communication," Hua said.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 6:12 [IST]
BJP used Adarsh case to malign Congress, says Ashok Chavan

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

After getting relief in Adarsh scam case former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan said the truth has ultimately prevailed. The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside the sanction granted to the CBI by Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to prosecute senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, ANI quoted Chavan as saying: "The truth has ultimately prevailed, we always had full faith in the country's judiciary."

Chavan alleged that the issue was politically used by the BJP around 2014 to malign the image of the Congress.

Earlier, a division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhana Jadhav ruled that though the CBI had claimed to be in possession of fresh evidence against Chavan at the time of seeking the sanction, it "failed to present any fresh evidence."

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Chavan, challenging the sanction granted by the governor in February 2016 to prosecute the former chief minister of Maharashtra under various sections of the IPC related to criminal conspiracy and cheating, besides provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Chavan had challenged Rao's order in the high court, calling it "arbitrary, illegal and unjust" and passed with "malafide intentions".

(With agency inputs)
Delhi Police rescues over 40 girls from 'Spiritual University', HC asks details of ashrams

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Delhi High Court on Friday indicated that warrant would be issued against 'Spiritual University' head Baba Virendra Dev Diskhit if details about ashrams aren't submitted to authorities. The court also asked for a list of all eight ashrams of Virendra Dev Dikshit to be produced as soon as possible.

More than 40 girls, who were kept under illegal confinement, rescued from an ashram at Rohini in Delhi on Thursday evening. The Delhi High Court had directed the city police to immediately inspect the institute, where girls and women were allegedly kept in illegal confinement in the name of preaching.

As per the direction, the Delhi Police personnel raided and rescued girls from the Spiritual University in presence of Chief of Delhi Commission for Women. Swati Maliwal, DCW chief said, 'the accused Baba Virendra Dev Diskhit should be arrested immediately'.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar had said that it was "extremely dangerous" that girls and women have been allegedly kept in illegal confinement in the name of preaching about God. The bench had ordered that the inspection should be video-graphed and Delhi Commission for Women's chief Swati Maliwal should also accompany the police.

The bench had directed Virender Dev Dixit, referred to as the founder and spiritual head of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya at A-1/351-352, Vijay Vihar, in North Delhi's Rohini to cooperate with the police during the inspection drive.

(With agency inputs)
Delhi: Shops shut down in Defence Colony for violating law

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Shops in first and ground floors at Delhi's posh Defence Colony area were shut down by the authorities on Friday for allegedly violating laws.

The sealing of shops and restaurants was carried out by the MCD officials under the orders of a committee set up by the Supreme Court to crack down on illegal constructions in Delhi.

The shopkeepers, however, cried foul over the MCD action and the shops have been there since 1952.

"December 14 order was in regard to unauthorized constructions. These shops are here since 1952, this is an authorized commercial market," news agency ANI quoted a shopkeeper as saying.

One of the employees at the shop that was shut said that their staff was ill-treated by the MCD officials.

"When I and my owner reached here, we got to know that our employees were abused and thrown out. A staff who asked for written doc was dragged down. Already things like GST are going on and now our shops are sealed during Christmas when we give bonuses to staff," she said.

The apex court had on March 24, 2006, set up the committee to seal premises where residential properties were being used for commercial activities.

Among the sealed shops were some of the famous restaurants of Delhi like Moets, Akasaka and 4S.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 19:02 [IST]
Do not create trouble for Christians: Navjot Singh Sidhu

India

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By Chennabasaveshwar

Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has issued a stern warning to hate-mongers in Punjab if they create trouble for Christians. Sidhu was speaking at a Christmas celebration held by the state government in Amritsar.

Sidhu warned on Thursday that anyone "staring down" Christians in Punjab would have their eyes gouged out. Speaking in Punjabi, Sidhu said: "Jehda vi tuhade val aakh chak ke vekhu ga, us di aakh kadh devange (If anyone stares you down, we will gouge their eyes out)," according to Indian Express. The Congress government-organised Christmas celebrations are held in Amritsar every year.

Sidhu's warning to hate-mongers comes few days after reports of fringe right-wing groups threatening to disrupt Christmas celebrations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In Aligarh, a group called the Hindu Jagran Manch has warned schools against celebrating Christmas, saying they could do so "at their own risk".

Addressing the people, Sidhu said that all the communities in Punjab live peacefully and every person has the right to propagate and obey any religion. The right to religious freedom is part of the Indian Constitution. We all are brothers and it is our duty to protect your rights. My government has promised that each community will be given free and fair environment to celebrate their religious festivals. Sidhu said that the doors of the Golden Temple are open to the people of every religion.

There is no difference in the Constitution of the country, on the basis of caste, creed, caste or religion, it guarantees equal opportunities for all. We promise that the state government will not allow anybody to spoil the peaceful atmosphere.

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Doval, Jiechi emphasize on mutually acceptable solution to Indo-China boundary issue

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Asserting that it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas, India and China on Friday agreed that the focus should be on finding a mutually acceptable solution to Indo-China boundary issues.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi met during 20th Special Representative-level meeting on Friday. After the meeting, Jiechi also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Such a high-level meeting was first after a 73-day-long military standoff between the two countries in Doklam earlier this year.

Ahead of the talks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had told at a media briefing that this SR meeting is not only a high-level channel for the border issue discussion but also the platform for strategic communication.

Chinese and Indian troops were locked in the border standoff from June 16 when Indian soldiers stopped Chinese personnel from building a key road close to India's 'chicken's neck' corridor. On August 28, India announced the "disengagement" between the soldiers of the two countries. The road was being built by China in an area also claimed by Bhutan.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 20:16 [IST]
Fact Check: This image of huge crowds in Gujarat is not from the AAP roadshow

Gujarat CM name likely to be announced by today evening

India

oi-Madhuri

Newly elected BJP MLAs of Gujarat will meet in Gandhinagar on Friday to choose the next chief minister in the presence Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey.

Meanwhile, Jaitley is on the way to Gujarat, he will reach by 1 pm.

Meanhwile, there is a lot of specualtion that is rife ahead of a crucial meeting of the BJP to select the next Chief Minister of Gujarat. While many in the BJP maintain that Rupani may well become the CM again, the name of Mansukh Mandaviya is doing the rounds. He is a union minister and Rajya Sabha member whose term ends in April 2018.

Earlier on Thursday, Vijay Rupani resigned along with his council of ministers, paving the way for formation of a new government. Rupani, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and other ministers visited Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar and handed over their resignation letters to the Governor.

December 25 is the likely date for the swearing-in of the new ministry as it is the birthday of former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

OneIndia News (with Pti inputs)
Gurjars, 4 other communities to get 1 pc reservation in

India

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Jaipur, December 22: A senior Rajasthan government minister said five castes including Gurjars will get one per cent reservation within the 50 per cent legal limit in the state.

The state government took the decision yesterday to provide reservation to the Gujjar/Gurjar, Banjara/Baldia/ Labana, Gadia-Lohar/Gadalia, Raika/Rebari and Gadaria communities.

"The decision was taken to give one per cent reservation to Gurjars and other castes under the most backward category," said state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore.

A notification will be issued after the governor's approval, he said.The present overall reservation percentage in the state stands at 49 per cent.

The five castes were included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) list in 1994. After the state cabinet's decision, they can now seek benefits in educational institutions and job opportunities.

The Rajasthan Assembly in October this year passed a bill to raise OBC reservation from 21 to 26 per cent to provide five per cent quota to Gurjars and other castes.

However, the high court stayed the bill as it would have increased the reservation to 54 per cent.

Later, the Supreme Court also directed the state government not to exceed the 50 per cent reservation limit.

The government has taken the step in the wake of widespread agitation by the Gurjar community, demanding reservation under the backward class category.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 14:04 [IST]
Hyderabad: Woman set on fire by Stalker; succumbs to injuries

India

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A 25-year-old woman, was allegedly set on fire by a man on Thursday evening in full public view in Secunderabad, succumbed to her burns this morning.

The victim died at around 7.30 am while undergoing treatment at Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north zone) B Sumathi said.

The woman worked as a receptionist at an aluminium fabrication unit, the police said. The attacker, identified as Sai Karthik, is suspected to have known the victim, and has been arrested by the police.

It is learnt that the woman was on her way home and the accused, Karthik had followed her and stopped to speak to her. Karthik then demanded to know why she wouldn't marry him. They were talking heatedly when Kartik suddenly pulled out a bottle hidden in his shirt and poured kerosene on the woman. He then lit a match to set her on fire and drove away before it could register on witnesses.

The accused had confessed to the crime under interrogation and the reason why she rejected the marriage proposal was that he is not talented and that she is more talented and more beautiful. The accused also said that after she rejected him, he didn't wanted her to accept anybody else as well.

The woman, who suffered 60 per cent burns, was then shifted to the hospital where she breathed her last.The police had registered a case under Indian Penal Code section 307 (attempt to murder).

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J&K: Terrorists lob petrol bombs at CRPF post

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) post was on Friday attacked by the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorists are said to have lobbed two petrol bombs at a post in Nawakadal's Bari Pora in Srinagar. No one was injured in the incident.

On November 2, five jawans were injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district after a CRPF vehicle was attacked by the terrorists.

On October 10, terrorists had attacked a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir's Sanat Nagar Chowk. A gun battle ensued after the terrorists fired at the CRPF vehicle in which one terrorist was injured. None of the CRPF personnel were injured then.

On October 29, two terrorists were killed by the security forces in Bandipora's Hajin district in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 21:04 [IST]
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Jaya death probe panel issues summons to Sasikala, Apollo management

India

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Jayalalithaa death probe commission on Friday issued summons to Sasikala and Apollo Chairman Pratap Reddy.

Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice A. Arumughaswamy sent a letter to Sasikala asking her to file documents and evidence regarding the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to the commission within 15 days.

The state government has set up the panel headed by Justice A Arumughaswamy, a former Madras High Court judge, to probe the death of Jayalalithaa on December 6, 2016 at a private hospital in Chennai.

Earlier, Apollo's top hospital official had said that the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was brought to Apollo Hospital in a 'breathless state' on September 22 last year and those she approved were beside her during her treatment there.

The AIADMK supremo spent 75 days in the hospital before breathing her last on December 5 last year.

OneIndia News
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Haryana: Journalist's body found, SIT probe ordered

India

pti-PTI

Panchkula, December 22: Haryana Police said it has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged killing of a journalist in Charkhi Dadri area.

Rajesh Sheoran's body was found under mysterious circumstances in the area on Wednesday, the police said. Haryana DGP B S Sandhu yesterday in a statement said that a murder case has been registered at Dadri city police station.

#Haryana: A journalist, identified as Rajesh Sheoran, murdered in Charkhi Dadri yesterday. Case registered pic.twitter.com/H2cSn4J7Tc  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

He said a three-member SIT, led by DSP Pradeep Kumar, has been formed to probe the case.

PTI
Karnataka assembly elections 2018: AHINDA vs Hindutva

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

It would surely be a hard fought battle in Karnataka. The BJP. Congress and JD(S) would put their best foot forward to ensure that they bag the prestigious state following the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018.

There are many issues that the battle would be fought on. While water would be a key issue especially in North Karnataka, analysts are of the view that more emphasis would need to be given to local issues during the elections.

The broader battle would however be on these lines. AHINDA vs Hidutva and Hindu nationalism vs Kannada pride.

The AHINDA (acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalit) vs Hindutva battle would be a crucial one. Siddaramaiah's affiliation towards the cause of the Dalits, backward classes and minorities is very evident in several of his decisions.

He has used this to take on the RSS and Bajrang Dal on several occasions. He is of the firm belief that AHINDA politics would keep the youth away from the Right Wing. However if one looks at the larger picture, the caste census is also what attracts Siddaramaiah towards the cause. The government has not made the caste census public, but some reports suggest that the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities constitute only 9.8 and 8.2 per cent of the population respectively.

The BJP on the other hand will look to counter AHINDA politics with Hindutva. It recently inducted Anant Kumar Hegde as a Union Minister and this was a clear signal about the agenda. The BJP has also gone to town on issues such as Tipu Jayanti. Yogi Adityanath said in Hubbali on Thursday if the BJP comes to power then there will be no Tipu worshipping.

The BJP has also made a lot of noise about the Hanuman Jayanti controversy. The BJP is aware that Siddaramaiah's AHINDA politics will alienate the other communities. By raising the Hindutva bogey, the BJP hopes to counter Siddaramaiah's strategy.

The recent visit by Amit Shah to the Adichunchungiri mutt also was an attempt to bring in the Vokkaliga votes. This would be a strategy that the BJP would use against the JD(S) which has strong Vokkaliga vote base.

The Congress has also been speaking about Kannada pride in loud tones. The government made a move to get an official status for the state flag. It also spoke out and blocked the Hindi imposition campaign apart from making Kannada mandatory schools. The recent decision to cancel a Sunny Leone event following protests by Kannada groups was another move by the government to rake up the issue of Kannada pride.

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Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018: Why water is a key word for the BJP

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Water has become a key word for the BJP in Karnataka. As the party prepares to face the electorate ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018, raising the water issue becomes exceptionally necessary at least in Northern Karnataka region.

B S Yeddyurappa, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate said to those protesting during the Mahadayi row that he would provide the solution and give them the good news that they have been looking for.

The Karnataka BJP has been hoping to find a solution with the BJP led government in Goa. The state leaders have been in talks with the central command hoping to prevail over the government in Goa.

While Manohar Parrikar, the Chief Minister of Goa has said that he would offer an amicable solution, members of his coalition proved to be a stumbling block.

Yeddyurappa has his way:

Following a meeting with the Karnataka BJP leaders and Parrikar which took place at the residence of Amit Shah, an announcement was made that Goa would share water with Karnataka for drinking water purposes. However Vinod Palyekar of the Goa Forward Party said that their stand remains unchanged on Mahadayi and they would protect every drop of water.

This led to a series of meetings in Goa following which Parrikar wrote to Yeddyurappa. He wrote, "you are aware of the matter pending before the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. Although the issue is one of the issues pending before the tribunal, in principle the state of Goa would not oppose the reasonable and justified quantum of water meant to be utilised for drinking."

"Government of Goa is willing to consider the request to work out an amicable settlement strictly restricted to drinking water only to drought-prone areas. It is needless to mention that the discussion shall be without prejudice to our rights and contentions before the tribunal, none of which are even touched by this letter," Parrikar also wrote.

Why is water important for the BJP:

The Mahadayi issue is an extremely sensitive one. The people of North Karnataka are most affected with this issue. They would vote for anyone who would provide a resolution to the drinking water crisis.

The BJP was quick to pick up on the issue and ensure that there was some solution to the issue ahead of the elections. At stake are the 50 assembly seats in North Karnataka. North Karnataka has been a traditional stronghold for the BJP. If they want to return to power, then they would need to win big in this region and by raking up the Mahadayi row and ensuring that they managed to convince Goa, a large part of the problem may have been sorted out for the party.

What is the Mahadayi row:

The Mahadayi river flows into Goa as Mandovi. It originates from Belagavi district and flows 35 kilometres through Karnataka and 52 kilometres through Goa.

The river is a life line for the drought affected districts of North Karnataka and also a main river for Goa too. Goa had challenged the decision by Karnataka to construct seven dams on the river aimed at diverting the water. The tribunal last year had rejected an interim plea by Karnataka to allow the diversion of 7,56 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet to meet the drinking water requirements in fourth districts of North Karnataka.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 7:20 [IST]
Rahuls 1st CWC meeting as Congress president: What will be the agenda?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Dec 22: Just a day after a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in the national capital acquitted all the accused in the 2G spectrum scam case, including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi, giving a "moral high ground" to the Congress, on Friday, Rahul Gandhi is all set to chair a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), his first as the party president.

According to reports, after giving the new party boss a warm welcome, the members of CWC will get down to the "business of politics".

Reports added that the CWC meeting is likely to discuss the current political situation in the country, including the ramifications of the Congress' strong performance in the Gujarat Assembly elections for the party in future.

In the Gujarat polls, the Congress won 77 seats in the 182-member state legislative assembly. Although the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came out triumphant in the elections winning 99 seats, the Congress has welcomed the verdict as a "moral victory" for the party as it managed to give a tough fight to the saffron party in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Party sources said the 2G spectrum scam case judgement acquitting all the accused is also likely to be discussed. The Congress alleges that the BJP and PM Modi had used the alleged scam to the hilt while mounting a fierce campaign against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The alleged corruption cases under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, during its second term from 2009-2014, were widely believed to have led to the defeat of the Manmohan Singh government.

The Congress, sources said, wants to take the 2G issue to the people for which it is likely to formalise a plan soon. The CWC, the party's highest decision-making body, is also likely to adopt a resolution to this effect.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the CWC meeting will commence at 10:30 a.m. The agenda for the meeting was, however, not officially disclosed.

Although Rahul has chaired CWC meetings in the past in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi, it will be for the first time that he will preside over it as the Congress president.

Gandhi was elected unopposed as the Congress chief on December 11 and assumed the party's reins on December 16.

Although Rahul has not made any official statement after the 2G spectrum scam case verdict was pronounced by the court on Thursday, a day after the Gujarat election results, the new Congress president said the polls had delivered the BJP a "zabardast jhatka (terrific shock)" that exposed PM Modi's credibility crisis.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 6:58 [IST]
Places of Worship Act: SC gives more time to Centre to file affidavit by Dec 12

SC declines interim order on pictorial warning on tobacco products

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Supreme Court on Friday declined interim orders on question of pictorial warnings on cigarette packets while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court order which quashed the government regulation that packets of tobacco products must carry pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of packaging space.

The apex court asked Karnataka High Court to upload it's judgement of 15 December. The Court added that, 'urgency in the matter is understandable but no decision till judgement is available.' Next hearing is scheduled for 8 January.

The Karnataka High Court order had quashed the government regulation that packets of tobacco products must carry pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of packaging space. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul considered the submission for urgent hearing on the appeals filed against the high court verdict. Several petitions including the one filed by NGO Health for Millions Trust have challenged the high court verdict.

The high court had on December 15 struck down the 2014 amendment rules that mandated pictorial health warnings to cover 85 per cent of tobacco product packaging space, holding that they violated Constitutional norms. The high court had, however, made it clear that the 40 per cent pictorial health warning rule, which existed prior to the amendment rules, would remain in force.

(With agency inputs)

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 16:38 [IST]
Fact Check: This image of huge crowds in Gujarat is not from the AAP roadshow

Who is the next Gujarat CM? Here are the frontrunners

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

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BJP to decide on next Gujarat CM today, Vijay Rupani and Mansukh Mandaviya top runners Oneindia News

There is a lot of speculation that is rife ahead of a crucial meeting of the BJP to select the next Chief Minister of Gujarat. With Rupani submitting his resignation, there are many front-runners in the race.

While many in the BJP maintain that Rupani may well become the CM again, the name of Mansukh Mandaviya is doing the rounds. He is a union minister and Rajya Sabha member whose term ends in April 2018.

The 45 year old leader is from the Leuva Patel community. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made several references about Mandaviya in his speeches. He has a very good understanding of the farmer problems and in his appointment, the BJP hopes to gain in the agrarian belts. In the recently concluded elections, the BJP lost heavily in this belt and if the course correction would need to be done then Mandaviya is the man, many in the party feel.

The BJP refers to him as a simple man. He would ride the cycle to reach the Rajya Sabha. His family members still use state transport buses to commute in Gujarat.

The other names which are doing the rounds are that of Nitin Patel and Parshottam Rupala. Both are from the Patidar community. The other name doing the round is that of Karnataka Governor, Vajubhai Vala. A meeting of the Gujarat BJP legislators with observers, Arun Jaitley and Saroj Pandey to be held today would decide on who the next CM of Gujarat would be.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 7:42 [IST]
Rahul Gandhi chairs first CWC meet as President, says BJP is full of lies

India

oi-Shreya

By Shreya

Rahul Gandhi on Friday chaired first Congress Working Committee meeting after his elevation as the party president. His mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was also present at the meet. Sonia had arrived before Rahul to attend the meet.

In presence of senior Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul was warmly greeted as the Party President.

Speaking to the media after chairing the meet, Rahul shared his thoughts on 2g scam verdict as well as the recent Gujarat elections which saw a close fight between the BJP and the Congress, though the former emerged victorious.

Rahul said, "2g has been a vindication. The whole architecture of BJP is about lie, like Modi's model of Gujarat and that's what the people of Gujarat told us. The BJP is stealing resources. Even BJP Chief Amit Shah's son is converting 50 thousand to 80 cr and the PM is silent about it, same about the Rafael deal."

Taking on the ruling BJP government, Rahul further added, "In every promise, the BJP has faltered be it about depositing 15 lakh in bank accounts or GST. The country has to think why is Modi silent. And the truth behind 2g has come to the forefront. Everything is infront of the public to think and form a decision now."

OneIndia News
Agreements, disagreements should reflect in debates not in disruptions: Om Birla

Bill to merge 3 MCD polls into one to be introduced in Lok Sabha today

Winter session may be held in new Parliament building

Will Winter Session of Parliament be a washout?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Dec 22: The Winter Session of Parliament continues to be a stormy one as the Opposition remains hell-bent to get a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "conspiracy with Pakistan" remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat Assembly elections.

Reports suggest that the PM is unlikely to apologise for the controversial comments he made against the former PM and others. Thus the impasse in both the Houses of Parliament continues.

On Friday, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it assembled as the Congress insisted that the impasse over the reported remarks by Modi against his predecessor should be resolved first.

Even the Lok Sabha witnessed uproar as Congress leaders raised slogans and demanded PM Modi's apology for remarks against Singh.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11 AM on 27th December amid uproar by Congress demanding PM Modi's apology for remarks against Dr.Manmohan Singh  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

Uproar in Lok Sabha,Congress MPs raise slogans demanding PM Modi's apology for remarks against Dr.Manmohan Singh  ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017

For the past week, the opposition has been demanding a clarification from the PM over his remarks made during the Gujarat election campaign against his predecessor and others.

As soon as the House assembled and papers were laid, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the House should be adjourned till afternoon so that a solution can be found to end the impasse prevailing in the House since the first day of its sitting on December 15.

He said two meetings of the panel headed by Leader of the House Arun Jaitley have taken place to find a solution.

"The House should be adjourned till a solution is found," he said, adding that the Congress members do not want to enter the Well to force adjournment.

Azad said the opposition too wants the House to function and carry out legislative business.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel suggested that the House should continue to function and in the meantime, a solution is found.

"This is not such an issue that a solution cannot be found," he said, adding, the Rajya Sabha did function for a day even during the impasse.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma too insisted that the House should be adjourned without any disruption.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu tried to continue with the Zero Hour proceedings, but as the Congress did not budge, he adjourned the House for the day.

Rajya Sabha will now meet again on December 27, after the long weekend and Christmas break. Earlier the Chairman had allowed two members to raise points of order.

While TMC member Derek O'Brien raised the issue of a brief "blackout" of Rajya Sabha TV telecast on Thursday, SP member Naresh Agarwal demanded a hike in the salaries of MPs.

O'Brien said the telecast was stopped at 2.13 pm on Thursday when Congress members were protesting over Modi's remarks against Singh and others.

These are "democratic scenes", so let the people watch it, he said, adding that this is also part of parliamentary democracy. O'Brien urged the Chair that the live broadcast should not be shut down.

To this, Naidu said "this is a suggestion" and not a point of order.

Agarwal then demanded that the salaries of MPs should be increased and said the possible criticism by the media for this, should not be a factor while deciding on the salary hike. He said media persons also get hefty salaries.

He demanded for a response from the government on the issue. Naidu said he will bring the matter to the notice of Jaitley.

Earlier, members paid obituary to Jalaludin Ansari who died on December 17. Ansari was member of the House from April 1994 to April 2000.

The Winter Session of Parliament started on December 15. It will last till January 5, 2018.

Before the start of the Winter Session, the government expressed its plan to table and pass 14 bills. However, looking at the regular disruptions and adjournments it looks unlikely that all the bills would be passed in the ongoing session.

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Story first published: Friday, December 22, 2017, 13:36 [IST]
How North Korea kept US on toes in 2017

International

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

North Korea's military might has grown by leaps and bounds in 2017 especially their missile program. It has fired around 23 missiles in 16 tests this year with the most recent one being on November 29. The increasing range of North Korea's missiles has not only left Japan and South Korea worrying but also sent shivers down United States' spine. Pyongyang, in fact, claimed that its test of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-15 on November 29 could strike 'anywhere on the United States mainland'.

Although North Korea has been conducting missiles tests for years, its tests in 2017 showed remarkable technological advancement, despite diplomatic and economic isolation. Not only did it show that it had a range of ballistic missiles, North Korea also tested one nuclear weapon this year. The size of the weapon tested on September 3, said to be a hydrogen bomb, dwarfed all previous tests conducted by the country with some experts pegging its yield to be around 200-250 kilotons, which is almost 17 times the size of the atom bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Here are some of the important missile tests conducted by North Korea in 2017:

On April 4, 2017, North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile which reached the Sea of Japan.

On April 16, a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile was launched and failed almost immediately, according to the United States Military and the South Korean Armed Forces.

On May 14, a ballistic missile test was carried out. The Hwasong-12 missile flew for 30 minutes, covering a distance of 700 km and reaching an altitude upwards of 2,000 km .

On June 8, North Korea fired four anti-ship missiles off its east coast, near the port city of Wonsan.

On July 4, North Korea conducted the first publicly announced flight test of its ICBM Hwasong-14, timed to coincide with the U.S. Independence Day celebrations. This flight had a claimed range of 933 kilometres eastwards into the Sea of Japan and reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometres during a 39-minute flight.

[Beware Kim, Minuteman can wipe North Korea off the map]

On July 28, North Korea launched an additional ballistic missile from Chagang Province, reaching an altitude of 3,000 km. It was estimated that the missile could have a range of approximately 10,000 km based on its 45-minute flight time. With this range, the missile could potentially reach major U.S. cities such as Denver and Chicago.

On August 29, North Korea launched a missile which flew over Hokkaido, Japan. The missile reached an altitude of 550 km and flew a total distance of around 2,700 km before crashing into the Pacific.

[Kim continues to irk Trump: Here is all you need to know about North Korea's missile program]

On September 15, North Korea fired a Hwasong-12 missile over Hokkaido, Japan, for the second time. The missile traveled 3,700 kilometres and reached a maximum height of 770 kilometres.

After a hiatus of close to two months, North Korea on November 29 successfully tested ICBM Hwasong-15. North Korea claimed that it can strike anywhere on the United States mainland. Hwasong-15 reached heights of almost 4,500 kilometers and covered a distance of around 950 kilometers before splashing into the sea around 210 kms from Japan's Aomori Prefecture.

['Hwasong 15 can indeed deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in America']

OneIndia News
This is the truth: All people of India are Hindus says Dr. Mohan Bhagwat

India, 127 countries vote against US move on Jerusalem

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

India joined 127 countries in the United Nations General Assembly to vote against a US move to recognise Israel as the capital of Jerusalem.

Indias decision to vote against American recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital comes a day after Trump warned countries against opposing the US position.

India did not speak on the floor of the Assembly in New York, but after Trump recognised the holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it had said that its Palestine position was independent and consistent.

In her intervention at the NAM ministerial meeting on Palestine on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the path to Israel-Jerusalem peace clearly lay in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements.

The UN General Assembly resolution moved by Turkey and Yemen stressed that Jerusalem was a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations.

It demanded that all States comply with Security Council resolutions regarding Jerusalem, and not recognise any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.

In his address to the UN general Assembly, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Trumps decision was an outrageous assault to all universal values.

"The Palestinians have the right to their own state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," he said.

"This is the main parameter and only hope for a just and lasting peace in the region. However, the recent decision of a UN Member State to recognise Jerusalem, or Al-Quds, as the capital of Israel, violates international law, including all relevant UN resolutions," Cavusoglu said.

The eight countries that joined the US in voting against the Turkish resolution were Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Togo.

Among the major countries who abstained the voting were Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Columbia, Hungry, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Poland and Uganda.

Strongly supporting Trumps decision US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that the US may strip funding of those countries that voted against its Jerusalem move.

"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly. We will remember it when we are called upon to, once again, make the worlds largest contribution to the United Nations," Haley told the General Assembly.

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference in how Americans view the UN," the top American diplomat said.

Trump had warned against cutting funds yesterday. "Let them vote against us, well save a lot. We dont care. This isnt like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what theyre doing," Trump told reporters at White House yesterday.

Early this week, the US had vetoed a similar resolution in the Security Council. The resolution passed by the General Assembly has no legal implications on the UN member countries.

Trump praised Haley for taking a tough position on Jerusalem at the world body yesterday and warned the countries who voted against the US that America will not be "taken advantage" of anymore.

"All these nations take our money and then vote against us at the Security Council," Trump told his Cabinet members at a meeting at the White House.

He was referring to the isolation of the US in the UN Security Council when all 14 members of the apex body joined hands against Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

OneIndia News
Israel rejects 'preposterous' UN vote against Jerusalem

International

pti-PTI

Jerusalem, December 22: Israel has rejected as "preposterous" the vote that opposed the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. India and 127 countries vote against the move at the UN General Assembly.

India yesterday joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of US President Donald Trump to Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Trump on December 6 announced that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, triggering protests and strong condemnation from across the world.

Israel has rejected the "preposterous" vote at the UN General Assembly, thanking the nations that supported "the truth" by not participating in "the theatre of the absurd", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be," Netanyahu said in a video message released immediately after the UN vote.

"But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theatre of the absurd. So I appreciate that, and especially I want to again express our thanks to (US) President (Donald) Trump and Ambassador (Nikki) Haley, for their stalwart defence of Israel and their stalwart defence of the truth," Netanyahu said.

The United Nations General Assembly yesterday defied the US and overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, calling on countries not to move their diplomatic missions to the city.

"Let them vote against us... We don't care. But this isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars," Trump had said on Wednesday threatening to withdraw US aid to countries that vote in favour of the UN resolution.

"We're not going to be taken advantage of any longer," the US President had asserted. Israeli Jewish politicians expressed their anger against the world body but Arab parliamentarians called it a "wake up call". Israel's hawkish Defence Minister, Avigdor Liberman, reminded Israelis of the longstanding Israeli disdain for such votes.

"Let us just remember that this is the same UN about which our first ambassador to the organisation, Abba Eban, once said: 'If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions'", Liberman said.

"There is nothing new in what just happened at the UN," he added, and praised the US as "the moral beacon shining out of the darkness". Minister of Strategic Affairs and Public Security Gilad Erdan also blasted the UN vote.

"The historic connection between Israel and Jerusalem is stronger than any vote by the 'United Nations'  nations who are united only by their fear and their refusal to recognise the simple truth that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the Jewish people," Erdan said in a statement after the vote.

He called upon for strengthening Israel's sovereignty, security and construction in every part of Jerusalem. However, the top Arab lawmaker in the Knesset, Arab Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh, said the vote was a wake-up call for Israel.

"In the international arena, there still exists a large and definitive majority that believes that the Palestinian people, like all other nations, deserve a place in this world and the right to self-determination," he said in a statement.

"This evening's vote by the majority of the world's nations against Trump's announcement, in spite of the pressure and threats, flies in the face of Trump's and Netanyahu's diplomatic policy and is a clear statement by the international community in support of peace and the right of the Palestinians to an independent state, whose capital is East Jerusalem," Odeh added.

Noa Landau, an analyst for the daily Ha'aretz, citing diplomatic sources, said that Israel was particularly disappointed with countries like India that have enhanced bilateral relations with it recently.

"The main disappointment in Israel was with the countries that have enhanced bilateral relations in recent years, especially those that share a particularly conservative worldview with the Netanyahu government," Landau wrote.

"For example, India  whose Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Israel in July, a tour that was memorable mainly for the pastoral photographs of him and Netanyahu embracing and wading in the waves  voted for the resolution against Israel and the United States," she said. The Israeli prime minister will be visiting India in January 14 to 18.

PTI
Trump administration has put Pakistan on notice, says Pence

International

pti-PTI

Washington, December 22: During his unannounced visit to Afghanistan, Vice President Mike Pence has said US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice for providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terror organisations in its soil.

"For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over," Pence told American troops at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence said, addressing about 500 troops in a hangar decorated with Christmas decorations and massive armored vehicles.

"As the President said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," the vice president said, issuing another stern warning to Pakistan, for which using non-state actors against its two neighbours India and Afghanistan has been part of its national security policy. Trump, he said, has unleashed the full range of American military might.

"We've lifted the restrictions that limited the effectiveness of our armed forces, so you can, as the President has said, fully and swiftly wage battle against the enemy," he said.

The Trump Administration, he said, has given the troops new authorities to directly target the terrorists and militants no matter where they hide. He has empowered battlefield commanders with the freedom and flexibility they need to win.

Pence said this new strategy is already bearing fruit all across Afghanistan. "American people deserve to know that with the courage of everyone gathered here, we're making real progress in this fight for freedom in Afghanistan. We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive," he said.

"We've prevented them from launching a major campaign against a provincial capital for the first time in three years. We've targeted the Taliban's funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking networks, Pence said.

"All across this country we've won new victories against the terrorists, no matter what they call themselves or where they try to hide. Our enemies will have no time to recover or rebuild because we will continue to bring overwhelming force to defeat them every day, every time," Pence said.

Trump, according to him, has ordered the integration of every facet of American power, diplomatic and economic measures to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan.

"And until that day comes, you can be assured, we will be relentless in our campaign to destroy our enemies. Because as history attests, weakness arouses evil, and peace only comes through strength.

So be strong and courageous, and do the work of freedom," Pence said. In Afghanistan, Pence met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

"We discussed the progress that we've made in this country and America's commitment to the Afghan government and the commitment of the Afghanis to their own freedom in this land," he said.

"I said to them what I say to you now: Under President Donald Trump, the Armed Forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people once and for all," he added.

PTI
UN weighs new North Korea sanctions, vote expected tomorrow

International

pti-PTI

United Nations, Dec 21: The United States presented a draft UN Security Council resolution ramping up sanctions on North Korea by cutting oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's military programs, according to the text.

The council is expected to vote on the new sanctions tomorrow, diplomats said. The measure would ban the supply of nearly 90 percent of refined oil products to North Korea and order the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad within 12 months, according to the text obtained by AFP.

The United States has been in negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, on slapping new sanctions in response to the November 28 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Since last year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test - its sixth - and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions.

The latest draft would build on previous sanctions that restrict crude and refined oil deliveries to North Korea, most of which are supplied by China. US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to its desperately struggling economy.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been sent to Russia and China to earn hard currency for Pyongyang, working in what UN rights officials have described as "slave-like conditions." The draft resolution would cap crude oil supplies to four million barrels per year and require countries to seek UN permission to ship crude to North Korea.

Deliveries of refined petroleum products including diesel and kerosene would be capped at 500,000 barrels for next year, according to the measure that would order all countries to report their shipments to the United Nations. The measure would expand a list of banned exports to include food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone including magnesite and magnesia, wood and vessels from North Korea. All countries would be authorized to seize, inspect, freeze and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea, according to the proposed measure.

A total of 19 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, would be added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the North Korean ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages logistics for the army.

The United States has led the drive at the Security Council to tighten sanctions that are aimed at pressuring Kim Jong-Un's regime to come to the negotiating table. Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the council that the "pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearisation is achieved" as he backtracked from his offer to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang.

In negotiations on previous sanctions, the United States has first agreed with China on provisions of each resolution before presenting the text to the full 15-member council, which has then quickly voted. So far, the Security Council has imposed a full ban on supplies of condensates and natural gas liquids to North Korea, capped deliveries of refined oil products to two million barrels a year, and capped crude oil exports at current levels.

The council has also banned exports of North Korean coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, restricted joint ventures and ended the hiring of North Korean workers abroad. The United States has separately asked the council to blacklist 10 ships, including two Hong Kong-flagged vessels, for carrying banned cargo from North Korea. The UN sanctions committee has set a deadline of 3:00 pm (local time) today for council members to raise any objections to a request to ban all 10 ships from ports worldwide.

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Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. As of 2021, its population is 40.2 million, composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital.
Deutsche Welle 05 Jul 2022

Paz Esteban was replaced after a controversy over the use of the Pegasus spyware to hack top Spanish officials' cellphones, as well..
GlobeNewswire 28 Jun 2022

Savannah Cavanaugh Wins the State Title of 2022 Miss Colorado and Will Compete for National Title at the 101st Miss America..


Hanoi Jane urinal target at Cookie's Tavern, 2017

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Two blocks from my front door, there are two signs in a house window, "FASCIST SCUM YOUR TIME IS DONE," "WHITE SUPREMACY IS TERRORISM." Seeing them, my 71-year-old friend, Felix, snarled, "I feel like throwing a rock through that window! How dare he comes into this neighborhood and calls us Fascists!" Interesting, Felix' immediate assumption that the man was a newcomer, that is, an outsider who had intruded to find the locals more than deplorable.



Less than a block away, there are these signs in second floor windows, "VETERANS FOR TRUMP / MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," "TRUMP / MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," "the silent majority STANDS WITH TRUMP," "TRUMP / MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," plus an American flag.



Fifty yards from that house, there is a poster showing the Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta being flushed down the toilet, "CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DIDN'T DISCOVER sh*t / DECOLONIZE / ABOLISH POLICE . RETURN STOLEN LAND . CEASE INDUSTRIALIZATION . CEASE ASSIMILATION . PROTECT SACRED LAND AND WATER"



So far, who is the extremist here? Of course, the correct answer is all of them, thanks to the extreme polarization of our society, for if you don't agree with someone politically, he becomes a Fascist or Communist.



The last fellow echoes Derek Jensen, who has written 20 books to defend nature and denounce human supremacism, industrialism and agriculture. Jensen wants to destroy all that is and reboot the world. Since humanity can never think or act as one, however, there is no chance that, say, "CEASE INDUSTRIALISM" can ever be applied universally.



We've only walked two blocks, and the political and social division on display is already jarring, so let's take brief refuge in the Friendly Lounge, yet even here, there's a civil war brewing. Check out this Yelp review, "Calling this bar 'Friendly' Lounge must have been somebody's idea of a sick joke. The bartender (it's almost always the same dude) is downright surly (which it must be said, I usually do go in for). He kind of perches on the bar and doesn't really move when people come in. There is definitely a negative vibe directed at anybody under forty, particularly those in ironic t-shirts and thick black frames. Also, you're more than likely to hear some offensive (most likely racist) joke told between the staff and the regulars if you stay around long enough. There are no beers on draft and a very limited selection in the bottle. I think Yuengling was the creme de la creme of that selection."



Friendly owners still resist serving Pabst Blue Ribbon, it's true. To those who are into man buns, soul patches and tight jeans, this is a stay away sign. Metrosexual hipsters are not missed by Felix, "They're Communists, basically." Returning the favor, they'd brand him a Fascist for his defense of Trump.



Yes, the nighttime bartender, Marco, can often be surly, but his brother, Dominik, who works daytime, is always courteous and accommodating. Last week, when two black dudes tried to pay with a fake $20, Dom didn't freak but gave them two free drinks, just to avoid a commotion. As for the racist jokes, they come in all colors, including plenty against Italians, "the Awopaho tribe."



Felix, "Everybody is a little racist. You have to a bit prejudiced, just to get by in this world. If you walk in a black neighborhood and you see a gang of teenagers at a corner, you'll cross the street. The 'correct' people are the biggest bigots of them all. Back in the 60's, the quote was, 'Never trust anybody over 30.' Now, I don't trust anybody under 30."



Three blocks from me is a huge mural of Frank Rizzo, the Fascist late mayor, according to many, or a law-and-order man who prevented race riots from inflaming Philadelphia. Dom, "Rizzo didn't see black or white. He saw blue." Felix, "He gave black people more jobs than any Philly mayor before him." A Friendly regular, Cookie, has a brother who worked as a Rizzo bodyguard. Paint has been repeatedly splashed on the Rizzo mural, in the heart of the Italian Market, and after much protest, the Rizzo statue will be evicted from its prominent spot near city hall.



Rizzo fans are all over South Philly. Cops, firemen, longshoremen, iron workers and carpenters, they drink at dives like Shamrock, Dee's Place, O'Jung and Cookie's, the last with American flags all over, and signs such as, "America is #1 Thanks to our Veterans," "MY FRIEND TOOK BILL CLINTONS PLACE IN VIETNAM / HIS NAME IS ON THE WALL" and "Politicians don't keep US "FREE" / OUR MILITARY DOES! USA, USN, USAF, USMC, USCG". In the men's room, there's a sticker with "HANOI JANE" in each urinal. On Fonda's cheek is a hammer and sickle. Piss on the traitor! Outside, there are two large banners, "MARINES MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."



College-indoctrinared millennials wouldn't be caught smirking in Cookie's, not even for a speedball dose of contempt and irony. They hang in joints like Pennsport Beer Boutique, Bok Bar and 2nd Street Brew House. In New York City last year, I chatted with a 25-ish woman who referred to middle America as "hell land," and many of those "hell landers," in turn, wouldn't mind seeing Manhattan, Seattle, Portland or San Francisco nuked, for they're all "Commie" bastions.



Around Temple University, flyers went up this month in the middle of night, "Hey you stupid NIGGERS / Bernie would have won if it wasn't for you. Seriously, f*ck you all. This is all your fault."



We speak of red and blue states, but our violent political division exists within each city block, and often within the same household. Spouses have divorced over their fealty to Trump or Hillary, war criminals both, just like Obama, Bush and Clinton, etc., all brown noses of the military banking complex and Israel. Branding each other Fascist or Communist, we absolve our common enemies.



Overweening state power, as epitomized by both Communism and Fascism, is the common threat that should unite all Americans.





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From Paul Craig Roberts Website

Green Party presidential Candidate Jill Stein is being investigated by the Senate Intelligence (sic) Committee for "Russian connections."

What has brought Russiagate to Jill Stein? The answer is that she attended the 10th Anniversary RT dinner in Moscow as did the notorious "Russian collaborator" US General Michael Flynn. RT is a news organization, a far better one than exists in the West, but if you were one of the many accomplished people who attended the anniversary dinner, you are regarded by Republican Senator Richard Burr from North Carolina as a possible Kremlin agent.

What is going on here? Stein sums it up: "we must guard against the potential for these investigations to be used to intimidate and silence principled opposition to the political establishment."

Here I sit considering two interesting invitations. One is to speak at the main Plenary Session of the Moscow Economic Forum in April. The other is to speak at the Summit for Global Challenges in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan in May. The very minute I accept, the NSA will notify its mouthpieces, the New York Times, PropOrNot's promoter the Washington Post, Senator Burr, and Special Russiagate Prosecutor Robert Mueller. Would I be renditioned to Israel or Egypt or Saudi Arabia and tortured until I confessed that I was a member of the Trump-Flynn-Jill Stein Kremlin spy network?

As the United States is no longer a free country governed by a Constitution that protects civil liberty, that possibility cannot be discounted. What is for sure is that if I accept these invitations, the US Establishment will discredit my voice when I write about US/Russia relations. Indeed, that was the intention of the PropOrNot Washington Post story that attacked 200 truth-tellers as "Russian agents/dupes."

Many of those so attacked have experienced slower growth in their readership. After all, Americans and Europeans are insouciant. They are actually sufficiently stupid to believe what governments and print and TV media tell them.

I, too, was invited to RT's 10th Anniversary celebration in Moscow. Imagining the celebration would be grand balls in palaces and myself, decked out in white tie with my French Legion of Honor dancing with those beautiful RT women, I almost accepted. But I learned in time that the event was conferences and speeches, and decided to forego a Moscow winter.

Otherwise I would be in the dock with Trump, Flynn, and Jill Stein and whomever the Washington Gestapo settles on next.

Russiagate is an orchestrated hoax. That has now become so apparent that even insouciant Americans are catching on, even those low IQ ones who sit in front of TV news. I often disparage Congress, but here is a member who is admirable, Republican Representative Jim Jordan from Ohio.

Watch the short video and delight in the power and force with which Rep. Jordan goes after the piece of crap US deputy attorney general the Twitter President has in office. When the President of the United States has to rely on a congressman to call out the Justice Department and the FBI for its criminal actions and for its treason to overthrow both democracy and the elected government of the United States, you know we have elected a president who is too scared to defend himself. Roger Stone is correct, if Trump were a real man, Mueller, Comey, Hillary, Obama, and the rest of the criminal scum would be arrested, prosecuted and sentenced for their vast crimes, crimes that exceed those of anyone in prison today.

But Trump is nothing but talk. No action.

How much longer can I give interviews to Russian and Iranian media before the Washington Gestapo gives me a midnight knock on my door.

Whatever America is, it is not a free country.

If Trump wants to make America great again, he must shatter the CIA, FBI, NSA, and media into a thousand pieces. The concentrated power that President Eisenhower warned Americans about in 1961 is far too great for liberty to survive.

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capitalism

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By Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report

"The rich prevail in virtually every contest because their political monopoly matches their monopoly on economic power."

Senate Republicans passed a tax bill that House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi described as "simply theft -- monumental, brazen theft from the American middle class and from every person who aspires to reach it." The measure fulfills every corporate wish list compiled in the 30 years since Ronald Reagan last overhauled the tax code. Pelosi, who once co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus, corralled majority Democratic support for a $700 billion war budget -- by far the largest in human history and nearly $100 billion bigger than President Trump requested. It, too, is a "brazen theft" that will be paid for with future social spending cuts.

Polls show the American people oppose both the oligarchic tax code and the apocalyptic war budget, but such facts are of no legislative consequence, because the U.S. political machinery hears only the voice of Capital, as expressed by both corporate parties. If Congress does not undo the war budget -- which means dismantling imperialism -- then the decimation of social programs will continue. But the Democrats, including Bernie Sanders, will not abandon the imperial project. The rich prevail in virtually every contest because their politicalmonopoly matches their monopoly on economicpower -- both of which are ultimately secured by force of arms, domestically and in international relations.

"The U.S. political machinery hears only the voice of Capital, as expressed by both corporate parties."

The rich rule, not because they are smart or even competent, but because there are no organized domestic forces strong enough to stop them -- not even a viable social democratic opposition to temper their obscene excesses with the discipline of common decency. Two generations ago, Black folks tried mightily to rescue America's "soul" from its origins in slavery and genocide, but no enduring social contract has yet been forged across lines of race and class -- only tentative and conditional arrangements of "tolerance" and "diversity" that are now under Trumpian assault. Black Democrats in Congress follow Pelosi on the warpath, sell their votes to banksters and internet-stealing telecom giants, and eagerly endorse the transfer of Pentagon weapons to local police departments.The transformative yearnings of the Black Radical Tradition strain against the dead weight of a bought-out Black Misleadership Class that won't pursue any kind of liberation that they can't wear or spend.

The Movement for Black Lives, endowed with millions from capitalist philanthropy, will discover -- as did a previous generation -- that the revolution will not be subsidized. But they will probably have to exhaust their endowments before the lesson is learned.

"The transformative yearnings of the Black Radical Tradition strain against the dead weight of a bought-out Black Misleadership Class."

With nobody to stop them, the 1% are free -- for the time being -- to multiply the contradictions of their existence. In the near term, until an effective, genuine "resistance" to the rule of the rich can be galvanized, the plutocrats and their minions will be their own worst enemies, accelerating the process of their own decline.

The orgy of class thievery just completed on Capitol Hill has alarmed and outraged three-quarters of the public, including much of Donald Trump's racist electoral base -- and the full import of the crime has not yet set in. The oligarchs have no shame, and revel in the ease with which the system allows them to plunder. The ghouls of Wall Street believe they are basking in the glow of the ultimate "creative destruction" -- the elimination of all constraints on capital -- and that they are invincible. Donald Trump tweets that this is so from his hegemonic toilet seat. The rich cannot help but push the rest of our noses in the dirt, and that -- plus the inherent contradictions of capitalism in fatal decline -- will be their undoing.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com


Saddam Hussein

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The US Government protection of the Arabs Persian Gulf countries led to the Gulf War of 1990 to liberate the Kingdom of Kuwait from Saddam Hussein of Iraq occupation.

'The Gulf War (2 August 1990 -- 28 February 1991), codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 -- 17 January 1991) for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 -- 28 February 1991) in its combat phase, was a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.'

One month into the first Gulf War, in February 1991, President George H.W. Bush called on the Iraqi people to stage a coup. He asked them 'to take matters into their own hands and force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside.'

Iraqi people answered President George H.W. Bush's call, and they revolted against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. But President George H.W. Bush betrayed Iraqi people by stopping Gulf war and allowing Saddam Hussein to kill Iraqi civilian.

The 1991 uprisings in Iraq were a series of popular rebellions in northern and southern Iraq in March and April 1991 in a cease-fire of the Persian Gulf War. The mostly uncoordinated insurgency often referred to as the Sha'aban Intifada among Arabs and as the National Uprising among Kurds.

More than two million Kurds moved to Iran and Turkey because of the US Government betrayal. Under public pressure, President George H.W. Bush and the US Congress committed to protecting Kurds of Northern Iraq.

The US Government supported two mafia families of Barzani and Talabani in 'the Kurdistan Regional Governments of Iraq (KRG)' since 1991. And many ex-officials of the US joined the Barzani and Talabani mafia families in the oil businesses.

Barzani and Talabani mafia families abused Kurdish people, while the US Governments looked another way. The US Governments protected mafia families of Barzani and Talabani instead of Kurdish people.

Kurdish people are hungry and revolting now in last two days. The mafia forces of Barzani and Talabani are killing hungry Kurdish civilian now. The question is, where is the US Government protection of Kurds?

References

Kurdish protesters set fire to Barzani's party offices in Iraqi Kurdistan

rd.net/protesters-fire-barzani-party-2017-12-19

Li Ranyaye hezen asayise eris birin ser gel: Bi dehan kes birindar bun

click here
Ahead of a vote in the United Nations' General Assembly on a resolution condemning US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, president Donald Trump and UN ambassador Nikki Haley threatened states voting for the resolution with the loss of US financial aid. "We're watching those votes" said Trump. "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot. We don't care. But this isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they're doing."

A good call on Trump's part. Now it's time to follow through. Not because the US lost the UN vote, but because US foreign aid is an inherently disastrous budget item that needs to go. Trump seems to understand that. This is an issue he's already begun to address with his 2018 budget proposal, which if adopted as written would have cut the US foreign aid budget from $30 billion to $25 billion per year. The more quickly that number moves toward $0, the better for America and the better for recipients of largess from the American government.

Supporters of foreign aid love to point out that it constitutes less than 1% of the federal budget. True, but that 1% comes with lots of strings attached for both parties.

When the US government throws money at another country's government, it instantly becomes entangled in that country's problems -- internal and external, economic and military, every problem of every sort. For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction -- when America tries to be the good guy for Country A, America also ends up being the bad guy for Country B, and/or for domestic opponents of Country A's political establishment. The potential negative consequences of such entanglements include, but aren't limited to, terrorism and war.

On the receiving side, well, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Washington wants things for its money -- things ranging from support for its military adventures to distortions on the recipients' economies imposed through politics for the benefit of this or that set of corporate cronies. In many cases, the lunch is not just un-free, but insanely over-priced.

Even at current levels, the US foreign aid budget comes to less than $10 per year per American. That's not an argument for keeping it. It's an argument for leaving foreign aid to the private charitable "market." Americans spend one hundred times as much on coffee each year!

If you or I want to "support Israel" or "donate to Kenya" or "fight starvation in India," we can easily afford to do so in like or greater amounts than the federal government does, individually or as members of voluntary organizations, and without those terrible strings attached.


CREDO Calls on NRA to Stand Down

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Article originally published in The Springfield Republican and MassLive

By Robert Weiner and Ben Lasky

We are now five years past since Dec. 14, 2012, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, 90 minutes down Rt. 91 from Springfield, when 20 first graders and six adults were killed in a matter of minutes. More national commentators than you can count were certain that was the event -- the killing of children -- that would generate real action to restore the assault weapon ban and institute background checks, yet it did not.

The Navy Yard shooting in Washington, DC in 2013 killed 12. Fort Hood in 2014 (13 victims). Charleston's Emanuel AME Church in 2015 -- nine dead. Orlando's Pulse Nightclub in 2016 -- 50 dead. A Las Vegas outdoor concert 2017 -- 59 dead, shot from an upstairs window. Some of these (Fort Hood and Charleston) were with handguns, but the big numbers murders were from assault weapons. In the daily White House briefing on Dec. 14, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders said, "Whether or not there's a regulation that could be put in place or not that could have prevented those things, frankly I'm not aware of what that would be." Huckabee-Sanders went on to say that the Trump Administration looks for every opportunity to save American lives -- except for the ones that apply to what's happening around assault weapons and background checks.

We hear each time a call for thoughts and prayer for the victims, and now is not the time to discuss legislation. Why not?

If a White House really wants to prevent massacres like more Sandy Hook, they can draft a bill for Congress that does away with the gun show loophole, which allows private gun sellers to sell guns to anyone they want without performing a background check, and restore the assault weapons ban that was put in place under Bill Clinton but with an incomprehensible 2004 sunset rule.

The reason nothing has happened is the myth that no one can win elections by attacking the NRA and making guns a central campaign issue. Chad Pergram of Fox News wrote on Oct. 4 this year, "Democrats really haven't had a successful House or Senate candidate who ran predominantly on a gun control platform since former Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) prevailed in a 1996 House contest." That is not a true statement. Cong. Robin Kelly (D-Il.) ran and won in 2012 by pushing against a pro-NRA incumbent, won again in 2014 and 2016, and remains in office, by specifically calling for reforms and opposing the NRA. A Virginia delegate just won by opposing the NRA. We asked Fox to run a correction but they have yet to do so. Knowing the impossibility of victory is an untrue myth could persuades others to try.

A 2015 Quinnipiac poll showed that 87 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of gun owners support tougher background checks, and majorities support other sensible reforms, yet NRA leadership will not budge an inch on anything having to do with gun reform.

Congressional Republicans discussed banning bump stocks (a homemade assault weapon conversion technique) following the shooting in Las Vegas. Those talks have all but vanished. Instead, on Dec. 6, the House expanded conceal-carry gun rights by 33 votes allowing hidden guns almost everywhere. That should make us feel safe?

If the NRA will not allow Congress to act on something the majority of its members and the American people agree on, then the majority of its members should leave the NRA and start their own group. This new group can make a rule that the top gun manufacturers can't buy the group the way they have the NRA.

Mass shootings occur so frequently in the US that they only make headlines when the death toll is high enough. It is well past time for rational gun owners to either take the NRA back or start a new organization. It's also time for Congress to stop laying in fear of the NRA when they can in fact be opposed successfully. If that doesn't happen, the US will continually be marking these anniversaries into eternity.

Ben Lasky is senior policy analyst at Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change.
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From Smirking Chimp



Wells Fargo

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The Republican lawmakers have sold the corporate portion of their tax cuts with the claim that it is actually about helping workers. Their argument is that the corporate tax cut will lead to so much growth that the increase in wages will actually be considerably larger than the tax cut itself. The GOP's story is that lower corporate taxes inevitably mean more investment, which means higher wages for more workers, as well as increased imports and greater productivity.

The vast majority of economists have questioned this basic logic, because in the past, investment has not been highly responsive to after-tax rates of profit. But that didn't stop the Republican-controlled Congress from passing the tax bill. And now, in an effort to build public support for the corporate tax cut, several major corporations have been announcing bonuses and pay raises for workers.

AT&T announced that it would give a one-time bonus of $1,000 to 200,000 workers. Its rival Comcast also promised a $1,000 bonus for 100,000 workers. Fifth Third Bancorp promised a $1,000 bonus for 13,500 employees, while raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour. Wells Fargo said it would raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour, too. Boeing announced a $300 million fund to be spent on training workers, upgrading facilities and matching workers' charitable contributions.

While the employees getting these increases will undoubtedly be pleased, there are a few caveats that must be kept in mind.

First, many of these announcements refer to one-time bonuses, not permanent pay hikes. This is not what the GOP promised. The corporate tax cuts were made permanent on the grounds that companies needed the expectation of higher future after-tax profits in order to justify greater investment today. If the economy is following the course predicted by the Republicans, all these pay increases should be permanent, too.

The second caveat is that some of the increases may have little to do with the tax cut. They can be attributed instead to the tightening labor market, along with higher minimum wage laws. This is especially true of Wells Fargo, which is based in California. The state has already passed into law a $15 minimum wage, which is scheduled to be fully phased in by 2022.

Wells Fargo will be getting there a bit more quickly if it adopts its $15 minimum in 2018. It will also be applying that hike in parts of the country where the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour still sets the standard, but even in these other areas, a tightening labor market is putting upward pressure on wages. Last summer, Target announced that it would get to a minimum wage of $15 an hour by 2020. That announcement had no obvious connection to any expectation of a corporate tax cut.

Third, but perhaps most significantly, these pay hikes are not especially large relative to the size of the corporate tax cut. Take the example of AT&T: In 2016, the company reported operating income, net of interest, of $19.4 billion. It paid $6.5 billion in taxes, which means an effective tax rate of 33.5 percent.

If it had instead paid the 21 percent tax rate in the new bill, AT&T's savings would be $2.4 billion. The promised bonus for 200,000 employees comes to $200 million, or less than one-tenth the size of the tax cut. This is very much in line with the expectations of tax bill critics, who predicted that the overwhelming majority of the money that corporations now get to keep will end up as higher profits paid out to shareholders, not as permanently higher wages for workers.

But the real question is not the immediate split between wages and payouts to shareholders. The Republican story of tax cut blessings rests on a great surge in investment. We should begin to know if that is going to happen very soon. After all, companies were obviously following the tax cut debate over the last two months and presumably began to make plans as to what they would do if the bill passed.

So if there is going to be the huge upsurge in investment predicted by tax cut supporters, it should be showing up in the data on orders for capital goods almost immediately. And it should be a very large upturn, not just the normal increase to be expected in an economy that has been strengthening for the last eight years.

Until we get those data, we have little basis to judge whether the tax cut will deliver the economic growth and pay increases the Republicans said would happen. This display of corporate beneficence to workers and communities is nice, but it has to be understood as part of a public relations campaign. It tells us nothing about whether the tax cut will ultimately deliver to workers the gains promised by its proponents.
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https://www.verifiedvoting. org/



California= 19 million entry database

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http://thehill.com/policy/ cybersecurity/365113-hackers- demand-ransom-for-california- voter-database

California: Hackers demand ransom for California voter database | The Hill

Hackers have deleted a database of potential California voters with more than 19 million entries, demanding around $3,500 to restore it. Researchers at the security firm MacKeeper's Kromtech research group first noticed the issue, but have not been able to identify the database's owner to notify them. "We decided to go public to let everyone who was affected know," said Bob Diachenko, head of communications for Kromtech. Kromtech primarily searches for misconfigured databases on cloud storage accounts that accidentally reveal private information to the public. In early December, they found a misconfigured database on an Amazon cloud account containing what appeared to be information on 19 million Californian citizens, including contact and mailing information as well as voting precinct information. But while the company was investigating the misconfigured files, they noticed the files were suddenly removed and replaced with a ransom note demanding 0.2 bitcoin, or about $3,500.

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/ Politics/2017/1215/Why-did- Broward-destroy-2016-ballots- Sanders-ally-seeks-US-probe

A South Florida law professor, running to unseat Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is calling for a federal investigation into the destruction of all ballots cast in the August 2016 Democratic primary in Broward County. The challenger, Tim Canova, has made repeated public records requests and filed a lawsuit seeking access to paper ballots cast in his unsuccessful race last year against the former Democratic National Committee chair in Florida's 23rd congressional district. A statistical analysis of the primary conducted last year suggested the election results were "potentially implausible." Over the past year, the Broward supervisor of elections, Brenda Snipes, has taken no action on Mr. Canova's requests to examine the ballots, and she has urged a judge to throw Canova's lawsuit out. Despite the pending records requests and the ongoing litigation, Dr. Snipes ordered the ballots and other election documents destroyed, according to papers filed in circuit court here.

http://thehill.com/regulation/ other/364793-gop-bill-scraps- voter-registration- requirements-for-colleges

National: GOP bill would scrap voter registration requirements for colleges | The Hill

House Republicans are pushing a higher education bill that scraps requirements for colleges and universities to alert students to register to vote. As part of legislation rewriting the laws governing colleges and universities, Republicans left out provisions added in 1998 and 2008 to ensure that schools make a good-faith effort to distribute voter registration forms to students enrolled at their institutions. The House Education and the Workforce Committee approved the bill late Tuesday in a 23-17 party-line vote that largely went under the radar. It would nix language requiring that schools request voter registration forms from their state at least 120 days before the voter registration deadline, and send students an "electronic communication" exclusively about voter registration.

https://fcw.com/articles/2017/ 12/13/wyden-election-cyber- johnson.aspx

National: Senator presses White House to improve election cyber protections | FCW

On the day that a special election in Alabama captured national attention, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sent a letter urging National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster to take additional steps to secure the nation's election infrastructure and provide support to state and local governments ahead of next year's mid-term elections. Specifically, Wyden asked McMaster to designate a senior White House election security czar to brief Congress of executive branch election security efforts, direct the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the Department of Homeland Security to grade states on their election infrastructure and designate political campaigns as critical infrastructure. Wyden, who has been one of Congress' most vocal advocates of increased election security, also is asking that the U.S. Secret Service expand its presidential candidate security detail to include cybersecurity. In the Dec. 12 letter, Wyden noted that 14 states still use direct-recording electronic, or DRE, voting machines that don't allow for paper-based election audits and rely on outdated operating systems with known vulnerabilities.


The Outsider by Albert Camus

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"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion". --Albert Camus

As a philosophy, Anarchy has many shapes and shades. In popular culture, it's most commonly associated with rebellion, lawlessness and destruction. But in the real world, there are several dozen types, including Capitalist, Feminist, Christian, Naturalist and Pacifist, just to name a few. The one thing all have in common is a belief that authority-based hierarchical organizations infringe on basic personal liberty. Styles of opposition can range from the anti-social criminal enterprises such as depicted by TV's Sons of Anarchy, to one of the many non-violent political strains such as Libertarianism (yes, Libertarianism is considered a type of anarchy).

A more in-depth look at the subject can easily be accomplished via web search. The point I want to make here is that despite all their effort at detailed analysis and explanation, intellectually based versions of anarchy are inherently limited. They may succeed in minimizing the effect of authority and control, but they cannot eliminate it altogether. For example, even if the federal government were reduced to the size of a deer tick, it would still have some degree of control. In truth, authentic freedom can't and won't be manifested as long as the focus is on ways and means external to the individual.

We Don't Need No Stinking Badges!

In contrast to the common forms of anarchy, let's imagine another kind which focuses on personal freedom in its most elemental form. This form circumvents every gear and lever in the social-potitical machine. Let's call it Intuitive Anarchy, a term that expresses the notion of a totally different approach to dealing with authority. Instead of opposing it, Intuitive Anarchy bypasses authority altogether. And it is able to do so because it recognizes the intrinsic authority that all humans are born with, but which most fail to grasp. This basic authority, which could also be called original authority (some would call it original sin), is the true source of personal empowerment and freedom. It renders all external authority fundamentally powerless.

Original authority is only actualized by connecting with the individual's inherent transcendent core. This transcendent core is not subject to, and more importantly, has no need to be subject to, "principalities and powers". The transcendent core is able to nullify external authority because it is not controlled by ego (small self) needs. Its only desire is to experience connection with a larger, more inclusive identity. In contrast, the behavior of an average human being is motivated by the ego's self-interest - what I want, what I need, what is mine, what or who I need to be protected from. The ego relies on right-brain functioning to gather information and make decisions based on what it believes to be facts and reason. It deceives its host by planting the conviction that logic determines their choices when unconscious motivators are actually doing the work.

The transcendent core, on the other hand, connects us with a vast and far more reliable way of knowing - intuition. Even though intuition is available to all, it is not fully understood and accessible to most. Intuition is related to introspection and feelings, things that people (mostly men) work very hard to avoid. Traditional education trains the thinking mind, while failing to value and nurture intuitive sensitivity. Music and art classes, the closest the system has come to encouraging this side of the mind, have been systematically cut back or eliminated altogether.

The "F" Word

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From Wallwritings



(Image by UN Screen Grab) Details DMCA



For those keeping score on the Trump Administration versus the United Nations, the final vote on the Status of Jerusalem resolution is recorded above.

The official count was 128 to 9 against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and his pledge to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Thirty-three members of the UN General Assembly abstained.

On Thursday, the day of the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was busy dedicating a hospital in the coastal city of Ashdod. He responded to the UN vote pretty much the way former Judge Roy Moore responded to his recent defeat in Alabama's election for a U.S. Senate seat. He rejected it.

Prior to the vote which rejected the U.S. President's "gift" of Jerusalem to Israel, the U.S. Representative to the UN, Nikki Haley (below), warned nations that votes against the U.S. would be remembered. She added, "We will take names," sounding more like a Mafia Don than a diplomat...

The New York Times reported that Raid Malki, the Palestinian foreign minister, had a more civil response:

"History records names, it remembers names -- the names of those who stand by what is right and the names of those who speak falsehood. Today we are seekers of rights and peace."

He added that the Palestinians "will not be threatened," and that the United States had insisted on "ignoring the dangerous repercussions of its decision."

Ha'aretz reported on Netanyahy's reaction to the vote:

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that 'Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution,' responding minutes after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. "In a major diplomatic blow to Israel and Trump, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, with 128 member states voting in favor of the resolution and a mere nine voting against it. "'Jerusalem is our capital, always was and always will be. But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theater of the absurd,' Netanyahu charged in a live Facebook video."

The Times also notes that the UN vote "deepened Mr. Trump's isolation over the issue." It also "threatened to alienate Arab allies of the United States and may have further complicated prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

As for the impact of the vote on the U.S., the Times concludes: "The overwhelming rejection of the American shift of position on Jerusalem, on the world's biggest diplomatic stage, was a setback for a president who is still looking for a major foreign achievement after nearly a year on the job.

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By Robert Weiner and Michael Hariman

Now in the era where even sexual harassment is considered a national crime, what happens to the annual 100+ rapes by UN peacekeepers annually? The nations that perpetrate these rarely emphasized but documented atrocities go unpunished by the world body. This is a real situation that is the UN's shame. So if we're talking about resolutions of peace among nations, perhaps it's time to stop the funding for nations that allow rapes of helpless victims they are supposed to protect.

The Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 was passed into law on December 16, 2016. S.1635 is a far cry from the original S.2937, which proposed sweeping measures to stop sexual harassment by peacekeepers in the United Nations and other international organizations. Unlike S.2937, which would have cut funding for international organizations guilty of condoning sexual crimes by peacekeepers, S.1635 simply stated that the US would withhold security assistance to nations whose security units are responsible for sexual crimes, without specifying what security assistance would be withheld.

Sounds like the new legislation simply twirls around the issue rather than stops the rapes.

The bill details two measures towards individual rapists. First, it enables the trial of guilty UN peacekeepers by court-martial. Second, it waives immunity for civilian UN personnel accused of sexual crimes, the immunity preventing criminal UN personnel from being tried. Countries providing military units as peacekeepers who are found guilty of sexual crimes will be barred from sending more units, and their peacekeeper reimbursements withheld. The strategy also denies training, and resources to peacekeeper-contributing countries that fail to prevent sexual crimes among their peacekeepers.

Rather than dealing with the United Nations as an institution, which has inexplicably long been complicit in enabling sexual crimes, the strategy punishes the individual nations that contribute the peacekeepers. While targeting individual nations is better than allowing UN peacekeepers to remain unaccountable, it is a narrow measure, which is bound to yield narrow results that cannot stop the rapes. Until the UN knows that it can and will lose funding and power if it does not address these sexual crimes by its peacekeepers, it will continue to whitewash, and bury those accusations. Rapists will remain unpunished, and their victims unheard.

As the single largest donor to the United Nations, the US is in a unique position to influence policy and practices within the UN, however, the legislation fails to exploit that position. The only place where funding is leveraged against the UN is in the whistleblower provisions, which threatens a 15 per cent withholding requirement if international organizations, such as the UN, do not protect whistleblowers. If anything, the legislation is lip service, and its passage might not even affect how the United Nations conducts itself as an institution.

UN peacekeeping operations should provide sanctuary for innocent civilians from violence and rapes, not for rapists and pedophiles -- many of the victims are under 15-- who are rarely prosecuted. The US had an opportunity to rectify this UN failure in the State Department Authorities Act. Instead, the Act provides piecemeal provisions that fail to make the UN accountable as an institution, and will leave host countries bracing for another round of rapes.

Robert Weiner is a former Clinton White House spokesman and spokesman for the House Government Operations Committee. He was senior staff for Congressmen Ed Koch, Charles Rangel, Claude Pepper, and John Conyers, Jr. Michael Hariman is a policy analyst and opinion-editorial writer at Robert Weiner Associates.
Where is the revolution? Where is the outrage and disgust with what the United States has become and what domestic and global horrors are being legislated in our names and inflicted upon us daily ? What can we do about it that will not land us in prison?

Here are a few thoughts:

1 - A tax revolt. Difficult if you are salaried and subject to withholding. As a self-employed person, I have more latitude. The very thought of subsidizing not just war and planet destruction but also some billionaire's private jet - or some CEO's 200 million dollar bonus check after he has used the tax cut to purchase millions more shares of his own company 's stock - with my tax money - makes me wretch. I won't do it. The joke among stock traders is "go long yachts and castles". I prefer to say no.

2- Stop buying stuff. Their hubris is founded on a missile launched stock market. We can deprive them of at least some of their revenue. Shop locally, and only buy what you need. Never buy from a multi-national company, never buy anything online. Remove Amazon from your bookmarks and never visit the site again. If you scan the reviews you would conclude that much of their merchandise is counterfeit anyway - and substandard. Start putting your democratic rights before convenience. National organizations could organize a buyer's strike. e.g., buy nothing on Tuesdays ? Just a thought.

3 - Ditch your smart phone. Facebook is listening to your conversations so that they can sell you more stuff you don't need. And Lord knows who else is listening or what they plan to do with the information. See my article on this here : Flip phones without internet access are still available and cheap. Check out Consumer Cellular.

4 - A General Strike. They have not replaced all of our jobs with robots. yet. We do not have much time before such a strike would be moot, and in any case it would take organization on a national scale, so not easy to effect. But it remains the primary form of revolt for impact on corporate profits. And it gets their attention.

5 - Protest. We all do. We have done since the 1960's. That protesting is now being labeled an "act of terror", a "threat to national security", and a "danger to the public" by police, the spooks and voices in the government makes it dangerous to hit the streets. They have all of the money and all of the weapons. I read that mercenaries are now being hired to replace city police because they have no compunction about firing bullets at unarmed civilians. Yes, this is what America has come to. The mainstream media has done a crack job of dividing us and setting Americans against other Americans. Half of the country mis-identifies the enemy. It is us against them. Not us against some other us. You could call it the 99.9 against the .1. More precisely it is the population of the US against the most corrupt government in human history. Evita had nothing on Mitch McConnell. She was a piker by comparison.

So - protests will only be effective if the numbers are in the millions. My napkin estimate is that one third or 100 million would have to feel enough anger to actually scream "NO" and mean it. I am not an organizer and haven't a clue how to unite a mass of citizens. But surely the national organizations for peace and justice know how to do this.

6 - Leave. Vote with your feet. The US of A is in terminal decay on all fronts.When a nation reaches the point where the wealthiest 600 people are stealing from the poor, the sick, and the aged, we are in a classic banana republic agenda. We are counting days before the Congress of Greed destroys the last shreds of the safety net and eliminates medicare, medicaid and social security - and millions of us starve. Medicare premiums have been raised 50% over the last four years, reducing the meager income of seniors. We have to assume the next cuts will be much more draconian. There are other countries that still value the lives of their citizens over the greed of a reigning 600, unlike the US of A. After one year you can apply for citizenship in many countries. The American Versailles class "buys" second passports by investing a million or more in the foreign economy, but there are still means to accomplish a citizenship change even for us serfs. Most economical are Ecuador and Bolivia (you will need strong lungs to handle the altitudes) - Portugal just behind them. Learn Spanish or Portuguese. Costa Rica and Uruguay were cheap a few years back, but less so now. They both have universal healthcare, and it is of high quality in the cities. As for Europe, Italy is trying hard to leave the EU. That would make it a much better candidate for residence. France is still at least better than here, thanks to a politically engaged population - England only marginally so - but you will need some bucks to live there. Scandinavian countries much better, but immigrating is not easy. The Czech Republic is open and the cost of living lower than in most of Europe . For many countries you need to be very young and proficient in skills they are in need of, so it requires some homework. Medical professionals waltz into New Zealand , but the rest of us are not at all welcome. Australia is too expensive to even consider. Canada . while overall more like the US used to be, is frightfully expensive due to a crashed currency, and is also following in the right wing footsteps of the US . Expat information is available online, research it there.

The bottom line is this - we can leave, or we can stay and fight. The latter is a much harder choice and may require that we put our lives on the line. But to be effective a fight requires careful planning and organization - and a cool head. Demands need to be determined and well articulated, and must be capable of uniting Americans across ethnic and political divides. Organizers need to be experienced and trained and have the means to put forward a united front. I am not a candidate for this. Kevin Zeese is. So is Chris Hedges. I will ask them. As for demands that unite us, here is my list: Universal healthcare, outlaw gerrymandering, no money permitted in the electoral process on federal, state and local levels, with all candidates equally funded and given equal and free media access, all parties to participate in debates, a huuuuuge income tax on billionaires, remove the cap on social security taxation, which will protect it forever, outlaw spying on American citizens without a warrant from a federal and local (not fisa) court, all elections conducted on paper ballots counted in the open with representatives of all candidates present. That is a list that would clean up government and allow the people to actually be represented by candidates that we chose. I can't imagine that even the most right wing Republican would not support that list of demands.
Dont strain your neck as Guinea Gold Jewellers brings amazing light weight necklace designs

Durgapur, Paschim Bardhaman, 21st December 2017: Make your winter wedding a happening affair as Guinea Gold Jewellers is back again with their latest collection of light weight necklace designs. This collection is carefully crafted by the expert in the industry keeping in mind the global fashion trend.Guinea Gold Jewellers always strives to offer the latest jewelry collection to its customer. And this time also its no exception. The renowned jewelry brand is going to introduce to its customers unique necklace design collection which is light in weight. This stunning necklace range is aiming all the fashionable women as lightweight ornaments are ruling the jewelry wardrobe. These necklaces are appropriate for any occasion, especially for students and professionals.All the stores of Guinea Gold Jewellers are showcasing this beautifully crafted collection. To reach to our customers at ease we have done extensive marketing to promote this exclusive range. We have issued this exclusive news through advertisement in all the local news channels, Newspapers. We have also done pamphlet distribution and hoarding campaign in various parts of Paschim and Purba Burdwan.All our social media platform like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are gaining positive reviews from the viewers and customers about this new collection that we posted.Guinea Gold Jewellers is cordially inviting all the jewelry lovers to pay a visit and to experience this beautiful range of necklace collection. Our patience friendly customer service is always available for you to respond to your queries and solving your confusions.Guinea Gold Jewellers started its eventful journey on 14th April 1979 with a motto of offering the latest, affordable jewelry to its client. The light weight necklace designs are stunning with the rare design. Guinea Gold jeweler is maintaining its tradition to serve its customer with honesty and dedication which has retained the brand for years after year.Company Name: Guinea Gold Jewellers Pvt Ltd.Address: Nachan Road, Trinayani Mansion, Benachity Durgapur  713213Email:contact@guineagoldjewellerspvtltd.comPh No:+91-7797735000
Log Management Market projected to Grow at a CARG of +12%  Know about Top Leading Companies Like IBM, Intel Security, Solarwinds, Splunk, Logrhythm

Log Management Market

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Log management software help enterprises to improve security and regulatory compliance. Every computing device in an organization generates hundreds of gigabytes of logs per day. This huge set of event logs is monitored by the log management platform to identify security breaches and maintain continuous security within organizations. The platform protects networks, endpoints, and devices from various malicious attacks, sophisticated cybercriminals, ransomwares, and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs).Log Management market estimated to grow at a CAGR of +12% during forecast periodNew Research Report presents latest intelligence on the Log Management market is available in the Global Market Research report. This report is a culmination of the key events from last decade to present day, and helps to formulate the best strategy catered to both established market players and new entrants.Get Sample copy of this Report @:Companies Profiled in this Report Includes, IBM, Intel Security, Solarwinds Worldwide, Splunk, Logrhythm, Alert Logic, Loggly, Alienvault, Veriato, Blackstratus, Rapid7, Sematext GroupWith the implementation of log management platforms, public and private organizations can prevent security threats, cut down business costs, and enhance the information security infrastructure. Therefore, enterprises are deploying advanced log management solutions and services to secure networks and endpoints from cyber threats.A section containing exceptional detailed data about all the influential players operating in the market has also been included in the report, giving readers and enterprises access to information such as challenges faced by the companies, the growth strategies implemented, the recent developments reported by them, and the financial and business overview of the company.Access Complete Report @:Reason to Access the Log Management Market Research Report:This report gives a detailed and comprehensive understanding of Log Management market. With precise data covering all key aspects of the existing market, this report offers existing data of leading manufacturers. Understanding of the market condition by compliance of accurate historical data regarding each and every segment for the forecast period is mentioned. Leading factors affecting the growth of the market in a positive and negative perspective is examined and evaluated and projected in the report in detail. Insightful views and case studies from various industry experts help make the report more authentic.Get Discount on This Premium Research @:Table of ContentsGlobal Log Management Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1 Log Management 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 AnalysisAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
KickStart Europe 2018 Announces Speaking Line-Up

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Networking and Strategy Summit Will Provide Keynotes and Panel Sessions Featuring C-Level Executives and Leading Analysts from Across the European Digital LandscapeAMSTERDAM  21 December 2017  Digital Gateway to Europe (DG), a government and industry-backed initiative based in the Netherlands, today announces the speaking line-up for KickStart Europe 2018, taking place 24 January, at RAI Amsterdam. Featuring C-level executives and leading analysts from across the continent, these thought-leaders and influencers will discuss the emerging trends and investments in digital infrastructure that are shaping the connectivity, data center and cloud industry sectors in Europe.KickStart Europe 2018 will attract international data center owner-operators, cloud services providers and development and investment agencies, as well as CEOs, managing directors and other key decision-makers responsible for their organisations business development. The event will provide attendees with a host of informative keynote presentations and panel sessions along with networking opportunities to expand and grow business on the European continent. On the evening prior to the event, 23 January, KickStart Europe will host a social reception where attendees can meet with other industry leaders in a relaxed and informal setting.The speakers that will appear in keynote presentations and panels sessions at KickStart Europe 2018 include:Gary Niederpruem, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, VertivThomas King, CIO, DE-CIXGregor Petri, Vice President Research, GartnerAlfonso Aranda Arias, Head of Global Data Center Operations, IBMAlex Goldblum, CEO, EurofiberMitul Patel, Head of EMEA Data Centers Research, CBRERutger Bevaart, CTO, Custom ConnectOnno Bos, Director of Sales, AMS-IXFor a more complete list of speakers click here.The year 2017 has been exceptional for the European digital infrastructure industry, achieving double-digit growth in data center supply and an unprecedented amount of data generated across the continent, shares Stijn Grove, Managing Director, Digital Gateway to Europe. The outlook for 2018 and beyond is excellent, with new and emerging technologies such as 5G and Artificial Intelligence expected to proliferate across Europe, and market demands anticipated to grow for IoT applications, the Edge, and green IT.Sponsors of KickStart Europe 2018 include NIBC, Vertiv, NHN/Agriport, Caransa Groep, Unica, CBRE, AC Niellsen and ICTroom.For more information about KickStart Europe 2018 and to view a detailed program, visitTo register for KickStart Europe 2018, please click here.# # #About Digital Gateway to EuropeDigital Gateway to Europe (DG) is the government and industry backed initiative to promote the Netherlands as international data hub. We help foreign companies in many ways to prepare launch or expansion in the Netherlands by organizing events such as trade missions, launchpads and other meetups. Scale-ups, start-ups and enterprises who would like more in-depth information regarding the Dutch digital economy can consult our Digital Gateway to Europe knowledge database.We are an independent organization created by the industry, for the industry. Supported by organizations and businesses from the digital infrastructure: data centers, Internet Exchanges, cloud providers and connectivity providers.Media Contacts:iMiller Public Relations for Digital Gateway to Europe+1.866.307.2510ka18@imillerpr.comDigital Gateway to EuropeAbcouderstraatweg 461105 AA AmsterdamThe Netherlandse. info@digitalgateway.eut. +31203037860 / +31650439288Twitter: @dgweu
Industrial Hand Gloves Market to Cross USD 9,798 Million by 2022 Propelling at 3% CAGR

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Global Industrial hand gloves Market, by product (Reusable gloves, Disposable gloves), by material (Natural rubber, leather gloves, polyethylene gloves, nitrile gloves, neoprene gloves, metal mesh gloves) by application (automotive, healthcare, chemical, construction, food & beverage) - Forecast 2016-2022.Industrial gloves are used to guarantee worker wellbeing and clean conditions in the work environment. Industrial gloves give insurance against icy, heat, harm by erosion, scraped area, chemicals and maladies. It is manufactured from natural materials or synthetic materials and used according to the type of conditions or contaminants associated with the job. Strong global presence and development of lightweight hand gloves for working environment are driving the market of North America. Growth in the pharmaceutical, automotive as well as in construction segment, company mandates lead to the high consumption of a variety of industrial gloves.The report has analyzed the market based on the four segments: Product, material, application, and end-use in the regions of North America, Europe, A.PAC and rest of the world. On the basis of product it includes Disposable gloves, Canvas and leather gloves and other. Disposable gloves has the largest market share. Safety and security glass that is made by sandwiching a laminated sheet between two pieces of glass. The demand for disposable gloves is primarily driven by its low cost compared to re-usable gloves. On the basis of material it includes Nitrile, Vinyl and others. Nitrile and vinyl material gloves has largest market share .Moreover, On the basis of application it includes automotive, healthcare, chemical, construction and others. Healthcare and automotive segment gets more popularity for hand gloves. Whereas North America is referred as higher consumption market for industrial hand gloves. The scope of the market has widened over many years owing to the flourishing markets of North America.Get Sample of Report @North America will be the largest marketCurrently, North America is dominating the market. Countries such as U.S., Canada gives these market a competitive advantage over the other regions. Rising consumption of industrial gloves in the healthcare, chemical and food industry. In addition, and stringent government regulations are expected to drive the consumption of industrial gloves market. Whereas, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and the U.S. referred as the largest markets for industrial gloves market. Moreover, the emerging economies represent the greatest potential for the industrial gloves market. High usage of hand gloves, low manufacturing cost and Easy availability are some of the factors which boom the market.Key PlayersWe recognize the key players in the Global Industrial Hand Gloves Market as 3M Corporation, Honeywell Safety Products, Ansell Ltd., Protective Industrial Products Inc., Semperit A.G. Holding, Towa Corporation, E.I. DuPont De Nemours and Company, MSA Safety, Showa Group, and Hartalega Sdn. Bhd.BRIEF TOC:1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3 MARKET DYNAMICS4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY5 MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS5.1 PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS5.2 SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS6 GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL HAND GLOVES MARKET7 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS8 LIST OF TABLES9 LIST OF FIGURESAccess Full Report @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 , regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash Anand,Market Research FuturePune  411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone No. :+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Cutting Tools Market Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 6.9% During the Forecast Period 2017-2022

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Global Cutting Tools Market Information Report by Product Type (Hand Cutting Tools and Power Cutting Tools), by Application (Industrial, Construction, Household and Others) and By Region - Global Forecast To 2022Market ScenarioThe market for cutting tools has been segmented based on product type, application and region. On the basis of product type, the market is segmented as hand cutting tools and power cutting tools. The power cutting tools segment dominates all the product types of the market. Growing demand from industries and the increasing use of power tools for DIY & household activities, drive the demand of the power tools. On the basis of application, the market is segmented as Industrial, Construction, Household and Others. Industrial sector dominates the application segment of the market. Growing demand from industrial sector drives the demand of the market. The increase in demand for automation and rapid industrialization, foster the use of power cutting tools.On the basis of region, global cutting tools market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). North America dominates the global cutting tools market. Factors such as high labor cost and growth in the distribution channel, are expected to drive the growth of the market in North America region. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing region for the cutting tools. Continuously growing automotive, and manufacturing sector in countries such as China and India are driving the growth of the market in the region.Get Sample of Report @The prominent players in the cutting tools market include Makita Power Tools India Pvt. Ltd. (India), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (U.S.), J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (U.K.), ICS Cutting Tools, Inc. (U.S.), Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd. (Japan), Klein Tools, Inc. (U.S.), Snap on (U.S.), OTTO BAIER GmbH (Germany) and Hilti Corporation (Liechtenstein).Power tools firm Hitachi Koki acquired its German rival Metabo for USD 283.4 million (Rs 1,900 crore). Metabo, a long-established power tool manufacturer in Germany, which has strong brand awareness, mainly in the European market. Additionally, in March 2017, portable tools giant Stanley Black & Decker completes the acquisition of the tooling business of Newell Brands, including Lenox and Irwin industrial cutting, hand and power tools, for USD 1.95 billion in cash.Hence, cutting tools market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period.Enquiry before Buying @BRIEF TOC:1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3. MARKET DYNAMICS4. GLOBAL MARKET SEGMENTATION5. REGIONAL MARKET ANALYSIS6. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS7. CONCLUSION8. LIST OF TABLES9. LIST OF FIGURESThe report for Global Cutting Tools 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.Access Full Report @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 , regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash Anand,Market Research FuturePune  411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone No. :+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Automotive Pressure Sensor Market Development, Market Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2023

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Global Automotive Pressure Sensor Market Information Report by Application (ABS, Airbag, TPMS, Engine, HVAC, & Transmission), Technology (MEMS, Strain Gauge, & Ceramic), Vehicle Type (Passenger Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle) and by Regions - Global Forecast To 2023Automotive pressure sensor has been witnessing steady growth over a period of time. The boom in the automotive industry is expected to positively impact the Automotive Pressure Sensor Market. Increasing demand for safety features in automobiles, stringent government norms, and rapidly rising safety awareness among individuals, are some of the factors primarily driving the automotive pressure sensor market. Rapidly rising integration of advanced driver assistance systems in vehicles has provided a positive outlook to the automotive pressure sensor market. With the New Car Assessments Program awarding safety ratings based on vehicles safety performance, automotive manufacturers have been increasingly integrating automotive pressure sensor in vehicles.Earlier available only in premium vehicles, automobile manufacturers have started integrating these features in entry level vehicles and broaden their customer base thus propelling the demand in the automotive pressure sensor market. With the increasing popularity of vehicle electrification among individuals, the market for automotive pressure sensor, is expected to register high growth rate during the forecast period.Get Sample of Report @Global Automotive Pressure Sensor Market:The market for automotive pressure sensor systems is expected to grow with an increase in demand for automobile, majorly in the U. S. There is an immense demand of commercial vehicles in the country. With the increase in demand of commercial vehicles, there has been an increase in demand for automotive pressure sensor market. The growth of the North America region is also driven by the presence of major automotive system manufacturers, which are mainly focusing on key developments such as expansion, mergers & acquisition, product launch and others. Existence of major manufacturers and availability of sophisticated technology in this region is expected to propel the demand in the automotive pressure sensor market during the forecast period. Owing to all these factors, the growth of the region is expected to grow at a rapid pace.Key PlayersThe key players of global automotive pressure sensor market are Infineon (Germany), Sensata (US), Robert Bosch (Germany), Denso (Japan), Delphi (UK), Texas Instruments (US), NXP (Netherlands), Analog Device (US), Melexis (Belgium), General Electric (US), and TE Connectivity (Switzerland).Enquiry before Buying @Scope of the ReportThis study provides an overview of the global Automotive Pressure Sensor market, tracking two 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 Europe, USA, China, Japan and Rest of the World. The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next 6 years for each region. The scope of the study segments the global Automotive Pressure Sensor market by its type, application and regions.By Type Single-Stage Pump Multistage PumpsBy Application Residential Commercial IndustrialBy Region Europe USA China Japan Rest of the WorldAccess Full Report @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 , regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash Anand,Market Research FuturePune  411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone No. :+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Core HR Software Market - Detailed Analysis and Forecast 2017-2025

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Global Core HR Software Market: OverviewAlso known as human resource (HR) information systems (HRIS), core HR software consist of a central record system that can store employee data such as benefits and payroll information. HR managers engage such software to report key trends of their organization and track employee records. Without interrupting the workflow of HR department, employees can update their corporate information with self-service options of core HR software. In order to improve their value across various HR functions, companies adopting the software could integrate them with third-party HR applications and incorporate them in integrated HR management suite.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Core HR Software Market: Key TrendsThe world core HR software market is prognosticated to receive a strong impetus from numerous factors such as increasing adoption of automation for executing HR processes and furtherance in mobile and cloud deployment. Participants wanting to establish their position in the world core HR software market could find lucrative opportunities from several verticals boosting growth, such as healthcare, consumer goods and retail, energy and utilities, manufacturing, and government. Out of all these verticals and more, the government vertical is anticipated to secure a larger market size during the course of the forecast period.Vendors offering a single point of contact and range of services, including on-premise deployment or deployment on the cloud, for companies to perform different business activities are expected to operate on the greener pastures of the world core HR software market. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could provide significant opportunities for growth in the world core HR software market on account of their augmenting investments in business software and need to adopt quick and efficient strategies for securing business growth. Vendors looking to increase demand in the world core HR software market are predicted to capitalize on the requirement of SMEs to ease resource crunch and improve cost optimization.Request TOC of the Report @Global Core HR Software Market: Market PotentialApproximately 23,000 employees at Life Care Services will be using the Oracle HCM Cloud human resource management software in a couple of phases, i.e. November 2017 and January 2018. A highlight global feature of Oracle HCM Cloud assists HR departments to administer employee payroll in several countries. However, the software also includes other vital core HR functions. Life Care Services expects to enhance its data and scale integrity by integrating functions presently managed by a set of diverse HR products. The company thinks the move to replace its Oracle on-premises software and other bolt-on systems will prove to be a game changer for keeping ahead of competitors in the industry.Get Discount @Global Core HR Software Market: Regional OutlookNorth America is prophesied to win the race of achieving a higher share in the international core HR software market during the forecast period. The dominance of the North America core HR software market could be attributed to a telling adoption of cloud platforms, smartphones, and newer technologies. Most emerging players making a mark in the core HR software market for North America are envisaged to achieve success by meeting the requirements of HR professionals by offering flexible, customized, and differentiated products. Other regions that could be important for the growth of the international core HR software market are Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.Global Core HR Software Market: Competitive LandscapeWith a view to extend their offerings in the worldwide core HR software market, industry players are envisioned to take to inorganic and organic growth strategies that include acquisitions and mergers, collaborations and partnerships, and new product launches. Some of the major companies projected to impact the worldwide core HR software market could be IBM Corporation, EmployWise, CoreHR, Ceridian HCM, Inc., and ADP.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
Blood Group Typing Market - Current Scenario and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Blood Group Typing Market: OverviewBlood group typing consists of various methods and techniques that are used to detect the group of blood. The correct and reliable grouping of blood is vital to fulfil a variety of clinical ends, especially for safe blood transfusion and in organ donation processes. In recent years, there have been marked developments in the conventional detection methods. Constant technological advancements in microarray, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and other assay-based techniques have improved detection methods. As a result, the market has seen the advent of high-throughput devices that enable clinicians in multiplexed and quantitative detection of various blood group antigens. Advanced methods such as quantum dots (QDs) and magnetic beads in assays improve identification and enhance clinical safety of blood transfusion.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Blood Group Typing Market: Key TrendsThe rising number of blood donations and increasing number of patients needing transfusion due to accidents and trauma are the primary factors driving the blood group typing market. The growing demand for blood group typing for pregnancy and prenatal testing has boosted the market. Blood typing is also crucial to detect the condition of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) in pregnant women, thereby stimulating the demand for such tests. Increasing application of blood group typing in forensic sciences is further expected to catalyze the market growth.The advent of novel molecular diagnostic tools that help in reliable and rapid identification of group in a large blood samples is expected to provide abundant opportunities to market players. For instance, the molecular genotyping of ABO blood groups in large populations can be accomplished with the help of these methods.Request TOC of the Report @Global Blood Group Typing Market: Market PotentialA recent clinical study published in International Journal of Nanomedicine reveals that scientists have developed a novel multiplexed method for the identification of ABO blood groups. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, a prominent military institution of higher learning in China. Researchers conducting the study, quantified blood group A and B antigens with QD fluorescence assay (QFA). The assay integrates the traditional QD labeling with magnetic beads to make high throughput and quantitative method for rapid detection of antigens present in the ABO blood groups of fairly large volume populations. The scientists evaluated the efficacy of the method by testing the blood samples for 791 people and they confirmed that the accuracy was 100%; in addition, they asserted that when the conditions were optimized, even detection in weak samples produced satisfactory results.An estimate by the researchers states that the multiplexed detection can be completed within the short span of 35 minutes with over 105 RBCs (red blood cells). This study holds marked significance for blood transfusion safety. The findings of the study show promising prospect for the blood group typing market, since the testing process can be used to devise an effective clinical strategy to improvise on the identification methods for ABO blood groups.Get Discount @Global Blood Group Typing Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, North America is a prominent market for blood group typing devices and consumables. The regional market is expected to witness substantial growth in the coming years. The growth of the market is attributed to the constant technological advancements in PCR and assays for blood grouping leading to the design of cost-effective and novel blood-grouping platforms.Meanwhile, Asia Pacific is expected to provide lucrative avenues over the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. The impressive pace of growth of the Asia Pacific market for blood group typing is driven by some promising clinical studies in high throughput devices, increasing healthcare spending, and the growing number of blood transfusions.Global Blood Group Typing Market: Competitive AnalysisSeveral players are making innovations in their offerings and using advanced technologies to discover novel methods for blood group typing. Key companies operating in the blood group typing market are Novacyt Group, Day medical SA, Rapid Labs, Quotient, Ltd., AXO Science, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. Immucor, Inc., and Grifols, S.A.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
Hospital Lighting Market - Leading Players Analysis, Growth, and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Hospital Lighting Market: OverviewLighting in healthcare plays a critical role not only in enhancing the patient experience but also in improving the healthcare staffs ability of catering to the various levels of care required by the patients. As a result, the global market for hospital lighting is likely to reach new heights.By application, the global hospital lighting market can be segmented into dentistry, operating room, doctors offices, kitchen, maternity ward, patient rooms, laboratory, library, bathrooms, first aid ward, corridors and staircases, and waiting areas. Based on technology, the LED, CFL, florescent, and renewable energy. By product, the global market for hospital lighting systems can be segmented into surgical lights, surface-mounted lights, and troffers.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Hospital Lighting Market: Key TrendsSince good illumination ensures the safety of patients, allows smoother operation of activities, creates an amiable environment, and promotes a sense of well-being among the patients, the global healthcare lighting market holds vast potential for growth. The LED lighting is expected to emerge as the leading segment by technology, thanks to the growing deployment of LED based fixtures across various parts of hospitals.The florescent lighting systems are also gaining traction. They are being increasingly installed across hospitals by virtue of their relatively lower costs and power saving capabilities. By product, troffers are likely to claim the largest share in the global market for hospital lighting. By application, the patients wards segment might represent the largest share in the global market for hospital lighting.Global Hospital Lighting Market: Market PotentialEnhancement of user experience is increasingly being acknowledged by some leading hospitals. For instance, the new Beacon Childrens Hospital in South Bend (US), features a two-story atrium that has pleasant, soft-green lights. These firefly lights give a splendid appearance to the entire ambience of the hospital. The nature and healing theme of the hospital is designed to aid patients recover faster. With a forest mural, interactive games, and tree sculptures along with these lights, the hospital aims at boosting interaction between fellow patients, staff, family, and the physical space itself. The hospital welcomed its first patients in May 2017.Request TOC of the Report @The global market for hospital lighting has been witnessing collaborations, partnerships, and mergers. For instance, an emerging non-profit, Market Driven Community Corporation (MDCC) made an announcement in April 2017 pertaining to its signing a contract for installing LED lighting systems at Rochester General Hospital (New York, US).Global Hospital Lighting Market: Regional OutlookThe global market for hospital lighting can be segmented into Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and North America. North America currently holds the dominant position in the global market for hospital lighting. Beneficial government initiatives and technological advancements in the area of lighting solutions have been the key factors driving the growth of the market.The countries such as India, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan are witnessing an increase in the number of hospitals. This can create significant opportunities for the growth of the market. The expanding healthcare infrastructure in Asia Pacific and growing preference for efficient lighting solutions in the region have also been accelerating the expansion of the hospital lighting market in the region. The Middle East and Africa and Latin America are also bursting forth with opportunities.Get Discount @Global Hospital Lighting Market: Competitive AnalysisKoninklijke Philips N.V., Acuity Brands Lighting Inc., KLS Martin Group, Eaton Corporation PLC, Hubbell Incorporated, General Electric Company, Cree Inc., Zumtobel Group AG, and Trilux Lighting Ltd are some of the leading companies operating in the global market for hospital lighting.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
Mammography Market - In-Depth Analysis & Forecast 2017-2025

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Global Mammography Market: OverviewThe global mammography market is growing at a significant pace, owing to the increasing cancer cases worldwide. The key players in the market, government organizations, and NGOs are making notable efforts to create an awareness and offer treatment to patients, which is expected to enhance the growth of the market in the near future. Thus, the market is likely to register a strong growth rate in the forecast period.Global Mammography Market: Key TrendsThe high prevalence of breast cancer worldwide and the rising number of innovations concerning screening and diagnostics are estimated to offer lucrative opportunities for key players operating in the market. The improving healthcare facilities in the developing economies are projected to supplement the markets growth in the coming years. Furthermore, governments across the globe are making efforts to provide treatments at low cost in order to reach a large number of audience in the near future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Mammography Market: Market PotentialTechnological advancements in the healthcare sector and the emergence of innovative devices and effective therapeutics are the key factors projected to fuel the growth of the global mammography market throughout the forecast period. In addition to this, the rising number of cancer cases across the globe is expected to accelerate the growth of the overall market in the near future.On the other hand, the lack of awareness among patients in several developing economies and the high cost of treatment are estimated to curb the growth of the global mammography market in the next few years. Nonetheless, the use of digital mammography devices is predicted to generate promising growth opportunities for the key players in the market.Request TOC of the Report @Global Mammography Market: Regional OutlookIn the previous years, the North America market for mammography held a major share of the global market and is estimated to retain its position over the forecast period. The rising number of breast cancer cases and the increasing women population are the key factors anticipated to encourage the development of the North America market in the coming years. In addition, the availability of advanced therapeutics and healthcare infrastructure are predicted to accelerate the markets growth in the near future.On the other hand, the development of the economy and the rising popularity of medical tourism are projected to augment the growth of the Asia Pacific market in the next few years. The increasing contribution from China and India and the rising awareness among patients are predicted to supplement the markets growth in the forecast period. Moreover, the favorable government initiatives and the enhancement of the healthcare sector are likely to contribute towards the growth of the Asia Pacific market in the near future.Get Discount @Global Mammography Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global market is projected to grow progressive throughout the forecast period. The rising emphasis of the leading players on introducing new therapeutics and devices to offer enhanced products to patients is likely to encourage the growth of the overall market in the coming years. As a result, several new players are predicted to participate in the market in order to create a brand name across the globe.Some of the leading players operating in the mammography market across the globe are I.M.S. Srl, GE Healthcare, Hologic, Planmed Oy, Phillips Healthcare, Fujifilm, Siemens Healthcare, Mindray Medical International Limited, Toshiba Medical Systems, and Metaltronica. The research study provides a detailed overview of the competitive landscape and throws light on the key strategies and policies that have been adopted by them in order to sustain 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
High-resolution Melting Analysis Market - Current Trends,Analysis & Forecast 2017-2025

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Global High-resolution Melting Analysis Market: OverviewHigh resolution melting analysis is a powerful and strong methodology in molecular biology for the purpose of detecting epigenetic differences, polymorphisms, and mutations in double-stranded DNA samples. It was first discovered and developed by the Idaho Technology and University of Utah. High resolution melting analysis has several advantages over genotyping technologies such as cost effectiveness, it is powerful and fast as compared to genotyping technologies, and it is comparatively simple. Based on products and services, the global high-resolution melting analysis market can be segmented into software and services, consumables and reagents, and instruments. In terms of application, it can be segmented into epigenetics, pathogen identification, species identification, mutation scanning, and SNP genotyping.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The global market for high-resolution melting analysis is likely to have a fruitful future owing to ongoing research and developments in this field sponsored by several leading companies operating in this particular field. For instance, FDA in the U.S. approves many treatments which are made for addressing a specific genomic profile or genetic makeup of the tumor of the patient.Global High-resolution Melting Analysis Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe prime factors that are boosting the growth of the market comprise the growing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, COPD, chronic diseases such as cancer, and other different infectious diseases. The prime benefits associated with high-resolution melting analysis are optimization of therapies, patient compliance, drug safety, cost savings on several treatments, and disease diagnosis. In return, these are also expected to propel the demand for DNA testing services. Moreover, rising awareness pertaining to the applications of high resolution melting analysis technologies for HLA typing, mutation discovery, and DNA mapping are additional aspects that are anticipated to propel the growth of the high-resolution melting analysis market during the forecast period. High resolution melting analysis is a technology employed for assessing melting curve plots of amplified gene. This particular technology is basically used for gene mutation scanning, microbial species identification, methylation profiling, and other different diagnostics based on PCR. Thus, mutation scanning and other applications are likely to gain prominence over time owing to rising prevalence of advancements in technology of molecular biology, genetic disorders, and growing awareness pertaining to SNP typing.Request TOC of the Report @Global High-resolution Melting Analysis Market: Market PotentialGrowing government budget provision for research and development in the field of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and applied life sciences is a crucial factor heightening the demand for numerous diagnostic techniques and tools. For instance, in 2015, the Obama led administration announced the introduction of the Precision Medicine Initiative with a huge investment of US$216 mn in the Presidents budget of 2016. This initiative is further expected to have positive impact on the growth of the high resolution melting analysis market.Global High-resolution Melting Analysis Market: Regional OverviewRegion-wise, the market can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America is expected to perform extremely owing to factors such as robust adoption of advanced technology in healthcare, numerous genetic testing centers, strong biotech and pharmaceutical industry, prevalence many academic universities, and high prevalence of diseases. Asia Pacific has also been identified as one of the potential regions where the market can grow steadily owing to dynamics such as rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as HIV, COPD, and cancer, growing cases of genetic disorders, and rising private and public expenditure on genetic testing and molecular diagnostic.Get Discount @Global High-resolution Melting Analysis Market: Competitive LandscapeThe top drawer companies operating in the market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Kapa Biosystems, Idaho Technology Corporation, and Roche Molecular Systems.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
Offshore Decommissioning Market - Future Growth with Current Trends Analysis 2017-2025

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Global Offshore Decommissioning Market: OverviewOffshore decommissioning is the process of disassembling offshore oil platforms, which also includes burying the holes drilled into the ground for exploration and extraction purposes. Mature oil platforms can have an adverse impact on the surrounding environment, which necessitates their removal. The global offshore decommissioning market is likely to remain a key sector of the global oil and gas industry in the coming years, as the latter is likely to emphasize increasingly on offshore petroleum extraction. Well plugging and abandonment is likely to remain the key segment of the global offshore decommissioning market in the coming years, with the extensive scale of the operation key in ensuring a steady dominant share for the segment in the global market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Offshore Decommissioning Market: Key TrendsThe global offshore decommissioning market is likely to exhibit steady growth in the coming years due to the rising number of mature oilfields, which no longer remain commercially viable. The high number of aging platforms in shallow water is also likely to remain a key driver for the global offshore decommissioning market in the coming years.On the other hand, the high cost of offshore decommissioning projects could hinder the growth of the global offshore decommissioning market. Due to the large scale of offshore oil and gas platforms, significant expenditure needs to be dedicated for effective offshore decommissioning projects. Since the expenses go toward removing a nonfunctional asset rather than expanding the existing capacity, many players in the global oil and gas industry have remained reluctant about offshore decommissioning. The technology required to carry out offshore decommissioning efficiently are also lacking in several regions, as is systemic support from the regulatory framework. This is also likely to restrain the global offshore decommissioning market in the coming years.Request TOC of the Report @The rising use of techniques to maximize and prolong the viability of oilfields is also likely to restrain the growth of the global offshore decommissioning market in the coming years. Refilling and other techniques can help extend the operational lifespan of oilfield by a few years, and result in further profits for the oil and gas operator. This remains a key challenge for the offshore decommissioning market in the coming years, as offshore decommissioning remains unprofitable both economically as well as logistically compared to these techniques.Global Offshore Decommissioning Market: Market PotentialOil and gas operations in the North Sea are likely to be vital to the global offshore decommissioning market in the coming years. The U.K. and Norway are among the leading oil producers operating in the North Sea and are likely to remain among the key consumers of offshore decommissioning technology in the coming years. As a result, Europe is likely to be the leading regional offshore decommissioning market over the coming years.Global Offshore Decommissioning Market: Geographical DynamicsFollowing Europe, North America is also likely to retain a significant share in the global offshore decommissioning market due primarily to the rising role of the U.S. in the global oil and gas sector. The U.S. has traditionally been a major player in the oil and gas industry and is a leading operator of offshore oilfields at present. The rising prominence of Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia in the global oil and gas sector is also likely to drive the Asia Pacific market for offshore decommissioning in the coming years.Get Discount @Global Offshore Decommissioning Market: Competitive DynamicsThe leading players in the global offshore decommissioning market include AF Gruppen ASA, Amec Foster Wheeler Plc, John Wood Group Plc, Ramboll Group, Aker Solutions ASA, and Tetra Technologies 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
Oilfield Communications Market - Overview Of Industry,Growth, and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Oilfield Communications Market: OverviewThe global market for oilfield communication is expected to grow at a strong pace in the next few years. A substantial rise in the number of oil fields across the globe is projected to encourage the growth of the overall market in the next few years. Moreover, the rising emphasis on development and adoption of new and effective communication techniques are anticipated to benefit the key players in the market across the globe.Global Oilfield Communications Market: Key TrendsThe increasing vulnerabilities to cybersecurity threats for the oil and gas industry are anticipated to augment global oilfield communications market in the coming years. Moreover, the integration of several departments in the industry is likely to offer potential opportunities for growth in the next few years. On the flip side, the stringent regulatory framework and the rising risk of inadequate data security and asset security are projected to curtail the growth of the global oilfield communications market in the near future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Oilfield Communications Market: Market PotentialThe discovery and development of new subsea oilfields are the key factors that are anticipated to encourage the growth of the global oilfield communications market throughout the forecast period. In addition, the growing demand for advanced and cost-effective solutions in the overall oil and gas industry is predicted to supplement the growth of the market in the coming years. The research and development activities and the emergence of new techniques are some of the other aspects that are projected to fuel the growth of the market in the near future. However, the security of information is expected to act as a key challenge for the key players in the global market.Global Oilfield Communications Market: Regional OutlookThe global oilfield communications market has been classified on the basis of geography in order to provide a clear understanding for readers and market players. Among the regional segmentation, North America is anticipated to witness a high level of growth in the next few years. This region is considered as one of the major oil and gas producers across the globe, owing to which the market is estimated to encourage the growth of the market in the coming years. In addition, the rising focus of key players on enhancing their digital communication solutions is predicted to supplement the development of the market in the near future.Request TOC of the Report @Furthermore, the oilfield communications market is estimated to experience a healthy growth in several emerging nations across the globe. The rising focus of the leading players on untapped markets is predicted to generate promising opportunities for key players operating in the oilfield communications market over the forecast period.Global Oilfield Communications Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global market for oilfield communications is fairly competitive in nature and is predicted to witness substantial growth throughout the forecast period. The increasing number of players in the market is estimated to enhance the competitive landscape of the market over the next few years. In addition, the growing focus on research and development activities and innovations are predicted to contribute towards the overall development of the market in the near future.Get Discount @Some of the prominent players operating in the oilfield communications market across the globe are Siemens AG, Rad Data Communications, Inc., Airspan Networks, Inc., Commtel Networks Pvt. Ltd., Inmarsat PLC, Baker Hughes Incorporated, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Alcatel-Lucent S.A., Rignet, Inc., Speedcast International Limited, Tait Communications, Hughes Network Systems LLC, Commscope, Inc., ABB Ltd., and Ceragon Networks Ltd. Detailed profiles of the mentioned players have been included in the scope of the research report.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
Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Market - Value Chain Analysis & Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Market: OverviewThe global pharmaceutical packaging equipment market is estimated to witness a healthy growth in the coming years. Some of the key factors encouraging the growth of the market include cost containment in pharmaceuticals, rise in the funding for generics, and growing investments in biopharmaceutical research. The technological advancements in labeling and serialization solutions are anticipated to boost the growth of the global pharmaceutical packaging equipment market. Rising emphasis on labeling and serialization to counter the problem of counterfeiting of medicines will fuel the demand for pharmaceutical packaging equipment. The market however faces one challenge. The threat from being substituted by refurbished packaging equipment is present in the market. Refurbished packaging equipment is a viable alternative to new packaging equipment, which costs high. This is likely to restrain the growth of the market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Market: Key TrendsSome of thy key trends observed in the market are increasing investments in the manufacturing sector by players and consistent technological innovation taking place in the global pharmaceutical packaging equipment market. The flourishing pharmaceutical industry is directly responsible for the growth of the pharmaceutical packaging equipment market. Rising incidences of diseases and infections are pushing the pharmaceutical industry to grow, which in turn is pushing the demand for pharmaceutical packaging equipment. The market for pharmaceutical packaging equipment is especially slated to witness a high growth in developing nations such as China and India as these countries do not have high import duties. The need for inexpensive manufacturing facilities is making developing nations in Asia Pacific, a potential market for pharmaceutical packaging equipment.Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Market: Market PotentialPackaging of pharmaceutical product is extremely vital for the pharmaceutical industry as packaging enables safety and quality of drugs. Thus, there will always be a demand for pharmaceutical packaging equipment in the pharma industry. In contrast with conventional packaging systems, pharmaceutical packaging equipment are automated, modern, and flexible, including primary packaging and secondary equipment, and labeling and serialization equipment. This helps in reducing the time for packaging, boosting production.Request TOC of the Report @Companies such as Robert Bosch Gmbh participate in innovation and develop new products, which is creating a positive outlook for the market. The company recently launched a new Sigpack VPF vertical flat pouch machine and also a HML horizontal flow wrapping machine. The former is developed to pack powders by producing sachets that can pack pain killers in powder form. The machines enables the production of sealed packages and can fill up to 1500 sachets per minute.Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Market: Regional OutlookThe report segments the global pharmaceutical packaging equipment market on the basis of geography into Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. North America led in the global pharmaceutical packaging equipment market on account of advancements in the pharmaceutical industry and economic growth of the region. The patent expirations of a number of drugs will also help the market in the region to grow.Get Discount @Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Market: Competitive LandscapeThe global pharmaceutical packaging equipment market is highly fragmented. The market is characterized by the presence of several local, regional, and multinational players. Some of the players in the market are: IMA S.p.A. (Italy), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Korber AG (Germany), Multivac Group (Germany), Marchesini Group S.p.A. (Italy), Romaco Pharmatechnik GmbH (Germany), and OPTIMA Packaging Group GmbH (Germany). Key players in the market are striving for innovation so as to maintain their shares in the competitive 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
Cage Free Eggs Market | Global Industry Overview, Top Key Players, Industry Growth Analysis and Forecast to 2023

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https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cage-free-eggs-market-4774

Market Overview: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.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.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 marketEggland's Best, LLC. (U.S.)Weaver Brothers, Inc. (U.S.)Herbruck Poultry Ranch, Inc. (U.S.)Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (U.S.)Midwest Poultry Services, L.P.(U.S.)Kuramochi Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Japan)Lakes Freerange Egg Co., Ltd. (U.K.)Downstream Analysis:Cage-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 Analysis:The 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 Segmentation:Cage-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.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Thrombectomy Devices Market - Segmentation Of Industry Analysis and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Thrombectomy Devices Market: OverviewThrombectomy devices are used in surgeries to remove blood clots formed in situ within blood vessels. These devices are available in various types, including mechanical devices, basket/brush retrievers, stent retrievers, aspiration devices, ultrasonic devices, coil retrievers, and hydrodynamic devices. They are used to remove thrombus, which can happen anywhere within the vascular system of a human body and therefore, find their application in the cardiovascular system, peripheral vascular system, and neurovascular system. The end users of these devices, include ambulatory surgical centers, hospitals and surgical centers, academic institutes, and research laboratories.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Thrombectomy Devices Market: Key TrendsThe rapidly growing geriatric population is fuelling the global demand for thrombectomy devices since aged people are highly susceptible to venous thromboembolism (VTE). Moreover, the rising occurrence of peripheral artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, and deep vein thrombosis, owing to the unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles is escalating the development of the global market for thrombectomy devices. The increasing government and consumer expenditure on the healthcare sector coupled with the presence of favorable medical reimbursement scenario is also stoking the growth of the market. Besides this, the spiraling demand for minimally invasive thrombectomy procedures is augmenting the market.On the flip side, stringent regulations pertaining to the approval and manufacturing of thrombectomy devices is hampering the growth of the global market. Moreover, patients, particularly in developing and less developed nations, are less aware about thrombectomy, which in turn negatively impacts the growth of the market. The lack of skilled and well-trained surgeons is also inhibiting the growth of the global thrombectomy devices market.Request TOC of the Report @Global Thrombectomy Devices Market: Market PotentialThe global medical devices industry and its affiliated markets are largely influenced by government actions. Thus, favorable government policies are playing an instrumental role in the development of the global thrombectomy devices market. To put this in perspective, the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) is taking efforts to make mechanical thrombectomy more widely available to patients. In April 2017, the NHS decided to invest hefty sums in the development of an advanced treatment for strokes. With this intervention, nearly 8,000 people per year are expected to benefit from this treatment. The development of such treatments is likely to translate into the greater uptake of thrombectomy devices.Global Thrombectomy Devices Market: Geographical SegmentationThe key regions analyzed in the report are Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America will command a substantial share in the global market throughout the forecast period. The growing popularity of technologically advanced thrombectomy products among surgeons and the availability of favorable reimbursement policies, especially in the U.S. are contributing to the growth of the region. Besides this, the presence of advanced healthcare infrastructure and the rising number of clinical trials are supplementing the market in North America.Get Discount @Asia Pacific will be an emerging market for thrombectomy devices. The widening base of target patient population, growing healthcare expenditure, and increasing awareness regarding novel devices among surgeons are stoking the growth of the region. In addition, the growth of the region can be attributed to the rising localized manufacturing and strengthening of distribution channels.Global Thrombectomy Devices Market: Competitive LandscapeThe majority of key players in the global thrombectomy devices market are looking upon mergers and acquisitions as viable strategies to expand their product portfolio. They are paying high attention to technological advancements and product upgradation to stay relevant in this highly competitive arena. Some of the key global participants in the global market are Stryker Corporation, Medtronic Plc, Boston Scientific Corporation, Penumbra Inc., Teleflex Incorporated, AngioDynamics Inc., The Spectranetics Corporation, Johnson and Johnson Inc., Terumo Corporation, and Vascular Solutions 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
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Market - Current Overview and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Alternative and Complementary Medicine Market: OverviewThe global market for alternative and complementary medicines is projected to experience substantial growth in the next few years. The rising expenditure of the healthcare facilities is considered as the major factor that is likely to encourage the growth of the overall market in the coming years. In addition, the increasing number of initiatives being taken by Governments across the globe to promote alternative and complementary medicines is projected to accelerate the markets growth. Thanks to these factors, the global alternative and complementary medicine market is likely to exhibit a promising growth rate in the near future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Alternative and Complementary Medicine Market: Key TrendsA significant rise in the number of initiatives by NGOs and government organizations to encourage the use of alternative and complementary medicines is estimated to bolster global market in the near future. In addition to this, technological advancements in this field and the rising inclination of consumers towards these medicines and practices are likely to offer lucrative growth opportunities for the leading players operating in the alternative and complementary medicine market across the globe. However, the lack of scientific results is expected to hamper the overall growth of the market in the next few years.Global Alternative and Complementary Medicine Market: Market PotentialAlternative and complementary medicines make use of several tradition methods to help the patients, most of which are not completely supported scientifically. As a result, the use of these medicines in several developed economies is comparatively less. Nonetheless, with a rising focus on research and development activities in order to find clinical support and the emergence of new methods and medicines are anticipated to encourage the growth of the global alternative and complementary medicine market throughout the forecast period.Request TOC of the Report @Global Alternative and Complementary Medicine Market: Regional OutlookFrom a regional perspective, Europe is considered as one of the leading segment, thanks to the significant revenue contribution in the last few years. This region is expected to account for a large share of the global alternative and complementary medicine market with the rising use of botanicals. In addition to this, the increasing awareness among consumers regarding the availability of effective alternative and complementary medicines and the benefits they offers are expected to encourage the growth of the Europe market in the coming years.Furthermore, with the rising popularity of medical tourism, the alternative and complementary medicine market in Asia Pacific is projected to witness a steady growth in the next few years. Moreover, the presence of a large number of new players operating in this region is likely to offer promising growth opportunities over the forecast period. The Middle East and Africa segment is anticipated to experience a healthy growth in the alternative and complementary medicine market in the near future.Get Discount @Global Alternative and Complementary Medicine Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global market for alternative and complementary medicines is presently at a highly competitive stage and is predicted to experience an intense level of competition among the leading players in the coming years. The prominent players in the market are focusing on the expansion of the product portfolio so as to attract a large number of consumers across the globe. This is likely to help them in creating a brand name and acquiring a leading position in the global market. Some of the leading players operating in the alternative and complementary medicine market across the globe are Herb Pharm, Yoga Tree, Quantum Touch Inc., Helio USA Inc., Pure encapsulations, Inc., Pacific Nutritional Inc., Deepure Plus, Herbal Hills, Iyengar Yoga Institute, The Healing Company, and Nordic Naturals.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
IndiaGift Introduces Unique Products and Fast Delivery Modes for Valentine 2018

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The New Year is round the corner and soon after that; we will have the celebration of love. And what better way to start off the year than going for unique Valentines Day gifts online? Youll find them all on Indiagift.in with a plus! You dont even need to worry about how to choose or what would be better- our gifting experts will guide you all along until you find exactly what you are looking for. And it doesnt take long! You can choose from a range of printed, quirky cushions or order Valentines cakes online- theres simply no end to the Valentines gift ideas that can be presented to you by Indiagift.in.However, choosing the gift is just the first stage of the intricate process of gift giving. Delivery of that special, Valentines Day gift 2018 () will determine that first impression on your significant other. That is why it is extremely important to select the best gifting partners while gift hunting online. Indiagift.in understands this and makes sure that your Valentines gifts online reach where they should on time. Clearly, the blend of unique products and fast delivery modes is the secret behind the customer satisfaction and thus the wide popularity. With a perfect, express delivery service in more than three hundred and fifty cities of the country and international orders delivery, Indiagift.in is serving a majority of happy celebrators in the country now! Opt for personalized Valentines gifts online for all the seven days of the week of love, especially when you wish to send a gift that totally reflects your feelings.There are few questions which come with such simple answers as is the case with the one question which runs through every excited person in love- Which gift will convey my feelings perfectly? FYI, the answer is- A personalized one! Personalized gifts () make a common, recurring event memorable for life. At Indiagift.in, we have unique, trendsetting gifts that will make it to your as well as your partners most loveable, useful and meaningful object around the house. The pure feeling of love remains burning in the hearts of people regardless of their ages. This leads us to another salient feature of Valentines Day gifts 2018 purchased at Indiagift.in - we have something for everyone all year round. You could start with a gift this Valentines Day and go on sending one after another to your loved one on the fourteenth of every month, such that on the Valentines Day 2018, your darling will have a complete set! This can work with childish, cute chocolates or important, useful kitchen sets or even decorative items. You may even customize it such that it includes a hidden message for your partner to find! And there cannot be a better gift for anyone than some quality we-time spent while deciphering code messages only for your eyes and heart! After all, if Digital Fortress taught us something, it had to be that secrets keep the sparks of love alive in relationships!To explore more such creative, out of the box and truly memorable gifts that can bring a smile on your loved ones faces even if you are far away at work, head over to Indiagift.in and check out our awesome collection! Traditional, unconventional, quirky, funky- come one, come all! You can check it all out before you believe it for yourself. But you must hurry up, lest we start running low on stock with all the pre-orders! If you need more confirmation, head over to have a look at the happy faces and you wont be confused about Valentines gift ideas () anymore!IndiaGift.in is new generation gifting website which offers gift delivery in India. The website has more than 1000 delivery partners in India and boasts of the largest gift delivery network. You can surprisingly present the impressive personalized gift item in the Diwlai, Valentine Day, Anniversary, Friendship Day and so on. We delivers Cakes, Gifts & Flowers overall India like Pune, Delhi, Banglore, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Hydrabaad and many more cities. Keep the uniqueness in choosing online gift items and make sure you get the best online gifts. The price of all the gift items is affordable and online gifting site provides various benefits like ease of purchase, quick delivery, reliable customer support service, securable payment option, etc.pal BansalJ-17, South City 1, Gurgaon, 122001
Global Recruitment Process Outsourcing Market Expected to Reach $5.01 Bn By 2025

MRRSE

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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 Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) (On-demand RPO and End-to-end RPO) MarketGet Free Sample Report @Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a type of business process outsourcing (BPO) which includes the outsourcing of different recruitment functions of an organization to third-party vendor. The RPO solutions primarily include screening of the candidates, interview scheduling, job posting, offer execution and other important activities in the recruitment process. The major difference between the RPO providers and staffing companies is the proficient recruitment process management and responsibility of its results by the RPO providers. Outsourcing recruitment processes to a RPO provider enables the client organization to focus on their core competencies. In addition, outsourcing these processes is highly beneficial for reducing the operating costs of the organization related to the recruitment functions. This is the most significant factor fuelling the adoption of RPO solutions among different end-use industries.The market for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is segmented, based on the type of engagement, into on-demand and end-to-end RPO service. On-demand RPO refers to the RPO service in which some of the recruitment services are outsourced to the RPO provider. On the contrary, end-to-end RPO refers to outsourcing of all the recruitment processes to the RPO providing company. On-demand RPO enables the client organization to have better control over the recruitment processes as only a part of recruitment process is outsourced to the providing company. Moreover, the cost of on-demand RPO is lower as compared to the end-to-end RPO solution. Due to these advantages and higher flexibility and scalability, the penetration of on-demand RPO services is currently high as compared to the end-to-end RPO solutions.This report studies the current scenario as well as the future market potential for recruitment process outsourcing in Southeast Asia. The market for recruitment process outsourcing has been segmented into six major end-use industries, namely, banks, financial services and insurance (BFSI); information technology (IT), IT enabled services (ITeS), and telecommunication; manufacturing; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; hospitality; and others. The others segment comprises aerospace, marine and construction industries. The market for these recruitment process outsourcing systems has been extensively analyzed on the basis of factors such as types of engagement service and countries in Southeast Asia region. On the basis of engagement type, the market has been segmented into on-demand RPO and end-to-end RPO. The market size and forecasts in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) for each of these segments have been provided for the period 2010 to 2020, considering 2012 and 2013 as the base years. The report also provides the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for each segment of the market for the forecast period 2014 to 2020.Geographically, the market for RPO in Southeast Asia has been segmented into four regions, namely, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Rest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA). The market size and forecast for each region has been provided for the period 2010 to 2020 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period 2014 to 2020. The study also includes qualitative analysis of the competitive scenario in these regions. The overview section of the report comprises qualitative analysis of the overall market highlighting the factors determining the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities, along with the key trends analysis.View Complete Report with Table of Content @The report also provides a section on the competitive landscape, wherein the market positioning analysis of the leading players in Southeast Asia RPO market in 2013 has been discussed. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Southeast Asia RPO market such as Kenexa Corporation (an IBM Corporation Company), Randstad Holding Company, Accolo, Inc., Atterro Human Capital Group, Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group, Cielo, Inc. (Pinstripe, Inc.), ManpowerGroup Solutions, Pontoon Solutions, Zyoin Web Pvt. Ltd., Futurestep (a Korn Ferry Company), TalentFusion, Inc., Alexander Mann Solutions and Hudson Global, Inc.Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market Segmentation:Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Engagement TypeOn-demand RPOEnd-to-end RPORecruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by End-use IndustryBanks, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI)IT, ITeS and TelecommunicationManufacturingHealthcare and PharmaceuticalsHospitalityOthers (Aerospace, Marine and Construction Industry)Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Geographic RegionThailandIndonesiaVietnamRest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA)Send an Enquiry @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)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.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Global and United States Tourette Syndrome Drug In-Depth Research Report 2017-2022

bharatbook

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https://www.bharatbook.com/healthcare-market-research-reports-969301/global-united-states-tourette-syndrome-drug.html

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Bharat Book Bureau Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Global and United States Tourette Syndrome Drug In-Depth Research Report 2017-2022  under Healthcare category. The report provides information on industry overview, market size, latest developments, industry trends, Key players, global presence, and their future prospects.The report is based on the market historical data from 2012 to 2016 and forecast the market trend from 2017 to 2022.This report focuses on the U.S. market and presents volume and value of market share by players, by regions, by product type, by consumers and also changes in prices. As an in-depth report, it covers all details inside analysis and opinions in Tourette Syndrome Drug industry.Request a free sample copy of Tourette Syndrome Drug Market Report @Major CompaniesAbide Therapeutics IncCatalyst Pharmaceuticals IncNeurocrine Biosciences IncPsyadon Pharmaceuticals IncReviva Pharmaceuticals IncSynchroneuron IncTeva Pharmaceutical Industries LtdTherapix Biosciences LtdKey RegionsNorth AmericaUnited StatesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkOthersCanadaLatin AmericaMexicoBrazilArgentinaOthersEuropeGermanyUnited KingdomFranceItalySpainRussiaNetherlandOthersAsia & PacificChinaJapanIndiaKoreaAustraliaSoutheast AsiaIndonesiaThailandPhilippinesVietnamSingaporeMalaysiaOthersAfrica & Middle EastSouth AfricaEgyptTurkeySaudi ArabiaIranOthersMain types of productsTourette Syndrome Drug Market, byD-5213Tourette Syndrome Drug Market, byP-115Tourette Syndrome Drug Market, bytetrabenazine ERTourette Syndrome Drug Market, byopipam HydrochlorideTourette Syndrome Drug Market, byhersTourette Syndrome Drug Market, by Key ConsumersResearch CenterHospitalClinicOthersPlease continue to read the complete report at :About Bharat Book Bureau:Bharat Book Bureau is the leading market research information provider for market research reports, company profiles, industry study, country reports, business reports, newsletters and online databases. Bharat Book Bureau provides over a million reports from more than 400 publishers around the globe. We cover sectors starting from Aeronautics to Zoology.Contact us at:Bharat Book BureauTel: +91 22 27810772 / 27810773Email: poonam@bharatbook.comWebsite:Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus
IaaS Market to 2025  Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Competitive Analysis and Forecasts

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Global Infrastructure as a Service Market Report 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.Request a Sample Report atA segment of cloud computing, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), offers array of physical computing resources, that include network connections, servers, bandwidth and load balancers, which are provided virtually by the cloud service providers (CSPs). IaaS vendors offer computers, physical or virtual machines and other resources. IaaS refers to online services utilized by enterprises such as physical computing resources, data-partitioning, location, security, backup and scaling. Growing demand for recovery in disaster situation and rising demand for hybrid cloud solutions as a service across the globe is the noticeable factor boosting the adoption of IaaS globally. However, higher data security, and privacy issues are anticipated to hinder the global IaaS market. Industries and companies are increasingly adopting IaaS system solutions owing to the rising volume of financial and business data information and other critical data in various verticals. The need for decreasing the operational cost and IT administration, in order to emphasize further on their core business operations, is the primary factor driving the global IaaS market, especially within small & medium enterprises (SMEs).Infrastructure as a Service Market Key Players:- Mindtree Pvt. Ltd.- Amazon Web Services, Inc.- IBM Corporation- Cisco Systems, Inc.- Savvis- Google Inc.- VMware, Inc.- Microsoft Corporation- Rackspace Inc.- Fujitsu Ltd.- Computer Sciences Corp- Profitbricks Inc.Inquire before Buying atKey Questions Answered In This Report What will the market size be in 2025 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?Key Insight of Infrastructure as a Service Market- Historical and Future Market- Supply and Demand- Price and Cost- Drivers and Challenges- Key Vendors- Market Strategies- Industry Value Chain- RegionsComplete 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, East Block, Amanora Township,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Meat Processing Equipment Market Expected to Grow at the Significant CAGRs during 2017 to 2023

AMR

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/meat-processing-equipment-market

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According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, Meat Processing Equipment Market by Type, Meat Type, and Application: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023," the meat processing equipment market was valued at $10,218 million in 2016, and is projected to reach $16,516 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2017 to 2023. North America is one of the prominent consumers of meat processing equipment, accounting for more than one-third of the total market in 2016.Access Full Summary at:Processed meat is defined as meat that can be modified to improve its taste and shelf life. The demand for processed meat is expected to increase due to the surge in consumer demand for food products with multifunctional nutrition benefits. Meat processing equipment are designed based on the specific end-use requirements. In addition, automated food processing equipment has experienced an augment in demand due to increasing focus on production efficiency and cost reduction.Factors that drive the growth of the global meat processing equipment market are change in lifestyle of people and varied consumer trends toward use of ready-to-eat food products. The food & beverage processing industry has influenced the meat processing equipment market to a large extent. In addition, growth in demand for meat and poultry processing and safety regulations in the processing industry are expected to fuel the demand for meat processing equipment in the near future. However, increase in cost of raw materials is expected to hamper the growth in the near future.The cutting equipment segment is expected to maintain its dominance and grow at highest CAGR in the global meat processing equipment market during the forecast period, as it is the most common processing equipment used in food industry. In 2016, the cutting equipment segment accounted for major share in the global market.Get Sample PDF of the Report@The processed pork segment accounted for the significant share in North America and Europe. The processed pork and processed beef segments cumulatively dominated the global market with more than three-fifths share, in terms of volume, in 2016, owing to increase in consumption of pork and beef in these regions as they are rich in vitamins, iron, phosphorus, and other minerals.Key Findings of the Meat Processing Equipment Market: In terms of value, the processed pork segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period. North America is anticipated to maintain its lead position throughout 2023, growing at a CAGR of 5.4%, in terms of value. The fresh processed meat application is estimated to occupy one-fourth of the total market by 2023. China is expected to occupy more than one-fourth of the total Asia-Pacific meat processing equipment market by 2023. China is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 10.5%, in terms of value, from 2017 to 2023.In 2016, Asia-Pacific and North America collectively accounted for approximately three-fifths share of the total meat processing equipment market. Countries, such as China and India are expected to contribute a significant share in the Asia-Pacific meat processing equipment market. Rise in food processing sector is the major reason for the growth of the market in Asia-Pacific.The major companies profiled in the report include GEA Group AG, JBT Corporation, Key Technology Inc., Marel, Heat and Control, Inc. Illinois Tool Works Inc., Manitowoc, The Middleby Corporation, Bettcher Industries, Inc., Equipamientos Crnicos, and S.L. (Mainca)About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions". AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Contact Us:Dhananjay Potle5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesInt'l: +1-503-894-6022Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 (U.S. & Canada)E-mail: sales@alliedmarketresearch.com
Near Field Communications Market Growth Drives, Key Trends, Analysis and Forecasts to 2025

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The Insight Partners has announced the addition of the Near Field Communication (NFC) Market to 2025 - Global Analysis and Forecasts by Device Operating Mode, Product & Software and Industry report to their offering.Near Field Communication (NFC) is a wireless technology that offers exchange of data between the NFC technologies enabled devices. NFC is a short range communication technique I and an s an efficient alternative to communication technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. NFC transfers data by bringing the devices closer or by touching them together. NFC enable the users to seamlessly share data between devices, use their mobile phone as e-ticket or pay bills wirelessly. The important benefit of NFC over Bluetooth is shorter set-up period. Also, NFC works on devices that are not driven by battery such as smart credit card. NFC technology has various advantages such as versatility, safety and convenience. It requires PIN and does not allow physical access of credit card information to merchants. Hence, NFC is much more secure than other techniques of transaction. NFC is very convenient to use.Request Sample is Available atNear Field Communication (NFC) Market key Players- Broadcom Inc.- Toshiba Corporation- Infineon Technologies- DeviceFidelity Inc.- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.- Visa Inc.- Identive Group- MasterCard- PayPal- American Express- Qualcomm- MediaTek Inc.- STMicroelectronics- Renasas Electronics Corporation- NXP Semiconductors- Texas Instruments- Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.- Gemalto NV- STmicroelectronics- Apple Inc.- Inside SecureInquire before Buying atKey Questions Answered In This Report What will the market size be in 2025 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?Key Insight of Near Field Communication (NFC) Market- Historical and Future Market- Supply and Demand- Price and Cost- Drivers and Challenges- Key Vendors- Market Strategies- Industry Value Chain- RegionsComplete 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, East Block, Amanora Township,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Control Valve Market 2017 Trends, Size, Segments and Growth by Forecast to 2022

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Market Highlights:Control valve are used by various industrial sectors that include oil & gas, waste water management, automotive, pharmaceuticals, chemical and others in order to control temperature, flow, and pressure by received signals from the controllers. The primary factor that drives the growth of control valve market is growing investment in fluid handling system, increasing need of automation and rising industrial infrastructure projects among others. According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, The global market of Control Valve is booming and is expected to gain prominence over the forecast period. The market is projected to demonstrate a spectacular growth by 2022, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a striking CAGR during the anticipated period (2016  2022).Control Valve device plays an important role in increasing efficiency, safety, and profitability of the process industries. Furthermore, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of control Valve are constantly engaging in research & development activities to design their products in accordance with the changing requirements in numerous industries. However, the lack of technical expertise among instrument engineers may hinder the growth of control valve market.Control Valve Market is expected to show a considerable growth rate in coming five years (2016-2022). The growth is majorly driven by the gradual increase in the need for automation in the process industry, the rising number of industrial infrastructure projects in developing countries, and the ever increasing investment across all the process industries especially, in oil & gas industry.Countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China and the Middle East Region continue to support control valve market. Due to the rising population, high consumption of energy from the middle class family and the need for energy efficient device is boosting the control valve market in the region.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players: Burkert Fluid Control Systems (Germany) Crane Co. (U.S.) Velan, Inc. (Canada) Pentair Limited (UK) Flowserve Corporation (U.S.) Dual Products Intl. Cc (South Africa) Metso Corporation (Finland) Samson AG (Germany) MIL Control Limited (India) IMI Plc. (UK)Industry News:24 May 2017:Burkert is one of the world's leading manufacturers of measurement and control systems for liquids and gases. The company designed its new control valve islands named AirLINE (Type 8652) for control cabinets. The valve island is easy to install and its integrated monitoring and diagnostic functions improve process reliability.May 01, 2017:Crane Co. a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered industrial products, announced that it has acquired Westlock Controls (Westlock) from Emerson Electric Co. for cash consideration of $40 million. Westlock is a global leader in the manufacturing and sale of switchboxes, position transmitters and other solutions for networking, monitoring and controlling process valves. Their partnership will bring to development of innovative control product.April 28, 2017:Pentair Plc a major player in control valve market. The company announced it has completed the sale of its valve & controls business to Emerson Electric Co. for $3.15 billion, subject to customary working capital adjustments. The company projects it is a major control valve device manufacturer that comprise accuracy and advanced technology implementation.Control Valve Global Market Competitive Analysis:The Market of Control Valve appears to be highly competitive. To maintain their market position and to drive the market growth, various dynamic and diversified international organizations, domestic organizations and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. Market leaders are innovating continuously and increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. Major players are investing on internal R&D and, most of all, in acquiring other firms.Control Valve Global Market Segmentation:The control valve market is segmented into four key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Type: ball valve, butterfly valve, cryogenic valve, and globe valve among othersSegmentation by Components: positioners, switches, transducers, actuators, PC diagnostic software and pneumatic lock up systems among others.Segmentation by End-Users: Oil & gas, chemicals, food & beverage, automotive, metal & mining and pharmaceuticals among others.Segmentation by Regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world.Access Report Details @Control Valve Global Market Regional Analysis:North America is dominating the Global Control Valve Market with the largest market share and therefore accounting for astronomical amounts and is expected to grow over its previous growth records by 2022.Owing to presence of technologically advanced R&D sector in this region to provide extensive control valve automation solution to the industry. Control Valve Market in Asia-Pacific market is expected to witness a fastest growing CAGR during 2016 to 2022 due to investment in control valve market by emerging economies such as China and India. Increasing demand for control Valve from the oil & gas, chemicals, and water & wastewater industries is driving the market in Asia Pacific 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 Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Flash Memory Market Global Size, Segments, Growth and Trends by Forecast to 2027

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Market Highlights:The primary force driving the growth of flash memory market is the increasing use of mobile phones. Mobile devices have become inseparable part of our lives enabling more convenient communication, online content downloading and sharing. For large amounts of data storage, there arises a requirement of large memory, which is ultimately building demand for higher memory capacities. The flash memory market is driven by the factors such as growing demand for high data transfer rate and increased demand for portability of data.On the other hand, cloud based storage is one of the major factors likely to pose challenges to the market growth. Also, reliability issues and data corruption rate are other factors which could cause hindrance in the growth of flash memory market.Characterized by the presence of several major well-established players, the global market of flash memory appears to be highly competitive. Well established players incorporate acquisition, collaboration, partnership, expansion, and technology launch in order to gain competitive advantage in this market and to maintain their market position. These Players invest heavily in the R&D to develop Flash Memory Market technologies that will meet the increasing demand on a completely different level compared to their competition. These vendors are constantly bringing innovations in the flash memory market. Demand for digital capacity is growing and is not predicted to slow down at any time soon.Flash memory is a technology which is used to store the electronic data which can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. Market of flash memory has been growing with the evolution of the computers and media devices and increasing need for data storage and mobility at the same time.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players: Samsung Electronics (South Korea) Toshiba Corporation (Japan) Intel Corporation (U.S.) SanDisk (U.S.) Western Digital (U.S.) IM Flash Technologies LLC (U.S.) Micron Technology, Inc., (U.S.) Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (U.S.) SK Hynix (South Korea) STMicroelectronics (Switzerland) Qimonda AG (Germany) ADATA Technology Co., Ltd. (Taiwan) Cactus Technologies (U.S.) Delkin Devices (U.S.) Eye-Fi (U.S.) KINGMAX Semiconductor, Inc. (Taiwan) PNY Technologies, In. (U.S.) Sony Corporation (Japan) Starline International Group (China) Strontium Technology Pte Ltd (Singapore)Industry/ Innovation/ Related News:November, 2017:Memory giants like Hynix and Micron Technology are expected to make the biggest moves in the market owing to surge in the flash memory market. SK Hynix occupying the third position and Micron Technology is moving up to fourth position in to the flash memory market.November 2017:Samsung is set to outset Intel in the flash memory market. Samsungs investments in semiconductor facilities this year are larger than ever. Samsung is also said to have changed its strategy and is focusing more on profitability in order to expand its memory market share. Samsung is likely to unseat Intel Corporation as the top chip vendor.December, 2017  Korea has maintained its dominance over the DRAM market in the quarter 3. This is owning to the presence of major player, Samsung, who accounted for almost 39% share, followed by Toshiba Corporation accounting for more than 16.8%.Global Flash Memory Market Competitive Analysis:The market of flash memory appears to be highly competitive. To maintain their market position and to drive the market growth, various dynamic and diversified international organizations, domestic organizations and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. Market leaders are innovating continuously and increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. Major players are investing on internal R&D and, most of all, in acquiring other firms.Flash Memory Market Segmentation:The global flash memory market is segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Type: Comprises NOR and NAND.Segmentation by Storag: Comprises Magnetic Storage, Optical Storage and Electronic Memories.Segmentation by Application: Comprises Smartphone, Tablet and PC, Solid State Drives (SSD), Handheld Media Player Devices and others (DSC- Digital still Camera).Segmentation by Regions: Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.Access Report Details @Flash Memory Market: Regional Analysis:Flash memory global market is expected to be dominated by Asia Pacific with the market share due to developed semiconductor industry and also due to increase in demand for mobility of devices in the region.The growth is driven by constant developments and technological innovations across industries, economic development in China, Japan, and India, growing developments in the semiconductor industry in the region. Furthermore, emergence of China as a major manufacturing hub is increasing the scope of flash memory solutions in the region. Also the presence of key players like Samsung Electronics and Toshiba Corporation is one major factor fuelling the market growth. Flash memory market in North America region is expected to hold second position for flash memory at a considerable rate of CAGR.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Virtual Private Network (VPN) Market 2017 Segments, Growth and Trends by Forecast to 2022

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https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/virtual-private-network-market-2160

Virtual Private Network (VPN) Global Market Overview:The virtual private network denotes the extension of private network allowing users to access data remotely with secure tunnelling and encryption methods, thereby permitting the business continuance towards enormous development. It has the capability to include data that is transferred through numerous different protocols boosts the dependability and security of the data that is being transmitted.The VPN also allows employees to share companys resources remotely which decreases the internal staff costs. VPNs are mainly valuable for employees who travel more frequently for organizations work as it allows the individuals to access and communicate the companys data directly with enhanced security. The emerging trend in the IT industry such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) creates a room for Virtual Private Networks Market.The complexity issues for setting up and configuring the VPN is again become of the big issue in the performance of VPN and the complexities in setting up the VPNs need specialized teams that have a detailed knowledge of the network security. The system design implementation is very complex as it requires a professional high level of understanding to configure the settings of the VPN which might costs companies with additional network specialist which indirectly impede the VPN performance.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players: Microsoft Inc. (U.S.) Private Internet Access (U.S.) CyberGhost (Romania) NordVPN (Panama) Purevpn (Hong Kong) IPVanish (U.S.) Golden Frog (U.S.) Buffered VPN (Hungary) SaferVPN (Israel) Samsung Electronics (Korea)Industry NewsDecember 2017, Samsung has added the ability to setup a VPN connection on its Galaxy Note 8 to help keep the phone secure when connecting to public and dodgy Wi-Fi hotspots. The VPN feature allows the Samsung galaxy note 8 users to setup encrypted connections over wireless hotspots that mask their handsets real IP address. This feature not only keeps the smartphone out of view of anyone, adding to the security of the mobile handset. This feature in mobile networks is the added application of VPN which the tech companies like Samsung are using as an advantage over their peers.November 2017, VPN Use Is Gaining Momentum in India. Being the second largest population in the world, many businesses and individuals across the globe are realizing the benefit of using VPN. It has a major impact, since the large population is connected to the internet through their personal computers or smartphones, to their home networks and even to the increasing public networks at railway stations, airports etc. India tends out to be one of the most affected countries by cybercrime. India has overtaken the U.S. as a second country all over the globe with most number of internet users, and the risk of losing data over the public network has increased. This ultimately creates an opportunity for the enterprises providing VPN services to capture the market in India.November 2017, Apple drops hundreds of VPN apps at Beijings request. Apple has removed hundreds of apps from its download store in China this year at the governments request. Skype was the latest US communications service to be caught up in Beijings internet crackdown. Skypes disappearance suggests that after the Chinese governments recent attempt to bolster its Great Firewall against virtual private network apps that allow users to evade censorship, it is now stepping up its efforts against foreign internet-telephony services. The move was part of a government push to tighten its grip on censorship and surveillance by stepping up enforcement of existing regulations.Virtual Private Network (VPN) Global Market Segmentation:Segmentation by Type: hosted, IP, multi-protocol label switching, Cloud VPN.Segmentation by Deployment: on premise, on cloudSegmentation by Product: router, switches, firewallsSegmentation by Vertical: government, telecommunication, manufacturing, healthcare, BFSI, utilities.Segmentation by Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, rest of the worldAccess Report Details @Virtual Private Network (VPN) Global Market Regional AnalysisBy geography, the market of virtual private network is dominated by North America. The technological advancements, increasing awareness regarding safety and security and increasing demand for cyber security are some of the factors that drive the market growth. The U.S. has seen high adoption of VPN, built out of IP.The U.S. also comprise of major technological players. Businesses in the U.S uses the VPN services to boost their security and access the resources remotely. However, due to stringent regulations by government, the market is retrained in North America.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Mobile Application Development Platform Market 2017 Analysis, Segments, Top Key Players, Drivers and Trends by Forecast to 2022

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Mobile Application Development Platform Global Market Overview:The global mobile application development platform market is showing immense growth; mainly due to the penetration of mobile devices in almost all industry verticals. Mobile devices have become an inseparable part of our lives enabling more convenient communication, online content downloading and sharing. It also offers great mobility and majority of tasks can be handled on the go.Mobile application development platform refers to specially designed architecture suites as per the company specified requirements. These solutions are used basically in building of applications and also are implemented for testing and distribution purposes. Major players in the mobile application development platform market such as IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Salesforce.com and others provide mobile application development solutions and services over cloud as well as on-premise. Growing popularity of bring your own device (BYOD) further complements the use of mobile devices in organizations and enterprises. Also, due to the drastic fall in the usage of native applications and a considerable shift towards the adoption of mobile applications, the market is likely to show immense growth in the coming future.According to a recent study report published by Market Research Future, The global market of mobile application development platform is increasing and expected to gain prominence over the forecast period. The market is projected to demonstrate a spectacular growth by 2023 with a striking CAGR during the anticipated period (2017  2023). Mobile application development platform deals with the growing need to automate application development processes which will ultimately be responsible for driving the growth of mobile application development platform market. Also, cloud based mobile application development platform is expected to dominate the share of the mobile application development platform market. This is owing to the benefits being offered by cloud based solutions such as flexible, scalable, and cost-effective. Also, cloud based solutions can be easily implemented and offers easy integration too. IT solutions provided by mobile application development platform offers back end as a service which eliminates the need for application developers to create their back-end systems. This ultimately reduces the application development time, improves front-end tasks, and also enhances the UI design for a better user experience.On the other hand, lack of technical expertise in handling the mobile application development platforms could be a major factor that could cause hindrance in the growth of the market. Also, increased expenses of licensing and maintaining Mobile Application Development Platform Market in enterprises may hamper the market growth.Major Key Players: Kony Inc.(U.S.) Globo (U.S.) EchoStar Corporation (U.S.) ViaSat Inc. (U.S.) IBM Corporation (U.S.) Oracle Corporation (U.S.) Progress Software Corporation (Germany) Salesforce.com Inc. (U.S.) Halosys (U.S.)Request a Sample Report @Industry/ Innovation/ Related News:May 2017  Apple has announced new iOS app design and development accelerator in Bengaluru. It is a new initiative to support engineering talent and accelerate growth in Indias iOS developer community. This will help them to develop their skills and transform the design, quality and performance of their apps on the iOS platform.June 2017  Mobiquity Networks Partners with Intellectsoft Group to Grow App Publisher Network. The company has announced an agreement with Intellectsoft Group, whose mobile roadie platform powers hundreds of app with more than 50 million estimated downloads.November 2017  Realm extends commitment for Microsoft .Net mobile platform. This is an initiative to make development easier for Microsoft developers to build real-time, responsive mobile apps. It has extended support with three additional features such as support for .NET, including C#, support for the universal windows platform within Realms real-time synchronization and data encryption technology and a two-way data connector between Realm and Microsoft SQL server which will ultimately make it easier to integrate applications and features into existing databases.Mobile Application Development Platform Global Market - Competitive AnalysisThe market of mobile application development platform appears to be highly competitive. To maintain their market position and to drive the market growth, various dynamic and diversified international organizations, domestic organizations and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. Market leaders are innovating continuously and increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. Major players are investing on internal R&D and, most of all, in acquiring other firms.Mobile Application Development Platform Global Market - SegmentationThe mobile application development platform market can be classified into 4 key segments for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Deployment: Comprises of Cloud (Public, Private, Hybrid) and On PremiseSegmentation by Organization Size: Comprises of SBUs and Large EnterprisesSegmentation by Vertical: Comprises of Healthcare, Retail, Transportation & Logistics, Telecom and OthersSegmentation by Region: Comprises of Geographical regions - North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the WorldMobile Application Development Platform Global Market - Regional AnalysisNorth America is expected to witness a significant growth and hold the largest market share during the forecast period. U.S and Canada are anticipated to drive the growth of the mobile application development platform market in North America owing to the presence of a large number of established key players such as Adobe Systems Inc. (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, Kony Inc. and Salesforce.com Inc. among others. Also, increasing demand for enterprise mobility is another major factor driving the market growth in the region.Mobile application development platform market in Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a substantial CAGR during 2017 to 2023 due to rise in IT technology and increasing demand for mobile application development platform from SMEs in the region. Whereas, the Europe market for mobile application development platform is expected to grow at a considerable CAGR (2017-2023).Browse 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.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Offshore Mooring Systems Market Europe and Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2017  2025

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The Insight Partners has announced the addition of the Offshore Mooring Systems Market to 2025 - Global Analysis and Forecasts by Type, Anchorage, Application and Depth report to their offering.Devices that helps the anchorage of the floating vessels or ships and platforms across all kind of water depths is known as offshore mooring system. A mooring line or an anchor attach the ship to the sea floor and it is important and critical for subsea production facilities. Wires, synthetic fiber ropes and chains or all the three together are used to make mooring lines. The global offshore mooring system is used in oil rigs, for extraction of oil from sea and transferring the oil onto ships. An offshore mooring system is also used in oil wells to extract crude oil.The material type used in a particular mooring system is determined by environmental factors like currents, waves and wind. The rapid growth in energy industry and oil & gas will help in the rise of the overall global offshore mooring market. The increasing energy demand worldwide and increasing focus on clean electricity is expected to actuate the global market for offshore mooring system. Also, with the increase in per capita consumption of energy due to rising population will help to drive the market for offshore mooring system. Lack of technical knowledge, high investments and crude environment conditions under the sea will affect the market growth, however with the advancements in the technology, safety measures and training, the market is expected to grow at a decent pace.Request Sample is Available atThe offshore mooring system is segmented on the basis of type into taut leg system, single point mooring, spread mooring, semi-taut leg system and dynamic positioning mooring. The offshore mooring system is further bifurcated on the basis of anchorage includes vertical load anchors, suction anchors and drag embedment anchors. The market is also divided by application into SPAR, floating production storage & offloading (FPSO), tension leg, floating liquefied natural Gas (FLNG) and semi-submersible platforms. On the basis of depth the offshore mooring market can be segmented by shallow (1000 m). The global offshore mooring market is also bifurcated on the basis of regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.Positive growth events for the industry can be seen due to newly explored oil reserves in South China Sea, Brazil, Arctic region and North Sea. Many players from Japan, Australia and China are introducing themselves in the market with improved mooring systems solutions. The demand for drilling activities and subsea exploration are increasing with the rise in energy demand. Due to increase in the investments in deep, shallow and ultra-deep water research by the new companies, Europe market is growing. Decent growth can be seen in the Asia Pacific market for offshore mooring. Due the availability of crude oil wells in the Middle East, the market is expected to grow as well. Subsea activity can benefit the growth of the market in South America. The global offshore mooring market is dominated by North America and Europe majorly. Though, the key facilities of offshore production are located in the South America, Africa and Middle East but new projects are initiated in the Asia Pacific.Some of the key players operating in the global offshore mooring market are Offspring International, Mampaey Offshore Industries B.V., Lamprell Energy Ltd., Advanced Production and Loading, Balltec Limited, HR Services & Equipment Inc., ScanaIndustrier ASA, MODEC Inc., De Haan Mussel Kanaal B.V., Rigzone Mooring Systems, Delmar Systems Inc., Balmoral Group, BW Offshore Ltd, Single Point Mooring Systems, BW Offshore Ltd and Blue Water Energy Services among others.Complete 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, East Block, Amanora Township,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Smart Railways System Market TO 2022 - Global Insights by Alstom, Bombardier, Cisco System, General Electric, Hitachi and Forecasts to 2022

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ReportsWeb.com published Global Smart Railways System Market Research Report Forecast 2017-2021 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 Smart Railways System market study provides comprehensive data which enhances the understanding, scope and application of this report. The research analysts provide an elaborate description of the value chain and its distributor analysis. The Global Smart Railways System Market Research Report Forecast 2017-2021 is a valuable source of insightful data for business strategists. It provides the Smart Railways System industry overview with growth analysis and historical & futuristic cost, revenue, demand and supply data (as applicable).This report provides comprehensive analysis ofKey market segments and sub-segmentsEvolving market trends and dynamicsChanging supply and demand scenariosQuantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecastingTracking current trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive insightsGlobal Smart Railways System Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest a Free Sample Now atThe Major players reported in the market include:AlstomBombardierCisco SystemGeneral ElectricHitachiIBMHuawei TechnologiesIndra SistemasSiemens...Global Smart Railways System Market: Product Segment AnalysisType 1Type 2Type 3Global Smart Railways System Market: Application Segment AnalysisApplication 1Application 2Application 3Reasons for Buying this ReportThis report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsTo Order the Detailed Report with its Complete TOC now visit atOverview for Table of Contents of Report Global Smart Railways System Market Research Report Forecast 2017-2021Chapter 1 Smart Railways System Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Smart Railways System IndustryChapter 3 Global Smart Railways System Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Smart Railways System Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)Chapter 5 Global Smart Railways System Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)Chapter 6 Global Smart Railways System Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Smart Railways System Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Global Smart Railways System Manufacturers AnalysisChapter 9 Smart Railways System Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 10 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 11 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 12 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 13 Global Smart Railways System Market Forecast (2017-2021)Browse Complete Report Now atContact Information: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
Edge Computing Market 2017 Segmentation, Application, Technology and Analysis Report Forecast to 2023

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Edge Computing Global Market Overview:The Global Edge Computing Market is growing with the rapid pace; mainly to control data traffic on cloud, optimize service quality and improve network efficiency. According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, The global market of Edge Computing is increasing and expected to gain prominence over the forecast period. The market is projected to demonstrate a spectacular growth by 2023, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a striking CAGR during the anticipated period (2017  2023).The Global Edge Computing Market is driven by proliferation of IOT technology, increasing data traffic on cloud and emerging concern about data security by enterprises among others. On the other hand, lack of awareness and complex infrastructure are some of the factors hindering the growth of Edge Computing Market.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players:Amazon.com Inc. (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), SAP SE (Germany), Alphabet, Inc. (U.S.), General Electric Corporation, Aricent, Inc., IBM Corporation (U.S.), Huawei Technologies Co. ltd. (China), Integrated device technology Inc. (IDT) (U.S.), Aricent (U.S.), ADLINK technology Inc. (Taiwan), Edge Connex (U.S.), Fog Horn Systems (U.S.) and Intel Corporation (U.S.) are some of the prominent players profiled in MRFR Analysis and are at the forefront of competition in the Global Edge Computing Market.Emerging Trend of Mobile Edge Computing:Mobile edge computing is the emerging trend in the market as it is designed to bring virtual network closer to mobile users and offers improved coverage with greater bandwidth. It aims to place storage resources in the 4G radio access network (RAN) to improve content delivery to end-users. Also, this technology enables operators to control traffic, optimize service quality and improve network efficiency. Major market players such as Amazon, Google, GE, Intel Corporation among others are investing heavily in their research & development to produce innovative solution for their clients. For instance, Intel Corporation, a leading innovator in mobile edge computing, developed two solutions namely Network Edge Virtualization (NEV) SDK, and ATOM processor. These software kits include reference libraries and APIs need to assist the mobile edge applications and helps the network providers by reducing efforts required to understand the complexity and implementation of mobile network protocol. This software also supports application developer to validate their software work in a different network topologies without investing in wireless network equipment.Aricent, ADLINK technology, Vasona network, and Nokia Corporation are also some of the major market players innovating the mobile edge computing technology and supporting in generating highest revenue for the market.Industry News:December 2017  Foxconn, Intel, and APT (Asian Pacific Telecom) jointly introduced a multi-access edge computing platform in Taiwan to provide smart platform for AR/VR, healthcare, and retail industries. This platform provides IT and cloud computing services within radio access network (RAN). RAN offers a platform to application developers and content providers with ultra-low latency and high bandwidth features. These features are capable of differentiating mobile broadband experience of consumer which ultimately lands in increasing profit for the subscribers.September 2017  NXP Semiconductors N.V. has adopted Googles IoT Core service to enable smart devices for edge computing. The unique technology portfolio of NXP is expected to boost the potential of edge computing and highlighting the benefits of machine learning and AI.July 2017  A bare metal cloud company named Packet has introduced an edge computing service called as Unfussy with 11 new data center locations worldwide including Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Frankfurt, Singapore and Hong Kong.Browse Full Report Details @Edge Computing Global Market Competitive Analysis:The Market of Edge Computing appears to be highly competitive in the coming years. To drive the market growth, market leaders are innovating continuously and increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio.Major players of Edge Computing such as Amazon, General Electric, Microsoft and Intel Corporation targeting to invest more in technology and research and development activities to innovate their already existing products. These players possess state of art R&D labs and strong sales and distribution network which have helped them to gain leadership position in the market.Edge Computing Global Market Segmentation:The Edge Computing Market can be segmented in to 5 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Technology: Mobile Edge Computing and Fog Computing.Segmentation by Deployment: On-Premise and on-cloud.Segmentation by Component: Comprises hardware and software.Segmentation by Application: IoT, Data Caching, Video Analytics, and Environment Monitoring.Segmentation by Regions : Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Edge Computing Global Market - Regional AnalysisNorth-America is dominating the Global Edge Computing Market with the largest market share and therefore accounting for astronomical amounts and is expected to grow over its previous growth records by 2023. Edge Computing Market in Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at a substantial CAGR during 2017 to 2023 due to rise in 5G network, and increasing trend of ultra-reliable low latency communication in the region. The European market for Edge Computing Market is expected to grow at a considerable CAGR (2017-2023).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
Global Industrial Fasteners Market Likely to Touch USD 116.5 Billion by 2021

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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 Industrial Fasteners Market Get Free Sample Report @The global industrial fasteners market is gaining momentum on the account of the rise in construction and maintenance activities across the globe. Increase in the demand for automobiles, specifically in emerging economies such as Brazil, China, and India is a significant factor contributing towards the growth of the global industrial fasteners market. The research report provides a complete picture of the global industrial fasteners market, analyzing all the crucial market dynamics such as key drivers, major challenges, and growth opportunities for this industry.The market predictions coupled with other statistical data will assist existing players and new entrants into the global industrial fasteners market in analyzing the viability of this industry. Embedded with detailed primary and secondary research, this research report on the global market for industrial fasteners is crucial for enterprises operating in this industry.Overview of the global industrial fasteners marketThe global market for industrial fasteners is quite mature. In 2011, this market had reached a value of US$65.50 billion. By 2018, the market is expected to develop at a moderate pace and reach a net worth of US$94.65 billion, growing at a CAGR of 5.4% during the period 2012 to 2018. Growth in the end-use segments of industrial fasteners, such as the automotive sector, will further fuel the industrial fasteners market.View Complete Report with Table of Content @Moreover, the increased demand from infrastructure development, construction, and maintenance sectors will likely prove to be favorable for the industrial fasteners market. The construction application segment of the global industrial fasteners market is expected to expand at a 9% CAGR during the period of 2012 to 2018. On the other hand, high anti-dumping duties enforced by the European Union are expected to suppress the market for industrial fasteners.Asia Pacific held the highest demand for industrial fasteners and occupied 40% of the overall industrial fasteners market in 2011. The demand from the European industrial fastener market followed the Asia Pacific market. By 2018, the market for industrial fasteners in Asia Pacific will occupy around 45% of the total market share. This can be credited to the rapid industrialization and booming automobile and construction industries in this region.The externally threaded industrial fasteners generated revenue of more than US$25 billion for the overall industrial fasteners market in 2011. This market is likely to exhibit the fastest growth rate among the various product types in the market, owing to increased industrialization in emerging economies. The development of customized fasteners to suit the swiftly growing niche application segments such as railroad and solar equipment will present new opportunities to market players.Market participants mentioned in the research reportThe global industrial fasteners market is highly fragmented in nature, wherein the top five companies, namely Illinois Tool Works Incorporated, Alcoa Incorporated, LISI Group, and Precision Castparts Corporation, and NIFCO, collectively accounted for less than 15% share of the total market in 2011. Other prominent players in the industrial fasteners market are: Stanley Black & Decker, Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corporation, and ITW.Send an Enquiry @According to the product types, the industrial fasteners market is segmented into:Externally threadedStandardAerospace gradeBy application, the market for industrial fasteners is divided as:Automotive OEMMROMachinery OEMOther OEMConstructionMajor geographies analyzed under this research report are:EuropeNorth AmericaAsia-PacificRest of the WorldThis report gives you access to decisive data such as:Market growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for the coming yearsKey highlights of this reportOverview of key market forces propelling and restraining market growthUp-to-date analyses of market trends and technological improvementsPin-point analyses of market competition dynamics to offer you a competitive edgeAn analysis of strategies of major competitorsAn array of graphics and SWOT analysis of major industry segmentsDetailed analyses of industry trendsA well-defined technological growth map with an impact-analysisOffers a clear understanding of the competitive landscape and key product segmentsCheck Discount @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)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.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Research on Fuel Dispensers Market Forecast 2017-2025, insights shared in detailed report

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Fuel Dispenser also known as a petrol pump or gas pump, is a machinery that pumps gasoline, petrol, diesel, CNG, LPG, and other fuel types into vehicles at the filling station. Filling station is a service station where fuel dispensers are found. Here the fuel dispenser pumps the fuel from underground storage. Fuel dispensers are mainly of two types suction fuel dispensers and submersible fuel dispensers.View Sample Copy of Report @These are the different systems based on which fuel dispenser works. In suction type, the dispenser consists of motor and suction system included in their case so that the dispenser works independently. In submersible type, the dispenser do not consist of motor and suction system included in their case so the dispenser cannot work independently.Global Fuel Dispensers Market: Scope of the StudyThe report estimates and forecasts the fuel dispensers market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (Units) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product 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 fuel dispensers 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 fuel dispensers 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.The report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the fuel dispenser market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein applications and countries 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 fuel dispenser between 2016 and 2024.Global Fuel Dispensers Market: Segmentation ?The study provides a comprehensive view of the fuel dispenser market by dividing it on the basis of fuel types and geography segments. The fuel dispensers market has been segmented into petrol, diesel, CNG, compressed hydrogen and others based on fuel type. Fuel type segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for fuel dispensers in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for fuel type segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual fuel types in all the regions and countries.Global Fuel Dispensers Market: Competitive AnalysisThe 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 includes Tokheim Group S.A.S, Piusi S.p.A., Wayne Fueling Systems LLC, Gilbarco Inc. and others. 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).Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to 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.View Report Detail with Table of Content @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.The global fuel dispensers market has been segmented as follows:By TypeSubmersible SystemSuction SystemBy Flow MeterMechanicalElectronicBy Fuel TypePetrolDieselCNGCompressed HydrogenOthersBy RegionNorth AmericaS.CanadaEuropeGermanyFranceK.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanASEANRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaEnquire about this Report @About (MRRSE)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.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Mink oil Market Value Chain and Stakeholder Analysis by 2025

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Mink is carnivorous mammal with a darker complexion, furry skin, and the native of the America and Europe. The American mink belongs to the genus of Neovison, while the European mink belongs to the Mustela genus. Mink is commercially hunted for its fat which is being rendered further to extract mink oil which found commercial applications in leather industry.In can be used for treating, preserving and in the maintenance of almost every kind leather products. Mink oil is an under-appreciated resource due to its use in limited application segments and is majorly controlled by a hand full of mink oil processing and supplying companies based in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. This is attributed to the regional availability of mink in the aforementioned regions.Mink oil Market SegmentationMink oil market is segmented on the basis of grade, application, packaging type, distribution channel, and region. On the basis of grade, the mink oil market is segmented as low grade and value-added. The low-grade mink oil segment accounts for a high share of the market.Whereas, the value-added mink oil segment has its own established consolidated market. Any new market player who wants to penetrate this segment of the mink oil market is expected to capture the share from existing players in this segment by offering value-added mink oil with better quality at a competitive price in the market.Obtain Report Details:On the basis of application mink oil market is segmented as; Animal Feeds, Leather Durrant, Cosmetics & skin care, others (bio-fuel). Animal feeds and leather durrant application accounts for a higher market share attributing to the use of low-grade mink oil in these applications.On the basis of packaging type, the mink oil market is segmented into Can, P.E.T, and glass. The Can packaging is frequently used in the mink oil market as it offers ease of use to the end users. Owing to this market share for Can packaging is high in the mink oil market.On the basis of the distribution channel, the mink oil market is segmented into direct sales and indirect sales. The indirect sales segment can be further sub-segmented into modern trade, retail stores, and online retailers. The market of modern trade retailers dominates the mink oil sale globally followed by online retailers. The share of online retailers is likely to expand in the near future due to increase in the global demand for mink oil in leather and cosmetic products.On the basis of the region, the Mink oil market is segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Japan. The production and processing of Mink oil are based in North American and European region and is attributed to the regional availability of mink in the region.Mink oil market Global Market Trends and Market Drivers:Owing to the Europes position as the center of the worlds cosmetic industry and cosmetics being one of the biggest mink oil market in Europe which solely drives the global demand for mink oil as an essential ingredient in many of the existing cosmetic products and in those cosmetic therapies which are in the phase of evolution.Thus, mink oil market still holds future growth potentials with applications in cosmetic industry. This growth is also supported by the utilization of mink oil in animal feeds sector aided by the established rendering facilities in the U.S and Canada.However, in line with the prolonged utilization of low-grade mink oil and mink oil paste as durrant in the already matured leather industry limits the overall market growth to stagnant levels. Moreover, the rising restrictions from the animal welfare association and rising pressure on global cosmetic industry to minimize the use of ingredients sourced from animals may restrict the future growth of the mink oil market.Make Enquiry @Mink oil Market Key Players:Variety of Mink oil products with multiple formulations have been introduced by the manufacturers and some of the global market players manufacturing the Mink oil in the market include; Emulan Company, S.C. Johnson & Son, INC (Kiwi brand INC), Spec Environmental Solutions INC, Quimipur S.L.U., C.A. Zoes Mfg Co., are among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions.By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Digital OOH Market Technological Advancements, Evolving Industry Trends and Insights

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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.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.Request Brochure: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.Browse Our Report: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.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. 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 Office90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Fluoroscopy Equipment Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking  Global Review 2017 to 2022

Fluoroscopy- Equipment

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As technology is racing forward in terms of 3D printing, wearable, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, it has established a strong foothold in the healthcare industry. Manufacturers in the healthcare industry continue to integrate latest innovations in the medical devices. Recently conducted research reveals that manufacturers are integrating innovative tools including Microsofts HoloLens and Google Glass in the wearable visual-overlay devices, which enables the end user to retrieve information for an image-guided intervention. Integrating innovative technologies in the medical devices is likely to foster collaborations among the radiologists, and physicians.Request Free Sample Report-According to a recently published report, the global fluoroscopy equipment market is expected to represent a value of over US$ 2,000 Mn by the end of 2022.Significant Demand in the Aviation IndustryApplication and adoption of fluoroscopy extends beyond the healthcare industry. Fluoroscopy devices also witness considerable demand in the airports to scan for hidden bombs and weapons. However, these devices use relatively lower doses of radiation as compared to the medical devices, which have relatively low impact on the food products, and gadgets scanned.Against this backdrop, there is strong need for quality in terms of manufacture, design, and distribution of these devices. While manufacturers are striving to pace with the level of quality, one marker of this gap is also due to the inspections conducted by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). The steady pace of non-compliance suggests that the manufacturers continue to struggle in order to match with the regulatory standards.Cardiology to Represent a Leading SegmentWith growing need for radiation therapy for cancer, demand for fluoroscopy equipment will continue to rev up in the healthcare industry. The conventional segment is expected to witness the highest revenue growth, accounting for over US$ 400 Mn by the end of 2022. However, the remote-controlled and C-arms segment is expected to register the highest CAGR in the global fluoroscopy equipment market throughout 2022.Browse Full Report with TOC-As healthcare industry continues to witness significant adoption of fluoroscopy devices, the hospitals will continue to remain the major end users. The hospital segment is expected to represent a value of over US$ 400 Mn by the end of 2017. However, the other end users and diagnostic centers are expected to register the highest CAGR in the global fluoroscopy equipment market during the forecast period.Demand for fluoroscopy devices is mainly concentrated towards cardiology related treatment. The cardiology segment is expected to represent a value of over US$ 300 Mn by the end of 2022. Adoption of fluoroscopy equipment for treatment of gastroenterology is also expected to generate significant revenues. The gastroenterology segment is expected to witness the second highest growth in the global market by the end of 2022. This segment is expected to register the highest CAGR in the global fluoroscopy equipment market throughout the forecast period.Competition TrackingLeading market players operating in the global fluoroscopy equipment market include Agfa-Gevaert Group, Ziehm Imaging GmbH, Carestream Health, Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., GE Healthcare Inc., Hologic, Inc., Siemens Healthineers, Philips Group, Lepu Medical Tech Co. Ltd, Shimadzu Corporation, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, and Ziehm Imaging GmbH.Check Discount-About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MRSuite 988427 Upper Pembroke Street,Dublin 2, IrelandTelephone: +353-1-6111-593Email: sales@factmr.com/Web:
Learn details of the Venous Stents Market, Industry Outlook, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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This report on the Global Venous Stents Market analyzes the current and future scenario of the global market. Rise in private and public funding for R&D of novel venous stents, increase in prevalence of chronic venous occlusion & other symptomatic venous disorders and their improved diagnosis are boosting the growth of the Global Venous Stents market. Improved access to the deep long veins located in the iliac and femoral portion of the body, and availability of well-qualified interventional cardiologists in the developed countries are some of the factors expected to drive the growth of Global Venous Stents market during the forecast period.View Sample Copy of Report @The venous stents report comprises an elaborate executive summary, which includes market snapshot that provides information about various segments. It also provides information and data analysis of the global market with respect to the segments based on technology, application, disease indication, and geography. A detailed qualitative analysis of drivers and restraints, and opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. Additionally, the section comprises exhaustive mapping of all the products & companies operating in the global venous stents market, to help understand the competitive landscape in the market. An overview of critical venous diseases such as May-Thurner Syndrome and Post Thrombotic Syndrome in terms of their prevalence, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment options are provided. A brief snapshot of ongoing clinical trials in the U.S. is also provided for better understanding of venous stents scenario in the U.S. This report also provides market attractiveness and its analysis in terms of geography and market share analysis by key players, thus presenting a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the Global Venous Stents market.Global Venous Stents Market: SegmentationBased on the technology, the Venous Stents market has been segmented into Iliac vein Stent Technology, Wallstent Technology, and Others. Iliac Vein Stent Technology is considered to be a leading segment of Venous Stents market, owing to the improved access to the deep veins of iliac area. It is expected to continue to dominate the market in terms of revenue by 2025, which is attributed to the increasing investments by key players for the development of venous stents. The market size and forecast for each of these segments have been provided for the period from 2015 to 2025, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2017 to 2025, considering 2016 as the base year.Different types of applications in the Venous Stents market are Leg, Chest, Abdomen, and Arm. Legs accounted for highest market revenue in 2016, and is expected to remain leading in terms of revenue during the forecast period. The dominance is attributed to the shift of patients preference towards minimally invasive interventional procedures for the occlusion in femoral & popliteal veins.Based on disease indication, the global Venous Stents market is segmented into 5 major segments, which are Chronic Deep Vein Thrombosis, Post Thrombotic Syndrome, May-Thurner Syndrome, Hemodialysis/Arteriovenous Fistulae, and Others. Other disease segment comprised of venous anastomosis, restenosis, and venous occlusions among others. The others segment is anticipated to lead the market during the forecast period, owing to the government participation in the control of venous disorders, and research grants by public & private players to promote the R&D of innovative venous stents.Global Venous Stents Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global Venous Stents has been categorized into five major regions and the key countries in the respective region: North America (U.S. and Canada), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (India, China, Australia, and Rest of Asia Pacific), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America) and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, GCC Countries, Israel, and Rest of Middle East & Africa).View Report Detail with Table of Content @Global Venous Stents Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also profiles major players in the Global Venous Stents based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, SWOT analysis, and recent developments. Major players profiled in this report include Boston Scientific Corporation, C. R. Bard, Inc., Jotec GmBH, Veniti, Inc., Gore Medical, Cook Medical, and Optimed Medizinische Instrumente GmBH.The Global Venous Stents Market has been segmented as given below:Global Venous Stents Market, by Technology,Iliac Vein Stent TechnologyWallstent TechnologyOthersGlobal Venous Stents Market, by Application,LegChestAbdomenArmGlobal Venous Stents Market, by Disease Indication,Chronic Deep Vein ThrombosisPost Thrombotic SyndromeMay-Thurner SyndromeHemodialysis/Arteriovenous FistulaeOthersGlobal Venous Stents Market, by RegionNorth AmericaS.CanadaEuropeGermanyK.FranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificIndiaChinaAustralia & New ZealandRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesSouth AfricaIsraelRest of Middle East & AfricaEnquire about this Report @About (MRRSE)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.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Future of Microgrid Market Size 2024 ABB, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Advanced Microgrid Solutions, Emersion, GE Alstom, Honeywell

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Market Study Report adds a new report Microgrid Market Research Report for the period of 2017-2024 that shows the growth of the market is rising at a Steady CAGR to 2024. The report spread across 300 pages with table and figures in it.Growing off-grid networks across developing nations will complement the microgrid market outlook in next few years. Favorable government norms pertaining to integration of renewable energy technology coupled with ongoing measures to electrify rural and urban areas will foster the microgrid market share. Power reliability, economic competitiveness, relatively low power cost and reduced T&D losses are some of the key parameters which will boost the product adoption. Global microgrid market will exceed USD 19 billion by 2024, according to a new research report.Get Sample Copy of This Research Report:The U.S. microgrid market is set to reach over 2 GW by 2024. Growing deployment of sustainable energy sources to reduce the dependence on existing electric networks will positively encourage the industry dynamics. Increasing investments across clean energy sources in the country will further propel the business landscape. According to IEA in 2016, the U.S. invested over USD 250 billion toward development of various energy sources across the nation.Deployment of captive power generation as a key alternative to the regulated electricity supply in industrial sector will positively impact the business growth. Regulatory inclination to maintain central grid stability coupled with growing measures toward security of power supply will fuel the microgrid market. Rapid technological advancements in line with the development of efficient energy storage systems and control distribution units will further complement the industry outlook.Get Discount on This Market Research Report:Natural gas as a fuel is set to witness strong growth on account of increasing exploration of unconventional sources across the U.S., China and Russia. Ongoing adoption of fuel as a low emission substitute to conventional source will foster the microgrid market. In August 2016, Capstone Turbine signed a deal with the government of China to supply microturbine for 10 MW microgrid network.Utility microgrid market is set to grow owing to the rapid industrialization and urbanization across the emerging economies. Escalating high-end electricity consumption backed by the presence of new HVAC and heavy load machinery systems in the industrial sector will foster the business growth.Flow battery in 2016, accounted for over 5% of the global microgrid market share. High-end investments toward integration of clean energy technologies along with technological advancement catered to the development of cost-effective energy storage solutions will augment the industry. Longer life cycles along with higher efficiencies as compared to its competitive counterparts will further complement the product outlook.Buy Now:Rising concerns toward energy security coupled with increasing adoption of sustainable energy sources will stimulate the Japan microgrid market. Government backed extensive research and development projects along with implementation of virtual private networks (VPPs) to mitigate emergency crisis will further embellish the business outlook. In 2017, Panasonic in collaboration with Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry planned to build Solar PV powered microgrid to provide electricity to 117 homes in western Japan.Eminent players across the microgrid market include ABB, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Advanced Microgrid Solutions, Emersion, GE Alstom, Honeywell, EnSync Inc, Caterpillar, Viridity Energy Inc, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Exelon Corporation and Power Analytics Corporation.Related Reports: -North America Solar Shading Systems Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022This report studies the Solar Shading Systems market, Solar Shading Systems is Shading against solar heat gain is the most readily applicable and flexible method of cooling and can be applied in all climate types in which the suns influence is significant, and to almost all modern buildings irrespective of latitude.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:
Emergency Beacon Transmitter Market Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored

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Emergency beacon transmitters are tracking devices that assist in the detection and location of boats, aircraft, and people in distress. When the transmitter is activated, the beacon emits a distress signal, and simultaneously the location of such signals is detected by non-geostationary satellites. This information acquired is passed on to the search & rescue authorities to locate survivors. In situations pertaining to transferring of weapons, arms, and ammunitions, if any emergency situation arises, emergency beacon transmitters help military aircraft send signals about its exact location to the earth station; this information is further passed on to the search and rescue teams for necessary action.Request Brochure:The emergency beacons transmitter market has been experiencing massive growth in the recent years due to rise in demand for tracking and detecting threats enabling high security. Hence, availability of highly reliable products in the emergency beacon transmitter market is one of the key factors driving the growth of the emergency beacon transmitter market. Moreover, technological advancements with improved operation efficiency, portability and durability and rising focus of manufactures on reducing operational costs is further expected to fuel the growth of emergency beacons transmitter market during the forecast period. However, high installation and maintenance cost and visibility range of the emergency beacons transmitter is hindering the market growth. Increasing demand for transmitters, offering accurate information, maximize search, provide real-time emergency tracking and response through the use of a network of satellites known as Cospas-Sarsat system is expected to create huge opportunities for the companies operating in emergency beacons transmitter market.The global emergency beacons transmitter market is segmented on the basis of type, technology, services, applications and geography. Based on the type, the global emergency beacons transmitter market is classified into personal locator beacons, emergency position indicating radio beacons and emergency locator transmitters. Based on the technology, the global emergency beacons transmitter market is segmented into digital and analog. On the basis of services, the market is segmented into maintenance services, installation and design, inspection and managed services and engineering services. In terms of application, the market is segmented military aviation, civil aviation, merchant navy and marine defense. On the basis of geography, the global emergency beacons transmitter market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, North America is expected to lead the emergency beacons transmitter market in 2016. The growth in this region is driven by technological advancements made in the field of emergency beacons, such as GPS-enabled personal beacons and GNSS-equipped beacons, which provide rescuers with accurate information in emergency situations. Moreover, heavy investments made by countries such as China, Japan, Korea, and India in the Asia-Pacific to deploy innovative security systems is further expected to offer sufficient growth opportunities for the emergency beacons transmitter market in this region.Browse Our Report:Some of the leading companies operating in the global emergency beacons transmitter market which are transmuting the market with technology innovation are Honeywell International, Inc., Thales Group, Emteq, Inc, Hamilton Sundstrand, Meggit Plc, UTC Aerospace Systems, Zodiac Aerospace, Inc., ACR Electronics, Inc., Mcmurdo Group, Ack Technologies, Inc., Acr Electronics, Inc., Cobham Plc, Emergency Beacon Corporation and Mcmurdo Group.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.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. 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 Office90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Signal Conditioning Market: Growing Demand From the Water & Wastewater Industry to Bolster the Market Growth

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Global Signal Conditioning Market: OverviewA signal conditioner is a device that assists in converting a signal that may be challenging to read by conventional instrumentation into a more easily readable format. The signal conditioning technology is used to manipulate a signal in a way that it prepares for the next stage of processing.On the basis of application, the global signal conditioning market can be segmented into process control, data acquisition, and others (signal splitting, surge protection, and remote diagnosis). Based on input type, the market can be categorized into process input, frequency input, temperature input, and LVDT/RVDT. Water & wastewater, oil & gas, chemical processing, metals & mining, food & beverages, energy & power, paper & pulp, aerospace & defense, and others (pharmaceuticals and cement) are categories of the end-use industry segment of the global signal conditioning market.Download Report Brochure @The report offers an inclusive insight of various factors driving the market of global signal conditioning. It also presents insights into challenges that the market could face over the forecast period. The trends prevailing in overall market operations are also analyzed in the report in detail.Global Signal Conditioning Market: Key Trends and OpportunitiesThere are various factors driving the market of global signal conditioning. These include the increasing investment in infrastructure, growing demand from the water & wastewater industry, shift to PC based systems from outdated data acquisition systems, increasing requirement for industrial automation processes, and manufacturers strong distribution channels. Due to strict compliances/certifications in various regions, several sales manufacturers of signal conditioners are restricted from entering the market, hence limiting its growth.On the basis of end user, the energy & power industry held a major market share. With proper usage of signal conditioning, power providers are able to run their operations continuously with improved operational efficiency.The process control applications are the key contributor to the global signal conditioning market, and it is anticipated to dominate the market during the forecast period. In process control applications, signal conditioners support the analog circuit to function with one operating voltage. In addition, it acts as a shield against irrevocable damage caused by over voltages.The application of LVDT/RVDT signal conditioners is widely used in paper head box control, steam and gas turbine control systems, industrial conveyor belt tension, bridge deflection testing, surface expansion or compression, remote monitoring, and reeler/dereeler control systems. The major factors fuelling the demand for the LVDT/RVDT signal conditioners globally include configuration of multiple-unit synchronization, effortless operation, and easy installation.Global Signal Conditioning Market: Regional AnalysisGeographically, the global signal conditioning market can be segmented into North America, South America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific held a considerably large share in the global signal conditioning market, and is projected to continue exhibiting a high rate of growth during the forecast period period. Rise in investment in the industrial automation sector by developing economies such as Japan, China, India, and South Korea is the chief factor driving the growth of the market in this region. In addition, economic growth of Asia pacific and the rising demand for energy, oil & gas, and food & beverages, have augmented the adoption of signal conditioners in process control applications and data acquisition, thereby powering growth of the global signal conditioning market.Obtain Report Details @Global Signal Conditioning Market: Key PlayersThe report profiles some of the key players functioning in the market. It also offers insights into the threats and prospects that the companies are projected to witness in the coming years. The players in the global signal conditioning market include Rockwell Automation, Inc., AMETEK, Inc., Analog Devices Inc., Keysight Technologies, National Instruments, Corp., TE Connectivity Ltd., Linear Technology Corp., Weidmuller Interface GmbH & Co. KG, and Yokogawa Electric Corp., among others.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.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
TV White Space Spectrum Market - Intensive Demand for Low-Cost Broadband Connectivity is one of the Key Factor

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Global TV White Space Spectrum Market: OverviewTV white space (TVWS) spectrum refers to unused spectrum or frequencies that lie between the active frequencies of the very high frequency (VHF) and ultra-high frequency (UHF) spectrum. These channels, also called buffer channels, are typically made available for unlicensed use at locations where the frequencies are not being used by any licensed services. Researches have confirmed that these frequencies can be used without causing interferences to the existing spectrum. A large number of technology and telecom providers use this spectrum to provide broadband Internet services.Introduction of low-power devices and the increasing utilization of TVWS for Internet connectivity to various non-line-of-sight places have led to the fast evolution of the TVWS spectrum market. Coupled with this, recent market developments indicating a host of favorable government regulations to allocate the unused spectrum to private players have offered robust background for the growth of the market.Download Report Brochure @The report on the global TV white space (TVWS) spectrum market provides a comprehensive insight into current and emerging trends, recent technological advancements, profiles of the key market players, regulatory landscape, and the factors shaping the competitive scenario. The research analysis offers insights sourced from a wide range of primary research and extensive secondary research. The report offers assessment on volumes of aggregated data and information to offer pertinent findings that are indispensable for effective strategy formulation. The study highlights the changes in government regulations that will shape the competitive dynamics in major regions. Recent developments influencing the demand for TVWS spectrum across various end users are assessed in detail.Global TV White Space Spectrum Market: Key Drivers, Restraints, and OpportunitiesThe increasing utilization of TVWS spectrum technology for improving the Internet connectivity in rural regions and intensive demand for low-cost broadband connectivity are the key factors driving the growth of the global TV white spectrum market. Coupled with this, extensive initiatives undertaken by various regional governments to de-license the unused spectrum have stimulated the adoption of TVWS spectrum for various applications. Furthermore, spiraling initiatives to adopt communication network worldwide by various public safety organizations, such as the fire department, the police force, and emergency medical teams that respond to accidents and natural disasters have spurred the demand for TVWS spectrum.Lack of commercial standards for wireless networks and limited regulations for the adoption of the TVWS technology are likely to restrain the growth of the market. However, the recent rise in approval of new network standards by the ISO will lead to the introduction of cutting-edge technologies facilitating the delivery of high-quality broadband internet connectivity and monitoring services in rural communities across the globe. In addition, recent technological breakthroughs in broadband Internet have increased the feasibility of utilizing TVWS spectrum in areas having rugged or forested terrain fuelling the growth of the market. These factors will unlock a number of exciting prospects for market players.Global TV White Space Spectrum Market: Regional OutlookNorth America is a prominent market for TVWS spectrum. The growth of the market is driven by the extensive application of TVWS spectrum technology in various infrastructural facilities. Advancements in IoT and network standards have led to the adoption of TVWS spectrum for better connectivity over large distances where an increased number of people and devices are connected. Africa and South America are anticipated to showcase immense potential for the growth of the TVWS spectrum market. African countries such as Namibia, Mozambique, Ghana, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, and Kenya have witnessed considerable demand for TVWS spectrum technology for providing emergency public safety operations.Obtain Report Details @Global TV White Space Spectrum Market: Competitive LandscapeVarious manufacturers are launching portable devices that need less power and can be operated at various locations in order to gain a foothold in the global TVWS spectrum market. Leading market players are adopting dynamic spectrum management technologies and making technical advancements to consolidate and expand their market presence in major regions. Major market players operating in the global TVWS spectrum market include ATDI S.A., Adaptrum, Inc., Carlson Wireless Technologies, Inc., Key Bridge LLC, Alphabet Inc., KTS Wireless, MELD Technology Inc., Microsoft Corp., Aviacomm Inc., and Spectrum Bridge Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Alcohol Based Cream Bases Products Market Value Chain and Stakeholder Analysis by 2025

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The alcohol-based cream base is a type of cream in which some amount of alcoholic ingredient is mixed such as whiskey, rum etc. The alcohol-based cream contains almost 40% fat and also contains sodium caseinate which is an effective emulsifier. Companies producing alcohol based cream bases and offers as an ingredient to the company who blend these to a cream liqueur. Alcohol-based cream bases are mostly utilized by the food and beverage industry.Market Segmentation:The alcohol-based cream bases product market is segmented on the basis of type, end use, and region. On the basis of a type, the market is segmented into a milk protein free cream, whiskey cream, butterscotch cream, regular cream, and others.Among this segment, the whiskey cream is the most popular alcohol-based cream base, whereas the butterscotch cream is expected to grow at a high CAGR.The regular cream base can further be segmented into a low-fat cream base, medium fat cream base, and low-fat cream base. On the basis of end use the alcohol-based cream bases market is segmented into bakery industry, chocolate industry, food and beverage industry and others.Market Regional Outlook:A regional segment for the market of alcohol-based cream bases is divided into five different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa.Obtain Report Details:Among these segment, Europe is expected to have the major market share globally, as it is the largest producer and consumer of alcohol-based cream bases. In Asia-Pacific region, the countries like China, India, and Australia are generating the major revenue.Moreover, the Asia Pacific region is estimated to account for the highest CAGR, owing to a larger consumer base, combined with a higher number of retail outlets than any other region.The North America market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period but is anticipated to account for a lower growth rate than the APEJ region, owing to a greater number of emerging economies in Asia Pacific.Market Drivers:Increasing number of individuals in developed as well as in developing regions are increasing consuming alcohol and alcohol-based products. Owing to growing demand for various alcohol-based products, manufacturers are focused on the launching of alcoholic drinks with different flavors in order to attract consumers and increase their sales over time.Curiosity among individuals to try new alcoholic flavors is anticipated to increase demand for flavored alcoholic drinks over the forecast period. Demand for alcoholic drinks is also actuated by increasing urban population, disposable income, modernization, and growing preference for alcohol.Increasing number of clubs, lounges, and bars along with the popularity of individuals, who are attracted towards night parties and club culture are factors expected to drive the growth of the market for alcohol-based ingredients. In 2014, Carlsberg A/S, which is a beer manufacturer, launched Seth & Riley's Garage, which is an alcoholic lemon drink in Russia.The market also has few restraints such as, the restrictions on advertisements and brand publicity has left a void in alcohol-based food industry owing to which sales could affect adversely over the forecast period. The government in various regions has imposed the ban on alcohol-based food products and beverages, along with the advertisements of alcohol brands on national as well as private television channels.Owing to ban imposed, newly launched alcohol-based products do not reach the consumer, which is expected to adversely affect the growth of the market over the forecast period. According to WHO, France has implemented restrictions on advertising and sponsorship in favor of alcoholic beverages with certain flexibilities and conditions.Make Enquiry @In many regions, in spite of having licenses to serve alcohol, selling ice-cream with alcohol or alcohol-flavored food is not allowed. This is the reason some manufacturers and producers are choosing not to sell their products to minors so that the government could eliminate restrictions on the alcohol-based products. Hence, restrictions and bans by the government bodies are restraining the growth of the alcohol-based ingredient market.Market Key Players:Some of the key players in alcohol based flavors Market are Dohler GmbH, Koninklijke FrieslandCampina NV, 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.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Carnauba Wax Market Report Upto 2023 | Latest Trend, Growth & Forecast Analysis

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The Carnauba Wax Market Research Report provides value chain analysis on the revenue for the forecast period 2016-2023 and estimates for each application in terms of market size, share, trend and growth. The report on global carnauba wax market evaluates the growth trends of the industry through historical study and estimates future prospects based on comprehensive research. The report extensively provides the market share, growth, trends and forecasts for the period 2016-2023. The market size in terms of volume (Tons) and revenue (USD MN) is calculated for the study period along with the details of the factors affecting the market growth (drivers and restraints).The major market drivers are developing confectionery sector and raising demand from Asia Pacific region. The market growth might be restricted due availability of substitutes like beeswax, wood rosin, etc. under the study period.Get FREE Sample Report Copy @The comprehensive value chain analysis of the market will assist in attaining better product differentiation, along with detailed understanding of the core competency of each activity involved. The market attractiveness analysis provided in the report aptly measures the potential value of the market providing business strategists with the latest growth opportunities.The report also covers the complete competitive landscape of the worldwide market with company profiles of key players such as Carnauba do Brasil Ltda, FONCEPI- Comercial Exportadora Ltda., Frank B. Ross, Inc., J. Allcock & Sons Ltd., Kahl GmbH & Co. KG, Norevo GmbH, Pontes Industria de Cera ltda, Strahl & Pitsch, Inc., Ter Hell & Co. GmbH, The International Group, Inc. and Tropical Ceras Do Brasil Ltd.. Geographically, the Carnauba Wax market has been segmented into regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The study details country-level aspects based on each segment and gives estimates in terms of market size.The report classifies the market into different segments based on product and application. These segments are studied in detail incorporating the market estimates and forecasts at regional and country level. The segment analysis is useful in understanding the growth areas and probable opportunities of the market.Table Of Contents  Overview1. Introduction2. Executive Summary3. Market Analysis4. Carnauba Wax Market Analysis By Product5. Carnauba Wax Market Analysis By Application6. Carnauba Wax Market Analysis By Geography7. Competitive Landscape Of The Carnauba Wax Companies8. Company Profiles Of The Carnauba Wax IndustryBuy Complete Global Carnauba Wax Market Research Report AtAbout Us:DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.3rd Floor, Fountain chambers,Nanabhai Lane, Fort, Mumbai - 1E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.comPhone: +91 99 28 237112Web:
Future of LED Module Market Size 2022 Osram, Philips Lighting, Cree, GE Lighting, Seoul Semiconductor, Panasonic

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MarketStudyReport.com adds New Global LED Module Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 new report to its research database. The report spread across 120 pages with table and figures in it. The report provides information on Industry Trends, Demand, Top Manufacturers, Countries, Material and Application.A light emitting diode (LED) module is a self-contained LED device designed either to function on its own or to plug into a compatible unit. LED modules are commonly used to create energy-efficient or portable lighting. When powered on, these modules emit bright light from a small bulb. LED module devices include LED book lights, night lights, outdoor lighting, LED headlamps, and LED flashlights, as well as the multiple LED bulb units used in LED lighting fixtures. These units usually have at least one LED bulb contained in a fixture that either powers the LED lights or plugs into a device that powers the LED module.Request a Free sample PDF of this research to evaluate more @Scope of the Global LED Module Market Report:This report focuses on the LED Module 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.Global LED Module Market Report Segment by Manufacturers Include as Osram, Philips Lighting, Cree, GE Lighting, Seoul Semiconductor, Panasonic, Nichia, JF, Acuity Brands, Samsung, LG Innotek, Eaton, Toshiba, Toyoda Gosei, Opple, Yankon and Edison Opto Corporation.Global LED Module 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 LED Module Market Segment by Type, coversGlobal LED Module Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into: General Lighting, Automotive Lighting and BacklightingEnquire Discount on Global LED Module Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global LED Module market.Chapter 1, to describe LED Module Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of LED Module, with sales, revenue, and price of LED Module, 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 LED Module market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of LED Module, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to LED Module Industry analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the LED Module Market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, LED Module market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe LED Module 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 and Chinese Multicolour LED Modules Industry, 2017 Market Research ReportThe 'Global and Chinese Multicolour LED Modules Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Multicolour LED Modules industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Multicolour LED Modules manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.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:
Risk Analytics Market Value chain and stakeholder analysis

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Risk analytics assist organizations in knowing the certain risk existing in their businesses. Risk analytics tools help companies to derive risk-aware decisions and thus improving their business performance. Alongside this, risk analytics tools improve return on capital and reduces cost involved in regulatory compliance. With enterprises thriving to reduce the catastrophic losses, adoption of risk analytics tools have seen an uprising trend in recent years. Moreover, risk analytics tools help in central clearing of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives.Request Brochure:Risk analytics market is segmented on the basis of component type, enterprise size and end-use verticals. Based on component type, risk analytics market is further classified as on the basis of solution type and services. Solution type segment include risk analytics software suites for regulatory compliance, governance, risk & compliance, market risk management, trading risk, credit risk management, liquidity risk management, and others (insurance risk management and actuarial modeling). Services segment include various software services related to the risk analytics software such as systems integration, risk assessment and maintenance & servicing. In terms of enterprise size, risk analytics market is further classified as large organizations and small and medium enterprises. On the basis of end-use verticals, risk analytics market is categorized as banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), manufacturing and retail, telecom and IT, government, energy and utility and others (transportation, healthcare, etc.).The increased market risk due to economic instability and market competitiveness is one of the key drivers of risk analytics market. In addition to this, strong regulations and policies such as Basel II/III, Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review/ Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform, Consumer Protection Act (CCAR/DFAST) and Internal Capital Adequacy Process (ICAAP) is pushing up the demand of risk analytics software among all the business sizes. However, lack of awareness of risk analytics tools especially among small and medium enterprises is likely to result in sluggish growth of risk analytics market. Moreover, high installation capital required for operation of risk analytics tools is expected to curb the growth of risk analytics market. Real time risk analytics is likely to witness strong demand in coming years and hold significant market opportunity for its vendors.Browse Our Report:On a global scale, North America is likely to hold significant market share in the adoption risk analytics market. The developed IT ecosystem and significant presence of large enterprises are some the prime factors fuelling the growth of risk analytics market. In near term, Asia Pacific region is likely to witness strong growth in risk analytics market. The increasing market competitiveness and currency fluctuations is likely to result in improved demand of risk analytics tools. In end-use industry verticals, risk analytics market is likely to draw more revenue share from BFSI sector. With global economy witnessing paradigm shift as developing regions performing better than developed economy, which is resulting in currency fluctuations and involving substantial risk, BFSI sector is insisting for better risk analytics solution. Furthermore, BFSI sector often needs to identify claims that are potentially fraudulent using statistical models, thus requiring correct risk analytics tools.Some of the key vendors in risk analytics market are, IBM Corporation, SAP SE, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., SAS Institute, Inc., Oracle Corporation, SunGard Data Systems Inc., Genpact, Accenture PLC, Intellect Design Arena Limited, OpenGamma Limited, Numerix LLC, ACL Services, Riskdata S. A..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.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. 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 Office90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cookie Butter Spread Market Industry KnowHow By 2025

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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.Obtain Report Details: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.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.Make Enquiry @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.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Bio-fertilizers Market Likely To Touch US$4,092.1 Mn 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 Biofertilizers Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025Get Free Sample Report @Biofertilizers are the substances which make use of the living micro-organisms and are applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil. They promote the growth of the plants by supplying adequate amount of nutrients and improve the quality and yield of the crops. The three major biofertilizers existing in the market are nitrogen fixing bio-fertilizer, phosphate mobilizing bio-fertilizer and potassium mobilizing bio-fertilizer. Biofertilizers add nutrients through the natural processes of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, solubilizing phosphorous, and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth promoting substances. The benefits of Biofertilizers include longer shelf life, less contamination, better survival on seeds and soil, high commercial revenues and export potential. Biofertilizers help to increase the nutrient absorbing surface area beyond the depletion zone of the root. Different kinds of soil micro-organisms belonging to several taxa of the bacteria, fungi, and protozoa kingdoms, colonizing the rhizosphere or the plant tissues and promoting plant growth, can be utilized for the production of Biofertilizers.Global Biofertilizers Market: SegmentationGlobal bio-fertilizer market can be segmented on the basis of product and applications. The product segment of bio-fertilizer market includes nitrogen fixing bio-fertilizer, phosphate mobilizing bio-fertilizer and potassium mobilizing bio-fertilizer. In terms of application, global biofertilizer market can be categorized into cereals and grains, fruits and vegetables, oil seeds and pulses and others segment including nursery turfs and ornamental plants.The report estimates and forecasts the Bio Fertilizers market on the global, regional and country 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 Biofertilizers 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 Bio Fertilizers market on the global, regional and country 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 Biofertilizers and global average price trend analysis.View Complete Report with Table of Content @Global Biofertilizers Market: Research MethodologyThe report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the Biofertilizers 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 Biofertilizers between 2017 and 2025.The study provides a comprehensive view of the Biofertilizers market by dividing it into, product, application, and geography segments. The product segment of the biofertilizers market is classified as nitrogen fixing, phosphate mobilizing and potassium mobilizing fertilizers The Biofertilizers market, by application has been categorized into oil seeds & pulses, cereals & grains, fruits & vegetables and others. The regional analysis of global biofertilizer market include includes the current and forecast consumption of biofertilizers in North America (U.S, Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) , Europe (Germany, France, Russia, Spain, CIS, Greece, Ukraine, Italy, Serbia, and Rest of Europe),Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN (Excluding Indonesia and Vietnam), Japan, Australia, Rest of Asia Pacific), and Middle East & Africa (Iran, Israel, Nigeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Rest of Middle East & Africa).Favorable regulatory scenario in highly developed regions such as North America and Europe are driving the market of global biofertilizers.Send an Enquiry @Global Biofertilizers 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 include PotashCorp Agri Life, Bodisen Biotech, Inc. , Italpollina SpA , Protan AG , Novozymes A/S , Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. , T. Stanes & Company Limited , Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited Symborg S.L, & Rizobacters Argentina S.A. 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).Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to Food & Agricultural Organization(FAO), International Fertilizer Association (IFA), National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF) and International Fertilizer Society (IFS). 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.Check Discount @About MRRSEMarket 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.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Market Research, Trends, Analysis, Share and Size to 2020

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Polyvinyl Chloride generally known as PVC is a polymer which is widely produced after polyethylene and polypropylene. It is said to be the third largest most widely produced polymer. PVC is preferred against traditional materials that include iron, copper or wood in a number of profile applications due to its operational efficiencies and benefits. Pure polyvinyl chloride is a brittle solid white in color and slightly soluble in tetrahydrofuran whereas insoluble in alcohol. It can be made flexible and soft by adding plasticizers and phthalates. In flexible and soft form, PVC is used in electrical cable insulation, plumbing and inflatable products and some applications which can replace rubber. PVC has high mechanical and hardness properties, which enhance along with molecular weight and gradually decrease with rising or increasing temperature. PVC decomposes at high temperature as its heat stability is very poor. It has good insulation properties but owing to its high polar nature, its electrical insulation property is less significant to non-polymers that include polypropylene and polyethylene.Polyvinyl Chloride can be produced from a wide range of hydrocarbons such as derivatives of plants including sugarcane and coal. Currently, PVC is produced from ethylene, which is a product of oil and gas industry. It is therefore known as a petrochemical product. Polyvinyl Chloride has a wide range of applications, which include electric cables, pipes, unplastisized polyvinyl chloride for construction, furniture and clothing, healthcare and plasticizers among others. It exists in a wide range of consumer products that include bottles, credit cards, cling films and packaging among others and construction materials such as window frames, pipes, cables, flooring and wallpaper among a range of products.Request for Sample @The PVC production costs are based on types of production expenses that include raw materials such as chlorine, ethylene and acetylene. In Asia Pacific, the PVC costs are highly influenced by PVC prices in China, hence, in addition to ethylene prices; acetylene is widely used in the production of PVC and therefore has growing importance in this region.The construction industry is the major driver of global PVC market owing to a wide range of applications in the household, commercial and industrial sectors. Due to improving infrastructure and housing conditions in the developing economies are expected to maintain the demand for PVC. Long-term demand for PVC depends on the renaissance of the construction markets in the urbanized economies.The key segments for PVC market include the North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Rest of the World (RoW). The demand for PVC remains moderate in Europe due to debt crisis along with depressed business climate and due to slow monetary recovery. Owing to huge manufacturing facilities in China, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest and largest growing market for PVC. The collapse of the building and construction industry in North America was the major reason for stagnant demand for PVC in this region. In addition, sluggish growth in construction industry in the large economies such as Italy, Germany and U.K. lead to stagnant demand in Europe.Request for Table of Contents @The major companies profiled in the PVC market are: Aiscondel, Arkema, Chemplast Sanmar Limited, Chemson Group, Formosa Plastics Corporation, INEOS Group Ltd, LG Chem, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Solvay, Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG, PolyOne Corporation and Georgia Gulf Corp among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Biobased Propylene Glycol Market Is Expected to Hit Healthy CAGR in Coming Years

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Propylene glycol, also known as 1,2-propane-diol, is a multifunctional chemical used in several industrial fields, pharmaceuticals, food and cosmetics. Conventionally, it is obtained from petroleum based feedstock for industrial scale production. Recent developments have uncovered a new technique for obtaining propylene glycol from corn starch. The process involves production of carbohydrates from starch.Biobased products are adopted on the premise that they are environment friendly attributed to their renewable origin. However, environment friendliness of any product depends upon various factors some of which include emission of green house gases throughout various steps involved in a products lifecycle, i.e., from raw material production to degradation of after-use residues through production, distribution and end-use. Some biobased products might be environment friendly until they are converted to finished products but might breakdown into toxic residual materials. Biobased propylene glycol process was compared to the petroleum based route to find out the environment friendliness of both methods by Archer Daniels Midland Company. The results showed that there is a 61% reduction in green house gases emissions, proving that biobased propylene glycol performs better than petroleum based propylene glycol in terms of carbon footprints.Request for Sample @Propylene glycol is a multi functional material that can be utilized for several applications. It can serve as solvent, connect and stabilize insoluble fluids as an emulsifier, help in binding and transportation of other substances as an excipient. It can also be used to hold and dissolve active ingredients in a medium, attract, hold, water or moisture as an hygroscopic material, reduce freezing point, and increase boiling point.Regulatory pressure to reduce carbon footprint and a general shift towards environment friendly products to enhance sustainability of processes is expected to drive the market for biobased propylene glycol. Additionally, with increase in disposable income of the rapidly growing population the market of personal care products and food products is expanding due to the escalating demand. This, in turn, adds to the demand for biobased propylene glycol. However, competing uses of the biobased feedstock sources such as corn and soy as foods and biofuels might hamper the market growth by causing supply shortages. Furthermore, supply of raw materials also depends upon the yield of the crops and the number of farmers undertaking the production of corn and soy.Polypropylene glycol is primarily used as a chemical intermediate, especially for unsaturated-polyester resins utilized in surface coatings and fiberglass reinforcement for structures. Polypropylene glycol is also utilized for the production of industrial chemicals and personal care products, cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations and solvent for colors and flavors in food, liquid detergents & household products, plasticizers, pet food, lacquers & varnishes and tobacco humectants.Request for Table of Contents @North America and Europe are likely to be the leading markets supported by strict regulations regarding carbon footprint, green house gases emissions and sustainability initiatives. U.S. in North America and Brazil in South America are among the largest producers of corn and soy, which secures supply of the raw materials for biobased feedstock production in these regions. Asia Pacific and Rest of the World markets are expected to grow rapidly with initiatives being taken towards sustainability and reduced carbon footprint. China and Japan are leading in shift towards sustainable processes and reduction in carbon footprint of the industries in the region. This is anticipated to fuel growth of biobased propylene glycol in these regions.Some of the key players producing biobased propylene glycol include Archer Daniels Midland Company, Ashland Incorporation, Cargill and the Dow Chemical Company.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:
Sales Tax Software Global Market Development Trends, Competitive Analysis and Key Manufacturer Forecast Report 2017-2022

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Sales Tax Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.This report studies the global Sales Tax Software market, analyzes and researches the Sales Tax 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, likeTaxCloudCFS Tax SoftwareExactorWolters KluwerService ObjectsThomson ReutersSales Tax DataLINKSovos ComplianceTaxJarLegalRaasta.comVertexRequest a Sample atMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaBrowse Complete Report atMarket segment by Type, Sales Tax Software can be split intoCloud, SaaS, WebMobile - Android NativeMobile - iOS NativeOtherMarket segment by Application, Sales Tax Software can be split intoSmall BusinessMidsize EnterpriseLarge EnterpriseOtherGet discount on report purchase atKey Point from Table of Contents:1 Industry Overview of Sales Tax Software2 Global Sales Tax Software Competition Analysis by Players3 Company-Top Players) Profiles3.1 TaxCloud3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Sales Tax Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 CFS Tax Software3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Sales Tax Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Exactor3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Sales Tax Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments4 Global Sales Tax Software Market Size by Application-2012-2017)5 United States Sales Tax Software Development Status and Outlook6 EU Sales Tax Software Development Status and Outlook7 Japan Sales Tax Software Development Status and Outlook8 China Sales Tax Software Development Status and Outlook9 India Sales Tax Software Development Status and Outlook10 Southeast Asia Sales Tax Software Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions and Application-2017-2022)12 Sales Tax Software Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Research Finding/ConclusionPurchase Complete Report atReportsWeb.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
Organic Acids Market Predicts Huge Growth in Terms of Revenue During 2014 - 2020

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Organic compounds with acidic properties are organic acids. Carboxyl acids are the most common type of organic acids used commercially, carboxyl acids comprise carboxyl group with long carbon chain. Organic acids produced by replacing one hydroxyl group in sulfuric acid are sulfonic acids such as toluenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, etc. Carboxyl acids are weak organic acids whereas sulfonic acids are among the strongest acids available. Some of the commonly used organic acids include acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid and uric acid among several others.Certain organic acids are produced by fermentation process of several microorganisms and are typically used in food and beverages industry. Organic acids are also produced synthetically on a wide scale for several commercial applications including catalysts, surfactants and dyes among several others. Formaldehyde is used in production of organic acids as an antimicrobial agent. Glycerine is used as an energy source in organic acids production. Some of the other feedstock used in the production of organic acids includes amino acids, oil, sulfuric acid, enzymes, proteins, salts of acids, etc.Request for Sample @Major end user industries for organic acids include food & beverages, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textile and adhesives among others. Food & beverages dominate the global demand for organic acids and the trend is anticipated to continue for a foreseeable future. Pharmaceutical is anticipated to be the fastest growing end user segment for organic acids. Organic acid is also widely used in the production of several chemicals and materials used in automotives and construction industry.Demand for organic acids is profoundly dependent on food & beverages market which is the largest end use industry for organic acids. Therefore, increasing population and GDP growth in a region are among major factors influencing demand for organic acids. High growth in pharmaceutical industry also has been among foremost factors fuelling demand for organic acids. Moreover, several synthetic organic acid are produced using non renewable sources and are hazardous to the environment which has led to several stringent regulations to control the use of these organic acids. Increasing research and development to produce efficient organic acids from bio based sources is anticipated to offer huge growth opportunity in the market.Asia Pacific dominates the global organic acid market and the trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. Asia Pacific comprises India and China, two of the largest nations in terms of population which has been among major factor driving demand for organic acids in Asia Pacific. Moreover, high growth in the emerging economies of Asia Pacific is anticipated to drive market growth for several end user industries including pharmaceutical, food, beverages, etc. On account of which, Asia Pacific is also expected to be the fastest growing region for organic acid demand. Increasing number of regulations to control the use of several synthetic organic acids has led to sluggish market growth in North America and Europe. Bio based organic acids are expected to drive market growth in North America and Europe.Request for Table of Contents @Organic acid market is highly competitive and major players compete on pricing differentiation. Moreover, increasing demand for bio based organic acids has led to a surge in investment for research and development activities in organic acids market. Some major players in organic acid market include BioAmber, Genomatica, DSM Cargill and The Dow Chemical Company among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT: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 Flexible Glass Market to Reach US$612.7million by 2020

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Future Market Insights (FMI) announces the release of its latest report titled, Asia Pacific Flexible Glass, Market Opportunity; 2014 to 2020 Forecast." According to the report, the Asia Pacific flexible glass market is expected to account for $612.7 Mn by 2020, registering a CAGR of 36.5% during the forecast period. Incorporation of flexibility threshold in displays is expected to contribute to the growth of the Asia Pacific flexible glass market over the forecast period.In terms of application, Asia Pacific flexible glass market is mainly segmented into display and solar PV (photovoltaic). Currently, display application segment dominates the Asia Pacific flexible glass market. The display segment was valued at US$ 74.2 Mn in 2013, and is expected to reach US$ 417.3 Mn by 2020, exhibiting a CAGR of 33.4% for the forecast period. Moreover, the development of Roll2Roll process is expected to create a demand for flexible glass in solar PV application. As a result, solar PV is projected to be the fastest growing application segment for the forecast period.Request to Sample Report-The display application is further sub-segmented as smartphones and tablets, curved TV, building mounted displays and, wearables. Among all the aforementioned sub-segments, smartphones & tablets segment is expected to dominate the market with 50.1% of the total revenue share by 2020. However, curved TV is anticipated to exhibit the highest CAGR of 37.1% during the forecast period. Additionally, influx of new entrants is predicted to fuel the growth of curved TV application segment over the forecast period.Country-wise, the Asia Pacific flexible glass market is segmented into Japan, China, South Korea and others. Japan is the most lucrative market, followed by South Korea and China. Moreover, Japan is expected to contribute 40.0% market share to the Asia Pacific flexible glass market by 2020. The growth of South Korea market is supported by the strong presence of smartphone & TV manufacturers along with growing number of R&D centres in South Korea.Assessing the various factors driving this market, FMI lead analyst, Abhishek S. said, Incorporation of flexibility threshold in displays, development of Roll2Roll process for flexible PV and growing R&D investments in flexible glass by key glass manufacturers are expected to fuel the demand for Asia Pacific flexible glass market.Request Report TOC @Key players in the Asia Pacific flexible glass market are Asahi Glass Co., Ltd., Corning Inc., Schott AG and Nippon Electric Glass Company Ltd.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 :
Lead Market Research, Analysis, Share, Size, Trends, Growth, Demand and Forecast 2014 - 2020

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Lead is a soft and malleable metal belonging to the carbon group. It is the heaviest non-radioactive element which occurs naturally on earth in the form of four isotopes: lead-208, 207, 206, and 204. It is generally found in ores with copper, silver and zinc and is extracted together with these metals. Lead compounds exist in two main oxidation states: +4 and +2. It is widely used in construction activities, production of weights, lead-acid batteries, and as a radiation shield. Conventional lead-acid batteries have a significant history in providing energy storage for a wide range of end-use applications, in mobile as well as stationary applications.The global market for lead has been witnessing noticeable growth on account of growing lead-acid battery consumption. In addition, the global demand is estimated to be significant in the coming years as capacity expansions and new operations boost supply at a faster rate than demand.Request for Sample @According to government sources of various developed and developing economies, their nationwide demand for energy is expected to be doubled within the next decade. Owing to this, various countries such as China and India have started making huge investments in smart grid technology in order to meet the huge demand for power. Potential investments in smart grid technology has further lead to the growth of lead-acid batteries which are used in electrical vehicles (EV) which serve as one of the major component in the smart grid technology. Lead-acid battery exports and production have strongly recovered in China after the wide-ranging environmentally motivated cutbacks in 2011. In addition, increasing adoption of advanced vehicle technologies such as stop-start & hybrid vehicles and renewable energy generation is contributing towards the innovation in lead-based battery segment. Lead-acid batteries based on modern technologies have also been gaining significant importance in applications where batteries are considered extremely vital for their mechanism, as well as in new applications such as grid storage for renewable energy generation.Growth of the building construction industry is anticipated to be one of the major factors driving the demand for lead over the next few years. Lead is widely used in the construction industry as architectural metals for roofing materials, gutters and gutter joints, and on roof parapets. Moreover, increasing demand for lead-acid batteries for automotive application on account of rising automobile industry is expected to contribute to the growth of the market. However, growing health concerns regarding the use of lead paints is expected to slow down the growth of the market. North America was the largest consumer for lead owing to its vast construction and automobile industry. The demand in Europe is expected to rise moderately on account of declining automobile sales. However, future market growth is expected to be from Asia Pacific on account of rising demand for energy in smart grid technology which includes electrical vehicles operated on lead batteries. This factor is further expected to provide new opportunities for the growth of the market. Development of absorbed glass mat (AGM) lead acid batteries on account of their favorable characteristic of being maintenance-free are also expected to provide growth opportunities for the lead market.Request for Table of Contents @Canada Metal, EAST PENN Manufacturing Co. Inc., EnerSys IncGlobal Metals, Gravita metals, Johnson Control Inc., and M.A. Metal Corporation are some of the lead manufacturers present in the industry.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:
Fungicides Market Expected To Reach US$18,227.6 mn by 2025

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"The Latest Research Report Fungicides Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Global Fungicide Market: OverviewFungicides are biocidal chemical compounds used for destroying and inhibiting growth of fungi and fungal spores. The product helps in controlling disease, preventing disease and increasing crop productivity. Fungicides helps in improving the storage quality of harvested fruit and products such as cereals, grains, etc. Few of the examples of fungicides that are available in the market and are efficient are mancozeb, chlorothalonil, metalaxyl, strobilurin and others.The report estimates and forecasts the market on the global, regional, and country 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 product 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 fungicides 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 fungicides 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.Get Sample copy of this Report @Global Fungicide Market: Scope of the StudyThe report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the fungicides market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein crop type and countries 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 fungicides between 2017 and 2025.The study provides a comprehensive view of the fungicides market by dividing it on the basis of crop type and geography segments. The fungicides market has been segmented into oilseeds & pulses, cereals & grains, fruits & vegetables and others based on crop type. Crop type segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Global Fungicide Market: Research MethodologySecondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to 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.View Sample PDF @Global Fungicide Market: Regional OutlookRegional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for fungicides in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for various segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual crop type in all the regions and countries.Global Fungicide Market: Competitive OutlookThe 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 includes Syngenta AG, DowDupont Inc., BASF SE, Bayer CropScience AG and others. 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 fungicides market has been segmented as follows:Fungicides Market  Product Type AnalysisMancozebChlorothalonilMetalaxylStrobilurinOthersFungicides Market  Crop Type AnalysisOilseeds & PulsesCereals & GrainsFruits & VegetablesOthersFungicides Market  Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyFranceU.K.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanASEANRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaSend An Enquiry Request @Table of Content1. Preface1.1 Report Scope and Market Segmentation1.2 Research Highlights1.3 Research Objectives1.4 Key Questions Answered2. Assumptions and Research Methodology2.1. Assumptions and Acronyms Used2.2. Research Methodology3. Executive Summary3.1 Global Fungicides Market Size, by Market Value (US$ Mn) and Market Value Share, by Region, 20163.2 Regional Overview, 20254. Market Overview4.1 Product Overview4.2 Key Market Indicators4.3 Drivers and Restraints Snapshot Analysis4.4 Fungicides Market - Global Supply Demand Scenario4.5 Global Demand-Supply Scenario, 201620254.6 Porters Analysis4.7 Value Chain Analysis4.8 SWOT Analysis5. Global Fungicides Market Analysis, By Product5.1. Introduction5.2. Key Findings5.3. Key Trends5.4. Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (Tons) Forecast, by Product5.4.1. Mancozeb5.4.2. Chlorothalonil5.4.3. Metalaxyl5.4.4. Strobilurin5.4.5. Others5.5. Market Attractiveness, by ProductBuy 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
Software Geographic Information Systems Global Market 2017: Key Players  Pasco Corporation, Ubisense Group, Hexagon, Schneider Electric, Autodesk

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Software Geographic Information Systems Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com adds Software Geographic Information Systems Market Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Report Details:This report studies the global Software Geographic Information Systems market, analyzes and researches the Software Geographic Information Systems development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.This report focuses on the top players in global market, likePasco CorporationUbisense GroupBeijing SuperMap SoftwareHexagonSchneider ElectricEnvironmental Systems Research InstituteBentley SystemsAutodeskPitney BowesMacDonald, Dettwiler and AssociatesRequest a Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoDesktopMobileCloud-basedOtherMarket segment by Application, Software Geographic Information Systems can be split intoDisaster ManagementLand InformationMap ViewingInfrastructure ManagementBusiness InformationMineral ExplorationMilitary & DefenceOtherIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Complete Report Details@Major Key Points in Table of Content:Global Software Geographic Information Systems Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Software Geographic Information Systems1.1 Software Geographic Information Systems Market Overview1.1.1 Software Geographic Information Systems Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Software Geographic Information Systems 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 Software Geographic Information Systems Market by Type1.3.1 Desktop1.3.2 Mobile1.3.3 Cloud-based1.3.4 Other1.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Disaster Management1.4.2 Land Information1.4.3 Map Viewing1.4.4 Infrastructure Management1.4.5 Business Information1.4.6 Mineral Exploration1.4.7 Military & Defence1.4.8 Other2 Global Software Geographic Information Systems Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Software Geographic Information Systems 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 Pasco Corporation3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Ubisense Group3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Beijing SuperMap Software3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Hexagon3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 Schneider Electric3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Environmental Systems Research Institute3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Bentley Systems3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 Autodesk3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 Pitney Bowes3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Software Geographic Information Systems Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.10.5 Recent DevelopmentsContinued.Buy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Sales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +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 LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Beauty Device Market Worth $79 Billion By 2022: Acumen Research and Consulting

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Beauty Device Market (Type of Device: Hair Removal Device, Cleansing Device, Acne Device, Light/LED Therapy And Photorejuvenation (LT&P) Devices, Oxygen & Steamer Devices, Hair Growth Devices, Skin Dermal Rollers, Cellulite Reduction Devices, Others; Application: Salon, Spa, At Home)  Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Opportunities and Forecast, 2012 - 2022India, Pune, Dec.18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Acumen Research and Consulting, a global provider of market research studies, in a recently published report titled Beauty Device Market  Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Opportunities and Forecast, 2012 - 2022, estimates that the global market for beauty devices is expected to reach the market value of over $79 billion by 2022 and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 19% during 2016 - 2022. Owing to the rising geriatric populace, expanding incidences of skin disorders and high disposable income are the main considerations driving the development of beauty devices market, globally. Introduction of innovative products, increasing utilization of electronic beauty devices and rising inclination of consumers towards easy to use at home beauty devices are some of the major opportunities for this market growth.Download Sample Pages:Increasing Geriatric Population to Have High Impact on Beauty Devices MarketGlobally, aging population plays a major role in the growth of beauty devices market. Old age is associated with loss of fibrous tissue, and reduced vascular and glandular network in the layers of skin. In the elderly population, the appearance and characteristics of skin gets altered, leading to wrinkles, dryness, pigmentary alteration, and sagging of the skin. In addition, anti-aging products and devices help in reducing skin aging, thus giving younger look to a person by revitalizing and tightening the skin. The developing countries such as India and China are expected to have a larger geriatric population base compared to developed countries such as the U.S., which creates potential growth opportunities for beauty device manufacturers in AsiaPacific region.View Detail With Complete TOC, List of Table and Figure:Insights on Market SegmentsGlobal beauty devices market is segmented into type of device, and application. Based on different device types, the market is segmented into hair removal device, cleansing device, acne device, light/led therapy and photorejuvenation (LT&P) devices, oxygen & steamer devices, hair growth devices, skin dermal rollers, cellulite reduction devices and others. On the other hand, application segment comprises salon, spa, and at home. The hair removal devices segment dominated the global beauty devices market, and it is expected to retain its dominance by 2022, with around 23% share, globally. Also, the salon application segment was the largest end user of beauty devices globally, and is expected to retain its dominance by 2022.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report@North America Held Highest Market Share in 2015, In Terms of RevenueIn 2015, North America held around 50% share in terms of revenue with respect to global home beauty devices market. Various facial therapies and body treatments offered at salons and spas can be done at home, with the help of beauty devices. The demand for at home devices is increasing due to their ergonomic designs and portability. Home-based treatments are less costly, convenient, and can be availed within the privacy of ones home. The North American home beauty devices market is growing due to an upsurge in aging population and availability of advanced devices in the region. According to the United Nations publication, World Population Ageing 2015, in the Northern America, the population of people aged 60 years and above was approximately 74.6 million in 2015, and the number is estimated to reach approximately 104.8 million by 2030. In addition, the increased awareness about potential applications of beauty devices in the treatment of skin and hair diseases is expected to contribute to the growth of beauty device market in North America.Among the player operating in the global beauty devices market, some profiled in the report include Panasonic Corporation, PhotoMedex, Inc., Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc., Home Skinovations, Ltd., Carol Cole Company, L'Oreal Group, Procter & Gamble Company, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Tria Beauty, Inc., Syneron Medical, Ltd., and among others.Buy this premium research report atWould like to place an order or any question, please feel free to contact: sales@acumenresearchandconsulting.comAbout UsAcumen Research and Consulting (ARC) is a global provider of market intelligence and consulting services to information technology, investment, telecommunication, manufacturing, and consumer technology markets. ARC helps investment communities, IT professionals, and business executives to make fact based decisions on technology purchases and develop firm growth strategies to sustain market competition. With the team size of 100+ Analysts and collective industry experience of more than 200 years, Acumen Research and Consulting assures to deliver a combination of industry knowledge along with global and country level expertise.Contact:Frank WilsonSales Manager | Acumen Research and ConsultingEmail: frank@acumenresearchandconsulting.comPh - USA +1 716-2400-831Asia-Pacific +912065600384Web:Blog:Blog:
Asia-Pacific Automotive Aftermarket worth US$ 218.73 Bn by 2025

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Future Market Insights (FMI) announces release of its latest market outlook forecast titled Automotive Aftermarket: Asia-Pacific Excl. Japan (APEJ) Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 - 2025. According to this report, automotive aftermarket components in Asia Pacific is anticipated to account for US$ 218.73 Bn by 2025, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% throughout the forecast period.The automotive aftermarket is a secondary market, which plays a pivotal role post-sale of a vehicle, as it entails remanufacturing, manufacturing, distribution and installation of automobile components and accessories for vehicles. Components and accessories are installed post sale of a new vehicle by the dealer or service provider and this is termed as automotive aftermarket. Accessories include customized parts for convenience, safety, comfort and performance. These are designed as add-ons after vehicles are assembled by the original manufacturer. Services on the other hand include maintenance and repairs to ensure vehicles continue functioning, and providers offer options with regard to where vehicle owners can avail such offerings.Request Report Sample@The replacement part segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.7%, accessories at 8.9% and services at 7.3% during the forecast period. Components segment is further sub-segmented into oils & lubricants, tyres, batteries, wear & tear parts, filters, collision body parts, starters & alternators, lighting components, exhaust components and spark plugs. Among these, exhaust components and tires dominate the other segments. Demand for interior accessories is expected to register a CAGR of 8.4%, owing to increasing demand from automobile owners to enhance functionality and appearance of their vehicles, and this trend is expected to further drive overall market growth in the near future. Services is further sub-segmented into general automotive repairs and automotive transmission and other repairs.Asia Pacific automotive aftermarket is majorly driven by growing vehicle parc, boom in vehicle sales and demand for general automotive repairs. This includes repairs and services related to transmissions, starters & alternators, brakes, lubricants, tyres, filters and batteries among others. Apart from this, increasing safety and security needs and favourable GDP growth in developing economies are major growth drivers for the ASEAN automotive aftermarket. However, despite certain technological challenges acting as growth restraints, the ASEAN automotive aftermarket is expected to experience rapid growth over the forecast period.Request Report Methodology@This market forecast covers analysis and market value of each segment and respective sub-segment and potential of the connected automotive aftermarket in specific countries. Asia Pacific is forecast to emerge as the fastest growing market, owing to the large number of vehicles in operation and is expected to witness a steady growth during forecast period 20152025.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:
Kola Nut Extract Market Revenue, Opportunity, Forecast & Value Chain 2017-2027

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Global kola nut extract market: Market OverviewKola nut extract is obtained from the seed of kola tree which is native to Africa's tropical rainforest. It is also known as bissy nuts, guru nuts and cola nuts. Kola nut extract contains the certain percent of caffeine which is used as a flavoring ingredient in beverages. Inside the kola-fruit about a dozen square and round seeds develop in a white seed shell. The aroma of the nut is sweet it tastes bitter at first but sweetens upon chewing. The nut is boiled to extract kola, as kola nut extract has a high amount of caffeine content in it can help with drowsiness and gastrointestinal fatigue problems, atonic diarrhea, dysentery, it helps in stimulation of gastric acid production and aids digestion. The stimulants present in the kola nut extract dilates blood vessels and increases the blood flow as a result increases the blood flow to the head and helps in the treatment of a migraine. Kola nut extract is said to create a feeling of euphoria and also stimulates mental focus and is useful as an aphrodisiac. Kola nut extract is also termed as a cardiotonic that strengthens and stimulates the heart. Kola nut extract is also considered as an excellent remedy for food poisoning, as it contains antioxidants it enhances the immune and protects the cells.it is also used for bronchodilator and diuretics.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Global kola nut extract market: Market DynamicsThe global kola nut extract market is driven mostly by pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries as it has curative properties and also by food and beverage industry as a flavoring agent since it has a unique taste. Kola nut extract was once used to make the popular soft drink coco-cola in America, and kola nut extract was used as a primary ingredient in the beverage. The key factors restraining the global kola nut extract market is due to the use of synthetic derivatives in beverages that mimic the flavor of kola nut extract. Regularly chewing the kola nut can stain the teeth giving a rusty color. The kola nut extract also has a high level of nicotine content which would affect the body chemistry. High intake of the kola nut extract would lead to insomnia, high heartbeat, high blood pressure, and high-level toxicity, locomotive effects and over simulation.Obtain Report Details @Global kola nut extract market: Market SegmentationOn the basis of end user industry, global kola nut extract market can be segmented into:Food industryBeverage industryPharmaceutical industryNutraceutical industryObtain Report Details @On the basis of product type, global kola nut extract can be segmented into:LiquidPowderGlobal kola nut extract market: segmentation overviewThe beverage industry has a higher rate of usage of kola nut extract followed by pharmaceutical and food industry. However, the nutraceutical industry is rising due to the use of kola nut extract in weight loss supplements.Global kola nut extract market: Regional OverviewBased on the geographies, the global fumaric acid market is fragmented into seven key regions- North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific except Japan, Japan. Among the regions mentioned above in the Middle East and Africa, the production of kola nut extract is maximum as kola nut trees are commercially grown in Africa. The kola nut extract is a cherished commodity that has increased into enormous economic prospects with kola nut extract trade with North America and Asia-pacific. With the increase in awareness and people becoming more con about health the use of kola nut extract is expected to grow in the regions of western and eastern Europe and Latin America. Overall the market for kola nut extract is expected to grow in the forecasted year due to increase in the use of the extract in beverage instead of synthetic products.Global kola nut extract market: Market PlayersSome of the market players identified in the global kola nut extract market include:Indigo Herbs LtdMood & Mind, LLC.Eternal Delight.Centerchem Inc.EC21 Inc.FeedStimulantsBaldwin & CoTHE HAPPY HERB SHOPEcuadorian RainforestAbout 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:
Compact Power Equipment Rental Market Market Growth, Trends, Absolute Opportunity and Value Chain 2014 - 2020

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Compact power equipment includes all tools required for lighter construction jobs. The equipment is small in size and used in developing products with more ease and convenience. These compact power tools are of several types, such as engine-driven power tools, electric power tools and pneumatic power tools. They are used for various operations, such as drilling, polishing, woodwork routing and screw driving. Compact tools are primarily used for construction related jobs. These tools are used at construction sites for activities like drilling, hammering, cutting, grinding, washing and blowing of the equipments. Compact power tools are light-weighted, small in size, easy to handle and transport. However, they are more complex to handle than the commonly used hand tools, requires skilled labour, and regular maintenance to avoid tool wear.Global compact power tools rental market is expected to grow at a steady rate, as the demand for power tools are on the rise in developing countries. Drivers responsible for the growth of power tools rental market include an increasing demand for fast accomplishment of projects and increasing infrastructural development activities at developing regions like Asia, where construction companies rent the tools from power tool companies as they cannot afford to invest in power equipment. The challenges ahead include continuous maintenance and high cost of equipment. Many a time, clients who borrow equipment from companies, damage the tools, which is also a major concern for the power tool rental market.Request to View Sample Report @Segmentation of compact power tools market is done on the basis of types and geography. Compact tools are of various types like electric power tools, engine-driven power tools and pneumatic power tools. Wherein electric power tool includes cordless tools, drilling & demolition, screw-fastening tools, direct fastening tools, cutting/sawing/grinding tools, dust extractors, glue and heat guns, high pressure washers and blowers . Key geographic segments for compact power tools market include North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East & Africa) region. Asia-Pacific is the most prominent region for compact power tools companies owing to increasing construction and infrastructural development activities in countries like India, Japan and China. Key trends in compact power tools market are an increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers as Chinese vendors are penetrating this market with their tools with competitive prices as compared to other vendors.Of the many players in the compact power tools market, Makita Corporation, Bosch, Stanley Black & Decker and Techtronic Industries are the dominant leaders. Other important players include Hilti Group, Panasonic Corporation, Emerson Electric Company, Snap-on Inc., etc. Mergers & acquisitions of key players provide opportunity to expand their product portfolio. In North America, Bosch acquired SPX Corporations Service Solution business which manufactures, develops and sells service equipment and repairs workshop accessories. In Europe, Techtronic Industries acquired Ryobis power tools business and Royal Appliance Manufacturing Company, a market leader in North America which develops, markets and assembles cleaning appliances such as vacuum cleaners for domestic as well as commercial use. Emerson Electronics decided to focus on acquisitions and divestitures in order to increase investment in technology and also have a strong focus to acquire the market in developing countries. This is also because of decreasing demands of their products in Europe and market saturation in the U.S. and China. The future of compact power equipment is very attractive due to an ever-increasing demand for compact power tools. Due to saturation of developed markets like Europe, the U.S. and China, players in this market are now moving their focus towards developing or emerging nations.Request For Table Of Content @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.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705
Cosmetic Chemicals Market Rugged Expansion Foreseen by 2020

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The growing beauty products market has been increasing the demand for value-enriched cosmetics. The market is flooded with various cosmetic chemicals. Cosmetic chemicals are the basic ingredients found in cosmetic products including soap, shampoo, lipstick, mascara, deodorants and other beauty products (excluding the products listed under therapeutic goods). At present, various cosmetic business enterprises use more than 5000 different chemical compositions to offer selected cosmetic products. Based on its end use applications, cosmetic chemical have been further divided into surfactants, emollients, conditioning polymers, and UV absorbers. These chemical-based products contain preservatives which hinder microbial growth and thereby offer longer shell life to the cosmetics. In addition, these chemicals contain a variety of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, herbs, hormones, and fragrances. This vast range of cosmetic chemicals allows business cosmetics to deliver different types of cosmetics in the market, thereby offering a vibrant market to cosmetic industries.Their use is widely found in personal care products. A wide range of applications ranging from anti-ageing cream to shampoo is driving the cosmetic chemical market to its zenith. Companies these days are focusing on organic grade cosmetic chemicals as they are considered to be a healthier option when compared to commodity surfactants and petroleum oils. The cosmetic chemicals market has been segmented into skin care products, make up products, hair care products and fragrance products. Among all its market segments, cleaning agents and foaming agents are the enduse applications that account for the largest percentage of the market. Skin care products accounted for 31% of global cosmetic market in year 2013. Though cosmetic chemicals offer many options to formulate cosmetics depending on different skin types, the market is shifting towards natural surfactants primarily because of the rising safety concerns of sulfate-based surfactants.Request For Sample @Globally, North America is the largest market for cosmetic product consumption. It accounted for 21.2% of global market share in 2012. USA with US$ 54.89 billion in 2012 is the biggest cosmetic market. However, with the rising dominance of non-western beauty culture in Eastern region, the market share is set to shift towards ASEAN region. Ethnic and cultural diversity in APAC, and particularly in ASEAN region,are driving the cosmetics market vertically upwards. Growing consumer class in ASEAN region from 67 million population to 125 million population by 2025 will offer a lucrative market for various business cosmetic business channels. A large consumer base, ample natural resources, availability of cheap labor and easing of policies such as FDI by government, are the main driving factors for the cosmetic chemicals market in ASEAN markets.In the ASEAN region, the cosmetic market has been witnessing a double digit growth every 5 years. GDP at the constant price shows a vertically upwards trend in these regions. The rise in the middle class population in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Philippines is the major driving factor for the growth of this sector, while in Malaysia and Singapore, wealthy segments contribute largely to it. Skin care products are set to witness exponential growth in the ASEAN market, thereby offering lucrative business opportunities in the cosmetic chemicals market.There is a flood of suppliers in cosmetic chemicals which results in a fragmented market. However, the demand for premium personal care products has led to consolidation of the market, thus leading to high competitiveness among the dominant players in this market. The prominent players of cosmetic chemicals market include Dow Chemical Company, BASF SE, Bayer AG, Givaudan SA, Merck KGaA, Shell Chemical and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.Request For TOC @With the new emerging markets such as ASEAN, BRIC, and MEA, the future seems optimistic for cosmetic chemicals companies. Together, these regions offer a large market owing to the high population of youth in the age group of 15-39 years. Though the market seems promising in the long run, companies have to spend lump sum amounts on R&D to comply with the governments regulatory demands.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature.FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Assisted Reproductive Technology Market to See Incredible Growth During 2017 - 2025

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Key players in the moderately fragmented global assisted reproductive technology market include Merck, CooperSurgical, Inc., Irvine Scientific, Vitrolife AB, Hamilton Thorne, Inc., Nidacon International AB, Laboratoire CCD, Planer PLC, Esco Micro Pte. Ltd. (Esco Group), and Nikon Corporation. Merck holds a dominant share in the global assisted reproductive technology market due to its widespread portfolio and steady presence in various regional markets.In Vitro fertilization to Dominate due to Growing Efficacy of Modern ProceduresBy technology, the global assisted reproductive technology market is divided into artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, and others. In vitro fertilization is by far the dominant contributor to the global assisted reproductive technology market at present and is likely to retain the position in the coming years due to the growing awareness about the efficacy of in vitro fertilization and the increasing awareness among citizens about the same. The in vitro fertilization segment accounted for a majority share of more than 62% in the global assisted reproductive technology market in 2016 and is likely to extend its dominance further by the end of the 2017-2025 forecast period.Read Report Preview:Surrogacy is also likely to receive increasing demand in the coming years, due in part to the growing demand for assisted reproductive technology from same-sex couples. While many parents now prefer the benefit of having their own genetic imprint in their baby through in vitro fertilization, surrogacy is likely to receive sustained demand in the coming years. This is borne out by the figures of the global assisted reproductive technology market by procedure, wherein fresh non donor contributions were the preferred choice for most consumers. The fresh non donor segment accounted for more than 50% of the global assisted reproductive technology market in 2016 and is likely to remain similarly dominant in the coming years.Geographically, Asia Pacific is the leading contributor to the global assisted reproductive technology market and is likely to retain a leading share in the global market in the coming years.Gradual Lifting of Social Taboos in Asia Pacific Opens Lucrative MarketDeveloping economies in Asia Pacific are likely to be vital to the global assisted reproductive technology market in the coming years. While the predominant social values in these regions tended to dissuade constructive growth of the assisted reproductive technology market, the gradual relaxation in social norms in these regions has resulted in a promising environment for the market. The growing prevalence of reproductive problems in Asia Pacific countries such as India and China is thus crucial to the global assisted reproductive technology market.Request Sample of Report:The growing investment in the healthcare sector in developing countries is also likely to provide a major boost to the global assisted reproductive technology market in the coming years. This will help increase the frequency of fertility clinics in underdeveloped regions, where sophisticated medical facilities may still be absent.The steady development of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a key driver for the global assisted reproductive technology market. PGD helps physicians diagnose genetic disorders likely to manifest in the baby before it is implanted, making the technology vital for parents looking to avoid complicated births and lifestyles. The rapid development of the scientific database regarding genetic diseases is further likely to remain a key boost for the global assisted reproductive technology market.Request Brochure of Report:About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Advanced Aerospace Coatings Market Revenue, Opportunity, Forecast and Value Chain 2014 - 2020

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Advanced aerospace coatings technology renders a lightweight and durable coating system that offers increased productivity and is used for all kinds of aircraft. In the last few years, the advanced aerospace coatings market has witnessed tremendous growth, as aerospace coatings offerseveral benefits such as resistance from cracking, better metal protection, and corrosion control with reduced time and labour costs. These benefits have accelerated the use of advanced aerospace coatings across various end-user segments. The advanced aerospace coatings market is expected to grow significantly due toairlines increasingly engaging in mergers in attemptsto enhance brand value.The advanced aerospace coatings market can be segmented as coating system types, end-users and geography. On the basis of coating system types, the market can be segmented as general aviation aerospace coating systems, selectivity strippable coating system, commercial aerospace coating system, military and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) coatings. General aerospace coatings include sub-segments such as chrome-free aircraft systems, interior system, business jet paint system and composite system. The commercial coating systems segment includes standard commercial paint systems, composite systems, interior coating systems, and chrome-free systems. The commercial aerospace coating segment is being driven by the advent of new airlines and expansion of existing ones. Based on end-users, the advanced aerospace coatings market can be divided into categories such as government sector, industrial sector and commercial sector.Request to View Sample Report @Geographically, the advanced aerospace coatings market can be segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. The global advanced aerospace coatings market was US $ 0.2 billion market in 2013, and is projected to double by 2020 at a CAGR of around 6% from 2014 to 2020.The market in the AsiaPacific region is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% during the forecast period 2014 to 2019. Itheld 31.7% market share of the global demand for aerospace coatings in 2012. The aerospace coatings market in Latin America is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5% from 2014 to 2019.France, Germany and Russia are the crucial European markets.The key market players are engaged in research and development (R&D) to offer innovative products in the market as a strategy to gain market share. Also, the frequency of cargo transportation in Europe is higher, and so is the number of domestic and international travellers. The civil and military aircraft sectors are the largest users of the European advanced aerospace coatings market, hence making it a developed market. The region has expertise in technologies,engineering and design services. The Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) represents theaeronautics, defence, space and security industries in Europe with the objective to promote and support the competitive development of these sectors. There were over 3,000 European companies in advanced aerospace coatings and its allied sectors, accounting for a total turnover of US $ 240 billion in 2013.Major players in the advanced aerospace coatings market engage in strategic partnerships, collaborations and acquisitions to outperform competitors. Key participants in the advanced aerospace coatings market include Aerospace Coatings International, Aerospace Coating Systems, Inc., AkzoNobel N.V.,Deft,Inc., The Sherwin-Williams Company, PPG Industries, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA& Company, Hohman Plating, MankiewiczGebr. & Co., Ionbond AG and Hentzen Coatings, Inc. The aerospace industry is a powerful driver of innovation in the European economy. The employment of human resource in the European aerospace sector is extensive particularly in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Poland. The sector is running high on profits and exports aerospace and relatedproducts all over the world which also prospers the advanced aerospace coatings market.Request For Table Of Content @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.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705
Instant Coffee Market Expand At a CAGR of 4.8% From 2017 - 2025

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"The Latest Research Report Instant Coffee Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Global Instant Coffee Market: OverviewCoffee is a popular beverage on the global platform. Being the most popular beverage, this product is the second most traded commodity in the world after crude oil. On the other hand, Brazil, India, Chile, Argentina are the largest producer of coffee in the world. Ethnicity and culture plays a major role in the consumption of coffee on a global level. Since 1910, the popularity of instant coffee has also taken a steady growth in the market where people from the tea consuming nations are slowly getting acquainted to consume this beverage.There has been a positive change in lifestyle of people in developing nations, with youngsters heavily adopting the western culture. Countries like India, China, and a few Middle Eastern countries are seeing a transition to heavy consumption of coffee over tea. Consumers with life style seek beverages that can be easily prepared and are pocket-friendly as well. Instant coffee not only maintains the aroma and flavor of the drink but also gives a branded experience to consumers. The impact of this driver is medium in the short run and is expected to be high by the end of the forecast period.Get Sample copy of this Report @Increasing competition in the global market is driving leading companies to undertake intensive research and development. In order to have a balanced product portfolio in the market, leading players like Starbucks and Nescafe are constantly innovating and trying to deliver a brand rich experience to consumers. The Fair Trade concept of producing coffee in underdeveloped countries is also adding to the competition in the global market.Global Instant Coffee Market: Geographical AnalysisThe convenience of preparing the drink due to the ease in its availability has driven the market for this product heavily. Traditional coffee or whole bean coffee machines are usually implanted in most of the households of the major coffee drinking nations. On a recent research, UK has contributed to highest instant coffee consumption in the Western Europe. Instant coffee is easy to prepare and there is no hassle of disposing off the waste, as in the case of the filter coffee. Moreover, the introduction of instant coffee in the market by leading players such as Nestle, Jacobs Douwe Egberts and others are promoting the usage of sachets and jars that will be convenient in preparing coffee quickly.Millennials are driven by convenience and quality products even in India and China, and they are ready to pay a higher price for a rich experience. However, Instant coffee faces a major setback due to the consumption pattern among the population in geographical regions such as North America, Western Europe and Latin America preferred filter coffee over instant coffee. Consumers in this countries prefer filter coffee because of their traditional habit of accepting coffee as a drink that has the true properties of it as a caffeinated beverage. Furthermore, the hassle of preparing filter coffee from the whole bean is hefty, but the original flavor and aroma lies in the espresso shot which comes from the coffee machines, usually installed in most of the households and other industrial areas in these countries. Due to these factors, the impact of this restraint is high currently and is expected to be medium by the end of the forecast period.The global instant coffee market is segmented into two types of packaging- Jars and sachets. In terms of distribution channel the market segmented by B2B and retail. B2B distribution channel is further segmented by hotels, restaurant and others. Retail distribution channel is further segmented by online and offline. Offline retail distribution channel is segmented by departmental store, super and hyper market and others.View Sample PDF @Global Instant Coffee Market: Competitive LandscapeIn order to get a better understanding of the global instant coffee market, a key trends analysis has been included for all the segments. In addition, the market players in the instant coffee market have also been profiled. The leading players in the market include. Nestle S.A. (Vevey, Switzerland), Starbucks Corporation. (Seattle, Washington, U.S), Jacobs Douwe Egberts (DK Amsterdam, Netherlands), Strauss Group Ltd. (Petah Tikva, Israel), Matthew Algie & Company Ltd (London, U.K), The Kraft Heinz Company (Illinois, U.S.), Tata Global Beverages (Kolkata, West Bengal), Tchibo Coffee (Hamburg, Germany), Keurig Green Mountain.(Vermont, U.S.) and Unilever Plc. (London, U.K.) among others.The global instant coffee market can be segmented as follows:-By Distribution ChannelB2BHotelRestaurantOthersRetailOnlineOfflineDepartmental StoresHyper and Super MarketOthersBy Packaging TypeJarsSachetsBy GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.Rest of North AmericaWestern EuropeU.K.GermanyFranceNetherlandRest of Western EuropeRest of EuropeRussiaPolandBulgariaOthersAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaRest of APACMiddle East and AfricaUAESouth AfricaRest of Middle East and AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaSend An Enquiry Request @Table of ContentSection 1 Preface1.1 Report Scope and Market Segmentation1.2 Research HighlightsSection 2 Assumptions and Research Methodology2.1 Assumptions and Acronyms Used2.2 Research MethodologySection 3 Executive Summary3.1 Market SnapshotSection 4 Market Overview4.1 Product Overview4.2 Market Introduction4.3 Key Trends Analysis4.4 Market Dynamics4.4.1 Drivers4.4.2 Restraints4.4.3 Opportunities4.5 Market Attractiveness by Distribution Channel4.6 Key Players in Instant Coffee Market4.7 Global Instant Coffee Analysis, and Forecasts, 2016  2025Section 5 Global Instant Coffee Market Analysis By Packaging Type5.1 Introduction5.1.1 Jars5.1.2 Sachets5.1.3 Global Instant Coffee Market Value Share Analysis, By Packaging Type5.1.4 Global Instant Coffee Market Revenue Analysis By Packaging TypeBuy 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
Goji Berries Market Global Industry Analysis and Forecast Till 2027

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Goji berries are the fruits of the wolfberry or goji plants. These plants belong to the Lycium genus and are of two varieties, Lycium barbarum, and Lycium chinense. Goji berries are known by several names including wolfberry, boxthorn and matrimony vine. Goji berry plants are native to China and have a long history of consumption and use in traditional medicines. The berries gained widespread popularity in developed countries owing to their prolific vitamin, nutrient, and anti-oxidant profile.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Global Goji Berries Market Trends and Market Drivers:The primary driver of the goji berry market is the health benefits that goji berries provide. They are a good source of fiber and are low in calories and fat. Due to these properties, the fruits are being increasingly used in weight management and digestive supplement products. Goji berries are also considered as ideal products for people suffering from hypertension, anxiety disorders, diabetes and common ailments such as cold and fever.The regulatory restrictions placed by the EU and North America on goji berries import and labeling are a major drawback for the market. Most of these restrictions are due to the unreliability of Chinas organic certification system, wherein the use of a certain amount of pesticides and fungicides is permitted.The other area of regulatory focus is on labeling of products containing goji berries. In 2007, the U.K. Food Standards Agency declassified goji berries as novel foods due to the significant history of goji berry consumption prior to 1997. The agency also voiced concerns regarding the health claims usually associated with products containing goji berries as an ingredient.Obtain Report Details @Goji Berries Market SegmentationThe goji berry market is segmented on the basis of application and product type.On the basis of application, the market is further segmented into food and beverage, therapeutic or pharmaceutical applications, personal care products and others. The food and beverage segment occupies a significant market share due to the high and increasing use of goji berries in food and beverage products. Several health-based beverages that use goji berries as an ingredient rely on its vitamin and antioxidant profile. Personal care products represent a rapidly growing market due to the increasing consumer demand for natural, safe and effective ingredients in cosmetic products. The historically high use of goji berries in traditional medicines is a strong driver for the increasing use of these fruits in therapeutic and pharmaceutical products.On the basis of product type, the market is segmented into direct fruit, juices, and processed products. The direct fruit segment is further segmented into raw fruit and dried fruit. The processed products segment is further segmented into purees, liquid extracts, powder extracts and others. The consumption of processed goji berries is mainly due to increasing applications in food and beverage, therapeutic and personal care products. Goji berries ingredients are mainly used in the liquid form.Goji Berries Regional Market SegmentationThe goji berry market in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa is covered in the report.China dominates the market in terms of production, with the cultivation of these berries being the major source of revenue in several of Chinas northwestern provinces. The Ningxia and Xinjiang provinces in China produce the largest quantity of goji berries. The production capacity of the berries is very limited in North America and Europe as these berries are not native to these regions. However, with the increasing demand, many farmers belonging to the U.S. and Canada have taken up cultivation of goji berries. Northern California and parts of Northwest are considered ideal places for goji berry cultivation in the U.S.The consumption of goji berries as part of food products is based on the increasing consumption of exotic, healthy and natural fruits. This demand for goji berries is particularly strong in North America and the EU. The historically high consumption of the fruit in Asia is also significant but is largely based on direct fruit and juice consumption.Goji Berries Market Key Players:Some of the key players in the global goji berries market include Navitas Naturals, Gojix Ltd., Ningxia Red-goji berry trade Co., Ltd., Goji Berry Farm (Bulgaria), Ningxia Zhengyuan Wuzhong Halal Food Co., Ltd., Shaanxi NHK Technology Co., Ltd., Xian Yuensun Biological Technology Co., Ltd. (Yesherb), Natierra, and The Berry Company.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:
Dec, 22 2017: Resuscitation Ventilators Market Forecast 2023 Beijing Aeonmed, Breas Medical, Eternity

Resuscitation Ventilators Market

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Resuscitation Ventilators Market Research 2017A market study "Global Resuscitation Ventilators Market" examines the performance of the Resuscitation Ventilators market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Resuscitation Ventilators market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Resuscitation Ventilators market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Resuscitation Ventilators Market 2017 report includes Resuscitation Ventilators market Revenue, market Share, Resuscitation Ventilators industry volume, market Trends, Resuscitation Ventilators Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Resuscitation Ventilators Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Resuscitation Ventilators Market 2017 : HEYER Medical Eternity Hamilton Medical MS Westfalia Carl Reiner GmbH SIRIUSMED DeVilbiss Healthcare SALVIA Medical Heinen + Lowenstein Seeuco Electronics Technology Siare SLE Beijing Aeonmed Air Liquide Medical Systems Bio-Med Devices Breas Medical AB eVent Medical Fritz Stephan GE Healthcare Hayek Medical HOFFRICHTERFirstly, the report covers the top Resuscitation Ventilators manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Resuscitation Ventilators report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Resuscitation Ventilators industry, Resuscitation Ventilators industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Resuscitation Ventilators Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Resuscitation Ventilators 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 Resuscitation Ventilators market revenue worldwide.Finally, Resuscitation Ventilators 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
Cell Expansion Market to See Incredible Growth During 2016 - 2024

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With a handful of established players, the global cell expansion market demonstrates a consolidated structure, states a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The top eight companies, namely, Merck Millipore, Thermo Fisher Scientific, GE Healthcare, Danaher Corp., Becton, Dickinson and Co., Lonza, and Corning, collectively held nearly 79% of the overall market in 2016. To strengthen their presence in the worldwide cell expansion market, the leading players have increased the investment in the research activities in order to develop novel cell lines and discover new applications. Going forward, the focus of these companies will shift to product differentiation in the near future, making the competitive environment much stiff.Read Report Preview:According to the report, the global market for cell expansion is anticipated to witness a significant surge in its opportunity at a CAGR of 14.70% during the period from 2016 to 2024, rising from US$7.7 bn in 2015 to US$26 bn by the end of the forecast period. Human stem cells register a stronger hold on this market when compare to their animal and differentiated counterparts and the trend is anticipated to remain so over the next few years. Hospitals, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, CMO and CRO, and academic and research institutes have emerged as the key end users of cell expansion products across the world. North America, among all the regions, has occupied the leading position in the worldwide market for cell expansion, thanks to the presence of a large pool of participants. Researchers anticipate the North America cell expansion market to remain dominant over the period of the forecast.Increasing Incidence of Chronic Medical Conditions to Fuel Demand for Cell Expansion ProductsThe global market for cell expansion is witnessing a tremendous surge in its valuation. An analyst at TMR states that the increasing cases of rare and chronic medical conditions across the world is the key driving force behind the growth of this market. The continued rise in the demand for biopharmaceuticals is also boosting this market significantly.Request Sample of Report:In addition to this, the increasing preference for regenerative medicines, offering faster results, will propel the global cell expansion market remarkably in the years to come. The emergence of cell-based therapies, with high patient compatibility, is also projected to drive this market over the next few years, notes the research study.High Cost of Operations to Create Obstacles for Markets GrowthThough all these factors point towards a thriving future of the global market for cell expansion, there are several roadblocks that can hold the market from growing smoothly in the years to come. The high cost associated with the operations is one such obstacle, which the market is expected to face over the forthcoming years. The dearth of high-tech instrumentation and a skilled workforce will also pose severe challenge for this market in the years to come. However, the increasing investment by companies and rising government support will normalize the effect of these restraints in the near future, states the research report.Request Brochure of Report:About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Dec, 22 2017: Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Market Forecast 2023 Stryker, Exactech, Depuy Synthes

Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Market

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Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Market Research 2017A market study "Global Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Market" examines the performance of the Reverse Shoulder Prostheses market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Reverse Shoulder Prostheses market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Reverse Shoulder Prostheses market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Market 2017 report includes Reverse Shoulder Prostheses market Revenue, market Share, Reverse Shoulder Prostheses industry volume, market Trends, Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Market 2017 : Exactech JRI Orthopaedics Tornier Zimmer Lima Corporate Stryker EVOLUTIS FX Solutions Biomet BIOTECHNI Depuy Synthes Beijing Chunli Technology Development EUROSFirstly, the report covers the top Reverse Shoulder Prostheses manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Reverse Shoulder Prostheses report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Reverse Shoulder Prostheses industry, Reverse Shoulder Prostheses industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Reverse Shoulder Prostheses Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Reverse Shoulder Prostheses 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 Reverse Shoulder Prostheses market revenue worldwide.Finally, Reverse Shoulder Prostheses 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
Software Geographic Information Systems Market 2017 by Key Regions, With Production, Consumption, Revenue, Market Share and Growth Rate by 2022

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This statistical surveying research report on the Global Software Geographic Information Systems Market is an all-inclusive study of the business sectors latest outlines, industry growth drivers, and inadequacies. It gives market forecasts for the coming years. It contains an examination of the latest progressions in technology, Porter's five force analysis and dynamic profiles of exclusive industry competitors. The report besides conveys an investigation of trivial and full-scale factors prosecuting for the new candidates in the market and the ones currently in the market. A methodical value chain analysis is also carried out in this report.Top Key Players: Pasco Corporation, Ubisense Group, Beijing SuperMap Software, Hexagon, Schneider Electric, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Bentley Systems, Autodesk, Pitney Bowes, MacDonald, Dettwiler and AssociatesGet Sample Copy of Report:In this Software Geographic Information Systems measurable surveying report, the leading dynamic factors of this market were perceived and the business partners and end-clients were protracted. The structure of the business sector, cases, and complexities monitoring the market ordinarily are also a trace of this extensive study. Precise social affairs and meetings were driven by the obvious pioneers of this industry to get dedicated and fortified bits of information in regards to the market.A top-to-bottom outline of key market drivers, patterns, limitations, and opportunities of the Software Geographic Information Systems market is exhibited in the report. The topographies which are encased in this report are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. With respect to the given conjecture time period and particularly contemplating every information annually, a report is been enlisted to ensure the data is as expected by the client.For more information:In the concluding divisions of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Software Geographic Information Systems Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.More light has been shed upon the world Software Geographic Information Systems market by the manufacturer with types of product, sales area, and manufacturing base distribution at the highest point of the priority list. The report has in like manner elucidated the competitive circumstances and patterns prevailing in the market. In such way, methodologies, for instance, extension, mergers, and acquisition and market concentration rate have been analyzed. For a more profound examination of key players operating in the market, the manufacturers have shared the share of the overall business of best three and five manufacturers.Get Discount on this report:Table of Content:Global Software Geographic Information Systems Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Software Geographic Information Systems OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout 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 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 Denis10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com ,
Current Trends and Future Growth of Audiological Devices Market 2017 - 2025

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Global Audiological Devices Market: SnapshotAudiological devices are amplifiers that are utilized as a part of the conclusion and treatment of hearing misfortune and adjust issue. A listening device chips away at change of sound waves to electrical signs. A sound wave is send crosswise over through a receiver, which at that point believers to electrical flags and conveys to an enhancer. The signs are then recovered by the intensifier and send through a speaker. The market now includes a huge assortment of reduced and even some for all intents and purposes undetectable amplifier frameworks, improving the probability of individuals buying them to treat their listening ability misfortune; a huge segment of the aggregate number of individuals with hearing misfortune over the globe don't have portable amplifiers due to the shame related with them. With undetectable or exceptionally minimized listening devices, the devices are less obvious, in this way alleviating this shame.Of the key variables supporting the general development of the global audiological devices market, the report refers to the rising occurrence rate of analyzed hearing misfortune cases, mechanical progressions empowering high solid quality, and the immense ascent in world's geriatric populace - a statistic very helpless against age-related hearing misfortune. Rising help from government and worldwide bodies for the expanded utilization of hearing help devices is additionally boosting the take-up of audiological devices over the globe. Enhancements in outline and advancements, bringing minimized and less noticeable devices stuffed with a few new highlights to the market, are additionally driving the expanded appropriation of audiological devices over the globe.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Audiological Devices Market: OverviewOver the past few years, the market for audiological devices, the variety of advanced technological devices used to study audiology and cure hearing-related conditions, has witnessed a sharp rise in the adoption of digital technology across key aspects of product design and development. The result has been the development of devices with vast improvement in sound quality and reduction in product sizes.The market now features a vast variety of compact and even some virtually invisible hearing aid systems, increasing the likelihood of people purchasing them to treat their hearing loss; a significant portion of the total number of people with hearing loss across the globe do not have hearing aids because of the stigma associated with them. With invisible or highly compact hearing aids, the devices are less visible, thus mitigating this stigma.Request TOC of the Report @Global Audiological Devices Market: Trends and OpportunitiesOf the key factors supporting the overall growth of the global audiological devices market, the report cites the rising incidence rate of diagnosed hearing loss cases, technological advancements enabling high sound quality, and the vast rise in worlds geriatric population - a demographic highly vulnerable to age-related hearing loss. Rising support from government and international bodies for the increased usage of hearing assistance devices is also boosting the uptake of audiological devices across the globe. Improvements in design and innovations, bringing compact and less visible devices packed with several new features to the market, are also driving the increased adoption of audiological devices across the globe.Global Audiological Devices Market: Market PotentialThe high costs of technologically advanced audiological devices and their exclusion from medical reimbursement plans across most key markets have limited their uptake to a huge extent. The Hearing Loss Association of America states that over 48 mn people in the U.S. suffer from hearing loss and only about 20% of the people who can benefit from hearing aids wear them. With low cost products, the remaining 80% population can be turned into potential consumer base. This is an excellent incremental opportunity as the worlds population is ageing at a rapid pace. A report by United Nations states that over the period between 2015 and 2030, the number of people aged 60 years or more across the globe will rise from nearly 901 mn to 1.4 bn, denoting a 56% rise.Request Discount of the Report @Global Audiological Devices Market: Regional OverviewFrom a geographical standpoint, the market for audiological devices in Europe contributes to the leading share of revenue to the global market. As a large number of key players in the audiological devices market are based in Western Europe, the region is often the first choice for new product launches. The Europe market also benefits owing to the rapid pace of technological advances, the increasing consumer demand for less visible audiological devices, and the rising prevalence of hearing impairment conditions.The report identifies excellent future growth opportunities in the Asia Pacific market. Factors backing this assumption include the rising population of geriatrics and the subsequent rise in hearing disabilities, positive developments across the healthcare infrastructures of developing countries, rising disposable incomes, and easy availability of technologically advanced products. The Asia-Pacific market for audiological devices is expected to exhibit growth at a promising pace over the reports forecast period.Global Audiological Devices Market: Competitive DynamicsThe global market for audiological devices features a largely concentrated vendor landscape, with a small number of companies accounting for a significant share in the overall market. The need for continuous research and technological advancements in products have developed high entry barriers for new entrants in the global audiological devices market. Nonetheless, the market features intense competition, with leading companies constantly striving to maintain their stronghold. Some of the leading companies operating in the market are Widex A/S, GN ReSound Group, Siemens Healthcare, Cochlear Limited, William Demant Holding A/S, Starkey Hearing Technologies, and Sonova Holding AG.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth 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
Emission Control Catalyst Market Extensive Growth Opportunities to be Witnessed by 2014-2020

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Emission control and reduction are among the priorities of all the commercial, industrial, and government sector companies. Growing concerns towards mitigation of the ill effects of carbon emissions or pollution are leading to manufacturing and process industries adopting new methods, technologies, materials, and processes. Emission control catalysts are used in catalytic convertors to lessen harmful emissions to the environment. A catalytic convertor houses a typical honeycomb structure coated with emission control catalysts such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Emission control catalysts can be segmented on the basis of their application as mobile and stationary.Mobile applications include automotives. These catalysts are also called automotive catalysts. Stationary applications include thermal or conventional power plants, and other industries.Request For Report Sample@Mobile application presently is the largest segment for emission control catalysts due to the increasing demand for light and heavy commercial vehicles across the globe. Catalytic convertors are mostly used in the automotive industry while stationary emission control systems utilise selective catalytic reduction, catalytic incineration, filters, and catalytic oxidation. Passenger vehicles and cargo trucks are the main source of vehicle pollution followed by two and three wheeler vehicles. Emission control catalysts or convertors are now increasingly being used for NOx reduction from power plants, reduction of sulphur, and removal of toxins from exhaust smoke.Europe is the most lucrative emission control catalyst market. The heavy presence of automobiles manufacturers, power sector companies, and industrialisation across various geographical locations in Europe are the major driving factors for the emission control catalyst market. Europe witnessed 8.8% growth in commercial vehicle registrations. This prominent market was the global leader in FY 2013, and is expected to continue its growth trajectory in the future. Supportive government regulations to curb the ill effects of pollution offer a smooth roadmap for emission control catalyst enterprises to penetrate in European market. Industrial pollution in Europe is the next major setback for the government, as it costs them billions of dollars. Germany, Poland, UK, and Italy possess major refineries and heavy power segments which contribute major damage to the European nations. In such a scenario, the European market is in need of effective solutions that possess the capability to curb the pollution. Therefore, Europe is seen as the most lucrative market for business enterprises operating in the emission control catalyst market.Other prominent markets are North America followed by MENA and APAC region. North America contributes a major share to global pollution. USA is the leading market as the highest contributor to air pollution in North America region. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas are the states reporting the highest air pollution levels in USA. Many prominent locations in USA are witnessing ozone depletion which is a major cause of concern for government officials. As such, this situation makes emission control catalysts an urgent need in these pollution chronic regions. MENA is the next potential region for the emission control catalyst market. Presence of mining industries and oil borne locations are the major driving factors in MENA region. India, China and Singapore are the prominent destinations for emission control segment. Development in the automobile sector, oil refineries and maritime transportation are the main driving factors in APAC.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Increasing automotive fleet and stringent environmental regulations on the international platform are the prime driving factors for growth in emission control catalyst consumption. The global emission control catalyst market is expected to grow between 7% and 9% CAGR over the next five years. Though the market seems promising for business enterprises operating in emission control catalysts, the emergence of battery-powered vehicles could be a major setback to this flourishing industry. Some of the major players include Johnson Matthey, BASF, Umicore, Faurecia, Nett Technologies, and others. Companies are investing in R&D to offer first class products to different end use industry verticals. Acquisitions and mergers are the strategies adopted by key market players to strengthen their position on the global market platform.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:
Commercial Aerospace 3D Printing Global Market Top Key Players  Arcam , Arconic , EOS , ExOne , GKN and Forecast to 2021

Commercial Aerospace 3D Printing Market

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Global Commercial Aerospace 3D Printing MarketDescriptionWiseGuyReports.Com adds Global Commercial Aerospace 3D Printing Market 2017-2021 Research To Its Database.3D printing is an additive process that involves the deposition of materials to transform a three-dimensional design into a physical component. The components are made layer by layer from a range of different materials, which include a range of metals, composites, and plastics in the filament, liquid resin, or fine powder forms. This rapidly evolving fabrication process is used in the development of advanced structures and components. The first step in creating an object is to create a 3D model that thoroughly explains the design part by part.The analysts forecast the global commercial aerospace 3D printing market to grow at a CAGR of 23.01% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global commercial aerospace 3D printing 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.Get sample Report @The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas APAC EMEAThe Global Commercial Aerospace 3D Printing Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors Arcam Arconic EOS ExOne GKN Hoganas Materialise StratasysOther prominent vendors 3D System Concept Laser Norsk Titanium SABIC Sandvik Solvay VoxeljetMarket driver Improved part performance with weight reduction For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Restriction for build-up envelope and product size For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Combining 3D printing with traditional manufacturing 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?Enquiry About Report @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsPART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYPART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORTPART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGYPART 04: INTRODUCTION Introduction Steps in 3D printing Value chain Impact of 3D printing on supply chain compared with conventional manufacturingPART 05: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market overview Market size and forecast Five forces analysisPART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY 3D PRINTING VERTICAL Market segmentation by 3D printing vertical Comparison by vertical Market opportunity by verticalPART 07: REGIONAL LANDSCAPE Geographical segmentation Regional comparison Americas  Market size & forecast EMEA  Market size & forecast APAC  Market size & forecast Key leading countries Market opportunityPART 08: DECISION FRAMEWORKPART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challengesPART 10: MARKET TRENDS Combining 3D printing with traditional manufacturing Influence of 3D printing on aircraft interiors 3D-printed screw threads and fastenersPART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Competitive landscape Arcam Arconic EOS ExOne GKN Hoganas Materialise Stratasys Other prominent vendors..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)
IoT in Europe Market 2017: Key Players  Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica, O2 and More

IoT in Europe

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SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled IoT in Europe: Market opportunities and main applications"IoT in Europe: Market opportunities and main applications", a new Telecom Insider Report by offers a thorough study of the size of the IoT market and different strategies of telecom operators in the European region. The report analyses the strategies pertaining to IoT verticals.The high penetration of smartphones has favored the mass usage of IoT-related applications and has appeared as an essential IoT device for the IoT ecosystem. The storage capacity provided by cloud computing and the analytics stemming from big data have also foster growth of IoT. Europe will boast the most IoT connections worldwide in 2017, followed by the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Africa and Middle East, and will remain leader through 2020. expects total IoT connections to reach 3.1 million in 2020 supported by businesses needs to optimize resources, enhance customer experience and generate new revenue streams. Cellular M2M connections are gaining traction among total SIM cards in Europe, representing 7% of the market in 2017. In terms of IoT applications in Europe, forecasts the share of smart metering in total connections to decline to 28% in 2020, from 52% in 2017, as industrial and finance applications boom. European telcos have invested different IoT applications with telematics, fleet management, smart cities and smart home being four specific example illustrated in this report.The report consists of the following sections - Introduction: This section briefly examines the definition of IoT and M2M and offers a snapshot of the different IoT standards.- Key Drivers: This section highlights the three main drivers behind the proliferation of IoT connections, namely the high take-up of smartphones, cloud computing and bidg data analytics (BDA).- Market sizing: This section provides an estimate and forecast through 2020 of total IoT connections worldwide and in Europe. It also take a dive into the size of IoT in Europe by connectivity, vertical and applications- Case studies: We continue with a review of the IoT applications that leading telecom companies - Vodafone Germany, Orange France, Telefonica Spain and O2 UK - have been following to increase presence in the IoT environment.- Key findings and recommendations: We conclude the report with a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations for telecom operators and network vendors to grasp full opportunities on the IoT market.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentionedVodafoneOrangeTelefonicaO2Scope- IoT connections have been growing at a fast pace triggered by smartphone growth, cloud computing and big data analytics. Europe makes up over a third of all IoT connections compared to other regions- Total IoT connections to increase 1.4x between 2017 and 2020 to 4.8bn connections, at a CAGR of 34%.- Cellular M2M, though growing in number, to decrease in total IoT connections through 2020 and the market share of telcos deploying other kinds of connectivity (e.g., fixed, satellite, LoRa, Sigfox, NB-IoT, etc.) will increase- European operators have majorly invested in fleet management and telematics with smart homes gaining momentum and Spain paving the way for smart cities.Key points to buy- The insider report examines the IoT strategies of European telecom operators to generate new revenue streams. The report also provides analysis of main IoT applications European telcos have invested in.- The insights in the report will help executives build proactive and profitable growth strategies through analysis of the strategies adopted by telcos, competitive environment and best practices.- The case studies focus on current strategies pertaining to IoT technology used and application targeted for four telcos in the region. The analysis can be beneficial to local competitors or prospective market entrants.- By understanding of the opportunities stemming from IoT, telcos can strengthen their market positioning and competitiveness.- With a total of 24 Exhibits, the report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality.Table of ContentsTable of contents 3List of exhibits 4Executive Summary 5Introduction: Definitions and standards 6Defining the IoT and M2MIoT standardsMain challengesSection 1: Main opportunities and challenges 10Smartphones growthCloud computingBig data analyticsSection 2: Market sizing 14IoT Connections - International BenchmarkIoT by connectivity - EuropeM2M in total SIM cards - EuropeIoT by applications - EuropeIoT by vertical - EuropeSection 3: Case Studies 20Vodafone Germany - Telematics..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 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
Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market Research Report 2017 : Leviton, Nexans, Coring Inc

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market Research Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.The global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable market has been deeply evaluated in this publication with the help of both primary and secondary research and useful inputs provided by industry experts. The analysts who have prepared the publication have been among the best in the lot with sound understanding about almost all vital aspects of the market. The publication has come out as a detailed guideline for industry players to explore hidden prospects and take advantage of the best opportunities in the market. Players could also use the information presented in the publication to plan the best strategies that will help them to secure a strong position in the market.Fill the form to get free sample report on this market @This report studies Submarine Optical Fiber Cable 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, coveringAksh OptifiberAmphenolBeldenCommscopeCoring IncFinolex CablesFujikura LimitedBy segregating the global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable market into different segments, the analysts have offered crucial information that could help players to gain a competitive edge over their toughest opponents. Each segment studied in the publication has been meticulously evaluated with market figures to go by. This could help readers to tap into unexplored regions or other categories of segments and ensure a continuing success in the market. Besides segmentation, the publication has offered information on factors detaining market growth, backing them up with opportunities to counter the challenges about to show face in the near future.The analysts have also shed light on key aspects of the vendor landscape while profiling some of the leading companies operating in the global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable market. Starting from the nature of the current and future competitive scenarios of the market, the publication has foreseen the future plans of leading companies to gain a strong foothold in the industry. This could help readers to stay cautioned about any surprising changes in the vendor landscape of the market beforehand. Furthermore, readers could use the information to build extraordinary strategies to strengthen their product portfolio and give a tough competition in the market.Table of Contents1 Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Submarine Optical Fiber Cable1.2 Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Submarine Optical Fiber Cable by Type in 20151.3 Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Segment by Application1.3.1 Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.4 Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Submarine Optical Fiber Cable (2012-2022)2 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market Competitive Situation and Trends3 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)4.1 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Consumption by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)12 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market Forecast (2017-2022)12.1 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Revenue and Price Forecast (2017-2022)12.1.1 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production and Growth Rate Forecast (2017-2022)12.1.2 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Revenue and Growth Rate Forecast (2017-2022)12.1.3 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Price and Trend Forecast (2017-2022)12.2 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Consumption , Import and Export Forecast by Regions (2017-2022)12.3 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Production, Revenue and Price Forecast by Type (2017-2022)12.4 Global Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Consumption Forecast by Application (2017-2022)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Insurance Industry in Zimbabwe: Insurance and Pension Commission (ICEC) started the microfinance regulation

Insurance Industry in Zimbabwe Market

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Pune, India, 06 November 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled The Insurance Industry in Zimbabwe, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2021.The report The Insurance Industry in Zimbabwe provide a complete overview for the market during the review period (2012-2016) and the prediction period (2016-2021). The report also explain key performance indicators such as written premiums, expenses incurred, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, total wealth, total investment income and assumptions.Report offers strategic business decisions using the deepest historical and prediction market data related to Zimbabwe's insurance industry and using each of those segments and categories. Evaluate the competitive motivational forces in the insurance industry in ZimbabweThe study of report also analyze the distribution channel running in the Segment, gives a comprehensive overview of Zimbabwe's economy and demographics and provides detailed information about the competitive landscape in the country.GET SAMPLE REPORT @The Major highlights of the Insurance Industry in Zimbabwe report are, in 2017, First Mutual Health (FHHC) launched the mobile application to manage your insurance portfolio online. Enables online purchasing of insurance products from the app company as well. The initiative of SBI's digital insurance technology has been adopted to work with FBC aircraft more efficiently and to be consistent with the strict Zimbabwe regulatory environment.The study further explain, on June 16, 2017, the Insurance and Pension Commission (ICEC) started the microfinance regulation. The Old Mutual Life, partnered with Blue Marble micro insurance, started drought insurance production which provided insurance from seasonal drought, during 2016. Finally, IPCE has charged registration fees for insurance companies and pension funds in last year.The report provide profiles the top insurance companies in Zimbabwe and outlines the key regulations affecting them. The study of report offers historical value for Zimbabwe's insurance industry for the period of the 2016-2021. As per expertise, Zimbabwe will provide a detailed analysis of important sectors of insurance industry as per market estimates by 2021.The Report study contains a complete list of parameters including written premium, damages, loss ratio, combined ratio, total wealth, total investment income and feedback. The report analyzes various distribution channels in Zimbabwe.Finally the report helps to understand the Zimbabwe's major insurance policies and companies and their impact on company's future. Identify the opportunities for growth and market trends in key departments. Understand the demand for market-driven mobility, important market growth and growth opportunities in Zimbabwe's insurance industry.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
Global Stevia Blends Sugar Market Overview and Forecasts 2017

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Stevia Blends Sugar Market Research Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.The analysts of this report on the global Stevia Blends Sugar market have developed it with a solitary goal to provide quantitative and qualitative assessment of the current scenario as well as future prospects as far as demand for the same is concerned. It begins with an elaborated overview of the how the global market for Stevia Blends Sugar has evolved in the recent past, which products or services have been performing the best, and how has the stockholders responded to its prosperity. Proven research methodologies that have been used to develop this intelligence report also find a mention right in the beginning chapter.Get Research Summary Of The Report:Next, the report dives into analyzing the most important factors that may drive, restrain, or open new opportunities in the global Stevia Blends Sugar market during the forecast period of 2017-2022. This is a very important section wherein the analysts have reasoned why and which factors must be taken into consideration by the vendors of this market in order to refrain from potholes as well as how to make the most of lesser known trends. Moving forward, the report showcases the importance of various smaller aspects of the market for Stevia Blends Sugar, segmenting it on the basis of application, end users, products, services, components, and others, whichever applicable. In this section, each of the segments have been compared against each other and their fruitfulness have been estimated in terms of US dollar million.Next comes the geographical bifurcation of the global Stevia Blends Sugar market, highlighting the promise each of the prominent regions are making, such as Asia Pacific, North America, The Middle East and Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, South America, and others.Table of ContentsGlobal Stevia Blends Sugar Market Research Report 20171 Stevia Blends Sugar Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Stevia Blends Sugar1.2 Stevia Blends Sugar Segment by Type (Product Category)2 Global Stevia Blends Sugar Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Stevia Blends Sugar Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Stevia Blends Sugar Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Stevia Blends Sugar Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Stevia Blends Sugar Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Stevia Blends Sugar Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Beauty Devices Market Industry Size, Status and Forecast 2020

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Beauty Devices: Asia to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global beauty devices market was valued at USD 19,389.1 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.7% from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 54,186.9 million in 2020.Globally, the beauty devices market is witnessing significant growth due to increasing disposable income, which is enabling people to spend more on personal care. In addition, rise in aging the population and increasing prevalence of skin diseases and harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation are also driving the growth of the market. However, there are various risks and complications associated with beauty devices which may lead to bruising, swelling, and redness. In addition, extended availability of easy-to-use beauty products inhibits the growth of the market. The global beauty devices market is anticipated to grow from an estimated USD 19,389.1 million in 2014 to USD 54,186.9 million in 2020 at a CAGR of 18.7% during the forecast period.Report overview @In North America, increasing aging population and availability of advanced devices are driving the use of beauty devices in the market. In addition, in the U.S., there are around 750,000 beauty salons and spas. These beauty salon and spas have propelled the demand for beauty devices and personal care products in order to offer better services to their customers.In Europe, the beauty devices market is driven by rising aging population. In addition, in Spain the market is evolving due to rising awareness about potential healing applications of beauty devices in the treatment of skin and hair problems.Request to sample report @However, in Asia the growth for beauty devices is much higher than developed countries due to increasing disposable income, availability of multinational brands and the introduction of less expensive beauty devices.LOreal Group, Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc., Home Skinovations, Ltd., PhotoMedex, Inc., TRIA Beauty, Inc., Syneron Medical, Ltd., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Panasonic Corporation, Carol Cole Company and Procter & Gamble are some of the major players of beauty devices market.Get full report 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Future Analysis of Vertical Lift Module Industry for Global Trends, Development, Growth and Opportunities

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According to The Insight Partners, Global Vertical Lift Module Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Vertical Lift Module industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Vertical Lift Module market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global Vertical Lift Module market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Vertical Lift Module players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Request a Sample Report atMajor Vertical Lift Module Market Players:Hanel Storage SystemsInterlake MecaluxKardex GroupAutoCrib, Inc. (Lauyans & Co.)MDCI Automation (Sapient Automation)SencorpWhiteSystem Logistics SpaSSI Schaefer Systems InternationalEffiMat Storage Technology A/SConstructor Group AS (Kasten and Dexion)Weland Lagersystem ABModula S.p.AFerretto Group SpaICAM srlZecchetti s.r.l.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Vertical Lift Module market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Vertical Lift Module market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions.Inquire before Buying atAlso, key Vertical Lift Module market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years.Reason to Buy- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Vertical Lift Module market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.View Complete Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.533, 5th Floor, Amanora Chambers,Amanora Township, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Residential Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Market Estimated to Expand at a US$ 2,475.0 Mn by 2021

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The global residential robotic vacuum cleaner market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast (20152021). Various factors such as growing demand for automated cleaning, increasing consumer inclination towards various types of cleaning products and rising disposable income. Trends that follow with the growth of residential robotic vacuum cleaner market include growing product innovation, increasing R&D expenditure by key market players and growing number of market players. In terms of value, the global residential robotic vacuum cleaner market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 12.0% from 2015 to 2021, to be valued at US$ 2,475.0 Mn by 2021. In terms of volume, production of residential robotic vacuum cleaner is expected to be 1,913.5 thousand units by the end of 2015 and is expected to reach 4,783.0 thousand units by 2021, exhibiting a CAGR of 16.5%.On the basis of robot type, the global residential robotic vacuum cleaner market is segmented into an in-house robot and outdoor robot. In terms of value, the in-house robot segment is expected to account for 83.3% share of the global residential robotic vacuum cleaner market by the end of 2015 and is anticipated to expand at CAGR of 9.9% during the forecast period. In terms of volume, the in-house robots segment stood at 1,309.1 thousand units in 2014.On the basis of mode of charging, the global residential robotic vacuum cleaner market is segmented into manual charging and auto battery charging segments. In terms of value, the manual charging segment is expected to expand at the highest CAGR of 12.0% during the forecast period, while the auto battery charging segment is expected to be valued at US$ 1,775.6 Mn by 2021.Report overview @The report provides in-depth information about various factors and trends affecting each segment and provides analysis and insights about the potential of the residential robotic vacuum cleaner market in specific regions. On the basis of region, the global market of residential robotic vacuum cleaner market is segmented into five regions; among these, Europe is expected to dominate the market, accounting for 44.6% value share by the end of 2015 and it is expected to remain dominant by 2021. However, the Middle East & Africa market is anticipated to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.Key market players in global residential robotic vacuum cleaner market include iRobot Corporation, Neato Robotics, Inc., Yujin Robot, Co., Ltd., Dyson Inc., Ecovacs Robotics, Inc., Hayward Industries, Inc., Philips Electronics N.V, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Pentair plc and Milagrow Business & Knowledge Solutions (Pvt.) Limited. Key market players are focusing on product innovation to offer advanced products to consumers. For example, in September 2015, iRobot Corporation launched Roomba 980 vacuum cleaning robot. It is the companys first robotic vacuum cleaner to combine adaptive navigation with visual localization, cloud-connected app control and enhanced cleaning power on carpets.Request to sample report @According to the latest market report published by Persistence Market Research, titled Global Market Study on Residential Robotic Vacuum Cleaner: Europe to Be the Most Lucrative Region throughout the Forecast Period, the residential robotic vacuum cleaner market is estimated to be valued at US$ 1,255.0 Mn by the end of 2015 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 12.0% from 2015 to 2021 in terms of value, to account for US$ 2,475.0 Mn by 2021.Robotic vacuum cleaners commonly called robovacs, are mainly used for cleaning residential spaces, such as floors, pools, and gutters. The device comprises a mobile base, cleaning system, programming software, batteries, and other accessories. Robovacs use intelligent sensors to clean tight corners and hard-to-reach surfaces. It is equipped with various advanced features such as laser vision, room mapping, self-charging and others to offer convenience to users.Get full report 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Israel Cards and Payments Industry Market 2017: Key Players  Bank Leumi, Isracard, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and More

Israel Cards and Payments Industry Market

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SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled Cards and Payments Industry in Israel - Emerging Trends and Opportunities"The Cards and Payments Industry in Israel - Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2020", report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Israeli cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including credit transfers, direct debit, check payments and payment cards during the review period (2012-2016).The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry, and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, and transaction values and volumes during the review period and over the forecast period (2017-2020). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including the market shares of issuers and schemes.The report brings together research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure.The report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Israeli cards and payments industry, including - Current and forecast values for each market in the Israeli cards and payments industry, including debit, credit and charge cards.- Detailed insights into payment instruments including credit transfers, direct debit, checks and payment cards. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.- E-commerce market analysis.- Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the Israeli cards and payments industry.- Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards.- Comprehensive analysis of consumer attitudes and buying preferences for cards.- The competitive landscape in Israel's cards and payments industry.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentionedBank LeumiBank HapoalimIsracardICC CalVisaMastercardAmerican ExpressDiners ClubKey Highlights- The emergence of digital only banks is likely to accelerate a shift towards electronic payments in Israel. The latest is the launch of mobile-only bank Pepper, by Bank Leumi, in February 2017 which offers savings and lending products. In January 2015, Bank Leumi launched a service enabling customers from all banks to open accounts via the internet or mobile apps, without visiting a bank branch.- To increase competition in the Israeli merchant acquiring business, in April 2017 the central bank issued an acquirer license to Israel-based credit card processing company Tranzila Ltd. The central bank took numerous actions to remove barriers to entry in the merchant acquiring business. These include making the licensing process shorter and reducing the minimum capital requirement; a starting capital of US$259,620.9 (ILS1 million) is required for a new acquirer.- To increase acceptance of debit cards among retailers in Israel, the central bank reduced the interchange fee from 0.7% to 0.3%. The new rate was implemented effective from April 1, 2016, and will be effective for one year. Other measures taken by the central bank include the removal of various charges associated with debit card transactions, and compulsory issuance of debit cards as a standalone product to both new and existing current accounts, free of charge.Scope- This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Israeli cards and payments industry.- It provides current values for the Israeli cards and payments industry for 2016, and forecast figures to 2020.- It details the different demographic, economic, infrastructural and business drivers affecting the Israeli cards and payments industry.- It outlines the current regulatory framework in the industry.- It details marketing strategies used by various banks and other institutions.Key points to buy- Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Israeli cards and payments industry and each market within it.- Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Israeli cards and payments industry.- Assess the competitive dynamics in the Israeli cards and payments industry.- Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in Israel.- Gain insights into key regulations governing the Israeli cards and payments industry..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 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
IoT Security Market Network, Key Vendors, Growth, Analysis and Forecast Report 2017-2025

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Global IoT Security Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the IoT Security industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global IoT Security market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global IoT Security market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the IoT Security players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Request a Sample Report atMajor IoT Security Market Players:Cisco Systems, Inc.IBM Corp.Infineon TechnologiesIntel CorporationSymantec CorporationARM HoldingsNXP SemiconductorINSIDE SecureGemalto NVTrend Micro, Inc.SynopsysESCRYPTPalo Alto Networks, Inc.Microchip Technologies Inc.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global IoT Security market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall IoT Security market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions.Inquire before Buying atAlso, key IoT Security market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years.Reason to Buy- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the IoT Security market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.View Complete Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.533, 5th Floor, Amanora Chambers,Amanora Township, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
France Non-Life Insurance Market 2017By Identifying the Key Market Segments Poised for Strong Growth in Future 2020

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WiseGuyReports published new report, titled Non-Life Insurance in France, Key Trends and OpportunitiesSynopsis'Non-Life Insurance in France, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the French non-life insurance segment, and a comparison of the French insurance industry with its regional counterparts.It provides values for key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20112015) and forecast period (20152020).The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the French economy and demographics, explains the various types of natural hazard and their impact on the French insurance industry, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country.The report brings together research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Summary'Non-Life Insurance in France, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the French non-life insurance segment, including: The French non-life insurance segments detailed outlook by product category A comprehensive overview of the French economy and demographics A comparison of the French insurance industry with its regional counterparts The various distribution channels in the French non-life insurance segment Detailed analysis of natural hazards and their impact on the French insurance industry Details of the competitive landscape in the non-life insurance segment in France Details of regulatory policy applicable to the French insurance industryScopeThis report provides a comprehensive analysis of the non-life insurance segment in France: It provides historical values for the French non-life insurance segment for the reports 20112015 review period, and projected figures for the 20152020 forecast period. It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the French non-life insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2020. It profiles the top non-life insurance companies in France, and outlines the key regulations affecting them.Key points to buy Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the French non-life insurance segment, and each category within it. Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the French non-life insurance segment. Assess the competitive dynamics in the non-life insurance segment. Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. Gain insights into key regulations governing the French insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future.Key Highlights Solvency ll was implemented with effect from January 2016, and is expected to consolidate the segment. The Insurance Code, which governs insurance activity in France, was last updated in January 2016. In July 2016, the French Federation of Insurance Companies (FFSA) and the Pool of Mutual Insurance Companies (GEMA) merged to form the French Federation of Insurance (FFA). The Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD), which is a framework for regulating European Union (EU) insurance intermediaries, will be effective from February 2018. In March 2017, Axa introduced Axa Global Parametric insurance, which covers risks and business that are exposed to weather such as crop losses caused by a catastrophic event. Effective November 2016, French law affirmed mandatory liability for clinical trials along with liability for medical equipment manufacturers. Rapid growth of telematics-based motor and cyberinsurance is expected.Table of Contents1 Key Facts and Highlights2 Executive Summary3 Economy and Demographics4 Segment Outlook5 Outlook by Category6 Distribution Channel Outlook7 Natural and Man-made Hazards8 Competitive Landscape9 Governance, Risk and Compliance10 Databook11 Definitions and Methodology12 About..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 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
Building Automation Systems Market Will hit at US$ 141.1 Bn towards the end of 2026

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In reference to a new report published by Persistence Market Research, the global building automation systems market will showcase significant growth between 2016 and 2026. Manufacturers of building automation systems are rapidly adopting new regulations set across the globe and they are also lining up new products to meet rising market demand. The Persistence Market Research report titled, Building Automation Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis & Forecast, 2016-2026, talks in detail about the market psyche and also scrutinizes the market drifts which are expected to impact the future of the global building automation systems market. The global building automation systems market was valued more than US$ 43 Bn in 2015 and is expected to mint better revenue by the end of 2016, reaching approximately US$ 48 Bn. The market will continue its journey towards expansion and the market worth will reach US$ 141.1 Bn towards the end of 2026. The global building automation systems market will record a CAGR of 11.1% during the projected period.Governments around the globe are rolling out different precautionary measures to cut down the wastage of energy. Different new regulatory methods are adopted to reduce the consumption of energy. This is a massive booster for the global building automation systems market. Several big economies around the globe such as Europe, US and Japan have already curated some restrictive methods to revise the previous trends. This opens a new window of opportunity for the global building automation systems market. A slew of new technologies that are eroding this market are actively affecting the global canvas of the market. Better and more advanced technologies are enhancing the end-user experience and also increasing market outreach.Report overview @The introduction of smart web-based, cloud-based control networks backed by the Internet of Things (IOT), mobile technologies, integrated building systems and facility management solutions are expanding the periphery of the global building automation systems market. Last but not the least, the urgent need for consolidated security solutions is also pushing ahead the market growth of the global building automation systems market. These key factors will complement the all-round development of the market within the forecast period but there are also certain key factors that might barricade the normal development of the market within the period of forecast. Building automation systems come with a high price tag and this is expected to impact their widespread adoption. The absence of skilled manpower is another market growth deterrent.Request to sample report @The rising incidences of security violations across the globe are likely to impact the growth of the security and surveillance segment in the global building automation systems market. The security and surveillance segment will exhibit a robust growth in terms of revenue and will overshadow the market within the forecast period. The commercial segment will contribute notably to the global building automation systems market. Towards the end of the projected period, the commercial segment will touch a market worth of more than US$ 63 Bn and will record a CAGR of 10.9%. Apart from this the government and residential segments will also project promising growth trends by 2026 end. North America will lure maximum investors, as the building automation systems market in this region will exceed a whopping value of US$ 55 Bn by the close of 2026.The global market for building automation systems is crowded with several players. The Rheem Manufacturing Company, United Technologies, General Electric, Lennox International, Philips Lighting Holding B.V., Ingersoll-Rand Plc. Honeywell International Inc., Johnson Controls are some of the major players contributing to the growth of the market. They are establishing smart IT backed platforms to provide advanced building automation systems to their customers.Get full report 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 : AT&T, Cloudflare

QYResearchReports

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The exhaustive report here gathers diverse viewpoints having an area with the overall Dos/DDos Attack Solution marketplace which verbalizes the winning-day statistics and future exposures on the subject of the dynamic forces at play. The prime reason for the examination report is to provide the endorser with an expansive format and make to be had the beneficial statistics and statistics. The quantifiable and attempting out clarifications behind the examination aside from executes information on troubles, for instance, drivers, shackles, and projections to gage the delayed impact of the general Dos/DDos Attack Solution market thru the pass of the stated gage length inside the examination file. The report in like path passes on a brief and global class document of the predefined market lines, which joins a few events of the veritable concentrations at paintings which can be studied to cause exchange in the marketplace or may additionally cause any bad effect.Request a Free Sample PDF of this research to evaluate more:This report studies the global Dos/DDos Attack Solution market, analyzes and researches the Dos/DDos Attack Solution development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeApplicureeSecurity PlanetCiscoRadwareMicrosoft AzureAkamaiCitrixAT&TThis document aside from stations into the general Dos/DDos Attack Solution market via in a fashionable sense analyzing the factor and industrialized chain of the marketplace. this is required to likewise assist in passing on real blue statistics and statistics on compound components of the appropriate market, as an instance, fabric figuring out with strategies for the overseeing body in the ordinary and ultra-modern strata, shipping and transmission form, goals, and reasons for pinnacle fee were given for the contributed imply.The document makes use of some indicated industry exam and entire gadgets. They allow the examination gather skip on a discovered essential evaluation of the overall Dos/DDos Attack Solution marketplace and help endorser and market troupes to be admonished regarding speculation and business enterprise judgments. The wide reasoning of the examination gives a market function on an unquestionable and second scale. It assembles important and discretionary research structures along the ones strains. The operators have figured the recorded studies and rose it from the ahead and in flip round change the situation to format a shape for the general Dos/DDos Attack Solution market within the years in advance.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Dos/DDos Attack Solution1.1 Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Overview1.1.1 Dos/DDos Attack Solution Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.3 Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market by Type1.3.1 Android System Compatible1.3.2 iOS System Compatible1.3.3 Others1.4 Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market by End Users/Application2 Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Dos/DDos Attack Solution 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 Applicure3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Dos/DDos Attack Solution Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 eSecurity Planet3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Dos/DDos Attack Solution Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments4 Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of Dos/DDos Attack Solution in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Dos/DDos Attack SolutionList of Tables and FiguresFigure Dos/DDos Attack Solution Product ScopeFigure Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size (Million USD) (2012-2017)Table Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure Global Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Share by Regions in 2016Figure United States Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure EU Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure Japan Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure China Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure India Dos/DDos Attack Solution Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Small Scale LNG Terminals Market : Emerging Trends, Technology and Forecasts to 2017 - 2025

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Global Small-scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminals Market: SnapshotSmall-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals is a nascent industry that is proving both profitable and scalable. It serves to meet the ever-soaring demand for fuel by the trucking and shipping industries and is also a viable alternative to highly polluting fossil fuel that still powers most vehicles.Despite large-scale LNG terminals constructed worldwide, the demand for small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals is rising on account of the demand from remote places that also use LNG to generate power off-grid for residential and industrial needs. This has led to a growing thrust on miniaturizing LNG infrastructure. Technology has made it possible to design state-of-the-art small-scale LNG terminals and this is gradually serving to up competition in the market.Relatively less entry-level challenges as compared to large LNG projects have opened up avenues for development of creative and new technologies and have increased the number of new entrants in the market over the years. Apart from that, regulatory pressures forcing heavy-duty vehicles to adopt greener fuels is also stoking market growth.Request Sample Copy of the Report @From a geographical standpoint, North America and Europe are key markets for small scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on account of the stringent regulations pertaining to environmental preservation in the region. Norway in Europe is said to have a very developed small scale liquefied natural gas infrastructure.In order to become more viable operation-wise, incumbent players in the global market for small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals are envisaging various business models. They are also expected to take the organic route of mergers and acquisitions in order to gain access to technological and other resources.Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: OverviewThe clean burning nature of natural is driving initiatives encouraging its increased usage across a number of industrial applications and across the transportation industry. The transportation industry, which largely relies on petrochemicals-based fuels with high emission levels to power engines, making it one of the most significant contributor to the rising levels of air pollution across the globe.Request TOC of the Report @In a bid to lower down the levels of environment-degrading emissions and pollutants, government bodies are increasing their participation in initiatives aimed at the increased the usage of natural gas and are focusing on the development of LNG infrastructure at a rapid pace. These initiatives are expected to pace up the rate of deployment and development of LNG terminal infrastructures. Although large LNG terminals have been conventionally the more preferred type of LNG supply centers, the rising demand for LNG from remote-located consumers is rapidly making small-scale LNG terminals the norm for the supply of natural gas across small geographies.Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Trends and OpportunitiesOver the past few years, the global commoditization of LNG has led to a significant rise in the number of new applications and market of LNG. Technological solutions enabling small scale LNG terminals have become mature and modularization, standardization, and the rate of competitiveness have increased.Relatively lower entry-level challenges as compared to large LNG projects have opened up vast stores of opportunity for the rapid development of creative and new technologies and have increased the number of new entrants in the market over the years. The increased adoption of LNG as a fuel in the automotive industry, especially for powering heavy-duty vehicles, is also a key factor to have increased the adoption of small-scale LNG terminals across several regional markets.Request Discount of the Report @Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Regional OverviewFrom a regional perspective, the small scale LNG terminals market is highly attractive across environment-conscious regions such as North America and Europe. Strict regulations in the marine sector have increased the scope of usage of LNG as a bunker fuel in Europe, stimulating the development of strategically located small scale terminals. In the next few years also, North America and Europe will continue to contribute significantly to the global small-scale LNG terminals market in terms of new installations and capacity expansions.Asia Pacific is also a highly promising market owing to its mammoth transportation industry. In China, several efforts in place to educate masses about the need to switch to clean fuels to lower down the levels of air pollution in cities, easy availability of natural gas, and substantial price difference between diesel and natural gas are driving the increased deployment of small scale LNG terminals.Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Market PotentialThe field of LNG bunkering is increasingly becoming one of the key end-use segments of the global small scale LNG terminals market and companies operating in the field are registering large-scale expansion of operations and capacities at a rapid pace. In a recent development, the privately-owned company LNG Gorskaya has received funding worth $20.04 mn, which the company will use to develop its LNG bunkering plants in Estonia. With further funding, the company is planning to finance its LNG bunkering centers in Finland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden, establishing a series of small-scale terminals to be able to provide LNG to ships at around 320 km from its LNG bunkering stations.Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Competitive LandscapeThe highly competitive vendor landscape of the global small scale LNG terminals market is expected to witness the introduction of several new business models in the next few years. The market is expected to witness a rise in mergers and acquisitions as companies focus on leveraging their project management competence and technological expertise to stay ahead of competition.Some of the leading companies operating in the global small scale LNG terminals market are Nippon Gas Co., Ltd., EcoElectrica Inc., Plum Energy, LLC, Linde AG, Santos Ltd, PT Donggi Senoro LNG, Prometheus Energy Company, Emirates Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) LLC, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), and Skangass AS.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
Lead Acid Battery Market Anticipated to Reach 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.A sample of this report is available upon request @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.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.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @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.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.You can now buy a single user license of the report @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.Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Global and Chinese Organic Fertilizers Industry, 2017 Market Research Report: Radiant Insights

Radiant Insights, Inc

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The 'Global and Chinese Organic Fertilizers Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Organic Fertilizers industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Organic Fertilizers manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2012-2017 market shares for each company.Request free sample copy of this report @Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Organic Fertilizers industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2017-2022 market development trends of Organic Fertilizers industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Organic Fertilizers Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2012-2022 global and Chinese Organic Fertilizers industry covering all important parameters.Download Full Research Report of Global and Chinese Organic Fertilizers Industry @Table of ContentsChapter One Introduction of Organic Fertilizers Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of Organic Fertilizers1.2 Development of Organic Fertilizers Industry1.3 Status of Organic Fertilizers IndustryChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Organic Fertilizers2.1 Development of Organic Fertilizers Manufacturing Technology2.2 Analysis of Organic Fertilizers Manufacturing Technology2.3 Trends of Organic Fertilizers Manufacturing TechnologyRead more related reports by Radiant Insights: Electronic Commutators Industry Facade Ladders IndustryChapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers3.1 Company A3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Product Information3.1.3 2012-2017 Production Information3.1.4 Contact Information3.2 Company B3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Product Information3.2.3 2012-2017 Production Information3.2.4 Contact Information3.3 Company C3.2.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Product Information3.3.3 2012-2017 Production Information3.3.4 Contact Information3.4 Company D3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Product Information3.4.3 2012-2017 Production Information3.4.4 Contact InformationAbout 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
Urgent Care Centers Market : Emerging niche segments and regional markets 2017 - 2025

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Global Urgent Care Center Market: SnapshotUrgent care center is a type of walk-in clinic that offers ambulatory care in a dedicated medical facility outside of a conventional emergency room (ER). They are mainly used for treating illnesses or injuries that need immediate care, but do not warrant a visit to the ER. They are affordable, quick, and provide quality services.Besides treating trauma and injury, urgent care centers also provide screening and monitoring, routine vaccinations, and occupational medicine. Serving to drive demand for urgent care centers is the burgeoning geriatric population, increasing occurrence of chronic diseases that require time to time monitoring and laboratory tests, and substantial money allotted by government and private bodies in urgent care centers.Another reason driving the popularity of urgent care centers are quick services and appointment flexibility  something which is non-existent in large corporate hospitals. Posing a challenge to the market, on the downside, is the dearth of qualified healthcare providers and the increasing upfront capital required to set up urgent care centers.Request Sample Copy of the Report @From a geographical perspective, Europe and North America currently lead the urgent care centers. The market in North America is primarily powered by the U.S., which has maximum number of urgent care centers. Besides, the increasing preference for urgent care centers for non-emergency health issues mainly due to its affordability and easy, hassle-free services has also led to their swift uptake in the region. Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as another key market in the years ahead on the back of nations of China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, and New Zealand which have a sizeable chunk of elderly population.Global Urgent Care Centers Market: OverviewUrgent care centers refer to a variety of walk-in or no appointment healthcare centers designed to provide cost-effective, quick, and high-quality services to the general public. Urgent care centers serve patients with injuries or illnesses that are not life-threatening but are beyond the scope of primary care services. Majority of urgent care centers provide healthcare services for issues such as trauma and injury, routine vaccinations, screening and monitoring, moderate illnesses, and occupational medicine. The rising geriatric population and the heightened demand for cost-effective healthcare services have led to a significant rise in demand for urgent care centers across the globe of late.Request TOC of the Report @Global Urgent Care Centers Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe mounting global population of geriatrics, a vast rise in chronic diseases requiring timely monitoring and laboratory tests, and increased investment from government and private bodies in urgent care centers some of the key factors driving the global market for urgent care centers. The increased consumer preference to urgent care centers over big corporate hospitals owing to benefits such as quick services and appointment flexibility of the former has also fueled the demand for urgent care centers globally. The market is, however, negatively impacted owing to the lack of qualified healthcare providers and the rising costs of establishing urgent care centers.Global Urgent Care Centers Market: Market PotentialThe increased popularity of urgent care centers among patients is compelling many hospitals to extent their services through this healthcare model. In the U.S., which had 7,357 urgent care centers in 2016, according to the Urgent Care Association of America, hospitals such as St. Luke's University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network have established several walk-in centers solely around the Lehigh Valley region. St. Luke's has seven such walk-in care centers and the Lehigh Valley Health Network has around 12 in and around the region. Many other corporate hospital chains have already established or are planning to extend their services in the urgent care sector.Request Discount of the Report @Global Urgent Care Centers Market: Regional OverviewFrom a geographical perspective, the urgent care centers market has been examined in the report for regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, regions with prominent developed economies such as North America and Europe are presently the leading contributors to the global urgent care centers market. Owing to the rising numbers of urgent care centers in the U.S., the North America market is expected to retain dominance over the next few years as well. The high rate of preference to urgent care centers for non-emergency health-related conditions and the increased demand for cost-effective healthcare services also contribute to the healthy growth prospects of the urgent care centers market in North America.In the next few years, the market for urgent care centers in the Asia Pacific region is also expected to gain momentum. Countries such as India, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in the region have been observed to have immense potential for the growth of the urgent care model, chiefly owing to a population that is cost-conscious and is rapidly ageing.Global Urgent Care Centers Market: Competitive DynamicsThe vendor landscape for the global urgent care centers market is largely fragmented and small vendors such as physician groups and private physician offices accounting for a significant share in total number of urgent care centers located across the globe. Some of the leading vendors operating in the market are CareSpot Express Healthcare LLC, MD Now, MinuteClinic LLC, FastMed Urgent Care, AFC/Doctors Express, MedExpress, U.S., NextCare Urgent Care, Concentra Inc., Patient First, and HealthWorks 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
Explored in latest research Chondroblastoma Treatment Market Size & Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Chondroblastoma Treatment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the market on the basis of type, application, medical condition, and region. It provides detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the market. This report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments of the key players in terms of market developments, product portfolios, and financials.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Chondroblastoma is a type of bone cancer. It develops in the cartilage which lines the pelvis, shoulder, arms, ribs, and thigh. In severe cases, chondroblastoma develops in soft tissues such as nerves and muscles of the limbs. The disease can develop in an individual form an already existing non-cancerous tumor and spread through affected tissue to cartilage and bones across the body to other tissues and vital organs of the affected individual. When chondroblastoma spreads to the breast, it is called metastatic breast cancer. The disease generally affects adults who over 40 years of age. In the U.S., chondroblastoma accounts for nearly 1% of all bone tumors. Nearly 95% of cases occur between the ages 5 and 25, nearly 98% located in epiphysis, 30% near knee, and in some cases it could also occur in calcaneus, talus, and temporal bone.Symptoms of chondroblastoma are severe pain, swelling, formation of lump, enlargement of existing growth, difficulty in movement of the affected limb, and formation of pelvic tumors. The onset of these symptoms does not necessarily indicate the onset of chondroblastoma, but one has to get a health examination for proper diagnosis of the disease. Diagnosis of chondroblastoma is carried out using X-ray, ultrasound, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), blood test, biopsy of the affected tissue, and CT scan (computed tomography).Surgical treatment aims at removing the tumor, thus preventing further damage to the affected area. Surgical treatment comprises curettage and bone grafting. Bone grafting is the most common treatment for chondroblastoma. The procedure involves scraping of the tumor from the affected bone using specialized instrument, curette, which has a loop present at its tip and is incorporated with a cavity for donor tissue. Once the graft is placed in the area it takes around two to three months to heal. In some cases, surgeons perform extended curettage to remove additional layers of cells around the affected area to reduce the chances of reoccurrence of the disease. In order to restore structural integrity of the bone, a surgeon places pins and internal fixators. The treatment of chondroblastoma is generally carried out through medical therapy and surgical treatment. Chondroblastoma medical therapy is carried out using percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which acts as an alternative to surgery in treating the disease. The chances of reoccurrence of chrondroblastoma is approximately 20% after undergoing treatment. Therefore, one has to regularly follow up with the physician. The follow-up care for chondroblastoma includes physical examination and imaging scans.View Report @Major drivers of the global chondroblastoma treatment market are improving cancer diagnostic techniques, technological advancements in surgery such as advanced bone graft material and grafts for replacing the affected area, and increase in mergers and acquisitions by major companies to increase their geographical footprint. Restraining factors of the market are less awareness regarding the disease in underdeveloped countries, high cost of surgery, and difficulty in procurement of graft due to stringent regulations.In terms of region, the global chondroblastoma treatment market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to be the largest market for chondroblastoma treatment due to higher awareness, presence of major allograft manufacturers, better health care reforms in terms of patient care, and reimbursement. Europe held the second largest market share. Asia Pacific is expected to provide a lucrative opportunity in the chondroblastoma treatment market largely due to increase in disease burden, rise in cancer research, and surge in competitive landscape in the pharmaceutical industry as large number of global players are expanding their business in the region through strategic collaborations with regional manufacturers and research institutes. The chondroblastoma treatment market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is anticipated to be driven by increase in health care infrastructure and public-private collaborations.Major companies in the global chondroblastoma treatment market are Stryker Corporation, Zimmer, Medtronic, Baxter International, DePuy Synthes, Nuvasive, Inc., and Wright Medical Group, 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
Worldwide Nutritional Bar Market Anticipated to Mark a Memorable Growth of CAGR 4.9% by 2017-2023

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Market Overview:Nutritional bars are the best substitute of proper meal for individuals who require quick energy. Nutrition bar contains most of the carbohydrates such as fructose, sucrose, dextrose and others in appropriate ratios. The commonly known nutritional bars include protein bars, meal-replacement bars, snacks bars, whole food bars, and others. Moreover, in order to enhance the taste of the bars, manufacturers add various flavors to the product including chocolates, fruits, peanut butter, savory, spices and others. The high nutritional value of the product is driving the nutritional bars market.Nutritional bars are handful collection of low sugar, high protein, high level of omega-3 and less additives. Increasing population of health conscious individuals is propelling the market growth of nutritional bars. Moreover, the trend of consuming nutritional bars as snacks between the meals is gaining popularity among all age groups which is driving the market of nutritional bars.Increasing number of working population followed by hectic lifestyle of consumers is adding fuel to the growth of the nutritional bars market. However, there are large number of product substitutes available in the market which may have a negative impact on the market growth of nutritional bars. Nevertheless, all these factors are projected to contribute to the estimated CAGR of 4.9% of nutritional bars market during the forecast period 2017-2023.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players:The major players in the nutritional bars marketAtkins Nutritionals, Inc. (U.S.)Clif Bar & Company. (U.S.)General Mills Inc. (U.S.)Kellogg Co. (U.S.)Kashi Company (U.S.)Quaker Oats Company (U.S.)Mars Incorporated (U.S.)Downstream Analysis:Nutritional bars market is segmented on the basis of type such as protein bars, meal-replacement bars, snacks bars, whole food bars, and others. Among all, protein bars is dominating the market followed by meal replacement bars. Protein bars are rich in protein content which is driving the growth of this segment.On the basis of flavors, nutritional bars are segmented such as chocolates, fruits, peanut butter, savory, spices and others. Chocolate flavor is dominating the market followed by peanut butter. However, fruits segments is expected to have a steady growth over the forecast period.Based on the distribution channel, nutritional bars are segmented such as store based and non-store based. However, nutritional bars are mainly sold through grocery wholesalers, retail stores and food service providers.Regional Analysis:The global food bar market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Asia Pacific is dominating the market for nutritional bars and is expected to be the fastest growing market over the forecast period. In Asia Pacific, India and China are the major contributors to the nutritional bars market. Increasing health awareness among the growing population is driving the growth of nutritional bars in this market.In North America, the U.S. holds the major share of nutritional bars market. Moreover, busy work life is driving the nutritional bars market in the European market. Additionally, continuous innovations will positively impact the market in rest of the world.Access Report Details @Market Segmentation:Nutritional bars market is segmented on the basis of type, flavor, 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
Global Single-use Bioprocessing Sensors and Probes Market: Prominent Players Boost Growth through Collaborations and Acquisitions

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Single-use Bioprocessing Sensors and Probes Market: Prominent Players Boost Growth through Collaborations and Acquisitions" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market studies the current as well as future prospects of the market globally. The stakeholders of this report include companies and intermediaries engaged in the manufacture, commercialization, providing services of single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes products such as pH sensor, valve, bench top control system, spectroscopy, optochemical DO, temperature, pressure as well as new entrants planning to enter this market.This report comprises an elaborate executive summary along with a market snapshot providing overall information of various segments and sub-segments considered in the scope of the study. This section also provides the overall information and data analysis of the global single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market with respect to the leading market segments based on major applications segment, products segment, and geographies.The market overview section of the report explores the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities that currently have a strong impact on the single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market and could influence the market in the near future. Market attractiveness analysis has been provided in the market overview section in order to explain the intensity of competition in the market across different geographies. The competitive scenario among different market players is evaluated through market share analysis in the competitive landscape section of the report. All these factors would help market players to take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and expand their shares in the global single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Single-use Bioprocessing Sensors and Probes Market: SegmentationBased on the product type, the single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market has been segmented into: pH Sensor, valve, bench top control system, spectroscopy, optochemical DO, temperature, pressure, and others. Each of the market segments have been extensively analyzed based on the market related factors such as increasing demand of single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes worldwide, and technological advancement. Moreover, historical year-on-year growth have been taken into consideration while estimating the market size. The market size and forecast in terms of US$ million for each segment has been provided for the period from 2015 to 2025. The report also provides the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each market segment for the forecast period from 2017 to 2025, considering 2016 as the base year.Single-use Bioprocessing Sensors and Probes Market: Regional AnalysisGeographically, single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market has been segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The market size and forecast for each of these regions has been provided for the period from 2015 to 2025, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2017 to 2025, considering 2016 as the base year. The report also provides with market size and forecast for major countries in the respective regions. A detailed qualitative analysis of factors responsible for driving and restraining the market growth and future opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. This section of the report also provides with market attractiveness analysis, Porters five forces analysis, and market share analysis by key players, thus presenting a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the global single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market.Browse TOC @Single-use Bioprocessing Sensors and Probes Market: Competitive AnalysisThe key findings section included in the report would assist existing market players in expanding their market shares, and new companies in establishing their presence in the global single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market. The report also profiles key players operating in the single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market which are Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A., Eppendorf AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Hamilton Company, Honeywell International, Inc., Broadley-James Corporation, GE Healthcare, PendoTECH, LLC, Polestar Technologies, Inc., PreSens Precision Sensing GmbH, and Parker Hannifin Corporation.The global single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes market is segmented as follows:Global Single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes Market, Product TypepH SensorElectrochemicalOpticalSolid-stateValvePneumatic Pinch ValveElectrically Actuated Pinch ValvesOthersBench Top Control SystemDCS - Decentralized Control SystemPLC - Programmable Logic ControllersOthersSpectroscopyRaman SpectroscopyNIRScattering SpectroscopyOptochemical DOTemperaturePressureOthersGlobal Single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes Market, by Application TypeBiotechnology IndustryPharmaceutical IndustryAcademic ResearchOthersGlobal Single-use bioprocessing sensors and probes Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.FranceItalySpainRussiaRest of the EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaAbout 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 @
Oscilloscope Market Key Players - National Instruments Corporation, RIGOL Technologies, Fluke Corporation , EXFO Inc.

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Market Highlights:The global oscilloscope market is expected to growing with the significant pace. The major factor that drives the growth of oscilloscope market is the growing demand for signal storage equipment. The growing market of professional education in Asia-pacific region and increase in technical advancement in network market is driving the market in the region. According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, The global market of oscilloscope is booming and expected to gain prominence over the forecast period. The market is projected to demonstrate a spectacular growth by 2022, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a striking CAGR during the forecast period (2016  2022).The increasing demand for safety features in automotive vehicles has obligate automotive original equipment manufacturers to add more importance to the safety features in their vehicles. The rising consumer demands for automatic systems like augmented navigation, that includes heads-up displays (HUDs), intuitive and multi-modal user interfaces, multimedia support and the emergence of automotive cloud services boosts the growth of the oscilloscope device.Market is expected to show a significant growth rate in coming five years (2016-2022). The major growth drivers are the emergence of digital storage oscilloscope for storing and analyzing signals instead of the traditional analog signals processing method.Request a Sample Report @Major Key PlayersSome of the major players in Global Oscilloscope Market includes Agilent Technologies Inc. (U.S.), Teledyne LeCroy Inc. (U.S.), Rohde & Shwarz (Germany), GW Instek (Taiwan), Yokogawa Electric (Japan), National Instruments Corporation (U.S.), RIGOL Technologies (China), Fluke Corporation (U.S.), EXFO Inc. (Canada), and Texas Instruments, Inc. (U.S.) among others.Globally the market for Oscilloscope market is expected to grow at the rate of more than 9% from 2016 to 2022.Industry NewsAugust 30, 2017 - Teledyne Le Croy, Inc. and Anritsu Company (U.S.) announce today a partnership to provide the industrys most capable PCI Express 4.0 (PCIe Gen4) test solution, integrating the Anritsu Signal Quality Analyser (SQA) MP1900A BERT with the LabMaster 10Zi-An oscilloscope and QPHY-PCIe4-Tx-Rx software from Teledyne LeCroy. This comprehensive system provides high-speed IC, device, and network engineers with one complete solution to conduct automated transmitter and receiver compliance tests, as well as link equalization verification.March 14, 2017 - Rohde & Schwarz introduces industry's first entry-level oscilloscope with 10-bit vertical resolution and touchscreen. The oscilloscope measure voltage versus time. A key technology block, the analog to digital converter (ADC) determines how well the oscilloscope can resolve the amplitude of measured signals. For most of the last three decades, oscilloscopes have predominantly offered 8 bits of vertical resolution, which allows a signal to be mapped to one of 256 vertical positions.Feb 16, 2017- GW Instek launches new MSO-2000, a mixed-signal oscilloscope. MSO-2000 a mixed-signal oscilloscope, is developed from the high performance software and hardware platforms of GDS-2000E, which boasts the superb functions including the highest waveform update rate of 120,000 Wfm/s in the same class and 10M memory depth per channel to allow users to completely retrieve and analyse waveforms.Browse Full Report Details @Competitive AnalysisThe Market of oscilloscope appears to be highly competitive. To maintain their market position and to drive the market growth, various dynamic and diversified international organizations, domestic organizations and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. Market leaders are innovating continuously and increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. Major players are investing on internal R&D and, most of all, in acquiring other firms.Target Audience: Technology investors and providers Manufacturing Industries Alliance and associations Strategic business analysts Corporate GovernmentAbout 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 Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Updated Edition Report on Contraceptive Devices Market Size & Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Contraceptive Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the market on the basis of type, application, medical condition, and region. It provides detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the market. This report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments of the key players in terms of market developments, product portfolios, and financials.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Contraception is deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse. Contraceptive devices are intended to prevent conception. These devices also help to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Various awareness initiatives taken by market players is a major factor propelling the global contraceptive devices market. Bayer HealthCare, a major player in the contraceptives market, in collaboration with 11 NGOs, organizes the World Contraception Day every year on September 26 to spread awareness about contraceptive methods, enabling young people to take the right decision about their reproductive health.The global contraceptive devices market is expected to grow substantially due to factors such as high incidence rate of unintended pregnancies, unmet contraceptive needs, rise in awareness initiatives by governments and NGOs, and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. A high percentage of population belonging to the sexually active age group in Asia (India and China) coupled with increase in disposable incomes of consumers belonging to such economies is likely to offer significant opportunities in the contraceptive devices market. However, side effects associated with the use of contraceptive devices inducing people to opt for natural and permanent contraceptive methods, and rise in prevalence of infertility among women and aging population hamper the growth of the global contraceptive devices marketBased on type, the global contraceptive devices market can be segmented into male contraceptive devices and female contraceptive devices. Male contraceptive devices comprise male condoms. Female contraceptives include female condoms, contraceptive vaginal rings, contraceptive diaphragms, contraceptive sponges, sub-dermal contraceptive implants, intrauterine devices, and non-surgical permanent contraceptive devices. Male condoms dominate the male contraceptive devices segment due to almost universal adoption facilitated by ease of use and lowest prices. Non-surgical permanent contraceptive devices is projected to be the fastest growing sub-segment of the female contraceptives segment. Growing popularity among women who prefer to obtain permanent contraception without painful surgeries is the major factor propelling the non-surgical permanent contraceptive devices sub-segment. Based on end-user, the global contraceptive devices market can be divided into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, and home care.View Report @Geographically, the global contraceptive devices market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. North America dominates the global market due to high incidence rate of unplanned pregnancies, implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the U.S., and high usage of contraceptive devices in this region. Favorable reimbursement policies for contraceptives by large insurance firms for all federal employees (U.S.) and their dependents has contributed significantly to the growth of the contraceptive devices market in North America. The contraceptive devices market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Strong economic growth in India and China, high population, rise in disposable income, increase in awareness about contraceptives and its advantages for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are expected to accelerate the growth of the market in the region during the forecast period.Key players operating in the global contraceptive devices market include Bayer HealthCare AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Medisafe Distribution, Inc., Actavis, Inc., Medicines360, Pace Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cooper Surgical, Inc., Mayer Laboratories, Inc., Church & Dwight, Co., Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Reckitt Benckiser plc, and Pfizer, Inc. These players focus on creating various awareness programs and providing contraceptives at cost effective prices to increase market share and sustain in the highly competitive market.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.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
Gas Leak Detector Market to Grow at a US$ 3143.67 Mn by the end of 2020

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Gas Leak Detector Market - Asia Pacific to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, The global gas leak detectors market accounted for US$ 2,312.2 Mn in 2014 and while exhibiting a CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period. The Global Gas Leak Detector Market is expected to reach US$ 3143.67 Mn by the end of 2020, representing a CAGR of 5.29% through 2015 to 2020.Key driving factors, identified in the global gas leak detectors market are stringent government safety norms, growing investment in oil & gas and chemical Industries and increasing commercial and residential infrastructure development. However, lower profit margin due to intense competition deferred investments in oil and gas might pose a challenge towards the growth of the global gas leak detector market. Some of the major trends identified in the global gas leak detector market are the use of internet of everything (IoT) and artificial neural network technology and gas leak detectors.The global gas leak detector market report is categorically split under four sections namely: market analysis by region, applications, product type and technology. The report analyses the global gas leak detector market in terms of market value (US$ Mn) and volume (Million Units).Report overview @From a regional perspective, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe together contributed 50% of the global gas leak detector market value in the year 2014. Whilst Asia Pacific excluding Japan contributed total 35%, making it the largest geographical segment in the global gas leak detector market. The Middle East and Africa gas leak detector market are projected to grow at promising CAGR of 6.27% through the forecast period.From the product type perspective, Portable type gas leak detectors accounted a leading share in the global gas leak detector market value in 2014, which is projected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. The fixed type gas leak detector market is projected to exhibit CAGR of approximately 3.8% for the year 2015 to 2020.On the basis of technology type, the electrochemical-based gas leak detector is the predominant segment with a total share of about 38%, whilst the ultrasonic, semiconductor and infrared based gas leak detector cumulatively accounted for 46.6% % in the global gas leak detector market value in 2014. When compared with other remaining technology segment the infrared based gas leak detectors is projected to grow at higher CAGR of 6.30% over the forecast period.Request to sample report @From an application perspective, the Industrial application segment of the gas leak detector is the largest segment of the global gas leak detector market in 2014. Out of the sub-segment oil & gas is the major segment, holding the largest market share as compared with other remaining sub-segment. On the other hand, the market value accounted in the year 2014 by commercial establishment application segment is approximately 2.5X of the value registered by the residential segment. Others application segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2015 to 2020.Key market participants covered in the report include MSA Safety Inc., Honeywell International Inc., TycoInternational plc, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KgaA, Emerson Electric Company and other players.Get full report 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market to be Worth US$5.74 Billion by 2025: Competition Moderate on Account of Few Products Approved for Commercial Use

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market to be Worth US$5.74 Billion by 2025: Competition Moderate on Account of Few Products Approved for Commercial Use" to its huge collection of research reports.This report provides forecast and analysis of the HIV/AIDS diagnostics market on the global and regional levels. It provides historical data of 2016 along with forecast from 2017 to 2025 in terms of revenue (US$ Mn). The report also includes macroeconomic indicators along with an outlook on HIV/AIDS diagnostics globally. It includes drivers and restraints of the HIV/AIDS diagnostics market and their impact on each region during the forecast period. The report also comprises of the study of current issues with end users and opportunities for HIV/AIDS diagnostics manufacturers in the global market.In order to provide users with comprehensive view of the market, we have included detailed competitive analysis and market players with unique selling propositions. The competitive dashboard included in the report provides detailed comparison of HIV/AIDS diagnostics manufacturers on parameters such as product offerings, revenue, key strategies, and recent developments. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, by product type, by test type, by end users and region.Global HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market: Research MethodologyMarket value for global HIV/AIDS diagnostics have been estimated based on utility of HIV/AIDS diagnostics for all product types. The revenue is forecasted through regional pricing trends. Market size and forecast for each segment have been provided in the context of global and regional markets.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The HIV/AIDS diagnostic market has been analyzed based on expected demand. Most of the key end users have been considered and potential applications have been estimated on the basis of secondary sources and feedback from primary respondents. Regional demand patterns have been considered while estimating the market for various end users of HIV/AIDS diagnostics in different regions.Bottom-up approach has been used to estimate the HIV/AIDS diagnostics market size, and top-down approach has been used to validate the market number. The market has been forecasted based on constant currency rates. A number of secondary sources consulted during the course of the study include Factiva, NCBI, Google books, company annual reports, websites, white papers, and publications.Global HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market: SegmentationThe report includes revenue generated from sales of HIV/AIDS diagnostics in all regions and important countries in the regions. By product type, the global HIV/AIDS diagnostics market has been segmented into kits and reagents, instruments and others. On the basis of test type the HIV/AIDS diagnostics market is segmented into rapid tests (POC), ELISA, nucleic acid tests and others. On the basis of end users, the global HIV/AIDS diagnostics market is segmented into hospitals, private diagnostics laboratories, academic and research institutes and others. Geographically, the market is segmented into regions viz. North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa.Browse TOC @Global HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market: Competitive AnalysisThe report provides detailed competitive dashboard and company profiles of key participants operating in the global market. Some of the key players in the global HIV/AIDS diagnostics market include Alere, Hologic, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Abbott Laboratories, Siemens Healthineers, OraSure Technologies, Inc., Chembio Diagnostic Systems etc.The global HIV/AIDS diagnostics market is segmented as follows:Global HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market  By Product TypeKits and ReagentsInstrumentsOthersGlobal HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market  By Test TypeRapid Tests (POC)ELISANucleic Acid TestsOthersGlobal HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market  By End UsersHospitalsPrivate Diagnostics LaboratoriesAcademic and Research InstitutesOthersGlobal HIV/AIDS Diagnostics Market  By RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.FranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)ChinaJapanIndiaAustralia & New ZealandRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & Africa (MEA)Saudi ArabiaSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaAbout 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 @
Switch Wired Scalable Infrastructure: Industrial Trend and Market Demand Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2017 to 2023

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"Switch Wired Scalable Infrastructure: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2017 to 2023" The Report covers current Industries Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.. .Description-' ' The 2017 study has 214 pages, 104 tables and figures. Worldwide markets are poised to achieve significant growth as the artificial intelligence software, IOT Internet of things, drones, self-driving cars, and all manner of automated process increases use of the digital economy. Scalable Data Centers depend on infrastructure scalability excellence, which is achieved with a two-layer architecture utilizing adapters and processors described in this study.. .Get Sample Report @' ' Data center solutions are moving in the direction of being open standards-based, software-driven, and able to work seamlessly with DevOps to achieve cross-domain automation. The aim of IT is to meet agility and efficiency goals. Scalable data center wired switch represent one component of the move to a digital economy. Speed is the new currency of business. Digital disruption is illustrated by Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Among many other well-known digital disruptors Salesforce stands out. These companies have IT that is characterized by the ability to respond to opportunities quickly. It is no longer possible to beat the competition by having a better product, lower prices, and the best people. That still matters, but is not enough. To win, companies need an agile IT architecture, less expensive by a factor of 50 than existing IT, and that helps companies respond to the next big wave of opportunity and ride it faster than the competition. While corporate management is consumed in managing people by setting rules and creating workgroups that are effective, and things that are put in place to let people do their work, IT is consumed with increasing the levels of automation, making more parts of the organization automated. It is significant that no IT manager has ever become CEO or CFO of a major corporation, illustrating that the corporate management and IT functions are different. IT organizations have become more complex, managing more endpoints that bring more data into the same IT center. The IT departments work to achieve end-to-end connectivity and services with a mandate to move to cloud computing.In this context, servers, storage, cannot always be moved into a hyper-converged cloud infrastructure. Broadcom intelligent interconnect solutions are a key part of supporting Scalable Infrastructure inside any IT organization, supporting both cloud and existing infrastructure that is in place and functioning. Broadcom is a leading vendor of switch semiconductor solutions focused on high-performance interconnect. It has successfully launched several generations of InfiniBand and Ethernet data center products. Strong competencies are provided for integrating mixed-signal processing and integrating complex ICs. Software development capability is a key strength because all complex integration is managed with software. Software allows offering more complete solutions. A significant portfolio of intellectual property, IP, permits Mellanox to offer industry leading integration of signals at the chip level. This is a major shift in the way IT is conducted with integration of systems previously happening at the API level. Broadcom has significant IP and a large number of patents. According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the team that wrote the study, Market growth is a result of the ability of the switches to work inside a fiber infrastructure data center. Broadcom dominates its market segment. Switches are used to manage data transport inside the data center to move data much faster in the network inside the data center, to create any node to any node data transmission within the data center, and to process the mountains of data being generated by digital economy up to 1,000 times more efficiently than is now the case with traditional systems.  Scalable Data Center Market Forecasts  Scalable wired infrastructure switch market forecast indicates that markets at $5 billion in 2017 are expected to reach $26.3 billion dollars worldwide by 2023. These represent a very specialized type of analytics systems able to address a wide range of issues that can be newly managed with digitization. Steady growth is anticipated because the adapter units are offering breakthrough node to node integration capabilities that further automates a data center. Steady growth is anticipated because the adapter units are the best device for implementing efficient operations at low cost.  Companies Profiled Market LeadersBroadcomQuantum Market ParticipantsAlphabet / GoogleArris / BroadcomBrocadeCiscoFacebookMellanoxIntelIBMCavium Key TopicsSwitch Wired InfrastructureScalable InfrastructureScalable Data CenterReplacing All Existing Enterprise Data CentersScalable Data Center Wired SwitchesHyperscale Data CenterScaleAutomationCloud ComputingCloud 2.0Automatic RulesPush-Button ActionsCloud Application IntegrationContainer Control SystemOpen Source Container. .More Clear Details get Table of Contents @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
Gluten Free Malt Extracts Market Recent Study including Growth Factors, Applications, Regional Analysis, Key Players and Forecasts

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Gluten free malt extracts are extracted from grains which do not contain gluten. Few of these grains are millet, buckwheat, rice, sorghum etc. Gluten free malt extracts also enhance flavor in gluten free malt products. Manufacturers can use the term gluten free only if they comply with the gluten free rule of FDA. They can label their products as gluten free when the product contains gluten less than 20 ppm i.e. 20 parts per million. A common occurring protein in most of the grains like barley, oats, rye is gluten. The increase in the number of digestive disorders and autoimmune disorders like Celiac disease, gluten insensitivity created the need for gluten free products. Gluten free malt extracts are prepared by using amylase enzymes which help in the conversion of starch into sugar, which is further fermented by brewing of the yeast.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Gluten Free Malt Extract: Market DynamicsThe products with gluten free malt extracts are consumed in order to reduce the risk of Celiac disease. There is increase in the number of Celiac disease patients around the globe especially in US. Many people in the developed countries have started brewing malt at home in order to ensure that the malt is actually gluten free. The reason behind this is intolerance to gluten intake. People are either themselves suffering from Celiac disease or their dear ones are suffering which compels them to brew at home. This in future can jeopardize the business of companies brewing for commercial purposes. Malt is one of the major ingredients for preparation of beer. The yearly consumption of beers in USA is in gallons. The use of gluten free malt extract for the preparation of beer is a prerequisite for health of the people who consume beer frequently.Some companies develop their own gluten free malt extract and use it for the preparation of its final product. Maintaining quality standards from the point of growing or sourcing raw materials till the time of production and sale of final product is one of their marketing strategy. There are also supermarkets in cosmopolitan cities such as Tokyo which keep a wide range of gluten free products only in one super market.Browse Market Research Report @Gluten Free Malt Extracts: Market SegmentationOn the basis of application:FoodsBeverageNutraceuticalsCosmeticGluten free malt extracts are used in the production of bakery and confectionary items. Hamburger buns, pizza crust, tortillas, white bread, sandwich bread, bread concentrates etc. can be prepared from gluten free malt extracts. Ready to eat and instant oats, soups, pizza wraps, pocket sandwiches can also be prepared using gluten free malt extracts. It can also help in producing baking flour and multi-purpose flour. It is also used as an ingredient in pastries, cupcakes, pan cakes, cheese cakes, muffins, cookies etc. Vinegar is also made from gluten free malt extracts. Gluten free malt extracts are used in the brewing of beer and other alcoholic beverages. They are also used in preparing tea and coffee powder. Syrups used to in breweries are also made from gluten free malt extracts. Port, spirits, sherry, wine, cider, sodas, cordials, flavored water and fruit juices are other beverages prepared from gluten free malt extracts as a major ingredient. Gluten free malt extracts are used for preparing protein powders and energy drinks. Some cosmetics are also prepared from gluten free malt extracts. Cosmetics which contain gluten can cause dermatitis herpetiformis in humans.On the basis of physical state:PowderLiquidOn the basis of grain:MilletBuckwheatRiceSorghumCornGluten Free Malt Extracts: Regional OverviewThe demand for gluten free products is significant in North America as compared to the demand of gluten free products in APAC countries. Around 1 % of the population of USA is suffering from Celiac disease and the number is expected to rise only in the coming years instead of increasing. Different countries have different criteria of labelling a product as gluten free. In some European countries products less than 100ppm are labelled as gluten free whereas in North America it should be less than 20ppm. This difference in labeling is an obstacle in foreign trade i.e. import and export of gluten free malt products from one country to another.Gluten Free Malt Extracts Market Players are as follows EDME Limited Company, Senson, Briess Malt & Ingredients, General Mills, Colorado Malting Company, Canyon Bakehouse.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:
5.17% Growth In Global Hair Styling Equipment Market For The Period From 2017 - 2021: Conair, Helen of Troy, Koninklijke Philips and Panasonic

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "5.17% Growth In Global Hair Styling Equipment Market For The Period From 2017 - 2021: Conair, Helen of Troy, Koninklijke Philips and Panasonic" to its huge collection of research reports.Hair styling equipment are electric-operated. They are segmented into corded and non-corded hair styling equipment. Manufacturers distribute their products through online and offline distribution channels. Specialty stores offer a significant contribution to the market. Manufacturers are now positioning and selling their products through online shopping portals as consumers prefer a convenient shopping experience.Technavios analysts forecast the global hair styling equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 5.17% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global hair styling equipment market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers value sales of hair styling appliances operated with electric power source.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEuropeMEATechnavios report, Global Hair Styling Equipment 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 vendorsConairHelen of TroyKoninklijke PhilipsPanasonicTESCOMOther prominent vendorsAndisBeauty Elite GroupBio IonicDevacurlDrybarDysonElchimFarouk SystemsHARRYJOSH.COMJohn Paul Mitchell SystemsKaoLigo-ElectricLVMHNuMeP&GRUSKSolano InternationalSpectrum BrandsSultraT3 MicroTrade BoxTurbo IonUnileverMarket driverIncreasing demand for lightweight and portable hair styling equipmentFor a full, detailed list, view our reportBrowse TOC @Market challengeDemand for alternative solutionsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendMulti-functional products for stylingFor 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 @
Venipuncture Procedure Analysis Market : Expected Advancements & Global Industry Analysis 2017 - 2025

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Global Venipuncture Procedure Analysis Market: SnapshotThe significant rise in the prevalent of chronic diseases across the world, including the increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases, which need early detection, is influencing the global market for venipuncture procedure analysis significantly. The continual increase in the geriatric population is also boosting this market substantially across the world. With the technological advancement in devices utilized for collecting blood, especially vacuum venipuncture equipment, the accuracy of the result gained by the analysis of the sample is likely to add to the polarity of venipuncture procedure analysis solutions in the years to come, reflecting greatly to the global market. However, the dearth of essential skills among medical professionals for handling venipuncture procedure accurately may affect the growth of the market adversely over the next few years.In a number of cases, when clinicians were proficient in this procedure, accuracy of the results have been compromised. However, the rising focus of healthcare providers over various pre-analytical activities, regarding the collection of blood samples and its handling, is likely to improve the efficacy of the process in the near future, leading to immense growth of this market. North America, thanks to the advent of the U.S. as the key domestic market for venipuncture procedure analysis, is likely to acquire the leading position among all the regional markets over the forthcoming years.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Venipuncture Procedure Analysis Market: OverviewVenipuncture is the medical procedure of drawing blood from veins in humans and animals, mainly for diagnostic purposes such as blood sampling of the blood components. Venipuncture procedures are also used to administer intravenous therapies. The procedure is performed by various clinicians including medical practitioners, medical laboratory scientists, paramedics, dialysis technicians, phlebotomists, and nursing staff. Venipuncture procedures are majorly performed with the help of evacuated or vacuum tubes that mainly includes needles and syringes.The venipuncture procedure has emerged as a vital tool in the hands of clinicians that help in the invasive diagnosis of various diseases. In the recent years, the procedure has gained popularity in the healthcare industry driven by several diagnostic purposes: monitoring levels of blood components, administering therapeutic treatments, chemotherapy, or nutrition; and removing some portion of blood to get rid of excess RBC.Global Venipuncture Procedure Analysis Market: TrendsThe global venipuncture procedure analysis market is majorly driven by increasing incidence of various chronic diseases, prevalence of cardiovascular diseases that require early diagnosis, and rising geriatric population. Technological advancement in the devices used for collecting blood, such as vacuum venipuncture equipment, has led to the accuracy of the sample analysis. However, lack of essential skills of medical professionals using the venipuncture process has largely affected the growth of the market. In many cases, the instances of the clinicians not being proficient in the process, has impeded the accuracy of the results.Request TOC of the Report @However, increasing focus of healthcare providers regarding various pre-analytical activities, pertaining to blood sample collection and its handling, has increased the efficacy of the process, boosting the uptake.Global Venipuncture Procedure Analysis Market: Market PotentialRecently, CorVascular, a Minneapolis-based leading supplier of advanced peripheral vascular diagnostic solutions, recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with Novarix Inc., a medical device company that develops innovative solutions in Intravenous (IV) therapy. Under the terms of the distribution agreement, CorVascular, will be the exclusive marketer of IV-eye, which is developed and manufactured by the medical device company in the UK. The device is a near infrared (NIR) vein imaging device that will assist clinicians in finding effective peripheral veins for performing venipuncture. Under the agreement, CorVascular has the task of making the device available to all resellers present across various healthcare segments in the U.S. The agreement is significant as this will increase the access of cost-effective imaging device for identifying the correct veins for the process of cannulation and venipuncture.Repeated failed attempts by medical practitioners to gain IV access in a large number of patients has resulted in prolonging the treatment and even can lead to significant delayto the tune of 16 to 30 minutes, estimates healthcare expertsin the administration of therapies, including medications. This has also contributed to poor patient experience with venipuncture, greatly impeding the uptake of the procedure. Furthermore, technological advancements and the measures taken by doctors to increase the safety of the procedure is expected to expand the market potential.Request Discount of the Report @Global Venipuncture Procedure Analysis Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the U.S. is a prominent market for venipuncture procedures and is expected to register impressive growth along the forecast period. The growth in the regional market is attributed to constant technological advancements leading to innovative products. These solutions have significantly increased the safety and efficacy of the procedure. In addition, the efforts taken by healthcare providers to train clinicians performing the procedure are expected to fuel the regional market in the coming years.The U.K. is another market showcasing lucrative avenues for the manufacturers of venipuncture equipment. A substantial demand is expected to be stimulated by advancement in evacuated tube systems which are extensively used in the venipuncture procedure. The market has witnessed significant demand for venipuncture procedure analysis in Germany and several Nordic countries.Global Venipuncture Procedure Analysis Market: Competitive AnalysisLeading players are making innovative product launches and consolidating their distribution networks to strengthen their market shares in various regions. Companies eyeing a sustained share in the venipuncture procedure analysis market include Translite LLC., Adam,Rouilly Limited, Kyoto Kagaku, Smiths Medical, and Sunphoria Co., Ltd, and CorVascular Diagnostics, 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
Corrugated Packaging - Eco-friendly and Recyclable Packaging to Ensure Safe Product Delivery

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Product packaging is an essential part of a product life cycle. Consumers need for convenient, light weight product packaging has driven the packaging industry to manufacture organized paperboard product packaging solutions with the aim to meet the consumer demands and tap the organized retail industry. The ongoing penetration of e-commerce and retail industry boom have resulted in the increased manufacture of innovative corrugated packaging solutions that contribute significantly to the global corrugated packaging market.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Corrugated packaging materials are manufactured from recyclable card board boxes that are eco-friendly. Corrugated packaging market is expected to grow significantly owing to the rapid development of manufacturing sector during the forecast period.Corrugated Packaging Market: Market DynamicsGrowth of processed food industry owing to increasing consumer demand have resulted into a growth of corrugated packaging market. Corrugated packaging market is majorly driven by the growing e-commerce business. Changing consumer lifestyle patterns have boosted up the growth of e-commerce business wherein, the manufacturers have widely adopted the use of corrugated packaging to ensure safe product delivery, thereby escalating the growth of global corrugated packaging market.Moreover, the organized retailing have a significant contribution to the increasing demand for global corrugated packaging market. The need for preserving the product shelf life, retailers store products in corrugated boxes thereby fueling up the demand for corrugate packaging market.However, corrugated packaging market witnesses few restraints that hinders the market growth. The major drawback of corrugated packaging is its durability factor. Corrugated packaging is incapable of withstanding harsh indoor and outdoor conditions and might cause damage to delicate products such as electronics, or fragile products made of glass and others.Corrugated Packaging Market: Market SegmentationCorrugated packaging market can be segmented on the basis of corrugated box types which includes:Slotted BoxFolder BoxTelescope BoxRigid BoxOthersObtain Report Details @Corrugated packaging market can be segmented on the basis of application which includes:Food & BeverageAutomotiveElectronicsHealth & HygienePharmaceuticalsOther Consumer GoodsOn the basis of corrugated box types the corrugated packaging market can be segmented into slotted box, folding box, telescope box, rigid box and others. Out of these boxes, rigid boxes and folding boxes and folding boxes are widely used by e-commerce and retail sectors.Corrugated packaging can be segmented on the basis of application which includes food and beverage industry wherein, corrugated packaging is used for products like fruits and vegetables, liquid bottles (juice bottles, water bottles), processed food such as readymade soups, pizzas and others, bakery and confectionary products such as cakes, chocolates and biscuits and others. Corrugated packaging is also used in automotive and electronic industries for delicate components. Pharmaceutical and health and hygiene industry has a wide application of corrugated packaging for shipping and storing medicines, cosmetics and other consumer goods.Corrugated Packaging Market: Regional OutlookRegional coverage for corrugated packaging market includes North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and China (APAC) and Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America accounts for a higher market share in corrugated packaging market as compared to other regions owing to the prominence of e-commerce business and retail sector, followed by Latin America and Europe which contributes significantly to the global corrugated packaging market growth.Steady growth in e-commerce business and food and beverage industry in APAC offers a potential opportunity for the corrugated packaging market to boom during the forecast period. MEA region is expected to grow significantly in terms of global corrugated packaging market.Corrugated Packaging Market: Market PlayersPlayers operating in the global corrugated packaging market include U.S Corrugated Inc., Georgia- Pacific, Smurfit Kappa Group, DS Smith, Mondi Group 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:
Global Hardware Security Module (HSM) Market: Research, Technology Growth and Demand 2017

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Hardware Security Module (HSM) Market: Research, Technology Growth and Demand 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies Hardware Security Module (HSM) 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, coveringUltimaco GmbHThales e-SecurityFuturexGemaltoIBMHewlett Packard EnterpriseYubicoUltra ElectronicsSWIFTOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLocal InterfaceRemote InterfaceUSB tokenSmart CardsTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @By Application, the market can be split intoAuthenticationDatabase EncryptionDocument SigningSecure Sockets Layer (SSL)Code SigningPKI/Credential ManagementPayments ProcessingApplication Level EncryptionBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaBrowse TOC @Table of ContentsGlobal Hardware Security Module (HSM) Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Hardware Security Module (HSM)1.1 Definition and Specifications of Hardware Security Module (HSM)1.1.1 Definition of Hardware Security Module (HSM)1.1.2 Specifications of Hardware Security Module (HSM)1.2 Classification of Hardware Security Module (HSM)1.2.1 Local Interface1.2.2 Remote Interface1.2.3 USB token1.2.4 Smart Cards1.3 Applications of Hardware Security Module (HSM)1.3.1 Authentication1.3.2 Database Encryption1.3.3 Document Signing1.3.4 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)1.3.5 Code Signing2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Hardware Security Module (HSM)2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Hardware Security Module (HSM)2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Hardware Security Module (HSM)2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Hardware Security Module (HSM)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 @
Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market Explores New Growth Opportunities By 2017 - 2022

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Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market 2017 Industry, Analysis, Research, Share, Growth, Sales, Trends, Supply, Forecast to 2022." This is a thorough report consolidating a nitty-gritty and proficient assessment of the current scenario of the market. The study has been aggregated by gathering data from reliable sources, by leading various meetings with top industry specialists, and by consulting different press releases, white papers, and databases.Top Key vendors: Daikin Industries, Haier, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric, Samsung ElectronicsGet Sample Copy of Report:The report offers a basic outline of the Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Industry. It incorporates definitions, product particulars, classification, and applications of the worldwide market. The investigation additionally contains a value chain analysis and an industry review of the significant regions and their status in the worldwide market.The report expresses a layout of the Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market in terms of product, application, and end-use. The report likewise gives import & export and consumption data alongside value, cost, gross margin, and income as per the significant regions. The regions in focus in this report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Other minor areas are additionally specified in the report.The Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market is an astoundingly efficient, forte market with the presence of a preset number of dealers. Providers in the market competition in the context of esteeming, types of progressions, benefits, reputation, dispersal, and advancement. As the market is still in its development stage, small-scale merchants with innovative solutions have the odds of being acquired by pervasive pioneers in the market.For more information:Players in the Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market are dependably taking a stab at modernization. The report provides both, subjective and quantitative research of the market, and incorporates commendable bits of knowledge into the rational scenario and favored improvement strategies adopted by key contenders. The report's conclusion reveals the general scope of the Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market in terms of the practicality of interests in the distinctive portions of the market, along with an illustrating area that blueprints the plausibility of new pursuits that may prevail in the market in the coming years.Table of Content:Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner OverviewGlobal Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market Competition by ManufacturersGlobal Smart Connected Air Conditioner Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2017-2022)Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Sales (Volume) by Application (2017-2022)Global Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market Systems Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisGlobal Smart Connected Air Conditioner Manufacturing Cost AnalysisIndustrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersMarketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersMarket Effect Factors AnalysisGlobal Smart Connected Air Conditioner Market Forecast (2017-2022)Research Findings and ConclusionGet Discount on this report:About QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Biomarkers Market : Overview, Region-wise Outlook 2017 - 2025

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Global Biomarkers Market: SnapshotThe global biomarkers market is witnessing a tremendous rise in its valuation, thanks to the increase in diagnostic applications of biomarkers. The augmenting investments for research and development activities in the pharma and biotech companies, rising number of CROs, and the low cost associated with the clinical trials in emerging economies are also boosting this market.Going forward, the high prevalence rate of cancer and novel initiatives for biomarker research are likely to propel this market in the years to come. On the flip side, heightened need for capital investments and the low cost-benefit ratio, various technical issues associated with collecting samples and their storage, and the poorly suited regulatory and reimbursement systems are likely to act as restraining factors to the growth of this market over the next few years.Hitherto, North America, with massive share, has been leading the global market for biomarkers. With technological advancements and the increasing focus on research and development activities, this regional market is likely to remain on the top over the forthcoming years. Asia Pacific, among other regional markets, is expected to witness high growth in the years to come, thanks to the presence of ample raw materials.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Biomarkers Market: OverviewA biomarker is considered as a biological gene or molecule which is being used extensively across the globe in order to evaluate accurate pharmacologic responses, biological procedures, and pathogenic procedures. In addition, biomarkers are used to check bodys response to a specific treatment for a condition or disease. This helps the medical professionals in making effective clinical decisions, which will further assist in diagnosing the health of patients. According to the research study, the global biomarkers market is predicted to register a progressive growth rate throughout the forecast period.Global Biomarkers Market: Key TrendsIn the last few years, there has been a significant research on biomarkers, owing to which the application areas are likely to expand. This is estimated to benefit the global biomarkers market in the coming years. The use of biomarkers for effective therapeutics for cancer is likely to generate potential growth opportunities. In addition, the key players in the market are emphasizing on developing economies across the globe in order to create a niche and expand their presence in the next few years.Request TOC of the Report @Global Biomarkers Market: Market PotentialThe approval for the use of biomarkers by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a surrogate end-points in the treatment development process is one of the major factors is projected to fuel the growth of the global biomarkers market in the next few years. In addition, the key players are focusing on new product development is anticipated generate potential opportunities for key players operating in the global biomarkers market in the next few years. On the other hand, the high cost of sample collection, tests, and storage is one of the key challenges being faced by the leading players in the global biomarkers market. This is expected to hamper the growth of the market in the next few years.Global Biomarkers Market: Regional OutlookAmong the key regional segments, in 2016, the North America market for biomarkers led the global market with a massive share. As per the research study, this segment is estimated to remain in the leading position throughout the forecast period. The robust growth of this region can be attributed to technological developments and the rising focus on research and development activities. The rising demand for biomarkers from diverse industrial sectors is estimated to accelerate the growth of the North America market in the next few years.Request Discount of the Report @On the other hand, Asia Pacific is projected to exhibit a progressive growth rate throughout the forecast period. The growing use of biomarkers for several diagnostic purposes, the rising incidence of chronic diseases, and the rising rate of outsourcing of pharmaceutical research and development activities are projected to supplement the growth of the Asia Pacific biomarkers market in the next few years.Global Biomarkers Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the prominent players operating in the biomarkers market across the globe are Qiagen N.V., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC., EKF Diagnostics Holdings, Inc., Enzo Biochem, Inc., Merck Millipore, Biosims Technologies Sas, Cisbio Bioassays, Signosis, Inc., and Perkinelmer, Inc. A significant rise in the number of players projected to enter the market is estimated to strengthen the competitive landscape of the global biomarkers market in the next few years.Furthermore, the growing focus of key players on innovations and technological developments is likely to encourage the growth of the global biomarkers market in the next few years. In addition, the expansion of the product portfolio is estimated to accelerate the growth of the market and benefit the prominent players operating 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
New Business Opportunities of Fungicides Market in Global Industry : Technology, Applications, Growth, Status Research and Forecast 2017-2025

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Fungicides Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Global Fungicide Market: OverviewFungicides are biocidal chemical compounds used for destroying and inhibiting growth of fungi and fungal spores. The product helps in controlling disease, preventing disease and increasing crop productivity. Fungicides helps in improving the storage quality of harvested fruit and products such as cereals, grains, etc. Few of the examples of fungicides that are available in the market and are efficient are mancozeb, chlorothalonil, metalaxyl, strobilurin and others.The report estimates and forecasts the market on the global, regional, and country 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 product 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 fungicides 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 fungicides 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.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Fungicide Market: Scope of the StudyThe report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the fungicides market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein crop type and countries 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 fungicides between 2017 and 2025.The study provides a comprehensive view of the fungicides market by dividing it on the basis of crop type and geography segments. The fungicides market has been segmented into oilseeds & pulses, cereals & grains, fruits & vegetables and others based on crop type. Crop type segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Global Fungicide Market: Research MethodologySecondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to 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.Make an Enquiry about TOC @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 Fungicide Market: Regional OutlookRegional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for fungicides in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for various segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual crop type in all the regions and countries.Global Fungicide Market: Competitive OutlookThe 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 includes Syngenta AG, DowDupont Inc., BASF SE, Bayer CropScience AG and others. 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).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,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.us
Direction Finder Market expected to grow at a highest CAGR profiling top key players like Rockwell Collins, Rohde-schwarz during the forecast period 2017-2022

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Global Direction Finder Sales Market Report 2020The report systematically analyzes the most essential details of the Global Direction Finder Market with the help of an in-depth and specialized analysis. Defined in a ground-up manner, the report presents a comprehensive synopsis of the market based on the factors that are predictable to have a considerable and determinate impact on the markets developmental prospects over the prognosis period. Obtaining market-related data is not a very problematic task. It is a task of filtering out the unnecessary parts and compiling pertinent information that actually matters or can solve a business issue at hand. Lack of out-and-out resources for undertaking focused research that results in gathering of the most fruitful data is one of the most common limitations of inbound research activities.Get Sample PDF using the below link now @This report of Direction Finder Market studies Direction Finder in Global and United States market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, focuses on top manufacturers in Global and United States market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringRockwell Collins, Rohde-schwarz, RHOTHETA, Taiyo, GEW, Thales, BendixKing, TCI(SPX), TechComm, Caravan, ComlabWith this report, organizations can have easy access to the details that will have the most substantial bearing on the overall development of the Global Direction Finder Industry or the sectors that matter the most to organizations. The report is assembled with the intent of providing necessary market information to vendors operating in the Global Direction Finder Market. Thus, it makes for a resourceful data collection that can help decision makers devise most effective business strategies. The report includes a thorough overview of the competitive landscape and regulatory framework of the Global Direction Finder Market. This will offer clients a strong understanding of the current state of competition, threats, major opportunities, and the major rules, regulations, plans, & policies impacting the market.Browse entire report now @Table of Contents1 Direction Finder Overview2 Global Direction Finder Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Direction Finder Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2011-2016)4 Global Direction Finder Sales (Volume) by Application (2011-2016)5 Global Direction Finder Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis6 Direction Finder Manufacturing Cost Analysis6.1 Direction Finder Key Raw Materials Analysis7 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers8 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders9 Market Effect Factors Analysis10 Global Direction Finder Market Forecast (2016-2021)11 Research Findings and ConclusionFor more details, enquire now @About QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
RFID Module Market Report 2017: Rising Impressive Business Opportunities Analysis Forecast by 2022- Size, Shares, Growth, Consumption Analysis, Industry Demand and Forecast To 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global RFID Module Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the Global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors:Texas Instruments, RF Solutions, Parallax Inc, 3ALogic, EnOcean, DLP Design, IDEC Corporation, MikroElektronika, Hiwave, SparkleGet Sample Copy of this Report:It explains a detailed outline of the RFID Module Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position. Estimated revenue growth in terms of volume with respect to the market for the upcoming years has been mentioned in depth.According to the research report, the Global market for RFID Module Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for RFID Module across the world, states the research report.Know more about this Premium Report:On the basis of geographical regions, the Global RFID Module Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Global, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The Global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Global are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the global market for RFID Module, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the RFID Module Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global RFID Module Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 RFID Module Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
RFID Labels Market Report 2017: In-Depth Analysis of Production Demand and Consumption Growth Ratio by 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Europe RFID Labels Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Europe market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the Europe market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors:MPI, Tageos, Honeywell, XMINNOV, CAEN RFID, Laxcen, C&C Security Printing, Taiwan Batag RFID Technology, Repacorp, Inc., Donnick Label Systems, I D TECH SOLUTIONSGet Sample Copy of this Report:It explains a detailed outline of the RFID Labels Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position. Estimated revenue growth in terms of volume with respect to the market for the upcoming years has been mentioned in depth.According to the research report, the Europe market for RFID Labels Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for RFID Labels across the world, states the research report.Know more about this Premium Report:On the basis of geographical regions, the Europe RFID Labels Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The Europe market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the Europe market for RFID Labels, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the RFID Labels Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Europe RFID Labels Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 RFID Labels Market OverviewChapter 2 Europe Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Industrial Hydrogen Market Reflecting a CAGR of 4.9% During 20162024

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The industrial hydrogen market in U.S., Europe (U.K. & Germany), and Asia (South Korea & Japan) is estimated to be valued at US$ 13.6 Bn, with hydrogen consumption pegged at 1,826.0 KT by the end of 2016. Sales revenue of industrial hydrogen is expected to increase at a CAGR of 4.9% over the forecast period (20162024), to be valued at US$ 19.8 Bn by the end of 2024. In a new report titled Industrial Hydrogen Market: U.S., Europe, and Asia Industry Analysis & Forecast 2016-2024, Persistence Market Research provides a comprehensive analysis of the industrial hydrogen market across these regions and offers insights into the key factors and trends likely to shape the market in the next eight years.Report overview @Hydrogen is touted as the clean fuel of the future and finds application in various industries including chemical, electronics, glass, metal production, pharma and biotech, and welding and metal fabrication. Increasing demand from various end-use industries such as electronics, glass, metal production, welding, and metal fabrication is anticipated to boost growth of the industrial hydrogen market over the forecast period. Preference for onsite hydrogen generation systems and increasing technological advancements that promote reduction in the overall hydrogen production cost by electrolysis of water are other factors likely to push the demand for industrial hydrogen through 2024. However, a high cost of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water as compared to other conventional methods of production is likely to pose a challenge for the sustained growth of the electrolytic hydrogen market.Global hydrogen production  both captive and merchant  is estimated to be pegged at 57.5 Mn metric tons by the end of 2016. Globally, 4% of total hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water. The Electrolysis segment in the industrial hydrogen market is estimated to expand at a higher CAGR compared to the Conventional & Others segment. Technological advancements leading to reduced cost of production are expected to support growth of this segment over the forecast period. The Conventional & Others segment is expected to hold a disproportionately large market value share in the industrial hydrogen market throughout the forecast period. This segment is expected to hold 92.5% value share by the end of 2024, representing a sales revenue of US$ 18.3 Bn.Request to sample reportBy application, the Electronics segment is estimated to expand at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period; macroeconomic growth of the electronics industry is expected to be the major factor driving demand and fueling growth of the industrial hydrogen market over the forecast period. Also, an increasing use of hydrogen as a carrier gas in the manufacture of LED and semi-conductors is expected to drive growth of this segment. The Electronics segment is likely to dominate the industrial hydrogen market with 22.0% market share, valued at US$ 2.98 Bn by the end of 2016. In terms of value CAGR, the Electronics segment is estimated to be followed by the Metal Production and the Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology segments respectively.Get Full Report nowIn terms of region, the U.S market emerged as the dominant market in 2016 with over 50% market share owing to a high demand for hydrogen from across various end-use industries. This market is estimated to expand at a higher CAGR than that of Europe and Asia over the forecast period.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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Hip Replacement Implants Industry: Global Market Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2017

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Hip Replacement Implants Industry: Global Market Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.Hip Replacement Implants Market Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).The report firstly introduced the Hip Replacement Implants basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Hip Replacement Implants Market;3.) the North American Hip Replacement Implants Market;4.) the European Hip Replacement Implants Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of ContentsPart I Hip Replacement Implants Industry OverviewChapter One Hip Replacement Implants Industry Overview1.1 Hip Replacement Implants Definition1.2 Hip Replacement Implants Classification Analysis1.2.1 Hip Replacement Implants Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Hip Replacement Implants Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Hip Replacement Implants Application Analysis1.3.1 Hip Replacement Implants Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Hip Replacement Implants Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Hip Replacement Implants Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Hip Replacement Implants Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Hip Replacement Implants Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Hip Replacement Implants Product Market Development Overview1.6 Hip Replacement Implants Global Market Analysis1.6.1 Hip Replacement Implants Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Hip Replacement Implants Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Hip Replacement Implants Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Hip Replacement Implants Global Market Analysis1.6.5 Hip Replacement Implants Global Market Development Trend AnalysisBrowse TOC @Chapter Two Hip Replacement Implants Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the 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 @
Construction in Philippines Market 2017 Industry Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast To 2020

Construction in the Philippines

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Pune, India, 22nd December 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Construction in the Philippines - Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020.SynopsisThe Philippine construction industry is expected to continue to grow over the forecast period (20162020). Industry growth will be supported by the countrys development plan, Vision 2021, as well as population growth, urbanization, and favorable government policies with regards to public-private partnership (PPPs).The government is seeking help from foreign investors to modernize its dilapidated infrastructure. In 2015, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) sanctioned a loan of US$600.0 billion for this purpose. In 2014, the government revitalized its PPP model and issued more infrastructure contracts.GET SAMPLE REPORT @In real terms, the industry will post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.22% over the forecast period.SummaryConstruction in the Philippines  Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020 report provides detailed market analysis, information and insights into the Philippine construction industry including: The Philippine construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and construction activity Analysis of equipment, material and service costs for each project type in the Philippines Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, and the risks and opportunities they present to participants in the Philippine construction industry Profiles of the leading operators in the Philippine construction industry Data highlights of the largest construction projects in the PhilippinesScopeThis report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in the Philippines. It provides: Historical (2011-2015) and forecast (2016-2020) valuations of the construction industry in the Philippines using construction output and value-add methods Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by project type Breakdown of values within each project type, by type of activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition) and by type of cost (materials, equipment and services Analysis of key construction industry issues, including regulation, cost management, funding and pricing Detailed profiles of the leading construction companies in the PhilippinesReasons to Buy Identify and evaluate market opportunities using standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies. Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts. Understand the latest industry and market trends. Formulate and validate strategy using critical and actionable insight. Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures. Evaluate competitive risk and success factors.Key Highlights The residential construction market is expected to benefit from government efforts to construct low-cost housing units under various social housing schemes. Due to urbanization, demand is increasing rapidly. According to government estimates, around 346,000 extra units are required annually. To bridge the gap between demand and supply, the government has announced various social housing programs: the Pag-IBIG Affordable Housing Program, the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), the Core Housing Program, the Abot-Kaya Pabahay Fund Developmental Loan Program (AKPF - DLP), and the Slum Upgrading Program. In September 2015, the government announced plans to construct a 36.0km Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines by 2020, for an investment of PHP107.6 billion (US$2.4 billion). There are also plans to construct a passenger terminal building for the Clark International Airport (CIA), for an investment of PHP15.4 billion (US$343.8 million) to accommodate 46.0 million passengers annually by 2025 The Philippines is highly dependent on imports to meet its energy requirements. Due to the high costs associated with generating electricity and the scarcity of crude oil resources, the government is unable to provide a sufficient supply to rural parts of the country. To reduce its reliance on imported energy and to provide sustainable electricity supply, the government is focusing on developing renewable energy sources. A rise in inbound tourist arrivals, coupled with an increase in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies, is expected to fuel the growth of commercial construction market over the forecast period. Initiatives such as Its More Fun in the Philippines and Visit the Philippines 2016 are helping the government to attract more tourists. The governments commitment to developing an adequate education system will drive the growth of institutional construction market over the forecast period. In its 2015 budget, the government increased its spending on education by 18.6%.Table of Content: Key Points1 Executive Summary2 Industry Outlook2.1 Commercial Construction2.2 Industrial Construction2.3 Infrastructure Construction2.4 Energy and Utilities Construction2.5 Institutional Construction2.6 Residential Construction3 Key Issues and Developments4 Market Data Analysis4.1 Construction Output and Value Add4.1.1 Construction output by project type4.1.2 Construction output by cost type4.1.3 Construction output by activity type4.1.4 Construction value add by project type4.2 Commercial Construction4.2.1 Commercial construction output by project type4.2.2 Commercial construction output by cost type4.2.3 Commercial construction output by activity type4.2.4 Commercial construction value add by project type4.3 Industrial Construction4.3.1 Industrial construction output by project type4.3.2 Industrial construction output by cost type4.3.3 Industrial construction output by activity typeContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Aerial Imaging Market 2017 Industry Key Players -NRC Group ASA, Cicade, Digital Aerial Solutions, Cooper Aerial Surveys, Fugro,..

Aerial Imaging Market

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Aerial Imaging Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Aerial Imaging Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.Executive SummaryThis report studies the global Aerial Imaging market, analyzes and researches the Aerial Imaging development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeNRC Group ASACicadeDigital Aerial SolutionsCooper Aerial SurveysFugroLandiscor Aerial InformationEagleView TechnologiesNearmapKucera InternationalRequest Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoHelicoptersFixed-Wing AircraftVehicle-Mounted PolesStand-Alone TelescopingOthersMarket segment by Application, Aerial Imaging can be split intoGovernmentMilitary & DefenseEnergyAgriculture and ForestryCivil EngineeringCommercialInsuranceIf 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 content:Global Aerial Imaging Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Aerial Imaging1.1 Aerial Imaging Market Overview1.1.1 Aerial Imaging Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Aerial Imaging 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 Aerial Imaging Market by Type1.3.1 Helicopters1.3.2 Fixed-Wing Aircraft1.3.3 Vehicle-Mounted Poles1.3.4 Stand-Alone Telescoping1.3.5 Others1.4 Aerial Imaging Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Government1.4.2 Military & Defense1.4.3 Energy1.4.4 Agriculture and Forestry1.4.5 Civil Engineering1.4.6 Commercial1.4.7 Insurance2 Global Aerial Imaging Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Aerial Imaging 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 NRC Group ASA3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Cicade3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Digital Aerial Solutions3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Cooper Aerial Surveys3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 Fugro3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Landiscor Aerial Information3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 EagleView Technologies3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 Nearmap3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 Kucera International3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Aerial Imaging Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.9.5 Recent Developments4 Global Aerial Imaging Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global Aerial Imaging Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global Aerial Imaging Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of Aerial Imaging in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Aerial Imaging5 United States Aerial Imaging Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Aerial Imaging Market Size (2012-2017)5.2 United States Aerial Imaging Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)6 EU Aerial Imaging Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Aerial Imaging Market Size (2012-2017)6.2 EU Aerial Imaging Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)7 Japan Aerial Imaging Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan Aerial Imaging Market Size (2012-2017)7.2 Japan Aerial Imaging Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)8 China Aerial Imaging Development Status and Outlook8.1 China Aerial Imaging Market Size (2012-2017)8.2 China Aerial Imaging Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)9 India Aerial Imaging Development Status and Outlook9.1 India Aerial Imaging Market Size (2012-2017)9.2 India Aerial Imaging Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)10 Southeast Asia Aerial Imaging Development Status and Outlook10.1 Southeast Asia Aerial Imaging Market Size (2012-2017)10.2 Southeast Asia Aerial Imaging Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)11.1 Global Aerial Imaging Market Size (Value) by Regions (2017-2022)11.1.1 United States Aerial Imaging Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.2 EU Aerial Imaging Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.3 Japan Aerial Imaging Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.4 China Aerial Imaging Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.5 India Aerial Imaging Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.6 Southeast Asia Aerial Imaging Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.2 Global Aerial Imaging Market Size (Value) by Type (2017-2022)11.3 Global Aerial Imaging Market Size by Application (2017-2022)12 Aerial Imaging Market Dynamics12.1 Aerial Imaging Market Opportunities12.2 Aerial Imaging Challenge and Risk12.2.1 Competition from Opponents12.2.2 Downside Risks of Economy12.3 Aerial Imaging Market Constraints and Threat12.3.1 Threat from Substitute12.3.2 Government Policy12.3.3 Technology Risks12.4 Aerial Imaging Market Driving Force12.4.1 Growing Demand from Emerging Markets12.4.2 Potential Application13 Market Effect Factors Analysis13.1 Technology Progress/Risk13.1.1 Substitutes13.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry13.2 Consumer Needs Trend/Customer Preference13.3 External Environmental Change13.3.1 Economic Fluctuations13.3.2 Other Risk Factors14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixContinuousBuy 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
Waste Collection Vehicle Market Analysis, and also elements for its future market growth by focusing on Top Companies like A.M.S. S.P.A. Attrezzature Meccaniche Speciali, DULEVO INTERNATIONAL

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Global Waste Collection Vehicle Market 2017 Industry, Analysis, Research, Share, Growth, Sales, Trends, Supply, Forecast to 2022." This is a thorough report consolidating a nitty-gritty and proficient assessment of the current scenario of the market. The study has been aggregated by gathering data from reliable sources, by leading various meetings with top industry specialists, and by consulting different press releases, white papers, and databases.Top Key vendors: A.M.S. S.P.A. Attrezzature Meccaniche Speciali, DULEVO INTERNATIONAL, FAUN Umwelttechnik, GILLARD SAS, Mecagil-Lebon, MERLO SPA, Suze Environment, Cure, NTM  NARPES TRA & METALL, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, Zoomlion International TradeGet Sample Copy of Report:The report offers a basic outline of the Global Waste Collection Vehicle Industry. It incorporates definitions, product particulars, classification, and applications of the worldwide market. The investigation additionally contains a value chain analysis and an industry review of the significant regions and their status in the worldwide market.The report expresses a layout of the Global Waste Collection Vehicle Market in terms of product, application, and end-use. The report likewise gives import & export and consumption data alongside value, cost, gross margin, and income as per the significant regions. The regions in focus in this report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Other minor areas are additionally specified in the report.The Global Waste Collection Vehicle Market is an astoundingly efficient, forte market with the presence of a preset number of dealers. Providers in the market competition in the context of esteeming, types of progressions, benefits, reputation, dispersal, and advancement. As the market is still in its development stage, small-scale merchants with innovative solutions have the odds of being acquired by pervasive pioneers in the market.For more information:Players in the Global Waste Collection Vehicle Market are dependably taking a stab at modernization. The report provides both, subjective and quantitative research of the market, and incorporates commendable bits of knowledge into the rational scenario and favored improvement strategies adopted by key contenders. The report's conclusion reveals the general scope of the Global Waste Collection Vehicle Market in terms of the practicality of interests in the distinctive portions of the market, along with an illustrating area that blueprints the plausibility of new pursuits that may prevail in the market in the coming years.Table of Content:Global Waste Collection Vehicle OverviewGlobal Waste Collection Vehicle Market Competition by ManufacturersGlobal Waste Collection Vehicle Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2017-2022)Global Waste Collection Vehicle Sales (Volume) by Application (2017-2022)Global Waste Collection Vehicle Market Systems Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisGlobal Waste Collection Vehicle Manufacturing Cost AnalysisIndustrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersMarketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersMarket Effect Factors AnalysisGlobal Waste Collection Vehicle Market Forecast (2017-2022)Research Findings and ConclusionGet Discount on this report:About QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Globally New Market Research Report : Shared Services Market Expected To Reach at a CAGR of 16.55% by Revenue During the Period 2017-2021

Market Research Report

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Shared Services Market 2017-2021" to its huge collection of research reports.About Shared ServicesThe concept of shared services evolved to manage single or multiple functions of business units by sharing information and resources among the different business units of an organization. Shared service centers (SSCs) are offered by service providers to manage the functions of different business units within an organization. SSCs can be located anywhere across the globe depending on the business requirements of the clients.Technavios analysts forecast the global shared services market to grow at a CAGR of 16.55% during the period 2017-2021.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global shared services market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from shared services offered by vendors in the market and the total contract value of deals on shared services across industry verticals.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavios report, Global Shared Services Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsCognizantInfosysSAPTCSWiproOther prominent vendorsAccentureAtosCapgeminiCGIDeloitteEXLGenpactMake an Enquiry about TOC @HCLIBMiGATEOracleThe Hackett GroupT-SystemsPwCServiceNowMarket driverCost reduction and increasing business efficiencyFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeEffective design and implementation of SSCsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendAdvent of customized SSCsFor 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?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,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.us
Department Stores Retailing Global Market 2017: Key Players David Jones, Marks and Spencer, Pantaloons, Westside

Department Stores

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SummaryGlobal department store retail market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% during 20152020, driven by the rising purchasing power of the middle-class population, young working professionals, and the expansion of department stores in emerging markets. Off-price department store sales are growing positively in North America, and the format is expected to gain popularity in Europe in the future. In an effort to provide a seamless shopping experience to the customers, department store retailers are developing new innovative concepts such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and others.Get Sample Report @Companies mentionedDavid JonesMyerMacysSaks Fifth AvenueNordstromJC PennyKOHLSDillardsHudsons Bay CompanyFalabellaLojas RiachueloLiverpoolLojas RennerC&AMarisaSearsLojas Americanas S.ACoppel S.AHouse of FraserMarks and SpencerDebenhamsJohn LewisStrauss InnovationGaleria KaufhofStockmannGaleries LafayettePrintempsEl Corte InglesKarstadtTargetLotte Department storeHyundai GroupParksonIntime retailMarks and SpencerPantaloonsWestsideShow more Key Findings- Global department store sales are forecast to reach US$675.9 billion by 2020, with major impetus from developing economies- Clothing and footwear remained the most preferred category through the channel- Shoppers seeking discounts and savings are driving sales in off-price department stores- Indonesia will grow the fastest during the forecast period, followed by India and Philippines- Despite a slow growth in the US, the market will continue to be the largest market in 2020Synopsis- Provides a comprehensive view of the global department stores retail landscape, including current market sizes and category forecasts to 2020; and highlights the worlds fastest growing markets and category groups- Details market size and category forecasts for each region and countries, and features major retailers, key innovative retailers, and department store retail trends- The report covers the 50 largest retail markets and includes 24 countries in Europe, 12 countries in Asia-Pacific, nine countries in the Americas, and five countries in the Middle East and AfricaReasons to Buy- The report provides an essential overview of the global department stores retail market, highlighting the largest and fastest-growing markets across the globe- Provides analysis of the latest trends, market dynamics (covering nine category groups) and key innovations in the retail space in major countries across the four regions- Identify the largest and fastest-growing categories in major countries across the four regions- Benefit from detailed analysis of key trends influencing the department store retail market.- Monitor the competitive landscape, with analysis of key players across the four regions, including market share of the retailers for the regionTable of ContentsHighlightsGlobal Department Stores Retailing, 20152020Executive SummaryGlobal Department Stores RetailingThe marketCategory AnalysisTrendsKey department store retailersDepartment stores retailing in the Americas - The market, category analysis and trendsMajor retailers and retail innovations in the AmericasDepartment stores retailing in Europe - The market, category analysis and trendsMajor retailers and retail innovations in EuropeDepartment stores retailing in Asia-Pacific - The market, category analysis and trendsMajor retailers and retail innovations in Asia-PacifiDepartment stores retailing in the Middle East and Africa - The market, category analysis and trendsMajor retailers and retail innovations in the Middle East and AfricaAccess Report @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market Analysis, Market Size, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 To 2022, Focusing On Top Key Vendors: Accenture,Amazon,APTEAN (Formerly CDC Software),Cisco Systems

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The report, titled Global Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market. The report on the global market offers an elaborate assessment of key drivers and restraints, emerging trends, notable opportunities, prominent business use cases, and recent technological advancements. The research presents a thorough insight into the share and size of various types of lucrative avenues, and competitive landscape.Top Key Vendors:Accenture,Amazon,APTEAN (Formerly CDC Software),CiscoSystems,Cloudera,Dell,EMC,Facebook,GoodData Corporation,Google,Guavus,Hitachi Data Systems,HortonworksGet Sample Copy of this Report @The report offers a fundamental overview of the Global Market. It includes definitions, product specifications, classification, and applications of the global market. The study also comprises an industry chain analysis and an industry overview of the major regions and their status in the global market.The next section of the report analyzes the development plans and policies, manufacturing process, and product cost structure of the Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market. The report specifically focuses on the leading regions and manufacturers engaged in the production of consumer devices along with the analysis of the competitive landscape, development trends, and prime regions status of development. The report also contains information such as company profiles, product specification and picture, production capacity, cost, revenue, and gross profit margin.Know more about this Premium Report @The report profiles the key market players which are dominant in the global Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market. It also provides essential information about leading companies, such as product specification, financial overview, business overview, contact information, and recent developments. The list of figures provided in the table of content has mentioned all of the statistical representations of the market offered in the report.On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.In the concluding divisions of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Big Data For Telcos and Telecom Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2022)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2022)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2022)Chapter 13 AppendixWe at, QYReports, a leading market research report published accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers includes prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into the analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Telecommunications Romania Market 2017: Key Players Orange, Telekom, Vodafone, Nextgen

Telecommunications Romania

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SummaryThe telecommunications market in Romania will generate $3.0bn in service revenue in 2016. The telecom services revenue in Romania is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.1% during 2016-2021, driven by growth in mobile data, fixed broadband and pay-TV segments. Mobile data and pay-TV will be the fastest-growing segment in the telecom market. Going forward, operators should focus on fixed mobile convergence and triple-play and quad-play offerings to improve their ARPU and churn. Investment by operators in 4G network expansion and development and fiber deployments will provide significant opportunities for vendors to support network operators by offering afordable LTE-compatible devices.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentionedOrange RomaniaTelekom RomaniaVodafone RomaniaRCS&RDSUPC RomaniaNextgenKey FindingsThe overall telecom service revenue in Romania is estimated to generate $3.0bn in 2016 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.1% during 2016-2021, mainly driven by the data segment.- Operators are focusing on fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) and triple play and quad offerings to increase their subscriber base.- Mobile revenue will account for 61.9% of the total telecom revenue in 2021; mobile data will be the fastest-growing segment over 2016-2021.- The Romania telecom market will be dominated by Orange Romania as the overall leading operator, followed by Telekom Romania and Vodafone Romania.Synopsis"Romania: Ultrafast Mobile and Fixed Network Expansion to Drive ARPS and Revenue Growth," a new Country Intelligence Report by Pyramid Research, provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Romania today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. Published annually, the report provides detailed analysis of the near-term opportunities, competitive dynamics and evolution of demand by service type and technology/platform across the fixed telephony, broadband, mobile and pay-TV sectors, as well as a review of key regulatory trends.The Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:- Regional context: telecom market size and trends in Romania compared with other countries in the region.- Economic, demographic and political context in Romania.- The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans, number portability and more.- A demand profile: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony (including VoIP), broadband, mobile voice, mobile data and pay-TV markets.- Service evolution: a look at changes in the breakdown of overall revenue between the fixed/pay-TV and mobile sectors and between voice, data and video from 2016 to 2021.- The competitive landscape: an examination of key trends in competition and in the performance, revenue market shares and expected moves of service providers over the next 18-24 months.- In-depth sector analysis of fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice, mobile data and pay-TV services: a quantitative analysis of service adoption trends by network technology and by operator, as well as of average revenue per line/subscription and service revenue through the end of the forecast period.- Main opportunities: this section details the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in Romania's telecommunications and pay-TV markets.Reasons to Buy- This Country Intelligence Report offers a thorough, forward-looking analysis of Romanias telecommunications and pay-TV markets, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format to help executives build proactive and profitable growth strategies.- Accompanying Pyramid Researchs Forecast products, the report examines the assumptions and drivers behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Romanias mobile communications, fixed telephony/VoIP, broadband and pay-TV markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares.- With more than 20 charts and tables, the report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality.- The report provides an easily digestible market assessment for decision-makers built around in-depth information gathered from local market players, which enables executives to quickly get up to speed with the current and emerging trends in Romanias telecommunications and pay-TV markets.- The broad perspective of the report coupled with comprehensive, actionable detail will help operators, equipment vendors and other telecom industry players succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Romania.Table of Content: Key PointsExecutive summaryMarket and competitor overviewRegional contextEconomic, demographic and political contextRegulatory environmentDemand profileService evolutionCompetitive landscapeMajor market playersSegment analysis Mobile servicesFixed servicesPay-TVIdentifying opportunitiesOverall market opportunitiesContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Explored in latest research Pressure-Monitoring Kits Market Size & Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Pressure-Monitoring Kits Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the market on the basis of type, application, medical condition, and region. It provides detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the market. This report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments of the key players in terms of market developments, product portfolios, and financials.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Measurement of vital signs is the crucial first line of treatment of any disease. Pressure is one of the most widely monitored vital signs for assessment of the health status of an individual. With rising innovations in overall transducers as well as monitors used for monitoring of several types of body pressure, the demand for proper pressure-monitoring kits continues to rise. Pressure-monitoring kits combine accessories used for pressure measurement such as transducer domes, high pressure-monitoring lines, flushing devices, infusion sets with or without luer locks, stopcocks, flush devices, and drip chambers.The global pressure-monitoring kits market is likely to register a stable growth rate during the forecast period, owing to limited scope for product innovation and development in terms of designing and packaging. Major market players involved in the manufacture of pressure-monitoring kits are primarily focused on pressure monitors such as blood pressure monitors. However, globally increasing utilization of pressure monitors can be correlated to increased consumption of pressure-monitoring kits. This is likely to drive the global pressure-monitoring kits market during the forecast period. Some other driving factors are improved hospital infrastructure, enhanced monitoring of vital signs at outpatient settings such as acute care settings, and skilled nursing facilities. However, rapidly rising market penetration by local/emerging market players, which offer pressure-monitoring kits at lower prices owing to factors such as reduction in transportation cost, is increasing the market fragmentation. This is likely to induce pricing pressure during the forecast period.The global pressure-monitoring kits market can be categorized based on kit type, kit model, pressure measurement type, end-user, and region. In terms of kit type, the global pressure-monitoring kits market can be segmented into single-line pressure-monitoring kits and multiple-line pressure-monitoring kits. The multiple-line pressure-monitoring kits segment can be sub-divided into double-line pressure-monitoring kits, triple-line pressure-monitoring kits, and pressure-monitoring kits with more than three lines. In terms of kit model, the market can be classified into neonatal pressure-monitoring kits, standard pressure-monitoring kits, and transducer pressure-monitoring kits. In terms of pressure measurement type, the global pressure-monitoring kits market can be divided into intracranial pressure, blood pressure, intrauterine pressure, abdominal pressure, bladder pressure, and others. Based on end-user, the market can be categorized into hospitals, clinics/specialty clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care centers, and others.View Report @In terms of region, the global pressure-monitoring kits market can be divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The market in Asia Pacific is likely to witness constant growth in terms of revenue during the forecast period, owing to significantly rising prevalence of hypertension and chronic pathologies requiring long-term care, improving health care infrastructure in developing countries in the region, and rising per capita health care expenditure. North America is expected to dominate the global Pressure-monitoring Kits market from 2017 to 2025, due to rising awareness about pet health checkups and increasing utilization of advanced physical examination techniques such as electronic weighing scales for animals in various industries such as milk & dairy products in the region. The overall development in techniques of the animal husbandry is likely to drive the market in North America during the forecast period.Key players operating in the global pressure-monitoring kits market include, but are not limited to, ICU Medical, Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, C. R. Bard, Inc., Integra LifeSciences Corporation, Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, Lifeline Services Pvt. Ltd., and BL Lifesciences.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
New Research Report Explore Performance Coatings Market Expected to Represent Value of US$102 bn by 2022

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This research report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Performance Coating Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2022The main objective of this report is to deliver insightful information and clear-cut facts pertaining to the growth trajectories of the market.Request to view Sample Report @Global Performance Coating Market: SnapshotThe global performance coatings market has become a key part of the growth of the manufacturing sector across the world. Performance coatings offer physical advantages to finished products, including increased resistance to environmental factors. This is becoming an important issue in the increasingly competitive manufacturing sector, leading to growing demand from the global performance coatings market. Growing demand from diverse end use sectors such as marine, power, automotive, and aerospace is likely to drive the global performance coatings market at a strong CAGR in the coming years.Valued at US$79.1 bn in 2017, the global performance coatings market is likely to exhibit a 5.2% CAGR in the 2017-2022 forecast period to rise to a value of US$102 bn.Rising Demand from Numerous End Use Industries to Propel Performance Coatings MarketThe key driver for the global performance coatings market is their widespread adoption in a wide range of industrial sectors. The manufacturing sectors rampant growth in recent years has been vital for the performance coatings market, making sectors such as consumer goods, automotive, and aerospace likely to remain key contributors to the market. The enhancements provided by performance coatings have become vital in the manufacturing sector, making it likely to remain a crucial driver for the global performance coatings market.The power sector is also likely to emerge as a major contributor to the global performance coatings market. Technical advancements in power grid infrastructure are likely to drive demand for performance coatings, while the rising demand for alternative energy sources such as solar is also likely to lead to growing demand from the performance coatings market. The solar energy sector in particular is likely to exhibit steady growth in the demand for performance coatings, as they play a vital role in maximizing the utility of solar energy installations. The increasing demand for solar power in underdeveloped countries as a mass-scale alternative to costlier forms of energy is likely to remain a key driver for the performance coatings industry.Browse Full Report with TOC @Asia Pacific except Japan, Europe to Dominate Global Performance Coatings MarketGeographically, the global performance coatings market is segmented into Asia Pacific except Japan, Japan, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Of these, Asia Pacific except Japan is likely to remain the leading regional contributor to the global performance coatings market, accounting for more than 30% of the global market throughout the 2017-2022 forecast period. The APEJ performance coatings market is likely to reach a valuation of US$34.8 bn by 2022, exhibiting a strong 6.2% CAGR therein. Japan is also likely to remain a strong contender in the global performance coatings market, with the region likely to be valued at US$11.2 bn by 2022, exhibiting a solid 5.6% CAGR in the 2017-2022 forecast period.Europe is another dominant contender in the global performance coatings market due to the proliferation of the manufacturing sector in the region. The Europe market for performance coatings is expected to be valued at US$22.1 bn by 2022, exhibiting a solid 4.5% CAGR in the 2017-2022 forecast period. Growth of local manufacturing centers in the U.S. has also led to significant demand from the performance coatings market from North America. The latter is likely to rise from US$15.8 bn to US$19.8 bn over the 2017-2022 forecast period.Competitive DynamicsLeading companies such as AkzoNobel NV, Masco Corporation, Hempel A/S, Jotun A/S, The Valspar Corporation, Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., Nippon Paint Holding Co. Ltd., BASF SE, and PPG Industries Inc. dominate the global performance coatings market. There is significant scope for new players in the burgeoning industry, while collaborations between industry players in various regions could also be a feature of the performance coatings market in the coming years.Enquire about this Report @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:
Wood Coatings Market Foraying into Emerging Economies During 2014 - 2020

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Wood coatings refer to the process of refining or protecting a wooden surface, especially in the production of furniture. Wood coating applications include: interior wood, small furniture, panels, tables, cupboards, chairs, office furniture, kitchen furniture, doors and staircases among others. There are generally three types of wood coating: evaporative, reactive and coalescing. Wood coating starts with sanding either by hand or scraping. Imperfections or nail holes on the surface may be filled using wood filler. Often, the wood's color is changed by staining, bleaching, or any other techniques. Once the wood surface is prepared and stained, the coating is applied. It usually consists of several coats of shellac, drying oil, paint, wax or lacquer. Finally, the surface may be polished using wool, steel, rotten stone or other materials, depending on the shine desired. In addition, a final coat of wax is applied over the finish to add a degree of protection.Furniture, decking, and siding are the three largest applications in value terms. However, smaller doors, windows and cabinet applications are expected to achieve faster growth in the near future. Paint is the dominant wood protection product used on siding, windows and doors, but stains and sealers are more widely utilized on cabinets, decks, furniture, and flooring. Residential end-user is the largest market for wood protection products, driven by maintenance demand for items such as fences, siding and decks. Non-residential and non-building uses account for a much smaller market for wood protection products.A sample of this report is available upon request @The growth in the housing market is the primary driver for the wood coatings market. Homeowners are investing more in the upkeep of their decks, fences, floors and siding. A well maintained home adds value of the home and saves money in the long term. In addition, stringent regulations, rising competition, growth in unique formulations and new product developments are some of the factors stimulating the growth of wood coatings market. However, availability of cheaper and quality substitutes, such as wood composites and plastic wood could hamper the growth of this market. These alternative are often more durable and require less maintenance as compared to wood products. Although substitutes are available, wood is a primary choice for commercial and residential purposes due to wide availably in the market. Wood coatings account for the majority of the wood protection demand with paints and stains holding the largest shares. In contrast, preservatives, which are applied to lumber by the wood treatment companies, account for smaller portion of wood protection demand.Asia Pacific is currently the largest market for wood coatings, followed by Europe, North America and Rest of the world (RoW). Sustained demand from the developed markets and burgeoning demand from emerging economies will continue to drive the wood coating market. The industry is witnessing a major shift of key market players from Europe and the U.S. to the emerging economies of Asia Pacific, comprising of China and India.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the key players in this market are Akzo Nobel Coatings nv (Netherlands), PPG Industries Inc. (U.S.), Sherwin-Williams Co. (U.S.), DuPont Coatings and Color Technologies Group (U.S.), ICI Paints (UK), BASF Coatings AG (Germany), Valspar Corp. (U.S.), Nippon Paint Co. Ltd. (Japan), Dow Coating Materials (U.S.) and Kansai Paint Co. Ltd. (Japan) among others. Dow Coating Materials has launched two new acrylic binders for the wood coatings: EXP-4414 and EXP-77. According to the company, the new binders offer improved block, print and dirt pickup resistance and improved hardness development when applied to wood.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 categories such as market segments, geographies, types and applications.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.Abhishek BudholiyaFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
High Temperature Ceramics Market Projected to Grow Steadily During (2014-2020)

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Ceramics are covalent compounds containing metal and non-metal atoms primarily held in covalent and ionic bonds. Generally, ceramics are made by taking mixtures of earth elements, powders, water and clay. This mixture is shaped into the desired form and is then fired in a high temperature oven. Ceramics are then painted with glazes which are waterproof and decorative. At elevated temperature, ceramics have high hardness, high melting points, excellent chemical corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. Some ceramics are good dielectrics or insulators, whereas others are good electrical or thermal conductors. Ceramics are widely used in our daily life. Glass, plates, bricks, tiles and sanitary ware are some examples of the ceramics we see every day. Ceramics can also be found in products like automobiles (sparkplug), phone lines and watches. They are even used in space shuttles and aircrafts. Ceramics can be broadly classified into two categories: traditional and advanced. Traditional ceramics include clay products such as cement and glass, whereas advanced ceramics consist of pure oxides, nitrides, carbides and many others.Advanced ceramics are widely used in industrial applications where the operating temperature is generally high or which require hard substances that can withstand great pressure. Ceramics offer various advantages compared to other materials. Ceramics are more corrosion and heat resistant than polymers or metals, stiffer and harder than steel, and have a lower density than most alloys and metals. Raw material for advance ceramics materials are plentiful, inexpensive and display wide range of properties. For automotive applications, they are used in various applications like airbag sensors, spark plugs, valves, vibration sensors, pressure sensors, oxygen sensors, thermistors, catalytic converters, ceramic rotors, ceramic filters piston rings and safety glass windshields.Request For Report Sample@The different types of high temperature ceramics include ceramic matrix composites and ultrahigh temperature ceramic coatings. Advanced high temperature materials are key components in the emerging material technologies, which are giving impetus to many industries. The global high temperature ceramics market is driven by several factors like replacement of materials for the sake of creating cost effective solutions, the growing demand for energy conservation across various industries, and government regulations to reduce greenhouse emissions.The global high temperature ceramics market is led by AsiaPacific (APAC) which accounts for over 40-45% of the total consumption by volume. The cost of high temperature ceramics in APAC is lesser than that in Europe, North America or Latin America. In terms of revenue, North America is the largest market followed by APAC and Europe. The cost of high temperature ceramics is expected to remain low for the next few years in the APAC region. Due to government regulations and incentives offered for sustainability and energy conservation, North America and Europe are expected to offer significant growth opportunities for the high temperature ceramics market.On the basis of industry applications, the global high temperature ceramics market is segmented into automotive, aerospace, chemical processing, metallurgical, power generation and others. Some of the most common applications of high temperature ceramics are afterburners, boilers, castings, exhaust stacks, flanges, furnaces, headers, incinerators, manifolds, molds and dies, ovens, heat exchangers, pumps, blowers, pipingand ducting. In the aerospace industry, high temperature ceramics are used in cutting edge applications, which require structural and chemical stability at extremely high operating temperatures. On the basis of composition, the high temperature ceramics are segmented into oxides (alumina, zirconia), non-oxides (carbides, nitrides) and composites (combination of oxides and non-oxides).There are many global and regional players operating in the high temperature ceramics market especially in APAC. Some of the key participants are Morgan Thermal Ceramics, ZIRCAR Ceramics, Inc., Skamol A/S, Promat International, IBIDEN Company Ltd., Rath Incorporated, General Insulation Europe Ltd., Unifrax Corporation, and Shandong Luyang Share Co. Ltd.In future, the understanding and controlling behavior of the microstructures and properties of high temperature ceramics are expected to be key elements in research activities. This research will further increase the operating temperature limits of existing high temperature ceramics.Visit For TOC@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 usinga suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.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.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: http.futuremarketinsights.com
Global Anticorrosion Coating Market Estimated to Flourish by 2015  2021

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Anticorrosion coatings are coatings applied on a surface to prevent it from corrosion. Other desired characteristics of anticorrosion coatings comprise light weight, chemical resistance, abrasion resistance and gloss retention among others. Heavy metals such as zinc and titanium are among major raw materials employed in the production of anticorrosion coatings. Major application segment for anticorrosion coatings include building & construction, automotive, industrial machinery and electronics among others. Building & construction is the most dominant application segment for anticorrosion coatings and this trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period.Request Report for TOC @Increasing investment in infrastructure mainly across the developing and emerging economies has been a dominant factor driving demand for anticorrosion coatings. Steel is among major raw materials employed in the infrastructure segment. Although steel has high tensile strength, it is prone to corrosion and other substitutes have higher costs. Moreover, surge in economic losses owing to corrosion of structures, has been driving demand for the coatings across the globe. High growth in automotive market is also among foremost factors driving demand for anticorrosion coatings. Several raw materials employed in the production of anticorrosion coatings pose severe threat to environment and human health. The hazards have led to surge in government regulations that have restrained anticorrosion coatings market growth. Research and development to develop bio based anticorrosion coatings are anticipated to offer huge growth opportunity for the market.Asia Pacific dominated the global demand for anticorrosion coatings in 2013 and this trend is anticipated to continue till the end of 2020. Asia Pacific comprises two of the fastest growing economies across the globe: India and China. China is the largest producer and consumer of anticorrosion coatings. Moreover, high GDP growth and increasing disposable income in Asia Pacific has led to high growth in several end user industries for anticorrosion coatings including automotives, marine, etc. High growth in end user industries is among foremost factors driving demand for anticorrosion coatings in Asia Pacific. Owing to aforementioned factors, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing geographic segment for anticorrosion coatings.Request to Sample of ReportNorth America is the second largest market for anticorrosion coatings followed by Europe. Demand for anticorrosion coatings in North America and Europe is expected to foresee a sluggish growth rate primarily owing to market saturation coupled with surge in environmental regulations. Moreover, reviving automotive segment in Europe is anticipated to drive anticorrosion coatings market growth in the region. High growth in the developing economies of South America and Africa is anticipated to offer huge growth opportunity for anticorrosion market.Anticorrosion coatings market is driven by innovation and major players compete by increasing their research and development activities to meet the dynamic demand of end consumers. Moreover, surge in environmental regulations have further boosted the research and development activities. The market is fragmented and major portion of the global market share is constituted by regional players. Therefore the market is characterized by high price sensitivity. Moreover, low capital investment has increased the threat of new entrants mainly in the emerging and developing economies. Hence anticorrosion market has high degree of competition that is expected to remain high for a foreseeable future. Major players in the anticorrosion coatings market include AkzoNobel NV, Nippon Paint Co. Ltd., Diamond Vogel Paints, RPM. International, Sono-Tek Corporation, PPG Industries Inc., Sherwin-Williams Company, The Dow Chemical Company and Royal DSM N.V. among others.Pre Book Full ReportAbout 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.com
Examination Tables Market to Touch US$ 440 Mn by 2022 : PMR

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The global examination tables market is slated to touch a value of about US$ 440 Mn in the year 2022 and display a moderate CAGR during the assessment period.With a growing load on the healthcare sector and consequently on the healthcare practitioners, the hospitals are looking for ways constantly to improve the working conditions of the doctors, nurses and other treatment staff. Hence, in order to avoid problems like back pain in doctors and nurses, ergonomically designed patient examination tables are used that are safe, flexible and reliable.Examination tables are used to give support to the patients during a medical examination. Examination tables are equipped with a hydraulic device or an electric motor so that the table can transform from a fully reclined position to a straight seated position so that to facilitate the examination of the patient by the doctor. Rise in the number of chronic diseases, rise in the number of old age patients and increasing healthcare spending are some of the major factors contributing to the progress of the examination tables market.Report overview @4 Forecast Highlights on Global Examination Tables MarketAs per the forecast of Persistence Market Research, the special examination table segment is slated to touch a value of nearly US$ 150 Mn in the year 2022. This represents a moderate CAGR during the assessment period of 2017-2022. The special examination table segment is estimated to account for nearly one-third of the revenue share of the product type segment by the year 2017 and is forecasted to gain market share by 2022 over 2017.As per the forecast of Persistence Market Research, the ASCs end user segment will reach a value of nearly US$ 100 Mn in the year 2017. This represents a moderate CAGR growth during the forecast period. The ASCs end user segment is forecasted to account for more than one-fourth of the total revenue share of the end user segment by the end of the year 2017 and is expected to gain in market share by 2022 as compared with the year 2017.Request to sample report @As per the forecast of Persistence Market Research, the powered source type segment is slated to reach a value of about US$ 140 Mn in 2022. The powered source type segment is expected to lose market share by the end of the year 2022. The largest share is contributed by the Europe region in the strips powered source type segment.Persistence Market Research forecasts the Germany examination tables market to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of less than 5.0% from 2017 to 2022.The report has also included the profiles of some of the leading companies in the examination tables market like ADDvise Group AB, Narang Medical Limited, Cardinal Health, Inc., Skytron Corporation, Hamilton Medical AG, Allengers Medical Systems Limited and United Metal Fabricators, Inc.Get full report now @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:
Enterprise Mobility Management Market 2017: Key Players  SAP, Blackberry, IBM, Citrix, Microsoft and More

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Pune, India, 28 August 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Strategic Focus Report  Enterprise Mobility Management.Enterprise mobility management (EMM) is a bunch of combination design, technology, rules, and various tool which is used to protect and manage mobile devices in organizations or corporate sectors. EMM mainly focuses on enterprise administration, security, management, and mobile could technology. It covers business processes such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, and policies on all mobile devices that have a larger part. The scope of EMM focuses specifically on security, application integration, and management, as well as the financial implications of such measures.In short, Enterprise Mobility Management is the best application to protect your corporate information, helps in improving employees productivity, and enable to carry out business in new ways.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentionedSAPBlackberryIBMCitrixSymantecVmwareTangoeMicrosoftMobileIronHPMobility helps to see the functioning of the IOT environment by providing comprehensive connectivity using new technologies, to keep companies competitive, to develop new capacities, and create excellent mobile experiences in information-driven activities. Bring your own devices (BYOD) to trend business is becoming more common, the density of mobile devices has increased.The report analyzes the current trends, drivers and inhibitors, which affects the enterprise mobility management market. Enterprise Mobility Management Technology has evolved and identifies and evaluates the market's best performing vendors. By highlighting the size and growth of the market by technology, geography, sector and size band, this report shows the revenue opportunity of the Enterprise Mobility Management Market by 2020. In addition, following a deeper ICT decision-making survey, the report outlines the enterprise priorities in the Enterprise Mobility Management Segment.The report also highlight some key analysis in report: Latest Trends Affecting the Enterprise Mobility Management Market. Market Drivers (both supply-side and demand-side) which will help the growth of the Enterprise Mobility Management Market. Market Inhibitors, which will broadly adopt Enterprise Mobility Management Solutions. Find out the investment priorities of enterprises based on their budgetary provisions related to mobility.Enterprise Mobility Management key players are SAP, Blackberry, IBM, Citrix, Symantec, Vmware, Tangoe, Microsoft, MobileIron, and HP.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
Global Polyvinyl Acetate Adhesives Market Set to Witness an Uptick during 2015  2021

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Polyvinyl acetate is a rubber synthetic polymer, or plastic. It belongs to polyvinyl ester family and is categorized as a thermoplastic, meaning it melts at high temperatures and is elastic and flexible at room temperature. Polyvinyl acetate is a vinyl polymer and is prepared by polymerization of vinyl acetate monomer.Polyvinyl acetate adhesive is glue containing this compound and is used in the form of emulsions. Polyvinyl acetate emulsions exhibit superior compatibility with modifying resins and can be used for broad range of applications through formulation. In addition to compatibility, molecular weight (grade), the amount and type of protective colloid used to produce the emulsion affect adhesive properties. Variations in type and quantity of protective colloid used in producing the polyvinyl acetate emulsion have a major impact on the performance of the adhesive film. Polyvinyl acetate adhesive can vary in moisture sensitivity by changing the content and type of the protective colloid. Polyvinyl acetate based adhesives have superior strength and offer good adhesion to a variety of surfaces. They are non toxic, do not pose health risks and are environmentally friendly. Polyvinyl acetate adhesive is a component of a widely used glue types, commonly referred to as white glue, wood glue, school glue, carpenters glue, Elmer's glue or PVA glue. Polyvinyl acetate glues are easy to use, since they can be cleaned up with water, do not give off any hazardous fumes and are safe to handle without gloves or other skin protection equipment, but they do not hold up well in moist conditions.Request Report for TOC @Many common types of glue, including standard school glue, contain polyvinyl acetate. Polyvinyl acetate adhesive glues are very easy to use and economical. Yellow carpenter's glue, used for woodworking and other construction projects, is also polyvinyl acetate adhesive. Polyvinyl acetate adhesive works best on porous materials, such as wood, paper, and cardboard, and is also recommended when gluing vinyl and leather. Many polyvinyl acetate glues are white, and they are used for a wide variety of purposes, such as making collages, paper crafts, and paper packaging. These adhesives are acid-free, which makes them especially suited to projects like bookbinding, where an acidic adhesive would degrade the paper quality.The continuous use of polyvinyl acetate as an ingredient for common glue and other commercial glues will be a driving factor for polyvinyl acetate adhesive industry.The growing consumption of polyvinyl acetate adhesives in emerging economies and of lack of environmental friendly alternatives are other instrumental factors for the growth of this industry. However, polyvinyl acetate adhesives are not effective on any surface that is non-porous. In addition, they are mostly effectively near room temperature and cannot be used for outdoor winter tasks which could hamper the growth of this market.Request to Sample of ReportAsia Pacific leads the world in consumption of polyvinyl acetate adhesives followed by Europe and North America. China is the dominant market in Asia Pacific followed by Taiwan, Mexico, Japan, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Republic of Korea. Over the next few years Asia Pacific will increase its grips over the polyvinyl acetate adhesives market and would remain the world leader.Some of the key players in this market are H.B.Fuller (U.S), Henkel AG (Germany), Hindustan Adhesives Limited (India), 3M Company (U.S.), Ashland Specialty Chemical Company (U.S.), BASF (Germany), and The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.) among others.Pre Book Full ReportAbout 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.com
Global Polyester Adhesives Market Foreseen to Grow Exponentially Over 2015 - 2021

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Any substance applied to the surfaces of materials that binds them together is known as an adhesive. Polyester adhesives are synthetic adhesives based on saturated or unsaturated polymers. These adhesives are referred to as multi-component adhesives, which mean they harden by mixing two or more components which chemically react. The components of polyester adhesives include solvents (acetone or a mixture of acetone and alcohol), hardening initiators (organic peroxides or hydroperoxides), hardening catalysts (tertiary amines or cobalt salts), and extenders (cement or silica). All the components of polyester adhesives are mixed just before use. Without the use of extenders, the adhesives are slightly colored or are colorless liquid compositions and have a working life ranging from several minutes or several hours. Polyester adhesives ensure high adhesion strength to plastics and other materials like metals, rubber, wood, silica and organic glass. The adhesive bonds are resistant to water, gasoline and mold as well as to weak acids and salt solutions.Request Report for TOC @The application of polyester adhesives widely lie in the manufacture of optical products, furniture and also used widely in the construction business. A polyester product called as polyester hot-melt adhesive films are designed to show excellent adhesion to a variety of fabrics and plastics. They are heat resistant, show high bond strength and exhibit excellent chemical resistance. These films have a stiff hand and are typically not suited for application where elasticity is required. Due to its excellent adhesion, great wash resistance and fast set times they are widely used adhesives. Polyester adhesive tapes find their use in splicing- treated paper to low profile decorative trim.The market demand for polyester products is high due to its application particularly in the construction and furniture line. The construction industry is growing globally especially in developing countries like India and China where the construction market is huge. They make use of polyester adhesives largely. The market for this product is growing and is expected to rise further in the next few years. Every household all over the world requires furniture and hence there is continuous demand for this product in the market and since it does not cause any significant harm to the environment, there are no extreme stringent policies for its use. Other end users for this product include the textile, footwear, autoomobile and product assembly sectors. Owing to the growth of these industries the market for polyester adhesives is not foreseen to go down any time in the next few years. A few companies have registered patents relating to the methods used to manufacture these products.Request to Sample of ReportThe main market segments for this product include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Asia Pacific has the biggest market demand for polyester adhesives due to the growth in the textile and construction industries. The U.S. is one of the biggest suppliers of raw materials that are required for the production of polyester adhesives. Europe also has high market demand for this product, as it is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world. Polyester coatings do not particularly cause environmental problems and hence the European and American governments do not have extreme stringent policies against its use. The RoW segment, which is still developing in the construction field, also has a big market for polyester adhesives.Some of the main companies profiled for this product include Dow Chemical Company, ABP International, EY Technologies (division of Pascale Industries Ltd.), Rayven, Axson Technologies, and Evonik Industries among others.Pre Book Full ReportAbout 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Water-Borne Inks and Paints Market Report Offers Intelligence and Forecast till (2014-2020)

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Solvent-borne paints occupy a major share in the global market, however, with international rules and regulations playing their own cards, the market is set to shift its paradigm towards water-borne paints. The paint industry is growing at a modest rate after the recent economic recession of the 21st century. Solvent-based paints, used primarily for different types of coatings,captures a very large market volume of paints. However, high cost of solvent-based paints along with stringentregulations imposed by government agencies across the globe are pushing the paint and coatings industryto shift their technology to water-borne paints.Increasing use of aliphatic hydrocarbons, ketones and aromatic hydrocarbons as solventsisthe major cause of environmental and health concerns. Water-borne solvents areconsidered the best alternative source for paint industries. With almost nil environmental effect, it is seen to streamline the business operations of the paint and coatings industry in the near future.Request For Report Sample@It is expected that the marketsoperating in the paint and coatings domain will see a moderateCAGR in between 2014 and 2020. The key driving factor behind this vertical surge can be attributed to the fact that end-user applications such as industrial, architecture, wood coatings, packaging, coil coatings, marine protective coatings and aerospace coatings aregrowing at an exponential rate. Of all these, architecture is the focused area for paint industries. It will determine the growth trajectory of the water-borne paint industry by 2020.China and India are potential markets for the water-borne paint industry in the Asia-Pacific region. By 2050, it is expected that population in the Asia-Pacific region will increase by 64%. Urbanization will be driven by infrastructure investment to meet the peoples aspirations which in turn will scale the market size of the paint industry in this region. The Indian government is framing new policies to boost infrastructure across various cities. It has allocated US $ 1.2 billion for the same. It opens a new gate for paint companies for gaining high revenues. It is because of end-user applications in infrastructure that the Indian paint companiesexpect in between 10 to 15% growth in business volume by 2015. Another largemarket in Asia-Pacific is China. With GDP of China projected to grow over 8%, Chinese government is heavily focused on urbanization.The country has planned to invest US $ 6.8 trillion to develop new cities in its current five years plan. Other potential markets for the water-borne paint industry are Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.Visit For TOC@In Latin America, Brazil is set to witness a high growth in infrastructure primarily due to its high GDP growth and considerable investment in infrastructure. It is expected to further accelerate its growth because of its destined venue for the Olympics in 2016. Other potential markets in this region are Argentina and Mexico. Growth in infrastructure is set to scale the paint market vertically upwards in Latin America.The water-borne paint industry has a bright future in North America. With the US infrastructure reaching itsmaturity, it needs constant renovation to maintain its durability. Though the paint and coatings market was not flourishing, the industry is expected to review its growth to gain high momentum owing to huge investment in infrastructure maintenance in the future.In Europe, stringent regulations imposed by REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) are driving the market from solvent-borne paints to water-borne paints. With its historical cities, it fascinates tourists from every corner of the world to have a glance at its monumental buildings. Europe, like the US, too is witnessing a maturity. In the coming years, it will need support from end-user segments, including the paint and coatings industry, to support its monumental heritage. However, in Europe, a big role will be played by healthcare and automotive sectors. Europe accounts for in between 25 to 30% of the global market share in the paint and coatings segment. The market in Europe seems to be in the doldrums mainly because of its huge market debt and slow economic reforms.With government policies shifting their need towards water-borne paints and inks, the paint industry is set to be accelerated by water-borne paints in various geographical locations. The US and Europe have already imposed strict regulations and it is expected to be the same in other parts of global region. The water-borne paint industryisset to grow at a moderate CAGR from 2014 to 2019. It has already penetrated in between 12 to 15% of the global paint market and is set to capture the remaining market share of paints driven by solvent-borne technology, in the coming future. With water-borne paints, the paint and coatings industryis set to witness a high return on investment by 2019.This 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 categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications.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.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: http.futuremarketinsights.com
Global Butyl Acetate Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2015 - 2021

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Butyl acetate, also known as butyl ethanoate is an organic compound which is majorly used as a solvent for manufacturing lacquers and other products. It is a flammable colorless liquid which is found in various types of fruits. Butyl acetate is commonly used as a synthetic fruit flavoring in certain food products such as cheese, ice creams, candies and baked goods. It is primarily manufactured by the Fischer esterifaction of acetic acid and butanol isomer in the presence of catalytic sulfuric acid. Butyl acetate also serves as a raw material in certain coating, cosmetic and adhesive industries. Various isomers of butyl acetate are produced in the industry such as sec-butyl acetate, tert-butyl acetate and isobutyl acetate.The global market for butyl acetate has witnessed a significant growth over the past few years, primarily driven by the growing demand in the Asia Pacific region. Production facilities of the compound are primarily concentrated in North America and Europe, which also serve as the major exporting regions. Developed regions such as the Middle East is anticipated to gain significant share in the butyl acetate industry on account of increasing efforts by their governments to attract various petrochemical and chemical companies.Request Report for TOC @Asia Pacific was the largest consumer for butyl acetate consuming a substantial share of the market over the past few years. The market for butyl acetate in emerging economies such as China has been well-established on account of increasing use of automotive paints and coatings. China also serves as a prominent importer for butyl acetate; hence, the market dynamics in the country are strongly dependent on the exporting regions. European market for butyl acetate is anticipated to witness a slow growth rate as various manufacturers are shifting their focus from Europe to Asia Pacific on account of the wide production-demand gap in the latter region. However, demand for butyl acetate from regions in rest of the world (ROW) is expected to rise significantly, primarily driven by huge investments in Saudi Arabia for establishing butyl acetate manufacturing facilities. The Saudi Arabian government has successfully designed its policies for the purpose of attracting certain large scale chemical companies in the country. In addition, easy availability of raw materials for petrochemicals and strategic location of the country have attracted various companies towards establishing their production units in the country.Request to Sample of ReportIncreased use of water-based coatings and automotive paints is expected to be the major driving factor for the growth of butyl acetate market over the next few years. Moreover, growing demand for butyl acetate in cosmetic products and adhesives is also expected to contribute towards the growth of the market. However, increasing health concerns regarding the hazardous use of butyl acetate is expected to hamper the growth of the market. Over exposure to butyl acetate causes irritation to human body. Hence, various health organizations have been involved in continuously monitoring the exposure levels. Increasing R&D activities towards developing innovative products such as tert-butyl acetate as a substitute to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are expected to provide new opportunities for the growth of the market.Alfa Aesar GMBHh & CO KG, BASF SE, China National Petroleum Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, Ineos Oxide Ltd, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Sasol Limited, and The Dow Chemical Company are some of the key manufacturers of butyl acetate dominating the market.Pre Book Full ReportAbout 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
RFID Antenna Market 2017-2022: Analysed by Business Growth, Development Factors, Applications, and Future Prospects

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global RFID Antenna Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the Global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors:CAEN RFID, Zebra, Honeywell, XMINNOV, Shenzhen Marktrace, ChuWah Industrial, G-Antetech Industrial, Intermec, GAO RFID Inc., Kovio, Shaanxi ShinhomGet Sample Copy of this Report:It explains a detailed outline of the RFID Antenna Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position. Estimated revenue growth in terms of volume with respect to the market for the upcoming years has been mentioned in depth.According to the research report, the Global market for RFID Antenna Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for RFID Antenna across the world, states the research report.Know more about this Premium Report:On the basis of geographical regions, the Global RFID Antenna Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Global, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The Global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Global are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the global market for RFID Antenna, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the RFID Antenna Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global RFID Antenna Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 RFID Antenna Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Global Automotive Adhesives Market to Register Substantial Expansion by 2015  2021

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Adhesives and sealants are the most versatile bonding agents available today and are used by automakers to make cars lighter and tougher. Adhesives are made from precise blends of synthetic rubber elastomers, resins and agents or additives used to enhance certain characteristics, depending on the end use. Automakers today use aluminum and composites that cannot be welded together but have to be glued to hold the body parts together even at top speed and high pressure. Adhesives do not lose strength and hence are used for these applications. Adhesives bonding renders the vehicles quieter, more durable and safer and are replacing conventional joining techniques such as welding, riveting and bolting.Request Report for TOC @Adhesives find numerous applications in the automobile industry and have revolutionized the way automobiles have been designed and built. Adhesives are used to assemble rubber, metal, glass, plastics and numerous other materials during the manufacture of automobiles. Adhesives help prevent the ingress of salt, dirt and water in the car body shell. Adhesives help in improving body stiffness and durability and provide improved crash performance. Every stage of production of an automobile, whether for non-load-bearing body components or structural parts, uses adhesives in one form or other. Adhesives are used in manufacture of engines, body components, gear boxes and mounted parts such as wing mirrors, seats and steering wheels. Interior applications include tray systems, safety systems, seating systems, as well as sub assembly and acoustical material assembly. In addition, adhesives are used for direct glazing, where they contribute to an increased rigidity of the car body.Adhesives can be applied with high speed on the production line, which results in cost reduction and savings. Hence, adhesive consumption per vehicle is expected to increase, as automotive designers continue to exploit the cost saving potential of adhesives. In addition, adhesives help to cut down on noise, vibration and harshness characteristics. Adhesives improve fuel efficiency of automobiles and provide enhanced performance which is a key driving factor behind the advancement of adhesives in the automotive industry.Consistent growth and presence of wide range of suppliers, distributors and manufacturers are the some of the characteristics of the adhesives market. Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America hold potential for growth. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for the adhesives industry due to growing demand for adhesives in South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Australia and India.Request to Sample of ReportNorth America and Europe are saturated markets and will grow with a low compound annual growth rate in the near future. The adhesive market in the U.S. has lost ground to China due to migration of manufacturing facilities to China but the country continues to play a significant role in the adhesives market.The industry remains fragmented, with numerous medium-sized companies with a high level of customization, particularly in the highest-value adhesive segments. The cost of producing adhesives is attributable to the cost of the raw materials along with the requisite service component of training customers and helping them resolve manufacturing issues. Some of the key players in this market are Sika AG (Switzerland), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), Bayer (Germany), Henkel (Germany), BASF (Germany), 3M Company (U.S.), Ashland Specialty Chemical Company (U.S.), H.B. Fuller Company(U.S.), Hindustan Adhesives Limited (India), ExxonMobil Chemical Company (U.S) , Dynea International Oy (Finland) , Forbo Adhesives Switzerland (Switzerland), Hexion Specialty Chemicals (U.S) and Covalence Adhesives (U.S.) among others.Pre Book Full ReportAbout 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.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Size and Share of Radiopharmaceuticals Market in Global Industry : Insights, Development, Research and Forecast 2017-2026

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Albany, NY, 22 December : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Radiopharmaceuticals Market: Will Japan (Expected to Register an Attractive Growth Rate Throughout the Forecast Period) Beat Current Market Leader North America? - Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026" globally.North America is anticipated to be the most attractive regional market in the global radiopharmaceuticals marketNorth America accounted for more than 40% market share in the global radiopharmaceuticals market in 2016 and is expected to witness an increase of more than 100 BPS in its market share over the forecast period.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @In terms of Y-o-Y growth, North America dominated the global radiopharmaceuticals market and was valued at more than US$ 2,000 Mn in 2015. The market is expected to expand at 6.2% CAGR over the projected period to reach more than US$ 4,000 Mn by the end of 2026. The North America radiopharmaceuticals market is estimated to represent absolute $ opportunity of more than US$ 100 Mn in 2017 over 2016. The growth is stagnant and slow due to major reactors having been shut down in Canada and new reactors installed in place of old ones for better production of radioisotope. North America is expected to be the most lucrative market in the global radiopharmaceuticals market, recording an attractiveness index of 3.6.View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @Significant growth in the number of cancer and cardiovascular diseases patients in North America is expected to boost the global radiopharmaceuticals marketWidespread availability of SPECT and PET scanning machines will result in a growing number of radio diagnostic and radio therapeutics events in North America. For instance, the number of PET scanning machines installed per head of population in North America are more compared to that installed in Europe, thus leading to increased usage of radiotracers in the region. This growth in North America is expected to continue along with continuous technological improvements in PET scanning devices. The high level of awareness and accessibility to these machines is expected to account for high revenue generation in North America. This factor is boosting the overall growth of the global radiopharmaceuticals market. The other factor impacting the global radiopharmaceuticals market is the rising prevalence of cancer in North America. This has significantly increased the number of nuclear medicine procedures performed in the region and this is the precise reason that the market for radiopharmaceuticals is steadily growing in North America. There has been a rising number of cardiovascular diseases among the people in North America due to aging population, unhealthy food habits and rising obesity. The increasing number of cardiovascular patients is expected to boost the sales of radiopharmaceuticals, which would eventually create growth in the global radiopharmaceuticals market.Gallium-68 and Lutetium 177 sub-segments of the radioisotope segment are likely to dominate the North America radiopharmaceuticals marketGallium-68 and Lutetium 177 are dominant sub-segments of the radioisotope segment in North America. Gallium-68 has gained immense popularity since the last one year in the field of nuclear medicine, especially in the diagnosis and evaluation of prostate cancer. This is in heavy reliance with incorporation of several technological leaps and entry of new radiotracer- 68Ga-PSMA-11, developed by the University of Heidelberg. Additionally, marketing authorisation of the first 68Ge/68Ga generator, manufactured by the German company Eckert & Ziegler, has also positively impacted the penetration of 68Ga-PSMA-11 tracer in the treatment of prostate cancer in North America. Despite a shorter half-life, Gallium-68 has an ideal profile as a PET imaging agent. Several manufacturers in North America are focussing on introducing cold kits for the 68Ga-labeling of tracers (ANMI, Belgium), thus opening the gateways for 68Ga in PET scanning. Iodine-131, a therapeutic radiotracer continues to be the ideal tracer for the treatment of not only thyroid cancer but also other therapeutic indications. However it is being slowly replaced by Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) in North America. Lu-177, low-energy -particle emitter is identified to be one of the emerging radiotracers for the treatment of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and neuroendocrine tumors.Browse Report @Market share of companies operating in the global radiopharmaceuticals marketThe global radiopharmaceuticals market is highly consolidated with a few companies that offer advanced technology systems and nuclear medicines for treating diseases. However, the global market is dominated by top five players accounting for over 89% share. Siemens Healthineers accounted for the largest share of around 41.2% of the global market in 2015. The company dominated the market owing to its diversified product portfolio, extensive geographical presence, and acquisition strategies. GE Healthcare accounted for the second largest share of around 30.1% and Mallinckrodt plc. accounted for the third largest share of around 9% in the global radiopharmaceuticals market.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 :
IV Equipment Market to be worth US$ 12 Billion by 2022

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The IV catheter segment is the most popular in the IV equipment market and should remain so for the foreseeable future. The IV catheter segment is expected to be worth more than US$ 2.7 billion in 2017 itself and companies are recommended to target this segment with gusto. The infusion pump segment is a close second in the IV equipment market in terms of product type segment and is likely to be the biggest winner in terms of market share. Key stakeholders in the IV equipment market would do well to focus their energy on the Europe infusion pumps market as the region accounts for more than a third of the revenue contribution.The securement device segment and stopclocks & valve segment have single digit revenue share in the IV equipment market. While the former is projected to lose market share, the latter is on track to gain share and companies may seek to take advantage of this. The stopcock & valves segment is estimated to grow with a CAGR of just under 6% from 2017 to 2022. Along with Europe, the stopcocks & valves segment has strong potential in APEJ.Report overview @The drip chamber and needleless connector segment have a revenue share of less than a tenth in the IV equipment market at the end of 2017. The needleless connector segment is predicted to lose substantial share in the near future while the drip chamber segment should fall slowly. The Europe drip chamber segment is assessed to grow past more than US$ 285 million at the end of the forecast period. The needleless connector segment also has the greatest potential in Europe. Along with Europe, companies could additionally target the North America needleless connector segment.Hospitals hold the lions share in the IV equipment market by end user segment and are forecast to hold steady for the medium to long term. Hospitals are the most-well equipped to deal with any and every patient need pertaining to IV treatment. Europe is the largest region in the hospital segment of the IV equipment market but there is a close competition for the second place between APEJ and North America.Request to sample report @The companies profiled in the IV equipment market are AngioDynamics, Moog Inc., Terumo Corporation, C. R. Bard, ICU Medical, Smiths Group, Baxter International Inc., Fresenius SE & Co., B. Braun Melsungen AG, and Becton, Dickinson and CompanyRising cases of needle stick injuries, the shift in demand towards ambulatory surgical centers and fusion pumps, and a greater number of surgical procedures performed are poised to benefit the IV equipment market. Furthermore, a prevalence of chronic diseases in an ageing population in developed nations are positive signs for the IV equipment market. However, lack of wireless connectivity, regulatory mandates for new product launches and increasing cases of medication errors inhibit the unencumbered growth of the IV equipment market that is anticipated to witness a steady CAGR of 5% from 2017 to 2022.Get full report now @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:
India Cards and Payments Industry Market 2017: Key Players  State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Citibank and More

INDIA CARDS AND PAYMENTS INDUSTRY

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WiseGuyReports published new report, titled The Cards and Payments Industry in IndiaSummary"The Cards and Payments Industry in India: Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2021", report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Indian cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including credit transfers, direct debit, cash, payment cards and checks during the review period (2012-2016).The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry, and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review period and over the forecast period (2017-2021). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including the market shares of issuers and schemes.The report brings together research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure.The report also provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Indian cards and payments industry, including -- Current and forecast values for each market in the Indian cards and payments industry, including debit, credit and charge cards.- Detailed insights into payment instruments including credit transfers, direct debit, checks, cash and payment cards. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.- E-commerce market analysis and payment methods.- Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the Indian cards and payments industry.- Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentionedState Bank of IndiaHDFC BankICICI BankAxis BankPunjab National BankCitibankAmerican ExpressRuPayVisaMasterCardFirst DataScope- To tackle the issue of black money and counterfeit currency, the Indian government decided to cancel the legal tender of the high-denomination INR500 and INR1,000 from midnight of November 2016; these are now being replaced with new notes. These notes account for more than 85% of the total currency in circulation in value terms, and the move has resulted in a shortage of cash as a result of logistical issues in making the new notes available. The shortage of cash is expected to encourage the use of payment card and digital wallets in the country. Furthermore, this will bring overall change in consumers mindset and payment habits and drive electronic payments.- Competition in the Indian alternative payments market has increased, with payment service providers (PSPs), banks and mobile operators all offering solutions. For instance, State Bank of India (SBI) launched the State Bank Buddy digital wallet in August 2015; as of March 2016, 4.8 million transactions worth US$35.1 million (INR2.3 billion) had been made, of which US$1.8 million (INR114.7 million) were at merchant outlets. Other digital wallets launched by banks were Pockets by ICICI Bank in February 2015, and Lime by Axis Bank in September 2015. PSPs offering payment solutions include Paytm, Oxigen wallet and FreeCharge. India-based mobile operator Bharti Airtel launched its mobile money service, airtel money, in February 2012.- The emergence of mobile-only banks is likely to accelerate the shift towards electronic payments in India. Singapore-based DBS Bank launched Indias first mobile-only bank, digibank, in April 2016; the zero-balance savings account comes with a Visa debit card. Customers are entitled to an unlimited number of cash withdrawals, and are offered cashback and discounts on in-store and online purchases. Customers can open accounts at any of the banks partner outlets simply by giving Adhar Card details and biometrics for authentication.Key points to buy- Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Indian cards and payments industry and each market within it.- Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Indian cards and payments industry.- Assess the competitive dynamics in the Indian cards and payments industry.- Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in India.- Gain insights into key regulations governing the Indian cards and payments industry...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 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
Underground Coal Gasification Market Analysis and Forecast Study for 2014 - 2020

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Global energy demand had seen an exponential growth over the decade due to changing lifestyle. At the time when natural gas prices witnessing fluctuation and coal resources are depleting, the world is witnessing a significant gap between demand and supply of energy. Though as per World Coal Association, global coal reserves are estimated to be 861 tonne and accounts to 42% of total world electricity production; the year on year growth for coal consumption was highest in FY 2013, making it the highest since 1970. The demand for coal consumption is increasing every year thereby leading to depletion of coal reserves at an alarming rate. Moreover, most regions are economically unviable to extract coal from its bed. It is due to this reason that companies are looking for alternative solution that can lead to harnessing the total potential of coal, without disturbing the ecological balance.Underground coal gasification (UCG) is an industrial process by which coal is gasified under intense heat and atmospheric pressure. This enables the production of synthetic gas, constituents of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which are extracted through a well and utilized in various sectors, ranging from power generation to biodiesel and fertilizer production. Though this concept is not new to the market, little progress has been achieved in this sector, primarily due to low R&D. However, with growing energy consumption and fluctuating oil prices, industries are focusing on UCG to offer clean, efficient and cost-effective energy to various industries.Request For Report Sample:Asia-Pacific is projected as the largest market for underground coal gasification over the next 5 years due to impressive growth in end-use industries ranging from power to chemicals. China along with India, and Australia are key markets for underground coal gasification projects. China is the largest producer as well as the largest consumer of coal based energy. It consumes almost half of the total coal production to meet its energy demand. China has conducted 17 UCG trials since 1991 to check the economic viability of UCG. Major power generating enterprise SinoCoking Coal is planning to harness coal reserves in Henan Province which was abruptly shut down because of strict environmental compliance set up by Chinese government. UCG is an environmental friendly approach that empowers companies to scale high power generation. With worlds most populated country, China offers a vibrant platform for energy sector companies to set up their base in China and thereby meet the growing demand of energy in China. Recently, China signed a whooping US $ 1.5 billion major pact with UK for commercial development of UCG in interiors of Mongolia.Next prominent market is India. In India, mining contributes 10% of Indias GDP. With vast coal reserves, India is looking towards harnessing coal without disturbing ecological balance. There are also some sites which are economically nonviable to mine. Though Indias untapped 88.6 billion tonnes of non-metallurgical coal is found at a depth of 300 to 1200 metre is economically nonviable; UCG makes it economically sound option. Coal India Limited is trying to push the UCG technology to harness the coal in Kaitha (Jharkhand) and Thesgora (Madhya Pradesh) area. These two promising region is expected to generate high return on investment (ROI) by FY 2025.Next prominent destination is Australia. In Australia, most companies are undertaking R&D to fully harness the concept of UCG. At present, three major UCG trials is being conducted by Linc Energy, Cougar Energy, and Carbon Energy at Queensland. Australian government is paying a vigil eye on these projects until the technology is commercially proven.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):SinoCoking Coal, Cougar Energy, Carbon Energy, Linc Energy, and ONGC are key market players that have conducted pilot projects on UCG technology.Future is optimistic for underground coal gasification. With major innovations going around globally, it is expected to meet the needs of people in oil shortage region. Regions including APAC, and Africa will be a future market for underground coal gasification segments.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:Abhishek Bhudoliya616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Waste Heat Recovery Systems Market Intelligence Study for Comprehensive Insights 2014 - 2020

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Waste heat recovery is the process of capturing and reusing heat from streams of high energy content generated during various refining processes in industrial sectors. These include sectors such as chemicals, petroleum, automotive etc. Industrialization continues to grow rapidly, and as large amounts of heat is being generated, its preservation and reuse has become a matter of great concern for various industries. Various methods are being employed on a large scale in the industrial sector to reduce energy consumption, operational costs, green-house gas and carbon emissions. Use of waste heat recovery systems could be an ideal move for various industrial processes to enhance their economic feasibility. As the industrial sector continues efforts to improve energy efficiency, waste heat recovery systems offer an attractive opportunity to ensure an low emission environment.On the basis of product type, the waste heat recovery system market is segmented as generators, boilers, exhaust stacks, ovens, compressors, heat pumps, regenerators, recuperators and others. On the basis of application the global market can be segmented as pre-heating, steam generation, electricity generation and others. Globally, steam generation accounts for almost half of the market share compared to other sources. According to the United States Department Of Energy (US DOE) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), over three-fifths of the energy used by power plants gets wasted in the form of heat and around 20% to 50% of industrial energy input is lost as waste heat. Waste heat recovery equipment find usage in a number of industrial applications such as heavy metal production, cement production, petroleum refining, chemical refining and natural gas compression.Request For Report Sample:The waste heat recovery system market is expected to grow two-fold between2014 and2020. Currently, Europe is the largest market in the global waste heat recovery systems, accounting for around 35-40% share of the global market. North America is the second-largest segment, followed by APAC region. The APAC region is expected to register a significant growth from 2014 to 2020, majorly due to government regulations and foreign direct investment in the region. The waste heat recovery systems market is expected to grow at a higher rate for emerging economies such as India and China as compared to developed economical regions, such as North America and Europe.Large-scale economic development, growing population, presence of strict emission regulations and rapid industrialization are the major growth drivers for the APAC waste heat recovery systems market. Apart from these, requirement for fuel efficient systems and growing environment safety awareness are other long term growth drivers, which are contributing towards growth of waste heat recovery market in the APAC region. China and India are playing important roles in the installations of waste heat recovery systems. The use of waste heat recovery systems in the cement industry is estimated to grow significantly, due to a high demand of cement from the APAC region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Major players in the waste heat recovery system market include General Electric, Siemens AG, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Alstom. These companies adopt strategies such as entering into joint ventures, alliances and partnerships in order to expand their business and product lines. Apart from these key players, several other small and local companies are present in the APAC region, and they account for a comparatively low market share.The potential for growth of the waste heat recovery systems market is very high in emerging economies in the APAC region. The markets in India and China are expected to register significant growth due to increasing industrial and infrastructural development initiatives in these countries. Overall, the potential for growth of waste heat recovery systems market in the emerging and developing economies is quite promising in the near future.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:Abhishek Bhudoliya616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Smart Grid Market 2017 Industry Key Players -Itron, Cisco, Silver Spring, ELO, Alstom, S&T AG, ABB,..

Smart Grid Market

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Smart Grid Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Smart Grid 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 Smart Grid in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest Sample Report @Global Smart Grid market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingItronCiscoSilver SpringELOAlstomS&T AGABBSchneider ElectricChinawallinkHuaweiWasionCHINA XD GROUPIndustrial SystemNuriSK telecomIljinToshibaFujitsuInfosysWiproEricssonOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoField Area NetworkGrid OperationsGrid SecurityGridBlocks ArchitectureTransmission and SubstationIoT Services for Utility NetworksOn 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, includingCommercial useIndustrial usePublic utilitiesOtherIf 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 content:Global Smart Grid Market Research Report 20171 Smart Grid Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Smart Grid1.2 Smart Grid Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Smart Grid Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Smart Grid Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Field Area Network1.2.4 Grid Operations1.2.5 Grid Security1.2.6 GridBlocks Architecture1.2.7 Transmission and Substation1.2.8 IoT Services for Utility Networks1.3 Global Smart Grid Segment by Application1.3.1 Smart Grid Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Commercial use1.3.3 Industrial use1.3.4 Public utilities1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Smart Grid Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Smart Grid 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 Smart Grid (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Smart Grid Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Smart Grid Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Smart Grid Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Smart Grid Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Smart Grid Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Smart Grid Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Smart Grid Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Smart Grid Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Smart Grid Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Smart Grid Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Smart Grid Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Smart Grid Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Smart Grid Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Smart Grid Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Smart Grid Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Smart Grid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Smart Grid Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Smart Grid Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Smart Grid Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Smart Grid Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Smart Grid Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Smart Grid Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Smart Grid Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Smart Grid Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Smart Grid Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Smart Grid Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Smart Grid Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Smart Grid Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Smart Grid Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Smart Grid Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Smart Grid Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Smart Grid 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
Fall Arrest Equipment Market Overview, Segmentation & Competitive Landscape by Focusing On Top Key Vendors: Miller By Honeywell, Certex Bridon Lifting Systems, Petzl, RS Pro etc.

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The report, titled Global Fall Arrest Equipment Market. The report on the global market offers an elaborate assessment of key drivers and restraints, emerging trends, notable opportunities, prominent business use cases, and recent technological advancements. The research presents a thorough insight into the share and size of various types of lucrative avenues, and competitive landscape.Top Key Vendors: Miller By Honeywell, Certex Bridon Lifting Systems, Petzl, RS Pro, Turbo, Front, Wanli, Sala, Actus etc.The report offers a fundamental overview of the Global Fall Arrest Equipment Market. It includes definitions, product specifications, classification, and applications of the global market. The study also comprises an industry chain analysis and an industry overview of the major regions and their status in the global market.Get Sample Copy @The next section of the report analyzes the development plans and policies, manufacturing process, and product cost structure of the Fall Arrest Equipment market. The report specifically focuses on the leading regions and manufacturers engaged in the production of consumer devices along with the analysis of the competitive landscape, development trends, and prime regions status of development. The report also contains information such as company profiles, product specification and picture, production capacity, cost, revenue, and gross profit margin.The report profiles the key market players which are dominant in the global Fall Arrest Equipment market. It also provides essential information about leading companies, such as product specification, financial overview, business overview, contact information, and recent developments. The list of figures provided in the table of content has mentioned all of the statistical representations of the market offered in the report.On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Fall Arrest Equipment Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.Know more about this Report @The research report profiles the players and offers a detailed report about the competitive landscape present in the global Fall Arrest Equipment market. Additionally, the report also includes a Porters five forces analysis, which examines the threat of the new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, and the intensity of the competitive rivalry. The report also discusses the business and marketing strategies likely to be implemented by these in the coming few years.In the concluding divisions of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Fall Arrest Equipment Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Fall Arrest Equipment Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Global Fall Arrest Equipment Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2022)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2022)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2022)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Coal Mining in South Africa Market 2017: Key Players  Glencore Plc , Anglo American plc , Exxaro Resources Ltd , Sasol Ltd and More

Coal Mining in South Africa Market

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Pune, India, 21 November 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Coal Mining in South Africa to 2021 - Supply of Coal to get Strengthen as Domestic Coal Fired Power Capacity ExpandsThe Coal Mining in South Africa report provides comprehensive information on historical and predictable data by the South African coal mining industry, coal storage, coal production, types and categories. The report also includes historical and forecasted data on the use of coal, exports and exports of the country.The report study provide detailed analysis of the regulatory framework of the South African mining industry, at various stages of supply chain (active, exploration and development) are the factors that affect the demand of coal, competitive landscape, and mining projects.Coal Mining has been an essential part for the growth and development of South Africa economy and major factor to make the economy strongest in this continent. The South Africa is well known for its one of the largest manpower in mining industry there are about more than 4 lakh employees and at same number for transport good and services.South Africa, was among the worlds seven largest coal consumers, consuming 182 mt of coal in 2016  88.1% of which was consumed by the domestic power sector and 11.9% by the other sectors including steel and cement manufacturing.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Most of the coal in the South Africa arises from Mpumalanga region. As report study in year 2016, 99.3% was a non-coking type of coal and 98.6% was of bituminous grade. Historically, during the review period of the South African coal production (2000-2015), there has been an increase of 11.8% due to the start of 35 operations.As per expertise of industry, it is predicted that, the SA country's coal exports fell by 1.7 per cent compared to 2015. On the backdrop of expected export to India, coal exports are expected to drop by 73.7 million in 2021, South Africa's largest export partner.Coal mining is one of the major source of income and development in many regions of South Africa, without mining, these provinces would be severely lame and leading to even higher unemployment plus a lower growth of more difficult conditions. To overcome any kind major breakdown in coal mining industry the South Africa is focusing on infrastructure they are encouraging so that industry can be competitive on domestics and international level.Glencore plc, Anglo American plc, Exxaro Resources Ltd, and Sasol Ltd are the major players in the South African Coal industry.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
Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board-Power Plants and SWOT Analysis, 2017 Update

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Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board-Power Plants and SWOT Analysis report contains a detailed description of the power generation company's business operations, history, corporate strategy, and business structure. This report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on key employees (executives), and major products and services.Scope Major Power Plants (assets)-summarized and detailed information about the power plants (assets). Operational Metrics (capacity, generation, revenue, sales, number of consumers). Business description-A detailed description of the company's operations and business divisions. Corporate strategy-Publisher's summarization of the company's business strategy. SWOT analysis-A detailed analysis of the company's strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Company history-Progression of key events associated with the company. Major products and services-A list of major products, services and brands Key employees-A list of the key executives and personnel heading key departments/functions. Executive biographies-A brief summary of the executives' employment history. Financial deals-Coverage of key financial deals from 2006 onwards, depending upon information availability Important locations and subsidiaries-A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details.Request a Sample Report@Reasons to Buy Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research purposes. Key elements such as SWOT analysis, corporate strategy and major products and services are incorporated in the profile to assist in various business decisions (M&A and JV). Identify potential customers and suppliers with this report's analysis of the company's business structure, operations, major products and services and business strategy. Understand and respond to competitors' business structure and strategies with Publisher's detailed SWOT analysis. In this, the company's core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed, providing an up to date objective view of the company.Table of Content:Table of Contents 2List of Tables 5Company Snapshot 6Key Information 6Company Overview 6SWOT Snapshot 6Operational Metrics 7Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Operational Metrics, By Capacity 7Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Operational Metrics, By Generation 7Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Operational Metrics, By Customers 7Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Operational Metrics, By Segmental Information 7Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Operational Metrics, By Sales 7Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Wind Farms 9Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Wind Farms, Canada 9Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Hydro Power Plants 10Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Hydro Power Plants, Canada 10Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Thermal Power Plants 12Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Thermal Power Plants, Canada 12Business Description 13Business Overview 13Electric 13Overview 13Financials 13Capital Expenditure 13Natural Gas 13Overview 13Financials 13Capital Expenditure 13Other 13Overview 13Financials 13Major Products and Services 14History 15SWOT Analysis 27Inquire before Buying@Overview 27Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board Strengths 27Business Model: Vertically-Integrated 27Business Performance: Electric Segment 27Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board Weaknesses 27Working Capital Deficit 27Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board Opportunities 28Prospects for Growth in Demand for Electricity: Canada 28Technological Offerings 28Business Initiatives 28Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board Threats 28Decline in Water Levels in Canada 28Operational Issues 28Volatile Electricity Prices 28Key Employees 30Company Statement 31Locations And Subsidiaries 33Head Office 33Other Locations & Subsidiaries 33Financial Deals Landscape 35Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Deals Summary 35Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, Power, Deal Details 36Asset Transactions 36Manitoba Hydro And Nisichawayasihk Cree Invest US$1.3 Billion In Wuskwatim Hydro Power Project In Manitoba, Canada 36Recent Developments 37Appendix 85Report Scope 85GlobalData Coverage 85Benchmarking 85GlobalDatas Methodology 85Secondary Research 85Primary Research 86Contact Us 86Disclaimer 86For 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 service and our customer support team 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
AGL Energy Ltd-Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update

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AGL Energy Ltd- Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report provides an in-depth insight and covering all important parameters including development trends, challenges, opportunities, key employees and competitive analysis.AGL Energy Ltd - Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report contains a detailed description of the power generation company's business operations, history, corporate strategy, and business structure. This report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on key employees (executives), and major products and services.Scope Major Power Plants (assets)-summarized and detailed information about the power plants (assets). Operational Metrics (capacity, generation, revenue, sales, number of consumers). Business description-A detailed description of the company's operations and business divisions. Corporate strategy-Publisher's summarization of the company's business strategy. SWOT analysis-A detailed analysis of the company's strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Company history-Progression of key events associated with the company. Major products and services-A list of major products, services and brands Key employees-A list of the key executives and personnel heading key departments/functions. Executive biographies-A brief summary of the executives' employment history. Financial deals-Coverage of key financial deals from 2006 onwards, depending upon information availability Important locations and subsidiaries-A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details.Request a Sample Report@Reasons to Buy Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research purposes. Key elements such as SWOT analysis, corporate strategy and major products and services are incorporated in the profile to assist in various business decisions (M&A and JV). Identify potential customers and suppliers with this report's analysis of the company's business structure, operations, major products and services and business strategy. Understand and respond to competitors' business structure and strategies with Publisher's detailed SWOT analysis. In this, the company's core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed, providing an up to date objective view of the company.Table of Content:Table of Contents 2List of Tables 11Company Snapshot 13Key Information 13Company Overview 13SWOT Snapshot 13Operational Metrics 14AGL Energy Ltd, Operational Metrics, By Capacity 14AGL Energy Ltd, Operational Metrics, By Generation 14AGL Energy Ltd, Operational Metrics, By Customers 14AGL Energy Ltd, Operational Metrics, By Sales 14AGL Energy Ltd, Wind Farms 15AGL Energy Ltd, Wind Farms, Australia 15AGL Energy Ltd, Solar PV Parks 18AGL Energy Ltd, Solar PV Parks, Australia 18AGL Energy Ltd, Solar Thermal Plants 19AGL Energy Ltd, Solar Thermal Plants, Australia 19AGL Energy Ltd, Hydro Power Plants 20AGL Energy Ltd, Hydro Power Plants, Australia 20AGL Energy Ltd, Biopower Plants 21AGL Energy Ltd, Biopower Plants, Australia 21AGL Energy Ltd, Thermal Power Plants 22AGL Energy Ltd, Thermal Power Plants, Australia 22Business Description 23Business Overview 23Major Products and Services 24History 25SWOT Analysis 35Inquire before Buying@Overview 35AGL Energy Ltd Strengths 35Business Performance: Energy Markets 35Dominant Market Position 35AGL Energy Ltd Weaknesses 35Working Capital Deficit 35AGL Energy Ltd Opportunities 36Positive Outlook for Renewable Energy: Australia 36Growing Demand for Electricity: Australia 36Strategic Initiatives 36AGL Energy Ltd Threats 36Volatility in Electricity Prices 36Seasonal Variations and Climate Conditions 36Highly Competitive Market 37Financial Ratios-Capital Market Ratios 38Financial Ratios-Annual Ratios 38Financial Ratios-Interim Ratios 40Key Employees 41Recent Developments 92For 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 service and our customer support team 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
Citizens Electric Corporation-Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update

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Citizens Electric Corporation- Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report provides an in-depth insight and covering all important parameters including development trends, challenges, opportunities, key employees and competitive analysis.Citizens Electric Corporation - Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report contains a detailed description of the power generation company's business operations, history, corporate strategy, and business structure. This report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on key employees (executives), and major products and services.Scope Major Power Plants (assets)-summarized and detailed information about the power plants (assets). Operational Metrics (capacity, generation, revenue, sales, number of consumers). Business description-A detailed description of the company's operations and business divisions. Corporate strategy-Publisher's summarization of the company's business strategy. SWOT analysis-A detailed analysis of the company's strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Company history-Progression of key events associated with the company. Major products and services-A list of major products, services and brands Key employees-A list of the key executives and personnel heading key departments/functions. Executive biographies-A brief summary of the executives' employment history. Financial deals-Coverage of key financial deals from 2006 onwards, depending upon information availability Important locations and subsidiaries-A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details.Request a Sample Report@Reasons to Buy Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research purposes. Key elements such as SWOT analysis, corporate strategy and major products and services are incorporated in the profile to assist in various business decisions (M&A and JV). Identify potential customers and suppliers with this report's analysis of the company's business structure, operations, major products and services and business strategy. Understand and respond to competitors' business structure and strategies with Publisher's detailed SWOT analysis. In this, the company's core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed, providing an up to date objective view of the company.Table of Content:Table of Contents 2List of Tables 3Company Snapshot 4Key Information 4Company Overview 4SWOT Snapshot 4Operational Metrics 5Citizens Electric Corporation, Operational Metrics, By Transmission 5Citizens Electric Corporation, Operational Metrics, By Distribution 5Citizens Electric Corporation, Operational Metrics, By Customers 5Citizens Electric Corporation, Operational Metrics, By Segmental Information 5Citizens Electric Corporation, Operational Metrics, By Sales 5Business Description 7Business Overview 7Major Products and Services 8History 9SWOT Analysis 10Inquire before Buying@Overview 10Citizens Electric Corporation Strengths 10Public Power Utility 10Major Electricity Distributor 10Association with Touchstone Energy 11Broad and Diverse Customer Base 11Citizens Electric Corporation Weaknesses 11Dependence on Sole Supplier 11Citizens Electric Corporation Opportunities 11Prospects for Growth in Demand for Electricity: the US 11Business Initiatives 11Citizens Electric Corporation Threats 11Clean Power Plan by EPA: the US 11Volatile Electricity Prices 12Transmission and Distribution Network Security 12Key Employees 13Company Statement 14Locations And Subsidiaries 15Head Office 15Other Locations & Subsidiaries 15Appendix 16Report Scope 16Publisher Coverage 16Benchmarking 16Publisher's Methodology 16Secondary Research 16Primary Research 17Contact Us 17Disclaimer 17For 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 service and our customer support team 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
Oven Lamp Market Overview, Segmentation & Competitive Landscape by Focusing On Top Key Vendors: Philips, Osram, CE Rohs, Showlong, Rinnai etc.

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The report, titled Global Oven Lamp Market. The report on the global market offers an elaborate assessment of key drivers and restraints, emerging trends, notable opportunities, prominent business use cases, and recent technological advancements. The research presents a thorough insight into the share and size of various types of lucrative avenues, and competitive landscape.Top Key Vendors: Philips, Osram, CE Rohs, Showlong, Rinnai, Free Delivery, Temtum, Specialty, Jian Wei, Walklong, Oyate, Wpro etc.The report offers a fundamental overview of the Global Oven Lamp Market. It includes definitions, product specifications, classification, and applications of the global market. The study also comprises an industry chain analysis and an industry overview of the major regions and their status in the global market.Get Sample Copy @The next section of the report analyzes the development plans and policies, manufacturing process, and product cost structure of the Oven Lamp market. The report specifically focuses on the leading regions and manufacturers engaged in the production of consumer devices along with the analysis of the competitive landscape, development trends, and prime regions status of development. The report also contains information such as company profiles, product specification and picture, production capacity, cost, revenue, and gross profit margin.The report profiles the key market players which are dominant in the global Oven Lamp market. It also provides essential information about leading companies, such as product specification, financial overview, business overview, contact information, and recent developments. The list of figures provided in the table of content has mentioned all of the statistical representations of the market offered in the report.On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Oven Lamp Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.Know more about this Report @The research report profiles the players and offers a detailed report about the competitive landscape present in the global Oven Lamp market. Additionally, the report also includes a Porters five forces analysis, which examines the threat of the new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, and the intensity of the competitive rivalry. The report also discusses the business and marketing strategies likely to be implemented by these in the coming few years.In the concluding divisions of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the  Oven Lamp Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Oven Lamp Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Global Oven Lamp Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2022)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2022)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2022)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Electricity Supply Board-Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update

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Electricity Supply Board- Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report provides an in-depth insight and covering all important parameters including development trends, challenges, opportunities, key employees and competitive analysis.Electricity Supply Board - Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report contains a detailed description of the power generation company's business operations, history, corporate strategy, and business structure. This report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on key employees (executives), and major products and services.Scope Major Power Plants (assets)-summarized and detailed information about the power plants (assets). Operational Metrics (capacity, generation, revenue, sales, number of consumers). Business description-A detailed description of the company's operations and business divisions. Corporate strategy-Publisher's summarization of the company's business strategy. SWOT analysis-A detailed analysis of the company's strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Company history-Progression of key events associated with the company. Major products and services-A list of major products, services and brands Key employees-A list of the key executives and personnel heading key departments/functions. Executive biographies-A brief summary of the executives' employment history. Financial deals-Coverage of key financial deals from 2006 onwards, depending upon information availability Important locations and subsidiaries-A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details.Request a Sample Report@Reasons to Buy Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research purposes. Key elements such as SWOT analysis, corporate strategy and major products and services are incorporated in the profile to assist in various business decisions (M&A and JV). Identify potential customers and suppliers with this report's analysis of the company's business structure, operations, major products and services and business strategy. Understand and respond to competitors' business structure and strategies with Publisher's detailed SWOT analysis. In this, the company's core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed, providing an up to date objective view of the company.Table of Content:Table of Contents 2List of Tables 5Company Snapshot 6Key Information 6Company Overview 6SWOT Snapshot 6Operational Metrics 7Electricity Supply Board, Operational Metrics, By Capacity 7Electricity Supply Board, Wind Farms 8Electricity Supply Board, Wind Farms, Ireland 8Electricity Supply Board, Solar PV Parks 16Electricity Supply Board, Solar PV Parks, Ireland 16Electricity Supply Board, Solar Thermal Plants 17Electricity Supply Board, Solar Thermal Plants, Saudi Arabia 17Electricity Supply Board, Hydro Power Plants 18Electricity Supply Board, Hydro Power Plants, Ireland 18Electricity Supply Board, Biopower Plants 19Electricity Supply Board, Biopower Plants, United Kingdom 19Electricity Supply Board, Thermal Power Plants 20Electricity Supply Board, Thermal Power Plants, Ireland 20Business Description 22Business Overview 22Major Products and Services 23History 24SWOT Analysis 31Inquire before Buying@Overview 31Electricity Supply Board Strengths 31Vertical Integration 31Business Performance: Electric Ireland 31Market Position 32Operating Performance 32Electricity Supply Board Weaknesses 32Business Performance: Generation and Wholesale Markets 32Decline in Profitability: G&WM 32Electricity Supply Board Opportunities 32Smarter PAYG Application 32Positive Outlook for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: the UK 32Strategic Initiatives 33Favorable Renewable Policies: European Union 33Electricity Supply Board Threats 33Transmission and Distribution Network Safety 33Volatile Electricity Prices 33Electricity Wholesale Market Risks 33Copper Thievery 33Key Employees 34Recent Developments 59Appendix 88Report Scope 88GlobalData Coverage 88Benchmarking 88GlobalData's Methodology 88Secondary Research 88Primary Research 89Contact Us 89Disclaimer 89For 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 service and our customer support team 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
E-Cigarettes Market by Analysis, Growth Rate, Size and Forecast To 2022

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The report "E-cigarettes: Global Market Intelligence (2012-2022)" provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, component, composition, and geography. Market size and forecast (2012-2022) has been provided in the report.The primary objectives of this report are to provide 1) comprehensive global market intelligence through detailed segmentation, 2) market size and forecasts, growth rates, market dynamics, industry structure and developments, market situation, trends, 3) detailed analysis of current dynamics and trends, key market players, and strategies in the market, 4) detailed value chain analysis and review of growth factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants, 5) provide emerging opportunities in the market and the future impact of major drivers and restraints of the market and, 6) support decision makers in making cost-effective business decisions.For More Information About This Report:RESEARCH METHODOLOGYIn our market size and forecast determination efforts, an extensive secondary research was initially completed to gain a good perspective of the market in each region. Extensive primary research was also carried out by interviewing the key executives from the industry. These interviews helped us to fill-in the data gaps after secondary research. Several secondary sources such as encyclopedia, directories, and databases have been used to identify and collect information useful for this extensive techno-commercial study. The respondents-selected experts from manufacturers and selected suppliers-have been interviewed to obtain and verify critical information as well as to assess the future prospects. The usage of obtained information is based on the perceived reliability by the research team. In many cases, a combination of several sources was used. Publisher provides an in-depth analysis of the market segmentation, which is a critical element of the market intelligence reports at Publisher.KEY AUDIENCEExecutives in marketing, strategic planning and new product development will find such discussions in our reports pertinent and useful. Management consultants, investment bankers, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and regulatory authorities are amongst our regular clientele served.Request Sample Copy At:DATA SOURCESThe general data sources used in this report are company websites, trade association publications, regulatory authorities, journals, magazines, news websites, press releases, media publications, interaction with industry experts, company executives, research papers, articles, patents, scientific literature, among many others.KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT-China is currently the manufacturing hub, exporting more than 80% of the e-cigarettes and accessories produced to the US and the European markets.-NJOY, Reynolds American, and Imperial Brands are the leading players in E-Cigarette market.-Publisher expert team estimated the global E-Cigarette market in 2015 was worth more than USD 12 billion.Inquire For This Report At:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority-Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update

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Dubai Electricity and Water Authority- Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report provides an in-depth insight and covering all important parameters including development trends, challenges, opportunities, key employees and competitive analysis.Dubai Electricity and Water Authority - Power Plants and SWOT Analysis 2017 Update report contains a detailed description of the power generation company's business operations, history, corporate strategy, and business structure. This report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on key employees (executives), and major products and services.Scope Major Power Plants (assets)-summarized and detailed information about the power plants (assets). Operational Metrics (capacity, generation, revenue, sales, number of consumers). Business description-A detailed description of the company's operations and business divisions. Corporate strategy-Publisher's summarization of the company's business strategy. SWOT analysis-A detailed analysis of the company's strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Company history-Progression of key events associated with the company. Major products and services-A list of major products, services and brands Key employees-A list of the key executives and personnel heading key departments/functions. Executive biographies-A brief summary of the executives' employment history. Financial deals-Coverage of key financial deals from 2006 onwards, depending upon information availability Important locations and subsidiaries-A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details.Request a Sample Report@Reasons to Buy Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research purposes. Key elements such as SWOT analysis, corporate strategy and major products and services are incorporated in the profile to assist in various business decisions (M&A and JV). Identify potential customers and suppliers with this report's analysis of the company's business structure, operations, major products and services and business strategy. Understand and respond to competitors' business structure and strategies with Publisher's detailed SWOT analysis. In this, the company's core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed, providing an up to date objective view of the company.Table of Content:Table of Contents 2List of Tables 16Company Snapshot 17Key Information 17Company Overview 17SWOT Snapshot 17Operational Metrics 18Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Operational Metrics, By Capacity 18Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Operational Metrics, By Transmission 18Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Operational Metrics, By Customers 18Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Operational Metrics, By Segmental Information 18Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Solar PV Parks 20Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Solar PV Parks, United Arab Emirates 20Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Solar Thermal Plants 21Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Solar Thermal Plants, United Arab Emirates 21Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Hydro Power Plants 22Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Hydro Power Plants, United Arab Emirates 22Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Thermal Power Plants 23Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Thermal Power Plants, United Arab Emirates 23Business Description 25Business Overview 25Major Products and Services 26History 27SWOT Analysis 45Inquire before Buying@Overview 45Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Strengths 45Operational Efficiency 45Asset Base 45Business Affiliation and Partnerships 45Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Weaknesses 46Increase in Operational Expenses 46Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Opportunities 46Capacity Expansion and Enhancement 46Focusing on Renewable Energy 46Positive Outlook for Thermal Power: the UAE 46Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Threats 46Hike in Electricity Prices 46Operational Constraints 47Regulatory Norms 47Transmission and Distribution Network Security 47Key Employees 48Recent Developments 57For 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 service and our customer support team 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
Agriculture Drones Market by Development, Strategies, Analysis and Forecast To 2022

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The report "Agricultural Drones / UAVs: Global Market Intelligence (2012-2022)" provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, components, application / use, and geography. Market size and forecast (2012-2022) has been provided in the report. The primary objectives of this report are to provide 1) comprehensive global market intelligence through detailed segmesntation, 2) market size and forecasts, growth rates, market dynamics, industry structure and developments, market situation, trends, 3) detailed analysis of current dynamics and trends, key market players, and strategies in the market, 4) detailed value chain analysis and review of growth factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants, 5) provide emerging opportunities in the market and the future impact of major drivers and restraints of the market and, 6) support decision makers in making cost-effective business decisions.KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT-Agricultural Drones market is expected to grow at more than 20% CAGR from 2018 to 2022.-USA, Brazil, France, China, and Middle East are the leading countries in Agricultural Drones market.-3D Robotics, USA, AeroVironment, USA, AgEagle Drones, USA, Agribotics, USA, AscTec Firefly, Germany are leading manufacturers of Agricultural Drones.-Publisher expert team estimated that the global Agricultural Drones market in 2015 was worth more than USD 250 million.For More Information About This Report:RESEARCH METHODOLOGYIn our market size and forecast determination efforts, an extensive secondary research was initially completed to gain a good perspective of the market in each region. Extensive primary research was also carried out by interviewing the key executives from the industry. These interviews helped us to fill-in the data gaps after secondary research. Several secondary sources such as encyclopedia, directories, and databases have been used to identify and collect information useful for this extensive techno-commercial study. The respondents-selected experts from manufacturers and selected suppliers-have been interviewed to obtain and verify critical information as well as to assess the future prospects. The usage of obtained information is based on the perceived reliability by the research team. In many cases, a combination of several sources was used. Publisher provides an in-depth analysis of the market segmentation, which is a critical element of the market intelligence reports at Publisher.Request Sample Copy At:KEY AUDIENCEExecutives in marketing, strategic planning and new product development will find such discussions in our reports pertinent and useful. Management consultants, investment bankers, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and regulatory authorities are amongst our regular clientele served.DATA SOURCESThe general data sources used in this report are company websites, trade association publications, regulatory authorities, journals, magazines, news websites, press releases, media publications, interaction with industry experts, company executives, research papers, articles, patents, scientific literature, among many others.Inquire For This Report At:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Function-as-a-Service Market : Trends and Value Chain, Size 2025

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Global Function as a Service (FaaS): SnapshotServerless computing is all the rage these days as it shifts the task of running and managing the infrastructure from the company to its cloud provider. While software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS) are already well known and popular in the domain of serverless computing, there is another upcoming technology  function as a service (FaaS)  which is primed to become mainstream soon enough.Function as a service (FaaS) is essentially a software framework offered by a service provider. It can be tailored easily to serve the business needs of the user by helping them to quickly develop an application or system. By doing away with the need for heavy investments in infrastructure and hardware, FaaS results in tremendous cost savings. Some of prominent participants in the market are also big guns of the likes of Microsoft Corporation, SAP SE, Amazon Web Services, Google, Inc., and IBM.Request Sample Copy of the Report @From a geographical perspective, North America outshines all others due to the presence of a large number of FaaS providers and savvy companies increasingly looking to up business agility and flexibility, particularly in the advanced U.S. and Canada market. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is slated to expand at a good clip in the foreseeable future due to businesses booming in the developing economies in the region. China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, and other nations in the region, which are home to a growing number of software firms, are frontrunners in driving expansion in the Asia Pacific market.Global Function-as-a-Service Market: OverviewFunction-as-a-service (FaaS), a.k.a. serverless computing, is creating an evolution in the field of cloud computing as it plays a pivotal role in boosting IT agility by releasing developers from the taxing job of managing and provisioning servers. The next step in cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS), FaaS cancels the need to administer servers and pay for them when not in use while making it a whole lot easier to leverage and scale complex automation areas. It is an event-driven computing service which executes functions and codes only when required.Request TOC of the Report @Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Key TrendsThe international FaaS market is prophesied to grow in the black at a knockout CAGR as organizations shift from DevOps to serverless computing. During the forecast period, there could also be other factors supporting the market growth, which include maturity of hosted services, scalability, and agility. The global market could be driven by the constant need articulated by most companies regarding the optimization of microservices and management of multiple platforms. As a result, services such as microservice management and monitoring and automation and integration are anticipated to gain a relentless impetus.Issues pertaining to portability to the cloud could act as an obstacle in the global FaaS market. Nonetheless, the availability of robust pre-existing cloud infrastructure and easy management and deployment need are forecasted to make up for the market disincentive. Companies around the world are now implementing FaaS as a means to run, manage, and deploy applications. Keeping this ability of the product in view, the market is expected to see the domination of operator-centric FaaS and developer-center FaaS in the coming years. Besides for the deployment of different applications such as those relating to research and academic and mobile and web, FaaS can be employed to optimize their performance.Request Discount of the Report @Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Market PotentialDelineated as the first serverless database, FaunaDB Serverless Cloud, introduced by a San Francisco startup, is making rounds on technology news columns with its real-time data replicating ability to ensure multi-cloud availability. The serverless revolution by Fauna Inc. is proud to seamlessly span Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. Later in 2017, the company is planning to offer support to the Microsoft Azure cloud. This latest offering is based on the adaptive operational database of FaunaDB that is capable of leveraging pay-as-you-go pricing, reduced operational overhead, elastic scaling, enhanced marketing time, and other cloud capabilities.Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Regional OutlookThe North America FaaS market is prognosticated to lean on a colossal count of FaaS providers, surging want for business agility and flexibility, and towering rate of penetration into a gamut of industry verticals in the U.S. The researchers envisage the regional market to rake in a larger share of revenue in the coming years. Asia Pacific, on similar lines, is envisioned to secure a higher rate of growth during the forecast period. This could be due to the need to streamline business operations and enhance customer experiences with the help of significant investments in cloud service providers. As a result, Asia Pacific is predicted to register a telling CAGR.Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Competitive LandscapePlayers in the global FaaS market could be looking to boost customer satisfaction and focus on perpetual innovation in technology with a view to fortify their status in the industry. Additionally, partnerships, acquisitions, and new product developments are prime strategies projected to take precedence in the market. Some of the leading companies in the market are Dynatrace LLC, SAP SE, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Corporation, Google, Inc., and IBM.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
Travel Insurance Market - Analysis, Trends & Forecasts 2017-2022 by Business Growth, Development Factors, Application and Future Prospects

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EMEA Travel Insurance Market Report 2017 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 split EMEA into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, With sales (K Units) , revenue (Million USD) , market share and growth rate of Travel Insurance for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast)Europe: Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Benelux;Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran;Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria.EMEA Travel Insurance market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Travel Insurance sales volume (K Units) , price (USD/Unit) , revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingGenerali Group (Italy)Allianz Group (France)AXA Group (France)Insure and Go Insurance Services Limited (UK)The April Group (France)Mutuaide Assistance (France)Aon Plc (UK)Aviva Plc (UK)Saga Plc (UK)Atlas Travel Insurance Services Ltd (England)European Travel Insurance Group (Netherlands) ,InsuranceLine.gr (Greece) ,Alc Travel (UK) ,Staysure Limited (UK)ETA services (UK)Get Free Sample Copy atOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units) , revenue (Million USD) , product price (USD/Unit) , market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoInsurance IntermediariesInsurance CompanyBankInsurance BrokerInsurance AggregatorsOthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume (K Units) , market share and growth rate of Travel Insurance for each application, includingSenior CitizensEducation TravelersBackpackersBusiness TravelersFamily TravelersFully Independent TravelerBrowse Complete Report atTable of Content1 Travel Insurance Overview2 EMEA Travel Insurance Competition by Manufacturers/Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application3 Europe Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price) , by Players, Countries, Type and Application4 Middle East Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price) , by Region, Type and Application5 Africa Travel Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price) by Players, Countries, Type and Application6 EMEA Travel Insurance Manufacturers/Players Profiles and Sales Data6.1 Generali Group (Italy)6.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.1.2 Travel Insurance Product Type, Application and Specification6.1.2.1 Product A6.1.2.2 Product B6.1.3 Generali Group (Italy) Travel Insurance Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.2 Allianz Group (France)6.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.2.2 Travel Insurance Product Type, Application and Specification6.2.2.1 Product A6.2.2.2 Product B6.2.3 Allianz Group (France) Travel Insurance Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.3 AXA Group (France)6.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.3.2 Travel Insurance Product Type, Application and Specification6.3.2.1 Product A6.3.2.2 Product B6.3.3 AXA Group (France) Travel Insurance Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7 Travel Insurance Manufacturing Cost Analysis8 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers9 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders10 Market Effect Factors Analysis11 EMEA Travel Insurance Market Forecast (2017-2022)Purchase 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
Styrenic Polymers Market to Record Study Growth by 2025

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The consolidation prevailing in the global styrenic polymers market for medical applications is attributable to the presence of only a handful of players. Among them, INEOS STYROLUTION Group GmbH has emerged at the fore by the virtue of being one of the leading manufacturers, finds TMR in a new study. Besides this, LG Chem Ltd., Chi Mei Corporation, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, Kraton Corporation, Trinseo LLC, TSRC Corporation, and SABIC are some of the prominent players operating in the global styrenic polymers market for medical applications.View Report Preview:Recent studies have identified the market as forward integrated as some of its leading players manufacture and supply products across the world. In the coming years, the market is likely to witness several innovations as market players invest in research and development to manufacture more technologically advanced and flexible products. In response to this strategies deployed by the players, the market is likely to showcase a positive trajectory during the forecast period.According to TMR, the global styrenic polymers market for medical applications will exhibit 7.0% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. Given the scenario, the markets is forecast to reach US$4,843.85 mn by the end of 2025, as compared to US$2,649.44 mn in 2016. Regionally, the global market was led by Asia Pacific, which held the dominant market share in 2016. Besides this, the market will witness rising demand from Europe and North America in the coming years.Request to View Sample of Research Report @The application of polystyrene (PS), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and styrene butadiene block copolymers (SBC) has significantly increased in the medical industry. Styrenic polymers are used in the manufacture of portable medical devices, liquid containers, connector tubes and bags. Such diversity in applications connotes the rising application of styrenic polymers in the coming years. In addition, the market is significantly gaining from restrictions imposed on the use of PVC in the medical sector.Styrenic polymers are required for various applications in the medical industry. To cater to this rising demand, the market players are investing in innovations. As a result of similar efforts, the application of hydrogenated SBCs, which belong to a relatively novel family, has increased. There are various factors bolstering styrenic polymers application in the medical sector. For instance, styrenic block copolymers have superior abrasion resistance and are halogen and plasticizer-free, which make them best suited to be utilized in medical devices and equipment. On account of the superior medical performance offered by styrenic polymers, their demand has considerably surged in the medical sector. The trend is expected to remain constant through the forecast period, offering the global styrenic polymers market lucrative growth prospects.Styrenic polymers offer various environmental and functional benefits over their plastic contemporaries such as polyethylene, PVC, and polypropylene. While this boosts application, the higher price of styrenic polymers is creating bottlenecks for the market players, limiting their penetration in underdeveloped economies. The companies may face hindrances from the price sensitive nature of the market as well. The effect is likely to be the strongest in Asia Pacific, which could pose considerable threat to the market. Nonetheless, the price of styrenic polymers is likely to decline over the coming years in response to the falling raw material prices in the recent years. This is likely to give impetus to the global styrenic polymers market for medical applications in the coming years.Request for Table of Contents @This review is based on a TMR report, titled Styrenic Polymers Market for Medical Applications (Product - Polystyrene (PS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), Styrene Butadiene Block Copolymers (SBC), and Styrene Methyl Methacrylate (SMMA); Application - Intra-venous Systems & Fluid Delivery, Mobile & Digital Health, Surgical Gloves, and Respiratory & Drug Delivery Devices) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20172025.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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Biodiesel Market Size Projected to Rise Lucratively during 2026

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Growing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions is leading towards the use of renewable source of energy. Hence, biodiesel fuels are fast replacing conventional fossil fuels across the world. The government in different countries is also supporting eco-friendly alternatives such as biodiesel. Moreover, biodiesel is the only fuel that can be used across energy segments such as heat, transportation, electricity, hence, this is also one of the factors contributing towards the rising demand for biodiesel. Reducing foreign oil dependency and saving billions spent on usage of foreign oil is also encouraging production of biodiesel locally.View Report Preview:Meanwhile, energy security is also among the main drivers of the biodiesel market. Many countries are involved in increasing the production and use of biodiesel as an alternative energy source to oil and fossil fuels. The government across various countries are also implementing laws and legislation to reduce dependency on oil and increase the use of renewable energy resources, thereby fostering the biodiesel industry. However, volatile raw material prices and limited availability of raw materials to produce biodiesel are some of the factors hampering the growth of the biodiesel market.Some of the leading players currently active in the global biodiesel market are Cargill, TerraVia Holdings, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Bunge Limited, Wilmar International Limited, Louis Dreyfus, Ineos Group, Royal Dutch Shell plc., Solvay SA, and Mitsui. In order to remain competitive in the market, biodiesel manufacturers are focusing on promoting awareness on the benefits biofuels, and are also entering into technology partnerships to produce technically superior products. The companies are also focusing on developing effective retail and distribution system. Companies are also focusing on first-generation of biofuels that are produced using vegetable oils, starch, and sugar using biomass technique.Request to View Sample of Research Report @The research report on the global biodiesel market by Transparency Market Research (TMR) anticipates the market to witness robust growth. It is estimated to increase to 6.9% CAGR between the forecast period 2017 and 2026. The global biodiesel market by the end of 2026 is estimated to reach US$ 64,497.4 million revenue.The global biodiesel market is divided into the application, feedstock type, and region. Based on the feedstock type, the market segment includes animal fats, yellow grease, canola oil, distillers corn oil, and soybean oil. Among these, soybean oil is expected to witness significant growth in the global biodiesel market during the forecast period 2017-2026.Based on the application, the market is segmented into power generation, agriculture, fuel, and others. Fuel is expected to witness the highest growth in terms of market volume in the global biodiesel market during the forecast period 2017-2026.Request for Table of Contents @Geographically, Europe is expected to be the largest region in the global biodiesel market during the forecast period. Germany and France are the biggest producers of biodiesel in Europe. Europe also consumes more diesel and biodiesel than petrol. Meanwhile, the supply and demand for biodiesel are gradually increasing at the same level. The current energy taxation regime in Europe also supports biodiesel over ethanol. Also, the Netherlands has the largest surplus in the biodiesel market compared to the other countries in Europe. Some of the major applications of biodiesel in Europe includes power generation, fuel, lubricating agent, and industrial solvent.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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Aortic Valve Replacement Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth by 2024

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Aortic valve is one of the two main valves on the left side of the heart and is the outflow valve for the left ventricle. It opens and closes to regulate the blood flow and prevents the backward flow of the blood into the heart. Aortic valve replacement is done when the functioning of the aortic valve is affected. It is a procedure of replacing the non-functioning valve with an artificial heart valve. The prosthetic or artificial valve employed may be made of synthetic materials or from animal tissues. Heart diseases that lead to aortic valve replacement include aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation. Aortic stenosis is the condition where the aortic valve is narrowed, obstructing the flow of blood. Aortic regurgitation is a condition where in the valve is leaky and allows the reverse flow of blood back into the heart. Aortic valve malfunctioning can result from the congenital abnormality or from an age-related acquired disease. The source of the artificial valve used, includes mechanical valves, which are created from man-made materials; and tissue valves, which are created from pig, cow, or human donors.Report Overview @The aortic valve replacement market can be segmented based on the type of surgery, product, end user, and geography. Based on the type of surgery done to replace the faulty aortic valve, the market can be segmented into open aortic valve surgery and minimally invasive aortic valve surgery. Minimally invasive surgeries include aortic valve balloon valvuloplasty, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), and sutureless aortic valve replacement, among others. On the basis of products, the market can be segmented as stented valves and stentless valve prostheses. Hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and cardiac catheterization laboratories form the major end-users for the market. Geographically, the aortic valve replacement market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.Download Report Brochure @Aortic stenosis is the most common type of valvular disease observed which is driving the aortic valve replacement market. In addition, changing lifestyles, leading to obesity; increasing cardiovascular diseases, growing health awareness, and increasing global geriatric population also contribute to the growth of the aortic valve replacement market. Furthermore, minimally invasive surgeries are driving the market, owing to their benefits such as low risk of infection, lesser need for blood transfusion, faster healing and recovery, reduced hospital stay, and less pain, among others. The increasing clinical trials that would lead to the introduction of new products in the market would also positively contribute to the market growth. The risks associated with the replacement procedures, high costs, and growing regulations related to product approvals, would negatively impact the aortic valve replacement market.TAVI, and aortic valve replacement employing a tissue valve, are the common techniques used for aortic valve replacement. In terms of geography, North America had the largest share in the aortic valve replacement market followed by Europe due to the increasing obesity and growing geriatric population in the region. The rising technological advances, growing clinical trials for the same, and government support are expected to contribute to the positive growth of aortic valve replacement market in these regions. The emerging markets in Asia Pacific are expected to record strong growth during the forecast period due to the growing healthcare industry, increase in the aging population, and growing healthcare awareness.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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Phosphorescent Pigments Market Size Observe Significant Surge during 2025

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The competitive landscape of the phosphorescent pigments market is a fragmented one and is characterized with the presence of many large market vendors, as per a publication by Transparency Market Research. It is divulged in the report that these prominent vendors that are operating in the market for phosphorescent pigments hold a large share of the market. Some leading companies in the international market for phosphorescent pigments are Honeywell International Inc., GloTech International Ltd., Nemoto Lumi-Materials Co. Ltd., Badger Color Concentrates Inc., Kremer Pigmente GmbH & Co. KG., LuminoChem Ltd, and Allureglow International. The major players are now underlining on the need for research and development work pertaining to the phosphorescent pigments field in a bid to stay ahead of their rivals. The companies are also making a shift towards the expansion of their regional territory through associations with regional players.View Report Preview:The market for world phosphorescent pigments was worth around US$500.4 mn in the year 2016, and is predicted to reach a value of around US$753.2 mn over the tenure of forecast that stretches from the year 2017 to 2025. The market for phosphorescent pigments is foreseen to expand at a steady CAGR of 4.7%.Increased Usage in a Wide Variety of Industries to Spearhead Market GrowthThe market for phosphorescent pigment is predicted to experience significant growth owing to increasing usage of phosphorescent pigments in various end use segments such as printing and writing inks, home appliances, watch and clock dials, electronic dial pads and instruments, camping equipment, fabrics, switches and lighting apparatus, signboards and so on.In addition to the all the above-mentioned usages, applications in various consumer products like printing on footwear, toys, textiles and the like are also expected to boost the market for phosphorescent pigment. Furthermore, phosphorescent pigment is also used as an additive to plastics in a bid to augment the aesthetic appearance and glow of the plastic product and as such, it is expected bolster the market growth.Request to View Sample of Research Report @Availability of fluorescent pigments in the industry of photoluminescence, that readily release light just as assimilated from the ambient radiation, may lead to the possibility of emergence of substitutes for phosphorescent pigments. The light thus emitted by fluorescent pigments come with longer wavelength, and thus with lower energy than the assimilated radiation. Phosphorescent materials do not instantly re-emit the absorbed radiation, and thus such a factor could result in hindering market growth.Asia Pacific to Play Dominant Role in the Market for Phosphorescent PigmentsWhen geographical segments are taken into consideration, the market for international phosphorescent pigments market has been catalogued into Middle East and Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and North America.When geographical segmentations are taken into consideration, Asia Pacific emerges as a clear leader and is foreseen to continue with its regional supremacy throughout the period of forecast. The region is expected to lead both in terms of value and volume. China alone account for a lions share of the market for phosphorescent pigments. Rapid spread of urbanization and growing awareness pertaining to sustainability is expected to drive the market. Most of the demand for phosphorescent pigments arises out of its usage in coatings and paints industry.Apart from Asia Pacific, Europe is also expected to witness substantial growth in the market for phosphorescent pigments. In Europe, Germany is foreseen to register high growth and account for a large share in Europe. The well-established paint and coating industry in the country is estimated to be the main reason behind such a growth of the market in Germany.Request for Table of Contents @North America, Middle East and Africa and Latin America is also expected to register substantial growth.This above-mentioned review is based on the findings and conclusions of a new publication by Transparency Market Research bearing the title, Phosphorescent Pigments Market (Product: Zinc Sulphide, Strontium Aluminate; Applications: Paints and Coatings, Plastics, Printing Inks, Textiles and Other Applications)  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20172025About 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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Methanol Market Size to Expand Significantly by the End of 2026

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The use of methanol in automotive and construction sector has grown significantly in the recent years. As methanol can be blended with gasoline it is being used in internal combustion engines of the vehicle as well as aircrafts. Methanol was also being used as an anti-freezing agent in the cooling system of cars, however, it was later replaced with alternatives such as ethylene glycol and propylene. But it is still used as windshield water fuel. Methanol is also used in a trans-esterification stage in the manufacturing process of biodiesel.View Report Preview:Methanol is also being increasingly used in paints and adhesives. However, the high cost of processing to convert methane into liquid is hampering its demand. Meanwhile, increasing demand for biofuels and various new policies with an aim to control emission is leading to the growing use of methanol in various industries. Automotive manufacturers are also focusing on using bio-diesels like methane that is environmentally friendly and also weigh less as compared to its synthetic counterparts.Key players in the global methanol market are Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, SABIC, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., BASF SE, Methanex Corporation, and Celanese Corporation. The leading companies are also investing in the research and development to come up with an efficient, and cost-effective way to produce methanol in order to fulfill the growing demand for various applications.Global Methanol Market to Witness Steady Growth during the Forecast Period 2017-2026As per the new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) the global methanol market is expected to witness steady growth, registering 5.4% CAGR during the forecast period 2017-2026. The global methanol market is also projected to reach US$ 131,344.3 million revenue by the end of 2026.Request to View Sample of Research Report @The global methanol market is segmented on the basis of end use, feedstock type, and region. By the end use, the market is divided into MTO/MTP, dimethyl ether, biodiesel, gasoline blending, MMA, MTBE, acetic acid, formaldehyde, and others. Formaldehyde is projected to witness growth in the global methanol market during the forecast period 2017-2026.In terms of the feedstock type, the market segment includes coal, natural gas, and other feedstock. Among these, natural gas is expected to witness the highest growth in terms of market volume.APEJ to Dominate the Global Methanol MarketAsia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) is expected to remain dominant in the global methanol market during the forecast period 2017-2026. In APEJ, China is expected to account for high methanol demand. APEJ is also witnessing increasing demand for methanol and its derivatives in automotive, construction, furniture and textile industry. Moreover, stringent regulations on emission are contributing towards the production of eco-friendly products. There has also been a rise in the production of methanol for energy consumption in the region. Meanwhile, in Latin America, the market is dominated by Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.Request for Table of Contents @The rapid development of sectors such as agricultural, chemical, automotive, construction is driving the demand in the region. The rise in natural gas supply through hydraulic fracturing in North America is contributing to the growth of methanol in the region. Meanwhile, the methanol market in Europe is expected to remain volatile due to the dependency of the region on imports to satisfy its domestic demand. However, Germany is one of the largest methanol markets in Europe. Owing to the availability of cheap feedstock for production of methanol in Germany.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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Frozen Pet Food Market Business Planning Research and Resources, Supply and Revenue 2017-2022 with Top Companies, Trends and Future Prospects Details for Business Development

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EMEA Frozen Pet Food Market Report 2017 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 split EMEA into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, With sales (K Units) , revenue (Million USD) , market share and growth rate of Frozen Pet Food for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast)Europe: Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Benelux;Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran;Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria.EMEA Frozen Pet Food market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Frozen Pet Food sales volume (K Units) , price (USD/Unit) , revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingWellPetStella & ChewyK9 NaturalsVital Essentials RawBravoNature's VarietySteve's Real FoodPrimal PetsGrandma Lucy'sNRG Freeze Dried RawOrijenNW NaturalsDr. Harvey'sGet Free Sample Copy atOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume, revenue, product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBeefChickenDuckFishOthersOn 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 for each application, includingAdult PetSenior PetJunior PetBrowse Complete Report atTable of Content1 Frozen Pet Food Overview2 EMEA Frozen Pet Food Competition by Manufacturers/Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application3 Europe Frozen Pet Food (Volume, Value and Sales Price) , by Players, Countries, Type and Application4 Middle East Frozen Pet Food (Volume, Value and Sales Price) , by Region, Type and Application5 Africa Frozen Pet Food (Volume, Value and Sales Price) by Players, Countries, Type and Application6 EMEA Frozen Pet Food Manufacturers/Players Profiles and Sales Data6.1 WellPet6.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.1.2 Frozen Pet Food Product Type, Application and Specification6.1.2.1 Product A6.1.2.2 Product B6.1.3 WellPet Frozen Pet Food Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.2 Stella & Chewy6.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.2.2 Frozen Pet Food Product Type, Application and Specification6.2.2.1 Product A6.2.2.2 Product B6.2.3 Stella & Chewy Frozen Pet Food Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.3 K9 Naturals6.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.3.2 Frozen Pet Food Product Type, Application and Specification6.3.2.1 Product A6.3.2.2 Product B6.3.3 K9 Naturals Frozen Pet Food Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7 Frozen Pet Food Manufacturing Cost Analysis8 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers9 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders10 Market Effect Factors Analysis11 EMEA Frozen Pet Food Market Forecast (2017-2022)Purchase 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.533, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market worth US$ 760 Mn between 2017 and 2025.

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Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012  2016 and Forecast 2017  2025 is the recent report of Persistence Market Research that throws light on the overall market scenario during the period of eight years, i.e. 2017-2025. According to this report, Global spinal cord trauma treatment market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. This growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing incidence of spinal cord trauma, and increasing government support to reduce the burden of spinal cord injuries. Additionally, development of nerve cells growth therapy is expected to boost the market in near future. The global market for spinal cord trauma treatment is is estimated to be valued at US$ 2,276.3 Mn in terms of value by the end of 2017. The global spinal cord trauma treatment market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.7% over the forecast period to reach a value of US$ 3,036.2 Mn by 2027 end.Report overview @Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: TrendsMedical tourism for post spinal surgery rehabilitation,Research on neuroregeneration therapies, Increasing use of mechanical spinal traction,Focus towards improvement of quality of life by increasing the use of robot assisted rehabilitation , Methylprednisolone as a standard corticosteroid therapyPublic private partnership for better health infrastructure and work as a source to meet the funding gap,Increasing cases of vehicle accident,Development of stem cell therapyGlobal Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by End UserOn the basis of end user, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into hospitals and trauma centers. Hospitals segment dominated the global spinal cord trauma treatment market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period. Hospitals and trauma centers segments are expected to approximately similar attractive index. Hospitals segment accounted for 53.2% value share in 2017 and is projected to account for 52.5% share by 2025 end.Request to Sample Report @Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Injury TypeOn the basis of injury type, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into complete spinal cord injuries and partial spinal cord injuries. Partial spinal cord trauma treatment segment is expected to show better growth than the completed spinal cord treatment segment due to higher growth in the incidence rate of partial spinal cord trauma than the complete spinal cord trauma. With US$ 1,870.3 Mn market value in 2025, this segment is likely to expand at CAGR 3.8% throughout the projected period.Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by Treatment TypeOn the basis of treatment type, the global spinal cord trauma treatment market is segmented into corticosteroid, surgery, and spinal traction segments. Surgery segment dominated the global spinal cord trauma treatment market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period. Surgery segment is the most attractive segment, with attractiveness index of 2.6 over the forecast period.Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Forecast by RegionThis market is segmented into five regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, APAC and MEA. Asia-Pacific account for the largest market share in the global spinal cord trauma treatment market. Large patient population due to the high rate of road accidents and crime is making the Asia Pacific region most attractive market for spinal cord trauma treatment. On the other hand, MEA and Latin America is expected to be the least attractive market for spinal cord trauma treatment, with attractiveness index of 0.3 and 0.5 respectively over the forecast period.Get Full Report now @Global Spinal Cord Trauma Treatment Market: Key VendorsAcorda Therapeutics, Inc., Asterias Biotherapeutics, ReNetX Bio, BioArctic AB, BioTime, Inc., InVivo Therapeutics, Kringle Pharma, Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc., Pharmicell Co. Ltd., Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Bioaxone Biosciences, Inc. are some of the key players in the global spinal cord trauma treatment 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:
High Resolution Dispensing Systems and Equipment Market: Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored

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The worldwide market for high resolution dispensing systems and equipment is generally divided, with the best five organizations representing an aggregate offer of about half of the general market in 2015, watches a current report by Transparency Market Research. These organizations, including Besi, Illinois Tools Works, Inc., Nordson Corporation and are more centered on item development and headway in innovation to reinforce their positions in the highly aggressive market.Obtain Report Details @As per Transparency Market Research (TMR), the worldwide high resolutions dispensing systems and equipment market is relied upon to be worth US$3.09 bn before the finish of 2024 from US$1.8 bn in 2015. The worldwide market is foreseen to surge at a CAGR of 6.3% amid the gauge time of 2016 and 2024. The worldwide market is probably going to be driven by the automotive sector in the coming years at a 3.4% CAGR. The demand for automotive dispensing systems will stay high due their points of interest, for example, enhanced efficiency and diminishment in disappointment. As far as region is concerned, North America is relied upon to hold a predominant offer in the worldwide market. The open doors in this provincial market is probably going to be worth US$864.0 mn before the finish of 2024.high resolution dispensing systems equipment marketIncreasing Demand crosswise over Electronic Industry to Accelerate AdoptionThe worldwide high resolution dispensing systems and equipment market is principally determined by components, for example, the expanding use of these equipment in the electronic business and the expanding demand for exactness and accuracy underway procedures over a large group of ventures. High-resolution dispensing systems and equipment find broad utilization in electronic applications, for instance, gasketing, electronic get together, protecting, and plastic holding, mostly attributable to their high level of exactness and accuracy.Obtain Brochure Of Report @The joining of mechanization over a few ventures, for example, car, oil and gas, aviation, and protection is likewise anticipated that would fundamentally add to the development of the high resolution dispensing systems and equipment over the globe in the coming years. These enterprises require dispensing framework for enhancing their generation quality. Programmed high resolution dispensing systems help anticipate material dispensing in the wrong area, along these lines expanding the general profitability, decreasing expenses, and bringing down the odds of part disappointment of high-end machines.Cost and Design Constraints of High Resolution Dispensing Systems and Equipment to Obstruct GrowthHigh resolution dispensing systems and equipment are generally more costly than ordinary dispensing systems and equipment as they include the most recent progressions in the handling innovation. The high expenses acquired by organizations for undertaking innovative work of cutting edge item assortments add to the base cost of these systems and equipment. Notwithstanding the high base expenses of high resolution dispensing systems and equipment, their highly complex nature demands convenient upkeep, which again adds to the general cost of their operation.Obtain Sample Of Report @These components altogether confine the market's development prospects, with for the most part of the developed economies equipped for managing them. This situation obstructs the market's prospects of extension over the high development potential however cost-touchy mechanical segment in creating economies crosswise over Asia Pacific and Latin America.All things considered, the market has huge development openings crosswise over enterprises, for example, therapeutic gadgets and sun oriented power age. The assembling of therapeutic gadgets requires mechanized and semi-robotized dispensing systems fit for offering highly repeatable and precise dispensing of glues, for which, high resolution systems could end up being perfect. In sunlight based applications, high resolution dispensing systems and equipment could help enhance the life span and nature of vitality delivering systems.This review is based on the findings of a TMR report, titled, High Resolution Dispensing Systems and Equipment Market (Type - Semi-Automatic and Automatic; Application - Electronics (Adhesive and Sealant Dispensers, Glue Dispensers, Liquid Material Dispensers, and Powder Dispensers)) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016  2024.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:
Drone-powered Business Solutions Market: Clear Understanding of The Competitive Landscape and Key Product Segments

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Drones are being used increasingly to carry out several jobs in diverse industries. This has resulted in a high demand for drone-powered business solutions across the globe. As per the research report, the global market is anticipated to exhibit a healthy growth rate throughout the forecast period. The research study further offers a comprehensive analysis of the global market in order to provide a detailed study for readers and market players. In addition, the growth factors and the challenges being faced by the prominent players while operating in the market have been included in the study. A thorough overview of the competitive landscape has also been included in the scope of the report.Obtain Report Details @Global Drone-powered Business Solutions Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global drone-powered business solutions market is anticipated to witness a progressive growth in the coming few years. The high growth of the market can be attributed to the proliferation of the drone technology, which is expected to generate promising opportunities in several emerging nations and giving rise to several new applications across the commercial sector. This is projected to encourage the growth of the global drone-powered business solutions market in the forecast period.Furthermore, the growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles from diverse industries across the globe is another major factor likely to accelerate the growth of the market in the near future. On the flip side, the growing need to address several concerns has resulted in an increasing awareness among consumers regarding the impact of this technology in diverse large-scale industries. This is expected to restrict the growth of the global market in the next few years.Obtain Brochure Of Report @Global Drone-powered Business Solutions Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global market for drone-powered business solutions can be divided on the basis of geography in order to provide a clear understanding of the market. According to the research report, North America is projected to witness a strong growth throughout the forecast period. This region is expected to hold a massive share of the global drone-powered business solutions market in the near future. The high growth of this region can be attributed to the rising demand for UAV-generate data and drones across a wide range of industries. Moreover, the significant contribution from the U.S. is estimated to accelerate the growth of the North America market in the near future.Furthermore, Europe is predicted to remain in the second position, registering a healthy growth rate throughout the forecast period. The rising efforts being taken by the European Commission in order to harmonize UAS operation regulations are expected to supplement the growth of the drone-powered business solutions market in Europe in the near future. The research study has provided the share and size of each regional segment, along with the anticipated growth rate in the research report.Key Players Mentioned in the Research Report are:Some of the prominent players operating in the global market for drone-powered business solutions are Pix4D, Cyberhawk Innovations Ltd., Airware, Inc., Phoenix Drone Services LLC, Eagle-Eye Drone Service, SenseFly Ltd., FlyWorx, 3D Robotics, DroneDeploy, PrecisionHawk, Aerobo, and Skylark Drones. These players are making remarkable efforts to seek opportunities in robust growing space, which is residing between potential clientele demanding UAV data and certified commercial UAV operators.Furthermore, the growing emphasis on technological advancements and innovations in the global drone-powered business solutions market is expected to support the key players as well as contribute towards the overall development of the market in the near future. The research report further offers a comprehensive analysis of the global market, presenting insights into the profiles of the leading players. Additionally, the financial overview, business policies, and recent developments of these players have been included in the scope of the report.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 report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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:
Strategic Overview of the Traction Equipment Market | 2024

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The global traction equipment market is considerably fragmented due to the presence of numerous players in the market. Transparency Market Research (TMR) has found that this market is highly technology-centric and only the companies with efficient and effective products can sustain in the highly competitive nature of the market. The degree of competition is anticipated to remain intense over the forthcoming years due to escalating demand for traction equipment from emerging markets. Among various prominent players operating in this market, ABB Ltd. has piloted the competition due to innovative product portfolio. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., TTM Rail - Transtech Melbourne Pty Ltd., Caterpillar Inc., Toshiba International Corporation, VEM Group, American Traction Systems, Bombardier Inc., General Electric Company, Alstom SA, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Crompton Greaves Limited, and Siemens AG are among other significant players employing in this market.Read Report Overview @Transparency Market Research has projected that the market sold about 1.1 mn units in 2015 and the demand will reach 1.3 mn units by the end of 2024, growing with a steady CAGR of 2.34% during the period 2016-2024.Based on product type, traction motors segment has dominated the overall market and accounted for 80% of the share to the market in 2015. This segment is expected to sustain its leading position over the forecast period. Geographically, Asia Pacific emerged as a leading market, contributing to around 40% to the global market in terms of both volume and revenue.The global traction equipment market is propelled by the development of railway sector and investments in this sector. The increasing demand for advanced equipment for railway sector has resulted in a tremendous growth in the overall market of traction equipment. The expansion and development of railway networks and the surging investments in countries such as Spain, South Africa, China, India, and the U.S., are expected to allot a potential rise to the revenue and the volume of the market. Furthermore, regulations and policies modulated by various governments to curb emissions from transportation are most likely to assist the market expand over the forecast period. Demand for EV traction motors is surging due to the emergence of electric vehicles. This trend in the automotive sector is envisioned to drive the market for traction equipment. In addition, the capability of traction motors of efficiently converting electrical power into mechanical power is most likely to fill-in the increasing demand for efficient power converting products from various industries.Request to view Sample Report:Poor Manufacturing and Shipping Services Could Restrain the Market GrowthThe unit-wise shipment of products in the railway sector is exceptionally low. Furthermore, the delivery time and manufacturing time for the products of traction equipment in the railway sector is high compared to automobile sector. These factors could hinder the growth of the market. Furthermore, the replacement requests and off-the-shelf sales are rare, which is further limiting the market to grow with its concealed potential. However, the increasing applications of traction equipment products in the machinery and automotive is expected to sustain the market growth. The demand for equipment such as compressors, blowers, rectifiers, controllers, and other auxiliary systems in the railway segment is increasing, further helping the market to expand. Moreover, the increasing demand for vehicles commuting in all terrains are expected to register a high demand for advanced products. The evolution of hybrid technology is anticipated to sustain the market growth over the forecast period.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Infection Surveillance Solution to Exceed US$ 900 Mn by 2025

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Infection surveillance solution helps healthcare facilities in reporting patient-associated data to the state and federal authorities. Integration of infection surveillance software with already existing networks of medical facilities and hospitals is an easy process. A recent report published by Persistence Market Research (PMR) estimates the global infection surveillance solution market to register a staggering 14.04% CAGR during the forecast- 2017 to 2025. The US$ 316.67 Mn market is likely to surpass US$ 900 Mn in revenues by 2025-end.Request to sample report-Increased Healthcare-associated Infections to Drive the Adoption of Infection Surveillance SolutionContamination of devices & equipment, patient clothing, and bed linens have led to various hospital-associated infections including pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and surgical site infection. To identify the possible healthcare associated infections, hospitals and healthcare professionals are being impelled to adopt infection surveillance systems. Healthcare institutes are incorporating infection surveillance systems to seek accurate, real-time information related to medical records, surgical database, employees health and patient health. The aforementioned factors are driving the growth of the global infection surveillance solution market.Governments of various economies are encouraging health communication programs within health institutes. These governments are coming up with initiatives for building a reliable data source. This further would help in exchanging information within healthcare systems. In addition, the capacity of IT systems is witnessing a surge in performing analytic processing. These factors are expected to aid in the development of analytical and infection surveillance solutions. However, improper data management, soaring volume of data for analysis coupled with altering regulatory requirements, and rising trend of healthcare staff migration on international level are key restrains expected to inhibit the market growth over the forecast period.Hospitals to be the Most Lucrative End User in the MarketAmong end users, hospitals will be the most lucrative in the global infection surveillance solution market. Revenues amassed from hospitals would reach around US$ 500 Mn by 2025-end. Clinics, the second largest end-user, are expected to exhibit 14.19% CAGR through 2025. Although software component is projected to be most lucrative over the global infection surveillance solution market, the services component is projected to register a comparatively faster growth during the forecast period. Infection and surveillance software enables clinics and hospitals to minimize and control healthcare-associated infections in real-time.North America to be Dominant in the Global Infection Surveillance Solution MarketPMRs report projects North America to remain dominant in the market during the forecast period, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific (APAC). The United States (U.S.) is expected to be the most lucrative country in North America infection surveillance solution market. Federal regulation in North America have driven the adoption of infection surveillance solutions by hospitals and other healthcare settings. Europe and APAC are anticipated to exhibit 13.86% and 13.10% CAGRs respectively through 2025. Government initiatives and programs in Europe, for example- European Influenza Surveillance Scheme by European Center for Disease and Prevention Control, are fuelling the growth of the market in this region.Get Full Report now Key players identified in PMRs report include Becton Dickson & Company, Baxter International, Premier, Inc., Truven Health Analytics Inc. (IBM Watson), Gojo Industries, Inc., RL Solutions, Wolters Kluwer N.V., Vigilanz Corporation, Atlas Medical Software (Rpoer Technologies), Quantros, Inc., BD Diagnostics, ICNet Systems, Inc. (Baxter International), Vecna Technologies, Inc., bioMerieux, Inc., Hygreen Inc., Emerald Health Information Systems Ltd, DEB Group Ltd., Iatric Systems, Inc., PeraHealth Inc., and Cerner Corporation.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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Carotenoids Market: Key Players and Production Information analysis with Forecast 2024

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The global market for carotenoids is likely to witness lucrative growth opportunities, thanks to the growing scope of carotenoids in the medical and healthcare industry, on account of its recently discovered health benefits. Its efficiency in preventing prostate cancer and curing various age-related macular degeneration diseases is anticipated to reflect positively on the growth of this market over the next few years.Currently, the rising preference of consumers for natural and organic products and the increasing commercial scope of carotenoids in animal feeds and supplements are acting as the key growth driver of this market. The antioxidative feature of carotenoids makes it more viable medically and is influencing its demand in the healthcare industry substantially. However, the limited number of carotenoids in the market and the lack of research and development in emerging economies may hamper the markets growth to some extent in the near future.The main objective of this market report is to offer a clear picture and a deep insight into the worldwide market for carotenoids, examining its historical performance and present status. The prominent trends, growth drivers, obstructions, challenges, opportunities, and future potential of this market have also been analyzed thoroughly in this research study.Obtain Report Details @Global Carotenoids Market: Trends and OpportunitiesBeta-carotene, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, and annatto are the main carotenoids commercially available across the world. Among these, the demand for beta-carotene is greater as is closely followed by astaxanthin. With the considerable increase in the number of algae-derived and synthetic beta-carotenes, the competition in this market has intensified and consequently, has led to a reduction in beta-carotene prices.Food, animal feed, cosmetics, supplements, and pharmaceuticals have emerged as the key application areas for carotenoids, globally. Thanks to the high nutritive value of carotenoid and the pigmentation present in it that raises the palatability of the feed and enhance the appearance of fish, meat, and meat products, its usage in animal feed is likely to increase substantially in the near future.Global Carotenoids Market: Geographical AnalysisAmong all the regional markets for carotenoids, Europe has a strong presence due to the growing demand for animal feed and health supplements. A robust cosmetics industry, supported by the presence of the leading cosmetic producers, such as Unilever, L'Oreal, Henkel, and Beiersdorf, is expected to impact the growth of Europe market for carotenoids positively in the near future.Obtain Brochure Of Report @On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness lucrative growth opportunities in the near future on account of the increasing utilization of these additives in animal feed and food supplement. The technological advancements, economic rise, industrial growth, and low production costs in several countries, such as Japan, China, and India are also projected to stimulate the Asia Pacific market for carotenoids in the years to come.Companies Mentioned in the Research ReportWith the presence of a large number of players, the global market for carotenoids is demonstrating a highly fragmented and a competitive landscape. BASF SE, Lycored, Royal DSM N.V., Naturex SA, Chr. Hansen A/S, Divis Laboratories, FMC Corp., DSM Nutritional Products, Cyanotech Corp., Brenntag, Kemin Industries Inc., ExcelVite SDN. BHD., D.D. Williamson & Co. Inc., Allied Biotech Corp., and Dohler Group, are the leading vendors of carotenoids across 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. 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:
Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Market Report: Production, Manufacturers, Regions and Cost Structure and Forecast, 2017-22

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The market for Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery market has been undergoing a transitional phase over the recent past. The continual advancements in technologies and the swift increase in infrastructural development projects have influenced the demand for Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery market report 2017 substantially over the past few years. The swift rise in urbanization and the significant increase in the disposable income of people are likely to maintain the demand pace of Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery market in the near future. The augmenting interest of investors, government funding, and the rising trend of automation are also projected to reflect positively on this market in the years to come.Request Free Sample Report@Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingPanasonic(Sanyo)Samsung SDILG ChemSonyWanxiang Group(A123)HitachiTianjin LishenHefei GuoxuanLARGEOptimumNanoDLG ElectronicsZhuoneng New EnergyCHAM BATTERYPadre ElectronicOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into1443014650175001865018490226502665032650On 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, includingPower BanksLaptop Battery PacksElectric VehiclesFlashlightsCordless Power ToolsOthersBrowse Full Report with TOC@Table of ContentsGlobal Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Market Research Report 20171 Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery1.2 Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 144301.2.4 146501.2.5 175001.2.6 186501.2.7 184901.2.8 226501.2.9 266501.2.10 326501.3 Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Segment by Application1.3.1 Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Power Banks1.3.3 Laptop Battery Packs1.3.4 Electric Vehicles1.3.5 Flashlights1.3.6 Cordless Power Tools1.3.7 Others1.4 Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery 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 Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Cylindrical NMC/NCA Battery Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Enquire About this Report@About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: - 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email:- press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:-Read Industry News at :-
Vitreous Tamponades Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2025

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new market study reports that the global vitreous tamponades market is highly fragmented with the presence of small and medium sized players. A distinct feature of the market is that each region is dominated by a select number of players. For instance, the vitreous tamponades market in North America is dominated by Novartis AG and Valeant Pharmaceuticals that hold more than 50% of market share. Likewise, the European market for vitreous tamponades is characterized by the dominance of Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center B.V., AL. CHI. MI.A. srl, and Fluron GmbH.A notable trend observed in the market is the thrust on research and development by keen companies to introduce newer products. This is to serve the demand for case - specific products for specialty medical procedures.Request to view Sample Report:As per estimates of the TR report, the global vitreous tamponades market stood at a valuation of US$69.3 mn in 2016and is likely to present an opportunity worth US$89.9 mn by the end of 2025 at a CAGR of 3.0% for the forecast period between 2017 and 2025.In terms of product, liquid tamponades emerged as the lucrative segment holding 53.9% of the market in 2016. The supremacy of the segment is due to the widespread use of liquid tamponades over gaseous tamponades. The ophthalmology clinics send-use segment led the global vitreous tamponades market vis-a-vis revenue in 2016. Geography-wise, North America holds the leading share amongst other regions in vitreous tamponades market.Rising Incidence of Diabetes Leading to Retinal Conditions Boosts GrowthSteady growth of vitreous tamponades market is witnessed due to increasing incidence of retinal detachments, diabetic retinopathy, macular pucker, and other retinal disorders, explains the lead author of the study. As per statistics of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 17 million cases of proliferative diabetic retinopathy were recorded globally in 2013. Diabetic retinopathy exclusively requires vitrectomy, which in turn, is stoking demand for vitreous tamponades. This is because modern vitrectomy techniques rely heavily on vitreous substitutes for the reattachment of the retina. Moreover, as per statistics of the International Diabetes Federation, around 300 million diabetes cases were reported in 2010 globally and this figure is likely to reach 438 million by 2030. The rising incidence of diabetes that has a high risk to cause diabetes retinopathy and other retinal disorders is stoking the demand for tamponades to prevent impaired vision and even blindness.Prevalence of Retinal Detachment Stokes Demand for Tamponades for VitrectomyFurther, the rising incidence of retinal detachment and other vitreoretinal disorders that can be corrected with vitrectomy is positively influencing the vitreous tamponades market. Vitrectomy involves surgical removal of the vitreous humor to be replaced with synthetic substitutes known as vitreous tamponades. In the human eye, vitreous humor is a vital component that acts as nutrition and as a refractive medium. In the event of trauma or upon aging, the vitreous humor disintegrates leading to tearing or detachment of the highly fragile retina.Apart from this, growing elderly population globally is also considered as one of the key factors boosting the growth of vitreous tamponades market. This is because the aged population has a high risk of retinal breaks that requires effective treatment.View 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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Pressure Relief Devices Market Pegged to Reach Nearly US$ 3,600 Mn by 2025

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Demand for pressure relief devices is on a surge in developing economies including Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). With the advent of medical tourism in various APAC countries such as Vietnam Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Philippines, the market in this region is expected to witness considerable growth. Provision of after sales will be the key focus area of the global pressure relief devices market. Various global players have signed strategic partnerships & collaborations with regional players for offering sales and aftersales services in developing markets.Request to sample report-Persistence Market Research (PMR), in its report, projects the global pressure relief devices market to register 5.3% CAGR during the forecast period 2017 to 2025. In 2016, the market was evaluated at revenues worth US$ 2,280.4 Mn; by 2025 this number is estimated to reach nearly US$ 3,600 Mn.Growing Number of Patients with Hospital-acquired Ulcer Poised to drive Market Growth in North AmericaAccording to a study by Hill-Rom, growing number of patients with hospital-acquired pressure ulcer has led to a robust adoption of pressure ulcer devices in North America. In addition, rising prevalence of obesity and growing geriatric population has also driven the demand for pressure ulcer devices. These factors are expected to drive growth of the market in this region. However, reimbursement stands as a critical factor, considering the fact that products are highly priced. Private insurers in North America are adopting reimbursement restrictions for pressure ulcer treatment, which in turn will restrain market growth in this region.Increasing out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure is current trend in both developed and developing countries of APAC. This is expected fuel demand for medical devices including pressure relief devices in this region. In addition, provision of government initiatives is expected to offer better healthcare facilities across developing economies, which is further expected to fuel demand for pressure relief devices in APAC. In contrast, affordability of purchasing new pressure relief devices is a major challenge for large number of population across this region. This is because of limited support from government policies covering pressure ulcer treatment in developing economies, and lack of health insurance. These factors are expected to impede market growth in Asia Pacific.Sales of Pressure Relief Devices to Long-term Care Centers to Reach Nearly US$ 1,700 Mn by 2025-EndLong-term care centres will continue to remain most lucrative end-users of pressure relief devices, with revenues estimated to reach nearly US$ 1,700 Mn by 2025. Demand for pressure relief devices from long-term care centres is expected to witness expansion at 6% CAGR through 2025. In addition, hospitals are estimated to be second largest end-users of pressure relief devices. Revenue garnered by demand for pressure relief devices from hospitals is expected to surpass US$ 800 Mn in 2017.By product type, specialty beds will remain sought-after in the market. Sales of specialty beds is expected to exhibit 5.8% CAGR through 2025. Specialty beds are expected to account for over 50% market share by 2025-end. In addition, sales of pressure relief mattress is projected to reach nearly US$ 600 Mn in 2017. In contrast, mattress overlays are expected to witness a comparatively low CAGR in the market.North America to Remain the Largest Market for Pressure Relief DevicesNorth America will remain the largest market for pressure relief devices. Sales of pressure relief devices in this region will reach nearly US$ 800 Mn in 2017; by 2025 this number is estimated to surpass US$ 1,000 Mn. In addition, APAC is expected to witness fastest growth in the market. Sales of pressure relief devices in APAC is projected to expand at 6% CAGR through 2025. In contrast, MEA is expected to exhibit sluggish expansion in the market during the forecast period.Get Full Report now Key players identified in PMRs report include Arjohuntleigh AB, Hill-Rom Global Holdings B.V., INVACARE CORP, PARAMOUNT BED CO., LTD., Talley Group Limited, STRYKER CORPORATION, SIDHIL LIMITED, MEDTRONIC PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY, SMITH & NEPHEW PLC, Apex Medical Corp, Proma Reha, s. r. o., Besco Medical Co., Ltd., Hirtz & Co. KG, GF Health Products, Inc., ADL GmbH., Linet spol. s r.o.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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
New Research Report Explore Elemental Sulfur Market Expected to Represent CAGR of 3.0% in 2017-2027

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This research report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Elemental Sulfur Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 - 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017 - 2027The main objective of this report is to deliver insightful information and clear-cut facts pertaining to the growth trajectories of the market.Request to view Sample Report @Agrochemicals and Chemicals & Petroleum Refining application segments will witness significant growth throughout the forecast periodIn terms of application of elemental sulphur, the Agrochemicals segment dominates the global market and is estimated to represent around US$ 3,000 Mn or more than 50% share of the total market in 2017. The Agrochemicals segment is expected to reach a market valuation in excess of US$ 4,000 Mn by 2027 end, expanding at a CAGR of 3.1% in terms of value over the forecast period. Consumption of elemental sulphur for agrochemical applications, especially in phosphate fertilisers, is expected to grow steadily throughout the forecast period. The segment is anticipated to represent a market attractiveness index of 3.2 over the forecast period. Increasing phosphate fertiliser consumption and production along with new capacity addition across the globe is expected to boost the demand for elemental sulphur. The Chemical & Petroleum Refining application segment is estimated to account for a little under 25% revenue share of the global elemental sulphur market by 2017 end and is expected to gain 120 BPS in its market share by 2027 over 2017.Increasing demand for elemental sulphur in agricultural products is expected to drive global market growthChina and India are the most populated countries in the world and as a result, there is a rapidly increasing demand for food and agricultural products in these nations. This creates a necessity to produce maximum yield with the available agricultural land. The demand for fertilisers is escalating to sustain the increase in food production. In APEJ, China and India are the major consumer markets for fertilisers. The two countries together accounted for over 55% share in the global fertiliser market in terms of consumption in 2015. Thus rising demand for fertilisers coupled with an increase in the production of fertilisers in the APEJ region will result in an increase in demand for elemental sulphur over the forecast period.Browse Full Report with TOC @Sulphuric acid finds application in the production of various metals such as copper, zinc and nickel. Among these, the production of copper dominates the sulphuric acid market in terms of consumption in the mining application. This rise in production of metals in the North America region, especially in the U.S. has significantly impacted the consumption of sulphuric acid for the leaching of metals from their oxide ores. A growing use of elemental sulphur in the mining operation is creating a positive impact on the global elemental sulphur market.Around 90% of elemental sulphur produced is utilised for the production of sulphuric acid, which finds applications in chemicals, petroleum refining, automobile batteries and metal leaching, among others. Within the chemicals industry, increasing consumption of sulphuric acid for waste water treatment, ph control and other applications will help drive the demand for elemental sulphur, thereby boosting revenue growth of the global market.The use of elemental sulphur for agrochemicals is projected to remain lucrative both in terms of market share and CAGR index in EuropeThe use of elemental sulphur for agrochemicals is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period in Western Europe. The mining and metallurgy application segment is expected to hold a relatively small share and expand at a low CAGR as compared to other application segments. In Eastern Europe, the paper and pulp application segment is also projected to create significant growth opportunities during the course of the decade. Moreover, applications such as chemicals and petroleum refining and rubber and plastics are also projected to remain lucrative over the forecast period.Enquire about this Report @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:
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Market Set to Surge Significantly During 2024

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An implantable cardioverter defibrillator is a device that monitors a person's heart rate post its implantation in patients with heart failure. The device continuously monitors your heartbeat and sends electrical pulses to repair a normal heart rhythm when necessary. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or automated implantable cardioverter defibrillators can save patients from arrhythmias by regulating the irregular heartbeats. The device is used in treating sudden cardiac arrest caused due to cardiac arrhythmias, particularly ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Invention of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator was started by Michel Mirowski in the late 1960s after one of his close friends death who was also his mentor and had been admitted to hospital with recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias.Report Overview @The most important factors driving the global implantable cardioverter defibrillators market are increasing incidences of cardiovascular disorders, increasing demand for implantable cardioverter defibrillator from emerging countries of Asia-Pacific and the Middle-East as cardiovascular disorders are increasing and awareness about the disease also increases in these countries, increasing number of training and awareness programs across the globe for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators. These training and awareness programs are conducted for the patients as well as the surgeons by Mayo Clinic US.The implantable cardioverter defibrillators governs the appropriate therapy for returning your heartbeat to a normal heart rhythm. Doctor programs the implantable cardioverter defibrillators to deliver functions such as anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) and cardio. A series of small electrical impulses are delivered to the heart muscle to restore a normal heart rate and rhythm. In cardio, a low energy shock is delivered at the same time as your heartbeat to restore a normal heart rhythm. Defibrillation means when the heart is beating dangerously fast, a high-energy shock is delivered to the heart muscle to restore a normal rhythm. Bradycardia pacing means when the heart beats too slow, small electrical impulses are sent to stimulate the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate.Download Report Brochure @The American Heart Association recommends some guide lines for the person to be eligible for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. The arrhythmia in question must be life threatening and the correctable causes of arrhythmia (acute myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, electrolyte imbalance and drug toxicity) have been ruled out by doctors have ruled out correctable causes of the arrhythmia.Implantable cardioverter defibrillators market can be segmented by product types, by procedure type, and end user type. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator are categories into single chambered, dual chambered and biventricular implantable cardioverter defibrillators on product types. Based on implantation region ICDs are categorized into trans-venous implantable cardioverter defibrillators and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators.The subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) is placed without inserting the leads inside the heart. The device is placed under the skin below the left axilla, or armpit along the rib cage, and not inserting in the standard location near the collarbone. The lead which is connected to the device is burrowed under the skin rather than inside the heart. The advantages of the S-ICD are that it do not show any of the immediate or long-term complications followed due to placing a lead into the heart, such as perforation of the heart and collapse of the lung. Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators is the key driver for the ICD market as it have very less complications and easy implantable procedure. Based on end user type the ICDs are divided into hospital and super specialty hospitals, home users, cardiac catheterization laboratory users and electrophysiology laboratory users. Geographically, the market has been categorized in five main regions: North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia pacific and the Middle East and Africa.Pre-Book Full Report @The key implantable cardioverter defibrillators manufacturer companies include Boston Scientific Corporation, Imricor Medical Systems, Inc., LivaNova PLC Company, Mayo Clinic US, Medtronic plc, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, MRI Interventions, Inc., St. Jude Medical, 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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Sulphur Market to Witness Exponential Growth by 2017 - 2025

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Sulphur is found naturally as an element in pure state and as sulfate or sulfide minerals. Sulphur crystals are easily differentiated by mineral collectors for their unique and bright colored polyhedron shapes. Earlier sulfur was extracted majorly from salt domes where it occurs in pure form but now this method has been obsolete owing to the new technologies. Today, majority of sulphur is developed as a byproduct from sulphur containing contaminants from petroleum and natural gas. Commercial use of sulphur is carried out in fertilizers, due to high requirements in plants and in the manufacturing of sulphuric acid, an important chemical used in the industry. Various other use of elemental sulphur is found in fungicides and insecticides.Request Report for TOC @In the year 2010, global production of sulphur was at 67.80 million tones and that of pyrites was 6.1 million tones. Countries such as the U.S., Canada, Russia, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia were the major producers of sulphur. Finland and China were the major producers of pyrites. Elemental sulphur is obtained from the ores by conventional mining method i.e. Frasch method. It is also obtained as a byproduct from processing of sour natural gas, tar sand and sour crude refining. Sulphur recovered from refining processes accounts to 98% of world elemental sulphur production.In Frasch method, majorly concentric pipes are used. The outer most pipe contains superheated water, that melts the sulphur and the inner most pipe is completely filled with hot compressed air which is used to create pressure and foam. Sulphur foam is then ejected through the centre pipe. Sulphur produced from Frasch process is 99.5% pure and it further needs no purification. Sulphur production from Frasch method for commercial scale was first carried out in Mexico and Brazil. Elemental sulphur is mined in Poland, Russia and China.Sulphur is used to carry vulcanization process for rubber. It reacts directly with methane to generate carbon disulphide which is used to manufacture rayon and cellophane. Sulphur is mostly used as a precursor to many chemicals. Majority of the sulphur is transformed to sulphuric acid, which is vital to the world economy. Production and consumption of sulphuric acid is an indicator of a nation's industrial development. The prime use of the sulphuric acid is in the manufacturing of Phosphatic fertilizer. Various other applications of sulphuric acid include wastewater processing, mineral extraction and oil refining. Sulphur compounds are utilized in the manufacturing of fungicides, agrichemicals, dyestuffs and detergents. For silver based photography, ammonium thiosulphate and sodium are used as fixing agents. Sulphites obtained from burning sulphur are used to bleach paper. It is used as preservatives in processed fruit products and dried fruit and as light producing medium in the rare lighting fixtures called as sulphur lamps. The sulphur lamps are very efficient lighting system in which light is produced by sulphur plasma.Request to Sample of Report @Increasing investments and developing economies are the some of the key drivers of the global sulphur market. However, high cost to extract sulphur from the mining processes can prove to be fatal for the sulphur market. Owing to rapid industrialization taking place in Asia Pacific region large number of opportunities are there for sulphur market.Some of the key players in the business of Sulphur are Ohio Sulphur Mining Company, Freeport Sulphur Company, Texas Gulf Sulphur Company and Merafe Resources Ltd among others.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 @Reasons for Buying this ReportThis report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segmentsAbout 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:
Automated CPR Devices Market; Latest Developments, Growth & Demand Future Outlook 2020

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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency and lifesaving technique consists of chest compression and artificial ventilation. CPR is performed to maintain the blood flow and oxygenation to brain in case of cardiac arrest. CPR main function is to maintain partial flow of oxygenated blood to brain and heart. The main purpose is to delay tissue death to achieve successful resuscitation and protecting brain from permanent damage.Increasing number of incidences has shown that manual chest compression in CPR is not effective as compared to actual clinical setting. Recent clinical investigations have demonstrated that improved hemodynamic effect and better coronary perfusion and increase incidence of return of spontaneous circulation can be achieved by mechanical and automated compression devices.Get sample Report @Effective CPR can improve the survival rate of patients with cardiac arrest. It has been found that the quality of CPR performed by healthcare professionals in hospital and out of the hospital is poor. Assessment of CPR practices by medical professionals revealed that chest compressions are few and ineffective and have significant pauses during compression that results in decrease of survival rate.Automated CPR devices have overcome these drawbacks by the use of mechanical automated chest compression device, which may lead to improve perfusion pressures by overcoming the drawbacks of conventional manual CPR. Clinical and laboratory studies have shown, blood pressure level getting normal with automatic chest compression devices and enhanced neurological outcomes following extended cardiac arrest. According to American Heart Association, around 92 percent victims of sudden cardiac arrest die before reaching to hospital. According to statistics it has been proved if more people are aware of CPR, more lives could be saved.Application of CPR immediately can increase the survival rate of victims significantly. A study by American Heart Association states that 70% Americans feel helpless in case of cardiac emergency for the reason that they are not aware of how to administer CPR. The Automated CPR Devices market has been witnessing an increasing and continuous growth. Many factors are responsible for the growth such as increasing rate of heart diseases, trauma, respiratory illness, geriatric population, increased accessibility to healthcare, growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases.Get Discount @Geographically, the global automated CPR devices market is segmented into four major regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). In terms of geography, North America followed by Europe account for the largest market share of automated CPR devices market due to upcoming new technologies, high disposable income, growing geriatric population and favorable regulatory framework . However, Asia Pacific market is also witnessing a very positive growth due to the growing unmet medical and healthcare needs, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, encouraging reimbursement scenarios and high adoption rate of precise medical instruments.The automated CPR devices market is highly developing due to the participation of many new players in this market. New entrants are focusing on new technologies and introducing new product into the market. In addition, the market is expected to witness a high growth rate due to the growing demand for better products.Some of the major players in automated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) market are ZOLL Medical Corporation, Zhuhai Kindway Medical Science & Technology Co., Ltd, CPR Medical Devices, Inc., Medtronic, Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +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. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Event Driven Patient Tracking Systems Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth During 2016 - 2024

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Patient tracking is a sophisticated process designed to monitor patients movements, outside conventional clinical settings such as hospitals, clinics, diagnostic center and laboratories. This increases the access to care, and minimizes health care costs. Many health care providers have started incorporating this method which has significantly lowered the personal costs of patients, reduced complications and improved quality of life of patients. Event driven patient tracking usually involves monitoring and maintenance of patients medical records, either manually by entering the details of patients locations, or by use of softwares (RLTS, RFID, GPS, etc.) and hardware components such as sensors, detectors and others. Manual entries are made by an authorized person, usually a doctor or a caregiver, who makes entries whenever an event takes place. Software and hardware use technology to track the patients whereabouts, triangulating their positions based on their last known locations. Previously, manual methods or approaches were adopted by healthcare providers for event driven patient tracking, but changing market dynamics, increasing focus on a patient centric approach, and rising financial and operational costs of hospitals, have shifted the trend towards sophisticated systems to monitor patients.Report Overview @Demand for bed capacity is projected to rise by 2024, and this is proving to be a challenge for hospitals and other healthcare settings, as physically increasing bed capacity is not a viable option, and hence healthcare settings are shifting their focus towards improving their ability to move patients through a treatment system, known as throughput. New technologies in event driven patient tracking systems, such as Real Time Locating System (RTLS), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Global Positioning System (GPS), and other technologies, allow caregivers to work efficiently by providing real-time information about the patient and improving the workflow. RTLS is adopted by major healthcare settings and hospitals, but smaller hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centers mainly opt for RFID, GPS, and other systems, as RTLS is more costly, and affordability of this technology is a major issue for smaller healthcare settings.The global event driven patient tracking system is driven by factors such as adoption of patient centric approach by healthcare providers, seemingly increasing costs of healthcare services, which has led to adoption of new technologies and approaches by hospitals and other healthcare settings to reduce the pressure of increasing demands for bed capacity, and rising return on investment.Download Report Brochure @Event driven patient tracking systems accounted for the largest share of the patient flow management solutions market, in 2024. Event driven patient tracking systems are segmented on the basis of product type, delivery mode, components, and geography. By product type, the market can be segmented into stand-alone devices, and integrated devices. By delivery mode, the market can be segmented into cloud-based delivery solutions, web-based delivery solutions, and premises based delivery solutions. Based on Components, the market can be segmented into hardware components, software components, and services. By geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa.Geographically, North America accounted for the largest share of the event driven patient tracking systems market owing to factors such as use of advanced technologies, and increasing emphasis on improving patient flow coupled with increased focus on reducing costs related to health care services. Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at a formidable CAGR, during the forecast period from 2016-2024, owing to its large population base, increasing gap between supply and demand of health care services, technological advancements in the field of cloud computing and web based services, and high scope of adoption of these systems owing to largely unorganized patient flow management.Pre-Book Full Report @The major players having presence in the global event driven patient tracking systems market include, Epic Systems, McKesson Corporation, Allscripts, Cerner Corporation, Sonitor Technologies, Centrallogic Medworxx, and TeleTracking Technologies, 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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Powered Surgical Instruments Market : Sales Forecast , Pricing Forecast 2020

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The market research report discusses the different types of powered surgical instruments and their diverse application in varied fields. The report also provides information about innovative products available in the global powered surgical instrument market. As per the report, the global powered surgical instrument market is expecting substantial growth thanks to technological advancement and a prime focus on reducing the duration of surgeries.The research report also provides an overview of the global powered surgical instrument market, including product segmentation and competitive analysis. The report makes use of analytical tools such as Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis, and value chain analysis to provide detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of the global powered surgical instruments market landscape. It also includes strategic recommendations from industry experts, which can be incorporated in the business strategies of major players in the powered surgical instruments market.Get sample Report @A powered surgical instrument is a precisely designed implement used for a particular procedure during surgery. Power sources for powered surgical instruments are either pneumatic or electrical, the latter of which includes batteries and line current. Pneumatic power sources make use of compressed gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or compressed air.The global powered surgical instrument market is anticipating substantial growth due to innovative technological advancements. For example, innovation of surgical robotics has significantly propelled market growth. Powered surgical instruments are mostly used in ophthalmic, orthopedic, and cardiac surgical procedures. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, orthopedic conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological diseases also necessitates surgical interventions.Get Discount @Major driving factors for the growth of the global powered surgical instrument market include medical tourism, increased healthcare spending, growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases, rising volume of surgical procedures, and rising accessibility of healthcare facilities around the world. On the other hand, lack of adequate sterilization processes, insufficient quality assurance, and continuous pressure on healthcare providers for reducing costs are expected to hamper the growth of this market.Geographically, North America is expected to dominate the global market, followed by Europe, due to the growing aging population in both regions, favorable regulatory guidelines, high disposable income, and acceptance of innovative technologies. Asia Pacific has optimistic growth prospects in the near future due to growing prevalence of the same factors.The global powered surgical instruments market is highly fragmented owing to the large number of established and new players operating in the market. The market research report covers some of the key players operating in the global powered surgical instruments market, including Zimmer Holdings Inc., Conmed Corporation, Stryker Corporation, Medtronic Inc., Alcon Laboratories Inc., MicroAire, Carefusion Corporation, KLS martin group, Smith & Nephew PLC, and Ethicon Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +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. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Genetic Testing Reagents Market by Revenue, Growth and Forecast To 2020

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Genetic testing is oftenly performed as a part of genetic consultation. These tests are performed either on blood, skin, hair, or amniotic fluid. Genetic tests include the analysis of an individuals genetic material (DNA or RNA), in order to determine the susceptibility to certain abnormalities or specific disorders or to identify the genetic differences (variants) if any. Currently, genetic tests have developed to a larger extent that in turn facilitates the doctors to detect any defective or missing genes. Specific genetic tests are designed for specific disorders to be identified. There are several instances where a doctor may recommend genetic testing or counseling, for example, if a couples first child suffers from a severe birth defect, or if a woman has more than two miscarriages, or a woman who is pregnant at or after age 35.Genetic consultation is crucial as it helps determination of a genetic or inherited disorder before giving birth to a child and hence avoids the serious birth defects. Diagnostic, pharmacogenetics, prenatal testing, preimplantation testing, presymptomatic and predictive testing and newborn screening constitute several types of genetic tests performed for various reasons. These tests involve the use of reagents of high purity and quality. These are essential in order to ensure accurate results of the tests. Any compromise in the quality and composition of the reagent results in deviation from accurate results and can be misleading.Get sample Report @There is an extensive usage of reagents at each and every step of the process such as from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction to isolation and purification. With the rapid pace of technological advances in the field of genomics, more and more genetic tests are being implemented in several laboratories across the globe. This is leading to marketing of the genetic tests without proper regulation. Genetic testing finds application in various areas such as determination of genetic disorders, paternity testing, forensics and others.Three federal agencies namely, Center for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) play a very significant role in regulating genetic tests. CMS regulates the clinical laboratories and confirms the quality of the lab processes implemented. FDA regulates the marketing of various test kits possessing reagents while FTC puts a check on misleading and false advertising. On July 31, 2014, FDA announced that it would release draft guidelines to regulate laboratory developed tests (LDTs) owing to the increased mismatch between the tests performed in commercial laboratories and the physicians ordered tests.Get Discount @Genetic tests has the capability to revolutionize the clinical practice however, increased adoption of these tests depends on coverage and reimbursement provided by several insurance providers. If these insurance providers are not willing to pay for the tests, it might result in stagnant growth of the market. There is very limited information available on the reimbursement decisions about genetic testing. The genetic test kits include the standard sample, distilled water, buffer solutions and other extraction and isolation reagents. The usage of these reagent kits is prominent in developed regions such as North America and Europe as compared to Asian countries such as India and China.The market for genetic testing reagent kits can be analyzed by various geographies such as Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. Furthermore, this market can be analyzed by various application areas such as new born screening, prenatal testing, forensics and paternity testing. Factors such as regulatory and reimbursement policies govern the commercialization and marketing of genetic testing reagent kits.The major factors favoring the market growth are continuous technological advances, increasing acceptance of genetic consultation and counseling. On other hand factors such as high cost of the procedures and lack of reimbursement and medical coverage restrain the market growth. Danaher Corporation, Sigma-Aldrich Co., LLC. ThermoFisher Scientific, Hologic, Inc., Roche Diagnostics and Abbott Laboratories are some of the key players operating in this 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.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +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. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Over-the-top services Market 2017 Key Players are Alibaba, Bharti Airtel, Facebook, Google

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SummaryOver the top (OTT) messaging leaders are rapidly evolving their key mobile messaging application interfaces to new voice and video communications, with revenue dilution implications for carriers worldwide. The progress made in mobile IP voice and video in the past year alone from key OTT players such as Facebook and Google is a clear indication of heightened mobile communications competitive pressure from these new players in 2016 and beyond. OTT players are transforming their communications apps into rich media platforms that serve as social networking hubs, offering a number of media services. Apps built on top of messaging enable users to solve broad problems. Messaging becomes a hub for consuming content and making transactions. Still, we argue that OTT communications providers need partnerships with carriers, to garner scale and differentiation.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentioned3 Hong Kong ChinaAppleAlibabaBharti AirtelCell CFacebookGoogleKikLine CorpMicrosoftNextpeerOoredooRakutenSamsungSingtelSnapchatSkype (Microsoft)TangoKey Findings The strategy of most, if not all, OTT messaging providers is to gain scale first and then monetize. All communications OTT apps with global aspirations are in a race to become the biggest platform in order to attract developers, which in turn should add more value to an offering. OTT players are transforming their communications apps into rich media platforms that serve as social networking hubs, offering a number of media services. Apps built on top of messaging enable users to solve broad problems. Messaging becomes a hub for consuming content and making transactions. LINE Messenger and WeChat are the few OTT communications players to demonstrate revenue. They can serve as a blueprints for other players. Messaging apps have significantly eroded carriers revenue from previous cash generators such as SMS services. The threat to carriers is increasing with the migration of voice calls from carriers to VoIP providers such as Skype and WhatsApp. WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger represent the most disruptive OTT communications players in the market. Monetization could be highly disruptive. A number of partnership opportunities are emerging as carriers are growing convinced that they can generate revenue from OTT communications. The challenge lies in business tie-ups and infrastructure capabilities.SynopsisOver-the-top communications services: Emerging monetization paths offers an analysis of the state of the OTT communications market, the market drivers, and a number of company initiatives that highlight how market players are moving toward monetization. We highlight a number of monetization strategies and case studies employed by the worlds largest OTT communications players. We also look at how carriers are impacted by OTT communications providers and how they can partner with key players to drive revenue. We conclude with recommendations for OTT companies and carriers.The Report is structured as follows:Section 1: Market context. This section provides an overview of the OTT communications providers along with the competitive landscape and recent acquisitions and investments in OTT messaging app market. It also provides details on key OTT communications features and information on these communications apps are now evolving into powerful digital platforms.Section 2: Emerging monetization strategies. Here we explore the various monetization strategies adopted by the major OTT communications companies globally.Section 3: OTT communications case studies. The report includes six case studies: Facebook Messenger, Line, Viber, WeChat, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Each case study offers detailed analysis of the trajectory and approach taken by OTT service providers for generating revenues along with the progress made in recent years.Section 4: Key findings and recommendations. We conclude with a summary of our findings on the emerging monetization paths adopted by various OTT service providers around the world, as well as specific recommendations for network carriers and OTT service providers looking to increase their revenue and develop partnerships in the OTT arena.Reasons to Buy Assess revenue models for OTT communications services and learn what works and what doesnt. Learn effective strategies for minimizing the adverse impact of OTT communications services on mobile carrier business Examine the business case for OTT/carrier partnershipsTable of Content: Key PointsTable of contentsTable of exhibitsExecutive SummarySection 1: OTT communications market contextState of the marketCompetitor landscapeKey featuresBusiness model evolutionSection 2: Emerging monetization strategiesDigital contentSponsored chatsAdvertisingMobile payments / commerceSection 3: OTT communications provider case studiesFacebook MessengerLINESnapchatViberWeChatWhatsAppSection 4: The OTT/carrier partner modelWhy carriers and OTTs need partnershipsOTT/carrier partnership landscapeOTT/carrier partnership opportunitiesSection 5: Key findings & recommendationsContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Internet Ad Spending Market To Grow At A CAGR Of 9.44% During The Period 2017-2021

Internet Ad Spending Market

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Internet Ad Spending Market 2017-2021" to its huge collection of research reports.Internet advertising or web advertising is a form of marketing that uses the Internet for delivering promotional marketing messages to users. Consumers view advertisements online as an unwanted distraction along with a few benefits. The global ad spending market is experiencing exponential growth. The rapid adoption of ad usage across various industry verticals, improving economic environment, and increasing distribution of films and music online are also increasing the demand for online advertising.Technavios analysts forecast the global internet ad spending market to grow at a CAGR of 9.44% during the period 2017-2021.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global internet ad spending market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from different types of Internet ads and by different region in the global Internet ad spending market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEAGlobal Internet Ad Spending Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsFacebookGoogleLinkedInTwitterOther prominent vendorsBCCDeutsche TelekomIACPinterestTumblrMarket driverIncreasing customer baseFor a full, detailed list, view our reportGet Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @Market challengeRising complexity in integrationFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendGrowing M&A in online advertisingFor 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.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 @
Construction in Egypt Market 2017: Key Players HSBC, Qatar National Bank, Banque Misr

Construction in Egypt

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SynopsisIn real terms, the Egyptian construction industry registered positive growth during the review period (20112015) and is expected to continue to expand over the forecast period (20162020), with investments in residential, infrastructure, and energy and utilities construction projects. Forecast-period growth will be driven by government efforts to develop the countrys rail and road infrastructure and meet its energy targets by 2022.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentionedArab African International BankCommercial International BankEgyptian Banks CompanyNational Bank of EgyptBanque MisrQatar National BankALEXBANK-Intesa SanpaoloHSBCCredit Agricole Egypt ...The growing number of public-private partnership (PPP) projects and the increasing pace of foreign investment will also drive industry growth over the forecast period. In July 2016, the government signed 20 economic agreements with the Chinese government. The agreements, worth EGP111.7 billion (US$15.0 billion), will include investments in the countrys housing, transport and energy sectors.Government flagship programs such as the October Oasis, Sustainable Development Strategy 2030, Local Development for Upper Egypt governorates and development of Cairo Metro Line 6 projects, are expected to support industry growth over the forecast period.In real terms, the industrys output value recorded a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.32% during the review period, and is expected to register a forecast-period CAGR of 8.24%.SummaryConstruction in Egypt  Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020 report provides detailed market analysis, information and insights into the Egyptian construction industry including: The Egyptian construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and construction activity Analysis of equipment, material and service costs for each project type in Egypt Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, and the risks and opportunities they present to participants in the Egyptian construction industry Profiles of the leading operators in the Egyptian construction industry Data highlights of the largest construction projects in EgyptScopeThis report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in Egypt. It provides: Historical (2011-2015) and forecast (2016-2020) valuations of the construction industry in Egypt using construction output and value-add methods Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by project type Breakdown of values within each project type, by type of activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition) and by type of cost (materials, equipment and services) Analysis of key construction industry issues, including regulation, cost management, funding and pricing Detailed profiles of the leading construction companies in EgyptReasons to Buy Identify and evaluate market opportunities using Timetric's standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies. Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts. Understand the latest industry and market trends. Formulate and validate strategy using Timetric's critical and actionable insight. Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures. Evaluate competitive risk and success factors.Key Highlights In March 2015, the government announced plans to build a new capital city to the east of Cairo near the Red Sea, in an aim to promote economic growth. The project was suspended temporarily following lack of consensus on the projects tenure and cost. However, the government re-announced the commencement of the project in February 2016. The new capital city will include 1.1 million housing units, 663 healthcare facilities, 700 kindergartens, 40,000 hotel rooms, 1,250 religious buildings, and retail malls on a 1.8 million m2 area, theme parks and an airport. Egypts strategic geographical location and availability of cheap and competitive workforce is increasing the pace of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)s 2015 World Investment Report, the oil sector represented the highest recipient of FDI with a share of 71.7% during 20142015, followed by the construction and manufacturing sectors with 2.2% and 2.0% shares respectively. In a bid to minimize traffic congestion in Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Transport announced plans to construct Cairo Metro Line 6. Accordingly, the Ministry of Transport signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the China Railway Construction Corporation worth EGP26.1 billion (US$3.5 billion) in December 2015. The 30km-long metro line project will connect northern Al-Khosos and the southern suburb of Maadi. In 2015, the government signed a MoU with Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation of Russia to construct a nuclear power station in El Dabaa region. With a total investment of EGP186.2 billion (US$25.0 billion), the plant will be developed with a capacity to generate 4,800MW of electricity. The plant is expected to be completed in 2022. The government is accelerating the pace of investment under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. In February 2016, the Egyptian Ministry of Housing signed four PPP contracts with major real estate companies which include Mountain View-Sisban Holding alliance, Arabia Group and Palm Hills. The total value of these PPP projects is EGP200.0 billion (US$26.8 billion) and includes developments such as the Mountain View iCity residential project in the New Cairo city which will cover a 2.1km2 area with 18,000 housing units, and a resort.Table of Content: Key Points1 Executive Summary2 Industry Outlook3 Key Issues and Developments4 Market Data AnalysisContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Industrial Power Over Ethernet (PoE) Market To Grow At A CAGR Of 5.54% During The Period 2017-2021 | Broadcom, Linear Technology, Maxim Integrated, STMicroelectronics

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Industrial Power Over Ethernet Market 2017-2021" to its huge collection of research reports.Industrial Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a network where the transmission of data and power occurs through a single cable between power sourcing equipment and a powered device. Power over Ethernet (PoE) is the concept of transferring power and data through the same cable that connects power sourcing equipment to the powered device. The technology dates back to 1999 when the IEEE802.3 Ethernet Working Group started working on standardizing the PoE cables.Technavios analysts forecast the global industrial power over ethernet (PoE)market to grow at a CAGR of 5.54% during the period 2017-2021.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global industrial power over ethernet (PoE)market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the sales.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEAGlobal Industrial Power over Ethernet Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsBroadcomLinear TechnologyMaxim IntegratedSTMicroelectronicsTexas InstrumentsOther prominent vendorsAkros SiliconCisco SystemsMicrosemiMonolithic Power SystemsON SemiconductorSilicon LabsGet Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @Market driverGrowing implementation of IIoTFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeEmergence of cheap and duplicate PoE injectorsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendAttaining maximum efficiency through midspansFor 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.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 @
Market study of SaaS-based CRM Software Market and also elements for its future market growth by focusing on Top Companies like Salesforce, Oracle, Aplicor, SAP, Microsoft, NetSuite, IBM, Zoho, SugarCRM, Software AG

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Global SaaS-based CRM Software market is expected to rise in 2017. Promising projections of high Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) drives the market forward in the latest surveys. Leading market personnel and analysts say that there are several factors which help give the market its current competitive standing.In order to understand how SaaS-based CRM Software market gained its standing in the global market, intensive research is conducted. Data gathered are from reliable sources. All of them are verified and cross-referenced to ensure that results are valid and well-supported.In-depth interviews were conducted with principal participants of the SaaS-based CRM Software market, C-level executive, market experts, consultants, and trend analysts. This is paired with the extensive use of reliable secondary sources like company data bases and directories. Then, functional disciplines like financial management and logistics are identified to further market research.Get Sample Copy of this report:Additionally, this study deals with the key geographical segments of the global SaaS-based CRM Software market and delivers details about their former and current shares. The trends dominant in the global SaaS-based CRM Software market have also been underlined in the report.Company Profiled:Salesforce, Oracle, Aplicor, SAP, Microsoft, NetSuite, IBM, Zoho, SugarCRM, Software AGThis report inspects SaaS-based CRM Software in global market, especially in U.S., China. Africa, Japan, Europe, and South America, targets the top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue, and market share for each manufacturer.The market study provides a valuation of the aspects that are anticipated to impact the growth of the market in an undesirable or constructive way. The global SaaS-based CRM Software market has been systematically inspected with regards to the corresponding market segments and speculation period. Individual timeline for each year has been concisely considered in terms of the produce's worth in the regional and the global market.To get more information, Ask for Sample PDF illustration with TOC, Tables, Figures and Charts @The information provided in the report is augmented by infographics illustrating various aspects of this market. The policy structure of the global SaaS-based CRM Software industry is also assessed in the report to provide a clear view of the environment in which its manufacturers operate. Further, factors that help to propel the growth of the market and presentable opportunities to the market is also mentioned clearly. However, restraining negative factors to the market is given, so in advanced readers can have an idea about the market routes to take. The analysts in the report has used tools such as Porters five force analysis and SWOT analysis.Table Of Content:Chapter 1 SaaS-based CRM Software 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 AnalysisAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones JohnSales Manager+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
African Trypanosomiasis Market to Witness Comprehensive Growth by 2025

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African Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness disease, is one of the rarest infectious diseases that can affect ones sleep pattern to a great extent. It is a parasitic disease caused by protozoan parasite of genus Trypanosoma and is carried by tsetse fly. There are two types of African Trypanosomiasis depending on the parasite: East African Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and West African Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosomiasis brucei gambiense. West African Trypanosomiasis causes a fatal infection which lasts for years while East African Trypanosomiasis has a limited range and lasts for several weeks. The symptoms associated with African Trypanosoniasis vary from one stage to another. There are two stages which are as follows:Request Report TOC @First Stage (Hemolymphatic stage): The first stage is known as hemolymphatic stage due to the blood and lymphatic systems associated with this stage. During this stage, the skin infected by the tsetse fly form a trypanosomal chancre and the lymph nodes of the immune system become infected and enlarged. The various symptoms of the hemolymphatic stage are intermittent fever, headaches, skin lesions, facial edema, tachycardia and weight loss.Second stage (Neurologic or encephalitic stage): During the second stage, the brain becomes affected with few troubles in concentrating. The various symptoms of the neurologic stage are muscle weakness, behavioral changes such as irritability and mood swings, paralysis of a limb, speech disorders and sensory disorders.African Trypanosomiasis can be diagnosed by examining the blood samples, bone marrow, lymph node fluid, cerebrospinal fluid or lymph node aspirate of the affected individual. However, the card agglutination test (CATT) is a useful test for the detection of trympanosome specific antibodies in blood, serum or plasma. CATT is a field and laboratory test usually applied for mass screening to detect African Trypanosoniasis. Moreover, three surgical tests are available for the detection of the parasite, namely, micro-CATT, wb-CATT, and wb-LATEX.Request For Brochure @Based on the type of treatment, African Trypanosomiasis market can be segmented as follows:First stage treatment: The first stage disease treatment includes intravenous pentamidine for Trypanosomiasis brucei gambiense and intravenous suramin for Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.Second stage treatment: The second stage disease treatment includes intravenous eflornithine and intravenous melarsoprol. However, combination of both eflornithine and nifurtimox is considered to be more effective in the treatment of African Trypanosomiasis.According to WHO, 25,000 new cases of both East and West African Trypanosomiasis are reported each year globally. African Trypanosomiasis is primarily found in subtropical and equatorial Africa. The major driving factors for the growth of the African Trypanosomiasis market in this region are constantly growing number of poor population in East African, prevalence of unhygienic environment, rapid pace of technological advancement in the field of African Trypanosomiasis therapeutics, increasing number of population to opt for healthy lifestyle and the overall growing diagnostic and therapeutic market. On the other hand, the huge cost of drugs involved in the treatment of African Trypanosomiasis and difficulty in availability of these medications would most likely impede the growth of this market. Geographically, the African Trypanosomiasis market can be segmented into four major segments: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Some of the top market players of the African Trypanosomiasis market are Sanofi, Genzyme Corporation, D-Pharm Ltd., aRigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and many others.Pre Book full report@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:
Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market Key Analysis and 2018 Development Trends

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market Research Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The general market for Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner has been seen on a few points of view that are in every way that really matters there, and have repaired the market situation to the mammoth degree. The report in like manner shows unmistakable experience and data identified with general Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner market. The key clarification behind the report is to detail out certain positive and obstructive focuses about the market conditions with the objective that potential scholars have a privilege considered the market they will put resources into. Correct real information has been given a particular extreme goal to give an established view and current status of the market, to the clients of the age. The market considers report besides accumulates the highlights for example, drivers, limitations, portions, promote figures, change of tries, future change, and exchange perspectives. The examination additionally join the essential market inspirations driving premium, which contains particular features of the central perspectives that are in all probability going to trigger change in the market or reasons that may have a negative effects too.Get Free PDF Brochure For More Technical Insights@This report goes into extra all around examination of the general market for Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner by adequately taking a gander at current happenings and business strategies of concerned market. This is required to go about as a supplementary guide in giving right bits of learning and information on several plots for the market, for example relating to example of the association bodies in the zone as a rule level, advance and course structure, streams disadvantages, volume trade, and pay rates made among others.Table of ContentsGlobal Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market Research Report 20171 Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner1.2 Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 60g/1.2.4 70g/1.2.5 80g/1.2.6 Others1.3 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Segment by Application1.3.1 Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Composites1.3.3 Graphic arts1.3.4 Hygiene1.3.5 Labels1.4 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)2 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Market Competitive Situation and Trends3 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Machine Glazed Kraft Rlease Liner Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.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
Contactless Cards Market 2017 Global Industry Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast

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The report further explores the status of contactless payments globally, and regional differences in adoption. It provides detailed insights on the contactless payment market by region, including Europe, North and South America, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East and Africa.The report also provides detailed insights on key indicators such as global contactless transaction value, contactless card shipment, NFC payments and the number of contactless POS terminals.Get Sample Report @Summary'Insight Report: The Future of Consumer Payments  Contactless Cards or NFC Mobile?' provides market analysis, information and insights on contactless payments globally, including: Current and forecast analysis of contactless payment market, including previous and future market growth. Comprehensive analysis of contactless payments through cards and mobile handsets. Insights on the evolution and the level of adoption of contactless payments by region. Comprehensive analysis on the impact of contactless on payment participants, including consumers, merchants, PSPs and card schemes.Outlook Provides a comprehensive analysis of the contactless payment market worldwide. Provides the current value and forecast analysis of the contactless payment market. Covers regional analysis with respect to contactless cards and NFC mobile payments. Assesses the impact of contactless on participants in the payment sector. Analyzes regional differences in the adoption of contactless.Reasons to Buy Gain understanding of the future of consumer payments, including contactless cards or NFC mobile. Gain insights into the evolution of contactless payment. Understand the impact of contactless on payment participants, including PSPs, merchants, schemes and consumers. Understand why some regions are falling behind whereas others are developed. Understand the impact of the EMV migration on contactless payments.Key Highlights Research estimates that US$358 billion in contactless transactions will be made in 2016, through both cards and mobile devices, on 23 million contactless-enabled POS terminals globally. While most contactless payments globally are still card-based, near-field communication (NFC) mobile payments are likely to grow faster than contactless card payments. Australia, Europe and Canada account for the majority of contactless card payments globally, while the US leads in mobile NFC payments. Mass transit systems are one of the largest markets for contactless transactions, and as a result, have played a key role in the promotion and adoption of contactless.Table of Contents1 Definitions and Methodology1.1 Definitions1.2 Methodology2 Executive Summary3 The Evolution of Contactless Payments4 The Impact of Contactless on Payment Participants5 The Status of Contactless Payments: Global Overview6 Regional Differences in Adoption of Contactless6.1 Europe6.1.1 Contactless cards in key countries6.1.2 Regional overview6.1.3 Contactless payments market size and future outlook6.1.4 Key trends and insights6.2 North and South America6.2.1 Regional overview6.2.2 Key trends and insights6.3 Asia-Pacific6.3.1 Regional overview6.3.2 Key trends and insights6.4 The Middle East and Africa6.4.1 Regional overviewContinuedAccess Report @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Frozen Fish Market 2017 Industry Key Players -AquaChile, Clearwater Seafood, High Liner Foods, Iglo Group, Leroy Seafood, Marine Harvest,..

Frozen Fish Market

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Frozen Fish Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Frozen Fish 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 Frozen Fish in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Frozen Fish market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAquaChileClearwater SeafoodHigh Liner FoodsIglo GroupLeroy SeafoodMarine HarvestAustevoll SeafoodToyo Suisan KaishaLyons SeafoodsSajo IndustriesMarine InternationalSurapon Foods PublicTassal GroupTri Marine InternationalCollins SeafoodsRequest Sample Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoFrozen Cartilage fishFrozen Bony fishOn 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, includingDirect ConsumptionProcessing ConsumptionIf 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 content:Global Frozen Fish Market Research Report 20171 Frozen Fish Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Frozen Fish1.2 Frozen Fish Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Frozen Fish Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Frozen Fish Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Frozen Cartilage fish1.2.4 Frozen Bony fish1.3 Global Frozen Fish Segment by Application1.3.1 Frozen Fish Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Direct Consumption1.3.3 Processing Consumption1.4 Global Frozen Fish Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Frozen Fish 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 Frozen Fish (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Frozen Fish Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Frozen Fish Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Frozen Fish Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Frozen Fish Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Frozen Fish Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Frozen Fish Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Frozen Fish Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Frozen Fish Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Frozen Fish Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Frozen Fish Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Frozen Fish Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Frozen Fish Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Frozen Fish Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Frozen Fish Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Frozen Fish Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Frozen Fish Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Frozen Fish Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Frozen Fish Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Frozen Fish Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Frozen Fish Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Frozen Fish Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Frozen Fish Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Frozen Fish Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Frozen Fish Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Frozen Fish Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Frozen Fish Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Frozen Fish Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Frozen Fish Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Frozen Fish Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Frozen Fish Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Frozen Fish Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Frozen Fish 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
Malaysia Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2017 -Develop Market-Entry and Market Expansion Strategies

Malaysia Renewable Energy Policy Handbook

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SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled Malaysia Renewable Energy Policy Handbook"Malaysia Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2017 is among the latest country specific policy reports from the industry analysis specialist that offers comprehensive information on major policies governing renewable energy market in the country.The report provides the current and future renewable energy targets and plans along with the present policy framework, giving a fair idea of overall growth potential of the renewable energy industry. The report also provides major technology specific policies and incentives provided in the country.The report is built using data and information sourced from industry associations, government websites and statutory bodies. The information is also sourced through other secondary research sources such as industry and trade magazines.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- The report covers policy measures and incentives used by Malaysia to promote renewable energy.- The report details promotional measures in Malaysia both for the overall renewable energy industry and for specific renewable energy technologies that have potential in the country.Key points to buyThe report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner. It will allow you to -- Develop business strategies with the help of specific insights about policy decisions being taken for different renewable energy sources.- Identify opportunities and challenges in exploiting various renewable technologies.- Compare the level of support provided to different renewable energy technologies in Malaysia.- Be ahead of competition by keeping yourself abreast of all the latest policy changes.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 32 Introduction 42.1 Renewable Energy Policy 42.2 Global Data Report Guidance 43 Renewable Energy Policy, Argentina 53.1 Renewable Energy Market, Overview 53.2 Renewable Energy Act 2011 53.2.1 Feed-in Tariffs Established under the Renewable Energy Act 2011 53.3 Net-Metering in Malaysia 73.4 National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan 73.5 Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Act 2011 73.6 Green Technology Development 73.7 Small Renewable Energy Program 83.8 Energy Efficiency 8FOR ANY QUERY, CONTACT US @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
Consumer Packaging Market: Technological Advancements, Evolving Industry Trends and Insights

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Packaging for the consumer goods industry plays a key role in making the product aesthetically appealing for the potential buyer and delivering products to the consumer in a sufficiently sophisticated, safe, convenient, and appropriate manner. Serving a large number of industries that produce tangible goods to be sold to large number of consumers, the packaging industry forms the cornerstone of any consumer goods business. The consumer packaging market has witnessed a significant rise in research and development activities aimed at the development of innovative packaging materials and product designs.However, vast pressures exerted by the volatile prices of chief raw materials and the need to cut down on the original material used in packaging for economic and environmental reasons are having a negative impact on packaging companies. Transparency Market Research predicts that the market will exhibit growth at a moderate pace in the next few years, with efforts diverted towards innovation in product design and strategic expansion across emerging economies expected to remain the key factors distinguishing successful ventures from the ones struggling to grow.Obtain Report Details @Global Consumer Packaging Market: Trends and OpportunitiesOne of the most prominent trends in the global consumer packaging market of present times is the increased attention given to the reduction of the amount of material used in producing the packaging product by packaging manufacturers. Ways of reducing the amount of environmentally harmful polymers used in packaging is, especially, one of the most researched areas in the consumer packaging market presently.Focus on the development of new varieties of packaging materials capable of preventing contamination of foods and beverages packed, materials with a higher quotient of reusability or biodegradability, and designs that make the product more convenient to use are also some of the markets key trends in present times.Global Consumer Packaging Market: SegmentationThe report segments the global consumer packaging market on the basis of criteria such as end-use industry, material, and geography. On the basis of material type used to produce the packaging, the report examines varieties such as rigid plastic, paper and paperboard, glass, and flexible plastic. Key industries driving the market for consumer packaging include food and beverages, healthcare, and cosmetics and personal care.In terms of material, paper and paperboard presently account for the dominant share in the global consumer packaging market and is expected to continue to hold a massive share in the market over the reports forecast period as well. However, rigid plastics are rapidly becoming the preferred choice for manufacturers as well as consumers owing to their affordability and huge flexibility.Request Sample @The food and beverages industry is the leading contributor of revenue to the global consumer packaging market and is expected to continue being the primary and the most lucrative consumer of the market in the next few years. The vast rise in consumption of packaged food products across the globe is expected to be the chief factor driving the demand for packaging products across this industry in the next few years as well.Global Consumer Packaging Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsIn terms of geography, the global consumer packaging market is driven by emerging economies across regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa. The strengthening economies across these regions and the resultant rise in consumption of a variety of consumer goods is expected to drive the need for more reliable and sophisticated packaging products in these regions in the next few years.Some of the key companies operating in the highly competitive global consumer packaging market are Polyoak Packaging Group, Owens-Illinois, Air Packaging Technologies, Tetra Pak, Becton, Dickinson & Company, Crown Holdings, Rexam, Amcor, Blue Ridge Paper Products, Clondalkin Group Holdings, Evergreen Packaging, General Packaging Products, Fusion Packaging Solutions, Exopack Holding, Huhtamaki OYJ, Mondi Group, Klockner Pentaplast Group, Polytainers, Pechiney Plastic Packaging, Sonoco Products, Reynolds Group Holding, Tetra Laval international, Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, and SF Holdings Group.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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:
IoT Security Market: Applications and Global Markets

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The global Internet of Things (IoT) security market is slated to witness a tremendous growth during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. The growth can be traced to a growing adoption of cloud based services for authentication process. Cloud is being used for the storage of biometrics information.As most organizations today are adopting cloud technology for storing their confidential data, there arises need for developing security measures to protect the cloud against unauthorized access. The high adoption of cloud based services by small and medium scale enterprises such as pay per use model, is offering flexibility and scalability to these enterprises and this has resulted in a staggering increase in the adoption of cloud based services for the purpose of data storage. This is expected to create a heightened need for IoT security solutions and drive the market worldwide.The introduction of integrated security solutions is expected to fuel the growth prospects of the global IoT security market. The demand for IoT security solutions will increase among end users as there is a need for providing overall security to networks and devices. Since stand-alone IoT security solutions are expensive, most end users are opting for integrated IoT security solutions.Obtain Report Details @Integrated IoT security solutions offer enhanced support and greater functionality to customers and this will provide the market a boost. Data loss prevention and firewalls are being integrated with IoT security solutions and this will further boost the growth of this market. This will decrease the IoT security solutions.Global IoT Security Market: OverviewAs the Internet of Things (IoT) is gradually moving from being a centralized structure to a more complex network of innumerable decentralized smart devices, the need for security of data will be acknowledged to a greater degree, thereby promoting the expansion of the global IoT security market. The larger the volume of the data transferred over to IoT, the bigger the risk of device manipulation, IP theft, identity theft, data falsification, and network or server manipulation.By type, endpoint security, cloud security, network security, and application security could be the key segments of the global market for IoT security. Manufacturing, energy and utilities, government, defense, information technology (IT) and telecommunication, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), transportation, logistics, and retail can be the major segments of the market based on application.All facets of the global IoT security market pertaining to the growth drivers, challenges, supply and demand, and current trends have been discussed in the report. The market size, historical developments, present scenario, and projected estimations have been revealed, together with relevant statistical data, charts, and figures. The progress of the key market players has also been mapped under the competitive landscape.Request Sample @Global IoT Security Market: Drivers and RestraintsWith the emergence of technologies such as cloud, a large volume of data faces threat from cyber-crime. The exceeding popularity of social media has also resulted in vulnerability to identity theft and data theft. Consequently, stronger platforms that combat cyber threats are being continuously developed by several firms. Moreover, the excessive usage of smartphones, laptops, and tablets has further led to the exposure of personal data.The prevalence of concepts such as Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP), Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and Bring Your Own PC (BYOPC) has undoubtedly boosted the productivity of business enterprises, but has also raised data security concerns. Several enterprises and organizations are therefore in the quest for more efficient security solutions. All this has stoked the growth of the global IoT security market.Antithetically, lack of knowledge about the availability and benefits of IoT security solutions might inhibit growth. However, the towering demand for data security has led to the formulation of stringent laws and regulatory compliances by several governments, ensuring that the market would continue to expand at a significant pace over the next few years.Global IoT Security Market: Regional OutlookBy geography, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, North America, and the Middle East and Africa are the key segments of the global market for IoT security. In terms of revenue, North America appears to be the dominant market. The growth of this region can be attributed to the extensive deployment of IoT devices across several domains and countries and the enforcement of regulatory frameworks.The IoT security market in Asia Pacific has been growing rapidly, thanks to the greater number of business organizations, rise in mobile workforce, and the unregulated usage of the Internet. The expanding economy, social transformation, and the new national security policies in countries such as Japan, India, and Singapore have also been responsible for the growth of IoT security solutions across this region.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:
Technology Advancements Create Strong Growth Opportunities in Global Microgrids Market in Future

Microgrids Market

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Pune, India, 09 October 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Microgrids, Update 2017 - Global Market Size, Competitive Landscape, and Key Country Analysis to 2021The report covers comprehensive insight of Microgrids Market including major market drivers, challenges, investment capabilities, vertical market opportunities and usage issues, future roadmaps, value chain, big data analytics, vendor market share, and case studies on policies. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global Microgrids market in terms of volume 2011, 2016, and 2021.GET SAMPLE REPORT @The report talks about distribution channel, technology, applications, and regions. The study also provides details about the major challenges going to impact the Microgrids Market growth in coming years.Even today there many parts of the world where there is no electricity or proper distribution or flow of current. The ruler area and mainly small region, here Microgrids plays a major role by collating with the major source or function alone, support this area with the inexhaustible energy, batteries and much more.Microgrids is a power allocation system that has a wattage and share energy resources like distributed generators, storage devices, or controllable wattage that can run in a controlled, coordinated way, connecting with main power networks or on the island.Microgrids cover lot benefits for consumers and industries which work this type resources, the technology development and changing time has reduced the various tools and equipment used in the Microgrids. Due to Microgrids, there has been the great lot energy consumption, optimal use of resources, and moreover no effect on the environment, controlled allotment of energy, with lot security.The key finding in reports are as follows,Analyze the growth of the Microgrids market by focusing on market share at global and regional levels covers Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe, and Middle East and Africa.The report provides Microgrids market analysis for key countries including the US, Canada, Brazil, India, China, Japan, Australia, Russia, South Africa, and the UK.The report studied include drivers and controls, policy and regulatory environment, government and state funding plans and case studies.The major players cover in report "Microgrids" are Siemens, Schneider Electric, ABB, GE, S&C Electric, NRG Energy, Hitachi, Solar City, Eaton, Princeton Power Systems, Black & Veatch, Exelon/ Constellation Energy, Power Analytics Corporation.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. 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
Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market Estimated to Flourish by 2025

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Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing refers to genetic tests or services that are directly advertised to consumers and purchased through consumer requests. The results of these tests are directly provided to consumers/customers without any participation of the consumers health care providers. This type of genetic test is directly marketed to customers/consumers by using print advertisements, television, or the Internet. Many medical device companies are marketing this DTC testing to the public at a realistic price point without consulting with doctors or other medical professionals. Consumers can order genetic testing kits from home by using a website and receive volumes of information relating to their individual genetic profile without visiting a doctor.Browse Premium Industry Research Report with Analysis:The DTC genetic testing market contains two business models: one-to-one and one-to-many. In the one-to-one model, the results are discussed directly by the companies with the consumer or with the physician. In the one-to-many model, DTC companies will only conduct a genetic test once they receive consent from the consumer and the data is owned by the companies. The companies operating in this market obtain profit from the sales of DTC genetic testing kits to consumers and physicians and the sales of genetic data to pharmaceutical companies. This paradigm shift in business models is identified as one of the key trends behind the growth of the DTC genetic testing market.The global DTC genetic testing market is expected to grow substantially due to high aging population coupled with growing prevalence of chronic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetic retinopathy, and other chronic diseases. In addition, growing customer awareness about direct-to-consumer genetic testing, along with increasing prevalence of major chronic diseases has resulted in rise in healthcare expenditure and the demand of DTC genetic testing is increase for early diagnosis various diseases are fuel the growth of the direct- to- consumer genetic testing market. However, DTC genetic testing raises a number of issues, including scientific, technical, and clinical issues, along with First Amendment issues of honesty, fidelity to facts, and truth-in-advertising, are limiting the growth of the global market.Download Report Brochure:The global DTC genetic testing market is segmented based on service, distribution channel, and region. In terms of service, the market is further segmented into diagnostic screening, prenatal, newborn screening, pre-implantation diagnosis, and relationship testing. The diagnostic screening segment dominates the global DTC genetic testing market as it helps in identifying the gene responsible for chronic diseases such as cancer. This includes carrier screening and hereditary testing that are usually conducted for DTC genetic testing. In terms of distribution channel, the market is classified into direct sales, retail sales, and laboratory sales. The direct sales segment generates high revenue due to pricing strategies.Geographically, the DTC genetic testing market is distributed over North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Each geography market is sub-divided into specific countries such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Brazil, China, India, and GCC countries. North America dominated global DTC genetic testing market because of importance of early diagnosis of for better treatment outcomes, and high level of consumer literacy about diseases. Asia Pacific is projected to be the most attractive market during the forecast period due to rising health care awareness and growing disposable income.Key players operating in this market are 23andMe, Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America, Myriad Genetics, Inc., Quest Diagnostics, Counsyl, Inc., Gene by Gene, and Positive Bioscience Ltd. In order to gain competitive advantage in the market, these market players are actively involved in various growth strategies such as collaborations, partnerships, agreements, and new product launches.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.comWebsite:
Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Closure Market to Remain Lucrative During 2025

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Left atrial appendage (LAA) is a common site for thrombus formation. LAA is multi-lobed and can vary in orifice size and length. The varying shapes of LAA orifice are considered important when performing device closure since current devices are circular. LAA closure is a minimally invasive technique used to reduce the risk of stroke that may occur as a result of atrial fibrillation. LAA closure device is an interventional device used to avoid stroke, and mitigate the risk of embolism and secondary stroke because of atrial fibrillation.Browse Premium Industry Research Report with Analysis:Rise in global demand for LAA closure can be primarily ascribed to the increase in number of geriatric population, growth in prevalence of atrial fibrillation, and technological advancements. Additionally, increase in investments by government and private companies in the field of atrial fibrillation is one of the key factors driving the global LAA closure market. However, presence of alternative technologies and high cost of LAA closure are the major factors hampering the global LAA closure market. Constant technological innovation and inclusion of modern technologies is leading to a rise in overall cost of the systems. This is prompting consumers to opt for alternative techniques, thereby restraining the global LAA closure market.The global LAA closure market can be segmented based on product type, end-user, and geography. In terms of product type, the LAA closure market can be divided into endocardial and epicardial. Based on end-user, the LAA closure market can be segregated into hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and heart clinics.Download Report Brochure:Geographically, the global LAA closure market can be split into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America comprises cumulative left atrial appendage (LAA) closure market for the U.S and Canada. Europe comprises collective market of left atrial appendage (LAA) closure in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Rest of Europe. Asia Pacific comprises cumulative market of left atrial appendage (LAA) closure in China, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Currently, North America leads the global LAA closure market. Europe also accounts for key share of the LAA closure market. Factors such as highly developed healthcare, biotechnology research infrastructure, availability of government grants to support research activities, and availability of skilled personnel to perform LAA closure procedures are driving the LAA closure market in North America and Europe. The LAA closure market in Asia Pacific is expanding at a significant rate owing to the rapidly developing healthcare infrastructure in the region. Furthermore, availability of advanced facilities at cheaper rates and rise in medical tourism are encouraging various companies in the market to establish research and development and manufacturing facilities in Asia Pacific. India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are some of the emerging economies that are attractive markets for LAA closure owing to the rise in disposable income and rapid increase in adoption of advanced technologies in these countries.Prominent players operating in the LAA closure market are Sentreheart, Inc., Dune Medical Devices, Coherex Medical, Lifetech Scientific (Shenzhen), Abbott, Atricure, and BoAston Scientific Corporation.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.comWebsite:
Sales of Radiology Information Systems will Amass US$ 1,179.2 Mn Revenues by 2024-end

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Hospitals, medical research institutes, as well as governments, across the globe are hiking their healthcare IT spending to bring reforms in both, operations and outcomes. Instating databases is turning out to be more of a necessity for healthcare institutions, particularly for the field of radiology. Criticality of data produced and used by radiologists is compelling them to utilize speedy & error-proof data transference systems. Correspondingly, the transformation of global healthcare industry through digitization trends is also necessitating the deployment of radiology information systems. In its latest publication, Persistence Market Research has compiled more of such factors that will keep driving the growth of global radiology information system market in the years to come. According to this report, the global market for radiology information systems, which is presently valued at US$ 580.2 Mn, is anticipated to soar at 8.3% CAGR and reach US$ 1,179.2 Mn value by the end of 2024.Request to sample report-Titled as Radiology Information Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2024, the report reveals that global demand for radiology information systems continues to grow on the account of rising incidence rate of lifestyle-related diseases. Increasing consumer awareness to radiological procedures, and easy accessibility to these technologies are also serving as proponents for adoption of radiology information systems. Since installing radiology information systems supports a value-based healthcare model, medical practitioners are also promoting it as the immediate future of digitalized radiology.The report reveals that in 2017 and beyond, the demand for cloud-based radiology information systems will remain considerably higher than on-premise systems. Deployment of cloud-based radiology information systems is projected to bring more than US$ 800 Mn by the end of 2024, while revenues emanating from on-premise deployment will soar at 7.3% CAGR. During the forecast period, a little over 45% of global revenues will be accounted by sales of radiology information software. The adoption of radiology information services is also slated to grow robustly, while radiology information hardware is likely to incur a moderate dip in revenues.Through 2024, medical institutions adopting radiology information systems will continue to do so on integrated platforms. Similar to the current scenario, integrated radiology information systems will procure over three-fourth of global market value by the end of 2024. Standalone radiology information systems, however, will be valued at just over US$ 280 Mn by the end of projection period. And, hospitals will undoubtedly be the largest end-users of radiology information systems. More than US$ 600 Mn worth of global radiology information system revenues will be emanating from hospitals spanned across the globe. Adoption of such systems will also be considerably high in diagnostic labs and ambulatory surgical centers.By the end of 2024, North America will remain as the largest market for radiology information systems in the world. In 2016, the regions radiology information systems market was valued at US$ 269 Mn. Meanwhile, Europes advanced healthcare infrastructure will also work in the favor of radiology information system adoption. Throughout the period, Europes radiology information system revenues will soar at a health CAGR, and contribute to nearly 23% share. Although, fastest revenue growth is expected to be recorded by Latin America and the Asia-Pacific regions  revenues from which will surge at more than 8% CAGR.Get Full Report now Ten of the leading companies developing radiology information systems in the world are profiled in the report, and they include Cerner Corporation, Siemens AG, Merge Healthcare Incorporated (IBM), Koninklijke Philips NV, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, Novarad Corp., General Electric Company, McKesson Corporation, and Medinformatix Inc.Report overview @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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Dried Soups 2017 Global Key Players Campbell Soup, Kraft Heinz, Nestl, Unilever, Acecook Vietnam, Baxters Food Group Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Dried Soups Market

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Dried Soups Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Dried Soups  Global Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:In this report, the global Dried Soups 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 Dried Soups in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Dried Soups market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingCampbell SoupKraft HeinzNestlUnileverAcecook VietnamBaxters Food GroupConadFrontier SoupsGeneral MillsHain CelestialNissin FoodsPremier FoodsSymington'sToyo SuisanRequest 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 intoPouch Packed Dried SoupsCup Packed Dried SoupsOn 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, includingHypermarkets and SupermarketsConvenience StoresCash and Carry StoresEnquiry 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 Dried Soups Market Research Report 20171 Dried Soups Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Dried Soups1.2 Dried Soups Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Dried Soups Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Dried Soups Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Pouch Packed Dried Soups1.2.4 Cup Packed Dried Soups1.3 Global Dried Soups Segment by Application1.3.1 Dried Soups Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Hypermarkets and Supermarkets1.3.3 Convenience Stores1.3.4 Cash and Carry Stores1.4 Global Dried Soups Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Dried Soups 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 Dried Soups (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Dried Soups Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Dried Soups Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Dried Soups Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Dried Soups Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Dried Soups Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Dried Soups Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Dried Soups Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Dried Soups Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Dried Soups Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Dried Soups Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Dried Soups Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Dried Soups Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion.7 Global Dried Soups Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Campbell Soup7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Campbell Soup Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Kraft Heinz7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Kraft Heinz Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Nestl7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Nestl Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Unilever7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Unilever Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Acecook Vietnam7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Acecook Vietnam Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Baxters Food Group7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Baxters Food Group Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Conad7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Conad Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Frontier Soups7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Frontier Soups Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 General Mills7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 General Mills Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Hain Celestial7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Dried Soups Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Hain Celestial Dried Soups Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Nissin Foods7.12 Premier Foods7.13 Symington's7.14 Toyo SuisanContinued..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
Self-Directed Investors Global Market 2017: Key Players Barclays, Charles Stanley, Fidelity, Interactive Investor

Self-Directed Investors

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SummaryAlthough advisory and discretionary asset management services are more profitable to wealth managers, they cannot afford to ignore the needs of clients who self-direct. Globally over a quarter of HNW wealth is invested independently of wealth managers mandates. Furthermore, a large chunk of assets already brought to wealth managers sits within execution-only platforms. Technological and regulatory changes in the financial services industry have affected the drivers for investors to self-direct in recent years. Understanding these factors is crucial to ensure the long-term profitability of wealth managers business.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Companies mentionedBarclaysCharles StanleyFidelityHargreaves LansdownInteractive InvestorTD AmeritradeMerrill EdgeCharles SchwabScottradeFidelityBank of America Merrill LynchBettermentWealth frontWells ...Key Findings Globally execution-only mandates constitute 19.1% of total HNW assets held with wealth managers. Although clients in developing economies tend to prefer unadvised services, the US represents the biggest market opportunity in terms of self-invested assets. HNW clients under 35 years old and first-generation entrepreneurs are most likely to self-direct their investments. Price-sensitivity encourages HNW investors to look for alternatives to the services of wealth managers in mature economies, but in developing markets a pure preference to run simple portfolios independently is the key driver. Advances in digital technology are contributing to the growing interest in DIY investments, particularly in Asia Pacific. Traditional brokerage business models are being challenged by the growing number of platforms offering automated investment solutions (robo-advisors). The increasing popularity of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms has started to affect the business of wealth managers.SynopsisThis report draws on our 2015 Global Wealth Managers Survey to analyze the independent HNW investors landscape across the globe. It sizes the market for self-directed investments and examines the key drivers behind wealthy individuals decision to build their portfolios without professional advice. The competitive landscape and product environment are also analyzed. Specifically, the report: Estimates the value of HNW and mass affluent assets invested outside discretionary and advisory mandates Analyzes the demographics of DIY investors Compares drivers for self-directed investments between developed and emerged economies Examines client targeting strategies of brokerages and robo-advisors Identifies what investment products are preferred by self-directed HNW clients and how wealth managers can use them to expand their offeringsReasons to Buy Discover how much HNW wealth is invested independently from wealth managers Learn why HNW investors choose to self-direct, and how their motivations differ from those of mass affluent individuals Gain an insight into best practice examples from competitors operating within the self-directed landscape Understand how the rise of robo-advisors and the growing popularity of ETFs and P2P lending affects the wider wealth management industryTable of ContentsEXECUTIVE SUMMARYSelf-directed investors remain a lucrative target group for wealth managersKey findingsCritical success factorsSIZING THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR SELF-DIRECTED INVESTMENTDefining the self-directed investment marketGlobally execution-only mandates constitute 19.1% of total HNW assets held with wealth managersHNW clients in Central and Eastern Europe have the strongest inclination to use execution-only servicesAmong developed markets, execution-only platforms are popular particularly in FranceOver a quarter of global HNW wealth is invested independently of wealth managersUsers of execution-only mandates are also likely to self-direct through third-party servicesThe HNW self-directed market is largest in the US and ChinaThe US HNW self-directed market alone is worth $2.6tnDemand for execution-only services will grow, but will be outstripped by advised servicesPrior to MIFID coming into force, minimal change is forecast in the European self-directed marketMass affluent investors use advice less frequently than HNW individualsThe mass affluent self-directed market represents an opportunity for wealth managersGLOBAL DRIVERS FOR SELF-DIRECTED INVESTMENTDemographics are essential to understanding the self-directed marketFirst-generation entrepreneurs are likely to invest independentlyYounger investors also show a tendency to self-directContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Maternity Bras 2017 Global Key Players  Bravado, Destination Maternity (Motherhood), Triumph, La Leche League, Anita, Medela, Cake Maternity Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Maternity Bras Market

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Maternity Bras Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Maternity Bras  Global Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:This report studies Maternity Bras 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, coveringBravadoDestination Maternity (Motherhood)TriumphLa Leche LeagueAnitaMedelaCake MaternityLeading LadyCantaloopRosemadameSenshukaiINUjIRUSHIWacoal (Elomi)Sweet MommyMamawayO.C.T. MamiHappy HouseHuboEmbryAimerBoob DesignSeraphineH&MRequest 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 intoCottonSpandexRayonOthersBy Application, the market can be split intoPregnant WomenLactating WomenBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaEnquiry 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 Maternity Bras Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Maternity Bras1.1 Definition and Specifications of Maternity Bras1.1.1 Definition of Maternity Bras1.1.2 Specifications of Maternity Bras1.2 Classification of Maternity Bras1.2.1 Cotton1.2.2 Spandex1.2.3 Rayon1.2.4 Others1.3 Applications of Maternity Bras1.3.1 Pregnant Women1.3.2 Lactating Women1.3.3 Application 31.4 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 Maternity Bras2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Maternity Bras2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Maternity Bras2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Maternity Bras.8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Maternity Bras8.1 Bravado8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Bravado 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Bravado 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Destination Maternity (Motherhood)8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Destination Maternity (Motherhood) 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Destination Maternity (Motherhood) 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Triumph8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Triumph 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Triumph 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.4 La Leche League8.4.1 Company Profile8.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.4.2.1 Product A8.4.2.2 Product B8.4.3 La Leche League 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.4.4 La Leche League 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.5 Anita8.5.1 Company Profile8.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.5.2.1 Product A8.5.2.2 Product B8.5.3 Anita 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.5.4 Anita 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.6 Medela8.6.1 Company Profile8.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.6.2.1 Product A8.6.2.2 Product B8.6.3 Medela 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.6.4 Medela 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.7 Cake Maternity8.7.1 Company Profile8.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.7.2.1 Product A8.7.2.2 Product B8.7.3 Cake Maternity 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.7.4 Cake Maternity 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.8 Leading Lady8.8.1 Company Profile8.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.8.2.1 Product A8.8.2.2 Product B8.8.3 Leading Lady 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.8.4 Leading Lady 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.9 Cantaloop8.9.1 Company Profile8.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.9.2.1 Product A8.9.2.2 Product B8.9.3 Cantaloop 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.9.4 Cantaloop 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.10 Rosemadame8.10.1 Company Profile8.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.10.2.1 Product A8.10.2.2 Product B8.10.3 Rosemadame 2016 Maternity Bras Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.10.4 Rosemadame 2016 Maternity Bras Business Region Distribution Analysis8.11 Senshukai8.12 INUjIRUSHI8.13 Wacoal (Elomi)8.14 Sweet Mommy8.15 Mamaway8.16 O.C.T. Mami8.17 Happy House8.18 Hubo8.19 Embry8.20 Aimer8.21 Boob Design8.22 Seraphine8.23 H&MContinued..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
Oil and Gas Mozambique Market 2017 Industry Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast

Oil and Gas Mozambique

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SummaryMozambique Rovuma Area 1 Complex Project Panorama, latest release, presents a comprehensive overview of the asset. This upstream report includes detailed qualitative and quantitative information on the asset, provides a full economic assessment and reflects several parameters including (but not limited to) geological profile, asset development and specific challenges. Based on this analysis, future outlook for the asset is presented with possible trends and related scenarios identifying upside/downside potential.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- Overview of the asset based on an analysis of the economic indicators- Key financial indicators including Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return- Review of factors affecting the economic outcome of the field including development overview, geology, challenges, reserves and production with qualitative perspective on of the overall assets life with analysis on the assets future outlook- Detailed production profile for the asset, giving annual output rates for each commodity produced- Cash flow statements from our economic analysis of the asset including capital expenditures, operating expenditures and tax liability- Individual valuations for equity holders- Sensitivity analysis for asset value considering a range of factorsReasons to buy- Understand the economic and non-economic factors that affect production of an asset- Benefit from an asset valuation derived from detailed research and modeling by our analysts- Basic view of various scenarios and its effect on the asset for risk or strategy planning- Utilize the quantitative and qualitative evaluation to ascertain trends within the region to inform decision making- Identify economic trends of an asset to determine investment requirementsTable of Content: Key Points1 Table of Contents 11.1 List of Tables 21.2 List of Figures 22 Project Panorama 33 Project Update 44 Outlook 55 Asset Summary 66 Development Overview 117 Geology 138 Challenges 149 Reserves and Production 1510 Economic Analysis 1911 Appendix 2311.1 Contact Us 2311.2 Disclaimer 23ContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Critical Care Equipment Market ME&A Important Key Players: Baxter, Koninklijke Philips N.V, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Medtronic

Critical Care Equipment

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Middle East and Africa Critical Care Equipment (CCE) Market information, by Type (Patient Monitor, Medical Ventilator, Dialysis, IV Pumps, Infusion pump, Suction Apparatus, and others), by End users (Hospitals, Research laboratories and others) - Forecast to 2023. Critical Care Equipment Market In addition, Saudi Arabia advertise is additionally developing and is the second biggest market. Critical Care Equipment Market of Middle East and Africa is Boosting persistently. This market was about US$ 681.2 million in 2016 and expected to reach US$ 1061.4 million by 2023 growing at the CAGR of 5.7%. Critical care also known as intensive care is a fundamental restorative practice to cure extreme injuries or perilous medical conditions.Get Sample Report @In critical care unit (CCU), medical professionals monitor and treat patient under controlled conditions with the assistance of critical care equipment Critical care equipment are extremely valuable to screen and get exact data about patient's wellbeing conditions.These equipment give life support to patients after they have experienced noteworthy surgery, damage or have confronted dangerous injuries. Healthcare expenditure is developing in Middle East and Africa locale which include around 2% of the worldwide healthcare expenditure. Developing healthcare infrastructure, technological advance facilities, government initiatives to improve the healthcare sector and growing cases of non-communicable diseases are driving the growth of the critical care equipment market in Middle East and Africa.Key Vendors Involved in Middle East and Africa for Critical Care Equipment Market:Siemens Healthcare Private Limited (Germany)Baxter (US)Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands)Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. (US)General Electric Company (US)Medtronic (Republic of Ireland).Market Segments:Middle East and Africa critical care equipment market has been segmented on the basis of type of equipment which includes patient monitor, medical ventilator, dialysis, iv pumps, infusion pump, suction apparatus, and others.Excess Full Report @Regional Analysis of Critical Care Equipment Market:Considering the situation of Middle East and Africa critical care equipment market, UAE locale is accepted to be the biggest market for the same in the previously mentioned region.Track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Middle East and Africa critical care equipment market.On the other hand, Egypts market is expected to grow at a steady pace in the Middle-East critical care equipment market in future. Rest of the Middle East and Africa region is likely to have a limited but steady growth in the market.Study Aim of Critical Care Equipment Market:To provide detail analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 6 years of various segments and sub-segments of the critical care equipment market. Country level analysis of the market for segments which includes by type, by end user and its sub-segments.Insights about factors affecting the market growth.Country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospect.Overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market; comprehensively analyzing their core competencies and drawing a competitive landscape of the market.analyze the critical care equipment market based on various analyses which includes price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters Five Forces analysis etc.Provide past and estimated future revenue of the markets segments and sub-segments with respect to two main geographies and their countries.Get Discount for this Report @Table of Content:Report Prologue2. Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 Limitations2.3 Market Structure2.4. Market Segmentation3. Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation3.5 Forecast Model4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restraints4.3 Opportunities4.4 Mega Trends4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators5. Market Factor Analysis5.1 Value Chain Analysis5.2 PORTERS Five Forces5.3 Demand & Supply: Gap Analysis5.4 Pricing Analysis5.5 Investment Opportunity Analysis5.6 Merger And Acquisition Landscape5.7 Upcoming Trends5.7.1 Market Trends5.7.2 Technological Trends5.7.3 Insurance & Regulations5.7.4 OthersAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Aircraft Cleaning Services 2017 Global Key Players  Immaculateflight, ABM, JetFast, Diener Aviation Services, LGS Handling Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Aircraft Cleaning Services Market

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Aircraft Cleaning Services Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Aircraft Cleaning Services  Global Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:This report studies the global Aircraft Cleaning Services market, analyzes and researches the Aircraft Cleaning 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, likeImmaculateflightABMJetFastDiener Aviation ServicesLGS HandlingSharp DetailsHigheraviationK.T. Aviation ServicesAERO SpecialtiesAustralian Aviation Detailers CairnsDyn-o-miteParagonaviationdetailingKleenol Nigeria LimitedClean before flightTAG AviationLibanetPlane DetailRequest for Sample Report@Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoExterior ServiceInterior ServiceMarket segment by Application, Aircraft Cleaning Services can be split intoCivil AircraftMilitary AircraftEnquiry 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 Aircraft Cleaning Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Aircraft Cleaning Services1.1 Aircraft Cleaning Services Market Overview1.1.1 Aircraft Cleaning Services Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Aircraft Cleaning 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 Aircraft Cleaning Services Market by Type1.3.1 Exterior Service1.3.2 Interior Service1.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Civil Aircraft1.4.2 Military Aircraft2 Global Aircraft Cleaning Services Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Aircraft Cleaning 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 Future.3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Immaculateflight3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 ABM3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 JetFast3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Diener Aviation Services3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 LGS Handling3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Sharp Details3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Higheraviation3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 K.T. Aviation Services3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 AERO Specialties3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 Australian Aviation Detailers Cairns3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Aircraft Cleaning Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.10.5 Recent Developments3.11 Dyn-o-mite3.12 Paragonaviationdetailing3.13 Kleenol Nigeria Limited3.14 Clean before flight3.15 TAG Aviation3.16 Libanet3.17 Plane DetailContinued..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
Infant Cereals Market to Undertake Strapping Growth During 2017 - 2025

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Infant cereals, as the name suggests, are the cereals which are being served to small babies or infants as their first food product. Generally, it includes wheat, rice cereal, oatmeal, barley cereal or cereals prepared in the household sector, and others, in its catalog. Few of the brands provides different types of infant cereals for infants belonging to different age groups. The manufacturers produce new variations of the products such as partially hydrolyzed infant cereals which are sweet in taste. The manufacturers of infant cereals aim to produce each and every variant or the type, of the infant cereal to possess any of the nutrients required to enable the adequate growth of the infant who consumes it. In order to provide the taste of the product, there are different flavors for different products being available such as oatmeal with bananas and peaches, mixed grains are available with blueberries, and others.Request to sample report @Market Drivers and Trends:There are studies being conducted in order to innovate new varieties of infant cereals and to expand the product portfolio of the infant cereal market. In the current era, maximum parents move towards choosing infant cereals as the first food for their infants, due to the nutrients, and vitamins being offered by the cereals. The infant cereals are relatively cheap and are gradually gaining popularity in the society. For maximum infants, the infant cereals are totally non-allergic and if, in case the infants are having allergy with any of the cereals then parents are given different options to choose as there is availability of products based on single cereals which are rich in a particular type of nutrient and also multi-grain cereals based products which are rich in numerous types of nutrients. All the mentioned factors are increasing the growth of the global infant cereals market.Market Segmentation:The infant cereals market is segmented on the basis of product type, packaging, distribution channel, and nature. On the basis of product type, the infant cereals market is segmented into rice-based infant cereals, wheat-based infant cereals, oatmeal, barley-based infant cereals, and others. Each of these segments is offered with a combination of different elements giving rise to the new product for the consumers. On the basis of packaging, the infant cereals market is segmented into cans, jars, carton packages, pouches, and others. There are various modes of packaging being chosen depending on the product which is to be packed. On the basis of the distribution channel, the infant cereals market is segmented into store-based retailing and online retailing. Store-based retailing can be further classified into modern grocery retailers and traditional grocery retailers. Modern grocery retailers can be further sub-segmented into a convenience store, mom and pop stores, discount stores, and hypermarkets or supermarkets. The traditional grocery retailers can be further sub-segmented into food & drink specialty stores, independent small groceries, and others. On the basis of nature, the infant cereals market can be segmented as organic infant cereals and conventional infant cereals. The organic infant cereals are being adopted by consumers who aim to provide purely natural cereals to their infants.Get Full Report now @Market Regional Outlook:The regional segment for the market of infant cereals is divided into seven different regions: Western Europe, North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, APEJ, Middle East & Africa and Japan. Being a highly populated region with a high infant density, APAC is the region with a high consumption of infant cereals. North America is the region having a high consumption of organic infant cereals as its the region with worlds highest economy and the consumers of the North America are highly concerned about the health due to rise in health consciousness.Market Key Players:The key player in the infant cereals market only includes Earth's Best, Inc., Wockhardt Ltd., Nestle, Nutidar, Kendal Nutricare Limited, DANA Dairy, H. J. Heinz Company. Among these manufacturers, Nestle is the leading producer which produces its infant cereals with its well-known brands including Ceralac, Nestum, Lactogen, and Nan Pro.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global PAC Programming Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 : By Product, Application, Manufacturer, Sales and Segmentation - QYResearchreports

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This report studies the global PAC Programming Software market, analyzes and researches the PAC Programming 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, likeSchneider ElectricOpto 22AutomationDirectMitsubishi Electric CorporationSiemens AGKINGSTARABB Ltd.Panasonic Electric Works Europe AGLamonde Automation Ltd.Phoenix Contact (I) Pvt. Ltd.Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaGet A Free Sample @Market segment by Type, PAC Programming Software can be split intoConfigurationSafety ControlManufacturing & Process ControlOthersMarket segment by Application, PAC Programming Software can be split intoDiscreet ManufacturingProcess ManufacturingAutomotiveSemiconductorEnergy & UtilitiesChemicalOthersIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About Us :QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affectstheir business operations.Contact US:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Antibacterial Drugs Market to Exhibit a CAGR of 1.5% from 2017 to 2025

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As competition grows strong in the global antibacterial drugs, the leading players are finding it more convenience to collaborate with rivals to expand their product offering as well regional footprint worldwide. In a new study, Transparency Market Research (TMR) has identified Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline Plc. (GSK), Merck & Co., Inc., AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Novartis Ag, and Allergen Plc as some of the most prominent enterprises operating in the global antibacterial drugs market.To gain a competitive edge, Pfizer signed an agreement with AstraZeneca in August 2016. This collaboration was intended to acquire the commercialization and development rights of late-stage small molecule anti-infective business. Besides this, the market witnessed several other partnerships, collaborations, and acquisitions aimed at catapulting businesses to the forefront of the global antibacterial drugs market.Obtain Report Details @Despite strategies toyed by businesses to gain traction, the subpar pace of growth is unlikely to change for the global antibacterial drugs market. According to TMR, the global market is likely to exhibit a CAGR of 1.5% between 2017 and 2025. Given the growth pace, the market is expected to reach US$51,447.6 mn by the end of 2025, from US$45,325.0 mn in 2016. While North America held dominance in the global antibacterial drugs market in 2016, TMR forecasts sluggish growth for the region through the forecast period. In terms of drug-class, the B-lactam segment led the market in 2016.Antibacterial Drugs Market Witnesses Threat from Looming Patent ExpiriesThe rising population of aged people, escalating number of bacterial strains, which are multidrug resistant, and the rising demand for effective yet affordable antibacterial drugs will give the market considerable boost over the forecast period. In addition, TMR predicts the global antibacterial drugs market to gain significantly from the increasing incidence of infectious diseases. It is also likely to gain from the rising demand for innovative molecules. Despite the aforementioned growth prospects, the advent of genetic drugs for antibacterial activities threatens the overall market.The looming patent expiries are also identified as key factors restraining the market. Furthermore, the research and development activities conducted in the field is insufficient as per many experts. This could pose significant threat to the overall antibacterial drugs market in the coming years.Request for Sample Copy of Report @Opportunities Prevalent in Emerging Nations to Boost Growth in Near FutureIn the coming years, the market is likely to gain from factors such as the improved efficacy, fewer side effects, and reduced time of action. In addition, opportunities prevalent across emerging nations will enable the global antibacterial drugs market stay afloat during the forecast period. According to TMR, the market will gain considerable traction in emerging nations such as India and China.In the last few years, several synthesis inhibitors have gone off-patent, which has made TMR predict that several of the drugs under clinical trial could be approved in the coming years. The likelihood of benefiting from the commercialization of drug-resistant infections treatment is also rising. Despite the influx of novel protein synthesis inhibitors, vaccines will remain the class of drugs contributing the most revenue toward the global antibacterial drugs market. These factors will enable growth in the global antibacterial drugs market in the coming years.This review is based on a TMR report, titled Antibacterial Drugs Market (Drug Class  B  lactams, Quinolones, Macrolides, Tetracycline, Aminoglycoside, Sulfonamide, and Phenicols; Routes of Administration  Enteral and Parenteral; Distribution Channel  Hospital Pharmacies, Drug Stores and Retail Pharmacies, and Online Sales)  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20172025.Purchase this 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. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Pisco Market to Witness Comprehensive Growth by 2025

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Pisco is a traditional drink of Latin America which is yellowish or can say colourless brandy specifically produced by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit. Pisco is highly produced in the region of Chile and Peru as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain since the 16th century. This practice of producing Pisco domestically in abundant quantity has reduced the volume of alcoholic beverages imported to this region. Ever since the production of pisco started, different variety of grapes were used in order to give the beverage too many different flavors so as the beverage is exported internationally as the market would not accept the wide variety under the same name. For the same reason, the Chilean and the Peruvian governments set standards as to what kind of grapes should be used to make the beverage that could be labelled as a pisco.Request to sample reportMarket Segmentation:Pisco market is segmented on the basis of source, distribution channel, type and region. On the basis of source, the market is segmented into Peruvian pisco and Chilean pisco. Peruvian pisco is exported in a great quantity throughout the world and is expected to hold a relatively high-value share in the Pisco market. On the basis of distribution channel the market is segmented into supermarket/hypermarket, specialty stores and online stores. Online stores have also contributed significantly to the growth of Pisco market over the forecast period. On the basis of type, the market is segmented on the basis of puro, aromaticas, mosto verde and acholado. Among all these segment puro segment is expected to grow enormously in the coming future, followed by acholado segment.Market Regional Outlook:A regional segment for the market of Pisco is divided into five different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and MEA. Among these segment, Latin America is expected to have the major market share globally, as it is one of the largest producer and consumer of Pisco. In Asia Pacific region the countries like China and Australia are generating the major revenue. In terms of revenue, Europe is also among the prominent contributor in the Pisco market, as the consumption of alcoholic beverage is quite high in this region.Market Drivers:According to the recent past activities in various regions in the world, it can be concluded that consumption of alcoholic 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 growth of alcohol-based market. 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 alcoholic products, which is driving growth of the pisco market and this is expected to continue over the forecast period. Moreover, changing lifestyles, 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 pisco.Get Full Report nowThe 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 pisco products are also focused on the positioning their brands better, to improve its sales.Market Key Players:Some of the key players in Pisco market are Pisco Porton, LLC, Barton Solvents, Inc., La Diablada Pisco, and Machu Pisco among others.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:
Automotive Light Weight Body Panel Market Global Research Report 2017 Analysis & Forecast to 2023

Automotive Light Weight Body Panel Market 2017

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Automotive Light Weight Body Panel Market 2017Summary:Global Automotive Light Weight Body Panel Market Information Report, By Material (Metal, Polymer & Composites, Rubber and Other), By Component (Bumpers, Door panel, Roof and Other), By Application (Commercial vehicle and Passenger vehicle) and By Region - Forecast To 2023Market Scenario:Automotive light weight body panel market in North America is expected to dominate the global market during the forecast period, owing to the presence of major manufacturers such as Ford Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. Lightweight automotive body panel production, stringent regulations to meet fuel emission, are also some factors driving the market towards growth. Moreover, the region follows high automotive safety regulations. The growth in Asia-Pacific automotive lightweight body panel market is forecast due to the rise in production of automobiles and a subsequent rise in the demand for fuel efficient vehicles. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea contribute majorly in this market.Stringent government regulations to meet fuel emission standards, advancement in technology, increased focus of manufacturers on automotive lightweighting vehicles, are some of the factors driving the market of automotive Light weight body panels. However, high costs associated with light weighting materials are hindering its widespread adoption and this is likely to restrict market growth over the forecast period.The prominent players in the automotive light weight body panel market include Austem Company Ltd (Korea), ArcelorMittal S.A. ( Luxembourg), Hwashin Tech Co Ltd (South Korea), BASF SE (Germany), Alcoa Corporation (U.S.), Plastic Omnium (France), Magna International Inc(Canada), ThyssenKrupp AG (Germany), Kuante Auto Parts Manufacture Co. Limited(China).Request For Sample Report @Light weight body panels play an important role in improving fuel economy and performance of vehicles by reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. The increase in the development of technology in automotive industry, and the global automotive production along with an increasing focus on light weighting of vehicles, are some of the factors which help in the market growth automotive light weight body panels. Manufacturers are mainly focusing on adopting lightweight body panels in vehicles to fulfill government regulations concerning greenhouse gas emissions.The market has been segmented based on materials and components. On the basis of materials the market is segmented by metal, polymer & composites, rubber and other. Metal, by material segment is expected to dominate the global automotive light weight body panel due to their ability to enhance design freedom and the longer life. On the basis of component, the market includes bumpers, door panel, roof and other. Door Panels component type segment projected to retain its dominance over the forecast period. On the basis of vehicle type, is the market segments are Passenger vehicle and Commercial vehicle. Passenger vehicles accounted for the largest market share of the global automotive light weight body panels market. The market is expected to reach a market size of USD 87.3 Billion by the end of the forecast period at CAGR of 3.9%.The report for Global Automotive Light Weight Body Panel 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 Research Methodology3 Market Dynamics4 Global Automotive Light Weight Body Panel Market, By Material5 Global Automotive Light Weight Body Panel Market, By Components6 Global Automotive Light Weight Body Panel Market, By Application7 Regional Market Analysis8 Competitive AnalysisLIST OF TABLESTABLE 1 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET, BY MATERIALTABLE 2 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET, BY COMPONENTSTABLE 3 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET, BY APPLICATIONTABLE 4 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET, BY REGIONSTABLE 5 NORTH AMERICA AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET, BY MATERIAL..LIST OF FIGURESFIGURE 1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGYFIGURE 2 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET: BY MATERIAL (%)FIGURE 3 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET: BY COMPONENTS (%)FIGURE 4 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET: BY END MARKET (%)FIGURE 5 GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT WEIGHT BODY PANEL MARKET: BY REGION.ContinuedAbout 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:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Third-party logistics (3PL) Market 2017 Industry Key Players -TNT, FedEx, UPS, DHL, Maersk, APL, Nippon Express,..

3PL (Third-party logistics)

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3PL (Third-party logistics):SummaryWiseGuyReports.com adds Third-party logistics (3PL) Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.This report studies the global 3PL market, analyzes and researches the 3PL development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeTNTFedExUPSDHLMaerskAPLNippon ExpressExelNOLCOSCO LogisticsSinotransCMSTDChina ShippingCNPLG. LogisticsChina Merchants LogisticsSouth Logistics GroupZtkyZJS ExpressKerry LogisticsRequest Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, 3PL can be split intoVehicles TransportingAnimal TransportOrdinary Goods TransportOtherMarket segment by Application, 3PL can be split intoLogistics controlLogistics controlProvide logistic service operationFor further information on this report, visit -Table of Contents:Global 3PL Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of 3PL1.1 3PL Market Overview1.1.1 3PL Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global 3PL 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 3PL Market by Type1.3.1 Vehicles Transporting1.3.2 Animal Transport1.3.3 Ordinary Goods Transport1.3.4 Other1.4 3PL Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Logistics control1.4.2 Logistics control1.4.3 Provide logistic service operation2 Global 3PL Competition Analysis by Players2.1 3PL Market Size (Value) by Players (2015-2016)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 TNT3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 FedEx3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 UPS3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 DHL3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 Maersk3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 APL3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Nippon Express3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 Exel3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 NOL3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 COSCO Logistics3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 3PL Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.10.5 Recent Developments3.11 Sinotrans3.12 CMSTD3.13 China Shipping3.14 CNPL3.15 P.G. Logistics3.16 China Merchants Logistics3.17 South Logistics Group3.18 Ztky3.19 ZJS Express3.20 Kerry Logistics4 Global 3PL Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global 3PL Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global 3PL Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of 3PL in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of 3PL5 United States 3PL Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States 3PL Market Size (2012-2017)5.2 United States 3PL Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)6 EU 3PL Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU 3PL Market Size (2012-2017)6.2 EU 3PL Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)7 Japan 3PL Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan 3PL Market Size (2012-2017)7.2 Japan 3PL Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)8 China 3PL Development Status and Outlook8.1 China 3PL Market Size (2012-2017)8.2 China 3PL Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)9 India 3PL Development Status and Outlook9.1 India 3PL Market Size (2012-2017)9.2 India 3PL Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)10 Southeast Asia 3PL Development Status and Outlook10.1 Southeast Asia 3PL Market Size (2012-2017)10.2 Southeast Asia 3PL Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)11.1 Global 3PL Market Size (Value) by Regions (2017-2022)11.1.1 United States 3PL Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.2 EU 3PL Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.3 Japan 3PL Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.4 China 3PL Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.5 India 3PL Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.6 Southeast Asia 3PL Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.2 Global 3PL Market Size (Value) by Type (2017-2022)11.3 Global 3PL Market Size by Application (2017-2022)12 3PL Market Dynamics12.1 3PL Market Opportunities12.2 3PL Challenge and Risk12.2.1 Competition from Opponents12.2.2 Downside Risks of Economy12.3 3PL Market Constraints and Threat12.3.1 Threat from Substitute12.3.2 Government Policy12.3.3 Technology Risks12.4 3PL Market Driving Force12.4.1 Growing Demand from Emerging Markets12.4.2 Potential Application13 Market Effect Factors Analysis13.1 Technology Progress/Risk13.1.1 Substitutes13.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry13.2 Consumer Needs Trend/Customer Preference13.3 External Environmental Change13.3.1 Economic Fluctuations13.3.2 Other Risk Factors14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixMethodologyAnalyst IntroductionData SourceCONTINUEDBuy 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
Electrophysiology Devices Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth by 2019

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A new research study based on The Global Electrophysiology Devices Market for , published by U.S.-based market intelligence firm Transparency Market Research, states that the market will grow at a CAGR of 12.1% between 2013 and 2019. The global market for electrophysiology devices, which valued US$2,500 million in 2012, is expected to reach US$5,496.6 million by 2019.The report is titled Electrophysiology Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019.Request to View Brochure of Report -Electrophysiology devices are used for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cardiac arrhythmias, which are caused by abnormal electric behavior of body cells and tissues. The global electrophysiology devices market is largely driven by the rising geriatric population across the globe. Advances in technology leading to the introduction of highly reliable and effective minimally invasive treatment methodologies, and the availability of electrophysiology devices with an improved set of features are also boosting the demand in the global electrophysiology devices market. However, strict regulatory approach towards approving the usage of these devices, high costs associated with it, and the availability of alternate medications will lead to a set-back in the global market, states a TMR analyst.The report segments the global electrophysiology devices market according to three criteria: electrophysiology monitoring devices, electrophysiology treatment devices, and key regional markets. The segment of electrophysiology monitoring devices is further categorized into electrocorticograph (ECoG), electrocardiograph (ECG), electroencephalograph (EEG), electrooculograph (EOG), imaging and 3D mapping systems, electroretinograph (ERG), holter monitoring devices, X-ray systems, diagnostic electrophysiology catheters, and electromyograph (EMG).The segment of electrophysiology treatment devices is further divided into implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy devices (CRT), catheters, and pacemakers.Request to View Sample of Report -Geographically, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Of these regional markets, North America accounted for the largest share of revenues in 2012, followed by Europe. In developed countries such as United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Ireland, an increasing pool of geriatric population, coupled with rising incidences of rhythmic disorders, is leading to an increased demand for electrophysiology devices. Positive development of economies in Asia Pacific, a vast pool of untapped opportunities in the healthcare sector, and a huge number of patients with retinal disorders, arrhythmias, and epilepsy will lead to escalated demand from the Asia-Pacific region during the reports forecast period.Some of the key businesses operating in the global market for electrophysiology devices include Boston Scientific, Philips Healthcare, Medtronic, Inc., St. Jude Medical, among others. Other important businesses operating in the market include Abbott Laboratories, GE Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, and Siemens Healthcare.Purchase this 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cord Blood Banking Services Market Estimated to Flourish by 2019

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The Global Cord Blood Banking Services Market is exhibiting a CAGR of 5.60% from 2013 to 2019. At the end of this forecast period, the market is expected to reach US$15.23 bn, after it was recorded at US$12.40 bn in 2012. The data is compiled into a research report published by Transparency Market Research. The report, titled Cord Blood Banking Services Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019, highlights the key aspects of this market after a thorough analysis of the drivers, restraints, and opportunities that lie ahead in the markets timeline.Request to View Brochure of Report -Cord blood banks are present around the world today. Equipped with the latest technologies with respect to medical data-keeping and storage, cord blood banks are locations where an individual can store blood from the umbilical cord for future use. Cord blood is what remains in the placenta after birth and is highly valuable in the treatment of diseases that are genetic or hematopoietic in nature. Cord blood banks can be public or private and usually charge a fee for collection as well as an annual fee for storage and maintenance.In terms of authority, the activities in the global cord blood banking services market are monitored and governed by bodies such as the Human Tissue Authority, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, American Association of Tissue Banks, and the American Association of Blood BanksAccording to the report, the primary driver for the global cord blood banking services market is the increasing number of applications available for cord blood. This increase in scope of use will create more opportunities in this market in the near future.Request to View Sample of Report -The report, however, also explains a number of factors that are currently restraining the global cord blood banking services market. The greatest restraint on the market is the low availability of cord blood units around the world. Additionally, it is currently difficult to maintain cord blood banks due to the high cost involved. The global cord blood banking services market is also hindered by the storage regulations imposed on laboratories in order to prevent contamination of units.The report states that North America led the global cord blood banking services market in 2013, while the current growth rate is largely supplemented by the rapidly-progressing region of Asia Pacific. The Asia Pacific cord blood banking services market is growing at the fastest pace owing to the increasing disposable incomes and the increase in government support.From a competitive perspective, the global cord blood banking services market is extremely difficult for new entrants to crack in light of such restrictions.Purchase this Report @The key players in the global cord blood banking services market are NeoStem, Inc., Cryo-Cell International, Inc., China Cord Blood Corporation, ViaCord, Inc., Cord Blood Registry Systems, Inc., and Cord Blood America, 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:
Anti-aging Market foreseen to grow exponentially over 2019

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The Global Anti-Aging Market is growing at a CAGR of 7.8% between 2013 and 2019. With the markets value being 122.3 billion in 2013, it is expected to reach US$191.7 billion by the end of 2019. Statistics regarding the same have been provided in a research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled Anti-aging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019, on sale on TMRs website.Request to View Brochure of Report -The report displays data gathered about the global anti-aging market with regard to market trends, geography, revenue streams, and others.According to the report, the global anti-aging market is being driven primarily by the rise in the aging population in the world, especially the nations that hold majorities of the baby boomer population. The population comprises individuals that have, for long periods, been concerned with physical health and beauty.The report states that individuals born between 1946 and 1964 are the biggest consumers of anti-aging services and products. Other statistics show that more than 8,000 individuals are added per day to the count of people above 65. This is expected to continue for the next 18 years. A large portion of this aging population includes citizens from the baby boomer era. Their requirement from the global anti-aging market as well as the availability of funds to do so continues to drive the market.The report segregates the global anti-aging market using its various products and services. It states that the majority of the products in the global anti-aging market can be purchased without any prescription. Some services and most devices in the global anti-aging market, however, require special attention and a prescription in most cases.Request to View Sample of Report -Overall, the segment of anti-aging products is expected to dominate the global anti-aging market, according to the report by Transparency Market Research. The report also states that the global anti-aging market is currently in a highly developmental stage, and as such is led by experimental studies and customer reception.One of the market restraints mentioned in the report is the skepticism portrayed by consumers towards the global anti-aging markets services and products. One of the factors that could resolve this is the proven advancement in technologies that help create better services and products. Another factor presented in the report is the growing governmental restriction to safeguard consumer health and maintain product quality.The key players mentioned in the report on the global anti-aging market include Photomedex Inc., Lumenis Ltd, Personal Microderm, Coty Inc., Beiersdorf AG, Solta Medical Inc., Alma Lasers Ltd, Cynosure Inc., LOreal, SA, and Allergan Inc.In terms of geography, the report projects Asia Pacific to become a major player in the global anti-aging market owing to increasing awareness of innovations and new services, products, and devices, along with the growing disposable income of individuals and families.Purchase this 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Direct Thermal Labels Market Analysis 2017 Forecasts to 2023

Thermal Labels Market 2017

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Thermal Labels Market 2017Summary:MarketResearchFuture adds Thermal Labels Market 2017: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, Forecast to 2023reports to its Database.Global direct thermal labels market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period.Market ScenarioOn the basis of regions, global direct thermal labels market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). Asia-Pacific dominates the global direct thermal labels market. It is expected to be the fastest growing region for direct thermal labels market. Rapid growth in e-commerce and transportation sectors, is driving the growth of the market in Asia-Pacific region. The growing organized retails have widened the scope of warehousing solutions, which staggers the demand for direct thermal labels. North America is expected to contribute significantly during the forecast period.The prominent players in the direct thermal labels market include Technicode, Inc. (Michigan), Avery Dennison Corporation (U.S.), 3M Company (U.S.), NPI (U.S.), AM Labels Ltd (UK), Resource Label Group (US), Thermal Label Warehouse LLC (U.S.), Brady Corporation (U.S.), Consolidated Label Co (U.S.), and Labelmakers Group Pty Ltd (Australia).Request For Sample Report @Global direct thermal labels market has been segmented based on face stock material, application and region. On the basis of face stock material, the market is segmented as paper and plastic. Different types of plastic such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and others are used in face stock. These synthetic direct thermal labels offer better durability, longer-lasting are used in face stock to abrasion, moisture, and chemicals. On the basis of applications, the market is segmented as food & beverages, pharmaceutical, personal care, retail and others. Food & Beverages segment dominates the application segment of the market. Growing demand of processed and packaged food across the globe, is driving the demand of the market. The retail segment is anticipated to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period.The report for Global Direct Thermal 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 Summary4 Global Direct Thermal Labels Market, By Face Stock Material4.1 Paper4.2 Plastic5 Global Direct Thermal Labels Market, By Application5.1 Introduction5.2 Food & Beverages5.3 Pharmaceuticals5.4 Personal Care5.5 Retail5.6 Others..7 Competitive Analysis7.1 Introduction7.2 Competitive Scenario7.2.1 Market Share Analysis7.2.2 Market Development Analysis7.2.3 Product/Service Benchmarking7.3 Avery Dennison Corporation7.3.1 Overview7.3.2 Product/Service Offering7.3.3 Strategy7.4 3M Company7.4.1 Overview7.4.2 Product/Service Offering7.4.3 Strategy7.5 Technicode, Inc.7.5.1 Overview7.5.2 Product/Service Offering7.5.3 Strategy7.6 NPI7.6.1 Overview7.6.2 Product/Service Offering7.6.3 Strategy7.7 AM Labels Ltd7.7.1 Overview7.7.2 Product/Service Offering7.7.3 Strategy7.8 Resource Label Group7.8.1 Overview7.8.2 Product/Service Offering7.8.3 Strategy7.9 Thermal Label Warehouse LLC7.9.1 Overview7.9.2 Product/Service Offering7.9.3 Strategy7.10 Brady Corporation7.10.1 Overview7.10.2 Product/Service Offering7.10.3 Strategy7.11 Consolidated Label Co.7.11.1 Overview7.11.2 Product/Service Offering7.11.3 Strategy7.12 Labelmakers Group Pty Ltd7.12.1 Overview7.12.2 Product/Service Offering7.12.3 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
Membrane Technology Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2019

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) has recently published a market study on The Global Membrane Technology Market, projecting the market to exhibit a CAGR of 9.10% during the period from 2014 to 2019 and reach a market value of US$10.8 bn by the end of the forecast period.The report, titled Membrane Technology Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2019, states that the worldwide membrane technology market stood at US$6.4 bn in 2013.Request to View Brochure of Report -The global rise in the pharmaceutical industry gives a significant boost to the worldwide market for membrane technology. The increasing demand for single-use disposables in biopharmaceuticals also triggers the demand for membrane technology in recent times. However, membrane fouling, together with high investments as well as soaring operation cost, has adversely affected this market at large.Strict regulations pertaining to environmental safety, however, is likely to drive the markets growth over the forecast period, the report states.The market report analyzes the global membrane technology market on the basis of technology and end users. Based on technology, it is classified into the markets for ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration, and chromatography. The nanofiltration technology market is reporting the fastest growth in the global market for membrane technology at present.The pharmaceutical, biopharma, and life sciences industries are the main end users of membrane technology, among which, the biopharma market has acquired the leading position in the global market. Collectively, the biopharma and the life sciences industries have generated US$4.5 bn in 2009, states the research report.According to the market study, the global market for membrane technology is spread across Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World. Among these, North America has emerged as the dominant regional market for membrane technology. In 2012, the North America market for membrane technology occupied around 41% of the overall market.Request to View Sample of Report -The U.S. is the biggest market for membrane technology in North America. The presence of a large pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. is fuelling the demand from the membrane technology market in the region.Europe is the second largest regional market for membrane technology, notes the study. The rise in research and development activities in the field of membrane technology in Europe is giving a significant impetus to the market in the region.Analysts project North America to maintain its dominance in the coming years. However, it is Asia Pacific that is the demonstrating the fastest growth in the global membrane technology market, the report says. The rising awareness regarding health, together with a large patient pool as well as increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, is likely to propel the membrane technology market in Asia Pacific to expand at a CAGR of 13.0% during the forecast period.Sartorius, Merck Millipore, 3M Co., GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Novasep, Koch Membrane System, Trisep Corp., Advantec MFS, and Amazon Filters are the key market players in the global membrane technology market, states the research report.Purchase this 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Breast Imaging Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2019

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Breast cancer is identified as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. The incidence of breast cancer has significantly escalated since the last decade, which in turn has increased the mortality rate among women due to cancer. Women aged above 40 years or those who are going through hormone replacement therapy are at higher risk of developing breast cancer. In addition, the expanding number of aging women worldwide has aided the rise in breast cancer cases. Such factors have led the breast cancer imaging market to surge exponentially.Studying the overall dynamics of the global breast cancer imaging market, Transparency Market Research has released a report titled Breast Imaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019. As per the findings of the report, the global breast cancer imaging market is likely to reach an estimated valuation of US$4.06 billion in 2019, as against its market value of US$1.84 billion in 2012, thereby expanding at an incredible 12% CAGR between 2013 and 2019.Request to View Brochure of Report -To present an executive-level synopsis of the present market trends, the report segments the global breast imaging market into breast ultrasound, mammography, tomosynthesis, nuclear imaging, breast MRI, and others (breast thermography and bioelectric imaging), in terms of technology. Of these, mammography uses low-intensity X-rays to develop two-dimensional images of breast tissues. During surveys, it was revealed that approximately 44 million women in the U.S. alone undergo mammography every year, out of whom 36% women are suggested for a second diagnostic test. Many of these women resort to ultrasound breast screening, which has emerged as a promising breast imaging technology to diagnose breast cancer among women. Among other breast imaging technologies, tomosynthesis is expected to develop at a robust 18.1% CAGR during the forecast period and nuclear imaging is also expected to experience significant growth.Request to View Sample of Report -For the purpose of presenting a detailed overview, the report segments the global breast imaging market into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World. Of these, North America enjoyed a dominant position with a 32.6% share of the market in 2012. Owing to the presence of highly developed healthcare infrastructure and well-organized regulatory structure, North America has remained the undisputed leader in the global breast imaging market till date. During the forecast period, the market for breast imaging in Asia Pacific is also expected to grow at a significantly high rate. Rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure together with the developing medical tourism market will boost the breast imaging market in Asia Pacific.To present a competitive analysis, the report has profiled some of the prominent companies in the market, including GE Healthcare Ltd., Siemens Healthcare Corporation, SonoCine Inc., FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc., Aurora Imaging Technologies, Inc., and Philips Healthcare.Purchase this 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.US Office Contact90 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)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.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.Study Objectives of Bubble Wrap Packaging Market To 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 Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To 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 prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by material, product, application, and regions To provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Bubble Wrap Packaging Market.Request For Sample Report @Regional Analysis of Global Bubble Wrap Packaging MarketThe Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing region for the bubble wrap packaging market owing to rising disposable incomes and the booming ecommerce industry. The protective packaging market in developing countries such as China and India are estimated to grow at a high rate in the forecast period. The region is expected to grow with 7.45% CAGR.Target Audience Manufactures Raw Materials Suppliers Aftermarket suppliers Research Institute / Education Institute Potential Investors Key executive (CEO and COO) and strategy growth managerProduct Analysis Product matrix which gives a detailed comparison of the market for different recycled product typesAdditional Information Regulatory Landscape Pricing Analysis Macroeconomic IndicatorsGeographic Analysis Geographical analysis across 15 countriesCompany Information Profiling of 10 key market players In-depth analysis including SWOT analysis, and strategy information of related to report title Competitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesThe 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 INTRODUCTION2.1 Definition 132.2 Scope Of The Study 132.3 Assumptions 132.4 Market Structure 14.11 COMPANY PROFILES11.1 Sealed Air Corporation 7211.1.1 Company Overview 7211.1.2 Financial Overview 7211.1.3 Product/Service Offering 7311.1.4 Strategy 7311.1.5 SWOT Analysis 7411.2 Veritiv Corporation 7511.2.1 Company Overview 7511.2.2 Financial Overview 7511.2.3 Product/Service Offering 7611.2.4 Strategy 7611.2.5 SWOT Analysis 7711.3 Pregis Corporation 7811.3.1 Company Overview 7811.3.2 Financial Overview 7811.3.3 Product/Service Offering 7811.3.4 Strategy 7811.3.5 SWOT Analysis 7911.4 Tarheel Paper & Supply Company 8011.4.1 Company Overview 8011.4.2 Financial Overview 8011.4.3 Product/Service Offering 8011.4.4 Strategy 8011.4.5 SWOT Analysis 8111.5 Jiffy Packaging Co. 8211.5.1 Company Overview 8211.5.2 Financial Overview 8211.5.3 Product/Service Offering 8211.5.4 Strategy 8211.5.5 SWOT Analysis 8311.6 IVEX Protective Packaging Inc. 8411.6.1 Company Overview 8411.6.2 Financial Overview 8411.6.3 Product/Service Offering 8411.6.4 Strategy 8511.7 Barton Jones Packaging Ltd 8611.7.1 Company Overview 8611.7.2 Financial Overview 8611.7.3 Product/Service Offering 8611.7.4 Strategy 8611.8 Automated Packaging System 8711.8.1 Company Overview 8711.8.2 Financial Overview 8711.8.3 Product/Service Offering 8711.8.4 Strategy 8711.9 Abco Kovex Ltd 8811.9.1 Company Overview 8811.9.2 Financial Overview 8811.9.3 Product/Service Offering 8811.9.4 Strategy 8811.10 Future Packaging And Machinery (PTY) Ltd 8911.10.1 Company Overview 8911.10.2 Financial Overview 8911.10.3 Product/Service Offering 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
Global Erythropoietin Drugs Market is Expected to be Worth US$19,379.2 mn by the End of 2025

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Transparency Market Research states that the key players operating in the global erythropoietin drugs market are focusing on product development. The intensifying competition is expected to coax players to look for newer distributorship in the coming years. The research report, identifies Merck & Co., Inc., Amgen Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Novartis AG, and GlaxoSmithKline plc as the important players in the global market. In the coming years, these players also likely to emphasize on strategic acquisitions with primary focus on production of erythropoietin drugs to earn better returns on investments. Companies will also look like at making the most of the incentives offered by the government for research on chronic diseases.According to the research report, the global erythropoietin drugs market is expected to be worth US$19,379.2 mn by the end of 2025 as it surges at CAGR of 7.5% from 2017 to 2025. Out of the various applications of erythropoietin drugs, cancer is expected to be the highest revenue contributor. The high diagnosis rate of cancer and a strong pipeline erythropoietin drugs for cancer have expected to fuel the growth of this segment. Geographically, North America is slated to remain the key regional market due to better research and development grants offered by the governments.Obtain Report Details @Demand for Precise Clinical Testing to Boost Usage of Erythropoietin DrugsThe global erythropoietin drugs market has been garnering a good momentum in the past few years as the diagnostic rate of chronic conditions has been on a consistent rise. For instance, in European Union cancer has been growing significantly, and according to research article European cancer mortality predictions for the year 2017, published in US National Library of Medicine, around 13, 73,500 cancer deaths predicted in 2017. Further, strong pipeline of erythropoietin drugs, of which cancers account for a major share, is expected to aid to the market growth of the segment in the near future. Meanwhile, the rising rate of renal diseases such as chronic kidney disease is expected to contribute to the overall revenue. The prominent genetic mutation rates which is the primary cause of renal disease are anticipated to propel the market growth of the segment.Additionally, it is difficult to manufacture biosimilars or generic versions of biologic erythropoietin drugs as compared to biosimilar drugs. Furthermore, unique design of erythropoietin drugs which enables precise clinical testing and offers better outcomes in clinical trials. Additionally, fewer side effects of these drugs makes them a preferred choice of treatment. The demand for erythropoietin drugs for treating anemia is also expected to be a profiting trend for the vendors in the global market.Request for Sample Copy of Report @High Pricing to Dissuade ConsumptionHowever, lack of capping on pricing of erythropoietin drugs by hospital laboratories in certain countries of Europe is likely to hamper the market in the region during the forecast period. Furthermore, poor healthcare facilities in developing parts of the world are also expected to restrain the market growth in the foreseeable future. Additionally, the lack of diagnoses of chronic diseases in the rural parts of emerging economies are also anticipated to have a negative impact on the global erythropoietin drugs market.This review is based on Transparency Market Researchs report, titled Erythropoietin Drugs Market (Drug Class - Epoetin Alfa, Epoetin Beta, and Darbepoetin Alfa; Drug Type - Biologics and Biosimilar; Drug Application - Cancer, Renal Disease, Hematology, Neurology, and Others (Surgery and Wound Healing); Distribution Channel - Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, and Online Pharmacy - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025.Purchase this 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. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Food glazing agents Market Overview, Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis,Growth Opportunities & Restraints to 2022

Food glazing agents Industry

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Global food glazing agents market is expected to grow at the CAGR of 6.7%. Growing demand processed meat and seafood along with growing exports of fruit and vegetables have increased the demand for food glazing agents.Access our Sample Report @With strong growth in food additives market along with huge demand for bakery and confectionary food products, food glazing agent market will continue to grow. Key players are investing in R&D for product innovation in terms of better functionality and diverse application in various product line as food glazing agents markets growth is directly proportional to the scope of innovation. Such agents also play dual role as it helps preserve the food moisture content and also prevent it from microbial degradation, hence improving shelf life of the food product.Carnauba wax holds a promising market as it has huge application in confectionery and bakery applications. Stearic acid is moderately used in food industry but largely used in cosmetics, personal care products and detergent. Paraffin wax is tremendously used in packaging and candle making industries. Such huge application of food glazing agents is driving this market. However, organic food glazing agent market has great potential as demand for organic food is increasing.The global food glazing agents market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). Among these European region has the major market share. The Asia-Pacific and Latin American regional market for food glazing agents are forecasted to grow at the high growth rate in next 5 years. Emerging markets like India, China, Australia and Japan have been considered as potential markets for food glazing agents due to growing demand for processed food.Discount for Report @Ask for your specific company profile and country level customization on reports.This report includes a study of strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, product launches by the major food glazing agents market players. It further includes product portfolios, developments of leading major players which includesCapol GmbH (Germany)Mantrose-Haeuser Co., Inc. (U.S.)Strahl & Pitsch (U.S.)British Wax (U.K.)Masterol Foods (Australia)Stearinerie Dubois (France)Koster Keunen (U.S.)Global food glazing agents market is highly concentrated in Europe. Food glazing agents manufacturers are focusing on expanding their product line by providing larger application in various other types of food and packaging.The global food glazing agents market is segmented on the basis of by source, type, application and regionThis market research report further provides an insight on various levels of analysis such as industry analysis, market share analysis as well as leading market players and their profiles. This report also helps in studying target consumer segments by providing views on emerging and high-growth segments and market size. Together the market data comprise and discuss basic valuations on the competitive scenarios and strategies of the global food glazing agents market including high-growth regions, countries and their political, economic and technological environments. Furthermore the project report also provides views of historical market values as well as pricing and cost analysis of the same.Complete TOC and List of Tables @In Market Research Future we enable our customers to unravel complexity of various industry through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half Cooked Research Report (HCRR), Raw Research Report (3R), Continuous-Feed-Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team has a supreme objective of providing optimum quality of market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by product, services, technology, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, do more which help to answer all their most important questions.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Industrial Design Services Market 2017 Global Key Players: Ammunition, Designworks, Frog Design, IDEO, RKS, and Smart Design, Alessi, BUSSE Design, PDD and Seymourpowell,.

Industrial Design Services Market

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Industrial Design Services Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Industrial Design Services Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.Executive SummaryIndustrial designs are being made after a series of data processing and translations using complex algorithms. Industrial design companies can now implement complex patterns using algorithms, data processing and translation capabilities. For instance, MIT's processing, an open source code is used to create new design hybrid models for industrial design companies.Industrial Design Services Market Global Report 2017 from The Business Research Company provides the strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global industrial design services market.Request Sample Report @DescriptionWhere is the largest and fastest growing market for industrial design services? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The industrial design services market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the markets historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider industrial design services market, and compares it with other markets.The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market.The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market and forecasting the future. Drivers and restraints looks at the external factors supporting and controlling the growth of the market.Market segmentations break down market into sub markets.The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth. It covers all the regions, key developed countries and major emerging markets. It draws comparisons with country populations and economies to understand the importance of the market by country and how this is changing.Competitive landscape gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified.The trends and strategies section highlights the likely future developments in the market and suggests approaches companies can take to exploit this.The industrial design services market section of the report gives context. It compares the industrial design services market with other segments of the industrial design services market by size and growth, historic and forecast. It analyses Expenditure Per Capita, Industrial Design Services Indicators Comparison, Industrial Design Services Enterprise And Employee ComparisonRequest Sample Report @ScopeMarkets covered: Product Design, Model Design And Fabrication, Other Industrial Design ServicesCompanies mentioned: Ammunition, Designworks, Frog Design, IDEO, RKS, and Smart Design, Alessi, BUSSE Design, PDD and SeymourpowellCountries: China, India, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, USA, BrazilRegions: Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa, Oceania.Time series: Five years historic and forecast.Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets, population, GDP, Expenditure Per Capita, Industrial Design Services Indicators Comparison, Industrial Design Services Enterprise And Employee ComparisonData segmentations: country and regional historic and forecast data, market share of competitors, market segments.Sourcing and Referencing: Data and analysis throughout the report is sourced using end notes.For further information on this report, visit -Table of ContentsIndustrial Design Services Market Characteristics;Industrial Design Services Market Size And Growth;Pestle Analysis;Industrial Design Services Market Customer Information;Industrial Design Services Market Segmentation;Industrial Design Services Market Regional And Country Analysis;Global Industrial Design Services Market Comparison With Macro Economic Factors;Industrial Design Services Market Comparison With Macro Economic Factors Across Countries;Industrial Design Services Market Comparison With Industry Metrics;Asia- Pacific Industrial Design Services Market;Western Europe Industrial Design Services Market;Eastern Europe Industrial Design Services Market;North America Industrial Design Services Market;South America Industrial Design Services Market;Middle East Industrial Design Services Market;Africa Industrial Design Services Market;Industrial Design Services Market Competitive Landscape;Key Mergers And Acquisitions In The Industrial Design Services Market;Market Background: Specialized Design Services Market;Market Background: Global Professional Services Market;Appendix;Reasons to PurchaseOutperform competitors using accurate up to date demand-side dynamics information.Identify growth segments for investment.Facilitate decision making on the basis of historic and forecast data and the drivers and restraints on the market.Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis.Stay abreast of the latest customer and market research findingsBenchmark performance against key competitors.Develop strategies based on likely future developments.Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing.Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysisGain a global perspective on the development of the market.Report will be updated with the latest data and delivered to you within 3-5 working days of order.ContinuedBuy this Report @Norah TrentContact Us: sales@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
World Cystic Acne Industry Top 12 Key Players Shares, Revenue, Analysis and Forecasts to 2022

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The International Cystic Acne Market report is segmented as Ice Pick Scars, Larger pits on Skin, Shallow depressions, Hypertrophic scarring and others. Cystic Acne is a type of skin condition wherein the pores of the skin get blocked, which leads to infection or inflammation of the affected area of the skin. Although this condition is caused by the same bacterium (P. acnes bacteria) which also causes papules, pustules and such others, Cystic Acne lesions are one of the most difficult acnes to treat.Get Exclusive Sample Report @Cysts are the most inflamed, ruptured form of these comedones. This condition can occur in any age, but it is more prevalent in adolescent teenagers which experience a lot of hormonal imbalances. The Industry for this condition is growing due to increase in the prevalence of this condition which mostly attributes to hormonal changes, usage of occlusive products such as cosmetics, lotions etc.The World Cystic Acne Market report explores Major Players as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Abbott Laboratories, Hexal, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Alma Lasers Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, GE Healthcare, National Biological Corp., Herbert Waldmann GmbH & Co. KG, Sylvan Company and DUSA Pharmaceuticals Inc.On the basis of treatment type the Industry is segmented as Topical medications, Drainage & Extraction procedure, Laser Therapy, Microdermabrasion and others. This type of acne lesion is believed to be more painful and has a risk of scarring the skin and causing a permanent damage when compared to mild or moderate acnes. Normal acne is occurs due to blockage of the skin pores as a result of the overproduction of sebum, or skin cells, combined with inflammation triggered by the bacterium P. acnes.The Cystic Acne Market forecasted to witness a thriving growth by 2022, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a striking CAGR during the anticipated period (2016  2022). According to a recent study report published by the Industry Research Future.Order Complete Premium 80 Pages Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures is Available @Major TOC for Cystic Acne Market:1 Report Prologue2 Industry Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 Limitations2.3 Industry Structure3 Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Industry Size Estimation3.5 Forecast ModelContinuedAsk Questions to Expertise @About US:Industry Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Industry Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Akash Anand,Industry Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@Industryresearchfuture.com
Erythropoietin Drug Market Ready to Grow at a Powerful Pace More than 2023

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The report for Global Erythropoietin Drug 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. Global Erythropoietin Drug Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.5% during forecasted period.Erythropoietin drugs are also known as hematopoietin. It is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis or production of RBC. They are used in treatment of different diseases like cancer, chronic renal diseases, AIDS, anaemia and many more. Global erythropoietin market is driven by increasing prevalence of diseases like cancer, AIDA and renal diseases. Beside this introduction of new drugs and different government initiatives for research are also has synergistic effect on growth of the market. Whereas high cost of treatment and side effects of the treatment may restrain the growth of market.Get Sample Copy atKey players for global erythropoietin drug market: Hoffmann-La Roche (Switzerland), Johnson & Johnson (US), Amgen (US), Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Intas Pharmaceuticals (India), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel), Biocon (India), Emcure Pharmaceuticals (India), Celltrion, Inc. (South Korea), Hospira (US), Dahua Pharmaceutical (China), LG Life Sciences Ltd. (Korea), 3SBio, Boehringer Ingelheim (US), BIOSIDUS (Argentina).SegmentationGlobal erythropoietin drug market is segmented on the basis of type of product into biosimilars, first generation formulation and second generation formulation. On the basis of application market is segmented as oncology, renal diseases, HIV and other and on the basis of end user they are segmented into hospital and pharmacy.Regional AnalysisOn regional basis, global erythropoietin drug market, North America contribute the largest market which is followed by Europe. Due to continuously increasing cancer population and patient suffering from renal diseases in North America helped to grow this market in North America. Beside this technological advance and governmental initiatives for research has provided fuel for the growth of the market. Asia Pacific is the third largest market and is the fastest growing market for erythropoietin drug market. While Middle East and Africa has the least contribution in global erythropoietin drug market.Get Discount atBrief TOC:1 INTRODUCTION1.1 DEFINITION1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS1.2.2.1 ASSUMPTIONS1.2.2.2 LIMITATIONS1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE:2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 RESEARCH PROCESS:2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH:3 MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 DRIVERS3.2 RESTRAINTS3.3 OPPORTUNITIES3.4 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS4 MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS4.1 PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL4.2 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS4.3 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS4.4 THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS4.5 THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES4.6 INTENSITY OF RIVALRY5. GLOBAL ERYTHROPOIETIN DRUG MARKET, BY PRODUCT5.1 BIOSIMILARS5.2 FIRST GENERATION FORMULATION5.3 SECOND GENERATION FORMULATIONContinuedAbout 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: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
Fertility Testing Market Trembling Revenue, World Legend Industry Overview, Analysis and Forecast 2017 To 2024 Fertility testing is a process in which fertility or infertility is checked or assessed. In-depth analysis on Fertility Testing Market revels that, fertility testing market is a booming & profitable business, several factors influencing markets growth. The first is the overall increase & rise in couples trying unsuccessfully to conceive due to advanced age, obesity, lifestyle & various environmental factors.



Especially in developed region such as in American women are having babies in their 30s than in their 20s, part of the gradual increase over the past four decades in the average age Americans becoming parents. On the other hand getting pregnant at age range 30s-40s can also come with a lot of uncertainty about whether its even possible to conceive & how much time might be left before infertility sets in.



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Second is, growing recognition that this is not a womens health problem. Approximately one in five couples, a male factor is diagnosed as the cause. Another 30 percent of cases are deemed both male & female or unexplained.



Now fertility testing industry became relatively new industry that claims to be able to help women answer these burning questions. By seeing profitable of the industry many online companies, clinics & fertility centres now offer tests of ovarian reserve, for example: At Future Family, fertility age test promises to deliver insight into patients current & future fertility, in the privacy of patients own home. Lets get checked test determines if a womans pregnancy chances are lower than what is expected at her age. At Shady Grove Fertility, the largest fertility centre in United State, ovarian reserve testing is part of the initial fertility evaluation & promises no more guessing about fecundity.



Fertility Testing Market  Competitive Analysis



As the market seems to be attractive, growing and profitable, at the same time market has witnessed intense rivalry among existing competitors. Many new entrants expected to enter into fertility testing market. There are many big players in the fertility testing market such as: Geratherm Medical AG Germany, Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. in U.S., SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH in Switzerland, Church & Dwight Co., Inc. in U.S., Fairhaven Health LLC in U.S., HiLin Life Products, Inc. in U.S., Fertility Focus Limited in U.K. Alere Inc., Atlas Medical, Biomerieux SA, Church & Dwight Co. Inc., Gemc Technology Group Co. Ltd



Market has new entrants and new launches for example: - In October-1-2016, California start-up Episona, a company founded around epigenetic science. Its first product, Seed, launched in October-2016 and is now being sold to fertility clinics. Seed is an advanced and next generation sequencing test that looks for specific signs of DNA-methylation in sperm. This could be the result of aging, smoking, pollution & more. Depending on how & where this occurs, the DNA modifications can impact fertility & embryo development. In Jun- 20-2016, a semen centrifuge is the latest and newest direct to consumer fertility device on the market. The Trak, a desktop gadget that measures a mans sperm count, was approved by the Food & Drug Administration for consumer use. The device, developed by Bay Area start-up sandstone diagnostics, runs on AA batteries, costs USD 159.99, & even syncs with phone.



Geratherm Medical AG Germany, Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. in U.S., SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH in Switzerland, Church & Dwight Co., Inc. in U.S., Fairhaven Health LLC in U.S., HiLin Life Products, Inc. in U.S., Fertility Focus Limited in U.K, Alere Inc., Atlas Medical, Biomerieux SA, Church & Dwight Co. Inc., Gemc Technology Group Co. Ltd are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the Global Fertility Testing Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.



Fertility Testing Market  Regional Analysis:



Analysis shows that, North America including the U.S. and Canada, held the largest share of the global fertility testing market. A number of factors such as the decline in fertility rate owing to the rising first time pregnancy, age & high prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome among North American women, growing awareness about the benefits offered by ovulation monitors & Fertility Awareness Methods in successful conception among women & the development of advanced device offerings at a lower cost are driving market growth in North America. However, the Asia Pacific fertility testing market is expected to witness the fastest growth in the forecast period. Growing anxiety, increasing depression among couples, decreasing fertility rate, growing number of women suffering from lifestyle disorders, rising funding and investments for the development of fertility & ovulation monitors, growing focus of both international & domestic players on the Asia Pacific fertility testing market are some of the major factors driving fertility testing market growth in the Asia-Pacific region.



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North America (U.S and Canada):



North America is one of the largest markets for fertility testing. As per the National Center of Health Statistics the US fertility rate in 2009 was 2.0 births per women. But the preliminary shows a drop on 1.9 in 2011. Hence, there is sense of urge building in the overall population and people are getting aware of fertility testing. In present scenario the awareness about the fertility testing and the devices for fertility testing has been increased among the people. Hence, the use of ovulation kits and fertility monitors is increasing which leads to demand for fertility testing and an increasing trend can be expected in the North American market.



Europe:



Europe is one of the growing markets in fertility testing and as per Euro Stats in 2014 the average fertility rate of 2014 is 1.58 per woman which has drastically dropped since 2002. An AMH test which measures how much Anti mullerian harmone a woman produces in her ovarian follicles which is fast becoming the pre-eminent tool for fertility specialists in Europe to determine the chances of their patients getting pregnant.



With the evolvement of AMH tests in the European market which shows a growing trend for fertility testing in Europe, the AMH test would add more value to the existing European market leading to further growth of the market in Europe.



Major TOC of Fertility Testing Industry:



TABLE OF CONTENTS



1 INTRODUCTION



1.1 DEFINITION



1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY



1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE



1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS



1.2.2.1 ASSUMPTIONS



1.2.2.2 LIMITATIONS



1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE:



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



2.1 RESEARCH PROCESS:



2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH



2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH:



3 MARKET DYNAMICS



3.1 DRIVERS



3.2 RESTRAINTS



3.3 OPPORTUNITIES



3.4 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS



.Continued



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World Microbiology Testing Market by Therapeutic: Ophthalmology, Urology, Neurology, Cardiovascular, Analysis and Forecasts Till 2027

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Microbiology testing has emerged as one of the rapidly changing and growing segment of healthcare over the past few years. The Worldwide Microbiology Testing Market deals with the study of microbial germs and their clinical applications for the improvement of health. Microbiology testing is concern with the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of various infectious diseases such as, sexually respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections, sexually transmitted infections, and many others. These diseases can be spread from one person to another, directly or indirectly.According to a recent study published by the Market Research Future analysts, the global microbiology testing market is growing at a double digit growth rate; mainly due to factors such as technological advancements, rising cases of infectious diseases, surveillance programs for disease control, and rising stringency of standards. On the other hand, erroneous results produced during the testing, and heavy costs of the tests and instruments have created some obstacles in the growth of this market in all parts of the world.Exclusive Sample Copy @Global Microbiology Testing Market - Competitive Analysis:There are large number of companies involved in the development of the products, instruments, and test kits for the microbiology testing which are now being used in majority part of the developed countries. Global market for microbiology testing is majorly dominated by Biomerieux SA with more than 40% of market share in 2016.Major companies are adopting a specific strategy to enter and create unique space in this market. The different strategies includes, product launch, agreement and collaboration, partnership and expansion, joint venture and strategic alliance etc. All major players are focusing on new product development to provide new and innovative solutions to the market.Biomerieux SA offers a comprehensive range diagnostic solutions which include Microbiology lab instruments, reagents and software. The products of the company is mainly used for diagnosing infectious diseases. In 2016, BioMerieux announced the acquisition of Hyglos. With this acquisition, the company plans to strengthen its position in the market.Some of the major developments in this segment came from the Roche Diagnostics. In April 2017, the company received FDA clearance for the CINtec Histology test. This test is the only clinically validated p16 biomarker test. The CINtec Histology test will help physicians make informed decisions as to the best course of care for patients with high-grade pre-cancerous cervical disease. Back in 2015, Roche acquired GeneWEAVE to strengthen offerings in microbiology diagnostics.The global market consist of players such as Alere (US), BD (US), Beckman Coulter, Inc. (US), Biomerieux SA (France), Cepheid (US), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US). These are the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the global microbiology testing market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis report.Order a Premium 129 Pages Copy @Global Microbiology Testing Market - Regional Analysis:In 2016, North America and Europe were holding more than half market share of global microbiology testing market. Increasing funding for R&D is major driving force for the market growth. The funding for microbiology testing in US is one of the highest as compared to other countries. Rapid adoption of advanced products and techniques are driving the growth for North America market. Increasing cases of infectious diseases are promoting the research related activities in this region. Independent laboratories are dominating the North America market by adopting new technologies and trends.European market is second highest revenue generator after North America. Europe microbiology testing market has benefited by the presence of some major players in this region. Moreover, increasing innovation and changing laboratory practices are driving the growth for Europe microbiology testing market. Microbiology testing have huge and increasing demand not only in developed countries but also in developing countries like China, India, and Spain.Rising prevalence of respiratory infections are increasing burden on Asia-Pacific healthcare system. Being a large population base, increasing aging population, and increasing use of technology in healthcare, China microbiology testing market is growing at rapid pace. China is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.8% during the forecast period. The number of independent laboratories are rapidly increasing such as KingMed Diagnostics and Dian Diagnostics. KingMed Diagnostics is largest chain of independent laboratories in china.The Middle East and Africa microbiology testing market is growing dramatically due increasing prevalence of various infectious diseases like Ebola. This region is carrying greatest burden of infectious disease. Sexually transmitted diseases are also major public health problem in this region. There are some factors are affecting the microbiology testing market in this region such as, limited access to the healthcare facilities, lack of knowledge of new microbiology testing techniques, less funding R&D, limited availability of products etc.Major TOC of Microbiology Testing Market:1 INTRODUCTION1.1 DEFINITION1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS1.2.2.1 ASSUMPTIONS1.2.2.2 LIMITATIONS1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 RESEARCH PROCESS2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH3 MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 DRIVERS3.2 RESTRAINTS3.3 OPPORTUNITIES3.4 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS.ContinuedAsk to Expert @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through 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, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
EHR-EMR Market by NextGen Healthcare, Medical Information Technology, Epic Systems, 4medica, Etc Key Players Forecasts to 2027

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An Electronic Health Record (EHR), or electronic medical record (EMR), is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically-stored health information in a digital format.The Global EMR/EHR Market expected to register a healthy growth due to: increasing need for easy and convenient healthcare services, replacement of paper records by electronic records, reduce chances of error, an increase in the number of patients getting admitted in hospitals, increasing volume of medical records, easy healthcare delivery & maintaining quality of health records. Such innovations in healthcare IT also favours the growth of the EMR/EHR market. On the other hand, high cost of software solutions may act a restrain to this markets growth. The adoption of cloud computing in healthcare is likely to increase due to the rising necessity to reduce healthcare costs and cost-efficiency of cloud technology. Being said that increasing number of healthcare organization & rising healthcare expenditure fuel the growth of the market.Exclusive Sample Copy @Market analysis by MRFR clearly shows that, aggressive players in EMR/EHR market such as: Epic, Cerner beat out Meditech in small hospital EHR adoption segment. It has also been observed that, Epic Systems, Cerner & Athena Health continue to lead the small hospital EHR adoption marketplace.In current year 2017, small hospital EHR adoption landscape shows that organizations under 200 beds are scooping up electronic health records from Epic, Cerner & Athenahealth at a rapid rate. Findings revealed that, hospitals with fewer than 200 beds accounted for 78% of EHR purchasing decisions in 2016. EMR/EHR market attribute this trend to the emergence of micro hospitals or short term acute care facilities with fewer than 15 inpatient beds, & an increase in EHR purchasing decisions by standalone hospitalsThis market movement was fuelled by continued growth of the community specific platforms from Cerner & Epic, the acquisition & EMR standardization activity of larger organizations, & smaller hospitals increased interest in Athenahealths new hospital offering.2016 was a big year for Epic, Cerner, & Athenahealth, on the other hand players such as Meditech & McKesson had a harder time maintaining their footing among small hospitalsAggressive marketing by Epic, helps Epic continued to hold the lions share of the market in 2016:- Epic sustained its 6-year streak this year as the leading supplier among acute care hospitals. Helping Epics reputation among small hospitals is their spotless record of zero reported voluntary customer uninstalments. No Epic customers voluntarily signed with a competing EMR company in 2016.Cerner earns highest number of critical access hospitals: - Cerner trailed close behind Epic in the market. Despite holding the second position overall, Cerner provided EHR technology for the highest number of critical access hospitals in 2016. Cerner community works is a large draw for small hospitals due to its breadth of functionality and integration, though provider satisfaction is middle of the road. Findings revelled that some of Cerners spike in new small hospital clients to its acquisition of Siemens. For many Siemens customers, Cerners acquisition acted as a catalyst, accelerating their time frame for making a new EMR decision. Aggressive marketing by Cerner & Epic, both appeal to small hospitals due to the variety of services the vendors EHR systems offer, small hospitals report a lack of flexibility preventing them from tailoring the technology to their specific organizational needsAthena health doubles its small hospital client base: While EHR giants Epic and Cerner maintained their status as top performers in the market, athenahealth also grew significantly, more than doubling their number of acute care hospital implementations in 2016.Meditech, McKesson & CPSI suffer multi-year net losses: - Meditech, McKesson, & CPSI suffered the largest net losses in 2016. Meditech lost half of its legacy customers to competitors in 2016. Meditech was the only player lost half the legacy customers that made decisions to competitors in 2016. The majority of customers leaving Meditech report insufficient development & skepticism that the supplier will be able to meet future needs.EHR-EMR Market  Competitive AnalysisAs the market seems to be attractive, growing and profitable, at the same time market has witnessed intense rivalry among existing competitors. Many new entrants expected to enter into EHR-EMR Market. There are many big players in the EHR-EMR Market such as: Epic Systems Corporation (U.S), Cerner Corporation (U.S), Meditech, Allscripts (U.S), QSI Management, LLC (U.S), General Electric Company (U.S), eClinicalWorks (U.S), McKesson Corporation (U.S) and Greenway Health, LLC (U.S).Get Discount @EHR-EMR Market  Regional AnalysisGlobally, EHR-EMR market consists of four regions namely Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa. America is the largest market. Increasing importance of EHR-EMR, concentration of major market players and increase in number of services in specialty & super specialty hospitals boosts the growth of this market in North America.Europe is the second largest market owing to extensive use of healthcare IT for patient engagement & administration. Increasing adoption of healthcare management software, use of clinical practice management software & availability of funds for R&D activities in healthcare IT also fuel the growth of the market.The Asia Pacific region is the fastest growing market whose growth is due to the growing adoption IT by healthcare providers, importance of electronic medical records & demand of software solutions for medical billing, & scheduling accelerate the growth of the market.The market shows decent positive growth in Middle East & Africa, due to an increasing demand of software solutions in hospitals.Major TOC EHR-EMR Market: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 & AssessmentContinued!Ask to Expertise @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through 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, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com .
Computer Projectors Market Analysis, Market Size, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 To 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global Computer Projectors Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors: Epson, Qisda(BenQ), Acer, NEC, Optoma, Canon, Sharp, Panasonic, Vivitek, Sony, ViewSonic, LG, Dell, BARCO, Infocus, Christie, Digital Projection, Costar.Get Sample Copy of this Report @On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Computer Projectors Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.It explains a detailed outline of the Computer Projectors Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position.Know more about this Premium Report @According to the research report, the global market for Computer Projectors Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Computer Projectors Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Computer Projectors Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Computer Projectors Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
IT Spending In Cold Chain Logistics Global Industry Trends, Growth, Share, Size and 2023 Forecasts Report

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The global IT spending in cold chain logistics market will grow steadily and post a CAGR of around +8% by 2022. The increasing wastage of temperature sensitive food, vaccine, and other products will lead to an augmented demand for an effective management system for temperature sensitive products.The majority of the cold chain storage lack adequate temperature management systems and do not maintain the desired temperature level as per regulatory guidelines, which leads to increased wastage of temperature-sensitive drugs and vaccines. Also, food wastage causes critical damage to the environment due to inadequate waste disposal methodologies.Companies Profiled In This Report:Accenture, AT&T, Cisco, SAP, Oracle, Gemalto, IBM, Infosys, ORBCOMM, Siemens, TCS, Tech Mahindra, VitriaAccess Sample Copy:By Regions, this report covers North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, IndiaThe report provides information on the diverse factors impacting the IT Spending In Cold Chain Logistics Market. These includes the trends, drivers, and restraints. The significant growth opportunities in the market are also been studied and the ways these opportunities will raise the market growth have also been encapsulated.The competitive landscape of the market has been examined on the basis of market share analysis of key players. Detailed market data about these factors is estimated to help vendors take strategic decisions that can strengthen their positions in the market and lead to more effective and larger stake in IT Spending In Cold Chain Logistics Market. Pricing and cost teardown analysis for products and service offerings of key players has also been undertaken for the study.Access to Remarkable Discount & Benefits on This Report:In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report. The recent developments that took place in IT Spending In Cold Chain Logistics Market and their impact on the future growth of the market have also been presented through this study.For More Information:Table of Contents:IT Spending In Cold Chain Logistics Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1: IT Spending In Cold Chain Logistics 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 IT Spending In Cold Chain Logistics Market ForecastIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Access This Report Now:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market Analysis, Market Size, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 To 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors: Nippon Mektron, Zhen Ding Technology, Unimicron, Young Poong Group, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Ibiden Group, TTM Technologies, Sumitomo Electric SEI, Daeduck Group, Compeq, Viasystems, LG Innotek, AT&S, Meiko, Kinsus, TPT, Fujikura, Chin Poon, Career, Flexium.Get Sample Copy of this Report @On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.It explains a detailed outline of the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position.Know more about this Premium Report:According to the research report, the global market for Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
LED Display Screen Market Analysis, Market Size, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 To 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global LED Display Screen Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors: Daktronics, Barco, Mitsubishi Electric, Absen, Unilumin, Liantronics, Lighthouse, Leyard, Sansitech, Szretop, AOTO, Ledman, Lopu, Yaham, LightKing, Mary, Handson, QSTech, Suncen, Teeho.Get Sample Copy of this Report @On the basis of geographical regions, the Global LED Display Screen Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.It explains a detailed outline of the LED Display Screen Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position.Know more about this Premium Report:According to the research report, the global market for LED Display Screen Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the LED Display Screen Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global LED Display Screen Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 LED Display Screen Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market Analysis, Market Size, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 To 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors: TDK, Murata, Taiyo Yuden, Vishay, Sumida, Sunlord, Bourns, Misumi, AVX, Chilisin, Sagami, Microgate, Fenghua Advanced, Zhenhua Fu Electronics.Get Sample Copy of this Report @On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.It explains a detailed outline of the Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position.Know more about this Premium Report:According to the research report, the global market for Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Multi-layering SMD Inductor Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Global Solar Junction Box Market Analysis Regional Outlook, Segments And Forecast To 2017

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The study on the global market for Solar Junction Box has evaluated the historical and current performance of this market, especially highlighting the key trends and growth opportunities. According to the study, the rising demand for this product is driving the global market for Solar Junction Box significantly. The expansion in the various related industry is also expected to reflect positively on the sales of Solar Junction Box product over the next few years.The research report further makes use of graphical representations such as tables, info graphics, and charts to forecast figures and historical data of the global Solar Junction Box market. The report is presented in a clear and concise manner so that readers can understand the market structure and dynamics effectively.Key Vendors in this Report:DuPont,Amphenol Industrial Products Group,Tigo Energy, Inc.,SolarEdge Technologies Inc.,AXIOM Solar Private Limited,Dow Corning Corporation,QC Corporation,Ningbo Pntech New Energy Co.Ltd,Astenik Solar,TTI, Inc.,Zhejiang Renhe Photovoltaic Technology Co., Ltd.,Wuxi city Min Yue metal products Co., Ltd.,Epic Resins,Hangzhou Dongke New Energy Technology Co.,LtdOther key Vendors are:Ajinomoto Co. Inc. (Japan), Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated (U.S.), Ingredion Incorporation (U.S.), and JK Sucralose Incorporation (China).Get Report Sample and Customization:The regions North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America have been studied in depth to gain better market penetration and assure exact analysis. Top manufacturers have been given prime importance to make sure their strategies are understood and their position in this particular market can be elucidated.The report likewise introduces a 360-degree outline of the competitive landscape of the Global Solar Junction Box Market, in this manner helping associations comprehend the significant threats and opportunities that merchants in the market are dealing with. It likewise incorporates nitty-gritties of business profiles of some of the prime vendors in the market.Avail Discount up to 30% on this report now at:A major chunk of the report talks about the technologies that are and will influence the growth of the Solar Junction Box market. Forecasts for these technology sectors are presented in the report. Integration is the key to advancement in technology in the global Solar Junction Box market. Companies that offers the latest integrated technologies at an affordable cost are expected to thrive in the Solar Junction Box market. The dominating technologies in the Solar Junction Box market along with the upcoming technologies that are expected to revolutionize the market are explained in the reportThe report further highlights the development trends in the global Solar Junction Box market. Factors that are driving the market growth and fueling its segments are also analyzed in the report. The report also highlights on its applications, types, deployments, components, developments of this market.For more information/ Ask your queries:The report takes a close and analytical look at the various companies that strive for a higher share of the global Solar Junction Box market. For this purpose, a section dedicated to company profiles has been included in the report. The profiling of the leading players is done in order to judge the current competitive scenario. The competitive landscape is assessed by taking into consideration many important factors such as business growth, recent developments, product pipeline, and others.Various factors are responsible for the markets growth trajectory, which are studied at length in the report. In addition, the report lists down the restraints that are posing threat to the global Solar Junction Box market. It also gauges the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat from new entrants and product substitute, and the degree of competition prevailing in the market. The influence of the latest government guidelines is also analyzed in detail in the report. It studies the Solar Junction Box markets trajectory between forecast periods.Browse the entire report in detail on the below link:About QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate morethan 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todayscompetitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customersinclude prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and privateequity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research.Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailinginsights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecastsneeded for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to becomemore customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
+18 CAGR to be achieved by Big Data Analytics Software Market by Industrial Research and Market Analysis, Gobal Trend, Opportunities and Strategies

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The big data market is expected to grow from USD 28 Billion in 2016 to USD 66 Billion by 2022, at a high Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of +18%. For the purpose of the report, 2017 has been considered as the base year and 2017 as the estimated year for performing market estimation and forecasting. The forecast period is 2017-2022.The big data market is witnessing a rapid growth due to the tremendous increase in organizational data. Enterprises have deployed the big data solutions to analyze and manage the data generated to assist in quick decision making process. Additionally, the increase in number of mobile devices and apps, and the organizations shift from analog to digital technologies are few of the drivers driving this market.Companies Profiled In This Report:IBM, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, SAP SE, Amazon Web Services, SAS Institute, Dell , Teradata Corporation, SplunkAccess Sample Copy:By Regions, this report covers North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, IndiaThe report provides information on the diverse factors impacting Big Data and Analytics Software Market. These includes the trends, drivers, and restraints. The significant growth opportunities in the market are also been studied and the ways these opportunities will raise the market growth have also been encapsulated.The competitive landscape of the market has been examined on the basis of market share analysis of key players. Detailed market data about these factors is estimated to help vendors take strategic decisions that can strengthen their positions in the market and lead to more effective and larger stake in Big Data and Analytics Software Market. Pricing and cost teardown analysis for products and service offerings of key players has also been undertaken for the study.Access to Remarkable Discount & Benefits on This Report:In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report. The recent developments that took place in Big Data and Analytics Software Market and their impact on the future growth of the market have also been presented through this study.For More Information:Table of Contents:Big Data and Analytics Software Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1: Big Data and Analytics Software 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: Big Data and Analytics Software Market ForecastIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Access This Report Now:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market Analysis, Market Size, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 To 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors: Nippon Chemi-Con, Nichicon, Rubycon, Panasonic, SamYoung, Samwha, Vishay, KEMET, EPCOS, Man Yue, Lelon, Capxon, Aihua, Jianghai, HEC.Get Sample Copy of this Report @On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.It explains a detailed outline of the Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position.Know more about this Premium Report:According to the research report, the global market for Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
New Study Focusing on Wind Energy Foundation Market 2017-2022: Technological Advancements, Innovative Trends, New Ideas, Strategies and Key Players

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Global Wind Energy Foundation Market Professional Survey Report 2022 Purchase This Report by calling QYReports.com at +91-9764607607.The report on wind energy foundation market is a comprehensive study and presentation of drivers, restraints, opportunities, demand factors, market size, forecasts, and trends in the global wind energy foundation market over the period of 2017 to 2022. Moreover, the report is collective presentation of primary and secondary research findings.The report on the Global Wind Energy Foundation Market is a scrupulous piece of work and is assembled by conducting both primary and secondary research. The report does so by providing an executive summary including all valuable market figures and exploring the favorable factors that are expected to drive the growth rate of the market, besides taking account of the restraining factors. The data comprised in the report has been taken by accessing case studies, and by taking contributions from top diligence leaders.The report creates a clear picture of the various factors that will drive the Global Wind Energy Foundation market in the years to come. In order to help companies spot potential threats and to give them a clear picture of the opportunities that exist in the Wind Energy Foundation market, the report offers a SWOT analysis of the Global market. For the purpose of the study, market analysts have employed rigorous primary and secondary research techniques. This makes the analyses and forecasts more accurate and helps analysts to examine the Wind Energy Foundation market from a broader perspective.Download PDF Sample Copy:Company Profiled: The Key Players includes in this report are Ramboll Group, OWEC Tower AS, Suzlon Energy Limited, SWAY AS, Statoil ASA, Principle Power, Inc., Fugro, Dillinger Group, Marine Innovation & Technology, DONG Energy (UK) Ltd., Bladt Industries A/S, MT Hjgaard, TAG Energy Solutions Ltd, Offshore Wind Power Systems of Texas LLC, Blue H Engineering BV.The research report analyzes the Global Wind Energy Foundation Market in a thorough manner by clarifying the key characteristics of the market that are anticipated to have a measureable influence on its evolving prospects over the forecast period. The key opportunity areas in Wind Energy Foundation market and the top trends impacting the development of the market have also been presented through this report. The current growth and development patterns of this market have also been encapsulated in this study.This report analysis will help organizations understand the major threat and opportunities that vendors have to deal in Wind Energy Foundation market. The competitive background section of the report covers the key vendors and throws light on the strategies being adopted by them for better penetration into the market. The key applications or end users of Wind Energy Foundation market have also been presented in this section of the study. The major policies adopted by established players for a better penetration in the Global Wind Energy Foundation market also form a key section of this study.For more Information:Geographically, the report explores the potential of the Wind Energy Foundation market in the major regions mentioned in this report. Currently, highest alleging share market is also mentioned in this report. The prime region for Wind Energy Foundation market across the world are:Table of Contents:Global Wind Energy Foundation Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1 Wind Energy Foundation Market Overview.Chapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Industry.Chapter 3 Global Market Competition by Manufacturers.Chapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by Region.Chapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions.Chapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type.Chapter 7 Global Market Analysis by Application.Chapter 8 Manufacturing Cost Analysis.Chapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers.Chapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders.Chapter 11 Market Effect Factors Analysis.Chapter 12 Global Wind Energy Foundation Market Forecast.To Get Reasonable Discount:About QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:Jones John(Sales Manager)QYReports+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
+30% CAGR to be achieved by Artificial Intelligence Platform Market according to Research Analysis based on Forecast

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The AI platform market size is expected to grow from USD 3 Billion in 2017 to USD 10 Billion in 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of +30%.The increasing demand for AI-based solutions and proliferation in data generation are some of the major driving factors of the AI platform market. Furthermore, the increasing demand for intelligent business processes and growing innovation across end-users are expected to provide opportunities for the growth of the AI platform market.Artificial Intelligence Platform Market offers a clear understanding of the subject matter. The report has been hoarded using primary and secondary research methodologies. Both these methods are envisioned towards collaborating accurate and exact data relating the market dynamics, historical events, and the current market scenario. Moreover, the report also includes a SWOT analysis that determines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats impacting the segments of the overall market.Companies Profiled In This Report:Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, IBM, Intel, Amazon Web Services, HPE, Ayasdi, Qualcomm Technologies, AbsolutdataAccess Sample Copy:By Regions, this report covers North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, IndiaThe report provides information on the diverse factors impacting the Artificial Intelligence Platform Market. These includes the trends, drivers, and restraints. The significant growth opportunities in the market are also been studied and the ways these opportunities will raise the market growth have also been encapsulated.The competitive landscape of the market has been examined on the basis of market share analysis of key players. Detailed market data about these factors is estimated to help vendors take strategic decisions that can strengthen their positions in the market and lead to more effective and larger stake in Artificial Intelligence Platform Market. Pricing and cost teardown analysis for products and service offerings of key players has also been undertaken for the study.Access to Remarkable Discount & Benefits on This Report:In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report. The recent developments that took place in Artificial Intelligence Platform Market and their impact on the future growth of the market have also been presented through this study.For More Information:Table of Contents:Artificial Intelligence Platform Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1: Artificial Intelligence Platform 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: Artificial Intelligence Platform Market ForecastIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Access This Report Now:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market Analysis, Market Size, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 To 2022

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A comprehensive analysis of the Global Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market is been done in this intelligence report. It includes the investigations done on the past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. An accurate data of the products, strategies and market shares of leading companies in this particular market is mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the Global market. The report further projects the size and valuation of the global market in the coming forecast period. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data affecting to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.Top Key Vendors: Cornell-Dubilier, Vishay, Arizona Capacitors, Tecate Group, EFC/Wesco, Suntan Capacitors.Get Sample Copy of this Report @According to the research report, the global market for Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.It explains a detailed outline of the Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position.Know more about this Premium Report @On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market Research Report 2017-2022Chapter 1 Polystyrene Film Capacitors Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2021)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2021)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 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 Market Forecast (2017-2021)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
The presents are wrapped, the tree is up, and the stockings will soon be hung by the chimney with care. Theres only one thing left to do: track Santas annual Christmas Eve voyage around the world from your PC, smartphone, or tablet.

This year Santas departure time depends on which version of the Santa-tracking fun youre following. Check out our explanations below for all the details.

NORAD Tracks Santa

Its been 63 years since a misprinted telephone number in a newspaper ad led children in the Colorado Springs area to call NORAD predecessor CONAD, looking for Santa.

As usual, the fun begins with NORAD Tracks Santa, at NoradSanta.org. NORADs pulled out the stops for 2018, with a redesigned website, an active social media presence, and a call center for kiddies who want a live update. Here are all the details:

Livestream: Starting at 2:01 a.m. Eastern December 24 (7:01 a.m. UTC), NORADs Santa Cams will begin tracking Santa on the NoradSanta.org website.

Live phone call: Starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern December 24, you can call NORAD for live updates on Santas progress. According to NORAD, more than 1,400 volunteers will answer the phones around the clock. That number: 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723).

Email: You can email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for the latest on Santas progress.

YouTube: Follow the official NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel.

Amazon Alexa: The NORAD Tracks Santa skill will let you ask Alexa for updates.

Search engine: Microsofts Bing search engine will be tracking Santa, too.

Microsoft NORADs Santa tracker site.

NORAD Tracks Santa on social media

Follow the fun on social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/noradsanta

Instagram: Youll find a bunch of of NORAD Tracks Santa accounts on Instagram, but the biggest and most official appear to be @norad.santa, @noradsanta, and @noradtrackssanta_official.

Twitter: @noradsanta

Google Santa Tracker

Google Googles Santa Tracker incorporates games and educational challenges with the holiday fun.

Google combines holiday fun with education on its Google Santa Tracker site. Google opened its online Santas Village on December 4, offering an array of games and challenges for kids of all ages, plus holiday Gboard stickers.

You can also track Santa on Google Maps, starting around 10:00 a.m. UTC on Sunday, December 24, which is 5:00 a.m. Eastern. Beforehand youll see a countdown leading up to it.

Google Track Santa on Google Maps starting December 24.

If you dont want to use Googles website on your mobile device, the company is offering its annual Google Santa Tracker Android app. There are some Android app-exclusive games that you wont find on the main website, as well as Android Wear support.

Google has built Santa magic into Google Assistant. You can ask Google Assistant Wheres Santa? or Track Santa, or tell me a holiday story. Google Assistant also has some Santa-flavored jokes. When you ask the assistant Tell me a Santa joke, the Jolly Old Elf himself will make an appearance to tell some real groaners.

I must admit Im devastated that the Santa phone call novelty has been out of the lineup since 2016. This was my personal favorite holiday distraction, because it allowed you to send fun, Mad Libs-style phone calls from Santa to friends in the U.S. and Canada. I found Santa callswhile deliberately designed to be ridiculousalways brought a special smile to the recipients regardless of age.
Petoskey players bring in All-BNC soccer honors, seven total recognized

PETOSKEY  The Petoskey soccer team found themselves in 2022 right in the thick of where they expect to be every season: in a tight Big North Conference race.
On the 68th parallel, 200 kilometers inside the Arctic Circle, we arrive with our bikes. Northern Norway is known more for its winter adventure and eight-month-long ski seasons, but we only see the possibilities before us. The dramatic landscape carved through the ice ages, as remains of ancient mountain ranges were eroded down to sea level and later lifted. Further exposed to harsh winds and water flows, Mother Nature has crafted a natural bike park in a simply stunning location. In the next week, our spirited crew of three plans to ride as much of it as we can.



The drive to the trailhead follows the shoreline of the fjord. Mountains rise steeply on the side. Lush, green forests at the valley floor contrast against the emerald colored water. Above in the alpine, the dark granite towers above us.



An hour and a half of pedaling and hike-a-bike in the wet, freezing temperatures and my fingers are numb. A cold I have not felt since last winter. It is only August, but in northern Norway, fall comes early. The colors have started to change in the valley, and in the alpine, snow from last winter hides in the grooves of the granite.



My friend Micke af Ekenstam, a local who has lived in the area for 20 years, shows us the way. We have been riding in the shade since we started in the morning. Micke yelps to Colorado native Joey Schusler typical Scandinavian weather. Joey, who is in Norway for the first time, sets the pace as our crew of three heads into the alpine mist.



We are in Reinnesfjellet, about one hour south of Narvik, a small town in the region of Nordland. Reinnesfjellet is a 45-kilometer-long and 2-kilometer-wide polished rock ridge of granite with rolling terrain. Around this unique natural phenomena, there are rugged mountain peaks, fjords and small glaciers in the distance. It is an extraordinary place to ride a bike.



After our long approach in the cold, we finally reach the plateau 1000 meters above the fjord. The setting is spectacular. The traction on the granite invokes confidence. We find neat little lines, drops, berms, and features all over the place. There is no specific trail to follow, only small piles of rocks to mark the way, but you can ride pretty much anywhere. We let the playful terrain determine our agenda for the day, as there is no rush and detours are welcome.



Micke points out several couloirs and lines he has skied in the winter, then talks about the history of World War II. The Germans tried to hide their submarines in the tight fjords when the British Airforce set off to hunt them down. The region around Narvik was a battlefield at the end of the war, and most of the town of Narvik got burnt down.



Late in the afternoon, we drop down towards the fjord. The speed accelerates quickly on the steep granite pitches and nerves tighten. Pull the coarsest side of a grater against the outside of your thigh, and you get an idea of how a crash will feel on this surface. After a full day on the Norwegian Slickrock, we feel pretty comfortable letting it go. The adrenaline is pumping, and the stoke runs high.



Joey challenges things the most, doing drops off a natural cliff into a perfect tranny. Not surprising given his background as a competitive downhill and enduro racer, but Joey's skills go beyond riding. The week before he was in China filming a three-week expedition where nobody had ever taken a mountain bike before. With only a day or so back home in Boulder to recover, he is now leading the charge on a remote rock slab in northern Norway. He plays on his bike the way a spirited child does with a new toy.



Back down at our camp we relax and cook a well-deserved dinner. We salute a great day in the mountains with a few beers and share stories by the fire. There is no internet, no emails and barely any cell service. Nowhere to go, nothing else to do, we just enjoy the moment and dream of the morning descent.



The next few days we explore the riding near Narvik. The small shipping port is located straight down the mountain, at the mouth of the Ofotfjorden. Much of Narviks history is owed to the vast iron mine a couple of hours east in Kiruna in Swedish Lapland. The need for access to an ice-free port to export the iron led to the construction of the Ofotbanen Railway Line more than 100 years ago. What followed was a rapid transformation of the town over the past century. A few sparse farms remain as a reminder of a history steeped in fishing and agriculture.



Mountain biking in Narvik got established in the late 90s. A few enthusiastic locals hand built the long, steep downhill track from the top of Fagernesfjellet, which is served by the gondola lift and has 550 vertical meters of altitude drop. It is still considered one of the finest tracks in all of Scandinavia.



We go up for a lap, as we ride the upper part of the steep trail the town hovers above our handlebars. Micke leads the way down, which takes us to the start of his hand-built trail called Rde Orm (The Red Snake in Norwegian). Now the angle of the slope becomes more mellow, and I let the brakes go, feeling the flow of the trail. Fast sections, berms, technical sections and, of course, some jumps  everything in balance for almost four-kilometers with a vertical drop of 400 meters.



The next morning, we take the bus from Narvik to Riksgransen in Sweden to ride the classic Rallarvagen. Riksgransen means land border in Swedish, and this old transport route along the railway separates the two countries.



The landscape is wild and raw. Above the tree line, the rolling terrain consists mainly of rock slabs and just a bit of dirt where the trail goes. We follow the old railway transport route from the late 1800s. Soon we pass the actual border, but there is no control to check our passports. If you dont know, you barely notice the little sign next to the trail.



The closer to Narvik we come, the more enchanting the views become. The route takes us past beautiful old houses, quirky old bridges, and some epic scenery. Eventually, we need to drop in towards Rombakksfjorden, as our captain and his boat leave at 3 pm sharp. In the land of the fjords, often the most natural way to travel is on the water. If we miss that ride home, we have to pedal all the way back we came, then hitch a ride to Norway. A long and painful option I do not want to entertain.



With that in mind, we decide it is time to only enjoy the riding from here on  no more photos. After 30 minutes of flow through the ultra-green birch forest, we reach the beach at the fjord. Down here it is much warmer, and the sun has come out. It is time to strip a few layers and enjoy the sun before we board. What a beautiful ending of our adventures in the Arctic.


You are the owner of this article.
Former SCANA chief executive Kevin Marsh would land $3.1 million in stock benefits if the company is sold to Dominion. File/Grace Beahm/Staff
Straight No Chaser is celebrating its silver anniversary with a three-month tour that would exact a physical toll on any performer  vocalists especially. Yet despite the grueling schedule (they are almost exactly in the middle of more than 60 performances), SNC performed an outstanding show Nov. 13 at the Charleston Gaillard Center. Read moreReview: Straight No Chaser delights young and old on a cappella tour
The area had been blocked off by city officials. No one was hurt and nothing damaged. The wall has been menacing passersby for many years. A fix is in the works. Read morePortion of old brick wall by Charleston's Second Presbyterian Church gives way
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for AurCrest Gold Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - AurCrest Gold Inc. (TSX Venture:AGO). has issued a press release with the following headline:AurCrest Gold signs Mineral Claim Staking Agreement with Lac Seul First NationTo 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 AurCrest Gold 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/AurCrest Gold Inc.Source: AurCrest Gold Inc. (TSX Venture: AGO)Date: December 22, 2017Time: 8:00 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of AurCrest Gold 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.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Azarga Uranium Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Greenwood Village, Colorado (FSCWire) - Azarga Uranium Corp. (TSX:AZZ). has issued a press release with the following headline:Azarga Uranium Closes First Tranche of Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Azarga Uranium 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/Azarga Uranium Corp.Source: Azarga Uranium Corp. (TSX: AZZ, OTC Bulletin Board: PWURF, FWB: P8AA, WKN: A12EEQ, ISIN: CA05477Y1088)Date: December 22, 2017Time: 3:10 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Azarga Uranium 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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Conroy Australia

Unit 2, 9-11 Boeing Place



Caboolture, Queensland, 4510



Australia







1800 640 774

email

https://www.conroyremovals.com.au/



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# 389 Words

Unit 2, 9-11 Boeing PlaceCaboolture, Queensland, 4510Australia1800 640 774Cam Wilkes006499503888

Conroy Removals, an Australia's leading removal company, offers a smart checklist that will make the first day in a new home a happy one. On their website the company has a checklist for organisations changing address to ensure nothing crucial is left undone.The company has a change of address checklist that covers utilities, financial service providers, government agencies and personal needs. This list is a lifesaver for people who are moving locally, nationally or internationally. Planning an organised move is essential to keep goods secure and to sort out personal needs such as schools and medical facilities.Mailing address can simply be changed by visiting a post office or using online resources. Filling a form through the postal agency will redirect mail for a period of time that suits you. This can be done in person or online. Asking a neighbour to look out for mail and checking on it regularly is another way of keeping track of post.Switching utilities can seem like a no-brainer but timing is important. Instead of waiting till the last day a switch service can be organised well in advance. Services such as internet and phone, water and electricity among others are essential needs that need to be sorted as quickly as possible. This includes disconnection and connection at the new house. Similarly memberships, subscriptions and mailings, drivers license, health and insurance cards will need to be updated. The doctor, dentist and employer needs to be informed. The banks and insurance providers will need to be notified. House and contents insurance will need to be updated to the new address.Conroy Removals provides a whole range of services such as packing by trained professionals, easy insurance, motor vehicle shipping, foreign exchange, pet transportation, house cleaning and valet unpacking. Their website is full of tips to navigate the process of packing, shifting and unpacking.Conroy Removals has branches throughout Australia. They have worldwide global partners to ensure safe and secure moving locally and all over the world. With their experience, resources and stability they offer the best friendly and professional moving service, delivering customers belongings to their destination safely and securely.For queries and rates Conroy Removals can be contacted by calling 1800 640 774 or sending an email to brisbane@ conroyremovals.com.au For more information:
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Erin Ventures Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Victoria, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Erin Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture:EV). has issued a press release with the following headline:Erin Ventures Completes Over-subscribed Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Erin Ventures 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/Erin Ventures Inc.Source: Erin Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture: EV, WKN: A0CAFT, ISIN: CA29570H1010)Date: December 22, 2017Time: 5:03 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Erin Ventures 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.)
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165-167, Great North Rd, Five Dock,NSW, Australia 2046.+61 (02) 9370 0555Cam Wilkes006499503888

Appliance store Whitfords has two exciting promotions on NEFF cooktops and ovens. The promotion began on December 1st 2017 and will end on 31st January 2018. Customers will get a free four-piece Schulte-Ufercookware set valued at $399 RRP when they purchase any NEFF cooktop.The offer is valid within the promotional period or as long as stock lasts. It excludes old range and clearance stocks. The cookware is supplied for free and delivered with the appliance. NEFF has gas, induction and vented cooktops available to suit a range of kitchen needs.In another promotion customers can save 10 per cent on any NEFF oven and compact. This includes coffee machines and 38cm microwaves. This offer is not available on warming drawers. The discount is automatically deducted at the time of order with eligible models.German manufacturer NEFFs range of ovens and compact ovens allows customers to choose just the right oven to suit any taste. They have single ovens, ovens with microwave and full steam. Their compact ovens are small in size and are available in steam and microwave options. If kitchen space is limited NEFFs compact ovens come with up to with 15 heating methods, ranging from hot air grilling, to bread baking and defrost.Equipped with pyrolytic cleaning or EcoClean and TFT colour and graphics displays with FullTouch control, they are easy to clean as well as easy to operate. Modern LED lighting for bright, even illumination lets users see exactly how the dish is coming along and a wide temperature range gives them the freedom to bake or roast almost anything. Customers can enjoy features like CircoTherm, which ensures an even temperature is reached and maintained, while FlexiRail allows users to alter the position of the oven rails to cater for almost any pot size.Whitfords Home Appliances has been servicing the Australian market for 61 years by catering to their needs of home appliances and whitegoods, including stoves, range hoods, ovens, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dryers and more. They are a family-owned business based in Sydney. It has emerged as a go to place for the best of electrical goods and other household appliances.Whitfords also promotes and sells appliances from brands such as Asko, Aeg, Electrolux, Bosch, Fisher & Paykel, Westinghouse, Ilve, Falcon, Sirius, Samsung and LG among others. Customers may visit the Whitfords website to check the offers available for these brands and take advantage of them before they expire.Whitfords appliances can be purchased online too. Customers may visit their website at this link - https://www.whitfordshomeappliances.com.au/ Customers with queries can call (02) 9370 0555 or send an email to sales@ whitfords.com.au
Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filters Market

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Precision Business Insights

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152  160 City Road,





London EC1V 2NX



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+1-866-598-1553

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Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXLead Marketing+1-866-598-1553

Inferior Vena Cava Filters Market is a device implanted in inferior vena cava, the largest vein in the human body. The inferior vena cava filter is inserted below the kidneys to prevent the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) when anticoagulation therapy is contraindicated in the patients. The inferior vena cava filters are work by permitting the blood flow around the trapped clot. The commercially available inferior vena cava filters include temporary filters and pulmonary filters.Inferior vena cava filters market is driven by the increase in the prevalence of various cardiac ailments, rise in the R&D activities increase in the government support, an increase in the technological advancements with improved medical imaging are anticipated to drive the growth of inferior vena cava filter market over the forecast period. In addition, the launching of new products, an involvement of market players for increased awareness among the key stakeholders, and minimally invasive procedure for the implantation might fuel the growth of inferior vena cava filter market. However, stringent regulatory guidelines, a high cost of the device, and lack of awareness regarding IVC filters in developing countries might hamper the growth of inferior vena cava filter market.A sample of this report is available upon request @Inferior vena cava filter market is segmented on the basis of product type and end userBased on the product type, inferior vena cava (IVC) filter market segmented into the following: Permanent IVC filter Retrievable IVC filter OthersBased on the end user, inferior vena cava (IVC) filter market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Ambulatory surgical centres OthersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Global inferior vena cava filter market is growing at a healthy CAGR owing to increase in the prevalence of deep vein thrombosis. According to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Inc. (ISTH), approximately 10 Mn cases of venous thromboembolism occur annually around the globe. The most commonly adopted strategies by industry players include new product launches with technological advances, new product approvals, acquisitions & mergers, agreements, and collaborations to capture significant venous thromboembolism market share. For instance, in December 2012, Volcano Corporation acquired Crux Biomedical for developing its inferior vena cava product portfolio. Similarly, in April 2013, Argon Medical Devices, Inc. has acquired Angiotech Interventional Business for the development of inferior vena cava product portfolio. Moreover, favourable initiatives by the regulatory bodies also expected to boost the inferior vena cava market. For instance, in May 2014, FDA released the post market surveillance of IVF filters which provides the implementation of filters and risk of pulmonary embolism.Need more information about this report @Geographically, inferior vena cava filter market has been segmented into following regions Viz. North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America anticipated to hold the largest share in the IVC filters market owing to increase in the incidence venous thromboembolism (According to U.S. International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Inc. (ISTH) there are around 100,000 to 300,000 venous thromboembolism related deaths reported annually), and prevalence, rise in demand for advanced treatment, and increase in aging population in the North America region. Rise in healthcare expenditure, growing awareness regarding IVC filters, and increase in the prevalence rate of deep vein thrombosis in the Europe region expected to drive inferior vena cava filter market growth over the forecast period. Asia-Pacific is a key region for inferior vena cava filter market due to rise in the adoption of IVC filters, increase in the government expenditure and healthcare infrastructure. However, high cost of the IVC filters, lack of skilled professionals, and low awareness regarding inferior vena cava filter among key stakeholders are the key factors hinder the venous thromboembolism market in Latin America and Middle East and Africa.Some of the players in inferior vena cava (IVC) filter market are Accellent, Inc. (U.S), Biosensors International Group, Ltd. (Singapore), Fukuda Denshi Co., Ltd. (Japan), Baxter International, Inc. (U.S). Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S), Cardinal Health, Inc. (U.S), Argon Medical Devices (U.S), Abbott Laboratories (U.S), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Medtronic plc (Ireland), and Volcano Corporation (U.S) to name a few.Get access to full summary @Contact to Precision Business Insights,Email: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-22 13:15:02

KDS Awarded Silver Accreditation by Investors in People

MEIJI COMMUNICATION

Sandra Laberenne

slaberenne@meiji-communication.com

KDS (kds.com), a leading supplier of online solutions for business travel booking, confirms its commitment to developing the talents of its workforce. The company offers employees the opportunity to flourish in their positions, with an ethical Human Resource policy that concentrates on the training, monitoring and support of its people. As a result of this commitment the company has been awarded the "Investors in People" label for the second time, reflecting the company's continued focus on employee development.

The only internationally recognized Human Resource management standard, "Investors in People" is a quality certification for companies in the area of Human Resource management. This label defines the criteria that will allow a company to effectively lead, support and manage Human Resources in a way that will attain sustainable results.

"This accreditation is the result of teamwork, and it reflects the company spirit of KDS. "Investors in People" is a strong indicator of our brand as an employer, which continues to help us attract talented people and also challenges us every day to offer the best working environment for our team." noted Roxana Bressy, CEO of KDS.

"Investors in People" relies on a methodology that takes into account the most recent trends, the essential skills and the operating structures that allow any company to become more successful, regardless of the sector in which they operate.

The certification is obtained after a very thorough study conducted by external auditors, during which 50 themes are evaluated for example involvement and accountability, training and skills development, and performance measurement. KDS passed the evaluation of all criteria in the "silver" category and has exceeded in some areas with a "gold" rating in the categories for: Leading and Inspiring People and "Living the Organization's Values"

Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, adds: "We would like to congratulate KDS; the label Investors in People is testament to its excellence as an employer, to its marvelous working environment and to its clear commitment to success. KDS has every right to be extremely proud of this achievement."

The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201712220051
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-22 16:04:13

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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's Wholly Owned Subsidiary, We Are Kured, Selects Global Terpene Leader EybnaTo 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 22, 2017Time: 10:04 AM 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.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-22 13:00:15

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for PPX Mining Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - PPX Mining Corp. (TSX Venture:PPX). has issued a press release with the following headline:PPX Processes 2,239 tonnes of Bulk Sample Grading 9.38 gpt Au at Mina Callanquitas during November 2017To 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 PPX Mining 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/PPX Mining Corp.Source: PPX Mining Corp. (TSX Venture: PPX, WKN: A2APYX, ISIN: CA69354U1003)Date: December 22, 2017Time: 7:00 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of PPX Mining Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-22 15:45:14

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Stans Energy Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - Stans Energy Corp. (TSX Venture:HRE). has issued a press release with the following headline:Stans and Atomredmetzoloto JSC Expand MOU for Zavitinskoye Lithium Mine RedevelopmentTo 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 Stans 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/Stans Energy Corp.Source: Stans Energy Corp. (TSX Venture: HRE, OTCQB: HREEF, FWB: S82, WKN: A0RD0N, ISIN: CA8547221058)Date: December 22, 2017Time: 9:45 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Stans 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.)
South Sudans government and rebel groups signed a new ceasefire at a meeting led by the Inter-government Authority on Development (IGAD) at Addis Ababa on Thursday in an attempt to end a four-year civil war.

A 2015 peace deal collapsed last year after heavy fighting broke out in South Sudans capital Juba.

A decision by President Salva Kiir to sack his deputy, Riek Machar, triggered the war in the worlds youngest country.

The war has been fought largely along ethnic lines between forces loyal to Kiir Dinka, and Machar Nuer.

Tens of thousands have died and a third of the population of 12 million have fled their homes. The conflict has since mutated from a two-way fight into one involving multiple parties and this has made it harder to find peace.

Representatives of Messrs. Kiir and Machar were both present at the signing.

The cease-fire is set to come into force at 1 a.m, South Sudan local time on December 24th, or Christmas Eve, a report on Voice of America indicates.

The milestone achieved during this week could not be possible without the constructive engagement, goodwill and support of the South Sudanese delegates, Ismail Wais, South Sudan IGAD special envoy was quoted as saying.

South Sudanese stakeholders, representatives of the government of South Sudan, opposition parties, armed and unarmed groups, civil society groups, eminent persons, business, women and youth had been meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa since December 18 to revive the collapsed South Sudan 2015 peace deal.

The head of the African Union, Musa Mohamed, cautioned the South Sudanese leaders to live up to the pledges they had made during the negotiations of a cease-fire agreement.

The real test of the seriousness of your commitment would reside in the practical actions that you would take to implement the terms of this agreement. Practical action to stop the fighting, offensive and counter offensive, that killed so many innocent civilians, bereaved so many families and cause so much damage, Mohamed said.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Workneh Gebeyehu, who is also the chairman of the IGADs council of ministers, warned the South Sudanese to stop the fighting in their country. He called the deal as a gift to South Sudanese people to celebrate their Christmas and New Year. This is the most precious gift of all time.

I must emphasise that we will continue to follow up and single out spoilers to be named and shamed and take action necessary against them, Gebeyehu warned.

Gebeyehu assured the South Sudanese that his country will ensure that the efforts of IGADs seven member countries to bring peace in South Sudan are not undermined by individuals or the warring groups.

The United States called the deal the last chance for the implementation of the peace process. Past attempts at peace deals have stumbled amid renewed violence. The new deal is an effort to salvage the 2015 peace agreement.

The agreement also calls on the warring sides to release prisoners of war, political prisoners and abducted women and children, who have been victims of widespread sexual violence and recruitment as child soldiers.

The United Nations, UN, and others have warned South Sudan against ethnic violence and other abuses.
Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) on Thursday said it would continue to report any untoward and criminal activity to law enforcement agencies despite the criticism it has faced following the arrest of businessman Innocent Chukwuma.

The bank, in a notice sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), on Thursday, said it would however not comment on a case already under investigation by the appropriate authorities.

The notice to the stock exchange is against the backdrop of the controversy involving the bank and Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Motors, Innocent Chukwuma.

Mr. Chukwuma was arrested on Tuesday morning at his residence in Enugu by officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who remanded him at their field office in the city. He was later released on bail on Wednesday evening.

The EFCC said it arrested and detained the industrialist after attempts to summon him were rebuffed.

But Cornel Osigwe, a spokesperson for Innoson debunked the claim by the EFCC, saying the businessman was never invited prior to his arrest and dared the anti-graft agency to present evidence of invitation to Nigerians.

Mr. Osigwe blamed the GTBank for orchestrating the arrest of his principal, a claim the bank denied in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES shortly after Mr. Chukwuma was arrested Tuesday.

Mr. Chukwuma and GTBank have been locked in a prolonged legal battle over claims by the industrialist that the bank made arbitrary deductions in his bank accounts.

The bank countered the allegations, saying it was Mr. Chukwuma who allegedly falsified bank and shipping documents.

In its notice to the stock exchange, signed by the company secretary, Erhi Obebeduo, the bank urged Nigerians to ignore all sorts of innuendoes being purportedly spread across the social media against the bank.

The bank would however not be dettered from pursuing appropriate actions either in respect of its delinquent loans or reporting any untoward/criminal activity for investigations by the appropriate authorities.

The Bank as a custodian of depositorsfunds views its obligation to deepositors with a high sense of responsibility and would jealously protect such funds and take appropriate steps to recover debts from any recalcitrant debtor, the notice said.

The bank also reacted to speculations that its customers were withdrawing their money and subsequently closing their accounts following the business disagreement with Innoson.

The attention of Guaranty Trust Bank plc has been drawn to publications in the news and social media which purports that customers of the Bank are closing their accounts with the Bank, and urging the Banks esteemed customers to withdraw their money from the Bank as a result of this.

These statements are completely false, baseless and malicious, the bank said on its official Facebook page on Thursday.

Following the arrest of Mr. Chukwuma on Tuesday, some people, mostly from the South-East geopolitical zone, began calling on customers of GTbank to withdraw their money and close their accounts at the bank.

Chief among the speculations that floated around the social media was that about N18Bn had been withdrawn and over 2.7 million accounts closed within two days after the arrest.

But the bank countered the claim, saying its operations remained stable and advised the general public to disregard rumours, innuendoes and false statements that are being spread by mischievous elements, both in the news and on social media.
As Nigerians groan under a biting shortage of petrol, Nigerias ruling party has said the product is available in abundance.

Theres no actual scarcity, the APC said in a statement on Twitter Friday afternoon.

The party blamed marketers and panic buying during yuletide holidays for the lingering scarcity.

Unavailability of petrol has thrown the country into a renewed state of chaos for more than three weeks, despite several promises by the Buhari administration that it was in control of the situation.

The scarcity has seen petrol prices skyrocket from N145 maximum approved price to as much as N400 at the black market.

Millions of Nigerian also sleep at filling stations across the country in search of the product, and many join queues with little or no inkling that a filling station will sell.

A four-day ultimatum issued to the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, resolve the crisis elapsed two weekends ago.

Governor Ayodele Fayose said the scarcity was a deliberate ploy by the Buhari administration to hike fuel prices to as much as N200.

Mr. Fayose said since the scarcity is largely inexplicable, its only logical to conclude that federal authorities are behind it.

On Friday, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said responsibility for the scarcity laid with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also the petroleum minister.

But the APC denied government involvement, shifting the blame on greedy marketers who are out to squeeze the citizens.

Just some stakeholders hoarding allocated products in order to cause artificial scarcity + panic buying, for their own selfish interests, the APC said.

The party, nonetheless, said the government was working on resolving the crisis and regretted any inconveniences.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has reacted to the persistent fuel scarcity in the country and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign for failing to ending the crisis.

He said the federal government was showing a nonchalant attitude towards the fuel situation which had affected economic activities across the country in the last three weeks.

The governor who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said it was unfortunate that the fuel scarcity was biting harder under the watch of the president as the Minister of Petroleum.

Already, fuel is being sold officially at between N180 and N200 at petrol stations across the country, said Mr. Fayose.

It is sad that this Buharis APC government had to choose this Christmas and New Year period to ground Nigeria with the fuel scarcity that it deliberately orchestrated.

It is obvious that the president has failed in all ramifications and he needs to do Nigerians a favour by relinquishing the portfolio of minister of petroleum.

Like I said a few days ago, what the federal government is doing is to create scarcity so that Nigerians will be willing to buy at any price, provided the product is made available.

It was to achieve this planned increment of petrol pump price that they restricted supply of petrol to NNPC alone.

The governor noted that the only option to rescue Nigeria now from being brought down completely is to vote out Buhari and his APC in 2019.
The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly during a rare emergency meeting today to ask nations not to establish diplomatic missions in the historic city of Jerusalem, as delegates warned that the recent decision by the United States to do so risked igniting a religious war across the already turbulent Middle East and even beyond.

By a recorded vote of 128 in favour to 9 against (Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo, United States), with 35 abstentions, the Assembly adopted the resolution Status of Jerusalem, by which it declared null and void any actions intended to alter Jerusalems character, status or demographic composition. Calling on all States to refrain from establishing embassies in the Holy City, it also demanded that they comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions and work to reverse the negative trends imperilling a twoState resolution of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

We meet today not because of any animosity to the United States of America, insisted Riad AlMalki, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine. Instead, the emergency session had been called to make the voice of the vast majority of the international community  and that of people around the world  heard on the question of Jerusalem/AlQuds AlSharif. He described the 6 December decision by the United States to recognize the city as Israels capital, and to move its embassy there, as an aggressive and dangerous move, cautioning that it could inflame tensions and lead to a religious war that has no boundaries.

He went on to state that the decision would have no impact on the Holy Citys status, but it nevertheless compromised the role of the United States in the peace process. Moreover, it did nothing but serve the forces of extremism around the world, he said, pointing out that even the closest allies of the United States could not turn a blind eye to its actions. The Assembly was meeting in the wake of the Security Councils failure to adopt a similar draft resolution, even as 14 of its 15 members had voted in its favour. The veto will not stop us, he declared in that regard, underlining that AlQuds will not fall to any siege, monopolization or domination.

The representative of the United States, however, said she stood firmly behind the Administrations decision, declaring: America will put its embassy in Jerusalem. Its citizens would remember todays votes, including the countries that had disrespected the United States and singled it out, she warned. Pointing out her countrys standing as by far the largest single contributor to the United Nations, she said its contributions were intended to advance its national values and interests, but when such an investment failed, the Government would be obliged to spend its resources in more productive ways.

Israels representative, meanwhile, said onesided antiIsrael resolutions had been pushing the Middle East peace process back for years. The Assembly remained in constant open session when it came to Israel, though the world was full of conflict, he noted, adding that the recent decision by the United States only declared what had always been true: Jerusalem has been, and always will be, the capital of the State of Israel. Todays vote, therefore, was nothing more than the performance of a delusion, and the text did absolutely nothing to improve the lives of the Palestinian people.

At the meetings outset, Yemens representative presented the draft resolution in his capacity as Chair of the Arab Group and one of its two main cosponsors, the other being Turkey, current Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Describing the decision by the United States as a blatant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people, as well as those of all Christians and Muslims, he emphasized that it constituted a dangerous breach of the Charter of the United Nations and a serious threat to international peace and security, while also undermining the chances for a twoState solution and fuelling the fires of violence and extremism.

Venezuelas delegate, speaking for the NonAligned Movement, expressed grave concern about Israels ongoing violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including attempts to alter the character, status and demographic composition of the City of Jerusalem. Also concerned about the decision to relocate the United States embassy, he warned that such provocative actions would further heighten tensions, with potentially farreaching repercussions given the extremely volatile backdrop.

Malaysias representative echoed those sentiments, rejecting the Jerusalem decision as an infringement on the Palestinian peoples rights. It had also caused dismay and frustration across the Muslim world, he added. Since the issue lay at the heart of the Palestinian cause, recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital endorsed Israels brutal occupation and repressive policies, he said. We are concerned that this dire situation will only feed into the agenda of the extremists and frustrate our collective efforts in our bigger objective of combating terrorism and ending the vicious cycle of violence.

Several delegates spoke in explanation of position, with Australias representative explaining that she had abstained because although her countrys Government did not support unilateral action that undermined the peace process, it did not believe todays text would help to bring the parties back to the negotiating table.

Canadas representative said he had abstained because the resolution was onesided and did not advance the prospects for peace.

Meanwhile, Paraguays representative said he had abstained because his delegations position was that the question of Jerusalem was a matter for the Security Council, as the primary body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Mexicos representative said he had also abstained, while emphasizing that convening an emergency session was a disproportionate response. The United States must become part of the solution, not a stumbling block that would hamper progress, he emphasized, noting that the international community was further than ever from agreement.

Also speaking were representatives of Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Maldives, Syria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Iran, China, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, South Africa, Estonia (on behalf of several States), El Salvador, Argentina, Romania, Nicaragua, Czech Republic, Armenia, Hungary and Latvia, as well as the Permanent Observer for the Holy See.

The General Assembly will reconvene at a date and time to be announced.

Introduction of Draft Resolution

KHALED HUSSEIN MOHAMED ALYEMANY (Yemen), introducing draft resolution A/ES10/L.22, titled Status of Jerusalem, expressed regret at the decision by the United States to exercise the veto against the draft resolution that Egypt had submitted in the Security Council on behalf of the Arab Group. It was intended to protect the City of Jerusalem and block any attempt to change its historical character, he said, emphasizing that the United States decision of 6 December was considered null and void and would have no impact on the citys status. Furthermore, it was a blatant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people, as well as all the worlds Christians and Muslims. Describing the decision further as a dangerous breach of the Charter of the United Nations, he said it constituted a serious threat to peace and security in the region and the entire world. It also undermined any chances for a twoState solution and fuelled the fires of violence and extremism, he said.

Stressing that Jerusalem was a vital part of the territory of Palestine, he called upon all States, including the United States, to refrain from measures contravening the historic status quo and from establishing diplomatic missions in the Holy City, as per Security Council resolutions. He strongly condemned all Israeli policies, practices and plans that were illegal and aimed at the annexation of East Jerusalem, rejecting all steps to change the Holy Citys legal status. Commending the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, seeking to protect their rights in the face of aggression, he said Israels occupation of Arab lands was the source of all tension in the Middle East and there would be no security in the region without a solution that would ensure the Palestinian peoples legitimate rights to their own State, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

As Chair of the Arab Group, and in cooperation with Turkey as Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), he presented the draft resolution elaborating that any steps to alter the character, status or composition of the City of Jerusalem had no legal affect, were null and void and must be immediately rescinded.

Statements

RIAD ALMALKI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine, said his delegation had called for todays emergency meeting to make the international communitys voice heard on the question of AlQuds [Jerusalem]. The position shared by the vast majority of nations was embodied in the reactions of people around the world, he noted, recalling that a draft resolution that would have declared any action to change the citys character to be null and void had been vetoed in the Security Council earlier this week, despite having received support from 14 of that organs 15 members. The General Assembly now has the right to take up this issue, he said, pointing out that there was an international consensus on the dangerous nature of the 6 December decision by the United States to recognize AlQuds as the capital of Israel and move its embassy there.

We meet today not because of any animosity to the United States of America, he said, explaining that it was because of the aggression reflected by its recent decision. It would not impact the status of the Holy City whatsoever, but would instead impact the role of the United States itself in the peace process, he cautioned. Expressing regret that his delegations warnings that such actions could inflame religious tensions had gone unheeded, he further warned that the decision could lead to a religious war that has no boundaries. Indeed, the decision did nothing but serve the forces of extremism around the world, and no credible voice seeking peace could ever support it, he said, pointing out that even the closest allies of the United States could not turn a blind eye to its actions. AlQuds was a holy and historic city that will not fall to any siege, monopolization or domination, he declared.

Today was an opportunity for the United States to join the international community in helping to prevent the escalation of conflict, he continued. While the State of Palestine respected the sovereignty of all States, it refused to have that principle used as an excuse to deny Palestinians their rights. We stand today united for justice, he declared, stressing the veto will not stop us. The State of Palestine would not accept any justification  security, religious or otherwise  to excuse Israels continued occupation, he said, underlining that the United Nations was today undergoing an unprecedented test with Palestine as its headline. Citing the unity of many of the Organizations organs  including the Assembly, the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, the International Court of Justice and others  on the question of Jerusalem, he stressed: History records names, and remembers names, including those standing up for what was right, and those speaking falsehoods.

While Palestinians had never wavered in their support of peace, colonialism and peace could not coexist, he said, emphasizing that there could not be peace for just one side. Warning Member States not to use the excuse of supporting dialogue to avoid their responsibilities under international law, he urged them to hold accountable those who committed violations, recognize the State of Palestine and help provide both security and dignity to its people. He cited recent examples of the barbarism of the Israeli regime, saying they included attacks against Palestinian civilians and children. As the world prepared to celebrate Christmas, the lights will not be lit in the land of Christ, he added. AlQuds would remain dark in affirmation of the Palestinian peoples unity around their cause. By voting in favour of the draft resolution, Member States would be standing up for justice and rejecting attempts at blackmail and intimidation, he said. Those who want peace must vote for peace today.

MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey, described the vote as an important reminder that Palestinians  subjected to systematic violence and discrimination for generations  were not alone. The only hope for a just and lasting peace in the region was a Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, he said. However, the recent decision by a Member State to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital violated international law and was an outrageous assault on universal values, he emphasized. He recalled that the 13 December Summit of OIC had unanimously rejected that decision and declared East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine. Since Jerusalem was the holy city of three monotheistic religions, it was the responsibility of all to preserve its historic status, he said, recalling that a Member State had threatened others before the meeting to vote no or face the consequences. The Assembly would not bow to such bullying, he declared, underlining that it was unethical to think that the votes and dignity of Member States were for sale. A vote in favour of the Palestinian people would place Member States on the right side of history.

NIKKI R. HALEY (United States) said the United Nations had long been a hostile place for Israel, which undermined the Organizations credibility and was harmful for the entire world. Israel must not only stand up for its own survival, but also for the ideals of freedom and human dignity, which was what the United Nations was supposed to be about, she said, adding that being forced to defend her countrys sovereignty had brought many of the same thoughts to her mind. Pointing out that the United States was by far the single largest contributor to the United Nations, which it did in order to advance its values and interests, she said that together they had made tremendous advances in a wide range of areas. The United States was demonstrating the American way when it provided generous contributions to the United Nations, yet it also had the legitimate expectation that its efforts would garner the worlds goodwill and respect, she said, adding that it was being asked to pay for the dubious privilege of being disrespected. Emphasizing that the Government of the United States was held accountable by its people, she said it had the obligation to ask for more for its investment, and when that investment failed, it also had the obligation to spend in more productive ways.

The United States had already made its decision in accordance with United States law dating back to 1995, she continued, adding that it had been repeatedly endorsed by its people. The decision did not preclude any final status issues, including the status or boundaries of Jerusalem, nor did it preclude a twoState solution or harm peace efforts. Rather, the decision reflected the will of the American people and the right of the United States to move its embassy where it saw fit. There is no need to describe it further. She said her delegation would remember the day it was singled out and attacked in the General Assembly for exercising its right to act as a sovereign nation. It would remember that day when it was asked to make the single largest contribution to the United Nations, or when it was called upon to use its influence. America will put its embassy in Jerusalem, she said, emphasizing: It was what the American people wanted the Government to do. The way in which Americans viewed the United Nations and the way in which countries had disrespected the United States with todays vote would be remembered, she vowed.

DANNY DANON (Israel) said the onesided steps by the Palestinians and the United Nations had pushed peace away for years. With every antiIsrael resolution, with every attack on the Israeli people, the United Nations had perfected its double standard. Despite living in a world full of conflict and war, only when it came to Israel did the Assembly remain in constant open session, he said. The United States had only declared what had always been true, he continued, emphasizing: Jerusalem has been, and always will be, the capital of the State of Israel. The vote was nothing more than the performance of a delusion, and the draft resolution did absolutely nothing for the lives of the Palestinian people, he said, describing it as nothing more than a distraction.

He went on to state that Israel knew Jerusalem was sacred to billions around the world and encouraged everyone to visit and pray in the Holy City. There was a particular irony in the draft resolution in that its cosponsors accused Israel and the United States of violating international law, yet it was in those countries where terrorist groups found fertile ground. The United Nations preached human rights and peace, but when it came to Israel, Member States completely ignored the horrific acts of terror that threatened Israeli citizens. Violence and terror must never be tolerated, he stressed, adding that if the United Nations was really united for peace, it would pass a resolution condemning Palestinian violence. On the contrary, todays draft resolution encouraged more violence and instability, he said, warning that it sanctioned Palestinians to continue on a dangerous path.

SAMUEL MONCADA ACOSTA (Venezuela), speaking on behalf of the NonAligned Movement, expressed grave concern about the ongoing violations perpetrated by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including attempts aimed at altering the character, status and demographic composition of the City of Jerusalem. Expressing further grave concern about the declared intentions and plans announced by the President of the United States to transfer his countrys embassy to Jerusalem, and any other related action that would further consolidate Israels control and unlawful de facto annexation of the city, he warned that such provocative actions, in disrespect of Security Council resolutions, would further heighten tensions, with potentially farreaching repercussions. In that regard, he called for a halt to all violations and provocations by the Government of the United States, recalling the principles and purposes enshrined in the United Nations Charter, including the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force.

He went on to caution that, against the backdrop of an extremely volatile situation and with diminishing prospects for a just peace, such unlawful actions in Jerusalem could seriously destabilize the fragile situation on the ground. The Security Council underlined in its resolution 2334 (2016) that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations, he noted. It also called on all parties to refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric, with the aim, inter alia, of deescalating the situation on the ground, rebuilding trust and confidence, demonstrating through policies and actions a genuine commitment to the twoState solution, and creating the conditions necessary for promoting peace. The NonAligned Movement reaffirmed the commitment of its member States to the realization of a just, lasting and peaceful solution to the question of Palestine in all aspects and in accordance with international law, he stressed.

MALEEHA LODHI (Pakistan) said the unilateral actions of one country were set to undo decades of work by the international community and to defy international law. Pakistan rejected the decision by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and relocate its embassy to the Holy City in contravention of several provisions of Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, she declared. Member States must recommit to thwarting any attempts to violate the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the ultimate goal of a twoState solution. Expressing unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, she said it was a key pillar of Pakistans foreign policy, recalling that her country had led and sponsored the Assemblys firstever resolution on Jerusalem. In that regard, Pakistan was proud to join the international community once again in adopting a landmark draft resolution to reject the revisionist decision of the United States.

DIAN TRIANSYAH DJANI (Indonesia) described the decision by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital as unacceptable and in violation of a number of Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Recalling that Security Council resolution 478 (1980) called upon States to withdraw diplomatic missions from the Holy City, he said that text would remain valid until peace was attained for the Palestinians. Any attempts to change the character and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, were in flagrant violation of international law, constituting a major obstacle to comprehensive peace and the realization of a twoState solution, he said, underlining Indonesias unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.

ALI NASEER MOHAMED (Maldives) said the current international system, which had emerged with the founding of the United Nations, was based on international law and every Member State, including Israel, was bound to respect and implement resolutions of the Security Council in good faith. By adopting todays draft, the international community would send a clear message to Israel and the handful of countries supporting its illegal actions, he said. Emphasizing that Jerusalems final status could only be decided through a negotiated settlement, he appealed to Israel to withdraw from its illegal occupation of Palestine, stressing that the centre of gravity in international politics was shifting towards the rule of law, and no Power was too great to ignore that reality.

MOUNZER MOUNZER (Syria), condemning the decision to transfer the United States embassy to the occupied city of AlQuds and to recognize it as Israels capital, said it constituted a flagrant violation of the citys special status and yet another demonstration of colonial crimes committed against Palestine. The decision was unilateral in nature and had no impact on the citys legal status, he said, underlining that the United States had never, and would never, stand as a neutral party in the Middle East peace process. Condemning that countrys use of the veto in the Security Council, he pledged that his delegation would never renounce its unwavering support for the rights of Christians, Palestinians and Muslims in the city of AlQuds. Indeed, Syria stood firmly for the right of the Palestinians to selfdetermination and to an independent State with AlQuds as its capital, as well as their right of return and their right to stand as a full Member State of the United Nations. Calling upon the United States to respect all resolutions of the Assembly and the Security Council on the matter, he said that countrys arrogance had now risen to the level of directly threatening Member States, declaring: This is a superpower which views the United Nations as a national institution, adding that it treated other Member States like schoolchildren.

MASUD BIN MOMEN (Bangladesh), associating himself with the NonAligned Movement and OIC, reaffirmed his countrys position on East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent and viable State of Palestine. Bangladesh was concerned about any decision or announcement that could compromise East Jerusalems status as a final status issue in the Middle East peace process, change its historical and legal status, or alter its demographic structure and historic ArabIslamic character, he said. It was also concerned about possible grave consequences and threats to international peace and security that could result from such an inflammation of tensions. Urging all sides to take a pragmatic approach to the peace process by negotiating a twoState solution with the aim of bringing about lasting peace and stability in the region, he said Bangladesh supported all efforts to resolve protracted conflicts, especially against the backdrop of its own efforts to deal with the massive, ongoing influx of forcibly displaced persons from neighbouring Myanmars Rakhine State.

ANAYANSI RODRIGUEZ CAMEJO (Cuba), associating herself with the NonAligned Movement and voicing support for the statements delivered on behalf of OIC and the Arab Group, said her delegation had made its position clear in its 6 December declaration on the recognition by the United States of the City of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Quoting from that document, she said: Cuba expresses its deepest concern and rejection of the [United States] Presidents unilateral declaration on the City of Jerusalem [] which is a serious and flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, of international law and of the relevant UN resolutions. Warning that the decision would have serious consequences for stability and security in the Middle East, she called upon the Security Council to fulfil its Charter responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, including by demanding that Israel immediately end its occupation. Cuba would continue to support a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the PalestinianIsraeli conflict on the basis of a twoState solution, as well as the right of the Palestinians to selfdetermination and to an independent, sovereign State with its capital in East Jerusalem and within the pre1967 borders, she stressed.

GHOLAMALI KHOSHROO (Iran) said that the United States had been aiding and abetting the Israeli regime by according it unconditional support and defending it by any means necessary. The United States had misused its veto power in the Security Council to shield the regime against the will of the international community, and its recent illegal decision made it clear that the United States sought only to secure the Israeli regimes interests and did not respect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to selfdetermination. The Israeli occupation lay at the centre of all crises and conflicts in the Middle East and beyond, a fact long acknowledged by the United Nations, he said. He strongly condemned the reckless, unilateral attempt by the United States to distort the historical facts and replace them with fiction. That countrys Administration had done little to hide its intentions to shift the Security Councils focus from the question of Palestine to fabricated alternative issues in the region in order to give the Israeli regime more space to freely pursue its criminal practices.

SHEN BO (China), highlighting the Palestinian questions position at the core of Middle East issues, said it had a profound impact on peace efforts in the region. In that context, the situation of Jerusalem had particular complexities. Calling upon the international community to remain united in the joint pursuit of peace and to facilitate deescalation of the situation for the greater good of stability and tranquillity, he said a twoState solution was the right path to a political settlement of the Palestinian question. China firmly supported the Middle East peace process and the rights of the Palestinian people, including a fully sovereign State of Palestine, he declared, emphasizing that his delegations position would never change. China would continue to play a constructive role in the quest for a political solution to the question of Palestine.

M. SHAHRUL IKRAM YAAKOB (Malaysia), associating himself with OIC and the NonAligned Movement, said his country also joined the international community in expressing its deep concern over, and rejection of, the 6 December decision of the United States on Jerusalem. Such a move undermines efforts towards finding a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the PalestinianIsraeli conflict, he emphasized, noting that it had caused dismay and frustration across the Muslim world. The decision infringed on the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to selfdetermination, and contravened Security Council resolutions. Since AlQuds was at the heart of the Palestinian cause, recognizing it as Israels capital served to endorse Israels brutal occupation and repressive policies, he pointed out. We are concerned that this dire situation will only feed into the agenda of the extremists and frustrate our collective efforts in our bigger objective of combating terrorism and ending the vicious cycle of violence, he stressed.

JA SONG NAM (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) recalled that, during the seventieth summit of the NonAligned Movement, its members had committed to supporting the interests of developing countries on issues relating to international peace and security, and to strengthening multilateralism through various United Nations instruments. In that vein, the Security Council had adopted a resolution in 2016 that demanded Israel end its illegal settlement activities on Palestinian land. The recent decision on Jerusalem was an insult to the unanimous will of the international community, he said, stressing that the Middle East conflict must be resolved through peaceful dialogue between the parties. Condemning that decision as reckless and highhanded, he urged the United States to pay greater attention to international efforts to resolve the conflict, in accordance with international law and in conformity with Security Council resolutions. Concluding, he expressed his delegations support for the Palestinian people and their efforts to establish an independent, sovereign State with AlQuds as its capital.

WOUTER HOFMEYR ZAAYMAN (South Africa) expressed his delegations deep concern that unilateral action by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital undermined the progress made within the context of the Middle East peace process. The decision by the Government of the United States was regrettable and not constructive in advancing sustainable peace in the region. The Government of South Africa remained in favour of a twoState solution for Palestine and Israel, based on international recognition and independence of a State of Palestine, he said, appealing to the United States Administration to reconsider its decision to relocate its embassy, which compromised and undermined the principles of a twoState solution based on peaceful coexistence between the peoples of Israel and Palestine.

TOMASZ GRYSA, Permanent Observer for the Holy See, emphasized that Jerusalem was most sacred to the three monotheistic religions and a symbol for millions of believers around the world who considered it their spiritual capital. The Holy Citys significance went beyond the question of borders, a reality that should be considered a priority in every negotiation for a political solution. The Holy See called for a peaceful resolution that would ensure respect for the sacred nature of Jerusalem and its universal value, he said, reiterating that only international guarantee could preserve its unique character and status, and provide assurance of dialogue and reconciliation for peace in the region.

Action

The Assembly then adopted the draft resolution by a recorded vote of 128 in favour to 9 against (Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo, United States), with 35 abstentions.

Explanation of Position

The representative of Estonia, speaking on behalf of a group of Member States, reiterated their firm commitment to a twoState solution as well as their unchanged position on East Jerusalem. They would continue to respect the international consensus embodied in Security Council resolution 478 (1980) until Jerusalems final status was resolved. Furthermore, the status quo around the Temple Mount must be upheld in full respect for previous understandings and for Jordans special role. A negotiated twoState solution was the only realistic way to realize the peace that both Israelis and Palestinians deserved.

The representative of Australia said that while her countrys Government did not support unilateral action that undermined the peace process, it did not believe the resolution would help to bring the parties back to the negotiating table. For that reason, Australia had abstained from the vote, but hoped nevertheless that Israel and the Palestinians would return to the talks as soon as possible.

The representative of Paraguay said his delegation had abstained because the matter was still before the Security Council, which was responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. Furthermore, the issue should be resolved directly by both parties.

The representative of El Salvador reiterated his support for a negotiated twoState solution with full respect for all Security Council resolutions. However, he expressed regret that drafts were being tabled without enough time for discussion, adding that, as such, his delegation had abstained to demonstrate its unhappiness with the procedure around the draft.

The representative of Argentina said he had abstained because the draft would not help to resolve the conflict between the parties, emphasizing that the abstention did not imply a change in his delegations view of the situation. Argentina supported all attempts to bring about peace in the Middle East, he said, urging the international community to make a joint effort to uphold a twoState solution, as per the Arab Peace Initiative and the road map of the Middle East Quartet.

The representative of Romania said his delegations position concerning the status of Jerusalem was in compliance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly. Calling for calm, he encouraged the parties to resume dialogue so as to move the peace process forward, stressing that the time had come to renew international efforts to relaunch the peace process.

The representative of Canada said he had opted to abstain because the draft resolution was onesided and did not advance the prospects for peace. Emphasizing the importance of Jerusalem, he condemned the violence and terrorism of the past weeks.

The representative of Nicaragua said he had voted in favour of the draft resolution because it rebuffed recent unilateral attempts to modify the character and status of Jerusalem. Such unilateral actions were in blatant violation of resolution 2234 (2016) and others, he said, stressing that unilateral actions jeopardized peace and stability in the Middle East and drew the international community further away from a solution.

The representative of Mexico said he had abstained. Noting that the international community was further from agreement today than ever before, he said it was disproportionate to convene an emergency session of the General Assembly. The United States must be part of the solution and not an additional stumbling block hampering progress. Mexico would keep its embassy in Tel Aviv, he underlined.

The representative of the Czech Republic said that while his delegation supported the European Union position, it had nevertheless abstained because it did not believe the draft resolution would contribute to the peace process.

The representative of Armenia said his countrys position remained unchanged. The situation should be resolved through negotiations paving the way for lasting peace and security.

The representative of Hungary said her delegation did not comment on the foreign policy decisions of the United States and its position on the issue remained unchanged.

The representative of Latvia said his delegations position remained unchanged. Jerusalems status must be negotiated through direct talks, and the city must become the capital of both Israel and a future State of Palestine. Latvia had abstained because it was important not to escalate the political and security situation in the region.

The representative of Estonia took the floor a second time to clarify that she had delivered her statement on behalf of Albania, Lithuania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

SOURCE: UN
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly bring an end to the fuel crisis rocking many parts of the country.

The crisis has lingered for many weeks despite assurances from the government that it would soon be resolved.

Earlier, President Buhari, who is the substantive minister of petroleum resources, had given marching orders to the minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, to end the scarcity, but motorists are yet to get any relief from the biting scarcity even as Yuletide approaches.

The opposition party in a statement on Friday signed by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, said Nigerians are languishing under the presidents rule because the scarcity has led to increase in transport fare, household costs, prices of food, medicines and other basic needs of the people.

In the statement, the party said, it is not enough for the President to sit in his comfort zone and put the blame of the fuel scarcity at the doorsteps of marketers.

The unbearable fuel situation in the country is completely unacceptable. Mr. President must become up and doing. He should not allow anybody to push him to claim that the issue of fuel scarcity is not under the purview of the Minister of Petroleum Resources. When he took office as President of Nigeria and also as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, he was aware that the buck stops at his table.

Nigerians must not be made to suffer especially at this time of the year when we have the Yuletide and New Year festivities, which come with a lot of activities.

This is the same APC government that promised that it will make fuel available and affordable. Today, under their deceitful and corrupt watch, fuel has not only become extremely scarce, the price has also risen from where the PDP left it at N86.50k per liter to as high as N300 per liter and above.

The party said the time for the president to act was now rather than buck trading adding that the president had failed Nigerians.

But should Nigerians be subjected to this type of anguish and pain after supporting APC to win election in 2015? Does APC indeed deserve another support in 2019?

Whereas we know that the time is already up for the APC, we nevertheless urge Mr. President to, within the remaining short time, rise up to his responsibilities as the minister of petroleum or immediately relinquish that position and allow a competent person to run the ministry. Enough is enough, the party said.

The statement urged Nigerians not to despair but rekindle their hope in the future as the PDP is now repositioned to regain power in 2019 and return the nation to the path of good governance, social stability and economic growth, for which it is generally known.
A High Court in Abuja has dismissed a N3 billion libel suit filed by the former governor of Ekiti State and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, against Governor Ayodele Fayoses spokesman, Lere Olayinka, and the Chairman, Information Committee of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Samuel Omotoso.

In the ruling which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the judge, A. O. Ebong, dismissed the suit for lack of territorial jurisdiction.

Based on the facts as pleaded by the plaintiff in this suit, I am unable to accept that there was defamation of the plaintiff (Fayemi) in the FCT, as no publication of the defamatory materials is shown to have taken place within the FCT, Ebong declared.

For that reason, this court cannot exercise jurisdiction in respect of the instant suit. The case is consequently struck out for want of territorial jurisdiction.

Mr. Fayemi filed the Suit Number CV/577/2016 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, at the Gwagwalada judicial division, Abuja, claiming that the Messrs Olayinka and Omotoso, defendants in the suit, brought disrepute to his name through statements allegedly made by them on July 6, 2016, during a live programme tagged Ejiire on Ekiti State Television, which also aired on cable network, Startimes.

He held that Messrs. Olayinka and Omotoso alleged that he (Fayemi) illegally collected N5 billion from Ecobank in the name of Fountain Holdings for a sham road construction.

Mr. Fayemi sought payment of N3 billion for aggravated damages caused him by the defendants.

According to Mr. Fayemis submission through his lawyer, Rafiu Balogun, as a result of the alleged statements, the defendants (Olayinka and Omotoso) portrayed him (Fayemi) as a very corrupt public office-holder and fraudulent person who siphoned public funds at the detriment of Ekiti citizens while serving as governor.

But counsel to the defendants, Ola Olanipekun, filed a notice of preliminary objection, praying the court to strike out the suit for want of jurisdiction and/or competence.

It is trite that a court in one state cannot hear and determine a matter which lies exclusively within the jurisdiction of another state, argued Mr. Olanipekun.

The cause of action and/or the wrong complained of by the plaintiff occurred in Ekiti State which is clearly outside the jurisdiction of this honorable court.

The 1st and 2nd defendants in the suit reside and carry out their businesses in Ekiti State which is outside the jurisdiction of this court.

Agreeing with the defendants preliminary objection, Mr. Ebong said it was incumbent on Fayemi to have shown that the statements in question were published within the FCT.

He went further to state that for the court to have jurisdiction, the plaintiff (Fayemi) must show, not merely that the defamatory matter was published to the whole world, but that someone within the FCT has read or watched the alleged defamatory statements.

On his part, the plaintiff relying on the case of Dairo v Union Bank of Nigeria Plc supra, amongst others contends that jurisdiction in respect of libel is governed by the fact of publication, the judge said.

Thus, the place where libelous matter is published is the appropriate venue for trial of the case.

And where the publication occurs in different places the courts in each of such places would have jurisdiction. In such cases it is submitted the plaintiff has a right to choose which of those courts he would bring his claim in.

Responding to the judgment, Mr. Olayinka hailed the ruling, saying that it was funny that Mr. Fayemi could go to court, when it was clear that he mismanaged the state during his tenure as governor.

I wished he was put in the witness box and cross examined so that pertinent questions bordering on his mis-governance of Ekiti State will be asked, Mr. Olayinka said.

That Fayemi could still go to court claiming that his character, which he lacked in the first place was assassinated show that those claiming to be fighting corruption in Abuja are just wasting their time, or at best, fighting the opposition, Mr. Omotoso said.

The former governor is yet to react to the ruling.
A protest against the Acting Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Liasu Adeagbo Ahmed, is gathering strength, as medical unions and stakeholders in the hospital seek to thwart plans by the federal government to appoint him substantive director

There has been a protracted conflict between Mr. Ahmed and the unions over sundry unresolved issues such as non-payment of salaries and alleged diversion of funds meant for the payment of certain allowances meant for resident doctors.

Some months ago, the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, in the hospital dragged the medical director to the National Industrial Court over his refusal to pay two months salary withheld following the strike action embarked upon by the doctors.

Even though the court had ruled that the management should pay the doctors, the MD delayed in compliance resulting to a contempt action against him which nearly landed him in prison.

While dust appeared to be settling over the upheavals generated by the industrial disputes between Mr. Ahmed and the doctors union, a renewed conflict is underway as Mr. Ahmed seeks to become the substantive medical director, having served in acting capacity since 2015.

The Federal Ministry of Health has concluded interviews for the position among three contestants with Mr. Ahmed the leading candidate.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the unions fear he might emerge as the governments preferred candidate.

The unions, it was learnt, have pulled their forces together under the Joint Action Committee(JAC) to resist the move to return Mr. Ahmed as the Medical Director.

The JAC is a conglomerate of unions in the FMC Owo comprising the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria(MDCAN); Association of Resident Doctors(ARD); Senior Staff Association(SSAUTHRIAI); Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP); Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria(MHWUN); Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria(AHAPN); and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives(NANNM).

In their position statement, signed by all the leaders of the respective unions, and submitted to the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Ondo State Government, the Olowo of Owo, and the Ministry of Health, the JAC argued that Mr. Ahmed remained a part of past administrations that had brought the medical centre to its current state.

The current Acting MD, Liasu Adeagbo Ahmed, had been part of the successive failed administrations that brought the health institution to its current state of predicament, the statement said.

It will be recalled that Dr. L.A. Ahmed was the Head of the Clinical Services(HCS) to the erstwhile Medical Director, A.O.Omotoso, also the HCS to A.O.J. Kolajo, the interim administrator who was recalled for his highhandedness. He later became the Acting Medical Director from 18th December 2015 till date.

He has succeeded in turning one of the foremost Federal Health Institution to a shadow of itself. The deplorable state of facilities in the institution has driven patients away under his watch.

The unions also accused him of mismanaging the hospital so that there are dearth of essential drugs at the hospitals pharmacy stores and that the hospital was now indebted to suppliers to the tune of N120million.

There has been consistent lack of essential drugs and consumables in the hospital pharmacy stores despite the fact that no patient gets drugs from the hospital without payments, they alleged.

JAC also noted that the institutions laboratories had gone moribund due to lack of reagents and other essential investigative materials for the same reasons of suppliers refusal to supply because they were owed several millions.

They said there was shortage of health care providers in the core clinical areas which had caused inadequacy in the health care delivery to patients.

Having been in acting capacity as Medical Director for a period of 22 months, and Head of Clinical Services for four years, we have seen his best was not good enough to move the hospital forward, the unions submitted.

FMC Owo, with its peculiarities that are not common among other health institutions, we, JAC, appeal for a substantive Medical Director that can solve our problems, preferably among the contestants who is currently in the employment of FMC Owo, other than Dr. Liasu Adeagbo Ahmed.

Any attempt to impose the Acting Medical Director, Dr. L.A. Ahmed will further trigger the highly volatile centre and stagnation in area of development and service delivery towards provision of quality, effective and affordable health care services.

Responding to the allegations, Mr. Ahmed told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone that the allegations and position of the unions were completely different from what is actually on ground.

He said he would prefer the reporter to visit the laboratories and the pharmacy stores of the hospital to ascertain if the allegations were true or not.

If I just tell you that all is well and there is nothing wrong with what we are doing here, it will just be me talking to you, he said. But you need to come and see for yourself and you will know whether they are telling the truth or not.

Mr. Ahmed noted that the institution had already responded appropriately to the allegations and would rather not speak much on it.
No fewer than 1500 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State on Friday defected to the All Progressives Congress(APC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defectors were received by Olusola Sokunle, representing Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly and the APC Chairman in the LGA, Olamide Kasali.

Mr. Sokunle, who was elected into the Assembly on the platform of PDP, had in February, alongside six other lawmakers, defected to the ruling party on the floor of the House.

The lawmakers had cited the performance of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode and the leadership style of the Speaker of the Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, as reasons for their defection.

The new defectors were led by a PDP chieftain in the council, Fola Mosaku, and four councillorship candidates of the party in the July 22 council polls in the state.

Mr. Sokunle, receiving them, said: APC is a party to belong to, where our political aspirations can be achieved. So, endeavour to frequently attend political meetings in your wards.

Let us thank Governor Ambode for giving Oshodi a facelift. More projects are still on the way.

The door is still open for other interested PDP members to join us.

He said the APC-led government had performed beyond expectations, with various development projects executed in different parts of the state.

Also welcoming the defectors, Mr. Kasali assured them that APC would ensure their interests were protected.

The party chairman said the party would soon begin its membership registration in the wards.

He urged all new and old members to go to their various wards for registration immediately the exercise commences.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Mr. Mosaku said: We dumped the PDP for APC because of the performance of our Honourable Sokunle.

We are also motivated by the performance of APC government in Lagos; we will not make any u-turn back to the PDP.

Four councillorship candidates in the last local government election and I are leading other members of PDP to APC today.

We are joining APC permanently, Mosaku said.

Ayodeji Ogungbayibi, one of the defectors, who was a councillorship candidate in the July council poll in Mafoluku Ward, said the PDP was not functioning in the state again. (NAN)
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.




Career Step and Louisiana State University Shreveport announce new partnership that offers career-changing online programs to the community of Shreveport, Louisiana.

End

-- Career Step (http://www.careerstep.com/?uid=pub171221), an online provider of career-focused education and professional training, welcomes Louisiana State University Shreveport to its academic partner network, which currently consists of over 150 education institutions."LSU Shreveport's dedication to making a difference in the lives of their community, with particular emphasis on those stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, aligns perfectly with the values at Career Step," said Glade Tidwell, Career Step Vice President of Academic Partnerships. "We look forward to partnering with them to serve the people of Shreveport by providing career-focused online training programs that make education accessible to those in a variety of life phases and circumstances."Training programs being added to LSU Shreveport's online catalog include Healthcare IT, Medical Office Manager, Professional Medical Coding and Billing with PCS, Medical Transcription and Editing, Medical Assistant, Medical Administrative Assistant with EHR, Computer Technician, Veterinary Assistant, Pharmacy Technician (ASHP/ACPE), Executive Assistant, Medical Billing, Veterinary Assisting, Medical Office Administration and Inpatient Auditing. All programs are designed to prepare students to enter the workforce in a year or less."Our new partnership with Career Step will allow many individuals in the Shreveport area the opportunity to receive quality career training in a convenient and timely manner," said Tulin Melancon, LSU Shreveport's Director of Online Learning and Faculty Development. "We know that these programs will be a particularly good fit for the lifestyle of those at the Barksdale Air Force Base as the programs enable students to continue their training no matter where they are stationed."LSU Shreveport joins over 150 other education institutions across the country in Career Step's network of academic partners. Other partners include colleges and universities such as the University of Utah, Cal State San Bernardino and West Texas A&M University.For over a decade, Career Step has worked with academic partners to bring valued career training courses to students across the nation. These partnerships with educational institutions have helped many students successfully enter the workforce and make positive differences in their lives and their communities.More information about Career Step's partnership with Louisiana State University Shreveport is available at partner.careerstep.com/lsus ( https://partner.careerstep.com/ lsus?uid=pub171221 ). To learn more about Career Step's academic partnership program, please visit CareerStep.com/partner ( http://www.careerstep.com/ partner?uid= pub171221 ).Career Step is an online provider of career-focused education and professional training. The company has trained over 100,000 students for new careers as well as more than 100,000 healthcare professionals through its various continuing education courses. More than 150 colleges and universities nationwide have partnered with Career Step, and the company provides training for several of the largest and most respected healthcare employers in the nation. Career Step is committed to helping students and practicing healthcare professionals alike gain the skills they need to be successful in the workplaceimproving lives, advancing careers and driving business results through education. More information can be found at www.careerstep.com (http://www.careerstep.com/?uid=pub171221)or 1-800-246-7837.
Technology company expands into restaurant software with BistroUX

By: Cybervation

Media Contact

Cybervation

Purba Majumder

***@cybervationinc.com

614-818-9061 CybervationPurba Majumder614-818-9061

End

-- Business technology solutions provider Cybervation, Inc. (http://www.cybervationinc.com)heads into 2018 with new plans for growth, and two prestigious regional business awards.The Dublin-based software company recently received the 2017 BizTech Minority Enterprise Award form Columbus Business First. The BizTech awards recognize the people, organizations and companies making an impact on technology and innovation. It celebrates those contributing to a culture of technology leadership and innovation in Columbus business community.Last year, CEO Purba Majumder received the 2016 BizTech Award in the Outstanding Woman in Technology category."It is a tremendous honor to be recognized a second time in a row by the Columbus Business First for the prestigious BizTech award. Our team has been developing innovative technology platforms that ensure our customers are equipped with leading edge solutions and skilled people to transform their business. We appreciate the acknowledgement by Business First's panel of esteemed judges for the BizTech Minority Business Enterprise award." Majumder said about the 2017 BizTech Award.The 20-year old company is looking forward, expanding into restaurant management and customer loyalty software with BistroUX ( www.bistroUX.com ). BistroUX is an all-in-one software solution for restaurants looking to offer online reservation, gift card, loyalty program, ecommerce and take out services.Earlier this year, Majumder was selected as a Smart 50 Awards honoree by Smart Business Magazine. This is the second consecutive year she has been named a Smart 50 leader.The Smart 50 Awards recognize the top executives of the 50 smartest companies in the region for their ability to effectively build and lead successful organizations.About Cybervation:Cybervation is an award-winning business technology solutions provider based in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. Cybervation provides simple technical solutions to solve complex business problems. Core competencies include: custom software development (cloud and mobile apps), web and ecommerce development;IT staffing, support; digital marketing and transcription of interviews, doctor visits or business meetings.
"The momentum we see in the Holiday Train from year-to-year reinforces the good that we, and our partners at the food banks, are doing across North America," said Keith Creel, CP President and CEO. "Connecting with communities has been a theme for the CP family this year as we celebrate Canada 150 and what a way to end 2017, with more than 425,000 people across our network enjoying the magic of the CP Holiday Train."

The 2017 CP Holiday Train was proud to feature an all Canadian musical line-up with multiple Canadian Country Music Award and Juno Award winners. The Canadian train featured Colin James, Emma-Lee and Odds until Calgary, where Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Band jumped on to finish the tour to the west coast. On board the U.S. train, Kelly Prescott partnered with Jim and Devin Cuddy between Montreal and Windsor, Ont., and was joined by Dallas Smith and Terri Clark through the U.S. Midwest and Great Plains. Jonathan Roy anchored the Quebec shows.

New this year, CP introduced an online train tracker so that fans could see exactly where the trains were, allowing even more people to connect with the spirit of the Holiday Train on both sides of the border. The Canadian train also boasted the Spirit of Tomorrow car, a railcar that was a part of the CP Canada 150 train which travelled across the country this summer in celebration of Canada's 150th. Crowds were able to view the car, which is covered in notes written by children across Canada, expressing the dreams they have for their nation.

The CP Holiday Train program is not the only way that CP gives back to food banks. CP also provides Food Banks Canada $250,000 worth of in-kind transportation services to support its National Food Sharing Service program. Since 2011 CP's contribution has helped transport over 17 million pounds of food and household goods to food organizations across Canada.

"We are always delighted when the CP Holiday Train travels across North American communities and provides the platform to speak about the need of healthy and nutritious food items at local food banks," said Mimi Lowi-Young, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "CP continues to play a role in raising awareness of hunger-related issues and also supporting Food Banks Canada in transporting food across Canada through our National Food Sharing System."

As part of Canada 150, CP and the Canada 150 Federal Secretariat partnered to promote the Holiday Train and the conclusion of the sesquicentennial celebrations.



The Capture the Spirit photo contest closes today and six winners will each be awarded a CP prize pack including a ride on the 2018 CP Holiday Train and a $1,000 donation to the food bank of their choice.

Facebook /HolidayTrain

Twitter @CPHolidayTrain

Instagram @CPHolidayTrain

For additional information, photos, a route map and downloadable pictures of the two trains, visit http://www.cpr.ca/holiday-train

About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to major ports on the east and west coasts, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP.

SOURCE Canadian Pacific

Related Links

http://www.cpr.ca


VENICE, Fla., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- If you need ideas for the 2017 winter holiday season, here are a few family friendly holiday events throughout Southwest Florida.

Location: Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Englewood

Calendar Link: www.charlotteharbortravel.com/events/

There are many things to do this winter Christmas holiday weekend. Here are a few options for you and your family. Brought to you by Ingman Marine. Christmas is here again. There are a variety of things to do in the North Fort Myers, Pine Island, Placida, Sarasota and Port Charlotte areas. The west coast of Florida still offers many options this holiday season.

Festival of Lights

11/19/17 - 12/31/17

Annually, the Fisherman's Village Mall, Resort and Marina is home to traditionally-themed Holiday and Christmas lighting and decorations.

Christmas Light Canal Cruises

12/02/17 12/31/17

These one-hour family oriented cruises through the residential canals have been a tradition in Punta Gorda for over 30 years.

The Punta Gorda Christmas Boat Parade

12/23/17



It's the biggest boat parade on the Gulf Coast, which means it has more decorations, more cheerful music, more boats, and more spectators than any other ones.

Location: Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice

Calendar Link: www.escape-to-sarasota.com/december-sarasota-events.html

Star of Bethlehem

12/20/17 & 12/22/17

The South Florida Museum has brought back the Star of Bethlehem Planetarium presentation this year, thanks to the popularity from its members and excited guests.

Santa and His Christmas Fairy

12/23/17

Great for the family! Come on over to the Crosley Palace in Sarasota. Enjoy hot chocolate while the kids play games with the elves and decorate Christmas cookies.

Location: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Naples

Calendar Link: www.news-press.com/story/entertainment/2017/11/21/holiday-and-chrsitmas-events-fort-myers-cape-coral-bonita-springs-2017/880234001

"A Christmas Story"

11/23/17  12/25/17

The Off Broadway Palm Theater in Fort Myers is hosting this wonderful musical version of the internationally popular Christmas movie.

Santa's Wonderland

11/11/17  12/24/17

The Bass Pro Shops in San Carlos Park, hosts a recreation of the North Pole for Santa to come and visit with the children.

To learn more, visit or call one of Ingman Marine five locations, ranging from North Ft Myers to Port Charlotte.

North Fort Myers - 14531 North Cleveland Ave. North Fort Myers, FL 33903 - (239) 599-9069

Pine Island  16501 Stringfellow Rd. Bokeelia, FL 33922  (239) 558-2309

Placida  15001 Gasparilla Rd. Placida, FL 33946  (941) 697-1000

Sarasota  8311 North Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34238  (941) 360-0088

Port Charlotte  1189 Tamiami Trail Port Charlotte, FL 33953  (941) 255-1555

Media Contact:

Mike Brimer

(941) 697-1000

[email protected]

SOURCE Ingman Marine
DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Anaerobic Adhesives Market by Product (Thread Locker, Thread Sealants, Retaining Compounds, and Gasket Sealants), Substrate (Metals, Plastics), End-Use Industry (Automotive, Electrical & Electronics, Industrial), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global anaerobic adhesives market is estimated to be USD 429.5 Million in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 564.1 Million by 2022, at a CAGR of 5.60% from 2017 to 2022.

The demand for anaerobic adhesives has been increasing in end-use industries such as automotive & transportation, electrical & electronics, industrial, and others. Several manufacturers of anaerobic adhesives are undertaking R&D activities to develop sustainable adhesives and overcome the limitations of traditional fastening methods.



The Asia Pacific (APAC) anaerobic adhesives market is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period. The growth of the APAC anaerobic adhesives market can be attributed to the rising demand for anaerobic adhesives from countries such as India, China, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.



Stringent environmental regulations in North America and Europe may restrain the growth of the anaerobic adhesives market in the coming years.



Key players operating in the anaerobic adhesives market are 3M Company (US), Henkel (Germany), H.B.Fuller (US), Illinois Tool Works (US), Three Bond International (Japan), and Delta Adhesives (UK).

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Overview



5 Waterproof Tapes Market, By Adhesive Type



6 Waterproof Tapes Market, By Substrate Type



7 Waterproof Tapes Market, By End-Use Industry



8 Waterproof Tapes Market, By Region



9 Competitive Landscape



10 Company Profiles



3M Company

Company A.B.E. Construction Chemicals (Pty) Ltd.

Advance Tapes International Ltd

Asian Paints Lmited

Avery Dennison Corporation

BTM

Chowgule Construction Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.

Dukal Corporation

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

Gebruder Jaeger GmbH

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Heskins Ltd

Isoltema Spa

Johnson & Johnson

Medline Industries, Inc

Metalnastri S.R.L

Nitto Denko Corporation

Permatex

Scapa Group PLC

Shanghai Richeng Electronic Co., Ltd.

Shurtape Technologies LLC

Tapespec

Tejas Cobert

Teraoka Seisakusho Co Ltd

TESA SE

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/gtss7b/564_1_million?w=5

About Research and Markets

Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Emerging Markets Smaller Company Opportunities Fund, Inc.1 (the "Fund") (NYSE American: ABE2), a closed-end equity fund, announced today its performance data and portfolio composition as of November 30, 2017.

The Fund's total returns for various periods through November 30, 2017 are provided below. (All figures are based on distributions reinvested at the dividend reinvestment price and are stated net-of-fees):



Cumulative as of

11/30/17 Annualized as of 11/30/17

1

Month 3

Month YTD 1

Year 3

Years 5

Years 10

Years Since

Inception NAV -1.3 -1.8 19.7 17.9 1.3 0.6 -0.7 6.6 Market Price -1.9 -0.1 26.9 25.8 0.8 1.2 -0.7 6.1 MSCI Emerging Markets

Small Cap 1.8 5.4 29.4 29.2 6.4 5.9 2.8 n/a

On November 30, 2017, the Fund's net assets amounted to US$147.5 million and the Fund's NAV per share was US$15.56.

As of November 30, 2017, the portfolio was invested as follows:

Portfolio Composition Percent of

Net Assets Industrials 17.7 Consumer Staples 16.9 Consumer Discretionary 15.6 Materials 11.6 Information Technology 10.1 Real Estate 9.5 Financials 9.1 Health Care 8.0 Energy 1.3 Cash 0.1

Portfolio Composition Geographic Exposure % India 15.9 Brazil 9.9 Indonesia 7.8 Turkey 6.4 Thailand 6.0 South Africa 5.7 China 5.0 Malaysia 4.7 Philippines 4.3 United States 4.2 South Korea 3.4 Chile 3.0 Mexico 3.0 Hong Kong 2.9 Netherlands 2.8 Poland 1.9 Sri Lanka 1.8 Nigeria 1.8 Romania 1.8 Taiwan 1.8 Egypt 1.2 Kenya 1.1 Russia 1.0 Pakistan 0.9 United Kingdom 0.7 Peru 0.6 Israel 0.3 Luxembourg 0.1

The Fund's ten largest equity holdings as of November 30, 2017, representing 28.4% of net assets, were:

Stock Percent of Net Assets Godrej Consumer Products 3.6 Parque Arauco 3.0 Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte 3.0 Jollibee Foods 3.0 Pacific Basin Shipping 2.9 ASM International 2.8 ACE Hardware Indonesia 2.7 Ramco Cements Ltd. 2.5 Container Corp of India Ltd. 2.5 Piramal Enterprises 2.4

Important Information

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. (the "Administrator") has prepared this report based on information sources believed to be accurate and reliable. However, the figures are unaudited and neither the Fund, the Administrator, Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited (the "Investment Adviser"), nor any other person guarantees their accuracy. Investors should seek their own professional advice and should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before acting on this information.

The Investment Adviser and the Administrator are each a subsidiary of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC ("Aberdeen PLC"). The merger of Standard Life plc and Aberdeen PLC, announced on March 6, 2017 ("Merger"), closed on August 14, 2017. Aberdeen PLC became a direct subsidiary of Standard Life plc as a result of the Merger and the combined company changed its name to Standard Life Aberdeen plc. Shareholders of the Fund are not required to take any action as a result of the Merger. Following the Merger, the Fund's Investment Adviser and Administrator are each an indirect subsidiary of Standard Life Aberdeen plc, but otherwise did not change. The investment advisory and administration agreements for the Fund, the services provided under the agreements, and the fees charged for services did not change as a result of the Merger. The portfolio management team for the Fund did not change as a result of the Merger.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

Total return figures with distributions reinvested at the dividend reinvestment price are stated net-of-fees and represents past performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results, current performance may be higher or lower. Holdings are subject to change and are provided for informational purposes only and should not be deemed as a recommendation to buy or sell the securities shown. Inception date June 17, 1992.



If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact: [email protected]

1 The Fund changed its name, benchmark, investment objective and strategy effective March 15, 2013. Performance information for periods prior to March 15, 2013 does not reflect the current investment strategy. The MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index is the Fund's benchmark. Please refer to the Fund's January 14, 2013 proxy statement at aberdeenABE.com for additional information.

2 The Fund's ticker symbol changed from ETF to ABE at market close on July 31, 2015.

3 There is no since inception figure for the MSCI EM Small Cap Index because the inception date of the Index is June 1, 2007. The inception date of the Fund is June 17, 1992.

SOURCE Aberdeen Emerging Markets Smaller Company Opportunities Fund, Inc.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Indonesia Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") (NYSE American: IF), a closed-end equity fund, announced today its performance data and portfolio composition as of November 30, 2017.

The Fund's total returns for various periods through November 30, 2017 are provided below. (All figures are based on distributions reinvested at the dividend reinvestment price and are stated net-of-fees):



Cumulative as of

11/30/17 Annualized as of 11/30/17

1

Month 3

Month YTD 1

Year 3

Years 5

Years 10

Years Since

Inception NAV -1.8 -2.0 11.0 11.8 -3.5 -3.7 2.9 1.2 Market Price -2.0 -1.6 18.7 21.2 -3.3 -3.3 2.3 0.9 MSCI Indonesia -0.4 -1.1 14.9 21.2 2.9 1.7 5.0 n/a

On November 30, 2017, the Fund's net assets amounted to US$76.3 million and the Fund's NAV per share was US$8.24.

As of November 30, 2017, the portfolio was invested as follows:

Portfolio Composition Percent of

Net Assets Consumer Staples 30.4 Financials 19.9 Consumer Discretionary 19.4 Telecommunications 7.6 Materials 6.7 Health Care 5.7 Energy 4.4 Industrials 3.9 Cash 1.9

The Fund's ten largest equity holdings as of November 30, 2017, representing 56.4% of net assets, were:

Stock Percent of

Net Assets Bank Central Asia TBK PT 9.7 MP Evans Group PLC 8.0 Jardine Cycle and Carriage 7.4 Bank OCBC Nisp 6.0 Unilever Indonesia 5.1 HM Sampoerna TBK PT 4.3 Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa 4.3 Telekomunikasi Indonesia 4.0 Mandom Indonesia TBK PT 3.9 XL Axiata TBK PT 3.6

Important Information

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc. (the "Administrator") has prepared this report based on information sources believed to be accurate and reliable. However, the figures are unaudited and neither the Fund, the Administrator, Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited (the "Investment Adviser"), nor any other person guarantees their accuracy. Investors should seek their own professional advice and should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before acting on this information.

The Investment Adviser and the Administrator are each a subsidiary of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC ("Aberdeen PLC"). The merger of Standard Life plc and Aberdeen PLC, announced on March 6, 2017 ("Merger"), closed on August 14, 2017. Aberdeen PLC became a direct subsidiary of Standard Life plc as a result of the Merger and the combined company changed its name to Standard Life Aberdeen plc. Shareholders of the Fund are not required to take any action as a result of the Merger. Following the Merger, the Investment Adviser and Administrator are each an indirect subsidiary of Standard Life Aberdeen plc, but otherwise did not change. The investment advisory and administration agreements for the Fund, the services provided under the agreements, and the fees charged for services did not change as a result of the Merger. The portfolio management team for the Fund did not change as a result of the Merger.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

Total return figures with distributions reinvested at the dividend reinvestment price are stated net-of-fees and represents past performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results, current performance may be higher or lower. Holdings are subject to change and are provided for informational purposes only and should not be deemed as a recommendation to buy or sell the securities shown. Inception date March 9, 1990.

 There is no since inception figure for the MSCI Indonesia Index because the inception date of the Index is January 1, 2001.



If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Aberdeen Indonesia Fund, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.aberdeenif.com


VANCOUVER, Wash., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AbSci announced today the appointment of Fred Larimore, PhD to AbSci's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Larimore brings over 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and process development at leading pharmaceutical companies, includes in management roles at companies such as Cook Pharmica and Eli Lilly. Prior to formally joining AbSci's Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Larimore advised AbSci on various aspects of biopharmaceutical process development manufacturing scale-up.

"We are honored to formally welcome Dr. Larimore to the Scientific Advisory Board. We look forward to his continued guidance in expanding and commercializing the SoluPro platform, which promises to revolutionize manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals," said Sean McClain, Founder and CEO of AbSci.

"It is an exciting opportunity to join AbSci's Scientific Advisory Board," said Dr. Larimore. "People in the industry have been talking about folding protein in E. coli for years. Before it was just theoretically possible, but the SoluPro Platform now makes it technically possible to fold full-length antibodies and proteins within E. coli."

Dr. Larimore worked for over 25 years at Eli Lilly, where he served as a Research Fellow and senior scientific leader. He has extensive experience in process design, development, scale-up, and manufacturing, and led manufacturing support of six major biotechnology products in the marketplace, Xigris, Humulin, Humalog, Humatrope, Forteo and Recombinant Human Glucagon. He was influential in developing some of the original biologic manufacturing processes, including production of Human Insulin using the chain route (Humulin), Human Insulin using the proinsulin process (Humulin), Human Growth Hormone (Humatrope), Recombinant Human Parathyroid Hormone (Forteo), Factor IX and several other monoclonal antibodies.

Dr. Larimore is a founding member and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Society for Bioprocessing Professionals (SBP) and currently serves as the Principal Consultant at Sierra Vista Biotech Consulting. He was also the Vice President of Scientific Affairs and Chief Scientific Officer of Cook Parmica. Dr. Larimore holds a B.A. in Chemistry from St. Olaf College, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota, and completed his post-doctoral training at the Harvard Medical School, Department of Physiology.

About AbSci

AbSci is a global leader in biomanufacturing technologies. The company's SoluProTM expression platform achieves ultra-high yields of soluble and active protein products and enables ultra-high efficiency purification processes. AbSci's unique approach accelerates drug discovery timelines, increases manufacturing efficiencies, and drastically reduces costs for the biopharmaceutical industry. For more information, please visit www.abscibio.com.

SOURCE AbSci

Related Links

http://www.abscibio.com


Stock Symbol: AEM (NYSE and TSX)

TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM, TSX:AEM) ("Agnico Eagle" or the "Company") today announced that it has agreed to acquire all of the Canadian exploration assets of Canadian Malartic Corporation ("CMC"), including the Kirkland Lake and Hammond Reef Gold projects (the "Transaction"). CMC is a corporation 50-50 owned and operated by Agnico Eagle and Yamana Gold Inc. ("Yamana"). The Transaction is being structured as an asset deal, whereby Agnico Eagle will acquire all of Yamana's indirect 50% interest in the Canadian exploration assets of CMC, giving Agnico Eagle 100% ownership of CMC's interest in the assets on closing of the Transaction. The effective purchase price after the distribution of the sale proceeds by CMC to its shareholders will be US$162.5 million in cash. The Transaction will not affect the Canadian Malartic mine and related assets including Odyssey, East Malartic, Midway, and East Amphi, which will continue to be jointly owned and operated by the Company and Yamana through CMC and the Canadian Malartic General Partnership ("Canadian Malartic GP").

"The purchase of the CMC asset portfolio enhances our longer-term development pipeline, and provides us with potential production growth post our current mine buildout in Nunavut," said Sean Boyd, Agnico Eagle's Chief Executive Officer. "The Kirkland Lake property package enhances our current mineral reserves and offers near-term exploration upside, while the Hammond Reef project provides good optionality to a potential rise in the gold price," added Mr. Boyd.

Under the proposed Transaction, Agnico Eagle will acquire 100% of CMC's Canadian exploration assets located in Ontario and Quebec, other than CMC's interests in Canadian Malartic GP and the Canadian Malartic mine. CMC's principal Canadian exploration assets include the Kirkland Lake and the Hammond Reef Gold projects, as well as additional mining claims and assets located in Ontario and Quebec. The Kirkland Lake project covers approximately 27,291 hectares in northeastern Ontario and mineral reserves and mineral resources have been outlined on several properties. Key deposits in the Kirkland Lake area include: Upper Beaver, Anoki and McBean, Amalgamated Kirkland (AK) and Upper Canada. Hammond Reef is an advanced stage gold project covering approximately 31,145 hectares in northwestern Ontario. The project contains well defined mineral resources.

Additional details on the mineral reserves and mineral resources being acquired by Agnico Eagle are presented in the table at the end of the news release.

In connection with the proposed Transaction, Agnico Eagle, CMC and Yamana have entered into an asset purchase agreement (the "Agreement"). The parties have agreed to work expeditiously towards closing of the Transaction, which is anticipated to occur by March 31, 2018 in respect of those assets which CMC can then convey with subsequent closings thereafter as CMC obtains the requisite consents to transfer. The Transaction is subject to notification under the Competition Act (Canada) and the receipt of government, First Nations and other third party consents. Under the Agreement, if Agnico Eagle sells any of the Kirkland Lake and Hammond Reef properties during the 24 month period from the date of the Agreement, Yamana will participate in any increase in net proceeds received by Agnico Eagle in the sale.

About Agnico Eagle

Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company that has produced precious metals since 1957. Its eight mines are located in Canada, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in each of these countries as well as in the United States and Sweden. Agnico Eagle and its shareholders have full exposure to gold prices due to its long-standing policy of no forward gold sales. Agnico Eagle has declared a cash dividend every year since 1983.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this news release has been prepared as at December 21, 2017. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "could", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "future", "indicate", "plan", "possible", "potential", "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include, without limitation: statements relating to Agnico Eagle's acquisition of CMC's Canadian exploration properties and the closing timing and arrangements for the proposed Transaction; information concerning estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources and similar information; statements as to the projected exploration and development of the projects, including estimates of exploration, development and production and other costs and estimates of the timing of such exploration, development and production or decisions with respect to such exploration, development and production; statements regarding the Company's, Yamana's or CMC's ability to obtain the necessary consents and authorizations in connection with the proposed transaction. Such statements reflect the Company's views as at the date of this news release and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Agnico Eagle as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Other than as required by law, Agnico Eagle does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.

Scientific and Technical Data

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release relating to the Kirkland Lake and Hammond Reef projects has been approved by Alain Blackburn, Eng., Senior Vice-President, Exploration and Daniel Doucet, Eng., Senior Corporate Director, Reserve Development. Each of them is a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

As of December 31, 2016





































PROJECTS MINERAL RESERVES























PROVEN PROBABLE PROVEN & PROBABLE GOLD OWNERSHIP 000 tonnes g/t 000 oz Au 000 tonnes g/t 000 oz Au 000 tonnes g/t 000 oz Au Upper Beaver (underground) 50% - - - 3,996 5.43 698 3,996 5.43 698 Total 50% - - - 3,996 5.43 698 3,996 5.43 698





















COPPER OWNERSHIP 000 tonnes % tonnes Cu 000 tonnes % tonnes Cu 000 tonnes % tonnes Cu Upper Beaver (underground) 50% - - - 3,996 0.25 9,990 3,996 0.25 9,990 Total 50% - - - 3,996 0.25 9,990 3,996 0.25 9,990

PROJECTS MINERAL RESOURCES





























MEASURED INDICATED MEASURED AND INDICATED INFERRED GOLD OWNERSHIP 000 tonnes g/t 000 oz Au 000 tonnes g/t 000 oz Au 000 tonnes g/t 000 oz Au 000 tonnes g/t 000 oz Au Hammond Reef (open pit) 50% 82,831 0.70 1,862 21,377 0.57 389 104,208 0.67 2,251 251 0.74 6 Kirkland Lake projects

























Upper Beaver (underground) 50% - - - 1,818 3.45 202 1,818 3.45 202 4,344 5.07 708 AK (underground) 50% - - - 634 6.51 133 634 6.51 133 1,187 5.32 203 Anoki/McBean (underground) 50% - - - 934 5.33 160 934 5.33 160 1,263 4.70 191 Subtotal Kirkland Lake Projects 50% - - - 3,386 4.54 494 3,386 4.54 494 6,793 5.04 1,102 Total 50% 82,831 0.70 1,862 24,763 1.11 883 107,594 0.79 2,745 7,044 4.89 1,108



























COPPER OWNERSHIP 000 tonnes % tonnes Cu 000 tonnes % tonnes Cu 000 tonnes % tonnes Cu 000 tonnes % tonnes Cu Upper Beaver (underground) 50% - - - 1,818 0.14 2,567 1,818 0.14 2,567 4,344 0.20 8,642 Total 50% - - - 1,818 0.14 2,567 1,818 0.14 2,567 4,344 0.20 8,642

NOTES: Mineral reserves are not a subset of mineral resources. Tonnage amounts and contained metal amounts presented in this table have been rounded to the nearest thousand, so aggregate amounts may differ from column totals. Please refer to the Company press release dated February 15, 2017 and the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016, for further details on mineral reserves and mineral resources. The scientific and technical information regarding the mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates set out in this table has been approved by Daniel Doucet, Eng., Senior Corporate Director, Reserve Development of the Company, a "qualified person" as defined by NI 43-101.

The mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates in this table represent the 50% portion being acquired by Agnico Eagle. CMC owns and manages the Upper Beaver, AK and Anoki/McBean projects in Kirkland Lake, northeastern Ontario, and the Hammond Reef project in northwest Ontario. The mineral reserve estimate for the Upper Beaver project as of December 31, 2016 used the following assumptions: US$1,200 per ounce gold; US$2.75 per pound copper; a foreign exchange rate of C$1.25 per US$1.00; and a C$125/tonne net smelter return (NSR) cut-off value. The mineral resource estimates for the Upper Beaver project used an NSR cut-off of C$95/tonne, which represents approximately 75% of the mineral reserve cut-off value. The mineral resource estimate for the AK project used the following assumptions: US$1,200 per ounce of gold; operating cost of US$80 to US$100/tonne; and a cut-off grade of 2.5 g/t gold. The mineral resource estimate for the Anoki/McBean project used the following assumptions: US$1,200 per ounce of gold; operating cost of US$120/tonne; and a cut-off grade of 2.5 g/t gold. The mineral resource estimate for the Hammond Reef project used the following assumptions: US$1,400 per ounce of gold; operating cost of US$11.27/tonne; and a cut-off grade of 0.32 g/t gold for the West Pit, and 0.34 g/t gold for the East Pit.

Notes to US Investors Regarding Mineral Reporting Standards

Each of Agnico Eagle and CMC prepare their mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates in accordance with the requirements of securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of US securities laws. Terms relating to mineral resources and mineral reserves in this news release are defined in accordance with NI 43-101 under the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. For United States reporting purposes, the SEC applies different standards in order to classify mineralization as a reserve. As a result, the definitions of proven and probable reserves used in NI 43-101 differ from the definitions in the SEC Industry Guide 7. In addition, the SEC does not recognize the terms "measured resources", "indicated resources" and "inferred resources". Investors are advised that while those terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize them. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into mineral reserves. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable.

SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

Related Links

http://www.agnicoeagle.com


DUBLIN, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), a leading global pharmaceutical company, today announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas' earlier decision that that each of three Allergan patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 7,030,149, 7,320,976 and 8,748,425) that are listed in the Orange Book for COMBIGAN is valid. The Federal Circuit also affirmed the district court's finding that Sandoz' proposed generic version of COMBIGAN does not infringe the '149 and '976 patents, and reversed the district court's decision that Sandoz' proposed generic product infringes the '425 patent.

Allergan expects to file petitions for rehearing and/or rehearing en banc of the appeals court decision within 30 days. Allergan does not believe the federal district court's injunction preventing final approval and launch of the Sandoz product will be lifted prior to a decision on Allergan's petitions.

In addition, Allergan and Sandoz are parties to a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in which Allergan asserts that Sandoz' proposed generic product infringes an additional patent listed in the Orange Book for COMBIGAN (U.S Patent No. 9,770,453) that expires in April 2022. As a result Allergan believes that today's appeals court ruling will not result in the market formation for a generic COMBIGAN product.

About Allergan plc

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model  Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women's health, urology and anti-infective therapeutic categories.

Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, a model of research and development, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. With this approach, Allergan has built one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry with 55+ mid-to-late stage pipeline programs currently in development.

Allergan's success is powered by our more than 18,000 global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right.

With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day.

For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective on existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and Allergan's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2017. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements

CONTACTS: Allergan:

Investors:

Daphne Karydas

(862) 261-8006

Karina Calzadilla

(862) 261-7328

Media:

Mark Marmur

(862) 261-7558

SOURCE Allergan plc

Related Links

http://www.allergan.com


The Washington Post got a first look at the 2017 Land Report 100 this week and determined that the total acreage owned by the top 100 landowners has grown from an area the size of Maine and New Hampshire in 2007 (the initial year of the study) to an area the size of most of New England, including Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

These rising numbers represent "the growing appeal of land as an asset class," Land Report Editor Eric O'Keefe told The Post's Christopher Ingraham.

2017 marks the second year in a row that LandLeader has sponsored the study.

"We're proud to be the presenting sponsor of The Land Report 100 again this year," said Dax Hayden, Managing Director for LandLeader. "No matter where you go in the country, our exclusive members offer more and more access to exceptional properties. Landowners deserve the best service for their investments, and we deliver with over $3.5 billion in land sales since 2014 and we're growing quickly."

"Our partnership with LandLeader is a natural fit. They are a branding powerhouse with an extensive network across the country. Whether your interests are in the Rocky Mountains, the Southeast or Gulf Coast, the Lone Star State, the Great Lakes or the Pacific Northwest, they have you covered. And that is where our readership is  east, west, north, and south," said Land Report Publisher Eddie Rider Jr.

About The Land Report

Founded in 2007, The Land Report is an award-winning quarterly magazine focused

on America's greatest resource  land. Its readership includes landowners, investors, asset managers, family offices, and land brokers. To read the Winter 2017 issue of The Land Report, visit www.LandReport.com.

About LandLeader

The largest land marketing company across America dedicated to farm, ranch, and recreational properties, LandLeader agents are leaders in their territories and represent their clients' properties with trust, integrity, and a deep knowledge of land values. To download the 2017 Land Report 100 sponsored by LandLeader, click here.

SOURCE Land Report

Related Links

http://www.LandReport.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- API President and CEO Jack Gerard today welcomed President Trump's signature on H.R. 1, delivering pro-growth, pro-development economic reforms to the U.S. tax code for the first time since 1986.

"Today with the stroke of a pen, the U.S. has finally adopted a modern tax code that will unleash economic growth in our nation, creating jobs and spurring investment," said Gerard. "With smart policies in place like a pro-growth tax code, the natural gas and oil industry can continue building on the millions of jobs we support and billions we invest into the U.S. economy each year. These reforms will also advance investments in new technology and innovation to protect the environment and help provide affordable energy for American consumers, manufacturers, families and small businesses.

"In addition, the industry welcomes access to the non-wilderness Alaska 1002 Area to spur economic growth. The natural gas and oil industry has the technology and expertise, along with decades of experience, to safely explore energy resources in the Arctic while protecting the surrounding environment. Responsible access to the 1002 Area is also in our national security interest, with other nations like Russia, Canada and Norway already actively exploring the Arctic region.

"It's been over 30 years since our nation has reformed its tax code, and President Trump and his administration have delivered a modern tax policy that will remove barriers to economic development and ensure the U.S. is competitive around the globe. We commend the administration's actions to strengthen our nation's energy security this past year by implementing a pro-growth tax code, streamlining regulations, and promoting a robust energy infrastructure system. We look forward to building on this progress in the New Year and continuing our work to provide safe, reliable access to affordable energy."

To learn more about API's support for pro-growth tax reform, visit energyandtaxes.com.

API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the oil and natural gas industry, which supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs and nearly 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API's more than 625 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation's energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 40 million Americans.

SOURCE American Petroleum Institute

Related Links

http://www.api.org/


SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia Equity Exchange Group, Inc. (OTC: AEEX) (or the "Company"), a leading equity investment and financial information services provider in Asia, announced today that on December 17, 2017, the Company hosted a media event at the Hilton Shenzhen Futian, announcing the successful financing of $15 million USD for a private placement deal.

The event included roundtable forums, keynote speeches and a number of dynamic presentations. The AEEX management team and guest speakers examined the evolution of the private placement process and discussed how Chinese SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) can develop quicker and more effective methods to operate in capital markets. Attendees included Mr. Jinsheng Guan, known as "the Godfather of Chinese Securities", Mr. Jinlin Yang, a famous media industry leader in China, as well as representatives of many well-known institutions and companies, such as the Shenzhen Economic Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Jun Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Equity Exchange Group Co., Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AEEX, made a keynote speech explaining trends in overseas listing and financing. "There are extensive opportunities in overseas capital markets and Chinese entrepreneurs should take the initiative to explore them. International financing and listing on exchanges abroad are among the best choices for Chinese SMEs." Mr. Liu stated.

Mr. Yanru Zhou from ENO Investment Co., Ltd., whose investment initiated the event, spoke highly of the AEEX's platform. He believes that the capital he invested will help AEEX rapidly develop.

Mr. Jinsheng Guan highly praised AEEX throughout his speech. He stated "AEEX has an international incubation platform for quasi-public corporations, providing multiple channels for registered member companies of AEEX to raise equity financing domestically and overseas, as well as offering overseas listing services."

Mr. Xiangyu Wang, Chairman of AEEX stated, "The biggest advantage for Chinese enterprises registered on the AEEx service platform is to further align themselves with international standards, allowing the international community to have a better understanding of the operations of Chinese enterprises. This will in turn broaden the channels for foreign investment participation in China. Listing overseas is not only a means of financing, but also a good opportunity to improve the corporate governance structure."

About Asia Equity Exchange Group, Inc.

Asia Equity Exchange Group, Inc. (AEEX) has been a U.S. publicly traded company since November 2013 and has demonstrated strict compliance with SEC regulations. The Company specializes in providing Asia-based companies entering into international capital markets with comprehensive consulting services. The Company's fully-owned subsidiary Asia Securities Exchange Group Ltd. operates the AEEx integrated services platform, offering exclusive membership options for select clients, providing members with international standardized, transparent and systematic information disclosure and exchange services. AEEX enables members to obtain the resources necessary to become publicly traded companies on major international stock exchanges. AEEX provides member companies with multi-faceted and fully compliant international listing services. Our comprehensive consulting services also include assisting clients to commission top-tier third-party professional service providers, (e.g. law firms, financial auditors, valuation firms etc.) required for international listing. For more information, please visit http://www.asiaotcmarkets.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the Company's business strategies and initiatives as well as the Company's business plans; the Company's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; expected changes in the Company's revenue and certain cost or expense items; trends and competition in the industry in China; general economic and business conditions in China; and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. 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 the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.

SOURCE Asia Equity Exchange Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.asiaotcmarkets.com


LOMBARD, Ill., Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sulaiman Law Group, Ltd., which operates as Atlas Consumer Law, is representing several plaintiffs in a class action complaint against Apple, Inc--led by Attorney James Vlahakis, Lead Counsel. Plaintiffs Ala Abdulla, Lance A. Raphael, Sam Mangano, Ryan Glaze, and Kirk Pedelty came forward against Apple, claiming the company purposefully and knowingly released operating system software updates to a number of generations of the iPhone in an effort to slow the CPU performance speeds of these devices. These iOS updates, plaintiffs claim, were engineered with this very purpose in mind--fraudulently forcing iPhone owners to purchase the latest model offered by Apple.

Apple's failure to inform consumers these updates would wreak havoc on the phone's performance is being deemed purposeful, and if proven, constitutes the unlawful and decisive withholding of material information. This is in direct violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, as well as Indiana's Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, North Carolina's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and Common Law Fraud, all of which state against unfair methods of competition and/or trade conducted under false pretenses. As a result, countless consumers have been harmed and defrauded by this illicit and immoral conduct. The plaintiffs are demanding a trial by jury.

If you are interested in scheduling an initial consultation with a member of the firm's trusted and experienced team, you may reach Atlas Consumer Law by calling (312) 313-1613 at your earliest convenience.

SOURCE Atlas Consumer Law
With more than 130 locations across 27 states, this will be Bar Louie's first time venturing into South Texas, and the new locations will be opened under the leadership of Barry Patel, Raj Patel and Hershal Patel, in total, the new locations will create more than 250 new jobs.

"Just like every different city in South Texas from McAllen down to South Padre Island, each Bar Louie location will have its own set of diverse characteristics and provide a unique atmosphere to its guests," said Jill Szymanski, Director of Franchise and Real Estate for Bar Louie. "We can't wait to see what new experiences potential Bar Louis franchisees will bring to their communities. South Texans will soon come to love the five dollar burgers on Tuesdays and Brews and Blues nights and of course the National Martini Day."

Bar Louie is seeking to expand both through corporate locations and qualified franchise partners. Perspective Hospitality brings a wealth of experience in food and beverage as well as intimate knowledge of the South Texas market. With current ownership interests in over 8 hotels they have developed and owned over the years more than 22 hotels. "Their knowledge of the local markets and the uniqueness of their hotel properties offers the brand and them an opportunity to create a unique experience for their guests as well as others in the market" said Szymanski.

The bar and eatery is looking to attract local entrepreneurs and restauranteurs who are looking to expand their portfolio. To appeal to a broader consumer base, the concept offers four revenue streams with its four unique dayparts  lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night.

Founded in Chicago's River North neighborhood in 1991, Bar Louie emerged from local restaurants and sandwich shops opened by its founders, local Chicago restaurateurs. When Bar Louie was first established, its two founders set out with a goal to continue the tradition of these shops while also giving local residents dining and beverage options for each part of the day. The "Louie" sandwich was a staple of the early restaurants and is still served at Bar Louie establishments across the country.

For more information on franchising opportunities in California, please contact Jill Szymanski at [email protected] or visit http://www.barlouie.com/franchise-information.

About Bar Louie

Bar Louie is a national collection of neighborhood bars featuring hand-crafted cocktails and spirits, delectable food and an inviting atmosphere for people to enjoy time with friends and mingle with new people. Founded in 1991 in Chicago, Bar Louie has more than 130 locations across the United States and is growing through both franchising and corporate locations. Open during four parts of the day  lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night  Bar Louie is an award-winning concept with a progressively hip and lively atmosphere. For more information on Bar Louie, visit www.barlouie.com. To learn about franchising opportunities with Bar Louie, go to www.barlouie.com/franchise.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jill Szymanski, Bar Louie, 214-218-2730, [email protected]

SOURCE Bar Louie

Related Links

http://www.barlouie.com/franchise-information


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT) today announced additional investments in its associates and communities made possible through the tax reform package recently signed into law. In light of the new corporate tax rate deductions, BB&T's Executive Management team has made the decision to share some of the related benefits including:

Raising BB&T's minimum hourly pay rate from $12 to $15 per hour, effective Jan. 1, 2018

to per hour, effective Providing a special, one-time $1,200 bonus to be paid in January 2018 , for almost three-fourths of its associates (about 27,000), most of whom do not receive incentives or commissions

bonus to be paid in , for almost three-fourths of its associates (about 27,000), most of whom do not receive incentives or commissions Donating $100 million to BB&T's philanthropic fund to support charitable organizations in our communities

The total cost of the program is $152 million, with $15 million related to the pay rate increase, $37 million (including fringes) as a one-time bonus and $100 million to BB&T's philanthropic fund. The pay increase and bonuses do not apply to senior leaders or the Executive Management team.

"By far and away, our associates are our most important asset. They're the biggest reason we're able to serve our clients each and every day in an extraordinary way," said BB&T Chairman and CEO Kelly S. King. "They've worked so hard, especially over the last few years, to position BB&T for continued success. So, I'm delighted to reward them for all of their hard work and dedication."

In addition to the minimum wage hike and one-time bonus, BB&T has continued to offer a strong total compensation package to associates, even through the challenging economic environment of the past few years. For the majority of our associates, this includes a 401(k) savings plan, with a 100-percent company match on up to 6 percent of an associate's compensation per pay period; health insurance, including medical and dental coverage; wellness benefits; vacation time and birthdays off; and a fully funded defined benefit pension plan, a rarity among employers, where associates are 100-percent vested after five years of service.

"BB&T's mission is to make the world a better place to live, so it makes perfect sense to share these benefits and continue making a positive difference in the communities we serve. We're pleased this legislation makes that possible," King added.

BB&T provides associates with additional ways to help make our communities better places to live and work. The BB&T Lighthouse Project allows teams to choose the nonprofit organizations they want to partner with and BB&T provides the funding and eight hours of paid time off for associates to support those team projects in a hands-on fashion. In addition, associates are encouraged to take eight hours with pay, annually, to work on community-related projects of their own choosing.

"We will also be reinvesting in important strategic efforts such as our ongoing digital business transformation, which will meet and exceed the changing needs of our clients, create revenue and provide long-term value to our shareholders," King said.

Overall, BB&T's Executive Management team believes the successful passage of tax reform is very encouraging news that should move BB&T, the financial services industry and the U.S. economy in the direction of stronger growth. Small and mid-size companies, where most American jobs are created, are likely to respond positively by making new investments in their businesses, according to King.

"A robust economy and higher employment rates are the best conditions for individual opportunity and the pursuit of happiness," King added.

About BB&T

BB&T is one of the largest financial services holding companies in the U.S. with $220.3 billion in assets and market capitalization of $37.0 billion as of Sept. 30, 2017. Building on a long tradition of excellence in community banking, BB&T offers a wide range of financial services including retail and commercial banking, investments, insurance, wealth management, asset management, mortgage, corporate banking, capital markets and specialized lending. Based in Winston-Salem, N.C., BB&T operates over 2,100 financial centers in 15 states and Washington, D.C. A Fortune 500 company, BB&T is consistently recognized for outstanding client service by Greenwich Associates for small business and middle market banking. More information about BB&T and its full line of products and services is available at BBT.com.

SOURCE BB&T Corporation

Related Links

http://www.bbt.com


MINSK, Belarus, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has signed the Decree "On Digital Economy Development" that legalizes ICO, cryptocurrencies and smart contracts. Adoption of the Decree makes Belarus the first world's jurisdiction with the overall legal regulation of businesses based on blockchain technology.

"Having adopted the Decree, Belarus becomes one of the world's most comfortable jurisdictions for IT business. Besides, the country is creating favorable conditions for the development of blockchain technology and businesses based on it," said Vsevolod Yanchevsky, Director of Belarus Hi-Tech Park.

The Decree does not include any restrictions or special requirements for the creation, issue, storage, sale or exchange of digital tokens, as well as operation of cryptocurrency exchanges and platforms. Individuals are exempt from personal income tax on the incomes from mining, acquisition and sale of digital tokens; digital tokens shall not be declared. Activities related to mining, creation, acquisition and sale of digital tokens will remain tax-free until 2023.

To protect the rights of ICO participants, the Decree provides that a legal entity that creates and issues a digital token through a resident-company of the Hi-Tech Park shall meet the requirements for the holder of the digital token agreed during its creation and issue.

Denial of claims of a token holder on the grounds of lack of judicial grounds for obligation or its invalidity is not allowed.

By introducing smart contract into jurisdiction and giving companies the right to use it in transactions, Belarus has become the first country in the world to legalize smart contracts at the country level.

"Smart contract may solve the fundamental problem of all humanity which is a failure to fulfill what has been agreed on paper. A computer program takes the function of a contract's automatic fulfillment," said Denis Aleinikov, Senior partner at the law firm Aleinikov & Partners, one of the main developers of the Decree.

Belarus Hi-Tech Park (HTP) is named the main ground for pilot experiments with digital tokens operations. Created in 2005 at the initiative of the President of Belarus, the Park has grown to one of the leading IT-clusters in Eastern Europe and CIS.

In addition to the significant expansion of the types of activities that HTP resident-companies can perform, the Decree introduces a number of English law instruments, namely, convertible loan, option and option agreement, non-competition, non-solicitation, indemnities.

Noncitizens who have work contracts with HTP resident-companies are granted visa-free stay in Belarus for up to 180 days per year.

The Decree also prolongs tax benefits for HTP resident-companies till 2049.

Background:

Residents of Belarus Hi-Tech Park are exempt from all corporate taxes (VAT, profit tax) and other taxes (offshore duty). Employees of Belarus Hi-Tech Park resident-companies pay 9% of personal income tax instead of 13%. HTP resident-companies enjoy all the advantages of the special tax regime, regardless of the location of their Belarusian office. According to Gartner experts, Belarus is the leader in the state support of the IT industry in EMEA.

CONTACT: Alexander Martinkevich, Deputy Director, [email protected]

SOURCE Belarus Hi-Tech Park

Related Links

http://park.by/?lng=en


DETROIT, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Brooklyn Outdoor was recently recognized as one of the "Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America" by Entrepreneur magazine's Entrepreneur360 List, a premier study delivering the most comprehensive analysis of private companies in America. Based on this study forged by Entrepreneur, Brooklyn Outdoor is recognized as a well-rounded company that has mastered a balance of impact, innovation, growth and leadership.

Photo of the Brooklyn Outdoor Team in Detroit, MI

Brooklyn Outdoor owner and CEO, Candice Simons, says, "We are honored to be named one of the best entrepreneurial companies by Entrepreneur magazine. The recognition is a testimony to the talent and hard work of the Brooklyn Outdoor team."

"Our annual evaluation is a 360-degree analysis of top privately-held companies representing and serving a variety of industries," explains Lisa Murray, Chief Insights Officer of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. "These businesses are real-world case studies for any entrepreneur who seeks to master the four pillars that can greatly impact the longevity and growth of their businesses."

Simons founded Brooklyn Outdoor in 2013 to keep advertising dollars and employment in Michigan. Since 2013, the company has grown to support four full-time employees, seven part-time employees and has expanded to satellite offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Brooklyn's four divisions include Outdoor, Hand-Painted, Experiential Marketing, and newest division  Events. Brooklyn Events facilitates unique Detroit experiences in the beautiful, industrial-chic Brooklyn Outdoor Loft, in Eastern Market. Brooklyn Outdoor services world-renowned brands in cities across the U.S. and is the only major outdoor advertising firm headquartered in Detroit.

Honorees were identified based on the results from a comprehensive study of independently- owned companies using a proprietary algorithm and other advanced analytics. The algorithm was built on a balanced scorecard designed to measure four metrics reflecting major pillars of entrepreneurshipinnovation, growth, leadership and impact.

To learn more about Brooklyn Outdoor, visit brooklynoutdoor.com.

For additional details on the E360 List and the companies recognized, visit: entrepreneur.com/360

ABOUT BROOKLYN OUTDOOR:

Brooklyn Outdoor is a Detroit-based independent outdoor advertising agency. The company was founded in 2013 and has emerged as a national and regional force in the outdoor advertising industry with satellite offices and full-time sales representatives in Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Brooklyn Outdoor is led by CEO Candice Simons, a longtime industry leader who returned to Detroit from Chicago to launch the entrepreneurial venture. Brooklyn's clients include national brands like General Motors, Adidas, Warner Brothers, Sprint, and Amazon. Simons also founded the Detroit-based lifestyle blog company, J'adore Detroit. She has been recognized for her work with both companies by Crain's Detroit Business 40 under 40, DBusiness 30 in their 30s, Detroit Young Professionals Vanguard, MichBusiness, and Enterprising Women of the year 2017.

ABOUT ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA INC.

For nearly 40 years, Entrepreneur Media Inc. has been serving the entrepreneurial community providing comprehensive coverage of business and personal success through original content and events. Entrepreneur magazine, provides solutions, information, inspiration and education read by millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners worldwide.

Contact: Samantha Robinson

Brooklyn Outdoor

[email protected]

(248) 721-2025

SOURCE Brooklyn Outdoor

Related Links

http://www.brooklynoutdoor.com


MONTREAL, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - La Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec ("CPDQ") and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), two of Canada's largest pension investment managers, today announced a joint investment in Fives, a global industrial engineering group headquartered in France, which designs and supplies engineered machines, process equipment and production lines for the world's largest industrial players. CDPQ and PSP Investments will each acquire a significant minority stake in Fives, which will remain controlled by its management, to support the next development phase. Ardian, a world-leading investment house, will continue to be part of the new shareholding structure, as a minority co-investor.

Founded in 1812, Fives has participated in the modernization of various global industries, including steel, aluminium, cement, energy, and more recently, the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as logistics. The group's rich history is grounded in constant innovation, development of proprietary technologies, international expansion and a pioneering spirit. This enables Fives to have a comprehensive global vision of the various industries in which it operates, as well as strong expertise in the design of critical equipment and solutions for industrial processes.

Today, Fives is at the forefront of innovation, taking a leading role in the "Industry of the Future" with a unique focus and expertise in digitalisation, automation and robotics to optimize industrial processes. with a network spanning four continents, the group possesses a balanced global footprint. For the year ending December 2017, the group is expected to generate over EUR1.8 billion (CAD$2.7 billion) in sales, across North America (30%), Europe (30%), Asia (22%) and the Middle-East and Africa (18%).

This transaction offers CDPQ and PSP Investments the opportunity to become important partners, contributing to the continued development of Fives' solutions, designed to improve the overall performance of industrial plants, including the optimisation of the energy and resource efficiency and environmental footprint. The partnership with CDPQ and PSP Investments will provide Fives with the necessary resources to finance its mid- and long-term expansion plans through major growth avenues, particularly in markets like Intralogistics, as well as leverage its recently developed breakthrough technologies.

Frederic Sanchez, Chief Executive Officer of Fives Group, said: "In the past years, with the full support of Ardian, we have invested heavily in R&D and business development, both in terms of portfolio products and geographical reach - reinforcing our leadership in our core markets and expanding our offer in adjacent booming segments such as FAW (Fully Automated Warehouse), as well as establishing AddUp, a promising platform with Michelin in metal 3D printing (additive manufacturing). Today, we are very enthusiastic to enter a new phase of our development with CDPQ and PSP Investments. Their long-term approach to investment, their deep valuable industrial insights and their strategic vision aligned with that of the management team make them ideal partners for the group, allowing Fives to take advantage, at a global scale, of the full potential of our diversified operations."

"For over 200 years, Fives' technology has changed the way the industrial world operates", said Stephane Etroy, Executive Vice-President and Head of Private Equity at CDPQ. "We are impressed by the company's ability to continuously adapt, innovate and expand worldwide within the context of rapidly changing technological landscapes. Alongside Frederic Sanchez, his management team, and our partner PSP Investments, we look forward to contributing to the industrial advancement and improved resource efficiency through Fives."

"We are excited to team up with Fives' talented management team, led by Frederic Sanchez, a true visionary in this sector, alongside our partners at CDPQ and Ardian," said Simon Marc, Managing Director and Head of Private Equity at PSP Investments. "The transaction is a great example of partnership with successful entrepreneurs and like-minded, long-term investors. Fives has been at the forefront of innovation since its inception and we are looking forward to supporting its growth in the next industrial revolution."

"Fives is an excellent company with a rich, unparalleled heritage," added Dominique Gaillard, CEO of Ardian France and head of Ardian Direct Funds. "As a business, it continues to go from strength to strength and its focus on industry-leading innovation, combined with its pioneering spirit, positions it well for the years to come. We have achieved great things with Fives since we first invested. CDPQ and PSP Investments are ideal partners and, alongside Ardian, will contribute significantly to its continued development."

The completion of the transaction remains subject to approval by relevant regulatory authorities.

ABOUT FIVES

As an industrial engineering Group, Fives designs and supplies machines, process equipment and production lines for the world's largest industrials including the logistics, aluminum, steel, automotive, aerospace, cement and energy sectors. Located in over 30 countries and with nearly 8,600 employees, Fives is known for its technological expertise and competence in executing international projects. Fives' multi-sector expertise gives it a global vision of the industry which provides a continuous source of innovation. The effectiveness of its R&D programs enables Fives to design forward-thinking industrial solutions that anticipate clients' needs in terms of profitability, performance, safety and compliance with environmental standards. This strategy is backed by a human resources policy that is focused on the individual, encourages initiative-taking, technical excellence and team spirit. For more information, visit steel.fivesgroup.com or follow us on Twitter @fivesgroup or consult our LinkedIn pages.

ABOUT CAISSE DE DEPOT ET PLACEMENT DU QUEBEC

Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) is a long-term institutional investor that manages funds primarily for public and parapublic pension and insurance plans. As at June 30, 2017, it held C$286.5 billion in net assets. As one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers, CDPQ invests globally in major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. For more information, visit cdpq.com, follow us on Twitter @LaCDPQ or consult our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

ABOUT PSP INVESTMENTS

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board ("PSP Investments") is one of Canada's largest pension investment managers with C$139.2 billion of net assets under management as at September 30, 2017. It manages a diversified global portfolio composed of investments in public financial markets, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, natural resources and private debt. Established in 1999, PSP Investments manages net contributions to the pension funds of Canada's federal Public Service, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, PSP Investments has its principal business office in Montreal and offices in New York and London, its European hub. For more information, visit www.investpsp.com, Twitter @InvestPSP or LinkedIn.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$66bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base. Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian's activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world. Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 490 employees working from twelve offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), North America (New York, San Francisco) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore). It manages funds on behalf of 610 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Funds of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt. Follow Ardian on Twitter @Ardian www.ardian.com

SOURCE Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec

Related Links

http://www.cdpq.com/


Built in 2015 and located near downtown Albuquerque and Interstate 40, the property provides easy access to several large, emerging employers, including one of six Facebook data centers currently under construction just south of Albuquerque.

Property amenities include a social lounge with game tables, resort-style pool area, fitness facility, business center, and a barbeque grilling area. Each of the one, two and three bedroom units includes nine-foot ceilings, spacious patios and balconies, and full size washers and dryers. Select units include walk-in closets and a separate laundry room.

Benoit Rochard, Vice President at CFH Investment Partners states, "We are excited to add another high-quality property to the portfolio. Diamond Mesa presented the opportunity to acquire an attractively located long-term holding near major employment drivers." He adds, "Our extensive operational experience will allow us to efficiently operate this property while improving the resident experience."

David Eagle, Senior Vice President of CBRE represented the seller in this off-market transaction. Tony Stein, Vice President of CBRE, was the mortgage broker for the transaction.

About CFH Investment Partners

Founded in 2008, CFH Investment Partners is a real estate investment and asset management firm located in Austin, Texas. Their conservative, value-oriented approach has consistently produced superior returns for investors in multiple asset classes.

CFH Investment Partners principals invest significant equity capital in every asset that they manage, assuring alignment of interests with our outside investment partners, which include high net worth individuals, family offices and institutional funds.

CFH's approach to investing blends local knowledge and market-driven insights with a thoroughly disciplined approach, uncovering opportunity in each phase of the business cycle.

SOURCE CFH Investment Partners

Related Links

http://www.cfhpartners.com


BROOKLYN, N.Y., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Top Chefs and brothers Carlos and Felipe Arellano have partnered with accomplished restaurateur Ronny Jaramillo and former owner of successful La Taqueria, Martin Medina, to bring delicious Mexican fare and upscale cocktails to Park Slope. The Arellano brothers bring their culinary skills from Rosa Mexicano Restaurant and Besito Mexican, where they have been creating wildly popular Latino dishes for more than a decade.

Managing Partner Ronny Jaramillo boasts an impressive resume as a sommelier, award-winning mixologist, and dedicated instructor in the art of hospitality. Restaurateur Jaramillo began his love affair with food in Guayaquil, Ecuador under the loving tutelage of his grandmother. He later earned a degree in Hospitality and Management from the French Culinary Institute. Mr. Jaramillo is no stranger to New York City residents, who have enjoyed his delicious dishes and exceptional hospitality at Rosemary's, Besito, and with the Brick and Steel Hospitality Group  where he was a manager -- as well as memorable cocktails and cuisine at his very own restaurant, Viaggio Tapas, located in Rockville Centre.

Rounding out this dream team of talented culinary pros is a man whose story demonstrates the American Dream in action. Martin Medina's humble beginnings started in New York City nearly three decades ago with a push cart full of tacos, burritos, and determination. His street food quickly grew in popularity, leading to his first physical restaurant, La Taqueria, which expanded to multiple locations in the Brooklyn and New York City areas soon after. Mr. Martin sold his interests in La Taqueria in 2001 and opened Rachel's Taqueria in Park Slope. He expanded with Varrio 408, next door, a small, but successful take-out spot.

The cuisine on offer by both the Arellano brothers and Mr. Martin has its origins in California-style Mexican food. Carlos and Felipe moved from Oaxaca, Mexico to Los Angeles, California, many years ago, where they launched their culinary professions. Happily, the brothers opted to bring their skills to the east coast. Now, Park Slope lovers of Mexican fare and innovative, tasty cocktails can enjoy this delicious food at Chela Restaurant.

Chela is located at 408 5th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11215. For reservations or Media Inquiries please call Ronny Jaramillo at 718.701.1891 or email [email protected]

SOURCE Chela Mexican Restaurant
China's largest co-working space provider UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co. Ltd announced today that it has received C round funding with an equivalent value of $45 M, prompting its market valuation to $1.3 billion.

BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- China's largest co-working space unicorn UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd has raised RMB 300 Mln ($45 Mln) in a series C funding round led by Qianhai Wutong Mergers and Acquisitions Funds, an M&A fund led by regional equity exchange Qianhai Equity Exchange. The new financing round, on the heel of its pre-Series C round in August, values the startup at RMB 9 Mln ($1.3 Bln). CK Home -- Key Investment Group and venture capital firm Context Lab also took part in the round.

"The C round funding cements UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd 's position as the leading co-working space provider in Asia," said UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd's founder and CEO Dr. Mao Daqing, a real estate veteran with over 23 years of experiences under his belt, including in executive roles at CapitaLand and Vanke China. He commented that the investment will be deployed to drive further global expansion, community service and technology upgrading. "It will help further strengthen our core verticals and will see a series of facility and service upgrading at UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd that sets us apart from other contenders," Mao said.

"Dr. Mao Daqing has demonstrated entrepreneurial vision and strong leadership that are unrivalled by few in the co-working industry in Asia," said Mr. Xie Wendi, Founder and CEO of Qianhai Wutong Mergers and Acquisitions Funds, a leading private equity (PE) firm in China known for its innovative "PE x IPO" model. "UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd plays an important part in China's economic upgrading, as the model enterprise in China's sharing economy. Through the win-win partnership, we aim to revitalise more under-utilised urban infrastructure and promote industrial upgrading in China."

Upgrading facilities second-tier cities in China

"The rising concept of co-working addresses the more mobile working style that modern urban professionals have today, where an increasing number of young people work on the go, resulting in an under-utilisation of stock assets. By revitalising the spaces with craft architecture, designer interior and connected technology, we recapture the latent stock spaces, creating more added values," said Mao, who is also the founder and CEO of 5LMeet, China's first co-living concept company, launched recently in partnership with Traders Hotel in Beijing CBD.

Backed by a line-up of strong shareholders, CK Home -- Key Investment Group (Key Investment) focuses on urban development, complemented by diversified range of business areas such as city research, finance, industrial development and service. The company leverages its strong relationship with the government to promote China's urban and rural development.

"We are delighted to join force with a company that reflects our values and complement our strengths. Key Investment has been focusing on urban space development and utilisation, which coincides perfectly with UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd's business model," said Mr. Xiao Zhonghou, Chairman of CK Home -- Key Investment Group. He adds that UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd's strengths in building contexts and contents, effective revitalisation of underutilised spaces, promising outlook of co-working industry, and strong management team are core factors that influenced the deal. Ensuing the funding round, UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd and Key Investment will collaborate on interior design, renovation projects.

With a 36% year-to-year growth rate, China's sharing economy volume is likely to crown the world within the next three to five years. As the first unicorn in the coworking space sector in China, UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd has established 100 locations in over 30 cities in the world. Moving forward, UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd will penetrate into second-tier cities with more innovative operational model and space utilisation solutions.

Harnessing the power of contexts and contents

"UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd not only disrupts traditional office spaces, but also accelerates the emergence of new species in the internet era. UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd's unique advantage is its evolutionary and upgrading capability which is a rarity in today's society. Through embedding IP in the physical space, and optimisation of eco system, the commercial competitiveness of UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd will be more palpable," said Mr Wu Sheng, Founder and CEO of Context Lab.

Founded in 2016 Context Lab pivots around the concept of "context, super IP, new species" and provides one-stop services including business model design, IP creation to discover and grow new business models cantered around internet.

"UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd is actively pushing the boundary and upgrading its product line to better reflect the economic upgrading of China, and to better connect the modern urban co-workers with smart office solutions that technological advancement brings," said Mr. Mao Daqing.

About UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd:

Founded in 2015 by real-estate veteran Dr. Mao Daqing, UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd is a leading co-working space provider in China offering long-term leasing, hot desk and corporate-customization solutions and professional services across a broad spectrum for small-to-medium enterprises. Backed by renowned investors such as Sequoia Capital, Zhen Fund, Noah Wealth Management, Sinovation Ventures, UrWork Beijing posts a valuation of U.S. $1.3 billion after C round as of December 2017, and has grown to cover over 100 locations in over 30 cities in the world, Singapore, New York, Los Angeles San Francisco and London, servicing over 3,000 enterprises, 40,000 individual members in total. UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co., Ltd is the largest and most recognised co-working space brand in China.

For further information, please contact:

Helena Ma

UrWork Beijing Venture Investment Co., Ltd PR Support

+65-9724-3153

[email protected]

SOURCE UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment Co.,Ltd
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Christopher Vulliez and Doxa Special Projects Group ("Doxa SPG") have recently completed several assignments on behalf of our diverse client group. Doxa SPG's corporate finance team performed due diligence on two privately held industrial businesses prior to their being acquired by private equity firms. Our analysis identified specific areas of strength while also pinpointing certain risks and opportunities for improvement.

Christopher Vulliez, Managing Director of DOXA Special Projects Group. Doxa Special Projects Group is a consultancy focused on providing corporate finance advisory services, due diligence, litigation support and market research to clients in the United States, Europe, South America and Asia.

We also recently completed in-depth market research studies into the high pressure industrial air compressor industry and separately, in the chemical compound market serving the food and beverage industries. In each case, our customized analysis of these markets allowed us to make specific recommendations to our clients about how best to enter these markets while minimizing intrinsic risks.

Doxa SPG's litigation support group was retained to assist our client in a legal matter seeking the recovery of funds. A complaint was filed in New York Supreme Court and served upon the individual residing in France through The Hague Convention. We identified and vetted local counsel in Paris and made the introduction to our client and New York counsel. Doxa SPG was tasked to identify whether the individual was residing in Paris or Hong Kong at the time. Doxa SPG located the person in Paris and performed an extensive asset search in France. We successfully identified several assets held by the individual which were subsequently seized or frozen pursuant to a Judgment.

ABOUT DOXA SPG

DOXA SPG is a consulting firm focused on providing corporate finance advisory services, due diligence, litigation support and market research to clients in the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. The company was founded by Christopher Vulliez in January 2017 and is based in New York.

Doxa SPG was formed to meet the special needs of middle market corporations and law firms who need a more specialized and personalized solution than is offered in the marketplace. Most large consulting companies cannot offer this level of flexibility due to the size of their overhead. We pride ourselves in providing clients with highly customized solutions that will meet their specific needs on a project, transaction or legal matter.

Doxa SPG also provides litigation support and financial analysis to law firms and former State and Federal prosecutors.

Christopher Vulliez founded Doxa SPG in January 2017. Prior to Doxa SPG, Chris was Managing Director of Washington Square Analytics, Inc., where he ran all of the firm's corporate finance, due diligence and risk mitigation projects. Chris has been conducting financial analysis, corporate research and due diligence on companies globally for the last 23 years. Previously, Chris was a co-founder and Portfolio Manager at Cadmus Capital Management, Portfolio Manager at Perry Capital and senior research analyst at Brahman Capital Management. Chris began his career at Dillon Read & Co, Inc. as an investment banker in the mergers and acquisitions department. Chris received a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University.

For More Information Contact:

Christopher T. Vulliez

Managing Partner

Doxa Special Projects Group, LLC

Tel: 646-919-6464

[email protected]

SOURCE Doxa Special Projects Group
MIAMI, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The intersection of real estate, art and high-design merged at Miami Art Week when South Florida-based investment giant Crocker Partners unveiled its highly-anticipated Citigroup Center in Downtown Miami. The complex boasts a newly renovated tower, featuring a refurbished modern glass facade, stunning lobby and multiple retail spaces on the ground level redesigned by world renowned architect Richard Meier & Partners in New York City. Inspired by the building's urban location, its original architecture and the recent addition by Meier, Studio 5 Design + Architecture (S5D+A) developed new concepts for the typical elevator lobbies, corridors and state-of-the-art exclusive conference center.

The newly unveiled Richard Meier-designed lobby space at Citigroup Center developed by Crocker Partners

The 34-story, class "A" building  the second largest of its kind in Florida  spans 802,974 square feet and acts as an extension of the InterContinental Miami with many prestigious tenants including, Citibank, Morgan Stanley and Shook, Hardy & Bacon. As part of the $20 million renovation, the building now boasts the largest tenant amenity conference center in the market, offering seven separate meeting rooms, private restrooms, a full catering kitchen and a cutting-edge technology package.

"We are pleased to deliver a high-quality tower in tandem with all eyes on Miami during this week," said Angelo Bianco, Managing Partner of Crocker Partners. "Tenants are looking for amenities that fuse work and play and we believe that Citigroup Center will be a wonderful addition to the Downtown market."

To kick off Miami Art Week, Crocker Partners and Richard Meier hosted a private invite-only event in the completely redesigned lobby, which housed White Square, a 7,000-square foot pop-up gallery curated by Fabian Basabe. The space featured a variety of interactive and eye-catching installations by New York nightlife and fashion icon Susanne Bartsch, as well as photography by frequent Warhol collaborator and apprentice Christopher Makos, and Paul Solberg.

ABOUT CROCKER PARTNERS

Crocker Partners is a real estate investment firm headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. Active in the commercial real estate business for over 25 years, the Crocker team has established a reputation as a premier owner, operator and developer of office and mixed-use projects throughout the Eastern United States. Since 1993, Crocker Partners has acquired and managed over 120 properties, representing $6 billion invested.

Media Contact:

TARA, Ink.

305.206.0393

Carrie Hyman; [email protected]

SOURCE Crocker Partners
Dentistry Today's Annual Leaders in CE edition is the most sought after issue of America's leading clinical news magazine for dentists. As an industry luminary, Cindy offers over 35 years of experience to each and every consultation and speaking engagement. Her lectures are often the highlight of weekend symposiums, attracting hundreds of dental professionals.

As Dentistry Today's 2018 Consulting Leader, Cindy has lectured on a variety of topics and is well known for her charisma and deep industry knowledge. Her expertise in business, financial management, and team building systems is well known throughout the U.S and Canada. Winner of "Dentistry Today's Consulting Leader" 12 consecutive years, Cindy Ishimoto's upcoming 2018 lecture highlights include:

Jan 11: Hawaii Dental Forum; Honolulu

May 2: University of Hawaii Maui Campus; Kahului, Hawaii

July 3: UCLA Aesthetic Continuum, Maui, Hawaii

As the premiere US dental speaker, Cindy Ishimoto continues a busy dental speaking and consulting schedule. To learn more, please visit http://cindyishimoto.com/calendar .

About Cindy Ishimoto

With over 35 years of experience speaking and consulting for individual dental practices, Cindy Ishimoto is an expert USA dental speaker and dental practice management consultant. She is also a member of The Academy of Dental Management Consultants, the National Speakers Association, and the American Association of Dental Office Managers. Cindy's offices are located at 314 Ekoa Pl, Wailuku, Maui, HI, USA 96793 . She can be reached by phone at (855) 534-5808 or by email at [email protected] . To learn more, visit Cindy Ishimoto's website at http://cindyishimoto.com .

SOURCE Cindy Ishimoto
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Drivers at XPO Logistics in Albany, N.Y. filed for Teamster representation today with Local 294, the latest action by workers across the U.S. who are banding together to fight for fair treatment at one of the largest transportation and logistics companies in the world.

The 34 drivers at the former Con-way Freight are planning to join XPO freight workers in Laredo, Texas; Vernon, Calif.; Miami, Florida; Aurora, Ill.; King of Prussia, Pa., and Trenton, N.J. and warehouse workers in North Haven, Conn. who have already joined the Teamsters.

"Like the XPO workers in other locations, the Albany drivers are fed up with higher health care costs and reduced coverage and no voice on the job," said Ernie Soehl, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. "Workers around the country are fighting back and we will fight alongside them in their campaign."

"The XPO workers in Albany reached out to us because they are tired of having no say on the job," said John Bulgaro, President of Local 294 in Albany. "We look forward to helping these workers form their union and then negotiate a first contract that improves their livelihoods."

Port, freight and warehouse workers at XPO are coming together across the country in their fight for a more secure future.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

John Bulgaro, (518) 489-5436

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


CALGARY, Alberta and HOUSTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dynacorp Energy Services ("Dynacorp") and Energes Oilfield Solutions, LLC ("Energes") have come together to form EnerCorp Sand Solutions ("EnerCorp"), a leading provider of sand management products and technologies for the oil and gas industry. EnerCorp designs, manufactures, sells, rents and services patented and proprietary sand control solutions for onshore operators across North America. EnerCorp is a portfolio company of Intervale Capital, an energy services investment firm based in Houston, Texas.

The combination strengthens the combined balance sheet of EnerCorp, while providing significant growth capital to support ongoing product development and strategic initiatives. EnerCorp's suite of products and services include patented and propriety sand separation technologies aimed at solving its customers' challenges with increased completion intensity and proppant loading, as well as standard flowback services.

Justin Morin, EnerCorp's Chief Executive Officer, has more than 15 years of oilfield service experience managing manufactured products and services businesses, and has served as the Dynacorp CEO since 2013. He will be joined by James Pung, who will serve as President of the U.S. Operations of EnerCorp. Mr. Pung has spent more than 15 years focused on the flowback and well testing market, and served as the Energes CEO since 2014.

Mr. Morin commented, "The relationship between Energes and Dynacorp allows us to move faster from engineering and new product development to the field. Our customers are focused on maximizing production more efficiently, safely, and without equipment failure due to sand erosion. EnerCorp will be uniquely positioned to provide a broad suite of products, services and technologies to our customers, as well as explore new innovations to optimize sand control across the entire well life cycle. We are excited about the large market opportunity ahead of us, and are very proud of all the employees that have come together during this process."

Mr. Pung added, "The Energes and Dynacorp teams have been working together since 2016. There is great cultural alignment between these businesses and we expect a seamless combination of our respective strengths. Through effective collaboration, innovation, focused engineering and a commitment to strong service quality, we are focused on changing the landscape of the traditional flowback and early production flow period."

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP and Stikeman Elliott LLP provided structuring and legal advice in support of the transaction, and Duff & Phelps LLC served as an independent financial advisor.

EnerCorp Sand Solutions (www.enercorpsandsolutions.com)

About Dynacorp Energy Services (www.dynacorp.ca)

Dynacorp is a Canadian designer and manufacturer of patented & proprietary sand filtration, sand cyclonic, and flowback equipment. The company is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta with a manufacturing facility in Grand Prairie, Alberta, and has deployed equipment across North America.

About Energes Oilfield Solutions, LLC

Prior to the transaction, Energes Oilfield Solutions was a wholly owned subsidiary of Energes, LLC.

Energes is an oilfield services company providing a full suite of flowback, well testing and sand management services. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas and serves the Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania markets.

Post-transaction, Energes, LLC will continue to own and operate its professional safety services business. The safety services business offers training services, LEL and H2S gas monitoring systems, confined space rescue packages, shower trailers, and many more services from drilling to downstream segments.

About Intervale Capital (www.intervalecapital.com)

Founded in 2006, Intervale Capital is a specialized energy-focused investment firm. Intervale invests primarily in middle-market energy services and manufacturing companies. The firm has raised $1.3 billion of committed capital since its inception, and is currently investing from its third fund.

Contact:

Patrick Conroy

Vice President

Intervale Capital

[email protected]

SOURCE Intervale Capital

Related Links

http://www.intervalecapital.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EP Energy LLC ("EP Energy"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE), today announced that, EP Energy and Everest Acquisition Finance Inc. (together, the "Issuers") entered into a second supplemental indenture (the "Supplemental Indenture") to the indenture (the "Indenture") governing the Issuers' 9.375% Senior Notes due 2020 (the "2020 Notes"). As previously announced, the Issuers received the requisite consents to amend the Indenture on December 19, 2017 at the Early Tender Time of the offers to exchange (the "Exchange Offers") up to $1,200.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Issuers' new 9.375% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the "New Notes") and cash for the Issuers' (i) 2020 Notes, (ii) 7.750% Senior Notes due 2022 (the "2022 Notes") and (iii) 6.375% Senior Notes due 2023 (the "2023 Notes" and together with the 2020 Notes and the 2022 Notes, the "Old Notes") and the related consent solicitations (the "Consent Solicitations").

The Supplemental Indenture, among other things, eliminates substantially all of the restrictive covenants and certain events of default from the Indenture. The Supplemental Indenture became effective immediately upon execution but will not become operative until the Exchange Offer with respect to the 2020 Notes is consummated. Upon becoming operative, the amendments to the Indenture will apply to all holders of the 2020 Notes.

General

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. 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 LLC

Related Links

http://epenergy.com/


"We are privileged to be able to showcase our new models to U.S. customers once again at the grand trade fair that gathers the world's top automotive manufacturers," said Yu Jun, President of GAC Motor.

"The U.S. has one of the most advanced auto industries in the world; its consumers have reached a social consensus on the essential attributes of cars. Entering the U.S. market is an essential step for GAC Motor to bring premium vehicles to global consumers that adapt to their needs."

GAC Motor has sold more than 460,000 vehicles from January to November in 2017, a 38.9 percent year-on-year increase, while establishing sales and services networks in 14 countries supported by top global suppliers, covering the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and North America.

"By emphasizing independent and innovative research, adhering to the highest international standards in product quality and establishing world-class car manufacturing systems, we aim to become a world-class brand built on highly developed production, R&D and marketing capabilities," remarked Yu.

About GAC Motor

Founded in 2008, Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor CO., LTD (GAC Motor) is a subsidiary of GAC Group that develops and manufactures premium quality vehicles, engines, components and auto accessories, achieving a year-to-year growth rate of 96 percent in 2016, the highest among all Chinese brands in the corresponding period. GAC Motor now ranks the highest among all Chinese brands for five consecutive years in J.D. Power Asia Pacific's 2017 China Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). The company aims to form a production capacity of 500,000 vehicles by 2017 and of 1,000,000 vehicles by 2020.

For more information, please visit:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GACMotor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gac_motor

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gac_motor

Media Contact:

Sukie Wong

+86-186-8058-2829

[email protected]

SOURCE GAC Motor
In December 2016, UNWTO created an award recognizing the 15 cities worldwide considered by the organization as examples to emulate when it come to the adoption of best practices in tourism, among its 193 member countries. UNWTO plans to expand the best practices applied by the winners in other global destination cities. UNWTO selected 15 winners based on the results of a survey and a performance evaluation program conducted by a panel of judges at a special evaluation meeting held in September 2017.

Hangzhou applied for the Tourism's Impact on Community and Culture category and was evaluated by the UNWTO. It was the first time Hangzhou competed for an award based on international tourism standards with the goal of taking its tourism sector to the next level and being benchmarked against international standards. The city has achieved a breakthrough with its presence at the evaluation.

Hangzhou was selected for inclusion in the list, thanks to its years of efforts in transforming the city into both an international tourism destination and an international city, as well as in enhancing the appeal of its local culture. The city highlighted its international marketing competitiveness by having itself benchmarked against the world's most known tourism destinations and by leveraging its unique tourism resources. Chinese President Xi Jinping had made a point of promoting Hangzhou's tourism resources at the G20 Summit held in Hangzhou in 2016, immediately raising the visibility of the city worldwide and cementing the city's reputation as a go-to destination.

The honor will help Hangzhou accelerate its transformation into an international city as well as assist city managers in showcasing their achievements in terms of best practices for the tourism sector. In addition, the Hangzhou Tourism Commission was invited by UNWTO to give a presentation on best tourism practices at the UNWTO Annual Conference to be held in Kuala Lumpur in December 2017. Hangzhou was the only representative for model cities in the Asia Pacific region to attend the event.

SOURCE Hangzhou Tourism Commission
VANCOUVER, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - HashChain Technology Inc. ("HashChain" or the "Company") has a team of experienced cryptocurrency professionals who monitor cryptocurrencies on an ongoing basis to determine which currencies are most profitable to mine. The recent price decline of Bitcoin still provides profitability to miners. Based on the current difficulty rate of mining a bitcoin which results in approximately 0.6 bitcoins mined per annum, per mining rig, the break even price of a Bitcoin would be approximately $2,100 USD per coin. At Bitcoin prices of $10,000 USD per coin, miners are experiencing approximately 79% gross margin.

Pat Gray, CEO and director of HashChain, comments "HashChain is building a Blockchain technology solutions company that is long in the space. When we started our mining operations the price of Bitcoin was approximately $4,000 USD per coin and the price of Dash was approximately $200 USD per coin. At these prices our business model was extremely viable. We believe that digital assets are the future and fluctuations in the market prices are both typical and expected. We are here to build a viable business that will innovate for years to come. Although there is a dip in the market today, the cryptocurrency market has seen many corrections since inception".

About HashChain Technology Inc.

HashChain is a Blockchain Technology company, and the first publicly traded (TSXV) Canadian cryptocurrency mining company to file a final prospectus supporting highly scalable and flexible mining operations across all major cryptocurrencies. HashChain taps low-cost Canadian power, cool climate and high-speed Internet, the trifecta most critical to mining success, to create a competitive position for maximizing the number of mining 'wins.' HashChain currently operates 100 Dash mining rigs and has purchased 770 Bitcoin rigs which are expected to be received and installed to commence mining in January 2018. With all 870 rigs in full operation, Hashchain's initial energy consumption dedicated to digital currency mining is approximately 1.2 megawatts. HashChain also acquired a Dash Masternode for approximately USD $280,000 which requires a collateral investment of 1,000 Dash coins. In addition to cryptocurrency mining, HashChain has a strategic focus on acquiring companies utilizing solutions in the blockchain and in developing innovative software solutions. HashChain is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. HashChain Mining is a wholly owned subsidiary of HashChain Technology Inc. based out of Albany, New York.

For further details of the Company's business, please refer to the Company's final prospectus dated December 12, 2017, which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or visit http://www.hashchain.ca.

On Behalf of the Board,

Patrick Gray

CEO & Director

For Further information please contact:

HashChain Technology Inc.

Herrick Lau

CFO

[email protected]

778-331-2082

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.

SOURCE HashChain Technology Inc.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and InterAmerican Heart Foundation Bolivia are calling on Mondelez International, the giant snack food company, to immediately stop a promotion in Bolivia in which the company's Halls drops product is being sold in "combo" packs with Marlboro cigarettes, the world's best-selling cigarette brand made by Philip Morris International.

This promotion has been found in stores in La Paz and other cities in Bolivia. Advertisements for the "combo" packs feature regular and menthol Marlboro cigarettes, including "Ice Xpress" menthol cigarettes, and Halls menthol-flavored drops. View photos of the promotion.

While Halls is sold as a cough drop in the United States and other countries, it is marketed as a candy in Latin America and elsewhere. According to Mondelez's website, Halls "is the leading sugar confectionary brand in the world. In the northern hemisphere, Halls is sold as a cold relief product. In hotter and drier countries, however, Halls is used as a refreshing candy."

In a Dec. 11 letter to Mondelez CEO Dirk Van de Put, the U.S.-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and InterAmerican Heart Foundation Bolivia called on the company to immediately end this promotion. However, Mondelez has failed to respond and the Halls-Marlboro promotion is continuing.

"It is irresponsible to permit Halls to be packaged and sold with cigarettes, a product that kills up to half of lifetime users when used as intended," the letter states. "The tobacco epidemic kills more than seven million people worldwide each year, with most deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries like Bolivia.

Even more egregious, the Halls-Marlboro dual packaging has the potential to appeal to non-smokers or to provide smokers suffering from throat issues a rationale for continuing to smoke. As the letter notes, "To attract new, young users tobacco companies design cigarettes to mask the harsh taste of tobacco use and ease initiation of smoking, including by adding menthol and fruit flavors. Scientific studies have shown that menthol makes cigarettes easier to smoke by reducing their harshness and the irritation from nicotine, thus facilitating youth initiation and accelerating addiction." (Get more information on the impact of menthol cigarettes on youth smoking.)

Mondelez International, which touts its focus on well-being, also sells other widely-recognized brands including Cadbury, Chips Ahoy, Oreo and Ritz. Marlboro is the world's best-selling cigarette brand and is sold globally by Philip Morris International, a company with a long history of engaging in marketing that appeals to kids.

"Bolivia is facing alarming rates of tobacco use, with nearly 20 percent of young boys smoking cigarettes in our country," said Alejandra Karina Garron, Executive Director of InterAmerican Heart Foundation Bolivia. "Now, cigarettes are being packaged with candies  the perfect 'starter pack' for kids  luring them into a lifetime of addiction. This is not only shameful, it is dangerous to the health and well-being of millions of Bolivians."

"It is the height of corporate irresponsibility for Mondelez to join Philip Morris in a promotion that packages candy with deadly cigarettes and is sure to appeal to kids," said Mark Hurley, Director of Tobacco Industry Campaigns at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Philip Morris has a long history of marketing cigarettes in ways that appeal to kids. Why in the world would Mondelez allow any of its products  let alone a global candy brand like Halls  to help Philip Morris market a product that addicts children and kills millions across the globe? Any responsible company  especially one that claims to be concerned with health and wellness  has no place doing business with Philip Morris."

In their letter to Mondelez, the two groups stated, "Your company's Code of Conduct states 'we have clear, restrictive rules for when and how we will market to kids' and 'we take great care to market responsibly.' By working with Philip Morris or any tobacco company, you are violating your commitment to consumers and the public, and we believe that this irresponsible marketing practice undermines the integrity of the Mondelez International brand and could undermine your reputation with consumers and shareholders."

Tobacco use is the world's leading cause of preventable death. Without urgent action, tobacco use will claim one billion lives this century.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Related Links

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org


SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey Enterprise Group, a well-known brand of power solution provider, is holding a special Christmas giveaway on its Facebook page.

https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_4048.jpg

As a huge fan of Christmas, Huntkey is very excited to announce their first Christmas activity, which will be held from December 22 to 25. To celebrate this amazing festival, Huntkey is inviting everyone to visit its Facebook page for a chance to win a secret present.

Twelve different Christmas presents have been prepared for Huntkey's friends on Facebook, these presents are marked by numbers 1 to 12.

To join the giveaway, just leave a comment under the post "special Christmas giveaway" on Huntkey's Facebook page with 2 items:

1) A number between 1- 12; AND

2) A gift you want the most for Christmas

Click here to visit Huntkey's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HuntkeyDIY/

The secret presents and their winners will be revealed on Christmas Day December 25.

About Huntkey

Huntkey, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Shenzhen, is a member of The International Power Supply Manufacturer's Association (PSMA) and a member of The China Power Supply Society (CPSS). With branch companies in the USA, Japan and other areas, and cooperating factories in Brazil, Argentina, India and other countries, Huntkey has specialized in the development, design, and manufacturing of PC power supplies, industrial power supplies, surge protectors, adapters and chargers for more than twenty years. With its own technologies and manufacturing strength, Huntkey has served OPPO, Lenovo, Huawei, Haier, DELL, ZTE, Bestbuy and many other large enterprises for years, and has received unanimous recognition and trust from its customers.

For more information about Huntkey, please visit:

http://en.huntkey.com/

http://www.facebook.com/HuntkeyDIY/

Contact:

Ferris Liao

+86-755-8960-6658

[email protected]

SOURCE Huntkey Enterprise Group

Related Links

http://en.huntkey.com/


PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger & Montague, P.C., has announced an investigation into an alleged $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme operated by Robert H. Shapiro ("Shapiro") through Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC, Woodbridge Structured Funding, LLC, RS Protection Trust and WMF Management, LLC. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), Shapiro operated Woodbridge Group of Companies as a Ponzi scheme bilking investors out of as much as $1.2 billion.

Specifically, the SEC accused Shapiro of using a complex web of fake real estate investments and unregistered Florida-based funds to defraud nearly 8,400 investors, many of whom are senior citizens. According to the SEC's complaint, Shapiro used Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC to sell investors 12-18 month promissory notes bearing 5 to 8 percent interest and various private placement offerings in the following companies:

RS Protection Trust (RS Trust);

WMF Management, LLC (WMF);

Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC; and

Woodbridge Structured Funding, LLC (WSF).

If you are an investor in the Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC, Woodbridge Structured Funding, LLC, RS Protection Trust or WMF Management, LLC, please contact the investigating attorney, Michael Dell'Angelo of Berger & Montague, P.C., at 800-424-6690 or 215-875-3080, via email at [email protected].

The official SEC Press Release and SEC Complaint detail Shapiro's alleged misconduct. According to the SEC Complaint, "Despite receiving over $1 billion in investor funds, Shapiro and his companies only generated approximately $13.7 million in interest income from truly unaffiliated third-party borrowers." The Complaint further states that "Without real revenue to pay the monies due to investors, Shapiro resorted to fraud, using new investor money to pay the returns owed to existing investors." Investors impacted by the alleged misconduct can contact Berger & Montague, P.C., to learn more.

Berger & Montague, P.C. is a nationally recognized, full-service plaintiffs' class action law firm specializing in securities, antitrust and other complex litigation on behalf of institutions and other investor and individual plaintiffs. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

SOURCE Berger & Montague, P.C.

Related Links

http://www.bergermontague.com


MT. PLEASANT, Mich., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jae A. Evans, President and Chief Executive Officer of Isabella Bank Corporation (OTCQX:ISBA), announced that the Board of Directors at its December 20, 2017 Board meeting approved a resolution to increase its share repurchase program by an additional 200,000 shares, raising the aggregate authorization under the program to 222,755 shares. The Corporation has repurchased to date 1,419,819 shares under the existing authorization.

The authorization does not have an expiration date. Stock repurchases under the program may be made from time to time, as the Corporation deems appropriate, based on factors such as share price, market conditions, share availability, purchase needs under the Corporation's employee stock purchase and dividend reinvestment plan and other relevant factors. There can be no assurance as to the number of shares the Corporation will purchase, if any, and the program may be modified, renewed, suspended or terminated by the Corporation at any time without prior notice.

Headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, Isabella Bank Corporation is the bank holding company for Isabella Bank. Founded in 1903 with a focus on community banking, Isabella Bank operates 29 banking offices and a loan production office in seven counties including Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, and Saginaw.

For more information about Isabella Bank Corporation, visit the Investors link at www.isabellabank.com. Isabella Bank Corporation common stock is quoted on the OTCQX tier of the OTC Markets Group, Inc.'s electronic quotation system (www.otcmarkets.com) under the symbol "ISBA." The Corporation's market maker is Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. (www.boenninginc.com).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. To the extent that the foregoing information refers to matters that may occur in the future, please be aware that such forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results. Additional information concerning some of the factors that could cause materially different results is included in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" set forth in Isabella Bank Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission's Public Reference facilities and from its website at www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Isabella Bank Corporation

Related Links

http://www.isabellabank.com


SHANGHAI, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jupai Holdings Limited ("Jupai" or the "Company") (NYSE: JP), a leading third-party wealth management service provider focusing on distributing wealth management products and providing quality product advisory services to high-net-worth individuals in China, today announced that Mr. Jianda Ni, Jupai's chairman of the board and chief executive officer, has agreed to purchase a total of 19,853,538 ordinary shares of Jupai, representing approximately 10% of Jupai's total shares outstanding, from Mr. Xin Zhou, a director of the Company and E-House (China) Holdings Limited ("E-House"), a leading real estate service company controlled by Mr. Zhou, through a private transaction. The total consideration of the transaction is US$56,847,297, equivalent to US$17.18 per American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") (one ADS representing six ordinary shares), determined based on the closing price of the Company's ADSs traded on the New York Stock Exchange on December 20, 2017. Following this transaction, E-House and Mr. Zhou collectively will beneficially own approximately 25% of the equity interests in the Company.

Mr. Jianda Ni said, "We are grateful for having the support and trust of E-House and Mr. Xin Zhou since they became Jupai's shareholders. I am highly confident in our strategy to build Jupai into the leading wealth and asset management brand in China. Management will continue our efforts to further enhance long-term value for Jupai's shareholders."

ABOUT JUPAI HOLDINGS LIMITED

Jupai Holdings Limited ("Jupai") (NYSE: JP) is a leading third-party wealth management service provider focusing on distributing wealth management products and providing quality product advisory services to high-net-worth individuals in China. Jupai's comprehensive and personalized client service and broad range of carefully selected third-party and self-developed products have made it a trusted brand among its clients. Jupai maintains extensive and targeted coverage of China's high-net-worth population.

For more information, please visit http://jupai.investorroom.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of 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," "confident" and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Jupai's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Jupai may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Jupai's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the goals and strategies of the Company and the Company's ability to manage its growth and implement its business strategies; future business development, financial condition and results of operations of the Company; condition of the wealth management market in China and internationally; the demand for and market acceptance of the products the Company distributes; the Company's ability to maintain and further grow its active high-net-worth client base and maintain or increase the amount of investment by clients; developments in relevant government policies and regulations relating to the Company's industry and the Company's ability to comply with those policies and regulations; the Company's ability to attract and retain quality employees; the Company's ability to adapt to potential uncertainties in China's real estate industry and stay abreast of market trends and technological advances; the results of the Company's investments in research and development to enhance its product choices and service offerings; general economic and business conditions in China; the Company's ability to protect its reputation and enhance its brand recognition. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Jupai's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Jupai does not undertake any obligation to update any such information, including forward-looking statements, as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

Contacts:

Jupai Holdings Limited

Harry He

Director of Investor Relations

Jupai Holdings Limited

Phone: +86 (21) 6026 9129

Email: [email protected]

Philip Lisio

The Foote Group

Phone: +86 (10) 8429 9544

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Jupai Holdings Limited

Related Links

http://jupai.investorroom.com


"Today we celebrate delivery of our first GTF-powered C Series aircraft. We are excited for the dramatic improvements in efficiency, emissions, and noise that will enhance our operations and passenger experience," said Soo-Keun Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Korean Air.

"This is a very important milestone for the C Series program because it is our breakthrough into the fast-growing Asian market, and we are honored to have Korean Air Lines as our brand ambassador in the region," said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "We expect that over the next 20 years, Asian operators will take delivery of 2,870 small single-aisle aircraft. We are thrilled that Korean Air is the first in the region to showcase the CS300 aircraft's outstanding performance and capabilities."

Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard, and to lower the noise footprint by 75 percent.

"We are thrilled for Korean Air to receive their first CS300 aircraft," said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. "Pratt & Whitney has shared a long standing relationship with KAL dating back to the late 1940's and we look forward to powering their new-generation fleet."

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Pratt & Whitney

+1 (860) 565-9600

[email protected]

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney

Related Links

http://www.pratt-whitney.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. (CSE: LDS), (OTCQB: LDSYF) and (Frankfurt: LD6, WKN: A14XHT) ("LDS" or the "Company") announces that on December 21, 2017, the Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch of the California Department of Public Health has issued CSPA Group, Inc. ("CSPA") a Temporary Category M Type 7 Manufacturing with Volatile Solvents License which will be effective January 1, 2018 through April 30, 2018. During this time, the California Department of Public Health will review CSPA's application and corresponding municipal permits and documentation for a permanent license.

Brad Eckenweiler, CEO of LDS, stated, "There are milestones and then there are milestones. This license marks the beginning of the most significant milestone yet in the development of the CannaStripsTM project. On January 1, 2018 for the first time the LDS CannaStripsTM technology with the CSPA Group Inc. licensee and LDS Scientific Inc. consulting will be producing a product for patients that is safe, free of contaminates, with accurate dosage, delivering consistent results and licensed by the State of California." The CSPA Group, Inc. and the LDS Scientific team have been given the next ten days off as holiday reward for all their hard work and to rest up for the month ahead. Only minimal staff and our armed security will be at the facility until January 1, 2018, at which time the facility is expected to run two production shifts per day. We would like to wish every one of our shareholders and supporters a joyous carefree holiday and prosperous New Year.

About Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc.

The Company's technology produces infused strips (similar to breath strips) that are not only a safer, healthier option to smoking, but also a new way to accurately meter the dosage and assure the purity of the product. In addition, with the entering into its management services agreements with NHMC, Inc. and CSPA Group, Inc., the Company has begun its direct involvement in the growing of medicinal ingredients for, and the manufacturing of, its products. From seed to sale, the Company's products and ingredients will be tested for quality and composition throughout the formulation and production processes, resulting in a delivery system that is safe, consistent and effective.

On behalf of the board of directors of Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc.

Brad Eckenweiler, CEO & Director

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

[email protected]

1-866-347-5058

Cautionary Disclaimer Statement:

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. In addition, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Although Congress has prohibited the US Justice Department from spending federal funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws, this prohibition must be renewed each year to remain in effect. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

SOURCE Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lifestyledeliverysystem.com


LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Long Beach Comic Expo (www.longbeachcomicexpo.com) is a celebration of comic books and pop culture that showcases the exceptional works of talented writers, artists, illustrators and creators of all kinds in pop culture. The 8th annual Long Beach Comic Expo takes place February 17 & 18, 2018 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.

2018 guest announcements include:

Mark Waid: an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer, known for his work on titles for DC Comics such as The Flash, Kingdom Come, and Superman: Birthright, and for his work on Captain America, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil for Marvel Comics.

Marv Wolfman: a comic book writer best known for co-creating Cyborg (seen in the Justice League movie) and Blade, as well his work on DC Comics' The New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and many other comic books, prose, and video game titles.

Arthur Suydam: a comic book artist who has done artwork for magazines including Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated, and National Lampoon, while his comic book work includes Batman, Conan, Tarzan, Predator, Aliens, Death Dealer, and Marvel Zombies.

In addition to the guest announcements above, Tori Gedvillas, Dean Haspiel, David Gallaher, Steve Ellis, Neo Edmund, Dan Mendoza, Patrick Owsley, and Frank Tieri along with many others are expected to be in attendance.

The expo will feature more than 150 exhibitors, including comic book dealers, 100+ creators in the Artist Alley and the popular Cosplay Corner and cosplay contest sponsored by Bernina USA.

In addition, LBCE holds many entertaining and informative panels from guest speakers covering topics ranging from comics to animation and movies plus an interactive and educational Space Expo by The Columbia Memorial Space Center along with an array of films by GeekFest Film Festival.

Also slated to return is the fourth annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics, awarded to creators and content that reflect diversity. More than 100 titles were submitted this year for consideration, nearly triple the amount submitted last year. Submissions are open until December 31st and the winner will be announced on February 17th.

For additional information on Long Beach Comic Expo please visit: www.longbeachcomicexpo.com

MEDIA CONTACT

Whitney Woznick

White Water Agency

561-440-7559

[email protected]

SOURCE Long Beach Comic Expo

Related Links

http://www.longbeachcomicexpo.com


PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucy Pet presents its 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade Float Entry: "Paws for Life"

"We are honored to be working with such heroic animals and the people who love them," said Joey Herrick, President and Founder of The Lucy Pet Foundation and Lucy Pet Products. "We salute the animals for their love, companionship and bravery whether it's a cat protecting a little boy from a vicious dog attack or a military working dog shielding soldiers in combat, they each deserve this very special recognition."

Marine Sgt. Joshua Ashley (22-years-old) stands with his military dog companion, Sirius, named after the brightest star in the constellations. Ashley was slain on a mission in Afghanistan. His dog survived to do one more tour of duty. It was Ashley's wish that his mother, Tammie, received Sirius after his tour of duty ended. Rancho Cucamonga resident Tammie Ashley, mother of slain Marine Sgt. Joshua Ashley, proudly stands with Sirius, the dog her son wanted given to her after the dog's his final tour of duty. Also pictured is Certified Therapy Dog, Coppertone, who is also a champion surf pup!

Each animal riding the Lucy Pet float has a unique and amazing story to tell:

'Sirius' a retired K-9 military working dog was working in Afghanistan with his best friend and handler, 22-year-old Marine Sgt. Joshua Ashley, when Sgt. Ashley was killed by an IED. Sirius was also injured but was able to return for an additional tour of duty. Upon Sirius' retirement from the Marines, he was adopted by Sgt. Ashley's family. The now 10-year-old German Shepherd will ride the float alongside Sgt. Ashley's mother Tammie, in memory of her son. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5eEYqEU_dY

'Tara' a cat that saved 4-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo from a vicious dog attack as he played in his driveway. 'Tara' fearlessly jumped on a dog five times her size and chased him down the street then returned to check on Jeremy's well-being. The surveillance footage of that event was seen by over 30 million people on YouTube! 'Tara' will ride along with now seven-year-old Jeremy and his parents, Roger and Erica Triantafilo.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-Opm9b2WDk

'Jax' A 5-year-old Belgian Malinois Oxnard Police Department K-9 and his handler, Senior Officer Daniel Casson will ride the float in recognition of Jax's work bringing down dangerous criminals. He recently sniffed out 5 lbs. of methamphetamine disguised to look like a wrapped birthday gift during a routine traffic stop. Jax was also responsible for apprehending a criminal who was trying to light an occupied homeless encampment on fire. When he is off duty, he is Officer Casson's family dog who enjoys playing with all the neighborhood kids.

'Rocket' A Border Collie mix once deemed unadoptable in a shelter because of his high energy level, and slated to be put down, was rescued by a Search Dog Foundation recruiter who saw potential in him. He now works alongside his handler, firefighter Mike Stornetta and travels all over the country to search for victims who are trapped during natural disasters. He was recently deployed in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and the Sonoma wine country fires.

Actor Danny Trejo best known for his tough guy character roles, and most recently seen in the AMC Cable TV hit 'Breaking Bad', will be riding on the float with his rescue dog 'Penny Lane.' Danny is a well-known animal advocate and always promotes the importance of spay and neuter and encourages fans to adopt their pets from local shelters. In his spare time, Danny likes to visit Children's Hospital, bringing comfort and smiles to sick kids in the greater Los Angeles area.

Cast of Awesomeness TV Hit YouTube Series 'Malibu Surf' actors Ally Barron, Bailey Herrick, Van Bush and Keaton Yellin will be riding with registered therapy dogs Golden Retriever 'Surfin' Jack' and Dachshund 'Coppertone' Surf dog. Company namesake 'Lucy' a rescued Chihuahua and the reason for The Lucy Pet Foundation, will also be aboard.

'Apollo' a Lab mix puppy born to a dog left homeless by Houston's Hurricane Harvey, will be riding in the arms of his adoptive pet parent, active Army Staff Sgt. Justin Gilliss. Gilliss, who has served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, adopted Apollo from Shelter Hope in Santa Clarita, an adoption center that took in animals from one of Lucy Pet Foundation's rescue airlifts that transported displaced pets from Houston to find new forever homes around the country.

"We salute these brave, loving and life-saving animals that have truly made a difference in peoples' lives," said Herrick.

Float riders will be available for interviews at Fiesta Floats in Irwindale, CA Dec. 27-31 and at the FREE Pasadena Rose Festival at LIVE On Green! at the Pasadena Convention Center from Dec. 29-31. The Lucy Pet's Gnarly Crankin' K-9 Wave Maker, along with the Lucy's Surfing Pets Team and the one and only 'Ricky the Surfing Cat' will also appear daily at the free event.

For interviews contact Jo Hunt, (310) 413-1157 or email: [email protected]

Products With A Cause

Lucy Pet is committed to helping animals by donating to the Lucy Pet Foundation, whose mission is to reduce pet overpopulation and support other animal welfare causes.

About Lucy Pet

Lucy Pet is a family-owned and operated pet product business based in Westlake Village, California. Proceeds from the brand help fund its 501(c)(3) non-profit Lucy Pet Foundation. The foundation's mission is to reduce pet overpopulation and the euthanasia of over 60,000 dogs and cats per week in the United States.

From Formulas for Life  dog and cat food, to Lucy Pet Cats Incredible cat litter to pet shampoos/leave-in conditioners, Lucy Pet develops quality products for pets' health and wellness. Their products are made in the U.S.A. and can be found in pet specialty stores across the U.S.A. and worldwide. For more information, please go to www.lucypet.com or follow Lucy Pet and their spokesdog and spokescat, Surfin' Jack on Facebook, RickytheCat on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @LucyPetProducts and @SurfinJackDog @RickytheRescue.

Contact:

Jo Hunt

DHA Lifestyle PR

1460 Beverly Dr.

Athens, Georgia

310.413.1157

[email protected]

SOURCE Lucy Pet

Related Links

http://www.lucypet.com


KISTA, Sweden and INGOLSTADT, Germany, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Macnica Europe GmbH and H&D Wireless AB (HDW) have signed a collaboration agreement for distribution of HDW wireless modules for the European IoT market.

The full wireless product portfolio of H&D Wireless will be offered via Macnica GmbH to the European market with a focus on IoT for Smart Home and Enterprise such as Industry 4.0 but also other wireless applications such as audio, medical and the COM market. This focus will primarily be supported by the new H&D Wireless modules in the Accelaratefamily. The Accelarate family of modules are world class in power consumption, size, cost and supports 802.11ac/abgn 2x2MU-MIMO/BT5, 802.11abgn/BT4.2 and 802.11ac/abgn/BT4.2/NFC in M.2 1216 and other form factors including 8x8mm SIP's.

An extended consulting and support service is offered by both companies. New products, such as the high performing SPB228 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo module, are under release right now and will be further promoted during f.ex. Embedded World Congress 2018. The new Acceleratefamily Evaluations Tools and Boards will be supported by Macnica going forward.

"HDW believe that the IoT market is to explode over the next years and we are happy to now be able to support that together with a leading distributor as Macnica, with the expertise and knowledge in respective areas. With the sales, FAE network and world class logistic centers from Macnica, we target to expand our sales and also penetrate more of Europes major industrial companies", says HDW CEO Par Bergsten."

Andreas Wemmer, Sales Director of Macnica Europe GmbH, stated: "Macnica is watching carefully the technological evolution and further standards development of wireless connectivity in the context of industrial IoT and industrial automation and are excited to start demand creation, sales and application support of these innovative products jointly with H&D Wireless as a new partner in our distribution area across Europe."

About H&D Wireless

H&D Wireless AB, is Global Swedish IoT Company based in Stockholm. We support our customers to convert their business model from selling a device in a box to offer a service and content via the Cloud, and help saving the planet at the same time. H&D Wireless offer OEM customers the possibility to quickly and cost effective digitalize their products and make them accessible over the internet. By Oct. 2017 H&D Wireless AB products has been installed into Millions of products worldwide. H&D Wireless has over the last seven years developed end-to-end system solution containing world class Wireless modules, cloud services and smart phone apps. This solution is called: Griffin. The Griffin Wi-Fi Cloud platform communicates over several wireless standards such as Wi-Fi, BLE, NFC and RFID. Griffin connects your IoT Enterprise, Smart Home, SmartGrid, Industry 4.0, Healthcare devices to the cloud. Monitor and Control your utilities, appliances, toys and security units, from the comfort of your home, or when away.

Further information under http://www.hd-wireless.com

About Macnica, Inc.

Macnica was established in 1972 as a semiconductor distribution company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and has over 65 sales offices worldwide in eastern Asia, Europe and the USA. Total number of employees is over 2,600 and its consolidated revenue for fiscal 2015 was approximately US$ 4 B. Macnica is famous for having an excellent engineering team of more than 800 application support engineers, IC designers and software developers with strong focus on providing technical support for its customers including custom design services. Macnica is continuing to extend its presence globally by having successful partners in strategic areas in the electronics market.

About Macnica Europe GmbH

Macnica's European headquarter was originally established in the UK in 2006, and moved to Germany in July 2008, to increase efficacy of its service for European customers.

By it's acquisition of the Munich based company Scantec Mikroelektronik in 2014 Macnica Europe formed a powerful semiconductor distribution with headquarters in Munich and Ingolstadt and numerous sales offices in Europe offering an attractive and competitive portfolio of highly sophisticated devices.

Macnica provides end to end support from design-in to production through its global service network to its customers, regardless of the final destination of the product shipment to customers' manufacturing locations.

SOURCE H&D Wireless AB

Related Links

http://www.hd-wireless.com


C Spire and representatives from Innovate Mississippi, Mississippi Development Authority and Kids Code Mississippi have been on the front lines of efforts to create more job opportunities in the state's information economy and joined Bryant Thursday at the Governor's office in downtown Jackson to discuss the issue.

Bryant cited participation by 52 school districts and more than 15,000 students in the second year of a computer science pilot program developed by the Mississippi Department of Education and Mississippi State's Research and Curriculum Unit as a welcome sign of progress in efforts to boost interest and participation in IT education fields and job opportunities.

The governor also drew special attention to some dramatic gains the state made in encouraging high school students to take the advanced placement computer science exam. From 2016 to this year, the number of students taking the test rose from 16 to 105, a 556 percent year-over-year increase and the highest percentage jump in the nation ahead of Idaho and Alabama.

Brad Carpenter, vice president of IT for C Spire, said the signs of progress are welcome, but the state needs to pursue more public-private partnerships and explore ways to improve and accelerate efforts in Mississippi to boost student interest in information technology and advance teacher skills, professional development and classroom instruction in computer science.

Carpenter said company-sponsored coding challenges and support for other public and private non-profit programs like the Base Camp Coding Academy, Mississippi Coding Academy, Hour of Code and the state's computer science education push are designed to help C Spire deliver on its promise to help create and retain a 21st century technology workforce in this region.

Workforce development is a key part of the broader C Spire Tech Movement initiative designed to leverage the company's technology leadership and investments to help transform its service areas.

Other elements of the program include creation of a state-of-the-art digital customer care platform for customers and team members, massive deployment of broadband internet for homes and businesses and other leadership initiatives to drive innovation and development of a 21st century technology workforce.

Workers with a background in computer science are in high demand and short supply in Mississippi. Employers currently have over 1,200 unfilled job openings due to the serious shortage of trained, qualified IT workers, Carpenter said. The average salary for qualified IT workers is nearly $69,000 a year, almost double the statewide average.

"With the shortage of qualified information technology professionals growing every day, we need to move decisively and quickly to equip teachers and inspire students to pursue computer science education and career paths that will help us meet the needs of our growing digital economy," said Carpenter, who participated in Thursday's program.

Nationwide, new research estimates the current shortage of 607,708 IT workers will balloon to over 1 million software developers in the U.S. by 2020. "The inventor of the next big thing, the latest app or cutting-edge software may be sitting in a Mississippi classroom waiting to be inspired and encouraged to become a leader in the new digital economy," Carpenter said.

Carpenter said C Spire is doing its part to encourage high school students to pursue a degree and career in information technology and computer science. The company has hosted two computer coding challenges this year for high school students across the state, reaching 43 high schools and over 200 students.

The day-long C3 program teaches students to use critical thinking and problem solving skills to solve a fresh computer coding challenge during the competition. Teams compete for college scholarships and other tech-related prizes. C Spire assigns employees with IT backgrounds and experience to help each team navigate the challenges.

"We live in a software-defined world where code and the internet directly impacts every aspect of our lives," Carpenter said. "Computer science drives innovation and creates jobs in our economy, but we need to do more to encourage schools to offer courses, equip teachers and enable young people to pursue IT careers and computer science degrees."

About C Spire

C Spire is a leading technology company committed to transforming Mississippi through the C Spire Tech Movement, which includes the massive deployment of broadband internet to homes and small businesses, a state-of-the-art digital experience for its customers and team members, technology innovation leadership and the creation and retention of a 21st century technology workforce in its region. The company provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of dedicated Internet, wireless, IP Voice, data and cloud services for businesses. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.

SOURCE C Spire

Related Links

http://www.cspire.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Less than two weeks after the National Press Club launched their campaign on change.org nearly 18,000 people have signed the petition calling for the release of detained Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez. The National Press Club's Executive Director Bill McCarren will hand-deliver those signatures to the detention facility in El Paso, TX today where Gutierrez is being held. Rep. Robert "Beto" O'Rourke (D-TX) and Gutierrez's attorney Eduardo Beckett will accompany McCarren to the detention facility.

After visiting the detention facility, McCarren, Beckett and local officials will head to El Paso's Paso Del Norte Port of Entry before making their way to La Fe Culture & Technology Center for a 1:00 p.m. press conference.

In 2008, Gutierrez, along with his then 15-year-old son Oscar, fled Mexico in the face of death threats and sought asylum immediately upon entry into the United States. Gutierrez was forced to flee when his reporting on abuses of civilians by the Mexican military for El Diario del Noroeste resulted in several threatening visits from the military and reports from multiple sources that Gutierrez was on a hit list.

Gutierrez's request for asylum, currently before the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals, reached a fever pitch on Dec. 7, 2017 when during a routine check-in, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials handcuffed Gutierrez and Oscar, and informed them that they were being deported and sent back to Mexico. Thanks to the quick action of Gutierrez's attorney Eduardo Beckett, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a stay of the deportation order within 10 minutes of receiving Beckett's call.

Now, just two months after accepting the 2017 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award at the National Press Club, and despite the stay of the deportation order issued nearly two weeks ago by the Board of Immigration Appeals, Gutierrez and Oscar continue to be held - at times in shackles - in an immigration detention center in El Paso.

The National Press Club has launched a change.org petition for release of both men and has filed a letter with the Board of Immigration Appeals. Nearly two dozen professional press organizations are supporting the effort, as is the editorial board of The Washington Post.

WHO: National Press Club Executive Director Bill McCarren, Attorney Eduardo Beckett and local officials.

WHAT: Press conference to discuss the case of detained journalist Emilio Gutierrez

WHEN: 1:00 p.m. (MT) Friday, Dec. 22

WHERE: La Fe Culture & Technology Center

721 S Ochoa Street (Rear Building) El Paso, TX 79901

WHY: A journalist's life, and freedom of speech on the North American continent, is at stake.

The National Press Club, located in downtown Washington, D.C., is The World's Leading Professional Organization for Journalists; through its non-profit Journalism Institute, it supports the First Amendment in the United States and freedom of the press worldwide.

CONTACT:

Lindsay Underwood, National Press Club, [email protected], 202-662-7561

SOURCE National Press Club
CRESTWOOD, Ill., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Appointments are now available at the new Aspen Dental-branded practice at 13450 S. Cicero Ave. scheduled to open on Thursday, Dec. 28. The office will be open Monday through Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. as well as select Saturdays. Walk-in and emergency patients are welcome.

Located near Chase, the new dental office is led by Dr. William Kreifels, who received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Creighton University. Dr. Kreifels and his team will provide dental services ranging from dentures and denture repairs, to preventive care, general dentistry and restoration.

The new office, located in Cook County, is one of 30 Aspen Dental practices in Illinois, a state where 81 of the 102 counties, including Cook, are designated as dental health professional shortage areas by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to a study conducted by Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management, each new Aspen Dental practice supports local community growth by contributing more than $1.3 million in positive economic impact through job creation and capital investment.

The new Aspen Dental office offers patient-friendly programs and services to make it easier for patients to get the dental care they need, including:

Personalized treatment and friendly service. Each patient will receive a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan designed by the dentist with long-term oral and overall health in mind. Available services include hygiene, treatment of gum disease, extractions, fillings, oral surgery, whitening, and crown and bridge work.





Each patient will receive a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan designed by the dentist with long-term oral and overall health in mind. Available services include hygiene, treatment of gum disease, extractions, fillings, oral surgery, whitening, and crown and bridge work. Affordable dental care. Aspen Dental practices are committed to keeping prices fair so that patients can get the care they need. The Crestwood practice will work with insurance providers and handle the paperwork to save patients time and hassle, and offer free new-patient exams and X-rays to those who do not have insurance. The practice also offers clear, detailed estimates on the cost of treatment to give patients peace of mind as well as a variety of financing options.





Aspen Dental practices are committed to keeping prices fair so that patients can get the care they need. The practice will work with insurance providers and handle the paperwork to save patients time and hassle, and offer free new-patient exams and X-rays to those who do not have insurance. The practice also offers clear, detailed estimates on the cost of treatment to give patients peace of mind as well as a variety of financing options. On-site denture lab and a Denture Money Back Guarantee. The practice is equipped with an on-site denture laboratory, which helps facilitate quick turnaround for denture repairs, relines or adjustments. The practice will offer seven styles of full and partial dentures so patients can be reassured that Dr. Kreifels and his team will go above and beyond to ensure proper fit and comfort of their custom-crafted dentures. Getting used to dentures takes some time, but if patients are dissatisfied with their dentures for any reason  the practice will refund the cost of the dentures when patients return them within 90 days. The practice repairs all dentures, not just those purchased at Aspen Dental.

To make an appointment, patients can simply go to www.aspendental.com and click on Schedule a New Patient Appointment. Patients can also call (708) 393-4911 or 800-ASPEN DENTAL (800-277-3633).

About Aspen Dental Offices

Aspen Dental-branded practices are committed to breaking down the barriers to better dental care, better smiles and better lives by making dentistry easier for patients. With more than 650 offices in 36 states, Aspen Dental practices provide a wide range of general dentistry and denture-related services and offer patient-friendly programs and services that help thousands of people every day get the dental care they need, including convenient locations, onsite labs, extended hours, and acceptance of most dental insurance. Together, Aspen Dental practices cared for more than 1.5 million patients in 2016. To learn more about how Aspen Dental practices make it simply easier for patients to get the care they need, visit AspenDental.com.

About Aspen Dental Management Inc.

With an innovative model that takes non-clinical business and administrative services out of the dental office so that dentists are free to focus on patient care, the team at ADMI is driven by one overarching purpose: To care for the people who care for the patients. ADMI makes it easier for dentists to have the careers they've always dreamed of, delivering care to their patients with the support of a team of experienced business professionals who are committed to making their practices a success. Support provided by ADMI includes services and recommendations related to finding the right locations, leasing, acquiring equipment, accounting and marketing.

SOURCE Aspen Dental

Related Links

http://www.aspendental.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New York Blood Center (NYBC) is asking the public to donate blood at a nearby drive, NYBC center, or mobile unit to help replenish the community's blood supply. Cold and flu season, the holidays, school breaks, and inclement weather impact donations at this time of year. It is imperative for NYBC to always have an adequately stocked blood supply to respond when communities are faced with patient traumas or other events that require lifesaving blood products.

TO DONATE BLOOD OR FOR INFORMATION

ON HOW TO ORGANIZE A BLOOD DRIVE:

Call Toll Free: 1-800-933-BLOOD (2566)

Visit: www.nybc.org/blood

In order to maintain a safe blood supply, a seven-day inventory of all types must be continually replenished. Companies, organizations, and community groups are encouraged to donate or host their own blood drives to help rebuild the blood supply  NYBC's staff can help each step of the way.

"By spreading the word or even hosting your own blood drive, inviting friends, family, and community organizations, you may save lives in your community," said Andrea Cefarelli, Executive Director Donor Recruitment for NYBC. "We are in dire need of O negative blood with a reserve that is currently below ideal levels." O negative blood donors are considered "universal," and their blood type is needed most readily in trauma situations and emergency rooms across the country. Due to its high demand, O negative blood is in short supply, and NYBC encourages individuals with this blood type to consider stepping forward and donating today.

Blood donors must be between the ages of 16 (with signed parental consent) and 75 (or older with a doctor's written permission), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and be in generally good health. All donors will benefit from a free mini exam including a review of their pulse rate, blood pressure, and temperature. Donors will need a photo or signature ID. Donors who are not sure if they are eligible to donate can call 1-800-688-0900.

About New York Blood Center

Founded in 1964, the New York Blood Center Network (NYBC) is a nonprofit organization that is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the world. NYBC, along with its partner organizations Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Missouri (CBC), Innovative Blood Resources (IBR), Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve local communities of more than 45 million people in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT), Mid Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD), the Kansas City metropolitan area, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBC and its partners also provide a wide array of transfusion-related medical services, including Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the National Center for Blood Group Genomics, the National Cord Blood Program, and the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, whichamong other milestonesdeveloped the Hepatitis B vaccine and a patented solvent detergent plasma process innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.

Website: www.nybc.org

Contact: Andrea Cefarelli

Phone: 914-760-3173

SOURCE New York Blood Center

Related Links

http://www.nybc.org


EAST HANOVER, N.J., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis announced today the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Company's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for filing, and granted Priority Review designation for Tafinlar (dabrafenib) in combination with Mekinist (trametinib) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test, following complete resection. In October, the FDA also granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation following complete resection.

"The FDA's decision to grant Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist Breakthrough Therapy designation and Priority Review designation validates the potential of the combination to have a significant impact on the lives of melanoma patients treated in the adjuvant setting," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head, Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "There remains a need to address the high risk of recurrence seen in these patients and improve the quality of care they receive."

Priority Review designation is based on results from COMBI-AD, a Phase III study evaluating Tafinlar + Mekinist in patients with stage III BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive melanoma after complete resection1. The study met its primary endpoint by significantly reducing the risk of disease recurrence or death by 53% versus placebo (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.47 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.39-0.58])1. The combination treatment group also showed an improvement in the key secondary endpoint of OS (HR: 0.57 [95% CI: 0.42-0.79] p=0.0006, which did not cross the predefined interim analysis boundary of p=0.000019 to claim statistical significance). Other secondary endpoints where the combination demonstrated a clinically meaningful benefit include DMFS (HR: 0.51 [95% CI: 0.40-0.65]), and FFR (HR: 0.47 [95% CI: 0.39-0.57])1.

According to FDA guidelines, treatments that receive Priority Review designation are those that address a serious or life threatening disease or condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in treatment safety or efficacy. If a treatment is granted Priority Review designation, the goal of the FDA is to issue a decision within six months of application submission, rather than ten months for standard review.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist is currently approved in the US for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with a BRAF V600E/K mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a BRAF V600E mutation.

About COMBI-AD

COMBI-AD was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase III study and included a total of 870 patients with stage III, BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma who had undergone prior complete surgical resection, without prior anticancer therapy1. Patients were treated with Tafinlar (150 mg BID) + Mekinist (2 mg QD) combination (n = 438) or matching placebos (n = 432) for 12 months and stratified based on BRAF mutation (V600E vs. V600K) and stage (IIIA vs. IIIB vs. IIIC)1.

The primary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS). Secondary endpoints included OS, DMFS, FFR and safety. Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with other Tafinlar + Mekinist studies, and no new safety signals were reported1.

About Melanoma

There are about 200,000 new diagnoses of melanoma (stages 0-IV) worldwide each year, approximately half of which have BRAF mutations. Biomarker tests can determine whether a tumor has a BRAF mutation2,3.

Melanoma is staged by how far it has metastasized. In stage III melanoma, tumors have spread to the regional lymph nodes, presenting a higher risk of recurrence or metastases2. Patients who receive surgical treatment for stage III melanoma may have a high risk of recurrence because melanoma cells can remain in the body after surgery; almost half (44%) of patients receiving placebo per the COMBI-AD study had a recurrence of disease within the first year1,4. Adjuvant therapy is additional treatment given after surgical resection, and may be recommended for patients with high-risk melanoma to help reduce the risk of melanoma returning4.

About Tafinlar + Mekinist Combination

Combination use of Tafinlar + Mekinist in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who have a BRAF V600 mutation is approved in the US, EU, Japan, Australia, Canada and other countries.

The combination of Tafinlar + Mekinist is also approved for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a BRAF V600E mutation in the US and advanced NSCLC with a BRAF V600 mutation in the EU.

Tafinlar + Mekinist target different kinases within the serine/threonine kinase family  BRAF and MEK1/2, respectively  in the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway, which is implicated in NSCLC and melanoma, among other cancers. When Tafinlar is used with Mekinist, the combination has been shown to slow tumor growth more than either drug alone. The combination of Tafinlar + Mekinist is currently being investigated in an ongoing clinical trial program across a range of tumor types conducted in study centers worldwide.

The safety and efficacy profile of the Tafinlar + Mekinist combination has not yet been established outside of the approved indications.

Tafinlar + Mekinist are also indicated in more than 60 countries worldwide, including the US and EU, as single agents to treat patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation.

Tafinlar + Mekinist Combination Important Safety Information

Tafinlar + Mekinist combination may cause serious side effects.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist should only be used to treat patients with a change (mutation) in the BRAF gene; therefore, doctors should test their patients before treatment, as patients without a BRAF mutation and with a RAS mutation can be at risk of increased cell proliferation in the presence of a BRAF inhibitor.

Doctors should also consider other treatment options for their patients if they had been previously treated with a BRAF inhibitor as single agent, as the limited data available have shown that the efficacy of Tafinlar + Mekinist is lower in these patients.

When Tafinlar is used in combination with Mekinist, or when Tafinlar is administered as monotherapy, it can cause new cancers (both skin cancer and non-skin cancer). Patients should be advised to contact their doctor immediately for any new lesions, changes to existing lesions on their skin, or signs and symptoms of other malignancies.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause severe bleeding, and in some cases can lead to death. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider and get medical help right away if they have headaches, dizziness, or feel weak, cough up blood or blood clots, vomit blood or their vomit looks like "coffee grounds," have red or black stools that look like tar, or any unusual signs of bleeding.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or either drug alone, can cause severe eye problems that can lead to blindness. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they get these symptoms of eye problems: blurred vision, loss of vision, or other vision changes, seeing color dots, halo (seeing blurred outline around objects), eye pain, swelling, or redness.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Tafinlar alone, can cause fever which may be serious. When taking Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, fever may happen more often or may be more severe. In some cases, chills or shaking chills, too much fluid loss (dehydration), low blood pressure, dizziness, or kidney problems may happen with the fever. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they get a fever above 38.5oC (101.3oF) while taking Tafinlar.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can affect how well the heart pumps blood. A patient's heart function should be checked before and during treatment. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they have any of the following signs and symptoms of a heart problem: feeling like their heart is pounding or racing, shortness of breath, swelling of their ankles and feet, or feeling lightheaded.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Tafinlar alone, can cause abnormal kidney function or inflammation of the kidney. Abnormal kidney function may happen more often for patients with fever or too much fluid loss. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider right away if they have a fever above 38.5oC (101.3oF), decreased urine, fatigue, loss of appetite or discomfort in lower abdomen or back. Tafinlar has not been studied in patients with renal insufficiency (defined as creatinine > 1.5 x ULN) therefore caution should be used in this setting.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause abnormal liver function. A patient may feel tired, lose appetite, yellow skin, dark urine colour, or discomfort in abdomen. The liver function abnormality needs to be assessed by laboratory test of the blood. Patients should consult their healthcare provider if they have such experience. Administration of Tafinlar or Mekinist should be done with caution in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment.

Elevations in blood pressure have been reported in association with Mekinist in combination with Tafinlar, or with Mekinist alone, in patients with or without pre-existing hypertension. Patients should be advised to monitor blood pressure during treatment with Mekinist and control potential hypertension by standard therapy, as appropriate.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause inflammation of the lung tissue. Patients should notify their doctor if they experience any new or worsening symptoms of lung or breathing problems, including shortness of breath or cough.

Rash is a common side effect of Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or with Mekinist alone. Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can also cause other skin reactions which can be severe, and may need to be treated in a hospital. Patients should be advised to call their healthcare provider if they get any of the following symptoms: skin rash that bothers them or does not go away, acne, redness, swelling, peeling, or tenderness of hands or feet, skin redness.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause muscle breakdown, a condition called Rhabdomyolysis. Patients experiencing muscle pain, tenderness, weakness or a swelling of their muscles should contact their healthcare provide immediately.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Tafinlar alone, can uncommonly cause an inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Patients should be promptly investigated if they experience unexplained abdominal pain and closely monitored if they re-start Tafinlar after a prior episode of pancreatitis.

Tafinlar in combination with Mekinist, or Mekinist alone, can cause blood clots in the arms or legs, which can travel to the lungs and can lead to death. Patients should be advised to get medical help right away if they have the following symptoms: chest pain, sudden shortness of breath or trouble breathing, pain in their legs with or without swelling, swelling in their arms or legs, or a cool or pale arm or leg.

Mekinist in combination with Tafinlar, or Mekinist alone, may increase the risk of developing holes in the stomach or intestine (gastrointestinal perforation). Treatment with Mekinist alone or in combination with Tafinlar should be used with caution in patients with risk factors for gastrointestinal perforation, including concomitant use of medications with a recognized risk of gastrointestinal perforation.

Tafinlar and Mekinist both can cause harm to an unborn baby when taken by a pregnant woman. Tafinlar can also render hormonal contraceptives ineffective.

The most common side effects of Tafinlar + Mekinist combination include fever, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, chills, headache, vomiting, joint pain, high blood pressure, rash and cough. The incidence and severity of fever is increased when Mekinist is used in combination with Tafinlar.

Patients should tell their doctor of any side effect that bothers them or does not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects of Tafinlar + Mekinist combination. For more information, patients should ask their doctor or pharmacist.

Patients should take Tafinlar + Mekinist combination exactly as their health care provider tells them. Patients should not change their dose or stop taking Tafinlar + Mekinist combination unless their health care provider advises them to. Mekinist should be taken only once daily (either in the morning or evening, at the same time as Tafinlar). The first and second doses of Tafinlar should be taken approximately 12 hours apart. Patients should take Tafinlar + Mekinist at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal. Do not take a missed dose of Tafinlar within 6 hours of the next dose of Tafinlar. Do not open, crush, or break Tafinlar capsules. Do not take a missed dose of Mekinist within 12 hours of the next dose of Mekinist.

Please see full Prescribing Information for Tafinlar and Mekinist.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; general economic and industry conditions, including the effects of the persistently weak economic and financial environment in many countries; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis and @Novartis Cancer at http://twitter.com/novartiscancer

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact [email protected]

References

Long GV, Hauschild A, Santinami M, et al. Adjuvant Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib for Stage III BRAF V600E/KMutant Melanoma. New England Journal of Medicine. 2017. Melanoma Skin Cancer. American Cancer Society. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003120-pdf.pdf. Accessed 2017. Heinzerling L, Kuhnapfel S, Meckbach D. Rare BRAF mutations in melanoma patients: implications for molecular testing in clinical practice. British Journal of Cancer. 2013. Melanoma Research Alliance. Adjuvant Therapy. Available at http://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma/melanoma-treatment/adjuvant-therapy/. Accessed 2017.

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: [email protected]





Eric Althoff Novartis Global Media Relations +41 61 324 7999 (direct) +41 79 593 4202 (mobile) [email protected] Kristen Klasey Novartis Oncology Communications +1 862 778 4763 (direct) +1 862 754 1732 (mobile) [email protected]

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EAST HANOVER, N.J., Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the inclusion of Treatment-free Remission (TFR) data in the Tasigna (nilotinib) US product label. Tasigna is now the first and only BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) to include data about attempting treatment discontinuation in eligible adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase (Ph+ CML-CP) after achieving sustained deep molecular response of MR4.5 (BCR-ABL1 International Scale [IS] <= 0.0032%) in its FDA-approved prescribing information. TFR is the ability to maintain a sustained molecular response* after stopping TKI therapy in patients with Ph+ CML-CP. TFR requires scheduled monitoring of BCR-ABL1 levels to identify possible loss of molecular response.

"It has long been our ambition at Novartis to make it possible for some people with CML to discontinue therapy," said Bruno Strigini, CEO, Novartis Oncology. "We are proud that Tasigna is now the first and only TKI with TFR data in its labeling in the US and several countries around the globe. This achievement would not have been possible without the partnership of patients around the world who participated in our groundbreaking TFR trials, helping Novartis to once again reimagine what is possible for people living with CML."

With this label update, Tasigna is the only TKI that provides defined, approved criteria to attempt and monitor TFR. This approval follows a priority review for a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Tasigna seeking the addition of TFR information and is based on safety and efficacy results from the 96-week analyses of two open label trials, ENESTfreedom and ENESTop. These trials evaluated the potential to maintain MMR (BCR-ABL1 <= 0.1%) after stopping Tasigna therapy among eligible adult patients with Ph+ CML-CP. Patients in the trials had achieved a sustained MR4.5 with Tasigna in both the first-line setting or after switching from Gleevec (imatinib mesylate)**1. The trials demonstrated that almost half of the Ph+ CML-CP patients who discontinued Tasigna remained in TFR approximately two years after stopping treatment1. Among patients who did lose molecular response during the TFR phase of the trials, nearly all regained MMR when Tasigna therapy was promptly reinitiated1. The safety data are consistent with previously published studies and the known safety profile of Tasigna1.

The TFR data in the Tasigna label approved by the FDA included the use of the MolecularMD MRDx BCR-ABL test, a FDA-authorized companion diagnostic validated to measure BCR-ABL transcript levels down to MR4.51. Discontinuation of Tasigna should only be attempted under the close supervision of a physician. Frequently scheduled patient monitoring after Tasigna discontinuation is required so that possible loss of MMR and MR4.0 (BCR-ABL1 IS <= 0.01%) is quickly identified and treatment re-initiation is started promptly1.

About Ph+ CML

CML is a type of cancer in which the body produces cancerous white blood cells. Almost all patients with CML have an abnormality known as the "Philadelphia chromosome," which produces a protein called BCR-ABL. BCR-ABL causes malignant white blood cells to proliferate. Worldwide, CML accounts for approximately 10% to 15% of all adult cases of leukemia, with an incidence of one to two cases per 100,000 people per year.

About ENESTfreedom

ENESTfreedom (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials  Following REsponsE in De nOvo CML-CP Patients) is an open label Phase II study of 215 Ph+ CML-CP patients, conducted at 132 sites across 19 countries. The trial evaluated stopping treatment in 190 adults with Ph+ CML-CP in patients who had achieved a response of MR4.5 with Tasigna as a first-line treatment, who sustained deep molecular response for one year prior to treatment discontinuation.

Results from the ENESTfreedom study found that 48.9% of 190 CML patients (confidence interval [CI] 95%: 41.6%-56.3%) were able to discontinue therapy and remain in MMR at 96 weeks1. Of the 88 patients who promptly restarted treatment with Tasigna due to loss of MMR by the cut-off date, 98.9% were able to regain MMR (n=87)1. One patient discontinued the study at 7.1 weeks without regaining MMR after reinitiating treatment with Tasigna1. Patients who discontinued therapy were continually monitored for possible loss of molecular response after treatment discontinuation. BCR-ABL transcript levels and complete blood count with differential were monitored monthly for one year, then every 6 weeks for the second year, and every 12 weeks thereafter1.

The safety data observed in this trial are consistent with the known safety profile of Tasigna. AEs (all grades) in the predefined musculoskeletal pain grouping decreased from 34.0% to 9.0% during the first and second 48 weeks of the TFR phase, respectively, versus 17.0% during the treatment consolidation phase1.

About ENESTop

ENESTop (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety Trial) is an open label Phase II study of 163 Ph+ CML-CP patients, conducted at 63 sites across 18 countries. The trial evaluated stopping treatment in 126 adults with Ph+ CML-CP in patients who had been previously treated with Gleevec, and then switched to Tasigna, who achieved and sustained molecular response for one year prior to treatment discontinuation.

ENESTop showed that more than half (53.2%) of patients were able to remain in TFR at 96 weeks (95% CI: 44.1%-62.1%)1. In the study, 56 patients with confirmed loss of MR4.0 or loss of MMR restarted Tasigna by the cut-off date1. Of these patients, 92.9% (n=52) regained both MR4.0 and MR4.51. Patients who discontinued therapy were continually monitored for possible loss of molecular response after treatment discontinuation. BCR-ABL transcript levels and complete blood count with differential were monitored monthly for one year, then every 6 weeks for the second year, and every 12 weeks thereafter1.

The safety data observed in this trial are consistent with the known safety profile of Tasigna. Rates of musculoskeletal pain-related AEs (all grades) decreased from 47.9% to 15.1% during the first and second 48 weeks of the TFR phase, respectively, versus 13.7% during the treatment consolidation phase1.

Novartis Commitment to CML

Evaluating more than 1,000 patients, the Tasigna TFR clinical trial program is among the most extensive in the industry. This large international program designed to assess TKI discontinuation includes ENESTfreedom and ENESTop, as well as two other ongoing company-sponsored TFR studies and multiple investigator-initiated studies. Novartis' commitment to innovation builds upon existing evidence to explore the next advance for the care of people with CML.

Novartis' ongoing research in Ph+ CML has helped transform the disease from a fatal leukemia to a chronic condition in most patients. The company maintains an unwavering commitment to scientific innovation and access to care for patients worldwide. As an organization committed to patients, Novartis continues to reimagine CML by pursuing ambitious goals with courage, passion and commitment for the global CML community.

About Tasigna

Tasigna (nilotinib) is approved in more than 122 countries for the treatment of chronic phase and accelerated phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (Ph+ CML) in adult patients resistant or intolerant to at least one prior therapy, including Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), and in more than 110 countries for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ CML in chronic phase.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION for TASIGNA (nilotinib) Capsules

Tasigna can cause QT prolongation, a possible life-threatening heart problem. Patients with long QTc syndrome or low levels of potassium or magnesium should not take Tasigna. Obtain a baseline ECG prior to initiating therapy and as clinically indicated. Monitor closely for an effect on the QTc interval. Low levels of potassium or magnesium must be corrected prior to Tasigna administration. Cases of sudden death have been reported in clinical studies in patients with significant risk factors. Avoid use of concomitant drugs known to prolong the QT interval and strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. Avoid food 2 hours before and 1 hour after taking dose.

Use with caution in patients with liver impairment, with a history of pancreatitis and with total gastrectomy. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, severe lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not use Tasigna. Tasigna may cause fetal harm in pregnant women. If pregnancy is planned during the treatment-free remission phase, the patient must be informed of a potential need to re-initiate treatment with Tasigna during pregnancy. Women taking Tasigna should not breastfeed.

Cases of cardiovascular events included ischemic heart disease-related events, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, and ischemic cerebrovascular events have been reported. Serious cases of hemorrhage from various sites including gastrointestinal were reported in patients receiving Tasigna. Grade 3 or 4 fluid retention including pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, ascites and pulmonary edema have been reported. Cases of tumor lysis syndrome have been reported in Tasigna-treated patients who were resistant or intolerant to prior CML therapy.

Frequent monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels in patients eligible for treatment discontinuation (TFR) must be performed with a diagnostic test validated to measure at least MR4.5. After discontinuation of Tasigna, frequently scheduled patient monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels is required to detect possible loss of remission. Loss of MMR or confirmed loss of MR4 (2 consecutive measures separated by at least 4 weeks showing loss of MR4) will trigger treatment re-initiation within 4 weeks of when loss of remission is known to have occurred. For patients who fail to achieve MMR after 3 months of treatment re initiation, BCR-ABL kinase domain mutation testing should be performed.

The most frequent Grade 3 or 4 adverse events are hematological (neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia) which are generally reversible and usually managed by withholding Tasigna temporarily or dose reduction. Chemistry panels, including electrolytes, lipid profile, liver enzymes, and glucose should be checked prior to therapy and periodically. Tasigna can cause increases in serum lipase. The most frequent non-hematologic adverse events were rash, pruritus, nausea, fatigue, headache, alopecia, myalgia, constipation and diarrhea.

Musculoskeletal pain, myalgia, pain in extremity, arthralgia, bone pain and spinal pain may occur upon discontinuing treatment with Tasigna within the framework of attempting treatment-free remission.

Please see full Prescribing Information including Boxed WARNING at https://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/sites/www.pharma.us.novartis.com/files/tasigna.pdf.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; general economic and industry conditions, including the effects of the persistently weak economic and financial environment in many countries; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis and @NovartisCancer at https://twitter.com/novartiscancer

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact [email protected]

References

1. Tasigna (nilotinib) Prescribing Information. East Hanover, New Jersey, USA: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; December 2017.

*No loss of MMR (BCR-ABL1 <= 0.1%) in newly diagnosed patients, and no loss of MMR or no confirmed loss of MR4.0 (BCR-ABL1 <= 0.01%) in patients resistant or intolerant to prior treatment including imatinib.

**Known as Glivec (imatinib) tablets outside the US and Canada.

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: [email protected]

Eric Althoff Novartis Global Media Relations +41 61 324 7999 (direct) +41 79 593 4202 (mobile) [email protected] Mary Curtin Creaser Novartis Oncology Communications + 1 862 778-2550 (direct) + 1 862 345-4102 (mobile) [email protected]

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Central

North America

Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Richard Pulik +1 212 830 2448 Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065 Cory Twining +1 212 830 2417 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425



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SOURCE Novartis

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TAIPEI, Taiwan, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OBI Pharma, Inc. (TPEx:4174), a Taiwan biopharma company specializing in the development of novel first-in-class cancer therapeutics that uniquely target Globo Series (including Globo H) and AKR1C3, announced that it will participate at the 36th J.P. Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference.

The conference is being held on January 8-11, 2018, in San Francisco. J.P. Morgan will be organizing OBI Pharma one-on-one meetings with investors. Investors wishing to attend can also contact our IR team at [email protected].

About OBI Pharma

OBI Pharma, Inc. is a Taiwan biopharmaceutical company that was established in 2002. Its mission is to develop and license novel therapeutic agents for unmet medical needs against cancer targets such as Globo Series (including Globo H), AKR1C3, and other promising targets.

The company's novel first-in-class immuno-oncology portfolio against Globo Series includes: Adagloxad Simolenin (formerly OBI-822), a Globo Series active immunotherapy vaccine; OBI-888 (Globo H mAb) and OBI-999 (Globo H ADC). The company's novel first-in-class AKR1C3 targeted therapy is OBI-3424 (small-molecule prodrug) that selectively releases a potent DNA alkylating agent in the presence of the aldo-keto reductase 1c3 (AKR1C3) enzyme. Additional information can be found at www.obipharma.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future clinical trials, results and the timing of such trials and results. Such risk factors are identified and discussed from time to time in OBI Pharma's reports and presentations, including OBI Pharma's filings with the Taiwan Securities and Futures Bureau.

COMPANY CONTACT:

Gus Adapon

OBI Pharma, Inc.

+886 (2) 2786-6589

[email protected]

SOURCE OBI Pharma, Inc.

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Since Operation Agua launched in October, the partnership is halfway to reaching its fundraising goal, and the Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, has distributed 3,849 Kohler Clarity water filters to nearly every open school in Puerto Rico to provide safe drinking water to the 272,131 students enrolled. The remaining 25 schools will receive their water filters when the schools reopen after the holidays.

"The AMPR is here for our students, our members, our schools and our communities," said Aida Diaz, AMPR president. "We started our efforts in the schools because we wanted to ensure our students and staff had safe drinking water. This is a continuing plan to help Puerto Rico recover and rebuild and to support public education on our island."

Responding to the water crisis in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the AFT; Operation Blessing International; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the Hispanic Federation; the Seafarers International Union; and TOTE Maritime launched Operation Agua to crowdsource contributions and provide a reliable source of safe drinking water across Puerto Rico.

"This week, we delivered Operation Agua water filters, clothes and gifts to students and faculty at Puerto Rico public schoolssome still without electricity and only intermittent access to drinking water for the past three months since Hurricane Maria," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "I am in awe of all the educators and students here who are striving to move forward in the face of such daunting circumstances. I am equally inspired by the generosity of people all across our country who have collectively helped us get halfway to our goal in just a few weeks. We will continue to support Puerto Rico to help make sure that our children are safe, that they receive all the help they need and that this crisis is not invisible, and the federal government should do the same."

To date, Operation Agua has raised $1.5 million to purchase and distribute 100,000 individual water filtration systems for households and classrooms, and to install large-capacity clean-water devices to a network of nonprofit organizations, union offices, schools and other community-based groups to provide stable and reliable sources of safe water.

Based on current donations, Operation Agua has committed to purchasing 55,920 Kohler filters, and so far 27,680 have been delivered to Puerto Rico or are currently en route. The Seafarers International Union and the shipping company TOTE Maritime are working together to ship these water filters to Puerto Rico for free.

A single $30 contribution covers the cost of an in-home purifier, the Kohler Clarity filter, which requires no electricity and provides more than 10 gallons of safe water per day to a family. And $5,000 delivers a disinfectant generator that can disinfect 150,000 gallons per dayenough safe water for thousands of people.

"This week, we worked with the AMPR to install a reverse osmosis water system in the Hospital Del Maestro in San Juan, which is now producing 27 gallons of safe water a minute for its patients and staff," said Bill Horan, president of Operation Blessing. "We are in the process of installing several large-scale chlorinators in communities across the island so people have reliable access to ample safe water to prevent infections and disease."

Along with water filter distributions to schools, Operation Agua partners are leading distributions directly to families and communities across the island. Members of the Servidores Publico Unidos, an AFSCME affiliate, are delivering thousands of filters to special education students and their families. The Hispanic Federation has distributed hundreds of filters at a community college and to community organizations.

To make a donation or become an Operation Agua sponsor, go to www.operationagua.com.

SOURCE Operation Agua
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PowerSites Media, a leading internet marketing firm based in Los Angeles run by CEO McNair Zimbalist and COO Eli Pearlman, has been acquired in an all cash deal. Since 2009 PowerSites has provided internet marketing and lead generation services to over 14,000 small business customers in Southern California.

McNair Zimbalist and Eli Pearlman acquired PowerSites from The PennySaver bankruptcy proceedings in July of 2015. The PennySaver employed over 700 people in Southern California at the time and had been in business since 1962. When McNair Zimbalist and Eli Pearlman took control of PowerSites they quickly recruited a new team and successfully restructured the company into a highly profitable, streamlined and growing business over the course of the following two years. A group of private equity investors lead by Jason Detar acquired PowerSites in an all cash deal.

PowerSites Media CEO, McNair Zimbalist, said, "We are thrilled with the result of this turnaround effort and believe the new leadership team will continue to improve PowerSites' suite of products which are specifically designed to help small businesses generate new customers in an affordable way."

PowerSites Media COO, Eli Pearlman, said, "Our team turned a bankrupt brand into a highly profitable and well respected business in a short period of time and we couldn't be happier. This success story validates our team's ability to identify undervalued assets and quickly create significant upside."

Jason Detar, incoming CEO of PowerSites, said, "We're excited about this opportunity and plan on investing heavily into the business and expanding it outside of Southern California and offering PowerSites' marketing and lead generation services to customers nationwide."

PowerSites currently has three primary products all designed to get phone calls and foot traffic for its customers with 24 hours. The three packages, PowerSites Professional Package, PowerSites SEO+ Package, and the PowerSites SEM Package, have helped thousands of Southern California businesses grow through high quality websites, search engine optimization, and Google and Bing Advertising.

"We are already preparing to launch new social media marketing services, bring back the direct mail offerings PennySaver was most known for, and create a partner program so other companies can benefit from our unique approach to delivering results for small business," Jason added.

Media Contact:

Eli Pearlman

[email protected]

SOURCE PowerSites
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network  it's easy and free. Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

Yes, Adults, You Can Still 'Believe' in Santa!

Vertical Integration Among Health Systems

Male Leaders and Masculinity

Want to Listen Better? Pretend to Make a Toast

MEDIA JOBS

Editor, Mansion  The Wall Street Journal (NY)

Supervisory Content Editor  Voice of America (DC/NY/CA)

Writer/Editor  LRP Publications (FL)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Journalists and Bloggers on Your List

12 Writer Residencies That Will Inspire You

Blog Profiles: History Blogs

-------------------------------------------------------------------

EXPERT ALERTS:



Yes, Adults, You Can Still 'Believe' in Santa!

Mary Muscari

Associate Professor

Binghamton University Decker School of Nursing

"It's been 120 years since veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church, editor of The New York Sun, penned 'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,' history's most reprinted newspaper editorial. Yet, his words ring true today -- we still live in a skeptical world, where without Santa [fairies, dragons and other enchanted wonders], there would be no childlike faith, no poetry and no magic. Studies of children's brain activity offer evidence that children do indeed have active imaginations. Thus, children may be more adept than adults in forming varied and creative images -- and see Santa with such clarity, when all we see are holiday bills."

Muscari can offer a number of activities that adults can engage in to recapture that lost spirit. Her areas of expertise include parenting, from toddler age and up, especially teens. She has conducted a number of parenting workshops around the country, the most popular topics including: keeping kids safe from predators ("live" and Internet), bullying, and raising nonviolent kids. She has written a number of parenting books, including "Child Behavioral and Parenting Challenges for Advanced Practice Nurses: A Reference for Front-line Health Care Providers" (Springer, 2016).

Website: https://www.binghamton.edu/dson/

Contact: John Brhel, [email protected]



Vertical Integration Among Health Systems

Ryan Marling

Healthcare Research Associate

Clayton Christensen Institute

"Horizontal integrations among health systems, like the potential Ascension Health and Providence St. Joseph Health merger, are often a temporary fix for health systems' bottom-lines, not a solution for the unsustainable cost growth in healthcare. However, vertical integration like the recent acquisition of Aetna by CVS aligns both sides, compelling them to work together. This integrated structure holds potential for payers and providers to address and coordinate both care delivery and payment in their innovation efforts and allows them to find ways to best treat and pay for complex conditions in which there may not be industry consensus. This differs from the traditional dichotomy, where insurers and providers are at odds with the each other to determine who will foot the financial risk of high-cost procedures."

Prior to joining Clayton Christensen Institute, Marling worked in practice solutions and health policy research at the Massachusetts Medical Society, publishers of The New England Journal of Medicine. He has recently been interviewed by and contributed articles to: Becker's Healthcare and Managed Healthcare Executive. Marling attained a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa and an MPH in Health Policy & Management from the Boston University School of Public Health. He is based in Boston.

Website: www.christenseninstitute.org

Contact: Brian Hyland, [email protected]



Male Leaders and Masculinity

Mark S. Kiselica, PhD, HSPP, NCC, LPC

Founding Dean and Professor of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Cabrini University

"Men who embrace positive masculinity will not tolerate nor engage in violence, sexually insensitive behavior, or destructive exploitation. They have an inner knowledge about themselves and are confident, secure, humble, and trustworthy. I urge everyone to evaluate male leaders at all levels of power through the lens of positive masculinity. We must direct our support toward men who exhibit these qualities. We have an obligation to confront male leaders who are sexist, racist, hyper-aggressive, duplicitous, and pathologically narcissistic, invite them with optimism to learn and live by more positive notions of masculinity, and forcefully challenge them if they reject this invitation."

A national authority on positive masculinity and helping boys and men, Kiselica is Fellow and former president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity and the author of 150 publications, including the books, "The Handbook of Counseling Boys and Adolescent Males" and "Counseling Troubled Boys." He believes that fostering positive masculinity is the best way to prevent disrespect and harm to women by men. Kiselica is available to speak on positive masculinity as an antidote to the problem of sexual harassment.

Website: www.cabrini.edu

Contact: Lori Iannella, [email protected]



Want to Listen Better? Pretend to Make a Toast

David Cunningham, M.Ed.

Seminar Leader

Landmark

"Most people simply attend holiday parties, meetings, events and conferences without thinking much about how to prepare to listen at those functions. In fact, they might even plan how to speak instead. They might practice soundbites or pitches to say just the right things to people in attendance. But how many people prepare to listen? What if listening is more important? Before you go to a social gathering, pretend to make a toast to the people in attendance. It can help both professionally and personally. It helps you become present to how you'd acknowledge a person -- and when you acknowledge someone, it opens up communication, partnership and trust."

Cunningham is a communication expert and seminar leader for Landmark, a personal and professional growth, training and development company that's had more than 2.4 million people use its programs to cause breakthroughs in their personal lives as well as in their communities, generating more than 100,000 community projects around the world. In The Landmark Forum, Landmark's flagship program, people cause breakthroughs in their performance, communication, relationships and overall satisfaction in life.

Online Press Kit: http://davidcunningham.onlinepresskit247.com

Website: www.LandmarkWorldwide.com

Contact: Michelle Tennant, [email protected]

****************

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

Editor, Mansion  The Wall Street Journal (NY)

Supervisory Content Editor  Voice of America (DC/NY/CA)

Writer/Editor  LRP Publications (FL)

*****************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

LAST-MINUTE GIFT IDEAS FOR THE JOURNALISTS AND BLOGGERS ON YOUR LIST. What do journalists and bloggers really want for the holidays? Aside from a magically clear inbox and a break from all the talk of fake news, they may be dreaming of some of the latest gadgets to up their storytelling game in the new year. So, for you last-minute holiday shoppers scrambling to find the perfect present, we rounded up some of the top gifts for creatives on your list: http://prn.to/2B8oeiP

want for the holidays? Aside from a magically clear inbox and a break from all the talk of fake news, they may be dreaming of some of the latest gadgets to up their storytelling game in the new year. So, for you last-minute holiday shoppers scrambling to find the perfect present, we rounded up some of the top gifts for creatives on your list: http://prn.to/2B8oeiP 12 WRITER RESIDENCIES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU. Writer's block can be the worst. There are many creative opportunities to help writers write, whether you're on deadline or have some time to sit and put words down. Here are a dozen programs to consider, should you need a change of scenery to start that writing project or push that best-selling novel out of your head: http://prn.to/2kQ6MbY

BLOG PROFILES: HISTORY BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry/subject and profiles a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at a few history blogs: http://prn.to/2oXVOXk

****************

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

SOURCE ProfNet

Related Links

http://www.profnet.com


RAS AL KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 19th IOT Evolution Expo, being held January 22-25, 2018 in Orlando Florida, will be the stage for Quantum Innovation's CEO, Noel Guillama, as he speaks on the dynamic IoT (Internet of Things) and its fundamental relationship to the future of healthcare.

Mr. Guillama's vision has led to him being awarded 14 U.S. Patents, with more than 18 currently pending, as well as heading several companies focused on the delivery of care to thousands of patients. He has for decades, seen technology as the future of providing better, and more cost-effective care, in the U.S and in an aging world. Mr. Guillama's first IoT project dates back to the mid-1990s, during the infancy of the internet. However, today is when technologies have developed in a way that vastly expands the potential synergy of the individual systems, in his opinion.

Mr. Guillama noted "For over 25 years I have been fascinated by technology and how effectively it has been applied in certain market sectors, and conversely the poor use of it in healthcare and the actual provision of care. For 7 years, we have been working on a new type of electronic healthcare record (EHR) we call PWeR , that sees the patient at the center of the delivery system. Today, the most exciting evolution in healthcare is at the crossroad of EHR, IoT and telemedicine. We are confident that these three uses of technology will change the quality and the cost curve in healthcare. That crossroad is what I am excited to share with those attending the IoT Expo in January."

At the conference, Mr. Guillama is expected to make public the latest project his company is developing in the IoT space; BlueBox.Care  based on multiple pending patents. BlueBox will aggregate, process, and interpret IoT information, and then deliver that valuable information to consumers, family members and / or care team in a collective dashboard. BlueBox will be integrated in to the patients EHR.

Scott Wolf, Grace Century's CEO comments "It is truly amazing on how the IoT space has catapulted to the front of innovations. No longer a "buzzword" spoken among industry insiders, IoT proves to be a transformational force, and specifically its role in healthcare, as Mr. Guillama sees it." Wolf adds "Noel's vision is an interconnected network, ultimately providing improved exceptional healthcare, reduced costs, and a healthcare industry forever changed by technology".

About Grace Century, FZ LLC

Grace Century FZ LLC is an International research and private equity consultancy located in Ras Al Khaimah, (north of Dubai) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Grace Century specializes in "game-changing" life science and health related private equity projects.

For portfolio or company information please email [email protected] or call +971 (0)7 206 8851

Please direct all media enquiries to [email protected] or call +971 (0)52 712 1777

Website  http://www.gracecentury.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GraceCentury

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/grace-century-holdings-fzc-llc

Twitter - https://twitter.com/GraceCentury

Blog  http://www.thegracecenturyblog.com

About Quantum Innovations, Inc. and PWeR 3.0

Quantum Innovations, Inc. seeks to provide the healthcare industry with technology solutions through PWeR 3.0, a 21st century healthcare technology platform. PWeR stands for Personal Wellness electronic Record. This 21st century EMR/EHR solution is a new breed of intelligent healthcare information platform, which hosts medical records and permits interactive use. Medical records to follow the patient, giving every healthcare provider that sees a particular patient, access to all the information needed to affect an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan(s). Providers are able to access a patient's entire medical record in one glance. In critical situations, or in providing treatment to patients on the PWeR 3.0 platform, hospitals may be enabled to access full medical histories, and make educated treatment decisions, based on accurate real-time data.

PWeR 3.0 = One PatientTotal Connectivity

For more information, visit www.PWeR.com

PWeR is a United States, European Union, China, Australia, Mexico, Canada (and other countries) registered trademark used by license.

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbeLjZ-vgf8

SOURCE Quantum Innovation

Related Links

http://www.gracecentury.com


BOSTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. military has long discouraged service members from reporting UFO sightings, sometimes silencing them through threats, detention, and harsh interrogation.

Now, in the wake of a New York Times report on how the Pentagon investigates unidentified flying objects, a national radio show is challenging the Defense Department to grant amnesty to people in the military who disclose such sightings.

"In 1969, the Air Force officially ended a series of studies that investigated more than 12,000 claimed UFO sightings, dismissing most as stars, clouds, or recognized aircraft," said Mack Maloney, host of "Mack Maloney's Military X-Files" radio show. "The Pentagon now acknowledges that it secretly revived this research 10 years ago, paying $22 million to fund a study called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. So it's clear that the government has been misleading us by claiming that its UFO research ended nearly a half-century ago."

In an installment that airs next week, Maloney challenges the Pentagon to grant amnesty to past and present service members who come forward with reports of UFO sightings.

"Despite many unexplainable events, over the years military commanders have actively discouraged service members from speaking out  ostracizing them, threatening their pensions, even threatening dishonorable discharge," Maloney said. "In some cases these tactics may have protected the identity of secret weapons, but in most instances, the military was trying to suppress information on UFOs as they were considered potential threats to U.S. national security. What we are saying now is, in light of the New York Times story, let these people talk. "

Maloney is joined every week by co-hosts Juan-Juan and Commander Cobra, both veterans of classified military operations. Regular contributors include UFO researchers Steve Ward and Emily Mittermaier. The program can be heard on several radio networks including Dark Matter Radio, Wednesdays from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Inception Radio, Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Both times are EST.

Maloney is the author of "UFOs in Wartime  What They Didn't Want You to Know," and "Beyond Area 51." He has also served as a consultant for a government-funded research firm working with U.S. intelligence agencies.

Media Contact:

Mack Maloney

978 465-0003

[email protected]

SOURCE Mack Maloney's Military X-Files Radio Show
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Roswell Biotechnologies, a molecular electronics company transforming DNA sequencing, today announced that it will be presenting at the Biotech Showcase 2018 Conference being held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel. Co-founders Paul Mola and Barry Merriman will present an overview of the company and technology.

Details of Roswell's presentation are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 Time: 9:45 a.m. PST Track: Franciscan D

About Biotech Showcase 2018

Biotech Showcase is an investor and networking conference devoted to providing private and public biotechnology and life sciences companies with an opportunity to present to, and meet with, investors and pharmaceutical executives in one place during the course of one of the industry's largest annual healthcare investor conferences. Investors and biopharmaceutical executives from around the world gather in San Francisco during this bellwether week which sets the tone for the coming year.

About Roswell Biotechnologies

Roswell Biotechnologies is a privately-held company developing molecular electronics for DNA sequencing and related biosensor applications. Roswell maintains its headquarters in San Diego, California. To learn more please visit www.roswellbiotech.com.

Contact: Amy Conrad

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (858) 366-3243

SOURCE Roswell Biotechnologies

Related Links

http://www.roswellbiotech.com


Looking back on the weekend, Robb Brindley, Vice President of North America Sales said, "We are proud and honored to have put forward one of the finest multi-specialty educational programs designed for cosmetic laser providers in the history of laser medicine. At Sciton, we are firmly committed to our customer's success through world class education and support."

As a company, we were thrilled to celebrate 20 years of success in the laser manufacturing industry, surrounded by many respected customers, valued partners, and employees who have helped shape Sciton.

To build on this success, in 2018, Sciton will host its first International User Summit. "Having experienced the enthusiasm and exchange of clinical knowledge over the years at the U.S. User Summit, I'm excited to bring this opportunity to our customers internationally. Increased clinical knowledge and the sharing of best practices from clinics around the world will make this an opportunity you don't want to miss," says David Percival, General Manager, International.

One physician and Sciton presenter, in particular, who can't wait to bring the User Summit to Europe is plastic surgeon Jason Pozner, who stated, "I always enjoy presenting at Sciton's educational events. This year was a real treat with the largest attendance in history. The audience was very engaged and asked great questions. I can't wait until the next one in Budapest."

Along with the addition of the International User Summit, Sciton will continue to host their annual domestic summit in Washington D.C. "Every year this event gets bigger and better, and the enthusiasm for Sciton technology right now is at an all time high," says Rick Mendez, Vice President of Global Marketing. The International Summit will take place on September 8th at the Budapest Marriott Hotel while the Washington DC Summit will be held later in the fall over the weekend of November 17th  18th at The Ritz Carlton, Tysons Corner. We are looking forward to another year of educational Summits and hope to continue to set new industry records for attendance.

For further information in regards to our upcoming User Summits or to purchase tickets, please visit scitonsummit.com or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Sciton, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.scitonsummit.com


SAN DIEGO, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SAY San Diego (aka Social Advocates for Youth, San Diego) became aware of an incident impacting the security of data relating to certain participants in its Dual Diagnosis youth program, from 2013, and is taking action. Although there is no indication of actual or attempted misuse of participant information, SAY San Diego is notifying participants whose records may have been subject to unauthorized access in a recent incident and providing these participants with information and resources that can be used to better protect against the possibility of identity theft or fraud if they feel it is appropriate to do so.

"We take this incident, and client privacy, very seriously," Nancy Gannon Hornberger, SAY San Diego's CEO stated. "We are taking steps to prevent any future data incident, and as always will continue to review and improve our processes, policies, and procedures that address data privacy," she said.

What Happened

On October 27, 2017, SAY San Diego was notified by the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency ("HHSA") that a citizen had returned some paper files to their office that were found in a filing cabinet purchased from a salvage store. The files were reviewed and assessed by SAY San Diego on October 30, 2017, at which time it was confirmed the files related to youth participants in SAY San Diego's Dual Diagnosis program, from January through June 2013. However, the files from March and April of 2013 were not returned, and have not been recovered to date. Upon learning this information, we launched an investigation to determine what happened, and determined that the files were inadvertently left in a filing cabinet by a SAY San Diego employee when SAY San Diego moved to a different office building.

Information Affected

While we currently have no evidence that the clients' information was subject to any actual or attempted misuse, SAY San Diego confirmed that the files contained program participants' names, case numbers, dates and length of service received, locations of service, and provider names. The files did not contain your Social Security number, Driver's License number, date of birth or financial information.

Notification

SAY San Diego is mailing letters to impacted participants and is providing those participants with Web Watcher services through Kroll. SAY San Diego is also informing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the California Attorney General's Office about this incident.

Fraud Prevention Tips

SAY San Diego encourages affected individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, and to seek to protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss by regularly reviewing their financial account statements, credit reports, and explanations of benefits for suspicious activity. Anyone with questions regarding how to best protect themselves from potential harm resulting from this incident, including how to receive a free copy of one's credit report, and place a fraud alert or security freeze on one's credit file, is encouraged to call 833-214-8738, between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays.

SOURCE SAY San Diego

Related Links

https://www.saysandiego.org


SF Express International Business Unit CEO David William Adams mentioned that "Providing superior service has always been our promise to customers. The opening of Nanjing-Osaka air cargo route further enriches our international air express transportation network. With the solid foundation of our air, ground, and information system, we are able to provide an integrated logistics solution with comprehensive service for our customers, which makes our cross-border logistics capabilities more efficient and helps to create a better customer experience. "

SF Express Japan General Manager Simon Truss mentioned that the Nanjing-Osaka air cargo route will help to raise awareness of SF Express and its brand in Osaka as it represents growing trade ties between China and Japan. Additionally, management from the Nanjing Lukou International Airport and officials from the Jiangsu Provincial Postal Administration also expressed their support.

With the support of the city of Nanjing and Nanjing Lukou International Airport, goods sent by SF Express Nanjing-Osaka cargo flights will be able to go through the customs clearance process quicker, ensuring that its customers will be able to receive superior service. Additionally, the air cargo route will run on every weekday from Monday to Friday, making five roundtrips a week and ensuring that shipments will be transported quickly.

Nanjing, as one of China's ancient capitals and an important hub within east China, has seen rapid economic growth over the last few years, and as a result its air logistics capabilities have become more and more sophisticated as well. At the same time, as a leader in the privately-run express delivery space, SF Express has been focusing on expanding and improving China's logistics network to provide first-mile pick-up and last-mile delivery capabilities throughout the entire country. SF Express hopes that with this new air cargo service, it can help more companies from the Yangzte River Delta expand overseas, as well as help more foreign companies enter the China market.

About SF Express

Established in Shunde, Guangdong province, China in 1993, SF Express is one of the leading courier in China, which provides domestic and international express delivery solutions to a wide array of customers. Its mature, diversified networks and robust IT infrastructure allow it to provide unparalleled delivery options that connect China to the rest of the world. The first private express delivery company in the Chinese Mainland to include an airline subsidiary, SF Express has 50+ cargo aircrafts and is continually expanding its international presence.

For more information, please visit: www.sf-express.com

About SF Express

Established in Shunde, Guangdong province, China in 1993, SF Express is one of the leading courier in China, which provides domestic and international express delivery solutions to a wide array of customers. Its mature, diversified networks and robust IT infrastructure allow it to provide unparalleled delivery options that connect China to the rest of the world. The first private express delivery company in the Chinese Mainland to include an airline subsidiary, SF Express has 50+ cargo aircrafts and is continually expanding its international presence.



For more information, please visit: www.sf-express.com

SOURCE SF Express Co., Ltd.
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotheby's concluded our 2017 auctions this week, reaching an annual sales total of $4.7 billion that represents a 13.1% increase over our 2016 results. From the record-breaking sale of Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1982 masterpiece Untitled to Japanese collector and entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, to the crowds who visited our London galleries to view the personal collection of Gone With the Wind star Vivien Leigh, below is a look back at the major moments that helped define the year at Sotheby's:

SOTHEBY'S LEADS ALL INTERNATIONAL HOUSES IN ASIA

WITH ANNUAL AUCTION TOTAL OF $850 MILLION

Asian Clients Contribute $1.6 Billion of Sotheby's 2017 Sales

ONLINE BUYERS SPEND MORE THAN $180 MILLION THIS YEAR

23% of All Lots Sold in 2017 Are Purchased Online

TOP LOT OF THE YEAR:

Jean-Michel Basquiat's Untitled from 1982

Sets $110.5 Million Auction Records for the Artist

And for Any Work of American Art

JANUARY

Our annual Americana Week auctions raised an outstanding $19.4 million  the highest Americana Week total at Sotheby's in a decade  with more than 1,000 lots sold across six auctions. The series kicked off with the 'White Glove' (100% sold) auction of over 75 archival letters and manuscripts from Alexander Hamilton, matching the excitement surrounding of the wildly-successful Hamilton: An American Musical and setting a new auction record for any manuscript by the founding father.

This year Sotheby's celebrated a number of landmark anniversaries, including our 100th anniversary on New Bond Street in London. In January, we marked our 40th anniversary in Geneva with an expanded sales calendar and a brand new location. The new premises at 2 Rue Francois Diday  located in the heart of Geneva  will help to further improve the exceptional and tailor-made service to which our clients are already accustomed.

FEBRUARY

In London, an inaugural sale comprising artistic representations of love and sex from antiquity to the present day bested expectations in totaling 5.3 million ($6.6 million). Featuring 100+ lots of fine art, photography, sculpture and design, the Erotic: Passion & Desire auction saw almost half of all works sell above their high estimates.

MARCH

Our Impressionist, Modern & Surrealist Art Evening Sales achieved a combined total of 194.7 million ($240.8 million)  the highest total for any auction ever staged in London . The sales were led by Gustav Klimt's rare masterpiece Bauerngarten, one of the greatest works by the artist ever to appear at auction, which achieved 48 million ($59.3 million).

APRIL

Our spring sales series in Hong Kong set a number of benchmark prices, including: a new world auction record for any diamond or jewel , achieved by the 'CTF Pink Star' that sold for a staggering HK$553 million (US$71.2 million) to Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook; a new auction record for any work of Western Contemporary art sold in Asia, with Andy Warhol's Mao sold for HK$98.5 million (US$12.6 million) to an Asian private collector; and a new world auction record for any lot of whiskey, with The Macallan in Lalique The Legacy Collection fetching HK$7.7 million (US$989,423). In total, Asian clients purchased US$1.6 billion at Sotheby's auctions in 2017.

MAY

In London, our inaugural sale of Modern and Contemporary African Art totaled 2.8 million ($3.6 million), with new auction records achieved for 16 artists including British Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE.

Sotheby's captured the world's attention in May, when Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1982 masterpiece Untitled sold for $110.5 million, marking a world auction record not only for the artist, but for any work by any American artist . That same night, noted collector and entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa announced via social media that he purchased the work, and will eventually house it in a museum based in his hometown of Chiba, Japan.

JUNE

For the first time ever in London, four works sold for over $20 million in our Evening Sales of Impressionist & Modern Art. Heated bidding drove a new auction record for pioneering artist Wassily Kandinsky, broken twice in the same auction  first for his 1909 depiction of the blazing colours of Murnau, followed just six lots later by the powerful abstract masterpiece Bild mit weissen Linien, which led the sale at 33 million ($41.6 million).

JULY

On the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the bag used by Neil Armstrong to bring back to Earth the very first samples of lunar material sold for $1.8 million in Sotheby's Space Exploration auction. Prior to its public debut at Sotheby's, the bag had been misidentified and lost for decades, before being acquired by the consignor from a US Marshall Service auction for $995.

AUGUST

RM Sotheby's flagship Monterey sale achieved nearly $133 million in sales, highlighted by the 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1 that sold for $22.6 million. That price is superlative in a number of ways, marking a new auction record for any British car as well as the most valuable car sold by any auction house this year .

SEPTEMBER

Almost 4,000 visitors flocked to our New Bond Street galleries to witness the personal collection of incandescent Hollywood icon and star of Gone With the Wind, Vivien Leigh. The unprecedented sale of her private possessions included paintings, jewelry, couture, books, furniture, porcelain and objets d'art, which were 100% sold and soared to over 5 times the pre-sale auction estimate, realizing more than 2.2 million ($3 million).

The legendary photographer Mario Testino shook up Sotheby's London, as thousands attended an exhibition and auction of his personal collection that was organized to benefit the Museo MATE in Lima, Peru. Parts I & II of the Shake It Up series totaled 8.7 million ($11.6 million), establishing 11 artist auction records in the process.

OCTOBER

The strong results of our autumn auction series in Hong Kong helped raise Sotheby's annual auction total in the region to HK$6.64 billion (US$850 million)  our highest total since 2014, and leading all international houses in Asia this year. The five days of curated sales were highlighted by a new world auction record for Chinese Ceramics , achieved by A Highly Important and Extremely Rare Ru Guanyao Brush Washer, Northern Song Dynasty that sold for HK$294.3 million (US$37.7 million).

In London, we presented an unparalleled personal portrait of celebrated artist Howard Hodgkin and his private inspirations, exhibiting his collection beyond the closed doors of his Bloomsbury home. The sale brought 5.2 million ($6.8 million), led by the work of his close friend and one of India's greatest 20th-century artists, Bhupen Khakhar, whose De-Luxe Tailors soared to a record-breaking 1.1 million ($1.5 million).

NOVEMBER

Our marquee auctions of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary Art achieved $724 million, representing a 31% increase over the same series in November 2016. Five of the top ten Impressionist & Modern works sold to Asian private collectors, while Francis Bacon's triptych portrait Three Studies of George Dyer led the week with its $38.6 million result.

This November, we hosted our first auction at Sotheby's Dubai. Offering an array of paintings, sculpture, photography, design, books & manuscripts, jewelry and textiles, Boundless: Dubai provided invaluable new perspectives on art from and inspired by the Middle East, achieving $3.6 million.

Collectors were captivated by a look into the private world of celebrated French interior designer Jacques Grange. Our dedicated sale in Paris spanned two days, comprising an unforgettably-eclectic mix of objects, including iconic works by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, Alexandre Noll, Damien Hirst and Rene Magritte. With remarkable results across every category, the sale achieved an incredible 28.4 million ($33.3 million)  the highest ever total for a single-owner sale at Sotheby's Paris .

Sotheby's celebrated ten years in Moscow with a series of dedicated Russian art auctions and exhibitions. Notably, the best portrait by Nikolai Fechin ever to come to auction sold for 3.7 million ($4.9 million).

DECEMBER

Just in time for holiday gifting, Sotheby's A Life of Luxury sales series saw 1,640 lots of jewelry, watches, cars, wine and fashion achieve $117.3 million across six auctions. The sales were led by an Exquisite 5.69-Carat Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond Ring that brought $15.1 million, while a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione roared to an $18 million result.

Our annual sales of Old Master Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture in London were highlighted by one of Joseph Wright of Derby's most important candlelit pictures, and one of the last of his major works remaining in private hands. An Academy by Lamplight sold for 7.3 million ($9.7 million), marking a new world auction record for the renowned British artist.

FOR MORE NEWS FROM SOTHEBY'S

News & Video: http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video.html

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sothebys

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sothebys

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sothebys

Snapchat ID: sothebys

YouTube: www.youtube.com/SothebysTV

Weibo: www.weibo.com/sothebyshongkong

WeChat ID: sothebyshongkong

Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art Division, and two retail businesses, Sotheby's Diamonds and Sotheby's Wine. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

*Estimates do not include buyer's premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

Images are available upon request

Browse sale catalogues, view original content, stream live auctions and more at www.sothebys.com, and through Sotheby's apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple TV and Amazon Fire

SOURCE Sotheby's

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Ms. Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment, revealed after the BOI board meeting chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha that the board has approved more attractive incentive programs for SMEs to increase competitiveness including the extension of promotional period of the scheme to 30 December 2019.

The board approved new investment promotion conditions for SMEs as follows:

1. More business activities and relaxed requirements and conditions: Activities eligible for investment incentives are expanded from currently 40 to over 100 activities to provide more opportunities for SMEs to seek investment promotions. Meanwhile, some conditions are relaxed for particular business activities.

2. Tax incentives: More attractive incentives are offered with both basic and additional tax incentives.

2.1 Basic tax incentives (Activity-based incentives): The ceiling of corporate income tax exemption is increased from normally 100 percent to 200 percent, for activities eligible to obtain CIT exemption, meaning the amount of tax exemption on capital investment will be doubled.

2.2 Additional tax incentives (Merit-based incentives): SMEs will receive tax exemption or reduction under two conditions:

For SMEs operating any activities that enhance competitiveness including research and development, advanced technology training, IP licensing fees, product & packaging design, investment and expenses conditions will be significantly relaxed to enable SMEs to have a better access to enhanced incentives.

For SMEs located in 20 provinces with lowest per capita income:

Activities that are eligible for eight-year CIT exemption will receive an additional 50 percent CIT reduction for another five years.



Other activities that are eligible for CIT exemption will receive an additional three-year exemption, on top of normal CIT exemption.



Promoted SMEs are allowed to utilize used machines available in Thailand in their projects but with maximum value not exceeding 10 million baht .

Targeted industries identified for EECi, EECd

The BOI board has approved the list of targeted activities to be located in the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) and the Digital Park Thailand (EECd). These activities will be eligible for a special tax incentives under the EEC scheme.

Investments in the targeted industries in the EECi and EECd were offered, from the previous board meeting on 23 November 2017, two more years of CIT exemption on top of normal incentives and 50 percent CIT reduction for another five years. However, projects are required to have cooperation on human resource development as specified by the board.

More human resource development cooperation in EEC

Additional to the current human resource development scheme with educational institutes or research institutes, such as WiL (Work-integrated Learning), Cooperative Education and Dual Vocational Education and Training, the board has approved a new scheme called "Special Vocational Program in the EEC". The project focuses mainly on training and human resource development in response to industry sectors' demand, especially in the high-value-added targeted industries.

Under this program, participating companies will work with educational institutes in recruiting new students and designing courses and curriculums. Financial and other support will be provided to students, including tuition fees, personal expenses and apprenticeship or employment after graduation.

********************

For more information, please contact: Thailand Board of Investment

Email: [email protected]

Tel. +66 (0) 2553 8111

Website: www.boi.go.th

SOURCE Thailand Board of Investment (BOI)

Related Links

http://www.boi.go.th


NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05253728





The acetonitrile market is projected to grow from 219.2 million in 2017 to USD 277.1 million by 2022, at a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. Increased demand for recrystallization of drugs from the pharmaceutical industry is fueling the growth of the acetonitrile market across the globe. Moreover, flourishing analytical industry is also leading to the growth of the acetonitrile market. However, a limited number of direct production facilities across the globe acts as a restraint to the growth of the acetonitrile market.

The derivative type segment of the acetonitrile market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, in terms of value.

Based on type, the acetonitrile market has been classified into derivative and solvent. In terms of value, the derivative type segment of the acetonitrile market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2017 and 2022. The growth of this segment of the market can be attributed increased use of acetonitrile in the pharmaceutical industry for manufacturing Vitamin B1 and sulfa pyrimidine. It is also used as a starting material for the synthesis of several chemicals such as alpha-naphthyl acetic acid, thiamine, acetophenone, and acetomidine.



The Asia Pacific acetonitrile market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2017 to 2022, in terms of value.

In terms of value, the Asia Pacific acetonitrile market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of the Asia Pacific acetonitrile market can be attributed to the increased use of acetonitrile in the pharmaceutical and analytical industry applications. The Asia Pacific region is the most promising market for acetonitrile, and this trend is projected to continue in the coming years as well. Japan, China, and India are the major consumers of acetonitrile in the Asia Pacific region.



Breakdown of Primary Profiles of Primary Participants



In the process of determining and verifying the size of several segments and subsegments of the acetonitrile market that was gathered through secondary research, extensive primary interviews have been conducted with the key industry personnel. The break-up of profiles of primary participants has been given below.



BREAKDOWN OF PROFILES OF PRIMARY PARTICIPANTS:

 By Company Type: Tier 1 - 35%, Tier 2 - 41%, and Tier 3 - 24%

 By Designation: C Level - 56%, Director Level - 28%, and Others - 16%

 By Region: Asia Pacific - 33%, North America - 27%, Europe - 20%, the Middle East & Africa - 13%, and Latin America - 7%



INEOS AG (Switzerland), Asahi Kasei Corporation (Japan), Nova Molecular Technologies (US), Formosa Plastics Corporation (Taiwan), Avantor Performance Materials LLC (US), and Imperial Chemical Corporation (Taiwan) are some of the leading companies operating in the acetonitrile market.



Research Coverage:

This report offers an overview of the trends, drivers, and barriers for the acetonitrile market. It also provides a detailed overview of the acetonitrile market across five regions, namely, Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. The report categorizes the acetonitrile market based on type, application, and region. A detailed profile analysis of the leading players of the acetonitrile market, along with key growth strategies adopted by them is also covered in this report.



Reasons to Buy the Report:

This report covers the following key aspects:

 What will be the size of the acetonitrile market by 2022 and what will be its growth rate during forecast period from 2017 to 2022

 What are the key trends in the acetonitrile market

 What are the factors expected to drive the growth of the acetonitrile market

 What are the barriers expected to impact the growth of the acetonitrile market

 Who are the key players in the acetonitrile market

 This report covers acetonitrile market for five key regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America, along with their respective key countries



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05253728



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

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NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05253738





The AI in agriculture market is estimated to be worth USD 2,628.5 million by 2025 from USD 518.7 million in 2017, growing at a CAGR of 22.5% between 2017 and 2025. The major factors driving the growth of the AI in agriculture market include the growing demand for agricultural production owing to the increasing population, rising adoption of information management systems and new, advanced technologies for improving crop productivity, increasing crop productivity by implementing deep learning techniques, and growing initiatives by worldwide governments supporting the adoption of modern agricultural techniques. The high cost of gathering precise field data is a major factor restraining the growth of the AI in agriculture market



AI in agriculture market for computer vision technology estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The market for computer vision is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The increasing use of computer vision technology for agriculture applications, such as plant image recognition, and the rising demand for continuous monitoring and analyzing crop health are the major factors contributing to the growth of the market for AI solutions based on computer vision technology



Market for drone analytics applications expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The market for drone analytics is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to its extensive use in diagnosing and mapping crop health and making real-time decisions. Further, favorable government mandates for using drones in agriculture field is expected to fuel the growth of the AI in agriculture market for the drone analytics application



AI in agriculture market in Asia Pacific expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The increasing adoption of deep learning and computer vision technologies for agricultural applications is a major driving factor for the market growth in the APAC region. Further, the increasing awareness among growers regarding benefits associated with artificial intelligence technologies, such as computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning, for various farming applications is also a major factor contributing toward the growth of the AI in agriculture market in this region.



The breakup of primaries conducted during the study is depicted below:

 By Company Type: Tier 1  35 %, Tier 2  40%, and Tier 3  25%

 By Designation: C-Level Executives  57%, Directors  29%, and Others  14%

 By Region: Americas  40%, Europe  30%, APAC  20%, and RoW  10%

The key players operating in the AI in agriculture market are IBM (US), John Deere (US), Microsoft (US), Agribotix (US), The Climate Corporation (US), ec2ce (Spain), Descartes Labs (US), Sky Squirrel Technologies (Canada), Mavrx (US), aWhere (US), Gamaya (Switzerland), Precision Hawk (US), Granular (US), Prospera (Israel), Cainthus (US), and Spensa Technologies (US).



Research Coverage:

This report covers the AI in agriculture market based on offering, technology, application, and region. The AI in agriculture market based on offering has been segmented into hardware, software, AI-as-a-Service, and Service. Based on applications, the AI in agriculture market has been segmented into precision farming, livestock monitoring, drone analytics, agriculture robots, and others. On the basis technology, the AI in agriculture market has been classified into machine learning, computer vision, and predictive analytics. On the basis of region, the market has been segmented into the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and RoW.



Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

 This report includes the market statistics pertaining to offering, application, technology, and region, along with their respective market sizes.

 In-depth analysis of the value chain has been done to provide an in-depth insight into the AI in agriculture market.

 Major drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities pertaining to the AI in agriculture market have been detailed in this report.

 Illustrative segmentation, analysis, and forecast for the markets on the basis of offering, application, technology, and region have been conducted to provide an overall view of the AI in agriculture market.

 The report includes a detailed competitive leadership mapping, including key players and their in-depth analysis and ranking of the key players.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05253738



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

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Metsa Wood organized the first Open Source Wood Hackathon on 13th December in Nantes, France at the Ecole Superieure du Bois. The challenge was to create an innovative wood element for building design in multidisciplinary teams, mentored by experts. All the solutions participated in Metsa Wood Awards 2017 competition.

Open Source Wood hackathon brought fifteen participants together to generate innovative wood designs using Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber). The hackathon was held in collaboration with the International Institute of Wood Science and Technology (Ecole Superieure du Bois). The school provides higher education focusing on timber engineering.

"This is the first Open Source Wood Hackathon, but also a pioneering event in the wood construction industry," explains Mikko Saavalainen, SVP Business Development at Metsa Wood.

Participants were divided into three teams and challenged with different construction problems. The day resulted in three innovative modular wood solutions. The winning work of the day was named Kert'eau. It is a clever concept of a floating residential neighborhood offering 300 housing units. Short descriptions of all three concepts can be found from opensourcewood.com/hackathon.

"Engineered wood is the material of the future for urban building. The Open Source Wood Initiative is a great way to promote sustainable building," says Philippe Blanchard, lecturer from Ecole Superieure du Bois.

By creating an open innovation platform around modular wood construction, Metsa Wood is aiming to connect the local wood construction industry with global knowledge to facilitate innovation, collaboration and growth.

Join the Open Source Wood Initiative

Metsa Wood is calling on all architects and engineers to share their innovations in wood construction. The objective is to share knowledge about prefabricated elements and grow the use of wood in construction. Metsa is now sharing its own innovations and offering EUR 30,000 in prize money during 2017 to exceptional designs.

Read more at opensourcewood.com

Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/rbmHrL6ZSq_m

For more information, please contact:

Henni Rousu

Communications Manager

Metsa Wood,

Tel. +358-40-554-8388

[email protected]



This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/metsa-wood/r/the-first-open-source-wood-hackathon-in-france-created-solutions-to-challenging-building-environment,c2419951

The following files are available for download:

http://news.cision.com/metsa-wood/i/thumb-open-source-wood-in-nantes-group-photo,c2309812 THUMB Open Source Wood in Nantes group photo http://news.cision.com/metsa-wood/i/webhero-open-source-wood-hackathon-in-nantes,c2309813 WEBHERO Open Source Wood Hackathon in Nantes

SOURCE Metsa Wood
WEST ISLIP, N.Y., Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and all their fairytale friends are back and more fun than ever for kids whose parents bring them to the studios of Storybook Experiences. With two magical locations in Rockville Centre and West Islip, Storybook Experiences offers amazing interactive experiences creating memories and pictures that will last a lifetime!

Storybook Experiences

Parents by the thousands have signed up for the enchanting program of their choice with many signing up for more than one, and many coming every year. They revel in the magic and the special moment when they see the joy in their child's face, playing in Santa's workshop or Santa's kitchen, or looking for eggs with the Easter Bunny.

Now in two great locations on Long Island in Rockville Centre and West Islip, the Storybook studios of Kristen and Greg Pitre and their welcome staff welcome families to the enchantment that kids dream of  all while professional photographers create the memories that families treasure for years to come.

From the Santa Experience to the Easter Egg-perience, Princess Experience, Mermaid Experience, and Pirate Experience, there is a fantasy for everyone.

It's all part of a growing phenomenon called Storybook Experiences that has captivated thousands of families and generated widespread media attention, including Fox News and Newsday, NEWS 12, Yahoo News and many more over the past couple of years. Its Facebook page reflects the glowing feelings of grateful parents for both the warm studio experience and the stunning photos.

The Santa Experience 2017 has sold out a year in advance  just like all previous years. You can add your name and email to their Early Notification by going to http://storybooksantaexperience.com

Check out the company's Facebook page or read more Reviews.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact: Greg Pitre

Suffolk address: 475 Montauk Highway, West Islip NY, 11795

Nassau address: 85 Rockaway Ave, Rockville Centre NY, 11570

Phone number: 631-888-6060

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.facebook.com/StorybookExperiences/

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SOURCE Storybook Experiences

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AI, big data, cloud calculation, new consumption, and new retail have persisted to be the key words of the previous three conferences. Since the 19th National Congress of the CPC proposed to "promote deep integration between internet, big data, AI and the real economy", internet plus real economy has become the focus of the public. On the third day of the conference, a real economy intelligent marketing program was initiated by Beijing Yunzong, which marked a long-anticipated innovation program.

During the past two years, by serving as the Zhifubao Koubei platform ecological core strategic partner, Beijing Yunzong has already been providing services and commodities for the internet operation of the local living service industry. During the conference, Wang Jiangtao, the CMO of Yunzong released the "Customer Attraction and Revenue Increasing" program: in the coming two years, Yunzong plans to continue to focus on two scopes of business, start and develop business in more than 100 Chinese cities, serve more than 1 million local living service customers, and cover 500 million customers. Yucong aims at improving the efficiency and profit of the offline physical stores through providing internet intelligent marketing tools and offline operation services.

Since its establishment, Yunzong has promised to be responsible for the operation outcome of the customer, instead of just boasting. During the release, Wang Jiangtao has interpreted the "Customer Attraction and Revenue Increasing" program from three angles and explained ways to implement the program.

1. Put the focus on local living service, develop businesses in the catering industry and commercial centers

During the re-establishment of the real economy commercial ecology, Yunzong has been among the first to provide operation services connecting on-line and off-line. During the past two years since its establishment, Yunzong has managed to develop customers nationwide, including more than 600,000 restaurants and over 1900 shopping malls, providing on-line + off-line all-scenario intelligent marketing and operation services. Yunzong has managed to develop data-based internet tools, and established a consumer-focusing promotion service chain for the "ZongHengKe" of the catering industry and the "ShangMao" of the shopping malls. In this way, the customers are powered with the big data.

2. Linking new-consumption scenario based on ZongHengKe CRM

Earlier, the Koubei platform has announced a monthly revenue increasing program, with a strategy of providing the offline customers with a set of simple tools which enable them to precisely launch coupons through big data using the internet platform. As the Koubei ecological core strategic partner, the ZongHengKe CRM solely developed by Yunzong is the core tool for implementing this program.

The core strategy of the "ZongHengKe CRM" is to provide the customer with a unique marketing solution based on the real operation data of the customer, and by linking to the Zhifubao KouBei consumer big data, combining the marketing function of the CRM. The whole complex of calculation shall all be conducted by the system and the customer is only required to conduct basic operation. Currently the ZongHengKe CRM series product has enabled the customers to drive more than 470 million consumer members. Every day, there are more than 5 million consumer member trading records occurring in the system. Besides, a set of local living service consumption big data system is formed based on the trading positions, transaction amount, consuming preferences of the member, etc. Based on this big data system and the Yunzong commercial AI intelligent marketing automatic calculation system, Yunzong has managed to provide unique marketing programs for different levels of consumer members of each individual customer. The marketing program could be generated with one click, and is capable of launching precise marketing, as well as accurately predicting the consumer returning rate and input/output ratio after a promotion campaign.

In response to the core needs of the commercial center customers, the "ShangMao"system could support the precise cross-marketing among the customers within the commercial center through calculating the cross-selling rate among the different commercial formats, which is conducted in full consideration of the consuming information in the different stores within the Shopping Mall. This has proved effective in promoting the transacting rate of the customers.

In the year 2016, the ZongHengKe CRM has successfully created many marketing data miracles. In November, Yinchun Laolumian, a common noodle restaurant in Hangzhou, reached a customer returning rate of 82% due its marketing campaign. During the marketing campaign launched by Shopping Mall CRM ShangMao in Beijing Hengtai Plaza in September, 2017, the clearance rate reached a height of 81%.

Supported by ZongHengKe, Yunzong plans to accumulate a total of 500 million consumer members for 1 million local living service customers, and continue to promote precise operation based on such a huge number of consumer members, and thus ensuring the strong transformation towards consumption. Under the current situation of new consumption scenarios and the emerging value of big data, the local livelihood service industry has entered an era of re-building consuming connections. The needs of the stores and consumers are connected with new methods.

3. Start and develop business in a hundred cities to serve millions of customers

With the competition becoming keen in the local living service industry, it is becoming unlikely to establish competition barrier by providing similar and repeated services. Precise marketing based on big data has become a new trend. However, normal local living service customers have limited ability in terms of marketing with internet tool, and it is impossible to maximize the effect of the marketing tools. Therefore, offline professional operation support becomes crucial during the infancy period of the industry. Throughout the industry, lots of products with promising model and trend could not be promoted largely. The absence of operation support is the key reason for this.

During the conference, Wang Jiangtao said: In the coming two years, Yunzong plans to continue to start and develop business in more than 100 Chinese cities, and provide accurate service for more than 1 million local livelihood service customers. Yucong plans to make use of the online mass data flow of the Zhifubao Koubei system, the data advantage of ZongHengKe and the rich experience of the offline marketing experts for supporting the customers to selecting marketing activities suitable for themselves. In this way, Yucong aims at increasing the outcome of the customers, resulting the "customer attraction and revenue increasing", bringing real benefit for the customers. This is also the long-term goal of Yunzong.

SOURCE Beijiing Yunzong Information Technology Co.,Ltd.
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Feel like getting lost for a little while? Bermuda's one-of-a-kind mystique is a year-round attraction for those adventurous souls in search of a different perspective. Out here, the unexpected is a welcome way of life.

So say hello to the Pink Sale, which makes a trip to the Jewel of the Atlantic (just two hours from most major U.S. east coast airports) even more accessible, offering travelers the chance to experience all Bermuda has to offer while receiving up to 50 percent off at one of the 11 participating resorts.

The Pink Sale offer must be booked between December 26, 2017 and January 23, 2018, and is valid for travel January 2-April 30, 2018 and September 4-December 31, 2018. The website features a countdown clock for travelers eagerly awaiting the start of the sale, and consumers can sign up to be notified once the sale kicks off.

Participating hotels include:

Aunt Nea's Inn  Aunt Nea's Inn is a historic Bermudian guest house located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of St. George's . From original woodwork and building craftsmanship from the 1700s to stunning harbor and garden views, you'll love staying in this very special property. Starting rate is $175  Book by calling 441-296-2868 or visiting https://auntneasinn.com/news-events/.

Aunt Nea's Inn is a historic Bermudian guest house located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of . From original woodwork and building craftsmanship from the 1700s to stunning harbor and garden views, you'll love staying in this very special property. Starting rate is  Book by calling 441-296-2868 or visiting https://auntneasinn.com/news-events/. Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa  The Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa features lush manicured gardens, intuitive staff and adults-only accommodations that reflect the timeless charm of the 300-year-old property. Starting rate from $224 - Book by calling 800-468-7300 or visiting http://www.cambridgebeaches.com/deals-special-offers/.

The Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa features lush manicured gardens, intuitive staff and adults-only accommodations that reflect the timeless charm of the 300-year-old property. Starting rate from - Book by calling 800-468-7300 or visiting http://www.cambridgebeaches.com/deals-special-offers/. Coco Reef Resort  Resting on beautiful Elbow Beach, Coco Reef gives you the best of both worlds. Just 10 minutes from the City of Hamilton , a bustling city with shopping, nightlife, restaurants and ferry/bus stations, you'll have all you need to make your trip to Bermuda perfect. Starting rate from $165 - Book by calling 441-239-4500 or visiting http://cocoreefbermuda.com/.

Resting on beautiful Elbow Beach, Coco Reef gives you the best of both worlds. Just 10 minutes from the , a bustling city with shopping, nightlife, restaurants and ferry/bus stations, you'll have all you need to make your trip to perfect. Starting rate from - Book by calling 441-239-4500 or visiting http://cocoreefbermuda.com/. Coral Beach and Tennis Club  Set among large lush sub-tropical gardens, overlooking the turquoise water and pink sand beach, the Coral Beach and Tennis Club is a private members only club. Offer includes full breakfast and traditional afternoon tea daily, as well as full use of amenities at the club (tennis and squash courts, newly renovated gym and beach facilities). Starting rate from $230 - Book by calling 888-300-7349 or visiting http://www.coralbeachclub.com/.

Set among large lush sub-tropical gardens, overlooking the turquoise water and pink sand beach, the Coral Beach and Tennis Club is a private members only club. Offer includes full breakfast and traditional afternoon tea daily, as well as full use of amenities at the club (tennis and squash courts, newly renovated gym and beach facilities). Starting rate from - Book by calling 888-300-7349 or visiting http://www.coralbeachclub.com/. Fairmont Southampton  Perched on Bermuda's breathtaking south shore with miles of pristine sand beaches, Fairmont Southampton is a luxury resort surrounded by breathtaking gardens and an 18-hole executive par-3 golf course. The resort's 50% off sale includes daily continental breakfast for two. Starting rate from $185 - Book by calling 866-540-4497 or by visiting http://www.fairmont.com/southampton-bermuda/.

 Perched on breathtaking south shore with miles of pristine sand beaches, is a luxury resort surrounded by breathtaking gardens and an 18-hole executive par-3 golf course. The resort's 50% off sale includes daily continental breakfast for two. Starting rate from - Book by calling 866-540-4497 or by visiting http://www.fairmont.com/southampton-bermuda/. Grotto Bay Beach Resort  Grotto Bay Beach Resort sits on a tropical estate featuring dramatic caves and acres of woodland preserves along the water's edge in Bailey's Bay. Scattered over 21 acres and three private beaches are 11 brightly colored cottages in traditional Bermudian architecture overlooking the turquoise waters. Add all-inclusive supplement at a starting rate from $117 per person per night. Book by calling 855-447-6886 or visiting http://www.grottobay.com/.

 Grotto Bay Beach Resort sits on a tropical estate featuring dramatic caves and acres of woodland preserves along the water's edge in Bailey's Bay. Scattered over 21 acres and three private beaches are 11 brightly colored cottages in traditional Bermudian architecture overlooking the turquoise waters. Add all-inclusive supplement at a starting rate from per person per night. Book by calling 855-447-6886 or visiting http://www.grottobay.com/. Hamilton Princess & Beach Club  The Hamilton Princess is a newly renovated urban oasis featuring the epicurean delights of internationally acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson and a stunning infinity edge resort pool with spectacular views of Hamilton Harbour. Trip must be a 3-night minimum, and include a Friday or Saturday night. Starting rate from $189 - Book by calling 800-257-7544 or visiting http://www.fairmont.com/reservations/check-availability/?hc=HAM&pc=PPNK.

 The Hamilton Princess is a newly renovated urban oasis featuring the epicurean delights of internationally acclaimed chef and a stunning infinity edge resort pool with spectacular views of Hamilton Harbour. Trip must be a 3-night minimum, and include a Friday or Saturday night. Starting rate from - Book by calling 800-257-7544 or visiting http://www.fairmont.com/reservations/check-availability/?hc=HAM&pc=PPNK. Newstead Belmont Hills Golf Resort & Spa  Offering 55% off one-bedroom suites, with a minimum stay of 4 nights, Newstead Belmont Hills is a unique all-suite property that sets itself apart by blending top resort amenities with the personalized service of an intimate boutique hotel. Deal includes a complimentary round of gold and Free Wi-Fi. Starting rate from $229 - Book by calling 441-236-6060 or visiting http://www.newsteadbelmonthills.com/en/specials.html.

 Offering 55% off one-bedroom suites, with a minimum stay of 4 nights, Newstead Belmont Hills is a unique all-suite property that sets itself apart by blending top resort amenities with the personalized service of an intimate boutique hotel. Deal includes a complimentary round of gold and Free Wi-Fi. Starting rate from - Book by calling 441-236-6060 or visiting http://www.newsteadbelmonthills.com/en/specials.html. Rosedon Hotel Bermuda  At Rosedon Hotel, a boutique property centrally located within walking distance to Hamilton , guests enjoy lovely rooms decorated with traditional English and island flair along with amenities including a private pool, and lush gardens. The 50% off rack rate includes daily traditional afternoon tea, complimentary transportation and more. Starting rate from $241 - Book by calling 800-742-5008 or visiting http://rosedon.com.

At Rosedon Hotel, a boutique property centrally located within walking distance to , guests enjoy lovely rooms decorated with traditional English and island flair along with amenities including a private pool, and lush gardens. The 50% off rack rate includes daily traditional afternoon tea, complimentary transportation and more. Starting rate from - Book by calling 800-742-5008 or visiting http://rosedon.com. Royal Palms Hotel  The elegant Royal Palms Hotel and Restaurant offers the best of Bermudian hospitality. This quintessential boutique hotel boasts a blend of colonial and Bermudian architecture in a tranquil garden setting. Enjoy a two-night minimum/5 night maximum stay, inclusive of daily continental buffet breakfast and nightly wine hour. Bookings must include a Saturday and only apply to Mini Suite categories. Starting rate from $359 - Book by calling 441-292-1854 or visiting https://www.royalpalms.bm/.

 The elegant Royal Palms Hotel and Restaurant offers the best of Bermudian hospitality. This quintessential boutique hotel boasts a blend of colonial and Bermudian architecture in a tranquil garden setting. Enjoy a two-night minimum/5 night maximum stay, inclusive of daily continental buffet breakfast and nightly wine hour. Bookings must include a Saturday and only apply to Mini Suite categories. Starting rate from - Book by calling 441-292-1854 or visiting https://www.royalpalms.bm/. The Reefs Resort & Club  An intimate upscale Bermuda resort focused on four-diamond personalized service, The Reefs Resort & Club presents classic sophistication. Recognized for gracious hospitality, this family-owned resort overlooks a private pink-sand cove and boasts breathtaking ocean views. Offer applies to rooms only, no meals included. Starting rate from $195 - Book by calling 800-742-2008 or visiting http://www.thereefs.com/specials-packages.

Offers on select resort amenities are based on availability at the time of booking. Blackout dates and restrictions may apply. To learn more about the Pink Sale, visit http://www.gotobermuda.com/pinksale.

About Bermuda

About Bermuda: Out here is closer than you think. Located in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina's coast, the island of Bermuda is just a two-hour nonstop flight from most eastern U.S. airports. Attracting adventure seekers, explorers, romantics and originals, Bermuda is where people, cultures, and an alluring mystique swirl together, connecting visitors to a place far from everyday life. The island's legendary pink-sand beaches, frozen-in-time historic towns, and pastel-coloured buildings stand out at first. But it's Bermuda's original, ever evolving take on island life that brings travelers out here again and again. The Bermuda experience is elegantly relaxed and genuinely warm, celebrating culture, reveling in nature and staying open to whatever is around the bend. Recently, the 35th America's Cup, held in Bermuda May and June of 2017, brought a fresh energy to the destination, with new and redeveloped hotels, must-visit attractions and restaurants adding to the island spirit. Visit www.gotobermuda.com, www.facebook.com/bermudatourism and www.twitter.com/bermuda.

SOURCE Bermuda Tourism Authority

Related Links

http://www.gotobermuda.com


(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622572/World_Religion_News.jpg )



To read the full article, published December 21, click here: http://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/turkey-oppress-religious-minorities

The author reminds about the origins of the current state of affairs between Phanar (a district in Istanbul where the Constantinople Patriarchate is located) and the Turkish government. While preparing the Lausanne Treaty draft in 1923 Turkey suggested moving the Greek Patriarchate to Mount Athos in Greece, but the offer was soundly rejected by the Patriarchate in favor of staying in Istanbul. In exchange, the Patriarch agreed to fully withdraw from political life and only focus on providing spiritual guidance to the remaining in Turkey Orthodox Christians.

Yet, according to the author, it is not the case now, and in fact has not been the case for many years. The article provides an impressive list of very prominent politicians the Patriarch and his people meet, sometimes on a regular basis, making it obvious that no geographical area is too far, no political topic too removed from the Phanar's interests. And many of those interests do not fall in line with, or at the very least not undermine, the interests of the Patriarchate's Turkish hosts, notes the author, which is in direct violation of the spirit and the letter of the original agreement.

SOURCE World Religion News
BNP Paribas REIM, on behalf of the real estate fund Concepto, acquired from Signa Funds the Deloitte Headquarters in Milan. The building, located in Milan via Tortona 25, is fully occupied by Deloitte and features almost 28,000 sqm of total area dedicated to office use. The transaction has been closed

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A 9.9 percent yield at Ouyen in Victoria tanked as the highest gross rental yield across Australia this year.

It was based on the Mildura district town's $124,315 median house price.

The three bedroom home at 4 Cooper Street Ouyen that is for sale at $195,000 to $210,000 is suggested to have a a $250 to $260 a week rental prospect.

Houses Median Value Gross Yield

Vic Ouyen Mildura $124,315 9.9%

NSW Broken Hill Broken Hill $148,084 9.6%

WA Kambalda East Coolgardie $90,978 9.2%

Tas Gagebrook Brighton $156,712 9.1%

SA Coober Pedy Unincorporated SA $130,463 9.1%

WA South Hedland Port Hedland $203,452 8.9%

Tas Queenstown West Coast $93,707 8.8%

NSW South Kempsey Kempsey $228,435 8.7%

Tas Bridgewater Brighton $186,166 8.6%

NSW Condobolin Lachlan $207,067 8.6%

Units

Qld Port Douglas Douglas $256,024 9.3%

Qld Manunda Cairns $153,919 9.0%

Qld Bungalow Cairns $160,812 8.9%

Qld Edmonton Cairns $152,917 8.9%

Qld Westcourt Cairns $211,390 8.7%

Qld Manoora Cairns $164,431 8.4%

Qld Edge Hill Cairns $185,089 8.2%

Qld Holloways Beach Cairns $186,552 8.0%

Qld Cairns North Cairns $240,453 7.6%

Qld Parramatta Park Cairns $235,248 7.5%
Kyal and Kara Demmrich pocketed a very nice $1.59 million when their Long Jetty renovation project went to auction yesterday.

The expectant reno duo who starred in the 2013 Sky High series on The Block - and have since been regulars on The Living Room - had paid $710,000 earlier this year.

Some 1000 locals inspected their unique renovation offering during the four week marketing campaign. There were 13 registered bidders.

With retro-influenced feel of the Palm Springs, the NSW Central Coast home has raked ceilings soaring up to 3.6 metres in living areas which, when combined with skylights, casement windows and oversized stackable glass sliding doors, provided a grand statement and sense of space.

LJ Hooker Bateau Bay agents Penny Hancock and Paul Witney secured the bullish sale of the four bedroom, three bathroom home to Peter Scown.

The Sydney clearance rate bounced up from a disappointing mid 50s last week on the weekend albeit with a high unreported rate.

This article was first published in The Sunday Telegraph.
The Administrative Appeal Tribunal (AAT) has affirmed ASIC's decision of 17 July 2015 to ban Trevor John Seymour from providing financial services for three years but set aside ASIC's decision to disqualify Mr Seymour from managing corporations for three years.

The parties have 28 days to appeal this decision to the Federal Court of Australia.

It is part of the ASIC work on the Provident Capital collapse.

Earlier ASIC work saw the AAT upheld ASIC's decision to disqualify Michael Roger OSullivan from managing corporations for five years and from providing financial services for seven years.

The AAT qualified the five-year disqualification decision by permitting Mr O'Sullivan to remain as a director of three private companies, provided that those companies only involve activities relating to Mr O'Sullivan's immediate family. On 30 May 2017, Mr O'Sullivan lodged an appeal against the AAT's decision in the Federal Court. The hearing has been set down for 7-8 February 2018.

On 19 April 2016, ASIC banned former executive director and in-house legal counsel of Provident Capital, Mr Malcolm Philip Bersten of Turramurra NSW, from managing corporations and providing financial services for five years.

On 25 May 2016, Mr Bersten was granted permission to manage the trustee of his family trust and self managed superannuation fund (Caldabra Investments Pty Ltd ACN 003 958 423), as well as his incorporated legal practice (Bersten Legal Pty Ltd ACN 098 743 483).

On 17 June 2016, Mr Bersten sought a review of ASIC's decision in the AAT. ASIC has settled the proceedings brought by Mr Bersten in the AAT for a review of ASIC's decision dated 19 April 2016. Subsequently, the AAT has amended ASIC's decision by varying Mr Bersten's period of disqualification from managing corporations from five years to four years (to expire on 31 May 2020) and varying the period of Mr Bersten's banning from providing financial services from five years to three years and nine months (to expire on 29 February 2020).

On 1 July 2015, ASIC banned former non-executive director of Provident Capital, John Patrick Sweeney of Sydney, from providing financial services for two years.

ASIC found that Mr Sweeney failed to comply with financial services laws. Mr Sweeney also sought a review of ASIC's decision in the AAT. The hearing concluded on 14 February 2017. On 8 November 2017, the AAT affirmed ASICs decision of 29 June 2015 to ban Mr Sweeney from providing financial services for two years.
A Perth property manager has been fined $2500 after falling for a Scarborough holiday accommodation booking scam.

The scammer posed as "Colonel Michael Warner" in 2015 when he contacted the Scarborough real estate agency to make a booking for short-term rental residential apartments.

Consumer Protection WA said the name "Colonel Michael Warner" had been used previously in other Nigerian-based scams.

"Mr Warner" asked to make a booking for three groups at the apartments, totalling $53,449.

When he attempted to make the booking, the scammer attempted to use seven credit cards, with three declined, but leasing agent Vicki Ms Redfern went ahead with his requests.

At the scammer's request, Ms Redfern then transferred $25,138 and $20,066 from the agency's trust account to third parties in order to pay for "translation and tour guide services" the scammer wanted to use. Ms Redfern's co-worker told her the requests seemed suspicious, but she went ahead. The money Ms Redfern transferred has never been recovered, the Stirling Times website advised. Consumer Protection WA brought disciplinary action against Ms Redfern following the incident, claiming she had: failed to ensure the caller completed and returned agency forms in respect to the booking

failed to follow the agency's practice of holding deposits in the trust account until all guests left the accommodation

failed to verify the identity of the credit card holders

failed to verify the identities of the third party "translation and tour guide agencies"

and failed to let her agency's owner know about the major transactions. Consumer Protection WA commissioner David Hillyard said it was all due to the "incompetence" of an employee. "It is disheartening that in this case scammers could use the agency as a vehicle to steal credit card holders' funds with relative ease, with not even the most basic checks being carried out," he said. "Just a quick internet search of the scammer's name would have uncovered the fact that the name has been used previously in a variety of Nigerian-based scams. "Then to ignore the concerns from a colleague about the scammer's unusual demands is entirely lacking in diligence. "All principals of businesses in the property industry in WA must ensure that their staff, particularly those who are entrusted to operate the agency's bank accounts, are well trained in fraud prevention methods and exercise a high degree of vigilance. "Agencies must have practices and procedures in place to assist staff recognise scam attempts in order to thwart them before the criminals are rewarded and losses are incurred by the business."

The scam left her real estate agency $45,000 out-of-pocket.

The State Administrative Tribunal found Vicki Redfern had "failed to exercise due skill, care and diligence."

It noted the agency lacked sufficient internal procedures and staff training regarding fraud prevention, including a lack of formal induction training, procedure manuals and use of written instructions.
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After going public with news of a breach of contract suit against leading STM publisher Elsevier in February, officials at Louisiana State University say the dispute has been settled.

In a brief email message (which an Elsevier spokesperson later confirmed), LSU library officials told PW that LSU and Elsevier have amicably addressed and fully resolved their contractual issues and that the corresponding litigation filed by LSU has been voluntarily dismissed.

Terms of the settlement were not released, and the statement referred any further questions regarding the dispute or its resolution to LSUs general counsel. At press time, the LSU general counsels office has not responded to a request for comment.

The resolution comes after LSU officials filed a breach of contract claim against the publisher on February 27, accusing Elsevier of using its size and market power to coerce LSU into paying additional and unnecessary subscription fees for research and educational content that LSU has already contracted for.

In its court filing, LSU lawyers revealed that Elsevier was in fact blocking IP addresses associated with the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine library (SVM) from accessing the main librarys Elsevier digital subscriptions. The suit asked for an injunction, as well as unspecified damages and attorney fees.

In a statement to the press in May, Elsevier officials countered that LSU was trying to add a previously separately-contracted school, along with its associated users, into an existing contract without having to pay for it, and that the two sides were in negotiations.

Specifically, the dispute revolved around the SVM library, which, prior to 2017, did have a separate Elsevier contract. However, LSU officials determined that the SVM's separate contract was unnecessary, as the roughly 650 users within the SVM were largely served through the main librarys Elsevier subscription. Rather than renew the SVM's separate, largely duplicative contract with Elsevier, LSU library officials instead sought to add 19 specific titles requested by the SVM to its main library subscription.

 From the outset, Elsevier has treated the matter like a contract negotiation rather than a lawsuit. 

According to documents shared with the public, Elsevier initially presented the LSU Libraries a quote of around $35,000 to add the additional titles to the main library subscription, which LSU accepted. But Elsevier never completed the transaction, and resumed blocking the SVM's IP addresses. Nearly two months after the suit was filed, on April 22, the publisher instead proposed to essentially merge the SVMs old contract into the main librarys existing contract by adding $170,000 worth of additional subscriptions, and an additional $30,000 in fees, which Elsevier reps characterized as a significant discount.

In a press release from the Association of Research Libraries, issued in May, ARL's Krista Cox explained that LSU officials were simply trying to ensure that LSU was not "unnecessarily duplicating subscriptions for its campus and using state resources in a responsible manner.

From the outset, however, Elsevier officials have portrayed the matter as a contract negotiation, rather than a legal action. And that appears to have been the case: while news of the LSU court filing succeeded in generating headlines and media scrutiny, there is no indication that the case ever advanced in court. And despite inviting press coverage and public scrutiny when the litigation was filed, LSU officials now tell PW that the specific terms and conditions of the parties settlement remain confidential.

The disputeparticularly Elsevier's blocking of access from some campus IP addresses as part of the negotiationwas closely followed in the higher education and academic library communities.

In a large, decentralized organization like a major research university, there is bound to be some duplicative purchasing, observed Duke University's David Hansen, at the Scholarly Communications @ Duke blog. If there are duplications and universities recognize and make corrections to eliminate them, will we too be subject to the same negotiation strategy?
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  A team of Purdue University students and alumni will begin 2018 in an out-of-this-world environment as part of a two-week mission to the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah.

The seven-member team was selected by the Purdue chapter of The Mars Society to take part in a simulation mission. The team, called Boilers2Mars, will take over command of the research station on Dec. 30 and pass it on to the next team on Jan. 14.

It is the first crew consisting entirely of Purdue students and alumni to take on a mission at the research station.

Built near Hanksville, Utah, by The Mars Society in 2001, the desert research station includes a small two-story habitat, an astronomical observatory and a scientific laboratory and greenhouse. Keeping with the Mars simulation, crew members must wear sealed space suits whenever leaving the station for outside work.

The Mars Desert Research Station is one of only a few Mars simulation environments around the world.

In addition to their own experiments, the Boilers2Mars team will perform tests on new space suits used in extra-vehicular activities during the simulation mission as well as some medical procedures. They will provide online daily reports from the station.

A video is available at https://youtu.be/7uHVS7_MFkA.

Boilers2Mars team members for the mission include:

* Max Fagin, commander of the crew and a Purdue alumnus.

* Kshitij Mall, executive officer and a doctoral student in aeronautics and astronautics.

* Melanie Grande, crew engineer and undergraduate student in aeronautics and astronautics.

* Cesare Guariniello, crew geologist and a Purdue alumnus.

* Justin Mansell, crew journalist and doctoral student in aeronautics and astronautics.

* Mark Gee, Green Habitat officer and undergraduate student in bioengineering, biochemistry and plant breeding.

* Samuel Albert, health and safety officer and undergraduate student in computer sciences and aeronautics and astronautics.

James Nolan, the backup crew member, is pursuing a masters degree in agricultural and biological engineering. Briony Horgan, an assistant professor of planetary science, and Marshall Porterfield, a professor in agricultural and biological engineering, are faculty advisers for the team.

The team received funding support from areas of the university, including the Honors College and the Purdue Engineering Student Council, among others.

The upcoming mission is a return trip for Fagin after he took part in a 2010 Mars simulation at the site. He said the research station presents challenges of a Mars mission without the risks and costs of leaving Earth.

In doing so, it provides an environment that is several steps above a lab bench but is still within reach of a determined team like us, he said. Simulations like this are an essential and cost-effective way to test equipment, procedures and people for a mission to Mars before it actually happens.

Each crew member also is developing experiments for the mission, including a study of microbiomes and interaction between pathogens carried by astronauts and plants in the green habitat; navigation during extra-vehicular activities with radio signals; use of virtual reality for task training in comparison to traditional training; and use of yoga for stress relief.

The team has held biweekly meetings, both for updates on the preparation of individual projects and to increase the crew synergy and bonding. Crew members also have undergone various training, including astronomy, radio-based navigation, and survival and medical care to prepare for the mission.

As an aspiring astronaut, Mall said it was his goal to have student teams participating at MDRS each year when he first founded The Mars Society Purdue Chapter. He expects the mission to be a life-changing experience.

Guariniello also said he is working toward one day becoming an astronaut. In the meantime, he is happy to have a hand in Mars research through a mission like this.

I feel I am giving a little contribution with our mission toward the advancement of space exploration with our testing of technologies and human factors, he said.

Writer: Brian L. Huchel, 765-494-2084, bhuchel@purdue.edu

Sources: Max Fagin, 719-661-3147, maxfagin@gmail.com

Kshitij Mall, 765-409-3983, horizonkind@gmail.com

Cesare Guariniello, 765-490-1939, cesare.guariniello@gmail.com

Note to journalists: A video is available at https://youtu.be/7uHVS7_MFkA or https://goo.gl/DG5owm
After years of hoovering up the assets of European telcos and cable companies, Liberty Global is now in sell mode after reaching a purchase agreement with T-Mobile Austria for its UPC Austria subsidiary.





The Austrian network, valued in the deal at 1.9 billion, currently passes 1.4 million homes and serves 654,000 customers who subscribed to 513,000 broadband, 450,000 voice and 468,000 video services. Subject to regulatory approval, the transaction is not expected to close until the second half of 2018.Liberty Global said that proceeds from the sale will likely be used for general corporate purposes, which may include leverage reduction for the remaining UPC bank group, re-investment into our business, and support for the companys share repurchase programme. This transaction highlights the strategic and financial value of our fibre-rich networks in a rapidly converging world and the significant synergies inherent in fixed-mobile mergers, explained chief executive officer Mike Fries. We have operated in Austria for over 20 years and are extremely proud of the market-leading position weve built in both digital video and super-fast broadband. Looking forward, we believe the combination of UPC Austria and T-Mobile Austria will provide the national scale necessary to compete with larger companies like A1 .Under the terms of the deal, Liberty Global has agreed to provide a number of transitional services for a period of up to four years. These services principally comprise network and information technology-related functions. The annual charges will depend on the actual level of services required by T-Mobile Austria. Liberty Global will also allow T-Mobile Austria to use the UPC brand for a transitional period of up to three years as part of the transaction."
Brazilian media giant Globo has announced the international release of the series The Formula, partially shot in 4K, at NATPE 2018.

Along with the soap opera Edge of Desire , the comedy series will lead Globos catalogue at the international content event.The series relies on 4K technology to produce visual effects, which results in high quality photography. Some sets were created to shoot 3D scenes with the main actress inside the visual effects studio located in Rio de Janeiro.The series stars Drica Moraes and Luisa Arraes, who play the same character at different ages, as well as Fabio Assuncao, all of them well known faces from other Globo productions, like Total Dreamer.
Argentinas Cablevision and BBC Worldwide have reached a multi-content agreement for the former's video-on-demand (VOD) service Flow.

The deal will see over 50 titles produced by the British broadcaster landing on the Argentinian VOD platform, including two exclusive series included in no other line-up in the country: Rillington Place and The Last Post.Other BBC series and formats added by Cablevision Flow include Doctor Who (seasons 1-9), Luther (the first four seasons), The Collection, The Honourable Woman and Ripper Street. The VOD service will also add some of the companys well-known documentaries, such as Wild Patagonia, Animal Super Senses and Natural Born Hustlers.All the titles will be available through the Flow app for smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and computers.The agreement highlights our commitment to the Latin American market, said Anna Gordon, EVP and general manager, BBC Worldwide Latin America/US Hispanic . We believe this partnership will enable us to expand our footprint across the pay-TV, free-to-air (FTA) and digital markets throughout the region.Added Antonio Alvarez, manager of programming, Cablevision: Through this deal with BBC Worldwide we continue betting on high-quality content that also fits the new consumption habits, such as binge-watching.
Americans and people across the globe are questioning the U.S. role on the world stage, with a median of only 49 percent of respondents across 37 countries expressing a favorable view of the United States. In that context, a new Pew Research Center survey reveals that Americas much-vaunted soft power, which has long been touted as an antidote to its oft-criticized hard power image, is actually enhanced more by pop-culture exports than by its reputation for protecting civil liberties or its ideas about democracy.

With its universalistic values, open culture, and vast popular cultural resources ranging from Hollywood to foundations and universities, the United States [is] uniquely placed to affect how others [view] the world and us, Joseph Nye -- who conceptualized and popularized the concept of soft power -- said in a recent interview.

American movies, music, and television have broad overseas appeal. Roughly two-thirds of people surveyed in 37 countries this past spring say they like American pop culture. This has been the case in nearly half of the countries surveyed this year -- and has been so since the question was first asked by the Pew Research Center in 2002.

Europeans in particular embrace U.S. movies, music, and TV, including nearly nine-in-ten Swedes and about eight-in-ten Dutch. In the Asia-Pacific region, eight-in-ten Australians and roughly seven-in-ten Japanese, Filipinos, and South Koreans like American pop culture. But such allure is not universal. In the six Muslim-majority nations surveyed, a median of just 40 percent find such cultural offerings appealing.

The image of the United States as a defender of civil liberties is less a source of soft power than is pop-culture, but it still contributes to Americas global reputation. A median of 54 percent in the 37 countries polled think that the U.S. government respects the personal freedoms of its own people.

Most publics in the Asia-Pacific region overwhelmingly see the United States as a defender of civil liberties, and Americas reputation as a defender of individual rights is also quite strong in some parts of Africa. But many Latin Americans do not see the United States as a protector of personal freedoms.

In Europe, meanwhile, doubts about Americas commitment to civil liberties have risen in recent years. In 2013, 76 percent of Europeans thought that America defended the rights of its own people. But then it was revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency had listened in on telephone conversations, even those of European leaders. Now only 50 percent of Europeans see the U.S. in a positive light on this issue. In a number of European countries, Americas reputation as a civil libertarian has not recovered. The share of publics in both France and Germany who say the United States respects the personal freedoms of Americans is down 31 points since 2013.

More broadly, reactions to American ideas about democracy are mixed: Globally, a median of 43 percent say they like these ideas, while 46 percent say they dislike them.

Skepticism about U.S.-style democracy extends to even mature democracies. In Canada, for instance, only 36 percent like American democratic ideas. And in Europe a median of only 42 percent are keen on American notions of democracy. This includes just 34 percent in France and 37 percent in Germany. The British, meanwhile, are divided: Forty-three percent like and 44 percent dislike their former colonial subjects style of democracy.

These views are not entirely new, but doubts about American democracy have deepened in a number of countries polled this year. The share of people saying they like U.S. views about democracy is down 9 points in France, 8 points in Germany, 6 points in Italy, 8 points in Spain, 19 points in Tunisia, 16 points in Ghana, 22 points in Kenya, 24 points in Senegal, 10 points in South Africa, 10 points in Argentina, 18 points in Brazil, 13 points in Chile, and 22 points in Mexico since 2012 or 2013, the last time this question was asked. The degree to which U.S.-style democracy has lost its appeal among these foreign publics rivals similarly negative trends under President George W. Bush.

Whether its the export of democracy or pop-culture, the extent of U.S. soft power also depends on broader reactions to Americanization. Globally, a median of 54 percent worry that the influx of U.S. customs and ideas into their country is a bad thing.

Europeans are particularly wary. Among 10 EU countries, no majorities support such Americanization. Only about a third of Dutch (32 percent) and Spanish (31 percent) and a quarter of Germans (26 percent) say the proliferation of this U.S. soft power is a good thing.

There is even less public appreciation for American ideas and customs in Latin America. A median of just 39 percent think their spread is a good thing. Mexicans (26 percent) and Argentines (25 percent) are particularly unenthusiastic, with Mexican sentiment down 15 points since 2013.

Publics in the Asia-Pacific region are generally less wary of Americanization. Roughly seven-in-ten Vietnamese (71 percent) and 62 percent of both Japanese and Filipinos say the spread of such American attributes is a good thing for their country. Over half of South Koreans (54 percent) agree. But just a third of Australians (33 percent) and 15 percent of Indonesians think these aspects of American soft power are beneficial.

One bright note about soft power -- which suggests demography may yet prove destiny -- is the appeal of U.S. attributes among young people all over the world. In 21 of 37 countries surveyed, those ages 18 to 29 are more likely than those 50 and older to say the spread of American ideas and customs is a good thing for their society. This generation gap is quite large in Japan (35 points), Brazil, Spain, and Russia (all 28 points), and Hungary (24 points). Not surprisingly, young people tend to like American pop culture more than older people. Again the age gap is often quite substantial: differences of 57 points in Vietnam, 39 points in Russia and Brazil, 36 points in France, and 34 points in Colombia.

Soft power is certainly not an American liability. And in an era of competing economic systems, governance models, and world views, American ideas, customs, democratic norms, and culture remain a powerful tool of U.S. diplomacy. But the idea that the United States is a shining city on a hill that others want to emulate with few if any reservations is not borne out by public opinion data. People around the world admire the United States for its strengths, but they are also wary of its flaws. Selling Brand America may be challenging in the years ahead.

Bruce Stokes is director of global economic attitudes at the Pew Research Center. The views expressed are the author's own.
How many steps will it take to walk off Thanksgiving dinner?
Jailed Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha refused on Thursday to be questioned by court investigators in his prison cell in a remote corner of the country, instructing his attorney also to decline future sessions until he is transferred to a facility closer to his home in the capital Phnom Penh, his lawyer said today.



Kem Sokha is now exercising his right to remain silent, his attorney Som Sokhong told RFAs Khmer Service in an interview.



He has chosen to stop responding to questions by the investigating judge while he is being held at Trapeang Phlong prison, Som Sokhong said. He wants questioning to be conducted in a courtroom setting rather than a prison cell.



We are following his instructions and are boycotting the session, he said, adding, It is against the law for him to be questioned in prison.



Kem Sokha, leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested on Sept. 3 and faces charges of collaborating with the U.S. to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP).



Cambodias CPP-dominated Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 16 that the CNRP be dissolved for its part in the alleged plot, essentially eliminating Hun Sens competition ahead of a national election scheduled for July 2018.



Kem Sokha has already been questioned twice in his cell in remote Tboung Khmum province. In both cases, members of his legal team took issue with the investigators line of inquiry, which they said had assumed their clients guilt.



Following todays boycotted questioning session and another session scheduled for Dec. 22, a session has been scheduled for Dec. 29.



'Collecting information'



Also on Thursday, a lawyer for two former RFA Khmer Service reporters arrested in November on charges of espionage said an appeals court will hear their case on Dec. 26. They will also be questioned on Dec. 25 by the investigating judge of the Trial Court, attorney Keo Vanny said.



Former RFA reporters Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin were taken into custody on Nov. 14 by police who initially said the pair had been detained for running an unlicensed karaoke studio. They were later accused of setting up a studio for RFA and were formally charged with illegally collecting information for a foreign source.



They now face a possible prison term of up to 15 years.



RFA closed its operations in Cambodia in September amid a government crackdown on the media, and the two reporters have denied the charges against them.



Meanwhile, former Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia leader Chea Mony has fled the country into exile after being hit with a lawsuit by over 100 government-linked smaller unions and federations, sources said.



Filed earlier this week, the suit accuses Chea Mony of having called for international sanctions in response to the governments shut-down of Hun Sens political opposition.



In an interview with RFAs Khmer Service, Chea Mony had urged the European Union and the U.S. to impose sanctions on Cambodia to pressure Hun Sen to reinstate the CNRP, release Kem Sokha, and reverse a months-long crackdown on NGOs and the media ahead of next years general election.



Not safe to remain



Chea Mony joins a list of many CNRP members including party leaders, lawmakers, and commune council members who have now fled Cambodia ahead of threats by the ruling party.



Speaking to RFA earlier this week, Sea Phiromexecutive director of the Housing Rights Task Force, now living in the U.S.said that the government had tied his work helping the victims of land grabs to alleged support for a popular revolution against the ruling party.



It was not safe for me to remain in Cambodia, he said



The courts and the prisons are now political tools used by the government to silence its opposition along with the media and NGOs, he said.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Authorities in southern Laos Attapeu province continue to turn up caches of illegally logged timber, despite a pledge by the governor to eradicate the trade when he took over administration of the region a month ago from his predecessor, who was removed because of ties to lumber smuggling.



On Dec. 13, a provincial inspection team discovered 250 pieces of illegal timber, measuring around 180 cubic meters (6,350 cubic feet), buried underground in a forest area of Attapeu between posts 766 and 770 of the Lao border with Vietnam.



According to a senior provincial official, who spoke to RFAs Lao Service on condition of anonymity, the cache must belong to Lao and Vietnamese businessmen who colluded in this illegal activity.



We found it before they were able to deliver it, he added.



In addition to timber that was partially processed, the inspection team also uncovered a pile of uncut logs, two power saws, and a saw table in the forest near a village along the border, the official said.



Teams will continue to investigate in the area, he said, adding that inspectors expect to find additional logs of varying stages of processing hidden along the borderline.



Days after last weeks discovery, a provincial inspection team stopped a Toyota SUV driving through Saysetha district towards the border with Vietnam and uncovered 11 pieces of hidden rosewood timber valued at around U.S. $20,000, according to reports by local media.



The driver was reported to be the former deputy head of immigration police at Laos Phoukeua International Border Checkpoint, which regulates crossings from Attapeu into western Vietnams Kon Tum province.



The two arrests are the latest to uncover illegally logged wood believed destined for Vietnam since Leth Xaiyaphone assumed the governorship of Attapeu province on Nov. 21, assuring the public that he would pursue the prosecution of those who disregarded state law, as well as a Communist Party directive banning logging in certain areas and exports of timber from Laos.



In May, Lao authorities seized a convoy of 27 trucks of logs owned by Seng Viyaketh, wife of Attapeus then-governor Nam Viyaketh, at the Phoukeua International Border Checkpoint. Authorities determined that the timber was illegally obtained in Laos, where logging is heavily restricted as a measure to curb widespread deforestation.



Three Lao officials from Attapeus finance, forestry, and commerce departments are being investigated for their roles in the scheme and have since been ordered to stop working.



The Politburo issued an order early last month reassigning Nam to work with the countrys National Social and Scientific Council and replacing him with Leth as part of a reshuffle of high-ranking leaders  in accordance with job requirements for the new era.



While Nam and his wife denied any connection to the trucks seized in May, an official source who inspects timber in the southern provinces of Laos told RFA that the governors dismissal was directly related to the incident, as well as conflict of interest for his family and embezzlement.



Officials complicit



High-ranking officials in Attapeu are regularly involved in illegal logging and cross-border sales, despite a ban on the export of timber issued by Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in May 2016 as part of an effort to end rampant smuggling to China and Vietnam, where the wood is used to make high-end furniture.



Sources have told RFA that provincial officials who take bribes to facilitate the smuggling include those from the departments of commerce, forest, public works and transport, customs and tax, and the provincial cabinet office.



Some 10,000 cubic meters (353,150 cubic feet) of illegally harvested timber seized from smugglers in Attapeu province this year has gone missing, likely the result of local authorities looking the other way or actively selling the wood on the black market.



Most of the illegal timber is obtained through conversion forestryclearing areas marked for the development of infrastructure projects such as hydropower dams, road building, and mining operationswhich is used as an excuse for large-scale logging that otherwise would not be permitted under Lao law.



Reported by RFAs Lao Service and translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
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
On a surprise visit to Afghanistan, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has praised U.S. and Afghan troops for what he said was "real progress" in the 16-year war and declared President Donald Trump's new strategy there is working.

"The results are really beginning to become evident around the country," he said after meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah at the presidential palace in Kabul late on December 21.

Pence said the two Afghan leaders told him "they've begun to see a sea change in the attitudes among the Taliban," and Ghani told him more senior Taliban leaders have been killed this year than in all the prior years of the conflict.

Pence said the Afghan leaders also expressed hope that "eventually the enemy will tire of losing" and be willing to join peace negotiations.

Trump this summer outlined a strategy of increasing U.S. troops on the ground and giving greater authority to U.S. military leaders to carry out the battle against the Taliban, and Pence said that approach is now bearing fruit.

Pence arrived late on December 21 on a military plane at Bagram Airfield before traveling by helicopter to Kabul. He said he told the Afghan leaders that his presence in the country was tangible evidence that the United States is "here to see this through."

"Under President Donald Trump, the armed forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people, once and for all," Pence said.

He later traveled back to Bagram to address some of the estimated 14,000 U.S. service members stationed in the country, who provide training and assistance to Afghan forces in their battles against Taliban insurgents and other extremists.

Pence thanked the troops for their sacrifice and said, "I believe victory is closer than ever before."

Pence also received a briefing from U.S. military leaders, including the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson.

At Bagram, Pence had sharp words for neighboring Pakistan, echoing previous comments by Trump that accused Islamabad of providing safe harbor to terrorists operating in Afghanistan.

"Those days are over," Pence said, adding that Pakistan had much to gain from working with the United States but much to lose by harboring "criminals and terrorists."

"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice," Pence said.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry reacted by saying that "allies do not put each other on notice" and that the comments were "at variance" with previous conversations.

"On notice should be those factors responsible for exponential increase in drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial-scale corruption, breakdown of governance, and letting [Islamic State] gain a foothold in Afghanistan," Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Faisal said in a statement.

"Also focus should be on creating peace and reconciliation mechanisms. Finally, externalizing blame should be put on notice."

Pence's short visit to Afghanistan, originally part of a Middle East trip that was called off, was shrouded in secrecy for security reasons. Reporters traveling with the vice president were asked not to reveal his whereabouts until after Pence had addressed U.S. troops at the Bagram air base.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
Six police officers have been killed in a suicide car bombing in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

Nine others were wounded, five of them seriously, in the attack early on December 22 in Kandahar Province, which was claimed by the Taliban.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the entrance to a police headquarters in Maiwand district, officials said.

Commentators say attacks on security posts and bases are on the rise in Afghanistan.

The attack comes hours after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan.

Pence said real progress is being made on the ground in Afghanistan.

Pence said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has told him that more senior Taliban leaders have been eliminated this year than in all prior years of the war combined.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new Afghan strategy in August.

Pence said that, because of that decision, the U.S. has been sending more resources and troops into Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, AFP, dpa, and AP
MINSK -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has signed a decree that legalizes transactions in cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin.

After signing the decree on December 22, Lukashenka said that the move was aimed at attracting foreign investors and turn Belarus into a regional center for blockchain technology, which makes online transactions faster and more secure as well as anonymous.

Lukashenka said Minsk wanted to create conditions to encourage global information-technology (IT) firms to set up branches, research centers, and production facilities inside Belarus.

The decree makes initial coin offerings and transactions in cryptocurrencies legal and all such trades will not be taxed until January 1, 2023.

Belarus's IT sector is one of the country's few success stories.

The High-Tech Park was created in Minsk in 2006 to spur growth in the IT industry.

Today, there are an estimated 115,000 IT specialists in Belarus, making an average of $1,800 per month, well above the national average.

With reporting by Reuters and BelTA
A group that appeared to be made up of Israeli tourists berated a group of Serbian activists in Belgrade who were protesting U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Women in Black began as an antiwar protest movement in 1988 in Israel and now has organizations in several other countries. (RFE/RL's Balkan Service)
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.
Police in Moscow searched the homes of three activists of an opposition group called Protesting Moscow on December 22.

Protesting Moscow said on social media that police were searching the homes of Olga Chezare, Roman Kogan, and Roman Rashimas. It said police gave no reason for the searches and took the activists' phones.

The Protesting Moscow movement was established after mass anticorruption rallies on March 26 organized by opposition politician Aleksei Navalny in Moscow and about 100 other Russian cities.

The searches came ahead of planned demonstrations on December 24 by supporters of Navalny and other opposition figures.

The March 26 rallies were among the largest protests since a wave of demonstrations in 2011-12. Many were held without government permission.

Police detained more than 1,000 people in Moscow alone, including Navalny, a Putin foe and anticorruption crusader who is seeking to challenge Putin in a March 18 presidential election.

Several activists were arrested on suspicion of attacking police officers at the Moscow rally. Four of them have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight months to four years.

Some of them were sent to serve their terms in so-called colony settlements, penitentiaries in which convicts live close to an industrial facility or a farm where they work.

Election officials said in June that Navalny is ineligible to run for president due to a financial-crimes conviction that he contends was politically motivated.


It's time to put a myth to rest.

It's time to bury a false narrative once and for all.

It's time for the truth to trump the disinformation about the alleged Russophobia of the Baltic states.

For decades, the Kremlin has been peddling a story that Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians are inherently and irrationally anti-Russian.

The facts tell another story.

Just last week, for example, I spoke at the opening ceremony of a new Andrei Sakharov center at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Present were Lithuanian officials and citizens, as well as Russian citizens, united in their desire to honor a man many see as one of the greatest Russians of the 20th century.

At the same event, I attended a photo exhibition featuring Russian citizens who have found political asylum in Lithuania.

The photojournalist who created the exhibition said the project showed him how his country had become fully European in the sense that it was now taking in foreign nationals fleeing oppression in their homelands -- in this case, Russian nationals fleeing oppression in their homelands.

In fact, in recent years, thousands of Russian citizens have emigrated to Estonia and Latvia, as well as to Lithuania -- and have been welcomed with open arms.

And earlier this month, Vilnius hosted the Free Russia Forum, an annual gathering of Russian activists who seek to make their country a freer and more humane place.

The myth of Baltic Russophobia serves the Kremlin's purposes.

Because when Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania raise the alarm about the revanchism of Vladimir Putin's regime, it is often dismissed in Western capitals as irrational hysteria.

It's high time to put this myth to rest.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
The Cheka. The GPU. The NKVD. The MGB. The KGB. And the FSB.

The Kremlin's secret police have gone by many names. And this week, they had a birthday.

Throughout the year, Vladimir Putin's regime studiously avoided celebrating dates associated with the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.

But the centenary of the founding of the Cheka -- the original Soviet-era secret police -- was another story entirely.

On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we look at the cult of the Chekist in the Russian imagination, the Kremlin's selective use of history, and the role of the Russian security services going forward.

Joining me are co-host Mark Galeotti, a senior research fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, head of its Center for European Security, and author of the forthcoming book Vory: Russia's Super Mafia; and Andrei Soldatov, co-founder of the investigative website Agentura.ru and co-author of the books The New Nobility: The Restoration Of Russia's Security State And The Enduring Legacy Of The KGB and Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators And The New Online Revolutionaries.

Enjoy...

Listen to or download the podcast above or subscribe to The Power Vertical Podcast on iTunes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the U.S. security strategy unveiled by President Donald Trump as "aggressive," saying Moscow would take that into account in its own actions.

Speaking at the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow on December 22, Putin claimed the United States and NATO were engaged in a military buildup in Europe that the Kremlin leader said was of an "offensive, aggressive character."

Putin also accused the United States of plotting to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which bans short- and intermediate-range land-based nuclear and conventional missiles.

Both Russia and the United States have accused each other of breaking the landmark arms control treaty that helped end the Cold War and have said its existence is now under threat.

Putin said Russia's nuclear arsenal was capable of serving as a "strategic deterrence" to any emerging threat.

Unveiling his new U.S. national security strategy on December 18, Trump warned that Russia and China are trying to shape a world antithetical to U.S. values and interests.

Trump said the United States will seek a "great partnership" with Russia, China, and other nations but will "always protect our national interests."

Based on reporting by Interfax, TASS, and RIA Novosti
It has been nearly two years since Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted to rescind an agreement with Russia to construct hydropower plants (HPP) in Kyrgyzstan.

In January 2016, when Kyrgyzstan scrapped the agreement for Russia to construct the Kambar-Ata-1 HPP and four smaller HPPs along the Upper Naryn River, then-Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariev said, "We will think of attracting other investors," and he asserted, "There are plenty of them."

It was not until July 2017 that another investor appeared -- Czech company Liglass -- but that deal quickly fell apart when it became apparent Liglass had neither the money nor the experience to construct the HPPs Kyrgyzstan needed.

At a December 15 meeting of the Russian-Kyrgyz intergovernmental commission in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Tolkunbek Abdygulov told journalists Kyrgyzstan and Russia might return to the matter of Russian participation in constructing Kyrgyzstan's HPPs.

And that is apparently the case, as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told journalists in Bishkek, "We started certain projects and in the first stage it didn't work out for us, but that doesn't mean that the subject is closed."

He said that if there were markets outside Central Asia for Kyrgyzstan's electricity exports, "we could resume these projects."

Dvorkovich and Abdygulov said construction of the HPPs would be a topic for discussion when the intergovernmental commission meets again in 2018.

Russian-Kyrgyz talks on constructing Kambar-Ata-1 and the Upper Naryn cascade project have been going on for many years.

Back in October 2004, when Askar Akaev was Kyrgyz president, Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev said the Russian company Unified Energy Systems (EES) was interested in the construction of Kambar-Ata-1. Akaev was ousted in a popular revolt in March 2005.

In 2009, President Kurmanbek Bakiev secured a Russian loan of more than $2 billion, $1.7 billion of which was to go toward paying Russian companies EES and RusHydro (aka RosGidro) to build the HPPs.

But Bakiev and his son Maksim allegedly skimmed some money off the initial tranche of $450 million, the Kremlin found out and, in April 2010, Bakiev was ousted in a popular revolt in which Russian soft power reportedly played a prominent role.

In September 2012, then-President Almazbek Atambaev signed a new deal with Russia to build Kambar-Ata-1 and the Upper Naryn cascade project but the economic crisis hit Russia.

EES and RusHydro, neither of which was particularly keen on the Kyrgyz projects, could no longer finance work on the HPPs. That led to Kyrgyzstan's decision in January 2016 to tear up the deal.

Two years later, Kyrgyz and Russian officials are again talking about building the hydroprojects and new President Soronbai Jeenbekov might be the next Kyrgyz leader to negotiate Russian participation in Kambar-Ata-1 and the cascade network.

Kambar-Ata-1 is a massive project that, when finished, would generate just under 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity. But it is estimated it will cost some $3 billion, far beyond Kyrgyzstan's ability to finance on its own.

The Naryn cascade project calls for constructing four small HPPs: Akbulun with a planned capacity to generate some 87.4 MW of electricity, Naryn HPP-1 with a capacity of 47.7 MW, Naryn-2 with 47.6 MW, and Naryn-3 with 55 MW.

According to a Kyrgyz government presentation for investors in 2014, the total project should cost some $727.65 million.

RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Azattyk, interviewed several people who are familiar with the hydroprojects.

Former Kyrgyz Energy Minister Osmonbek Artykbaev and energy expert Rayimbek Mamyrov both suggested that since Russian companies had already started work on the projects it would be better to continue with those Russian companies.

It is worth mentioning that resuming work with the Russian companies would probably also delay resolving the matter of the $37 million Kyrgyzstan owes the Russian companies for work already done at the HPP sites.

And for those hoping this time the projects might actually be realized, it should be noted that now neighboring Uzbekistan does not object to the construction of Kambar-Ata-1 -- as it had in the past -- when Uzbek President Islam Karimov was alive.

The man who became president after Karimov died, Shavkat Mirziyoev, said during a September visit to Kyrgyzstan that Uzbekistan did not oppose building Kambar-Ata-1 and, in fact, might even join the project. Karimov had warned and threatened both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan about building large HPPs that might reduce water needed for Uzbek agriculture.

However, Dvorkovich's comments about Kyrgyzstan needing to find other markets besides the Central Asian neighbors might prove an obstacle toward attracting EES and RusHydro back to Kyrgyzstan.

There is the plan for the Central Asia-South Asia, or CASA-1000, electricity project that would send electricity from HPPs in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to markets in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but that requires 1,000 MW and might not be enough to interest Russia.

Judging from recent history, one thing seems sure and that is that without Russia's help, the Kyrgyz HPPs probably will not be built.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL
A journalist with the independent Russian online media outlet Kavkazsky Uzel (Caucasus Knot) says he is recovering after being shot in an attack he linked to his reporting.

Vyacheslav Prudnikov said that a man opened fire at him on December 21 when he was visiting a cemetery in Krasny Sulin, a town in the Rostov region in southern Russia.

Prudnikov said the attacker shouted, "We are fed up with your writing about authorities, and fired at his face. He said he covered his face with his arm and a bullet hit his elbow.

Another bullet hit Prudnikov's rib when he was running away from the assailant, he said, adding that he had undergone surgery and his life was out of danger.

Prudnikov has been covering strikes in the town of Gukovo, where local miners have been demanding overdue salaries since September.

Kavkazsky Uzel was established by the rights group Memorial in 2001 and mainly covers Russia's North Caucasus, nearby regions in southern Russia, and the South Caucasus countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

In January, Kavkazsky Uzel correspondent Vladislav Ryazantsev was beaten by unknown attackers in the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Another Kavkazsky Uzel correspondent, Akhmednabi Akhmednabiev, was shot dead near his house in Daghestan in July 2013. Nobody has been prosecuted for his killing.

With reporting by Kavkazsky Uzel
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Treasury Department has hit a group of 10 Russians and others connected to a major organized-crime syndicate with new financial sanctions, the third wave of sanctions to be announced in as many days by the United States.

The list published on December 22 by the department's Office of Financial Assets Control is unlikely to seriously affect the businesses or transactions of the people involved. But the move highlights the importance U.S. policymakers put on financial sanctions as a tool of U.S. foreign policy.

The syndicate targeted is known as "Thieves-in-Law", which is also a widely used Russian term to describe powerful organized-crime figures who first emerged from the gulag system of Soviet prison camps.

The Thieves-in-Law group, according to the Treasury Department, allegedly engaged in money laundering, extortion, bribery, and robbery in Russia, Europe, and the United States for years, the department said in a statement.

"Treasury is designating the Thieves-in-Law as part of a broader strategy to disrupt the financial infrastructure of transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States and our allies," office director John Smith said.

Among those targeted was Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, who Treasury said had been indicted twice in the United States, once in 2013 in a bribery case related to the scandal-plagued 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Known by the nickname Taiwanchik, Tokhtakhunov has scoffed at U.S. law enforcement measures in the past. "If I was going to launder money, I'd have done it in my own country, right? The complaints would be coming from my country. How can the Americans complain that I, without even living there, laundered their money over there?" he told RFE/RL in a 2013 interview.

Also included was Gafur Rakhimov, an Uzbek native renowned throughout former Soviet Central Asia and accused of money laundering, drug trafficking, and other crimes.

Other listed were Vladimir Tyurin, Ruben Tatulian, and Yury Pichugin, who has been arrested in the past by Russian law enforcement. His current status wasn't immediately clear.

U.S. and European intelligence agencies have long warned about the formidable networks of organized-crime groups that emerged out of the former Soviet Union and spread into Europe, North America, and East Asia after the Soviet collapse.

Intelligence officials have also warned the groups are frequently tapped by government agencies in Russia and elsewhere to conduct officially sanctioned operations.

"Russian-based organized-crime groups in Europe have been used for a variety of purposes, including as sources of black cash,' to launch cyberattacks, to wield political influence, to traffic people and goods, and even to carry out targeted assassinations on behalf of the Kremlin," Mark Galeotti, a New York-based expert on Russian law enforcement and crime, said in a widely read paper published in April.

The sanctions were the third such measure to be taken in as many days by the Treasury Department.

On December 21, 52 people were blacklisted under the Global Magnitsky Act, a 2016 U.S. law that imposes financial and travel restrictions against people deemed to have committed human rights abuses or corrupt activity.

That list included the eldest daughter of late Uzbek President Islam Karimov, the son of Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika, a Ukrainian riot-police commander, and others.

And a day prior, Treasury hit the leader of Russia's Chechnya region and four others under an earlier iteration of the law known simply as the Magnitsky Act, named for Russian whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky who was imprisoned after uncovering a scheme that stole $230 million from the Russian treasury. Magnitsky died in prison in 2009.

That law infuriated the Kremlin, and Moscow has complained repeatedly about it.
Serbia is negotiating the purchase of military helicopters from Russia in one of several possible new Russian arms purchases that could heighten tensions in the Balkans.

Serbia's Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin told Serbian state TV on December 21 that a "high level of military cooperation" between the two countries was agreed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during Vucic's visit to Moscow this week.

Vulin said Serbia wants to buy six MI-17 helicopters as well as form an overhaul base for the Russian choppers, which in effect would give Russian military personnel a presence in the country.

Serbian officials said Serbia and Russia are also discussing supplies of Buk-M1 and Buk-M2 missile systems and the delivery of six additional MiG-29s and possibly S-300 air-defense systems from Belarus.

Vulin said that close military and other ties with Russia have "significantly changed and strengthened" Serbia's position internationally.

In October, Russia gave the Serbian Air Force six older model MiG-29 fighter jets and Moscow has also promised to donate 30 used battle tanks and 30 armored vehicles to Serbia.

With neighboring Montenegro recently having become NATO's newest member and other Western Balkan nations aspiring to join NATO, Serbia's acquisitions put it at odds with neighboring states, including Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo, that it waged war with in the 1990s during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

Serbia, like other Western Balkan nations, has been on a path to join the European Union. But under pressure from Moscow, Belgrade has insisted it won't join NATO and has maintained what it calls "military neutrality."

Serbia is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program and has held military exercises with both the Western military alliance and the Russian military.

Based on reporting by AP, TASS, and Interfax


ON MY MIND

The Cheka. The GPU. The NKVD. The MGB. The KGB. And the FSB.

The Kremlin's secret police have gone by many names. And this week, they had a birthday.

Throughout the year, Vladimir Putin's regime studiously avoided celebrating dates associated with the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.

But the centenary of the founding of the Cheka -- the original Soviet-era secret police -- was another story entirely.

On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we look at the cult of the Chekist in the Russian imagination, the Kremlin's selective use of history, and the role of the Russian security services going forward.

Joining me will be co-host Mark Galeotti, a senior research fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, head of its Center for European Security, and author of the forthcoming book Vory: Russia's Super Mafia; and Andrei Soldatov, co-founder of the investigative website Agentura.ru and co-author of the books The New Nobility: The Restoration Of Russia's Security State And The Enduring Legacy Of The KGB and Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators And The New Online Revolutionaries.

So be sure to tune in later today!

IN THE NEWS

Amnesty International says groups that defend LGBT rights are facing a rise in hostility in parts of the former Soviet Union, fueled by discrimination, homophobia, and what it called Russia's crusade against "nontraditional sexual relationships."

The Associated Press reports that Russian hackers targeted more than 200 journalists globally in the same way they allegedly went after U.S. politicians and intelligence figures.

Police in Moscow today searched the homes of three activists of an opposition group called Protesting Moscow.

Despite rocky relations, London and Moscow should be able cooperate on global security challenges, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said as he began the first visit to Russia by a British government minister in five years.

Serbia is negotiating the purchase of military helicopters from Russia in one of several possible new Russian arms purchases that could heighten tensions in the Balkans.

The State Duma has ratified an agreement with Syria to extend Russias lease on a naval base at Tartus for 49 years.

The U.S. Justice Department says its decision to require RT to register as a foreign agent under a decades-old law was prompted in part by conclusions from the U.S. intelligence community about the state-funded Russian TV network.

The United States has imposed financial and travel restrictions on 52 government-linked people from Uzbekistan, Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere, under a U.S. law aimed at human rights abusers and corrupt officials worldwide.

The European Union has formally prolonged economic sanctions against Russia for six months over Moscow's aggressive actions in Ukraine.

A draft order released by the Russian Justice Ministry suggests that the government may decide to label all media outlets receiving foreign funding as "foreign agents."

A Moscow court has ordered Pussy Riot punk protest band member Maria Alyokhina to perform 40 hours of community-service work as punishment for a protest she staged at the headquarters of the Federal Security Service.

Ukrainian tycoon Ihor Kolomoyskiy says that a London court's freezing of assets held worldwide by him and his partner, Hennadiy Boholyubov, in connection with trouble at Ukraine's largest lender, PrivatBank, is only "temporary."

An aide to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman has been detained on suspicion of being an agent of Russia's Federal Security Service.

Ukraine's military said today that one of its soldiers was killed and two wounded in the previous 24 hours in the eastern part of the country.

WHAT I'M READING

The Cult Of The Chekist

Timur Olevsky of Current Time TV, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, looks at the role of the FSB in Putin's Russia.

Postmortem On The Ulyukayev Verdict

In an op-ed for The Moscow Times, Mark Galeotti of the Institute of International Relations in Prague and author of the forthcoming book Vory: Russia's Super Mafia looks at the guilty verdict and eight-year prison sentence in the trial of former Economics Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev and concludes that it "heralds the end of Putinism."

The Deadliest Soviet Scientist

In The Atlantic, Sam Kean looks at the legacy and renewed popularity of Trofim Lysenko, "the Soviet era's deadliest scientist."

The Political Editor

In his column for Republic.ru, opposition journalist and political commentator Oleg Kashin looks at the political role played by Ekho Moskvy editor in chief Aleksei Venediktov.

Cultural Politics

In a piece for Republic.ru, Andrei Arkhangelsky looks at the cultural politics of 2017 and argues that Fyodor Dostoevsky's "underground man" became the main news maker of the year.

Crimea's Prospects

In a blog post for Ekho Moskvy, economist and political commentator Vladislav Inozemtsev looks at potential futures for Ukraine's Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

Six More Years

In Intersection magazine, Anton Barbashin offers a blueprint for how the West should prepare for six more years of Putinism.

Aleksei Navalny exposes the Paris real estate holdings of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's wife.

Roginsky On Stalinism

Arseny Roginsky, a founder of the Russian human rights group Memorial, passed away last week. This 2008 essay on Stalinist attitudes in Russia is well worth reading today.
Ukraine's military said on December 22 that one of its soldiers was killed and two wounded in the previous 24 hours in the eastern part of the country.

A Defense Ministry statement said that Russia-backed separatists violated a frequently breached cease-fire 16 times using snipers, machine guns, and mortars.

Separatists, meanwhile, claimed that government forces violated the cease-fire 28 times using assault rifles, grenade launchers, mortars, and artillery.

Fighting between Kyiv's forces and the Russia-backed separatists who hold parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014.

Cease-fire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed to resolve the conflict -- have failed to hold.

Rights groups and Western officials have voiced alarm about a recent increase in hostilities.

A new cease-fire agreed ahead of the holiday season was set to begin at midnight between December 22 and 23.

The planned cease-fire, as well as a planned prisoner exchange, were discussed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a phone call on December 21, the Kremlin said.

Putin also explained to Merkel why Russia withdrew its military observers from a joint group monitoring the truce in eastern Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.

Putin said the Russian move announced earlier this week was due to what the Kremlin said were restrictions and provocations by Ukrainian authorities.

Kyiv has criticized Moscows decision, saying it could fuel hostilities.

With reporting by Interfax, TASS, and AP
Imams in central Uzbekistan are being compelled ahead of the New Year's holiday to donate funds for something that's normally well outside their purview -- street decorations.

Uzbek authorities have demanded millions of soms from more than 100 mosques across Bukhara Province in connection with the civic plans, sources in the former Soviet republic have told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service.

Some 25 mosques in the city of Bukhara were told to collect 30 million soms (around $3,680) for the decorations, a Bukhara mosque employee said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the topic.

The source, who oversees the finances at the mosque, described the officials' request for funds as "compulsory-voluntary" and said it had "upset us."

But local officials insisted to RFE/RL that the donations from mosques -- and other institutions -- were purely voluntary. "All local organizations, including religious institutions, are contributing money on a voluntary basis for the purchase of festive street decorations," a Bukhara city official said, declining to give his name.

"Bukhara has long been considered a city for pilgrimage. People leave money in charity boxes in the city's holy places," another official said. "No religious figure is against giving a small amount of these donations [to the authorities] for the purchase of the New Year's decorations."

No imam in Bukhara contacted by RFE/RL was willing to comment about the request for the donations.

It's unclear whether mosques in other regions of Uzbekistan, a predominantly Muslim country of around 30 million people, have received similar instructions.

But in the capital, Tashkent, influential imam Shermurod Toghai said that "nothing is wrong with donating money to the city's improvement."

'Wrong And Shameful'

Some Uzbeks suggested the donation request was an unfair imposition on the religious community, which could make better use of the funds.

"New Year's isn't even a religious festival.... It's regrettable and shameful to ask funds from mosques for New Year's celebrations. Those 30 million soms should be better donated to those who don't have money for clothes and have nowhere to live," Facebook user Nurislam Yuldoshev wrote.

"It doesn't matter what kind of celebration it is. It's just wrong and shameful to ask for money from a mosque for it," Mirzohid Karimov said.

In an apparent reference to reports of religious figures in Uzbekistan being told to promote the state-sponsored cotton harvest, Facebook user Dilorom Shahavutdinova wrote: "Until recently mullahs, imams, and elders were being dragged into the cotton-picking campaign, now it's time to help the fir-tree celebrations."

Shoira Hasanova suggested that imams would have little choice but to obey the authorities' instructions: "They know what happens if they don't pay. If someone opened their mouth, they would be told, 'You're against the government policies, against the president,' and would be locked up."

Uzbek authorities in the past have shown little tolerance for perceived dissent or criticism of government policies, although there have been modest reforms in President Shavkat Mirziyoev's first year in office following the death of strongman leader Islam Karimov.

Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has vowed to pursue reforms and called on officials across the Central Asian country to improve communications with ordinary people.

Mirziyoev spoke on December 22, in an end-of-year address to parliament that was broadcast live on state TV and billed by his office as Uzbekistan's first-ever state-of-the-nation speech.

Smiling frequently and casting himself as a team member, Mirziyoev seemed to be seeking to set himself apart from his autocratic predecessor, Islam Karimov, who ruled for more than a quarter-century before his death in 2016.

Mirziyoev, who was appointed interim president in September 2016 and elected in a tightly controlled vote in December, has sought to implement economic and social reforms, decrease Uzbekistan's isolation, and improve ties with regional neighbors. In the speech, he claimed have made progress and promised more.

"The first results of the large-scale reforms implemented in 2017 are reflected in our people's everyday lives. They woke up social activity among them and strengthened their confidence in tomorrow," Mirziyoev said in the speech, which was attended by foreign diplomats and watched by regional officials and civic group leaders via video link.

Uzbekistan's relations with Western countries were strained under Karimov, whose government was accused by human rights groups of severe and pervasive abuses. In recent months, several public figures, journalists, and politicians jailed on what rights activists say were politically motivated charges have been released.

In October, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Uzbek authorities had taken "some positive steps" during Mirziyoev's first year in office and called for "sustainable" improvements in human rights.

Mirziyoev stressed the importance of democratic reforms in the country, saying that the functions of the state and government structures must be based on democratic principles.

He condemned officials, not mentioning names, who use vulgar words when talking to their subordinates or ordinary citizens.

"Governors of three districts cannot speak to the people. Who gave them the right to insult people? That shows their ignorance and illiteracy," he said, referring to recent media reports that carried videos of local authorities beating and insulting people.

Mirziyoev said the government has to focus on more reforms in the judicial, economic, education, science, and social spheres.

He declared 2018 "the year of support of active entrepreneurship, innovative ideas, and technologies" and said that 2017 has been the "the year of the dialogue between the government and ordinary people."

Mirziyoev also said that inspections of private businesses must be stopped in order to support small and medium-sized businesses in the country.

"If we stop lying to ourselves, if we sincerely want our country to prosper, our people to be proud members of society, and our children to be happy and looking to a bright future, we, all together, will be able to achieve a lot," Mirziyoev said at end of his address.

With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Merhat Sharipzhan
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening. A few snow showers developing late. Low 22F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening. A few snow showers developing late. Low 22F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
Honda Cars India is in celebratory mode. Yes, its year end, and Christmas is almost upon us, but Honda has a bigger reason to be joyous this festive season. The company is commemorating 20 successful years of the Honda City sedan in India. Thats two decades of legacy unfazed by competition. Honda City began its journey in India in 1998. The car we see on our roads today is in its fourth generation avatar.

For a car, Honda City sedan distinguishes itself as one of the longest running nameplates in the Indian automotive history. The India auto market is an important one to Honda, and especially to City. The market accounts for over 25 percent of the sedans current global sales.

Yoichiro Ueno, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd said, We are extremely delighted and proud as we celebrate incredible two decades for Honda City in India, having created new benchmarks ever since its first launch in 1998. With a strong legacy of 4 generations, the Honda City has re-invented each time according to the needs and aspirations of customers. Each generation of Honda City has offered a new design, latest automotive technology and new-age infotainment experiences. We thank all our City customers for their patronage of the brand he added.

Back in October, the company had marked 7 lakh unit sales of Honda City in India. 1st generation City sedan (1998  2003) sales stood at 59,378 units. 2nd gen City sedan (2003  2008) sales were at 177,742 units. 3rd gen City sales (2008  2013) are reported at 192,939 units.

First 3 gen cars were available as petrol variants. Honda Cars India made a diesel variant available with the introduction of the 4th gen City in 2014. To date (2014  till Nov 2017), 276,095 units of petrol/diesel 4th gen Honda City units have been sold in India.

With a strong dealership network of 349 outlets in 234 cities, and 221 suppliers, and the availability of diesel variants, Honda has been able to take its most loved sedan to Tier 3 markets. 53% of total 4th gen City sales have come from Tier 1 cities, 28% from Tier II cities, and 19% from Tier III cities.

https://www.facebook.com/HondaCarIndia/videos/1647795341909132/
In a tragic accident, 26-year-old Australian, Matthew Ridley has passed away in India yesterday morning. He was astride a Royal Enfield motorcycle when a Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus going towards Agra hit him. Anthony too was headed from Delhi to Agra with two friends, Benett Kowald and Ian Borg. The trio had only reached India three days prior.

The accident involved at least four vehicles on the Yamuna Expressway. Other commuters too sustained injuries. The accident was a result of low visibility owing to fog. The UPSRTC bus first rammed into a truck, and lost it balance, and then struck the bike. The collision was of great impact and left the front of the bus shattered. The driver, conductor and a school girl in the UPSRTC bus sustained injuries.

The injured were taken to Kailash Hospital, Greater Noida. Matthew Ridley, a professional computer programmer, was declared dead on arrival. The bus and motorcycle have been removed from the accident spot. An FIR has been registered against the UPSRTC bus driver under IPC sections 279 (rash driving), and 304A (causing death due to negligence).

The trio were schoolmates, and grew up in Sydney. Their India trip was to be a month long vacation that included riding to Agra from Delhi, visiting Varanasi, and then heading to Goa. The three were on a month long tourist visa in India. After spending two days in Delhi, the trio set out to begin their trip on Thursday morning itself, and for this they had opted for bike rentals.

Here is an update from Mathews family.

It is with heart break and devastation that I share the news that my brother Matthew Ridley, son to Diane & Tony, has Posted by Tara Ridley on Thursday, 21 December 2017

The trio had been riding on the left of the expressway when the speeding bus drove into Mathews bike. The Australian embassy was been notified about the incident, and are aiding in legal formalities. Both friends will leave India once formalities are completed.

We obeyed all traffic rules. We were keeping the left side on the expressway. Suddenly, a speeding bus lost its balance and rammed against Mathews bike. He was fatally wounded and he died on the spot. We are shattered over the incident, said his friend in the hospital.

On duty security guard at the spot where the accident took place, Mukesh Kumar said, I feel the bus driver was at fault. The driver was speeding and driving rash. The Australian national was keeping the left. The bus driver took the extreme left and rammed against his bike. The victim and bike were badly stuck in the pole and it was difficult to extricate him.
[NEW YORK] Indias High Court in Delhi has moved to February 2018 the final decision on allowing Pfizer to be the only pharmaceutical company selling pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV 13) to the Indian government, a plan that was contested by an international humanitarian group providing medical aid.

The PCV 13 is intended for Indias universal immunisation programme for children. Last August, the court held that Pfizer could have patent rights in India for the vaccine, barring local manufacturers from selling cheaper versions of PCV 13, marketed as Prenevar 13. In November, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) or Doctors without Borders obtained the deferment by arguing in court that the patent does not meet the standards laid out by Indias laws.

We hope to get the patent revoked in India because it guarantees Pfizer a monopoly on the pneumonia vaccine until 2026, by which time local manufacturers with far cheaper versions of the vaccine would have dropped out Leena Menghaney

According to Leena Menghaney, head of MSFs Access Campaign in South Asia, the patent is based on a mere addition of serotypes to the already established multivalent vaccine and fails to meet the inventiveness criteria. She says that in 2014, the European Patent Office had revoked similar patents granted to Pfizer for being non-inventive.

We hope to get the patent revoked in India because it guarantees Pfizer a monopoly on the pneumonia vaccine until 2026, by which time local manufacturers with far cheaper versions of the vaccine would have dropped out, Menghaney says.

MSF says in a statement that the US-based drug corporations unmerited patent prevents vaccine manufacturers in India from developing and marketing PCV 13 until 2026, depriving countless children of the opportunity to be protected against pneumonia, which kills 2,500 kids per day.

According to MSF, countries that buy PCV 13 are struggling with high, on-patent prices. South Africa, for example, spends more than 30 per cent of its vaccination budget on purchasing PCV 13.

In India, the government has been able to introduce PCV 13 in only three provinces  Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh  because of the costs. The plan is to add six new districts to the programme every year, Neena Gupta, director-general of the state family welfare department, told the Indian Express newspaper on June 9.

The Indian programme, costing slightly more than US$9 dollars per child, is supported by a grant from the vaccine alliance GAVI, which runs until 2020. While Pfizer is committed to maintain the price, assessments indicate that the Indian government will find it hard to sustain the programme.

At more than US$9 dollars per child, for the three doses needed for full vaccination, the price remains high, forcing the government to do limited roll-outs of the PCV vaccine, says Menghaney, adding that the patent will also hamper Indias role as pharmacy of the developing world by making it harder to access the vaccine.

The patent monopoly in key producing countries like India and South Korea affects all countries that are procuring PCV 13 from Pfizer, says Menghaney.

Martin Friede of WHOs Initiative for Vaccine Research tells the Development Today portal that MSF has taken a perfectly valid legal approach and that they appear to have good grounds to think that their opposition will be successful.

A Pfizer spokesperson says the companys tiered pricing approach for the vaccine is carefully calibrated to help ensure countries can have access to our vaccines now and in the future.

The spokesperson said that each dose of PCV 13 requires two-and-a-half years to manufacture with 400 different raw materials, 580 manufacturing steps, and 678 quality tests.

According to the spokesperson, the vaccine is already available in more than 115 countries through their national immunisation programmes. Pneumonia accounts for more than a quarter of deaths in children under the age of five, or nearly one million children per year.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Asia & Pacific desk.
A fish virus that poses a global threat, the plight of refugee scientists, and a UN treaty on killer robots are among the top-read articles published on SciDev.Nets global edition in 2017.



Heres a countdown.



10. The plight of Arab refugee scientists in the diaspora

A meeting convened in Italy in March to discuss the challenges facing researchers who are fleeing conflict in the Middle East and North Africa attracted policymakers, representatives of scientific and educational institutions, refugee agencies, and refugee scientists.



9. Virulent bird flu strain threatens to spill out of China





A virulent strain of bird flu resurfaced in China around April this year, threatening poultry farms in other countries and prompting the World Organisation for Animal Health to intensify control efforts in the region.



8. UN treaty against killer robots urged





In August, the founders of leading robotics and artificial intelligence companies wrote an open letter to the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons calling for an international treaty to ban killer robots.



7. Genetics to boost sugarcane production





Scientists in Brazil are taking steps towards genetically modifying sugar cane so it produces more sucrose, according to research published in March.



6. Youth in Tunisia find a way out of violence with tech





Online mapping technology is helping keep young people in Tunisias marginalised neighbourhoods out of trouble, the CEO of NGO International Alert, Harriet Lamb, wrote in an opinion article.



5. Invention could slash energy consumption





An Egyptian inventor has successfully tested a safe electricity system for homes that eliminates the risk of electric shocks and significantly reduces energy consumption, we reported last June.



4. Weather updates twice a day as apps transform farming





Hundreds of tech-based services which are being developed for agriculture are being assembled into an online database  a feature published this month explores the challenges and expected benefits.



3. Water and power: Mega-dams, mega-damage?





A data visualisation published in March looked at the impacts of hydropower as well as planned mega dams in key locations across the globe.



2. Egyptian invention cuts rice irrigation water by half





In February, we wrote about a plough that saves about half the amount of water usually used for irrigating rice crops.



1. FAO warns of tilapia virus as outbreak spreads





An emerging tilapia disease could impact global food security, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned in May.
[ABUJA, NIGERIA] African governments low funding allocation to research is the bane of development on the continent, a conference has heard.

Africas funding of research and development (R&D), which is estimated to be 0.45 per cent of the continents Gross Domestic Product (GDP), remains far below the global average of 1.70 per cent, the meeting noted.

The 13th Annual Meeting of the African Science Academies held in Nigeria last month (14-16 November) provided a platform for policymakers and scientists to evaluate the low R&D funding situation. The participants included science academies from countries such as Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.

No government will be prepared to allocate such funds to just R&D in view of other competing needs. Umar Bindir, Adamawa State Government

Umar Bindir, former director-general, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, Nigeria, said that African governments are unwilling to meet the R&D target funding of at least one per cent of GDP.

No government will allocate such funds to just R&D in view of other competing needs, explained Bindir, who is the secretary to the Government of Adamawa State in Nigeria.

The best option for researchers is to go back to the drawing board and begin to think of how they can use their statutory allocations from governments to raise their internally generated revenue profile and come up with research that address government needs for patronage, he added.

But Benjamin Ubi, president, Biotechnology Society of Nigeria, said the level of funding needed to undertake quality research remains beyond what universities can generate on their own.

Turner Isoun, former minister of science and technology, Nigeria, said that African scientists have failed to attract governments funding because they do not understand how the government operates and focused on their specialities.

Peter Onwualu, visiting professor at the Department of Material Science and Engineering, the Africa University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria, noted that the inability of scientists to connect to government policies is responsible for the low funding and piles of research proposals on university shelves.

David Bakibinga, secretary-general, Uganda National Academy of Sciences, added: We need to look out for the needs of our people. The academia [need] to engage with organisations and stakeholders outside academic institutions to ensure research addresses the common needs of mankind for governments to consider them as necessary allies in development.

Science academies should reconsider their role by ensuring that they lead governments development initiatives to help them get adequate funding from governments, said Barney Pityana, vice-president, Academy of Science of South Africa.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Consider yourself lucky if youre one of the six people sitting at the counter at Aina, enjoying Chris Yangs fixed price menu that gives a serious nod to Hawaiian food.

Not only do the six to seven courses reinvent classic dishes such as pipikaula, but at $60 the dinner is a deal; add $20 for wine pairings and its a steal.

Chef-owner Jordan Keao, who was raised on the Big Island, conceived the idea of Aina first as a pop-up. Its Hawaiian brunch grew so popular he opened his brick-and-mortar Dogpatch location on the corner of 22nd and Minnesota in April 2016. Six months later, he started dinner and brought on Yang to head up the kitchen.

Its clear that Yang and general manager and wine director Rai Calma are composing a love letter to the 50th state, and theyve found theres no better way to show their passion than by elevating the food. As with many culinary endeavors, the food at Aina has become more complex as the staff has become more at ease in the kitchen, culminating in this menu.

In November, Yang debuted the tasting menu, served Friday through Sunday, at the six seats overlooking the kitchen and a counter filled with trays of microgreens and herbs clipped throughout the evening. (You must buy a ticket online in advance.)

The first course is kombu-cured kanpachi. The two slices of fish are loosely draped next to ti-leaf ricotta, hand-foraged seaweeds, sea grapes, pickled daikon and a dusting of fermented breadfruit shaved on top.

Preparations are complex and multilayered. The duck that comprises the second course is aged more than three weeks before being tea-smoked and hung for two more days. Duck is in every element of the presentation: in the swirl of egg yolk puree around the perimeter, in the crispy crouton fried in its fat, in the inky puddle of sauce in the middle, and even in the fried Brussels sprout leaves scattered around the plate. Yet this repetition isnt boring. Every ingredient shines, and the duck is the thread that ties the elements together.

As part of the $20 pairings, for this course Calma chose the 2013 J. Wilkes Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County. In a nontraditional move, he switches from white to red and back to white to accompany the various dishes on the menu.

The traditional pipikaula is updated as slices of jerkylike Wagyu beef short rib meat thats been marinated and smoked over kiawe wood imported from Hawaii. Its served with bone marrow emulsion, black garlic puree and chicharrones made from beef tendons.

Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle

Hawaiian ingredients, combined with pristine Northern California products, distinguish each dish. Mahi mahi is accompanied by olena ginger and celery-root puree, barley steamed with koji mushrooms, and baby beets roasted in banana leaves to achieve a sweet, concentrated flavor.

Yang, who is behind the counter putting finishing touches on all the dishes, actually made me appreciate poi, part of the final main course, served with a slice of pork belly, smoked coconut foam and charred cabbage. Poi usually has the charm of wallpaper paste, but Yang (who gives a running commentary throughout the dinner) explained that while most poi is ground by machine, his is hand-pounded using a brick of compressed taro root. He then pounds it again with water so it comes out loose and silken.

The final course was a deconstructed ginger tart with coconut custard, macadamia nuts, pineapple, guava jam and black sesame ice cream.

Its a menu that makes me reconsider the state of Hawaiian food. At this point its worth noting that perhaps two of the best Hawaiian restaurants in the country are in San Francisco  Liholiho Yacht Club and Aina. If your exposure to Hawaiian Island cuisine was based on these two places and you loved the food, youd book passage there without a second thought.

While the tasting menu is exceptional, its only one reason to visit. From start to finish the efficient service has an aloha spirit, and the interior, with its live plants and a large image of the Big Island over the kitchen, offers an understated homage to Hawaii.

Brunch is so popular it is offered on Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday. One taste of the French toast ($18) shows why the restaurant has captured a coveted place in the burgeoning brunch market. The bread is flown in from the Punaluu Bake Shop on the Big Island, and the thick slices are served with bacon, macadamia nut crumble, salted coconut caramel, compressed persimmons and vanilla whipped cream.

Every egg dish has a unique component. Smoked mushrooms with Chinese sausage and pureed sweet potatoes are accompanied by poached eggs ($18.50); and chicken katsu ($18) shares the plate with a rolled omelet, Japanese curry, carrot puree and udon mac salad.

The restaurant also makes its own Spam ($6), a much looser and juicer version than the canned stuff. Its served with Boston lettuce, kimchi and rice.

If at dinner you dont feel like going all in for the tasting menu, you can order off the a la carte menu. While portions are larger than on the tasting menu, the effort that goes into each preparation is similar.

Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle

Yangs stylized menu plays off familiar standards, including poke ($16). His consists of jewel-like cubes of tuna with smoked sesame oil, shaved Hawaiian hearts of palm, sea grass and sea beans that add a burst of saltiness. Roasted cauliflower ($9) is tossed with shiso verde, togarashi and forbidden rice.

Larger plates include Portuguese cassoulet ($23), highlighting that countrys influence on the cuisine. On one visit it was a deconstructed version with butter beans covered in shaved radishes, carrots and lettuces flanked by a hunk of pork belly and slices of Portuguese sausage, crumbles of pistachio brown-butter panko and edamame cream.

On other visits the menu included boneless chunks of short ribs ($27) so tender they were practically spreadable, with shaved fresh hearts of palm, broccoli de ciccio and a broth fortified with smoked mushrooms. So, too, with the Kiawe-smoked char siu ribs ($15), which are always featured; the meat fell off the bone with only slight pressure. The four ribs were all the better for their fermented red cabbage, bright sparks of basil and crunchy puffed rice.

Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle

The desserts are also surprisingly sophisticated, particularly the baked matcha mochi ($15), a kind of moist cake that includes caramel, sesame tuile, yuzu meringue, quince jam and macadamia nut ice cream. The haupia tart ($15), also excellent, includes a chocolate shortbread crust with coconut pudding, persimmon and a small scoop of sweet potato vinegar ice cream.

It made me vow to go to Hawaii to see if there was anything as good there.

  

Aina

Food:   

Service:   

Atmosphere:   

Price: $$$

Noise: Four Bells

900 22nd St. (at Minnesota), San Francisco; (415) 814-3815 or www.ainasf.com. Brunch 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Tasting menu Friday-Sunday. 5% SF surcharge. Beer and wine. Reservations accepted at dinner. Credit cards accepted. Street parking, sometimes difficult.
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.
Christopher Gadsden, pictured here, was denied the oath of office by Governor Boone in 1762. He would later serve in the Stamp Act Congress, the First Continental Congress, and, eventually, as a brigadier general in the Continental Army.
Letter to the editor: Misinformation on seismic testing in the news
Astrophysics covers topics like star formation. This Hubble image depicts areas of star formation. Stars form when clouds of dust and gas collapse, triggering nuclear fusion inside the dense balls of material.

Astrophysics is a branch of space science that applies the laws of physics and chemistry to seek to understand the universe and our place in it.

The field explores topics such as the birth, life and death of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae and other objects in the universe. It has two sibling sciences, astronomy and cosmology, though the lines between these branches can blur.

In the most rigid sense:

Astrophysics creates physical theories of small to medium-size objects and structures in the universe.

Astronomy measures the positions, luminosities, motions and other characteristics of celestial objects.

Cosmology covers the cosmos' largest structures and the universe as a whole.

Related: What Does It Take to Be an Astrophysicist?

More: 20 trailblazing women in astronomy and astrophysics

In practice, the three fields form a tight-knit family.

Ask for the position of a nebula or what kind of light it emits, and an astronomer might answer first. Ask what the nebula is made of and how it formed and an astrophysicist could pipe up. Ask how the data fit with the formation of the universe, and a cosmologist would probably jump in. Or they might all chime in to explore all three questions.

Astrophysics at NASA

Astrophysicists seek to understand the universe and our place in it.

At NASA, the aims of its astrophysics work are "to discover how the universe works, explore how it began and evolved, and search for life on planets around other stars," according to NASA's website.

NASA states that its astrophysics work grapples with three main questions:

It began with Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton (Image credit: Science Photo Library)

While astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, theoretical astrophysics began with Isaac Newton.

Prior to Newton, astronomers described the motions of "heavenly bodies," as they were then called, using complex mathematical models without a physical basis. Newton showed that a single theory, describing what we now know as gravity, simultaneously explains the orbits of moons and planets in space and the trajectory of a cannonball on Earth. This added to the body of evidence for the (then) startling conclusion that the "heavens" and Earth are subject to the same physical laws.

Perhaps what most separated Newton's model from previous concepts, however, is that his theory was predictive as well as descriptive. Based on aberrations in the orbit of Uranus, astronomers predicted the position of a new planet, which was then observed and named Neptune.

Milestones in astrophysics

Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin (Image credit: Science History Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

We can't directly interact with distant cosmic objects, but we can observe the radiation they emit, and much of astrophysics has to do with studying this radiation and working to explain the mechanisms behind it.

The first ideas about the nature of stars emerged in the mid-19th century from the blossoming science of spectral analysis, an essential mainstay in the space sciences which means observing the specific frequencies of light that particular substances absorb and emit when heated.

Early spectroscopy provided the first evidence that stars contain substances also present on Earth. Spectroscopy has revealed that some nebulae are purely gaseous, while some contain stars. This later helped to cement the idea that some nebulae were not nebulae at all  they were other galaxies!

In the early 1920s, American astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne discovered, using spectroscopy, that stars are predominantly hydrogen (at least until their old age). By studying the spectra of stars, astrophysicists were also able to determine the speed at which they move toward or away from Earth.

The sound a vehicle emits is different whether it's moving toward us or away from us, and light has a similar effect because of something called the Doppler shift in which the spectra of stars change whether they are moving toward or away from us. In the 1930s, by combining the Doppler shift and Einstein's theory of general relativity, Edwin Hubble provided solid evidence that the universe is expanding. This is also predicted by Einstein's theory, and together form the basis of the Big Bang Theory.

Related: "What Stars Are Made Of" tells the story of the woman behind a stellar science

In the mid-19th century, physicists Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) and Gustav Von Helmholtz speculated that gravitational collapse could power the sun, but eventually realized that energy produced this way would only last 100,000 years. Fifty years later, Einstein's famous E=mc2 equation gave astrophysicists the first clue to what that energy source might be (although it turns out that gravitational collapse does play an important role).

As the fields of nuclear physics, quantum mechanics and particle physics grew in the first half of the 20th century, it became possible to formulate theories for how nuclear fusion could power stars. These theories describe how stars form, live and die, and they successfully explained the observed distribution of different types of stars, their spectra, luminosities, ages and other characteristics.

According to the Big Bang Theory, the first stars were almost entirely hydrogen. The nuclear fusion process that energizes them smashes together hydrogen atoms to form the heavier element helium. In 1957, the husband-and-wife astronomer team of Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge, along with physicists William Alfred Fowler and Fred Hoyle, showed how, as stars age, they produce heavier and heavier elements, which they pass on to later generations of stars in ever-greater quantities.

It is only in the final stages of the lives of more recent stars that the elements making up the Earth, such as iron (32.1 percent), oxygen (30.1 percent) and silicon (15.1 percent) are produced. Another of these elements is carbon, which together with oxygen makes up the bulk of the mass of all living things, including us. This is why you might've heard astrophysics say that we are all made of stardust, seeing as we are carbon-based lifeforms.

Astrophysics as a career

If you dream of studying the stars, know that becoming an astrophysicist requires years of observation, training and work. But you can start at whatever age by doing things like joining an astronomy club, attending local astronomy events, taking free online courses in astronomy and astrophysics and keeping up with news in the field (you can even do that on a website like Space.com).

If you continue to pursue the career, most start with a related undergraduate college degree and eventually work towards graduate degrees or a doctorate degree in astrophysics. Many then take on a post-doctoral position in astrophysics.

Astrophysicists can work for the government, university labs and, occasionally, private organizations.

A few additional tips for pursuing a career in astrophysics:

Take math and science classes all through high school: Make sure to take a wide variety of science classes. Astronomy and astrophysics often blend elements of biology, chemistry and other sciences to better explore a wide variety of phenomena in the universe. Also, keep an eye out for any school clubs, volunteer work, summer jobs or internships available in math or science.

Pursue a bachelor's degree in math or science: While a bachelor's degree in astrophysics is a good route, there are many other paths that could lead you to the field. You can study computer science, for example, which is important in analyzing data. If you're considering this option, speak with your high school guidance counselor or university to find out what degree programs will be best for you.

Take on research opportunities: Many universities have labs in which students participate in research  and sometimes even get published. Agencies such as NASA also offer internships for undergraduate students.

Complete a graduate degree or doctorate in astrophysics: While some have graduate degrees, most astrophysicists have doctoral degrees, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Back in 2015, planetary astrophysicist Natalie Hinkel did a lengthy interview with Lifehacker that gave readers a glimpse into the rewards and challenges of being an astrophysics researcher. She described the long number of years she has put into doing her research, the frequent job switches, the work hours and what it's like to be a woman in the field. She also shared interesting insights about her day-to-day work, surprising to some readers is that little of her time is actually spent at a telescope.

"I spend the vast majority of my time programming. Most people assume that astronomers spend all of their time at telescopes, but that's only a very small fraction of the job, if at all. I do some observations, but in the past few years I've only been observing twice for a total of about two weeks," Hinkel told Lifehacker.

"Once you get the data, you have to reduce it (i.e. take out the bad parts and process it for real information), usually combine it with other data in order to see the whole picture, and then write a paper about your findings. Since each observation run typically yields data from multiple stars, you don't need to spend all of your time at the telescope to have enough work," she said.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Howell, Space.com contributor. This page was updated Jan. 13 by Space.com senior writer Chelsea Gohd.
An expert meeting was held at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Serbia to discuss the upcoming early presidential elections, as well as the progress and dynamics of systemic political reforms carried out by the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.






Women can transform the world if given the chance. Elizabeth faces a difficult decision this week, one that would affect the lives of every woman and girl in an entire country. No pressure.



After nearly two decades of fighting in Afghanistan, the United States is at a crossroads: continue military action or work with the Taliban. As usual, Conrad, Russell and basically everyone else with a pulse in the White House want the former. Its only Elizabeth, thanks to the suggestion of Henry, who is willing to negotiate with the Taliban. Its a tough sell: under Taliban rule, women would have access to education (key word being access) and would be able to work, but they still couldnt drive or hold government office. Even Elizabeth doesnt seem completely sold on the idea. Shes always so steadfast and convincing when fighting for her position. This time, however, shes quiet and somber, like the person shes most trying to convince is herself. I see her quandary. On one hand, she fights every day for the rights of women, so this deal could be a step in the right direction. On the other hand, its a muted step forward. Shes seeing this as a stepping stone to more freedoms and liberties that will be implemented eventually. But whats eventually? Next year? Next decade? Next lifetime? It seems like a risky hope to me. Youre basically putting your faith in a terror group your country has been fighting for nearly two decades. This may be one of the first times I dont agree with Elizabeth.From Admiral Hill to Amina Salah, Elizabeth has some very harsh and difficult conversations with fellow women about the implications of this decision. It was nice to see her turning to (and debating with) people who understand the plight of females instead of having her simply hash it out with Conrad or Russell or even Henry. Men can only offer so much. It takes a fellow woman to truly understand the effects of such decisions and what its like to face oppressive societal norms. In the end, Elizabeth and the United States take the deal with the Taliban. Shes one of the most powerful women in the world, whos also raising powerful women, but she cant help all of the worlds women as best as shed like. Its a messy predicament. Theres no clear direction pointing forward. I think thats why I liked this storyline plot. Real life is messy. Real politics is messy. Nothing is as black and white as this show sometimes portrays. Ive often complained about how the State Department whips out a bow after 42 minutes every week to perfectly wrap up an international crisis. It was nice to see Elizabeth agonize over a decision that was less than for once.Elizabeth and Henry continue turning the tables. Yet again, its Henry whos heading on a questionable trip overseas while Elizabeth is left to worry at home. I liked that Elizabeth was asking why he had to go, the same question Henry has asked her countless times. Instead of her convincing him shell come home safely, hes now doing the convincing. That said, enough running into burning buildings, dude. I did love the fact that Elizabeth again tucked her glasses into his suitcase. Smooth move, Madam Secretary.Dimitri and Dylan continue to butt heads. Something about Dylan still rubs me wrong. Maybe Im trying to put drama where there isn't any because Im desperate for there to be a reason behind Dmitris storyline.Stevitri/Dmivie are still going strong. The two take a selfie with Stevie kissing Dmitris cheek, so we all know how that will turn out. Paging, Elizabeth and Henry.Other things:--Matt was so sweet to offer his family for Daisy. Hes awkward at times, but his heart is gold.--It was actually good to see Daisy. I know, Im just as surprised Im saying that. I think I am just desperate for more estrogen in the State Department.--The greater good was mentioned twice in one conversation. Everybody drink!What did you think of the episode? Do you agree with Elizabeths decision? Madam Secretary is on a break, but will be back with new episodes on January 7.
E ric Schmidt, the billionaire boss of Google owner Alphabet, on Friday said he will step down in January after 16 years with the tech giant.

Although he will continue to advise the company, he said the time is right for this transition. He will turn his attention to philanthropy and science and tech more broadly.

Schmidt joined as chief executive in 2001 when Google was a shadow of the tech monolith it has become today and was appointed chairman in 2011. He became chairman of Alphabet in 2015 after Google restructured.

He caused a stir five years ago when he defended the companys financial affairs after a Commons committee called the internet giant devious and unethical for sheltering its multi-billion-pound profits from the British taxman. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have been reportedly talking about his move for about a year.

Schmidt said: In recent years, Ive been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work.

Alphabet, which owns Google, Android, and YouTube, has more than 70,000 employees worldwide.
W e arts students at Manchester university would look down our noses at the materials scientists. A blokey bunch, they seemed to spend their time headbanging to Metallica and failing to get girlfriends.

Turns out they were cooler than us all along. While we were partying at the Hacienda, they were pondering the concept of a wonder-stuff now known as graphene. A mere theory until the Mancs discovered it in 2002, the one-atom-thin, super-strong material is now becoming developed for everything from mobile phones to aircraft wings.

Fast forward to October 2016 and the university sold a chunk of one graphene operation to a tech business called Versarien in return for Versarien shares. In the past year, those shares surged 424%, making Versarien one of the most successful investments on the stock market. Thats real, industrial value from British-grown ingenuity. As theyd say in Manchester: sounnd as a pounnd.

Talk to the eggheads at the graphene department now, though, and theyre nervous about the future. If youve been reading these pages this year, youll know why: Brexit.

You can see why. Being the best team in the world, theyre an international crowd, with Brits in the minority and a number of EU workers. Furthermore, much of their funding is from the EU.

But we should go easy on the gloom. After an awful year of uncertainty on both counts, this month Number 10 finally gave us much-needed assurances.

EU workers will be able to stay here after 2019. And, we will keep participating in the EUs Horizon research programme until it ends in 2020, so our scientists will continue to get access to grants.

Alongside the Bank of Englands sensible approach this week to EU banks operating in the City, these British olive branches meant 2017 ended far more optimistically for UK business than it began.

There are still huge caveats: will EU workers be allowed back in if they work abroad for five years? What access will we have to EU science projects after we leave the bloc? Will the EU reciprocate the Banks generous offer?

But the tone from our negotiators has become less belligerent, giving us far more chance of a better outcome to the trade talks ahead.

The positivity on Britain from US tech giants driving global innovation suggests they, too, are less concerned about our EU exit. Netflix today joins Google, Snap, Spotify and Facebook in taking big new office space in London.

A year ago, my cheer was graphene thin. We should never underestimate the potential for politicians to screw things up, but Im far more optimistic now.

So heres to a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
T hough festive cheer is likely to have been in short supply at Carillion this year, the crisis-hit builder will at least be able to celebrate its survival into 2018.

The company, which has worked on London landmarks including Battersea Power Station, has won much-needed breathing space after it said lenders had agreed to defer a test on banking covenants to the end of April.

It will now continue working on plans to reduce debt and restructure its balance sheet, with more details due in the first quarter of next year.

Carillion has been buffeted since July after a profit warning triggered by 845 million in writedowns on poorly performing contracts. Average borrowing is likely to be 925 million in 2017, putting Carillion in breach of its covenants. Interim boss Keith Cochrane said: We believe that our lenders decision to defer the test date demonstrates their continuing support.

Carillion shares edged up half a penny to 17.75p after the update.

The FTSE 100 built on last nights record high by rising another 4.23 points to 7608.21 during a shortened pre-Christmas trading session. The top flight is up more than 6% in the year to date, but this has been eclipsed by the FTSE 250 with a gain of almost 13%. The second tier index was up 7.94 points to 20,403.67 today.

In a predictably quiet session for corporate news, BHP Billiton was down 3.5p to 1465p after it said it had agreed to provide more funds to a foundation that is rebuilding the site of the Samarco dam disaster in Brazil.

Retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone remained under pressure after yesterdays government crackdown on leasehold practices. Shares were down another 2.6p, or 2%, to 151p.

Westminster Group, the AIM-listed security company specialising in security and defence systems including anti-terrorism equipment, jumped 5p, or 53.33%, to 14.38p after it said it was on the brink of securing a major long-term deal in the Middle East.
T his year marked the Evening Standards 190th birthday. Its a good time, then, to recall our first edition, which came with the stirring motto, recalling the foundation of Rome: Hic optime manebimus  here we shall best remain. The earlier part of the quote  Signifer, statue signum: Standard-bearer, plant here the Standard  gave the paper its name.

Certainly the world has changed since the papers first editorial referred to its English and Protestant principles, and inflexible integrity and resolution in maintaining them. Yet, insofar as those principles refer to cherishing liberty, this paper still maintains them.

More than that, the spirit of London does indeed mean upholding the proud history of the city as well as looking forward to the future. It is the potent combination of progress and tradition which gives London its character.

That first paper did have some of the elements of the present Evening Standard  the news splash that day was about a flood during the construction of the Thames Tunnel at Rotherhithe, as a result of which a dozen workers had to swim for their lives. The engineer responsible, Marc Isambard Brunel (father of the more famous Brunel), wrote to the paper to tell us what had happened, even before he told the companys directors. Then, as now, the Standard was first with the news.

There was, even then a gossip column, a version of the Londoners Diary called ChitChat. And the number of advertisements for property on the first page indicates that then, as now, the Homes and Property section was all important in the paper. So: infrastructure development, breaking news, gossip and high principle... not so very far from the concerns of this paper now.

Public spirit

Times have changed. But something of what the current spirit of London is about could be seen in this newspapers Progress 1000 awards earlier this year. The award of Londoner of the Year, uniquely, went to not one individual but 12. They were the emergency service workers and other individuals who distinguished themselves by their bravery and public spirit in the terrorist acts at Westminster Bridge and London Bridge, the attack at Finsbury Park, and during and after the Grenfell Tower fire  all of them events that seemed to define the year.

Yet out of the tragedy and the wilful acts of violence, there emerged something entirely characteristic of London: a sense of solidarity. People and communities came together in the wake of the disaster and showed in their actions as well as words that we are, with all our differences, a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. At the memorial service at St Pauls for the victims of the Grenfell fire, people showed their compassion for and solidarity with the friends and families who remain. As the bishop-designate of London, Sarah Mullally, writes on this page, a light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

This year, in its Christmas appeal, as we report today, the Evening Standard has raised 1,020,471 for our Christmas campaign to Help a Hungry Child, for children who do not get adequate nourishment at home. This sum, raised from individual and corporate donors, is a sign that this prosperous city is generous and compassionate to the disadvantaged. We thank you; this is a fitting time of year to show solidarity with those in need.

London is a great city, with a great future before it. Of course there will be difficulties ahead, not least in finding a way to weather post-Brexit vicissitudes, but when we consider how we have fared during the last 190 years of this papers existence, and during the last 12 months, we can feel justified optimism for our city.

We wish all our readers a very happy Christmas.
D inner: 3/5

Lunch: 4/5

What is it that chefs who have two Michelin stars want most in the world? Three Michelin stars. You wouldnt have to be Keith Lemon on Through the Keyhole to infer from the bookshelves of red guides that feature in the revamp of the restaurant Bibendum, where new chef and business partner Claude Bosi has set his sights.

There are other clues: trinkets for sale, including a butter dish disquietingly reminiscent of the original Michelin Man ashtray, yours to take home for 45; a silver salt and pepper set, also with tyre-like girth, 150; knives from Le Fidele inscribed with Bosis signature; a chap on the door in a bowler hat wearing an earpiece to enable communication with the restaurant receptionist upstairs; chefs visible in the kitchen behind glass doors wearing classic tall toques; a tasting menu whose existence was denied until suddenly it appeared.

Bosi won two stars at his restaurant Hibiscus, first in Ludlow, then in Mayfair. This venture in partnership with Sir Terence Conran and Michael Hamlyn sees him inheriting and inhabiting a slice of London culinary legend forged in 1987, when Conran engaged Simon Hopkinson to cook in his new restaurant in the historic Michelin building.

It is a high, wide and handsome dining space, especially on a sunny day, when light floods in from every side and through the stained-glass depictions of bibulous Bibendum himself. Eileen Grays Bibendum chair is now referenced in the tight curves of the banquettes.

Landmark destination: the exterior of Michelin House

A la carte prices that might cause a sharp intake of breath  78 for roast chicken for two  are to some extent explained and ameliorated by the parade of amuses that arrive at the table unbidden. The Adria and Roca brothers would find familiar the midget olive tree with black olives (one each) fashioned from cocoa butter. Here the brittle shells enclose the flavours of pissaladiere  caramelised onions, anchovies, olive oil. A slice of the tart with oily, flaky pastry might have been less hilarious but to my mind more delectable.

'The servings are, how shall we say, modest, which is fitting after the flourish of bites, but drag ones eyes back to the first-course prices: 22 and 24 respectively'

Parmesan-punchy gougeres and an eggshell filled with wild mushroom duxelles topped by coconut foam and a sprinkling of curry powder  the sort the French love that stirs up memories of Vencat  were stalwarts at Hibiscus, rightly so.

New (I think) are immaculately fried curlicues of chicken skin with a mayo into which the very essence of roast chicken seems to have been distilled. My chef companion is in raptures. We are less beguiled by a cone of foie gras ice cream dotted with raw cacao nibs where freezing seems to emphasise liveriness over innate richness.

I can imagine Sir Terence Conran, the first Briton to visit France (copyright Craig Brown), rejoicing in the presence of brains, sweetbreads and tripe on the menu. Getting into the spirit, we start with veal sweetbread with black garlic and gremolata and frogs leg (it must have been a one-legged frog) served in a sauce of morels, chervil, hazelnuts and vin Jaune.

Immaculately fried: curlicues of chicken skin with mayo / Adrian Lourie

The servings are, how shall we say, modest, which is fitting after the flourish of bites, but drag ones eyes back to the first-course prices: 22 and 24 respectively. Over-salting in the frog dish and later in the main course of my mums tripe and cuttlefish gratin is less forgivable. The accompanying pigs ear and ham cake (delicious) is needed to muffle some of the tripes ponderous seasoning.

From the Book of PR Wisdom (a short publication): Never let your chef clients holiday outside Europe. Anjou pigeon satay style is two sombre slices of pigeon breast, one tiny green stalk acknowledging the role of vegetables and a meaty quenelle with satay sauce flavours of peanut, soy, chilli and brown sugar. It lacks the sparkle that might once have inspired it.

We share dessert of wild strawberry vacherin with 100-year-old balsamic. The fruit is fabulous, the diminutive size of the spiky meringue maybe accounting for its chalkiness. Dessert comes with its own embroidered napkin, which is rather exciting. The wine list, overseen by naturally inclined Isabelle Legeron, is a treasure trove that we dip into almost gingerly.

At lunch the following day the two first courses seem to emerge from a different kitchen. Wild garlic veloute with aged Parmesan is a bowl of sublime beauty and flavour. It could rival almost anything at Alain Passards LArpege in Paris, where it turns out Bosi has worked.

Cornish mussels in a light foam sit atop an egg-set base of baby carrots, blood orange and saffron, happily perfectly judged in colour for the shellfish as well as taste. Bread (from Hedone, says a waiter) and exceptional butter complete the picture.

Fabulous fruit: wild strawberry vacherin with 100-year-old balsamic / Adrian Lourie

Cornish cod Grenobloise  the poorer relative of turbot served in the same caper-studded sauce as in the evening  and a small leg of roast pork that crouches shyly on the magnificent trolley that on Sundays will feature beef, served with a buttery potato emulsion and three perfectly timed homely veg are the main courses.

Seemingly pulled this way and that, Claude, relax if you can, forget stars for a bit, just wow your customers in this iconic space as only you know how.

Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, SW3 (020 7581 5817, bibendum.co.uk). Lunch, Wed-Sun noon-2.15pm (3pm Sun). Dinner, Wed-Sat 6.30pm-9.45pm (10pm Sat).

Lunch menu 30/36.50 for two/three courses. Tasting menu 110 for seven courses. A la carte, a meal for two with wine, about 225 including 12.5 per cent service.
Review at a glance









I t gladdens my heart whenever a talented female chef leaves the empire of a kitchen autocrat  think of Angela Hartnett and Gordon Ramsay  and strikes out successfully on her own. Samoan-born New Zealander Monica Galetti worked at the Michelin-starred Le Gavroche for 16 years under Michel Roux Jr, who Ive always considered a bit of a cold fish, and followed him into the MasterChef world, where she proved a stern but warm judge and rocked a peroxide crop.

Now shes opened her own restaurant with her husband David Galetti, the former Gavroche sommelier, with backing from Alastair Storey, chair of hospitality giant WSH.

Mere, at the less hectic northern end of Charlotte Street, is a grown-up place with a menu and a wine list the chef rightly and refreshingly describes as pretty straightforward. The food is sophisticated but unpretentious and expertly executed. Altogether, its friendly and consummately professional, if a little lacking in wow factor for the price.

But first things first  that name. Mere is French for mother but also apparently Samoan for Mary, Galettis mums name, and its supposed to be pronounced mary not mare. But the staff pronounce it meer, as in lake or as in Pah, milord, tis a mere restaurant. Meer, mare, Mary?

Id say uncertainty over pronunciation would bar a swathe of the population from making a telephone booking. But thats why weve got the internet. I also cant help feeling Galetti could have paid tribute to her heritage and worked in an Oliver Twist pun about second helpings: Please sir, can I have Samoa?

On the ground floor, behind a lightwell looking down into the basement dining room, is a bar with dark blue-grey walls, royal blue sofas and a fairly hideous artwork, a circular rutted swirl studded with metal champagne cork caps.

A waitress, elegant and slender as a blade, served us a Tom Collins updated with a splash of St Germain, and the restaurants signature champagne cocktail with mango liqueur, sweet on the nose and tart on the tongue. A beautiful staircase of rough concrete and curved plywood leads you down.

Double act: Meres owners David and Monica Galetti in their new restaurant, with Samoan artwork on the walls / Matt Writtle

The room is long, buzzy without being over-loud, with a geometrically decorated Samoan siapo cloth and other island artworks by Galettis cousin, Solomon Daniel, on the walls. There seemed to be a lot of very fat English and American people in it the night we visited, but thats by the by.

The menu has just six options for each course, dictated by seasonality and market availability, if those arent the same things. I like the way classic dishes with quite a lot of artistry behind them are bluntly offered up as Beef, Cod and Chicken.

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We started with grilled octopus and with mushroom and Marmite because, well, why would you resist a cheeky offering like that? The tentacle came nicely caramelised on the outside and giving within, with a hint of spice from nduja and paprika-sprinkled fennel, and also an unusual fruitiness from the accompanying caper and raisin condiment. There was a Moroccan sweetness too in the reduced wild mushrooms that surrounded three nuttily al dente tortellini. Marmite butter gave this subtle and delightful assembly of flavours and textures a lovely savoury afterglow.

From the mains, 30-day-aged sirloin of beef came in pretty, evenly pink, butter-soft roundels, with a wittily light sweet onion beignet and tarragon creme fraiche. Perfectly nice, but it lacked something. Five minutes in an apologetic waiter supplied it: a sticky chunk of glazed beef cheek that the kitchen had forgotten to plate up, and which made the whole thing more glossy and rich. 1.

Nick's week in food 1. For a chilly weekday lunch, the last of the previous evenings head-clearing Hot and Sour soup, adapted from Nigella Lawsons recipe and using homemade chicken stock. 2. A sausage bap with Colmans mustard snatched from the Giggly Pig stall at Oval Farmers Market before a historical tour of Vauxhall Park. 3. Pan-fried sea bass  again from the farmers market  with paprika cauliflower and carrots in vermouth, eaten while watching Catastrophe on catch-up. 4.After a 6km walk along the Thames to Wandsworth, luxuriant baked ham (pictured) followed by deliciously sharp grapefruit sorbet with biscotti, a raucous Sunday lunch at our friend Sallys in Southfields. 5. Shakshuka  eggs baked in a rich sauce of onion, pepper, and chopped tomato with garlic, cumin, coriander and parsley. A simple and pretty Sunday supper

Still, I won the main course by going for squab, which came in the shape of two small lozenges of soft pink breast with a rhubarb glaze (again, that unexpected but delightful sweetness). Crunch was supplied by a ras el hanout pastilla, like a highly worked, delicately spicy spring roll. Cabbage and chard complemented it all nicely.

I didnt win the pudding course: my poached pear with pecan crumble and spiced pear ice cream was perfectly nice, if over-saccharine, and easily trounced by a lovely, light, blood orange pudding. This amalgam of mousse, yoghurt sorbet and meringue threw up new explosions of taste with each mouthful, culminating in torn chunks of orange and grapefruit at the bottom. The rhubarb and creme fraiche dessert, which we watched with envy land on a neighbouring table, has already been touted on Twitter as Londons prettiest desert.

Staff are efficient and agreeable, not least the affably stubbled David Galetti, who explained the principle behind the restaurants Coravin system. Looking like a glorified Rabbit corkscrew, this enables him to extract small glasses of wine through the cork of expensive bottles without opening them (it pumps argon gas in to replace the liquid, so there is no oxidation).

Thus I was able to enjoy 75ml of Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2007 with pudding for 13.50. Very nice it was too. But when most of the succinct wine list is offered in 250ml carafes  a large glass, as far as Im concerned  at 15-30 the booze bill can mount, especially over an unhurried meal. Puddings, starters and cocktails are reasonably priced, but with mains north of 30, you might feel youre paying a lot for a simple menu delivered with unfussy skill. But I think youd be wrong.

74 Charlotte Street, W1 (mere-restaurant.com). Open Mon-Sat noon to 2pm and 6pm to 10pm, closed Sundays and bank holidays. Price for a meal for two with wine and service charge around 180 (more with cocktails and/or wine from the Coravin system)
A shamed royal police officer who stole a dead woman's pictures to pose online as a 17-year-old girl "for kicks" has avoided jail.

PC Adam Cox, 31, created an alter ego called Emily Whitehouse to exchange explicit chat with three men online. At the time he was working in Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection.

After being asked to send the men revealing photographs, Cox found indecent images online of a Canadian woman who committed suicide at the age of 21 and passed them off as "Emily".

Police investigating the online chat raided his home last year, and uncovered a stash of 1,691 indecent and extreme images, with one featuring an infant and others showing children as young as seven.

He told police: "I'm not hoarding images. I have never meant to hurt anyone. I'm not a collector. I've not got a secret stash."

On his Emily persona, Cox said: "It's me. It's not me. It's madness, a way of escaping reality."

Cox, from Windsor in Berkshire, pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of indecent images.

Cox avoided jail after he stole a dead womans pictures to pose online as a 17-year-old girl / PA

He denied encouraging three men to attempt to get indecent images from "Emily" and the charges were ordered to lie on file.

The Old Bailey heard it was impossible for police to establish if the dead woman in the Emily pictures was 16, 17 or 18 when they were taken.

Judge Mark Dennis QC sentenced Cox to 20 months in prison suspended for two years and 250 hours of unpaid work.

He said: "It should be a matter of enduring shame on his part that he engaged in this offending with complete disregard for his oath and responsibility as a serving police officer."

Judge Dennis said Cox had pretended to be a teenage girl "for kicks", adding it was "troubling" that he had yet to come to terms with what it was all about.

Prosecutor Charles Falk said Cox had been working for the Metropolitan Police with responsibility for the security of embassies, Parliament and the royal family.

Mitigating, Nick Yeo said: "He is a man who finds it extremely difficult to articulate his motivation and one can quite understand that because the context is extremely unusual conduct, one might think."

Cox was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sacked following a misconduct review by the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS).

Co-defendants Harry Gibbs, 32, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Andrew Monk, 39, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, and Ajai Shridhar, 46, of Ealing, west London, admitted attempting to possess indecent images of children and were each handed a 12-month community order.

Additional reporting by Press Association
P olice and other emergency services should consider carrying bottles of specialist rinse in their vehicles to treat victims of acid attacks, a London MP has told Parliament.

Lyn Brown said that quickly applying water to skin sprayed with corrosive substances can make a big difference to a victims recovery.

But the MP for West Ham added that specialist rinses such as Diphoterine were even more effective, and suggested that the Met police should begin equipping rapid-response cars with bottles of such solutions.

She warned the change would cost money because Diphoterine  which can remove acid from skin while neutralising its effect  was not cheap, but said: I want that option to be fully considered. Victims of such attacks deserve the best possible chance of a full recovery from their ordeal.

Her call came in a Westminster Hall debate on acid attacks.

Earlier this week, drug dealer Arthur Collins was sentenced to 20 years in jail for injuring 14 people by spraying acid at the Mangle E8 nightclub in Dalston in April.

The judge at Wood Green crown court told Collins, 25, that he had committed a despicable crime.

During the Westminster Hall debate MPs urged the Government to further restrict sales of corrosive substances and allow tougher sentences for those who used them to harm.

Ms Brown said her borough of Newham had been labelled the acid attack capital of Britain after 82 such crimes in the past year  almost one in five of the London total of 449 attacks.

Police had flagged 14 per cent of the attacks as gang-related, 22 per cent as robberies and four per cent as related to domestic abuse, she said.

Ms Brown called for corrosive substances to be added to the regulated poisons list, which imposes tight restrictions on sales.

A ban on cash purchases should also be considered so that those who bought acid could be traced more easily, she said.

East Ham MP Stephen Timms backed her proposals and also suggested banning sales to those aged under 21.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said acid attacks were terrible crimes and the Government was consulting on new measures.
T en moped robbers who armed themselves with hammers, knives and guns in 1.2 million worth of phone shop raids across London have been jailed for a total of 110 years.

Over seven months, the men broke their way into stores using portable angle grinders and fencing blocks used as makeshift battering rams, which were left as a calling card.

Wearing motorcycle helmets and dark clothing, they ransacked the stockrooms of 17 shops, sweeping high-end iPhone and Samsung handsets into tonne bags.

The raids were over in minutes and they made their getaway on mopeds and scooters, in the mistaken belief that discarding their helmets would halt any police chase.

Moped crimes: The men pleaded guilty or were convicted / Metropolitan Police

All but one of the raids, which happened between May 1 and November 27 last year, were carried out on shops run by mobile phone company Three.

They cost the firm costing the firm an estimated 1.2 million in lost stock, damage, increased security and the closing of a branch targeted four times.

Courtney White, 23, Mominur Rahman, 22, Mohammed Hussain, 24, Chang Mabiala, 22, Mohammed Ali, 24, Chris Costi, 19, Bobby Kennedy, 22, Alfie Kennedy, 21, Adam Attalah, 21, and Dylan Castano Lopez, 20, were all either convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, conspiracy to commit burglary.

A still image taken from CCTV footage of one of the raids

Judge Michael Simon jailed the gang for a total of 110 years and one month at Blackfriars Crown Court, describing them as "young in chronological age, but old in criminality".

"The attacks were highly organised and meticulously planned," he said.

"Nothing and no one was allowed to stand in the way of this gang's intentions."

A map of where the crimes were committed

Three security guards were beaten and one witness was threatened with a firearm during the spree.

One attack, captured on CCTV, drew gasps from the jury when it was played in court, the judge said, adding: "There can be no doubt their experience at the hands of this gang was terrifying and traumatic."

The court heard Three attached GPS tracking devices to some phones in their stores, which were tracked when they were stolen by the gang.

The weapons used by the moped thieves

The judge praised the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police, who "meticulously" pieced the case together from many strands.

He added: "This case understandably generated not insignificant press interest.

"This is not surprising given the number of features - gangs, mopeds, knife crime, to name but a few  that are so uppermost in the minds of those who live in London and elsewhere, who are consistently bombarded with more news of crimes committed with some or all of those features."

White, from Wood Green, was jailed for 18 years, with a two-year extended licence period; Rahman, from Camden, was jailed for 12 and a half years; Hussain, 24, from Hackney, was jailed for 10 years; Mabiala, from Islington, was jailed for eight and a half years; Ali, from Hackney, was jailed for seven years and one month; Costi, from Hackney, was jailed for eight and a half years; Bobby Kennedy, from Islington, was jailed for 11 and a half years; Alfie Kennedy, from Shoreditch, was jailed for 13 years and one month; Attalah, of no fixed address, was jailed for 10 years and 10 months; and Lopez, from Camberwell, was jailed for 10 years and one month.

Additional reporting by Press Association
B oris Johnson has clashed publicly with his Russian counterpart over Crimea and Moscow's alleged cyber attacks on the West.

Sergey Lavrov denied claims the Kremlin had interfered in democratic elections online and accused Mr Johnson of being a "hostage" of untrue Western "narratives".

But in a series of frank exchanges, Mr Johnson insisted there was "abundant evidence" of Russian interference in polls in the US, Germany, Denmark and France.

When the Russian foreign minister told a press conference in Moscow that Mr Johnson himself had confirmed Russia had not interfered in the UK's election and Brexit referendum, the Foreign Secretary interrupted: "Not successfully."

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stands in front of St Basil's Cathedral / PA Wire/PA Images

The clash came after Mr Johnson issued a warning to the Kremlin that Britain was "prepared and able" to respond in kind to cyber attacks.

Speaking after more than an hour of talks on the first visit to Russia by a British foreign secretary for five years, both men acknowledged that relations between the two countries were at their worst for many years.

Nevertheless they accepted their countries had a duty to work together as fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council on issues affecting global security like Syria, Iran and North Korea.

The two men insisted they had established a level of personal trust, with Mr Johnson joking that he had even handed his coat with "everything in my pockets, secret or otherwise" to Mr Lavrov when he arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.

Mr Lavrov joked back: "I can say that there was nothing in the pockets of Boris's coat."

Mr Johnson responded responded: "So you have searched it already?"

However, when Mr Johnson rejected Mr Lavrov's denial that Russia had attempted to interfere in British polls, the Russian foreign minister retorted: "He is afraid if he doesn't contradict me his reputation is going to be ruined."

Mr Johnson said Russian attempts to interfere in Britain's referendums and elections "whatever they might be" had not been successful, adding that if they had, "that would have been an entirely different matter".

Mr Lavrov said the evidence produced so far of Russian attempts at interference amounted to no more than the spending of "a few kopecks" on social media adverts.

"I think you have made all this up in your Western community and unfortunately right now you are hostage to this subject, it is very difficult for you to climb down from the fence you have climbed."

He criticised Britain for cutting off ties with the FSB security agency over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London, complaining that UK authorities had refused to hand over information in the case.

He said the takeover of Crimea had been approved by a referendum of its citizens unlike the break-up of the former Yugoslavia

And he said that UK Government criticism of politicians who speak to Russian media outlets like the RT TV channel did not reflect well on the UK.

"We are concerned that the cradle of democracy, the United Kingdom, sees the vilifying of people for speaking to Russian media.

"It doesn't add to the good reputation of the Government, unfortunately."

Earlier Mr Johnson was rebuked by his host for speaking in public about their differences.

On the eve of the talks, Mr Johnson sent a blunt message to the Kremlin to stop its use of cyberspace to disrupt Western countries.

He told reporters: "The UK is certainly prepared and able to respond, should we so desire."

Additional reporting by the Press Association
T he writer who claimed sacked Cabinet minister Damian Green acted inappropriately towards her has now alleged that Downing Street was aware of his "pattern of behaviour".

Kate Maltby, who is three decades younger than Mr Green, claimed he "fleetingly" touched her knee during a meeting in a pub in 2015, and a year later sent her a "suggestive" text message after she was pictured wearing a corset in a newspaper.

The allegations, which Mr Green says he does not recognise, triggered a Cabinet Office probe into his conduct.

That led to Prime Minister Theresa May sacking her de facto deputy after he made "misleading" statements about allegations that police found pornography on computers in his parliamentary office in 2008.

Damian Green sacked as First Secretary of State amid computer porn allegations

The Daily Telegraph reports that Ms Maltby told a Downing Street aide about her claims against Mr Green in September 2016, and she was informed it was part of a pattern of behaviour, and that "the Prime Minister knows".

Ms Maltby told the newspaper: "I would never, never have told my story about Damian Green if I did not believe I was exposing a pattern of behaviour of which I thought the Prime Minister was personally aware."

She told the BBC: "The reason that I didn't tell many people about the first encounter, the encounter which I felt the political mentorship, or even a job in the Conservative Party, was being offered at the same time as a sexual suggestion. The reason I didn't tell many people then, except my parents, is that I wondered if it was a one-off ... and, eventually, I spoke to a very senior and long-serving aide of Theresa May."

Asked if she had said to the Cabinet Office investigation, headed by senior civil servant Sue Gray, that Downing Street was aware "there was an issue" with Mr Green's behaviour towards women, Ms Maltby said: "I gave evidence to the inquiry. As soon as I sat down with Sue Gray that, to the best of my knowledge, Downing Street was aware.

"But, this whole story has been about power imbalances. This whole story is about power.

End of the line: Damian Green is the third minister to leave the Cabinet in three months / PA

"Damian Green became a very, very powerful person. I was aware that there seemed to be ... an improper mixing of mentorship and sexual advance within the Conservative Party.

"In his case I was aware that he was the Deputy Prime Minister and I was aware that No 10 knew about it.

"I wrote about the problem of sexual harassment in Westminster because I knew it was a persistent problem ... but, I also knew of similar experiences with many other people in Westminster across all parties."

Reporting the probe's findings, Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood said that with "competing and contradictory accounts of what were private meetings" it was "not possible to reach a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of Mr Green's behaviour with Kate Maltby in early 2015, though the investigation found Ms Maltby's account to be plausible".

When Mr Green left office on Wednesday he said he did not recognise Ms Maltby's version of events, stating: "I deeply regret the distress caused to Kate Maltby following her article about me and the reaction to it.

Prime Minister Theresa May smiles as she sits alongside Damian Green at Prime Minister's Questions / PA

"I do not recognise the events she described in her article, but I clearly made her feel uncomfortable and for this I apologise."

Allies of the Prime Minister said she had no choice but to fire Mr Green after the Cabinet Office inquiry found he had breached the ministerial code.

During an overseas trip, Mrs May told reporters she was "very sad" about having to sack Mr Green.

"He and I have known each other since university and he's a good - was a good - minister. A minister in a number of areas. He and I worked together in the Home Office before I became Prime Minister."

Two former police officers accused of leaking details about the discovery of pornographic material on Mr Green's Commons computer during a police raid in 2008 have been warned they could face prosecution.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said Scotland Yard had referred the two retired officers to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) over possible breaches of data protection legislation.

Reporting by Press Association
T heresa May today strongly denied that she knew of an alleged pattern of behaviour towards women by former Cabinet minister Damian Green.

The claim that Mrs May knew was made by Kate Maltby, the journalist and Tory activist whose claim that Mr Green fleetingly touched her knee led to his resignation.

However, speaking to reporters during a visit to British troops in Cyprus, the Prime Minister said: The first I learned of these allegations was when Kate Maltby wrote about them in The Times.

I recognise that Kate Maltby was obviously extremely distressed by what happened. Damian Green has recognised that and he has apologised. I think that is absolutely the right thing to do.

Ms Maltby now alleges that at a party in September 2016 she told a Downing Street aide about her claims and that the aide replied that it was part of a pattern of behaviour and that the Prime Minister knows.

Kate Maltby claimed the Prime Minister was aware of Damian Green's 'pattern of behaviour'

She told the Telegraph: I would never, never have told my story about Damian Green if I did not believe I was exposing a pattern of behaviour of which I thought the Prime Minister was personally aware.

The Evening Standard understands however that the aide concerned has rebutted her version of their conversation as 100 per cent wrong and nothing was said to suggest there was a patten of behaviour or that the Prime Minister had such knowlege.

Mr Green insists he does not recognise Ms Maltbys claims, though he has apologised for making her uncomfortable. He resigned because he was found to have made a misleading statement about another allegation, that he knew about porn found on his laptop.

In a new development today, Sir Thomas Winsor, the chief inspector of constabulary, warned that retired police officers who revealed they came across porn images on Mr Greens computer hard disk had undermined public confidence in he police.

insists he does not recognise Ms Maltbys claims / Jeremy Selwyn

The public interest in the protection of confidentiality on the part of the police .... that public interest is a very great one, probably an overwhelming one, he told BBC radio.

His comments will be taken as a warning that the officers should not be able to claim they had an overwhelming public interest to reveal what they had seen.

Sir Thomas said the police existed to uphold the law, adding: They are not arbiters of personal morality. He said the public would stop volunteering confidential information if the police lost their trust.

A Downing Street source said: The Cabinet Office conducted a thorough investigation into a number of allegations about Damian Green. The inquiry findings were published yesterday.

The PM has made it clear that everyone should be able to work in politics without fear or harassment - that is why she has brought forward a new Code of Conduct for the Conservative Party, and set up a cross-party working group to make recommendations about the Houses of Parliament.

The head of the Metropolitan Police Federation has condemned the abhorrent actions of two retired officers accused of leaking details about the pornography discovery.

Ken Marsh, whose organisation represents more than 30,000 officers, spoke out after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson suggested they may have been motivated by a vendetta.

Former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Bob Quick and ex-detective constable Neil Lewis have been warned they could face prosecution after confidential information obtained during a 2008 police inquiry was passed to the media.

Mr Marsh told The Times: Its unfair and disingenuous that again we are being hauled over the coals when most of my colleagues think that what these retired officers did is abhorrent.

We are all privy to confidential information but we respect the rules. All this has done is pit the Tories against the police again.

His comments come amid a furious backlash from Conservative MPs in the wake of Mr Greens sacking on Wednesday.

Speaking during a visit to Moscow, Boris Johnson said: I think it was a bit whiffy, frankly, this business with whatever happened with the information from his computer.

I dont quite see why that was brought into the public domain in the way it was. I think it needs to be investigated further, as the Prime Minister was saying.

It had the slight feeling of a vendetta.
T he price of wine in the UK could be set to increase by more than 20 per cent as a result of Brexit, a new academic paper states.

In a paper published by the Journal of Wine Economics entitled "UK and Global Wine Markets by 2025, and Implications of Brexit", researchers anticipated the effect that leaving the EU could have for wine lovers.

The paper explored a hypothetical large Brexit scenario which envisaged a harder exit from the EU. It found that a hard Brexit could increase the consumer price of wine in the UK by 22 per cent by 2025.

Researchers argued that there are several factors that would contribute to the hike in price.

The best places to drink wine in London

They said that prises would rise 20 per cent because of real depreciation of the British pound; 4 per cent because of new tariffs on E.U., Chilean, and South African wines; and 2 per cent because of slower U.K. income growth."

Brits will be less inclined to buy wine as prices rise, the researchers anticipated, they claimed that 28 per cent less wine will be drunk.

"The volume of U.K. wine consumption is 28 per cent lower: 16 per cent because of slower U.K. economic growth, 7 per cent because of real depreciation of the British pound, and 5 per cent because of new tariffs," the paper said.

"Superpremium still-wine sales are the most affected, dropping by two fifths, while sparkling and commercial-premium wines drop a bit less than one quarter," researchers wrote.

The consumption of domestic wine is also set to fall due to the shrunken demand for all wines resulting from lowered UK incomes and raised local prices because of devaluation of the British pound.

Michael Sager gives his 5 tips on how to order wine in a restaurant

In the UK there is already some evidence that Brexit has affected the price of wine.

Earlier this year the data from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association reported that the cost of a bottle of wine in the UK had hit a record high over the summer.
R ail bosses faced fury today after warning that services would be cancelled due to train guards being off sick on the Friday before Christmas.

South Western Railway announced early this morning that more than 30 services were either due to be terminated early or axed altogether because of a shortage of train crew.

A high number of guards, and drivers, have called in sick, causing chaos which hit commuters trying to leave the capital for Christmas.

Sixteen of the services were scheduled to depart from Waterloo to Portsmouth, Reading, Basingstoke and Haslemere.

Rain and spray on the M4 motorway. / PA Archive/PA Images

The Department for Transport said it was unfortunate to see such high levels of sickness so close to Christmas.

Brentford and Isleworth Labour MP Ruth Cadbury raised the issue with SWR on Twitter. Asking what many commuters want to know, she wrote: Why is there a shortage of crew?!

SWR, which took over the franchise serving London and southern England in the summer, replied: Hi Ruth, we have had a high level of staff sickness today and have covered as many duties as possible but have not been able to cover all unfortunately.

Mrs Cadbury said: Its appalling and begs questions about the management culture in a vital public service. Its hugely disruptive to many people trying to get away for Christmas.

Sir Ed Davey, MP for Kingston & Surbiton, said: South Western Railway need to get a grip  since they took over the franchise, its been a continual story of delays and cancellations.

Passengers on the network, who also face further disruption on December 31 due to an RMT strike over driver-only-operated trains, responded angrily to todays cancellations online.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: These cancellations of services expose the short-staffing and penny-pinching by SWR who clearly dont have enough staff to cover all eventualities.

The suggestion that staff are deliberately throwing sickies is a despicable slur on our members, who work to maintain passenger safety and security day-in, day-out.

South Western Railway said in a statement on Friday afternoon: "We have been working hard to reduce the number of cancelled trains due to guard and driver sickness today and we have now covered most of them, so by the end of the day, the number of cancellations will be seven - out of the 1,700 trains we run."

UK Snowfall: December 2017 - In pictures 1 /54 UK Snowfall: December 2017 - In pictures Snow in Regents Street Jeremy Selwyn Snow in Regents Street Jeremy Selwyn Snow in Regents Street Jeremy Selwyn Snow in Regents Street Jeremy Selwyn Snow in Regents Street London Jeremy Selwyn Commuters wait in the snow at Stanmore Station Jeremy Selwyn Snow on the coast at Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A boy slides on an inflatable tube in Bradgate Park after snow fall in Newtown Linford Darren Staples/Reuters Visitors sledge in Bradgate Park after snow fall in Newtown Linford Reuters A closed sign hangs on the gate of Cobden Primary School after snow fall in Loughborough REUTERS Snowbomb: A train leaves Stanmore station this morning Jeremy Selwyn Commuters struggle in the snow in Stanmore North London this morning Jeremy Selwyn Commuters struggle in the snow in Stanmore North London this morning Jeremy Selwyn Snow in Tring JEREMY SELWYN Snow in Tring JEREMY SELWYN Londoners woke up to snow on Sunday morning Rex People take a selfie in the snow on Primrose Hill in London PA Pedestrians walk over the Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral pictured in the background as snow falls o AFP/Getty Images Londoners at Greenwich park in London enjoy a snowy start to the day as snow hit's large parts of the country today Rex A tourist walks past a member of the Household Cavalry on guard at Horse Guard's Parade as snow falls Getty Images Heavy snow falls in Temple Fortune, north west London Nigel Howard Getty Images for Harlequins Snow at Southend Airport on Sunday morning @SouthendAirport A snow man on The Long Walk at Windsor, Berkshire PA East Finchley on Sunday Snow falls in north London on Sunday morning Rex Snow falls in North London. The Met Office issued a yellow warning for the capital Rex East Finchley on Sunday People play in the snow in Aberfan, South Wales PA An abandoned car on the roadside on the Snake Pass in the Peak District PA Power repair workers in Ironbridge, Shropshire PA Children off from school due to the weather make their way past a large snowman on Black mountain Getty Images The scene near Ribblehead in Yorkshire, as parts of Britain woke up to a blanket of snow caused by an Arctic airflow in the wake of Storm Caroline PA Snow falls in Chester PA Ribblehead Viaduct bathed morning sunlight in Yorkshire, as parts of Britain woke up to a blanket of snow PA A young schoolboy runs through the snow near Crumlin Getty Images A person drives a quad bike through fields in Cloughoge, Newry PA Snow falls in Ironbridge, Shropshire PA Ribblehead Viaduct in Yorkshire PA Chester PA Ribblehead Viaduct in Yorkshire PA

The Department for Transport said: Its unfortunate to see such high levels of sickness at this time. We always work closely with train operators to ensure that passengers get the best service possible.

Motorists were warned to expect delays as many began their Christmas getaway. The RAC said Christmas travellers would combine with the usual commuter traffic as well as rail disruption to create a frantic Friday on roads.

Ryanairs efforts to avert its first pilots strike collapsed today as pilots in Germany held a four-hour walkout.

The budget carrier had sought to avert a series of strikes by giving up its long-held opposition to recognising unions. But Germanys Vereinigung Cockpit union said it would stage a brief walkout as it did not believe Ryanair was sincere.
C hristmas for the London family of jailed mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be one of hope and positivity, her husband said today.

The 38-year-old charity worker learned yesterday that she was now eligible for early release after 20 months in an Iranian jail on spying charges.

Richard Ratcliffe, who lives in Hampstead, hopes the Iranians will free her over the festive period so that she can be reunited with her three-year-old daughter Gabriella and fly home to the UK.

He said: The whole family is going to a carol concert on Christmas Eve at the Albert Hall. Ive bought spare tickets so Nazanin can come if its possible. I have to hope and keep Nazanin hopeful.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual Iranian-British national, was arrested at the end of a family holiday in Tehran in April 2016 and given a five-year sentence for attempting to topple the Iranian regime.

She denies the charge. The countrys deputy chief prosecutor visited her on Wednesday at Evin Prison and she has been allowed more phone calls.
C hocolate fans have reacted with fury after Cadbury dropped the beloved fudge bar from its festive selection box.

The old favourite has been replaced by a dairy milk oreo bar, leading some to claim that Christmas is ruined.

The biscuit-based newcomer joins the wispa, crunchie, double decker, dairy milk and chocolate buttons in the selection box, which costs 2.99.

Fans of the boxes, which are a popular Christmas gift, have taken to Twitter to lambast Cadbury over the controversial move.

Dropped: the humble fudge has been ditched from Christmas selection boxes / Cadbury

Mark Attwood wrote to the chocolate manufacturer: I am most upset that my selection box is missing a fudge. My Christmas is now ruined!

Twitter user Nigel Quinlan accused the firm of waging a war on Christmas, while Laura Moore simply said: Thats not on.

Many others bemoaned the loss of the fudge, labelling it an absolute disgrace and calling for a revolution against this chocolate tyranny.

Launched in 1948 under the name milk fudge, the bar is one of Birmingham-based Cadburys most iconic bars.

Throughout the 1970s it was advertised with the slogan: A finger of fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat.

Cadbury describes the bar on its website as: "Everyones favourite finger of irresistibly scrumptious soft fudge, wrapped in smooth Cadbury milk chocolate."

The Standard has contacted Cadbury for comment.
A former aide to a Tory MP has said he has "lost everything" being accused of a rape he was later cleared over.

Samuel Armstrong, who was Craig Mackinlays chief of staff, wiped tears from his eyes after he was acquitted of raping a young parliamentary worker in his bosss Westminster office following a night of drinking.

Crucial evidence was disclosed to the defence team just eight days before his trial began. He was cleared of two counts of rape and two of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Mr Armstrong, 24, appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Friday and said he now feels relief after not knowing what was going to happen to him for a year.

Of course Ive lost everything," he said. Ive lost my home in London and my job and everything that I did, in a day.

"But more than anything, you just dont know whats going to happen especially not till the crucial evidence was disclosed, just so late in the day.

So its a real feeling of relief now that its all over and the nightmare is finished.

Samuel Armstrong was on trial at Southwark Crown Court. / PA

He added: I dont know if Ill ever be able to get my career back. The chances are slim on that.

"Its, of course, going to be the number one thing people think of when they hear my name for the rest of my life.

Cleared: Samuel Armstrong outside court on Thursday / PA

And thats not fair, but its the truth. I dont know if it will ever be possible for me to have a proper full political career that I might have had before.

He said the trial has put an enormous strain on my family, adding: My parents have been brilliant and Im so grateful for the support theyve given me.

Its a huge strain. It tests families to the limit and I was just so blessed that I had a strong enough family that I was, in my particular case, okay.

He said the late disclosure of the crucial evidence that led to his acquittal is a systemic problem that the police are struggling under the volume of cases the CPS are encouraging them to bring.

Mr Armstrong claimed there is a culture of competitiveness in the CPS.

"The CPS obviously have statistics and hopes for getting these conviction rates as high as anything," he said.

"It's a competitive atmosphere, in their minds. I think sometimes it's easier for them to not ask the tough questions, to not push for things that they know could undermine their case."

He added: "The head of the CPS has been clear that she wants to get these convictions up."

A spokesman for the CPS said the disclosure of evidence in this case was undertaken properly and in line with legal obligations.

The case was left for the jury to decide and we respect their decision, the spokesman added.

Mr Armstrong, from Danbury in Essex, was found not guilty of two counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of assault by penetration after a two-week trail at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

The Standard has contacted the CPS for comment.
The sound of the crash brought me to my feet from my desk. I thought of shelving collapsing in the kitchen. But all was well there. Gretchen came from the other side of the house. The tree, she said.

The Christmas tree with its 48-year accumulation of ornaments was prostrate on the living room floor, the knitted tiny red mittens, the sparkly star made by a grandchild, the quilted green and red circle made by a friend, the bell from my childhood tree all dangling sideways from the prickly spruce branches. The birch bark angel had a short flight from its treetop perch, coming to rest near a footstool.

We hurried to clean up; we had guests coming for dinner. While I lifted the tree, Gretchen got towels to sop up the water that spilled from the heavy cast iron stand, which had never before failed to keep our trees upright. It was an early gift from Gretchens parents who lived where it was manufactured in Brillion, Wis.

I cant blame the iron works for product failure; The tree with its crooked trunk was to blame, along with the guy who put it up. As I reset it in the stand, I recalled noticing the crooked trunk after we cut it in the pine and spruce grove our friends were thinning on their rural property. Since it was the top 8 1/2 feet of a 30-foot tree, the defect wasnt apparent when we chose it. Ah well, still very pretty, we decided.

Now its looking good again, as pretty as any weve had, redecorated and with only a slight lean, this time into the corner where it awaits the arrival of the grandchildren and their parents.

You handled that pretty well, Gretchen said as I shook a few needles out of my hair. She noted that there werent any bad words uttered.

After some thought, I decided that in a year when we survived a nasty car crash, the crash of a Christmas tree was pretty small potatoes, nothing to get worked up about.

In April, we wound up dangling in our seat belts in eastern Wyoming when our car left the road, flipped and landed on its roof in the ditch. If the roof had collapsed (It didnt. Thank you, Subaru.) we surely would have died, the EMTs said. Instead, we walked away.

And in a year when good friends have died, we are reminded of the fragility of life and the gift of living each day with the ups and downs days bring.

And in a year when there has been so much hate and meanness in our daily news, there comes the kindness of friends and family, the generosity expressed in so many ways during the holidays, sometimes in unexpected ways.

During our move earlier this year (with lots of help from friends and family), we lost the power cord to our knife sharpener, which came to my attention when Gretchen asked for a sharp knife for Christmas.

I wrote an email to the manufacturer, Smiths Consumer Products, explained my dilemma and, within a few hours, received the following: I know how things can get lost in moving. Let me go ahead and send a replacement cord out to you. How kind.

So were grateful for kindnesses, large and small, grateful that most of our tree ornaments survived the crash and, most of all, grateful for another Christmas with friends and family and the prospect of a new year with all the ups and downs it will bring. Kindness, too, we hope.
I nterest in sex peaks at Christmas time, according to a new study.

After studying 129 countries, academics discovered that the majority of people become more interested in sex and pornography around religious festivals.

Researchers believe that the positive depictions of baby Jesus could encourage people to want to procreate in Christian nations such as Britain.

The study also found that in mostly Muslim nations the holiest events in the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, appear to have a similar effect.

A team of researchers led by Luis Rocha at the University of Indiana gleaned their results from looking at decades of Google searches.

They found that there was an increase in the number of people searching for sex-related queries around Christmas time in 64 out of the 70 countries that celebrated December 25.

Professor Rocha told The Times that she does not know why this is the case, but she said: My intuition is that both Christmas and Eid al-Fitr are very family-centred holidays that in effect emphasise children very much.

The study was published in the journal of Scientific Reports.
A man who jumped out of a burning building as he fled a fire which killed 29 other people is said to have survived.

The leap of faith was broken by firefighters who caught him with an air mattress beneath the inferno. The extent of the man's injuries were not known.

The fire killed almost 30 other people, with many of them trapped inside a sauna.

It had spread from an underground car park in the town of Jecheon, South Korea.

Inferno: 29 people died in the fire / EPA

A spokesman for the South Korea National Fire Agency said: "The fire produced so much toxic smoke so quickly, leaving many people unable to evacuate."

Fifteen people are believed to have been found dead in the sauna, with some victims said to have been unaware of the blaze until it was too late.
T he UN Security Council has unanimously voted to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile.

The move, that analysts say could have a significant impact on the country's struggling economy, comes after Pyongyang said it tested an intercontinental missile capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland.

The new sanctions include reducing the countrys petrol imports by 90 per cent, forcing all North Koreans working overseas to return home within 12 months and cracking down on shipping to and from the country.

The US-drafted resolution does not include harsher sanctions sought by the Trump administration, such as prohibiting all oil imports and freezing the international assets of North Korea's government and its leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea: Ballistic Missile Test - In pictures 1 /29 North Korea: Ballistic Missile Test - In pictures AFP via Getty Images AP AP People watch reports about the launch of the short-range ballistic missiles Getty Images North Korean government shows a test of a missile launch in North Korea AP North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watching through binoculars as a new-type of tactical guided short-range missile is launched at an undisclosed location in North Korea AFP/Getty Images A test of a missile launch in North Korea AP People watch a TV showing images of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A man watches a news report about the North Korea missile launch EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches a missile test in North Kore AP Kim Jong-Un admires the launching of the Hwasong-15 missile AFP/Getty Images The new missile is thought to be capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland AFP/Getty Images Missile: the Hwasong-15 missile which is capable of reaching all parts of the US AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AP AFP/Getty Images Missile test: The launch AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Rocket power: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pictured giving an order to test-fire the newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-15 EPA The Hwasong-15 missile was launched in the early hours of Wednesday AFP/Getty Images

It would cap delivery of petrol products at 500,000 barrels a year and crude oil supplies at four million barrels a year.

The resolution passed by a vote of 15 to 0, Japan's ambassador to the United Nations said. Japan holds the presidency of the Security Council this month.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said following the vote: "It (the resolution) sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishments and isolation."

North Korea TV shows video of ballistic missile launch

The news comes after North Korea said on November 29 it had successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile in a "breakthrough" that puts the US mainland within range of its nuclear weapons.

Speaking before the Security Council vote, analysts said the new sanctions could have a major effect on the North's economy.

"If they were enforced, the cap on oil would be devastating for North Korea's haulage industry, for North Koreans who use generators at home or for productive activities, and for (state-owned enterprises) that do the same," said Peter Ward, a columnist for NK News, a website that tracks North Korea.

The forced repatriation of foreign workers would also cut off vital sources of foreign currency and investment not only for the government but also for North Korea's emerging market economy, he added.

He said: "If such sanctions were enforced, they would thus impede and endanger North Korea's economic development."

Additional reporting by the Associated Press
F ormer White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is considering a run for president, according to reports in the United States.

Mr Bannon, once one of Donald Trumps closest confidantes, reportedly claimed the president has lost a step and is behaving like an 11-year-old child.

According to Vanity Fair, he gives Mr Trump just a 30 per cent chance of serving out his first term in office and says he believes the president could be impeached.

Mr Bannon, the right wing head of Breitbart News, was fired from the West Wing in August and deemed a loser in an ideological battle over the direction of the Trump administration.

He lashed out at the time, claiming the Trump presidency that we fought for, and won, is over.

He faced further scorn after backing Roy Moore, the controversial Republican candidate who lost a Senate seat in Alabama to his Democrat underdog rival following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Strategist Steve Bannon leaves Trump's turbulent White House

But he remains close to Mr Trump despite being axed and they often speak on the phone. Vanity Fair writer Gabriel Sherman said Mr Bannon also praised the president but said he might run for his job in 2020 if he decides not to seek a second term.

Contemplating his future, Mr Bannon said he had no fear of political failure. Im not a political operative. Im a revolutionary, he added.

Mr Bannon last night denied having any Oval Office aspirations.

#FakeNews. Steve is 100% not running for President. He is not a politician, a spokesperson told Newsweek.
C atalonias ousted leader Carles Puigdemont has claimed a triumphant victory after pro-separatist parties gained a majority in the regions dramatic elections.

As the final results came in Mr Puigdemont, who is currently exiled in Brussels, declared: The Spanish state has been defeated.

Millions headed to the polls in Thursdays crucial vote on the regional parliament, which was called by Madrid after it declared Octobers Catalan independence referendum illegal.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy deposed Catalonia's regional government after it made an illegal declaration of independence following the referendum.

Carles Puigdemont, the dismissed President of Catalonia, arrives to speak after the results are declared / REUTERS

But Mr Rajoy now faces the prospect of further confrontation with a separatist coalition once again in power in Barcelona.

The three separatist parties, Esquerra Republicana, Junts Per Catalunya and CUP, pulled off a major shock to win 70 seats between them  enough for an absolute majority.

Agusti Alcoberro, vice president of Catalan National Assembly, said: "We can say that pro-independence forces have won the elections."

He told a crowd gathered in Barcelona's Maritime Museum that "we demand the restitution of the (Catalan) government and the release of the political prisoners".

Mr Puigdemont, who fled to Brussels after his government was deposed, added: Mariano Rajoy has received a slap in the face from Catalonia.

Reaction in the streets of Barcelona to Catalan independence vote

An anti-independence party Ciutadans (Citizens) won the most seats on Thursday with 36, which wasnt enough to form a majority government with other parties in favour of staying part of Spain.

It remains to be seen if the parties who pushed ahead with a banned independence referendum can agree to form a new government.
P op star Lorde has admitted she is considering pulling out of a concert in Israel after a backlash from fans.

The singer, 21, responded on Twitter on Thursday night after an open letter called for her to cancel her June show in Tel Aviv.

Her fans argued the concert would show support for Israel's occupation of Palestine.

"Noted! Been speaking w many people about this and considering all options. Thank u for educating me i am learning all the time too," Lorde tweeted.

It comes after Donald Trump controversially decided to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, sparking protests across the Middle East.

The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to denounce the US president's move on Thursday.

The letter to Lorde was written by two fans in her home country of New Zealand - Justine Sachs, who is Jewish, and Palestinian Nadia Abu-Shanab.

"A performance in Israel sends the wrong message. Playing in Tel Aviv will be seen as giving support to the policies of the Israeli government, even if you make no comment on the political situation," they wrote.

"Such an effect cannot be undone by even the best intention and the best music."

Protests erupt after Trump's Jerusalem decision 1 /62 Protests erupt after Trump's Jerusalem decision Palestinian protestors clash with Israeli forces near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah AFP/Getty Images Israeli forces take position during clashes with Palestinian protestors near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah AFP/Getty Images Palestinian protesters burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump AP AFP/Getty Images Palestinians burn posters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, during a protest against the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Gaza City AP Israeli forces disperse Palestinian protestors outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City AFP/Getty Images Palestinian youths take part in a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Pakistanis burn a representation of the U.S. flag during a protest rally in Hyderabad, Pakistan AP Palestinian protestors set fire to a picture of US president Donald J. Trump during a protest in the West Bank City of Nablus EPA Smoke billows from burning tyres as Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops AFP/Getty Images Palestinian youths take part in a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Jordanian police stand guard near the American Embassy in Amman, Jordan REUTERS Palestinian demonstrators clash with Israeli troops during protests in the West Bank city of Ramallah AFP/Getty Images Palestinians paint an 'X' over the face of a picture of US president Donald J. Trump on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, West Bank EPA Supporters of a Pakistani religious party rally against the United States and Israel, in Lahore, Pakistan AP A supporter of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) an Islamic organization burns US flags Reuters A view from Armon Hanaziv promenade on the old city of Jerusalem, EPA Palestinian protesters chant angry slogans as one burns a representation of the American flag AP Palestinian protestors shout slogans against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Nablus AFP/Getty Images Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim leader Moqtada al-Sadr gestures as he delivers a speech over U.S.President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Baghdad, Iraq Reuters Children stand on U.S. and Israeli flags during a protest following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters Protests erupt in Middle East after Donald Trump declares Jerusalem capital of Israel AP Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh gestures as he delivers a speech over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City Reuters Protesters chant anti-American slogans in Gaza city AP Young Palestinians wave flags in protest at Mr Trump's decision in Gaza EPA People gather in protest to wave flags and chant in Gaza EPA Protesters pray in the street outside the US Embassy in Istanbul, Turkey Getty Images The Christmas tree in front of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity had its lights turned off in protest EPA Protesters burn posters of Donald Trump in Manger Square, Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images A demonstration against the US and Israel at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul AFP/Getty Images Protesters wave Palestinian and Turkish flags during a demonstration in Istanbul AFP/Getty Images Protesters burn the Israeli flag in Cairo, Egypt EPA Pro-Palestinian protesters in Berlin, Germany EPA Palestinians burn Israeli and US flags and posters of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during protest against the US intention to move its embassy to Jerusalem and to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip EPA Protesters wave flags and shout slogans outside the U.S. Consulate on December 6, 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey Getty Images The Hamas organization's top leader Sheikh Ismaeil Haneiya (C) attends a protest against the US decision to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip EPA US President Donald J. Trump signs his proclamation about his controversial decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and his plan to relocate the US embassy to that city, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, DC EPA The US and Israeli flags hang at the entrance of Jerusalem Municipality building following US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise the city as the capital of Israel AFP/Getty Images Christian worshipers carry a wooden cross through an alley of Jerusalem's old city EPA Israeli policemen scuffle with a Palestinian man during a protest following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses an international conference on digital diplomacy at the foreign ministry in Jerusalem AFP/Getty Images Palestinians shout slogans during a protest following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters Protesters chant slogans and wave Palestinian flags during a demonstration against the US and Israel in front of the US consulate in Istanbul AFP/Getty Images Palestinians take part in a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images A wounded Palestinian protester is evacuated during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the border with Israel in the southern Gaza Strip Reuters Israel policemen stand guard at the Damascus gate of Jerusalem's old city EPA Palestinian youths take part in a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images

They quoted British songwriter Elvis Costello who previously cancelled an Israeli show in protest over the treatment of Palestinians.

After the decision, he said: "There are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent."

Additional reporting by Press Association
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Wisconsins ongoing teacher shortage hasnt just made it harder to find educators, its made finding substitutes harder too, according to Bangor School District Superintendent Dave Laehn.

Bangor isnt the only school district thats having a hard time finding subs. Onalaska and Holmen are all struggling to with the same issue.

We see a shortage in all of those areas, Laehn said.

West Salem School District Human Resources Director Barb Buswell said her district also is experience a shortage of subs.

On any given day, a school in the region may need between two and 30 substitute teachers to fill in for missing faculty and staff, according to local school officials. Districts also often need substitutes nurses, cooks, custodians and paraprofessionals.

Onalaska School District Human Resource Director Sonya Ganther said the hardest days of the week to find subs are Fridays and Mondays when many educators are attending conferences or conventions or taking a personal day to spend with family.

Laehn said its when a staff member or their family become ill the night before or the morning of that the district has the hardest time finding subs. He said by this time most of the available subs have already signed up to fill positions in other schools.

I remember 10 years ago youd have 75 to 100 applicants to fill a substitute position, he said. Now were lucky to have three to five applicants.

If a school cant find a sub, other teachers may be asked to spend their prep periods filling in for the missing faculty member. Buswell said this, however, is never ideal. Not only does it take away from other educators time, a class will often be taught by multiple teachers throughout the day.

Ganther said subs arent always required because a teacher gets sick.

Sometimes its illness, or family or a professional development opportunity, she said.

Ganther said if a teacher knows they are going to be gone for a conference theyre encouraged to request a substitute as early as possible. This gives them the opportunity to find a sub with experience teaching their subject. That way, students dont miss out on a day of instruction because their teacher was out of school.

While Bangor has consistently struggled to find substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, Laehn said the districts most dire need is for bus drivers.

Its a widespread issue, he said.

Ganther said in Onalaska, theyve struggled to find paraprofessionals and long-term substitutes to fill in for faculty members on maternity or long-term leave.

West Salem has started advertising for subs in newspapers and through social media posts.

People used to come to us, she said. Now were actively marketing, were putting out on social media and advertising in the theaters.

The shortage has forced Laehn to consider increasing substitute pay to make the district more competitive.

Well probably have to look at paying more, he said.

Substitute teachers in the Coulee Region can make between $95 and $120 for a full day of work.

Buswell said theyre looking for retired teachers who are looking for occasional work or stay at home parents willing to get involved in the school district. She said anyone with a bachelors degree and a substitute teaching license can become a substitute teacher.

The Cooperative Education Service Agency in West Salem, offers substitute training for members of the public who want to get involved.

I think the great thing about subbing is they can pick a day they want to work, Ganther said.

Applicants can pick up applications at any of the area schools or apply through the Wisconsin Education Career Access Network at wecan.education.wisc.edu.
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The Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) reiterates the known position in respect to implementing the "two-state solution," regarding Israel and Palestine, to coexist in peace and security and the need to put an end to this conflict.

According to a release sent to STIRIPESURSE on Thursday, MAE reiterates the constant commitment of Romania to the efforts of the international community of contributing to a fair and sustainable solving of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which should agree with both sides' interests, and to ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East."MAE finds that the promotion today, 21 December 2017, of the resolution draft on the topic of the status of Jerusalem comes up in a moment when prudence should be shown. MAE believes rather necessary, in this stage, the relaunch of the direct dialogue aimed at unblocking the peace process. Consequently, Romania has abstained from voting in the UN GA."
Poland has joined fellow East European nation Romania in adopting the use of GMLRS (GPS guided MLRS) and building its own version of the American HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rocket launchers. Rather than buying the HIMARS vehicles Poland is buying HIMARS technology and arranged to integrate that with the existing, and similar Polish Homar (Lobster) rocket system.

The HIMARS launcher would be mounted on Polish 6x6 truck rather than the standard HIMARS system mounted on the 6x6 U.S. Army vehicle system that Romania (and other export customers) purchase. Poland is buying 25 GMLRS rockets as well as 61 ATACMS rockets, 34 practice rockets 1,642 GMLRS guidance systems to be fitted to Polish made rockets as well as GMLRS guidance system test and maintenance systems. This $250 million sale will enable Poland to build a Polish version of HIMARS launchers under license and integrate the Polish HIMARS with Polish artillery fire control systems using NATO standards.

This is cheaper that the American made $5 million HIMARS truck mounted MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System). HIMARS carries only one, six MLRS rocket pod instead of two in the original larger, tracked, MLRS vehicle. But the 12 ton truck can fit into a C-130 transport (unlike the 22 ton tracked MLRS) and is much cheaper to operate. The first HIMARS entered service in 2005, about a year after GMLRS (GPS guided MLRS rockets) did. The two new innovations worked well together and were a major reason for the success of the GMLRS and the HIMARS rocket launcher.

Poland, like most HIMARS and MLRS users are now only buying guided rockets. Poland plans to integrate longer range (150-499 kilometer) Homar guided rockets it had already planned into the American HIMARS system. Poland was a major weapons manufacturer during the Cold War, when it was occupied by Russian military forces and secret police. During that period Poland produced Russian designs under license and gradually developed improved versions of the Russian designs.

Since joining NATO in 1999 Poland has largely replaced Russian weapons with Western ones or upgraded Russian systems to NATO standards. That alone created a new business opportunity for Polish defense firms and Poland is again becoming a major arms producer. This it is no surprise that Poland will be building its own version of the guided MLRS rockets that entered service back in 2004. This was the GMLRS (guided multiple launch rocket system). Like the unguided version, the GMLRS are packaged and used in containers (pods) holding six rockets each. The fire control system was upgraded to handle precision targeting rather than just a general area.

Since 2004 over 3,000 GMLRS rockets have been fired in combat. GMLRS rockets cost about $100,000 each and have been very successful. That has meant even less work for tube artillery, which had dominated the battlefield since the 17th century. The Polish GMLRS rockets will be based on existing Polish rockets and be cheaper to manufacture. Meanwhile the U.S. manufacturer has had to resume production of the M142 American HIMARS vehicle system for the growing number of export customers.

The 309 kg (680 pound) GMLRS missile is a GPS guided 227mm rocket. It was designed to have a range of 70 kilometers and the ability to land within meters of its intended target, at any range. This is possible because it uses GPS (plus a back-up inertial guidance system) to find the target location it was programmed with. In 2008 the army tested GMLRS at max range (about 85 kilometers) and found that it worked fine and this is the design Poland will use. This enables one MLRS/HIMARS vehicle to provide support over a frontage of 170 kilometers, or, in places like Afghanistan, where the fighting can be anywhere, an area of over 20,000 square kilometers. This is a huge footprint for a single weapon (an individual MLRS/HIMARS vehicle), and fundamentally changes the way you deploy artillery in combat. By way of comparison, Excalibur (GPS guided 155mm shell) has a max range of 37 kilometers, and 120mm GPS guided mortars about 7.5 kilometers.

Until recently most of the GMLRS rockets were fitted with an 89 kg (196 pound) M31A1 high explosive ("unitary") warhead. About half of that is actual explosives. That's twice as much explosives as the U.S. Air Force 130 kg (285 pound) SDB (Small Diameter Bomb). A 155mm artillery shell has 6.6 kg of explosives, and the 500 pound (227 kg) bomb has 127 kg of explosives, which produced an excessive blast for many urban combat situations. The GMLRS seemed to be just right most of the time. In 2014 an M30A1 warhead was introduced in 2016 and it used less explosives but added 180,000 tungsten pellets which were effective against personnel and unarmored vehicles over a much larger area. The GPS guided ATACMS rocket has a range of 300 kilometers and a 230 kg (500 pound) warhead.

GMLRS has been used with great success in Iraq and Afghanistan, where most have been fired so far. The guided rocket is much more effective than the older, unguided, version, and is replacing it in most cases. No more of the unguided rockets are being purchased by the U.S. The accuracy of GMLRS means that one rocket does the job that previously required a dozen or more of the unguided ones. That's why HIMARS is so popular. While HIMARS only carries six rockets, that's often enough to last for days, even when there's a lot of combat.

Since the end of the Cold War in 1991 the U.S. Army has drastically reorganized and reduced its artillery force. At the end of the Cold War most artillery was conventional tube artillery. That meant towed 105mm, 155mm, 203mm howitzers and self-propelled 155mm howitzers. The MLRS, a 12 tube 227mm unguided rockets was just entering service when the Cold War ended. In the 1990s it became obvious that smart bombs (JDAM) first used in the 1991 Gulf War, were more effective than artillery and that led to a major shift away from using artillery. By 2004 over 40 tube artillery battalions had been disbanded.

Noting the success of GMLRS, Russia and China have developed and put into service their own GPS guided rockets. Russia has long led in the design of new rocket systems was is playing catchup when it comes to using guided rockets. The multiple rocket launcher was first developed by the Russians before World War II as a cheap alternative to massed artillery fire by individual guns. Long seen as a supplement to regular artillery, the introduction of the high tech U.S. MLRS rocket system in the 1980s began to make a lot of conventional artillery obsolete even before GMLRS came along. Of course, artillery has always been ripe for innovation. The U.S. 175mm gun, introduced in the 1960s, was rendered obsolete in the 1980s with the introduction of special long range ammo for the 203mm (8 inch) howitzer. The U.S. Army stopped using the 175mm gun in the 1970s. When the MLRS entered service, one of the three batteries in each division's 203mm howitzer battalion was equipped with MLRS units instead. But MLRS proved so effective that the 203mm howitzer battalion became an MLRS battalion and the 203mm gun was dropped by the U.S. Army.

There were always non-divisional MLRS battalions, as the MLRS was seen, from the beginning, as an ideal weapon for massed artillery fire. The Gulf War allowed the MLRS to show off what a potent weapon it could be. The larger rockets also provided room for more complex payloads (cluster and "smart" munitions) and guidance systems. This was another example of how technology can transform an old weapon. While the Russians have been using rocket launchers for over 70 years, they never got around to enhancing their effectiveness with a lot of technology until recently and then only because they noted others were doing so and succeeding. Now everyone is changing their artillery forces and adapting to the use of many fewer guided projectiles.
In Sudan the rebel Sudanese SRF-MM (Sudan Revolutionary Front-Minni Minnawi) and Sudan's opposition PCP (Popular Congress Party) have agreed to cooperate to implement the AU (African Union) plan for ending Sudan's various rebellions. The PCP is now a member of Sudan's coalition National Consensus Government, which the AU encouraged (as part of its AU Road Map for Sudan). Yes, Omar al Bashir is still in charge as president and he is still under criminal indictment by the ICC (International Criminal Court) for war crimes and genocide. The SRF is still an umbrella group for armed rebel organizations. Right now a couple of SRF factions are fighting Sudanese security forces. Minnawi was serving as an SRF representative at the conference which brokered the deal with the PCP. Several times in the past Minnawi has expressed an interest in a real negotiated settlement --meaning one that Sudan doesn't break three months later. In a statement after announcing their new coalition, the PCP and the SRF-MM stressed the need for the government to continue to permit the flow of humanitarian aid into rebel areas and to stop tolerating (or encouraging) attacks on civilians, slaving and bad behavior in general. Many civilians in rebel held areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states are on the edge of starvation.

December 21, 2017: In South Sudan the government and most rebel factions agreed to a ceasefire that will begin on Christmas Eve (the 24th) and last into 2018. South Sudan is a largely Christian country. The ceasefire is not expected to last long and was agreed to mainly to let relief supplies, particularly food, move freely and a bit more safely.

December 20, 2017: In northeast South Sudan (Upper Nile state) the UN closed one of its seven remaining POC (Protection of Civilian) sites and indicates it will close other POCs. Some of the civilians protected at the closed POC were moved to a POC in the nearby city of Malakal.

December 19, 2017: In southern South Sudan (Yei River state) the army claims to have driven the SPLM-IO rebels from key areas near the Uganda and Congo borders. The SPLM-IO has had a major presence in the area for years but in 2017 there has been major fighting in Yei state. If the army claims are true, the government has managed to make some significant gains just before a new round of peace negotiations are to commence. The army claimed its soldiers encountered no armed opposition when they took the towns of Mitika and Lasu. However, foreign and local witnesses report scattered fighting outside of Lasu. SPLM-IO accused the army of entering Mitika on the night of December 17 and proceeded to plunder the town.

The SPLM-IO rebels accused the Sudan JEM rebels of supporting South Sudan troops in Yei River state. The SPLM-IO claims to have ambushed a convoy of government and JEM vehicles outside the town of Lasu. The convoy was allegedly transporting weapons and ammunition from the city of Wau to government soldiers and militiamen who were fighting SPLM-IO, which withdrew from Lasu on December 18.

Sudan announced it is willing to begin another round of peace negotiations with the SPLM-N rebels. The previous effort, the "Two Areas" (South Kordofan and Blue Nile states) peace talks with SPLM-N, broke off in August 2016. The SPLM-N is now split into two factions, one led by Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar) and one by Abdel Azziz al-Hilu (SPLM-N al-Hilu).

December 18, 2017: In southern South Sudan (Yei River state) SPLM-IO rebels claim to have killed 35 soldiers and several JEM militiamen in a firefight.

December 17, 2017: Six police officers from Samoa have flown to South Sudan to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission. The UN peacekeepers currently deploy around 12,000 soldiers and armed police in South Sudan.

December 16, 2017: Foreign aid groups believe the dreadful situation in South Sudan will persist deep into 2018, even if new peace talks (which may or may not occur in the next 60 days) manage to curb the violence. One widely accepted estimate is that 76 percent of South Sudan's families are experiencing some hunger and uncertainty about continued access to food.

December 15, 2017: Four years ago today (2013) the South Sudan civil war began with a shootout in Juba between Dinka and Nuer soldiers serving in the capital's security force. Nuer tribesmen now dominate the SPLM-IO rebels and refer to the incident as The Juba Nuer Massacre.

December 14, 2017: The UN is defending the performance of its South Sudan peacekeepers by pointing out that the 12,000 peacekeepers operates with numerous restrictions. The peacekeepers require the consent of South Sudan government to carry out many missions. The official statement put it this way: UN peacekeepers in South Sudan "are neither an intervention, nor an interposition force."

The South Sudan president fired several senior army officers. No reason was given for their removal.

Sudan confirmed that one Sudanese soldier was killed and four wounded when their vehicle hit a landmine near the town of El Mukha in Yemen. The soldier who was killed was a relative of Sudan's second vice-president, Hasabo Mohamed Abdelrahman. Since 2015, Sudanese soldiers have served with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Sudanese troops completed a week-long joint training exercise with UAE (United Arab Emirates) forces. The exercise took place in Sudan and along the Red Sea coast. The exercises stressed combat readiness and maneuver. Sudan has sided with Saudi Arabia and the UAE against Iran, which is one reason it is getting along better with the United States and the UN.

December 13, 2017: The ICC told the UN that the failure to arrest Sudan president Bashir on war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity charges had damaged the ICC as well as the investigation of Bashir that began in 2005. Arrest warrants were issued in March 2009 and in July 2010 but Bashir remains a free man.

December 12, 2017: In central South Sudan (Western Lakes state) nearly 200 have died and even more were wounded during a week of fighting between two Dinka clans (Rup and Pakam). Over 2,000 people have fled their homes. UN observers and South Sudanese security forces moved into the area after the government declared a state of emergency. UN peacekeepers reported the warring clans had established roadblocks throughout the area. By December 8 the government was describing the fighting as quite serious and that it was mainly about cattle and land rights. Western Lakes state is about 250 kilometers northwest of Juba, South Sudan's capital.

December 5, 2017: Sudan and South Sudan continue to wrangle over the 2012 oil pipeline and revenue dispute. Sudan contends that South Sudan owes the Sudan around $1.3 billion. South Sudan does not dispute the figure. Unfortunately, South Sudan cannot pay it. The finance ministry noted that oil prices are low.

December 4, 2017: Even though Sudan-U.S. relations are far from normalized, Sudan is telling would-be trading partners that the partial lifting of U.S. sanctions means Sudan is now a good place to do business. That's a bit premature for several reasons. Critics of the government point out that the ICC warrants for the arrest of president Bashir remain in effect. Bashir faces war crimes and genocide charges. The Americans had temporarily lifted some sanctions in early January 2017. Sudan continues to cooperate with U.S. counter-terrorism efforts-- which is ironic because Sudan is still on the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism. The new U.S. government that took power in late January continued to be optimistic about Sudan and lifted most of the economic sanctions in October after Sudan demonstrated that it had curbed the bad behavior that attracted the ICC in the first place. However, Sudan is clearly on probation. The U.S. stipulated that Sudan must (quote) continue to show "sustained and measureable progress" on how it treats its own citizens. If it does not the targeted sanctions may be re-imposed. (Austin Bay)

November 30, 2017: Sudan confirmed that Darfur militia leader Musa Hilal will face charges in a Sudanese court. Last week security forces arrested Hilal in North Darfur state. This came after Sudanese security forces were ambushed by militiamen the government claims were under Hilal's command. The government forces were trying to enforce a disarmament order. Hilal's militia refused to give up its weapons. Hilal was formerly a friend and ally of the government and president Bashir. In fact, he led a janjaweed militia in Darfur. Hilal currently faces individual UN sanctions for his actions as a militia leader.

November 29, 2017: In western Sudan (Darfur) SRF-MM rebels claim the Sudan government intends to attack refugee camps in Darfur. The rebels also accuse the government of using its weapons disarmament campaign as a ruse for raiding displaced persons camps in West Darfur state.
Iraqi Christians Fear Another Wave of Persecution: Chaldean Archbishop

A Chaldean Catholic archbishop from southern Iraq has warned that the country's beleaguered Christian community still feels pessimistic about the future, despite the recent announcement by the government that troops have defeated Islamic State. Archbishop Habib Al Nawfali of Basra told Catholic News Service: "The daily practice of robberies, gang rapes, torture and murder of Christians is ongoing. Therefore, they are pondering what will be next. We are afraid of another wave of persecution that will be the end of Christians."

The archbishop, who spoke on the fringes of a meeting on intercultural dialogue sponsored by the European Parliament in early December, said politicians in the West should lobby the Iraqi government to ensure that the Christian minority is protected. He said that he believed up to 1 million Christians have fled the country since the 2003 U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. He described the exodus of Christians from their ancient homeland as a "disaster." Basra is home to some 2 million Iraqis, and he said Christians' experience with the Islamic community is mixed. He said most Muslims in the city are "moderate and they don't care for religious fanaticism. They treat us Christians equally with dignity and respect." However, he said: "There are fanatics who say loudly in the mosques that we are blasphemers, we are the sons of pigs and monkeys. They don't feel shy in saying that." The archbishop said the reasons why Christians remain targets are often complex. "Sometimes it's about political or economic gain ... they find that Christians are higher educated, have properties, or, for example, work as doctors in hospitals or other senior positions, so they attack them to get money." He also said Chaldean Catholics, who worship in the Aramaic language that Jesus spoke, "are afraid that this language will disappear in the next generation because our community is now distributed everywhere." He said there are currently Chaldean communities in 64 countries, and many of them are now worshipping in the local language rather than their mother tongue. Describing what has happened the Christians in the country as "genocide," he said the international community should make it a priority to protest the rights of the native people of Iraq, including the Christians. "We need support politically from Western leaders, and Christian villages need help economically to open workshops to provide employment or for the reconstruction of houses," the archbishop said. Asked about preparations for Christmas, the archbishop said that the 400 or so families who remain in his congregation are "people of deep hope and immense faith." Describing how he has received numerous death threats during his ministry, he said, "I trust in God, the Chaldean people continue to trust in God -- our faith is deeply rooted, we have been here for almost 2,000 years. That's a long time. "We have only the Spirit of Jesus with us. We have a strong faith; people lose everything but they stay Christian, thank God for that," he said.
Gundersen announced plans Thursday to build a 5,200-square-foot Comprehensive Cancer Center at the soon-to-be-constructed Gundersen Tomah Clinic. The facility will allow patients with cancer to receive radiation treatments in Tomah.

Construction is slated to begin next spring with completion in summer 2019.

We are giving patients in Tomah and the surrounding area better access to cancer care, said Sarah Rossman, Gundersen Cancer Services administrative director.

Rossman said 100 Gundersen patients in the Tomah area required radiation treatments in 2016.

The cancer center will have a separate entrance and parking from the 77,000-square-foot Gundersen Tomah Clinic. Rossman didnt have a cost estimate for the facility. She said it would employ at least two full-time physicians.

The clinic and cancer center will be constructed adjacent to the new Tomah Memorial Hospital, which broke ground in September and will be renamed Tomah Health.

Gundersen CEO Dr. Scott Rathgaber said the collaboration with Tomah Health will increase the quality of care and ensure we are not duplicating services.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center will bring care to patients when they need it, where they want it and with reduced driving times, Rathgaber said.

Tomah Memorial Hospital CEO Phil Stuart welcomed the cancer center.

We are looking forward to this partnership to ensure patients throughout western Wisconsin receive the highest quality cancer care available, Stuart said.

Rossman said expanded services in Tomah will also benefit Gundersen patients in the La Crosse area.

Our volumes have grown exponentially year over year, she said. This will allow us to grow without having to grow our facilities in La Crosse.
Facebook has decided to discontinue the flagging of articles deemed "fake news." It announced the decision in a Medium post yesterday.

The social media giant began a war against fake news after being accused of hosting bogus news articles during the 2016 presidential campaign. One of the weapons being used in the fight was adding the ability for third-party "fact checkers" to flag articles deemed misleading.

The feature was added to the platform this summer and by September, academics had already determined the flags were not working. Facebook hoped users would be less likely to believe and share 'disputed' news but a study from Yale claims this is rarely the case. The research showed that people are only 3.7 percent more likely to identify an article as fake when it is flagged. Such a small percentage indicates that efforts to point out false news are mostly pointless.

Another study published in the journal "Psychological Science in the Public Interest" showed that flagged stories in some cases could actually "further entrench someone's beliefs." In other words, by labeling an article as "fake news," Facebook may have been reinforcing the beliefs of people who agreed with what was being put forth.

"Research suggests that strong language or visualizations (like a bright red flag) can backfire and further entrench someone's beliefs."

Facebook also conducted its own research and found that other means, such as offering related articles for context, were more effective than flagging.

"In April of this year, we started testing a new version of Related Articles that appears in News Feed before someone clicks on a link to an article. In August, we began surfacing fact-checked articles in this space as well. During these tests, we learned that although click-through rates on the hoax article don't meaningfully change between the two treatments, we did find that the Related Articles treatment led to fewer shares of the hoax article than the disputed flag treatment."

Because of this, Facebook will stop flagging fake news and focus more on curating "related articles." It will continue to use third-party fact checkers to identify bogus content but instead of disputing it, the related content will contain "fact-checked information."
Beginning with the release of driver version 390, Nvidia will not be releasing any more drivers with support for 32-bit operating systems. Both Windows and Linux users will be required to upgrade to a 64-bit system should they wish to use the most up-to-date drivers available. Mac OS X users running Lion 10.7 (released in 2011) or newer are unaffected since all versions thereafter are 64-bit only.

Future optimizations and features will not be implemented in older software packages. At this point, it is unlikely for any enthusiast to be running a 32-bit OS but there probably are some users with old machines sitting around that get used from time to time.

Fortunately for those with older hardware that may be incapable of running a 64-bit operating system, Nvidia will provide one additional year of security patches. Critical flaws will be fixed for 32-bit drivers all the way through January 2019, giving owners of old machines plenty of time to upgrade.

Nvidia will be releasing version 390 before the end of the year. For those curious as to how many people are still actually running 32-bit systems, 1.98 percent of Steam users still are. Unfortunately, Valve does not break down users running Nvidia graphics cards and a 32-bit OS.

It is reasonable to assume that some gamers with older systems have dedicated AMD or Intel integrated graphics which would make the actual number of PC gamers affected by this change extremely small.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday that his country has the highest economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, despite the sanctions imposed against it. | Read More
As you probably have heard, RSV is hitting early and hitting hard this year. Here at Winona Health, my fellow caregivers in Pediatrics and Family Medicine and I are fielding many questions from concerned parents and child care providers. We are always happy to be your resource!
AUTO LAB TALK RADIO LIVE FROM NYC SATURDAY MORNING! 7-9 AM December 23, 2017







Auto Lab Talk Radio

The Auto Lab Radio Show LIVE every Saturday 7 to 9 AM On New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 and Streamed Worldwide On The Auto Channel

This Weeks Show Broadcast Date: December 23, 2017

Car Question or Concern? Call Toll Free 888-692-7234

Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice.

Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format.

Listeners can hear the past 18 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on www.theautochannel.com.

Listen - Auto Lab Page (Includes Audio-on-Demand Archives, Auto Programs at Community College Database, Guests Pictures

This Weeks Show: December 23, 2017

IN STUDIO: Auto Lab's Real World Experts Answer Your Questions; Discuss: Repairs, Second Opinions, Regular Maintenance, How To's, Safety, Used and New Car Buying, Ombudsmen Suggestions

Harold Bendell - Major Auto

Fred Bordoff - Bronx Community College Automotive Technology Department-CUNY

Ivan Anderson - Brookdale Community College

Tim Cacace - Master Mechanix Auto Repairs

Jerry Pastore-D & J Diagnostic

Johanna Pastore-D & J Diagnostic

Michael Porcelli - Auto Mobile Services

Nicholas Prague- MTA and Rockland Community College, SUNY

Auto Lab Correspondents Remote Interviews: Featuring Auto Safety News, New Car Reviews, Technology and Latest Auto World Information That Will Effect You!

Broadcast Date: December 23, 2017;

Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England

PUSHED BY THE ULTRA MARKET

John Russell Senior Correspondent

COMPARING THE TOYOTA SIENNA AND THE CHRYSLER PACIFICA

Steve Colavito, Business Relationship Manager Grant Associates

GRANT ASSOCIATES, WORKING WITH NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION(CTE) IN NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Robert Sinclair- AAA NORTHEAST

AAA : YEAR - END HOLIDAY TRAVEL WILL BE HIGHEST ON RECORD
Photo: Amy Graves/WireImage

In 1991, I was 26 years old, recently divorced, and at the top of my game in New York City. My PR company, Cutrone and Weinberg, represented some of the worlds most celebrated actors, musicians, clubs, and hotels. I knew Russell Simmons socially. We had lots of friends in common and I saw him all the time. Russell was running Def Jam. He was ambitious; I respected that.

One night, I ran into him at a party downtown, and he asked if I wanted to go to another event nearby. It was a brisk, summer night, and I remember I was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. We walked along the empty Tribeca streets  a no mans land in those days. There were no big bars or restaurants, and I did not know my way around. At one point, he casually asked if I wanted to go to his apartment. I said no, and he dropped it. We turned down one street, then another, and then Russell insisted that he had to go to a friends apartment to grab some weed. I went with him, thinking nothing of it.

He had keys, and gestured for me to go inside  a last ditch attempt at manners for the night. Seconds later, Russell came up behind me and pushed me  hard. I hit the floor and he got on top of me and flipped me over. He was grabbing my face, trying to force his tongue in my mouth. Put his hands on my tits, all over the place. He was pressing up against me and grinding his body on mine. I started to scream, I yelled at him to stop; I kept trying to push him off me while he held me down. At one point, I looked him in the eye and I told him I would have him killed. I kicked twisted and kicked some more until he got off of me and I ran out the door.

When I got back down to the street, I felt frantic. I wanted to get the hell out of there and I stood in the street to get a cab. I wanted to play it cool, but I could barely keep it together. I did not want anybody to see me like that or to try to help. I had a career and a reputation to worry about. I got home, took a shower, and put on my nightgown and got into bed. I didnt feel angry. I didnt call anyone. I felt sad and scared  like I had been deflated. Id always thought of myself as tenacious, in control and a force to be reckoned with. Being overpowered like that was disorienting and challenged what I thought I knew about my own strength. But the next day, I got up and went to work and put on my PR game face. I acted like nothing happened. What choice did I have? What choice does any woman have? It took me a while before I started telling people about it, but eventually I did. And for the most part, I moved on.

As a publicist, I knew the calculated power of a hashtag. I knew it was a rallying cry.

When the Harvey Weinstein story broke, people who knew about what happened with Russell asked me if I would come forward. I was hesitant. I didnt want to call attention to myself and the past. I figured too much time had gone by, anyway, and who would believe me? No one else had come forward about him. Though I was amazed and proud of the women who were naming other powerful men, I didnt see myself as one of those people, yet.

On December 14, the morning after nine women accused Russell of rape in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, I woke up and saw Russells #NOTME statement on Instagram. Today, I begin to properly defend myself, he wrote. I will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges. I was in shock. In that moment, I was brought back to that Tribeca apartment all those years ago. I remembered kicking him, screaming at him to get off me. I remembered how scared Id felt. And here he was denying what had happened. I was furious. I was furious for me, for the women who had already come forward against him, and for all the women who had yet to speak to up.

As a publicist, I knew the calculated power of a hashtag. I knew it was a rallying cry, a subversive signal to other men. I knew how dangerous it could be. #NOTME had the potential to undermine the work that so many women had done  to undermine the strength of their voices by creating a movement of people who doubt women. I knew exactly what he was doing. But communications is my job and there was no way I was going to let him get away with a tactic like that. So, I decided how to hit back. I called Oliver Coleman at Page Six and finally told my story.

Today, there are 11 women who have accused Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct, five of whom have accused him of rape. Russell denies all of this. He, like so many of the other men who have been accused of sexual misconduct, is trying his best to distance himself from the hurt that hes caused.

When I remember that night with Russell, I realize how utterly ill-prepared I was for that kind of encounter  especially from a respected man I knew and trusted. No one ever taught me how to kick someone off of me, to defend myself. It is a miracle that I got away. How many women were not as lucky as I was?
Students in Carl Ekerns physical education classes at the La Crescent-Hokah Elementary School are learning firsthand how to get their hearts working healthily, thanks to a recently acquired set of wristband heart monitors.

What I really like about it, is that it tells them whats going on in their heart, said Ekern of the newly acquired monitors. Were trying to teach them what active exercise is and what moderately active exercise is, and theyre able to see the difference in their own bodies.

The monitors provide students with their pulse, minimum and maximum heart rates, as well as telling them what fitness zone theyre in, said Ekern.

So if we want to get to that red zone were shooting for, we gotta do some running first, Ekern explained to students in his adaptive phys ed class, referring to the healthy fitness zone.

Ekern said his students are still getting familiarized with the monitors after being introduced to them in October, and he uses them with classes about every other week.

The bands are strapped by Velcro on either the forearm or bicep. Wrist monitors are conveniently applied to the arm, avoiding the discomfort and required undressing that came with previous models that strapped across the chest.

Students in class with Ekern learn how each student has their own set of unique fitness levels depending on the shape they are in, said Ekern, meaning that a more physically fit student would need to work significantly harder to reach the same fitness level as a student that rarely exercises. Ekern said the option to share students performance reports with their parents can be done directly through the app that records the monitor readings.

Ekern said he uses the bands with his adaptive PE students regularly as well, and likes how hes able to provide more individualized feedback to each student. The monitors also allow Ekern to put more practical cardiovascular goals into Individualized Education Programs for students, he said.

Thats the really cool part about it, is the ability to personalize things for the kids, said Ludwigson. So they can work towards their own goals while being engaged in the same activities.

Jason Ludwigson, who manages technology integration for the district, learned about the heart monitors last spring at education technology conference in Minneapolis called TIES.

I thought this is a really great technology integration tool, said Ludwigson of the monitors. It connects with science, reading and math and brings it all in to phy-ed.

Ludwigson said that Ekern showed immediate interest in the monitors after he presented the idea to staff, and so far is the only teacher to attain a set. A set includes 15 heart monitor bands, a wireless connector and charging station, and costs around $3000.

Funding for the heart monitors came from a mix of district funds and outside donations, including from the American Heart Association and Pepsi, said Ekern. Ekern said he was aided in the project by Business Manager Sandy Strozyk who helped tie all the funding sources together.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) talks with reporters before attending the weekly Republican Senate caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 5, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Corker Has Newfound Empathy for Trump After Media Attacks

Senator says he now understands what Trump goes through

Republican Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said that he has a newfound empathy for President Donald Trump after experiencing the effects of fake news first-hand.

I have a newfound empathy for what he and others have been dealing with, Corker told Fox News on Thursday.

Corker voted in favor of the Republican tax bill that passed the Senate early Wednesday morning. Corker had voted against an earlier version of the bill.

News outlets had suggested that Corkers change of heart was because of a provision that was added to the tax bill.

Corker, however, denied having had any knowledge of the provision, and that it had been introduced by the House and not the Senate. He said he had already decided to support the bill before the provision was introduced.

Democratic opponents had quickly dubbed the provision that benefits real estate developers as the Corker kickback.

The reporter who wrote about this knew I was unaware of the provision, Corker said.

However, despite telling the reporter he didnt have knowledge of the provision, Corker said the reporter all of the sudden turns it around as if this had some impact on a decision I already made.

President Donald Trump returns to the White House on Dec. 15, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

He specifically called out The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post for their misreporting on the issue.

Ive never ever in my life used the term fake news until today, I actually understand what it is the president has been dealing with, Corker said.

He said he brought up the issue in a phone conversation he had with the president on a number of issues.

I told him that I had a healthy respect for the media, I deal with them all the time, and to attack the media has not been something I have done. But I had a new found empathy for him, Corker said.

Corker said that he had changed his initial objection to the tax bill, which was a concern for a potential increase in deficits, after considering all factors and whether it was best for the country.

In the end of the day, to cause our companies to be competitive around the world, to keep our companies from locating in other places. To continue to build on this dynamism that we have in our nation, I felt that this is the right thing to do.

President Donald Trump has frequently called out news organizations for their fake reporting.

The Feb. 15 edition of The New York Times. The lead story in the newspaper was discredited by former FBI Director James Comey who said it was almost entirely wrong. (Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times)

Research by Pew Research Center published in October shows that President Trump received primarily negative reporting from media.

An analysis of more than 3,000 stories during the first 100 days of his presidency across 24 different media organizations found that reporting on Trump has been the most negative compared to other presidents over the past 25 years.

The research shows that only 5 percent of media reporting during the period was positive. Sixty-two percent of stories were negative, and 33 percent were neither positive nor negative.

By comparison, coverage of President Barack Obama during the same time period was 42 percent positive and 20 percent negative. For President George W. Bush, the number was 22 percent positive and 28 percent negative. And for President Bill Clinton, it was 27 percent positive and 28 percent negative.

The study also revealed that most media coverage of Trump focused on his character traits rather than his policies.

Melania Trumps First Year as First Lady
Carles Puigdemont, the dismissed President of Catalonia, reacts while viewing the results in Catalonia's regional election in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 21, 2017. (Reuters/Francois Lenoir)

Catalan Separatists Win Election in Rebuke to Spain and EU

BARCELONACatalonias separatists look set to regain power in the wealthy Spanish region after local elections on Thursday Dec. 22., deepening the nations political crisis in a sharp rebuke to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and European Union leaders who backed him.

With nearly all votes counted, separatist parties won a slim majority in Catalan parliament, a result that promises to prolong political tensions which have damaged Spains economy and prompted a business exodus from the region.

Rajoy, who called the elections after sacking the previous secessionist government, had hoped Catalonias silent majority would deal separatism a decisive blow in what was a de facto independence referendum, but his hard line backfired.

The unexpected result sets the stage for the return to power of deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont who campaigned from self-exile in Brussels. State prosecutors accuse him of sedition, and he faces arrest if he were to return home.

Either Rajoy changes his recipe or we change the country, Puigdemont, said in a televised speech. He was flanked by four former cabinet members that fled with him.

At jubilant pro-independence rallies around Barcelona, supporters chanted President Puigdemont and unfurled giant red-and-yellow Catalan flags as the results came in.

Puigdemonts spokesman told Reuters in a text message: We are the comeback kids.

The result unnerved global markets, contributing to a softer euro and subdued sentiment in stock markets. Opinion polls had predicted secessionists to fall short of a majority.

More than 3,100 firms have moved their legal headquarters outside Catalonia, concerned that the indebted region, which accounts for a fifth of the national economy, could split from Spain and tumble out of the EU and the euro zone by default.

Spain has trimmed its growth forecasts for next year, and official data shows foreign direct investment in Catalonia fell 75 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, dragging down national investment.

The EUs major powers, Germany and France, have backed Rajoys stance despite some criticism of his methods at times.

On Oct. 1, when Catalonia staged an independence referendum, Spain declared it unconstitutional and national police used tear gas and batons to prevent some Catalans from voting.

When Catalan parliament declared independence after the referendum, Rajoy invoked constitutional powers to impose direct rule from Madrid on the region. He has said he would rescind direct rule regardless of the election result, but could re-impose it if a new government again pursued secession.

There was no immediate comment from Rajoy after the election results.

Headache For Brussels

The narrow victory for Puigdemonts secessionist camp presents a fresh headache for the EU, which had defended the Spanish judiciarys pursuit of separatist leaders on grounds that they had violated Spains constitution.

Puigdemonts attempts to gain international support in Brussels have come to nothing so far. He has called the EU a club of decadent countries for declining to mediate a solution.

Separatist parties won 70 seats out of 135, with Puigdemonts Junts Per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) party retaining its position as the largest separatist force.

Unionist party Ciudadanos (Citizens) won the most votes, but other unionist forcesRajoys Peoples Party and the Socialist Partyregistered a dismal performance.

Its a bitter victory, said Paloma Morales, a 27-year-old student at a Ciudadanos rally.

It means four more years of misery.

Analysts said the ball was back in Rajoys court.

What this shows is that the problem for Madrid remains and the secession movement is not going to go away, said Antonio Barroso, deputy director of research at London-based research firm Teneo Intelligence.

Turnout on Thursday reached a record high with over 83 percent of eligible Catalans voting.

Puigdemonts former deputy, Oriol Junqueras, and several other Catalan politicians are in prison, along with the leaders of the two main separatist grassroots movements.
People react as they listen to Catalan president Carles Puigdemont during a gathering at Plaza Catalunya after voting ended for the banned independence referendum, in Barcelona, Spain on Oct. 1, 2017. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)

Catalonia One of Many Regions Seeking Self-Determination

The post-colonial right of all peoples to self-determination and sovereignty is a key principle of contemporary international law and is binding in theory today on all world governments under the United Nations Charter of 1945.

Political leaders as different as American president Woodrow Wilson and Russian leader Vladimir Lenin supported the concept at the end of World War 1. In the 1920s and 30s, a number of countries, including Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Lebanon, obtained sovereignty. The trend accelerated in the 1960s with independence being extended to 37 former colonies as new nations with UN General Assembly support. Colonial administrative boundaries became national ones even if they had little relevance to ethno-cultural and linguistic divisions.

The pattern was reversed for decades during the Cold War by the Soviet Union after 1945 in central and east Europe, but after Mikhail Gorbachev assumed power in 1985, communist regimes there collapsed in rapid succession when he resigned as president of the USSR in1991.

Read More Secession: An Historic Struggle Between Central and Local Control

Fifteen sovereign republics replaced it, all of which rejected communism and most of which adopted democratic reform. Since then, the principle of national self-determination has led to a host of conflicts within countries as subgroups seek greater autonomy or full secession, occasionally resulting in violence and terror.

The 2000 Millennium Declaration failed to deal with such demands, mentioning only the right to self-determination of peoples which remain under colonial domination and foreign occupation.

The Kosovo decision of the International Court of Justice proposed the following criteria for defining a people having the right of self-determination: tradition and culture, ethnicity, historical ties, language, religion, sense of identity or kinship, the will to constitute a people, and common suffering. There is today often a conflict between the principles of self-determination and territorial integrity.

Allen Buchanan, who wrote seven books on self-determination, says a subregional community has a general right to secede if and only if it has suffered certain injustices for which secession is the remedy of final resort. He also recognizes secession if a state or its constitution includes a right to secede.

Currently, there are more than fifty active secessionist movements around the world, states Ryan Griffiths in his Age of Secession: The International and Domestic Determinants of State Birth. Three to watch are:

Catalonia

Catalonias recent push for independence from Spain captured international attention and rekindled aspirations as far away as Brazil. An autonomous region within Spain with its own government and language, Catalonia held what the Spanish government said was an illegal independence referendum on Oct. 1. Police raided polling stations to disrupt the vote, but 43 percent of Catalans turned outthose against independence abstained from votingwith 92 percent voting for independence. Catalonias refusal to back down from independence has led Madrid to invoke constitutionally-allowed procedures to take control of its regional government. An arrest warrant on sedition and other charges has been issued against the former Catalan leader who is now in Brussels.

Iraqi Kurdistan

After Iraqi forces moved into oil-rich Kirkuk, Kurds began to head north to their capital, Erbil. Clashes erupted after Kurds living in a semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq voted for independence in September. Their referendum on statehood was declared unconstitutional by the central government in Baghdad, which halted key financial transactions with the region and barred international flights to its airports. Iran and Turkey also spoke out against statehood, vewing it as a precedent that could encourage Kurdish separatists in their own countries.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces took over Kirkuk in 2014 after ISIS knocked out the Iraqi army. Instead of statehood, however, they have received conflict. Since 2003, they have been trying to forge an autonomous region in northern Iraq. Now a civil war could erupt.

Detractors contend that Kurds want to use the referendum result to force Baghdad to resolve arguments over territory and revenue from oil sales.

Mindanao

Communist and Muslim armed separatist movements have fought in the resource-rich island of Mindanao in the Philippines since the 1970s. Muslims, 20 percent of the islands population, have complained of inferior treatment by the central government in Manila, which, since the 1930s, has encouraged Christian migration into Muslim regions.

Trying to create a caliphate, radical Islamist movements subjugated the Muslim city of Marawi last May. Six Philippine presidents have failed to broker peace. President Rodrigo Duterte has now imposed martial law.

The issue of separatism is complicated because it is directly related to the existence of states, change of borders and creation of new nations. International law complicates the task of preserving the territorial integrity of the state because of the contradiction between the principles of the inviolability of borders and respect for territorial integrity on the one hand, and the right of all peoples to self-determination on the other.

David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, served in Canadas House of Commons for almost 27 years. In Jean Chretiens Cabinet, he was secretary of state (Africa and Latin America) and secretary of state (Asia-Pacific). He is the author of several books and co-author with David Matas of Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
University students studying in a corridor at the Hebei University of Engineering in Handan City, in northern China, on December 20, 2017. (AFP/Getty Images)

In China, Education Director Pays for Taking Kickbacks for Textbooks

In the West, school textbooks are carefully selected according to educational guidelines. In China, on the contrary, some education officials have decided to collude with book publishers for their own personal profit.

On Dec. 18, Wu Guoyou, an official in the education department in southern Chinas Guangxi Province in charge of reviewing and selecting education materials for local elementary and middle schools, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for accepting a bribe of 1.64 million yuan (about US$248,246) from Mr. Wang, the head of a local publisher. In return, Wu selected books by the publisher that were on the central authorities approved list for elementary school and middle schools in Guangxi.

Wu also had to pay a fine of 300,000 yuan (US$45,414) levied by the Intermediate Peoples Court in Fangchenggang City, according to Chinese news portal Sina.

In May this year, Wu and two other officials in the same education department were publicly implicated in widespread corruption after they had been stripped of their Chinese Communist Party (CCP) membership, pending a formal investigation by the Partys anti-corruption agency.

In August 2016, Wu had turned himself in to the local branch of the Partys anti-corruption agency. He surrendered a total of 1.68 million yuan (about $254,318), which included other bribes he had received previously.

Wus sentencing came on the heels of another local education officials trial. Yu Yizhong, the former head of both the education and culture departments in Guangxi, pleaded guilty to accepting 1.92 million yuan (US$290,668) in bribes from multiple local publishers, reported Chinese news site ChinaNews, which is run by the Chinese regimes mouthpiece China News Service (CNS), on Nov. 22.

It is not known if Yu has yet to be sentenced by the Intermediate Peoples Court in Yulin City.

On Sept. 21, Zheng Zuoguang, the former deputy head of the education department, was on trial at the Peoples Intermediate Court in Chongzuo City for accepting bribes totaling 420,000 (about US$63,583) from local publishers between April 2000 to August 2006, according to ChinaNews. Zheng pleaded guilty, with a sentencing announcement pending.

Chinas anti-corruption campaign began when Chinese leader Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 and has since punished and sentenced many Party officials. The deputy party secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Partys national anti-corruption agency, Yang Xiaodu, announced that over 1.537 million people have been punished in the last five years, with about 58,000 sent to the judicial system for punishment, according to Sina in an Oct. 19 report.

The corruption in the educational system has not been limited to officials working in education-related government positions. According to a Jan. 14 article by the state-run publication Beijing News, 27 leading Party officials working in universities and colleges were punished by the CCDI in 2016. Among them, 10 were former school party secretaries, with 10 others once serving as either school principal or departmental head. 18 of them have been punished with the secretive an abusive interrogation known as shuanggui and stripped of Party membership and job position.
A man tricked staff members at a childrens hospital in the Australian city of Brisbane by pretending to be a qualified doctor. (publicdomainpictures.net)

Man Caught Pretending to Be a Doctor in Childrens Hospital

A 25-year-old man is facing the possibility of a jail sentence after impersonating a doctor at a childrens hospital in Australia over a period of six months.

Nicholas Delaney pleaded guilty at the Brisbane Arrest Court to one charge of attempted fraud and two charges of entering a premises with intent on Thursday morning.

Delaney was unrepresented during court proceedings and he has yet to learn of his punishment which will be announced next year, reported the Brisbane Times.

Before then, Magistrate Stuart Shearer advised him to seek legal representation.

You shouldnt underestimate the seriousness of your offences, Shearer said.

Delaney posed as a medical doctor at Lady Cilento Childrens Hospital and nearby Ronald McDonald Childrens House from May until he was arrested on Dec. 7.

Delaney was in fact a wardsman and not employed at the medical facility either, reported AAP.

Its hardly a trivial offence to be impersonating a doctor in a childrens hospital over an extended period of time, Shearer said, adding that potential punishments included time in jail.

A Brisbane man has faced court, accused of pretending to be a doctor at a children's hospital for several months. @AislinKriukelis #9News pic.twitter.com/ddulHiSiKl  Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) December 22, 2017

The police prosecutor said Delaney had accessed staff-only areas, and that according to preliminary hospital investigations, it is not believed Delaney had any interaction with the patients, reported Nine News.

A review of security systems will be conducted at Lady Cilento Childrens Hospital, Childrens Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Fionnagh Dougan said in a statement.

Delaney was arrested after suspicions were raised about the validity of his claims of being a doctor through his misuse of medical terms.

Police found a hospital lanyard that Delaney allegedly stolen from the nearby Ronald McDonald Childrens House sometime after May, reported Nine News.

From NTD.tv
A man famous for a setting up spectacular holiday decorations on and around his house in Ontario, Canada, every year died on Dec. 18, while tending to the display. (Musson's Famous Christmas Display)

Man Famous For Elaborate Christmas Display Dies Tending to His Lights

A man famed for putting up Canadas response to the Griswold house, named after the brightly lit home in the film National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, died on Monday, Dec. 18, doing what he lovedtending to the spectacular Christmas light display illuminating his house.

Douglas Musson, 82, of Burlington, Ontario, fell from a ladder trying to repair a leak so it wouldnt drip on people coming to view the lights.

He was up on a ladder trying to find out why water was dripping on the pathway which might drip on visitors to the display, when the ladder fell, Joanne Musson, the mans wife, said in a statement on a website dedicated to the renowned display.

He died in hospital, the statement said.

News of Mussons death sparked a torrent of well-wishes on social media.

The City of Burlington, Ontario, tweeted condolences for Mussons untimely passing.

#BurlON has lost a true champion of our city with the passing of Doug Musson on Dec. 18. The Musson family has wowed people with magical lights and displays at their Spruce Avenue home each holiday season. Our condolences and thanks to the Musson family. pic.twitter.com/bqb8qcf57R  City of Burlington (@cityburlington) December 20, 2017

Scott Musson, Doug Mussons son, told the National Post his family was touched by the outpouring of community support.

We cannot believe it, he said. It is taking the sting off of things.

An online campaign to raise funds for his family and to keep the light display going has been set up on GoFundMe.

A horrible tragedy has happened and has impacted many people in Burlington, a statement on the GoFundMe page says.

The family is now financially devastated since Mr. Musson was the familys only income coming from a small business, the statement reads.

Musson co-founded Quinte Plastics, a small company making biodegradable litter bags for transit vehicles.

The family moved to 3360 Spruce Ave. in Burlington, Ontario, in 1976, an address that became famous over the years for its dazzling Christmas light decorations.

It started with a few strings outlining the house. Next, a few wired form reindeers were added, Scott wrote in an online post. When we noticed that people would stop and look at the lights we realized that we werent the only ones who enjoyed Christmas lights. That gave us the spark to get things really going.

The displays have grown in scope and intensity over the years.

Every year we added more figures. In 1997 I decided to animate some of the figures with a light controller used by DJs. We got a dragon to wag its tail, soldiers salute, wheels to spin and fire to leave the dragons mouth and even a melting snowman, Scott wrote.

Very sad news coming out of Burlington today. A tragic accident at the famous Spruce Avenue Christmas display has taken the life of the founder Doug Musson. https://t.co/3uneeBf11P #BurlON pic.twitter.com/UFcOdEZivl  Andrew Collins (@ACollinsPhoto) December 19, 2017

After Mussons death, his son wrote that this could be the final year they put up the lights.

Our family is devastated. I debated even turning off the lights but decided he would want them on and he worked hard on making all of the displays, he said. Dad was the breadwinner of the family with a small business providing the only income to this family and we will be financially devastated. Any contributions would be appreciated.

A Facebook page has also been set up for community members to pay their respects to the man who brought holiday dazzle to the neighborhood.

Why do we go to all the work of putting up these lights? Well, if no one came to see them we would stop doing them, Scott wrote in his post. We do it as a celebration of Christmas. We do it to give something back to our community. We do it to bring smiles on peoples faces.

This year, Mussons Famous Christmas Display was lit up on November 29th.

The lights come off New Years Day.
The approximate location of an alleged attempted rape in Santa Ana, Calif., on Dec. 18, 2017. (Screenshot via Google Maps)

Man Stops Rape Attempt after Hearing Muffled Screams from Truck

A California man thwarted a rape attempt earlier this week when he spotted a woman being strangled in a truck, according to reports.

Taylor ONeill was driving to work in Santa Ana, California, when a white truck blocked his way, police said on Wednesday.

ONeill honked a few times, but the truck didnt move. After he got out of his car and started walking towards the truck, he heard muffled screams from inside.

The screams were coming from a 28-year-old woman who has not been named.

According to Santa Ana Police Department, she was walking down the street on Monday, Dec. 18, when a manlater identified as 27-year-old Jorge Cruz De Armasapproached her in the truck and offered her a ride to Wells Fargo. She accepted.

But only moments after she got in the truck, De Armas told her he wanted to have sex. She refused.

De Armas drove her to an alley on the East Palm Street, where he started to strangle her and put duct tape on her mouth.

That was when ONeill had approached the truck and saw what was happening.

I saw her with her face duct-taped and him on top of her choking her, ONeill told Fox 5. Thats when I tried to open the door and banged on the window to get her out of there, get her safe, and deal with him later.

The woman managed to unlock the door, got out of the truck, and ran away.

De Armas also decided to flee the scene, but before he could disappear into the distance or turn a corner, ONeill managed to snap a picture of his truck.

Santa Ana Police detectives arrested De Armas at his workplace after evidence at the crime scene led police to his identity, the department stated.

Santa Ana Police Detectives believe there may be additional victims and ask anyone with information contact Detective E. Majors at 714-245-8378, emajors@santa-ana.org or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
Mans Stunt Backfires as He Slides Down an Escalator

After downing ten pints of beer, one man decided it was a good idea to travel down the escalators by sliding down the chute in the middle.

His plan, however, backfired spectacularly.

Freddie Andrews, 22, from Tonbridge, Kent was filmed bouncing off an emergency stop button before he bounded down into the stairs at the bottom in front of a surprised commuter.

The wincing footage shows Andrews, who had just come from the pub, leaping onto the metal chute between the two escalators while his friends laughed hysterically in the background.

I was that drunkId had about 10 pintsthe escalator was free and I thought, why not? Andrews told the Evening Standard.

It was faster than I thought it would have been. But as I was sliding I couldnt stop myself and had no choice.

I did regret it, he added.

His friend James Gower filmed the stunt and posted it on Twitter.

Top night last night, but this has to be the highlight, he wrote.

Top night last night, but this has to be the highlight ??? pic.twitter.com/yMqDvOoVML  James Gower (@__gower) December 21, 2017

His failed prank went viral and has been viewed nearly 13 million times as of Dec. 22.

Andrews told the Standard that he didnt feel a thing until he woke up the following day, and found he couldnt move.

My family think I was an idiot. But now its happened they think its really funny, he said. I wouldnt recommend it to anyone else though.

The tweet has gathered about 7,000 comments in 21 hours.

One person, called ellie on Twitter, commented: literally cant stop watching cant breathe.

David Lammy MP reacted to the video writing: MIND THE GAP.

Actor John Barrowman tweeted: What an idiot but too funny.

OMG Im pissing myself. What an idiot but too funny. JB https://t.co/ob8sTfHTyH  John Barrowman MBE (@JohnBarrowman) December 21, 2017

In an interview with the Sun, Andrews said: It wasnt planned, it was a one off because there was no one else on the escalator, so I thought I would chance it.

The gentleman asked me if I was OK and I said yes and went on my way, he said.

Transport for London has since warned against any copycat pranksters.

Safety is our top priority and pranks like this are dangerous for not only those involved but also to other customers, a TfL spokesman told The Telegraph.

He also described Andrews as an idiot.

The spokesman added, We have frequent PA announcements reminding customers to be careful when using escalators, and we also run safety campaigns throughout the year to encourage customers to take care whilst traveling on our network.
The town of Millston and Meteor Timber signed an agreement Tuesday for safety updates to the Hwy. O intersections at Interstate 94 and Hwy. 12 in exchange for Millston repealing its noise, vehicle idling and emissions ordinances passed in August.

Meteor Timber, one of the largest private landowners in Wisconsin, has proposed building a processing and loading facility along Interstate 94 near the town of Millston in Monroe County to dry and ship frac sand the company will mine from a portion of a nearby site in Jackson County.

Meteor Timber will truck the sand south on Fish Creek Road and then west on Hwy. 0. Trucks would then turn left on Hwy. 12 to get to their processing and loading facility. Meteor Timber has already signed a road use maintenance agreement with the Jackson County Highway Department that would make Hwy. O an all-seasons road and allow them to truck sand the entire year without weight restrictions.

To stop Meteor Timber from using the Hwy. O route, the town of Millston approached the Jackson County Highway Department while it was negotiating its road use maintenance agreement. In May, town of Millston chairman Dan Smrekar expressed concerns about the number of homes and commercial businesses on the highway, along with a narrow underpass at Interstate 94 and ATV traffic that peaks at 280 vehicles per day.

When the Highway Committee moved forward with the agreement, Millston passed ordinances regulating emissions from certain diesel vehicles, prohibiting idling of regulated vehicles for more than three minutes and established noise standards within a portion of the town, making operating diesel vehicles more restrictive through the town.

The agreement signed this week between the town of Millston and Meteor Timber improves upon the original road use maintenance agreement in exchange for Millston repealing the ordinances, said Chris Mathis, project manager with Meteor Timber.

The town had expressed safety concerns around ATV traffic and then also cars being jammed up when trains were coming through the town of Millston, Mathis said. Safety is important to us as it relates to this project, so we sat down to see if we could put our mutual interests together and come up with an agreement that made sense to both parties.

Smrekar declined to comment because the agreement was still being finalized. It has been signed by both parties, according to Mathis.

Agreement takes shape

A major stipulation in the agreement extends the ATV lane beyond I-94 to where it turns off Hwy. O north of I-94.

The town from the beginning had expressed concern about ATV traffic, and so this is an extension of that ATV lane to try and make it as safe as we can make it, Mathis said.

The agreement also stipulates that Meteor Timber would pay to widen the bridge over Robinson Creek to accommodate the ATVs and alter the intersection where ATV riders turn from Hwy. O onto the trail. That turn has a blind spot for ATV drivers.

Meteor Timber also agreed to pay for a stop light on Hwy. O that would stop traffic traveling southwest before reaching the I-94 ramp when a train is coming through the town.

It was important for the town that when trains were coming through Millston that trucks wouldnt back up in town, Mathis said.

The proposed light would be a yellow flashing light while a train is not going through town. It would then turn red when a train passes through to stop traffic.

I dont know who thought about that, but to me it makes really great sense. Now you have everything on Hwy. O  you dont have everything backed up by the post office, said now-retired Jackson County Highway Commissioner Randy Anderson.

Anderson was concerned about the regulatory hurdles. He said it could require conversations with the railroad to put in a signal to trip the red light.

Meteor Timber also agreed to reduce its truck traffic if Hwy. 12 became the alternate route during a shutdown of I-94 and pay $50,000 to Millston to help with the upkeep of the town roads.

Ordinances reach an end

With the agreement, Millston agreed to repeal the ordinances it passed in August, which many viewed as a way for the town to restrict Meteor Timber trucks from traveling on Hwy. O.

The village of Millston has been very busy trying to draw up ordinances and everything else to try and stave off what is going to happen once Meteor Timber starts their sand mining and the trucks run through the town, Anderson said, adding that the ordinances are getting attention from local legislators and the governor.

I think they (legislators) are getting quite annoyed at the town because they are trying to produce all of these ordinances that make it impossible for Meteor Timber to do business, Anderson said.

Not only did ordinances restrict Meteor Timbers vehicles, they also restrict vehicles operated by the general public.

If you were enforcing them now, youd have to arrest everybody in Millston for operating their car, Jackson County Board of Supervisors chairman Ray Ransom said. They wanted only one thing enforced and that was Meteor Timbers things. The sound decibel levels that they were usingyou could go out any time of day with the Interstate there and they would be exceeded.

In addition, the Jackson County Sheriffs Office, which is tasked with enforcing laws in Millston, would need to get additional equipment to test emissions and noise levels and spend more hours in the town.

The sheriffs office is not suited to enforce such rules and regulations, and it would actually increase the need for personnel in that area, Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera said. What they are asking us to do is well outside of our skills, not that we couldnt purchase and do all of this stuff, but it just seems that this might be better suited for the township because they are the ones that have an expectation on this issue.

This is why the Jackson County Sheriffs Office decided it could not enforce the ordinances itself and instead left it up to the town to enforce the ordinances.

There is some kind of clause in the building of these ordinances that allows somebody to enforce it so it doesnt always have to be a cop, Waldera said.

He said everyone would be subject to the ordinances enforcement, not just Meteor Timber.

We would have to be fair to the situation and enforce it fairly across the board, so we would not be discriminating against anybody. We would definitely be enforcing it as the letter of the law, and that is just the way it has to be. I dont think you can isolate or become more strict on one versus the other. I dont think it is fair to the community, even though in this situation it might look that way, Waldera said. It needs to be fair otherwise the laws dont make any sense to have.

Meteor Timber is finalizing the permits for the mine. The upgrades to Hwy. O would be completed at the same time the plant is built. Once this agreement between Millston and Meteor Timber is complete, the changes would also need to be approved by the Jackson County Highway Committee.
Australian police stand near a crashed vehicle after they arrested the driver of a vehicle that had ploughed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection near the Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne, Australia Dec. 21, 2017. (Reuters/Luis Ascui)

Melbourne Car Attack An Isolated Incident, Says Australian PM

A police official has said the driver who mowed down 19 people in Melbourne CBD on Thursday blamed the mistreatment of Muslims for some of his activities, adding that investigators are continuing to look into his motivations.

Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton told media on Friday that investigators have not yet been able to properly interview the driver Saeed Noori, a 32-year-old man of Afghan descent, who was arrested over the attack, reported Fairfax Media.

It is believed Noori was driving unlicenced after being convicted of driving offences six months ago, reported The Age.

Patton said police have had preliminary discussions with Noori, in which he made utterances of dreams and voices attributing some of this [sic] activities to the mistreatment of Muslims.

But Patton said these utterances had not changed the nature of the investigation, Weve never ruled anything in or out. We havent identified any extremist links to this man. We havent identified him linked to any groups, anyone inciting him to any extremist actions or any extremist activities prior to those utterances last night.

Patton went on to say that Noori had both mental health issues and a history of drug use. He had missed a mental health appointment on Thursday, Patton said.

The acting chief commissioner said 12 people were still in hospital, with one male victim in his 80s remaining in critical condition. The 4-year-old boy who was injured during the attack is not in critical condition.

The attack took place on Melbournes Flinders Street, a major road that runs alongside the Yarra River in the central business district of Australias second-largest city.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Noori came to Australia as a refugee from Afghanistan through the normal refugee programs, not via a people-smuggling operation, reported Fairfax.

Turnbull said Noori had no known links to any political issues or extremist groups.

I want to reassure all Australians that this is an isolated incident, Turnbull said.

.@TurnbullMalcolm: the Flinders attack, while horrifying, 'shows the courage and resilience of the people of Melbourne.'#FlindersStreet MORE: https://t.co/yetiK5SXGA pic.twitter.com/PYpAvteTCt  Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) December 22, 2017

In January, six people were killed and more than 20 injured when a man deliberately drove into pedestrians just a few hundred meters away from Thursdays attack. James Gargasoulas, the man accused of that act, last week pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges, and his lawyer says he has mental health issues.

Melbourne has installed about 140 concrete bollards in the city center to stop vehicle attacks by terrorists similar to those attacks seen recently in Europe and the United States.

Australias national terror threat level has been set at probable since 2014.

A 20-year-old Australian man of Somalian parents was arrested last month for allegedly planning to kill as many people as possible with an assault rifle in Melbourne on New Years Eve.

Last year, police foiled a Christmas Day terrorist plot in the city which involved four Islamic terrorists planning to use pipe bombs.

Australian police have charged 74 people in counter-terrorism investigations since 2014, the BBC reports.

These senseless attacks on innocent people have to stop. #Melbourne #MelbourneAttack Thoughts are with those hurt and their families. pic.twitter.com/hNA1nQCWpz  Lencsike David (@LencsikeD) December 21, 2017

With reporting by Reuters.

From NTD.tv
Two Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighter jets fly to the Avalon Airshow in Victoria, Australia, March 3, 2017. (Australian Defence Force/Handout via Reuters)

North Korea Grows Increasingly Worried About US Military

North Korea is growing increasingly worried about the increase of U.S. military assets on the Korean Peninsula.

In an article published in its state media on Dec. 21 the regime said that the U.S. is demonstrating its power by deploying strategic assets in and around South Korea.

The regime in Pyongyang has for months threatened to attack the United States with a nuclear weapon.

However, the latest article published underscores how dictator Kim Jong Un sees an increase in military threats to his regime.

An F-35 fighter jet taxies out for a training mission at Hill Air Force Base on March 15, 2017 in Ogden, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

Since coming to office in January, Trump has worked on a number of military contingencies to deal with the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said that the president has been provided with a wide range of military options in response to North Korea.

During a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Oct. 30, Mattis said that the U.S. is completely prepared to counter a nuclear missile attack by North Korea.

We rehearse this routinely, Mattis said.

The U.S. has deployed a number of military assets into the region, including the deployment of advanced THAAD missile defense systems to Japan and South Korea, as well as the F-35 jet fighters to Japan.

The THAAD missile defense system, seen in this file photo, passed another test on July 30, 2017, shooting down an ICBM over the Pacific. (Lockheed Martin)

But despite the potential for military conflict, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Trump has instructed him to pursue a diplomatic solution to the problem.

So far, however, the North Korean regime has not been willing to engage in talks over its nuclear weapons program.

The Kim regime sees the nuclear weapons as a key tool to its survival.

This photo taken on Nov. 29, 2017 and released on Nov. 30, 2017 by North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the launching of the Hwasong-15 missile, which is capable of reaching all parts of the United States. (AFP PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS)

Following a successful ICBM test launch in November, North Korea is now able to reach any place in the world with its missiles, Mattis said last month.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote later today on a new resolution that would further limit the amount of oil that can be sold to North Korea.

China and Russia, two of North Koreas closest allies, have indicated they will vote in favor of the resolution.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 11, 2016. (Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images)

China has for years provided North Korea with the financial and technological help that have made its nuclear weapons program possible. While most of this occurred under former Chinese leaders, current Chinese leader Xi Jinping has indicated he is willing to do more about the North Korean crisis. However, it is yet to be seen if he is willing to take the actions that would lead to a denuclearized North Korea.

China for years has looked at North Korea as a strategic asset in the region that could help deter the U.S.
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the launching of the Hwasong-15 missile on Nov. 29, 2017. (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

North Korea Says ICBM Can Carry Extra Heavy Warhead, Reach Any Place in US

After launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 2800 miles into space, North Korea says the missile puts the entire U.S. mainland within its reach.

The regime in Pyongyang also said that the missile, the Hwasong-15, is designed to carry a larger than normal warhead.

The ICBM Hwasong-15 type weaponry system is an intercontinental ballistic rocket tipped with super-large heavy warhead which is capable of striking the whole mainland of the U.S, North Koreas Central News Agency, a mouth piece of the communist party, said on Nov. 29. According to North Korean state media the ICBM flew for 53 minutes.

This latest development in North Koreas nuclear weapons program is concerning as it showcases an ability the regime previously didnt have.

North Korean soldiers on the border with South Korea on Nov. 27, 2017. (Korea Pool/Getty Images)

While North Korea has threatened the U.S. mainland for months with nuclear weapons, intelligence and military experts said the regime lacked the ability to effectively deliver a nuclear warheadthis has now changed.

Following the ICBM missile test on Nov. 27, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said that the missiles North Korea is developing could threaten everywhere in the world.

North Korea has admitted that it is using its nuclear weapons program as a way to pressure the United States and to protect its regime. Speaking at the White House following a 12-day Trip to Asia, Trump said on Nov. 15 that we will not allow this twisted dictatorship to hold the world hostage to nuclear blackmail.

Since coming to office in January, President Donald Trump has taken a different approach from previous administrations to the North Korean issue.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrive for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Oct. 30, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump has vowed he will not accept North Korea putting American lives and interests at risk. He has said that the only solution to the crisis is a complete denuclearization of North Korea.

To put pressure on North Korea, Trump has threatened to use military force if the United States or its allies are threatened. He has vowed to build up the U.S. military and has made agreements with U.S. allies in the region to sell them high-quality American military equipment.

In addition, Trump has put pressure on China and Russia to help deal with the North Korean situation.

People watch a television broadcast on North Koreas latest missile launch, at a Seoul Railway Station on Nov. 29, 2017. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Trump met for hours in person with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to China earlier this month.

On Thursday, Trump said that an envoy China sent to North Korea shortly after the meeting hadnt yielded any results.

The Chinese Envoy, who just returned from North Korea, seems to have had no impact on Little Rocket Man, Trump wrote in a tweet.

Hard to believe his people, and the military, put up with living in such horrible conditions. Russia and China condemned the launch, he added.

The Chinese Envoy, who just returned from North Korea, seems to have had no impact on Little Rocket Man. Hard to believe his people, and the military, put up with living in such horrible conditions. Russia and China condemned the launch.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2017
North Korean Soldier Defects across DMZ Unharmed

A North Korean soldier has managed to defect to South Korea through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) unharmed, just one month after another soldier was seriously wounded for doing so.

The Yonhap News Agency reported that the low-ranking soldier emerged out of the fog in front of a guard post at the DMZ just after 8 am local time on Thursday.

After the defection, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korean border guards came up to the military demarcation line apparently searching for the defector.

In response, South Korean soldiers fired about 20 warning shots. This occurred at around 9:30 a.m., said a JCS spokesman.

The spokesman said that about 40 minutes later, some gunshots were heard coming from the North Korean territory, but no bullets were believed to have come across into South Korea, he said.

The news comes after the dramatic defection of a North Korean soldier, 24-year-old Oh Chong Song, who was shot multiple times as he dashed across the border last month. After multiple surgical operations, Oh is said to be in a stable condition.

A day before the most recent defection, South Korean officials said that two North Koreans in a small wooden boat had also defected, reported Yonhap.

The Navy found it in waters about 100 kilometers north of Dokdo during a patrol mission, a ministry official said at a press briefing. A joint probe into the details of their identities is underway.

The JCS says that 15 North Koreans, including four soldiers, have fled directly to the South this year, versus one soldier and four civilians in 2016, reported Yonhap.

Some 30,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea mostly through China since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Falun Gong practitioners hold a candlelight vigil for those who have died during the persecution in China, in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2016. This years marks the 17th year of the persecution inside China. (Benjamin Chasteen/Epoch Times)

Opinion: Trump Sends Powerful Message to Wrongdoers Around the World

Executive order signals to China's communist regime that America will hold persecutors accountable

President Donald Trump on Dec. 21 put the world on notice that America will no longer accept severe human rights abuses and corruption taking place around the world.

Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency to deal with those who commit such crimes.

In explaining his actions, Trump makes reference to the importance of values, and to the damage that perpetrators have done to societies around the world. The prevalence and severity of human rights abuse and corruption  have reached such scope and gravity that they threaten the stability of international political and economic systems, he said.

The new executive order relies in part on the authority given by the Global Magnitsky Act, which enables the executive branch to impose visa bans and sanctions on individuals responsible for human rights violations or significant corruption. Trump has ordered that perpetrators be banned from entering the United States and that their assets be frozen.

Trump has ordered that perpetrators be banned from entering the United States and that their assets be frozen.

It is a message to those who commit human rights abuses and engage in corruption that the United States, under Trump, will no longer stand for it.

Not only does the executive order target those who commit the crimes, it also targets those who enable them, whether they are foreigners or U.S. citizens.

For too long, the world has seen those responsible for severe human rights abuses act with impunity.

With the executive order, Trump is showing the world that America first does not mean that America does not care what happens around the world. With Trump in office, America has returned to a position of being a moral leader in the world.

President Donald Trump departs the White House en route to Florida on Dec. 22, 2017. Trump has signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency over severe human rights abuses and corruption around the world. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

One of the biggest, and in many ways overlooked, human rights abuses taking place today is the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

The peaceful meditation practice became hugely popular in China in the 1990s, to the point where an estimated 100 million Chinese were practicing it.

Chinas communist regime and its leader, Jiang Zemin, couldnt stand the popularity of the practice, which operated outside of the ideological control of the Communist Party.

Since July 1999, more than 4,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been documented as killed as a result of the vicious persecution campaign launched by Jiang. The actual number is believed to be much higher.

In launching the persecution against the practitioners of Falun Gong, Jiang gave the orders to ruin their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically. He used Chinas vast resources, including its state media, its military, its police force, its education system, and even its health care system, to launch an unprecedented persecution campaign against the group of peaceful meditators.

Yin Liping testifies before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, April 14, 2017, on Chinas Pervasive Use of Torture. Ms. Yin is a Falun Gong practitioner who survived torture, forced labor, and sexual violence in Masanjia and other forced labor camps in China. (Lisa Fan/Epoch Times)

According to the U.S. State Department in the 2016 International Religious Freedom report, the Chinese regime maintains to this day an extralegal, [communist] party-run security apparatus to eliminate the Falun Gong movement.

Falun Gong sources estimate that millions of practitioners have been unlawfully detained in Chinas forced labor camps, prisons, black jails, detention centers, and so on, since 1999.

But Chinas atrocities have expanded well beyond the torture and killing of its prisoners of conscience.

A simulation of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China is enacted during a rally in Ottawa, Canada, on Sept. 26, 2006. (Epoch Times)

Since 2006, there have been numerous credible allegations that the Chinese regime established a state-sponsored system of forced organ harvesting for transplantations, with the main source of the organs being Falun Gong practitioners.

The allegations were first reported by The Epoch Times in March 2006. In response to an invitation from the Committee to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in May 2006, David Kilgour, a former Canadian secretary of state for the Asia-Pacific, and David Matas, an international human rights lawyer, researched and detailed the claims of forced organ harvesting.

In their initial investigative report published in July 2006, the researchers uncovered the widespread availability of organs of Falun Gong practitioners for sale in Chinese hospitals. Kilgour and Matas concluded in their research that these Falun Gong practitioners were killed for their organs while being held in detention.

The organs were sold to wealthy Chinese and foreigners who could request a transplant within a time period as short as days. While the Chinese regime has always denied the allegations, it has not been able to account for the massive increase in organ transplants taking place in China since the persecution of Falun Gong began.

Former Canadian MP David Kilgour (L) and international human rights lawyer David Matas testified on their seven-year investigation into illegal organ harvesting in China at the human rights subcommittee of the Canadian Parliament on Feb. 5, 2013. (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

The allegations have also raised concerns in the highest levels of government in the United States. In June 2016, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution expressing concern regarding persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the Peoples Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups.

Alongside Trumps executive order, 13 individuals have already been targeted by the Treasury Department. Among those is Gao Yan, the director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau Chaoyang Branch, over the death of a human rights activist in detention in March 2014. As director of the Chaoyang branch, Gao was responsible for enforcing the persecution of Falun Gong. Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Chen Youbang has sued the branch for the unlawful detention and torture he suffered in 2012 for his practice of Falun Gong.

The executive orders list also targets Mukhtar Hamid Shah, a Pakistani surgeon specializing in kidney transplants. Pakistani police believe Shah was involved in the kidnapping and removing the organs of victims for trafficking.

These two examples show that those who have engaged in or enabled the torture and killing of innocent citizens, or the involuntary removal of organs from people such as Falun Gong practitioners, could soon be targeted under Trumps state of emergency.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Uyghur children play while a local police officer looks on, in Kashgar, Xinjiang on June 29, 2017. Xinjiang is located in China's far northwest. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

World Uyghur Congress President Sounds Alarm Over Organ Harvesting in China

DNA collection, detention camps, and disappearances point to forced organ harvesting in Xinjiang

The increasing suppression and surveillance faced by the Uyghur minority in China may include a deadly element: systematic, forced organ harvesting.

Speaking before the UK Parliament on Dec. 13, Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, raised concerns that the Chinese regime may be targeting Uyghurs for organ harvesting and trafficking.

We are also deeply disturbed by reports of the Chinese authorities collecting blood samples from the Uyghur population in East Turkestan, said Isa at a roundtable discussion on organ harvesting in China, according to the World Uyghur Congress website. East Turkestan is the name for the Uyghur homeland, located in Xinjiang Province in Chinas far northwest, used by those who support self-determination.

Blood Samples

On Dec. 13, Human Rights Watch reported that Chinese authorities in Xinjiang had begun collecting DNA samples, fingerprints, iris scans, and blood samples from local residents between the ages of 12 and 65, under the guise of a public health program.

On the one hand, collecting blood samples allows the Chinese government to establish a genetic database of the Uyghur people to further monitor, control, and repress them, Isa said.

This genetic information also facilitates organ harvesting, making it easier to compare blood types and compatibility of potential Uyghur victims.

Isas warning comes two months after the Chinese regimes mouthpiece China News Service revealed that China Southern Airlines had opened an express lane in May 2016 for transporting human organs to and from Xinjiang for use in transplant surgery.

Uyghurs have long endured repression at the hands of the Chinese regime, aimed at stamping out their religion, culture, and language. The increased activity associated with organ harvesting occurs during a heightened crackdown involving increased surveillance and suppression, motivated by fears of a growing Uyghur separatist movement.

Living Organ Bank

The news from Xinjiang, according to Wang Zhiyuan, spokesperson for the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), is another sign that the dark secrets of organ transplants have yet to be fully exposed.

WOIPFG, through its own investigation, has found that prisoners of conscience are the source for Chinas state-run organ bankprisoners who have their organs harvested against their will, killing them in the process, for people in need of transplants. Most victims of forced organ harvesting have been adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline, which is heavily persecuted by the Chinese regime, but the victims have also included Tibetans and Uyghurs.

While being held in prison or detention, Falun Gong prisoners are often subjected to systematic blood checks, for the purpose of checking their compatibility for organ transplant surgery, according to Bloody Harvest, a comprehensive investigative report by human rights lawyer David Matas and former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) David Kilgour.

This genetic information also facilitates organ harvesting, making it easier to compare blood types and compatibility of potential Uyghur victims.  Dolkun Isa, president, World Uyghur Congress

Chinas transplant industry has skyrocketed since former Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin launched a nationwide persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999, as millions of practitioners have been arrested and sentenced to prison, according to the official press office for Falun Gong, the Falun Dafa Information Center.

In June 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.Res.343, a resolution condemning organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Students Disappear

In recent months, news outlets have reported cases of Uyghurs disappearing without a trace. Most recently, this was the case with 23 Uyghur students, who were returned to China from Egypt and have since disappeared, said Isa. We have strong reason to believe that many of those who have disappeared have died in Chinese custody and have had their organs harvested and sold.

According to a Dec. 17 report by The Associated Press (AP), Egypt had long been a sanctuary for Uyghurs to study Islam, before the country recently began deporting Uyghurs back to China. AP reported that a young man from Korla City in Xinjiang went missing after being taken away by Chinese authorities in February. He had studied at the Al Azhar University in Cairo but returned to China in 2016. A teacher and three students in Cairo said they heard from sources in China that he might have died in detention.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on Dec. 14 that nearly 10 percent of residents at the Bullaqsu township in Xinjiang have been detained by Chinese authorities this year.

Groups of people have been arrested and sent to detention centers every week, wrote a former resident of Bullaqsu in a letter to RFA, who now lives in exile.

According to AP, thousands of people have, since the beginning of the year, been rounded up by Chinese authorities and placed in detention camps in Xinjiang for alleged crimes such as having extremist thoughts or traveling abroad.

The camps are set up for the purpose of indoctrinating Uyghurs with Mandarin, law, ethnic unity, de-radicalization, and patriotism, according to a memo from the Xinjiang human resources office. The concerns raised by Isa suggest these camps may also have a more sinister purpose.
President Trump Declares National Emergency Over Global Rights Abuses and Corruption

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Dec. 21 in response to severe human rights abuses and corruption around the world.

In his executive order, the president said that rights abuses and corruption have reached such scope and gravity that they threaten the stability of international political and economic systems.

I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat, Trump said.

The executive order allows for the freezing of assets, within U.S. jurisdiction, of foreigners who commit severe human rights abuses, or for corruption, for the most part, outside of the United States.

The executive order also targets foreigners and U.S. nationals who have assisted, sponsored, or provided financial or material aid to the foreign nationals who committed the crimes.

Offending individuals will be identified by the Treasury Department in consultation with the Secretary of State and Attorney General.

The executive order targets individuals, entities, and government officials.

In effect, the executive order allows for the United States to crack down on international criminal networks who engage in human rights abuses, such as child traffickers.

It also allows the United States to target individuals within regimes who have committed human rights abuses, such as in China or North Korea.

Human rights abuse and corruption undermine the values that form an essential foundation of stable, secure, and functioning societies; have devastating impacts on individuals; weaken democratic institutions; degraded the rule of law; perpetuate violent conflicts; facilitate the activities of dangerous persons; and undermine economic markets, Trump wrote in the executive order.

While it is unclear what the scope of the national emergency will be, 13 individuals have already been identified as serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors.

In addition, the Treasury Department said that it has identified 39 affiliated individuals and entities under the new order.

Among those initially targeted by the sanctions is Gao Yan, who was the director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau Chaoyang Branch. During Gaos tenure, human rights activist Cao Shunli died in detention in March 2014.

Cao fell into a coma and died from organ failure, her body showing signs of emaciation and neglect, said the Treasury Department in a statement.

China has seen widespread human rights abuses over the years. Among them is the persecution of practitioners of the spiritual discipline, Falun Gong.

In June 2016, the House passed a resolution expressing concern about the persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the Peoples Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups.

Officials involved in these abuses could now be targeted under the national emergency.

It also includes Mukhtar Hamid Shah, a Pakistani surgeon specializing in kidney transplants who Pakistani police believe to be involved in kidnapping, and the removal of and trafficking in human organs.

A full list of the individuals targeted can be found here.

Melania Trumps First Year as First Lady
A 6-year-old boy was shot and killed, as deputies opened fire on a 30-year-old female suspect following a manhunt, on Dec. 21 in Schertz, Texas. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Sheriffs Deputies Shoot, Kill 6-Year-Old at Texas Trailer Park

A 6-year-old boy was shot and killed by a stray bullet when Texas sheriffs deputies opened fire on a female suspect at a trailer park near Schertz, Texas, on Thursday, Dec. 21, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Bexar County deputies reportedly fatally shot the 30-year-old woman after a near two-hour manhunt as she tried to break into a trailer at the Pecan Grove Trailer Park, located off FM 78 on the banks of Cibolo Creek.

According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, it is not clear what triggered the four uniformed officers to discharge their handguns and at least one rifle in their confrontation with the woman.

But CBS reported that the deputies involved in the pursuit said she had pointed a firearm at them earlier.

The woman was standing on the front porch of the trailer, located in the 100 block of Peach Lane, when the shooting took place.

At least one bullet is said to have penetrated the wall of the mobile home and hit the child in the torso.

The boy, who has not been officially identified, was taken to a hospital and was later pronounced dead.

A GoFundMe page has been created, however, in the slain boys honor and to assist with funeral costs.

Two other family members were reportedly in the home at the time of the shooting and were not injured.

The sheriff told reporters the woman had no apparent connection to either the child or the family in the trailer home.

According to the authorities, the woman was a wanted felon and car-theft suspect.

Earlier in the day, a man had notified the police that a woman had stolen his car and that he knew her whereabouts.

Deputies reportedly found her hiding in a closet at a house in the 11200 block of FM 1518.

Salazar said the woman had indicated to officers that she was armed and said Im going to shoot you, before running away.

Officers then allegedly gave chase on foot.

At least several times during this foot chase, the woman continuously pointed the weapon at the deputy, Salazar said, according to Express-News.

A helicopter and tracking dogs joined the search, which led deputies down a ravine, across a creek, and into a wooded area, it is reported.

The suspect eventually ran into the trailer park and reportedly physically threatened two residents on the way.

The woman allegedly tried to break into several homes before officers caught up with her on the porch of the childs home.

Salazar said he had not interviewed the deputies involved in the shooting and would not comment on the specifics.

He added that the pilot of the helicopter involved in the chase reported that the woman had reached for her waistband repeatedly, suggesting she may have been armed.

At the time of reporting, no gun had been found on the slain woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Footage from a South Korean television documentary aired on TV Chosun, of the Tianjin First Central Hospital, where many South Koreas travel to get organ transplant surgery. (Screenshot via YouTube)

South Korean TV Documentary Confirms Organ Harvesting Still Occurring in China

New evidence has emerged of organ harvesting still occurring in China, this time from a South Korean television documentary, despite Chinese official pronouncement that such abuses have ended.

A program called Investigative Report 7, broadcast on TV Chosun, a cable network owned by one of South Koreas largest newspapers, Chosun Ilbo, went undercover to probe the phenomenon of South Korean medical tourists traveling to China for organ transplant surgery. The segment aired in South Korea on Nov. 15.

The programs crew traveled to a hospital in Tianjin City, northeastern China, under the pretense that they were inquiring about surgery for a South Korean patient with kidney disease in need of a transplant.

The reporter, with a secret camera, filmed his interactions with the hospital staff, who informed him that a matching organ can be found within weeks. If the patients family is willing to donate additional money to the hospitals charity, the waiting period can be sped up and the patient can be assigned to a matching organ sooner, a nurse told the reporter. The documentary did not specify precisely when the incidents took place, though it appears to have been earlier this year.

Where could the organs, which seem to be readily available at request, be coming from?

Based on The Epoch Times own award-winning, extensive reportage on organ harvesting in the past, one of the major sources is likely from prisoners of conscience who are held inside Chinas prisons for their faith. This includes principally practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that the Chinese regime has banned and severely persecuted since 1999. The organs are likely forcibly taken from their bodies, causing their death in the process.

Other target groups for organ harvesting include Uyghur Muslims, who have been subjected to widespread blood testing and DNA-typing, as well as individuals who are simply kidnapped off the streets in China.

The Chinese regime has consistently claimed that the organs come from executed prisoners. But the number of organ transplants performed far exceeds the number of executions, which has dropped significantly in recent years. The official explanation is far from sufficient for accounting for the level of observable transplant activity, particularly considering that the countrys voluntary organ donor system is minimal. According to traditional Chinese beliefs, disturbing a persons corpse after death is taboo.

The documentary also notes these discrepancies, citing previous reports by independent researchersand arrives at the same conclusions about the likelihood of an organ bank with prisoners being killed on order for transplant surgery.

But the program is rare, concrete evidencedirectly from Chinese hospital staff and South Korean doctorsthat organ harvesting continues unabated today, fueled in part by foreigners desperate to prolong their lives with transplant surgery.

Chinese officials promised that use of prisoners as an organ source would cease from January, 2015 onwards. These promises, and subsequent claims of reform, led to high-profile endorsement of Chinas transplant system from the World Health Organization and The Transplantation Society. The Korean investigative report appears to belie such claims.

Hospital Accounts

The documentary estimates that since 2000, roughly 2,000 South Koreans travel to China for transplant surgery every year, a number significantly higher than data from a recently published study in the Transplantation medical journal, conducted with South Korean transplant centers that followed up with their patients who got surgery in China. The documentary does not explain how it got the figure, though it appears to be an extrapolation based from anecdotal data acquired by reporters.

The crew traveled to a hospital in Tianjin known to be popular with South Korean medical tourists, but did not identify it by name. Based on the filmed images of the hospital and its description, it matches with the Tianjin First Central Hospital that The Epoch Times has previously reported about. The hospital has an entire multi-story building dedicated to organ transplantation, with, at one stage, a 500-bed capacity.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the undercover reporter was greeted by a Korean-speaking nurse who showed him around the ward. A South Korean patient who had just successfully undergone transplant surgery told the reporter she waited two months for a matching organ. The patients son told the reporter it took about two hours from time of organ removal to arriving at the hospital. He also said the hospital charged different prices for different groups.

The reporter asked how many transplant surgeries the hospital typically performs. The nurse replied that the day before, there were three kidney and four liver surgeries. If this were the average daily transplant volume at the hospital, it would be performing about 2,500 transplants per year. It is unclear what the actual average daily transplants at the hospital are, however.

After the nurse and a transplant doctor reviewed medical records from the purported South Korean patient and confirmed the patient was suitable for surgery, the reporter asked how long the patient would have to wait until the surgery. The nurse replied that it depends, but some patients only waited a week, two weeks, or 50 days. She then added that if one wished to expedite the process and be prioritized for an organ, one could donate money to the hospitals charityadditional to the surgery fee. When asked how much to donate, she replied 10,000 yuan (roughly $1,500).

In a chilling exchange, the reporter asked if the purported patient could receive a young persons organ. The nurse said the hospital only chooses organs from young people.

The nurse also showed the reporter around a ward especially for foreigners, revealing that one roomspacious and well-furnishedbelonged to a Middle Eastern patient whose surgery fee was taken care of at the consulate.

She also informed the reporter that many patients relatives stay at a nearby hotel belonging to the hospital, a 16-story building.

The program crew also visited the hotel and spoke with a South Korean couple, one of whom was a transplant patient who recently completed surgery. The couple said one floor was just for Korean patients and their relatives. The couple was on a three-month visa.

Claims of Human Experiments

The program also examined reports that the disgraced former police chief of Chongqing, Wang Lijun, oversaw morbid human experiments to research organ transplant methods that would better preserve the organs condition, first documented by the nonprofit group, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG).

The documentary crew traveled to the Chongqing hospital and research lab supervised by Wang, and found blueprints hanging on the wall for a machine that would inflict brain-stem injuries that would cause brain death, looking similar to the one patented under Wangs name found by WOIPFG. The patents for Wang Lijuns machine are available online, identifying it as a Primary brain stem injury impacting machine.

When the reporter asked about the machines purpose, the lab staff confirmed that the machine could be used on a human to render him brain dead while keeping other organs in the body healthy.

Complicit Doctors in South Korea

South Korean patients are referred to Chinese hospitals by doctors back home. The program crew visited a Seoul hospital, where the doctor admitted to recommending patients to visit the Tianjin hospital before, but that he no longer does. When asked about concerns regarding the organs source, the doctor refused to comment.

At another unnamed hospital, a doctor said he knew the organs in China are from prisoners persecuted for their faith. The ethical dilemma prompted him to later stop recommending patients to China. When asked whether he regretted his previous decisions, he said no, as the patient needed the transplant surgery in order to live.

A request for response from the Korean Society for Transplantation went unanswered as of press time.

Concerns for South Korea

Last year, an anonymous source who identified him or herself as a former worker at the Tianjin First Central Hospital wrote in The Epoch Times about his or her experience.

Many of the foreign transplant patients came to China looking for a liver or kidney. The bulk of these foreigners were South Koreans, read the account. The source also explained how patients were referred to the hospital. A well-known South Korean doctor with one of the biggest hospitals in South Korea would introduce his patients to a middleman. This middleman would then refer these patients to the Tianjin hospital.

In 2015, David Matas, one of the most prominent independent researchers who has documented evidence of organ harvesting in China, raised concerns about the lack of transparency regarding organ sourcing in China, at a medical industry conference held in Seoul, South Korea.

This past July, several international health organizations signed a letter hailing Chinas organ donation and transplantation reform, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Vaticans Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS), and The Transplantation Society (TTS), reported Global Times, a Chinese state-run newspaper.

Asked whether the PAS will change its stance toward Chinas system in light of the documentary, Dr. Francis Delmonico, a transplant expert and PAS Academician, did not directly address the evidence in the Korean documentary of continued abuses, responding instead: the stance of the PAS is to support the reform of China that is consistent with the PAS Statementand signed by Chinese colleagues at the PAS Summit.
Australian police officers with three of the men arrested for the smuggling of 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine into Australia. (Australian Federal Police)

Taskforce Conducts Largest Meth Bust in Australias History

In the early hours of Thursday morning, the marine vessel  the Valkoista  arrived at the Port of Geraldton on the coast of Western Australia.

On board, it was allegedly carrying 1.2 tons of methamphetamine which were unloaded in bag form into a waiting white hire van.

As the van backed out from the dock, waiting police pounced into action.

Tactical response police officers arrested three men in the van: a 33-year-old man from southern Sydney and two men from the state of New South Wales (NSW), aged 38 and 52.

The 59 bags each containing around 20 kilograms of methamphetamine  commonly known as ice  were seized from the vehicle.

More police arrested another three men on the vessel: a 45-year-old man from the NSW Central Coast and two men from South Australia, aged 48 and 44. Another bag of methamphetamine was found on the vessel.

Police say that the drugs have an estimated street value of A$1.04 billion (US$771 million).

ABC reported that the drugs originated from China and had been brought to Australian waters via a mothership anchored offshore.

It is the largest meth bust in Australias history, topping an unrelated 903-kilogram seizure in Melbourne in the first quarter of 2017. It is the largest ever drug seizure in Western Australia, said a statement put out by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

Pleased to announce the largest seizure of methamphetamine in Aus history  1.2 tonnes and 8 men charged in $1.04bn haul in Western Australia. Immensely proud of my team in WA and the WA Joint Organised Crime Task Force, incl. @AusBorderForce @WA_Police @AUSTRAC & @ACICgovau. pic.twitter.com/3hja6aZgAH  Andrew Colvin (@AFPCommissioner) December 22, 2017

Police also arrested two men from South Australia, both aged 37, at a hotel in Perth for their alleged involvement in this drug importation, said the statement. Search warrants were also conducted at residential properties in Sydney, the NSW Central Coast, and Adelaide.

The operation was a multi-agency investigation which traversed the country. They had been working in close partnership since July to dismantle a drug trafficking network which is believed to be based in Australia.

AFP Deputy Commissioner Operations Leanne Close said police were continuing to gather and evaluate evidence.

[The investigators] have been working around the clock in the lead-up to Christmas to disrupt this record importation, Close said.

The AFP will allege in court these men intended to distribute the drugs along the east coast of Australia, she said.

Australian Border Force regional commander for Western Australia Rod ODonnell said the countrys maritime border is vast.

Some criminals clearly think they can exploit that and evade detection  they are wrong, ODonnell said. These criminals should always assume we are nearby and we are watching.

The ABC reported that based on the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring results released last week, the volume of the seize is enough to supply the meth habits of the entire country for two months.

Police have made Australia's largest methamphetamine bust, seizing drugs worth $1 billion from a boat moored at Geraldton. At least 6 people have been arrested in the operation by West Australian and @AusFedPolice. #Drugs #7News pic.twitter.com/gA4dZjnIhV  7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) December 22, 2017

From NTD.tv
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (C) walks from the Senate chamber to his office December 1, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Senate Is Right to Repeal Obamacare in Tax Bill

Supreme Court ruled Obamacare a tax; tax reform can and should repeal it

Commentary

As expected, The Washington Post and The New York Times expressed their outrage in scathing editorials.

The New Yorker followed suit. Using a tax bill to abolish the individual mandate amounts to a backdoor way of sabotaging Obamacare, wrote John Cassidy.

And even the fashion magazine Vogue commented on this unfashionable act. Republicans and Donald Trump have counted on that (as well as your limited outrage bandwidth) in slipping an Affordable Care Act mandate repeal inside their insidious tax bill, wrote Bridget Read.

All this howling is because the GOP-controlled Senate used a tax bill to repeal a health bill. Under the new tax law, there no longer is a penalty if you dont sign up for Obamacare, one of the biggest motivators to sign up for it at all.

So the mainstream press implies that removing this penalty in a tax bill is something shady and duplicitous, like an exercise in false pretense.

Its a Tax

Actually, there is absolutely nothing shady about the repeal of the Obamacare mandate. There is no back door here, no bait and switch. Obamacares much-despised individual mandate is, in fact, a tax. So it is properly dealt with in a tax bill.

This is precisely what the Supreme Court itself ruled in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012). It was widely seen as the ruling that codified Obamacare, giving it the constitutional gloss it needed to stay a law.

Ironically, the law has been challenged on many grounds, including that it is unconstitutional for Congress to force the people to purchase a service. The court said that this might not pass muster if that was indeed what Congress was doing. Instead, the court ruled the individual mandate should be considered a tax like any other. Taxes are permissible. Therefore, Obamacare was completely fine. To make it work, it had to be a tax, which now has become its downfall.

Actually, there is absolutely nothing shady about the repeal of the Obamacare mandate. There is no back door here. No bait and switch. Obamacares muchdespised individual mandate is, in fact, a tax. So it is properly dealt with in a tax bill.

Said the court: The Affordable Care Acts requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax. Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.

Further, it is abundantly clear the Constitution does not guarantee that individuals may avoid taxation through inactivity. A capitation, after all, is a tax that everyone must pay simply for existing, and capitations are expressly contemplated by the Constitution.

The Court today holds that our Constitution protects us from federal regulation under the Commerce Clause so long as we abstain from the regulated activity. But from its creation, the Constitution has made no such promise with respect to taxes.

To be sure, the ruling was a bit of an embarrassment for Obamacare proponents because they never liked to talk about the mandate as a tax. It was a payment for wonderful services. The court said it is true that forcing people to buy something would contradict precedent. So in order to beat back the challenge, the majority found a clever way of redefining the nature of the mandate itself.

At this, Obamacare proponents, while a bit red-faced, expressed relief. At least the legislation gets to stay, thanks to an ideologically driven court majority.

Let the Market Work

The Senate is merely deferring to what the court said and nothing more. The highest court in the land said that the mandatewhich is the heart of the legislationshould be regarded as a tax. Fine, the Senate couldnt repeal the bill in health care legislation. So they listened to the court and did exactly what they were supposed to do all along: treat the monstrosity as a tax in a tax bill.

The people who are outraged today are only tasting their own medicine, nothing more.

Thus, should the repeal be seen as another way in which this legislation is a tax cut for the American people? Will it destabilize health insurance markets? Yes and no. Without the mandate, Obamacare might not survive. But Obamacare is not a real market. It is a fake market. Then there is the question about the insurance subsidies that the tax bill doesnt address.

However, if individuals do not face the penalty tax of 2.5 percent of their household income (a minimum of $695 per year), people are free to choose whether to sign up for it or not. And given that people only started to sign up in large numbers after the penalty was introduced, and that Obamacare rates in the blue states that voted for Trump showed the highest increases in health insurance premiums, its not difficult to guess what this choice will be.

What this tax repeal does is begin to let the market function again. True, there are many more reforms that will be necessary to make health insurance work properly again. But this is a good beginning. And it was done entirely properly, precisely as the Supreme Court itself said it should be done.

And in a year when the mainstream media thought Trump would not get anything done, he managed, just before Christmas, to deliver on two election promises in one go.

Jeffrey Tucker is director of content for the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). This article was first published on FEE.org.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Nikki Haley, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, votes with other members of the United Nations Security Council to impose new sanctions on North Korea in New York City on Dec. 22, 2017. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

UN Security Council Unanimously Votes to Impose New Sanctions on North Korea

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to impose new sanctions on the North Korean regime following its Nov. 28 launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

Under the resolution, only 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum products can be sold to North Korea in total per yeara sharp drop from the two million barrels which had been allowed under U.N. Security Council sanctions passed in September.

In addition, the U.S.-drafted resolution caps global sales of crude oil to North Korea at 4 million barrels for 2018.

The November ICBM launch by North Korea was its most advanced to date and allows the regime to reach any place in the world, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

In addition to the limits on oil sales, the new sanctions also include the forced repatriation of North Korean workers from outside of the country within 24 months. The North Korean regime over the years has sent thousands of workers primarily to China and Russia to work, in effect, as slaves, with earnings being paid to the regime.

North Koreans in South Phyongan in a Dec. 3 image released by state media. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The sanctions are expected to have a significant impact on the communist regimes already faltering economy.

If they were enforced, the cap on oil would be devastating for North Koreas haulage industry, for North Koreans who use generators at home or for productive activities, and for (state-owned enterprises) that do the same, said Peter Ward, a columnist for NK News, a website that tracks North Korea.

President Donald Trump departs the White House en route to Florida on Dec. 22, 2017. Trump has signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency over severe human rights abuses and corruption around the world. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

The forced repatriation of foreign workers would also cut off vital sources of foreign currency and investment, not only for the government but also for North Koreas emerging market economy, he said.

If such sanctions were enforced, they would thus impede and endanger North Koreas economic development.

Previous sanctions, however, have not deterred the regime in Pyongyang from developing its nuclear weapons program.

These sanctions may get dictator Kim Jong Uns attention, though, as a steady economy is needed to maintain the loyalty of the Communist Partys elite.

Russia and China, two of North Koreas closest allies, voted in favor of the resolution.

President Donald Trump had already wanted more significant restrictions on the sale of oil to North Korea in September, after the regime conducted an underground nuclear test on Sept. 2, 2017, that was claimed to be of a hydrogen bomb. At that time, however, China and Russia objected to oil restrictions that were too far-reaching.

Signs of increased unrest in North Korea have been noted in recent months. Facing a shortage of food, North Korean soldiers have been raiding farms to secure food supplies for the military.

During previous U.S. administrations, North Korea has been able to use its nuclear weapons program as a bargaining chip for foreign financial and material aid. This aid was then used to prop up the regime and its military.

Two Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighter jets fly to the Avalon Airshow in Victoria, Australia, March 3, 2017. (Australian Defence Force/Handout via REUTERS)

Trump, however, has taken a much stronger stance against North Korea, demanding a complete denuclearization of the regime.

While North Korea has not yet agreed to talks with the United States about ending its nuclear weapons program, it has grown increasingly worried about the increase in U.S. military assets in the region.

On Thursday, the regime in Pyongyang said that the U.S. is demonstrating its power by deploying strategic assets in and around South Korea.

Reuters contributed to this report
SPRING GROVE, Minn.  Mervin Alton Quinnell, 92, of Spring Grove died Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017 at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah, Iowa. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 26, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove, with visitation will be held from 9:30 to time of service. Interment will be in Trinity Cemetery with military honors. Roble Funeral Home of Spring Grove is assisting the family with arrangements.
Do you read those calorie counts on the menu when you go out to eat? How about on the labels of food you buy? Too busy to pay attention to calories? Maybe you should make the time. Its a habit Australians have found can help shed weight.

In Australia, labeling what goes into your mouth has been an obsession for years and there are regulations in place to make sure things are properly marked. Researchers looked at buying habits before and after those calorie-count regulations went into effect.

Looking at sales data for the entire country and comparing it to food diaries kept by women in the study, they concluded that women were eating about 60 calories less per meal  translating to about 200 to 250 calories less per day  in the wake of label regulations.

Now, you may not think thats much, but add in 20 minutes of good exercise five days a week and youre talking about shedding a pound a week from your love handles. Im not promising you the latest Lose 90 Pounds in 90 Days! hokum, but this is real stuff.

Its my opinion that when it comes to losing weight, starting with the low-hanging fruit is where the bang for the buck is. You may not kick the burger and fries habit  what would life be like without that brat?  but changing your usual day-to-day habits is a good place to begin. That means knowing what youre putting into your mouth, which means reading those labels.

A few years ago, that kind of behavior made a difference in my own weight. Ive never had a weight problem per se, but one day I found myself 10 pounds heavier. It was when I was going to have to buy new pants that it dawned on me the cookie stash I had been snacking on was putting fat on my waist.

I had never read the label. Heavens to Betsy, these were wholesome cookies, after all, so how could I question that? But when I finally did, what a shock it was to find that the calorie count in eating four of my favorite cookies was nearly the same as eating my favorite Subway sandwich. Startling.

Did I cut out cookies? Nope. I just changed the ones I eat and I eat fewer of them. One or two a day  if I can do that, Im cool. If I cant, Im cake.

Read those labels.

Dear Doc: My mom is 92. She gets her flu shot each year but her clinic doesnt recognize the need for the high-dose flu shot recommended for people 65 and older. What should she do? And by the way, what does quadrivalent mean?  J.T.

Dear J.T.: Theyre dead wrong; youre right. If its true your mothers clinic is not giving her the right flu shot, the high-dose version, then Id check out what other things they might not be doing right. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is clear on this  high-dose shot for seniors saves lives.

Regarding your other question, quadravalent means the shot hits four sub types of influenza.

Get your shots, folks. The pesky flu virus killed somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 people last year. We are so smug about not getting flu shots. I have patients who tell me they dont get the shot and theyve never had the flu. My response is to ask, Do you not wear a seat belt because youve never gotten into a nearly fatal rollover accident? Getting the shot is the same as buckling up. Sensible, intelligent people do it.

In one local nursing home a few years back, some of the workers didnt want to get their flu shot. There was an epidemic of flu shot fear running through the employees. When flu season struck, everyone who worked at the nursing home who had not gotten a flu shot had to wear a mask all day, just in case they might have the flu and spread it to the residents.

The next year, guess what? Flu shot rates among employees went from 82 percent to 100 percent. The masks were more uncomfortable than the shot. Stay well.
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Before the event even began, each of the 45 area nonprofits at the 2017 Care and Share Expo had $100 in their till, sparking a wave of giving that brought in tens of thousands for community causes.

Care and Share, hosted by the Robert and Eleanor Franke Charitable Foundation, raised a record $136,720 during its seventh annual event, held Dec. 2 at the La Crosse Public Library, with almost $6,000 attributed to an anonymous couple. In addition to jump-starting the four-hour event with $100 per organization, the philanthropic duo pledged $10 to each group for every person who signed up to volunteer there in the future.

Its absolutely amazing, CJ Hoffman, executive assistant of the Franke Foundation, said of the anonymous donors. It means (the organizations) can do more wonderful things for our community.

Compounding the generosity, the Franke Foundation offered matching funds of up to $1,000 per organization, plus $15 per board member present at the event, accounting for $45,341 of the total. More than $85,000 in community member donations were received.

Its overwhelming, Hoffman said. Its so heartwarming  we have the greatest community. I cant say enough about it. Its phenomenal  its the kind hearts in La Crosse.

Among the nonprofits represented at the expo were the YWCA, Capable Canines of Wisconsin, Essential Health Clinic, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin, Hillview Urban Agriculture Center and Coulee Region RSVP, which raised around $3,100 total to be used toward services such as volunteer transportation, handcraft and telephone reassurance programs and tax assistance.

We just put it right back in the community, said Lynnetta Kopp, executive director for RSVP.

I would like to truly thank the anonymous donor, because they did that not just for us but all of the organizations, Kopp said. That shows they appreciate and understand the impact of our organizations.

Nick Ragner, public relations coordinator for the Salvation Army, expressed similar gratitude for the $100 bonus, which helped the organization raise $5,978, the most of any organization present.

Whats really great is these people are willing to do this without any recognition, Ragner said. Its amazing to know theyre doing it just for the betterment of the community, not for the credit.

While Care and Share represents just a small portion of the Salvation Armys holiday fundraising  the Red Kettle Campaign aims to raise almost $950,000  Ragner says the expo makes a world of difference, offering the unique opportunity for donors to put a face to the organization, and vice versa.

We love meeting the people who support us, Ragner said. Its a really good time for donors to come and see us, talk to us and find out about what were doing.

The meet-and-greet aspect of Care and Share is one of the events hallmarks, allowing newer and lesser known nonprofits an opportunity to introduce their missions and find new supporters, and for groups to network and strengthen their efforts.

Its really nice for us to build relationships, Ragner said. At the end of the day, its a collaborative effort. It really is an awesome event.
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MADISON  The dispute over a long-ago closed John Doe investigation involving Gov. Scott Walker took a new twist Friday when the administrator of Wisconsins Ethics Commission asked his own board to investigate him.

Ethics Commission Administrator Brian Bell is one of two officials targeted by Republican lawmakers following an investigation into the John Doe by Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel. The other is Elections Commission Administrator Mike Haas.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau has told them both to resign, suggesting that if they dont, theyll be forced out because the public has lost trust in them to lead the agencies.

Bell pushed back Friday, asking ethics commissioners to investigate him in order to clear his name.

I believe that an objective review of my conduct in service to the state would definitively show that I have consistently conducted myself in a nonpartisan and impartial manner, Bell said. Such an investigation would also refute the baseless allegations that have been made against me.

The Ethics Commission oversees campaign finance and ethics laws for the governor, legislators and other public officials. Together with the Elections Commission, it replaced the Government Accountability Board, which Republicans disbanded because of its role in the investigation known as John Doe 2.

Bell and Haas both worked for the GAB, and while Schimels report was critical of the now-defunct agency for not keeping the John Doe investigation secret, it did not assign blame for the leak to a newspaper and did not recommend criminal charges.

That has not stopped Fitzgerald and other top Republicans from seizing on the report as a sign that the agency needs new people to run it.

Senate Republicans voted Thursday to ask Schimel to expand his investigation into other long-ago closed GAB probes involving legislators.

Bell and Haas have not been confirmed by the Senate, and Fitzgerald has hinted that if the full Senate votes, their confirmations would be rejected.

I believe that an objective review of my conduct in service to the state would definitively show that I have consistently conducted myself in a nonpartisan and impartial manner. Brian Bell, Ethics Commission administrator
The La Crosse County Board went on record Thursday with a resolution urging Congress to levy a revenue neutral carbon fee to discourage use of fossil fuels. The aim is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which scientists say are the primary cause of climate change.

The proposed carbon fee, which would go up every year, would be charged at the point of production or importation, with all the money collected distributed to American households as a dividend to offset the higher energy prices that would result from the fees.

The resolution, proposed by board member Mike Giese and approved unanimously by the board, puts the county officially on record recognizing that human-caused climate change is real.

Climate scientists worldwide are in near-unanimous agreement that the Earth is warming rapidly, which is causing changes in climate that are perilous to the Earths natural systems and to human civilization, the resolution says. The primary cause of that warming is human activity, especially through the combustion of fossil fuels which emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

The La Crosse Common Council voted 7-5 in favor of a carbon-fee resolution at its November meeting, with opponents arguing that this was not a matter for local government. Mayor Tim Kabat has signed the resolution.

County board member Maureen Freedland argued that climate change is very much a local concern, with the warming planet and more extreme weather affecting many areas of county government and the citizens it serves.

Local government is your basic level where people can be heard. You have the best opportunity to speak, Freedland said. Whether it is climate change or gerrymandering, we need to take a position. The feeling of the county board through the years is that we do take positions on issues that might seem like theyre a little bit beyond us.

The countys resolution asserts that the carbon fee would help promote the development and use of alternative energy sources and encourage a greater emphasis on energy efficiency. The goal is to reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide to 10 percent of the 1990 levels by 2050.

The resolution also claims that households with income levels in the lowest 55 to 60 percent would break even or receive more than enough in dividends from the fee revenues to offset their increased fossil fuel energy costs.

Giese said the carbon fee approach is a way of leveling the playing field as society moves away from dependence on fossil fuels. So many of our citizens and business entities have staked their future on investing in alternative energy, he said.

Recognition

Mary Meehan-Strub, a UW-Extension agent for 42 years, 32 of them with La Crosse County, was honored by the board and area legislators for her years of service as her retirement nears.

Meehan-Strub, a family living agent who heads the countys Extension office, is retiring at the end of the year, a decision she said wasnt easy.

The time has come to pass that responsibility on to someone else, she said, noting that she has always had a great working relationship with the board and other departments. Having a supportive board has been a luxury. Many of my colleagues across the state are envious of the support Ive gotten here.

State Reps. Steve Doyle and Jill Billings presented Meehan-Strub with an official state citation honoring her service, signed also by state Sen. Jennifer Shilling and state Rep. Lee Nerison.

County Administrator Steve OMalley also recognized the efforts of the board that for 36 years has run the Gifted Hands Consignment Store, a county-sponsored shop that sells mostly items made by senior citizens. The county has transferred responsibility for the Gifted Hands store to The Craft and Vendor Marketplace, a company that operates a store in downtown La Crosse.

It will be more sustainable than the county operating the consignment store, OMalley said.

CVM takes over in the new year and will run the current Gifted Hands location on Copeland Avenue as a second location for the company, with the store reopening after a facelift in January.

Election filings

With the Jan. 2 candidate filing deadline looming, few contested races have surfaced for the county board.

Of the 29 incumbents, whose terms all expire in April, only five have opponents who had filed papers as of Thursday evening.

In District 7, Gary Padesky has filed papers to run against Sharon Hampson.

Dan Ferries in District 16 has a potential opponent in Connor Nagy, while in District 18 Sue Christopherson has filed papers to run against Laurence Berg.

Leon Pfaff, the incumbent in District 24, faces a challenge from Kevin Hoyer, while in the 25th, Kevin Hennessey plans to run against Ray Ebert.

Of the challengers, only Hoyer has completed the filing process by turning in the required 50 signatures on a nominating petition.

One incumbent, Kathy Tyser in the 28th District, has filed a declaration of noncandidacy. Karen Keil-Arellano has filed papers indicating her intention to run for that seat.
CHICAGOAre poinsettias really poisonous? Are snowflakes really pure as the driven snow? Does feasting really put on the pounds? Sure as sugar plums, myths and misconceptions pop up every holiday season. Heres what science says about some of them:

Flower power

Poinsettias, those showy holiday plants with red and green foliage, are not nearly as harmful as a persistent myth says. Mild rashes from touching the plants or nausea from chewing or eating the leaves may occur, but they arent deadly, for humans or their pets. Poinsettias belong to the same botanical family as rubber plants that produce latex, so some skin rashes occur in people allergic to latex. According to a Western Journal of Emergency Medicine research review, the plants toxic reputation stems from a single unconfirmed death of a 2-year-old in Hawaii in 1919.

Dr. Rachel Vreeman, an Indiana University pediatrician who has researched holiday myths, cited a study on more than 20,000 poison-control centre reports involving contact with poinsettias.

In none of those cases were there deaths or serious injury. In fact, more than 95 per cent of them required zero medical care, she said.

The anglicized name comes from Joel Poinsett, a 19th-century U.S. diplomat who brought the plant back from Mexico.

The white stuff

To form snowflakes, moisture high in the atmosphere is frozen by clinging to particles that may include dust specks or soot. Add germs to that list. University of Florida microbiologist Brent Christner has found that bacteria commonly found on plants are surprisingly abundant ice nucleators present in snow from populated areas, barren mountain peaks and even Antarctica.

So is catching snowflakes on your tongue a bad idea?

Theres a yuck factor, Christner said. Its better than yellow snow.

He said the number of bacteria in snow would probably be about 100-fold less than in the same amount of bottled water.

There are a lot more things to be worried about in making you sick than ingesting snowflakes, he said.

Moody blues

The same things that can make holidays merry  great expectations and family time  can also be stressful. Holiday blues are a real thing for many people grieving loss or absence of a loved one, and wintertime can trigger true but transient depression in some people, a condition sometimes called seasonal affective disorder. Its linked with lack of sunlight in winter and some scientists think affected people overproduce the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Research suggests it affects about 6 per cent of the U.S. population and rates are higher in Scandinavia. But contrary to popular belief, suicides peak in springtime, not winter. No one has figured out why.

Hair of the dog

Forget that Bloody Mary. If extra shots of bourbon in your eggnog have you feeling lousy the next day, drinking more alcohol  hair of the dog  wont cure you.

Heres what George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, has to say about that:

You are in a sense self-medicating a mild withdrawal syndrome by drinking more. The problem is, thats going to wear off and youre going to have an even worse hangover.

Alcohol is dehydrating, so replenishing with lots of water or other non-alcoholic drinks can help relieve the symptoms. But experts emphasize that prevention is the healthiest cure.

Says Koob: It all boils down to, dont drink too much.

So what about that saying, hair of the dog? According to an old folk remedy, a dog bite could be cured by putting the animals hair in the wound.

Doughnt eat it

Bakers beware: sampling holiday cookie dough, or any raw dough, can make you sick. And recent research says its not just because dough often contains raw eggs, which may harbour salmonella bacteria. Flour is another culprit. A study published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine details a 2016 E. coli outbreak that hit dozens of people in 24 states that was linked with flour. Some patients had eaten or handled raw dough made with flour contaminated with that bacteria. Authorities recalled 10 million pounds of flour, some of which had been sold to restaurants that allow children to play with raw dough while waiting for their meals. Baking generally kills any bacteria.

A headline on a Food and Drug Administration consumer update sums up the agencys advice: Raw doughs a raw deal.

The bottom line

The truth about holiday weight gain depends on whether your champagne glass is half empty or half full. One often-cited study says its commonly assumed that the average American gains 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. But the study authors found the average was a little less than 1 pound. Other studies have found its closer to 2 pounds, still barely enough to make your pants feel tight. An extra piece of pie or one gigantic holiday feast wont doom you, Indiana Universitys Vreeman says. The problem, she says, is that the extra pound or two at holiday time becomes a pattern year after year and adds up.

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Border enforcement officials are looking at using a voice-reporting system that can confirm a callers identity and track geographical location as an alternative to jailing those who breach Canadas immigration law.

Expanded electronic supervision tools such as the use of GPS electronic monitoring will be piloted in the Greater Toronto Area, said the Canada Border Services Agency, and could come as early as April.

According to a request for proposal obtained by the Star, the border agency is seeking a contractor who can provide and maintain the electronic system, including voice reporting with location based service and electronic monitory.

The border agency has been under tremendous pressure for its widespread use of lengthy immigration detention  sometimes in maximum-security provincial prisons where convicted criminals are held  for migrants whose identity is in doubt, who are deemed to be a danger to the public or who may not show up for deportation, even in some cases when they are not considered dangers to the public.

The CBSAs ability to monitor, track and locate individuals is critical to the success of the immigration enforcement program, the agency said in its tender issued Wednesday.

Canadas immigration detention system has been under intense public scrutiny since 2016 after a series of deaths of detainees in immigration custody.

In the latest incident in October, Teresa Michelle Gratton, a 50-year-old American citizen awaiting removal, died after she was found in medical distress inside a Milton jail.

Since then, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale conducted nationwide consultation and announced the new National Immigration Detention Framework to explore alternatives to detention.

The plan includes investing $138 million to improve immigration detention infrastructure, providing better mental and medical health services at immigration holding centres, strengthening the bail system, expanding partnerships for public monitoring of detention conditions and reducing the number of detained minors.

However, this weeks tender notice provides the first glimpse into how officials might release individuals in a manner that mitigates risk and facilitates the location and apprehension of individuals who fail to comply as required.

In the notice, the border agency said its offering a two-year contract for an interactive voice response system with a voice biometric identifier and GPS locations server.

According to a recent article in IEEE Spectrum, a magazine by the New York-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, smartphones do a better job in monitoring offenders than ankle bracelets, and allow for positive reinforcement and incentives.

Under house arrest, an offender was under surveillance only at home, and he or she was free to work, attend school . . . GPS changed all that. It allowed criminal-justice agencies to greatly expand the boundaries of control beyond the home, by continuously monitoring offenders wherever they went, wrote Robert Gable.

Both ankle monitors and smartphones have GPS functionality, and properly configured smartphones can still tether offenders electronically to their parole officers computer or laptop. But smartphones also have apps, which bring new opportunities.

Border agency spokesperson Jayden Robertson said the agency is currently in discussions with the Salvation Army, the John Howard Society of Canada and the Toronto Bail Program to carry out case management and serve as guardians to ensure compliance upon an immigration detainees release.

A nationally available voice reporting system will make it easier for individuals to comply with reporting conditions imposed by the (agency) and/or the Immigration and Refugee Board, Robertson said in an email.

He said the use of GPS equipment will be leveraged through an agreement with Correctional Service Canada and the technology is expected to cost roughly $38 a day per person, including the acquisition of the tools and staffing resources.

In 2016, 6,251 adults and 162 minors were detained by the border agency, and about a third of the adults were held in provincial jails. The average length of detention was about 20 days. It costs Ottawa $239 per day per detainee.

All of these initiatives will help realize core objectives of the National Immigration Detention Framework and contribute to the transformation of our immigration detention system, said Scott Bardsley, Goodales spokesperson.

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OTTAWAExtremists inspired by groups such as Daesh and Al Qaeda remain the top terrorism threat to Canada, but a new report from the federal government warns of growing far-right movements online that could translate into real-world violence.

Public Safety Canada said Thursday that the current threat of a terrorist attack on Canadian soil remains at medium, unchanged since the 2014 shootings on Parliament Hill.

The department, which oversees both CSIS and the RCMP, suggested Daesh or Al Qaeda-inspired individuals still represent the most significant threatalthough the report noted that extremism can stem from a range of ideologies.

All forms of ideology have the potential to inspire individuals or groups to commit acts of violence in their name, the report says.

In Canada, a small number of individuals continue to be radicalized and mobilized to violence, and may attempt to further their causes through violent means.

So-called extremist travellers  Canadians who travel to support extremist causes abroad  have dominated the recent domestic terrorism discussions in Canada. The federal government now estimates there are 190 people with a nexus to Canada abroad  roughly half of them in Turkey, Syria or Iraq.

A further 60 have returned to Canada, although only a relatively small number of those are suspected of having engaged in actual combat.

But the report lists right-wing extremism as a growing concern in Canada. And while extreme-right groups in Canada are predominantly active online, security agencies warn the potential for violence is there.

The evolution from online hate to serious acts of politically-motivated violence with the intention of intimidating the public, or a segment of the public in regard to its sense of security, could be considered a terrorism offence, the report reads.

As there has been a rise in hate-related incidents reported to police in Canada, there is always the potential for extreme right-wing motivated violence to occur in Canada.

The report points to the mass shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City last January, where six men were killed and others wounded, as an example of attacks perpetrated by those who espouse extreme right-wing views. Alexandre Bissonnette, who friends say held far-right political views, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder in relation to that shooting.

Public Safety officials also pointed to a trend of low-sophistication tactics used by extremism-inspired individuals on Western targets  particularly in Europe. Unlike more complex plots, such as the use of bombs or automatic weapons, an attack with a knife or a vehicle is more difficult for intelligence and law enforcement agencies to uncover and prevent.

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BARRIE, ONT.Police in Ontario are warning the public about an online offer that isnt worth its weight in gold.

Investigators say theyve received complaints of counterfeit gold bars being sold online through buy and sell websites such as Kijiji.

Police in Barrie, Ont., say the bars appear to be real at first glance and are professionally packed and bear an official looking stamp resembling the Perth Mint or the Royal Canadian Mint.

Testing has shown the bars are nothing more than copper plated with gold.

Police say the high-quality counterfeit bars are being offered in various weights and range in price from $300 to $1,200, but their actual worth is about 25 cents to $2.00.

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A Toronto man who sold guns to Dellen Millard  who used one to kill Tim Bosma, and allegedly used another to shoot his father in the head  should be sentenced to 13 years in prison, prosecutors are arguing.

Last June, Matthew Ward-Jackson, 30, pleaded guilty to trafficking three separate firearms to Millard in 2012 and possessing a machine gun.

Unlike most gun trafficking cases, the court knows how at least two of the firearms were used, Crown attorney Ken Lockhart said Thursday at Ward-Jacksons sentencing hearing.

Theres no speculation or mystery about the danger here. Two of these firearms were used to cause death, including the planned and deliberate execution of a complete stranger, Lockhart said referring to Bosma, a 32-year-old Ancaster, Ont. man.

The Crown acknowledged that most gun traffickers get less than 13 years, but said the circumstances of the case warranted a longer sentence.

Millard and his former friend Mark Smich were convicted last year of shooting Bosma in his truck in 2013, 15 months after Millard bought the Walther PPK handgun from Ward-Jackson. A week ago, the pair was again convicted of first-degree murder, this time of Torontonian Laura Babcock, 23.

Next spring, Millard is facing a first-degree murder trial in the death of his father, Wayne Millard. Wayne Millard was found dead in his bed on Nov. 29, 2012 with a single gunshot wound to his left eye. Next to him, police found a .32 calibre Smith & Wesson revolver. His death was originally ruled a suicide until the investigation was reopened and Millard charged.

Ward-Jackson admitted selling that revolver to Millard.

Lockhart urged Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly to pay close attention to the text exchange between Millard and Ward-Jackson.

On Feb. 11, 2012, a day after the purchase, Millard sent Ward-Jackson a text: By the time I let her (the gun) go, shell be a dirty girl. Lockhart translated: it will be stained with a crime.

Thats fine, LOL, Ward-Jackson texted back.

That speaks to Mr. Ward-Jacksons moral culpability to the situation, Lockhart said.

But defence lawyer Kim Schofield, who is asking for a seven-and-a-half year sentence, said there isnt a scintilla of evidence that her client knew how the weapons would be used.

Schofield asked Kelly to consider only the crimes Ward-Jackson admitted to, not the horrific acts that happened as a result of what he did, which was provide a firearm.

Thats something that, obviously he has to live with, and its something that haunted him, she said. It would be an error in law to sentence him for the consequence.

She acknowledged while his text was troubling . . . it does not mean murder weapon. It means potentially used, thats all.

Schofield also filed a sworn affidavit from Ward-Jackson, containing a litany of physical and mental health related complaints relating to his four years in custody.

Ward-Jackson described conditions inside the lockdown-plagued Toronto South Detention Centre as torture, but said he has been a model prisoner with no misconduct. He is seeking enhanced credit for pretrial custody.

Prosecutor Steve Byrne grilled Ward-Jackson about his affidavit, suggesting he was exaggerating the hardship.

This delicate flower . . . this gentle, retiring personality hes trying to present himself as is a con, Byrne told Kelly during his submissions.

He simply wants to get the benefit of a lower sentence.

At the end of the proceeding, Ward-Jackson, 30, whose scalp, cheek and arms are covered in tattoos, apologized to the public.

I can never withdraw the pain and the suffering that my actions have caused people, he said, leaning into the microphone, his hands clutching the edge of the prisoners box.

I know what I need to do when I get out to take control of my life and make sure things like this dont ever happen again. I would like to make my city proud . . . and not embarrassed.

Kelly said she would sentence Ward-Jackson on Jan. 12.

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Just how litigious was the late Barry Sherman?

I think he was probably the most active litigant in any industry in Canada, said Amir Attaran, a professor in the faculties of law and medicine at the University of Ottawa.

I practise in Federal Court, and theres no one else in Federal Court whose name is attached to more cases that I know of.

Sherman, the 75-year-old founder of generic drug company Apotex, was found dead along with his wife, Honey, 70, in their Toronto home on Dec. 15. The deaths are being investigated by police as suspicious.

Read more:

After the deaths of Honey and Barry Sherman, how do police investigate?

Sherman familys private investigation is a bid to understand unexplained circumstances

Thousands of mourners pay tribute to Barry and Honey Sherman

It has since been reported that Apotex under Sherman launched hundreds of lawsuits against competitors, including pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co., to overturn patent protection for their medicines, as well as against government regulators who made decisions it disagreed with.

He was a force by himself, said Morris Goodman, who founded Pharmascience Inc. in Montreal in 1983 and has competed with Sherman ever since.

He was a fierce competitor in the marketplace. And he was more aggressive in fighting Canadian patents and disqualifying them than I was.

Shermans own manuscript memoir describes the first time he took legal action  in a time he called the Empire Years. It involved an employee at the federal Department of Supply and Services, who Sherman said wrote them a letter saying hed removed them from their approved suppliers list.

The day after the letter arrived, Sherman initiated legal action against the employee  and before the matter could go to court, Sherman wrote in his memoir, (the employee) and his Board backed down.

This was the first time in my career that I found it necessary to initiate legal action, he wrote. It was to be the first of many.

Thousands of mourners paid tribute to a billionaire philanthropist couple who died under suspicious circumstances last week. The memorial was held at a convention centre in Mississauga, Ont.

Aubrey Dan, son of rival pharmaceutical giant Leslie Dan, said that Sherman was always up for a fight against brand name drug companies. To be successful in business, one thing about Barry  and they have publicly stated this  youve got to be litigious. He was the underdog. He was fighting for the common man of making things affordable, Dan said.

Believe me, brand name companies did not want him around.

Tom McAnulty, a pharmacist who formerly worked in the brand-name pharmaceutical industry, said that brand-name companies detested Shermans litigiousness. Barry was one of the most aggressive, McAnulty said. Apotex, they would challenge all sorts of rulings by the government.

But the pair of them personally got along quite well, he remembers. He was a worthwhile adversary. You have to respect a man for his passion, his intelligence and his conviction, McAnulty said.

Through Apotex, Sherman provided generic drugs to non-profits and relief funds. A shipment this October to the Mully Childrens Family, a childrens charity and orphanage based in Kenya, was worth over $320,000. On another occasion, they provided $100,000 worth of HIV drugs to the Canadian Jewish Humanitarian and Relief Committee.

Attaran, at the University of Ottawa, said Shermans public relations machine over the years would portray his court battles to overturn patents as his attempt to provide cheaper drugs prices for Canadians in the form of generics.

He described Shermans litigiousness as absolutely singular in the pharmaceutical world.

Thats how they spin it. He was always in court fighting for Canadians to get cheaper drugs, Attaran said.

That is outrageous fabrication. Because for all his efforts being the biggest generic drug company in Canada, having the greatest influence of any company in Canada over generic drugs, Canada pays among the highest prices in the world for generics. And that has been documented again and again.

Apotex, the generic drug giant that Sherman founded in 1974, declined to comment.

This isnt the time to discuss litigation, said spokesman Jordan Berman earlier this week. It is a time to mourn the loss of our founder and to support our employees and the Sherman family through this tragedy.

Apotex did say on Friday that it wanted to set the record straight about how the company will be managed following Shermans death, saying Sherman hadnt been involved in day-to-day operations since he stepped down as chief executive officer five years ago.

Jeremy B. Desai has been president and CEO of Apotex Inc. since 2014 and, prior to that, the CEO's job had been transferred from Sherman to Jack Kay, who is now the company's vice-chairman.

Barry had developed a robust succession plan which he began implementing five years ago when he stepped down as CEO. From that point on until his tragic death, Dr. Sherman was no longer involved in day-to-day operations at Apotex rather, focused on some specific aspects of the business, Apotex spokesman Jordan Berman said in an email Friday.

A 1998 Toronto Star story described Apotex as a pit bull, constantly looking to expand its territory in the pharmaceutical world and fending off attacks by competitors.

At the time, Apotex had been involved in a number of successful lawsuits against major multinational corporations, allowing it to market drugs that treated everything from heart ailments to AIDS.

The big players don't want us in the marketplace, Elie Betito, Apotex director of public and government affairs, said at the time, adding that courtroom battles are a way of life.

With the odds this company has faced over the years it's been a tough slog. But, if you want to grow in a world closed to Canadian companies, you have to push in there.

Shermans lawsuits werent limited to competitors and regulators.

As the Star previously reported, Barry and Honey ended up recouping $2 million of the contracted amount to construct their home after suing a number of the houses designers and builders, according to a 2006 judgment.

Barry Sherman also faced down his estranged cousins in court in a lawsuit alleging he owed them a fiduciary duty after buying and selling their fathers drug company, Empire, and going on to found Apotex. The cousins were seeking the financial equivalent of 20 per cent of Shermans interest in Apotex.

Sherman denied in the lawsuit that he owed them a fiduciary duty and said that none of the goodwill, property or any other assets from Empire were ever used by Apotex.

I still believe . . . that Barry, in his own way, didnt think Id be this tenacious, said one of the cousins, Kerry Winter, in an interview with the Star this year.

The lawsuit was dismissed by a judge in September who called it wishful thinking and beyond fanciful.

With files from The Canadian Press

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When the family of Barry and Honey Sherman decided to conduct their own investigation into the couples deaths, they joined a list of other families who have made the same decision after a loved one died in unexplained circumstances.

The pharmaceuticals mogul and his wife were found dead in their North York home last Friday. Toronto police later confirmed that the Shermans died of ligature neck compression, and classified the deaths as suspicious.

Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash told the Star Thursday that the service would not be commenting on the Sherman familys plan to conduct a separate investigation.

Theyve done the only thing they could have done, said Joanne MacIsaac, the sister of Michael MacIsaac, a 47-year-old man who was shot dead in Ajax by a Durham police officer in December 2013. The MacIsaac family believes he was in crisis after suffering an epileptic seizure.

Read more:

Mourners gather to pay tribute to billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman

Competitors and critics agree Apotex founder Barry Sherman will be tough to replace

Lawyer Brian Greenspan to help Sherman family conduct own investigation

MacIsaac hired a private investigator four days after her brother was shot by police. They made the decision the day of the shooting, as they sat in the waiting room of the hospital where Michael was being treated, watching an SIU media scrum that said he had assaulted two women and ran down the street naked.

We knew then how the narrative was going to play out, said MacIsaac, recalling how her mom had to call her aunts and uncles in Newfoundland to clarify the details of the case. You know where peoples minds go when you hear something like that.

The same with (the Sherman) family, she said. For a family to deal with a loss and also with the thought of this being a murder-suicide, what a horrible thing for them to read at this time.

Its a gruelling process, said MacIsaac. (The Shermans) are going to hear things that theyre not ready to hear at this point, recalling how she watched a video of her brother crying in the street the day of the shooting. Michael hadnt yet been buried at the time.

The private investigator hired by MacIsaac went over every detail of the shooting  all the police reports, the 911 calls, the police dispatch calls. Two weeks ago, they hired a 3D forensic expert who is recreating the scene.

Mark Valois, a former Toronto police homicide officer who now serves as director of academic training at the Canadian Tactical Officers Association, told the Star that private investigators function the same way police officers do. Most, he said, are former police officers.

Everyone has a right to hire a private investigator, said Valois, who now serves as director of academic training at the Canadian Tactical Officers Association. They may believe there are other issues theyve suspected, other than what is found to be the investigative motive for the incident.

They hire a third party to find differently.

Sometimes theyre successful. In 2008, a private investigator was hired in the case of a 23-year-old Tony Armstrong, of Dunnville, Ont., who died in a hit-and-run case. Armstrongs family insisted that Hamilton police had made a mistake, that it was homicide. The private investigator was able to find new evidence that suggested it wasnt a hit-and-run.

Other times the cases take a longer time. In 1990, a private investigator was part of an 18-year-long investigation into the disappearance of Elizabeth Bain. A jury found her boyfriend, Robert Baltovich, guilty of murdering her. The efforts of a private investigator helped exonerate him in 2008.

On the other hand, a 2006 case of the murder of a Woodbridge couple vacationing in Mexico is unsolved. A private investigator was hired by Anthony Ianiero, who insists that Mexican authorities have failed in the investigation of the deaths of his parents, Domenico and Annunziata, whose throats were slashed during their stay at a Mexican resort.

These past few days have been a shocking adjustment to our reality, the Shermans only son, Jonathon, tearfully told a large group of mourners at his parents memorial.

He and his sisters had congregated for two days waiting to hear any facts other than through Twitter and the unreliable news media, he said.

With files from Wendy Gillis

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A man has been charged in connection with a homicide in Richmond Hill Wednesday.

York Regional police arrived on scene around 11 a.m to a home near Bayview Ave. and Crosby Ave. following reports that a woman had been killed.

Police have identified the victim as Shelby Goldhar, 28, of Richmond Hill.

A 27-year-old man has been arrested, and a Canada-wide warrant has been issued to locate two suspects wanted in connection with the investigation.

Clifford Campsall, 27, of Richmond Hill has been charged with second degree murder and indignity to a dead body. Campsall was scheduled to appear in court in Newmarket Thursday.

Felicia Land, 25, and Nikita Pouzanov, 24, both of Richmond Hill, are wanted in connection with the investigation.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

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Fifteen weeks into her pregnancy, Alena Vincent knew her daughter Violet would face the same form of cancer she had as a baby.

Retinoblastoma, the most common form of pediatric eye cancer, runs in the family.

But just like her mother, Violet, now eight weeks old, is fighting the disease. The pair left the Hospital for Sick Children on Thursday, just in time for Christmas in their hometown of Edmonton.

I think my husband (Chris) will be excited to see her, Vincent said before leaving the hospital. He hasnt seen her since she was one-and-a-half-weeks old.

Vincent had retinoblastoma as a baby, and so did her mother. Vincent took Violet to Sick Kids hospital in Toronto when her doctors in Edmonton suspected she also had the disease.

Im a carrier of the RB1 gene that leads to retinoblastoma, said Vincent, while holding a sleeping Violet.

The RB1 gene, which makes the cancer a likely outcome, started with Vincents mother, who also had retinoblastoma. Doctors had to remove both of her eyes.

Vincent, however, was able to retain her vision with treatment from Dr. Brenda Gallie, an ophthalmologist who works at Sick Kids.

Gallie also treated Vincents daughter, Violet, which she said is a fairly normal situation.

Ive treated quite a few of my patients children, said Gallie, who has been an ophthalmologist since 1976. We keep track of the parents for the rest of their life, particularly to remind them that their children need to be looked at.

Vincent said having Gallie around made the situation easier.

It was definitely a bit of a silver lining coming here to the same doctor who saved my vision, I know (Violet) was in amazing hands, she said.

Vincent also has family in Ontario who were able to visit during Violets treatment. She also spent a lot of time on video chat with her husband and two-year-old son back in Edmonton.

Children of people with the RB1 gene dont always inherit it. Vincents brother did not, nor did Violets brother.

I didnt think about it too much growing up, Vincent said. (Violets) not going to remember any of this, and she comes out of it with her vision, so its like it never happened for her.

To treat the cancer immediately, Violet was delivered early, at 36 weeks. She had a tumour in the retina of each eye, one of which was only 0.4 millimetres in size. Tumours of that size are usually undetectable but with a tool called an OCT scanner, they could spot her tumours.

Then the doctors used lasers to burn the tumors, which would eliminate the cancer without affecting her vision.

The first sign that an infant may have retinoblastoma is a white pupil. The cancer occurs in 1 out of 16,000 live births, said Gallie, who added that many doctors arent properly trained to identify it.

The doctors dont know enough about retinoblastoma . . . they may have never seen it, so they put all sorts of other things at the top of the list, she said. We really try to preach, if the mother says she sees something funny looking around the eye, believe her. You have to send the child to an ophthalmologist.

Gallie said identifying retinoblastoma early is crucial. If an infant does not start treatment immediately, it could seriously damage their vision, cause them to lose an eye, or even spread to the rest of the body and kill them.

While Violet will make it home for Christmas, her treatment is not over. She will need monthly appointments until she is nine months old, and will continue to get biannual and annual checkups in her youth, just as Vincent did.

Correction - December 22, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said that retinoblastoma occurs in 1 out of 1,600 live births. As well, the previous version mistakenly said Alena Vincents mother was also treated at Sick Kids.

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Auto workers are feeling Scrooged after learning a new law giving most employees across Ontario a minimum of 10 personal emergency leave days annually  two with pay  doesnt apply to them.

Employees in the automotive industry, including assembly plants and parts suppliers, are entitled to a minimum of seven emergency leave days under a special exemption in Bill 148, the recently passed legislation on workplace changesthat includes a $2.40 rise in the hourly minimum wage to $14 on January 1 and $15 in 2019.

Those seven days can be used for sickness and family emergencies, with another three days for bereavement leave. The requirement has been in place since last January as part of a pilot project with the government.

For some reason the Ontario auto industry feels that we are not to be treated equal to the rest of the province, like we are lower class, a Toyota autoworker from the companys Cambridge assembly plant told the Star.

Dont get sick, dont have family members that get sick and need personal days, added the worker, who was granted anonymity for his comments. Toyota workers are not unionized.

Labour Minister Kevin Flynn downplayed worker concerns, saying the auto sector has, in many cases, earned a reputation as an employer of choice and often exceeds the minimum requirements of the Employment Standards Act . . . when it comes to leaves, vacation and sick pay.

Toyota, for example, said full-time employees get more than the legal minimum and workers hired on contract will be able to take two paid sick days once the legislation takes effect.

The union representing workers at Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, has set up a meeting between its president, Jerry Dias, and the labour minister to seek a clarification on personal emergency leave.

Unifor is concerned over reports of changes to Regulation 502 of Ontarios Employment Standards Act that may negatively impact workers in the auto sector, the union said in a statement Thursday.

Flynn said the minimum standard of seven days is lower for the auto industry because it operates in a particularly competitive global sector.

The auto sector is tremendously important to our economy. It employs thousands of people in well-paying jobs across the province, Flynn added in a statement.

The pilot project was recommended by advisers who conducted a broad government review into workplace changes, and noted any auto sector worker with deaths in their close families are entitled to a minimum of three bereavement days in each case.

The pilot project will be evaluated next year to make sure were achieving fairness for all Ontario workers, Flynn added.

New Democrat MPP and labour critic Cindy Forster (Welland) said the treatment of auto workers is incredibly disappointing.

Its time for this unfair regulation to change, immediately. Treating auto workers worse than all other workers is just plain wrong, added Forster, whose party has promised to mandate five paid days for illness or personal emergencies if it wins next Junes provincial election.

These people work hard, often in physically demanding roles, and they certainly deserve treatment thats equal to what everyone else in the province is getting.

Workers at auto parts plants have also raised concerns about the seven-day limit.

There are about 124,00 auto sector workers in Ontario.

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KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, BANGLADESHI knew her name. Dildar Begum. Thats all I had.

I wanted to track her down in Bangladesh this week because Action Against Hunger Canada, the Toronto-based aid organization I help run, had used her story to illustrate the refugee crisis taking place here; she had put a human face on this calamity.

In Toronto, I had naively thought it was possible. Surely, our team would remember her and know where she was. Maybe they were still treating Dildar or her children for malnutrition.

Several weeks ago, a heavily pregnant Dildar fled her home in Burma on foot, escaping the persecution we now know is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Rohingya Muslims  Dildar, her aging mother and three young children in tow.

Her fourth couldnt wait for safety. Dildar gave birth to him in the bush in the no mans land between Burma and Bangladesh. For seven days, the terrified family walked, desperately looking for safety  without food and water the entire time.

They arrived at our clinic dehydrated, malnourished and traumatized. Our team treated and fed Dildars family, and took down her story. She hadnt named her son. She had bigger priorities, like keeping him alive.

Her story touched many of our supporters in Canada, who have been watching this tragedy unfold. I wanted to find Dildar and learn her boys name.

It was not as easy as I thought it would be. Ive spent three days in Kutupalong refugee camp, outside Coxs Bazar in southern Bangladesh  one of the largest camps in the world. Over the past several weeks, more than 700,000 refugees fleeing violence, rape and slaughter have settled here.

Think about that.

Thats the population of Winnipeg or Edmonton. More than half are children.

Dealing with crises is part of my job, so I should be used to it. But I am heartbroken and immensely affected by what Ive seen in Bangladesh this week. So many kids. So many people who have had their lives ripped apart, simply because of their religion and where they were born. The trauma and exhaustion shows in the faces of people I see scrambling to make a go of it in the burgeoning camps.

Read more:

What have they done to us? Survivors recount brutal massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Burmese village

Rape of Rohingya women by Burmas armed forces has been sweeping and methodical

21 women, 21 accounts of brutal rape at the hands of Burmese soldiers

But Im also heartened by the work of aid agencies like ours. As the first organization working with the persecuted Rohingya people in this region  weve been here since 2009  Action Against Hunger has been feeding as many as 86,000 refugees a day. Its a massive operation that involves more than 700 staff and more than 2,000 volunteers. There is no doubt in my mind that many thousands would have died were it not for quick response from humanitarian organizations like ours.

In the camp, I have watched production lines of volunteers mix enormous vats of lentils with oil, pumpkin, onion, garlic and rice. Our volunteers dump warm portions into bright pink plastic bags and toss them onto a giant flatbed truck  like thousands of loose Tic Tacs  before handing them out all over the camps.

We also distribute huge quantities of water. Environmental protection is not typically a top priority in a crisis, but I was pleasantly surprised to see our teams reusing large bottles from local garbage dumps. We rinse them with chlorine solution before refilling them with fresh water.

The mass of people who have descended on the area are sadly affecting the landscape in other ways. Nearby areas are home to wild elephants; three Rohingya children and their mother were recently trampled to death after seeking shelter in an elephant walkway.

The main thing you notice is simply the scale of the crisis  people and makeshift homes for miles. There are, of course, the hallmarks of all refugee camps: the odour of sewage and human detritus; queues of people waiting for food, blankets, and medicine; and commerce amidst the confusion as anxious refugees look for ways to survive. Some sell bananas, soap and peanuts. Others have created makeshift restaurants that serve puffed luchi bread and curry for those who can afford it. There is constant construction in every corner  bamboo poles carried on bikes for new tents, local volunteers stacking bricks to create walls for new health facilities, cement poured into moulds for new latrines  all to provide for the seemingly endless flow of arrivals from Burma.

I wasnt expecting the sheer number of kids, especially those without adults to care for them. Groups of youngsters march in single file with giant bags of supplies on their heads, walking beside the chaotic and dirty streets to avoid the steady stream of honking rickshaws, construction trucks and humanitarian SUVs.

At one point this week, a child no more than 8 years old arrived at one of our treatment facilities with a baby on her hip. A kid caring for a kid; she was barely able to manage under the weight of her charge.

Two adults on our team helped her weigh the baby on a scale and check its upper arm to assess its nutrition. The child was in the red zone. The older one waited as our staff recorded the malnourished babys details on a tracking form. This they handed to its young guardian, along with a bag of ready-to-use therapeutic food  called Plumpynut, a peanut-based paste in a plastic wrapper  to feed the sick baby. The older child adjusted the youngster on her hip and walked out the door, transaction complete.

I was the only one who seemed to find it unusual  our team didnt blink an eye.

We find Dildar and her family just as I have finally given up. She is living in an area with tents we had built earlier in the crisis. We cross a recently erected wooden bridge, climb over fetid sewers and through muddy pathways to reach her familys tent. Children peek through the slits in the sides of nearby shelters, curious about the strange visitors. Dildar welcomes us into her tent, where she shows off her healthy baby. The tent is dark and cramped, but for now its home.

She tells us she hasnt heard from her husband since she fled Burma without him. She suspects he is dead.

Her children are all stronger now. I watch one of them nibbling on some high-energy fortified biscuits. She has finally had time to name her youngest son, who is now 4 months old: Rofiq.

I take some time with the family and especially young Rofiq. I look into his big brown eyes: bright, innocent, completely unaware of the struggles his family has faced to bring him to safety. In this moment I thank all of those in Canada who have contributed to our work in Bangladesh  the many donors and the federal government, which stepped up to help during this year when it often seemed we zigzagged from one crisis to another. Rofiq now has a second chance.

Before we leave, I ask Dildar, through our translator, about her wish for her future.

Her response is simple. I wish I could go home.

Danny Glenwright is executive director of Action Against Hunger Canada

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The UN Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea on Friday in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang says is capable of reaching anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

The new sanctions approved in the council resolution include sharply lower limits on North Koreas oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 24 months, and a crackdown on ships smuggling banned items including coal and oil to and from the country.

We believe maximum pressure today is our best lever to a political and diplomatic solution tomorrow ... (and) our best antidote to the risk of war, said Frances UN Ambassador Francois Delattre.

But the resolution doesnt include even harsher measures sought by the Trump administration that would ban all oil imports and freeze international assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

The resolution, drafted by the United States and negotiated with China, drew criticism from Russia for the short time the 13 other council nations had to consider the text, and last-minute changes to the text. One of those changes was raising the deadline for North Korean workers to return home from 12 months to 24 months.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said after the vote that the unity this council has shown in levelling these unprecedented sanctions is a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regimes actions.

The resolution caps crude oil imports at 4 million barrels a year. And it caps imports of refined oil products, including diesel and kerosene, at 500,000 barrels a year. This represents a nearly 90 per cent ban of refined products, which are key to North Koreas economy, and a reduction from the 2 million barrels a year the council authorized in September.

The new sanctions also ban the export of food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stones, wood and vessels from North Korea. And it bans all countries from exporting industrial equipment, machinery, transportation vehicles and industrial metals to the country.

Read more:

Thomas Walkom: Donald Trumps new Cold War doctrine

White House blames North Korea for WannaCry ransomware attack in May

Canada and the U.S. to co-host international meeting on the North Korea crisis

North Koreas test on Nov. 29 of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile yet was its 20th launch of a ballistic missile this year, and added to fears that the North will soon have a military arsenal that can viably target the U.S. mainland.

Britains UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the Security Council is sending a very strong united signal to the North Korean regime that enough is enough, that they must stop their nuclear program and they must stop their intercontinental ballistic missile program.

The previous sanctions resolution was adopted on Sept. 11 in response o North Koreas sixth and strongest nuclear test explosion on Sept. 3.

Haley said at the time that the Trump administration believed those new sanctions, combined with previous measures, would ban over 90 per cent of North Koreas exports reported in 2016.

Those new sanctions banned North Korea from importing all natural gas liquids and condensates. It also banned all textile exports and prohibited any country from authorizing new work permits for North Korean workers  two key sources of hard currency for the northeast Asian nation.

The U.S. Mission said a cut-off on new work permits would eventually cost North Korea about $500 million a year once current work permits expire. The United States estimated about 93,000 North Koreans are working abroad, a U.S. official said.

The resolution approved Friday expresses concern that the foreign earnings from these workers are being used to support the countrys nuclear and ballistic missile programs. It requires all countries to send North Korean workers and safety monitors home by the end of 2019.

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BARCELONA, SPAINSpains worst political crisis in decades showed few signs of abating Friday after Catalan separatist parties clinched a parliamentary majority in an exceptional election called by the countrys prime minister, who remained steadfast in his refusal to consider independence for the prosperous region.

The outcome of Thursdays election, in which an anti-secession party also made its best showing to date, did yield a sign of possible movement: Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the pro-independence regional president he removed from office said they were ready to talk.

However, the two men made clear they were working off different sets of presumptions for a potential dialogue.

Read more:

Catalan secessionist parties win slim majority in regional parliament

Catalonia isnt the only place in Europe that wants independence. Who else?

Spanish judge withdraws arrest warrants for ousted Catalan leader, his ex-cabinet members

Speaking from Brussels, where he fled nearly eight weeks ago to avoid being arrested on possible rebellion and sedition charges, ex-Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said he would talk with Rajoy under one condition  their meeting would have to be outside Spain.

Even with Puigdemont campaigning from Belgium, his Together for Catalonia party snared 34 of the regional parliaments 135 seats, making it the most popular separatist party.

As the leading separatist candidate, Puigdemont could try to become president of Catalonia again. The new parliament would not be able to elect him for the post unless he returns to Barcelona, the regional capital, but he is likely to be arrested when he turns up on Spanish soil.

The election results nonetheless strengthened Puigdemonts hand, as separatist politicians won 70 of the parliament seats altogether. Rajoys conservative Popular Party secured just three seats, a major embarrassment for the prime minister who took unprecedented steps to put down the Catalan independence movement.

More than 2 million people are in favour of Catalonias independence, Puigdemont said, referring to the election results. Recognizing reality is vital if we are to find a solution.

Rajoy ignored his adversarys appeal for a meeting, declaring instead that the election show a new era based on dialogue was beginning in Catalonia. He also set out a condition of his own for any talks: separatist officeholders must abide by the Spanish Constitution, which says the country is indivisible.

I will make an effort to dialogue with the government that forms in Catalonia, but I expect it to stop acting unilaterally and outside the law, Rajoy said during a media briefing.

People walking by the sea in Barcelona said they wanted the leaders to settle their differences through negotiation.

Product manager Beatriz Versosa, 33, said the rulers of Spain and Catalonia (must) put themselves in the place of citizens and understand that they must solve the issue and set aside the most extreme positions.

Mercedes Aras, meanwhile, wanted Spanish authorities to sit down to negotiate on a realistic basis.

Negotiations in the past involved a compromise of granting Catalonia more self-government rights, but separatists are likely to use their regained majority to push for a binding referendum on secession.

Rajoy, invoking constitutional authority to temporarily take over a regions affairs, fired the Catalan government that Puigdemont led and dissolved the regional parliament after separatist lawmakers declared Catalonias independence in October. They based the declaration on results from a voter referendum that Spanish courts ruled was illegal.

The prime minister also called the election held Thursday. With statistics showing the regions moves toward independence hurting the Catalan economy, Rajoy hoped the vote would sideline the separatist movement.

The pro-Spain Ciutadans (Citizens) collected the most votes of any single party and its biggest electoral triumph since the business-friendly party was founded just over 10 years ago. But its 37 seats arent enough for it to form a regional government on its own.

The parties that favour an independent Catalonia did better than polls had predicted. Along with the 34 seats won by Puigdemonts party, its main separatist rival, the left-wing republican ERC party, collected 32 seats.

ERC leader Oriol Junqueras  Puigdemonts No. 2 in the previous Catalan government  is jailed near Madrid while an investigation into possible sedition and rebellion by the separatist leaders continues. The radical, anti-capitalist CUP won four seats.

The separatist parties history of squabbling wont make it easy for them to put together a Cabinet.

Fernando Vallespin, a professor of political studies at Madrids Autonomous University, said multiple unresolved issues cloud the immediate future of Catalonia, including the legal issues and whether the pro-independence parties can find common ground.

It really is an unknown situation, he said.

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The failure of Sears has ignited a firestorm of concern across Canada, largely based on the cavalier and cruel treatment of employees and pensioners. As a result, more and more people are questioning current pension protection under Canadian law and are recognizing that legislative change is required.

Sears should not be the Canadian Press 2017 Business News Story of the Year because Sears is not unique. Nortel, Wabush Mines, Indalex, Grant Forest products, and many others came before Sears. All left pensioners with reduced pensions and created hardships that put taxpayers on the hook for increases in government social services costs.

Sears stands out because they were far more effective at paying owners billions and executives millions while leaving an underfunded pension behind. Worse still, Sears provides a great roadmap for other companies to follow. Unless the federal government takes action, it is only a matter of time until the next Sears.

Make no mistake. What these companies have done is legal. Companies are focused on maximizing financial returns to the benefit of owners, it is their fiduciary responsibility. No one should be surprised, then, that companies take full advantage of existing legislation to meet their goals.

Governments have known of the weakness in the legislation for years, but have not addressed it. There are solutions, but governments have not adopted any. Had governments made the changes after Nortel, Sears pensioners would not have been left behind, Sears would not have been the Canadian Press 2017 Business News Story of the Year.

Both the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP have introduced private members bills. Journalists, not often on the same side of any issue, and a broad spectrum of media from the right through to the left have published articles, opinion pieces and editorials in support of legislative change to protect pensions.

Despite these broadly held concerns the federal government remains largely silent. Its current position on this issue is woefully inadequate. It has declared that the issue is complicated, and is open to looking at proposals, but so far has taken no substantive action. It appears the government has no solution other than to direct people to taxpayer-funded services.

If we want different results, we need different legislation.

In 2008, the Conservative government enacted the Wage Earners Protection Program, which granted super-priority status to current year normal pension contributions, joining other super-priority obligations including wages and commissions earned and not paid. This was excellent legislation; it just didnt go far enough.

Pensions are deferred wages, money earned but not paid. They should be protected in full.

The Canadian Federation of Pensioners, CARP and many others believe the best solution at this time is to extend super-priority status to the entire pension. The two private members bills introduced are built on this concept.

Super-priority moves pensioners from near the back of the line to near the front. It keeps the financial responsibility for the pension commitment where it belongs, with the commercial interests of the company. Not the taxpayer.

Silence from the federal government signals its acceptance of the status quo. Waiting for the next Sears.

That is unacceptable.

Michael Powell is the incoming president of the Canadian Federation of Pensioners.

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It has been a particularly tough year for human rights, marked by violent turmoil and hate-filled divisiveness around the world.

Canada has made contributions in 2017 to addressing many of those global challenges; but that has not always been backed up with consistent action at home.

The list of countries devastated by conflict grows long. Entrenched crises continued in Syria, Iraq and South Sudan. Widespread ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people erupted in Myanmar, with hundreds of villages razed, untold numbers of people killed, and over 600,000 refugees forced to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The crisis in Yemen deepened; the grim civilian toll exacerbated by a Saudi-led blockade that impedes humanitarian relief. The Palestinian people marked 50 years of human rights abuse under Israeli military occupation. And the lawlessness that has ravaged Libya finally made the front pages with reports of harrowing abuses against refugees and migrants, including slavery.

While countries, including Canada, pursue initiatives to provide aid, protect refugees and address the abuses, effective multilateral action is thwarted by geopolitics. There are no UN arms embargoes against Syria, South Sudan, Yemen or Myanmar; all blocked by threatened Russian or Chinese vetoes.

Particularly troubling this year has been the rise of hate. While racism and bigotry are by no means new phenomena, the extent to which demonization has become part of mainstream politics is chilling. Those targeted are the most marginalized in society, including refugees and migrants, religious and ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ community.

This goes beyond Donald Trumps White House. Vilification is government policy in Hungary, Russia, Turkey and the Philippines, to name a few; and surfaces with every Western European election.

Canada has countered by promoting feminism, inclusion and diversity; a campaign that will need greater profile, new allies and more concrete initiatives over the coming year.

Standing up for universal human rights has become perilous worldwide. Human rights defenders are regularly smeared, attacked, imprisoned and killed. They need Canadas support like never before, including defenders who highlight the impact of Canadian mining companies in their communities.

It has also been a busy year for human rights within Canada.

The rhetoric of embracing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples may finally be backed up by law; with government support for Bill C-262, legislation sponsored by MP Romeo Saganash. Yet a commitment to the declarations principles is clearly lacking when the federal and B.C. governments press ahead with the Site C dam despite First Nations opposition, or the Trudeau government fails to comply with Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders to end discrimination against First Nations children.

The long-awaited National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is proceeding but faces internal challenges and criticism from families and Indigenous leaders. Meanwhile, the government has not advanced measures that are already well-agreed, including more shelters for Indigenous women fleeing violence in remote communities.

Strong Canadian regard for womens human rights is admirable, particularly the new Feminist International Assistance Policy. Also welcome is a new federal strategy on gender-based violence, which now needs a national action plan bringing all levels of government together in tackling this serious human rights concern.

Last year, Canada enjoyed accolades for resettling over 45,000 Syrian refugees and the government continues to champion refugee rights globally. But resettlement numbers diminished substantially in 2017. And a refusal to lift the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States forced refugees fleeing increasingly hostile U.S. policies to make unsafe, irregular journeys across the worlds longest undefended border in order to pursue refugee claims in Canada.

There are other disconcerting inconsistencies in Canadas positions. While contributing to humanitarian relief in Yemen, for instance, the sale of $15 billion worth of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition responsible for war crimes in the Yemen conflict, goes ahead. And while preparing to sign on to the UN Arms Trade Treaty, implementing legislation exempts arms deals with the United States, accounting for over half of all Canadian arms sales.

Looking to 2018, as Canada hosts the G7, ramps up campaigning for a UN Security Council seat in 2020 and readies, with the rest of the world, for the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this must become a brighter year, devoted to shoring up human rights.

Alex Neve is secretary general of Amnesty International Canada and Beatrice Vaugrante is executive director of Amnesty International Canada, francophone branch.

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Inexplicably, it has taken two long years for the Trudeau government to deliver on its election promise to restore lifetime pensions for military people injured in uniform.

But on Wednesday, just days before Christmas, Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus ORegan finally unveiled a more generous and welcome program to do just that.

The package is much better than many veterans had feared. It wont simply take the $360,000 lump-sum payment that injured vets are now entitled to and turn it into monthly payments spread out over a lifetime.

Instead, while injured veterans can still choose the lump sum payment, they can also select a monthly cheque for pain and suffering instead. That can reach a maximum of $1,150 per month, tax free.

Its not as much as injured veterans had hoped for. They wanted lifetime pensions restored to the levels they were at under the old Pension Act. That act was replaced in 2006 by the Harper government with the much-criticized New Veterans Charter.

But other changes under the new pensions for life plan will dramatically improve the lives of more seriously injured vets.

For example, the government has introduced a new tax-free benefit worth between $500 and $2,500 a month, on top of the pain and suffering award for those who have severe or permanent disabilities.

Further, injured veterans who had received the one-time benefit will also be eligible for the new benefit for the seriously injured, which will be retroactive. That could result in substantial one-time payments.

And in another positive change, support for spouses will move from 50 per cent of the existing benefit to 70 per cent.

ORegan said he recognizes there may be some who will still be unhappy with the new plan. I cant say we defused the political issue, he acknowledged. But he guaranteed no one will receive less under the new, streamlined program than they are now.

Indeed, the government says the plan will cost $3.6 billion more.

Further, Veterans Affairs is taking other steps to simplify the system. Six different income programs, for example, will be consolidated into a single financial benefit to make it easier to access services.

All this is positive. Still, there is a perplexing catch. None of the changes will come into effect until April 2019.

Government officials say thats how long it will take to pass legislation on the changes and to secure the additional funding. But considering the plan is not likely to meet any opposition in Parliament that would slow down its passing, it seems possible the delay may simply be aimed at putting off the additional spending for budgetary reasons.

If thats the reason, it doesnt stand up. Injured veterans have been fighting the current lump-sum system since the plan was changed, even launching a court case in their ongoing battle with the government for a lifetime pension. Delaying implementation for a year and a half after that long and intense a battle seems insensitive.

To be fair, the Trudeau government has done a lot to help Canadas 600,000 vets since it took office. It reopened nine veterans affairs offices that had been shuttered under the Conservatives, restored hundreds of millions of dollars to the departments budget, and hired hundreds of workers to improve front-line service. In October, the veterans affairs and defence departments also unveiled a joint plan aimed at preventing more veterans and military personnel from taking their own lives.

All that is to be commended, as are the more generous parts of the governments new streamlined plan for severely injured vets.

But if the Trudeau government truly wants to prove it has veterans backs, it should move more quickly to introduce the program.

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Before the House of Commons broke for the holidays, Navdeep Bains, the federal minister of innovation, gave a telling answer to a simple question. Asked about his governments chief accomplishments, he unwittingly evoked one of its chief failures.

The minister pointed not to a piece of legislation or to a new program, but to a pair of welcome and overdue prime-ministerial apologies  one to LGBTQ people for discriminatory policies of the past and one to survivors of the Newfoundland residential schools. These apologies, he said, set a very important tone for this government.

The prime ministers statements of contrition were important. But more than halfway through his mandate, Justin Trudeau has too often had little to show for himself beyond such tone-setting gestures, sunny though they may be. He has too often failed actually to deliver the laws and programs that would give substance to his words.

The reason Bains did not instead cite any new laws is perhaps that there are so few. As a CBC News analysis demonstrated earlier this month, the Liberals passed just over half as many government bills in their first two years in office as the Harper Conservatives did in the first half of their majority mandate  34 Liberal laws to 61 by the Conservatives. By this standard, the Trudeau Liberals have been among the least productive governments in decades.

Some of the bills Trudeau has managed to usher through Parliament are important, and will make a marked difference in peoples lives, including the expansion of the Canada Pension Plan, the creation of the Canada Child Benefit, and the legalization, in response to a Supreme Court ruling, on medical assistance in dying.

However, in vital areas such as the criminal law and indigenous issues, tax reform and democracy, among others, the prime minister has shown a legislative lethargy that risks souring the hopeful symbolism of his governments early days.

Part of this no doubt comes down to inexperience. Trudeaus first House leader, Dominic LeBlanc, lacked the diplomatic finesse required to rally support around government bills. LeBlancs replacement, Bardish Chagger, a rookie MP, was a confounding choice for a government that could use an experienced leader in Parliament, especially given some of the fraught and complex issues on the agenda.

Part of it, too, as we have argued before, might be the inevitable consequence of a more democratic approach to governing. There is always a tension in government between efficiency and democracy, between how quickly laws and programs can be delivered and how robust the study and debate. The Harper government chose expediency at every turn, railroading bills through Parliament and burying important measures in omnibus bills. Insofar as Trudeau has delivered a more democratic approach, the efficiency of his government has suffered for it.

The prime ministers attempt to remake the Senate as a less partisan body of true sober second thought, for instance, has freed the Upper House to slow the passage of bills, as it did with the assisted dying law and the bill to make O Canada gender neutral. If Conservative senators get their way  and because of Trudeaus Senate reforms they just might  the government will miss its summer 2018 deadline to legalize marijuana. Trudeaus admirable commitment to use fewer omnibus bills and rely less on legislative tricks has paid democratic dividends, but at a cost.

Yet there is also something more troubling at work here. Too often with this government, delays in the name of democracy seem to serve as a smokescreen to avoid tough decisions.

Take just a few of the Liberal campaign promises still undelivered ostensibly because they are in some stage of consultation or review: rolling back the most egregious aspects of the Tories costly and ineffective tough-on-crime laws; closing regressive tax loopholes that benefit the richest few at a great cost to the public purse; addressing the Indigenous child-welfare crisis; overhauling Canada Post. Just this week, after two years of delay, the government finally fulfilled its promise to restore lifetime pensions for injured veterans. Sort of. The policy isnt as generous as many hoped and in any case it wont take effect until 2019.

In each of these areas, voters gave Trudeau a strong mandate to play an activist role. The prime minister has both the evidentiary and the democratic bases to deliver  and he should. His governments emphasis on democratic engagement is most welcome, but how much consultation is needed before it is prepared to deliver on its promises?

Nowhere has the emphasis on process over substance been more egregious than in the cases of electoral reform and the overhaul of our access-to-information law.

Both of these ate up a great deal of public and parliamentary effort, though the first resulted in nothing and the second in something profoundly inadequate. These failures to realize ambitious promises, too, set an important tone.

If, at the end of next year, the Liberal government is still touting a better tone as the prime ministers chief accomplishment, if Trudeau is still signaling commitments without delivering the substance and paying the cost, it will be even harder to take him at his word.

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The idea is to channel anger into charity. Take the great grocery rip-off and turn it into a great food giveaway. Turn the bread price-fixing scandal into a boon for the Daily Bread Food Bank.

What an idea.

After Loblaws turned itself in to authorities for participating in a decade-and-a-half scheme to fix the price of bread, the company announced it would give away $25 gift cards to customers in apology, alongside their promise to never do it again.

People remained angry, understandably. As the Stars editorial board wrote Thursday, The idea that the biggest grocers and bakers in the country would collude to raise the price of one of the most basic food staples is repellent. Especially since such a scheme clearly penalized lower-income people more than others.

Upon hearing of the goodwill gesture by the company  which the Star reported Loblaws vowed would not preclude customers from participating in any class-action lawsuit  some people immediately figured out a way to make the gift cards help lower-income people more than others, too. By donating them.

Get it then give it to a food bank, one person posted on Reddit, starting a thread that immediately generated dozens of responses.

EVERYBODY. ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY IN CANADA. SIGN UP. THEN SEND YOUR CARDS TO THE FOOD BANK, Tweeted author and television host Gail Vaz-Oxlade, a message that was shared thousands of times.

It is an enticing idea, with potentially huge impact if it were widely adopted. There are more than 2 million adults in Toronto potentially eligible to receive the cards. Wed be talking about possibly $50 million worth of cards here.

For perspective, consider that Daily Bread Food Bank  an umbrella organization feeding donations to local food banks across the city  received total revenue from all donations and other funding of just over $14 million in 2016, according to Charity Intelligence Canada. Even if only a fraction of Torontonians donated their $25 gift cards, they could add up to a significant boost for the charity.

Theres some poetic-seeming justice in seeing the spoils of food cheating used to feed the hungry.

First off, Im very grateful, it would be great, said Gail Nyberg, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank.

She said that typically, cash donations are far more useful than gift cards to the charity. I cant put those cards in the gas tank or use them to pay a salary. When buying groceries, Nyberg said, her agency typically gets deeply discounted rates from Loblaws and other suppliers, whereas gift cards are meant for retail transactions.

Still, she said, even under normal circumstances, gift cards are useful donations. If someone needs formula, for instance, and were out, theyre really useful then. Gift cards have really good uses for us and our member agencies. They may also be used, for example, by local food banks who often shop retail to fill out their supplies. So even when they are donated normally, they are not wasted, though Nyberg suggests they are not a perfect replacement for donations of cash or non-perishable food.

Now, if tens of thousands of these cards started rolling in, then the agency might consider how to best put them to use.

Loblaws spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether the company would consider allowing the food banks to redeem the cards for the discounted bulk purchases they typically make from Loblaws, if people donated their cards in massive numbers. The company was also silent on whether they have considered allowing eligible people the option to send the gift card they are entitled to directly to a food bank agency such as Daily Bread.

Our focus is really on customer trust and making sure we can efficiently put money in the hands of individual Canadians. With our card in hand, they would have the choice to feed themselves or those in need of charity, Kevin Groh, Loblaws vice-president of corporate affairs and communication wrote in an email.

Daily Breads Nyberg said if people do want to donate such cards, they should avoid just placing them in donation bins in grocery stores, where they are liable to be lost or stolen. Its like putting cash in the bin. You probably wouldnt want to leave cash in the bin, she says. The mail might be a somewhat safer bet, or if people are organizing to donate together, she suggests large numbers of cards pooled in one envelope and either dropped off at Daily Breads office or sent by courier. If enough cards were pooled in one location, the charity may consider sending a representative to pick them up.

Ive signed up at www.loblawcard.ca, so I can donate my card.

It seems like a fitting gesture for those of us already able to afford our own daily bread  a small windfall in compensation for our past overspending that could be a slightly bigger boost tomorrow to someone in need.

Edward Keenan writes on city issues ekeenan@thestar.ca. Follow: @thekeenanwire

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Lets honour the best people of 2017  oh you know who you are  while admitting that this was not our species best showing, shall we say. It was less of a moral light show than a mudslide, an Alabama sinkhole and other earthen metaphors. And that makes the lovely people listed below even more worthy.

Chrystia Freeland. I have written before about making my morning affirmations realistic. Survival (via Margaret Atwood) is one. That columns not going to write itself is another. My disastrous habit of checking Twitter upon waking leaves me glassy-eyed and unable to read affirmations anyway. But my new one comes from Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland. We are where we are, where history has put us. Tape that to the wall. Each day, Freeland looks outward at a world of serial catastrophe while remaining diplomatic, patient and hopeful. If this doesnt do the trick, I have a secondary Freeland quote: Most people in the world are not as lucky as the least fortunate Canadians. And with that, I am awake, also grateful.

Andy Byford. After sterling work making Toronto transit faster and safer, the TTC chief is leaving us for a city with bigger problems. Byfords subway repairs will be worth every bit of expense and delay through 2018, and we know that. He will preside over the New York City subway system, which is in terrible shape after decades of New York state government neglecting municipal repairs. Provincial Conservatives are making noises about taking over the TTC, and Toronto is an international laughingstock for its $3.35-billion one-stop Scarborough subway. Andy, we forgive you for going along with the Scarborough one-stop. Must you leave?

Andy Byford is stepping down as CEO of the TTC. Byford made the announcement at a press conference at the TTCs Yonge St. headquarters Tuesday, Nov. 21.

Dr. Tracy Rogers. One of Canadas leading forensic anthropologists, she studies what bones and ashes have to say to the living. Having worked on the Pickton serial killings, she remains meticulous, even physically entering the extermination chamber that Dellen Millard bought to incinerate the kidnapped Tim Bosma in 2013. She was searching for grains of a dead human to show in court. When I think of the Bernardo-Homolka serial killings, where a lazy autopsy of Karla Homolkas little sister made the subsequent killings possible, I so value Rogers intelligence and care. It continued in the Millard-Smich trial over the murder and incineration of Laura Babcock.

Emma Hunter and Miguel Rivas. The two hosts of The Beaverton, Canadas national newscast, Wednesday at 10 p.m. on the Comedy Network, are heavenly creatures. Rivas is sane, Hunter not quite. She is proud like Quebec and will have things as she pleases, very much so. Rivas is the rest of Canada, sensible and deeply boring. Best way to spot an Anglo: the armholes on their suits are overly large. She is Bonjour-Hi, he is Bonn Joo-er. When I watch The Beaverton, I am torn between my wants and needs, between Eros and Thanatos, between a wild night and staying home replacing the furnaces probiotic regulator valve. Both are worthy endeavours. Im a little bit Rivas, and a little bit Hunter too.

Carol Off. I would have chosen Off, fine author and one of the CBCs greatest journalists, even if she hadnt ended up on the hitlist of a convicted Ottawa triple-murderer. The lists were discovered in the killers home after he tried to asphyxiate a 101-year-old Second World War veteran. Um, its something that comes with the territory, Off told the CBC, you know, being a public person, so these things happen. Not how I would have reacted. She said she was pleased to be on the killers longlist rather than shortlist, although it wasnt great to come first. Well, Ms. Off, you are on my list of the most fabulous people of 2017, which is the best list of all.

Paul Seesequasis. A Willow Cree writer, cultural activist and journalist, @PaulSeesequasis tweets historic photographs from his research into Indigenous people in Canada  mostly from the 1920s to the 1970s  and how the government and churches took small children from their parents to torment and torture them in residential schools. I follow these daily photos in awe. Every beautiful young face makes me smile, with accompanying inner grief and guilt. Seesequasiss photobook, Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun, will be published next year by Knopf.

Daniel Dale. Of all the people most entitled to spend the year screaming, Dale is the one. Im assuming he expected a stately respite in Washington after covering the late Toronto Mayor Rob Fords drunken stupors, but he went from a story of local squalor to the collapse of the American empire. Dale is a voice of sanity, meticulously listing Trumps lies, providing a sort of database/medical file for voters. Dale, who wins my vote for the second year in a row, is best at putting American flesh on the Hateful Geezers n Gals state of mind. Its a magic talent as they dont open up to a whole lot of people. I follow Dale on Twitter, but he doesnt follow me, I assume because I just re-tweet everything he writes, and he finds it tedious.

Go to www.thestar.com/trumpcheck for weekly updates on Daniel Dale's false claims list.

Hadiya Roderique. This lawyer and writer is a revelation. Her story in the Globe about how hard it is for a woman of colour to make a career among the whites of Bay St. was an intellectual triumph. Born to Caribbean immigrants, Roderique did her best to fit in. She went to U of T Law, dressed in conservative suitage, put on a cardboard face and personage, worked vicious hours and gave it all she had. But rich white lawyers can be as cruel as the kindergarten teacher who doubted Roderique could read. Roderique left the profession. What makes her story revelatory is her talent for fine persuasive Baldwin-esque prose. Many write about hurt; few write this well.

Heidi Rathjen and Nathalie Provost. Why do these women have to keep fighting to remind Canadians of the anniversary of the Dec. 6, 1989 massacre at Montreals Ecole Polytechnique? On that day, 14 women died and 24 were wounded by a man who hated feminists. News flash: hateful men with guns still target women. Ottawa has since made tiny repairs to Stephen Harpers gun-loving laws, but as Rathjen says, theyve still made no real progress on Liberal campaign promises. As the U.S. gets more violent and misogynistic, the hate will head north. I am thankful for Polytechnique survivors Rathjen and Provost (and the Coalition for Gun Control) fighting back. Recently, they and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were forced to deplore a gun rally scheduled for the Montreal park where the dead women are honoured.

Part II will appear later, fine readers. Im checking my list, twice.

hmallick@thestar.ca

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Communications technologies have always been prone to overstatement. The creation of semaphore during the French Revolution  those flag signals you once got boy scout badges for  was going to unleash humanitys full potential for freedom! Right.

The first Kings Christmas Speech on radio in 1932 (by George V, the one before Colin Firth) was hailed as: King George Greets Whole Empire by Radio. Distant Lands Thrill to His God Bless You. It was, in other words, a new instrument of imperial domination. Canada wasnt immune. In 1935 CBC radio hit the apogee of broadcasting by forging a choral chain from Halifax to Vancouver to sing successive verses of Good King Wenceslas.

The sheer thrill of the tech often masked its darker elements. But the age of mass media, such as radio, TV and newspapers, which were still exiting, also allowed unprecedented manipulation, and not just by Nazis. The few who ran or owned those media enjoyed one-way messaging to the masses, who had no real way to resist or reply. Those on top were the gatekeepers of information and attitudes, but few even noticed there were gates being opened and closed. It fell to marginalized critics like Noam Chomsky to make the point.

In this sinister light, the internet arrived as an incredible bounty. Why? It gave the masses a way to answer back, instantly, beyond puny letters to the editor. It was many-to-many communication, not just few-to-many. It would, thereby, crack the power of those infernal media gatekeepers! It would be free ranging, wide open to all opinions, not just established ones. It was, in the normal way, overpraised as, for instance, the greatest invention since fire!

But the internet also has dark sides: fake news (in a crasser way than Chomskys propaganda), bullying, even the loss of identifiable villains, like those mass media gatekeepers. It was comforting to know who was out to manipulate you, especially if theyre obvious black hats like Rupert Murdoch.

Net neutrality has become the banner waved by those trying to save the unique virtues of the internet and its heart is in the right place. The dodgy characters on the internet were always the internet service providers (ISPs). They were once smallish  my first was Astral, or Magic, I forget.

But theyre now mainly huge telcos  Rogers, Bell etc.  and theyre the new gatekeepers. They can choke off or expedite traffic and sources  as Russia and China do  in the name of the common good, which they alone determine. All that diversity and wildwestiness can vaporize as it passes through the gate that is your mild-mannered ISP. Its where censorship can occur, as it did in mass media. There wasnt much that could be done then, aside from some naming and shaming.

In a vote along party lines, the federal government lifted sweeping net-neutrality rules that guaranteed equal access to the internet. Chris Lewis, of Public Knowledge which supports open internet, says the net neutrality fight isn't over. (The Associated Press)

Net neutrality aims higher: to legally forbid ISP gatekeeping, though not the gatekeepers. Let them make billions, but keep our internet open to all. This policy is what the U.S. recently abandoned, and Canada promises to maintain.

So whats not to like in net neut? Unfortunately, theres more gatekeeping on the internet than just by ISPs. Net neutrality is overstated as a battle cry because it doesnt deal with, say, the controlling, monopolistic role of the (adorably named) FANGs: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google.

Theyre probably scarier than the ISPs. With their algorithms they decide the news you get, from which sources  and most news now reaches people via social media. (If youre ever puzzled about why you suddenly got flooded by Star Wars stories, like 26 Things You Didnt Know About Darth Vader ) This outranks, IMO, angst about choking and throttling by ISPs.

FANGs are also the ones collecting your personal data and preferences, preparing a universe more pervaded and controlled than anything Orwell foresaw. Net neutrality doesnt attempt to address their power, or in a way, power itself as it exists in its rawest forms, on the net.

Its almost as if net neutrality is a rhetorical device to reassure us that all will be fine if we do this one thing, and thus take our eye off the (wrecking) ball of the FANGs and other terrifyingly mighty, so far unrestricted forces.

The indefatigable internet crusader, Michael Geist, says it at least signals a clear commitment to placing consumers and creators in the internet drivers seat. But is a signal enough? To me it sounds a bit like comfort food.

Rick Salutin appears on Friday.

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Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
Ryder System, Inc. operates as a logistics and transportation company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS). The FMS segment offers full service leasing and leasing with flexible maintenance options, as well as maintenance services, supplies, and related equipment for operation of the vehicles; commercial vehicle rental services; and contract or transactional maintenance services of trucks, tractors, and trailers, as well as fleet support services. This segment also provides access to diesel fuel; offers fuel planning and tax reporting, cards, and monitoring services, and centralized billing; and sells used vehicles through its 63 retail sales centers and www.ryder.com/used-trucks website. The DTS segment offers equipment, maintenance, drivers, administrative, and additional services, as well as routing and scheduling, fleet sizing, safety, regulatory compliance, risk management, and technology and communication systems support services. The SCS segment comprises distribution management services, such as designing and managing customer's distribution network and facilities; coordinating warehousing and transportation for inbound and outbound material flows; handling import and export for international shipments; coordinating just-in-time replenishment of component parts to manufacturing and final assembly; and offering shipments to customer distribution centers or end customer delivery points, as well as other value added services, such as light assembly of components. This segment also offers transportation management services, such as shipment optimization, load scheduling, and delivery confirmation services; knowledge-based professional services; and e-commerce and last mile services. Ryder System, Inc. was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
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I've just completed a trip to Brisbane and back, so thought I'd give an update on the Pacific Highway roadworks for anyone heading that way this holiday season.

Getting out of Sydney is still a dog's breakfast. You can choose either the Pacific Highway goat track to Hornsby or Pennant Hills Road. All the trucks use Pennant Hills Road from the M2, so I suspect it must be slightly quicker/easier. I understand the tunnel for this "missing link" between the M2 and M1 is a happening thing. About time.

From the beginning of the M1 at Hornsby all the way to Coffs Harbour - except for the minor aggravations of Hexham roundabout and Heatherbrae near Newcastle - it's a dream. Anyone holidaying south of Coffs from Sydney will have an easy drive.

I heard on the ABC Central Coast news that a bypass around Coffs is expected to cost $1billion. So it won't ever happen. :)

From north of Coffs to a bit south of Grafton it's also wonderful.

Grafton to Ballina is woeful and this will be the new bottleneck now that Kempsey and Macksville are fixed. Road crews have tidied the road up for the hols, but there are extensive sections of 80kph and no overtaking lanes except at Tabbimoble/New Italy.

The RTA has started work on the Woolgoolga to Ballina motorway to replace this section. I think it'll be a three year job, but the new motorway construction has very little impact on most of the existing rubbish highway as it's well eastward through the edge of Yuraygir National Park. The new bridge at Maclean is going to be humongous.

Beyond Ballina, all the way to Brisbane, is also excellent. Just too much traffic between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, as always.

All-in-all, it's much better than last year. Bad luck if you need to do the bit from Grafton to Ballina. Abandon hope all ye who must drive through here.

Merry Christmas, All. :))
Roatan for snorkelling. We went there twice for that. Not the mainland Honduras, if you r concerned about safety.

Comparatively, CR is not the best destination for snorkelling. Waves / surfing beaches, rip tides.

You are not advised to leave your belongings on the beach in CR. You will need to take turns swimming.

We enjoyed staying on Contadora Island in Panama for snorkelling, though it was yrs ago. But we found snorkelling from Playa Blanca / Decameron's beach on mainland Panama (AI Pkgs from Canada) disappointing + frequently closed for ocean swimming due to presence of hiding stingrays in shallow water right by the resorts. (I never found out if it was a lionfish or a stingray whose huge barb I had to pull out from my foot, and the beach was green flagged then.)

In addition, you may want to research certain Bocas Del Toro archipelagos Islands in Panama for snorkelling and the weather there in April. The Panama forum has a subforum for it.

With 12 days, you might be able to do San Jose, Arenal (volcano, waterfalls), S. Caribbean of CR - e.g., Cahuita NP, Puerto Viejo, Punta Uva, Manzanillo (jungles, wildlife, beaches), fast detour for a few days across the border to Bocas. Lots of companies offer it. See

https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/transportation-from-puerto-viejo-to-bocas-del-toro.php for CR - Bocas transfer info. You will need to have 1-2 nights at the end on the way back, as it is far from SJO and especially from Bocas, if you fly domestic vs a long land transfer back yo SJO, you would likely need a night in between anyway not to miss your return flight to Canada. Again, research the weather in Bocas in April. If you can do longer than 12 days, you will be less rushed.
Why not stay on the Caribbean side, incl. Cahuita? (July is rainier there than August.)

Unlike the previous poster who often finds it acceptable to criticize and disrespect the others' opinions, I think it is more useful to actually respond to the original Wn, share travel experiences and let the poster of the Qn decide, possibly promoting more research. In S. Caribbean, where we returned twice, we saw beautiful beaches, lots of wildlife, and found the area less touristy, more natural. Manuel Antonio/Quepos area left us with no desire to go back, as we found it touristy, crowded, though there was wildlife inside the relatively small MA park and around the place we stayed at, and the main road not walking friendly, you need to rely on taxis or a public bus for any distance, incl. in between The MA park and the town of Quepos or any point in between. It is the area, not the resort observation. It is located easier to reach from popular destinations like Jaco, as well as from the airports, so it is popular. All travellers seek different things. Touristy, developed, and possibly crowded due to its location appeal to some. There are various ways to get places in CR. We like using shared shuttles like Interbus, found them reliable and comfortable. They were all vans for 9-10 ppl, and often had a lot of empty seats. You orebook them, they deliver you hotel yo hotel.

From Cahuita to Arenal it took us over 6 hrs, very reasonable price for such a long distance, about US$52 per adult, but children pay less. From SJO to Cahuita - the same. See https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/transport-to-puerto-viejo.php for transportation options to and from S. Caribbean.

For 3+ trips with Interbus, if you call them vs booking on line, you might be able to get a 20% discount on the total amount.
"I just accept the power lines as part of the scenery."

Yeah, me too.

If I can crop them out without impacting the photo, then I will.

Otherwise, they stay.

They also make you wonder how the hell they got the cables where they are.

Power lines in HCMC and Hanoi, however, well, that just never wrecks a photo. :-)

Scott
Hi all

I have a question regarding timing of flights. Having not been to Vietnam before I would really appreciate hearing from other travellers who have a better idea of how things work on the ground there.

Vietjet have a flight departing Hue at 12:00 arriving in Ho Chi Minh at 1.20pm. Would this allow enough time to catch an international flight departing at 4.10pm?

Different carriers and of course different terminals.

There are other flights after that time with various airlines but this would be first choice.

Apart from choosing a later flight from Ho Chi Minh, another alternative is driving from Hue to Da Nang the morning of the flight where we can catch an Air Asia flight direct to Kuala Lumpur. The first of these leaves at 12.35pm. Any idea what time we would have to leave Hue to check in for that flight?

I know the unwritten rule is to stay in the city of departure the night before flying but don't want to stay in HCM a second time during our trip if it can be avoided. Any thoughts?
Yes, add a day to Kyoto from Tokyo as there is so much to see, including a day trip to Nara. I would also be tempted to do Osaka as a day trip too, rather than changing hotels. It is only 30 minutes by train.

I would also make sure that you have two full days in Hiroshima, one to visit Miyajima and another to explore Hiroshima----Peace Memorial Park, Museum, Shukkiein Gardens, the castle.

No point in taking the cable car to Mount Misen if it is a cloudy day as you can see nothing. Once you reach the cable car station at the top it is still a 30 minute hike to the top. When we went in September it was cloudy so after exploring the village we caught the train another 20 minutes to Iwakuni to see the famous bridge, castle and gardens which are all in the same area. Next morning we returned, took the cable car up and hiked down (oh, my legs!!!).

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6175.html

Another very interesting thing to do, if you have the time is to take the train to Saijo and tour the sake breweries. All seven are within a few minutes walk from the station and offer samples. I had 14 tastes and fell asleep on the return train journey.

http://saijosake.com/
Hi all! My husband and I are lucky enough to visit New York and will be arriving on Christmas Day at 14.40. I would be grateful for some help with our travel to our hotel via subway that day.

I'm not sure which is the best subway station to aim for for our hotel (Hyatt Place Long Island City). The E line will get me to queensborough station. But it seems that Court square is closer? Which station should I aim for?

And also, a bit nervous travelling on Christmas Day as I'm not sure if there'll be limited services? And how far in advance can I find out about any changes in services to the subway lines?

Many thanks for your help!
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-Uhuru was nominated for the political leadership award alongside outgoing Liberia President Hellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Madagascar leader Marc Ravalomanana.

-Rwanda President Paul Kagame and his Tanzanian counterpart John Magufuli are also in the race for various awards

-Winners in the various categories would be announced in January 2018 but would be feted in February.

National Super Alliance (NASA) supporters have been told not to vote for President Uhuru Kenyatta after he was nominated for an African Leadership Award.

Controversial political analyst who has a bias for Jubilee, Mutahi Ngunyi, urged Kenyans to vote for Uhuru but NASA supporters are not allowed.

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According to Ngunyi in a Twitter post seen by TUKO.co.ke, Uhuru deserves to back the award because he remained strong through the tough electioneering period without breaking down.

President Uhuru Kenyatta who has been nominated for the African Leadership Award. Photo: PSCU

READ ALSO: Uhuru, Magufuli nominated for leadership awards

"President @UKenyatta NOMINATED for Africa Leadership AWARD for GUIDING us through TWO elections without SNAPPING. He DESERVES the AWARD. I voted. Please VOTE using the LINK below. NASA not allowed to VOTE!" he said.

READ ALSO: KNEC allegedly forced teachers to sit for the 2017 KCSE papers before marking and some failed

The opposition does not recognise Uhuru as a legitimate president reason why Ngunyi told NASA supporters not to vote for him.

Uhuru will battle it out with outgoing Liberia President Hellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Madagascar leader Marc Ravalomanana for the political leadership award as reported earlier by TUKO.co.ke.

READ ALSO: We are not accepting, we are not moving on without electoral justice - NASA insists

The 2017 awards features seven categories among them African of the Year, African Female leader of the Year 2017 and Young Person of the Year.

Kasarani half empty for Jamhuri Day celebrations - on TUKO TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Gideon Moi has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters by the Kabarak University during its 13th graduation ceremony by the university chancellor

- He will acts as deputy to the chancellor and as practical chairman of the university council

- The Senator will also assist the chancellor in conferring Bachelor's degrees, diplomas and certificates

Baringo Senator Gideon Moi was on Friday, December 22 officially inaugurated as Kabarak University Pro-chancellor by the University Chancellor, retired President Daniel Moi.

The senator was honoured during the university's 13th graduation for his exemplary service to humanity during his time in government and in his political career that began in 2002.

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READ ALSO: 20 most common names used by men to save their Mpango wa Kando's contact

Gideon Moi officially inaugurated as Kabarak University Pro-chancellor. Photo: KTN Kenya/Facebook

READ ALSO: If you want to die, go ahead because no one has stopped you - Mutahi Ngunyi tells Raila

According to a report by KTN Kenya, Gideon Moi was also conferred with the Award of Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters where he will act as a deputy to the chancellor and as practical chairman of the university council.

"The Kabarak University Charter gives power to the university to conferee an honorary degree upon a person who ascribes to the values of the University and has rendered distinguish service in the advancement of any branch of learning or service to humanity." read a statement issued by the university chancellor

He will also be required to promote the holistic growth of the university.

READ ALSO: Uhuru, Raila rivalry threatens to tear apart Luo council of elders

Gideon Moi ventured into politics 15 years ago where as an MP, he was selected as a Member of Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy, Communication and Public Works.

He was recognised for being a key player in promoting peace among the conflicting communities in Baringo and his belief in the power of assisting the less-fortunate.

ALSO WATCH: Swearing in of Raila Odinga is a huge mistake, the Attorney General warns

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Luo Council of Elders has asked the government to stop interfering with People's Assembly's plans to swear-in Raila Odinga as people's president

- The council also urged the NASA chief principal ,Raila Odinga to steer forward with his swearing-in despite opposition from the Jubilee government

Luo Council of elders has asked NASA chief principal Raila Odinga to steer on with his swearing-in despite opposition from the Jubilee government.

Led by its Chairman,Willis Otondi,the elders asked Raila not to be scared or drop his bid to be sworn in as the people's president.

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The Luo elders,however,could not wrap up their statement without asking the government to leave Raila Odinga alone.

READ ALSO: Uhuru is also our president - Luo elders

Luo council of elders demand for Raila to be sworn in. Photo: Nation

READ ALSO: Jubilee MP brings village to standstill with huge party for daughter who scored A- in KCSE 2017

The council held that the government should stop interfering with the People Assembly's plans to swear-in Raila Odinga since he is the people's choice.

That's not all,the Luo Council of Elders also demanded that the people's parliament be merged into the national governance system.

The elders also took the opportunity to condemn a small group of Luo elders,led by Nyandiko Ongadi,accusing it of betraying the Luo community by pledging allegiance to Uhuru Kenyatta.

READ ALSO: Top 25 schools in the 2017 KCSE

Luo council of elders demand for Raila to be sworn in. Photo: Raila Odinga/Twitter

READ ALSO: Uhuru Kenyatta proves yet again just how cool a grandfather he is and its awesome

This,the elders said on Friday ,December 22 2017,during a meeting at the Ofafa Memorial hall in Kisumu.

The Luo Council of Elders' statement came barely days after a cross section of Luo elders from Nyanza region defended Uhuru's presidency.

As reported by TUKO.co.ke earlier, Nyandiko had urged members from the Luo community to recognize President Kenyatta as their elected president so that they can benefit from government appointments,among other 'favours'.

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Kasarani half empty for Jamhuri Day celebrations:

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Extradition proceedings are free to begin in the case of former FIFA vice President, businessman and politician, Jack Warner.

Five law lords of the Privy Council delivered a unanimous judgement this morning.
Russian-backed militants launched 16 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 16 times over the past day. As a result of the enemy shelling, one Ukrainian soldier was killed, two servicemen were injured, the statement reads.

In Luhansk direction, illegal armed formations used mortars of various calibers and grenade launchers to fire at Ukrainian positions near Krymske (42.5km north-west of Luhansk) and Svitlodarsk (55km north-west of Donetsk).

In Donetsk direction, Russian-backed militants launched attacks on Ukrainian strongholds outside Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk), using 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and machine guns. The illegal armed formations also shelled Ukrainian positions near Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk), Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk) and Vodiane (16km north-west of Donetsk), using mortars and infantry weapons.

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British investigative search network Bellingcat has published an interactive map of shelling attacks on the eastern part of Ukraine, which was conducted by Russia and Russian-controlled armed groups in the summer of 2014.

The map was published by Bellingcat investigators on their website.

"Using open source evidence, this report attempts to document the full scale of the Russian artillery attacks against Ukraine in summer 2014," the investigators said.

Border regions were analyzed during the work on the study, the search for attack sites or firing positions was done, and 2,254 potential relevant sites were identified and considered within the search area.

Investigators surveyed the area inside Ukraine within 22 km of the Ukrainian-Russian border in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Inside Russia, the entire area of the Rostov region adjacent to the search area in Ukraine was surveyed.

Bellingcat notes that due to the frequency, spatial distribution, and scale of the artillery attacks described and shown on the map, it is impossible to consider these attacks merely as accidents or as the actions of rogue units.

"These attacks can only therefore be considered as acts of war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine," Bellingcat said.

The investigators concluded that in the summer of 2014, artillery units of the Russian Armed Forces had shelled Ukrainian territory at least 149 times.

op
NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine in January-November 2017 bought 20.9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, which is 2.0 bcm more compared with the same period last year, the companys press service reported.

In January-November 2017, Naftogaz purchased 20.9 bcm of gas, which is 2.0 bcm more than in the same period last year. In 2017, as well as in 2016, no gas was imported to Ukraine from Russia. All supplies were sourced from European suppliers, reads a report.

The share of imports totaled 39%, with 61% procured from PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya.

In particular, in January-November 2017, Naftogaz imported 8.2 bcm of gas, which is 1.2 bcm (17%) more compared with the same period last year. This year, Naftogaz has been purchasing gas from 12 European suppliers. None of those suppliers accounted for more than 30% of total gas imports.

In general, the largest volume of natural gas in 2017 was imported to Ukraine from Slovakia - 9.2 bcm (7.8 bcm - in 2016), Hungary - 2.7 bcm (0.8 bcm in 2016), and Poland - 1.2 bcm (0.8 bcm - in 2016).

Also, in January-November 2017, Naftogaz purchased 12.7 bcm from Ukrgazvydobuvannya (11.9 bcm of gas - in January-November 2016). Naftogaz buys all commercial gas from Ukrgazvydobuvannya (except for the volumes of production and technological costs and those used to meet own needs related to production, preparations for transportation and transportation of gas, as well as for the production of liquefied natural gas and stable gasoline.

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Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said that Ukraine will open new Consulate General in the city of Edmonton (Canada) in 2018.

He stated this at a joint press conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland in Kyiv on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

We need to develop our presence in Canada. Today we have talked about the possibility of opening our joint consulate general in Edmonton next year. We are working on this issue, competitions have been already announced and logistics has been defined, the minister said.

In addition, Klimkin noted that he discussed with Freeland the opening of a direct flight between the countries.

iy
The German Government continues to support Ukraine on its path of reforms and fight against corruption.

Spokesperson of the German Government Ulrike Demmer stated this at a government briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported from Germany.

"The German Government continues to support Ukraine," Demmer assured.

The efforts made by the Ukrainian Government to implement reforms, especially taking into account the difficult situation in the east of the country, are really impressive, she said. The spokesperson underlined the progress made in health care and decentralization reforms.

At the same time, Berlin is closely monitoring the situation around bodies and officials engaged in the anti-corruption tasks. She reminds that independent persons are needed for a successful fight against corruption, and limitation of their work is a "wrong signal".

ish
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is aware of the arrest of Stanislav Yezhov, an interpreter of the Cabinet of Ministers, who worked with her last summer at a personal meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, according to British newspaper The Telegraph.

"I'm aware of the reports in relation to the Ukrainian individual who attended Downing Street earlier in the summer," she said.

May also added that "the action that's been taken is a matter for the Ukrainian authorities."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in turn, said that the incident highlighted the need to ensure the Ukraine "isn't captured by the wrong influences."

"I think possibly what this episode shows is that with the real difficulties and risks that the Ukrainian Government is running they need a lot of encouragement and a lot of support," he said.

According to the report, Yezhov was seen in photographs interpreting for Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman at a meeting with Joe Biden, then U.S. vice president, in 2016.

As Ukrinform reported, SBU counterintelligence officers exposed the government official for activities in the interests of the aggressor state's special services.

Law enforcers found that the official had been recruited by Russian intelligence agencies during a long-term foreign trip. SBU operatives documented that the official followed the instructions of Russian supervisors and collected information about the activities of government agencies, using special equipment. The collected data was transferred to supervisors via electronic communication channels.

SBU officers, with the assistance of the government, detained Yezhov at his workplace.

Criminal proceedings were opened under Part 1, Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Preliminary procedural measures are underway, in particular, searches at the place of work and residence of the official.

Deputy Head of the SBU's Main Investigation Department Vitaliy Mayakov reported on Youtube that the recruited official collected official information of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, in particular, on foreign travel and negotiations of the Ukrainian prime minister, which was then transferred to representatives of the Russian special service, using e-mail.

A member of the board of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, MP Anton Gerashchenko, said that the employee of the Cabinet of Ministers had worked for Russian security services for at least two years.

On December 22, Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv will begin to consider the issue of choosing a measure of restraint for Yezhov.

op
The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) welcomes the European Unions decision to extend sectoral economic sanctions against the Russian Federation for additional six months until 31 July 2018.

The Ukrainian World Congress calls upon the international community to remain firm and united in maintaining the targeted sanctions against the Russian Federation, thereby demonstrating that violations of fundamental values such as the territorial integrity of independent states will not be tolerated, UWC President Eugene Czolij stated.

The UWC actively promoted the extension of sanctions against the Russian Federation until it fully complies with the Minsk agreements and de-occupies Crimea.

Economic sanctions targeting the financial, energy and defense sectors were imposed against the Russian Federation on July 31, 2014 in response to its violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Eighty-five civilians, including an OSCE representative, have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since the beginning of 2017, according to the latest data from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission

OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said this at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"I would like to take this opportunity to reflect also on the victims of the conflict. This year so far, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission has confirmed the death of 85 people and the injury of 384. Among them was a colleague of ours, Joseph Stone, killed by what probably was an anti-tank mine near Pryshyb on April 23," Hug said.

According to him, while the conflict raged in eastern Ukraine in 2017, observers see the willingness and ability to make things better to improve the lives of the civilian population.

"It is possible that the people of eastern Ukraine have a happy and peaceful New Year. And it is this, a happy and peaceful New Year, that I, on behalf of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, sincerely wish to all people of Ukraine," Hug said.

op
GENEVA/KYIV, 21 December 2017  Eastern Ukraine is now one of the most mine-contaminated places on earth, endangering 220,000 children who live, play and go to and from school in areas littered with landmines, unexploded ordnance and other deadly explosive remnants of war, UNICEF warned today.

It is unacceptable that places where children could safely play less than four years ago are now riddled with deadly explosives, said UNICEF Ukraine Representative Giovanna Barberis. All parties to the conflict must immediately end the use of these gruesome weapons that have contaminated communities and put children in constant danger of injury and death.

Available data from January to November this year show on average one conflict-related child casualty a week along eastern Ukraines contact line  a 500 kilometre strip of land that divides government and non-government controlled areas and where fighting is most severe. Landmines, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) were the leading cause of these child casualties, accounting for approximately two-thirds of all recorded injuries and deaths during the period. Leaving many children with lifelong disabilities.

In most cases, the child casualties occurred when children picked up explosives such as hand grenades and fuses. One child, a 14-year-old boy named Aleksey, recently told UNICEF, I picked it up and I think I pressed something, and it just exploded. There was a lot of blood and the fingers were hanging. I was so scared that I started shaking. I almost collapsed.

Landmines and other explosive weapons also put vital infrastructure such as water, electricity and gas facilities at risk. Earlier this month, a UXO was found at the Donetsk Filter Station which provides water to nearly 350,000 people. Demining groups have been called to the filter station 13 times this year.

UNICEF and partners have reached more than half a million children in eastern Ukraine with Mine Risk Education sessions since 2015. These sessions teach children how to protect themselves from mines, UXO and ERW. UNICEF has also provided psychosocial support to 270,000 children affected by the ongoing conflict.

In 2017, only 46 per cent of UNICEFs emergency appeal to support children and their families in eastern Ukraine was funded. Child protection activities including mine risk education and providing psychosocial support for children had an even larger funding gap of 73 per cent.

UNICEF is calling for all sides of the conflict to recommit to the ceasefire signed in Minsk and allow mine clearance activities and recovery efforts to begin.

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Notes for editors:

Access broadcast quality photos and video of children affected by conflict in eastern Ukraine here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM4080ZGVFH
[Editors note: After one year as Japans top diplomat in Cambodia, Ambassador Hidehisa Horinouchi oversaw Japans mission in democracy promotion in Cambodia through funding and technically supporting the National Election Committee amid a political period of upheaval. This week, VOA Khmers Aun Chhengpor interviewed Horinouchi by email, discussing Tokyos ties with Phnom Penh and Japans perception of the political developments in Cambodia.]

VOA: How does Japan view its relations and role in Cambodia since the signing of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement?

Horinouchi: The relationship between Japan and Cambodia has been developing in various fields since 1991. Upon longtime friendship between these two countries, in 2013, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Hun Sen decided to upgrade the bilateral relations to a strategic partnership and also to coordinate and cooperate more closely on regional and international issues. Under this partnership, Japan and Cambodia have been strengthening the cooperation in many areas such as electoral reform, infrastructure building including roads, bridges, and ports, the removal of landmines and unexploded bombs, and encouraging of investment. We hope that the start of direct flights linking Japan and Cambodia last September and upcoming establishment of a consular office in Siem Reap in January will reinforce the economic relations and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Cambodia has been achieving significant economic growth in recent years and became a middle-income country last year. We are of the view that this progress is attributed to Cambodias effort to proceed with the development of the country in an open manner to the international community under the democratic regime.

VOA: Cambodia has recently grown closer to China. What are Japans views about Sino-Cambodian relations?

Horinouchi: We are not in a position to make any comments on the relationship between Cambodia and other countries. We hope that each assistance from every donor will contribute to the development of Cambodia. Japans official development assistance has covered a lot of development issues here in Cambodia including water supply, maternal and child health, education, transportation, agriculture, landmine clearance, improvement of investment environment, enhancement of quality in the legal system including electoral reform and human resource development in various sectors. Japan has contributed to strengthening the socio-economic foundation while making use of Japanese experience and technology through collaboration with various development actors. This is the distinctive feature of Japans cooperation. Cambodia has achieved steady economic growth at an annual rate of 7 percent on average and drastic poverty reduction over the past 20 years. We are proud that Japan has played a role in these achievements. On the other hand, Cambodia faces new challenges such as the intensification of urbanization problems in Phnom Penh and the disparity between urban and rural areas. Japan continues to implement development cooperation in line with the development policy of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

VOA: Regarding the recent political crackdown in Cambodia, including the outlawing of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, many have expressed their skepticism on the status of democracy and credibility of the next year elections. What is Japans perception of the current status of democracy in Cambodia?

Horinouchi: We are concerned that it has led to the dissolution of the opposition party which gained support from a number of Cambodian people in the previous election. We have been conveying our concerns to the Royal Government of Cambodia. After the arrest and detention of the leader of the opposition party in September, Iwao Horii, parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs of Japan, visited Cambodia in October. Vice Minister Horii expressed his concerns about the escalation of tension in the recent political situation of Cambodia and urged the settle the issue by the efforts of Cambodian people themselves. In the meeting with Prak Sokhonn, foreign minister, State Minister Nakane expressed concern over the dissolution of the opposition, which received support from many Cambodian citizens at the previous election, and urged the Government of Cambodia to assure that next years election will be conducted in a way that appropriately reflects the will of the people. It is important for all stakeholders, including the ruling and opposition parties, to make efforts to hold next years national election in a way that will reflect the will of Cambodian people. Japan will monitor the development of the situation closely with strong interest and will give necessary encouragement to the stakeholders.

VOA: Following the CNRPs dissolution, development partners like the European Union and the United States decided to withdraw support for electoral reforms. As a donor to the electoral reform process, what are Japans motivations to keep supporting the National Election Committee?

Horinouchi: In the Commune Election held in June, Japans assistance for the improvement of the operation of voter registration and vote counting contributed to the enhancement of the credibility of the electoral process. It is of utmost importance to have next years national election reflect the will of Cambodian people. Japan will monitor the development of the situation closely with strong interest. We will keep a dialogue with Royal Government of Cambodia and will continue to provide electoral reform assistance. Japan, as one of the countries which have cooperated to the peace building and nation building of Cambodia, truly hopes that the Cambodian people themselves pave the best way for their own future and development.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Pro-independence parties have won an absolute majority in elections in the Spanish region of Catalonia, dealing a blow to the Spanish government. The election was called after Madrid sacked the Catalan government and arrested many independence leaders following a disputed referendum in October. The exiled former president of Catalonia has pledged to return to Barcelona, as Henry Ridgwell reports.
Three top U.S. officials visited U.S. troops Thursday to express appreciation for their service and sacrifice ahead of the upcoming holidays. U.S. President Donald Trump visited wounded soldiers at Walter Reed hospital just outside Washington, while Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Kabul to greet U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis paid a visit to the troops in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. VOA's Zlatica Hoke has this story.
The Trump administration has given the green light to what some say is the largest U.S. commercial sale of defensive weapons to Ukraine since 2014. The State Department said this week it has approved a commercial license authorizing the export of small arms weapons valued at roughly $41.5 million. VOA recently visited one U.S. company in Texas that has been selling lethal weapons to Ukraine since last year.
Britain says it has designated two militant groups targeting Egyptian security personnel and public figures as terrorist organizations.

The British Embassy in Egypt says in a statement Friday that Britain has added the Hasm movement and Liwaa el-Thawra group to its list of terrorist organizations after reviewing attacks claimed by both groups and finding they meet the criteria.

It also said the move will boost its capacity to disrupt the activities of these terrorist organizations.

Both groups have targeted mainly Egyptian security forces in bombings and drive-by shootings. Egyptian authorities believe they are splinter factions of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Militant attacks have increased dramatically in Egypt since the military's 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood figure.
Cameroon has denied allegations that its soldiers crossed into Nigeria without permission and attacked villages said to be hosting and training armed separatist groups.

The media has reported that at least one incursion has been confirmed by the Nigerian government and military officials. However, Cameroon says that since President Paul Biya declared war on armed separatists about a month ago, it has attacked only border villages in Cameroon where the groups were hiding.

"The terrorists had taken advantage of the dense forests at the border with Nigeria to set up secret training camps from which they organized raids against our defense forces," said Cameroon's communication minister and government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma. "Following the dismantling operation thus carried out, the hideout of these murderers were literally destroyed and the villages previously taken hostage were liberated."

Two weeks ago, Cameroon said the armed separatists advocating independence for the English-speaking northwest and southwest portions of the country were being trained in Nigeria. Lawan Abba Gashagar, Nigeria's high commissioner to Cameroon and special envoy of president Muhammadu Buhari, visited Cameroon's president and said they would collaborate in fighting the terrorists.

This week, Reuters and Nigerian local newspapers reported that Cameroon troops had crossed into Nigeria in pursuit of the armed separatists without seeking authorization from Nigeria, causing a fallout between the two governments.

Cameroon says it attacked separatist training camps in three of its border villages around Mamfe and Eyumojock.

Ojong Anslem, a resident of Eyumojock, says the separatists are still gaining a lot of support from the borders.

"What is now on the streets in the northwest and southwest is secession," Anslem said.

The UNHCR says the violence has pushed thousands of Cameroonians across the border to Nigeria since October 1, the day the separatists said they had declared their independence and their humanitarian needs were growing.
An expansive anti-corruption drive led by Chinas President Xi Jinping has seen more than 1.5 million officials investigated and the toppling of several high-ranking leaders as well. But despite the mind-boggling figures, corruption remains, as Xi puts it, "the biggest threat to the party."

While authorities state that the drive has already reached "overwhelming momentum," a pace that will continue in 2018, some analysts say it still hasnt gone far enough.

Ren Jianming, one of Chinas leading experts on corruption, said the general observation is that the fight has intensified since Xi Jinping rose to power after the 18th Communist Party Congress.

But, he says the 1.5 million officials investigated is just a fraction of the total number of officials who are corrupt. Communist Party membership is about 89 million.

"If there are a rather large amount of them continuing to be corrupt, then that means we need to think over why anti-corruption after the 18th Party Congress is still not intimidating and threatening enough," said Ren, who is a professor at Beihang Universitys school of Public Policy and Management.

And that raises questions, he adds, "about what changes should be made? Why is the problem like this? And should we reconsider our anti-corruption tactics?"

New appointees

Of the 18 ranking officials investigated in 2017  with all investigations supervised by the partys central leadership -- most were in their current post for less than two years. In one case, Yu Haiyan was investigated just two months after receiving a new appointment as vice governor of Gansu.

All of the high-ranking officials investigated in 2016, except for one, were appointed during Xis first term in office.

Analysts say the short times between appointment and investigation raises questions about the selection of officials and pervasiveness of corruption.

Some analysts argue the situation also highlights the fact that Xi does not have enough competent officials to fill important posts.

Hu Xingdou, an economist and commentator, said that what China needs is a modern anti-corruption system.

"You need to carry out checks and balances, publication of officials assets and the use of public finances transparency," Hu said. He recommended that budgets and expenditures be decided through Chinas national and local peoples congresses, and that news media should be encouraged to oversee officials actions.

Party control

Currently, all corruption cases are first investigated by the partys Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. So far, President Xi has rejected calls for a greater separation of powers and instead has highlighted the leading role the party should play in the fight.

The anticipated establishment of a National Supervision Commission next year is expected to add to the partys leadership in the anti-corruption battle. The commission, which aims to link up law enforcement with the partys anti-graft efforts, will oversee all public servants.

The new commission is expected to be responsible for administrative supervision, corruption prevention and crime prevention.

"In the future, the investigations of officials, especially after the establishment of the National Supervision Commission may get stronger," Hu said. And that, he adds, could make Chinas officialdom cleaner and more honest.

New system needed?

But even as efforts to crack down are increased, analysts note that what also is needed is a fundamental reform of the official selection and promotion system.

Currently, the system relies heavily on peoples opinions, but as Ren Jianming notes more reliance on competitive guidelines could be used instead to make it easier to find and spot problem officials.

"If you largely rely on the personal understanding and judgment of top leadership, I personally believe it will probably be hard to solve the problems with the promotion of officials at a fundamental level," Ren said.

He said China could learn from Hong Kongs use of amnesty for minor corruption offenses. The move was key in helping Hong Kong transform itself from being one of the most corrupt cities in the world to one of the cleanest.

"We could borrow some past experience, including Hong Kongs use of amnesty which might let us resolve a great number of corrupt officials on a large scale," Ren said.
China said Friday that it strongly opposes the Trump administration's decision to sanction a former Beijing police official for his role in the death of a human rights campaigner.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing that the sanctions against Gao Yan amounted to Washington interfering in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty.

She said China urges the U.S. to "stop serving as a so-called judge of human rights,'' and to "correct erroneous acts'' to avoid damaging bilateral exchanges.

The U.S. Treasury Department this week slapped sanctions on 52 people and entities, including Gao, under the Global Magnitsky Act. The 2016 law is designed to punish human rights violations and corruption around the world.

Gao oversaw a Beijing district police branch in 2014 that held veteran human rights activist Cao Shunli. Cao was reportedly denied medical care while in detention and died after six months in captivity.

Her supporters said she requested to seek treatment for tuberculosis and a liver ailment but was repeatedly denied medical parole until several days before she fell into a coma. Her subsequent death sparked an outcry.

Gao, 54, is currently president of the Beijing Police College.

Other sanctioned individuals include the Myanmar general who oversaw military operations and abuse against Rohingya civilians, the commander of a Ukrainian police unit and the son of Russia's prosecutor general, who is suspected of corruption.

Under the sanctions, the newly listed individuals' assets in the United States will be frozen and they will not be allowed to do business with U.S. banks.
The U.N. refugee agency reports thousands of people are fleeing from a fresh wave of intercommunal violence in the Democratic Republic of Congos Ituri region.

UNHCR reports more than 2,650 refugees, mostly women and children, have fled to Uganda in search of safety this week alone. It notes this is five times the usual number of arrivals.

The refugees tell aid workers renewed intercommunal violence at Djugu territory have sent them fleeing for their lives.

UNHCR spokeswoman Cecile Pouilly says the majority of refugees are crossing Lake Albert on rickety fishing vessels. She says many are bringing valuable belongings such as motorbikes and livestock.

Since Monday, there were reports of houses being scorched in the areas and people attacked with machetes. More than 20 villages also are reported to have been abandoned due to fear of reprisals. Refugees report that many more people are waiting to cross despite the journeys high cost, Pouilly said.

Sporadic intercommunal violence between the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups in Ituri, sparked by land disputes, has been going on for decades. Pouilly says this latest exodus is putting even more strain upon Uganda, which already hosts some 1.4 million refugees, the largest number in Africa.

She says the UNHCR is stepping up its aid for the displaced. But this, she says, is becoming increasingly difficult to do since the agency has received only 39 percent of financing required for its operational needs.

Pouilly says more money is urgently needed to provide shelter and to assist people with special needs. These include unaccompanied children, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, pregnant women and people with disabilities.
A group of U.S. senators and a collection of more than 300 U.S. public health groups have sent letters to top U.S. public health officials asking for clarification on a controversy over "banned words" at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Washington Post reported Thursday the letters to the Department of Health and Human Services asked that the agency lift any restrictions on the way HHS employees communicate in public documents.

"Words matter," the letter reads.

Thursdays letters follow a report last week that budget writers at the CDC were given a list of "words to avoid" in budget requests, including "diversity," "entitlement" and "vulnerable."

At a CDC budget meeting last week, employees also were told to avoid the terms "fetus," "transgender," "evidence-based" and "science-based."

Public outcry followed swiftly. On Saturday, a spokesman for Health and Human Services, Matt Lloyd, told the Post that agency officials did create a list of words to avoid but did not ban any words outright.

In an email, Lloyd told the Post that employees "misconstrued guidelines provided during routine discussions on the annual budget process." He added, "It was clearly stated to those involved in the discussions that the science should always drive the narrative."

Representative Tom Cole, who chairs the House subcommittee that oversees the HHS budget, told the Post he interpreted the agencys guidelines as "more silly than sinister," adding it was likely devised by bureaucrats who felt budget requests would be more successful if they included language choices with which the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress would agree.

Critics cite similarities with language guidances at other agencies, however, specifically at the Environmental Protection Agency, where the term "climate change" is seen as having fallen out of favor. The EPA has eliminated references to climate change on its website and prohibited its scientists from presenting scientific reports on the topic.
3 United States President Donald J. Trump holds up a document during an event to sign the Tax Cut and Reform Bill in the Oval Office at The White House in Washington, D.C.
The FBI has arrested an American man who allegedly plotted a terrorist attack on a popular tourist site in San Francisco to be carried out on Christmas Day.

Federal authorities announced Friday that they had arrested Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, of Modesto, California, this week.

Jameson allegedly told an undercover FBI agent that he planned to target the Pier 39 in San Francisco by remotely detonating explosives and then shooting people with an automatic rifle as they fled.

According to FBI documents, Jameson chose that location because he had been there before and knew it was a crowded area. He also told the FBI agent that Monday, Christmas Day, would be a "perfect day" for an attack. He said he did not have an escape plan "because he was ready to die."

The criminal complaint also said Jameson "has espoused radical jihadi beliefs, including authoring social media posts that are supportive of terrorism, communicating with people he believes share his jihadi views, and offering to provide services to such people."

Hesitation reported

Earlier this week, the complaint said, Jameson told the agent he was having second thoughts about the plot. But by then, the documentation said, agents had enough evidence to search his home.

Agents said they found a suicide note at Jameson's home, as well as rifles, a handgun, ammunition, and a last will and testament. His suicide note included comments denouncing President Donald Trump's plan to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Jameson received sharpshooter training in the U.S. Marines in 2009 before being discharged for "fraudulent enlistment" after failing to disclose the fact that he suffered from asthma, according to the complaint.

The complaint also said Jameson sought assistance from the undercover FBI agent, including procurement of an assault rifle, ammunition, powder, tubing and nails to make a pipe bomb.

The Islamic State terror organization recently called for attacks on Western cities during the Christmas holidays.
Indonesia's foremost hard-line Islamist group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), has announced a Christmas Day boycott of Facebook and the Whatsapp instant messaging service, as well as a live protest at Facebook's Indonesia office in the near future.

They say Facebook  like other major social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram  has blocked several FPI accounts, and that Facebook allows pro-LGBT and anti-Sharia pages to stay on its site. The group also plans to protest at Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Information in the new year.

While the boycott is unlikely to make a major impact on Facebook, it underscores that FPI's official accounts are blocked on many major platforms, leading some to speculate the move was at the national government's request.

That's unlikely, said Ross Tapsell, who researches media in Southeast Asia at Australian National University.

"There is a misperception, both within FPI and outside of it, that the Indonesian government calls up social media companies like Facebook and Twitter and asks for certain pages to be taken down and these companies simply comply," he said. "That isn't how this works. Social media companies have their own codes of conduct and it is through fairly extensive and rigorous internal debates that these decisions are ultimately made."

He suggested that Facebook likely shut down FPI's pages, which have in the past engaged in hate speech and advocated for violence, for violating its terms and policies.

This is an ambiguous moment for the FPI, which has risen rapidly from a fringe group, founded in 1999 after the fall of Suharto, to a mainstream organization that swayed the Jakarta gubernatorial election.

In late 2016, the FPI organized mass protests in Jakarta against its Chinese Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, for allegedly insulting the Quran. The eventually triumphant candidate, Governor Anies Baswedan, openly allied with the FPI during his campaign.

Crackdown on Islamist groups

"On the issue of internal regulation, Twitter and Facebook have involved many social organizations from Indonesia to become their trusted flaggers [of problematic content], not only the government," said Damar Juniarto, a coordinator of the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network. He suggested the decision to block FPI happened after numerous complaints from different sources.

"Various FPI members have posted videos of violence, bullying and harassing people who criticized them or their leader in 2017, and these videos would have been given as evidence for the need to ban them on Facebook," Tapsell said.

In June, a Chinese-Indian teenager in Jakarta was physically abused by FPI members for posting memes about its leader.

Facebook and Twitter could not be immediately reached for comment.

Beyond social media, other Indonesian hard-liners have been the target of crackdowns this year. In July, the government banned the international Islamist organization Hizbut Tahrir because it threatened the nation's pluralist state ideology, known as Pancasila. Hizbut Tahrir advocates for a global Islamic caliphate.

Vague leadership

Today, FPI's leader, Habib Rizieq Shihab, is a fugitive in Saudi Arabia; he was charged shortly after the Jakarta election under the nation's pornography law for allegedly texting explicit photos with a woman who is not his wife. It is a far cry from late 2016, when he enthralled hundreds of thousands of Muslims who brought Jakarta to a grinding halt to attend the "peaceful actions" that Rizieq and FPI organized against the governor.

FPI also has had trouble expanding its brand beyond Java, like in West Kalimantan province in Borneo, where the group failed to hold a similar rally last summer.

Support for FPI increased from 15.6 percent to 23.6 percent between June 2016 and August 2017, according to a recent report from researchers Marcus Mietzner, Burhanuddin Muhtadi and Rizka Halida.

As the year draws to a close, FPI's agenda is once more trained on local and domestic actions, where it started as Indonesia's unofficial moral police. For instance, it has promised to raid establishments that make their staff wear Christmas hats. It remains to be seen whether FPI will return to influence the national political discourse in the new year, or whether the group's stature has peaked.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Henrietta Holsman Fore as the new executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund, also known as UNICEF.



Fore served as the first female administrator of the United States' Agency for International Development, or USAID, from 2007 to 2009. She also served in the U.S. State Department and as Director of the United States Mint. Earlier in her career, from 1989 to 1993, she served as Assistant Administrator for Asia, and Assistant Administrator for Private Enterprise at USAID.



Fore is chairman of the board and chief executive officer for consulting, manufacturing, and investment company Holsman International, her family's investment and management company. She also serves on the boards of six domestic and international public corporations.



Statements from the United Nations and U.S. State Department note that Fore has worked for four decades to promote economic development, education and health, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief for the most vulnerable populations.



She succeeds Anthony Lake, who has served as executive director of UNICEF since 2010.



UNICEF is a United Nations agency that serves children and mothers in developing nations. The program supplies families with vaccines and antiretroviral medicines, nutritional supplements, emergency shelters, educational tools and family reunification help. It is the second-largest U.N. agency, with a budget of about $5 billion.



The State Department has welcomed Fore's appointment. In a statement, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Fore "will be a powerful voice on behalf of the world's children in her new position with the U.N."



Outgoing UNICEF director Lake released a statement saying Fore "will bring a wealth of experience to UNICEF's work for children." He added, "I know the organization will support her as it has worked with me. Her success will be UNICEF's success  and thus a success for children."
One big problem confronts Africa as it tries to predict how its weather patterns will shift in the face of climate change: Almost all the climate models for the continent were created in the United States or Europe.

Now South African climate researcher Francois Engelbrecht has changed that by developing a climate model for Africa, in Africa.

The model aims to "generate reliable projections of future climate change over Africa," said Engelbrecht, the chief researcher for climate studies, modeling and environmental health at South Africas Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

Those projections include figuring out which areas will get more or less rainfall  "a key to adapting agriculture successfully"  or looking at where African grasslands might give way to thickets as more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere drives the growth of trees.

"We know that climate is changing, risks are changing, including changes in the risk of heat waves, flooding, drought, tropical cyclones, changes in growing seasons [and] rising temperatures," said Rachel James, a visiting climate researcher at the University of Cape Town.

"People everywhere will need to adapt to these changing conditions in the years and decades to come," she told Reuters.

"The problem is that we dont know exactly what will happen in any one location. Its challenging to predict which areas might get more rainfall and which might get less."

More detail

The new African-built climate model aims to generate much more detailed and place-specific projections, to give decision makers the information they need to prepare for coming changes.

It responds, in part, to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noting in 2014 that Africa was the only region of the world in which climate forecasts had not improved in recent years.

Developed in collaboration with Australia, the model will look at things such as how El Nino patterns are likely to affect Africa in the future and how African monsoons may shift, Engelbrecht said.

Africa has a lot of expertise on its ecosystems, regional oceans, and climate, but this knowledge has not been built into models up to now, he said.

Models developed by northern hemisphere countries have tended to focus more on areas of northern interest, such as the Arctic, where sea ice is fast disappearing, he said.

And global models that include Africa generally are not specific enough to be helpful on the ground in a particular country or region, said Neville Sweijd, head of the South Africa-based Alliance for Collaboration on Climate and Earth Systems Science.

"All models are not complete representations of reality and have to be tested for sensitivity to various features and phenomena," he said, including the direction of winds.

James noted that "climates in Africa are particularly challenging to model" because of the influence of local events such as key thunderstorms, "which occur on finer scales than the models can resolve," she said.

A game changer

Jean-Pierre Roux, who manages the Future Climate for Africa project, an effort, backed by UK aid, to improve climate information and resilience on the continent, said he worries that weak climate information and weather information services that do not meet the needs of vulnerable communities could hurt millions in Africa.

Having African scientists involved in climate information efforts is important as African researchers naturally have more expertise on local and regional weather and climate in many cases, he said.

Also, "it gives a better chance for African priorities to shape the research agenda and leaves behind a legacy in terms of improved African capacity to conduct research," he said.

African climate scientists say they are also worried that the continent does not yet have enough climate scientists to collaborate with other experts globally on models and other work.

"A lot of model application work is being done in Africa, but not by Africans or at African institutions. That disempowers African intellectual development in this field," Sweijd told Reuters.

Engelbrecht sees the development of his model as a chance to build skills in everything from climate science to high-performance computing.

"It is a game changer in enhancing our human capacity in the climate and earth sciences," he said.
The Republican-led Congress narrowly passed a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown Thursday, doing the bare minimum in a sprint toward the holidays and punting disputes on immigration, health care and the budget to next year.

The measure passed the House on a 231-188 vote over Democratic opposition and then cleared the Senate, 66-32, with Democrats from Republican-leaning states providing just enough votes. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure.

The stopgap legislation would keep the government from closing down at midnight Friday. It has traversed a tortured path, encountering resistance from the GOP's most ardent allies of the military, as well as opposition from Democrats who demanded but were denied a vote on giving immigrants brought to the country as children and in the country illegally an opportunity to become citizens.

The wrap-up measure allows Republicans controlling Washington to savor their win on this week's $1.5 trillion tax package  even as they kick a full lineup of leftover work into the new year. Congress will return in January facing enormous challenges on immigration, the federal budget, health care and national security along with legislation to increase the government's authority to borrow money.

Each of those items is sure to test the unity that Republicans are enjoying now.

"Now it gets down to some very difficult decisions on how we move forward in the first and second quarter of next year," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a leader of a powerful faction of hard-right Republicans. "There is a lot to do next month. I'm not worried today. I'll wait until January to be worried, OK?"

Democrats had initially pressed for adding their priorities to the measure, but once rebuffed on immigration they worked to keep the bill mostly free of add-ons, figuring that they'll hold greater leverage next month.

Among the items left behind was $81 billion worth of disaster aid, which passed the House on a bipartisan 251-169 tally but stalled in the Senate. The measure would have brought this year's tally for aid to hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean, as well as fire-ravaged California, to more than $130 billion. But both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate want changes, and it was among the items Democrats sought to hold onto for leverage next year.

"Democrats want to make sure that we have equal bargaining, and we're not going to allow things like disaster relief go forward without discussing some of the other issues we care about," said powerful Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Immigration is among the most difficult issues confronting lawmakers in January.

President Donald Trump rescinded a Barack Obama order giving these so-called Dreamers protection against deportation, kicking the issue to Congress with a March deadline.

"They embody the best in our nation: patriotism, hard work, perseverance," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California told the chamber's Rules Committee on Thursday. "We should not leave them to celebrate the holidays in fear."

Trump and Republicans are pushing for additional border security and other immigration steps in exchange.

"The vast majority of Republicans want to see a DACA solution. They just want to see a DACA solution that's balanced," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., referring to the program's name, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Also left unfinished were bipartisan efforts to smash budget limits that are imposing a freeze on the Pentagon and domestic agencies, a long-term extension of the popular Children's Health Insurance Program for 9 million low-income kids and Senate legislation aimed at stabilizing health insurance markets.

Instead, lawmakers struggled to achieve the must-do: a $2.1 billion fix for an expiring program that pays for veterans to seek care outside the Department of Veterans Affairs system; a temporary fix to ensure states facing shortfalls from the Children's Health Insurance Program won't have to purge children from the program; and a short-term extension for an expiring overseas wiretapping program aimed at tracking terrorists.

Trump weighed in on Twitter on Thursday morning to offer a boost  and a slap at Democrats.

"House Democrats want a SHUTDOWN for the holidays in order to distract from the very popular, just passed, Tax Cuts. House Republicans, don't let this happen. Pass the C.R. TODAY and keep our Government OPEN!" Trump tweeted.

Among Republicans, opposition to the temporary measure came mostly from the party's defense hawks, who had hoped to enact record increases for the military this year and force the Senate to debate a full-year, $658 billion defense spending measure. But that idea was a nonstarter with Senate Democrats, who will only agree to Pentagon increases if domestic programs get a comparable hike.

The short-term spending bill does contain about $5 billion to upgrade missile defenses to respond to the threat from North Korea and to repair two destroyers damaged in accidents this year in the Pacific.

The legislation also has a provision to turn off automatic cuts to many "mandatory" spending programs, including Medicare, that would otherwise be triggered by the tax cut bill. Democrats had sought to highlight the looming spending cuts in arguing against the tax measure.

"At some point we've got to make the hard decisions," said Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.
A U.S. lawmaker wants an investigation into the treatment of 92 Somalis who were allegedly chained to their seats for nearly two days during a botched attempt to deport them to their home country.

Some of the Somalis allegedly had to urinate on themselves because they were not allowed to get up during an excursion that took them from the U.S. to Dakar, Senegal, and back again.

Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota, whose congressional district is home to the largest community of Somali-Americans in the U.S., said reports of what happened on the flight were "profoundly disturbing and represent a tremendous violation of the civil and human rights of detainees."

'Detailed account' sought

Ellison said Thursday that he had asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to investigate what happened on that flight.

"I request a detailed account of the 48 hours ICE attempted to deport these individuals, including all actions ICE intends to take involving the detained individuals, as well as ICE officers and supervisors involved in the matter," said Ellison in a statement.

According to news reports, the flight left Louisiana on December 7 and landed in Dakar the following day. However, the plane spent nearly a day on the runway there before passengers and crew flew back to Miami.

In a statement at the time, ICE said the plane returned because of logistical issues.

On Tuesday, a Miami federal judge ordered ICE to delay its planned deportation of the 92 Somalis who were on the flight.

Some of the passengers have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking a delay to their deportation as well as medical treatment for injuries allegedly suffered on the December 7 flight. The lawsuit says ICE guards beat, kicked, choked and threatened to kill the passengers, in addition to denying them use of the bathroom.

ICE has dismissed the allegations of mistreatment as false, saying, "No one was injured during the flight, and there were no incidents or altercations that would have caused any injuries on the flight."

Mohamed Liban Yusuf, 21, was among the deportees. He was born in Canada and his family moved to Minnesota in 1996. He was once arrested for an unspecified crime, his mother, Leyla Ahmed, said.

"My son is Canadian and has never seen Somalia in his life," Ahmed told VOA's Somali service. "I lost Yusuf's Canadian birth certificate, and I was trying to get the proof from Canada when he was forcibly taken by ICE."

Son's account

When the deportees returned to Miami, Yusuf was allowed to speak to his mom over the phone and described the harsh conditions on that flight.

"He told me over the phone with a weak voice that he was shackled for more than 48 hours, tortured, beaten and mistreated," Ahmed said in tears.

Fardowso Omar, a mother of one of the other deportees, said the U.S. wants to deport her son to a country he left as an infant 21 years ago.

"There's nobody in Somalia for my son. His father was killed in Mogadishu. My brother was killed there, too. If they send him to Somalia, I am afraid that I lose him to [terrorist group] al-Shabab," Omar said.

She said her son would have been on another flight to Somalia by Wednesday morning without the federal judge's order.

According to the data from the Somali Embassy in Washington, ICE deported more than 500 Somalis from across the U.S. from October 2016 to September 2017. Most were people whose asylum applications had been rejected.

Abdi Mohamud Mascade contributed to this report from Minneapolis.
Negotiators meeting in Addis Ababa have signed an agreement on the cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and humanitarian access in South Sudan in an attempt to end the four years of conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians.

The High Level Revitalization Forum was led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

IGADs Special Envoy for South Sudan Ismail Wais said the agreement will come into force at 00:01am South Sudan local time on December 24.

"The milestone achieved during this week could not be possible without the constructive engagement, goodwill and support of the South Sudanese delegates," Wais said.

South Sudanese stakeholders, representatives of the government of South Sudan, opposition parties, armed and unarmed groups, civil society groups, eminent persons, business, women and youth have been meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa since December 18 to revive the collapsed South Sudan 2015 peace deal.

African Union intervention

The head of the African Union (AU), Chairperson Moussa Faki Mohamed, caution the South Sudanese leaders to live up to the pledges they have made during the negotiations of a cease-fire agreement. Mohamed says the African continent and the East African region is interested in finding an end to the conflict in South Sudan.

"The real test of the seriousness of your commitment would reside in the practical actions that you would take to implement the terms of this agreement. Practical action to stop the fighting, offensive and counter offensive, that [has] killed so many innocent civilians, bereaved so many families and cause so much damage," Mohamed said.

The head of AU said the signing of the cessation of hostilities comes in the backdrop of continuous fighting across South Sudan.

Fighting erupted in July 2016 in the South Sudanese capital Juba, leading rebel leader and former first vice president Riek Machar to escape to the Democratic Republic of Congo and shattering the 2015 peace deal signed in Addis Ababa.

Even when implemented, this agreement is just one element in the struggle to find peace and sustainable solution to this conflict, Mohamed said.

Stern warning

Ethiopian Foreigner Minister Workneh Gebeyehu, who is also the chairman of the IGADs council of ministers, warned the South Sudanese to stop the fighting in their country.

"I must emphasize that we will continue to follow up and single out spoilers to be named and shamed and take action necessary [against them]," Gebeyehu warned.

The top Ethiopian diplomat assured the South Sudanese that his country will ensure that the efforts of IGADs seven member countries to bring peace in South Sudan are not undermined by individuals or the warring groups.

"To ensure your efforts in reaching this decision is not wasted, we cannot sit ideal while this important process is picking up. Along with you, we are saying enough is enough." Gebeyehu warned.

Peace monitor

The deputy chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), Augostino Njoroge, applauded the various South Sudanese stakeholders for signing a cease-fire accord to create an environment for negotiations of the unimplemented parts of the 2015 peace.

This is only the beginning of the High Level Revitalization Forum and we expect that the spirit in which this phase of the cession of hostilities has been concluded will continue. We in JMEC look forward to your return for further negotiations," the retired senior Kenyan army officer said.

The IGAD leaders decided to revive the shattered 2015 peace deal after JMEC documented several violations by both the government of South Sudan and rebels loyal to Riek Machar.

Some leaders of the armed opposition have criticized JMEC for biased reporting of violations of the peace agreement in July 2016.

IGAD Special Envoy reminded the parties who signed the cessation of hostiles to respect the terms of the agreement.

"Signing of a document is a very simple exercise. But let me make this appeal to all the parties to this agreement, please adhere to the commitment you have made here tonight to cease all [forms] of hostilities, [I] also urge your supporters to do the same," Wais pleaded.

The second phase of the High Level Privatization Forum will start in the second week of January 2018. The various parties are expected examine the 2015 deal to include other new groups who rebelled against President Kiirs administration after the collapse of the August 2015 deal in the first week of July 2016.
Pakistan says "terrorists from across the Afghan side of the border raided an outpost Friday, killing at least three soldiers.

An army spokesman said personnel of the paramilitary Frontiers Corps were constructing a new border post in the Mohmand tribal region when they came under attack.

Major-General Asif Ghafoor said Pakistani troops killed five of the assailants and wounded many more in retaliatory fire.

"Fleeing terrorists were seen carrying back dead bodies and injured, Ghafoor added. He said Pakistan is "paying the price" for Afghan forces lack of capacity and "ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan.

The general was referring to U.S. military assessments that put more than 40 percent of Afghan territory beyond Kabul's control.

Dozens of Pakistani security forces have been killed or injured in cross-border raids in recent months.

The Pakistani army is constructing new posts and building a fence on its side of the long, porous border with Afghanistan to deter the violence. Islamabad says militants linked to the outlawed Pakistani Taliban have taken refuge in Afghan border areas after fleeing anti-terrorism military operations in Pakistan.

Officials also maintain Afghans have not deployed enough forces on their side and a nearly 700-kilometer portion of the 2,600 kilometer frontier is unguarded on the other side, encouraging fugitive anti-state militants to stage cross-border attacks on Pakistani posts.

Afghan and U.S. officials say Pakistan is to blame for harboring Taliban sanctuaries on its soil. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, on a surprise visit to Afghanistan Thursday, urged Islamabad to end support to the insurgents.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists, Pence said while addressing U.S. troops at Bagram Airfield.

General Ghafoor rejected the allegations, saying Pakistan and the U.S. are jointly fighting terrorism and that "allies don't put each other on notice. He said both sides need to enhance intelligence-sharing cooperation and remain engaged in diplomacy to finding "common ground for moving forward.
Two Palestinians were killed in renewed clashes with Israeli forces, Gaza's Health Ministry said Friday, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts amid continued fallout over President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The fresh violence came a day after the U.N. General Assembly resolution denouncing President Donald Trump's decision.

Abbas on a visit to Paris urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts, insisting he'll no longer accept any U.S. plans for Mideast peace because of the Trump's position on Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as the administration siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the conflict.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said a 24-year-old and a 29-year-old were killed by live fire in clashes along the border with Israel. Another 45 Palestinians were wounded, he said.

The Israeli military said thousands of Palestinians participated in "violent riots" along the Gaza border and across the West Bank "hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tires" at Israeli forces. It said troops responded with tear gas and deployed live fire "selectively toward main instigators."

Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli troops since Trump's Jerusalem announcement on Dec. 6. Ten Palestinians have been killed and dozens more wounded so far.

In Bethlehem on Friday, some Palestinian protesters held anti-Trump banners reading "Mr. Trump, it's not your land to decide to whom it belongs, Jerusalem is ours and it belongs to us," and "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine."

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to denounce Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, largely ignoring Trump's threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him.

The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem "null and void" was approved 128-9  a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they predicted. Amid Washington's threats, 35 of the 193 U.N. member nations abstained and 21 were absent.

The Trump administration made it clear the vote would have no effect on its plan to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The United States and Israel had waged an intensive lobbying campaign against the U.N. measure, with U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley sending letters to over 180 countries warning that Washington would be taking names of those who voted against the U.S.

Trump went further, threatening a funding cutoff. "Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," he posted on Twitter.

Speaking in Paris, Abbas said the United States is "no longer an honest mediator in the peace process."

Abbas also denounced the U.S threat to cut financial aid for countries who voted to back the U.N. resolution.

In a Christmas message, sent by his office as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Abbas said Trump's move disqualified the U.S. from continuing in its traditional role as mediator in peace talks.

"The U.S. chose to be biased. Their future plan for Palestine will not be based on the two-state solution on the 1967 border, nor will it be based on International Law or UN resolutions," Abbas said in the written message.

Trump's announcement departed from decades of U.S. policy that the fate of Jerusalem should be decided through negotiations. East Jerusalem is home to Jerusalem's Old City with its key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, and its status is an emotionally charged issue.

A sensitive hilltop compound there, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, is at the heart of the conflict.

Jews revere it as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the nearby Western Wall, a remnant of the temple complex, is the holiest place where Jews can pray.

The walled compound is home to both the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Some 45,000 worshippers attended prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, said the Waqf, Jordan's religious body that administers the site.

Hundreds of Palestinians marched after prayers there chanting "Jerusalem is Arab."

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war from Jordan, as the capital of their hoped-for state. Israel says the entire city, including east Jerusalem, is its eternal capital.
Peru's president has survived an impeachment effort stemming from allegations of his involvement with Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction company that is mired in Latin America's largest corruption scandal.

A congressional vote late Thursday handed President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski a surprise victory. The impeachment motion fell just eight votes shy of the 87 needed to remove him from office.

Popular Force, the ultraconservative populist party that controls Peru's legislature, had said Kuczynski was "morally unfit" to lead the country.

Earlier Thursday, the president asked lawmakers to help defend Peru's democracy from what he said was a "hasty coup" mounted by the Popular Force.

The political crisis was a result of Odebrecht's acknowledgement that it bribed officials in the region for much of the century, resulting in the imprisonment of elites from Colombia, the Dominican Republic and other countries.

The scandal has had a more significant impact in Peru than any other country outside Brazil. Odebrecht was a participant in enormous infrastructure projects in Peru and has conceded it paid nearly $30 million dollars to Peruvian officials.

Kuczynski initially denied any ties with Odebrecht, but reports surfaced last week that a company owned by Kuczynski received more than $4 million from Odebrecht more than 10 years ago. The president also denied committing any illegal or improper acts and contended Popular Force was misusing its majority status to seize control.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people protested in the streets of the capital of Lima against the attempt to remove Kuczynski from office.

The protestors had various opinions about the legitimacy and the motives behind the impeachment vote, but different groups of protestors seemed to agree that corruption was rampant in congress and throughout the state establishment.
Ryanair failed to avert its first ever pilots strike on Friday as pilots in Germany held a four-hour walkout although airports and the Irish budget carrier said there had been little impact on flights.

Ryanair had sought to avert a series of threatened strikes across Europe over Christmas by giving up its long-held opposition to recognizing unions.

That convinced pilots in Ireland, Italy and Portugal to call off planned strikes.

However, Germany's Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union staged a brief walkout saying it did not believe Ryanair was serious about negotiating with unions.

"This was a warning shot and we started small. However, there is potential for much more," union spokesman Markus Wahl said, ruling out further strikes until after Dec 26.

The strike ran from 0401 GMT to 0759 GMT when only 16 flights were scheduled.

Ryanair, which had urged pilots to work to get passengers home for Christmas, said 9 of its 36 early flights from Germany were delayed. There were no cancellations and it expected to operate all scheduled flights on Friday.

Ryanair shares were down 0.6 percent at 0941 GMT.

"We are grateful to all of our Ryanair pilots for putting our customers first and largely ignoring this VC strike," the airline said in a statement.

A spokesman for Berlin airports said there were no significant effects, noting that five of seven early flights had departed, with one delayed.

Cologne/Bonn airport said two of three scheduled flights had taken off and the third was delayed. Frankfurt airport said four of six scheduled flights had taken off.

The VC union said after a first meeting that it did not believe Ryanair genuinely wanted to recognize unions and said it wanted to send a message that their pilots were serious about industrial action.

VC said Ryanair had refused to accept two members of a delegation that the union nominated to hold talks with management. One of the pilots was a contractor and one a direct employee, but Ryanair has ended both of their contracts, VC said.

"This has shown us that nothing has changed with Ryanairs management style or how it handles workers' rights," VC President Ilja Schulz told reporters on Thursday. Ryanair pilots mobilized in September after the carrier announced the cancellation of around 20,000 flights, which it blamed on a rostering problem sparked by a change in Irish regulations.

Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told Reuters this week that his offer of union recognition was genuine but that employees must understand it will remain a low cost airline. Negotiations with unions will continue in the new year.
Catalan separatists have claimed victory in a crucial snap election Thursday that could decide the future of Spain and its northern province.

With more than 90 percent of the votes counted, the three secessionist parties together had won enough votes for 70 seats in the 135-seat assembly.

But the Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semiautonomous part of Spain, appeared to be on track to become the biggest single party, with 35 seats in the parliament. As a result, it was unclear who would be given the right to form a government.

The Spanish government called the election after seizing control of the Catalan administration, following a disputed independence referendum in October. Since then, several independence leaders have been jailed or gone into exile. Many have campaigned during the election period via video link.

The leader of the separatist movement, Carles Puigdemont, who is in exile, told a rally in Brussels that "the Spanish state has been defeated.''

The heated independence debate appeared to have brought out voters in big numbers. At one polling station in the central Barcelona district of Eixample, officials told VOA that by lunchtime, the number of voters was roughly double that of the figure in regional elections two years ago.

WATCH: Big Turnout as Catalonia Heads to Polls

Among the voters standing in line in the winter sunshine was Xavier Drudis, a resident of Seattle in the United States. Drudis was back in his home city of Barcelona for the winter holidays just in time to vote. Pinned to his coat was a yellow ribbon, a symbol of solidarity with the jailed independence leaders.

"I believe the society is very divided, so I believe the result is going to be very divided, so I don't think it's going to be a solution. But I also don't think we have to surrender," he told VOA.

Local resident Irma Rio was more optimistic.

"We are happy that we have elections, because the problems with independence and no independence will be solved," Rio said.

Call for 'sanity'

Fernando, a central Barcelona voter who did not share his surname, said the election would not solve the political paralysis.

"We need to approach this problem with sanity. And not with this. Because things will continue, will be the same. There are a lot of people intoxicated with the bad information of nationalists," he said.

The Catalan National Assembly grass-roots campaign group has been at the forefront of organizing the independence protests, and its president, Jordi Sanchez, is in jail on charges of sedition. The vice president, Agusti Alcoberro, told VOA the campaign would go on.

"If there is a clear independence majority, we are going to have to debate whether to work with the government or pressure it to go faster. In case the independence movement does not win, we should rethink the way of acting, but always in a civic, peaceful and democratic way," he said.

David Mejia, a candidate for the pro-unity Ciudadanos party, said the independence campaign was a big distraction.

"I believe that Catalonia is losing time and money talking about the independence process. It is time to put on the table those issues that really matter for Catalan society," he said.

The Spanish government was counting on the 58 percent of voters who didn't take part in the disputed independence referendum to back pro-unity parties. Meanwhile, independence campaigners thought Madrid's tough crackdown had won them more support.
Pro-independence parties have won an absolute majority in elections in the Spanish region of Catalonia, dealing a blow to the Spanish government under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The election was called after Madrid sacked the Catalan government and arrested many secessionist leaders, after they tried to declare independence following a disputed referendum in October.

WATCH: Pro-independence wins

Independence supporters gathered to celebrate the results Thursday night, as it became clear that the three pro-secessionist parties kept their overall majority by two seats.

Marta Rovira, secretary general of the Catalan Republic Left party, which won 32 seats, demanded the release of the jailed independence leaders.

"The republican and independence forces have again won the Catalan elections. We have won! Freedom! Freedom! The people have voted for freedom, for the government to return from exile!" Rovira told cheering supporters.

Among those in exile is former Catalonia President Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium in October. In a defiant speech after the result, he pledged to return to Barcelona.

"Firstly, as president of Catalonia, I would like to congratulate the Catalan population for this great lesson in civicism and democracy: a record turnout, historic participation and a turnout which has led to a result that no one can dispute," Puigdemont said.

However, the result was not as emphatic as many had hoped, with the independence parties winning two fewer seats than in the previous election in 2015.

For the first time, a pro-Spanish unity party  Ciudadanos or "Citizens"  won the election, but was short of the numbers needed to form a government.

Prime Minister Rajoy had called on Catalan voters to restore political normality. Instead, they overwhelmingly rejected his Popular Party, which lost eight of its 11 seats.

The pro-independence parties will now seek to form a coalition government in Catalonia  and some party leaders say they now have a mandate to demand a legitimate referendum on independence from Madrid.

Spain, and Europe, had hoped that the election would end the political crisis. But the breakaway movement appears to be re-energized.
Russian television anchor Pavel Lobkov was in the studio getting ready for his show when jarring news flashed across his phone: Some of his most intimate messages had just been published to the web.

Days earlier, the veteran journalist had come out live on air as HIV-positive, a taboo-breaking revelation that drew responses from hundreds of Russians fighting their own lonely struggles with the virus. Now he'd been hacked.

"These were very personal messages," Lobkov said in a recent interview, describing a frantic call to his lawyer in an abortive effort to stop the spread of nearly 300 pages of Facebook correspondence, including sexually explicit messages. Even two years later, he said, "it's a very traumatic story."

The Associated Press found that Lobkov was targeted by the hacking group known as Fancy Bear in March 2015, nine months before his messages were leaked. He was one of at least 200 journalists, publishers and bloggers targeted by the group as early as mid-2014 and as recently as a few months ago.

The AP identified journalists as the third-largest group on a hacking hit list obtained from cybersecurity firm Secureworks, after diplomatic personnel and U.S. Democrats. About 50 of the journalists worked at The New York Times. Another 50 were either foreign correspondents based in Moscow or Russian reporters like Lobkov who worked for independent news outlets. Others were prominent media figures in Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltics or Washington.

The list of journalists provides new evidence for the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Fancy Bear acted on behalf of the Russian government when it intervened in the U.S. presidential election. Spy agencies say the hackers were working to help Republican Donald Trump. The Russian government has denied interfering in the American election.

Previous AP reporting has shown how Fancy Bear  which Secureworks nicknamed Iron Twilight  used phishing emails to try to compromise Russian opposition leaders, Ukrainian politicians and U.S. intelligence figures, along with Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and more than 130 other Democrats.

Lobkov, 50, said he saw hacks like the one that turned his day upside-down in December 2015 as dress rehearsals for the email leaks that struck the Democrats in the United States the following year.

"I think the hackers in the service of the Fatherland were long getting their training on our lot before venturing outside."

'Classic KGB tactic'

New Yorker writer Masha Gessen said it was also in 2015  when Secureworks first detected attempts to break into her Gmail  that she began noticing people who seemed to materialize next to her in public places in New York and speak loudly in Russian into their phones, as if trying to be overheard. She said this only happened when she put appointments into the online calendar linked to her Google account.

Gessen, the author of a book about Russian President Vladimir Putin's rise to power, said she saw the incidents as threats.

"It was really obvious," she said. "It was a classic KGB intimidation tactic."

Other U.S.-based journalists targeted include Josh Rogin, a Washington Post columnist, and Shane Harris, who was covering the intelligence community for The Daily Beast in 2015. Harris said he dodged the phishing attempt, forwarding the email to a source in the security industry who told him almost immediately that Fancy Bear was involved.

In Russia, the majority of journalists targeted by the hackers worked for independent news outlets like Novaya Gazeta or Vedomosti, though a few  such as Tina Kandelaki and Ksenia Sobchak  are more mainstream. Sobchak has even launched an improbable bid for the Russian presidency.

Investigative reporter Roman Shleynov noted that the Gmail hackers targeted was the one he used while working on the Panama Papers, the expose of international tax avoidance that implicated members of Putin's inner circle.

Fancy Bear also pursued more than 30 media targets in Ukraine, including many journalists at the Kyiv Post and others who have reported from the front lines of the Russia-backed war in the country's east.

Nataliya Gumenyuk, co-founder of Ukrainian internet news site Hromadske, said the hackers were hunting for compromising information.

"The idea was to discredit the independent Ukrainian voices," she said.

The hackers also tried to break into the personal Gmail account of Ellen Barry, The New York Times' former Moscow bureau chief.

Her newspaper appears to have been a favorite target. Fancy Bear sent phishing emails to roughly 50 of Barry's colleagues at The Times in late 2014, according to two people familiar with the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential data.

The Times confirmed in a brief statement that its employees received the malicious messages, but the newspaper declined to comment further.

Some journalists saw their presence on the hackers' hit list as vindication. Among them were CNN security analyst Michael Weiss and Brookings Institution visiting fellow Jamie Kirchick, who took the news as a badge of honor.

"I'm very proud to hear that," Kirchick said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said the wide net cast by Fancy Bear underscores efforts by governments worldwide to use hacking against journalists.

"It's about gaining access to sources and intimidating those journalists," said Courtney C. Radsch, the group's advocacy director.

In Russia, the stakes are particularly high. The committee has counted 38 murders of journalists there since 1992.

Many journalists told the AP they knew they were under threat, explaining that they had added a second layer of password protection to their emails and only chatted over encrypted messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp or Signal.

Fancy Bear target Ekaterina Vinokurova, who works for regional media outlet Znak, said she routinely deletes her emails.

"I understand that my accounts may be hacked at any time," she said in a telephone interview. "I'm ready for them."

'I've seen what they could do'

It's not just whom the hackers tried to spy on that points to the Russian government.

It's when.

Maria Titizian, an Armenian journalist, immediately found significance in the date she was targeted: June 26, 2015.

"It was Electric Yerevan," she said, referring to protests over rising energy bills that she reported on. The protests that rocked Armenia's capital that summer were initially seen by some in Moscow as a threat to Russian influence.

Titizian said her outspoken criticism of the Kremlin's "colonial attitude" toward Armenia could have made her a target.

Eliot Higgins, whose open source journalism site Bellingcat repeatedly crops up on the target list, said the phishing attempts seemed to begin "once we started really making strong statements about MH17," the Malaysian airliner shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people. Bellingcat played a key role in marshaling the evidence that the plane was destroyed by a Russian missile  Moscow's denials notwithstanding.

The clearest timing for a hacking attempt may have been that of Adrian Chen.

On June 2, 2015, Chen published a prescient expose of the Internet Research Agency, the Russian "troll factory" that won fresh infamy in October over revelations that it had manufactured make-believe Americans to pollute social media with toxic rhetoric.

Eight days after Chen published his big story, Fancy Bear tried to break into his account.

Chen, who has regularly written about the darker recesses of the internet, said having a lifetime of private messages exposed to the internet could be devastating.

"I've covered a lot of these leaks," he said. "I've seen what they could do."
Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed Friday to hold Syria peace talks in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi next month, a move that the U.N. Special envoy for Syria said should be assessed based on its contribution to the mandated political process under the United Nations in Geneva.

Russian news reports cited Kazakh diplomat Aidarbek Tumanov who said that during Friday's meeting in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, the parties agreed to hold the so-called Congress for National Dialogue in Sochi on January 29-30.

Earlier attempts to convene the congress were thwarted by disagreements over possible participants, primarily the involvement of the Kurds that Turkey has opposed. Russian envoy Alexander Lavrentyev told the Interfax news agency that the parties have yet to agree on the list of participants.

Tumanov said that the three countries have also decided to set up a working group that will deal with prisoner exchanges and agreed on the need to clear Syrian territory of mines.

Turkey has been a main backer of the opposition groups and rebels trying to remove Syrian President Bashar Assad from power while Russia and Iran have been among his main backers. The three countries have teamed up to help mediate a peace settlement for Syria's conflict, now in its seventh year, which has claimed the lives of 400,000 and caused the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

The Sochi talks will open up a fourth track of talks between parties to the complex conflict in Syria. The U.N.'s own Geneva program has been supplemented by the "technical" talks in Astana brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Russia periodically opens a third track through Cairo. Egypt has provided a base to Syrian reformists seen as acceptable to the Damascus government.

"The United Nations maintains its view that any political initiative by international actors should be assessed by its ability to contribute to and support the mandated political process under the United Nations in Geneva," the U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said in a statement. "The Special Envoy will be consulting the Secretary-General once he has received all the information required."

De Mistura's statement said the special envoy reiterates his intention to convene a ninth round of intra-Syrian talks under the U.N. auspices in January.

Syrian senior opposition official Ahmad Toma said in Astana that he will not make a unilateral decision on whether the opposition will attend next month's conference in Sochi or not, adding that he will have to raise the matter with opposition and rebel leaders in Syria.

`We don't want to take a quick decision," Toma said.

The head of the Syrian government delegation to the conference in Astana, Bashar Ja'afari, blasted the U.S. and Turkey saying both countries should pull their forces out of Syria without preconditions.

He said Washington's insistence on keeping its forces in Syria is a "flagrant aggression."
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Friday on another round of targeted sanctions aimed at further restricting North Korea's crude oil imports, which fuel its illicit weapons programs.

The proposed sanctions come in response to Pyongyang's November 28 launch of a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) called a Hwasong-15, which the North Koreans claim is capable of delivering nuclear warheads anywhere in the continental United States.

It was Pyongyang's third ICMB test this year and its 20th ballistic missile launch of 2017.

The United States drafted the text and negotiated it with China. It was circulated to the wider council membership on Thursday, and a vote is scheduled Friday at 1 p.m. EST (1800 UTC).

"We hope there will be a consensus and vote  the sooner, the better  and we are on board," France's U.N. ambassador, Francois Delattre, told reporters Thursday.

'A good message'

"We support it wholeheartedly and we hope that it will be unanimous," Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho said. "I think it will be sending a good message if we can pass it, and that's what I think will happen."

The draft resolution, seen by VOA, seeks to cap crude oil exports to North Korea at current levels, not exceeding 4 million barrels per year. It would allow exemptions only on a case-by-case basis with Security Council approval.

The text also seeks to impose a ban on 90 percent of refined petroleum products exported to North Korea, as well as on all industrial machinery and some transport vehicles.

An earlier round of sanctions this year called on states not to renew work visas for North Korean laborers. The new draft goes a step further, requiring all North Koreans working abroad and their minders to return home within a year.

Council members have expressed concern that the regime sends its citizens abroad to perform manual labor and then confiscates all or part of their wages to help finance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Deceptive shipping alleged

Some council members have also noted that North Korea appears to be illegally exporting coal and acquiring prohibited oil through deceptive shipping practices. The proposed text seeks to tighten maritime interdiction and inspection regimes.

There are also 19 new individuals, most of them in the banking sector, proposed for travel bans and asset freezes, as well as the Army ministry.

If approved, this will be the third round of targeted sanctions imposed by the Security Council this year in a bid to stop Pyongyang from advancing its illicit weapons programs and bring it to the negotiating table.
South Korea launched an investigation Friday into a fire that killed 29 people in the central city of Jecheon.

The National Fire Agency said most of the victims were killed in a sauna Thursday after the fire started in a vehicle and swept throughout the eight story building, trapping many people inside.

One investigator told Reuters, "There were cars parked on the first floor and as they were burning, a large amount of toxic gases were released."

One man is reported to have lost his mother, wife and daughter in the fire.

A leg of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics torch relay was scheduled to pass through Jecheon Friday, but organizers called it off.

The torch relay manager said, "We thought that having a torch relay at a place where so many people died in a fire accident is just not right, and therefore cancelled today's event in Jecheon."

The Olympic Games begin in February.

Jecheon is a scenic city with mountain and lakes that is located about 118 kilometers southeast of the capital of Seoul.
Scott Judd trained his camera lens on the white dot in the distance. As he moved up the Lake Michigan shoreline, the speck on a breakwater came into view and took his breath away: it was a snowy owl, thousands of miles from its Arctic home.

"It was an amazing sight," said Judd, a Chicago IT consultant. "It's almost like they're from another world. They captivate people in a way that other birds don't."

The large white raptors have descended on the Great Lakes region and northeastern U.S. in huge numbers in recent weeks, hanging out at airports, in farm fields, on light poles and along beaches, to the delight of bird lovers.

But for researchers, this winter's mass migration of the owls from their breeding grounds above the Arctic Circle is serious business.

It's a chance to trap and fit some of the visitors with tiny transmitters to help track them around the globe and study a long-misunderstood species whose numbers likely are far fewer than previously thought, researchers say.

"There is still a lot that we don't know about them ... but we aim to answer the questions in the next few years," said Canadian biologist Jean-Francois Therrien, a senior researcher at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania.

The solar-powered transmitters can last for years, collecting information such as latitude, longitude, flight speed and air temperature that is downloaded to a server when the birds fly into range of a cell tower.

The use of transmitters, which intensified during the last North American mass migration in winter 2013-14, already has yielded big surprises.

Instead of 300,000 snowy owls worldwide, as long believed, researchers say the population likely is closer to 30,000 or fewer. The previous estimate was based on how many might be able to breed in a given area.

That calculation was made assuming snowy owls acted like other birds, favoring fixed nesting and wintering sites. But researchers discovered the owls are nomads, often nesting or wintering thousands of miles from previous locations.

The miscalculation doesn't necessarily mean snowy owls, which can grow to about 2 feet long (60 centimeters long) with 5-foot (1.5-meter) wingspans, are in decline. Scientists simply don't know because they never had an accurate starting point.

This month, snowy owls were listed as vulnerable  one step away from endangered  by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They're protected in the U.S. under the Migratory Bird Act.

This year's mass migration is a bit of good news. Researchers once thought these so-called "irruptions" signaled a lack of prey in the Arctic, but now believe the opposite: Breeding owls feed on lemmings, a rodent that lives under Arctic snowpack and whose population surges about every three or four years. More lemmings means the owl population explodes and that more birds than usual will winter in places people can see them.

But researchers worry that climate change will affect the owl population because lemmings are exceptionally sensitive to even small temperature changes.

Lemmings "depend on deep, fluffy, thick layers of insulating snow" to breed successfully, said Scott Weidensaul, director at Project SNOWstorm, an owl-tracking group whose volunteers have put transmitters on more than 50 snowy owls in the past four years .

The snowy owl population collapsed in Norway and Sweden in the mid-1990s, all but vanishing there for almost two decades before reappearing at lower numbers, experts said. In Greenland, where the population collapsed in the late 1990s, researchers found a few nests in 2011 and 2012 after six years with no recorded nests, but owls didn't come back in 2016 or 2017, when lemmings should have been peaking.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported this month that the far northern Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe.

But it's tough to assess lemming population trends in remote areas. Although researchers hope to enlist native villagers to help, it's mostly up to owls with transmitters for now.

Snowy owls somehow seem to find lemmings even if they are thousands of miles from where their population last peaked, Therrien said.

"They look around the Arctic," he said. "The movement is amazing to watch on a map: There are no straight lines. They're zigzagging."

Norman Smith, a snowy owl expert with Mass Audubon in Massachusetts, said he's heartened that many independent researchers worldwide joined forces to share information on snowy owls.

"It's amazing what we've learned, but we need a bigger database of birds," said Smith, who has been trapping owls at Boston's Logan International Airport for more than 35 years and fits them with a leg band or transmitter before letting them go. He put a satellite tracker on an owl for the first time in 2000, proving that they could make it back to the Arctic.

Last week, Smith released a young female on a barrier beach along the Atlantic Ocean. It flew south, then circled back and flew overhead. As he drove over a bridge to the mainland, the owl was sitting on a post, surveying its new winter home.
In the Meri refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 30,000 South Sudanese refugees yearn to return to their homeland, which has been ripped apart by a four-year civil war.

The new cease-fire signed Thursday between the government of President Salva Kiir and different rebel groups should raise hopes of peace in the war-torn country.

But the refugees in Meri camp who spoke to VOA said they are not celebrating just yet.

"We hear, but we don't know whether it is going to be," said Rose Tabu, a 20-year-old mother of one who came to Congo last year to escape fighting. "We just leave it in God, since last time we hear 'peace peace peace,' but there is not peace."

The cease-fire stipulates the two sides must stop military activities, allow access for aid groups, and uphold the laws of war, including not committing atrocities against civilians.

Lilias Arie, 24, urged the warring parties to stop targeting civilians. She said government soldiers had attacked civilians, while the rebel group led by former vice president Riek Machar, called the SPLA-IO, had stolen property.

"Since the fighting is between the IO and the government soldiers, why are they killing civilians, harassing civilians, even burning houses, why?" Arie said. "Let them not kill civilians. Salva should tell his soldiers to not kill civilians. And Riek should come to the table to find a solution to this war."

Lino Lasuba, 32, said he did not have high hopes because many previous cease-fires have fallen apart.

"Of course, this is not the first signing of peace in South Sudan, several peace [deals] have been signed, so at the end of the day, what we expected changed to be the contrary," Lasuba said.

As the cease-fire goes into effect Sunday, South Sudanese refugees in Congo will be watching closely to see if peace will hold  and whether they can finally return home.
Afghan officials say a suicide bombing early Friday killed at least six policemen and wounded 10 others, including an area commander, in southern Kandahar province.

The bomber rammed his explosives-filed four-wheel drive military light truck, commonly known as Humvee, into a police station in the Maiwand district. The massive blast inflicted damages to the facility and nearby civilian houses, Sultan Mohammad, the regional police commander, told VOA.

Security guards stationed at the first entrance intercepted the Humvee, packed with around 3,000 kilograms of explosives, and opened fired to stop it, but the bomber managed to reach the second gate before detonating the explosives, he added.

The Taliban swiftly claimed responsibly for carrying out the attack.

Mohammad acknowledged that Taliban insurgents in recent battlefield attacks in Kandahar and adjoining Helmand province have seized a number of Humvees and are frequently using them in suicide attacks against Afghan forces.

Local police sources, however, said the casualty toll was higher than the officially released figures.

Fridays attack came hours after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise trip to Afghanistan where he addressed American troops at Bagram Airfield and thanked them for their service.

He went on to say that the new Afghan strategy President Donald Trump announced in August is making progress on the ground.

We've dramatically increased American air strikes. And together with our Afghan partners, we've put the Taliban on the defensive We've targeted the Talibans funding as never before through renewed attacks on its drug trafficking network, Pence added.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, in brief remarks to Pences assertions said: Unannounced trips to Afghanistan by top American officials show that even after staying for 16 years they are worried about personal security.

Earlier, Pence met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to discuss the U.S. strategy and bilateral cooperation.

I said to them what I say to you now; under President Donald Trump, the armed forces of the United States will remain engaged in Afghanistan until we eliminate the terrorist threat to our homeland, our people once and for all, Pence said in his speech to U.S. troops at Bagram.

Ghanis office issued a statement after the meeting, saying Pence commended the performance of Afghan forces and acknowledged the progress of Ghanis government to counter-corruption, promote effective governance, further the peace process and pursue regional cooperation.

While addressing U.S. troops, Pence also reiterated President Trumps warning to Afghanistans uneasy neighbor, Pakistan.

For too long, Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organizations. But those days are over. President Trump has put Pakistan on notice. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

Pakistan rebukes Pence

Pakistan promptly and sharply rejected Pences remarks, saying externalizing blame should be put on notice. A foreign ministry statement noted that allies do not put each other on notice.

On notice should be those factors responsible for exponential increase in drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale corruption, breakdown of (Afghan) governance, and letting Daesh gain a foothold in Afghanistan, it said.

Pakistani envoy, Maleeha Lodhi, while speaking to a United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan Thursday urged the U.S. and its allies to stop relying on military might to resolve the Afghan conflict, saying the policy has failed to achieve peace over the past 16 years.

Lodhi cited recent U.S. military assessments that around 40 percent of Afghan territory is either controlled or contested by the Taliban.

And this failure cannot be explained away by alleging the existence of safe havens for the insurgency across the border. There are no such safe havens. The only havens that exist for the insurgents and for Daesh (Islamic State) and other terrorists are within the 40 percent of Afghan territory, which is outside the control of Kabul.

She reiterated Pakistans call for focusing all efforts on finding a political settlement to the Afghan conflict.
At a news conference announcing the end of yet another fruitless round of peace talks in Geneva last week, the U.N. envoy for Syria held up a color-coded map showing the divisions of territorial control in the war-torn country.

The multicolored image displayed by a frustrated Staffan de Mistura is what Syria looks like today: a collage of mostly ravaged enclaves controlled by an assorted mix of local and foreign powers, each with a stake in the country's ongoing civil war.

Nearly seven years into the conflict, the war seems on one level to be winding down, largely because of Russian-backed government victories and local cease-fires aimed at freezing the lines of conflict.

Underscoring this perception is the fact that President Bashar al-Assad  however battered and bruised  has survived the conflict, sitting more comfortably now than at any time since the rebellion against his rule erupted in March 2011. The fight against the Islamic State group, which at one point controlled a third of the country, is almost over, with both Russia and the United States declaring victory in their mission to defeat the extremist group.

Yet the country is still a tangled mess, with violent conflict likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Despite stepped-up diplomatic efforts, the parties are no closer to reaching a peace settlement than they were in 2012, when the first round of peace talks was held in Switzerland.

Assad will not voluntarily step aside and will likely stay on at least until 2021, when his current second presidential term ends. The opposition  down but not out  has not completely abandoned its goal of toppling him militarily. Fierce fighting continues in some areas and a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in a government-besieged area a short drive away from the capital of Damascus.

It may have shifted to a more stable and less violent phase, but the Syrian conflict is likely to bleed through 2018 and potentially longer, as prospects for new conflicts loom large.

Military limitations

Thanks to Russia's military intervention, Syrian government forces have retaken large swaths of rebel and IS-held areas, including main cities such as Homs, Aleppo and most recently, Deir el-Zour. This month, they entered the rebel-held province of Idlib in northern Syria for the first time in years.

Toppling Assad militarily  a prospect that appeared within reach less than two years ago  now seems to have been ruled out, and even his most vocal opponents have moved away from their goal of ousting him.

But there are limitations to the Syrian army's military conquests and despite the assistance from allies Iran and Russia, Assad is unlikely to achieve lasting control over the entire country. In fact, nearly half Syria's territory remains outside his control and major bloodshed still lies ahead if he moves to seize those areas, including the sprawling rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region near the capital and the northern province of Idlib, where al-Qaida-linked militants dominate.

Syrian Kurds in the north have also carved up a huge semi-autonomous enclave for themselves, estimated at nearly a quarter of the country. Assad will likely seek to reassert his presence there at some point. This week, he called the Kurds "traitors" for working with a foreign country. A Kurdish-dominated group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by U.S. air power and ground support, cleared large areas from the Islamic State group in northern Syria, including the city of Raqqa which the extremist group had turned into its de facto capital.

Another potential flashpoint is the U.S. presence in Syria. Even though the fight against IS has almost concluded, the U.S. has signaled it will keep troops in Syria until an overall peace settlement is reached.

Sovereignty lost

During Russian President Vladimir Putin's brief visit to a Russian air base in Syria where he met Assad earlier this month, a video that surfaced on the internet caught the moment a Russian general grabbed Assad by the arm, holding him back to allow Putin to walk ahead.

It may have been a friendly maneuver, but for many Syria observers, the video was an apt reflection of just how much Assad owed Putin and how much sovereignty Assad has had to give up to stay in power.

Putin's victory lap in Syria also demonstrated his status as the real victor who calls the shots when it comes to Syria.

The Russian leader now monopolizes the military as well as the political track, having successfully diverted the focus away from U.N.-led peace talks in Geneva to Russia-led negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, where four so-called de-confliction zones in Syria have been demarcated in the past year, and also the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, were a troika summit of Russian, Turkish and Iranian leaders was recently held.

While Assad has vowed to regain every inch of the country, he is seen as completely dependent on both Russia and Iran, which has also shored up his rule with thousands of Tehran-sponsored Shiite militias, including Lebanon's Hezbollah group, now spread across much of the country.

Pyrrhic victory

Assad may be keeping his seat, but the devastation he presides over is beyond belief or estimation.

His battlefield triumphs have come at so great a cost that it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reinstate legitimate state authority over recaptured areas, particularly with no resources to rebuild what has been destroyed.

A mammoth reconstruction effort is needed to rebuild cities, including Homs, Aleppo and Raqqa, which have been completely destroyed, as well as scores of towns and villages that may need to be razed to the ground before they can rise up again. The country's medical and health infrastructure has been decimated and the economy is in shambles. But as long as Assad is in power, the West is unlikely to fund Syria's reconstruction.

Millions of Syrian refugees are scattered across the globe and close to half a million have been killed.

Rula Jebreal, professor of communication at the University of Miami, said Assad has fallen far short of achieving lasting control over the country, and predicted the insurgency will continue until Syrians are granted freedom, political participation and social justice.

"Assad has won the strategic war. Yet his victory may be pyrrhic in that nothing about the current situation ensures stability or peace," she added in a recent analysis posted by Carnegie Middle East Center's Diwan blog.
Taiwan and Japan are working toward shared access to rich fishing waters around the mid-Pacific isle of Okinotori in a move that could draw strong Chinese criticism.

On Monday, the two governments opened talks toward an agreement that may eventually let Taiwanese boats use the waters around the nearly submerged feature about 1,740 kilometers south of Tokyo.

Japan holds the islet, nestled in a tropical lagoon and anchored by a research station. Japan believes the claim confers an exclusive economic zone in the sea 370.4 kilometers around Okinotori. Taiwan says its fishermen should be allowed to use the area as international waters.

China, however, sees self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory rather than as a state with rights to negotiate with outside governments. It also disputes Japans control of Okinotori.

I think they would stress that such an agreement violates the one-China principle and is detrimental to China's sovereignty, Taiwan Strategy Research Association fellow Fabrizio Bozzato said, referring to Beijings claim that Taiwan and China belong under one flag.

They might even decide to use their fishing fleet to make a statement," he said.

China and Japan grapple with their own list of political issues as well, including sovereignty of ocean tracts between Shanghai and the main Japanese islands.

Taiwan, which has one of the worlds biggest ocean fishing industries, opened talks with Japan in October 2016 over Okinotori after Tokyo detained a Taiwanese fishing vessel near it. On Monday and Tuesday this week, negotiators reached a tentative agreement after a second round of talks on Okinotori.

Although the two sides still have different views, they both agreed to continue dialogue on the issue of fishing activities on the principles of protecting the safety of work as well as fishery resources, Taiwans Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In July of 2016, a world arbitration court ruled against Beijings right to use occupation of tiny land features for control of about 90 percent of the South China Sea.

Japan says its occupation of Okinotori should give it the same kind of zone in the Pacific Ocean. But no one has legally challenged that idea as the Philippines challenged China -- leading to the arbitration verdict.

Since China rejected the arbitral ruling, it would struggle to criticize Japans claim of Okinotori based on its size or close to the waters surface, said Jonathan Spangler, director of the South China Sea Think Tank in Taipei.

They can say its not Japanese for other reasons, but they cant say it because of the size of the island or the type of the island, he said.

A year before the world court ruling, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a meeting of Southeast Asian nations that China is different from Japan in that his countrys claim over rights in the South China Sea has long been in existence.

China is expected to protest any Japan-Taiwan deal by arguing Taiwan lacks the rights to sign agreements as a state, analysts say. Chinese officials already resent Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who has declined to accept Beijings one-China idea as a condition for talks. China hopes talks will advance its goal of unifying with Taiwan.

Common Taiwanese want a foreign policy laurel showing their government can stand apart from China, adding significance to any Japan deal, said Liu Yih-jiun, public affairs professor at Fo Guang University in Taiwan.

Simply the sit-down and signing something with an important country in the world like Japan will boost the current Tsai administration, so for sure Taiwan needs politics at this moment, but China for sure doesnt like it at all, Liu said.

China might react to any Japan-Taiwan agreement by sending military planes near Okinotori, said Shane Lee, political scientist at Chang Jung Christian University in Taiwan. Those missions would collect information and pressure Taiwan to drop its claims, Lee said.

New flyovers would be consistent with other Chinese aircraft movement this past year over the Miyako Strait between Taiwan and other outlying Japanese islands. Bombers and other planes flew through the strait in November, for instance.

I think the recent flights of the military planes (are) the prelude to the claim that all this area belongs to China, Lee said.
The Ugandan army on Friday attacked camps in eastern Congo housing Ugandan Islamist rebels blamed for a raid this month that killed 14 United Nations peacekeepers, an army spokesman said.

The attack, carried out with air strikes and long range weapons from inside Uganda, is the first in a joint military operation by Congo and Ugandan armies against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

The attack followed intelligence sharing with Democratic Republic of the Congo that indicated ADF militants were planning "hostile activities" against Uganda, army (UPDF) spokesman Richard Karemire told Reuters.

"In a pre-emptive move this afternoon, UPDF conducted attacks. They are of a limited nature on camps in DRC," he said.

Karemire added that the army had not yet evaluated the results of the strikes but that Uganda had boosted its military presence along the border.

Uganda has justified previous military interventions in eastern Congo over the last two decades by the presence of rebel groups on Congolese soil. Congo, however, has accused its neighbor of seeking a toehold in eastern Congo to exploit its rich reserves of gold and other resources.
A U.S. diplomat said Thursday that the United States would remain engaged with Russia throughout 2018 in working to defeat Islamic State in Syria.

Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, told reporters the U.S. wants to settle the war in Syria through a constitutional process leading to U.N.-supervised elections.

"We'll also remain present in other areas of Syria to make sure that ISIS cannot return and to make sure that we can help with the stabilization efforts so people can return to their homes," McGurk said, using an acronym for the militant group.

Islamic State has lost 98 percent of its so-called caliphate in Syria, he said, citing U.S. efforts to de-escalate the fighting, as well as "really pragmatic, pretty hard-nosed diplomacy with the Russians."

He also said the U.N. had reported that 1,000 Syrian refugees have been returning home each month.

But nobody is "popping champagne corks" yet, McGurk said, stressing that IS was not "totally finished" in Syria and that there was still a lot of work to do.

VOA national security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
As part of an annual holiday tradition, U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior administration officials visited American troops around the world on Thursday.

Trump visited wounded soldiers at at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just outside Washington.

"We'll be over there for a while, but we're just going to wish them a Merry Christmas," he told reporters as he left the White House. He called the soldiers "some of the bravest people anywhere in the world."

The visit came one day before Trump is scheduled to leave the capital to spend the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

WATCH: Trump holiday visit

Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Afghanistan for a pre-Christmas surprise visit to the troops fighting America's longest war.

Under heavy security, Pence landed at Bagram Air Base, where he thanked some of the roughly 15,000 U.S. personnel still in the country. Later, he flew into Kabul to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, telling the Afghan leaders that the Trump administration was "here to see this through."

Pence told Ghani that the U.S. was committed to helping Afghanistan achieve peace and security.

Closer to home, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited U.S. troops at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba.

The unannounced visit was the first by a defense secretary since January 2002 when Donald Rumsfeld visited shortly after the first prisoners arrived there from Afghanistan.

Mattis spoke to three groups of troops, offering holiday greetings and thanks for their service. "I need you to be at the top of your game,'' he said, asking the several hundred soldiers in attendance to always be ready for war.

Later, Mattis was scheduled to fly to Mayport Naval Station in Florida and visit Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg, both in North Carolina, on Friday.
The United States congratulated incumbent Juan Orlando Hernandez Friday on his victory in Honduras' presidential election  a vote that has been declared irregular and rejected by the opposition.



"We congratulate President Juan Orlando Hernandez on his victory in the November 26 presidential elections, as declared by the Honduran Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE)," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

She added, however, that the close election results and reports of irregularities "underscore the need for a robust national dialogue."



"We call upon the TSE to transparently and fully review any challenges filed by political parties," the statement said.."We urge Honduran citizens or political parties challenging the result to use the avenues provided by Honduran law."



Last week, election authorities in Honduras declared Hernandez the winner of the disputed November 26 election, prompting new allegations of fraud and a fresh round of protests.



The incumbent won a little less than 43 percent of the vote, while leftist challenger Salvador Nasralla took just under 42 percent.



Disputes over last month's vote fueled street protests that killed as many as 20 people.



Electoral officials had until December 26 to declare a winner or the entire election would be declared invalid.



Even though the constitution limits Honduran presidents to a single term, Hernandez ran for re-election, arguing the nation's Supreme Court had scrapped the law.
Apple, the American multi-national technology company, has acknowledged it has taken action that slows the performance of its older iPhones.



After Primate Labs, which makes an application that measures the speed of iPhone processors, disclosed data Monday that seemingly showed the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 models perform slower as they aged, Apple addressed the claims two days later.



Apple said it released software last year that makes those models operate more slowly to countervail problems with their aging lithium ion batteries, which can sometimes cause operational problems or cause phones to unexpectedly shut down.

The technology giant said the reason for the updated software was to provide better power management capabilities, which also slows down the phones, to prevent them from shutting down.



One solution to a slower, older iPhone would be to buy a new battery instead of a new phone. Apple charges $79 to replace the battery if the phone is no longer covered by a warranty. Owners can also purchase a kit to replace the battery. But the company has long been criticized by repair advocates for making the batteries difficult for users to replace on their own.
By VOA Correspondent

A former Zimbabwean minister who served under the countrys ousted leader of 37 years, Robert Mugabe, has been arraigned in court on charges of abusing his powers when he was in office.

Former Mines Minister Walter Chidhakwa appeared before a Harare magistrate Thursday facing charges of abuse of office.

Magistrate Josephine Sande freed the ex-minister, who also is a nephew of former President Robert Mugabe.

Chidhakwas defense attorney, Sylvester Hashiti, says his client was freed on bail and ordered to surrender his passport. He is accused of breaching the countrys minerals law during his term of office.

Chidhakwa becomes the second minister brought before the courts since Mugabes ouster last month. Former finance minister Ignatius Chombo also has been arraigned on corruption charges.

Zimbabwes new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, says his administration will leave no stone unturned in its quest to end corruption.

However, Obert Gutu, a spokesman of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai, says Zimbabwes new administration applies the law selectively.

Independent political analyst, Mike Tembo, says Mnangagwa is acting on the orders of the army, which acted to oust Mugabe and bring Mnangagwa to office.

It is not yet clear how many people from Mugabes administration are under investigation for financial crimes.
Ambrym (Vanuatu) is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Its vast caldera has an amazing moonscape and several active vents that contain boiling lava lakes, most famous Marum and Benbow.
Trump's ambassador to Vatican begins new role day after attending funeral of Cardinal Law.

The new US ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich presented her credentials to Pope Francis on 22 December, marking the official start of her new role as the liason between Washington and the Holy See.

Ambassador Gingrich, who was nominated by President Trump to serve as the 11th US ambassador to the Vatican, follows her predecessor Kenneth F. Hackett who served during Barack Obamas second term as president.

The new ambassador is joined in Rome by her high-profile husband Newt Gingrich, the former US House Speaker and Trump ally, whom she married in 2000 following a six-year affair.

As ambassador-designate, Gingrich has already attended several recent functions in Rome, including the funeral of disgraced American cardinal Bernard Law at St Peter's on 21 December.
Mic card will give Rome residents unlimited access to city museums.

Rome is introducing a new museum pass that will entitle the capital's residents to unlimited access to city museums for 12 months.

The 5 Mic card is reserved exclusively for people who are resident in Rome - not tourists - and is expected to be launched during the spring of 2018.

Participating museums include the Ara Pacis, Capitoline Museums, Trajan's Markets, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Centrale Montemartini and Villa Torlonia.

The initiative has been described by the city's mayor Virginia Raggi as a "great opportunity for those who live in Rome." For details see city website.


Larry Sternbane and Sam Lee were married at the Reagan National Airport in October. (Billy Khuong)

For Larry Sternbane and Sam Lee, it was love at first flight. Well, not exactly a flight, but it did involve an airport.

Their relationship began online, where Sam, 33, a NASA contractor, caught Larrys eye. The pair, who both live in the Washington area, started chatting in June 2014 and decided to meet in person. Sam happened to be flying home from a work conference in Indianapolis and Larry jumped at the chance to pick him up at one of his favorite places in Washington  Reagan National Airport.

Larry, 54, a former airline industry worker and now a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent Office, has been volunteering at the airport for 11 years.

I love the constant flow of people, he says.

I thought Larry had a major airline pull, Sam says, when he arrived at the gate in a super blue airport vest.

On the way to Sams home in Arlington, the pair stopped for Thai food, swapping travel stories and recounting the various cities theyd lived in.

Sam is a good conversationalist, Larry says. Usually its the opposite when you meet someone online.

Their relationship took off from there, as they saw each other a few times a week, and before long, they were exploring the city and traveling the world.



Sam Lee and Larry Sternbane. (Billy Khuong)

I like that Sam is so adventurous, Larry says. He gets me to try stuff that I would never consider trying, especially when it comes to food. [This year] in Japan, he got me to try waygu beef, teppanyaki and sashimi.

Not long after meeting, Larry introduced Sam to his friends at the Capital Pride Parade. Larry was Sams first serious boyfriend; he hadnt yet come out to his family and friends.

Exchanging vows with a man was not in my future, he says. But [Larry] changed all that.

The pride parade also was a big step.

This was my introduction to the gay world of D.C., says Sam, whose involvement in the community only flourished from then on. At Christmas that year, the couple attended CityCenterDCs tree-lighting ceremony, and a lighthearted caroling performance by the Gay Mens Chorus spurred Sams interest in trying out. Soon, he inherited 300 chorus friends and a calendar full of concerts, social events and philanthropic activities.

People in the chorus are very kind and accepting, he says. We call ourselves a big family.

Larry is no less busy. He lives in Southeast Washington, where hes on the board of a housing association, and volunteers at the D.C. Central Kitchen. The separate activities have only improved their relationship.

We keep our own interests to balance out our relationship, Larry says. We have our own separate groups of friends. Its healthy not to overwhelm your partner.

Despite their busy schedules, the couple still manages to travel. Theyve camped on the Outer Banks, cruised the Caribbean, roamed the streets of a wintry Montreal and experienced countless overbooked flights, smoky hotel rooms and overnight train trips.

It was only fitting that their marriage proposal took place while traveling  on Amtrak last May, en route from Atlanta to Washington. Larry conspired with the dining car manager to present the engagement ring with dessert. Unawares, and not hungry, Sam decided not to order anything. So the waiter unveiled the ring on an empty plate in a Tiffany bag as nearby diners cheered.

On Oct. 7, Sam and Larry woke before dawn to share a quiet breakfast and then headed to National Airport once again, where they would exchange vows in the historical lobby of Terminal A, the original airport building constructed in the 1940s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Sunlight spilled into the Art Deco-style room with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the main runway. John Schwanke, a retired U.S. Navy officer and a friend from the Gay Mens Chorus, officiated the ceremony in front of 200 guests.



Larry Sternbane and Sam Lee exchanged vows in the historical lobby of Terminal A. (Billy Khuong)

From the moment we met here in this airport, I have felt comfortable with you, Larry said in his vows.

Larry showed me that its okay to just be me and not who I was expected to be, Sam followed. In the last 3 years, hes made me realize what love is.

At the reception, the Mad Men and airline theme added to the nostalgic feel of the day, as guests lunched on food from Freddies Beach Bar at tables festooned with gate numbers and airplane models. Friends from the airline industry donned pilot and flight attendant uniforms.

While honeymooning in Maui in November, the pair reflected on their love and their journey thus far.

My biggest focus was that moment of saying our vows and getting married, Sam said. Ive learned to go with my gut and do things that make me happy. If it feels good to be around someone, then go with it.

[Are you getting married in the Washington region? Tell us why we should feature your nuptials here.]


Mark Halperin at a panel discussion in Washington in May. One of his accusers had shared her story of harassment with friends and colleagues for years while his career soared. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Showtime)

Sexual harassment typically lurks in the shadows  and yet its rarely a secret. One woman says she was assaulted by a prominent journalist and that she told her friends about it. And she told his colleagues.

She told her boyfriend, who interacted with the journalist professionally. And she told one of the mans closest collaborators.

As her career progressed and her professional circle widened, the woman says she told and retold the story about her bizarre and violent encounter with Mark Halperin, the longtime political director for ABC News, cable pundit and best-selling author, whenever his name came up.

Many of those she told were shocked, she said. But no one, to the best of her knowledge, reported it to Halperins employers, or police, or confronted Halperin himself.

The story was whispered, without evident effect, for nearly two decades. It was only this fall that Halperin was fired by several employers after news reports describing years of behavior toward several women he acknowledged was "aggressive and crude."

At a time when several industries have been racked by almost daily revelations of chronic sexual harassment, there is now a reckoning not just for victims and the accused but for the bystanders  friends and colleagues who knew, on some level, what was going on.

Some have expressed regret that they didnt do more when they learned of troubling behavior, sometimes years before accusers went public.

Quentin Tarantino acknowledged that several actresses had told him about Harvey Weinstein's alleged abuses. "I wish I had taken responsibility for what I heard," the director told the New York Times in October. The Vox media company acknowledged after it booted its former editorial director, Lockhart Steele, that in hindsight, "there were stronger steps the company should have taken."

Former New York Times editor Jill Abramson admitted she should have confronted her former boss, Michael Oreskes, when she learned nearly 20 years ago he was allegedly harassing a junior colleague. Louis C.K.'s longtime manager, Dave Becky, and Charlie Rose's executive producer, Yvette Vega, have both said they should have done something about what they knew, too.



From left, Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., and Charlie Rose  prominent men whose careers were tarnished this year by sexual harassment allegations. Some colleagues have said they regret not taking action sooner. (AP)

Few bystanders have paid the price that Billy Bush did after the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape starring Donald Trump surfaced in October of last year. Bush said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" for playing along with Trump's "locker-room banter"; he was fired as a "Today" host shortly after the tape appeared, and his career hasn't recovered.

Yet many who were privy to whispers about harassment say they struggled to figure out exactly what to do with this knowledge. The husband of a woman who accused another man of harassment said it was miserable to watch the mans career rise for 20 years, knowing how he had treated her.

Every time that person appeared on [TV as a pundit] it was like a giant f--- you to us, he said. His response was to collect information that eventually helped lead to the mans exposure and firing. I wish I could have done more, he said. But I dont know what that would be.

[I dont want to sit on your lap, she thought. But, she alleges, Mark Halperin insisted.]

The woman who told her friends about Halperin shared with them an incident she says occurred almost 20 years ago. Just out of college, she sought career advice from Halperin, whom she had met while she was a White House intern and he was political director at ABC News. They had lunch in New York, she said, and as they stood outside the restaurant afterward, Halperin suddenly threw her up against the plate-glass facade and pinned her arms against it. Then he lunged at her, mouth agape, like someone who was going to eat you. She said she slipped his grip, wriggled free and got away.

Later that day, said the woman  who spoke on the condition of anonymity for this report to protect her familys privacy  Halperin called. She assumed he would apologize. Instead, he said, No one will ever hire you. You have no experience. I dont know what you thought I could do for you.  She said she found his tone chilling.



Billy Bush, who lost his TV job after he was caught on tape laughing at Donald Trumps stories of groping women  one of the few bystanders to pay a price. (Richard Shotwell/AP)

As Halperins career soared, the inaction among her friends and colleagues made the woman feel as if I did something wrong, or maybe that I had imagined the whole thing. I wanted to feel validated and heard at the very least.

Many of them instead courted Halperin, celebrated him and attached themselves to his rising star, she said.

They maintained their association with him as he became one of the most prominent political commentators of his time, a near-conglomerate with book deals (the best-selling "Game Change"), TV deals (series on Bloomberg TV and Showtime), and frequent guest-commentary appearances, most recently on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

It was only in the wake of revelations about Weinstein in October that Halperin's accusers, including the woman in this report, felt empowered to come forward and describe Halperin's alleged misconduct to reporters. Halperin denies the woman's specific accusation; through a spokesman, he said he has never assaulted anyone.

Among the people the woman said she told about Halperin was an old boyfriend, Michael Feldman, a prominent political consultant. Even after learning about the incident from her in 2004, Feldman, a former senior adviser to Vice President Al Gore, invited Halperin to join the couple on a dinner date, she said. Appalled that he would propose such an encounter with a man she had described as her abuser, the woman refused to join them for dinner. Her relationship with Feldman ended soon after.

Asked about the womans account, Feldman declined to comment.

Another person she said she informed was John Heilemann, Halperin's collaborator on "Game Change" and other projects. She said she told Heilemann about Halperin in 2007.

Thereafter, Heilemann intensified his professional relationship with Halperin; they went on to earn millions of dollars from their joint book and TV projects.

Since Halperin's exposure as an alleged serial sexual harasser, Heilemann has denied any knowledge of Halperin's misconduct. He told the New York Times this fall that he "was flabbergasted and shocked" by the various allegations.

I had never heard of, been exposed to or had any inkling of the notion that he had engaged in any behavior that could be described in even the broadest sense of being sexual harassment or sexual assault, Heilemann told the newspaper.

The woman insists otherwise. She said she told him in a phone conversation that she was offended, outraged and hurt by his comments to the Times.

She recalled the specific circumstances in which she recounted her story to Heilemann: in her office at the publication where they both worked, he standing by a window, she at her desk. I told him in no uncertain terms, she said.

In an interview, Heilemann said he doesnt recall hearing the womans story. He declined to be quoted directly and offered no further comment.

Two other men  one a former political operative, the other a journalist  said they werent sure what to do when they heard her story more than a decade ago. Both men, who spoke at length about the episode on the condition of anonymity, expressed remorse about their indecision and inaction.



John Heilemann and Mark Halperin at the 2012 premiere of the HBO movie based on their book, Game Change. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Should I have gone and punched him in the face? said the former political operative, who said the woman told him around 2003 or 2004. Should I have called the head of ABC News? I dont even know how that worked.

The journalist said he learned of the incident about a year or so after it allegedly occurred. I was stunned by the whole story, he said. It drove me crazy that a bad guy had done this and gotten away with it for so long.

He said he felt guilty about remaining silent. But he reasoned that taking the allegation public at the time might have backfired.

"It would have been horrible," he said. "No one would have believed her, and no one at ABC News would have taken it seriously at the time. It would have hurt her, not Mark." He added that "the world is different today than it was even three months ago. It's different now" because allegations against Bill Cosby, Roger Ailes, Bill O'Reilly and Weinstein have created a more receptive climate for people to come forward.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center advises those told of assault or harassment to let the accuser guide the response. "You want to help validate the person's experience. You want to listen and offer help, but you don't want to take over," said Kristen Houser, a spokeswoman for the organization. "You never want to tell a person things they're not ready to do."

The woman who accused Halperin said shes gained some measure of satisfaction from seeing his misconduct exposed. Im euphoric that all of this has finally come out about Mark, she said. I do feel validated by it.

One painful aspect of her experience over the two decades that followed their restaurant meeting, she said, was that she moved in some of the same professional and social circles as him and they would occasionally end up in the same room.

We would nod hello, she said, but they kept a distance from each other.

To this day, she said, Halperin has never said to her the two words she wanted to hear: Im sorry.


A walking tour with Frankfurt on Foot, a local company that counts a layover tour among its offerings, included Hochst Castle, which was built in stages between the 13th and 16th centuries. (Alexandra Pecci/For The Washington Post)

In the just-waking hours of a cool, misty morning, we slipped into Frankfurt, Germany, the way dreams slide between vivid reality and hazy memory: surreal and ephemeral.

A smiling woman wearing a hairnet reached over a counter, and speaking neither English nor German, offered my daughter a cold, skinny frankfurter. We sleepily wandered through meandering lanes flanked by medieval, half-timbered houses that could have been the backdrop to a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. We passed under the old city gate into a long-dry moat at the foot of a white castle, walking among ancient, moss-carpeted stone steps and walls covered in thick ivy. Huge bunches of white asparagus and piles of fragrant lilacs crowded tables at a weekend farmers market where we, the interlopers, snapped pictures as locals eyed us curiously. We glided up and down on a teeter-totter in a deserted playground, while enormous white swans preened their feathers on the banks of the Main River a few feet away.

I felt lightheaded and dazed. My husband, Brian, daughter, Chloe, and I had just gotten off an overnight flight from Boston. We were heading to Barcelona, but the eye-poppingly cheap airfare I snagged online came with a catch: an eight-hour layover in Frankfurt.

[A quiet German town welcomes some 2 million visitors for Martin Luthers 500th]

Spending eight hours in an airport would strain the patience of most adults, let alone a 7-year-old. So I was thrilled when I discovered Frankfurt on Foot, a local company that counts a layover tour among its walking offerings.

Layovers are usually spent in a weird netherworld of being somewhere without really being there at all. I've been to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, for instance, but I haven't actually been to France. Escaping the airport to explore Frankfurt, even just for a few hours, felt exciting and strange.

We are allowed to do this, arent we? Brian asked me one last time as we made our way through the airport.

None of us slept on the airplane, and we were bleary-eyed and hungry when we met our guide, Jo Ator, at the airport at about 8 a.m. to begin a private tour. I worried for a moment about how rumpled and sleepy we looked as we shuffled toward her, lugging heavy carry-on bags. If she noticed, she didnt seem to mind. Instead, she cheerfully showed us where we could store our luggage  at 7 euros per bag  for the day and led us outside and onto a city bus.



A flower merchant at the farmers market in Hochst. The quiet neighborhood in the western part of the city feels markedly different from Frankfurts busy metropolis. (Alexandra Pecci/For The Washington Post)

Wow, this is great. So easy, I marveled as we settled into our seats.

We try to take all the stress out of it for you, Jo replied.

The we covered herself and her husband, David  both Ohio natives living in Germany as co-owners of the tour business  and their companys other guides. I was certainly grateful. We never would have visited the city on a layover without a guide, fearing that wed get lost and miss our connecting flight.





Wielding her perfect German and knowledge of the city, Jo took us to Hochst, a quiet neighborhood in the western part of the city that felt markedly different from Frankfurts busy metropolis. Jo and I had emailed before our trip, and she suggested visiting the town for its morning farmers market and streets that were quiet and easy-to-navigate for Chloe, who has a walking disability.

Youll go back to Boston and your friends will say, Thats not Frankfurt!  Jo said, as we snapped pictures of the pretty streets. Hochsts distinctive green, pale pink and yellow half-timbered buildings earned it a spot on the German Half-Timbered House Road, which weaves through the country, connecting cities and towns that feature beautiful examples of that architecture.

This part of Frankfurt didnt get bombed in the war, Jo said. Thats why it looks so nice. She pointed out carved Roman numerals on the sides of the houses that helped the builders assemble them out of corresponding pieces.

Its like Ikea of the Middle Ages, Jo quipped.

Also beautifully preserved in Hochst: St. Justins Church, with a basilica consecrated in 850, making it one of the oldest standing houses of worship in Germany.

We cobbled together a mix-and-match breakfast at the farmers market, Wochenmarkt Hochst, which sets up under tents three times a week, and at its nearby indoor market while we sampled freshly pressed apple and apple-pear juices, cold frankfurters, pastries, chewy, fist-sized rolls called brotchen (little bread, Jo told us) and bauernkase, or farmers cheese.

Through the narrow, cobbled lanes, we meandered until we reached the white Hochst Castle, which belonged to the archbishop of Mainz and was built in stages between the 13th and 16th centuries.

We marveled at its tall tower and dry moat, and passed through a stone gate to emerge on the banks of the Main River. There, we happened upon a quiet playground and swans waiting for some food scraps by the ferry dock.

Behind us, the old city fortifications marked flood lines and dates, commemorating when the river waters spilled over their banks to creep up the high, towering walls that surrounded the city.



A bicycle basket serves as a makeshift planter in the picturesque Hochst district. (Alexandra Pecci/For The Washington Post)

Sleep finally caught up with Chloe at the bus stop. As we waited to go back to the airport, she curled up in her wheelchair and fell asleep, not waking during the bus ride or when we said goodbye to Jo at the airport or even as we went through security.

When she woke up nearly two hours later, we were back in the terminal where we started, about to board our flight to Barcelona. She gazed around sleepily, looking tousled and a little confused. I wouldnt have blamed her if she wondered whether our jaunt into Frankfurt had been only a dream. It felt a little like one to me, too.

Pecci is a writer based in New Hampshire. Her website is alexandrapecci.contently.com.

More from Travel:

A quiet German town welcomes some 2 million visitors for Martin Luther's 500th

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A pre-release example of the State Departments new color-coded risk-assessment Web page, which will go live in January. (State Department)

If you never quite grasped the difference between a "Travel Warning" and "Travel Alert," you are not alone. The State Department's online risk-assessment categories were as indecipherable as stalactites and stalagmites. But the struggle is over. The agency has scrapped the old standard for a more comprehensible and eye-catching system.

We wanted to make it clear what our advice was, said Kevin Brosnahan, a State Department spokesman, and improve our communication with U.S. citizens.

After a year-long review, the agency will reveal its 2.0 version around Jan. 10. Out: the separate list of warnings and alerts for individual countries. In: an advisory for every nation featuring a color-coded grade of Level 1 (blue, lowest risk) to Level 4 (red, highest). The designation will appear at the top of each countrys profile page along with an interactive map.

[When Americans land in trouble abroad, these expats step in]

The department is still assigning levels to countries and has not released its assessments to the public. However, as an example, Brosnahan said Canada would likely be a Level 1, which means Exercise Normal Precautions, and North Korea would be a Level 4, which translates to Do Not Travel. For a yellow Level 2 country, travelers should Exercise Increased Caution; for orange Level 3, Reconsider Travel.

The agency could appoint several numbers to one country, based on the peaks and valleys of security threats in different regions. For instance, in Turkey, Istanbul might receive a lower level of risk than the countrys southeastern border with Syria. The designations will change as needed  if there is, say, a terrorist attack, natural disaster or disease outbreak. Each profile will also feature gadget-friendly icons representing such concerns as crime, health epidemics, natural disasters, terrorism, civil unrest and time-sensitive events such as elections.

In addition, the department has simplified the communications it sends through its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, the stay-in-touch system available free to all U.S. travelers. Security and emergency messages will consolidate into singular alerts.

One element, however, will not change: the Worldwide Caution, which the agency reissued as recently as early December.

More from Travel:

Women who travel the world share a universal problem: Sexual harassment

Enrolling in Global Entry involves time, money and personal information. It's worth it.

Turkey resumes visa application services for U.S. travelers, but . . .
Anne Arundel County

The following were among incidents reported by the Anne Arundel County police. For information, call 410-222-8050.

GLEN BURNIE AREA

ROBBERIES

Mainview Ct., 400 block, 6:15 p.m. Dec. 13. A masked male robbed a female of her purse at gunpoint.

Olen Dr., 100 block, 6:45 p.m. Dec. 13. Two men assaulted a male, took his keys and wallet, and fled. The man was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released.

Woodhill Dr., 200 block, 6:20 p.m. Dec. 13. Two Glen Burnie men, ages 18 and 19, were arrested and charged with robbery.

HANOVER AREA

ROBBERIES

Arundel Mills Cir., 7000 block, 10:35 p.m. Dec. 8. A 28-year-old Woodbridge man and a 26-year-old Brooklyn man were arrested in a mall parking lot for attempted armed robbery. The Woodbridge man was charged with attempted armed robbery, attempted robbery, first- and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. The Brooklyn man was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree assault, and accessory after the fact.

THEFT/BREAK-IN

Piney Branch Cir., 2100 block, 11:02 p.m. Dec. 9. A 26-year-old Baltimore man was arrested and charged with second- and fourth-degree burglary and malicious destruction of property.

LAUREL AREA

ARREST

Accokeek St., 8600 block, 2 p.m. Dec. 10. An 18-year-old Laurel man was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute.

LOTHIAN AREA

ROBBERIES

Mount Zion Marlboro Rd., 1300 block, 12:37 a.m. Dec. 10. Three men entered a convenience store with knives and demanded cash and cigarettes. Employees complied and the men fled.

Southern Maryland Blvd., 5400 block, 8:50 p.m. Dec. 10. Four males entered a doughnut shop and demanded cash at knifepoint. The employees complied and the males fled.

Annapolis

These were among incidents reported by the Annapolis Police Department. For information, call 410-268-9000.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Forest Dr., 1300 block, 2-5 a.m. Dec. 11. Cash and a bottle of perfume were stolen from a vehicle entered by force.

Greenwood St., 700 block, Nov. 29-Dec. 12. Property was stolen from an apartment.

Howard County

These were among incidents reported by the Howard County Police Department. For information, call 410-313-2236.

CLARKSVILLE AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Countless Stars Run, 6000 block, Dec. 8. Jewelry and other property were stolen from a residence. There was no sign of forced entry.

VEHICLE THEFT

Broad Meadow Lane, 12000 block, 1:53 p.m. Dec. 9. A Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen.

COLUMBIA AREA

ROBBERIES

Dobbin Rd., 6100 block, 11:28 p.m. Dec. 8. A 26-year-old Odenton woman, a 23-year-old Laurel woman and a 19-year-old Odenton man were arrested and charged with robbery, assault, theft and conspiracy to commit theft.

Harpers Farm Rd., 8:14 p.m. Dec. 12. A masked male entered a pizza delivery store and demanded cash at gunpoint. An employee complied and the man fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Broken Land Pkwy., 9600 block, 7:30 a.m.-1:43 p.m. Dec. 12. Cash was stolen from four vehicles.

Centre Park Dr., 8700 block, Dec. 9. An attempt was made to enter an eye-care business by force.

Columbia Gateway Dr., 7100 block, Dec. 8-11. Copper was stolen from a mechanical contractor business. There was no sign of forced entry.

Ferryboat Cir., 6300 block, 12:04 a.m. Dec. 13. A vehicle was entered and searched. Nothing was reported missing.

Little Patuxent Pkwy., 10300 block, 5:54 p.m. Dec. 12. A watch and a pair of glasses were stolen from a vehicle.

Snowden River Pkwy., 8900 block, 11:10 p.m. Dec. 9. A 30-year-old Laurel man was arrested and charged with burglary.

VEHICLE THEFTS

Matador Rd., 9300 block, 6:20 a.m. Dec. 12. A 2017 Nissan Sentra was stolen.

Sage Brush Way, 8700 block, 9:20 a.m. Dec. 10. A Hyundai Santa Fe was stolen.

ELKRIDGE AREA

ROBBERIES

Washington Blvd., 6600 block, 1:22 p.m. Dec. 10. Two Elkridge males, ages 15 and 16, were arrested and charged with robbery, theft and assault.

WEAPONS VIOLATION

Old Waterloo Rd., 7100 block, 2:05 a.m. Dec. 10. Two North Carolina men, both 26, were arrested and charged with weapons violations. One of the men was also charged with assault.

ELLICOTT CITY AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Baltimore National Pike, 9200 block, noon Dec. 7. A handicap placard was stolen from a vehicle.

Hillsborough Rd., 8100 block, 11:38 a.m. Dec. 12. A purse and a wallet were stolen from a vehicle.

Rilland Ct., 12100 block, 11:53 a.m. Dec. 8. A cellphone, a wallet and food were among items stolen from three vehicles.

VEHICLE THEFTS

Walking Stick Rd., 4900 block, 8:01 a.m. Dec. 9. A 2013 Lexus was stolen.

JESSUP AREA

ARSON

Washington Blvd., 8000 block, 12:45 a.m. Dec. 8. A 26-year-old Jessup man was arrested and charged with arson and reckless endangerment.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Crestmount Rd., 7300 block, Dec. 10-11. Tools were stolen from a vehicle.

Peachwood Dr., 8300 block, Dec. 11-12. A laptop, and a GPS was stolen from a vehicle.

LAUREL AREA

ASSAULTS

Covered Wagon Dr., 9600 block, 8:19 p.m. Dec. 9. A 40-year-old Hyattsville man was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault and burglary.

ROBBERY

High Ridge and Riverhill roads, 12:01-1 a.m. Dec. 10. A male assaulted a male pedestrian, took his wallet and a bag of clothes, and fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Canterbury Riding, 9200 block, 10:04 a.m. Dec. 12. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Upper Sky Way, 8400 block, Dec. 10-11. An air bag was stolen from a vehicle.
Kayla Higgs sat before the D.C. schools chancellor and told him she hopes to attend Princeton University after she graduates from Eastern High School in Northeast Washington.

If she isnt accepted there, she said she would settle for Harvard or Duke.

But to achieve that, she asked the chancellor for some help.

One of the things schools should focus on is to get working computers, said Higgs, a sophomore. A lot of times in my classes, computers are broken and laptops dont have chargers. And its just very frustrating. Then, you have to share computers, and its just a mess.

Chancellor Antwan Wilson convened an informal budget hearing Thursday morning to hear from about 40 students  two from each of the citys public high schools  and asked how they believe the city should spend money on education. The school system still has months of public hearings and deliberations with the mayor and D.C. Council before the budget process finishes in March.

[D.C. schools graduate chronically absent students, chancellor acknowledges]

This year, D.C. Public Schools is operating with a budget of about $930 million. Charter schools, which account for more than 40 percent of the student population, receive the same funding per student.

The chancellor asked students at the hearing at D.C. Public Schools headquarters how the system could address their needs and how they would invest a hypothetical $1 million in schools.

Wilson said little during the 90-minute event, scribbling notes as students did most of the talking. He cautioned students that the school system would never have as much money as he would want, and so sought their feedback to help determine how the city should prioritize spending.

We dont get to decide how much money we get  let me just be clear on that, Wilson said. The city is going to give us money based on how much they believe can be given to education, but they also have to pay for all these other things.

The teenagers said they would spend more money on foreign language classes, art electives and school counselors, and they made a loud and unified call for better technology and faster Internet service.

If I were given a million dollars, I would have no problem updating technology at D.C. schools, said Nathan Minor, a freshman at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School. And our Internet is so slow.

And stop blocking so many pages, please, Minor pleaded, saying restrictive Internet access on campus prevents him from reaching websites he needs to complete assignments.

The chancellor said he was impressed but not surprised by the students testimony. Proposals exist, according to Wilson, to boost technology and arts offerings in schools.

[Bowser budget changes the citys approach to school renovations]

Everything thats on our priorities, students spoke to them, Wilson said in an interview after the hearing.

Students told the chancellor they had plans to become international journalists, computer engineers, artists and more. Kadeem Preston, a student at Anacostia High School, said he wants to be an actor, but the art electives at his school are lackluster.

Art classes now, you come in, color this, and you get your grade, Preston said. Art classes should be paint what you feel, paint what you see, paint what you want to see, and become an artist.

Wilson said he would relay the students recommendations to school and city leaders. Some students brought up personnel issues with teachers and principals, and he said he would follow up with schools on those, too.

And the chancellor promised he will make sure city leaders know its time to upgrade that sluggish Internet service.
A middle school teacher in Prince William County was appointed Virginias next education secretary by Gov.-elect Ralph Northam (D).

The announcement that Atif Qarni  a civics, economics, U.S. history and math teacher at Beville Middle School in Woodbridge  would join Northams Cabinet was made at the school Thursday by the governor-elect.

Qarni's appointment is unusual: A teacher hasn't stepped directly from the classroom into the Cabinet for at least a decade, according to the Virginia Education Association, one of the state's confederation of teachers.

Qarni said he will bring a vital perspective to the position, in which he will be responsible for providing guidance and support on education policy.

I bring a lot of field expertise, which was really needed, the 39-year-old said. This is a dream come true as an educator, because I can work on a larger scale now.

His priorities include addressing teacher pay, bringing Internet access to all school districts and lowering class sizes, particularly in Northern Virginia, where he said overcrowding is acute.

Jim Livingston, president of the Virginia Education Association, heralded Northams choice and called it evidence of the governor-elects willingness to listen to teachers. The association endorsed Northam in the 2017 election.

When it comes to change in the way our public schools operate, too often our teachers and support professionals have been dictated to instead of given the opportunity to generate solutions to the challenges we face, he said in a statement.

Tim Keenan, Beville's principal, said Qarni makes students his priority and is involved in school activities outside the classroom.

He is beloved, Keenan said. Were very proud of him.

Qarni unsuccessfully ran for the House of Delegates in 2013 and for a state Senate seat two years later. He documented the struggles he faced as a Muslim seeking public office in a 2015 op-ed in The Washington Post. In that piece, Qarni wrote that Democratic leaders told him to drop out of the state Senate race because a "Muslim would never win."

[What happened when a Muslim ran for local office in Virginia]

On Thursday, Qarni said in an interview that he feels Virginia Democrats have made strides in recent years. He added that Northam did a phenomenal job listening to marginalized communities, including Muslims, during the campaign.

A lot has happened, especially in the last year or so, Qarni said. I do feel the party actually listened to folks on the ground.

Qarni was named Dale City Teacher of the Year in 2016 and previously taught night school to Prince William students seeking their GEDs, according to a news release from Northam's office.

He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marines Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the release stated.

He holds a bachelors degree in sociology from George Washington University and a masters in history and a teaching license in secondary education from George Mason University.

Northam made two other appointments Thursday. Holly Coy, who was appointed deputy secretary of education with a focus on K-12 by McAuliffe in October 2015, will continue in that role, the release stated.

Fran Bradford, associate vice president for government relations at the College of William & Mary, was also appointed deputy secretary of education and will focus on higher education.
Jerry Yellin in 2016, holding a photo of himself when he was a fighter pilot in World War II. (Richard Bell/The Last Veterans of WWII)

The last combat mission of World War II began Aug. 15, 1945, when fighter pilot Jerry Yellin and his wingman, 19-year-old Philip Schlamberg, took off from Iwo Jima to attack airfields near Nagoya, Japan.

The war seemed all but over. Germany had surrendered in May, and much of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were in ruins, decimated by atomic bombs dropped the previous week. If Mr. Yellin heard a code word  Utah  Japans rumored surrender had occurred, and he was to cancel his mission and return to Iwo Jima, a rocky island that he had helped secure months earlier and that offered a base for U.S. bombers headed north to Japan.

Later that day, on what was still Aug. 14 in the United States, Emperor Hirohito announced Japans surrender. For some reason, however, Mr. Yellin and Schlamberg never got the message.

Taking on antiaircraft fire in their P-51 Mustangs, they strafed their targets and headed home, passing through a thick bank of clouds. Schlamberg, who had previously admitted a sense of foreboding to Mr. Yellin, saying, If we go on this mission, Im not coming back, never emerged from the haze.

Disappearing from Mr. Yellins wing, he was presumed dead and considered one of the last Americans killed in combat during World War II.



Mr. Yellin in 2015. (Lightfinder Public Relations)

Mr. Yellin, who landed on Iwo Jima to discover that the war had ended three hours earlier, and who later became an outspoken advocate of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, died Dec. 21 at his son Steven Yellins home in Orlando. He was 93 and had lung cancer, his son said.

For Mr. Yellin, the war was a hellish necessity, essential to halting the spread of Nazism and Japanese aggression. But he also spoke forthrightly about its costs, including the mental anguish over memories of combat that nearly led him to suicide. He recalled with particular horror the experience of landing on war-torn Iwo Jima for the first time, where there wasnt a blade of grass and there were 28,000 bodies rotting in the sun.

"The sights and the sounds and the smells of dead bodies and the sights of Japanese being bulldozed into mass graves absolutely never went away," he told the Washington Times in August.

Mr. Yellin, a captain in the 78th Fighter Squadron of the Army Air Forces, counted 16 downed pilots in his unit during the war, including Schlamberg. For years afterward, he struggled to keep a steady job, moving a dozen times in the United States and Israel (where he settled, at one point, partly in protest of the Vietnam War).

He eventually found solace through Transcendental Meditation, a twice-daily technique of silent concentration that his wife introduced him to in 1975 after she saw the practice's originator, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, on "The Merv Griffin Show."

Mr. Yellin soon began speaking to other veterans who struggled to adapt to civilian life, and in 2010 he co-founded Operation Warrior Wellness, a division of the David Lynch Foundation that helps veterans learn Transcendental Meditation. He said he was inspired to start the group after a friend and Army veteran killed himself that year. Mr. Yellin received support in promotional videos from actress Scarlett Johansson, a grandniece of Schlamberg.

"The feeling that one has when a buddy dies? You just can't emulate that. We have a burden civilians will never understand," Mr. Yellin told The Washington Post this month, shortly after the release of "The Last Fighter Pilot," an account of his World War II service written with Don Brown.

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Jerome Yellin was born into a Jewish family in Newark on Feb. 15, 1924. His father was a real estate developer.

Mr. Yellin had just graduated from high school in Hillside, N.J., and was working the night shift at a steel mill, saving money before starting college, when Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Two months later, on his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces, pursuing an adolescent love of aviation that had led him to build models of World War I-era planes.

Mr. Yellin was slightly nearsighted and initially failed an eye exam for pilots. "The doctor told me to go home and stay in a dark room, eat a lot of carrots, don't read anything, and come back in three days and take the test again," he said in a 2014 oral history.

In place of the rabbit food, he sought help from his mother, who served on the draft board. She filched a copy of the eye chart, allowing him to memorize the letters and pass the exam on his second try.

Mr. Yellin proved a skilled pilot, successfully bailing out of his plane when the engine locked up during a training mission near Hawaii (he said he spent nine hours in a life raft before he was picked up by a boat) and escorting B-29 bombers on 19 missions over Japan.

His military honors included the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal, and in recent years he served as the national spokesman for the Spirit of '45, a nonprofit organization that promotes the legacy of World War II veterans.

His wife of 65 years, the former Helene Schulman, died in 2015. Survivors include four sons, David Yellin of Winter Haven, Fla., Steven Yellin of Orlando, Michael Yellin of Montclair, N.J., and Robert Yellin of Kyoto, Japan; a sister; and six grandchildren.

Mr. Yellin later told the New York Post that he had long believed that the Japanese were "terrible people" and that he felt no remorse when he participated in bombing runs on Tokyo and other cities. "They did horrific things in China, and I saw horrific things done in Iwo Jima to dead Marines  faces bashed in to get gold out of their teeth. They just were not human beings to me then."

His views began to change after a business trip to Tokyo in 1983, when he was working as a real estate consultant for banks. He said he looked up through the buildings in the Ginza  a popular shopping district  and envisioned B-29s dropping bombs not on those people but on me.

Mr. Yellins son Robert later moved to Japan and became engaged to a Japanese woman. Mr. Yellin was shocked when he found out that her father, Taro Yamakawa, trained as a kamikaze pilot and worked at an airfield during World War II.

The fathers bonded, Mr. Yellin said, after discussing their flying strategies and experiences during the war with the help of a translator. They eventually struck up a correspondence, and Mr. Yellin described Yamakawa as his best friend.

Taro said that in Buddhism, the soul of the dead is worshiped for 50 years as an individual, then, all souls merge to become one and are looked upon as equal, Mr. Yellin told the Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minn., in 1995, describing a letter from his friend. Taro wrote that it has been 50 years since the war. It is time for the souls to merge and put it behind us.
The more Abigail Bautista tried to convey her pain, the harder it was to do so.

Im dying inside, she said Thursday afternoon, speaking to a judge inside a Maryland courtroom.

In front of her, 30 feet away, sat Leonardo Siguenza-Neiros, a 22-year-old MS-13 gang member who had taken part in the savage murder of her son and was about to be sentenced for the crime.

He cannot be let out, Bautista told the judge. I want him to pay for what he did.

Denis Montufar-Bautista's death in late 2015 shattered his mother's life. She struggled to recover in part by taking a defiant posture toward the gang  refusing to leave the neighborhood of Langley Park where she and many gang members lived. This week Bautista shared her story with The Washington Post, describing widespread fears among Langley Park residents over the gang, and detailing her own experience of paying them $60 in weekly extortion so she could sell clothes, shoes and other items out of her apartment and from a cart she pushed through the neighborhood.



Leonardo C. Siguenza-Neiros was sentenced in the death of Denis Vitalino Montufar-Bautista. (Montgomery County Police Department)

Sitting at the sentencing hearing Thursday, though, meant listening to excruciating details about how Denis was killed: MS-13 members, under the guise of smoking marijuana, had lured him down a dark path just north of Langley Park. Then, next to a frigid stream, they suddenly attacked. Denis was punched, kicked and stabbed as he crawled to the stream. Then at least two of the gang members started picking up large rocks and chunks of concrete and slamming them down onto his skull. Denis fell into the water, where he died.

His mother spoke about him in court  how he wanted to study, how he helped her with a younger child. But the words became more halting, the pauses longer. She swayed in her chair.

I just beg you to help me, Bautista told the judge.

Then she leaned back, seemingly unable to breathe, with those around her talking about her having just fainted.

Bailiffs quickly walked to her. Paramedics were summoned. The hearing was put on hold. But 25 minutes later it resumed, and a short time after that, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Cheryl McCally delivered her sentence: life in prison.

This was a senseless, brutal, calculated slaughter for reasons known only to you and your gang associates, she said.

She spoke to Siguenza-Neiros about the way Denis had died  still alive in the water, ultimately succumbing to stab wounds to his torso, crushing wounds to his head and drowning.

What I know is that this young man did not deserve to die feeling the pain of every one of those wounds, she continued. He did not have the privilege of dying instantly. He suffered. You know that because you were there.

Moments earlier, Siguenza-Neiros had spoken briefly to the judge.

I would like to say that Im sorry for what happened to Denis, he said. I feel remorseful for what happened. If I could go back in time I would do things differently. Im going to be thinking about it for the rest of my life.

Siguenza-Neiros, born in El Salvador, entered the U.S. illegally as a teenager, was placed into the U.S. program for unaccompanied minors, and made his way to Maryland, according to authorities.

[MS-13 gains recruits and power in U.S. as teens surge across border]

The hearing also addressed broader issues of MS-13, an international gang with ties to El Salvador that is responsible for gruesome murders in and around the Washington region in the past few years.

There is a path of destruction that you and MS-13 have caused, McCally said. Its beyond the pale of what any community can tolerate.

We are in the middle of an incredibly violent crisis in Montgomery County, prosecutor Patrick Mays said in court. A huge part of that is the presence of MS-13. [The gang] is terrorizing our communities.

He drew a connection between the violent murder of Denis and other homicides. This year, Montgomery County detectives found an MS-13 victim buried in the woods in Wheaton who had been stabbed more than 100 times, decapitated, and had his heart ripped out.

MS-13 has clearly made it a point of sending a signal to our community that this how they want to exercise violence, this how they want to exercise control, Mays said.

After the hearing, Bautista said she was satisfied with the sentence.

Thats what I wanted, she said. Justice.

She felt a pain in her heart, she said, seeing Siguenza-Neiros in court. She said she regained her strength because she knew Denis would have wanted her to.

I know hes with me, she said. And Im close to him.

Siguenza-Neiros had pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder in the case. His attorney at the time, Timothy Clarke, said he was acting on instructions from those above him in the gang.

If he did not participate in this murder, he would have been the dead person, Clarke said.

On Thursday, a new attorney for Siguenza-Neiros, Gary Proctor, said his client did not play a central role in the attack. But he did slash Denis at least once, and he kicked and beat him, according to Proctor.

The first time the police ever talked to him, he gave a full confession, Proctor said.
Two American citizens pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that they took part in an attack on demonstrators who were protesting the visit of the Turkish president in Washington.

Sinan Narin, 45, of McLean, Va., and Eyup Yildirim, 50, of Manchester, N.J., each entered guilty pleas during a hearing at D.C. Superior Court to one count of assault with significant bodily injury.

The protest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was held in Sheridan Circle, near the Turkish Embassy.

A number of people who were Turkish government employees have been accused of taking part on May 16 in attacks on protesters against Erdogans visit.

None of them have been brought to court here to face the charges.

However, the two who pleaded guilty Thursday had no connection to the Turkish government.

At one point, people rushed from the area of the Turkish Embassy across the street to attack the demonstrators in Sheridan Circle.

Prosecutors said Narin was a limousine driver who was captured on video during the melee as he kicked protester Lusik Usoyan while she was on the ground. The assault left Usoyan unconscious on the ground and caused her to suffer a concussion, memory loss and dizziness, the plea agreement said.

Yildirim, who was visiting Washington, was accused of taking part in a second wave of attacks that followed the initial assaults on the protesters. Video footage captured Yildirim kicking Murat Yasa, 61, in the head and face as he was on the ground, the plea said.

Yasa suffered a concussion, memory loss and dizziness, along with cuts and bruises.

Court documents have said that the demonstrators in Sheridan Circle were specifically protesting Erdogans arrests of opponents of the regime in Turkey.

The attacks occurred after Erdogan arrived at the ambassadors residence in his motorcade.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 15. The plea agreements call for one year and one day of jail time, prosecutors said.
A Virginia businessman who used shell companies to fraudulently apply for nearly a thousand foreign workers visas will spend 28 months in federal prison and then is likely to be deported to India. His wife is also being sent back and will be accompanied by the couples U.S.-born son.

For years, Raju Kosuri ran what prosecutors in Alexandria federal court described as a visa-for-sale system using the H-1B program for specialized foreign workers, making over $20 million in the process. He pleaded guilty last year to visa fraud and making false statements.

President Trump has frequently criticized the H-1B program, at times suggesting he would eliminate it altogether.

Kosuri, 45, initially faced far more prison time as leader of the fraud conspiracy and has forfeited all the money he made from the scheme. U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema said in court Friday that problems with the prosecution of the case led to a more lenient sentence, but that she had to send a message to anyone considering similar malfeasance.

The H-1B visa program has the potential to yield great financial rewards, Brinkema said. The temptation is there.

Kosuris wife, Smriti Jharia, 46, is one of the immigrants he illegally sponsored. She pleaded guilty to falsely obtaining naturalization and agreed Friday to move back to India immediately and give up her U.S. citizenship. She said their son, a native U.S. citizen who has never lived in India, will go with her.

Steve McCool, Jharias attorney, said his client was grateful that she was permitted to voluntarily remove herself from the United States. Unfortunately, her son has to pay a heavy price for her criminal conduct.

Charges against three other defendants allegedly involved in the scheme were dismissed after Brinkema found prosecutors had failed to turn over relevant evidence, according to court records. A sixth defendant was allowed to withdraw her guilty plea; she went to trial this month, and a verdict has not been reached.

This has been a long and unusual case, said Kosuris attorney, Stuart Sears. He regrets his conduct, and he and his family have paid a tremendous price.

Starting in 2000, Kosuri launched over a dozen businesses that claimed to provide information technology services out of Danville, Va. In fact, he admitted, they existed merely as vehicles to get visas for Indian nationals who would actually work elsewhere.

Kosuri, who emigrated from India in 1999 and was a lawful permanent resident, was paid millions by the companies where those visa recipients worked. He also obtained millions in bank financing by misrepresenting his business, as well as a $500,000 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. He and his wife tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to win federal contracts through the Small Business Administration for one of the companies.

Seventy-one percent of H-1B visa recipients came from India in 2015, according to a 2016 DHS report. Giant multinational outsourcing firms based in India every year submit tens of thousands of applications for workers in the technology and engineering fields.

If fraud like [Kosuris] becomes too prevalent, the result may be that the H-1B process is severely cut back, Assistant United States Attorney Jack Hanly wrote in a court filing. That would be a major setback for those who use the program honestly and benefit from its availability.

In April, Trump ordered a review of the H-1B program and announced new steps to combat fraud and abuse, including unannounced site visits to companies with a high ratio of workers from the program.
Justin Fairfax, who has worked at the law firm Venable, will focus on his duties as Virginias incoming lieutenant governor. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Justin Fairfax will leave his job as a litigator for the white-shoe law firm Venable to focus on his new government responsibilities.

During his campaign, Fairfax had said he would continue his legal practice and leave it up to the firm to decide how to handle potential conflicts of interests. The lieutenant governor's office is a part-time position that pays $36,321 a year.

At Venable, Fairfax's areas of practice included representing corporations regulated or investigated by state attorneys general and helping financial institutions navigate regulations. He has declined to identify or discuss his clients, although court records showed he represented Giant Foods supermarket in lawsuits filed by customers and the owner of a fraudulent Virginia charity at the heart of a corruption case against a Democratic congresswoman from Florida.

I have immensely enjoyed practicing law at the firm for the past nearly 3 years, and I am tremendously grateful to my colleagues for their wonderful friendship and support, Fairfax said in a statement Thursday.

He said he would explore other career options after the 2018 legislative session, when he is obliged to preside over the state Senate. His decision was first reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Fairfax, 38, previously served as a general counsel at a food service contractor, a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia and attorney at WilmerHale.

A spokeswoman for Venable declined to comment on the conditions of his departure.

Fairfax has tapped his former campaign chairman and Venable partner Larry Roberts to serve as his chief of staff in the lieutenant governors office.

Roberts, who worked as an aide to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) when Kaine was governor of Virginia and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, recruited Fairfax to Venable. Roberts did not return a call seeking comment, but a spokeswoman for Fairfax said Roberts has no immediate plans to leave the law firm.

Venable is known for producing Democratic politicians, including D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (Md.) and Maryland gubernatorial candidate James Shea.

But Fairfax would have been the first to hold public office while working at the firm.

It's not unusual for lieutenant governors to have side gigs. Fairfax ran against another attorney, state Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Fauquier) who is a partner at a boutique law firm that helped super PACs that aren't required to disclose donors.

The current lieutenant governor, Gov.-elect Ralph Northam, is a pediatric neurologist who treated patients when the legislature wasnt in session. His Republican predecessor, Bill Bolling, was an executive at an insurance company.
Del. David Yancey talks with reporters outside the Newport News, Va., courthouse, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017. A three-judge panel gave Yancey a vote to tie his race with Democrat Shelly Simonds. (Jonathon Gruenke/AP)

On CNN, they were holding up film canisters. On Twitter, there were suggestions of an oyster-shucking contest. Some called for a return to the duel.

Much of Virginia and the political world was fascinated Thursday by the tied vote in a key House of Delegates race that will determine which party controls the chamber and how to break it.

State law that is rarely invoked requires tied elections to be settled by lot.

More specifically, members of the state election board will gather in Richmond on Wednesday at 11 a.m. to randomly pick either Republican incumbent David Yancey or Democratic challenger Shelly Simonds in the tied race for the 94th House District, which encompasses part of the city of Newport News. Their names will be tucked inside two film canisters placed into a bowl, hat or other receptacle.

[How would you break a tie?]



Democrat Shelly Simonds reacts after learning she won the 94th District precincts by one vote after previously trailing incumbent David Yancey by 10 votes post-election. The next day, a court awarded another vote to Yancey, tying the race. (Joe Fudge/AP)

This will be one of the most watched lot draws in American history, CNN reporter Ryan Nobles said Thursday as he held up a film canister and passed it to host Wolf Blitzer, who added that there were national implications to the exercise.

If not national implications, certainly statewide, as the result could reshuffle the political landscape in Richmond.

Yancey emerged from Election Day with a 10-vote victory margin over Simonds. A recount on Tuesday allowed Simonds to pull ahead by a single vote. But a three-judge panel on Wednesday decided that one ballot that wasnt tallied during the recount should count for Yancey, tying the race at 11,608 votes apiece.

[Virginia court tosses one-vote victory that briefly ended GOP control of House]

Currently, Republicans control 50 seats while Democrats hold 49 in the lower chamber. If Simonds wins, it would force the parties into a rare power-sharing situation.

As elections officials forged ahead with plans for the random drawing, Simonds on Thursday railed against a court that overturned her brief one-vote win over Yancey.

I think the court made a really bad call, and I want to make sure it gets attention, she said by phone after a gantlet of TV interviews.

[From Tuesday: A single vote forces rare power-sharing situation in Richmond]

We were following the rules, and David Yancey chose not to follow the rules, she said, calling the move really sneaky. Simonds said shes considering her legal options, including an appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Parker Slaybaugh, a spokesman for House Majority Leader R. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights), who becomes speaker if Republicans maintain control of the chamber, responded to a request for comment from Yancey.

We appreciate the time the judges gave to this matter and respect their decision in this case, Slaybaugh said. Everybody played by the same rules here.

The last  and perhaps only  time that the state settled a tied election by lot was in 1971, when candidates for a House seat in Fairfax  Republican William H. Moss and Democrat Jim Burch  each received 16,410 votes.

Moss won after his name was drawn from a silver loving cup, according to a 1971 Washington Post story.

The elections board chairman donned a multicolored blindfold and drew a sealed envelope containing Mosss name. Both candidates agreed the procedure was archaic but Burch had an anachronistic suggestion of his own. Lets recommend that Miss Virginia do the drawing and give both the winner and loser a kiss, he said.

With next weeks tiebreaker determining the future of what the former speaker liked to call the oldest continuously elected lawmaking body in the New World, James Alcorn, chairman of the State Board of Elections, has set to work finding a suitable container.

Were looking for something more dignified and appropriate for the situation this time, he said. Something to celebrate the history and culture of Virginia.

First he tried the Library of Virginia, but it has only documents. Next, he tried the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, but hadnt heard back by Thursday afternoon.

Lastly, the Department of Historic Resources, the keeper of some of the states most precious artifacts, came up with an option: a turquoise pitcher from 1835, found by chance under long-buried stables in Richmonds Capitol Square.

Virginia isnt the only state that breaks tied elections by random chance.

In Nevada, an open seat on the Esmeralda County Commission was settled in 2002 when the county clerk-treasurer shuffled a deck of cards, fanned them out like a casino dealer and instructed candidates to try their luck. Both drew jacks, but the spade beat the diamond.

In Mississippi, a 2015 House election came down to candidates pulling silver-plated business card boxes out of a red canvas bag. The winner held the box containing the longer of two straws.

And in Alaska, the popular coin-toss method was used to decide a 2006 school board race. One candidate called heads, the coin landed on tails, and the election was settled. Nevermind that the winner had died on the day of the election.

While Virginias process for breaking a tie seems unusual to some, Alcorn said elections officials follow the same procedure several times a year to decide ballot order for candidates.

They cut up strips of paper with the candidates names, put each one in an opaque film canister, seal them and drop them in some sort of container. Alcorn joked that as a cost-saving measure the same canisters have been used for years.

A board member pulls one canister out, opens it, reads the name aloud and shows the slip of paper to everyone present. Then a board member from the other political party pulls out the second canister and reads the name to prove the process was fair.

Alcorn, who has been getting calls from reporters from across the country, stressed that the department is following a process set up in state code. This isnt something the state board decided to do on its own, he said.

Still, Clara Belle Wheeler, the Republican member of the elections board, said theres something troubling about deciding an important matter by trivial means.

Its almost . . . I dont want to say capricious, but arbitrary, she said. The speaker of the House will be determined by a person pulling a name out of a hat, [that] seems disrespectful to the people who need representation.

But, she added, we have no other choice.

Fenit Nirappil contributed to this report.
Georgina Morris fell ill to a particularly virulent strain of Clostridium difficile, known as C. diff, shortly after entering Astoria Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Sylmar, Calif., in October 2015. (Heidi de Marco/KHN (Heidi de Marco/Kaiser Health New)

Basic steps to prevent infections  such as washing hands, isolating contagious patients and keeping ill nurses and aides from coming to work  are routinely ignored in the nations nursing homes, endangering residents and spreading hazardous germs.

A Kaiser Health News analysis of four years of federal inspection records shows 74 percent of nursing homes have been cited for lapses in infection control  more than for any other type of health violation. In California, health inspectors have cited all but 133 of the states 1,251 homes.

Although repeat citations are common, disciplinary action such as fines is rare: Nationwide, only one of 75 homes found deficient in those four years has received a high-level citation that can result in a financial penalty, the analysis found.

The facilities are getting the message that they dont have to do anything, said Michael Connors of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, a nonprofit in San Francisco. Theyre giving them low-level warnings year after year after year and the facilities have learned to ignore them.

Infections, many avoidable, cause a quarter of the medical injuries Medicare beneficiaries experience in nursing homes, according to a federal report. They are among the most frequent reasons residents are sent back to the hospital. By one government estimate, health care-associated infections may result in as many as 380,000 deaths each year.

The spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other antibiotic-resistant germs has become a major public health issue. While Medicare has begun penalizing hospitals for high rates of certain infections, there has been no similar crackdown on nursing homes.

As average hospital stays have shortened from 7.3 days in 1980 to 4.5 days in 2012, patients who a generation ago would have fully recuperated in hospitals now frequently conclude their recoveries in nursing homes. Weaker and thus more susceptible to infections, some need ventilators to help them breathe and have surgical wounds that are still healing, two conditions in which infections are more likely.

Youve got this influx of vulnerable patients but the staffing models are still geared more to the traditional long-stay resident, said Dr. Nimalie Stone, the CDCs medical epidemiologist for long-term care. The kind of care is so much more complicated that facilities need to consider higher staffing.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees inspections, has recognized that many nursing homes need to do more to combat contagious bugs. CMS last year required long-term care facilities to put in place better systems to prevent infections, detect outbreaks early on and limit unnecessary use of antibiotics through a stewardship program.

But the agency does not believe it has skimped on penalties. CMS said in a statement that most infection-control violations have not justified fines because they did not put residents in certain danger. For instance, if an inspector observed a nurse not washing his or her hands while caring for a resident, the agency said that would warrant a lower-level citation unless there was an actual negative resident outcome, or there was likelihood of a serious resident outcome.

In November, CMS waived penalties for 18 months against facilities that violate the new stewardship rule. The industry had said nursing homes needed more time to prepare. (The moratorium does not affect California's antibiotic stewardship requirement, which took effect last January.)

Holly Harmon, the senior director of clinical services at the American Health Care Association, a nursing home trade group, said the industry has made strides in combating infections through better training and encouragement for staff members to look for gaps in infection control and to speak up about them. The percentage of nursing home residents with urinary tract infections  the only type of infection all nursing homes must report to Medicare  has dropped by more than half since 2011.

Infection prevention control is a priority, Harmon said. The path really is focused on continuous improvement.

A Sick Patient, A Family Complaint, Little Action

James Morris said he did not see such dedication when his mother, Georgina, entered Astoria Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Sylmar, Calif., in October 2015. Workers were coming in and out without washing their hands, he said.

While there, Georgina Morris, 86, fell ill to a particularly virulent strain of Clostridium difficile, known as C-diff. Morris said he insisted his 86-year-old mother, who was severely dehydrated, be sent to the hospital, where she stayed for 10 days. She has had subsequent flare-ups of the infection that required rehospitalization and, later, a fecal transplant, in which doctors transferred stool from a healthy patient into her bowels, a procedure that can treat the infection by introducing bacteria that counter the C-diff germs.

James Morris complained about Astoria to health authorities shortly after his mother left. Records show inspectors waited 18 months, until a regularly scheduled review in May 2017, before investigating her case. Such delays are common: California Department of Public Health cases remain open, on average, for nearly 20 months.

Although inspectors faulted Astoria workers for not cleaning their hands while treating Georgina Morris, they could not definitively determine whether she contracted the infection there or before she arrived. But the inspection found other infection-control lapses throughout the home. A housekeeper cleaned the wall with the same cloth used to wipe the toilet. A patient had a dirty intravenous line left in longer than necessary. The inspector watched as a worker failed to wash her hands after delivering a breakfast tray to a contagious resident in isolation.

It was the second consecutive year inspectors cited the home for substandard infection control that had the potential to harm residents. Both citations were below the level that could trigger fines.

Astoria did not respond to requests for comment.

Homes Cited Repeatedly But Few Punishments

Elsewhere, health regulators are similarly reluctant to assert that nursing home errors led to patient infections or put patients in imminent danger. Only 161 homes among the 12,056 that violated infection-control rules were cited at those higher levels since 2014, according to KHNs analysis.

The value of lower-level citations as deterrents is questionable: Authorities have cited 7,045 homes more than once over infection-control lapses, including 942 that racked up four or more violations, the analysis found.

Perhaps a bigger stick might be more helpful, said Joseph Rodrigues, Californias long-term-care ombudsman.

In January, an inspection of Decatur Nursing and Rehabilitation in Decatur, Texas, found that one nurse didnt wash her hands after picking up a bottle of medication that fell on the floor and another nurse didnt properly clean a syringe.

Two months after citing the home, inspectors were back to issue another violation. This time, a resident died from the flu after a contagious resident who lived across the hall was let out of isolation earlier than the CDC recommends. Only then did inspectors issue a citation at the most serious level.

Decatur did not respond to requests for comment.

Inspection records show nurses and aides are often not familiar with basic protocols, such as wearing protective clothing when coming into contact with contagious residents and isolating them from others in the home and visitors. Others are not trained properly on how to clean patients. Still others, in a rush and understaffed, take shortcuts that compromise sanitary precautions.

Weve always been shocked at how often weve personally witnessed people providing care in facilities and not washing their hands, which has got to be the most basic thing in infection control and prevention, said Sherry Culp, who as Kentuckys long-term-care ombudsman advocates for aggrieved nursing home residents.

This year in New Mexico, 25 residents of the Rehabilitation Center of Albuquerque, part of the Genesis Healthcare chain, developed urinary tract infections because nurses and aides cleaned residents genitals and catheters in unsanitary ways, according to an inspection report.

Another recurring problem stems from nurses and aides infecting residents because they come to work ill knowing they would not get paid for the sick time, said Dr. David Nace, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

During a norovirus outbreak in January at Fir Lane Health & Rehabilitation Center in Shelton, Wash., at least six infected employees returned to work without waiting the minimum 48 hours after their symptoms abated. Inspectors discovered the virus ultimately spread to 32 employees and 43 residents  more than 40 percent of those living in the home.

Fir Lane and the Albuquerque home did not respond to requests for comment.

They have these draconian policies for taking off, Nace said, speaking broadly about the nursing home industry. And if you dont have the draconian policies, then everyone takes off. That plagues the entire health care industry.
Adoptable puppies sleep and melt hearts Thursday at the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan in Benton Harbor. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)

HEALTH

2nd judge blocks new birth control rules

California faces potentially dire public health and financial consequences from new rules by the Trump administration that allow more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control, a federal judge said Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland, Calif., became the second federal judge to block the changes to former president Barack Obamas health-care law, saying the Trump administration failed to provide the required notice and public-comment period before implementing them.

A federal judge in Philadelphia last week cited similar reasons in her nationwide injunction against the rules. That decision came in a lawsuit brought by the state of Pennsylvania.

Gilliams ruling came in a separate lawsuit brought by the state of California, which was joined by Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia. Gilliams preliminary injunction will hold while the suit moves forward.

Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said the agency was evaluating next steps.

The Justice Department said in court documents that the rules were about protecting a small group of sincere religious and moral objectors from having to violate their beliefs.

Obamas health-care law required most companies to cover birth control at no additional cost, though it included exemptions for religious organizations. The new policy would allow more categories of employers, including publicly traded companies, to opt out of providing free contraception to women by claiming religious objections.

 Associated Press

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Sessions drops policy on fines, fees for poor

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding an Obama-era Justice Department letter that asked local courts across the country to be wary of slapping poor defendants with fines and fees to fill their jurisdictions coffers, part of a broad rollback of guidance that Sessions believes overreached, according to people familiar with the matter.

Its the latest move in Sessionss effort to dramatically reshape the Justice Department by undoing many of the policies imposed by his predecessors and giving the institution a harder edge. Sessions is revoking 25 previous guidance documents dating back to the mid-1990s and covering everything from ATF procedures to the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The people who spoke to The Washington Post did so on the condition of anonymity; a formal announcement was expected later.

In less than a year in office, Sessions has imposed a new charging policy that calls for prosecutors to pursue the most serious offenses possible, even when that might trigger stiff mandatory minimum sentences. He has restored the use of private prisons. And he has adjusted the departments legal stances on issues involving voting rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in ways that put him at odds with his most immediate predecessors.

The letter on fines and fees, which was sent in March 2016 to the chief judges and court administrators in all 50 states, noted that illegal imposition of fines and fees had been receiving significant attention, and that the Justice Department had a strong interest in making sure the rights of citizens were protected.

 Matt Zapotosky

CALIFORNIA

Deported ex-Marine returns after 15 years

A former Marine who was deported to Mexico 15 years ago after an animal cruelty conviction returned to the United States on Thursday following his battle to regain permanent U.S. residency.

Marco Chavez said it will be an unforgettable Christmas because he will spend it with his family.

The return gives hope to hundreds of other deported U.S. military veterans, said Nathan Fletcher, a Marine combat veteran whose organization lobbied on Chavezs behalf.

An immigration judges ruling last month allowed Chavez to come back.

Chavez said he got a break in his case when the American Civil Liberties Union found him a lawyer, which led California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to pardon him for a 1998 conviction on animal cruelty charges for the beating of a dog. Chavez said another person was responsible.

Chavez was a baby when his parents brought him to the United States. He served four years in the Marine Corps and was honorably discharged. He served 15 months in state prison for his conviction and was deported in 2002, having to learn Spanish and find work in a country that was foreign to him.

 Associated Press

OHIO

Gunman opens fire at psychiatric hospital

A man tried to storm into an Ohio hospitals psychiatric emergency room Thursday, shooting and wounding a security officer, firing at a police officer and fatally shooting himself, police said.

Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac identified the gunman in the Wednesday afternoon shooting as Isaiah Currie, 20, who was armed with two handguns.

Some of the drama at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center complex was captured on surveillance video and 911 recordings.

Isaac said police had not determined Curries motive but said he had a criminal record, including drug charges, resisting arrest, assault on a corrections officer and an earlier assault on a UC Health security officer.

 Associated Press
A Syrian man sits by a fire on a destroyed street in Raqqa on Wednesday, two months after YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces captured the city from the Islamic State. (Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Nathan A. Sales is ambassador at large and coordinator for counterterrorism at the State Department.

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a tough new resolution to combat the movement of foreign terrorist fighters. This is a major step toward achieving one of President Trumps top priorities  defeating the Islamic State and its affiliates around the world.

Thanks to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS , we've rolled back the false "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria. Now our challenge is to stop the group from reconstituting itself elsewhere. As our battlefield victories have mounted, the Islamic State has had to adapt to survive.

Some battle-hardened jihadists are heading home from the war zone or wreaking havoc in other countries. Other attacks are being planned and executed by people inspired by the Islamic States violent ideology. The new face of the Islamic State has shown itself in attacks on soft targets such as hotels, restaurants, stadiums and other large public venues. Weve seen this deadly trend overseas and here at home.

Working with our partners around the globe, and with intervention from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, we took the lead in crafting a new set of tools to address the evolving terrorist threat. The result is U.N. Security Council Resolution 2396, co-sponsored by 66 countries. It includes a number of critical measures to address returning fighters, as well as self-directed terrorists inspired by the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and similar groups.

First, the resolution requires all U.N. members to collect and use passenger name record data to stop terrorist travel. PNR data is the information you give an airline when you book a ticket. It's a powerful tool for preventing "broken travel," a tactic of using convoluted travel routes to evade detection. Mehdi Nemmouche, who was charged with killing four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014, reportedly used "broken travel" to reach Europe undetected, traveling from Syria by way of Asia.

The United States has been using PNR for years, and the European Union has directed its members to adopt their own PNR systems by March. Now other countries will be asked to live up to the same standard. We stand ready to assist any partner who lacks the resources or expertise to meet this obligation.

Member states will also be required to maintain watch lists of known and suspected terrorists, and to collect and use biometrics  fingerprints, photos and so on. These tools will help authorities spot foreign fighters if they attempt to board planes or cross borders. And because we all need to interdict threats before they reach our respective shores, the resolution calls for states to share this information in a way thats consistent with human rights obligations.

The resolution further urges U.N. members to tear down the walls that keep authorities from exchanging counterterrorism data with each other, as the United States did after 9/11. It also calls on states to provide notice when they deport suspected foreign terrorist fighters.

As we saw in the Islamic State in Sinai's downing of Metrojet Flight 9268 in Egypt in 2015, terrorist groups continue to threaten global civil aviation. The resolution therefore calls for stricter aviation security standards, including measures to address insider threats and cargo security.

Our adversaries are constantly evolving, and the United States and our partners must evolve just as quickly. We need to remain constantly vigilant against an al-Qaeda on the rebound and an ever-adaptive Islamic State. Resolution 2396 will help us do exactly that. It will strengthen international cooperation to address returning foreign fighters. And it will expand the toolkit we use to confront an increasingly decentralized terrorist threat.
Columnist

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the massive, slapdash tax bill that President Trump and Republican lawmakers celebrated at the White House on Wednesday will be, wait for it . . . President Trump. What a coincidence!

The rest of Trump's wealthy family will benefit lavishly as well, including his son-in-law and all-purpose adviser, Jared Kushner. And, of course, it's not a coincidence at all. The chance that this president would preside over a revision of the tax code without lining his own pockets was zero. Anyone who believed Trump's claim that the tax bill would "cost me a fortune" hasn't been paying attention.

It is not possible to calculate precisely how much money the president will save, because he  unlike all other recent presidents  refuses to release his tax returns. But the figure is surely in the millions, assuming Trump is anywhere near as wealthy as he claims. His extended clan will have plenty of liquidity for Donald Jr. and Eric to jet off to Africa and kill more leopards and water buffaloes; for Jared and Ivanka to disappear on ski trips whenever they need to claim deniability regarding the latest administration outrage; and for the president himself to consume as many Big Macs, Filet-o-Fishes and chocolate shakes as his constitution can bear.

Trump says he is worth $10 billion; Forbes estimates his wealth at $3 billion, and some analysts think the true figure is lower. Any way you look at it, however, he's a wealthy man  and the tax bill, which awaits only Trump's signature to become law, is designed to make the very rich even richer.

Like all 1-percenters, Trump will benefit from the lowering of the top tax rate from 39.6 percent to 37 percent. But that's just for starters. As is always the case with the tax code, the devil is in the details.

Trump conducts his business affairs through hundreds of "pass-through" companies whose income is taxed at the personal rate, not the corporate rate. The House wanted to dramatically slash the pass-through rate across the board, but the Senate initially balked. At the last minute, however, the Senate wrote into the final bill a 20 percent deduction for pass-through income. If a taxpayer had, say, $100 million in pass-through earnings, he or she would be taxed on only $80 million; the rest would be tax-free.

At first, senators sought to limit this sweetheart deal to companies with large numbers of employees or high payrolls  unlike Trumps pass-through businesses, which are mostly paper entities. But the final legislation gives the full deduction, regardless of the number of employees, to pass-through companies that own a lot of depreciable property, such as commercial real estate. Which just so happens to be the presidents livelihood.

It would be hard to craft a measure more tailor-made to enrich Trump and his family. If he wanted to avoid even the appearance of corruption, of course, Trump could decline to take this tax break or donate an equivalent amount to the treasury. Somehow I doubt either of those things will happen.

Trump also gets to continue using a frequently abused tax loophole called a "like-kind exchange." Usually, if you sell a piece of property at a profit, that profit is considered income and is taxed. Creative accountants and tax lawyers came up with ways to structure sales so that they technically qualified as trades, meaning that as far as the IRS was concerned, there was no income to tax. This practice is now ending for all types of property  except real estate. Another coincidence, I'm sure.

Oh, and most businesses will be negatively affected by a measure capping the amount of interest expenses they can deduct  except real estate investors and hotel operators, which are explicitly exempted. If this were a movie, lobbyists and lawmakers would have hammered out this last provision in a back room at the Trump International Hotel.

On the flip side, Trumps ability to deduct the state and local taxes he pays in New York would be drastically limited. But that is nothing compared to the likely upside.

Join me in a thought experiment. Imagine that the legislature of some other country  Brazil, say, or Mozambique, or Thailand  decided to rewrite the tax code, with no public hearings or expert testimony, in a way that benefited the rich overall, with maximum financial gain for businesses like that of the sitting head of government. What would you say?

Im pretty sure youd use the word corruption. And you would be right.

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.
Channing Wickham is executive director of the Washington AIDS Partnership. Walter Smith is executive director of DC Appleseed.

Last month, The Post published an inspiring compilation of stories about people living with HIV. Among them was Chris Kimmenez, a man who has been HIV-positive since 1989 and who has recently learned that because of his sustained medical treatment there is no longer a risk that he will transmit the virus to his wife. This story is at the heart of an effort that we have been involved with for several years and that reached a new landmark in the District this past World AIDS Day.

Specifically, a year ago, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), the D.C. Department of Health, the Washington AIDS Partnership and DC Appleseed jointly released a plan to end HIV/AIDS in the District. The plan is based on the idea of multiplying stories such as Chris Kimmenez's many thousands of times over. The initiative is called the 90/90/90/50 Plan and is named for its four goals:

 90 percent of District residents with HIV will know their HIV status;

 90 percent of those who test positive will be in sustained medical treatment;

 90 percent of those in treatment will have an undetectable HIV viral load, meaning that they have suppressed the virus to such an extent that not only will their own health improve, but they (like Kimmenez and others in the article) also will not transmit the virus to others;

 The result will be that by 2020 the number of new HIV infections will be reduced by 50 percent.

The ultimate result of meeting and sustaining these goals will be, as Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health has said, that HIV will "burn itself out."

On World AIDS Day this year, Dec. 1, we issued a progress report on implementation of the 90/90/90/50 Plan. And there is good news in the report. On Goal 1, the District is at 86 percent of HIV-positive people knowing their status; on Goal 2, 76 percent of people who know they are positive are in treatment; on Goal 3, 82 percent of people in treatment are undetectable; and on Goal 4, the District has so far seen a 33 percent reduction in new HIV cases.

But there are still too many new HIV cases in the city: 347 in 2016. The District government and its community partners are to be commended for the ways they are working to bring that number down to zero. In particular, we applaud the number and quality of campaigns that have been conducted to reach various groups to raise awareness about prevention, testing and treatment; the investments the city has made in proven prevention tools such as needle exchange, condoms and PrEP, a daily medication taken to greatly reduce the chance of becoming infected; and the collection of data that allow the District to measure progress and better target those most at risk.

On the other hand, as our recent progress report pointed out, much more must be done to meet the four goals and eventually end the HIV epidemic. This includes consistent, quality HIV education in all local schools, especially given that the greatest increase in new infections is occurring in young people; increased access to affordable housing for people living with HIV, particularly as lack of housing can cause people to fall out of treatment; and greater efforts to engage people most at risk of HIV  by fighting stigma, improving cultural competence in medical settings and supporting community-based, peer-led programs.

We celebrate the breakthroughs the District is making on this epidemic, and we urge it to do more to build on the progress made so far. The 90/90/90/50 Plan will not be achieved without sustained commitment, but achieving it is in the interest of every District resident.
Columnist

Its never been easy for Americans  or for many Europeans  to understand the European Union, so let me offer an analogy: Think of the United States in the years after the revolution but before the ratification of the Constitution, when the Articles of Confederation allowed Congress to make laws but provided no executive branch or court system to carry them out. Thats the situation of the E.U. today.

Its members jointly agree on the rules of the group. They write and ratify treaties expressing their agreement to the rules of the group. As sovereign states, they then pledge to respect the rules of the group. But when a member state breaks the rules of the group, the group has no obvious way to stop them.

This flawed system was one of the sources of the Greek crisis that caused so much angst over the past decade. Consecutive Greek governments agreed to meet clear economic conditions before becoming part of the European currency; once they had joined, they ignored them. The ultimate result was a financial collapse, a prolonged political drama and, eventually, a bailout organized by the E.U., the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. But nobody felt happy about it.

The same flawed system is now confronting the different and in some ways more painful problem of Poland. Two years ago, a democratically elected Polish government, led by a party that calls itself "Law and Justice," began illegally dismantling its own constitution. The process began with illegal appointments to the Constitutional Tribunal, and has, according to a European Commission investigation, included the passage of 13 laws designed to undermine the independence of the judiciary. This week, the Polish government signed into law a broad judicial "reform" that will, among other things, require about half of senior judges to resign and give the current minister of justice, who is also the chief prosecutor, unprecedented personal power over the selection of new ones. Among other things, the ruling party could use "its" judges to shape voting laws and even the results of elections; to prosecute political opponents; to reinforce financial pressure on independent media, which included, recently, a large fine placed on a television station that had the temerity to broadcast anti-government demonstrations.

But Poland, like Greece, also signed a series of treaties when it joined the E.U., some promising to respect the rule of law, freedom of the press and judicial independence. Now the European Commission faces the same kind of turning point: Can it enforce the rules of its own club? On Wednesday, it announced that it will try: The commission has, for the first time, invoked a procedure  Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty  that could end by depriving Poland of voting rights in Europe.

Ironies abound. The Lisbon Treaty was actually signed in 2007 by a previous Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, who was the twin brother of the current Law and Justice party leader. At the time Kaczynski signed it, Poland was widely perceived as a model democracy; until two years ago Ukrainians, among others, were encouraged to follow the Polish example. (And here's a declaration of interest that shows how much the current ruling party has changed: My husband was defense minister in a previous Law and Justice government, from 2005 to 2007, as well as foreign minister in the centrist Civic Platform government from 2007 to 2014.)

Inside the country, the ruling party's cynical claim that its new laws will somehow rid Poland of the remnants of a communist-era judiciary are undermined both by statistics  the vast majority of judges were appointed after 1989  and by its own curious personnel decisions. Among other things, the Law and Justice politician who is driving the changes, Stanislaw Piotrowicz, is himself a former communist prosecutor who was helping to jail dissidents as late as the 1980s.

But although the Polish piece of this drama is both strange and tragic, the more important debate is not the one taking place in Warsaw, but the one taking place in Brussels as well as every other European capital. For the rest of Europes governments, this really is a turning point: Are Europes member states really committed to the language of their treaties? Do they really believe in a set of shared political values? Do they have the political energy to enforce them? The decision they take will have all kinds of consequences, financial and political, not only for Poland but also for other countries.

The government of Hungary, another E.U. member, used subtler tactics to undermine its own judiciary, media and regulatory institutions; far-right or populist parties  by which we really mean anti-pluralist parties  have had electoral successes elsewhere, too. All of them will be watching what happens in Poland, and all of them will act accordingly. Just as Americans are now learning whether the rule of law can withstand a president who doesnt respect it, Europeans are learning whether their system can withstand a member state that doesnt respect it.

Read more from Anne Applebaum's archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
AS CONGRESS voted on major tax-cut legislation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday was peppered with questions about how the overhaul of the tax code would affect President Trump. She defended the president's claim that the bill will "cost me a fortune" but allowed as how "on the business side" he might benefit. "This actually could impact the president in a large way," she said when pressed about the matter.

Exactly how the president would benefit personally from legislation he pushed  and soon plans to sign into law  is something the American public has a right to know. That it continues to remain in the dark is due, of course, to Mr. Trumps refusal to release his tax returns and Congresss complicity in failing to insist on a minimal degree of openness from the executive.

Mr. Trump's lame excuse that he can't release his tax returns because he is under audit by the Internal Revenue Service was trotted out once again by Ms. Sanders. The IRS has made clear that an audit is not a bar to someone releasing their returns. Indeed, President Richard Nixon released his returns in 1973 when he was under audit.

Mr. Trump is the first president in 40 years to hide his returns, which would provide critical information about his finances, including any conflicts of interest or foreign influence. Its not hard to guess why. Evidently, he believes the fallout from the information contained in the returns would be worse than the criticism he receives for withholding them.

A case in point is the tax bill: The White House billed it as helping middle-class Americans and claimed Mr. Trump would be a "big loser." In fact, as experts have pointed out, Mr. Trump and his family are likely to reap immense rewards from a lower top tax rate, a lucrative new deduction for the "pass-through" businesses he controls and changes to the estate tax. Tax authorities told The Post's Drew Harwell that, thanks to a last-minute adjustment of the new deduction for pass-through businesses, real estate, rental and leasing companies such as Mr. Trump's will benefit more than any other. So much for the populist spin about middle-class Americans.

"It's so clear that he is financially much better off than previously," said Daniel Shaviro, a tax professor who worked for Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation during the last big tax overhaul in 1986. "I'd be at a loss as to how they could even dare to argue" otherwise. In fact, "they" dare to do so because as long as the facts of Mr. Trump's finances and taxes are hidden, they think they can get away with it. And sad to say, so far they are right.
Columnist

The political system is rigged for the richest insiders in America.

When we talk about the insider, who are we talking about? It's the comfortable politician only looking out for his own interest. It is the lobbyist who knows how to put that perfect loophole in every single bill to get richer and richer and richer at your expense.

The richest Americans are paying nothing, and it is ridiculous. These guys shift paper around, and they get lucky. These hedge-fund guys are getting away with murder, when you have one who is making $200 million a year and paying very low taxes. It's not fair. And it tells people a lot. The middle class is getting absolutely destroyed. This country won't have a middle class soon. It's got to end.

Those jumbled words came from the campaign speeches and interviews of Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign. The excoriations of hedge-fund managers rolled off his tongue, and the promises to force billionaires to pay their fair share of taxes were an integral part of his populist platform. After all, Hillary Clinton was too close to Wall Street.

What fools Trump made of those Midwestern voters who wanted the reality star to go after Washington and New York elites. As "Too Big to Fail" author Andrew Ross Sorkin reported this week, "If you're a billionaire with your own company and are happy to use your private jet so you can 'commute' from a low-tax state, the plan is a godsend. . . . Private equity and real estate executives, as has been well documented, will make out like bandits."

Those rich insiders whom Trump walloped on his way to the White House will get more than 80 percent of this tax plan's benefits at the end of a decade. Over that same period, most Americans will see their tax rates go up. Middle-class voters and small-business owners already burdened by prohibitive medical bills, crushing student debt or high state and local taxes will face the greatest burden, while President Trump and his family will waltz away with a windfall that could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Trump clan will rake in this fortune from pass-through deductions, estate tax giveaways and top-rate tax reductions all because of this Republican tax cut. For a president already dogged with accusations that he is personally profiting off the presidency, such a massive giveaway to the very hedge-fund managers and real estate executives he promised as a candidate to confront only adds to the stench of self-dealing that engulfs all things Trump. Like autocrats across the world, the 45th American president has perfected the art of the self-deal.

Trump's Republican Party looks no better, nor will it when an economic reckoning finally comes to pass in a bankrupt America. There will be no justification for having thrown on an additional $1.5 trillion to our existing $20 trillion debt  at a time when unemployment was low, consumer confidence was high and Wall Street was setting records by the day.

It should be painfully obvious to a first-year economics student that there is no rational reason to pass massive tax breaks for billionaires when the economy is humming along. The only justification can be political. Republican lawmakers have been desperate for some time to reward the same wealthy political donors whom candidate Trump bashed during the 2016 primary process.

Trump was right to say then that the political system is rigged for the richest of Americans. Unfortunately, it is now Trumps working-class supporters who will pay the highest price for believing any promise that tumbled out of the mouth of the phony plutocratic populist.

Read more from Joe Scarborough's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Columnist

As Vice President Pence fawningly praised President Trump's achievements at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, the camera caught Defense Secretary Jim Mattis shuffling his papers, adjusting his water glass and fidgeting in his seat until the adulatory speech ended.

As this year winds down, Mattis remains the good soldier, seated at Trump's left and guarding his flank, trying to avoid the political fracas of this presidency. He's the rare Trump appointee who doesn't seem to have been damaged by his proximity to power. His Pentagon is a force for stability at a time when so many other American institutions are stressed.

Mattiss only problem may be this bipartisan popularity: Hes the Trump official whos admired by people who dont like Trump. That rubs some Trump enthusiasts the wrong way. Former White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon is said to view Mattis as too close to the traditional foreign policy establishment. But Trump himself seems respectful of the retired Marine general he likes to call Mad Dog.

The chivalrous Mattis is an unlikely partner for Trump. Hes a Stoic, with an almost superstitious dislike for the spotlight. Its notable that he has avoided gloating this year about victory over the Islamic State, recalling Gen. Ulysses S. Grants refusal to visit Richmond after its collapse to the Union Army in 1865. Mattis clearly abhors the political parlor games that are part of Trumps Washington.

Mattis watched the near-dismemberment this year of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, his friend and ally. After White House leaks about Tillerson's prospective firing, Mattis seemed to embrace him more closely in interagency debates. The controversy around Tillerson was a reminder that there's no "adult swim" in this administration; Trump owns the pool.

Rumors of Tillerson's death proved premature: He's still the administration's point man on North Korea, traveling to Canada this week to discuss new pressures on Pyongyang, including blacklisting ships that have been evading sanctions. Perhaps by keeping Tillerson in place, Trump perversely wants to show that reports of his troubles were just more "fake news."

Trump insiders still predict that Tillerson will depart sometime in the new year, and that he will be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo. The open, gregarious Pompeo would be an easier fit with Trump, and he appears to have developed a solid working relationship with Mattis as well. Whether Mattis and Pompeo can work well as a team may be crucial for the administration.

Mattis will have continuity at the Pentagon during this period of global turmoil. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph F. Dunford Jr. and Vice Chairman Paul Selva were recently reappointed to additional two-year terms. Patrick Shanahan was confirmed as deputy defense secretary in July; the former Boeing executive is beginning to shape acquisitions and technology decisions, two areas where Mattis is weak.

The rest of Mattis's team is finally in place. John Rood has been named undersecretary for policy, a key job to which Mattis had once hoped to appoint former ambassador Anne W. Patterson. (She was nixed after opposition from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) among others; Cotton's rumored appointment to head the CIA if Pompeo leaves might be awkward for Mattis). Adm. Joe Kernan, a former Navy SEAL, is undersecretary for intelligence. Ellen Lord, a former chief executive of Textron, is undersecretary for acquisitions.

The trickiest challenge for Mattis next year will be North Korea. The defense secretary backs Tillerson's strategy of diplomatic pressure; the goal is slow asphyxiation. But Trump wants military options, too, and the Pentagon is working hard to deliver them. Dunford must be prepared for a possible North Korean nuclear-missile launch, anytime.

John Hamre, a former deputy secretary of defense, recently cautioned colleagues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which he heads, that a high-level administration official had admonished him that "we are running out of time on North Korea." To which Hamre responded: "What the hell are you talking about? . . . Everyone in Washington should just calm down. Stop working ourselves up to a fevered pitch with breathless rhetoric that has no policy direction. We have lived with this before, and we will live with it now."

Will Mattis offer similar patient counsel, born of his experience as a battlefield commander? Will a new secretary of state be as effective a partner for Mattis as Tillerson has been? Can Mattis remain so widely respected, among Republicans and Democrats, without drawing the wrath of a peevish, prideful president? Those are some of the Pentagon puzzles for 2018.

Mattis has been reckoned as a force for calm, but it may be that the storm is only just beginning.

Twitter: @IgnatiusPost

Read more from David Ignatius's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Columnist

Vice President Pence's obsequiousness at a recent Cabinet meeting  "Thank you for seeing, through the course of this year, an agenda that is truly restoring this country. . ." and on, and on  might be appropriate at a Communist Party Central Committee meeting or at a despot's birthday party. But it is not the language of any self-respecting republic.

The divestment of self-respect is a qualification for employment in the Trump administration. Praising the Dear Leader in a Pence-like fashion seems to be what the Dear Leader requires  not in the way we might need dessert after dinner, but in the way an addict needs drugs. President Trump divides the world into two categories: flunkies and enemies. Pence is the cringing, fawning high priest of flunkiness. It is hard to know whether to laugh or puke (and difficult to do both at the same time).

It is precisely the claim of miracles by mediocrities that makes it hard for some of us to judge Trumps first-year record with any objectivity. Compared with his claims of world-historic change, Trump has accomplished little. But how does his record compare with more realistic expectations?

The Republican case for Trump comes down to: the appointment of conservative judges, including Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court; the "defeat" of the Islamic State; and tax and regulatory reform. Whatever your views of the merits of these actions, they are consequential. Add to this the facts that Trump hasn't blown up the world or suspended the legislature, and Trump is gaining a strange new respect among some conservatives.

There is less here than meets the eye. Trump chose Gorsuch from a Federalist Society list and didn't fatally undermine Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) careful confirmation effort. The demolition of the Islamic State was largely the continuation and culmination of an Obama-era strategy. And the tax overhaul, with serious virtues such as the cut in corporate rates, also has serious distributional and deficit problems.

This agenda was remarkable only for being so typical. Any Republican president from the 2016 primary field would have appointed conservative judges, continued the offensive against the Islamic State, and cut taxes and regulations. (He or she would also, in all likelihood, have succeeded at an Obamacare replacement.) But this is precisely the point. Trump spent the political capital of his first year  the highest it will ever be  on a few, generic GOP goals. Despite the fulminations of the left, this is not as frightening as some of the alternatives.

It is important to count our blessings, even when they are meager. But for Republicans and conservatives, it is also important to count the costs  the tonnage on the other side of the balance.

The war against terrorism has been rebooted on the basis of anti-Muslim bigotry, which undermines domestic law enforcement and anti-radicalization efforts. Authoritarian regimes around the world  now shielded from human rights criticism  feel more secure. Dissidents and democratic activists feel more lonely and abandoned. Fleeing refugees feel more desperate and friendless. The president is conducting delicate nuclear negotiations with demeaning pet names. Morale at the State Department is in collapse, leading to the hemorrhaging of diplomatic talent and experience. Trump has alienated important allies with demands for protection money. The United States has stepped back from effective economic competition in Asia, leaving China a more dominant regional power. Russia, in all likelihood, has helped elect a favorable U.S. president in the largest intelligence coup of modern history.

Trump has tried to undermine the credibility of important institutions  the courts, the FBI, intelligence agencies, the media  that check his power and expose his duplicity. He has used his office (and Twitter account) to target individual Americans for harm without due process. He attacks the very idea of truth in a daily torrent of despicable lies. The moral authority of the presidency is in tatters. He has made our common life more vulgar and brutal, and complicated the moral education of children. Racists are emboldened and included in the GOP coalition. He has caused a large portion of Republicans to live in an alternate reality of resentment and hatred, which complicates the possibility of governing and is likely to discredit the party among the young, minorities, women and college-educated voters for decades to come.

Trumps domestic agenda . . . requires another column. But after a year, this much is clear: Almost all of Trumps accomplishments are the work of traditional Republican policy staffers and congressional leaders. Almost all of Trumps failures are functions of his character. And that isnt going to change.

Read more from Michael Gerson's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
Columnist

President Trump raised eyebrows when he invited Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp to fly with him aboard Air Force One for a tax-reform rally in her home state of North Dakota earlier this year. For a vulnerable Democrat running for reelection in a deep-red state that Trump won by 36 points, appearing with the president was a political gift. Trump called Heitkamp up on stage, shook her hand and heaped praise on her, describing her as a "good woman"  the perfect visuals for campaign ads portraying her as a moderate willing to defy the "Resistance" and work with the president.

The move puzzled Republicans, who wondered why Trump was giving a boost to one of their principal targets in the 2018 midterm elections. But then came the moment that Heitkamp must now regret. As he made his case for the tax bill, Trump turned to her and said, Are you listening, Heidi? And then he added this blunt message: Do your job to deliver for America or find a new job.

Heitkamp did not deliver, nor did the four other Senate Democrats running for reelection in states Trump won by double digits: Joe Manchin III of West Virginia (a state Trump won by 42 points), Jon Tester of Montana (by 20), Claire McCaskill of Missouri (by 19) and Joe Donnelly of Indiana (by 19). Now it's time for Trump to make good on that threat.

With Trump's national approval rating averaging at just 38.5 percent  among the worst of any president in the first year after his election  some might suggest that he is in no position to impose political costs on his opponents. But his approval rating is between 50 and 60 percent in the five states where these vulnerable Democrats are running (except in Indiana, where it is 41 percent), making him a formidable adversary.

Trump should spend the coming weeks and months holding nonstop rallies in every one of these states to promote his tax reforms and how they will benefit ordinary Americans. He should tour companies that are using their savings from the corporate tax cuts to hire more workers, and businesses who are investing in new plants and equipment because the tax bill now allows them to write off those investments. He should visit small businesses who will benefit from the lower pass-through tax rate, so they can explain what it will mean to their workers. And he should hold town halls with middle-income families who will benefit from the individual rate cuts in the bill, so they can share what an extra thousand dollars in their pockets every year will mean to their families.

In each case, he should demand to know why their senator voted against the bill that made these things possible.

Heitkamp explained in a statement that she voted against the tax bill because, among other complaints, "middle income families lose out in the long-term because the relatively modest tax cuts they initially receive will expire after 2025." This is patently dishonest. Everyone knows the tax cuts for middle-income families won't ever expire. Even if Democrats are in power eight years from now, there is no way they won't extend the Trump tax cuts for middle-class Americans, just as Barack Obama extended all the George W. Bush tax cuts except for those at the very top.

According to the Tax Policy Center, 91.3 percent of Americans making between $48,000 and $86,100 will get an average tax cut of $1,090 next year. By the time the tax cuts require an extension, most will have saved nearly $9,000 cumulatively on their tax bills. That's real money. For those in the next income bracket  households making $86,100 to $149,400  92.5 percent will receive an average tax cut of $2,070. That's more than $16,500 in tax savings before the cuts are set to expire. Are Democrats really going to take that money away?

It was a big mistake for these vulnerable Democrats to vote against tax reform. They had an opportunity to work with the president and make the effort bipartisan  but to do so they had to go against their party. Instead, they cast their lots with the anti-Trump Resistance. Before the tax vote, Manchin dismissed from the pressure his constituents to support the president. "I just don't give a s---," he said, "Don't care if I get elected, don't care if I get defeated, how about that?" If he does not care whether he returns to Washington, then come next year the 68 percent of West Virginia voters who supported Trump may give him his wish.

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On a sultry July day nearly a decade ago, I stepped into a Catholic church in the Iowa hamlet of Postville to meet Irma Lopez. The mother of a 2-year-old daughter, she had been arrested along with her husband, Marcelo, several months earlier in a massive raid by federal immigration agents, aimed at the employees of a kosher slaughterhouse in town.

Now her husband was in a detention facility hundreds of miles away, awaiting deportation to Central America. Irma Lopez could remain in Postville only by wearing an ankle bracelet with a homing device as a form of house arrest. There were so many mothers like her that they had their own name persona con brazelet.

Such was the human face of the social wreckage visited upon Postville by its would-be savior, an Orthodox Jewish executive and rabbi named Sholom Rubashkin. This same man, who was convicted of a $27 million fraud, sentenced to 27 years in prison and ordered to pay $18.5 million in restitution, this week had his term commuted by President Trump.

Besides pandering once more to the Orthodox Jewish portion of his base, Trump acted as a result of a high-powered lobbying effort that included everyone from celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to former attorney general Michael Mukasey.

There is an argument to be made that Rubashkin received an unduly severe sentence, two years longer than the prosecutor had sought and lengthier than the one meted out to Jeffrey K. Skilling, former Enron chief executive. But at a moral level, the level that can fairly be applied in a case drenched in the supposed adherence to religious practice, never has so much bipartisan and interfaith influence been invested in such an undeserving individual. In the Hasidic, Yiddish-speaking milieu where Rubashkin was reared, there is a blunt term for such a man: gonif, crook.

One of the tragedies of Rubashkins fall and his unmerited rescue is that he could legitimately have played the hero. When his father, Aaron, first bought the former Hygrade meat-processing plant in Postville 30 years ago, the Rubashkin family had the opportunity to restore reliable, unionized, good-paying jobs to a portion of the hollowed-out heartland that direly needed them.

Instead, when the Rubashkins reopened the Hygrade plant under kosher auspices as Agriprocessors, they attracted and exploited a labor force of immigrants from the former Soviet empire, as Stephen G. Bloom recounts in his masterful book "Postville." When those workers earned enough or wised up enough to leave, the Rubashkins began hiring hundreds of Mexican and Guatemalan workers, many of them undocumented. In all respects, conditions worsened.

Rabbi Morris Allen, of the Conservative Jewish synagogue Beth Jacob in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, recalled recently in the Forward what he saw on investigative visits to Postville:

How well I remember the working conditions at Agriprocessors, where underage kids were working on the killing floor; where the local school bus made a stop at the plant to drop off young students who worked after the school day ended  often until 11 p.m.; where pregnant women were not allowed a bathroom break or time to visit their doctor; where safety equipment was lacking and where nearly the entire work force were undocumented workers easily exploited as they lived in fear of being turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

As a religion columnist then for the New York Times, I met Allen about a year before that raid. I wrote about his effort to bring Judaic ethics to the scandalous situation at Agriprocessors, and indeed to the entire kosher food industry.

Kosher meat receives its official certification, known as a hecksher, primarily on the basis of how the animal is treated  if there is or isnt a blemish on the lung tissue, for example, or how the neck artery was sliced. Allen proposed that that certification should also be predicated on the fair treatment of the human beings doing that work. He called the program hecksher tzedek, using the Hebrew word for justice.

As it happens, I never wrote about Allen again in my column. But as I followed his valiant efforts to line up the Conservative Jewish movement behind hecksher tzedek, I paid close attention and began to count him as a friend.

So the journalist, friend and observant Jew in me have all been sickened by the disparity between the political and religious muscle wielded to get Rubashkin out of jail and the resounding disinterest of virtually the entire Jewish community and its political leaders ever showed the campaign for hecksher tzedek. By now, Allen is retiring from his pulpit, and his admirable brainchild is effectively dead.

The Torah exhorts faithful Jews to love and help the stranger 36 times, more than any other commandment. Yet too many Jews have one set of ethics for their own kind and another for gentiles. Sholom Rubashkin ran his company on that principle, and his champions and enablers in the presidential commutation did the same. They cared a whole lot more about reuniting a criminal father with his 10 children than they did about all the families in Postville such as Irma Lopezs who first got battered by exploitation and then broken by deportation.
President Trump with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Vice President Pence and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) at the White House Wednesday to celebrate passage of the GOP tax cut bill. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

A day after standing shoulder to shoulder at the White House to celebrate passage of a major tax bill, tensions emerged among Republicans on Thursday over what part of their agenda to tackle next as the party tries to capitalize on the biggest legislative success of the Trump presidency.

For weeks, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and other conservatives have been trying to build momentum for reining in spending on Medicare, Medicaid and other safety-net programs, long-standing goals that catapulted Ryan to prominence in the GOP.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) threw cold water on those ambitions Thursday, saying he would rather focus on an issue with potential for bipartisan appeal: an infrastructure initiative that spurs new spending on the nations ailing roads, bridges, airports and waterways.

I dont think, as a practical matter in the Senate, we can do entitlement reform without bipartisan agreement, McConnell, who will have only 51 Republicans in his chamber come January, told The Washington Post. And you can fill in the blanks. I mean, it applies to entitlements in general  Medicare, Social Security, welfare  theyre so doubled down on that, Im not going to devote floor time to something that has no Democratic support.

With the euphoria of the passage of a major tax bill still running high, the discord over whats next reflects a tough reality for the GOP: Heading into an election year, nothing being contemplated will be easy.

Aides to President Trump say the White House has yet to finalize an agenda for the new year but is interested in pushing both an infrastructure plan  which could be rolled out as early as mid-January  as well as more targeted revisions to welfare programs, such as cash assistance and food stamps, than Ryan has floated.

A senior administration official told reporters at a briefing Thursday that Trump, Ryan and McConnell plan to meet on welfare reform in early January to make sure everyone is on the same page.

But some Republicans worry about taking aim at any safety-net programs on the heels of passing a $1.5 trillion tax bill that independent analysts say does far more for corporations and the wealthy than the middle class.

I think the optics are terrible, said John McKager Mac Stipanovich, a longtime Florida-based GOP consultant. At least at this point, the Democrats are winning the argument that the tax cuts primarily benefit the wealthy and big business. To come in right behind that and start whacking the poor, the working poor, will not serve Republicans well in 2018.

Democratic operatives, meanwhile, are salivating at the prospect of Republicans targeting programs that benefit working-class voters, a constituency that Democrats are trying to bring back into the fold after Trumps victory last year.

Trump and Ryan are acting like people who arent going to be around to deal with the consequences of their actions, said Mary Anne Marsh, a Boston-based Democratic consultant. Thats the only explanation I can think of.

Building consensus on infrastructure legislation wont be easy, either.

The plan being developed by the White House would reward states and localities that raise taxes or other new revenue to pay for new projects. Its an approach that some members of both parties are likely to find objectionable for different reasons, and its unclear how Washington would pay its share of the $1 trillion plan envisioned by the White House.

Ryan has been signaling for weeks that, after tax cuts, the GOP should turn its attention to the spending side of the ledger.

Were going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit, Ryan said in a radio interview earlier this month, calling Medicare and Medicaid the big drivers of debt. In the same interview with conservative radio host Ross Kaminsky, Ryan said he was working to convince Trump of the wisdom of his approach.

As a candidate, Trump vowed not to cut Medicare or Social Security, a promise that aides said in recent days is still operative, even as he looks to make changes to other safety-net programs. Much of the White House focus, an aide said, would be on giving states more flexibility to manage those programs and to impose new work requirements and other conditions for public assistance.

In a television interview Wednesday on ABC, Ryan seemed to retreat slightly, saying he wasnt likely to seek broad reforms to Medicare in 2018 but would focus on narrower issues, such as reining in payments to health-care providers that he said are getting overpaid.

On Thursday, hours after McConnell, speaking at a breakfast sponsored by Axios, expressed first doubts about tackling entitlement programs in 2018, Ryan declined to answer questions from reporters.

Take this moment, just enjoy this moment, Ryan said, literally brushing away reporters with his right hand as he walked out of a room where Republicans took part in a formal ceremony to send the tax legislation to Trump for his signature.

A Ryan aide said House Republicans plan to hash out their 2018 agenda at a retreat planned in late January.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday dismissed Republican talk of entitlement reform as part of the Starve the Beast values system that Republicans have.

They do not believe in governance, so any public role in the health or well-being of the American people is on their hit list, she told reporters, adding later that Democrats will not let Republicans use Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security as an ATM to pay for the tax cuts.

In the Senate, 60 votes are needed to cut off filibusters on most bills  most upcoming initiatives will require some Democratic support to move forward.

Many GOP lawmakers in both chambers agreed with McConnell that there is little urgency to make changes to social safety-net programs in the coming year.

Its hard in the Senate. I know the House has made it a priority, and there are a lot of us whod like to do it, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said. But, he said, its a hard sell to some of our members. I think the leader is just reflecting what the political reality is.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said any revamp of entitlements makes more sense as a longer-term conversation.

It needs to get done sooner rather than later, but all the reports say that the problems are a decade out, he said.

Some Republicans, such as Sen. Pat Roberts (Kan.), expressed concern about making any safety-net program a target next year.

As chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Roberts will play a big role in 2018 as Congress begins debating a new Farm Bill, legislation that sets agriculture policy but mostly funds food stamps, school lunch programs and other anti-poverty programs.

This talk about welfare reform across the board, or Social Security or this, that and the other, I think is very premature, he added. Were going to have our plate full doing other things we have to do.

Still, Trump boosters said they see hope for buy-in on narrower reforms, such as empowering states to set more rules for receiving food stamps and other benefits.

I think that to the average voter it plays quite well, said Barry Bennett, a GOP consultant who advised Trump during the general election. Everyone wants to make sure people get the help they need but need the help they get.

Karoun Demirjian, Erica Werner and Michael Scherer contributed to this report.
President Trump and Republican members of Congress celebrate the passage of the tax bill on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 20. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Moments before President Trump claimed his first legislative victory, he was notified that AT&T would be investing an additional $1 billion in U.S. networks and offering its employees a one-time bonus  thanks, the company said, to the Republican tax bill.

Then, as if on cue, the president crowed about it at a celebratory photo opportunity Wednesday afternoon on the South Lawn of the White House.

Soon came a string of similar pronouncements from other corporate behemoths. Comcast said it was offering its employees $1,000 bonuses. Boeing said it was making $300 million in new investments. Fifth Third Bancorp said it, too, was giving workers bonuses and raising its minimum hourly wage to $15. And Wells Fargo also said it was upping its minimum hourly wage to $15.

Trump and his aides and allies were quick to seize on the corporate announcements as evidence that  even before the bill was signed into law, which could happen as early as Friday  good fortune was trickling down to workers.

Trump tweeted Friday morning: "Our big and very popular Tax Cut and Reform Bill has taken on an unexpected new source of 'love' - that is big companies and corporations showering their workers with bonuses. This is a phenomenon that nobody even thought of, and now it is the rage. Merry Christmas!"

A day earlier, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Fox News Channel, You saw company after company after company yesterday come out and immediately start giving bonuses to their workers all across this country.

Even MSNBC reporters are getting a bonus, Sanders added, referring to the network that is a subsidiary of Comcast.

[Trump, at last, looks to notch a legislative win with tax bill. But can he redirect his presidency?]

Some companies are trying to help Trump sell an unpopular tax bill by crediting their internal spending strategies to the savings they expect from the legislation, which decreases the corporate income rate to 21 percent from 35 percent.

The company moves may have been long-planned and inspired by unrelated reasons. Still, tying the announcements to the tax bill helps the companies receive maximum media attention and engender goodwill with Trump and his administration.

Its an extremely clever way to get the presidents attention, said Scott Reed, the chief political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It reinforces his signature legislative success, and it probably gets them some good points inside the White House.

Some of the companies have business motives for currying favor with the administration. Boeing relies on government contracts for much of its business, while AT&T has been seeking to acquire Time Warner, at times arguing with the Trump administration over antitrust issues. The Justice Department is suing to block the $85 billion merger, which Trump said in November was not good for the country.



House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi D-Calif.) gestures during a press briefing on Capitol Hill on Dec. 14. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

The strategies playing out this week hark back to the early months of Trumps presidency and during his transition, when companies such as Carrier let Trump take part in public announcements of new jobs or factories.

The clearest way to curry favor with this government is to play to the ego of the president, whether thats the Cabinet roundtable praising him or companies being smart and doing things they were already planning to do in the way that he will like, said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson, who was a spokesman for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign.

[Republicans celebrate their tax bill  and heap praise on Trump]

The tax bill passed Congress on Wednesday and is expected to be signed by Trump as early as Friday, with changes to the tax code going into effect starting early next year.

Polls show the bill is deeply unpopular with the general public. A Quinnipiac University survey last week found that 26 percent of Americans approve of the plan, with 55 percent disapproving.

But Republicans from the president on down are determined to sell Trumps signature legislative accomplishment ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

The corporate announcements are not being coordinated by the White House, administration officials said, though one official acknowledged that during the tax debate, representatives of some of the companies had informally discussed with the administration spending decisions they were considering making should the bill pass.

AT&T said it would follow through on a pledge it made Nov. 8 to invest $1 billion more in its networks if the legislation was approved. It also announced a one-time bonus of $1,000 for as many as 200,000 employees, which it negotiated with union executives separately from a work contract that was agreed upon last week.

Randall Stephenson, AT&Ts chief executive, said in a statement, Congress, working closely with the president, took a monumental step to bring taxes paid by U.S. businesses in line with the rest of the industrialized world.

The announcement seemed tailor-made for Trump to announce at his elaborate White House event celebrating the legislative achievement. The president cheered AT&T at the beginning of his remarks.

This just came out, he said. Two minutes ago, they handed it to me. AT&T plans to increase U.S. capital spending $1 billion and provide [a] $1,000 special bonus to more than 200,000 U.S. employees, and thats because of what we did. So thats pretty good. Thats pretty good.

Some industry critics said the announcements added up to little more than a public-relations stunt, designed either to earn chits with the Trump administration or to validate policies the companies had already lobbied for.

[Analysis: AT&T is being sued by the Trump administration but is now on the presidents good side]

Throwing a few pennies to workers after a multibillion-dollar political windfall seems inefficient to me, but then again, Im not in AT&Ts PR department, said Matthew Stoller, a fellow at the Open Markets Institute, a think tank that has criticized the power of large companies.

Stoller added, I admire AT&Ts new antitrust litigation strategy of buying Trump good PR with a little bit of the tax refund the company just got.

Democratic leaders argued that companies were hardly spending all of their savings under the tax plan on their workers. The office of Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) circulated a list of more than 30 large companies that have announced a combined $83.7 billion in share buybacks in recent days in anticipation of the bills passage.

There is a reason so few executives have said the tax bill will lead to more jobs, investments and higher wages  because it will actually lead to share buybacks, corporate bonuses and dividends, Schumer spokesman Matt House wrote in an email to reporters.

In her Thursday news conference, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) singled out AT&T by name.

"They made a big announcement that they were going to give a bonus to their workers, to kind of pin a rose on this tax bill," Pelosi said. "That bonus was mandated by a union agreement with the Communications Workers of America as part of a raise in their recent, in their last agreement. So all of a sudden they're advertising this as something they did because of the tax bill."

An AT&T spokesman disputed Pelosi's comment, saying the $1,000 bonus announced Wednesday is in addition to a separate $1,000 bonus previously negotiated with the employees union.

If one of the goals of the companies was for their announcements to generate headlines and be seen by Trump, they succeeded. Thursday on Fox & Friends, the morning show that the president watches regularly because of its complimentary commentary, host Ainsley Earhardt interviewed Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and adviser.

It has not even been 24 hours, and workers at some of the companies that we all use on a daily basis are benefiting, Earhardt said. She ticked through several examples before concluding that the bill amounted to a gift for working families.

It is such important, meaningful relief, Ivanka Trump replied. And really, Ainsley, this is just the beginning. Its just starting.

Brian Fung and David Weigel contributed to this report.


Virginia coin collector John Wertman with his official President Trump challenge coin. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

For two decades, the commander in chief has doled out distinguished-looking coins as personal mementos. Now, the presidential challenge coin has undergone a Trumpian transformation.

The presidential seal has been replaced by an eagle bearing President Trumps signature. The eagles head faces right, not left, as on the seal. The 13 arrows representing the original states have disappeared. And the national motto, E pluribus unum  a Latin phrase that means Out of many, one  is gone.

Instead, both sides of the coin feature Trumps campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.

The changes dont stop there. In addition to his signature, Trumps name appears three times on the coin, which is thicker than those made for past presidents. And forget the traditional subdued silver and copper: Trumps coin, a White House aide marveled, is very gold.

The aide said the president, whose real estate properties are known for their gilded displays of wealth and status, was personally involved in redesigning the coin. Trump, who also had a hand in creating his famous red campaign hat, wanted to weigh in on it, the aide said. Its beautifully made.

The White House offered conflicting accounts of which funds were used to purchase the coins, with one aide saying they were paid for by the White House and a second aide later saying that the Republican National Committee is covering the expense. An RNC spokeswoman confirmed Friday afternoon that the party is paying for the coins.

Theyre going to be used in ways they havent been in the past, said the second White House aide, adding that they may be distributed at campaign rallies and to donors. Aides were not authorized to comment on the record and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

White House officials declined to say how much the coins cost or who designed them.



President Trump's challenge coin, bottom, along with those of, from left, Vice President Pence, former vice president Joe Biden and former president Barack Obama. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

Some ethics experts questioned the unprecedented decision to include a campaign slogan on the coins, which are often distributed to members of the military.

For the commander in chief to give a political token with a campaign slogan on it to military officers would violate the important principle of separating the military from politics, as well as diminishing the tradition of the coin, said Trevor Potter, a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission.

Aides said the coin reflects a president determined to make good on his promises to the American public. Asked why the campaign slogan was included, a White House aide replied: "That's central to the message. I'm sure there will not be just one coin during his tenure. I'm sure the next one will say 'Made America Great Again.' "

Challenge coins got their start as military baubles bearing division insignia and presented by officers to troops for exemplary service. The moniker came from a tradition in which service members challenged one another to produce their coins. Those who did not have one had to buy a round of drinks.

Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have pressed the discs, slightly larger than a silver dollar, into the palms of officers and troops. Bush was said to place them on graves at Arlington National Cemetery.

The coins are hotly sought by collectors. Online, the official Obama challenge coin was being sold Friday for as much as $999.

Collectors often display the coins in a glass case or laid flat under a glass coffee table. But Trumps coin, nearly twice as thick as those of his White House forbears, is designed to literally stand on its own. It features a gold-plated, ribbon-shaped banner bearing his name in capital letters  DONALD J. TRUMP  that doubles as a rocking-horse-style base.



President Trump's challenge coin, left, next to that of former president Barack Obama. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

"It's definitely not a standard coin," said John Wertman, a collector of federal challenge coins who served as special assistant to the director of presidential letters and messages in the Clinton White House. He was among the first to get Trump's coin, having received one in the mail at his Northern Virginia home after sending a letter of request to the White House.

Im assuming the gold appeals directly to Trump, said Wertman, whose collection include coins from Obama and numerous former Cabinet secretaries. He has a certain way he projects himself.

Trump personally trademarked the phrase "Make America Great Again" in 2012. His campaign then filed for the rights to the slogan in 2015 when he launched his presidential bid.

The motto is featured prominently in his campaign materials but has also been used in official White House statements.

Nonpresidential challenge coins have become popular among emergency first-responders, including police and fire departments, as well as some federal government agencies. The cost varies depending on their size, colors and design, but experts said coins usually range from $3 to $10 each.



Former president Bill Clinton's challenge coin. (John Wertman)

Aides said Trump grew to appreciate the custom during his campaign, when military officials or other dignitaries presented coins to him.

Trump is a big proponent of military first-responders, police and sheriffs, said former press secretary Sean Spicer. When he met with them, some of them would give him coins.

After entering the White House, Trump asked aides to have the coins he received be displayed in the Oval Office, where a case is positioned behind the Resolute desk. Another case of coins is in the president's library, aides said. (In Clinton's official White House portrait, he is portrayed standing in front of his challenge-coin display.)

As in past administrations, Trump's Cabinet has gotten into the act, including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who has a coin with his name on it.

Spicer had one of his own featuring a lectern on the back. A longtime Navy reservist, he has amassed a collection of about 150 coins, including one presented to him from Bush at the White House when he was promoted to commander.

Spicer estimated he ordered several hundred of his own coins, paying for them personally. He said he recently gave one to a pilot on a commercial flight who had served in the Air Force.

If you get it, you understand the importance of it, Spicer said.

Not everyone in the Trump administration has followed the bosss lead, however. Among those who do not have their own challenge coins is Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general.

Asked why not, a spokeswoman replied: Its not about him. Its about the person whose hand he is shaking.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took aim Friday at President Trumps former chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, as he looked ahead to some of the political and policy challenges the Republican Party will face in 2018.

At a year-end news conference in the Capitol, McConnell offered only a few concrete details on the legislative agenda for the year ahead, which will begin with difficult decisions for the majority party on immigration, health care and spending priorities. He said he would meet with Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) during the first week of January to discuss their to-do list.

Party leaders will also confront a demanding midterm campaign landscape that has been complicated by Bannons feud with McConnell and his attempt to use next years primaries to oust many GOP senators loyal to the leader.

Looming over all of it is the rocky relationship between McConnell and Trump, who ended the year on a note of solidarity but have also clashed publicly in recent months. One major variable in that relationship is Bannon and the extent to which Trump sides with him over McConnell.

Well, let me just say this: The political genius on display of throwing away a seat in the reddest state in America is hard to ignore, McConnell said when asked whether he blamed Bannon for Democrat Doug Joness win in the special election for Senate in Alabama this month. Bannon had backed Roy Moore, the controversial former state chief justice who defeated McConnells choice in the GOP primary, Sen. Luther Strange.

Before the general election, Moore was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward girls as young as 14 when he was in his 30s. He denied the allegations and continued his campaign, even as McConnell and other Senate Republican leaders called on him to drop out. Bannon, however, stood by Moore, even campaigning with him on the eve of the Dec. 12 election. Trump, who endorsed Strange in the primary, also waged a final push on Moores behalf.

Joness victory marks a major blow to McConnell, Bannon and other Republicans who involved themselves in a race in a staunchly conservative state. When he is sworn in early next year, the Republican majority in the Senate will narrow to 51-49 over the Democrats.

Looking ahead to the midterm elections, McConnell said hell continue his recent strategy of helping the most electable Republicans get nominated. He expressed confidence that the White House will be in the same place I am.

The 2018 Senate map once looked ripe for GOP gains, with many more Democrats up for reelection than Republicans, including several in states Trump won. But retirements and the possibility of bruising primaries have dimmed the partys outlook.

McConnell addressed a range of topics in his Friday news conference, which came after Congress passed a sweeping tax bill and a stopgap spending measure to head off a government shutdown for at least a few more weeks.

When lawmakers return next year, McConnell will face a challenging slate of tasks, including coming to terms with Democrats on a long-term government funding agreement, which has proved elusive so far.

A more bipartisan legislative focus should be expected in 2018, he said, given the realities of a nearly evenly divided Senate. One item McConnell said he is "almost certain" to act on is a bipartisan bill easing regulations on small and medium-size banks that was imposed under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial-oversight law. The bill, which passed the Senate Banking Committee this month, has 12 Democratic co-sponsors.

McConnell framed 2017 as a successful year for Republican senators, pointing out the tax bill, the judicial nominees they shepherded to confirmation, including Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, and the rollback of some Obama-era regulations.

[Judges, not tax reform, are GOPs crowning achievement, McConnell says]

But McConnell struggled for much of the year to produce a major legislative accomplishment, toiling for months on a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. His efforts fell short, leaving a core GOP campaign promise unfulfilled and frustrating Trump.

McConnell expressed little enthusiasm Friday for taking up further changes to the health-care system or an overhaul of federal entitlement programs. He encouraged Republicans who advocate repealing more ACA provisions to keep gathering support for their proposals, but he stopped short of any firm commitment to pursue legislation: My view of that is, as soon as we have the votes to achieve it, Id like to do that.

[McConnell: Entitlement reform is a nonstarter in the Senate in 2018]

McConnells relationship with Trump, which has been unsteady throughout 2017, worsened in the wake of the Obamacare-repeal failure. But this week, Trump praised McConnell in a tweet for a fantastic job on the tax bill.

McConnell, who has said he is not a fan of Trumps tendency to pick fights on social media, quipped that he started warming up to Trumps Twitter habits this week. He declined to talk about the state of their private conversations.

While he tempered expectations on health-care reform, McConnell sounded more optimistic about the effort to find a compromise on a key immigration issue: delivering legal status to nearly a million immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children.

McConnell indicated earlier this week that if senators seeking a bipartisan deal could agree on legislation, he would put it on the floor. But he also said he did not see a need to address the issue before March, when an existing program that protects dreamers from deportation is set to expire. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats are pushing to strike a deal in January.

Citing the story of how his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, came to the country, McConnell said he supports maintaining legal immigration but said there are improvements we could make.

One thing I do think needs to be fixed is chain migration, he said, using a term favored by conservatives to describe laws allowing legal immigrants to sponsor family members who come here. That remark goes beyond the border-security provisions that Democrats have been generally willing to entertain as part of a compromise.

McConnell added another caveat: Having Trumps approval is crucial.

We want to have a signature, he said. We dont just want to spin our wheels here and have nothing to show for it.

Asked about the Senate probe into alleged Russian tampering with the 2016 presidential election and possible connections to Trumps campaign, McConnell expressed confidence in the Intelligence Committee leaders conducting it.

Its not up to me to say when its over; its up to them to say when its over, he said, referring to the panels chairman and vice chairman, Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.). I hope those guys can stay together and tell us what happened and what we need to do to prevent it from happening again.

McConnell was also asked for an update on Republican Sen. John McCain, who missed votes this week after he returned to Arizona to receive treatment for an aggressive brain tumor. McConnell, who has worked alongside him since McCain arrived in the Senate in 1987, called him the finest person I have served with in my time here and a person for whom I have the greatest admiration.

We fully expect to have him back after the first of the year, he said.
Within hours of celebrating President Trumps biggest legislative achievement, at the South Portico of the White House on Wednesday, his aides and outside advisers had a spirited, and at times tense, discussion with him about the political outlook ahead of next years midterm elections.

The gathering saw tempers flare as aides vented their frustrations with electoral defeats this year and concerns about the 2018 political map, according to several people with knowledge of the discussion. Complaints about the presidents political operation and the Republican National Committee boiled over, playing out in front of the president as an inner-circle drama.

The late-afternoon meeting  attended by White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, counselor Kellyanne Conway, political director Bill Stepien, marketing and data specialist Brad Parscale, communications director Hope Hicks and political consultant and confidant Corey Lewandowski, among others  quickly became a griping session for Lewandowski and others about the way the White House manages the GOP and handles its planning for what is sure to be a hotly contested campaign season, people familiar with the meeting said.

[After tax bills passage, tensions over what Republicans should do next]

Lewandowski told the president that the RNC was not raising nearly enough money  even though the party has raised record sums  and not doing enough to support his agenda. The former Trump campaign manager also griped that he could no longer get his calls returned from the White House, these people said, and was being blocked by the presidents assistant and others under the direction of Kelly.

Lewandowski complained, too, about the Office of Public Liaison, saying it was not effective in building out Trumps relationships and the White Houses message. Other advisers present outlined to the president what could be a difficult year ahead and urged the White House to beef up its management of the political calendar and party efforts.

Trump did not react angrily to what Lewandowski said and instead listened and watched for the reaction of others, revealing little about where exactly he lands in these debates among Trump associates, the people added.

But essentially, Lewandowski tried to convince the president that he wasnt being served well, in the words of one person with knowledge.

While Trump did not signal whether he would act on Lewandowskis suggestions, some White House aides bristled at the outside advisers attempt to steer the political strategy. Later, outside the Oval Office, Stepien and Lewandowski had a very intense conversation about the broader political operation and what some aides see as Lewandowskis meddling in it from the outside, while Lewandowski questioned Stepiens performance, according to advisers with knowledge. The men were later spotted by other aides continuing to argue outside.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment.

The meeting and the conflicts underscore the tension surrounding the presidents political operation  and the occasional chaos that arises, even as Kelly has tried to impose more order. Advisers such as Lewandowski and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, now at Breitbart, continue to talk to the president, who likes them personally, even as other advisers try to keep them away.

There are also strains inside the White House among the political affairs team, the RNC and some of Trumps closest counselors on the outside  and they are all competing for Trumps ear, the people said, requesting anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations.

There were points of unity in the meeting. All sides of Trumps orbit are hoping that the recently passed Republican tax bill becomes more popular in upcoming months and that the federal Russia probe turns its focus away from issues or people close to the president. Trump made clear to his advisers that he wants to be heavily involved in the upcoming elections, although it is unclear how many places will welcome a presidential visit.

Trumps reaction to the meeting could play out in the coming days and weeks while he is away at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, advisers said. But with 2018 and its stakes frequently on his mind, changes of personnel or strategy are possible, the people said.

One White House official briefed on Trumps lunch with former chief of staff Reince Priebus on Tuesday said they mainly strategized about 2018, and Priebus gave the president warnings about the electoral landscape. Afterward, Trump told others that Priebus expressed concerns about the midterms. Priebus could not be reached for comment.

Kelly has occasionally grumbled about the RNC and its chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, advisers say. A number of senior advisers in the White House say that the RNC is not doing enough to defend the president and that its communications and political operation need to be improved  with more Trump loyalists installed. Meanwhile, they complain that Bob Paduchik, a Trump ally at the RNC, has suffered slights there.

In turn, the RNC often finds itself at the whims of a president that can reverse on a dime, as he did in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate that was won by Democrat Doug Jones this month. McDaniel has told officials at the RNC that her members are sometimes at odds with the White House. And the RNC was particularly frustrated by Alabama, where Trump agreed for the group to pull out of supporting Republican firebrand Roy Moores campaign but then backed Moore and forced the RNC to reverse its stance.

Several White House officials said that they do not expect major changes at the RNC and that Trump continues to praise McDaniel in private. But there is talk of putting more Trump people at the organization or trying to take more control.

An RNC spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Trump gestures to a cheering crowd on the tarmac as he arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on Friday. He plans to spend the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago Club. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)

President Trump on Friday unexpectedly weighed in on the 2018 governors race in Florida, talking up the potential candidacy of U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), a tea-party conservative and an outspoken critic of special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

DeSantis, who recently introduced Trump at a campaign-style rally in Pensacola, is poised to join a competitive Republican field in the race to succeed Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who is term-limited.

If he runs, DeSantis would likely join two hopefuls with closer ties to the Republican establishment: Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who previously served a decade in Congress, and Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran.

Another GOP candidate, Jack Latvala, recently announced his resignation from the state Senate as the result of a sexual harassment scandal and is expected to exit the race.

Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a GREAT Governor of Florida, Trump said on Twitter. He loves our Country and is a true FIGHTER!

The tweet was sent out shortly after Trump landed in Florida en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate, where he is spending the holidays.

It appears the tweet was prompted by a Fox News segment featuring DeSantis that was playing on televisions in the cabin of Air Force One toward the end of the flight.

A White House official said DeSantis had been working Trump hard for an endorsement on several fronts.

This official, who requested anonymity to speak more candidly, said Trump personally likes DeSantis but has no idea who else is in the race or what it looks like.

The decision was not particularly strategic, this person said, and highlights some of the flaws in the presidents political operation.

DeSantis, 39, accompanied Trump on Air Force earlier this month to the rally in Pensacola, where he introduced the president and borrowed several of his rhetorical flourishes, including fake news, drain the swamp and making America great again.

This guy is working his tail off for you guys and for the American people, DeSantis told the crowd.

In a statement Friday, DeSantis said he was grateful to have the Presidents support and appreciate what he has done  from appointing great judges to recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital to signing a pro-growth tax cut  to get our country back on track. As an Iraq veteran, Im especially appreciative of his efforts to support our military and our veterans.

In Congress, DeSantis put forward a measure last summer that would have halted funding for Muellers probe after six months and limited his investigation to matters that occurred after June 2015, when Trump launched his campaign.

DeSantis has criticized the probe into possible collusion with Russia as a fishing expedition.

John McKager Mac Stipanovich, a longtime Florida Republican consultant, said Trumps shout-out on Twitter could give DeSantis a boost in a field where the well-funded Putnam is considered the front-runner.

His Trump cred will put him in good stead, Stipanovich said. DeSantis would be a viable candidate in a Republican primary if he can raise the money.

But Stipanovich added that being too close to Trump could hurt the GOP nominee in the general election in a state that Trump carried last year but where more voters disapprove of his job performance than approve, according to recent polls.

He may be eating poison candy from which hell die in November, Stipanovich said of DeSantis.

DeSantis, who was elected in 2012 to Floridas 6th congressional district, announced in 2015 that he would run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who initially did not file for reelection in 2016 because of his Republican presidential bid.

DeSantis withdrew from the race after Rubio ended his White House bid and announced he would run for reelection.

During his tenure in Congress, which ended in 2011, Putnam ascended to a leadership position and voted for changes to immigration policy and other issues that have since become liabilities in Republican primaries. As a gubernatorial candidate, he has been trying to position himself further to the right on several issues.

Trump, who plans to play an active role in the 2018 elections, has inserted himself into Republican primaries on other occasions.

In Alabamas GOP primary for Senate this year, Trump endorsed and held a rally for Sen. Luther Strange (R), an establishment candidate who lost to former judge Roy Moore. Trump enthusiastically supported Moore in this months special election, which he lost.

Trump also traveled to South Carolina in October for a fundraiser to benefit South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R).

McMaster, a stalwart of South Carolina politics for the past three decades, was elevated to governor in January when Trump picked Nikki Haley to serve as ambassador to the United Nations. McMaster is now facing a primary challenge from a well-funded candidate, lawyer Catherine Templeton, who has cast herself as the insurgent in the race.
Rep. Blake Farenthold arrives for a House Judiciary hearing on Capitol Hill on Dec. 13. The lawmaker is under pressure from sexual misconduct allegations that surfaced three years ago but have come under renewed focus. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

The House Ethics Committee expanded its investigation into Rep. Blake Farenthold to probe whether he might have lied or omitted facts while testifying before the panel and used House resources to benefit his congressional campaigns.

Ethics Committee Chairwoman Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) and ranking DemocratTed Deutch (Fla.) said the committee voted unanimously Thursday to widen its inquiry beyond allegations that Farenthold (R-Tex.) sexually harassed, discriminated or retaliated against his staff.

The expansion of the probe comes as the Ethics Committee faces pressure to take serious action against lawmaker misconduct, while Capitol Hill reckons with a wave of allegations of sexual harassment.

Farenthold recently announced he would not seek reelection amid renewed attention to his 2014 settlement with a former aide who accused him of making comments designed to gauge whether she was interested in a sexual relationship. Other former staffers also alleged in recent news reports that he was prone to outbursts and other unprofessional behavior.

In a video posted to his Facebook page, the four-term congressman denied the accusations that led to the settlement but apologized for fostering a "permissive and decidedly unprofessional" work environment.

The latest allegations were not detailed in news reports about Farentholds purportedly inappropriate office culture. Farenthold represents the 27th Congressional District along the Texas Gulf Coast, including Corpus Christi, and has faced questions about why he is choosing to serve out his term.

The widened ethics investigation could increase pressure on him to resign immediately.

The panel is investigating allegations that Farenthold may have made false statements or omissions in testimony to the Committee, according to a statement from Brooks and Deutch.

The inquiry has also widened to look into whether Farenthold or his deputies used House resources, including staff time, to benefit his congressional campaigns or required members of his congressional staff to work on his congressional campaigns.

Brooks and Deutch noted that the existence of an investigation does not itself indicate wrongdoing.

Farenthold spokeswoman Stacey Daniels noted that the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent ethics monitor, sided with Farenthold when it examined allegations he sexually harassed his former communications director, Lauren Greene. She did not specifically address the latest allegations.

Congressman Farenthold has cooperated fully with both the Office of Congressional Ethics and the House Ethics Committee for almost three years, Daniels wrote in an email. He looks forward to this issue being resolved in his favor, once again, and will continue to cooperate fully with the Ethics Committee.

The ethics panel also announced Thursday that it had established an investigative subcommittee to look into allegations that Rep. Ruben Kihuen (D-Nev.) made unwanted sexual advances toward several women, including a former campaign aide.

Kihuen and Farenthold are two of the seven members of Congress who have resigned or said they would not run for reelection amid allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct since October. Another, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), delivered his farewell speech to the Senate on Thursday and will resign Jan. 2.

Read more at PowerPost
Only one claim of sex discrimination or harassment was settled by a senators office using a controversial Treasury Department fund over the past 20 years, according to data released Thursday.

Claims of age discrimination drove the largest number of settlements involving senators offices from 1997 until this year, playing a role in eight of 13 agreements, the data showed.

The disclosure represented the Senates first effort to be transparent about its taxpayer-funded settlements since the arrangements began receiving scrutiny this fall. The House has revealed that its member-led offices were involved in 21 workplace settlements between 2008 and this year, with at least 10 involving allegations of sexual harassment or sex discrimination.

The 13 settlements involving senators offices cost $599,252, according to the information released by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. The parties involved in the agreements were not revealed.

Settlements involving claims of age discrimination cost $286,786; one agreement alone cost $102,903. The single settlement addressing allegations of sex discrimination or harassment cost $14,260. Congress has not traditionally separated claims of sexual harassment from sex discrimination in its record-keeping.



Sen. Al Franken D-Minn.) gave a farewell address at the Capitol on Thursday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Senate Rules Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) had expressed concerns about the reliability of the data, which was provided by the Office of Compliance. But he said that the Senates attorneys approved his decision to release it.

Harassment in the workplace should not be tolerated under any circumstances, but particularly not in the United States Senate, Shelby said in a statement Thursday.

The data, released jointly with the Senate Appropriations Committee, is expected to increase pressure on senators to disclose their involvement in settlements and on employees to describe their complaints.

It became public hours after Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) delivered his farewell speech on the Senate floor. Franken plans to resign Jan. 2 amid allegations that he touched more than a half-dozen women inappropriately, most before he entered politics. He has apologized, denied some allegations and said he recalled other episodes differently. None of the allegations involved Senate employees.

[Were losing the war for truth: Franken denounces Trump, GOP in final floor speech]

Franken is one of seven members of Congress to resign or announce plans not to run for reelection after being accused of sexual harassment or misconduct since October. Some of these members  such as Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Tex.) and former congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.)  reached settlements with former employees who said they were treated inappropriately.

In total, workplace settlements involving member-led offices in the House and Senate have cost taxpayers at least $1.3 million between 1997 and this year, according to data released by the House and Senate Rules committees in the past month. At least $279,652 of that amount paid for settlements involving claims of harassment or sex discrimination, the data showed.



Sen. Al Franken D-Minn.) delivered his farewell address Thursday in the Senate. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

These figures paint an incomplete portrait of the cost of settlements on Capitol Hill. Although the Treasury fund pays for some agreements, many disputes are resolved before a formal complaint is filed, according to attorneys who have represented former House and Senate employees in workplace cases. Others are paid under the guise of severance.

The Rules Committee also released settlement data for Senate offices not led by members, such as the Office of the Sergeant at Arms. Those offices settled 10 complaints between 1997 and this year for $853,225, including three that involved allegations of sex discrimination or harassment.

Information about these agreements is scarce because virtually all of them are governed by strict confidentiality rules. In cases where details are known, it is often because the parties involved have found ways to confirm their existence and talk about the terms without breaching those rules.

There is no requirement that information about the settlements be public.

Debate over sexual harassment on Capitol Hill has centered on the process for filing complaints and seeking redress. Under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, employees with claims must undergo counseling and mediation through the Office of Compliance before filing lawsuits.

Some settlements are negotiated through this process and paid by a special account within the Treasury Department. This was the case with Farenthold, who settled with a former staffer for $84,000 in 2014. She said he made inappropriate comments designed to gauge whether she was interested in a sexual relationship.

Farenthold has denied this accusation but recently apologized for fostering an unprofessional workplace environment in his Washington office. He does not plan to seek reelection.

Other settlements are agreed to privately and paid as severance through members' office budgets. This was the case with Conyers, who paid a former employee more than $27,000 from his office funds after she accused him of harassment.

Conyers, denying multiple allegations he harassed and mistreated female employees, resigned his seat Dec. 5.

Neither method for settling complaints provides for transparency about how much money is being spent, the parties involved or the behavior alleged.

Since 1995, the special Treasury fund has paid more than $17 million for 264 settlements involving offices on Capitol Hill. The awards responded to a variety of workplace claims, including disability and age discrimination, and involved lawmakers offices and other bodies, such as the Architect of the Capitol.

It had been unclear when the Senates data would be released.

The Office of Compliance rejected a request by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Monday to hand over records of complaints and settlements that would not violate confidentiality agreements. It had sent settlement breakdowns from 1997 to 2017 to the Senate Rules Committee, however.

Read more at PowerPost
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont gives a news conference Dec. 22 in Brussels, a day after Catalonia's regional election. Catalans flooded to the polls in a crucial election that could mark a turning point for their region, just two months after a failed secession bid triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

After an almost surreal parliamentary election finished with a record-smashing turnout, the Spanish government in Madrid and the Catalan secessionists in Barcelona awoke Friday to find themselves right back where they started  stuck with each other and hating it.

The three pro-independence parties won a paper-thin majority of seats in the Catalan Parliament, an electoral sprint made more impressive because one of their leaders was in prison and five others were in exile.

But the secessionists did not win the future  not with this election, anyway.

Despite a turnout of more than 80 percent of 5.5 million eligible voters, the pro-independence parties captured less than half the vote, 48 percent.

Their opponents argue that this is hardly a mandate to declare independence and secede from Spain.

[Catalonias pro-independence parties win parliamentary election, dealing blow to Spanish government]

Catalonias former president, Carles Puigdemont, told reporters in Brussels on Friday that the situation back home was a mess.

Puigdemont called for sit-down talks with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy  anywhere but Spain, he said, for obvious reasons.

The main reason is that in Spain, Puigdemont faces arrest on charges of sedition and rebellion, crimes that carry a 30-year prison sentence.

Now is the time for dialogue, Puigdemont said.

Rajoy was dismissive, saying Friday that he would talk with whomever became the new head of the regional government  but that they would have to do so in Catalonia.

The prime minister added that he would prefer to negotiate with Ines Arrimadas, the leader of the Citizens party, which was the top vote-getter in the Catalan elections and ran on a platform of opposing secession. Her party did the best of any anti-independence party in Catalonias recent history, although it fell short of getting enough votes to form a new government.

But there is not much time. The law requires that a new government be in place by late January.

[Catalans of Spain go to the polls]

What happens now? The pro-independence parties, already squabbling, will struggle to see whether they can form a governing coalition.

Its not going to be as easy because the pro-independence parties no longer share a joint road map of how to proceed, said sociologist Lluis Orriols, a professor at Carlos III University of Madrid.

The big question now is if they insist on having Puigdemont as the president of the government, because that wont happen. Because then he will come, and he will have to go to jail, said Fernando Fernandez, a political scientist at IE University in Madrid.

Fernandez said the separatist parties could decide to form a government that seeks something short of independence, without Puigdemont at the helm.

Short of that, the impasse between the separatist bloc and central government in Madrid is likely to continue.

No Spanish president will ever negotiate with any Catalan president outside of Spain, Fernandez said. That will not happen, period.

Puigdemonts supporters say they might appeal directly to the European Union or even the international community to help resolve the impasse.

But Europe has shown no sign of wanting to get involved. European leaders have described the Catalonia crisis as an internal matter for Spain and said Rajoy acted in accordance with Spains constitution when he dissolved the rebellious regional government and called for snap elections.

[Is Spain Francoland? No. Has the Catalan crisis damaged Spanish democracy? Yes.]

Spanish courts do not appear ready to drop charges against Puigdemont, either.

In fact, just the opposite.

A Supreme Court justice named additional targets Friday in an ongoing investigation into rebellion and misuse of public funds. That probe will now taken in not only Puigdemont and his former vice president but also the former pro-independence Catalan premier and other prominent secessionists  including a leader of one of the parties, Republican Left of Catalonia, that probably would be a part of any pro-independence governing coalition.

This election couldnt resolve the Catalan problem, but the process as we know it is dead, wrote Ricardo de Querol in business daily Cinco Dias. It was a road map that passed through stages that have expired: demanding self-determination, insubordination to Spanish justice, referendum and unilateral declaration.

But Puigdemont remained defiant. He said that his side won the elections and that Rajoy was humiliated.

Catalonia wants to be an independent state, Puigdemont insisted immediately after the election. This is the wish of the Catalan people.

The prime minister, however, cautioned secessionists not to rewrite election results to suit their needs.

No one can speak in the name of Catalonia without taking into account all of Catalonia, Rajoy said. Its very clear there is a serious break in Catalan society that will take time to heal.

Rolfe reported from Madrid.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding an Obama-era Justice Department letter that asked local courts across the country to be wary of slapping poor defendants with fines and fees to fill their jurisdictions coffers as part of a broad rollback of what he views as guidance that overreached, according to people familiar with the matter. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding an Obama-era Justice Department letter that asked local courts across the country to be wary of slapping poor defendants with fines and fees to fill their jurisdictions coffers, part of a broad rollback of guidance that Sessions believes overreached.

Its the latest move in Sessionss effort to dramatically reshape the Justice Department by undoing many of the reforms imposed by his predecessors and giving the institution a harder edge. Sessions is revoking 25 previous guidance documents dating back decades and covering topics as diverse as ATF procedures and the Americans With Disabilities Act.

In a statement, Sessions said he was ending the long-standing abuse of issuing rules by simply publishing a letter or posting a web page.

Congress has provided for a regulatory process in statute, and we are going to follow it, Sessions said. This is good government and prevents confusing the public with improper and wrong advice.

[While eyes are on Russia, Sessions dramatically reshapes the Justice Department]

In less than a year in office, Sessions has imposed a new charging policy that calls for prosecutors to pursue the most serious offenses possible, even when that might trigger stiff mandatory minimum sentences. He has restored the use of private prisons. And he has adjusted the department's legal stances on issues involving voting rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in ways that put him at odds with his most immediate predecessors.

Sessions previewed the most recent shift in a November speech at the National Lawyers Convention , where he revealed he was directing Justice Department officials to stop issuing guidance documents that try "to impose new obligations on any party outside the executive branch," saying too that he would "review and repeal existing guidance documents that violate this common-sense principle."

By then, the department already had revoked the Obama-era guidance on federal protections for transgender students, and it was clear others were potentially in the crosshairs. Sessions views many of his policy changes as restoring a strict, by-the-book interpretation of federal law. Civil liberties advocates say the changes are misguided and they disenfranchise or otherwise harm poor minorities and LGBT people.

The letter on fines and fees is not the only guidance that Sessions plans to revoke, though it is particularly significant.

The letter, which was sent in March 2016 to the chief judges and court administrators in all 50 states, noted that illegal imposition of fines and fees had been receiving significant attention, and that the Justice Department had a strong interest in making sure the rights of citizens were protected. The White House and the department had recently convened a summit on the issue, and the Justice Department had alleged in a lawsuit that officers in Ferguson, Mo., were violating citizens civil rights in part because their policing tactics were meant to generate revenue.

Though it did not seek to force any new policy, the letter urged court officials to review their rules and procedures. It detailed seven principles to consider when imposing fines and fees, among them that courts should not jail people for nonpayment of fines and fees without first determining whether the non-payer was indigent and then establishing that the failure to pay was willful, and that courts should consider alternatives to jail for indigent defendants.

Individuals may confront escalating debt; face repeated, unnecessary incarceration for nonpayment despite posing no danger to the community; lose their jobs; and become trapped in cycles of poverty that can be nearly impossible to escape, the letter said. Furthermore, in addition to being unlawful, to the extent that these practices are geared not toward addressing public safety, but rather toward raising revenue, they can cast doubt on the impartiality of the tribunal and erode trust between local governments and their constituents.

Vanita Gupta, who was one of the letters authors while leading the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division during the Obama administration, said the guidance was not meant to create new law, but instead to clarify what the law said  and thus its retraction might have a somewhat muted impact.

But she said Sessions taking it back seems like an abdication of the Justice Departments responsibility to help local jurisdictions comply with their legal obligations, and those resistant to change might feel emboldened to continue imposing inappropriate fines and fees.

I think it just takes the pressure off of some jurisdictions that may have been more reluctant to engage in reform, she said.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., votes at the Security Council to impose new sanctions on North Korea. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The United Nations Security Council on Friday placed sanctions on North Korea for the third time this year, demanding countries repatriate North Korean guest workers within two years and further squeezing its oil imports.

The sanctions were adopted by a 15-0 vote, three weeks after Pyongyang said it had tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

The United States sponsored the resolution, which was backed by China and Russia, but failed to get the maximum sanctions it had hoped for.

Washington wanted an estimated 93,000 North Koreans working abroad to be expelled within one year, not two, because their earnings help fund the countrys missile and nuclear weapons program. It also sought a total ban on oil imports. Instead, the resolution set caps of 4 million barrels a year on crude oil and 500,000 on refined oil products. That amounts to a roughly 90 percent cut.

[Sanctions hurt aid efforts and ordinary people in North Korea]

The sanctions imposed Friday are the latest effort to get North Korea to enter negotiations and eventually abandon development of nuclear weapons. The previous round of sanctions, imposed in mid-September, was followed by more than two months of calm. That was shattered by a Nov. 29 test of what Pyongyang called its most powerful ICBM ever.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council that the most recent test was another attempt by the Kim regime to masquerade as a great power while their people starve and their soldiers defect.

Tensions have been rising over the threat posed by North Koreas missile development. Pyongyang has insisted its program is purely defensive, to deter a U.S. invasion. It has pledged to never give up its nuclear weapons, which the United States and its allies say must be the goal of any negotiations.

The Trump administration has been pushing ever-greater U.N. sanctions, persuading other countries to enforce them to the hilt and downgrade their diplomatic relations and economic trade.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson initially said the United States would enter negotiations with no preconditions, but he quickly backtracked by acknowledging that Pyongyang shows no willingness to even talk about giving up its nuclear weapons.

Tillerson has been particularly critical of Russia and China for providing an economic pipeline to the North Korean government. Russia uses thousands of North Korean laborers, who earn the hard currency Pyongyang desperately needs. And China has exported crude oil to North Korea.

But sanctions against the North already are the toughest ever imposed, and U.S. officials have said they are running out of room to maneuver.

"President Trump has used just about every lever you can use, short of starving the people of North Korea to death, to change their behavior," Homeland Security Adviser Thomas P. Bossert told reporters earlier this week. "And so we don't have a lot of room left here to apply pressure to change their behavior."

Bossert also said North Korea was behind a ransomware cyberattack known as WannaCry that infected computer systems around the world in May.

Previous sanctions have led to fuel shortages in North Korea, and Friday's penalties are expected to cut deep as winter advances.

Last month, North Korea called the sanctions "brutal" and compared them to genocide.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/12/2017 (1791 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Retail stores wont be going anywhere, according to a report released by the Retail Council of Canada.

The report said the death of retail stores is greatly exaggerated since 90 per cent of discount, department and grocery shopping still happens in store.

Online shopping may be convenient, but the report noted the majority of Canadian consumers surveyed this year like the physical retail store experience because it offers instant gratification with the ability to browse, compare prices, read flyers, touch product and purchase.

As popular as in-store shopping is in Canada, the report warned that stores should prepare themselves for a little competition as online shopping gains ground.

Physical stores are still the overwhelming preference, but consumers want a quick and convenient experience when they shop  no matter what channel they use, said Diane Brisebois, president and CEO of the retail council.

As a result of a competitive landscape, price and value drive the consumers choice between online and in-store browsing.

Proximity to home, one-stop shopping, and the ability to touch and interact with the products drives consumers to purchase in-store, whereas online purchases are driven by convenience, special online pricing/promotions and not having a physical store close by.

Other aspects of in-store shopping sending consumers online include long register lineups and not having enough sales associates to help when making a purchase.

Consumers want a seamless path to purchasing things, and a complication the report found was 50 per cent of online shoppers experienced one or more problems before making a purchase online. This is also a driving factor of why Canadians continue to shop in-store, the report suggested.

Another driving factor behind consumer choice is social media, the report said. Consumers, especially Gen Z and millennials, are likely to share their shopping experience online, influencing future consumer choices.

kiera.kowalski@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/12/2017 (1792 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five years in, Idle No More activists say the movement hasnt run out of fuel.

Indigenous community members and allies in Winnipeg plan to gather Saturday at Portage Avenue and Main Street to celebrate the movements accomplishments.

Serena Hickes, an Inuk woman in Winnipeg who helped organize Saturdays event, said she couldnt imagine not celebrating the occasion.

Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press Idle No More supporters gathered at Memorial Park in 2013.

In five years, Ive seen so much growth, she said Thursday. Now you can sit in a cafe or restaurant and actually hear people talk about what reconciliation means.

Idle No More activists deemed Dec. 10, 2012, the National Day of Action, which coincided with Amnesty Internationals Human Rights Day. They then took to streets in communities across the country to oppose legislation that eliminated treaty rights and waterway protections.

Then-Attawapiskat chief Theresa Spence also went on a hunger strike in an effort to convince political leaders to listen to First Nations communities.

The Idle No More manifesto states: The spirit and intent of the treaty agreements meant that First Nations peoples would share the land, but retain their inherent rights to lands and resources. Instead, First Nations have experienced a history of colonization which has resulted in outstanding land claims, lack of resources and unequal funding for services such as education and housing.

Our voices had not been heard for decades, said Kyra Wilson, a First Nations community member in Manitoba. When you look at the movement, it allowed for our voices to be heard.

Wilson, a University of Manitoba masters student, said the movement has brought about conversations regarding issues First Nations communities face on a daily basis, from unsafe drinking water to the child-welfare system.

Things are definitely changing, where its not as bad to be Indigenous today, said James Favel, a member of the Peguis First Nation and director of the Bear Clan Patrol in Winnipeg, was there for the first Idle No More march in the city five years ago. Things are opening up for us, there are new opportunities available and were seeing a brighter future.

Theres going to be a gathering, march and round dance Saturday, said Favel, who will lead the procession with fellow members of his community watch group.

He said the movement has inspired a lot of things, including an uptick in engagement within Indigenous communities and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Were seeing the Winnipeg police become more of an ally, were seeing benefits coming from our city, and were working closely with the mayor, he said, referring to Bear Clans work. Indigenous rights are being respected more than in the past.

Five years after the first Idle No More demonstrations, Favel said hes glad the movement is still going strong  and hes sure it will continue to thrive in future years, too.

Wilson said the movements key issues, such as climate change, dont just impact First Nations people. She said its inclusivity has brought about allies and built relationships among many Indigenous communities.

However, Wilson said bureaucratic processes in government continue to hinder progress. But, As long as the issues are being talked about, for as long as they exist, thats whats important.

Hickes agreed were not nearly where we should be, when it comes to reconciliation, but said progress is being made every day.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca
LEXINGTON  Through careers in pastorship and as directors of a Christian campground, Daniel and Libby Zitterkopf have developed multiple layers of leadership through different ministries.

To those that know them, it comes as no surprise that the couple has accepted the call to serve God with U.S. Missions. Given their past experiences, friends say they are uniquely prepared for their newest calling.

At the church level, the Zitterkopfs served as pastors in Kimball and Bayard, and have also served in a Christian school and music ministry setting in Arkansas and Wyoming.

At the campground management level, the couple who married in 1984, oversaw the Nebraska District Campground for the Assemblies of God Church, known as The Crossing in Lexington.

Daniel said he witnessed the servant leadership of volunteers with RV MAPS while working at the campground.

RV MAPS is a ministry of U.S. Missions America Placement Service, the missionary arm of Assemblies of God in the United States. Other ministries include Church Teams and Missionary Associates.

RV MAPS volunteers, some retired or semi-retired, devote their time to assisting small churches, orphanages, teen challenge centers, camp-grounds and ministry centers. Daniel said RV Maps volunteers can do anything from a new construction project to a remodel.

Having served as a pastor, Daniel said often a church may have a small congregation or limited budget, that can make completing a big project like a remodel or new construction prohibitive. This is where RV MAP volunteers can step in to provide support, he said.

"A lot of what they do is construction type ministry. A church team can also do an evangelistic crusade or special event to provide extra support churches need with ministries," he said.

Another ministry area of U.S. Missions Daniel saw make an impact was Church Teams, which allows groups of people to embark on short term mission projects.

A recent Elm Creek High School graduate is serving for one year in a small church near Cape Cod, Massachusetts as a Missionary Associate, another program offered by U.S. Missions, Daniel said.

On his relationship with RV volunteers he said, "I really got connected. I learned what they are capable of. They are great people that have a heart for the church and the Lord. They want to help ministry, pastors and camp directors."

U.S. Missions is a non-profit 501c3 corporation. all donations to the group are tax-deductible.

"I never imagined that during each stage of life, each season of my life fit into this. It fits," Daniel said about how his past ministry areas have prepared him for his job with U.S. Missions.

Wayne McMurtry of Bayard said he has known the Zitterkopfs for about 15 years.

He said he met Daniel when he was a pastor in Bayard. He described Daniel as a good pastor who loves Jesus and loves people.

He said Daniel is a "very organized person who is very caring and very frugal with money."

McMurtry said he saw Daniels business management skills firsthand as he served on the board of directors of the church pastored by Daniel in Bayard.

For about five years, the Zitterkopfs have operated a funnel cake trailer owned by McMurty that is deployed across the state in the summer during county fairs.

The couples strong work ethic and honesty ensures he has no qualms about money or work issues when he entrusts his trailer to them, McMurtry said.

"I dont worry about the money, never. With concessions you get a lot of money. He (Daniel) is very organized.He is good at keeping receipts, hours," he said.

McMurtry said the Zitterkopfs are not afraid of working long hours, up to 11 hour days in the summer with the funnel cake trailer.

On the couples calling to serve with U.S. Missions, McMurtry said he was confident Daniel and Libby would do a great job no matter where they served.

"Theyll do a good job at it. He likes to build, to do construction and repair. His father was a builder and carpenter. Libby is a helpmate to Dan. They work well together," McMurty said.

Calling Daniel a "godly man who wants to do Gods works," McMurtry said he wishes there were more Daniel Zitterkopfs in the world to serve God.

Don Masten, who has known the Zitterkopfs for 15 years, described Daniel as a solid leader, one who is steady and consistent.

Having volunteered at the campground managed by the Zitterkopfs, Masten said Daniel and Libby and their whole family are very hard working.

The couple will "work really hard behind the scenes and be happy to do without needing to get a pat on the back or be recognized. Thats what makes them special," Masten said.

According to Masten, Gods timing was seen when a national church leader for U.S. MAPS from Missouri ran into Libby at the Lexington Public Library, where she works. It turns out the leader was in town to speak to Calvary Assembly of God Church, the Zitterkopfs church.

The topic for the church from the leader was about a need for more RV volunteers and a need for more missionaries for U.S. Missions.

After the leaders talk at Calvary Assembly of God, the Zitterkopfs heard a calling from God and began the process to become missionaries with U.S. Missions, Masten said.

"God has been preparing them. Dan has worked with the MAPS team a lot. Hes seen what MAPS does from the facility side and organization side. Now he will see it from the driving side, by putting it together," Masten said.

Mastens brother, Joe Masten, was the pastor of Calvary Assembly of God Church until his death in 2010. During a time of grieving for the church, a leadership gap was left. Seeing a need, Daniel stepped in right away to make sure the church continued to run smoothly, Masten said.

"Dan took ad hoc leadership of the church, made sure the pulpit was filled. He stepped into the role in a let me be a servant to folks and lead where I need to, until the church needs it," Masten said of Daniels selfless leadership.

People can support the Zitterkopfs with a one-time donation, or with ongoing monthly support. All donations will be receipted and are tax deductible. Donations can be dropped off, or mailed, to Dan Zitterkopf, c/o Calvary Assembly of God Church at 1304 N. Adams, Lexington, NE 68850. Donations can be made onlilne at http://s1.ag.org/danz.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/12/2017 (1791 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitobas spat with Ottawa intensified Thursday, as the provinces roughly $66-million allotment under a carbon-retrofit fund remains in limbo.

On Thursday, the Free Press revealed federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna set a Feb. 28 deadline for Manitoba to endorse Ottawas general climate change principles, or risk losing about $66 million for low-carbon retrofits.

That afternoon, McKennas office released the Dec. 15 letter to the CBC, despite Manitoba Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires declining to share the letter with reporters Wednesday, citing confidentiality.

Squires responded by lambasting McKennas choice to play games with intergovernmental correspondence.

In the letter, McKenna wrote that the Pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change is a powerful tool for collaboration and then said Manitoba will forfeit its share of the $2-billion low carbon economy fund if it doesnt endorse the framework by the end of February.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the only holdouts. Every other province and territory ratified the framework a year ago.

The document outlines principles such as the need for carbon pricing, but it does not set targets. Provinces do not sign anything for the framework, but rather affix a statement showing how their plans comply with it.

This week, Squires said she would be open to endorsing it, if she can get a written commitment Manitoba will not be held to the federal carbon-tax deadline of $50 per tonne by 2022.

Manitobas own plan starts with a flat $25 tax next year, which continues for the next five years. The province claims its plan reduces more emissions, and the federal plan would cost Manitobans an extra $260 million in additional taxes.

On Thursday, Squires said McKenna was playing games with the estimated $66 million Manitoba could get through the fund.

Its unfortunate that minister McKennas office has chosen to play games with intergovernmental correspondence, especially when it involves the subject of disadvantaging Manitobans through the form of an ultimatum. Theres a lot at stake for our province, she wrote.

On Thursday evening, McKennas spokeswoman claimed her office had always intended to make the letter public.

Our letters to Manitoba, and to Saskatchewan, simply clarify the timelines for their participation in the low carbon economy fund, Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers wrote.

The provinces made-in-Manitoba plan is an important step forward for climate action.

Last week, Ottawa had published the funding announcements for six provinces, but not the Manitoba or Saskatchewan ultimatums.

Next month, Energy Minister Jim Carr, the only Manitoban in the federal cabinet, will start regular meetings with the provincial cabinet and Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, out of concern constant bickering was derailing co-operation on issues ranging from marijuana to infrastructure funding.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca

Federal ultimatum on carbon-retrofit fund
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/12/2017 (1791 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At age one, Lily Kehler and her slightly crooked smile can be counted on to run to the back door when visitors come knocking. Friendly and outgoing, shes used to meeting strangers.

Maybe thats not so odd.

But her eyes offer something unexpected. This toddler has a level gaze, the kind of adult look youd get from someone after hardship. Its striking. Along with the smile, its also totally charming.

Meet Childrens Hospitals miracle baby, born Dec. 13, 2016, by a modified caesarean section, where doctors didnt clamp the umbilical cord until they got an air tube past a grapefruit size lump on her neck. The lump meant Lily couldnt take that crucial first breath on her own.

To get her there, doctors had to balance Lily on the edge of birth, keeping her half in and half out of the womb for nearly 15 minutes, her head and shoulders exposed, her bottom half still inside her mother Ashton, umbilical cord intact.

In a normal C-section, wed give the mother an anesthetic, but we want the baby to be awake and vigorous and ready to take the first breath, pediatric otolaryngologist Darren Leitao recounted a year later. He agreed to tell the story on behalf of the team of doctors and nurses who performed the work.

In this situation we didnt want the baby to take the first breath until the airway was safe and that meant giving the mom a deeper anesthetic to ensure she and the baby were asleep, he said.

Leitao went on to describe an operation performed more commonly at major childrens hospitals such as Sick Kids in Toronto. In fact, a look at current medical literature showed the kind of cyst Lily had is extremely rare; one American centre cited just six cases over an eight-year period and noted two babies died.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ashton Kehler and her one year old miracle baby Lily at right, and daughter Aria, 3.

Delivering a baby simultaneously as an airway is opened without a tracheotomy means fooling the uterus into thinking the infant is still in the womb.

When a baby is born, the bodys natural response is to contract blood vessels in preparation for the cord and placenta separating. We had to try to stop all those things, all those normal body processes, because we wanted that blood to keep going to the baby, Leitao said.

It took two surgical teams to monitor the mom and another two for the baby to pull it off, filling the womb with warm saline solution so the uterus wont contract.

It was almost like (the movie) Indiana Jones, where we had to take the idol but replace it with a rock, to trick the body into thinking theres still something in the womb, Leitao said.

The medical teams  led by Leitao, for the babys neck surgery, obstetrician Carol Schneider, neonatologist Michael Narvey and anesthesiologist Leanne Docking  ran through practice runs on a mannequin, charting every possible complication and planning out logistics so the four teams, about 20 people, could float around the equipment in the operating room and perform the surgeries on mother and child.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Think of pathways to the table as spokes on a wheel.

Surgery isnt about doing the one procedure right. Its about if things go wrong, do you know what your plan Bs and Cs are, and are you prepared for those things to happen in split-seconds? Leitao said.

The surgery was completed in 14 minutes, but it took more than 14 hours to plan it out.

This was one of those cases where you wonder what you would do, he said. Lots of centres do it but usually we think of it for other centres. We dont give enough credit to our hospital, that we do cutting-edge stuff and we have the expertise to do these kinds of surgeries.

Lily was born without complications, but remained in the hospital and underwent two more major surgeries on the lump, called a congenital cervical teratoma. It was removed, without interfering much with a network of nerves through the neck that control everything from swallowing to smiling.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ashton Kehler and daughters, one year old Lily at right who is starting to walk and Aria,3. A year ago, a miraculous surgery led to a most unique delivery of Lily at HSC.Alex Paul story Dec. 20 2017

Much later, the hospital quietly posted a video on YouTube describing the surgery as a first for Manitoba.

The reason Lilys smile is a little crooked is there was some minor nerve damage; she may grow out of it, but if that doesnt happen, Leitao said doctors can probably help her.

We expect her to eat and drink and breathe, laugh and smile and do all those things. If there are some subtle things she has, well see it over time and work to make sure she has the life mom and dad both want for her, he said.

That life is being lived with Ashton, her dad Jordan and her three-year-old sister Aria in their small Elmwood home. The family is close, and Ashton gets help from her mother and grandmother. She thinks its cool to be part of the hospitals history.

She remembers the fear she felt when doctors first diagnosed the cyst on Lilys neck; it showed up on an ultrasound about halfway into her pregnancy. And she recalls being shocked when she saw her sedated baby girl hooked up to machines in intensive care after the birth. But she also said she had confidence in the doctors.

WAyne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press

Shes catching up with all her milestones, Ashton said as Lily and Aria played nearby. Shes eating most of her food by mouth now. She was late in crawling, but shes on the move to start walking and shes just about to talk. She doesnt drink. She has a feeding tube for her milk overnight. And she has to have plastic surgery to remove the skin on her neck.

Then hopefully, this will all be the past.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/12/2017 (1791 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

December has been an exciting month for those of us who love watching the results of byelections roll in.

Perhaps the most consequential contest took place in the U.S. state of Alabama. A special election to find Attorney General Jeff Sessions replacement as senator gained national attention as the Republican candidate, Roy Moore, was accused of a range of inappropriate behaviour with teenage girls while he was in his 30s.

Despite this, the smart money in Alabama was always on Moore. Alabama has been a ruby-red Republican-voting state at the federal level since at least 1980. While Democrats can win in certain congressional seats, no Democrat has won any statewide race in a decade.

Brynn Anderson / The Associated Press Files Democrat Doug Jones pulled out a surprise win in Alabamas special U.S. Senate election.

Indeed, in Sessions last run for the Senate, the Democrats didnt bother to field a candidate against him.

Nevertheless, Democrat Doug Jones pulled out a surprise win. The race went down to the wire, with a margin of just 1.5 per cent between the two candidates. Jones rode to the Senate on the basis of an astoundingly coherent Democratic and African-American support base. A remarkable 96 per cent of African-Americans who voted cast their ballots for Jones.

In contrast, the Republican support base, demoralized and embarrassed by their candidate, largely failed to turn out to vote.

Despite U.S. President Donald Trumps endorsement, less than half of the Alabama voters who cast their ballots for him in the 2016 presidential election did so for Moore. The result was a Democratic win in a strongly Republican state.

December also saw four byelections in Canadian seats. Three of the four ridings returned MPs from the same party that held them before. The one exception was South Surrey-White Rock in British Columbia, where the Liberals picked up a traditionally Conservative seat. Justin Trudeau fielded an exceptionally strong local candidate in the riding, former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Gordon Hogg. Hogg had represented the area in the provincial legislature since 1997, whereas the Tory candidate was parachuted in from Vancouver.

The voters of South Surrey-White Rock delivered a shot to Trudeaus arm and a kick to Conservative leader Andrew Scheers shins.

Finally, the most recent byelection was in the Alberta seat of Calgary-Lougheed, where the new leader of the United Conservative Party, former federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney, scored a landslide win, amassing 71 per cent of the vote to the NDP candidates 16 per cent.

Kenney will head to the provincial legislature to face off against Premier Rachel Notley as leader of the Opposition.

Kenneys win in the byelection caps off a year of success, in which he captured the leadership of the former Progressive Conservative Party, shepherded the merger of his new party with the Wildrose Party and then won the leadership of the resulting merged party.

Each step was seen to be difficult, but Kenney succeeded at each stage and even made the whole process look easy.

Byelections are exciting, but do they matter in the long term? The traditional wisdom is to not take them too seriously. Byelections give voters a chance to blow off steam when they know their votes will not have any real repercussions outside their own communities.

On the other hand, we may want to take the results of byelections seriously if they appear to be part of an ongoing trend rather than just a fluke.

For example: Sen. Jones will be up for re-election in Alabama in three years. Even when competing against a candidate who was mired in grim and serious allegations, he was able to win by only a few thousand votes.

Can Jones repeat his unlikely victory in a general election against a more mainstream GOP candidate? I doubt it. Joness victory was probably a fluke for the Democrats.

If Jones pulled out a fluke victory in Alabama, the same cannot be said of Canadas recently elected politicians.

Jason Kenneys win in Calgary-Lougheed is just the latest in a long string of successes. Further, the NDP vote share in the seat was cut in half between the last provincial election and this byelection. With Albertas NDP languishing in the polls, its not unreasonable to think historians will view this byelection win as one of several steps Kenney took to get to the premiers office in the next election campaign.

Was Hoggs win in B.C. a fluke, or part of a longer trend? The fact that he won in a traditionally Tory seat suggests a fluke.

But, in fact, the Conservative vote share declined precipitously in the last election campaign. The Tories star candidate, former Surrey mayor Diane Watts, only managed to eke out a three per cent margin of victory over her Liberal competitor. This in a seat where the Tories have traditionally trounced all challengers.

If I were Scheer, I wouldnt dismiss this result as just a mid-term fluke.

Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
On Monday, Alabama parents whose children depend upon AllKidsthe states Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP)received devastating notices. The program would stop enrolling children as of January 1, 2018, the notice stated; furthermore, the entire program will be terminated on February 1 should Congress fail to earmark funding for CHIP.

Alabama was the first state to announce enrollment freezes and possible closure, but a total of 9 million children are threatened nationwide by the failure of Congress to provide new funding for the program for the fiscal year that began October 1. The program allows children in families with low or moderate incomes, who would not qualify for Medicaid, access to affordable medical care with low copays.

Currently, 84,000 children in Alabama stand to lose health coverage in February. Cathy Caldwell, the director of the AllKids program, told reporters on Monday that the programs closure would have devastating effects on many families in Alabama. According to Caldwell, prior to the institution of CHIP in 1997, one in five Alabama children were uninsured. Today, the number is down to 2.4 percent.

Randi Carter is a mother of three children in Bessemer, Alabama, just outside of Birmingham. With a single income supporting her family, she and her husband have relied upon the ACA market place for insurance; their children received care through Medicaid. When her husband received a modest pay raise this year, she knew that the children would no longer qualify for Medicaid, but would be eligible for AllKids.

This was welcome news to Carter; although she had kept up with Congresss dilatory treatment of federal CHIP funding, she was eager to leave the chaotic administration of Medicaid behind. Few Alabama doctors accept Medicaid; by contrast, many welcome AllKids, which is administered for the state by private insurer Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama.

The notice from AllKids came at a particularly bad time for the Carter family. Just the week prior, Randi had taken their five-year-old daughter to the doctor with complaints of a sore throat and a stomach ache. Within 30 minutes of arriving at the doctors office, an ambulance had been called, and Randis daughter was whisked to Childrens Hospital in Birmingham.

Randi watched anxiously as doctors conferred over the best treatment for her daughter. Several rounds of bronchodilators had not helped her to breathe easier, and doctors worried that her lungs might collapse. Her right lung, in particular, was in danger of perforation. It took three days for her condition to stabilize. She was diagnosed with asthma, a condition that shed never had symptoms for prior to her surprise attack.

Randi was required to attend a class on asthma with other parents before her daughter was released from the hospital. The nurse leading the class showed them how to use the inhalers and spacers, a short, plastic tube that helps the aerosolized medication in the inhaler make it into a childs airways. She cautioned the parents to keep up with the spacers. Just the spacer for the inhaler, is $200 for that piece of plastic, Carter told WSWS reporters.

The Carters were able to find a plan that would cover their children as well as them, but at considerable cost and uncertainty. The plan we had this year is not being offered for 2018, she said. I was already frustrated and then we had a medical emergency. I didnt get to check to see if the Blue Cross plan we picked covered this ... how much is Qvar going to cost us that we have to take two times a day?

Qvar is the inhaler the doctors prescribed for Randis daughter. Prices for an inhaler begin at nearly $185. Healthcare costs will become more difficult for the Carters; Randi herself is being treated for an autoimmune disorder.

Since Alabama announced the imminent closure of its AllKids program, other states have notified CHIP participants that their benefits hang in the balance, too. On Tuesday, the Connecticut Department of Social Services sent letters to families using CHIP. Congress has not acted to continue the funding, so we must plan to end the CHIP program on Jan. 31, they told residents. Colorado sent a similar letter.

According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 16 states are expected to exhaust their federal CHIP funds by the end of January. In addition, 21 states are projected to run out of CHIP funds by the end of March.

As millions of American children stand to lose insurance, the House of Representatives has sent a tax bill giving the USAs wealthiest citizens trillions of dollars in tax cuts. Earlier this month, Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, responded to questions regarding CHIP on the Senate floor.

While acknowledging that CHIP had done a terrific job, he stated, The reason CHIPs having trouble is because we dont have money any more. Hatch went on to frame the crisis as one of laziness on the part of the working class. I have a rough time wanting to spend billions and billions and trillions of dollars to help people who wont help themselves, wont lift a finger and expect the federal government to do everything, he went on to say.

Hatch has claimed that CHIP will be funded. The Republican stop-gap plan for funding the program, however, does so at the expense of charging higher premiums for some Medicare beneficiaries and cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides 12 percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions yearly budget.
Federal court judge Chief Justice Paul S. Crampton has ruled that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canadas premier domestic spy agency, can make use of cellphone surveillance technology to carry out warrantless spying.

Cramptons decision, released late last month, relates to CSIS use of cell-site simulators (CSS) in the course of a recent Islamist terrorism investigation. The reactionary ruling argued that state objectives of public importance [i.e., national security] are predominant, the intrusive nature of the search was minimal, and the method of the search was both highly accurate and narrowly targeted.

Crampton concluded that the use of CSS by CSIS does not represent an unreasonable search, and is thus not in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In other words, the ruling gives a green light to the spy agencies to use tools of mass surveillance.

CSSalso known as IMSI catchers or Stingraysare briefcase-size devices that imitate cellphone towers and trick nearby cellphones into establishing a connection with them. They can record phones geolocation, phone numbers, personal information and even the content of texts and phone calls.

While officials claim the devices are only used to track a targeted suspect in the course of a police investigation, the reality is that CSS can cover a half-kilometre radius in urban areas and a two-kilometre radius in open spaces, meaning that intelligence agents can intercept communications of hundreds or thousands of civilians at a time. This kind of technology has been regularly used to conduct mass surveillance during protests in various countries.

The latest ruling grants even greater powers to Canadas intelligence apparatus, which under successive Conservative and Liberal governments has been dramatically expanded in the name of the war on terror. The scaffolding of a police state has been erected in the more than 15 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with core democratic rights, such as the presumption of innocence, right to remain silent and freedom of assembly, having been gravely undermined.

Privacy advocates in Canada and around the world have long criticized the use of IMSI catchers due to the anti-democratic implications for ordinary citizens. Tamir Israel, a staff lawyer at the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) characterized the IMSI catchers as inherently intrusive and said of the court ruling, [T]he impact on non-direct targets can actually be, I think, much more serious than is presented here.

Cramptons pro forma insistence that any information collected incidentally must be quickly destroyed and not subject to any analysis whatsoever and that CSIS cannot legally capture the content of communications nor geolocate someone without a warrant will not reassure anyone over the age of ten.

CSIS routinely flouts the law and has repeatedly been found guilty of lying to the courts. In 2016, it was revealed that CSIS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had been secretly using CSS technologies for over ten years, sometimes without any warrant.

Last November, Federal Court Judge Simon Noel sharply criticized CSIS for concealing the existence of a mass data collection programthe Operational Data Analysis Centre. Established in July 2006, the ODAC has gathered metadata on a vast and unspecified number of Canadians, including email addresses, telephone numbers and IP addresses of anyone who has been in contact with a person surveilled by CSIS.

In 2013, Justice Richard Mosley ruled that CSIS systematically lied for years in a series of applications it made to the courts to secure authorization for wiretapping operations. The domestic spy agency failed to disclose that it was collaborating with CSE (Communications Security Establishment), Canadas foreign signals intelligence service, which is part of the NSA-led Five Eyes alliance and is formally prohibited from collecting information on Canadians.

Since these revelations became public, lifting a small corner of the veil of secrecy surrounding the intelligence agencies activities, the Liberal government has been engaged in damage control.

The suggestion that government officials were unaware that police forces utilized CSS does not hold water. Information came to light in 2016 revealing that during a six-month period in 2015, the RCMP used IMSI catchers without warrants under the direct advice of the Department of Justice and an intergovernmental working group on wiretapping technology.

The granting of legal authority to CSIS to use tools of mass surveillance is in keeping with the Liberals National Security Act, 2017 (Bill C-59). The legislation empowers CSIS to actively disrupt vaguely defined threats to national security, including by using illegal means if necessary. Bill C-59 is the promised reform of the draconian Bill C-51 that the previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper rammed through parliament in 2015 in the name of fighting terrorism.

Bill C-59 retains all the anti-democratic provisions contained in the Harper governments law, while giving the new legislation a veneer of legitimacy by providing a list of permitted illegal acts for CSIS to use. These include restricting peoples movements, disrupting communications and financial transactions, and damaging property, as long as the damage does not endanger life or cause bodily harm. It also authorizes CSE to launch offensive cyberattacks against what it deems hostile actors, including foreign states.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, who at the end of November sent Bill C-59 for study to the House Public Safety and National Security Committee, recently boasted that the bill will make it easier to combat homegrown extremism by improving existing provisions.

The Liberal government trumpeted the creation of a new committee of seven MPs and two senators with the power to review intelligence and security operations in any department or agency, as well as the nomination of a new Intelligence Commissioner tasked with authorizing the warrants granted to the intelligence agencies.

In truth, these mechanisms merely serve to provide the intelligence agencies with a legal-constitutional fig leaf as they continue their mass surveillance of the population. Committee members are barred from making their findings public, and the government has wide powers to withhold information from the committee if a responsible minister deems that a review of an operation would harm national security.

The Library of Parliament recently released a discussion paper underscoring that CSIS and CSE are out to data-mine electronic records in bulk about ordinary people as they look for so-called terrorist threats. The report states that parts of Bill C-59 would accommodate the bulk acquisition of any publicly available information that has been published or broadcast for public consumption, including, for example, facial imagery captured in social-media posts.

The report went on to suggest that Bill C-59 could be a windfall for service providers and information brokerscompanies that will gather bundles of data such as credit histories, web browsing history, online purchases, social-media connections, marital status, etc., and sell them to government agencies.

The Liberals assault on the populations basic democratic rights and defence of Canadas national security apparatus goes hand in hand with their aggressive, imperialist foreign policy. Bill C-59 was introduced just two weeks after the Trudeau government unveiled a 70 percent hike in defence spending over the next decade as part of its new defence policy. A key element of this is the deepening of Canadas strategic partnership with the Trump administration, with which Ottawa wants to be able to cooperate in the waging of wars around the world to uphold both countries imperialist interests.

Such militarist policies, which will be paid for by an intensification of the assault on the social position of the working class, cannot be implemented democratically. In the final analysis, these repressive measures will be used against any form of social opposition to the governments right-wing policiesfrom environmentalists, to native organizations, leftist and antiwar groups, and above all the working class.
LEXINGTON  Freezing drizzle made for treacherous roadways on Thursday causing numerous traffic accidents which kept area law enforcement busy.

The Nebraska State Patrol investigated a fatal accident that occurred at 1:56 p.m. on Interstate 80 at mile marker 222, which is at Cozad.

A vehicle headed eastbound on the interstate lost control on black ice, entered the median and rolled.

A rear passenger, 20-year-old Joshua Mulder of Oakland, Nebraska, was ejected and died.

The driver of the vehicle was 20-year-old Robert Gatewood, also of Oakland, Nebraska. He and two other passengers were transported to Cozad Community Hospital to be treated for injuries. Their conditions are unknown.

The NSP said Mulder was not wearing a seatbelt, but the other occupants of the vehicle were restrained.

Another fatal crash occurred on U.S. Highway 30 near Maxwell earlier in the day.

The initial call received by the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office around 10 a.m. was of a man trapped in a vehicle that had left the road at the top of the overpass near mile marker 190.

The driver, 29-year-old Constantino Megariz-Carter of North Platte, was dead when deputies and emergency personnel arrived. Police reports say seat belts were not in use.

A dispatcher for NSP Troop D in North Platte said the call log for Thursday listed 25 reported accidents, and 27 motorist assist calls, which included drivers who had slid off the road. There were six additional calls labeled as "other." It is unknown how many of those were weather related.

"We were steady busy all day, which is kind of unusual," the dispatcher said.

The Lexington Police Department received nine weather-related accident reports on Thursday, but all were without injuries.

"Most of the time in the city, if people are slowed down enough, its something minor from sliding on the ice," said LPD Captain Paul Schwarz.

Dawson County Sheriff Gary Reiber said his agency worked a total of 13 weather related calls, but not all accidents resulted in injuries. In some cases, deputies were assisting the Nebraska State Patrol.

The DCSO calls included:

At 7:04 a.m. the DCSO was notified of a single-vehicle accident north of Cozad on Road 421 near Road 770. A 2015 Dodge Journey, driven by 21-year-old Kaitlin Myers of Lexington, failed to negotiate a curve and ran off the road coming to rest on a pile of concrete. The vehicle did not roll. Myers and her passenger, 21-year-old Leah Smith of Arnold, were transported to Cozad Community Hospital.

 At 10:58 a.m. the DCSO assisted the NSP with a crash on Interstate 80 eastbound at mile marker 241. There were minor injuries, but no one was transported for medical treatment.

 At 12:25 p.m. there was a report of a non-injury accident on Interstate 80 at mile marker 246. A vehicle ran off the road and rolled on its passenger side.

 At 1:55 p.m. the DCSO assisted the NSP with a single-vehicle rollover on Interstate 80 at mile marker 222. A passenger was ejected and died. Three others were transported to Cozad Community Hospital.

 At 2:30 p.m. the DCSO investigated a two vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 30. Two vehicles were traveling the same direction when one vehicle rear-ended the other. There were no injuries.

 At 2:30 p.m. there was a single vehicle rollover on U.S. Highway 30 and Road 426. A 2001 Dodge pickup driven by Amber Montoya of Cozad lost control on the ice and rolled onto its side in the ditch. Montoya was transported to Cozad Community Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Seatbelts were in use. The pickup was totaled.

 At 2:56 p.m. a 2005 Kia driven by 28-year-old Kenneth Elliot of Bakersfield, California was eastbound on Interstate 80 on the west edge of Lexington when the vehicle hit ice and slid, rolling onto the passenger side. There were no injuries. The vehicle was able to be driven away.

 At 3:41 p.m. a Chevrolet S10 pickup lost control on U.S. Highway 30 and Road 427 and rolled onto its top. There were no injuries.

 At 4:08 p.m. a vehicle travelling on Interstate 80 at mile marker 239 slid off the roadway and into the ditch. There were no injuries.

A dispatcher for the Gosper County Sheriffs Office said their agency had no accident reports on Thursday. "We were very fortunate," she said.
Just after 4.40 p.m. yesterday, a man drove a SUV into a crowd of pedestrians crossing the road in Melbournes central business district, at the intersection of the busy Flinders and Elizabeth Streets. Fortunately, no-one lost their life. Nineteen people, however, had to be hospitalised, with at least 12 suffering serious injuries. An elderly man, reported to be in his 80s, is still in a critical condition. A boy aged four has required treatment for head trauma.

The initial response of the police, government authorities and media establishment was muted, compared with previous incidents in Australia and other countries that were immediately labelled acts of terrorism. It was apparent from the outset that the police had numerous prior interactions with the alleged perpetrator. It soon emerged that he suffered severe mental illness and had a history of addiction to crystal methamphetamine, more commonly known as ice.

In a statement to the media, the state of Victorias acting police commissioner Shane Patton said: We havent found anything at all to indicate his linkage or involvement with any type of extremism with any terrorism organisation or anything of a terrorist nature.

Patton revealed that the individual, later identified as a 32-year-old man who immigrated to Australia in 2004 as a teenage refugee from war-ravaged Afghanistan, was receiving treatment under a state-supported mental health care plan and had missed a scheduled appointment on the day of the incident.

Another man, aged 24, was arrested on the scene on suspicion of being an accomplice, simply because he had filmed the vehicle crashing into people, but was later released without any charges being laid related to the incident.

The horrifying events have inevitably recalled an incident in Melbourne in January 2017, when another man with a history of mental illness and drug abuse drove a vehicle into crowds of people in the citys Bourke Street. Six people lost their lives and 30 others were injured.

As of writing, police reportedly have not been able to interrogate the driver as he is still in hospital receiving treatment for injuries he sustained. He was also said to be undergoing psychiatric assessment.

However, the authorities may still be seeking to find some way to link the incident to Islamic-inspired terrorism. Acting commissioner Patton used a press conference to imply there was a relationship between the attack and statements the medicated man allegedly made in his hospital bed referring to voices and dreams and the mistreatment of Muslims.

Daniel Andrews, the Labor Party premier of Victoria, without a shred of supporting evidence, labelled the actions of what appears to be a deeply troubled man as an act of evil. Such statements serve only to fuel the longstanding hysteria against Muslims and the purported threat of Islamic-motivated terrorism that has been stoked in Australia and internationally to justify the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

During a media conference this afternoon, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he had received advice that the incident was the act of a disturbed individual and not terrorism-related. He emphasised, however, that a mass of material was being investigated by the security agencies.

Nothing is being ruled out, Turnbull said. At this stage police are not satisfied they can describe it as [terrorism] no terrorism link has been identified at this stage.

Turnbull used the event to justify his governments creation of a security super-ministry.

He claimed that the new Department of Home Affairs, led by Peter Dutton, helped ensure there was a seamless response of all federal agencies working with state police.

Time and again, alleged acts or intended acts of terrorism have been used as the pretext for increasing the size and powers of the police and intelligence agencies, and for sweeping attacks on fundamental democratic rights.

As a result of the most recent batch of anti-terror legislation, people suspected of planning a terrorist act can be detained without any charges and subjected to police interrogation for up to 14 daysincluding children as young as 12.

Earlier legislation allows the police to charge people on the accusation that they were contemplating carrying out an unspecified terrorist act, even where there is no evidence that an actual attack was being prepared. Dozens of men, mainly of Muslim background, have been condemned to lengthy prison terms on the basis of such charges.

Statements such as that of Andrews, branding the incident as an act of evil, serve only to obscure the more serious issues about the state of society that it poses.

Millions of people in Australiaas around the worldare living under conditions of immense financial and social distress. Compounding the situation, masses of people see no prospect of a solution from within the existing political establishment and the capitalist profit system.

Under these pressures, there has been a steady growth of mental illness of various degrees, as well as alcohol and drug abuse. Each year, tens of thousands of people harm themselves or harm others as a result.

Too little is yet known about the circumstances behind what occurred in Melbourne yesterday to fully place it in its broader social and political context. What can be said, however, is that references to evil contribute nothing to an understanding of its causes or how to change the conditions that gave rise to it.
Auckland Council and private contractor Transdev are continuing negotiations with the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), which began six months ago, over a proposal to make around 200 on-board train workers redundant. Transdev wants to introduce driver-only operated trains in New Zealands largest city from mid-2018.

In Wellington, New Zealands capital, Transdev, its subcontractor Hyundai Rotem and the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) are re-negotiating a collective agreement with the RMTU aimed at further eroding wages and working conditions.

These attacks are occurring under the new Labour Party-led national government and are directed by Labour-aligned councils. This exposes the utter fraud of the RMTUs promotion of Labour as a progressive alternative to the former National Party government.

In the December issue of Transport Worker, RMTU general secretary Wayne Butson glorified the new government, declaring that New Zealand is on the crest of a major political shift and it will be a prosperous 2018.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, a former Labour Party leader, told Radio NZ on December 8: I dont think its helpful for politicians to get involved [in the rail dispute]. Far from being a neutral bystander, Auckland Transport (AT) is working closely with Transdev to sack permanent on-board train crews and replace them with transport officers employed by AT.

Transdev, a multinational company based in France, was contracted by Auckland Council in 2004 and GWRC in December 2015 to deliver millions of dollars in cost savings.

This is part of a broader attack on public services in both cities. Auckland Council has already sacked hundreds of library staff, with the collaboration of the Public Service Association. According to the Spinoff, operations funding for Auckland Art Gallery has been cut from $9.2 million in 2012 to $6.9 million last financial year. The council also plans to slash $373 million over 10 years from its communications, waste and water management services.

The GWRC, chaired by former Labour Party MP Chris Laidlaw, wants to cut spending on bus and train services.

About 500 bus workers in the capital held a half-day strike on November 29 to protest the councils proposed contract with private company Tranzit, which wants to eliminate drivers overtime and weekend rates.

Rail workers are also seeking to fight back. In Wellington around 400 workers held a one-day strike on November 16 against proposed wage cuts. This was followed by a 24-hour strike by Auckland rail workers on December 8.

Behind various nationalist denunciations of foreign-owned Transdev and Hyundai Rotem, the RMTU is preparing, as it has done numerous times before, to impose pro-business agreements on its members.

The RMTU claims to oppose the destruction of jobs in Auckland on safety grounds but makes clear on its web site that it is willing to accept some cuts and recognises the inevitability of more autonomous trains.

The union cancelled a second strike in Wellington planned for December 1, after Hyundai Rotem agreed to drop its demand for reductions to after-hours pay penalty rates for 44 maintenance workers. A letter distributed to Wellington RMTU members on December 5 claimed this was a victory. It stated that while no agreement had been reached, the company had no intention to reduce wages or make people compulsorily redundant.

This assertion has no credibility. Transdev is threatening hundreds of layoffs in Auckland and if driver-only operation is introduced there, it is likely to be extended to Wellington. The RMTU has kept the disputes in Auckland and Wellington separate, even though most rail workers in both cities are employed by Transdev.

As for wages, the RMTU says it has agreed with Transdev and Hyundai Rotem on a cost of settlement at or about 2 percentthe same increase as the pro-company 2016 agreement. This amounts to a wage freeze, while living costs continue to soar.

Currently, in Wellington, the lowest-paid passenger operators receive $17.62 an hour, just above the minimum wage of $15.75. Consumer prices nationally rose 1.9 percent in the 12 months to September, according to official statistics. Median rents in Wellington rose 8.7 percent this year, exacerbated by a housing shortage.

The strike action by public transport workers demonstrates their determination to fight back after decades of attacks on jobs, wages and conditions. In response, the pseudo-left groups are working to promote illusions in the unions and the Labour-Greens-New Zealand First coalition government.

Following the Wellington strike last month, the International Socialist Organisation called on the union movement [and] members of the Labour and Green parties to demand that the government legislate to stop councils from contracting rail services out to private companies.

The ISOs November 17 article, however, failed to mention that rail workers are under attack from councils led by Labour politicians. The ISO campaigned for Labour in the election and fraudulently presented its victory as a step forward for workers.

The 1980s Labour government gutted the rail network, transforming it from a public service into a for-profit business. With the assistance of the rail unions, thousands of workers were sacked, paving the way for privatisation and other attacks.

The Socialist Equality Group insists that workers can only defend jobs and conditions in a struggle against the unions, which function as adjuncts of big business and the government. This means building new organisations, rank-and-file committees controlled by workers themselves, to break out of the isolation imposed by the unions and unite with workers in other industries.

Public transport must be nationalised and placed under democratic control, with billions of dollars to expand services and provide well-paid jobs and free travel.

The problem is not foreign companies, as the unions claim, but capitalism itself. Workers in every country face endless redundancies, wage cuts and other attacks. That is why workers must urgently build a new political party, completely opposed to the Labour Party and its apologists, based on a socialist perspective to unite workers internationally and restructure society to meet human need, not private profit for a wealthy elite.
He may have multiple Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes and even two Tony Awards, but Al Pacinos newest movie, The Hangman, has received the rare 0 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, TheWrap has learned.

Pacinos latest bomb joins Adam Sandlers The Ridiculous 6 in the zero percent club along with Elle Fannings The Nutcracker in 3D, and the Saturday Night Fever sequel Staying Alive.

The Hangman centers on decorated homicide detective Ray Archer (Pacino) who partners with criminal profiler Will Ruiney (Karl Urban) to catch one of the citys notoriously vicious serial killers, who is playing a twisted version of murder using the childs game  Hangman, while journalist Christi Davies (Brittany Snow) reports on the crime spree, shadowing the detectives.

Also Read: Al Pacino to Star as Joe Paterno in HBO Movie From Barry Levinson

Just how bad is The Hangman? Film Journal Internationals Maitland McDonagh called the film A slog of a movie, an instantly forgettable rehash of genre rehashes that isnt even engaging on a Who done it? level.

Johnny Martin directed The Hangman, which was written by Michael Caissie & Charles Hutting, and Phil Hawkins.

The film will open in theaters and On Demand Dec. 22.

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The mother of a missing 5-year-old boy whose body is believed to have been found in his backyard led investigators to the body, according to multiple reports.

Jordan Rodriguez was reported missing on Monday when a concerned relative called police, according to a Cleveland Police Department field report obtained by PEOPLE.

The childs body was found on the second day of a search of his mothers backyard conducted by Cleveland police and federal investigators. The medical examiner has not confirmed the bodys identity but police officials believe it belongs to Jordan, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia tells PEOPLE.

On Thursday, the boys mother, Larissa Rodriguez, 34, was charged with murder in the childs presumed death, Ciaccia says. An additional charge of felonious assault will be presented to the grand jury, Ciaccia tells PEOPLE.

Rodriguez was originally arrested on Monday for suspicion of murder after policed began investigating Jordans disappearance, according to police documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Jordans stepfather, Christopher Rodriguez, is currently serving a six-month sentence in jail for failing to pay child support. He is not the childs biological father.

Cleveland police began to investigate Jordans disappearance after receiving a phone call from Christopher Rodriguezs brother, alleging that Larissa and another person had buried Jordan in the backyard after finding him unresponsive, according to the police documents.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

When questioned by police, Larissa Rodriguez said that her son went to visit his biological father in Houston, the documents state. She told police that Jordans aunt picked him up on Dec. 2, but she was unable to provide contact information for both Jordans father and aunt.

Local social workers said they are familiar with Larissa Rodriguez, who has nine children and is currently pregnant, according to WKBN-27.

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According to Cuyahoga County Jobs and Family Services, two of Rodriguezs eldest children were removed from her custody, county spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan told Cleveland.com.

Larissa Rodriguez told police she receives social security for Jordan, who has a mental disability and is unable to speak, according to the police documents.

The body discovered by police on Tuesday allegedly appeared to have multiple signs of abuse, including broken ribs, court documents obtained by Cleveland.com state.

 For more compelling True Crime coverage, follow our Crime magazine on Flipboard

Four other children of Larissa Rodriquezs were living with her at the time of her arrest, while two others live with their father, the outlet reports.

The cause of death and identification of the body is currently pending, a Cayuhoga Medical Examiners official tells PEOPLE.
Mike Pence is no stranger to heaping praise on boss Donald Trump, but if you ask Twitter, the vice president outdid himself on Wednesday when he gave fawning remarks about the president at a cabinet meeting following the passage of the contentious GOP tax bill.

After touting his own accomplishments, Trump turned the mic over to Pence and asked him to say a few words.

Pence delivered, crediting Trump with restoring American credibility on the world stage, spurring record-setting optimism, signing more bills rolling back federal red tape than any president in American history and fighting every day for the forgotten men and women of America.

Im deeply humbled as your vice president to be able to be here. Because of your leadership and because of the strong support of the leadership of the Congress, youre delivering on that middle class miracle, Pence said of the tax overhaul bill that has been criticized by some as benefiting corporations and the very wealthy while hurting the poor and middle class.

Mike Pence's two-minute tribute to Donald Trump is the most bizarre thing you'll see today https://t.co/kFKewjKR1V pic.twitter.com/Ryagfdos2j  The Independent (@Independent) December 21, 2017

The lovefest continued on Thursday, when Pence sent out a tweet claiming Trump coined the phrase the forgotten men and women of America.

When @POTUS coined that phrase the forgotten men and women of America, he tapped into a frustration the American people were feeling that they knew our nation could be better. As we see America grow stronger and grow more prosperous, we're going to grow more united. #MAGA pic.twitter.com/dhViSa72D8  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 21, 2017

Pences Wednesday comments quickly became the subject of widespread ridicule on Twitter.

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"You are the single greatest human in this galaxy -- nay in any galaxy." -- Mike Pence on Trump, basically  Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) December 20, 2017

Is there footage of Mike Pence in his underwear standing before Trump asking, "Please sir, may I have another?"  Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) December 21, 2017

I want to find someone who will fawn over me the way Mike Pence fawns over Trump.  Librarian Tish (@LibrarianTish) December 21, 2017

Mike Pence praised Donald Trump 14 times in 3 minutes during Wednesdays Cabinet meeting



Thats once every 12.5 seconds  Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) December 21, 2017

Mike Pence thanks Trump 10+ times in 3 minutes. It was unusual & creepy. How fragile is Trump's ego that he needs this kind of nauseating flattery. Barf, where are the barf bags.#resist #fbr #trumplies #taxscampic.twitter.com/cyKe4QFA35#ThursdayThoughts  Julian Hancox ? (@16screwsloose) December 21, 2017

The level of absolute humiliation of Pence delivering that speech/prayer thing to Trump while he sat there with his arms crossed is astounding. Did the licking of his shoes and kissing the ring on his finger happen before or after the speech? Camera seems to have missed that.  Anne Wheaton (@AnneWheaton) December 21, 2017

Mike Pence = Larry Miller in "Pretty Woman"  John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) December 20, 2017

This Mike Pence "prayer" of thanks to Trump is excruciatingly, stomach-churningly uncomfortable to watch. The ritual submission and exaltation is nearly pornographic. This is not America. pic.twitter.com/FN6y2X2K73  Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) December 20, 2017

I want to find someone who will fawn over me the way Mike Pence fawns over Trump, said another.
Countries around the world came together to collectively tweak President Donald Trumps nose today. TV news networks took a break from their wall-to-wall tax-overhaul/government shutdown coverage to broadcast the largely symbolic gesture.

The United Nations General Assembly voted, 128 to 9, to condemn his announcement he would move the countrys embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Thirty-five countries abstained from voting. For those keeping score: Britain, France, and Germany, as well as India were among the countries voting for the resolution.

Also voting for the resolution: Syria, Yemen, Venezuela. File those under thats rich.

Canada and Australia abstained, as did Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and South Sudan, CNN reported.

No votes included the U.S. Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo and Tonga, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Guatemala and Honduras, the cable news net added.

The resolution, which does not name the U.S., demands all states refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, because it puts a thumb on negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

TV news pundits had noted Trumps decision makes it difficult for that peace process to move forward  not that it was barreling ahead before his announcement. Todays resolution vote gives life to Palestinians assertion the talks now are rigged against them, some talking heads argued.

Moments before the vote, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley warned the general assembly, This vote will be remembered.

When we make generous donations to UN we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected. When a nation is singled out for attack in this organization, that nation is disrespected.

The United States will remember this day, in which it was singled out for attack in the general assembly when we are once again called upon to make the worlds largest contribution to the United Nations, she said.

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Some of those TV news Washington wags seemed dubious Trump would make good on Haleys threat, in which she parroted what Trump said days earlier. They felt Trump recognizes how much of that financial aide Haley referenced is doled out to further U.S. interests.

Presumably, Trump wont cut off his tweaked nose to spite his face, they argued.

Punch-back time!

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The internet is in an uproar over Princess Michael wearing a racist brooch when meeting Meghan Markle

On December 20th, the extended royal family attended Queen Elizabeths Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace. One of the attendees was Princess Michael of Kent, wife of the Queens first cousin, Prince Michael. Princess Michael wore a racist brooch that rightfully has the internet in an uproar.

The brooch in question is a piece of blackamoor jewelry seen on Princess Mikes lapel. Blackamoor pieces depict non-white, exoticized men, often in positions of servitude.

Blackamoor jewelry and sculpture came about after Europeans came into contact with darker skinned Northern Africans and Middle Easterners during the Middle Ages. Europeans called these people Moors, which literally translates to black, blackened, or charred. In modern times, blackamoor jewelry is considered racially offensive and outdated because it was originally designed with the intent to display the otherness of darker skinned people.

The public is wondering if Princess Mike intentionally wore the brooch to the event because the princess, who has a history with racism, was meeting Meghan Markle for the first time. Markle, Prince Harrys fiance, is half black and has openly talked about her biracial identity.

In 2004, Princess Mike supposedly told a group of black customers at a NYC restaurant to go back to the colonies. She denied the comment and stated that she even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, by dyeing her hair black. (Which is overtly racist in itself.)

Image of Princess Michael's blackamoor brooch

Needless to say, people were quick to raise an eyebrow at Princess Michaels choice of brooch. Many took to Twitter to share their criticism.

Has no one noticed the Blackmoore pin that Princess Michael of Kent is wearing? Really? #MeghanMarkle offically meets the family and is greeted by THIS? #racism #BritishRoyals pic.twitter.com/o0BiaxdR9n  girl_ninja (@girl_ninja) December 21, 2017

Shout out to Princess Michael of Kent for always being hideously racist. Cant wait to see what the UK papers have to say about her choice of brooch today.  J9 \_()_/ (@azarikajb) December 21, 2017

It's hard to believe that wearing a blackamoor brooch by Princess Michael was not a deliberate insult to Meghan Markle at the Queen's lunch  John Macy (@johnmacy69) December 22, 2017

Turns out some members of the royal family are racist. 1 Billion Indian people shocked to learn this information. #MeganMarkle #PrinceHarry #TheRoyals https://t.co/ZjNZihGPok  aasif mandvi (@aasif) December 22, 2017

Princess Michael of Kent appears to have officially turned into a parody of herself as she attends The Queen's Christmas Party wearing a blackamoor brooch. pic.twitter.com/seOFhx1th7  Charlie Proctor (@MonarchyUK) December 21, 2017

Can't deal with the fact that Princess Michael of Kent wore a blackamoor brooch to meet Meghan Markle for the first time.  Freya Gowrley (@Freya_Gowrley) December 22, 2017

Princess Michael of Kent has a history of racist bullshit, the blackamoor brooch is just the latest pic.twitter.com/x2KuPbHHaE  sarah claus (@sazza_jay) December 22, 2017

According to TMZ, Princess Michael apologized for wearing the piece. A spokesperson said that it was a gift that the princess had worn many times before. She now reportedly plans to retire the brooch for good.
Photo credit: Getty/Alexi Lubomirski and Mario Testino/Clarence House

From Good Housekeeping

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released official photos to mark their engagement, which was announced last month.

The photos were captured by photographer Alexi Lubomirski at Frogmore House in Windsor, earlier this week.

The series of candid photos show the happy couple relaxed and smiling in both color and black and white. However, they are notably different to those released by Prince William and Kate Middleton in December 2010, ahead of their April 2011 wedding.

Photo credit: Alexi Lubomirski / Getty

The photographer

Harry and Meghan chose Alexi Lubomirski to shoot their engagement photos. Lubomirski grew up in Botswana, a particularly favorite country of the prince, but studied his craft at the University of Brighton.

As well as shooting many of our covers, he has worked with Beyonce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Sarah Jessica Parker, to name a few, and recently a makeup campaign starring Gigi Hadid. Last year, he released an entire series to promote and celebrate diversity shooting the likes of Lupita Nyong'o and Hari Nef.

Lubomirski has royal blood himself and inherited the title "His Serene Highness Prince" from his birth father's royal Polish heritage.

Prince William and Kate, on the other hand, opted for esteemed photographer Mario Testino to capture their newly engaged moments (Lubomirski actually used to be Testino's assistant before making it himself). Testino's portfolio of editorials, superstars and high-fashion adverts is well-known but what most probably encouraged William to select him was that he was a favourite of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Photo credit: Mario Testino/Clarence House

Body language

There is no denying that Meghan and Harry look suitably loved up in these engagement photos. In the color photo, Meghan is sat between her fiance's knees, holding his hand (and showcasing her beautiful ring, of course) while using her other arm to casually rest on his knee. Their heads are touching and their closeness is palpable.

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Photo credit: Alexi Lubomirski / Getty

The second photo is even more intimate. Harry looks like he's been caught mid-laugh while he pulls her into his coat. Meghan is looking down, smiling and caressing his face. It's so romantic, you almost feel like you're intruding.

On the other hand, William and Kate's photos were a tad more restrained, as could be expected from a royal heir, yet they looked just as happy. There was a formal photo, with the two having their arms around each other yet leaving enough space between them to fully turn towards the camera. Then there was a more informal photo of the couple locked in an embrace, grinning from ear to ear, with their heads touching.

Testino later told Hello magazine that the more informal photo was impromptu: "I wasn't totally satisfied. Then, when I'd finished the shoot, they were about to leave and they suddenly hugged in front of a radiator. It was spontaneous emotion. You could see they were completely in love."

The location

The two couples were photographed in the chilly month of December, yet one opted for outside while the other had the (probably more sensible) idea of staying inside.

Harry and Meghan's photos were taken in the private grounds of Frogmore House at Windsor Castle, which is suitably near where the couple will exchange vows in May at the castle's St George's Chapel.

William and Kate were photographed at the royal residence of St James' Palace in central London where William grew up with his brother and father Prince Charles.

The outfits

For William and Kate's formal portrait, the outfits were, unsurprisingly, formal too. William was dressed in a Turnball and Asser suit, while Kate wore a white Reiss dress and earrings from Links, according to the BBC.

In the informal shot, both wore jeans. William matched this with a shirt and beige Cucinelli jumper while Kate selected a white blouse from Whistles.

Prince Harry was suited up for his engagement photo shoot, choosing a navy design, and then opting for a Burberry coat, according to The Telegraph, to wrap himself, and Meghan, into for the second shot.

Photo credit: Getty

Meghan is continuing to pave the way as someone to watch in the fashion sphere by choosing a sheer, full-length Ralph & Russo dress with gold embellishment detailing for the colour portrait. She wore a white jumper by Victoria Beckham for the black and white shot.

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Donald Trump in 2017 moved from being a chaos candidate to a chaos president. He shoots for the moon (literally), routinely says things that arent true, and often makes pledges that generate enormous attention but very little follow-through. Many of his signature policy efforts have been tied up in or blocked by the courts, his campaign is under investigation by the FBI, and his approval rating is at historic lows for a first-year president.

But the mind-numbing deluge of the Trump administrations first-year controversies  the sheer number of misstatements and inflammatory tweets and abrupt staffing shifts  sometimes obscures the fact that Trump has achieved quite a number of the things he set out to do during the first year of his administration. He is, after all, the president. And Democratic resistance or no, that remains the most powerful post in the land  the ultimate government executive authority.

Here are 10 campaign promises Trump kept. Together, these achievements could form the nucleus of a reelection campaign.

_____

Bomb the hell out of ISIS.

Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate victory in Raqqa, Syria, Oct. 17, 2017. (Photo: Erik De Castro/Reuters)

This pledge, made over and over again at raucous arena rallies during the campaign and popularized on buttons and T-shirts sold across America, has largely come to pass. Trump promised old-school war, with its greater tolerance of civilian casualties, and delegated difficult targeting decisions to the generals. By May, the Pentagon was running low on small bombs, it had dropped so many. By July, the U.S.-led bombing campaign had killed more than 2,000 civilians in Iraq  as many as were killed during the entire Obama administration. The Syrian city of Raqqa was declared liberated in October, but had been nearly destroyed by the U.S.-backed fighters. In September, Newsweek declared, Trump really is bombing the s*** out of ISIS just like he promised. In December, the Iraqi prime minister declared Iraq fully liberated from ISIS. Thats an achievement that past experience shows may be hard to hold  and ISIS-inspired attacks in the West continue to pose a threat as well. But theres no question that when it comes to having hit ISIS hard, Trump can declare with as much certainty and pride as George W. Bush once did: Mission accomplished.

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The replacement for Justice Scalia will be a person of similar views and principles.

President Trump looks on as Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy swears in Judge Neil Gorsuch, April 10, 2017. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

On Jan. 31, Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch, described by the New York Times as a conservative in the mold of Antonin Scalia. He was confirmed at the start of April on a 54-45 party-line vote after a bruising political campaign for and against his nomination, and the removal of the judicial filibuster and its 60-vote threshold in the Senate. This was the easiest campaign promise for Trump to keep  thanks to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells refusing to open the confirmation process to an Obama nominee throughout 2016  and Trump kept it.

Since taking office, Trump has nominated and the Senate has confirmed more appellate judges in his first year than any other president since the courts they sit on were created in 1891.

_____

Pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a potential disaster for our country.

Trump signing an executive order early in his presidency, Jan. 23, 2017. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump promised to replace Americas multilateral trade agreements with one-on-one deals, and on his first full weekday in office he pulled America out of the 12-nation TPP agreement, a signature Obama accomplishment that Hillary Clinton had also expressed doubts about. Critics say U.S. withdrawal from the agreement governing trade with Asian and Pacific nations only strengthened the hand of China.

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Cancel the Paris climate deal.

President Trump mocks the data on climate change as he announces his decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, June 1, 2017. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Trump vowed to cancel the Paris climate accord, which was ratified in October 2016, giving it the force of international law, and in June 2017 announced he would withdraw the United States from the now 197-country agreement to reduce carbon emissions. Were getting out, he said. Of course the accord continues to exist, even without the official support of the worlds second-largest source of carbon emissions. And because the climate accord was ratified just days before Trump won election, the process of withdrawing from it is no simple matter: It will take four years and only become final shortly before the 2020 election. Nonetheless, Trump took all the steps he could to put a checkmark next to one of his key campaign promises, as CNN put it over the summer.

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The Trump plan will lower the business tax rate.

Protesters against tax reform, Dec. 1, 2017. (Photo: Yin Bogu/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Trump made an array of specific promises during the campaign on how hed cut taxes as president. Among them: Lower the business tax rate from 35 to 15 percent, collapse the current seven tax brackets to three brackets, repeal the alternative minimum tax and eliminate the carried interest loophole, create a new child- and elder-care tax deduction, and eliminate the estate tax.

Of these promises, the one most clearly encoded in the tax bill hashed out by Congress in December was the lowering of the corporate tax rate, which was reduced from 35 percent to 21 percent. This bill put corporate tax cuts first; thats where roughly 70 percent of the benefits go, noted Los Angeles Times columnist Doyle McManus. The alternative minimum tax remains on the books, though with a higher income exemption level, as does the carried interest loophole and the estate tax. The new plan does not decrease the number of tax brackets at all, though it changes their income thresholds and rates.

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Repeal and replace disastrous Obamacare.

A rally against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, March 24, 2017, in Chicago. (Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)

Congressional Republicans were repeatedly thwarted in their efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Acts many provisions in stand-alone bills, but the individual-mandate penalty for not carrying health insurance, which was legally permitted as a form of taxation by the U.S. Supreme Court, was repealed in the tax bill passed December 20. The mandate penalty is understood as one of the core provisions underlying the ACAs health insurance exchanges, which need healthy as well as sick individuals to pay into the system.

The Trump administration sought to undermine enrollment in the exchanges in other ways too, such as cutting back on the advertising for them and the time to enroll. But Democratic and activist efforts to preserve Obamacare may have acted as a yearlong advertising campaign for the program, and enrollment in the exchanges in the end reached record numbers for 2018.

_____

Rolling back regulations.

President Trump with Bruce Adams, chairman of the San Juan County Commission, after signing a presidential proclamation shrinking Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, Dec. 4, 2017. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has overseen what the Week has described as the biggest regulatory rollback in American history. As befits an antiregulatory agenda overseen by a former real estate developer, the major focus of that rollback has been undoing regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior  both of which govern land use  and rules that rein in the banking industry. The administration has also adopted a more lenient approach to enforcing those rules that remain on the books.

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Drill, baby, drill.

Advocates for protecting wildlife in the Arctic call on the Senate to drop Arctic refuge drilling from the Republican-crafted budget, Oct. 17, 2017. (Photo: Michael Reynolds/EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

This was originally a 2008 Sarah Palin campaign promise, but Trump stood next to her as she echoed it while supporting his campaign, and he promised to once again open Americas public lands and offshore areas to energy exploration. In April, Trump signed an executive order to allow offshore drilling in parts of the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, including in marine sanctuaries, declared off limits under Obama. He also ordered the Interior Department to review the Obama-era rules. The administration overturned an Obama-era ban on new coal mining leases on public lands as well.

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By ending catch-and-release on the border, we will stop the cycle of human smuggling and violence. Illegal border crossings will go down.

U.S Border Patrol agents detain a group of undocumented immigrants near La Grulla, Texas, March 15, 2017. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

Then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly declared on a visit to El Paso, Texas, in April, We have ended dangerous catch-and-release enforcement policies.

That was a bit of an overstatement, but the perception that the Trump administration had ended the policy of allowing captured undocumented border crossers to avoid detention while awaiting legal disposition of their cases led to a dramatic 58 percent decline in border-crossing attempts during the first half of 2017.

By June, the average monthly increase in those awaiting proceedings outside custody was about 7,500, compared with 20,600 during the final seven months of Obamas presidency. In April, the Border Patrol caught a low of 11,100 undocumented immigrants, but by October it had become clear that there had not actually been a formal revocation of catch-and-release policies, despite statements to the contrary, and border crossings surged again, to 26,000. That said, Trumps assertion that ending catch-and-release would decrease crossings was proved correct, and border crossing attempts declined sharply for a time.

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Recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

President Trump at the White House, Dec. 6, 2017. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering, Trump said in making the announcement overturning seven decades of U.S. foreign policy in December. The administration went on to sign a waiver permitting the U.S. Embassy to remain in Tel Aviv for another six months, continuing the policies of previous presidents.

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Best of 2017 Yahoo News Features
The ladies of Twitter never fail to brighten our days with their brilliant  but succinct  wisdom. Each week, HuffPost Women rounds up hilarious 280-character musings. For this weeks great tweets from women, scroll through the list below. Then visit our Funniest Tweets From Women page for our past collections.

Sign up for our Funniest Tweets Of The Week newsletter here.

i bought a beyonce christmas ornament with absolutely no thought of buying a christmas tree.  king crissle (@crissles) December 18, 2017

Tbh watching clueless bros try to navigate Sephora is one of the most pure holiday traditions.  Ella Ceron (@ellaceron) December 16, 2017

this guy walked by me and asked why you smiling at your phone for? is he that important? and i said yeah he is but i was looking at this picture pic.twitter.com/fF0ngVyA1C  cardi t (@radioheadass) December 18, 2017

man: hi



me: yeah right like im gonna fall for that again  steph (@stephsstone) December 21, 2017

If I was on The Bachelor instead of roses I'd give out pizza slices and whoever blotted theirs with a napkin has to go home  Sofiya Alexandra (@TheSofiya) December 15, 2017

I think we should ban the word President until further notice  Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) December 17, 2017

[explaining New Years Eve to an alien]

It's when you don't want to be invited to anything, but you're upset if you aren't.  Elizabeth Hackett (@LizHackett) December 20, 2017

Just gave my first ukelele lesson. Spent a hour convincing this girl why she should not be learning ukelele. feels good to help others.  Luwanda (@LuwandaJenkins) December 18, 2017

vegan and affordable makeup remover hack: cry!!  Marissa Miller Kovac (@Marissa__Miller) December 18, 2017

The only good thing exercise has going for it is that Donald Trump does not do it.  porochista khakpour (@PKhakpour) December 18, 2017

The outburst I had at JoAnns Fabrics is not reflective of who I am.  Myrna Tellingheusen (@PearlsFromMyrna) December 16, 2017

me: "life is short, always tell people you love them and how you feel about them"

also me: *would rather die than talk about my feelings*  farwz (@farwzz) December 18, 2017

Wait who the fuck is going big when going home is an option? I love home.  Emily McCombs (@msemilymccombs) December 20, 2017

I've given up sleep and replaced it with big curly hair and a strong red lip.  Kendra Alvey (@Kendragarden) December 19, 2017

I didnt sexually harass anyone today. Im going to celebrate by drinking some mulled cider.



You can all PayPal me cookies.  Imani Gandy Canes (@AngryBlackLady) December 19, 2017

God grant me the confidence of people who play music on their phones in public and dont wear headphones  Allison Kilkenny (@allisonkilkenny) December 18, 2017

You become an adult when you open a carton of eggs to check it before buying.  Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) December 19, 2017

MILLION DOLLAR IDEA DO NOT STEAL: two-player spin the bottle  Ariel Dumas (@ArielDumas) December 17, 2017

Im gonna get a cup of tea and enjoy my Saturday morning.



[realizes its Tuesday]



oh



well have a great Tuesday everyone  wikipedia brown (@eveewing) December 19, 2017

ME: I know a good amount of things

CROSSWORD PUZZLES: lol  Mara Get Rid of the Nazis Wilson (@MaraWilson) December 17, 2017

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Among the unheralded winners of 2017 are political scientists, some of whom could spend the rest of their careers trying to explain Donald Trumps rise and significance. Two of them, Michael Barber and Jeremy C. Pope of Brigham Young University, saw in Trumps ever-shifting, ideologically flexible views a unique opportunity to test a crucial question in American politics: To which do people give a higher priority: their ideology or their partisan affiliation? They ask, Why is it that Republicans, self-described defenders of American values and interests, became four times more likely to view Vladimir Putin favorably from 2014 to 2016? What changed is that the Republican Party nominated someone who boasted about the mutual admiration he shared with the Russian dictator, illustrating Barber and Popes finding that group loyalty and social identity are more important in shaping voters views than their professed ideology.

Another term for social identity is tribalism, a word that has appeared in more than 60 articles in the New York Times so far in 2017, almost all in relation to American politics or culture. (It showed up just six times in the first year of Barack Obamas presidency, including two references to American Indian tribes and one to an indigenous ethnic group in Venezuela.) As James Fallows wrote in the Atlantic, there are any number of synonyms for tribe, including clique, pack, and James Madisons preferred term, in Federalist #10, faction. But tribal conveys a kind of blinkered, inbred loyalty that seems especially apt when applied to, say, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, whose babbling, content-free defenses of Trump led MSNBCs Joe Scarborough to ban her from his show, or former CNN commentator Jeffrey Lord, who described Trump as the Martin Luther King of health care.

In this context, tribalism has two somewhat overlapping meanings.

One is the phenomenon Barber and Pope describe: the growing tendency to see politics as a zero-sum game between diametrically opposed teams, in which loyalty to ones side is more important than the national interest, or even, at times, ones own career. Writing in New York magazine this fall, Andrew Sullivan described how the enduring, complicated divides of ideology, geography, party, class, religion, and race have mutated into something deeper, simpler to map, and therefore much more ominous two coherent tribes, eerily balanced in political power, fighting not just to advance their own side but to provoke, condemn, and defeat the other.

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Again and again over the last year and a half, the tug of tribal loyalty has kept most Republicans in line with a president they privately, or even publicly, admit is dishonest, inept and erratic to the point of posing a threat of nuclear war. Party loyalty has led congressional Republicans to slow-walk their own investigations into allegations of Russian interference in last years election. It brought Republicans to the point of voting for a hugely unpopular tax bill, and many observers gleefully, or fearfully, predict they will pay a price for it next November. Barber, quoted in the Times, said that a large corporate tax cut isnt really an ideological priority for much of the rank and file of the Republican Party, but if it means that their side has won, then they are in favor of it. More broadly, I think it shows us that teamsmanship is much more important than any particular policy agenda.

Most religions, even those that aspire to universality, are susceptible to tribal appeals. The loyalty to Trump shown by evangelical Christian leaders such as Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell Jr. has led to a growing crisis of confidence among evangelicals, especially younger ones who dont want their church to serve as an adjunct to a political movement led by a man they wouldnt invite into their own homes.

This is not a character flaw unique to one party. As Barber and Pope remark in a footnote, We believe that given a different scenario that similar stories could be told about Democratic attitudes as well. If Republicans who during the Clinton years considered personal morality an essential attribute in a president have changed their minds under Trump  well, some prominent Democrats have gone in the opposite direction. Nor is this situation inherent in American democracy. It wasnt always the case that major votes in Congress were decided along strict party lines. For much of the last century, both parties spanned more than half the ideological spectrum, with considerable overlap in the middle. There were pro-civil-rights Republicans and Democrats who were hawks on Vietnam; legislators may or may not have had stronger consciences in those years, but they evidently felt freer to follow them. Congressional leaders in that era were expected to at least pay lip service to the idea that their policies were advancing the national interest rather than narrow partisan advantage. Its hard to imagine one saying, as Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously did in 2010, that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term, which committed him to automatically opposing anything Obama proposed. Its not that hard to imagine Nancy Pelosi saying, and certainly thinking, something similar about Trump.

But political parties are tribes only in a metaphorical sense; there is another meaning to tribalism that cuts much closer to the bone. That is the spread of ethno-nationalism, the polite term for racism, which burst into the public consciousness with the tramp of marchers in a torchlight parade through Charlottesville, Va., in August. White supremacy, long thought to have been banished from American public life, came back to life in 2017 in the guise of protecting monuments to the Confederacy, drawing energy from the anti-immigrant rants of Trump and his acolytes. You will not replace us, the Charlottesville marchers chanted, with a subliminal, and at times explicit, substitution of Jew for You.

In his new collection of essays, We Were Eight Years in Power, Ta-Nehisi Coates calls Trump the first white president: the first whose election  coming after Barak Obamas two terms  was a specific affirmation of white supremacy, rather than a routine perpetuation of it. Coates proceeds to reject any explanation for the 2016 vote that does not rely on racial identity, such as white working-class dissatisfaction, which he treats as a lazy journalistic trope that obscures the racial biases of Trumps voters. This analysis  and the passionate dissents to it  are likely to influence political commentary for years to come, assuring that 2017 will go down in history as, among other unfortunate distinctions, the Year of Tribalism.

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Best of 2017 Yahoo News Features
NextShark

A 19-year-old TikTok user has gone viral after sharing a video of their eulogy to their deceased father at his funeral, in which they call him a racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, Trump-loving man. The user, identified as Saga, goes by the handle @saginthesunforever and has self-described themselves as a Black supremacist on their TikTok bio. Saga, who uses the pronouns they/them, has received widespread backlash after their viral video was re-posted to Twitter by controversial conservative account Libs of TIkTok on Tuesday.
The winter solstice is upon us, which means the northern hemisphere can finally look forward to gradually lengthening days. Thats right, it may be dark now, but remember tonight, we turn the corner to gradually longer days. This year, the longest night of the year is tonight, Thursday, December 21, with the solstice  the exact moment fall gives way to winter  taking place at 11:28 a.m. Eastern on December 21.

While Western Christian societies might associate the holiday with the general Christmas season, pagan religions in Europe, Middle Eastern societies, and Native American cultures have celebrated the long night with feasts, drinking, sacrifice and all manner of revery and ritual for millennia. Here are some of the most interesting facts about the winter solstice.

You Might Also Like: Tonights Winter Solstice Is More Than the Longest Night of the Year

The solstice isnt always on December 21

The winter solstice is actually a precise moment in time when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. This year, that happens at 11:28 a.m. Eastern on December 21. But December 21 isnt always when the solstice happens. Thanks to the Earths wobble, it varies a bit from year to year. The last time the solstice wasnt on December 21 was back in 2011, when it fell on December 22. For much of the first half of the 20th century, December 22 was the date of the solstice, but December 20 will become the norm later this century, though the solstice wont happen on December 20 until 2052. The wobble, known as axial precession, shifts the position of the north pole by about one degree every 72 years, shifting the solstice.

The solstice is caused by axial tilt from a giant planetary collision

Our planet is crooked. It tilts 23.5 degrees from vertical, to be exact. In fact, some astronomers think the planets tilt came from a massive collision that nearly vaporized the Earth and made part of it split off to become the moon. In the present day, a world without an axial tilt would be pretty boring. We wouldnt have seasons, for starters. For part of the year, one side of the Earth spends more time pointed toward the sun, which is what we call summer. The days are longer and warmer. But for the opposite side, its winter, with its short, cold days. Whichever pole is away from the sun is plunged into total darkness for several months, while the opposite pole has days with nearly endless sunshine.

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Its one of the few times a year you can get up close to the rocks at Stonehenge

Stonehenge lets visitors walk among the stones during the winter and summer solstices, as well as the spring and autumn equinoxes.

English Heritage, the group that oversees Stonehenge, lets visitors freely walk through the ancient stone monument just four times a year  the two solstices and the two equinoxes.

The Earth's orbit is in no way a circle.

The Earth isnt all that far from the Sun

While the frigid temperatures during the northern hemispheres winter might make it feel like were especially far from the Sun, the dead of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is actually when the Earths orbit gets closest to its star, a phenomenon known as perihelion. Perihelion typically happens a few weeks after the solstice, in early January, but the Earth is still pretty close to the Sun then.

A goat for sacrifice during Eid Al-Adha in Indonesia. Eid is NOT the same holiday as the Winter Solstice, but the cultural practice of ritual sacrifice is similar to that practiced by many European civilizations during Yule.

Its a great night for blood sacrifice

In England, many families still celebrate Christmas with a Yule Ham, or Yule Boar. While the practice of eating a nice ham on Christmas might seem innocuous, the tradition dates back to the common ritual slaughter that Germanic other pagan societies had during the winter solstice. Pigs, goats, sheep, and other animals were sacrificed to the Germanic goddess Freyr in the hopes of a good harvest and fertility. When Christian envoys swept through Europe on the coattails of the Roman Empire, shrewd evangelical priests found ways to preserve local customs, like Yuletide or Solstice sacrifices, into the new lore of Christianity.

This article was originally published on December 20, 2016.

Photos via Reddit, Getty Images / Matt Cardy, Wikipedia, Getty Images / Putu Sayoga

Photos via Reddit, Getty Images / Matt Cardy, Wikipedia, Getty Images / Putu Sayoga

Written by Inverse Staff

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Paris (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Friday that he would "no longer accept" any peace plan proposed by the United States, dealing a pre-emptive blow to a new initiative expected by Washington next year.

The comments in Paris came hours after 128 members of the United Nations voted to condemn US President Donald Trump's decision on December 6 to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

That move continues to reverberate across the Middle East, and European diplomats are pessimistic about the Trump administration's peace plan which is being prepared behind closed doors and will be presented to both sides in 2018.

Two Palestinians were killed Friday as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border in a new "day of rage" against the US stance, officials there said.

US Vice President Mike Pence postponed a trip he was to make to the region this week, after Palestinian and Arab Christian leaders expressed reluctance to meet him.

"The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from it," Abbas said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron reiterated his condemnations of the US decision on Jerusalem, but he also ruled out recognising Palestine as a state unilaterally, which France has mooted previously.

"The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing," Macron said, conscious that any move to recognise Palestine would antagonise Israel.

- 'Massive setback' -

Late Thursday in New York, the 193-member General Assembly adopted a resolution by 128 to nine, with 35 abstentions, that rejected the US decision on Jerusalem.

The defeat for Washington -- despite threats that it might cut off funding for the UN or to countries that voted against its decision -- was called a "massive setback" by Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour.

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Speaking at the emergency session, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that Washington "will remember this day".

"This vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN," Haley said.

Abbas hit out at efforts by the US to intimidate countries ahead of the vote.

"I hope that the others will learn the lesson and understand that you cannot impose solutions by using money and trying to buy off countries," he said in Paris.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the UN vote showed the "illegality" of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it.

- Trust in Macron? -

Abbas's visit to Paris, less than a fortnight after a trip here by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has raised speculation about whether Macron might be tempted to mediate in the world's most intractable conflict.

He and French diplomats have ruled out any new French initiative, insisting that the American effort must run its course first.

The 40-year-old Macron has emerged as a dynamic international figure since his election in May but his team insists he is focused on reforming the European Union, avoiding instability in Lebanon, and bolstering anti-terror efforts in Syria and west Africa.

But Abbas, like Netanyahu before him, praised the young centrist at the Paris news conference, notable for the warmth of the exchanges and relaxed body language.

"We have trust in you. We respect the efforts made by you and we count heavily on your efforts," Abbas told him.

Macron replied that he had "committed myself very clearly to doing everything" to further the peace process and would visit the Palestinian territories in 2018 and "intensify" contacts between the French and Palestinian governments.

"Palestine is not on its own. We will work so that it can live within sound and recognised borders, in security alongside Israel, with Jerusalem as the capital of the two states," Macron tweeted afterwards.

Many analysts in Washington say they believe that the US remains the only power able to play the mediator role in the crisis.

"There's been peaks and valleys before on this issue," David Makovsky, a peace process veteran and senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told AFP.

"If I had a dollar every time people said 'Oh, it's over now, the US is not the broker..." he added ironically.
Even before Democrats victory in last weeks Alabama Senate election, there were signs that Republicans may be in trouble in the year ahead. Democrats overperformed in dozens of other special elections this year. Their generic ballot numbers are remarkably strong. And while its early in the election cycle, some polling gives the party a distinct advantage in enthusiasm ahead of next years congressional midterms.

Democrat Doug Jones win in Alabama, the culmination of an atypical race, was just the latest evidence of the potential for a blue wave of voters to show up in 2018, pollsters say. And its already affecting how theyre trying to figure out who will turn out next November.

What fascinated me is, as bizarre as this was, the things that we made assumptions about based on [the outcomes] in Virginia and Georgia and South Carolina did play out in Alabama in the same way, Patrick Murray, Monmouth Universitys polling director, told HuffPost. I think were seeing a pattern form.

Normally, Murray said hed set a high bar when trying to determine whos likely to vote in a midterm election, screening out most people who dont have a history of voting regularly. But next year, that may not be the right approach.

We are getting voters who are either new voters or have only voted in presidential elections who are coming out in these special elections or midterms, Murray said. That changes the model significantly.

Others in the field are drawing similar conclusions. Jones won in part by turning out people who have never come out in a midterm or special election, John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster based in Alabama, told CNN, describing those voters as disproportionately our people. Democrats, noted Chris Jackson of the polling firm Ipsos, voted last week as if the Alabama Senate race was a presidential election. Republicans voted as though it were a midterm. That fact will be among the data Ipsos will take into consideration next year.

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SurveyMonkeys polls in Alabama, as well as earlier gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, provided advance warning that voter turnout would benefit the Democrats more than usual, according to a blog post by Mark Blumenthal, the online firms head of election polling and a former HuffPost editor.

This pattern is unusual, since Republican voters are more likely to be older and white, subgroups that typically turn out a higher levels and report greater intent to vote, Blumenthal wrote. Not so in 2017.

Figuring out wholl actually turn out to vote is a perennial challenge for pollsters. That was especially true in Alabamas election last week, where the uncertainty led several public pollsters to take the somewhat-unusual step of issuing multiple models of how the race might end, depending on turnout and other factors. Now, those pollsters are going back through their data to shed light on the best ways of identifying likely voters in next years election.

Monmouth, for instance, released three turnout models of the race: a 4-point lead for Republican Roy Moore when using a historical midterm model, akin to Alabamas 2014 turnout, a dead heat using a model with relatively higher turnout in Democratic strongholds, and a 3-point edge for Democrat Doug Jones when using a model with higher overall turnout, where voter demographics look more like the 2016 election. Jones 1.5-point margin of victory fell squarely between the latter two.

SurveyMonkey offered 10 outlooks on the race, based on different turnout assumptions and weighting methods. Narrowing the race to voters who said theyd shown up for the 2014 midterms (or were age 18 to 20 and said they were certain to vote), and weighting the results to match the outcome of last years presidential race gave Moore a 10-point advantage. Using voters assessments that they would probably or certainly show up and forgoing that weighting shifted the results to a 9-point lead for Jones.

Relying on respondents self-reported data about their likelihood to vote and looking at their behavior in the past each carry potential pitfalls. People arent always good at predicting whether theyll vote, and questions designed act as proxies can backfire. In the run-up to 2012, for instance, questions geared to make sure voters were paying attention to the presidential race ended up screening out some voters whod long ago decided they would support Barack Obama for re-election. Screening out those whove rarely or never voted in past years, of course, risks missing the infrequent voters who may be swept along to the ballot box as part of a wave.

SurveyMonkey found that its models based on self-reported voter intent proved more successful this year than self-reported past turnout in providing advance warning that Democratic voters would turn out at higher rates than Republicans.

That, Blumenthal wrote, provides an important lesson for 2018. But he cautioned that it wont necessarily be the case for every election. Other takeaways  such as whether its useful to weight results by who respondents voted for in 2016, along with more standard demographic weighting  may also prove case-specific.

From a polling methods perspective, [Alabama] was very much an outlier, Blumenthal said. The unusual uncertainty inherent in polling this particular election was definitely a factor in our decision to release 10 different estimates including eight distinct likely voter scenarios.

Expect to see more of those scenarios next year. Pollsters whove offered multiple models hope theyll provide a peek behind the curtain of how polls work, and a better sense of what to expect on Election Night. A 2016 post-mortem released by polling industry experts stressed the need to emphasize that uncertainty in horserace polling that can carry far beyond a surveys margin of error.

Theres people who just want to know whats going to happen, and for them we produce our best-faith estimate, Jackson said. But for more general information, having these ranges captures that uncertainty better. Its a little truer to the uncertainty seen in the data.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
If youve waited until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping, Ive got good news and bad news. The good news is Amazons Prime Now delivery service might just have you covered. The bad news is that if youre not in one of the 30 participating cities and regions, youre out of luck.

Amazon (AMZN) Prime Now is an offshoot of Amazons Prime service that guarantees to get your order to you within two hours for free. If you pay an extra fee, your purchases will be delivered in just one hour.

And if you order before 9 p.m. on Dec. 24, Amazon (which was just named Yahoo Finances Company of the Year) guarantees youll get your package on Christmas Day.

Amazons Prime Now service can deliver your last minute Christmas gifts on Christmas day as long as you order by 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

I took a tour of Amazons Prime Now facility in the heart of Manhattan, and was surprised to find a system that embraces chaos and turns it into the epitome of efficiency.

Organized chaos

The first thing you notice when you step into Amazons massive urban center is the incredible number of products packed onto shelves. Its reminiscent of that warehouse scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Row after row of everything from peanut butter to Nintendos Super NES Classic fill three floors of this nondescript building in midtown Manhattan.

But when you get closer to one of the thousands of cubbies that makes up each aisle, you realize that there doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason to how theyre organized.

Bottles of hand lotion sit next to Echo Dots, next to garlic shakers, next to socks. Theres a reason for the randomness of it all, though.

The products are not organized by category. They are put wherever theres space, explained Stephenie Landry, worldwide vice president of Amazon Prime Now.

The reason we do this is because one of our main goals here is to maximize the amount of stuff we can get onto the shelves and to make it as fast as possible.

Yes, Amazon gets items into the Prime Now center and arranges them like a 5-year-old forced to clean his room. Everything has its place. That place also happens to be wherever it fits.

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Amazon intelligence

Of course, Amazon also tracks exactly where it puts every item. When a packager walks through the warehouse, they know exactly where to go to pick up an item and put it into a customers bag. Packagers scan a barcode attached to the cubby they pull an item from. Then, they scan the item and the customers bag and continue down the line.

Its an impressive process, and to the workers at the warehouse, it seems like second nature.

Speaking of which, those packagers are all flesh and blood human beings. As Landry explained, there are no robots inside the Prime Now hub. The facility isnt as large as a standard Amazon fulfillment center, so it wouldnt make sense.

But that doesnt mean that Amazons high-tech smarts arent behind everything in the building. As soon as an order is placed, Amazons algorithms tell packagers what size bag to use based on the size and weight of the items being purchased.

On the road

How can Amazon promise that Prime Now orders will arrive at their destinations so quickly? Because the company takes into account everything from a customers location to the traffic on the route between the warehouse and their home.

Unfortunately, Prime Now isnt available to everyone. Amazon only offers the service in 30 cities around the country. And even if you live within one of those cities, Prime Now might not be available.

I, for example, live in Queens, and while Amazon has Prime Now facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the service is unavailable in my area. Its understandable, though, as shipping products within a one-hour window from Brooklyn or Manhattan to the farthest reaches of Queens is virtually impossible.

If youre shipping to a friend and want to get your gift to them quickly, youll also need to make sure they live within a Prime Now area too.

If you do live within a Prime Now area, though, and you still have some last-minute shopping to do, Prime Now might be your best option.

Amazon Prime Now is available in these cities and areas:

Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Berkeley, Brooklyn, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles & Orange County, Miami, Minneapolis & St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Northern Virginia, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle & Eastside, and Virginia Beach.

More from Dan:

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
Angelika Graswald will be home for Christmas her release from prison where she had been confined since a conviction related to her fiance's 2015 drowning death.

Graswald admitted that she had sabotaged her boyfriend's kayak and then watched as he was submerged in freezing waters of the Hudson River outside New York City in April 2015.



Now the victim's grieving mother, is expressing outrage that her son's killer is free.

I'm praying that he didn't know what she was doing to him and it was over quick, Mary Ann Viafore told Inside Edition. She took his life and she shouldn't have a life. Now, she's going to have a chance to go home and be with her family.

The grieving mom said his son's fiance has a fiery temper and she actually gave him a black eye once.

She would smack him and he wouldn't do anything, she claimed.

Vincent Viafore even joked about her violent streak before going on vacation with her to her native Latvia.

If I don't come back, you know she bumped me off, he wrote his sister in a disturbing email.

There was a funny face so it was half serious, his mom said.

Graswald admitted removing a drainage plug to sabotage his kayak. She also told police she could have saved him when his craft capsized in choppy waters.

I wanted him dead and now he's gone. And Im OK with it, Graswald told police.

Graswald has been behind bars for two-and-a-half years. She was facing murder and manslaughter charges but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide, making her eligible for parole almost immediately.

Graswald, who was sentenced to 16 months to four years in jail in November, was released Thursday from the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County, the state Department of Corrections said.

She says she is going to claim a $250,000 life insurance payout, which has angered Viafore's mother.

Life is just not the same your whole world changes in an instant and it will never be the same again. Ever, the victims mom said.

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She added that there's only one way to describe the woman who could have been her daughter-in-law: A psychopath.

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SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police on Friday said there was no evidence to suggest a driver who deliberately ploughed into pedestrians in the city of Melbourne on Thursday was linked to extremist organisations.

Speaking at a media conference on Friday, acting chief police Commissioner Shane Patton said police had had preliminary discussions with the 32-year-old driver, but no formal interview as yet.

The man, of Afghan descent, had spoken of "dreams and voices", but also attributed some of his activities to the mistreatment of Muslims.

"We haven't identified any extremist links with this man. We haven't identified him linked to any groups," said Patton. "We haven't identified anyone inciting him to do any actions or any prior extremist activities."

Patton added there were 12 people still in hospital with one person, a male in his 80s, in critical condition. Police said a 4-year-old boy among the injured was no longer in critical condition.

The attack took place on Flinders Street, a major road that runs alongside the Yarra River, in the central business district of Australia's second-biggest city.

In January, four people were killed and more than 20 injured when a man deliberately drove into pedestrians just a few hundred metres away from Thursday's attack. That too was not a terror attack.

Victorian police said a second man who had been arrested at the scene on Thursday had been released and was expected to be charged with possession of cannabis and a controlled weapon. These offences are not linked to the Flinders Street incident.

All roads in Melbourne's central business district were open and trams were operating as usual.

Melbourne has installed about 140 concrete bollards in the city centre to stop vehicle attacks by militants similar to recent attacks in Europe and the United States.

Australia has been on a "high" national threat level since 2015, citing the likelihood of attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq and Syria.

Two hostages were killed during a 17-hour siege by a "lone wolf" gunman inspired by Islamic State militants in a cafe in Sydney in December 2014.

(Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
WASHINGTON  A year of erratic U.S. rhetoric and steadily escalating diplomatic and economic pressure has failed to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, leaving the frustrated Trump administration to reconsider its options going into 2018 as the world wonders whether its on the edge of war.

Were not committed to a peaceful resolution  were committed to a resolution, President Trumps national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, told BBC News this week.

We want the resolution to be peaceful, but as the president said, all options are on the table. And we have to be prepared, if necessary, to compel the denuclearization of North Korea without the cooperation of that regime, McMaster said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watching the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile, Sept. 16, 2017. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)

Inside the administration and in Congress, officials are looking at a wide range of options for dealing with the regime of Kim Jong Un. Some are conventional, like continuing to pressure countries to fully enforce international sanctions meant to starve North Korea of cash and isolate it diplomatically. Some are less so: Two U.S. officials said Trump could consider taking the largely symbolic step of naming a retired military official to coordinate North Korean policy across all of government. That job currently falls to the special representative for North Korea policy, career diplomat Joseph Yun. Some in Congress want the administration to take a much harder line on businesses and countries that flout sanctions.

We are not on the same sheet of music, when it comes to North Korea, in the U.S. government, a senators senior foreign policy aide who tracks the issue closely told Yahoo News.

And there are more radical options short of an all-out war, including a one-off strike that a former senior U.S. official referred to as the bloody-nose option to try to force Pyongyang to negotiate.

In that scenario, the United States would hit a target relevant to North Koreas missile or nuclear programs, far from civilians, Dennis Wilder, the top East Asia expert on George W. Bushs National Security Council, told Yahoo News in an interview on December 15. It would be consciously modeled on Trumps decision to order airstrikes on a Syrian airfield in April in response to the regimes chemical weapons attack on civilians.

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President Trump is briefed about a military strike on Syria from his national security team, April 6, 2017. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

They have a belief that they can do this, Wilder said of the administration. Call it the kick in the shin, or the bloody nose option  you take a single strike, you make sure that the Chinese, the Russians, everybody knows that its a single strike.

That would reduce, though not eliminate, the likelihood of escalation, Wilder said, adding: You could take that facility out and say, Enough, Mr. Kim, its time for you to come and talk.

Another option, two congressional officials and one former White House official told Yahoo News, would be for the United States to show its serious about interdicting ship-to-ship smuggling. That tactic, aimed at getting around international sanctions, involves North Korean ships swapping cargoes with foreign vessels, usually bearing refined petroleum products.

I expect were going to see more pressure from the U.S., in the form of harsher sanctions (both multilateral and unilateral) and increased maritime interdictions, Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under Obama, told Yahoo News via email.

Kim Jong Un guides the second test-fire of intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14, July 29, 2017. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)

Washington has already imposed unilateral sanctions on ships that visit North Korean ports. But now, the sources said, some administration officials advocate boarding ships suspected of carrying contraband. The United States would invoke the principles of the Proliferation Security Initiative, a global post-9/11 program to prevent the spread of dangerous technologies. But Washington would have to tread extremely carefully: China never joined the PSI, and boarding a Chinese firms ship without Beijings at-least-tacit approval would test Sino-U.S. relations. And just who would do the boarding is another extremely sensitive question.

Regional tensions have steadily built over the past few months, with North Korea testing its most powerful nuclear weapon yet and firing its most advanced missile to date  a rocket widely believed to be able to reach anywhere on U.S. soil. From a technical perspective, its not clear yet whether the regime has a guidance system reliable enough to hit a specific desired target, or whether it has perfected the technology needed for its warhead to survive the heat of reentry into the atmosphere

Meanwhile, the Trump administration successfully wrangled 15-0 U.N. Security Council votes to toughen sanctions, returned North Korea to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, cheered as nations like Singapore and Sudan cut economic ties with the regime in Pyongyang, and successfully encouraged allies  like Germany  to reduce diplomatic engagement with the secretive Stalinist prison state. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson publicly suggested North Korea would be welcome at the negotiating table without needing to agree to preconditions, then seemed to rescind the invitation. Tillerson also surprised longtime observers of Asian power politics by revealing that the United States and China  Pyongyangs de facto patron  had discussed in considerable detail how to secure North Koreas nuclear weapons in the event the regime collapsed.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the U.N. (Photo: Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

At home, the administration has stepped up its campaign to paint North Korea as a bad actor. First, there was a late-November op-ed by senior State Department official Brian Hook in the New York Times that compared Kims elite entourage to intestinal parasites. Then, on Tuesday, Trump homeland security adviser Tom Bossert publicly blamed North Korea for the WannaCry ransomware attack that disabled computers around the word in May  an unusual step, given how difficult it can be to definitively determine the authorship of online attacks.

North Korea has done everything wrong as an actor on the global stage that a country can do, Bossert later told reporters in the White House briefing room. President Trump has used just about every lever you can use, short of starving the people of North Korea to death, to change their behavior. And so we dont have a lot of room left here to apply pressure to change their behavior.

In a little-noticed section of the White Houses new National Security Strategy (NSS)  a nonbinding document that lays out the presidents view of the world  the administration effectively laid claim to the right to preemptively and unilaterally disrupt future North Korean missile launches.

Tom Bossert, homeland security adviser to President Trump, accuses North Korea of unleashing the so-called WannaCry cyberattack, Dec. 19, 2017. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The United States is deploying a layered missile defense system focused on North Korea and Iran to defend our homeland against missile attacks. This system will include the ability to defeat missile threats prior to launch, the document says.

The NSS did not spell out whether this ability would involve traditional military force  like cruise missile strikes  or high-tech capabilities like hacking or the introduction of a virus. It also does not lay out how the United States would determine whether a missile poses a threat, or to whom.

The warning about possible preemptive U.S. action doesnt come as a major surprise. U.S. officials, past and present, have discussed that possibility for years. The New York Times reported in March that former President Barack Obama waged clandestine cyberwar on North Koreas missile launches.

The president has made it clear that he would not tolerate a North Korean capability to strike the United States with nuclear weapons, and it is highly possible that North Korea may attempt to cross that threshold in 2018, said Denmark, the Obama official. President Trumps response will be the critical moment in this crisis and will define geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific for decades to come.

The blustery talk from Washington  threatening to rain fire and fury on North Korea, or totally destroy it, or suggesting North Korean leaders wont be around much longer  while playing down the value of negotiations has made some wonder whether the administration is giving diplomacy a shot.

Amid talk of war, another North Korea expert predicts that the Trump administration would be muddling through 2018 without dramatic shifts on policy.

President Trump making a national security strategy speech, Dec. 18, 2017. (Photo: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The risk of ending program militarily is enormous compared with the risk of managing it, Mike Green, who preceded Wilder as the top Asia hand on Bushs National Security Council, told Yahoo News.

If they shoot back, its tens of thousands killed in a conventional war and potentially millions if they use chemical or biological weapons, or target Tokyo with a nuclear missile, he added.

Still, Green said, living with North Korea, its not going to be comfortable. The term live with actually sounds too comfortable. Instead of the mutual deterrence of the Cold War, Washington needs to prepare to counter a nuclear North Koreas efforts to blackmail, intimidate, threaten in a kind of ugly deterrence he said.

Still, there are some things that could be a prelude to armed conflict, like the withdrawal of U.S. government officials or their relatives from South Korea, as happened in the run-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.

If theres an evacuation, that means I was wrong, Green said.

Another clue could be how big business, including firms with ties to China, operates in South Korea.

Keep an eye on companies. Do corporations visibly start pulling out dependents, or changing their supply chains? Green said.

Pyongyang has a say in the standoff, of course.

President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in participate in a joint news conference in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 7, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

Look at what  and when and where  the North Koreans test, Green said. Do they demonstrate their capability undeniably by blowing up something in the atmosphere?

There are other things to watch as well, Green said, like whether and how the United States helps South Korea and Japan develop offensive military capabilities  and whether and how Washington tries to calm skittish allies in the region.

Another open question is does Tillerson stay in office, and does he get enough of a leash to try diplomacy, Green said.

The next few months will also provide a clue as to instability within North Korea  answering the question of just how stable is the regime under sanctions pressure, and as sanctions ramp up, said Green.

But the most important factor to watch is Trump himself.

The real question is if the president will use military force to prevent North Korea from crossing the threshold of achieving a credible nuclear deterrent, said Denmark. If that happens, there is no prediction what happens next.

_____

Best of 2017 Yahoo News Features
Moscow (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson clashed Friday over Russia's alleged interference in the Brexit vote even as they sought to mend ties after years of antagonism.

During the first official visit by a foreign minister from London in five years, the outspoken Johnson attempted to open lines of communication and both foreign chiefs tried to show their two countries were willing to consider rapprochement.

But they also exchanged barbs on everything from Russia's alleged interference in British politics to Moscow's involvement in Ukraine and Syria, and the atmosphere at times grew tense during their joint news conference.

Later Friday, Johnson laid flowers at a makeshift memorial on a bridge near the Kremlin where opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was assassinated in 2015.

Speaking to reporters after their talks, the two diplomats appeared to clash over claims that Russia had sought to influence the Brexit vote last year, with Lavrov telling Johnson to come up with hard evidence proving Russia's alleged interference.

- Sparring over Brexit -

Lavrov said he welcomed Johnson's November comment in which the British minister said he saw no evidence, "not a sausage," that Russia had interfered in British elections.

"Not successfully," Johnson interrupted.

"See, he has to say this so that he is not criticised back home, for his reputation," Lavrov responded.

"It's your reputation I'm worried about, Sergei," Johnson hit back jokingly in a tense exchange through interpreters.

Lavrov said accusations of Moscow's meddling in the Western political systems had been invented by the West and that Moscow had yet to see any "concrete evidence" to back them up.

"I think you've made it all up in your Western company," he said. "It's very difficult to climb down from the fence."

Following the 2016 referendum on Brexit, in which Johnson campaigned to leave the European Union, Britain has joined the growing number of Western countries accusing Russia of interfering in their political systems.

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Lavrov also complained that London had refused to hand over to Moscow classified information on Alexander Litvinenko's case, referring to the Kremlin critic and former spy, whose murder by radiation poisoning in London in 2006 sent bilateral ties into a tailspin.

At the same time the Russian diplomat praised his talks with Johnson, saying he felt no "hostility," and added that Moscow was ready for dialogue with London on equal terms.

"We are ready to develop dialogue on a very wide range of issues on the basis of principles of equality (and) taking into account and respecting each other's interests," he said.

Moscow wanted Friday's talks to lead to "concrete steps" that would help revive relations, he added.

"Our ties -- there is no secret here -- are at a very low point," Lavrov said.

- 'A mirage? A false dawn?' -

Johnson for his part called himself a "committed Russophile."

"We have to find a way forward and in the meantime I think we have to cooperate in those areas where we can to build a better future," he said.

The two displayed a degree of camaraderie, with Lavrov joking he trusted his British guest enough to pronounce his first name in the Russian way as "Barees."

Johnson for his part played up his Russian ancestry and said his trust in Lavrov was so deep that he handed him his coat.

"I can say that there was nothing in the pockets of Boris's coat," Lavrov immediately joked, to which Johnson responded: "So you have searched it already?"

Jokes were put aside later Friday as he urged Moscow to uphold human rights in a speech to students at a Moscow university.

Johnson said that in the 1990s Britain and Russia used to share the same ideals of freedom including freedom to speak one's mind and express one's sexuality, a reference to Moscow's clampdown on the rights of gays and lesbians.

"I hope that moment of convergence will seem not to have been a fluke, not an illusion, not a mirage or a false dawn," he said in comments released by the Foreign Office.

"I hope that time will come again."

Johnson arrived in Russia after cancelling in April a planned trip at the last minute over Russia's support for the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Britain has also been a fervent supporter of Western sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict and annexation of Crimea in 2014.
By Sonya Dowsett and Sam Edwards BARCELONA (Reuters) - Catalonia's separatists look set to regain power in the wealthy Spanish region after local elections on Thursday, deepening the nation's political crisis in a sharp rebuke to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and European Union leaders who backed him. With nearly all votes counted, separatist parties won a slim majority in Catalan parliament, a result that promises to prolong political tensions which have damaged Spain's economy and prompted a business exodus from the region. Rajoy, who called the elections after sacking the previous secessionist government, had hoped Catalonia's "silent majority" would deal separatism a decisive blow in what was a de facto independence referendum, but his hard line backfired. The unexpected result sets the stage for the return to power of deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont who campaigned from self-exile in Brussels. State prosecutors accuse him of sedition, and he faces arrest if he were to return home. "Either Rajoy changes his recipe or we change the country," Puigdemont, said in a televised speech. He was flanked by four former cabinet members that fled with him. At jubilant pro-independence rallies around Barcelona, supporters chanted "President Puigdemont" and unfurled giant red-and-yellow Catalan flags as the results came in. Puigdemont's spokesman told Reuters in a text message: "We are the comeback kids." The result unnerved global markets, contributing to a softer euro and subdued sentiment in stock markets. Opinion polls had predicted secessionists to fall short of a majority. More than 3,100 firms have moved their legal headquarters outside Catalonia, concerned that the indebted region, which accounts for a fifth of the national economy, could split from Spain and tumble out of the EU and the euro zone by default. Spain has trimmed its growth forecasts for next year, and official data shows foreign direct investment in Catalonia fell 75 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, dragging down national investment. The EU's major powers, Germany and France, have backed Rajoy's stance despite some criticism of his methods at times. On Oct. 1, when Catalonia staged an independence referendum, Spain declared it unconstitutional and national police used tear gas and batons to prevent some Catalans from voting. When Catalan parliament declared independence after the referendum, Rajoy invoked constitutional powers to impose direct rule from Madrid on the region. He has said he would rescind direct rule regardless of the election result, but could re-impose it if a new government again pursued secession. There was no immediate comment from Rajoy after the election results. HEADACHE FOR BRUSSELS The narrow victory for Puigdemont's secessionist camp presents a fresh headache for the EU, which had defended the Spanish judiciary's pursuit of separatist leaders on grounds that they had violated Spain's constitution. Puigdemont's attempts to gain international support in Brussels have come to nothing so far. He has called the EU a "club of decadent countries" for declining to mediate a solution. Separatist parties won 70 seats out of 135, with Puigdemont's Junts Per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) party retaining its position as the largest separatist force. Unionist party Ciudadanos (Citizens) won the most votes, but other unionist forces -- Rajoy's People's Party and the Socialist Party -- registered a dismal performance. "It's a bitter victory," said Paloma Morales, a 27-year-old student at a Ciudadanos rally. "It means four more years of misery." Analysts said the ball was back in Rajoy's court. "What this shows is that the problem for Madrid remains and the secession movement is not going to go away," said Antonio Barroso, deputy director of research at London-based research firm Teneo Intelligence. Turnout on Thursday reached a record high with over 83 percent of eligible Catalans voting. Puigdemont's former deputy, Oriol Junqueras, and several other Catalan politicians are in prison, along with the leaders of the two main separatist grassroots movements. (Additional reporting by Jesus Aguado in Madrid and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels; Writing by Angus Berwick and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Julien Toyer, Jeremy Gaunt and Mark Bendeich)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing Technology Co on Thursday said it has raised $4 billion in funds earmarked for expansion overseas and into areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), as it looks to challenge Uber Technologies Inc.

The fundraising values Didi at over $50 billion and involved Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala Capital, two people familiar with the deal told Reuters. Mubadala did not respond to a request for comment.

Existing investor SoftBank Group Corp also participated in the latest funding, a spokesman for the Japanese firm confirmed, declining to specify the size of its investment.

"With a substantial cash reserve, Didi plans to scale up investments in AI talent and technologies," Didi said in a statement. The funds would also help Didi "bring more innovative and diversified transportation services to broader communities around the world."

Didi has expanded overseas rapidly in the past year since sealing its dominance in China with the purchase of Uber's local business in 2016, ending a cash-burning subsidy war that cost the U.S. firm roughly $2 billion.

Earlier this month Reuters reported that Didi was planning to enter Mexico next year, in what would be its first overseas operation not managed through a local partner.

On Wednesday, Didi announced it was looking at entering the Taiwanese market, and had authorized a franchisee operator to do research there on its behalf.

Didi has also invested in several of Uber's rivals globally, including U.S.-based Lyft, Brazil's 99, India's Ola, Singapore's Grab, Estonia's Taxify and Careem in the Middle East.

Besides SoftBank, investors in Didi's previous funding rounds included Apple Inc and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the fundraising had pushed Didi's cash reserves to $12 billion from $3.5 billion two years prior.

(Reporting by Cate Cadell; Additional reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing)
On Wednesday night, Dec. 5, 1917, with Canadians entering their fourth year of the Great War, schoolkids across Halifax went to bed dreaming of what they would find under the Christmas tree, just 20 days away. Teddy bears and Erector Sets were all stacked up at a new institution called the department store. If you couldnt get to one, you could order almost anything you wanted from their great innovation, the catalogue.

But these simple dreams were dashed by a disaster that has since been largely forgotten: the Great Halifax Explosion, the biggest man-made explosion the world had ever seen.

On the morning of Dec. 6, 1917, the captain and crew of a French munitions ship called Mont-Blanc were eager to reach the safety of Halifax Harbor  and with good reason. Five days earlier, stevedores in Brooklyn had finished loading her with a staggering 6 million pounds of high explosives, 13 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty. The touchy cargo was headed for France, where it would be packed into shells to break the Great Wars three-year stalemate.

A Norwegian relief ship named Imo was just as eager to go in the opposite direction to New York to get supplies. At Halifax Harbors narrowest stretch, Imos impatient captain, who had no idea what Mont Blanc was carrying, passed several ships on the left, against nautical convention. This set up a game of chicken with Mont Blanc, which bailed first, pivoting to the left at the last second  just as Imos captain lost his nerve and veered the same direction.

At 8:46 a.m., Imo struck Mont-Blancs bow, igniting barrels of airplane fuel on deck. Mont-Blancs crew escaped on lifeboats, while Halifaxs workers and schoolchildren, who also knew nothing of Mont-Blancs cargo, walked down to the shore to watch the burning ghost ship slip perfectly into Pier 6.

At 9:04:35, Mont-Blanc erupted, leveling almost half of Halifax, rendering 25,000 people homeless, wounding 9,000 and killing 2,000 moreall in one-fifteenth of a second, less time than it takes to blink. J. Robert Oppenheimer later calculated that the blast packed fully one-fifth the power of the first atomic bomb.

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What followed was one of the most miraculous rescue, relief and recovery efforts ever conducted in North America, performed by local Haligonians with no training, and an unprepared city government that rose to the occasion. Even the city of Bostondespite long-running tensions between the U.S. and Canadasent 100 doctors, 300 nurses and a million dollars ($20 million today) of desperately needed medical supplies  all without being asked. Bostons overwhelming generosity helped transform the United States and Canada from adversaries to allies.

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After the catastrophe, most Haligonians found the idea of celebrating Christmas too frivolous, even disrespectful. For many families, the mere thought of Christmas was a poignant reminder of their losses. Most of the young survivors, however, hoped Santa Claus would bring them a little joy. But with 10,000 children suffering wounds, the loss of their homes or parents, or all three, they feared Santa Claus wouldnt find them  or worse, would forget them.

On December 17, the editor of the childrens section of Halifaxs Daily Echo  known as Cousin Peggy  started a fund for local children to give them the best Christmas they ever had. She invited her young readers to donate their toys or money so the less fortunate could enjoy a bit of the Christmas spirit. With 10,000 children to help, it was an ambitious task.

Within days, toys, books and money for young survivors started coming in, but it wasnt nearly enough, and time was running out.

Local merchants had already lost their holiday sales, but they eagerly set up Santa Claus Limited, a public appeal for money, workers, gifts and automobiles to deliver Christmas to needy children. They figured they needed to raise $5,000 (or $100,000 today) to deliver 10,000 packages of fruit, candy, and cake on Christmas morning to each child.

On December 21, the Mail carried the call, with photographs of six wounded and homeless children: Although the people of Halifax have performed veritable miracles, they wrote, greater efforts must be made. Tangible Christmas cheer must enter every home over which hangs a shadow cast by the great disaster. You cant refuse THEIR call.

On December 22, the Echo reported that a crowd of volunteers had shown up with $183, but they needed much more. Thats when help came from adults and children throughout the province, collecting for Santa Claus Limited at rural schools, at concerts and just about anywhere people gathered, with more than a few kids emptying their pockets. Editors printed the contributors names in the paper, including the childrens.

Through this grassroots effort, by Christmas Eve the appeal had raised more than $13,000  far surpassing their goal.

With the young patients worried that Santa Claus would not be able to visit hospitals that lacked chimneys, doctors, nurses and staffers  most of them volunteers  worked more overtime to decorate the facilities, and began their Christmas morning rounds singing carols. Children at every hospital woke to find a well-stuffed stocking on their bed, and Santa visiting all of them. The effort was remarkable, but the childrens responses exceeded it.

Evelyn Johnson, an 11-year-old who narrowly avoided having her arm amputated, was recovering at the YMCA where an unusually jolly Father Christmas was making the rounds. It took her a little while to realize it was actually her favorite doctor, an American who had a knack for making the children laugh. She recalled the scene vividly seven decades later.

Meanwhile, at a church hall, Samuel Prince, a distinguished professor who would produce a seminal report on the catastrophe for Columbia University, traded in his black robe for a red gown to play Santa Clause with gusto.

One woman, happily spent after hours of volunteer work, said, I think that today brought me to a greater understanding of the true meaning of Christmas. Rarely has that realization been so hard-earned.

In the years that followed, the survivors would get bigger, more expensive presents, but none they would remember more dearly than the fruit, candy, and cake they received in 1917  simple gifts, delivered through the kindness of strangers.

John U. Bacon is the author of The Great Halifax Explosion, available now.


Scientists have for years cited extreme weather events connected to climate change as a contributing factor in the ongoing European migrant crisis. Drought and crop failure have destroyed livelihoods and driven sectarian conflict, leading to mass migration from the Middle East and Northern Africa to Europe.

The problem is about to get much worse, according to a new study in the journal Science. Researchers behind the study evaluated asylum applications submitted to the European Union from migrants in more than 100 countries between 2000 and 2014, and found a link between dramatic temperature fluctuations and migration.

As temperatures rise, researchers say unchecked climate change could drive a 188% increase in the number of refugees seeking asylum in Europe annually by the end of the century, as migrants seek to escape temperature extremes that might disrupt livelihoods and aggravate some of the worlds thorniest geopolitical conflicts. Even if a global effort slows the pace of global warming along the lines outlined in the Paris Agreement, researchers expect close to a 30% increase in the number of asylum applications.

A majority of [climate change] damages occur in developing countries, and you might think that we in Europe or we in the U.S. are isolated from this, says study author Wolfram Schlenker, an economist at Columbia University. But that overlooks spillovers and how were interconnected.

The research is more comprehensive than previous work looking at climate change and migration. But the threat is nothing new. Senior U.S. military officials have expressed concern about the connection since the early days of George W. Bushs presidency. More recently, a 2014 Department of Defense report described climate change as a threat multiplier that breeds instability and can create an avenue for extremist ideologies and conditions that foster terrorism. And a 2015 paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that climate change had contributed to the Syrian civil war and the refugee crisis it caused.

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However, President Donald Trumps administration has paid less attention to the links between climate change and U.S. national security. Trump removed climate change from his National Security Strategy, released Monday, describing climate policies as part of anti-growth energy agenda.

Security experts say the Pentagon will continue to consider the effects of climate change despite Trumps political rhetoric, but the broader U.S. shift on climate change will keep the U.S. from proactively addressing climate change in a way that could protect from a new migrant crisis. The Trump administration has said it will not consider the impact of climate change outside the U.S. when calculating the benefits of climate change policies. But, as the new research shows, the effects of climate change can quickly extend beyond borders.

Its short sighted, says Schlenker. Incidents that occur abroad come back to hurt you in your own country.
On Dec. 15, Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, took to Twitter to express his concern that the Republican majority on the committee intended to shut down the House Intelligence Committee investigation at the end of the month. Schiff noted that the majority had not scheduled any additional witness interviews after Dec. 22. To date, he claimed, the Republicans have refused to issue necessary subpoenas and allowed witnesses to hide behind nonexistent privileges. He also alleged that the committees work on the investigation remained unfinished and that there were still dozens of outstanding witnesses on key aspects of our investigation that they refuse to contact and many document requests they continue to sit on.

Schiffs fears about the investigations premature end have received some press support in recent days. Both the New York Times and NBC have reported that the committee majority is, in fact, looking to conclude the inquiry in the coming weeks.

The Republicans, for their part, deny Schiffs suggestion that there was an effort to conduct just enough interviews to give the impression of a serious investigation. Instead, they claim they have spoken to everyone they need to and that the investigation has now run its course. As the Times reported:

I feel no need to apologize for concluding an investigation, said Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, one of the Republicans leading the investigation.

Mr. Gowdy confirmed on Friday that he told a Democratic member of the committee, Representative Jackie Speier of California, that the end of the year offered a natural boundary to their work.

In an ideal world, congressional investigations are bipartisan undertakings, and the public can take assurance that an inquiry will conclude only when both sides agree they are prepared to issue reports, either independently or together. Even if they do not agree on the underlying facts, they agree on the underlying fact gathering. Suffice to say, we are not currently in an ideal world when it comes to the functioning of Congress.

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That means its on the public to evaluate whether the House Intelligence Committee investigation has genuinely reached its appropriate conclusion. Is this simply a partisan witch hunt that Democrats are seeking to draw out to inflict maximum damage on the Trump administration, the mirror image of the contentious Benghazi investigation that Democrats insisted was a purely partisan endeavor? Or, conversely, are Republicans engaged in a cover-up, putting on a show of interviews and document review to appease the public while seeking to avoid damaging truths?

One way to answer these questions is to return to the beginning. What was the scope of the investigation in the first place? Do we have the answers that the endeavor set out to uncover?

The House Intelligence Committee first announced the scope of its investigation back in March, saying the inquiry would answer the following questions:

What Russian cyber activity and other active measures were directed against the United States and its allies? Did the Russian active measures include links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns or any other U.S. Persons? What was the U.S. Governments response to these Russian active measures and what do we need to do to protect ourselves and our allies in the future? What possible leaks of classified information took place related to the Intelligence Community Assessment of these matters?

The House Intelligence Committee further pledged:

[T]he Committee will seek access to and custody of all relevant information, including law enforcement and counterintelligence information, consistent with the Committees oversight jurisdiction and investigative responsibilities. The Committees inquiry will not, however, impede any ongoing investigation.

The Committee will also conduct interviews, take witness testimony, and review all reporting underlying the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections. The inquiry will seek to ensure that the ICA comported with all relevant Intelligence Community analytic standards, and that allegations of Russian collusion with any U.S. Persons and the leaks of classified information are fully investigated. While the Committee has access to the reporting underlying the ICA, the Scope of Investigation reiterates the need to expand access to those documents and to ensure they are delivered to and stored at the Committee. It also sets forth the expectation that the Intelligence Community provide any other relevant intelligence to the Committee.

Following the January release of the intelligence communitys assessment of Russian interference in the U.S. election, there were widespread calls for a serious congressional inquiry in the form of a select committee or bipartisan commission. House and Senate Republican leadership staved off calls for those more aggressive steps by insisting the intelligence committees already had sufficient jurisdiction and resources to carry out a full investigation.

Without seeing the output of the investigation, i.e., the committees report, its impossible to know whether the committee has fully answered the questions it undertook to address. But at least as far as the House Intelligence Committee is concerned, there is reason for concern about a bait and switch. That is to say, theres reason to worry that House Republicans endorsed the idea of a House Intelligence Committee investigation into Russian interference in order to prevent more serious  and less controllable  investigative bodies from being formed but then failed to undertake an investigation designed actually to ascertain the truth. With sufficient time now having passed to alleviate the acute political pressure that existed last December, they now seek to quietly wrap things up in a manner that will cause the White House and congressional colleagues up for re-election minimal headache in 2018.

Whats the evidence for that charge? First, there is the desire to end the investigation at this juncture in the first place. Its possible that the House Intelligence Committee majority and minority reports will offer lots of new information that fully answers the questions posed in the original investigative scope. We will be pleasantly surprised if thats the case, but were also not holding our breath. Consider the trajectory of other ongoing investigations into the matter. Despite the insistence of the Trumps lawyers that special counsel Robert Muellers probe is set to exonerate him  in writing, no less  any day now, all available evidence is to the contrary. Mueller appears to be presiding over a complex and sprawling criminal and counterintelligence investigation that involves a great many individuals and a wide variety of matters. According to news reports, individuals working on Muellers team have indicated that they expect the probe to extend well into 2018, if not beyond.

The Senate Intelligence Committee investigation has not been without partisan controversy. Chairman Richard Burr even speculated back in September that the investigation could conclude by the end of the year. And yet, far from wrapping things up, that committee has now turned to investigating a new thread involving the campaign of Green Party candidate Jill Stein and at least one other unnamed candidate. And Burr himself recently said the investigation would stretch on into the new year.

In other words, the other investigations into Russian election interference seem to find new issues to look into each time they turn over another rock. Its a little hard to believe that the House Intelligence Committee is so far ahead of everyone else that it is legitimately ready to wrap things up already. Is it winding down because it is not finding anything? Or is it not finding anything because it is winding down?

Rep. Schiff pointed to two particularly troubling signs that the investigation just isnt that serious. First, theres the failure of the committee to issue what he suggests are necessary subpoenas or to even ask for relevant documents. We dont know how many subpoenas it would have been optimal for this investigation to have issued so far. Perhaps everyone has so fully cooperated that there has been little need for them. Color us skeptical. Indeed, recent court filings claim that despite the complex financial questions at issue, the House Intelligence Committee has issued only one subpoena to a financial institution, for records relating to Fusion GPS, the company behind the salacious but unverified dossier on Trump.

Second is the willingness of the committee to allow witnesses [to hide] behind nonexistent privileges. Witnesses before the congressional committees have been quick to assert vague claims of executive or attorney client privilege in declining to answer questions. Former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page offered frankly incomprehensible but presumably privilege-based grounds for not turning over requested documents to the committee. Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared to rely on an executive privilege claim in declining to say whether Trump had asked him to drop any investigation. Sessionss claim may well be valid, though he did not publicly articulate the precise rationale. And Donald Trump Jr. more questionably asserted attorney-client privilege in refusing to discuss conversations between himself and his father that took place with attorneys present. Some of these privilege claims would likely withstand scrutiny; others would probably not. The legitimacy of a privilege assertion is highly fact-dependent, and we simply dont have all the facts to decide which are valid. What we do know is that the committee has not chosen to test these claims at all. Consequently, witnesses before the committee know that they can use privilege claims as a shield to avoid answering questions. Thats hardly the condition necessary for a productive inquiry aimed at ascertaining the truth.

Theres another piece of evidence that the committee is not done: A lot of witnesses have not been interviewed. Schiff has identified a bevy of witnesses he wants to talk to. According to the New York Times:

Mr. Schiff said he had a list of at least two dozen witnesses whom Republicans have been unwilling to call. According to a committee official, that list includes employees of Cambridge Analytica, officials at the Trump Organization and Michael Flynn Jr., the son of Mr. Trumps former national security adviser who last month entered a plea agreement with Mr. Mueller.

Were certainly not arguing that the committee is not done until Schiff is entirely satisfied, but these do seem like pretty substantial omissions given the committees investigative purview.

In short, it strains credulity to imagine that the investigation is really done at this stage. The majority has the power to shut down the investigation, to be sure, but those who believe that a full investigation remains in the national interest should treat any such shutdown more as an investigative pause than as the final word on the matter. If the House Intelligence Committee investigation fails to fulfil its mandate, the minority should make clear which elements of the committees work remain undone. The minority report should expressly state which questions remain unanswered, which witnesses still need to be interviewed or brought back for additional interviews, which documents were necessary but not requested, and which privilege assertions were left unchallenged. And the minority should make clear that all of these questions will spring back to life the moment control of the House of Representatives changes hands.

If the committee majority isnt prepared to tell the American people what they need to know, the minority should issue a detailed report on the questions that were not asked  and still need to be.
By John Irish TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A hundred meters from the office of Libyan Prime Minister Fayaz al-Seraj in Tripoli, guards at a detention center for migrants had a message for a visiting French delegation: no minister, no journalists, nobody is allowed in. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian went to Libya on Thursday to revive U.N. talks between rival groups controlling the west and east, with a view to stabilizing a nation in turmoil since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. But the Tripoli leg of the visit showed how difficult it will be to find anyone capable of imposing authority, with a weak U.N.-backed government depending on an array of armed factions, each with its own agenda. After meeting Seraj in his impressive office, Le Drian was meant to visit the nearby detention facility to see conditions for African migrants caught as they try to reach Europe. But after CNN aired a video appearing to show migrants being auctioned off as slaves, Libyan officials are on edge, with guards refusing to let the French visitors through the detention camp's thick steel door. "What do you want to call it? " said a visibly tetchy man who described himself as the supervisor. "It is a detention center. Nobody is allowed. Not the minister and not journalists. Not allowed." French officials played down the incident, saying there had been no time for a visit anyway. But it was symptomatic of how Seraj's government is struggling to make an impact, failing to fix anything from electric power cuts to a collapsing currency. Seraj promised to tackle migrant trafficking, but French officials say that will depend on which armed groups are prepared to help him. POLISHED BOOTS While armed factions are vying for control in Tripoli, power in Benghazi is in the hands of one man, General Khalifa Haftar, whose forces have driven out Islamist fighters. "It's a lot more ordered here. There's no doubt here that there is just one chief," said a European security contractor in Benghazi. Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army is made up of different groups, which he struggles at times to control. But the general, who hopes to run for the Libyan presidency next year, sought to impress his French visitor with as much fanfare as possible. Soldiers stood at strategic points, uniforms spotless and boots polished, in contrast to other parts of Libya, where armed groups are more informally dressed in a mixture of uniforms and civilian clothes. Opponents accuse Haftar of Gaddafi-style high-handedness and of trying to revive a police state, something his supporters vehemently deny. He did not leave his office during the French visit, leaving Le Drian to review air, sea and land forces as a military band struggled to play La Marseillaise. Haftar's aides did not allow journalists to film his meeting with le Drian with their phones. "I appreciate the frankness of our exchanges," Le Drian said after an hour-long discussion. "That's quite natural," Haftar responded loftily. Haftar is attempting to position himself as a presidential candidate, but there is still sporadic fighting in Benghazi despite his having declared victory in July. One diplomat recalled how Haftar was envious of Seraj after he met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington last month, perhaps sensing a shift in the Libyan balance of power. "I don't know how comfortable he (Haftar) is feeling, because I sense that this time the security was much more stringent than when we were last here (in August)," said a French official. "He may be feeling some pressure." (Editing by Ulf Laessing and Giles Elgood)
BERLIN (Reuters) - A Berlin court ruling that permits the parents and siblings of a 16-year-old Syrian migrant to join him in Germany will now take effect after the foreign ministry abruptly dropped an appeal of the decision, German broadcaster ARD reported on Friday. ARD said Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a member of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), decided to drop an appeal filed just days ago, allow the ruling to take effect, following intense criticism by top SPD leaders. The ruling was the first to deal with the right of under-age migrants to bring their families to Germany and could set a new precedent, ARD reported. The foreign ministry had no immediate comment on the issue, but Gabriel told the broadcaster: "We know that it is bad, of course, when minors are here without their parents. It's a good thing that we now have clarity." The ministry's reversal on the issue comes as Gabriel's party prepares to enter talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives about continuing the "grand coalition" that has ruled Germany for the past four years. Migration - and the issue of allowing migrants to bring family members to Germany - could be a key topic in the coalition talks, which are due to begin on Jan. 7. Merkel had failed to reach agreement with two smaller parties. The case in question centers on a Syrian youth who arrived in Germany in the summer of 2015 with an older cousin, and was granted only "subsidiary protection" rather than full asylum. In 2016, the government had decided to suspend family re-unifications for two years for migrants with "subsidiary protection", which is granted to people who are not considered as being persecuted individually but in whose home country there is war, torture or other inhumane treatment. The court said that rejecting the family reunification in this case violated child welfare protections guaranteed under the European human rights convention and the U.N. Refugee Convention. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)
Crowds gathered at Memphis Park in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 20 singing the lyrics to Steams Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, while a statue of Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was removed.

A statue of Civil War general and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest was also removed from Health Sciences Park, about two miles away.

The parks were sold to Memphis Greenspace, a non-profit organization that circumvented a state law that requires the city to seek approval from the Tennessee Historical Commission for the statues removal, according to the Tennessean. Approval from the commission was required because the parks were public property. In response to the removals, Republican lawmakers in the state called for an investigation. Credit: Instagram/thephen via Storyful
A fifth woman has come forward and accused actor Danny Masterson of rape.

Actress Bobette Riales, who dated the That 70s Show alum in the early 2000s, alleged on Twitter Wednesday that Masterson repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

I stayed quiet long enough. Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me, wrote Riales. All I seek is justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else as it has for some time. My truth will be heard.

A rep for Masterson, 41, did not respond to PEOPLEs request for comment. The star has previously denied all allegations brought against him.

Riales sent a message of support to Bixler on Wednesday.

I applaud her strength as well. @ChrissieBixler, Railes wrote, adding the hashtags, #metoo #sisters.

Bixler responded to Riales, tweeting, You are amazing. Im so proud of you. He will never do this to another human being ever again. Hes a thief in the night, but he overlooked some incredibly valuable things we still possess. Our voice.

You are amazing. Im so proud of you. He will never do this to another human being ever again. Hes a thief in the night, but he overlooked some incredibly valuable things we still possess. Our voice. ??????????  chrissie carnell-bixler (@ChrissieBixler) December 21, 2017

Masterson is currently under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Earlier this month, he was let go from the scripted Netflix comedy The Ranch.

After discussing with the producers, weve decided to write Danny Masterson off of The Ranch. Yesterday was his last day of work, and well make new episodes in 2018 without him, the streaming service said in a statement.

In response, Masterson denied the allegations brought against him and said he was disappointed in Netflixs decision.

I am obviously very disappointed in Netflixs decision to write my character off of The Ranch, he said in a statement via his rep obtained by PEOPLE. 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 Ive 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.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Masterson could return for parts of the previously announced third season as the streaming giant writes him out of the Ashton Kutcher comedy. He still appeared in the second half of season 2, which dropped Dec. 15.

This article originally appeared on People.com.
Photo credit: Getty

From ELLE UK

When Meghan Markle attended the Queen's Christmas luncheon this week at Buckingham Palace, she joined about 50 members of the royal family at the gathering, from Prince William and Kate Middleton, to Prince Harry's cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. And while the former actress mingled with extended members of her fiance's family, not all first impressions were as to be expected.

Princess Michael of Kent-wife of Prince Michael of Kent, Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin-was spotted wearing a potentially incredibly offensive brooch on her coat while arriving to the palace with her husband. The accessory is a piece of blackamoor jewellery - an ebony figurine which, despite the ornate gold clothing, is usually depicted in a positions of servitude, such as carrying plates of food or waiting on someone.

Photo credit: Getty

Some might argue that European renditions of blackamoor art depicted black figures as noblemen, but mostly this isn't actually the case. These blackamoor figures, frequently spotted in Italian art and European jewellery from the Middle Ages onwards, were a response, as NYU explains, to the European encounter of "the Moors" - darker skinned people North Africa and the Middle East. The gaudy figures are arguably meant to emphasise the strange and exotic "otherness" of people with dark skin, fetishising these races and glorifying their enslavement. It is this emphasis of "Otherness" which is exactly what Meghan Markle herself railed against in her essay for ELLE UK, entitled 'I Am More Than An "Other."'

Blackamoor jewellery and art is considered dated, racially insensitive, and even taboo today. Dolce & Gabbana caused an uproar in 2012 when it included blackamoor heads on a pair of earrings and on fabric prints in its Spring 2013 collection.

It's unclear whether the princess wore the brooch to intentionally make an offensive statement, or whether it was a clueless decision wear the tone-deaf accessory. But to wear it at all-especially at an event where a celebrated biracial duchess-to-be would attend-is simply inappropriate.

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It would be easier to look the other way if the princess didn't have history of racism-but she unfortunately does. In 2004, she reportedly told a group of black customers in a West Village, NYC restaurant to "go back to the colonies" after she complained that they were being noisy.

A few months later, the princess denied making any racial slur at the restaurant, but defended herself with even more tone-deaf comments. "I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black," she said in an ITV interview. The princess added of her trip to Africa, "I had this adventure with these absolutely adorable, special people and to call me racist: it's a knife through the heart because I really love these people."

Eagle-eyed royal fans also noticed the brooch and called out the royal for wearing it at the luncheon.

ummm, did anyone else clock this? notorious racist princess michael of kent wearing a Moor broach while attending lunch with Meghan Markle. pic.twitter.com/Cd8E5gSmyX - Allison Kotzig (@allisonkotzig) December 20, 2017

That looks inappropriate in any setting. - Scout isn't your surrogate (@about_scout) December 21, 2017
The United Nations general assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in a rare emergency session of the global body.

The 193-nation general assembly approved the resolution by a massive margin, with 128 nations in favour, and nine against. There were 35 abstentions.

Mr Trump threatened on Wednesday to withhold aid to any country which defied the threats.

Referencing tomorrow's UN vote criticizing the US embassy move. In the words of the President, "Let them vote against us, we'll save a lot." pic.twitter.com/eUGWD4cCBR  Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 20, 2017

Mali withdrew their sponsorship of the resolution, in response to the US threats of retaliation.

But the majority of countries shrugged off the US bullying tactics and, throwing salt into the wounds in Washington, US allies including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and South Africa added their names at the last minute to the document condemning the decision.

UN vote to condemn Trump recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel

The resolution was vetoed by the United States in the 15-member UN security council on Monday, but the US cannot veto a general assembly resolution.

Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, used her speech ahead of the vote to emphasis that the United States is the single largest contributor to the UN and its agencies, and said that in return it expected support for its decision.

"The arguments have already been made. The decision was in accordance to US law dating back to 1995. The decision does not prejudge any final status agreement. The decision does nothing to harm peace efforts," she said.

"The United States will remember this day when it was singled out in the United Nations for the act of exercising our sovereignty.

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"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. It is what the American people want us to do.

"This vote will make a difference at how America looks at the UN, and how we look at countries who disrespect us at the UN."

Inside the United Nations general assembly hall, where on Thursday a rare emergency meeting was held to discuss Jerusalem

But Riyad al-Maliki, foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority, told the assembly: "We meet today not due to any animosity towards the United States, but because of a decision that counts as an aggression.

"The decision will not affect the status of Jerusalem. Rather it affects the status of the United States as a mediator of peace."

He said they had ignored warnings about inflaming tensions, and described the decision as "illegal" and "provocative".

On the eve of the vote, Mrs Haley had sent a letter warning countries against voting to censure the US, and said that the US will be "taking names".

The president will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us. We will take note of each and every vote on this issue, she wrote.

Mr al-Maliki picked up on her words on Thursday, telling the assembly: "History records names. It records names of those who voted for what was right."

The vote is non-binding, but carries political weight.

Only 10 such emergency sessions have been convened since 1950, and the last time was in 2009, to discuss occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian territories.
A Ukrainian soldier at a frontline position near Svitlodarsk that is frequently targeted by separatist snipers - Anatoliy Stepanov/For The Telegraph

The Trump administration has approved the export of lethal small arms including a multimillion dollar sniper rifle deal, ramping up its support for Ukraine in the simmering conflict with Russia-backed separatists.

Moscow condemned the move as likely to escalate violence.

The state department said on Wednesday it had approved a license for US manufacturers to sell .50 caliber firearms and smaller weapons to Ukraine, including assault rifles, combat shotguns, silencers, military scopes and flash suppressors. Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the license was nothing new since Ukraine has previously purchased small amounts of such weapons.

But The Washington Post reported that the state department had approved a license for the $41.5 million commercial sale of .50 caliber Barrett M107A1 sniper rifles and ammunition to Ukraine. During a trip to eastern Ukraine this week, soldiers told The Telegraph they were outgunned by separatist snipers.

The sale could complicate hopes for new peace talks and lead to further casualties in the war, which has claimed more than 10,300 lives.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova speaks during a press briefing this month Credit: Mikhail Japaridze/TASS via Getty Images

On Thursday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said by selling Kiev the sniper rifles and other arms, Washington was encouraging massive bloodshed in eastern Ukraine and becoming an accomplice to murder.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has reported at least 1,000 ceasefire violations a day this month, although a contact group between the OSCE, Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday agreed a new ceasefire attempt for 23 December.

The US congress authorised the export of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine in a law signed in 2014, but Barack Obama's administration refrained from delivering the arms. The US government is still not directly supplying weapons to Ukraine, and the export of the much-sought Javelin antitank missiles has not been approved.

Secretary of state Rex Tillerson speaks during a visit to Ukraine in July Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Donald Trump reportedly approved the sniper rifle license following a memo by defence secretary Jim Mattis and secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who have, unlike Mr Trump, harshly condemned Russia's actions in the region.

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The commander of a Ukrainian frontline position near Svitlodarsk told The Telegraph this week that his unit had no sniper rifles or heavy machine guns even though they're targeted by separatist snipers. Government troops have complained of equipment shortages.

When the commander, who would give his name only as Gennady, was informed during the interview that separatists had moved toward the unit's positions, he could only tell his men to keep an eye on them.

They're digging a bunker on the other bank of the lake, but it's too far too shoot, he explained.

Ukrainian soldiers unload ammunition and supplies on the frontline near Luhanske Credit: Anatoliy Stepanov/For The Telegraph

A soldier outside Avdiivka said a separatist sniper had killed another member of his unit last week.

The M107A1, which is known as an anti-materiel rifle because it can penetrate light armour and buildings, reportedly has an effective range of nearly 2,000 yards and is comparable to top Russian .50 caliber rifles.
Sholom Rubashkin - The Courier

Donald Trump has exercised his power to commute a prison sentence for the first time in his presidency, freeing a millionaire businessman convicted of fraud.

Sholom Rubashkin was given a 27-year prison sentence for money laundering and was found to have employed illegal immigrants at his kosher meat plant in Iowa.

The businessman was thought to be one of the largest employers of undocumented migrants after a government raid found almost 400 people, including children, working there in 2008.

Rubashkin, who ran the headquarters of the family business, the country's largest kosher meat-processing company, had been charged with hiring illegal immigrants but these were dropped when he was convicted of bank fraud.

The decision to intervene on behalf of Mr Rubashkin came at the urging of numerous members of Congress and law enforcement officials, who argued the sentence was far too harsh for a first-time, nonviolent offender.

President Donald Trump has used the clemency power for the first time in his presidency Credit: Bloomberg

The action was "encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across the political spectrum," the White House said.

The 57-year-old father of 10 has served more than eight years of his sentence.

But the White House stressed that Rubashkin has not been granted a presidential pardon, meaning he will have to pay any restitution and complete a term of supervised release.

President Trump has used his ability to issue pardons just once so far - when he removed former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio's conviction relating to targeted immigration patrols.

Rubashkin was convicted in 2009 for submitting fake invoices to a bank that made Agriprocessors' finances appear healthier than they were so that it could borrow more.

Donald Trump is joined by Joe Arpaio, the then sheriff of metro Phoenix, during a news conference in Marshalltown, Iowa Credit: Mary Altaffer/AP

His prosecution came after federal authorities raided the plant and arrested 389 illegal immigrants in 2008.

The White House said the president's reviewed Rubashkin's sentence after concerns were raised by a bipartisan group, including multiple former attorneys general, as well as prosecutors, judges, and legal scholars.

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"Mr. Rubashkin is a devoted husband and father, a deeply religious man who simply doesn't deserve a sentence of this length, or anything remotely close to it," they wrote in a letter that urged Mr Trump to use his power to commute the sentence.

Rubashkin's lawyer Guy Cook has praised Mr Trump's decision, saying the businessman "has finally received justice."

"The sentence previously imposed was unfair, unjust and essential a life sentence," he said.

"President Trump has done what is right and just. The unrelenting efforts on Rubashkin's behalf have finally paid off."

But the decision was not universally welcomed. Robert Teig, who served as a spokesman for the US attorney's office in Iowa, said that Rubashkins sentence was what he earned because of his conduct.

Really, this is 180 degrees contrary to a tough position on illegal immigration, said Mr. Teig, who said Rubashkin had probably been Iowas largest employer of undocumented immigrants.
Media fact checking is a relatively new phenomenon, but presidential misstatements, to put it politely, have a long history. Go back as far as you like and pick whichever party youd prefer, and youll have plenty of obfuscations, omissions and creative spins on the facts to cite. But the Trump administration appears to be in a class by itself in this regard, at least in recent presidential history. While never quite admitting error, the White House has had to issue a number of clarifications and elaborations, on matters both serious and trivial. Here are a few of the occasions in 2017 when White House officials had trouble keeping their stories straight.

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The Comey firing

Former FBI Director James Comey at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 8. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9, while Comeys agency was investigating the Trump campaign for possible collusion with Russia. After hiding in the White House lawn bushes, then-press secretary Sean Spicer emerged to say that Comey had been fired on the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Per Spicer, Rosenstein had looked into the job performance of Comey on his own before sending a letter to the White House criticizing the directors handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton.

It was all him, Spicer said of Rosenstein, according to the Washington Post, as a reporter repeated his answer back to him. Thats correct  I mean, I cant, I guess I shouldnt say that, thank you for the help on that one. No one from the White House. That was a [Department of Justice] decision.

The next day White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders altered the story, stating that Trump had actually planned on firing Comey for a while but did so after Rosensteins letter. A day later, Trump contradicted his own administration, telling NBC News in an interview that he was going to fire Comey regardless of what Rosenstein had said.

Oh, I was going to fire, regardless of recommendation, Trump told Lester Holt. He made a recommendation, hes highly respected  very good guy, very smart guy. And the Democrats like him, Republicans like him. He made a recommendation, but regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.

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A week later Rosenstein told a group of senators that he knew Comey was going to be fired regardless of what he put in his memo, completing the walk-back of Spicers initial claim.

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The largest crowd

White House press secretary Sean Spicer at a news conference on Jan. 21. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

Spicer did not have the strongest start to his time as press secretary. On Trumps first full day as president, Spicer was dispatched by his boss to insist that the crowd the previous day was the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period. Aerial photos of the event compared with both inaugurations for Barack Obama clearly showed otherwise, and the data  both in official estimates and in public transportation use  indicated the same. Trump called the National Park Service personally in order to find proof that his crowd size was larger, but none existed. The disagreement between the White House and the NPS led to a monthslong investigation by the agencys inspector general, which found no improprieties in the Park Service actions.

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Jared Kushners difficulty with forms

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner speaks to reporters on July 24, after meeting behind closed doors with the Senate Intelligence Committee on the investigation into possible collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

Trump put a lot of responsibility on his son-in-law from the start, placing the real estate heir in charge of everything from solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict to reorganizing the federal government with business school savvy. Kushner has yet to achieve any of those goals. Hes also struggled with accurately filling out the paperwork necessary to work for the federal government. After initially submitting the SF-86, Kushner had to update it in April to include a meeting with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, a misstep his lawyer called an error. The errors continued, with Kushner eventually supplementing the list three times with 100 additional foreign contacts. Democrats asked for Kushners security clearance to be revoked, and the heat turned up as reports surfaced that he and wife Ivanka Trump were using a private email server and that his family was attempting to sell visas in China. The head of the government bureau that processes background checks said in regard to the White House advisers forms that he had never seen that level of mistakes, which is potentially problematic because the forms warn that those who submit false information could be charged with a federal crime and face up to five years in prison.

Kushner wasnt the only one to have a bout of amnesia when filling out forms. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin initially failed to disclose nearly $100 million in assets while neglecting to mention his role as director at an investment fund in a tax haven.

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Manaforts very limited role

Paul Manafort, President Trumps former campaign chairman, departs federal district court on Nov. 2 in Washington. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

As investigations into Russias potential effect on the 2016 election turned to Paul Manafort, Spicer wanted to make it clear that the lobbyist and operative did not play a prominent role in the campaign. Obviously theres been discussion of Paul Manafort, who played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time, said Spicer during a March 20 briefing.

Manafort was the chairman of the Trump campaign, a position he held from May to August 2016, although former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told the Associated Press that Manafort was in operational control of the campaign starting April 7.

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The curious case of the vice president

Vice President Pence talks to reporters on May 10 about the firing of FBI Director James Comey. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Since Trump became president-elect, there are two ways to look at Mike Pences public statements about the campaigns potential ties to Russia, which have had to be corrected on several points. The explanation by Pence and his staff is that the former congressman and governor was in the dark about a number of issues. But Democratic lawmakers investigating the 2016 campaign are asking questions about what exactly Pence knew, and when.

In interviews, Pence initially dismissed the idea that former national security adviser Mike Flynn had discussed lifting sanctions on Russia with Russian Ambassador Kislyak. Flynn has since admitted that the subject did come up, however, and Pences office has said the vice president was simply misled by Flynn, who also lied to the FBI. But Pence has also pleaded ignorance about law enforcement looking into other shady deals potentially involving Flynn. The New York Times reported that Flynn told the transition team that he was under investigation for his work for the government of Turkey two weeks before he was nominated to his extremely sensitive post. An administration official told CNN that despite running the transition team, Pence wasnt aware until March.

Pence also dismissed the idea that the campaign had any ties to WikiLeaks, telling Fox News in October 2016 that nothing could be further from the truth. In November, the Atlantic published a series of direct messages between Donald Trump Jr. and the WikiLeaks Twitter account that occurred two months before the election, proving there had at least been some contact. Pences team released a statement saying he had just learned of the communication with the release of the story. So far the strategy of pleading ignorance seems to be keeping Pence out of special counsel Robert Muellers sights, but some legislators are seeking answers about the specifics of what Pence knew and when.

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Frederica Wilson

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., speaks on Oct. 19 in Miami about the death of Sgt. La David Johnson in Niger. (Photo: Joe Skipper/Getty Images)

The deaths of four U.S. service members in Niger spun into a weeklong controversy that damaged the credibility of chief of staff John Kelly. After initially avoiding an extended statement on the deaths, Trump declared that previous presidents hadnt contacted gold star families, a statement immediately refuted by members of prior administrations. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., then stated that the family of Sgt. La David Johnson found some of the comments Trump made to them in his call to be disrespectful. The president called Wilson a liar and said he had proof, but Johnsons family supported her account.

Kelly, a gold star father whose son died in Afghanistan, was then called in to defend Trump. The general attacked Wilsons character, misrepresenting a speech she had given in 2015 to portray her as a showboating publicity seeker. Video of Wilsons speech showed Kelly was wrong, but the White House didnt back down. Kelly said he stood by his statement and would absolutely not apologize. Sanders said it was highly inappropriate to question Kelly in any way because he was a four-star Marine general.

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Godwins law in the briefing room

Sean Spicer prepares to go on cable news on the North Lawn of the White House on April 11. Spicer apologized for making an insensitive reference to the Holocaust in earlier comments about Syrian President Bashar Assads use of chemical weapons. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

Godwins law states that the longer an online conversation goes, the more likely someone will eventually be compared to Hitler. This does not usually apply to the White House briefing room, but 2017 was not a usual year. In an April briefing, Spicer turned to the genocidal German leader when discussing a gas attack in Syria, saying, You had someone as despicable as Hitler, who didnt even sink to using chemical weapons. Considering Hitlers regime used poison gas to murder millions of people in concentration camps, a reporter offered Spicer the opportunity to clarify. He made it worse, saying [Hitler] was not using the gas on his own people in the same way that [Syrian President Bashar] Assad was doing.

Following the briefing, Spicer issued a second clarification in a statement to NBC News, saying, In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust. However, I was trying to draw a contrast of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on innocent people. It was pointed out that using the term innocent people to describe Syrian victims could be seen as implying that Holocaust victims were not innocent. He then issued a third clarification, amending the final line to read draw a contrast of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on population centers.

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Covfefe

Spicer speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in May. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Andrew Harnik/AP, Twitter)

In May, the president posted a short, sweet, late-night tweet that read, Despite the constant negative press covfefe. The apparent typo of coverage lingered for a few hours before being deleted, with Trump adding Who can figure out the true meaning of covfefe ??? Enjoy! That would have been that, save for Spicers apparent conclusion that it was unacceptable to admit that the president had simply mistyped. The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant, said Spicer when asked about it at the daily briefing, an unnecessarily cryptic response. The mystery surrounding covfefe was thankfully short-lived, but the White Houses response will stand as its most pointless cover-up.

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Best of 2017 Yahoo News Features
The conversation this fall around sexual harassment and abuse has led millions of women to speak out about their experiences and begin demanding change in their industries. Now the movement has reached a new community: evangelical Christians.

More than 140 evangelical Christian women published a statement this week calling on churches to support women who come forward with stories of abuse, and to address what they see as silence by many church leaders and congregations.

Within about 24 hours of the statements release on Wednesday, it garnered more than 3,000 signatures, including prominent Christian women like authors Jen Hatmaker and Ann Voskamp, poet Amena Brown and Lynne Hybels, co-founder of one of the countrys largest churches. The statement features the hashtag #SilenceIsNotSpiritual and kicks off a campaign that will run through Easter.

Count me in! Because there is no doubt in my mind on this matter that #SilenceIsNotSpiritual!  Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) December 20, 2017

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." - Ephesians 5:11#silenceisnotspiritual, it tacitly condones those who commit violence, and betrays vulnerable people that Jesus calls us to hear, embrace and protect. https://t.co/nuCePLMJav  Serene Jones (@SereneJones) December 20, 2017

Women of all faiths, races, cultures and backgrounds are bravely breaking their silence, the statement said, yet many in communities of faith do not match their bravery with action. Instead, feeling the problem is too pervasive, they have acquiesced, leaving whole churches and communities paralyzed.

The women behind the campaign  Belinda Bauman of One Million Thumbprints and Lisa Harper of Freedom Road, according to Religion News Service  said that Christian women, like women of all backgrounds, have been discussing this violence and abuse for years.

This now is not a new now. There have been generations of women in the church that have been saying exactly what were saying for years, Bauman told RNS. It just happens to be a moment of decision where the structures that be can listen or not.

The campaign comes after the #ChurchToo hashtag, where women shared experiences of sexual violence in the church community on social media after the #MeToo movement exploded this fall. A number of Evangelical women have spoken out over the past year about how their community often shies away from political or negative topics.

But that seems to be changing in the age of President Donald Trump, who has been accused by nearly 20 women of sexual misconduct, and Roy Moore, who recently lost his Alabama Senate race after he was accused of preying on teenage girls but still won 80% of white evangelical voters.

We call our pastors, our elders, and our parishioners who have been silent to speak up and stand up for all who experience abuse, the #SilenceIsNotSpiritual statement said. There is no institution with greater capacity to create protected spaces for healing and restoration for survivors, as well as confession, repentance and rehabilitation for perpetrators.

While these women believe their churches should be places of safety, research released this year shows that clergy often lack the knowledge to address violence in their communities. Christian research firm LifeWay Research surveyed Protestant pastors about how they respond to domestic violence, and nearly half of pastors (47%) said they did not know if anyone in their church had been a victim of domestic violence. Most pastors (87%) said they believe a person experiencing domestic violence would find their church to be a safe haven but only half of pastors (52%) said they had a plan to help victims of domestic abuse.

Still, the women who signed the statement hope that by speaking up they can encourage their churches to take action and fight both systemic and individual injustices in our midst.

Doing nothing is not acceptable. Silence is not spiritual, the statement said. And action is not optional.
Beijing (AFP) - A French citizen and her husband have been incommunicado for a week after the couple travelled to southern China to paint a tribute to the late democracy activist and dissident Liu Xiaobo, friends and witnesses said Friday.

Marine Brossard and Hu Jiamin painted a mural at the entrance of a public exhibition in Shenzhen on December 15, but city authorities covered the wall with a banner the same evening, witnesses told AFP. Tributes to Liu are censored in China.

Brossard is a French national, but Hu's nationality is unclear, a friend who has known them for over five years said.

AFP tried to call Hu several times this week, but an automated message said his phone was switched off.

The couple had travelled from their home in the French city of Lyon to participate in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism Architecture, witnesses who spoke with the couple in Shenzhen told AFP.

"We have been trying to reach them but we haven't been able to confirm anything," said the friend of the couple, who asked for anonymity due to safety concerns.

Their painting depicted an empty blue chair inside a room with red bars, an apparent reference to Liu, who was in prison when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

An empty chair stood symbolically in his place at the ceremony, which infuriated the Communist regime.

Liu died from liver cancer in July, making China the first country since Nazi Germany to allow a Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in state custody.

Chinese poet Ye Du, who went to Shenzhen to see the exhibition, said he spoke briefly with Hu after seeing the tribute.

"I was shocked to see it. I never imagined that I would see a public commemoration of Liu in China," Ye told AFP.

Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao reported that its reporter had seen the couple shouting while being taken away from their covered-up mural by plainclothes men after 7 pm (1100 GMT) on December 15.

The Shenzhen public security bureau said it did not have information on the couple.

The French embassy in Beijing declined to make a statement.
Paris (AFP) - Genetically destined for deafness, "Beethoven" lab mice had their hearing rescued by a gene editing technique that holds promise for humans with the same hereditary fate, "excited" scientists said Wednesday.

By injecting a gene "editor" directly into the sound-sensing ear cells of newborn rodents bred with deafness-causing DNA, scientists "disabled" the mutant gene that would have robbed them of hearing over time.

At the age of four weeks, uninjected mice were unable to hear sound at 80 decibels on the loudness scale -- about the level of city traffic.

Treated mice, however, reacted to sound at a much lower 65 decibels -- the level of normal human conversation -- a team of scientists in the United States and China wrote in the science journal Nature.

Some of the lab rodents, dubbed "Beethoven" mice after the German composer who became deaf mid-career, had one ear treated and the other not.

In the injected ears, the researchers noticed much healthier "hair cells". These are the cells responsible for sensing sound in humans and mice, but are killed off by a mutated version of the TMC1 gene.

"We were really excited when we observed hearing preservation in the injected ears but not the uninjected ears" of individual mice, study co-author David Liu of Harvard University told AFP.

As they grew older, by the age of eight weeks, untreated mice did not respond at all to sudden, loud sounds, while treated ones were startled.

"We observed a substantial benefit to hearing function and hair cell health," Liu said by email.

- More precise tools -

Almost half of cases of hearing loss in humans have an underlying genetic cause, according to the research team.

Humans with the TMC1 mutation generally start losing their hearing between the ages of five and 30, and most are deaf by the age of 50-60, said Liu.

Mice typically live to about the age of two.

The team employed the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique, in which the Cas9 protein acts as "scissors" cutting through the disease-causing mutated gene in a cell, to be replaced or repaired.

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Typically, researchers use a deactivated virus to deliver coded instructions for the cell itself to manufacture the Cas9 "scissors".

But Liu and colleagues injected the already-formed Cas9 protein, packaged in a fatty envelope, directly into the inner ear cells.

Delivered this way, the protein was shorter-lived and less likely to cause coding mistakes by moving on to make cuts at other, non-targeted DNA zones before disintegrating.

The work was "an excellent illustration of how the toolkit available to the field of genetic medicine is expanding while the tools become ever more precise," commented Simon Waddington, a gene transfer expert at University College London.

"Hitherto incurable and often even untreatable diseases are now within the scope of gene therapy."

Liu said drug delivery, and potential side effects "are still important challenges".

The results must be repeated in other animals more closely related to our species before human trials can be considered.

Fyodor Urnov of the Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences in Seattle, said more than 5,000 diseases have been linked to gene mutations but scientists have battled to translate this knowledge into effective treatment.

"The progress being made with genome editing is changing this," he wrote in a comment carried by Nature.

"Although Beethoven never heard his famous 'Ode to Joy', it could be that -- thanks in no small part to his murine namesakes' fateful encounter with Cas9 -- we are getting closer to the day when individuals with deafness-causing mutations can be treated by gene editing to prevent hearing loss."
A Missouri convict is now a free woman after the state governor commuted her lengthy sentence after 35 years behind bars.

Judy Henderson was sentenced to 50 years to life in 1982 for what even the trial judge at the time called her "relatively minor role in a robbery-turned-murder.

Governor Eric Greitens commuted Hendersons sentence on Wednesday to time served.

Greitens reached the decision after he and his counsel reviewed thousands of pages of reports, court transcripts, letters, and records related to Hendersons case, the governor's office said in a statement.

The governors legal team met with Henderson and her attorneys and conferred with legal ethics experts and the prosecutor who handled the case.

Commuting Judy Hendersons sentence to time served  more than 35 years  is the right thing to do, Greitens said.

Now 68, Henderson was never accused of actually carrying out the killing of Missouri jeweler Harry Klein.

Henderson was, however, prevented from testifying against her boyfriend  who was accused of pulling the trigger but later acquitted.

"The man who committed a robbery, fired a gun, killed someone, and shot Henderson herself in the process went free, while Henderson, now 68, has served 35 years in state prison," the statement from the governor's office read.

Greitens noted Wednesday that the judge at Henderson's trial said she played a "relatively minor" role in the crime. Supporters also said she received inadequate representation from her attorney.

Since the 1980s, Henderson has asked Missouri governors for clemency. The last three times the Board of Probation and Parole has considered requests from Henderson  in 2004, 2007, and 2013  they recommended that the governor grant her clemency and commute her sentence to allow for the possibility a release to society.

In support of their recommendation, the board found all three times that she was not likely to re-offend.

During its review, the board Parole studied Hendersons record. During her 35 years in prison, she obtained her GED and more than 100 hours of college credit. She received certifications or completed training as a paralegal, fitness instructor, hairdresser, and dog trainer. Over the decades she spent in prison, she became a leader in programs that connect inmates to their families and that give back to the community. Recently, she presented $6,000 raised by inmates to a local battered womens shelter.

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The former prosecutor who originally tried the case, Thomas Mountjoy, also supports the decision.

"I handled thousands of criminal cases during my time as a prosecutor. Judys case is the first time I have supported clemency for someone I prosecuted," Mountjoy said.

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Time to turn the page at Rolling Stone Magazine.

The beleaguered publication has finally just been soldmeanwhile a blockbuster biography of the publications founder, Jann Wenner, has the music business buzzing. The books author Joe Hagan stopped by Yahoo Finance to discuss.

Hagan writes that Wenners madcap, debauched and impossible career as founder and publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine is a perfect emblem of the history and blend of pop culture, celebrity and politics over the past 50 years. Though not a household name, Wenner was a hugely influential gatekeeper and star-maker who was thick with the likes of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and hundreds of other A-list stars and power players. Its a story as high and low as America itself since the 1960s, which is to say sex, drugs and rock and roll are at the very core of it.

Just crack the book open to any pagego ahead I dare you!and you will start reading a mind-blowing anecdote about Joni Mitchell or Ken Kesey or Ray Charles or Charles Manson (those are from my four times opening the book randomly.) To say this book is a pot-boiler does not begin to describe it, which makes sense because thats what our countrys been like since Wenner scraped together $7,500 from family members to bootstrap his magazine in 1967 San Francisco.

Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Now Wenner and Rolling Stone are at a very different time. The magazine, bloodied and battered like most print publications by the digital media revolution, as well as a near mortal self-inflicted wound from a University of Virginia fraternity rape storythat wasnt, has just been bought by Penske Media for $100 million. Its a humbling comeuppance for Wenner who once fancied himself a mogul of Murdochian proportions.

And yet Hagan says it could be worse.

I think given the circumstances of where Rolling Stone is financially, this a good deal for Jann, he said. He saves the company while getting to still have an office, with his fingers in the business. Thats important to him. Rolling Stone is Janns right arm.

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Wennerlike President Trump, 71-years-old and born in New York Cityis stepping back now as many of the stars he helped create fill the obituaries. Wenner created something amazing and also mostly ephemeral. But oh what a time it was.



Andy Serwer is Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief. Read more:
Donald Trump has said his first major legislative victory would be a big, beautiful Christmas present for Americans

Senate Republicans have passed a sweeping overhaul of the US tax code, placing Donald Trump on the brink of scoring his first major legislative victory.



The Senate approved the $1.5 trillion tax bill, which includes permanent tax breaks for corporations and temporary tax cuts for individuals, by a final vote of 51-48. Once enacted, the legislation will represent the most drastic changes to the US tax code since 1986.

The bill was passed along party lines, with every Senate Republican present voting in its favor and all Democrats voting against it. Arizona senator John McCain, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, was the lone member to be absent for the vote.



More than 90% of companies in the US are pass-through businesses, meaning their income passes through to the owners' individual tax returns, where it is taxed at ordinary income tax rates, instead of being filed on a separate business return like a corporation. The bill cuts the top rate on qualified pass-through business income from 39.6% under current law to 29.6%. Below are the savings key administration figures will see, according to the Center for American Progress:

Donald Trump

US president

$11m-$15m

Jared Kushner

Senior White House adviser

$5m-$12m

Betsy DeVos

Secretary of education

$2.7m

Although the bills passage was expected, tensions boiled to a surface as the final vote was held, as Democrats sharply criticized Republicans for a bill independent analysts have projected will disproportionately benefit the wealthy and corporations.

The legislation must go back to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday for final approval, but is expected to pass.

The bill lowers the top individual tax rate from 39.6% to 37% and slashes the corporate tax rate to 21%, a dramatic fall from its current rate of 35%.



In remarks on the Senate floor, Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said Republicans would rue the day when they passed the bill, which he blasted as a disgrace. A visibly frustrated Schumer then chastised Republicans for talking during his speech.



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This is serious stuff. We believe youre messing up America, Schumer, a Democrat from New York, told Republicans. You could pay attention for a couple of minutes.

As the vote occurred, activists in the press gallery shouted Kill the bill, dont kill us. The chaotic proceedings were eventually called to order by vice president Mike Pence, who was presiding over the chamber for what will soon mark a rare but significant achievement for the Trump administration.



After the bill passed, Republicans celebrated the moment in a late-night press conference where Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell hit back against criticism that the tax overhaul was unpopular among the public.



If we cant sell this to the American people, we ought to go into another line of work, McConnell said.

The Senate vote came hours after House Republicans passed the tax bill by a vote of 227 to 203, with 12 Republicans voting against the plan and no Democrats supporting it. The House will nonetheless be forced to vote on the legislation once more on Wednesday, after it was discovered that the bill they passed fell short of the necessary rules for Senate Republicans to pass it with a simple majority.

The Senate subsequently stripped out the minor provisions that were in violation of the rules, clearing the way for House Republicans to hold a second vote on Wednesday and then send the bill to Trumps desk for his signature.

Democrats say the failure to write a bill that would comply with Senate rules  an avoidable misstep  underscored the slapdash manner and lightening fast speed at which Republicans assembled their tax overhaul.

The urgency among Republicans to pass a tax bill before the years end was similarly underscored when they provided lawmakers with a copy of the 500-page tax plan hours before an initial vote was scheduled on the legislation. In an online video, Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana, called it Washington DC at its worst as he flipped through the pages, showing off the handwritten changes in the margins.

After the House vote, Trump praised House Republican leadership for delivering the $1.5tn tax cut plan.

Congratulations to Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Brady, Steve Scalise, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and all great House Republicans who voted in favor of cutting your taxes!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2017

Despite the delay, Congress is still expected to send the bill to Trump in time to deliver what he has promised would be a big, beautiful Christmas present for the nation.

Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, went so far as it call it the worst bill in history in a press conference on Tuesday. She described it as an all-out looting of America, a wholesale robbery of the middle class and said: The GOP tax scam will go down, again, as one of the worst, most scandalous acts of plutocracy in our history.

The tax plan enacts a deep and permanent cut for corporations, slashing the top rate from 35% to 21%. The bill also includes tax cuts for individuals and families of all income levels, with the largest breaks going to the wealthiest Americans. The individual tax cuts are slated to expire in 2025, a move to comply with Senate budget rules, but Republicans said a future Congress would extend them.



This is one of the most important pieces of legislation that Congress has passed in decades to help the American worker to help grow the American economy, Paul Ryan, the House Speaker, said moments after the bill passed. This is profound change and this is change that is going to put our country on the right path.

Congressman Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, added: Today the impossible became the inevitable again.

Democrats were excluded from the closed-door sessions where the plan was crafted. They have condemned the measure as a handout to the wealthy and corporations, and promised to use it as a cudgel against Republicans in the 2018 midterms.

The GOP tax scam will go down, again, as one of the worst, most scandalous acts of plutocracy in our history Nancy Pelosi

Republicans have long pushed tax reform as a way to simplify the US tax code, but the proposal would keep all seven existing tax brackets for individuals. The bill has faced significant criticism because it would limit tax deductions for home mortgages and state and local taxes, as well as adding over a trillion dollars to the budget deficit.

The bill would not only reshape tax policy in the United States. It also contains provisions to allow oil drilling in Alaskas Arctic national wildlife refuge, and would eliminate the Affordable Care Acts individual mandate, which requires Americans to either buy health insurance or pay a penalty.



Despite being heralded by Republicans and the White House as a major accomplishment, the bill is deeply unpopular. A CNN poll released earlier on Tuesday found that 55% of voters had a unfavorable view of the plan and only 33% view it favorably.



Ryan dismissed criticism of the bill, saying results are whats going to make this popular.

Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress but have so far failed to achieve a major legislative victory, relished the moment hours before the vote was scheduled on Tuesday.

Nancy Pelosi was scathing about the bill. Photograph: Aaron Bernstein/Reuters

After final passage, Ryan loudly gaveled the vote to a close while receiving a standing ovation from House Republicans. Ryan has long pushed for cutting taxes and reforming the tax code and the vote on Tuesday was seen as a defining achievement for him.

Congress, meanwhile, is running up against a Friday deadline to fund the federal government. A sticking point over funding Obamacare payments  a promise made to secure Maine senator Susan Collins vote on tax reform  risks a potential revolt by House conservatives and a possible government shutdown.



The White House hailed the House passage of the tax bill and indicated Trump would sign it in the coming days.

The president will have delivered the most significant tax cut in the history of the nation, Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said.

Sanders struggled, however, to defend Trumps assertion in a speech last month that the tax bill would cost him a fortune.

We expect that it likely will, certainly on the personal side, could cost the president a lot of money, she said, while adding: The presidents focus hasnt necessarily been at all on himself.

This is a tax plan that we hope benefits all Americans primarily, Sanders said.

Independent analyses have shown Trump and his cabinet stand to gain millions through a provision within the bill that doubles the exemption of the so-called estate tax. The president is also poised to save up to $30m from the repeal of what is known as the alternative minimum tax, a supplemental income tax intended to prevent wealthy Americans using loopholes to avoid paying taxes.

The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation and the Congressional Budget Office, both independent research groups in Congress, have said the tax bill will disproportionately benefit the wealthy and corporations. As a result, Trump is likely to receive a larger average tax cut than the middle class.

When reporters pointed out the White House could directly address how the bill affects Trump by releasing his tax returns, Sanders insisted they are under audit and therefore cannot be disclosed. Trump used a similar line to justify his failure to release his tax returns as a candidate, breaking with a 40-year precedent for US presidential nominees.
Jesse Vazquez in his home in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, with the generator that his children brought with them from New York. (Photo: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

Christmas marked 96 days since Jesse Vazquezs house on Calle Alameda in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, lost power in Hurricane Maria.

The small generator his children brought him from New York back in October, when Yahoo News accompanied them on their journey, has since been supplemented with a larger one. In the three months since Maria first knocked out the power to the 3.4 million residents of Puerto Rico  who are U.S. citizens  these gas-powered machines have gone from rare commodity to backyard fixture, overpowering the neighborhood with a collective, constant drone.

Its intrusive, its an irritant. Everybodys on edge because these things make a lot of noise, Vazquez said recently. Im trying to get used to it, but Im always glad when they turn off the generator next door.

Jesses mother, Mercedes Mercado. (Photo: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

Vazquez guesses it might be a month before the lights come back on in his neighborhood  but really, he has no idea. He heard somewhere that its taking longer to restore power to homes where the wires run through the backyards rather than in the street  as is the case with his and most of the other homes on his block.

In the meantime, he cant help but worry about the potential health hazards he and his neighbors may be exposing themselves to with the generators not only from the exhaust but from the transfer of the liquid gasoline to the tanks. Were inhaling that stuff.

Hes also concerned by the fact that, beyond his house, most of the traffic lights in Bayamon are also still out.

The intersections are a crazy free-for-all, he said. You gotta play chicken at every intersection.

Three months later, the Vazquez family still relies heavily on batteries. (Photo: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

Though the restoration of several cell towers means Vazquez no longer needs to drive to the nearest shopping center or highway hotspot to get cell service, accurate information about the progress of the islands recovery is still hard to come by  even with a good internet connection on the mainland.

According to Status.PR, the official website used by the Puerto Rican government to display the latest updates on the state of the recovery effort, power generation across the island has been hovering between 65 and 69 percent. But as CNN correspondent Leyla Santiago recently pointed out, generation does not necessarily mean distribution, and that percentage reported by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or AEE, doesnt exactly reflect how many of the islands residents have power.

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San Juan mayor tells me about 50% of municipality has power, Santiago, who has been closely covering the fallout of hurricane Maria in her native Puerto Rico for the past three months, tweeted this week. Utuado mayor tells me about 30% of his municipality has power. Yabucoa..0%.

Jesse with his uncle Pedro Mercado. (Photo: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

Even more misleading than the power generation statistic provided by the AEE is the map that accompanies it. The map shows all but nine of the islands 78 municipalities colored in a light yellow to illustrate areas that have been energized. Among the municipalities in yellow is Bayamon, where Vazquez and his 89-year-old mother, Mercedes, have grown accustomed to life in the dark, dedicating their generator power to the refrigerators and fans to help them sleep.

Map via Status.PR

Recent reports also suggest that the human impact of Hurricane Maria has been drastically underreported.

Ever since Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, knocking out power to the entire island of 3.4 million, the official death count from the Category 4 storm has been remarkably low. When President Trump visited Puerto Rico in early October, he told local officials they could be very proud that only 16 people had been reported dead so far as a result of the storm  making the controversial comparison to the more than 1,800 fatalities caused by Hurricane Katrina, which he called a real catastrophe.

Mercedess Bible lies on a table in the dinning room. (Photo: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

Later that day, after Trump departed the island, the government announced that the official death toll had more than doubled to 34. Since then, the number has slowly climbed, reaching 64 earlier this month. But according to independent investigations by the New York Times and the Center for Investigative Journalism, the actual number of fatalities related to the hurricane is likely over 1,000.

Puerto Ricos Gov. Ricardo Rossello had been a staunch defender of the official death count, but in response to these latest reports, hes ordered a review of all the deaths that have occurred since Maria hit.

Mercedes prepares a meal. (Photo: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

Though the magnitude of Marias devastation has yet to be fully calculated, the dire conditions created by the storm have prompted many to flee the island, accelerating a mass exodus to the mainland that had already begun in response to Puerto Ricos financial crisis. According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, more than 200,000 people from Puerto Rico arrived in Florida during the first two months after the storm. During that time same period, NBC News reported, 7,756 Puerto Rican students enrolled in public schools around the state.

Vazquez and his mother, however, are determined to stay put in Puerto Rico.

Things are getting back to normal, Vazquez said, noting that running water has returned to the house, and the lines of people that stretched across the parking lots of most major stores in Bayamon a couple of months ago have mostly dried up as supplies return to the shelves.

Jesse is still awaiting help with the repair of his home. (Photo: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

A few weeks ago, Vazquez said, an inspector from FEMA came to take a look at a portion of his roof that was damaged during the storm. They told him he wasnt eligible for aid to repair the damage, but that he could appeal the decision.

Its kind of humiliating, he said, explaining that he probably will forego the appeal process. My mom feels more like that, because its like begging almost, for her. We dont want anything for nothing.

Still, Vazquez is optimistic that things might actually be on their way to improving. Last month, with the help of his son, Vazquez was able to purchase four solar panels for his roof, which he hopes will make him less reliant on the generator. Hed long been interested in solar power, but it took the hurricane to motivate him to search for affordable panels.

Jesse hopes these solar panels will free him from reliance on generators. (Photo:: Jose R. Madera for Yahoo News)

One of the positives of this experience, he said, is that people are getting more creative in order to compensate for the lack of amenities. Theres a lot of inventing going on, a lot of seat-of-the-pants approach.

Although it caused all this distress, [Maria] did bring a lot of stuff to light and it did force a lot of people to go in certain directions that can be deemed progressive  to prepare and prevent.

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Best of 2017 Yahoo News Features
Anyone watching the systematic consolidation of North Koreas nuclear weapons capability over the past decade cant help but worry about the parallels with Iran. Like Iran, North Korea insisted for years that its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes  despite a long track record of deception and lies about its true intentions. Like Iran, it accepted an international deal  the so-called Agreed Framework  that was supposed to terminate its pathway to the bomb in exchange for assistance that propped up its crumbling economy. And, as with Iran, the U.S. president who negotiated the North Korean deal pledged that its provisions, including a tough international inspections regime, would enhance Americas security.

Alas, as we all know, it didnt work out that way. Within 12 years of agreeing to dismantle its nuclear program, North Korea exploded its first weapon. Now, another 11 years on, its arsenal could be as large as 60 nuclear bombs. And after conducting three tests this year of intercontinental ballistic missiles, North Korea stands on the threshold of being able to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city in the United States, including New York and Washington, D.C. Its ability to wreak nuclear devastation against Americas closest Asian allies, South Korea and Japan, is already a fait accompli.

Theres no doubt lots of blame to go around for the dire situation that we now confront in North Korea. The failure attaches to Democratic and Republican administrations alike. Whether were now on course toward a similar policy disaster in Iran remains to be seen. But in light of the North Korean precedent, the Islamic Republics longstanding nuclear ambitions and history of military and scientific cooperation with Pyongyang, and the significant shortcomings of the Iran nuclear deal itself, who can be sanguine? Vigilance is obviously called for in an effort to ensure that the mistakes made in North Korea are not repeated with Iran.

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One in particular concerns me here. Its the matter of the overwhelming military threat that North Korea now poses to South Korea  nuclear weapons or not. How many South Koreans would die in a conventional wars first days from North Korean artillery, rocket, and missile barrages is impossible to say. Casualty estimates cover a wide range  from tens of thousands to a million. Thousands of American residents of South Korea  estimated at about 150,000  might also be killed or injured. Seoul, the South Korean capital that lies within 50 miles of the border, would suffer incalculable economic loss, social dislocation, and psychic trauma. And thats not even considering the unintended risks and consequences  both in Asia more broadly and globally  of such a horrific war fought on the doorstep of the worlds other great nuclear powers, China and Russia.

Steve Bannon, U.S. President Donald Trumps former chief strategist, may have grossly exaggerated the consequences last August when he said that, Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul dont die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I dont know what youre talking about, theres no military solution here, they got us. But the larger point that he was making was almost certainly correct. Since at least the 1990s, when the Agreed Framework was negotiated, the potentially catastrophic consequences of any pre-emptive strike against North Koreas nuclear program have heavily constrained U.S. decision-makers. The widely held belief that there is no viable military option that doesnt render a key U.S. ally a smoking ruin has, without question, been an essential pillar of Pyongyangs successful strategy for entering the nuclear club.

Which brings me to Iran. Think about what its been doing with Hezbollah in Lebanon for the past decade or so. Since Israel and Hezbollah went to war in 2006, Iran has flooded its Shiite proxy on Israels northern border with weapons  specifically, with rockets and missiles. The last time Hezbollah squared off with Israel, it had fewer than 15,000 in its arsenal. During 2006s 34-day war, it fired 4,000 of them at Israel, averaging more than 100 per day despite robust Israeli suppression efforts. The vast majority of these were inaccurate short-range systems that sought to target and terrorize civilian communities in northern Israel. Hezbollahs much smaller number of medium- and longer-range missiles were largely destroyed in a lightning strike by the Israeli Air Force in the conflicts first hours.

Nevertheless, some 160 Israelis lost their lives in the war  including almost 50 civilians killed by rocket fire. Hundreds of thousands fled their homes in Israels north. Hundreds of thousands more were forced into bomb shelters day after day. Thousands of homes, apartment buildings, businesses, and schools were destroyed or damaged. Economic losses were measured in the billions of dollars.

That was bad enough. But flash-forward to today. Estimates of Hezbollahs rocket and missile force now range between 120,000 and 150,000. Thats an absolutely stunning number  especially when you consider that the United Nations resolution that ended the war in 2006 allegedly prohibited all efforts to re-arm the terrorist group. Its also a chilling number that now includes a far larger force of more advanced long-range missiles, capable of delivering massive payloads  upwards of half a ton  to every corner of Israel.

Instead of just over 100 missiles per day, the next war is likely to see Israel experiencing barrages of up to 1,500 rockets and missiles per day. Even with the sophisticated, multi-layered missile defense systems that Israel currently fields (which didnt exist in 2006), the likelihood that they will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of incoming explosives, at least in the wars opening days, is very high. With potentially thousands of powerful warheads raining down on crowded population centers, some Israeli planners are preparing for as many as hundreds of civilian deaths every day during the conflicts first week.

It gets worse. Among those longer-range missiles that it has acquired from Iran, Hezbollah almost certainly possesses some that can be classified as precision missiles, with advanced guidance systems capable of midflight corrections and a high degree of accuracy. How many is not clear. Relatively early in the Syrian conflict, when Israeli leaders publicly declared that one of their red lines would be efforts by Iran to transfer game-changing weapons to Hezbollah, stopping the delivery of these types of deadly missiles was uppermost in their minds. Of the more than 100 strikes that Israel has conducted in Syria against convoys, factories, and warehouses, the vast majority have almost certainly been to constrain what it has called the Iranian/Hezbollah accuracy project. But as vigilant as the Israelis have been, its almost certainly the case that some of those attempted transfers succeeded, with an unknown number of precision missiles finding their way into Hezbollahs order of battle.

To foil Israels attacks on its extended supply lines to Hezbollah, Iran is now also building factories in Lebanon as well as Syria that would provide the group with an indigenous capability to produce large quantities of precision missiles closer to home. At least some of these factories are being buried deep underground  as much as 160 meters  in an effort to make them immune from aerial attack. Senior Israeli officials have been ringing alarm bells about the factories since last summer  with a strong hint that if the United States and the international community dont take action to stop them, Israel is prepared to act pre-emptively to destroy the facilities before their production lines open. Indeed, there is evidence that several such factories have already been destroyed in Syria.

The strategic significance of the Iranian/Hezbollah accuracy project is hard to overstate. Given its small size and limited redundancy, Israel is extraordinarily vulnerable if even a few dozen precision missiles breach its defenses and strike key targets: a handful of power plants and water desalination facilities; a few oil refineries and offshore gas rigs; the Dimona nuclear reactor; the headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces in Tel Aviv; a few vital military industrial sites; Ben Gurion International Airport; or the sea ports at Haifa and Ashdod. Perhaps throw in the Knesset and several high-rise apartment buildings. It wouldnt take much to inflict unprecedented damage on Israels home front, potentially taking a major chunk of the countrys critical infrastructure offline. One former head of Israels National Security Council described the potential destruction and casualties that Israel could incur as unbearable.

Its no great leap to see this extraordinary buildup of Hezbollahs capabilities as part of a systematic Iranian strategy to replicate the North Korea-South Korea dynamic in the Lebanon-Israel theater. In short, this would ensure that the costs of any future war against Hezbollah are so catastrophic for Israel that it  as well as its superpower ally, the United States  will be deterred from ever attacking Hezbollahs patron in Iran. Once that shield of Hezbollahs balance of terror against Israel has been established, the Islamic Republic will have the necessary cover to develop nuclear weapons unhindered, at a time of its choosing.

Unlikely? Perhaps. But who could have imagined the extraordinary expansion of Hezbollahs lethality that weve witnessed in just the past 10 years? Where will it be in, say, another decade? Or even more to the point, at the time when  under the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal  most of the critical constraints on the size and scope of Irans nuclear program sunset by 2030? During the debate over the Iran agreement, former U.S. President Barack Obama frequently made the point that if Iran did make a dash for the bomb in 15 or 20 years, the United States would have the same options available to stop a weapons program as we have today, including  if necessary  military options. It was always a fairly vapid assessment. But it was particularly so in the event that any future president might have to consider that any strike on Iran could trigger a Hezbollah attack that would inflict unspeakable horrors on Israel, the one and only Jewish state and among Americas most important allies.

Stopping Irans mullahs from eventually following in the footsteps of North Korea and acquiring nuclear weapons will be hard enough as is. But it will almost certainly be impossible if Iran, through its continued arming of Hezbollah, is effectively permitted to take a U.S. or Israeli military option off the table. Israel is saying with increasing clarity that it will not allow such a balance of terror to consolidate. It will do whatever is necessary to prevent it  even if it risks triggering a broader war with Hezbollah and Iran. Better to face that conflict now, as horrible as it no doubt would be, than to face it later when the Iran/Hezbollah accuracy project is completed and Israels well-being, in the most fundamental sense, could be put at risk.

That should be Americas position as well. Weve seen what happens when the price of stopping a virulently anti-American rogue state from going nuclear becomes the devastation of a critical U.S. ally. The story ends with that rogue state being able to hold all of our great cities hostage to its nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles. Thats the North Korean playbook that Iran ultimately wants to follow. The United States has a vital interest in making sure that it fails.
In 2017, attacks on the news media started at the top, with President Trump routinely using the bully pulpit to call out unfavorable coverage of his administration as fake news, and mainstream news organizations as the enemy of the American people. The presidents verbal assaults on journalists concerned press freedom advocates  from the U.N.s human rights chief, who warned the presidents words could lead to incitement for others to attack journalists, to David Frum, a senior editor at the Atlantic who wrote that Trumps words are a direct attack on  international journalists freedom and even safety.

While American journalists have faced threats of assault and in some cases, actual assault, it is in other countries where local journalists have paid the ultimate price for their profession.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that in 2017, at least 42 journalists were killed as a result of their work (20 more killings are being investigated by the organization, but confirmed links to their work have yet to be found). Reporters Without Borders and the International News Safety Institute (INSI) respectively recorded 65 and 68 news media workers killed this year.

Those figures are down somewhat over the last two years. The simmering conflicts in Iraq and Syria continued to claim the most journalists lives, but the absence of fresh conflict in the Middle East may account for the decline.

Among the reporters who did lose their lives in war zones was 30-year-old Shifa Gardi, a locally well-known Kurdish television anchor. Gardi was reporting from Mosul, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded, killing her and injuring her crew. Described as one of the most daring journalists at the television station Rudaw, Gardi repeatedly returned to the frontlines to report on developments in the fight against the Islamic State. On one trip, she returned holding an injured rabbit, a casualty of war she was determined to rescue.

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Iraqi journalism students hold photos of Shifa Gardi (shown in inset) during a memorial in February. (Photos: Rudaw TV, Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images)

While fewer journalists lost their lives in active war zones in 2017, according to Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, targeted killings of journalists outside of combat did not abate.

In countries where theres no obvious conflict but where they are performing the great duty that journalists perform, which is to hold those in power to account, journalists are being killed, said Mahoney. Those journalists remain a focus. 

Daphne Caruana Galizia, once described by Politico as a one-woman WikiLeaks, epitomized to many the muckraking journalistic bulldog, assailing high officials for cronyism and everyday corruption in her extremely popular blog. At 53, she got her biggest scoop. Mining the Panama Papers  a trove of leaked documents that revealed where many of the worlds wealthiest and most powerful people hide their cash  Galizia wrote about purported links between Maltas government officials and illicit shell companies. Officials denied the story, and Galizia faced libel suits and threats. Her dog was reportedly poisoned.

In October, as Galizia departed from her home, the car she was driving exploded. Her murder appears to have been brutally calculated, a bomb set off by a text sent by someone on a boat.

A white sheet covers the body of Daphne Caruana Galizia (shown in inset) after a bomb blew up her car in Malta on Oct. 16. (Photos: Jon Borg/AP, Darrin Zammit Lupi /Reuters)

In an Oct. 17 Facebook post, her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, who witnessed the aftermath of the car bombing, described running around the inferno in the field, trying to figure out a way to open the door, the horn of the car still blaring, screaming at two policemen who turned up with a single fire extinguisher to use it. They stared at me. Im sorry, there is nothing we can do, one of them said. I looked down and there were my mothers body parts all around me. I realized they were right, it was hopeless.

Malta is an EU country, its not a country were used to seeing any journalists die in, said Anna Bevan, assistant director for the INSI. The way in which she was killed was so ghastly, and it really sent shock waves throughout the industry, and throughout Europe as well.

Matthew Caruana Galizia has since blamed Maltas leaders, and his family sued the police department for allegedly failing to conduct an impartial investigation into his mothers death. Despite the arrest of several suspects who are now on trial for his mothers death, Matthew posted on Facebook on Dec. 7, Whatever those politicians with a lot to lose say, the status of justice for my mothers murder remains the same: complete impunity.

Shifa Gardi and Daphne Caruana Galizia joined an ignominious list of intrepid female journalists killed on the job in 2017. End-of-year surveys found that in 2017, women were killed at a rate more than twice the historical average.

A man touches the casket containing the body of Gauri Lankesh (shown in inset) in Bengaluru, India, on Sept. 6. (Photos: Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images)

Its a standout statistic for us, says Bevan of INSI.

Fifty-five-year-old Gauri Lankesh was the most prominent journalist killed in India in recent years. In September, unknown assailants pulled up on a motorbike as Lankesh was returning from work, shot her in the head and chest, killing her on the spot. Lankesh ran a left-leaning, antiestablishment publication, which among other controversial stances, vocally criticized the Hindu caste system. In the last few years, Indian journalists deemed to be critical of Hindu nationalism have faced relentless online campaigns, including death threats. Female Indian journalists have also faced gender-based vitriol, and have been demeaned as presstitutes by social media trolls. Lankesh reportedly received a lot of hate mail before her murder. Outrage on university campuses over the independent journalists murder led government officials to assign a special investigative team to find Lankeshs killers, who are still being sought.

Mexico set a record for targeted killings of journalists in 2017, according to CPJ. At least six journalists were killed in reprisal for their reporting. In several other cases, journalists were killed for motives that remain unclear.

Javiar Valdez Cardenas covered corruption, crime and politics, and in Mexico all three beats intersect with the deadly drug trade. Exposing truths in his home state of Sinaloa meant regular threats to his life, but Valdez bravely persisted, writing prolifically in various publications and authoring several books on the narcotics underworld. In 2011, CPJ honored him with its International Press Freedom Award.

His last public remarks were made on a live television show. Among his comments, a bold accusation: Politicians no longer have to go to the narcos to seek their backing, Valdez remarked. Nowadays, the narcos are the ones who create the politicians from the start.

Friends and relatives say goodbye at the funeral Mass for Javiar Valdez Cardenas (shown in inset) in Culiacan, Mexico, on May 16. (Photos: Bernandino Hernandez/AP, Rashide Frias/AP)

That same day, 50-year old Cardenas was near the offices of Rio Doce, the investigative magazine he co-founded, when he was dragged out of his car by two hooded gunmen.

The way in which they killed him was very symbolic. He was shot 12 times at 12 oclock [near] the offices of the publication he ran, which means 12th river, says Bevan. It was a standout case of a journalist killed as a direct result of his work.

Based in Michoacan, a hotbed of cartel activity, Mexican journalist Dalia Martinez has seen many of her colleagues killed over the years.

In 2017, she lost a close friend, journalist Salvador Adame. A local television journalist, Adame was abducted by gunmen in Michoacan in May. His burned remains were found a month later.

The last conversation we had was just three days before his assassination, says Martinez. He was the director of a television station, which did a lot of important coverage about corruption.

The murders of Valdez, Adame, and another high-profile investigative reporter, Miroslava Breach, remain unsolved, their cases categorized as crimes with complete impunity under CPJs grim listing.

Friends and family of Salvador Adame (shown in inset) carry his coffin in Nueva Italia, Mexico, on Sept. 23. (Photos: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images, Alan Ortega/Reuters)

Mexicos lack of protections for journalists, the possibility that local politicians and even police may be not only complacent but complicit, and a culture of impunity has made it increasingly dangerous for journalists like Martinez.

She says shes received death threats to herself and her family by phone and in messages sent to her through WhatsApp.

We all are fearful. Always, she says.

And yet, Martinez is a professional. Journalism is her work, and she has no plans to leave it. They can take some of us, but they wont take others, she says. This is what we were born for. This is what we believe in, and we accept our destiny, even if its fatal.

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More than a dozen people were injured, with several in critical condition, after a driver plowed through a busy intersection on Flinders Street in central Melbourne, Australia on Dec 21. Heres what to know:

What happened?

At approximately 4:45pm local time, the driver of a white SUV plowed through pedestrians on Flinders Street, one of the busiest sections of Melbournes central commercial district. The vehicle showed no signs of slowing as it hit multiple pedestrians between Elizabeth and Swanston streets, Australias The Age newspaper reported, but it was not moving at high speed, eyewitnesses said.

Tallies of the wounded vary, but at least 14 people were inured in the incident, which police said they believe to have been deliberate. Several of the people injured are in critical condition.

A witness told radio station 3AW that she heard screams before she saw people flying everywhere.

We saw this white car, it just mowed everybody down, another local business-owner told The Age. People are flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere. According to eyewitnesses, there were 40-60 people crossing the road when the SUV entered the intersection.

Parts of Melbournes public transportation system were suspended in the afternoon, and police advised that access to Melbournes CBD would be curtailed for a considerable period, but city-wide terror alert alarms were not utilized. A planned Christmas light show was also cancelled.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews addressed the incident on Twitter, calling the attack a horrible incident.

Stay safe. Check on your loved ones. And thank you to our brave emergency services, Andrews said.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed the incident in a brief statement. As our federal & state police & security agencies work together to secure the scene and investigate this shocking incident our thoughts & prayers are with the victims & the emergency & health workers who are treating them, Turnbull wrote on Twitter. Australias opposition leader Bill Shorten also commented, saying Shocking scenes in Melbourne this afternoon. Credit to first responders who are doing us proud once again. Thinking of everyone caught up in this atrocity.

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Who are the suspects?

Police arrested two suspects at the scene, including the driver of the car, a white Suzuki SUV. Sky News said the driver was of Middle Eastern appearance. A police officer at the scene described the incident as terrorism-related, but Victoria Police refused to comment on the motivation of the perpetrators.

We believe based on what weve seen that this was a deliberate act. The motivation is unknown. Its still early days in the investigation, Commander Russel Berret told media at the scene.

Victoria Police have asked members of the public with video or photos of the incident to upload them to assist with the investigation, and have directed eyewitnesses to report to Melbourne West Police Station on Spencer Street, where welfare services are available.

How many people were injured?

Over a dozen people were injured, with 14 taken to the hospital according to Victoria Police, including three to the Alfred Hospital and three to Royal Melbourne Hospital. One of the injured is a pre-school-aged boy, who was taken to Royal Childrens Hospital in serious condition with a head injury.

Has it happened before?

This is the second such attack in Melbourne this year. On January 20, a driver crashed through lunch-time crowds along Bourke Street in central Melbourne, killing six people, including a 10-year-old girl and a three-month-old baby. At least 30 people were also injured in the incident.

The perpetrator, named as Dimitrious Gargasoulas, was charged with six counts of murder, along with 28 counts of attempted murder. At a hearing on Dec. 15, he plead not guilty.

Following that incident, Melbourne installed concrete blocks  known as bollards  at busy locations, including Flinders Street, in the hope of preventing or minimizing damage from vehicle attacks, the BBC reported. The blocks were also installed at various locations in Sydney.
Moscow (AFP) - Moscow on Thursday branded US sanctions against Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov "illegal and unfriendly" after Washington accused the key Kremlin ally of involvement in murder and torture.

On Wednesday, the US Treasury hit the Chechen leader with financial sanctions under the 2012 Magnitsky Act, accusing Kadyrov of personal involvement in repression, torture and extra-judicial killings.

"We consider these sanctions to be illegal, we consider them unfriendly, we disagree with them," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Asked whether Moscow will respond to the move, Peskov said: "With some certainty, we can assume that the principle of reciprocity will be observed."

He did not provide further details.

Kadyrov, 41, is one of the most prominent Russian officials to be added to the sanctions under the Magnitsky Act.

A former rebel turned Putin loyalist, Kadyrov has his own militia army and rules with an iron grip the North Caucasus region that was the scene of two separatist wars.

Critics have accused him of amassing vast personal wealth and abusing his political post.

The new penalties, which also target other Russian officials, expose the difficulty of a rapprochement between Washington and Moscow expected by many since US President Donald Trump's election last year.

Relations between the two former Cold War adversaries hit a new low following a US investigation into accusations of Russian interference during the 2016 US presidential election and suspicion of a possible collusion between the Kremlin and Trump's campaign team.
Moscow (AFP) - Russia on Thursday branded US sanctions against Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov "illegal and unfriendly" after Washington accused the key Kremlin ally of involvement in murder and torture.

On Wednesday, the US Treasury hit the Chechen leader with financial sanctions under the 2012 Magnitsky Act, accusing Kadyrov of personal involvement in repression, torture and extra-judicial killings.

"We consider these sanctions to be illegal, we consider them unfriendly, we disagree with them," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Asked whether Moscow will respond to the move, Peskov said: "With some certainty, we can assume that the principle of reciprocity will be observed."

He did not provide further details.

The Russian foreign ministry struck a similar note.

"This all looks very grotesque because it is not rooted in reality," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"These steps will lead to reciprocal measures," she added.

"It is sad that a number of groups in the United States still have an obvious desire to pursue the path of destroying bilateral ties."

Kadyrov, 41, is one of the most prominent Russian officials to be added to the sanctions under the Magnitsky Act.

A former rebel turned Putin loyalist, Kadyrov has his own militia army and rules with an iron grip the North Caucasus region that was the scene of two separatist wars.

Critics have accused him of amassing vast personal wealth and abusing his political post.

The new penalties, which also target other Russian officials, expose the difficulty of a rapprochement between Washington and Moscow expected by many since US President Donald Trump's election last year.

Relations between the two former Cold War adversaries hit a new low following a US investigation into accusations of Russian interference during the 2016 US presidential election and suspicion of a possible collusion between the Kremlin and Trump's campaign team.
Didi Chuxing has scored another investment from SoftBank Group in a massive funding round that will bankroll the Chinese ride-hailing leaders exploration of new markets and technologies.

Didi said its secured new financing of more than $4 billion. That pushed its valuation to about $56 billion and lifts cash reserves to $12 billion, people familiar with the matter said, asking to not be identified as the details are private. The five-year-old company now intends to expand internationally as well as develop self-driving and electric vehicle systems, it said in a statement.

Read: Uber in Talks With 4 Investors in Possible $12 Billion Deal

Didi, the worlds second-most valuable startup, dominates ride-hailing in China after pushing Uber Technologies out of the market. The Beijing-based company has started taking steps beyond the mainland, backing Estonian player Taxify OU while preparing a push into Taiwan via a franchising model. That expansion coincides with a difficult period for Uber, which is grappling with heightened regulatory scrutiny in Europe as well as mounting losses.

The new round is pretty important for Didi. With the Chinese market very much stabilized, Didi has to go out to find new growth opportunities, said Will Tao, an analyst with consultancy iResearch. Its first steps in overseas expansion should be in Southeast Asian markets like Vietnam and Malaysia, because Uber has a strong presence in Europe and the U.S.

The new funding comes after Didi raised more than $5.5 billion in April, a record round led by SoftBank sftby that was said to value the startup at $50 billion.

Matthew Nicholson, a spokesman for Tokyo-based SoftBank, confirmed the latest investment came from the company itself rather than the SoftBank Vision Fund spearheaded by Masayoshi Son. Abu Dhabis Mubadala also took part in the latest financing, the people familiar with the matter said.

Didi is already one of Chinas most richly funded private companies: its backers range from the countrys sovereign wealth fund to e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., WeChat-operator Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Apple Inc. But it needs the capital to expand its research into artificial intelligence and autonomous car technologies, areas in which the industrys largest companiesincluding Uber and Alphabet googl are pouring resources.

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All are vying for leadership in technology that will transform mobility, while also representing a massive opportunity to reduce costs. The Chinese firms advantage may be data on its 450 million-plus users scattered across some 400 cities. It opened an artificial intelligence lab in Mountain View, California this year thats lured dozens of stalwarts in the field.

The optimization of maps and route designs takes a great deal of effort from deep learning, Tao said.

Didis expansion comes at a difficult time for Uber, whose founder Travis Kalanick was replaced by Dara Khosrowshahi after a series of scandals. Those ran the gamut from a leak of 57 million rider and driver records to revelations that the company spied on competitors. Uber, the worlds most valuable startup, lost $1.5 billion in the third quarter, up from $1.1 billion in the prior quarter.

Didi plans to scale up investments in AI talent and technologies, to further build up its intelligent driving and smart transportation capabilities, it said in the statement. The company said it also plans to build out its network for electric cars, such as charging stations.
An Australian naval submarine lost in World War I has been found off the coast of Papua New Guinea, ending a more than 100-year search for the vessel.

Defence Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday, December 21, that the countrys oldest naval mystery had been solved when the HMAS AE1, the countrys first naval submarine, was located by search vessel Furgro Equator more than 300 metres below sea level near the Duke of York Islands.

The vessel went missing on September 14, 1914, during an operation to recapture German-occupied New Guinea.

This footage shows the search team identifying the wreck under water, as well as a commemorative service held on board to remember lost lives.

The exact location of the wreck will be kept secret while the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments formulate a plan to preserve the wreck, the ABC reported. Credit: Australian Defence Force via Storyful
Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - Major powerbrokers agreed Friday to hold a peace congress for Syria in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi in late January after previous attempts to hold the conference collapsed.

Sochi will host the "Congress of National Dialogue" on Syria on January 29 and 30, said a joint statement released after two days of talks spearheaded by Russia and Iran, both key backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and rebel-aligned Turkey.

The congress will see "the participation of all segments of Syrian society," said the statement released in the Kazakh capital Astana.

"To this end three guarantors will hold a special preparation meeting in Sochi before the congress on 19-20 January," it added, referring to Russia, Turkey and Iran.

But a list of prospective participants was not released and the opposition did not immediately confirm participation.

A previous attempt to convene the Sochi congress in November failed following a lack of agreement among would-be participants.

Turkey has said it will be opposed to any talks involving the Kurdish YPG militia of the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been hoping to convert Moscow's game-changing military intervention in Syria into a political settlement on his terms.

In November, he convened the leaders of Turkey and Iran in Sochi to discuss the plan for the peace conference.

While both Russian officials and Assad have spoken enthusiastically of the plan, rebel representatives have been wary and the United Nations has yet to firmly endorse it.

Head of the Syrian government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari said Friday that the congress would "pose a basis for dialogue between the Syrians" and confirmed the government would attend.

- 'Not a rejection' -

The opposition was more cautious, although Ayman al-Aasemi, a member of the opposition delegation in Astana, told AFP there was "an openness to the idea of Sochi".

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"It's not a rejection. We've asked for more details -- how often it will meet, what's the essential goal," said Aasemi, who also credited Moscow with "opening up" during the latest round of talks.

"According to the Russians, the constitution and the elections will be the main topics."

"We will go back to our popular base and the people we represent in Syria, and see what our interest is in attending this conference. But in my view, it's better to attend than not attend."

The head of the opposition delegation in Astana, Ahmad Tohmeh, said the opposition would have to "hold consultations with our military and political leaders" before confirming participation.

"(The Syrian regime) is participating in peace talks but they are killing our people. How can we talk about a national dialogue?" Tohmeh asked emotionally on Friday.

- A cautious UN -

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura's office acknowledged Friday the plan to hold the congress in January without throwing full support behind it.

"The United Nations maintains its view that any political initiative by international actors should be assessed by its ability to contribute to and support the mandated political process under the United Nations in Geneva," de Mistura's office said in a statement.

The UN envoy held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday.

The Astana talks have run in parallel to the negotiations taking place in Geneva with the backing of the United Nations, but neither set of talks have borne much fruit.

Since the start of Syria's war in 2011, several diplomatic attempts to halt the conflict have stumbled, mainly over Assad's future.

A fragile ceasefire brokered at the end of last year by Moscow and Ankara has been bolstered somewhat by the negotiations in Astana.

The talks there have focussed on implementing four de-escalation zones to stem fighting between government and rebel forces, among other issues.

But both Damascus and the rebel factions have regularly accused one another of violating the ceasefire the zones were intended to bolster.

The second day of the talks in Astana coincided with the anniversary of a devastating and strategically crucial victory by Syrian forces in Aleppo, the country's second-largest city and once a rebel stronghold, after a blistering Russian-backed offensive.

Since the victory over Aleppo, Damascus has consolidated control over much of the country, wresting territory from extremist factions not party to the truce, particularly the Islamic State group.

The war in Syria has left more than 340,000 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will legalize sales of marijuana-based medicines, foods, drinks, cosmetics and other products early next year, its health regulator said on Wednesday, bringing some forms of cannabis into legal commerce even as the country struggles with the illicit drug trade. Mexico legalized the use of marijuana for medical and scientific needs in June but has maintained a ban on recreational use and cultivation. Arturo Tornel, spokesman for health regulator Cofepris, said that the agency plans to formally publish the regulation for pot-based goods within days, allowing those items to enter the Mexico market as soon as a month later. He added that Cofepris expects distributors and retailers to import the items, with some companies eventually producing items in Mexico using marijuana grown abroad. The regulation does not apply to sales of pure marijuana. Legalization has stirred debate as Mexico grapples to curb drug trafficking, a major income source for the violent drug cartels that have killed 140,000 people in Mexico over the past decade. Mexican cartels still make millions of dollars from smuggling marijuana into the United States, despite the trend toward legalization north of the border. Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico have also legalized medical marijuana, and Uruguay blazed a trail in 2013 by becoming the first country to allow the commercial cultivation and distribution of weed. Recreational marijuana is still broadly prohibited in Mexico, but in 2015 the Supreme Court granted four people the right to grow their own marijuana for personal consumption, opening the door to legalization. (Reporting by Diego Ore and Noe Torres; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
DNC Chair Tom Perez speaks during a Come Together and Fight Back tour in Miami in April. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Tom Perez generally speaks in paragraphs, but he keeps coming back to a two-word mantra: Organize everywhere.

After the election of a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in deep-red Alabama, that sounds like the kind of typically opportunistic thing any politician might say. But Perez, the head of the Democratic National Committee, sees it as central to rebuilding the party since he took the job a year ago.

We were the party of organizers, Perez said in a recent interview with Yahoo News. We were the party that had a presence everywhere. And we stopped doing that. We became too transactional.

Perez recounted a conversation with a voter who told him, You cant show up at my church every fourth October and tell me that you care. He agreed with that voters critique. Thats what we became, he said.

Now, Perez feels a wind at his back following Doug Joness win in Alabama and the Democrats huge victories in Virginia, where they retained the governorship and either won or tied for control of the states House of Delegates. On a conference call with reporters the morning after Joness victory, Perez called it part of a new blue wave and predicted similar results for the party nationally in the fall of 2018.

Supporters of Doug Jones celebrate at an election-night watch party in Birmingham, Ala. (Photo: John Bazemore/AP)

I think we will win the House of Representatives. I think we will win the U.S. Senate, he said. He also predicted that Democrats will win gubernatorial races in the traditionally Republican strongholds of Georgia and Kansas.

Its a far cry from the mood inside the party just a year ago. Perez took the helm of the DNC in February, when it was still reeling from Trumps stunning presidential upset and a brutal campaign that featured Democratic infighting fueled by a Russian hack that saw these internal disputes leak into the public sphere.

Weve had success up and down the ticket, and in red and blue states, and purple states alike, said Perez. The challenge for us is scale. We now have to do this in many more places, because the 2018 cycle involves a lot more elections.

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The DNC cant take too much credit for the results. President Trumps record-low approval rating fueled the recent Democratic surge. And in Virginia, the DNC played a secondary role to the state Democratic Party. Democrats knocked on nearly 4 million doors in Virginia, but only about a quarter-million of those contacts were by DNC operatives. The national party contributed $1.5 million, but Democrat Gov.-elect Ralph Northams campaign raised $38 million overall.

Gov.-elect Ralph Northam, center, links arms with current Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Lt. Gov.-elect Justin Fairfax, Attorney General Mark Herring and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner at an election night rally. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

But Perez can take credit for positioning the party to take advantage of anti-Trump fervor. He is leading the way toward recognizing the basics, that Democrats can win everywhere if we are building relationships everywhere.

A lot of this job aint sexy, you know? Its an infrastructure job and its a messaging job. I sometimes refer to myself as Tom the Plumber, Perez said.

Perez, a mild-mannered former prosecutor who headed the Justice Departments civil rights division and served as secretary of labor under President Barack Obama, took control of the DNC amid furious finger-pointing that followed the loss to Trump. The blame game included two high-profile campaign memoirs, Hillary Clintons What Happened and Hacks by Donna Brazile, Perezs immediate predecessor who stepped in as interim DNC chair following the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Both of these books painted an ugly picture of the DNC. Clinton has criticized the party as bankrupt with mediocre to poor data on potential voters. In Hacks, Brazile described the DNC as a neglected child that became overly reliant on funds from Clintons campaign.

Brazile told Yahoo News she has kept an arms-length approach to the DNC after being exhausted by last years campaign. Nevertheless, she offered praise for what she described as a change in the party under Perez, with increased investment in non-battleground states and down-ballot races.

The DNC has been at rough seas for a while, and I think the ship is getting back on course, Brazile said. For his part, Perez said he has not read Braziles book, which was released on Election Day. Perezs voice was dripping with sarcasm as he discussed Braziles decision to air the partys dirty laundry as voters went to the polls.

Yeah, that was real helpful, he said.

Perez acknowledged that Democrats allowed their organizing and data infrastructure to atrophy during the Obama years. He wants to return to the 50-state strategy that former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean implemented when he led the DNC from 2005 to 2009.

Perezs message is a mirror image of what Republicans said about themselves after Obamas 2012 reelection. Its also a vindication of the critique the GOP made of Obamas Democratic Party. Mike Shields, the RNCs chief of staff from 2013 to 2014, talked incessantly in those days of how the Democrats had built a movement that was powerful but also temporary because it was oriented around one person  Obama  rather than a party.

Perez said that a major factor in Hillary Clintons loss to Trump was that the Republican National Committee beefed up its organizing and tech infrastructure in the years leading up to the 2016 election, even as the organization that Obama created to enable his rise to power, Organizing for America, drew attention and resources away from the Democratic National Committee.

People would much rather contribute to that next Barack Obama, because thats way cool, Perez said. But what I think people are appreciating is that, as [former RNC Chairman] Reince Priebus said, a key to their success was persuading their investors that the infrastructure of elections was every bit as important as the candidate themselves. They figured that out, they invested big-time, and they kicked our butt.

President Barack Obama makes phone calls to volunteers at an Organizing for America field office in 2012. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Weve kind of experimented over the last eight years with the hypothesis that we can win elections by working around a weak party infrastructure. And I think we have overwhelming evidence that that doesnt work, said Perez.

After Trumps shocking win, pundits focused extensively on the fact that support for Democrats had declined among working-class white voters in key states. Turnout was also down among key portions of the Democratic base like young voters and minorities. But Perez said the party has taken steps to improve this and cited Joness victory in Alabama, which was heavily aided by an even larger turnout among African-Americans in the state than Obama drew in 2012.

According to Perez, this was no fluke. After Joness win, he said the DNC had increased its investment in state parties by a third in order to develop organizations on the ground in critical communities. Perez also noted that the DNC established an innovation fund to increase its investment in African-American, Latino and millennial voters. If the party gets in front of these voters, Perez believes it has a stronger message for them than Trump and the GOP.

They want someone whos fighting for the things they care about  jobs, and health care and quality education  instead of fighting the culture wars, Perez said.

In the Alabama race, Perez said that all of the nearly $1 million the party spent was geared toward African-American and millennial turnout. Jones ended up with even higher black turnout than Obama, the first African-American president. For Perez, this is proof of the partys improved approach.

For Perez, bolstering the partys infrastructure also involves regaining the DNCs lead in the technological arms race. Obamas victories were widely credited to a superior data operation and innovative use of digital tools, but Perez believes the Democrats have been leapfrogged by the RNC since 2012. To remedy this, Perez has sought to beef up the partys tech team. To head the operation, he hired Raffi Krikorian, who had been a top engineer on Ubers self-driving car project, to be the partys chief technology officer.

Literally the first question he asked me was  What are we gonna do about my cyberproblem? And I politely asked him to never call it the cyberproblem ever again, Krikorian said in a conversation with Yahoo News.

Raffi Krikorian, then-director of Ubers Advanced Technologies Center, at the launch of the pilot model of the Uber self-driving car in 2016. (Photo: Angelo Merendino /AFP/Getty Images)

In addition to strengthening the party for its combat with Republicans, a major goal of the DNCs tech team is protecting the party from external threats. Emails hacked from the DNC were released ahead of the partys 2016 convention and exacerbated a contentious primary fight between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The messages, which U.S. intelligence agencies said were released by hackers linked to Russia, fed the impression that the party favored Clinton and led to Wasserman Schultzs departure.

Brazile, who took over as interim chair, wrote that the party was woefully behind on cybersecurity. She described facing daily digital attacks in the home stretch of the campaign from hackers that her team believed came from Russia. Brazile also suggested that the party faced physical threats. She said her 13-year-old Pomeranian, Chip, died in April of this year, shortly after she relinquished control of the DNC. She said her veterinarian believed the dog ate poison. Yahoo News asked Brazile, who said she consulted with seasoned national security experts during the campaign, if she believed the Russians played a role in her pets death. Opponents of the Russian government and American officials have said the Kremlin employs a wide variety of harassment and intimidation techniques, including allegedly killing a U.S. diplomats dog. Brazile noted that her advisers had told her to leave the dog with friends during the race.

Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile speaks at the University of Chicago on Nov. 13, holding her just-published book, Hacks. (Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images)

I was also told that this was a campaign unlike any others, and I was given the playbooks of what happened in Europe. And so I didnt bring my dog home until after it was really over with.  And then the first week I bring him home  a week later hes dead and the vet thinks he had gotten rat poison, Brazile said.

Perez and his team believe the party remains under threat. Krikorian, the DNCs new technology chief, said the party faces interesting attacks every single day.

Whether theyre from the Russians or not, like I dont really care, Krikorian said.

While he is confident in the steps its taken to beef up security, Krikorian thinks the DNC will never be safe from hackers.

Along with facing these external threats and battling his Republican rivals, Perez also has a big job in uniting the Democrats. After rebuilding the party infrastructure, his other main goal as party chair, he said, is to put in place a presidential nominating process that is fair in fact, and fair in perception, after the hacked emails left many voters feeling the scales were tipped in Clintons favor in her primary against Sanders. Sanders, although he ran for president as a Democrat, is actually an independent.

Perezs race for DNC chair was widely viewed as an extension of that race between Sanders and Clinton. Perez, who was on Clintons short list of potential running mates, was cast as the establishment candidate, while Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison had Sanderss backing. But Perez believes that view doesnt reflect the reality on the ground. He hopes to convince the various wings of the party that what we have in common far exceeds what our differences are.

Keith Ellison and Tom Perez speak during the DNCs winter meeting in Atlanta in February. (Photo: Chris Berry/Reuters)

We have to have situational awareness about what the greatest existential threats are, Perez said. I think people understand that, while we have to look at what happened in 2016, we also have to understand that Donald Trump is an existential threat to democracy.

Immediately after defeating Ellison, Perez invited his former rival to the newly created position of deputy chair. Following the Democratic convention and the hacking drama that preceded it, the party agreed to create a Unity Reform Commission that would make recommendations for a fairer primary process.

The commission, which included members appointed by Sanders, Clinton and Perez, was meeting as the DNC chairman sat down with Yahoo. Among other things, the commission took steps to make primaries and caucuses more inclusive while dramatically reducing the number of unelected superdelegates, who have chosen the partys presidential nominee in the past. Following the vote, Sanders expressed the hope that the party would adopt the commissions recommendations.

The Democratic Party will not become a vibrant and successful 50-state party until it opens its doors widely to the working people and young people of our country, Sanders said in a statement. I am extremely pleased that the Unity Reform Commission has begun that process, voting nearly unanimously to limit the role of superdelegates, along with making our caucuses and primaries more democratic.

In his comments to Yahoo, Perez expressed excitement about the commission and indicated he would follow its recommendation to reduce the number of superdelegates.

Our unity commissions going to finalize their report today, and theres a lot of really edgy stuff in there. Were dramatically reducing the number of superdelegates, probably by something like 60 percent, said Perez. The only superdelegates left, basically, are going to be elected officials, members of Congress, governors, folks like that. Everybody else is going to change.

Many Sanders supporters view Perezs response to the unity commissions recommendations as a major test of his leadership and willingness to embrace the progressives and independents brought into the fold by Sanders. Jeff Weaver, a close Sanders adviser who managed his presidential campaign and was active in the unity commission process, told Yahoo News that the partys response to the commission will be a critical moment. Weaver credited the DNC with providing staff to help run the commission meetings and suggested he was heartened by Perezs remarks following the vote.

Nobody wants Tom Perez to fail the test or expects that he will, Weaver said.

For Weaver, the real question is whether Perez will push the commissions recommendations with Democratic leaders who are wary of the changes.

There are going to be elements within the party establishment who are going to be hesitant to embrace any kind of change, explained Weaver. The chairman is going to have to use not only the bully pulpit but also the telephone to get on and explain to people who are reluctant to embrace change that this is what is needed at this moment in history to revitalize the party.

Tom Perez speaks at a May rally against President Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Nevertheless, Weaver said its not right to view the party as torn between Clinton and Sanders supporters. He dismissed this as an easy media narrative and said the real divide among Democrats is between those who want the party to return to its working-class roots and a sort of like neoliberal aberration that happened in the 90s where the party became more corporate. And Weaver suggested the schism between different wings of the party will persist even if the DNC heads on a path to reform.

Still, Weaver has no doubt Perez is an improvement over his predecessor.

Over Debbie Wasserman Schultz? Is that your question? Is that a question that requires an answer? Weaver asked incredulously. I assume it was rhetorical. It had to have been a rhetorical question.

Perezs ambition is to do more than just win the 2018 and 2020 elections. He noted that the last 20 years have seen the Democrats and Republicans constantly trade supremacy in voter targeting and turnout capabilities, from Karl Roves operation for George Bush to the Obama campaigns to the present.

We got leapfrogged in 2016, Perez said. If you look at the last 20 years, its kind of been a game of leapfrog.

Now, Perez said, Im confident that were going to leapfrog them, but what I want to do differently is leapfrog and sustain over a period of time.

Best of 2017 Yahoo News Features
Picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 13 December 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un: -/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea said it will take revenge on the US for saying Pyongyang is developing biological weapons.

North Korea said via its state media Korean Central News Agency that: as a state party to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), [it] maintains its consistent stand to oppose development, manufacture, stockpiling and possession of biological weapons."

"The more the US clings to the anti-[North Korea] stifling move...the more hardened the determination of our entire military personnel and people to take revenge will be, said the KCNA.

KCNA called the US claims "groundless" and said it was just an excuse for harsher sanctions after President Donald Trump labelled North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The Trump administration made the assertion that the isolated Asian country was developing a missile capable of carrying the biological weapons as well in its National Security Strategy document.

The 55-page document focused on Mr Trump's "America First" approach to security and stated: "North Koreaa country that starves its own peoplehas spent hundreds of millions of dollars on nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that could threaten our homeland."

The administration also wrote that: "North Korea is also pursuing chemical and biological weapons which could also be delivered by missile."

According to a 2016 report by the Korea Institute for Defence Analyses, North Korea has 13 types of pathogens that can be weaponised such as anthrax and clostridium botulinum.

The US claims and subsequent North Korean denial come at a time when South Korean officials proposed a delay in military drills with the US in order to ensure a peaceful 2018 Winter Olympics, not ease tensions with North Korea and China.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is seeking to soothe relations with Pyongyang and with China, the North's lone major ally, before the Olympics begin in South Korea in February.

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China, which hosted years of on-again-off-again talks to try to end the North Korea standoff, resumed some blocks on group tours to South Korea and rebuked Seoul for firing warning shots at Chinese fishing boats.

A spokesperson for South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the proposed delay was "confined to our efforts to host a peaceful Olympics. We are only talking about the exercises which are supposed to take place during the Olympics and Paralympics."

Mr Moon had travelled to China to discuss the proposal last week, after it had been presented to the US.

North Korea sees the regular joint exercises as preparation for war.

China has maintained that the deployment of a US anti-missile system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) near Seoul is a threat to it because South Korea could use the powerful radar to see deep inside China's territory.

The South argues it needs Thaad to guard against the threat posed by North Korea.

China and Russia have proposed a "freeze for freeze" arrangement under which North Korea would stop its nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises.

However, South Korea has denied that the proposed delay had anything to do with the "freeze" idea.
North Korea is experimenting with the possibility of arming warheads for its intercontinental ballistic missiles with ANTHRAX, it has been reported.

An unidentified person connected to South Korean intelligence reportedly told Japans Asahi newspaper that the tests are looking at whether anthrax can survive the temperatures reached during warheads re-entry from space.

The report is also said to state that the US government is aware of the tests  which North Korea reportedly has strongly denied and threatened to take revenge on the US for saying it is developing biological weapons.

In a statement issued via the state Korean Central News Agency, the regime said it is party to the Biological Weapons Convention and maintains a consistent stand against the development, manufacture, stockpiling and possession of biological weapons.

Denial  North Korea has reportedly denied the allegations that it is testing warheads loaded with anthrax (Pictures: AP)

The revelation comes as the UKs Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said North Korea is currently on the way to developing ballistic missiles which could strike London, branding the country a massive threat and a real danger to Britain.

Pressed on whether the UK is making preparations to deal with North Korea if necessary, Mr Williamson said Britain has to step up.

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He told the Evening Standard: This isnt just a problem for the United States, this is a global problem. Britain has to step up in terms of dealing with it, there are threats emerging right around the world.

Britain is global player, it is a world player. We will never hesitate to deal with aggression and threats, and that is what we have been known for doing in the past and that is what we continue to do.

Step up  Britains Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, left, says Britain has to step up against North Korea

On Monday, President Trump unveiled a new US national security strategy which includes strengthening the countrys cyber defence capabilities, and highlighted the threats of rogue regimes like North Korea.

America has also publicly blamed the country for the WannaCry cyber attack which hit the NHS and networks around the world.
Bamako (AFP) - Mali's ousted former president Amadou Toumani Toure will return to the country on Sunday for the first time since the coup that deposed him, he told AFP.

Mutinous soldiers overthrew the government and detained Toure on March 22, 2012, precipitating the fall of the country's northern territory to Islamist rebels allied with Al-Qaeda.

The coup led by army captain Amadou Sanogo toppled what had been heralded as one of the region's most stable democracies, and Toure has been living in exile in neighbouring Senegal ever since.

Mali's current president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (also known as IBK), took office in September 2013 in an election held after Sanogo agreed to step aside.

"With the agreement of Mali's president, I will return to Bamako on Sunday," Toure told AFP by phone, in what is believed to be his first public statement since he left the country.

"I am happy. I would like to thank the Senegalese authorities. I will see my brother, President IBK, on Sunday, and I am not there to do politics," he added.

Keita said at an event earlier in the day the moment had arrived "for us to tell our brother Amadou Toumani Toure to return to Mali".

Mali holds a presidential election in 2018 but Keita has yet to say whether he will seek another term.

"I will send a state plane to fetch him and bring him back to Mali," Keita added, describing how he had invited the ex-leader for lunch on Sunday.

Toure was accused by Keita's government of treason over the failure of soldiers to tackle a rebellion led by Tuareg people that eventually led to jihadists trying to take over the country. The charges were dropped last year.

Islamist militants took control of northern cities in Mali in March and April 2012 but were chased out by a French-led military operation launched in January 2013, which is still under way.

Mali's army, French soldiers and a UN mission (MINUSMA) have little control of large tracts of the country, which regularly come under attack in spite of a peace accord signed with Tuareg leaders in May and June 2015, aimed at isolating the jihadists.
By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead at least two Palestinians and wounded about 60 with live fire on Friday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said, as protests intensified against Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A U.N. General Assembly resolution passed on Thursday, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 Jerusalem declaration, did little to calm Palestinian anger over his reversal of decades-old U.S. policy on the contested holy city. Instead, thousands of Palestinian protesters, many of them throwing rocks, confronted Israeli security forces along the Gaza border fence, in all of occupied West Bank's seven cities and in East Jerusalem. In Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, smoke from burning tires billowed in the street, just two days before Christmas celebrations. Israeli gunfire killed two Palestinians in a confrontation in the southern Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry said, putting the number of wounded at 120, half of them shot with live ammunition and the rest struck by rubber bullets or hit by tear gas canisters. In a statement, the Israeli military said some 2,000 Palestinians had faced off against the troops at the Gaza border fence. It said the crowd threw stones and rolled burning tires at soldiers, who responded with "riot dispersal" measures and "fired live rounds selectively towards main instigators". Protesters chanted "Trump is a coward. Trump is a fool". Among the wounded was a man dressed as Santa Claus. Palestinian health officials said at least one Palestinian suffered a live bullet wound in the West Bank and some 30 protesters were hit by rubber bullets. The military, putting the number of demonstrators at about 1,700 and the injured at six, said troops faced firebombs, rocks and burning tires. The protests died down after sunset. Demonstrations have been held daily since Trump's announcement. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a Christmas message, called the U.S. leader's move "an insult to millions of people worldwide, and also to the city of Jerusalem". "HOUSE OF LIES" Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in a move never recognized internationally. Most countries regard the status of Jerusalem as a matter to be settled in an eventual Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, although that process is now stalled. A total of 128 countries voted for the U.N. resolution. Nine opposed it and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Gaza's dominant Hamas Islamists, called the U.N. vote a defeat for Trump, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the resolution as "preposterous" and branded the U.N. a "house of lies". But Michael Oren, Israel's deputy minister for diplomacy, seemed to play down the support for the resolution shown by many countries Israel considers friends. "We have an interest in tightening our bilateral relations with a long list of countries in the world, and expect and hope that one day, they will vote with us, or for us in the United Nations," Oren said on Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM. "But I am not prepared to suspend all cooperation with important countries, such as India," he said. Netanyahu, who hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, is due to visit New Delhi next month. Friday's deaths in Gaza raised to 10 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire since Dec. 6, Palestinian health officials said. Gaza militants have also fired rockets into Israel, and two gunmen were killed in an Israeli air strike after one such attack. There have been no Israeli fatalities or significant injuries. Amnesty International on Friday called on Israeli authorities to stop using "excessive force". "The fact that live ammunition has been used during protests in Gaza and the West Bank is particularly shocking," it said. In the run-up to the U.N. vote, Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that supported the resolution. His warning appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the document than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions. But most of the European Union, Israel's biggest trading partner, and countries such as Greece, Cyprus and India, with which Netanyahu has pursued closer relations and economic ties, backed the resolution. "I prefer we have tight bilateral relations over a situation in which we don't have close bilateral relations, and they vote in our favor in the United Nations," Oren said, describing India's vote as "certainly disappointing". (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Michelle Nichols at the U.N.; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Andrew Roche)
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The Palestinian president welcomed Thursday a United Nations General Assembly resolution criticising the US government's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"This decision reaffirms once again that the just Palestinian cause enjoys the support of international law, and no decision by any party can change the reality," a statement from Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's spokesman said, stressing it showed "that Jerusalem is occupied territory under international law."

"We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and all international forums to end the occupation and create a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem," the statement added.

The Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, said it was a blow to Israel's attempts to "judaise" Jerusalem.

In a statement the party called the vote "a step in the right direction, a victory of Palestinian rights and a blow to the Trump declaration."

The General Assembly adopted the motion rejecting US President Donald Trump's December 6 decision by 128 votes to nine, with 35 abstentions.

Trump had warned ahead of the vote in the 193-nation assembly that "we're watching" and threatened reprisals against countries backing the measure, which reaffirms that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations.

The measure was sent to the General Assembly after it was vetoed by the United States at the Security Council on Monday, although all other 14 council members voted in favour.
Washington (AFP) - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made an unannounced visit to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay on Thursday, the Pentagon said, marking his first such visit there.

"Secretary Mattis is currently visiting with troops at Guantanamo Bay for the holidays to thank them for their service," Pentagon spokesman Major Ben Sakrisson said.

Officials said Mattis would not visit the base's notorious detention center, which still houses inmates captured after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited Guantanamo in July, and Mattis is the first Pentagon chief to visit Guantanamo since Donald Rumsfeld in the early 2000s.

While his trip was focused on holiday greetings to the more than 5,000 troops stationed on the base at the eastern tip of Cuba, Mattis's visit highlights the ongoing uncertainty around what will happen to the prison.

At the height of its operations after 9/11, the prison held 780 people detained mostly for their alleged ties to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Since then, hundreds have been transferred back to their home countries or other places.

But some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, including accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial.

And of the 41 inmates remaining at Guantanamo, about 26 are trapped in legal purgatory.

These so-called "forever prisoners" have never been charged -- yet they have been deemed too dangerous to release.

Barack Obama tried throughout his presidency to shutter the detention center but was rebuffed by Republican opponents.

As a candidate, Donald Trump said he wanted to fill it with "bad dudes."

Last month, Trump suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea.
LIMA (Reuters) - A congresswoman in Peru said embattled President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski survived a vote in Congress to oust him by promising some opposition lawmakers that he would pardon the country's jailed former authoritarian leader, Alberto Fujimori. Cecilia Chacon, a lawmaker with the opposition party Popular Force, said the 10 abstentions by a faction in her party had helped defeat its bid to oust Kuczynski in the wake of a graft scandal, and that some of them had mentioned the promise. "That's what they told us," Chacon said in broadcast comments. Earlier on Thursday, Kuczynski's government denied it was negotiating a possible pardon for Fujimori in exchange for votes to save him. Kuczynski pulled off a surprise victory after the motion in Congress to oust him fell eight votes short of the 87 needed to pass. Fujimori is serving a 25-year prison sentence for graft and human rights crimes during his 1990-2000 government. (Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Lima (AFP) - A much-weakened Pedro Pablo Kuczynski embarked on a cabinet reshuffle Friday, a day after the Peruvian president narrowly staved off impeachment over allegations of corruption linked to disgraced Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.

But the failure to topple the 79-year-old president has also opened a serious rift within the opposition, which had been convinced it had the votes to force him out.

Analysts said Kuczynski, who had been staring down charges of corruption and lying, would have to introduce "severe changes" in the way he runs his government, which was elected 18 months ago.

One of those immediate changes was accepting the resignation tendered last week by his interior minister Carlos Basombrio, who has yet to publicly disclose why he is stepping down.

After a week of political uncertainty that has roiled markets in Peru, Kuczynski -- an economist by training -- survived a 14-hour session in Congress that failed by eight votes to institute impeachment proceedings.

Kuczynski had been accused of taking $5 million in bribes from Odebrecht and then lying to cover his tracks.

"The president has certainly been saved, but his image has been tarnished," said political analyst Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla.

After his close shave, Kuczynski announced the country would embark on a "new chapter... of reconciliation and reconstruction." He had earlier called the accusations against him a "coup" and an "attack" on democracy.

"Peruvians, the trust you have placed in me will not be betrayed," Kuczynski said in a message broadcast Friday night on television.

"I have learned about myself and my mistakes, which I will not repeat," he said.

The impeachment charges were being pushed by an opposition led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who is in jail on corruption and human rights charges.

She lost to Kuczynski in last year's presidential election and is herself facing questioning linked to the sprawling Odebrecht graft investigation.

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Many Peruvians expressed relief Friday that their president had dodged the bullet.

"If he had been impeached, Fujimoriism would have been more powerful and that would have fed into internal strife and instability," said 35-year-old Nicolas Sandoval.

- The president's Santa -

"We have to stick with the president we elected, not resort to letting members of Congress topple him," said Jenny Dioses, a 29-year-old businesswoman.

Former president Ollanta Humala, who served between 2011 and 2016 and is himself currently in detention linked to the Odebrecht scandal, congratulated Kuczynski.

"Political stability for the country came out ahead here," he said on Twitter from the jail where he is awaiting trial on money laundering charges.

Had he been impeached, Kuczynski -- who is also an accomplished musician and cousin of French film-maker Jean Luc Godard -- would have been the highest scalp claimed in the Odebrecht scandal. He insist the $5 million from the Brazilian firm was simply a legitimate consulting fee.

The money was received between 2004 and 2013, a period during part of which Kuczynski was economy minister and head of cabinet for then-president Alejandro Toledo.

Odebrecht has admitted to paying millions of dollars in bribes to top officials in several Latin American countries to secure lucrative and inflated public works contracts.

It has said it paid $20 million in kickbacks to Toledo, whom Peru wants extradited from the United States to face charges.

The close shave may have left Kuczynski on the ropes, but it also sparked infighting in the opposition.

Opposition lawmakers and members of Keiko Fujimori's Popular Force -- which holds 70 of Congress' 130 seats -- were angry in particular with Fujimori's own brother Kenji, who broke with the party line and abstained.

Yeni Vilcatoma, an independent opposition deputy, said Kenji had "betrayed not only his party but his country too."

Kenji Fujimori, whose more moderate line has set him at odds with his sister recently, was followed by other deputies from the party whose votes were crucial to securing the impeachment.

"Kenji is a sort of Santa Claus who appeared with his Christmas sleigh bringing 10 congressional votes," said political analyst Luis Benavente.

"They have a parliamentary majority but it is fractured and facing an uncertain future," he said, noting that Kenji "was the principal cause of his sister's defeat."

Keiko tweeted on Friday that she was proud of "members of Congress who remained firm in the fight against corruption."

Congressman Hector Becerril on Friday called on Kenji and the other nine dissenters to quit the party. "They cannot be on our benches and not believe in our principles," he said.

Benavente said a possible pardon for Alberto Fujimori, who was president from 1990-2009 and is currently serving a 25-year jail term, could be a way for Kuczynski to pay off his political debt to the ex-president's son.

"Kenji has raised the issue of a pardon for his father in an intense and determined manner," he said.
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine Maoist rebels declared a traditional Christmas truce on Friday after the government announced the same, calling off hostilities for six days. In a statement posted on its website, Jorge Madlos, alias Ka Oris, spokesman for the communist New People Army (NPA), said the truce would last from Saturday to Tuesday, when the group celebrates its 49th anniversary. "All units of the NPA and the people's militias shall remain on active defensive mode in order to defend the people and revolutionary forces," Madlos said, adding the guerrillas will "maintain a high degree of alertness and preparation against any hostile actions or movements by enemy armed forces". On Thursday, the defense department announced a truce over the same period to allow Filipinos to celebrate a "stress-free" Christmas season. Both the government and the NPA have declared Christmas truces since the late 1980s when the two sides first agreed to peace talks, brokered by Norway. The tradition has continued even after negotiations stalled and now have been scrapped by President Rodrigo Duterte. The NPA rebels, estimated to number around 3,000, have been fighting for nearly 50 years in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people and stifled growth in resource-rich areas of the country. The country also faces various Islamist insurgencies in the south. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Warsaw (AFP) - The chief justice of Poland's Supreme Court on Friday accused the right-wing government of staging a "coup" against it through a new law, part of a string of highly controversial reforms.

The EU launched unprecedented disciplinary proceedings against Poland on Wednesday over its judicial reforms which Brussels says threaten the rule of law.

One of the new laws passed by Poland's rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) and endorsed by President Andrzej Duda empowers the president to decide which judges may stay on in the Supreme Court after the age of 65.

"The coup detat against the structure of one of the most important State institutions is taking place: not with armed force or paramilitary troops but 'only' by misusing legal institutions,"Malgorzata Gersdorf said in an open letter published Friday.

The new law on the Supreme Court reduces the retirement age of its members to 65 from 70 and is aimed at removing judges who served in communist courts before the regime collapsed in 1989.

The president can, however, allow individual judges to continue working until 70 years of age.

Critics insist the measure is illegal as it requires the departure of the court's existing chief justice Gersdorf, who is only halfway through her constitutionally mandated six-year term.

Critics also allege that the PiS administration simply wants to purge a judiciary it believes is still stacked in favour of supporters of former liberal prime minister Donald Tusk, a political arch-rival who is now president of the European Council.

"I warn the government: do not break the social contract written in the form of the Constitution. You are walking carelessly along the abyss in which the whole nation may finally fall down," Gersdorf told Poland's rightwing leaders Friday.

The EU's executive arm triggered article seven of the bloc's treaty over what it sees as "systemic threats" to the independence of the Polish judiciary from the right-wing government.

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The censure process against Poland can eventually lead to the "nuclear option" of the suspending its voting rights within the bloc.

Poland can, however, count on Hungary's veto of a final resolution on the suspension of its voting rights, a move that requires unanimity.

The EU has given Warsaw three months to remedy the situation, saying Brussels could withdraw the measures if it did.

However Polish authorities are showing no sign of backing down.
By Maggie Serota

If his Facebook page is any indication, failed GOP Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is extremely mad online. Nine days have passed since his opponent, Democratic candidate Doug Jones, won the December 12 special election and Roy Moore still hasnt conceded. Although Moore dug his heels in and insisted on waiting for overseas ballots to be counted, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) announced yesterday that the 5,333 outstanding ballots dont close the almost 21,000 vote gap between Jones and the alleged sexual predator.

Judging from the inept equestrians social media presence, Moore isnt planning on taking the L anytime soon. On December 19, Moore posted a news report from the local Fox affiliate about Merrill investigating an off-handed comment a man at the Jones victory party made to a reporter about coming in from out of state to help mobilize the voting effort. Granted, its not illegal for non-residents to volunteer on behalf of a candidate as long as theyre not voting in the actual election. This investigation sounds like a long shot, but Moore is clearly keeping hope alive.

Hours later, Moore shared a post from the sketchy right wing site World Net Daily accusing a coalition of Muslim and Marxist-led groups of tipping the vote for Jones. The posting seems to imply that Muslims and people of color gamed the vote by nefarious means rather than them simply showing up to vote against the candidate who actively discriminates against them and waxes nostalgic about slavery.

On Wednesday, Moore shared an Advocate interview with Carson Jones, his opponents gay son. Moore didnt provide a caption for the post, but he didnt have to. Considering that Moore is an outspoken homophobe, his intent in sharing the interview is clear.

Otherwise, theres nothing to see here except a 74-year-old alleged child molester throwing a tantrum over a race he clearly lost.

This post Roy Moore Is Not Handling His Loss Well, According to His Facebook Page first appeared on SPIN.
Moscow (AFP) - Russia has signed an agreement to build a nuclear power plant in Sudan, Russia's Rosatom nuclear agency announced on Friday, a month after a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide and war crimes, has been pushing for closer energy and military ties with Russia.

The nuclear power plant deal was signed in Khartoum on Thursday by Rusatom Overseas, a branch of Rosatom, and Sudan's electricity ministry, the Russian nuclear company said in a statement.

"The development of nuclear technology will allow Sudan to deal with its energy security problem. It is a strategic project which will determine the nature of relations between our two countries for a long time," Rosatom said.

"As part of a feasibility study for the nuclear power plant construction project, the choice of site will be examined and the key parameters will be defined," including timing and funding, it said without giving further details.

The deal comes after Bashir met Putin in the Black Sea coast city of Sochi on November 23, where a cooperation nuclear energy deal was signed.

During the visit Bashir asked for Russia to protect his country from the "aggressive acts" of the United States. He also said he wanted to ramp up military ties and praised Moscow's military campaign in Syria.

Arrest warrants against Bashir were issued by the ICC in 2009 and 2010 on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Darfur, which claimed at least 300,000 lives.

Bashir denies the charges and has evaded arrest.
MOSCOW, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Russian military observers had to pull out of a joint ceasefire control group due to Kiev's determination to solve the crisis in the rebel-held eastern regions of the country by force, a spokesman for Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the ministry said it was recalling officers serving at the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination in Ukraine, accusing the Ukrainian side of obstructing their work and limiting access to the front line.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said on Thursday that the United States encouraged the resumption of large-scale bloodshed in eastern Ukraine by Washington's approval of lethal arms sales to Ukrainian army. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Alison Williams)
(Adds comment from California attorney general)

By Dan Levine

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 21 (Reuters) - A second U.S. judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing new rules that undermine an Obamacare requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers women's birth control.

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. in Oakland, California, said the federal government likely did not follow proper administrative procedures in promulgating the new rules, and put them on hold while a lawsuit challenging their legality proceeds.

The decision followed a similar ruling from a federal judge in Philadelphia last Friday that blocked the administration from enforcing rules it announced in October allowing businesses or nonprofits to obtain exemptions on moral or religious grounds.

Gilliam ruled on a lawsuit pursued by Democratic attorneys general in California, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia.

He said that a preliminary injunction was necessary given the "dire public health and fiscal consequences" that could result as a result of the administration adopting the rules without the input of interested parties.

"If the Court ultimately finds in favor of Plaintiffs on the merits, any harm caused in the interim by rescinded contraceptive coverage would not be susceptible to remedy," he wrote.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement that, given last week's decision in Pennsylvania, "today's ruling amounts to a one-two punch against the Trump administration's unlawful overreach."

The U.S. Justice Department defended the rules in court. Lauren Ehrsam, a department spokeswoman, said the agency disagreed with the ruling and was evaluating its next steps.

"This administration is committed to defending the religious liberty of all Americans and we look forward to doing so in court," Ehrsam said in a statement.

The lawsuit is among several that Democratic state attorneys general filed after the Republican Trump administration revealed the new rules on Oct. 6, which targeted the contraceptive mandate implemented as part of 2010's Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare.

The rules will let businesses or nonprofits lodge religious or moral objections to obtain an exemption from the law's mandate that employers provide contraceptive coverage in health insurance with no co-payment.

Conservative Christian activists and congressional Republicans praised the move, while reproductive rights advocates and Democrats criticized it. (Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis)
By Rania El Gamal and Katie Paul RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital will stoke violence in the region, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal said, dismissing reports of prior consultations made with Riyadh over the move. "It is a very bad decision. The consequences will be more bloodshed, more conflict rather than peaceful resolution," Prince Turki, a senior royal family member and a former ambassador to Washington, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday in Riyadh. Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy and veered from international consensus this month by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Most countries say the city's status must be left to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Saudi Arabia condemned the decision. Saudi King Salman told President Trump that any decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem before a permanent peace settlement is reached will inflame the feelings of Muslims, official media reported. But Saudi Arabia stopped short of calling for any Arab action against the decision. Palestinian officials say Riyadh has been working for weeks behind the scenes to press them to support a nascent U.S. peace plan. "The reaction here was total surprise," said Prince Turki, who now holds no government office but remains influential. "... If there has been prior consultation or anything like that, why would the King go through the process of telling him (Trump) this is a bad idea and make that known publicly?" "I don't think there ever was any discussion of this" before the decision was taken, he added. ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE As regards possible Saudi and Arab action in response to Trump's decision, Prince Turki said: "I am sure lots of people would prefer to have something just for the sake of appearance but I don't think that's how the Saudi government operates. If it is going to take action, it is going to be a serious action." Four Palestinian officials, who spoke on condition they not be named, said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have discussed in detail a grand bargain that Trump and Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and adviser, are expected to unveil in the first half of 2018. Arab officials say the plan is still in its early phases of development. Prince Turki said he was unaware of details of any such plan. Prince Turki is a son of King Faisal, who was assassinated in 1975. His brother, Saud al-Faisal, served as foreign minister for 40 years until 2015, and their branch of the family is seen as influential over Saudi foreign policy, even as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has solidified his authority. Prince Saud championed a 2002 Arab peace initiative which called for normalizing relations between Arab countries and Israel in return for Israels withdrawal from lands occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. In a letter to Trump published in a Saudi newspaper on Dec. 11, Prince Turki said that Trump's "opportunistic" Jerusalem move would threaten security in the region. KINGDOM QUELLS PROMOTERS OF MILITANCY "The now much diminished terrorist international gets a rejuvenation boost from you and re-energizes its recruitment of volunteers to broaden their murderous attacks on innocent civilians, worldwide," he wrote in his letter. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said he would encourage a more moderate and tolerant version of Islam in the ultra-conservative kingdom. The ambitious young prince has already taken some steps to loosen Saudi Arabia's ultra-strict social restrictions, scaling back the role of religious morality police, permitting public concerts and announcing plans to allow women to drive next year. Prince Turki said that Saudis share in the blame for the spread of extremist ideology through funding of mosques abroad that may have fallen into the wrong hands, but that such funding stopped since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. "The kingdom has been the victim of such people and such activity... Since Sept. 11 the kingdom has had a sustained and continuous program opposing extremist ideology, not just in the kingdom but abroad," he told Reuters. "For a period of time, yes it is true there were some Saudis who promoted issues of extremism and so on. Now we are getting rid of all of those. I would say we have gotten rid of most of them, if not all of them." (Editing by Sami Aboudi, Editing by William Maclean)
JUBA (Reuters) - A South Sudanese rebel group on Friday accused government troops of attacking their base only a day after the parties signed a ceasefire in a four-year war that has killed tens of thousands of people. The ceasefire, that would allow humanitarian groups access to civilians caught in the fighting, formally comes into force on Sunday morning. On Friday afternoon, a spokesman for the SPLA-IO rebel group said army forces had attacked a rebel base in Deim Jalab, in the western part of the country. Lam Paul Gabriel said two rebels and five government troops were killed in the fighting. The army spokesman in the capital, Juba, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The war that began in late 2013 in the world's youngest nation has forced a third of the population to flee their homes. The United Nations describes the violence as ethnic cleansing. Earlier this year, pockets of the country plunged briefly into famine. The latest round of talks in the Ethiopian capital, convened by the East African bloc IGAD, brought the warring sides back to the negotiating table after a 2015 peace deal collapsed last year during heavy fighting in Juba. After the new agreement was signed on Thursday, South Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei Leuth told journalists: "The cessation of hostilities will be effective 72 hours from now. As of now, we will send messages to all the commands in the field to abide by this cessation of hostilities. "From now onwards, there will be no more fighting," he added. "Just talks." The German foreign ministry welcomed the agreement as an important step toward bringing peace to South Sudan. "We call on all participating parties to implement the agreement in a comprehensive and sustainable manner, and to ensure that humanitarian organizations are not hindered in doing their work," a ministry spokeswoman said. (Reporting by Denis Dumo; editing by Ralph Boulton; Writing by Maggie Fick; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Elon Musk's SpaceX is closer than ever to launching a brand new rocket.

The private spaceflight company is finally just about ready to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket on its first test flight in January. And now Musk is finally giving the waiting public a glimpse of what that rocket looks like in all its glory.

SEE ALSO: SpaceX's 20th successful rocket landing was just as amazing as its 1st

Musk shared the new photos showing off the heavy-lift rocket on Twitter Wednesday.

Falcon Heavy at the Cape pic.twitter.com/hizfDVsU7X  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2017

The Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's next big rocket, capable of bringing payloads and even people deep into the solar system.

The rocket looks effectively like three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, and it's been in development for quite a long time.

SpaceX's insistence that it would launch the rocket and subsequent delays over the years have been something of a joke in the spaceflight community for a while now.

Falcon Heavy launching from same @NASA pad as the Saturn V Apollo 11 moon rocket. It was 50% higher thrust with five F-1 engines at 7.5M lb-F. I love that rocket so much.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2017

But it finally looks like space nerds will get the launch we've long been waiting for.

The Falcon Heavy is expected to launch in January carrying a Tesla Roadster as its payload (yep, really), and it's sure to be a special launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Musk has attempted to manage expectations by saying that there's a non-zero chance that the Falcon Heavy could explode during its maiden flight.
Madrid (AFP) - The Spanish government has sought to allay fears of fraud in Thursday's Catalan election by announcing a slew of measures to limit the spread of false reports ahead of the official results.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government announced the steps after Spain warned the European Union of a cyber campaign of "disinformation and manipulation" being conducted from Russia and Venezuela.

- Manual count -

Polls close at 8 pm (1900 GMT), with partial results expected around 9 pm (2000 GMT).

With electronic counting banned, polling stations will inform a private firm tasked by the central government of their individual manual count by phone.

The firm will announce results as they come in, and it is estimated that by around 10 pm (2100 GMT) some 80 percent of the votes will have been counted, giving a clear indication of the winner.

The government's official count will begin on December 24, with final results to be announced within three days.

"There will be no digital counting involved. That means that it will be impossible for a cyber attack to cause problems when the time comes to count the votes. Everything will be manual and on paper," a government official said.

- Fighting 'fake news' -

Wary of the spread of misinformation prior to the result, Madrid has put in place "a system to track potential fake news", a source close to the government said.

Media organisations could even be held legally accountable should they publish false information, the source said, adding that any offending websites could be blocked.

- Separatist audit -

A record turnout is widely expected in the Catalan vote, with 5.5 million people in the wealthy northeastern region called to the ballot box.

Madrid called the election after deposing the regional government and parliament following an independence declaration on October 27 that sent shockwaves around the EU, which was already rattled by Britain's decision to leave the bloc.

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A separatist activist from the influential Catalan National Assembly (ANC) told AFP on condition of anonymity that many secessionists had initially feared the Spanish government could rig the vote.

While the ANC does not believe there will be fraud, some 4,000 pro-independence volunteers will be deployed on Thursday night for a parallel recount.

These volunteers will take the results counted by each polling station and send them to a centre in Barcelona.

"In the unlikely scenario that there is a significant discrepancy somewhere or in some of the counts, this will allow us to have a clear idea of where to ask for a recount," the ANC activist said.

An official from the separatist ERC party, whose leader Oriol Junqueras is campaigning from behind bars, said there would be "an exhaustive follow-up of all the polling stations".

But Rajoy's government said only the electoral commission in Madrid had the authority to conduct an official audit.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.)  A crew removed a Confederate statue from a Memphis park Wednesday night after the city sold it to a private entity.

The City Council had earlier voted unanimously to sell two parks where Confederate statues were located and crews began working right away to remove a statue of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest.

The parks were sold to Greenspace Inc. for $1,000 each, The Commercial Appeal reported. Memphis Chief Legal Officer Bruce McMullen said Greenspace can legally remove the statues, which the city was unable to do.

Live video from Health Sciences Park captured cheers as the statue of Forrest was lifted off its marble base and placed on a flatbed truck late Wednesday. Police had cordoned off the area around the statue.

A statue of President Jefferson Davis is at Fourth Bluff Park, where police had blocked off surrounding streets.

McMullen said the statues would be stored in an undisclosed location.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland tweeted that the work underway in the parks complies with state law.

Earlier this month, the city filed a petition asking for judicial review of the Tennessee Historical Commissions denial of a request to remove the Forrest statue.

I commend Mayor Strickland and the City Council for finding a way to legally remove statues from an era that is not representative of Memphis today and have remained an affront to most of the citizens of Memphis, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis, said in a statement.

Cities have tried to remove Confederate monuments after the racially motivated massacre of nine people at a black church in South Carolina and a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Protesters have called for the removal of the Forrest statue, saying it represents racism and bigotry. City leaders have discussed ways to relocate the statue and move his remains, which are buried under the monument.

Supporters of keeping the statue in place say it represents an important part of history. The Sons of Confederate Veterans in Memphis has said such monuments do not represent white supremacy and it would be a mistake to remove them.

It is a deliberate attempt to avoid the state law and the city is breaking the law, Lee Millar with Sons of Confederate Veterans told WREG-TV on Wednesday.

Forrest was a slave trader, Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader who became influential in the citys growth after the Civil War.
Activists protest the passing earlier this month of an Ohio law banning abortions in cases of a Down syndrome diagnosis. The law was signed on Dec. 22, 2017, by Gov. John Kasich. (Photo: AP)

Ohios Republican Gov. John Kasich signed off on his 20th anti-abortion law since taking office in 2010. The bill signed into law by Kasich, H.B. 214, now levies a charge of a fourth-degree felony  punishable with up to 18 months of prison time  on any physician who performs an abortion on a patient knowing of, or even expressing concerns regarding, a Down syndrome diagnosis.

While supporters of the bill claim that it is meant to prevent discrimination against those with Down syndrome, legal experts, pro-choice advocates, and members of the Down syndrome community say it does anything but.

Gabriel Mann, the communications director for NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, explains that under Kasich, Ohio has lost half of its abortion clinics.

With this bill, When a woman gets a Downs syndrome diagnosis, the last thing she needs is John Kasich telling her whats right for her family, and thats exactly what this bill will do, Mann tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

Mann adds, H.B. 214 is not only consistent with the other anti-abortion legislation Kasich has signed in the past, but does nothing to support families taking care of loved ones with Downs. Republicans refused amendments on the bill to help families guarantee access to Medicaid, special education funding, or provide direct financial assistance for families raising children with Downs. This bill just is a means to force abortion providers out of business and to end safe and legal abortion in Ohio.  This would force doctors to stop providing safe and legal abortion care because it threatens them with charges of a fourth-degree felony for a situation not under their control. It would be based on what intent the woman has, and then applies that felony charge to the doctor. Its very severe step they are taking  and its blatantly unconstitutional, violates Roe, violated Casey, and is part of Kasichs strategy of, just one piece at a time, trying to eliminate abortion access.

Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist for the ACLU of Ohio, explains that H.B. 214 is part of a larger strategy on behalf of Kasich and other anti-choice activist lawmakers to find their way before the Supreme Court in an attempt to see Roe v. Wade overturned altogether.

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The Supreme Court is changing, there is a new president, older justices are retiring  the strategy is lets get as many anti-choice bills through legislatures around the country including here in Ohio and let them work their way up to the Supreme Court of the United States and become an invitation to overturn Roe v. Wade and all the other decisions affirming Roe v. Wade. Thats their long game here  to get before the Supreme Court, Daniels explains to Yahoo Lifestyle.

That said, Daniels notes the lower courts dont seem that interested in entertaining these bills seriously. This bill totally goes against the current court jurisprudence on reproductive rights. This Downs bill  and other states have bills kicking around on other genetic abnormalities  all share that courts keep striking them down all around the country and ironically, build up better case law for pro-choice advocates around the country.

Daniels explains that the Supreme Court has made it clear that through the first and second trimester are when women have an almost unfettered ability to have an abortion. Thus, he says, bills like this one just signed by Kasich amount to a Hail Mary pass  with the hope that the Supreme Court will be there on the other side to receive the Hail Mary pass.

Yet, he says, Downs bills, so-called heartbeat bills, procedure bans, abortion bans before a certain date  theyre all the same. This is really no more complicated than that the Supreme Court has drawn a red line saying: After this point, you can regulate abortion and before this point, you better have a really great reason as to why youre doing this. And Down syndrome doesnt make the cut, heartbeat bills dont make the cut, procedure bans dont make the cut. The Supreme Court hasnt really found anything other than health and safety regulations relevant to impacting a womans ability to have an abortion.

The new law, however, is blatantly unconstitutional, Daniels says, as it talks about not being able to get an abortion if test results indicate Down, if you get a prenatal diagnosis of Down, or if a woman has any other reason to believe that a child has Down. You could be a pregnant woman out there and under the misconception that Down is wholly genetic, and thats not true. You could say you consulted your astrologer, watched a documentary  there could be lots of reasons why women seek abortion, but if they ever use the magic words, I think there might be Down, at that point, it becomes an illegal abortion.

Consequently, Daniels says, a patient who doesnt want to get their physician in legal trouble or a doctor trying to avoid legal trouble might result in a fettered patient-provider relationship at a time when the lines of communication should be as open as possible. Given a pregnancy and a doctors role, the ability for a patient to speak frankly with a doctor is whats at stake here. What youre going to be seeing is much less communication between all parties involved, and thats no good for someone getting medical care.

Emily Chesnut is a mother of four children living in Ohio  and one of those children has Down syndrome. Chesnut is against H.B. 214 and says that what frustrates her is, [Ohio lawmakers] are consistently chipping away at things that would help in the case of Nora, her 6-year-old daughter with Down syndrome.

When Chesnut was 20 weeks pregnant, she found out that one of the twins she was carrying appeared to have a heart defect. The only way the condition could be diagnosed absolutely is through amniocentesis, which Chesnut declined because of the risks that the procedure carries.

For our family, it wasnt going to change the outcome of the pregnancy. My personal decision between me and my husband was that termination was not an option, Chesnut tells Yahoo Lifestyle. But I was married, we both had jobs, we were in a good place. Regardless of any diagnosis given, our choices would not have changed. But I recognize my very privileged background, and that was our family planning  we wanted more children.

Which is why Chesnut finds herself so discouraged by H.B. 214.

They say, Well, every child with Down must be born but were not going to help you  youre on your own now. If you say that, then youre just pro-birth. We need funding that would help with education and jobs for people with Down, for the support services that Nora gets now. She is 6 and in first grade and its funded services that support her. What Nora needs is long-term, Chesnut says.

Individuals with Down, she continues, their life expectancy used to be 25, but now its 60, and I imagine Nora will live long beyond 60. I need to worry about her housing, her learning independence now to get the skills that she needs for when I cannot help her. I need funding that will help our family be more successful and Nora be more independent.  Individuals with Down have higher rates of heart issues, so we need Medicare funding too. There is a medical link to a need for ongoing specialists that she will need; we will need to see whether she will need to have another heart surgery in the future or if longer-term medical issues arise.

Chesnut concludes, Just saying we need more babies with Down syndrome born doesnt help us. We need services and support and integration in the community. But this bill is just another way to push the anti-abortion agenda, because what parents need is more information and trust to talk about their options. And I hope if termination were a choice they were considering, they would reach out and meet families with Down. But its a womans choice and this bill is just putting another hurdle in place when women are trying to make reproductive decisions for themselves.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle




Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - The main powerbrokers in Syria's nearly seven-year conflict were heading towards a second day of negotiations in Astana as uncertainly loomed Thursday over a Moscow-driven plan to quickly reach a political settlement.

Chief Russian negotiator Aleksandr Lavrentyev told journalists that Russia was forging ahead with plans to host a "National Dialogue Congress" in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to accelerate discussions over a political deal that have sputtered in Geneva.

The United Nations' special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has refused to say if the UN will back a plan promoted by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but viewed warily by opponents of his government.

Speaking after the first day of talks Thursday, Lavrentyev said "quite a lot of time" had been spent discussing the congress proposal at negotiations being brokered by Syria's allies Russia and Iran, as well as by Turkey, which supports the rebels.

Lavrentyev also said that the regime in Syria and opposition forces would have to "forget old grievances" if they were to move towards a political deal.

The congress, he said, would be "a platform that offers the different representatives of Syrian society the opportunity to solve matters of political settlement that so far have not been (at talks) in Geneva."

But de Mistura, who was meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday, said peace talks should proceed "one step at a time" and refused to comment further on the congress proposal.

De Mistura, who acknowledged that the recent round of UN-sponsored negotiations in Geneva this month "was not a good meeting", is expected to attend the final day of talks on Friday.

The Astana meeting comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian forces in Syria during a surprise visit to the war-torn country last week.

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Syria was also on the agenda as Putin spoke by telephone Thursday with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, whose country has supported the Syrian rebels but also fiercely opposes Iran's efforts to extend its influence in the country.

- 'No dates' yet -

Moscow has spearheaded the rounds of talks in Astana, which began at the start of the year, as it tries to convert its game-changing military intervention in Syria into a negotiated settlement.

At the meeting with de Mistura in Moscow, Lavrov said the talks Friday would focus on which groups and individuals would be invited to the Sochi event.

A 20-member opposition delegation was attending the talks in Astana, along with representatives of the Syrian government and of Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were currently "no dates" for the proposed congress.

Opposition delegates have expressed worries that the proposed event could prove a distraction from the UN negotiations.

Since the start of Syria's war in 2011, several diplomatic attempts to halt the conflict have stumbled, mainly over Assad's future.

A fragile ceasefire brokered at the end of last year by Moscow and Ankara has been bolstered somewhat by the negotiations in Astana, where the most recent rounds of talks have focussed on implementing four "de-escalation zones" to stem fighting between government and rebels.

A year after the Syrian government's strategically crucial victory in Aleppo, Damascus has consolidated control over much of the country, wresting territory from extremist factions not party to the truce, in particular the Islamic State group.

Diplomatic contacts between the main protagonists in the conflict have intensified in recent months, but there is no sign that Damascus and its opponents are any closer to a political settlement.

The war has left more than 340,000 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Anissa Weier pleaded guilty to the attack in August. (Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Getty Images)

A Wisconsin teenager accused of stabbing a classmate to please a fictional horror character named Slender Man has been ordered to receive 25 years of mental health treatment.

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren ruled that 16-year-old Anissa Weier must undergo treatment at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Weier pleaded guilty in August to attempted second-degree intentional homicide, but said she should not be held accountable due to mental illness.

The criminal trial stemmed back to a 2014 attack in which Weier and another girl, Morgan Geyser, were accused of stabbing a classmate 19 times in an attempt to gain the favor of the fictional character, Slender Man. All three girls were 12 years old at the time of the incident.

The victim survived the attack and was found on a roadside. Weier and Geyser were tracked down later that day on the outskirts of the city and reportedly told police that they were heading to the Nicolet National Forest where theyd live with the fictional creature and his servants in his mansion.

Both girls were tried as adults and were found to experience mental health issues. Geyser was diagnosed with schizophrenia and oppositional defiant disorder after her arrest. Weier was diagnosed with a delusional disorder and a condition known as schizotypy.

Weiers sentencing means the teen will spend at least three years in the mental health facility before she is eligible to request supervised release. Upon her release, she would need to remain under state supervision for the remainder of the 25-year sentence.

The victims mother sent a letter to the judge earlier this week, saying the attack has defined our lives. She said that her daughter frequently slept with scissors under her pillow after the attack and still keeps her bedroom windows locked, CBS News reported.

She will struggle with the events of that day and physical and emotional scars it left for the rest of her life, the girls mother wrote.

Story continues

Geyser also entered a guilty plea for the attack and will be sentenced in February, The Associated Press reported.

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Tesla's giant battery is already proving its worth, bailing out a coal power station nearly 620 miles (1,000 kilometres) away.

The world's largest lithium ion battery, installed to alleviate South Australia's severe energy issues, was put to the test when it supplied emergency power to one of Australia's biggest coal units, reports Renew Economy.

SEE ALSO: Tesla switches on the world's largest lithium ion battery

Ironic, isn't it, that wind power just bailed out coal?

According to RE, brown coal-powered Loy Yang Power Station experienced an unexpected loss of 560MW (that is a lot) on Dec. 14. That caused a frequency dip to 49.80Hz (normal is 50Hz), and so it was Tesla's time to shine.

Loy Yang power station in Traralgon, Victoria.

Image: Fairfax Media via Getty Images

The Tesla Powerpack, connected to Neoen's Hornsdale Wind Farm near Jamestown, three hours drive from Adelaide, responded by supplying the energy network with 7.3MW (the Powerpack unit itself has a capacity of 100MW).

The crazy part? Tesla's battery is nearly 620 miles away  Loy Yang is located on the outskirts of Traralgon, in neighbouring state Victoria.

And, according to Renew Economy, the contracted back-up coal plant, the Gladstone coal unit, which is contracted to respond in six seconds, had nothing to do by the time Tesla had sorted the frequency fall.

Tesla's Powerpack unit in Jamestown, South Australia.

Image: Liam West/Lightly Salted

Again, a renewable wind energy source just bailed out a gross coal power source, and beat a back-up gross coal power source to the party.

How. Baller. Is. That?

Tesla's battery is contracted to work in conjunction with the South Australian energy grid, so it was (kinda) cutting Gladstone's grass according to protocol.

One of the significant advantages that the Tesla/Neoen battery has over traditional conventional fossil fuelled generators is its incredible speed and flexibility," South Australan Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis told Mashable.

When providing Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS), it can respond almost instantly to any disturbance on the system, as demonstrated in the batterys response to unexpected tripping of the Loy Yang unit in Victoria.

Story continues

"In fact, the battery recently demonstrated that in an emergency it could increase its output from zero to 100MW in 0.14 seconds.

Tesla isn't commenting on the battery's recent performance (they're likely right into a rather expensive bottle of rare Champagne right now).
(Reuters) - Three women were shot dead in a car as they tried to escape burglars who broke into a home in St. Louis early on Friday, the city's police department said.

The women were inside a home on the city's north side when two men burst in shortly after 3 a.m. local time, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Authorities got an emergency call that a burglary was underway at the home. Another followed minutes later: shots fired.

When police arrived, they found the three women, all in their 20s, dead inside a car parked outside the home, with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. A man who had been with the women inside the home managed to escape alive.

The women were identified by police as Reeba Moore, 25; Dominique Lewis, 24; and Chanice White, 24.

Police said they are looking for the attackers.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Susan Thomas)
Seoul (AFP) - South Korea's top court kept a Korean Air heiress out of prison Thursday in the final verdict on the "nut rage" incident that triggered national uproar in 2014.

Cho Hyun-Ah, a daughter of Korean Air chief Cho Yang-Ho and then the company's vice president, became infuriated when a flight attendant served her some nuts in a bag rather than in a bowl.

She lambasted the chief steward over the behaviour of his cabin crew and ordered the Seoul-bound flight, which had just left the gate in New York, to turn back so he could be ejected.

The incident caused fury at home and made global headlines, eventually prompting Seoul prosecutors to charge her with offences including violating aviation security and business practices laws.

Cho was initially convicted on most counts and sentenced to a year in jail, but she was freed after the appeals court cleared her of hampering an air route -- the most serious charge -- as the aircraft was still on the ground.

It maintained the more minor convictions, including interfering with business practices, but reduced her penalty to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The Supreme Court upheld that ruling Thursday.

Cho, who resigned from her position soon after the incident, spent a total of five months in jail.

The case -- widely known as "nut rage" -- renewed criticisms in the South over the powerful, family-run conglomerates that dominate the world's 11th-largest economy.

The founding families of the business giants, called chaebol, have been criticised for running their global businesses like their personal fiefdoms with minimum scrutiny by regulators.

Park Chang-Jin, the chief steward who was ejected and forced to kneel before Choi while she hurled personal insults at him, was later demoted after speaking out against her. He filed suit against Korean Air last month.
Good news, Santa Claus fans.

For the 62nd year in a row, the North American Aerospace Defense Command is indulging the fantasy of Father Christmas.

NORADs regular mission is to oversee potential air threats against the U.S. and Canada. But each Christmas Eve, the organizations mission is a little more playful.

The NORAD tradition of tracking Santa reportedly began in 1955, when a business misprinted the telephone number for its Santa hotline. Kids were instead put through to the organizations predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. Staff members decided to play along and take the calls  and the rest is history.

(Photo: NORAD)

This year, people can log on to NORADSanta.org, starting at 2:01 a.m. Eastern time Sunday morning, to watch a livestream video of Santas final pre-flight preparations.

After 6 a.m. Eastern time, volunteers at NORADs Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will reveal his location to anyone who calls its toll-free 1-877-Hi-NORAD number or emails noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Santas whereabouts will also be updated on NORADs social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube), the NORAD Tracks Santa smartphone apps, Amazon Alexa, Cortana and OnStar.

Google is also monitoring Santa for the 13th year, and its tracker will be available online and on Android devices this Christmas Eve.

Story continues

Santa did not respond to comment as to which one is more accurate.

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Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a sweeping overhaul of the US tax code, two days after the Republican plan was adopted by Congress in a major political victory.

Making good on a vow to push through the tax cuts before Christmas, Trump endorsed the bill shortly before departing for a year-end break at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, pulling forward a formal signing initially planned for January.

"I watched the news this morning and they were all saying, will he keep his promise, will he sign it by Christmas?" Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office.

"And I called downstairs and said 'Get it ready, we have to sign it now.'"

Trump this week celebrated his first major legislative victory since taking office a year ago as Congress passed the $1.5 trillion overhaul, set to impact every corner of the economy through dramatic tax cuts for corporations and temporary reductions for individuals.

"As you know, $3.2 trillion in tax cuts for American families," Trump said. "And they're going to start to see that because we're signing today."

He added that "we're going to bring back probably $4 trillion from overseas," and said corporations "are literally going wild over" the prospect.

"This is something that Republicans wanted for years and Democrats wanted for years and yet it never got done. Now it's being done."

Opposition Democrats have branded the tax plan a giveaway to the wealthiest that risks blowing a hole in the national debt, and a CNN poll showed that 55 percent of Americans oppose the tax reform.

But House Speaker Paul Ryan thinks they will be won over once they start to reap the benefits. He proclaimed immediately after Trump's signing: "The biggest tax reform in a generation is now the law of the land.

"As promised, the American people will begin the new year with a new tax code."

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- 'Working in Florida' -

Trump -- who did not hold a traditional year-end news conference before departing Washington -- seized on the occasion to speak at length to reporters, enumerating the achievements of his first year in office.

"We have more legislative victories than any other president," he said -- an assertion not supported by facts. He has signed into law fewer than 100, mostly minor, pieces of legislation, fewer than his nine predecessors according to the GovTrack website.

"This is the capper, because this is again the biggest tax cut, the biggest reform of all time," he said, while vowing that infrastructure reform would be a domestic priority for 2018.

Trump left the White House right after the signing, for what he told reporters would be a working holiday.

"We'll be working in Florida, I'll be working very hard during that Christmas because we have many things we're talking about, including North Korea, including a lot of things happening in the Middle East as you know."

The US leader also signed into law a short-term funding bill that will keep the federal government running until January 19, averting a looming shutdown.

The temporary funding extension gives more time to lawmakers from both parties to reach an agreement on funding for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year, which ends September 30.

The bill adopted by Congress on Thursday also unlocks four billion dollars to build a new missile base in Alaska, and to repair US Navy ships damaged in recent accidents.

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Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Charlie Kirk. (Yahoo News photo illustration; AP, Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post via Zuma Wire, Jeff Swensen/Getty Images, Jeff Malet/NC via Zuma Press)

President Trump gave a shoutout to Turning Points USA on Twitter Friday, just one day after the New Yorker published a damning report on the conservative nonprofits alleged campaign law violations and racial bias.

Turning Points founder and executive director Charlie Kirk, who told the New Yorker he considers Trumps son Don Jr. to be a personal friend, appeared on Fox & Friends Friday morning to praise the president for accomplishing some absolutely historic things in the last year.

Not long after, Trump  an avowed viewer of Fox & Friends  quoted Kirks segment, tweeting:

Thank you Charlie Kirk of Turning Points USA. Sadly, the Fake Mainstream Media will NEVER talk about our accomplishments in their end of year reviews. We are compiling a long & beautiful list.

.@charliekirk11 on @foxandfriends: The president has accomplished some absolutely historic things in the last year. pic.twitter.com/rhn2Osqt0o  Fox News (@FoxNews) December 22, 2017

The President has accomplished some absolutely historic things during this past year. Thank you Charlie Kirk of Turning Points USA. Sadly, the Fake Mainstream Media will NEVER talk about our accomplishments in their end of year reviews. We are compiling a long & beautiful list.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2017

Never mind the fact that a number of news outlets, including Yahoo News, have recently published articles and op-eds acknowledging certain successes of the Trump administrations first year in office, Trumps commendation of Kirk comes on the heels of the New Yorker report which, citing internal documents and interviews with former employees, suggests that Turning Points  a registered nonprofit that supports conservative student movements on college campuses  may have violated campaign finance laws with its involvement in political activity during the 2016 presidential election.

Former employees also described an environment of racial bias within the organizations ranks, where the sole African-American employee says she was fired on Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Turning Points former national field director Crystal Clanton, who stepped down last summer shortly after reportedly texting a fellow employee, I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. 

She continued: [F***] them all . . . I hate blacks. End of story.

Though Turning Points USA staffers were reportedly involved in political activity on behalf of several Republican presidential candidates in 2016, the New Yorker notes that the group makes an effort to promote its particularly close ties to the now-first family.

Kirk met Donald Trump Jr. at the Republican National Convention last summer, where he was invited to speak, and the two hit it off, prompting Kirk to start working for the Trump campaign as a specialist in youth outreach, performing duties ranging from coordinating events with the elder Trump son to carrying his bags. Kirk and Turning Points have reportedly maintained their close relationship with the Trump family since the election. Both Don Jr. and his brother Erics wife, Lara Trump, spoke at the groups annual conference in West Palm Beach this week and, according to the New Yorker, When friends threw Kirk a surprise birthday party earlier this year, Don Jr., attended, as did Sebastian Gorka, the former Trump White House adviser.

Moments after Trump thanked Kirk for his kind words on Fox & Friends, Kirk tweeted in response: Thank you Mr. President!

Read more from Yahoo News:
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police arrested 15 senior military officers in an investigation into the network of a U.S.-based cleric who Ankara accuses of orchestrating last year's attempted coup, state-run Anadolu news agency said on Friday. It said police were seeking one more officer in the operation, focused on the capital Ankara and spread across nine provinces, adding that 12 of the total 16 suspects were serving officers. Among the suspects were seven colonels and nine lieutenant colonels from Turkey's gendarmerie force, which maintains security in rural areas, the Hurriyet news website said. More than 50,000 people, including security personnel and civil servants, have been jailed pending trial in the aftermath of the failed putsch, which the government blames on Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. He has denied involvement. Some 150,000 people have also been suspended or dismissed in a crackdown which rights groups say has been used as a pretext to muzzle dissent but which the government says has been necessary due to the security threats Turkey faces. Police operations targeting alleged followers of Gulen have been conducted on a near daily basis since the coup attempt in July 2016, and authorities issued arrest warrants for 44 teachers on Friday, Anadolu said. The suspects were former teachers at Gulen-linked schools which were previously closed by state decree, Anadolu said. Twenty-eight of the teachers were arrested so far. Schools linked to Gulen's network have been established across Asia, Africa and the United States and since the putsch, Turkey has asked countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan to close them down. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Ali Kucukgocmen and Alison Williams)
President Donald Trump appeared to claim credit for booming house sales on Thursday, but folks online werent having it.

With sales of existing homes in the U.S. hitting their highest level in more than a decade, Trump shared this message on Twitter:

Home Sales hit BEST numbers in 10 years! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2017

Trump didnt explicitly suggest he was responsible for the boost, but fellow tweeters believed he was giving off that impression by using his MAGA slogan.

Many responded by thanking former President Barack Obama, whose policies would have led to the jump. Others questioned why booming house sales were a good thing given how previous soaring numbers ultimately led to the 2008 global financial crisis:

Thanks President Obama!  Top Rope Travis  (@TopRopeTravis) December 21, 2017

You literally had nothing to do with this.  DEMOCRACY (@ChrisSobolowski) December 21, 2017

You had exactly NOTHING to do with any of this, man.



You haven't even passed a budget yet.  Gary M. Sarli (@GMSarli) December 21, 2017

You have implemented absolutely no policy that would have caused the home price rise. This is Obama's doing.



On the other hand, your new tax plans will destroy the housing market. Give it 6-10 months.  Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) December 21, 2017

I know you don't know... any thing really, so I'll tell you, correlation does not equal causation  The Robot Devil (@DragoniteSquare) December 21, 2017

This moron thinks the high home sales numbers 10 years ago was a good thing. JFC.  areyoufingkiddingme (@areufingkiddgme) December 21, 2017

Home sales don't make a country GREAT. Taking care of those that CAN'T afford a roof over their heads is what makes a country great.  Heather Lou (@thefreckledlion) December 21, 2017

This tax bill will destroy those home sales numbers. When folks can't deduct their property taxes, they will be jumping ship. Itemized deductions are what saved me lots of money. I will be screwed with this new bill. You have caused more pain and suffering since your election.  LilPatriot (@Jamie0609) December 21, 2017

Thanks @BarackObama , @POTUS44 for rescuing the country after the Real Estate Market bubble exploded#ImpeachTrump #LiarInChief  Nestor "the boss" Gomez (@soloyochapin) December 21, 2017

Because we all know how well things went when home sales hit record numbers 10 years ago  https://t.co/PfR2yvwYsD  Evan O'Connor (@Official_EFOC) December 21, 2017

And what did you do to that made this happen! Do you actually think that anything you did in the last year has suddenly improved home sales! Thanks to President Obama, the home market has gradually recovered over the years. You are taking credit for Obama's accomplishments.  DogFishin (@Dripshit) December 21, 2017

NAME THE LEGISLATION YOU IMPLEMENTED THAT DID THIS!!! Oh you cant cause President Obama did!!! STOP FAKE NEWS  Jasper # (@JSavoly) December 21, 2017

This is from Obama's presidency. When the housing market falls apart because of your assinine plan, we'll thank you.  retiredteach (@swagistral) December 21, 2017

Lol....why is this dude keep taking credit for shit thats been in the making for years?  ikron alexander (@ikron_alexander) December 21, 2017

Trump is an idiot. New tax law will hurt home sales. Why people are buying now. #IllegitimatePresident  Trumpisswine (@trumpisswine) December 21, 2017

A man who demands thanks, is a man who is unsure of his own motives. A man who gives thanks is a man who is secure in his own beliefs. A man who needs thanks in order to continue living, is Donald Trump. I cannot wait for the day you're finally forced to resign!  Shaf Patel (@ShafPatel) December 21, 2017

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In the 1985 cinematic masterpiece Back to the Future (and its sequels), teenager Marty McFly often relies on a simple but effective method to escape unpleasant situations.

Whoa, whoa, Biff, Marty says nonchalantly, pointing over the shoulder of his nemesis, Biff Tannen. Whats that?

Again and again, Biff, or one of his equally loathsome relatives, wheels around to see what Marty is pointing at  and again and again, Marty socks him and runs away.

In 2017 Americas collective news feed was like one Marty McFly after another: a nonstop succession of tweets, insults, novelties and transgressions, many of them coming from the current occupant of the Oval Office, that compelled us to look this way and that way and this way and that way.

Meanwhile, the deeper story of the day often receded into the distance, cast aside by a news cycle struggling to churn through all the conflict and chaos created by our Disrupter-in-Chief, President Donald Trump.

Now that 2017 is coming to a close, however, we thought it would be useful to look back on the year with some perspective and highlight some of the most important stories that didnt get the attention they deserved the first time around  usually because America was too distracted by whatever that was over there.

In no particular order:

_____

Trumps campaign to reshape the courts

President Trump (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos; AP (3))

Amid all the punditry and prognostication about the administrations fumbling attempts to advance its agenda on Capitol Hill, the press and the public largely overlooked how successful Trump has been at leaving his mark on a different branch of government: the judiciary.

When Barack Obama took office in 2009, he had 54 judicial vacancies to fill; when Trump took office, he inherited twice that number, thanks in large part to Mitch McConnells strategy of halting the judicial-appointments process during Obamas last two years in the White House. The new president has proceeded to fill these vacancies at an unprecedented rate, and his nominees have been the youngest, whitest, male-est, and most conservative in modern memory, as the New Yorkers Jeff Shesol recently pointed out. As a result, Trump has brought about a wholesale change among the federal judiciary that will have a significant impact on the shape and trajectory of American law for decades, says Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware. This will be the single most important legacy of the Trump administration.

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And the president may only just be getting started. Last month, the founder of the influential Federalist Society unveiled a plan that would allow Trump to add twice as many lifetime members to the federal judiciary in the next 12 months (650) as Barack Obama named in eight years (325)  and would ultimately leave the courts evenly divided between judges appointed by Trump and those appointed by the previous nine presidents combined.

_____

Mike Pence prepares for Trumps downfall  just in case

Vice President Pence at the White House on Dec. 6. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

In public, Vice President Mike Pence, Trumps staunchly evangelical No. 2, is the very picture of deference and loyalty; he has repeatedly demonstrated that he will defend the president no matter what he says or does.

But behind the scenes, Pence is reportedly thinking ahead to a time when he may no longer have to play the good soldier. In May, Pence became the first sitting veep to form a national political action committee at the beginning of his term, a move that will make it easier to campaign for other Republicans now  and later, perhaps, for himself. (Pences PAC has gone on to raise more money than President Trumps.) In July Pence installed Nick Ayers, a sharp-elbowed political operative, as his chief of staff. Pence has traveled to important political events in Iowa, the first caucus state, and opened the vice presidential residence to key conservative activists. Finally, Multiple advisers to Mr. Pence have already intimated to party donors that he would plan to run if Mr. Trump did not, according to the New York Times.

Pence rarely surfaces in the headlines; his boss sucks up all the oxygen. But hes worth watching. Earlier this month the Atlantic reported that after the Access Hollywood tape threatened to derail Trumps presidential campaign, Pence was contemplating a coup  and he immediately made it clear to the Republican National Committee that he was ready to take Trumps place as the partys nominee.

As Robert Muellers Russia investigation digs into Trumps finances and closest confidants  and as a potential Democratic wave builds in 2018s House and Senate races  its easy to imagine Pence himself preparing for a post-Trump future that could come sooner than expected.

Its not a matter of when Republicans are ready to turn on Trump, one senior GOP Senate aide told the Atlantic. Its about when they decide theyre ready for President Pence.

_____

All talk  and little action  on the opioid crisis

President Trump greets New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at the White House after speaking about the administrations plans to combat the nations opioid crisis on Oct. 26. (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters)

It was one of 2016s signature campaign issues: the opioid addiction crisis ravaging small towns from New Hampshire to New Mexico. Every candidate, Republican and Democratic, vowed to do something about it once in office, including Donald Trump. [T]he people that are in trouble, the people that are addicted, were going to work with them and try and make them better, Trump said. And we will make them better.

As president, Trump issued an executive order to establish the Presidential Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, a five-member panel tasked with proposing solutions to the drug epidemic. But the commission missed its first deadline, in June, and its second one, in July, before finally releasing its report in August. Then, after insisting that were going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis, Trump repeatedly promised that he would declare a national emergency next week  and repeatedly missed that deadline as well. When the president finally got around to making a declaration, in late October, it was as a public health emergency and not as national emergency  a distinction that meant no significant new federal funding, even though experts inside and outside of the administration argue than tens of billions of dollars would be needed to even begin to combat the epidemic.

_____

The unprecedented surge of Democratic candidates

Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images

Democratic victories in Virginia and Alabama have already gotten a ton of attention. Less noticed, however, is the fact that Democrats already have 400-plus candidates running for the House in 2018. Thats more than twice as many as either party has previously boasted at this point in the election cycle.

Political scientists say theres a strong relationship between the number of candidates a party recruits and the partys win-loss record on Election Day, as weve noted before.

In a recent analysis for the data-focused FiveThirtyEight website, Seth Masket of the University of Denver plotted the Democratic share of viable early House challengers  that is, candidates who raised more than $5,000 by June 30 of the year before the election  against the number of seats Democrats eventually gained or lost on Election Day.

He found that in every election since 2004 in which Democrats fielded more candidates than Republicans, they also wound up gaining seats  an additional 2.5 House members per each additional percentage-point advantage in early House candidates, on average. The most extreme example was 2006, when nearly 70 percent of the early House candidates were Democrats. That year, the party netted 31 seats on Election Day.

Apply the same formula to the 2018 cycle, Masket noted, and Democrats will be on track to pick up 93 House seats  the third-largest gain in U.S. history.

Will Democrats flip that many seats? Unlikely. But the party only needs to net 24 to retake the House. Thats much more plausible. The only way to lay the groundwork for a wave election is by fielding solid candidates for as many flippable seats as possible, then waiting for the national mood to turn in your favor. Thats exactly what Democrats have been doing.

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Trumps behind-the-scenes effort to sabotage Obamacare

The enrollment page for the Affordable Care Act on Nov. 1. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Republicans have made no secret of their desire to end Obamacare. They spent much of 2017 repeatedly trying  and repeatedly failing  to get repeal legislation through Congress. But while that drama was unfolding on Capitol Hill, the Trump administration was quietly doing everything in its power to set the system up for failure  regardless of whether or not it was ever officially repealed.

Over the past 12 months, Trump & Co. have cut the open enrollment period in half, from 12 weeks to six weeks. They have slashed funding for Obamacare advertising by 90 percent, from $100 million to $10 million. They cut funding for in-person assistance by 40 percent  then let the budget run out entirely. And at the last minute they pulled out of state-level open-enrollment events and stopped federal payments to insurers, driving up premiums by as much as 30 percent for some plans. All of this while hinting that the individual mandate  the fine on people who dont have insurance  would not be enforced.

Despite these efforts, 2017 Obamacare enrollment proceeded at a faster pace than in previous years. And even with less time to sign up, the total number of HEATHCARE.GOV enrollees  8.8 million, according to figures released by the White House on Thursday  nearly matched the figure for 2016. For now, that unexpected result seems likely to stave off the self-perpetuating cycle of falling enrollment and price increases known as a death spiral.

But Republicans are still in the hunt. The partys new tax bill eliminates the individual mandate altogether, which could wreak further havoc on the otherwise stable system in 2018. So the next time Republicans claim Obamacare is failing, its worth remembering why  and whos responsible.

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Americas neglect of Puerto Rico

In this photo from October, Arden Dragoni, second from left, poses with his wife, Sindy, their three children and dog Max, surrounded by what remains of their home destroyed by Hurricane Maria in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. (Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP)

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, whose residents are American citizens, was devastated earlier this year by Hurricane Maria. This didnt exactly go unnoticed at the time. When President Trump traveled to San Juan and threw paper towels to survivors, or got in a Twitter war with the citys mayor, or accused Puerto Ricans who criticized the federal response of want[ing] everything to be done for them, the mainland press paid attention.

But since then, the spotlight has moved on  while the island continues to suffer. The official death toll is 64, and Trump has bragged about how its not in the thousands. But a recent New York Times investigation has found that it very well may be. According to the Times, 1,052 more people than usual died on the island during the 42 days after Maria made landfall on Sept. 20. Many of these additional deaths are likely attributable to delayed medical treatment or poor conditions in homes and hospitals  consequences of the power outages and water shortages that have afflicted Puerto Rico since the hurricane.

Even now, three months later, only 64 percent of the power grid has been restored; clean water is still scarcer than it should be. At the same time, the U.S. House has included a 20 percent import tax on products manufactured in foreign jurisdictions in its tax-reform bill  a tax that could cost the foreign jurisdiction of Puerto Rico tens or even hundreds of thousands of jobs. The island still receives only a fraction of the Medicaid funding for which it would qualify if it were a state. And so far Congress has approved a mere $5 billion in aid  far less than the $94 billion the Puerto Rican government says it needs to recover.

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Defeating ISIS  but backtracking in Syria

Members of the Iraqi federal police dance with children and a national flag during a celebration in the Old City of Mosul on July 2, when the grueling battle to retake Iraqs second city from ISIS fighters was nearing its end. (Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

On the 2016 campaign trail, Trump famously pledged to bomb the s*** out of [ISIS]. Thats largely what his administration has been doing. Then again, its largely what the Obama administration was doing before Trump.

Trump has made some changes, loosening the rules of engagement and allowing war planners at the Department of Defense more autonomy. But those are tactical shifts. In 2017, under Trump, the United States overarching anti-ISIS strategy continued to work  to the point that the Islamic State has basically been defeated, at least for the time being.

This welcome progress on one of the worlds most dangerous situations has gotten lost amid headlines about ISIS-inspired attacks, whether in London, New York or elsewhere, which lone wolves continue to carry out. The operation to take back Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq and the place where ISIS had first declared its caliphate, began in October 2016 and concluded in July; in October, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces captured Raqqa, the Syrian city that had become the caliphates de facto capital. These successes followed earlier wins across Iraq and Syria, and have led Iraq, Iran and Russia to declare victory over ISIS in recent weeks.

U.S. military officials warn that the jihadi group is resilient and could always stage a comeback. But with ISIS on the run, the question now turns to the larger Syrian civil war, which has killed more than 400,000 and displaced more than 10 million. Under Obama, the U.S. supported the Syrian rebels in their efforts to oust dictator Bashar Assad. But the Trump administration has backed away from that commitment, allowing Russia to fill the void. It now looks as if the war will end on Vladimir Putins terms  with Assad still in power.

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Best of 2017 Yahoo News Features
By Brendan Pierson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York jury on Thursday ended its second day of deliberations without a verdict in the trial of a Turkish banker accused of helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

The jury had begun deliberating on Wednesday following the three-week trial of Mehmet Hakan Atilla, an executive at Turkey's majority state-owned Halkbank.

The trial featured testimony from Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, who pleaded guilty to charges of violating sanctions and testified for U.S. prosecutors, and from Huseyin Korkmaz, a former Turkish police officer who said he investigated Zarrab in 2012 and 2013.

Jurors on Thursday sent notes asking to review a part of Korkmaz's testimony. They have also asked for clarification of a part of U.S. District Judge Richard Berman's legal instructions. The jurors are expected to resume deliberations on Friday.

Zarrab testified that Atilla helped design fraudulent transactions of gold and food that allowed Iran to spend its oil and gas revenues abroad, including through U.S. financial institutions, defying U.S. sanctions.

Both Zarrab and Korkmaz implicated Turkish officials in their testimony, including President Tayyip Erdogan.

Attempts to reach Erdogans spokesman for comment on the allegations at the trial have been unsuccessful. Erdogan has publicly dismissed the case as a politically motivated attack on his government.

Korkmaz testified that he was jailed in retaliation for his investigation and eventually fled Turkey last year.

An Istanbul prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for Korkmaz's parents, the Hurriyet newspaper reported on Wednesday. Korkmaz testified that he left some evidence from his investigation with his mother.

Atilla, testifying in his own defense at the trial, denied all the charges against him.

Halkbank has denied taking part in any illegal transactions.

U.S. prosecutors charged nine people in the criminal case, though only Zarrab, 34, and Atilla, 47, were arrested by U.S. authorities.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Dmitry Solovyov and Tom Miles MOSCOW/GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday he would take part in the latest round of Syrian peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana on Friday, with a month to go before he hopes to break the deadlock in political talks in Geneva. De Mistura's Geneva peace process reached deadlock this month, missing what said was a "golden opportunity" to close out almost seven years of war. Blaming intransigence on both sides, he told the U.N. Security Council he would start 2018 with a proposal to involve a wider constituency in constitutional and electoral reform, since the warring sides were stuck. He said on Thursday he planned to hold the next round in Geneva in the second half of January. "I am planning to go to Astana just after this meeting," de Mistura said in Moscow at the start of Syrian talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. U.N. timetables routinely slip, but the presence of many of the global power elite at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos on Jan. 23-26 could also create some political momentum. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have made big gains on the ground since Russia joined the war in late 2015, but the fighting shows no sign of ending conclusively. De Mistura's humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said that although fewer people were now under siege or out of reach of humanitarian aid, 2017 had defied expectations by being worse than 2016 in many respects, and fewer aid convoys were going in. "In December we havent reached a single soul (in besieged areas)," Egeland told reporters in Geneva. He hoped Astana might bring a cessation of hostilities in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, where Assad's forces are besieging almost 400,000 people. U.N. aid convoys are waiting for Syria's government to give them a green light. Food prices have risen eightfold since August, Egeland said. "495 people were on the priority lists for medical evacuations. That number is going down. Not because we are evacuating people, but because they are dying." Russia, Iran, China, Egypt, Algeria and Iraq could all bring their influence to bear, he said. "If we are going to get out of this quagmire it is because there will be political agreements, really. So I hope that out of the Astana meetings in the next couple of days we will have some kind of impulse for a change on the humanitarian side." (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov and Tom Miles; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Ralph Boulton)
By Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on five Russians and Chechens, including the head of the Russian republic of Chechnya, for alleged human rights abuses. The new sanctions blacklisted Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Treasury Department said in a statement. U.S. authorities accused Kadyrov of overseeing "an administration involved in disappearances and extrajudicial killings". On a conference call with reporters Wednesday, a senior U.S. State Department official said that "one or more of Kadyrov's political opponents were killed at his direction." Kadyrov reacted to news of the sanctions with his usual defiance. "A sleepless night is waiting for me," Kadyrov wrote, apparently sarcastically, on his Instagram social media account. "I can be proud that I'm out of favor with the special services of the USA. In fact, the USA cannot forgive me for dedicating my whole life to the fight against foreign terrorists among which there are bastards of America's special services." He also wrote that he would not be visiting the United States. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed the sanctions, which freeze the banks accounts of those targeted, under a 2012 law known as the Magnitsky Act. The Magnitsky Act imposed visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials linked to the death in prison of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old Russian auditor and whistleblower. The act also seeks to hold responsible those U.S. authorities allege orchestrated or benefited from the death of Magnitsky. "Treasury remains committed to holding accountable those involved in the Sergei Magnitsky affair, including those with a role in the criminal conspiracy and fraud scheme that he uncovered," Director of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control John Smith said in a statement. Magnitsky was arrested and died in a Moscow jail in 2009 after discovering a $230 million tax fraud scheme, according to U.S. authorities. Supporters of Magnitsky say the Russian state murdered him by denying him adequate medical care after he was imprisoned on tax evasion charges. The Kremlin denies the allegation. In addition to Kadyrov and one other Chechen official, the Treasury's action on Wednesday targeted three Russians that U.S. authorities say were involved in the complex tax fraud scheme that Magnitsky exposed. The Magnitsky sanctions have been a point of tension between Moscow and Washington, even before Russia's annexation of Crimea sent relations spiraling. In retaliation for the Magnitsky Act, Putin signed a bill halting U.S. adoptions of Russian children. It had been unclear to sanctions experts whether President Donald Trump's administration, which has signaled a desire to rebuild ties with Moscow, would continue to target people under the law. The Magnitsky Act attracted greater public attention when it emerged that the president's son Donald Trump Jr., had met with a Russian lawyer and a lobbyist - both strident opponents of the law - in New York ahead of the 2016 U.S. elections. When asked about the June 2016 meeting, Trump Jr. later said they discussed the adoptions issue. On a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, State Department officials said that despite the new sanctions the Trump administration wants a constructive relationship with Moscow. "We believe a Russia that takes care of the human rights of its own citizens will be an even more effective partner," a senior State Department official said. (Reporting by Joel Schectman, additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; editing by Andrew Roche and G Crosse)
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 13 serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors including Myanmar general Maung Maung Soe, who oversaw this years brutal crackdown against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The U.S. government, applying penalties for the first time under a law passed last year, also targeted 39 other individuals and entities with sanctions that block their assets under U.S. jurisdiction, bar most Americans from dealing with them and largely cut them off from the global financial system.

The Treasury Department said those sanctioned included Benjamin Bol Mel, who has served as an adviser to South Sudan President Salva Kiir and is suspected of getting preferential treatment in government contracts. The list also included former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, accused of human rights abuses and corruption, and Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, accused of using his friendship with Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure sweetheart mining deals.

Myanmars government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the U.S. sanctions.

Reuters has been unable to reach Jammeh for comment since he went to exile. He has previously denied ordering the torture or death of political opponents. His lawyer until exile, Edward Gomez, said earlier this year that he was unaware of any misspending of public or charity funds by Jammeh.

Gertler has denied all allegations of impropriety and has said his investments in Congo have created thousands of jobs. A spokesman for his Amsterdam-based company the Fleurette Group was not immediately available for comment.

Myanmars military cracked down on Muslim Rohingya from Rakhine state following Aug. 25 Rohingya militant attacks on an army base and police posts. Maung Maung Soe was in charge of the operation that drove more than 650,000 Rohingya to flee mostly Buddhist Myanmar to Bangladesh.

The United States on Nov. 22 called the Myanmar military operation against the Rohingya population ethnic cleansing and threatened targeted sanctions against those responsible.

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The United States 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 Treasury Department said on Thursday.

Myanmars army last month released a report denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, having days earlier replaced Maung Maung Soe. No reason was given for his transfer from the post.

Significant consequences

We must lead by example, and todays announcement of sanctions demonstrates the United States will continue to pursue tangible and significant consequences for those who commit serious human rights abuse and engage in corruption, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.

The sanctions against the 13 people described by the Treasury Department as serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors and the 39 affiliated individuals and entities were the first imposed under a U.S. law called the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Jammeh, who ruled Gambia for 22 years before being forced into exile after refusing to accept an election defeat, created a terror and assassination squad reporting to him called the Junglers that threatened, terrorized, interrogated and killed people he saw as a threat to his rule, the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions targeted Gertler, considered by diplomats to be a member of Kabilas innermost circle, 19 of his businesses and his Congo-based associate Pieter Deboutte.

The United States imposed sanctions this year and last against top Democratic Republic of Congo security officials over alleged human rights abuses and the failure to organize an election on time to choose Kabilas successor.
By Susan Heavey and Gustavo Palencia WASHINGTON/TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The United States on Friday backed the re-election of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, a conservative and U.S. ally, who was certified the winner of last month's presidential contest despite widespread misgivings about the vote count. The Honduran electoral tribunal declared Hernandez winner of the Nov. 26 election last weekend amid strident opposition protests over the vote count in the impoverished Central American country, which is a major hub for drug trafficking. The controversial election came eight years after a military coup sparked by a previous president's flirtation with a second term, which was barred by the constitution at the time. In that case, the turmoil was sparked by leftist leader Manuel Zelaya. The vote tally had initially clearly favored opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, a center-leftist, but it swung in favor of the incumbent after a 36-hour delay. The final result sparked violent protests in Honduras, and the Organization of American States (OAS) has called for new elections to resolve the dispute. That proposal was rejected by senior Honduran officials before the U.S. government recognized Hernandez as president. "We congratulate President Juan Orlando Hernandez on his victory in the November 26 presidential elections, as declared by the Honduran Supreme Electoral Tribunal," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. She said Honduras should pursue a "long-term effort to heal the political divide in the country and enact much-needed electoral reforms." Nasralla told a news conference that he would contest the official result at the electoral tribunal and the Supreme Court, while blaming them for the outcome. He said that he would continue his efforts until an OAS meeting in early January when he hoped the body would renew its call for new elections. The streets of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa and other major cities were largely calm on Friday with a few protests cleared by the armed forces. By mid-week some 27 people had died in clashes, according to local human rights group COFADEH. The State Department called for all sides to refrain from violence, for those who wish to challenge the result to use legal means, and for the government to ensure that security services respect the rights of peaceful protesters. It also called for the electoral tribunal "to transparently and fully review any challenges filed by political parties." Hernandez has led a military crackdown against gangs in the Central American country, and Honduras' notoriously high murder rate has slid since he took power in 2014. His opponent, the television host Nasralla, traveled to Washington this week to urge the United States not to recognize the vote, but a senior State Department official said on Wednesday the government had not seen any evidence that would alter the vote's outcome. Nasralla said the U.S. decision reflected Washington's strategic concerns over a leftist government in Honduras. "They're afraid of losing Honduras," he told local television. (Writing by Makini Brice, Susan Heavey and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Alistair Bell and Tom Brown)
Kampala (AFP) - Uganda's army said Friday that it had launched attacks on a shadowy rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the militants killed 14 UN peacekeepers earlier this month.

"Shared intelligence between Uganda and the DRC confirmed that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists which recently carried out attacks on UN peacekeepers... were planning to conduct hostile activities against Uganda," the army said in a statement.

"In a pre-emptive move, this afternoon UPDF (Ugandan People's Defence Force) conducted attacks on their camps in Eastern DRC."

The ADF, a Ugandan rebel group dominated by hardline Muslims operating in the DR Congo, was behind an attack that left 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers dead two weeks ago, according to the UN.

The ADF started out with the aim of overthrowing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions and started carrying out attacks in 1995.

Gradually pushed westwards by the Ugandan army, the ADF relocated most of its activities to the DRC.

It was also blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12.

It has also been accused by Kinshasa and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014.

Kinshasa has insisted on a jihadist motive to the killings, but many observers and experts say that there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground, and that this is a "simplistic" explanation for their acts.

Many ADF recruits -- drawn from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and as far as Somalia -- are not hardcore ideologues but young Muslims lured by the promise of going to study in Saudi Arabia, an intelligence agent and civil society source told AFP last year.

A group run by US researcher Jason Stearns published a report claiming that several distinct groups "appear to be involved in the massacres", including soldiers from the regular army.

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The government rejected the claims and Stearns was expelled from the DR Congo after the report's release.

Beni's mayor Bwanakawa Nyonyi told AFP last year that he believed the massacres were carried out by a nebulous group, with politically motivated "Congolese hands" behind them.

In explaining the violence, some have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich resource potential.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday that he would work to implement a rapid exchange of prisoners held on both sides of the line of conflict in eastern Ukraine, a spokesman for Merkel said on Friday. Merkel spoke by telephone with Poroshenko on Friday, a day after she spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Merkel's deputy spokesman Georg Streiter. Merkel and Poroshenko welcomed a decision by the parties to recommit to a ceasefire agreement signed in 2015 ahead of the Christmas holiday, and both agreed it should lead to a longer-term improvement of the security situation in the region. A Russian-backed separatist insurgency erupted in 2014 and bloodshed has continued despite the ceasefire. More than 10,000 people have been killed, with casualties reported on a near-daily basis. Poroshenko and Merkel underscored the importance of an agreement by the parties to exchange prisoners, calling it "an important step toward implementation of the Minsk agreements," Streiter said. "President Poroshenko stressed that he would push to ensure that this exchange happened as soon as possible," he added. The two leaders also discussed the withdrawal of Russian officers from the Joint Center for Control and Coordination that plays an important role in supporting the observer mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. They agreed that the Russian officers should return to the center quickly, and said German and French experts could get involved in a mediating role in coming days. Merkel also welcomed Poroshenko's plan to submit a draft law to set up an independent anti-corruption court, the spokesman said. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, is hoped to be coming under pressure to end his country's nuclear and missile programme - AFP

The UN Security Council has approved new sanctions on North Korea that will restrict oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programmes, and further tighten the noose on the rogue regime.

The council unanimously adopted a US-drafted resolution that also orders the repatriation of North Korean workers abroad and earning revenue for Kim Jong-un's regime.

Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, welcomed the resolution.

"The international community has shown that it is united in its condemnation of North Koreas reckless behaviour," he said. This resolution takes vital steps to reduce the export revenues that the North Korean regime diverts away from its people to fund its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

These further measures adopted show Kim Jong-Un that he has the choice of two paths. To either continue the current path of provocation and isolation or to put the wellbeing of the North Korean people first. We urge North Korea to change its course.

On the eve of the vote it was unclear whether China and Russia, trading allies of the regime, could be won over by the US. But Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, convinced her colleagues and Friday's vote was seen as sending a strong, united message to Mr Kim.

Mrs Haley said the sanctions sent an "unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishments and isolation".

Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the UN, said that the ability of all council members to come together on the North Korea issue showed they are seeing the bigger interests we all have.

Matthew Rycroft and Nikki Haley voting on a previous round of sanctions against North Korea, on August 5

He said the new measures tighten the grip and make it even harder for the regime to fund the illegal programmes, and at the same time insure we dont make life harder for the poor people of North Korea.

Francois Delattre, France's ambassador to the UN, added: "The unity of the Security Council says a lot about the fact that the threat coming from North Korea is getting more serious after each passing day."

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Under the terms of the sanctions, deliveries of petrol products will be capped at 500,000 barrels a year, and crude oil at four million barrels a year.

That means that the total imports allowed has been cut by 89 per cent since the summer.

Furthermore, it marks a reduction in exports allowed under previous sanctions, imposed on September 11, by 75 per cent.

All North Korean nationals working abroad will have to return home within 24 months, restricting a vital source of foreign currency.

The US estimates that the North Korean regime earns over $500 million each year from heavily taxing the nearly 100,000 overseas North Korean workers, with as many as 50,000 working in China and 30,000 in Russia.

The deadline for return, however, was extended from the 12 months proposed by the US to 24, in response to Chinese and Russian concerns.

And there will also be a ban on exports of North Korean goods, such as machinery and electrical equipment.

A high-level meeting on North Korea, held on December 15

"This resolution bites: it strengthens restrictions on petroleum products and workers in particular," said Mr Delattre.

"In other words, this resolution targets key players at the heart of the regime, aiming at changing the regime calculus."

The resolution is seen as a move towards the final stages of diplomacy.

However, there are still some further steps to take, as it does not permit countries to hail and board North Korean ships in international waters, which the Trump administration proposed earlier this year. That would be the most draconian measure, because it would enable the United States Navy and its Pacific allies to create a cordon around the country, though Pentagon officials say it would also carry a high risk of triggering a firefight between North Korea and foreign navies.

President Trump has used just about every lever you can use, short of starving the people of North Korea to death, to change their behavior, said Tom Bossert, homeland security adviser, on Tuesday.

And so we dont have a lot of room left here to apply pressure to change their behaviour.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations' top human rights official, a sharp critic of US President Donald Trump, declared Wednesday that he will not tone down his message to seek re-election in his post.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told staff in an email he would not bargain away his agency's integrity when his job comes up for renewal in August.

Earlier this week, in an interview with AFP, the Jordanian prince had rejected the idea of "wheeling and dealing" with political players to secure a second four-year term in Geneva.

And in an email to staff, seen by AFP, he wrote: "After reflection, I have decided not to seek a second four-year term" adding that "in the current geo-political context," to stay "might involve bending a knee in supplication; muting a statement of advocacy."

Hussein did not mention Trump by name, but he has reportedly been under pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to tone down his human rights criticism of Washington.

Even as Hussein's email became public, Trump was threatening to cut off US funding to countries that vote against his Israel policy at a UN General Assembly emergency session on Thursday.

During Trump's election campaign, Hussein had blasted the political newcomer's populist promise to ban Muslims from visiting or migrating to the United States as "grossly irresponsible."

In August, Hussein took a swipe at Trump over his depiction of media reports as "fake news," saying it could amount to incitement against journalists.

He compared the US president to a bus driver "careening down a mountain path."

From a human rights perspective, he said, "it seems to be reckless driving."

The United States remains the single biggest donor to UN coffers and Guterres has been keen to develop ties with the US administration to sustain the broader UN agenda.

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- Stellar exception -

In his interview with AFP, Hussein voiced concern over the far-right tilt of Austria's new coalition government and took aim at politicians willing to turn to "the peddling of fear as a means of getting to political office."

Trump's comments have "seemed to find an echo in other countries where leaders who were inclined to shut down civil society or the media were resorting to the same language," he said.

"I think we all recognize how dangerous that is."

Human rights groups have praised Hussein as a strong voice at the United Nations who spoke with credibility on rights violations in Syria, Myanmar among many conflicts.

He was the first UN official to describe the Myanmar army's campaign against Muslim Rohingya as ethnic cleansing.

Hussein is a "stellar exception in a world where populists and enemies of human rights have gotten a lot of air play," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch.

"It's a sorry indictment of the regard for which human rights are held when the high commissioner feels like he would have to compromise with his message and his actions in order to get a second term," said Charbonneau.

"I hope the UN will find a replacement who can continue in this style in an extremely challenging time for human rights defenders."

The 53-year-old career diplomat was appointed as UN rights chief in 2014 under former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, replacing Navi Pillay of South Africa.

He was Jordan's UN ambassador from 2000 to 2007 and served as a UN political affairs officer in the UN peace mission in former Yugoslavia, during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United States on Thursday presented a draft UN Security Council resolution ramping up sanctions on North Korea by cutting oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's military programs, according to the text obtained by AFP.

The council is expected to vote on the new sanctions on Friday, diplomats said.

The measure would ban the supply of nearly 90 percent of refined oil products to North Korea and order the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad within 12 months, according to the text obtained by AFP.

The United States has been in negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, on slapping new sanctions in response to the November 28 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Since last year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test -- its sixth -- and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions.

The latest draft would build on previous sanctions that restrict crude and refined oil deliveries to North Korea, most of which are supplied by China.

US President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping last month to cut off oil to North Korea, a move that would deal a crippling blow to its desperately struggling economy.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been sent to Russia and China to earn hard currency for Pyongyang, working in what UN rights officials have described as "slave-like conditions."

The draft resolution would cap crude oil supplies to four million barrels per year and require countries to seek UN permission to ship crude to North Korea.

Deliveries of refined petroleum products including diesel and kerosene would be capped at 500,000 barrels for next year, according to the measure that would order all countries to report their shipments to the United Nations.

- Seizing ships -

The measure would expand a list of banned exports to include food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone including magnesite and magnesia, wood and vessels from North Korea.

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All countries would be authorized to seize, inspect, freeze and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea, according to the proposed measure.

A total of 19 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, would be added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the North Korean ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages logistics for the army.

The United States has led the drive at the Security Council to tighten sanctions that are aimed at pressuring Kim Jong-Un's regime to come to the negotiating table.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the council that the "pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved" as he backtracked from his offer to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang.

In negotiations on previous sanctions, the United States has first agreed with China on provisions of each resolution before presenting the text to the full 15-member council, which has then quickly voted.

So far, the Security Council has imposed a full ban on supplies of condensates and natural gas liquids to North Korea, capped deliveries of refined oil products to two million barrels a year, and capped crude oil exports at current levels.

The council has also banned exports of North Korean coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, restricted joint ventures and ended the hiring of North Korean workers abroad.

The United States has separately asked the council to blacklist 10 ships, including two Hong Kong-flagged vessels, for carrying banned cargo from North Korea.

The UN sanctions committee has set a deadline of 3:00 pm (2000 GMT) Thursday for council members to raise any objections to a request to ban all 10 ships from ports worldwide.
Prioritizing your wedding budget is certainly a hard task. However, I'm of the opinion that emphasizing the areas where guests will spend a lot of the celebration is a wonderful way to prioritize where and how you invest. To get the party started you certainly want your friends and family enjoying a few drinks, so why not dress up the bars they'll be visiting all night? I've gathered some of my favorite bar designs for any couple's decor aesthetic. From fresh and modern to light and whimsical, there are a million ways to incorporate beautiful bar designs into each and every stunning wedding celebration! Cheers!

Woodsy Classic elements of rustic iron and aged wood make for the perfect accent to rustically charming day. If you're celebrating on an upscale ranch or in a refined barn venue, a bar like this could be perfect for you.

Modern Crisp, clean, and inviting lines and fresh color palettes are beyond welcoming. From locations like Palm Springs to Cabo, a bright and simple look is the way to go. Reinforcing your wedding aesthetic throughout all the little details is the best way to create a distinct look, without seeming as though you're overwhelmingly clinging to a trite theme.

Classic If you're the type of couple that's burying bourbon or putting a sixpence pence in your shoe, a classic, bright, and southern look is the way to go! I love how some shapes, colors, and looks are simply timeless and don't go out of style.

Parisian I wouldn't mind ordering a signature drink like a French 75 from a stunning bar, or rather decor statement, like this one. With an inviting pathway like this one at your venue, a welcome station to offer guests a glass of sparkling rose would be a fun way to kick off the party.

Whimsical For the jet-setting couple that wants to simply pull up their Airstream and host a party, a whimsical bar is the way to go. With nods to your travels to places like Iceland and Peru tastefully incorporated throughout your whimsical day, guests will admire the wanderlust vibes at your wedding.

Organic Sometimes fresh and simple greenery is the most stunning way to bring the organic, farm to table feeling to your wedding day. Guests would enjoy sipping on craft brews and herb-infused cocktails at a bar as gorgeous as this one. At the end of the day, no matter what, grab a glass of champagne and enjoy celebrating your special day. Cheers! Style Me Pretty Contributor - Hannah Nowack is a freelance writer, calligrapher, and event designer living in Atlanta, Georgia. When she isn't working, you will find her decorating her Danish Modern-inspired apartment, frequenting the gourmet cheese counter, or enjoying a glass of Cabernet with friends.
Miami (AFP) - An American woman has given birth to a healthy baby girl from an embryo that was frozen a quarter century ago, in what hospital officials say may be a world record.

The baby, named Emma Wren Gibson, was born November 25, according to the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) in Knoxville, Tennessee, which revealed the birth announcement this week.

The embryo was conceived by another couple and frozen on October 14, 1992.

Tina Gibson, the woman who just gave birth to Emma Wren, was born in 1991, NEDC marketing director Mark Mellinger told AFP on Wednesday.

By some measures, that would make the embryo that became Emma Wren only about a year younger than her mother.

"We could have been best friends," said Gibson, now 26, in an interview with local television WBIR.

Gibson said she wasn't told by doctors until she was pregnant that the embryo had been frozen more than 24 years earlier.

"I just stared at them, I was like, what? Are you kidding?"

Mellinger said Gibson and her husband selected the embryo based on a profile of genetic characteristics, but was not told how long the embryo had been frozen.

Gibson was implanted with three embryos, and only one survived, he added. There remain two more cryopreserved embryos from the same biological parents.

The case marks the "longest-frozen embryo to successfully come to birth," said the NEDC, citing the research staff at the University of Tennessee Preston Medical Library as a source.

However, some experts expressed caution about proclaiming such a record.

US companies are not required to report the age of the embryos, just the outcome of the pregnancies, Zaher Merhi, director of IVF research and development at New Hope Fertility Center in New York, told CNN.

"Nobody has these records," he said.

The previous record-holder was believed to be a baby boy frozen for 20 years, born to a New York woman in 2011.

The embryo was stored by the NEDC, a Christian organization that describes itself as "the world's leading comprehensive embryo adoption program," with 686 babies born to date.

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Its mission is to "protect the lives and dignity of frozen embryos that would not be used by their genetic parents and to help other couples build the families they have longed for via donated embryos."

Gibson and her husband were unable to conceive a child on their own, and are thrilled with their new baby.

"Emma is such a sweet miracle," said father Benjamin Gibson in a statement.

"I think she looks pretty perfect to have been frozen all those years ago."
This file photo taken on November 27, 2017 shows North Korean soldiers staring at South Korean soldiers at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) - AFP

South Korean guards fired up to 20 warning shots at North Korean troops as they searched for a comrade who had defected across the heavily militarised border.

It is the second defection of a North Korean solider in just over a month and comes amid heightened tensions over Pyongyangs build-up of nuclear weapons.

A low-ranking soldier who was reportedly aged 19 arrived at a front-line South Korean guard post in heavy fog just after 8am on Thursday morning.

South Korean military officials said no shots were fired when the solider crossed the border. But around 90 minutes later about 20 rounds from a K-3 machine gun were fired to warn off a patrol of North Korean soldiers who were apparently looking for their comrade.

About 40 minutes later, two bursts of gunfire were heard in the North, but officials said there were no indications of any bullets crossing the border.

The defection is the fourth time this year a North Korean soldier has fled across the world's most heavily armed border.

FAQ | North Korean defection

The incident came a month after the rare and dramatic defection of a North Korean soldier under a hail of bullets from his own side at Panmunjom, the truce village where opposing forces confront each other across a concrete dividing line.

A dramatic video showed the soldier speeding down a tree-lined road, headlights on, past dun-coloured fields and shocked North Korean soldiers, who begin to run after him.

He crashes the jeep into a ditch near the line that divides North and South and the blue huts familiar to anyone whos toured the area. The man then lies injured in a mass of leaves before South Korean soldiers take him away to safety.

Two North Korean civilians also defected this week and were found drifting in an old, engineless boat off the South's eastern coast, Yonhap news agency said.

The pair "expressed their willingness to defect", a South Korea's Unification Ministry said. Their claim for asylum was being investigated.

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In this Nov. 27, 2017, file photo, North Korean soldiers look at the South side as a South Korean stands guard near the spot where a North Korean soldier crossed the border on Nov. 13 at the Panmunjom, in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. Credit: AP

The developments bring this year's total for the number of people defecting directly to the South to 15, a Joint Chiefs of Staff tally showed - three times as many as in 2016.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for North Korea's foreign ministry said on Thursday that Pyongyang is not linked to any cyber attacks, the North's first response since the United States publicly blamed it for a massive worldwide cyber security breach.

The US blamed North Korea for the rampant WannaCry ransomware that infected more than 200,000 victims in around 150 countries.

Businesses, schools and hospitals including the NHS were brought to their knees by the malicious software after it spread in May.

"As we have clearly stated on several occasions, we have nothing to do with cyber attack and we do not feel a need to respond, on a case-by-case basis, to such absurd allegations of the U.S.," the spokesman said, according to the North's official KCNA news agency.
Australia's most enduring military mystery has been solved after the wreckage of the country's first submarine was found more than a century after vanishing off Papua New Guinea's coast, officials said Thursday.

HMAS AE1, the first of two E Class submarines built for the Royal Australian Navy, vanished on 14 September, 1914 near the Duke of York Islands with 35 crew members from Australia, Britain and New Zealand on board.

The vessel was the first Allied submarine loss in World War I and its disappearance marked Australia's oldest naval mystery.

She was found in more than 300-metre (1000 feet) deep waters in the same area after an expedition -- the 13th search -- was launched last week using Fugro Equator, a search ship also used by Australia to hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

"After 103 years, Australia's oldest naval mystery has been solved," Defence Minister Marise Payne told reporters in Sydney.

"This is one of the most significant discoveries in Australia's naval maritime history... The loss of AE1 in 1914 was a tragedy for our then fledgling nation."

Payne said she hoped the discovery would help investigators uncover what caused the submarine to sink.

The AE1 was commissioned in Portsmouth, England in February 1914 and reached Sydney in May. It took part in operations leading to the occupation of German New Guinea.

Australia's Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, said the submarine was located using a range of technologies, including a magnetometer that measures magnetic disturbances, remotely operated vehicles and a deep-drop camera.

"Each time that we searched for AE1, the progression of technology has allowed for us to learn a little bit more," he said.

Barrett said he hoped the discovery of the vessel and the lost crew would bring closure to their descendants.

Payne said the government was working with their PNG counterparts to preserve the site and arrange for a commemoration of the sub and its crew.

The search was jointly funded by the Australia government, the Australian National Maritime Museum, and two maritime history organisations.
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa wrapped up Thursday the party conference that elected him ANC leader, with a vow to stamp out corruption in the organisation and in government.

But the result of the party's other leadership races will mean that even if Ramaphosa becomes president in 2019, he will have to share power with the party faction that opposed his leadership bid.

And in the meantime, President Jacob Zuma remains head of state, limiting Ramaphosa's room for manoeuver.

- Knives out -

Even though Zuma and Ramaphosa presented an amiable front to the world during the conference, relations between the two remain badly strained.

During the long and frequently acrimonious campaign, Ramaphosa regularly denounced corruption at the highest levels of government and argued that the perceptions of graft were tarnishing Nelson Mandela's legacy and eroding the ANC's electoral appeal.

His criticism of alleged official misconduct were seen as attacks on the legacy of Zuma, who has been embroiled in dozens of corruption and cash-for-access scandals.

It also helped to undermine his rival for the party leadership, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, by raising fears that as Zuma's ex-wife she might seek to shield him from prosecution.

Images of her disconsolate reaction to Ramaphosa's victory quickly went viral online.

In his inaugural speech as leader Ramaphosa did not sidestep criticism of Zuma's eight years as president, though he used guarded language.

"(Leaders') actions should always be a source of pride, and not a cause for embarrassment," he said.

If the ANC has a hope of keeping its absolute majority in general elections due in two years, Ramaphosa will quickly need to address the Zuma situation.

"Given the negative image of the president and the looming 2019 elections, he will have to distance himself," said Victor Magnani, an Africa specialist at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).

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- Early exit for Zuma? -

Zuma's second term leading South Africa concludes in mid-2019.

The constitution states that the president, who is elected by parliamentarians, cannot be recalled once in office, meaning he can be forced out only by a vote of no confidence -- or pressured to resign.

Despite the numerous legal scandals dogging him, Zuma has until now always survived no-confidence votes, protected by the ANC's large parliamentary majority.

Which leaves the option of resignation. A precedent exists: in 2008 Zuma successfully forced his predecessor Thabo Mbeki to cut short his term by eight months after assuming the party leadership.

This scenario has gained traction in some corners of the ANC in recent days.

Delegates at the conference have spoken out about the risk of having "two centres of power", split between the party and the government.

Fikile Mbalula, the police minister and a Dlamini-Zuma supporter, told the media that any such tensions would be handled by the party's National Executive Committee (NEC).

"The ANC takes decisions and its deployees in government must abide," he said referring to party members appointed to jobs in the executive.

But in the election of NEC members Wednesday, three posts went to Dlamini-Zuma loyalists -- seen as favourable to Zuma himself -- and three to Ramaphosa's camp, including the party leader himself.

Divisions would probably come to a head over any move to recall Zuma before the end of his term.

- Battle of the grievances -

Even before the end of the conference, backers of the new leader had already begun a campaign to ease Zuma towards the exit.

In its final resolutions, the party agreed to quickly put in place a commission of judicial inquiry to investigate high-level corruption.

The move was a major snub to Zuma, who has stalled for months over demands that he open an inquiry into his ties with the influential Gupta business family, which is accused of influence peddling and misappropriation of public funds with Zuma's blessing.

Three days before the conference a court ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged "capture" of state influence and spending, to begin within a month.

Zuma suggested that he would appeal the court ruling, a move which some in the ANC would probably consider sufficiently serious defiance to justify a recall or vote of no confidence.

"Zuma may be at a disadvantage, but he will use every weapon in his considerable arsenal to maintain power for as long as possible," said Augustine Booth-Clibborn, an analyst at ARC Risk.

"The fight for South Africa's future will be between the ANC and the government."

That prospect quickly tempered market optimism that a Ramaphosa victory would return political stability to the system.

"Mr Zuma still occupies South Africa's presidency -- a cohabitation that may cause a period of policy uncertainty," said John Ashbourne of Capital Economics Africa.
People protest in the offices of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to demand that the Senate pass a clean DREAM Act, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
This Saturday evening, Im going to protest. Not in Tel Aviv, but in Jerusalem. Not against but in favor. In favor of the rule of law, in favor of the checks and balances in the State of Israel. In favor of the war on corruption, wherever it may be.

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I admit that the Rothchild Boulevard protests pushed me into a corner. I found it easy to oppose the messages from the Petah Tikva protests. I trust the attorney general and his system to do their job according to the evidence, regardless of the results. The attack on AG Avichai Mandelblit was anarchistic and conspiratorial.

Anti-corruption protest at Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard. The general atmosphere prevents me from being there (Photo: EPA)

I have also trusted Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh from the very first day he was appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. I wrote in his favor when he was attacked by the Left, and I trust him even now when the conspiracies are coming from the Right.

Rabbi Yuval Cherlows participation in last Saturdays protest got me thinking about what I was doing. It must be the power of one rabbi. I have a mental issue with the Rothschild protests. Its not because of the anti-occupation signs or the pro-BDS sign. I know tens of thousands of people cant be stained over a few radicals. Thats as wrong as staining the entire right-wing over marginal provocations in protests. Its not even because of the harsh calls to jail a prime minister or Eldad Yanivs delusional statement that Netanyahu would go to war to evade the investigations and their results.

Its the general atmosphere which prevents me from being there. The Rothschild protestors claim to be against corruption. So am I. But the atmosphere is both a political protest against Netanyahu and the Likud and a against corruption. Both against corruption and against the occupation. Im not sure what comes first, but theres no chance that a person like me would find himself standing under signs reading The occupation corrupts.

So I reached a dead end: My place isnt there, but my place has to be somewhere. A place where the Right speaks against corruption. A place when you can support the settlements and the states institutions. A place where people understand that every suspected case of corruption must be investigated, even if its in our close circle.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

So my protest Saturday evening will be in favor of the State of Israel and in favor of settling in it, in favor of the IDF and its senior commanders, in favor of the police, the investigation teams and the commissioner, in favor of the State Attorneys Office and the legal system. In favor of the limitations of power and in favor of statehood, which the state cant exist without. In favor of modest behavior and in favor of the faith that the leadershipin the Knesset or in the governmentmust be a role model. And no, were not receiving what we should be receiving.

On regular days, I criticize everyone: Judicial activism, the polices helplessness in dealing with agricultural crimes and the foot-dragging in the courts. These are not regular days. My criticism will continue, but it has nothing to do with the existential need for a repair. The national camp must now raise a moral voice. The war on corruption must not be left to the opposition people, to the anti-occupation protestors or to those who hope for a left-wing rule. Thats an ethical mistake, and not just because of the benefit considerations and the loss of Knesset seatsbut, first and foremost, because we must look in the mirror.

I hope I wont be alone there at Jerusalems Zion Square. Israel Harel, who founded the Institute for Zionist Strategies, has agreed to take part. I hope to see settlers who care about incorruptibility, students of pre-military academies who still believe in the people of Israels ideals, members of the Beitar movement, rabbis who teach the doctrine of life and hold the book of morals. Not just tribal politics. Right-wing people, traditional and ultra-Orthodox. I hope the ministers and the prime minister come too. Theres no reason they shouldnt come. If indeed there is nothing, supporting our states law enforcement systems is its leaders job, not mine.

And finally, forget about conspiracies and interests: I didnt get these values in the media, I got them at my parents home in Elkana, in Bnei Akiva and in my military service. If you dont like it, try to appeal to the younger generation. If the people Im calling on arrive, Ill be glad. And if not, Ill stand there on my own with a sign and know that I did the right thing.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut clashed in a conference organized by the Israeli Association of Public Law in Zikhron Ya'akov Thursday evening, with the minister attacking the supreme court for its detachment and the chief justice retorting by criticizing statements made by elected officials against the court.

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The justice minister, who recently promoted Basic Law: Legislation along with fellow Bayit Yehudi member Education Minister Naftali Bennett, said, "Israeli democracy is distancing itself from the people. It stems from a deep-seated, ancient fear of the people and the distance between it and the old elites' aloofness and detachment from the realities of life," Shaked said.

Chief Justice Hayut, meanwhile, responded by saying, "Dialogue between the branches of government is essential to a democratic country even if there are tensions, with each branch maintaining the dignity of the others. Unfortunately, the manner in which certain ministers and MKs speak about the judiciary is far from being respectable with recent examples being especially shameful."

Justice Minister Shaked (L) and Chief Justice Hayut presented their opposing views on the judiciary (Photo: Zohar Shachar)

The Bayit Yehudi ministers' bill was intended to regulate officially the court's ability to strike down lawsthe first attempt to do so since the so-called "judicial revolution" of the 1990s.

In her speech, Shaked hinted at the fact she believed such rulings had no legal leg to stand on. Hinting at the High Court's ruling on African immigrants, the minister said the court "only considered utopian Jerusalem, not actual south Tel Aviv."

Harking back to her comment about democracy distancing itself from the people, Shaked said Israeli democracy existed "a considerable distance away from regular folks and was feeding off of its lack of sufficient familiarity with the people and their needs, weaknesses, frustrations, advantages and desires. It's predicated on choosing the pure judicial norm over concrete reality, which will forever be harsher and more complex than any legal casuistry."

Shaked wishes to regulate and institutionalize judicial review with Basic Law: Legislation (Photo: Avi Chai)

'The people have become a danger lurking on every corner'

Shaked said the judiciary was separating the "demos" (or Greek for "common people") with the "kratos" (Greek for "strength"), thereby "turning the 'demos' into a demon, with the people becoming a danger lurking on every corner. The people decisions, according to this new political theory, were driven not by thoughts but by emotions, by impulses and not opinions. It is for this reason that the people's rulesas they were enacted by its elected officialsare often deemed to be ruinous."

The justice minister further maintained her proposed Basic Law will bring the Israeli system of government back to its age-old democratic roots. Shaked even pointed a barb at the justices, saying, "This important law cements the well-known legal principle that any action by a governmental authority must be carried out according to law. This rule does not, should not and will not have any exceptions, even when it comes to the judiciary wishing to strike down Knesset laws with explicit legal standing."

Judicial review of laws, Shaked said, could not be predicated on "the basis of slim legal texts and generous interpretative acrobatics. Preserving the 'rule of law' should also be based on the law."

'The true test: when positions don't match'

Chief Justice Hayut spoke at the conference as well and said the court endeavored to allow the pertinent authority to decide on the matter at hand and only in such cases as that is not possible will it intercede. "If anyone believes respecting the legislative and executive branches meant turning a blind eye to the rule of law and humans rights, they are sorely mistaken," Hayut added.

"The true test does is not found when the court's opinion matches that of the elected officials, but when they don't match. It would not be an exaggeration to expect criticism to be worded properly and be levied at an issue and not at judges or the court," the chief justice reprimanded.

Chief Justice Hayut said politicians wished the court to decide on difficult matters and then protested when it did (Photo: Avi Chai)

On claims of the court's over-involvement, Hayut said, "Truth be told, we come across public officials who drag their feet and avoid making decisions, instead preferring for the court to 'do the dirty work for them.' It's a repeated pattern. Then, when the Supreme Court decides on a matter, they cry out over lost governance."

In his own speech, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit also professed adamant objection to Bennett and Shaked's bill. "It seems some people believe any decision reached by a Knesset majority is necessarily legitimate. They usually are of that opinion when they themselves are in the majority.

"This stance, however, ignores the fact the majority may reach decisions injurious to the minority. In such cases, the only entity that may defend the minority from the tyranny of the majority is the court system. The most important role of the court, constitutionally speaking, is to defend the minority and preserve human rights. That is indeed what Israel's Supreme Court does."

On more earthly matters, Attorney General Mandelblit also noted investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's affairs were near their end and that he was "disturbed by public discourse."

Mandelblit said that it seemed "All sides think they know the final outcome already. Neither camp can push us off our path, however."

AG Mandelblit opposed Shaked's bill by saying it was the court's role to protect the minority for the tyranny of the majority (Photo: Zohar Shachar)

Two days following Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech in which he said "So there will be (indictment) recommendations. So what?", Mandelblit said that "the status of the police and the State Prosecutor's Office should be protected and their legitimacy should not be undermined by baseless statements."

"One of the challenges with the rule of law has to do with interrogating public officials," he added. "It's no secret that the investigations against the prime minister are advancing, and may conclude soon. Only one thing guided us through this journey: suspicions and the law. But I am disturbed by the public discourse on this."

"It appears all sides think they know the final outcome and I honestly wish I did as well. One side demands one thing and the other demands something else, but neither demonstrations for nor demonstrations against or videos or commentators that aren't really familiar with the facts or evidencenot one of those thing can or will influence the law enforcement system. They will not push us off our path," the attorney general vowed.

"No deviation can be accepted, either to leniency or severity. It's obvious we should not be lenient with officials being questioned as the " French Bill " or Recommendations Law in its original version suggest, and we certainly should not convict or indict a suspect before the investigation has run its course," Mandelblit concluded.
Military Police have launched an investigation into an incident that took place in Hebron two weeks ago and that was captured on camera showing a group of IDF soldiers hitting a handcuffed Palestinian.

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The incident occurred at the conclusion of violent unrest on Friday December 8 staged by Palestinians against Israeli security forces, following US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Footage of soldiers hitting arrested Palestinian (: )

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Soldiers can be seen in the footage, filmed from a window of a building nearby, surrounding the handcuffed Palestinian, as some begin randomly striking and kicking him as he is being led to a checkpoint.

After troops arrested one of the protesters, the left-wing group B'Tselem recorded the force used by the soldiers, prompting the IDF to announce that it was looking into the matter. Following a preliminary investigation, it was sent on to the military Criminal Investigation Division.

According to BTselem, the scene was recorded by a Hebron resident from his home when he heard the Palestinian shouting.

Israeli security forces are preparing Friday for yet another declared day of rage in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip which have become expected features of the conclusion of Muslim afternoon prayers since Trumps Jerusalem declaration.

Screenshot from footage (Photo: B'Tselem)

Violent clashes broke out Wednesday afternoon between around a thousand Palestinian rioters and Israeli Border Police in Qalandiya in another so-called day of rage declared in the West Bank by Palestinian factions, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbass Fatah party.

Last Friday, three Palestinian rioters and one terrorist were shot dead while about 160 more were wounded on Friday, medical officials said, as "day of rage" protests over Trumps recognition of Jerusalem entered their second week.
A sixty-year-old man was killed Friday morning when a small plane crashed into an open field between Kibbutz Merhavia and Kfar Yehezkel in Emek Yezreel.

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Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency paramedics were called to the scene at 8:43am where they were forced to pronounce the pilot's death.

Light aircraft crashes in northern Israel (:   ")

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The plane took off from a field near the scene of the crash and plunged into the ground from an altitude of 200 meters.

We arrived at the agricultural field and saw a light aircraft that had crashed into the ground, recalled one of the paramedics.

There was a 60-year-old man trapped inside the plane and firefighters came to extricate him. We conducted medical checks but he was showing no signs of life and we were forced to pronounce his death, he added.

Four months ago, two men aged 46 and 57 were lightly and moderately injured during a forced landing in a light aircraft in a field in Kfar Shmaryahu.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak led thousands of Muslims in a rally Friday to show solidarity with Palestinians, slamming the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

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Najib told the crowd that Malaysia will do all it can to "save Jerusalem" and that he will not be cowed by the US nor by his close ties with President Donald Trump. Najib in September met Trump at the White House, and last month, posted a photograph of himself with Trump on Twitter on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Manila.

Malaysia on Thursday joined more than 120 countries voting in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, ignoring a threat by Trump to cut off financial aid to countries voting against his move.

Some protesters could be signs waving placards that read Palestine will be free. I hate Israel.

"Yes, I have visited the White House and yes, Trump is a good acquaintance but I will not pawn the sanctity of Islam," Najib said to loud cheers at the protest outside a mosque in the government capital of Putrajaya after Friday prayers.

PM Najib Razak leding the protest (Photo: AP)

"We are firm in our stand. We support the formation of a Palestine that is free and sovereign. We demand a Palestine with dignity and pride. We want east Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine," he said.

Earlier this month, Trump announced the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

Najib vowed to hold weekly protests in support of Palestinians. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told local media that the Cabinet would next month discuss a proposal by Najib for Malaysia to follow Turkey in opening an embassy in east Jerusalem to recognize the city as the Palestinian capital.
A resident of the Negev who admitted to carrying out a terror attack in Arad in November that claimed the life of IDF soldier Sgt. Ron Yitzhak Kokia, revealed that he originally intended to kidnap him, it was cleared for publication on Friday after a gag order was lifted from the investigations details.

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Khaled Abu Jaudah stabbed 19-year-old Kokia to death outside a shopping mall on November 30 as he waited for a bus in what police initially concluded was likely a nationalistically-motivated murder. An indictment is expected to be served against him and his half brother Zahi on Sunday.

Sgt. Ron Yitzhak Kokia

In the attack, Kokias weapons was stolen and less than 24 hours later, Israeli security forces arrested two suspects, both of whom are Israeli citizens from the Negev without any known record of involvement in terror-related activities.

The investigation revealed that Khaled identified with terror organizations and that he harbored extremist views. Zahi Jaudah will be indicted for assisting his half brother in the attack.

(Photo: Haim Horenstein)

Khaled originally planned to kidnap a soldier by using anesthesia to which he had access in Soroka University Medical Center in Beer Sheva where he was gaining work experience for his studies. He planned to use him as a bargaining chip to secure the release of Palestinian security prisoners.

This was a student from a college in Ashkelon who does not work in the hospital. He came for work experience for his studies and stayed in the hospital for two weeks, a spokesperson from Soroka Medical Center said.

(Photo: Yaron Rabinowitz)

Revising his plan, Khaled intended to kill the kidnapped soldier and use his rifle to carry out more attacks.

He purchased a vehicle in which he intended to escape after the attack and his a stash of money he intended to use for living while on the run.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Moscow Friday, seeking to encourage cooperation on global security challenges despite strained relations between Russia and the West.

Johnson is the first foreign secretary to visit Moscow in more than five years, reflecting bitter tensions between the two countries over a range of issues, including the 2006 poisoning death of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko and the Ukrainian crisis.

"It's important to talk about these things and to be frank about them and to accept that they are obstructions in our relationship at the moment," Johnson said at the start of his talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. "But we mustn't let ourselves be defined by these problems."

Lavrov also noted that the relations between the two countries are at a "very low point." He emphasized that while British and other Western officials like to publicly air their grievances about Russia, Russia would prefer to "discuss mutual concerns face-to-face, not through microphones."
Turkish police arrested 15 senior military officers in an investigation into the network of a US-based cleric who Ankara accuses of orchestrating last year's attempted coup, state-run Anadolu news agency said on Friday.

It said police were seeking one more officer in the operation, focused on the capital Ankara and spread across nine provinces, adding that 12 of the total 16 suspects were serving officers.

Among the suspects were seven colonels and nine lieutenant colonels from Turkey's gendarmerie force, which maintains security in rural areas, the Hurriyet news website said.

More than 50,000 people, including security personnel and civil servants, have been jailed pending trial in the aftermath of the failed putsch, which the government blames on Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. He has denied involvement.
Last Friday, Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, a disabled person who uses a wheelchair, who participated in a protest meters from the border fence in Gaza, was killed . Israel was widely criticized for killing Abu Thuraya and in some cases accused that an IDF sniper deliberately shot him.

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Zeid al-Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, published a condemnation claiming the protester did not pose a threat so there was no justification for his death. The Guardian published the story under the title 'A shocking and wanton act': Israel accused over death of wheelchair user. The Telegraph reported How a dead man in a wheelchair became a symbol of Palestinian anger over Donald Trumps Jerusalem decision.

Ibrahim Abu Thuraya during the clashes

Israel gave a different version of events. According to the IDFs investigation, Riot control equipment was used in the protest area. A few live rounds were fired towards the main instigators. Troops received approval prior to shooting each round by a senior commander in the field. No live fire was aimed at Abu Thuraya.

In reports worldwide, Abu Thuraya has been described as an innocent victim, having lost his legs as a result of an Israeli bombing during Operation Cast Lead in 2008 and as a protester brutally shot without any justification.

However, new information recently uncovered, makes the story questionable. Tomer Ilan, an Israeli activist, has researched Abu Thurayas history and found that his family members have reported to the media on his last words the day before the protest. Russia Today reports he told his family, Brother, forgive me. This is the last night you will see me. And you, my mother, forgive me, and you my sisters, you all forgive me... He kissed the hand and the leg of my father and said to him: Father, forgive me. This is the last night you will see me, as I intend to be a martyr. I am bored of this life, I have no legs and I have nothing. I want to die and rest from life. Mondoweiss quotes similar a testimony by a family member.

Abu Thurayas alleged injury as an innocent civilian by an IDF bombing on his home in 2008, has also been found to be totally inaccurate. The Independent reported in 2005 that Abu Thuraya, a Fatah Force 17 member, was shot in the leg, in fighting between Hamas and Fatah. His membership in Fatahs Force 17 is also reported in the 2010 book Hamas: The Islamic Resistance Movement By Beverley Milton-Edwards, Stephen Farrell.

A Palestinian website reports he was injured again and lost his legs in April 2008 in battle with the IDF, as a Hamas combatant, 8 months before Operation Cast Lead.

The circumstances of Abu Thurayas death last week remain unclear. His past as a terrorist may not be related to the protest in which he was killed. However, in stark contrast to worldwide media reports, he was not an innocent civilian but a member of terrorist groups Force 17 and later Hamas, was injured twice while serving these groups, and went to last Fridays protest in order to die as a martyr.

Ben-Dror Yemini is the author of "

INDUSTRY OF LIES

 Media, Academia, and the Middle East Conflict"
The United States has "disqualified" itself from the Middle East peace process due to its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.

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"The United States are no longer an honest mediator in the peace process, we will not accept any plan put forward by the United States because of this partisan spirit," said Abbas, speaking through a translator at a joint news briefing in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Presidents Mahmoud Abbas and Emmanuel Macron (Photo: Reuters)

We want peace with Israel and we want to reach a solution peacefully, and there is no solution without Jerusalem, he added. Recognition of a Palestinian state is an investment in peace. We are the ones who expound a culture of peace and not war.

To underscore the point, he told his listeners to watch the protests that are taking place in Palestinian territories which he argued are being conducted peacefully, and still Palestinians have been killed.

In a letter sent to Palestinians before his joint press conference with Macron, Abbas said that President Donald Trumps Jerusalem declaration to support violations against the Palestinian people meant that we will not agree to the US being a mediator in the peace process and we will not accept any American peace initiative. The US chose to be biased.

We cannot accept any American initiative, Abbas stated in the Elysee Palace as yet another day of rage erupted in the West Bank at the conclusion of Friday prayers near Rachels Tomb, in Bethlehem and at the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp Al-Arroub in northern Hebron.

Abbas also condemned during his statement in France a threat by Trump to cut off financial aid to countries that voted at the United Nations against the United States' decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

On Thursday, more than 120 countries defied Trump and voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Macron reiterated on Friday that France remained committed to a "two-state" solution which catered for and Israel and Palestinian state peacefully co-existing side-by-side with one another.

Macron added that France would recognize a Palestinian state "at the right time", and not under pressure.

Also on Friday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called for the United States to step back from its decision on Jerusalem.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AP)

"Despite threats, the UN took an honourable stance," Erdogan said at a meeting of his AK Party in Istanbul. "The US should turn back from this wrong step."

"The US attitude ahead of the UN vote will be remembered in the history of democracy as an ugly and unforgivable act," Erdogan added. "The White House picked up the phone and called these countries one by one, threatening them blatantly," Erdogan said, without elaborating.
Two Palestinians were killed in on the Gaza Strip border by IDF rounds on Friday afternoon, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as thousands of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the strip and throughout the West Bank following the conclusion of Islamic Friday prayers, in yet another 'day of rage' over US President Donald Trumps declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

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"Zakaria al-Kafarhneh, 24, and Mohamed Muheisen, 29, were both killed after being shot during clashes that broke out on the border with Israel," the ministry stated, adding that "at least 40 other Palestinians (in Gaza) were injured by live ammunition."

Palestinians clash with Israeli forces in the West Bank (Photo: AFP)

Violent skirmishes broke out in a number of sites that have become flashpoints for angry protests, including near Rachels Tomb, in Bethlehem, at the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp Al-Arroub in northern Hebron, at the entrance of Ramallah, Nabi Salih and Beit Ummar.

Direct clashes also broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the Old City of Jerusalem. At least 17 rioters were reported to have been injured during the unrest.

Israeli security forces employed riot dispersal techniques as the demonstrators peppered them with Molotov Cocktails and rocks, and lit tires as they wrought havoc on the areas for a third consecutive Friday since Trump made his announcement, in which he also declared his intention to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Rioters near Gaza border (Photo: Reuters)

A statement by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that "in recent hours, violent riots have erupted in several locations in the West Bank, in which some 1,700 Palestinians are burning tires, hurling Molotov cocktails and throwing stones at IDF and Border Police forces.

"The forces responded by means of riot control. So far, six rioters have been lightly injured.

"In the Gaza Strip, some 2,000 Palestinians are demonstrating in seven locations along the Gaza Strip, burning tires, and throwing stones at IDF forces. In the course of the violent disturbances, shots were fired at central instigators."

Evident in the calls for further protests after Fridays prayers outside the al-Aqsa mosque was the rise in popularity of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has sought to entrench himself as the leader of Arab and world efforts to overturn Trumps decision.

Many protesters leaving the mosque could be seen carrying placards with Erdogans pictures, along with that of Ahed Tamimia 16-year-old Palestinian girl who was arrested this week after she was recorded with her cousin repeatedly assaulting two IDF soldiers as her mother Nariman intervened and confronted the soldiers.

As the clashes took place, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said during a joint press conference with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that he wanted peace.

We want peace with Israel and we want to reach a solution peacefully, Abbas said. Recognition of a Palestinian state is an investment in peace. We are the ones who expound a culture of peace and not war.

To underscore the point, he told his listeners to watch the protests that are taking place in Palestinian territories which he argued are being conducted peacefully, and still Palestinians have been killed.
Leah Goldin, mother of Hamas-held officer Hadar Goldin, spoke at a special session of the UN Security Council on the issue of prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

Goldin emphasized that Hamas kidnapped her son during the humanitarian ceasefire: "We suffer from a different pain because our son was not a victim of the war but of a humanitarian ceasefire initiated by the United Nations."

"To hold the bodies of our fallen sons is barbarism," Goldin added, "I call upon council members to ask why the UN accepts this behavior."
Rights groups and a press freedom organization renewed calls on Egyptian authorities Friday to release an Al-Jazeera journalist whose detention passed the one-year mark. Egypt accuses the Qatar-based news network of bias toward Islamist groups including its own outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

The statements from Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Amnesty International mark one year since the arrest of Mahmoud Hussein, believed to have been apprehended while in Egypt on vacation. He is accused of publishing false information and belonging to a banned group.

"Mahmoud Hussein languishing for over a year in pretrial detention demonstrates Egypt's deep-rooted intolerance for free expression," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director. Similarly, RSF and Amnesty International slammed Egypt over his detention for "no apparent reason."

Al-Jazeera also demanded Hussein's release in earlier statements, saying his health deteriorated while in prison.
Dr. Leah Goldin, mother of fallen IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose remains are held by Hamas, spoke at a special session of the UN Security Council on the issue of bodies and prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

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"My son was not a victim of war, but of a humanitarian ceasefire initiated by the United Nations," noted the bereaved mother, explaining that Hamas used the ceasefire "to ambush Israeli soldiers when they had let their guard down in light of the ceasefire."

Leah Goldin

"Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in order to stop Hamas rocket fire and destroy the terror tunnels," she elaborated. "Hadar's unit defended the units that destroyed these offensive tunnels. Tzur, Hadar's twin brother, rescued Palestinian families caught in the crossfire after Hamas used them as human shields.

"During Operation Protective edge, Israel agreed to ceasefires that were all violated by Hamas. In the end, Israel agreed to a ceasefire initiated by the United Nations and the United States. Less than two hours after Hamas agreedthe terrorists came out of a tunnel that had come out of a cellar in a house in Rafah and ambushed my son, killed him and dragged him through the tunnel.

"The soldiers tried to rescue him. Tzur received a call to rescue Hadar, not knowing that the soldier who was shot and kidnapped was his twin brother."

Leah Goldin's speech

X

Goldin then fumed that, despite former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon's explicit condemnation of Hamas' over the issue and calls by International leaders for her the return of her son's body, "nothing happened. Absolutely nothing."

"There is no expression of shock from the UN states and there are no calls for his release. There is only a painful and brutal silence," she lamented.

"To hold the bodies of our fallen sons is barbarism," Goldin concluded, asking why the UN accepts this behavior and calling upon council members to "be on the right side of history" and act immediately to restore the bodies by conditioning the continuation of humanitarian aid to Gaza on the return of Israeli soldiers and citizens, both living and deceased.

L to R: Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul, and Abera Mengistu

The bodies of fallen soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul , both of whom fell during Operation Protective Edge, are held by Hamas along with three Israeli civilians who are reportedly still living Abera Mengistu Hisham al-Sayed and Jumaa Ibrahim Abu-Ghanima

The discussion was convened by the US and the Ukraine in the form of an "Arria-Formula" Meetinga special and informal discussion of the council. It was attended by more than 30 diplomats.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday instructed Israel's representative at UNESCO Carmel Shama-Hacohen to submit to the organization's newly appointed Director-General Audrey Azoulay an official, written announcement of Israel's departure from the organization.

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Israel would join the United States, which in October pulled out from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization following what it referred to as "anti-Israel bias."

UNESCO's General Conference (Photo: AP)

The letter of departure will be submitted by Shama-Hacohen immediately after Christmas. According to the rules of the organization, departure shall take effect on the 31st of December of the year following the year of submission of the lettermeaning both the US and Israel are excepted to leave the organization by the end 2018.

It was Israel's delegation to UNESCO that recommended leaving the organization.

Senior Foreign Ministry officials initially advised not to resign, but the Foreign Ministry sent a special envoy, Zvi Tal, for talks at UNESCO and Washington, and he recommended that the Foreign Ministry leadership resign but leave the door open to return in case the organization undergoes some much needed reform.

The recommendation was made by Foreign Ministry Director-General Yuval Rotem, who presented it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who adopted it today.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay (Photo: Reuters)

Shama-Hacohen congratulated Netanyahu on the decision, saying that Israel has no place in the organizations so long as it remains morally corrupt, and that it is our duty to support the US in its departure by joining it.

"UNESCO, led by the Arab countries and the rest of the despondent, frustrated and downtrodden parts of the world, has broken records of hypocrisy, incitement and lies against Israel and the Jewish people, polluting its noble values with politicization and political terrorism bordering on anti-Semitism," he stated.

"The State of Israel and the Jewish people should to be the first to contribute to the organization and the last to leave it, but in UNESCO's theater of the absurd, countries that have no connection to science, education and culture have bankrupted this important organization both professionally and budgetarily.

"Just as all the decisions of the organization had no negative impact on our sovereignty in our capital of Jerusalem or on the historical connection of the Jewish people to the city in general and the ancient part in particular, the (organization's) humiliating attacks enlisted Jews from around the world and foremost American Jewry until President Trump's historic declaration.

Israel's representative at UNESCO Carmel Shama-Hacohen (Photo: Israel's delegation to UNESCO)

"The (organization's) decisions against Israel will never harm the connection and commitment of the State of Israel and every Jew to the values of education, culture and science, and therefore the Israeli government does not slam the door, but invites the leadership of the new organization together with its sane (member) countries to stop being afraid of the same gang that took over the organization.

"This departure is also our gratitude to our best and greatest ally, the United States, and in particular to its head of state and to its excellent ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.

"For many years now, the United States has been worried that Israel will not walk alone, while facing a crushing majority and paying the price (for it). The United States is leaving UNESCO in the bottom line because of the State of Israel, and it is our moral obligation not to let it do so alone."

The United Nation's education, cultural and scientific agency has passed several resolutions against Israel. It extended membership to Palestine in 2011.

Netanyahu's decision to withdraw from the organization came at the heels of Thursday's special UN General Assembly vote, passing a resolution which declared with overwhelming majority that Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is "null and void" and should be "rescinded immediately."
Turkish police arrested 15 senior military officers in an investigation into the network of a US-based cleric who Ankara accuses of orchestrating last years attempted coup, state-run Anadolu news agency said on Friday.

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It said police were seeking one more officer in the operation, focused on the capital Ankara and spread across nine provinces, adding that 12 of the total 16 suspects were serving officers.

Turkish President Erdogan (R) and accused leader of the attempted coup Gulen (Photo: AP, Reuters)

Among the suspects were seven colonels and nine lieutenant colonels from Turkeys gendarmerie force, which maintains security in rural areas, the Hurriyet news website said.

More than 50,000 people, including security personnel and civil servants, have been jailed pending trial in the aftermath of the failed putsch, which the government blames on Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. He has denied involvement.

Some 150,000 people have also been suspended or dismissed in a crackdown which rights groups say has been used as a pretext to muzzle dissent but which the government says has been necessary due to the security threats Turkey faces.

Police operations targeting alleged followers of Gulen have been conducted on a near daily basis since the coup attempt in July 2016, and authorities issued arrest warrants for 44 teachers on Friday, Anadolu said.

The suspects were former teachers at Gulen-linked schools which were previously closed by state decree, Anadolu said. Twenty-eight of the teachers were arrested so far.

Schools linked to Gulens network have been established across Asia, Africa and the United States and since the putsch, Turkey has asked countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan to close them down.
National Security Advisor and head of the National Security Council Meir Ben Shabbat, has been appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to replace Yitzhak Molcho as special political representative.

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Molcho is expected to leave his post on January 1, and will then begin a period of on-the-job training with Ben Shabbat, who will take on Molcho's position in addition to his other roles.





Meir Ben Shabbat

Molcho first asked Netanyahu to relieve him of his duties more than a year ago.

"This time, reluctantly and in the face of your determined stance, I decided to accede to your request," Netanyahu replied to Molcho upon accepting his resignation in October.

Molcho (L) and Netanyahu, 2010 (Photo: GPO)

"I do not need to list the sensitive and important policy tasks you've done," he lauded him. "You did it with a rare combination of talent, experience and comprehensive knowledge of the issues. It is not yet time to reveal all your actions, but I am sure that when that moment comes, the citizens of Israel will greatly appreciate your contribution."

Molcho is set to officially retire from his position at the end of February 2018.
Nine Bnei Menashe couples, all of whom immigrated last month to Israel from Manipur, India, were married on Tuesday in a group ceremony at Shavei Israels absorption center in Kfar Hasidim under Jewish law in the wake of their formal conversion.

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The nine couples were among 162 new immigrants who arrived in Israel last month thanks to the Jerusalem-based nonprofit Shavei Israel, which has made the dream of aliyah possible for over 3,000 Bnei Menashe over the last 15 years and plans to bring more members of the community to Israel.

They all hail from the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, on the border with Burma, and which is home to the largest concentration of Bnei Menashe in India. The new immigrants all plan to settle in Tiberias, Israel, after they leave Kfar Hasidim.

(:   -  )

"After realizing their dream of making Aliyah and returning to the Jewish people, these nine Bnei Menashe couples now have an additional reason to celebrate," said Shavei Israel Founder and Chairman Michael Freund. "They have now been remarried in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony which symbolizes the new lives they are building here in the Jewish state. We wish them a hearty Mazel Tov and much joy, health and success here in Israel."

The Bnei Menashe (sons of Manasseh) claim descent from one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, who were sent into exile by the Assyrian Empire more than 27 centuries ago. Their ancestors wandered through Central Asia and the Far East for centuries, before settling in what is now northeastern India, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh.

Throughout their sojourn in exile, the Bnei Menashe continued to practice Judaism just as their ancestors did, including observing Shabbat, keeping kosher, celebrating the festivals and following the laws of family purity. And they continued to nourish the dream of one day returning to the land of their ancestors, the Land of Israel.

Currently there are 7,000 Bnei Menashe awaiting their return to the Jewish homeland.

(Photo: Shlomo Haokip/Shavei Israel)

The new Bnei Menashe immigrants are required, as part of the formal conversion process, to marry according the laws of Moses in Israel. Although the couples were already married in India, and some even have children, this is their first Jewish wedding.

"We are so excited and happy to be getting married in the Promised Land after waiting for more than 25 years to make it here with the eight other couples," said Pedatzur Touthang, 42, who, together with his wife Yehudit, was among the couples that were remarried.

"HaShem is great to bring us back homeafter so many centuries in exileto get married in the land of our ancestors. We are so lucky and thrilled to be a part of building the Jewish nation," said Yoel Khongsai, who remarried his wife Sara.

The brides had their hair and makeup done and wore traditional white wedding gowns, and some of the grooms wore traditional suits with Bnei Menashe tribal designs.

(Photo: Shlomo Haokip/Shavei Israel)

Shavei Israel is a nonprofit organization founded by Michael Freund, who immigrated to Israel from the United States with the aim of strengthening the ties between the Jewish people, the State of Israel and the descendants of Jews around the world.

The organization reaches out to and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. It works with various groups around the world, such as the Bnei Menashe, the Bnei Anousim (Marranos) of Spain, Portugal and South America, the Subbotnik Jews of Russia, and the "Hidden Jews" of Poland from the time of the Holocaust. The organization also engages in the absorption of new olim in Israel, including providing assistance with housing, employment, and professional training.
Iraq's Shi'ite paramilitary groups have deployed to the border to back up border guard forces who came under fire from within Syria over the past three days, one of their commanders said on Friday.

"After several Iraqi border guard positions came under several attacks by missiles, and backup from security forces was late, the 13th brigade of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) was deployed and targeted the origins of the launch," PMF commander for west Anbar, Qassem Mesleh, said in a statement.

"Operations command and the infantry brigade are now present on the Iraqi-Syrian border in border guard positions to repel any attack or movement by the enemy. This area is not within the PMF's remit but it is our duty to back up all security forces."

The PMF is an umbrella grouping of mostly Iran-backed and trained Shi'ite militias that formally report to Iraq's prime minister but are separate from the military and police.
What downturn? Houses in some suburbs are still selling FAST

In the midst of the property market upswing, property across the country was selling at lightning speed, with countless reports of property sales happening within hours of being listed for sale.
TWIN FALLS  The Twin Falls County Jail is overflowing with prisoners  and the rapidly growing inmate population shows no signs of slowing.

On Thursday afternoon, there were 240 inmates in the 224-bed jail. The intake block alone held 28 men, 16 beds and one toilet.

With the jail holding as many as 260 prisoners at a time, county officials have begun to look into expanding the facility, a process expected to take years. In the meantime, jail staff are struggling to make room for the influx of inmates.

The problem of overcrowding is a fairly recent one for Twin Falls County. Last year, the jail held a steady population of about 180 people, with a high of about 200. Toward the end of the summer that number begin to climb, and the average length of stay jumped from 14 days to 22 days.

Capt. Doug Hughes, commander of the Sheriffs Offices Security Services Division, attributes the explosion to two main factors: a rise in local felony cases and crowding in state prisons.

Felony cases filed by the Twin Falls County prosecutors office have gone up 19 percent this year alone, as the Times-News reported this week. More than 85 percent of the jails current population has been charged with a felony. Those inmates typically stay at the jail longer because of high bonds and a longer legal process.

Now many are staying even longer than usual due to overcrowding elsewhere in the state. With state prisons over capacity, some prisoners are remaining at the Twin Falls County jail for as long as 90 days after theyve been sentenced.

With all those factors in place, its creating kind of a housing nightmare, Hughes said.

The county has hired LCA Architects to explore preliminary options for expansion. In a meeting last week, commissioners and representatives from the sheriffs office weighed the pros and cons of expanding the jail downtown versus building a new facility elsewhere.

I think that we need to have everything on the table, Commissioner Don Hall said in a phone conversation. We want to have the options open for the community to help guide us through that process.

To sufficiently accommodate the growing inmate population over the next 30 years, a county report recommended that the new jail include up to 400 beds.

In the coming months, the county expects to assemble a citizens committee to review the expansion options.

While the county doesnt have a set timeline for deciding on a design and starting construction, its sure to be a lengthy process.

Jail staff say an expansion cant come soon enough.

They can think about what happens in 2020, Sgt. Jessica Guevara said. Were dealing with these problems every day.

Guevara noted that she would especially like to see additional holding cells in the expanded jail. Sometimes, when there are no more holding cells available, staff handcuff new arrivals to the welcome desk.

Hughes would like to have more space for programming and services, as well as larger kitchen and laundry facilities. Hes hopeful that additional educational opportunities and drug and alcohol programming could help bring down recidivism rates.

In the meantime, the jail staff are making do with limited beds and space. Some prisoners without beds use plastic boats, or temporary beds. Some sleep on mattresses on the floor. Others are shipped to Blaine County and other jails around the state.

This isnt the first time the jail has faced severe crowding. In 2005, similar population levels led the county to introduce specialty programs such as drug and mental health courts.

I think that trying to get some people out on lower-class, non-violent crimes is a way to kind of curb that for a period of time, Hughes said. But obviously thats not going to be a fix-all, save-all type deal. It would be more of a Band-Aid.
BURLEY  A Burley convenience store employee was arrested after officers said she took 25 lottery tickets and presented some for payment.

Chontoria Lajunae-Raenece Williams Powell, 19, is charged with illegally obtaining or altering lottery tickets, a felony, according to court documents.

Cassia County Sheriff deputies were called to the Quick Pik on West Main Street for a report of stolen lottery tickets.

A company employee told officers that Williams Powell took a book of 25 $25 tickets, valued at $625. The tickets were activated, and seven of the tickets were presented for payment on Nov. 9.

All told, $334 had been taken from the till for payment of the cash won on the presented tickets.

Williams Powell was the only employee working during the time the tickets were presented for payment. She also signed the log book used to track lottery tickets.

Williams Powell told officers that she had been late coming into work that morning because she was sick and had a doctors appointment. She said there was another girl at the store covering the shift of another employee when she got there.

She told detectives that she takes care of her family and if she had money she would have done her nails and would be wearing better clothes, and that she sometimes has problems with her short-term memory.

Detectives said her story kept changing, and she eventually told them she was not being truthful about going to the doctor that day or coming in late to work.

A preliminary hearing for Williams Powell is set at 9 a.m. on Friday in Cassia County Magistrate Court.
TWIN FALLS  This isnt your average change drive.

Students dont dig between sofa cushions or on top of the washing machine to find pennies and dimes. Its a major fundraiser.

Each year, the student councils at Twin Falls and Canyon Ridge high schools collect money for about a month to buy Christmas gifts for local families in need.

On Wednesday, Canyon Ridge High Schools student council spent the morning buying more than $27,000 worth of household items and Christmas gifts for at least eight families.

Its an eye-opening experience to help families in the community, Canyon Ridge student body president Priscilla Nieto said. Its definitely one of the best experiences Ive ever had.

Canyon Ridge students have organized a Pennies for Possibilities drive every year since the school opened in 2009.

At Twin Falls High School, Change 2 Change started in 2002, and students have raised more than $500,000 since. This year, students raised $11,880 and delivered gifts Saturday to 10 families.

Canyon Ridge student leaders kicked off their delivery day at 7 a.m. with breakfast at IHOP.

At Fred Meyer, each group of student leaders shopped for one family. They had a list with a fictitious last name  so the familys true identity would stay anonymous  and the age and gender of the family members and clothing sizes.

Priscilla and two friends were shopping for a family with a 6-month-old baby boy.

Student council adviser Jeremy Belliston talked with school counselors at Canyon Ridge, and its feeder elementary and middle schools, to identify families in need. Then, he contacted each family to get their sizes and wish list.

On Wednesday, many of Canyon Ridges student leaders were in the clothing section of Fred Meyer.

Priscilla and her groups shopping cart was full of baby items such as diapers, wipes, blankets, clothing, socks and shoes, and medicine.

Priscilla picked a flannel onesie off a rack and held it up.

This is so cute, she told her classmates. But it was for 24-month-olds, so she was looking for a smaller size. Her group also decided to pick out a winter coat for the little boy.

After spending the morning shopping, students had lunch and wrapped gifts.

Starting about 6 p.m., they took a school bus to the families homes to sing carols and deliver the Christmas presents. They expected to wrap up the day around 11 p.m.

Heres a look at how Canyon Ridge and Twin Falls high schools raised money this year:

Canyon Ridge High

Canyon Ridge students topped their fundraising by $4,000 over last year. Its just super cool how it happened, Priscilla said.

Student council members went around to different classes collecting money. Some students brought in change, while others donated checks from family members.

Each grade level competed against each other. This year juniors won, earning an extra day of spring break.

During their student council class, student leaders also went to local businesses to ask for monetary donations or items such as gift certificates.

Cash donations went toward the grand total. Items donated were used in 27 baskets for a silent auction.

Attendees earlier this month made a donation to get into the event, which included dinner and bidding on silent-auction baskets. The event brought in more than $4,000.

Some of the donated items were used for a separate silent auction just for Canyon Ridge faculty members.

Another major source of fundraising this year was Robert Stuart Middle School, which raised about $3,300  well above the schools $2,000 goal.

Twin Falls High

Twin Falls Highs student council focused on involving students, student leader Rebekah Kezele said.

That included collecting money in jugs, a bake sale, selling T-shirts and a benefit night at Pizza Pie Cafe.

Student leaders also made it a class competition to raise the most money. Seniors won, and theyll receive a half-day off school.

They still received a lot of support from local businesses, but students took the lead.

The students definitely stepped up a lot so we didnt have to rely on businesses, student leader Ashley Christensen said.

On Saturday, students started shopping at 9 a.m. at Fred Meyer. By the time theyd finished, wrapped presents and delivered them via school bus, it was 9 p.m.

This year, we wanted to choose families specifically with children in need, student leader Savannah Mallett said.

She and a classmate talked with school counselors  including at Twin Falls Highs feeder elementary schools  to select families most in need.

Student leaders decided to pare back how much they spent in order to reach more families  10 this year.

This year was definitely focusing on needs rather than wants, student leader Addison Archibald said.

When students went shopping, they purchased items such as food, clothing, winter boots and coats, and bed sheets for the families.

When they delivered the gifts, the families were so grateful, Ashley said.

It was also an opportunity to create personal relationships with those they helped, Savannah said, and it flips your perspective. This time of year, its nice to focus on someone else.
HEYBURN  U.S. Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho named Double L of Heyburn as the Small Business of the Month for December.

The company will be recognized in the Congressional Record of the Senate, according to a press release issued by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Not only does Double L provide high-quality equipment that enables potato farmers to increase production, expand their harvest, and achieve their America dream, they allow more people around the world to enjoy Idahos exceptional potatoes, Risch said. Since taking over as CEO in 2004, Chris Hunsaker has worked hard to expand Double L into a global presence, while staying true to the companys core values and commitment to Idaho potatoes. They are a prime example of the American entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovative solutions to empower consumers.

The company was founded in 1976 by potato growers Leland Klinger and Lynn Johnson, who started the company by manufacturing their own equipment.

Since then Double L has not lost the original manufacturing mindset, while continuing to expand, Risch said.

In 2004, the company moved from American Falls to Heyburn.

The company ships its equipment to New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Thailand, China, Isreal and Egypt.

Risch honors small businesses in the Senate each month.
TWIN FALLS  Christmas arrived four days early for 16 Twin Falls County nonprofits.

They received a total of $250,000 in grants Thursday from the Twin Falls Health Initiatives Trust during a ceremony at Cooper Norman.

It was a huge impact for the nonprofits, many of which operate on a shoestring budget providing services to those in need. Theyll use grant money in 2018 for health and wellness-related programs.

Its been fun and a joy to go through the process, the trusts board president Mark Brady told the crowd.

The trust has awarded $2.9 million in grants since 2008. This year, grant amounts ranged from $4,962 to $20,000.

Grants address the health trusts priority areas this year, including access to care and affordability, health education and economically disadvantaged populations.

Projects also must address at least one of these subcategories: mental health, healthy weight, nutrition or exercise, substance abuse or strengthening family wellness.

The Twin Falls Health Initiatives Trust is administered by a 13-member all-volunteer board. The trust was created when the Twin Falls County-owned hospital  Magic Valley Regional Medical Center  was sold in 2006 to the St. Lukes Health System.

County commissioners put some money into a trust and proceeds are used to award grants each year. Nonprofits attend a grant application class over the summer and apply by September.

The trust typically receives about 20 applications each year. Beyond the traditional community nonprofits, Brady told the Times-News hed like to see other groups  such as schools  apply as well.

During the awards ceremony Thursday, an employee from each nonprofit talked about how theyll use money and changes theyre expecting in 2018.

Here are the grant recipients:

$20,000 to provide x-ray services, medical and dental care, and hearing tests to low-income residents who dont have health insurance.

Twin Falls Senior Center:

$20,000 to serve meals to homebound senior citizens who dont qualify for existing programs.

$20,000 for transportation to medical appointments and for other health-related needs for community members who are elderly, disabled or chronically ill.

Twin Falls County Safe House:

$20,000 to help with expenses for a crisis shelter for at-risk youth. Money will pay for 150 days of care for low-income youth.

Family Health Services:

$20,000 to buy a panoramic x-ray machine for an expanded dental office on Eastland Drive.

$20,000 to put in a commercial kitchen to help with providing weekend meals for the homeless in downtown Twin Falls.

$4,962 to provide meals for senior citizens, better meet nutritional requirements and improve the efficiency in food purchasing.

$20,000 to provide behavioral health, substance abuse treatment and mental health services for about 40 at-risk and low-income residents.

$16,645 to recruit and train volunteers to represent children in child protection cases. Its currently serving nearly 300 children in eight counties  about 150 of whom are in Twin Falls County.

$20,000 to provide free testing, treatment and education for sexually transmitted infections for those who are uninsured or underinsured.

A change for the new year will be having a registered nurse on site during all business hours, allowing for walk-ins.

Thank you all for allowing us to have that growth in 2018, employee Nicki Kroese told the health trusts board.

Voices Against Violence:

$20,000 to increase the number of Latina families served by the victim service and advocacy organization, which provides support and a shelter for domestic violence victims.

Im just speechless and thankful, employee Angelica Soto said about the award during the ceremony.

Twin Falls County Juvenile Probation:

$10,000 for drug testing for about 100 indigent youth to help prevent drug relapses.

$8,891 to fund a Classrooms in Motion program. That includes providing four classrooms and all employees with exercise balls and mobile chairs, and initiatives to help students and employees develop healthier habits.

Kids Count Too:

$10,550 to help children grieving due to the death of a loved one.

South Central Community Action Partnership:

$8,952 to improve medical services for low-income and homeless residents.

Twin Falls County Board of Community Guardians:

$10,000 to help elderly people who have mental or physical impairments, and no family members who can provide guardianship.
If Democrats do well in the 2018 midterm elections, it wont be because of the Trump tax cuts. Democrats hyperbole notwithstanding, voters are not going to vote against Republicans for putting more money in their pockets. There may be other reasons to vote against Republicans, but if President Trump can somehow keep from making himself the issue and the 2018 election is mostly about peace and prosperity, Republicans may have a chance of holding onto the House and Senate majorities.

Democrats have somehow deluded themselves into thinking that Republican tax cuts are akin to what they did in 2010 in passing Obamacare. But, notaking away somebodys health plan, often denying them the doctor of their choice and compelling them to buy something at the governments insistence while simultaneously killing jobs and raising the cost of health care is not the same as letting Americans keep more of the money they earn and giving a lift to the overall economy.

The Democrats spin has gotten wildly out of control. Surely, the more reasonable, thoughtful and less-committedly socialist members of the party know it. Just ask yourself: How many Democrats in competitive House and Senate seats will be running in November 2018 on the promise to reverse the Trump tax cuts? Answer: Probably none. I will be eager to see which Democrats make undoing the Trump-era economy in favor of something like the Obama-era economy a key component of their campaigns.

The fact is, Democrats dont have much to say. Those running in competitive races have been reduced to mostly hoping that the economy goes bad, that maybe there will be a foreign fiasco and that the natural midterm cycle leads to their election without exposing them as mindless minions of House and Senate Minority Leaders Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., respectively.

While we are at it, it will be interesting to see how active the Clintons are on the campaign trail next year and how many Democrats will publicly be wistful about what might have been. Seriously, if Hillary Clinton had been elected, what exactly would we be celebrating today? An expansion of the global Paris climate accord? A new round of labor regulations? Illegal immigrants flooding our borders? What would be happening that might make the United States more prosperous?

While Clinton thought of Trump supporters as deplorables, just imagine the parade of self-righteous, smug and condescending insufferables who would be filling her administration right now. Speaking of that, when it comes to comparing Trumps version of peace with Clintons, a glimpse of what could have been was revealed Wednesday in The New York Times when former Obama administration national security adviser and Clinton ally, Susan Rice, criticized Trumps National Security Strategy as a dramatic departure from the mission of expand[ing] prosperity, freedom and security. Well, exactly where in the world does Rice think the Obama-Clinton foreign policy expanded prosperity, freedom and security? I cant think of any place. The amnesia among Democrats is remarkable to witness.

Anyway, it is easy to take shots at Trumps foreign policy. Much of the criticism is well-deserved. But would President Hillary Clinton, aided by an uninhibited and expanded Clinton Foundation, somehow serve the United States better? Im not so sure.

So, as we approach 2018, all Democrats have going for them is hyperbole, amnesia and the historical cycle of midterm elections. But their hyperbole on tax cuts is failing and amnesia wont attract independents. Their only strategy now is to ride the wave of the historical cycle and hope that what is supposed to happen does.
The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is alive in the Magic Valley. Wonderful musical programs included the following: A Christmas Collaboration at the College of Southern Idaho featuring the Magic Valley Symphony conducted by Theodore Hadley; the Magic Valley Chorale conducted by Carson Wong; and The CSI Chamber Choir conducted by Serena Jenkins Clark.

In addition, Carson Wong conducted a church musical program called Come to Bethlehem that included a visual narration as well. Nativities from around the world were also displayed. We are blessed to have great musical talent in the Magic Valley.

The Democrats and establishment Republicans still have not accepted Donald Trump as our president. It is obvious that there are two justice systems working in our country. Hillary gets a pass on her rigging the Democratic primary so socialist Bernie Sanders could not become the Democratic nominee. Also Hillary and the Democratic National Committee financed the bogus dossier that has been the focus of the Russian-collusion investigation.

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller has mostly Hillary-loving, Trump-hating attorneys. Many have donated to Democratic candidates. The FBI has become a political entity rather than a justice department. It is amazing that President Trump has survived the daily attacks by the fake news media, Democrats, never-Trumpers and establishment Republicans.

Due process appears to be dead. Presently, an allegation is proof of guilt. Our justice system formerly was that a person was innocent until proven guilty. Constitutionalist Roy Moore was a victim of a lynch mob by those who did not want him in Congress.

Our Constitutional republic is under severe attack. The United Nations is rapidly becoming a world government. We need to get out by passing H.R.193. The drive for an Idaho-call for a Constitutional Convention must be stopped! Freedom is not free! Get informed at www.thenewamerican.com.

Adrian Arp

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By Jose Miguel Cabarrus

Mans inhumanity to women is starkly depicted in the statue of the comfort women violated by Japanese troops in WWII. The womens sense of having been shamed beyond belief, on top of the pain and anguish suffered, forced a good number of them to take their own lives, while others simply lost it to insanity. Some survived to tell their grim stories, all to no avail: Japan refused to listen, let alone acknowledge their existence.

MARKER. A seven-foot bronze statue of a Filipino comfort woman is unveiled along Roxas Blvd. in Manila in remembrance of the estimated 1,000 Filipino women conscripted into sexual slavery in Japanese-run comfort stations during WWII. Norman Cruz

There is no taking away from the fact that Japanese inhumanity, beyond the savagery inflicted on the comfort women, also led to the killingssome set to the torch, babies thrown in the air and impaled on bayonets, others shot or also bayoneted, slashed with swords, beheaded, all killed in unbelievable forms, while others died from stray shells.

From Feb. 3 to March 3,1945 alone, over 100,000 victims died in the Battle of Manila. Their shocked, grieving families formed Memorare-Manila 1945 Foundation and have lived with the pain of loss and grim memory for over 72 years. Similarly, the Japanese government refuses to acknowledge vicious atrocities committed by their soldiers in World War II.

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We support the action taken by the National Historical Commission, the City of Manila, and Tulay, reminding viewers with the statue Comfort Women of the Japanese troops vicious war crimes.

We call on the nations youth to examine that period in depth, and ask the Department of Education to include lengthier expositions of that war and the hell and war crimes Japan inflicted on Filipinos through their three-and-a-half year occupation of the Philippines.

Jose Miguel Cabarrus is president of the Memorare-Manila 1945 Foundation

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Four US congressmen have called on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to declassify part of the anti-terror deal, meant to fight terror funding, that was signed with Qatar in July.

Congressmen Jim Banks, Robert Pittenger, Scott Perry and Ron DeSantis have expressed doubt over Qatars compliance with the deal in which the emirate pledged to fight terrorism funding.

The deal, secured by Tillerson, was part of the US efforts to mediate the Gulf Crisis, which erupted on June 5 after Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain plus Egypt cut off ties with Qatar on grounds that it funds terrorism.

The congressmen have addressed a letter to the US top diplomat arguing that US citizens need to know how the Qatari government is tackling terrorism.

The four also believe that the agreement does not contain classified information as noted by the State Department.

President Trump, at the beginning of the crisis, accused Qatar of providing financial support to terror groups, including Hamas and Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

While the US congressmen accused Doha of supporting terror groups, French President Emmanuel Macron last month said he would hand over to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman a list of terror groups spreading Wahhabism; known as the harshest implementation of Islam. The doctrine that does not recognize other religions is applied by terror groups.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has extended an invitation to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman to visit the United Kingdom.

The invitation was discussed Wednesday evening during a telephone conversation between the British PM, King Salman and the powerful Crown Prince who indirectly rules the kingdom, the London-based Middle East Eye reports.

The visit will take place next year but the date has not been revealed.

May reportedly condemned Yemen Houthi rebels missile launched on the kings palace this week. She also welcomed Riyadhs restraint over its response to the attack which the rebels said targeted King Salmans Yamama palace.

May has travelled to the region several times since taking office last year. Her last visit to the kingdom took place last month.

May and her cabinet are accused by aid agencies for closing eyes on the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen which started in 2015.

Saudi Arabia is leading a Pan-Arab campaign in the poorest Arab country to restore President Mansour Hadi who has been chased out of the country by the Iran-backed rebels.

Close to 10, 000 people have been killed since the beginning of the campaign  supported by the UK and the US through military training and arm sales.

British aid and human rights agencies believe UK, given its position at the UN Security Council, could influence the Saudi-led campaign and end atrocities. Yemen conflict is branded as the worst human catastrophe in modern history.

Mays office said the British Prime Minister also welcomed Saudi-led coalition decision to reopen the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. The coalition imposed blockade on the country early last month after the Yemeni rebels launched a missile that was intercepted near Riyadh airport.
The Palestinian President Thursday called victory for Palestine the UN motion at the General Assembly, which condemned with 128 votes US Presidents recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

The motion was brought before the GA after the US vetoed on Monday an Egypt-sponsored draft resolution condemning the US move.

President Trump, on December 6, unilaterally decided to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and proclaimed the old city the capital of Israel despite international treaties to leave the issue of Jerusalem to negotiations on the final status.

This decision reaffirms once again that the just Palestinian cause enjoys the support of international law, and no decision by any party can change the reality, Abbass statement said.

We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and all international forums to end the occupation and create a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem, the statement added.

Only nine countries voted against the motion while 35 abstained.

Israels Prime Minister condemned the vote ahead of the GA meeting. The Israeli leader called the UN a house of lies.

The State of Israel rejects outright this vote, even before it passes, he said at a ceremony in southern Israel.

The attitude to Israel of many nations in the world, in all the continents, is changing outside of the UN walls, and will eventually filter into the UN as well  the house of lies, he added.

Gaza-ruler Hamas also welcomed the vote as a victory for Jerusalem, and a defeat for the stupidity of Trump.

The vote was preceded by US threats to cut aid for countries voting against America. President Trump himself bullied countries after asking his UN envoy Nikki Haley to take down names of countries opposed to the US, but nut accept American aid.

Trumps decision sparked protests across the Middle East and in Muslim-majority countries. The EU and even US Arab allies warned against the move, which, they said, would tilt the region into violence.
Turkish and Emirati rivalry in the region has surfaced after UAE foreign minister posted a tweet accusing an Ottoman military commander of looting Medina and mistreating Arabs.

The accusations were posted on twitter by UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan, who said Ottoman troops led by Fakhreddin Pasha stole money and manuscripts from Medina in 1916.

Turkeys response was prompt as President Tayyip Erdogan leapt to the defense of the Ottoman Commander saying that he only tried to protect the city from the looters, in allusion to the Arab tribes that entered into alliance with the British at a time Medina was under Ottoman rule.

In a speech to local administrators, Erdogan said those miserable people who are delirious enough to shamelessly and tirelessly say Erdogans ancestors stole sacred items from there and brought them to Istanbul  it was to protect them from the people that came to invade.

He went on to say that UAE foreign Minister is spoiled with money and petrol, and that during the siege Fahreddin Pasha transferred the sacred relics to Istanbul to protect them against the British occupation.

These sacred relics remain in Istanbuls Topkap Palace, where people read the Koran 24 hours a day, Erdogan said.

Turkey and the UAE are at loggerheads regarding a set of regional issues. Turkey backs the Muslim brotherhood while the UAE funds a regional crackdown on political Islam.

Turkey has also been an ally of Qatar to whom it has extended a helping hand following the Saudi-imposed blockade, backed by the UAE and Gulf allies.
US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, hinted Thursday, following the landside vote at the UN General Assembly against President Trumps decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, that the US could cut its support for the UN as it is being disrespected despite its contributions.

The motion condemning President Trumps December 6 decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital and plans to move the Tel Aviv-based embassy to the disputed city was supported by 128 countries, including major recipients of US aid such as Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Thursday motion was rejected only by 9 while 35 including Mexico and Canada abstained. France and UK were in favor.

Haley lambasted the vote and pointed out that it disrespects the US, which grants assistance to many countries and contributes largely to the global organization.

She noted that the vote was an attack on Washingtons right to exercise its own foreign policy.

The United States will remember this day, Haley said.

It will remember that the US was again asked to make the largest contribution of any country to the UN, she said, and it will remember how the vote went when other countries come to the US for help.

Wednesday, President Trump himself threatened to cut aid for countries voting against the US.

Last Monday, fourteen members of the UN Security Council supported an Egyptian-drafted resolution condemning Trumps decision, but the text was vetoed by the US.
After 30 years in power, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will likely run for re-election in 2021 as lawmakers in the East African nation, late on Wednesday passed a contentious text amending a legislation that prevented anyone younger than 35 or older than 75 from holding the presidency.

Although Museveni has won elections  most recently in 2016  his popular support is waning, while the arrest of political opponents and activists has significantly undermined his international legitimacy.

The Wednesday constitutional change will allow the 73 year-old leader to run for an unprecedented sixth term in office. A two-term limit was scrapped in 2005 to allow him to stand for a third term.

The ruling party, which has a majority in Parliament, had argued that the age barrier discriminated against the elderly. But the opposition insisted the measure was part of Musevenis plan to rule for life.

Six MPs  all opposed to removal of the age cap  were suspended from parliamentary proceedings on Monday for alleged disorderly conduct, Reuters reported.

The new law also imposes a two-term limit on the presidency, starting in 2021.

Note that Musevenis early years after taking power with the help of the Western allies, restored stability in the East African nation. But alongside, critics say he has buttressed his position by tightening control over key institutions, including the army and police.
@NewsbySmiley

A Miami Beach commissioner and congressional candidate tried earlier this year to dissuade the citys police chief from going after a campaign donor accused of walking around his condo tower with a rifle and hacking fire alarms apart with a machete, according to public records.

Emails from Kristen Rosen Gonzalezs city account show that about one week after Hurricane Irma hit South Florida, she urged Police Chief Dan Oates to back off his pursuit of Erik Agazim, an arms dealer now facing a dozen felony charges in connection with the destruction of 11 fire alarms at the Sunset Harbour South condo tower.

Police say Agazim, 41, was seen walking around his complex in tactical gear Sept. 15 slashing fire alarms that had been malfunctioning and wailing since Irma made landfall. He was arrested Sept. 22.

But Agazim denies the allegations. And on the day after the incident, he reached out to Rosen Gonzalez for help.

She tried.

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